St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-11

church i'm this country during the past
century and endeav0r To understand It's
action and spirit. And by the past we
may Judge of the yet more glorious fut-
ure, As the student of our national
history in observing the rise OF the
young republic itself naturally fixes his
attention on the great leader who em-
bodied in himself the principles and the
spirit of that period. and from the study
of the character of George Washington
learns the genius of the times; so in our
ecclestical history we behold one man,
the first Catholic bishop of these states
at the time of this great centennial cele-
bration of his appointment. Like
Simon, the high priest, he fortified
THE MORAL TEMPLE
and enlarged the city of God, and the
bishops that followed him have walked
in his light and in the brightness Of his
rising" On the 9th of November, 1859,
John Carroll was appointed first bishop
OF Baltimore. and the head of the Cath
Ollie church in the United States. Bishop
Carroll by instinct was broad and lib
eral in his Views; thoroughly American
in his sentiments. He understood how
the mission of the new government
would be like the church's own mission,
to combine cathOilciIy with unity. tie
had personal experience of this COM
bination in his own priests. His first
diocesan synod was held in l7y1, the
year after his conservation. 1t consisted
of only twenty-One priests. but they
represented seven different nation
alties, not merely countries or
birth. which may be of COM
paratively little importance with
peoples of the same race, but seven
different and somewhat antagOniStic
| peoples, American, Irish, English, Ger
ma.,, French, Belgian and Holland, yet
all acted in their true character OF
American priests under his leadership.
Bishop Carroll was an American patriot
as well as a Christian bishop. The new
| bishop thoroughly appreciated how I'M
portant for the church's progress, as
well as for the stability of the state.
was the diffusion of education. One of
| his first projects was to foster the
Georgetown college. OF all the false
charges alleged against the Catholic
church. the most senseless and un-
| founded is that she fears science and is
the enemy of education. Her opponents.
almost in the same breath. charge her
| with being the foe at once and the
MoNOPoLIZER OF EDUCATION.
And the last man in the world to fear
| intellectual progress, whether popular
! or individual, is the Catholic. He well
| knows that truth is one, that God can
not contradict in the revelation of Scrip
ture what he exhibits in the revelation
| of science. Hence mans fearleSSIeSS
| of such science will be in proportion
| to the certainty of his conviction of the
| truth of revelation. After dwelling on
| the life of Bishop Carroll and the early
| church in America, Archbishop Ryan
| continued, addressing the laity: land
| on this great historic occasion you must
! not be mere observers, but we trust
| your representatives would speak out
| freely and fearlessly in the lay con-
| gresS. which forms 50 interesting feat
| ure in this centennial celebration. You
| know how false is the charge of the
! enemies of the church, that you are
| priest-ridden. The clergy did not fear
| the light of day, and if mistakes were
made by Catholic editors regarding
fhrir acts. it was not all an evil, for it
| clearly showed the rightful independ-
ence of the G atholic journalist. 1t is
| now time that an active, educated laity
should take aud express interest in the
| great questions Of the day affecting the
| church and society. / find that the best
educated amongst them, and nota-
| bly, the converts, are sound on the great
questions Of the day and loyal to the
| church." He then paid
| A GLOWING TRIBUTE
to the work done by the laity as pub
liciSts and editors during the century.
| By the united action of bishops, priests
| and laymen the results of progress in
the last century are truly astonishing.
| And. what is truly remarkable is the
| fact that in the section of the country
| where opposition to the church was
| most d eep and violent the progress was
| greatest. | allude to the New England
| states. Within the last sixty years
| New England had but one bishop, two
priests and two public places of wOr-
ship. She has now one archbishop, SIX
bishops, 942 priests and 619 churches,
with prvate chapels, colleges, schools
| and benevolent institutions. Those
| who do not desire the progress OF the
| Catholic church should never per-
| secute her. The general statistics IF
| the church during the century are
! When Bishop Carroll was cOnsecrated
in 1790 the entire population of the
| United States was little less than
4.Uv0.000. The Catholic population
was estimated at about 10000. There
| is now Catholic population of 5000.
| 000, 5000 priests. 10,50O churches and
| chapels, 81 semna ries and $50 colleges
and academies. and over 5000 parish
| schouls. The remarkable statistics
|
! slider the antagonism of the greater ma
| jority of the people to the Catholic
church. AS in pagan times, in the his
tory of this country the Catholic
| church's perfect organization was feared
as possibly dangerous to the state, and
| great and numerous party.
AFRAID TO ACT
IN open day, entered into secret so
ciety against handful of their fellow
citizens. Few people realize how much
| indirect benefit this cowardly oppOsi-
ton WAS to the churcD during the brief
inglorious existence Of the party pro-
| Nothing. Thoughtful men of the ma
ton wno opposed this party were
| driven into the ranks of the church's
| defenders. They studied her history
| and doctrines. Important CONVEX
| sons and the clearing away of much ig
| norance and pref judice were the results.
| The civil war. which so retarded the
nation and all religious institutions, in
| cluding our own. and split up all non-
Catholic denominations into North
erD and Southern organizations,
| said, the united power of the
Catholic church. The war also exhibit
ed her marvellous and well-regulated
| charity. Sisters of Northern birth and
principles nursed the Southern soldiers,
| and sisters OF Southern birth and prin-
cipleS, whose br0t hers were fighting in
the ranks of the Confederate army, were
found nursing their Northern foes.
Hence, since the war, there is great
change in popular sentiment in relation
to the Catholic church. In addition to
this 1t must be remembered that Cath
oIics and Protestants now associate
more frequently and intimately. and un-
derstand each other better. Intelli-
gent Protestants are gradually dis
abused of the old notion that the Catho-
lies exalt the blessed Virgin to a posi-
tion eqnal:to that of the Son; that priests
can forgive SINS according to their
pleasure; tnat images may be adOred
after the fashion of the pagans; that
the Bible should not be read, and other
absurd supposed doctrines and prac-
tices of the church. Because of the en-
lightenment and because of the high