the: am eric am.
(jram1 t f h I '('. '
h wth 1 1 i 1
,tH t ltigMfnft, Wl ( Hil l in
I rot llir t.s. !( (Vtxi
TU Lu H.i-.iv D ..i.,
N.Kt !... Mloftnl. lople U-iijj
"The V nt' ilttV nl the I I'." U- M
IVIimai j In mi American Ih'I) iiihuUi
for In il wttv Imtn Whti'i;i'n and
Lincoln--1 wo name tt tl-rt m! In
ular atWtMi lhal U mention one i to
n-oall the ilhrr, Ytliint:nti, tln
att tl'iatt, lit 111 I llil Mini lit'MI'l. 1111'
th cup f thcmlnt'a ImUtitv, nee mcd
( weigh each other, to whom rvliglon
a a rule l notion, m tin' command
Lincoln, the plelndan, hone in I ml
K ml litm t had Iitii funcd In the cm
elhloof love, wlili whom religion wan
a innnliinato intuttion, Of thcue twin
of destiny I have chosen (1 hoo not
Inappropriately to i occasion) lo
speak of Lincoln to relate tho manner
of hi death, and tho cngcancc of 1 ho
Hug.
Was it, my friends, tin tnsiintlon or
caprice win n, on the very threshold of
tlint most miIht, somber, sullen story
of I'olnnlnl life, "The Scarlet letter,"
lluwthorno suddenly stoops, iiiul, pluck
ing a rose which grow h'sldo tho orison
door, presents It to li In render? It wiim
a grace fill net, a propitiatory net, ami
wlthnl mi net of drop significance.
Somehow tho pcrfumo of tho llowcr
pervades tho entire story, so when lit
hint you clone thti book, wlih the mint
ell 1 1 In your eyes nnd fnln would mur
mur, "n snd, cruel, useless sacrifice," lo!
tho fragrance of tho rone, llku nn ex
halation from tin unseen altar, bit-allies
through your spirit mid you sigh in
stcud, "Hrhnp8 Hflor nil 't-wus bent, yen,
perhaps 'twas necessary,"
With something of tho motlvo I have
attributed to Hawthorne I wish to relate
an incldi nt which Moll me In this city,
bm a prelude to my recital of tho dark
est page in Amerlenn lilHtory, It wuh
in Lincoln Pink. Tho statue of lib
erty's groat martyr had recently lioon
unveiled, and I lind come to study it,
To my mind, unskilled in tho nloeticB
of criticism, tho work seemed perfect.
Tho dear, homely, lovoly fuco with Its
wilderness of wrlnklt'H, thoso hier
oglyphs of character; tho tall, angular,
awkward figure Jo which the garmenta
clung hojKiloB of adaptation cm hmno!
Uphold our kingly riiU-Hpllttcr, hlniHolf
a nort of human rail cleft from a geric
iiloglcal trco hh yet uucatalogued, Round
to tho core, with tho bark still on, and
all the Hpl Inters left iim God had left
them. It wuh Abraham Lincoln hh I
had dreamed of him in lioyhood, aa I
had rend of lilm in hlntoryi aimplo,
majentle, actual, un if hlH Immortal
njilrlt hud clothed Itnelf in a vcMtmcnt
of immortal bronze. There, In tho rent
fid quiet of a pin k already dedicated to
hla memory a nodal point anions tho
mighty vlbratlona of a great city a
little continent bounded by the "un
wilti'd oa" called Mlclilgun, and tho
rant ocean of ilfo called Chicago there
anildMt tho green twilight of arching
tree nnd whliierlng leaven, towered
tho lKiloved form of Liberty's McHHlah.
