The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-05-10
Tho Protestant Muse of History.
From the Catholic World. |

| One of the good results likely to flow
from the commotion made by two or three
of the religious" papers over the new
edition of Appletons' Encyclopedias isthat
of rousing the suspicion among intelligent
non Catholics that the Protestant muse OF
history is not the impeccahle goddess they
have given her credit for being. The
Christian Intelligencer prints this week the
following letter:
NEW YORK, April 4th, 1874.
Editor OF the Christian Integoncer:
Sir-I have before me the Christian Intelligca.
Ger Of Apt. I'd; containing paper on the
alteis st Thai in ApPetons
written by me, who am Protestant, and a
graduate of the Union Theological Seminary in
New York. The article was written after a
careful examination of the historical evden ce,
and believe it embodes all the essential facts
in the case. At all events. it was in no way
suggested by, or modified by, any other person.
Until 1T was printed, as it now appears, no
other person saw it except my co-assocate
editors and Mr.. George Ripley and Mr.. Charles
A. Dana, the editors in chief of the Cyclic
pedia, no one of whom is Roman Catholic !;
eye of Authority / adopted brief snmma
ton from Lingard, because l believed it to
emb"dy the truth. and to be substantated by
documentary evidence of unquestionable au-
ALFRED II. GUERNSEY,
Associate Editor of the American Cyclop;edia.
Upon this letter the 7ntelhgenccr Icmark ks
that the question Of who wrote the article
is a matter Of =, Ght imp0I tance." The
great fault III 1t is that it is g in the in
teIcst of the Romauists; y that it - need
lcssly and to Protcstants ofl,nsvcly
irtcrjeCtcd n quotation from a Catholic
historian, and that il WAS manipulated in
the points which were "jncnipat"ry Of
Catholics and their sanguinary faith. Mr..
Guernsey = statcma Mt that he had carefully
examined the historical evidence, and had
found DR.. Lingard's statements suhstan-
tiated by authentic documents goes for
nothing. Mr.. Froude is a historian more
to tie taste of our intelligent neighbor and
documentary evidence of the period of the
massacre would not weigh heavily in its
opinion against the heated declarations of
anti Popery riot makers of to day. Moth
ing in the way of history from the Christian
Intehigemccr, however, ought to surprise
one. 1t had recently the effrontery to
reprint as true that absurd story of Pre-
bcndary Brooks, and the deceased Pro.
tcstant clergy who was q Catholic in
disguise, which has been distinctly de-
nounced as false by the Anglican Bishops
who were said in the story to have the
proofs in their hands. We recommend our
ncigLbor to ponder n little on the story
told of n Georgia negro, who recently bet
ten dollars that George Washington com
mandcd the Union troops at Bull Run.
Being reluctantly convinced of his error, he
paid his was with the sad reflection that
" dis yer llst'ry bizness is all mixed up
any way" We would not advise it to risk
its life or it's future happiness on the infal-
libility of Protestant historians. We would
not even counsel it to encourage its readers
to rely too implicitly on the reports it re
ceives and prints concerning the work of
the missionaries of the "Reformed Church"
in Japan and elsewhere. Truth is not a
thing concerning which one can pay ones
morey and take ones choice with impunity.