The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-05

surely little appreciated by Catholics
today. No longer do the popes dorni-
nate the civil rulers of Christendom.
And no longer do the people consider
it wise that they should do so. More
and more the masses appreciate the
fact that the original kingdom of earth
was given to father Adam and that
mankind as his children are the nat
ural heirs of the inheritance. More
and more the people are disposed to
consider popes, cars, emperors ana
kings as merely figureheads, without
any real title or authority from heaven
to rule or to coerce the people. More
and more the masses demand con-
crosses, parliaments, reichstags and
Doumas- And more and more do they
demand that these shall reflect the
sentiments of the people in civil ana
religious matters. The day of dark
ness and ignorance in which the peo-
pie believed that popes and kings We're
Divinely appointed to rule them with
Divine authority has gone by. Cen
eral intelligence has taught mankind
that it is a mistake to suppose that
one God-ap,ointed king and kingdom
We're Dsvinely appointed to wipe anoth-
err Divinely appointed king and king
dom off the face of the earth. Hence
ropes and kings now admit that they
reign by popular sufferance, and
their appeals for money, for armies and
navieS, is no longer on the score that
they were Diyinely instructed to OBJ
literate each other. but on the score OF
self defense.
This claim however. wholly destroys
the argument that we are now or ever
in the past have been under Christs
kingdom, either direct or through the
popes. Neither now nor at any other
time in the worlds history has there
been reign of righteousness such as
the Scriptures declare Christs king
dom shall be. May we not. then, with
good grace-Catholics and ProteStantS
admit that neither our Catholic popes.
emperors and kings. nor our Protestant
kings, emperogs and heads of churches
are reigning with any Divine authority
manifest to human judgment? Let US
humbly admit the nonsense of the
legends or our coins, Catholic and
Protestant, to the effect that kings and
popes reign by the grace of Colby
that they came into power through the
exercise of brute force and in a time
of common public ignorance. Nor by
this do we mean any disrespect to the
governments of today-rather We have
shown that today the people are rul-
ing through their congresses, parlia-
1nents, reichs.ags, etc., and that the
kings and eraperors are mere figure
heads of power, more or less useful and
dependent upon the goodwill of their
people.
If it be asked how we shall account
for the period of the dark ages and au-
tocratic and devilish misru1e. our re-
ply would be to point to the Apostles
words. He declares that Satan is the
god or ruler of - world, who now
operates through the disobedient-
through those not in harmony with
God, woo constitute the vast majority
in Christendom and elsewhere. And
we remind you that our Lord Jesus
also spoke of Satan as being the prince
of this world or age John xii, 81 and
of himself as the Prince or Ruler of the
coming Age, the Millennial Age (John
xviii, 3e).
All, yes! the sooner both Catholics
and Protestants admit what they and
all the world now see. the better
namely, that for a long time our great
Adversary held US in a bondage of ig-
norance and superstition. in getting free
from which many bright minds have
reacted towards inffdelity, because they
did not see that many of the teachings
of the past. both Catholic and Protest
ant, were not only irrational, but most
positively unscriptural teachings of
men, and. as St. Paul declared. doc
trines of demons" q Timothy Nv, y.
Not Vice-gerent Christ.
In view of the foregoing-in view of
the fact that the Divine titles of all
kings and emperors are now abrogat-
ed, papacy need feel no special dis
eating the claim that the popes reign
as representatives of Christ or have
authority so to do. Indeed such a
claim is more safely denied than held.
for in the light of our day papacy's
best friends cannot look into the past
ard point with pride to any achieve
ments as properly representing the
reign of the Prince of Peace-Inman-
uel. In the light of the present all of
Gods people. Catholics and Protestants
of every shade. should rejoice to join
in the Lords Prayer-sThy Kingdom
come: thy will be done on earth as it
is done in heaven" Surely this is
what all saints of all denominations
should desire and pray for and labor
or.
Not that we can hope to bring it to
pass of ourselves. however. Nearly
nineteen centuries of efforts show to
the contrary Even mn. La 4..x.n.