The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1874-10-18
A Religious Order for Publications.

| published on this subject. It objects to
Priests as political editors and fortifies its
opposition with the authority of an article
| inion of both editors seems to be thas
young priests, just from the Seminaries,
have been studiously and successfully kept
ignorant of the political agitations of the
day, and that even old and experienced
clerics cannot, as a general rule, be expect
ed to be as well versed in politics as GER
tain laymen who make q speciality of such
secular affairs. Brownson even intimates
that there is something of Inconsistency
between pursuits of that kind and the more
sacred and spiritual vocation of the priest
hood, 80 that clegymen who apply them
selves to statesmanship generally become
devotees to worldly affairs to the neglect
of their sacerdotal functions. In support
of this theory he cites the instances of
Cardinals Bowman, Wolsey, Richelieu,
Mazarin and Ximines.
We do not find it necessary, in support
of our original position, to take sides on
this phase of the question. The scheme to
which we referred was not of our creation,
and indeed we have never seen its details,
but we did not suppose that it was in
tended to include the priesthood in it's
operations. An order of lay-brothers, like
those of the Christian Schools, could per-
form all of the more expensive details of
publication, and thus immensely diminish
the expenses, even though the arena of
authorship should remain untouched.
1t is not only of newspapers that we
ought to think. All Catholic works, no
matter by whom written, could be brought
out and sold SO much the more cheaply as
the mechanical part of their getting up
would be less expensive. And even in
newspapers, it could perhaps be arranged
that they should remain under the same kind
of control as at present, but that every
thing saved in the mechanical department.
should be devoted to diminishing the SUD-
scription rate.
We cannot see, however, why editors or
subordinates would lose in efficiency by
being Religious. The Pilot thinks that
their influence with the public would be
much diminished and their views received
with far more suspicion, inasmuch az
of the Pope But in point of experience
we do not find much ground for this ap-
prehension. We fancy that the public
makes no such Discrimination between
Catholic journals edited by priests and
those edited by laymen. They are all
held by outsiders to be equally Romish,
while among Catholics, the weight of
authority goes, if sbything. rather with
the former.
If, howeverpft should be thought to
SAVIOR too much of worldly pursuits that
priest should devote his time to the study
of national politics and public affairs and
| to their calculation in a Catholic sense for
public guidance, it does not follow that
there might not properly be body of lay
men set apart for that special work and
bound by religious vows. Religious lay
men have found vocations for teaching the
physical sciences, for agricultural labors,
for painting, sculpture and the fine arts
generally, and for the laborious transcrib-
ing of books before printing came into
vogue. If they could copy books, why not
print themf Ifthey could compose treatises
on arithmetic, geometry and astronomy,
! why not on political economy7
We think it would add immensely to the
weight, Importance and reliability of Cath
olic newspapers if they were conducted by
such men-men thoroughly and practically
educated In social and political philosophy,
entirely familiar with the issues of tho day,
and fully imbued with the spirit of equity
and universal charity which animates the
Church. Their VOW of poverty would give a
guarantee of disinterestedness which is al
ways wanting in a secular layman natural
ly suspected of being somewhat Influenced
by pecuniary prospects. In saying this,
however, We are not aware that the pro-
posed order to which we have alluded is
intended to embrace more than the me-
ehanieal department of Catholic publica-
tion.
The Verdict