The Irish standard., 1913-08-16


SATURDAY, AUGUST
We call the Bishop Of Rome foreign
er, IAN alien." because he stands be.
fore the world, the universal teacher,
the Vicar Of Jesus Christ. teacher OF
all nations. teacher of the whole hu.
man family?
Argue that the Almighty God is not
the Supreme Author and norma Of an
eternal righteousness. that Jesus
Christ is not the proven revealer of
the thoughts and the love of the AL
mighty God. that the Bishop Of Rome
is not, the historic successor of
Christ's Apostolate - then, counsel,
perhaps, you may an American-made
; church for Americans, an American
made code Of faith and morals. But
religion is not q product Of the mind
of the individual man, or Of the en-
vironn1ent within which he lives: it
is not sheer human growth. change
able as the seasons Of the year, flt-
full and capricious as the likes and
dislikes OF men and Of peoples. Re
ligion is the mind and the will Of God,
existing as God exists, effectively
outside Of men and Of peoples, su-
perior to all in. man, exacting from man
the obedience due by the creature to
the Creator. The question is never
what is 1t that suits man, or a
people? But what is it that God has
imposed upon men by the eternal laws
Of His supreme righteousness. or by
the teachings of His historic revela-
tions. What America requires is, not
an American-rnade. but God-made
religion. And so, at the bar Of Ameri-
can common sense itself the proposals
Of the writer in the Atlantic Monthly
must only be-as he himself inclines
to despairingly term them-"dreams
that are the shadows Of hopes" "hopes
that are the shadows Of dreams"
The Catholic church is extra Amer
ican, supra-national, begotten for all
nations, not for America alone: it's
supreme pontiff is extra-American,
supra-national-a foreigner on no spot
Of earth's surface, everywhere at
home, as the spiritual father of all
tribes and Of all peoples who seek
divine truth from a universal God and
a universal Saviour.
And this, the beauty: this, the gran
deur Of the Catholic church. that it is
Catholic, as eternal truth is Catholic,
as the eternal God is Catholic, as the
salvation given by Jesus Christ is
Catholic. Narrowness, provincialism
in religion. In faith and morals, on the
first face Of things, is perversion of
Gods eternal law, and Of the revela-
tion given to men nineteen hundred
years ago. The days of tribal relig-
ions are past: they must not be re-
vived in America.
Tho Catholic Church and American
State Schools in America.
Another charge Of un-Americanism
the attitude 81 the Catholics toward
state schools. MY answer is quickly at
hand. The state takes to itself the
task of instructing the children of its
people in branches of secular knowl-
edge: in order that this be done the
more efficiently and the more gener-
ally, the state pays from the public
treasury the financial cost of the
schools opened under its patronage.
Do Catholics make objection to the
task or to the financial expenditures
it entails? Never for a moment. Con-
vinced they are. as the most Jealous
supporters of state schools, that no
child, whether for it's own, or for the
sake Of the country, should grow up
without an adequate share Of secular
knowledge; and convinced no less are
they that it is right and proper on
the part of the state to disburse its
funds in favor universal secular in
struction. What then our claim ?
One that we most licitly put forth on
behalf Of America itself-that this
secular instruction be given so that
the religious creed Of the least Of the
little ones be not made to suffer; that
it be given so that the influences Of re-
ligion-inRuences, however much out
side the direct grant Of the civil pow
er, still vitality necessary to the social
life and security Of the state itself, as
they are to the spiritual life of the
souls Of its citizens-be not contam-
mated or nullif1ed.' Not against state
schools as such do I raise objection,
but as to the methods in which they
work-methods that, whatever the the