The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-12-23

the moral atmosphere healthy and pure;
it is confession that maintains the high
standard of life and converse ton pre- !
vailing, through Gods mercy, in our
Catholic schools and collegesi it is CON
fession which, enables the Catholic par
ent to entrust his boy to the good
priests, whether secular or regular, who
devote themselves to the work of edu-
cation, without any of those qualms or
fears, that anxiety and foreboding
about the future, that fill the heart of
the Protestant parent when he bids
farewell to his innocent child on his
first plunge into the vcrtex OF Protest
ant public school.
A FALSE AND CRUEL CHARGE.
But there is one charge, one false
and cruel charge, which some Protest
ant writer's bring against confession.
They say that it introduces the young
and innocent to a knowledge of sub
jects which are sacro digna silentio,
and even suggests to them evil OF
which they would otherwise be 1gnor-
ant. 1 can only assure my readers
Gin answer to this gratuitous calumny),
on The word of an honest man, that
during the twenty years and more that
have been constantly hearing con-
LESSONS of men and women, boys and
girls, of every class and in various
countries, l have never once known or
a single instance of any knowledge of
evil having been impaired in the con-
fesslonal. am sure that l may speak
for all my fellow tests all over the
world, when l say that l would, with
Gods help, far rather be torn in a.
thousand pieces than say one word in
the confessional that could endanger
the purity of the young or impart
knowledge Of evil to one previously
ignorant OF it.
But if there should be any of my
readers who are not willing to accept
my own personal assurance, there is
another consideration which ought to
convince them. If there were in this
accusation the smallest element OF
truth every good mother would, in her
tender care for her children's limo
cence, have the greatest horror of Gee
ing her little ones kneeling before the
priest, and every careful father would
forbid his boys and girls from mourning
the risk of such contamination. Is S-hls
the case? Do we find good Catholic
parents dreading the influence of the
confessional for their children2 On the
contrary there is nothing that gives
them more hearty satisfaction than to
know that their sons and daughters are,
from their liest years, regular in
making their confession, month by
H1Oln, OF week by N6Gh. 1HGy ItSdlN
it as the best possible safeguard for
their innocence and virtue. They are
alarmed and anxious if, when boyhood
merges into youth, their sons grow IL
regular in frequenting the tribunal of
penance. They fear there must be
something wrong. They urge and en-
treat them not to fall away from the
practice of confession.
BRINGS JOY TO THE MOTHER.
Joy fills the mothers heart when she
sees her son once more returning, it
may be after long absence, to that
fount of mercy and of grace. where she
knows he will obtain pardon for the
past and strength and help for the
struggles of the future. Ask any of
the heads of those Catholic families
whose names are a household word for
all that is noble and honorable and of
good report what is their opinion of
the institution which is thus maligned,
and they will tell you, one and all, that
it is for themselves a continual source
of comfort and happiness and consola-
ton and peace, and that their best wish
for all those dear TO them is that they
shall share the incalculable benefits
that they know by their own experience
it confers. They will tell you that it is
their stay and support, that it binds
lOSGllGL Tit tHCIIIDClS VI a. AlOOSCllOINJ
reconciles those who are at variance,
teaches children to be obedient to their
parents, and parents to be gentle and
forbearing with their children; the +vife
to obey her husband, and the husband
to love and cherish his wife: in a word,
that it teaches all to fulfil the duties of
their station, to observe the laws of God
and of the Church, to live chaste,
sober, honest, cody life, and to die a
holy and happy death.
l have said little or nothing of the
supernatural benefits attaching to the
confessional. or of the sacramento
grace that flows into the souls Of those
who avail themselves of it. My object
has been to dwell chiefly on the natural
advantages of the confessional. And l
have been speaking of the Catholic con-
fefssional, and of it alone. Fer confess
sion, like every other great instrument
for good, has it's dangers, and very SER
ious ones. Against these dangers the
Catholic Church takes the most care
full precautions, but ! do not see how
they can be guarded against in a COM
munion where no such precautions eX-
ist: where the confessor has no recog-
nized training for his difficult and re-
sponsible duties: where the practice is
discouraged and discountenanced by
those in authority, and is regarded with
suspicion and dislike by the mass of
those who are invited to avail them
selves of it.