The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-04-06
THE GROSS OF AVALON.

THE CROSS OF AVALON.
From the Baltimore Morning Herald March II.
A large audience gathered in the concert room o
the Catholic Club last night TO hear and address b!
GEN Bradley T. Johnson, the well known membe
Of the bar and gallant Confederate soldier, Tho
Towering Gross OF Avalon" The address was de
livered in honor Of the 26lst anniversary of tn,
landing Of Lord Baltimore, which occurred yeSter
day.
/. The Catholic Club arranged the occasion as it:
recognition of the great day in which Catholic
haron gave to the world the initial sereed of civil
and religious liberty. General Johnson said il
part;
The foundation of Maryland was environed and
influenced by holy traditions and sscrei legends o
The Christian and Catholic Church, which shed
around the early history of the state the light o.
piety of devotion. Of chivalry and Of generosity
the sentimentality Of feeling which, it seems ha:
nodded the character and controlled the lives Of it,
people for these 200 years.
When ST. Joseph Of Arimathea, 50 the sacred
legend tells bore the true cross from Calvary g
Britain he planted it in the Vale OF Avalon, where,
long after the monks Of glastonbury guarded il
with their lives and their prayers and for centuries
the holy bells called the people to the worship q
the Saviour and Lord fall
Avalon became the land Of fancy TO the British
race There stood forever the true cross-there,
when Arthur Passed away. he was borne BY L
Queens to the tomb where he lies today, not dead,
but sleeping, waiting for the call Of duty in the
time of BriIains direst stress, surrounded by the
Knights Of the Round Table, who wait his rising
TO ride again with him on the quest Of the Holy
Graal, where self abnogation in action VIII he as
necessary as yalor Of manhood. The Vale Of
A. ~
myths of the Church OF Christ and il gave George
Calvert first Baron OF Baltimore and Avalon, his
title in the reemge and the name TO his first
colony.
The name Of Avalon applied 10 the Northern set
Element. hut the tradition and the sentiment Of
Avalon we've planted at St. Nary's this day so
years ago With the cruss Of Avalon is associated
in the planting Of the colony smother story Of the
early church
81 Maurice 50 il is told, commanded the rhebah
legion Of 5000 veterans They bore on their
standard on their shields and on their breastplaie
the emblem Of the command and the cognizanoe Of
the Iegion-the Roman cross. They were ordered
10 exteFminate a German pride which had emhrac-
al the religion Of Christ and their refusal we're
glecimated and redeemated until every man was
put to the sword The neighboring legion buried
them. and placed over each grave the simple eruss
Of sticks The next morning each hcadstone was
found covered with flowers for the cross bad burst
into bloom II is horne on the Tag Of Maryland to-
day and Is stamped the great seal. and testiiss
to this remote genetion to the Gath Of fathers,
ior The budding cross Of Avalon and Of 81 Maurice
bears on each arm the trefoil. the emblem Of the
Trinity When 10 these legends and these tradi-
lions we add the significant fct that the towering
cross was planted at St Mary's on this day-ihe
Dag Of the Annunciaiion Of the Blessed Virgin
Iasiy,s Day-sEe can begin to appreciate why ievo.
zion 10 duty, love OF truth, Kindness ehivairy and
charity 10 our neighbors have always hecn eharae-
.eristie Of Maryland civilization viii nov Try to
make clear how thesc ideas have been applied ia
the Foundation Of Maryland. whence they clHae.
and who applied them.
NARYiANp A cSTBotIc coIeSY.
Twelve years ago prepared paper, in which e
was demonstrated: First-That Maryland was a
Catholic colony. second-Thai she planted
nnder the patronage Of the society Of Jesus.
