The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-09-05
THE FUTURE CATHOLIC RACES.

What the church is losing in the countries of its
early saints it makes up in the strength developing
! in the countries demorazed by the Reformation
and the teachings of Martin Luther. The see of
Peter must now look to the northern races for the
! support that once came from the Latin. Here are
the facts: The Latin nations are, France and
Italy especially, in open revolt against the Papacy;
Spain and Portugal, quiescent apatheic, worse
han weak. Where they are not singing thorns
they are broken reeds. Not upon them, with any
hope of profit, can the church lean for long-un-
less they change their ways. The eldest children
of the Papacy. they now. for its purposes, bar
rem and anemic. But look at the youthful peoples
which come under the sway Of the see of Peter in
the far-off days when Rome, imperial Rome, fell
into ruin and decay! Germany, the British
pre- the United States, the great British colonies,
the northern nations may call them; what vigor,
what prospects of permaneAce and power! Com
pared with the Latins they are as the day dawn to
the evening dark.
Looking at these facts, the London Catholic
Times, anticipating the policy of Pope Plus X,
boldly asks: us it possible for the most deter
mined dreamer to fancy that these young, vigorous
progressive nations shall not some time enter into
a relation with the greatest religious influence on
earth and by their entering, mould and be moulded
by its traditional principles and its inherited doc
trnel Can they much longer continue to live on
d creed which is hourly flying into fragments Will
they consent to live hereafter in that crude and
heartless materiasm which inevitably follows loss
of all religious belief? We are sure. they neither
can nor will.
Bishop Butler of the analogy" has this SEN
tence which cannot be pondered over too often:
Things and actions are what they are and the
consequences of them will be what they will be;
why then should we desire to be deceived?" Why.
inded? Here the great nations of Germany,
England, America, exulting in their career like
giants in the course. What power, humbly speak
ing shall set term to their endeavors. limit to
their ideals Democratic to the core, liberty loving
to the very marrow of their soul, those three ma
lions dominate the minds of men by the fascina-
ton of their progressive aims and achievements
There is shrewd remark of Herodotus that not
in point, but in ALL democratic equality is a
busy thing No probability no possibility we
would say, exists that these nations will draw back
from the effort to reach the goal which they have
set before them How, then one may well ask, will
it be possible for any Pope burdened with the
weight of rule over the whole Church of God. to
neglect the meaning of this great phenomenon and
center all his hopes and expectations on group of
governments most false when proffering friendship?
Will he trust France and Italy, both of whom
persecute him, or Spain and Portugal, which have
not even energy enough for that? Impossible He
will turn his eyes, as Pope Leo did, towards the
young northern nations, who have the sap of vi
rility in their frames and Who if they are not pre-
pared to grant favor 10 him and his, willingly and