The Priests | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Apr 1, 1913

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 13.

The Priests.

Photo by Clinedinst, Washington, D. C.
Albert Sidney Burleson, of Texas,
Postmaster-General — Photo by Clinedinst, Washington, D. C. Albert Sidney Burleson, of Texas, Postmaster-General

The Western Watchman of February 6 has a pretty sharp editorial anent its young priests. It says that at the Saturday evening and Sunday evening public balls in Catholic halls, for Catholic churches, “the ever-changing tactics of the devil have brought in the young priests who stand

at the door to invite people in.” “The jingle of the nimble nickel has such a charm for some of our clergy, especially our young ones, that they scarcely close the doors at the churches on Sunday afternoon before the ushers are hurried to the school halls, and the dimes continue to pour in, not now for the divine service, but for the ball. . . . And these public balls for the benefit of the churches are advertised every day in The America, edited by a knight of St. Gregory, and this is an abomination doubly abominable. . . . These young father confessors do not look very well making change at the church doors in the morning, and they seem awfully out of place calling on all who pass to come in and join in the ‘bunny hug.’ These young men look like sports, but they are priests. They wear short coats scarcely covering their hips, while the law of the church requires them to wear long coats reaching to the knees. But they are priests. They smoke cigars on the streets and in front of their dance halls, where such smoking is strictly forbidden. But they are priests.” And so on, and so on. The pitiful thing is that such men as that should be wearing priestly garments in any way. Think of it! Spiritual leaders and advisers!