The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-02-23
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Editor West virginlan: ;;s8f5 .lty
Dear slr-Although our friend, Fath.
Ter Boutlou. appears TO think all at
ltempts to turn US from the error Of
cur way is In vain, and that we have
gone SO far from the advice and ad.
monition often promulgated with
ineasuresless molesty by perfect
ropes, that gravltatioa now draws the
other way, yet We hope that he has
not utterly abandoned the idea that
we may still receive some benefit from
tlase who have drunk deep and long
from wisdom's eternal fountain. Faith.
eraBoutlou may have doubts about
who we're guilty OF the destruction o.
the Maine a few years since. but all
doubts and uncertainties vanish when
he turns his vision across seven or
eight centuries and looks with calm
less on the work OF the lnlnIsltlon.
He appears to count That eplstle I'M
potent that does not contain m anti.
dote against the "polsonous" para.
graphs Of Jonn ". Draper. Does any
one suppose that that New York Uni.
yersity professor would have written
a history that has attained the fame
Of his productions without pausing to
consider the source Of his informa.
ton. Its reliability and authenticity?
OF course, Prof. Draper was not pres
ent when Bruno was burned at the
stake. and It was well for him that ne
was not, as blgotry and fanattclsm
would have had two victims that dark
day instead Of one, the Joy of the as
sassinators of progress would have
been increased one hundred per cent.
at least.
Many years ago famous mathema.
tician went on an expedition to the
Arctic circle to measure an arc OF the
meridian and had by his researches
definitely proved that the globe is an
oblate spheroid. nattened ut the poles.
One Of his critics gave him the name
OF "The Great Earth.Flattener.' Our
friend must not complain II he Is In
the future spoken Of rs the great his
torian1lemollsher. Certainly no one
denies that the rulers Of Spain had
good share In the Infamous work Of
the lnquisition. It Is also freely adj
mittcd that some Of the nones were
sufficiently humane to protect against
many OF It's horrors. No institution IL
always directly responsible for many
OF the crimes OF It's agents. followers
and inferior officials. It is, human M
tire for tyranny to accompany ,lniver'
sal power. When amy organization Is
clothed with almost complete power.
be that organization political or re-
lIaious: then oppression and rersec'1.
ton is measured ont 10 those who
sbreal new Ideas. In the multiplicity
of sects and parties we have the Sc !
cret Of liberty and federation. No
doubt many OF the officials Of the In.
unisltion were guilty OF mistaken
zeal They were Of course taught that
the form of Christianity then IN power
was the only one, to be tolerated and
In that shirt carried on their bloody !
work. The Golden Rule had then
perhaps as little influence as my.
thing found in the literature OF the
world. As Lord Byron says:
"They burnt each other quite per-
slladed
That the apostles would have done as
they did,"
It certainly was not an act OF ten.
der mercy to drive the Moors from
Spain. According to Mrs. Browning
"science was thrust into the brain Of
Europe on the point OF n Moorish
lance" Have not historians shown
tnat Spain has never recovered from
the loss Of the Aloors? For the cen.
turtles during which they held that
country. In literature. in medicine. In
agriculture and In manufactures they
made It a bright exception to the Is.
norance. superstition and brutality Of
at that time. The tariff on Protestant
ism was nm element Of discard as
our friend AYERS. then the lnqulsltIon
was certainly on the lookout for re.
ligious MS well rs Political rebels. so
called. Also II the Professionals intro.
tluced into Spain their prohibited writ.
ings in casks Of champagne and Bur.
gundy wine, with so much art as to
deceive the custom house officials 1t
only proves that Carrie Nation and n
part of the West Virginia Legislature
would have had glorious field for
their temperance work In that region
at that time. TIL etariff on PROTESTANT
books was evidently higher than the
duty. on wine and the history Of the
Spanish people certainly fayors the {
idea that the demand for wine great {