The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-02-01

This much-tal1ed of apparently wicked and
hayward woman appeared before audience
of perhaps twelve hundred people at City Hall
last evening and talked to them of a fearful
impending revolution. To those who have
never seen her, description of her personal
appearance will perhaps be interesting. She is
unlike her photographs. In statue little be-
low the medium, with pleasant face and Won
derfully expressive features, and deep eyes; but
bearing wearied harassed air. The arts of
the toilet are not studied She appeared in a
plain black Dress with sack waist fastened at
the throat with small bunch of flowers. She
is rapid, nervous and petulant in oratory, and
confines herself somewhat closely to her manu-
script using few gestures with the hands, but
enforcing her sentiments with the head and
body.
Mrs. Woodruff began by a review of the
progress of government from the patriarchal
age, and the march of civilization from its
dawn in Asia to its implantation in the virgin
soil of America, where a new process was be-
gun; and as in this country the future race of
the world is being developed, so also will the
foundation of the future government be devel-
oped which shall become universal. st. PauPs
beautiful triplet of Faith, Hope and Charity
will be placed in the vocabulary of the future
by the more perfect one-Knowledge, Wisdom
and Justice. These three, but the greatest of
these is Justice Charity, with its long cloak
of justice escaped, has long enough covered
multitude of sins. Justice will in the future
demand perfect compensation in all things,
whether material, mental or spiritual.
Heretofore justice has only been considered
as having relation to matters covered by enact
ed law, and its demands have been considered
as satisfied when the law has had its full course.
With Freedom and Equality it has been mere
abstract term with but little significance
There has never been such thing as freedom
for the people. 1t has always been concession
by the government. There has never been an
equality for the people. 1t has always been
the stronger, in some sense, preying upon the
weaker; and the people have never had justice.
What does freedom mean?
Individual freedom in its true sense means
lust the same thing for the people that freedom
for the air and water means to them. 1t means
freedom to obey the natural condition of the
individual, modified only by the various exter-
nal forces which are brought to bear upon, and
which induce action in the individual. What
that action will be, must be determined solely
by the individual and the operating causes, and
in no two cases can they be precisely alike;
since no two human beings are precisely alike.
If, then, freedom means anything, it means
that no individual is subject to my rule or law
to be arbitrarily imposed by other individuals.
And here is the primal foundation and the only
authoritative source of government. No indi-
vdual can be said to be free and be held ac-
countable to a law to which he or she did not
consent.
What, then, should be the sphere of justice
in maintaining equality in freedom? Clearly
to maintain equal conditions among free indi-
viduals. The impending revolution, then, will
be the strife for the mastery between the an
thority, despotism, inequalities and injustices
of the present, and freedom, equality and JUS
tice in their broad and perfect sense, based on
the proposition that humanity is one, having a
common origin, common interests and purpo-
o,1d ipbartipu q daStinv which ie
the complete statement of the religion of Jesus
Christ, unadulterated by his protested followers.
But does the impending revolution imply a
peaceful change or a bloody struggle?
All the struggles of humanity in the centu
ries which have come and gone have been fol
freedom-for freedom to think and for freedom
to act as against authority and despotic law
without regard to what should come of tina
thought and action But we are now entering
upon a struggle for something quite differen
from this Having obtained freedom from the
despotism of rulers and governments, the rule
and despotism of individuals began to usurI
the places made vacant by them. Where once
the king or emperor reigned, capital reinforced
by the power of public opinion and religious
authorities, now sits and FORCES chains will
which to fetter and bind the people. Where
nv divine right men once demanded the results
OF the labors of their people, the privileged few
by the means of an ingenious system, facetious
ly called popular laws, now make the same de
mand, and with equally decisive results
Coming down to a representative government
of which personal liberty is the basis, the de
spotism of laws enacted in the interest of priv
ifeged classes substituted for the persona
despotism of monarchs and mobiles. What tn
absolute monarch possesses himself of by tn
right of might, the privileged class in the por
Mar government possess themselves by the RICH
of law, everything legal being held to be just
Now is not that precisely the case in thi
country? With this modification, however
In the last instance they suffer from condition
over which they have no control; whilst IN tfl
former case the conditions by which they al
enslaved are of their own formation. And
would rather be the unwilling subject of an al
solute monarch than the willing slave of m
own ignorance of which advantage is taken
those who spend their time in endeavoring
prove to me that l am free and in singing tn
glories of my condition, to hoodwink my res
son and to blind my perception.
And / further say that that system OF govern
ment by which it is possible for class of PEI
pie to practice upon my credulity, and, undo
false pretenses, first entice me to acquiesce
laws by which immense eorruptions and monol
ones are established, and then to induce me
submit to their extortions because they ext
by law, pursuing none but lawful means, is a
Internal despotlsm, compared to which the Ru
sian Gar is a thousand times to be preferred.
is it right that the millions should toll 9