The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1906-01-06
INFIDEL GOVERNMENTS REPENTING
OF THEIR FOLLY.

Statecraft is a subject wholly neglected by
writer's No books now written to instruct men
how to rule. People used to think it was an art
nay, even science, to govern men. Now it is left
to amateurs and adventures. People having
ceased to be governed by principles, it is idle to
apply principles to their political life The primary
principle of all human government is the suprem-
acy of God. All just rights and Legitimate powers
are derived from Him. Rule without God is ty-
ranny. All political rule today is Invested of all
divine sanction and rulers are at the mercy Of the
ruled. There IS no longer any truth or loyalty in
the political world. Emperors, kings and presi-
dents are but puppets controlled by the mob The
man who holds in his hand the ballot was hereto
fore said to be king; he has become despot There
Is no stability in any government in the world to-
day, whose cornerstone does not rest on loyalty
to God. The United States is the only country on
the face Of the earth that recognizes in spite of her
silent constitution the indefeasibe sovereignty of
God; and our government is the most stable of
all governments in consequence.
The church has always been ready to teach the
world Christian craftsmanship; and her concep-
ton of the duties of the ruler and of the rights of
the ruled the only ones that have stood the
test of experience If there is ever to be peace in
Europe again it vii be by a return of rulers and
peoples to the principles of Catholic theology.
Not only are the teachings of the church on
the abstract questions of craftsmanship sound and
ings of statescraft instinct with divine wisdom
The greatest menace of social and political orders
today is the curse of secret societies. For hun
dred years the church has been declaiming against
secret societies. Her enemies rallied around them
and both made common cause against her. All the
lntidel governments of Europe have from time to
time abeted secret societies. those most hostile to
the church have been most closely allied to them
The Carbonari in Ialy; the Freemasons in Spain;
the Freethinkers in France; the Socialists and An
archists in Germany, have all inherit dethe Protest
ant hostility to the Catholic church, and the gov
ernments that warred against Rome always encour-
aged their secret pottings against religion where
they did not enter into open and avowed alliance
The church has suffered much from them separate
ly and IN conjunction; but she has survived and
lives to witness the truth of all her prognostica
lions. The governments that have been founded on
anti Catholic principles today in death strug
gle with their common enemy, secret societies.
France is governed by the Freemasons. Italy bows
under the yoke of the Socialists; Germany, Aus
tria, Spain and Russia are ruled by the lodges.
They would break the yoke; but how? By return
to Catholic loyalty No. They would break the
power of the secret societies by publicity That is
the only remedy But how apply it How arrive
at the secrets of the lodge room? We would gladly
the curtain lifted as it would prove the dawn Of
very bright day for the church. We believe in
publicity remedy for all plottings against
church and state Those societies that enjoy a pub
lie charter should be made to work in the light. All
public corporations should be forced to conduct
their business in public. If this was done in the
past we would be spared the terrible scandals that
daily FIJI the columns of our newspapers The peo-
pie would be protected from the impositions of
trusts and combinations. Above all these semi-po-
litical secret societies would be dragged into the
light and wholly shorn of their power for mischief
We certainly favor publicity measure of pro-
lection both for governments and peoples. This is
the measure contemplated by all the churchs anti
secret-society legislation. All her laws against
Freemasonry and kindred societies have had for
their end and aim this publicity. It is Catholic
teaching under modern name. When will the
prodigal world come to itself and say: I will re-
turn to my mothers house, where there is order and
peace; will confess my sin and ask material for
giveness The church is the visible representative
of Christ on this earth and in true, if restricted
sense, she can say: II am the way, the truth and
the life"-Western Waterman.
With stealthy march the winter hosts