The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-06-25

| Cling with poverty and innumerable adverse
Influences. 10 effete and in a state Of decadence
| because of it's want of adaptability to the
| civilization of this enlightened eraa
No proposition is more susceptible of demon
etratiop, than that the CathoAc Church, IL left
| to itself, if not fettered by alliance with the
State, OF repressed by hostile secular powers
will thrive and grow. and keep pace with and
promote literature, art, sciences, morale, the
| individuality of man, all that constitutes true
civilization.
| that its teaehings and its discipline are IN
| harmony with mans nature and the dignity
and Independence OF his Intellect, whatever to
| the con trAry may be said by those who think,
or profess 10 believe, that submission to divine
authority ia slavery.
1t has been the fsshion of the age to decry
Catholicism as reprts've of the energies of the
people, and antagonistic to social and moral
progress. For this purpose compositions are
frequently instituted between nations that
profess the Catholic faith and those which are
non Catholic.
Until recently, no credit whatever was given
the Catholic Church for the invalua ble services
rendered to civilization in reoonstructiug So
ciety after the downfall of the Roman Empire,
and the protection of the people during the
reign of violence and piliage which character
lied the Middle Ages. Bat now scholars concur
in the tribute paid to the church by Lecky, in
bis History of RationaIism in Enrope, vol, p
81, where he says: "By consolidating the
heterogeneous aud anarchical elements that
succeeded the downfall of the Roman Empire |;
by ipfuBipR into Christendom the conception of
bond of unity, that 10 superior to the divi-
sions of nation hood, and OF o moral tie that
is superior to force; by softenipg slavery into
mate eman cipation of labor, Cstholioism laid
the very foundation Of modern civilization.
Herself the most admirable Of all ORGANISE
tions, there was formed beneath her influence
vast network of organizations, political, mu-
nicpal and social, which supplied a large pro-
portion of the m materialsof almost every modern
structure"
Church, which often seemed so naughty and 90
overbeariug in it's dealings with kings and no
bles, never failed to listen to the poor, and to
the oppressed, and for many centuries their
protection was the foremost of all the objects
Of it's policy"
He then proceeds to show how the bArbaIiaus
who overturned the empire despised learning
and contemned labor, and how the church, to
destroy this idle life Of pillage, organized
army of monks who, with faith in Christ, be-
iieved in knowledge and work how they re-
yived the traditions of old Roman agriculture,
and large tracts of France and Belgium were
drained and planted by their hands how a
monastery became the nuclens around which
the Inhabitants of the neig u borhood clustered
how q town was thus gradually formed, ssinlu-
lated by the Industry of the monks; how, in
order to elevate and dguify work, the most
as is related of Thomas A'Becket who was in
the habit Of laboring during harvest time in
the fields with the monks at the monasteriea
which he visited.
This Church, so admirably adapted to the
wants of society in times past, it is Ssid, is in
these modern times not only . useless machine
but actually retards intellectual progress and
hinders the development of civilization.
This word civilization" has been in uss
about one hundred years, though DIR. johnson
would not allow of it; it is a very indefinite
tions. Burke considered the essence Of civili-
Sation to consist " in the spirit of religion and
tho spirit of gentleman"
Another writer tells as that "civil s9tion IL
nothing else but the knowledge and Observance
of natural lave" Mr. GniEot does not an
dertake, in his Lectures, TO give q de6nition
of civilization. Mr.. Buckle seems TO restrict It
to "the triumph of mind over external agents ]"
Mr.. John Stuart Mill says: d" Tho word 'oivili.
cation is word Of donbIo meaning. We are
accustomed to call country civilized IL We
best characteristics of men and society, further
advanced tn the road to perfection, happier,
nobler, wiser. But in another sense IL stands
for thst kind Of Improvement only which dis
from savOgeS or barbariAns."
"The true test of civilization says Emerson,
10 not the census, nor the size Of cities, nor
turns Opt.o TSs @ SuperSti @ ion SAYS @ HSrbsrt ]
Spencer, that good behavior 10 70 be forth
with produced by lessons learned ont Of books,
which was long ego ststisticslly diSproved,
would, bot for PFeConCcptionS, be utterly dis
siPated by observing to what q slight extsnt
knowledge Affects cOnduot-by observing that
the dishonesty implied in the ndulteraIiOn of
trsdeSmen and msnufacturers, in fraudulent
bankruptcies, in bubble companies, in cook
ing of railway accounts and financial pros
PectusEes, differs only in form, and not in
amount, from the diShonesty Of the unedu.
Gated"
There is no doubt that religion is . necessary
element Of true civilization, Snd the corruption
of the age arises out Of the spread and preVa-
lence Of philosophical theories which ignOTe
God aod religion.
According 70 these theories the basis of all
sociaI and Intellectual development IL wealth.
the WholO Odf6ce Of ths civilization Of the pres
ent day rests upon an enlightened soldshnoss
The Pail Nall Gasette declared in 1869 thas
"it was impossible TO gseo.silc asy form ef