THE TRIAL OF CHRIST The following is a brief outline of the trial of the Founder of God's Church: It is recorded that there were two trials, the ecclesiastical and the civil, each conducted in three stages. The first took place before Annas, then before Caiaphas, and lastly before the Sanhedrim. The civil trial was first conducted before Pilate, the Roman governor, then before Herod, the local ruler, and once more before Pilate. This was due to the political situation of the country. Judea was subject to Rome. Now the Romans were careful always to allow their provinces to retain a semblance of power; so the Sanhedrim, the supreme ecclesiastical court of the Jews, was still permitted to try religious cases; but if the sentence passed was a capital one, the Roman governor reserved to himself the right to inquire into the case himself and pronounce the final sentence. The crime of which Jesus was accused was a religious one: the Sanhedrim passed the death sentence, so it must be confirmed by the Roman governor, Pilate, who happened at that time to be in Jerusalem, where he generally came during the Passover. It is needless here to follow all the details of this double trial: the lying, the perjury, the deceitfulness of the witnesses, each of whom contradicted the other, are well known. For a moment, it seemed as if the case had completely broken down. Christ stood before His judges in silent dignity: fearful that he would slip out of their hands, and that all their ingenuity would come to naught, they determined to make Himself His own accuser. Caiaphas rose from his seat, and facing Christ, demanded of Him that He tell them openly, and thus to criminate Himself, whether He was the Christ, the Son of God. With great solemnity, yet with perfect simplicity and straight forwardness, He answered that He was. Instantly, the sentence of death was pronounced. The next morning, between six and seven o'clock, He was brought before the governor. The court was held in the open air. Pilate hated the Jews, and recognized that the chief cause of their enmity to Jesus was envy. He cared little for their religious contentions: conspiracy against the Roman government and his own power, was the only crime which would move him to pronounce condemnation: so he plainly asked Christ, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" and from His answer, gathered immediately that as a spiritual King, He was no rival of Cæsar's authority. He could see nothing of the revolutionist in that pure, peaceful and melancholy face and at once acquitted Him. The announcement was received with shrieks of disappointment which omened ill for the peace of the city. So he devised a compromise, by sending Him. to be tried by Herod. This prince cared only for pleasure and amusement, and was only glad to escape all responsibility of the case by sending Him back to Pilate again. It was the custom at this time, during the Passover, to release any prisoner the people might name. Pilate hoping to escape through this loop-hole from his disagreeable position, offered them the choice between Christ and Barrabas. They chose Barrabas. Barrabas. Again he sought to move them by the pitiful spectacle of the Ecce Homo, but it was useless. The only answer he received was one that made him tremble for his very position. "If thou let this Man go, thou art no friend of Cæsar's." That was the cry that made him throw justice to the winds and sealed the doom of Christ, and immediately He was led forth to the heights of Golgotha. Crucifixion was the death reserved for slaves and revolutionaries. The idea seems to have been suggested by the practice of nailing up vermin in an exposed place. To this death, horrible in suffering and most infamous in character, Christ was condemned. THE WEALTH OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN UNITED STATES Rev. W. S. Kress of the Cleveland Diocese, whose writings on Socalism are famous, recently preached on some charges and calumnies made against the Catholic Church by the Socialists and their press. Speak ing of the Socialists' exaggerated gibes at the material wealth of the Church, Father Kress said: "Certain would-be reformers eulogize the stable and the crib, the poor swaddling bands and the lack of all human comforts. They find the residence of the Divine Child among beasts praiseworthy, altogether overlooking the statement of the inspired writer that the Saviour was born in a stable because the inhabitants of Bethlehem, with unpitying selfishness, closed their own doors upon Him. "During the last campaign the Socialist weekly, Appeal to Reason, made a series of attacks on the Cath olic Church. One statement placed the property of the Church in this country at $5,000,000,000, and our well-known opposition to Socialism was accounted for by our desire to save this enormous wealth from confiscation. The Appeal seemed to take for granted that our fear of confiscation was not unreasonable. pass over the silly assertion that Roosevelt and Taft are the political tools and Morgan and Hill the financial agents of the Pope. I "Of a piece with this absurdity is the Appeal's statement to the effect that all the Church property is held by the Pope and his Cardinals, and that their contributions are forwarded week by week. The Pope and his Cardinals, as a matter of fact, do not hold title to one dollar's worth of our property. It will surprise most people to learn that the average contribution of American Catholics to the Pope and the central government of the Church is less than two cents a year. "I have taken pains to arrive at a tolerably accurate estimate of the wealth of the Church in this country. The Diocese of Cleveland, comprising thirty-three counties of Northern Ohio, has property to the value of $17,625,000, with an estimated debt of $2,632,000-leaving a net value of $14,993,000. Using this as a basis for computation, we get between $600,000,000 and $650,000,000 as the wealth of the Catholic Church in the entire country. "This sum falls far short of the Appeal's estimate of $5,000,000,000. Much more than our present wealth is needed fully to meet the requirements of religion. plus wealth. "The Church does not desire surRich foundations in times past have as often been a curse as a blessing. Wherever the Church became immensely wealthy, unworthy men were drawn into the ministry, attracted by the glitter of gold more than by zeal for souls. The Bishoprics very often, as well as the rich abbeys, became the coveted prizes of avaricious nobles. Too often the people were neglected. “While in France, Archbishop Ireland was asked what his Diocese of St. Paul was doing in the way of endowment foundations to secure its future. 