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Show The Beam ana the Mote. . ""We have received-: for reriew, with a letter from the reverend author, M. TAbbe Albert IIou- tin's new book on Americanism. ('L'Americanisme, per Albert Iloutin.' Paris: Librairie Emile Xourry, 3!04.) It is a history of the Americanistic movement move-ment in the United States and France, and 'deserves 'de-serves an extended notice, which we intend to. give it in the near future." Preuss' lleview. X'ot so much "a history" as a. carping criticism criti-cism of the American hierarchy and' the policy and spirir.'of the Church in this country which, in the view of these ultra-conservative French churchmen, is tainted with heresy. : The purpose of such criticisms of "Americanism" "American-ism" is to retard m the French church the growth of a new missionary spirit suggested by the work of the Paulists, the popular leadership of Archbishop Arch-bishop Ireland, the tolerant and moderate policies of Cardinal Gibbons, etc. The mossbacks and barnacles bar-nacles of ecclesiastical France are-- fighting for self-preservation, in thus seeking,' indirectly, to snuff out in the French clergy a better leadership than theirs. lloutin's new book bears the date of 1004. What is the condition of the French church at this date '. Serious enough, we would imagine, to engage all of the Abbe lloutin's most earnest attention; indeed, in-deed, so to preoccupy him that he would scarcely find leisure to go across the Atlantic to pick flaws in a Church that the Pope himself has singled out for praise. Xot, of course, that we either discourage freedom free-dom of discussion, or hold the human element in the Church of the Uuited States above criticism. But we dislike the ulterior motives apparent in ihe campaign of detraction against "Americanism,"' "American-ism,"' so-called. We believe that Catholic France should turn her eyes inward and discover her own shortcomings shortcomings which have 'made an ertswhile Catholic land apparently" the spoil of the infidel. Let her abbots, one and all, cast the beam out of their own eyes before looking for the mote in their neighbor's eyes. Are shepherds, whose flock has got away from them, safe counsel in advising us how we should keep ours together? Catholic Citizen, Milwaukee. k ' |