National Republican., 1882-12-28
THE INQUISITION,
A Lecture by MIR. Thomas II. sherman Mt
Loyola College.
Baltimore Sun Of Wednesday.

Baltimore San Of Wednesday,
Mr.. Thomas +. Sherman, son of Gen. Will
lam T. Sherman, lectured last night at Loyola
college before an intelligent audience on "The
Inquisiton." Mr.. Sherman is preparing for
the priesthood at Woodstock college, and in
tends to become Jesuit. Among his hearers
were his mother, his sister Rachel, Mr.. A. w.
Thackara, of Philadelphia, his brother-in-law.
and many of the Catholic clergy of the city.
The speaker displayed a thorough knowledge
of his subject, and for over an hour COM
manded the closest attention of the audience.
He has an easy delivery and a pleasant ad-
dress His lecture last night was his first,
and he displayed much natural power
Mr.. Sherman gave a sketch of the Inquisi-
tion or court of inquiry established by tie
Catholic church in Spain in the thirteenth
century for the suppression of heresies. The
courts of inquiry were composed of cleriCs
and laymen, whose duty it was to try offenses
against the laws of the church. The princi-
pal offenders were the Albigenses and Mani
chaeans. The latter sectaries believed in
two principles of good and cvil-of equal
power and sovereignty; hence they wor-
SHIPPED lucifer as well as the Lord, and yielded
themselves to the most loathsome eXcesses.
These heretical teachings were undermining
the church, morality, and social order. To ar
rest the evil the church instituted the Inqui-
stion and the third council of Latern issued
decree authorizing the clergy to assemble all
the people within their districts, and, after
preaching a sermon to them, to explain the
powers of the priesthood The faithful were
ordered to confess within an allotted time if
they held heretical principles or knew others
who did. All who failed to obey this precept
were called to account
The leturer exemplified the right of the
Nl.a -.
which he portrayed beautiful mansion orna-
mented with all that was precious in the sight
of man, This sublime structure had a dark,
damp, and dismal cellar in which some of the
family presisted in living, while the others
resided above. In course of time those in the
cellar became sick and bred contagious diseases,
which threatened the lives of the upper resi-
dents. The obnoxious creatures, to obtain light,
picked holes in the wall, which threatened to
crumble the mansion. The people above to
save themselves, cast out their brethren below.
So it is with the Catholic church. 1t had the
Inquisition to prevent the spreading of here
tical disease. In America, where there is so
much said of the court ofihlaufry, the Puri-
tans of New England burned people at the
stake and INDUCED i'll other horrible butch
cries, which the inquisition did not.
The Catholic church did not sanction all the
acts committed in that time, nor did the In
QUESTION order the executions. 1t simply
tried the offenders and delivered them to the
civil authorities with their verdicts. Every
government has the right to protect itself
In this country the lnquisition should not be
judged, according to our views and beliefs
which are entirely different from those held
in the thirteenth century. We should look at
things as they existed, and not as they are
now. Prescott, the accepted authority ON the
Inquisition, followed Llorente, who was an
apostate priest expelled from Spain because OF
his immortality and crimes. To revenge him
SELF and bring the Spanish government into
disrepute, he wrote his history of the Inquisi
tion, and fabricated things which have since
been disproved by many Gibbon among the
number.
The Catholic church did not favor at all the
Spanish Inqusition, which was different from
that of the church. Yorquemadas, who pre-
sided over the former, was three times sum
moned to Rome by the pope to answer for his
atrocities, but disobeyed the orders.
On the conclusion of his lecture Mr.. Sher
man was warmly greeted with applause. The
rumor of his fathers conversion to the Catho
lie faith recently was made known to him
but he positively refused to talk of the sub
ject. He was reticent on the subject at Bar
NUNS hotel, where they stopped, and refused
to be interviewed.