'Foundations!' was his reply; 'nothing of that sort for me. Woe betide the Church that is rich. Each generation shall labor to be sufficient for itself.' So say we all." EASY TIME NOT BEST "An easy time in youth is not always the best preparation for a useful manhood," says Dr. Woodrow of Washington. "There is benefit in trial and struggle. The strong men are the men who have wrestled with adversity and difficulty and conquered. Bearing the yoke of one's youth, enduring privation and hardship without whining or whimpering tends to develop that iron tenacity and strength of purpose that is nec essary for the carrying out of any great work. "Joseph's character tended to softness. He was being spoiled at home by his father's favoritism, so God to save him, threw him out into a hard, unsympathetic world. He was too proud of his coat, and too fond of telling the dreams that foreshadowed his greatness, so he is made to wear prison garb and listen to the dreams of others. "Had he remained at home, he would have grown up a spoiled, egotistical boy, with false ideas of life and exaggerated notions of his own importance. He might have been a mollycoddle instead of a man. The world is full of manikins, who might have been men if they had not been pampered into inefficiency by overindulgent parents. Sometime the boy who is to be a man must learn both to give and receive hard blows. God sent Joseph through the furnace of trial and affliction, that he might be brought forth as pure gold or finely tempered steel. The iron entered into his soul. After the years of trial he carries himself with a modesty, courage, wisdom, and manly resolution that win the respect of all. "The world needs men of ironmen of strong wills, firm courage, steadfast persistence, fixed principles and robust virtue. God needs iron saints who can stand the onslaught of any foe and march heroically to victory. In order to infuse the iron into their blood and into their souls, He lets them travel over stony paths, climb the hills of difficulty, and even walk through the dark valleys. "If you are having trials and difficulties, or are beset by opposition and hemmed in by misunderstandings, do not imagine that you are the only one who has passed through such an experience. Thousands have traveled that way before you. God is putting you through an iron discipline and you must remember that the iron crown of suffering precedes the golden crown of glory." A LONG LIST OF DON'TS "My girls, if you would never be mistaken for any but a lady don't make yourself conspicuous in public places by loud and sudden laughter, and don't cling to your escort's arm as if he would get away and be lost forever. Don't stride along the street as if you were an Amazon on your way to horsewhip someone. Don't bully the salesman when you are shopping, nor take up his time with foolish chatter about yourself and your affairs, in which he can have no possible interest. Don't attempt to cheapen goods, the price of which has been told you, nor handle articles easily stained or broken, nor persist in trying on every hat and bonnet in the establishment when you know you have not the slightest intention of purchasing. "Don't discuss scandalous gossip on the cars. Nobody who is anybody ever does that. I beg your pardon and insist that last is a very important 'don't,' for I recently listened for a quarter of an hour to two elegantly dressed ladies, whose appearance stamped them as decidedly 'somebody,' who discussed with much gusto a very shocking affair. I ought not to have listened. I could not help it, for their voices, though whispered shrilly, were perfectly audible all over the car. Don't munch candy while trying to carry on a conversation, and don't, oh, don't chew gum, even to aid your digestion, except in the privacy of your own room. No gentleman is going to gaze at you persistently. Therefore don't allow any man to see that you have noticed his stare, for you don't really care for the admiration of any but gentlemen, and your very resentfulness of a stranger's stare may encourage him to further impertinence. Above all, don't allow yourself to forget for a single moment that only the truly kind and womanly woman is a lady." WHAT TO READ If you have the "blues" read the twenty-seventh Psalm. If your pocketbook is empty, read the thirty-seventh Psalm. If people seem unkind, read the fifteenth chapter of John. If you are discouraged about your work, read the one hundred twentysixth Psalm. If you are all out of sorts, read the twelfth chapter of Hebrews. If you can't have your own way in everything, keep silent and read the third chapter of James. If you are losing confidence in men, read the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians. PROTESTANTIZING THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS The Very Rev. D. I. McDermott has published a pamphlet on "The Preachers' Protest," in which he considers the arguments advanced by bigots against a Catholic as President of the United States. Coming down to the false accusation that we are opposed to public schools, he makes this strong point: "These preachers could tell of another and more potent reason for Catholic opposition to the public schools. They could tell of the efforts made in them to proselytize Catholic children; of the efforts to make these schools distinctively Protestant, through the introduction of their Biblc, hymns and prayers. They could tell of the efforts to get the children to attend Protestant Sunday Schools through questions as to their religions and invitations to join the teachers' Bible classes. They could tell of the sermons to the graduates, preached in Protestant churches, which Cathclic children were required to attend under pain of being deprived of their diplomas. They could tell of their efforts to make the schools Protestant and anti-Catholic in every way save going down into their pockets to pay for making them so." It is high time that this Protestant izing of our public schools should be stopped. Protestants have no more rights in the public schools than any other citizens. The erroneous Protestant Bible has no more right in them than the Catholic Bible or the Jewish Talmud. The Protestant form of the "Our Father" has no more right in them than the Catholic form of that prayer or than the "Hail, Mary." Compulsory sermons to graduates by Protestant preachers in Protestant churches are an outrage on civil and religious liberty. THE FIRST DUTY Among the many things that help to establish character and to win the kind of success that has lasting value, is obedience to the orders of those in command. When Gustavus, the king of Sweden, was a young lad who was much beloved by his father, he was given a rigid training as a soldier. Expecting to be a commander of soldiers himself some day, it was necessary he should know their duties. One day his father asked him: "What is the first duty of a good soldier?" "To know the manual of arms, sir." "An excellent answer, but not the right one." "To care for his horse, be neat and prompt." "Still a good answer, but not yet the right one. Try again." "To never think of fear." "Your answers show you have studied, but you still miss the mark." Gustavus thought and thought. He at first believed he had told all the important duties, but suddenly a thought flashed into his mind, and, straightening up, he gave his father a correct salute, and said: "To obey, sir." "Right you are, my boy. That is the first important duty. To know how to obey is a good rule for every walk of life, for he who can obey well is better fitted to command than he who cannot.” |