Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-09-08
o1EANNEss OF CONVERSATION.

Ye are not all clean.-JoHN KILL.
The Savior, looking at his disciples, the
chosen twelve, discovered the purpose of one
of them to betray him, and declared "Ye are
not all clean.'' Men who look over the fol-
lowers of Christ to-day can with truth use
the same exclamation. They are not all
clean-very many of them are unclean in
their daily walk and conversation, delighting
in coarse jest, ir. incidents whose recital
ought to cause blush upon the cheek of
even the most hardened of mankind. 1t
tout of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh,' very many of the protested
Christians of to-day must be whited sepul-
chres indeed, full of all uncleanness. And
ministers of the gospel, we regret to say
sometimes set the example to the members
of their churches of indulging in that most
reprehensible of all practices-the obscene
Jest or double entendre. In gatherings of
ministers we have sometimes observed this
tendency. These disgrace their calling, and
the moment they are relieved of the society
of ladies the jests begin, and from being
slightly suggestive soon grow vulgar, and
from the vulgar to the positively obscene
and indecent is but step. Every one who
has travelled with minister of this stamp or
met him at social gathering where ladies
did not happen to be present, must have no
ticed with what keen relish he listened to the
relation of questionable story, and wit b
what zest he took part in the
testing. Instead of rebuking the salacious
story or the impure suggestion he laughed
as heartily as any, and ransacked his memory
for incidents of like sort that he may keep
up his end of the conversation. By his con-
duct he encourages continuance of the
rude and pernicious practice, and especially
to the young his example is productive of
the most debasing results.
Then, too, the minister is a privileged
character in the family circle, and instances
are on record in which he makes use of
language in the presence of ladies which,
from any other source, would subject the
speaker to prompt ejectment from the
house at the toe of the boot of husband,
father or brother.
While the clergy are at fault to some ex-
tent in setting bad example to the outer
world, other church members are quite as
worthy of condemnation in that matter.
Instead of setting their faces against in
diligence in lewd conversation, they are as
ready as any to enter upon it. It is perfectly
natural that the young, hearing their elders,
who in addition are protesting Christians,
engaged in such impure talk, should initiate
them, losing sight of the fact that the prac-
tice is both unchristian, impolite and debas-
ing to men of pure minds. They soon learn
to roll off on offensive story with the utmost
sang froid, and the detestable practice in
creases from day to day and from year to year.
tits fact that we cannot shut our eyes upon,
that this subtle social poison has permeated
every circle of society 80 that few are uncon-
taminated. It is an evil that is still grow
ing. To it may be traced much of the social
immortality that exists to-day. Familiarize
the mind with stories of the brothel, and
the temptation to sin in that respect meets
the victim half ready to succumb. For too
much of it the clergy and the protesting
Christians are responsible. They forget
that cleanness of heart is enjoined upon all
true men and women; that it is as essential
as godliness- is, indeed, a part of it. There
must be reform in this direction, and the
clergy must be the ones to institute it. They
must not only cease their suggestive hints
and sensual stories, but they must rebuke
indulgence in the detestable practice in
others. Be clean in heart and in converse
ton, and by your example you will be able
to correct the UNANIMOUSLY filthy tendency of
much of the conversation in all sorts of
gatherings.