THE CATHOLIC ANSWER AN HONEST, DIGNIFIED STATEMENT OF FACTS FOR FAIR-MINDED PEOPLE In Newspaper Form This Pamphle t Had a Circulation of Over 2,000,000 Thi r ty - f i r s t Edition, 575,000 CONTENTS FOREWORD WE CAN ALL LIVE IN HARMONY. Catholics and Protestants Catholics and Masons How About Protestant Marriages- _ 4 _ 6 _ 6 CATHOLICS AND THEIR COUNTRY. America Owes Much to Catholics Church and State Catholics Owe No Civil Allegiance to Rome_ 9 Catholic Church Is Not in Politics 10 No President Was Killed by a Catholic 11 CATHOLICS AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Rome Does Not Control the Press.. 12 13 15 16 Things Never Said by Catholic Prelates-Religion in Education The Church and Illiteracy i u The Parochial School Was First _17 Grade for Grade They Are Equal 1« How Provide the Room and Money? 19 CATHOLICS AND THE BIBLE. Catholics Gave the Bible to the World 20 The "Bible Discovery" Fable 21 PERSONS AND THINGS MISUNDERSTOOD. The Catholic Priest 24 Monks and Monasteries _ 2 6 The Purest Women Slandered L 27 Mary and the Saints _ _ _ 2 8 Catholics Are Not Superstitious- 29 FAKE OATHS AND BOGUS DOCUMENTS .¡—The "Dark Cloud" Fake „ ' 30 S i 31 II—The Bogus K. of C. Oath" Imprimatur: •i* HERMAN J. ALERDING, Fort Wayne, Indiana Deseîdiïfecr DEAR READER F o r several yea r s the Catholic Church, her clergy, her Ins t i tu t ions have been b rough t to your a t t en t ion , some-t imes by individuals, somet imes by rep resen ta t ives of organized movements , bu t a lways by people who were ben t on a rous ing your pre judices a g a i n s t Catholics. If the Catholic clergy and people have been silent amid all th i s p ropaganda , i t w a s only because they placed too much rel iance on your Intelligence, and a s sumed t h a t you were sufficiently f a i r -minded no t to pa s s j u d g m e n t w i t h o u t invest igat ion. However , ex-perience h a s proved t h a t silence on the p a r t of Ca tho-lics h a s o f t en been cons t rued a s consent , and t h a t mil-lions have ac tua l ly been deceived by the i r in fo rmants . Since the Amer ican is proverbial ly f a i r -minded , we a s sume t h a t you will welcome a s t a t e m e n t f r o m those competent to speak f o r the Catholic Church , re la t ive to the m a n y accusa t ions directed aga in s t her . W e know t h a t you would not wish, consciously, to c a r r y wrong impress ions concerning a n y g roup of people, a m o n g whom you m u s t live and work . We know t h a t you would be " f o r " a n ins t i tu t ion, which people seek to i n ju r e by s lander and misrepresenta t ion . I t is for th i s reason t h a t t he Catholic a n s w e r to the m a n y cha rges of the Church ' s enemies is placed be -fore you in th i s pamphle t . You will note t h a t we clearly expose the bogus and f ake c h a r a c t e r of the oa ths and documents which have been given count ry -wide circulat ion. Then we tell the t r u t h abou t t he Catholic Church in her a t t i t u d e towards P ro t e s t an t s , Masons, the Publ ic Schools, t he Bible, P r o t e s t a n t Marr iages , Church and Sta te , Catholic Allegiance to Rome, Ca tho-lic Prac t ices , etc. So honest and sincere is our p resen ta t ion of t he case, t h a t OUR SUNDAY VISITOR, Inc., which Is responsible fo r all t h a t is conta ined in th i s pamphle t , offers $1,000 r e w a r d for proof t h a t anyone of the alleged o a t h s here in exposed is genuine. I t offers t h e s ame r eward for a n y m i s s t a t e m e n t of f a c t s concerning the real Catholic belief and prac t ice on the sub jec t s t rea ted . The s c a t t e r e r of t he seeds of discord is un -Amer i can a s well a s un-Chr i s t l an . W a r be tween one na t ion and a n o t h e r is a d r e a d f u l th ing, bu t w a r be tween one r e -ligious group and ano the r wi th in the same count ry is a worse thing, and it is the more wicked when it is based on ca lumny and slander, and when i ts genera ls a r e a c -t u a t e d by the selfish motives of gain, political a m b i -tion, etc. L e t our b e t t e r n a t u r e a s se r t i tself, let u s be f a i r and j u s t to everyone, let u s have un i ty amid va r i e ty ; and it should be every Amer i can ' s p roudes t ambi t ion to co-opera te for t he real izat ion of such na t ional uni ty . The inscript ion on t h e money of our land keeps the mo t to of the P o u n d e r s of our Government before us : "E P lur ibus u n u m . " OUR S U N D A Y VIS ITOR Huntington, Indiana. WE CAN ALL LIVE IN HARMONY CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS W h y cannot Cathol ics and P r o t e s t a n t s differ In r e -ligion, a s do Methodis ts and Bapt i s t s , P re sby te r i ans and Episcopalians, and a t t he same t ime live a s peace-ably wi th one ano the r a s these o the r g roups do? If they do no t it Is no t the fau l t of Catholics, who never m a k e religion a n issue in social, business, or political life. Never do they inquire concerning the rel igious affil iation of the politician. Never do they seek to learn whe the r t he m e r c h a n t they deal w i t h is Catholic, P r o t e s t a n t or infidel. Never , In the whole h is tory of our coun t ry have Catholic men and women offered the i r services, a t so much per lecture, for a n a n t i - P r o t e s t a n t speech. Not one among the 20,000 pr ies t s in t h e Uni ted S ta t e s could be induced to pe rmi t a m a n or w o m a n to deliver a series of lectures , or even one lecture, aga ins t the Methodists , or Bapt i s t s , or Presby te r ians , or a n y o ther church group. Yet a t th i s momen t t he re a re more t han 100 Individuals m a k i n g a f a t living by delivering t i r ades aga ins t t he Catholic Church f r o m P r o t e s t a n t pulpits . This condit ion would be r ep rehen -sible, even if these professional an t i -Cathol ics were hones t and sincere, b u t It is shamefu l when you consider t h a t mos t of t h e m sail under false colors, r ep resen t ing themselves a s ex -p r i e s t s and ex-nuns—while v e r y f ew of t hem have ever been affil iated w i t h the Catholic Church In any way. George Wash ing ton and A b r a h a m Lincoln warned Americans aga ins t religious intolerance; and In March 1922, t he la te Pres iden t H a r d i n g declared t h a t t he mos t unp leasan t exper ience he had in office w a s c rea ted by such intolerance. H e w a s no t r e f e r r i ng to the Cathol ics a t all, who molested h im very little, If any. I t w a s non-Cathol ic in tolerance of Catholicism and no t Catholic intolerance of P ro te s t an t i sm. Catholics suppor t no a n t i - P r o t e s t a n t paper , while such a pape r cer ta in ly would be w a r r a n t e d In these days, in self-defense. Catholics a r e t a u g h t to love everybody, to a s s u m e t h a t those who differ f r o m t h e m in religion a r e in good fa i th , and to le t Almighty God be J u d g e concern-ing every person ' s disposit ions for salvat ion. W e a re Amer icans all, and religion does no t a f fec t t he c i t izen-ship of any. Religion belongs to the s u p e r n a t u r a l realm, and h a s no necessary connect ion wi th com-merce, or social life. All a r e agreed t h a t mora l i ty needs a rel igious backing, bu t the coun t ry ' s s tabi l i ty does not depend on e i ther Catholic or P r o t e s t a n t p re -dominance. This count ry w a s discovered by a C a t h -olic, w a s first se t t led by Catholics, and most of i t s g r e a t ( 4 > I S Special | \ V^OoiacSons explorers were not only Catholics, bu t p r ies t s of whom there a r e m a n y monumen ta l t r aces ' to th i s day. Catholics se t the first example of religious tol -era t ion in the colony of Maryland in 1650, when they incorpora ted the provision in the very Const i tu t ion of t h a t colony. The Const i tu t ion of the Uni ted Sta tes , t he Cons t i tu -tion of t he d i f fe rent s t a t e s of t he Union, place all r e -ligions on a n equal footing. Therefore , they a re no t Amer icans who s t i r up an imosi ty be tween P r o t e s t a n t s and Catholics. CATHOLICS AND MASONS I t is qui te common for member s of F r e e m a s o n r y to a s sume t h a t t he Catholic Church h a s no use fo r them, though Cathol ics never iden t i fy a n y m a n wi th h is lodge affiliations. The Catholic Church does not believe in oa th -bound secre t societies, and there fore objec ts to he r people joining t h e m ; bu t she recognizes the r i gh t of those no t of her fold to follow the i r own convictions in th i s r egard . Methodis ts p re fe r no t to Join the Bap t i s t Church , and Bap t i s t s p re fe r no t to belong to the P re sby te r i an Church, bu t th i s does not m e a n t h a t one group should be hostile to t he other , in social, or bus iness or political life. On the same principle Cathol ics m a y r ema in ou t of Masonry wi thou t en te r t a in ing the leas t ill will to-w a r d s those who p re fe r to be in it. The Catholic Church w a s u n d e r t he b a n of Masonry before Masonry w a s in terdic ted by the Catholic Church : and the f o r m of Masonry' which w a s fo rmer ly condemned was t h a t which the Scott ish Ri te and Blue Lodge Masonry themselves condemn—the Grand Orient of Latin countr ies , which is a the is t ic and an t i -Chr i s t i an . The Catholic Church is no t the only religious organiz-a t ion which does not believe in oa th -bound secre t societies. Most b r anches of t he L u t h e r a n Church, t he F r e e Methodists , t he Uni ted Bre th ren , and o the r s t a k e the same s tand . In f ac t , s ixty yea r s ago near ly every rel igious body in the Uni ted S ta t e s ac ted likewise. If Masonry has become qui te hostile to t he Catholic Church even in th i s country, i t is because i t h a s been influenced largely by the professional an t i -Catho l ic or -ganiza t ions which have been long playing on the p r e j u -dices of i t s members , and mak ing capi tal of the oppo-sition of the Catholic Church to oa th -bound secre t socie-ties. This is ev ident f r o m the cha rac t e r of t h e New Age, and of the Fellowship Forum, and a f ew o the r Masonic publicat ions, especially of the sou thern j u r i s -diction. The high-class Masonic Jou rna l s a r e no t In s y m p a t h y wi th the campaign of h a t e which these a re waging. Even the editor of a Southern Masonic paper (The Masonic Herald) had th i s to say in a l e t t e r to t he New York Times, Augus t 28, 1923: " T h e