The Irish standard., 1899-01-21
THE BISHOP OF HAVANA.
He Refute. the ,,,, SANDER of . 1y,n.
SectReiau Enemy.

tial man knows at pnce that the absurd
calumnies against Catholics. religious
orders and the church, are base fabri-
cations, says the Church News. Of
Washington, D. G. :, The foreigner who
has good common sense would know
that cablegram stating that the
United States government wished to es-
tablish a monarchy, here was false and
unworthy Of the least consideration. No
sensible man would give credence to a
report that the Baptists or Methodists
accepted the doctrines of the Mormons.
And yet men of intelligence profess to
believe the widest and most ridiculous
statements relative to the Catholic
Church. They do not even wait for
confirmation of their vile falsehoods.
but as soon as they are published begin
to discuss them as though they were
true.
Dispatches relating to everything ex-
cept some alleged abuse in the church
are submitted to an individual censor
ship. When the glorious news came of
the destruction of the Spanish fleet at
Manila, we waited it's information
before expressing our joy. In fact, it
was said that the president would not
permit it to be published until he was
satisfied that it was true.
How different it is with the mon
strous falsehoods against the church.
When one of these appears in the sec
ular newspapers many men accept it as
a fact, and can never be persuaded it is
false.
The falsehoods published about the
religious orders in the Philippines have
been denied by those who know what
they are talking about. Still every
few days sees one of these false state
ments published in new form and
generally with the addition of venom
GUS matter.
EA-Prcsident Cleveland recently
struck we'll aimed blow at the authors
Of these falsehoods. He said it might
be necessary to slaughter some of the
misguided inhabitants of our annexed
territory who prefer something differ
ent from the plan for their control
which we propose" He added, "of course
some unprepared souls would then be
lost before we had ethe opportunity Of
Christianizing them, m,Fbut surely those Of
our clergymen who have done so much
to encourage expansion could manage
that difficulty" MI: Cleveland is evil
IDENTIFY persuaded that these clergymen,
who are talking so much about the con-
version Of the people of our new terri
tory, have somethingyin in view beside the
salvation of souls:
The Independent, in its issue of De-
cember, published un article written
from Havana by Bishop w. A. Gambler,
in which the writer said:
The American, churches must not de-
lay to send evangelizing forces here in
great strength ?.tsThere can be no -sorer
need anywhere NOR ripper field. The
joys and sorrows of the people are
driving them away from Romanism--
marriage and death compel them to re-
sent their church.
A priest is a costly servant, and puts
marriage quite beyond the purses Of the
poor. He is equally exorbitant for
funeral rites and burial place. The
bodies of the poor are carried in rented
| coffins on the shoulders of friends and
and then the collins are returned to the
owners. On yesterday, while return
burials were met-one Immediately in
front of the luxurious summer residence
trast. Without, poverty so dire it is
too poor to die; within luxury and
splendor rivaling the voluptuous courts
of the Orient. It was the attrition of
Cuban want and Spanish wantonness,
which struck the spark which made the
explosion of the revolution.
| Recurring to the costliness of burial,
| it is a singular fact that a cemetery is
| useful attachment to missionary
| plant in Havana There is such a
| property held here by the Baptist mis-
sion, which is under the charge Of the
Rev. A. j. DiaZ. l am informed that
it yields an income of several hundred
dollars month from the sale of lots
! both Catholics and Protestants using it,
because it's prices are within the reach
of the poor. In life and death these
people have been robbed by both their
civil and ecclesiastical rulers.
The Catholic Standard and Times
communicated with the bishop of Ha-
vana relative to the above statement,
and received the following reply:
l received the letter and the article
in which you question what Mr.. G.
atfirms in the Independent. He
says here the poor cannot mar
ry because they have no money
This is not true, for they are dispensed
from paying the, fee. The government
counted on the offerings for marriages,
baptisms and funerals, but the poor
are always dispensed. With regard to
funerals, he says that they carry The
dead on their Shoulders, which is true
but they do this when they wish to
give proof of friendship to the family
The cemetery Of Colon has hearses for
the poor. Morning and evening they
make the rounds of the parishes and