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Show THE RELIGIOUS ORDERS. The tierce persecution waged against the religious relig-ious orders in Europe calls attention to their wonderful won-derful history and life work. The magnificent results re-sults of their labors in the different fields of charity, char-ity, education, the missions, and in providing for the common life of the people a moral uplift, a certain cer-tain hope, and a satisfying patience, has aroused an inhuman jealousy in the hearts of unchristian zealots whose wicked lives gave the lie to the doc-, trines they preached. One of the most certain proofs of the supernatural value of the religious orders or-ders lies in the very intensity of the onslaught made on them. If their motive power were merely human, hu-man, or actuated by influences of evil, they would not only be outraged, but would be welcomed in the camps of their enemies as allies and friends. They are hated because of the good they have done. It was they who gave to the world the program pro-gram of sone and progressive ideas which have made Europe what it is. Tt was they who little by little Ibanished the discretionary and tyrannica power of the feudal emperors. It is they who destroyed de-stroyed physical and moral slavery. It is they who softened the rigor and atrocity of the old pagan hws. It was they who civilized the barbarians of Europe, and who acted" as mediators between brulal conquerors and their victims. When learning was at its lowest ebb. it was the religious orders who kept alive the flame of education. They raised those superb monuments of the Catholic ages which modern art can never duplicate. And today they stand forth as living arguments against the animal spirit which is invading society. For all this they are hated as their Master of old was hated by every exponent, of criminality, atheism and hypocrisy. But in all of it they cannot but recognize that in them the anti-Christians see only the great Church of which they are the advance guard. In warring upon them the secretaries see behind them the figure of the Sort of God, who gave to Christianity Chris-tianity those evangelical counsels which are an offense of-fense in the eyes of the forces of iniquity. And the great Church will stand with them. She herself her-self must bear the brunt of the warfare and fall many times exhausted; but in .the midst of her sufferings suf-ferings she will ever look with admiration and sympathy sym-pathy to those good men and women who have realized in themselves the-Beatitude uttered by Christ: "Blessed are they that suffer .persecution for justice's sake; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.'' The Pilot. |