Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-13
VISIONS OF A Ghost DANCER
Wonderful Discovery Made By a Local Re
ligious Editor
coNIURtS UP A JESUIT CONSPIRACY
Some Facts About the Society OF
Jesus, How IL IN Managed, Train
ing nnd Duty OF Members aud
Its Present strength.

OMAHA, Dec. Ito the Editor of The
Bee: The smoke Of battle has cleared away
and the vanquished battlllons have capitu-
lated to the electoral majority which rules
this land OF the free" and home Of the
brave" How the battle was fought and
how the victory was won is now a thrice
told tale, which the secular press would
class with ancient history. Not So how
ever with the religious press. recent
number Of the Omaha Christian Advocate
would have Us believe that this country
has had a miraculous escape from a Jesuit
conspiracy, which, through the election of
Bryan, sought to gain control OF this re-
public. In support OF this startling reve-
lation the Christian Advocate afRrms its
belief in statement made on what 1t re-
Berds As good authority, that when the
Jcsuits were driven out n Berlin and
Prussia they declared that they would colon
ize the western territories OF the United
States, and by that means get control OF
the United States government.
There was time when the workings of
the Jesuts We're wrapped in mystery. That
mystery has long since been dispelled, and
Information concerning them is now ac
cessible to everybody The almost total
suppression of the order near the close of
the last century, when their houses and
effects hooks, records, etc, were seized
AFFORDED ample scope for exposure and pub
1icity Still more recently Leo KILL him
sclf ordered the most secret recesses of the
Vatican library thrown open to inspection
aud transcription to friend aud foe, All Is
now thoroughly revealed and the so-called
secrets Of the Jesuits and Jesuit life have
ceased 10 be secrets.
ORGANIZATION OF THE JESUITS.
AS the embodiment of the church mill
tout gpsiptV gf INgua a IL @ StVlpI 10
organized like an army. Its highest officer
IS called Father General" a title express
sive Of tho military spirit Of its founder,
the Knight lgnatius OF Loyola. The gen
erals headquarters are usually in Rome,
but for the last several years he has been
banshed from that city, aud has taken
up his abode at a village of Fiesole, near
Florence There he is surrounded by his
council. which is made up Of five assist
ants, as they are called, and secretary.
Each assistant represents the JesuitS who
speak one of the leading languages, the
italian, German. French, Spanish and Eng |
lish.
The Italian assistancy numbers 1874
members, the German $3.50. the French
3011, the Spanish 2,9i9, the English 2435 |
Thus there are, all counted, 14,059 Jesuits |
in the world. rather small number for
the influence they exercise and the noise |
they have made among morials. But facts |
are stubborn things. The Jesults must |
make up for fewness of numbers by thor
ough organization and individual efficiency. |
At the time of the suppression there were |
about 20 0O0 and they were then at tho
fullest period OF their fullest develop
ment.
But what about the secret Jesuits? They
are counted in the 1i,050. In free countries
like this there are no secret Jesuits what
ever But when, in the reigns OF Queen
Elizabeth and her successors, to be a Jesuit
in England was accounted high treason, there
was no choice for them but to be hanged,
drawn and qu0rtered or to live and labor
incognitu in all manner OF disguses In
those days doctor or merchant. a professor
or litcrateur, n peddler or a valet, and even
a sportsman or gentlement ut leisure, might
be a Jesuit in disguise. When, few years
ago, the May laws expelled the order from
Germany, ii s now known that few of it's
members managed to elude the vigilance Of
the magistrates and remain In their father
land. thus continuing the traditions OF dis
gulsed Jesuits. 1t seems there are some
such in Corea now, and some years ago there
were a few In Sweden, Norway and Den
mark. But the prosecuting laws of those
lands have been much relaxed OF late and
with tyrannical laws disgusos have ceased
THE GENERAL OF THE JESUITS
at present is Spaniard called
Father Louis Martin. He was elected
in December. 1892, by general
congregation of the order which met by its
delegates in the College of LOyOla, in Spain,
the birthplace of their founder, st. lgnatus
safe place now for Catholic assemblies least
of all for Jesuits. The general holds office .
for life. When he dies a general cOngrega-
ton is again convened for the election of his
SUCCESSOR The delegates sent to 1t are
three fathers from each province, namely, the {
provincial superior with two associates | {
selected by ballot in the provincial congre-
cation summoned for that purpose. Provinces
are divisions of the assistancies; there are
now in the order twcnty-three provinces.
two of which are in the United States. (
Omaha belongs to the western or Missouri
province, whose superior resides in st. Louis ,
Mo- and is at present Rev. Thomas S. Fitz 4
gerald. well known In this city as a former !
president of Creighton university. The !
present assistant for the English-speaking
Iesuits, who lives at Fiesole, is Rev, Rudolph q
Meyer a native OF st, Louis, Mo-, and a t
former pupil of st. Louis university.
But we must hasten to consider the ways .
IN which these 14,059 men are, or at least ,
used to be thought, dangerous to the well ,
into three classes. The priests count 5,995; a
hose in tlRning for the priesthood, called 1
4,346; and the lay brothers, 3,71S.
From the lay brothers no special evil is ap-
pretended. They are employed In prayer | D
md other religious exercises and in house
lold duties of the colleges and residences o
II the order, as sacristans, porters, cooks
ejectorlans, etc, for no women are ever p
Idmitted into the interior of Jesuit houses | "
urther than the parlors and the public halls.
n times OF bloody prosecutions some of the W
ay brothers in England made themselves h
cry odious to the magistrates by construct
ng most skillfully hiding places for the q
Missionaries to elude the vigilance OF the q
pursuivants." The scholastics too, inspire q
10 special dread. They are either receiv- 81
ng their own education or employed as pro-
essors in the classical courses OF the col
'ges and universities. 1t may surprise a
loughtful reader to learn that they are so ,
almost equalling the priests In =
lumber. The reason is that a Jesuit is
sually kept fifteen or seventeen years be-
ore his education is completed and he is cc
Omitted to his final VOWS. b,
TRAINING OF THE JESUITs &C
Received into the order after the conclu- v,
ION OF their classical studies, the young -
len spend two years OF noyitiate in prayer -
nd initiation into the religious life after te
hich they are admitted, II the life suits al
lem and they suit that life, to their VOWS of
II "A IN u m A bhB ~