Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-10-27
An Answer to Rev MIR Holmes.
Editor of the DEMOCRAT:

Sir-Allow me little space in your
columns to answer a reported sermon
addressed to Excelsior council, o. U.
A. NJ, at st Paul's M E. church, Sun
day night, by the pastor, Rev L. w.
Holmes. 1t seems the custom among
certain of the clergy to diverge
occasionally from the spiritual highway
and take little trips into the seductive
highway of things temporaI-whether
forays the Rev Mr. Holmes took occa-
sion to say that Catholicism was the
enemy of civil and religious liberty and
was menace to the educational welfare
of the United States.
1t is strange that any person, presum-
ably educated, as clergyman is sup
posed to be, can in the face of history
Going back to the first quarter of the
thirteenth century, to the days of King
John of England, CA. d. 1190-1216)
what do we find? We behold the
Catholic English barons wrestling from
that prince that corner stone of civil
and religious liberty, on which is built
the superstructure of English and
American law, the "magna charta." l
quote Professor Quackenbos of Column
bia college on the magma charta:" This
famous charter benefited not only the
mobiles, but also the people. 1t con-
firmed the liberties of the church, in
sured the prompt administration of law,
and in various ways protected the
property and rights of the subject
This took place centuries before the
time of Luther.
| Coming down the annals of time to
| our own country and the days when an
intolerant, narrow-minded sect were
burning innocent lunatics or idiots at
the stake as witches and driving out all
denominations of religion but those that
would conform to their Puritanism,
what do we see? We discern the stall
wart figure of Lionel Calvert, brother to
Lord Baltimore and governor of Mary
land Roman Catholic like his brother).
opening his arms and his territory to
the prosecuted Quakers, Baptists and
other Protestants driven out of their
homes in these New Engltnd states.
May I ask, Furthermore, does it look as
if the Catholics are the enemies of liberty
when the Catholic king of France, Louis
XVI, importuned by Siles Deane, Ar
thur Lee and Benjamin Franklin, sent
sistance in their dire distress, dispatched
scores of vessels of war az men of war
in one fleet only)and thousands of Catho-
lie soldiers to aid Washington and his
men? Every student knows that after
a series of victories the Catholic soldiers
of France helped crown an expectant
nation with the laurels of success at
Yorktown, Va.
Now in regard to Catholicism being
in antagonism to the educational well
being of the state the Rev Mr. Holmes
says: 1--WE ought to be sufficiently
awake to the signs around us to see that
our schools are in danger" from of
course, his bugbear, the Catholic church.
Of course it is generally understood that
any person making such an assertion is
expected to attempt even if he has not
the ability to prove it. The Rev Mr.
is enough for it. Now the great differ
ence between Catholics and certain de-
nominations of Professionals on the
school question is the separation of
education and religion. We maintain
) that Goddess education, an education
that ignores the existence of the Su.
preme Being and leaves to the wayward
, fancy of the boy and girl the option of
J going to a Sunday school to learn the
T rudiments of religion, (after a week
) spent in fatiguing studies) if they so
elect, is pernicious in the extreme.
} We do not wish to force the teachings
of the Catholic church upon those who
differ from us in religious thought, nor
: do we wish to accept their views.
: What we ask is that the money paid for
5 educational purposes by the Catholic
} taxpayers and others be divided in a
) just manner among the different relig-
ions or denominations, as is done, to my
knowledge, in one of the states of the
union and perhaps IN several, and thus
relieve us Catholics of the heavy burden
of supporting two educational establish
= ments.
There is comical aspect to the ser
mon of the Rev Mr. Holmes. After his
, TRADE against Catholicism, charging ii
, in most forcible terms as the enemy of
religious liberty. he says: But some
say that Rome is very tolerant. Is IL