The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-07-24
The Moral Law Among Pagan Nations.

u
/ The moral doctrines, the outlines q
which we have described, and the histor
of which we shall soon enter upon the tas
Of examining, are not, however, by an.
meaPs the most ancient that are to be de
tected in the annals Of heathenism. al
though widely different, and to the cursor
reader Of history evidently irreconcileabl
with one another, they present, nevevthe
less, to the genuine philosopher certai,
marks whereby their legitimate descen
from original tradition can be. established
They confront us a. the refdu Is, or rathe
the improvements on q more Sn61Bnt ana
repuisive error, and must, with all ths
monstrous developments to which they
would lead, be viewed az return, how.
ever imperfect, in the direction Of the
original catholicity of the human species
In foregoing series Of articles in thil
paper, the present writer set, or fancies he
set, this principle in it's proper light. With
his nationalist friends he is q philosopher
and with his Catholic brethren he is un-
compromisingly a theologian. By instinct,
or rather the natural bent of his mind, he
is the one: by grace he is the other. Yet
both qualities can easily coalesce In the
same individual; for theology is the sum
of divine revelation, and philosophy, in ita
proper occupation, is it's scientific synthe-
ais. In other words, philosophy in the
Christian sense IL theology reduced to a
science. With these remarks we resume
our subject.
The first alteration must of necessity
have been extreme and consequently have
led to the most disastrous results. Our
own experience teaches us, that when iDdi-
viduals and peoples go astray from their
duty and constitutional limits they rush
with fatal precipitancy to excuses the
most shocking, until they are startled
Themselves at the very enormity of their
transgressions, and wisely though peni-
tently turn back, and with fallen crest
enter anew on the path which in an evil
hour they forsook. Keeping within the
limitations Of simple indirective philosophy,
it is very likely land likelihood is as much
as we can expect from such philosophy
that the first alteration from truth, even
before the Phalegian dispersion, not only
vitiated but we'll nigh quenched the idea of
morality among those, with whom the
earliest heresy originated. But, as com
munity life-life which it is equally the in
terest of all who share it to preserve
having no moral basis for it's foundation,
cannot last for any length of time, the first
heresy could not possibly overshadow any
appreciable number of centuries, and the
peoples, who earliest embraced it, after at
tanning to the highest degree OF civiliza-
such as we erroneously understand the
term now, must have been rudeiy hurled
from their sensual emlnence, and either
have bowed an servitude TO more vlriie
people, Nur efhmlnacy 10 the inevit-
spie consequences OF Fagan cavfaSssionJ or
straying on into remote lands LETT behind
them every remembrance OF their former
culture, ana lapsed INTO oaroarous or
even savage condiaoa. ihese anductions
are corroborated ny tradition ana other mon
uments, at least as Tar as We can look into
the remote ages, 10 winch we refer. from
these tradinons anu monuments we liner,
in the hrss place. tnat she 1apnesic, OF wlth
Horace the Japeto' nasons' psrucuiariy,
OF Europe Southefn ASIA ana snas part Oh
AFRICA overran several centuries ,asSl ny
tne macedonian afny' were Preo"ueu W