[To THE EDITOR Cr THE " SrErrArca."1 SIR,—You remark in
reply to my letter (Spectator, Novem- ber 8th), that the Jesuit failure is a spiritual failure, and all you say in support of this is, "Go into any great Jesuit church such as that in Venice, and look round. The whole vast fabric is in the grip of the worst type of mortmain, &c." This seems so astonishingly lame that one can only reluctantly conclude that it is mere prejudice. How on earth can one test the spirituality of a religious order by inspecting the fabrics of its churches? One can presumably imagine any- thing one likes about a priesthood by going into empty temples and looking round. Why not inquire whether, for example, the Jesuits are sought after and valued by those of their own faith as preacher s, as confessors, as parish priests, as instruc- tors of youth, and so forth ? And why not begin with our own country ? There are many Jesuits here in no disguise. Such would seem more reasonable tests of spiritual value if
[The Jesuits and the Jesuit spirit were admirably described by Clough in the Amours de Voyaye (Claude's fifth letter to EaRiace). Of ccerse, there are p!enty of devoted and humane Jesuits, for men are always better than their creeds, but the Order which takes as its working motto " Perinde ac cadaver" is not a body worthy of Christianity. Christ told us that the truth should make us free. The Jesuits profess the truth, but use it to make themselves and us slaves. We cannot continue this controversy.—En. Spectator.]
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