NO NEW SAINTS.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4594, 26 September 1883, Page 2

NO NEW SAINTS.

The Canadians are anxious to have a saint of their own. Mgr. Laval, the first Bishop of Quebec, is a candidate for the honour of saintship, and an ecclesiastical commission has been sitting for many months in Quebec collecting and examine ing evidence as to Ms claims. It is undersfcpod that the commission has decided in the late bishop's favour, and it now rests with the* saint department in Borne to take final action in the matter.

When, some time ago, a number of new saints were made, the conduct of the Roman Church in the matter was defended on the ground that an infusion of new blood into the ranks of sainthood was desirable. This excuse, however, cannot be used forever, and it most certainly will not apply to the case of Bishop Laval. We may grant that he was an excellent man and an admirable Bishop. If. may even be conceded that he worked several very creditable rairaftH^s.*""'Sifcilti tHo fact remains that the number of saints already in the service is excessive, and hence no more should at present be added to the number.

The condition of the saint service in the Koman Church is very much like the condition of the United States Navy. In the days when we had a large fleet we had no more officers than we needed. We could give employment to all of them, and no complaints were made that the navy was overstocked with officers. Now, kowever, that we have no ships to speak of, we cannot find employment for our numerous officers. We hare something like fifty-three officers to every ship, and Congress, in order to prevent this disproportion from increasing, has been compelled to provide that no new officers shall be admitted to the service except as vacancies may arise. Years ago, when all Europe was religious, there was no excess of saints. Every town, large or small, had its patron saint, and every devout believer had a private saint of his own. There has. however, been a great change in the religipus state of Europe within the last thirty years. In Italy, for example, belief in religion has been steadily decreasing. In the large towns the majority of the men are unbelievers, and desire to have nothing whatever to do with the saints. Of course, no saint will thrust his services upon those to,,w.hom they are distasteful. 1 hus, scores of towns, having ceased to pay any attenfipriV.to their municipal saints, h^ve'Tery lijCPperly been in turn abandoned by the, j^.pts ; and of those saints who fofmjJ^'tSbk charge of individual Italians jS^ibably one half are out of employment.' Thfe,same thing has taken place all over Europe, and at a moderate estimate there are now nearly 600 saints who ace, so to speak, waiting orders and

without any reasonable hopa of employment. '

la these circumstances it is useless to add to the number of saints. The Roman Church should take the ground that hereafter no new saints shall be made except when vacancies occur. At the same time, the church should adopt a retiring law authorising the Pope to place on the retired list any paint who has been in active service for, say, 1000 years. Of course, the Pope should have the right to keep a saint on the active list for any length of time if by so doing the efficiency " of the service could be promoted, but he certainly should have the right to retire such saints as should have failed after a thousand years of trial to justify their retention, i

Vacancies made by the application of of the retiring act could Very properly be filled by the appointment of new saints. If the late Bishop Laval can wait patiently his claims can be recognised without injustice to other saints, or to the church. The attempt to secure an appointment for him now, when the saint service 'is so notoriously crowded, is, however, illjudged, and no true friend of the church will be anxious to see it. succeed.—New York Times.