The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-08-15
Asnosticism and the
"New Woman

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Owen johnson, the novelist, de-
clares that women are ceasing to
stand in awe of 1.-The Church." are
beginning to assert themselves and
are rapidly becoming agnostics. The
modern women are going too fast.
This, of course, is very sweeping
statement. If asked to define the
Church." he would no doubt say
that the word in his mind, stands
broadly for all positive religion.
To the Catholic it has quite anoth-
er meaning. The Church" as a
visible entity, is simply his. Church.
There is no other. Sincere souls,
serving God elsewhere, still belong
to the spirit of the One Church. Mr..
johnson will surely not assent that
Catholic women, of whom, from his
books, we should Judge he knows
very little, are. deserving their faith.
On the contrary, in scarcely any age
of the worlds history. unless. in
deed. in the martyrs age, have they
been more devout in practice than
in the present, and probably never
so influential in spreading their
faith. Religious-minded women of
other forms of belief and be it
noted, many of them extremely in
telligent, not to say intellectual-are
numerously coming into the Catholic
Church. r.
The higher education, instead of
making Catholic women less firm in
their faith and earnest in their prac-
tice, as some misguided persons ap-
parently expected, is increasing their
appreciation of their religion, and
their desire to share their happiness
in it's possession. The highest types
of women are. entering our religious
orders, or giving themselves to vari-
Gus forms of social service under the
direction of the Church. We know of
an incipient missionary community
of women who are nearly all college
graduates.
When Mr.. Johnson says "the
Church." therefore, he must use the
term of the denominations outside
of the Catholic body. We think the
High Church Episcopalians would
resent his statement; for they are
constantly approximating to the
Catholic position; having even their
own religious communities, their
guides and their sodalities, organ
lied as are the like associations
among Catholics.
But it is doubtless true that the
number of women with no definite
religious affiliation is increasing;
and once a woman discards a posi-
tive faith, she is more likely than a
man to go to extremes, and to be
demonstrative of her. doubt or alb
solute irreligion. The eagerness of
many of these women whose higher
education" has excluded the SUI
premely necessary knowledge, to
take up all kinds of Pagan "fads,"
false PHILOSOPHERS parading under
the name of New Thought" or
Free Thought" to say nothing of
dangerous occultisms, is very evil
dent to any one with wide social
range.
The books written by too many
women indicate not only a lack of
religion, but an impatience with
moral restraint. The adherence of
the natural vocation of women, with
it's once most dear and sacred re-
sponsibilities, and the feverish in
terest in activities which for the
most are off the normal lines, all
indicate the weakening if not the
positive loss of faith in God and in
personal responsibility to Him.
Churchmen are taking alarm
at this radical change; and
when asked for it's remedy, an
swered: 1.-THE men are going to
stop them if they are stopped. We
men are going to see that it is nee
essary for us to get back under the
mantle of religious faith. We are
going to see the need of setting an
example for our wives and daugh-
tiers.
Granting the evil he deplores to
be as great as he claims among the
women of whom he has knowledge
he has offered an entirely normal
solution of the problem. Men need
God just as much as women need
Him; and if the former are generally
convinced of the truth, this poor old
world would be at once in the throes
of a most magnificent moral and
spiritual regeneration. Heretofore
the great trouble has been the con-
viction of too many men that relig-
ion itself, and the religious affairs
of the household in detail, were the
woman's business.
A tinge of this spirit has been
found even among Catholics. Not
that the Catholic men at anv time