pernicious both for the people and for the Church. To lose the heart of the people would be a misfortune, for which the friendship of the few rich and powerful would be no compensation. b. There would be great danger of rendering hostile to the Church the political power of our country, which has openly taken sides with the millions who are demanding justice and the improvement of their condition. The accusation of being un-American, that is to say alien, to our national spirit, is the most powerful weapon which the enemies of the Church can employ against her. It was this cry which aroused the Know-Nothing persecution thirty years ago, and the same would be used again if the opportunity offered. To appreciate the gravity of this danger, it is well to remark that not only are the rights of the working classes loudly proclaimed by each of our two great political parties, but it is not improbable that, in our approaching national elections, there will be a candidate for the office of President of the United States as the special representative of the popu lar complaints and demands. Now to seek to crush by an ecclesiastical condemnation an organization which represents more than five hundred thousand votes, and which has already so respectable and so universally recognized a place in the political arena, would, to speak frankly, be considered by the American people as not less ridiculous than rash. To alienate from ourselves the friendship of the people would be to run great risk of losing the respect which the Church has won in the estimation of the American nation, and of forfeiting the peace and prosperity which form so admirable a contrast with her condition in some so-called Catholic countries. Angry utterances have not been wanting of late, and it is well that we should act prudently. c. A third danger, and the one which most keenly touches our hearts, is the risk of losing the love of the children of the Church and of pushing them into an attitude of resistance against their Mother. The world presents no more beautiful spectacle than that of their filial devotedness and obedience; but it is well to recognize that, in our age and in our country, obedience cannot be blind. We would greatly deceive ourselves if we expected it. Our Catholic working men sincerely believe that they are only seeking justice, and seeking it by legitimate means. condemnation would be considered both A false and unjust, and therefore not binding. We might preach to them submission, and confidence in the Church's judgment; but these good dispositions could hardly go so far. They love the Church, and they wish to save their souls; but they must also earn their living, and labor is now so organized that, without belonging to the organization, it is almost impossible to earn one's living. Behold, then, the consequences to be feared. Thousands of the Church's most devoted children, whose affection is her greatest comfort, and whose free offerings are her chief support, would consider themselves repulsed by their Mother and would live without practising their relig ion. Catholics who have hitherto shunned the secret societies would be sorely tempted to join their ranks. The Holy See, which has constantly received from the Catholics of America proofs of almost unparalleled devotedness, would be considered not as a paternal authority but as a harsh and unjust power. Surely these are consequences which wisdom and prudence counsel us to avoid. 7. But besides the dangers that would result from such a condemnation, and the impracticability of putting it into effect, it is also very important that we should carefully consider another reason against condemnation, arising from the unstable and transient character of the organization in question. It is frequently remarked by the press and by attentive observers that this special form of association has in it so little permanence, that, in its present shape, it is not likely to last many years. Whence it follows that it is not necessary, even if it were just and prudent, to level the solemn condemnations of the Church against so evanescent an object. The social agitation itself will, indeed, last as long as there are social evils to be remedied; but the forms of organization meant for the attainment of this end are naturally provisional and short-lived. They are also very numerous, for I have already remarked that the Knights of Labor are only one among many labor organizations. To strike, then, at one of these forms would be to commence a war without system and without end; it would be to exhaust the forces of the Church in chasing a crowd of changing and uncertain spectres. The American people beholds with perfect composure and confidence the progress of our social contest, and has not the least fear of not being able to protect itself against any excesses or dangers that may occasionally arise. Hence, to speak with the most profound respect, but also with the frankness which duty requires of me, it seems to me that prudence suggests, and that even the dignity of the Church demands, that we should not offer to America an ecclesiastical protection for which she does not ask, and of which she believes that she has no need. 8. In all this discussion I have not at all spoken of Canada, nor of the condemnation concerning the Knights of Labor in Canada. For we would consider it an impertinence on our part to meddle with the ecclesiastical affairs of another country, which has a hierarchy of its own, and with whose social conditions we do not pretend to be acquainted. We believe, however, that the circumstances of a people almost entirely Catholic, like that of Lower Canada, must be very different from those of a mixed population like ours; moreover, that the documents submitted to the Holy Office are not the present constitution of the organization in our country; and that we therefore ask nothing involving an inconsistency on the part of the Holy See, which passed sentence "localiter et juxta exposita." It is of the United States that we speak ; and we trust that we are not presumptuous in believing that we are competent to judge about the state of things in our own country. Now, as