El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-09-15

u
I itself, makes a grand sacrifice for his
is the very embodiment Of the Son OF
I God in human form perpetually re-
newiuE itself and appearing and Nv
I ing among men,
From this point OF view nothing Is
more natural and nothing. indeed Is
more logical that the Catholic claim
Z Of iufalibility for the church cOrpOr-
alton. II the Catholic church is the
embodied and OutWardly organized
word and Holy Spirit, incorporated
chartered and authoritated under the
government Of the Most High. how
can the church err2 It can not To
accuse the church Of error is to ac-
cuse God Himself tPerrOne, "TheoL
dOgm. Traite des lieuX theOlOg.")
in the Protestant idea OF the church
there are inner considerations be
longing 10 the consciousness OF the
I individual that identify the true mem
Der OF the community OF Christ Hence
among Protestants there is no small
degree Of uncertainty as TO just how
extensive the true church is, and as
to who its true members are But
among Catholics there is no such I'M
certainty. The Church says car
dinal BelIarmin, sis an organized So
cial body as visible and palpable as
Venice. or the kingdom of France
II is a true state TO which one be-
longs by q corporate and outward and
visible tie.
Two sorts OF Members.
The Catholic church, like every po-
liticaI state. includes two sorts Of
members. the good and the evil do
Gle subjects and those rebellious and
impiOus. rom. Catechism, 1910, g.
Here as elsewhere, IL is held 10 be
the function Of those who are In pO-
sitions Of legitimate authority 70 pre-
serve the good. and 10 subdue the evil
lv eXhOrtaticns and chasrisement As
in political states. so in the Catholic
church, allegiance IS held TO subsisT
in an oath or covenant In either the
state or the Catholic church person
may be Esl0yal or rebelious but, for
all that, he remains none the less a
subject Of the corporation, and the
corporation always mas the right 10
claim him.
The Catholic theory rests. as was
stated at the beginning, upon the al
legged fact OF a supernatural lns-itu-
ton. The corporal church is not the
effect OF an inner consciOusness- II
is not manifestation OF the psyche
logical and social law which says that
every religion shall create a society
as its outward expression. On the
contrary, the Roman Catholic church
is in theory miraculous creation Of
God. Such Is the doctrine OF Angus
tine, and BOusset and Leo XIII
1 have endeavored 70 state with
fairness the Catholic idea as that idea
prevails in the Roman Catholic
church. It is wholly apart from my
purpose on this occasion to in any
way take isue with this theory. or
call 10 in question Nor shall / at
tempt 20 show that however imposing
may be the destiny Of the Roman
Catholic church. and however lofty its
birth, its development, its triumphs,
and its claims for the future. its re-
verses are none the less a series or
incidents occurring in natural Sc
quence. conditioned by the clrcum-
stances OF time and place following
the general channel of all other his
tOrlc phenomena, wherein the social
forces Of two thousand years meet
and mingle with never hint OF MI
raculOus interference NOT shall we
take the course Of our two previous
lectures and attempt to develop IN
this connection the fact that all so
cieties Of former days. whether tribal
national or imperial we've equally at
tributed to divine origin, and show
how the true historian is always able
to trace beneath the golden haze OF
legend and tradition the ordinary
course OF human arrangeme nts--a
course everywhere marked by the
same struggles, VicisSltuues, mlSIor-
tunes and final disappointments- Nor
viii we give place TO any ooserVa-
tions, however pertinent they may
seem TO be. on the phenomenon that
everywhere in the history OF human
institutions Il is only after an or
gauiZed political power has actually
exercised the function Of an infalllole
oracle that anybody ever dreams OF
justifying it in theory. Nor viii We
observe upon the seeming law that
doctrine never sas-ificeS q thing IN
theory until that thing has first eN-
listed In practice for a generation or
out Of Difference for the feelings Of
our Roman Catholic friends. We not
only waive all controversy, We also
foregO in the present instance the
methods Of analysis which we nave
hitherto so uncompromisingly applied
in cases where Professionalism alone
was concerned What We purpose TO
do is to deal with the catholic theory
as being 9 correct representation OF
natural and supernatural realities
just such realities, in fact, as every
orthodox Roman Catholic DeheVes
them to be
What we have to consider IS the
German national property holdlng
and business-Operatin corporation on
the one hand. embodying in theory the
entire life and welfare Of the com
munity. and a supernatural religious
corporation embodying in theory the
immortal life and welfare Of mankind
on the other.
Dominates Without Effort.
Which Of these two corporations is
uppermost in the practical life OF the
Catholic erman citizen, and which
comes in for his highest alegiance2
The national corporation by all odds.
KaiserdOm dominates Catholic Chris
tendon in Germany with practically
no effort at all
But, the question naturally follows,
IS there not in Roman Catholicism
force that operates to save the soul of
the individual from the degrading
tyranny Of the Prussian autOCracyg
No such force is in evidence What
ever isagreement is to be found be-
tween the two corporate bodies seems
10 arise from the question Of what
shall be the basis on which the two
shall divide between themselves the
natural rights Of the individual
The Roman Catholic church has
preserved a consistent silence as
regards the evil power which
the Prussian autocracy exercises
over the Catholic Individual There
is no record OF CathOlicism's