The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-10-17
SOCIAL PURITY CONGRESS F!
Some of the Arguments Advanced Yes
terday at Baltimore.
OPPOSITION TO THE THEATRES
One of the Speakers Declares They Are
Productive of Immoral Thought and
Action-The Ball Room as a Corrup-
ter of Youthful Morals.

BALTIMORE, Oct. IL Mother Prin-
die, superintendent of the Florence Crit
tenton mission in New York was a con
spicuous figure at yesterdays session of
the social purity congress.
President Powell read paper on "Pur-
ity Work Derived from English Expert
ence," by DIR. Elizabeth Blackwell, of Lon
don who could nat be present She de-
clares the divorce laws of England TO be
the cause of moral deterioration, and is
earnest in her advocacy of single stand
ard of morality of both sexes and the
teaching of sound physical doctrines by
parents and physicians.
The Rev. c. w Watch, of Brighton,
Ont, who was introduced as "the only
foreign delegate to the congress-" spoke
of "Purity Work in Canada" and said in
part:
1--WE have no struggle over uncertain
divorce laws, for we have neither di-
vorce court nor a divorce law, except in
one of the smaller provinces To procure
divorce with us requires n special act of
the Dominion parliament. The result is
that for the past ten years there have been
but forty-eight applications for divorce,
forty of which were granted"
DIR. o. Edward Janney, of Baltimore,
read a paper on 'Womens Responsible
ties Regarding Social Morality" by DR..
Emily Blackwell, of New York. Mrs.
Blackwell said in part:
owe want to bring all women to under
stand that the only true way to deal with
prostitution is, first to diminish the de
mand upon which it is based by stamping
vice with public reprobation in men as
well as in women; secondly, to organize
among women a broader and more effective
form Of rescue work. At present most of
the effort in this direction is devoted to
saving the fallen. We want still more
active effort to save those who are ready
to perish and every woman should feel
bound to throw her help and influence
into these efforts"
Rev. j. B. Welty, of Kansas City, Mo-,
White Cross superintendent of the purity
department, w. @. 7. u, took ministers
to task for neglect of social topics. "The
pulpit of our times, said he, "save in "a
very few exoeptionable instances, is not
outspoken in warning and instruction
concerning chastity, social dangers and
social duties. bow few preachers ever
touch on the commandment of the deca-
logue, or upon Christ's law for purity, or
give an exposition upon his teachings
GDOub llldTTldg6 anu ulNOTC6. IL UlGg WOull
take up these subjects more frequently
they would not so often be caught off1ciat-
ing at the marriages Of unlawfully di-
vorced persons.
Miss Jennie Ackerman, an around-the-
world missionary of the W. G. Il. u,
stirred up the convention by saying that
she had just come from Iceland, where an
impure woman was absolutely unknown.
ft17hot 10
ity in man." she continued, mo matter
what his station may be. When we begin
a crusade in this country against men,
and brand them for their vices with the
infamy with which they brand women,
then, and then only, can we get an ideal
state of society of which they boast in Ice
land. Let us begin tremendous crusade
against fallen men"
1.-THE theatre as rule hurts everybody.
1t wastes the time that you may want to
account for when you come TO die said
Mrs. Deborah G. Leeds, of Philadelphia,
who read paper written by her husband,
Josiah w. Leeds, on "The Relation of the
Press and Stage to Purity" Leeds OBJ
jected to 'patronizing the play house be
cause it is not safe school of morals Its
performances are usually coarse or sensu-
Gus. Almost every actress of the day has
been divorced. Such an atmosphere is un-
worthy of woman.
"The ball room is the place where many
of our boys get their first downward i'm
pulse" declared Mr. Leeds, and it is our
virtuous girls who give them this idea,
and not the women of lower class The
home parlor, too is often the place where
they gain improper ideas by seeing our
women in dresses that are really undress.
1t was glorious to me to hear that the son
of the ameer of Afghanistan, an Asiatic
prince, had recently declined to take to din
ner at Windsor Castle an English peeress
because she wore "A dress Cut decoll lette -