“ In the words of an eloquent Protestant writer, "The Church was the great bulwark of order, she perpetuated justice and light, and fought the battle of civilization and freedom. The feudal castle could not screen the oppressor of the poor from her vengeance, nor the kingly diadem save the tyrant of his people from her stern maledictions; the Church presided over mediaeval society; her Pontiff reigned with an universal sway, with which the grateful suffrage of Europe invested him; and never was human power exercised with more justice or with more glorious results for the welfare of humanity". ”

“ These few ignorant men were to purify the philosophy of Greece, to humble the greatness of Rome, to arrest the wandering tribes of the desert and the savage hordes of the north, to civilize them and to lead them within the pale of the Christian Church; slavery was to retire before her influence; the dark clouds of ignorance and barbarism were to be dispelled by her light; and arts, learning, and civilization were to flourish under the shadow of her patronage. Her hands were full of gifts to men ”

“ When this new and strange power appeared upon the earth it was a power insignificant in appearance, and far beneath even the contempt of the haughty emperors; yet that little society, these few poor and despised Galileans were destined to crush the colossus of Paganism, and to erect upon its ruins an empire more extended than that of Rome, and a civilization more refined and more enlightened than that of Egypt or of Greece. ”

“ Thus, then, so far from the Church being the enemy of the Bible, she was its watchful guardian, and ever cherished it as a sacred treasure. When heresy introduced corruption into the inspired volume, and substituted the word of man for the Word of God, the pastors of the Catholic fold fearlessly raised their voice, and warned the faithful of the snares which were laid for them. When enemies had poisoned the life-giving stream, the Church permitted not her children to drink the deadly draught. But in no country, and at no period, was the Catholic Church the enemy of the Bible ”

“ In such perils what is able to save—what spirit could brood over this social chaos and breathe into it order and beauty—what power could move in the track of the desolating host, could collect the half ruined fragments of classic art and construct them again into a still more beautiful temple of learning? ”

“ Probably there are persons who, through levity or want of reflection, allow themselves to be carried too far in the search of earthly amusements, and yet keep up a certain spirit of religion, and occasionally perform good works. However, admitting those exceptions, you will find that in general gentlemen and ladies who enter on what is called a life of pleasure, and who determine to gratify every whim for amusement, if their conduct be closely examined, appear to live as if they had no souls, or as if they were made solely for the purpose of enjoying earthly delights. ”

“ If, however, the Catholic Church were hostile to the sacred Scriptures, we should naturally suppose that in Italy, at least, little enthusiasm should have been displayed in the diffusion of the Bible in the vulgar tongue; for Italy was more immediately subject to the influence of the Holy See; in its centre stood the capital of the universal Catholic world—the new Jerusalem of the Church—the See of Peter. Nevertheless, of all European countries, Italy was, perhaps, the most remarkable for the diffusion of the sacred text during the ante-Reformation period. ”

“ The Lord Lieutenant, on arriving in Ireland, is obliged to perform the disagreeable task of insulting those whom he is come to govern, by swearing what he cannot know—that some Catholic doctrines are idolatrous and superstitious, and, moreover, swearing what everybody knows to be false—that the Pope has not any authority in Ireland, where every day he exercises a most extensive spiritual jurisdiction. ”

“ The folly of those who would wish, for the sake of religion, to see the Pope a subject rather than a sovereign, cannot be better shown than by the history of the relations between the Holy See and the courts of Europe during Consalvi's administration. During that period Naples, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Russia, Malta, and France had each of them separate negociations to conduct with the Holy See on matters affecting the liberty of the Church and the interests of religion. ”

“ The learning and sanctity of our own Church relieved the darkness of the seventh century. Columbanus awakened a new spirit in the French Church, he arrested the march of barbarism in southern Germany, and perpetuated the study of antiquity among his numerous disciples. The eighth century marked a new era in letters; Charlemagne and [336] the Church vied with each other; Bede and Bennett adorned England; the Carlovingian schools were organized under the genius of Alcuin, and over the wide dominions of Charlemagne an impulse was given to learning which was felt for centuries. ”

“ Returning to the old continent, the first country which we meet is our own beloved land. Now was the Bible a sealed Book in our Catholic island, and were our sainted fathers enemies of, or strangers to, its inspired truths? Oh! ask the great apostle of North England, St. Aidan, whose disciples, as Bede informs us, "whether they were of the clergy or of the laity, were bound to exercise themselves either in reading the Scriptures or in learning the Psalms" (Hist. Eccl., iii. 5) . ”

“ If you assist at a modern ball, will you not be tempted to inquire whether it is not a pagan spectacle to which you have been invited? Looking round in search of modesty, decency, or even propriety, you will not know where to rest your eyes, in the midst of shameless nudities and of lewd and slippery dances. ”

“ England next claims our attention. Forty years ago a member of its Established Church did not hesitate to write that during the Catholic ages, "the Bible was a sealed Book ... there is good reason for believing that the great mass of men never heard that such a book was in existence" (Soames' Hist. of Reformation in England) . Yet surely it was not so in the ages of Bede and Alcuin. The holy Caedmon presented to his contemporaries an Anglo-Saxon metrical paraphrase of the Bible, a portion of which we have seen translated into English and re-issued from the press in our own days. ”

“ Dr. Graith was one of the most illustrious missioners who laboured in our Irish Church during the sixteenth century; and, as Peter Lombard informs us, was at one time the only bishop in the province of Munster. Soon after his arrival in our island, the agents of heresy mainly directed their efforts towards his apprehension, and so chagrined were they at his escape that they even accused Sir John Perrot of having secretly favoured him and thus baffled their designs. ”

