The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-08-24

they discover the truth of the state
ment of the brilliant and distin--
guished philosopher and historian
Comte de Maistre who declared:
History for the past three hundred
years (150O-180O has been a con-
spiracy against the truth" In his
Present Position of Catholics in
England" Cardinal Newman took the
same position.
THE OLD TECHNIQUE
But is such judgment sound?
It sounds bit severe. And how
could three hundred years of his
tory be a conspiracy against the
truth?
The NaI regime in Germany en-
ployed the old and tested technique
to crush out Christianity in that
unhappy country, though happily
they will not have the opportunity
to bring it to success. But when an
absolute power declares what Is to-
De the religion Of his subjects prop
uganda, often violent and vile. Is
employed to enforce what is often
an unpopular change. Any public
answer to such propaganda Is either
forbidden or rigidly suppressed and
succeeding generations accept the
false charges as the truth.
1t is in this sense that Comte de
Maistre speaks Of history as CON
spiracy against the truth" 1t was
in this manner that there arose so
many of the false notions about
the Church, the origin of which Is
found so difficult OF explanation by
Catholics when they meet them to-
day.
But to come back to our little
booklet. It's many interest lists of
prominent converts and distinguish
ed Catholics which are confirma-
ton Of faith to the hesitant. When
one enters into controversy with the
doctrines of the Church he must be
prepared TO tangle with the great
est minds of the Christian era.
We found of special interest the
long lists Of men and women prom
inent in literature who in adult life
came into the Church and most Of
whom are still alive.
Among them are: Paul CLAUSE,
Christopher Dawson, Theodore May
nard, G. X. Chesterton, Joyce Kill
mer, Seldom p. Delaney, Bede Camm,
Arnold Lunn, Compton Mackenzie,
C~estes Brownson, Maurice Barring.
Haywood Broun. F. Marion Craw-
ford, Jacques Maritain, John Moody,
Meredith Nicholson, Dorothy Day
and Mary Angela Dickens.
Also. Alfred Moves, DR.. William
Orchard, Giovanni Papini, Owen
Francis Dudley, T. Penrose Fry, Sir
Philip Gibbs, Eric Gill, David Gold
stein. Joel Chandler Harris, Chris
topher Hollis, Johannes Jorgensen,
Francis Parkinson Keyes, John L..
Stoddard. sigrid Undset, Aubrey de
We're, Michael Williams, Cuthbert
Wright, Coventry Patmore, John
Swinnerton, Evelyn Waugh, Sir, Ber-
tram Windle, Alice Meynell, Henry
Jones Ford, Francis Perry Elliot.
Ronald Knox, Shane Leslie, Morris
Gordon, Rose Hawthorne and many
others.
CATHOLICS AND CONVERTS
The booklet carries q short list
OF prominent Catholics Of history.
Scanning 1t we find some great
names. Copernicus, father Of mod
ern astronomy La Voiser, the
father OF modern chemistry i.
Joseph Hayden, Woldgang Mozart,
Franz Shubert, Franz List and
Gounod, the worlds greatest musi-
cal composers.
Theodore Schwann, discoverer Of
the cell theory Of medicine =.
the explorers. Balboa, DeSoto and
Cartier Louis Braille, inventor
OF the Braille system Pasteur,
father Of bacteriology . Michael
Angelo, the worlds greatest sculp-
ture Raphael. the greatest
painter Of the Renaissance -. .
John Barry, father Of the American
Navy Gen. Phil Sheridan, great
Union general Of the Civil War.
Two pages Of this little booklet
list prominent converts who have
come into the Church in recent
years. Among those present are:
Col. Horace Mann, who in the presi-
dental election Of 1928 was largely
responsible for the nationwide
bigotry campaign against AL Smith
>. DR.. Robert Howard Lord pro-