conflict be tween the Klan and the Masonic ins t ruc t ions can never be reconciled In one h u m a n hea r t . T h u s It is t h a t (B) genuine Masons—Masons who a re such In the i r hear t s— canno t be K l a n s m e n a n d canno t welcome w i t h t r ue bro ther ly love Klansmen Into the i r lodges. "D-AiVID M B T B R H A E D T , Ed i to r Masonic He ra ld . " Rome, Ga., Augus t 28, 1923." In the i r re la t ions wi th P ro t e s t an t s , Cathol ics never con-cern themselves a b o u t the i r lodge affil iations. W e readi ly g r a n t t h a t Masons c a n ' be good men, t h a t the i r order s t a n d s fo r lo f ty ideals, t h a t t h o u s a n d s of t h e m a r e bus iness assoc ia tes of Catholics, t h a t t hey a re s incere in the i r f r iendship to Catholics. W e also know t h a t the reciprocal f r i endsh ip of Catholics, and even of the clergy, fo r Masons i s equally sincere. The ban is on both sides, bu t wha teve r open hosti l i ty exis ts in th i s count ry is on the side of Masonry only. The Kn igh t s of Columbus a r e not an oa th-bound secret society, nor a r e they an t i -Masons . They 1 would be glad to co-opera te wi th the Masonic Order, or a n y o ther f r a t e r n a l society, in every th ing outs ide the sphere of religion, and Masons declare t h a t they h a v e no th ing to do wi th religion a s such. Therefore , t he re Is no ground fo r unf r iendl iness be tween Masons and Catholics. HOW ABOUT PROTESTANT MARRIAGES? Enemies of the Catholic Church have a roused the pre judices of non-Cathol ics most successful ly by c i rcu-la t ing the lie t h a t P r o t e s t a n t s a r e no t validly mar r i ed in the eyes of Catholics. The Canon L a w of t he Catholic Church dec la res t h a t the mar r i ages of P r o t e s t a n t s a r e to be r ega rded a s valid, and th i s should set t le t h e quest ion. Everyone knows how sacredly the Catholic Church r ega rds mar r iage , and how una l t e rab ly she is opposed to divorce. She t eaches t h a t t he mar r i age con t rac t differs f r o m ail o t h e r s in this , t h a t i t had t h e Almighty fo r i t s d i rec t a u t h o r ; t h a t God Himself uni ted our first p a r e n t s a s m a n and wife ; t h a t a t t h e t ime H e directed t h e m (Genesis I, 28) " to increase and mul t ip ly ," He blessed them. Hence m a r r i a g e f r o m the beginning had a religious aspect . In the New Dispensa t ion Chr is t e m p h a -sized both the divine origin of m a r r i a g e and i t s indis-soluble c h a r a c t e r w h e n H e said " W h a t there fore God h a t h joined» together , let no man pu t a s u n d e r . " A t the ve ry threshhold of H i s minis t ry , Chr i s t a t t ended a mar r i age ( John II, 1-2). H e did th i s evident ly in o rder to bless t he mar r iage , and to lay emphas i s on Its sacred cha rac te r . Chr i s t ' s union wi th H i s Church is a religious and holy union a s well a s las t ing, ye t St. Pau l compares to It t he union of husband and wife. The re -fore a m o n g Chr i s t i ans m a r r i a g e w a s to be bo th sacred and indissoluble. A hea l thy s t a t e of society d e m a n d s the s tabi l i ty of marr iage , and the Chr i s t ian up -b r ing ing of children de -m a n d s t h a t t he fami ly be religious. If our coun t ry leads all o the r s in divorce, m a y i t no t be because our < o people consider neither the character nor the primary purpose of m a r r i a g e before they enter it? Of course, t he Catholic Church r e g a r d s a s valid even t he m a r r i a g e of two non-Chr i s t i ans , bu t she maintains t h a t when two bapt ized people mar ry , w h e t h e r they be Cathol ics or P ro t e s t an t s , they en t e r a valid contract and receive a s a c r a m e n t a s well. B u t since most P r o t e s t a n t churches believe in only two sac ramen t s , namely t h a t of Bap t i sm and the Lord 's supper, i t were no t consis tent for a Catholic to have his or her m a r r i a g e wi tnessed by one who docs no t believe a s he or she does abou t i t s s ac r amen ta l c h a r -ac te r . This explains the reason for t he Church ' s law wi th re fe rence to Catholics themselves ; bu t how people can conclude t h e r e f r o m t h a t t he Church denies the val idi ty of a mar r i age be tween P r o t e s t a n t s unless i t be per formed by the pr ies t is unexplainable . "We offer $1,000 r e w a r d for proof t h a t t he mar r i age laws of t he Catholic Church pre tend to null i fy the mar r i ages of Pro t e s t an t s . CATHOLICS AND THEIR COUNTRY AMERICA OWES MUCH TO CATHOLICS If there were such a th ing as pr ior i ty of r igh t in th is count ry it would belong to Catholics. W h e t h e r Amer ica w a s discovered by Columbus, or by some o ther mar ine r several cen tur ies before, i t w a s discovered by a Ca tho-lic. In fac t , in e i ther ins tance the motive of the d is -coverer was to br ing the Catholic f a i t h to t he aborigenes. I he first miss ionar ies to Amer ica were Catholic, who not only dedicated the i r lives, (and in some ins tances died m a r t y r s ) , to the work of civilizing and chr i s t ian iz -ing the nat ives , bu t explored our lakes and r ive r s gave n a m e s to w h a t a r e now hundreds of towns and ci t ies and loved th i s land passionately. Religious f reedom, which a d h e r e n t s of m a n y religious organizat ions , such a s the P u r i t a n s and o ther d i s sen te r s of Eng land did not en joy in the i r own land, is our coun t ry ' s g r e a t e s t boast . B u t even a f t e r some of these persecuted religious groups establ ished themselves here they fo rmed colonies in which their pa r t i cu la r b r a n d of religion alone w a s tolerated. B u t when Lord Bal t imore establ ished the Maryland Catholic colony he incorpora ted the provision of religious tolerat ion in the very const i -tu t ion of his colony and invited the re to those who were persecuted in the others . [Read Banc ro f t ] . W h e n the Colonies declared w a r on the mother count ry whence came outside a id? F r o m Catholic P r a n c e came La faye t t e , f r o m Catholic Poland, Pu lask i and Kosciusko, f r o m Quebec and Ireland, bo th men and (18) money. By a special l e t t e r Wash ing ton t h a n k e d the Cathol ics of h is day for t h e p rominen t p a r t they took in the W a r of Independence. W h e n the Declara t ion of Inde-pendence w a s signed the one who r isked more t h a n a n y other , because of his g r e a t fo r tune , w a s Char les Carroll of Carroll ton, a Catholic. In the W a r of t he Rebellion, though the Catholic body w a s not numerical ly s t rong, it fu rn i shed Lincoln wi th a whole hos t of b rave generals , among t h e m Sher idan, Meade, Lane , Sickles, Shields, Buell, Mulligan, Meagher and Rosecrans . W h e n the Uni ted S t a t e s declared w a r aga in s t Spain, Catholics did no t t a k e accoun t of t he religion of t h a t country , and saw in he r only a n enemy t h a t m u s t be defea ted , and they flocked to the colors a s pa t r io t i -cally a s a n y o the r group. In the la te w a r the Catholics of F rance , Belgium, and I ta ly joined P r o t e s t a n t Eng land in fighting aga in s t Catholic Aus t r i a , and aga ins t the Cathol ics of t he Rhineland. In the a r m y and navy of the Uni ted S ta tes , when w a r w a s declared, Cathol ics were represen ted by a f a r g r e a t e r pe rcen tage t h a n the Catholic body bore to the to ta l populat ion. Sec re ta ry Denby declared only recent ly (September 17, 1923) t h a t Catholics cons t i tu ted more t h a n 45 per cen t of t he marines , our most effect ive fighting force ; they p re -domina ted over a n y o ther religious group in the R a i n -bow Division, which did most to end the w a r . General Poch, the general iss imo dur ing t h e wor ld -war , i s a f e rven t Catholic, and h a s a b ro the r a pr ies t . Owing to he r de te rmined s t a n d aga in s t Socialism, aga ins t t he divorce evil, and in f avor of religion in educat ion, the Catholic Church in the Uni ted S t a t e s is doing her bes t in t he t ime of peace to insure the pe r -pe tu i ty of our Republic. CHURCH AND STATE The Catholic Church th r ives u n d e r a n y fo rm of Gov-e r n m e n t if i t be given t h e s ame l iber ty t h a t every rel igious denominat ion needs. Dur ing the las t t en yea r s the re h a s been a g r e a t t r end t owards Democracies and Republics; bu t h a s i t occurred to you t h a t t he first Republic, t h a t of San Marino, w a s endorsed by the Pope himself ; t h a t t he oldest Republic t he world knows of h a s a lways been Catholic; t h a t in t w e n t y - t h r e e ou t of abou t t h i r t y Republics today the Catholic religion p r e -domina tes? The Catholic Church does no t hold t h a t t he union of Church and S ta t e is necessary ; nor does she advoca te the union of Church and S t a t e in count r ies where i t would not work smoothly, or where the people a r e divided a m o n g m a n y religions. Judg ing f r o m the accusa t ions of t he enemies of t he Catholic Church in th i s coun t ry one would conclude t h a t the re is no union of Church and S ta t e except in Catholic countr ies , and t h a t t he Church a ims a t such union here . As a m a t t e r of f a c t t he re is union of <»> c n u r c h and S t a t e in P r o t e s t a n t countr ies , and a union much closer t h a n exis ts in a n y Catholic coun t ry ; a union so close t h a t t he head of the S t a t e and the head of t he Church is the same person, such a s the re is in England, Denmark , Sweden, N o r w a y now, and a s the re w a s in Germany and Russ ia before the war . The Ca tho-lic Church never knew of such a n ex t r eme union except in the S t a t e s of the Church in a p a r t of I ta ly a t one t ime. The spi r i tual ru le r of the P r o t e s t a n t count r ies ment ioned is t empora l ru ler a s well. Yet people r e sen t t he very idea of the Pope being a t empora l ru le r even over a ve ry small territory 1 , where it w a s deemed neces-sa ry in o rder t h a t he migh t have t h e independence requis i te to pres ide over t he Church w i t h o u t in te r fe rence f r o m a hostile power. I t is t r ue t h a t the Church opposed separa t ion in cer -ta in countr ies , where t he re had been union of Church and Sta te , b u t only because separa t ion m e a n t pe rsecu-tion, the confiscation of Church proper ty , and the w i t h -d rawal of rel igious f reedom. Such separa t ion a s we have in the Uni ted S ta t e s has the Church ' s w a r m e s t approbat ion. The Catholics of the Unt ied S t a t e s never d r eam of a union be tween th i s Republic and the Catholic Church, bu t the wind is blowing in the direct ion of a union of our Republic wi th P ro te s t an t i sm. Even a n t i -Catholic organizat ions , which have no special love for P ro t e s t an t i sm, bu t profess it in order to win the s y m p a t h y of P ro t e s t an t s , declare in f a v o r of "only P r o t e s t a n t s for public office." Of course the i r p rog ram is a flagrant violation of t he l e t t e r and spir i t of t he Const i tut ion, and savors of union be tween Church a n i S ta te . CATHOLICS OWE NO CIVIL ALLEGAINCE TO ROME P O P E PIUS X.