r

April 19, 1873.

indifference and inaction, or else rebellion. Johnny is a nice
boy. Either his papa or mamma might be glad if they were
as good and reasonable, and I don’t feel like chastising him
only in a mild way. His papa got upset Sunday, because the
boy dropped a board on the floor and made anoise; of course
it ended in a quarrel with me, when he took occasion tocall
me all the nice names he could, and to tell _me what a need-
less expense I am, but I am able to stand it,‘ just as some
women are able to stand a strain on their physical system.
We have each one of use got to rough it one way or another,
and so I take it all as a matter of course. Some nice, intel-
ligent woman in Philadelphia has taken the privilege to
, write some of her best thoughts to Williain, which isall right
in my opinion, but her lord and master or boss don’t ap-
prove of it, so hereafter all communication is to be carried
on by stealth. It will take no less than two centuries to edu-
cate men and women up to a plane of intelligence and
reason. , " u
“I am gladl can think of these things in connection with
my individual private troubles, and feel that it is all natural,

and everything in nature takes its own time to grow. I ‘

don’t feel at all guilty. Taking things easy, especially when
I am obliged to, and all the fault finding in the World won’t
make me drown myself nor feel disgraced. I/anti thankful
I have as good ideas of life as I have, and I am glad there are
such women as ‘ VVoodhul1 and Clafiin ’ to sustain me.
" “ MILLIA.”

_ Bosron, March 18, 1873.
Mus. VICTORIA C. VVOODIIULL:

Respected IiIa,da.m——-How I wish I could give you the faint-

est idea of my estimation of your own good, pure self—but
my pen fails me to express how I truly love you for daring, in
the face of the ignorant masses, to speak words that bind up
the broken hearts of women, and give new life and hope to
that class of laboring girls and women who have too much
honor and true worth, to “marry for ahome,” but are rather
content to work on for a mere pittance that they receive
for their services, until you, who are destined to be their
saviour, will so rouse the world, that the great and glorious
“impending revolution” will free them from the dictation
of those who 11ow put a price upon their labor, as upon that
of ainimals.

Your great and pure spirit will cause you to shine as
age of the brightest stars that ever was set in the heavens.
Your paper is as the “Balm of Gilead” to my soul, for I am a
young woman who earns her daily bread from the work of
her brain auil pen, and who scorzis to think of resigning,‘ self
dependence for “a home.” And wherever I may be the
praise of Victoria C. ‘Woodhull shall be upon my lips as a
pure, true and noble woman, but so little appreciated and
understood. A. L. T.

YOU KISSED ME.
BY L.

You kissed me! my head dropped low on your breast, ‘
With a feeling of shelter and infinite rest,

While the holy emotion my tongue dared not speak,
Flushed up like a flame from my heart to my cheek.

Your arms held me fast!‘ 0, your arms were so bold;
Heart responded to heart in that passionate fold. '
Your glances seemed drawing my soul through mine eyes,
As the sun draws the mist from the sea to the skies.

And your lips clung to mine till I prayed in my bliss,
They might never unclasp from that rapturous kiss.
You kissed me! my heart and my breast and my will
In delicious joy for the moment stood still.

Life had for me then no temptations or charms,

No vista of pleasure outside of your arms.

You kissed me; my soul in a bliss so divine

Reeled and swooned like a man that is drunken with wine.

I And I thought ’twere delicious to die then, if death
Would come while my lips were still moist with yourbrcath.
"Twere delicious to die, if my heart might grow cold
While your arms wrapped me fast in that passionate hold.

And these are the questions I ask day and night:

Must my life taste but once such exquisite delight?
Would you care if my breast were your shelter as then?
And if I were there would you kiss me again?

Vineland, April 8.

in ..
r V’

SPIRTUALISTIC.

CHRJSTIAN BIG-OTRY IN PORT HURON, MICI-L

It is fortunate for your humble servant that the Bible is
‘not the supreme law‘of this nation, else I would have some
Christian bigot with nasal twang, sing—song my sentence:

“ He that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall
surely be put to death.”—Lev. xxiv. 16.

