The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-11-11
GETS CREAM OF PRoTEsTANTlsM.

Apropos the recent conversions of
Sir Roger Easement, James J. Hill, the
empire builder Col. John S. Mosby,
etc., it would be well for our non-Cath-
ole friends to take an hour off and try
to ascertain why it is that the Cath
Ollie Church generally gets the cream
of Professionalism, while the Protestant
churches in nearly every case, get but
the scum and offscourings of Catho-
hcity, says Rev. John. E. Graham in
the Baltimore Catholic Review.
The fact itself is beyond dispute.
Get a list of Catholic converts, and
you will see for yourself that they are
almost invariably men and women of
the highest intelligence and probity of
life-clergymen like Newman, Man.
ming, Faber, Wilberforce and the
hosts of high-grade English and
American ministers who have come
over to Rome in the past so years or
more; representative laymen like the
aforementioned, together with null
titudes of upright, God-fearing people
in the humber walks of life. One and
all, you realize that genuine Catholic
converts are persons of the highest
character-not the sort who would
be likely to take leap in the dark.
On the other hand, of the COM
parative few who abandon the Church
in no instance can it be truthfully
said that they ever were good Cath
olics. Even of these the majority
give up religion altogether; they are
rarely satisfied to stop at the half
way house of Professionalism. And of
those who do affiliate with Protestant
churches it is q foregone conclusion
that the change was made in the in
terest of their bodies, not for the
welfare of their souls. Examine the
list of such converts" to Protestant
ism and you will see that it is made
up almost wholly of those who found
themselves forced to choose between
their faith and an unhallOwed sexual
union, and rebellious, refractory
priests, or priests chatting under their
clerical vows and preferring women
to God.
IL SloIluS W ICu0OI JLGlI C1AS SoSAA
uine Catholic convert must be sim
cere, the pervert to Professionalism in
sincere. For the Protestant who
comes into the Catholic Church has
generally great sacrifice to make,
while the Catholic who turns PrOtes-
tant makes no sacrifice so far as the
things of this present life are con-
cerned. The former goes from some
thing easy to something hard; the
latter, on the contrary, changes
from the difficult to the extremely
easy. No more confession, no more
Lenten fast, no more Friday absti-
nence, no more obligatory Sunday
Mass, etc.
johnson Was Wise.
This very plain difference was
recognized by that keen analyst Of
human motives-old DR.. Samuel
Johnson-many years ago. Sir Will
liam Scott told Boswell that he once
heard Johnson say: "A man who is
converted from Professionalism to
Popery may be sincere; he parts with
nothing; he is only superadding to
what he already had. But a convert
from Popery to Professionalism gives
up as much of what he has held as
sacred as anything he retains; there
is so much laceration of mind in such
a conversion that it can hardly be
sincere and lasting" And Boswell,
the biographer, adds by way of com
ment: THE truth of this reflection
may be confirmed by many and emf.
nent instances"
DR.. Johnson's remarks are con
firmation and realization Of the truth
Of the old saw that Catholic ICON.
verts'' to Professionalism are but
weeds thrown out of the Pope's
garden 1t is generally the best OF
the Protestants who turn Catholic
and contra, the worst Catholics
who turn Protestant. Such is the
fact; what is the reason? Ponder
this over, dear Protestant reader. Il
is we'll worth studying. Why is i
that men and women of the highes
intelligence and uprightness, aftel
nearly a lifetime, in Professionalism
turn eagerly to the church Catholi
when they find grim death starin;
them in the face? Can there be an,
reason other than that they clearl,
recognize that church as the Churcl
of Christine pillar and ground o
the TRUTH"
What Ethan Allen Said.
1t is said of Colonel Ethan Aller
the hero of Ticonderoga, that whe
he was on his deathbed his Catholi
daughter asked him whether sh
should continue in her mothers fat
or go his way, and he answered
stick to the religion of your mott
err. The Protestant way is the cal
lest to live in, but the Catholic fait
is the best to die in
And here's another. Why is it thu
while the ministers find the creates
difficulty in getting the half-respec
ably sized congregation-for one c
two services on Sunday, the Gait
Ollie pastor has no trouble in film
his pews three, four and even 81
times a Sunday? A Baltimor
preacher, writing in the forum {
THE Sun" of June Z, says: wit
most of the churches the trouble is
get people in anything like larg
numbers. What is it to have fe'