Elmina Drake Slenker (born Elizabeth Drake, December 23, 1827 – February 1, 1908) was a 19th-century American author, leader in the

Freethought Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...

movement, and early sex reformer. A regular contributor to anarchist journal

Lucifer the Lightbearer Moses Harman (October 12, 1830January 30, 1910) was an American schoolteacher and publisher notable for his staunch support for women's rights. He was prosecuted under the Comstock Law for content published in his anarchist periodical ''Lucifer ...

, Slinker advocated a sexual practice called

Dianism Dianism is a 19th-century American spiritual sexual practice consisting of "sexual satisfaction from sexual contact" but without ejaculation. The practice was named for Diana, the Roman goddess of chastity, by American court reporter and astronom ...

. In 1887, Slenker was arrested for violating the

Comstock laws The Comstock laws were a set of federal acts passed by the United States Congress under the Grant administration along with related state laws.Dennett p.9 The "parent" act (Sect. 211) was passed on March 3, 1873, as the Act for the Suppression of ...

which criminalized use of the US postal service to deliver sexually explicit content. She was jailed for several months, subjected to jury trial, and found guilty before finally being freed on a technicality.

Early life

On December 23, 1827, Elizabeth Drake was born to Quaker parents in La Grange, New York. Her father, Thomas Drake, was a preacher who had been expelled for heresy. She was the oldest of six girls. Elmina was active in the Temperance movement. She was an atheist. In 1866, she published a series of articles in the ''Boston Investigator'' about parts of the Bible she found improbable or objectionable. In 1870, these articles were published in book form under the title ''Studying The Bible: or, Brief Criticisms on Some of the Principal Scripture Texts''. Seeking marriage, at age 26, Elmina placed an advertisement for a husband in the ''Water-Cure Journal''. The ad received over sixty responses, one of whom, Isaac Slenker, she married in 1856. Slenker was an editor of the ''Water-Cure Journal'' and a contributor to ''Free Love Journal''. Slenker frequently signed her letters "Aunt Elmina".

Criminal obscenity charges

In April 1887, Slenker was arrested for violating the Comstock Act, she spent 6 months in jail. Slenker was indicted on July 12, 1887. In October, she was the defendant in a criminal trial by jury. Astronomer and Dianism advocate Henry M. Parkhurst briefly testified in Slenker's defense. Found guilty, she was freed on a technicality by a judge on November 4, 1887.

Dianism

In December 1889, Slenker promoted

in Ezra Heywood's journal ''Word''. From 1889 to 1897, Slenker continued her campaign promoting Dianism in the pages of publications like

. Slenker advised her readers to "conserve the life forces and not needlessly waste them in mere 'paroxysms of pleasure'. She described herself as a "Dianist free lover".

Later life

From 1892 to 1898, Slenker published ''The Little Freethinker'', a children's magazine. Slenker authored ''The Infidel School-Teacher'' and ''The Darwins''. Slenker is often cited as the author of "The Clergyman's Victims" (1881), although she did not author it but merely advertised it. Slenker sat for a

spirit photography Spirit photography (also called ghost photography) is a type of photography whose primary goal is to capture images of ghosts and other spiritual Non-physical entity, entities, especially in ghost hunting. It dates back to the late 19th century. ...

session. In 1894, Slenker proposed establishing a 'correspondence bureau' for sex radicals. Slenker died on February 1, 1908.

Works

* ''Studying the Bible'' (1870) * ''The Infidel School-Teacher'' (1883) * ''The Darwins: A Domestic Radical Romance'' (1879) * "Dianism", in

of April 14, 1897

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slenker, Elmina D. 1827 births 1908 deaths American atheists American feminist writers Freethought writers 19th-century American women writers