Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1908-02-27
SOCIALISM AND ANARCHY.
Theme of Sermon at the Funeral
of Father Leo. 80

or Father Leo. sri
Denver, Feb. 26.-With the solem
nifty and reverence due TO his holy
position and spotless character, the
1 body of Rev. Father Leo Heinrich TAX
en- from st. Elizabeths church to the
union station, where it was placed
aboard a Burlington train to be for
warded to Paterson, N. J., where the
! Franciscan fathers have American
{ headquarters. The funeral procession
was a notable one and witnessed BY
/ thousands who stood bareheaded as
! the cortege passed. The parade was
/ led by squad of police, and com
/ pany of knights of St John, In full
uniform and with drawn swords, act
( ed as a guard of honor. Knights OF
/ Columbus and Representatives of nu
merous Catholic societies followed on
foot and a long string of carriages
brought up the rear.
When the services began in the
church at 10 o'clock, every available
seat was filled and crowd of 500
persons waited patiently outside until
the church ceremony was over.
Inside the church were many promi.
nent citizens of Denver. including
Governor Buchtel, and Mayor Speer
Solemn high mass was celebrated and
the service was impressive Rev
Father William Organ delivered the
funeral sermon. He said in part:
That any serman is attempted on
this solemn occasion is not becaus
| of Father Leo, the simply Franciscan
friar, who is dead, nor even because
, of the high offense against the Al.
mighty Father of us all who live, but
because of the society in which we
live and its outraged and loosened
bond of law. Crimes such as that of
last Sunday are assaults on no mere
individual; they are against you and
/ me and all of us. They strike and
wound law and justice in her holy
sanctuary whence breathes the very
life of the civilized state
Father Leo was struck down, the
murderer confesses, because he was a
priest and not for any fancied griev-
ance of imagined injury that the muir
derer had received from him He
never knew the dead priest; he had
never spoken with him; their lives
except in that one dread moment of
blood and sacrilege had never touch
ed Nor did he kill him, as priests
have been killed, in hatred of his
special creed. But the fiend knew
that the priest was some outward
IDI 1ag Of hot ltr
authority by which kings reign and
magistrates execute justice and hui
man law rears itself in awful dignity
and finds its sanction-authority and
goverance of God. And because the
murderer had revolted against Gods
authority, his rebellion went to its
uttermost logical conclusion in action;
he revolted against its presence in the
world of human law and broke It until
il gushed human blood; he reyoted
against its outward symbol. the priest,
and slew him.
THE murderer was logical The
anarchist is never truer 10 his diaboli-
cal principles than when he Stays
Catholic priest and Stays him at the
altar of God. II matters not that the
individual priest possesses little of the
worlds power or goods, nor desires
them for himself; ii matters not even
that he is a follower of that blessed
Franciscan who chose Lady Poverty
for his bride and gave his great love
to the poorest things and the most nm
loved Wherever he is, the Catholic
priest in some great way carries ~
himself that church of authority and
of God and externalizes her to men
He is an officer in that great army
whose tramp has aroused the world
whose discipline is most perfect
whose organization is most minutely
refined: whose banners are forever
set against the enemy of disorder and
anarchy in the heart, in the speech
and in the action of men as opposed
to just human government and d.
vine rule.
Yes. he was logical. He might hate
the ministers of other Christian bodies,
but not with similar hate-the i'm
potent hate that Stays, for they, alas,
are too divided to be dangerous to
him. He might hate a king, for nc
rules; but kings come and go, and
kingly politics have their chances and
changes. But the aCtholic priest is
slain but to live and the Catholic
policy. the Catholic accents of moral
fty are unchanged and interchangeable
as the throne of God He, saw this
at ..ome in Italy, that there is not the
parliament of the king that saves his
crown to him; it is not the army OF
Italy that saves her from the spelling
of the socialist and the red hand OF
the anarchist; though weakened by
many defections, the one strong. CO.
herent. unyielding power is still al
imprisoned Pope and an ill-used
church.
And hence the whole foul brood OF
them, the socialist who breaches and
the anarchist who translates the ser
mon into red deeds, come here hat
ing the church and the priesthood
Here they learn to hate all other
things that are consecrated to us, the
power of our president, the wisdom
of our senator's, the majesty of our
courts and the quiet dignity of our
homes.
Great God, brethren, what are we
doing? OF what are we thinking? 4
great president of our country is slain
by a degenerate who was nerved TO
the deed by socialists and anarchists
vaporings. We read that anarchy has
its seat in New Jersey; that she sits |
in council in New Orleans or Chicago. !
They have propaganda, red press. !
an appeal to reason forsooth we are |