The San Francisco call., 1897-01-28
REV. J. MARSHALL LAW.

does not intend to allow himself to rest
under the stigma laid on him by Rev. Mr..
Bolton of San Francisco.
Mr. Law touched up the subject in dis
puie to-day in the following philippe:
Nothing has been farther from my intention
than to engage in personalities in talking
about that most sacred of subjects, the Lord s
supper. nor to treat IT lightly, and l utterly
repudiate the polite innuendo of Mr.. Bolton
that have done So At the same time there
Is such thing as being overnice in phrase
ology and so obscure in the use of technical
Language that people are al a complete loss to
know whether one holds to q certain pos sition
or its diametrcaI opposite. In the words of a.
jingle, which all will see the force Of some
writer's and speakers
Wire in then wire out
And leave the people still in doubt
Whether the thing that mad the track
Was coming out or going back.
One expression which the printer made me
say of Mr.. Bolton was not correct and hasten
to point it out:
"Not content to compel his communicates
to drink from common cup, where they are
brought in contact with unclean lives and
possibly contagion, he uses his own lips to
cleanse the rim of the chalice"
Substitute the word "lipss' for elves" and
you will have what l did say. The hostess
says, Bring clean glass for Mr.. Bolton" and
waiter takes away the glass he was about
to use, simply because his table-felloW had
drunk from it. This does not imply that the
glass was otherwise unclean than by having
had ne1gh bors lips touch the rim. Shall we
be less fastidtous at the Lords table than at
our own? From the standpoint of the hum
blest home in this land, to say nothing of the
standpoint of sanitary science, the cup which
is severally drank from without turning, as
extreme ritualists use 1t, is an unclean Gun
until it has been cleansed with something be-
sides human lips.
Mr. Bolton admits that he uses his own
mouth to wipe the edge Of the cup after those
at the rail have communicated He tries TO
explain away its lack of tidiness by saving
this cleaning of the cup with his own lips takes
place after those at the rail have commune
Gated. He neglects to state that the cup which
has been thus cleaned is not washed, but is
used again for the people to drink from so his
mouth is the cleansing agency, and people do
drink after he has wiped the cup with his lips
without the cup being washed between cele-
2rations. l should be glad to learn that | am
mistaken in Mr.. Bottoms particular use of his
chalice. But l am not mistaken about this
being the general practice of the ''confrater-
nifty" ritualists.
secret society and that its doings are open TO
the light of day. That being true let me ask
two questions. First-Does Mr.. Bolton turn
the cup as he Is passing 1t from one to the
other at the communion rail, or do all drink
from the same place on the rim of the cup?
Second-Has il been his practice to wash with
water the outside and the inside of the rim of
that cup after he has cleaned it with his lips
before it is used again for the communicates
at the rail? Every physician and nearly all
laymen know that there are at least three
deadly and incurable diseases which NAV be
transmitted by an indiscriminate use of the
same drinking cup without washing. So this
is right 10 the point and it is not personal
VIII Mr.. Bolton please enlighten us in regard
to these points without reser rvation or eva
sion7
Yes know people talk about Lotta's foun-
tain and ferry water barrels, but l never saw
any one drink at those places who did not pre-
yiously wash and rinse and run water in and
out of the cup until it was clean. The veriest
tramp does this, but no one has chance to
rail- No. 1t won't do to say this is a matter that
rests with the clergy, for the people are the
ones who do the drinking and they have a
right to demand that they have a clean cup
We must not be so godly that we cannot be
cleanly, for cleanliness is next to godliness."
We must get our health standards from the
medical profession, not the clerical The
clergy may properly sow spiritual" things,
but it is from the laity they expect worldly