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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA 7 WHAT OTHERS THINK OF US Greensboro, Ga.—“About three or four years ago I had the good or bad misfortune (as you may call it) of having to be operated on at St. Joseph’s Infirmary, Atlanta, Ga. I learned to love the good people of, that faith while there, as I was never treated better than by the Sisters and other nurses. ‘I have never joined any Church and at the age of 56 perhaps never will, to my sorrow having omitted to join in my younger life. But I can assure you I have a tender place in my heart for the Catholics, which no fabricator will ever be able to change. I am, “Yours to serve in any way.” Cincinnati, Ohio. “Will you kindly send me one or two copies of the pamphlet, ‘Catholicism and Poli tics,’ published by your Association? “During the last Presidential election the absurd article credited to ‘The National Catholic Register’ made its appearance in this city and was spread broadcast. “Although not a Catholic, I know enough of the Church to realize it would never sponsor such state ments. I found out very easily from the Public Li brary of Cincinnati that no newspaper bearing the name ‘The National Catholic Register’ had ever ex isted, but there my investigation ended. A Catholic neighbor was able to procure one of the pamphlets for me^—but unfortunately after a great deal of harm had been done. “A coward never dies, so I am anxious to be fore armed at its next appearance.’’ Atlanta, Ga.—“I have been receiving from time to time literature from your office, explaining the attitude of your Church upon some vital questions in which I have been much interested, and I want to thank you sincerely for your courtesy. “In so far as I am concerned, there never has been any prejudice against your Church or that of any one else, as I think it but proper to grant every person the right to worship as to them seems to be con sistent. “My object in having your literature was to be in a position when the Church was assailed to give some intelligent opinions, which I have taken the opportu nity to do. “I am convinced that practically all of the criti cisms arose from ignorance, intolerance, and if you pardon the expression, most damnable outrages that have ever been perpetrated upon an institution for which I have the highest respect.’’ Eastman, Ga. “Although myself a Protestant, I do not at all hold against the Catholic Church the un kindly feeling that seems to prevail in some quarters. I know that your Church is doing a splendid work in many ways and that, as a whole, the people of the Catholic Church are as charitable and as strong in the Christian faith as those of any other creed.’’ Abbeville, Ga.—“I am a Baptist. I do not appre ciate Roman Catholicism in Free America.’’ Albany, Ga.—“Don’t send any more of this trash.’’ We have quoted above all the unfavorable letters received recently, but only a few of those commend ing'our work. THE MASSACRE OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW Recently a Mississippian asked us about the St. Bartholomew Massacre, one of the standard attacks of the bigot. Here in Georgia we thought we had effectually gotten rid of this bugaboo, but for fear that the facts may not be clear in the minds of all we reproduce below the reply of the editor to the in quirer. It follows: The St. Bartholomew Massacre should not give a Catholic any difficulty. It was a shameless affair, brutal, treacherous, inhuman, the climax of a stir of passions that never fail to bring disaster in their train. Conceived and directed by a woman notorious to history for her ambition and for her cruelty, to which she sacrificed every principle and surrendered every natural affection, even to making her own chil dren the victims of her unbridled lust for power, St. Bartholomew’s Massacre is one of the crimson blots in history. The number of its victims has been greatly exaggerated by Protestant writers. The pre vious treachery of the Huguenots has been ignored by them. The assassination of the Due de Guise and of Cardinal Lorraine at the instigation of the Protes tant leaders are glossed over by their apologists. That there had been actual warfare for years and that the Protestants had twice broken faith and “scrap ped” the formal treaties made with the Catholics, is seldom thought of in connection. That the Huguenots were a real danger to the entire royal family, to the constituted government, and to the State of France, and that the Massacre resulted in saving the nation, are minor considerations. All this is good argument to take the wind out of the sails of the unctious dema gogue who waxes too hot at Catholics, but it is no justification, and to my mind no palliation of St. Bar tholomew s Day, the inglorious crown-piece of the Medicean House, as famous for its brilliancy as for its intrigue, uniting all the subtlety of the Italian mind with the sparkling effervescence of the French mind, and, in Catherine s case, at least, not redeem ing it with the nobility of the one nor the humanity of the other. Catholics can have no apology for that day in history, as they can have none for Cromwell in Ireland, for the British at Copenhagen, for the Turks in Armenia, for the thing done last year by Brigadier-General Dyer at Amritear, or a hundred other notorious instances showing the wretchedness of our poor human nature and the extent of “man’s inhumanity to man. But why should Catholics espe cially be expected to have an apology for one or another of these things, and in particular for St. Bar tholomew? We have been so used to allowing our selves, to be put in an apologetic attitude by the ag gressive tactics of those emboldened by numbers and (Continued on Page 14.)