The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-09-10
OPPOSED1TOK.OFC C.
False Reports of the Knights
Of Columbus Said to
Have Been Sent
to Rome.
MAY BE DISBANDED
What Local Deputies Say
of the Possibility OF
Trouble.
MAY BE DISBANDED

The New York "Sun," this morning,
prints story which has its origin in the
Catholic Transcript of Hartford. Conn.,,
regarding an effort that has been made "a
discredit the knights of Columbus before
the Church authorities OF Rome. This or
ganization is powerful one, having 5000
members in this country. 1t Is a secret
society. yet the ritual of the order is said
to be such that the church can have ne
particular objection to it.
1t is objected against the society that It
forces the young priests who join it to
subject themselves to the common dis
cipline, renouncing all distinctions, obey
ing lay ehieftains-in word. leaving their
sacerdotaI character at the door" The
authorities at Rome. it is declared, have
already been informed that the society Is
new danger which menaces the Church.
and it is said they have ite dissolution
under advisement.
District Deputy James ]. Hopkins, OF
District No. L which embraces this city.
stated this morning to a reporter OF
''The News" that he believes there was
absolutely no truth in the runor. He
added that he would certainly have heard
o feffort to dlscredit the society II such
had been made. Mr.. Hopkins sal that
while the Organization was secrets its
constitution was so worded that the
church could have no objection. Grand
Knight Cahill, of Conception Order No
4S2, said that the story was rather wild
and that the church could not find any
good grounds for the alleged objections
to the order.
''The organization is an order OF Catho-
lies" said Mr.. Cahil, mot a Catholic or
ganization. The order is not part of
the Church, neither does it interfere in
any way with the Church. The majority
of the members simply enter for the so-
cial side of the order and some affiliate
themselves for the insurance fund. have
not heard of the objections and am in
clined to believe the story false"
The Hartford Catholic Transcript"
| says
There is very little of truth IN the
| charges brought against this great and
as yet splendidly Catholic society. It can
be stated without fear Of contradiction
that the clergymen who join its ranks -x4
never forced to do so at the cost Of
priestly dignity. On the contrary they
are always an deverywhere treated with
respect due to their calling. They are
welcomed as priests, and ever enjoy the
immunity due to their sacred character.
But those who are interested in aspersing
the order have no interest in abiding by
! the terms of the truth. The aim is to
| discredit the Knights in the very spot
where they can least afford to be ira
| duced. When false data are sent to Rome
the yare bound to create bad impress
sion, especially when no contradiction
follows.
Nor is this to be wondered at. The his
tory of those societies which were once
| most obedient and most helpful to the
Church is not an encouraging one 1t is
known to those who preside over the des-
TIMES of the Catholic religion that history
will not be allowed to repeat itself. Re-
membering the past, it is not without ap-
prehension that the ecelesiastics Of Rome
will learn that there is growing up in
America a vast organization which seems
destined to number in its ranks the flower
of the aCtholie youth of every State and
town in the land, and that this great
society, even in the first days of It's
strength, is discovering proclivities which
have already been fruitful of disaster and
loss of faith. The effect of such charges
no matter how unfounded, will be bad If
no rebuttai is entered the effect may well
prove disastrous"