Aa I loweredf my cyea to trnco tho
words cnilioHM'd iijKin tho jK ihatal (tho
words of that abort HM!ech dehtined to
live so long, at onco the cplHodo and
tho epltajih of CettyHburg) I Ix cnmo
awaro of an old gentlemen who Mood
gu.lng up into the durk lxnlgnunt face
that bent aljove us. Ho wan a (juulnt
old inun; lusty, thickset, smooth-shaven,
wearing a wido-brlmmed felt hat and
a home-Hpun continue, neat enough but
far from fashionable. Ills bright, ruddy
face glowed out from Its snow drift of
white bulr like a livo coal among its
anhes. There wuh certainly nothing in
his physiognomy to suggest melanchol y,
and yet, as ho gazed, tho tears streamed
down his cheeks unheeded,
Tho spectacle touched my sympathios
and roused my curiosity. With or"
haps unpardonable rudeness I attempted
to discover tho secret of hla perturba
tion. I ventured to ask if, in hla opin
ion, the atatuto ltcforo us was a good
likeness of Mr. Lincoln. Ho replied
simply: "I presume it Is; I never met
him."
"And yet," I persisted, "tho con
templation of tho statute seems to
elngularly affect vou?"
Tho old gentleman turned to me im
pressively and said: "Young man, I
am a Kcntucklan, born and reared and
hoping to die in tho old blue griiKs
commonwealth. If Kentucky had left
tho Union I should have followed and
fought for her. All through those
frightful years, and tor long years after
ward, I looked upon President Lincoln
as a tyrant and a desjwt, and when the
news came of hla taklng-off I flung up
my hat and echoed the yell of tho
assassin 'Sic temper tyrannic Not
until recent years have I come to realize
that Abraham Lincoln was the best,
the truest friend that tho south or
humanity has ever had. And now,"
continued the old man, his eyes again
glistening with tears, "now I can never
think of him, never hear the mention
of his name, that my heart does not
. ,1 ,'!.'! ' ' ')
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nn,! tlt l ii . i i t-. Is .1.
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i ,... Rii.i !. n i u i- ;
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j u k i-. .! i f i i , !vrtii.,i,i si St-
li. I. n i ( I tii' m l..
Ii Umii, nl.i'i i ' t bii ' h
i l. i Slni li. II H" I lllli il t itH
lt .'Mi n l.i I -t''il tn Ibt
i,u i.t w In n, in ln.f I (wo I n n
Ini 'f l iimiiii' minst ii'ti, I lm
frit IhJ tn ) 'li nli tnl mj tin
lidiid ii w Hh rl-itii? ain'i r, I urnum il
il til HII HOW liml I SHI Sin-Ill tl lM'Ml
the rliiMiiiitsi n ot tbst fsliniii suit
ppiiri nily w iiw h ei Inn'. I siiy tluit
(lie i i iini' wsn pmei'Hllv w liwli -n
sllliiiiinh, inulil we fnlbnin tho (llilni'
motive III biillinll liUloiy, I diHibt lint
that liivuhiil with llilw cntatilropho
Hi. ti' wnx iimii' 1 linn liuniiin wlmlmii;
fn" Imvi' I iiol slii'iuly citlli'il Llneolti
I. Unity's Mishlshy
It was on the lilRht of April 11, I .",
that the shot was tltvd, ainl lt ii'Ver
In'ialioii will hiHt fon-ver. tin the
morning following, at preelwly ;--o'clock,
Abraham Lincoln yicldid up
tho ghoxU The filial moment is notched
on the scythe of Time. Kven the W'utch
inn kern, thoxo wardens of the hours.
have embalmed thut moment in the
sign of their culling. In every city of
the Union, north ami mouiIi, and cant
and west, you have seen those great
dumb wooden Iwro hjh point ing back
ward to the dread event. Look at them
,i l. 'lll If lu ..111 ,., a '!
(lould t!oleriilge describe a thing more
idle than tliowi painted hands upon u
painted dial? Idle? No, not ui.less n
cathedral spire, a marble shaft, or the
eroHM Itself Is Idle; for those Idle hands
hold out it memory which only pardon
anked, and pardon given, can ever, ever
sweeten!
The murder of Lincoln was tho most
appalling tragedy ever witness in a
theatre. History, as if despairing of
another HhakcsHarc, dramatized Itself.
