The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-30

.SCOLDING THE POPE
DR.. Heirs Sermon on the
Political Menace of
Roman Catholicism.
AMERICAN LIBERTY A PEST
The A. P. A. Denounced as I'm
American and Impolitic and
Wrong in Principle.
AMERICAN LIBERTY A PEST

At the Union Thanksgiving services
held in the Bergen Reformed Church yes
terday, the Rev. Charles Herr delivered
a sermon upon THE Political Menace of
Roman Catholicism" in this country,
which, to put it mild, has created a SEN
sation. Probably never before has such
a sermon been preached within the walls
of the old Dutch Church. The central
seats of the church were occupied by
the members of the First New Jersey
Battalion of the Boys Brigade. On the
platform were the Revs. Arney S. Bid
die. 1. w. Hathaway, D.. D., Cornelius
Brett, d. D., Charles Herr, d. D., and
Beatty Of Hoboken, Chaplain of the
battalion.
After a preliminary service of song
and Thanksgiving an offertory was taken
for the Old Ladies Home an the Chill
dren's Home. DR.. HEIRS sermon fol-
lowed. He said In part:
"a time honored motive for this day
which we observe is gratitude for the
Institutions of liberty and justice which
our Ian enjoys through the wisdom of
the fathers and the favor of Almighty
God. However, the record vi lle ptt-
ceeding twelvemonth may specially
awaken our lively thanks for the I'M
changing faithfulness of our Divine Ben
efactor, the persistent undertone in pa
triotic minds is appreciation of our char
actersitic institutions, fairer and more
beneficent than those of any other nation
on the face of the globe, constituting
us a marked and envied people, n our
land an ideal stage for he progress of
men in freedom, industry, knowledge,
happiness and all the attainments of a
broad and high life.
aside from temporary and partial
cases, not only no national prejudices,
but no religious bigotry has closed our
country against incoming thousands. 1t
has been our pride and joy that no
limitation operates against any, but that
ren of every kind could enjoy our equal
laws, our fertile lands, our large oppor-
tunities and could repose under a govern
ment administered with justice and char
ity for all, with favors and discrimin-
atoms for none And it has been our
natural confidence and expectation that
these benefits would be counted pre-
cious by those coming among us, and
that enjoying freely the hospitality of
our fullest liberties they would desire
nothing so much as to perpetuate the
benign conditions which made this a
paradise in contrast to the homes they
left beyond the sea. That expectation
has been happily fulfilled in all cases
save one; so that it is generally true that
America has no more faithful patriots
than her adopted sons.
ALAS; ONE EXCEPTION.
But alas, there is one exception. There
The Roman Church as an institution
is irreconcilably opposed to the very thing
which constitute our pride and glory.
rity and perpetuity- of our Constitutional
privileges, to our social, political and re-
iigious freedom. Our national life has
now a more subtitle, more secret, more
dreaded enemy in a church-a church
| governed from a foreign city and domin-
ated in it's policy by the Society of Jesus
"a church which in the, persons of this
society has been banished from every
civilized country in the world.
Think of the Church of Jesus Christ
being SO basely represented as to be ex-
PEELED from the nations as a curse-a
curse!-the Church of God a curse-an
impediment in the way of the happiness
and progress of men,. o hellish transfer
awfulness of such a distortion of the
glorious Gospel of the Blessed Godl
What diabolitical influences are they
which have made men with an unuttera-
BILE heart bitterness, caused by cold in
justice and black crime, fling their male
dictions at the Redeerner of the world?
| III SdIic, eVCIy Will Inc Saile, Dis IQCSe
which by means of a superb organiza-
ton and under consummate officers
struggling today for the subversion of
political supremacy Of Catholicism" -
1.-The great characteristic of our insti-
buttons is liberty-absolute liberty, so far
as it does not transgress the rights and
| berty of speech, liberty of conscience,
But Plus XI; in his encyclieal letter of
December 8, 1854, mathematical all who
| maintain the liherfU of t6A ,araCc, orl Gn11
advocates of the liberty of Speech call
ing it the liberty of perdition.' He also
mathematical those who assert the
liberty of conscience and of religious
worship and all such as maintain that
the church may not employ force, Where
the church has power to do it she en-
| why these principles are not enforced
upon this nation is, in the words Of one
of the American Bishops, because they
could not yet be carried into effect with
out peril to the Catholic world.
AMERICAN LIBERTY A PEST.
'In a word, the American doctrine of
is condemned by the Romish Church as
| a pest, and our institutions should be re-
modelled to bring them into harmony
| papal authority. Nothing could be more
un-American than this. Nothing could
be more inconsistent with our liberties.
uncomfortable opposites than Romanfsm
and the American spirit. And tina there
should be a great increasing and ener-
| getic body of men among us holding
| these Romish doctrines and committed to
their support may well be considered
a supreme political menace, and patriot
ism demands that they should be watch
| ed and thwarted with increasing vigil
lance and suspicion.
These things are declared in order to
be enforced; they are announced in order
that they may become the aim of the
whole Catholic body and thus eventually
be made actual.
LEO XIII. in his encyclical of Novem-
Der 7, 1885, says:-'We exhort all Catho-
lies to devote careful attention to public
matters and take part in all municipal
affairs and elections, and all public SER
vices and gatherings. All Catholics must
make themselves felt as active elements
in daily political life in countries where
they live. Catholics shout exert their
power to cause the Constitutions of
| States to be moulded on the principles of
the church. If Catholics are idle the
veins of power will easily be gained by
persons whose opinions can surely afford
little prospect of welfare. Hence Catho-
lies have just reason to enter political
life, having in mind the purpose Of in
PRODUCING the wholesome life blood Of
Catholic wisdom and virtue into the
who'll system of the State. All Catho-
lies who are worthy of the name must
xporL m tho and that nyerv Gin IN L.