Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-09-04
THE PoPE's NEW ENCYCLIcAL
Pope Leo XiII. on the Regu iation of PhIIo-
sOphicai Studies.

The encyclical letter just address
cd By the Pope to the dignitaries of
the Catholic Church fills ten closely
printed oolums of the Observation
Romano, and treats of the resiora-
ton of Christian philosophy in the
Catholic school according to the
spirit of tho Angelic doctor, Thomas
Aquinas. During the last fifty
years at least" says the Rome cor
respondent Of the Daily Ns,os, "the
teachings OF St,Thomas Aquinas have
been held at discount in the semina
ries of Rome. The philosophic teach
ing impaired to the young has been
drawn, accoding to the varying fash
ion of the day, from Grotius, Puffen.
dorf, Descartes or Kant. At present
the textbook used in the Roman
Summaries is the philosophy of Corte
the late professor of Philosophy at
the University of Turin, whose sys-
TEN, based mainly on Rosmini's spec
ulations, is taught likewise 10 the
Government lyceums. From this spe-
cies OF compromise with modern
thought the Pope would recall the
angelic doctor. The result can only
be to train up generation Of mill
tant clergy, versed in scholastic meth
Cd and dialectic debate, in order
that they my cope with the free.
thinkers and Protestant-lho very
antique, IN word, of the modern
easy going cure"
Rome CIrresp, ndenec Of ths London T mes.
Ills Holiness commences by re
marking that The greater part OF th,,
evils which affect society in the pres
ent day are due TO the incubation of
false philosophy and adds that while
sound philosophy is help to the I'm
derstanding Of supernatural truth,
false philosophy dissuades from its
acceptance Philosophy, in order that
It may attain its end, must be subject
to the tajJh. Such subsection, he
points cut, is not injurious to phloso
phy, for he aflirms, the history OF
Chistlan philosophy demonstrates that
it is the means of securing it from
error. lie speaks of the philosophy
of the scholastics, aud dwelling upon
that one by one demonstrates their
excolleuces, and more especially that
OF ST. Thomas Aquinas. whose doe
trine, the Pope remarks, yenerated
for many centuries, has been followed
10y religious orders ana by councils.
lie depiores that scholastic rhilosopv
has been abandoned and that various
and opposed systems have prevailed
instead which have given rise to Sc
quently he exhorts the Bishops to
adopt in there ecclesiastical schools
the doctrine OF ST. Thomas Aquinas
Ii is many years since so long n Panal
encyclical has been sent forth.
Rome Correspondence Of the London Standard
After quoting tho divine mandate
go yo, therefore, aud teach all ma
tions," he dwels on the vigilant
labors OF the Bishops, the laws and
decree Of the syuods, and above all,
the daily solicitude of the Popos
whose right and duty is to instruct
and confirm the brethren in the faith
and to regulate their scientific IN,
struction in philosophy, the basis of
all sicence. Too much, indeed, must
not be made of philosophy, but
though reason may not usurp the
rlace of authority, it is of value as
confirming divinely revealed truth /;
and the wise use made by the faith
ers of the snalogivs between natural
and revealed religion, has been aptly
compared by st. Augustine to the
spelling of the Egyptians. After a
minute survey of the results of phil
osophic inquiry of the fathers, from
Justin Martyr, Iren@us, Origen, Ter
tuIlian, TO Beothius and st. Thomas
Aquinas, the Pope concludes by
pointing out as the sole remedy for
the evils of our age the due relig-
ious instruction of the young, espec-
tally of such as feel vocation for
the church, so that they may be able
to confute error, giving reason for
the hope that is in them. He there
fore exhorts all Bishops and teach
ers. while prizing all truth by whom
soever taught, to seek to diffuse the
golden teachings of 81, Thomas
Aquinas.