The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-11-23
ur.. woodruff ON Social Freedom.
- -s-.I 49,
SHE FREES HER MIND.

f social freedom, or more popularity known as |
free love-" Theodore Tilton, the blonde poet
md fancy reformer, presided and introduced
he lecturer Mrs. Woodruff was applauded
md Kissed by the different classes in her audi
'nce until some special point called Mrs.
BROKER, a sister of the speaker, but directly
opposed to her in her opinions on this subject
but otherwise possessing the characteristics OF
the wonderful family, who occupied seat on
balcony near the platform. This lady tran
tically arose and broke in upon her free love SIS
ter in most excited and noisy manner po'n
demanding if the speaker believed the ini"-
NOUS sentiments she was uttering and denounc-
ing them Cheers. shouts, Kisses, cat-ciiis tha'
would have done credit to the Bowery succeeu-
ed. Mr.. Tilton tried to secure ORDER put MS
-, 1--we worse than useless. These episodes
a.st;,,,,ad at freouent intervals until the close
80 tho lact1re. As Mrs. Woodruff is to lecture
in one of the present courses in this city, few
ov+racts from the New York lecture as reported
nv the Herald will be of interest.
After proceeding at some length, Mrs. Wood
hull said:
Now 1 will put the question direct. Are not
these eminently proper subjects for inquiry and
discussion, not in that manner OF maudlin SEN
timentality in which it has been the habit, but
in dignifed, open, honest and fearless way,
in which subjects of so great Importance should
be inquired into and discussed? An exhaustive
treatment of these subjects wonld involve the
inquiry what should be the chief end to be
gained by entering into sexual relations. This
must simply answer by saying, Good chill
dren, who will not to be reginerated," and pass
to the consideration of the relations themselves
All the relations between the sexes that are
recognized as legitimate are denominated mar
rage. But of what does marriage consist?
This very pertinent question requires settle
ment before any real progress can be made as
to what social freedom and prostitution mean.
1t is admitted by everybody that marriage is
union of the opposites in sex; but is it prin-
ciple of nature outside of all law, or is it law
outside of all nature? Where is the point be-
fore reaching which it is not marriage, but hay
ing reached which it is marriage? 1t is where
two meet and realize that the love elements of
their nature are harmonious, and that they
blend into and make one purpose of life? or is
it where a soulless form is pronounced over two
who know no commingling of life's hopes?
Marriage must consist either of love or of law
since it may exist in form with either term alb
sent; that is to say, people may be married by
law and all love being lacking, and they may al
so be married by love and lack all sanction of
law. True marriage must in reality consist en-
tirely either of law or love, since there can be
statute law by which the former shall yield to
the latter. t
Law cannot change what nature has already
determined. Neither will love obey if law COM
mand. F~
Law cannot compel two to love, it has moth
ing to do either with love or with its Absence
Love is superior to all law, and so also is hate,
Indifference, disgust and all other human senti-
ments which. are evoked in the relations of the
sexes 1t legitimately and logically follows, if
III To- l,nf
law has nothing to do with it. And, on the
contrary, if law have anything to do with mar
riage, that love has nothing to do with it. And
there is no escaping the deduction.
Considerable dissatisfaction was here mani
tested by the audience, but after some kissing
and cheering commingled, the speaker contin-
ued:- >8.r
I do not care where it is that sexual COM
merce results from the dominant power of one
sex over the other, compelling him or her to
submission against the instincts of love, and
where hate or disgust is present, whether it be
in the gilded palaces of Fifth Avenue or in the
lowest purlieus of Greene street, there is prosti
tuition, and all the law that thousand State
assemblies may pass cannot make it otherwise.
1 know whereof speak; 1 have seen the
most damning misery resulting from legaliZed
ed of those against whom society has shut her
doors never knew. Thousands of poor, weak,
unresisting wives are. yearly murdered, who
stand in spirit life looking down upon the sick
ly, half made-up children left behind, implor-
ing humanity for the sake of honor and virtue
to look into the NATTER to look into it to the
very bottom, and to bring out into the fair day
light all the blackened, sickening deformities
that have so long been hidden by the screen of
public opinion and sham morality.
