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Show Great Tribute to Church. The Rev. Thomas Barney Thompson, speaking recently in the Plymouth Congregational church. Chicago, referred refer-red to the Catholic church as "the" most splendid institution the world has ever seen." "Governments," he continued con-tinued iu a tribute to the church nota-blB nota-blB in a Protestant pulpit, "have arisen and gone to the grave of the nations since her advent. Peoples of every tongue have worshiped at her altars. "The Roman Catholic church has stood solid for law and order. Her police power in controlling millions untouched un-touched by the denominations, has been great. When she speaks, legisla tors, statesmen, politicians and go-ern-ments stop to listen, often to obey. "In the realm of worship her ministry min-istry has been cf the highest. In employing em-ploying beads, statues, pictures and music she has made a wise and intelligent in-telligent use of symbolism. Her use of the best in music and painting has been the greatest single inspiration to those arts, and her ca.thedrals are the shrines of all pilgrims. "The love and veneration of the Virgin Vir-gin Mary plays an important part in the ritual of the church. I find no difficulty in appreciating the attitude of the Catholic worshiper toward the Mother of Jesus. Jesus is the love of God made manifest. But Christ Himself Him-self has often been made so astere, and so unapproachable, that a mediator medi-ator between Him and man has become be-come an insistent necessity. What is more natural than to worship Him through the gracious influence of the Mother? "Aside from this, one cannot help but feel that the enthronement of the Virgin Mary has softened the heart of the world toward womanhood; that it has done much to give woman the f!ace of honor she occupies today: that it has put the whole Catholic church behind the sanctity of the home. In the respect given to Mary, the Roman church has pr.id the world's finest and most -'el icate compliment to the grace, sweetness and beauty of motherhood.- j "Nor do I discover any difficulty in i understanding the-basis of the confessional. confes-sional. The eonfe-ssional appears everywhere ev-erywhere in life. The erring child confesses con-fesses to its mother: the patient confesses con-fesses to his physician; the accused confesses to his lawyer: the penitent confesses to his priest. It is most natural nat-ural for the penitent, burdened, doubting doubt-ing soul to confide in his spiritual leader. "Prntestantism has wasted much of its force in a forced revivalism, which would have been unnecessary had we paid wise attention to religious education. educa-tion. We may rail against the parochial paroch-ial school system as being un-American. But the Roman church existed centuries before there was a United States, and for many of these centuries cen-turies she was the great agency of enlightenment, en-lightenment, education ppd culture. The parochial school is th most serious and successful attempt to hold people for the religious life. Our country has a magnificent system of public schools. She will teach the children history, science, art, languages; but they will not let the world's greatest literature be tausjht unjer their guidance, nor will they help to develop the noblest capacity of the human soul, the capacity ca-pacity for God. This task is assigned to the . church. So be it. and lc-t the church choose that' method which in her wisdom seems the best. "And so we stand in the presence of her history, her majestic worship, her universal ministry and we confess that God must have moved mightily in all this. "We think of her Loyolas. her Xaviers. her Fenelons and her Mar-quettcs; Mar-quettcs; we look at her hospitals, orphan or-phan a g s, schools, colleges, monasteries, monaster-ies, missions and wo see a church ministering min-istering to the body, mind and soul of humanity. Her weakness is the common com-mon lot of every human organization: her strength is of . God." |