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weapont that Paul used, but I would gladly embrace
iny poor, misguided brethren, the Kowan
Catholic people, while I would crush, utterly
crush, the Kowan system.
I am well aware of the fact, and all Protestants
ought to be aware, that there are here in
America, as everywhere else, a great many Catholics
who are more Christian, honest, tolerant
and liberal than the Romish system allows its
followers to be. And if such is the case in other
Roman Catholic countries it is particularly true
in this great country, and more especially of the
native Roman Catholic laity of America as a
whole. These native American Catholics know
more of the Bible, practice less superstition, advocate
mutual tolerance and even social intercourse,
yea, sometimes public friendship with
the members of the other religious denominations.
It has been said and it is true, entirely true,
that before the Vatican Council, the American
Catholic Church was considered, and was so in
fact, the most liberal Catholic Church on earth.
Iler bishops as a whole under the leadership of
the American Archbishop Kendrick of St. Louis,
fought against the proclamation of papal infallibility
with all their might and to the best
of their ability.
After the proclamation of papal infallibility
the American Catholic Church did her best to
smooth the tyranny and roughness of some middle
age Roman Catholic doctrines by giving to
them a more tolerant and liberal view and by
creating the set of doctrines which all over the
world is known by the term Catholic Americanism.
Among these doctrines there are those so genuinely
American as the following (I quote from
the bull of Leo XIII, Test em Bcnevolentiae,
January 22, 1899, page 442) : "The principles
on which the new opinions we have mentioned
are based may be reduced to this: that in order
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cue mviic ca^nj tu unug uvci iu v^uuiuiic uuctrine
those who dissent from it, the Church ought
to adapt herself somexchat to our advanced civilization
and relaxing her ancient rigor, show
some indulgence to modern popular theories and
methods
Page 44: "Inasmuch as the followers of these
novelties judge that a certain liberty ought to be
introduced into the Church, so that, limiting the
exercise and vigilance of its powers, each one
of the faithful may act more freely in pursuance
of his own natural bent and capacity.
They affirm, namely, that this is called for in
order to intiate that liberty which, though quite
recently introduced, is now the law and the
foundation of almost every civil community."
Page 453: "Hence from all that we have
hitherto said, it is clear, Beloved Son (Cardinal
Gibbons), that we can not approve the opinion
which some comprise under the head of Americanism."
And the Pope could thus destroy such an
American and Christian conception of Catholicism,
and could destroy it without any protest
from Protestantism, without any complaint from
the American press and without any criticism
from American politicians. From that time on
the American Church has lost her independence
and freedom more than the Roman Catholic
Church in any country in the world today. All
bishops and important writers who were suspected
of Americanism in some way or another
were obliged to apologize. The best American
churchmen were disregarded and set aside, and
the most rabid and subservient Romanists were
promoted and exalted.
Besides that, Americans must not forget that
about eighty per cent. of the present Catholic
population in America are foreigners of the low
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE 8C
st Roman Catholis type of Southern Italy, Auntria-Hungary,
eta.
They must bear in mind that the friars and
nuns driven away from France, Portugal and
Spain are admitted here as teachers in the daily
parochial schools, in colleges, academies and
Catholic universities, and that such teachers are
the narrowest, the most bigoted and the most
superstitious of all those in the Roman Catholic
Church. t
The increase in number and influence of the
foreign Catholic party is such that the liberal
native American Catholics resent already the
encroachment as we shall see later. One of my
greatest hopes of the decay of Romanism in
America lies precisely in the mutual misunderstanding
of the Romish system between American
born Catholics and foreign Catholics. The
split in the two parties is at hand and the bitterest
enemies of Rome will be found among American
Catholics, and they themselves will expose
itomish machinations and help Protestants to
root out this evil from public affairs.
If any of my readers believe that I am somewhat
fanciful, 1 beg him to continue reading
my articles and he will see that this conflict has
already begun in certain ways and will end as
has happened in France, Italy and Spain, with
the absolute discredit and decay of the Roman
Catholic system, for it was fought out, down
there, by the Catholics themselves rather than
by the unbelievers.
Therefore, in the discussion about religious
freedom in America, let not one of my readers
forget how to discriminate between Roman Catholic
people and the Roman Catholic system.
