The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-01-12
ONE STANDARD FOR BOTH.
Mrs. Mary E. Teats Makes Arguments For
Social Purity.

An audieuce Of mon which IesIl,
filed the lover floor assem bled Of
Ford's Opera House In Baltimore g.
aear c talk en- social purity by Mis-.
Mary E Teats. Of OAllforaie. On a
previous afierncon Mis- 1eais spoke
It the Genital YCuug Mfn'r Ohristi'n
Association 10 IS, men only. The meet
ings were held under the au-pices OF
the Wolnens OhriHiin Temperance
Union. In whose work Mrs. TeaEs hes
been engaged for a nnmbsr Of Jesvr.
Mr.. Joshua Leyetiog intcoduced Mrs.
reals. There Is no subject OF greater
importance before be public today,
he said, "shan that Of personal purity.
Every ore recJgoizes toe ju'tice snd
eqaity Of d demsnd fos an equal stei d.
afd Of purity for men and women. btt
the resllz ,tion is far below the ideh
think taero is no dbu6t but that In
the fuiure both men and women VII
stand on the same basis, Bnd it Is Tor
the putpcse Of enc iufsgiog this move
meut that we sTe together this afltr-
noon. "
Mrs. Tests l. tall. gray-hAired LADY,
who speaks with an earne 'inoss which
imp7essos hef hearers. She said:
Twenty-Five years ago surrender
eI myself so the Womsn's Christian
Temperance Uaion for the work whic
IL had requested Of me. and since then
have devoted myself entirely TO p'ia D
aud rescue work. To the rescue, wcrh
1 have devoted the last ~ years, and l
could talk a week On the wonderful ex-
perienoes l have ha1. Thore are 10 this
country about 300 900 abandoned wo-
men, and they are increasing at the
rate Of II day. AS l have worked
among them l: have learned that lgno'
rance is increasing them ten Thousand
times faster than they can be saved.
Il regret she necessity Of separete
meetings for men aud women. and such
need ought never 30 have arisen, es-
pecially after 1000 years OF Christian
teaching, but the conditions are such
that we cannot handle the subject prep
erly when there are mixed audiences
| have given over 600 lectures. and fild
that there is a great responsibility rest.
ing on the women. bat not entirely on
them. Our boys have not started right
In their child life. Little Mary is told
that she must not swing on the gate
and turn handsprings because she Is
girl, bat Johnny is allowed to do It.
This distinction is m sintained as they
grow older, with the result that the
boy is allowed TO stay out late at night
with small protest, while the girl is
carefully guarded at home. This should
not be. Don't send your boy where the
girl cannot go. Give them the same
standard and be just to both. Discrlmi.
nation by withholding the restraining
influence from the man Is an injustice
TO him.
How high, young men, are you go
ing TO set your standard for the ensuing
century? Many Of you will say that my
ideal is too high, but l answer by say
ing that all OF the great modern inven-
tlons would have been considered
Utopian 100 years ego. Just as sure as
God is God In less than half csntury
will be seen established our ideal Of
single standard for both msn and wo-
men in personal parity.
1.-THE theory that impurity Is q
physical necessity for men was In
volved, think. at special meeting
Of his Satanic M,jssty's congress. /
have letters signed by 75of the leading
physicians of New York and 90 Of
Philadelphia declaring that the preser-
vation Of chastity on the part OF the
man is as important for the proper
propagation Of the raos as It is on the
part of the woman.
The meeting closed with an appeal to
the men present TO sign the Womsn's
Christian Temperance Union purity
pledges, which we're distributed at the
door, aud make them the basis OF de-
oisive movement for the realization
Of the same standards Of personal mo-
ralitv for both men and women.