Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-05-22
MODERN MAIDS
DRESS |MMODEST
Pastor Declares, Clothing Is
Vital Moral Problem
of Today.
SAYS WOMEN CARELESS
Those Unhappy Not in Fash
ion Are Better OFF
Dead.
SAYS WOMEN CARELESS

Strcssing that modesty is rapidly
whole social body has become VIA.
atcd by moral poisons. Rev. o. A..
Saucr. pastor Of Bethlehem Evangeli-
cal Lutheran Church. In sermon
last night. depIored the manner Of
dress affected today by some women
lie declared dress always has been
problem which had TO do with
morals. Today the idea OF dress with
many. is not tina. OF covering, he
said. with clothes abbreviated a.
both the top and ,he bottom. the
idea Of some seems TO be TO gc, back
hs near as possible to the original
ngleat style.
Snyn Sin brought Drcsn.
II waa sin and shame. he said
which introduced tho question o..
dress. Mother Eve and Father Adam
fell into ain. but with tho first blush
Of shame. came the initial desire for
covering for their bodies In the
course OF the passing centuries many
have lost much OF this del!cacy If
feeling. Now. one OF the burning
moral problems win which we are
today confronted is that Of dress.
or better. the lack OF dress
w" often hear /; said pccia!iy
by the women: We might as we'll be
dead "a out OF style. All that We
have 10 say is tina, IL people cnnno;
b" happy unless they are following
tho fashions ot Paris. London and
Sew York, they might as well be
dead for all tho real good they VIII
ever do In this world
'rhe chairman of the Chicago vice
commission SAID - few years ago that
tho prevailing fashions. which ac-
ccntuate wonau's from has made
women holder and increased the num-
Der o! those who are careless o! their
morals. \ prominent Juvenile Ju1e
said: i think any parent who al
lows her daughters 10 dress as they
dress now should be punished
These are the words. not Of preach
ers who are often thought to be ua-
necessarily narrow in their views,
but OF levclhcadcd. thoughtful men
and women OF the wo. \.
People Poisoned ", 'nlIy.
What does all this mea Some
say that II means that womt. have
become cmancipated; that, they are
being freed from the letters OF an
cient convcn;ional!ties: that such
emancipation from the proper con-
ventionalties of dress IS innocent,
because to the pure all things are
pure 7 Will tell you what II means.
This striving for the nude in art. In
literature. in dress has a meaning.
II means that mOdesty is fast be-
coming a los, virtue. II means that
the whole social body has become
Vltiatcd by moral poisons which arc
sim further corrupting the blood Of
the people and Fastening tho pro-
cess OF decay. You may question
some Of III. statements made; but
You are obligated TO listen 10 the
words Of the Master. lie SAYS
through the mouth OF the apostle:
I will. therefore. that women adorn
themselves in modest apparel
Says .Moytcs- n Menace.
THE desire 10 attend movies has
grown TO degree that II might
properly he called disease. We may
call this disease 'moveitis. The
symptoms OF this disease are dis
ordered !mag!nations. vitiated tastes.
nervous irritability. and general
lack OF irtcro-' ~ "ooH 80 Whoie-
some recreation one OF the great
est educators Of our country said re
Gently that the greatest menace 10
tho schools and education OF our
children is the notion picture show
The children are incapacitated for
study by what they see in these play
houses. How can child study when
every few days the mind is wrought
IN by the high sensational pictures?
The child thinks these things are
taken from real life. And soon no
or she begins TO live In this sort OF
atmosphere. The boy is fighting In
dams, robhing stages. rcscuing some
fair maiden from villains. or doing
some other daring deed. The in
fuence OF these pictures is as bad
as that OF yellow backed novel.
But you say. not all moving pic
lures are Of this nature. Granted
that Is per cent are not OF this ma
ture. is It not fact that moving
picturc patrons attend !ndiscTimi-
nately, without any serious attempt
10 distinguish between the good and
the evil? And unless you are blind
YOU will have noticed that the more
suggestive the title of the photoplay
is, the larger the attendance Is. The
movie industry considers picture
good IL 1t is n good ey-gettcr. and
bad II the CASH. box does not show up
WELL"