The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-07-14
1R MORarhs STAR AND dRsSRNGER

tween the master and his slaves. "Non
tam vilis guam nullus," not merely vile but
null, was the maxim of Roman law in ref
erence to a slave. Such was the state of the
ancient world when the teaching of the
Church commenced, and they could ina
gine the unparalleled and strange effect
upon that ancient world produced by the
doctrine that master and slave we're alike
brethren in our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ (cheere). From that moment, though
many generations were to pass before
Christian principles were to work out their
full results, the law of slavery was smitten
in it's source with an incurable disease, and
and the yoke which lay upon the neck of
the slave was broken (cheers.)
If it had not been for the Church 1t
wonld have been in vain for John Stuart
Mill and other political economists to have
spoken of the advantages to be derived
from labor, fer it required generations of
der to render possible the propagation of
those economic doctrines, which, forsooth,
they were told in these days were to re-
place Christianity (cheers). The Church
by laying down the common obligations
between the various classes of society prac
tically destroyed slavery long before it was
formally disallowed by the statute book
for, instead of the incarnation of the low
est passions, instead of the deification of
goddesses of debauchery and gods of saw
age war, the Church raised up as the ideal
of perfect humanity the Son of God who
died upon the cross with words of forgive
ness upon His lips, and the pure Virgin
who raised her sex above the degradation
into which it had been plunged for more
than four thousand years (eheers). Were
he to make the subject of his lecture the
position of women in Pagan aud Christian
society it would afford ample material not
only for one lecture, but for whole course
of lectures. The Church of Rome had
into which they had been placed by the
laws of Pagan society in q manner hnsp-
proachable by any other institution that
ever had existed or ever would exist. Let
them contemplate the position of woman
as it was to be observed to day in Catholic
and nom Catholic civilizations. Let them
turn from the poor, degraded toys of licen-
tious masters in the barems of the East,
and contrast the veneration which sur-
rounds Christian girlhood in Catholic
countries, when, for instance, the pro
cession of the First Communion wends its
way to the old parish church at Dieppe, or
in some city of the Bordelais, and it
would help them to realise the change
which had been effected. Let them recall
the struggles through which the Church of
Rome had safeguarded the rights of the
wife and the sanctity nf Christian marriage
in stormy times in Europe. Could they
ever forget that the Church had preferred
to give up all the greatness and glory OF the
great Kingdom of these islands rather than
abandon one Christian wife, one poor. weak
woman, to the tyranny OF the lustful despOt
who is called the grand restorer of reform
ed religion in these countries iEnthuei-
astic and prolonged applause The great
of humanity had been neither
more noF less than the Catholic church
(cheersl And in enancipating humanity
the Cburch had done much to elevate and
cultivate the intellect of nan. Almost
every neat of learning in Europe had been
endowed. blessed and sent forth
by the Popes and bishops of the Catholic
Church, and it was certainly not in the
city of Glasgow. which traced it's noble
university to q Papal foundation, that the
activity of Catholicism could
be gainsaid (cheers). Tn truth no fable
was so absurd as the silly tale Of the op
position of Catholicism to the advance of
intelligence and the triumphs of art and
letters. Shallow zealots raved of the
''obscurantism" of Catholicity. All history
refuted the baseless fiction
To prize toe skin Of Michael Angelo
And % find o one @ gift that at Waited wait for the Sect
Shakespeare WAS Catholic in heart aud brain.
In thought and feeling in each nerve and vein.
DID Dante'e genius sleep until the shoek
Those famous schools survey through Europe wide.
From Albtsns an wales where Cam and Isis glide
Safe Learning throned amid the public PRIDE
And name but one from Scythia TO the West,
BY priests implanted or by PRESS ublest.
Oxford Bologna, PA,is and Ssern,
Cambridge and Aloala waere'er you tnrn.
Praga and Wien InGoldstadt and Louvain,
Leipzig aad Rasle from Germany to Spain,
From Thurso to Tar ens, and back again
still here some Pope hath raised college, there
Some council set Greek OF Hebrew Chair"
Icheers). They heard good deal now a.
days about med oval times, but he could not
help thinking, in considering the relations |
now existing between capital and labor,
that we might do worse than copy the exam
Pile Of the Middle Ages. They had all doubt
lees heard about fixity oftenuFe. Why, there
RYiku nf in, hn Of |