The Catholic bulletin. [volume], August 12, 1911, Image 4

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Entered as second-class matter, Jan
uary 12. 1911. at the post office, St.
Paul, Minn., under Act of March 3, 1879.
SATURDAY^ AUGUST 12. 1911.
The Indiana Catholic is au
thority for the statement that ttie
Right Reverend Bishop of Indian
apolis has given his consent to
"the teaching of Irish history in
the seventh and eighth grades of
the parochial schools, to those
children of Irish extraction who
desire to take up the study." The
local Hibernians are rejoicing
over the announcement and, no
doubt, it will be received with
great satisfaction by members of
the Ancient Order throughout
America.
Justice John Gibbons of the
Circuit Court of Chicago, declares
that he will never again perform
a marriage ceremony because,
first of all, it belongs to the
Church and, secondly, because
no judge can lend the proper
sanctity to a marriage which he
may be called upon one day to
annul by granting a divorce to
one of the parties thereto. Judge
Gibbons believes that seven per
cent of divorces are furnished by
"marriages performed outside the
sanctity of church walls." and
that, if every marriage were
performed with church rites the
divorce evil would become an oc
casional marital tragedy instead
of a national disease." If more
judges would take this stand it
would conduce to the public wel
fare in more ways than one.
The reading of the decree of the
Sacred Congregation of Rites on
the heroic virtues of the Vener
able Mary of the Incarnation, a
member of the Ursuline Sisters of
Quebec, took place on July 19, in
the presence of the Sovereign
Pontiff. Among those present on
that occasion was the Most Rev
erend Archbishop Bruchesi of
Montreal, who, on behalf of the
Sisters, thanked the Holy Father
for the honor conferred upon the
community. His Holiness then
spoke of the great work accomp
lished by the Ursulines in Canada
in the education of youth, and ex
pressed the hope that the prayers
of Mother Mary, soon to be de
clared Blessed, would conduce to
the future welfare of the congre
gation.
The St. Paul Council, Knights
of Columbus, has been informed
by
the National Secretary of the
Order that the five hundred
copies of the Knights of Columbus
edition of Dr. Walsh's "Popes and
Science" ordered some time ago,
have been shipped. These will be
Wady for distribution among the
members as soon as they are re
ceived.
The local Council was among the
first to pledge its support to the
National Council in response to
the appeal issued in connection
with the project of disseminating
Wholesome Catholic literature in
augurated by the Order. An edi
tion of thirtv thousand copies of
Dr. Walsh's book was printed and
•practically all have been distri
buted.
PAPAL MISSION TO SOUTH
AMERICA.
The Roman correspondent of
the Liverpool Times says: "As a
result of the solicitude felt by His
Holiness the Pope for the condi
tion of the natives of South Amer
ica, Father Genocchi, one of the
best known missionary priests in
Rome, left here on the 19th inst.,
en route for Buenos Ayres,
charged by the Pope to study the
situation of the aborigines of that
part of the New World. Moved
by apostolic zeal, Pius could
not reconcile himself to the
thought that so many human
beings should live and die in the
semi-barbarous condition in which
multitudes of the primitive in
habitants of South America still
are. The object of the mission
confided to Father Genocchi is to
carefully study the best means of
evangelizing them. Perhaps no
better choice could be made by
the Holy Father for the fulfilment
of the task. As a missionary of
many years' experience in Asia,
Australia, and among the canni
bals of New Guinea, Father Gen
occhi is eminently fitted to under
stand the opportunities that pre
sent themselves."
Throughout South America
there are many missions founded
by the Dominicans, Franciscans,
Augustinians, the Pallotini Fa
thers, and especially by the Sale
sians. There is, however, no com
bined effort such as would give
promise of ultimate success in the
work of establishing the Church
on a firm basis. Father Genocchi
will investigate the situation and
report to Hfs Holiness, so that
steps may be taken to promote the
interests of Catholicity through
out South America.
CATHOLICITY IN RUSSIA.
There is at present in Russia a
very marked movement toward
the Catholic Church among mem
bers of the Orthodox Church.
Conversions to Catholicity are
numerous, despite the difficulties
placed in the way. No fewer than
foutf hundred thousand Orthodox
Russians have joined the Catholic
Church since the promulgation of
the imperial Ukase granting re
ligious toleration to the inhabit
ants of the realm of the Czar.
Notwithstanding this decree, the
Orthodox clergy have shown a
determined opposition to this
movement toward Rome. Natur
ally, they view with alarm this
large defection from the ranks of
orthodoxy, and are seeking means
of stemming the tide. Many of
the Russian papers blame the
Orthodox clergy for their failure
to prevent these conversions but,
apparently, the latter are help
less. The prayers of the Catholic
world should be offered up un
ceasingly for the welfare of the
people of Russia who are return
ing to the "one fold and one
shepherd.''
