Year: 1876

ADStlnenCe.


We see that some of our Total Absti
nence friends are rather "exercised" b
certain oracular utterances proceedin
lately from the Freeman's Journal, con
cerning Total Abstinence, and virtues in S
and virtues per aliud, and some other dee,
theological topics.


For our part we found them very o-a,u
lar indeed. In our school days we puzzled
ourselves to find which was the true in
tended meaning of some of those ancien
oracles ingenously contrived to have two
contrary meanings, or no meaning at all
We had to give them up at last, and go We
have had to do with these mysterious an.
nnnciations of "what the Editor of the Free
Aam's Journal knows about Total Absti.
| neuce."


The first article left US under the i'm
preston that be did not admire the prac-
tice. The second seemed intended to re.
move that impression. But what impress
sion he really wishes US to have about his
relations to drinking and not drinking, or
what were his reas ons for giving any in j..
pressions at all in the matter, we confess
OUR inability to divine.


There was a theological distinction TO
the effect that Total Abstinence is not q
virtue IN SC that it requires an interior
disposition 10 make it virtue That is-if
we understand him-when a man doesn't
drink whisley jnst because no oae will
give it to him-and he is too lazy to work
for this total abstinence will not make
him sajAt.


This profound observation, which the
Editor supposes had escaped the notice of
all the Priests and Bishops who are
thoughtless enough to encourage the CatL-
olic societies, is not exactly limited to the
practice of Total Abstinence. When the
venerable Editor was studying the Holy
Fathers, as he tells US, forty years ago, we
found it as much as we could do to satisfy
Father Thomas with our little catechism.
We remember lie made Us saw that
none of our outward works would please
God not fasting, nor giving aims, nor
lighting for the faith, nor even receiving
the sacraments unless they were done
from good heart and the grace of God.


Even the poor Corinthians, who lad no
Ereemdn's Journal to direct them, who had
no body to rely on but their Bishop, even
they were taught that much about the
practice of good works in general. A good
many of us heard it read out in church
only few weeks ago we believe it was
Qnlnquagesima Sunday, in the Epstle ::
"lf 1 should distribute all my goods to the
poor, and if should deliver nv BODY 70 ne
burned, and have not charity, it profteth
me nothing"


We are very we'll satisfied to see from
this that Total Abstinence is like the
works Of Mercy, and martyrdom itself.
Without Gods grace it will avail US no.
thing but with His grace, it will give MS a
sound title to goods that shall never fail.


This whole disQuisition of the Free.
mans Journal, including his lesson on
theology and physiology administered to
His Eninence, Cardinal Manning, recalls
to our mind another effort of the venerable
Editor, made some time ago, to hold up as
either heretics or noodles, all Catbolics
who recite their Hail Mary according to
the old English translation "Our Lord ia
with thee" Then, too, he found a Cardi-
nal of the Chnrch in his way, the illustri-
ous Wiseman, and he set him aside bv a
dignifed parison with a tailor in TooIev
street.


Then, too, he had conscience enough.
thanks to the prayers which he begged his
friends to offer for him in his difficulty.
conscience enough to yield to the truth
when he saw it, but not loyalty enough to
do it in frank and generous way. He
finished off with charge against us Of
misrepresenting his words. But when we
challenged him to reprint his paragraph
and our representation together, and leave
his readers to judge for themselvss,,he