FATHER VAUGHAN.

NZ Truth, Issue 99, 11 May 1907, Page 8

FATHER VAUGHAN.

SCOURGING " SMART " SINNERS,

The Outspoken Jesuit's Denunciation,

Why He Receives Menacing Letters,

>The "Black Lies" of Sinning "Society" Shemales*

The eloquent English 'Jesuit priest, (Father Vaughan, continues to main.tain a remarkable sensation m (London by the fearlessness by which tie denounces the sins of the Smart /Set as the frivolous and corrupt secitioh of the English wealthy is termed. HiS sermons are creating an extraordinary sensation among even the - -members of the Smart Set itself y for it appears they are thronging has-* little Church during his scathing sermons. They seem to take a morbid interest m hearing themselves denounced. Like other . outspoken men, (Father Vaughan is learning what it Is to, incur -the ferocious enmity of .those whom he denounces, and, consequently, he is, frequently,. in receipt ©f letters threatening him witli all sorts- of dire consequences should he ■ ; .continue with his denunciations, but; -tie insists upon his*right as an' Englishman to • speak his mind, and he • is "sticking to his guns" mi a. majn-' ncr that shows him to be undaunted ' hy his enemies' attacks. An English ■' aewspaper thus refers to one of his latest sermons ■:■—.' , i Father Bernard Vaughan., the elo-t; quent Catholic priest, continued, on-' Sunday, March 3," his course offica tching indictments of Society and .the Smart Set as $icy exist m our: midst to-day. His sermons are de-' livered at the Church of the Im--. maculate Conception, Farm-street, , Piccadilly, m the very lieairt of the fashionable quarter of the Mctropo--lis. That they have created an_ enormous sensation among tlnose against whom they are hiirled is evidenced by the fact that, long 'before ithe .service commences, the street m .which the church 'is situate, and .which is practically, only a me-w-s to serve the wealthy squares around' it,; is thronged with motor-cars a nd carriages, and : the church itself is pack- . Ed to suffocation with an opulent and ;smart congregatdoh. The addresses, delivered with much fire and energy, gain hot a little from the FATHER'S COMMANDING PRESENCE svcd splendid voice, and .. it only; needs an >. occasional glance at his; audi-, tors to see that his points strike *■ home. It was the Truth that Father Vau-; shan dealt with last Sunday, tak-' Sh**- as his theme "the sin of Pilate, the boast of Society." H$ commenced by drawing an eloquent picture of Pilate pacing his courtyard of the citadel on the morning that Christ was- brought to bfrhfor sentence. The embodiment of Roman law, he-, despised the Jews, who, however,- i n their -turn, had taken Pilate's ■: measure, and knew they, could bend' him to their will. The \ accusations which thfc Jews bronght- against Christ were lies, but when Christ, invited Pilate to embraoe the truth.;, he -shirked the 'queggion instead _of l . ] answer ingv it. __ffi^ s ilate 7 § r ~estimatioh*' 1 ;truth had nO place m practical politics ; there was no room for it m, the push for place,, the grab for riches,, and the rush for honors.. Brushing' aside 7 the* great question which' did;: ko much to decide a man's eternal* idestiny, as though it were nothing more than a conjurer's, conundrum,. Pilate" rose, up hastily, from his; throne to face once more the surging mob, every moment grow- . iH_Z more and more impatient to heart; a verdict of death upon lids prisoner. •PILATE'S PRACTICAL, POLITICS"I would like to ask my countrymen," said Father Vaughan, "as a

very practical people, what answer they would have made to Christ. Suppose Society to-day had been where Pilate was, and our Lord had said to them, 'For. .this was I born, and for this came I into the world, that I should bear, witness to the truth •; everyone that is of the truth heareth My voice.' How would Society conduct itself ? Much as Pi■i late. Pilate looked at our Lord, and said, 'What is truth? lam not here' to indulge m the speculations of the schools, or to treat of matters that are theories m the air, I am here to give judgment ; lam a nian of practical politics. The truth! Who knows what is truth?' And he played with that truth upon which his destiny hung, as does that of all , of us.' Our lot; like Pilate's is to : bear witness to . the truth. Truth -to" God, truth to country, truth to • one's self. - ~' • - ' ■ Look at Society to-day.. Why, • there was a day, half a cen•tury ago, when the word of an Englishman might have stood against ' ,-the_ world, wh-?n the city merchant's i -word w^ his. bond, when the school.'boy's Word was his 'oath. Is all : that becoming a matter of ancient history ? ' "We are told now-a-days that truth is a subjective matter, • that what may he truth? for one : is -untruth for another. So, 'truth is | what is expedient, and thus some only tell the truth when they, bave not the other thing ready. WHITE LIES AND BL'A-CK LIES. I. hay^e been reading during the week an Anglican Bishop's onslaught upon such statements or terms as "Not at home," "Very well, "thank" you," "You are welcome," "Yours sincerely," "Yours aSectioniately," and *it seems to me that these practices are somewhat 'simple. I take a lie to be a state--ment of.' something which has an appearance of truth made m order to deceive others,- and I cannot think that anybody --■'•' is going to be deceived by any |'of those simple statements. Women sometimes make mistakes.about their- age, and men some- ■ times forget to insert m their a*d- ' vertisements the plain words, "It is. your money we want," hut; no one is ; deceived. If we are to be blamed for using such conventional expressions of .'jrviMsed ' J..»-?p, then F should say that the Bishop's brethren of the Episcopal Bench would find themselves m very uncomfortable society with him. For my part Ido not intend to gifeve them irp, not having the -time to spend half my days m the .law courts. I do not denounce those white lies ; I denounce black lieslies as clack as the father of lies himself. For instance, ladies making themselves out to be, when it is con- - veoient,' poorer than they are. I pwill illustrate what I mean : A' wo- ; man's child needing an operation,the mother took it to an oculist, pleading poverty. * Her husband, of course, since he came home from • South 'A'frica 1 , . 'haid nobhli.ng to . do, like the rest, and, therefore, soon ; with tears m her eyes as flowing as- ■ her lies, she touched' the heart of this good mail, who undertook the 1 operation, putting it down on his 1; free list. I was not surprised to-hear ' what followed. The Society woman, •so pleased with her success, having f - omitted to tell the professional man that - she had a fortune of her own/ ". rewarded her success by huy ing her- ■ self that same week a new motorcar! Now, that is a type of thing I

