The Irish standard., 1898-01-15
WHAT THE CHURCH HAS DONE.

1t Is habitual with the Irish Stand
ard whenever it finds a good thing In
any OF its contemporaries to reproduce
1t edltorially for the instruction and
delectation of its own readers. In thar
respect the Irish Standard almost stands
alone. Other papers borrow the ideas
OF their contemporaries. and without
the slightest reference to the source
whence they get their inspiration lhay
dish up In diluted form what they ought
to have honestly given credit for to their
exchanges. Some journals, STYLING them
selves Catholic" are frequently guilt,
or this misdemeanor
In last weeks issue we gave the 7 :
swcr Of lgnatius Donnclly to- Bob In
sersolls Thanksgiving Sermon" Mr..
pGnne'ly belongs to no Christian churrD
but he Is scholar enough to know wher
the church of all ages has done for The
uplifting and be.terment of humanity
hefcicre as an intellectually honest
man he considers it his duty to defend
Christianity from agnostic dcmagog,,cs
OF the lnGarsollinn type, and right we'll
ucc5 he con'lOvert their sophisicul ar
s"ments and champion the truth as
given in history
In tohay's Issue we give the ro]Iowirr
defense of the church in rcnIy to In,or-
SOIL IRON the eloquent pen of Father
Cronin, the able editor of the Catholic
Union and Times. of Buffalo. N. y. Dob
having asked what the church had .lnnc
TOT human happiness. the dcthroncment
OF slavery. the advancement OF science
and art and the civilization of Che world
fr. Cronin answers thus:
1T was she who broke the bonds: of
Gnsiavtd woman and elevated her TO u
pan" OF equality with man. 1t was SHE
who preached the brotherhood of t,e
race ana the equality of all mon before
God. 1t was she who protected the poor
anu the weak from the rapacity md
tyranny CT rulers. 1t was she who saved
Europe from the cruelty and barbarism
OF FRANK. Goth Vanda. Visigoth and
nun by converting them to the creed
ol the cross and civilizing their MAN.
nri'i and lives 1t was shc VIII, touch,
the arts OF agriculture and, through her
monks. made arid wastes to bloom n
was she who erected asy,lms for cycrv
phase of hclp"ssness throughout tho
world. 1t was she who inspired the
erection of tho great universities in En-.
rope and filled their professional chairs
with numbers of her illustrioui SONS +
was she who, through the aid of her
monklsh' mariners compass enabled
her sainted children, like Col,lmlus IN
rlow unknown seas and open ND a ney
world to the astonishcd children of
men. And yet. the ilippant ...tle peri
Fatelic fake loitily asks. What has .le
church ever done for mankinlo'"
Father Cronin then quotes as fol-
lows from Rev. S. II. Maitland. d. d.,
+. *. s.. in reputation of the falsehoods
about the monks which are so unblu,h
1T is impossible to get even a 81.
Mrilcial knowledge of the medieval
history of Europe. without seeing how
greatly the world was indebted to tho
m"nastic orders, and feeling that mon
asteries were beyond all price in those
days Of misrulc and turbulence. MS nlacrs
where God was worshiped: as Il ouic.
and religious refuge for helpless in
fancy and old age, shelter of rcspcr;-
full sympathy for the orphan maid AMI
the desolatc widow; as central points
whence agriculture was to spread over
bleak hills and barren downs and
marshy plains. and deal It's bread TO nil
lions rershing with hunger and its
pestllcntial train; as repositories of The
learning which then was. and we'll
springs for the learning which was 10
be: the nurseries of art and science, Civ.
ing the stimulus. the means. and the
reward to invention. and aggrcgaling
around them every head that could ,.e-
wise and every hand that could execute,
as the nucleus of the city which in after
days Of pride should crown its palaces
and bulwarks with the towering cross
Of its cathedral"
Tho reverend editor then proceeds
as follows:
And as an evidence of how the church
tried to keep the people in darkness
we may instance these prominent proofs
OF her guilt. For it was when she had
full swing In Europe that the famous
universities Of Oxford, Cambridge,
Aberdeen. St. Andrews. Upsaa. Copen-
hagen. Toulouse, Freiberg. Leipsic,
Heidelberg. Paris. Cracow, Prague
Vienna, Turin, Salamanca, Seville, VAL