The Washington herald., 1920-02-22
CONTINUEp FROM PAGE ONE

u marriage should be regarded as
most sacred. 1t is regarded by too
many as a trivial circumstance, as
something of less Importance than
an ordinary business agreement"
Asks Living Wage.
The letter urges that acknowl-
eosment be given to the right of
Laoor to living wage and the right
OF capital of fair return. Disputes
between labor and capital should be
settled in friendly spirit. The let
ter goes on:
social enjoyment must remain
Wlthin reasonable bounds. When il
lnterferes with the duties of the
nome it defeats its own best pur-
pose; when ii becomes extravagant.
and develops a craze for pleasure il
Is likely to pervert the whole mean
ing OF life.
In this matter We appeal with
All possible earnestness to Catholic
women We urge them especially to
countersct those tendencies Of ex-
cess whereby prescriptions of plain
decency are too often disregarded.
Nefther custom or fashion can jus
tify sim
Text of Letter.
The text OF the letter follows:
The archbishops and bishops Of the
United States, in conference as
seinoied- to their clergy and faithful
people, Grace unto you and peace
from God our Father. and from the
Lord Jesus Christ"
Thirty-five years have elapsed since
The Fathers of the Third Plenary
council of Baltimore addressed their
pastoral letter to the faithful of their
charge- The interval has been marked
by events of far-reaching import foI
the welfare of mankind. The greatest
OF these. the World War, is finally
tnded And now that God. in His
mercy. has restored the nations to
peace, 1t is fitting that we offer up
praise and thanksgiving to Him for
the blessings which He has bestowed
on the Church in our country
Progress of Religion.
Under the guidance of three iIlustrI-
Gus Popes-Leo VIII. Plus Y and
Benedict XV-the church has shown.
in various forms. the power with
which Christ endowed it for the SAL
vation OF mon. Its inner life has been
strengthened by a closer union of all
It's members with their head the
vicar of Christ Devotion to the per-
son of our Lord and to His Blessed
Mother has steadily increased. The
piety of the faithful has become
deeper and stronger through frequent
communion and daily attendance at
mass Works OF charity have multi
piled and Catholic education has
crown. with fruitful vigor. in all our
Institutions.
We rejoice with our brethren
Of the clergy in the splendid re-
suits Of their labors among the
people in preaching the word of
God. administering the sacraments
establishing schools and building
churches
You. likewise. beloved children
of the laity. we heartily commend
for your faith. for your zeal in
supporting the cause Of religion,
and for your hearty cooperation
with your pastors in all good
works. With great charity you
have responded to their appeals
I. in behalf of the poor. the afflicted
Of every class and the helpless lit
tie ones of Christ You have shown
your faith by your works; and God
will surely reward you
Catholic Education.
We refer with p-ide and graft
oIic schools. 1t is an evidence of
the interest which you take in the
Christian education of your chill
dren- You are convinced, as we
are. that religious instruction is not
only a part of education. but the
most important part 1t is the
surest means of preserving our
Catholic faith and of training our
children to become good men and
good women. 1t teaches them to
respect authority. to obey law and
to be as careful of the rights of
others as they are of their own
rights. II is the best preparation
for citizenship. BY supporting our
Catholic schools you render most
valuable service to the church and
to our country. There is no more
genuine patriotism.
We desire to encourage your ef-
forts in the cause of higher edu-
cation. In order to preserve the
good results of their training in
the elementary schools, our pupils
should continue their studies in
Catholic high schools and colleges.
The time which is necessary to
complete their education will be
spent with profit. They will gain
more thorough knowledge of our
holy religion, together with the in
struction which they need to pre-
pare them for any pursuit in prac-
tical life.
With a view to charging the OPP
portunities for higher education. the
Holy See. at the instance of the
Hierarchy. established the Catholic
University as a center for our
schools and colleges. Its develop
ment is of vital Importance for our
entire educational system. And we
therefore record our grateful ap-
prccfation of the generosity with
which il has been supported,
through the yearly offerings of the
faithful. the funds created by our
Catholic associations and the en-
'dowments received from individual
Catholics of intelligence and zeal.
We take this occasion also to
express our hearty approval of the
teachers who have given their
lives. in a spirit of conservation. to
the work of our schools. We COM
mend them. not alone for instruct
ina, many in knowledge and virtue,
but chiefly for setting an example
of the devotion and self-sacrifice on
which the nation as well as the
church must always depend.
Negroes and Indians.
II is mainly through education
that we shall improve the condi-
tions of the Negro and Indian races
and enable them to enjoy more
fully the blessings of religion.
Eoth Justice and charity require
that they be given the fair oppor-
tunity Of which they have so long