The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-04-16
From the Catholic World. for Mar ii lS70
Views of the Labor Movement.
BIT =. wHARqoH coLLuHs.

8. We have before us an account of
the Paraguay missions, from which we
copy the following passage, (p. 52.):
1t sometimes happened that the num-
ber thus collected was far too great to ad-
init Of their beirg received as permanent
dwellers in the reduction : and in this
case their instructors would furnish all that
was needed for the founding Of a new one,
not only supplying corn, cattle, and cloth
ing from their own stores, but giving what,
to an Indian, was most difficult to bestow,
their active and peraonal cooperation in
building a neso reduction.
This extract answers the question
whether such company would tend to
disseminate the faith and strengthen the
church. The process Of increase would
be in geometrieal proportion. Each re-
duction would have several offspring, and
these, in urn, would also each evolve sew
eral others. This was the case in Paraguay.
There, in a few years, the reductions be-
came so numerous that they lined the
banks Of the Parana and Uruguay, ex-
tended far into the interior, and, in the
words of an historian, formed q Chris
tian republic, where, far from the dwellings
and evil designs Of the coIonists, the spirit
Of the primitive church revived" Alas I!
that this caused the envy and jealousy Of
the world Of ayarice and ambition. In one
more generation, If the Jesuit Fathers
had not been banisbed, the Christian re-
public would have bean permanently e.
tablished. The glorious example they
set should not remain fruitless. There IL
q possibility of similar work and similar
results in the midst Of the moral desert of
civilization. It is time that the shepherds
should gather their lambs into visible and
safer folds. The lambs should not be
left to strangle among the wolves Of this
moral wilderness. Surely, the fact Of these
struggling members of the flock being
married, should be no objection to their be-
ing provided with refuge when the couple
seek it with unity Of will, and would fain
find in it the opportunity of serving God.
Surely, the fructi6cation of such a work
would be wonderful for it's bene6cence
aud Christian spirit would be 90 apparent,
that thousands of poor Catholics would
eagerly join in it, and tens of thousands of
lost sheep would be re-converted 50 as to
follow the religious and beautiful life thus
made practically possible. The power Of
multiplying themselves, this productiveness
by thirty, seventy, and hundred fold, IL
a pecularity Of this kind of association for,
while socialistic and cooperative societies
are concentric, Christian association or
reduction, by virtue of its voluntary self
privation and consequent making of q dis
pOsable surplus, and by virtue Of its de-
sire to bestow in charity this surplus, is
evolutive and prolific.
4. Surrounding circumstances in these
times not only demand the attention Of the
church to the subject Of association, but the
world now offers facilities which, though
very different from those that existed in
Paraguay, are far more favorable and con-
genial. In Paraguay, the reverend fathers
found people capable Of discipline, but bar
barous, ignorant, and suspicious. In civil
lization to-day, instead Of savage ignorance,
we gee foolish in6delity and moral corrup-
ton but, at the same time, belief in the
benefits Of association is spreading itself
continually. This belief evinces itself in
every direction. 1t resolves and attempts
a great many forms of combination. The
conviction that good will flow from the in
dustrial association Of those who labor is
becoming more and more intense. Sew
eral secular efforts, based on mere worldly
advantage or mutuality, have proved seri-
ously successful. The tendency Of work
and business is toward the organization Of
corporations. The capitalists have set the
example by their monster companies and
monopolies. The plain deduction is, that
this tendency affords a favorable opPor-
tunity forming reductions; To
neglect it would be to neglect making all
things work together unto good to such as
according to Gods purpose, are called to
be saints Rom. viii. 2S.)
! 5. To say that tkere is no place for