Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-05-01
afashlngtun STANDARD
OilNPIt. WASH.
FRIDAY EVENING, MAI i, 1896.
Father Classens' Reply.

The Standard chceriully accords
Father Clas>ens the space to reply to
its article Of last week headed a
Searching Peroration,' in which the
exact words oi Father Bosche, Of st.
Louis, are commented upon as appall
ing to the soul which looks upon God
"a the essence of love for humanity
and uf compassion for his frailties. 1t
Is with pleasure that we receive the
assurance from 80 able an exponent as
Father Classens that the Catholic
Church must not I've held responsible
for such terrible doctrine as is out
lined 10y Rev. Father Br:che, in the
following words:
As lon. as the soul. which is spirit
ual AMI cannot he dsintegratcd. shall
not perish; as long as God is God, the
souls Ui the damned shall remain in the
prison cells OF hell. The stars may
wanc and seas he drained, but the dread
reality OF Gods anger shall continue to
burn and torture the rcprobates of he'll"
When we consider the iniallibility
that is claimed for all tenets of this
church, it seems strange that there
should be such wide divergence be-
tween Fathers Bosche and Classens
upon matter OF cardinal faith. We
leave the difference as we find it, and
for the public to judge whether or
not it was not complete justification
for comment. If our article has had
no other effect than to afford an op.
portunity for disclaimer of such
birthstone faith, we think it has served
an ample purpose.
And the same may be admitted with
reference to the assertion in our arti.
Gle that it is "a tenet of the Papal
church that all adult persons who
die outside the pale of the Holy Cath
olic church, are irretrievably Lost" It
seems that the "Third Plenary Coun-
Gil of Baltimore, in 1885," admits what
is literally a " saving clause" when it
declares that "he who knows the
church to be the true church, and re-
mains out of it cannot be saved"
Still there is no less solemn declsra-
ton that "All are bound to belong to
the church, and the only valid excuse
for failure to recognize its authority is
based upon ignorance, which in the
present condition OF the worlds prog
ress leaves indeed narrow gateway
for the heretics' escape.
Father Classens' justification of end.
less punishment, by comparison with
the punishments fixed by man-made
laws, is scarcely admissible. Human
penal laws are framed for the protec.
ton Of society, and are admitted to be
imperfect in adaptation and made
quate in their results. The murderer
is condemned to Unemployment or
the gallows, not because his judges
and executors find pleasure in his
sufferings, but as warning TO and a
restraint upon male factors-a protec-
ton to life and property of the people.
"Society in general" Father Classens,
"want those laws 10 remain on the
statute-books and be in perfect work.
ing ORDER" from no vindictive hatred
of the transgressor, but simply as .
warning to others. Still the same
little book you sent us to show the
loop-hole for those who reject your
church from ignorance, defines Help
to be GA state in which the wicked
are condemned, and in which they
are deprived of a sight OF God for all
eternity, and are in dreadful tor.
ments." Now pardon us for expressing
the belief that a just God, under our
finite judgment, would find no pleas
ure in "those dreadful torments''
which you declare the wicked shall
suffer "for all eternity"
Pardon US again, respected sir, for q
denial of the imputation that covert
sneer was implied in the query
"When doctors disagree, what course
are we poor sinners to pursue3" 1t ia
farthest from our feelings to sneer at
any form of religion, and especially a
church which by its devoted sister.
hood has done 90 much for the relief
of humanity. "a tree is known by
the fruit it BEARS" and in this respect
the Catholic church can show results
that command the blue ribbon.