We are told that his death interrupted
a comedy. Hut what death has not,'
Among all the chimeras and phantasms
of this life, death, a thing seemingly
tho most unreal, is tho one inexorable
reality. And yet, let it eonio when or
how it will, thero is always in the
event a mocking incongruity. Hut
tills this immolation of Abraham Lin
coin wns tho very masquerade of death;
grotesque, sjioetaeular, I would almost
say, fantastic! The glare of footlights,
tho fripperies of a playhouse, tho tinsel
and pasteboard of a stage, the gullery
of a green-room, tho mummery of the
actors it was Into this realm of fiction
that tho awful fact obtruded. It was
tho coiip ce thtulre of death. And must
wo call this fate? Alas! I can almost
hear tho frantic cry of Victor Hugo
"Fittc-HiitiiUr burnt of lawliter!"
On this mortal night tho president
hud sought to lie nmuHcd. Ho wIhIkuI
to laugh, to be made to laugh; and for
this ho has Isien criticised. Why should
ho wish to laugh when every click of
the telegraph was tho death tick of a
soldiery Why should he? Why should
ho not?
There U no IiuikMit In I hi' niitiirul world
Of lieiiNt or llhli or lilrd, IIkiiikIi iuihikI doubt
Of llii'lr futurity to tliuin tuiiurM,
IIiih (lured lo chock llm iiilrtli-coiiiiillliiK
hIiuiiI,
Tim I It t) roitrn Ii In miIchiii thunder out,
To nlni'pliiK wood Hut imikIo hiti'Iuiih her
cry i
Kven the lin k iiiiinI hi i alii a hitIoim throat
Tit hurl lil IiIi'nI di'lluiii'o it t the sky,
rear, uiikit, Jeiilmmy, hiivo found n volro,
Love's pnln or riiptiirn the brulo bottom
MWI'll,
Niilurp him nyiiiholn fur her nobler Jnyn.
Her nobler norrows. Who hud iliiretl foretell
Tlml only i i ii ii . by niitne mid mockery,
Should leiirn to IiiiikIi who leuriiH (hut lie
mimt dlti.
i 'resident Lincoln was not only awaro
thai he must dio, but lie had every
reason toliolleve that his death would
Ik; at the bunds of an asHiiHHin. Ho bad
Iwcn repeatedly warned that such would
lie his fate; Indeed, an attempt had
already been made upon his life, and
that ho know of it is shown by papers
found in his desk revealing tho plot,
and by himself lals'llod "Assassina
tion." DlsciiHitlng tho subject with his
friend, Father Chinlquy, ho had said,
"I see no other way than to bo always
prepared to die. I know my dunger;
but man must not care how or where
ho dies, provided he dies at the post of
honor and of duty."
And still he laughed, and his laugh
ter was the music of his heart, the
sweet expression of his sweet humanity.
Such a man can afford to laugh; for,
thanks bo to (Jod who glveth us the
vicUiry, human laughter is a challenge
to death, tho clarion of immortality.
Moreover, tno president had earned
a respite from the anxieties which for
four years, like four eternities, had
brooded over him. Tho volcano of war
had ceased to vomit forth Its lava of
human bbsnl. The vertigo of death
was pant. The thunder of battle, In
ono baflled roar, was muttering over
the distant Held of ApjKirnattox. There
had been too much of tragedy, and now
this laughter-loving man would gain
aurceaso from the long tension on his
heart-strings by forgetting fact In fic
tion, the real in the apparent.
The box which the presidential party
was to iwcupy had been appropriately
draped with the Union flag, so arranged
I - .. I H f! I .
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, .t t I I. t ,1 II .
M ( ii . I I. lit ? I
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et tt-'t.-l t -i.ti V !.',
, ..t I'l'l - sShi tf
y,,inAi U.i !',.iii mm, !ti-i
!-t..wlU tu. i ml..,, ft li''v'
t nil..- ,!. t! t !-e in.'t I S'. 't '! .Hi. ne.l
I finite It.e !i-ht. fit Hi. I
i IV. f.
t l.i in, i t , t i. '.t t.iOH
I
j ! Hi 11' St t'o Ifll.t tt.' JMlfh tit a II I .i
I . , .ft. . .t . . . a . .
