The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-04-05
ABOUT WOMEN.
Interesting Lecture of Mrs. Saxton
Before the Woman's Suf-
rage Convention.
Woman in Her Relations to So
ciety and Her Wrongs
From Man.

WASHINGTON, March 30.-"Social Pur-
ity," the subject chosen by Mrs. Elizabeth
Leslie Saxton, vlce-president of the
Woman's Suffrage association, of Tennes-
see, created decided sensation in the
Woman's Suffrage convention this morn
ing. She spoke plainly of the social evil,
of the imprudence of women luot contiding |
to their children the great secrets and
truths of life, instead of learning them
from children and servants. Sons and
daughters alike should be taught the
awful power of sex, for the building up
of character begins in the very hour OF
conception. Intemperance in desire has
marred the happiness of thousands of
families.
"rhe young girls should be taught the
sacredness of marriage and hold the con-
troll of her person against her husbands
lust. Christ preached the first sermon of
equal rights on purity for man and
woman, but society condemns the woman
and condones the man. Only through
womon's own effort she can be free i'll the
control of her person. Men perpetually
blame women for the sins OF the world,
because of the Bibles story of Adams
fall through Eve"
Mrs. Saxton has talked and preached
freely on this subject for twelve years,
before audiences in some cases composed |
entirely of men. Mrs. Saxton spoke OF
herself as the champion for those who
have never yet had a champion-the i'm
pure woman-not by the faults of her
own, but by mans lust. This slavery
causes the Indifference of man to the
purity of women, and the colored man
above all, was bestial being, Indifferent
to the purity of even his own household,
but since emancipation, he has begun to
look on impurity in his own household as
does his white brother.
Anna Rice Powell, of new committee
| for the prevention of state regulation of
sin, introduced her subject by saying that
| it has been asserted that the history of
prostitution is the history Of woman, but
che has always been its victim. There
have always been certain women set apart,
and it has been stated that the virtue of
the favored woman is safe only at the ex-
pense of these Pariahs. The result of
such state of affairs has been an effort
to license this vice by legalized immoral
ity, so as to evade its natural conse-
duence-loathsome disease. But this
has proven failure in a sanitary
sense, and is morally most deploreble,
because it does not check licentiousness,
only gives man the same indulgence.
Society never forgives in a woman what it
condones in man. Innocent girls by
the license system, through the necessity
of moral inspection, are liable to be sub
iected to this awful degradation merely
on suspicion.
She then spoke of the age of protection
in various states, and paid tribute to
Kansas as having made that age 1S years,
while in one state it was as low as years.
Mrs. Armenia Chart was then introduced
She had been engaged in this business
twenty-five years. She vouched for the
truthfulness of Mr.. Stead's charges, pub
lishtd in the Pail Mall Gazette, saying
that she would stake her life on their
correctness. She spoke principally
of the work of social purity
societies in Great Britain. Since the be-
ginning of Mrs Charts work she has seen
marvellous results. She has given meet
ings to women alone as well as mixed
meetings. In her meetings for women
they came at first heavily yelled, but the
wells were thrown aside. She denounced
the British government blue book as con-
tanning stories of wrong doing of the
peers of Great Britain, even worse than
those published in the Pail Mall Gazette
One member of parliament, when the
question of the age at which consent
could be given, was being sgitated, said
that for his part he wished it was ten
years. The ladies of his borough got to.
gether and made it 80 hot for him that he
, /, had to get out. Girls, before there was
, legislation in the matter, we're taken IN
, droves by PROGRESSES to the continent tc
! fill houses of i'll fame, under pretence OF
: getting them places at service. Nov
ladies of high character and standing arr
to be found at all seaport towns and rail
road stations, to guard unsGspectiug girl
VINO may be thus deuded by false adver
:, tisements. Some of the women of Eng
, land who might have done, and are doing
o excellent work in all philanthropi
branches, ask "what has woman to d.
Y with politics?" This question Mrs. Char
: answered by saying it has been splendi
education for women. She intimated
woman should decide when and how oftel
children should be born to her, especial
as she is the moulder of their minds an
+ and souls, as well as their bodily frames
She was the first one to put the crimins
: amendment bill into power. If any on
+ says II is dangerous for women t
! engage in work of this kin
the answer is that the women who hav
been engaged in it stand forth to-da
with whole skins and hearts. She pre-
ferred to speak to mixoI meetings, bC
T cause men and woman are equally respor
sible for the commission of sin. She ais
r said the dressing of our children shoul
!, be moral as well as physical covering
Q Mrs. Charts address was enthHsiasticall
! received by the audience. She represent
o in the council of Edinburgh the nations
y society for woman suffrage.
:. Harriet B. Shattuck said that wron
e to one was a wrong to all, and that n
r woman had right to forgive a man VIII
y had done wrong to another woman. Sh
" also discussed briefly the question o
e marriage and divorce. Marriage, she de
8 clared, is not contract, but an institu
II tion of God.