The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-01-20

in the country, nor by what power
they make them, and he knows very
few of the laws that they have made
He has on all sides ample opportunity
for learning, but he refuses to make |
use of them. What would you think
Of such a man."
Such man, if it were possible for
him to exist, would be both a knave
and fool"
"Why?"
"He would be a knave because by |
his wilful Ignorance of the ordinary |
laws of the land he would put him
self in constant danger of violating
the strict rights of others, assured
to them by the law, and furthermore,
being man of influence he would by
his conduct lead many to practice a
like disregard for the law. He would
be fool, for knowing nothing of the
laws of the land he would undoubted-
ly transgress many Of them, and thus
bring upon himself heavy loss and
punishment in the form of fines and
imprisonment"
But, doctor, how can you hold him
responsible, since he does not even
know enough about civil government
to realize what risks he is taking by
his ignorance of the laws?"
IF he does not realize it, it is his
own fault. Wherever he goes he sees
| that the influence of the government
| is there in some form or other; every
| one he meets is affected by it; if he
| does not realize his obligation of in
Vestigating what bearing this ever
| present power should have upon his
own conduct, it is because he DELHI
erately shuts his eyes to the fact"
Doctor, you are strong and pointed
in your condemnation of the man who
Wilfully neglects to learn the prin-
| ciples Of civil government, but l tell
you honestly that l cannot see how
you, yourself, escape the same con-
| demnation for neglecting to study the
fundamental principles of the Cath
Ollie religion
why, the comparison is preposter-
| ous.-'
Listen, doctor, you nave mad wide
experience with men; among those
whom you have met are hundreds,
whose intelligence and honesty you
cannot doubt who, being we'll instruct
| ed Catholics, know exactly what the
Catholic Church is, and who are firm
| ly convinced that it is the highest
duty of every human being to belong
to that Church and regulate his con-
duct by her teaching. Secondly, you
have travelled extensively, and in
every country on the face Of the earth
which you have visited you have
found there the Catholic Church; you
| have found there men and women de-
voted heart and soul to her; you have
found there places of worship from
the peerless Cathedral that cost the
fortune Of a kingdom and centuries
of time in building to the bamboo
chapel that cost the life blood of a
devoted missionary. Thirdly, you
have read history, and there you
have seen that the Catholic Church
stands rivalled-alone-in her i'm.
mense influence in moulding the des
TIMES of men and of nations.
"She stood out as the power most
loved or most hated in the world dur
ing the first three hundred years after
| Christ, when the world empire oil
Rome strove to crush her by bloody
persecution; she stood out as the
power most loved or most hated II
the world during the transition of the
tribes Of northern Europe from bar
barism to Christianity-durin the
life of Arianism and the other here
sizes of early times-during the mighty
struggle between Popes and the EN-
;. perors of the Holy Roman Empire Of
Germany-during the crusades wher
a whole continent united for the re
! covery of the Holy Handwriting the
Protestant Reformation Cor better
! Protestant Revolt) of the sixteenth
century-during the social revolution
that began in France and overra1
, cent upbuilding Of the nations of mod
j, ern Europe-in fact, even during the
! year of 1916 that has just closed
! Fourthly, you are acquainted with sta
G tistics; you know that this Church
T which should, after the manner O
! other institutions, be decrepit and dy
ing of old age, this Church, oft doom
ed to death, yet fated not to die ha
f at present over 3O1 100000 members
! that 16,000,000,000 of them are you
own fellow countrymen here in FREE
o America, and that every day men o
h intelligence and learning are renOunC
o ing their former beliefs in order t.
h enter the Catholic Church.
"These facts prove to any think
J. ing mind that either the Catholi
Church is the true church, uphelt
and guided by the power of God, o
d she is the most gigantic fraud eve
d devised by the mind of man.
n (Which of these two views is tn
7 | correct one Won do not know becauS