1'Kitni M"t i.iiti m,tt t ir. n u in e i'
i (mnee liiinitintel t bin,! tin
l. (n li, Ii t ln ptt t.li til wiwt M-Rtiil
Tin iboir to m-sj;e s hot l-n ko it,
for the Its k bail I'll!) tbst ilny Itrn
li inint il I" pli ent soeh eiitinc.'lti J .
Tin- ouiig inun, lmet i, fH.tt nul tin
il, mr lb I ml hi in with II Wtmtlttl Inset
w Ii leli he Ii ml pnloiii'ty pnpanil fur
the hih.m . lie next Went to till
tliHir oeiiug Into the Im ik sti.l peeiH d
at the ieciiMiulit Ihnioch a hiiihII
tticttuiv, aim pre loufly iiisilt for th
pilWM..
Surely the noble Lincoln must have
felt some isguo connciimMicsH of this
propinquity. If the lery atuitisphert
of this liicnrmiic tlex il ditl not herald
his approach, that Imhllick eye, framed
by a gimlet-hole, miiht have Kent
shudder through the victim's heart!
We may never know. In a moment the
tloor was opened, t he murderer entered.
Then ah! then-
There was n sharp detonation, a
moment's dread paralysis, u wild com
motion, a clutch at the lleeing lutsiiMsin,
a fierce inipreeiition and tho savage
slash of a knife as be freed himself
from tho detaining grasp, his leap to
tho stage, his mock heroics, his re
hearsed magniloquence, his Chauvln
istic bravado, ami tho startled, bewil
(hired cry, "The presldt nt is mur
dered!" Holy God! how could thou
suffer it? Ho, so loving and so lovable;
so gentle, patient, bravo, and true! So
slow to anger, so eager to forgive!
Throughout our national eclipse his
great heart was stayed on Thee, his
sole purpose to fulfill Thy will. Only a
little while before, in ills message to
the nation, he had said to the people of
south, "We are not enemies, but friends.
We must not bo enemies. Though
passion may huve strained, it must not
break our bonds of affection." Was
this the language of a tyrant? Tho
flat of a conqueror? History has no
parallel to this sublime, unaskod-for
condonation save when, on Calvory,
that divine whlsMir faltered through
the darkness, "Father, forglvo them,
they know not what they do."
Instantly with the pistol-shot tho
president had fallen forward. Tho
dear head drooped, never to rise again;
tho loving heart fluttered into rest,
and Abraham Lincoln, offered by tho
All-wise as a mediator and an exemplar
to his distracted countrymen, was with
tho "undying dead."
Hut what of tho assassin?
Munlnely bold as now seems this mur
der, the chances of capture had been
weighed by tho murderer and reduced
to a minimum. His route to the south
hud been chosen and carefully studied.
His confederates were numerous and
discreet, His llnnnces were ample, bis
equipment complete, As for tho lea)
from the proscenium box, that was a
matter so Insignificant as scarcely to
have entered Into tho calculation; for
tho assassin was a trained athlete, ex
ulting In his prowess, In his histrionic
career he had often sprung upon that
very stage from twice the height,
simply to startle the audience into
applause. And yet, we are told that
except for the accident of his ftsit
catching In the flag, a strip from which
was thus torn out, and fluttered at his
heels as he dragged his broken limb
across the stage, ho would have inevit
ably escajs'il. Hut why call it an acci
dent? Does not l'lato tell us that even
granite rocks have souls that shape
their appearance and give them indi
viduality? Shall a heathen philosopher
grunt such an attribute to stocks and
stones and a patriot deny all sensibility
to his country's Hug? It was no acci
dent, but a miracle of gratitude Tho
Vengeance of The Flag! Washington
was there Washington, the father
who ls!got and brought It forth, seemed
for tho moment to live again in its em
brace. Lincoln, tho savior, who had
redeemed it from tho sin of slavery,
was even then dying that it might livo,
tho last quiverings of his heart pulsing
in all Its breathing folds. It was no
accident! In tho absence of human In
tervention tho flag itself became an
actor. It reached forth and grappled
with tho assassin. It clave to him liko
the bloody garment of old mythology.
