St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-04-11
KNIGHTS OF THE WHITE CROSS.
YOUNG MEN PLEDGING THEMSELVES TO
PERSONAL PURITY.

SOc1at1On Hall, last evening, IOE Inc
purpose of organizing the 'White
Cross Army" brought out an at
tendance that completely filed the
auditorium and galleries. Only
men were admitted, and the MAORI
ty were young men. Upon the
platform sat w. w. Hoppin, Jr.,
the President of the association,
and with him were the Rev. DR.. B.
F. DeCosta, Rev. DR.. Marling, Ed
win Clifford, of London, William E.
Dodge, Rev. Henry M. Ianders
and lei. Ell. Webster. A choir Of
male voices occupied the rear Of the
platform and led the singing.
Mr.. Hoppin announced that the
meeting was called in the interest
of personal purity. eve have but
to walk the streets Of the city at
night" he said, 'to be assured that
there is need Of great and thorough
work in the interest of personal
purity" DR.. Marling read the sew
enth chapter of Proverbs, conclud-
ing: "Let not thine heart decline
to her ways, go not astray in her
paths, For she hath cast down
many wounded; yea, many strong
men have been slain by her. Her
house is the way to hell, going
down to the chambers of death.
He prayed that the young men who
were gathered there might be kept
from temptation. eve bewail,' he
said, 'the sin and misery that has
followed unhallowed lust, and we
pray that Thou wilt lead us in our
contention against this deadly evil
that is destroying body and soul,
and running men and women, not
only for this life, but for the life
that is to come"
DR.. De Costa outlined the project
of the White Cross Army. Each
member would be obliged to sign
the following pledge:
Il promise, by the help Of God,
to treat all women with respect and
to endeavor to protect them from
wrong and degradation to endeav-
or to put down all indecent Ian
guage and coarse jests to maintain
the law Of purity as equally binding
upon men and women to endeavor
to spread these principles among
my companions, and to try and help
my younger brothers; to use every
possible means to fulfill the COM
mand, Keep thyself pure"
DR.. De Costa said that the army
was revival Of the old knights Of
chivalry, as some one had said,
'without the killing business. eff
a woman SINS said the speaker,
''you know what becomes of her.
Is there any place for her except
the street? lie a man sins, where
does he find his place? Does he
not find it in the highest society
and the best and purest homes,
while the miserable victim of his
lust is trodden under foot? What
are you going to do about that,
young men? Are you going to toll
crate a double standard? Ii there
be manhood among you, I call upon
you to treat woman as you would
be treated yourself. IF woman
falls she falls forever. Her own
sex disown her and reduce her to
despair. Though she reform and
rise to true and pure ife-become
as pure as Mary Magdalene, aye,
as chaste as the icicles upon the
Temple of Diana-her own sex re-
fuse to receive her, and scarce allow
her to come into their kitchen to
scrub the floor.
"Now 7 say to you, young men,
be pure on account of her. Whom
do I mean? Mother2 Sister |!
Yes, and another. Some time there
will be one whom you will regard
with the tenderest love and affection
as the personifcation of purity,
beauty and truth. You may not
have found her yet, but you will
find her. What do you desire her
to think of you? II she loves you
truly you know she will consider
you the epitome of goodness, honor
and truth. Will you so live that
when the time comes you may go to
her with clean and pure heart, SO
4bo+ che NOV know that Won arc oil