THE FEDERATION OF CATH
OLIC SOCIETIES.
Within a few days the Federa
tion of Catholic Societies of Amer
ica will hold one of its annual
meetings at Columbus, Ohio. By
its very name the Federation ob
tains no small degree of prestige
before the bar of publie opinion.
Its discussions and resolutions, its
reviews of works done or claimed
to have been done, its purposes
and programmes will challenge
attention from Catholics and
from non-Catholics. The Federa
tion may work much good both to
Church and to country: it may
work harm. A word of counsel is
not out of place.
The idea underlying the Fed
eration is one that all Catholics
should commend and labor to set
out along practical and progres
sive lines. In union there is
strength. Catholic societies exist
and thrive in large numbers
throughout the land. As things
have been, each society covers a
narrow field. Prescribing to it
self a special design, usually mu
tual help and benevolence, it con
fines its labors to special purposes
and endeavors and whether by
the necessity of its immediate
scope, or as a result of its sep
arateness and isolation from other
Catholic organizations, it gains
slender influence over general
Catholic movements and is quite
ineffective in works for the origin
and continued life of which noth
ing short of a combined general
march of Catholic forces is of
avail. Hence the Federation, to
which many Catholic societies
have subscribed, to which many
others are willing to lend their
names were they substantially as
sured that all were well with its
assumptions and operations. So
far, there is room for doubt and
fear. A duty of the coming con
vention is to make plain that,
whatever heretofore the misgiv
ings, these henceforward may
safely be laid aside.
The ground of complaint
against the Federation is too
much posing as to the formal, au
thorized exponent of Catholic
thought and action. To judge
from official bulletins, resolutions
adopted in its annual conven
tions, acts of its Board of Direc
tors in intervals between conven
tions, the Federation is more or
less the Catholic Church of Amer
ica, its trusted agent and spokes
man, to the extent that when the
Federation questions, protests, or
makes declarations, the whole
THE CATHOLIC BULLETIN, AUGUST 12, 1911.
Catholic body must be believed to
be in motion, clamoring for hear
ings before people and before
government.
As a matter of fpct, the Federa
tion represents such societies as
are registered upon its rolls—not
even the full membership of those
societies, only the delegates who
attend conventions,, who, as we
know, go up to conventions unin
s'tructed, uninformed as to the
business awaiting their attention.
We have been hearing to satiety
of the two millions of Catholics,
voters in the country's elections,
who speak through the Federa
tion. Some reason for a claim of
this kind there might be, had mat
ters to be argued in general con
vention been previously deliber
ated upon in particular assembly
of societies, or were the resolu
tions passed upon in convention
to be ratified later by the several
societies. But that this is the
case none will assert. Nor are the
oft-quoted two millions—if, in
deed, members of societies affil
iated with the Federation reach
this figure—the whole Catholic
Church in America nor do they
by any manner of means, absorb
into themselves the intelligence,
the provident zeal, the conserva
tive prudence, the social influence,
the spiritual authority of the
whole Catholic body. To be ac
cepted as a legitimate organ of
opinion and action, the Federa
tion must be more precise in its
language, more truthful as to its
powers and authorizations. Noth
ing must come from it that may
be legally construed as "ultra
vires." Else, on close examina
tion into its reports and resolu
tions, especially into the bold de
mands addressed to the American
public, and now and then to of
ficials of the American govern
ment, the tables will be abruptly
turned upon the Federation, or,
rather, upon its conventions and
Board of Directors, with
spirited reminder of the incident
long ago in England of the three
tailors of Tooley Street,'' known
in their manifestoes as "The
People of England."
We recall reports of the Board
of Directors. The work assumed
to have been done through the
Federation was rehearsed—every
single incident on the surface of
American life that could proxi
mately or remotely be interpreted
as favorable to the Church, every
act of the American government
breathing justice and fair-play
towards Catholic interests, when,
in fact, in most of the cases, the
Federation had exerted no in
fluence whatever in creating the
incident or the act, when, in some
of the cases, those particularly
connected with national affairs,
the intrusion of the Federation
had gone far towards endanger
ing the happening from which it
was willing later to draw matter
for self-glorification.
Nor must cases be overlooked
where the Board of Directors,
wildly thrusting themselves for
ward without a due knowledge of
facts, without a particle of
prudence or discretion, certainly
without the consent or the ap
proval of the hierarchy, were on
the point of causing serious mis
understandings between the
Church and the American govern
ment—misunderstandings that
were averted by the tact of a pre
late in high authority near the
seat of the national government.