There is no use denying. the charge that I am an unmiti-
gated blasphemer, in which fact I take much comfort. 'After
my first,month’s engagement here as the lecturer for the
Spiritual Society, the orthodox people evidently breathed a.
sigh of relief, and could have sung with Vifatts, as I took my
departure: _

“ Believing, we rejoice"
. , To see the curse remove!”

But their joy was of short duration. There are many
sacrilegious minds here, and in one month they had me back
dispensing With the gospel. — My Christian friends’ groan
more than ever, and are ready to exclaim in aburst of agony,
“‘ The last state of that man is worse than the first I”

And what is my offense? Not merely “ preaching-” to my
«own congregation; but, it is charged, so wording my an-
nouncements as to “ preach ” to all the churches roundabout
through two weekly papers -and one daily. The com-
plaint is that my manner of announcing the discourses
greatly disturbs the saints of the Lord. It ought to he

..stopped. The priests keep in the background, pihilie they put
191“Ws1‘€l» some of their servile attsnclan-as  as their ass

nag

. ‘L}‘A

WOODHULL & CLAY

4' question, which,

9

tices ofxmeetings in a more modified form, so that they would
not grate harshly on the feelings. of Christians! i replied
that I would not if I could. But the feelings of Christians
are shocked. Glad of it- It will ‘make them think. The
chief part of my work is to make people think. These.ortho-
‘dox Christians never seem to reflect that their dogmas shock
common sense, and even eutrage decency, with their hell-
fire, damnation, total-depravity, infant-roasti-ng,witch-burn-
ing, quaker-hanging, humanity—cursing religion. Yet Lib-
eralists do not prevent them from freely preaching such non-
sense, for Liberalism teaches that truth and error should
have an open field and ‘a fair fight, and that truth will
triumph. '

The next move was to compel the editor of the Times to
exclude the notices of our meetings altogether, but thus far
without success. Their efforts called forth the following
brave editorial in the Port Huron Daily Times, Monday,
vMarch 24::

“ It has come to our knowledge that the announcement of
subjects for the lectures at Spiritual Hall on Sunday, in last
Saturday’s Times, has given offense to a few of our readers,
though why it should do so we are hardly able to understand.
The position of the Times on strictly religious questions has
been‘/Eeveral times defined, and ought to be understood as a
complete neutrality. But for this reason we have not con-
sidered it necessary for us to exclude announcements of
meetings, or subjects, in which any considerable number
of citizens feel an interest. It is true that the subjects in
as they appeared, were A written and
handed into the Times office by a member of the Spiritual
Society, were so worded as to shock the feelings of most of
those who hold the Bible and its teachings sacred. But so
do scores and hundreds and thousands of other things, of.
which announcements are made in the newspapers in full
detail, shock the feelings of nearly everybody, and no one
thinks of condemning the newspaper which simply makes
the facts known, so long as they are not absolutely indecent.
It is the province of the Times to keep its readers posted, es-
pecially upon local events. And we think that a comparison
of our columns with those of other newspapers will convince
any one that this is done with more than average thor-
oughness, and with more than average care invthe exclusion
of anything improper or offerfsive. It has been, and will con-
tinue to be our policy to exclude anything that could reason-
ably give offense to any large number of our readers; and so
far as religious announcements are concerned, we should
certainly refuse to publish the subject of ‘a sermon or lecture
by a Spiritualist, aMethodist, a Congregationalist, a Baptist,
a Catholic, or a member of any other church or sect, if we
thought such publication, in itself, would be offensive to any
large number of our readers holding different religions views.
But ought any such thing to be presumed or anticipated?
It seems to us that it ought not to be. If otherwise, our only
positive safety would be to exclude such announcements on-
tirely, as there is hardly any sect that does not consider the
practices and teachings of some other sectabsolute foolish-
ness, wickedness or blasphemy. But those who are inclined
to criticise the Times for simply making the announcement
in question should be careful that they do not go so far as
to appear to oppose free speech, and the right to hold and
practice one's own religious or even anti-religious views, two
of the dearest rights guaranteed by our free institutions.”
W. F. JAMIESON. ' ~

RESOLUTIONS. 7

Ameeting of Spiritualists and Liberals was held at the
Spiritual Hall, in Port Huron, Mich., on the 20th of March,
and, after full and free discussion, the following preamble
and resolutions were passed; and in accordance to the in-
structions of said meeting, I forward you a copy requesting
you to publish the same: E. R. SEELY, Sec’y.

