Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1903-07-29

century, been trying 70 identity them
selves organically with this Church,
without disvOwing their own ancestry
and inheritance. There was some
thing to be said for their claim that
they were not truly separated from
the Church Of Rome, since they could
unquestionably trace their ecclesiastical
lineage back to the Roman hierarchy.
A polite eclesiastic less loyal to his
own conviction might have found, or
tried TO find, a door by which this sec
tiOn Of Anglican Churchmen could be-
come loyal adherents Of the Mother
Church without the mild martyrdom
which secession from their own Church
would involve. To this suggestion the
Pope would give no countenance. When
at last the question was fairly brought
before him, he declared the Anglican
orders not only to be irregular -irre-
gularity might be cured by a general
act uf recognition-b but absolutely void,
so that these Anglican Catholics could
come into fellowship with Rome only
by openly, frankly, and publicly aban-
doning their fellowship with the Church
of England, step which very few of
them were willing to take.
The same uncompromising adherence
its fundamental principles was again H.
lustrated by the Pope's letter to Cardi-
nal Gibbons on Americanism; though
in this case it was coupled with a de-
finItion Of the degree of accommodation
TO local needs and local sentiments
which can be regarded as consistent
with such loyalty. "The doctrine of
faith" said the Pope in that letter,
"has not been proposed like a philoso-
phical invention, to be perfected by
human ingenuity, but has been deliver
ed as a divine deposit to be faithfully
kept and infallibly declared" This
is his definition of that article Of faith
which, as we have said above, cannot
be believed and can hardly even be un-
derstood by Protestant mind. Insist
ing on this, the Pope goes on to add
that, adhering to the divine doctrine
and the divine principles of morals
without deviation, yet the Church "has
never neglected to accommodate herself
to the character and genius of the ma
tiOns which she embraces" Hence
"if by this name (Americanisn) are to
be understood certain endOwments of
mind which belong to the American
people, just as other characteristics be-
long to various other nations, and II
moreover, by it is designated your
political condition and the laws and
customs by which you are governed,
there is no objection to the name"
This principle of ready accommodation
Of infallible authority and inAexible and
unchanging law to changing circum-
stances, which is the key of the
character and career Of Pope Leo XIII,
finds striking and, TO the American
people, valuable illustration in the
policy which has been pursued by the
Church, under the direction Of the Pope
regarding our common school system
At one time it looked as though the
power Of the Church would be cOncen.
; trated on an endeavor to disrupt oul
, public-schOol system, on the grounC
that If the schools are left TO be carrieC
on by the State they must be eithel
Protestant or goddess. 1t was not un
E common for priests to compel parents
) to send their children to the parochia
Y school under penalty Of excOmmunica
( ton; and the result was unquestiOnablN
g not only the creation of hostile feeling
: between Protestant and Roman Cathol
i les but also some loosening Of the ii,
h which bound the Roman Catholic lait,
: to their Church. All this cOntrovers,
i has passed. let us hope forever, iron
American community, by the applica
t tion of the principle enunciated by Pop
: Leo KILL, that loyalty to the Churcl
e is not necessarily inconsistent with re
t cognition by the Church of the laws an,
g customs by which the particular com
i munity is governed. In 1898 1t was de
= iinitely declared, evidently with the ap
proval of the Pope, since It was by hi
e special representative, that the Churc
l. of Rome does not disapprOve the publ
schools; that it forbids priests o
h bishops to excommunicate parents be
e cause they send their children to tn
e public schools; and that it approve
y such schools, provided other and ade
a ] = -