The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-09-24
An Intellectual Flea.

|
Soathwessern Presbyterian, which 10 fairly
entitled to leather medal for such mental
activity a. would be implied In the object
described by our caption. We have all
heard of the Irishmsn's flea, which wasn't
there when he put his finger on him. We
have lately been engaged in the amusing
sport of chasing the said Presbyterian from
pillar to post satisfied every time we
brought our hand down that we had him, but
| finding always that, like the flea, he was
somewhere else.
We commenced by lect1ring our neigh
Dor on some improper ideas it had ad-
vanced upon the subject of deacons and
| trustees wherein it proposed to make those
pious bodies of our fellow citizens work
very hard for glory while all the profit
should go to the preachers. Instead OF
taking our advice in good part and either
backing down or attempting to give rea-
son for it's apparent injustice, it deliberate
ly crooks the pregnant hinges of its knees,
gives leap for life and dips through our
fingers leaving no trophy in our grasp but
the abandoned ground where it had stood
and we had thought to catch it, But is
Mr.. Flea intimidated BY his narrow escapef
Not at all. No sooner does he alight than
he bites. Like the Italian bandit he has
no country to defend, but will attack You
Of random anywhere.
The Presbyterian, instead Of answering
us retorted that the nuns are woe-begone
specimen of womanhood, that the priests
teach it is lawful to steal and that the Ca
tholic Church is equally distinguished for
getting property and keeping it.
Here was a direct change of issue, which
we remarked upon at the time, but were
good-natured enough to let it pass, and
took up the new issue. We replied that
the Church had been a very poor hand at
keeping property, chiefly because Calvin
lists, and others through the influence of
their doctrines, had plundered it of immense
portions of its possessions, some of which
had been reclaimed from the condition of
morass and bog by the toll and sweat of in
dustrious monks. We thus made the di-
rect charge of theft and robbery against
Calvin and his followers.
Without pretending for q moment to
meet this attack, by the time our finger
of acknowledging distinctly that Calvin
and the other Reformers were unscrupu-
lous robbers in their hearts, the Presbyte
rian eludes our grasp, lodges the point,
alights with another spring upon the "fens
and morasses." 1t denies point blank that
the monks ever reclaimed any such things,
and asks for names and dates.
Here was change of issue. No. 2. 1t took
us some time to believe that our active an
tagonist was really standing on such slip
perry places-that it made the demand in
earnest, but, upon having it reiterated, we
accepted the new issue, which was the
third one, and gave list of lands sufficient
to form nation if oil together. We had
been challenged so fairly and squarely to a
citation of any such places whatever, that
we thought ourselves entitled to some
recognition of victory on that point at
least-in other words that we had our fin
ger on the flea this time. But no! Not a
bit of it!
The only sign that we get of our lists
having been read at all, is sighting allu-
sion to it as ga spread-eagle quotation"
1t is indeed quoted from an author-Chat-
eaubriand whose style, as general
thing, rises to the grand and poetical, but
whose style has no place on which to inn
press itself in mere detailed list of names
places about as dry of sentiment as an in
dex.
But, with this saucy kick as he jumps,
our Intellectual Flea does not hesitate to
abandon his chosen ground and alight
somewhere else. He alights by accident,
just wherever lie happens to come down,
but wherever that may be he is sure to bite.
This time it is on the Papal States, which
our neighbor says were certainly not ac-
quired by farming, but by forgery, false
hood and fraud" There is issue No. 4. 1t
has nothing whatever to do with the ques-
ton of the retaining of wild lands, or the
overwhelming of deacons, or even the rob-
berry of Church property, for, as every
child knows, the Papal States are not the
property of the Church. The expression