The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-07-29
THE CRIME OF SCANDAL.

At mission conducted for women
in st. Patrick's Church, Utica, N. Y,
noteworthy sermon on Scandal and
the Scandalmonger" was preached
recently by Father Angelo, c. P. He
said, in part:
my subject tonight l fear will fail
to please you. l am going to speak of
the greatest mischief maker in the
parish. Not only so, but shall men
ton her name. | wonder where she
is tonight? Is she perhaps in some
moving picture show? Is she perhaps
in some public dance hall? Is she
perhaps in some theatre? Is she per-
haps walking down Genesee Street at
tracing the attention of men? Where
is she? Is she perhaps in this tenn
pie of God? She is everywhere. Do
you know her name? Listen, | shall
tell you. Her name is Mrs. Scandal,
or Bad Example,
"Theologians teach that the extent
of any injury done the neighbor is
the rule by which to measure the guilt
consequent on the act. Now, if he
who takes from his neighbor temporal
goods is guilty of glazing act of in
justice, is not he who deprives him
of eternal goods? If it is a terrible
crime to kill the body what must it
be to kill the soul? Christ says, Fear
we not them that kill the body and are
not able to kill the soul, but rather
fear him that can destroy both body
and soul into hell Such one is he
who gives scandal because he causes
both body and soul to be cast into hell.
Guilty of this crime are mothers
who curse and quarrel and drink to
excess in the presence of theip chill
dren Guilty of this crime are the
mothers who do not rear their chill
dren in the Catholic faith, and correct
their faults. Guilty of the crime are
mothers who allow their sons and
daughters to associate with bad COM
panfons. Guilty of this crime are
mothers who permit their daughters
to keep company until all hours of
the night, and to dress in gaudy and
scandalous style. Guilty of this crime
are mothers who consult the fashion
plates oftener than the Holy Bible.
Guilty of this crime are mothers who
attach more Importance to their jew
elry and their dresses than their re-
| ligious obligations. Guilty of this
crime are mothers who do not send
their children to church on Sundays.
80 Jo1
There is no crime more rife than
scandal, which is given and taken at
all times, in all places and by every
one. Who is the young girl that re-
| Trains from giving scandal? Not the
girl who spends more time before the
mirror than at prayer. Not the girl
who thinks more of her picture hats
than her religious duties. Not the girl
who adorns her head with heaps of
elegant false hair, trying to make
herself more beautiful than she really
is. Not the girl who goes indiscrim-
inately to all sorts of dance halls,
theatres, moving picture shows and
places of amusement, who spends all
her time in. reading pernicious litera-
ture, and Identifies herself with the
heroine in the novel and takes her
actions for the rule of her life. Not
the girl who goes to church Sunday
mornings, rather to display her SNOWY
dress than to assist in the holy sacri-
| fee of the Mass, Not the girl who
seldom goes to Confession and Com
munion. Such a girl doesn't refrain
| from giving scandal. Woe to the
world because of scandal
who is the woman that refrains
from giving scandal? Not the new
woman who neglects her home duties
| to- emphasize to the world at large
woman's rights Not the childless
woman, the sumptuously gowned, we'll
| fed, delicately reared dame, who
scorns the labor of bringing up little
children. Not the worldly woman
who is money mad, and clothes mad,
and hungers and thirsts after the
limelight. Not the ambitious woman
who lusts for wealth and sells her
daughter into marriage to a rich so
ciety man, the highest bidder, whose
yachts and automobiles and opera
boxes, will afford her ample oppor-
tunities for social explorations. Not
the unfaithfu1 woman who furnishes
grist for the divorce mills and ma
terial for the scandal factories. Such
woman does not refrain from giving
scandal. Woe to the world because
of scandal
Every day we meet people who en-
ter the church to pray and then leave
to- gossip about their neighbor Every
day we meet people who pray thus,
Forgive us our trespasses as we for
give them that trespass against u.s.
and these very people will never for
get or forgive an injury, but rather
knife and destroy the reputation of
their neighbor Every day we meet
people who will cruelty the reputation
of anyone who has the bad luck to be
absent. Every day we meet people
who would not hurt a fly, and these
very people do not hesitate to cast
the first stone and blast the neigh
boris reputation. Every day we meet
people who pose as just and honest