The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-29 00:00:00

PERSECUTION OF PROTESTANIAS

The trial of three Protestants, MM. Mass!'
Rambaud, and Ledoux '
, of Tonzac (Charente-1m
rieuro), for having been present at a meeting con'
sisting of more than twenty persons, held without
authorisation of government, was published some
weeks ago in the Messenger. M. Massy was more'
over charged with having publicly insulted a cure,
and with having turned the Runan Catholic reli-
gion into contempt. The Siecle now offers a de.
tailed account of the proceedings which led to the
above trial, and which places the matter in an en-
tirely new light. According to that joutnal
"M. Massy had been invited by M. Rambaud, a far'
mer, to visit him and to read the scriptures to his family
On the day appointed, M. Massy, not having a horse
at hand, gave up the projected visit. But he subse.
quently met M. Ledoux, a tradesman, who offered t°
drive him to the house of Rambaud. On arriving there'
they found that the family, after having waited for solve
time, had dispersed in the field, and were engaged i‘pri
(1"
their usual occupations. But the youngest sou ran
to fetch his parents, and fn the meanwhile a considerable
crowd of persons, numbering more than a hundred,
flocked into the house and courtyard in order to lieteu
to the words of M. Massy. The latter, surprised
the number around him, demanded the Cause And
was then informed that the cure of the pariah- har.
on the preceding Sunday announced from the 131/1
pit that a leopard, devouring all that it encounterett
was prowling about the country ; that the ferocious
beast would probably appear in his parish, but that he
should decidedly go to to meet on its arrival ; then, drop'
ping the metaphor, the cure added that the leopard Ras
a landowner of the name of Massy. The crowd had
oonsequently assembled in order to witness the ono°.
ter between the cure and the leopard. M. Migs37 coe'
tented himself with reading, without comment, 'the 2,,n
chapter of St. Mathew, in order as he said, to prove ,"'"
the audience that religion is hOly in spite of the WI
committed by those who teach it. A person preseua
asked M. Massy if he believed in the Virgin; UP°.
which he replied:—'The miraculous cmception of ow.
Lord Jesus Christ is a mystery I worship ; no woutea
has so many claims on our veneration as the Vire_
Mary, because she was chosen by God to conceive the
Saviour of the World.' But,' said another party. we
are told that the Protestants believe that the Virg:„
had other children, and that she did not always rem:
young 1' M. Massy, in reply, read the chapter of oys,
Mark, where it is recorded that Jesus bad f°ll
brothers, named James, Joseph, Judas, and.Sitel'
and several sisters, and he reminded his bearers t"
at the time of the crucifixion, the Saviour was tbirtr
three years of age. In returning home M. gat
met the curs, who thus addressed him, I have
already said, and I repeat to you, what Sr. PelYcar„,
h
said to Maricon : You are a demon vomited from De
for the misfortune of the country.' A lively dispute fol-
lowed, but the provocation was not on the side of
Massy. We have not the honour of belonging to tee
,b u.
Reformed Church, but the religion to which we d" b e
long orders us to protect the weak from the strongs `l,
oppressed from the oppressors ; it teaches ua ;to I°o
upon every man as a brother, without inquiring into
religious belief, and to respect liberty of conscience au
t
t
of worship. For these reasons do we struggle ag°l:o3,
all aggressive tendencies, from any quarter teat .
may proceed. We are the antagonists of every int°ier
ant clergy." •