The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-01-14
THE KAISER'S APPEAL TO RE
LlGION.

We quote from an address recently
made by Emperor William to the Ben
edictine Fathers of the Monastery of
Beuren:
81 look to you to help me to keep
my people religious. This is very i'm
portant, as the twentieth century has
set loose ideas which can only be sue
cessfully combated with the help of
religion and the support of Heaven.
my crown can only guarantee me
success when it relies on the teaching
and personality of our Lord. The gov
ernments of Christian princes can only
be carried on according to the will of
the Lord. The altar and throne are
closely united and must not be sepa-
rated"
All honor to Emperor William! The
noble words spoken in the monastery
of 3euren are words of firm personal
belief in God and Jesus Christ, the
Saviour of men and nations, as they
are, also, words of highest, most en-
lightened craftsmanship. Needed, to-
day, is the lesson the Emperor so for
chilly teaches. The age is frightful in
it's unbelief in God and in the Saviour
in all that is supernatural, in all
that rises above earth and the things
of earth. Unbelief is the fashion: not
only does the crowd nurture it in
their inner souls; they boast of it,
imagining that, ,draped in it's shoddy
robes, they have put on the habili-
ments of science and culture. To all
such a. great occupant of great
throne makes the proclamation that
God reigns, and that they depart from
truth and wisdom, when they close
their eyes to ''the teaching and the
personality of Christ" Government
and social order, it is pretended, can
prosper and be strong without God
and Christ the Saviour. Theorists of
materialism are many, for whom all
that is required for the safety of So
ciety is intellectual smartness and an
array of armed force. Men there are,
placed at the helms of states, who
labor with all their might in warfare
against religion, expelling it from
schools, manacling it's ministers, clos
ing it's temples, as if it were an evil, a
detriment to peace and progress, as if
the highest act of craftsmanship con-
sisted in the destruction of religious
life in the individual, in the family, in
the whole social organism. To all
such Emperor William speaks, and
from his high tower of observation,
cries out: You are misled and you
are misleading others: you are rush
ing into anarchy and social ruin. ''The
government of Christian princes" he
tells them, "can only be carried on
according to the will of the Lord
according to religion.
"The altar and the throne are close
ly united and must not be separated -
The Emperor's word is, "the throne;
he speaks of the government as it is
in his country: but the form of govern
ment is slight affair-what is meant
is government-govern under
every form-the social organism, it's
peace and safety-its survival despite
the everlasting uprising of human pas.
sion.
Long ago the Psalmist inscribed on
his tablets words, never SO true as
they are today: "Why have the Gen
tiles ragged, and the people devised
vain things? The kings of the earth
stood up, and the princes met together
against the Lord and against His
Christ. Let us break their bonds asun
der and let us cast away their yoke
from u.s." This is today the slogan OF
,unbelief, loud and universal, almost
{ the world over. Religion is the en-
envy: out with it from school and uni
tersity; out with it from government
aalls and parliamentary deliberations
Away with religion, it is said. AnG
as away religion goes, revolution
stalks across the land, anarchy lifts
up it's menacing brow: society reels OF
it's foundation. Even where govern
ment seems as yet the safest, there
already the dark seeds of unbelief are
poisoning the wells of social health
mess and congealing the arteries o
social life; selfishness takes the plac,
of patriotism; vile, fraud and pei
sully the ballot-box and the Legislative
chamber; human life and propert.