The Irish standard., 1913-12-27

men ny mllQ persuasion. This letter
not only reflects the noble sentiments
of Fenelon's heart, but reveals in
this particular the teachings of the
church of which he was conspicu.
GUS ornament.
1T is true, indeed, that the church
spares no pains and leaves no stone
unturned in order to bring the
light of the gospel to those who are
outside the fold. Ii she acted other.
wise she would be recreant to her
sacred trust, for she is commanded
by her Founder to teach all nations
and in possessing the truths of reve-
lation she feels that she holds a
treasure, compared with which she
regards all earthly goods as dross
And instead of hiding that treasure
in her own heart, she loves to share
it with others; especially in making
others richer she becomes none the
poorer. But she scorns to compel
men against their will to accept her
gifts. The only argument she would
use is the argument of reason and
persuasion. The only tribunal to
which she would summon her hear.
ers is the court of conscience, the
most sacred of all tribunals. The
only weapon she would use is not the
material sword, but the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of Cod
"The church has not only respect
ed the conscience of the people in EN-
bracing the religion of their choice
but she has also defended their civil
rights against the encroachments of
temporal sovereigns. Many persons
imagine that in former times the
church was leagued with princes in
expressing the people. This is pop.
ular error which fuller acquaintance
with history would soon dispel. The
truth is that the most unrelenting per-
secutors of the church have been the
princes of this world, and many Chris,
tian princes too. They chafed under
the salutary discipline OF the church;
\ they wished to be rid of her yoke
that they might give freer vent to
their. passions
"As an American Protestant review
er remarked Is years ago, it was 8
blessing Of Providence that there
was spiritual power on earth that
could stand, like a wall of brass,
against the tyranny of temporal SOW
ereigns and say to them: Thus far
you shall go and no farther and here
you shall break your swelling waves
of lawless ambition A power that
could say to them what John the Bap
tist said to Herod: This thing is not
lawful for thea power that could
point the finger OF rebuke to them and
say to them as Nathan did to David
Thou art the man. She told princes
that If they have their rights they
have their obligations, too, and that
) if the subject must render to Caesar
the things that are Caesars, Caesar
himself must render to God the things
that are Gods.
, "The great bulwark of English lib.
. erty is the famous Magma Charta. Ii
} is the basis not only of British, but
also of American constitutional free
, dom. Among other blessings con
| tanned in this instrument it estab
) fishes trial by jury and the right of
) habeas corpus and provides that there
shall be no taxation without repre-.
} sentation.
"Who were the trainers of this
memorable charter? Archbishop Lang
} ton of Canterbury and the Catholic
barons of England. On the plains OF
} Runnymede in 1915 they compelled
King John to sign that paper, which
was the death blow to his arbitrary
powers and the cornerstone of con.
stitutional government.
Turning to our own country, it is
with no small degree of state pride
that I can point to the colony of
Maryland as the cradle of civil and
religious liberty, and the land of the
Observation-Disclosures the only
colony that spread aloft the banner
} of liberty of conscience and that in.
} vited the oppressed Of other colonies
to seek an asylum beneath its
shadow.
Lest l be suspected of being toe
partial to my native state shall take
all my historical facts from a most
unimpeachable witness, Bancroft's
history of the United States: Leon
ard Calvert, the brother of Lord Bal
} timore and the leader of the Catholic
colony, having sailed from England
in the Ark and the Dove, reached his
} destination on the Potomac in March
1884.
1.-The foundation of the colony OF
Maryland was peacefully and happily
laid. Within six months 1t had ad
vanced more than Virginia had done
in as many years. - But far more
memorable was the character of the
Maryland institutions. Every other
. country in the world had prosecuting
; laws. but through the benign admins
tration of the government of that prov
ince no person protesting to believe
p Su Too,,o CI,,lak xyoo - =.