Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA 5 tect the Carolinas from any danger of attack on the part of the Spaniards. We know something definite of the missions on the lower Georgia coast; but little has come down to us concerning those around Savannah. On Tybee Island there stood up to recent years the old Martello tower, built by the Spaniards as a fortress to guard the en trance to the Savannah River. It remained up to about six or seven years ago the oldest historic relic in this section; but finally, in spite of protests from those interested in preserving monuments of the past, was torn down by order of the United States mili tary authorities because it was in the way of the range. Its foundations still stand level with the sand at Fort Screven, near the Tybee lighthouse, a mute testimonial of the Spanish occupation of Eastern Geor gia. At Wassaw Island, just below Tybee, within the memory of the older people of Savannah, there used to be remnants of one of the old Spanish “mission- stations” called “the monastery.” It has long since disappeared, and even its memory has almost faded away. There is little else that can be said concern ing the Spanish missions near Savannah, except that when John Wesley tried to convert the Yamacraws to the Christian faith, he was told that the “black kings” had been among them; and these were sup posed to be French. As no French priests were in this part of the country at that early date, the “black kings” were no doubt the early Spanish missionaries of St. Francis, who labored in the wilderness long be fore the English had set foot on Georgia soil. In the eyes of the modern world their work would be con sidered a failure, although they accomplished much for a time; but the souls brought to the knowledge of the faith are of greater value than any “success” as measured by the standards of the world. Catholics in the Colonial Days. About the year 1 729, a society was formed in London for the amelioration of the condition of the poor. It was composed of gentlemen of means, chief among whom was General James Oglethorpe. The oppressed debtors were the principal objects of their interest and concern, and as there was no available asylum or refuge in England it was decided to form a new colony for their betterment in America. Ogle thorpe and his companions applied to the Crown for a charter, which was granted by George II on the 9th day of June, 1732; and the land lying to the south of the Carolinas, between the Savannah and the Altamaha Rivers, and extending from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River, was designated, and the name of “Georgia” was given to it in honor of the King. The charter was not to expire for twenty-one years, and it stipulated that religious freedom and tolera tion should be granted to all classes except to Papists. There were also two other regulations included in the charter viz: the exclusion of rum and negro slaves. The exclusion of Catholics was not an exception to the general rule; it was the common policy of the English in those days, as the history of all the Ameri can colonies will show, Maryland alone excepted. In the case of Georgia, however, there was evidently more than one reason on the part of the British authorities for such action: bigotry was no doubt the chief one, but there was also the fear of a Spanish attack on the new colony, and Catholics were held in suspicion as possible Spanish sympathizers. As to the exclusion of rum, it was claimed that it would make the colonists “paupers over again”; beer and wines were allowed. Negro slaves were excluded because they would make the colonists “lazy and in dolent.” Oglethorpe, at his own request, was chosen to fit out and accompany the first expedition, and the pres ent site of Savannah was selected as the location of the town. The first settlers landed on the Savannah bluff and there pitched their tents the first day of February, 1 733. The charter remained in force for twenty years; it was voluntarily surrendered a year before its ex piration, and Georgia became a royal province in I 732, About 1 749—just three years before—the legal exclusion of rum and slavery was repealed; and from 1732 onwards Catholics were no longer ex cluded from Georgia by law. Owing to this exclusion of Papists, as provided by the original charter, it has been generally supposed that there were no Catholics in the colony until the time of the Revolutionary War. This is a mistake. The charter granted no religious or civic privileges to Papists, but there is evidence that Catholics were in the colony even in the beginning. In the famous trial of John Wesley in 1737, one of the charges brought against him was that he “divided the morning service on Sunday” and tried to enforce “auricular confession” as a preparation for communion. The accusation was made against him that he was not a Protestant since he favored such Popish practices; and yet when the jury was empaneled to try his case Mr. Wesley objected to its members on the ground that there was a Frenchman, a Papist, an infidel, three Baptists, sixteen Dissenters, and open enemies of his in the Anglican Church chosen to try his case. This would indicate that, de spite the regulations of the charter, there were some, not of the Protestant faith, already in Savannah. Peter Tondee. Shortly after the laying out of the first streets and squares in the town of Savannah, a vessel landed at the bluff with some Jewish families on board, and much objection was made to their being admitted into the colony. After submitting the matter to the trustees, however, it was decided that the charter did not exclude members of any religious body except Papists, so the Jews were allowed to remain. Yet we find in the record of the allotment of town and farm lots made in December, 1 733, the names of some of these Israelites mentioned as receiving grants of land, and with them, in Decker Ward, Heathcote Tything, along with Benjamin Sheftall and other Hebrews, occurs the name of Peter Tondee. (Continued on Page Eleven)