The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-21
Voice Of the People
rhc church. Must right E,ll Mnrrlnn..

The Church Must Fight EVIL Mnrriurrs
To the Editor OF The Times Dispatch.
Sir,-AS layman OF u way OF think
ing and feeling, opposite 10 his. / can
my oHer reply TO him whose com
munlcation, signed 'Layman," appear
ING III this mornings issue o; vour
paper, meted out such drastic criti-
cism OF the clergy and laity Of the
episcopal Church in the TWO Virginia
lhait iaees recently adopted by their
To the "Layman" ii is alarming that
the church should declare herself ON
this matter To many men perhans
Younger than he it is heartrendtng
THAT the church did not sooner place
meut.
! heartily agree with the "Layman"
l laat the Master treated evil AT its
source OF evil and remove it that the
church challenges man 10 show that
he Is clean beneath all outward seem
ing appearances The church has
taken the course which has presented
itself as wiscst to her thinking clergy
ton adopted by the councils of the
Eirslnia dioceses were not drawn nor
forsht for by men whose religious
tentncnt which may be derived from
reading theological trcatises beneath
the golden glow or modern lighting
awakening TO the lack Of honor. sell
hshness. thoughtlessncss has driven the
heip Up the cause OF happy marriages.
marriages which are OF bcneft TO life.
/ not d%terrents TO its progress. The
examining physician" the Certificate
day OF making "the try." Are no, we
careful that one is free from tubcr-
culosis cancer. addiction to the use
OF drugs and liquor. epilepsy and like
diseases. both. physical and moral. be-
TORE sanctioning marriage? IT. then
We IN a secular capacity are careful
about these matters. why may not
the church, whose very presence among
MS is for making life the better, the
I stronger. why may not the church be-
come concerned about. and try with
every weapon possible 10 alleviate
.ent. owing solely TO unclean living?
The presence o! the harlot in Christ's
Gay Is no excuse for her presence now.
after nineteen hundred years OF living
in the knowledge OF what He taught:
nor; let me say. Is the removal of the
harlot the cure for the disease from
when We are suffering in the body
social Where arc those to whose de-
mands We owe this blot? Why should
not the men 10 whom we owe her
church is trying by her demand to
reach the source OF the evil and re-
The church regardless OF her origin.
must justify herself in tho ewes OF
the community. Unless She is a power
Tor risnteousmess IN the community
istence. After. decades OF sleep-sleep
10 which she was druRGed by her own
professcd servants--the church is
blood, new life. she dares to espouse
the causes Of cleanliness, Justice
tent to die on Calvary. Stronger to-
day in her enliehtened motherhood.
the church refuses to allow her chill
dren 10 accept less than freedom from
bondage to the curse OF SINS law She
our mother. dares protect the limo
cent. whom parents in the flesh viii
men may refuse TO connect themselves
with her; as men have forsaken her
whatsoever thoir interests and a sense
of private rights demanded The
church has taken her stand and there
she will stand firmly; nor is She goins
TO suffer in her new effort TO cleanse
life from a lack OF men Of dignity of
character" The men-clergy and
held her true In the hour when Others
would have held her silent would
have forced her to connivance at an
awful sin which her word viii have
weight to wipe out-around these men
gathers the large body OF the opinion
Of the laity who could not be present
in the councils. Again the voice of
God has spoken through the mouths
of Ills prophets,
Providence-that name which we
name when we are up against wall
is not responsible for conditions: We
men and women---given the power OF
choice by Almighty God-we arc re.
and by our withheld condemnation Of
certain practices
Marriage is n divine institution: di-
vine because of its inherent possibili-
ties of growth in humanness: growth
in. love. in faith. in patience in knowl-
edge and in wisdom Marriage is re-
igious because of the purity OF it's
ideal Man and woman and child: tho
visible side of the great trinity
We are striving to perfect the great
est of institutions. To approach to-
wards perfection there must be clean.
ness of spirit and body; OF spirit that
we may not besmirch the spirits 10
which we live so close. tho spirits
which arc given their opportunities
for whose advent we are reaponsible