Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1903-08-03
FEDERATION FAVORED
Will Prove a Great Bulwark
Against Rising Tide of
In1delity.
SIOUX INDIANS REPRESENTED
Session of American Federation of
Catholic ocietes-Glowing Trib.
ute Paid to Dead Pontiff by Presl-
dent Thomas Minahan.

Atlantic City, Aug. at the ses-
sion of the American Federation Of
Catholic societies Secretary Anthony
Matre reported an increase during the
past year in state declarations from
four to nine and that there are at pres
ent 266 county declarations in 40 states.
twenty-five members of the hierarchy,
three cardinals, including the two
apostolic delegates and SO archbish-
ops and bishops have declared in IA
yor of the federation. Four thousand
Sioux Indians are represented at the
convention by a chief, Mimitani
Hanska, of the Rosebud agency, South
Dakota, The Chippewa tribe have
also joined the federation.
Bishop Kiley, of Savannah, celebrat-
ed solemn ponsifcal mass.
Father Cantwell, of Long Branch,
who preached, said the federation
would prove a great bulwark against
the rising tide of infdelity, numbering,
according to a New York daily, $4,000
souls in this country. One cause Of
infdelity was the fact that part of the
people preferred novelty and senti-
mentality to religion and morality and
that the great beginning of infidelity
was made with the so-called reforma-
ton; that some preferred to discard
some doctrine and others another doc
trine until finally none Of them be-
lieved anything. Divorce was another
great cause, and it was strange that
while the courts held that the ordinary
contract of dollars and cents could
not be broken, they easily broke the
highest contract, that Of marriage
the very foundation of society.
Archbishop Ryan, of Philadelphia;
Bishop Mesmer, of Green Bay, Wis,
and Bishop MeFaul, of Trenton, at
tended mass President Thomas Min
ahan, of the federation, in the course
of his address said:
'The widely and the sincerely
spoken regret because of the ending
of the masterful and gentle life of Leo
XIII, the kindly sympathy expressed
on every hand by our fellow citizens
of all denominations, is indeed sill.
yer lining to the cloud that darkens
the Catholic horizon 1t were impos-
sible for Catholics to be other than
deeply touched by these Christian
amenities. In the noble tributes paid
the dead pontiff we hail the dawn of
broadening and Frightening day. In
this kindly sentiment we recognize.
too something of the fruition of Leo's
fondest hope.
Peculiarly fitting in the solemnity
of the present hour is the coming to-
gether of the Catholic societies of
America. Not singly, but with united
voice, they can now speak the sorrow
as well as the appreciation of the
great pontiff's fifteen millions of spir-
itual children in America 1t is most
appropriate, too, that such expression
come from this convention. To carry
out, to realize in our country, what
Leo so sublimely thought and grandly
wrought for the world at large-this
is the cardinal aim of the mission of
the American Federation of Catholic
societies.
Standing before the tomb of this
world-leader whose hope was a better
understanding among all Christians,
and whose fondest aim was Zone fold
and one Shepherd, in his name we
tender to our fellow citizens of every
condition and of all creeds our sin
cerest gratitude in acknowledgment
Of their gracious and heartfelt ex.
pressions.