Current Topics

New Zealand Tablet, 20 November 1913, Page 21

Current Topics

Abbot Gasquet on Religion in England p Abbot Gasquet, 0.5.8., is at present engaged in a lecturing tour of America for the purpose of gathering funds/ to meet the heavy expense connected with the great work of the revision of the Vulgate which has been entrusted by the Holy Father to the Benedictine Order. Immediately on his arrival in America he. was, of | course, seized upon by the press reporters, who questioned, him regarding the state of religion in England. ■ Abbot Gasquet is not in the least given to extreme, sensational,, or exaggerated speaking; and even allowing for a little possible embellishment on the part of the enterprising newspaper man his views may be taken as a very close approximation to the truth. The distinguished Benedictine is reported as saying that the condition of religion in England was, outside the Catholic Church, deplorable. Oxford and Cambridge, he declared, were becoming more and more atheistical. The Anglican bishops had lost all authority over their clergy, and were quite frankly freethinkers. The middle-classes no longer thronged dissenting churches, and the lower classes were absolutely without religious impulses. 'The Catholic Church,' proceeded Abbot Gasquet, ' alone remains unmoved, and the intellectuals are drifting to it in large numbers each year. Within a generation I firmly believe England will be divided between Catholics and freethinkers, as Protestantism is becoming more and more a negligible force. I myself happen to know many new Catholics of the intellectual class, as I am a member of the Authors Club, London, and I can see conclusively that those who are not drifting away from religion are drifting toward Catholicism. If it is able to reach the middleclasses, England will become a Catholic country.'

The Abbot s views as to the probable religious developments in England and as to . the lines along which religious cleavage will ultimately run are interesting as fore-shadowing the early fulfilment of a prophecy, made long ago by the penetrating and farseeing Newman. In an article hi the British Critic, written as far back as 1839, a few years before his reception into the Catholic Church, Newman anticipated the view now expressed by Abbot Gasquet, and wrote these prophetic words : ‘As regarded what was called Evangelical Religion, there was more to cause alarm. I observed upon its' organisation; but on the other hand it had no intellectual basis; no internal idea, no principle of unity, no theology. “Its adherents,” I said, “are already separating from each other; they will melt away like a snowdrift. It has no straightforward view on any one point, on which it professes to teach, and to hide its poverty, it has dressed itself out in a maze of words. We have no dread of it at all ; we only fear what it may lead to. It does not stand on intrenched ground, or make any pretence to a position ; it does but occupy the space between contending powers, . Catholic Truth and Rationalism. Then, indeed, will be the stern encounter, when two real and living principles, simple, entire, and consistent, one in the Church, the other out of it, at length rush upon each other, contending not for names and words, or half-views, but for elementary notions; and distinctive moral characters.’

A New Presbyterian Departure It is always a puzzle to us to understand how Christian men, and much more Christian ministers, can actively ally themselves with a confessedly religious institution such as Freemasonry from whose religious creed all reference to Christ—the God-Man, the Saviour and Redeemer of the world—has been deliberately eliminated. To the Catholic mind, to have part or lot in such a mutilated faith and worship or to countenance it in any way is simple disloyalty to Christ. ' He that is not with Me,' said our Blessed Lord, 'is against Me ; and he that gathereth not with Me, scattereth.'

Ministers have, moreover, a special and almost personal reason for holding themselves aloof from, if not for actually reprobating, the Masonic cult. Freemasonry, claiming as it does that its religious ’’doctrines are sufficient, necessarily becomes— it so professes itself or not—a rival to or a substitute for .other, forms of religion and for the Christian Churches generally. That Masonry does put, forward its doctrines as a sufficient religious creed might be established from a dozen authorities. For our present purpose one will suffice. We now find,' writes Sickels regarding the third degree, 1 a man complete in morality and intelligence, with a state of religion added to ensure him the protection of the Deity and to guard him from going astray. These three degrees thus form a perfect and harmonious whole nor can we conceive that anything' more can be suggested which the soul of man requires ’ {Freemason's Monitor, pp. 97-98; Book p. 40). That practice follows theory as to the completeness and sufficiency of Masonry as a religion is also beyond question. ‘ Masons say without hesitation that the man who lives up to his Masonic obligations is sure of heaven. Or as they more frequently put it, “Masonry is good enough religion for me”’ (Blanchard, quoted by Book p. 39). Ministers, therefore,. from an instinct of self-interest and self-preservation, if from no higher principle, are usually wise enough not to give aid and comfort to what, if not an enemy, is at least more or less of a rival to their own churches.

