A CATHOLIC SIN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 36, 4 January 1895, Page 23

A CATHOLIC SIN.

(By Rev Joseph O'Mallet, S. J., in the Advocate.)

Twknty.»ite years ago a remarkable sermon was preached on this singular subject in th« Cathedral of Paderborn. In the sanctuary was the Archbishop, Dr Konrad Martin, and down towards the end of the church were four or five priests, one of whom, the famous Father Lehrakuhl, has since written a work which stands in the library of every theologian. In the evening the priests discussed tha sermon eagerly, and were unanimous in their praiße of the preacher for the eminently practical nature of his discourse. The ten commandments must, no doubt, be preached. But is is well to leave then aside occasionally and preach to the people on their actual surroundings. I, unfortunately, was not present, and cannot, therefore, give a synopsis of bis sermon ; but I cau give his proposition and one of his illustrations.

The proposition was that there is one sin unknown to those outside the Catholic Church, and that this sin is committed chiefly by really well-meaning Catholics! No doubt our Saviour told His followers that He was sending them, like sheep, among wolveg. But He gave them two distinct warnings :— " The childrsn of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light." Bat it should not be so. His followers should be not only simple as doves, but "wise as serpents." Now, Catholics often displayed a deplorable unwisdom in their inability to realise and utilise the enormous power of the Press. The power of the Press, and especially of the newspaper, for gcod or ill, was simply incalculable. A good newspaper protected the household from the infidelity, and, to some extent, from the brazen immorality of the day, and, as far as it penetrated, carried the sanctity of Catholic doctrine to those outside the Catholic Church. No doubt the Church would be preserved by Chriet in the future as in the past. It would no more perish from the apathy of those within than from the persecution of those without. Bat though heaven and earth shall pass away, Christ's word shall not pass ; and if men neglected this warning, and were not wise aa serpents in their generation, incalculable evil would result to themselves and those dependent on them, and innumerable souls wonld be lost. Here is the illustration.

In the war against Austria, in 1859, Napoleon 111. had employed rifled cannon ; but the Austrians had not. The result was that Austrian reserves that were supposed to be out of reach were almost annihilated. When arranging, at Villafranca, the conditions of peace, the Emperor of Austria said to Napolecn:— "lt was impossible to struggle againßt yoar artillery." Seven years later Aastrla iraa engaged in war with Prussia, and the same unprepared nesß led to the same result. Armed with the famous needle quo, the Prussians crushed them at Sadowa.

At the present moment we are witnessing, in the war between China and JapaD, the same causes produce the same effect. China is a country so vast that it would seem that, even if the Chinese sat down and allowed themjelves to be massacred, it would be impoajible for any people to exierminate them, yet China is already at fche feet of Japan.

It has b«en truly B^id that the pen is mightier than the sword. It can draw or Bheath it, 1 This mighty weapon is constantly pointed at the Catholic Church, wd multitudes of Catholics are as careless in arming themselves witf it as were the Austriana and Chinese in

arming themselves with the newest artillery. If they are ignorant, it is not from want of warning ; but because, instead of being " wise as serpents," they are " foolieh people, and without understanding j who have eyes and see not, aod ears and hear not." " Providence seems to have given, in onr day, a great mission to the Catholic Press. It is for it to preserve the principles of order and faith where they still prevail, and to propagate them where impiety and cold indifference have caused them to bo forgotten."— Letter of Pope Pius IX. in 1851.

"We urgently beseech you to assist, with all good-will and favour, those men who, animated with spirit and possessed of sufficient learning, are laboaring and publishing books and journals for the defence and propagation of Catholic doctrine."— Encyclical of Pope Pius IX. in 1853.

"He is hardly mistaken who would attribute the deplorable state now existing to the bad Press. Universal custom having, however, in some degree, made the Press necessary, Catholic authors should exert all their powers to make it serve for the salvation of society."— Leo XIII.

The authors are doing their duty. It is the readers that fail in theirs. More than twenty years ago the Moat Rev Dr Moran, on going to Dunedin, found two morning and one evening paper steadily pouring red hot shot intD the Catholic body. He wrote to these papers, but they would not publish his letters. He bad his letters printed aod placarded over the city ; and then the papers opened their columns to him. But he felt this was an insufficient and uncertain remedy. Only trained soldiers can meet trained soldiers. In war isolated deeds of valour count usually for little. Victory falls to the troops that are best trained and best led. The Bishop established the N.Z. Tablet. Of course, this has very little circulation among Protestante. But it furnishes Catholics with answers to all that is said against them ; it fights their battle ably and devotedly ; and, as it pounces upon and pillories every falsehood, it renders the hostile papers more cautious about attacking.^ HarJly id Dr Delany appointed Bishop of*Hobart when he establishes a paper.

Some years ago a Catholic publisher forwarded to a Catholic establishment a little reading book intended to diminish somewhat for young children the enormous difficulties of English pronunciation. The silent letters were indicated by a diagonal stroke, which, as it were, crossed them out. Thus in the word THOUGHT the U's were marked. The principal, on being aakad what he thought of the little book, admitted its utility ; but when further asked had it been adopted, replied—" Well, you know, we can't adopt everything." 11 But have you adopted anything 7" «• Well, no ; I cannot "say that I have."

