Question VI: Concerning the Worldly

I. By the worldly are not understood here those who bid farewell to honorable and Christian life, being totally given to the age, but those who, wishing to lead the Christian life at least as to substance, nevertheless indulge the worldly spirit and delight in the pleasures of the age, if they are not altogether depraved. In one word, those who so attempt to worship God that nevertheless they do not offend the world. Such are those who desire to see, taste, and read all things, and rather often lead a comfortable, idle, and pleasure-loving life. For these, special attention must be given to festivities, specifically dances, in whose pleasure they delight; to spectacles which they frequent to see; to books and periodicals which they read.¹

¹ Concerning these, St. Francis de Sales, Introduction a la Vie devote, 2nd p., ch. 32; St. Alphonsus, Th. M., III, tr. 4, nn. 426-429; Aertnijs, Th. M., II, nn. 322-324; 325-327; 328-331; Marc, Th. M., I, nn. 829-893; 834-836; 451 sqq.; Haine, Th. M., I, de Pecc., qq. 103 and 104; Th. Mechl., de Poen. (4), n. 85, III and IV; Ballerini, de Sexto, nn. 47-61; Genicot, Th. M., I, nn. 241, 242, 240; Noldin, Th. M., III, nn. 435 and 436; II, n. 698 sqq., can be compared.

II. Dances among persons even of different sex, according to themselves, that is, depraved circumstances excluded, are not dishonorable but indifferent things, because of themselves they are acts not of lust but of joy and art; in practice, however, they are dangerous and rather often an occasion of sinning. From three especially important circumstances they can become gravely dishonorable:

a) From a depraved end, for instance of indulging lust, e.g., for procuring venereal delights for oneself, exercising malicious or base touches, or having base conversations; this especially happens in masked dances, bals masques, in which, no longer restrained by the rein of shame, they do what they would not dare to do if known.

b) From grave danger of sinning mortally, e.g., by reason of dress, words, gestures, contact, songs, and other circumstances, even before or after the dances, when young men lead girls home; especially by reason of the manner of dancing, e.g., with the breast of the woman pressed closely opposite the breast of the man, so that the woman is as if in the hands of the man. All these things dispose to carnal commotions; nevertheless this is not necessarily dishonorable, as is established from the testimony of those dancing and is understood from the fact that the mind is distracted to many other things and has need of attending to rhythmic motions, waltz, galop, schottische, mazurka, cotillion, etc.²

² Cf. Dict. de Theol., art. Danse.

c) From grave scandal, whether direct, because young men by conversations, embraces, touches directly solicit girls to sin, or indirect, when either the manner of dancing is indecent in itself or has a sufficiently open amorous and impure signification, as in modern dances, e.g., tango, fox-trot, one-step, shimmy, boston, blues, samba, charleston, etc., from which signification or indecency they can scarcely be freed;³ - or women, whether where there is not a custom, or where there is a custom, in an excessively exaggerated manner, uncover the breast immoderately, so as thus to provoke to lasciviousness; with greater reason, if they walk naked or almost naked.

³ Thus is the common judgment concerning contemporary dances of ecclesiastical authority, e.g., the Archbishop of Paris; the bishops of Belgium, 1914; Benedict XV, 6 Jan. 1921; Council of Mechlin, n. 59, and of lay persons who still have care concerning the moral matter; concerning this see Jose Germain, Danseront-elles? The following can usefully be compared: Vuillermet, Les catholiques et les danses nouvelles; la Vie diocesaine, May 1922; N. Revue Theol. 1924, p. 32; Kiselstein in Rev. Eccl. de Liege, Sept. 1924; Stanvaert in Coll. Gand, March 1925; A. Janssen, Les Danses modernes.

But if dances are an occasion of sinning lightly, they are lightly dishonorable.

Hence: 1) if the grave danger which dances bring is proximate and no grave cause is present for going to them, they are to be avoided under mortal sin, because the occasion is free;

2. if grave danger is proximate and at the same time a grave cause excuses, such as a grave offense of husband, parents, or brothers, a public office compelling one to assist, vigilance to be exercised over a spouse, light or no sin will be present, because the occasion is morally necessary, provided nevertheless that one intend an honorable end, not himself do dishonorable things, and fortify himself against the danger with due cautions by which the occasion becomes remote;

3. if the danger is remote or light, he who commits himself to it from a reasonable cause can be excused from every sin. Such causes are accustomed to be custom, the end of relaxing the soul once or another time in the year, of more easily finding an occasion of marriage, of not displeasing a husband or suitor, of satisfying neighbors or friends inviting to dances, of not exposing oneself to mockery, etc.

