Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-01-23


fore God or man, or absolyed Of this
declaration or any part thereof, al
though the Pope, or any other person
or persons, or power whatsoever,
should dispense win or annul the same
OF declare that 1t was null and void
from the beginning"
The first British sovereign TO make
this humillatlng declaration was Queen
Anne, on the A3rd of April, 1702. 1t
has been repeated since by George ]
IL, Ill, Nv, and by William Nv.
1t was taken on the Goth of Novem.
Der, 1887, at the opening Of her first
Parliament, by Queen Victoria. In the
Mirror of Parliament" (vol 1, page
~, this event is thus described:
'Soon after two o'clock, Her Majesty
came down to the House attended by
the great officers of State, In the usual
manner, and with the accustomed
ceremony; and having ascended the
throne, and desired their lordships to
he seated, the Gentleman Usher Of the
Black Rod was instructed to COM
nlaDd the attendance OF the Commons
NJ hur - On tt,ntp
arrival, Her Majesty made and sub
scribed the declaration against tran.
substantiation pursuant to the Bill of
Rights"
Another authority declares that
"When the Queen had ascended the
throne In the House of Lords she di-
rected the Lord Chancellor to read the
declaration against transubstantlation
which she repeated after His Lordship
sentence by sentence, very articulately,
and with much feeling and solemnity.'
1t has remained the marvel Of the
world that a nation claiming to be the
leader Of civilization and progress
should tolerate law that obliged its
sovereigns to thus brand large, In,
tensely loyal and unoffendlng portion
Of her constituents as 'supersttious
aud idolntrous,"
Prior to the enactment Of the fore
going act by Parliament. ithad been de-
clared that 10 person who could not
subscribe to the Test Oath should be
permitted TO hold any civil of military
Office. and later the Test Oath was
made to apply to membership in
both Houses of Parliament II
was finally made obligatory
upon the sovereign, by authority
of the act OF 1850 Not until July %
1857, did Parliament remove from nj
British subjects the obligation 80 sub
scribe TO the Test Oath. Hencefortl
no British subject would be required
to declare Roman Catholic doctrines
to be "idolatrous and superstitlous,
or forfeit his right to hold office under
tho government. 1t remained alone
the obligation of the sovereign to tak'
the oath,
There has been much unavailing agl
, tation during Yictorla's reign, joine,
alike by Cathol,cs and liberal Protes
tants, for the repeal of this Declara
ton as an OBJ. cation upon the soy
erelgn.
Hut none has pillorled the Declare
D tion with greater force or eloquenc
than Or. NJ. +. Fallon, o. NJ. l., ID. D.
Y In recent address to an assembly o
prominent Canadian officials and eli
. izens at the University of Ottawa II
, part he said;
"Unless this Declaration is abolish
/ cd, let me picture for you whnt wi
}, happen ut the next coronation. Gath
/. cred around the new King will b
!, representatives from all parts of th
| ompirer.-hom the British Isles, fror
4 Asia aud Africa, from Australia an
y from the British possessions of Amel
( lea, Men OF every color and race an
d speech. of every shade of religiou
/, opinion, win be present on that m'
/, nentous occasion to offer the tribut
II OF their loyalty and the assurance 9
y their affection TO the newly-crowne
70 monarch, And from the lips OF III
10 sovereign shall come no word of n
d proach or rebuke for the followers {
Ie Buddha and orahma, for the wo
ID shippers Of Vishnu and silva, for II
4. Kafiirs or the Bushmen the Hotter
{, tots, the zulus or tho disciples {