“4. What do you regard as the chief danger to which our young men are exposed, as regards (1) their morals, (2) their religion, (3) their professional or business success?”SITI February 24, 1888, page 119.2

The chief danger to which our young men are exposed as regards their morals, is the guilt of sin, and the love of it. The chief danger to which they are exposed as regards their rebellion, is unbelief. The chief danger to their professional or business success, is in their haste to be rich; and is well stated in the following words of the San Francisco Chronicle:—SITI February 24, 1888, page 119.3

“As to the principal danger in the way of professional or business success, it may be summed up in one sentence, as it was many centuries ago—making haste to grow rich. The present generation imagines that is has made a new discovery in the science of finance and political economy, and has invented a process by which the forces of nature in the business world may be hurried and the pace accelerated. They are not content to adhere to ordinary business rules and business principles, but as in a continual state or feverish eagerness and intense longing to find some short cut to affluence, heedless of the fact, which they could learn if they would, that what seems to be a cut-off usually ends in a morass, or on the edge of a precipice, whence all that is left is to retrace their steps, often with pain and difficulty. The trouble is that our young men will not understand that two and two will make only four, no matter how the figures may be turned or twisted or juggled, and that in business matters speculation is the sworn foe of ultimate success.”SITI February 24, 1888, page 119.4

“5. Does respect for woman occupy as high a place in the minds of young men of to-day as it did among those of two generations ago?”SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.1

It does not. The following words from the Chronicle are also to the point:—SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.2

“This is precisely the equivalent of asking if the young women of to-day are as deserving of respecet as were their mothers or grandmothers; for it may be set down as an axiom that in any free country woman will receive every white of respect to which she is entitled. So long as young women respect themselves they need have no fear but that they will be respected; if they surrender their self-respect, they forfeit their right to expect or receive the respect of others.”SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.3

We believe that this states the truth of the matter. And yet it is true that respect for women does not occupy as high a place in the minds of young men as it did among those of two generations ago. But this is only to say that the young women of to-day do not respect themselves as highly as did those of two generations ago; and this is a fact. Wherefore then the fact? Why is it that the young women of to-day do not respect themselves as highly as they ought to? The principal cause, that which takes precedence of all others, and which is more far-reaching in its consequences than any other, is the wickedness that is practiced in the church fairs. In the practices of the church fairs, there are demands made upon womanly modesty and self-respect that cannot be borne by those who are subjected to them.SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.4

We ourselves personally know of a church fair held in a certain city in Oregon, in which the young ladies were put up and sold at auction to the highest bidder. The public auctioneer of the city was called in and paid to conduct the sale. The effect of the sale was that the highest bidder should have the company of the young lady for the evening; and she was obliged to go with him whoever he might be. And the inventors and chief managers of this scheme were the pastor’s wife and a San Francisco drummer. Only shortly afterwards we read an authentic account of a similar occurrence in Pennsylvania, with this difference however that in Pennsylvania they had yet enough sense of decency to cover the young ladies’ faces with shawls, whereas in Oregon they did it with open face before the gaze of the whole crowd.SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.5

It has been a common practice in church fairs to put up the young women to be voted upon by the young men, at so much a vote, as to which was the handsomnest. And the managers of those fairs have even gone so far as to sell the kisses of the handsomest lady at so much apiece. Among country church-members who cannot have a church fair, it has been the practice for years to have “play parties,” otherwise called “kissing-bees.”SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.6

Now no young woman can be subjected to thse immodest and indecent practices and yet retain her self-respect. No young woman can allow herself to be subjected to the immodest procedure of an auction sale of her company, and yet retain her modesty. No young woman can allow her charms of face or figure to be made the subject of public contest, and yet retain her self-respect. And no young woman can either sell her kisses or give them away, in public, and yet retain either her own self-respect, or the respect of those who buy them. If young women will not respect themselves, they cannot expect to be respected.SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.7

And yet nothers, and ministers’ wives at that, will put forward their daughters in these wicked ways, and thus break down in then that native womanly modesty which in itself is the strongest safeguard of womanly purity. So long as a woman retains that womanly modesty and self-respect which the Scripture defines by the term “shamefacedness,” men will have to lose every element of manliness before they will cease to respect her as she ought to be respected. But when this is ruthlessly broken down and swept away she has lost the casket that safely holds that precious jewel which is more than life to her. And to systematically break it down and sweep it away, is the certain effect of these loose and immodest practices of the churches. And so far as the churches practice these things they show themselves to be but panderers to the baser passions of men and women. Let the young ladies always respect themselves as they ought to, and they will ever be respected by the young men, as they ought to be.SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.8

The last question is this:—SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.9

“6. In what sense and to what extent is business and professional success dependent upon the moral and religious life?”SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.10

Well, this is hard to tell. It almost appears as though it were not dependent upon it in any sense, nor to any extent. Business and professional success is now attained to, in defiance of all moral or religious considerations, much more readily than it is by honest dealing and godly living. And it is so common nowadays for men to cover with a cloak of religion, the rascality by which they attain to business and professional success, that it is exceedingly difficult to tell, before a man’s accounts are settled whether his success has been in any way dependent upon a genuinely moral and religious life, or not.SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.11

The general effect of this list of questions is of course to develop the one question, as to whether the world is growing worse or better. No man can successfully deny that we have answered them fairly, and strictly in accordance with the actual condition and course of things as they are to-day, and therefore the general question that springs from all must be answered by the statement that the world is growing worse. And that is only what Inspiration said long ago. For “this know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:1-7, 12, 13.SITI February 24, 1888, page 120.12

February 17, 1888

March 2, 1888