The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-11-20
REPLY TO FATHER PRIOR.

In Saturdays FREE PRESS ] notice
that Father Prior takes exceptions
to three sentiments expressed by me
in my address of welcome at the re-
cent Y. P. S. G. E. convention.
The first of those sentiments which
the worthy Father characterizes as
vulgar" 'ungenerous, ''unchris-
tian,n etc. is as follows:
1.-THE days have gone by when a
church should exist as a depository
for religious relics, whose efficiency for
healing is past. To make this pure
Christian" sentiment, we should
have said, [ presume, that 1.-The pur-
pose for which church should exist
today is that il might be a depository
for religious relics. Mysecond state
ntquoted reads: "A sin sick soul can
never be cured by the touch Of theo-
logicaldogmaany more than by a decay
ed piece Of the true cross or the hol-
low tooth of d canOnlZed saint. But
what / had ought To have said, / ex-
pect, was that: A sin sick soul can
be cured by a theological dogma Just
as well as by Ilelg piece OF the true
cross or the filled tooth Of q canonlzed
saint. Ny third blasphemous state
ment was as follows: Modern
! science teaches that life only can
beget life, and it is only live issues in
the hands Of living Christians, inspir-
ed by a risen living Lord which can
/ touch souls into life.
Now, just the reyered Of this is what
l ought TO have stated according TO
| Father Prior's opinion.
| Then the worthy Father seems TO
detect in my sentiments the idea that
the world is progressing, which mis-
cheyious idea he refutes and rebQkes
/ with quotation from Wendell Phil
/ lips.
Now my humble Judgment, though
I confess it is not infalIible, still pre-
4 fers the sentiments as / express them
/ TO their revision by Father Prior. In
/ deed. ! doubt if man Of Father
4 Prior'S learning and intelligence be-
/ lieyeS even that all the mass OF church
relics, which past ignorance, credul-
4 ity and deception have gathered
/ into the American, Greek and
! Catholic churches are genuine. OF
/ that they can heal diseases Of body OF
soul. Religious relics, either in the
! literal or fguratiYe sense, are better
/ fitted for museum than living
church. whether Catholic or Protest
ant. The cleaner the dust Of error
and superstition is brushed from true
religion the brighter it will shine
and God can, and does, | believe, uSt
even an Ingersol as broom for that
purpose. All that Father Prior says
about Christ and the glory of his cross
/ most heartily endorse. | fully be
/ lieve in the cross, not the chips Of
wood decayed or otherwise handles
down by ignorance and superstition
but the living cross, which is power
in the earth-not dormant power
but an active one, which daily lift:
the world into a nobler life. Because
/ believe in the presence Of this pow
er which makes righteousness, there
fore / have faith that the world is adj
vancing and growing better every day
and will continue TO do so in the fu.
ture while that power remains, and
history teaches me that my faith
is well founded. The Catholics are
/ better to-day than when they were
burning heretics and the Congrega
/ tionalists than when they were burn,
! ing witches. and the nations are bet
/ ter than when they believed in the
divine right Of kings. The world is
moving rapidly onward to the higher
and nobler plane under the leverage
of the cross. no matter what Wendal-
Phillips may have thought. The diff.
ference Of opinion. however, between
Father Prior and myself regarding
these matters may be more apparent
than real, and hence l viii proceed
no further. As TO the little bombas.
tic abuse with which the good father
seasoned his communication by way
Of example, perhaps Of true christian
''courteousness" and charity"
have nothing to answer, and will sur
rener at once, as / have no ability or
disposition in that line.
TH0S. HUGHs.