Year: 1866




Lecture by Miss Anna Z. d Dickinson.
From the Pittsburgh Commercial, Dec. q.


Last evening La Fayette Hall, on
Wood street was crowded by an intelli-
gent and appreciatiYe audience, to listen
TO the gifted daughter of America, Miss
Anna E. Dickinson, in her sterling lee
ture, known under the title of ''Home
Thrusts."


The lady began by giving her reasons
for discussing the marriage question on
the rostrum. She spoke OF the present
manner Of educating young ladies for the
marriage state and for the future. She
said that the great idea. the great aim
presented to them was, that they must
make themselves able ''to get husband y
In her own peculiar manner the lecturer
gave examples of the prevailing style OF
education, and described the manner in
which young ladies were taught to con-
duct themselves, and with this compared
the education given to boys and young
men. Girls, she said, should have an
equal chance with boys. Let girl have
chance to so educate, so with her cho-
sen husband, and, if she be not able to
speak when he speaks, that she may say
"amen" understandingly to what he has
to utter. The education at present Civ.
en- to girls makes ninety-nine out of hun,
dred OF them deceitful.


They don't care to act their own free
simple natural selves in the presence o.
an unmarried man. 1t makes girls every,
where believe that it is better to take
anything which is offered them, if it be
respectable, or rich, rather than have the
unwelcome title of miss" before theil
name on their thirtieh birthday. II
makes women mean and mercenary in
the marriages they contract. Men and
fathers make their daughters feel thai
they are burdens upon their purposes
that they should have homes of their own;
that they should be settled In life as soon
as possible. The speaker declared that
the fathers of maFriageable daughters
ought to let them know and feel that
they have homes under their fathers
roofs; that the doors would swing slowly
upon the hinges that opened for them to
90 out for the last time. This talk, ev-
erywhere heard, of girls getting married
as the great aim of their life, should be
stopped.


In this connection Miss Dickinson took
occasion to denounce the proposal to
transport a cargo of Massachusetts girls
to the far West for the purpose of mar
rying them off, to send them there with
placards hung round their necks pro
claiming them in the market. She did
not object to sending these girls to the
Territories if they could, upon their arri-
val, have work established for them to do,
and be placed upon the avenues of labor.
But she had heard from good authority
that there was nothing there for these
girls to do but get married, to do worse, or
starve. The committee who had this
matter in charge, stated that there are
there ten thousand men, who have built
for themselves huts in which to live, and
who are tearing, ranting and thrashing
around the country thereabouts like wild
beasts, solely in need of soothing spirits.
Ii is proposed that these soothing spirits
be sent to them in the shape of five hun
dred young girls.


Our girls are now trained to look for
ward to the establishment of homes and
to the procuring of persons to support
them. They get married. At the altar
the young man solemmnly declares aloud,
with all my worldly goods thee endOW,"
and mentally calculates, whats yours
is mine and what's mine IS my own"
Immediately after the marriage the hus-
band proceeds deliberately to reduce this
woman to a state of legalized pauperism
during the remainder of her life. The
man opens his arms, opens his heart, and
shuts close his purse as soon as the wo-
man comes to his house. The speaker
said that it was time the husband should
understand that the woman he takes as
his wife has as good right to money as
l., eho = Hh,vsrr- =, q
part of himself, if the marriage rites be
true, as his own hand or his own eye.
Men, however, gather them in, put mon
ey in their box, lock it up tight, and then
say, in the most bewitching manner
"Beg, doggie, begw


The speaker said she knew many mar
ried women who live in fine houses, and
who have elegant surroundings, who steal
from the money allowed them by their
lords and masters to purchase the provis-
ions and other necessities, so that they
may buy desired articles. The way men
manage money matters with their wives,
makes women seemingly mean in the
manner in giving, and mean to trade
with. 1t is the duty of a woman after
she becomes q wife, and pre-eminently
after she becomes q mother, to instruct
herself, her mind as well as her heart, as
in her hands is the making, the immor-
tai souls.


In conclusion Miss Dickinson spoke Of
the state of feeling in society. She
would enter her protest against that idea
in the world which sees a man gone astray
as one who has taken an unfortunate
step, as having done wrong, but worthy
of forgiveness, and in a woman one who
has dropped into the depths of despair.
She would protest against the state Of So
ciety which sees in a man again in dis
cretion, who has INDUCED in little wild
ness which in truth has been theruin
of tender life, the blasting of a pure
reputation, the everlasting destruction
and murder of an immortal soul. She
would protest against the morals of the
society which only blame a man, but
shuts the door of hope, Of charity, against
the woman who has taken one downward
step, which gives to this woman no hope
to do better. She would that women
were more ready to condemn the world
in one case and give charity in the other.
She wished that women were a little less
hard on one another, were eager to help
and to lift up one of their own sex from
the slough of despair and death.