St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-21
InsAnswer to Archbishop Ire
land and the Catholic
Truth Society.
A Sermon to Point Out the
Supposed Aims Of the Cath
Ollie Hierarchy.
Roman Catholic Aggression
as Viewed From the Uni
tartan Standpoint.


overthrow it"
In view of the recent statements of
the Catholic Truth society and of the
archbishop of st. Paul. it seemed i'm
perative that some one should take up
the question OF the political aspirations
of the Roman hierarchy. For whatever
be the success or failure of these in
tentions. they are very important at the
present time. The society says, ''Its
members believe. with the archbishop
of ST. Paul, that the mission of the
Catholic church is to make America
Catholic" OF course, there can be no
man wild enough to believe in a gem
eral conversion of call PrOtestantS and
Indifferent people to Catholic ranks.
Indeed, distinguished prelate, In sum-
ming up tie growth of that church, adj
mitted that they had only taken care OF
their own, and had not prose-
lyted in the past history Of Amer
lea: the only conclusion then is
that the church expects to see major
ity of American voters Catholic, and
that by very possible development.
When nearly 100000 come through the
gates of Castle Garden each year, mostly
Catholics: when you see sprlnglng up
around them large families who are
carefully trained to be loyal Catholics
whatever else may be neglected; when
YOU see Quebec flooding New England
with fertile Catholic population, and an
open attempt made to tlatter and caJ0le
the ignorant black man of the South be
cause he has vote; and seeing all this
if you remember that continuance OF
present conditions in regard to suffrage
and immigration means possible po-
litical control, is it difficult to guess
what is meant by the hope OF making
America Catholic?
Certainly would not forget to make
distinction here at the very outset. Il
would not forget to give due honor 10
the brave missionaries OF that church,
who have breasted storms and hardships
most surprising for the cause they
loved: | would not forget those men and
women in the dark uniform OF the
church who stood beside sufferers IN
New Orleans during the Scourge OF the
yellow fever; l would not forget the
charming prose and still more charming
poetry that issued from the sanity
heart of Cardinal Newman, a man Tor
whom [ have always held the largest
admiration: no, would not forget any
of these, and stand firmly by the prin-
ciple that so long as this church aims to
do religious work, and keeps its hands
off the state and the public school, its
rights are as sacred as those OF any
Protestant church in the land: would
place it on ALI equality with Protestant
churches. give it the same privileges,
no less and no more.
And now [ want to say that the
Catholic hierarchy will fail In making
America Catholic; that it Will tall IN
holding the people in those nations
- ho6 nj of n
fifteen centuries; that it is fighting a
power never yet conquered though
often beaten doWn-the spirit of prog
ress. But lest you think l am growing
strong in my assertion, let me ask three
questions and answer them in this ser
mon. What is the spirit OF progress?
What is the relation of the Catholic
church to this spirit, as indicated by
history, especially the history OF this
century?
The Age of Progress.
In answer to the first question, shall
make brief quotation from that emf
nent student and able thinker, Prof.
John FiSke, who says: 'ThiS century.
which some have called an age OF iron,
has also been an age of ideas, an era OF
seeking and finding, the like of which
was never known before. 1t is an epoch,
the grandeur of which dWarfs all
others that can be named since the be-
ginning of the historic period, if not
since man first became dlStlDctlvely
human" When we remember that
since the closing years of the last CEN
tury all methods of production and
transportation have been changed; that
since 1880 all methods and theories in
science have been changed; that a new
epoch was born with the birth
Of the century, we then begin
| to feel It's importance. When we
realize that during the century Ideas
of mans dignity, worth. hope and func-
| ton in civil life have almost entirely
changed: that the importance of reason,
conscience, and liberty of choice with
out dictation, have given him a new sig
nificance; then we may begin to see
| what the spirit of progress is, and what
| it has been doing for the race. You
| have only to see the growth of universal
education, of hospitals and better meth
| dds in prison management; the enlarged
| influence in state affairs that the ordl-
nary man has, as compared With the
| man of century ago, to see the practl-
| cal working of the theory that man. as
man, is endowed with liberty of con-
| science to choose or to refuse, that his
| reason must assist him in the choice OF
| what is his and for him, and that con-
| science is court of appeal of the very
| largest Importance.
This theory of the development of
| liberty, conscience and reason was al
ready established in America, but grew
| slowly in Europe in the first half OF the
| century. 1t was growing, however. and
| in those wears the student who will eX-
| anime the general progress of man will
be surprised to see the changes wrought.
| 1t finally bore fruit. In 1860 repre-
| sentative government was firmly estab-
| lished in Prussia: in '63 American slav-
| ery was abolished: in '6S Spain enlarged
| the right of suffrage: in '67 Great Brit
ain widened the basis of her electoral
| system in such way as to enlarge the
| influences of her laboring people, and
| in 10 France threw off the yoke of
| bondage and became republic; while,
| in the meantime, Italy had been united,
| the liberty of her citizens being also in
creased. And what does 1t all mean?
1t means that progress has touched the
world; that God is in the century out
! working in humanity the nationality and
the liberty of this age; and it means,
therefore, that no pope nor council, no
man nor government, can check or
change its power.
The Catholic Church i'm Connection
With Progress.
Now what has been the attitude OF
| the Catholic hierarchy in forwarding the
progress? When Pope Gregory called
Henry ". to the papal palace, forced
him to stand one day in snow outside
the triple walls, the next day inside, but
without food, and on the third day to
kiss the dust of the floor, you have q
sample of the relative influence of the
papal and civil authority; and when
you recall the conditions of Europe early
| in this century you find the same spirit
in the hierarchy. AS thirty years later
although steam ::and machinery were rev
authorizing the world, the papal gov
eminent refused to catch the spirit Of
progress and even cancelled orders al
ready given for the construction OF
steamers; although other nations were
attending the wants of education, the
most dense ignorance prevailed in the
papal states-nOt more than one il
500 being able to read. Indeed, ignor
ance and filth and pestilence walked
| hand in hand. And later when MI