The herald., 1895-07-28

our social duty is plain and unmistaka-
bic. 1t is to abstain from detiling others.
and in this way we shall ourselves be also
undetiled. Many of the early Christians
took the command to love one another"
AS a incentive to lasciviousness and as an
excuse for indescribable immortality.
Carnai love they understood, but spiritual
love was beyond their comprehension.
And thus ST. Paul in his letters scolds
and admonishes them, and enlarges on
the beauty and chastity and glory of pre-
serving our bodies pure and holy as
''tcmples of the living God" 1t is cot
only our duty to others to be chaste, but
we owe it to ourselves. Every unlawful
lapse, be it only of word or look, de-
grades us, maculates the soul with an in
cradicable stain. and opens the door to
sensuality. Our peace Of mind, our hap.
piness, our woIthiness as husbands and
fathers wives and mothers, companions
and citizens, depend in a great degree
upon the measure of our personal chas-
tlty, and like the bloom on the plum, or
the scales on The buttertly's wings, when
once lost it can never be restored.
1t is ot great importance, thereore, that
the parents and teachers should stimulate
a love of purity in the young from their
earliest infancy by encouraging cleanli-
ness of body and pureness of words and
thoughts. Step by step,a their years ad-
vance and their safety demands it. the
perls that beset innocence should be
clearly and fearlessly pointed out. Then
chastity would become q habit safeguar.
ded by intelligent outlook. We should not
let dog walk into trap without first
calling him back. Should parents, then.
permit their children to fall into any of
tne Numerous pitfalls that lie in the path
of youth without having effectively
warned or directed them? The blood OF
those who perish thus will be on the
hands of Ethose who neglected them, and
whether they refrained from ignorance
or carelessness or misplaced mocesty, the
fatal result to their offspring will have
been the same.
q We must not omit to notice Fthat men
Vigorously require chastity from women
but do not regard it as necessary for
themselves. In fact, chaste man is
looked upon as q sort of raIa avis, and
becomes the jest for mis- friends. Even
among women many are inclined to des
plse such one, and the strength of Gus
tom obliges pure women to receive atten-
tion from notoriously impure men. We
protest against this sex-molality, this set
ting up of two standards opposite to each
other. If chastity is not an artificial vir-
tue selfishly created by men to enhance
their enjoyment OF women, then we de-
mand it from them as they demand it from
us We say they have no right to impose
a law upon US which they thems selves re-
fuse to obey. We know the stale legal ex-
cuse based on the lawyers views of diff
erence between paternity and maternity;
but morality is superior to law. and the
natural sentiment which lies deep III our
hearts existed before lawyers, and is truer
than their quibbles. 1t is the eternal
principle which rules throughout nature,
smoothing down differences. adjusting in
equalities, preserving stability and COM
municating enjoyment. We call it reci-
procily. And if the chastity OF mankind
is TO Increase-anu it will be to their ma
terial and spiritual interest that this
should pe--then each sex must help the
other to cultivate it. not by precept alorc
but also by example.