The Irish standard., 1893-06-10
PERSONAL PURI TY
An Able Address by .Archbishop
ireland on Social Purity at the
a Worlds Congress.
CHRISTIAN. CIVILIZATION

~ II ~ y II N III lLlAA x4ONi
j The Sale and Distribution Of I'm
moral Literatzleis Working
Immense Harm.
Distinguished men and women com
fortably fllad the hall Of Columbus Fri
day morning, June 8, at the opening OF
the Worlds Congress on social purity.
1t was notable gathering, says the Chi
cago Herald. The speakers and writer's
represented every variety of thought and
effort in the field OF reform. The stately
and scholarly Archbishop Ireland; the
tireless and fearless champions uf
woman hood, Mrs. julia Ward Howe and
Miss Susan b. Anthony; the eloquent
exponent of the Salvation Army, Mrs.
Ballington Booth; the sterling advocate
OF temperance, Father John M. Cleary,
OF Minneapohs, and host of others
we're present or represented. After de-
claring the congress open President
Bonney introduced Archbishop Ireland,
who earnestly invoked the divine bless
ing upon the assembly and its endeavors
to spread abroad ''the blessed, heavenly
fragrance of purity After, briet ad-
dress by Aaron M. Powell, president of
the New York committee, in behalf Of
she International federation, Mr.. Bonney
introduced the Archbishop who spoke as
follows; .... r
The highest evidence of civilization in
people and of their practical christian.
ity is social purity. Civilization is che
freedom of the human being from ami
malis,n and his enthronizatlon upon the
elevated plane OF rational lie. The
strongest hold which aninalism has
upon tbs race lies III the sexual passion.
The triumph over this passion, the re-
ductioli of it ,lnaer-the Laws Of reaaon is
the supreme act Of the spiritual power in
msn. The religion Of Christ at once diff
tsrentiates itself from all religions, present
and past, in demanding, as none others
DO or did, the complete triumph Of the
spiritual over the animal in man. Its
moral standard is divine on its face,
worthy to have come from the home Of
the angels. The founder Of a human re-
hgion, dependent in it's extension upon
human sympathies and aids, would
never have dared base his moral cede
upon the taking of the cross and the
mailing to it of all ones concupiscences.
So Jealous was Christ for social purity
that he wreathed his own personality in
it's most translucid beauty, holy virginity.
He was born Of a virgin mother, and
he lived virgin. The two noblest chris
tian ideals, Christ, divinity incarnate,
and Mary, humanity sublimated Into
maternal relation with the divinity, were
virgins. 4 1a".te =
The purpose of the heroic form Of pur-
ity was to emphasize the sacredness and
the Importance of purity under its more
ordinary form in legitimate wedlock.
How grand and noble is the teaching of
Christ regarding marriage He declares
it divine institution. He assigns TO it
q divine purpose-the procreation Of the
children of the human family. He
makes il the union of one man with one
woman, and blesaes this union. He puts
upon it with the stamp of His gmnipo-
tent authority the seal ct indissolu bility.
And with divine jealousy He guards the
divine rights of marriage, forbidding,
under penalties supernatural immixture
away from it's hearthstone, and in His
pursuit Of carnA sin, in man or woman,
reaching into the secret recesses OF the
soul. Chrlst condemns impure thought
and desire, as we'll as impure act, and, in
this manner, He demonstrates by its
moralEelevation that His doctrine is from
heaven, and makes manifest to all ma
tions heavens abiding interest in social
purity.
The superiority OF the christian over
ObkiSE sCltllAZdb4Cu6 VO1A00 \AA1S1AAy
lts elevated standard Of morals, and the
visible manifestation OF this superiority
appears in the position Of the christisn
woman. In prechristian religions and
civilizations woman was the servant,
without honor or rights, the more toy OF
passion. What else could she be ill a.
Greece or Rome, whore The IDEAL woman
was Venus? The pure yire gin q Nazar..
eth, from whom was born Goa iincarnate,
became the ideal woman off TIE new 90 dr.
pensation, and all was changed Tor
daughter, wife and mother. The woman
hencefor~ard was queen ofs the home,
and 81 the power 81 the christian relig-
gion grew, 90 grew "a the minds sof peo-
plsss The dignity of womanh its influ~
I ence and the respect aSvar'ded oit The
hope o pure morals pff hiigh