—In an address to a P a r t y of Pi lgrims f rom the Argent ine Republic.—"The Church will a l -w a y s defend the cons t i tu ted author i t ies , imposing love, obedience, respec t and observance of the laws, helping the S t a t e to provide for the ma in t enance of peace ." CARDINAL GIBBONS.—"In m a t t e r s concerning his civil welfare , or t h a t of his country, every Roman Ca tho-lic is a s f r ee a s a n y o ther Amer ican cit izen to a c t a s his wisdom and conscience d ic ta te . " CARDINAL. NEWMAN.—"The Pope ," p. 68.—"Were I a soldier or sailor in her M a j e s t y ' s service in a j u s t war , and should the Pope suddenly bid all Catholics to re t i re f r o m he r service, I should not obey h i m . " BISHOP ENGLAND.—Charleston, S. C.—"Let t he Pope and Cardinals and all t he powers of the Catholic world uni ted m a k e the leas t enc roachmen t on t h a t Cons t i tu -tion, we will p ro tec t i t w i th our lives. Summon a Gen-eral Council. Le t t h a t Council in te r fe re in t he mode of our elect ing bu t a n a s s i s t an t to a t u r n k e y in a prison —we deny the r igh t ; w e r e j e c t i t s usurpation." (») REV. J , P. McKEY, C. M.—In " T h e Mar ian , " 1923.— "If by a n y possible supposit ion, t he Pope should m a n a r m y and fleet to s to rm our coast , do you know w h a t Catholics would do? Tou would have two million Ca th -olics in the Amer ican a r m y ready to die to res is t t he Pope s invasion; you would have e ighteen million Catholics in the i r homes p ray ing for the i r sons, b ro the r s and f a t h e r s in t he field; you would have for ty- f ive thousand Catholic nuns upon the i r knees before the Tabernac les beseeching the God of a rmie s to s t r ike the guns f r o m the Roman emissar ies ; you would have twenty thousand pr ies t s in t he f r o n t r a n k s of the a r m y fighting unt i l t hey died for t he Const i tu t ion of the Uni ted Sta tes . W e would be loyal Catholics, still we would say to t h a t Pope: 'We shall r ende r to God the th ings t h a t a r e God's ' . Yes, b u t we will r ende r also unto Caesar t he th ings t h a t a r e Caesa r ' s . " The Dis t r ic t of Columbia, t he s ea t of our own civil government , is politically independent of a n y s t a t e . The P res iden t is no t under the civil ru le of t he Governor of Maryland, or of Delaware , for ins tance . If such independence is necessary for t he head of a government which is purely nat ional , how much more necessary is i t for a ru ler whose spir i tual jur isdic t ion i s in te rna t iona l? The impor tance of such a s e a t of independence is all t h a t Catholics mean when they defend Tempora l Power for t he Pope. I t does not m e a n tempora l rule over t he world. CATHOLIC CHURCH IS NOT IN POLITICS The most unfounded of all cha rges is t h a t which insis ts t h a t t he Catholic h ie ra rchy in the Uni ted S ta t e s is engaged in politics, and t h a t Cathol ics a r e directed by the i r clergy, or even by the Pope, how to cas t the i r votes. I t should be easy to convince a n y observan t person t h a t t he Catholic Church dabbles in politics less t han any o ther . H o w could enemies of t he C a t h -olic Church in I taly, P rance , Spain, Por tuga l , Mexico and several o ther countr ies , where t hey cons t i tu te a n insignif icant minori ty , secure control of the govern-m e n t ? The bulk of the populat ion in these countr ies is in s y m p a t h y wi th the Church, ye t t he Church ac tua l ly discourages them f r o m organizing for a n y political p u r -pose. Quite recent ly the Bishops of P r a n c e and Spain declared aga ins t the fo rmat ion of a Catholic p a r t y in the i r respect ive countr ies . A shor t t ime ago the Va t i can Secre ta ry of S t a t e sen t a l e t t e r to all I t a l i an bishops, r emind ing t h e m of the es tabl ished discipline of the Church, not to pa r t i c ipa te officially in a n y celebrat ions of a political cha rac te r . The Vat ican never did a n y -th ing even to p romote the Popu la r P a r t y , which w a s based on Catholic principles. In th i s coun t ry the bishops have never discussed politics a t one of the i r mee t ings ; they have never pet i t ioned the P r e s i d e n t nor congress for or aga ins t ( 1 8 ) any political measure . The bishops do no t know w h a t one a n o t h e r ' s polit ics a r e ; ne i the r do pr ies ts . No pr ies t m a y preach a political sermon f r o m his pulpit , and the Catholic people would be the first to resen t it if one a t t e m p t e d to do so. Even the Jesui t , whose n a m e our enemies have made a synonym for political scheming, is forbidden by the rule of his Society to engage in secular politics. If the Catholic h ie ra rchy in th i s coun t ry h a s been in politics, i t h a s surely suc-ceeded ve ry poorly, because we h a v e n ' t near ly the number in Congress or in S t a t e Legis la tures which our s t r e n g t h in th i s coun t ry would w a r r a n t . More-over, while our enemies have repea ted the i r charge for 70 years , they have never been able to point out a single ins tance of Catholic political control. The Kn igh t s of Columbus a re forbidden to br ing politics into the Council chamber . Wil l iam J. Bryan , who r a n for high office possibly more t h a n a n y o ther m a n living, should know, and he declared t h a t those who a r e acqua in ted wi th Catholics in public life know t h a t the i r Church does not d ic ta te to them. The P r e s b y t e r i a n s in the Uni ted S t a t e s a r e only one-t e n t h a s numerous a s Catholics, ye t under Wilson, t he P res iden t , Vice-President , and Secre ta ry of S t a t e were Presby te r i ans , and Catholics found no f a u l t w i th it a t all. B u t w h a t if we had a Catholic Pres ident , a Catholic Vice-President , a Catholic Sec re ta ry of S t a t e a t t he s ame t ime? You know w h a t a howl would go up abou t Rome ' s control of t he Uni ted S ta t e s gov-e rnment . One th ing should be p a t e n t to everyone, and it is t h a t those who organize to oppose Catholics do the ve ry th ing which they falsely accuse Catholics of doing; they a r e s teeped in politics, and s t r ive to ga in the i r ends by politics. In 1917, Pope Benedic t XV, in a n Encycl ical L e t t e r to all of t he bishops of t he world, insisted t h a t " t h e sub jec t m a t t e r of s e rmons m u s t be essential ly sacred. . . . B u t all p reacher s , " the Decree continues, " a re forb id-den ent i rely and absolutely to t r e a t in church of political m a t t e r s . NO PRESIDENT WAS KILLED BY A CATHOLIC E x - P r i e s t Chiniquy s t a r t ed the legend t h a t P res iden t Lincoln w a s a s sass ina ted by the Jesu i t s , employing a s the i r tool John Wilkes Booth, " a conver t to t h e Catholic F a i t h . " This legend h a s marched along, never -theless, t ak ing on addit ions, like m a n y ano the r m y t h ; for if people will believe t h a t Booth w a s a Catholic, why not impose it upon t h e m t h a t all the a s sass ins of A m e r -ican P re s iden t s were Catholics? So we find a n t i - C a t h -olic l ec tu re r s a s se r t i ng t h a t Char les J . Gui teau w a s a Catholic, and so, also w a s the ana rch i s t who shot Mc-Kinley. ( 1 8 ) As a ma t t e r of f ac t , none of these miscrean ts were Catholics. Qul teau a n a Czolgosz were h a t e r s of C a t h -olicism, and In t h a t respect especially eligible for m e m -bership In the secre t proscrlpt lve societies. No church or creed Is to be held responsible for t he cr imes these men commit ted. John Wilkes Booth, born In Maryland In 1889, w a s a son of the eccentr ic Engl ish actor , J u n i u s B r u t u s Booth, who came to th is count ry In 1826. The Booth family were Anglicans. H e w a s scarcely twen ty - s ix y e a r s old when he formed the conspiracy to murde r Lincoln. His body Is Interred In the Booth family lot In u r e e n m o u n t , a non-sec ta r i an cemetery a t Bal t imore . The t r ia l of Gulteau Is fully repor ted ; and the sum-mary, pr in ted In Appleton 's Annua l Cyclopedia, 1881, Informs us t h a t he w a s for five years a member of the peculiar sect known a s the Oneida Communi ty ; t h a t he Joined the Young Men's Chr is t ian Association. H i s b ro ther - in - law test if ies t h a t Qulteau was s t rongly prejudiced aga ins t the Catholics. We subjoin his s t a t e -men t : "X a m a b ro the r - in - l aw of Char les Qulteau, the s layer of P res iden t Garfield. W a s Qul teau a Catholic? Well I should th ink not. Char les Qul teau ha t ed the Catholic Church wi th all the h a t e t h a t w a s In him. H e w a s a P ro t e s t an t , converted by Moody. H e told m a n y a t ime t h a t God Inspired him to kill Garfield. H e w a s Insane on t h a t one subject . This Is absolute t r u t h and I would t ake my oath to t h a t e f fec t . " (Given a t St. John ' s , Mich., Sept. 17, 1918). " C H A R L E S Q. W H I T E . " Leon Czolgosz w a s the son of a Pol ish-born f a the r , who resided a t Cleveland. W e find the press r epor t s a s to his Ident i ty repr in ted In Tyler ' s "Li fe of Mck in l ey . " "He (Czolgosz) said he had been s tudy ing these doo-t r lnes (anarch ism) for some t ime, t h a t he did not be-lieve In government , the church or the mar r ied re la-tion (P. 468). While acknowledging himself a n a n -archis t , he did not s t a t e to w h a t b ranch of the o rgan-ization he belonged. " H e declined to see a minis ter or pr iest of any denominat ion. He died wi thou t religious min i s t r a t ions" (Pp. 618-17). ROME DOES NOT CONTROL THE PRESS Tou have o f t en hea rd t h a t " Rome controls t he p ress . " While Cathol ics have a