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Show T WHO MAKE THE BEST CONVERTS ? (Boston Pilot.) Asked suddenly, - "What kind of Protestants make the best converts?" the hereditary Catholic ansAvers almost instinctively, "Tho Anglicans, or Protestant Episcopalians." These have retained much both of Catholic doctrine and ritual. Within their ranks is a strong" and constantly increasing element Avhich likes to be called "the Catholic party." The houses of worship under its control are almost indistinguishable from those of Catholics; Catho-lics; it bclie-es in Christian education: it has religious re-ligious orders of men anj Avomen; and Catholic-Avise, Catholic-Avise, it gravitates tcTVbv "poor. There is probably no distinctively Catholic doctrine at Avhich it hesi tates over-much, except the supremacy and infallibility infalli-bility of the Pope: and Lord Halifax, the leader of the Church Uiuor&"sKl these not altogether, impossible of acceptance but for the reaffirmation of Pope Leo XIlA of previous Papal decisions against the validity of Anglican orders. The. religious lifo of the sincere Anglican or Protestant Episcopalian finds its only logical termination ter-mination in the peace and certitude of the Catholic Cath-olic Church. Most Catholics know so many fen-ent converts who but a few years ago Avere fervent Episcopalians that Ave naturally look to them as the most promising field for recruits. But theliev. M. I. Boarman, S. J., of Chicago, a most experienced experi-enced missionary, answering the question put at tho outset of this article, says: "It seems to me that, converts from Lutheran-ism Lutheran-ism are, as a rule, the best. Lutherans seem to possess pos-sess more truth than other Protestunts, and they seem. Avhen converted, to bear more easily the obligations ob-ligations of Catholic life." Whereupon our esteemed contemporary, the Catholic Transcript, of Hartford, . Conu., comments: com-ments: ! There are not a feAv Avho will acquiesce in the opinion here expressed. The reason for the Lutheran's Luther-an's readiness to accept the teaching of tho Catholic Catho-lic . Church may be attributed to one or more causes, but, in the last analysis, it Avill be seen that early in life the Lutheran child is inured to the Wactice of his faith. IT: trees to a school from Avhich religion is not banished. Xay, religion is the A-ery life of . the Lutheran school. A well-read Catholic at once remembers the school controversy in Wisconsin, nearly a decade and a half past, where a coalition of Catholics and . Lutherans on the school question took that state for the time being out of the Republican and into the Democratic ranks. As a rule Germans, Catholic Cath-olic or Protestant, cannot conceiA-e of education Avithout religion; and tho Lutheran parochial school, like the Catholic,' in a hcav settlement, goes up brick for brick, or stone for stone with the house of Avorship. The Lutherans in the United States -have probably as many children in their parochial schools proportionately as have the Catholics -in theirs: and while, among the Episcopalians, there is evidence of divided counsels on the school question, ques-tion, there is unanimity among the .Lutherans for denominational schools. The Lutherans revere the crucifix as a reminder of man's redemption. Luther himself, even after his apostacy. proclaimed the Immaculate Concep-t Concep-t ion of the Blessed Mother of God. In Denmark, Xorway and Sweden the churches di Averted at the time of the so-called reformation to Protestant uses, retained much of their Catholic aspect; Avhilo a larger proportion of Catholic doctrine lingered among the people1 than iu Germany itself. We all remember the Christian and fatherly address of Ihe German Emperor "William to his sons before lhey Avere confirmed a,s .members of the Lutheran body. |