Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-10-13
Father Mathew.

Drink WIS devastating the land,and
dernoralizing the people Of his race.
Others among the clergy saw a. lie
saw; Others realized, as be realized
the ruin To body and soul that drink
was working, but they were want
ing in moral courage 10 speak aloud
against a vice entrenched behind
social customs stronger than written
laws They were wanting in cur
age TO teach 10y example as well as
precept, for, as was remarked hy
Archbishop Ireland, the self denial
ing drink was isut "a II ifiInc acrifice,
but ons wli-h experience ahows
that men "who apply mndnls ht dis
ci .,line To their shoulders, aud who
W ,uid face un.lasnted the marty $
pyre' hesitate and trcmbie To uiake.
) strong is III, bold Of drink upon
I poor human frame, Wonderful il
I the fleet of et,r it.>t:Iess uf purpose;
wonderful indeed the personal
ltiuruce winch Father Ma
thew obtained with thus people.
He sigued the pledge, and thousands
encouraged as much by his eX-
ample as 10y his preaching signed
the total abstinence pledge, and ub-
served il rrli-iuusly to the end OF
their days. The revival of the
lem nperauce movement among Cath
olics in America during the pas;
twenty-five years was mainly tbs
work of his disci ple--Uld total alb
-taipers who had taken the pledg,
from Father Mathew himself. It.
progress has been slow, but always
commensurate with tie Zeal of pas
tors and Ieople. The Catholic
temperance movement IN this cOun-
Try inspired 10y his memory ha.
passed the apologize stage. a
Catholic may now ue a total AL
-tainer or prohiUitinnist without
neing regarded as hereto. BISHOPS
and priests have gone 10 the fore
front, and are planning and direct
ing The lnPalgn against the low
saloon. Lay ueu have necessarily
in the past taken but a subordinate
part in framing the policy of the
church III line war against the liquor
traffic; but the fourth pleuary coun-
c.l OF Baltimore has furnished the
iuity with cOnIuii-siou 10 take b
leading and active part in the caui-
paign against iutemperence. That
the church IL America /, injured by
intemperance there can be 40 ques-
ton. In late widely noted article
in the Catholic World the Paulisl
Father Elliott declares that
The Catholic church IN America
il srievnusly injured by drunken
ne.s. Yet who will say that the
sacraments have moi been duly ad-
fuinistered, the word of God-un the
routine liues, al any rate-faithfully
preached right in tbs very coniuIu.
mites referred to? Yet from Catho-
lie domsciles s-miscalied hunies-iu
those cities and towns three
fourths Of the public paupers creep
annually to the aims houses, and
more than half the criminals
snatched away by the police to pris-
on are by baptism and training
members of our church. Can any
one deny this? Or can any one
deny that the identity of nominal
Cstholicity and puuperism existing
in our chief centres of population is
owing 20 the drunkenness Of Catho-
ics? ."
Father Elliott has reference more
particularly TO the community near
the Paulis,s' church in New York;
but what "a humiliatlng confession !
by priest
No wonder that Catholic clergy /
and lsity are everyw here awaking .
TO the dlshouor inflicted upon The
Church from this one source. Bis
shop Cotter, president OF the Cath
Ollie Abstinence Uuiun Of America,
in his address to the Union, touch
ing the celebration Of the centenary
Of Father Matthew, speaks in truu-
pet tones it's future policy.
"Tbe head Of the serpent must be
crushed, its power broken. With
liz in the bencdiction Of holy Church,
N the holy graces that come 10 liz
At the pitenus cries OF brDken heart
ID wives and mothers and sbaudon-
ri children il the power 10 false an
army able to yanquish this enemy
and free the people from its cruel
and fatal tyranny. Strive, then, to
make every house a recruiting STA
ion for our ranks; e,Iroil the youth,
he NiabuIph aiih lbt "biuduI'HI
IF the land in our socities. To this
md take the principles Of the union ,
nto every street, and workshop
'ffice and place Of business in the
country. There is danger every
' here to Oppose, weakness to furtify. /,
.et rally succeed rally. Above all,
'e earnest, steadfast aud constant in
mis- strife for immortal souls. - 4,
cortland Catholic Sentinel.
Evangelical Ministerial Convention.
mcial report for the CArIrALJ0uhsAL.
EAST PORTLAND, Or. Oct. 10
!. ,I -. 4