words: "_Our motive for writing has been the
sight of the truth and the desire to show it to others._"

The serious minded non-Catholic, whose soul has not been wholly warped
by prejudice, will at least consider the Catholic Church as one of the
great moral factors in the nation. He will naturally wish to know the
mind of the Church and the reasons for its stand in many problems
common to all Canadians. Our candid explanation will help to give him
a better understanding of facts and a better appreciation of our
position on issues to be faced by us all. We are prompted by a sincere
love for our Country in offering these solutions for the various issues
with which we are confronted. "Preconceived opinions and inherited
prejudices, particularly in religious matters tend to make men either
blind or indifferent to the merits of systems other than their own."
We do not expect our non-Catholic readers to see eye to eye with us in
the discussion of the various problems under examination. Our
viewpoint is naturally the Catholic one. But we do believe that the
broad-minded Westerner is open to conviction and willing to take an
argument on its face value. 'Give us a hearing' . . . . this is the
burden of our message to our non-Catholic countrymen. This book is not
written in a spirit of controversy. Were some to see it in this light,
then I would claim for the author what Birrell said of Newman: "He
contrived to instil into his very controversy more of the spirit of
Christ than most men can find room for in their prayers." Moreover; we
are persuaded that the great war has mellowed the minds of men and made
them more receptive. The contact with other countries has softened the
contours of certain controversies and given to all a broader outlook.

However, should our arguments fail to prove satisfactory or should they
give rise to contradiction, we would repeat here what Newman wrote in
his Preface to "Difficulties of Anglicans," "It has not been our
practice to engage in controversy with those who felt it their duty to
criticise what at any time we have written; but that will not preclude
us under present circumstances, from elucidating what is deficient in
them by further observations, should questions be asked, which, either
from the quarter whence they proceed, or from their intrinsic weight,
have, according to our judgment, a claim upon our attention."

The problems we touch upon are of a general character. They ar