The danger cannot be defined by a general norm, but in individual cases must be judged according to circumstances, especially from the experience of each one, also from circumstances:

a) there are circumstances so dishonorable that regularly they are for all a proximate occasion of sinning: then they are to be held as such, unless a special reason demonstrates that this occasion is absent for someone;

b) on the contrary that which generally is not a proximate occasion can be an occasion for some very infirm individual, and a sin, unless he is so fragile that he everywhere sees an occasion of sinning;

c) much more dangerous are accustomed to be public dances which are held in taverns among persons of every kind than those which are held in private houses: for external sins are accustomed to occur more rarely in honorable society;

d) indeed the custom of frequently going to public dances will rarely be without proximate occasion;

e) nor are dances of boys and girls to be praised. For even if concupiscence is presumed absent, they are good only for fostering the worldly spirit of vanity and are a danger to innocence.

III. The duty of the confessor. - a) The first will be to turn all away from dances, or at least from their frequency, as much as he can, especially parents and girls, to whom it should be inculcated that they are opposed to the Christian spirit, as fostering sensualism, and are not necessary for marrying: gently nevertheless, rather by persuading indirectly than by threatening directly. To this can be applied the things said by St. Augustine concerning drunkenness: "These things are taken away not sharply, not harshly, not imperiously, but more by teaching than by ordering, more by admonishing than by threatening," St. Thomas, II-II, q. 150, a. 1, ad 4.

b) To the penitent wishing to go to dances, let the confessor weigh the danger of the penitent by asking for what end he wishes to go; whether he has already several times sinned because of dances, or at least was subjected to grave movements of lust; by inquiring concerning circumstances of manner, time, place, persons, e.g., of what sort those dances are accustomed to be, whether immodest gestures intervene in them, whether kisses are demanded, whether it is a simple running about without acts of this kind; likewise whether scandal is not to be feared for him or another, for one or for several in particular.

c) But if he cannot persuade, let him take care to diminish the danger by admonitions and safeguards, e.g., that the penitent set before himself an honorable end; preserve modesty, especially in dress, gesture, and speech; yield in no way to vicious sympathies, whether of others toward himself or of himself toward others; after the dance close the entrance to depraved imaginations.

d) The confessor cannot deny absolution, unless it is a proximate occasion of sinning or the manner of dancing is altogether base.

e) Yet he can act more severely with those who introduce dances somewhere, or a new dishonorable manner of dancing or of dressing oneself, or alone preserve them, or without sufficient reason permit them at home, or otherwise cooperate with them; or with innkeepers who admit dishonorable dances. In all these things, nevertheless, let him always proceed with great prudence.

IV. Spectacles, like dances, of themselves are not evil nor illicit, because honorable and moderate play contains nothing evil in itself, II-II, q. 168, a. 3; today, however, most spectacles which are exhibited in public theaters are gravely evil:

a) either because they are notably base, whether because of obscene things which are represented, or because of women immoderately uncovered, especially if they are looked at with telescopic spectacles, or because of dances which, inserted between scenes, ballets, are dishonorable because of quasi-nudity, lascivious gesticulations, and immodesty of the dancers;

b) or because they are notably contrary to faith and religion, which they hand down as tyrannical and bloody, an enemy of science and progress, ridiculous, false, superstitious, inept, etc., or they direct these things against priests and religious whom they exhibit as given to base dealings;

c) or because they are notably contrary to the moral law, while they contemn virtues as vile and extol vices and offenses, e.g., vengeance, homicide, suicide, adultery, divorce, neo-Malthusianism, vices of the flesh, certain modes of injustice, etc. But if they are not notably impious or base, or only in passing have something contrary to religion or gravely obscene, they will be lightly dishonorable.

