The New York herald., 1922-12-17

national and to Catholic unity. 1t would
have been woeful thing for church and
for country if when We had TO take our
place in the war il which almost all the
nations of the world had taken sides the
Catholic church in THIS country should
find itself divided into racial groups with
their own leaders From this danger we
were saved by the foresight and deter
mination of Cardinal Gibbons and the other
leaders of the church of thirty years ago.
This point is of so much Importance that
the reviewer quotes certain sentences in
Mr. Wills estimate of it:
In his opinion. union of Church and
State in America was practicable or
even desirable With each supreme in
its own sphere, he believed that the
Church would receive here. in reality,
the most powerful protection accorded
her anywhere in the world. He
wished the Church in America to be as
American as the Constitution itself,
spurning interference in political affairs
and pursuing her spiritual mission with
serenity in the full confidence of vindiea-
ton by the public Judgment
He was determined that the Church
in this country should continue homo
geneous, like the nation. If the discord
OF rival ndlibilaliSl aims NNAN NN4'NN.'
introduced his work would go down IN
wreck.
One of the stanchest convictions TO
which he adhered throughout his life was
that homogeneity in America was
fundamental need in the absence of
repressive government which might
maintain unity by force.
Cardinal Gibbons was always prudent
leader and the judgments that ne eX-
dressed were always maturely considered
before he gave voice to them. On num-
ber of questions his mind. however, was
definitely fixed and his expression vigor-
GUS and strong He reverenced the Con-
stitution of the United States almost as If
it were an inspired document. He had
very firm conviction that the conditions
in this country of freedom of religious
worship without any union of church and
State was entirely for the best interests
of the church He was great defender
of law and order; he was opposed to com
munism. but took his stand in the very
memorable letter to Cardinal Simeoni in
favor of the right of labor to organize
He had many friends of wealth and of
high position, but he delighted in laboring
to keep the Catholic Church of America
the church Of the people, which it GER
tainly is. He was an advocate of educa-
ton. and the Catholic University of Amer
lea is a monument to his zeal He op-
posed the prohibition amendment, al
though an apostle of total abstinence all
his life, because he felt that the prohibi-
ton amendment would cause more trouble
than it could heal.
In his efforts to produce new social
and political alignment for the Catholic
Church in the United States and in the
world he was particularly fortunate in
having as his superior Pope as broad
minded as Leo Kill. one of the greatest
men of his century and certainly one of
the greatest old men of all times. Says
Mr.. Will: "with less sympathetic pom
tiff the work of Gibbons would have been
impossible and Leo did not hesitate to
say again and again that the encourage
ment and active help which he received
from the Archbishop of Baltimore formed
one of the potent influences that sus-
tanned him amid the hostile misunderstand-
ing with which he was often beset.'
"
Of the achievements of the Cardinals
later days there is one on which his dog-
rapher has laid too little stress. although
it was a great compliment paid to him by
his brothers in the episcopate. Perhaps
his own modesty did not permit him to
say it or did not permit him to let Mr..
VIII say it. But the establishment of the
National Catholic Welfare Council and the