We refer to the attack some years
ago upon a representative of the
American Republic in Shanghai,
and to the more recent blunder
ing intrusion in affairs in the
Island of Guam.
We write, as we now do,
through a deep feeling of interest
in the Federation itself, to which
there opens a sphere of great
usefulness to religion, were it
once launched with proper orien
tation, and under due rules as to
the management of sails and tiller
but yet more, through a deep
feeling of interest in the Catholic
Church in America, which at all
costs we must guard against in
experience and rashness on the
part of undisciplined volunteer
troops.
The Church' in* the United
States has its regular, authorized
spokesmen: it has the hierarchy:
it has the Apostolic Delegate in
Washington. To those it belongs
to take the initiative in, and the
direction of, all questions that put
public responsibility upon the
Church, or appertain to its
general policies and interests. No
society, no federation of societies,
may take the place of those au
thorized spokesmen, or ascribe to
itself their mission. The Federa
tion of Catholic Societies prints
in its bulletins letters of encour
agement from several Bishops:
those are not an abdication of
hierarchical authority in favor of
the Federation and its Board of
Directors: they are simply no
tices that the Federation, working
within proper lines, could prove
itself useful to religion: this, and
nothing more. The Archbishops
of the country hold annual meet
ings: their leader, Cardinal Gib
bons, is at all times to be seen and
ieard in Baltimore: in Washing
ton the Apostolic Delegate is ac
cessible to all comers. From those
counsel and impulse to action
must be received before action is
taken in matters whatsoever that
concern general policies or in
terests.
There are works in which the
Federation may engage, of its
own motion—works, upon which
the Church in its laws and prac
tices is known to have affixed the
seal of its approval. With regard
to such works let the Federation
report and resolve as much as it
desires: good cannot fail to come
from the stimulus it tnay be able
to communicate to the societies
that are affiliated with it. To go
farther, however, and constitute
itself the permanent agent and
tribunal of Catholic policies and
interests in the United States—
this the Federation should not
strive to do: this it will not be
allowed to do.
ANOTHER MASONIC
SIGN.
INTRU-
The Masonic Grand Lodge oc
cupied the center of the stage at
the laying of the corner-stone of
the new Hyde County courthouse
at Highmore, S. D., on August 5.
One would be inclined to think
that the new courthouse was for
the exclusive use of the Masons,
did he not know that it was built
by the public funds contributed
by the people of the county of all
religious denominations. Under
these circumstances the people
themselves, through their chosen
representatives, were entitled to
the place of honor at this purely
civic function, and not a branch
of an alien ritualistic society
which is accustomed to usurp the
prerogatives of the people on such
occasions.
Presumably, the so-called lead
ing men of the community belong
to the craft and, naturally, they
preferred to have their brethren
officiate, even though by so doing
they showed a sectarian spirit un
worthy of American citizens and
ignored the ordinary Canons of
civic propriety and patriotic re
gard for the rights of their fellow
citizens who, for conscientious
reasons, could not countenance
this Masonic intrusion. The ac
tion is so characteristic of the
Masonic fraternity, so indicative
of their un-American spirit, that
one wonders at the tolerance
shown by true Americans.
A CATHOLIC EDITOR
STRICKEN.
Two weeks ago Rev. William
McMahon, LL.D., Editor of .the
Catholic Universe, Cleveland,
Ohio, suffered a stroke of partial
paralysis, and was taken to St
Vincent's Hospital. The doctors
in attendance declared his condi
tion critical but expressed the
hope that rest and quiet might
enable him to recover. This un
favorable report brought keen re
gret to his legion of friends and
admirers thrnugout the Unitec.
States, where he is regarded as
one of the ablest editors in the
field of Catholic journalism. The
latest reports from his bedside
are more encouraging. Fears for
an unfavorable outcome of his
illness are gradually giving away
to the confident hope that he will
soon recover. A marked improve
ment has taken place in his con
dition, and the good news has
been received with great rejoicing
throughout the country. The
Catholic Universe begs his friends
to be mindful of him in their
prayers.
SANTO TOMAS, MANILA.
In another quarter of a century,
says "America," Harvard wil.
celebrate its tercentennial, the
famous school having had its be
ginning at Newton, now Cam
bride, Massachusetts, in 1636. It
is commonly thought to be the
oldest institution of learning with
in the limits covered by the
American flag in reality, how
ever, that honor belongs to
another school. The three hun
dredth anniversary of the estab
lishment of the most ancient uni
versity in an American domain was
celebrated in April last, when the
Dominican Fathers in Manila sol
emnly commemorated the found
ing of the University of Santo
Tomas in 1611.
