Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-02-07
The Female Utopian DisCOurses
Learnedly and Eoquently Over
the Decay Of Man and
Morality.
An Elegant Moral ROmapce ReeIted
From the ROstrum In the Pres
enee OF a Large and Gull
tivated Audience.

The fame Of Mrs. Victoria G. Woodruff
and the publication Of her peculiar views
on social science through the press Of
the city during the past few days brought
together at the theater last night q very
large. respectable, intelligent and culti-
waited audience. In fact, the theater was
crowded to excess, and between fifty and
sixty ladies graced the scene with their
presence.
At eight o'clock the drop curtain was
rang up, and Mrs. Woodruff walked out
from behind the scenes and approached
the foot-lights amid no little sensation
and encouraging applause from all parts
of the house. Mrs. Woodruff is q fine,
esrnest.looking woman, possessing a
welLsbaped form. intelligent face, scqui-
line nose and expressive mouth. She
was clad in a dark brown silk velvet
dress, heavily fringsd with black lacei a
small white collar circled her throat; all
jewelry was discarded; white linen cuffs,
fastened with jet buttons, encircled her
wrists. Her hair is dark brown, cut
short in front. aud was destitute of
crimps, but it wal tied up ia folds or
knots behind. She was dressed for q
lecture, and gazing over the sea Of faces,
she commenced her lecture, in q voice
slightly tremulous and emotional, by
reading from q bible which she held in
her hand the following:
"Know ye not that ye are the temple
Of God, and that the spirit Of God
dwelleth in you2 IL any mar de6le the
temple OF God, him shall God destroy;
for the temple Of God is holy, which
temple ye are."-First Corinthians, iii
10, l6.
What know 20 not that your body is
the temple Of the holy Ghost, which is
in you, which ye have of God, and ye
are not your own2'-First Corinthians,
vi, 10.
Mrs. Woodruff continued her discourse
by referring to the worlds history from
a social standpoint. referred to the races
that aourished in ages past in the Orient
and 0ccident, and said; The mound
builders, the artists in copper on the
shores Of the Northern seas, have dis
appeared-no trace is new left Of them.
They we're eitber swep. away by some
terrible calamity or disappeared from
the face OF the earth owing to their liv.
ing degenerate lives, just as the races oil
the present century are disappearing
What lesson does all this teach TO US o.
the nineteenth century? People who
represent a grand and glorious race
should study this history. The time
will come when all races will be blended
10 one common race, an American PEG
pie. The American people boast o.
their race, aud they have q right to dc
so; but when you look back down the
line Of races we are forced to see ths.
we are on the verge Of destruction snC
are liable to be thrown back into tn,
dark ages. In days past people did no.
dare to discuss any principle Of socis
knowledge, but now our faces are con
stautly turned toward light.
The day has passed when persons ar,
denounced for advancing advanced
ideas. Theodore Parker was denounced
and ridiculed. William Lloyd Garrison
was greeted with rotten eggs when b.
spoke on the slavery question ia th,
North; and l heard Lucretia Mott 30,
that she once went on the platform 4
save Mr.. Garrison from being torn Il
pieces by q mob. And even later, whel
Mrs. Victoria G. Woodhull announces
that women had right to own their owl
bodies the cry Of persecution again cam
forth. Physicians and scientists sa.
that there does not exist one sound maj
or on earth. You have all resl
this book (the bible), and you must &C
knowledge that you know not Of one sin
gle body worthy Of being called the tempt
Of God. That the body has been desc
Grated is shown by history, and statistic
f~oreshsdow that a tidal wave will com
or Christianity must come forward an.
say she is wrong. Christians cry out w
are not at rest; we are rot satisfied; "
crave a greater truth" (Holding up th
bible, Mrs. Woodruff continued:) N
man, womAa or child believes on
word of that book to.day-thei
bodies are not the temples Of Goo
Scientists aOk the cause why tina
there is not a sound man, woman 0
child on this earth. The statistics c
immortality are regularly published i
the leading journals and medical mage
zines, and they show co~nclusiyely the
in the United States there are $50, 900 pre-
fessioDal female prostitutes and that tw
and a half millions Of male prostitute
support them. Yes, dissati6ed husbands
legislators, high church dig%nitaries sur
port them. Are the ladies of the Ian
sstis6ed with this2 Every fifteen year
100000 Of females are made prosti
tutes, and these are the daughters G
respectable women. The statistics sho,
that 10000 criminals Gil our jaili
l6O. 900 persons are either wholly or pat
f. tally insane, and 100000 are idiotiC
. ~ every State theyboast Of their insane
} their idiots, ibeiF originals aud thei
: ssylums, They boast Of their elegsn
~ d..