The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-05-10
POPE LEO'S TESTAMENT TO ALL MANKIND.
Oc Letter of the Holy Father the Dangers
Church Society," the Remedy Them
(Tranglated For Freeman's journal,

! moral education. The minds of youth.
in their inexperience, and in the heat of
] their passions, have come under the
/ spell of perverse maXims, and particu-
] larly of those which the most undisci-
plned section of journalism is not
] afraid to scatter with lavish hands, and
, which. by perverting the intellect and
The will, fOment that spirit of pride and
/ INSTRUMENTATION which so frequently
disturb the peace of families and of
I cities
Much, too, was hoped from the pro
J gre.ssive development of science, and
! assuredly the last century was witness
Of great unexpected and marvellous
scientific progress. But caneit be said
that this has really been attended with
that complete and revivifying abund-
! ance of fruit which was desired and
hoped for by such large numbers? The
soaring Of science has certainly opened
up new horizons for the intellect, en-
larged the dominion of man over ma
ture, and earthly life has been benefited
by 1t in a hundred ways. Yet it is felt
by all. and acknowledged by many,
that the results have not been on par
with the expectations. And such must
be the verdict of all who consider the
state of mems minds and manners, the
statistics of crime, the muttered noises
that rise up from below, the sway of
Might over Right. Leaving aside the
lmpoVerishment of the people, a super
hcial glance suffices to show that an
indefinable sadness weighs upon mems
souls, and that there is a deep void in
their hearts. Man has obtained lord
ship over matter, but matter has not
been able TO give him what itself does
not possess; the great questions which
Dear upon his highest interest have not
been solved by science; the thirst for
truth, for virtue for the infinite, has
been left unslaked; the earth enriched
with treasures and joys, and the in
creased comforts of life have quite
failed to diminish moral unrest
Are we, then, to despite or neglect
the progress of culture, civilization,
knowledge and a moderate and reason
able liberty? Certainly not; on the
contrary they are to be guarded, pro-
NOTED and held in great esteem, as a
precious. capital. for they are all so
many means which in their nature are
good, ands have been Willed and or
dained by God himself for the great
advantage of the human family. But
/ in our use of them we must consider
the designs of the Creator and employ
them in such way that they be never
separated from the religious element,
for herein resides the virtue which
makes them valuable and renders them
worthily fruitful. In this point lies the
secret Of the problem. When an or
ganic being fades and declines. it is
due to the cessation of the influx of
the causes which gave it form and
consistency; and it is clear that to
make it once more healthy and vigor-
Gus it is necessary to restore to it the
vital influx of those causes. Now, civil
society, in its mad attempt to emanci-
pate itself from God, has rejected the
supernatural and divine revelation,
thus removing itself from the vivify-
ing efficacy of Christianity: that is TO
say. from the most solid guarantee of
order, from the most powerful bond Of
brotherhood. from the inexhaustible
source of individual and public virtue.
The confusion into which practical life
has been thrown is the result of this
foolish apostacy. To the bosom of
Christianity our afflicted society must
return, therefore, if its we'll being. its
repOse and its health are failing.
AS Christianity never descends into
a soul without improving it, so it does
not enter the public life of state with
out Strengthening its social order. With
the idea of a God. proYident. wise, in
finitely good and infinitely just. Chris
tianity penetrates the conscience with
the sentiment of duty, softens suffer-
ing, Gains rancor, and inspires hero
ism. If it succeeded in Transforming
paganism, and in making its transfer
nation a veritable resurrection from
death to life, so that barbarism ceased
as Christianity spread, it will in the
same way succeed in giving a right
direction and in restoring order to
modern states and peoples after the
terrible shocks they have received from
unbelief
Nor is this all. The return to Chris
tianity will not be a true and perfect
remedy unless it means a return to and
a love for the one, holy, Catholic and