The Washington times., 1915-12-17
PRIEST LAYS WAR TO
DARWIN IN SCHOOLS
Tells Catholic Women Milltarism
Is Developed BY Evolution
Theory.

NEW YORK. Dec 1.-THE Rev.
Joseph II. Mcmahon denounced the pub
lie schools of the United states for
teaching evolution. which. through the
doctrine Of the survival of the fittest. he
said. led directly to that milltarism Of
which Bernhardi is the exponent.
Father McMahon was speaking at Del
monlco's to an audience Of women on
Catholicism and War" in the series of
lectures under the auspices of the
Catholic Library Association.
'Militsrism," he declared, ''is the re-
guft OF that material philosophy which
has had the world in its grip for three
quarters of a century. Look In the text
books the children of this country study.
ana see there the principles of evotu
tlou, the admission of the law Of the
JUNGLE. out OF which Bernhard built
his theory that war is a biological ne
cessity.' The lessons of the present
war should make the United States see
that our school books are wiped clean
OF evolution.
Leads To War.
"That is one phase OF the materialism
that leads to war. Another is that Of
the people engaged in the manufacture
Of armaments. The scandals OF which
we have read. in connection with such
manufacture. the scandals exposed in
the courts. are enough to show it's evil.
still another phase of materialism is
the attitude of the military class, an
aristocracy whose purpose Is war. One
more danger to Just peace is the yellow
press. Who does not remember how the
yellow press aided in hurrying this
Tt ia shameful" Father Mcmahon
centrados in camp in Cuba the United
States fought Spain, just as for the
sake of the concentrates it refuses to
go to war with Mexico"
The speaker said that the advocates
of ''pe9cc at any price" were both pa
thetic and ludicrous in the eye of the
Catholic Church.
TOO proud to fight has a pagan
source" he declared. I'VE hear of
neekness in Christianity, but not Of
pride. And States pride should be
in the protection of it's citizens against
aggression"
But the speaker salved this hit at
President Wilson by some words of
praise for the latter's stand in regard
the Ancona.
VI ECStuCubs
"It is much to the credit of the Presl-
dent" he said. that he denounced tne
murder of the innocent non-combetHnts
in the sinking OF those ships, for that
was not war; 1t was murder, a direct
violation of the Fifth Commandment.
War, which when undertaken In defense
of moral right is cOnsidereN by the
Catholic Church to be right. should be
fought aecordtng to the teachings achIa sono OF
mailder has said that war is hell
That Is true, for hell IS Gods assertion
of His moral right to compel justice
with force"
The Pope, the speaker declared, did
not assume to arbitrate in matters out
side his Jurisdiction or to interfere be-
tween nations, but the teaching of the
Catholic Church was clear in justlfying
war when the cause is just and its con-
duet as little inhumane as possible.
War for the expansion of territory
IL Immoral, nor does the plea of carry
ing civilization into another country
Justify force The church denounced the
gospel Of kulture' long ago. as 1t de-
nouhces II now"
Much of the discussion Of the war in
this country Is foolish, Father McMa-
hon believes. He added:
"On the one hand we hear people eX-
cusing, with shrug of the shoulder.
atrocities which are clearly out
side the rules OF war, eXcusing them
on the ground that war is hell. On
the other hand we read that the use OF
poisoned gas Is forbidden by the con-
ventions OF The Hague. l do not think
all the powers signed that agreement,
and In any case ] cannot see why the
use OF poisoned gas is worse than the
hurting of high explosives"
Catholic vs.. Catholic.
Concerning the apparent anomaly of
Catholic soldiers fighting from opposing
trenches, Father McMamon said that
the duty of the Catholic is to obey his
country so long as It Is not obviously in
the wrong.
"And how is private citizen to
know" he asked. "Often he cannot So
frequently the government Intentionally
misleads its people. and while the truth
is known in newspaper offices, II Is not
revealed. The citizen can but trust and
obey his government, unless 1t is too
obviously wrong.
And the mistakes of the pacifist, who
declares a state should never declare
war, is in forgetting that while the in
dlWdual has an immortal soul. and
should seek perfection first of all, the
state is but an instrument, and II would
be perfidy in the state to seek perfection
at the cost of injustice to its people"