Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-02-07

Aot w ulOtuoi
believe that prostitution is something
that man should enjoy, but which woman
should avoid.
l have as much respect for a woman
who on the streets sells herself for Eve
dollars as | have for the woman who
walks into a church and sells herself for
fifty thousand dollars! How many 6rst-
class families in Memphis have closed
their doors against the elegant rouel
He is introduced TO your daughters; but
g woman, il suspected. is torn to pieces
BY gossip aud she is shut out from your
psrlors. To a dissolute man q mother
should say rs your record clearY Il
your hand as white as that Of my virgin
daughter? No, sir, you are not fit to
marry her." We are sick aud tired Of
this debauchery; women should come
to the front aud say so. Our men do
not desire it; they only indulge in it
simply because they are reckless and
are taught no better. | wish to be re-
membered by the young men aud girls
of Memphis on this social topic. Let
every intelligent mother when she goes
home Tonight ask her husband: Where
is our darling boy2 Find him and bring
him home
TIE young man should talk to his
beautiful sister and say, my darling
sister, | know the young man you are
going to marry he is not q pure man"
Let them talk together, and let her say
to the dissolute man, NO., / will not
m AIRY you; you are not a pure man."
The young men do not desire to follow
vice. | have heard them say, " We are
not satisfied; there is something want
ing-a home, a wife, something to honor
aud love"
The should organize and visit
the houses of bad repute, and try to win
the ruined women from a life Of prosti-
tuition. The women of Memphis have
it in their power to destroy every house
of prostitution in the city within three
weeks by becoming acquainted with these
Q cllities and visiting them regularly o
mark the men who frequent such places.
Then you will find out whether the wo-
mau Of the town has been dehauched by
your sou.
Should / come here again | will have
a greater number of mothers and daugh-
ters before me. Because have suffered
| go before the country teaching morality
aud that the human body is a temple Of
God" People have no faith in govern
ment, in the financial condition Of the
couatry, in anything, SO long as this
social problem remains unsettled. !
would have this book holding up the
bible) in every school-house, home and
workshop in the land. The motto,
Your body is the temple of God |
would have put up everywhere, so that
every person could see it wherever the
eye turned. All should see it, the young
q I'd the old.
You hear people say, "Oh, Mrs.
Woodruff is a fr%ee-loyer." When you
hear this you can answer, 80 was Jesus
Christ. Did not He love humanity did
he not wander here and there TO lift up
aud love the poor hArlot and ~outcsst2'
The great mistake of those people who
charge me with free-Isveism is that they
think that Mrs. Woodruff is preaching
in advocacy Of such lives as they lead,
and they can't stand it. II you have a
woman sunk so low in your midst that
no other woman will help her, tell me
where she is and let a mother arms
e%ncircle her and a mothers voice whis-
per to her a way of salvation.
| teach the pure free love of God to-
ward humanity. When that free love
permeates humanity we shall become a
great and grand human family. Let
your preachers teach this from the pull
pits; let US try to love our neighbors as
we do ourselves; let US try to do so from
this night out; good is very contagious;
and if we do this, all people viii become
affected with the contagion and all will
soon practice good.
Universal love and universal knowl.
edge should prevail; then men and wo,
men will become great. This has been
my mission, and / hope to place myself
right before the people. l have been
slaDdered and oppressed, and women
fear to come and hear me after hearing
others talk about me. No mar here to.
night can 60 out and say he heard Mrs.
Woodruff utter q single sentence that
tended toward the Generalization Of
society or civilization.
Many things interest the people, but
only n thing interests me-s proper
generation, purity, moral grandeur, that
which will make our people great, or, i
not established, will send them into hell
Let the demon of ignorance be banishet
from Our households. Let me not b,
Misunderstood. l have fought the soeia
world; | am weary of fighting it; ] wan
to win your hearts; to be understood
l know what it is to be crushed, to bavl
my heart bleed. Strengthen me sn(
support me so that | can advocate my
ideas aud succeed in my missionl
l have been treated most generously