The San Francisco call., 1896-04-21

ernments when man as an individual was
entirely subordinate to the state. In those
days, he stated, the individual had no
rights as an individual, man was
radically unequal, and outside of the
state there was 20 hope in this
life or in the life to come. He then
called attention to the conditions regarding
mankind that prevail to-day and said j:
''The great difference between those days
and ours is due to the wonderful fact that
God became man, and to Christ's teaching
that all men are equal and to his declara-
ton of the individual responsibility OF
man." Citing history TO show that the
head of the Catholic church was the first
powerful influence to make for civil and
religious liberty he said: And yet there
are men who pose as protectors of freedom
who declare that this attitude was not
right.
Il asked one of these liberty protectors
what he would do if the state should
come III opposition with the church at any
point ana he said he would fold his arms,
cast down his eyes and escape into his
chamber. And if he was molested IN his
chamber and could not get back his rights
he would emigrate. That is to say, he
would turn tail and fly. If the apostles
had acted in that way there would be no
United States to-day.
1.-THE day that Christ upon the noun
tains told his disciples to look up into
heaven and to say, Our Father, who art
in heaven that was the first letter IN our
constitution. When Christianity first
told us that we were all fashioned from
the same clay ana all equal and free, then
was the radical equality of man burned
and scared into the human heart. 1t Is
strange contrast for those who are familiar
with Roman history to see what happened
after Christianity got footing IN that
empire. Then there were no more massa--
cres accom- panied only with walllngS and
mourning, but the Catholic authorities
took means to prevent their recurrence by
compelling the perpetrators to do penance
for the atrocities they were responsible
for.h
He referred to the gradual extirpation of
slavery from Europe and said:
SIN 400 years the teachings of the
church were such that all men were looked
upon as free and equal. But If we are to
believe our beloved protectors 1T was MOI
until the sixteenth century that liberty
dawned on the world and if we may fur
ther believe these protectors 1t was not un-
til within the last decade that the civil
liberties OF this country were threated by
the Catholic church."
He spoke of the sacred character of the
appurtenances of the altar OF the Catholic
church, and explained that despite the
holiness with which they were hedged
about the chalices and candlesticks could
yet for one purpose be cast into the melt
ing-pot and turned into profane gold, and
that purpose was the redemption Of the
captive.
Then, as showing the trend OF Cathol-
icism having ALWAYS been toward civil and
religious liberty, he referred to the words
OF st; Zachary, an early Pope. who de-
clared that kings were made for the people
and not the people for kings. Reference
was also made to the democratic organiza-
ton OF the Catholic church, in which the
lowest PEASANTS son might rise to the
papacy, as the rail-splitter of Illinois rose
to the Presidency of the republic The
Oldest republic in the world-that of San
Marino-was not only Catholic, he stated,
but was entirely surrounded by Catholic
powers, which could crush it out of ex-
lstence as if it were an eggshel. In con-
cluding he said:
'lf the time should ever come when the