perhaps have been better, had Mr. Young not allowed any of the Latin foot notes to remain. Their appearance may possibly deter many from the perusal of the book as dry and over-learned, whereas, the fact is, that while displaying an unusual amount of learning, it is so put as to be most interesting and highly agreeable reading. Besides the approbations of the Bishop of Portland, and Father Piccirello, S.J., both of which are given to the English version, we have prefixed to the volume the approbation of the original by the Archbishop of Mechlin, and the congratulatory letter of the Bishop of Liege to the author.

P. L.

Historical Researches in Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburg, MYERS, SHINKLE & Co.), is a new quarterly which deserves local support. The main object of the magazine is to collect information, while the sources are yet available, regarding the rise and progress of the Church, with the ultimate purpose of supplying full and authentic materials to the future historian of Western Pennsylvania and the adjacent country. In the two numbers before us the editor has brought together much information that is as interesting as it is rare.

A Funeral Discourse, and Funeral Words (London: BURNS & OATES) are two sermons delivered by Fr. GALLWEY, S.J., the first over the remains of Lady Georgiana Fullerton, and the other over Mr. Charles Weld. As sermons, they are not unworthy to be proposed as models of their kind-containing not only a graceful tribute to the worthy dead, but instruction too and elevating thought.

Memorial Words (London: BURNS & OATES), by Fr. COLERIDGE, S.J., is the title of another sermon on Lady Georgiana Fullerton, which fills in many incidents and thoughts not noticed by Fr. Gallwey.

The Rev. JOHN PLACID CONWAY, O.P., gives quite an exhaustive history of Abingdon and its Abbey in his learned pamphlet, "The Story of Early and Mediæval Abingdon.” (London: BURNS & OATES).

Theses Defendendae, &c, is the title of a syllabus of twentythree theses in Logic and Ethics, which formed the subject matter of a monthly disputation in the Philosophical School for Lesuit Novices at Miltown Park, Dublin. The syllabus certainly represents a splendid month's work.

[We have received, but too late for publication, from Rev. J. §. Vaughan, St. Bede's, Manchester, a reply to Father Murphy's last article on "Faith and Evolution." It will appear in our next number. ED. I. E. R.

THE IRISH

ECCLESIASTICAL RECORD.

OCTOBER, 1885.

PERNICIOUS LITERATURE AND ITS REMEDY.

IN

our own day the Church has to encounter a new danger. The art of printing is now an old discovery, but the greater facility given to it by steam machinery, and the immense consequent reduction of its cost, and, at the same time, of the cost of disseminating its productions by steamer and rail, gives it the character of a invention, so completely different is it in its daily use and applicability. And a grand invention it is; but like other great and useful inventions, it admits of being misused and turned to dangerous and pernicious purposes. And in our own days the enemies of religion have not been slow to use it to such purposes. When printing was first invented the Church gave every encouragement to it, but at the same time made wise regulations to prevent it being turned to the injury of faith and morality. But its power to do this is no longer equal to its authority. In most countries the freedom of the Press is looked on as a sort of palladium of liberty, like the Habeas Corpus and the right of petition. Any attempt to curtail or even to control it would raise an outcry. Public opinion is all in its favour; yet though it is indeed a great power in restraining oppression, injustice, and evil doing, from the evil doer's fear of being exposed, it involves a huge power of mischief, in that every one is able by means of it to promulgate misleading views, coloured or one-sided statements, and even downright lies.

It is, indeed, imagined that people may be guarded from being misled or deceived by going on reading and thus getting misstatements corrected, and hearing opposite

VOL. VI.

2 z

opinions so as to come on the whole and at last to a true judgment of things. But this is not so; for in the first place the bulk of men are not thoughtful, nor possessed of much judgment. They are incapable of estimating statements at their proper value, of balancing evidence, and drawing logical conclusions. When they are not led by their own prepossessions, they are as often as not so led away by any clear or interesting or lively statement, as to be disinclined even to listen to a counter statement or to an explanation. Men do not generally even read both sides of a question, but only one side; they want to hear all that is to be said on that side, and are ready to have all that can be said on the other side explained away. The great bulk of men, women, and children, have not much of the judicial mind, or at least it is after the fashion of the judge we have all heard of who was quite satisfied with hearing one side of a case, and who only found his mind confused by hearing both sides. The idea that men are ordinarily capable of hearing and reading what comes in their way, and drawing just conclusions by themselves, is a pure fable.

