The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-07-08

fnement, to isolate herself forever in
comparatively unciviIized cauntry,
there to dwell in the midst of, and to
minister unto, people who are liter
ally rotting away with a highly con-
tagious disease, was to them as revolt
ing as anything imaginable. The
thought of mingling with the afflicted
and touching their loathsome sores,
together with the great probability of
contracting the disease and going to
death piecemeal, as the lepers are
really doing, was for these women too
repellant to entertain
And yet, | have observed that at
least two of these solicitous mothers
are exposing their dear ones to dan
gers infinitely more blighting and ter
rible. mo daughter of mine" averred
one of the number, would be permit
ted to go to Molokai." Necessary con-
tact with, and likely contraction of,
leprosy would prevent her from laying
claim to any great and otherwise de-
sirable treasure that would require her
or one of her family to live on that
Stunned island for any length of time.
But she opens the door of her home
and cordially welcomes into it men
and women with whom contact is far
| more dangerous in results than would
be exposure to all the most virulent
and fatal diseases of the body com
bined. She freely and complacently
yields her daughter to the society and
embraces of moral lepers, men with
whom association is sure to be fol.
lowed by moral as well as physical
decay and death.
No matter if he is "a man with a
| past" having future, he is looked
upon as an acceptable son-in-law. Nc
matter how short he may be on char.
acter, if he is only long on cash. Nc
matter how low he may have sunk in
the moral scale, if he still retains a
place and title in high society. The
physical condition of the most loath
some wretch on Molokai would be
clean in comparison with the moral
corruption of many young men to
whom frivolous-minded mothers are
| A1OoG CcSC1 " IuOll
for the sake of the wealth and the so
cial prestige that they would derive
| from such unions.
With advantages such as these ir
mind, it matters little or not at al
what sort ola man is brought into the
family. The question of his religion
Or whether he, perhaps, has none, does
not enter into account. If he is, as
the world says, mice" and "a good
CATCH" if his possessions are equal tC
rehabilitating a family's failing for
tunes or to give aspiring social climb
ers boost" the project of whole
! generation of infidels and imbeciles is
no deterrent. The goods of this life
are greedily bargained for with an as
signment of the goods everlasting
The body is pampered at the expense
| Of the soul. Molokai is avoided, but
how few are awed by the fostering
ulcers of our depraved high society
| We ostracise the poor leper, but we
condone and frequently ape the shame
and depravity of the tainted rich
counting the opportunities of mixing
with them and doing as they do as
rare and coveted privileges.
| Mothers recoil in horror from read
! ing the story of the Moloch, the idol
into whose. fiery NAV the infant chill
dren of an earlier day were thrown
as a holocaust, but in a blind, fren
zied devotion to Folly and Fashion
they are unconsciously feeding the
| flames of hell with their own precious
flesh and blood, body and soul. The
tale of the Juggernaut is to them g
chapter most horrible, but at the same
time they are strewing all that is best
| and highest in the path of the Zeit
Geist (the spirit of the world), will
| ing that it should be trampled on anC
obliterated, rather than that they
should be considered as HAS Beens'
or as being behind the times"