The Irish standard., 1907-11-09
The Noted Prelate Eloquently Defends the
Ancient Faith of the Church and
Tersely Recit es
Pope Plus Warning Against the Propagations
Of Those Referred to IN the Papal
Enunciation.

Praieing without stint the achieve
ments Of modern science and the spirit
Of progress which imbues the present
century, Archbishop Ireland, at last
Sunday mornings service at the Cathe-
dral in st. Paul, cited Pope Plus KS
encyclical on Modernism as a warm
ing to which all men should give ear,
and which should be taken to heart
by those who would see Christianity
continue.
"The watchman on 1srael's tower
has spoken" he declared. Plus x. has
sent out his encyclical letter, telling us
in Language clear and distinct whas
we are to believe and hold"
"A wondrous age. in so many re-
spscts, this twentieth century of ours.
Take 1t in its discoveries, its inven-
tions, its Industries, its commerce. Take
it in ity social and political develop
,nentv, in its spirit Of research, in its
educational ambitions. How much
there II in it to love and to admire!
There is reason to be proud Of the
age, to boast Of the progress that
characterizes it, that is synibolized in
Its name.
"Is this, however, to say that all
things happening within the age, all
things labeled as new and modern
tendencies and principles included-are
equally good and praiseworthy Is
there no room for examination and
discrimination? The boldest advocates
of modernism will scarcely so declare.
The age has its perilous excesses, its
wild extravasances; the weeds must
be carefully separated from the wheat.
"we hear frequently of gigantic
financial frauds. These are quite mod
ern; formerly social conditions did not
allow them. Must we put upon those
the seal Of our approval? We are
threatened with social revolutions such
as will destroy rights of private prop
erty, break down laws and government.
Are those revolutions to be COM
mended because born Of the age? From
chairs of famed universities: free love
is proclaimed; the ties Of family life
are scorned Quite modern those
preachings! Must we harken to them
and follow them out in practice?
"New" Things in Religion.
VERY well, let us enter into an
other field Of modern thought and ten
dency-a field covered by the recent
encycIical Of Plus x. on Modernism.
and note what is there occurring. I
allude to the field Of religion. Here
it is proposed to make all things new
the talk is Of new theologies,' new re.
1igious apprehensions and experiences.
Old principles and forms are ruthless
ly pushed aside as old and medieval,
totally unfit for men abreast Of their
age. The new is all the fashion: and
to be out Of the fashion is to live in
shameful obscurantfsm.
God, the being heretofore adored
as the Creator of all things visible and
contingent, as personal and ever llv.
ing and reisning, is relega,ed into the
dark and hazy religions of the 'un-
known and the 'unknowable.' Is there
a first cause? There may be: perhaps
there must be an eternally working
energy-a force Of some kind. But
what it is we know not; and, in prac-
tice,, we must not concern ourselves
with it. Science, Of course. has re-
vealed wonders: but in its best efforts
it does not travel beyond phenomena.
And as science is all we have we must
not look beyond the visible, palpable
phenomena with which, it deals. o..
"supsrnaturaI the impossible"
"The supernatural. an action coming
from a source of power beyond and
above nature. It is not to be thought
of. The supernatural was q supersti-
ton Of olden times. And Of course there
is no supernatural, since there is no
living God. Hence miracles are i'm