IDEALS OF CIVILISATION

New Zealand Tablet, 29 September 1910, Page 1569

IDEALS OF CIVILISATION

AS DEVELOPED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH j Perhaps the earliest expression of civilisation, and the one regarded by the ancients as the chief art, was architecture (says a writer in the Boston Pilot). We remember tne Egyptian art in the tombs; the Greek in their great temples to their pagan gods; the Roman in the triumphal arches and basilicas. But the Christians put their best efforts into the most worthy buildings, the great churches, and the cathedrals. A great debt of gratitude is due to the Catholic Church for the care with which she has encouraged the arts and preserved them against barbarian destroyers. Art has, at all times, found a fostering mother in the Church. Architecture, directly and wholly, found its development in the Church. The principal forms were Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance. The Byzantine is the form which developed in the Eastern Church, and is characterised by a profusion of ornament, always a feature of Eastern art, and cupolas. The Church of St. Sophia in Constantinople, now a Mohammedan mosque, is the masterpiece of this form. Its exterior is covered with domes, while its interior, the walls and vaults incrusted with precious marble and splendid mosaics, is magnificent. The Romanesque, the second great form, has, by some, been called the stepping-stone to the Gothic. Its massive walls, round arches, and heavy mouldings, richly carved, are special characteristics. The Duomo or Cathedral of Pisa is the finest monument of the style. It has a large elliptical dome and a richly arcaded front. The circular baptistery, and the famous leaning tower, combine with the l ' Duomo to make one of the most remarkable groups of" ecclesiastical buildings of Europe. .-I-..-. m During the twelfth century church architecture made rapid strides. Under the direct influence of the Church, the greatest form of architecture the world has yet seen, the Gothic, was produced. The most characteristic feature is the pointed arch, which symbolises that Christian thought tends toward Heaven. The Cathedral of Amiens is one of the finest specimens of the Gothic and the largest Cathedral in France. It has many very tall and very slender spires, and its porches are profusely decorated with statuary and other sculptural ornaments. Renaissance architecture reached its culmination in St. Peter’s, Rome. Planned and carried out by such geniuses as Bramante and Michael Angelo, it is one of the greatest architectural conceptions of "all history, and the largest church in existence. . Very closely connected with architecture, and often subordinate to it, are Painting and Sculpture. These two arts find their best themes in religion. Scenes from the life of Christ, His Blessed Mother, and His disciples, have always furnished beautiful subjects for these arts. Raphael, whose renown as a painter is worldwide, is especially remembered for his series of paintings of the Blessed Mother and Child; particularly the ‘ Sistine Madonna and ‘The Madonna of the Chair.’ Among some of his other works, almost as wonderful, are the ‘ Vision of Ezekiel ’ and ‘ The Transfiguration.’ Another Catholic painter whom .we remember with pride was Leonardo Da Vinci, the painter of the Last Supper.’ In the line of sculpture the Church claims as her children Pisano, Donatello, and the greatest artist, both a sculptor and a painter, that ever' lived, Michael Angelo. It was he who painted so wonderfully the vaults and ceilings in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. The vault has for its scheme the picture of the creation of man, his sin, his punishment, admonition, obstinacy in evil, his hope of escaping from evil, and a better day on which good will triumph. This vast story is told in decoration, and we think of this great work as the flowering of the Renaissance. Some of this great artist’s sculptures are ‘ Moses,’ ‘ David,’ and ‘ The Thinker.’ It took many centuries and many minds to appreciate this man, who was the greatest of all artists. The Art of Music was much slower than the other fine arts, mainly because of the persecutions which the Christians were obliged to endure for over three hundred years. When an end was put to these sufferings the Church composed hymns of triumph and praise, and used them in connection with preaching. For this purpose originated the Gregorian chants in the time of Gregory the Great. This simple, yet exquisite, music was a powerful inspiration to the great musical masters . and composers. Haydn and Mozart were especially influenced, and the latter went so far as to say that he would rather have been the author of some of these chants than anything he had ever written.

