The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-01-13

are those men much better than GRIM
mails who rejoice to haunt the crime
in the face Of the Catholic Church
and the Irish race. True Christianity
has no racial bounds. 1t deplores
crime by whatever hands it is COM
mitted. 1t takes into account the fact
that few can say, l have not fallen,
and none can SAY, I will not fall, eX-
cept they add, by the grace of God.
FINE PHRAslNG OF RUBBISH.
We have read with a good deal Of
interest the contributions Of Herbert
Kaufman which are featured by d
number Of Sunday papers. His con-
tributions generally appear in bold
faced type, each sentence set apart as
"a distinct paragraph. In view OF the
prominence that has been given to
Mr.. Kaufman's work we have honestly
endeavored to dissect it to find out
if possible wherein the gems lay. But
we must confess that more often than
not Mr.. Kaufman's "epigrams' have
appeared to us to be nothing more
than fine phrasing. He does not ap-
pear to be so much concerned with
the thought as with the way he ex-
presses it. His device is to use con-
/ trasting clauses with frequent ALTER
alton and rhythm. Witness this as d
sample: Believe! The faith of all
the sages of all the ages has been full
filed
Mr.. kaufman is materialistic. He
seems to think that progress consists
in nothing but advancement in the
experimental sciences. "The past he
says, was an era of preparation, of
crudity, and, darkness, and ignor-
ance, and bigotry and suffering. His
tory is the diary Of barbarisnl-the
chronicles of civilization are yet to
be written" Then as if to prove
these statements, he adds, zone hun
dred years ago there wasn't q steam
engine, a locomotive, gas jet, an
electric bulb, d talking machine, a
steamship. Il power crane, blast
furnace, a rolling mill, or dynamo
How many people who stop to think
will agree with Mr. Kaufman that the
past was an era of darkness, ignor-
ance. crudity and superstition? Not
many, we think. 1t is another evil
dence of the dark ages" libel. Note
this brilliant sentence which follows
his enumeration of modern inventions:
"The richest and most brilliantly edu-
Gated citizen of the republic didn't
know as much and enjoyed fewer COM
forts than the day laborer in 1911"
; Could any man make a more prepos-
| ferrous misstatement?
If Mr. Kaufman will stop to think,
he will find that in no department have
we eXcelled in the past except that
Of experimental sciences. In p,.nt-
ing, sculpture, architecture, law, liter
allure, oratory, music, philosophy We
must recognize our masters in the
past. The highest point the world
has reached in sculpture and archi-
lecture was attained by Michaelangeo
Leonardo ola Vinci is among the
worlds greatest painters. Aristotle
and later, St Thomas, attained emil
nences in philosophy to which no
modern genius has added a little. De-
mosthanese and Cicero stand supreme
in oratory. Shakespeare in tragedy,
Molere in comedy, Milton and Dante
in poetry have no equals in this day
of great inventions.
progress consist? Two discoveries
are responsible for it all--steam and
electric power. They have made the
air ship, the electric light, the street
car, the automobile, the railroad train,
the transatlantic liners, and the num-
erous other conveniences which we
have, possible. Are we better morally
or mentally or physically for all this?
Are We happier or more virtuous than
the people of the ages of ''crudity,
and darkness, and ignorance, and
bigotry and suffering?" Do we suffer
less than the men of those times suf-
fered? Rather does not all this lux
ury tend to make us much more sus-
ceptible to disease? In word, is not
the advance in science which is re-
sponsible for our luxuries accom-
panied BY decrease In our power of
endurance?
1t is mistake to think that prog
ress in material things means the
progress of the race. Have our adj