The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-08-28
The Massacre in China.

CQ1S mOVes
The Massacre in China.
In another column our readers will find
some details of the brutal massacre OF
Christians that took place in Tientsln,
China, on the 2lst of last June. The French
Consul, the secretary of the French lega-
ton at Pekin, a Catholic priest, and ten or
eleven Sisters of Charity were among the
number murdered. In this horrible affair
two things principally strike us at first
glance. The same abominable system of
exciting fanatical hatred against Catholics,
by circulating lies, was used among these
heather that has always been used in Pro-
testant- countries. And, secondly, the
hatred appears to have been aroused against
Catholics only, Professionals escaping with
out bodily harm. -
In all ages and in every latitude the in
variable weapon that has been used against
the Catholic Church is lying and misrepre-
sentation in every shape, even the most
fantastic. Of course the devil is the author
of all. such false reports, and he cares not
how absurd they may be SO that his work
of deception is accomplished for the time.
Thus in the earliest ages of the Church it
was steadfastly main tained by the Roman
populace that Christians made festival
upon the blood and flesh of infants. The
Chinese have been instigated to believe
the Catholics guilty of kidnapping, of kill
ing children, and scooping ont their eyes,
to be used as medicine. Of course nom
Catholics in this country do not need to be
told that all such stories are without a
shadow of truth or probability, yet they
eagerly swallow others, not SO monstrous
and inhuman, but equally false, without
making the least effort to find out the
| truth about them.
They believe and circulate report that
we hold the Pope incapable of committing
sin, that we worship saints and even pic
lures, that we believe permission or in
diligence to commit sin may be obtained
from the Church, that Jesuits teach the
doctrine that the end justifies the means,
that the same order controls the Pope, and
seek political power with artifice and cum
ming. These are all lies of the most pre-
posterous kind, yet how industriously are
they circulated and how widely believed !!
The most fragrant and unreasonable reports
about monks and monasteries, nuns and
converts, are set afoat and accepted by
many enlightened people without either
inquiring into the facts or even rejecting
how inconsistent they are with other facts
which they positively know to the credit
of the same persons.
Ought not Protestants to become doubt
full of the justice of their own prejudices
when they see and recognize the grosser
ones of tho heather and their bloody
fruitf The same devil that invents them
in the one case is their father in the other.
He simply changes them or modifes their
absurdity to suit the intelligence to which
they are directed. He has not and cannot
have any genuine argument against the
truth, and therefore he must resort to false
hood. Candid persons, willing to know the
truth, ought to be impressed with the
moral taught by this massacre of Catholics
in China, that the devil is busily employed
in waging war against them by misrepre-
sentation and lies.
Another reflection that ought to impress
them is the second one above indicated.
Why are these Vaccinations of the evil
spirit employed against Catholics only 7
Why are they only so actively belied and
so inhumanly prosecuted and murdered
1t is against the children Of God, against
those who faithfully do his work that the
spirit of darkness RACES. 1t is only the
Catholic Church that furnishes martyrs TO
the Christian faith, though sectarians may
sometimes fall victims to national prejudice
or other worldly cause. And it is the Ca
tholic Church only that is made fruitful by
the blood of the martyrs.
England is in advance of us. She has es-