Twenty-six years before the
first building was erected at Har
vard the doors of this school were
opened to the young men of the
Philippines. Bishop Miguel de
Benavides, a Dominican and the
first Archbishop of Manila who
personally directed the affairs of
that Archdiocese for any length of
time, provided the funds for the
initial endowment of Santo Tomas.
It was successful from the start,
and was confirmed as a pontifical
university in 1645, and as a royal
university in 1680. In 1836 the
Senate of Santo Tomas petitioned
Spain for authority to establish a
chair of Spanish and Insular Law.
The request was granted and the
law department of the university
was then begun. To complete the
faculties and to make Santo
Tomas a full university, with
every needed' equipment for ad
vanced professional training, de
partments of medicine and phar
macy were opened in 1871.
The chief glory of the venerable
school is its University Press, es
tablished at the end of the six
teenth century, before the first
classes had been organized in the
university. Since 1623 the Uni
versity Press has been an impor
tant element of the scholarly life
of Santo Tomas, and during its
long career it has issued countless
works of a religious and educa
tional character, not only in the
modern and classical languages,
but in various native dialects of
the Islands. Greek, Hebrew and
Sanskrit are included in its rich
assortment of type.
American Catholics are glad to
recognize in the memories the
celebration in Manila awakened
another evidence of the zeal with
which their Church seizes upon
education as a help in her efforts
to spread the Gospel. The be
ginning of the record of her school
achievement in Manila, as in so
many other places, is practically
synchronous with the beginning
her mission work among the
of
natives.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
DR. WALSH TELLS OF IT8 GREAT
VALUE.
By cutting religion out of the schools
says James J. Walsh, M. D., the noted
author, we have actually taken a
goodly part of the mental training
away from pupils. Without a deep
abiding sense of religion, education
loses much of its significance. The
higher poetry is almost entirely de
pendent on religious feelings, re
ligious aspirations, and the emotions
evoked by the lofty considerations
of man's duties to his Creator and
to his fellow-man. All great poetry
has a deep religious element, the
greatest poetry is essentially religious
Nothing more beautiful as poetry and
literature has even been written than
certain portions of the Scriptures, both
the Old and New Testaments. Lyric
poetry reaches a climax of expression
in the Psalms. In the whole range of
dramatic poetry there is nothing great
er than Job. Five great dramas
founded on the signficance of the ex
istence of evil in the world have oc
cupied men's minds more than any
others. They are Job and Aeschylus,
Prometheus, Marlowe's Faustus,
Shakespeare's Hamlet, and Caldron's
Wonder Working Magician. Sublimer
words have never been written than
those of the Sermon on the Mount,
and some of the descriptions of how
He went about doing good to the
poor and the lowly and the ailing, how
He raised the son of the widow ol
Nain, how He made Him3elf all to
all men in order that they might come
in touch with His Divinity, are beauti
ful beyond anything in secular literap
ture.
Education and Respect for Authority.
In recent years more and more at
tention has been called to the fact
that our schools are bringing up
generation the conduct of which is def
inite proof of the mistake of not hav
ing education in the schools and evi
dence for the evil that follows the
lack of it. Our young folks have lost
to a great extent their respect for au
thority. They have learned to think
that the one thing important in life
is so-called success. Make money
make it honestly, if possible, because
if you violate law you may get to
jail, but make money, and if you can
steer around the law, so much the bet
ter. You may inflict an injury on a
large number of people, but provided
you do not make yourself amenable to
the law all is well. That may seem
an exaggeration of the feeling produc
ed by non-religious education, but I
think that those who are most closely
in contact with many of the rising
generation will not think it so. The
great principles that, quite apart from
law, we are bound to do right because
it is right, because we were made to
do right, because our conscience tells
us what is right and wrong, because
God made us to do right—these are
what make law-abiding citizens fear
of the law seldom leads to proper sub
servience to it. What we "need is not
cringing cowards servilely forced to
obey, but brave, honest men who do
things because it is their duty to do
them and who are quite willing to
make sacrifices in order that they may
do them.
New Vicars General of Philadelphia.
—The first official act of Archbishop
Prendergast following his installation
was'the appointment of Right Rev.
Monsignor John J. McCort, Rector of
Our Mother of Sorrows, and Rev.
James F. Trainor, Rector of St.
Philip Neri's, as Vicars General of the
Arehdiocese.'
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE.
