The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-02-03

The intellectual outlook for the next
century has it's dark side, but the
brightness in 1T predominates. The
nineteenth century opened under the
! influence of the sneering, atheistiC
|. philosophy of Voltaire. It closes with
Voltaire buried in the contempt which
his superficial sneering deserved. The
twentieth century opens with agnosti-
cism as the chief enemy of Christian
religion. Agnosticism does not now
sneer, and it is far more respectable
than Voltaire. But it doubts. 1t says,
81 do not know" 1t is a philosophy of
not knowing. 1t acknowledges itself
ignorant concerning all those mighty
problems which affect the welfare OF
mankind. Ignorance can never be the
guide for the human race. The philoso-
ply which says II do not know can
never meet the requirements of human
ity. It is folly to boast of knowledge
when one has no light. but it is worse
than folly to close ones eyes TO the
light and say that all is dark, when
light is abundant for all who have eyes
to see.
Archbishop Keane, in recent inter-
view in New York, expressed the opin-
ions cited above. We imagine that the
greatest danger to be faced during the
coming century will be the utter in
difference of the majority of its people
to religion in any and all forms. The
men of the world today, and by that
we mean about all the men, in this
country at least, who are not practical
Catholics, care nothing for religion,
believe in it only as a social force or q
means of restraint for those who would
otherwise be lawless. An intelligent
man of this class once said to the
writer: eve must have religion or
more policemen, and then it's a COM
fort to the women and children" He
voiced the sentiments of a large num-
Der who know nothing and care moth
ing about spiritual things and are
barely tolerant Of religion, particularly
of the expense attached to it, because
of the influence of wife, mother or sis
ter.
We saw recently the influence of the
women in the case of Congressman
Roberts, who was deprived Of his seat
illegally by men who do not care rap
whether he has three wives or thirty,
and who know full we'll that his per-
sonal morality is above that Of many
of those who voted to unseat him to
please the Christian women, or prob
ably it would be nearer the truth to
say to avoid unpleasant explanations
if they had taken the opposite course.
Legislation to tax churches and
of similar nature are de-
feated for the time by similar in4iu-,
ences. AS the next century proceeds
and the denominations decrease in
numbers and in the comparative value
of their property, while the Catholic
church will undoubtedly continue to
grow, the influences against such legis-
lation will surely weaken and the battle
between God and Caesar will be on.
The swiftness with which the denom-
nations abandoned government aid for
their Indian schools when the pro rata
plan became favorable to Catholics is
proof sufficient of what will happen
soon as to church taxation.
The men who say II do not know" in
religious matters are giving way to the
ever increasing crowd who say Il do
not care" and day by day they are
their contributions to
churches and increasing those given to
clubs and lodges:
When the day arrives that neither
eloouence or sensationalism in the in
lividual preacher draws paying
crowds to Protestant churches, those
churches will close their doors, and the
Catholic Church, long before the close
IF the next century, in our opinion, will
face not a philosophical or agnostic
world, but a world worshiping at the
shrine of the visible, tangible blessings
If this earth.