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 this conflict  and  desolate  the  country. Some say  it is  ignorance,  and  advocate  compulsory  education; others say  it  is  pauperism,  and  advocate  restricted immigration; and  others,  still,  say  it  is  Romanism, and clamor  for  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits. But no! the  abomination  of  desolation  is  the  same  to-day as ever — the  spirit  of  irreligion  itself.

Brethren, we  have  considered  elsewhere  a  few  of the  many  evil  consequences  that  ensue  from  a  lack  of faith  in  the  truths  of  our  holy  religion — that  ensue from the  spirit  of  infidelity. There are  three  kinds  of infidels;  those  who  deny  all  truth  and  all  reality  in things,  those  who  admit  only  natural  truths  to  the utter exclusion  of  the  supernatural,  and  those  who, while professing  to  believe,  live  as  though  they  did not believe. All these  systems  of  irreligion  are equally repugnant  to  right  reason  and  equally  odious in the  sight  of  God. Again, on  the  other  hand,  are to be  considered  the  evils  that  may,  and  undoubtedly do, spring  from  a  spirit  of  too  much  faith — a  spirit  of excessive  credulity — which  in  the  name  of  religion  is ever  ready  to  grasp  every  and  all  ridiculous  beliefs and superstitious  practices. Men thus  lay  themselves and  their  religion  open  to  the  ridicule  of  the unbelieving world. The infidel  sins  by  turning  religion away  from  his  door;  and  the  too  fervent  Catholic often  sins  by  taking  religion  in  and  arraying  her fair form  in  the  habiliments  of  a  clown. Hence, our Catholicity must  be  a  reasonable  Catholicity — not unbelieving, but  ever  ready  to  receive  with  childlike faith the  truths  that  God  and  God's  Church  propose;