her own doctrines against her own
children who contradicted them. The philosopher cannot claim the same
exemption as the historian. God's handwriting exists in history
independently of the Church, and no ecclesiastical exigence can alter a
fact. The divine lesson has been read, and it is the historian's duty to
copy it faithfully without bias and without ulterior views. The Catholic
may be sure that as the Church has lived in spite of the fact, she will
also survive its publication. But philosophy has to deal with some facts
which, although as absolute and objective in themselves, are not and
cannot be known to us except through revelation, of which the Church is
the organ. A philosophy which requires the alteration of these facts is
in patent contradiction against the Church. Both cannot coexist. One
must destroy the other.

Two circumstances very naturally arose to disturb this equilibrium.
There were divines who wished to extend to Germany the old authority of
the Index, and to censure or prohibit books which, though not heretical,
contained matter injurious to the reputation of ecclesiastical
authority, or contrary to the common opinions of Catholic theologians.
On the other hand, there were philosophers of the schools of Hermes and
Guenther who would not retract the doctrines which the Church condemned.
One movement tended to repress even the knowledge of demonstrable truth,
and the other aimed at destroying the dogmatic authority of the Holy
See. In this way a collision was prepared, which was eventually brought
about by the writings of Dr. Frohschammer.

Ten years ago, when he was a very young lecturer on philosophy in the
university of Munich, he published a work on the origin of the soul, in
which he argued against the theory of pre-existence, and against the
common opinion that each soul is created directly by Almighty God,
defending the theory of Generationism by the authority of several
Fathers, and quoting, among other modern divines, Klee, the author of
the most esteemed treatise of dogmatic theology in the German language.
It was decided at Rome that his book should be condemned, and he was
informed of the intention, in order that he might announce his
submission before the publication of the decree.

His position was a difficult one, and it appears to be admitted that his
conduct at this stage was not prompted by those opinions on the
authority of the Church in which he afterwards took refuge, but must