St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-28

are not simply servants OF GOu, out
that they are true men, and that the
church produces independent trust
worthy characters. The true Catholic
is independent of men, and yet loves
them rs brethren. He knows legitimate
authority from uSurpation, obeys me
one with facility, and resists the other
unto blood. The Catholi. must show
himself able to use the arts of industry,
enjoy the privileges of wealth, and yet
love God above all things and his
neighb0r as himself. The business of
the church is to make the best Chris
tianS of the very men who are emphat-
ically the men of the age.
1t is right TO say that we should hate
hereSy, apoStacy and rebellion of Catho-
lies against their church. But we
Catholics should also hate bribery and
corruption in ohice. trading in votes and
all the
VICES OF Low-GRADE POLITICS.
How we should hate intemperance and
saloons, how we should loathe obscene
literature. foul pictures and statues and
leWd plays! How, on the other hand,
we should cultivate the natural virtues
which make men good citizens, kindly
neighborS and successful men OF busl-
ness. Without the natural virtues
Christianity is of little force in this age.
There is no coward so mean as piouS
one. There is no more contemplate
creature alive than Catholic political
huckSter. There is no such sham
i'm the world as that which
pretendS to the virtue OF the
Christian and lacks that OF the
man. Manhood is condition OF CHRIS
tian virtue. A Catholic freQuenting the
frpf IN fnlnRSS
honesty. temperance, is like man with
a clean shirt, but crawling with vermtn,
or a blind man with gold spectacleS, or
a gold ring on a paralyzed hand. The
sneak and the coward are not the pro-
ducts of the grace of God. If the re-
ligiOn you profess does not require man
hood as condition or bring out man
hood as result. then there is something
wrong, either with it or with your use
OF it. Says a philosopher, God, in max
ing the prophet. does not unmake the
man. That timid, shrinking creature
who cannot move unless he is led is not
a typical Catholic. st. Paul tells us that
the Christian character is graft upon
the wild olive, but if the wild olive
he WOrm-eaten and die, so does the
graft die too. Before can decide what
sort of a Catholic man is want to
know what sort of man and citizen the
Catholic is. The brickmakiDg machine
may be ever so good, but it cannot make
good brick ont of common mud. To UNI
dertake To be a Christian without ac-
curing the natural virtues is like study
ing the higher mathematics without
knowing the multiplication table.
Either Christianity finds the natural vlr-
tues ready at hand or it produces them
&c, ..TriVn n0rrr
of or seen pictures of a savage decked
out in high hat and a military uniform
coat and with bare feet and naked legs,
his face daubed with paint. That is
what Christian who lacks manhood
looks like to God.
CathOllcs, pisnops. priests and lay
men, are the divlnely-app0inted guard
ians of these virtues and the natural
verities which inspire them. Upon ey-
cry man, indeed, God lays the duty of
outspOken defense of the truth and Vir-
tue. But Catholics have special mis-
sion peculiar to themselves. For this
was | born" said the founder of our re-
ligion, 'fOr this came into the world,
that | might give testimony to the
truth" Who but ourselves, with our
matchleSS public organization, should
be the foremost defenders of the truth,
as it is common to our nation? The
civil authorities? They are powerlesS
without the backing OF religious men;
and they can do little more than infllct
penaltieS-a very feeble power over the
restless mind of man. Shall we basely
yield the front rank to the Protestant
clergy? There are multitudeS of earnest
men among them, but they are divided,
many of them are themselves in doubt,
and although their constituency is pow
erful, they cannot command it. The
cause is ours, and so should be the bat
tie.
The decay of courage, generosity. hon.
esty, industry, temperance, truthful
ness-tne decay of the natural virtues
after running the state will bring about
the downfall of supernatural religion it
self.
TO YOU NEwLY-MADE BISHOPS,
as you stand now upon the high mount
ain of the episcopal Office, L say look
out upon this lovely land; this rich,
strong people; this free nation. DOyou
not feel that the spirit of God has from
the very beginning set our nation apart
for a mighty destiny? What can it he
but the knowledge of truth, natural and
revealed. and its supremacy in the whole
world? Does it not depend upon CathO-
lies, and especially upon you, our lead
ers, to make this future a reality2 If
we are not tue to our vocation, all shall
have been in vain.
In vain did the spirit of God fill the
sails of the little ships that bore Column
bus on his voyage Of discovery. In vain
did the heroes of the Indian missions
shed their blood in the wilderness. In
vain did the heroes of the great ReVolu-
- fhnir lixyoc fhn
battlefield to shake off the tyrant'S
grasp: in vain did the many thousands
die to put down the great Rebellion and
make the nation one, and the nations
freedom the equal heritage of all her
children. In vain have myriadS of guile
less souls sighed for the truth and for
the innocence of Christ. In vain all
that has gone before us. if it be not made
effieacious by the manly, Christian char
acter of the Catholic clergy aud people.
What will it avail this nation if it revere
George Washington and forget to love
Jesus Christ? If it love the flag and for
get the cross? Revere the constitution
and reject the word of God?
The Office of bishop is not simply the
rules of men; it is the custody of the
truth. Follow the truth; in whatsoever
mind you find it do your high duty to
cherish it and complete it. Follow error,
and in whatsoever mind you find 1t as
sail it with the resiStless JUNCTION of your
apostolic vocation exercised in kindly
charity.
THE SUPREME MAJESTY OF ALL TRUTH
is committed to you in your dioceses.
Of what good is money or place or pow
er to a people without the truthP
"Why," as says holy scripture, sis light
given to him that is in misery, and life
to them that are in bitterness of soul?'
What good is liberty without virtue. or
intelligence without the truth? The
council of Trent says that the foremost
duty of bishop is to teach, and nova
days that duty applies principally to
teaching personally the truths called
natural. and providing other teachers
of them, such as the need of religion
and the being of God, immortality and
prayer, fidelity to conscience, sobriety,
industry, purity, truthfulness, integrity
of character; these prepare the way for
supernatural religion; the divinity of
Christ, the inspiration of Scripture, the
divine Institution and authority Of the