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Show j THE CATHOLIC CHURCH THZ j MOST IDEAL DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD. The relationship of the Catholic authorities author-ities with democracy was the subject of an unusually interesting and highly instructive in-structive address under the title of "The Papal Empire," which was delivered by Rev. James Giblin at a Catholic reunion, held in Willenhall, England. The reverend gentleman began by showing show-ing the different kinds of government that have been in vogue in the world. "The one-man rule comes down from patriarch-ial patriarch-ial times. It had its excellencies and defects. de-fects. The descendents of Sem and Cham adhered exclusively to this form of government. gov-ernment. Asia and Africa illustrate this point. But the descendants of Japhet have always evinced an inclination to greater liberties for the people, inclining thereby to democracy. At times the different nations na-tions of Europe, restless under autocratic rule, have tried an oligarchy. There rule has been termed aristocratic. After trying try-ing many forms of government they settled set-tled down, no doubt under the influence of Roman civilization, to solve the grand problem of political reform, for it has been stated by 'the sages that a blend of these elements of government would eventually ne found the best. "The Roman church in its organization seems to have solved the problem, containing con-taining in its constitutional government the three elements: An autocratic Pope, and aristocracy of Bishops, and a democracy dem-ocracy of Priesthood. The Pope's decision on every individual appeal is final; the Bishops rule as little kings in their respective re-spective provinces, allied always with Rome; the priesthood, drawn always from the people, known to the people, feeling the pulse of the people, administering to their wants, form the democracy. From the Pope, the head; from the Bishops, through the priests, come grace and benediction. ben-ediction. From the people, through the priests, through the Bishops, to the Pope ascends respect, veneration, loyalty and fidelity. Wherever either of these elements ele-ments of government have been weak the government has suffered; for each is bound to have at heart the interest and dignity of his position. In troublesome times Bishops have been thrust upon the Church according to royal pleasure, and these have been accepted as the lesser of threatened evils. "Occasionally the democracy of the priesthood has fallen on evil times, bringing bring-ing with it ruinous consequences. There is more than a suspicion that anterior to the French Revolution the priesthood, deserting de-serting the common people, had sympathized sympa-thized with the aristocracy, bringing with it such swift retribution that the cieriry retired to their proper place, and are today to-day the most devoted friends of the peasantry peas-antry of France. The marriage of the clergy in England brought the same result re-sult and in the same way. The riches of the clergy enabled theni to form alliances ; with the landocracy, and the democratic foundation of the English church disappeared. disap-peared. Besides these three elements id" the Church, there is the Senate of Cardinals, Car-dinals, chosen by the Pope himself as his advisers; these form the Court of Rome; they are the eyes, the ears, the fingers of the ellad. but the auxiliary forces of the Church are the monks anil nuns. Their work in the world is apparent in schools, hospitals and in th-ir missionary labors abroad. The benefit to the Church of celibacy celi-bacy in these as in the ordinary priesthood, priest-hood, is to be found in their zeal for the erection of church and schools, not being allowed to use ecclesiastical emoluments except for ecclesiastical purposes. The natives of every clime have detected this feature in them, which has inspired their confidence. No marvel, then, that the Papal Empire has inspired the greatest majority of professing Christians. "The infallibility of the Pope has been a bugbear to many, and yet it is but a phase of Roman supremacy since the beginning be-ginning of the Church. This is not the place to explain its meaning. It is very rarely exercised, and its object is but to cement union among conflicting theories." theo-ries." The lecturer here enumerated many great deeds of the early Popes and showed show-ed the gerat benefits that accrued to Europe Eu-rope from Papal actions, with a special mention of the Popes engaged in the true Reformation. He continued: "Apropos of married clergy tending families and celebates using Church emoluments emol-uments for Church purposes, 1 make it not as an invidious comparison, but only to show the success that inevitably attends at-tends a priesthood as a real democracy and a clergyhood bound by shackels. There is hardly a show church in this country that was not built under Roman jurisdiction. Such as they are, they were not counted too spacious for England when her population was less than Ireland Ire-land at present. England has since those days grown from five to thirty millions of people, while of Its increase in wealth no man can tell. Let Protestantism point the finger to ecclesiastical architecture in the lust three centuries. Talk of stagnant pre-'Reformation' days! It is common knowledge that the pre-'Reformation centuries witnessed the study of art and architecture unparalleled in the ages. And again, when Romanism is rampant I speak now only of the last fifty years by common report the ecclesiastical monuments monu-ments of these days are or will prove: St. Patrick's, New York; St. Mary's, Sydney; Syd-ney; St. Patrick's, Melbourne, and the Westminster Cathedral. And this only goes to prove the success of any concern that makes democracy its friend. For these temples, without exception, are built on the pennies of the poor. "The Papal Empire numbers about 230,-Oon.000. 230,-Oon.000. This truly is a great number, considering con-sidering their social standing in the countries coun-tries of Europe, in the British colonies and in the United States of America. A few millions added or taken away would not improve or impair the dignity and importance im-portance of that Empire. Neither do these numbers account for the unity and stability stabil-ity of its' constitution. The same old man. the successor of Peter, from the same old place, the city of Rome, has issued is-sued his approbations and condemnations right on from the time when, as the historian his-torian tells us. history fades into the twilight twi-light of fable so far back, indeed, that Macaulay gave up in despair his attempt to decide when the Papacy began. And if it be accepted as an historical fact that Rome has been at its work during historical his-torical times, then will it demand something some-thing more than a national press in hysterics hys-terics to shake the position which the Papacy holds today. A number of men joining a party of the same opinions will furnish no sort of Illustration of the unity uni-ty of the Empire. For human opinion fades and is known no more, whereas Romanism Ro-manism represents an activity that has been maintained throughout the centuries. centur-ies. When kings fall out the people generally gen-erally go to the wall, and the struggles of the sixteenth century witnessed the desertion of many of the nations of Europe Eu-rope from the ranks of Romanism. "But Rome never lost hope, for the footstools of her throne are planted in every land. If one tails another is seen to draw near to occupy the vacant place. Official France may forget its allegiance, but the French missionaries abroad lire fostering new hopes in the islands of the Pacific, in Algeria and Madagascar and on the mainland of Tonquln. China and Hiudostan. Whilst Italy dethrones the King of Rome, Catholic Belgium shakes off in that country the most plotting enemy ene-my of the Papacy, the incubus of Freemasonry. Free-masonry. If England welcomes in London Garibaldi, who made the breach in the Roman citadel in 1S71, has she not like- wise sent from her shores her fostering ! children to build up the mightiest bulwarks bul-warks Rome now possesses in the young j Ireland of America, the young Ireland oi i Australia, the young Ireland of ths broad j earth wherever the English language is spoken? That the Pope of Rome has been in the past a moral power in the world will not be denied. "That his rule has made for peace in the world, his own empire demonstrates. But if some village Sunday school teacher teach-er shall, by reciting fables drawn from benighted history, furnish sickly food for the minds of children, and to belittle the mind of the grown-up map, so that he minimizes that power, the shortcomings of that teacher are but as a child's weakness weak-ness contrasted with the procedure of the present crowned heads of Europe, who called peace-makers to a congress and left out the Pope." |