The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-01-06
PUEBLO.


To the Editor Intermountain Catholic:
The announcement that The Cad
fly has reached its nineteenth edltloh
in this country makes it worth while TO
look, for a moment, at the productloli, =
which is enjoying such widespread
popularity. Current opinion is that the
book is ''up-to-date." What more II
needed? We skim over it, with our
borrowed opinion already formed, anu
we pronounce it fine" Thus the YER
dict is passed from one to another
But if we read it thoughtfully and
judge it with our own capacity what
do we really find in it?
At the opening of the tale the nero
is brought before US, young Hlail nan
whose life and motives are equaiiy
pure. He commits an error in JudS-
ment by espousing a cause which TOT IoI
his own sake, he had better nave le leLl
to older heads. The author afflrIus ,
that his connection with the secret
service is made known to the author-
tiles through a priest, who, after ask
ing the boy to come to him for con
fession, divulges the secret of that con-
fessiOn to the ruling secular powers.
We were long ago taught that ilttIe
knowledge is a dangerous thlng: oule
ly this is exemplifed here. The au-
thor evidently knows that the CONES
sion is one of the SacramentS OIL INC INC
Roman Catholic church. So far, SO
good. But when we, who are outslue
that church, attempt to speak or write
of it, we should know our subject fully
No Roman Catholic priest has ever
yet been known to disclose the secrets
to which as confessOr he has llsteIleC.
We should know whereof we allrIh'
and not descend to falsehood Tor the
sake of sensationalism or effect. tlc-
ton is not supposed to be fact; yet,
when we enter sacred precincts we
should not trife. Truth should be our
foundation.
To return to "The Gadfy" The hero
is kept only a short time in connne-
ment-yet his release brings not JOY,
but that deepest sorrow-the possible
shame of a mother Deserted by
friends. struck in the open street by
the hand of the girl he loves, he hees'
a miserable wanderer, from his native
land. Reaching South America, he en-
dures brutality in almost every form
while trying to earn his bread. HIS
body is mutilated and his sensitive
spirit changed.
After seven years he is again at the
scene of his first secret service, busy
as ever and, for a time, marvelously
escaping the penalty of the law w men
the most hazardous part OF the WORK
has at length to be done, he allows no
one else to assume the risk; but goes
himself, fully aware that he is going
to his heath. He is captured and SEN
tence pronounced upon him. The only
one who can save him is the man
whom the author is pleased to say IS
his father. Yet no order for his par
don ia given. The soldiers love him.,
but even their love is turned into a
curse. Each man is resolved that ms
shall not be the hand to speed the fatal
bullet. They fire in turn, and the
victims death agonies are prolonged
until even the reading of such horror
makes US tremble, and the thought OF
it hangs like a black pail in our mem
oTy.
Is it honoring our blessed Lord and
Master to assume that He would allow
such shame and agony to fall upon
one of His children, whose only crime
when this blight came upon him, was
that he seemed to have mistaken MS
duty? ,
such is the story of 1.-The Gadfiy, -
and this is what has attracted the
thousands during the past year or
more. Is it probable that there has
really been much thought bestowed
upon the book?
We do not say that the world is not
growing wiser. We only wish that, in
the choice of literature. it's people would
not follow one another like sheep 1t
may pay us to do a little thinking for
ourselves occasionally. If we do, 1t Is
unlikely that misleading book such
as 1.-The Gadfiy'' can have such pha1-
omenaI success in future.
a PROTESTANT.