, 1874-03-30
THE SOCIAL EVIL,
Lecture by Miss ANNA Dickinson at
Unity Church.

1>,, 49,, .,,1,o.,.. ~..t,,.,o. T.. 1,..,T,
inson.
At tho conclusion Of tho church services tho
Raw T7ohort ro1,vor Il, ,rtrod,o,,,a H..
- t, .'oous. 1o,u .i, - .ha. s to speakof
" tno o'ol''nB, aa.o 'i's'' n1s c"a'cn "oald re-
which MiBs Dickinson would dolivcr
In oneninp. tim anoaket 9tatcfl Tint tor ,vcra
would bo ono Of conboionce. Yllo Ind no ert
1pirtt, satire, or douunolatfou to oirar. Hho
aud weighed down by tho questions Of tne DIV
questions SO mo1nentous that they demanded
immoliato attention, In politics. mon Ind nnol,
to Bay, and tho Importance Of tho dsouBsion Of
political questions dogeryel recognition. Dut
thoro were other subjects moro terrible than
these; questions that affected both North and
South; questions ~ old as tho sky,-aa sorrow
ful ns sorrow,-that affected both tho
past and tho future Of human Iifo.
In tho treatment Of those questions Bho
it was because men had acted untnstly in tho
mattor. Sho had read in paper tho question !:
Why do not tho praying women exert themselves
to drag their erring sisters out Of the miro and
put them in tho way. Of goodiy life7
m sha ossS so1S S hs as To oy be we'll to Lock into
manco to Say that women ruled the world
through tl1eir Influence with men, ThjB was n
nice compliment, but, like most co,upli-
n,ents, it was Untrue. What bettor proof
WiH tNGrG OIL tn6 1ouY OF this
assertion than tho fact that the prayers Of
women from tho gutter against the laws mndo
by men licensing tile liouor- traffic were diarn.
gardod by thcm2
Men hid governed tho world, aud did govern
tho world This tiay. She would not say % that
every nun was individually tyrant, but ii Classes ll
would look after themselves. The Lords of
England, the manufacturers of Eneloud. the
,workinglnon Of England, worked for themselves,
because they knew their own wants better and
At.-{.s H., T.,
30 had men over done, They had made the iaws
for themselves and tlier sisters. Tho
speaker contrasted tho opportunities for
advancement offered to men aud women in their
growth into manhood and womanhool, and drew
4 vivid picture Of tue treatment tho world ac-
corded to a fallen woman. 1t is propos.oroue tn
say that these women followed their wrotchei
life from c1oicq Iu support OF this the spoakor
quoted Statistics sho had gathered from Tie
police records of New York, and which cannot
mud drew vivid picture OF tho liorrora of n life
Of prostitution, and asked whether Ii was
probable that tho lifo WAS followed from alonr
preference Of it to any other. Tho gpoaker
described the lifo Of tho inmatos Of
which sho included sailors loJeine. J' bouaas' ~
aud concert-roomB. md tho somewilnt hieher..
toned houses in whicl, tho girls wore bodily in
tho power of the mistress, whom she compared
to tho distior, WHO hcln himself aloof from The
HI
groat evil Which prayerful women woro now
struggling agai1sr.
Sho related all anecdote Of an interview auo
Ind In an American city with q majestic r,rosti-
tuso, whose lovoos were throngod by tho wit aud
genius Of tho city. This woman, who wns by
hor natural gifts one among ten thousand, Ind
como to hor the day after the delivery of loo-
ture by the speaker, and had inloraed her
vicws, and logged her to 80 on in
setting thom boforo tho world. Thia poor
1nF1I1 1a1,
the house, tue noise Of tile a,ctioncor's hammer
was heard thore, aud ihe shouts OF those who
had come to pick up an article Of iowelry or work
Of art she Ind left behind lnr. at her funeral
not ono Of her former mule associates was pros-
ent. aud aho was accompanied to hor gravo by
four poor girls who Ind boon hor companions ii,
vico. Tho speaker Ind recently road q decision
Of tho French Courts, which virtually held that,
for tho guardian Of young girl, Id years OF ago.
to excite hor passion with o view to her ovor-
throw, waa not only not a crime, but not ovon
matter to call forth onnsuro.
She asked what was tho thing that promnted
a father, o brother or lover to shoot down the
man WHO had wronged those who wore dearest
ing occasionod to tho poor giri? No It was to
satisfy their honor. Sho told an auccdote of a
young girl in Buffalo who hud boon seducoi1. and
WHO at ID years Of ago Was an inmate of a
llouae Of prostitution and MI outcast, with the
against tho world. Tiis girl was one day visited
by man OF DO, keon-wittod businosa man. cha
husband Of an honorable and beautiful lodv. and
o Deacon Of a church. During tho evening
tho ,nan was robbed Of sum Of money. MA
to the Ponitentiary, whilo tho man was aont OF
with tho advice that be should not ha canot in
such o scrnpa again. ILaugAtor1 This Qirl ra-
turned to lior lifo Of shano for no other wa
open to hor, and became tliseasod unto death.
Ia hor lust aiokness sho was treated by man ::
,yln,, rnlv fin lnnt Yo,v hrontLa - I;fo