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Show MORAL COWARDICE. j Some time ago a story was published in that excellent magazine. "The Irish Monthly," entitled "The Jew's Test," ' , f. the moral of which was well summed up in the words of a Hebrew character in the story: "Never trust a Catholic who does not salute the Cross or lift his hat when passing before his church." The lesson may be taken to ourselves, for there is little doubt that few people care to publicly acknowledge acknowl-edge their belief nowadays. It is hardly hard-ly decent, they urge, to carry one's religion on one's sleeve and make a parade of it. Herein we agree with, them: but there is a difference between ostentatious parade and a reverent practice. Let us apply the test suggested in the story above referred to. The population popu-lation of Pittsburg and suburbs comprises com-prises hundreds of thousands of Catholics. Cath-olics. How often do we see the hat raised when the wearer 13 passing a temple of the Living God. where He i ever present in the Holy Eucharist? i Such negligence cur Lord Himself con- demned when He said that He would refuse to acknowledge the man who denied Him before men. The decay of j. religion and reverence precedes the decay de-cay of a people. Ought we not to guard : against such a contingency? Putting t the matter on the lowest grounds, is not such conduct a sign of cowardice? If a man is a Republican or a Demo- j crat does he not fight with all hi3 ; might and main for his political creed. ; and is he ashamed to display its but- e ' tons or other emblems? But when it comes to the question of his religious j belief, the same man will hesitate before be-fore he is willing to avow the truth. It is simply a question of moral cour- age or cowardice. Now, cowardice la un-American. No one will dispute that proposition. Therefore, to be i . ashamed of one's religion 13 un-Amer- lean. Pittsburg Observer. |