Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-09-21
HUMAN FREEDOM.
The 1renchant Lecture of Mrs. Matte
Bridge. tt


The gifted lecturess, Mrs. Matte A. Bridge,
delivered her new lecture, entitled ''Human
Freedom" at the Academy of Music, Mime
apolis, last evening. The audience was much
smaller than the merits of the lecture deserved,
and it is to be regretted that it could not have
been heard by full house. Those who
were present were amply repaid
She IS one of the most pleasing speakers who
has ever visited Minneapolis, and she handled
her topic both elcquently and logically.
MIS- brldge stated that she had no desire to
usurp the place of man for her sex She did
not ask identical rights for her sex, but eQual
rights. She passed in rapid review many of
the historical achievements of woman, and
ennnciated this sentiment:
What We want is that men shall withdraw all eg-
lslatlon ana all prejudice, and let woman find her
own level III creation So long "a woman cannot in
. womanly way, carve out her own destiny; SO long
as women are all crowded and jostled into one
. 81 sght and narrow path'-the domestic and ma
ternal-sacred and holy though that ia and ever
must remain, still many Of her energies and aspira-
msnt"
Passing from this thought she called atten-
ton to the fact that the great tendency of all
nations was to Capitalization and monopoly,
and that the powerful nations which had fallen
and become practically extinct owed their
downfall to this evil. The poor are made
slaves, their patriotism is crushed by poverty,
while the rich become effeminato and weak bv
excuses and intemperance. She cited stats
tics to show that in England there are but
$4,000 freeholders and twelve families own
half OF the island. With 29,l79,622 acres
of land owned by her citizens more than
half IS owned by 4 736 persons, or $50, 900 acres
to each individual. The result is that over
three hundred millions were expended last
year to support her paupers. The population
Ireland rodn NJ
to about i've and a half by landed monopoly.
Similar statistics relative to the reign of mo-
nopoly andS Capitalization were given in regard
to Scotland, Wales, Russia and other countries.
coming to our country, she cited similar evil
dences OF Capitalization. The army of tramps
sWarmlng through the land were the Outgrowth
of the grasping of wealth by the few. leaving
the multitude to indulge in poverty and
crime. Such men as the Vanderbilts, the
Goulds and the Tom SCOTS were eapping the
country. In Minnesota the railroads have
seven million acres, and real estate mortgages
carpet the Northwest.
Forty years ago We were out of debt and had
thirty millions In the treasury. Now we owe
two thousand four hundred millions nationally
and over twelve thousand million of other
debts, public and private. Out of 700 fur
naces 5OO are idle. and every industry is pros
trared: After celebrating this condition Of af-
fairs she said:
G0eSo Signs
poverty, OF wretchedness, of hunger, of SIM Of be-
reavement and gather into your heart and the arms
Of your prayer all the sorrow, all the LOSSES all the
suterlDgs OF those you pass aud carry them not to
your church alone but everywhere-to your fresiGes
your workshops and counting houses-thea arena of
politics, the halls of legislation aud see
If there is not some way in which the great boon Of
human freedom and relief may be secured for earths
toiling Millions
She citel the fact that women in New York
nre making broadcloth caps for one cent each,
AMI in Boston they make fine fancy aprons at
rs cents per dozen, two days being required to
make dozen. The lecturer alluded with
much sarcasm to Beecher's memorable bread
and water one dollar per day speech, speaking
OF him as an orator but not as divine
Touching our politics more closely, she added ::
Il am only woman, and women never scod YOU
know, hence 1 stop not to speak + the credit mo-
biIler frauds the sale of post raiershirs the
whit KY frauds, exceeding questionable transactions
in the fire Of the secretary OF the navy Robeson]
the late secretary of war (Belknap). do tn nix the
per eual change OF contracts within the last decade
in the interest of capital and against labor have heen
an injustice to the taxpayng classes and antidemo-
cratic IN policy und sentim Mt. think the great
and godlike arker was right when he said: "a
the people, by people, Aud this il a. true
to-day as when 1t was conceived in his brain or le
In solemn beauty from the lips of our martyred
President on the bloodstained field of Getty sburg"
The platform on which she stands was
tersely enunciated, in concluding, AZ follows:
Let US demand q free press, free speech, free ed
ucaion, free religion, free money, free land aud free
votes by men who are born of women who are fir ee
It ia to be hoped that this talen, ed lecturer
will have an opportunity to repeat this lecture
under more favorable auspices and to a larger
audience.