The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-05-11
A Convert Bishops Views
BISHOP GRAHAM WRITES INTER
EsTlNGEY OF SCOTCH PROT
EsTANTlsM-slNcERITY OF OUR
SEPARATED BRETHREN-coN-
VERSIONS IN SCOTLAND
CAUSES OF PREJUDICE. Il

Right Reverend Henry Graham, a
convert to the Church, recently re-
ceived episcopal conservation in Scot
land. He has written the following
account of his religious experiences,
and incidentally throws much light on
the Scottish Covenanter's attitude
toward things Catholic:
Through no fault of my own, I was
born of a long line of parish ministers
respectable gentlemen, so far as 1
ever heard or knew of them-and
partly no doubt through my own fault,
l kept up the fun by becoming
myself. AS, according to a common
Scotch saying, ministers sons are the
worst, was quite a suitable person
for the profession. When | vested, /
was minister of a parish in Lanark-
shire, where memories of "the killing
times" under the Stuarts were still
rife, and where a monument at the
Battlefield of Drumclog testified to
the victory of "our Covenanting fore
fathers" over Bloody Graham of
Claverhouse" {bad augury for me) and
his dragons. Although it was only
English, prelacy that was being forced
down their throats, quite a multitude
of Scotch folks think or pretend to
think, it was Popery,. or if driven from
that, they will say: After all there
is but a paper partition between
them. The n is almost as difficult
for them to swallow as the other.
Thanks and praise be to God and
little laud to the Devil" was how a
cautious cleric expressed it on a try
ing occasion in those dangerous days.
Conversion.
My period of internal misery and
ritualistic %capering came to an end, to
my intense relief, and the doubtless
nc less intense relief to the parish
toner's, when / told off in 1903. I
nearly caused my dear old father a
paralytic seizure when I went to tell
him l was bundling up and making
for Rome. He thought he should never
see me more. BY next morning, how
ever, he had regained his Scotch
philosophic composure, and cannily
remarked, You'll be needing some
money for this business" q wasn't
but later he sent me a goodly sum to
the Collegio Scozzese, Rome.) He had
not the faintest glimmering of what
Catholicism really is; neither had a
sister Of mine, a doctors widow, who
remarked to a friend not long ago,
"You know my brother is the worst
kind of a Catholic; he's a Jesuit" To
them a Jesuit is not a member of a
religious order, but only a more than
usually Objectionable Catholic, bigoted,
aggressive and pr~oselytizing, in short
offensive Tin the military sense as
well).
You never know Professionalism thor.
oughly until you become a Catholic;
I have learnt a whole lot about it
since | turned" and two things ]
have learnt in particular, viz: the
quite p~reternatural ignorance OF
Protestants about the Catholic Chuch
and the u~nprecedently unique absence
amongst them of all knowledge Of
supernatural religion. The ignorance
fof course, we are prepared for in q
country that has groaned under three
hundred years of Presbyterian teach
ing and traditions. But besides thai
the trouble is that people have sunk
into a profound naturalism. The Goo
they adore is the God of nature, an6
their religion is the religion of nature
The God of revelation, the God whom
their forefathers not many genera
tons back did worship to a great ex
tent, with His divine and ~indefeasiblt
claims upon them, has largely disap
peared from their vision.
Modern Laxity.
d You can see that from the presen
[ state of religion. Time WAS when tn,
/ people used to read the Bible and hav,
} family prayers and keep the fast days
| They never missed the Kirk of tn,
j @Sawbath,' and got their children
christened, and 80 On. Gone ore thos'