lways main ta ined the cont ra ry , who is r i gh t ? Well, r ead w h a t the Com-mercial Appeal, of Memphis, Tenn. . said Quite recent ly (August 12, 1923): " T h e r e a re fifteen d i rec tors In the Associated Press . They a re elected by the members a f t e r public nominat ion of two or th ree cand ida tes for each position. Ail of the di rectors a r e P ro t e s t an t s except one. T h a t one Is a Jew. The southern d i rec tors a r e Clark W. Howell, (U> editor of the A t l an t a Const i tu t ion, and F red I. T h o m p -son, editor of the Mobile Register and the B i rmingham Age-Hera ld . Some of t he dlreotors a r e Presby te r ians , some a re Episcopal ians, some a r e Methodis ts and some are Bapt i s t s . " W e don ' t know how hard a n y of t h e m prac t i se their religion, bu t the re is not a finer body of Amer i cans In th i s country . J u s t n o w we recall t h a t Mr. H. H. Baker , editor of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, is one of the most ac t ive Y. M. C. A. workers In th i s count ry . " W e c a n ' t Imagine t h a t Mr. Clark Howell or Mr. F red Thompson would pe rmi t the Pope to t a k e over the Associated P r e s s wi thou t a public protes t . "Melville E. Stone, for m a n y yea r s general m a n a g e r of the Associated Press , Is a Methodis t and the son of a Methodis t preacher . F r a n k B. Noyes, pres ident of the Associated Press , Is a P r o t e s t a n t , and h a s been a t the head of the organizat ion for t w e n t y years . H e Is the editor of the Wash ing ton S ta r . "Freder ick Ray Mart in , genera l m a n a g e r of the As-socated Press , Is a H a r v a r d g r a d u a t e and a New England Congregat ional ls t . Mr. U. L. McCall, super -in tenden t of all the Associated P r e s s opera t ions In the South, Is a member of the Bap t i s t Chureh. "Considerable f ree lying h a s been done abou t t he Commercial Appeal In the ca r ry ing on of th la p ropa-ganda. " W e never paid any a t t en t ion to the rel lgous affilia-t ions of anybody on th i s paper unt i l people who didn ' t know said w h a t thoy were and said the Commerolal Appeal was w h a t it w a s no t . " If a n y religious organizat ion, therefore , had a gr iev-ance, the Cathollo Church would have, because even the wel l - intent ioned P r o t e s t a n t o f t en fai ls to ge t the Catholic viewpoint in t r a n s m i t t i n g news whloh re la tes to the Cathollo Church. This possibly explains the many colored repor t s carr ied in the Associated and Uni ted P res s f r o m Rome. CATHOLICS AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THINGS NEVER SAID BY CATHOLIC PRELATES Amer icans general ly a re deeply in teres ted in the pub-lic schools, and there fore it Is a n easy m a t t e r for enemies of the Catholic Church to a rouse the i r p r e ju -dices by represen t ing t h a t Catholics a r e hostile to the public schools, and would, If they oould, destroy' them. To th i s end Cathollo pr ies t s and prelates , long sinoe dead, a r e made to say th ings they never u t t e red , and <1»> t he bogus quota t ions a r e spread broadcas t . A s a m a t t e r of i ac t , t he Catholic clergy crit icize our public schools f a r less f r equen t ly t h a n do churchmen of o ther denominat ions . W h a t e v e r weaknesses the schools have a r e pointed ou t chiefly by those most ly in teres ted—by those to w h o m the direct ion of t he schools is com-mi t ted . Cri t icism, when const ruct ive , bespeaks r a t h e r a f r iendly in t e re s t t han hosti l i ty. W e reproduce he rewi th a few f ake quota t ions credi ted to Catholic churchmen and editors, toge ther w i t h our commen t : " W e m u s t t a k e p a r t in the elections, move in solid m a s s in every s t a t e aga in s t t he p a r t y pledged to sus ta in the integrity" of t he public schools."— Cardinal McClosky. Cardinal McCloskey (not McClosky) never u t t e r ed these words. The poor m a n h a s been dead for fo r ty years , and hence he himself canno t con t rad ic t t he forger . Bu t no pre la te of t he Catholic Church ever stult if ied himself by giving such orders , which would not have been obeyed even if given. " T h e s t a t e h a s no r i gh t to educate , and when the s t a t e u n d e r t a k e s the work of educat ion i t is u s u r p -ing the power of t he Church."—Bishop McQuade, in a Lec ture in Boston, Feb. 13, 1876. Bishop McQuaid (not McQuade) h a s also gone to his r eward . W h y go back to 1876 ( fo r ty - seven y e a r s ago) to secure evidence to convict t he Catholic Church today? " T h e d a y is no t f a r d i s t an t when Catholics, a t the order of t he Pope, will r e fuse to p a y the school t a x a n d will send bullets into the b r e a s t s of t he officials who a t t e m p t to collect them."—Mngr . Cappell. Who is Mngr. (Msgr., I suppose) Cappell? H i s n a m e does no t appea r in t he Direc tory of Catholic p r ies t s and prela tes . Gran t i ng t h a t he lived fo r ty y e a r s ago, he never u t t e r ed those words. "Educa t ion m u s t be controlled by Catholic a u -thori t ies , a n d under educat ion the opinions of the Individuals and u t t e r a n c e s of the press a r e included, and m a n y opinions a r e to be forbidden by the secular a r m , u n d e r t he au tho r i t y of t he Church even to w a r and bloodshed."—Pries t Hecker , quoted by "Cathol ic Wor ld ," July, 1870. Whi le t he spur iousness of th i s quota t ion is plain a t f irst s ight , we took the t rouble to consul t t he issue of t he Catholic World, d a t e of July , 1870, and find noth ing t h a t bea r s a n y resemblance to th i s forged pa r ag raph . " T h e common schools of th i s coun t ry a re s inks of moral pollution and nurse r ies of hel l ."—The "Chicago Tab le t . " The re is no such paper a s t he "Chicago Tab le t . " " T h e public schools have produced noth ing bu t a Godless genera t ion of thieves and blackguards . ' '— Pr ies t Shaner . Who is " P r i e s t Shane r , " please? Numerous o ther u t t e r a n c e s a r e ascr ibed to Catholic p r ies t s and prelates , who e i ther never lived a t all or who have been dead for many years , and who, the re -fore, cannot con t rad ic t the i r accusers . RELIGION IN EDUCATION Fai lure , to pa t ronize a n ins t i tu t ion does not spell hos-tility. Sixty millon people of t he Uni ted S t a t e s do not Patronize a n y of t he churches ; b u t it were wrong to conclude t h a t they a r e opposed to Chr is t iani ty . They would not w a n t the churches abolished; ne i ther would Catholics w a n t the public schools abolished. Half t he Catholic children of the Uni ted S ta t e s do a t t e n d the public schools; and those who a t t e n d the parochial schools do so, no t because of hosti l i ty, but because the i r p a r e n t s w a n t t h e m under rel igious In-fluence dur ing the i r fo rma t ive years . We doubt if the re is a Chr i s t ian in the land who does not believe t h a t t he religious e lement should en te r into education. W h a t is th i s bu t a n endorsement of t he parochial school idea? W h a t is t he purpose of t he Boy Scouts, of the Girl Scouts, of t he H i - T , If not to place the you th of t he land under t he influence of r e -ligion? W h y a r e the Rota ry and Kiwanis Clubs so in teres ted in the boy? W h y do we have our you ths chaperoned to the summer camp by a rel igious d i rec tor? W h a t is the purpose of the Religious Educa t ion Assooia- u . ? n . Which mee t s t h r ee days every yea r? W h y do all denominat ions pa s s resolut ions a t the i r every Con-ference or Convention in f avor of more rel igous t r a i n -ing for t he Amer ican you th? W h y is the re such wide-spread ag i ta t ion for week-day religious ins t ruc t ion for public school chi ldren? W h 9 a re they who a re ben t on des t roying the religious organiza t ions in several countr ies , the infidel organizat ion schools? They a re the Bolsheviki of Russia , the a the i s t i c organiza t ions in several countr ies , t he in-fidel organiza t ions in our own country , which publish several scores of papers and periodicals. The i r one motive in fighting the p r iva te school is to t ake religion a w a y f r o m the rising genera ton , so t h a t soviet ism will h J v ® a be t t e r chance in the next genera t ion . Those who abe t t he movement to des t roy the religious school may or m a y not sympath ize wi th these radicals , bu t they a re for all t ha t , helping them in the i r most an t i -Chr i s t i an purpose. The Church real izes t h a t the S t a t e cannot t each re-ligion, and, therefore , she approves of our public educa-t ional sys tem for all t h a t i t does. She shows her ap-pro v a l b y copying i t s curr iculum. Bu t because the Ca th -olic Church believes t h a t religion is such a vi tal p a r t of educat ion, she h a s ever been willing to m a k e g rea t sacrif ices to supply it in a sys tem of schools of her own which is much older t h a n the public schools system. ( 1 8 ) No, the re is no host i l i ty on the p a r t of Catholics to -wards the public school; bu t much host i l i ty on the p a r t or non-Cathol ics t owards the parochia l school. This host i l i ty is m o s t inconsis tent , because every Chr i s t ian upholds the principle upon which the parochial school is based. Even Tom Watson , while fighting the Catholic school because i t pleased h is readers , had his own daugh te r in one of t hem. THE CHURCH AND ILLITERACY F r o m the d a y t h a t our Divine Savior addressed Hi s pa r t i ng words to the Church, "Go, t e ach , " she h a s lent herself to popular educat ion. P r i e s t s and n u n s of the Catholic Church wro te the first school t e x t books; they copied and recopied the sacred scr ip tures , and wro te books f r o m which children fo r more t h a n one thousand years received both the i r secular a n d rel igious t ra in ing . She founded the g r ea t e s t univers i t ies which exist today, Including those of Oxford and Cambrdge, P a r i s and Bologna, F e r r a r a and Sa lamanca , Copenhagen and Prague . Since the so-called Refo rmat ion f ewer univers i t ies have been founded by all the P r o t e s t a n t churches com-bined t h a n were founded by the Catholic Church alone before the- Reformat ion . Yet we a r e told t h a t t he world w a s in the da rk unt i l t he r ise of P r o t e s t a n t i s m . W h a t s t u d e n t of h is tory would no t tell you t h a t our