denounce. Here is a woman defrauding a professional man of his legitimate fee. What is worse, defrauding a poorer sister of her operation, because even the most generous man in* the most generous of professions can only perform a given number of cases per week, free of charge. I charge that woman with tellingi a deliberate lie ; saying something contrary to the truth to one who had 1 the right to know the .whole truth,' and with the object of deceiving. LONG SORDID LIST, But you will tell me t*bis is an exceptional case. . If it was a case whioh everybody practised every day. I should not mention it. But it is a case which is merely one of the long sordid list, to -which every physician and surgeon can attribute his .quota. ■ We all know that -people try to • get what they can for as little . as they can, and they say to' themselves, what they put down to us Jesuits, "The end justifies the means." These are the people ' who brims charges against our Society, _ and practise them' themselves all the time. They are queer. There' is an element of humor m them. .Is it not true that/ m aome of our fashionable establishments, when ladies are asked to pay tfe.-e-ir bills, they take, an oath tha-fc f§r-oy paid them already? "Well, 1' wii. pay a second time, but, mind' you, I will never cross the threshold of your firm aeaift." (A gentle 'titter among the ladies present.) These are the thinsrs that are going, .on every day. What can you expect from people who go to see such plays as are imported from the Continent to this country, some of then!, not all, some of "them the embodiment of lies, infidelity, f^nd of everything else that js false -anti gross ? What is the good of having a censor, if we have plays to which some cannot go ? Only the other day I heard of someone who sent back tickets for a play, after reading the criticisms upon it m the ••Times," and the "Times" is not teo particular. I know a French gentleman ii;. Society, who wrote to his friends urgjng them not .'to go near the play. No doubt I shall be told that it is those plays that have created those lies of which I speak.. I am afraid it is not' quite true. I' think it' is the shameful life that .creates the shameful play. The drama reflects, it does, not create lies, and what we see and hear on the stage is ,what we sec m a mirror-" We are , told on the highest- authority that drama "holds ill-, mirror up to nature"— poisoned, tainted m tlie cesspool of vice— smart, people, well accoutred, charming- manners when necessary, fciu't filthy ; full of dead men's Ibones and dirtiness. HIS RIGHT AS AN ENGLISH- "-.-■• MAN. Shall I be told that all this is a gross exaggeration, and be pelted with ' menacing letters, telling me that T ani doing more harm than good ? I answer, "For. this was I born, for this I came into the world to bear witness to the truth." God has given me the truth without any . merit of my own, and I pass it on. It is the only thing I have to give, and it is better to try to live your life m accordance with ■ the truth, for if you know the truth, the tr uth i shall make you free. Free.' to .be able :to speak out . to your hrother men, and feel that you are standing on* a rock. I know this, that I have a right • wWFt^^^s^xb'OMT^nm ■■ ' i believe to be true. No -one is obliged *to listen fo what I am obliged' to speak, and now it is my privilege as well as my sacred duty , as a priest, to denounce what I be- . lieve to' be the poisoning well of life, ruining, those on the lower rungs of the ladder. I am asked why I am always preaching to smart people. Gome and hear me m the slums sometimes ; I am not preaching to smart people there. Is it not splendid to be able to try to do something for our Lord ? Why cannot all of you do so ? lam sure you are much better , fitted to do a great work for God than- this poor thing m the pulpit before you. Only yesterday I . was reminded and sent a list of bad things committed by priests, and told, 'Beware, you are going the same, way.' Well, when reading of . those who have gone wrong, it is time for every man to humble himself, and for you to pray to God to keep me pure and sacred. I appeal to you, my fellow Catholics, to those who are not Catholics,- to follow Him who "came down, and who bled and died for you. Hear -His voice, He is. calling unto you. 'For this I was- born, for this came I into the world to bear witness to the truth.' He has done me the honor of calling me 'jto be -a witness. If I can be of service to : anyone here, let me extend you a. helping band. 'Everyone that is of the truth'heare'th my voice.' "