The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-02
INERICANISM AND 0 NJ
MUNICIPALITIES" INTERPRE-
r,r,oy or THE POPE's LETTER.

- tt1Rateh CIV
condemnation of All American Ideas
well as Of the Life OF rather
.rn-Cotholi Principles Are Unel-
...n,lc. aud Must he Taken OF Left
,.,o, riley Are-Controversy silenced.
,.om =, ,,r,in Cd'ioiiea 81 March IS.
,,h.sc, Of the apostolic letter is the So
MA ",meriranism.' 1t had recently ex-
n., many and bitter contests not only ID the
yat,od States. where It sprang IN, but In Eu-
49,. ma well, in Belgium. in Germany ana
ri, and more especially In France. whittier
nL,i Lean transrlanted and where II had had
m'I,,,,a, and full development. Now. as such
""orrsls disturbed the minds OF many and
qu". W, INJURIOUS TO the good Of the faith.
W." rory Father deemed L opportune to call
w before himself, and. after mature and
',,.tul examination. settled 1t authorita-
80 by the declaration. that the opinions.
u utJ collectively. are designated by some
".r.ons under the name Of Americanism can
", ho apprc,el: Non posse opiniones illas
"y.,ri ouarim summam- Americanismi
nomtpe ~nonuulli indIcant.'
ri,s, NJ all. what Is the Americanism spoken
h.,.s II that question had been put a year
.ran sI months ago. when the Americana
"a M doubts as TO the goodness or the sue
Ia, a, their cause. It would have received the
an. answer from them and from us. In
No.. last months. however things have
sh,no.d a GOOD deal. so that whom the Papal
do.ument appeared some people seemed to
s.,. forgotten not merely the meaning but
A.. v.rv sound OF the word "Amercanism."
so the Iansenists were unable to find In jan
an. "Aurustinus" the propositions con-
damned BY the famous bull "Unigenitus." and
,o Rosminians profess to read In Roemini's
works nothing else than st. Thomas's Sum
ma"
However that may be. It is a historical fact
Cha, ,he word "Americanism" was coined
n,itber Ia France nor in Germany nor any
where else 10 Europe By enemies OF the United
state,. It's origin was purely American and
,hers IL was employed at first to indicate. In
general. the new idea which was to reju-
yeoate the Church and. in particular. tho
nav crusade which was to he led against
the uncompromising position OF the Catholics
~ the oh creed. But one capital. all-import-
ant limitation must be borne in mind. The
word Amerlcauism. although it is not a word
dsyoid Of sense nor designating a phantom.
do.s not mean. neither is it employed In the
APOSTOLIC letter to designate a set OF opinions
common TO all Americans or even one peculiar
10 all the Catholics in the United States. Who
svsr resists it or con lemns it does not on that
account show hostility to either the people or
ths Churrn OF the | nited States. He is rather
wonderfully in agreement with the American
Gle gy and propie.
But II the Americanism condemned bv Leo
XIII. cannot be- called American In the sense
Of its being com non TO all Americans, OF. at
least 10 those who profess the Catholic faith.
II must be called and ia American in the sense
that Amer ca was It's birthDlace and that there
Il found its frat advocates and adherents.
Th..a in triifh. ware npNpr nnmaFnnR in the
United States. hut being restless. and noisy.
they always professed to tie the onlv true
tiyes Of the Church. AZ we DO not wish in
any way to deal with persons for whom we pro-
iess the greatest veueration, there is no need
Of examin ng too closely who were the first or
the chief Americanists. Moreover. whoever
knows anything about the causes defended BY
;hsm; ,htir Sreec ni,b ' xhic hay tSs been n,I printed nred.
aced the works Of others, the approval which
they have given to certain hooks,the pamphlets
and artic e. which they have published In vari-
GUS periodicals the memoirs scattered right and
left whoever knows, we say. all this and 9TH
er things besides, needs no names nor other
poo, TO be convinced that the Americanism
That has been reproved by tbs supreme head
Of the Church is not an inflated balloon" 10
not an invention OF the enemies of the United
ftates. but a sad reality which precisely on ac-
count Of the evils which IL had already pro-
duced 10 the United States and OF the greater
r res and grow Re strong tf 4 G in Europe also. de-.
served 70 be struck at without delay or hesita-
ton. Certainly II there is q time when the
remedy for an evil can hope to be efiicacious.
til when the evil is IN its beginning.
