The Irish standard., 1896-12-05
llR AGESS Gus SGD.
. h q oquent, Comprehensive and f,as
terIy Discourse. by Father
S ssSsii.ss:5 Clearly.
Il .:1luCH ABUSED PERIOD Or HISTORY.

AsIucH ABUSED PERIOD or HISTORY.
Intelligent Writers All Agree as to the
81 Truth OF This Asser- BIZ
;$% tlon.
& .:.The Dark Ages was Father Cleary's
topic Sunday evening, I'D ult.. at st.
Charles church. He prefaced his evenings
discourse with brief aliusion to the edit
oTiai censure Of The Times on his casti-
CATION Of Luther. fle stated in sub
stance that if the Times critic had been
present and heard his remarks on the
previous Sunday evening. he would have
understood that his rebulle to the minis
Eters who had attempted to defame the
Catholic Church in their extravagant
praise of Luther, manifested no bitter
ness nor bigOtry towards Protestants.
He maintained that he had not uttered
one word that betra yad half SO much Dit
terness. or dishonesty, as the sheer by
fhe Times, in its slang expression about
putting up" for the extricatfon or Mar
tin Luther from purgatory, in winch the
Times, not the Catholic creed, had placed
the gay reforlner. He said that poor
Martin Luther had practised many viz
tues while he had been faithful Cath
olic In the infinite mercy of God he
might possibly on their account enjoy
the good fortune Of getting into purga-
tory. B,,t his Vices were so many, and
so fragrant, and his manifestations OF re-.
enhance so meagre, after he had begun
to interpret the Bible for himself, and De-
came a good Protestant, that it is very
much to be feared, fervently as we may
hope. that the dubious reformer scarcely
escaped the clutches Of the royal master
of the hotter regions, with whom he
claimed such Intimacy while still on
earth.
Our own Emerson, speaking at Har-
ward University on the darkness OF the
Middle Ages, says: "The darkness of
those times arises from our want OF in
formation, not from the absence OF INTEL
ligence that distinguished them. Human
thought was never more active and never
produced greater. results in any period OF
the world" -.-
The Middle Ages cover q period of
about one thousand years of the world 8
history. from the fall of the Roman en-
p;re towards the close Of the Fifth CEN
t,1ry to the revival of learning towards
the close of the Fifteenth. The specially
dark period Of this time is commonly I'M
:6arstood as covering four centuries, the
Ninth Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth.
From the fall OF the Roman empire un-
til the accession Of Char1amagne, IN the
wear 500. European society was almost
constantly in state Of bloody commo-
tion. During this time the incursions OF
the barbarians from the north took place
: These sayages from the woods did not
make their conqnests for the purpose OF
occupvina the soil and building UP en-
pires, but for the purpose Of plunder. one
. wave OF barbarians pushed the otner
farther on. They harrassed the COM
p,erce of the Mediterranean, and threat
eped with destruction all the efforts OF the
church to lay the foundations OF clv1l1zeo
soctnty.
During these ages, however, the church
craated anew the Christian civilization
that ives TO confer blessings upon man
kind 1t was the age of chivalry, OF ro-
nance, OF poetry, Of architecture, paint
ing. ana all the arts, that reveal the high
;es1 culture OF the soul. mo society,
saws {I,iizct, s'ever made greater efforts
4hani the Christian church did from the
Fifth to the Tenth century to influence
The world about it and to assim1late 1t to
itso,e. From that so-called ben1ghted
age We get the Great Charter OF English
risl,ts, the corner stone of our constitu-
fiona1 liberties. In that age the dignity
of the individual, and the inallenable
rights Of man, because of his manhood,
were fully recognized and establlshed:
Unity Of religious belief no more stlned
Individuality in the Middle Ages than
does political unity in this age destroy
I the individual
$ IS Religion nodded the character ana IN
Hueneed thaIives Of. the people. 1t was the
saving. sustaining force, that seuroea the
passions Of wayy-,like men, and that al the
same time restrained the arbitrary des-
I. ,,osjs,r, ,:,f civil power. In the Middle
Ages was waged the mighty contest be-
tween the church and barbarian kings,
! who attempted to ride rough-shod over
me rights of the people. AL! the great
universities and schools of learning IN
/. Throne arose in that age, that. mlsgu1deu
n1a,, nave been &ledsto believe was an age
of hitter and RELENTLESS hostility to learn
ing The emancipation OF the human
mind, We are often told, from superstition
and ignorance took place at the olrtn OF
Professionalism, and the downfall OF the
dark ages OF paoal ignorance.
The great English historian, Hallam,
admits that the praise OF having Original
I. ~ established schools belongs TO some
Bishops and abbots Of the Sixth century.
,The great schools Of Ireland were famous
throughout Europe in the Fifth century:
Refore Luthers revolt was even dreamed
Of the church struggled single-handed
and alone for centuries against ignorance
and tarbarisn She had already achieved
p splendid triumph over these evils before
The dawn of the reformation.
yainglorious e,llogists Of Luther ana
his time will tell us that the old church
that had rescued the world from pagan
ism, that had blessed the Crusades, had
ssnt Boniface to Germany, Augustine TO
ENGLAND. and placed among the calendar
81 saints Bridget of Sweden, was per-
sister,S enemy Of. education. AS early as
The. Fourth century, Julian the apostate,
an arch enemy of the church, prohibited
by law the education Of Christians. Inc
.fpnd had then the shameless heartless-
ness to sheer at the ignorance Of Chris
Iians. -. ~ .ss5.
4 similar outrage and indfgnity was
perpetrated upon the Catholics OF Eng
I land and Ireland, under the infamous
" !nenal code established by Queen Eliza
beth for the protection of Professionalism
4 against the; influence of enlightened Cath
olifs. The latter we're forbidden by law
. ,,,.., ,,,5 than daSniSod Far their ie.