The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-09-19
THE INDEX.
a Useful But Little Understood In
stitution.

All Catholics Of bookish tastes ough
70 know something about the mucf
maligned institution. the Index.
Somebody has said with more poin
than truth that all the best books il
the world are in the Index. And nov
and again the existence thereof and tn,
obligations thereof are cited in supper
O. the ancient calumny that We arr
prieSt-ridden and denied liberty o.
thought and that the Church is ty
rannical, obscurantist. sad TO say
there is a disposition among a 'certai,
kind Of Catholics to fall in with these
views and to refuse obedience to tbs
laws, which made from the Universal
Church. are as binding in this land OF
liberty as in effete Europe.
Everybody knows what danger to
faith and morals turks in bad books.
They are occasions Of sin of the great
est efficacy. A book represents the
best thoughts Of its author clothed in
an the graces Of style Of which he is
capable and DerDeuates that thought
long after the authors voice is hushed
10y death
bad book especially if artisticaIly
written. gives a sort Of Immortality to
error Through it. moreover. the au-
thor gets a worldwide audience for
what he has to say. Now. the natural
l"F forbids us to read books. Self
reservation is the best law of ma
jaHa and this principle is true whera
there is question Of bodily life. is
equally true where there is question II
me life OF the soul. On the came prin-
DDie that we avoid going 10 places and
assoratng with people who escape the
cantagiun Of deadly disease. so ought
We in reason avoid entering into a
world OF thought where in all human
Probability our souls will receive NOR
tai harm. And il we are not alive 10
jae danger ourselves we ought to b.
grateful 70 those who give US timely
warning
Tha Congregation Of the Index was
founded about three hundred yea17
ago. Al the time of the Reformation
Stood Uf books. more or less infected
with erroneous doctrines. poured from
re presses of Europe The business
:" the Congregation was to examine
l4ese 5ooks-at least the most notable
among them-and to warn the faithful
against reading them This Congrega-
y"H is made up OF a number of Car
N'hals appointed by the Pope, and It's
members are assisted in their work by
great body Of competent scholars.
-'Aaus some Of our readers have seen
.hr picture in which the idea and the
.a"Hrs of the Congregation are held w
r. Haicuie. 1t is important to note
.i-li 1erc that the prohibition of
,+a book by the Congregation of the
mex Is positive precept over and
'yFe the precept Of the natural law;
and, furthermore that. though i'm
some cases the natural lew does rot
'.'p because there is no danger to b.
''T'hended from the reading OF
.1a book i'm these cases. still the ec-
SlaSiical prohibition is in force. ana
~ Who transgresses il deliberately is
s".ltN Of grave sin. at least. if the
hIdden reading be OF much extent.
Inc INDEX OF prohibited books or as
+ sometimes styled. the Index Eek
.Sajorius.' is a list Of some thouS-
!. Us OF books. histories, poems. novels.
'h.ologlcal treatises. encyclopedias and
''ner sorts Of works which have been
=. esugated by the Congregat ton of thu
mex and branded as unfit for Cath
.l'S. and. by-and-by not only is the
.'aaIng Of such unlawful. but the re-
Filion. printing and defense of them
-, Wen. The last Roman edition Of
lle index was published i'm 1880, with an
: ppendiX zip to 1890. which was issued
~ 1871. 1t Is an interesting volume. A
E9oa many people like Honore re Bal |
Ha'-all the writings Of this author are
llerdicted. Again, all the romances |
t Dumas in whatever language they |
@ie printed are forbidden: Victor HUI |
50 Notre Dame de Paris and Les Mis- |
'iaoles are i'm the same unfortunate |
category So also are the works of |