The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-03-07

deplOred DY the HFeS1denL or the Ete- public? The population of the United States advances indeed by leaps and bounds, but is not composed of the descendants of the older settlers, much rather by the nuItitud dinous us-z-comers from the Christian parts of Europe, many of these ernigrants soon to be caught in the After-Chris- tfan whirlpool and 10 be taught and practise the new ways of life and the new morals Of divorce and ster- iIity."
 1-Quarterly Journal of Econ monies, Vol. XVI, Nov. 1901, Feb. 1902.
 1903.
 If MT. Paine. moreover. will saun- ter along the ways of Bridgeport. es- DectaIIy in those quarters where shine the splendid homes of the refined and cultured he will find nothing to remind him of the potentiaIities of motherhood, but he will lad very keen traces of dog (God spelled back wards). I would likewise feel more inclined to think him sincere on the question of paternity as well as ma ter1tty if he told us publicly not how many children he has but how many sons and daughters he might have had.
 We Priests are not excited over the fact that Mir. Paine has no ez- traordinary love for us. but we do insist upon contradicting any man who attempts to Kill or question our 5Sy. I cannot understand how he has any right to cg-npare matrimouy with single b1essedness when he proves that he has never even tasted Lhe sweets of ceEbaCy. Our very Rectorv is chafng under the intt1na- rion that bapiness Is foreign to our daily liviuE The h~ppiest man in our midst is the Rector, and his joy is simply COnta gious. One of the most serious and heart-break burdens of the Bishop. even during times of Spiritual Retreat. is to restrain the mtrJh and joy Of his Priests. We havc the joy daily of saying Mass. Of
 suE tha and the dying. Of healing inc bruised reed in the con fesS.ou and rejoice in the universal and tender affection of our Catho- lie people. Our happiness Is so keen and so uubroken that we trembIe for sheer joy II is to be regretted that Mir Paine and his echo MT. Morales
 
 lIr. CLesterton, when he wrote.
 q have not myself any instinctive ki1slrlp with that enthusiasm for physical vtrginitv. which has certain " been a note of historic Christian I-E But when I look not at myself but ar the world, I preceive that this enthusiasm Is not only a note Of Christianity, but a note of Pagan- ism, a. note of high human nature in many spheres. The Greeks felt vir- siuity when they carved Artemis, the Romans when they robbed the yes tals. the worst and widest of the great Elizabethan playwrights chung to the literal purity of a woman as to the central pillar of the world Above all, the modern world Ceven whkIe mocking sexual innocense) has flung itself into a generous idoIatry of sex uaI iunOCence-the great modern worship of children. For any man who loves children will agree that their peculiar beauty is hurt by hint of physical sex With all this human experience, allied with the Christian authority, I simply conclude that I am wrong, and the church right; or rather that I am defective, while the church is universal. It takes all sorts to make a church; she does not ask me to be ce1ibate. But the fact that have no appreciation of the ceIIbates, I accept like the fact that I have no ear for music The best human experience is against me, as it is on the subject of Bach. Cell bacy is one flower in my fathers garden. of which I have not been told the sweet or terrible name. But I may be told it any day"
 By way of interest, and not self | defense, I would invite the public in | this important matter to learn the | number of ministers in the city and | then compute the number of their i children. Ministers are never accused l or suspected of celibacy. but to all | appearances they are not over anxious about the prop ation of the l species. I am not. exactly blaming | them in any sense. but I am insisting 1 that the number of their children l compared with their holy bonds of l matrimony does not give them or | anyone else much opportunity to | boast over our voluntary and self | imposed single bIessedness. They are | not in any sense prolific. though 1 nla-rimony may speak to them in hOneyed ed-acCents.
 I trust that MT. Morales, as well as NIr. Paine, will continue to air the moss-grown arguments against the Church and it's Priesthood and incidentally against all things Catho- lie It gives me a chance to discuss Catholicism in public and it gives the public an opportunity to contrast me and the church and men like Morales and Paine, who hide in the recesses nf the Forum. and thence assa1J men and women who are good Americans.