The Washington herald., 1912-07-14


set out with q light heart. but II was
painful to leave my friends and relatives.
Service with US in foreign countries 10
not for a period limited or specified. We
go and likely as not viii always live
and finally die in the region where We
began our work as young men. imagined
that China would be my future home.
No thought Of returning to Europe came
into my head. Thus when ! said fare
well to my parents I felt that I should
never see them again. Still I was happy
and not cast down.
I'VE sailed. another young priest and
myself, from the port of Marseilles, in
France. and thirty-seven days later
reached Shanghai. The journey now can
be made in twenty days, going from MI
Ian to ST. Petersburg and thence across
Russia and through Siberia by rail. At
Shanghai we embarked on a steamer
bound up the Yangtze-kiang. Three
days afterward we left the steamer and
went aboard a smaller boat on the way
to the heart OF China, many hundreds
OF miles distant. We made fair head
the wind died down. men walked on the
river bank and pulled the boat by a long
rope. At places there were swift rapids
! and then it sometimes required 800 men
to draw the boat through the swirling
and fast-running current.
And all the while, you must remember,
We were In the midst of pagans. Two ma
tives and our cook, however, were Chris
tians or catechumen; that is, they had
| ceased to be heather. but had neither
been baptized nor fully instructed in the
. new faith they had accepted. At night
the boat was tied to a tree on the bank
and often just beneath a very high
! mountain. My friend and L We're cramp-
ed for room and always uncomfortable.
I ,Eoh
only keep dry by putting up our umbrel-
las. Then We were in constant danger
of being attacked by robbers and assas-
sins. II was an exciting journey. but
We trusted in God and after three months
of hard travelling, 'roughing IT, you
Americans would say. We reached our
station
Learned the Chinese Language.
I'VE had begun, OF course TO study the
native language. Chinese is not so very
difficult to learn IL one has a good
memory. Writing in Chinese. however.
Is another matter-that is the work Of
a lifetime. 1t was not long until We
could make ourselves understood to the
people, and presently We could preach
to them IN their own tongue. 1 let my
beard grow, also my hair, and wore a
queue down my back as well as Chinese
vestments. We lived as the natives lived,
ate their food. which was mostly fish and
rice. and slept in their houses. They
shared what they had with US and
proved their sincerity and generosity in
various ways Many Catholics in China
were massacred during the Boxer trou-
bles in 1899. They went to their death
| without denying the Lord. which act
, would have saved them. The Chinese
people as a race are sober and industri-
rx,gth 10 s;xr
not on the seacoast where living is
comfortable and almost European, but
high up in the mountains, hundreds of
miles away from all traces Of modern
civilization"
"win China ever become a Christian
nation?''
The Lord has said so-has said that
all nations will acknowledge the truth
finally. But as to the time when China
shall abandon paganism no man can
tell. There are only 1000 Catholic mis-
sionaries among more than 10000 900
people We have 1900 priests in the
United States to work among $1,000
people"
In what countries is your church hav-
ing the largest growth"
THE statistics are not by me for
precise answer. but we are making great
gains in England and Holland, and also
heavy and constant immigration from
Southern Europe. There are 1900 600
Catholics in this country. Combined
Professionalism outnumbers Catholicism,
but we are stronger than any single
denomination. Oh, certainly, We hope
America will be a Catholic country in
time, as We hope all countries will ac-
cept what we hold to be the true faith.
And other sheep have our Lord once
Sa' svFhf ri - f4ll ~lA,,
also I must bring. and they shall hear
my voice; and there shall be one fold
and one shepherd
There Must BE Leadership.
with a single Christian Church the
world over there would be cooperation.
economy. and efficiency. We claim. as
you know. that the Catholic Church was
divinely founded. Aside from that, 1t is
strongly and sensibly organized. Work
cannot be done TO the full measure with
out system and management. The
Catholic Church has a center from which
comes all authority; I mean, as you
doubtless understand. the Holy Father
Its work is entirely spiritual. The work
nevertheless must be done down here
on earth by practical methods and over
1t there must be an authority inspired
by the Holy Ghost. With due respect
to Professionalism. I say 1t is without
centralized leadership. and. therefore. is
disorganized. Out of the duplication that
now wastes the resources of Christian
people, however, will ultimately come
unity. There could be no misunderstand-
ing, no difference of opinion, were all
churches to accept what is taught and
ordered in the Gospel"
Higher criticism" said, SIS disturb
ing Protestant denominations. Is 1t caus-
ing any trouble in the Catholic Church,"
mo. A few men calling themselves
modernists have denied certain divine
truths-like the resurrection, for exam
ple-but they nave been read out of the
church by the Pope because they are
no longer Catholics. We believe in the
truth of the Bible. When there Is Diff
ficulty in comprehending the truth, the
Pope deliberates and prays and comes
TO know Gods meaning. We believe
that in such questions the Pope is guild
ed by the Holy Spirit and that he alone
speaks ex cathedra in matters Of faith
and morality. Thus we have uniformity
of doctrine-not one thing here and
something else over there. A priest can
not stand up before his people and deny
the divinity of our Lord. His bishop
would Immediately oust him from his
altar and parish. Were a priest. desiring |
notoriety, to go outside the teachings of
the church he would be punished We
are not embarrassed or weakened, con-
sequently. by higher critics or their
preachments. The Catholic Church, how |
ever, does not fear reasonable or Scien- |
tific criticism, because such criticism only
confirms the truth"