The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-01-21
A. P, A. SOCIETY.
Purposes Of the American Protest.
ant Association Analysed
and Reviewed.
RISE OF THE ORGANIZATION.

Rev. James F.. Nugent, Of Dos
Moines, Iowa, Excoriates the
Know Nothing Bigots.
Father j. r. Nugent has recently writ
ten long, able and exhaustive paper for
The Iowa State Register on the A. P. A.
society, from which the following extracts
are selected:
The circumstances that conspired to
bring the society into existence will best
explain it's course and mode Of action.
Within the past decade the Catholic
Church has on several occasions excited
the apprehension Of the Protestant world.
1t has increased rapidly in wealth and
numbers. It's future promises still moro
than has been realized in the past. Now
there is class of Protestants who are in
about the same position with regard to
the Church of Rome as those are to high
water who dwell on the banks of a Eseat
river. Such people live in continual
tear of the spreading waves. They are
the first to notice the danger and spread
the alarm. They throng the dykes and
levees in trepidation and point to the old
high water marks when 60 many lost
their lives and their property. So, too,
this class of alarmists watch continually
the rise of the Roman power. They see
in everything evidence of the rising dan
ger. They get our church directories
and count our schools, our churches, our
hospitals, our converts. They number
the children 10 school, and the bishops
and priests in the country. From these
data they figure the ratio Of increase and
draw alarming estimates for the future,
They say there is danger ahead. Some
thing must be done, and done quickly.
Several events have occurred within the
last two years which have tended to aug
ment the alarm. A lay congress had
met at Baltimore It had always beer
taught that the Catholic church meant
the Catholic clergy. The lay element
had no conscience Of it's own and no
voice in the public policy of the Church.
This i1ea could 40 longer be maintained.
Henceforth the members, the wealth and
intelligence Of the lay element would
have to be regarded as factors IN the
Roman power.
Later several distinguished and patri-
otto American priests had been cited be-
fore the Roman tribunal on matters of
church discipline, and had been deposed
from their sacerdotal Office. This looked
like return to the evil day, when our
colonial ancestors were tried in London
for crimes com mmitted in America. Then
the President Of the United States had
assisted at the laying of the cornerstone
OF Catholic university in Washington
which is destined to rival the Protestant
university at Oxford. Later still the
chief executive of the American republic
was known to have banqueted with the
chief dignataries of the Roman Church.
If not checked, the food wou rise over
our homes and churches, and in a short
time would roll it's destructive waves
against the public schools standing in the
high places. With these evidences Of
impending ruin, little men with burnside
whiskers and tightly -buttoned Prince
Albert coats fee back to The churches
and warn the people to prepare for dan
ger, aud ''pray that their fight be not in
the winter" Big, portly men, with high
forehsads and full boards, who had con-
stituted themselves engineers and gene
raj overseers Of the breastwork against
Romanism surveyed the scene from every
side, and declared that nothing will in
sure permanent security unless by 9
combine Of Church and State We can
plug up the fountain that feeds the river.
Now, to broad and reasonable minds,
there should be no cause for all this.
Every industry is growing, and every
/ church is increasing with the growth of
population, but to men who are not able
to read past history in the light Of phil
osophy, not able TO tell what the world
will do BY what it has done these th ngs
were big with import. All minds are not
broad or reasonable. There will always
\ be large class IN the world easily dis
turbed On account Of preaching calam-
tiles. It is natural that we believe read
lily that which we think possible and im-
minent. There are many people il the
! world to-day who firmly believe that this
planet Of ours viii some time be destroyed
\ by coming ia contact with wandering
star. Aud thers arc just as many people
who hold that sooner or later the Pope
will. in some way, assume control OF this
country It Will always. be easy with
these contitiopa to create 8 panic with