The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-04-08

school room, and the living Church
was everywhere combated, made to
feel that its days were numbered.
For now the world was told by the
scientists that 1t was complete with
out God; and that there was no God,
unless, indeed, such divinity as man
could of himself attain. It was an
age of invention-of discoveryHof
material progress. So science in It's
triumph thought 1t could despise and
reject abe diety. 1t would take His
place in ruling the world. 1t would
train the child how to be scientific;
would hold out to the laboring man
the promise of power by the lure of
gold, but at the loss Of his soul. It
would substitute philanthropy for
charity; and consecrate the title to
wealth on the sole plea of its pos
sessions. 1t was the philosophy Of
omnipotent evolution and hopeless
fatalism. It was philosophy that
eliminated in the last sad war, were
millions of our best and bravest were
driven to death, their dying efforts
their brothers the image and like
were taken from courthouse and
ness Of God; while science. then
with dust, consigning them and their
hope to endless sleep.
Another and Better Philosophy
The war Is over. and perhaps
that philosophy too, since above
their graves another and better
philosophy has set the cross OF
but l disgress. Fifty years ago
this philosophy appealed to the null
tituder as the new revelation. It was
enthroned in the Universities. 1t was
well these latter knew that the more
the people sink In materialism,
scientific or otherwise. the more au-
thocratic may the civil power be-
come. When the deadly miasma was
spreading over the land attracting
the multitude by the phosphore-
scence of its own decay. there ap-
peared on the horizon three men,
who, those separated by the waters
OF the sea, were one in purpose, one
IN faith. one in conservation. And
was that great Pontiff, who then
guided and guarded the destiny of
Christendom. The immortal Leo the
thirteenth, flung down the challenge
to the schools and the scoffers, to
the University and the statesmen.
He takes his stand to the Blessed
Christ whose vicar He is. He pro-
claimed the great truth that human
science counts for little unless 1t
seeks its compliments in the science
that is of God Divine. He breaches
fr1rn nj ~
Thomas was the great exponent. that
philosophy which proclaims that
man mas, an immortal spiritual soul,
that 1t is thereby he attains his true
dignity. He organizes the Christian
universities; and gives to them the
mandate and the inspiration. He
brings back the light of faith to the
soul of the child; and in the face
of opposition from the civil govern
ments proclaims the inalienable right
of imparting Catholic truth to the
Lastly, in his great encyclical on
labor he asserts and defines to a
world still, in spite of all its science.
half feudalistic, the dignity, rights
and duties of labor. He teaches that
the workman has the right TO com
bine, but not to conspire-that he
has duty. to- work honestly (as we
all haveJ and the right to such re-
Enumeration as will make 1t possible
for him to live man among his
fellows, with a home wherein his
children of God. So taught Leo fifty
years ago. While here in America
down in the outhland /the blessed
Master foD u, the third gr,l. cham
pion of his cause, Leo. x LII, Man
ming of Westminster and H1bb.ns
of Baltimore. These three and these
the causes they served:-first, to
win the world back from the false
philosophy of the scientists to the
true philosophy of the cross ;-hence
the encyclicals of Leo-second. to
where that true philosophy would
hence the Catholic University of
which Cardinal Gibbons was founder,
patron and chancellor;-third, to es
tablish the rights of labor on the
sound principals of the moral law.
taking into account the value of
labor, but more than the character
and the dignity of the workers.
hence the encyclical on labor-hence
the action Of Cardinal Gibbons in be-
half of the knights of labor.
Cites Some Of Cardinal Work
History, no doubt, will in due
time, give place proportion and set:
ting to the life work of the Cardinal.
And while it may pay but scant
courtesy to our emotions or tears,
It can be more convincingly inscribe
the wonderous story of his life
how that in his vicariate of the
south, while attending to scattered
flock, he had time to bring the full
ness Of the ancient faith into the
emptiness of modern thought and
write The Faith of Our Fathers
our best apologize in the English
language best when written
fifty years ago-the best now, and
we have reason to believe that even
latest history will not record bet
ter.
"Turn we to his other work, the
Catholic University. While under
papal charter, the Cardinal was in
effect its head, its heart and its in
SEPARATION. He gave to it his best
thought, his warmest affection and
his unfailing support. He looked to it
to carry out his life work-to bring
the mind of the Church to all the
questions of the age, and stand as a
light perennial to the nation and the
world.
Here, then, are abe salient traits
of the illustrious dead:-He was a
great leader and soldier, whose
sword was everready to defend the
,.I II;~ IL 100 a. -