The Northwestern standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1885-1886, 1886-02-06
TO OUR SISTERS.
A Correspondent Would Open a Series Of
Conversations With Them.

]. U0nVerSarlOnS " lIn Iil6m.
g The nobicst trait Of character in tn
:. young American is his Jealous guardian
K ship Of his sisters, In no other wa
= can a youth SO distinctly and surel.
snow that he Will be q perfect gentle
e man than by his conduct in the home
i OF his parents, his respect and love TO
his mother, his devotion, reverence an(
veneration for his father, his manly de
lmeanor towards his brothers, and
above all, the pride he takes in his sis
ters and his willingness to stand up al
ways and defend them when they art
right, and affectionately admonishina
them when they show any semblance
Iof wrong. This is the conduct OF q
noble and heroic youth towards his ma
tural sisters, but what should be our
conduct towards our supernatural SIS
ters the beautiful and virtuous women
of the Catholic Church? Those whom
Christ calls His sisters; those who have
always elevated the mind, beautitied
the body and eGuallzed the daughters OF
[ Eve, with the sons Of Adam; in short,
{ elevated and maintained womanhood to
5he exalted position intended by the
! Creator namely. to be loving sisters,
! faithful wives and atfectlOnate mothers
| IA we intend to have a series of con-
! yersations with all our sisters Of the
! Catholic Church who read the. indi5-
| pensah!o STANDARD, we will, in this
issue, only Include our young lady sis
ters, or those whom we will term mar
riagable.
AS you are not acquainted with us,
dear sisters, it may be well to explain
TO you the kind Of love we entertain for
you, and how we are not saying too
much when ave say it is the noblest, the
highest and most dlsinterested that
ever actuated the human heart, the
love of our Creator, Of course, always
excepted. The love Of a parent for
child is natural, even the lower
animals love their offspring.
The child's love for his parent,
together with being natural
is dependent, for is he not indebted to
his parent for his worry eXistence2 and
the child who does not love his parent
is unnatural, uDgrateful and even Grim
inal. The love of brother for sister
and vice versa is also natural, and is
strengthened BY the close companion
ship Of youth. The love Of lover for
his or her betrotbed is fed for the most
part by desire Of one to possess the
other and consequently is selfish and |
very often foolish and even criminal, |
and should never be allowed to usurp |!
common sense. The love Of husband |
and wife is indeed holy, but it is nee
assary to each others happiness, and if /
it is mutual and unselfsh, it Will beau
tify the home, support the State and |
people heaven.
Then, dear sisters, we trust you will |
take our advice, as d big hr5atiiiier know
ng how unseltish we are, and that it is [
,eaIIy your own happiness we have at
leart, not our own aggrandisement. {
Now, dear sisters, we know you are
beautiful, and the very fact OF your be- {
ng children of Catholic ancestors {
brings you an hereditary and indelible
mark Of real innocence, which is the
most essential characteristic Of the
rue lady. This innocence is depicted
IN your countenances; it is noticeable
n your manners; it is reassured by
'our look; it is demonstrated by yoar
mile; it is evinced by your laugh and
by your whole bearing.
that this indescribable in I
loCence Is not your own; it is not ma |
urai; it cannot be assumed; it will not q
ome of itself; it can be very easily con-
animated by the filthy monster, Sin, :
md it cannot be regained very easily !,
when once lost. 1t is
s visable in the homelest and most :
commonplace countenance as in the
most lovely and Iady-hke. 1t is this IN
Ocence, dear sisters, combined with | G
cur matchless purity, which makes r
on sought after by emissaries of the t
evil, or young men who call them S
elves gentlemen, butwho are in reality
wolves In sleeps clothing; wolves, nayi
ar worse than wolves, deadly poison
us snakes who would not only sting
nd pollute your chaste bodies by their
lie presence and animal affections, but y
would drag you, with your posterity, to
ternal perdition. Beware of them.
ear sister, they will contaminate you !
hey will remove that sacred innocence :.
rom your countenance by their coy +
manners and smooth behavior. which
5 only guise Of the enemy. They in
pire in You disrespeet for your o
rethrell in Christ who may not be as q
ortmate in this worlds goods or have c
s much leisure for Sseif-culture'' and 4
udish manners, but in manly worth ?
nj virtue Of body of mind, soul and
Intellect. They are as far removed as i
ascending is from ascending; in short. 5
s far rs right is from wrong. =
In our next discourse we Will plainly 7
how you how you can use these &C 4
in securing yourselves
he lover of your choice with credit to
ourselves, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT to the
'hurch of God and the publication of !.
ociety Bic BROTHER !
Coral and Coral Islands was the 7
abiecl Of a fine lecture given recently 9
t Loyola College, Baltimore, by thet
lev, Father McGolriek, S. J. S