New Zealand Tablet Fiat Justitia.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 42, 14 February 1874, Page 5

New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1874. THE CHURCH AND MODERN PROGRESS.

This is an age of progress. All are agreed that it is so ; and public writers take care that men shall not forget the fact. The word progress stares one in the face everywhere. It is always to be found in the newspapers. "Works on Political Economy of course cannot dispense with it. Philosophers and literary men find it necessary, convenient, and telling. Almost everywhere too, it will be found to possess one striking peculiarity. Progress is not unfre(juently set down as the antagonist of the Catholic Church, to which, it is said, enlightenment and advance are fatal. This is a platitude that has been repeated usque ad nauseam by the would-be men of progress. But is it so ? This is a question which may be considered in the light of the past and the present. As to the past, it will be enough to say here, that after eighteen centuries of conflict in every nation and under every condition of science and civilization, the Church still exists and flourishes. InJ the eyes of the philosopher deserving the name thiß fact would afford a stroug argument that the result of the future will be the same as that of the past. Modern philosophers, however, seem to ignore facts, and ground their theories on hope and their own limited experience. To us their argument, substantially, appears to be this —that as they have lost the Faith, so every one who has attained, or shall attaiu to their measure of enlightenment, which of course is the orthodox measure, must also lose it. We are unable to give a definition of this orthodox measure of progress, but taking things as they are, we think there is not much ground in the history of the a^e on which to hope for the realization of the theory of our modern philosophers. What is the teaching of the present century on the point under consideration? If progress, advanced civilization, as it is said, must be fatal to Catholicity, surely the Catholic Church must be retrograding in the most progressive and civilized States. Do facts, however, bear out the theory ? Take the two greatest nations in the world, the two most remarkable for progress according to modern ideas —England and the United States of America. These countries are in the van of civilization, in material prosperity,, political freedom; in commerce, trade and manufactures; in education, science, arts, and literature^ And it is no exaggeration to say that they are the envy of the world, for their general culture and progress in

civilization. Has this progress and this culture been fatal to Catholicity P has the Church died out in these countries as they have advanced ? Let us see. A century ago, there were hardly sixty thousand Catholics in Great Britain ; there ara now two millions! And what is the condition of these two millions ? They have a noble Hierarchy ; a numerous, learned and active clergy; hundreds of beautiful churches, will supplied with all requisites for the Divine worship and tha administration of the sacraments; a large number of schools, colleges, and religious communities. In addition, throughout England the Church ia annually attracting t:> her fold thousands from every rank in society. Ainon^t the most earnest and devoted of her children are to be found men and women of the noblest intellects, highest culture, and most extensive attainmsnts, scientific, literary. and theological, whom her uurivalled claitn3 have won over from the ranks of her bitterest enemies. In England tie Catholic Church has done more than keep pace with the progress of the nation. She has not only kept her own in the midst of modern civilization, but has been able to ln^lce successful sallies into the enemies' camp. Hero then, in this great nation modern progress ha 3 not bjen fatal to tha Catholic Church. But it will be asked, — how is it in tli3 Unital Stitja, the most liberal and progressive of nations? It will bo news, indeed, to the would-be philosophers that in the United States, under a most free and democratic constitution, the progress of the Catholic Church has been more marked than even in England. In the United States a century ago there was not even one Bishop, hardly a priest, and only a handful of Catholics scattered far and wide. To-day there are fifty Bishops, moro than three thousand priests, and between nine and ten, millions of Catholics. They possess efficient schools, colleges, universities. Their churches, which are numerous, are amongst the noblest monuments of the country. Tli3yhave, in great numbers, convents, hospitals, asylums, orphanages, and other institutions of charity — a powerful Press, and a literature that is not inferior to that of any other denomination. In the great centres of population and influence the Church is even now very powerful, and it is the opinion of a great American statesman that in five and twenty years the centres of population and intelligence, that is the great cities throughout the States, will be entirely Catholic. Indeed it has been said by one competent to form a judgment on the subject, that in a quarter of a century every man of intelligence in the United States, who cares for his soul, will be a Catholic. It is calculated that there are in the Catholic Church in the United States at this moment one million five hundred thousand converts. And what adds to the significance of this, is the fact that these converts have, to a very great extent, come from the intelligent and cultured classes. For example, the present Archbishop of Baltimore, the Bishops of Philadelphia, ot V Columbus ; Brownson, &c.,are all converts. Progress then — intellectual power — learning, civilization, high culture, are not fatal to the Catholic Church. On the contrary, judging from what is going on in England and America, it must be concede 1 that all these are favourable to the prosperity and advancement of the grand oli Church.