Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-25
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1888.
DISCARDED PRIESTS AND FATAL
 POWER.

DISCARDED PRIESTS AND FATAL
 POWER.
 Is it not pity that, for the sake of public decency if from no higher motive, the priest who because of disobedience has be- come excommunicate of the Church cannot hide his dishonor end seek restoration in repentances But there is pursuing fatal ity Worldly pride, and personal ambi- tion, both spurred on by the old-time in terested foe, will assert themselves; and the man who, but few short months ago, en- joyed the solemn privilege of ministering at the altar of the Most High under facul ties conferred by Christ's Vicar on earth, will stand in an arena unsanctifed by re- ligion and influenced only by the spirit of revenge to sheer at the altar of his former pretended love, and decry with vulgar epithet the great Pontiff erstwhile the object of his professed reverence and love. We might paraphrase the couplet of Burns whose anniversary is this day celebrated and say
 The bigots cheer s poor reward
 For Deity offended
 We wonder if Dr McGlynn on Sunday night last-and on the previous occasions when he gave joy to his anti-Catholic hearers lever gave thought to what even those hearers must have thought of him not to speak at all of the opinion of the sobSr minded Protestant element of the lana. Did he ever in his fulminations of }personal feeling think that he was building up for himself the title of hypo- ,erite as we'll as ingrate? He is of mature age-possesses rare gifts of scholarship-is profound theologian, as his affix of D. D. would indicate-was jealous priest on the sacrifcial altar as well as at the tribunal of penance; and can it be that his estimate of the ecclesiastical machine came upon him as revelation and forced him to the unfilial attitude he now occupies; or that he was all along convinced of the un- worthiness of the "Old Humbug, J who gave him power; that when uplifting his hands at the most solemn moment of the Church ser vice he was but an arrant pretender mot discerning the body of the Lord and that in the confessional when he ut tered the consoling words of absolution to the penitent he but repeated some un- meaning formula without faith and with out force? It would be we'll if Dr McGlynn had given or could still give thought tc the alternatives of the position-a sacrile gious priest making myth of Christian ity and mockery of his Saviour; or 6 disappointed and revengeful man, still be- ieving but sacrifsing his faith to his in sane folly.
 There is saying that ''all roads lead tc Rome." Perhaps there may in Gods mercy 7 and in human forgiveness, be path way yet made for Dr McGlynn to atone fol his apostacy; but at the very time whe1 abuse of what he was pleased to call tn, ecclesiastical machine the thoughts of mil lions of faithful worshippers were turned towards that same machine. In vas cathedrals and in humble churche even while Dr McGlynn burlesquet ''the tottering old bag of bones," there were demonstrations appealing not only t. religious enthusiasm but to the natura love of harmony and beauty And tn demonstrations were not confined to tn XIII presides, "old humbug" that he is By shrewd diplomacy and by the exercise of the finest qualities of statemanship th Pope succeeded in lessening the friction between the Papacy and the moder1 world; he has reconciled the conflicting elements and has adroitly brought to bea1 8 power in politics which not even tn, closest student in history could have be lieved would be again exercised by tn Vatican. In all this, food for reflection i suggested to the outside world indicativ of the iberalizing tendencies of the age D McGlynn and his abettors alone seen unimpressed or unin1uenced by the sign of the times. "A political machine" say from it's nature, must ever be opposed t. the materialistic and speculative philoso phies, but alive to the importance of in ventions, the discoveries of science and tn march of modern intellect along man lines. The "machine" preserved Art an Literature, during 8 long age. when Eu rope was in darkness; and certainly shows no signs to-day, albeit the totterin imbecility ascribed to it by an apostate, c obstructing the advance of civilizin thought. There will, of course, always b alarmists who intrenched behind the fol tifcations of creed and dogmas will SC danger in the future; but the great body C the people can recognize as a civilizin factor everything which tends toward morality, even though it may not nov within the lines which they have alread staked out "All roads lead to Rome There is an encouraging assurance of vii ing not the death of a sinner, but that | be converted and live What if the e. Reverend Doctor should try some qui pathway to reconciliation. The vel coarseness of his diatribes against the pc son would be claim on the charity of Il pontiff.