Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-04-20

been like an avalanche. They come from q
point so near to heaven and fall so far that
mnnntain.sides are scared and whole com
nun tiles whelned by the calamity. II takes,
oflen many years for the villages that lie at
their feet to smile again. All Christendoni
feels the shock, and mouTns with down-east
eyes the consequences, freely grant that,
as class, the American clergy of all de.
nominations, are the purest and best men
whom know /; but cannot resist the con.
viction that there are many of them who
forget what the responsibility is that rests
upon them. 1t was the remark of an aged
clergyman, retired from public duties, that
1t he were luyman he should watch with
more anxiety and carefnlness than laymen
do the relations that exist between pnstors
and The women of their flock. | do not
understand this as q statement that there ia
any general looseness of conduct among the
clergy ut all but as one which covers
q kiud Of improperly for which there is
no uame and no punishment. There are
women whose affection for heir husbands is
uprOoted through their intercourse with
their pastors. There shall never be an i'm.
proper word spoken there shall never be
a deed committed that would bring blush
to the most sensitive cheek yet suscepti.
BILE woman in the society Of a min ster of
strong and magnetic sympathies, may be.
come as passive as babe. Led toward
him by her religious nature, attracted and
held by his intellectual power and the
graces Of his language, yielding to him her
confidence, it is not so strange that, before
she is aware, she is q captive without q
captor, victim without an enemy, a wreck
without destroyer.
Now know that there is not pastor Of
q strong aud graceful and sympathetic
nIture who reads these words without IN.
dersIanding what meau---who does not
know that there are women in his congre.
cation, who are either consciously or uncon.
scously, the slaves of his will. | have no
doubt that there are some such pastors who
will read this essay with flush of guilt up.
on their faces. They have never meant
these women any ill--they would not
harm them for the world--but they are con-
scious Of selfish and most unchristianly
pleasure in these couguests of female natures
these parlor triumphs. God forgive theml
Perhaps they go further, and by the linger-
ing, fervcnt pressure of hand, or the glance
Of an eye or the ntterance of some bit of
gallantry or fattery, send into woman's
heart an uuwomauly and an upchris,ian
thought. Perhaps they take special de.
light in the society Of some half dozen
female members of their flock, and fud
themselves dressing for tbem-betrayin to
them their weakness--openRg, ia various
ways, avenues by which the quick eyes and
instincts of these women can see directly
iuto them. The number of pastors is not
small, l think, who are aware that there is
one woman, or that there are some women,
who know more Of what is in them, to their
disadvantage, than any mau,-Lbat before
certain IenIeht-possbly sad aud forgiying
eyes--they stand as men who indulge in es-
sentially uuchristian vanitieS of purpose and
life. + 300 -
OfalI women.kilIers in this world, know
Of none so disgusting as one whose chosen
profession is to preach the Gospel of Jesus
Christ A clerical fop, ministerial gallant,
a man who breaches the love OF 6 cd on Sun
day, and lays snares for an innocent heart
on Monday afternoon, is o disgrace to
Christianity, and a sad burden 10 the
.ChriStian cause. Does such a man think
that he can add little zcSt to a leisure
hour and humdrum life, by toying with
tender friendship, aud giving lease aud hti.
tude to his desire for personal conquest, and
yet that no one shall know it Ah, the
fillacy ! know of eminent clergymen--.
earnest workers-who by yielding TO this
desire once have been sborn of their power
for good forever, so far as those are con
cerned who really know them and their
l. -, h.
fore whom strong men tremble. and great
congregations bow themselves, who could
be laughed TO scorn aud smothered in a
cloud of bushes, by some girl to whom, in
weak moment, they beLray the vain heart
that beaIs within them. Ah ye men Of
the black coat and the white neck.cIotb, =
towing with women, under whatever dis.
gnise iudulging in the vanity Of personal
power, however iugeniously you mask it, is
not for you. You can never do il with
out an injury to the religion which you
profess to preach. If you fud that you are
TOO v eak 10 resist these mptations---and
they are great 10 such as yeu---lhen you
shodld leave the desk forever, Yon5 at
least are bound in personal honor to quit
the public advocacy of cause which your
private life dishonors.
: Easy 10 preach, you say? Easier to
preach than TO practce2 Nobody kuowsit
better than I-unless it be you. do not
expect perfection in this world of anybody,
donot expect iinpossbilities of anybody.
but there are certain duties which men owe
to humanity aud their race, and which
members of Christian churches, owe TO
Christianity aud to their brotherhood,
which are possible 10 be performed and
which l insist upon. l do not appeal to
the highest molive--at least do not ap-
peal TO religious motives. / appeal to per-
sunal honor i say that every man high or
low. is bound in honor SO TO conduct him
self as not to disgrace humanity--as, NOT
to shake the, couidenee of men in human
honor. say that every maR who belongs
TO Christian church-7no matter what. his
internal life may be-is bouud in honor Sc
TO carry himself before men aud women, tha'
the Christian name receive no damage anC
The Christian cause no perjudice in thei
eyes Every man carries the burden 0f BIZ
race and his brotherhood 3 aud If he be 1
man, he will neiLher ignore it nor try Il
shake il of. idZIa-oi f.a.s1.Y ue3 r.-