The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-04-23
EME CINCINNATI PASTORAL
A Catholic Gives His Reasons for Condsnn
ina It.

A Catholic Gives HE Reasons for Condemn-
ting IL.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: II lie sur
prising that the recent letter published over
the signature Of nine Western Bishops should
have passed without moro comment from the
New York press. This may DO q good sign OF
the generous tolerance OF the times. All opin-
ions concerning human affairs deserve hear
ing 20 long as they are not directly in conflict
with first principles. or do not violently clash
with the clear deductions Of reason. or rudely
disturb the ordinary laws of common sense.
OF course the few Irish. or so-called Catholic
papers. could not be expected to do more than
merely refer to the circumstance 1.-THE publica-
ton Of the pastoral letter. Their inorganic
functional Office precluded anything else.
One OF the most serious and evident errors. or
heresies against reason and philosophy lies in
the words Of the author OF this pastoral. when
he says. Nor are oil men eQual;' and he pro-
ceeds TO indicate wherein mon are unequal.
But no only adduces accidental qualities as q
proof OF his proposition where only the essential
properties OF man are In question. There vNs
no need that q council Of Bishops ehould
solemnly declare what has never been denied.
namely, that men are OF unequal stature. COM
plexion. temperament. mental qualities. and
the like To argue that because there is In
they are essentially unequal. would imply a
lack OF logical acumen not to be looked for In
nine venerable Bishops.
All men are equal In their common human
ity. in what constitutes their manhood.
rational. spiritual soul in a sensitive body spe-
officially constitutes man. according to the
philosophy Of St. Thomas. In this all men are
equal and beyond this no claim to equality has
ever been asserted. In the rational order Of
things there is no ground for the institution Of
hierarchical humanity; certainly none what
ever under the Christian dispensation.
Equally absurd is the corrclatve error: Be-
fore the law men are not equal - be-
cause wealth gives men q standing before the
law that poverty has not" Without noticing
the evident grammatical inaccuracy Of this
sentence (which. indeed. appears through
out the whole letter.. 1t is very morti-
flying TO Catholic to find such an
apparent want Of just reasoning in the
paragraph from which these words are taken.
Because. forsooth. the accident OF mans
wealth. political influence or opportunity to
corrupt an administrator Of justice. gives occa-
sion to pervert the legitimate course Of law into
q wrong channel; because abuses Incidental to
| all things human arise. therefore. from these
particular evils. q universal proposition must be
enounced, namely: IAN men are not equal
in the embryotic condition OF canon law In the
province Of Cineinnat2 Even If so. 1t would be
very incorrect to predicate II OF the civil law. or
utter II as Catholic view Of the legislation Of
| our country. or q correct statement OF the legal
status OF the citizens OF the republic.
But the gravcst error Of the letter Is that
| which denies that tho people are the immedi-
| ate or direct source OF that civil authority by
which laws are ordained and sanctioned for the
welfare Of the community. No one denies that
all power is from God primarily and above ALL
even in the most universal sense. The power
or force Of material nature. which sends and
| keeps the planets revolving in their orbits. as
we'll as that which energies the electric current.
or terrifies in the thunderbolt the dynamic
agency OF vegetable and animal motion. as
well as the rational and moral authority by
which human society is fashioned and gov
ernod: all this comes primarily from God.
| But He acts through second causes. To the
community is i''-'isted the power Of ordaining
laws iori own T.. cservation and welfare in the
community resides the authority OF anctioning
| whatever tends TO secure this end. There is nc
caste or class OF men specially set apart and en-
| powered directly by God to ordain lave for the
public. The notion set forth in the pastora
upon this point is directly contrary to the
teaching OF st. Thomas the great light of the
middle ages. He says: "Ordinare autem ali
Quid in bonum commune est vel totius commu
nitatis. vel alicuius gerentis vicem totius null
titudinis. > ordinare in flnem est ejus cujut
est propriue lille flnis."-12a xc., 8. Q. To or
da1n anything by law for the common veal be
longs to tho whole multitude community. o.
to some one who represents, is viceregent OF
the whole community for to ordain :,
an end belongs to Him to whom the end apper
tains." Now. the teaching OF Thomas AQuna
has been recommended to the study Of tn
Bishops OF the world not excepting those VIII,
lately met in Cincinnati, NY the present reign
ing Pontiff.
Amid the nascent conditions OF Western so
ciety there may be weighty local need Of urg
ing. even BY unusual forms OF speech and 10 tn,
neglect of fixed principles, reverence for Law
and order, when there is danger OF great evil
arising from the abuse Of that happy Christian
freedom with which our age and country ar
specially blessed Stlll, ancient and imperish
able principles OF truth and right must be pre-
served sacred and inviolabe. Properly under
stood and rightly interpreted, there is n,
stronger safeguard for these bases OF human
happiness. our inalenable Inheritance thai
the Catholic Church; but there ia also grea
danger to be feared from a perverse appica
ton Of her theorctc teaching TO the practice G
an odious and intoerable tyranny.
NEw YORK, April 20. CATHOLIC.
| VIZ.