Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-13
YoR the AMERICAN ORGAN.
The History Of the society Of Jesuits.


in early life, soldier and warrior, and was in
fected with all the vices 30 common In the camps
of that period, (about l6o0) At the siege of Pam
peluna, In the war between Charles v and Francis
!, he received severe wound in the leg, and, du-
ring the lingering sickness which ensued he en-
ployed himself In reading books Of romance, chiv-
airy, and the lives of saints During this time, he
conceived the idea Of combining the two ideas,
chiyalry and devotion to the Virgin" and immedi-
ately upon his recovery he journeyed to Italy, to
Jerusalem, and there, on the spot where Christ
was cruciied, claimed to have received from the
Saviour himself revelation that he oyola) should
found new order, to be called the " Society Of
Jesus" Returning home, he united with Lainez,
Xavier salmeron, Bobadilla, Rodriguez, and lie
Fevre, all of whom, having made solemn vow at
the altar of St. Denys, Paris, Loyola addressed the
following letter TO the Pope
" Your ancient props no longer suffice. offer
you new support. You must have fresh army,
which shall cover you with arms of heaven and
earth. Light makes War upon you. We will carry
intelligence to some, darken knowledge in Others,
and direct 1t in all"-(Il Illustrations Of Popery,
p. S50)
In 1910, Paul III sanctioned the order, issued
them charter, and constituted Loyola the first
general fthe order, with almost absolute power.
Their object as stated in the foregoing letter. and
the solemn oath assumed by each and every mem
Der, was to spread the influence of the Church,
and to subdue the entire world into obedience to
the Pope. In l64l Francis Xavier, who appears
to have been man " Of fervent piety," and who
was known as the Apostle Of india" CON-
menced missionary operations in India, China,
and Japan; but he died before reaching China.
Matthew Ricci succeeded him, and established
the order in Pekin With the assistance of the
societies, De Propaganda Eide, established by
Gregory XIV, in 1922, the College De Propaganda
Fide established in 1927, and the kindred institu-
ton, the Congregation of Priests Of Foreign
Missions" established in 1868, in France, the Jes-
uits were enabled to send missionaries throughout
the known world. The order soon became pow
erful in numbers, and gained an influence in every
government, amounting in many instances to abso-
lutte control
They sought then, as now, to undermine every
Protestant government, by insidious and crafty,
yet steady and persevering efforts, nor were they
scrupulous to the means to be employed to effect
their purposes. Wherever they failed to succeed
in migrating their peculiar ideas and forms upon
individuals or governments by direct efforts, they
accommodated themselves and their religion to
the taste, whims and dogmas Of the people they
desired to reduce or bring under their control.
Ricci found in China, the BONES, the priests Of
the nation, fundamentally adopted their habits and
dress. This expedient failed, for the BONES were
by no means popular among the Chinese; there he
and others conformed to the disgusting habits of
the Fakeer and Yogee, the hermits and pentents
of the Mahommedan and Hindoo superstition.
Swartz met Jesuit missionary arrayed in thestyle
Of the pagan priests, with drum beating before
him. In South America, one of the Jesuits, find
ing the Payernes, MS the sorcerers we're called
accustomed to dance and sing in giving their reli-
gous instructions, he Immediately CONFIRMED to
their custom.
Indeed, determined to proselyte, and SO regard
less Of the means employed, that they allowed
worship to be paid to Confucus, the Athestical
philosopher of the Chinese, by their converts, pro-
vided they would conceal upon the altar crucifx.
Such was their origin and conduct, and they con-
tinued in the uninterrupted enjoyment of their
chartered privileges through long series Of years,
until they became so powerful that even the church
began to apprehend danger from them. To such
unlimited extent and in such reckless man
ner had they prosecuted their system Of proselyt-
ism, by amalgamating heathenism with Christani-
ty, that Pope Clement, though friendly to the or
der, arrested them, and issued an edict forbiddng
such converts from any longer practising the idol
atrous rites Of the nation in connection with their
professed Christian worship; but this same sover-
eign, dreading the consequences of exasperating
so powerful an order, which had become offended,
very soon issued another edct virtually annuing
the former.
About this time bitter feuds arose between the
Jesuts and the more evangelical portion Of the
church. The works, Augustinus, by Jansenius
" The Provincial Letters" by the learned and de-
vout Pascal and Father Quesnels Moral Refec-
tons on the New Testament all in opposition to
the Jesuits, and in defence Of the Evangelical por-
ton Of the Romish Church, were issued, and,
through the influence Of this order, the Pope or
dered them to be suppressed.
The Provincial letters denounced Jesuitism. as
utterly subversive Of all true principles, alike of
morality, religion, and civil government" In this
contest the Jesuits trumphed, but their opponents
the suppression Of the order
Clement XI, in his famous bull, condemning
Father QuesnePs moral reflections on the New Tesla
ment, pronounced the following proposition con-
tanned therein as heretica: "1tat faith Is the foun-
dation Of the grdces oft Christian, aud that the
sacred Scriptures ought to be read BY ALL"
Even at this early date the Jesuits had become
notorious for attempting the lives of kings prnces
and sovereigns. Henry III and William, Prince of
Orange, had been assassinated through their inau-
ence. Various unsuccessful plots had been insti-
gated against the life of Queen Elizabeth. During
the reign Of James ], in 1908, the famous gun
powder plot was contrived, by which they expected
to blow up the king, the royal family and house Of
parliament.
Even the prosecuting Louis XIV, of France,
stood in dread of the dirk or poinard Of the Je-
suts