, 1874-06-21

PERSONS "ere executed in asipr1a
and the cruelties Of the i.quisito,s '.* Co..
uu'eo rebellion In Switzerland M, l1@s i; p
the same scenes were eaactad ~" Sse9
ta1oe months. Forty-eight were bnra.s *saop
stance and eighty in the little torn s ~. g
Seventy persons were condemned II, s.'; ':ss
lo'o' and a large proportion Of tb.~ ''oea
Inc Roman Catholic Church sr,;1, 'a'rss
nerve to stimulate these executions, I'D ,.' s'
the doctrine that to spare witch x,. 49, ass::
to the Almighty. In 14s4 Pope 1,n,. ntaa
Issued a bull which increased h, as a. N
'. nen' and commissioned the 1nquieitor sp.s,* ,s
who condemned hundreds to death s,. sas'z
o'mllar bulls were issued by Juliu. n - - "a ~
and and by Adrian VI in 1928. All ths mn. - ~ ~
written in favor Of the executions w.. 3Ra
oy e'e'esia'tics' and the Church tubn,,,, .o'''s
demned thousands to death, 'o2"
The Roman Catholic Churcb, bo,...
monopolize this dreadful brs,e:. 80, :. oo nts
'0tnela sha[eo the same sentiasat. .pd 11..*s H.
exclaimed: II would have no cooos,s; Aa'aeF
these witches; would bum th.n .,s upon
the Reformation established itself !. VI 'h'a
it Was the signal for fresh outb.e:l o,rs .
cutions. 1t then spread intoScotland -,
Reformed clergy had great power ,nd ~. Ut
pie "er' notoF1oualy superstitious, n.t;,. ~ ~
persecutlons proportion atelymo.s s.-ocio.. ~
ab!est defender OF the belief was Gl,nv;r
gyman Of the English Establishment ~, {
the most influential was B,,t.,
greatest OF the Putitans, Who could .d,;.. ~ /
burning OF women and write the s.;nt4 D.. +
Without any compunctions Of cons,;kno, -, /
John Wesley, the great religious le.dsr y, y. +
eighteenth century, was one Of It's mos; ,,,., !:
supporters The Puritans brought the b,s., i !;
with them to this country, and Cotton y,,,, I /:
has como down to "a IS the crest Am.6.,, /:
@ltch-burner. Between 1913 and 1c55 e;eh,,. E
sons were executed at Salem Tbs sxcisenx,, 5
rapidly increased. and in one year tpert, ,,, {:
executed, among them clergyman and e.7,,,1 !:
u the most reputable citizens Of Nassa3suss., !:
There we're also 15o in prison and 200 .o,o,+1 /;
Fhen King William vetoed the witchc,sft u &
nd put an end to the hideous work. in viii, r
he Rev. Cotton Mather, the Rev. Mr. Mover. ot /
allen, aud Increase Mather, President of n, E
ard College, wers the most active lesdefa i:
The general civilizing and intellectual terd., ::
les OF this century have baniahed this ho,ubl, I
nperatltion from general belief And re. III
true only Of the educated, or Of those sho ~, !
ot sunk IN gross ignorance. There IL m dou4 {
lat the ignorant ana superstitious peopTs Of [
10 concoEdia district in Mexico were honeat N +
le belief that their victims had practixd witch.
aft. There is probably not school-aistdnt. !. /
le Southern States to-day, among the groesh
norant negroes, that does not nans its O..
lror. OF whom the other blacks stand in an.
I'D the fearful Vaudoo orgies are freouene,
Factlced in Louisiana There is no doubt th,t
10 belief still exists among the ignorant orer7. f
here. Time has not Influenced it ut ali, Itis
superstition which can only be removed by ths
tog1ess Of civilization and the increase Of
aowlcdge, and, we're another Dark Age to spread
> pail over the world, there can bs no doubt
at this belief would crop out sgain and tAt
ese prosecutions would rage with Ill thai
igiud terocity.