Fifth Annual Report of the Superintendent of Parochial Schools of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, 1898-99. Presented by Rev. P. R. McDevitt. Register of the Society of the Colonial Dames of America. delphia, 1898. Presented by the Pennsylvania Society. Phila Thirteen Pictures of the Buildings Occupied by the Sisters of the Divine Compassion, White Plains, New York. Presented by the Sisters. Framed Picture and Autograph of Daniel O'Connell. Presented by Rev. Jas. F. Trainor. Doll Dressed in the Habit of the Sisters of Charity of the B. V. M. Presented by Miss M. E. Doyle. The Devout Manual, Dublin, 1780. Presented by Mrs. Mehan. STATEMENT of Receipts and Expenses from December 1, 1898, TO NOVEMBER 30, 1899. BY-PATHS OF HISTORY. INTERESTING HISTORICAL READING. In a recent conversation with a very eminent Catholic scholar, I uttered a regret which many others have doubtless felt, that there is no central Catholic bureau for bringing to the notice both of the Catholic reader and the non-Catholic publisher, the occasional wanton attacks made in books of "general literature" on the faith and practice of Catholicism. The uttered regret was pointed with a concrete illustration. "An eminent publishing firm," I said, "has issued a little book on the history of Music, in which thirteen lines of text are given to a mention of St. Gregory's connection with the establishment of the chant that bears his name, while in a foot note thrice that amount of matter is given to an attack, savage and wholly unnecessary—even were it justified by history-on the memory of a man whom the ages have concurred in styling 'the Great.' The Pope, it seems, burned the Palatine library, hated all human learning, and designed the Chant for an ignorant and superstitious people who should the more easily, through its ministrations, be led to bow down to the fetich of papal power." This little summary of the foot-note made my listener indignant. "Write," said he, "to the publishers, calling their attention to such a flagrant instance of bigotry. They would be glad to know of it." To this I was forced to reply that "unfortunately, it is a trifle late for such action now. The book came under my notice when buying it, some ten years ago or so, and only after paying for it did I notice the objectionable feature. Like many another, I considered it no more my business than that of many others, better qualified by experience and prominent position, to urge the common indignation of Catholics." Generalia non pungunt—it is the concrete that tells; and so I shall place here before you, gentle reader, the extract in question, and shall ask you to do your own moralizing and to permit me to do mine. I. "It is not improbable that Gregory's musical labors were only a part of his plan to give the Roman Church supreme temporal power. History shows us that while he left nothing undone to establish the influence of the Church, he also endeavored to spare nothing that could militate against it. He built up an imposing and elaborate Church ritual, designed to overwhelm the impressionable minds of an ignorant people. According to Draper, in his Intellectual Development of Europe, 'His oft-expressed belief that the end of the world was at at hand was perpetually contradicted by his acts, which were ceaselessly directed to the foundation of a future papal empire. Under him was sanctified that mythologic Christianity destined to become the religion of Europe for many subsequent centuries, and which adopted the adoration of the Virgin by images and pictures; the efficacy of the remains of martyrs and relics; stupendous miracles wrought at the shrines of saints; the perpetual intervention of angels and devils in sublunary affairs; the truth of legends far surpassing in romantic improbability the stories of Greek mythology; the localization of heaven a few miles above the air, and of hell in the bowels of the earth, with its portal in the crater of Lipari?' This same pontiff, according to Draper, hated all human learning, and insisting on the maxim that "Ignorance is the mother of devotion," he expelled from Rome all mathematical studies, and burned the Palatine Library founded by Augustus Cæsar. It was valuable for the many rare manuscripts it contained. He forbade the study of the classics, mutilated statues, and destroyed temples. He hated the very relics of classical genius; pursued with vindictive fanaticism the writings of Livy, against whom he was specially excited.' It is not difficult to perceive that a mind capable of devising such a policy would see the availability of the solemn and mysterious chant as a means of heightening the effect of the Church liturgy and strengthening its hold on the popular mind. We must admit, therefore, that Gregory's musical labors were inspired by no devotion to art, though they led to beneficent results which their projector could never have conceived." Now, would you believe it, dear reader? The publishers of this little book are not an obscure firm of anti-Catholic propagandists, but the House of Longmans, N. Y.; its author is not a zealous clergyman, but the well-known musical critic, Mr. W. J. Henderson; its title is not "Popery Calmly Considered," but The Story of Music. Any one of these three facts should have assured a prospective buyer of the book, of its immunity from such a wanton attack as it contains. Any Catholic would have bought it, as I did, without taking thought, without pausing a moment to make any inquiry whatever concerning it. It suggests itself as a gift-book worthy of presentation to any young Catholic or Protestant. And yet-! I have said that the attack made by and in it, is a wanton attack. If everything in it were true, it would still remain such; for it has nothing whatever to do with the Story of Music; except, perhaps, to illustrate the child's euphemistic use of the word "Story" for "lie." But, talking of "lies," let me explore some of those contained in the extract quoted. Like most attacks on Catholicity, this one of Mr. Henderson's displays not a few elements of the witty characterization of a certain fellow-Congressman, made by Mr. Reed, namely, that the gentleman could not speak without subtracting something from the sum of human knowledge. But in displaying this characteristic, it also leads necessarily to an inference concerning the general reading and general information of Mr. H. To him, it would seem, Draper's book was a great and unexpected "find"! find"! What shall we say? O tempora! O mores! Verily, O tempora! Draper had been so long discredited, that he had sunk into a just oblivion until Mr. H.-(O tempora! What "times," indeed, had intervened! )—discovers Draper anew, unaware of the fact that the world had moved a little forward in the meantime. It is to be regretted that Mr. H. did not wait somewhat longer, for he could then have relied on the "learning" of Mr. Andrew White for more abundant information. For, be it known, Mr. H. ventures not to depart by a hairbreadth from his new-found guide in the tangled paths of learning, Draper. I was led into curious glancings at other portions of Mr. H.'s work, and was rewarded by finding this choice classical quotation in the same volume : "Rectius vives, Licini, neque altum Semper urgendo, neque, dum procellas Cantus (sic) horrescis, nimium promendo (sic) |