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Welty, "The Need of White Cross Work," 1895
schools then we are persuaded that uncleanness and vileness and
impurity, in word and in conduct, are fearfully prevalent in them. Dr. J.
H. Kellogg gives an instance where a superintendent of city schools
made a careful inquiry into the personal habits of four hundred boys
between the ages of ten and eighteen, and found but seven in the
entire number who claimed to be free from impure practices. Nor is
there any guarantee that the matter is going to be corrected, for our
school authorities make no manner of provision for instruction in the
laws and principles of sexual relations, personal chastity and social
purity.
Nor is the pulpit of our times, save in a very few exceptional
cases, outspoken in warnings and instruction concerning chastity, the
sins of licentiousness, social disorders and dangers and all unholy
sexual associations. There are but few preachers that ever preach on
the Seventh commandment of the Decalogue; or upon Christ's law of
purity; or give an exposition upon his teachings concerning marriage
and divorce. If they took up these subjects more frequently they would
not so often be caught officiating at the marriages of unlawfully, that is
unscripturally, divorced persons.
Ministers are or should be in a special sense the monitors of
public morals and the guardians of children and women. Yet how few
there are who speak out bold, clear and timely words of warning
against the sins of the flesh; and how seldom are sermons preached
exposing the wrongs that are perpetuated against womankind; and
how silent the pulpits are concerning the legislative crimes in every
State of the Union, whereby the sanctity of marriage is destroyed,
divorce made easy and promiscuous prostitution encouraged. The
simple, sad fact is that the ministers in the churches are not doing the
purity work that is needed. They have entered upon an era of silence
upon this subject. They do not teach their young men as they need to
be taught by their religious guides; they do not boldly and pointedly
rebuke the old men of unclean habits; and plain words of counsel are
never spoken to the women of the churches. Strange, guilty,
dangerous silence! The old preachers and prophets were not like
dumb dogs upon these subjects, and the preachers now ought not to
be dumb where and when there is needed line upon line, precept upon
precept and warning upon warning. Oh, for men like Nathan, who went
to guilty David and said, "Thou art the man;" like John the Baptist, who
went to the licentious Herod and told him frankly that he was living with
the wrong woman.
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