The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-09-15
MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER
them to become adroit and desperate

| j. Z
Catholic Church as regards the virtue 0.
the American people? To ask the ques
tion is. to answer it,. AS regards it's in
duence upon the purity of the home
circle (Where the first principles of virtue
are inculcated and the foundation Of [;
virtuous life mustbe laid down., the i'll
fuence Of the Catholic Chu1chis uni
versally acknowledged to befar greater
than that Of all the religious secls com
bined. 1t Is the Catholic Church that
stands forth consDicuously preeeminen
in, defending the sanctity and pepper
uity Of marriage in insisting upon 6del
| ity to conjugal obligations. in 1nculcatr
ing the duties Of parents to children
and of children to parents. and in in
culcating in ali the relations of life
purity, honesty, justice, and charity.
Thus it il as regards virtue, how is il
as regards Intelligence? Here, too, the
question at once suggests to all its
proper answer. What part Of the peo-
pie Of the United States have made
such sacn Gees and striYen so energetic
ally for the education OF the rlsing gen
Grafton as have Catholics? And that
too in the face of tremendous odds and
disadvantages, and not under the COM
pulsion Of public taxation, but volun-
tarily. When the. Catholics in our
country were but a handful. prescribed
by public opinion, ostracised from citi-
Zellship, poor and scattered over vast
distances, they commenced establishing
schools, academies, and colleges,
and have never paused nor fal
tered in this work until their educa.
tional institutions arc pumerous]y
found in every State and Territory of
cur country, and are now to be crowned
with Catholic university in Washing
ton. The vulgar notions, born OF BIZ
gotry and stupidity, that Catholics are
ignorant and that the Church encour-
ages and promotes Ignorance amongst
its members, has become too plainly a
falsehood to be any longer repeated
and the enemies Of the Church now
profess to find cause for alarm in the
rapid strides made in multiplying and
perfecting Catholic educational insti-
tutions.
Thus whether we look at the history
Of the Church in past ages and in other
countries, or at Its history and present
condition in this country, superabund
ant proofs confront us OF the salutary
and b tne6cial influence exerted by the
Church in promoting virtue, inteili-
gepce, love of country, loyalty attach
ment to our civil liberties, and to the
institutions which guard and defend
them.
Thus, too. the stale gabble (for we
can call il nothing e]se) of the Metho-
dist Episcopslian Beard of Bishops"
about the power Of Romanism" being
'sa menace to our liberties and a. s,5are
to our people, is fatty contrad1cted by
the facts which stare every one in the
fare who has eyes to sea those facts, and
a mind to understand them.
Most heartily, therefore, do we join
those so called Bishops in calling at
tention to the growing influence and
power of the Catholic Church in the
United States. For that influence,
that power is tha surest guarantee
of stability of our civil institu tions, Of
our being rescued as people from the
tide of social and political corruption,
and Of our advancing in virtue. inteil1-
gence and true civilization.--Philadel-|
phia Standard.