, 1872-12-26
VICTORIA C. WOODHULL.

Her Denunciat1on Of IS Moral Cownr-
dice and Modern HnypocrIsy.''
| From the Springfield {Nass.) Republican.
Mrs. Woodruff distinguished this city by her
first appearance before the public since her re-
lease from-as she terms it, after the manner OF
her friend, George Francis Train-.sa modern
Bastile." The lecture was somewhat excitedly
introduced by the preliminary announcement of
the agent that Governor Claf1n and other emil
nently respectable persons had Influenced EIr.
Peck to refuse Mrs. Woodruff the use of the Bos-
ton Music Hall although che had engaged it for
vertising it. The fever OF the AVIS was appar-
ent enough in the lecturers nervous manner as
she camo upon the stage, dressed simply and
quietly in black silk, and began, in voice rem
dered singularly pathetic by the continual in1ec-
ton Of the head tones, and with a rapid, eager,
magnetic manner, the recital Of her wrongs and
her intents.
She came, she said on change Of venue
press, to the court Of the people, a court higher
than all others, and which creates al others, and
presented the case for the defence, knowing that
justice reigns where intrigue cannot enter nor
money corrupt. She thus announced her lecture
as 9 special pleading in her own behalf. She
stated that TYoodhuN d Clafin's Weekly was
! started with the avowed purpose Of proposing o
totally new social system, and recalled the gem
erous and hattering reception they first met,
honeyed over will! such phrases as tho fas-
cinating fnanciers," the future princesses
of Erie" "Commodore Vanderbi1t's proteges :"
and then traced how the current changed az they
advocated the new steps, one by one, until they
f o7on
"blackmal1ers," etc. It is war Of the press, Mrs.
! Woodruff claimed, that has brought them into
disrepute; and she calmly inquired whether the
press could prove certain specific act Of black
mailing or Of prostitution against them and
then remarked as calmly that editors who have
| charged them with the crime for which they are
arraigned will be proceeded against legally un-
| less they retract-
From this little resume, Mrs Woodruff glided
into direct defence Of the purity OF their pu1-
poees, confesaing to the advocacy of "free love-"
but claiming that that had nothing to do eithar
D1a; 9Th their En-, se1uality or spirituality:
speech and not . little sarcastic '1a power. y.
she stated their "horrible and reYoltine
social theory" to be that woman should be
| emaucipated from sexual slarary-that is, that
| the social system should be SO amended that no
woman would ever even be tempted, much less
compelled, to barter her sex either for q perma-
nent home or for temporary support Meantime
they demand equality Of right and OF RESPONSE
the loss Of virgirity is held to be disgrace to
unmarried women, it should also equally dis
grace unmarried men il the mothers of chill
dren born out Of the wedlock are ostracised, so
fate; it o life Of prostitution is wrong
for the woman, so must it also bo for
the man; if women are inspected and re-
corded under contagious disease sets, go should
men who associate with them be also inspected
and recorded. On looking upon it from the
standpoint OF man. if the man debauchee be per-
mitted tho entrec of respectable society. 80
should the woman with whom he associates
and if he be permitted to move in such circles,
and to marry its daughters so must she also be
permitted to do tho eame and marry its sons
and, having married, be equally as respectable
as the men who have married the daughters
and they claim that public theatres, hotels and
reading-rooms, where men are admitted unques-
toned aud without certificate Of character
from their ministers, should also be open to
women upon the same terms.
This the speaker averred, is the Limit Of their
demands for women; and she challenged the
production Of single sentence of theirs to
justify the presss accusation that they had |
urged prostitution and promiscuous sexual in
tercourse. The press had built solid wall OF |
m ana mGTfy m peo sna b sd ri between
that no landlord in New York would rent them
house save such as had been used for prosti-
tuition; no boarding-house, and few hotels t
Of Of first 1f and s.: second Glass;. was open
from them, their children turned out
OF every private school, and their names 8,
by-Word and reproach on the tongue of those
IT Who Lnew them not This state of affairs, Mrs.
their paper on reverod regulations which has re-
Gently made the sisters infamous. That publi-
cation was intended to burst the barrier which
shut them out from the public; tho most terrific
most proyidentially committed to their care for
this emergency, were necessary, and were unhes-
ltatlngly used. The ponderous bombshell was
launched, and the explosion startled the whole
wor!d from ITS lethargy, and caused it to stand
terrified or appalled,.
Then followed detailed, satirica1 account of
the way they we're entrapped into arrest on the
ciroumstantial charge Of dedling the mail with
obscene iterature and of the course the prose-
cution took through the United States Courts
attempting to load the case with proposition
10 vindcate the reputation of one Of the purest
and best citizens; denying the investigation to
see if there were probable GAUGE to hold the de-
Pendants and committing them to jail to await
trial. which may be put off one, two, or mora
years, as the Court pleases. And, asks Mrs.
Noodhull, It the suits that have been instituted,
10Th IN the United States and State
jourts, are merely to. obtain justice,
Thence let it be asked, comes the