Evening star., 1939-01-22

the New Catholic movement, which
broke out a year or so after he had
had the satisfaction of converting
the entire Vatican quarter into a
public monument under the control
OF the Roman Archaeological De-
partment. Christianity was now as
homeless again as its founder These
New Christians claimed to be the
original Catholic Church. They were
mainly Catholics, but they had asso-
clated with themselves very consid-
able bodies of adherents from the
other shattered Christian churches.
The reunion of the churches, so
long dreamed of by liberal priests
OF every denomination, had been
greatly facilitated by the disappear
ance of highly salaried posts for
the heads of the various COM
munions. A general loyalty to the
Pope, who was now in hiding, was
asserted by these Christians
the mass was celebrated, at first
publicly and then-When that was
prohibited because of nationalist
demonstrations that followed its
celebrations in various old Catho-
lie countries-in secret. Rud S rough
hand was provoking reprisals.
MeticulOus Distinction.
The Pope hesitated for some time
about the form Christian resistance
should take, but a number of more
or less representative religious
leaders already spoke out boldly
against the World Director as anti
Christ. The Pope. in various mes
sages to the faithful, distinguished
meticulously between the autocracy
of Rud and secular education on
the one hand, and the new finan-
cial. economic and political unfit
cation of the world on the other.
The former he condemned unre-
servedly, the latter he commended
In one respect the Holy Father was
inconsistent. Although on the one
hand he denounced usury. on the
other he complained bitterly of the
conflscation of the ecclesiastical in
vestments.
In Imitation Of the early Chris
tians who refused to burn incense
before the effigy of Caesar, these
Neo-ChrlStianS were refusing stoutly
to stand up and salute at the men,
ton Of Rud. This idea spread to
Islam, and huge crowds would shout
deflantly whenever the satire was
displayed. Rud came raging to Nor
vel with the discovery that con-
siderable proportion of the teachers
in the elementary schools were Neo-
Christians. Jews, Moslems, Hindus
and the like, some secretly SO, some
outspokenly.
But I must staff my schools with
these people said Norvel. If there
are to be schools, if there are to be
any teachers at all There is no
one else available. Before we can
completely modernize the school CEN
ters we must have 100000 highly
educated teachers-20,00 900 000-and
how are we get them until we have
built up something better than these
poor little old shattered universities
of ours?'
4SuO was 1lOt llSleIllIlS. I1c was
proWllng about the room.
They've still got a Pope lodging
about somewhere, he said sud-
denly. coming to stop. They con-
spire to hide him. It's becoming a
sort of sport to Illustrate me. But
Ill get him. I will not let life re-
main worthwhile for anyone who
sets up to be Pope against me. -
Religion an Alternative.
Norvel laughed abruptly. "Tc
think of it! A Pope-hunt. JUS
as they used to hunt the Albigenses
It's funny. These Pope-hunters OF
yours ought to wear the old Naz
sWastikas; your white cross is i'm.
proper. You can't have Crusader:
I hunting Pope. No. Bu
you're all wrong about this. You're
going to enlist on the side of the
old religions, just the very force
that made you a fanatical atheist! !
"What?" shouted Rud.
Resentment at authority. Yol
will make men believers and mar.
tyrs who never gave a thought tc
God as ruler, before your pressure
began. AS an alternative, purely a!
an alternative to you-they will fal
back upon him ."
Il never thought of this" sale
Rud.
IT'S elementary social psychology
Gods have been mans refuge from
human power since the very begin
ming of history"
Il never thought of that. never