Evening star., 1934-11-15
PRELATE RECEIVES
DEGREEFROM c. j.
William Cardinal 0'ConneIl
Presented With IL. D.
at Convocation.

William Cardinal O'Connell, Arch
bishop of Boston and dean Of the
American hierarchy, last night re-
ceived the degree Of doctor Of laws
at a convocation at Catholic Univer-
sity at which representatives Of this
and foreign governments and the prtn-
cipal figures of the Catholic Church
in the United States Joined to do him
honor.
The ceremony, carried out in color
full surroundings in the university
gymnasium, concluded observance Of
the 50th anniversary Of Cardinal
OConnell's ordination as priest.
From President Roosevelt came
greetings, conveyed by Attorney Cen
erat Cummings, whot praised the
churchman as vigorous leader Of
vigorous faith. in peace no less than
in war;"
Text Of Presidents Message.
The President wrote:
your Eminence:
"I shall not be able to be present
when the Catholic University Of
America will confer upon you, the
chairman Of its Board of Trustees, the
honorary degree Of doctor Of laws. I
regret very much that this Is SO, and
I wish your eminence to be assured
Of my varmest congratulations and
sincerest well wishes on this happy
occasion.
"Honoring, as it does, the golden
jubilee of your ordination to the priest
hood, this academic convocation must
also serve to recall the long and dis
tinguished service you have rendered
your church and the affectionate place
YOU have won in the hearts Of your
fellow citizens.
Priest for so years, bishop for up
wards Of three decades, archbishop
since 1906, and cardinal for nearly
quarter Of a century, your eminence
has paralleled this consecrated service
with q real and practical interest in
good citizenship and an inspiring
patriotism. Your "Recollecttons OF
10 Years" of life are indeed full and
wholesome.
"very sincerely yours,
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT"
AICuD1SuOp NOu1CtS DCBECCs
Right Rev. James Hugh Ryan, Bishop
of Modra and rector Of the university,
presented the Cardinal for the degree,
which was conferred by Most Rev.
Michael J. Curley, Archbishop Of Bal
tfmore, rs chancellor Of the univer-
sity. Archbishop Curley recalled tho
services of the Cardinal as chairman
Of the Board of Trustees there, and
expressed gratitude for his counsel.
In his response, the Cardinal de-
plored the loss Of the faith IN cardl-
nal principles, which, he asserted, is
q peril, and emphasized that 1t Is the
duty Of institutions like that honoring
him to throw up a defense against
this threat.
Every one recognizes that we are
living through q very critical era,
he said. mot q few voices are de-
claring that the very existence OF
Western civilization Is in danger.
There are many roots to this crisis.
but one main cause is the fact that so
large Q part of the world Is losing
faith in the cardinal principles upon
which Western civilization has been
built up. For some centuries now
there has been developing, outside the
church, q corrosive, critical, skep-
tical spirit which in each age calls
itself modern thought and which
revels in denying all the beliefs by
which men live. It began by repudi-
ating revealed religion, ostensibly in
the name of reason, freedom, science,
progress and the rights and dignity Of
the natural man. More recently 1t
has attacked morality, denouncing all
our inherited moral notions as a code
of outworn taboos, ridiculing the very
notion Of 'sin,' and questioning
whether there is any objective stand
ard Of right and wrong anyway.
Tries to Rob Natural Man.
Having tried to strip man Of his
true grandeur as potentially q child
of God, in order to exalt the natural
man, modern thought in our own day
turns about and tries to rob even the
natural. man Of all right to respect
Of trust himself. The freedom of the
human will Is denied by various pop
ular schools Of psychology, which de-
light to class us. psychically as well as
physically, with the apes. Man Is
reduced to be nothing but IN animal
or Q machine, . slave Of necessity, q
! perpetual prey to illusions, puppet
driven hither and thither by eruptioui
from ths dark chambers oS thu SUBJ