Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-09

hardly ask us to accept as evidence in his
favor the clap-trap in which foreign
newspaper editors and orators at Ferrer
meetings have INDUCED without ever TAX
ing the pains to verify their statements
by drawing upon reliable resources of in
formation. The threadbare commonplace
of IAN illiterate, superstitious" Spain at
forded too inviting mouthful to be omit
ted. II mattered little that Ii Is a
SANDER upon one of the noblest races.
and one to which we, as Americans, are
under great debt. Spain's real crime Is
that she Is Catholic, and that Is why she
must not be heard in her own defense.
Ii IL were question of a Protestant coun-
try We should not think of going for re-
liable information to the testimony or
her sworn enemies, but when ii is Ques-
ton of what a Catholic government does
In Catholic Spain, then We must needs de-
pend upon the slandsrous statements or
hostile press. We must take our cue from
French anarchists and socialists and free
thinkers, who are still smarting under the
blow they received few years ago when
the Spaniards rose up almost EN- masse
and refused to permit them to perpetrate
against the Church of Spain the inquiry
they have perpetrated in France.
Ferrer was an anarchist dyed in the
wool. To sympathize with him is to SYM
pathize with anarchism in its most blatant
form. To arraign the Spanish govern
ment for doing what any sane govern
ment would do a hundred times over in
similar cases is to call out upon law and
justice and civilized society itself. To say
that his modern school" was after the
same pattern as the schools Of Washing
ton, or TO imply that such schools would
be tolerated i'm our midst, Is to insult the
moral sense of our people. They who are
lavish Of their sympathy toward cow
ardly traitor who took occasion of for
eign war in which his country was in
volved to aim at her murderous blow
are simply doing their part to promote
the spread Of those utterly destructive
principles to which he was welded all
his life. They are sowing the wind and
will reap the whirlwind.
1t is not Catholics alone who have sought
in ormation regarding Ferrer's execution
at the proper sources and have refused
to swallow the lies, emanating from
France and England. whose purpose was
to vilfy the Spanish conservative gov
eminent and to glorify this champion of
irreligion and anarchy. Only a few days
ago a professor of Yale University spoke
up in defense of Spain, and yesterday one
Of our leading daiiies published an article
in which the Temps. the great Protestant
paper of Paris, attributes to Ferrer YER
batim the very doctrines ascribed to him
by our Catholic press.
1t is not easy to catch the purport OF
Mr.. Kinks concluding passage. 1t looks
like a yelled attempt to excuse the an
archist's open intolerance Of patriotism
by the supposed attitude Of the loyal
Catholic on this subject. Needless to OBJ
serve, there is the widest difference
Imaginable. No doubt the Catholic puts
his duty to God above his duty to coun-
try, parents or anything else. but then 1t
is only in an infidel, anarchistic state that
the conflict between God and country ever
could occur and the Catholic who
breathes the true spirit of devotion to his
church is ready to make every sacrifice
for his country. and, If need be, TO pour
out his lifeblood i'm her defense. The
anarchist, on the contrary, who has i'm
bibcd the teaching of such men as Ferrer
or his French and German prototypes
holds patriotism up to execratiOn and has
nothing but derision for the country's
flag The Catholic Church will ever be
the bulwark Of freedom because she
maintains uncompromisingly those prin-
ciples Of justice which are the foundation
upon which human society is built, and
without which might would quickly pre-
vail over right: and mems passions would
degrade them to the level OF the brute.
r. v. OCONNELL.