The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-26
law in q schoolroom whose roof was the blue
canopy of heaven.
We HYPocRITEsl


thence they can assume OF the sons of the Prot
estant ascendency coming here to free America
and presuming to taunt Catholics with igno-
rance: Every word they drop from their lips
is naked of grammar. Every sentence which
escapes their pen reeks with illiteracy, yet they
presume to pose as protectors of popular edu-
cation. For a hundred years their fathers
ground the faces of the poor, and having
robbed them OF their wealth tried to rob them
of their intellect.
Thank God they failed, but the struggle was
sharp and the wounds were deep. To these
wounds the bigots point to day and forget that
their fathers inflicted them. If in ireland
there has been .lliteracy in the past the fault
lies not with the Irish, but with the English
garrison which knew that an educated people
would not long remain slaves.
1t is curious how time brings its revenges. 1
may digress here to remark that by a govern
ment system of examinations the Catholic and
Protestant youth of Ireland come into compe-
tltlon each year The results of these examina-
tions for the past sixteen years have been uni
form The Protestants possess all the old en-
dowments, many of them coming down from
Catholic homes. They have the tradition of
teaching.
They can hire the best professors, yet year
after year the unendowed Catholic schools
have se, beaten them in every grade The curse
OF Minerva falls alike on the spoilers of schools
and on the spoilers OF the Acropolis. The sins
Of the men who strove to condemn the Catho-
lies of Ireland to perpetual ignorance are
visited upon their children.
PREVENTING PoPERY
But to return to the penal laws. The treaty
OF Limerick guaran teed the Catholics freedom
of worship. The world knows how the guar
antee was kept. The same parliament which
prescribed education decreed That all popish
archbishops, bishops, vicars-general. deans,
Jesuits, monks, friais and all other regular
popish clergy, and all papists exercising any
ecclesiastical jurisdiction shall depart this
kingdom before the first day of May, 1893"
II any OF them remained after that day, or
returned, the delinquents were to be trans
ported, and if they returned again to be guilty
OF treason and to suffer accordingly"
law was also passed "to prevent Protest
ants intermarrying with Papists," ard another
declaring, "no Papist shall! be capable TO have
or Keep IN his possession, or in the possession
OF any other, to his use, or at his disposition,
any horse, gelding or mare, OF the value of five
pounds or more" with the usual clauses to in
duce Protestants TO inform, and cause search
to be made for the contraband horses; the
property OF the horses to be vested in the dis
coverer.
One would imagine that the perverted in
genuity OF man could no further go in devils
ing fortunes for a defenseless people. But no.
The beginning of the eighteenth century saw
a long series OF acts ito prevent the further
growth of Popery." Surely Popery must have
been hardy plant to grow in the discourag-
ing environment provided by the Protestants
of Ireland. The following description of the
bill is given by Presbyterian:
The third clause enacts I hat If the son OF q
papist shall at any time become Protestant
his father may not sell or mortgage mis- estate,
or dispose of 1T or any portion of it by will
The fourth clause provides that papist shall
AIOt DC SudTulhI VI HIS OWL Cnllu5 anu IurInST,
that if this child, no matter how young, con-
forms to the Protestant religion, he reduces his
father at once to a tenant for life; the child is
to be taken from its ia ther and placed under
the guardianship OF the nearest Protestant
relative. The sixth clause renders papists in
capable of purchasing any landed estates or
rents or profits arising out of land, or holding
any lease OF lives, or any other lease, for any
term exceeding thereby one year The seventh
clause prohibits papists from succeeding to the
property OF their Protestant relatives. The
10 he ctnf Nf
papist who has no Protestant heir shall be par
celed in equal shares among his children"
Other clauses deprive the citizens OF Limerick
and Galway OF the poor privilege promised
them in the treaty of living in their own towns
and carrying on their trade there, which it
will be remembered was grievously complained
oppression upon them
MORE PROTECTION AGAINST PAPIsTs
Yet these brutal provisions were not consid-
cred sufficient. A second act to prevent the
growth OF Popery was introduced few years
after. This act offered salary of $50 a wear to
all Popish priests who would become Protes-
tants. For the discovery of an Archbishop,
Bishop, Viear-General or other person exercis-
ing ecclesiastical jurisdiction prize of $50
was given. The discovery of any monk or friar
was valued at $50, while detection of g. Popish
schoolmaster or tutor brought f10.
Any, two justices were empowered to sum-
mon before them any Papist over eighteen
years of age and examine him on oath as TO
the time and place he last heard mass, and the
names OF the persons present, as we'll con-
corning the residence of any Papist priest or.
schoolmaster, and in case OF the witness re-
fusing to testify there was penalty OF f2O
or twelve months imprisonment.
l need not say, MIR Editor, that these laws
were strlngently enforced. The trade of priest
hunting became regular occupation. The
four and five. The first offenders were trans
ported, the second offenders hanged. The
laity, robbed OF their property by perpetual
fines, sank into the condition of tenants or
ha f1nh1a Nd
chiefs OF ancient clans, stripped OF their dig
mites and possessions, too poor and too old to
emigrate, became cottiers or serfs under those
who had stolen their lands.
The young and the ambitious fed to France
OF spain, ana on many battlefield OF Europe
of Remember Limerick
THE CAUSE OF IRISH Discomfort.
Irecan these things, Mr.. Editor, not for the
purpose of exciting animosities but for the
purpose of explaining the position of the Irish
Catholics. We have been tainted by the chill
dren OF the men who profited by these laws
with our poverty. 1t is necessary to give the
reason. The wonder is not that Catholics in
Ireland were poor but that they existed at all
No other nation on the face OF the earth went
through such tribulation. Never was people
so prosecuted and for SO long time, and never
dld race Dear up SO nobly. In spite of law
and priest-hunter and scaffold it clung to the
faith.
Is it any wonder that Catholicity is knit in to
our very bones? In spite OF robbery aud con-
/
spite OF fines and imprisonment the torch of
learning was kept alive. And in spite of the
opposition OF the greatest empire of the world
man Of that race reused his people to action,
and by their own endeavors, without foreign
help or external influence, wrung from Eng
land the reluctant measure of Catholic eman-
cipation.
sTRANGLING INDUSTRY.
But the wrongs of Ireland we've not wholly
religious wrongs. While the leaders OF the
Protestant ascendency were tyrannizing over
their Catholic fellowcitizens England was
tyrann1zlng over the Protestant ascendency
Indeed, the exceeding savageness of the Irish
penal laws arises from the fact that they were
made by slaves to torture slaves.
During the reign of Charles II Ireland was
excluded from the benefits of the navigation
act and her shipping interests were ruined
In 1866 the importation of Irish cattle into
England WAS forbidden. Even dead meat but
ter and cheese were excluded from the British
market. Driven by these measures into sheep
raising the Irish graziers produced the best
wool in Europe. Considerable progress was
made in the manufacture of wooden cloths
and in many cases the Irish article was sold
cheaper than the English.
This was intolerable. The two houses of the
British Parliament addressed King William
and urged him to find some remedy for the