St. Paul daily globe., 1888-02-06
DANGER OF, INFYDEIIITY.,
Rev. Father Shaniey Says the
Great Fight Must be Made
Against It. .-,

Great Fight Must be Made
Against 1t. @
Father Stanley preached the sermon
yesterday at the cathedral. He took
for his text these words of the days
gospel, "The Seed is the Word" 1t
will not be amiss, said the speaker, this
morning to make a few pertinent re-
marks on the necessity of hearing ser
mons, and profiting by them. If there
was ever a time in the history of the
church when a thorough knowledge of
its doctrines and the reasons for such
was necessary, it is at the present time.
To-day the battle is not between Cath
olicity and Professionalism. Protestant
ism is about dead as a form of
Christian belief; the fight is between
Christianity and infidelity. The coun-
try in which we live is no more a
Protestant than Catholic country, and
if it has any form of belief, it is that Of
infidelity. If you speak with those
outside the Catholic church. you will
find they have no church doctrine. The
vast majority of them doubt whether
there is anything i'll Christianity
or not. Infdelity is on all sides
of us, and making its raw
ages in the Catholic world.
Many Of the books printed nowadays
are tinged with intidelity. The novels
that find their way into the hands of our
youth are written from an intideI stand
point; the magazines which, I'm sorry
TO say, are the source from which most
people derive their Information, are
very hOt-bedS of infidelity. The popu-
lar orator who wishes to appear smart
and provoke the applause of his hearers,
does so by ridiculing something which
Christians approve of or hold sacred.
1niidelity is making serious
INROADS AMONG OUR YOUTH,
and it is necessary that they be in
Structed in the groundwork of their re-
ligion if they would oppose successfully
its ravageS. How can they do so if they
do not go where instruction can be given
them?
Time and again it has been brought
to my notice, young men discussing
topics of which they know absolutely
nothing, being fitted neither by talents
nor experience, and coming to conclu-
sions directly opposed to Christian
teachings. They allow these conclu-
sions to remain in their minds, and never
have the courage to go to those who
could render them assistance and solve
their difficulties. Will they be seen at
high mass or yespers where instruction
is given? Oh. no. The last mass is
meant for their sisters. mothers or the
''Old man." but for the intelligent young
man who speaks dramatically, he
needs no instruction. In consequence
he is losing his faith, and with it his
immortal soul. There is solemn obliga-
tion on every Catholic to assist
at the service at which instruction
is given, and for many Catholics the
obligation to do so is 10000 times more
stringent than hearing mass itself, for
the mass does not fit one to answer
those difficulties brought against your
religion, nor to learn those things i'm
your religion of which you should
know.
Fourth-Then, again, there is another
great evil creeping. in among our people
the evil of sin. Infidelity, | take to be
AN INTELLECTUAL CRIME.
Sin means more particularly weakness
of the will. These sins are baneful to
the individual himself, and pernicious
to Catholic society at large. 1t is fear
full thing to think of Catholic men and
women in a city where the means of
salvation are so abundant, where there
are so many churches on all sides of US,
it is sad to reflect that there are so
many going headlong down to perdition.
Who are they who are damning their
souls day after day? Who are they who
are giving awful scandal by their public
wrong doing? Who are they seeking
corrupt. abominable society? Who are
these thousand Catholics whose names
figure on the report of the st. Paul
workhouse last year? Are they the
ones that hear the word of God? Are
they tine ones who come to church and
hear the beauties of their faith ex-
lives are an ulcer OH the church: who
are living disgrace On their religion,
whose names figure on tho police rec
ords, and who spend their nights i'll