Third-Thaf the sentiment and principles 81 atso-
lutte religious liberty 81 free thonght was The di-
recting and controlling sentiment and principle 81
the colonization. formulated. pruragate'i and en-
forced with an the energy ami power q the
society or Jesus And FoRrth-That she aet con
corning religion-thc liberation act Of i6tl-was
most probably the work Of Father Henry More,
provincial Of the Society Of Jesus IN England and
granison Of Sir Thomas More, auther Of Utopia,
from which book the principle Of free Thought and
81 religious toiemti0n was derived These eoneis-
sians have been VERY much attacked, hut never
greatly weakened They received the endorsement
81 George Bancroft and Of william z Gladstone,
and l. therefore am justified IN reiteriing them
here tonight 10 Is not Necessary 70 say Ia this
audience but il Is right that it should On record
p n 800 .a.HHa-
am a convinced member and have been since Hnai-
hood Of the American branch Of the Church @,
England as my ancestors have been Cor generations.
and that am as sievsni and sincere a believer in
the Faith Of my fathers a. ~ are 81 yours Bai
that very Gath teaches me that oar firsl duty j.
20 truth and that We must stand by thai always ard
everywhere. regardless Of consequence When the
former paper was written Il pointed oui
thar there was in existence mass q document
ary evidence IN the possession 81 the calvert
family which ould protably fartify and confirm
she positions then taken. Those Fapers have been
recovered and TWO volumes printed BY the Mary
land Historical society as the Calvert papers, and
they prove eonclusveiy that the conclusions Of the
tirst paper wete right The generation which pre-
eesiea the Foundation Of Maryland has seen mo-
raentons political changes IN Great Britain AMER
10 centuries d invasion and Of war Scotland and
England had become united 6y thc peaceful pro
cess OF law James VI OF scotland, bad become
James 1. Of England. With this accession Of power
in alien hands there was, Of necessity weakening
Of the force Of custom and the authority Of tradi-
ton for the snger never respects the home habits
or ideas OF Others.
The death Of James and accession Of Charles !.
increased this disregard Of ancient institutions.
The union itself was but step in the progress Of
national evolution then going on in the world In
France the separate Kingdoms have been eonsoli-
dated and in spaiE the process OF constellation
was equally advanced. Power had become cen
traIze into the hands Of one king. and the repre-
sentative bodies ofthe Galllc Celtic and Gothic ma
iions had been superseded by the central authority.
charles dissolved his Parliament and II was doubt
fnl whether another would ever meet in England,
The court Of star chamber decided that taxes could
he levied BY the crown without the consent Of the
Commons and that John Hampden could be tried
convicted and punished without jury. Therefore,
ia the years l629-30 il seemed If all the muni-
meats cf liberty had been destroyed and the safe
guards o. British liberty forever obliterated.
The right Of being taxed only by hisown consent;
no portion OF his property should be taken from
him unless he agreed through his representatives;
that no inan should be constrained Of his liberty
without the right Of appealing the court decide
an tt AN4aiitg Ni imprisonment tAaA NJ ia'A
should be deprived Of liberty or property except by
the verdict Of Y men-his neighbors and peers
All ihe1e fundamental rights Of free men and the
safeguards 10 preserve and protect them all seemed
10 have passed away forever. With this furious
religious bigotry ragged based much more ON envy,
malice and llfn than on religious opinion or de
rotion (in the late war never saw q good horse
whose owner was, not man Of obnoxious politics
and who therefore, it was duty TO despoiD SO
that II seemed as if England was no longer home
for free and pious people.
DEVOTED PATRIOTs.
The Catholics OF England had been devoted pa
tyiots since the cross was first planted in Avalon
In the struggle with France their blood had been
shed on every field as in the with spain they
had been foremost in the attack Grand Amanda.
The great princes, the great historic houses had
all adhered to the Church Of Rome when Henry
VIII declared his independence Of the Papacy
Howard aud Norfolk, Arundel and Talbot, shrews-
hurry and Dorset all the great historic houses Of
England. were Roman Catholic, and it was their
power. their prestige their possessions and their
wealth which were largely the melting causes Of
the religious bigotry which ragged in England for
the first half Of the 18th century.
George Calvert was enterprising and able man,
descended from an ancient family in the low eoun-
tries. branches Of which held conspicuous and
powerful positions at the courts Of France and
spain. lie had been made Baron Of Baltimore and