WHEREAS, Victoria C.Woodhul1,—President~of the National
Association of Spiritualists, and Tennie C. Claflin and Col.
Blood, her partners and associates, in the city of New York,
have lately had their property seized, their persona rudely
treated and been cruelly incarcerated in -an American bas-
tile by servants of the people, in the name and under the
pretense of law, all at the instigation of one Comstock, a tool
of the American Protestant order of Jesuits, otherwise called
The Young Men’s Christian Association, simply because they
exercised the liberty of speech and freedom of the press to
expose the hypocrisy, libertinism and social corruption of
certain gleat leaders of religion and morality; therefore

Resolved, That we believe Mrs. Woodhull and her co—1a-
borers in the enunciation of their views on the social ‘rela-
tions of life, and in their bold and fearless expose of the
naked truth in regard to the moral wolves who, in sh6eP’S
clothing, and in the name of the Lord, are debauching and
corrupting public sentiment and.opinion~, are honestly and
sincerely laboring to purify and elevate humanity.

Resolved, That we hereby solemnly protest against this
high-handed usurpation by the servants of the people, who
dare violate the Constitution in suppressing the freedom of
the press and the liberty of speech. - ,

Resolved, That we tender to our sisters and brother our
deep sympathy, and we pledge ourselves to do all in our
power to sustain and supportthem under their difficulties.

Resolved, That we deeply regret the silence of the Bam-
ner of Light and the denunciations of the Relrigio.-Philo-
sophical Journal, both of which papers should have come
promptly to the aid of their sister editor and Spiritualist 111
the hour of her distress, and that they can only regain our
confidence and support by a prompt and earnest acknow-
ledgment and advocacy of the liberty of thought and free-
dom of speech and press.

Resolved, That theseresolutions bo signed by the president
and secretary of this-meeting and forwarded to WOODHULL
85 CLA.rLIN’s WEEKLY, the Banner of Light the B0530” 1”‘
cestigator, the Index and the Religio-Philosophical Jozmisl.
§7,Y,ii7_11 a request that they publish the Saslsg '

V»

work. Some of them wanted/to know if I could not give no?»

minis WEEKLY:  I _ c  g t

‘ _ ‘”"’" LYNN, March 16,-1873.
,At a meeting of the First Progessive Society of Spiritual-
ists, held in Odd Fellows’ Hall, the following Resolutions
were presented by A. C. Robinson, and adopted:

WHEREAS, In the Banner of Light, of March 15, a letter
appears, signed “Emma Hardinge-Britten,’,’ in which is con-
tained the following: ’ ‘ S "

“ With those committees who, under the pretense of main-
taining a free platform, sufferthe noble truths of Spiritual-
ism to be confoundedwith and disgraced by the teachings

young and furnish an excuse for hoary-headed sensualities by»
maintaining a platform where impure morals and shameless
doctrines are preached under the guise of Spiritual philoso-
phy———with such as these I have nothing to do ;” and A
WHEREAS, Under the declaration the idea is conveyed
that whoever dares to enunciate thoughts in relation to the
social question under the name of free love must of neces-
sity indorse animalisnn, and give encouragement to hoary-
headed sensualities; and I » ,
WIIEREAS, A large majority of our public lecturers, of ac-
knowledged ability and personal worth, such as Victoria C.
Vifoodhull, Laura Cuppy Smith, M. S. Hoadley, Anna M.
Middlebrook, Nettie M. Pease, Nellie Davis, Jennie Leys,
C. Fannie Allyn, Moses Hull, H. B. Storer, L. D. Coonley,
W. F. Jamieson, R. G. Eckles. A. C. Robinson,Warren Chase,

Lyman C. Howe and a host of others, are advocates of that

theory entitled free love; therefore

Resolved, That while our platform has been free to the ad-
vocates of free love, it must also remain free to Emma Har-
dinge-Britten and the small minority who may oppose this
doctrine, believing, as we do, that truth and justice will
triumph only as opportunities are afforded for liberty of
thought and speech. I . '

Resolced, That a copy of the above resolutions be sent to
the Bmme-r of Light and W oonnum. 8: CLAFLIN’S WEEKLY
for publication. ISAAC FR-AZIER, President.

