The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-12-27

| erend JOnn L. McNlcnOlaS, Bishop or
Duluth, Mimi, is in part as follows:
Pastoral Letter of John Timothy, BY
the Grace of God and Favor of the
Apostolic See, Bishop of Duluth.
To the Clergy and People of the Do
cese of Duluth:
Benediction apd the peace and love
of Christ.
| Evils of the Day.
1t has pleased the Creator of all
things that our lives should pass their
! probation of time in these days so
| potential to enkindle new fires of
evil. There is, thanks be to God, a
| cessation of the horror of a world
| war of the EXTREMIST brutal forces.
The saving powers of blind and de-
termined instinct of necessary agen-
| cies did not guide these war forces,
| but the noble faculties of the reason
| of free men and free nations degraded
| by ambition, sensualism, naturalism,
materialism and paganism became the
generals in command. A world given
over to a reprobate sense defied, de-
| MED, ignored, trifled with God accord
| ing to the measure of the depths of
than by word that a modern world
| needed not God. The princely facul-
| ties of intellect and will intended by
nature and grace to know God and to
| love God, to know man and to love
| man, degenerated throughout all the
| nations and became traitors who per-
verified their very nature, selling for
the gold of worldly gain their greatest
| interests, by neither knowing God nor
| loving Him, and by knowing man not
| to love him but to hate him.
Where has been the national con-
science in pre-war times, proclaiming
| God as the first object of national as
we'll as the individual life, teaching
| that the justice of God is first to be
| sought and in it all other things will
be found? While nations have been
| forming into society or family
where has been the international con.
science and the recognition of God
and His justice, as the supreme rul
| ing power of the world? God is God
of the nations as we'll as God of the
Individual He is for all nations
however they be grouped or whatever
be their association. The relation OF
children to their parents begets duty;
1 oF RI a
of individuals to God means duty
which cannot be ignored or trespassed
without receiving condign punishment
| in Gods own good time.
| Gods mercy often delays His jus
tice, but divine mercy can never make
divine justice fail. From the begin
ming the mystery of evil and its mys
| FERROUS invisible power, guided by
worldly wisdom, have worked unceas
| ingly and with Unreasonable success
If today we assemble all the evil Of
| individuals and of nations it will rise
in height and extend in length until il
forms a chain of mountains through
out every continent of the globe
Viewing the mountain of evil must WE
not say that God has been extremely
patient in chastising all the nations
He did not send an army of angels
with fire and sword, but He has per
mitted nations themselves to be the
agencies of chastisement. The very
! things of the proud boasting of ma
terial progress made and perfected b!
the unrecognized God-given gift O
reason become in the nations hands
by divine permission, the instrument:
of divine chastisement. Every mate
rial progress, whether for the advan
tage of individual or of society, is thu
result of Gods gift of reason.
Evils in America.
In our own country, dear to us all
despite it's altruism, it's generosity, it
, sacrifices in the war, there is mucl
to give us concern. The spirit of UP
rising here and there manifests itself
! strife and unrest grow and spread
authority is questioned, defied and re
| jected; conspiracies multiply; tn
, propaganda of class hatred develop
like an internal cancer; capital de
nounces the demands of labor; tn
trade and laboring classes disturbe
, in mind and heart protest agains
past oppression, exploitation and 81
cret agreements; labor, while judgin
the present moment opportune to oil
, tain redress for the wrongs of the pas
\ and to secure moderate comforts c
life for the future and protection fo
day of dependence in sickness an
old age, is forgetful of it's duties
the common good and the public il
!. terest; the press, with it's mad sens;
tional program, forgetting its trust a
a public institution, too often sells fc
gain it's power of protecting societ
and betrays the very charter of il
existence, that of exercising inf1uenc
G for good and of forming a health
g public opinion.
The present general condition nee
: not surprise us when we examine pr
= foundly the causes of things and r
view the history of events. There
a foreign element in our populatio
that has not yet gratefully apprecia
D ed the liberties of our land, NJ
IL grown to love our democratic inst
s. tutions. This element has contri
uted to the increase of crime and
u the stirring up of the spirit of stri
d and the quickening of unrest and cla
a. hatred. Those who have carried {
q thorough investigations assure us TIL