Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-12-30
That Protest Again.

That Protest Again.
EDITOR JOURNALISTIC writer of
the protest which appeared in the
Journal of December 10Th, wishes the
public correctly to understand the facts
which necessitated the publishing of
his protest. In the first place the
question in controversy is not about
indulgences" at all. Why cite the
definition of indulgences from Myers
or any other history? Every Catholic
agrees with the definition cited. But
what has the practices of indulgences
to do with the forgiveness of sins2
Every Catholic catechism plainly
teaches that no one can gain an in
diligence unless his sins be already re-
mitted beforehand INDUCES pre-
supposes person to be in the state of
grace, i. ie. his sins forgiven. And
mark well from the citation in Myers
History, that indulgences are gained
"by the performance of some work of
mercy or piety, or by the payment of
q sum of money,"-just as person
chooses. Mark again from Myers
History: No priest grants or ever
granted an indulgence. only the "pon-
tiffs;" hence Interested-Pa rty's talk
about indulgences is only casting dust
in the air to hide the real question at
issue. Therefore, back to the question:
The writer accused and here again ac-
cuses a teacher-not the teachers-in
the Extra schools of giving his pupils
to understand that Catholics pay their
priests money in order to have their
sins forgiven! This is the insult which
every Catholic resents as base calum-
ny and defamation. We go further!
We assert that the funny story
about the haystack" told by said
teacher to his pupils when teaching
history "as he finds it," besides being
an insult to common sense and an in
jury to Catholics conveyed the impress
sion to the minds of the pupils that
priests not only forgive sins for money
but that they even give permission
to CONT sins, or in other words, for
give sin before it is committed if they
are paid for it! Now that is /" teaching
history as we find it, is it not! Mel
ther Meyer nor any other reputable
historian ever wrote or even distantly
intimated such vile blasphemy. We
doubt whether even such vile writer
as the disreputable concocter of Maria
Monk" ever spawned worse "history."
therefore the forgipeness of sins
by priests for money is the question
at issue and not the granting of indul-
gences, which has nothing at all to do
with the remission of sin. Ifanyone
wants information on indulgences we
refer them to any Catholic catechism,
or If such is not at hand, go to the
Extra Library and look up the article
on indulgences in "The Faith of Our
/ Fathnrc ~ no ra lO7. o1cp pDto ,,,r.o tO1
showing what the Protestant Church
England says about them: also refer
ence, page 4S5, to what a Methodist
minister says of Vanderbilt's dona-
ton to Methodist church. Of per-
chance some over Jealous A. p. A. NAV
have filched "The Faith of Our Faith.
ers " from the library we are prepared
to furnish another.)
We are panied to be compelled to 60
still step further in our accusations
against said bigoted teacher-not
against the public schools nor against
the teachers in the Extra School. Said
teacher has at various times told others
that he seized every opportunity to
impeach the Catholic church in his
class; that he considered it the duty OF
a public school teacher to warn his
pupils against the Catholic church
that teachers ought to try to Icon.
vert" their Catholic pupils; that
| if it hurt the feelings of Catholic
children to hear these things in
school it did not matter for they had
no business to believe such nonsense
Now, kind reader, just reverse this
thing and suppose this was Catholic
teacher, and instead of Catholic .
you would read Protestant oh
my! what a wailing and bowling
would rent the skies! We would join
in the din and be on hand with oul
protest, for we favor fair play and de
mand equality for all.
AS to the writer being hostile to oul
public schools, it is only necessary tc
state that after spending three years
III a private Protestan school, he made
a six years course in the acknowledged
best public schools of Iowa, and his
six public school teachers he honors
and esteems rs his best friends and
benefactors. In those six years not once
did he hear from any of his teachers
one word against the Catholic or any
other church. That he is a friend anc
not an enemy of our public schools thi!
protest proves, for he certainly knows
of no greater injury to any school thar
silently to permit teacher in snct
school to abuse his position by implant
ing in the minds of his scholars con
tempt and hatred toward any churcl
or denomination. Hence, a person
must be ignorant and consequent,
prejudiced to consider this protes
; an attack on our public schools. Ii
concluding this unpleasant protes
.. which we have felt it our painful bu
certain duty to make, we will quot
,, for the public from State Superinten
! dent Sabin's Hand Book For low
E Teachers: 1895 School Laws of Iowa
Section 1854, Remark 5: "The law in
,, tends that the public schools shall b
absolutely free from any sectarian O
denominational basis" Remark 6: +"
: teacher teaches in the interest of an,
church or denomination the boar
may be prevented from continuing Q
: sanctioning such instruction by in
r junction from the courts, and havin
| ordered, countenanced or allowed sue
) instruction, may be prevented in tn
e same manner from paying such teach
! err from the public school funds"
: PROTESTING CATHOLIC.