Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-03
EVIL COMMUNICATIONS.

and will not sit with the wicked.-PsALhs XVI:
5.
One of the chief complaints made against
members of the church is that they are not
sufficiently circumspect in their associations.
They fraternize too gene rally with all sorts
of people. Business men of whatever belief,
it is true, are compelled to have associations
with all sorts of people. They cannot, in
justice to themselves, or their families, re-
fuse the money of even the most disreputa-
BILE in exchange for their goods. They can,
however, choose their associates with far
more circumspection than many of them do.
1t is no uncommon thing in st. Paul to see
one of the pillars of the church, especially
if that pillar has political ambitions, walk
ing the streets and 'habitually associating
with men of at least questionable character,
and resorting to the same dives that they
frequent.
1t is little more than a. year since promi-
nent church member, who was a candidate
for political Office, made spectacle of him
self by taking into his buggy we'll known
character of disreputable description, and
making tour of the saloons of the city.
This exemplary gentleman did not enter the
dispensaries of liquid damnatiOn, but his as
sociate did, and at each place left q sum of
money to be used in treating the boys"
who would vote for Mr.. So-and- SOS delegates
to the convention, shortly to be held. The
effect was as pernicious as if this exemplary
church member had gone into the saloons
and in pr0p9iG perSOnGe, dispensed the mad
dening liquor as bride for votes.
This, however, is only one phase of this
evil. Politicians are comparatively scarce
among church members. To their credit be
it said they keep aloof, as class, from the
alliances that environ the professional poll
tician. But they are not as discreet as they
ought to be in the choice of their every day
associations. They apparently make no eff
fort to keep in the congregation of the god
ly. This may be, to certain extent, the
fault of our democratic institutions, but it is
principally chargeabls to the desire that is
innate in most men to be popular with all
classes of people.
Evil communications corrupt good man
ners. Evil associations do more to lower the
standard of Christian men and women than
| almost any other cause. If a man would be
pure his habits and associations must be
pure. One cannot come in contact with coal
| and escape being smirched if not burned. He
| must, If he wishes to escape furnished
name, avoid, as far as possible, contact with
those whose regulations are smell in the
nostrils of the people.
There are many people who resort to the
church as means of covering up their evil
deeds Many of these are well known-hays
| been unmasked-and yet they are tolerated
! in the churches. There is scarcely an organ
ization in the country that does not number
! either in its membership or in the copgrega-
ton some wretch who is known as liber-
| tine or prOfieate. Yet they are kept upon
| par with those who strive to lead cody
life and are in many instances petted and
encouraged by those who should avoid them
| the most. Family considerations, wealth
| and other circumstances contribute to their
I standing. It has, nevertheless, been source
of great annoyance and humiliation to hun
dreds of fathers 20 be comps lied to
have their daughters receive the at
tention of men whom they knows
to be debased at heart, simply
because they occupy standing in the church.
1t is crying shame that there is a large
class of men who use the church, with the
full knowledge of the elders deacons, and
presbyters, as means by which they may
pursue their baser desires. It is time that
there was general purgation; that the con-
gregation of eyil-doers was driven from the
temple that ought to be dedicated to the
worship of the most high. Before the church
demands reformation of the outer world it
should be required to heal itself of the ex-
crescenes that now SO conspicuously pollute
it. There is ample occasion for efforts in
the direction of reform within the church.
After it shall have been cleansed of its i'm
purities it can labor outside with far better
grace and far better prospects of success.
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