The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-02-20

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press are declaring that "a really
Christian people would have selected a
different parliament, and that if the
church were real power in the hearts
and minds of the people, the elections
would not have resulted in such a
marked victory of it's enemies, the
Social Democrats and the Roman
Catholics. If any supremacy is ac-
corded to Christianity, it is not OF the
one truth against many forms OF error,
but at most only the prominence of a
primus inter pares" (the first among
many equals).
The paper goes on to assert that:
According to critical Protestant
theology, the absolute truth of Chris
tianity must be sacrificed i'll the inter-
ests of scientific religious research.
This process of disintegration in fund
amental principles is finding its way
into Protestant pulpits and pews, and
the popularizing of the latest results
of the very newest criticism in school
and press is one of the demands of the
day. In the same way, the attitude Of
critical thought toward the person and
work of Christ is changing. For many
Jesus Christ is little or nothing more
than model man, and a great moral
Teacher, but not the Eternal Son of
Cod"
The writer then asserts that the two
great enemies of Professionalism, viz,
Social Democracy and Roman Catholi-
cism, are crowding it to the wall, and
planting their banners where the Prot
estants themselves have discarded
their own fundamental principles. 1t
is then ruefully declared that in that
country of which two-thirds of the pop
ulation is at least nominally Protest
ant, the center or Catholic Party in
Parliament really rules the country,
because it is unit; and the Emperor
is compelled to come to an understand
ing with the Catholic center in order
not to allow the Social Democrats and
other Radical parties to become the
ruling power in the land.
The Alte Claude is convinced that
professionalism cannot regain its old
power except by return to its original
principles, and especially to an accept
ance of the Scriptures as the rule of
faith and life.' Other Protestant pa
pers propose the organization of dis
tinctly Protestant party in Parliament,
modelled after the Catholic Center; but
we are told that many of the papers
object to this plan con the ground that
Protestant ethical principles will not
admit such methods of warfare" This
is surely an amusing reason, for have
we not seen in Canada and the United
States frequent attempts made to es-
tablish just such party, even though
there was never any attempt on the
part of Catholics to establish any
Catholic political party. Have we not
seen the rise and fall of Know Moth
ingism, A. P. A.-ism and the continu-
ance of Orangeism, all of which are OF
were politico-religious societies or par-
ties? Where were the ethical princi-
pies of Professionalism when all these
were organized? Or are these essential
ethical principles different in America
and Germany? They are certainly not
different SO far as the primary princi-
pies of Professionalism is concerned, OH
which its ethical principles must be
founded; but that principle from its
very nature, must result in difference
of practical ethics, from the very fact
that every individual is left to form his
own codes of ethics.
The cause must be sought for else.
where, and we do not hesitate to say
that the real trouble is that as sys-
tenn of religion, German Professionalism
and Rationalism have become SO
merged into each other as to make the
boundaries between them indistin-
guishable.
There is, in fact, no cause for dis
tinctively Protestant Party in Germany
any more than in Canada, and many
Protestants recognize this fact, aware
as they are that the Catholic party
was instituted for defensive and not ag-
gressive purposes, and if it were not
that the Catholic religion was violently
attacked there would never have been
need of Catholic or Center party.
But why not dissolve the Center
party now that it has achieved its OBJ
ject in the repeal of the penal laws?
1t must be remembered that there still
remains one of these oppressive laws
upon the statute books, and the Cath
olic party is resolved to remain in ex-
istence until this tyranny is also swept
away; and it has an inalienable natural
right to insist upon this being done,
and to remain in existence so long as
there exists any danger that the Prot
estant majority, shaken though it is by
its present alleged inherent weakness,
shall not cease from it's efforts to keep
up, or even to restore any of its per-
scouting enactments. If the Protestant
majority is not cohesive enough to be-
come aggressive once more, so much
the better. That will be a guaranty