The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-10

eral good.
I'm the original announcement Of
our purpose. we concluded with these
number of mon to whom, because Of
their pure lives tho requirement NO
have outlined might seem a needless
Inconvenience. to bring the power Of
their unseltish cooperation to the s!de
OF this endeavor to make more COM
handing the Ideal OF purity for ALL
We think greatly enough of the young
manhood of Richmond to believe II
Will respond to that challenge.
There follow. in the published pro-
test OF our brethren, threo related OBJ
jections. The first Is that no ply
scian can tell certainly that n man
Is positively free from the diseases
to which we have referred It Is true
that there always Will be a margin
OF uncertainty In the average certi-
ncate. but 1t Is also true that In the
great number OF cases. according 20
the testimony OF the most emminent
physicians OF the city. the disease In
men who marry and infect their wives
could have been certainly discovered.
surgeon In joint control OF one OF
the largest hospitals in Richmond said
to the writer. and his face was tense
these things. II you could save one a
year. you would have accomplished
a great thing
"Since when has the single body and
the single soul become so Insignificant
In the eyes OF Christ and OF Christ's
ministers that cody we must refuse to
save somo because pcrchance we can
not save all?
Fec Not Prohibitive.
~. Il 80 tt,4 ~
Jections Ia that the fee for medical
examination would be prohibitive. That
is not true The figure quoted Is the
charge OF 4 specialist for the well-to-
do Any one who knows the ply
sicans in this city knows that a ply
stefan to whom poor man comes for
exaIpnation would not make his
charge prohib!tive. II 1t were pro-
hibitive. 1 think 1 can speak for all
of US who signed our original pro-
rouncement, that we are enough in
| earnest personally to see to 1t that
the medical examination is made pos
sible.
"In the third place. the men who are
protesting against our stand declare
we cast discredit on the medical fra
ternity, because of our requirement
that the certificate must be secured
from the brides physician. That is n
curious Misrepresentation. We arc
casting no aspersions; we are simply
recognizing truths. We know that the
great body OF physicians hero are such
men-hiGh and true and fnc-as make
their profession glorious. We know.
too, that here, as elsewhere. there must
be. in some odd corner. some low-prin-
cipled man whose professional title is
only a cloak for charlatanry. 1t Is to
make 1t impossible for some low-prin-
c'plcd would-b bridegroom to seek out
I ,.lx. t-tu tl,1t
we have made our requirement what
we have. We have put the issuance
OF the certificate in the hands OF the
brides physician because 10 Is the one
whose honor will guard 1t. validity
most scrupulously.
Won't Encourage Civil Warnings.
Finally, oar protesting brethren de-
clare their belief that II our require
ment is put in force men who wish to
be married will go to the magistrate
court. In reply. we register the pehet
that ~ they go, they will go alone.
when the rising Indignation against the
double standard of morality grows
greater and greater. as 1t is growing
every day, there Will with difiiculty be
found women. who. according to our
brethren's argument. will go to the
magistrates court with men who dare
not knock at the church's door.
And now, to have done. let 1t be
tions OF our position II has obvious
flaws. but they are flaws Incident TO
any earnest human experiment. II Is
flaw, for instance. that our test OF the
purity Of the man whose marriage the
church is to bless Is only approximate.
4 very impure man may have escaped
disease, whereas II man who has fallen
only once may have contracted IT. BUT
in tho long count. we believe that the
scales of our requirements VIII weigh
out Justice to the man. meanwhile
steadily we shall be protecting women,
and steadily we shall be holding up
before mon and growing boys the
church's insistent challenge for that
purity OF life which some day shall
make such n requirement as ours no
longer needful.
we are sorry that some OF our
brethren will not join us-sorry FOR
their neglect and opportunity. They
are the dissenters and malcontents now.
not we. The Episcopal Church In Viz
GINA has declared Its belief that what
we meant to do and have done since Is
wise and right We believe so fervent-
ly We are looking not backward, but
ACKNOWLEDGMENT into the dawn OF a
larger and more splendid day OF the
churchs heritage for service"