The Irish standard., 1902-05-17
The Rev. DR.. M'Ginnis of Brooklyn Refutes
the Historical Falsehoods
in His Discourse.
Gives the Words of James Anthony Froude
Anent the Purity Existing
in Catholic Erin.

Not long since in the City of Brook
lyn. Protestant divine named Rev.
DR.. Dean Richmond Babbitt delivered
discourse in which he said among
other things:
''From the standpoint of truth and
purity the Protestant systems are in
comparably superior. and have been
the shapers Of modern civilization. the
generators Of modern ideals. the sup
port Of modern governments and the
protector of the individual rights of
man. Wherever the shadow of the
Papacy has fallen. human liberty has
withered. l say this as q simple his
toric fact. 1t is profoundly regrettable
that the Council of Trent padlocked the
Roman Catholic conscience and palsied
the Roman Catholic reason so that the
great cosmic air of three centuries has
not yet thoroughly vitalized that i'm
mense body of 2O0OOO.OOO devout
Christians
The Rev. w. +. McGinnis. d. D.. of
Brooklyn. the secretary of the Inter-
national Catholic Truth Society, ad-
dressed THE following open letter to
Rev. DR.. Babbitt. to which no reply
has vet been made:
eff some of the sermons printed in
our Monday evening papers be typical
of the spiritual pabulum offered to
Protestant congregations, it is not diff
cult to understand why the ministers
are obliged so frequently to discuss
the all-important problem: why don't
people go to church?' 1t is a long time
since 1 have read sermon or lecture so
inaccurate. so utterly destitute of logic
and so contrary to the friendly spirit
as that delivered last Sunday night by
the Rev. DR.. Babbitt of the Church of
the Epiphany. He has chosen to en-
Tighten his people in a course of four
sermons OH THE Distinctive Messages
of Catholicism and Professionalism to the
Age More than once he assured them
of his desire to treat the delicate sub
iect. in spirit of fairness and kindly
feeling. Permit me. then. reverend
sir. to remark that if the report in
The Citizen be fairly correct. you have
failed cnmpletely-yourself must de-
eide whether the failure he due to
complete evaporation of the friendly
feeling ere five sentences were uttered:
or. as fear, to profound ignorance
of the philosophy and history of the
Catholic Church. You say you hold
no rabid preiudices: you wish well to
your Roman Catholic brethren.' ETC.:
vet You say the distinctive Message
their Church brings to the age is that
human liberty must be crushed out
by that Church. which. YOU say. has
padlOcked the Roman Catholic con-
science and palsied the Roman Cath
clic reason ...
"Nany thanks. reverend sir. for this
description of that glorious church
which palsied' the reason of Rossnct.
Sir Thomas More. Montalembert La
cordaire. Chateaubrilnd. pastcur
ROentgen. De Rossi. Newman. Man
ming. Orestes a. RrownsOn: which
put a paddock on the conscience of ST.
Philip Ner. st. Francis Xavier. ST.
Francis de Sales. st. Paul of the Cross.
st. Vincent de Paul Don BoscO and
Father Damien. Were the reverend
gentleman to combine in himself some
of the reason and conscience of these
chosen children of God, his language
would be more scholarly and truthful.
''The day has gone by when intelli-
gent people will accept such nonsense;
the average man of intelligence to-day
outside the Catholic Church believes
that his Catholic neighbor in similar
circumstances has Just about as much
reason as himself and quite as much
conscience. Indeed. if the reverend
gentleman desires, I am prepared to
show by authoritative statistics that
one of the most Catholic countries In
THE world to-day. Ireland. is the most
chaste. and one of the most Protestant
countries. Sweden. is the lowest in the