The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-12-16
FHE LANGUAGE OF DIET.
II. Y. Catholic Review.


TIE LANG UAGE OF DIET
h. Y. Catholic Review.
Carlyle, in that vigorous phraseology for
hob he ia noted, has recently stamped the
|entific gospel of the day as the gospel Of
Et.' The phrase is very CHARACTERISTIC Of the
,n and equally characteristic Of the GLASS OF
10 whom he stigmatizes. Bot there 10 dirt
q dirt and the scientifio dirt, though foul
pugh In its essence and whole being 10
an compared with the commoner andlmore
andant sort that the mass of people live in,
sathe in, move in, eat every day of their
les. 1t is the dirt that the same writer
Aracterizsd in the person of one OF its
It's W hom he described as " O man standing
3 TO his neck in filth and constantly adding
sbe mass" Mr.. Disraeli, writing long ago
the higher class of Eoglishmeu, said Qn
*srietta Temple) that when men got together
re were only two subjects OF conversation
3them-politics or women. 1t viii be obVi-
II to any one that there is vast amount of
Ii in this observation as applied to the
&erality of men. Politics We let pass for
3 present; and women, as women, we let
q. There ia another staple subject OF con-
5.aation among men when untrammeleo Dy
hale society, embr sced perhaps 10 Mir. Dis
4li's second subject, and that is dirt, or what
goes by the very fitting name of
nut" We are not at all afraid to print the
1ty W ord, because it has become too broad
4 too com mon TO wink at. We venture to
unhappily without fear of contradiction,
% in, to put it mildly, six cases out of ten,
&en meni are together, op-Catbollcs, or
ixed," and removed from all restraint their
versstion when not devoted to politics, will
sdually drift by q sort of common consent
b filth of q more or less gross kind. On
3 subjects fools will grow eloquent and
les witty. man who for the life OF him,
snld not perpetrate an innocent Joke OF the
J, spicy story after spicy story. and quips
u crankS by the bnshel, until the very senses
nseate at the revolving recital. lt is, we
2pw, disgusting subject to deal with but
b abroad, in the air, in society, and Catho-
u situated as they are, have not altogether
hped the Contamination.
m old story that we read long ago occurs
80 in connection with this matter. 1t Is, IS
femember it, of holy man who on one
Asion was enlightened by God as he was
ling near q group of young men. They
- engaged in earnest conversatsou to-
Aer. Moving in among them and ronnd
At them, he saw an evil spirit, prompting
to wickeduess. The devil was very
~ and seemed to have hard time of it, SO
". He never relaxed in his efforts; and
conversation among the young men went
without any perceptible change. Sud
y, another young man, evidently favor
liigent, full of life and strength and
ety. AS soon as he approached the devil
10 away.
Il is clear" thought the holy man, " that
T.. .DVll 6DrlJ Is Ol6COm uGtu no pEC0ouCcO "a
goodly youth has driven him away"
drew nearer the group, who Immediately
ered round their new companion, and
the most boisterous laughter arose, ocoa'
ID by lsome story he was telling them; A
b nearer vet, aud his ears were shocked by
entity. The devil could not tempt these
Ms to elm but where he had failed their
panion had succeeded. He was doing the
Pc work 30 braveIy that the evil spirit
pntedly left him in undisputed possession
field.
q SO it is. When men give way to evil
devils can be worse. And ordinary con
Ation may be just as great an evil as a
The imam with a mnck-rake" 10 Away
ND, scraping up the scum and the offAl OF
orld. There are loathsome diseases that
bate in dirt. There are moral diseases
ppring from the same source of corruption
grow imperceptibly but they grow apace
esnk weeds in foul places, and their growtt
p1siferons. 1t seems so little to talk. Whc
stt by its There are no womeu, no chill
bear to bo scandalized. Robust men car
these easy shocks. They can laugh Of
and children. No one hears them-only >
md His Blessed Mother, and the angels
min ts of heaven, and the devils.
gNf wise and tender and ever Watchfn
ef, the Church, warns us that we shal
lave to account TO God for our every
mt, word, and deed. Men are apt &c
Der only their actnal deeds, and iudg'
selves by them, as though tboughts ant
were not deeda in q moral sense. denc
y do not actually do sin, they imsg'n
hey may talk sin or think sin St snei
ire. But to talk or think sin is sin
kind proportioDate to the thought o
sation. Immoral conversation, or wha
iatively termed loose conversation, i
ertainly foul offsnce against God ant
4nristian conscience. 1t is revolving II
way {; it is fruitful of . thousand score
It is unmanly, unmsnnerly, and alto
unnecessary. 1t is the language of in
ut brutes. Indeed, it seems to ns, tina
ses were endowed with human lnteili
they would shame many men. is
duty with Christian men to discou Dten
every way such conversation; aud tn
30 deal in it will know how to respec
who speaks to his brother man as b
q his daughter, seeing in him, whoeve
be, the image and likeness of Go
ne celebrated DR.. John Brown, of Had