The Irish standard., 1919-09-27
By Cardinal Gibbons

American community is the demagogue
Socialist who is habitually sowing
broadcast the seeds of discomfort
among the people. He is disseminat-
ing the baneful doctrine of Socialism
which would bring all men down to
dead level, would paralyze industry
and destroy all healthy competition.
The demagogue is blaming fortune and
society, blaming the rich for the con-
ditiOn of the poor and the laboring
classes. He has not the capacity to
discern that, after all due allowance
is made for human energy, this varied
condition of society must result from
a law of life established by an over
ruling Providence.
We must remove, as far as possible,
all hostilities and recriminations, all
chickering's and misunderstanding be-
tween capital and labor, so that mu-
tual love and good will may be in
augurated between them, and the glo-
rious reign of business and CONNER
cial prosperity may be confirmed and
perpetuated throughout the land.
If the profession of a soldier has
been ennobled by the example of
Washington, if the profession of
jurist has been ennobled by a Mar
shall, if the profession of statesman
has been ennobled by a Webster or
Burke, surely the calling of me-
chanic has been dignified and sancti-
fled by the exampe of Christ. With
out labor to work it's mines, till it's soil
and accomplish the multifarious tasks
of human activity, capital would be
unproductive. But if capital can ac-
complish little without labor, labor
can accomplish still less without CAPT.
tai. It is capital joined with indomi-
table enterprise that has opened up
the resources of our country, has de-
veloped our mines and built our rail-
roads, giving employment to millions
of labOrers.
Like her Divine Founder who came
to shepherds and kings in the form of
poor little Babe, the Church has the
same message for all; great and hum.
BILE, high and low, rich and poor. She
has been from the beginning and will
be to the end in an especial sense,
and pre-eminently the Church of the
poor. Within her sanctuaries the
crowning evidence of the divine mis-
sion Of her Founder continues to be
as visibly and peculiarly her own as
when John was in prison. ''The poor
have the gospel preached to them"
She can never cease to be the Church
of Christ, the Father of the poor
She does not preach to them the
gospel of discomfort, of class hatred,
or class antagonism. The gospel of
the demagogue is not hers. She can
not for rich or poor rid life of it's bur-
dens, but she can teach men how their
burdens may be made light, and be
borne in patience. She encourages or
INDUCES no vain delusion or idle
dreams mainly calculated to make men
dissatisfied with their lot in life. She
knows that nothing this world holds,
nor all it contains could satisfy one
human heart; that its allurements and
possessions are in the main, "+
Dead Sea Fruits which tempt the eye
But turn to ashes on the lips"
Hence her unceasing effort to d.
rect mems vision heavenward, hence
her constant cry to mankind, "Sursum
Corda."
Yet, the Catholic Church has done
more than all other forces combined
for the amelioration of the condition
of the toiling masses of men. It was
by the dissolving force of the great
truths which she taught touching the
dignity and rights Of man, and which
she enforced before her altars and in
the administration of her sacraments,
that slavery, "the leprosy of ancient
civilization" it's Inheritance from pag-
anism, deeply rooted as it was in So
ciety as she found it, was wiped from
the face of Europe. Catholic ideals of
charity. Catholic doctrine inoculated
the laws and customs inherited from
Pagan times, and gradually but in
evitably by their resistless force
wrought the enfranchisement of the
laborer. If we wish to know what
Catholic ideals of charity have done
for the masseS 0f mon wo ,,,,,ot lrnox,