, 1880-04-18

generation Is seldom willing to pronI Oy LIS
experience OF those that went before 1t.
Thus, now there is an agitation In France
for the expulsion Of the Jesuits Just As there
was 110 years ago. In 1773 the three Courts
Of France, Spain, and Naples, having prevl-
ously expelled the Jesuits from their terri
tories, obtained from Clement XIV. brief
dissolving the Order OF Jesuits altogether
This measure had becone necessary owing
to the popular outcry which had arisen |
against an Order which professed to eNponno
the canons Of true Christianity independent |
Of, and indeed contrary to, the decisions OF
ecclesiastical councils and the DEGREES OF the
Vatican. As everybody knows, the founder
Of the Order of Jesus had originally Intended |
Ignacio Y. Loyola was an of1icerin Ferdinand
VS. army, who, having been %onaaea xdi III
both legs at the siege Of PaMpeluna in 1s2l,
and thereby lncapacitated from mlllaty
service deyoed af 4Sa fss II sus ffftaSy m oW
ever, who was Pope at the time, did not
much fancy the new Order, and would only
license 1t when lgnacio had amended lts
original statutes SO that its members miEnt
chastity. und obedience. 1gnacio, OF his own
free will, added proviso that the members
of the Order should never exceed Sixty; an9
that III their corporate capacity they should
SNHtult EllEtllSElfES W kAV
Of The Holy See The Jesuits were thus
merely uncloistered monks, who wore no
particular costume, but mixed with othef
men oil equal terms, and strove 70 set an *
npe Of godly yng 9ne m1ghn
ing that the garb worn BY the first disciples
Of George Fox differed only In the sobriety
of its colors from that used by most men IN
the seventeenth century. So far as Is known,
the early Jesuits were very good men
indeed, who by their principles and general
style of living offered an edifying contrast to
the demoraliZed nobility Of all extrayagant
Court 1t was their important mission 10
show that men may practice all tne CnFistli,l
monasteries or putting on priestly attire; and
it was because their conduct was SO eXenl-
plary that they soon waxeu poweri1nl. one1 n5
cessiye Popes granted, them privileges ana
enlarged, people who had no religious ayoca-
tion discovered that it WAS a pleasant thing to
be q Jesuit, as it gave admission into an M II
tluential set held III. general reverence. inc
99akerS gh pSrmaR y H. a9S as 1eeGme e etbaey
their rule, und devoted themselves TO the dls;
interested work Of supporting the Established
Church; but in this case they would propaoly
have come in time to co1nnls )ust inc siiIg ..ig
lave been made to pay just the same pen-
The Jesufts began to 60 wreng when
they entertained the idea that they o"ea
fuller obedience to the a!ltnority u;oa oa
where they had established themselves, or
even to the Church as represented by tne
Pope and the Sacred College. The reasons ny
which their policy was guided were ey no
means without weight; tof tney al1eG. ..1ht tlns h
tempted occasionally for diplomatic reasons
to waive points Of doctrine; whereas they,
the Jesuits,-hayingi individually surlenaered
ali their worldly goods, had nothing to con-
and perfect morality. In proportion. how
ever, as their aims were lofty, SO was their
Teaching iiupracticable- They wished for *n
ideal Pope who should be sinless, Tor ktnss a;,s
who should rq1e IN and oT %11 atons s
who should be governed wholly by DIVINE
law. Welding the obedience of zealots to II;
In fact, they dreamed OF converting all
Kingdoms INTO theocracies. Monarchs g1ew; gs,s;g
sai6d saSjects Of did, Has, and ''S there is 70 70
Third French Republic is the first Govern
ent that eyer reyolted against til1s pnassHf; o1
pfStSy we nno ii hna
to the masses that these bigoted defenders OF
the faith were enemies OF progress. by ana
by. therefore, the Jesuits had to stretch a
point or two and the purity OF tneir tens5s Ell; Is
fn maintain them in the odor Of sancity; aud
they laid themselves open to the daihaglng
charge Of acting on the theory that "tne ena
usties the means II Ms Pte,ynrs te
sins of great people who were In position to
help them, and under these circumstances
| they sank into the place af ordinary lntriEuers
who were merely plotting for power p r. without
be no doubt that the popular view as to the
| ends of Jesu1try In the last century was n the
| main true one; and, with some 1nodifica-
,tions, it Is tenable now. Their most fornaid-
able assaiant Tas Pascal who attaekea tne
ten to defend his Jansenfst friends: The war
was resumed By the Encyclopedias. They
found that number Of men claiming to be
enthusiasts i'll religion were pron'ulgatlnE 2
shameful code Of Indulgence as regards social
| vices i'll order to marshal forces against the
| advocates Of scientific research and political
| freedom. 4 man might be the worst Of prof
ligates; a woman might be abandoned to ini-
morality. but, provided the pair ected n reSo. M
day, they were sure Of their salvation: Sucl!
was the maxim imputed BY Folta1re and
others to the Jesuits, and which, after render
ing the latter odIous turned tha; them INTO Ildi
! Nowadays it Is not contended that the
caslistry Of the Jesuits finds m easy place OF
repentance for all private sins; in the matter
| of absolving offenders they are, indeed, per-
| j.
self-defense they have individually reverted
to the highly moral canons OF behavior which
originally made them respected.
MODERN JEsU1TRY
does not recruit its adherents from among
cyil-doers, but from men OF tried principles
and assured physical fortitude. The novitlate
for adnlittance Into the Order is prolonged
and severe At the same time it Is an uncoll-
tested fact that the Society is collectively
sworn to resist progress and reform by every
means Of stratagem or fair fighting which
zeaIotry can suggest. An ordinary Roma1l
Catholic might meet a Liberal halfway and
agree upon some modus yivendi, but IN thel1
schools, pulpits, and newspapers the Jesults
preach war to the death against all lnstltn.
lions Which have not their origin in the
Roman Catholic Church, and which. ere moi
fostered by 1t. Just like the Socialists, they
want to recast society in a. new nlold,-or'
rather, in an old one which has been ncnded,
and the name Of .Black Revolutlonlsts, y
Which Proudhon applied to them, IS one tc
which they are fairly entitled, and when
they would possibly not much care to dis
claim. Still, they are not to be fought by
their own weapons Neither n. Fcrry's re- n
iected seventh, clause, nor the prohtbltor}
legislation Of an earlier period now invoked
agninst them, could be 50 fatal to them AZ
tt,o of fanfip1tnnrff ami tDfHr0n1