The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-06
A MOMAN's OPINION OF 1T.
LECTURE OF ANNA T. DICKINSON AT srENwAY
HALL.

Miss Anna E. Dickinson last evening in steinway
Hall delivered her lecture "A woman's Opinion
or It." Despite the stormy weather there was
quite large audience. the major portion OF whom.
strange TO say, were OF the gentler sex. Just be-
fore Mlss DICKINSON made her appearance on the
stage Theodore Titon escortlng a young lady.
and accompanied by one OF his counsel, Roger A..
Pryor, entered the hail. and took a reserved seat
IN the central row. His entrance created
quite a sensation, and when the lecture
was over the ladies in the audience clus-
tered about the dOorways IN order to see him
pass out. many. in their anxiety, budding to-
gether outside the main entrance, exposed TO the
storm, where they remained until the lights were
put out AS Theodore and his party. after the lee
ture, made their way behind the stage to pay their
respects 1t was believed, to Miss Dickinson. there
were not few disappointed women on the SIDE
walk when the doors were closed.
Miss DicKinson's lecture. 1t was supposed by
many, was to have the Beecher trial for its text,
but such was not the case. She only referred TO
1t incidentally. The theme was the social evil, and
the aim OF the lecture was to arouse the attic n
tion as the lecturer IN Animated, to tue necessity
OF so educating the boys OF the period as TO give
them openly and above board, even before they
got
OUT OF THEIR TEENS
q good idea OF the evils they would be instru-
mental IN bringing about In their maturer years II
allowed TO follow their bad incnations and ''Lhe
teachings OF society" as to their respons billy IN
lie. There were, MISS ID ckinson SAID, questions
otner than the third term the Louisiana difficulty,
the Arkansas problem and the NATIONAL
which were OF more impor taEce than these, which
existed before they became topics. and which
would exist long after they would be forgotte II.
People SAID that though 1t was true they were OF
grave importance, yet we were moi strong enough
in the present to grapple with them, and that
probably some future generation might be Drawer
that would grapple with them. II a woman spoke
openly about them she was declared shocking,
nns odd nj I hal Sh m 10 w. naa
LOST TO ALL DELCACY
and modesty before she dragged these questions
UP Tor the inspection OF all the world. at was
very bad taste,n they said. Yet 1T was the correct
thing TO discuss lniquity In ONCE, poverty and
vancement OF the enllre human race. II that were
50, how much more the subject she meant TO speak
about was ABOVE all thesel The lecturer then al
luded to the average young man Just beginning lie.
So 10 speak. He Was a nice young fellow everybody
conceded. ''He Is only sowing his wild oats o
people SAID. HE is a little gay, out neil mend
IN years. He is little overload OF the
ladies, nut that's nothing He'll be all
mans sowing his Wild oats as If he was
! only passing an idle hour, and that good harvest
was TO come OF the sowing; but It was sowed on a
ground, she sale, that was the crushing out OF a
healthy lie, the destruction OF woman's BODY
for all time, and PROBABLY her soul tor eternity.
Miss Dickinson then at great length argued to
snow that society held mans mortal crime
to be venial fault, and womans venial
was, Tor woman. TO TALL past all nope Of rising
but man might fall till the ena OF his days, yet
no one Thought Hlm any leSS worthy OF society,"
A woman was so judged. 1t was commended. be-
cause she stood the keystone OF the arch OF
sne hOme-if she iell all-nome, husband and chill
dren-ell. II man tell the home remained In.
tact for
THE PLEA OF SOCIETY
owns his act only touched himself, and him but
slightly. Because OF this teaching she said mo al
death was being sown among our boys. Miss
Dickinson then Illustrated the condition OF the
Ial en- woman by describing the fall OF Young
girl VINO browns her chlld because, according TO
the custom OF society" her parents make her get
n IL before will let
lecturer vivldly described the agony OF the young
mother; her persecution Dy those who snould
heip her: ner attempt to retrace her false step,
and her final resort 10
LIFE OF SHAME,
10 40 well. even by the respectable churches and
sometimes on the gaOws. And yet the man who
was the real assassin or the woman's body
and soul went scot Tree because his act, as society
claimed, concerned himself and him but slightly
Sne main tanned, IN speaking this feature OF the
subject at considerable length, that man VINO by
nis acts sunk an already fallen woman deeper
In her degradation was q vier wretch
than he who caused her downfall, and
contended that God would hold him to be the
more guilty OF the TWO. Miss Dickinson closed
with an earnest exhortatiOn to fathers and
mothers to so educate their sons and daughters
that they would understand what the social evil
really Is, and now they should be brought up to
feel that man, In bis acts o. sin, committed q
crime that BY no means concerned himself alone