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Show BISHOP KEANE IN MILWAUKEE. "Fifty years ago a man of some distinction alarmed the believing world with a catagorical denial de-nial of the accepted belief that men in all stages of history and in all conditions of life believed in God. These scientists ventured to maintain that certain savage tribes had been found who had no belief in a being bej-ond and superior to the world. But within the last twenty-five years, with deeper study of the habits, opinions, views and ideas of s-avage people, that contention no longer disturbs the credulous. It is now agreed on all hands that all peoples have a belief in a god or gods. That is a very momentous fact. Philosophy in its progressive progres-sive stage has never been able to create a religion. Could philosophy in its savage state accomplish it ? We believe not? Then to what will we ascribe this fact? "Men have inscribed their best thoughts upon imperishable monuments, and the monuments that survive are religious. It kindled the fires of sacrifice; sacri-fice; it prompted men in all stages qf civilization to heroic self-sacrifice. It has been a curb upon passion pas-sion and a chastening influence which man would not submit to easily unless it were founded upon deep conviction, as the human race in all its history his-tory maintained an idea, cherished a conviction, acted upon a belief which has no foundation in fact, but which was a result of a dream. .Those who want to prattle may so speak, but serious men will never cry amen. "Take away God, and where is the solution of these mysteries of life. The world is stained by the blood of the hero and there is no cure for his wound. They have festered the hero. Who is he ? Who is 6he ? St. Catherine went to the rack suffering suffer-ing for righteousness. Lawrence with his fire of green wood. Sebastian with his poisoned arrow1?. Paul with his crosses and sorrows. I might lengthen length-en the scale of harmonious heroism down to our day. They are gone, They are dead. They died defoated. They left beaten. They tracked the earth with blood, not spilled by their own hands, but given by their own love. Were they fool? Yes; in a body without a soul, a world without a heaven, and eter nity without a God fools lost." Catholic Citi-zcu,, Citi-zcu,, .. .. ' '. . - |