I have already indicated, out of the seventy-five archbishops and bishops of the United States, there are only about five who desire the condemnation of the Knights of Labor, such as they are in our country; so that our hierarchy are almost unanimous in protesting against such a condemnation. Surely such a fact ought to have great weight in deciding the question. If there are difficulties in the case, it seems to me that the prudence and experience of our bishops, and the wise rules of the Third Plenary Council ought to suffice for their solution. Finally, to sum up all, it seems to me that the Holy See could not decide to condemn an association under the following circumstances: 1. When the condemnation does not seem to be justified, either by the letter or by the spirit of its constitution, its laws, and the declarations of its chiefs; 2. When the condemnation does not seem necessary, in view of the transient form of the organization, and the social condition of the United States; 3. When it does not seem to be prudent, because of the reality of the grievances complained of by the working classes, and their acknowledgment by the American people; 4. When it would be dangerous for the reputation of the Church in our democratic country, and might even lead to persecution; 5. When it would probably be inefficacious, owing to the general conviction that it would be unjust; 6. When it would be destructive instead of beneficial in its effects, impelling the children of the Church to disobey their Mother, and even to enter condemned societies which they have thus far shunned; 7. When it would turn into suspicion and hostility the singular devotedness of our Catholic people towards the Holy See; 8. When it would be regarded as a cruel blow to the authority of the bishops in the United States, who, it is well known, protest against such a condemnation. Now, I hope that the considerations here presented have sufficiently shown that such would be the condemnation of the Knights of Labor in the United States. Therefore, I leave the decision of the case, with fullest confidence, to the wisdom and prudence of your Eminen. e and of the Holy See. J. CARDINAL GIBBONS, The Moniteur de Rome adds: "His Eminence's document has already been widely commented upon by the newspapers of the United States. They have almost unanimously recognized in it not only a great benefit conferred upon the millions of workingmen, who compose the great mass of the people in America and in every other country, but also a victory for the Catholic Church, which, in showing itself the friend of the people, naturally secures their affections, which is the only means. of efficaciously controlling the course of modern progress and guiding it in the ways of sound and conservative principles. As a matter of course, a few journals, organs of the monopolists, have uttered their protest; but their voice has scarcely been heard amid the general applause.' Consecration of Rt. Rev. Matthew Harkins. As previously announced, the consecration of this young prelate of the Church took place at the new cathedral in Providence, R. I., on the 14th of April, by the Most Rev. Archbishop Williams, of Boston, assisted by Bishops O'Rielly, of Springfield, and McMahon, of Hartford. The services were held in the new cathedral, which was opened for divine worship for the first time since the month's mind of the prelate, whose monument it will always be, was held in it last July. Half-past ten o'clock was the hour fixed for the commencement of the services, and at that time the vast edifice was crowded in every available spot, while thousands who sought admission were obliged to turn reluctantly away from the door. All the religious societies of the diocese had their representatives in the church, and very few of the diocesan clergymen were absent. Besides the prelates already mentioned, there sat in the sanctuary Bishops Healy, of Portland, and Bradley, of Manchester, preachers respectively at the morning and evening services. When the procession had entered the sanctuary, in which a temporary altar had been erected, the new marble one not yet being in place, it was found that the officers of the day were as follows: Consecrating prelate and celebrant of the Mass, Most Rev. J. J. Williams, archbishop of Boston, who had as assistant priest Vicar-General McCabe, of this diocese. The deacon and sub-deacon of the Mass were respectively Revs. R. J. Sullivan, pastor of St. Mary's, Providence, and T. Kane, of St. Patrick's, Valley Falls, while the deacons of honor to the archbishop were the Revs. E. Murphy, of Fall River, and M. A. Wallace, of South Providence, the two oldest priests of the diocese. Bishop Harkins was attended by the Revs. C. Hughes, of this city, and H. J. Smyth, of New Bedford; Bishop O'Rielly by Fathers Halligan, of Pawtucket, and McCabe, of Fall River; and Bishop McMahon by Fathers Kinnerney, of Pawtucket, and Maguire, of this city. The masters of ceremonies were four in number. Revs. Farrell and Rielly, East Providence, J. C. Walsh, Providence, J. F. Clark, Slatersville, and M. O'Hare, Cranston. At the usual time, Rt. Rev. Bishop Healy, of Portland, Me., delivered the sermon. After impressing upon his hearers the great dignity and importance of the episcopal office, the right reverend orator complimented the Catholics of Providence on the zeal which they had always manifested in the cause of religion, instancing as a proof of that zeal the splendid cathedral in which the services were held; and he paid a touching tribute at this point to the memory of Bishop Hendricken, who, he declared, might truly be said to have sacrificed his life in order that the See of Providence might have a cathedral worthy of its name. Remarking of the new bishop that he was as yet comparatively unknown to the people and priests of Providence, Dr. Healy declared that he could himself vouch that they would find in him a worthy successor to their first prelate. His acquaintance with Bishop Harkins, he said, went back to the time of his boyhood, when, as an altar boy in the old cathedral in Boston, he gave early promise of great piety and high attainments in the