The San Francisco call., 1897-10-04
A Vigorous Sermon on the
Sins of Modern Welded
Life.
Society Women Roundly Scored
for Making Fashion Supreme
Over Family.
Rev. William Il. Moreland Speaks il
Strong Denunciation of the Avoid
ance of Maternity.

The Rev. William H. MoreIand preached
strong sermon at St Luke's yesterday
morning on the subject of christian
Marriage as Man Mars it." On a previous
Sunday he had preached on christian
Marriage as God Made tn
The rector says he has no desire 10 be
preacher of sensational sermons, but as he
we'll knew that the evils he denounced
are prevalent he felt that some one should
speak out boldly in condemnation of
them.
He took his text from Ephesians, v:23-
"a: Husbands, love your wives; wives,
obey your husbands in the Lord, for the
husband Is the head OF the wife, even as
Christ is the head of the church."
He declared that marriage was truly
understood only when viewed as a type of
the union between Christ and the church;
that 1t is sacramental mystery, and that
divorce is not only a public evil, bus
sacrllege, because it is man putting asun-
der what God has joined toge ther. He
denounced marriage for money as a sale
or bargain, and laid upon fortune-hunt-
ing mothers the blame for much of the
matrimonial miseries of their daughters.
He said the conventional novel pictures
love as an alchemist changing dro.s into
gold and making untitness fit, so that
scores of our youths and maidens are car
ried away by romantic passion which they
mistake for love. This leads to mis-
matched couples, to willful, ha.ty mar
rlages and to bitter repentance.
He compared good woman marrying
m an to reform him, 10 dove trying to
reform vulture. Love, be said, means
patience. self-sacrifice and good temper,
and would run out unless repenished.
which makes religion of supreme impor-
tance in The welded life, for God Is the
only perennial fount of love, and married
people who do not depend on God have
no certainty OF lasting happiness or peace.
Mr.. Moreland spoke In guarded but vig-
orous language of the violation of the
holy sacrament OF marriage. He said in
part: Only from strong sense of duty
can bring myself to speak OF this sub
ject. The rearing OF family Is the chief
purpose of marriage. Maternity is the
greatest blessing that can come to a
woman. But marriage in America to-day
does not mean a family. If it were not
for our foreign population the birth rate
would not equal the death rate.
Motherhood is going out of fashion. So
ciety people cannot have children; they
have to dance. Dinners must be given
and whist must be played though God be
dehed and natures laws defeated by
treachery. Someone must speak or it
seems as ii the very stones would cry out
against this greatest of American sins. In
Europe this is called 1.-The American SIN"
Our American women are getting an infa-
nous reputation in this line. God does not
recognize the hair splitting distinctions
by which women soothe and deaden their
consciences. Human life is a gift from
Goa. and a few hours or days or months
make no difference in his sight.
1.-The penalty for murder is death and
eternal death will surely be the punish
ment of her who destroys human life and
OF him who is accessory to the crimes.
Physicians say the guilty are not the
lower classes, but the women who dress
in the latest fashions and lead in society.
No pretexts will avail to excuse the crime
There is but one name for it, and that an
awful one-murder. 1t is becoming a tact
that as soon as American families reach
wealth and power and are in q position to
strengthen the nation they begin to decay
and perish. Some day there must be o
fearful reckoning."