The Irish standard., 1906-12-01

some auestion-one he cannot answer,
poorly equipped as he is mentally to
resist suoh an attack, and the iron Of
unbelief enters his soul.
AS soon as captious criticism takes
root in the rnind-rebellion and pro-
test are its natural 'offshocts. "The
Professionals do more for the poor" be-
comes the shibboleth Of their non
credo. and non-churchgoing Catholics
are added to by tho hundreds.
How are these uniformed ones to
know that all this society work is not
a result Of Professionalism at all-but
a Catholic work which the advent Of
Professionalism destroyed and banished
from the face Of the earth? Settle
ment is but another name for guild
institutions which We're far more nu-
merous when the world was Catholic
than all Protestant effort combined will
ever make settlement work. The
Professionals are but restoring to the
world--in small measure-what the
Reformation crushed out of existence
in order to enrich it's rapacious lead
ers, with the endowments and treas
ures of medieval guilds. Professionals.
themselves. do not know this, for such
facts as these are carefully eliminated
from their standard" histories; there
fore the settlement idea is not a
Protestant idea at ALL but an old Cath
Ollie method revived. They are restor-
ing what they demolished and in this
they are uncopsciously instruments Of
Divine Providence. for the movement
is causing Catholics likewise to revert
to the old benevolence SO blessed in
Its influence In the Ages Of Faith
When the Church takes UP a problem
1t never gives 1t up unsolved, and it is
turning it's attention to modern social
work" In q. manner that bespeaks such
activity as will render Protestant eff
fort Tor our people futile.
The Church in America has ut last
emerged from the pioneer state and
is now a rniebl, force in the land New
churches snl schools p;l Institute ns
afe built and m.il nigh ,aald for, there.
fore she is ready to grasp thus new
work, SO called. and concentrate her
attention upon it, In devoting her en-
ergies to social work she is hut re-
verting to the custom of happier Times.
when the world under her benencen,
sway. was taught that every man
should give of his abundance to his
poorer brethren, and every lady's edit
cation instructed her In the sweet arts
of almsgiving, and the welfare ot the
poor was a matter of conscience.
The Church recognizes that vteA
ton alone may solve the slum problem,
for it is a question Of eternal interests
at stake. No mere hireling. however.
philanthropic. can deal with immortal
souls. The day will come when relig-
ious orders will take up this modern
idea. devoting themselves absolutely
to it's perpetuation and perfection.
Then will the problem be he solved eff
fectually. In every age there have
been moral needs l., tax and test rbe
resources. q. the Church. but ever and
always the need has been supplied by
heroic apostles, whose souls responded
to the call of Christ in His suffering
Ones. and whose lives and abilities
were given generously for me souls
dear to Him. As It, has been, SO it
will be. This vineyard of the Lord
in time, will have it's consecraten
workers and the wilderness OF the
slums will blossom as a garden. UNI
der their care. 49,. .,