The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-03-03


makes all old Roman ask:
How CAL q die better
rnr ,se az s;ass issshf on lis sf.,fs f.hsSs 1sa'
And the tersples OF his gods"
TIE apect scle of brave man struggling
under adversely, was thought by the oiu
pagans to be the spectacle most pleasing
to tho gods. Indeed, through all nature
and all times ani all peoples, Iuns Tue
thought that life without struggle is ipglo-
rious, vain, and not worth living. The
greater the stake, the heavier the odds, the
nobier the cause. the more sublime ana
more inspirit:Dg the struggle.
Even unobservant men cannot help MOTTO
ing the change going ON to day In the
midst of civilized people. The d tf.rences
that split up the Christian calap three CEN
turles age, have almost run their course.
They have exhausted themselves, woIn
themselves cut, and there remsios nothing
| for men of faith or an Inclination to faith,
to fall back upon bat the old faith from
| which their fathers parted and which has
stood one, wholly untouched, unchanged
and Interchangeable throughout. But meu
do not change cherished convictions easily,
even if those convictions DO "rnng. Ihey
| must have the strongest of mott yes to urge
them to do so. "Yon prctess 70 preach ana
| practice higher form Of religion than
| ours" We can well imagine u reasoning
| non Catholic to cay, "weli let us SEQ 1t.
Show it to ue in your lives, IN your works,
in -yonr intelligence, 1 acknowledge there
sJe very GOOD Catholics; out are there NO
good Professionals Perhaps, if pvo rata
enumeration were taken, tho Gatholice
would make better show than the Fro
tes:auts. But is tEis enough! ! meet
Catholics in business and l ind very little
difference on the whole between their and
Eon- Catholics. They drive just as Lard
bargain they are jnst as eager for gain !;
suu,e of them arc just as uhscl npuious
about the means of attai uiDg their end.
They love money as much as we 30; they
love display they-fovs- the world ;;-they
love themselves they love pleasure.
Take them as body, arc they 50 very
much better than othersf Why, theo,
enoutd l change my religion for one that
would leave me much as before T.
We ave here, OF course, giving the pos
ebie views of q fair minded Protestant,
and it is u very natura! way of looking at
matters. He goes on the theory, aud he
has the best authority for doing so, that
! 'by their fruits yo shall know then.'
Still, it muet not De forgotten, that even
granting his position, he is regarding,
: after all, only what ls really side ISSUE
even though it be q very important one
i The question is what is the true religion
. All other questions must yield to that in
= primary Importance. Even though all the
y world, protesting to hold and to follow
= 4 truth, were wrong, the man WHO IN hl'
o heart aud soul, and after using all tie
y means that cd has given him to find truth
l' is convinced that he has found it, must EN-
:! brace it, let the world wag az 1T will mus
preach 1t, at least III his own life and con
's duct. To faith Christ promised that
y should move mountains; hut faith mean
~ much more than a mere intellectual assent
: The man who says in his heart: 81 believ
- in God" and says it every day, and feel
y its deep meaning, will live constantly
81 the presence OF God, nor feel his life dark
er ened, nor his faculties chilled, nor his ever
ls day work less practical or real, for liviu
d. aud working in that preesnce. But b
III faith will shine through him ard COMMIT
picato Itself to those among whom
moves, anG preach to them lesson that
tie long ran will not fail to reach She
hearts ard their reason. This is the mi
sion of Catholics, aud by this they "
ccDveIL the world.