ARTICLE III: ON BASE SPEECH AND THE READING OF OBSCENE THINGS

491. Principles. - I. To speak, sing, write, hear, or read base things, either for the sake of carnal delectation, or with danger of consent to it, or also with grave scandal, is a mortal sin. Thus all.³ Hence:

1° Generally speaking, those sin gravely who mingle conversations, although from levity only, concerning the conjugal act, concerning licit and illicit things between spouses, concerning modes of impeding generation, of procuring pollution, especially if this is done among young persons of different sex.

2° Those sin gravely who narrate their own base sins; and indeed ordinarily threefoldly, namely on account of complacency, scandal, and boasting about a sin committed.

3° Those also sin gravely who utter only base words (although not conversations) on account of delectation taken from the very thought of base things, or with danger of such delectation. Nor are they excused from grave sin who, under pretext of joking, express the same things by equivocal words, but sufficiently known, on account of base delectation.

4° The same must be said concerning those who read, without just cause, wholly obscene books, even if they seem to do this from curiosity or for the sake of recreation; because of itself reading of this sort greatly provokes to lust, at least ordinarily speaking.

5° Moreover, it must be carefully noted here, with the Salmanticenses from St. Thomas, that a prolonged conversation with a girl loved inordinately is not lacking in grave danger.⁴

492. • II. It is not mortal to utter base words from anger, jest, for vain solace, as harvesters, grape-gatherers, muleteers, and those of this sort are wont to do. Except things too lascivious, or if they are a scandal to others, as they are generally to boys and girls. - "Those hearing ... only on account of curiosity, or for vain solace, can sometimes be excused from mortal sin; unless there is present base delectation, or the danger of it, which will easily always be present in adolescents, or others of little timorous conscience, or unless scandal is present." - "To read base books" (but not those of which n. 491. 4°) "from curiosity, without base delectation or its proximate danger," of itself is only venial. Yet this must be carefully prohibited to young people as much as possible.¹

III. To speak, write, read, or hear base things with a legitimate cause, without an evil intention, danger of consent, and scandal, is no sin.² Hence:

1° They do not sin who, for forming and perfecting style, read the poems of the ancients; yet these are not to be conceded to young people.

2° They do not sin who read obscene books for acquiring knowledge, for correcting morals, for learning the truth of history, for informing Superiors, etc.; provided they do not consent to base things and truly intend an honorable end.

As regards those hearing, these things are specially to be noted:

a) If those who hear obscene things have authority over those uttering them, they are bound from office to restrain them; but if they are inferiors or equals, let them admonish them, or at least be silent before them.

b) Those who hear base speech mortal on the part of the speaker, and laugh a little, are not immediately and indiscriminately to be charged with mortal sin: for it can happen that they laugh at the mode of speaking rather than at the things themselves. - Yet Religious and Clerics would easily furnish grave scandal.³

Practical rule.⁴ Concerning obscene words penitents are to be questioned: 1° Before whom and how often they have spoken them, by reason of scandal: - whether before men or women, married or unmarried? before boys or adults? For girls and boys are more easily scandalized than adults, especially if there is question of adults habituated in this vice. Yet beware lest you conclude from this that lascivious conversations among married persons are altogether immune from grave sin. For they can be a scandal to themselves. Nor should they deceive themselves because they have them before little children under the pretext that they are not understood; for sometimes they are truly understood, or at least little children retain in memory certain things whose explanation they afterward seek, and easily obtain. - 2° What words they have said; whether, for example, they have named the pudenda of the different sex (Note that the Saint is speaking of questioning the rude; therefore do not question all in that way), so that it may be known whether it is mortal. - 3° Whether they have uttered the words from anger or jest; for from anger complacency and scandal will more difficultly be present. - 4° Whether they have boasted of some sin; for then three sins often concur, as was said. - They are also to be questioned whether they were delighted in hearing others speaking dishonorably, and whether then they adverted to the precept of correction, thinking it would be profitable. St. Doctor adds:¹ "Let the confessor beware of absolving those relapsing in base conversations, although they say that they uttered them from jest, unless they first amend, or bring an extraordinary sign of sorrow." "Alas! what damage," he says, "from dishonorable words! One dishonorable word can effect that all who hear it be damned."²