The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-01-29
Church Universal

munities (meaning nuns and sisters
pelong that toll from morning until
hlsht Tor the good of Gods people?"
anu gave the answer which every wei
informed American citizen can give to
ne query, acquainted with the benev-
oIent activities of our sisterhoods in
hospitals, asylums, homes for the aged
ana the erring and like institutions.
Blshop Foster declared that he had
great deal of respect for Roman Cath
olcs and the Roman Catholic church,
ana that the feeling became stronger
as he grew older. He added: L do not
think we can afford to criticise Cath
oIlcs until we display at least equal
zeal In the service of the Master. Who
are they whose feet go Gathering by
our houses these cold winter morn
lngs? Who are they who fill their
churches 10 worship GOD wn=n We arc
IN our beds? Who thrDng our stree rs
with reverent faces, with prayer book
IN hand, aye, and perhaps with as rev.
erent heart as any of you here? They
are Jealous, faithful Catholics, who
believe in the truth of their church and
feel that through it alone they can wor-
ship God. whom they fear and love.
TO what church do these self-sacrific-
ing communities belong that toll from
morning until night for the good of
God people? Who are these who come
here from foreign lands, poor and
strange, with nothing but a spade, and
nave erected temples OF worship that
put US to shame? Isn't il :hc hard
working man and the poor servant girl,
who lay a 1.-THE of their earnings on
the altar of God, sincere in their be-
lief, and Will they not find favor in
Gods eyes? There was a paragraph in
n, a Il 70 he I,,. sIp,r
which made me blush when | read it.
1t stated that in New York city the
catholics have a church property of
more than $11,00G,000 a greater sum
than the value of all other church prop
erty, except that owned by the EpiscO-
pal church. These Catholics are the
people who fill their churches every
Sunday with three or four different
congregations. These are the people
Who sixty years ago had but three
churches in New York, and are now
filling all our Protestant cities and
towns. What right have we to COM
plain that this is so? Why should we
abuse them because their churches
crown the noblest eminences of the
land? Let us possess ourselves of those
virtues and qualities which they have
in stronger degree than we, and those
added to what we already possess NAY
put US in position when we have a
right TO criticise their actions"
The reason why the Catholic church
property in New York city is placed
at a lower valuation than the Epis-
copalian is of course due to the many
millions of dollars worth of Trinity
church holdings. which do not repre-
sent the fruit of present day religious
growth. but the unearned increment of
the real estate holdings of that DariSh
growing out of an original donation Of
land. at FIRST of but small value, but
now increased thousand fold by the
development of New York city
The words of the late Methodist
bishop are worthy of preservation.
They are based upon facts and not on
passing sentiment. so that they should
carry the greater force with our friends
outside the Catholic fold.