It shrieked and was rent In twain, but
clung, clung, clung writhing about and
binding him, like a python, in its coils.
Tho flag was tho captor tho flag was
its country's Nemesis! All hail the
flag! Our proud and happy flag! llad
lant in its beauty, sparkling with its
stars, conscious of Itself, Its God, and
Its America! Istk up my countrymen,
look up poor human race, look up to it
in reverence and with a prayer of grat
itude! Behold it unfurled above the
nations of the earth, the splendor of its
sheen as lambent as the sunlight that
plas upon it: its undulutions as bil
lowy and voluininouit an the clouds of
hoaven; its gorgioii-colors painted up
on the air, as impalpable as the rain-
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9 I
Hi I
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t. t! (-' j.t ! .m I ; I nl
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V i , t . Hi . t..-it it .!. I t
I. ,.--..,! It-. ' !..( i,i ' I!,,- if
i i '-. .' "i ii iti-.l I . - ! in I.
.. I nt i,,. Mm! i I l! ,
. It f. I I. fcw.,1. t.. -t It I A t l ! I
if H It l !. 4f Hi. 4 . tt n!
n'
it. i ..:! t i-.r Tit t. ti
t.t..-.i:,' , ft I ft ,;i ill (U lit U ItM-
! foil . 'it .1 . Ol WHtlltl t Ct llttMltl
iiiIiku It.nt t t tine Mm ti I flu),
f nii-f' tiitii(,il, mil tit;iH In our
lini ttiti t litblvtti, limit in f it ttnl Ml .i
lil, in no m h , tint a lit log etvstuti-' u
liltil wtilie, " t l..t.' eilfiilitu .1
now,' lisie ftnii r Jl Ut n sulHtnl
W tl the f-tsill of kbnini'. The golden
1r tlml Irm.llHte the t$U Siv hot
lllt'lii limtllili tlmo thte sinter Star
hiiit ittiintellnte It Hoin ln innineiit.
Our imlile itsg! So long as il sbnll
llout the nky, Uugh in the sun, tinr
tlnnip, an alien. In the sight of tlml, no
long shall free men, fni- homes, free
nebimln, free churehen, yea, freedom
itif, liml refugti in the shadow of its
strength. Gtnl ItleoH our ling! His own
harbinger-of unlvemal jieace, thestantl
ard of humanity, the oi illumine of
liln-rty! Gtnl bless our Hag!
ROME'S TEACHINGS.
Together With the Authorities From
Which They are Taken.
Kansas City, Mo., March 4, 1H0.I.
To the Kdl tor of TliK Amkki"an:
"You were too severe in your lang
uage.'' Such were the words which
were thrust upon mo In regard to a
comment on an article which appeared
in a recent issue. Thinking that a
similar thought might entangle other
minds, It is my desire to present a few
historical facts to substantiate my as
sertions against the Uoinun Catholic
church, condensing the review, so that
a few thoughts may bo presented to
conform with the spaco allowed.
Thero exists a school of moral and
devotional theology in the above named
church, known as Liguorianism. The
chief promoter of this school was an
Italian named Alfonso Mariade'Llguori,
who was born near Naples, on So
tember 27, 1(I!XI. The Itev. ' It. F.
Littledalo, L. L. D., D. C. L., men
tions, when speaking of Liguori, the
following:
"His own words, in tho prefuce to his
"Homo ApostoiiuB," a work intended
for tho guldunco of priests in hearing
confession, explains clearly tho inten
tion of his bulkier treatlso, tho "The
ologla Moral Is." He says: 'When
compiling that work, I spent the labour
of fifteen years In perusing and weigh
ing the teachings of very many writers
whom I examined, some of whom I
found moro lenient than just; .
