Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-15

of their number does fall in love, with Q
wedding as the climax, it is the proper
thing, as to style, for his friends to 60 into
mourning.
Celibacy, in the early days Of Christianity,
was esteemed great virtue. It was uphe Id
by the apostles and holy fathers as q mark
of superior holiness. On the authority of the
Scriptures celibacy was held by the church
to be the genuine condition of Christian,
and those Of both sexes who chose single
life took higher rank from religious point
of view than those who married. In those
primitive times the first marriage OF q cler-
gyman might be barely tolerated, but a Sec
ond marriage was prohibited. st. Paul, it
will be remembered, was opposed to mar
riage first, last and all the time, and be es-
pecially urged widowers, even among the
laity, to refrain from marrying q second
time. The church, as it grew in power, be-
came more determined to enforce celibacy
upon the clergy, and, while meeting strong
resistance for centuries, the Roman branch
finally succeeded in this object, while the
Greek church compromised on the conces-
sion that priest might marry, but he never,
as married man, could reach the rank of
Bishop or other high dignities among the
lords spiritual Pope Gregory VII put
the final touches of enforcement upon the
law of celibacy for the clergy by decree to
the effect that every lsyman who should re-
ceive communion from the hands of a mar
ried priest should be excommunicated, and
that every priest who married should be de.
posed.
Ce1ibacy Best for C1er4ymen.
Luther is said to have married more to
spite the Pope than through love of Catha-
rine Won Bora Whether this be true or
not, he set the example for the Protestant
clergy to marry, although Re had asserted q
short time before that though 'the witten.
berg, people are for giving wives to the
monks they shall not force one upon me.
will not be caught in the snare" But
though since the Reformation marriage
among Protestant clergymen has been the
rule, the idea is gaining ground with many
people that celibaey is the best condition
for q clergyman. Without q wife and fam.
lily to distract his mind, they say, he could
give his whole time and attention to
his holy calling. Others urge that
a wife in many cases destroys his
usefulness by becoming q cause of conten-
tion in the church. By other critics
it is held that when minister-who is but
rarely paid we'll enough to relieve him
from pecuniary worries-marries he gets
his nose upon the grindstone. becomes alb.
sorbed in domestic troubles, loses the cheer
fulness that most becomes q Christian, and
fails in the spiritual power and eloouence
that build up the church by drawing the
multitude. Others contend that too many
wives are like Mrs. Proudie. who
got her fingers into all the ecclesiastical |
pies by virtue of her powers as bishop be- |
hind the scenes.
But on whatever ground the argument is |
put, 1T is true that an unmarried clergyman |
is preferred by many. If he must marry,
they say, he should have sense enough to |
put it of until wears of discretion prompt |
him to let his affections fall upon Q woman |
with money enough to insure him a good |
living" and avoid any necessity for dons-
ton parties or charitable gifts of new suits
and new hats.
Count Tolstoi and His Philosophy.
Celibacy as rule of life, and the effect of |
, rejection of marriage as a religious prin. |
ciple may be seen in such communities as
that of Economy The race under such law
would in course of time die out. But Tol.
'toi in defense of his "Kreutzer Sonata"
that this would not be an evil.
He claims that as the majority of mankind
IRE elected to damnation it would-as Ar
'emus Ward used to put it-be money in
most mems pockets not to be born at all
Society and fashionable people do not, of
course, concern themselves with tie re-
lglous view of the matter OF celibacy. Their
,oint Is that men, at least, can have a better
line In the world by not sacrificing them
elves to love The statement is made that |
requires close figuring for a bachelor.
nth his name in the Blue Book of New
.ork, to live on an income of $4,000 a