The San Francisco call., 1896-01-25

ms emlnence, has each seen in the opposing
camp only an army gathered by Satan and
| emanaung from the gates of hell to prevail II
possible against the true church OF christ
Ihey could not see in each other any sincerity,
any loyalty to the truth, but only the signs OF
utapoleal dete rmination to destroy the hoiy
institution established by the sacrIhce ana
martyrdom of the Nazarene.
Ihey nave not listened to the "Peuee on
earth, good will to men, but to the spirit OF
rage and the promptings of passion SO since
the days OF Luther it has been war-War to the
death or to victory
There is nothing more fierce than ecclesiasti-
cal hatred and religious passion, and the ex-
lstence OF these between great churches m axes
ostrust ana contempt easy and natural When
lnulVldnals OF the opposing hosts meet In the
ways 10 be sure, these recent antagonists
nave peen ready TO admit that in the ranks OF
tnelr opponents there are many individual
instances OF integrity, beneyolence ana SAINT
IiHess, put they regard these as being IN spite
U! tne general tendency and dominant spirit
OF each church, and they are readily disposed
boast on me frst opportunity 70 trace a,S
nonesty and falsity in the methods CT a par
tlcular opponent. Hence the ep1thet, the
51InsslnIuatlon 1Ils the accusation and all the mud
S drlekery and yillainy are what they expect,
ane they readily suppose themselves TO nave
discovered the evidence of it.
Thls opens the way for a third instructive
lesson, W.: That the reader, invited TO occupy
now this standpoint and now that is impressed
oy Ihe alleged hopeless unrellabllity OF the
authorities cited in the argument, or at least
OF the manner in which these citations are
nanaleu Dy the disputantS. / beleye not q
single writer in the list has escaped charges OF
unfalrness and misrepresen tation. The mass
Whelmlng and the reader is ready TO be con-
ylnced by the last letter he peruses, until he
mas next day what mighty counterstroke is
given to break the force of the authorities
brought into the arena 1t is uniformly al
leged by either side with regard TO the c1ta-
tons produced by the other side that they are
either:
!. Utterly partisan and grossly unfair.
z. That they are conscienceless forgeries.
3. That the disputants have garbled and
manipulated them for purpose.
4 Ihat erroneous inferences have been
drawn from them
3. That these errors and Inaccuracies prove
the dlsputants to be liars, or
3. Very incompetent scholars.
80 from day TO day these charges are hurled
pack and forth, as if these gentlemen had
adopted desperate ecclesiastical modification
OF the game OF shuttlecock and battledore.
VI one thing l have become very strongly
convinced, viz, that the Roman Catholic COM
impraeticable ideal, which it has striyen vainly
10 reaIlze 1t has undertaken to maintain an
absolute uniformity OF teaching, OF SPIRIT OF
method and of aim through all the multiply
ing centuries and amid the shifting course of
human purpose, thought and deed. This it
has deemed to be its duty and its destiny in
view OF its alleged viceregency and repre-
sentative commission as mouthplece and
referee Tor the will of the Almighty. But the
task as already defined has been prodigious
and TO my thinking impossible.
And in my Judgment the TACT 1s-though l
have no doubt that Father Yorke could easily
produce three-column article, bristling with
authorities, TO undo this humble opinion-the
TACT is that the Roman Catholic church has
succum bed 10 the necessity of a constant ac-
commodation and readaptation of its policy to
the changes wrought by history in human So
ciety.
OF course it would be impossible for any
church, however powerful 10 90 exactly the
same thing all the time, and in every land and
among ali sorts and conditions OF men.
dwell on this point because it may explain
how the Catholic apologst may claim, for ex-
ample, that the Roman church here in the
United States is not out OF harmony with
American institutions.
But now we come to ask, Is the Roman Cath
ohe church in politics? Our neighbors OF the
A. 2. A. affirm that it is. And they mean, if l
understand them Alright, that the church is
planning and plotting te secure all official
positions for its adherents and through them
ana the popular vote TO control ut last the leg
islation of the land and the administration of
governmental affairs-all this in the interests
OF ultimate papal supremacy. | do not know
how far known and accredited facts justify the
charge. But what l do know is that signs
frequently appear in the horizon to show that
all the churches Protestant as well as Cath
ollc, are to greater or less extent in politics.
mark the fact that nearly every representa-
tive assembly of the various and several de-
nominations is quite in the habit of drafting
its manifesto, petition plea concerning
some important public matter and dispatch
ing the same to executive authorities and
legislative bodies, municipal, State or Ma
tional, to influence their action.
So each great church has really the same
Identical consciousness that is attributed TO
the Papal church and believes that the whole
earth, with all its peoples and their temporal
rulers, must he dominated eventually by the
glorious doctrine which it cherishes and the
principles for which it stands as Gods chosen
and favored witness and defender
| believe that we need something in the ma
ture OF an enlarged Monroe doctrine, which
shall proclaim to all the religious zealots that
the heaven which is recognized only through
their mystic vision shall not rule the world
Let us have home rule, make our own laws and
determine our own destinies. Let all wise
minded men, all loyal patriots stand as against
all ecclesiastica pretension and presumption
Catholic or Protestant and demand that the
confusing distracting questions of religion be
held back from tangling the steps and harass-
ing the progress of men as they try to reach
life
Another great question and sixth great les
son concerns the attitude of religious bodies
toward education. There is only one clear,
safe course for this vast interest, and that is
the absolute and entire secularization of all
public education.