The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1885-12-19
The Catholic Church and the Liquor
Traffic.

! sIO"S.
Archbishops aud bishops of tn
Catholic churches Of tlle United
States, at the close of the thirt
plenary council. held at Baltimore
on December Is, 1884, issued a pas
toral letter to the clergy and laity
} of their charges.
The pastoral letter, az usual, con
tanned a summary of the DEGREES oi
rules passed by the council, anc
when published one paragraph at
! tracted considerable attention. |
read as folIows: There is one way
of profaning the Lords day whicl
is so prolific of evil results that We
consider it our duty to ritter agains'
it a special condemnation.
This is the practice Of selling
beer or other liquors OF Snndsv, o'
Of freqnenting places VIC the
are sold. This practice ends more
than any other to turn the day o'
the Lord into day Of dissipation
to use it as an occasion For breeding
intemperance.
While we hope that Sunday laws
on this point will NOT be relaxed,
bat even more rigidly enforced, we
implore all Catholics never to take
part in such traffic, nor to counter
ance it, and we not only direct the
attention of all pastors to the re
preston of this abuse, but we do
call upon them to induce all of their
Aocks that may be engaged in the
sale of liquor to abandon, as soon
as they can, the dangerous traffic,
and to embrace a more becoming
way of making living"
This straightforward admonition
from the bishops placed the liquor
traffic in new light in its Jelation
to the Catholic Church. Up to this
time it had been the general impres,
sion among those who were not
members Of the church that as she
did not encourage the liquor traffic
shc was not opposed to it.
When the letter appeared it be-
came evident that the church in
America had resolved to declare
itself opposed to intemperance and
the grogshops. There were some
who shrugged their shoulders when
they read the above, and declared
they did not believe it. wohld have
any effect upon the liquor selling
members of the church.
The matter has not beer so thor
oughly brought ont before by the
priests as it will be should the de.
crees which were forwarded to
Rome be returned with the endorse.
ment Of the Pope. AS is always
customary the dccrees adopted by
the last pIenary council were for
warded to Rome, Rev. DR.. O'Con.
nell, rector of the American College
and procurator for the archbishop
Of Baltimore, acting as messenger
and ambassador.
On his arrival at the city the de-
crees were delivered into the hands
of Cardinal Simeoni. prefect Of the
Propaganda. by whom the DEGREES
were handed over to the Congrega.
ton Of the Propaganda, body of
cardinals. who examined them care
fully. The. Congregation Of the
aganda submitted repor: unon
the DEGREES to the Holy See.
The Rev. DR.. O'Connell, who has
heen absent nearly ii year. is now on
his way back 10 the United States
with those DEGREES which have been
examined and passed upon by ;hc
Holy See.
There is now much speculation iE
ecclesiastical circles as to tie man
ner in which the decree relating to
the liquor traffic was received hv
the Pope. If the Pope has givrn
his approval and endorsed it, It is
expected that there will soon he in
augurated III this country a crusade
against liqnar h@>iHcSs Of IN exceed.
inglv effective '.haractar.
THE organiza ton o. lie Catholic
Church is Stsch.' distinguished
clergyman said. 1t car, with 'he
assistance Of lhc Pope, do more to
cripple the business o. the grog
shops than any other religions body"
The Rev. Or. @ ConneIi is ezoccted
to arrive i'll few days.-Times-
Democrat.
4 st. Petersburg paper SAYS: Our
girls are learning trades IN order to