The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-03-12
DELIVERED AT SAINT THOMAS
COLLEGE, ST. PAUL. ON THE
PATRoNAL FEAST DAY BY REV.
JOHN BLANKART OF THE COL
LEGE STAFF.

-
JOHN BLANKART OF THE COL
LEGE STAFF.
Thou waterest the hills from Thy
upper rooms: the earth shall be filled
with the fruit of Thy works" Psalm
1918.
Man by the very constitution of his
nature. by the very fact that he is a
rational creature, will inevitably fol-
low the guide of his reason, so that
if his intellect sins, his will soon fol
lows. Hence all the bitter strifes that
have vexed the public and private life
of man, all the evils that have befallen
individuals and nations, can in large
measure be traced to alterations OF
mans individual or collective intelli-
gence. Theology and ethics, mans
notions of God and his ideas of the
conduct of life, have never been far
removed from philosophy, from his
attempts to explain the universal or
der of things by their ultimate causes
or principles Outside fixed dogmas
there are, even to men guided by the
light of revelation, shades OF differ
ence as various as mems minds; and
the norm of conduct is only objec-
lively absolute. How often false phil
osophy has led men away from even
those fixed dOgmas and those objec-
lively static rules of conduct, history
may sadly tell. st. Paul must have
foreseen the dangers that threatened
from the fallible reasonings of men
when he warned the Colossians, BE
ware lest any man cheat you by phil
osophy and vain deceit"
Scope of Philosophy.
And yet, it is surprising how many
will sneer philosophy out of the sphere
of their interests, on the ground that
it is of no practical value except as
a pastime for minds otherwise unoc-
cupied. This attitude has some basis
of justification until we recall the
words of st. Thomas Aquinas that
PHILOSOPHY does not consist in know
ing what men have said, but in know
ing the truth" The average man may
know nothing of the schools of phil
osophy. but no matter how humble his
mind. it must have constructed some
thought system which will have vital
bearing on the conduct of his life. Nor
can it be said that the PHILOSOPHERS of
the worlds great thinkers do not prac-
tically influence the lives of less gift
ed mortals. The processes of rea-
Soning of these Olympians may be un-
known, or if known may not be under
stood: their very names may never
have been heard, but their conclusions,
persistently repeated, become an op-
erative factor in the practical phil
osophy of the masses. And who does
not know the power for good or evil
that lies in the glamor of great
name?
Influence of Philosophy.
Philosophy may influence mankind
either by initiating new ways of
thinking and as a consequence new
methods of living, or it may spring
from and be a reflex of its age, and
thus confirm thoughts and actions. be
they good or evil. It was Humanism
with it's exaggerated enthusiasm for
the classic ages of Greece and Rome
leaning toward a Pagan rather than
Christian view of life, whose skep
ticism and easy morality prepared
mems minds and hearts for that intel
lectual and moral deluge. known as
the Reformation. 1t was French Ra
tionalism, expressing itself in rank
materialism, that guided the turgit
floods of the Revolution from the over
charged political and social channels
into the fair fields of religion, and
brought about the religious and mora
devastation of France. 1t required NJ
higher intelligence than that of the
Partisan rabble to reason from the
premise that there is no God and nC
hereafter to the conclusion that there
is no moral sanction and consequent.
no moral restraint. One cannot rea
sonably suppose that the contents o
the 10000 copies of Herbert Spencer
First Principles" sold in this coun
try, remained lodged in the minds
the 10000 purchasers. 1t must hav
been at least some comfort to the ser
sualist, who read or heard. to hav
pronounced to him that God could no
be known, and that therefore His law
His judgment and His punishment
were uncertain. 1t must ever const
tute a safe haven of refuge from tn
twinges of conscience to accept tn
comforting Pantheistic doctrine tha
ones own soul is simply part OF tn
great world-soul, and that therefor
moral responsibility is non-existen
The so-called Idealism of the last feN
centuries, with it's undue stress o
subiectivity, must lead either to
skepticism that doubts all laws, or
an individualism that makes its ow
laws.
False Theories.
Much of the social disorder that "a
fiicts present day society, much of tn
immortality that shamelessly fiaunts
self before the eyes of the twentlet
century. can be traced to the falls
reasonings OF few years ago or fint
expression i'll the PHILOSOPHERS OF t
day. Relatively few have foliowe
the tortuous windings of Karl Marx
mental processes, but that does NJ