Morning journal and courier., 1888-03-01
SOCIAL PURITY.
DIR. Kate sBushnelTs Lecture Las

| DR.. Kate sBuShnelis Lecture Last
EvenfnG-The Sins of Society.
An audience composed largely of ladies
| listened at the First Presbyterian church last
/ evening to DIR. Kate Bushnell, national de-
partment commander of the White Cross and
Shield of the w. G. T. u, who delivered an
eloquent and forcible address on the evils in
modern society. She speaks in an earnest
and impressive manner, every word carrying
with it the idea of truth and the force of
strong conviction. She was formerly mis-
sionary in China. To this country she fire.
quently referred during her discourse, but
her main theme was existing sins in Ameri-
can society, and these she exposed with the
severest energy. In China they have a su-
perstition that person killed by lightning
is murderer, condemned by bolt from
heaven. The speaker opened her discourse
with the relation of an anecdote concerning
a maiden killed by lightning, whose body
was cast out by her parents and left to be
taken care of as best it might, lest they too
should seem to be implicated in the crime
Around the body gathered a crowd,
making coarse jests over the body, telling
ISLANDERS about the dead one and inducing in
imprecations against the innocent maiden.
We all know that infsnticide is very common
in China; mothers often boast that thew put
their children to death. Chinese law makes
this proper and encourages it. Chinese law
to certain extent recognizes the right of
the husband to put the wife to death; wives
there are bought as cattle are here. I did
not come here to talk about China God
said to Ezekiel: "Cause Jerusalem to know
her own denominations" It was a heavy
command to place on him. It is easy to talk
about somebody's sins, but when you come
to say s'Thou art the man, !" then the offense
comes. There are sins in society, in
the best society; the degraded woman
is not there, but her partner is.
crimes and show you the evil in
our midst. We heap indignation upon the
injured and the weak girl is forever cast out
while her partner in sin is retained in society
and still looked up to. Until you can prove
to me that God Numbered forth from Sinai
1 shall assert mans equally great sin. IF
your right hand offend you cut it off," This |
was Christ's commentary on this great sin. |
God never made man to sin. You cannot |
hide under the refuge that il is natural. The |
wretched woman is condemned, while the |
man walks on his way unconcernedly. In |
his fine clothes and with his pleasing man
ners he is courted and petted by society, |
while his fine broadcloth covers a rotten |
heart. 1t is against this great canker which
is gnawing at the heart of society, which
seems about to dissolve the fair
crystal, that the speaker cried cut. The en-
tire address was pointed and relentlessly dis
closed the false position occupied by many
q human snake whose miserable victims had
gone to destruction. Against him her re-
marks were particularly directed, more par
tlcuiarly because the degraded woman is the
SUBJECT Of reproach and contumely on every
hand, while silence and smoothing over of
his crimes attends the partner in sin 1t
was thorough, searching and opportune adj
DRESS and strong appeal to cast out the
hypocrlte. There was much food for refiec
ton on the frequently evil conditions of ex-
listing society.