Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 10 December 1908, Page 22

Notes

The Catholic Paper - .- >• There has been,, perhaps, no time in living memory when the nations hayehad greater need than at present to keep the sword keen, the look-out sharp, and the defences ready. The same remark applies to the warfare of the Faith against error and vice. And in the first line of defence stand? the Catholic paper. ' It ' is,' said Bishop Conaty of Los Angelos in a recent discourse, < a strong champion of truth. It is out in the open, fighting in the interest of truth. It oomcs into the home with its explanation of Catholic. doctrine and its defence of Catholic truch and Catholic interests. Every Catholic family should have a Catholic newspaper. While the preacher and the lecturer speak the strong words, what they say passes, but the printed word remains, jmd the message of truth which it conveys is available to inquiring minds long after the memory of the spoken, word has passed away.' .», France furnishes a warning example of the dangers of a divided and poorly supported Catholic newspaper press. Its scores of weekly weaklings* (entitled Semaines Behgieuses)- contrived to maintain an anemic, debilitated, powerless, and apologetic existen6e at the expense of the few ably conducted journals that, like the Univers, were calculated to mould public thought, to unite tlie scattered Catholic forces, and to present a solid front to the enemy. An Index of Forbid denj. Books Some of our magistrates (as our columns have late'y shown) are evidently in favor of some such check upon tho publication of ' penny dreadfuls ' and other . forms of unwholesome fiction as is exercised by a high State official of England in the censorship of plays. In this connection we may appropriately quote an extract from a sermon that was preached by Dr. Campbell Morgan, of Westminster Chapel towards the close of 190.4. 'We smile/ said he, <in our broad-minded way, at the Roman Catholic index of forbidden books. I often wish I could make an index of forbidden books for our young people.' A Rebuke We recall the case of a sarcastic priest who, in the middle pf .his sermon, addressed the following rebuke to the members of the choir in an Australian city: 'I fear that my words are interrupting the thread of an absorbing narrative among the members of the choir. I will therefore pause in order to enable them to conclude" in peace.' The conclusion was, as may be imagined, a rather abrupt one. The B.H. Review quotes in " a recent issue - an' even more telling admonition. Said a preacher: 'I am always afraid to expose those who misbehave, for this reason: Some years ago, as I was preaching, a young man who sat before me was laughing, talking, and making uncouth, grimaces. I paused and administered a severe rebuke. After the service a gentleman said to me: "Sir, you have made a. great mistake. ' that young man whom you reproved is an idiot." Since then I have been afraid \o reprove those who misbehave- themselves in church, lest I should repeat the mistake and reprove another idiot.* During the rest of the service at least there was good order.'