Although Rome tried to preserve these chants with the greatest of care, corruption crept in. However, through the efforts of Palestrina ever since known as the father of church harmony, the music was saved. The other great composers of church music were Allegri, Pergolesi, author of the famous imitative music of the ‘ Stabat Mater,’ and Mozart, whose renown will ever be known the world over. With the talent of these great masters, and the encouragement given by the Church, the world acquired a ‘ new language, music, which gave an elevating pleasure and a new grace to civilisation.’ The Debt of Science to the Church. The Catholic world in all ages has been noted for the encouragement it has given to science. Ignorant and bigoted writers call our Church the enemy of science, but they forget intentionally that during the long, troublesome centuries science had no protection or shelter except what it found in monasteries and churches. They also forget that the great universities of Europe, the pride of Christendom to-day, were largely founded and maintained by Bishops and Popes. Every branch of science owes its origin, and the greater part of its growth, to Catholic scientists. The history of astronomy, ‘ the greatest and noblest of all physical sciences,’ is filled with Catholic names. There is no more beautiful character in any science than Copernicus, the father of the Copeniican or modern system of astronomy. He studied this science at Rome, and while there received Holy Orders. Although he loved his favorite science greatly, he did not slight the duties of his sacred office in the leasta fact that shows how absurd it is to think a great scientist cannot be a true Christian. Galileo, another Catholic, did more for astronomy than any other man. In fact, we owe the modern science of astronomy to Galileo and Copernicus, who have justly been called the creators of this science. The final establishment of the Copernican system is due to Galileo and his telescope. With the application of that instrument to the heavens, he discovered much about the planets and other heavenly bodies, every discovery strengthening the teachings of the great Copernicus. Other great contributors to astronomy were Leverrier, the discoverer of Neptune, and Father Secchi, the greatest student of the sun that ever lived. The latter was a member of the Jesuits, the religious Order which has done so much, and is still doing so much for this great science. Besides astronomy, the development of the other sciences is in a large measure due to the Church and her children. Literature. The Church has always been a loving mother to literature as well as to the fine arts and sciences. By her alone the hooks of the Old and New Testaments were preserved against the destroying barbarians. She kept the writings of the early Greeks and Romans, after the fall of Greece and Rome; and through her influence the revival of the works of these great masters came about. Her missionaries saved and put into permanent form the national poetry and folk-lore of many of the European races. The majority of the great writers who professed to be against the Church, still had a secret inclination to the true Church. Shakespeare’s poetry was Catholic; Schiller, the great German dramatist, got many of his subjects from Catholic history; and the works of Milton, the English poet, and Longfellow, the American, are filled with Catholic traditions. During the Middle Ages, there was a great deal of philosophical and theological literature written by the monks. ' St. Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican, and called the ‘ Universal and Angelic Doctor,’ showed his profound knowledge on every theological question in his Summa Theologica. St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan monk, also wrote much on these subjects. Besides this class of literature, Italian poetry was reaching its culmination. Dante, the great Christian poet of the Middle Ages, was active at this time. His admirable poem, Divina Comedia, is the first model of truly Christian literature. Petrarch, author of many sonnets, and other poets, followed. Throughout the whole history of civilisation, the greatest writers have either been members of the true Church and labored directly under her influence, or have secretly had inclination to her and have been influenced by her work indirectly. While the fine arts and sciences were developing under the influence and protection of the Church, daring adventurers were making many discoveries. Christopher Columbus, an Italian, but under the patronage of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, discovered America in 1492. Thus, a whole new continent was opened up to the Church, in which she could repeat her work for civilisation in Europe. The Early Missionaries. Subsequently, many Dominican, Franciscan, and Jesuit missionaries crossed the Atlantic to convert to Christianity some of the wildest and fiercest tribes of Indians, These priests, sacrificing and frugal, performed a tremendous task in the introduction and'spread of civilisation. One of the chief designs of the pious Isabella was the conversion of the heathen, and neither any means were forgotten or any exertion considered too great to accomplish this end. The lives of the Spanish missionaries form by their selfdenial a strong contrast to the reckless careers of many

