Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-05-27
LETTERs FROM THE PEOPLE.


 leave a years impression.
 LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE. An Attack Upon the Cath olio Church
 Rebuked.
 Editor of the DEMOCRAT:
 A tissue of malignant falsehoods have been published in a paper circulated in Waterbury, in relation to the Catholic church. The article in question stated that the Catholic church made it a ages. It says; ssThe church has always taught the divine right of kings, that the dark ages, obtained their name from the work of this church. Look over it's councils, study all it's decrees, and you will fail to find one word uttered by it in favor of the rights of man. It is all greed, avalice, hate, bigotry and hypocrisy"
 False teaching, O scribe Had you known half as much of history as you do of vulgarisms and billingsgate, you would never, though cased in impene- trable brass, have ventured on state- ment which stamps at once your igno- rance or your unblushing mendacity. This grand old church, the mother of all churches, may well stand the attack of so puny an assailant. But, while on points of creed men may differ, there are rules of social amenity which none, however rude, may disregard with im- punity. And if they do they merit the reproduction of every good man, and will receive the condemnation of all in whose hearts. bigotry has not extin- guished the warmth of christian charity.
 This writer sneers at what he calls the dark ages, and their monks and pam pered prelates. There cannot be a greater evidence of ignorance. This man knows not what he says. He knows nothing of the ceaseless industry of these monks and prelates; of the mighty work they did and the infinite debt of gratitude the present owes to the storm of continental war, the language, the literature, the traditions of the earlier days were not wholly lost. Their nimble fingers transcribed books good to read, and multiplied copies to an ex- tent of which their defamers little dream. Prelates were statesmen, too, in these days, and the great principles of government, the two sources of popu- lar rights and the proper limits of royal power were discussed with an acumen and boldness from which this nineteenth century might well take hint.
 The claim of kings to rule by divine right was rebuked by St Augustin, who asserted that the consent of the people was the legitimate source of royal power. In those dark ages, you see, some legislators and jurists were saints There is small reason to believe that this combination of qualities is to be found in the parliaments and congresses of to- day. But of all the ills of humanity there are none to which the church so earnestly directed it's attention as that, SaI1 So S01 ho 0ct rrSopo Ot fatal of them all-war.
 From the time when Achilles, the son of Pelues, heaped unnumbered woes on Greece and drenched the banks of Simois and Scamander with heroic blood, down to our own times, who shall say how many bloody battles have had, if the truth were known, no higher origin or aim than to avenge some pri- vate grief or satisfy some personal object of ambition. Into this region of storms, against this immemorial frenzy, the church early devoted it's energies. It or- dained that certain periods of the year, certain places, certain persons and things should be sacred and unmolested by war. At first it was ordained in solemn council of the church that be- tween sunset on Friday and sunrise on sword be drawn. By subsequent coun- cils this period was extended until it came by degrees to include all the fes- tivals of the church, and most part of advent and lent. During this Hull and calm the sword rested in it's scab- bard, vengeance stayed its hand, and many beleaguered city saved from pill lage, and many a man rescued from mortal peril when no help was near, thanked the blessed interval of repose, which many appropriately called the truce of God. Again it was decreed that the shepherd and his flock, the ploughman and his plough, were sacred --the vine dresser might prune his vine and gather his grapes, the olive grower might tend his olives without fear of molestation, for over all the great civilizer-the church-spread the ample shild of its protection.
 And the church never lacked courage to enforce it's law. Once Roman em. Iperor, angered against rebellious city. Iordered that when it was taken it's citi' zens should be put to the sword. A bishop heard of the order, and warned the emporer that such an act would be Ia crime. The emperor sent to with draw the order, but the messenger came Itoo late. The city had been taken and the inhabitants had been slaughtered But the emperor thought to brazen il Iout, and went to church the next Sun day as if nothing had happened, and sC with all his escort he appeared at tht church porch, but there, in the door way, stood the bishop, in mitre anc lcope. Across the door he set his crosiel to bar the way, and then he said sStand back, your presence would desc crate this sacred place. With one mar inside this church whose hands wert stained with the murder of his fellows could not dare to proceed with tn, sacrifice of the mass. How could
 suffer your presence, you, who are tn slaughterer of. thousands" Tho bishol was St Ambrose, the emperor wa Thodosius, and the sacked city wa Thessalonica.
 War acknowledges now no truce O God, no holy days, and by 8 queer co incidence many of the bloodiest battle of modern times have been fought ol ] Sunday. There is small immunity fo vine dresser or olive grower now, ant we can fancy what short work for ta0iuo, nartv xu0llld mako of tha ahan