Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1885-12-05
The PODe's L etter.

Baltimore, November 26.-The pope IL
his letter concerning the DEGREES of tn
plenary council, says of the church:
The madness of opinion it indeed re
pudiates. 1t reproves wicked plans O.
sedition, and especially the babit O.
mind in which the beginnings of vol
untary departing from God are visible
but since every true thing must neces.
sarily proceed from God, whatever OF
truth is by search obtained, the
church Acknowledges as certain token OF
the Divine mind, and since there is in
the world nothing that can take away
belief in the doctrines Divinely handed
down, and many things which confirm
this, and since every finding of truth
may impel man to the knowl-
edge of praise of God himself, therefore,
whatever may happen to extend the
range of knowledge, the church will al
ways willingly and joyfully accept, and
she will, as is her wont in the case of
other departments of knowledge, studi-
ously encourage and promote those
alec which are concerned with the inves-
tigation of nature, to which studies. if
the mind finds anything new, the church
is not opposed. She fights not
against the search after more
things for the grace and convenience
of life. Nay, a very foe to inertness and
sloth she earnestly wishes that the
talents of men should, by being cultivat-
ed and exercised, bear still richer fruits;
she affords indictments to every sort OF
art and craft by her virtue; directing by
her own perfection all the pursuits OF
these things to virtue and salvation, she
strives to prevent man from turning
aside his intelligence and industry from
God and heavenly things.
After quoting thu action of Catholics
in former times, even under the Roman
empire, the pope continues to exhort the
faithful to renewed efforts in. the politi-
cal world:
Now, indeed, in these days it is as well
to renew those examples of our fore
fathers. For Catholics indeed, as many
as are worthy of the name, before all
things it is necessary to be, and be will
ing to be, regarded as most low
ing sons of the church; whatsoever is
with this good report without
hesitation to reject. To use popular in
stitutions as far as can be to the advant-
age of truth and justice; to labor that
liberty of action shall not transgress the
bounds ordained by the law of nature
and of God; 80 to work that the
whole of public life shall be trans
formed into as We have called 1t, q
Chistian image and likeness. The
means seek the ends, can scarcely be
laid down upon one uniform plan,
since they must suit places and times
very different from each other. Never
theless, in the first place let concord of
wills be preserved and the likeness of
things to be done sought for, and each
will be attained. The best of all shall
consider the admonitions of the apos-
tolic see. Let all understand that the in
tegrity Of the Catholic profession
can by no means be reconciled with
opinions approaching toward natural
ism, of which the sum total is to uproot
Christians altogether, and to establish
the primary importance of man, Al
mighty God being pushed to one side.
Likewise, it is unlawful to follow one
line of duty In private, and another In
public, so that the authorities Of the
church shall be preserved in private and
epurned in public, for this would be
to join together things honest and dis
graceful and to make man fighta battle
with himself when. on the contrary, he
ought always to be consistent with him.
self and never, in the least thing or man.
ner of living depart from christian vir-
tue. But if inquiry is made about prin-
ciples merely political concerning the