One leading Presbyterian minister of New Zealand, however— Rev. R. Evan Davies, of Knox Church, Dunedin, —takes a different view, and evidently believes in the principle that you cannot have too many friends in the struggle through life. Under the mystic heading ‘ 1.T.N.0.T.G.A.0.T.U.’ and v with the more intelligible sub-heading ‘Masonic Service,’ the Dunedin Evening Star, of Saturday, November 8, contained the fallowing, advertisement: The Officers and Brethren (with their friends) of the Lodges working under the N.Z. Constitution are invited to attend a Masonic Service to be held in Knox Church, to-morrow (Sunday), commencing at 3 o’clock. The brethren, will meet at the Masonic Hall, Moray place, at 2.30 p.m., and proceed in procession to the church. Dress: .Morning dress, with regalia, white ties and gloves.’ The advertisement was signed ‘A. Stoneham, Prov. Grand Master N.Z.C.’ The service was duly held, and was thus ,reported in the Otago Daily Times of Monday, November 10: ‘ The brethren of the English Constitution, Irish Constitution, and New Zealand Constitution, Masonic Order, met at the Masonic Hall, Moray place, at 2.30 yesterday afternoon and marched in procession in regalia to Knox Church, where they were joined by brethren of the Scottish Constitution, to attend church service. The Rev. Bro. Davies, Chaplain of the English District Grand Lodge, , preached a very interesting sermon,, applicable to Masonic matters, which was listened to with great attention, and evidently much appreciated by the hearers. The lesson was read by the District Grand Master of the English Constitution, Bro. T. S. Graham. Bro. D. Cooke, District Grand Master of the Scottish Constitution, presided at the organ and conducted the musical .portion of the service. After the service was concluded the brethren unrobed in the church and disbanded to their homes. A number of the general public took advantage of the opportunity extended to them of being present.’ This certainly marks a new departure in Presbyterianism and in the historic Knox Church; and it is one which we cannot. help hoping will not be widely imitated.

The « Frenzy of Undress ' 'The fashion,' Shakespeare says, 'wears out more apparel than the manand assuredly it wears out more apparel than the woman. ' Fashions change like leaves on the bough'—and the hat, and coat, and skirt, and costume must be used only for .one season, and then replaced by later ' creations 'not because the older ones are worn out, but solely at the bidding of tyrant fashion. And the tyranny of fashion is respon-

sible for more than mere waste and extravagance. It is in part, at least, responsible for the phenomenon—.as painful as it is puzzlingpresented by ; the sjght of good girls, even good Catholic girls, making themselves party to the hideously ugly and flagrantly immodest modes of dress that are noyt so much in vogue. We have called the dress ugly, because no one can pretend that a skirt which is so tight that its wearer cannot really walk but only waddle is a thing of beauty, or is, indeed, anything but a laughing stock to sensible people. It is getting more and more abbreviated, also, at both ends; and if the shortening process is carried much further the ‘ smart ’ woman of the near future will answer almost literally to Kipling’s disgusted description— ‘ a rag, a bone, and a hank of hair/ That the slashed skirt. X-ray gowns, and other modes of the hour are. immodest we have the evidence of our own eyes, and the definite testimony of priests and doctors that they are, as an acual fact, an incitement to passion and lust. Now to the mind of the normal healthy-minded Catholic girl all this must be thoroughly abhorrent. But environment is strong, and. convention and fashion almost irresistible except to the strongminded ; and so many otherwise excellent girls weakly compromise, and without going the limit in the matter of dress extravagance they meet the present demoralising tendency rather more than half way. They do not belong to the class somewhat fiercely denounced by Father Benedict, C.SS.S., editor of the Catholic Review, in an interview given to a representative of the Loudon Universe. ‘lt is only too true,’ he says, ‘that no fashion could be invented too shameless or too absurd for some women — would go to hell rather than bo out of fashion. To my mind and to that of anyone who has had real practical experience of the world, and real knowledge of human nature, this frenzy of undressing is only a further manifestation of the complete laying off of every vestige of Christian restraint and decency that has characterised the last 25 years.’ But they do need the hint which he gives to Catholic.girls. No Catholic girl with any true sense of decency and with any sense of that modesty that should be her glory, can possibly degrade herself by the slavish surrender of her body to the unholy fashion of the day. Of one thing I am sure, that sanity must return sooner or later, and that in a few year's’ time every clean and decent mind will look back upon the present descent into savagery with horror.’

