The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-02-23

philosopher of Pagan antiquity, Plato, whel
he said: " In every question, and on ever,
subject, to define sf1tf-tu divide rightly, j,
something truly divine. ''z-e-5@
>, But those words that are more commonly
l. used, are precisely less accurately defined
. because the uncertainty of their meaning
suits better the purpose for which they are
employed. The word Reason, in the mouth
OF unbelievers, is a password showing that
they intend to dispense with Revelation
, Besides that, let it mean whatever YOU
please, they don't care for it.
L/Lct us, therefore, help those good people
who make use of words without knowing
their meaning, and tell them what is Rea-
son:
Reason is the natural power of knowing
the truth,
This power comes from God. Created
Reason has been considered us Il kind of
cmanation of the increated or Divine Rea-
son-in that sense that created minds are
Illuminated by that increated, infinite, eter-
nal light, Which is called the Word of God,
the Wisdom of God, and the pure Hqht en-
tightening ere,y man that comes into this
rorld. 3
! Now, the power of knowing the truth
| supposes not only the faculty~ef perceiving
in our intellect the objects, or the ideas that
represent them to us, but. also the faculty
of seeing and affirming the relations and
connections which exist between yario,is
ideas. For example: We perceive with our,
intellect the idea ornotion of God, and the
idea or notion of unity; moreover, we per-
ceiYe connection between these two no.
tons, and we judge, we affirm, we pro
nounce that there is unity in the Divine
substance-that there is but one God-and
we infer that the plurality Of gods is an
absurdity.
Therefore, Reason includes, in created
minds, the faculty of perceiving ideas, of
combining them SO to form judgments,
and OF reasoning; that is, of deducing from
judgments already formed other judgments
which are the consequences of the former.
Then, in order that Reason could never he
deficient, it would require that our percep-
tons should always be exact and conforms
bic to the truth that our judgments should
always be right, and that the deductions
rect. .
But where is the man bold enough to
assert that such is always the ease. 9s-pees
not sad and daily experience compel us
confess that in many instances cur notions
are wrong, our perceptions are fanciful,
our IDEAS confused! This confusion
and talsity of views must necessarily alter
our Judgment, which is itself too often
vitiated by moral causes, such as our
actual interest, our bad propensities. and
other pernicious influences which corrupt
our moral faculties. And that deviation
from the truth i'll our perceptions and in
our Judgments must, of all necessity. affect
the rectitudc of our reasoning, and Danish
all truth from our deductions. In one>word.
are we not surrounded with ignorance, en-
comprised with errors and prejudices +
If Reason was not deficient, all men
should always have thcsame perceptions,
form the same judgments, and deduce the
same consequences ON every subject, as
truth Is one,-and cannot be equally found
in contrary or contradictory judgments
But this uniformity does not exist and the
multiiorm diversity OF notions, of Opin-
ions, OF beliefs, shows that i'll great many
human beings Reason is deficient.
And what Is more remarkable is, that such
il diversity of notions exists especially about -,
the most important questions, namely:
moral and religious questions, such as the a
nature of God and his pcrfcctions, our a
iutles toward him, toward ourselves,
oward ourfellow- bcings-thc conditions of d.
'ur happiness, and other vital subjects st
From all this We infer that the deficiency "
If Reason is Il stubborn fact, which no man y,