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Show THE CHURCH AND MAMMON. - It has been authoritatively proclaimed that there is a state of eternal enmity between God and Mammon. Mam-mon. The Church militant represents God upon earth; hence there can be no alliance between her and the enemy. The charge frequently heard that there is actually ac-tually in existence such an alliance in this country-today, country-today, emanates from the deluded brain of the superficial su-perficial observer, or from the perverted hearts of men who are disposed to foster the reign of iniquity iniqui-ty . It is most regrettable that any well-disposed person should be led to believe that the Church of Christ ,has aught in common with the spirit of Mammon-worship. These should remember that the gravity of the evils thus wrought upon society has manifested itself only during the last decade or so, and that its inherently Godless character is even now apparent to only the more earnest students of sociological conditions and tendencies; that, whilst it is palpably evident that the amassing of stupendous stu-pendous wealth in the hands of the few results in the intollerable, oppression of the mass of mankind, it is not equally evident to all that this is a logical and necessary consequence of our modern spirit of commercialism. Hence it follows that to condemn or reprehend the Church for not having long ago set her seal of condemnation, in specific terms, against this Godless God-less tendency and influence, is irrational and unjust. Implicitly she has always done so: her very existence exist-ence is a constant protest against iniquitous self- aggrandizement and ruthless oppression. Now, however, that the essentially Godless character char-acter of this modern spirit is becoming unmistakably unmistak-ably apparent, humanity has a right to expect the Church to array all her righteous forces against this spirit of unrighteousness: and, as the infinitely just and loving God guides this majestic ship. His holy Church, this reasonable and fond expectation mujst be eventually justified. Just now there is appearing upon our mental horizon a financial luminary whokc advent may well fill the hearts of our devoted churchmen with grave concern. Loudly is it heralded that the man who controls more millions of money than any other one individual, and who is therefore a magnate of high finance of the first magnitude, the most powerful power-ful of all of the captains of industry who are manipulating ma-nipulating our. gigantic financial institutions and trusts, is a representative Catholic. Is there in this startling development aught of momentous significance to the Church as a factor in the affairs of society? What concern has the Church with the financial affairs of her individual adherents ? Are our responsible churchmen in duty-bound duty-bound to take, or even warranted in taking, any formal for-mal cognizance whatever of the situation here depicted de-picted i The problem involved is one that must be determined de-termined after much earnest, solicitous and prayerful prayer-ful consideration. The duty implied is one fraught with much grave perplexity. That, however, there is here a problem presented that may not be lightly ignored, we deem an undeniable proposition. The "robber barons" of the Middle Ages, we are told, posed as dutiful Catholics. Is there any one who will now deny that the Church should have openly rebuked, or at least to have publicly discountenanced dis-countenanced these ruthless human parasites at the very outset? Ultimately these depredatory barons had to succumb to the inevitable, arid for the very reasoti that they could not permanently co-exist, with the rule of the Church. But was not the Church herself badly crippled in consequence of her "dereliction" or more justly speaking, the dereliction dere-liction of her responsible clergy in so long permitting permit-ting the unrebuked reign of that iniquitous element ele-ment ? Would the Reformation or the "Deformation," "Deforma-tion," as the Protestant Cobbet so justly styles it itself born of the same iniquitous spirit of ruthless greed and self-aggrandizement, have attained to .one-tenth of its baneful proportion, had it not been for the culpable delinquencies of the "human side" of the 'Church, in respect to its attitudo toward the depredatory spirit of the timei It may be fair to presume that the arrogant "captains of industry" of the Middle Ages were equally adroit with their ilk of our. day in keeping their would-be mentors in the dark as.to their true character their depreciatory machinations, and the baneful influence of these upon the material, moral and spiritual well-being of the society over which they exercised a dominant sway. Thus maybe, may-be, perhaps justly, explained why they were regarded regard-ed as really "good fellows" by all whom they saw fit to treat with patronizing condescension or tollera-tion tollera-tion even the really well-meaning ministers of religion re-ligion and were there and religious publicists in those days It may be frankly confessed that it is not lucidly lu-cidly obvious wherein the acquisition and hoarding of fifty or a hundred millions of vvealth, within a ! half generation, constitutes a crime against, God and mau, per se. But, until- our religious leaders and teachers can find a righteous justification in so declaring, the influence of the Christian religion must continue to be a negativp quantity with the American masses. s :Is it not, we ask, a crime against God and man to don the garb of Christianity whilst, engaging in conscienceless machinations, ' by means of which millions of toilers are mulcted out of much of """ :"'"' their toil-wrought substance ? Is it con.-i.-r. :t jr, a professed follower of Christ to hoard ti t' t lions of dollars, and to so manipulate thi- v, as to exact a tribute from the toiling im,-.,.. five, ten or fifteen millions per annum, with..,., rendering an adequate quid pro quo; 'I ,, such a course reprehensible, as well a.- ipj. must it first be demonstrated that, in it- tion. some specific provision of a man-mad.-of moral ethics has been violated? Or d..-. ... sooth, the ostentatious application of ;( iii;. ill-gotten gains to purposes of charity red:-. ,...v the sin? Then, indeed, might, we ju-tly p.,;.,. ., .. pride to our St. John Rockefeller ! Again, are the depredations of cuimim.- . . ' cumvention less reprehensible than tin o. ;.- .... ' tions of might; Or. iu other word-, mv ... ning depredations of the captains of i m i ; i . modern times one yrhit les, repivii.-n-',.;. damnable than Ave re the physically-!' i .m -.j tions of the robber barons of the Middle A. ; finally, does the moral nature of an art , . ; whether the actor bears an Anglo-Saxon. .. . tic or, mayhap, a Teutonic cognomen; Most earnestly is it to be hoped that ..itr men of today, being confronted by a gi-nv . involving vitally irnportnt j uv-1 1 ns. .!. n-l ... moral ethics and the spiritui! well-bein will not be guilty of the culpable .v,., t.: . timidity of many -of their justly v, , r.;- ,, ,. freres of the Middle Age.. KUe will th--y , .... Aveighed and found wanting, and the ii;;iu , i, who has vowed that the gates el' heil -Liii permitted to prevail against Hi- bob.- Clui,-, :.. .rai.-e up a clas- of ministers of a iwv -u - , to once more bring order out ;' i-ha..-; t',... jj , truth is mighty and must prevail prevail th: the divine agency of the holy Catholic ('htn-.-i,: |
