Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-10-07
ANTI.POPERY.
Patrick Welch's Bitter Attack on
Catholicism.
A Sensational Address Before an I'm
mense Audience at Harper's Theatre
---Drtft OF the Remarks.

theatre yesterday afternoon before an
audience completely filling the house, on
Catholicism AMI Professionalism, the pur-
pose of the speaker being to set forth his
reasons for dtserting the former belief
for the latter idea of religious thinking.
Mr.. Welch appeared alone on the stage
and addressed himself to his task without
introduction. he first offered brief
prayer. and at the beginning of his re,
marks stated that he WAS present unIn-
vited and was individually responsible
for what he would say; he was to speak
in behalf Of, or under the auspices, OF no
organization, society or sect. He paid all
expenses and was responsible to no one
but his Heavenly Father. and no one was
responsible for his remarks. He then
attempted 20 oraw contrast between the
primitive chris tianity of the first century
when Christ came to earth to walk and
To teach among the Lowry. and the pspal
christianity Of the sixth and seventh Gen.
turtles. He had not, AS many had been
led to believe, deserted Catholicism.
What there is of Catholicism in relig.
ion." he said, Il love; but what there is
of Romanism and popery.I sbhor." Ever
since he had taken the oath of allegiance
to the United States he had avoided vot-
ing as the Romans did. The church of
the pope, he termed. the church of a
foreigner Toe pope. he asserted. was
hated no where as by his own subjects at
home. and times were fast changing
in the forms of religious devotion in the
ancient city where is located the head of
the Roman Catholic church. Twenty
years ago one would have been arrested
for reading the testament or repeating
the Lords PRAYER on the streets of Rome
now you may see the sign in plainly
written letters American Bible Society, "
directly oppo site the vatican.
The speakers first reason for his oppo
sition to the Roman Catholic church was
as he termed it, its idolstry, which is con-
trsry to bible teachings and Gods COM
| mandment, Thou shalt have none other
gods but me; thou shalt not bow down
TO them nor worship them" He then
spoke to the Roman usage of the image
of the Saviour and the worship of the Vir
gin Mary. Mary was. he asserted TIT
ROna ans real god and ten prayers were
offered to Mary.to one to God. He spoke
of the various symbols of worship pecu
liar to Romanism and exhibited some of
the same. including the amulet given him
by his mother as 4 charm against evil and
worn by him until he reached the stage
when he denounced Catholicism. This
he alluded to as a rag" and said where
anyone trusts to rag or u metal or any
thing but God, claiming they are God, is
an idOlater He then srraigned the
protestants for sending their children to
Roman Catholic schools and having these
ideas of lido worship instlled into their
minds. AS for him, he would not give q
copper for car load of such parspher-
MALTA; yet tie priests encourage this non
sense and superstition. The priests in fact
control the minds and acts of their re-
ligious subj scts; they even tell them how
they shall vote and they dare not act in
disobedience to them. He cited an in
stance as he said, where in Ontario coun
ty, New York, priest had received &c.
900 for the political vote of his parish.
His second reason for renouncIng DO
perry was that its chief worship was in
dead tongue, which he termed prattle.
His third reason for renouncing the
pspal form Of devotion was the founda-
ton Of the belief. The foundation was
the theories to be true. 1t
is asserted that the church was founded
on Peter By the Divine Lord, and for
proof OF this. reference is made TO the
18th verse of the 10Th chapter of
Matthew, " hich reads:
And say unto TIE, thou art Peter. and upon
this rock vi build my church; and the gates OF
hell shall not prevail against il.
But few more verses on-the 25th of
the same chapter of the same book, the
speaker said. we find this passage:
But he turned and sad unto Peter, Get thee
behind me, satan; thou ART an offense unto me.
for thou savo-is not the things that be OF God,
but those that be Of men.
Now, continued Mr. WEIGH, there is a
strange conflict here, and according to
the latter verse of the two, Jesus has
said to Peter get thee behind me Satan;
so il the Roman church is built on Peter
it must be built on Satan.
The church has been called, he went
on to say the bride Of God. Now If
God is married to the Roman Catholic
church, it is time for divorce" "If there
is Roman Catholic within
the reach Of my voice" said
the speaker. ''the greatest enemy you have
is your priest, who fattens on your ignor-
snce. The greatest enemy l ever had
was Roman Catholic faith. The priests
practice their impositious upon the ig-
norant people: This is not so much the
case here, as in Ireland. In Ireland moth
ing is heard Of but popery-''even the
boys bark at it,"
He then entered into discussion of
the induls;encies permitted by Pope Leo
the Tenth, in the sixteenth century. which
were no less. he asserted, than license
to commit crime at so much license, &C.