Views of the Labor Movement [pp. 784-798]

Views of t/~e Labor Move'n en 6. 797
lution. Hence, we say the vital condi- gle among fl~e wolves of this moral
tions of a "reduction" are, (i) Chris- wilderness. Surely the fact of these
tian fervor; (2) Christian humility; straggling members of the flock being
(3) Christian marriage; (4) Christian married should be no objection to
poverty, and (5) Catholic obedience. their being provided wiil~ a refuge
3.We have before us an account when the couple seek it with unity of
of the Paraguay missions, from which will, and would fain find in it the opwe copy the following passage, (p.5~), portunity of serving God. Surely, the
"It sometimes happened that the number fructification of such a work would be
fhus collected was far too great to admit of wondefful; for its beneficence and
their being received as permanent dwellers Christian spirit would be so apparent
in the`reduction;' and in this case their in- that thousands of poor Catholics
structors would furnish all that was need- would eagerly join it, and tens of
ed for tite j~llfldi?z~ of a new one, not only thousands of lost sheep would be resupplying corn, cattle, and clothing from
their own stores, hut giving what, to an In- converted so as to follow the religious
dian, was most difficult to bestow, their ac- and beautiful life thus made practicaltive and personal co6peration in buildin~ a ly possible. This power of multiplynew`red~iction.'" ing themsdves, this productiveness by
This extract answers the question thirty, seventy, and a hundred fbld
whether such a company would tend is a peculiarity of il~is kind of asto disseminate the faith and strength- sociation; for, while socialistic and
en the church. The process of in- co5perative societies are concentric,
crease would be in geometrical pro- a Christian association or reduction,
portion. Each reduction would have by virtue of its voluntary self-privaseveral offspring, and these, in turn, tion and consequent making of a diswould also each evolve several oth- posable surplus, and by virtue of its deers. This was the case in Paraguay. sire to bestow in charity this surplus, is
There, in a few years, the reductions evolutive and prolific.
became so numerous that they lined 4. Surrounding circumstances in
the banks of the Parana and Uru- these times not only demand the atguay, extended far into the interior, tention of the church to the subject
and, in the words of an historian, of association, but the world now offormed "a Christian republic, where, fers facilities which, though very diffar from the dwellings and evil de- ferent from those that existed in Pasigns of the colonists, the spirit of raguay, are far more favorable and
the primitive church revived." Alas! congenial. In Paraguay, the revethat this caused the envy and jea- rend fathers found people capable of
lousy of the world of avarice and am- discipline, but barbarous, ignorant, and
bition. In one more generation, if suspicious. In civilization to-day, inthe Jesuit fathers had not been ban- stead of savage ignorance, we see
ished, the Christian republic would foolish infidelity and moral corruphave been permanently establish- tion; but, at the same time, a belief
ed. The glorious example they set in the benefits of association is spreadshould not remain fruitless. There ing itself continually. This belief
is a possibility of similar work and Si- evinces itself in every direction. It
milar results in the midst of the moral resolves and attempts a great many
desert of civilization. It is time that forms of combination. The convicthe shepherds should gather their tion that good will flow from il~e inlambs into visible and safer folds. dustrial association of those who laThe lambs should not be left to strag- bor is becoming more and more in