The San Francisco call., 1908-03-07


veiled approval was found for that mur-
der in quarters hitherto thought re-
spectacle, while the anarchistic press
lifted up a great cry of victory, and
wildly enthusiastic triumph meetings
were held to applaud the deed.
These things are now all bitterly re-
called in the aftermath of Father Leo's
murder. That was but another swift
stroke of the octopus. And now its
commissions seem to grow apace, and in
Chicago it rears up an angry head of
retaliation, because. forsooth. the au-
thorities there dare to cross its path
Anarchy is indeed hydraheaded and
argus eyed. 1t is wide awake to its
opportunities, its tentacles are growing
and multiplying, and its whole awful
body is spreading and strengthening
for il is a well fed and well nourished
monster.
S0CIETY'S ssYELLOW, PET
Who is it that feeds this monster.
anarchy? What is the food and drink
that it grows SO fat and bold upon?
Civilized society itself is the wet nurse,
and the food is the indifference of the
day to religion and morality.
Civilized society has many pets, but
none so dear, il would seem, as the
yellow journal" The yellow journal
is the most dangerous instrument of
immortality on earth today, yet upon it
is lavished the care and attention of
the world, and with il the hungry
mouths of the monster anarchy are
daily and hourly fed.
Why are people Indifferent to the inn
moral dangers about them? Simply be-
cause they have grown so accustomed
to the recital of crimes. divorces and
the claims of license that they take it
all for granted, quite as a matter of
course. But the yellow journal does
not stop at merely depicting crime. It
instructs the men, women and children
of our country in the grossest inn
moraIities. It deprecates and sneers at
religion, holds authority up to vile
ridicule and in general tears the moral
fiber Of mankind to shreds.
For instance, Hearst's Examiner.
right here. in San Francisco. last Janu-
ary published an article by Ella
Wheeler Wilcox in which she said:
SKATERS ALL MORALITY
81 believe every child Born of q
mother who loves its father is legiti-
mate in the eyes of God" a doctrine
which simply blows morality to bits.
Yet this Wilcox woman is featured day
after day in that paper as a favored
and authoritative contributor. The de-
grading speech made by a shameless
woman was soon followed by another
from the same pen, to illustrate which
cartoon was published. representing
Catholic monks reveling around the
burning of woman at the stake and
two weeks afterward the patrons of
the Examiner were treated to pic
ture Of monk with a woman clasped
IN his arms. But these are only a few
instances.
Hardly day passes which does not
see some filthy editorial cartoon or
news item printed in the Hearst papers
Yet their words are devoured by the
people TO whose lowest passions they
appeal How can purity or morality
grow in the homes where such reading
is the daily food of the household?
Was it merely a coincidence that a
few weeks after the Hearst slandeT on
the monks Franciscan priest was
murdered at the altar? And if in a
few of the homes in which the Wilcox
woman's doctrine was digested a profli-
gate son and an abandoned daughter
should be revealed, would the Exam
iner be spotless of blamee
MONEY is ONLY AIM
But it is hunger and need that make
anarchists, you argue. What then
makes hunger and need? Greed for
money, and such journals as the Hearst
the making of money. There is no
more degraded money grabber in the
world today than Hearst. for he coins
his money out of the lowest passions
of the people. Hunger and need make
anarchy; greed is the cause of need.
But what is the source of greed? we
are back to the old point again-indif-
ference to morality.
Man is possessed of passions, and
there is only one thing in the wide
world that can curb them and regu-
late them That is religion The crim<
inally wealthy and the criminally moor
are without morality. Each is a slave
to the uncurbed animal passions of the
human race. The only difference be-
tween them is one has attained his
end. the other is seeking it. The GRIM
inally rich man is merely where the
criminally poor man Graves to be- The
happy mean that Christs faith would
achieve is lost in the hearts of both.
And the home of the man where that
happy mean still dwells is invaded by
the immortality of both in the shape of
the yellow press and threatened with
moral destruction.
We warn the Catholic people of