The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-05-16
A MAKER OF HISTORY.

weary the energy of the man of good
will; there was no Bastile; no privi-
leges; no base compromises between
the human side of the church and the
evil of the world. He was keen to
see the source of social evils. One
source of innumerable ills in the fu-
ture would be the importation of for
eign ideas inapplicable to the condi-
lions of new country. 1t is plain to
the observer of European social life
that the American republic was very
much distrusted in Italy, France,
Spain and even among the higher
classes in England. The Italians. who
learn all things from history, fancied
that they had the key to the future of
the United States in the past of the
Venetian and Florentine republics, and
the separation of church and state,
leaving each entire freedom, was to
them, knowing how Cavour's maxim
had been interpreted, impossible
Catholics in France were inclined to
| judge the American republic by the
vagaries of their own series Of sys-
TENS, the work of superintendent
'doctrinaries," and Spain, politically
uneducated, looked with doubt and
scOrn on the crude collection of states
across the sea. The late war has
somewhat changed the attitude of Eu-
rope; it has, with its result, the acqui-
sition of the Philippines, changed the
point of view of the court of Rome to
the United States and altered to a
great extent the position of the Unit
ed States in the eyes of Europe and
Rome itself, the very center of the
most delicate diplomacy. There are
some American Catholics who see in
| this reciprocal change a misfortune,
and many others, not Catholics, who
imagine that it has dangers. How
ever, Archbishop Ireland was one of
the first to perceive-what President
Mckinley and his advisers did not
| perceive-that, when the Philippines
were acquired, Rome, as a diplomatic
and economical factor, must be con-
sidered. 1t was another evidence Of
the broad view, deep insight and con-
| slant devotion to the best interests of
religion and civic virtue that has
marked his career.
Archbishop Ireland has done more
for the creation of a sentiment against
what was called the saloon interest"
than any other Catholic, except Arch
! bishop Keane. And in this process, he
made many enemies-in the Christian
sense-even in his own fold, and he
undertook a difficult work; but who,
comparing the condition of Catholic
sentiment on the liquor" question
with what it was in the sixties, can
doubt that Archbishop Ireland and
Archbishop Keane have succeeded?
1T is with dislike that a Catholic al
ludes to the wretched disputes on the
school question, in which the late
Archbishop of New York and Arch
bishop of st. Paul occupied opposite
Jdes. It is cae of the INST unpleaS.
art episodes in the history of the Cath
Ole church ii 1nis counuy-a history
which hitherto had no page which a
reasonable man could beside to blot;
! but honesty requires the statement
that the difference of opinion brought
out all the malice and uncharitable-
ness from which theologians are sup
posed, except in moments of great
crisis, to be free. This was a moment
of great crisis, if one may judge it by
the hatred of the two parties.
THE APOSTOLIC LEGATION.
Nobody who looks below the surface
imagines that the Apostolic Legation,
represented at first by Cardinal Sa-
tolli was welcomed unreservedly by
the Catholics of the United States. 1t
is said tina the establishment of this
legation was made possible by the dis
union of the bishops, and that Arch
bishop Ireland threw himself on the
side of the legation, in order to
strengthen his position. But, as there
are public documents in the case, this
assumption may be dismissed for lack
of evidence. There are no Catholics
in the world more devoted to the Holy
Father or the unity of the church than
the Catholics of the United States.
The school question was at its height
when the apostolic delegate came.
His reception in some quarters, usu-
ally esteemed most orthodox, was
marked by extreme GOODNESS, while in
those quarters looked on by the ultra
orthodox as liberal, it was most en-
thusiastic The west was troubled
perhaps more than any other part Of
the country by two questions: Might
Catholics send their children to the
public schools without fear of excom-
munication, and what secret societies
were really condemned? The Catho-
lie church had not legislated against
secret societies merely as secret soci-
cites, but against societies which de-
handed absolute obedience under an
unnecessary oath. 1t seemed to many
as if these questions had been an
, swered by some bishops from foreign
point of view; hence the coming of
Cardinal Satolli, rumored to be sympa-
thetic with what was called the
: American" opinions, was looked on
; as hopeful.
Cardinal Satolli stopped the practice
of communicating parents who sent
. their children to public schools where