Arizona republican., 1891-05-17
A CATHOLIC ANSWER Matters Concerning the Pope and Roman Religion Discussed and An
 swered. Mr. Riggs Has Some Decided Opin- ions and Pays His Respects
 to Mir. Davis.
Special correspondence of THE REPUBLICAN.

In your issue ol May lnlru couple oi
 articles appear that are not very enter
 taining at least to Catholic readers.
 Such articles as the letters of H. c.
 Davis in the columns of a general news
 paper makes one wonder little; how
 ever, you are the best judge of the mat
 ter suited to your columns. Ordinarily
 Catholics pass such abusive stuff by with
 a plying smile; but Mir. Davis seems to
 be in a bad way, and Catholics being
 noted for their charity, cannot pass him
 without rendering some assistance. So
 if you will kindly permit the use of
 your columns we will direct a few words
 to that gentleman, whoever he may be.
 Mir. Davis, the Pope, l believe, has
 said just what you say he said and he
 said more, but all that he did say will
 soon appear in print, and will speak for
 itself. There is nothing new in this.
 The last Catholic council at Baltimore
 settled the parochial school question for
 the United States; nor did they ask
 your aid in doing so, Mir. Davis. There
 can be no doubt as to the attitude or
 intention of the hierarchy of Roman
 Catholic Church, nor the American
 Catholic Church, concerning our com
 mon schools. They (the hierarchy and
 the Catholic people, propose to let said
 their children to them to be educated
 and for good, wise and well considered
 reasons. Nor are Catholics alone in
 their refusal to send their children to
 these schools. The Lutherans, very
 1n #
 Christians, established and maintained
 where it were possible to do so their
 parish schools, long before the Catholics
 commenced the agitation of the subject.
 And they (the Lutherans) still stoutly
 maintain their ground. Although, like
 intention of the hierarchy of the Ro-
 man Catholic Church, nor that of the
 American Catholic Church, concerning
 our common schools. They (the hie-
 rarchyj and the Catholic people propose
 to let said schools severely alone so far
 as sending their children to them to be
 educated, and for good, wise and we'll considered reasons. Nor are Catholics
 alone in their refusal to send their chil- dren to these schools. The Lutherans,
 very respectable and respected body of Christians, established and main
 tained where it was possible to do so, their parish schools long before the Catholics commenced the agitation of the subject. And they (the Lutherans) still stoutly maintain their ground. Although, like the Catholics, they have no wish or desire to meddle with or hin der the common or public schools, but while they cheerfully pay their portion of the taxes to support said schools, they will not trust their young children in them. Many others object to the kind of education obtained in those common schools. l could cite the opinions of half dozen or more, but will contine myself to one, and only a few words from his remarks: II have had very close familiarity with the condition of village life and the character of village | schools in five widely separated States, | yet have never known village where | l could cheerfully send one of my little | children to the public school. The moral | atmosphere is too facilitating, not to | say pestilential." Preston Barr in the | Washington Globe.
 All this obsolete stuff about inquisi- | tions, racks, thumb-screws, as connected | with the church, has been so often and | ably refuted that it is hard to believe that even MT. Davis believes what he | writes himself. But if his great dread | of Catholics (they are really harmless, | Mir. Davis) still causes him to doubt, | would refer him to the writings of Rev. | Mir. Pepper, of Ohio, learned minister | of the Methodist Church, now, perhaps, the most popular branch of the Christian 1 Church in the United States. Mir. Pep per clearly defined the attitude of the church at that time of the inquisition a few years ago.
 Mr. Davis, if you would like to know some truths about the so-called dupes who are kept in utter ignorance of science and philosophy by those very, very bad Jesuits, just take the pains to visit some of the schools taught and presided over by these dangerous people and you will meet boys in their teens who can tell you more about science and philosophy than you ever dreamed of. And more, MT. Davis, if you will watch these same boys in after life you will find very few swindlers, defaulters, absconding bank cashiers and general refugees over in Canada belonging to their class. l know but one in Canada who was educated by the Jesuits, and he is still strict Catholic. The Cana dians sent for him and he is now vice. president of the Canadian Pacific rail road. Dangerous education, Mir. Davis, is it not?
 Good American citizens are not made out of the Roman or American Catholic Churches and why persons disobeying the laws of the church are read out as you are pleased to term it, is simply none of you business. And now Father McGlynn troubles you. Well, he was silenced by the church for doing just what you are in such great fear of the Catholic priesthood doing, viz: Med ding in the politics of the United States. Consistency thou art a jewell" But that the church tried to crush Father McGlynn is absurd. That gen tleman is as free as air, so far as the church is concerned only. If he serves Tn the church he must do as some others might well do and be all the better for 1t. A man to be good American Catholic must also be good American citizen, that is he must obey the laws of [ the land and also of whatever he belongs ( 10 or in which this church is situated. { The church is confined to no land. She IS Catholic.
 The danger to the Constitution is very great is it? Well, that's too bad, and l yet the Catholics are less than one-sixth { 2f the population of the country. Now, { don't you think that the other five { 'ixths, considering the general good sense of the American people can readily l keep the Constitution in good order, md aside from this, am in position ( 70 know that Catholics are well pleased { with the Constitution just as 1t is, and : would not change it ii the could. So far ,