The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-02-02

self unfortunate that your reporter. listening
TO my words of last night, should have gone
away with a wrong impression. The language
he attributes to me in his report of my lecture,
curiously headed Treason in the Pulpit"
represents neither the letter nor the spirit of my
words. In SO tar as he attributes to me an at
tack ON the Roman Catholic Church would
natiy contradict him, and l will be supported
py every member OF the numerous audience,
Jew ana Christian. that did me the honor to
listen to me.
| refuse TO be drawn into controversy,
which, TO my mind, can determine nothing,
and in view of the work l hope to do during
tne ensuing four weeks, deprecate the suspi-
clon thus cast upon my attitude in the matter
OF churcn and state" by the dangerous Ian
guage your reporter puts in my mouth. The
pest can do, at present, to convince your
readers OF my attitude, is to quote from my
manuscript, and will simply add that this
manuscript line upon line, without alteration
or correction, will be presented next Friday
morning In my paper Emanuel. But first
let me quote your reporter:
Ihere is among us body of believers, claiming
10 pc true and patriotic citizens, while recognizing
and obeying foreign spiritual power What can
we think Of such system? only this: the tribute
vowed to pay to its distant sovereign must detr ct
from their featy to the constitution Of our country
and make them less perfect citizens.
Nothing that has been said In the recent
controversy between Father Yorke and num-
Der OF other citizens approaches the above lam
guage IN viciousness. am simply incapable
VI uttcTduCS. Ii IS out OF HARMONY
with my well-known attitude toward all re.
hgion, and it contradicts the sentiments
to which time and again I have given
publicity. Had your reporter followed my
suggestion he would have gone home
with me to make an abstract from
my manuscript. But he preferred to rely on
his notes." and the result is that am placed
before the Catholic community in the attitude
OF questioning their patriotism. Let lis see
whether my manuscript bears out that charge.
l began as follows:
stTha Oit in
ing out OF the organization of a society that
seeks to impose a religious test upon voters or
ofnee-holders, is calculated to destroy the
faith of hundreds of thousands of citizens in
the integrity of the constitution of the United
States. The founders of that society appear to
base their agitation upon the supposed aggres-
slYeneSS OF hierarchical institution that is
accused OF holding the spiritual power from
which it derives its existence superior to the
CIVIL compact under which the nation pro-
ceeds, and of gradually absor bling the ele-
ments of power, which would enable a strong
majority to Cypress a weak minority. 1t is not
necessary for the purposes to which we shall
devote the ensuing evenings to investigate
that extravagant claim, nor can it be profit
able to arraign this new organization for the
stirring up of hatred and for resuscitating the
worst elements of controversy that divide a
nation and drag it to the brink of civil war.
Denunciation at this time would add fuel to a
IRE already burning too fercely."
In speaking OF perse cution used the follow
Ing language:
SIN one particular direction the influence of
the church in the state created factor which,
from our point OF view, though we consider
this matter in broad, liberal spirit, with fair
ness and without bias. cannot he construed as
anything but deleterious. That factor is per-
secutlon-an expression OF clerical ATTEMPT to
control conscience, or an expression of clerical
wrath because of its inability to dominate
dissenting minority. 1t would be.sheer
nonsense to attribute that unfortunate capa-
city Tor prosecuting minorities 10 the Roman
church alone. England S history tells of Cath
onc martyrs; the story OF the New England
sects tells OF nonconformist bigotry and intol-
erance. / doubt whether Jewish uni
versal church would be more merciful than
any other. 1t seems to be an inherent fault.
Let us thank God its strength is exhausted
The following, is verbatim ct liJeratim, the
conclusion of my "Treason in the Pulpit;
1.-THE nature of the union entered into by the
colonies was OF purely civil, political and
commercial character. Religion, as determi-
native policy, did not enter into this alliance.
The princes of the church or the ministers of
the gospel seem to have thoroughly understood
this great principle, that the theory of SELF
government for once and all reduces the
church to moral and educational function,
subject TO all the laws created and enacted by
the consent of the people. This principle was
fully understood by the Roman Catholic abbes,
who sat on the benches of the constituent as
sembly of France after the reinforcement Of
the American churchmen who helped to for
mulate the principles on which the
constitution rests. Under the provisions
OF that instrument, notably its first
can never be disturbed by any church. Under
the benign operations of that compact no
church can assert its superiority over any
other, except in so far as it teaches its own
doctrine within the precincts of Its schools and
meeting houses, where the rights of free
speech. renders it competent to formulate and
promulgate its received doctrines and Its plan
of salvation. l do not believe that any intelli-
gent citizen of our country holds his church or
its authorities superior to the great instrument
that controls 100000 of people. 1 do not
believe that any church seeks to aggrandize
itself at the expense OF the great civil COM
pact.
1t is high time we understood that loyalty
in our country has new and more powerful
meaning. The Roman church may retain its
aristocratic FORMS yet its spirit in every coun-
try conforms to the popular institutions 1t
finds there. 1t is, in our country, like all
other churches, moral agency, subject to
every provision of the moral and civil CON-
pact entered into by the States. 1t possesses
the right of every moral agency that conforms
TO the laws of the commonwealth. Its right to
educate its children is constitutional. Its
right to assemble peacefully and promulgate
its traditions, its doctrines and its theology is
constitutional Its right of conscience is con-
stitutional. To arraign it now for the
in other countries, an attitude result
ing from its alliance with temporal
power, is the expression of q fear that
the constitution of the United States, of the
princes of the church are worth nothing in de-
termining the mutual relations of the units
that compose TINS great Natlon Such non
sense is hardly worth considering were it not
unfortunately the fact that manly people can
be befooled by the rantings of political conspir-
atoIs. That is the bane and the curse of the
period. < - If the Roman church has
spoken truly, OF which there can be no doubt,
it conforms to the opinion of the relations of
church and state have here briefly expressed;
let other sects beware lest they generate the
suspicion that they, not their presumed foes,
design to overthrow the peace of the country"
How do these words harmonic with your
reporters Treason in the Pulpit? Obediently
yours, JACOB VooRsANGER.