The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-08-16

with unbelief, or with present varied
forms of Christianity, it will only be,
because 1t demonstrates In itself the
perpetuity of the Kingdom of Christ,
/ to which solely it makes its appeal
It's doctrine, it's life and action, must
be those of Christ: else, as it should
do, it vanishes from the scene Argu-
ment in opposition to its claim as the
religion of Christ, it calmly awaits. of
arguments it does not complain. 1t
only asks that passion be absent from
the contest, that calumny and misrep-
resentation be not made use of-prom-
Using on it's part, that whatever on this
score the tactics of opponents, it will
not itself be drawn to other methods
of defense and of offense than those
of truth and charity-the methods of
the Lord Himself The work of ex-
pansion, as done by the Catholic
Church, will be the work of peace and
of love. No social discord can come
from it-no break in the harmony that
should sweeten the ties binding to-
gether fellow-citizens and neighbors
country.
To the civil and political institutions
of America, no harm can come from
the spread of Catholicism. Yea-to
those institutions Catholicism brings
elements most vital to their life and
growth-those of positive, authori-
tative religion. Never does material
ism beget, or sustain a well-ordered
social organism: never does a vague
uncertain Christian sentiment give to
it strength and cohesiveness. The
Catholic Church puts forth clear and
definite message: it speaks with au-
thority. In it's dogmas and enact
ments it is thoroughly social, laying
supreme stress on the principles of
law and order so necessary to society,
especially in a free democracy. 1t
teaches that disobedience to law is
sin against God: that society is from
God; that to undermine the founda-
lions of society, to make null it's pur-
pose and mission, is to resist the ordi-
nance of God. 1t teaches the sanctity
and the indissolubility of marriage,
setting it's whole power in restraint of
that terrible plague of divorce so ruin
GUS today of the family hearth-stone,
the fundamental unit of the whole
social organism. And it teaches, most
firmly and most imperiously, those
principles of moral righteousness, that
repress passion and self-interest, the
fatal foes of the social organism; and
it teaches, also, as the final outcome
of earth's strugglings, the inspiring
doctrine of hope in another life, which
alone dispels' the pessimism of de
spair, the ferocious thoughts and acts
to which this pessimism must needs
give birth. Today, society-blind they
are who do not see the awful peril
is close to precipice and abyss. The
cause is the decay of religion. Saliva
ton for the social organism is in the
name and the power of the everything
God: the potent agency to preach God
and uphold His authority is the Cath
Ollie Church.
Conclusion.
repeat my profession of faith
my religious faith, Catholicism my
civil and political faith, Americanism.
Some twenty years ago, on a me-
morable occasion, an illustrious pre-
late, at the time the official repre-
sentative of Pope Leo XIII, said to
the Catholics of America: "The Cos
pei of Christ in one hand, the Consti-
tuition of the United States in the
other, go forth to work and to victory"
Our signal of combat: 1t is the
words of Francis Satolli: it is Catholi-
cism and Americanism.