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Show CATHOLIC OPINION Captain Dreyfus has apparently shrunk to insignificance in the popular French mind, to judge from the utter lack of interest in-terest excited by his presence in the Zola funeral cortege. It is but just to add that he was never of the importance with which the sensational journalism invested in-vested him, outside of France. Monitor. The United States is stubbornly supporting sup-porting the contention of Archbishop Riordan Ri-ordan before The Hague tribunal. A Protestant paper remarks: "Now the matter is before arbitrators again, with the United States backing its Roman Catholic citizens, and before a tribunal gathered in the land of William of Orange. A man with an historical imagination im-agination . can ruminate for some time over the dramatic aspects of the affair." Western Watchman. ' A Protestant minister, in one of the sectarian magazines, boldly defends sensationalism sen-sationalism in the pulpit. He asserts it is the most effectual, if indeed not the only, way to attract the rrowd which otherwise would not enter the doors of a church. If the highest function of the religious ministry were to draw a crowd, the reverend gentleman's position would be less pregnable. Unfortunately for him, however, such is not the case. Sensationalism Sen-sationalism in the press and on the stage draws infinitely larger audiences than even the most bizarre of pulpit announcements announce-ments and performances, yet nobody pretends pre-tends to believe its influence-to be in any sense wholesome and beneficial. From a. purely professional standpoint, pulpit freakishness may be open to defense, but from no other point of view, and above all- from the religious and spiritual one, can it be considered aught but meretricious meretri-cious and demoralizing. Monitor. Mrs. Addle M. Johnson, the woman suffrage leader of Missouri, recently committed com-mitted suicide with chloroform, and the Clothe club of St. Louis, composed of women, has attempted to justify her crime. It has resolved that "we, as a club, do not advocate self-destruction, but knowing the circumstances and her convictions, we stand as one. if need be. against the world to vindicate Mrs. Johnson John-son in her last act. She was not insane at that time or any other time. She was heroic and self-sacrificing in her deed." These women are moral perverts, m spite of their "education," their money, their fine, clothes, and their place in "society." They need instruction concerning the commandment "Thou shalt not kill." Columbian. Congressman McCall of Massachusetts is a Republican, but not in good odor with his party because he is Independent enough to say such wicked things as: "It. would be as preposterous to tax a shipload of food coming to a starving people as to impose a tax on the fuel necessary during the winter for the comfort com-fort and health of the American firesides." fire-sides." It will be a bad day for the party that keeps a prohibitive tariff on a necessary neces-sary of life in order to protect the "infant "in-fant industry" of the coal barons Pilot. In other phases of life we notice the prevailing better feeling. When Father Scully died, down near Boston a few weeks ago. Protestant pastors eulogized him from their pulpits. When Rev. Mr. Berle of Boston delivered his farewell sermon to his church a few Sundays ago, he begged his congregation to remember him by giving their love, honor and encouragement en-couragement to the Catholic priest whose church was nearest his. Over in Maryland Mary-land the other day a Methodist Episcopal Episco-pal pastor prayed in his pulpit for the recovery from illness of the neighboring Catholic priest. These manifestations are all pleasant because they show that our fellow Christiana are beginning to know and understand) us better. Michigan Michi-gan Catholic. The alleged letter of rebuke addressed bv Madame Loubet to her son is till making the rounds of the press. The document bears . internal evidences of forgery and should have been altogether still-born. If Madame Loubet were a Monica, a Helena or a Christian Volum-nia. Volum-nia. she could not have written such an epistle. It is too crushing, too eloquent, tao vindictive and too pat, to come from a mother shamed and distracted by the apostacv of her son. Nothing is gained by exploiting apecryphra of this kind. Catholic Transcript. In order to prevent distress among the Doer ar.d r'.ck of New York City it is said the shipping trust will import thousands of tons of coal from Wales for free dis tribution. Wonderful charity. If it ever occurs we may next expect to hear that satan has actually walked up to a holy water font and blessed himself. Church Progress. The Outlook, a high-class Presbyterian journal published in New York, is trying io convince its poul that the miners have no real grievance and are very much to blame in the present strike. It is unfortunately un-fortunately true that trust magnates own several of those high-class religious lournals. As a result, a number of work-ingmen work-ingmen are induced to believe Christianity Christi-anity the enemy of justice and humanity. human-ity. Union and Times. President Baer and his brother coal barons are good national educators. Freman's Journal. The people are now beginning to do some thinking as to what made the coal and for whom it was made. Freman's Journal. |