Year: 1870

Princess Edith LOleta delivered 4
lecture, last evening, at Irving Hall,
OH the Proper Sphere Of Woman -
The Princess was dressed in white
and wore a plaid scarf over the
right shoulder. Her audience was
not large, but was quite select. From
the beginning she took a very sensi-
bic view of the subject, and, doubt
less, astonished a portion OF her au-
dience by the mOtheTly sentiment
which pervaded all her opinions. AT
ter briefly alluding to the slavish state
TO which women were doomed, in the
heather time, and to the elevation
that ensued from Christian civiliza-
ton; TO the degradation of the mid
die ages, and the partially improved
condition afforded during the era of
chivalTy, she came at once to discuss
the ways by which women at the
present time might be beneficial to
society without becoming masculine.
She spoke in strong terms against The
fOrgetfulness Of some women in adopt
ing a role of character which neces-
saTily compelled them to unsex them
selves. This she considered degrad-
ing to the female character, for moth
ing was so beautiful i'm the eyes of
men as the woman who was pure,
virtuOus and modest. The reason
women were nOnenties was imperfec-
ton in their education. But she be
lieved that to woman was due the
elevation Of society to the present
status. In no nature did a woman
exhibit her influence in so great a
degree as at her home. No mere
beautiful creature could be imagined
than the mother who devoted her best
powers Of mind TO the careful train
ing and education OF her little chill
dren. It was in the performance Of
domestic duties that woman shOne
with the greatest brilliancy aud did
best the work Providence assigned
her. She once knew q gentleman
who was forced, besides earning twen-
ty dollars a week for the support of
his family, to remain at home TO
watch over his seven children while
their mother was trying to "spOut"
at wCmen's rights meetings. It
was much better 10 stay at home and
do things which one might be able to
do than to leave home and try to do
things which it was certainly foolish
To attempt. WOmauis sphere was to
scatter bright smiles around at home,
TO speak kind words to all who needed
them, TO plot and plan and do kind
deeds which they those whom they
benefited should remember with
grateful feelings and always associate
with the home whence they came.
And there was another mission for
women, seldom, indeed undertaken
by her, though by her especially
should il be. 1t twas to help, To sOothe,
TO raise up her poor fallen sisters. It
was a common thing to say that
women had been betrayed by men,
that men were the cause of the ruin
of all the women who were lost
This was not so. She had carefully
studied the matter, and she had nO
hesitation in affirming that nine out
every ten lost women were lost thrO'
the cruelty and tyranny Of their own
sex. Here was a field for wOmaD's
love and labor, better suited TO them
than the false and spurious efforts
they might make in meddling with
subjects not naturally belonging to
them and not within their legitimate
reach.


The Princess dwelt at considerable
length on the duties of women at
home, and pictured, in beautiful col
Ors, The happiness of a home made
happy by the mind Of a eOntented
woman. The lecture was replete with
the words of wisdom, and was repeat
edly interrupted by applause. The
Princess utters her words little too
rapidly for so large a hall as that in
which she spoke last night, and at the
close Of her sentences it is difficult to
catch the last words. But these blem-
ishes were very slight in view of the
of her manner and the
elegant and ehaste style in which she
expresses her ideas.