while I found others who, strongly dis
liked such indulgence, fell Into the
other extreme of excessive rigour. And
this was my principal task, to select
from such a mass oi opinions, those de
cisions which, on tho ono hand, should
uphold the obedience duo to tho pre
cepts of God and the church, and on
the other should not add burdens
which God has not Imposed, by binding
everyone to that perfection which,
through human weakness, is morally
impossible to the general body of be
lievers.' "As Liguori ombodlcB also in his
materials the casuistical authors of the
succeeding century, who were taught
some caution by those mishaps of their
predecessors, his works represent the
final stage of casuistry in what is ac
counted a purified and moderate form,
and have a yet greater importance, in
that they have been accorded an official
approval and authorization from tho
highest authorities of tho Korean Cath
olic church, such as those of noprovlous
casuist of the past reformation era can
allege. They are fully sanctioned, en
couraged and recommended for general
use amongst the I toman Catholic
clergy, and in fact only just fall short
of being actually enjoined, Conse
quently they themselves, and the
works based on them by Scavlnl and
Guume, as ulso tho kindred rnannual of
Gury, are all but universally found in
use, and it is thus easy to learn from
them what Is now the accredited moral
theology prevalent throughout tho
Latin obedience. So far, only
tho general principles on which
Liguori's system is based have been
explained. It next remains to exhibit
their practical application, both as re
gards his own statements and also as
regards thoso opinions of other casuists
which, though not accepting them for
himself, ho yet embodies without cen
sure in his work, thereby giving them
the character and caution of probability.
It will simplify tho inquiry to limit It
mainly, though not exclusively, to the
teaching on falsehood and theft.
"Both of these are declared by
Liguori to 1x5 sins of grave character,
and in regard to the former ho cites,
amongst other authoritative condem
nations, thene words of l'ope Innocent
III.: 'Not even to defend our life is it
lawful to siieak falsely.' IIo adds that
persons who are being lawfully ques
tioned by such as have a right to in
terrogate, as judges in court, or a
priest in the confessional, are bound to
disclose truly all they know of the
matter inquired into. Thoso who are
questioned by such as have no right to
Interrogate them, or are questioned
-"it M !tm S.t.it. .
I...I . ; ,.j I. ,,.,,,,.., .. If, th
1- . "! l . ..,. I k t 1 1 ' !
tin Ii '-oil.!. hi ' ... ,...
.. tt .iN ).., , . let l.;i.t i
' - ! t'i - I, tti'tt
it . I !l r. ttv !,-, ..t- It.,- ei,
i f in If -i..t 11,1,. r lu.lt
tt t !.. ,t, U ft fft '! e.ft
ti.Mil.t-,1 In ! li.-.i, It, 1 " lliv.jli
II .. . ti. ilt. ,J t., (hi t ,.. of M
lo.ttit tl.-.i, tj Jrt , vtitiie (Ktlni Till
I :1 1. ttsl-if iM'itfh, I'lil ttn -mi i I
f"it"e t n.i'y n .tu.i it t.j ft I f 1 In
l't unity.
"In I lie t'lt J'isee, lie t;iliit ni'l.t
nni.il).li.C or t (ni In ttl ii'll fimllt
lllflllsl t'-tl!ititt, ft),,) limn, thtiv
vsiit titHi of itilvoefttlttn: tl That a
mil having two tjuii dlflt ii-nl s nm ts
ss fin In ttin tiit nii In 'lh" and
to "fly" -to hit h limy ! mldiMl the
frt tjuelit Kngllnh Hlnlilgnlty of tmitli
tinet Woiiln having the nnliie miund, an
HtV and firir; (2) A nentence having
two main meanings, an "Thin Inmk In
I'eter's," which may signify bin owner
ship or his nuthomhip; (,'li That of
words having two Hensen, one more
common than tho other, or one literal
and tho other metaphorical. The ex
ample he gives of this last form is the
phase "1 say no," uttered by a person
who wishes to conceal something as to
which he is quest lonetl. The words
seem to his bearer to denote express
denial of the fact; the meaning in
which he uses them is merely, "I utter
tho word 'no,'" this sentence being
complete in itself. 'It is certain,' adds
Liguori, 'and tho common opinion of
all, that it is lawful for a just cause to
use equivocal ion in the manners de
scribed, and to conform it with anouth.