A. C. Ronmsou, Secretary. r

I may be permitted to say a few words in vindicatifon of
my course in presenting the above resolutions. Being one
of the Board of Trustees" of the Spiritualist Society of this
place. I did not feel like receiving censure at the hands of
one at least who is buta child in Spiritualism compared to
the time which I have spent in its service. I desired per-
sonally to disavow having any intention or design of giv-
ing encouragement to sensuality, and when my assent as a
member of our board of trustees is given for men and women

,who have occupied our platform, or who may do so in ‘the

future, who have thoughts to utter which may not be suited
to the immaculate ears of Sister Emma, that such thoughts, ‘
whatever they may be,‘ shall be heard and treated as the
honest expressions of honest hearts. ‘

and if every society that professes to tolerate freedom of in-
dividual thought (and I know of none who do not make this
profession) would see to it that the strongest possible safe-
guards are at once thrown around each in their several indi-
vidual rights as public speakers, it would enhance the cause
Emma H-ardinge-Britten is to occupy our platform the two
first Sundays of next May; and her rights shall not be
abridged, and none will dictate to her what she shall say to
us. I am glad that she has written her very characteristic
letter, for every one will know whether the spirit of tolera-
tion exists in her mind toward those of her co-laborers in
the vineyard of Spiritualism. To those committees who
suffer a speaker to be true to themselves when they shall
dare to speak words in favor of social freedom, such are to
be branded as compounding with sensuality; this is popery
on a small scale. If my rights may be abridged as a public
speaker upon the question. of free love, and I am to be
warned: as to what I may not say, and threatened if I do say
it, where is my liberty as an individual? Sister Emma,,go on
and fight with all thy earnestness what thou believest to be
wrong—~this is thy right, but do not say that others, thy
equals, do not possess the right to oppose thee.
I A. C. Ronmson.
A OUR ‘(THE PEOPLES) AGE.

Our good and brave sister, Lois Waisbroolzer, has issued
the first number of a paper, with the above name, and under
the following propositions:

Prospectus——" Our Age ”—A weekly, of the same size aswas
the Present Age. to be issued from Battle Creek, M1ch.,
two dollars and fifty» cents per year. First number to be
sent when enough is pledged to _ ‘secure its publication for
one «year. Names of such as wish to become subscribers
desired, but no money asked till the first number 1s sent.

Time for receiving names extended to the 4th of May,
18?3. Lois Waisbrooker, Editor and Proprietor.
such a paper as Lois Waisbroolier can makewill be a great
assistance tothe cause of reform, in Michigan especially, and
in the States generally. She is widely known as an earnest
and energetic devotee to some of the most essential questions
of the age, and we hope her enterprise may receive the sup-
port it deserves.

KINDNESS PERSONIFIED.

Rocnnsrnu “ DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE,” }
February, 1873.

Woodhull proclaims she will follow Beecher in his Western 7

tour and lecture in every place that he lectures. Wereckon
she will fail in this startling programme. Mr. Beecher is
quite as popular in the West as here, and Western people are
not disposed to listen quietly to wanton abuse of a public
favorite. In brief, if Mrs. Woodhull values‘ her personal
safety she will remain at home. I‘ ‘

[Victoria Woodhull is not in the habit of threatening.

What she makes up her mind to do, she does._ She did not _

threaten to follow Mr. Beecher “in his Western tour; ” but
it so "happened, that after hearing Mr. Beecher, the West
wanted to hear her. She went and spoke the “ Naked Truth”
for two weeks, and returned unharmed, with thirty loffered
engagements unfilled. So much for the intelligence and
wisdom of the Rochester _.Demoe:‘r_ai and Olvromiale. Try

T ag,:a.in.]

Of animalism with those who help to sap the morals Of the .

Our societies cannot be free upon other basis than this,