The Irish standard., 1896-08-08
.Brann. Takes to Task q Corres-
pondent in a Vigorous and
& Original Way. ....... 5!...... NJ
Jacob Wrestled With an Ange
and Jehovah Spoke to
z=.s 55s 4s Hoses. t IL u
The Crazy, Doubling and BIa 81
. : :.
@ phemous rlind of Luther in
Matters of Religion. ~

I . The July nun1er of Brann's Iconoclast
contains the following refreshing artl:
Gle: An unknown correspondent clips
from the press rather sensational ac-
count of the supposed appearance TO the
Holy Virgin to Louise Paliniere at Tlily-
sur-Seulles, together with the pilgrims
ages to the spot, and sends it to the Icon-
'oclast with the following comment and
query:
"About once a year the Catholics run
off after some such crank, thereby bring
ing religion into contempt and creating
atheists by their ridiculous mummely.
Why don't you turn your iconoclastic
batteries loose on this fol-de-rol? What
is your opinion of people who ceunfe-
nance such idiocies?'
e The man who writes a letter rejecting
upon the sanity or honesty of numer-a
Gus and patriotic body Of American peo-
pie should have the moral courage DO
either sign his screed or burn 1t. An
anonymous ''roast'' is a cowardly stab in
the dark. Publishers do we'll to waste
basket such communications as being
the emanations Of irresponsibles-of peo-
ple who will say more in a minute than
they, will stand in month. However, as
my correspondent has touched upon
subject of interest to many people, I
will; in this instance, waive the rule ap-
plying to anonymity. Frankly, I think
but little of miracles, ancient or modern,
and regard supernatural appearances as
but the idiosymcracies of religious neuro-
pathics. Mile. Paliniere's vision OF the
Virgin was, in my opinion, but a day
dream, the fond imagings Of maid with
whom religion has become mono
mania, her fervor and ecstacy bordering
ON deliriun. Still, realize that there
may be more things in this world than
have dreamed Of in my philosophy. In
dealing with the supernatural, as with
all things else, it is we'll to bear In mind
the apothegm of Seneca, to the effect
that tsmany persons would have at
tained to wisdom if they had not pre-
sumed that they already possessed 1t" '
If the age of the miraculous, or angelic
visitations ever began, we have no spe-
cial reason for believing that it has come
to an end. 1t is certainly no more re-
markable that the Lord should reveal
Himself to St. Theresa, and the Virgin
to the maid of Tilly- -snr-Seulles. than
that Jacob should wrestle with an angel
and Jehovah speak to Moses from the
burning bush If there ever was time
in the worlds history when something
more than the written law becomes nee
essary to fix mankind's faltering faith,
that time is even now. The man who
SCOTS at st. Theresa's vision yet accepts
the inerrancy OF the Bible,
strains at diatom and swallows an en-
tire drove of dromedaries. There are
various reasons why the 1conoclast does
not align its guns upon these so-called
supernatural visions. I am not aware
&l,o - o,xo 1Nin kho
ors damage, and the IconOclast assails
only those things which it believes to be
really detrimental.
Furthermore, to brand all such vision
aries as "cranks" and those who COUNTS
nance them as idiots were to vilipend
the coryphei of the Reformation and de-
ride the Protestant faith. If all who
dream dreams and see visions, il all who
profess to have seen the supernatural be II
written down as purveyors Of ridtculoAss
fol-de-rol, what is to become of our be-
loved Luther and his co-laborers? lt8E
was not the magic mirror which st. The
resa saw; not the Archangel Gabriel inss
the Rue de Paradis, nor the Virgin
Mother standing beneath an elm In the
canton Of Calvados that Luther Wit
messed; such visitants were entirely too
tame for that good mai who denounced q;
the Zwinglians as damned fools and
insulted the learned Eras-
mus, called the doctors Of Louvain
beasts, pigs and pagans," melted the B
people to assassinate the. Pope. and 81
otherwise displayed that vigor and VIZ
ulence which drew after him all sth4I$ I$9
chronic kickers Of Christendom.
Luthers supernatural visitor was u. ~
yariably the devil, and these two worth |
les usually made 1t hot for each other. II
The prince Of darkness appears to have
gotten the best OF the controversies, #
for Luther himself assures ~ IL
that Satan by his arguments compelled
him to make an important. alteration IN B
divine services; also that on another oc-S
casion his inframundane visitor woryted2
him In debate and so terrified him by$jS
his voice that he was in danger Of death.
ZWingius, the father of Professionalism In ss8
Switzerland, relates that when about to-
be turned down in a religious SdtspntA-s
tioni a black phantOm appearea and n
helped him out Of the hole. Whether
this was the Same party that arnendeds Il 1
Luther's creed we are not informed
Nor has this unhappy faculty Of seeir,2Mss
the devil yet been lost by Protestant diSss
vines Entering Protestant church
some years ago at Upton, lows, y WA VI
surprised to see the pastor engaged III Il;
al. ex parte dispute with an invistblesSs
person. He shook hts fist and decla req lsEEss Es
that he1s would pray despite all the pew
ers of hell" And pray he did. Aftertads3Sy vi
yising the Lord regarding 9 number sof q dsas hi
things of which He was supposed .ssto 3
have no knowledg dge, and ellfng him sxss
actlys how to manage the universe he in:.sbSSI
formed us that the devil had u come " i uI tnI