The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-26
LIBERALITY OF SENTIMENT.
The Position of the Catholic Church
Toward the American Republic.
The Answer of Father Alexius to the ASser-
tion that the Catholic Church Restraints
Freedom Of Thought and Conscience.


the Passionist Father Alexius undertook to an
swer in his lecture last evening, at St Johns
Cathedral, on The Position of the Catholic
Church Toward the American Republic" HI re-
marked thatthis, If true, was a terrible charge, and
II sustained, perish the thought Of ever entering
her fold. Il is, say the enemies of the church,
that she degrades the reason of man by forcing
him to believe mysteries which cannot be COM
pretended by reason, thus paralyzing it and
making it unfit for true science, for the truths of
science are Numerically opposed to the truths
Of faith. History does not bear them out in
maintaining that the church renders the intellect
of man incapable for science. Did it degrade
the intellect of a B~oetius, of a Tertullian, of an
Origenl Examine The City of God" written
by st. Augustine; or the Contra Gentiles" and
the "Summa, of ST. Thomas, Aquinas. Look at
the works of Scotus, of Descartes, of DR.. Brown
son, Of Cardinals Newman and Manning, and
then point out where and how their intellects
we're paralyzed for science. Did the church pre-
vent Albertus Magnus from becoming a prodigy
in the physical sciencess Long before the cradle
Of Francis Bacon was rocked, he gave utterance
to the principle upon which the experimental
sciences are based, and acted upon it. There is
Friar Bacon, who has written most learnedly on
every conceivable branch of the physical
sciences, and is called, even by the greatest
physicist OF our day, IAN encyclopedia of knowl-
edge" although he lived in the dark middle ages.
There, too. we find. basking in the sunshine Of
the Catholic Church, Calico and Torricelli, who
have given us the barometer, the telescope,
spectacles, the microscope, the thermometer. the
compass. locks for canals, and placed hydraulics
upon solid principles. There is the humble
NPiQQf Gnnarp1ar4c uuhn Hwcf p~on1osxnoH that kha
earth we inhabit revolves. With the permission
of the Pope, he dedicated his work to the Holy
Father. Nicolaus of Cusa taught it, and it was
no obstacle to his being made a cardinal. The
cardinal Barberini, defended it, and. yet, he
became Pope afterward. The illustrious Kepler
defended it, and, on this account,
suffered persecution from his Protest
ant brethren at the University OF
Tuebingen, but was aftcrward received into the
Catholic College of Graetz and was offered a
chair in the famous University of Padua by
Catholic Venice. To talk about the inquisition
of Rome, instruments of torture, the scooping
out of eyes and the heavy chains which Calico
met for teaching his theory are now recognized
to have been as unreal as the rawlings of Hamlet.
Did the church prevent Pope Gregory from gath
ering around him six most learned men to cor
rect the calendar so that our computation of
time is now correct for 144, 900 years. Did it
prevent Catholics from inventing the organ, the
clock and. printing! There was Leonardo da
tAACJs VIM OFOI AOuE huuQrcQ years dkO dliuQ6u
10 the camerao bscura, and, though not the in
ventor Of the stereoscope, laid down the princi-
pies on which it is constructed, suggested q
method for measuring light, explained the laws
OF acoustics. gave glimpses of the law of gravi-
tation and suggested a plan for constructing
ships propelled by wheels. Sir Charles Lyell
grants to Catholics the honor of having been the
authors of geology. Then, again, what glorious
inventions are those of Galvani. Of Volta and of
Plana.
- TNho fokha. aorI:oro5 kl~r .sx:~~ ..1sac
ments BY Catholics in astronomy, painting,
sculpture. music, architecture, oratory, states
manship, ana every department of art, science
and literature. He then took up the second part
of his theme-the charge that the Catholic
Church is opposed to liberty. what is free
domi' he asked. lis freedom to be without any
restraint. as was the case during the
French revolution, in 1888. when, in the
name OF equality, fraternity and liberty, over
300,0 600 of the best men and women of France
were murderedf Does liberty mean that every
man can do as he likesf That it can put q re
volver to your head and say your money or
your lief No; liberty can never exclude the re-
straint that comes from truth and just laws, for
that would not be liberty, hut license. He that
is not obliged to submit to an unjust law, he
that must only obey God and those who echo
His authority is q free man. Just law and legit-
innate authority do not make slaves, for they are
the protectors Of our rights and liberties. I am
not acquainted with a single fact where the
0o1O4 ObuLCAt tLuPOoCQ OH uhJuSt ldW OE Q0-
manded obedience other than that which is due
TO God and to those clothed with His authority.
But does she not forbid her members to hold GER
tain opinions that are preached in this nine
teenth century, Emphatically, no; not if these
opinions be in accordance with the truth and law
of God. But, where, then is our liberty of
thoughts Have we not already said that to re-
strict a man from committing a criminal action
is not taking away his liberty. so neither can it
be TO restrict a man from harboring
nr~ hArnh Irntrfv nn~
in 'f harboring 'as4 criminal shou mSa
and how, in the name of common sense, can he
be blamed if he puts his thought into execution2
Crime and error have no rights whatever. The
Catholic Church allows US to have all the free
dom of thought that truth and law give us.
How is it that in the United States there is
an unending theme of defamation against the
church-thak she is inimical to republican lib
erty, to democratic institutions. The theolog-
ical and political demagogues among her ac-
cusers r~eiterate the charge until many thou
sands OF honest, well-meaning persons really
come to believe there must be some truth in the
accusation. Yet Catholics were the trainers of the
Magma Charta. That we in these United States
have any idea Of civil liberty, which consists
FIRST, in constituting each house of q citizen his
castle; second, no taxation il no representation:
third, trial by jury; fourth, the privilege of
habeas corpus; fifth, no Imprisonment except by
due process of law-that we have this idea of
civil liberty we may thank Catholics. Have not
the children OF the cnurcn In this country Fought
nobly in order to make this idea a reality in
this United Statesl What have Catholics
done in the war of independence There was
Charles Carroll, who staked millions on our free
dom. Can our enemies forget R~ochambeau, De
Grasse, Lafayette, Pulaski, DeKalb, Stephen
Moylan, the right-hand man of George Washing
ton, and his three brothers2 Will they consign
to oblivion Moriarty, Hennesy, Driscoll, DAILY,
jerry 0Brien and our first COMMODORE, John Bar
ryf Can't they remember the 5000 infantry
and 300 eavalrymen sent rs by Catholic Francel
Have they forgotten the Irish brigade or the
Pennsylvania liners and their desperate charge
on the English2 Why do they not remember
what Lord Mountjoy said in the English Parlia-
ment7 You have lost America on account of the
Irish Catholics
1.-THE first amendment to the Constitution pro-
yides that Congress shall make no law respect
Ing the establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof. This amenement was
the result of q memorial presented to Congress
by DR.. Carroll, George Meade father of General
Meade, of the United States army,) Charles Car
~ 49, n--.-.-