The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-05-24
THE CALL FOR CATHOLIC
r" CULTURE
Continued from page IL

| something on the part Of the Catho-
lies, waiting for an utterance that
would be adequate to it's needs.
often think of the tremendous effort
that is being put forth in the interest
of our university endeavor; the abso-
lutte devotion to the formulated truth
of books that will be found in our in
tellectual circles where real research
is carried on, and real schools are
either conducting classes or conduct
ing experiments of whatever scientific
nature on the probability OF result; as
far as life goes it is sure there will be
no complete answer to their questions.
1t is simply that the philosophy OF the
Church comprehends and explains
both life and death, the great primary
facts that meet us or that give us our
views, that give directions, give en-
thusiasm or give despair to the lives
Of thoughtful men and women. Most
men, perhaps, live a group sort of
life, go along in life by custom and
habit, are not inspired by their own
individual experience; but thought
full man who loves the truth, for
whom the truth is the end of all
things, is tTuthfully able to acknOwl-
edge that the results that have so
far been obtained, the results that
ever will be obtained are entirely UNI
satisfactory. The secret facts OF re-
search neither explain life nor give it
a reason or a motive. Religion is the
only thing that ties up the life of man
with God, which faith demands, that
gives as its compensation the salts
faction that it brings to the man who
takes a whole and comprehensive view
of life 1t gives us a motive for liv-
ing end explains death ITSELF. Cath
olics of this country can do tremen-
douS work in this state and through it.
That work must be done. You young
men and women have, no doubt, be-
fore you very definite ideas of what
you are going to do, and now are in
spired to live not the lives of recluses
but to take part in a world that is
eager to take your message, that con-
fesses it is eager to understand what
you have to bring to it.
Science has been a failure. If ever
. there was a time when the world calls
for religion, a religion of mercy, it is
now. If ever there was a time when
it called for explanations or demand
ed answers it is at this time when
war has yielded such terrible fruit.
World Humiliation.
l,o1s Il "
experience that has Inundated man
as a whole We have talked for a
long time about war as a phase Of
barbarism and as development, as
necessity perhaps, of the dark ages
Of the past, but we have had an ex-
perience of barbaric war waged by
nations who were the most highly
civilized and who used all the re-
sources that science put at their dis
posal to make a war more barbarOuS
than any preceding. Perhaps in read
ing history at times we have hesitated
} to believe the things that have been
recorded of the wild, cruel methods of
! the past. We have not been willing to
believe that such means could be pos
sible, that men could conduct them
selves in such inhuman fashion, I'M
til this war has brought us face to
face with atrocities and barbarities
surprising anything history has re.
corded.
) The humiliating phase of it all is
that these things have been done
by accomplished people who have
had all the help science could give
: them. University men, while they
sang their old university songs
rushed forth to the most cruel, hor
5 rible deeds of savagery, and it has
f Inundated, think, men who have put
: their faith in the progress that could
5 be obtained by scientific research. If
$ after all that has been thought and
4 said, if after all this is but a veneer
: and if the barbaric man is still JUS
d hardly disguised by the forms of cul
G iture that he has acquired, what hope
4 is there for the future, what car
S science do for us, if in the future
/. scholarship will fail us, if as in The
e war just passed, science did not max,
Il the resistance that we had hoped
o civilization would certainly make t,
t. any such demand that was made upol
r it; yet after all science has beel
st nothing but servant of barbarity
l. Frequently criticism is made of Cath
e olics in this country, that we have
IS policy of age. The Church is favor
;, ing the old, that it is a check upol
y the young, that we do not lead on
e Catholic life as naturally and with a
Il entire joy as we might were we liv
II ing in Catholic community; and We
Il we recognize the very great strength
e that comes from meeting with the re
e sistance that we. would naturally NEE
Il in cities such as this.
st The work that remains is to b.
L. done by the young men and youn
a women of communities such as thi
and such as. exist all over GU
great nation. The Church we knoy
d is equal to the questions that ar
n put to it, it should be the Churc
e of the young and enthusiastic. In tn
first place we should remember tina
IS our religion as we frequently boas
II of it has been for centuries the guard
p-i ian of the culture of the world, tina
r. throughout the history of the past il
il century after century, in country afte