adventurers; these noble priests went to dwell among savages and to instruct them in religion they abandoned homes and friends for the wilderness. Besides the Spaniards, the Portuguese had sailed around Africa, and in 1497 De Gama reached India. Religion was their guiding spirit as well as with the Spaniards. Africa’s eastern and western coasts were opened up by the Capuchins, and notwithstanding the many difficulties, they fought heroically and quite successfully. The Franciscans were the first to enter India, but these were soon followed by the Jesuits, among whom the noble work of St. Francis Xavier will never be forgotten. From this country the missionaries went to China and Japan, and added thousands to the Faith and built many churches. France, also a powerful nation at this time, was not outdone by the other countries, but sent many explorers to America. Champlain, Pore Marquette, and La Salle, are ever memorable names. Champlain, the first French explorer, discovered the St. Lawrence River, and with the aid of some Jesuit missionaries founded the city of Quebec. Pere Marquette and La Salle 'explored the Mississippi River to quite an extent, and the former founded many missions on the w 7 ay. Through the zeal and heroic devotion of her missionaries, the Church performed a momentous work for civilisation in opening the gate of heaven to those savage people, who before had known neither God nor morality. Establishment of Catholic Schools. One of the first steps which the Church took to encourage these arts, sciences, and discoveries, was to establish schools for the education of all people. The first schools were in the residences of bishops and priests, and in these places also boys were trained for the ecclesiastical life. Likewise after the beginning of monastic life, the monastery became a school for training monks. All through the invasions of the ravaging barbarians, the episcopal and monastic schools were the only ones which survived. Early in the history of civilisation, we find Ireland having many monastery schools, the result of the work of St. Patrick. Later the abbey of Monte Cassino was founded by St. Benedict, and this became the model of many such schools scattered through western Europe. When Charlemagne became the ‘ Defender of the Holy Roman Empire ’ he was determined to make use of education for restoring civilisation in the West. Fie invited Alcuin, an Englishman, and the best teacher in Europe, to come to his court and have charge of the Palace School. Besides this school, he established many schools throughout his large empire, especially for the benefit of ecclesiastical students. Soon after the fall of Charlemagne’s empire, the Normans became spreaders of all civilising ideas. In their schools were such great men as Lanfranc and St. Anselm. During the twelfth century the history of modern universities begins with the University of Paris. This was attached to the Church, and the masters and majority of its students were in religious Orders, With this University as a model, others were founded a few years later, i.e., Oxford and Cambridge (England), Naples, Vienna, and Lisbon. Besides the education of the youth, the care of the poor and the sick has always been a duty dear to the heart of the Church. The Church never neglected the needy all through the first ages of Christianity and in medieval times. Of the many religious communities founded by holy and benevolent persons for care of the sick, mention may be made of the Brothers of Charity, established by St. John of God, and the Sisters of Charity, founded by St. Vincent de Paul. All the good accomplished by these self-sacrificing religious Orders is known only to God. Although people have seen them in hospitals and reformatories, no one but God can fully appreciate the value and merit of their labors. Whenever Orphans were to be caved for, deaf and dumb to be taught, the lame and blind to be fed and clothed, the Sisters of St. Francis and of St. Dominie, the Sisters of Mercy and Charity were found ready to devote themselves to the care of the afflicted. Today, the Orders for caring for the poor and destitute are to be found in nearly every city in the civilised world. Besides the teaching Orders, and those for the care of the sick, two military religious Orders of the Knights of St. John and the Knights Templars arose at the time of the Crusaders. These Orders added the vow of fighting against infidels to their other three vows. The Knights of St. John were first simply attendants or nurses in hospitals. Later they became an Order of Knights, having for their main object the overthrow of the Mahommedans. After the downfall of Acre, they established themselves on the Island of Malta, where a small Order still remains. The Church and the Worker. Besides defending herself against infidels and unbelievers, the Church has done much towards solving the many questions that come up from time to time, especially the social question, one of the hardest problems for any civilisation. By this is meant the question of regulating relations between employer and employee; the harmonious relations between capital and labor. The Catholic Church, ever foremost in progress, has expressed clearly her views on this question. She has always had an anxious care for the laboring classes. In the Middle Ages, she encouraged ! the formation of labor and art guilds, the forerunners of

the modern labor and trade unions, whose chief objects were the intellectual development of the individual and the uplifting of the common people. These guilds were religious in character, since they originated in a spirit of true Christian charity. There were a great number of them for every trade and profession, and all had priests as chaplains work as a sacred duty, and a religious spirit pervaded them and saints for their patrons. The members looked upon throughout. Owing to the flourishing conditions of these organisations, trade, in all its branches, reached the highest degree of perfection yet attained.