The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-03
BARRED FLIRTING.
Rev. Mr.. Kirkus Objected to
the Gentle Art in His
Church in Bayonne.

The eye vagrant does not hitch in with
the church militant. The Rev. Frederick
Mr.. Kirkus. of Bayonne, says no Mr..
Kirkus ought to know, too, because he
has witnessed the wandering of the eye
from his own pulpit In Trinity Church.
Wherefore hi is much disturbed.
Mr.. Kirkus's church is the largest in
Bayonne, and In its pews sit many
young men and women. Recently Mr..
Kirkus has observed OF evenings a retro
grade movement non these young
people. Pew by pew they retreated to-
ward the rear Of the church until Palm
Sunday saw a barren waste of bare oak
and cushions between the pulpit and the
parishioners.
Looking toward the rear, Mr.. Kirkus
was panied and Inundated to observe
the eyes of the youthful wandering,
Whenever he looked the eyes usually
wandered toward the buttressed ceiling.
Otherwise they wandered stoward one
another and with divers signs of greet
ing. Eye answered eye until the optical
Wig-wagging ended in tender Smiles and
much satisfaction among the smilers.
To reproach this levity from the pulpit
would mean a scandal. Mr.. Kirkus
could not hav that. Neither could he
personally reprimand the offenders. That
would make ill-feeling in the first place,
and in the second 1t was difficult to de-
termine which eye was to blame. Sup
pose, for instance, Mr.. Kirkus got hold
of a cross-eyed parishioner!
After due deliberation Mr.. Kirkus con-
cluded to put a notice in the Parish
- 1...-N r. - -
church. He spent much thought over
this notice, and a few days ago it was
published. This is in effect what the
minister said
No one need to be told that the church
is not the place for flirting and talking
and laughing. Everybody knows that the
n object for which the church is open at
the hour of divine service is that the con-
gregation assembled may Join in the wor-
ship of God and the hearing of His Word.
yet there are some young men and
young women in this parish who seem ut
terly careless or forgetful of the purpose
for which they and others have presuma-
BILE come together.
Three things result from such miscon-
duct as that to which we refer:-1st, God
is ~dishonored; I'd, the clergy and worship
pers are disturbed, and, Sd, the characters
of those who thus misuse the occasion of
divine worship are deteriorated.
None of these results is contemplated
by the INSIDERS themselves. Their irrev-
erent behavior is the result of mere
thoughtlessness and frivolity. But, for
the sake of all concerned, 1t must be
stopped. If this quiet warning is INSULT
Gent to that end, more radical measures
will have to be taken.
THE remedy, however, is very simple if
as we think, the offenders are not inten-
tionally i~ll-behaved. Let them put them
selves out of temptation by occupying the
front seats in church instead of the rear
ones. An array Of empty pews between
the priest n the people is of itself a ser
ious obstacle in the way of maintaining
perfect reverence of behavior among the
young wprshippers.'
There was perfect harmony in Trinity
Church last night. All of its young men
and young women sat with their eyes
buried in the chancel. In this the inno-
cent suffered with the guilty. But Mr..
Kirkus a won his point.