The San Francisco call., 1896-04-28
which old women of sense have turned
over to the Rev A NJ Russell

winch ola women OF sense nave turned
over to the Rev. A. NJ. Russell.
''And now, in the face of this atrocious
falsehood, weighing well the meaning of
my words, l stand before you tonight and
brand this Russell as a liar" Great ap-
plause.
Il know that the word is not refined
one. We do not often hear it in good So
ciety. But when we are forced to meet
mountebanks like this false minister of the
Gospel we are not in good society, and it is
hard to Law down rules of etiquette for
sucn a strange encounter.
THE first one known to have been put
to death on account Of his religious opin-
ions was Priscilian, in Spain. He was con-
demned by Spanish ecclesiastical coun-
Gil for publishing his doctrines, which were
immoral to say the least. PrisciEan APP
pealed to the Emperor of Rome, who
responded by ordering his head cut off.
The Emperor and the executioner were
both Christians, but st. A n orose of Milan
and St. Martin OF Touro raised their voices
in urgent protest. So forcible were their
words that since that day we have no
record of any judicial condemnation to
death of any one on account of his re-
Hgious opinions.
1--WE have heard much of late regarding
ST. Thomas AQuinas. He is said TO have
had special liking for roast hereto, and
to have enjoyed nothing better than
this sanguinary saint was one of those
who protested most earnestly against the
baptlzing by stealth of Jewish infants.
This was in the thirteenth century, yet
how many proselytizers of our day would
give their very eyes in order to entice
some little Papist child into their con-
venticles and make q bad Protestant of
him. In st. Thomas day heresY was not
organized, and was in fact almost un-
known except by name. But he lays down
the pr inciple that followers of all false re-
llgi ons, so long as they do not interfere
wi th the dominant faith, are entitled to
the protection of the civil law.
"After some centuries, however, we COM
mence to meet with heretlcs. These were
III n and women born of Catholic parents,
who had adopted views at variance with
the Catholic faith. Not alone did they
enterta ain these views, but they endeavored
TO promulgate them. Much persuasion,
restraint and preaching were employed by
the clergy to reduce these people to sub.
mission to their ancient faith, but no vio-
lent measures were used or advocated, nor
was the aid of the civil power invoked
The lnquisition, the Chancellor contin-
ued was originally established by author
ity of Pope Sixtus " for the regulation of
the conduct of converted Jews. But there
was so much cruelty in the methods of
the first inquisitors that the Pope severely
I'm the reign of Phillip II the doctrines
OF Luther began to be heard of in SPAIN -
continued the lecturer. The Inouisition,
now in good order with all in authority,
took the heretics in hand. We hear it
said that 100000 or 100000 persons were
burned alive for conscience's sake. The
only authority to whom any one can now
appeal for figures and names as to the In
quisitlon's victims is Llorente, a priest
faithless to his VOWS, who was once secre-
tary of that tribunal. He fled to France
for political reasons, taking the records of
the Inquisition with him. There he pub
lished his history, and in order to avoid
having his assertions called into question
burned the records forthwith
Father Yorke then proceeded TO compare
Llorente's highly-colored history of the
Inouisition with authentic records of the
reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth in Eng
land, in order to prove that these two brief
epochs far surpassed in sanguinary perse-
cutions all the $50 years OF the Inqusition's s
existence. The Huguenots in France were
also noticed.
When the cruel Italian queen gave the
signal for the massacre OF the Huguenots
in order to bring about her own political
ends, priests received the fugitives into
their houses, and bishops were known to
conceal fleeing heretics under the high al
tars of their cathedrals. Not all, nor nearly
all, the Catholics OF those days approved
the war being waged upon the hapIess
Protestants.
-."It is a good thing for us to remember
hat the days of persecution, whether
waged by Catholic or Protestant. are past
and gone. We have come here tonight to
think over these dark days and to resolve
to work for the dawning of new era in
which hatred and ill-will shall give way
to the sweet empire of brotherly love-"