Norwich bulletin., 1920-02-24
FIRST PASTORAL LETTER
 ISSUED IN 35 YEARS

An abstract of the pastoral letter of the archbishops and bishops of the Catholic church in the United States, prepared in conference in Washington last September and sign ed by Cardinal Gibbons for the hier- archy. The letter was read in all Catholic churches Sunday. This was l the first time in thirty y-tive years that tsuch a letter has been sent out. In part, it fonows:
 1 The pledges we gave must be re- | deemed. As our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XV. declares, the Amrican | people, retaining a firm hold on the principles Of reasonable liberty and of Christian civilization are destine to ] have the chief role in the restoration of peace and order on the basis of those same principles, when the vio- | lence of these tempesIuouS days shall have passed.
 Though the war is ended, our 1 country is not yet restored to it's nor nal condition. On every side there is unrest and agitation. The conflict of class with class makes progress inn possible. It threatens to undo the ! splendid things which the union of | our people accomplished. It is import i ing into our country the very evils which brought disaster on Europe. IT America is to be preserved; for it's own sake and the sake of humanity, a remedy must be found for our pres ent situation.
 No Time for Makeshifts
 ''Tnis is not time for maIseshifts. The facts are before us, plainly and roughly. They cannot be set aside 1 with mere eXpedients or fornahties ] that smooth the surface of things but leave the virus beneath. Rightly or wrongly the movements which are l shaking the foundations of order, l come out of mems souls. They em- body a demand for right. They may be stayed for a time or diverted; but, | if, in keeping with American princi- pies, order is to rest on the willing ness of the people and their free CO., operation, their souls must be reached. They must be trained to l think rightly and to do as they think. | Let US not deceive ourselves in this matter. Ignorance is an evil; as such it must be removed. But it is not the only evil. What we have chiefly to fear is educated intelligence devoid of moral principle-the man who uses his knowledge to abuse his freedom. This is the dangerous type. To con- tinue it's production or allow it to multiply would not be part of wis dom.
 For a long time the attempt was made to regulate human affairs with out any reference to God. It was thought that the advance of civili- zation, the progress of science and the growth of commerce had made the peace of the world secure elig- ion was excluded, in great measure, from public life, and entirely from the council of nations. It was a, vast experiment conducted with all the re- sources of power and skill. And now we see it's results.
 On Sure Foundation.
 eve cannot afford to repeat the ex- pertinent. If we are to build anew we must build on a sure foundation not on quicksand. The stone which the builders of the modern world re- jected, must become again the head of the corner. In the teaching and example of Jesus Christ mankind must learn the way of salvation There is no other.
 There are many indeed who ad- u1ire the Christian ideal and yet claim that Christianity should be mod flied to suit the demands of our age But as these demands are countless and as some of them are openly al variance with the spirit of Christ nothing will be gained by yielding to them. Too much, in fact, has al- ready been lost in these vain at tempts to satisfy the world with a diluted Christianity. In the final is- sue, not only the particular doctrines have been set aside, but the central truth, namely, that Christ is the h. earnate God. has been questioned ol [ iol ,.1 ply as the perfect man, feel justified in Interpreting His doctrines accord ing to their particular liking. They may continue to speak of their versior as Christianity; and they may find il | inadequate in the present con- ditions of the world. But this is nc warrant for saying that Christianity has ceased to be a power for truth anG righteousness.
 Christianity requires that we ae- cept two fundamental principles a! the basis for our human relations i These are the principles of justice ant charity. The application of these il private and public life is the first stei toward the restoration of peace ant ordeF.
 Marriage and Divorce.
 '@rhe Catholic church does not ant will not sanction divorce in the abso
 lute sense which permits either of thu separated parties to remarry durinl
 the life time of the other. The eas'
 and frequency with which divorce 0
 this kind is granted, makes it a na
 uonal scandal. The bond, Whici
 ought to be most sacred, is regarde-
 by too many as a trivial circumstance
 as something of less importance thai
 an ordinary business agreement. S
 far as this idea prevails it remove
 the one safeguard of decency ant
 purity in the sex relation. In a per