Why are the Protestant magazines so beautifully illustrated and so cheap ? Are we less gifted than the Protestants ? The exhibits of the Catholic schools at the Cathedral Pair show that we have duly received our five talents. la the Catholic market smaller than the Protestant 7 Though probably a Protestant does not examine very closely the particular form of Protestantism professed by any author, it is natural to suppose that the Wesleyan would prefer a Wesleyan book, the Presbyterian a Presbyterian one, etc. Consequently, these markets should seem Bmall, and the Catholic market larger than all of them put together. Unfortunately it i» not bo I The Protestant market is a business-like market— a market that buys, and pays for what it buys ; a market that never fancies it confers a favour when it takes a book or newspaper, or that it is not to be expected to pay ; a maiket that is not insulted when an account is rendered, and that never dreams of ordering iti paper to be stopped, for the grievous offence that the account has been rendered. Each publication consequently kaowß exaotly how far it can safely venture, and each new success justifies a further advance.

A Protestant, as a rule, would not go into the Catholic market. He would scarcely accept a present of a Catholic book or paper. But a Catholic will go freely into the Protestant marker, and when he does he becomes businesslike, and pays like everybody else, without ever dreaming of getting anything for|nothing. How different

when be goes into the Catholic market. It is a sort of sleepy hollow, where he seems to lose all energy. He slackens bis step ; he loiters and dawdles; he fincies hs confers a favonr on the bookseller or newspaper office. If he would but pay his Uwful debt his foolish fancy might be thrown in with the book or newspaper, but when he fancies the favour so great as to exempt him from payment, he is guilty of no ordinary injustice. He not only wrongs his fellow-man but be injures the Catholic czuae. Many years ago a bookseller in Lonsdale street received an order from one of those dawdling " benefactors." He sent account after account, till all the profit was swallowed up ia postage stamps. He had lo*t his books, he had lost his stamps ; he wisely stopped lest he should lose more. It is a serious matter to think that the gentleman who conferred upon htm this singular favour will have to dawdle in purgatory till he has paid the last farthing. There are many who " favour " the Advocate in the same lofty way. They, too, will pay their farthings in purgatory. What if every farthing should count for four and Bhould be computed at compound interest ? Michael O'Grady told me more than twenty yean ago there were in Victoria 10,000 Catholic homes where the Advocate was nnkuown. It was he that established this Catholic paper. I suppose that some time his honoured name must be forgotten. But it certainly should not in the century in which he delivered the victims of GUenveagh from Mr Adair.

Bismarck's present successor as Caancallor of Germany is a latholic.

The rebuke of the Lord Chief Justice to a juryman has afforded the bar much amusement. Before trying a case, one of the jury iou?ht to be excused from serving. "On what ground T " inquired iis Lordship. With his hand to his ear the man approached and replied, "I am deaf, my lord, and cannot hear the evidence." " You ran gD," said Lord Russell, in a low voice. " Thank you, my lo"d," mswered the juryman, taken off bis guard, but the learned judge had lot finished his sentence, and he sternly added, " into the box and do rour duty." The man quailed and obeyed ia same confusion at the 'ailnre of the ruse.

very artistic, showing a decided gift, and one well worth cultivating. In this particular, Miss Fanny Cullinane is entitled to all praise, especially for her floral designs and orayon work, while in this latter Miss Laura Johnston shares honours. In art needlework, some handsome specimens were shown, attention being arrested by the beautifully worked mantle-drapes, evidently the congenial task of Miss Middlemas and Miss Ryan, the former also showing considerable proficiency in plain needlework, in conjunction with Hiss Light and Miss Beasley, while Miss Cull in (of Hastings) received deserved praise for bar pretty samples of bead work. With regard to the specimens of writing, from the lowest to the highest class they all bore testimony to the care th it had been bestowed on the scholars by their teachers, the oaligrapby being clear and very distinct. Those who had the pleasure of baing preiant at fie exhibition expressed themselves in terms of praise at the improvement showu throughout, aod the beautiful specimens submitted for inspection.

At 6.30 in the evening the an anal entertainment was held in St Mary's Hall, tin building, as usual on these occasioas, being crowded with parents and friends. The programme, which was a very lengthy one, was as follows :— Duet (four pianos) "Oiilpsric," Misses E and B Flynn, O and E Light, Old ham, Delahunty, Wixey, and Johnston ; song " Christmas," pupils of Sacred Heart School ; pianoforte duet, " Sans Souci," Misses A and EL Kirkwood, O and X Light, Holcroft, Aramburn, X and O Flynn ; song " Boat," junior pupils of the Sacred Heart School ; pianoforte duet," Pretty Birds," Misses Donovan, O'Connell, Aramburn, Flynn Adair, Middlemas, Steed man, Oullinane ; song, " The Pendulum," pupilß of St Joseph's School ; pianoforte trio " Bonnie Dundee," Miss L Oldham, M Donovan, Kate Holcroft, O'Oonnell, Ohisholm, Adair, Rendell, Light; Johnston, Middlemas, Steedman, Cullinane • song " Fairies of the sea," pupils of Sacred Heart School ; pianoforte solo, " Irish Diamonds" Misses X and B Flynn, Old bam, and Light ; 6ong •• Fairy," pupils of Sacred Heart Infant School ; pianoforte duet, " Euryanthe," Misses X and B Flynn, O and E Light, Oldham, Aramburn, Delahunty, and Johnston ; song " Monntain boys," pupils of St Joseph's school ; pianoforte trio, " Gipsy quad-