The Irish standard., 1892-11-26
MINNEAPOLIS AND ST PAUL. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER

you and assure you that they we're en-
tireiy wrong He answered: ''Oh!
those who are inside the Church don't
always know about it. But, since they
had been inside, and since they held that
those inside could not know the truth
concerning the Church, how did it hap
pen that these particular apostates thor
opghly knew the Church and were to be
trusted, while I, as faithful convert,
could not know what / was talking
about?
IF I had retorted upon him with his
own argument, would have said this:
"You declare that members OF religious
organization, for example, the Catholic
Church, do not really know what that
organization is, what it means and what
it aims at. You are member OF reli-
gious organization called the Congrega-
tional Church; therefore you do not
know necessarily what it means. You
assume that those who secede from he
Catholic Church are the only Catholics
who understand that Church. There
fore, you, who are now Congregation
alist, do not understand your own church,
but if you seeded from it you would
then understand it. Hence, no one un-
derstands any church unless he is out
side of it."
He would have been convicted by his
own absurdity. Yet it is just this sort
of abeurdlty that we have to encounter.
To this same friend { remarked, later on,
that he had conspicuously avoided talk
ing with me about my faith. He replied:
"Oh! you may speak freely OF it." I an
swered: "Very we'll. But it isn't likely
that I ana going to sit down and expound
it all to you without inquiry from you.
You have always wanted to know what I
thought about every other thing. But
on this you seem wholly Indifferent" :"
And then he said: ooh, Inever want to
talk with man after he has made up
his mindp'
So, then. the conclusion would be that
there is no use in an interchange Of
views when man has any settled and
definite views to express. According to
this, the Protestant ideal would be a
state of perpetual indecision, a state that
might be described as general mindless
ness of universal absence of mind.
A Presbyterian teacher of high stand
ing, intellectual, accomplished and OF
considerable renewn. said to me heartily
that, in becoming Catholic, I had taken
the noblest and truest attitude man
could take, and that he wished he could
do the same A friend who has suffered
much told me that he often went into
the Catholic Church-as it was open
every day in the week-and simply sat
there ,neditating. He knew nothing Of
Catholic prayers and could not pray; but
he always came out feeling purer, better
and stronger. A lady of Puritan descent
wrote to us that the Catholic Church was
the only one she ever could join;yet that,
if she ever found herself inclinlng that
way, she would instantly buy and read
all the books against the Catholic Church
that she could obtain. This was another
form of tribute to the strength of Catho-
licity. So, too, was that OF distin-
guishea scientific man, who said to me
that for year in his youth he had gone
to early mass every day, without ever in
quiring or learning anything about the
service and sacrifice, but simply because
it made him feel s:good.' He now-still
omitting to nquire-scoffs mildly at the
Church; but. with a large experience of
Protestant denomination and pastors, he
says: IT have known Catholic priests,
and they were the best men ever knew" !"
Ii we look for negative or passive tri-
butes,what better can we ask than these?
Millions of Catholics contribute to the
support Of the public schools under an
un-American system of taxation almost
without representation, since they are so
little represented on the school boards,
and stiu show their sincerity by volun-
tarily maintaining schools Of their own,
besides. Catholics were the first settlers
in this country-the bringers Of civiliza-
ton. They were loyal to the American
revolution when many, and perhaps
most, Episcopalians and Methodists
were on the Tory side. Catholics are
absolutely loyal to the constitution,
laws, government and spirit OF this re-
pubic to-day, and they prove it in every
way that it is possible to offer proof, by
act and conduct.
Ibelieve that the next century will see
tidal wave OF conversions sweeping
the majority OF our countrymen into
the holy Catholic Church. At the
epiphany season how shine the words Of
Isaiah: Arise, be enlightened, 0 Jeru-
salem, for the Light is Gomez Those
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