The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-02-24

&were blinded, the only power capable of pre-.
siding over the preservation of Christian liber-
ty and oiviliz attain, and of rebuilding their
ruins, if they be momsntsrily destined to ship
wreck.
Yes, the PapaOy alone can heal modern sooi.
ety, because alone, it can apply the remedy to
the evil. The great miofortune Of govern
ments, at the present time, is, that they COM
$pletely forget, at least in practice, the fact
What happens theni Man secs himself only,
and lives for himself only. All thought of re.
asponsibility disappearing, 1t is not astonish-
saoh one strives to supplsnt his neighbor
The absolutism which to-day Gays: 1.-THE
state, it is myself" will be overthrown to.
die Glasses, W hiOh will say to the nation "we
are elected by you )" and rs the revolution 10
fated to devour it's authors, the new masters
will be replaced by others, Who will arise
wilt cry out: "Down with the reactionists, !"
who strive to hinder the onward progress of
5the revolu tionary car which they have set in
amotion. Thusit is that the street democracy
will enjoy it's spheneral triumph, under the
rule of an execu tioner who win also say. in his
turn Order and liberty, they are myself!
wo to wbomsoev er doubts it'll"
There commu ism shows itself at work suoh
lis the Inevitable consequence in the complete
4 Sforgetfuness of religious ideas in government
al spheres celebrated socialist of our era,
said muoh to statesmen. According to
yon, said he, there is no longer a Church !;
s You have taught me that Christ is o dream II
: do not know If there be . God but do know
hat those W ho m ade the laws do not believe|
much in Him, and that they write their laws
as if they did not believe in Him at all. There
3fore, want my share of land. You have re-
want that gold and that dnng. You have not
&left q paradise for me in heaven; / want my
paradise upon EARTH"
This is the fatal consequence which must bel
drawn from modern politics; God has beenI
3dethroned man, with his egotism, will takeI
his place; he may well curb the brow, whiohI
brutal force will impose upon him in mourn
full silence he will await his turn to make him
self of the same force Thus, can there be anyI
astonishment that society shonld find itself inI
10 condition Of perpetual enarchyf
Where is to be found the remedy of so menyI
evilsf In . return to those principles which,
modern nations have abandonded in the prsc-j
2ticel knowledge of those first truths of Chris
to the Church, whose infallible head 10 the'
Pope. The fret of these truths 10 thus CON-
aoeived: there is but one God, the Creator, theI
Legislator and Sovereign Lord of all beings,
head of creation. 1t is He who was brought
forth from one couple, formed by His hands,
the high and the low, kings and subjects, lov.
ling all alike.
suoh is the FIRST article of the Evangelical
4Charter; it alone oan establish among menI
the reign of true equality, fraternity, liberty );
these three words have meaning in the
mouth of those who hold that the origin of theI
hnman race is uncertain, and especially in the|
mouth of those who have the impudenoe toI
aS0OW uB LE0C origin III Cn6 6n0Ii OF Gn6 OYSTER
or the hide of the ourang-outanR.
4 Authorization liberalism has seized uponl
\ these three magic words, in order to lead mul
titudes astray, and excite them to the bloody
3orgiss of an uncontrolled despotism; the Chris
4 tian principle alone, interpreted by Him who|
4occupies tho place of Jesus Christ on earth Il
this principle alone will be able to bring order
out of the chaos of modern ideas. Accordingl
Ito this principal, civil power is divine COM
mission, very honorable doubtless, but also
very enslaving. He who acts under this com
mission, is elevated above all others, but bel
must also watch over the interests of all his
authority must be respected, otherwise haI
Ecould not fulfill his mission, which consists in
maintaining order and tranquility throughout
the limits Of his Jurisdiction, and in doing this
he must intimidate those who wish evil and
protect in all the freedom of doing what isI
right, which freedom is the only one recog
nfzed by the Gospel. This order, this tran
quility, this evil, this good, all those are notI
words whose Interpretation the Church of
Jesus Christ leaves to those in power; she de
not wish to be blinded. She declares that theI
srights Of rulers are sacred but she declared
that their duties are just as inviolsble, and she
7is not sparing in the most terrible menaces ii,
unmindful of the obligations of their trust,
they seek power merely to obtain the liberty
1of enjoyment.
Such are tho general principles which the
1Church has received the mission of making
known to nations we'll ss to their sovereigns,
TO rulers as we'll as to the governed; and i'll
these principles be correctly applied the double
In matters of detail the Church is silent Il
whether universal or limited suffrage be adopt.
ed, or any other measure be taken to insureH
the transmission of power, everything will bel
approved, provided fundamental principles are
respected
Political constitutions will be good when
they will no longer be the work neither Of as
,semblies incapable of knowing what they are
about nor of ambitious men who know only
too we'll what it is incumbent on them to do
for their own self-interest. Good sense and
true patriotism must attend to details in the
information of an electoral system as simple
as it is worthy of free people.
The Church has received for her mission the
lpromulgatioh of the general principles of the
origin of power; this expression, power of
right divine, provokes q disdsinful smile to
show itself upon the lips of the pretendedly
strong minded, still they cannot deny that
power comes from God, whatever may be it's
mode of transmission. They cannot deny that
Jesus Christ has laid down laws which were
destined to adapt themselves to all the rels-
lions of human life; these laws to be
obligatory for the monarch as we'll as for the
subject, for the ruler as we'll rs for the gov
erned.