The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-11-12
CATHOLIC CULTIVATION.
INSTRUCTIVE ADDRESS BY LORD R1roN.


LONDON, October 1.-THE Marquis of Rpon
opened the autumn session of the Mapche ster
Academia of the Catholic Religion on Tuesday
night with a very able and interesting address
He described the object of the Academia to be
to afford means for the further cultivation OF
their minds to Catholics after their school OF
to close. He exposed the fallaoy OF the
opinion that the object of Catholic education
was to conceal or distort the facts of history
and science for the supposed advantage OF
Catholic institutions.
Catholics before all men were and onght to
be most scrupulous in their respect for every
fact in nature and in history. To Catholics
the outward word of nature is the creation of
God and q part of Gods method of teaching
man. The facts are no more to be tempered
with than the text of Scripture or the dogmas
of the Church. History is the chronicle of the
dealings of God with men, to be faithfully re-
corded and reverently studied, with the belief
that through the ages one increasing purpose
runs, however difficult it may be at any period
to trace the course of that infiuite purpose of
the Divine Ruler. Any one who had any real
and lively sense of belief in God, would study
the laws and facts of nature with reverence
and anxiety. So with regard to history. Its
pages bear different aspect to one who looks
upon them as record OF the deeds OF God,
and to one who regards them merely as q chron-
icle of human wills. The life and death of our
Lord on earth is the central fact of hnman his,
tory and the key to all it's puzzles and history
is only middle to those who ignore that fact.
Lord Ripon then went on to speak OF the pecu-
liar advantages and Importance Of the study
of English literature; and in conclusion he
urged the members of the Academia to be
honest in their study. He asked them to re-
ject no proved facts, for all facts were part of
Gods teaching of men. Let them keep these
facts clearly before their minds and thoughts,
remembering at the same time the immeasur-
able distance between fact and theory.
He was almost tempted to cay. though he
did not know that the expression was strlctiy
accurate, that facts were divine and theories
human. Let them hold then, to facts. Nothing
would justify them tampering with them They
,TnvGf hotr 6T7fr tn
doubt-what their true meaning was. They
might seem to contradict each other, whether
they were facts of the outer world of his
tory, or facts of faith and of reason. In all
such things they must be patient. They
might be sure that there could be no real con-
tradiction. Let them wait. The explanation
might come quickly, or it might be delayed. It
might come to them in this world, or it might
not; but if they were true to God, if they bore
patiently with the difficulties before them, and
which might try them, If they waited Gods
time for their unrsvelling, they would, if not
here, then in that other world which faith
made their own, find at length the explanation
of all enigmas and the reconciliation OF all
seeming Contradictions In honesty on the
one hand and patience on the other was to be
found the true mode of dealing with all these
difficulties. It. was that impatient spirit
which was 80 characteristic of the times in
which we lived that made difficulties of this
kind 80 distasteful to mems minds; 80 that in
stead of waiting for the knot to be united, they
cut it at whatever cost, and rejOioed to have
freed themselves from it's pressure. even though
itwere at the price of truth. History was
great field of study for Catholics. In this
country, and indeed abroad also to great ex-
tent, the principal historical works of modern
times had generally speaking been written in
an un-Catholio and even in an anti
Catholic spirit :, great part at least Of
century instinct with this ami
mus against everything which was Catholic
and it was sufficient for an historical parsonage
to have been bishop, monk or Pope to make
it almost certain as matter of course that his
motives should have been deemed to have been
always the worst possible, and his conduct to
have been always and under all circumstances
deserving of the highest reprobation. 1t WAS
happily true thatsat the beginning of the pre-
sent century farer spirit sprang mp. and
ulster mode of dealing with historical facts
prevailed But he very much feared that of
late years we had been returning again to
something of the less impartial and truth low
ing spirit which animated, as he had said,
great portion of the writings of the eg hteenth
century. Old calumnies were raked up; old
Misrepresentation were Observation-Disclosures
it was in the furious onslaughts of Germany,
or in the ribaldry of the in6del Frencbmen !;
or, on the other hand in those distorted pic
lures which marred the beauty and detracted
from the historic value of Mr.. Froude's artistic
pages. If that was so, how was it to be met by
Catholics Why, by an earnest devotion to the
study of history, and to study of 1T in the very
opposite spirit to that of which he had been
oomplaining-in spirit of honest fairness and
WIN simple desire to record the truth. He
5eJolced to think that this was being very much
Nne III these days, and that noble Works were
coming forth from time to time which tended
10 correcG the Misrepresentation OF other
MIElters, and to put the truths as to history as
tney related to the Catholics in their real, hon.
t tst light, Bot it they addressed themselves to
this work either as writer's or students OF
nistory, If they hoped to be successful with
oGners, If they hoped to make on impression
Upon Snose around them who were not CaTho-
nSg II they meant faithfully to fulfill the duty
%nlSn lay upon them in this respect, the first
SFoiy which they must cultivate in their his
Donb Si studies was an aoute and honest spirit
boS oIs when they had done all, when they
miro oaIeo away as we'll as they might much
tba presentation and much misunderstanding
pages OF real history would still contain
raaSy records which Catholics would blush t.
tSo-records Of weakness and yickedness in
SnOSe who ought to have been the lights of thu
~ tL' OF who were in their day the Oh ampionr
~ Sne Catholtc cauPe. But what was that bu
say that the Church on earth WRs made III
ts ~ men full OF human passions, Of mon with al
tnear tmparfaotiona mon fI1a.,.p ~ -, 90,