Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-11-11
EVENING STAR.
DOUBLE SHEET.
Religious Filtration.
TFrom the English Church ,Journal

From the English Church Journal
whatever opinions we may hold as 10 the
respective usefulness, generally speaking, OF a
married and an unmarried priesthood, the re-
marks which we about 10 make must be
regarded as entirely distinct from the general
question of clerical cehbacy. Further, believ-
ing, a we do, that women are the most to blame
in the matter of what We have entitled religious
Irritation, we shall not be accused of under
taking to teach those only who are commits
stoned to teach Us, both by example and pre-
cept. However, let the blame lie where IL may,
il Is uRGuestiOnable that there is fault some
where, and the sooner attention is called TO it
the better.
To the uninitiated the advertisements in cler-
iCal newspapers, inserted by help seeking
incumbents desiring curates, unmarried pre-
ferTed,' appear innocent enough. In not
a few cases. however, the wisdom of the serpent
in the advertisers somewhat oyerPOwers the
harmlcssness of the dove. 1T is found that
practically, an unmarried cuTate paws best in a
parish. In he does not do any great amount
OF work himself, his presence, if he is but
tolerably well bred and agreeable, will be
Psetty certain TO secure almost any amount of
young lady help in parOchial matters. OF
Sunday-SchOOl teachers and district visitors
there Will, under such circumstances, never be
a lack; mothers meetings will flourish, and
maternity societies and clothing clubs will be
well to the fore. This, OF course, is more
especially, though by no means exclusively,
true of country parishes, where the limited
circles in which the Sarah Marys and Betsey
james revolye, render an educated gentle
man, well within reach, a real acquisition when
regarded with a matrimonial eve. Further. IL
u one of the particularties incident to the in
teTmediate sex between men and women, to
which elergymen have been said to belong, th at
instead Of making love, they are quite as often
made love to. This occasionally reaches an ex-
tent which would be ludicrous ii il were not dis
gushing. We have heard of one young priest
who, III self-defence, married the least Objec-
tiOnabe of his district visitors as the only FEAST
bic means of freeing himself from the atten-
IONS OF MS half-dozen paroehializing sisters:
Young enrates are frequently not the wisest
people in the world, and though everybody else
in parish sees what is going on, the victims re-
main IN sweet innocence until their doom is as
good as sealed.
Although we believe that not little of the
blame attaching to religious filtration rests on
the shoulders Of the parOchial women-kind, we
are lar from thinking them alone in fault. 1t is
only occasionally that such very serious meas
ures are indispensable in the sad case above
cited. However fierce love be made to q curate
ne may put stop TO IL IL he pleases, or we should
perhaps rather say that, unless he shows in one
way or another that he is not indisposed to take
part In 1t, the advances from the other side will
not be OF long duration. There are not few
who seem to accept is as only natural suppose
ton that one use of district visitors is to make
curates wives Lady assistants are to a certain
extent indispensable in parish and though the
members of the clerical staff may not as a rule
be deeply read in Shakespeare, they are fully
prepared to act upon his maxim that "what
cannot be escbewed must be embraced"
IL Is quite clear that with the generality of
people all this is taken for granted, and pa
roehial young lady is considered As a very eligi-
time comes. We remember reading some time
ago in popular magazine one of those offensive
things, clerical love story, and the illustration
represented the pattern curate, with unexcep-
tional coat and tie, whispering soft things into
the ear OF a fashiOnably dressed girl gracefully
posed, who was decorating font for Christmas
tide. The picture spoke volumes, though not
very hattering either to the clerical or to the Law
mind. 1t showed not only that one of the arts
which youthful clericals are to be generally
supposed master OF, is the art of love, but the
art Is expected TO be exercised in all places and
under all circumstances, no matter when or
where To constitute a model curate, the love
of God and the love of his neighbor or rather
his neighbor's daughter, must be equally mani-
fested-the latter at any rate must not be the
one neglected.
Now, in entering our protest against religious
filtration il must be clearly understood as we
said above, that we are treating the subject on
its own merits, and without any reference to the
question of priestly celibacy in the abstract
upon which opinions may fairly differ. Ii
curate wants TO get married il is no business of
ours, only do let him have common decenev
enough to find his partner somewhere else than
amongst the lambs of his own flock. Indeed, 50
mischlevOus do consider parOchial love
making. that were we in the position of a rector
we would have our curates understand that any
symptom of il on their part should be considered
equivalent to the delivery on ours of the Ordi-
nary six months notice.
10. tI,.. 10