The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-31
CHURCHES
HAVE DONE
(Cont;aued from Ninth Page.)

about one hundred There are two or.
phan asylums and five parochial schools
and there are seven hundred children
said TO be educated in Catholic schools.
There is one Catholic periodical pub
iished--a monthly magazine called
Truth. which has a circulation of nine
thousand copies--the largest circulation.
] believe, of any periodical published in
North Carolina.
The strongest institution of the church
in North Carolina is AIT Belmont, where
the Bishop resides. There are located
the monastery, the seminary, the college
and the mother-house of the Sisters of
Mercy with the academy attached, all
of which have been mentioned above.
Such is a SUMMARY Of the condition of
the Catholic church in North Carolina.
During the past year. beyond the or
binary work, there have been several
notable marks of progress. The Sisters
Of Charity have opened up a sanitarium
and school in Asheville, of which the
sanitarium ut least is likely to grow to
large proportions. The Sisters of Mercy
III Belmont have greatly enlarged their
growing institution by the erection of
writing is almost entirely completed and
is partially occupied. a resident priest
and n school have been placed ut Sails
bury. resident priest ut Newton Grove,
Sampson county, church llult an"
dedicated at Greensboro. church be
gun ut Montague Station. and. as the
readers of the News and Observer al
ready know, there has been placed at
Raleigh the foundation of extensive
charity institutions orphan asylum
and training school for boys and other
institutions to he gradually put in opera
ton.
During the coming year, besides the.
earnest ordinary parish and missionary
work, efforts will be directed chiefly to-
wards strengthening and extending works
works already begun. There are two
causes powerfully operating in favor OF
the church in North Carolina. The FIRST
is the greater diffusion Of knowledge
which is now permeating the mass Of
our people. The Catholic church -
neither known nor understood mere.
Time was when a Catholic priest was
often regarded, in parts of North caro-
lima, as strange animal possessed of
horns. caudal appendage and cloVen foot.
This is now of rare occurrence ana as
intercourse. by means of commerce. III
eralure. papers and otherwise. with those
who are acquainted with Catholics and
the Catholic church increases. and a
more correct and truer knowledge Is oD-
tanned. the baseless prejudice OF many
will die out. and respect, venerauon
and love will follow.
4 second cause is the change which IS
going on in North Carolina and trans
forming the people from an agricultural
10 an industrial population. BY many
North Carolina is thought to be in the
very swing Of such change, and as
surely as il comes so surely is the
Catholic church to gain strength IN
North Carolina. Charlotte. which, but
a few years ago contained but two hun
dred Catholics has now. since ii has be-
come IN industrial town, the largest
Catholic population of any city IN the
Statc-six hundred souls.
Another cause which will powerfully
mili.elte to the same effect is the at
tack of the Higher Biblical Criticism on
The Bible. AS Mallock has so p1werfuIy
uorrtayed in the celebrated article IN the
November issue of the Nineteenth Cen
tury, the attacks of the Higher Criticism
have made it evident that the Bible must
either be held ON the authority of the
Catholic church or it must be altogether
rejected, and whilst the effect OF these
attacks are not vet felt here appreciably,
the time is not long distant when II Will
be evident to all that Divine Revelation
to he held ut all must be held on the
basis of the authority of the Cathollc
church. When this conviction takes
hold upon the people. there Is nothing
left for men TO do whose mind require
an intellectual basis for religion, except
to become Catholics.
THOS. f. PRICE.