Hence to be present at spectacles can be a mortal sin from three circumstances:

1. from a depraved end, whether of satisfying lust or impiety;

2. from proximate danger of perversion in faith or morals;

3. from grave scandal of evil example. And therefore not only the following sin gravely:

a) those who compose depraved spectacles, or

b) those who exhibit them, namely directors and actors; but also

c) those who foster them by applause or subscription, at least if without these they would not have place;

d) those who attend them indiscriminately or permit their own to attend, unless a grave cause excuses under due cautions.

Therefore similar rules hold as for dances: 1) If the danger is grave or a proximate occasion of mortal sin, only a grave cause can excuse, and indeed under fitting cautions by which the danger becomes remote. A sufficient cause will be prudent fear of notable damage, such as long-lasting indignation of husband, parents, master; a public office compelling attendance; the necessity of watching over a spouse; necessity or great utility of knowing these things; not however a mere command, nor loss of the price paid for entrance, nor a philanthropic end.

2. If the danger is not grave but remote, from a reasonable cause it is licit to attend, such as not only comfort and recreation, but, for example, the will of the husband, command of parents, reason of service in those who must accompany a master, reason of utility of knowing these things, propriety of state.

3. If someone attends evil spectacles on account of curiosity and empty comfort, danger and scandal having been excluded, he sins venially.

The danger is to be judged from experience and circumstances:

a) there are spectacles so impious or dishonorable that regularly they are a proximate occasion of sin for all; then they are to be held as such unless someone is most firm in faith or has experienced that he is moved little; this danger, however, is rarely absent in adolescents.

b) On the contrary, that which generally is not a proximate occasion can be a proximate occasion and sin for someone by reason of special fragility.

c) The dangers are greater in small theaters, which are accustomed to be worse than great ones in which cultivated society intervenes.

d) The danger is sometimes greatly attenuated if the spectator does not understand the dramas, or if he does not attend to the representation but only to the music.

V. The duty of the confessor. - a) The first is to turn all away from spectacles, as much as he can, because they are full of dangers, alien from the evangelical spirit, excite passions, foster sensualism, and enervate the soul. The custom of attending takes away all devotion and often is a proximate occasion of sinning.

b) Actors of base and impious scenes cannot be admitted to the sacraments unless they either renounce the profession or at least abstain from scenes of this kind: they are public sinners furnishing public scandal.

c) As regards those who have sufficient reason for attending, let the confessor strive to diminish the danger, e.g., by admonishing that they not deliberately use telescopic spectacles and not attend scenic dances or not attend to them.

VI. Writings: 1) some are professedly impious and against religion, or obscene, that is, composed for exciting lust, and these are a proximate danger of sinning generally for all, unless perhaps for a learned and pious theologian if it is a question of impious writings, and for an altogether serious and honorable man if it is a question of obscene writings; hence of themselves they are prohibited by the Index.

2. Others are not impious or obscene except incidentally and on a given occasion, because they have something slight of obscenity or against the Church or its ministers, such as are many romantic and dramatic works today, and these constitute a proximate danger for many, especially for the younger. Now:

a) The former are not permitted to be read unless there is a grave reason of necessity and at the same time fitting cautions are employed by which the danger becomes remote; for this besides, a dispensation from the law of the Index is to be obtained.

b) Similarly to read the others is a grave sin in a case in which they constitute a proximate danger, or if they have been reported by name in the Index.

c) Merely recreational reading of base or impious writings, when by the law of the Index they are not prohibited to someone, without utility and without danger, which nevertheless is rarely absent, is only a venial sin.

The gravity of the danger is to be weighed from the end, age and disposition, morals and religion of the reader, especially from frequency of reading, from the compensating influence of good writings, and above all from frequency of falls.

And similarly, according to the same rules, one must judge concerning writings subversive of society, e.g., anarchistic writings.

VII. The duty of the confessor. - 1) The first is to ask concerning writings and readings, and also to admonish, unless it is certain that the penitent is in good faith, and no fruit is to be hoped from admonition, and there is not present a proximate danger of sin; which can scarcely happen in those who habitually read depraved writings.

2. To those refusing to abandon a proximate danger from reading, he must deny absolution.

3. Depraved books which the penitent possesses are to be thrown away, or rather handed over to the confessor.

4. If someone has a serious reason for reading certain prohibited works, it is better to procure ecclesiastical license for him, and to admonish him to lock the books away at home, and also to read good works as an antidote.

