The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-11-01
THE HOUSE OF REFUGE.
The Fight for the Religious Lib
erty Of the Inmates.
The Managers and Officers Find Themselves In
nocent Of the Charges Against Them Sharp
Criticism Of the Managers Report
by the Chaplain Of the Island.

by the Chaplain Of the Island.
letter received from the Jesuit Father Renaud
directs attention to report made by the mana
gers OF the House OF Refuge on the cruelties which
have been perpetrated therein and on the re-
ligious condition OF the inmates. AS win be seen
from the appended letter, the chaplain confines
himself exclusively to the religious question. he
having had nothing to do with the charges OF
cruelty made against the officials.
The following Is the communication of Father
Renaud:-
NEW YORK, Oct. Is, 1871.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
There Is now in circulation q pamphlet entitled
"Report of Special Committee TO the Managers Of
held last July about the state Of things in said
Refuge. The honorable Commissioners Of State
Charities Nathan Bishop ana sohh
to do with this report. The responsibility OF 10 hes
entirely on the managers OF the Refuge, who wrote
It, and on the whole Board or the same, VINO
unanimously approved and adopted 1t september
20, 1872. For these gentlemen, selfconsttQted
MAKE the best they can or the charges brought
against them, and indeed they spare no exertions
that ali viii take tie same view Of their case as
they do themselves, especially when the means
they employ to attain their aim M, viii have been e1
Leaving aside the charges against the institution,
which are out OF my sphere and with which have
to do, confne myself to the sixth charge-on the
religion OF the Refuge. II occupies the greatest
happy mixture Of untruths with some fragments
OF truth. do not intend at present TO relut0
oil the weak arguments ana h mtse ASSET
surely feel derelict to conscientious duties did
allow its gross misrepresentation to pass uncon-
tradicted. Having last July claimed the constttu-
for S ali the the Catholic Inmates Of the Refuge my
silence in face Of said report would place the whole
Catholic body In very false and undeserved light
before the public No matter how reluctantly. l
again ain STg % inns 70
maud will go security that If our house the Reiugel
is surrendered to the control OF himself and hrs
associates we may have nearly thousandn in
mates. When and where did l ever ask the Ref
to that OF my associates9" Is 1t really honest to
say SOP When Dr. Pierce, the ex-chaplaln, con-
duCtea me tSer house 60
hims How, them can they 80 misc0nstrue my sim.
pie request to have Catholic service mass ana
sacraments) for the Catholic inmates or the Ref
uge? Were this allowed, as 1t ought to be IN sheer
justice, l said that the number Of inmates would
increase-not that have any control OF the COM
mitments to this JAIL should think-but obviously
because by ceasng to violate liberty Of conscience
ob obj Of all LIBERAL men e Commit Catholic
children to an institution where these children are
violently debarred from the free exercise OF their
Second-The same erroneous report, page 10,
gives part OF my testimony, THAT II any Of our
from any other motive than curiosity enter our
chapel for religious service, they would be COM
c The U same S dicaous assertion IS repeated
with emphasis, page 2s. must say that did not
expect that the gentlemen managers OF the
Refuge after inviting me to attend their invesh-
CATION, would descend so low as to dstort my
words in such shocking manner. In plain
gentlemen, II never did say So" No Catholic
could say SO and remain such Any Catholic
hatt fnrh he q q
hearty sorrow for his sins any OF them can be ior-
given in the sacrament OF penance. Here cannos
erty 81 the managers Of the Refuge. trust that
see these minutes with persons other than those
who impute to me the above assertion.
Thtrd-Anotner slanderous misrepresentaation 10
t the report lis Understood to have expressed
with qualification the belief that salvation was un-
little lower follows an attempt to. set me at va
Rance on this point with the belief Of "many wise
nS Sso dsaPse % w ms
question and on this particular one" Why not
have the fairness OF quoting my Whole arguments
have no doubt that their religion Is the true one
and who keep Gods commandments, viii be saved.
on Catholic doctrines without intermingling them
with something false l state that Catn0nca
are b sa ogv roe Se and nat for them is
attainabe through her alone. This said in my
testimony, to show how wrong IT was, IN this land
Of civil and religious liberty, for the managers 10
say by their acts to the hundreds OF Catholic in
mates Of the Refuge, You shall not practise your
religion here you shall have no priest to attend
to your souls you shall have no mass and no sacra.
ments, but every Sabbath we win take you to what
we cali a creedless chapel, and there our unsecta-
rian Methodist chaplain VIII read for you the un-
sectarian Bible OF James H., &c &c, SO as 70 tram
you to ignore or forget the little you KNOW OF
the religion of your parents. Nom Catholics,
we teach, will be saved, II being baptized they
be convinced that their creed is true and keep
Gods commandments, including the eighth
ssThou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neghbor." II they become aware that their system
1t with obstinacy unto death, then they shall be-
punished forever, together with bad Catholics
and excellent persons who are Roman Catholics
and disagree" from this doctrine, l submit that
they are not stanch Catholics, and humbly think
that am more competent Judge of such matters
than the very unsectarian signers OF the report
am reviewing.
rally make 1t point to ignore how many Catholics
they have in their institution, tell the public, on
o nat this dc
not believe, and challenge the proof In the h0sp-
tal-the only place where the priest - occasionally
alowed-I often found none but Catholics, and
the Protestants, when found, were always the
small exception. Whenever questioned the little
prisoners as to the proportion OF Catholics and
Protestants their answers were invariably "a
great many Catholics" or "nearly ALL" or alm0se
ALL" do likewise deny the assertion OF the report
that the Catholic inmates OF the Refuge do not de-
sire to see the priest. l know better; they are
most anxious to see him, and they hate to 60 to
the Protestant chapel OF the Refuge.
Many other points in the report could be denied
but cannot waste any more time on It. What !
said Of it is enough to show what the whole Of is
WORTH and how miserable the cause that must be
upheld by such despicable means. 1t Is also relief
to know that when the honorable Commissioners Oh
Unsectarianism only the testimnny given during
the investigation will he taken into consideration
and the aforesaid report be nowhere.
Thanking you Mr.. Editor, for affording me means
to reach the ears OF thousands, remain yours
truly, lGNATlUS RENAUD, >. j.,
Catholic Chaplain OF Randall's Island.
SHOCKING SUICIDE.
An AGED German Blows the Ton Of