The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-18
CALLS SPAIN A MOSSBACK
REV. DR.. WRIGHT's REJ0INDER
TO ARCHBISHOP IRELAND

Some Criticism Us Pure Trash, He
Says. but Claims Spain Is the Chi
ma of Europe Rev. Thomas
Hnmbly Disagrees With the Arch
bishop, az Does the Northwestern
Chronicle, Il Catholic Newspaper.
Archbishop Ireland seems to have
struck most unpopular chord in that
part of the sermon he delivered at the
cathedral last Sunday night which was
devoted to warm espousal of Spain
and Spanish deeds and valor and
remuneration of the critics of that
country. The pastors of many of the
churches devoted a part Of their SER
mons yesterday in reply to the arch
bishops position. The most surprising
criticism of the archbishop, however,
was a leading editorial in this weeks
Northwestern Chronicle While this
newspaper is strictly independent it is
devoted largely to news of the Catholic
| church, and was once almost the or
gan of the diocese. This takes a much
dlfferent view of the Spanish from that
or the archbishop. It's editorial was
headed The Truth About SPAIN"
and strangely enough this was the ex-
act subject on which Rev. DR.. Wright,
of st. Pauls church, spoke at the
morning service
Rev. Dr. Wright's sermon was in
some measure a rejoinder to the SER
mon preached last Sunday at the ca
thedial by Archbishop Ireland. DR..
W1lght's subject, as heretofore stated,
was The Truth About SPAIN" He took
ms text from joan ill.,, 8: He Must
increase, but I Must DArease." The
preacher said in substances:
The greatness of st. John consisted not
SO much in his advocacy of his reforms, but
, IN ms Willingness to accede to the greater
reforms of Christ While he loved his own
theories he was conscious that in the prog
ress OF events other theories would be sub
! stltuted for his own. So deeply seated were
ms convictions that he retired from the
scene of acton when Christ appeared as
teacher of men. John must, therefore, be
regarded as progressive prophet.
80 II us is the spirit which keeps the activities
OF the world In motion. The people who
40 not agree with This progr essive spirit have
l Deen designated lin these days as mossbacks.
Lhey are to be found everywhere. They are
In political parties. There are men TODAY
VINO are acting with the Democratic party
as If Jefferson and Jackson were still pres
laent Ihere are men in the Republican party
VINO forget that the issues of thirty years
| ago have been substituted by living issues
mere are mossbacks in the church-they
are peop-e VINO wish to worship as their
are nations who are in this category
since the beginning of our conflict with
| SPAN there have been many criticisms con-
! corning the historyJ and conditions of that
| country. Some Of these criticisms have been
unjust.
Archbishop Ireland; in a recent sermon, de-
clareo tnat some people attribute the deca-
dence Of SPAIN to ithe immortality of the
women OF that Gland, and to the dominance
OF the Latin church. These crlticisms are
OF course, untenab.e. Equally SO is the as,
sertion recently made by Henry Adams in
Iowa, that the condition of Spain is due to
the influence of Masonry. All such talk is
pure trash.
What, then, is the answer to the oues-
ton, What Is the Truth Abou. Spain?
put on the stand an expert who will car
f 1Se weight weight with any jury, for, he has made
his book has been translated in nearly ev-
cry language. 1 refer to Mr.. Henry T. Buck
n n ana Fne ms work The History Of Civilization
CONDITION of Spain is due to a s.avish ad-
her mere to antiquity. to cd customs and old
rnstain III, Tne details which he gives fully
o. Newton were received by the nations of
europe with applause with the exception Of
Sp', winch rejected them, land when Har-
ton Of the blood, Spain persisted for 15o
years, in denying the fact. Buckle also
SHOWS that even in the middle of the eight
was i'll he refused to have any native nbv.
slclan.. and sent for a foreigner to minister
ask foreener tnf t. sa anna century Spain had
they came to her docks she did not have
S S7fa enough Sug :, to know how to rig them In
Streets wren of II was proposed TO clean the
came together to consider the movement
! and they decided that in centuries gone hy
streets sure had not been cleaned. and that it
was Wlsest and best to leave them in their
exis'1ng condition. The rich mineral demos
US OF SPAN, cobalt, silver, iron and coal
IN aioD Donndess quantities, were worked by for
elgners, as the Spaniards had neither the
skill nor the inclination to do the work.
IN the matter of diplomacy the nation is
s oehind the rest of the world, and its ambas
ana Ireland. It has only been in recant
years that Spain has had native ambassadors
Altnough she looked daily on the cities and
| rivers of her native land, she was not ah,e
to make her own maps, but thew were m.de
! Buckle says oeiusioh
lmpasslye receiving no impressions from the
rest Of the world and making no innres n eas
on It. There she lies at the further extremity
so SOLE ee eonenens; huge and torpid mass, the
! FEELINGS and knowledge of the middle agas
AND what is the worst symptom of all. She
is satisfied with her own condition ' Sio
| The truth then about Spain is thar che t.
d al; Inosspack among the nations of the world
with only herself to blame for it. She has
G Gaa examples mP to profit from chiefly that Of
| of ancestors and this has extended ~ the
worship of everything old and defunct Thai hiae
nation, with the largest population of anv
empire on the face of the globe is now
Europe. Spain has had an experience from
her non .progtessiveness somewhat of tha
same kind; She has lost the Netherlands
Gibraltar. Central and South America. and Is
| now in danger of losing her North American
| possessions. 'e-'
The lesson comes home to all OF us. both
| individually and collectively, that II we ara
to be useful in the world we must keen s.en
with. the progress of the times God IDEAS
| graciously with us sometimes by calm o
paradise. and we are glad Of their going be-
| cause they have outlived their usefulness
God Is marching along and we must march
| with Him If we are to share in the triumnhs
of the present and future life.
SPAIN A BAD CASE.