The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-01-25
WHAT is MODERNISM?

Last week the daily papers published dis
patch from Rome, stating that the election of the
Reverend DR.. Hanna, president of ST. Demands
Theological Seminary, Rochester, to the coadju-
torship or as assistant bishop of San Francisco,
would not be ratified by the Holy See until he
could satisfactorily explain or retract statements
in some of his published writings, carrying upon
their face the bar sinister of Modernism.
We hold our judgment in suspension touching
anything coming to us from Rome by the Atlantic
cable, unless it be certified to by the Associated
Press. When an Irish or rish-American ecclesi-
astic and scholar is charged with leaning to here
sy, we are not disposed to lend credulous ear to
the accusation. Centuries of persecution, of sor-
row and suffering for the faith have worn the mark
of the crucfxion on the breast of the Irish priest
and he cannot, if he would, remove it. We know.
there have been apostate Irish and Irish American
priests, but also know that when the hour Of
death comes they plead for reconciliation to their
mother, the church. proving that they fell away
through weakness or frailty, but never lost the
faith
Now, what is this Modernism with which Fa-
Their Hanna is said to be tainted? WE'LL it's an old
heresy, or, rather, pieces of heresy, under a new
name. 1t is of the multitudinous aliases under
which Professionalism masquerades early in the
morning of the twentieth century Some seventy
years ago the places where intoxicating liquors
were sold were known as public houses" then
when the public houses fell into disrepute,
the changed to tavern" then to "inn.'
to buffet" to Saloon" from the French salon.
place of meeting to "bar," to Smiths wine
rooms" or Maguffn's sample rooms" and when
the note of discredt continued to follow the names
the dealers dropped the titles altogether and now
we have the poodle Dog" the "Dew Drop In" the
white Elephant" and the like. But you'll notice
the stuff retailed the bar doesn't change ex-
cept, maybe, for the worse.
It's the with heresy. It's nomenclature is
always changing but it continues to retail the same
old stuff, giving new names to its mixed drinks.
the base of which is always alcohol or error Now
this old heresy, under the new name of Modernism,
is concocted of denials.
1t denies that Christ instituted the sacraments
or founded his church on ST. Peter.
1t denies that the Supreme Pontif inherits his |
spiritual power directly from our Divine Lord
1t denies that the dogmas and teachings of the
church are direct revelation-as contained in the
deposit of faith-from the Holy Trinity
1t denies that Christ knew that he was the Re-
deemer. 1t challenges the historic truth of the
divine realities of the four gospels and the Acts
Of the Apostles. 1t shakes these all up as bar
tender would "John Collins" pours the mixture
into spiritual cut-glass tumbler and tells us to
swallow it down in one or two gups and see how
good you'll feel.
Modernism will have its vogue for few years
md then we'll hear no more of the name But the
stuff is imperishable; it will be handed out to fu-
ure generations under another name A Catholic
Who bothers himself with these heresies is either SUI
'remely ignorant or incurably idiiotic
When the Pope, the Representative of Jesus
Jhrist on earth, condemns anything, it is enough
Or u.s. When he tells us to "stand from UNDER
is a warning that we're going to pay attention
}, for in nineteen hundred years he has made no
istake, and are wise enough to believe him
Ither than the who was born yesterday and is
uniting a reputation. When Rome speaks and
YES judgment, that ends it. Well keen to the
fe and beaten path, beaten because it is safe and
fe because it is beaten For nineteen hundred
'ars men have struck out into the gloomy desert
error and very few of them ever returned to 70
'rt. Those of them who found their way back al
avs said, "Follow the old trail"
-s-0s =
A REAL HERO.