'CATHOLICITY AND PROGRESS IN IRELAND'

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 37, 14 September 1905, Page 17

'CATHOLICITY AND PROGRESS IN IRELAND '

A REMARKABLE BOOK

We 'have: before us a copy of ' Catholicity and Progress m Ireland,' by the Rev. M. O'Riordan, D.Ph. f D.D., D.C.L., recently published in London by Kegan Paul and In! St. Louis (U.S.A.) by" Herder. It is a blulky whim© of. some 1 530 pages and is, perhaps, the most remarkable book that bas appeared on Ireland since tin© pjujblication of Lecky's ' Eighteenth Century.' Its lajuthior is a Limerick priest, and, although comparatively yoiung in years, is one of the most brilliant and scßolarly ecclesiastics in the Green Isle. The circumstances which led to the publication of this work may "be briefly related. It arose out of the publication of Sir Horace Pliuikett's book,, ' Ireland in the New Century.' Sir Horace is Ohairman of the Agricultural Board of Ireland. Despite occasional, and sometimes disastrous administrative blunders, be is sincerely desirous of remedying some of the evils which have como as a Wire legacy of the past upon the Ireland of to-day. But, being a Protestant, and thawing but little acquaintance with the history of the country, 'be imbibed, and retaiTned a pet idea i of the ascon'dancy class to which he belongs, -that the ills of his uinhap'py ajtid misgoverned land are traceable to its JaMh and that in Ireland and in other lands

Catholicism is the foe of human progress. In ah evil ( iilcnt- foe wiSJtg a "book-^ 1 Irelafod' in the New Century.' He incorporjated this Mossgtown Old Calumny into it, larid it rivns through his pages like the trail of a serpent. The appearance of the book was received with' indti'gjtta'tion all over Ireland. Its misstatements and false assumptions were mercilessly dissected. But the crowning work of exposure was that wfaiich was done in a series of remarkable articles by Dr. O'Riordan in the Dublin ' Leader.' These hsuve been ela/ttorated an<d enlarged, and they now form the brilliant volume that is the subject of this brief and too inadequate notice. As 1 a refutation , of Sir Horace Pltinjcett's musty theory it is absolutely overwhelming— the most crushing thfcrtg that, so far as o,ur own knowledge goes', has come from a Catholic pen since the time when Fiatber Lambert ' chewed |Up ' Ingersoll anid ' spat him out.' In the course Of a lengthy and laudatory review ,the noted author, Father Sheehan, says of it : 1 The refutation is almost too labored and complete. It leaves absolutely no room for reply. Facts and figures, /quotations from Protestant writers, admissions from bjigoited ankl partisan historians, are marshalled witfi such amerriinig skill an?d accuracy ithat there is no room for question or aippeal. "• Out of thy own mouth I juW'ge thee," sayis the apologist for his oouihtry .and creed ; and tJhesre can toe no contesting the fact that t)he judgment is final. At least Sir Hlorace Plumkett declines to contravene the vast mass 'Of testimony 'arrayeti aigiainst him, although' he issuesi bis book again in papular form, ana at a popular price.' The Wide Scope of Dr. Riordan's work will be btest (brought home to the reader by the following plan, which we take from the preface (pp. ix-x) : 'After having in Chapter 11. discussed the charge made 'agU'intsit the Catholics , in Ireland, of extravagance in cbu'roh~b'uiMftn'g,...l pass on to 'consider whether the social* influence of the Catholic faith is responsible, to the large extent alleged, for their present economic condition, or whether that condition can be fully accounted for Jby other causes. With that view I first discuss the meaning of human progress ; the relation of Catholic teaching to it'; then the application of that teaching as ilhi/strated in certain Catholic nations, and the application of other teachlngis in otter countries. I next proceed to account for the exceptional case of Catholic Ireland ; and an order to make my position clear I begjin by discus-sing the meaning of what Sir Horace Plutofcett calls (|< Character and Morale.''' Then through several chapters I discuss the legislative arid economic factors which have left the' Catholics of Ireland in the condition in which they find themselves to-day. I next pass on to iniqjiire^ into the relation of the pries>bs to the social, political, and ikiKlustrial interests of the ipeoiple, and their influence in each. Having) done t'hiart, I thought I had established my rfisgjjht, and I think it was my duty, to turn back and ask what the Government, tihe Landlords, and the Protosfca'nt Ohurch got from the country, and wnat has each done in return fo»r its social and industrial good. Jn the next place I discuss' the charges made against Convenes, and their relation to the temporal concerns of the) people. Finally, in one long chapter, I review the history of ertuoation in Ireland. The o>bfjoct of tjhe chapter is to show how grievously Sir Horace Plunketf misrepresents facts in speakings of the priests' " almost undisputed influence on education." The plain conclusion to be drawn from the statementl of flacts which I make, is : that the difficulty has tjten to secure so much influence as would enable them to guard the faith of t)he people firom persistent plans of perversion. Tbe reader will be able to f astern the fault of our educational drawbacks on those who ha\e framed our successive educational schemes and have controlled t'hom.' Dr. O'Rio-rdan's authorities are, with the exception of a few, non-Cat holies ; ami these he quotes' as •' witnesses to matters of fact,' and not for opinions or inferences. His book is An Armory packed fromi cellar to garret with weapons of remorseless timeliness for those who, in these countries, have the miseraHe slanders of soi-riisanti Catholics ('lrish Times' Catholics' is Dr. O'Riordan's --term) like Michael McCarthy flungj at them. Among, the most enlivening dbjapters in We bootk are those in which the author deals with the bkiil'diiig\of Catholic churches in Ireland, social economics in England and Belgium, the

atsiioii of the landlords antf gayernlnfe 1 clawesAon Itisb industry, » What th« Proiestant Cn«rcti^ has *&>i in T»lan'd and\»ihajtjt.has doi)ie in Return/ tolerance attdin^ tolerance, nuns as teachers, and • A, JReview of JJducation in Ireaand.' I doubt,' says Father Sheehan in his* review of the work, Jif in the pages ol J. K. L. or Dr. McHale there is such a scathing exposure of landlord ralwuelty, aeetariain partiality, and go^Ternmental incompetence than is to be found in this book.' But its true value lies ih» the fact $hjtf ,it is somethmg' more tha LfSU c P up^ n S and final conclusion to a passing Irish contWivetsy;:' it' deals^ with' many 5 lands and times' besides, an* ib furnishes an enormous antf ' mass of statistics and historical and other information that* sets: forth in its true light the beneficent action of ifoo Catholic Church on the social, domestic, and personal* life of her chilhrcn.