AMERICA'S ANNUAL DRINK BILL*
For nearly two decades the Ameri
can Grocer has been doing for the
"national drink bill" of the United
States what Dr. Dawson Burns has
done for the United Kingdom in a
laborious tabulation of the total and
per capita consumption of various
forms of intoxicants. The value of
these statistics consists in the impar
tiality with which they are presented.
They are compiled to enforce no doc
trine or policy and can be used by
whoever will, conditioned only by the
conscience and the ingenuity of the
user.
The figures for 1910, which have just
been completed, show that the total
consumption of all spirituous and
malt liquor has been remarkably
steady during the last five years. It
is computed that in 1910 the per capita
consumption was 21.86 gallons, against
a yearly average of 21.89 for the last
five years and of 21.71 as the annual
average for the three years from 1908
to 1910.
These beverages cost the people of
the United States the enormous aggre
gate of $1,598,921,416, of which $909,
072,257 was expended for malt liquors,
$573,206,487 for spirituous liquors and
$116,642,672 for wines. If to this be
added the expenditures for coffee,
$194,036,995 for tea, $33,898,497, and
for cocoa, $10,000,000, the grand total
becomes $1,836,856,492. This is slightly
above the average for the five years,
but means that if the consumption
were divided equally among the popu
lation the annual outlay for each
woman and child in the country was
$18.90.
Although the per capita statistics
are necessarily misleading because of
the wide variations in individual
thirst, they are more enlightening than
the aggregate figures, which are too
large to convey much impression. The
following table is for the years 1901,
1905 and 1910, and shows the amounts
per capita:
1901.
Spirits, gallons 1.31
Wines, gallons 36
Beers, gallons 15.98
All liquors, gallons. 17.65
Coffee, pounds 10.45
Tea, pounds 1.12
1905.
1.42
.41
18.02
19.85
12.00
1.19
1910.
1.43
.65
19.79
21.86
9.33
.89
These figures afford boundless room
for speculation as to the reason of the
variations from year to year, and they
are also instructive as showing how
slight is the effect upon the aggregate
consumption of all the effort that is
expended to regulate and control the
matter. It is somewhat significant
that while figures for 1910 of the
liquor consumed are by no means the
highest for the decade, the consum
tion of both tea and coffee was the
lowest.-
Philadelphia Ledger.
DEATH RATE AMONG DRINKERS.
A booklet recently published
toy
Charles W. Scovel and George
P.
Donehoo of Pittsburg gave some in
teresting statistics on the drink evil.
"The figures show that taking the
entire working years of life together—
ages twenty to seventy—there are
46,956 deaths among the abstainers,
while there are 57,891 deaths among
the moderate drinkers showing an
excess among the latter of 10,935
deaths. That makes 23 per cent an
excess of one to every four.
But the wholly new, most striking
figures appear when one comes to di
vide up these fifty working years and
to note the effects of alcohol at the
different ages—a heretofore unstudied
question. One is amazed to find that
in the ten years from forty to
fifty—the very prime of life—there are
6,246 among the abstainers, while
there are 10,861 deaths among the
moderate drinkers an excess of 4,615
deaths in that single decade that
makes 74 per cent—and excess of three
to every four. The figures for the
other decades are less appalling, but
no less convincing. The full
significance of the figures is hard to
grasp, but it simply amounts to this:
Take the three successive decades
from ages thirty to sixty—the really
effective period of human life.
Through each of these decades the
death rate among carefully selected
moderate drinkers overtops the death
rate among total abstainers by an ex
cess of 68 per cent, 74 per cent and 42
per cent respectively."
The figures are based on statistics
collected by Roderick MacKenzie
Moore, an English actuary, covering
125,000 individual eases and a period
of 61 years.
NO DRINK PROBLEM IN SPAIN.
Punch "with a stick in it," cocktails
and other intoxicating beverages are
practically unknown as "refresh
ments" in Spain, even among men,
writes Frederic J. Haskin.
At a cafe after the theater a cup of
chocolate and a piece of cake consti
tute the routine order, and no one
thinks of proposing an alcoholic bev
erage. Light wines are drunk at meals
instead of water, but stimulants are
not taken to "wet the whistle" for pur
poses of conviviality. Naturally the
custom of drinking non-intoxicating
beverages is observed by women. As
at the cafes, large glasses of cold wa
ter are handed around with the choco
late or sweets, and in a Spanish draw
ing room or ballroom, always poorly
ventilated and usually stifling to a for
eigner, the glass of water is not the
least welcome part of the refreshment.
Oh world, as God has made it.
All to beauty!
And knowing this is love.
And love is duty.
—Robert BfOwtiing.