The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1886-10-22

+' N'Nh tbt IN VI JIG O.
large will reach the height that purity in
sists upon: then shall come the blessed.
sacred, pure, home life, the fair, sweet fu-
ture that Christ wants to see in our fepub-
lie. 1t is coming sooner than many of us
think.
Primcval aud medieval man out of his
selfshness and cruelty wrought the law of
virtue for one-half the human race. Christ
coming in our modern civilization, shall
work out virtue as the only tolerated law
of the other half Of the human race.
The principle is that prevention is better
than cure, and l will read to you the
White Cross pledge. We print it on card
board and also ON white satin ribbon for a
book-mark. 1t bears the white cross and
the shield of the crusader, for the whole
idea of the heraldic sentiment in its best
meaning is applied to this present crusade.
The old crusade sought to redeem the sep
ulcher, this seeks to restore the beautiful
lilies i'll tho heart redeemed to Christ. In
the midst is the mother and the child from
the Madonna Of Raphael; the flag of the
nation; the pine for the north, and the
palm for the south; the cross, and under
it this pledge: "My strength is the strength
OF ten because my heart is pure. | prom
ise to treat all women with respect, and to
cndeavor to protect them from wrong and
degradation. | promise to endeavor to put
down all indecent language and coarse
jests. | promise to maintain the law of
purity as equally binding upon men and
women. | promise to cndcavor to spread
these principles among my companions, and
try to help my younger brothers. l prom
to use all possible means TO fulfill the COM
mand, Ike! p myself pure aud | promise
all these things by the help of God"
The theory, then, is one which must COM
mend itsclfto the thought of all good people
that to be forwarncd is to be forearmcd;
that a terrible precipicc lies just ahead of
every manly life; that there is a safe, sure
path that leads around it. Boys in the be-
wildered years of the second decade ought
to be pointed to the one, and ought to be
btiuciIJ ndiiiCd VI tib b'iN II IL ID
one set forth so beautifully by General
Lew Wallace in Ben Hur, in that SEN
tence which no one having heard is likely
to forget, where he says, God could not
If the mother and her son can have the
uninterrup pied confidence each of the otlcl
all through the youth of the boy, it shall
make for putty and for peace. A young
Clergyman of the church to which | / belong,
stated in an essay upon this subject, 'My
mothers name stood first upon my calen-
dar of saints; she was my oracle; when |
was ten years Of age | went out The first
time from the fortress of my homo, and
spent my first day iii the public school. |
heard things not lawful TO ba uttered.
When | vel home at night, having al
ways had such perfect confidence and inter-
change of thought with my mother, | told
what the boys had said. She turned away
with a look of indignation, and said,
Charley, don't ever come home with any
thing like that again; | don't want to bear
such things; keep that to YOURSELF The
day turned to darkness, and felt as if |
mad put off on an unknown sea, and | had
no guide, no firm hand upon the helm any
more"
In contrast to that, how many of the wo-
men in the white ribbon army have had to
say to me, ''my boy is my pride and glory,
because he and | have talked over subjects
sure to be talked over somewhere, because
| have answered the questions he was sure
to ask, and which somebody was certain TO
reply to, because keyed the whole theme
up to The heights of holiness and purity
and Christ. My boy when he hears the
common scliool boy talk on the play
ground, or in the alley, comes to me and
says, mother, | wont hear it.; they shan't
say such things in my presence after the
way that you and | have talked together"
So, friends. this White Gross movement
seems to me a glory for the sake of boy
hood and young manhood, and | thank
God the middle wall of partition between
so many mothers and boys hearts is be-
ing broken down.
*Delivered nj Chautauqna, Aug. 4, lsS6. and
published i'll assembly Herald.