1t does not matter how much it may still be
attempted to gloss these things over and to la
bel them sound and pure; you, each and every
one of you, know that what say is truth, and
if you question your own souls you dare not re-
ply: it is not so. If these things to which re-
fer, but of which shudder to think are not
abuses of the sexual relations, what are?
You may or may not think there is help for
them, but say heaven help us if such barbar-
ism cannot be cured.
l would not be understood to say that there
are no good conditions in the present marriage
state. By no means do say this on the CON
trary, very large proportion of present social
relations are commandments as good as the
present status of society makes possible But
what do assert and that most positively, is
that all which is good and commendable, now
existing, would continue to exist if all marriage
laws We're repealed tomorrow.
1t seems to me that no grosser insult could be
offered to woman than to insinuate that she is
honest and virtuous only because the law COM
peis her to be so; and little do men an women
realize the obloquy thus cast upon society, and
still less do women realize what they admit of
their sex by such assertions. L honor and wor-
ship that purity which exists in the soul of
every noble man or woman, while 1 pity the
woman who is virtuous simply because law
compels her.
1t may be very proper and legitimate, and
withal perfectly consistent, for the philosophers
of the Tribune school to bundle all the murder
ers robbers and rascals together and hand them
over to our camp libelled as Free Lovers We
will only object that they ought to hand the
whole OF humanity over, good, bad and indif-
ferent, and not assert its worst representatives
Among the cases cited as evidences of the evil
tendencies of free love are those of Richardson
and Crttenden. The celebrated Mcfarland
Richardson case was heralded worldwide as a
case of this sort. So far as Richardson and
Mcfarland were concerned have every reason
to believe it was genuine one, in so far as the
preventing obstacles framed by the "conserva-
tors" wonld permit. But when they assert that
the murder of Richardson by Mcfarland was
the legitimate result of Free Love, then deny
it IN toto. Mcfarland murdered Richardson
because he believed that the law had sold Abby
Sage soul and body to him, and, consequently,
that he owned her, and that no other person
had any right to her favor, and that she had no
right to bestow her love upon any other person,
unless that ownership was first satisfied. The
murder of Richardson, then, is not chargeable
to his love or her love, but to the fact of the
supposed ownership, which right of possession
the law of marriage conferred on Mcfarland.
LII anything is needed to make the REPUTATION
Of that charge clear will give it by illustra-
lion. Suppose that pagan should be convert
id to Christianity through the efforts of some
Christian minister and that the remaining pag-
ans should kill that minister, for what he had
lone, would the crime be chargeable upon the
Christian religion? Will any of you make that
assertion? If not, neither can you charge that
5he death of Richardson should be charged to
Free Love. But more recent case is a still
clearer proof of the correctness of my position.
Mrs. Fair killed Crittenden. Why? Because
'he believed in the spirit of the marriage law;
hat she had a better right to him than had
Mrs. Crittenden, whom the law had granted
aim; and rather than to give him up to her, to
whom he evidently desired to CO. and where,
following his right to freedom, he did 60, she
killed him. Could more perfect case Of the
'plrlt Of !. the marriage law be formed?
I know too well the miseries of the married
state. While in the profession of clairvoyant
thousands of poor, heart-broken husbands came
TO pour their sorrows into my ear. CHEERS and
aughter.) If our sisters who inhabit Greene
street and other filthy localities choose to re-
main in debauchery they are only exercising
The same right as our brothers who visit Them
Applause.) The honest women of a town in
,he State of New York some two years ago or |
yanlzed for the purpose of putting down pros |
tuition. They pushed the matter until they |
ound their own husbands, brothers and lovers |
n these houses of prostitution; then they de- |
listed and nothing has been heard of the move |
nent since. Promiscuity in sexuality is simply |
he anarchical stage of development wherein |
he passions rule supreme. What can be more |
errible than for delicate sensitvely organic |
ID woman to be compelled to endure the pres |
'nce OF beast in the shape of man who knew |
nothing beyond the blind passion with which |
ne is filled, and to which is often added the de-
irium of intoxication? protest against this |
lorm of slavery, protest against the custom |
which cOmpelS women to give the control of |
heir maternal functions over to anybody. 1t |
should be theirs to determine when, and under
What circumstances, the greatest of all construc-
i've processes-the formation of an immortal |