2o6 HEREDITY AND CHRISTIAN PROBLEMS 



smuggled clothes, to beat upon the breast with 

 me, and cry, ' I, too, Lord, I, too, stood by and 

 consented.' "^ 



The priest in the story wished to show that 

 those who made smuggling lucrative were guilty 

 with the pirate, and he was right. 



And it is equally true that all who help in 

 any way to make dishonesty profitable, and the 

 law of chastity to be held in light esteem, are 

 making it easier for frail ones to fall. The safety 

 of the weak is in a strong public sentiment 

 which brands iniquity as infamous, and calls 

 crimes by their right names. Those who help 

 to make the public sentiment, if that sentiment 

 condones sin, are partners in guilt with those 

 who transgress the moral order. 



The strong should bear the infirmities of the 

 weak. There are multitudes who do little think- 

 ing for themselves ; to whom what society allows 

 is right, and what it condemns is wrong. It 

 may be said that each should use his own judg- 

 ment and will. Suppose he does, but uses them 

 where the prevailing ideals are false and examples 

 are evil and misleading, is there no allowance 

 to be made for his errors ? Those are culpable 



1 Old Creole Days, Cable, Vol. I. p. 22. 



