Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-03-14
Blind and HideOus Are the Fig
ures of Prejudice and
BigOtry.
American Love of Justice Will
See the CHURCH. Fairly
Treated.
WHERE THE FAULT NOW LIES

that love. We we're made nation
by the War of independence, which
was nothing more than a supreme
effort to take for ourselves what
England would not give-justice.
With our infant strength, in the war
of 1912, we made sure that England
would not again deprive us OF our
prize. The civil war, at least so far
as its object was to free the slave,
was a magnificent proof of our love
Of justice. And coming nearer to
the present, we have only to recall
the war with Spain not 50 many
years ago, when again the American
love Of fair play was made evident.
With such noble efforts on behalf OF
justice to our credit, something is
wrong somewhere when today
Americans allow themselves to be
made the victims of ignorance.
prejudice, bigotry and self-delusion
to the detriment of justice.
None Of us of course are supposed
to be all-knowing; ignorance in some
things is excusable. But that, in
this day, there should be ignorance
Of the rankest order concerning the
grandest institution the world has
ever known, seems queer. How can
any one who processes to be a
broad-minded, educated American
remain blissfully ignorant of the
teachings of the church in this the
day OF the press? Any one who
wants to has every opportunity to
make good this mental deficiency.
Literature explaining Catholic belief
is more than plentiful and willing
teachers can ever be found by a man
or woman who is sincere in his or
her search for knowledge.
The two great reasons for the
lack of knowledge on Catholic sub
jects are prejudice and bigotry.
Training, environment and often the
natural inclination of mind render
the non-Catholic American people
anything but fair-minded in regard
to Catholic affairs. OF course, that
they should have been brought up
In an atmosphere that was not ex-
tensive enough to include Catholicity
is not their fault. The fault lies in
the fact that despite their continual
intercourse with Catholics, despite
the many opportunities afforded to
inform themselves on Catholic sub
iects, they live on obstinately in
their diseased state of mind. How
often do not those who have re-
ceived a CLEAN of light confess the
ridiculous and sometimes horrible
things they had been taught concern
Ing the church, How touching their
surprise at learning the truth! For
years they had been held back from
the truth only by the villainous
clutches of prejudice and bigotry.
We mad thought, or at least tried
to convince ourselves, that the much
talked-of enlightenment of the TWEEN
tieth century, and the broad-minded
spirit of the American people had
put an end to the days wherein these
twin evils ran rampant. But too
well do we know differently now
The hidden things have been brought
to light; the latent prejudice and
bigotry have been reawakened. And
1t has taken uncomfortable publica-
tions TO do il! Their luminous pages
have really done the Catholic church
a service, If in no other way than to
show her that work as great as any
that awaited her in earlier ages re-
mains for her to do here. The fash
of light-though it be of birthstone
has revealed the glitter of Amer
icas gold; and in the shadow, as
dark and hideous as ever, we be-
hold the figures OF blind prejudice
and bigotry The victims of this
blindness have not been struck by
the glare OF the sun of too much
knowledge, they have yet to come
from the shadows into the light OF
knowledge
The great obstacle in the way OF
their coming to this light is their
conviction that they. and they only,
faction is hard to contend with. And
no one is quite so hopeless as the
man who deludes himself into be-
lieving he is something he is not.
That is why II is more or less like
knocking ones head against a stone
wall as to attempt TO explain OF
prove something Catholic TO many OF
our non-Catholics. Because they are
Ignorant Of Catholic teachings and
practices and because they can not
understand them when explained,
they must take 10 tolerant az, In
dulgent smiles. They can readily
comprehend one OF their own going
10 a foreign land as missionary.
Yet when it is the question of
Catholic young man or woman volun-
tarily giving life service TO God,
they must needs complain of the
oyerbearing cruelty OF the church.
This is their observation-disclosures Yet
they would have us broad-minded. II
they be broad-minded, narrowness
were q blessing.
Fortunately America still pos
sesses men and women whose
breadth OF mind extends beyond
their own cliques and ideas. These
representative Americans viii not
permit themselves TO be enchanted In
the letters OF ignorance, prejudice.
bigotry and self-delusion. Their
American spirit is not that OF the
fanatic mob. but OF the cool, judicial
man OF fair play. II Is 70 him this
article has been written In the hope
that his American love OF justice be-