The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-07-05

fathers usually recommend this publ
cation at their retreats and missions,
and they engage several brothers of
their order to go from house to house
in the parishes where the missionaries
have been active, to solicit subscrip-
tons for both their monthly and for a
Purgatorian society.
This Purgatorian society is heralded
by full page advertisement in the
June number of the Rosary, as pre-
senting advantages which in the ex-
tent and variety of its SURFACES are
such as can be guaranteed only by an
old and widely established religious or
der Perpetual membership, embrac-
ing all the benefits mentioned "a cata-
logue of masses and suffrages ten dol
lars ($10.00)'' This society is for liv-
ing and dead members. Send postal
note or money order, addressed to-
(here follows the mans of one Of the
fathers).
This announcement in the Rosary,
which, to judge from the bid it makes
for general popularity, is not unlikely
to find its way into Protestant hands,
well fits in with similar advertisements
of marvellous semi-precious stones,
the nearest approach to genuine dia-
monds-equal to real diamonds etc,
etc, found side by side regularly with
this sensational solicitation for aims
from supplemented or good-natured
readers. What defence has a Catholic
to make in view of such practices right
here in the United States by the Friars
Mendicant, against the exaggerated
charges brought to discredit the priest
hood of the Philippine islands? We all
know that there are priests in the
Dominican order today who deserve
every respect because they live up to
the spirit of their rule and sacred ira
dition; but there is unfortunately also
low class of men who wear the men,
dicant garb, who foster popular preju-
dice by their vile and greedy methods,
and whose ignominy every priest and
every good Catholic is made to share.
We have no right, l think, to tolerate
without protest such methods, which
bring shame and disgrace on every
member of the church. A curse on
such prayers-they are not merely not
worth having, but they lead people to
look on religion as a prayer mill
You will excuse my omission to sign
a full name, for l wish to protest
against a shameful abuse of the Cath
olic press privilege without antagoniz-
ing or bringing upon me or mine the
personal resentment of members of the
order, some of whom 1 deeply venerate
for what they are. If you doubt the
correctness of my statement in refer
ence to the advertisement, you can
easily verify it. 1 have been delighted
with the honorable and fearless posi-
ton taken by the Ecclesiastical Review
and the Dolphin Both magazines
stand too high to be suspected of par
TALLY or animosity when there is a
question of respect due to the Catholic
cause. / understand, on good author
ity, that a method Of spiritual black
mail equally disreputable is being prac-
tised by some members of ~@Ie Fran
ciscan order connected with the Ori4
entail college at the Catholic university
Are there no ecclesiastical officers
whose duty it is to report and forbid
such frauds under plea of piety?
N a. L.
We have no knowledge as to what is
being done by the Franciscan Fathers
at washington. AS to the advertise
ment in the Rosary Magazine, it is as
stated by our correspondent
EDITOR.