5. Let him draw all, especially young persons, away from reading writings which favor indifferentism, liberalism, socialism, or foster sensualism, novels; because they easily cause great ruin of the soul, namely little by little and without being sensed they eradicate faith and devotion, cause disgust for good books, inflame the soul toward profane loves, and incline to vice.

6. Let him admonish parents and superiors of colleges that in this matter they be most vigilant toward sons and pupils.

7. To those who say that they wish to judge all things by themselves, let it be shown that it is impossible to judge concerning religious questions for those who have not studied philosophy and theology.

VIII. Observations. - 1) Innkeepers cannot a) display writings professedly depraved; b) nor generally and always less good and prohibited writings, without a just reason; c) nevertheless they can do so if great damage is to be avoided, and at the same time they display good writings.

2. In readings there can be sin: a) because of scandal given; b) because of danger, for judging which various things are to be considered: the manner of proposing, the disposition of the one reading, habitual or transitory reading, circumstances, as if good writings are also read at the same time, etc.; c) because of cooperation, as in editors, sellers, writers, printers, etc., concerning whom it is customary to speak in the treatise on Faith.

3. Those who, on account of a legitimate reason, e.g., on account of the necessities of their trade or industry, subscribe to depraved daily papers or periodicals, should not read the depraved things printed there.

4. Concerning moving-picture spectacles, similar things hold as concerning theaters.

5. Concerning worldly ornament and novelty in dress the following hold:

The ornament of women, even for fostering and elevating beauty, of itself is an indifferent thing, and therefore good if it is done according to right reason; hence excess of itself is only a venial sin, yet it can be mortal both by reason of the intention or depraved end mortally evil, and by reason of danger or grave scandal.

Hence: A. They sin mortally a) if they adorn themselves with the intention of provoking to lust; b) if they use a garment so thin and subtle that dishonorable parts are not sufficiently covered; c) if they have the breast immoderately uncovered, so that the middle of the breasts or almost the whole breasts are uncovered, or covered only by a translucent veil; this holds concerning our cultivated regions, not concerning barbarous peoples; d) if they have the breast not altogether immoderately uncovered and show only the upper part of the breasts but contrary to the custom of the country, or introduce such a custom: for extraordinary and unaccustomed things move more. This custom is not praiseworthy, and therefore rather is to be extirpated.

On the contrary, B. They sin venially a) if from levity, vanity, or boasting they adorn themselves according to the custom of the country; b) if the ornament is beyond the condition of state; c) if, without sufficient reason, they bear the breast not altogether immoderately uncovered according to the custom of the country, for accustomed things allure less; and also, apart from this custom, if they have the breast moderately uncovered or the arms uncovered, or a garment so made that the form of the breast altogether appears, or introduce such a custom, for such a custom is not praiseworthy; d) if in ornament there is fiction or simulation properly so called, e.g., of beauty, as if, without an excusing reason, at least of legitimate recreation, a woman uses masculine dress, puts on masked garments, smears the face with paint and pigments, uses another's hair for feigning her own, wears false breasts, etc., unless these have been introduced by general custom; e) if they invent or make or introduce new and curious ornaments, ridiculous fashions.

C. No sin is present a) if right intention, legitimate custom of the country, and the condition of state are preserved; hence in many regions to proceed today with hair not veiled is no sin: nevertheless that custom is not praiseworthy, cf. I Cor. XI, 6; b) if a woman adorns herself to please a man, a married woman to please her husband, when he commands it, or lest he turn aside to other women, or an unmarried woman in order to have a husband; nevertheless if she does not wish to have a husband, let her leave even superfluous ornament; c) if it is done by dissimulation alone and someone uses ornament for covering or hiding a defect, e.g., another's hair for covering baldness, a false breast if the other has been cut away, paint for hiding deformity arising from a defect, unless this violates only the natural law, as in our Belgium it can safely be admitted.

It should be noted that there is no obligation of dismissing ornament decent according to the custom of the country, even if certain determined men would be allured from it to concupiscence, because this would be too burdensome. But if it is contrary to the custom of the country, or if it is immodest, though nevertheless not altogether dishonorable, there is such an obligation for avoiding the scandal of a determined person, at least several times, according to the principles which are expounded in the treatise on Charity.