The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-01-31
REV. MADISON c. PETERS.

! W W
What the Baptist Minister Says o
Catholics.
One of the bitterest anti Catholics in
the country is Rev. Madison G. Peters,
formerly Of New York, but now of
Baltimore lie appears to be changing
his opinion of "Romanists," since leav.
ing Gotham. In a recent discourse he
says:
catholics teach us the lesson Of reg
ular and constant attendance upon
public worship. Protcstants 20 when
the weather is just to their liking.
1t is high time that am umbrella was
invented that would protect Protcs-
| tants from the rain on Sunday.
"Who has mot heard early OH Sunday
mornings the tramp, tramp, tramp of
persons, with a hard weeks work be-
hind them and often Il hard days work
before them, while we are yet asleep.
| Fastening to the Catholic church with
prayer book in hand? Have we super
ior intelligence? Have we clearer ap-
prelcnsirns of the truth? What benz
tit to us il we are unfaithful. but how
fearful the responsibility.
''Fhc Catholic puts his church first.
Seek to employ a Catholic. his first i'll
| lulry is whether there is Il church
handy There may bp Pro .e;tant.
with whom that is the first question,
but they are not numerous to count
for much
catholics 20 to church to Worship;
Professionals to hear an eloquent preach
or. At the appointed hour for service
the congregation. instead of being In
seats to join i'm the devotional part of
the service. begins to gather. and by
sermon time the supposed worshippcrs
are in their pcws. The devotional clr-
ment in too many of our churches is
lost sight of. The sermon is every
thing. II that is not great, eloquent,
magnificent, the pcws are empty. The
Protestant pulpit has become largely
lecture platform. The irrevcrence
In the average Protestant church is
simply shocking. 1t is often the gath
crins place of giggling nonentitics.
Catholics seldom even in their pros
perity turn against their Church.
Would to God our rich Protcstants
were as faithful! The rich Catholic
hesitates not to kneel by the side Of
the poorest. The only real democracy
F., In the world is Catholic church i'm
prayer before God. Professionals have
too keen sense of smell. God never
calls an Intelligent man to associate
with Ignorance or a gentleman to as
sociate with boorishness. or a virtuous
man to associate with vice, but if there
is one place this side Of heaven where
men ought to meet on a common level,
it ought to be in the house of God
in common brotherhood Frustrated in
prayer before common Father.
"Protestants should learn from Cath
olics how to give. Catholics are gen.
orally poor. But behold their church
es! Behold the earnings they lay upon
the altar Of the church! Too many
Protestants never give anything unless
they are squeezed so hard that they
cannot help themselves. When hard
times come they begin retrenchment Mt
the Lords end of their income Any
church finance committee will tell YOU
that most of our church members are
protestants sure enough when it comes
to supporting the church.
"Every Catholic is identified with
some parish. There are thousands of
Professionals in this city whose church
membership is in their trunk or in the
place where they used to live. When
they go to church they 90 around.
They remind me of those matches that
strike only on their box: when you
have the match you haven't the box,
and when you have the box you
haven't the match These Professionals
who live within the bounds of one
church and insist on holding their
membership elsewhere, where they
can rarely or never attend, and conse-
quently avoid supporting any church
what shall we say of them? One
church has the box, the other the