THE ENEMIES OF SOCIAL ORDER.

To understand the true character of the enemies of society, it is necessary first to see the nature and form of the society which they are endeavouring to destroy. At the time of the fall of the Roman Empire the power of the sword and the influence of religion were the only means of protecting society and saving it from utter ruin. These two powers naturally as it were, united themselves for this common end ; and from this union resulted neither a theocracy nor a despotism, but a new form of government in which the spiritual power made and interpreted laws which were enforced by the secular or military. The spirit animating society was inspired by chivalry and religion. Religion regulated the morals of the people, enlightening their minds with the light of truth, and teaching respect and submission to the authority of their rulers. The rulers in their turn to keep up this obedience in their subjects, observed the rules and precepts of morality as taught by the Universal Church, swearing before the altars of religion to rule for the good of their subjects, the people also promising fidelity to him as long as he was faithful to them ; religion was constituted judge of both and was also the bond of union between them. This is the true nature and idea of society, that is Christian society, against which the enemies of order wage an unrelenting war. Hence in their attempts against society, they aim their attacks not only against religion and its ministers, but against any temporal power that protects and supports it. These constant enemies Christian society are the successors of those of sects which long ago combatted the Apostles themselves— such as the epicureans, manicheans, &c., carefully handing down from generation to generation their errors and hatred of Christianity. When obliged to carry on their nefarious work in secret, they do it by means of secret societies under various names practising and being united by the mysterious rites and signs of the Templars, Freemasons, Illuminati, &c.   These anti-Christian and antisocial bodies make use of every means and adapt themselves to all circumstances, they conform their expressions and actions to the various customs of each country, they pander to the passions and prejudices of any ruler over whom they have obtained an influence ; by their promises of liberty, which means absolute submission to their authority, they attract to their ranks the factitious and discontented of all parties ; attacking religious belief with principles of infidelity, scepticism, and materialism, at one time professing toleration, at another unbending despotism according to the various circumstances of time, place or people, having in view all the time their end — the destruction of the Christian religion and of Society as established and sustained by it. They delude themselves and others with the idea of obtaining the perfection of humanity by progress to perfect happiness in this world ; which is to be obtained by the universal fraternity of all men, and the more universal this brotherhood becomes the nearer is humanity to its perfection; humanity is every day attaining to this end so that what was good and necessary for society in an early stage of this progress— in a more advanced state becomes not only useless but hurtful and must be eliminated.
Thus, for example, with the different forms which have appeared in Society ; each in its time was good, but, as humanity made progress, each had to yield to a more perfect ; thus, Polytheism to Christianity, which now has run its time and must yield to another more perfect, such as Infidelity, Socialism, &c. This is not the place to enter into a detailed discussion of the vain imaginations and impracticable theories of those men. They seem to be ignorant of the great lessons taught by all history, and of the very nature of man, who is, as he always was, subject to passions and prejudices. They deceive themselves in hoping to perfect or reform society without religion, when experience clearly proves that Christianity alone possesses the cure for all social evils and that every moral and social doctrine opposed to her will be rendered powerless and barren. Trusting to the recorded promise of the Almighty, 'That the Gates of Hell' and the 'Powers of Darkness shall not prevail against her,' Christianity— in other words the Catholic religion — shows in the spirit of life which animates her, and in the instinct which makes her resist her greatest enemies, the most wonderful power which has ever appeared on earth. What more perfect religion or society than hers : Catholicity defies all societies, all sects, and all schools, to realise what she has realised, to triumph over what she has triumphed and to pass through, without perishing, the crises through which she has passed. — Saunders Gazette.

 Freeman's Journal 26 December 1868,