enl ightened age h a s never produced a r t i s t s , sculptors, a rchi tec ts , musicians, such a s t he t h i r t e en th cen tu ry produced—300 y e a r s before P r o t e s t a n t i s m w a s born? If there be quest ion of eminen t sc ient is t s of the l a s t gen -erat ion, how abou t Galvani , Vol ta , Ampere , Gramme, and o t h e r s in e lectr ic i ty? P a s t e u r , Roentgen, P rofessor and Madam Curie, Murphy, etc. , in chemis t ry and medicine? In Amer ica the school is t h e child of t h e Church. Harva rd , and Tale , and , in fac t , near ly all our g r e a t universi t ies , were, in t he beginning, re l igious schools. For two hundred yea r s a f t e r t he se t t l ement of the t h i r -teen colonies, t he re were no schools in Amer ica bu t church schools. Even today more t han half of all college s t uden t s in t he Uni ted S t a t e s a r e enrolled in Chr is t ian schools. Of the 119 colleges ea s t of t he Mis-sissippi River , 100 a r e u n d e r t he m a n a g e m e n t of rel igious organizat ions . The rel igious bodies of t he Uni ted S t a t e s main ta in S00 of t he 400 s t a n d a r d Amer ican colleges. Among the P re s iden t s of t he Uni ted S t a t e s we find eighteen college men, and of th i s n u m b e r s ix teen were products of Chr is t ian colleges. Among the Ju s t i c e s of the Supreme Cour t e ight were college men, and seven received the i r educat ion in colleges controlled by r e -ligious organizat ions. These f a c t s a r e sufficient to show how closely in h a r m o n y our rel igious schools a r e wi th the t radi t ions , t he spir i t , and the ins t i tu t ions of our beloved country . I t la no more reasonable to b lame t h e Catholic (!•> Church for the high s t a t e of Ill i teracy in some countr ies , because he r religion is t he p redominan t one, t h a n i t is to hold the P r o t e s t a n t churches responsible fo r the g r e a t e r i l l i teracy of our own South because P r o t e s t a n t i s m predomina tes in all the S t a t e s where i l l i teracy is high. In f ac t , i t is less unreasonable to m a k e the l a t t e r charge, since the gove rnmen t of t h e so-called Catholic count r ies is hosti le to all religion, while t he governments of "all our Sou thern S t a t e s a r e f r i end ly to P ro t e s t an t i sm . According to the l a t e s t r epor t of t he Uni ted S t a t e s Commissioner of Educa t ion , ful ly one-half of t he colored children of t he South a r e no t in school a t all. Seventy-five per cen t of t he negro populat ion of t he Uni ted S t a t e s i s P r o t e s t a n t ; less t h a n 2 per cen t is Catholic. In some Southern S t a t e s the whi tes have received no be t t e r educat ion t h a n the colored. In 1919 more t h a n 100,000 whi te children in A labama did no t a t t e n d school; for every 48 whi te children In school the re were 52 ou t of school t he en t i re t e rm. In Mississippi only $9.30 w a s spen t per child fo r educat ion aga in s t $52.15 in the S t a t e of New York; Nor th Carol ina spen t $12.31 aga in s t $61.39 in New Je r sey ; South Carol ina spent $12.80 aga ins t $69.62 in N o r t h Dakota . THE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL WAS FIRST W e have shown t h a t the Catholic Church is in no sense Inimical to the public school; t ha t , on the cont ra ry , she wishes i t well. Ne i the r is t he pa r i sh school a n unf r iend ly r ival of t he public school; i t w a s no t se t up in opposition to the public school, bu t existed yea r s before the re w a s a public school system. In f ac t , the first Amer ican schools were all religious, a s were the h igher ins t i tu t ions of learning, such a s H a r v a r d , Tale, P r ince -ton, etc. Our g r e a t e s t pa t r io t s of t he p a s t a t t e n d e d only pr i -v a t e schools. Wash ing ton , Adams, Madison, Jef ferson, even Lincoln, were educated in such schools. Says Rev. Ha r ry Olsen ( L u t h e r a n ) , Milwaukee, Wis . : "If a t t e n d a n c e a t public schools i s t he cr i ter ion of Americanism, then George W a s h i n g t o n w a s not a n Amer ican , for our colonial schools were p r iva te schools, and he a t t e n d e d them. Then Daniel W e b s t e r w a s no t a n Amer ican , for his e lementa ry educat ion w a s acquired outs ide the public schools. Then Wil l iam McKlnley w a s not a n American, for he a t t ended the Union Seminary a t Poland, Ohio, f r o m his n in th to h is seven teen th year . Then Theodore Roosevelt w a s no t a n Amerc4.a, for he wr i t e s in his au tob iography t h a t he never wen t to t he public schools." In a r ecen t s t a t e m e n t t he " In t e r -Church Movement ," r epresen t ing t h i r t y P r o t e s t a n t denominat ions , published i t s survey in two volumes, and In it m a k e s th i s r epo r t : "Un les s a p r o g r a m of rel igious educat ion can be orea ted the re is great) danger t h a t a sytetem of public schools will become na tu ra l i s t i c and mater ia l i s t ic in theory and practice, and that the direction of social ( I T ) development will be de te rmined by the secular In-fluences wi th in the S t a t e r a t h e r t h a n by the spi r i tual fo rces represen ted by the c h u r c h . " Volumes could be filled wi th the dec lara t ions made dur ing the pas t few yea r s by P r o t e s t a n t churchmen and educa to r s in favor of more genera l religious Ins t ruct ion of our youth. Charles W. Eliot, Pres ident Emer i tus of Harva rd , condenses w h a t they say, In these words : "Our schools a r e despera te ly in need of rel igious teaching. I t is difficult to exaggera te t he urgency of It. The s i tua t ion s t a r e s us In the face a t every tu rn . I t is t he g r ea t e s t concern t h a t democra t s have to feel abou t the f u t u r e in th i s count ry , t he f u t u r e of democ-racy itself. W e shall have to look it square ly In the face. I t is religion t h a t we w a n t to pu t into the h e a r t s of the chi ldren."—The Boston Globe, Nov. 29, 1922. The In t e r -Church Report , j u s t r e fe r red to, s t a t e s t h a t "27,000,000 children of the Uni ted S ta t e s do not a t t e n d a n y Sunday, parochial , or congregat ional schools." There fo re the content ion t h a t the children can receive rel igious ins t ruc t ion in the churches is no t t rue . Be-cause of th i s there is general advocacy of week-day religious instruct ion during school hours.—if no t In school, then In bui ldings a d j a c e n t to the school. The P r o t e s t a n t Church Federa t ion of Indianapolis , only qui te recently, (Sept. 22), declared: "A recen t wr i te r says t h a t fully 90 per cent of t he c r imes now commit ted is by boys and young m e n . " The h e a r t and conscience of the child m u s t be edu-cated along wi th i t s mind; it m u s t be p repared for t he nex t life, a s well a s for th is ; It m u s t be instilled not only a s a civic, b u t as a religious duty . The th ree " R ' s " m u s t be supplemented by a fou r th "R"—Religion GRADE FOR GRADE THEY ARE EQUAL Catholics would be deserving of censure for opera t ing sepa ra t e schools ( I) if they expected the public general ly to suppor t t h e m : (2) if t he finished product of the par i sh school were infer ior ; (3) if they were not t ru ly American. But Catholics build and ma in t a in the i r schools not only a t their own expense, bu t a t a big saving to the t a x - p a y e r s general ly. Today everybody Is ta lk ing abou t too high t axes ; most s t a t e s have gone to the limit In ra is ing t axes for the suppor t of t he public schools we now have ; and the cry is for b e t t e r t eache r s and more pay for them. Catholics pay t axes equally wi th o ther people even when they do not g e t benefi t f r o m the public schools. Then they t a x themselves, o f ten till i t hur t s , to build and ma in t a in the i r own schools. They pay more t h a n twice a s much a s a n y o ther group of people fo r educat ion. I t Is somet imes charged t h a t the Catholic schools a r e ma in ta ined by public taxa t ion , bu t t hey a r e not. I t Is also charged t h a t Catholics a r e seeking to secure public f u n d s fo r ( 1 8 ) the parochial schools, bu t they a r e not , though In E n s -land, Canada, and m a n y o the r count r ies p r iva te schools a re so supported. The Catholic Church would not requi re he r people to a t t e n d par ish schools if they were less efficient t han the public schools. Competi t ive tests in which public and par i sh schools t ake par t , and which a re f requen t ly held th roughou t the country , prove conclusively tha t , g rade for grade, the parochial schools a r e as efficient as the bes t public schools. The l ife-long dedicat ion of Catholic t eache r s to the i r work makes for efficiency; so does the high s tandard iza t ion of grades . The high percen tage of vo lun ta ry en l i s tmen t s of C a t h -olics in the Army and Navy dur ing the p a s t war , a s shown by t h e census t aken a t the a r m y c a m p s before con-script ion w a s pu t in force in 1917, prove how genuine is t he Amer ican ism fos te red in the parochial school. Nowhere Is pa t r io t i sm so a r d e n t a s in Catholic coun-t r ies ; it is a real passion in F rance , Belgium, Italy, and in the Republics of South A m e r c a ; i t is so because i t h a s a religious backing. The Catholic School fos t e r s pa t r io t i sm not only as a civic but as a religious obligation. As recent ly a s Sept. 17. 