The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-10-13
For the Central Presbyterian.
Rome and Finance.
PETERSBURG, VA, Oct. 7, Is

PETERSBURG, VA, Oct 7, 1880.
Messrs. EditorS,-On returning from
the Pan-Presbyterian Council in Phila-
delphia and finding with what bitterness
DR.. O'Connell has been denouncing me
in the Catholic V5sitor, my first impulse
would naturally be to vindicate myself
from the grosser Misrepresentation at
least which his three articles contain, lest
my silence should by any be construed
as a confession Of guilt. But am under
a previous promise that my first letter
shall contain correction made at the re-
quest of Rev. T. J. Wilson, Roman Cath
Ollie priest of this city, who feels that he
has been aggrieved by an allusion of
mine in previous letter. and as the
correction which he suggests brings up a
very important question of finance in the
Roman Catholic Church, l think it best
to devote this letter exclusively to that
subject and leave the vindication of my
personal character for subsequent let
ter, as am happy to know that my rep
utation is not in the hands of the editor
of the V1sitor, and the delay Of week
may lead him, in sober moment, to re-
pent him of these wanton aspersions up
on the character of one who has never
spoken of him except in terms of re-
spect.
The allusion of mine to which excep-
ton has been taken appears in my letter
of August 10th entitled Rome ant Pur-
gatory, in which, speaking of Masses and
their supposed efficacy in the release of
souls from purgatory, 1 say (which (mass-
esq must be paid for, Father Wilson to the
contrary Notwithstanding.
Now, it might seem little singular
that should thus draw into this contro-
versy the name of man who had thus
far stood aloof from all public connection
with it, But the explanation will be
readily found when state that this gen
tleman had been pleased to insert, some
months ago, in the linden and appeal, of
this city, Ca secular journal, and one of
wide circulation card over his own
signature, accusing a number of Protest
ant ministers, abstracts of whose sermons
had been reported by that journal, of
bearing false witness against the Roman
Catholic Church" One of the grounds
of this very unneighborly charge was that
we represented the priests of his Church
as receiving pay for the celebration of the
Mass and for our discontinue he used
these words (see linden and Appeal, Jan.
80, 1879 %: No priest can receive pay
for any sacrament, or for offering the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This would
be a monstrous sin, specifically called ST.
mony, after its first victim Simon Magus.
This was all he said on the point There
was not word to tone down in any way
the force of that solemn declaration, "No
priest can receive pay for any sacrament,
&c. | was amazed when I read it; and
when I mentioned it to an intelligent
Protestant of this city, who was formerly
a Romanist, his only reply was, "Great
Heavens wish had back all the
money have paid out of my own peck
ct for the celebration of the Mass" Now
you can readily see how it was that when
| read in Father Muller's" books of
Masses being paid for, this public and
solemn assertion of Father Wilson came
into mind, and said Father Wilson to
the contrary notwithstanding"
Well, what is the correction that nv
neighbor asks me to make through the
Central Presbyterian? 1t is found in
these words of his private letter to me
which quote, that he may be fairly un-
derstood-" Now / wish to tell you that
/ am entitled to, and do receive one dol
lar, not for the mass, for that would be
simony-but for the necessary prerequi-
sites for its due and becoming celebra-
ton. Should it be High Mass five dol
lars are paid for the aforesaid prere-
quisites, which are correspondingfy in
creased" So the good Father gets the
money after all and I submit to him, if
he ought not, in making that solemn tes-
timony Of his to convince us Of false wit
ness, to have said something about those
prerequisites and the pay he got for them.
Surely his language implied that he did