The sun., 1903-12-27
THE CATHOLIC CONTROVERSY.
From the Author OF the Letter Printed
At the Request OF Archbishop Farley.

| umns. The Falstaiflin valor OF the proceed
ing is edifying. But how little your ecclcs-
iastical anonymous realizes that he is holding
the point of his own weapon,
II Is true that st. Bernard of ClairvauN ana
st, Catharine of Sienna raised their voices in
admontion and protest against the abuses oil
! their times. But their structures were upon
real abuses, and their championship in the
open. They did not seek an ambuscade, from
which to assassinate with personal immunity.
Their object was to heal wounds. not to make
them. And they received that need of honor
in their own day from the Church which she
ever renders to rational champions of the
truth. This was in the twelfth and fourteenth
centuries, respectively. when the intellect OF
Europe was still in the harness" of scholas-
tcism. Your correspondent is unfortunate
in his instances. The period upon which he
would stamp his reprobaton is the very age
which shines so lustriously with the ex-
amplcs that he himself cites. unwittingly to
his own confutation and confusion Accuracy
and consistency require the pursuit of history
beyond the covers of popular encyclopedias.
A little further reading would also have saved
him from The fable of that Ciceronian mon
ster" in Leo KS chapel and the superficial
invectves against pre-Reformation Popcs.
If the grievance be as grave he seems to
conceive IL, there is a remedial channel already
provided in the Canonical legislation of the
Church, upon which he may sail his eager
craft. If the trouble weigh MS heavily on his
mind as he would have lis believe, so tender
and so solicitous Il conscience would naturally
seek that canonical remedy. which alone can
insure an eficacious healing. 10 diatribe
under anonyms and to make pseudo appeals
to IA negligible public is to confess either an
inherent weakness in the cause he advocates
or a paltry fear that much bed ms the lustre
of the halo always enCirclng the head ol Il
I IiSnfprpstp1 IbHmniDu of truth,
| perceive that the indictment is now re.
stricted to some modern pr" lucs. AZ hrst
II included the entire hierarchy and even tnnn
Holy See. So extensive a line evidently could
hardly be maintained, There is an apparent
wisdom in this strategic move. ! he assault
is now upon some modern prclates only.
But does not the strategy betrhy IN" who're
cause? If it be only among some modern
prelates that there exists spirit, of hostility
much ado over a few b"nighted Bishops OF
narrow vision? Are, there not other Bishops
whose episcopal wisdom would readily appre,,
amplitude of so ardent . lover of truth, And
then there is the Holy Sec. What noblcr ana
pion? How his task IS si,nplihed in view of the
confessed fac, that it is only some prentes,
who fall under the drsadfnl indetmsnt If bo
cause. bring in due canonical form. nus
charges against those episcopal tyrantS VINO
stand so obviously in the way Of intcllectIh". hn
postulates he will assuredly vi n a memorable
victory and achieve triumph that is more
than likely to eventuate in the Purple.
How ruthless in the expression Of his own
tyranny is your correspondent, while iuml-
mating against the IrteIlsGtna despn,Slm , rr,,I,nr
authorities suppress certain pions beliefs ana
devotons whiTh he ronten p,nGMnsEIy EooDer in4e,s
has Ni,tH more regard for human freedom, These
beliefs and devotions am privileged TO eau
nn 1hsm is Ihc old sory
fnbuln Inever vet met n recG Citrant "chhin-
pion of liberty" who would not clip my wings
while claiming the right to leave his 5s 2wn M NJ
sheared. Your correspondent, while de
nouncinQ the "n,cll"ctlol tyranny" in very
grave matters in The Catholic Church. calls
in things beyond the domain OF faith ana
moralsl There are, pitfalls in the, way of
emancipation ev' n for champions;
man or or he would not so heedessly hitch his
chariot TO the variant star of sGIentisni, |
the latter being only the penumbral gases of
exploded hypothesis. which science is CON
stnnty eiecting aud rejecting. have in my
yond the ra ging shadows Of youth seen many
Of these synosions and hnye learned S br az IL
blown were proclaimed TO be solid spheres Of
less ST fabric b Sa Of VISION % knowisdge Of the
philosophy of history and wisdom won from
found in the wallet of youth lii only when
have gained these assets after toll and
time that we learn To est lmat" he real va''"
of hypolheses. whether physical. metaph !sl-
cal or Biblical speCulation.
| am not prepared to say whether Moses
was the author of the Pentatruch or not tnOr
has the Church ever defined III" quest onl, but
this do know, that what is held to-day may
tomorrow be repudinted as distinctly on
alleged scientific ground that ii is folly to pin
ones faith to dynasty of revolutions and
that "A house divided Against itself. AS the
Higher Criticism is affords no reputable
refuge to one who appreciates the dignity of
reason,
That type of mind pror"ssng to be Catholic
which sees in the Temporal Power, i. q the
temporal independence" OF N" Pipacy from
the jurisdiction of human governments, ~
curse to the Church, has clearly moi crossed
the threshold Of the philosophy OF liberty or
of the temple of history. The secular wisdom
of our own forefathers points the obvious
lesson here when they provided II temporal
home for the Federal Government on its own
strip oI independent territory, that II might
be forever removed from the relnotest intiu-
enCc of any single state, on whose soil its
CAPITOL might ot otherwise have been located.
Your correspondent Parthian compli-
mcnt 10 my translation Of the Spanish work on
liberalism. and his mnCnGnimous appreCiH-
ton of Spanish ecCesiatcsm in general, re
all that / could wish When a man scrs is
own features in a mirror accurately reflected
in other thHn the lines of beauty he had foud!v
imagined, his ma tural disposition is to smash
it. The Church has always had its liheralisrs
as the rose its louise and the highway its
scarahR Is. toNhE b, PAlLEN.