Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 5.djvu/482

 ENER6XTMENI

422

ENERGY

In England, both under Saxon and Norman domi- nation tlie generous zeal of the faithful prompted them to secure by endowments a permanent priest- hood, and to provide for the dignity and even splen- dour of Divine worship. A considerable portion of the foundations thus established in England was squandered or confiscated during the Reformation of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth, while the remain- der, by virtue of the Acts of Uniformity and Suprem- acy, was transferred to the Anglican Church, which stUl retains it. The conditions of the Catholics of England since the Reformation in temporal matters has not permitted to any extent the re-establishment of endowments, though instances have not been want- ing and are on the increase. In Ireland and Scotland likewise the old foundations of the Church have been lost or diverted from their purpose. In Ireland the Protestant Chiu-ch, which had received during the Reformation the lands and moneys of the Catholic Church, was disestablished and nominally disendowed by the Act of 1869, but so liberal were the compensa- tions allowed that they amounted practically almost to a re-endowment. In Scotland the Presbyterians of the Established Church, owing to the immense in- fluence of Knox in the sixteenth century, still possess what is left of the ancient endowments of the Catholic Church. Ecclesiastical endowments in France have undergone many vicissitudes, particularly from the year 1789, when a yearly income of about .§14,000,000 was suddenly and unjustly confiscated. The influ- ence of the French Revolution was felt elsewhere, especially in Germany, where by the fifty-fifth article of the Resolutions of the Deputation of the Empire (1803) "all property belonging to the foundations, abbeys and monasteries was committed to the free and full disposal of the respective rulers, who were to provide for the expense of public worship, of instruc- tion, of founding useful public institutions, and of lightening their own financial embarrassments". In Italy the annexation of the States of the Church in 1859, 1860, and 1870 by the "King of United Italy" was also followed by the introduction of anti-eccle- siastical laws, the robbery of the Church, and the spoliation of her institutions. The endowments that remain are for the most part administered by the Government. Foundations in America are not nu- merous and merit no special mention.

Canon law lays down strict regulations regarding the acceptance and management of endowments as well as the observance of the obligation arising there- from. They are to be accepted only by those whose interests are at stake, as, for instance, the rector of a church, the administrator of an institution. The con- sent of the ordinary, if they are presented to a diocesan institution, or of the competent religious superior, if given to regulars, is requisite. The superior in ques- tion should assure himself that the income accruing from the investment is a sufficient recompense for the service demanded. Once the conditions of accept- ance have been established, they are unchangeable, and it is incumbent on the bishop or religious superior, as above, to procure the fulfilment of the obligation impo.sed. A catalogue or table of these obligations assumed by a church is to be posted conspicuously in the sacristy — a general one for the diocese is reserved in the chancery office — while among the parochial books is one in which the satisfaction of these obliga- tions is noted. The supreme law to be ob.served in this matter is the will of the founder of an endowment, to fulfil which the zealous vigilance of the Church is ever directed. If, however, the property or invested funds of an endowment entirely disappear through no fault of the church, the latter is exempt from its part of the contract. If a disproportion arise between the service required and the recompense, a proportionate reduction of the obligation entailed is permitted, under certain conditions, by the Holy See. Bishops

are not allowed to lessen the original obligation, e. g. to reduce the number of Masses to be offered annually, though where the mind of the donor is not sufficiently clear, they may determine minor details, such as the hour of the service, or the altar at which it is to take place. Founders of churches frequently reserved to themselves, with the approbation of Rome, the right to administer the temporal concerns of such founda- tions and to suggest candidates for vacant benefices in said churches (see Patronage), though ordinarily these trusts are under the supervision of a corporation or board of trustees.

Addis and Arnold, A Catholic Dictionary (London, 1903). s. v.; Permanedeh and Stein in Kirchenlex., s. w. Dotalgut, Armenpflege; Ducange, Gloss, med. et inf. Lat., s. v. Dos Eccle- siiF; Herqenrother-Hollweck, Lehrh. des kalh. Kirchenr. (Freiburg, 190.5), 875-77; Meurer, Begriff and Bigenth. der kirchl. Sachen (Dusseldorf); Wehnz. Jus Decretal., Ill, 218- 26; manuals of canon law, e. e- Vering, Lehrb. des kath. orient, und prot. Kirchenr. (Freiburg, 1S93), s. v. Stiftung, which treats of special conditions and questions in Germany, Austria, and Hungary.

Andrew B. Meehan. Energumeni. See Demoniacs.

Energy, The L.\w of the Conservation of.^ Amongst the gravest objections raised by the progress of modern science against Theism, the possibility of miracles, free-will, the immateriality of the human soul, its creation and immortality, are, according to many thoughtful men, those based on the Law of the Conservation of Energy. Consequently, as full a treatment of this topic in its philosophical aspects as the limits of space will allow, is here attempted.

Explanation of the Doctrine. — The word energi/ comes from the Greek if^pyaa, "operation", "actual- ity". This term is itself a compound of 4v and tpyov, "work". In modern physical science the notion of energy is associated with mechanical work. It is commonly defined as "the capacity of an agent for doing work". By "work" scientists understand the production of motion against resistance. Such energy, whilst existing in many forms, is considered especially in two generically distinct states known as kinetic energy, or energy of motion, and potential energy, or energy of position. The power of doing work in the former case is due to the actual motion possessed by the body, e. g. a cannon-ball on its course, or a swing- ing pendulum. Potential energy, on the other hand, is exemplified by a wound-up spring, or by the bob of a pendulum when at its highest point; as the bob swings upwards its velocity and kinetic energy contin- uously diminish, whilst its potential energy is increas- ing. When at its highest point its potential energy is at a maximum, and its kinetic is nil. Conversely, when, moving downwards, it reaches its lowest point, it will have recovered its maximum kinetic energy, whilst its potential will have vanished. Energy is also recog- nized in the heat of a furnace, or the fuel of the same, in explosives, in an electric current, in the radiations of the ether which illuminates and warms the earth. Now, it has been found that these different forms of energy can be changed into one another. Further, the amount of a sum of energy in different forms can be measured by the quantity of work it can accomplish. .\ weight suspended over a pulley can be employed to do work as it sinks to a lower level; likewise a steel spring as it expands, heat as it passes to a cooler body, electric current as it is expended, and chemical com- pounds in the course of decomposition. On the other hand, a corresponding amount of work will be required in order to restore the original condition of the agents. Perhaps the greatest and most fruitful achievement of nioileni physical science dvu'ing the past century has been the establishmriit of a law of qviantitative equiv- alence between these diverse forms of energy measured in terms of work. Thus a certain amount of heat will produce a definite amount of motion in a body, and conversely this quantity of motion may be made to