The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-12-31

IL
mother had 70 have nc. secretly bap-
tizcd
The Book That Made Him Famous
"Papini's first book. The Twilight
OF the Philosophers (Crepusculo del
Filosofi1, published in 1905, was Wig
orous and radical attack on all the
modern schools of thought from Kant
to Nietzschc. 1t made the name of the
Italian known throughout Europe, and
although never translated into Eng
lish. was introduced to American read
ers by James, who published a lengthy
review of it in the Journal of Philoso-
ply of New York 1906y. This book
was quickly followed by a still more
brilliant work, a mixture of philosophy
and phantasy, called The. !, Daily
Tragedy Gil Tragico Quotidiano9, pub
ished in Florence in 1906. 81
81 was curious about Papini's liter
airy associations and influences during
these first years of his success. |
found them, as | had expected, of I'M
usual interest. Naturally, SO youthful
and brilliant writer was distinctly in
the ring when it came to knowing the
people of his own country who were
doing things who were thinking and
writing, especially those who were
leading or following in the same free
lines that he had chosen. Giuseppe
Frezzolini, author of widely read
work on Modernism; Morselli, poet
and dramatist-'He is dead, Papini
explained: at Rome, just few weeks
ago; and he died the death of
saint!';: Soffici, famous skeptic and
cubist: Giuiiotti. anarchist-since be-
come a fcrvent Catholic. the Veuillot
of Italy, as Papini calls him; these
and many others of the busiest and
most brilliant Of modern intellectuals
in Europe were Papini's intimates-
even a bare review Of whose names
Papini's prophecy OF the coming Cath
Ollie renaissance.
Sat the same time his reading was
playing its role in Papinis develop
ment There was Carducci, stylist-
and Satanist. i felt the influence of
Carducci very strongly said Papini,
and especially in my youth owed
much, TO him as a model of literary
style. In 1917, published volume
treating of Carducci ("L'Uomo Car
ducci"-Carducci the Mani, but in
that work, as you Will see, | did not
pass over his spiritual limitations or
his anti-Christian animus. by that
time i was getting on to Christian
ground myself
Converted by the War.
$50 / went on. But no. not any
particular personal event prccipitatcd
my conversion. CAS- you see. it was
not precipitate at ALL 1t was ore
big universal fact-the war!
Sat first | took the war with the
everyday Indifference that character
! lied SO many of us. But in 1915 b."
gan to suffer, ] myself, from al That
was affecting the world--tbe misery
of it. the ferocity. the falselfood. The
death! Then really began TO ponder
| how men, civilized men,, could haT"
| fallen to such degradation. / thought
and read, thought and read-until
| finally turned to the story of Christ,
| the study of the Gospels. And in ihH
Hight of that study ! soon discovered
that the same terrible things. moro or
| less according to proportion and form,
had always been happening for the
same old reasons.
! 1.-The question was, how TO make
| them happen less often-how, in fact.
| TO put stop to them altogether. All
our, external systems-of politics,
economics, etc, were good for moth
/ ing Changing our social regimes
Democracy, Communism, and so on
we're equally useless. They did not
alter the fact What was to be done?
What did the world need?
81 arrived at the conclusion that
we must change the spirit of man. To
/ leave it as it is, is to simply keep on
going wrong. perpetuating the evil.
/ We must change our instincts!
How was that to be achieved?
What was the doctrine which most
perfectly revealed such transforma-
| iion-the actual changing of the in
stincts of man? That of the. Gospels.
/ Coming to this conclusion ] rested a
| little while. having laid hand on the
| moral system of the Evangelists. ]
4 was convinced now Of my immortal
soul. But. of course, that was not
! enough. There was one step more
from the law of the Absolute TO the
Absolute Itself. Logically, ! passed
] from the moral system of the Gospels
Of Christ. And Christ led me into the
/, Church-that is, the only true Church,
the Catholic Church, the Church of
Rome.