The sun., 1903-11-24
A CATHOLIC DEMAND FOR FREE
SPEECH.
The Position Of "SacerdOs" Heartily
Supported by an Irish Catholic.

Supported by an Irish Catholic.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUH-Sir: have
q word to say to "Sacerdos." and as l take
up my pen. am irresistibly led to liken myself
to that Irishman in the crowded street car
who sat quietly for several minutes after
lady had entered and then rose with bow TO
relinQuish his place and to say: Pardon
my delay. madam; but I wanted to see II
was the only gentleman in the car
For a number Of days now l have peen
waiting to see II ] was the only one moved TO
sympathy by the letter OF "Sacerdos Ihe
result OF my dellberation indicates that the
thousands who must be OF "Sacerdos g way
Of thinking are restrained from the deciars-
tion OF their sentiments by the danger OF In
curing either notoriety or contemptuous
treatment Of their anonymity. III l speak
out openly Il shall be punished; II speak In any
other way / shall be ashamed" Such. am
sure, is the reasoning OF great host lecllhg
as "Sacerdos' feels. but less ready than he
to express their feelings In the only way
possible.
write, I confess. not without sense OF
shame at the thought that cannot safely
express my opinions openly but since the pur-
pose have in view is to recommend the sys-
tematic employment. of public rebuke as a
means of redressing and at least partially
checking ecclesiastical abuses. l must re-
main nameless: for of course. punishment
awaits the man who Is known TO nave pup
llshed thin rs dsa greea BILE to the authorities.
1t Is all very well for Father Livin gston to
emit resounding challenges and to declare
that he enjoys the right OF free speech. Not
one priest from Cape Town to the Yukon
will take him seriously In good faith. no
doubt. but with objectionable rashness, the
reverend gentleman denies the existence OF
edged guide OF ecclesiastical decisions the
world over. Does he imaR that Plus \.
Or any Of his predecessors. or any re%Presenhta % ia
conceded such a right as "Sacerdos" claims:
viz. the right of ar, individual to speak his
free speech is a modern notion in Christendom;
and II is Western notion too. Like every
Kindred notion it will have to, make, it's way
Of the rulers. at the, cost of desperate strug-
giles. These struggles are now on; but the
ent, churchmen have not been willing f
taught by the historians Of democrac ,t,ISs,,,
rathe h his be- offending
/ cannot presume that he intended to favor
convenience at the expense OF truth: 50 i am
with the boundary line, of his own parish;
Let him mount up bit. then, and look arounti
nisde what sS1f %e 1f in sf viii MpT
recognition Of the right Of free speech, Is
tho Congre CATION OF the index. the Master
of the Sacred Palace, the Censor LibroTnmm NJ,
9a Hs hs o hs ted eass 70 h
If he does. only let him WELD his pen for g
space in defence of cause or person froTned
ninth century would be luminous if con-
Se Te s Reads % held Highest
But am forgetting that in his parochial
secluson Father Livingston has small 0p-
portunity to learn about these things. He
has not heard OF. what happens to Romans
Tee ana ns hen tell the
it. He has not noticed the explicit or eauiva-
refusal Of e E. w.eTs dnss nnt a
know that priest In Providence has just now
been removed from the editorship Of the
r"on ason o OF fhen the neshborns 0 archdiocese Of
Boston-a see the condition, Of which Is
whispered scandal through the nation. Nor
has he been told Of the Jesuit author whose
very wonderful work. though approved by
sgpeTcTs praised by learned ssSts
house hou "h' in New YORK was murdered pTenataily
BY the of,lcial censor OF the archdiocese;
heard of I.oisy-Loisy. the man ~ genius.
of P"rs for ao% e is inc
marnscent 'nf 0s arenoe "s sso' OF Thrstsnty
straneled and incontinently damned by
rreate rnH ha9 9 the curious efront cry to advance
this ma gsterial and eplgrammatic explana-
tion: Un frtque ne discute pas, ne refufe
Yes, and that Is the root OF the trouble
Men unable to refute. and unwilling to dis
cuss, are quick to condemn. or course, 1t is
a method sanctioned by precedent and was
once a universal custom: yet 1t stands dis
credited before the modern sense Of justice
and, sooner or later 1t must die. Too many.
fear fondle the illusion that It can last.
that our conscience will remain clean il only
our practice be fashioned after the bar
barous usa ee which a less civilized age than
ours adopted in good faith and passed down
to us az a religious legacy. The revelations
OF the Inquistion's torture chamber should
correct that stupid notion, for they show how
savag ge fnnaticism can blind most pious men
to the elementary principles Of morality
Let ecclesiastics not refuse to rise when the
dnv has already dawned Let the useless
Index Librorum follow the Iron Virgin and
the thmmhscrew into q common tomb. II
is fitting that associated in life. they should
not he parted in death. FREE SPEECH.
p S-As conclude. word comes 70 me that
the Bishop of Rochester has forbidden the
Sacrnment to Catholic girls who study at
Cornell Won't some one tell us II the Bishop
has really done this?
BROOKLYN. Nov. 20.