And the reason is that wo do
not then deceive our neighbour, but for
a just cause permit him to deceive him
self; and besides, we are not bound, if
there bo a just cause, to spwik so that
others may understand. And any
honest object for retaining any good
things that are useful to our body or
spirit may be a just cause.' Theo. Mor.,
iv. 151.
"Next, as to mental reservation, or
'restriction,' which is the technical
name; this was expressly condemned in
three propositions by Innocent XI.,
forbidding it in all cases. According to
the analogy of all prohibitory laws,
this general prohibition of the genus
should include prohibition of all the
species also. But the casuists, unable
to oppose direct resistance to tho papal
decree, have turned its flank by invent
ing a now distinction which was un
known In 1670. They have now divided
mental restriction intj tjvo main heads,
theiirstof which, absolute or "pure"
mental restriction (by which is meant
such reservation as cannot possibly be
observed by the hearers, or conjectured
from the attendant circumstances), is
always illicit, whether with or without
an oath. But "non-pure" mental re
striction (that is, such as may conceiv
ably be observed and inferred from
attending circumstance, such as an
inaudible whisper, or a qualifying
gesture) does not, they allege, fall
under the face of Innocent XI., and Is
always lawful for a just cause. 'The
reason of this opinion is that, if it were
not permissible to use non pure mental
restriction, there would bo no lawful
means of concealing a secret, which
ono could not disclose without loss or
Inconvenience, which would bo hurtful
as lying to human Intercourse, and
therefore tho condemnation passed by
the pope on mental restriction is rightly
to bo understood of a restriction taken
absolutely and strictly, for that alone
can be called true mental restriction
which takes place In the mind alone,
and so remains hidden, and can in no
wise bo recognized from external cir
cumstances.' 'iVo!, Mor., iv, 1.12.
"The following illustrations are sup
plied: (1) A confessor may alllrm with
an oath that ho Is Ignorant of a. crime
which he has heard in confession,
secretly meaning thereby that ho is
ignorant of it as a mere man, though
not as a minister of religion. (2) An
accused or a witness, if irregularly
questioned by the judge in court, may
swear that he knows nothing of a crime
which he does in fact know of, under
standing thereby that he does not
know it so as to be legally bound to
answerer depose concerning it. This
alarming proposition is apparently
corrected by the wurtiing that, when
the interrogation of the judge is in due
form, then the person questioned is
bound to obedience, and barred from all
equivocation. Hut this safeguard is at
once fatally weakened by tho further
provision that, If the act be not a
crime in tho witness's opinion, he need
not disclose it, and that if the crime bo
altogether hidden (i. e., when only the
criminal himself and tho witness know
the facts), the witness is not merely
permitted, but 1b actually bound, to say
that the accused did not commit it.
And tho accused is equally free to do
so, unless thero bo already "half-full'i
proof against him, because, in tho ab
sence of such a degree of presumption,
tho judge has no legitimate right to
question him as to his guilt. Those
who have deceived tho court by such
sworn equivocation are, Ligourl rules,
entitled to absolution without tho
declaration of tho truth leing imposed
as a condition. (3) A needy man, who
has made away, for his maintenance,
with property due to his creditors, may
affirm to tho judge that he has noth-
i i I -i 1 1 f t-
I . if. t a. , , ,,,,,, i t,(B
I'll H i ft.t, U.vt . t .lit! it I,.. ! l.jf
" t i t ! ' k A 5, t Ml ft
I.t IV ttt t jft i,,. ,.,,,,. ) Aa
lelutt. ii ,, .,.! t, ...) t , t ,..xm.J
it t.i tif !. !...,( .i.ti ) )n ftt 4
t! . , ! ., m . H ; ( .
)-.-, n i. i... U.i,..., il t
i..-t tmittit by .l ..!',. ( I) .t.f ,n
l."'-'-'' te t i,t. M.,t. (, ii at nj thM
he I ii-,ii. i t i.f Hie t tton hi'mhim H
I It, , t l-.it, ,1 .. I if 4-e,'. ... .
