National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-02-03
KEEN INTEREST CHANGED TO DISGUST.


tan city in the country during the winter season,
and as such is the headquarters of all classes of
potOriety- seeking people, both male and female,
who have money enough to bring them here
and impotence enough to remain, and by any
means bring themselves before the public. Oae
OF this class is a lady who goes by the name OF
Mrs LIE Fevre. She is said to be English by
birth and education but the freedom in all things
enjoyed on this side of the Atlantic probably TO-
duced her to emigrate in order that she mig with
the associates she has selected, air her peculiar
and radical social theories. To this no one has
any very serious objection, as they are not com
PEELED ordinarily to either read or hear them,
but when our audiences are deliberately cheated,
by means Of cunning title, to a
so-CALLED LECTURE,
10 listen for an hour or more to utterances which
should never be heard except from those whose
education and training ut them for discussion and
advice On the laws Of nature and who certainly
would never think Of utter!Bg them to a mixed
audience in a public lectuTe-rOOm, some remOn-
STRANGE should be made
Mrs. lie Fevre is a handsome woman, said to be
wealthy, dresses we'll and has an ambition to
become lecIUress. This is certainly comm enda-
ble, and with her powers of elOCution, which arc
more than good, properly applied on some popu-
lar topic, she would undoubtedly be a success
This She has not seen fit to do. She came 20 this
city, participated in the recent suffrage cOnVen-
ton. out not very prominently. and has since
been introduced and noticed among cEiEenS and
CiEcials and received complimentary notices in
pared lecture, entitled
"oUR GREAT NIsTAKEs,''
which she advertised to deliver at Lincoln hall
on Monday night. knowing her capacity, THE
NATIONAL RETUBLICAN made kindly notices OF
the lady and her proposed lecture, little dream
ing what il was in reality. Determined to have
an audience, she sent through the city cORpli-
Deutary tickets bv the hundred to the yery best
people, and as q result the hall was literally
packed with an audience composed OF ladies and
gentlemen, but the cash receipts could hardly
have exceeded thirty dollars
The lecture had hardly begun before the audi
cree found that one Of their great mistakes
was in being swindled into lending their presence
to the OCca siOn and the almost unanimous feeling
was that If they could get out without attracting
too much attention they would have done ii.
Aany got
so DIsGUsTED
that they did go before the lecture was half over
and that, too, before the worst features Of her
theories had been reached. As a composition the
lecture is exceedingly faulty; as an argument tits
thin and pUintless; but a bold utterance Of the
scandalOUs and peTniciOus theory of free love 1t
was a success, and that she might have declared
in a sentence, and saved herself the trouble Of
reading and the audience the modification of lis
tening 70 such a doctrine. Think Of n woman
talking 10 an audience in which there were many
marriage certificate ard blushed for Shame 10
think that she had ever consented to receive or
be bound by any other law than her own purity
and her husbands EOnOr; then insulting them BY
telling them that they had better get one when
they were married, as their union would be one Of
misery and lust, and that when either were Sd
tisted, as they soon would be, without the legal
bond they would be cast off.
She should have been Kissed from the stage for
these utterances, but as those who remained were
charitable they allowed her to proceed, and to-
day commented freely on the mOnstrous indie
cent, unCalled-fOr and untrue statements with
which the lecture abOunded.
From among the many letters on the sIbIec;
received at this office the two following are pub
lished as samples
THE NEW LIGHTS.
To The Editor Of The National Republican:
SIR: Mrs. Mary E. LeFevre is one of them. The
very assumption Of her own baptismaI pane in
stead Of that Of her husband, is progressive Once
we should have SAID Mrs. John Smith: now we
should say Mrs. Polly Smith, 4 speaking Of the
consort OF the very notorious Mr.. Smith Bat is
not this new light, blue light? and has It not an
CdoT Of birthstone? If the lecture on Monday is
a specimen Of the kind Of brilliancy we are 10
have, it seems to me that the accompanying heat
Eeems TO demand that the engines should be
called out in anticipation Of an alarming confia-
grafton. What was good about il is as old as the
Bible, and what is new is decidedly bad. Blythe
by, what a singing commentary on the times We
hive in is the mere fact that one assuming to be a
lacy, can or would deliver such an address to a
PTCmiscuous audience Of mothers aud fathers
boys and girls, old men and young, and neither
plush nor be assailed with Kisses nor ugly mis-
tenCTS gained?
When we say We love modesty, do we know
what we mean? When we desire that our chill
dren shall be educated in purity and the kpOWl-
edge Of love and virtue do we mean anytbfnRP
Dr are we talking at random? How long will in
''"stv and all the lovely traits that
TOO in youth, boys and
ioceuUv, 49, nation OF
-octI men and women bum
iris, exist under an energetic dIsso.---.
he peculiar preachings and teaehiHEs, VI, ~
peak more correctly, OF the views and th9u2ntss
sSprCEsed by the new lights? Thank Goa tnsh
ne have not yet come TO a point When all acts
shs N be done in public There are yet, too, some
ruEiects not discussed before children. But we
know not what a day may bring forth. satan
must be CON ing this way in person. II is time 10
die. AN OLD MOTHER IN ISRAEL
ANOTHER LETTER.
The Editor Of the National Republican:
SrE: 1 was one Of the audience which attended
The lecture Of Mrs lie Feyre at Lincoln Hall last
nix ht and left dissatisfied. As TO my impressions
Of the lecture last night, must say that the os.
IectiCnable uttcraDces were such as might have
been properly used by physician 10 his patient,
or might have been appropriate before an audi
enee OF ladies only: or II said otherwise, would
have been less out of place lin the east ROOM with
the curtains down. and to a select audience, the
smaller the bettcr) than before a mixed gather
ing such as was present last evening. asked
an excellent lady friend Of mine to-day, who was
present. If she would have gone had she under
stood what was to have been said. OF course, she
said no, and that she would have left could she
have done so unnOticed. Your many readers
would hardly have been delighted with relish
at their hreRkfast-tabIe such faithful descrp-
tiCn Of the lecture would have given. certainly
should have left earlier had taken my Wife as l
thought Of Going. SUBSCRIBER.