The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-12-30

| organization 1t recognizes the unlVer-
| salitv of Catholicism and consequently
! places limitation and conditions OF
| membership at the worth of the appH-
| cant only.
| The present growth and activity of
this order are not due to fictitious
causes. but must be attributed to- the
inherent worth of the organization it
self.
We believe that the knights of Co
! lumbus" is an organization worthy OF
the respect CT American citizens or
whatsoever sect or denomination Its
tents obligate its members to the Cd
servance of the highest citizenship; the
unfolding of the Constitution; the
maintenance of American institutions
and loyalty to church and state, as the
best means of temporal prosperity now
and eternal happiness hereafter.
@ g @
The fact that Roman Catholics have
made marked material progress in the
country seems to disturb Mr.. King in
striking manner. In the multitu1es of
churches, orphan asylums, schools hos
pitfalls etc. which have been
built by the aims of the faithful, he
processes to see imminent danger to
American institutions. According to
him these various institutions for the
betternent of humanity owe their or
| igin to questionable means He says:
"One of the methods used by pollti-
cal Romanism for promoting universal
domination has been securing from 1g-
norant and superstitious people. By
fraudulent and intimidating methods.
accumulations of almost unlimited
wealth. One of the principal sources
of it's revenues has been the treasures
of governments which hold the moneys
of the people. which it has forced open
by preying on the fears and by lnSplr-
ing the cowardice of politicians. 10
this end it has threatened and caJoleG
! legislatures and debauched courts and
executives. Self-preservation has often
compelled civilized governments to par
alyZe this power by confscat1on. Inc
apparently normal relation of things
in pronouncedily Roman Catholic coun-
tries has come TO be that the richer the
Church the poorer the people; the more
absolute the domination of political Ro-
n1anism the lower the people in the
scale of civilization based upon civil
and religious liberty"
Although James NJ. King is a minis
ter in good standing of the Methodist
church and secretary of one of its
prominent institutions, we would not
have it inferred. nor would we insin
uate. that the Methodist church should,
in any way, be held accountable for his
insane alterations. We have too high
a regard and cordial feeling for many
! individuals, some of them warm per-
sonal friends, in the Methodist church
to entertain the thought that they
could harbor the feelings against Ro-
man Catholicism to which Mr.. King
has given utterance.
We give place here to the following
beautiful sentiments regarding the Ro-
man Catholic Church, which we find in
a sermon delivered by Methodist
bishop:
Il have a great deal of respect for
Roman Catholics and the Roman Cath
Ole Church, and the feeling becomes
stronger as l grow older. do not
think we can afford to criticiSe Cath
olics until we display at least equal zeal
in the service of the Master. Who are
they whose feet go gathering by our
houses these cold winter mornings be
fore daylight? Who are they who fill
their churches to worship God while
we are in our beds? Who throng our
streets, prayer-book in hand, with rev.
erent faces, aye, and perhaps with as
reVerent hearts as any of you here?
They are Jealous, faithful Catholics,
who believe in the truth of their
Church, and feel that through it alone
they can worship the God whom they
fear and love. To what Church GO these
sef-sacrificing communities belong
tndt JOll from morning to night Tor the
good of Gods people? Who are those
who come here from foreign lands,
poor and strange, with nothing but
spade, and have erected temples of wor-
ship that put us to shame? Isn't the
poor servant girl who lays a 1.-THE of
her earnings on the altar of God sin
cere III her belief, and will she not find
favor in Gods eyes? There was a par
agraph in the Christian Advocate the
other day which made me blush when
read it. 1t stated that in New York
City the Catholics have church prop
erty to the value of more than eleven
millions of dollars, a greater sum than
the value of all other church property
except that owned by the Episcopal
church. These are the people who fill
their churches three or four times
every Sunday with different congrega-
tions. These are the people who, sixty
years ago, had but three churches in
New York, and are now filling all our
Protestant cities and towns.
What right have we to complain
that this is so? Why should we abuse
them because their churches crown the
noblest eminences in the land. Let US
possess ourselves of those virtues and
qualities which they have in a stronger
degree than we, and those added to
what we already possess will Out US in
position where we may have a right
to criticise their actions"
We commend the Christian spirit
contained in these words to the author
OF Facing the Twentieth Century"
THOMAS H. MALONE.