The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-02-21

 (John XIII, 35). Different as they are from the strict requirement of justice, the gentle precepts of Charity are binding on all men as brothers and as children of the same Father in heaven. Charity does not wait to be constrained by the demand of the neighbor for his right. It sees his wants and supplies them. For his pain it has sympathy; for his weak ness, compassion; for his failings, a word of correction and silence. Charity is patient, is kind; charity envieth not, dealeth not perverse1y; is not puffed up, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth q. Cor. XIII, 4-6).
 The observance of justice and charity must begin in the heart of each man. Through it's enactment and sanction law may compel us to do what is just; it cannot force us to love one another. But in the reign of law itself will be more complete and secure when willing obedience does away with the need of com pulsion. And where the rule of charity prevails, justice will have no occasion to insist on it's claims. It is the same Apostle who commands that we render to all men their dues,'' and who adds: lowe no man anything, but to love one another. For he that IoVeth his neighbor, hath fulfilled the 1aw'' (Romans XIII, ', 8.
 Let us not, then wait for some general movement that will carry us all together along the pathway of justice. Let us not -beguile ourselves with the idea that an atmosphere of love will somehow be created and spread abroad without any thought or effort of ours. That blessed air of peace must spring up first in the in- dividuaI soul, and thence diffuse it. self through all our human rela- hons.
 Marriage and Divorce.
 As fife and it's relations have their origin in the home, whatever strengthens the family tie will re- dound to the good CT society. On Ine contrary, all those influences ana teD- dencies which weaken the bond -es- tablished by marriage, are perniciouS They destroy the home and corrupt our social relations at the source.
 The Catholic Church does not and will not sanction divorce in the ab- so1ute sense which permits either of IIIO SGpdTdceu pdIu6S to ToInaTTy during the lifetime of the other The ease and frequency with which divorce of this kind is granted, make it national scandal The bond, which ought to be most sacred, is re- garded by too many as a trivial cir cunstance, as something of less i'm portance than an ordinary business agreement. So far as this idea pre- vails, it removes the one safeguard of decency and purity in the sex re- lation. In a permanent union, that relation possesses a human character; in a temporary arrangement, it falls to the level of animal impulse. This degradation of marriage leads l to a more intense selfishness by mak- 1 ing individual pleasure or whim the l tends to deaden the spirit of charity | just where, naturally, love should be strongest.
 1 The sense of justice also will be dulled. If the obligations assumed l through marriage can be so lightly 1 cancelled, it is hard to see wha value shall attach to other coven. 1 ants when these are not enforcible bS 1 law.
 The Wider Social Relations. | Social intercourse, in the usua sense, responds to a demand of oul l human nature. It is an effectua means of drawing more closely thu | bonds of charity. And it often give occasion for joint endeavor in fur therance of the common good. To attain these worthy ends, socia enjoyment must remain within req sonable limits. When it interfere with the duties of home, it defeats it own best purpose. When it become extravaganza and develops a craz
 for pleasure, 1t is likely to perver the whole meaning of life. A peo
 pie that lives on excitement and sen
 sation will soon lose its moral fibre The power of endurance is directl
 proportional to the power of self restraint. And this we surely nee
 at the present time when America l passing through the gravest crisis i
 it's history.
 In this matter we appeal with a possible earnestness to Cath holie we men. We urge them especially t counteract, with the force of e1 : ample, those tendencies to exces l whereby the prescriptions of plai l decency, and even the slightest re ] straints of convention too often ar disregarded. As every Catholic UT
 derstands, society, no less than i 3 individual members, is subject l Gods law. Neither custom nc ] fashion can justify sin. If we al t 1 prompt to remove the causes of boo iFy disease, we should be at lea [ equally energetic in banishing nor; :, contagion.
 0 Frequently, it is the craving fC y notoriety that unbalances certat Q minds. In others, fondness for displa d leads to lavish expenditure, arous t the envy of the less fortunate classe n spurs them to foolish imitation, ar 1 eventually brings about conflict b e tween rich and poor.
 @ Industrial Relations. = The disturbances from which o1 0 industries are suffering bring hon d to all the people, in direct and pra e teal form, the need of thorouE It readjustment. In part, the prese tt situation is due to the War; but a real causes lie farther back in O
 industrial history. It is not mere
 that unwise policies have been adoT
 ed. but rather that these have be ot framed upon wrong principles al le base1ess- assumptions
 SC It is an error to assume that t