New-York tribune., 1911-02-23

Ignorance Of Their Beliefs Shown ny
Newcomers in the Movement,

/ To the EQltOr OF Inc lIipNiiS'
Sir: How little knowledge the ne"co~-
ers into the suffrage movement nave OF
the real nature Of the be,.eis ana Wora
Of its pioneers may be judged anew from
the report in The Tribune et February j.
Mrs. Mackay Is quoted a. saying a. the
! close Of a lecture on Frances Wright de-
livered by Miss A ]. G Perkins:
Times have changed since then, but
English women are an inspiration 70 US TO-
day in our struggle for freedom, as tee
/ English Frances Wright YES an inspira-
,ien IN those old da!
/ Frances Wright was 9n Avowed atheist
and communist. She rss % open an ac-
vocate OF these principle nd Of 'Tree love
! that The putlic halls O. %av york, Phlla-
j delphia and other great cities OF the coun-
I try were closed to her lectures by official
action, because thev were deemed sub
versive OF public morals.
; Although born in Scotland, Frances
( Wright was essentially French weman'
/ for she was taken TO France when ehild,
/ on the death OF her parents, by her guar
/ dian, Jeremy Bentham the philosopheF'
whose creed held tnat utility is the test
and measure OF virtue" After her first
{ visit TO this country she published book
entitled Views on Society and Manners
in America" in which she declared that re-
/ ligion was the greatest obstacle 10 human
happiness. IN 1922 she published "A Few
DAYS in Athens" setting forth her belief
that pleasure is the highest aim OF human
life
In 1878 she founded in Nashoba, Tenn.
community which had for Its profsssed aim
the elevation Of the negro. She said: NO
direreacA will te made IN the schools be-
tween the white children sn4 the Children
OF color, whether in education or in any
other advantage. This establishment is
founded on the principle OF community OF
property and labor, these fellow creatures
that Is, the blacks-admitted here requit-
ing these services by services equal or
greater by filing occupations which their
habits render easy and which 10 their
guides and assistants might BE difficult OF
unpleasing"
Thus in the communist division the laher
fell 10 the blacks and the pleasure 20 the
whitesl The brilliant and beautiful sister
Of Miss Wright fell Under the control Of
3 coarse overseer and afterward comrnit-
ted suicide. IN 1870, with Robert Dale
paper in New York City called The Free
inquirer" How free the inquiry often was
may be judged by one of her fables"
taken from its columns:
Is my errand sped. and am master
on earth? said the internal being Pluto)
Even as promised, said the Fury. Love
hath forsaken the earth. ''nder the form
of religion I aroused the fears and COM
manded the submission of mortals, and our
imp now reiens On earth ~ the place Of
love under the form Of Hymen.' Pluto
smiled grmly and smote his thigh in tri-
umph We'll conceited. well executed
Daughter Of Night Our empire shall not
lack recruits now that innocence is ex-
changed for superstition. and the true af-
lection OF congenial and conhding hearts
is replaced by mock ceremonies and COM
pulsory oaths'"
Miss Wright formed an alliance with
DArusmont d Frenehmar, whose name
she took, but from whom she was soon
parted
The modern advocates Of suffrage who
seem 10 have no real conception OF the
movement that is making playthings OF
them should hear the words Of Almra Lin.
coin Phelps, eminent as an educator. Writ.
ing in 1858 10 Isabella Beecher Hooker in
strong protest against the suffrage move
ment, she said: In the name II my sainted
sister. Emma Willard. and Of my friend.
Lydia Sigourney, and I ,hink may say
in the name of the women of the past
generation who have teer prominent as
writer's and educators (the exception NAV
be made of Mary Wcllstonecraft. Frances
Wright and few licentious French writ
er9 in our own country and in Europe. let
me urge the high souled and honorable OF
our sex 10 turn their energies into that
channel which viii enable them 10 act for
the true interests OF their SEX"
HELEN KENDR(cK JOHNSON