[p. 4]

The Female Pests

    Messrs. LUCY STONE, ANTOINETTE L. BROWN, and Company, gave the public another touch of their quality, yesterday, at Metropolitan Hall. Backed by GARRISON, WENDELL PHILLIPS, and the Tribune, they enacted a very respectable imitation of Captain RYNDERS' exploits at the Tabernacle a day or two since. Not satisfied with their own Convention, called expressly to give them a hearing, they forced themselves into the meeting of delegates, among whom they had no shadow of right;--and succeeded in creating so much confusion, as to put a stop to the legitimate business of the Convention, and render it necessary for the Police to clear the house. The great object at which these champions of reform aimed, was to secure for Miss ANTOINETTE BROWN a seat upon the platform among the male officers of the meeting, where she could be seen to advantage by the assembly at large. The ambition was worthy of the Amazonian troupe whose shameless self-exposures have amused the rabble, and disgusted the sensible, during the past few days.

    It is curious to see how naturally fanaticism on one subject, begets equal fanaticism on every other. GARRISON, as he is fond of reminding the public, began his Anti-Slavery career without abandoning his religious faith. Gradually his zeal for the abolition of Slavery led him into a reckless contempt for everything else; and he soon became equally zealous for the abolition of the family, the Bible, religion, and everything else that seems to stand in the way of his special object. He came here professedly to aid the cause of Temperance;--but the extent of his interest and sincerity on that subject was speedily manifested by his declaration that, as the Maine Law recognized the Constitution of the United States, he couldn't support it. His special hobby now, is to help Messrs. LUCY STONE & Co. secure the abolition of all distinction in gender. And in this, as in all his other insane vagaries, he is followed by the uneasy gang whose chief ambition is to keep themselves in the public eye.

    The power of these she-males and their abettors is confined to the faculty of injuring every cause they espouse. They have made every subject they have touched odious and contemptible in the public mind. They are now trying the same game on the Temperance cause. Pretending to be its friends, they have shown clearly that they regard it simply as a hobby on which they can ride into public notice. They would rather kill the cause forever than suffer Miss ANTOINETTE BROWN to be kept off the platform. The Temperance Convention into which they thrust themselves yesterday, was a body of highly respectable, influential and prudent friends of the Temperance reform. They have uniformly kept their movements free from the fanatical ultra-isms by which other worthy causes have often been so deeply injured, and have gone forward in their efforts in the path marked out by prudence, decorum, and a proper regard for public sentiment. They had brought together distinguished advocates of the Temperance cause from various parts of this country and of Europe, and were proceeding with their deliberations in an eminently judicious and effective manner, when this unseemly onslaught of discontented females occurred. It is deeply to be regretted that such an interruption should have taken place, though, as will be seen by our report of the proceedings, it was but temporary, as order was restored and preserved at the evening session.



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