The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-04-09

HIS like AGAIN. ue f1Oly FdlueF Hilu-
self must have sensed our loss, as we'll
as his own, since from the throne of
the Fisherman he voices at once the
sorrow of his own troubled heart and
the sympathy of the Catholic world.
Sorrow so universal, deserves record
ing; and yet feel that more pressing
even than tears is our duty today TO
express our gratitude to the Almighty
to thank God for Cardinal Gibbons.
And first, for his length of years.
Great and small, rich and poor, what
ever else they do, are certainly fated
to die. Some are called in infancy;
others in adult years; others in ripe
old age. The Blessed Master favored
this, His servant, with many, many
years to work in His vineyard Born
| in this city eighty-siX years ago, he
was consecrated Bishop in this ven
cradle edifice in the year 1868. Of all
the Bishops then consecrated, not one
is left. In 1884, the then Archbishop
Gibbons convoked and presided over
the Third Plenary Council. There
were present seventy-fiVe prelates.
Their presiding officer saw them fall
one by one until of that great assem-
F, blage he alone remained In 1886 he
was elevated to the Sacred College as
Cardinal Priest. Sixty members or
more were then wearers of the sa-
cred purple. All have preceded Car
dinal Gibbons to the grave.
Cardinal Specially Blessed.
Surely if length of years is a bless
ing, Cardinal Gibbons was specially
blessed; and for that blessing we are
grateful. Especially should we praise
the Giver, that not only were the years
of the Cardinal many but so abun-
dainty fruitful-so rich in achievement
as to mark him for his age, his
Church and his country, as verify a
providential man.
1t appears to be true that for every
great crisis in history Providence, as
| Balmes says, holds in reserve a re-
markable man. Now fifty years ago
there was such crisis. The crosses
were taken from courthouse and
schoolroom and the living Church was
everywhere combated, made to- feel
that it's days were numbered. For
now the world was told by scientists
| that it was complete without God;
btiiaE there Was no Cod, unless, in
deed, such divinity as man could of
vention-of discovery-of material
progress. So science in it's triumph
thought it could despise and reject the
Deity 1t would take His place in
ruling the world. 1t would train the
child how to be scientific; but at the
same time Goddess. 1t would hold out
to the laboring man the promise of
power by the lure of gold, but at the
loss of his soul 1t would substitute
philanthropy for charity; and conse-
crate the title to wealth on the sole
plea of it's possession 1t was the
philosophy of omnipotent evolution
and hopeless fatalism. 1t was phil
osophy that eliminated in the last
; sad war, where millions of our best
and bravest were driven to death,
their dying efforts spent in tearing
from the bodies of their brothers the
image and likeness of God; while sci
ence then triumphant crowned their
!, brows with dust, consigning them and
; their hopes to endless sleep.
\ The war is over, and perhaps that
( philosophy too, since above their
graves another and better philosophy
has set the cross of Christ.
False Philosophy Popular.
But l digress. Fifty years ago this
philosophy appealed to the multitude
as a new revelation 1t was enthron
! ed in the universities. 1t was en-
> couraged by the Statesmen; for vel
> THESE latter knew that the more the
Ipeople sink in materialism, scientific
,or otherwise, the more autocratic ma.
the civil power become. When tht
f deadly miasma was spreading DER thu
d land, attracting the multitude by tn,
It phosphorescence of it's own decay
t. there appeared on the horizon thre,
s men, who, though separated by th
l. waters of the sea, were one in purpose
n one in faith, one in conservation. An,
5, the first of these. and the greatest
e was that great Pontiff, who then guid
v ed and guarded the destinies of Chris
l. tendon The immortal Leo the XII
4 flung down the challenge to the schoo
% and the scoffers-to the universit
IS and the statesman. He takes hi
1t tstand for the blessed Christ, who's
d vicar he is. He proclaims the grea
s. truth that human science counts fo
le little less it seeks it's complemer
ly in the science that is of God divin,
a He breaches the true philosophy {
n, which st. Thomas was the gres
of proponent, that philosophy which pr
W claims that man has an immorts
ss spiritual soul, that it is thereby he a
e. tains his true dignity. He organize
is the Christian universities; and give
es to them the mandate and the inspir
IS, ton. He brings back the light
I'D faith to the soul of the child; and
tie the face of opposition from the civ
ur governments proclaims the inaliel
1g able right of imparting Catholic tru
20 to the children of the faith.
One of Great Triumuirate.
in Lastly in his great encyclical on
he lbor he asserts and defines to wor
lis still, in spite of all it's science, hs
de feuda1istic, the dignity, rights ar
IN o Iol Ts~ 41,sx s, = 4