The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-02-12
CALLED AND THE EVENING TELE-
GRAM.

As rule we, every evening, look through the IN
teresting and readable editorial page of
Evening Telegram. Yesterday our attention was
called to a rather ugly stab at the Catholic church
delivered by the editor on February 1. It escaped
our notice, but here it is:
Scholars generally know the story of Galilleo,
how he first declared that the world was round and
told the story of the universe as it is understood
today, and how, under bigotry, they gave him the
choice of retracting sharing the fate of Bruno,
who was burned at the stake; how he did retract,
but as he came out from the hall and looked at the
sun, he murmured to himself: "But it does move"
1t would be difficult to compress within the
same space, at any time or by any one "a greater
number of historical inaccuracies than occur in
these eight lines. The venerable and versatile edi-
tor of the Telegram hasn't particle of bigotry In
his entire anatomy, and we are persuaded that he
had no intention of misstating facts or wounding
the susceptibilities of his Catholic readers
We will go further, and declare it to be our
settled conviction that if 'invincibe ignorance of
Catholic doctrine and Catholic history may save a
man from damnation the salvation of the editor of
the Telegram is assured.
And now, welcome Calico.
Some years ago, when we were wintering in
man. dyed in the wool Presbyterian, with us to in
spect Galileos prison. He was effusive in his ad-
miration of the frescoes and decorations of the
rooms, the gardens which the windows overlook, and
the fair prospect of the charming landscape which
they command. Before leaving I told him that
these were the rooms in which Calico was impris-
oned. Il wish to heaven some would imprison
me here" he exclaimed. "By the way" asked my
guest, show long Calico confined here?" "The
now published letters of Calico" I replied "prove
that his Imprisonment in these splendid apartments
was for twenty days" Twenty days always un-
derstood he was detained in dungeon for six
years" "Why," answered "even Sir David Brews-
ter, in his life of the astronomer reduces it to one
year, but he had not then seen Galeos own letters"
And now let us see what was the attitude Of the
sovereign pontiffs towards the astronomical the
ries linked with the name Of Calico Let us have
the truth Calico was not the first man to scenti-
fically advance the earth's motion around the SUM-
The first among the of the middle ages who in
a scientific way propounded the theory was N;cho-
las of Cusa. Was he condemned for his scientific
discovery? What did Rome do to him? Rome made
him cardinal promoted him to the Roman purple
in 1448 A century later came Copernicus, who by
his wonderful researches, gave his name to this
solar system an honor which bigots claim for Cali
leo, and for which, they tell US, he was condemned
and imprisoned. What did Rome do to Copernicus?
Rome made him professor Of astronomy at the
university conferred rich ecclesiastical preferments
upon him. and in gratitude for the honors done
him, Copernicus dedicated to Pope Paul I'LL his
famous book the Motion of the Planets" in
which he advances the theory of the earths revou-
ton. "Then Calico was not condemned for con-
tending that the earth revolves around the sun ?"
Shucks scholar asserts or believes that rot Cali
leo, like Carlisle and many other great students was
crank and inflated with his own Importance.
In the seventeenth century Calico won the ap-
plause of the learned men Of Europe by his scien-
tic discoveries; but his resources were exhausted
and he become overwhelmed with debt The pope
came to his relief, pensioned him for life. and
stretched out helping hand to his son who ex-
pressed wish to study astronomy. Now listen to
Sir David Brewster: "The pension thus given by
Pope Urban was not the remuneration which sover-
egns award to the services of their subjects Cali
leo Ga Florentine) was foreigner at Rome The
Pope owed him obligation, and we must therefore
regard the pension of Calico as donation from the
Roman Pontiff to science itself'-page go. Cali