Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-11-27
7HR0NCS ATTEND
MASS OF NATIONS.
c. u. Priest DepIores Trend
of World Away From Things
Spiritual.

Social legislation is the order Of
the day. The task OF regenerating
the race is intrusted to constables.
Judges and jailors," declared Rev. DR..
George Johnson Of the Catholic Uni
Tersity In "A stirring appeal for the
return of religion as the savior Of
harassed world in his sermon at
the annual American mass held
al St. Patrick'S Church this morning.
Before a congregation composed of
the ambassadors and ministers of the
Pan american countries and distin-
9uished officials of the United States
who attended the colorful services In
thanksgiving for the peace of the re-
pubiics of the American continent.
DR.. Johnson pleaded for the creation
of spiritual ideals in men rather than
the artificial restraint of anti-social
actions by law, deplored the substi-
tuition of secularism for the teach
irss of Jesus Christ and urged the
return OF mans belief in the King
dom of Heaven.
Cult OF SecnlarIsm.
Dr. Johnsons sermon, which fol-
lowed the military mass presided over
by Archbishop Curley Of Baltimore
and Archbishop FNumasoni Biondi, the
apostolic delegate. and celebrated by
Rev. Clarence E Wheeler of Holy
Comforter Church, follows, in part.
"Secularism becomes the cult of
the day. 1t prociaims that mans
chief interest in life is the business
of making life worth living. 1t has
no patience with those who are not
doing things. II thinks and speaks
not in terms of mans soul, But of his
environment. 1t measures all things
by what they contribute to earthly
comfort. There is no UGH thing AS
absolute truth: truth is always rela-
tive. a thing Is true if IL works,
There are no eternal moral princi-
pies; an act is good or bad according
as il increases or decreases present
satisfaction.
The right arm of sccularism is edu-
cation. its left arm, legislation The
pedagogue considers himself the high
priest of the new order and he pontifi-
Gates over human affairs with an as
sumption of infallibility never dreamed
of by the thcologian he affects TO
dcspise. He proclaimS that it is his
function TO adjust the young to their
environment, to prepare them, for
complete living. He has no sympathy
with the past; the present alone
matters He studies the conditions of
contemporary society in order to de-
termine what lie should teach In his
schools. He is impatient of any men
ton of tho old shioned spiritual
values in education; 1t is the pIAc-
teal that he exalts. He coins Il new
word to express what he considers is
his function and calls himself an edu-
cationalist. Education is matter Of
social engineering.
Intrument of Law.
Next to education. seculartsm re-
CARDS legislation as its mightiest in
strument. The result is an astound-
ing expansion Of the sphere of gov
ernment The reas oning back of IT Is
logical enough. II the world Is to
become a perfect habitat for man.
then everything must be eliminated
that might occasion Inconvenience
1nasmuch as individuals. even In spite
of education. have Il way of allowing
their personal impulses to run away
with them, the law must be invoked
either to deprive them OF the occa-
sions OF sin or to punish their lapses.
The state makes itself the custodian
not only OF the public but of private
morals Social legislation is the or
der of the day. The task of regener
attrg the race is intrusted to con-
stables and Judges and jailers.
Now. there is much splendid ideal
ism contained in the doctrine of secu-
larism
1T would promote Christian virtue
without Christian faith. What men have
done for hte love Of God, II would have
them do for the love of the world
1t would keep them good not by
promising them heaven, but by assur-
ing them OF better jobs and more
automobiles. Earth for heaven. HUI
manity for God. the ballot for the
altar, the law for religion.
Man Has Free Will.
-,,l1
good, no power in heaven or on earth
can make him good: his will is free,
and he must make his own choice
You may create An environment that
is perfect in every detail. You MAJ
remove all the occasions that lure
men to wrongdoing, and forbid by
law every action that does not con-
form to your standards. But if the
VIII of the individual does not square
with yours all your efforts will prove
vain. Remove the occasions of sin
from man who is bent on commit
ting sin, and he will create the oc-
casfons. kingdom built on sup
pressed desires Is built on volcano.
The free will of man DESTROYED one
paradise; il will defeat all efforts to
create another to which it does not
subscribe.
"A world in which justice shall
u,
dominate, cooperation obtained and
contentment be the portion of all Is
possible, but only on condition that
all of its inha bitants live for pur-
poses that are above the world.
You cannot tell man that his
happiness consists in getting all he
can out OF life, and then expect him
TO restrain his desires. II this life Is
everything, then he wants every
thing that life can give. But IL he
knows that, nothing on earch can be
compared to the joys that God has In
store for those who love Him and prove
their love by loving their fellow man.
Sole Hope of Salvation.
The world will never be saved by
associations for the restraint Of anti
social impulses, by pedagogical for
mulas looking to social efficiency, by
legislation designed to make men
good In spite of themselves. The
only hope of salvation Is in religion.
Not pseudo-religion that naively
thinks 1t can impress the world by
becoming worldly; not easy-chair re-
ltsion that contents itself with plati-
tudes and pretty sentiments; not that
most absurd Of all religions. the re-
ligion Of lives without faith: the re-
ligion we need Is that whose symbol
is the cross, with its implication Of
suffering and self-denial, whose fun
damental tenet is that Jesus Is not
Elias, is not John the Baptist, Is not
one of the prophets. but the Christ,
the Son of the Living God.