The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-03-14

the impetus given the church by for
eign influx, Father John continues:
CONVERSATION IV-(Continued
THAT this foreign immigration has
been faultless. that it has had solely
religious interests at heart, or that it
has been a fair representation of the
Intelligence, responsibility aud worth of
the Catholic populations of Europe, no
man pretends. 1t has been composed
in great part of common laborers and
servants, poor and illiterate; but this,
strange as it may seem, has been an
advantage, not only because they were
the more likely to adhere to their faith
in a hostile country, but because they
were less likely to alarm Protestants
as to the spread of Catholicity. Prot
estants would tolerate Catholicity in
these humble classes, apparently with
out personal or social influence, when a
much smaller immigration of the more
intelligent and influential classes would
have excited their unrelenting hostility.
The church was looked upon simply as
the church of poor, ignorant and super
stitious foreigners, and as these for
eigners were very necessary to the de-
velopment of our material prosperity,
she was tolerated, and III some in
stances supported, for their sake. She
grew up, so to speak, under the shadow
of Protestant contempt for while these
classes were comparatively few, and
strangers, nobody dreamed of their
making conversions from the American
population. The common opinion was
that Catholicity could not live in our
Protestant atmosphere, that the first,
at furthest the second, generation born
here, would be absorbed in the general
non-Catholic population of the country.
Through this foreign immigration 1t
was believed the church could gain no
permanent footing here, and must
needs die olt when the immigration
should cease. 1t was not then worth
ones while to persecute them, or to
abridge their religious freedom. What
to superficial observer might have
seemed in the outset a>Ereat disadvan-
tage. and likely to strengthen the pref
udices of the country against Cath
olicity, has proved to be the best, and, !
as far as we can Judge. the only prac-
ticable means Off introducing and es-
ia blishing the church on solid basis,
as one of our institutions
These poor, illiterate Iaborers and
servants adhered to their religion, they
supported the clergy, they built
they provided for the celebra-
ton of the holy sacrifice. They became
permanent settlers, citizens of the
country, married prospered. brought
out their fathers, mothers, brothers, /
sisters, and, aided by European events
and the continually increasing demand
for labor by our works of internal i'm
and the extension of our
trade and commerce,
they in a few years have swelled into a
Catholic population that is counted by
growing in intelligence, in re-
spectability and influence in proportion
to the increase of their numbers. The
Catholic body may be exposed to an
noyances and vexations from the anti
Catholic spirit of the country, but it is
now too large and too important to be
overlooked, and too numerous to be
banished or massacred.. The material
interests of the country cannot afford !
to sacrifice the Catholic population, and
1t cannot as yet dispense with foreign |
Catholics may almost be |
said to fill the lower strata of our So
ciety in all the free states, and they |
are every year rising and filling the
ranks. while not a few have |
already reached the summit of our so
ciaI hierarchy. The church has gained |
4 footing and is every day taking a |
more influential position in the country. |
The 1900 churches, the nearly 1000 |
priests, and a Catholic population of at |
east $500 900, afford very respectable |
basis for missionary operations. 1t is |
through these, through their example, |
influence and silent but effectual eXer-
IONS that prejudice is to be softened, |
hostility disarmed and interest excited.
But you forget, Father john" said |
that this Catholic body, |
arge as it is, and jealous as it may be, |
S separated from the American COM
by difference of national origin,
manners and customs, and to some ex-
ent even of language. The church they
support is still regarded as the church |
If foreign body in the American COM
nunty, and is not an exponent of any
element of the American national life.
Your Catholic body does not act on the
American body, and you want, it seems
o me, larger infusion of the Ameri-
an element. Instead of relying on this
oreign body, you should direct all your
Efforts to the conversion of Americans, !
vho have the sentiment of American
and thus Americanize the
hurch.''
Undoubtedly, replied Father John,
it is desirable that the Catholic body
hould be or become American, so far
IS to avoid all that is repugnant to a
ust American national sentiment; but
want the church Americanized no
aore than l want it Irishized German
zed, Englishized or Gallicized. The
hurch always suffers from having inn
'osed upon her the form of any ma
Nationalism in religion is
My another name for gentilism, or
and is in it's essential ma
ure anti Catholic. There is no need
f anxiety for the support of American
1t is abundantly able to
axe care of itself. In addressing for
ign-born Catholics, it is always proper
n advise them to be ON their guard