The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-04-19
PETER THE UNCOMFORTABLE.

When the moral personality of Peter,
living now in Plus K, looks out over
the opening years of the twentieth cen
tury, he beholds, outside the Church,
only remnants of decayed religions
scattered over a wilderness of unbe-
lief. AS the ivy may hold together the
crumbling wall or tottering tree round
which it has twined it's sturdy arms;
so worldly power, influence, wealth,
may give to Church that is neither
built on a rock nor rooted in reason
an apparent strength and pictures
queness of decay such as we see in
an old churchyard mid the moulder-
ing tombs of the dead. There is now
no logical alternative" wrote Mr.. NAL
lock, ''but the choice between the in
fallible Church and unbelief in God. !"
Modern thought is the verdict of
Mr.. Huxley and of Mr.. Tyndall-recog-
nizes no respectable antagonist but
Rome. Yet unbelief is dark as death,
and dismal as despair. It is sad that
even the worldly world should, in such
a mood, begin it's twentieth century,
since what time Christ brought His
light and love to men. Unbelief log
ically leads to Materialism, which is
revolt against reason, for, it admits
no knowledge but that of sense. 1t
leads to Utilitarianism, which is revolt
against morality; for, it admits no in
trinsic difference between right and
wrong. 1t leads to Nihilism, which is
revolt against law; for, it admits no
conscience, no truth, no order, no
right, no morality; it is dangerous
theory to trifle with. Our twentieth
century has it's civilization. Yes! But
it forgets that whatever good is in it,
it got from Peter; while it's evil is its
own. It's new woman is mannish; its
new man mawkish. It's luxury multi.
plies disease, and it's medicine keeps
the diseased alive in order to propa.
gate decrepit race. It's books are SO
many that everybody must read, and
nobody has time to think. It's news
papers are so perfect that the man in
statesman a servant of the mob. Its
Parliaments so masterful that Emper
ors tremble at it's peoples attention
with their talk and allow their officials
to wax fat on public money for neg
lecting public business. It's democracy
is so masterful that Emperors tremble
at it's nod, and it mods or smiles il
blind obedience to the wire-pulling Of
a scoundrel or of knave. Its peace
oscillates between the paradise of {
sybarite and the sQualor of slum. 1t:
war slides swiftly towards the maxi
mum of a weapon, and the minimum o
a man. It's vice has become artistic
and its art vicious. Brutes with talen
or lunatics with taste write filthy o.
blasphemous fiction, and chaste womel
or sensible men read it. We stumble
everywhere across average artists O
tolerable musicians, but we fail t,
find a master. We are rebuked by tn,
pretentiousness of a thousand httl
characters but nobody seems to hav,
been fortunate enough to meet a grea
one. It is polite, pleasant, selfish, com
Portable, sneering, sensuous, tolerant
except towards truth, and large-minde'
except towards God. 1t is very scieI
. tifc and very one-sided. 1t has in
inventions for every use, and drudger,
! for every pleasure 1t leaves nothin
unheeded except the soul, and make
} the most of every moment of time il
order to lose Eternity.