1923, Secre ta ry Denby, of the U. S. Navy, sa id: "To Catholics the Mar ine Corps, in which I served, should be of especial Interest , since I found t h a t more t han 45 per cen t of t he enlisted men were Cathol ics ." Compulsory educat ion in the public schools Is o f ten recommended a s the bes t w a y of Amer icaniz ing the foreigner . Those who emphasize . th i s unde r s t and ne i ther t he parochial school nor the foreigner . In the parochial school, chi ldren of the fore ign-born have a point of contac t , which those a t t end ing the public schools have not. Usual ly the t eache r s in p r iva te schools unde r s t and the language of the children s p a r -en t s ; the re fo re they have the most impor tan t bas is for Americaniz ing resul ts , namely confidence. They alone can coun te rac t the radical l i t e ra ture—the only l i te ra ture which comes to the fore igner in his own language. A r e c e n t P r o t e s t a n t wr i t e r declared t h a t life would not be liveable In New York City If t he Catholic Church were removed f rom it. HOW PROVIDE THE ROOM AND MONEY? I t would be Impossible for most s t a t e s to provide accommodat ions in the public schools for all the chil-dren now in the parochial schools. Collier 's Weekly for Sept. 8, 1923, r epor t s the re i s not sea t ing room for 1,000,000 children who wish to a t t e n d the public schools, t h a t 2,000,000 mus t , therefore , a t t e n d only ha l f -days . W h a t if Catholic schools were closed and 2,000,000 more children knocked for admission into these schools? Con-sider the s i tua ton It would c rea t e in the th ree c i t ies herewi th ci ted: When school opened in New York City in September , 1922, it w a s discovered t h a t the re were still 116,000 ohil- ( I l j dren who m u s t be p u t on " p a r t t ime . " A t t he beginning of t he yea r the re were 148,000 such children. J u s t th ink how the s i tua t ion would be a g g r a v a t e d if the more t h a n 100,000 children of the parochia l schools of t h a t c i ty were compelled to knock a t t he doors of t he public schools fo r admission. A t the r ecen t meet ing of the Board of Educa t ion of New York City, a $64,000,000 build-ing p r o g r a m w a s approved, which it will t ake fou r y e a r s to execute . The Board au thor ized the building of s ix ty-two new e lementa ry school buildings, besides m a n y addit ions, t he purchase of e igh ty - four e l emen ta ry school si tes, t h e erect ion of e ight h igh school buildings, and the purchase of t en high school sites. All these s t ruc tu res , when completed, would accommoda te 111,430 pupils, a to ta l j u s t abou t equivalent to the number of children a t t end ing the Catholic schools of New York City. Therefore , if the Catholic schools were closed, $64,000,000 more would be needed, and the ci ty would have to engage and p a y 2,500 addi t ional teachers , a t a n expense of $7,000,000 annual ly . The School Budge t for New York City, for the yea r 1923, w a s $90,805,130. In Chicago, according to Super in tenden t Mortensen, 40,000 children a re on " p a r t t i m e " a t t endance dur ing this school t e r m (1923). The Board of Educa t ion au thor ized $22,000,000 for the cons t ruct ion of e ight new buildings and f i f teen addi t ions to s t r u c t u r e s now in use. " B u t , " said Mr. Mortensen, "if a t t e n d a n c e increases a t t he p a s t r a t e , t h e p a r t t ime problem will not be solved." The Super in tenden t gave the f u r t h e r in format ion t h a t 30,000 children a r e a t t end ing por table schools. If r egu la r school buldings a re to be erec ted for these, he said, $20,000,000 more will be needed. Again, consider the panic which would ensue, if 100,000 parochia l school children were to be t u rned over to t he ci ty for public school educat ion. I t would requi re $50,000,000 addi t ional for buildings, and $7,000,000 annua l ly for ex t r a teachers . Brooklyn, w i th 50,000 on " p a r t t ime , " would have a n unsolvable problem if t he 80,000 children now in the Catholic par i sh schools demanded e n t r y into the public schools. Note t h a t our comment is on th ree ci t ies only; in a less degree, b u t in t he s ame proport ion, every la rge city in the Uni ted S t a t e s would be a f fec ted like New York, Chicago and Brooklyn. CATHOLICS AND THE BIBLE. CATHOLICS GAVE THE BIBLE TO THE WORLD I t is difficult, indeed, to unde r s t and how people can be led to believe t h a t Catholics a r e no t allowed to read the Bible, since Popes have a lways urged i t s reading. Noté these quota t ions : " W e would like to see the holy books in the bosom of (M> every Chr is t ian family, careful ly t r easu red and dili-gent ly read every day, so t h a t all the f a i t h f u l may t h u s learn to live holy lives in every w a y in conformi ty wi th the Divine wil l ."—pope Benedict XV, to the "P ious Society of St . J e rome for the Spreading of t he Gospel." The more the Gospel is r ead the more f a i t h is revived. The Gospel i s t he book which serves for all and f o r every th ing ."—Pope Pius X. to the "P ious Society of St . J e rome for the Spreading of the Gospel," Nov., 1913. "A t a t ime when a g r e a t number of bad books . . . a r e c i rcu laa ted a m o n g the unlearned . . . you judge exceedingly well t h a t the f a i t h fu l should be exci ted to the r ead ing of t he Bible; th i s you have seasonably ef fect -ed by publ ishing the Bible in t he l anguage of your coun t ry ( I ta l ian) sui table to every one ' s capaci ty ."— "Noth ing can be more useful , more consolatory, more an imat ing , because the Holy Scr ip tures ( the Bible) serve to confirm the fa i th , to suppor t the hope, and to inflame the cha r i ty of the t r ue Chr is t ian ."—Pope Pius VII (1820) to t he Engl ish Bishops. The Bible is for sale a t every Catholic Book Store. The proscr ibing measures , which the Church issued in t imes pas t , . were aga in s t f au l t y t rans la t ions . I t is plainly evident t h a t a f au l t y version of Holy Scr ip ture is no t Holy Scr ipture . The world owes the p rese rva t ion of t he Bible to t he Catholic Church. I t w a s she, which, a t t he Council of Hippo, in t he yea r 393, de te rmined the Canon of Holy Scr ipture . I t w a s she, which before the invent ion of the a r t of pr int ing, had the Bible copied, hundreds of t imes, f r o m Genesis to Revelat ions, by hand . She had the Bible all to herself for more t h a n one thousand years , and could have destroyed it, or mut i l a ted It, or changed it to su i t he r purpose if she wished. The so-called chained Bible of the Middle Ages w a s a n open Bible. Being a manusc r ip t Bible, i t r epresen ted the labors of a n individual ' s l i fet ime. I t w a s usual ly placed in the middle aisles of churches , open f o r con-sul tat ion, t he same a s a City Direc tory is placed a t in format ion s ta t ions for t he convenience of t h e people. Though open, i t w a s chained in the same sense t h a t the City Direc tory or Ra i lway Guide is cha ined so t h a t people migh t not s tea l i t . Before p r in t ing w a s in-vented, and the genera l i ty of people could no t read, the Church t a u g h t t hem by Bible Plays , of which t h e P a s -sion Play 1 is a r e m n a n t . The Caths l ic Church believes the t r ue Bible to be the word of God f r o m cover to cover, and is i ts g r e a t e s t de fender today aga ins t those who a r e disowning much of Its con ten t s and reducing It to mere h u m a n au thorsh ip . The Catholic Church h a s a s t and ing Bible Commission to defend the Bible and i ts supe rna tu ra l inspirat ion. THE "BIBLE DISCOVERY" FABLE Who h a s no t o f t en read the fab le abou t L u t h e r h a v - ing discovered a copy of the Bible in t he L i b r a r y of t he ( 1 8 ) Univers i ty of E r f u r t , and t h a t t he only copies of t he Bible ex tan t , before the so-called Reformat ion , were in a language no t unders tood by the people? The bes t r e f u -ta t ion of th i s fable is t he l e t t e r produced below. This is a pho tograph of a le t te r recent ly received f r o m the Bri t i sh Museum by a P r o t e s t a n t who inquired fo r In-format ion . The quota t ion is f r o m the 1566 edit ion of Lu the r ' s "Tab le Ta lk , " in which he te l ls t h a t he w a s very fami l ia r wi th the Bible w h e n he w a s young. DFU'AUT.MENT OK PRINTED BOOKS. BRITISH MUSEUM, W.C. I. JLG J s t ^ Jbu-MAJUL • U '»-—¿J "^¡CK vcXy jvw^ w c u . , id. e^bu^jo, diLj u/o [e^LlcAjUr S ^ v a a j P - A SA^Z^AH . I U J ^ A B E S wreAi. I H- ^ a ^ r 3 5 3 E 3 jg"? / s " L u t h e r says, a s quoted above f r o m a 1566 edition of his own book, published in the ve ry town of his b i r th : " W h e n I w a s young I acquain ted myself wi th the Bible, read the s ame often so t h a t I knew where any reference w a s contained and could be found, when any one spoke about i t . " The re is on exhibit ion a t present , in our own Congres-sional Library , Wash ing ton , a copy of t he "Mazar in Bible," p r in ted by Gutenberg , t he inventor of the p r in tng press, t h i r t y yea r s before L u t h e r w a s born. No t re D a m e Univers i ty h a s a copy of t he Bible, p r in ted in German, in 1483, t he very yea r of L u t h e r ' s b i r th , and many German edit ions had preceded th i s one. Menzel, (His tory of Germany, Vol. II, page 233), says : "Before the t ime of L u t h e r the Bible had a l ready been t r ans l a t ed into bo th high and low Du tch . " Secken-dorf, L u t h e r ' s b iographer , says : "Three dis t inct edi t ions (21) of the Bible, t r ans l a t ed Into German, were published a t Wi t t enbe rg in 1470, 1483, a n d 1490—the first, 13 y e a r s be -fore his b i r th ; t he second, in the yea r of his b i r t h ; and the th i rd , when he w a s seven yea r s old." Unti l the s ix teen th c e n t u r y all t he educated , and most of t he common people unders tood La t in . I t w a s the language of l i t e ra tu re , medicine, legislation, and theology. Hence if t he book had only exis ted in La t in , i t would have been in the l anguage of t he people. Dr. McGilfert, (Mart in Luther and His Work , p. 273), says " T h e notion t h a t Bible r ead ing w a s f rowned upon by ecclesiast ical au thor i t i e s of t h a t age, is qui te u n f o u n d -ed " Dr. Preserve Smith (Life and Le t t e r s of Martin Luther , p. 14), wr i t e s : " T h e Rule of t he Augus t in i ans prescr ibed dil igent read ing of t he Scr ipture , and L u t h e r obeyed th i s regula t ion wi th joyous zeal ." Rev. E. Cu t t s (cf. Turn ing Points of English History, p. 200) says : " T h e Sermons of t he Mediaeval age a r e more full of Scr ip tura l quo ta t ions t h a n a n y se rmons in these days . " PERSONS AND THINGS MIS-UNDERSTOOD. THE CATHOLIC PRIEST Most non-Cathol ics ge t the i r not ions abou t t he Ca tho-lic pr ies thood f r o m an t i -Catho l ic books, o f t en w r i t t e n by rea l or pre tended ex-pr ies ts . OUR SUNDAY VISITOR publishes a volume ent i t led " D e f a m e r s of t he Church , " which we recommend to those who have read the works of Chiniquy, Fresenborg , Crowley and o thers . Those who have l e f t t he pr ies thood of the i r own accord, w i t h -ou t previous difficulty w i t h the i r superiors , never call in quest ion the sanc t i ty of t he pr ies t ly s ta te . No one, who is acqua ined wi th the p r e p a