Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1909-12-18
Opponents of the Church Dis
tort Facts to Bolster Up
Case.
Early POpes Preserved Literal
ture of Anti-Christian
Times.
PATRONS OF The UNIVERSITIES

Shallow thinkers, who accept their
opinions secondhand, and who mag
inc they are well-read because they
hastily glance through one or two
books, sometimes venture the asser-
ton that the church has been the en-
envy of science; that the Popes have
been opposed to learning, and that
progress and civilization have been
achieved in spite of Catholic inf1u-
ences. Facts are distorted~and history
perverted to bolster TIP a case. 1t is
we'll worthy of remark that the accu-
sations which ignorant bigots forward
against the church have many times
been refuted by learned and able men
impartial witnesses-great numbers
of whom did not profess the Catholic
religion
In fact, literature is indebted to the
ancient church for the preservation OF
the treasures of pagan antiquity, the
poetry of Homer. the eloquence of
Demosthenes, the philosophy of Arts
totle. Pope Eugenius III. held coun-
Gil in 826, at which he counseled bish
ops and priests to establish schools
where sacred and profane literature
should be taught gratuitously. Homo
rius H. honored scientists and encour-
aged scientific research. Plus III. de-
lighted in literature and rendered sig
nal service to science. Leo X. gave
his name to the most brilliant era of
modern literature. Sixtus w sought
books throughout Europe to form the
library of the Vatican; he established
a printing Office that became famous
throughout the world Nicholas "
and Paul V. founded celebrated libra
ries: the latter instituted the great
college. where he invited the most
eminent doctors of his age to teach.
surrounded them with every honor,
and accorded them his support and
patronage. All these Popes and their
successors employed their power in
rude times to lay the foundation of
the literature and the art that we pos
sess today. We are reaping the fruits
of their wisdom and their labors in
furtherancef of that art and science
which we are asked to believe would
have attained TO its present elegance
and advancement much sooner if they
had not interfered with its develop
ment. Verify none are so blind as they
who will not see. We can make our
selves believe that which we wish to
believe when we see with our preju-
dices instead of using our eyes.
Popes Innocent H., Gregory TX,
Innocent ~, Julius H., Paul Ill,
Paul ~. and Plus V. were distin-
guished for the protection and patron
age which they extended to literature.
Petrarch was crowned with bays at
the capitol. Tasso and Ariosto also
assembled there. The Greeks, expelled
by the Turks, found an asylum in the
Ponti6cal States, and Denina himself
acknowledges that the Popes encour-
aged the culture of science. Ii was a
Pope that paid 500 gold crowns for
the annals of Tacitus, and Beroald, the
librarian of the Vatican, published
them to the world Trissino produced
his sophonisba at Rome. Academies,
universities and libraries were nearly
always the handiwork of the Popes.
No wonder that Cardinal Pattrizi could
exclaim, History faithfully bears tes-
timony that the arts and sciences have
| fiourished for upward of ten centuries
under the mild and benign sway of the
Roman Pontiffs." Every science that
we possess today-even the means by
which we measure time-is indebted
for something in its discovery, growth
and progress to the Roman Pontiffs
Without them the literateurs of our
| day would have but slight knowledge