The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-02-13
Vile Accusations of a Man Who
Says He Was Raised
Catholic.
Father Brannan Takes Him in
Hand and Gives Him Whole
Some Lesson.
khows What Wonderful Work Has
Been Done by Devout Men,
bers of the Church..

The following communication was
sent by one Ben Williamson to Brann OF
the Iconoclast which the latter turned
over to Father Brannan of Weatherford,
Texas, to answer:
Cincinnati, Dec 13, '96.
DEAR BRANN: I am no A. P. a.,
but was raised Catholic and now
more about Catholicism than you ever
will know. If you admire Jusuits and
nuns, why don't you become believer
in the infallibility of the Pope? Six
Popes issued bulls against witchcraft,
whereby they became the real 1nstigat-
ors of Witchcraft-persecu that
caused the torture and burning alive OF
hundreds of thousands of innocent peo-
pie. Those bulls were EEK cathedra"
documents, hence they contained infal-
lible truths This is Catholic doctrine.
You don't know much about nuns. They
20 into converts because they can't get
married: or because they are too cow
ardly to fight the battle of life, to strug-
gle for existence. You admire nuns be-
cause they are nurses in hospitals, etc.
Don't you know that thousands are wait
ing for place (like "a nurse) in hos
tai, or anywhere else? If you would not
be Papal hireling, you would knowing
and write that Catholic nuns build hos
pitfalls and orphan asylums only because
they can beg for money easier; thereby
feeding and enriching themselves and
priests and bishops and Popes. Nuns
are the unhappiest creatures after the
first few years OF enthusiasm have pass
ed away. l may also mention the fact
that no girl without money is admitted
into a convent. There yosssee the fin
ger Of Rome--money! A convent is a
real penitentiary; gloom and despair the
lot of most victims. Don't you know
that the most effective and destructive
enemies Of Popery and priestcraft were
raised and educated in Catholicism?
Voltaire was educated by Jes,lits; Theo.
Parker was Catholic; Luther and Bru-
no were nonks;, Napolean was Catho-
lic, and abolished the Spanish Inquisi-
tion and played ball with the Pope; Jo-
seph II of Austria, aCatholic, confiscated
the property of converts and churches;
Sc did Catholic Bavaria. Munich, Ca
tholic city. sent two socialists to Parlia-
ment In Berlin fer many years past
German Parliament-Reichst So
cialists. though, are materialists, inf
dels, glorious atheists because they be-
lieve in humanity, not gods. Where,
now, is your Gibraltar of Catholicism?
Where was your Gibraltar of the Cathol-
ic church in the First French Revolution
when priests were killed by the hun
dreds like mad dogs?
BEN WILLIAMSON.
The letter Of Mr.. Williamson has been
submitted to me by the editor of the
Iconociast, With the request that | an
swer it, TO answer him fully would oc-
,cupy too much space in the Iconoclast,
which can be used more proftably.
He says six Popes issued bulls against
witchcraft, etc, Which We're the six
Pores and the dates of their issuance?
This man 50 hates the Popes that he
mentions no one else in connection with
witchcraft. The idea is implied that
Protestants ignored the subject COM
pletely. The belief was thoroughly cur
rent In Protestant England, which is in
dicated in many works of dramatists,
In the Elizabethan era, including the
great Shakespeare himself, who, how
ever was not Protestant. 1t was
very ancient thing, and chapter of the
code of Justinian deals exclusively with
the subject. 1t is mentioned in both
4 the Old and New .restaments. In the
Old Testament 1t is mentioned in Sam.
Is c., %; 2Chron, 80 c., 6, Exodus, % c.,
Island several other places; and by St.
1 Paul III Galatians, 5 c., 20.
It was an indictable offense at COM
mon law, and maze felony by an act
OF Henry via. In the time of Eliza
beth tnot aCatholicy it was made a felo-
ny without benefit of clergy and pun
ished by death. So great a lawyer as
Sir Mathew Hale, believed in it. Sell
4 den, Coke and Bacon, all eminent law
& yers, believed in it, and Mi. Blackstone,
!. said that it's elimination from the cate
& CORY Of crimes was not to be taken as a
\ negative Of the possibility, Of such an
offense, though he would not give credit
my particular modern instance. Even
81 81 luther, favofabl5 alluded to BY Mr.. VIII
y sltalnson, believed II Witchcraft. So also
ftfhe ,rotestant l'ai'itans OF New Eng
the Y. s The devil. of whose,
& q no llol,s