The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-02
Religious Esprit de Corps.

Inc I0U 4HdH GdZeJt6, IN discussing the
case of the Cracow nun, has the following
about the perversion of human character
istic that is in itself praiseworthy-
This is no question of Catholic versus Pro-
testant, but of the prostitution of all that is
most sacred to the vilest ends And we sIs-
pect that the root of the matter lies in that
vicious esprit de corFs which probably exists
in its intensest form within convent walls.
1t is a commonplace of theologians that
every heresy is distortion or exaggeration of
some truth, and we may say, with at least
equal reason, that every vice is a perversion
or eXaggeration of some habit which in itself
is good. In the present case this is con-
spicuouslyso. That corporate spirit forwhich
our language has no explicit name is allowed
on all hands to be an innocent and often
laudable feeling. There is very general and
not unnatural pre- judice against people
who are fond of washing their dirty
linen in public. Nobody would be
thought the better of for being eager
to expose to public notice the faults or short
comings of members of his own family. We
should not greatly admire a boy, or a man
either, who had no feeling of loyalty for, his
public school or his University, who die not
like dwelling on it's merits, and dislike dwell
ing on its defects except for the purpose of
remedying them. Neither, certainly, do we
think the worse of man, of whatever profess
| sion, for being jealous for the honor of his
CLOTH though it is quite possible in this last
case for the feeling to be pushed too far when
| it is not balanced by a due regard for the
| public interest. 1t is a curious fact, for in
| stance, which Dean Milman points out, that
| the tradition of French legists, who were un-
willing to sacrifice the credit of their Order,
should have been instrumental for centuries
| in keeping up a false historical tradition about
| the suppression of the knights Templar.
And other cases might easily be mentioned
| where strong class feeling has not
only acted preiudicially at the time,
| but has effected a permanent wrong
| in suppressing or coloring the testimony of
history But these are obvious exaggerations
Of the feeling. Every rank or profession has
a certain esprit de C01pS and is praised for
| having 1t. The young MILDLY who has Just
| entered his training-ship is sure to be an en-
thusiast for the navy. Military officers look at
questions from an army point of view; bar
rlsters have legal, and still more, clergy
men have an ecclesiastical, standard of judg-
| ment. There is nothing to wonder at or to
| blame in all this, so long as a man retains
| enough of cosmopolitan sympathy to prevent
| his being simply absorbed in the exclusive
| interests and aims of his own particular pro-
fession. 1t is but natural that a fellow-feeling
| should grow up among those who have com
mon objects and a common work and who
| are necessarily thrown much together.
| Indeed, we may go further than this.
| If there is truth in the old
| Greek proyerb that he who has many
friends has no friend it follows, by parity Of
! reasoning, that he who has no sympathies in
particular will be no very ardent philanthro-
pist in a general way. Family affection, or
class-feeling or patriotism may be too exclu-
slvely cultivated, but we instinctively suspect
the cosmopolitan professions of a man who
cares nothing for his country, and the public
spirit of one whose patriotism allows no room
Tor any narrower range of interests; nor is
lndlflerence to domestic ties usually consi-
dered hopeful sign of benevolence on a
WIDER scale, In short speaking generally,
the absence of anything like esDyG de c0j.Ds is
tar lkeher to indicate selfshness than breadth
either OF heart or mind. Where there is no
concentration of sympathies there is no eX-
pahslon either, and cosmopolite is too apt to
be pohte mlsnOmer for egotist.
I but While fully admitting all this, we re-
peat that esprit 66 cOips of all kinds, and
especially of n professional kind, may easily
degenerate, where there is nothing to counter
balance 1t, into what is narrow OF positlVeiy
mls-chieyous. And we must add, that nowhere
is tins danger so imminent as III the case Oh
religious eSDlft de c0rDs, which usually ex-
ceeds in intensity and exclusiyenesS every
other form of the sentiment Ihe parallel
case of the cruelties exercised on recalcitrant
members of Trade Unions has been referred
to IN connection with this horrible persecution
OF the Cracow nun, and the parable Is very
opposite one. In secret societies, anu otlef
combinations formed independently OF the law
or in hostility to it, the bond of membership
is sure to exercise tyrannous and exclusive
sway from the sense of a common interest in
/ IL. Ngh