The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-06-16
People of Adjoining Republic
are Roman Catholics.
AMERICANS ARE MOSTLY AGNOSTICS
Should Look After Salvation of
His Own Countrymen.

The following letter from C. C. Cope
land, of Libcrtyville, ILL.,, was sent for
publication to the Chicago Tribune and
refused insertion by that Anglo-Ameri-
can journal:
One of your constant readers, know
ing that have for several years been
acquainted with the Mcxicans of Ari-
zona and New Mexico and that visited
old Mexico last winter. sends me your
paper of the 18th and 10Th Of May, con-
tanning an interview with Bishop Nc
Laren and reply by Methodist min
lister, Rev. John w. Butler. My friend
asks me to read them and write a COM
ment on them.
The bishop takes broad, intelligent
view Of the whole matter, and I can
only find fault with him when he says,
There is a small body made up OF the
more intelligent people i'll that land who
have foresworn the Papacy, and they
ought to be looked after" From what
could learn when there, it was not
from the "morc intelligent" that the
Small body" who had "foresworn the
Papacy" came.
I fear that the bishops measure of
intelligence is that adopted by the Ame-
ricans from the English, and being in
tcrprctcd by them means, "Put money
in thy purse; and by whom would he
have them looked "aftcr"? One would
infer that he considered the Catholic
church proper guardian for the unin-
telligent who have forcsworn the Pa
pacy' maybe he would have the Epis-
copal church do that? This reminds me
OF a remark heard made when l was
child by the leading lorscman of the
little puritan village in which I was
reared, He said he was an Episcopalian
because that church was respectable and
had nothing to do with politics or re-
ligion.
The Catholic church has always cared
for the intelligent and ignorant, and al
ways will in matters of faith and morals.
1t will "feed my sheep and feed my
lambs"
The Rev. Mr. Butler writes just like
a Protestant missionary in foreign lands.
I read years ago Marshalps Missions,
history of the Protestant missions in
foreign lands for fifty years, in two
large volumes, by an honest, able Eng
| lishman. If one hundrcdth part OF the
reports made by Protestant missiona-
ries, now on file among the records of
the good foreign missionary societies
in London, were true, the whole world
would long since have been converted
to Professionalism.
Rev. Mr.. Buffers statements remind
me Of them. l have read other reports
Of missionaries to Mexico during the
past twenty years. Where are the
fruits? You cannot find them in Mex
leo. They are only in the reports.
They are like the gold and silver in
mines; they are generally found only
in the reports.
There are few small congregations
of simple people here and there. who
come and go and change, brought to-
gether by curiosity and the attractions
offered by the missionaries, but am
candidly informed that when any OF
those people become sick or are about
to die they almost invariably send for
the priest.
You may make good infdels out OF
Italians or Spaniards or Mexicans, bu,
you cannot make them sincere Protes-
tants. You might as we'll send the
same men and women to Russia to
teach the Russians the Russian Ian
guage as to send them to Mexico to
teach the Mexicans Christianity. You
can amuse a very few of them for a
little while, and tell them there is All
easier way to heaven than that taught
by the Catholic church, but they soon
discover that you are teaching them to-
protest against the true church.
How ridiculous it seems to send
Americans to teach Christianity to
Christian people! The Italians, Span
ialds and Mexicans are Christians, al
most all-or profess to be-members
OF the church Christ himself established,
and the Americans are now mostly ag-
nostic
How many Americans say once day
the prayer Christ commanded them to
say, or how many of them can repeat
the ten commandments He gave? One