The Catholic Newspaper

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 39, 28 September 1905, Page 1

The Catholic Newspaper

There are, alack ! well-to>-do householders who study economy in providing good reading for their children's minds, juatt as they would in the matter of "boots and pinafores and Tamo'-Shanter caps— driving hard bargains with heaven as they would with the draper, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick-maker. And there are those who apparently regard a Catholic paper aa a sort of luxury, and look upon an invitation to become subscribers much in the same way as if they were expected to simoke half-crown cigars or to wash down their daily dinner with long draughts of Steinberg or Marco'brumner. Others, too, regard the necessity— real ox imaginary!— of subscribing to their local news-sheet as an all-suffici€*nt reason for barring and bolting the Catholic paper ooit of their homes.

To all such, and to Catholics in general, we commend the following weighty utterance of the Fathers of

the recenti Australian Plenary Council : * TowawW #*& section of the press which is Catholic in purpose Bud §i management all Catholics owe a duty of support ' M$ encouragement. The publication of a newspaper in 0t undertaking of no small responsibility ian3 expense ; and ita success depends entirely on the help provided by if» readers. It is to be feared that many of our peoplq tfo not realise their responsibility in this matter. They &Q not take the interest they should take in the welfare of tho Chairch ; and so they are content with fch« small quantity of news about the Church they get in the secular papers. Thds is not as it should be. Those who can afford to subscribe to a Catholic paper should da so. Soma indeed are so heedless in this matter as to spend! their money in the support of periodicals that are positively hostile to religion, and -a damjger ,to Christian morality ; and they seem to think it no harm to 'bring into their homes, and under the eyes of their yo.un<g children, pages that moist plant in unsuspecting minds the seeds of indifference to the truth ot Catholio faith and to the sanctity of Christian virtue. Such carelessness is criminal, and would be readily condemned as such if it were question of the adulteration of the 'bodaly food of their children. But since it is a qiues'tion of (poi'sonSng the mmt 1 , instead of the body, they/ are sex blind to the spiritual welfare as not to see the 'harm for which they are responsible.'

Qui potest capere, capiat ! Which may be rendered : Whom the cap fits, he most gracefully wears it.

SomQ time ago a Protestant reader wrote as follows to the Liverpool >' Catholic Times ' : ''I find great help to truth in reading Catholic papers because : (1) I get the Catholic position first-hand ; (2) the news and statements ere reliable regarding Catholicism, and (3) not garbled or " faked up " to humbug the readers ; (4) it smoothes difficulties and removes prejudice ; (5) I can read the other side of the questions that concern us , (6) I am helping a good cause by (7) helping to spread light and increase knowledge. 1

* The bearing of these observations lies in the application.