Burns and Oates Ltd
Published: 2017-10-21
Total Pages: 76
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Excerpt from Catholics of the British Empire and the War This great progress of British Catholicism has taken place without alarming or antagonising any but an infinitesimal section of the British people. It was soon generally recognised that good citizenship is the first of Catholic social dogmas. One of the most striking features of recent English history has been the manner in which Catholics, inspired and fired by the freshness of their rejuvenated Faith and their newly won liberties, stepped spontaneously into the forefront of their country's battles. From top to bottom of the social scale Catholics have long given their best and have served their country in exalted and humble stations alike. It is no mean contribution of Catholics to the civil life of the Empire and no small testimony to their political vigour to have pro vided in this short space a Viceroy of India, a First Seal Lord, a Lord Chief Justice, a Colonial Premier, several Lord Mayors of London and other great cities, distinguished ambassadors and generals, and score upon score of men less eminent who have, some in the full limelight of publicity, others in the relative obscurity of distant lands, helped to keep going the machinery of the British Imperial administration and to make it what it is to-day. So, when the Great War broke out, it was not surprising that Catholics should have flocked to arms for the defence of the country they loved - and loved, not because it has admittedly treated them so generously and respected their devotion, but because it is their country and the instincts of patriotism are so deeply inrooted in all who bear the Catholic name. The patriotism of Catholics in all belligerent countries, friend and foe alike, has indeed been a phenomenon that has impressed the opinion of a world that has. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.