26 August 2009

Old Possum on CSPP

"[To become Christian] involves, at least, discipline, inconvenience, and discomfort: but here as hereafter the alternative to hell is purgatory." (Love me a good Anglo-catholic--R)

" . . . so far has our notion of what is natural become distorted, that people who consider it 'unnatural' and therefore repugnant, that a person of either sex should elect a life of celibacy, consider it perfectly 'natural' that families should be limited to one or two children. It would perhaps be more natural, as well as in better conformity with the Will of God, if there were more celibates and if those who were married had larger families."

"Might one suggest that the kitchen, the children and the church could be considered to have a claim upon the attention of married women? or that no normal married woman would prefer to be a wager-earner if she could help it? What is miserable is a system that makes the dual wage necessary."

T.S. Eliot, Christianity and Culture

4 comments:

Reb. Mary said...

Good stuff. I'm always kinda disturbed by how contemporary these old prophetic types sound.

Rebekah said...

I've got more I'll post later not pertaining to CSPP, but definitely prophetic.

lisa said...

My husband and I ordered some old "Messengers" (Walther League) from Ebay last week and have been chuckling our way through articles. Reb. Mary, I hear you all the way. It is sobering to realize the good old golden days were rather tarnished already. So goes sin. Schmeh :(

From an article "Hitch-hiking Through Life" p. 72-3 Oct.1935:
"There is, however, another species of hitch-hiking which can not be checked or restricted by highway motor patrol. Of far greater consequence to the young people of the Church, who are ordinarily not found in the ranks of the hitch-hikers, is the parasite policy of endeavoring to "thumb" one's way through life, expending a minimum of personal energy, but thriving on a maximum of what can be wheedled out of others...The hitch-hiking spirit is found in the home...young husbands who for no good reason permit their brides to retain their premarriage positions in the office or in the facotry, - all these betray an unholy and unhappy spirit of profiting through the labor and sacrifices of others. They are ready to ride through life, - if others bear the cost and do the driving."

Article by W.A.M.

The article is long so I cut and pasted. He also has hard words for folks who marry without "any sense of financial responsibility" and do not contribute to the "household treasury" from their salaries while still living at home.

BTW - In these copies of "The Messenger" (late 30s) limiting family size was also anathema.

Rebekah said...

Lisa, LOL. You guys sure know how to make your own fun.