THE CATHOLIC PERIODICAL PRESS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVIII, Issue 4, 23 May 1890, Page 25

THE CATHOLIC PERIODICAL PRESS.

A PAPER BY GEORGE DEBING WOLFF, LL.D., AT THB BALTIMORE CONGRESS.

(Continued.')

There is another reason why Catholics, and especially Catholic writers ia this country, should studiously acquaint themselves with the teachings of the Church on the subjects to which we are referring. These subjects are practically " burning " questions of the day. They cannot be neglected or ignored. They are coming constantly to the front, and imperatively demanding right answers and just, practical solutions. If the solution given be the right one our country will continue to prosper, and its people will continue to be at peace with themselves ; our free institutions will continue ; our government, with its safeguards for personal rights and freedom, will continue. But if the practical solution be wrong, there is peril impending and close at hand, plainly visible to every thoughtful, discerning eye, of social disorders, confusion and convulsion, tbe thought of which must fill with horror every true lover of our country, its institutions and its welfare.

Catholics are an integral part of the population of oar country. They are daily becoming a more numerous and more influental part. They have a common interest, along with other citizens, in the peace, the prosperity, the welfare of our country. They are loveri of our country, deeply attached to its institutions and its government, warm and earnest supporters of them. None are more so. Motives of patriotism, therefore, as well as regard for the interests of true religion, demand that Catholics, and especially Catholic editors and writers, thoroughly acquaint themselves with the teachings of the Church on those subjects and strictly follow that teaching.

If another reason were wanting, it would be found in this : Tbe Church is especially concerned for the poor. " The poor have the Gospel preached to them." The Church has been the guardian and defender of tbe poor in all ages. She is this to-day, and ever will be. Therefore, if Catholic editors and writers are, and are resolved to continned faithful children and members of the Church, they must have like special consideration for the poor. It is the poor who sell their labour to those who are more wealthy. It is the poor who are employes of the employers. Unhappily, contentions and strife too often arise between tbe twoclaßses. Their respective interests, which ought to be harmonious, are almost constantly now made antagonistic. Through these antagonisms, disorders and tumults arise, injuriously affecting the gocd order and peace of society, and destroying the good will and mutual cooperation which ought to exist between all, irrespective of their occupations, pursuits, social position, and pecuniary circumstances .

It is tbe imperative duty of Catholic editors and writers to penetrate into and thoroughly understand the causes of this unhappy sate of things. It is their office to instruct both employers and employes as to their mutual relations and their respective rights and duties, and the limitations of their rights. If either employers or employes overstep their rights, or are derelict as to their duties, it is the duty of Catholic editors and writers to speak out plainly and courageously, yet prudently, and to rebuke whosoever is in the wrong. This duty is all the more imperative, becanse whenever the antagonisms to which we are referring arise, and whatever be their immediate outcome, and whoever be in tbe wrong, it is the poor who invariably suffer.

Nor are Catholic editors and writers without sufficient guides to enable them safely, prudently, and efficiently to perform this most useful and most important work. Eminent and approved Catholic theologians have lucidly written on these subjects j pre-eminent among them all, Ht. Thomas Aquinas. If Catholic editors and writers have not access to his works, or bis principal works, in the original texts, they can study them through the medium of approved English translators and commentators. The encyclicals, too, of pur Holy Father Leo XIII. are inexhaustible storehouse of instruction on these subjects. The next characteristic of a true Catholic newspaper which naturally now comes under consideration, though not in the order in whicn we stated it, is the regard which Catholic newspapers, in their defence of the doctrines of the Church, show for that moderation and charity which our Holy Father and the Plenary Council of Baltimore declare should characterise a true Catholic newspaper. Too often all of us, with very few exceptions, forget the maxim, Suaviter in modo, fortiter in re. Too often we return railing by railing, and deal in bitter invectives, when a more courteous manner and a gentler spirit would be much more effective, as well as more consonant with Christian charity.

