itical questions, lose sight of the moral issues."

The Catholic Church has always been the teacher and guardian of that
natural moral law which stands as the foundation and buttress of the
social edifice. Her plans of Reconstruction rest on the eternal
principles of equity which God has engraved on the human conscience and
which the teachings of Christ have sanctioned and perfected. In the
light of Catholic doctrine moral laws are definite and unchanging, for
they are the deliberate expression of the necessary and fundamental
relations upon which rests human nature. They are the living, free
expression of man's place in creation. The most elaborate schemes and
powerful organizations are soulless without these basic principles of
morality and have but an ephemeral existence.

Is it not, therefore, a great act of patriotism to try to throw into
the scales of the nation's destinies the mighty weight of
indestructible and tried principles? A growing respect is to be found
for the soundness, the wisdom and the justice of Catholic social
principles, even in circles where our beliefs have not yet found
acceptance. True statesmen have always recognized the influence of the
Catholic Church's doctrine in social matters, although they may not
believe in the truth of her teachings. They always looked upon her
principles of social life as the ballast that steadies the ship on
heaving seas. To make the Church a spiritual ally, to recognize her
moral power and her far-reaching influence has always been considered
good diplomacy and clear-sighted statesmanship.

_Catholic's Patriotism in Public Life_

Reconstruction is the great work of the hour; co-operation is a duty
every Catholic owes to Church and country. What definite and concrete
form of co-operation will that responsibility assume? There is the
problem. Our first duty, in the matter, lies, we believe, in a greater
participation in public life. Too long have we stood aloof from
movements that aim at the social welfare of the community. A false
timidity and an erroneous conception of our responsibilities have
estranged us, to a great extent, from the various activities of
national life. This isolation has been most prejudicial to our
Catholic laity, for it has fostered in their ranks disinterestedness
and often apathy. "With regard to the necessity of Catholics to obtain
positions on public bodies, Cardinal Bourne stated that very often
Catholics were urged