Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-08-15
Rev. Edwin r. Smell Refutes
Miserable ISLANDERS Against
Catholics.
Inherited Their
Spiritual Wealth From
Mother Church.
DOING VAST WORLDS WORK

church at Winnetks, ILL.,, the Rev.
Edwin +. Smell preached a remark
able sermon, telling why he loves
the Catholic church.
want to tell you this afternoon,
he said, in a very simple way why
I love the Roman Catholic church,
and why | believe 1t is the duty OF
every Christian to love that church
sincerely. First, love the Roman
Catholic church because of what she
has been. 1t is the old Mother
Church. Let me emphasize that.
Our churches are all the offspring
Of that church. A few ultra Prot
estants will try to claim that they
trace their genealogy through some
stray erratic movements back to the
Apostles without touching the
Church of Rome, but this is largely
imaginary. For more than a thou
sand years Rome has preserved the
integrity and transmitted the vitality
of the Christian gospel before ever
anything like Protestant secession
was dreamed of; and when the Prot
estant movement came, il was made
possible as branch is made possible
on the vine; it grew out of the strong
vitality of the Mother Church. Rome
is the mother of all Professionalism as
surely as England is the mother of
America; as surely as Judaism is the
mother of Christianity. Now 1 hold
that it is matter of simple decency
to be loyal to ones mother. l could
not respect myself if | could forget
that as Protestant | owe my very
being as a Christian, owe all the
light and joy and liberty in Christ
enjoy to the Mother Church. To her
| owe the very existence of that Bible
which love.
For fifteen hundred years the
preachers and pastors, the hymn
writer's and the church builders, the
social reformers and the mystics, the
theologians and the poets of all
Europe west of Russia were Roman
Catholics. All our spiritual wealth
as Protestants is an inherited wealth;
Inherited through the Roman Cath
Ollie church. But isn't it true that
there was a great deal back there
which was sadly wrong and bad?
There is no doubt about that. Have
there not been very evil Popes and
priests? There is no question at all
about it. But all this corruption was
but the fostering sores on a body that
was essentially sound, which had
real life in it. We must remember
that it has always been true that
one black sheep, especially if he be
a Christian leader, gains a publicity
which hundred faithful, true lead
ers never receive. For every evil
priest there we're thousand true and
faithful Of (rhrfC lot Win M
dying to make the world a more
Christly world; for every debauched
and unworthy Christian there were
ten thousand simple, true, God-fear-
ing, Christ-loving men and women
who kept the faith. Historians have
to write about the high lights of the
years; the plain, everyday living
escapes them. Today every pastor
who goes wrong will receive a place
on the first page OF, the newspaper
and large headlines; the thousand
pastors who are doing their duty in
simple way live and die without
ever being mentioned. 1t has always
been so. Our idea of history is
widely distorted unless we remember
the ground work of faithful living
which makes continuing history
possible.
Secondly, / love the Roman
Catholic church for what she is. j
regard it as one of the most unfor-
tunate things about our life today
that we so little understand each
other, we Protestants and Roman
Catholics who are all brethren in
Christ. 1t is proverbial, | suppose,
that no feud is so sore and unhealing
as family feud. The very love
which should bind, when turned to
hate, becomes the most complete OF
all barriers. If you want to know
what real bitterness and strife are,
you must look into family life. That
explains, | suppose, the unholy ran
cor in the hearts of Protestants and
Catholics for each other. The Cath
Ollie priest knows his people better
than We know them. Few of us any
where~do as well as we Ideally might.
| think the priest would be as quick
to acknowledge his sense of insuffi-
cient wisdom and his sorrow for 1t
as Protestants.
But is 1t not true that the Roman
Catholic church is un-American, and
Is seeking to overthrow our Govern
hACnb anu al 4 utoitdlC nOl W
say that | believe 1t is a foul and
hateful calumny. The people who
say these things have not one solid
fact upon which to base their mon
strous indictment. 1t is an utterly
unworthy frame of mind for brethren
in Christ to have toward each other.
II is true of course that many Cath
olics are office-holders, and many
more are office-seekers. But why
shouldn't they be? But every time
the test comes, when there is a call
for men 20 go 10 the front and die
for their country, the Catholic bears
his full share OF the load which
patriotism then assigns and tri-
umphantly and concretely vindicates
his loyalty. We must get this mis-
cradle SANDER out OF our minds. BY
every test which can be fairly APP
piled the Catholic stands on par
with his Protestant brother.
hesitate not to affirm my faith
In and my affection for the Catholic
church today. She is doing a vast
work In the world; she has an enor-
nous responsibility resting upon her
tor the souls of millions In her
custody and she 10 sincerely trying TO
bring 10 them the Gospel Of Christ,