1 I 'it )-. t, !,l IStltHhiH.il ft.inltl f t ,
oitif the ttlt t!i it fit tj, tt lit liittlicl
mit-ei f "Itbt'aliy ,1- ThM fh lift
tn 'I eimiinllt,-,! t M ft. ,i y. laMltt.l I
t. II Mm of II - 7W. ,l-r , it l'.3 It'.;,
"A din biitf litntuHi f ii tin uther
tltllitSl will hit Hull the MIIH
pi itli iplt ftppllt tl tit quest iuim if Ijlllg
Mini Hit ft t Att-lnl In (he li llillilling
fol 111 til ill , nilin of hicb nl
In .ii liuiy hift fully kill imv one who nt
temiit to nlnp hi fan-. If '.hen- l no
other way of wauling off the Innult.
(7W. Jl.ir.. iv. :i) He who kills A,
meaning to kill II, is not Intend tomake
oonintiNition, In-caiiso the homieidtt Is
easiinl and iniul vertent as regards A,
and similarly if a man hums down the
house of his friend, meaning to burn
that of an enemy. Itiiil, iv. t'C, ti2'J.
(.'I) Though wo are Imund to love our
enemies, we are not Imund to salute
them, to s.eak lo them, lo visit them if
sick, to comfort them in any tumble, to
receive them into our house, or to hold
any kind of familiar intercourse with
them. Mil?., v. 3, 2H. (4) A servant
may help his muster by lifting him on
his shoulders, or by providing him with
a ladder, to enter a house, even forcibly,
f,or immoral purposes, for the act Is
innocent and colorless in itself, nay,
even an act of charity or good will, and
the servant Is not resjionsible for the
subsequent conduct of his employer.
llnd., iii. 3, (ifi. .
For all practical purposes, the pro
babilism which Is at the base, of all this
casuistical method, and which is
simply the constitution of an external
nuthorily for the dictates of conscience,
is now in absolute possession through
out the Latin obedience, having finally
conquered the resistance it has en
countered at intervals since its first
formulation as a working theory. Al
though it owes its chief development to
the Jesuits, yet some of its ablest op
ponents were members of that com
pany." "Authorities: Glattine, Tita dl
Liguori, Rome 1815; Life of St. Al
phonso Maria di Liguori, edited, by
F. W. Faber, 4 vols., London, 1843-49;
Theologia Moralla S.v Alphonsi de ,
Ligorio, 10 vols., Mechlin, 1845; Homo
Apostolicus, 3 vols,, Mechlin, 1849;
Scavlnl, Theologia Moralis Un (versa,
4 vols., Paris, 1855; Gury, Compendium
Theologia! Moralis, 3 vols., I'nxma,
1852, and Casus Conselentia, 2 vols.,
Lyons, 1804; The Provincial Letters of
Pascal, edited by John de Soy res, Cam
bridge, 1880; article "Probnbilisme,"
in Itichard and Girand, Bibliot-heque
Sncree, vol. xix., 2(1 vols., Paris, 1822
27; Besombes, Moralis Christiana, 2
vols., Toulouse, 1745 (the best of tho
anii-pi'obnbilist tivntises): Meyriek,
Moral and Devotional Theology of the
Church of Home, according to the
Teachings of S. Alfonso de Liguori,
London, 1857; Charge of Archdeacon
Sinclair, in 18(17. (II. F. L.)"
Tlie foregoing abridgment of an
article, by an author who is mentioned
in advance, is a reproduction from an
authority which is accepted by ltoth
Kngland and the United States of
America, as a standard.
The authorities mentioned are an
exact repetition of the ones named at
the close of the article, and are now
furnished for tho benefit of those who
desire to Verify the statements.
The volume and the works from
which the article was taken, can be
found In both Catholic and American
homes. Tho works are non-sectarian,
standard, compilation of facts.
Hahkv U. Hindu.
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