The Portland daily press., 1895-05-30
PERILs OF THE HOME.
Mr. ID. f. Small, of West Falmo,,+,,
Speaks to Free Will Baptists of Modern
Literature and Morals.

The session of the Cumberland Free
Baptist conference on Wednesday passed
off generally according to the published
programme The topic of discussion dur
ing the forenoon was 'The Home - Mr.
D. F. Small, of West Falmouth, in dis
cussing it's perils, spoke vigorously
against certain literature and social ten
denotes of the present time.
Mr. Small said in part
"Aside from intemperance do not be-
lieye there is any peril that so seriously
threatens our homes as impure literature
More than 200 firms in this country are
engaged in the publication of books I'M
fit to read and pictures unfit to be seen.
have seen within the limits OF Cum
berland Conference, in homes called
Christian, books that were dangerously
bad, and pictures that appealed only to
the lower nature. Can home be pros
porous, happy and secure where father or
mother. or both, are daily reading the
doings of the libertine, the songs of some
lewd fellow, the doings OF some miserable
rake, the minute details OF immoral
deeds, the utterances of lips lost to all
shame? No, No, my brethren, that home
is in peril that admits within It's sacred
precincts the immoral stuff
Mr. Small said that he regretted that
this class of reading was brought to public
attention much by the religious papers
which advertised 1t.
The Sunday School. Quarterlies also
sometimes have suggestive pictures adver
tising corsets.
Mr. Small said that if this mania for
advertising went on we should soon have
the Bible issued with hams and cOrsets on
the fly leaf.
After speaking of the divine nature of
the home Mr.. Small went on to speak
against infidelity in the marriage rela-
tion. Our courts are called upon to an
null one ne-twelfth of the marriages that are
solemnized in New England. The words
"cruelty'' and 'tdesertion" in the court
proceedings are merely covers for name
less sin. The homes where there is not
perfect loyalty on the part OF husband
and wife, were sending out sons and
daughters to be contamlnatlng Influences
in the community. The church was not
responsible for such homes; but the
church had winked too much at Esuch
practices. Mr.. Small went on to warn
his hearers against the dance, and that
modern pest house, that lives upon pas
sion and is in league with hell, y the
| theatre. The ball room and the theatre
are both hotbeds of that sensuality that
is gnawing like vulture at the very
heart of domestic life
A paper on Christian nurture in the
home was read by Mr.. Rufus Deering of
Portland, which proved very valuable
and interesting. 1t was followed by a
general discussion. The sermon of the
forenoon was preached by the Rev. Mr..
Mason of Scarboro.
In the afternoon Mrs. L. NJ N. Stevens
delivered an address on temperance,
which greatly interested the audience,
and the Rev. Mr.. Hill of Waterville,
preached. A. E. Cox of Steep Falls and
L. NJ Webb of Portland, were elected
delegates to the general conference with
w. P. Curtis of Hiram and d. F. Small
| of Falmouth alternates
In the evening there was an interesting
revival service
| One of the ablest addresses of the meet
| ing was that delivered by the Rev. Mr..
Hack of the Second Parish church, on
Tuesday evening, on the need of system
| and com hipatiOn in Christian work