The Irish standard., 1911-03-04
day King George is present, the eve
of coronation.
PRESS AND RELIGION
Made the Subject of an Interesting
Lecture by Rev. Dr. Coffey,

ing lecture was delivered recently in
Dublin by Very Rev. DR.. Cotfey OF
Maynooth college. DR.. Coffey said he
proposed to speak to them about the
, and civilization. He would ask them
to think for moment of the state
of the world about the time that the
art of printing was invented, four hum
dred years ago. Had they ever tried
to picture to themselves the customs
and conditions of their ancestors OF
| those far-off days? They had no elec-
trical trans in their cities, no trains
through their countries, no rapid
means of communication by land or
sea, no telegraphs, no morning or
evening newspapers, or even weekly
newspaper, or, in fact, any printed
books at ALL But he would like to
T put them on their guard against
thinking that the wonderful materia!
discoveries during the last few centur
les measured or marked the progress
of civilization. The civilization of the
people was judged by their whole men
tai outlook Down to about four hun
dred years ago whatever the masses OF
the European people possessed in the
way of mental culture they received
from the teaching of the Catholic
/ INT }1o1r lvy
ate, and consequently the masses had
no sporting news, no immoral litera-
ture. Those were reserved for the CIV
iliZed masses of the twentieth century; !;
but the toiling masses OF the present
day were deprived Of the one thing
that could bring peace and happiness
! into their lives, a strong, living faith
in God
Were the submerged millions who
today acknowledged no God or rel1g-
ion better than the illiterate world
of four hundred years ago? In those
days there was no other authentic
| teacher OF doctor than the Church
She stood for truth and the suppress
| sion of error. 1t was reserved to the
moderns to explore the world OF mat.
ter and fall down in alteration before
it and make it their God. The schol-
ars Of the Middle Ages were, no doubt,
| ignorant of many truths since discov-
cred about the world they lived in; but
then against that they avoided many
Of the errors Of the present day about
the world they hoped for. They be-
lieved in God; they believed in Christ;
they believed in religion and prac-
ticed it. With the printing of books
knowledge began to be disseminated
more widely and cheaply; knowledge
Of every sort, the pernicious as we'll
as salutary, and when the modern ma
tons revolted against the Church and
the instruction Of the people was dl-
vorced from their religion, then, in
deed, were the 1oodgates OF error
thrown open, and truth had been ever
since sustaining an arduous struggle
for supremacy. To him it was by no
means clear that the cheapening and
promiscuous printing of matter would
work as an unmiXed boon TO society.
If they We're race OF angels they
might, perhaps, pass unscathed
through a life experience OF such sur
roundings, but being only men, and
| fallen men, Indulgence in the mental
| food furnished by their up-to-date
twentieth century book stalls and
newspapers could only injure them.
| The uncompromising condemnation by
the Catholic Church OF immoral liter
ature had the approval OF all clean
minded men, but her equally stern
condemnation of infidel literature
might be stumbling block to some.
The press had an incalculable infiu-
ence for good or evil. This was be-
ing freely used the whole world over
for evil, even deliberately, even no
doubt unconsciousy, but everywhere
for the dissemination OF error and
literature that was demoraliZing. The
press could be used as a pulpit, plat
form, school or university for the
propagation of truth Since the bad
and dangerous section OF the world S
press was allowed full scope for it's
mischievous work, this evil could be
met and fought and counteracted only
by the maintenance of a good, upright
Christian press. 1t was duty lncum-
bent on every Catholic citizen to sup.
port and promote the circulation OF a
clean Christian press by every means
in his power.