A term rightly employed, according to Leo XIII in his letter to the hierarchy of the United States, "Testem benevolentire" (Proof of Affection), to express the characteristic qualities which reflect honor on the American people, or on their condition, customs, and laws; but wrongly employed to express certain opinions that are not in accordance with Catholic principles, as, for instance, that the action of the Holy Ghost in these days renders spiritual guidance less necessary, that the natural virtues are to be more cultivated than the supernatural, that the active are more important than the passive virtues, that vows narrow true liberty, that time-honored methods of dealing with Protestants are now antiquated.