The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-08-04
Says Interests of the Church is Being Damaged by
 Complaints
PROTESTS BY INDIVIDUALS
 ARE WITHOUT ANY REASON
Complaints Are Only from Individuals. Leave Entire Matter With tho Pope Is Ills Advise Relative
 to the Philippines.

St. Paul, Minn., August 5.-Archbisnop Ireland. preaching this morning in the cathedral, said:
 '"rhe Apostle Paul sives this counsel, not to be more wise than it behooveth to be wise. but to be wise unto sobriety, and according as God hath divided to ev- eryone the measure of faith In the mind of the apostle the things most excellent, if made to us in undue measure and with out proper regard to circumstances, of time and place, change into things peril ous and hurtful. And this is undoubtedly what Is happening in the case of the fiery zeal in defense of Catholic interests which seems to be covering an explosion at the present time among certain classes of American Catholics. The interests of the church, it is said, are made to suffer at the hands of the government in its newly acquired dependencies and the call to arms Is sounded from the rostrums of Catholic societies and through the columns of Catholic papers to the pertur- bation of the whole Catholic body, and, indeed, of the whole country. The mo ment has come to say to Catholics: Be wise. be zealous, unto sobriety, and &C., cording es God hath divided to every one the measure of faith--and such coun- sei l take the liberty to give my hear CTS.
 Who are they who complain and pro- test and call upon Catholics to be up and doing? Are they those who might claim to represent the church in it's general, or even local, interests? Has the sovereign pontiff spoken. Certainly he has not complained rather, has he been heard from in very different tones. Have the ecclesiastical authorities in the de- pendencies invoked our aid? In no in- stance have they so acted; where they have been heard from. as in the case of Porto Rico and of Cuba. 1t was to tell us in plafnest words that they had no grievance, although from irresponsible sources It had been on several previous occasions dinned into our ears that the church was robbed and persecuted in both those islends. Bishop Blerck of Porto Rico openly rejoices that the American flag rather than the Spanie:l. guards his diocese. and the hierarchy in Cuba are thanking God that church inter- eets we're 2. tiled by the government of Washington before a Cuban parliament wss allowed to sit eown in Havana.
 Complaints from Individuals.
 The archbishops of the states meet to- gether once a year in WashinEton-each one representing the whole hierarchy. It cannot be said that they are needless Of the welfare of the church: and yet they have sounded no alarm. Whatever complaints have been heard come from individual Catholics, or from societies of Catholics; in neither case is there war rant to represent others than the men themselves. or the societies themselves who do speak. Societies of Catholics are organized from purposes oi their own, usually with the intent to secure special aid or comfort to such as are members thereof. Restricted to those purposes they are within their sphere and are entitled to respect. To venture beyond those purposes and assume general di- rection of the church Is quite another thing. It must be remembered that there are hundreds of thousands of good influential Catholic laynen, members of no mutual benevolent society, who have commissioned no society to speak for them. It must, too, be remembered that soldiers of the church, as soialers of an army of whatsoever ktnd whether single or whether in companies or regiments, must await the action of the command CTS before they undertake to act for the whole organization. Be wise according as God hath divided to every one the measure of faith.
 There are some important matters to be considered by Catholics before griev- ances are proclaimed or action Is taken previously be had to make ones self sure the grievances do exist and that they are of sufficient magnitude to be taken hold of in a manner to awaken public attention. To complain either when there Is no reason or when the reason is slight and unimportant is to weaken ones position in the presence of real or serious grievances, if at any time such may exist.
 Attacks UncaIled For.
 .'The habit of querulousness brings in- evitably the penalty, that of being passed over unceremoniously on all occasions. even when now and then the matter con- pIained of deserves attention. Then too, to complain uselessly Is to be guilty of injustice toward men and institutions. the iniquity of the act being more grew ious as the men, the institutions, that are the objects of it, rise in dignity or importance. The government of the nation as few other things, call for fair treat ment and respect on the part of the citi- zens. Public attacks upon 1t, overt suspiciousness of It's acts and motives beget disloyalty and lower among the peo- pie civic virtue. the life blood of national life and security.
 Catholics have in the past suffered much from calumny and distrust, and in their defense their appeal has been to fair play and to honest judgment. Of the equitable treatment which they claim for themselves and their religious faith from their fellow citizens and from the coun- try, let them in their turn be high ex- emplars in their own dealings with their fellow citizens and with the country.
 Most cautious at all times must Cath olics in America be not to stir up latent prejudice and smothered animosities, of which, ss experience teaches. there is no small share here and there in the community and which but little provoca- ton is needed to fan Into fire and flame. Better often 1t is to endure some suf- fering than to give pretext for opposi- ton and social turmoil. Nothing is to be more dreaded in America than hatred and waring among citizens in the name of religion and it behooves all classes of the population to do their utmost to,