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Show FATHER KALONE'S LETTER FROM! PARIS. (Editorial Correspondence.) Faris, France, June 12. Archbishop Ireland will soon arrive in Paris to deliver the address on the occasion of the unveiling of the statue to Lafayette. Lafa-yette. Already the ecclesiastical desperadoes des-peradoes who have been busy maligning malign-ing the Archbishop of St. Paul for years have commenced to villify the distinguished American Frela.te, in order, or-der, if possible, to discount the effect which his forthcoming address will undoubtedly un-doubtedly produce. This time, the Journal de Geneve is the medium through which the Archbishop is attacked, at-tacked, and his recent letter to the Duke of Norfolk made the occasion. A dispatch to the Paris edition of the New York Times tonight states that the Osservatore Roma.no today published a letter from Archbishop Ireland, vigorously protesting against the affirmations of the schemers here on the continent that the Archbishop in his communication to the Duke of . Norfolk denied the temporal power of the Pope, and I believe other dogmas of the church too numerous to mention. men-tion. I I am not. as the Colorado read- !ers of The Intermountain Catholic know, an apologist for Archbish op Ireland. I have had occasion to differ from him more than once. It seems to me, however, that it is high time for him to stoop down like the mastiff and take the little curs, who are barking at his heels, and shake them until they cried for mercy. In the judgment of many people, he has remained silent too long in the face of groundless charges concerning his loyalty to the Church Oi.' which he is a most distinguished Prelate. I cannot understand why Archbishop Ireland whenever these attacks appear, renews and reiterates his fealty and devotion to the Church and its supreme head, for Jy so doing, he fails to confound con-found his enemies, but rather plays into their hands. From, what I have seen and learned of the sources from which emanate these periodical attacks on the Archbishop of St. Paul, Cardinal Archbishop Arch-bishop of Baltimore, Archbishop Keane and others, it seems to me that the i wisest course to pursue would be to protest against the attacks, and ask, yes, demand the protection of the Holy See. John Ireland has heart and courage cour-age enough to force his slanderers here in Europe to silence, but until he shows them the true "Americanism, which brooks no insult, he may expect to find . 1- himself villified, by men whose sole object of existence is the "pourboire," which is the measure of their service , to God and man. Temporizing and half- way measures will not answer in dealing deal-ing with such men. They must be taught a salutary lesson. When once it is made apparent that in attacking .representative American churchmen the faith and fealty of American Catholics Cath-olics themselves are called into question, ques-tion, then such a spirit of resentment will be aroused that will end once and for all the occupation of villiflcation in which, some men are engaged at Rome, Paris and elsewhere on this side of the At!?mir. 1 take it that the Cardinal Secretary of State will see to it that men who attack the faith of a nation will not be eiven caste and standing, even though w'r actions be disguised In individual . ... .... ..-.- - attacks. And this is precisely what the diatribes against distinguished members of the American hierarchy are. Back of Archbishop Ireland are the American Catholics in a body. What he believes, they believe. What he professes, they profess. An attack on him is an attack on them. Will any one dare say that the Catholic people of America disbelieve in the dogmas of the Church? Yet this is precisely pre-cisely what they are saying of the great American churchman, who is coming to France, most signally sig-nally honored by his own countrymen, to deliver an address on the next anniversary of American independence. in-dependence. Having been the recipi- ' ent of such distinguished consideration by his own government, it would seem that Archbishop Ireland should be protected from the infamous attacks hurled against him by the small band of conspirators in Europe. Regarding the coming of Archbishop Ireland to Paris, one thing is certain, viz. : that the large American . colony now in the city will give him a reception recep-tion of such earnestness and loyalty as will make all Europe understand that the American people, regardless of creed, believe in the sterling American Ameri-can Prelate to such a degree that no attack upon him, as a man or a priest, can shake their confidence. Considered from any point of view, Archbishop Ireland is a big man. In some things he has genius, and I presume pre-sume the weaknesses of genius, too. In common with many others I would like him better if he were more keenly keen-ly appreciative of personal loyalty and more thoroughly realized sacrifices that such loyalty sometimes entails. But in this respect it may be advanced, with considerable truth, that the same criticism holds true with many another big man. Be that as it may, only a small and narrow spirit can fail to give credit to the Archbishop of St. Paul for his many accomplishments. In a country where Catholicism has never been popular Archbishop Ireland Ire-land has always acted in a manner to insure the best interests of his Church. It is not too much to say that he has made Catholicism honored and respected respect-ed where it had been despised and condemned. con-demned. Nor can it truthfully be said, as is so frequently affirmed on this side of the ocean, that he has ever compromised com-promised one jot or one tittle of his faith. In matters of dogma he has always al-ways been uncompromising. It is true that he has always tempered his action with common sense, "which naturally appeals to people of sober judgment capable of resisting hot impulses. I do not write this letter as a personal friend of Archbishop Ireland, but simply sim-ply as an American Catholic, who feels, in common with the American people, that no more fitting man could have been selected to deliver the address on the Lafayette ceremonies, and who resents re-sents the attacks made upon a fellow countryman. THOMAS H. MALONE. |