The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1912-12-12
WATsON'S INDICTMENT FROM A
VIRGINIAN'S VIEW POINT.
Editor Evening World:

L read with much interest your
editorial in your issue of November
21st, with reference to the indict-
ment of Thomas e. Watson, of Geor-
gia, politician and editor of Wat
sons Magazine, for SEEDING obscene
matter through the mails in connec-
ton with his fight on Roman Catho-
licism.
1t was the May issue of his Maya
zine, instead of the July issue, as
stated by you, which got Mr.. Watson
into trouble with the postal authori-
ties, and the questions quoted in
English purport to be taken from
The Garden of the Soul" which ac-
cordlng to Mr.. Watson's source of
authority, is prayer book for gen
eral use among Roman Catholics,
having the imprlmatur of the late
Archbishop Hughes, of New York.
me other instructions and questions
which Mr.. Watson classed as un-
speakably vile, were printed in the
original Latin and bore the referen-
ces to volume and page of the origi-
nal works from which they were
quoted. Among the ecclesiastical
authorities cited are the celebrated
Burchard, Bishop of Worms, Dens,
Ligonri, Debreyne, the Right Rev,
Derrick, Bishop of Boston ~. S., etc.
Now have some warm personal
friends who are Roman Catholics,
and my observation of followers of
that faith in general has led me to
the knowledge that among the laity,
there are many good, sincere, broad,
intelligent, noble and pure men and
women, the same as in all other
churches of which [ have any knowl-
edge. Il do not profess to have any
personal knowledge Of the priest
mood or priestly orders, nunneries,
convent life, ETC., therefore l have
spoken only of the laity)
| think, therefore, in justice to all
concerned, that the situation resolves
itself into this: The charges both DO
litical and moral, which Mr.. Watson
and others have brought against the
church, its clergy and other officials,
are either true or not true. If not
true, then there are a number of ex-
priests, ex-nuns and ex-lay members
OF the church, as well as several
editors like Mr.. Watson, who are
guilty of gross criminal libel, and it
is high time the church was vindi-
eating herself and her following by
prosecuting the parties bringing
these charges, and presenting sub
Stantlal and irrefutc lie evidence
that these stories, which have been
given such wide circulation, and
these so-calIed confessions of ex-
priests, nuns, ETC., etc., are false and
libelous.
If the charges made against the
church, it's clergy and officials, are
true, then there are large number
of broad, intelligent and pure mind
ed men and women in America who
have been hoodwinked and made
the ignorant dupes of an ecclesiasti-
cal system which looks pleasant
enough on the surface, but which,
when unveiled, becomes blacker and
more diabolical than the most hide
Gus pictures of the hell which it
teaches to- exist; for certainly it
would be a horrible system indeed
to be permitted to masquerade un-
der the guise of religion when what
-tfanspires behind the scenes is abb
solutely so vile that one can not be-
gin to tell the truth about it in pub
lie print before he is indicted for
polluting the United States mails.
However, it would be unreasona-
BILE and utterly unfair to assume
that an intelligent laity, numbering
such a large percentage of our popu-
lation, would knowingly support a
aVStoms 90 tsuncnna h1y ViIn {"