Yet it is a fable that is flattering to our vanity. It appeals to that self-conceit which is seldom without place and life in the breast of each one of us when questions of morality, or politics, or public duty, or expediency are set before us as matters which are to be judged of and decided by ourselves; as if public opinion were the only judge of what is right, true, just and expedient; and this is what a free Press and unrestrained reading is doing, and cannot be restrained from doing, in the present day. There is no restraint of any kind. There is no lack of publishers who will publish anything that will sell. Nor is there any lack of writers who can write what is sensational and exciting, appealing to sensual or political passion, suggesting to men that they are kept in ignorance or are under delusion and ought not to be contented to remain as they are; calling on them to think for themselves, and to claim freedom from the tramels of authority to follow their own judgment on what is best for their happiness, and most for their good. There are in most countries people who are engaged in encouraging the manufacture and pushing the sale of literature of this sort. In some the evil has not yet far advanced, and thus has not attracted much attention; but it has begun. In others it has reached a huge magnitude, and has done frightful

mischief. It is a danger that must be confronted and contended with. It cannot be put down or got rid of. In what manner can it be met?

In those places where the evil has made so much progress, that bad literature is in possession, so to speak, the prospect of any successful resistance to it seems gloomy enough. But in Ireland this is not the case. Many indeed will be disposed to think that the mass of the people are too firmly established in the faith, and rooted in good habits, to be much injured by bad literature. Their spiritual system is in such strong health, that it will reject the poison. God grant it may be so! But if the present generation is safe, is the rising generation equally so? Do they continue to show so deferential a spirit to the old ways-to Parental and Spiritual authority-that there is no fear for them? Or is there need for some care and precaution to preserve them under the dangers of a new temptation? Is it not at least necessary to warn them of a danger of which they have hitherto had no experience, and to bring them up to understand that they can no longer be preserved safe from harm by the protection of others, but that they must learn to take some care of themselves, and that their learning to do this is the most hopeful security against mischief.

For after all though you may lead a horse to the water you cannot make him drink. The most industrious disseminators of pernicious literature cannot make people buy their papers, periodicals, and books if they do not choose to do so, and even if these are disseminated gratis, as is done extensively on done extensively on the Continent for political objects, yet no one can be forced to read them. If only it comes to be known that poisonous food is on sale, men will learn to be cautious, to discriminate and to avoid whatever is doubtful or dangerous; and in a country like Ireland, where the people are still to a great extent faithful to the traditions of their Fathers and the teaching of the Church, it is still within reach that they should be successfully awakened to the new danger and fore-armed to encounter it.

But in what way can this awakening be effected?

People commonly talk as if the bishops had it in their power to do what they like in these matters-that if only a bishop takes a question up and speaks to the clergy and people the thing is done. Would that it were so that the reverence and obedient submission to those who feed the

flock of Christ were so great and so universal that their expressed wishes or warnings were the rule of conduct to their people. But it is of no use for things to be put off in this way on the bishops, as if they could do every thing by themselves, and as if no duty or responsibility lay on any one else. It is indeed for the bishops to approve, to authorize, to initiate measures--to give the word as to what should be done and their blessing to the doing of it; but it is we-the Clergy and the Faithful at large-who have to do the work in any movement that is to go on and succeed. While the Pastoral of the Bishop is indeed necessary to justify a movement, yet it must have the support of personal influence and exertion to become ultimately successful.

For what is the way in which men are guided in the practical details of daily life? We know how thoughtless most people are, and especially young people. They hear a Pastoral read, or an instruction given by a priest, but do not at once enter into the practical application of it to themselves. The moment for this comes and is past before they think of it. And yet-quam parva sapientia regitur mundus-any ordinary person-a friend, a companion, a child or a fool only says to us 'you must'nt do that,' and we desist, or look here, do this,' 'this is the way,' 'come with me,' and we obey. It is sufficient that our attention is directed to the thing at the moment, and we do not even stop to reflect what is best; we go on. How much power then to influence our conduct have our friends and companions, if they will only speak out; and still more our parents, relatives and spiritual guides! The Dicta of Ecclesiastical authority are not enough; it is personal influence which is the practical means for giving effect to that authority.

What we want to do is in this way to create and cultivate a conscience among our people on the matter of reading. In the present condition of society it is no longer possible for the Church to preserve people from poisonous literature as it once did. We need, therefore, if they must be exposed to this danger, to awaken and inform their consciences on the duty of taking care of themselves. For somehowfrom the novelty of the situation or some other cause-we find many people conscientious enough about other things who do not seem to have a conscience about what they read. Anything professedly immoral, or written against the Faith, they would reject; but short of this, they do