r a t o r y t r a i n -ing of t he cand ida te for t he priesthood, w i t h h is i r revoca-ble dedicat ion to God, wi th h is mode of life a f t e r ordinat ion, would need proof t h a t t he pr iesthood is a holy s ta te , a n d t h a t t he Catholic clergy- m u s t be v i r t u -ous men. Because i t t a k e s twelve yea r s for the s tuden t to p r epa re himself for t h e priesthood, it is usua l fo r the boy to go di rec t f r o m school to t he p r e p a r a t o r y semi-na ry ; a n d only those boys who were dis t inguished for the i r ear ly pie ty a r e accepted. Solid devotions, spi r i tual read ing and medi ta t ion , a r e a p a r t of the i r daily food dur ing the twelve years , and i t is ne i ther blindly nor wi thout m a t u r e del iberat ion t h a t they t a k e t h e vow of perpe tua l chas t i t y before the i r ordinat ion. This angel ic virtue m u s t no t be violated even by wilful or unclean t hough t s much less by a n y sin of deed. The Church enjoins i t s observance because the pr ies t is (1) wedded to Chr is t by a l ife-long consecra t ion; and (2) because being ordained for men (Hebr . V, 1) h is work should (M) not be hampered by fami ly t ies (1 Cor. VII, 32-23). Chris t , t he g r e a t exemplar of t he clergy, w a s no t m a r -r ied; St. John the Bapt i s t , whom J e s u s eulogized a s " t h e g r e a t e s t m a n born of w o m a n , " w a s no t mar r i ed ; St . John , t he Apostle, " t h e disciple whom J e s u s loved," is known a s " the virgin Apost le ." As f a r a s can be learned, St . Pe t e r w a s the only Apostle who w a s m a r -ried, and if his wife w a s living a t t he t ime he w a s called by Chris t , he m u s t have le f t her , because he de-clared " W e have le f t all th ings and followed thee . " St. Pau l dis t inct ly tel ls us t h a t he w a s no t mar r i ed (I Cor. VII, 8); and he gives a n excellent reason why the clergy shou 'd no t be (I Cor. VII, 32-33). In th i s day 1 when immoral i ty is prevalent , the re should be a t leas t one body of men, who by the i r very profes -sion and consecrat ion, can prove to the world t h a t the prac t ice of cont lnency is possible. Whi le in the early centur ies , t he Church admi t t ed wor thy mar r i ed men to the priesthood, she never pe rmi t t ed her clergy to m a r r y a f t e r ordinat ion. The Greek Orthodox Church follows th i s p rac t ice to th i s day. Those P r o t e s t a n t s who suspect the v i r tue of the Catholic clergy a re no t fa i r . Do they suspect the i r bachelor b ro the r or maiden sister , even when these people a re mixed up wi th the wor ld? If the re were any danger to t he priest , would not Catholic people be the first to demand a mar r i ed clergy? A s a m a t t e r of f ac t they would be the las t to approve of a mar r ied pr ies t -hood, because, like St. Paul , they believe virgini ty is more compat ible wi th the p r ies t ' s consecrat ion to God, and wi th the n a t u r e of his rule of life. I t is principally in Engl ish l i t e ra tu re t h a t t he chas t i ty of t he Catholic clergy is assailed. Never did the enemies of t he Catholic Church in Prance , or in Spain, or in Por tuga l , though they s trove to r id t h e count ry of the Church, even quest ion the mora ls of the clergy. P r i e s t s have fallen, bu t they have been so much the exception, t h a t t he fidelity of t he genera l body is confirmed, t h e r e -by. One lapse usual ly ends the p r ies t ' s usefulness . There were t imes in history 1 when scandals were f r e -quent , b u t a s t he P r o t e s t a n t Maitland declares: " I t a p -pea r s to be the t es t imony of h is tory t h a t the monks and clergy were in all t imes and places be t t e r t h a n o ther people." The publ ishers of t he " T r u t h s e e k e r , " a b i t ter , a n t i -Catholic pape r in New York, have issued a book enti t led "Cr imes of P r e a c h e r s and P r i e s t s " ; i t covers a long period of t ime, b u t i ts t abu la ted l is ts show single P r o t -e s t an t denomina t ions to have more clerical culpr i t s t h a n the Catholic. The m a n who h a s never t a s t ed liquor h a s no craving for i t ; and one who h a s never "known w o m a n , " who h a s del iberately vowed to prac t ice perpe tua l chas t i ty , who ce lebra tes daily M a s s and receives daily com-munion, j v h o is obl igated to spend more t h a n one addi -t ional hour in p r aye r daily, can easily conta in himself . (18) MONKS AND MONASTERIES I t Was qui te n a t u r a l t h a t m a n y people in the ear ly cen tu r i e s who were des i rous of c a r r y ou t Chr i s t ' s r ecommenda t ion to the "r ich ybung m a n " in the Gospel, should seclude themse lves f r o m the preva len t pagan wickedness of the i r day to en t e r associat ions, whose member s s t rove for g r e a t personal sanc t i ty . Such communi t ies of holy men were qui te numerous a t t he end of t he fou r th century . They gave r ise to the founda t ion of monas te r ies which for m a n y cen tur ies were by f a r the bes t th ing t h a t the world had. They were the peo-ple 's Schools and Colleges, the Social Service centers , the places of welcome fo r t r ave le r s and s t rangers , t he nurse r ies of the a r t s and sciences. Our twen t ie th cen tu ry is indebted to the monks and monas te r ies for t he preserva t ion of t he classics, which a r e t a u g h t in our h igh schools and colleges; for t he h is tory of all the count r i es in Europe in the i r beginnings a n d progress covering several hundred years . L i t t l e would the re be lef t of t he l i t e ra tu re of the f irs t cen tur ies if i t were not for the monks ; in fac t , unless t he Almighty had employed o the r m e a n s for t he p rese rva t ion of the Bible, t he world would not have i t today 1. All t he old manusc r ip t copies of t he Bible which a re still ex tan t , were the work of t he monks, and some of t h e m a r e mas te rp ieces of manusc r ip t a r t . The " lazy" monk, w h o m we read of in fiction and in an t i -Catho l ic books, is a n invented cha rac te r . St . Bene-d ic t ' s Rule, which w a s observed by mos t communi t ies , imposes seven hours of labor, two of s tudy, and several hours of p raye r each day, and only six hours of sleep. Most of w h a t we r ead abou t the mora ls in monas te r i e s is also fiction or ca lumny. Says J a m e s Gairdner , t he Engl ish h i s to r ian : "The old scandals , universal ly dis-credi ted a t the t ime and believed in by a l a the r gene ra -tion, a r e now dispelled fo rever . " William Lecky, in his "Eu ropean Morals" (Vol. II, p. 90) says : "As t ime rolled on, cha r i ty a s sumed many forms, and every mon-a s t e r y became a center f r o m which it r ad ia ted . By the monks the nobles were overawed, t he poor protected, the sick tended, t r ave le r s sheltered, pr i soners ransomed, the r emotes spheres of suf fer ing explored." Maitland, in his " T h e Dark Ages" (p. 2 of P r e f a c e ) wr i t es : " T h a t the re ever w a s t r u t h in the coarse and filthy abuse heaped upon the monas t i c order a s a body by some who were fo rward in the bus iness of the Refor -mat ion is w h a t I suppose never w a s believed by a n y one who had a modera te knowledge of f a c t s . " The reader will find similar t e s t imony f r o m other P r o t e s t a n t h i s to r i ans of repute , such a s Cu t t s in h is "Scenes and Charac te r s of t he Middle Ages" ; Kemble, in his "Saxons in Eng land" ; Canon F a r r a r , in his " T h e Victory of Chr i s t i an i ty" ; George Haven P u t n a m , in his "Books and Thei r Makers in the Middle Ages" ; Leibnitz, In his "Sys tema Theologicum". ( 1 8 ) THE PUKÈST WOMEN SLANDEfcËÏ» There a r e in t he Uni ted S t a t e s a t t h i s m o m e n t mora t han 50,000 women who have, of the i r own ' f r ee will, l e f t home and, in m a n y ins tances , for tunes , in order to In -s t r u c t o the r s un to jus t ice ," to nu r se the sick in the hosp i -tal, to care fo r t he o r p h a n s a n d the aged, and the w a y -ward , in special Homes—as a l ife-long work. H u n d r e d s of thousands of such sa in t ly ladles a r e work ing fo r God, for t he souls of o the r s and for the i r own sanct i f icat ion, t h roughou t the world. They a r e o f t en called "Spouses of Chr i s t , " because they have chosen H im a s the i r only lover. Only those P r o t e s t a n t s who have come in close con-t a c t w i t h the Catholic Sis ter seem to unde r s t and he r and her motive. Ask the old soldier who w a s nursed by one of t h e m on the bat t lef ie ld; a s k the m a n who ex-per ienced her unself ish devotion when he w a s ill; a s k a n y of t he t housands of ladies who were t a u g h t by one of t h e m in a Catholic board ing school—and see if the i r e s t ima te of t he n u n is t h a t which o the r s have gleaned f r o m the pages of t he novel, or f r o m teachers who were most hosti le to t h e Catholic Church and who en te r ta in most u n w a r r a n t e d ideas abou t Catholic Sisterhoods. The Convent Inspect ion L a w s which were passed in r e -cen t y e a r s in those s t a t e s where Catholics a r e few, and w h e r e b igot ry is intense, were born of t he sus-picion provoked by an t i -Catho l ic t ra in ing, and no t by a n y a b u s e s even appa ren t . Those laws a r e no longer applied, because every " inspec t ion" only b rough t the Sis ters into more favorable prominence. No girl is ever forced into the Convent aga ins t her will; no girl would be deta ined in the Convent if she w a n t e d to ge t out . Therefore , the re can be no such th ing a s a n "escaped n u n . " On the cont ra ry , a novi-t i a t e of several yea r s précédés the e n t r y of t he young lady into the rel igious life, and she is even urged not t o t ake the s tep unless she is sure she will find he r life s happiness in such a vocat ion. Those who a re in Con-v e n t s a r e t he re solely to live pure and holy lives, and they a r e even under vow to observe chas t i t y in t he s t r i c tes t manner . W h e n Religious Communi t ies were dissolved in F r a n c e and some o the r countr ies , the i r b i t -t e re s t enemies never t h o u g h t of cha rg ing the i r m e m -bers wi th evil lives. The p re sen t -day an t i -Catho l ic lec turer g e t s h is s tory f r o m women who were commi t ted to Reformator i e s in charge of Sis ters of t he Good Shepherd. These gir ls a r e sen t t he re