The herald., 1896-12-22
AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP
Bishop Montgomery's Eloquent Address
Last Night
The Los Angeles Theater Crowded With
an Appreciative Audience-A Dis
course Of Profound Charity

to the doors last night to listen to the
address of the Rt. Rev. Bishop Mont
gomery on the subject of American Cit
izenship.
j. F. Francis presided in his usual hap
py manner and made brief speech OF
Introduction bubbling with witticisms.
The bishop explained the object Of the
Catholic Truth Society to be simply an
effort through lectures and the distri-
button Of Catholic literature to explain
in clear and simple manner those doc
trines of the Catholic church that are
so frequently misunderstood by so many
good and honest souls.
The whole tone of the discourse was
one of profound charity to all men, love
of his faith and a love of his country,
and though he spoke strongly from his
point of view, it was at no time out of
keeping with these characteristics
The keynote of the address was the
| necessity Of all true lovers of the con-
stitution to study the basis of citizen
ship under the constitution; and that
this study should be made outside of
any partisan considerations. He re-
garded the republican form of govern
ment the right form of government for
free, intelligent and virtuous people.
and the constitution the proper express
sion of that form of government. the in
tents and purposes of which are to be se-
cured through intelligent and honest cit
izenship under it.
That citizenship is valuable because of
the civil and religious liberty which it
secures to the individual and to society
And the basis of that citizenship he re-
| garded to be religion. He distinguished
very clearly the fact that when he
claimed' religion to be the basis of citi-
zenship, it was not the Catholic relig-
| ion. as such, that he spoke of. We shall
| likely always differ on dogmatic relig-
iuos tenets, as we differ in political pol
| icies, but just as honest men differ hon.
| estly on political policies, and yet are
| true and loyal defenders of republican
| institutions, so may they continue to
| differ religiously, yet each and all in
| their own way strive to form an honest
conscientious citizenship in all those
whom they influence.
There are many opinions as to what
constitutes the palladium of our lib
critics. Some place 1t in the ballot, some
| in our judiciary, some in educa ton. Mr..
Blackstone contends that trial by jury
| is the palladium of English liberties.
But little thought will show clearly
| that there is an ingredient that must be
| found in any and all of these to make
them really useful. There must be an
| honest ballot. there must be an honest
! Judiciary. there must be an honest jury.
| The business of education Is to inject
that ingredient into the individual con-
sciences. which make up the great ma
tional conscience.
1t can be had in no other way. And
| hence he held that education must for
this very reason be religious. for he held
| acter in men. And here, not to be mis-
| that it is religion that forms this char
| understood, he wanted it borne in mind
| that he did not make the contention that
| those who make no profession of relig-
| ion or who may, on the contrary, declare
that they do not profess any religion
are thereby necessarily wanting in their
love of country or in the character of
| god citizens and honest men. But he
| contended that all such were children
| of religious influences and that their no
bleness Of character comes from princi-
pies that had been factors in the forma
| tion of their character, though they even
denied those principles themselves.
When he used the term "infider' or
! skeptic' he did so through no disrespect
to persons. but simply to designate a
mode of thought, the same as he would
| speak of Catholic and non-Catholic. And
he maintained that he believed in the
honest infidel and the honest skeptic, and
that they had just the same natural
| right to their Views as the believer had.
They shall have to render an account to
God, not to man, for the way in which
they have used their intelligence and
their free will. just as the believer will
| have to do.
He believed that the skeptic has the
same natural right to teach his child
skepticism as the believer has to teach
his children religion. He does not be-
lice it best, in the abstract, for either the
child or society, but it is the only way
possible for men to get along together,
constituted as God has constituted us.
He belieed a separation of church and
| state in the usual understanding of the
term is the proper thing, but not a sepa-
ration of religion and state.
There is no other way possible in re-
public to enforce its will except through
the character and the conscences of the
indiidual. He quoted Hume, Rousseau,
and Voltaire to show that all govern
ment. all true civilization, rests upon re-
ligion. He quoted likewise from De
Tocqueville in his American Republic
and James Brice in his American Com
monwealth to show that the republic is
based upon religion, closing his quota
tions with passage from Washington s
farewell address substantiating all that
he had said. Washington asks the ques-
tion: Where is the security for property,
for reputation for life itself, If the sense
of religious obligations deserts the oaths
which are the instruments of investi-
CATION in courts of justce?' And he
adds: "And let us with caution indulge
the supposition that morality can be
maintained without religion" Here, the
Bishop contended. the whole matter is
summed up by Washington himself.
Uuless then, Washington was wholly
wrong, the asis of citizenship. the basis
and the spirit of the constitution, is re-
lgion.
AS a religion for the salvation of souls
the bishop believed the Catholic relig-
ion to be the religion in its fullness
founded by Jesus Christ. But ne be-
lieyed at the same time that every sect
and denomination of religion. and es-
peciaIly as they existed in Washington s
day, are pillars of strength to the gov
eril,nert causing a religious conscience
in those they Influence. And hence it
is with regret that he believes he sees
evidences of those religions losing their
hold upon men.
No man. he said, can be blind to the
fact that there is most unreasonable
and unnatural estrangement growing
I'D between what is known as labor and
capital, dividing our peonle off into
two distinct classes. and oh man who
wilfully widens that breach is a public
enemy.
But the way to remedy 1T Is not to
DENY it's existence or 10 minimize its
Importance but to set about to heal 1t.
There is feeling that wealth. has an