The Irish standard., 1896-07-18
Brann Shows What They Have
Done and Are Still Doing
x <s,sss-sts
IS z in the World.
-. .,.a
He Takes to Task the Dissenting
Brethren for Their Ways e.
+ = - -
that Are Dark.
Ii Catholicism Should Die Other
sects Would Speedily
Follow. ....+.....

momentous conundrums to the sApostle:' -
Don't you think it would be very bad
Tor our country should It become Catholic
Ike Spain or Mexico? Don't you know that
Protestan!sm is synonymous with progress
and Catholicism with retrogression, as ev-
1denced by the fact that all Catholic ma
tons are semibarbarous? Don't you know
That the Catholics in our penitent:aries out
number the convicts belonging to any Pro-
teslant denomination; that the Catholics
priests are kept busy absolving men about
to be hanged? Why should an editor, who
claims to be Protestant, go to the defense
OF the arch enemy of Professionalism, of a
church all whose tendencies are evil? by
their fruits We shall know them''''
think it altogether likely that were the
Catholics in majority we would get con-
siderable tpapacy'' in our po.itics-just as
we now get good deal of Professionalism;
but am frank to confess that do not be-
l.eve it would be so offensively aggressive
SO lniinical to the fundamental principles
upon which this government is founded.
1t would be misfortune should supreme
political power pass into the hands Of any
particular religious cult Were Protest
/. antism united instead of divided into doz-
ems OF warning factions, every free thinker
would be hanged before n:ghtfall. Catholic
priests and Jewish rabbis would be BAN
1shed as public enemies and Bob Ingersoll
given a heroic dose of that purificatory
medicine whose existence he denies.
Every law upon the statute books of the
various American states that intelferes
with religious freedom was placed there by
Protestants, and they would give us more
of the same If they possessed the power.
The American Catholics have never yet
jailed Jew, Seventh Day Adventist or
atheist for refusing to observe the Christ
ian Sabbath-have never made the law an
instrument of persecution or suggested that
it vas the duty OF the police to club people
into paradise. They do not go about with:
4 garbled edition Of the Bible insone hand
and boycott pronunciamento in the other.
Their priests and bishops are not forever
complaining because there's mo God In the
constitution" but devote their energies to
getting Him into the hearts Of the people.
Every attempt to curtail the natural
rights OF the citizen by means of sumptu-.
ary laws-to drag him kicking and perhaps
curs.ng to the throne of grace-receives
far more encouragement from aProtestants
than Catholics. The latter preach Christ
ian temperance, the former spout political
prohibition. In view Of these facts am
unable to figure out that the Pope is more
dangerous to this country than is the A.
p. Ape President. -.I.,. -i'$. y,
Nor have vet learned that Catholicism
Is synonymous with retrogression while
PrOtestantism is the avatar of progress.
There are twice as many Catholics as Pro-
testants in Europe, and that country seems
to keep pace with the procession. France
ho. ,kvr| 0o%1o
yet Paris is the Mecca of all lovers of art
and literature One-th.rd of the popula-
ton of studious Germany is Catholic while
In our own land the "Papists' vastly out
number all the Baptists. Episcopalian and
Presbyterian organizations combined, and
even outcount the seventeen varieties of
Methodists by nearly two and ahaif mill
TONS Spain was more intensely Catholic
when the.dominant power of Europe than
she is today. the Mother Church trans
formed the Mexican Indians intb scivi-.
Tzed nation, while Professionalism was, kill
Ing off those in the United States 18th bay
onehs and booze. Italy, the home of the
Romdn hierarchy. bids fair to regain much
of that power and glory conferred upon her
by the pagans. 7. 5.. I, Y v -; ss.-s. !.
The A. P. Apes would have us believe
that priestcraft and kingcraft are correla,
tfyes-the upper and lower jaws Of a behe-
moth between which liberty IS bruised.
Let us see; France and Mexico and all the
nations of Central and South America are
intensely Catholic and have republican
governments Switzerland the nurse Of
/ liberty, is half Catholic and hassno king
Italy and Spain are Catholic and the
world but watts to see the crown Yield to-
the sovereignty Of the citizen. It was a
) Catholic archbishop who blessed the Eng
lish barons when they went forth to wiring
Magma Charta from King John at Runny-
nede Catholic Ireland will become re-
public the moment she's freed from a Pro-
testant monarch's fetters Those who
imagine that all Catholic countries are
ruled from Rome might correspond with
President Diaz of Mexico-or compare the
relative political power of the dominant
churches in England and France. Even
IA. Italy the Pope could not retain his tenn
poral power. FGs,sH. s's s. 5,S5. 4
4 Ut. is quite true that many criminals
were reared in the Catholic faith and it
Is likewise true that many more are con-
verted to 1t after conviction. As Gen:
sherman think it was he 4said, u It IS
s good church to die in Itgpays par
ticular attention to the poor and to to the
criminal classes, thereby initiating the
example OF Christ, who came not to
work Supga fat salary by coddling the
wealthy Pharisees, but to call sinners to
repentance The fact that a man is to;
,beshanged on the morrow and cannot be
longer depended upon for Peters pence
does not deter the priest. He visits him:l
5inathe prison. cell and tries asI Iit1anf fully
to convert him as a good Baptist tfsxhorter
No,tl II do to round up a RcckefANer Hell
ii him to the 2allOWys to soOthe