The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-10-17

Is chastity impossible? This question proceeds
only from the lips of those whose hearts are 1ull
of sin and passion, and know no higher ideal than
that of carnal lust. 1t is insult to the Wlves'
sisters and mothers of thousands
Is obedience unmanly and degrading! Inc
Scriptures do not consider the obedience of child
to its parents or wife to her husband degrading:
(Eph v o. vi, ~ No one calls the obedience OF
a soldier to the commands of his officers unmanly:
Why should obedience to.tanother out OF love OF
God and in the things of Tod be evil, when SUD
lection to another out of sef-interest, and IN the
things of this life in business, politics, etc, IS
considered good!
But, you object, men should not thus withdraw
from society; they should take their share of the
burden. History is the witness how nobly and well
the religious communities of men and women have
served their fellow men, Is there a outside the
Catholic church whose charity for all has been more
fruitful in good works than st. Vincent de Pauls!
In the Middle Ages who but the monks were the
patrons of literature the arts and the Sciences the
cutivators of the SOIL the educators of the gnor-
ant? Indeed, we have only to look around US to-
day. and we must needs bear testimony to the Won
derful work done by such devoted women as the Sis
ters of Charity, the Little Sisters of the Poor the
Sisters of the Good Shepherd and the Sisters OF
Mercy. How many Protestants have written and
spoken in their praise? Father" said one to me
lately, II don't know much about your church, but
| do know for certainty that the good Sisters OF
your church are the best nurses IN the world An
other: III ather, the SlSterS OF OndrIIy Ill
Civil war, serving equally the Blue and the Gray,
and serving me on what thought my death bed
[ desire to join the Church. feeling convinced that
the Church that inspires such devotions must needs
be the Church of Christ" A third. II intend to
send my girls away to school, and, though, non
Catholic feel the good influence of the Sisters
of your Church is something no money can buy"
And so witness on witness can be appealed to
Protestant, Jew and infde alike-concerning the
zeal, charity and devotion of these women who
freely dedicate their lives to the service of the
neighbor The light of their good works does in
deed shine forth before all men, "that men give
glory to our Father in Heaven"
But why bind ones self to such life by a VOW?
The answer is simply this that and women
have the same right and liberty in things divine
as in things human Is it blessed thing to swear
loyalty to a woman in the pure bond of marriage,
and curse to swear loyalty to Christ Jesus in the
pure bond of supernatural espousal? The world
may not understand, but that is rather due its
spirit being alien to Christ, for "the sensual man
perceveth those things that of the Spirit of
God; for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot
derstand, because it is spiritually examined"
q. Cor. ii, 14)
'I can understand" says another, "the chari-
table work done by the Apostolic men and women
in your Church, but what is the good of contem-
plative orders?" TO busy, utilitarian and
eralistic age it does indeed seem strange that men