The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-03-07
Great Tribute to Church.

me Kew. ihOmdS Barney thompson,
speaking recently in the Plymouth
Congrega tional church. Chicago. refer
red to the Catholic church as the
most splendid institution the world has
ever seem Governments he con-
tinued in a tribute to the church nota-
BILE in a Protestant pulpit have arisen
and gone to the grave of the nations
since her advent Peoples of every
tongue have worshiped ut her affairs
The Roman Catholic church has
stood solid for law and order. Her
police power in controlling millions I'M
touched by the denominations, has
been great. When she speaks, Iegisla-
tors, statesmen. politicians and govern
ments stop to listen, often to obey.
In the realm of worship her min
istry has been OF the highest. In en-
ploying beads, statues. pictures and
music she has made i wise and in
telligent use of symbolism. Her use
of the best in music and painting has
been tic greatest single inspiration to
those arts, and her cathedrals are the
shrines of all pilgrims.
The love and veneration of the Viz
gin Mary plays an important part in
the ritual of the church. l find no
difficulty in approaching the attitude
of the Catholic worshiper toward the
God made manifest. But Christ Him
self has often been made so astere,
and SO unapproachable, that a medi-
ator between Him and man has be-
come IN insistent necessity. What is
more natural than to worship Him
through the gracious influence of the
Mother
Aside from this. one cannot help
but feel that the enforcement of the
Virgin Mary has softened the heart of
the world toward womanhOod; that it
has done much to give woman the
rlace Of honor she occupies today: that
it has put the whole Catholic church
behind the sanctity of the home. In
the respect given to Mary, the Roman
church has paid the worlds finest and
most delicate compliment to the grace,
sweetness and beauty of motherhood.
Nor do l discover any difficulty in
understanding the..basis of the confess
sional The confessional appears ev-
erywhere in life. The erring child con-
fesses to its mother; the patient con-
fesses to his physician; the accused
confesses to his lawyer: the penitent
confesses to his priest. 1t is most nat
ural for the penitent burdened, doubt
ing soul to confide in his spiritual
leader.
professionalism has wasted much of
it's force in a forced revivalism, which
would Lave been unnecessary had we
paid wise attention to religious educa-
ton. We may rail against the paroch-
ial scnool system as being un-Amer-
lean But the Roman church existed
centuries before there was a United
States, and for many of these CEN
turtles she was the great agency Of en-
lightenment. education and culture. The
parochial school is the most serious
and successful attempt to hold people
for the religious life. Our country has
a magnificent system of public schools.
She will teach the children history,
science. art, languages; but they will
not let the worlds greatest literature
be taught under their guidance, nor
will they help to develop the noblest
capacity of the human soul, the ca
pacity fer God. This task is assigned
to the church. So be it, and let the
church choose that method which in
her wisdom seems the best.
And so we stand in the presence
of her history, her majestic worship,
her universal ministry and we confess
that God must have moved nightly in
all this We think of her Loyolas, her
Xaviers. her Fenelons and her Mar
quotes: we look at her hospitals, or
phanages, schools, colleges, monster
les missions-and we see church min
istering to the body, mind and soul of
humanity. Her weakness is the COM
mon lot of every human organization;
her strength is of God.