The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1906-12-15
WHAT'S WRONG IN FRANCE?
Continued from Page

ConIlnuSu liOiH "SN
which they most neglected. Catholic newspapers are
relatively few their existence IS often precarlouS.
and they have but the slenderest influence upon
1ubJic oniuiou In Paris there are, 1t Is true. some
Journals that have ably and actively championeJ
the interests of the Church. but they are papers
with very limited circulation, and sun moro
limited influence They preach to the converted.
tha,, never reach the masses that need conversion.
The Univers. the Nerite, the Gauois ana most OBI
the other Catholic organs are dear they appeal To-
the cultivated few rather than to the less educate
MANY The Crox is popular. and enjoys a taIriH
large circulation amongst certain Sec.oh9 Oh 'hr
working classes; the number of It's readers Is, how
ever far below that of many of the more aggres-
sive organs of Masonry. OF the ia daily papers
published ten years ago Paris, fewer than 1876
were distinctly hostile to Christianity.
He then quotes the argument OF Pere Coube,
S. j., who addressed a Catholic congress az Line
few weeks ago, saying:
Toward the close of his eloquent address the
distinguished Jesuit referring to the lavish gen
crosby with which various aeuvres had bee1 sup
ported expressed a view that some may be disposed
to regard as advanced" but the propriety of which
will be recognized by those who give serious thought
to the subject During the last thirty years sand
Pere Coube "Cathoc France has spent millions,
hundreds of millions even, on charitable and reII-
gious works, such as hospitals schools, churches.
chapels converts and missions. These works Ger
tainly merited all our sympathies, and hey have
wishing to injure them-on the contrary. IN their
interest even-let me say that there were two 9th
ers to which we should have given still more album
dainty for it these two which would have pre-
vented all these pious foundations from perlshlng.
They were election work and the Catholic press.
.'Of what avail is it to erect and furnish
great expense hospitals schools and churches. If the
legislator of tomorrow should confiscae and aicize
them, drive out nurses from the hospitals our
brothers and sisters from the schools, and convert
our churches to secular uses! Would 1t not have
been wiser and better" added Pere COube, ITO have
given little less during some time toward these
pious Objects and, with the money thus economical
assist in the election OF worthy deputies who would
have passed good laws, and thereby secured the lib
erty of religion and the stability of all these good
works into the bargain.'
The vast utility of Catholic Journals and of
their wide circulation has been frequently urged by
many Frenchmen of note, but their counsel has ap-
parently fallen deaf ears. Msgr. Pechenard, the
present rector of the Catholic Institute at Paris,
who presided over the ecclesiastical congress ut
Rheims ten years ago, addressing his colleagues
said
"The press is formidable power. a means Of
action, of which have not yet known how or even
seriously wished to avail ourselves
Cardinal Lavigerie remarked many years ago,
that "the foundation and support of newspapers
intended to enlghten the public mind and lead
back to the faith and virtue those who had gone
astray is meritorious to build churches
And not long since another eminent member of
the Sacred College, Cardinal Laboure Archbishop
of Rennes expressed a still stronger view "The
hour is past" said His Eminence. "for building
churches and decorating affairs; there Is but one
thing which is urgent, and that Is to spread broad
cast Throughout the country newspapers that will
teach 1t the truth" But if need higher authority
to the supreme Importance of la Bonnie Presse.
let us listen to the words of the Sovereign Pom
tifs, who. as Cardinal Newman observes "have
gift proper to themselves of understanding what IS
good for the Church and Catholic interests re-
quire."
'The press said Plus TX, lis double-edged
weapon, as invaluable for the diffusion of good as
it is terrible for the propagation of evil A good
journal" he added. is worth than good
preacher" Leo XIII was equally emphatic. AT
the present day." said that illustrious Poniff the
press is an instrument OF corruption in the hands
of the impious Answer the press through the
press; establish newspapers, and reply to calum
MES and Misrepresentation by arguments in sup
port of the truth"
And Plus X. before his elevation t6aNyhe chair
of Peter, showed his high appreciation of lsa SER
vices which the press render to religion when
he declared that ito support a good journal would
sell even my Pectoral Cross"
These weighty words of successive Pontifs
should bring home to the enormous influenza
| which the press exercises for good for evil and
the urgency of duty to support those publiea-
! tions which defend the highest and hottest OF
cause. The Catholics Of France are now, unforr-
unatey paving the penalty of their failure to
ognize the mischief wrought by the irreligious
/ press. and of their neglect to oppose the propaga
ton of impiety by the foundation and wide dit
fusion of journals which, inferior in no respect to
their rivals would have as their especial aim the ey-
posture of doctrna errors. the vindicatiOn of Cath
Ollie truth and the social and moral enlightenment
of the masses.
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