church. He briefly sketched the new prelate's subsequent career, and commended him to the people and priests of the diocese over which God had placed him, concluding with an earnest exhortation to all to labor alike for the greater glory of God and their salvation. After the completion of the morning services Bishop Harkins entertained the visiting prelates and priests at the episcopal residence. His lordship was besieged all day long with people calling to pay him their respects and wish him long years of life and happiness. Among those from Boston who attended the consecration were the worthy parents of the new prelate and his two brothers, and the scene when the newly-consecrated bishop bestowed his first pontifical blessing upon those members of his family was a truly affecting and edifying one. During the day the bishop was made the recipient of several notable gifts. On Easter Sunday a general collection throughout the Providence diocese was ordered and the amount of that, which will go towards completing the new cathedral, was handed to him by Vicar-General McCabe. The parishioners of St. James' Church, Boston, over which Dr. Harkins presided as pastor the three past years, sent him three thousand dollars as their offering, and the clergy of the Providence diocese also made him a suitable gift. The evening services, which consisted of grand musical vespers, began at 7.30 o'clock, when Bishop Harkins officiated for the first time in the cathedral over which he is now placed. As in the morning, the vast edifice was completely filled and many were unable to gain admittance. After the choir had rendered a fine programme of special selections, Bishop Denis M. Bradley entered the pulpit and delivered a forcible sermon, which was attentively listened to by the large congregation. The vesper service concluded the order of the day, which was one of unalloyed joy and gratification for the Catholics of Providence. ever. Bishop Harkins, it is understood, will at once proceed with the work of completing the new cathedral, which was interrupted last June by the death of Bishop Hendricken. Little remains to be done, howWith the sole exception of the altars, the church is to-day practically complete, and even the altars would have been in place for these services if the architect had not been dilatory in furnishing the plans for them. It is understood that the grand altar will be constructed of rich marble and Mexican onyx, the estimated cost of which will be thirty thousand dollars, while the side altars will probably bring that amount up to fifty thousand dollars. Nearly all the necessary funds are already in hand, so that there will be no delay in finishing the interior of the church, and, when the altars are in position, the cathedral will be at once dedicated for the use of the congregation, which at present worships in the pro-cathedral, on Broad Street. The See of Providence was instituted in 1872, and comprises the whole State of Rhode Island, together with the counties of Bristol and Barnstable in Massachusetts, a portion of Plymouth County in the same State, and Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and adjacent islands. It has about eighty churches and chapels, which are attended by over ninety priests, and some fifteen convents and colleges in which dwell over two hundred nuns, and a good number of ecclesiastical students. It has several excellent academies, notably that of the Sacred Heart at Elmhurst, and the convent of Mercy at Bayview, on the Narragansett. Its only male religious order is the Jesuits, who have charge of St. Joseph's Church, in this city, but it has several sisterhoods, to wit: Ladies of the Sacred Heart, Ursuline Nuns, Sisters of Mercy and Charity, Little Sisters of the Poor, and the Sisters of Jesus and Mary. It has a Catholic population of about 150,000, and nearly one-third of that number dwell in the city of Providence, in which there are thirteen parishes, eleven for English-speaking worshippers, and one each for French and Portuguese Catholics. Very Rev. M. McCabe, rector of St. Charles' Church, Woonsocket, who has so ably administered the diocese since Bishop Hendricken's death, will be continued in the vicar-generalship. Brief Biographical Sketch. THE RIGHT REV. MATTHEW HARKINS, the second bishop of the diocese of Providence, is of Irish parentage. He was born in Boston Nov. 17, 1845, and his parents, who are still living, resided in the parish of which he has recently been pastor. He attended the Brimmer and Quincy Schools, and then the Latin School, from which he graduated with a Franklin medal in 1862. The next scholastic year was spent in completing his classical education at Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass. Deciding that he had a vocation for the priesthood, Bishop Fitzpatrick, then the ordinary of the Boston diocese, sent him to France to pursue his philosophico-theological studies in the English college of Douay and at the seminary of St. Sulpice in Paris. Here he studied with the most eminent teachers and divines of the Catholic Church. In 1869, after six years' study, he was ordained, and left Paris for Rome for additional knowledge. On his return to America, his first appointment was as curate of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Salem, Mass. After six years' labor at Salem he was appointed, in 1876, to his first pastorate, St. Malachi's Church, Arlington, his parish also including Lexington and Belmont. Here he remained until April, 1884, when he was transferred to the large and more important parish of St. James', Boston. From this church, also, Archbishop Williams and Bishop Healy were raised to Sees, and Bishop Harkins is the fourth bishop appointed from the Boston See in the archdiocese of Boston. Bishop Harkins is a sound theologian, and was selected by Archbishop Williams as his theologian at the recent Plenary Council of Baltimore, where he was appointed one of the notaries. His powers are most strongly felt as an organizer and administrator, - qualities which he possesses in an unusual degree and which won for him his appointment as bishop. He is of medium height and strong and compact in |