The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-12-11
THE MILLS OF THE GODS.

ism we brought forward the testimony of Count
Joseph DeMaistre, who nearly hundred years ago,
predicted that the disntegration Of sectarian rel
gions would begin at the head-with the ministers.
That great schooman, Duns Scotus, wrote that
Divine Lord, the night before His Crucifxion,
celebrated the legal Passover of the Mosaic Dispen-
sation in order to proclaim His respect for the He
brew rite and that "the synagogue might be sepul-
chred with honor"
Today, all over the United States, from the
seats of the mighty, from the chairs of higher
critics, from the universities from the pupis and
platforms of the great cities, Professionalism as a
positive creed is ruthlessy assailed and will soon
be buried with contempt and dshonor "The wo-
man that was barren has brought forth children"
and they are dishonoring her. The wolf-spider has
Matched little ones; they have grown strong and
are eating their mother; ''the wife of Amos hath
brought up children, and they have despised her.
they do not glory in her."
The contempt with which many ministers of
Professionalism covering their decaying faith.
and the orthodox preachers of that faith is one of
the most striking and in sense melancholy, ex-
amples of the memorable law of retributive Justice
For centuries the English language was raked for
eplthets and words of scorn to manifest hatred
Tor Catholics. 1t was the vogue not many wears
ago to caricature the Pope. to pile infamy ON the
Catholic Church and pillory her bishops and
priests as supplied rufians" From pulpit plat
form and hustings, Catholics were stigmatized as
creatures conceived in superstition and begotten in
ignorance. In rural districts the Pope was anti
Christ priest had horns and a sister of charity
was harlot. The vile and impure books of Maria
Monk OF Chiniquy, the apostate priest, of Mar
garet Shepard and of shameless men and women
outcasts of decent society, were conspicuous in
sunday school Libraries and on the humble shelf of
Inc New England farmer. In those days "Puck"
and "Harper's Weekly" paid large salaries to the
atheist Mast for cartoons heaping ridicule and de-
rislon ON the Pope the bishops and the priests of
the Catholic Church. They made war on virgins
for not even the nuns in their quiet retreats were
spared If vilifcation loud laughter. derision and
foul lies, and the help of unfrocked priests, could
achieve victory, the Church would today be buried
so deep that the call of resurrection could not reach
it. Well:
Let Hercules himself do what he NAV.
The cat will NEW and dog will have his day."
Now listen to Rev. BILLY" Sunday, the evangel-
ist, quoted the other day by Rev. A. P. Hop
kins from his pulpit in Chicago: 'The preachers
are fudge-eating mollycoddles and bunch of
stiffs," and to Rev. Gypsy" Smith at a great re-
vival in Evanston last September: "The preachers
out for the stuff every time and don't you for
get il" 1t is deplorabe that Protestants will
gather in their thousands to applaud the drivel of
these ministerial mountebanks who heap contempt
on the accredited preachers of the denominations
and with vulgar speech and the slang of the slums
degrade Professionalism to the level of continuous
performance.
1t is deplorable too, that men who know nothing |
Of the origin of the great Protestant apostacy from
the simplicity of the teaching of our Lord should
cry themselves hoarse when some learned fool ad-
7ances theory supposed to be subversive of
he doctrine of Christianity.
Goethe said of Luther that he had thrown back
or centuries the spiritual cultivation of mankind.
" calling the passions of the multitude to Judge of
matters which should have been left to thinkers.
Every day furnishes deplorable examples of the
ruth of the great Germans charge for the terrible
outcome of all this loss of pulpit dignity and all
his nagging about preachers and religion is a
Widespread disregard for authority in matters of
aith. The eminent Congregational minister Dr.
Newman Smythe speaking of this contempt for
uthority, says with great force:
Religion among has lost the authority in
he family life, and coincident with the loosening
the bonds of religion in the family is the further
act that Protestant churches are not maintain
lg their influence over considerable areas of hui
ian thought" "What else can be looked for"
dds the Canadian divine, Rev. DR.. Ker, Gin the
apidly disintegrating influences at work convert
lg churches into clubs for social gatherings and
ocular amusement 81 don't believe minister
the gospel can lead an honest life nowadays" I
as the statement made by Rev. H. D. Carrick, {
no early last month resigned from the pastorate
the North Lawrence (Mass.) Christian church
nd became street conductor. And, in deep
election, he adds: "The trials and griefs which
aston and his wife forced to bear are not
nown by the people"
This is supremely sad, but let it be remembered :
lat the Protestant ministers themselves sowed the
ind of higher criticism and they are now reapine
e whirlwind of death. Christ, our High Priest 8
t1errpd tho aof+1 ,o To-