The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-02-10
INTERVIEW WITH CARDINAL GIBBONS

Contrast this appalling record with
that of the United States for the past
century. We have had in that time
| only ten years of war--that is one
year Of war for ten years of peace in
| contrast with ROme's ten years of war
! for one year of peace. This decrease
/ in the activities of war during the
/ lapse Of centuries can be traced di-
rectly to the influence OF Christianity.
| 1t is a demonstrable fact that pagan
| ism has always made for war and
Christianity for peace.
There was that most efficient and
unprincipled conqueror Titus, who, in
the year 20 A. d. captured and partial
ly destroyed Jerusalem. The details
Of his methods as warrior and victor
are frightful. Gibbon asserts that the
siege of Jerusalem resulted in the
annihilation of nearly million Jews.
Large numbers of them were brutally
massacred and thousands of them eX-
patriated to Rome, to adorn the tri.
umphal ceremonies attending the re-
turn of Titus to that city. With most
ingenious cruelty the Emperor COM
PEELED these captive Jews to erect q
monument in the Eternal City to COM
memorate the glory of Titus and their
own defeat and degradation And the
Romans of that period, who seem to
have been strangely lacking in a
sense Of humor, conferred upon their
slave-making Emperor the grandilo-
quent title of Glory of the Human
Race
Shows How Christian Spirit Possessed
The Warrior Grant.
LET us compare the record left by
Emperor Titus with that Of our own
General Grant. Supposing that, at the
end of our Civil War, General Grant
had forced General Lee and his heroic
| followers into captivity and had COM
PEELED them to build in Washington a
| monument perpetuating the memory
of their failure and humiliation.
Can you imagine for moment
that the American people, whether
North or South of Mason and Dixons
line, would have permitted such q
| barbaric outrage to be perpetrated?
| Stern aid ulcompromisimg as Grant
was as warrior, he showed in his
hour of victory that the spirit of
| Christ was infinitely more powerful
| in America even when the passions of
fratricidal war were still hot than the
spirit OF Titus. Upon Grants tomb
are carved his immortal words: Let
| us have peace!'
Would DR.. Eliot contend that be.
tween the words and deeds of Grant
and those Of a Titus there is nothing
to show that Christianity, far from
being failure is a strong, triumphant
force in our modern world?'
Realizing as l did that it would be
in bad taste for me to ask His Emil
nence to voice his views regarding the
tragedy now being enacted in Europe,
| could not refrain from the tempta-
tion to refer to Belgium, his recent
words having brought that afflicted
country vividly into my mind.
Belgium" exclaimed His Emf
nence. How sad it all is, is it not?
l am actively engaged in raising funds
for that afflicted country Cardinal
Mercier has my admiration and friend
ship. 1t is appalling the amount OF
suffering the world is called upon at
present to endure.
But is it not marvellous how all
that is BEST most Christlike, in human
| nature has been brought forth by this
great cataclysm of war? On the one
| side we see with horror, mans in
| humanity to man, but, on the other,
gloriously resplendent, appears what
| is noblest, most Godlike in the soul
| of the race.
But is there not given to nations,
as to individuals, the power to make
the crucial choice between good and
| evil? We must believe this. We
must believe that there is a divine
| purpose in it all that is being full
| filled"
Greatness Of Americas Destiny"
And the destiny of America?" I
queried
who can doubt it's greatness?" re-
| turned His Eminence warmly "We
CdluO lHJO Tie ldLully Ol udLlOuS WlIn
a mission, and that mission grows
constantly clearer to our sight and
| more glorious"
'As | have said, they who, like DR..
| Eliot, argue that war demonstrates
| the failure of Christianity, reason
upon false premises and SO reach
false conclusion
| Christianity has prevailed upon
earth in spite of war, and during the
centuries of it's increasing influence
war has changed from a permanent
manifestation of mans baser qualities
into sporadic and occasional one.
| "And until DR.. Eliot can bring proof
to show that Christ based the sue
cess of His mission upon earth upon
the elimination of war from mans
activities, his recent utterances will
remain unworthy of his exalted posi-
tion as thinker and publicist"
4
H. ~ He Ne