The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-04-07

II
| gar, and brutal personalities. Cardi'
! nal Vaughan does not appear to have
complied with either of these demands
but in a letter OF Jan. IS urges that DR.
Mivarts attitude toward ''the myster-
| les OF faith" amounts TO the attitude
OF "a ratlonllst pure and simple"
DR.. Mivart, on Jan. %, replied, ex-
planning that he had been compelled to
abandon his former ardent advocacy of
Catholicism and his long-settled beliefs
by the Papal Encycical OF 1893. declar-
ing the verbal inspiration of the scrip
lures TO be vital article of the
churchs creed. DR. Mivart goes on TO
say:
Thus II is now evident that vast
and impossible abyss yawns between
Catholic dogma and science. and no
man with ordinary knowledge can
henceforth join the communion of the
Roman Catholic church IL he correctly
understands what its principles and rs
teachings really are. unless they are
radically changed. For who could pro-
fess 20 believe the narrative about the
Tower OF Babel, or that all species of
animals came up 10 Adam TO be named
by him? Moreover, among the writ
ings esteemed 'canonical by the Catho-
lie church are the book of Toblt and the
second book OF Maccabees and also the
story which relates how. when Daniel
was thrown a second time into the
lions den, an angel seized Habbacuc,
in Judea, by the hair OF his head and
carried him. with lis bowl Of pottage,
TO give 1t to Daniel for his dinner.
ITO ask a reasonable man to believe
such puerile tales would be TO insult
HIM Plainly the councils Of Florence,
Trent, and the Vatican have fallen,
successfully into greater and greater
errors, and thus all rational trust in
either popes or counc Is is at an end.
"It has long been painful TO me to
think OF the teaching given in Catholic
schools and often proclaimed from the
pulpit. There need be small surprise
at the opposition existing in France
to the author .tative teaching of fables,
fairy fables. and puerile and pestient
superstitions. Happily. can now
speak with entire frankness as To all
my convictions. Liberavi amman
mean. ] can sing my 'Nunc Dimittis'
and calmly await the future.
II categorically refuse to sign the
profession of faith Nevertheless. as /
said, i am attached TO Catholicity as
] understand it, and to that / adhere.
II. then, my recent articles had been
tolerated, especially my representations
as to the probability OF vast future
changes through doctrinal evolution.
would have remained quiet in the hope
fully oppose points had before mista-
kenly advocated. The Quarterly article
OF January, reviewed by me, and writ
ten. / suspect, by a Catholic, proceeds
upon the very principle for which 1 am
censured. am not altogether surprised
that your Eminence has shirked reply
ing to my question, and referred me to
DIR. Clarke, whose dishonesty (not, OF
course. consclous) and shifting about
Scripture so profoundly disgusted me.
1t is 10 me truly shocking that religious
teachers, Cardinals, and priests, profess
TO think certain beliefs to be necessary,
an1 yet will not say what they truly
are. They resemble quack doctors, who
play their long familiar tricks upon the
vulgar. but act otherwise TO those they
cannot triRe with"
The Tucker Publishing Company of
New York city have taken those letters
from the Times and published them in
a neat duodecimo pamphlet; to which
the publishers have added two articles
from the publication OF which arose
the correspondence. The first of these
articles was entitled "Some Recent
Catholic kpologists:" IL was published
in the Fortnightly Review: the second
article was entitled THE Continuity of
Catholicism" and was published In the,
Nineteenth Century. The correspond
ence ended In this manner by Cardinal
Vaughan" AS he (Mivart) has thereby
rendered his orthodoxy suspect, and
has moreover confirmed the suspicion by
falling after three notifications to sign
the annexed profession of faith when
rendered TO him by me. IL now becomes
my duty TO take further action, and
hereby inhibit him from approaching
the sacraments and forbid my priests to
administer them to him. until he shall
have proved his orthodoxy TO the satis-
faction OF his Ordinary" Now comes
the startling news OF the death of ST.
George Mivart. Actually his soul was
called to the Gate of Heaven, without a
pass from Cardinal Vaughan; did the
Divine Master consign Mivart TO the
Internal regions?
And now still later comes the North
American Review for April in which
DR.. Mivart under the title Roman
Congregations and Modern Thought
goes again over the entire ground some
what after this manner:
"Dr. Miyart records how the various
Congregations. such as the Congrega-
tlon of the Holy Office, the Congrega-