No one will deny that in the early colonial
period in Maryland, under the Lords Baltimore,
some religious toleration existed. But was this
toleration granted in accordance with the Roman
Catholic system and by reason of mandates issued
by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy? If such
were the ease then ftaritinnl flihhnno ond A m??
wy v-w? vill/UUUO UU u iimti"
ican Catholics are perfectly correct in claiming
that achievement and placing it to the credit
of Catholicism. But suppose through some new
documents, which remain well kept in the Vatican
and the archives of Lord Baltimore and
recently published in a book that was examined
and favorably endorsed by the censorship of the
Pope himself?suppose, I say, that I am able
to prove that this religious toleration was accorded
through the votes of Protestants and
that Catholics did not vote; on the contrary, that
they protested strongly and persistently against
such laws, that both in Rome and in Maryland
the Roman Catholic Hierarchy were opposed
to tolerance and that Lord Baltimore was warned
by the Catholics not to endorse such laws and
wai ne ana nis private secretary risked (he danger
of being excommunicated on account of the
approval they gave to these laws.
Then, if such were the case, the claim of Cardinal
Gibbons and the American Catholic Church
is more than ridiculous; it is entirely erroneous
and perfectly untrue.
Catholics then have less ground to claim such
tolerance as a Catholic achievement than I would
have in accusing the Roman Catholic system of
teaching murder and theft because there are
some Catholics convicted of both crimes.
And based upon the same principle, I will
say in passing that Cardinal Gibbons was not
uy miy meniis lair iwo years ago using the argument
so called "Tti quoque," when he accused
Protestantism of persecution because there were,
in Colonial times, some instances of persecution
in New England.
The parallel does not hold good, your Eminence,
Cardinal Gibbons. Some Protestants did
persecute in spite of Protestant principles and
doctrines and perhaps there is not today any
N
I
) U T H [March 13, 1912
wall educated person who does not deplore thoae a
acts of persecution as a sad mistake, as a shame- 1
ful blunder. But, your Eminence, a Catholic j
must not apologize even today for the hundreds
of thousands of persons burned by the Roman
Catholic Inquisition; on the contrary, he will not *
be in good standing with the Roman Catholic
system and the Church if he does not believe
thai the Church had and still lias the right to
burn a heretic, and according to the Roman
Catholic doctrines pvprv hpMtin Hocorvo^ fr? Ko
w, VI.AV UVOVA TV.U tu UW , '
burned even in the very midst of American people
and in the twentieth century itself if only
the civil powers could be made to enforce the
Roman Catholic doctrines and claims.
My other preliminary remark is this: Although (
the question about the origin of religious freedom
in Maryland is in itself without any importance
at all, I consider this question most momentous
on account of its being the corner stone
of the American Catholic Church in misleading I
the public press and American people. If my
readers recall the words of President Taft at
Cardinal Gibbons' Jubilee, they will remember
that this error was taken for granted, as a fact,
and this was used as the best guarantee of what
Catholics did in the past, of what they are doing
at present, and of what they will do in the
future.
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iwucia uc auquuiuiea witn itoman
Catholic literature and public speeches, they will
be convinced at once how often this is alluded
to as the best proof and the clearest demonstration
that Protestants misrepresent Roman
Catholics.
I have been engaged in polemics with Catholics
from the very beginning of my conversion
and I have heard always the same old story of
how Catholics obtained religious freedom for
Maryland.
Let my readers study the subject as one of the
greatest importance because of its present bearing
and they will see that the Roman Catholic
system, as such, advocated in Maryland just the
same doctrines which burned the heretics in
Spain.
WHEN YOU COME TO DARK PLACER
REACH FOR GOD'S HAND: HE WILL
LEAD YOU TO LIGHT.
BY REV. J. M'CARTY DUCKWALL,.
Every life needs its own share of darkness.
Light is good; aften darkness may be better.
In the daytime, we must work; the night calls
us to rest. In the light, we can see; in the dark,
we must feel our way. A friend with a light for
us should be greeted with a glad welcome.
The flower is very pretty, and its odor sweet;
but some can neither see nor smell. A little
child is very attractive; but some do not care
for children, and some have no children to care
for. The trees and the grass, and the breeze,
the mountains and the valleys, all have their
charms for many. But some heed them not;
and some must vainly long for them. The bloom
on woman's cheek, the wave of her hair, the
sparkle in her eye, the music in her voice, and
the magnet of her love, all woo man's devotion.
But the sweet turns to bitter for him who can
not win her, and for him who has won and last.
In the great, great heart of God were born
all the concepts, whence have sprung innumerable
love tokens, for every earthly mortal. Search
and see. Back to the infinite love of a marvelous
God must we trace for the origin of the beauties
that charm man's eye; the loves that cheer his
heart; the inspirations that warm his passions,
and kindle his emotions and desires, and for the
foods to feed them. To whom then, but to that
God-Friend, must man turn when his way grows
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