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Show CHURCH AND PROGRESS. Opinions of Non-Catholic Historians, Gui-zot, Gui-zot, Macaulay, and Many Others. A writer in the current number of the Union and Times contributes the following extracts fr?m prominent English, German and French histories. Not that he supposes them to be more learned or truthful than Catholic histories, but because many people would rather be praised by those outside tiie fold than by those within, and in order to more thoroughly set right that everlasting multitude who persist in accusing the church and the papacy of being at unconquerable enmity with all that makes for progress. It is needless to add that a thousand similar quotations could be given. "No society ever made greater efforts than the Christian church did from the fifth to the tenth century to influence the world about it and assimilate assimi-late it. It attacked barbarism at every point in order or-der to civilize it and rule over it." Guizot, History of Civilization, vol. 1, lecture 3. ''Before the reformation came, she (the church) had enfranchised almost all the bondsmen in the kingdom." Macaulay, History of England, vol. 1, p. 33. "She combated with much pertinacity and perseverance per-severance the great vices of the social condition, particularly slavery. The church did not labor less worthily for the improvement of civil and criminal legislation. Finally she endeavored by every means in her power to suppress the frequent recourse to violence and the continual wars to which society was so prone." Guizot, 1, c. Lect. 6. "On the present occasion I shall content myself with remarking the important effects produced by the numerous monastic establishments all over the Christian world, in preserving, amid the general wreck, the inestimable remains of Greek and Roman Ro-man refinement ;and in keeping alive, during so many centuries, those scattered sparks of truth and science which were afterward to kindle into so bright a flame." Dugald Stewart, Progress of Philosophy, Phil-osophy, p. 14. "It must always be an honor to the papacy that in a great crisis of European affairs it asserted the importance of a policy which was for the benefit of Europe as a whole. Calixtus III. and his successors succes-sors deserve, as statesmen, credit which can be given giv-en to no other of the politicians of the age. The papacy by summoning Christendom to defend the ancient limits of Christian civilization against the assaults of heathenism was worthily discharging the chief secular duty of its office." Creighton, Calixtus Calix-tus III., vol. 2, p. 345. "By the monks the nobles were overawed, the poor protected, the sick tended, travelers sheltered, prisoners ransomed, the remotest spheres of suffering suffer-ing explored." Lecky, History of European Morals, Mor-als, vol. 2, ch. 4. "It (the papacy) prevented . and arrested the despotism of the emperors, compensated for the want of equilibrium, and diminished the inconveniences inconven-iences of the feudal system." Ancillon, European Revolutions, vol. 1, p. 106. . From these quotations it is clear , that whatever leads mankind to true happiness, even in this world, has had at all times the hearty support of the church and the papacy. What Catholicism has done in the past, it will do in the future. He who sees in any action of the church or the Pope an attempt at-tempt at checking true progress or interfering with genuine reforms, reveals a startling ignorance of the'history of civilization. |