“ We are not surprised that the dances referred to have been carried from the great cities even to the remotest villages, for it was to be expected that the powers of Hell would endeavour to propagate a fashion, the origin of many evils, and well calculated to excite passions that cause many bitter but useless tears".
The Bishop of Gand says: "Many who take part in modern fashionable dances justify themselves by the necessity in which they are placed; they must do as others do; they must keep up to the fashion of the day. ”

“ This tendency of those who abandon themselves to earthly pleasures is confirmed by the testimony of the same inspired writer whom we have just quoted. According to him, they say within themselves, "Let none of us go without his part in luxury; let us everywhere leave tokens of joy; for this is our portion and this our lot. Let us oppress the poor just man, and not spare the widow, nor honour the ancient gray hairs of the aged. ”

“ It was in the Latin version that all these saints usually meditated on the heavenly truths, and Bede does not hesitate to say that, though the Irish, Britons, Picts, and Angles had their own peculiar languages, yet, "by the meditation of the Scriptures", the Latin tongue became common to them all (Hist. Eccl., lib. i. cap. i.) . How many noble monuments, too, remain to attest, at the same time, the artistic taste and the devotion of our Catholic fathers, in adorning and illustrating the books of Holy Writ! The Domhnach Airgid is well known to the students of Irish Ecclesiastical antiquities ”

“ The intrigues, and schemes, and falsehoods of diplomacy; the art of masking ambitious designs under generous language, and laying snares for a rival's unwary feet; the dishonourable selfishness, the detestable hypocrisy—in a word, all that goes to make up the strategy of modern statecraft, is laid bare in its pages by a master hand. ”

“ Anyhow, it is not edifying that persons who during the [352] week continually indulged in vanity or impropriety of dress, and in dangerous amusements, should be freely allowed to approach the holy altar on Sundays. Spiritual directors must take care not to render themselves, by their laxity, responsible for the sins of others. Though their penitents say they committed no sins themselves, yet that is not sufficient. It must be seen whether they have not made others commit sin, or at least put them in danger of doing so. ”

“ What influence could wean that lawless race from the wild ways of rapine and the degrading vices of savage life, and make them rival and excel the polished Roman in all the arts and accomplishments of civilized life? The Church alone could arrest the onward march of barbarism, and restore social order ”

“ Like gaudy butterflies, they flit from flower to flower in their hour of sunshine, but do no good, and leave no trace of utility behind them. What a dreadful account will they have to render to their Creator for having wasted away the precious time and the good gifts which he gave them that they might be usefully employed both for this world and the next! ”

“ Forgetting their Creator, never reflecting on our hope of future happiness, never raising their thoughts to Heaven, bent down to Earth, they spend their days in idleness or in useless occupations, and their nights at theatres or in other distracting, dangerous, or corrupting amusements. When they wish to pass away a tedious hour, they may take up a book, but it will be nothing more serious than a novel, or a romance, or something calculated to corrupt the heart or pervert the mind. ”

“ The monastery of Bobbio, however, was distinguished above all others for the richness of its store of manuscripts: it was founded by Irish Religious in the seventh century, and for a long subsequent period was the great literary mart of North Italy, and a cherished resort of Irish pilgrims. From the present of books made to this monastery by an Irish ecclesiastic named Dungall, we may judge how abundant were the Biblical treasures of our island before the tenth century. ”

“ They appear to forget that there is such a sin as the waste of time, such a sin as scandal. Though imagining themselves free from guilt, they may have been the occasion of the spiritual ruin of others by their example, or by their improper dresses, and have a grievous responsibility on their souls. ”

“ Men who throw away thousands on horse-racing, gambling, the theatre, and fashion, frequently persecute the poor, deprive them of their just rights, and envy them not only the smallest enjoyment, but even the necessaries of life. ”

“ These words of the zealous bishop prove that those who have the care or direction of souls ought to be most active in preventing scandalous dances, which give occasion to so many sins. Certainly those who indulge in such amusements are not worthy to be united to the Immaculate Lamb of God by receiving the sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist, until they determine to abandon their bad habits. ”

“ When there is a sufficient number of priests, the rubrics require that a solemn high Mass be celebrated, and in those churches not having a sufficient number of priests for high Mass the Memoriale Rituum of Benedict XIII. must be used, which prescribes certain solemnities to be observed by one priest, and requires that he be attended by at least three clerics in surplices, in performing the functions of Holy Week. ”

“ Alphonsus, both remarkable for their charity and meekness, admit that dances may be allowed when conducted with Christian moderation and propriety; but where scandal is given, either by immodest dresses, or gestures, or movements, and where there is danger of sin, they prohibit such amusements altogether. Gury, in his valuable compendium of moral theology, having quoted the authority of those saints, adds: "It is clear that dances rendered immodest by the dresses or the nudity of the persons engaged in them, or by the character of their movements or gestures, are grievously unlawful. ”

“ Other officials of the state and of the establishment take similar oaths, insulting to the Catholics of the whole world, and certainly hurtful to the consciences of those who take them. Every Protestant, when swearing that the Pope has no power in Ireland, must feel that he swears to what is in opposition to the known truth. ”

“ Many who take part in modern dances, and who spend their nights in the excitement of the polka and the waltz, say that they are not conscious of having committed sin, and that they have a right to approach the sacraments. ”