The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-12-27

or ribbons, that hang from the
representation of a missaI sometimes
affixed to the central panel of an
altar below the table?
They represent the seven seals of
the book opened by the Lamb accord
ing to the statement made by st. John
in the Apocalypse, Chapters v and
vi.
have been called upon to defend
our Church on the following questions
and would like help: I. The Church a
political body. 2. The Church and
scientific investigation. 8. The atti-
tude of the Church towards woman
hood? 4. Enlightenment and the
Church? 5. Why does the Church
opposed woman suffrage? 6. Do the
Sisters teaching in public schools
dress in their habits? 1t was stated
that not many years ago United
States law was passed forbidding any
ones teaching in public schools dress
ed in clerical robes, and that the
Catholic Sisters violate the law in
teaching in the Indian schools.
1t is very evident that you have a
broad field for the exercise of an
intelligent knowledge of the Catholic
Church, her doctrines and history,
and we strongly advise you to prepare
yourself accordingly. 1t would require
a separate treatise to deal with each
of the topics you enumerate in any
thing like a satisfactory manner. All
we can do here is to answer them as
briefly as you have asked them be-
cause we do not know the particular
difficulty which you have in these
cases. 1. The Church is not and
never has been political body. Its
purpose is spiritual, not material; 1t
teaches religion, not politics, and
those who raise the cry that the Church
is a political body are people who
have some Interior purpose in view.
There is nothing in the doctrines and
practices of the Church that would
serve as a foundation for such a
charge. 2. The Church has never
been opposed to real scientific investl-
cation. There is bogus science
made up of supposed facts, unwar-
ranted assertions and false conclu-
sions which the Church has always
opposed, as every intelligent person
must do. The history of the Church
and of science shows that there has
never been a conflict between them.
Whenever a conflict seemed to exist
it was due to ignorance either of the
Church's doctrines or of the facts of
science. g. The attitude of the Church
towards womanhood is that of her Di-
vine Founder Himself She has al
ways been the guardian of woman
and her most sacred interests. The
Church elevated woman to her pres
ent plane and made her the COM
panion, and not the slave, of man.
She has made woman queen of the
world by the all-sacred position OF
divine motherhood, to which she
raised the Blessed Virgin Mary. 4.
This question is probably suggested
by reading about the so-called Dark
Ages" which, in reality, were days of
enlightenment and progress. The
Church has always labored for the
spiritual and intellectual growth and
DEVELOPMENT of humanity and only
when men have refused to accept her
guidance in the spiritual life have
they failed to see "the light that en-
lighteneth every man that cometh
into the world" 5. Who told you that
the Church was opposed to woman
suffrage? The Church has made no
announcement upon this question.
One is free to believe in woman
suffrage or not as far as the teaching
of the Church is concerned. This
question was dealt with in recent
issue and we cannot refer to it here
at greater length. 6. What other way
would YOU have them dress? Are they
not as much entitled to wear dis
tinctive dress in public as any other
,person who wears a uniform indica-
tive of his particular calling? is not
the habit of a Sister, no matter what
its color. better calculated to instil
good thoughts into the mind of a child
than the tango gown or the peek-a-boo
waist or the tube skirt so much in
vogue? 6. BY whom was this state
ment made? There is not a word OF
truth in it. There is no such law.
The United States cannot enact such
a law without violating the rights
guaranteed it's citizens by the Consti'
tution. President Taft did not forbid
the Sisters teaching in the Indian
schools to wear their habits; but de
cided that in future, no religious other
than those now engaged in the schools
would be allowed to teach there.
How many of the signers of the
Declaration of independence were Of
Irish descent?
Among the signers of the Declare.
ton who were known to be of Irish
descent, besides John Hancock, were
the following: Matthew Thornton, N
H., whose father came from Ireland
John Hart, N. J., whose ancestor from
Ireland settled in Jersey; James
Smith, Pennsylvania, born in Ireland
came to America in 1929; George
Taylor, Pennsylvania, born in Ireland
came to America as a redemptioner
George Reed, Delaware, son of John
Reed who was born in Dublin
Thomas Mexican, Delaware, father
and mother born in Ireland; Charles
Carroll, grandson of Charles Carroll