The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-01-24
[chapter I.-continued.l

rectify these excuses later on.-Ed-
itor.]
Chapter I.-Continued)
Much may, no doubt, be said against
Puritanism," interposed Father john
but the worst policy for Catholic to
pursue in this country is to rail against
1t or to turn it into ridicule. You may
vituperate or ridicule the young and
tkoughtless out of religion, but you do
not by that bring them nearer to the
church, or make them better men and
women, or better citizens. This coun-
try was far more moral, far more
patriotic, far less corrupt, in the old
Puritan times than it is now: Puritan
! ism has been laughed out of counten-
ance, it has receded, but Catholicity
! mas not advanced to take it's place. The
drinking, carousing, swearing, rake
he'll cavaliers have succeeded to the
stern and staid old Puritans, and with
what gain to our morals let the daily
records of our police tell. Where mo-
rality is wanting you cannot expect 10
md religion and even outward deco
/ rum will always be found some pro-
lection to the morality. 1 am no friend
10 Puritaism, but l believe it some
gain to morals when we can compel
vice to conceal itself, or prevent it from
| appearing with all its effrontery on the
public streets. Much that we have
done to undermine Puritanism has re-
suited only in undermining natural
virtue and manners. We should never
seek to displace a false religion any
further than we are prepared to sup
ply true religion. or attack even Prot
estantism except on the principles or
from the point of view of Catholicity.
| . orr n at ~. Ikr6 ut h
eTs hold to be sacred, and should never
be done in a light and thoughtless
manner The true should be advanced
as fast as the false recedes. so as to
save the purity Of the religious senti-
ment and the delicacy of conscience"
That l suppore,' interrupted O'Flan-
agan, lis intended as a sly hint al my
birth loving countrymen.'
Il am" replied Father John "to hit
what is wrong, whose countrymen So
ever may be guilty of it, but l have
nothing to do with nationalities. L am
OF no nation. | am a Catholic and
Jesuit. AS such l speak I defend the
truth. which is truth for all men Of
whatever race or nation, and condemn
what is wrong, let who will practice ii.
In this club each is free to retain his
nationality, but no one is free to i'm
pose his nationality upon another; Mr.
OFlanagan and Mein Herr Diefenbach
meet here as equals, and neither has
any right to require any exception 10
be made in behalf of his nationality or
to suppose because an error is COM
mented on that his countrymen are
especially aimed at; we should inter-
pref an honest speakers language ac-
cording TO its plain import, not by our
suspicious or prejudices l speak Of
Catholics without reference to their
nationality, and / say that we cannot
advance our religion in this country by
vttuperating or Ttdiculing Puritanism;
or, if you please, New Englandism. Re
ligion in the minds of the unevangel-
lied American people is associated
with decorous carriage and a sober
exterior and they do not and will not
believe that it does or can exist in it's
purity and strength where these are
wanting. That altogether too much
stress is laid on these. and that room
enough is not given to light-hearted.
innocent mirth, is, no doubt, true; yet
You cannot attack the prevailing cor
viction on this subject in the spirit
and manner of the old cavaliers, with
out having the dissoluteness of morals
and manners that followed the restora-
ton of Charles II. We must take the
religious mind of the country as it is
and where it is, and if we would lead
l. to Catholicity, and above all things.
must we beware how we teach it to
laugh at what it has been brought up
to regard as sacred. 1t is the sincere,
the earnest, the moral portion of nom
Catholic Americans that we must ad-
dress; the sincere. conscientious, earn
est Protestants. from whom we are TO
expect conversions; not that mass of
unbelievers who are ready to join with
us in denouncing Professionalism, and
with Protestants in denouncing Cath
olicity, and who, for themselves, regard
neither God nor man. 1t is of no use
to destroy mems confidence in Protest
antism, unless we can at the same
time bring them to the church, for, aft
err all, it is better for society that men
should be even Protestants. Puritans,
than that they should have no religion
at ALL
Father John is right, as he always
is said De Bonneville. The Protes-
tant missionaries in the east. by their
tracts and their schools. have had some
influence in detaching individuals from
their old beliefs and superstitions, but
none in making them Christians. Their
converts have lost their false religion
without having embraced the true re-
ligion, and are the very worst people
one meets in the east. Much has been
said of the reforms on Turkey during
the last twenty or thirty years. The
Turks, we are told, are becoming lib
eral Many of the higher classes GER
tainly have learned to laugh at the
prophet, and to ridcule the Koran,