aga in s t the i r will, j u s t a s t he w a y w a r d gir ls in our S t a t e Refo rma to r i e s a r e t he re aga in s t the i r will. I n m a t e s in t he Houses of t he Good Shepherd a re no t even pe rmi t t ed to become nuns . I t is f r o m such Convent inst i tut ions, and not f rom convents , t h a t the re have been "escapes . " MARY AND THE SAINTS St. Luke (Chap te r 1 26, 27) records someth ing wholly unprecedented . H e repor t s t ha t , over 1900 y e a r s ago, a n angel descended f r o m Heaven , delegated by God Himself , to honor a humble, pure virgin of Israel . In God's n a m e the angel gree ted her, declared her to be "highly favored , " told her t h a t t he Lord he r God w a s w i t h her , t h a t of all women she w a s most blessed. How, then, can one a s k why Cathol ics p a y a n y m a r k s of honor to the Blessed Virgin Mary? If t he Archangel Gabriel honored her, if God so honored her, even before she had become the mo the r of H i s Son, then Chr i s t i ans have m a n y addi t ional r easons to honor he r—af te r she became Chr i s t ' s mo the r ; a f t e r she endeared herself to H im a t Bethlehem, in Egyp t , a t Naza re th , and on Cal-va ry ; a f t e r Chr is t Himself honored her and w a s " sub jec t to he r . " One single sentence in the Bible says vas t ly more abou t Mary t h a n a whole book could say abou t a person: "Mary , of whom was born J e s u s " (Mat t . I, 16). Surely no f u r t h e r Bible w a r r a n t w a s needed for t he love and honor which Cathol ics pay to Chr is t ' s mother . If more were needed we could have i t in Mary ' s own prophecy, which St. L u k e says w a s u t t e r ed under t he inspi ra t ion of the Holy Ghost : "All genera t ions shall call me blessed" (Luke I, 48). W h e n Catholics call Mary the Mother of God they know t h a t she w a s no t t he mo the r of His divine na tu r e , bu t w a s the mother of H i m who w a s God. M a t t h e w just i f ies th is designat ion, so does Luke , so does El iza-beth , so does the Council of E p h e s u s in the f o u r t h cen tury . L e t i t be dis t inct ly unders tood t h a t Catholics do not worship Mary, nor p a y he r a n y divine homage. If they did they would be gui l ty of idolatry. W h e n the t e r m "worship of t he Sa in t s , " or "worship of the Virgin M a r y " is used in books, i t is to be unders tood in the sense of "honor ;" "venera t ion . " In old Engl i sh Bibles we read "worsh ip t h y f a t h e r and t h y m o t h e r " ; also, "Thou sha l t then have worship in the presence of t h e m who s i t a t m e a t wi th t h e e . " The Bible obl iga tes us to honor our pa ren t s , to honor the king, to honor all to whom honor is due. _ Love o f t en exaggera tes , bu t Catholic t each ing is clear. Some men say they "wor sh ip" the i r swee thear t s , bu t you know w h a t they mean. E v e r y Catholic ca tech ism dis t inguishes be tween the worship we m u s t p a y to God. and t h e honor which we pay to the Saints . W e honor the memory, and a r e u rged to imi ta t e t h e civic v i r tues , of g r e a t personages long since dead, such a s Wash ing ton , Lincoln, Roose-velt. Men and women band themselves toge ther in societies and organiza t ions under t he pa t ronage of per -sons who a r e not even Chris t ian, such a s Py th ias , Pocahontas , etc. In f ac t , i t is t he cus tom today to select an ima l s a s p a t r o n s of our f r a t e r n a l organiza t ions ; and t h u s we have Elks , Eagles, Moose, and so on. If no ser ious object ion can be b rough t aga ins t these CM) customs, how can people reasonably ob jec t to Catholics honor ing the memory and imi ta t ing the v i r tues of t he Saints—of those, who followed the Mas te r most closely, and who a re now wi th H i m in H i s Kingdom of H e a v e n ? I t is o f ten thought less ly said t h a t w e d e t r a c t f r o m the honor we pay God by paying honor to t he Saints . The con t r a ry is t rue . W e honor the Sa in t s only because of the i r re la t ionship to God. Would we dishonor the P res iden t of t he Uni ted S ta t e s by paying honor to h is mo the r or to his dea res t f r i end? All honor paid to the Sa in t s redounds to God, "who is glorified In the a s -sembly of H i s s a i n t s " ( P s LXXXVI, 8). Cathol ics recognize the t r u t h t h a t t he re is only one Mediator of redemption between God and man, and they never p r a y to a sa in t a s they p r a y to God. They a s k the p r a y e r s of a sa in t j u s t a s they would a s k your p rayers . Surely you m a y p r a y for me and I m a y p ray fo r you, w i thou t in te r fe r ing wi th Chr i s t ' s media torship . Chris t is t he only media tor by redempt ion ; we a r e med ia to r s by intercession; and so a r e the sa ints , a s we a r e t a u g h t In the doctr ine of t he "Communion of Sa in t s , " conta ined in the Apostles ' Creed. ' Did not Chr is t declare "whe re two or t h r e e a r e g a t h -ered toge ther in my name, tlTere a m I in the mids t of t h e m " (Mat t XVIII, 29)? W h o m more Influential could we ga the r toge ther wi th u s in p r aye r t h a n those Saints , say, who shed the i r blood for Chr i s t? Visi t the c a t a -combs, near Rome, those underg round churches which the Chr is t ians of the first cen tur ies built , and you will see m a n y evidences t h a t t he first Chr i s t i ans honored and prayed to the Saints . CATHOLICS ARE NOT SUPERSTITIOUS The accusat ion of supers t i t ion does no t come wi th good grace f r o m non-Cathol ic Amer icans , who car ry c h a r m s for good luck, f ea r to t r ave l on Fr iday , or to si t wi th twelve o the r s a t table, who consul t for tune- te l le rs , mediums, etc. Some Catholics a r e given to supers t i t ion, b u t a s a whole they a re more f r ee f r o m It t h a n o the r people, be-cause they were all t a u g h t in the i r ca tech i sm t h a t supers t i t ious prac t ices violate t he first C o m m a n d m e n t of God. While some th ings p rac t i ced by Catholics a r e r e -garded a s supers t i t ious , they a r e not so a t all when properly unders tood. F o r ins tance , Cathol ics would no more th ink of p ray ing to a s t a tue , before which they might kneel, t h a n you would th ink of p ray ing to your bed before which you kneel. The placing of s t a t u e s In our churches h a s the s ame mean ing In religion t h a t the placing of s t a t u a r y in the Hal l of F a m e in the na t ion ' s Capitol h a s In civic life. In the fo rmer case the images p o r t r a y those who served the i r God well; in t he l a t t e r case those who served the i r coun t ry well. If the church is God's house, i t is fitting to have p ic tures of H i s f r i ends there in , j u s t a s i t Is fitting for you to have the ( 1 8 ) pic tures of your friends in your house. You do not wor-ship t h e s t a t u a r y or p ic tu res in your house ; ne i the r do Catholics worship the s t a t u a r y or p ic tu res in t he house of God. Cathol ics honor the crucifix fo r w h a t i t symbolizes; j u s t a s we all honor our flag f o r w h a t i t symbolizes. When Catholics wea r medals in honor of J e s u s or H i s blessed mother , the i r purpose is no t d i f fe rent f r o m your prac t ice in wear ing a lodge but ton . In both ins tances it discloses membersh ip in a conf ra t e rn i ty . One would t h i n k f r o m w h a t he r e a d s in an t i -Ca tho l ic l i t e ra ture , t h a t every Catholic possessed rel ics of t he Sa in t s and worshipped them. As a m a t t e r of f a c t very , c few individuals, very f ew churches possess re l ics of I Sa in t s fo r t he venera t ion of t he people; a n d In no case may a relic be worshipped. Fabu lous pr ices a r e paid for relics of Shakespeare , or Wash ing ton , and others , and they a re t r e a s u r e d because of t he i r p a s t associa-tion. So the Church t r ea su re s relics of her m a r t y r s and > of her g r e a t heroes of sanct i ty , b u t she would hold It to be a gr ievous sin to worship them— and surely Cathol ics have sufficient common sense no t to worsh ip them. v Because the Catholic Cljjirch is so misunders tood in th i s ma t t e r , P r o t e s t a n t miss ionar ies o f t en mis represen t in the i r correspondence (probably wi thou t in tending to deceive) t he p rac t i ces of people of Mexico, South Amer ica and o ther places. FAKE OATHS AND BOGUS DOCUMENTS I.—The "Dark Cloud" Fake E v e r since t h e t ime of P a s t o r Chinquy, who w a s ousted f r o m the Catholic Church abou t seventy yea r s ago, t he words ascr ibed to Lincoln have been exploited by our enemies wi thou t any a t t e m p t a t proof. W h a t will surpr i se t he r eade r is t h a t even Tom Watson declared the quota t ion to be a forgery . In the Columbia Sentinel of Thompson, Ga., we r ead the following: Nelson's Perpe tua l Loose-Leaf Encyclopedia New York City, Nov. 30, 1920 Hon. Thom. E . Watson . Dear Sir : A quest ion h a s a r i sen over a quota t ion upon which I th ink you will be able to se t u s r ight . The quest ion is—did A b r a h a m Lincoln say : " I do no t in-tend to be a prophet , but , though not a prophet , I see a very da rk cloud on our horizon, and t h a t cloud is coming f r o m R o m e ? " Did P res iden t Lincoln m a k e or wr i t e t he above r e -m a r k ? If so, in which of h is wr i t ings and w h a t edition I of t he same will I be sure to find i t? r Thank ing you fo r w h a t e v e r in fo rmat ion you can give me in th i s m a t t e r , I am, yours very t ru ly , WM. A M E T E R S . m - Trr„ , * Thompson, Ga., Dec. 11, 1920. Mr. Wm. A Myers, 381 F o u r t h Ave., New York City. Dear Sir: Tiours of November 30th received, a n d would have been answered sooner had I no t been a b s e n t in r londa . A iF0^ t h e T . l a , s t t h i r t y y e a r s t he alleged quota t ion f r o m Abraham Lincoln h a s been in circulat ion. He is said to have made the prophet ic r e m a r k dur ing his second t e rm, a f t e r t he prof i teer ing corpora t ions of tne civi l W a r had accumula t ed such v a s t fo r tunes , and were exer t ing the i r power over Congress. Those who claimed au then t i c i t y fo r t he s t a t e m e n t of Mr. Lincoln a s se r t ed t h a t i t appeared in a l e t t e r which he wro te to a personal f r i end in the Wes t . T .1 a o " o t r emember the alleged n a m e of th is f r iend, bu t l do dis t inct ly r e m e m b e r t h a t no such le t t e r w a s ever published. h a