Year: 1870

From the New York Tribune. lst.l


The Princess Editha Loleta Baroness
Rosenthal and Countess of Lansfeldt last
evening gave to an attentive world OF
forty people or so, the metaphysical re-
suits of her experience in this vale OF
humbugs This devoted oasis of human
ity shivered in vast desert of hall, while
fringe of dashing young gentlemen
pocketed their hands about the doors,
gallantly awaiting the arrival of the fair
lecturer. Presently appeared the gran
dose figure of her Highness, attired in
virgin white, and beaming forth infant
inc simplicity from every curve and
fold. Ascending the temporary royal
dais she began to speak of the
Proper Sphere of Woman" which
she piously pronounced to be home"
She thought that the moment woman
went outside of home and unsexed her
self (by dipping into that romping, roar
ing sea called Woman's Rights, she dis
graced herself, sacrificed the dignity of
womanhood and lost the respect of the
opposite sex She regretted that the
terms modesty and simplicity had lost
their meaning. She thought that the
Woman's Rights agitators-the suffrage
cliques-had conspired to desolate the
Home. Except as the gentle helpmste
Of man, woman should not stand by his
side. The perfect state of society which
is to come will be based on the full de-
velopment of woman's intellectual and
moral character AS the nurse and in.
structor of little children in the Home,
she will lay the foundation of future vir-
tue, ETC., eXtirpate several curses, and
discharge her religious and domestic vir-
tues. What a woman knows is Of little
importance as compared with what she
feels. Home is her proper place and
sphere. She who seeks fame and ap-
plause outside that charmed circle gains
but the paltry tribute of momentary no
toriety. When woman is right, all
is right. All feminine delicacy and
grace would be lost when women rushed
to the polls as the despoiler of her own
fair name, and of all hitherto held sacred.
The Princess adjured woman to remem-
Der that to govern well one must first
have been well governed, She spoke in
mild apprehension of this stalking about
through the land, entering homes, tear
ing hearts, etc. If neglecting home and
its duties constituted womans rights,
woman's wrongs are much better. All
that sort of thing her Highness believed
to be fallacy and deception. She de-
sired women to help women in other
ways than through the ballot. In eleva-
ting the depraved they would at the
same time ennoble themselves. Her
experience has convinced her that
more than nine-tenths of the cases
Of depravity in women were the effects
of womans harshness to woman. The
sex, she thought, theories and philoso-
phizes in the most charming manner, but
when it comes to practical action, they
can't do anything for want of stability of
character. "Let us be true TO ourselves,
if we would be true to countless millions
of generations yet tc come. Let us stand
forth in the beauty and simplicity of
trHth," etc, etc.


The Princess concluded her homily in
a short half hour, and stalked magnih-
Gently down the hail. while her audience
sat open-mouthed, expectinga a reappear-
ance. But the white robed vision re-
morselessly departed to the sphere of
domestic virtues, and the party went and
did likewise.