Father Benedict has not been content with mere criticism and denunciation, but has drawn up some practical directions for Christian girls, the observance of which will ensure modesty ’and moderation in the matter of dress. They are: (1) Dress should be full so that" you can walk.. Clothes should cover arms down to the wrist, and also the neck. (2) Hats should be of rational dimensions, so that you can go to Holy Communion without fear of accident. (3) Ornaments should be characterised by simplicity, and there should be reasonable quietness in choice of color. To these we would add the following, as the golden rule on the whole subject: Remember that your duty is not to see how far you can go in the direction' of the objectionable modes without actually transgressing the bounds of decency, but rather how far you can keep away from even the appearance of seeming to countenance or approve them. With this addition, Father Benedict’s summary of guiding principles may be heartily recommended.

• Christ, Not Hygiene ' The feeling that the sex hygiene instruction for children fad is going too fast and too far is beginning to find expression amongst thoughtful educators in America. The International Congress on School Hygiene was held at Buffalo from Monday, August 25, to>Saturday, August 30 ; and the view we have referred to was clearly voiced in the papers presented by such high authorities as Dr. Thomas M. Balliett, Dean of the School of Pedagogy in New-York University, and

William Trufant Foster, President of Reed College, Portland, Oregon. Several thousand people, the majority of whom were women, attended the Congress, and listened to papers and discussions in which, according to,the summary report appearing in America, the most delicate of subjects was handled, 'certainly with frankness and occasionally with blunt freedom/ One of the lady teachers, indeed, waxed enthusiastic regarding her success in teaching school children the mysteries of sex and generation by means of flowers and animals. She told how the teacher went on to instruct the growing boy that he had within his body the seed of future generations, and that he must respect himself and avoid any abuse for the sake of the future human ' beings whose fate was entrusted to him. The notion that a growing lad would really be likely to make any serious effort to master unruly inclinations out of solicitude for the interests of posterity shows to what ludicrous lengths excellent people may be carried by the force of a fad and by the mere strength and momentum of their good intentions.

What was admitted to be by far the ablest and most powerful address on, the subject was that given by the Rev. H. Tierney, S.J., Professor of Philosophy at Woodstock College, Md. Father Tierney dealt with the topic, ‘ The Catholic Church and the Sex Problem.’ He spoke fearlessly of the increasing efforts of the Catholic Church throughout her whole existence to conquer impurity of all kinds and to purify and elevate society. He pointed out that the means which she employs, moral instruction under the sanction of supernatural religion, together with the high ideal set before her children in theory and practice, are the only ones adequate to control the evil. ‘Christ, not hygiene, saved the world!’ he cried, ‘and Christ, not hygiene, will save it again !’ He warned the assembled educators that all detailed sex instruction in the schools, whether by the regular teachers or by others especially qualified, must lead to disastrous results. The origin of temptations is for the most part psychological, not physiological. A sensuous thought, an alluring image entertained in the imagination, leads to bodily inclination and to impure actions. To keep the subject of sex structure and function before the minds of the children is to feed their imaginations with the material of such images and temptations. The safety of children, and indeed of adults, lies in diverting their attention and interest to other healthy channels. Nor will warnings as to the dreadful diseases and physical evils consequent upon abuse avail to check the passions so inflamed. They will only render the sinner more cautious and induce him to learn and to employ means of protection against infection while continuing to indulge his passions. The instruction in sex hygiene is therefore liable to become simply a course in scientific immorality. Father Tierney did not condemn classes for the instruction of parents. But he counselled the Federation of Sex Hygiene to begin their work further back, to attack the root of the evil. ‘Build up the character of the children, teach them self-restraint from moral and religious motives, close the low theatres, purify the moving pictures, cleanse the novel, frown on the immodest fashions in dress, abolish animal dances ! By such means there is some hope that your high purpose may be in a measure fulfilled.’ This admirable address (says the report) delivered with great force and eloquence, was received with general and enthusiastic applause. The Public Ledger of Philadelphia is in entire agreement with Father Tierney as to the danger of giving to little children in the schools the sort of instruction, which, it says, is ‘tantamount to a mud bath.’ ‘ The country is obsessed,’ it says, in its issue of September 17, ‘by an unholy rage for vice investigation and vice exploitation. It ‘has threatened to debauch the stage, but wise men and women whose strong sense is above the superficial speculations- of amateur sociologists will check the attempt to institute vice teaching in the schools.’ . The Catholic Women’s Saturday Afternoon Club, the largest social organisation of women in Western New York, sent to the Congress a strong protest against the introduction into thd

schools of any direct instruction in Sex Hygiene and recommended instead classes for parents, mothers to be instructed by women specially qualified and fathers by men. That places the duty upon the shoulders of those to whom it primarily belongs, and makes a practical iwYaiuo .rotiug that parents o .-A qualified to give VUUA U iwvvaiuo UiiCVO |jtn OAX CO WAV lO gl V c the -measure of instruction necessary.