The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-16
Just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or IneensideFsis

/ Gomm&UI inGUnStoeF&fW
G. X. Chesterton remarks that imam is ritual
ist before he speak" II is a penetrating COM
ment Man follows routineS; he recognizes accepted
ways of doing things; he observes order. Even the
widest revolutionary nihilist is unable to free
himself of multitude of set forms of conduct
pecially in slight details which he learned to OBJ
serve in earliest youth
cartoon thought amusing enough for publish
ing in the most sophisticated of Satirical re-
views pictures two small boys with cigarette; one
asks the other (Which end do you light?" And yet,
in view of normal human conduct in this trivial
matter, the question is neither funny irrelevant.
For not one smoker in thousand will knowing
y light cigarette at the end on which the brand
name is printed. That is not "the end you light"
Not that any real difference is involved it just
isn't done.
Let the most extreme liberal" shout all he likes
about the evil of restraint; let him all laws
and regulations all inhbitons and prohibitions.
None the less he will observe whole code of little
laws, even in shaping up his course of cursing. lf
he snertans dinner guest tor, likely, is
entertained as guest, for your liberal" is usual
ly a competent moocher), he would not think of IL
Illustrating his attitude by having his ice cream first
and his soup last He would not demand, in the
name OF liberty to have his meal served on the
floor, or to take his dessert among the musicians
in the orchestra. But he might do these things if
he were truly resentful of the iron laws which
make him conform unconsciousy to the more
normal patterns OF action.
Indeed it is the liberal" who binds himself into
a continuously closer knot of set forms He has no
liberty in the shaping Of his endless rant against
conformity with laws. He dares not vary in the
lease degree his set attitudes He dares not ques-
ton his auhortes-hs Lenin his Marx his Stain
or whoever holds the place of Grand Panisndrun
in his nervebound and muscle bound world.
Christopher Hollis notes something of the iron
restraints of the iberatarian even in our own below
cd country. He says that here many people rant
against what they call "dogmas" even they accept
far less reasonable dogmas Of their own, For ii is
sane and reasonable TO accept what is known on
divine and nfallible authority; yet it is neither
sane nor reasonable to accept as unquestionable
truth what is based entirely on fallible human
opinion or even on long-standng or inherited
prejudice.
Thus Mr.. Hollis remarks that no American
no matter how loud his voice against the sane dog
mas of true religion, matter how unceasing
his claim that to accept any final truth is to enslsve
the mind-no American would dare question the
statement that the side Of justice triumphed in our
War Between the States or question the belief
that Abraham Lincoln was a kind of superman And
compare in sringency with that of the unbeatable.
ity OF state school system? Where will you find
dogma like that wholly unauthentic one which
maintains that founding fathers laid down the
principle of no intermngling of church and state?
There is no escaping law. and there is no escap.
ing dogma. The man who assails religious dogma
(Which has basis and validity does so in virtue of
his own dogma (Which hasn't shred of sanity To
stand upon. The who resents authority and
law is subject to thousand indispensable regula-
tionS and bows to a multitude OF hazily known but
rigid authorities.
Since man has to accept dogmas ii is reasonable
that he should accept the true ones Since he must
obey laws, 1t is sane TO expect him to obey those
that have not only authority but authenticity Man,
the image of God, cannot deny the primal mold; it
is pity that he can and does dstort it, and great
pity that he has learned TO justify distortion as
the sane view" and 'the common-sense attitude"
Here is the sad effect of original sin.
The human mind, since Adams fall has many
a blind spot. So an otherwise normal man may be
blind to the sefconradction involved in his state
ments and beliefsas illustrated in the sayings and
doings of the "liberal' and the radical Even in the
name of science Ca term made sacred by the first
of human dogmas) he may be guilty of wholly un-
scientific reasoning and reach wholly unwarranted
conclusions.
Recently the reviews told us Of the conclusions
OF certain scientists about the origin of life on
earth 1t seems that the thing called life emerged
III last analysis from saltwater. But even il this
we're So the analysis is not the last analysis One
still has to account for the saltwater. and for the
j mysterious power communicated TO It of develop.
ing living organisms The nescapable First Origin
by any train of investigation or reasoning, has to
be the omnipotent Creator.
-
Many people live and think and act in fashion
full of conflicts and contradictions. But it may be
useful, once in way to point out the futility of
such functions IL is worthwhile to call the liberal
to task for his essential lack Of berality; to chide
the scoffer at dogmas for being wholly dognatic;
TO check the scientist for his lack of scientific pro-
cedure. IT, in single instance. one crooked thought
be made straight, something of value has been ac-
complished