The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-03-22


Catholic, both very sincere and good
persons, though not much interested
in the Catholic religion, and living
fifteen miles from the Catholic church,
has gone every Sunday for the past
eighteen, months, to Sunday school
which has no creed, for all denomina-
tons are represented. 1t meets SUM-
day afternoon. The older men read
a chapter from the Bible; some one
prays and people talk just to suit
themselves. Her part is to play the
organ after service. The young folks
stay and sing and spend the after
noon. They think it better to have
them meet here than to go fishing and
hunting. Is she doing wrong In at
tending these meetings? She fancies
that her music is the main attraction
and believes that these meetings will
prevent other mischief.
If she confines her participation in
the service to playing the organ latter
the service" and not as part of it, that
is not strictly a participation in nom
Catholic worship. But how about the
rest? If the Catholic woman goes
regularly to these meetings and takes
part in them the same as non-Catho-
lies her conduct cannot be justified.
1t is too bad that she is so far from
a Catholic church but that is no JUS
LITIGATION for going regularly to a
Protestant service. 1t is all the more
reprehensible in her because of the
fact that, though a Catholic, she is
mot much interested in the Catholic
religion" There is danger of per-
version. Her want of knowledge of
Catholic teaching makes her an easy
mark for Protestant proselytizers.
The service, we are sure, is sectarian,
for, of course, the Protestant Bible is
read and milk-and-water Christianity
preached by those who talk to suit
themselves. An occasional partici-
patton in these meetings, to furnish
music for the enjoyment of the people
after the service might be condoned,
If there was no danger of perversion
and no scandal given; but regular
attendance throughout the year and
probable participation in the service,
even as listener, is blameworthy, to
say the least. We venture to assert
that if she asks them to read from
the Catholic Bible she will find that
the meeting is far from being I'M
UNCONVENTIONAL and creedless. These
Sunday school meetings are always
Protestant in tone, spirit and atmos-
phere, and no Catholic should partici-
pate in them. Nor is it better to go
to them than to go fishing or hunting.
The Church is not opposed to
legitimate and innocent amusement,
even on Sunday, but she is opposed
to any of her children taking part in
Protestant service. If it be true that
her music is the main attraction then
it is social rather than a religious
affair. But it would seem that adj
vantage is taken of the musical part
of the program to inject into the
meeting all the elements of religious
service, and hence it ceases to be a
purely social affair and takes on the
character of a UNCONVENTIONAL service
in which Catholics are not allowed to
participate.
What is right in case like the fol-
lowing: For instance, the saloon
question is voted on; the vets win
out-women having no say in the
matter-and more likely than not the
vets win out through crooked means.
Moreover, after their winning out a
certain officer has power to shut them
out, yet does not do so. Is not such
an officer who faVors the saloon
responsible for all the wrong and evil
doing perpetrated by reason of such
saloon being allowed, to just the
degree that he was responsible for its
being allowed? If a Catholic, would he
not have to answer to God for every
wrong done through drunkenness
etc.?
Since the "wets" won the election it
shows that public sentiment, as voiced
by the voters of the community, is in
saloons have legal right to existence
and an officer whose duty it is to
enforce the law has no right to shut
them out, in the sense of not allowing
them to sell, as long as they obey the
law. The officers duty is to see that
the laws regulating the saloon traffic
are obeyed by the saloon keeper and
he has no authority to stop the saloon
keeper from selling as long as he
keeps within the law. If an officer
connives with a saloon keeper who
breaks the law, he is responsible for
the evils that follow in so far as ii
was within his power to prevent them
and he will have to answer to God
for his neglect of duty. Whether he
is a Catholic or not, he is responsible
not for all the evils of the traffic, but
for those which it was his duty to
have prevented or minimized by in
sisting upon obedience to the law
The selling of drink is not an evil
in itself, but becomes so by reason OF
circumstances. Nowadays, conditions
are such in this country that the ideal
saloon keeper, that is, one who obeys
the laws and does not allow anything
morally wrong to take place in his
saloon, is a rare bird-so rare, indeed
that the species, if it ever existed, is
almost, if not entirely, extinct. But
if an officer who is charged with the
enforcement of the law regulating