We come now {, its nature. Here. too. In
order TO avoid understanding. i; ~ neces-
ehry to make a distinction. and we find IL al
ready made in the apostolic letter. IT by the
name OF Amerlcanism are meant those Pc
s9li ,n ]sqsi,'i les. Of MIN min Nth which otts the peoples
with other qualities; likewise il it means the
condition OF their cities or the laws and GUS
toms which are %neculiar to them" that is. II it
ia question OF an Americanism in the politi-
ca, sense, there Is NO reason" writes the Pom
nh |why IL should be rejected by u.s."
This. however. must ne un 1erstood TO mean,
Is Is on'y natural. after excluding the exag-
Rerations OF the. Americanists. Such are. for
s SSinhp e. mt Of proposing the Gonstitution
Perfection to be initiated bv all other nations.
oEthat OF persons who. arguing from the fact
dered by the laws Of the civil Government, en-
}oys without Obstacles the secure. liberty of
living and acting according to the sim pie com:
ioE the best condition Of the Church must be
taxeni or that Il is allowable or e~xpeuient.
S%opntries just as they are in the United States.
Wherefore, as Leo NIL. said, wisely on an
Church remains unframed. If even it prcSpers
ana spreads. that in every way is the result of
she itui,lntnesS granted bv God to His Church
i ands no in.pediment. grows and EXPANDS
sn.oueh ls oHn,power: when. nevertheless. 1t
Spuiu give lar more cOTlOuS fruit II, besides
having liberty. It enjoyed favor from the laws
and patronage from the social power" En-
fyeic tonvluGua.": to the Bishops Of the
United States. lSI5.l
Another eHagYeration Of the Americanists
Is that OF exaItine American democracy, rep
{sse9tihg u as the t"rm Of government most
toSed ov The -hurch. indeed as the flower oil
" p1lncin.es. The Catholic Church. II is irue.
IoeS hpt Tear democracy. but IN the same way
~ whlch l: does not fear .polyarchy or mon.
sichy' II IS s%uuerior to all forms OF govern.
meht accom- moda,es. itself to all. and loves
tno plesses all, provided they give to God wha,
SsIohRs TO God. To arouse tho idea or sus-
Ssloh thaf It is a partisan Of one form rather
c,an ~atother. or that it is better adapted tc
u .aolm rather than to another. Is a wicke o.
"H"ce contrary u reason and TO history.
BESIDES. as we observed above. there Ia ne
Yuestion III ths APOSTOLIC letter Of politica
nGierraalhni. but rather of religious Ameri
I,usn.o! mat ANerlcanism intended to dcs
,Enate ana Ia some degree to dignity certain
w opini"nH regarding the nature and pIac,
ives OF ChrlStiaL life. II j. d question, that is
tha! Amerlcanlsm which pretends no,
M.otsiYfto reJuyen tie the Church by promoting
e'oIut' u n dogma and in discipline IL
IN 2 way that II may accord with the cen,
~. tut a!sp 20 renew Christian life ana reg.
s'.eN according 10 the ASPIRATIONS and de.
a,nuus OF new ines. livery century, saws
nleE!chhlsIH, must nave a special type OF holt,
a. OG!s G"1ldpdS that the natural virtue,
- .,q ts IL r "a Iicularly cultivated am
~ .ne ltSt r!or! should be given TO persona
AA'AldllNe, or t. the gn.pyllg,t aNirit - A. ,If,,;l