The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-03-09

aim in life were to save our immortal souls.
 Tendencies of the Age.
 And what answer does our heart give to these questions? An, well do we know the answer-so well that we would fain evade the question, The tendencies of the age are for the things of the flesh rather than the spirit and we are moving along with the current. The one goal of our hope, heaven. is almost obsoured by the worldly atmosphere that enYelops us. We think of 1t occasionally. perhaps, In a vague sort of manner as a place we will try to be satisfied with when we must finally leave this world with its pleasures and money-getting
 As for hell-such a place Is seldom mem toned. The philosophy of the time has eliminated that. Modern society shrinks from all that is dsagreeable and painful and that it may have some sanction for It's conduct must needs do away with hell It cannot conceive the idea of a God so harsh as to condemn one to eternal punishment. And yet there in the agony in the garden, the bitter passion, the awful erucihxlon which read to all mankind, in characters incarnadined by a Savior's blood There is a hell; what 1t is, let my sufferings answer. There is a heaven; what it is, judge from my love-
 Spiritual Dry Rot.
 We are more or less infected with this spiritual dry rot TO mention a few home ly, concrete examples. prayer is very irlS- some to us; we dislike it. We are so fatigued at night because of our business exactions or our late hours of pleasure In the morning, ,fter sleeping until the last minute, we have no time and must rush out into the days busy whirl with never thought of Him who protect- ed us through the darkness of the night never prayer that He will guard us dur ing the day.
 We go to mass on Sunday with some de- gree or regularity, perhaps, but mostly 1t would appear, from mere matter of form, to prevent the neighbor. from talk ing or to impress upon the community that we are pretty respectable in our lives Even then we come struggling in 'desultorily, utterly regardless whether We miss the major portion of the mass or not. With an intensely bored or far away look We sit or stand or kneel dur ing the holy sacrifice, and seem greatly relieved when it is over. As for reading a prayer-book-and here refer almost sole ly to the male portion of the fock-such a thing is very rare, as our sharp scrutiny will clearly show As regards confession and communion-well, and this for the men again-if they belong to A society that makes Easter duty a condition of membership they go; otherwise they do not. Strong, husky fellows. they don.t need these things-they are more he coming to women. l fear me that if some Of our able-bodied men finally reach heaven they will discover that they have been dragged out of the jaws of hell and placed there by the frequent confessions a ana communions of some poor, frail uttla woman. Poor Mother Eve made bad mistake, no doubt, but she has certaip,,, made amends, over and over again in hsr daughters 'iN'
 impossible.
 By living in this manner will one da- velop that higher being within himself- that being whose proper destiny is to ha one day transfigured with Christ? Imnos- sible,l The soul cannot live much less da- velop without divine grace. He who Ignores prayer. the sacraments and the Holy Mass cuts himself off from the only channel of grace and Is spiritually dead. The spiritual life is not stationary. One must either advance or retrograde. .He who is not with me is against me" says the Lord. And again: T would that thou vert either hot or cold but since thou art neither l will begin to vomit thee out Of my mouth.' As with the body, so with the soul, exercise and self-denial are nec- essary to keep 1t in good condition. to develop it. If one indulges the soul by toying with every soft allurement that