St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-18
SOCIAL RETY.
Frances z. willard Tells of the
work OF the White Cross.


Leland rink contained an audience of
over three thousand people yesterday to
hear Miss Frances E. Willard. president of
the National Women's Christian Temper
ance union, speak upon the work done by
the White Cross society in England and the
limited States Miss Willard is a lady of
perhaps 10 years, with kindly face and
handsome dark hair. She wore dress of
black satin, with a ruche of lace around the
neck. Her voice is trifle too shrill for a
person to listen to for over two hours at
time, and it is to be regretted that she does
not emphasize some of her words in a more
pronounced manner. But her address was
an interesting one, and held the vast audi
ence for nearly two and a half hours. The
lady began by telling of her life when she
was a girl, and said that then she would no
more have let an outcaSt woman touch the
hem of her garments than she would have
deserted her home. One case that came I'M
der her attention, illustrating this point, she
mentioned. and stated that her views had
changed since then, and after carefully con-
sidering the matter. she had come to the
conclusion that it was work of humanity
to take the hand of a fallen woman and
lead her to a better life.
Miss Willard compared fallen woman
tn a girl who, walking on the edge of a
precipice. had taken false step and fallen
TO the ground beneath. The girl that falls
over the precipice. she said. is lifted up
tet,derlv. cared for gently and removed to
place of safety. Friends ard even
strangers stand ready to sympathize and
render what assistance they can: but for the
girl who takes a false step morally and
falls, there stands no one ready to pick
her ND and care for her. Very few had
ever tried 10 do anything for the latter class
of women, and even she herself
had not interested herself partic-
uIarly in the matter until few years ago.
The White Cross movement was COM
pared to the dynamite which blew up He'll
Gate. This dynamite was used to blow
that dangerous place out of existence, and
the work of the White Cross society was to
crush out of existence impurity and the
social evil. The hour tor transformation
of morals had come, she said, and the
English lawmakers. who had In years gone
by aimed TO make laws to protect the rich
in all their wickednesSs had run their race,
and if they could not make just laws, men
could be found who could and would.
Mrs. Josephine Butler, of England,
whom Miss Willard said was really the
mother of the White Cross movement, was
paid high tribute. Her only daughter, the
speaker said. had died at an early age and
Mrs. Butler had devoted her life to protect
ing other girls 1t was owing to Mrs.
Butler that many OF the laws allowing men
to ruin young girls had been repealed. Miss
Alice Hopkins. another English lady, was
spoken of as having done great good, and
DR.. LightfOot, bishop of Durham, who now
stands at the head of the White Cross
society in England. was handsomely
eulogized. Miss Willard advised all
mothers to warn their boys of the things
which they would learn sooner or later and
said that if told by their mothers they were
sure to get it from pure woman. The
pledge of the White Cross society was then