The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1898-01-13
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
Plan How to Break It's Great and
Mighty Power.


The Center party, that strongest and
best disciplined of parties in the German
parliament, which enables the IL, 900 900
| Catholics to exercise more influence than
the 32,OO0,00O Protestants, and cOmpels
the German government to treat the
Roman Catholic church ana the pope as
an international power, is continually agi-
tating for the reintroduction of the
Jesuits and the extension of separate
schools. The Protestant parties, that do
not underrate the power of the church,
refuse to grant concessions, even if the
help of the center is needed sorely for
political purposes. 1t is, therefore all
the more remarkable that recent con-
vert to Professionalism, who claims that
because her rules do not permit patriot
ism, advises the government to accede to
the most important demands of the
church. Graf Hoensbruch, the ex-Jesuit
superior, believes that liberty will de-
strOy the power of the church. In his
book, Der Observation-Disclosures" review
ed by Professor Hans Delbruck in the
Preussiche Jahrbucher, the Bavarian
artistocrat expresses himself to the fol-
lowing effect:
| What is often forgotten but should
never be lost sight of, is that the church
claims authority so absolute that no state
could remain Independent, no legislation
could be valid, if the church had the pow
er to enforce her demands. Graf HOens-
bruch has filled his book with many YER
batim extracts from the pOpe's sayings
to prove this conclusively. Luckily, prac-
| ticc is far from precept in this case, and
the church is forced to permit all sorts of
"heresies" in its supporters. Peter
Reichensperger and Graf Landsberg- Web
| len do not know what papal condemna-
tion of civil laws really means; Wind
| hon OF thot h.
most grave heresy by calling Protestant
organization SISTER church." Freiherr
v. Loe does not know that the church to
| this day threatens all "heretcs" with
| rigorous punishment, including the most
cruel DEATH DR.. Dittrich does not know
that the church claims absolute control
over all schools; Chaplain Dasbach does
| not know that the church still reserves
| to itself to dethrone all princes. Rome
| winks at all these "heresies" in her chill
| dren; but put Rome in power, and she
| will soon prive that she has not given up
| one iota of her claims and that her adj
| herents are allowed to deny these claims
| only under special dispensation. The
day will come. sooner or later, when the
church, must throw, off her mask, and
when her power will have grown much
greater than socialism-unless something
is done to cripple the church.
To fight the church successfully a sys-
TEN is needed. This system should be
based upon two important aims-under-
mining the social position of the priest |
hood and their education. The state |
should cease to recognize rank in the |
clergy, to confer honors upon the pope, |
to accept from him or to give him decor |
atoms, orders, titles, etc, nor should |
the pope ever be asked to act as arbitra-
tor in any international affair. He is /
a Sr'vate individual and should be treat
q, as s,ich. But the most effective way
to combat me clergy is to let them have
their own way in the matter of educa-
tion of their own members.
Why is it that the Roman Catholic /
clergy have so remarkably little influ
ence over the population at large in
France, Italy, Spain or Portugal? 1t is
their isolated education. In Germany
Catholic theolOgians are made TO visit
the colleges (gymnasia) and to obtain
benefits of the education given to others.
Though they are afterwarc, at the uni
versity, secluded very much, great
many outside connections that have been
formed remain. In the Latin countries
the young priest lives in seminaries from
a tender age, he loses all touch with the
outer world and does not learn to handle
it. Germany, with her compulsory edu-
cation, FORCES herself the weapons which
are turned against her. We must give
up the idea that the Catholic clergy can
ever bee educated as patriotic men. We
must hand them over freely to their
bishops. This may breed fanatics-per-
haps, but it will breed priests who will
not be in touch with the people and can
not influence them. Besides, it will be
exactly what the Catholic church has
wished for all this time.
Professor Delbruck adds to this:
Graf Hoensbroech' argument seems
10 rnth p1i nlx-ng |
acknowledge the inferiority of their ed
ucation, even today. A Catholic paper
only recently admitted that it is an adj
vantage to be n Catholic if one is look
in" for a position under the government,
but the Catholics as a whole do not
profit by this, as there are not enough
accidentally trained men among them
to compete with Protestants In the
Bavarian reichSrath the government be-
ing questioned why so comparatively few
Catholics receive professorships, had to
admit that there are not enough Catho-
lie men of learning TO go around. Let
us, therefore, leave the Catholics in their
intellectual poverty, and our peoples in
stincts will lead them to rebel against
the rule of the priest. The paucity of
Catholic science is already so great that |
it can not even bring forth fruit in the
ology. 1t is continually at war with
natural science. In the department of
history it is compelled to fall back upon
lawyers tricks, holy waters, miracles,
etc. As regards philosophy, was. even
as long as twenty-five years ago, ex-
amined by Catholic man of learning,
who proved the infallibility of the pope
on metaphysical grounds.
"A few names still bridge the chasm
between science and Catholic science:
Wilmann. Denifle, Pasteur. 1t can not
hurt us if the bridge vanishes altogether.
In science as well as in religion the say
ing holds good that God may not be
Knocked. The curse which the Roman
church took upon herself when she
forced Calico to recant, still rests
upon her and will never be removed
from her."-Literary Digest.
ANOTHER STRIKE.