The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1912-09-26

~ which our generation has
known has just come from the pen
of jeremiah j. Crowley, who for
.tWenty-one years was a priest in
good standing, and had ample OPP
portunity to learn the inner secrets
of the Romanist clergy. The books
contains more than seven hundred
pages of startling revelations. One
whole section is the reproduction of
an earlier work, exposing the evils
of the parochial schools. This work
was written when the author was
still Roman Catholic priest and
cherished the sincere hope of being
able to purify his church Of the
mOnstrOus corruption which he
could not at that time realize to be
inextricably interviewer with her
entire system.
Incredible as it may Seem to the
reader of his scathing accusations,
Mr.. Crowley did not finally abandon
the Roman Catholic Church for four
years after the publication OF his
exposure Of the rottenness of papis-
tic education. During that whole
period he labored earnestly with the
higher ecclesiastical authorities for
genuine cleaning-up and for the
easting-out of those who brought
dishonor on the church. Finding
his efforts in vain, and himself
treated as the real criminal for at
tempting to bring the truth to light,
he withdrew from the priesthood
and finally from the church itself
Mr.. Crowley is no Nationalist,
having stopped at the halfway
house of Professionalism, and he In
dulges in divers pious reflections;
but his work bears the earmarks Of
sincerity. Much Of it may SAVIOR of
the converted priest who is al
ways regarded with some suspicion;
but in this case no charges of any
kind seem ever to have been made
against Mr.. Crowley by his Roman
Catholic enemies, except that he was
troublemaker because he persisted
in accusing certain priests of evil
deeds and sought an Investigation
by the higher church authorities
His crime was that of refusing to
cover up the scandals Of his church;
and that to Rome has always been
among the most unforgivable Of
offepses.
The malignant and unappeasable
vlndictiYenesS of the papacy is so
well established that the suggestion
that libelous falsehoods concerning
any of the church dignitaries would
be suffered to circulate with i'm
punity to their author is in the
highest degree untnfnkable. Spe-
cific charges of the grossest villain
les are made against numerous
priests and members of the higher
clergy, some Of whom are named,
including Bishop Spaulding, late of
Peoria, Ill.,, and others equally we'll
known; while Archbishop Quigley
and several still higher dignitaries
are directly accused Of knowingly
shielding criminal priests. Were the
assertions false, no influence could
have saved Mr.. Crowley from
long penitentiary sentence for crimi-
nal libel; and it is certain that no
magnanimity would have restrained
the Catholic clergy from pressing
the charge. There is but one pos
sible explanation of their inaction,
and that is the fear of more thor
ough exposure. They prefer to
stand convicted in the eyes of a few
thousand readers of Mr.. Crowley's
book to facing the proofs Of their
wickedness, which a public trial
would bring to light. Their silence
is, however, the strongest of all
proofs, and must be taken as an
unequiyocal confession, If not of
every charge made by Mr.. Crowley