Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1883-10-04
LOCAL AND PENINSULAR
THE LRCTUKE BY MONSIGRORE
C1PEL.

A Little Girls Adventure with Some
Little Pills-MOnsignore Capel Ex-
plains the origin and Scope OF
Ecclesiastical and civil Authority
The audience which gathered at the
Opera House Wednesday week to hear
MonsignorelC speak on 'Freedom and
Catholioity" was not a large one, but
WAS made up largely of earnest thinkers
who gave the lecturer very close atten-
tiop and round of applause at the
close. Among the auditors WAS senator
Bayard.
Upon the stage sat the Rev. Messrs.
Reilly, Kelley, Tierney, Flynn, Corbinian,
Dominiok and Mslitus, Il. c. Turner,
Esq.,, and Messrs. Pc er N. Brennan and
]. p. Donshoe.
Father Kelley introduced the lecturer,
In few words, as one who had survived
the ordeal Of being interviewed quite ex
tensively. Stepping 10 the front Of the
stage Monsignore Capel then addressed
| to his audience lecture of one hours
| duration. He spoke in an easy and per-
| sussive tone, with no attempt at oratori
cal flourish, but with the air of one pro-
| foundly impressed with the truth and
| meaning of every word he uttered. He
began:
"It 8 asserted, ladies and gentlemen,
| that in the United States there are some
| 5000, 900 of persons who profess to belong
| to the Catholic church, and that ths said
| 5000, 900 are taught daily and directed
by some 5000 priests. Now, a body OF
| 8,000,0 900 people In any country con-
stitute an element and factor that must
| not he lost sight of but, when We
| know from the very nature Of
Catholicism that the said number are
| united together in one brotherhood and
| in one faith, and that it ia no mere matter
| of opinion that is held by them but
faith which many, hope all, of them
| would be willing and proud to sacrifice
| their all to preserve, then does it become
imperatively necessary in the interest of
| the country to understand and examine
and see what we believe in aud what We
| are taught-whether 1t be to the benefit
Of the country or whether 1t be injurious
to it,"
| Thoughts of this kind, he continued,
had prompted him to supplement his Bal
| tim0re lecture on the freedom of thought
| with some remarks here on the proper
| extent of that freedom as taught aud as
| existing under Catholic teachings. There
| is no feeling stronger in the human breast
| than the ideal OF freedom; the desire to
| be liberated and removed from certain re-
striotions; aud If this can be said of all
mankind, of people inhabiting old ooun-
| tries like those of Europe, where the pop
| ulation is 30 thick as with difficulty to
find support, how much the more it is
applicable to country like this where, If
the population were multiplieda hundred
fold there would still be sufficient room
for the exercise Of all the powers and
faculties that man is endowed with.
This love of freedom has, nevertheless,
been perverted again and again. We
often use the words "free'' and "free-
DOM and ''liberty" in a vague sense,
and, as one Of the greatest living writer's
has said "The greater part of our con-
troversies would end If We only under
stood the words we make use Of"
But, whatever use we make of the
word "ireedom," it is very clear that it
implies liberation from some restraint,
and it is with this idea that shall speak
of liberty as held by us and spoken Of by
the Catholic church.
In 30 speaking | am obliged to recall
that there is liberty Of thought, 8
liberty of mind, and there is liberty
that is stronger still, and in speaking of
that true liberty am speaking OF the
freedom which has been given to mans
whole soul In all its completeness.
There is liberty of intellect and of
will. There is liberty Of the individual
as to his own person. In making this
assertion, put my finger at once upon
the distinction between Roman oivili-
zation, pagan civilization and the
civilization put forward by the Roman
Catholic church.
Under the old Roman civilization moth
ing was more common than to regard
separate individuals IS 80 many small
portiors of great state, Christian civil
ization says, on the contrary, that a man
is not to be looked upon as portion OF
the state, but in his individual capacity.
When we revert to his individual liberty,
we revert also to his individual RESPONSE.
bility, which obliges him to fulfil the
work for which he is placed here. This
constitutes the primary and great work
of Catholioity and of the Catholic church.
1t is a puzzle to the outside world to
see the great Catholic church with her
/
of in ways and for purposes that seem to
the outer world as perfect waste; to SET
! men of the finest culture, men whose in
fuenoe would have been felt in any walk
J of life, used for the purpose of bringing
the negroes of Africa or the Indians Of
| America under Christian civilization tt
Y see such men sacrificed, 30 the world
8 would say, in bringing to the coloret
| L.. 49,, taI
Christianity. But this Is done that each
separate individual may have his mint
/ instructed in the truth and his viii
8 brought into subsection to the moral law
1 80 that he shall be fitted for the work hi
f is to do and be prepared to become citi
4 zen of heaven.
Cicero says "Liberty is servitude tt
E law :" aud the Catholic church tells III
q that true liberty is the bringing of tn
. intellect into seryitude to the truth ant
: the will into servitude to virtue. This 1
/, the first principle the church Catholi
9 proclaims to all her children. 1t is 70
d this that these 5000 priests rise in tn
/. early morning and 60 from weeks end t
d week. 3 end among the poor, the sick an
g the lowly, so that each may learn an
9 fulfil the duty imposed upon him. The
9 ara striving to cast the light of revelation
r into the minds of those who are ignoran
3 of their duty to God. Ia such an elemen
l. in a country one of weakness or one Q
n strength
g They are striving at the same time t
y nstil into the mind OF each individus
d his duty tomards himself, his God an
p his country.
3 The speaker then reviewed briefly whs
1t the Church has done within the past l
/, centuries. Under the boasted Roma
10 civilization woman was but toy of mar
,s slavery was everywhere and the en-
0, bodiment OF every kind Of vice was pei
sonified among their gods. 1t was til
work OF the Church to raise woman
her true position, to emanoipats the slsv
and enable him to become as good cit
q zen and as hopeful for eternity as h
III master and to substitute for the darl
u, ness OF gross idolatry the worship of II
~ ~ true and living God. This was grei
~ work and nobly has it been performed.
10 Taking up his second thought, MOI
q signore Capel said: The Catholic churc
~ proclaims that you are not merely il
b divit uals but members of society.
90 individuals no one man has any rigl
10 over you. By the natural law God hi
given the power to all men to uni
III together as social beings. As parents oa
claim certain authority over the
children, 30 society can claim oe
no tain rights over Its individu
iu members. They may cast their sooie
Il, into any form, be it monarchical, aut
~ cratic or democratic; but 1t