The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1909-01-16
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
The Chief is rot responsible for the
views expressed by correspondents.
Society Of the Holy Spirit.

ceneaux. I 1.-THE latter) am in receipt
of a letter from ''Where am at Wat
son." We will favor the 'sSociety"
with Mr.. Watson's interview, which
reads as follows:
THOMPSON, GA, JAN. 8, 1909.
: Mr.. j. F. ARcENEAUx, Brittany, La.
nMy Dear Sir:-The good Catholic
who answers your statements in the
newspapers and signs himself Society
of the Holy Spirit proves that one
may wear very religious name and
yet have most unchristian tempera-
ment. In effect, he seeks to discredit
my historical statements by reference
to the well known fact that | am q
Populist who, having the courage of
his convictions, is willing to stand
with hopeless minority. Ii it be a
crime to have this sort of fortitude,
and if being in the minority puts one
in the wrong of itself, then Christ and
his disciples would have been swept
away by puff OF ridicule and con-
tempt, for they were not only in a
hopeless minority at the time He was
on earth, but the Christian church is
in minority today, just as it has been
for nineteen hundred years. Ii the
gentleman who signs himself Society
of the Holy Spirit has such scorn
for minorities, and such q cowardly
admiration for majorities, he ought,
by all means, to leave the Catholic
church. It this gentleman with the
pious name knows nothing more about
the massacre of St. Bartholomew than
he does about my own record, he is
not fit to discuss any kind of question
in any kind of form whatever. He al
ludes to me as Where am I at Wat
son. If this means anything but mere
scurrillity, it means that the modest
follower of the meek and lowly Jesus
who signs himself Society of the Holy
Spirit actually believes that [ was
the intoxicated member of congress
who lost the thread of his discourse on
the floor of the house and inquired of
the presiding officer, Mr.. Speaker,
where was I at?' Every well-informed
person in this Union knows that I was
not the person who used that famous
expression. The gentleman who did
make use of it was the Hon. lanes E.
Cobb, of Alabama, and my connection
with the phrase was that of the his
torian and satirist who preserved it.
GAS to the massacre of ST. Barthol-
omew, this gentle disciple of Christ,
who signs himself Society of the Holy
Spirit, seems to think be demolishes
my position by showing that the Papal
Representatives at the French court
made a report to His Holiness, the
Pope of Rome, stating that the butch
cry grew out Of the failure of the Queen
Regent to have Admiral Coligny shot
dead in the streets. She did have him
shot down like a dog, but the wound
was not mortal Your opponent says
that because the depreciation of this
dastardly outrage fred the natural in
dignation of the Protestants, they 1.-THE
Catholics began the butchery which
is known to history as the Massacre of
St. Bartholomew.
"Mr. Society of the Holy Spirit
argues that the Court of Rome had no
knowledge that such thing was con.
and that it was purely
local and almost accidental occurrence.
Suppose you ask him why it was,
then, that the massacre, evenIin Paris;
showed such unmistakable evidence of
previous design and careful prepara-
ton?
"Why did the bells of the Catholic
churches in Paris peal forth from their
towers the signal for the mass acre; and
why was it that Immediately after the
ominous tones of deep-mouthed bells
had resounded Throughout the entire
limits of Paris, the murderers stimuli
taneously began their bloody work?
"Whywas itthatthe priests of Paris,
cruciix in one hand and sword in the
other, ran through the streets, adding
to the thirst for slaughter, melting
with all of their holy influence the
maddened fanatics who were Staying
with guns, Staying with pistols, slay,
ing with swords and spears and dag
gers and clubs and stones?
"Why was it that this high tide of
religious bigotry and assassination
ran throughout the whole kingdom of
and that in nearly every one
of her cities similar scenes as tn at in
Paris made shambles of the streets?
"Why was it that the attitude of the
Holy Pope at Rome was that of ex-
pectation, and why was it that imme-
diately upon receipt of the news of this
CHASTITY series of massacres, the bells
OF all the Catholic churches through
out Rome pealed forth their Joy. Why
was it that solemn PROFESSIONS wendell
their way to the churches ard great
exultant Te Deums we're sung?
"Why was it that the representative
of Christ on earth, the Holy Pope at
Rome, was in such state of ecstacy
upon receiving the news of this mon
strous crime that he ordered the can
non of the Fort OF St. Angelo fred,
and gave Rome over TO joyous demon
strations of glee?
nAs to the dignity, value and aecu-
racy Of my historical works, Twill con.
tent myself by saying that both in
America and on the Continent they are
ancanted as standard authorities hH