Then, too, before we leave this point, we cannot bat advert to the flagrant violations of tbe injunctions of our Holy Father Leo XIIL, and of the Council of Baltimore, bj Catholic newspapers in their controversies with one another. On such occasions, and about matters concernicg which there is ample room for difference of opinion, Catholic newspapers too ofien exhibit aspirit of bitterness that would be utterly indefensible if indulged in towards even the most malevolent defamer of our holy religion. Whit an occasion for scorn all thia furnishes to the enemies of our holy religion, and how disedifying it is to readers of these newspapers, it is needless for us to say. There is, certainly, great need for Catholic newspapers guarding themselves against the spirit of envy, jealousy, and selfish rivalry, and cultivating that spirit of mutual consideration and mutual cooper tion and union which oar Holy Father and the third Council of Biltimore have so'emnly enjoined them to cherish. The second test by which the true Catholic newspaper is recognised is its publishing news respecting the Church and all that pertains to her condition and progress at home and abroad. Our Catbolic newspapers differ, as might be expected, with regard to the degree iv wbich they fulfil thia requirement, some of them paying far more attention to it than do others. Yet this difference, we are

inclined to think, results chiefly from difference in their financial strength and their opportunities to become acquainted with what I may call " Catholic News." When we consider the vast field of information that ia comprised nnder the term " Catholic News," the movements and occurrences having a bearing upon the Catholic religion in each diocese in our own Tast country ; in Canada, in Mexico, in Central and South America, in all the countries of Europe, in Australia, in the numerous missionary fields of Asia and Africa ; the movements in and round Borne referring to the present position of the Holy Father ; his allocutions, addresses, and encyclicals — when we consider all this, we can realise how extensive is the field to be gone over and how difficult it is to even approximately gather and publish what it is important should be published, and than which nothing could well be more interesting and edifying to faithful members of the Church. To properly do all this would exceed in the expenses that would necessarily have to be incurred the resources of the strongest and most prosperous Catholic newspaper in our country. Nor can it ever be expected that even approximately due attention will ever be paid to this very important part of a Catholic newspaper's work until a support is furnished them fivefold greater than that which they now receive.

With regard to the spirit of subordination and implicit obedience to ecclesiastical authority which must characterise every true Catholic newspaper, there is, we believe, a steady and constant improvement. Yet that there is great room for further improvement in this respect on the part of some Catholic newspapers in this country cannot be denied. There are Catholics, controlling and editing Catholic news> papers, who, we believe, are entirely honest in their expressed desires to make their newspapers truly Catholic, yet who seem never bo happy as when criticising, in the exercise of their own individual judgments, the actions of priests and bishops and tbe manner in which their ecclesiastical superiors manage matters pertaining to the Church, its affairs and interests ; who seem never so happy as when they can expose to the public, and carp and quibble and sneer at some mistake or inconsistency (real or supposititious), of those who are placed over them in the Church. They seem to be entirely unconscious of and unconcerned about the immense harm that in this way they are doing to religion. Their conduct has been repeatedly rebuked and condemned by sovereign Pontiffs of the Church ; and the Fathers of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore have pronounced the following condemnation upon them :

" We declare that they themselves and those who assist and encourage them in this most pernicious abuse are disturbers of gooa order, contemners and enemiea of the authority of the Church, and guilty of the gravest scandal ; and, therefore, when their guilt has been sufficiently proved, should be punished with canonical censures."

In this connection it is proper to allude to an opinion that seems to exist in tbe minds of even some intelligent Catholic editois and writers. Btrange to say, they seem to imagine that there is a difference as regards the nature and extent of the obligations of Catholic newspapers to submit to ecclesiastical authority, to closely follow the teachings of the Church and to abstain from criticising their ecclesiastical superiors and the manner in which they administer the matters committed to their charge ; a difference between Catholic newspapers which are published wuh, and those wbich are published without, the express official approval of the ordinary of the diocese in which their publication offices are respectively situated. Those which have that approval are commonly styled " Bishops' organs," and are sneered at us having no freedom of action or liberty of opinion. They are scornfully referred to (shamefully misiepresented) as under obligations to abstain from the discussion of Bubjects which Catholic newspapers that have no such express official approval are entirely at liberty to discuss in any way or manner they please.

