The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-29
MANS DUTY TO WOMAN
Discussed by Secretary Grace I'm an
Address to Y. M. G. A.

ADDRESS 10 II. M. u. ~
Secret Sin" was the title of ar ad-
dress delivered before large audience
of young men at the rooms of the Y M.
c. A. yesterday afternoon by Secretary
Edward Grace. He said:
The most discouraging and dangerous
condition which at present blocks the
way toward real reform Is the prevalence
Of very low estimate of the sacredness
Of manly and womanly purity. The spe-
cial object of this talk Is to plead that
the mer Of our city lead the way to high
and holy ground for the protection of
woman's virtue and womans vice.
1t will be necessary for me to use plain
language, but it will be deliberate. Anger
and abuse will not avail. Let us strive
not to condemn men, but measures.
A pure sweet good woman Is the most
superb creature that inhabits the globe.
God made woman after He made man.
I have alwayssmaintained that He pur-
posely improved on the man. when He
made the woman Woman was the last
Of Gods creations, and He deliberately
intended that she should be the best.
and she is the best. For the very reason
that woman was intended by God to be
the finest of created beings. nothing,
therefore, is so sad, nothing so terri
BILE as the fall and debasement Of this
wonderful, this beautiful, confiding, sem
sitive, nervous being-woman This fact
granted, it follows, reasonably and ire
sistibly, that one of the most sacred du-,
ties of civilized manhood is to protect
and preserve .womanhood.
Universal total depravity could be en-
throned by no other abnormal force so
certainly and so speedily as by impure
womanhood. Few men are bad enough.
and few have the opportunity to destroy
many women. But each woman thus
destroyed sinks low enough, and has am
pie opportunity to degrade many men.
And now, what are some of the excuses
man offers for this crime? Let US call
them up, one by one, and question them.
The first one says: The girl was will
ing"
Now, man, how came she willing? What
steps did YOU take to find out whether
or not she was willing? So substantially
are all the victims Of the devil himself
willing. Who made them willing!
Let US call up another man. What,
sir, Is your excuse? Il have never
wronged a pure woman. Do you mean
by this excuse that you finished up the
ruin which some other man began?
1t does rot always follow that the wom-
an Is irrevocably lost by the single act
of the man who filings her over the preci-
pice of shame. Very frequently she Is
finally undone by men stationed all along
down the gorge; men, VINO, whenever her
slender, white, bleeding fingers clutch at
a root or rock, unloose the clasp and let
her fall to further depth.
Furthermore, there are substantial rea-
sons why the special protection of man.
hood and of law should be extended all
girls.
F'irst-The moral effects are unequal
Second-This inequality is largely due to
the inequality of social effects.
rTbird-'Th1ra aGRraXatlng
Ience of this loss to stand as additional
cause for extending her special protec-
ton.
Fourth-The young girl cannot avoid
her forcer by remaining within the neces-
sary environment of respectable life.
He may be the rich merchant who en-
ployS her; the lawyer whose typewriter
She operates; the physician who attends
her in sickness; the priest to whom she
confesses, the pastor in whom she con-
fides; the singer who meets her at choir
practice; the honored guest who sits at
her fathers table; or the man whom her
mother permits the freedom of her home
and trusts above all others. On the other
hand, comparatively few women who are
welcomed to respectable society have de-
signs upon young boys To come in con-
tact with so vicious a woman the boy
Cor man ether much more often than the
girl, steps outside the realm of respecta-
bility