s of our moral life. Day by day they
write our history and with it the history of the world; for, the life
of every man is but a line on the great page of his nation's history
and the history of a nation, but a chapter in that of humanity.

Of all the influences underlying human activities in the moral, social,
economic, and political world, one of the most universal and most
effective is beyond doubt, nowadays, _Public Opinion_. We may well
name it the "_current_" of Public Opinion. In every sphere of life one
can indeed feel the constant pressure of its tremendous power. Like
the waters of a mill-race constantly and irresistibly the stream of
Public Opinion sweeps on. It is very difficult to determine exactly
where lies its strength; it is nowhere and everywhere. Unconscious of
its swollen powers it spends its energies for the welfare of the
community, or, unfortunately too often, loses itself in an angry
torrent of destruction.

You thwart its onward march: it will bury your barrier under its
laughing waters or . . . sweep it away. You ride with it: it will
gladly carry you. You check it: its troubled waves will rise angry
around you and engulf you.

Such is the "_current_" of Public Opinion. To direct this great power,
to harness its tremendous forces, to convert them into light, heat, and
energy and set the wheels of moral, social, and political life running
with greater smoothness, rapidity, and strength, should be the noble
effort and the great task of every serious-minded man.

By no idle whim or sheer literary piquancy have we coupled _Public
Opinion and the Catholic Church_. The inevitable relations that exist
between Public Opinion and the various predominating factors of a
nation should necessarily interest every true Canadian. Among these
factors the Catholic Church stands pre-eminent. Her beneficial
influences and her ready solutions to the various social and moral
problems that confront the world, cannot, even to the most prejudiced,
be passed unnoticed. So no matter what our spiritual allegiance may
be, the relation of Public Opinion to the Catholic Church should be of
the greatest interest to any one who has at heart the common welfare.
In Western Canada particularly, where Public Opinion has such a sway,
this subject, we presume, must be of service both to those of the
Catholic Faith and to those of a different persuasion.

* * * * * *

_What is Public