The Irish standard., 1911-02-18
STATISTICS AND
CATHOLIC MORALITY
Morality of Spanish People Not
Dreamed of in Most Model
English Village.
Percentage of Legitimate Births
Shown to be Remarkably
Low in Ireland.
Comparison of Statistics on Morality
Shows Catholic Countries
up Favorably.

Correspondents in the Catholic Times
have been discussing Comparative !
Morality in Catholic and Protestant |
countries, upon which Mrs. c. E. JEFF |
frey writes in reply to an allegation by !
a Mr.. Haynes that "the sexual moral
ity of Spain and Italy is notoriously
inferio: to that of northern Chat is, /
Protestant countries" says the Cath
olic Messenger worcester, Mass).
OF course, says Mrs. Jeffrey, any
lie that is told badly and loudly, and
reiterated frequently and dissemin-
ated widely, becomes in course Of
time notorious" but it does not be-
come true. 1t is notorious among
Protestant associations that the Jes-
uits are at the bottom of all the po-
litical disturbances in the world; it
is notorious" that they caused the
revolution in Portugal; also the "greve
des cheminots'' in France, as many of
the engine drivers and firemen. were
Jesuits in disguise. 1t is notorious"
that converts are hotbeds of vice and
should be inspected by the state; it is
also notorious" that all the Protestant
bodies are eminently moral, piqus and
charitable and respect all the COM
1nandments except the one which says,
''Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor.'
do not suppose for a moment that
Mr. Haynes has personally any knowl-
edge of Spain. He is satisfied to know
on the assurance of his friends that it
is "notoriously" inferio in morality
to Protestant lands. Well, happen to
be very well acquainted with Spain, al
SO with Mexico, the Canary Islands
and Majorca-all, of course thoroughly
Spanish. 1 have lived long among
Spanish, and with them; l have lived
in quite out Of the way villages among
the mountains, and I have lived in
towns, and my personal experience is
that the people are infinitely more
moral than anything dreamed of in
+, I have never met with case of i'm
morality among either married or sin
| gle women in Spain. I quite believe
that climate has an influence on NOR
ality, and no doubt this is recognized
, by the Church, as in hot climates both
men and girls marry young, and are
encouraged to do so. Among the peas
ant class it is difficult to find a wo-
man unmarried at 25. In Mexico 1
! found great difficulty in getting ser
wants in consequence. All the young
women were married and had their
own homes to look after. Only widows,
often with children, were available,
and you had to take the children, too,
especially if they were girls. A moth
er will not leave her daughters even
with relatives to go out to service,
however poor she may be. And even
among the lower classes young girls
never go out alone, but arc most care
fully "chaperoned." Neithe: in Mexi-
co nor Spain would you ever see the
disreputable sight of young men and
young women walking out alone in re-
tired places at dusk, with their arms
round each others waists, as on Sun
day evenings in England. 1t would
cause the greatest scandal. and those
who did such a thing would certainly
be sent to Coventry. The fea- of
scandal and a wholesome regard for
public opinion prevail throughout
Spain.
cannot do better than here quote
the beautiful testimonial to Spanish
women written by Mr. Charles Sam
mis- in his fine book on Mexico, "The
Awakening of a Nation"
"To no woman on earth Is religion
a more vital, ever-present, all-pervad-
ing actuality, and that is '-hy yor
meet the face of the Madonna slmos
literally at every corner Of Spanish
|, America. And it is not q superficial
thing There Is none in whom thu
, wife-l1eart, the mother-heart, is truel
j womanly. The Dona is human; sh.
may sin, but she can never be gross
, It is truth 80 we'll known to ever,
traveller that I wonde: our philoso