Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/753

This page needs to be proofread.

PERIODICAL


689


PERIODICAL


two political camps, and Liberaliam in politics came to mean Liberalism in religion. The activity of Free- masonry and the unprogressive ideas of the Absolu- tists were the causes. As early as 1S23 the "Archivo da Religiao Christa" was founded "to combat error and impiety", but the papers of this period were de- voted almost entirely to politics, all being very vio- lent. Among those which argued for a constitution, the "Portuguez". directed by Garrett, showed the greatest literary skill. The year 1827 saw the issue of an avowedly anti-clerical print, while the defence of Throne and Altar was carried on by the redoubtable Father Jose Agostinho de Macecio (q. v.) in the "Besta Esfolada" (Flayed Beast) and many other periodicals of a most bellicose character. From 1829 to 1833 the "Defensor dos Jesuitas" was issued to de- fend the Society, which fell with the other orders when the Liberals triumphed and Dom Migml lust his throne.

The constitutional monarc-hy hail an anti-clerical character from the first, and most of the jiapers took on the same tone. A Catholic Press became an absolute necessity, but as its supporters were mostly Mieuel- ists, it was too political, and never exercised much re- ligious influence over the nation. "The Peninsula", organ of the Miguelist exiles, supported the Catholic Absolutist cause until 1872, and the "Na?ao", of the same party, still exists. From 1840 to 1892 the chief Radical paper was the "Revolu^ao de Septembro". The purely reHgious organs included the "Annaes da Propagagao da Fe" (1838); the "Cruz", an Oporto weekly; and the "Atalaia Catholica", printed at Braga; but the other Catholic papers had a short life, though the "Bern PubUco" (Public Weal) lastc<l from 1859 to 1877. In 1863 came the " Bolctini do Clero e do Professorado", a pedagogic paper, in 18(16 the "Uniao Catholica", a religious and literary weekly, and in 1871 the "F6". The "Palavra" of Oporto was founded in 1872, and in 1874 the "Mensageiro do Cora^ao de Jesus", the monthly organ of the Apostle- ehip of Prayer, which in 1881 .slightly changed its title. In 1883 was founded the " Instituigoes Christas", a fortnightly religious and scientific review, which, how- ever, ceased in 1893; in 1885 the "Clero Portuguez", a weekly ecclesiastical review; and in 1SS9 the " \'oz do Evangelho", a monthly. While the Catholic papers lacked support, the secular press was ex-panding rap- idly, and developed a more and more irreligious, or at least indifferentist , character. This is even more true of the Republican papers. It would take too much space even to name the principal secular newspapers, but it is enough to say that they favoured the subjection of Church to State and defended the laws of Aguiar ("Kill-friars") which suppressed the religious orders. This attitude has become more marked since the Revolution, nearly all the Monarchical papers having ceased publication, or passed over to the Republicans, who are mostly anti-Catholic.

The present Catholic Press consists of the following papers: Dailies. — The "Palavra", with a circulation of 12,000 and the "Correio do Norte", with 6,000, both at Oporto. The " Portugal " of Lisbon had a cir- culation of 11,500, but ceased when the Republic was proclaimed. The circulation of the irreligious "Se- culo" and "Mundo" is no doubt greater than that of the three Catholic dailies combined. Weeklies. — The publishing house, "Veritas", at Guarda, prints a paper which appea.s under distinct titles in various provincial towns. Lisbon has the "Bem Publico", Guimaraes the "RestauraQao", Oporto the "Ensino", and Vizeu the "Revista Catholica". Monthlies. — The "Novo Mensageiro do Coragao de Jesus", pub- hshed by the Jesuits, ceased when the .Society w.as ex- pelled in October, 1910;the "\'oz ilc S:i,iitos .\ntonio", a Franciscan print, had alre:i(l\- been suspended by order of the Holy See for its Modernism, and the only existing review of importance is the "Rosario", is- sued by the Irish Dominicans at Lisbon. XL— 44


If the Catholic Press limits itself in future to reli- gious and social action, and lays aside the old methods m which it identified religion with the monarchy, it may regain some influence over those who have not altogether lost Christian sentiments. For some years before the Revolution it was too political and fought the enemies of the Church with their own arms.

Edgar Prestage.

Scotland. — No Catholic periodical of any kind seems to have made its appearance in Scotland until after the Emancipation Act of 1829. Three years subsequent to the passing of that act, namely in April, 1832, James Smith, an Edinburgh solicitor, and father of William Smith (Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, 1885-92), started a monthly journal called the "Edmburgh Catholic Magazine", editing it him- self. The publication was suspended with the number of November, 1833, but was resumed in February, 1837. In April, 1838, however, Mr. Smith having removed to England, the word "Edinburgh" was dropped from the title of the magazine, which con- tinued to be published in London until the end of 1842. More than fifty years later another monthly magazine, the "Scotti.sh Catholic Monthly", was established and edited by Goldie Wilson. It existed for three years, from October, 1893, until December, 1896. The Benedictines of Fort Augustus founded and conducted a magazine called "St. Andrew's Cross", from August, 1902, to November, 1903, as a quarterly, and from January, T904, to December, 1905, as a monthly, after which it was discontinued. The French Premonstra- tensian Canons, who made a foundation in the Diocese of Galloway in 1889, and remained there for a few years, published for a short time, at irregular inter- vals, a periodical called the "Liberator", which was something of a literary curiosity, being written in EngUsh by French fathers whose acquaintance with that language was very rudimentary. A quarterly magazine, called "Guth na-Bliadhna" (the "Voice of the Year"), was started in 1904 by the Hon. R. Erskine, a convert to Catholicism, who still (1911) edits it. The articles, which are of Catholic and gen- eral interest, are nearly all written in the Gaelic language. A little monthly, called the "Catholic Parish Magazine", is printed in Glasgow, and is local- ized (with parochial news) for a number of missions in Glasgow and Galloway.

No Catholic daily paper has ever been published in Scotland, although the possibility of successfully con- ducting such a paper, in Glasgow, has been more than once under consideration. Of weekly papers the first issued seems to have been the "Glasgow Free Press", which came into Catholic hands about 1850, and was published, under various editors, for several years. The "Northern Times" was started in opposition to this, but only survived about eighteen months. Thj " Irish E.xile", another weekly, was started in 1884, and ran for about eighteen months. Finally, in 1885, the "Glasgow Observer" came into existence, and is now, with its affiliated papers, printed for circulation in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, and Lanarkshire, the only Catholic weekly published in Scotland. The Glasgow "Star", which was started in 1895, and was conducted for some years in the interest of the pub- licans, in opposition to the temperance policy of the "Observer", was finally (in 1908) acquired by the latter paper, which now issues it mid-weekly.

D. O. Hunter-Blair.

Spain. — ^The periodical Press in Spain began to exist early in the history of that country. The " Enciclopedia Hispano-Americana", in the article "periodismo", mentions news publications as early as the time of Charles V; and "F^l Mundo de los periodicos", of 1898-99 (p. 945), gives 1661 as the date when the first periodical appeared in Spain. The