Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1913-05-10
Number of Our Divorces Makes
Us Laughing Stock of the
World.
Bishop McFaul Points Out the
Evils That Confront the
People.
FORGET ten COMMANDMENTS

1t is humiliating to know that we
are the laughing stock of the rest of
the world as regards the number of
our divorces. Thousands of Ameri-
cans have forgotten the Ten Com
mandments, II they had ever learned
them, especially these: Thou shalt
not steal; Thou shalt not kill; Thou
shalt not commit adultery. Thus
writes Bishop McFaul.
Alas! We have descended to barn
yard morality. Dishonesty is ram
pant in private and public life; race
suicide has also been lessening our
population. Lest / may be misun-
oerstood let me add that | am glad
to acknowledge that there are many
good people without as well as
within the church, precisely because
God in his mercy will take care that
the wheat" is more abundant than
the "tares." Most people, particularly
those engaged in the promotion of
religion and morality, should be in
clined to optimism, for who could
have the courage and the strength
to keep up a battle year in and year
out against the evils of the indi-
Nluudl anu VI SOCitlg IL lie ulu 0Ot
perceive any indication of victory
and was confronted with the great
flood of wickedness and wretched-
ness constantly aprpoachin9 and in
creasing despite all efforts to de-
crease it? 1t seems to me that the
world, society and the individual, is
improving along many lines, al
though it is evident that with the
growth and prosperity of nations
unbelief and vice have not lessened
is the world then improving? Is the
individual becoming better? In some
respects we may attribute improve
ment to both; in others the deteriora-
ton is so apparent as to be astound-
ing, even upon superficial study of
the questions proposed.
Take ancient times; limit our
selves to the religious and moral
eonditions1of two o-ofthe-s@eak-Sstie ieps
OF antiquity, Greece and Rome. Hg
tory records that these people were
stepped in unutterable vice; it shows
that immortality rather than the
hordes of the North conquered
Roman legions, devastated her fields
and erased her worldwide provinces.
The Barbarians had many natural
virtues which kept them virile,
hardy, robust, and therefore they
crushed the effeminate descendants
of a nation which heretofore had
ruled over and gathered tribute from
the then known world.
In turn all these conquering peo-
Piles were captured by the Church of
Christ; they were gradually civilized
and Nh hu rathnlfo foh
ops and priests. Then arose theTiays
of faith, of respect for morality; then
was established Christian chivalry
and respect for womankind.
Thinking men who can discern the
signs of the times are compelled TO
admit by sheer force of argument
and experience that the most power
full factor on the globe today acting
for the conservation of nations, the
propagation of divine truth, of NOR
ality and the stability of civil and
parental authority is the Catholic
church. Were it not for her constant
and untiring efforts to fulfill her
civilizing and Christianizing mission
we would have been long ago en-
quilted in chaos and darkness equal
to that of the pagans. This danger
our present Holy Father clearly fore
saw when he announced as the
watchword of his pontificate, "Re-
store all things in Christ"
Our own country is leading the
nations in many paths which are
beneficial, useful and eommendable.
There are some defects, however,
which stand out so prominently that
they can scarcely be overlooked even
by prejudice itself. Those who are
| capable of obtaining correct informa-
ton assert that fifty millions of peo-
pie in these United States never go
to church. Since religion, as has
been maintained by the wisest OF
every age, including our own Wash
| ington, is the basis of morality, what
Is to become OF these fifty millions
and their descendants? They are
growing up without religion; what
will be their morals?
Among non-Catholics religion is
not generally taught in the home. not
al all in the schools What then
must be our final judgment? Society
and the individual have advanced in
Intelligence, in education, in material
progress and in science, while at the
same time the general trend outside
the Catholic church has been a fall
into unbelief and immortality Hence
our watchword should be: Away
from paganism and back TO Christi