Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1913-05-09
WONT ACCEPT
TAINTED MONEY
Noted Pittsburgh Rabbi Dis
cusses Social Evil.
TALKS TO JEWISH REFORMERS
Tells Mothers That They Should Not
Bring UP Children in Ignorance
of Dire Evils Resulting
From immortality.

New York City.-'1f the Astors
were members of my synagogue, or
the Schiffs or any other millionaires
and any part of their property was
being used for immoral purposes,
would make them either withdraw
their property from such use or with
draw from my congregation"
This was the earnestly voiced re-
mark of Rabbi Rudolph l. Coffee of
Pittsburgh in an address at the Tenn
pie Emanuel to a joint meeting of the
eastern council of reform rabbis and
the eastern council OF Jewish women.
Rabbi Coffee reiterated his well
known sentiments in regard to the
eradication of the social evil and
spoke plainly on the topic.
While the majority of his hearers
seemed to sustain Rabbi Coffee in his
plain manner of speaking, Rabbi
Hirsch of Chicago took issue with
him in respect of the teaching of chill
dren the problems of sex.
Discusses Social Evil.
THE rabbis of America" declared
abbi Coffee, must take brave and
positive stand on this great question.
While the social evil is one of the
Oldest in the history of the race, it is
only about ten years old as a matter
of fact That is to say that ten years
ago there was not a newspaper or
magazine in the United States that
would dare publish anything dealing
directly with the social evil. Scan
dals? Yes, but the social evil as
public problem to be publicly dis
cussed has had an existence of only
about ten years.
"It has been only within the past
few years." affirmed Rabbi Coffee,
that prostitution has not been looked
upon as a necessary evil. In ancient
days it was regarded as such by
Rome, Egypt and Greece and in the
latter country the prostitute was hon
ored more than the housewife. This
is indicated by the fact that when
PraXitales wanted subject for one
of his great statues he did not select
the wife of Pericles. No. The wom-
an he chose for this great honor was
the mistress of the great Grecian
statesman. Then coming down to the
middle ages we find the spirit of com.
mercialization entering into the So
cia1 evil. The prostitute was taxed
to help support the church and now
they are taxed by individuals for the
support of individuals, and these men,
for of course it is men who levy
these taxes on the unfortunate wom-
en-, contribute, some of them, to the
support of churches and other respect.
able institutions"
Clean Bill of Health.
1t was in this respect that Rabbi
Wise declared the ministers of Juda-
ism must take a positive stand and
refused to accept any money on which
there was the slightest taint.
In further laying down the rules of
conduct which should characterize the
rabbi the speaker declared that the
former, If he is conscientious, will
refuse to marry young persons unless
the prospective husband can show a
clean bill of health in the form of a
reliable doctors certificate.
Turning to the women in the audi
ence Rabbi Coffee exclaimed:
at behooves you mothers in Israel
to see to it that your children are not
brought up in ignorance of the dire
evils resulting from immortality. 1t is
for you to put a period to the gener-
ally accepted proposition that money
covers a multitude of sins. A young
man calls on your daughter. He is
young Mr.. Money Bags. That is as
far as you inquire about him. He
marries your daughter and in a few
short months her bloom of health is
gone, she is put on the operating
table, her life destroyed, her life
blighted forever. / for one refuse to
take any further share in the per-
formance of these unholy weddings
which bring blind and deformed or
imbecile children into the world, fill
ing it with pain and misery"