The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-09-12
KEYNoTES OF HIS REIGN-GEN-
ERAL APPRECIATION OF
HIS WORK.
written for The Catholic Bulletin by
Cecil Underwood.)

4 BY the time these lines reach the
readers of The Catholic Bulletin, the
details of the death of Plus the
i Tenth will have been read, and all
Americans irrespective of creed or
country will have expressed their sor-
row and sympathy. Such, indeed, at
the present moment is the case in
all countries throughout Europe. For
despite the various distractions of a
i general war, all nations of Europe
have paused long enough to drop a
! flower and tear upon the grave of
Pope Plus the Tenth who, according
to the London Times has won the
affection or silent respect of all
classes and all people"
We pass, therefore, from the de-
tails of his sudden demise-a broken
hearted victim of Europe's Armaged-
don, powerless to prevent the clash
of arms, although he spared no effort
to avert national strife-to consid-
GRAFTON of some keynotes of his reign
Roughly speaking, it may be said
that the Pontifcate of Plus X stands
for re-assertion Of the claims of
historical and primitive Christianity
these, at least, coupled with and made
effective by an accompanying empha-
sis on that Capitalization of authority
which a developing society always re-
quires. The motto which Giuseppe
Sarto, upon his elevation to the Papa
cy, set before himself and the world
Ito restore all things in Christ-has
been indeed the keynote of his'reign
Other Pontiffs-Leo XIII for exam
pie sought, if it may be SO expressed,
to meet the movements of the age
in which they lived by showing their
sympathy with, and their approval of,
the true vitality which underlay them:
to Plus x on the other hand, it
appeared more necessary to empha-
/ size the unchanging principles which
/ the religion of which he was the su-
! preme representative declared to be
Itho sole lines on which satisfactory
solution might be found.
Condemnation of Modernism.
His famous condemnation of Mod
ernism offers the best illustration of
his policy Here was a movement,
widely spread, organized by leaders
in every country whose professed OBJ
ject it was to reconcile the claims of
j Christianity with what appeared to be
i the accepted conclusions of modern
4 NJ iV,
| transigent, could possibly desire a
better work to be done; but it ap-
peared to Plus x, and indeed to every
theologian and Bishop who had any
dealings with the movement, that it
was not to be done by such as these.
| There are facts and events for which
| the Christian faith vouches, as well
as ideals and supersensible truths;
and these-such as the Resurrection
of Christ and His birth of pure
Virgin-were exactly those points
which the more extreme Modernists
professed themselves ready to sacri-
flee for the sake of conciliating
modern thought
Plus x, therefore, did not, as some
might have done, and as the non
Catholic world for the most part adj
vised him to do, seek to disentangle
the Modernist intentions and methods
which were compatible with the Cath
olic system; instead, he reduced, with
extraordinary skill, the scattered ideas
of various Modernist writer's to a Co
herent system, and showed how in
principle, as well as in details, it's
ground plan was irreconcilable with
that of the Church of which he was
Supreme Pastor; and, further, with a
no less extraordinary courage, elabor
ated and imposed scheme by which
men with Modernist leanings should
be excluded from any future share in
| the teaching work of the Church. To
nom Catholic Christians who hold their
| religion to be set of ideas rather
than a deposit of truth, this action of
his must always seem narrow and
suicidal; but from those who believe
that the Gospel vouches for histori-
cal events, and that the enunciation
of dogma is one of the duties i'm
posed by God upon His Church and
guaranteed by His assistance, the
energetic and courageous act of Plus
x can meet with nothing but ap-
proval.
His Policy Towards France.
A second example of his determine
ton to preserve Mt all costs the an
cfent constitution and organization of
the Church may be found in his policy
with regard to France as cOntrasted
with that of his predecessor. To Leo
XIII, it appeared that by diplomacy
and conciliation terms might be made
with the more reasonable even of tie
anti-c1ericals of the Republic; and,
indeed, no one will dispute that such
a method should be tried. But to Plus
X, meeting, as he did, more ad-
vanced stage of that movement against
Christianity, it seemed certain that a
line must be drawn beyond which
even the most diplomatic charity must
not pass; and in his famous call to
| the Bishops and clergy of France to
sacrifice all their temporal posses
sions sooner than surrender the spirit
lual principle Of appeal to Rome, We