than that he was
the brilliant young soldier--the Hero of Lepanto.

W. C. R. in _Catholic Progress_.

FOOTNOTES:

[A] Hita, "Guerras de Granada," quoted by Prescott, "Philip" II., III.,
133.

The Church and Progress.

One of the favorite mottoes of revolutionists consists in the formula,
"The Catholic Church is opposed to the progress of the age;" and the
general tone of the day's literature, apt in adopting popular cries,
criticises the Church as the arch-opponent of every effort of the human
intellect. The foundation of this charge may be broadly rested on two
counts, radically differing in their nature, and which I may be allowed
to state thus: First, there is a large class nowadays, and this genus is
always especially rampant and noisy, that uses the current shibboleths,
"Civilization," "Liberty," "Equality," "Fraternity," etc., either with
sinister designs beneath them, or, if dupes,--and it amounts to the same
in the long run,--then without at all knowing what those words mean.
With that large vision that usually characterizes her in matters even
not of faith, and which makes her hated by political quacks and mad
sciolists, the Church detects the real objects and aims of these
innovators, and is not afraid of facing obloquy by condemning them in
spite of their false banners. For this attitude we have no excuse to
offer; we glory in it, and regard it as a sign of that innate divine
energy and life imparted to her by the source of all life and power. The
second count on which this charge is based may be found in the utterance
of private Catholics, or in that of prelates and bodies, in the latter
of whom is lodged a power that extorts obedience, it is true, and ought
always to be treated with respect, but which can claim to act in no
infallible manner, and which, in pronouncing on matters outside the
domain of faith, must rest upon the suggestions of reason and external
evidence alone. For instance, Catholics are often confronted with
extracts from this or that author, or the pronouncements of this or that
provincial council, and asked to say whether, after that, the Church may
pretend not to be opposed to the natural aspirations of man? These
objectors do not, or will not, see that the Church, by enlarging the
domain of her teaching to cover all things with the mantle of
infallibility, would most effectually crush the action of the human
intellect, which was meant for use, no