It is surprising that such an opinion should be entertained and expressed by any intelligent Catholic. There is no possible excuse for it. It must be attributed either to inexcusable ignorance or wilfnl malevolent misrepresentation.

The Fathers of tbe Third Council of Baltimore have sufficiently guarded this subject, According to their decree on the subject of Catholic periodicals there cannot be any such thing as an '■ official organ " of a Bishop or an Archbishop. They have defined the limits and meaning of the approval which a Bishop or an Archbishop in*y give to a Catholic newspaper published in his diocese, and in tbe general conduct of which he has confidence. They expressly declare that the approval of the ordiniry of a diocese simply means that he believes that nothing is or will be published in the newspaper to which he has given his official approval contrary to faith or morals, or that is disedifying. They have also expressly declared that Bishops and Archbishops cannot and may not make themselves responsible for anything published in newspapers except what is published by the Bishops or Archbishops themselves in the exercise of their official functions and over their own names.

Tbe obligation referred to rests equally upon Catholic editors and writers, irrespective of their having or not having episcopal approval, just as the same obligation rests upon [all other members of the Church.

We conclude with some thoushts upon the manner in wbich Catholic newspapers may more fully realise the ideal of a true, perfect Catholic journal, and, in their own proper sphere and scope, become more efficient instiumentalities for disseminating and defending tru-h and promoting the interests of the Church and of society. TuU branch of our subject might well form a separate paper, the topics it embraces are so numerous and various. But your patience, doubtless, is well nigh exhausted aul we must necetsarily he brief.

The first requisite to this is that we brethren of the Catholic newspaper press cherish the spirit of fraternal unity. We should cast away, as unworthy of our high and important office, all envy and jealousy, should abstain from needless disedifying bickeriDg and contention with one another, and cooperate together cordially in striving to promote the cause in whose defence we are all enlisted. There is a world of wisdom in the well-known saying, "In union there is

strength." Bat oa this we need not dwell. Oar Holy Father has solemnly enjoined this on ua, and the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore earnestly exhorts us to constantly keep in mi ad his injunctions. It is necessary, too, that we caltirate the spirit of gentlenew and charity ia dealing with the adversaries of our hily religion. Sovereign pontiffs of the Church hive exhort id U3 ti this, an! hare set before us a 9 the great exemplar for en to strive to imitue, and as our patron saint, the holy Francis da Sile3, wtn, by hU maeknesi, sweetness of temper, and unvarying courtesy, changed inveterate enemies into warm frienis, turnai a^ids or blunted th s sharpast shafts that were hurled against tha Church, aai thus won more victories than other powerful champions of the truth were able to achieve by more violea^and seemingly bolder efforts. Again, it is nec9Bsiry that unre care ia taken to exclude all disedifying matter from our columns. It sjems ne ad leas to say even a word about this. Ths obligation U imperative. Yet, unfortonately, in a number of profess idly Uataoltc newspapers, and more especially among those which are feebly supported and struggling for an existence, the obligation seems to be almost wholly neglected. Prurient advertisements and pictures wbich are indelicate and indecent and suggestive of evil, are t:> be fonnd in their columns. Disedifyin? reading matter, and sometimes stories of a highly objectionable character, replete with mawkish sentimentality, with modern ideas about free love, legal divorces and marriages permitted by the civil law but condemned by the Church, along with religious notions which are covertly or openly antagonistic to the doctriues of the Church, make these newspapers positively pernicious.

(Concluded in our next.')