McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-12-18
ARCHBLSHOPS IND BISHOPS.

The Pastoral Letter to the Clergy and Laity
Under Their Charge.
The pastoral letter of the archbishops
and bishops of the United States composing
the third plenary council held at Baltimore, to
the clergy and laity under their charge, is
made public through the Catholic Mirror. 1t
is lengthy document, but the following alb
stract gives the main points of the leading
matters which engaged the attention of the
council: Reference is made to the great in
crease in Catholic institutions during the past
eighteen years, especially in the west. The
assembly by Plus of a general council at the
vatican is alluded to as one of the most impor-
tant events of our age and detailed account
of its work is given. The Catholics of Prussia
are commended for their good work in availing
themselves of every legal means to check the
advances of despotism and save their own free
dom and that of their country. The letter
then discusses the following terms: 'sWe
think we can claim to be acquainted both with
the laws of the institutions and the spirit of
the Catholic church and with the laws, insti-
buttons and spirit of the country; and we en-
phatically declare that there is no antagonism
with them. A Catholic finds himself at home
in the United States; for the influence of his
half of individual rights and popular
liberties and a right-minded American no
where finds himself more at home than in
Catholic church, for nowhere else can he
breathe that atmosphere of divine truth which
alone can make US free. We repudiate with
equal earnestness the assertion that we need
to lay aside any of our devotedness to our
church to be true Americans, and the insinua-
ton that we need to lay aside any of our love
for our country's principles and institutions to
be faithful Catholics. To argue that the
Catholic church is hostile to our great republic
because she teaches that there is no power but
from God; because, therefore, back of the
events which led to the formation of the re-
public she sees the providence of God leading
to that issue, and back of our country's laws
the authority of God as their sanction, this
evidently is so illogical and contradictory an
accusation that we are astonished to hear it
advanced by persons of ordinary intelligence.
We believe our country's heroes were instru-
ments of the God of nations in establishing
this home of freedom. To both the Almighty
and to his instruments in the work we look
with grateful reverence, and to maintain the
inheritance of freedom which they have left
US, should it ever, which God forbid, be i'm
periled, our Catholic citizens will be found to
stand forward as one man, ready to pledge
anew their lives, their fortunes, and their
sacred honor. No less illogical would be the
notion that there is aught in the free spirit of
perfect docility to the church of Christ" The
attempt to graspt the property of the propaganda
is severely condemned and our government
warmly thanked for the action that saved the
American college from confiscation. A con-
siderable portion of the letter is devoted to a
discussion of the education of the clergy and
their pastoral rights. The subject of Christian
education is treated at great length. The let
ter says it is palpable fact and cannot be ig-
nored that the influence of the school often
outweighs that of home and church. "To
shut religion out o. the schools and keep it for
the home and the church is logically to train
up generation that will consider religion
good for the home and church, but not for the
practical business of real life.' Continuing,
theletter says: "We must multiply our schools
till every Catholic child in the land shall have
within its reach the means of education.
There is still much to be done ere this is OBJ
tanned. There are still thousands of Catholic
children in the United States deprived of the
benefit of a Catholic school. Pastors and
parents should not rest till this defect shall DE
remedied. No parish is complete until it has
schools adequate to the needs of its children"
Christian marriage and the indissolubility of
the marriage tie are treated upon and in this
connection the havoc wrought by the divorce
laws of the country is deplored. The import
ance of good reading, especially of the Holy
Scriptures, and of supporting thoroughly the
Catholic press, is impressively declared. Re-
tuc OUStINdICc VI tut Lulu tHt
letter says: "Far is it from us to advocate such
Sunday laws as would hinder the necessary
Sunday work or would prohibit such popular
enjoyments as are consistent with the sacred |
ness of the day. There is one way of profan- |
ing the Lords day which is so prolific of evil |
it special condemnation. This is the practice |
of selling beer or other liquors on Sunday, or |
of frequenting places where they are sold.