The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1913-09-25


prlsed that you, an enlightened edi-
tor Of newspaper, published in an
enlightened and cultured communi-
ty, should give circulation and pub
licity to such an outrageous false
mood, charging citizens with such
gross and Wanton infidelity to their
country and their fellowmen. We
would have thought that your init
mate knowledge of history, if not a
respectable conception of decency
among men, would have revealed to
you the origin and true character of
this alleged Horrible knights of
Columbus Ooath." With such knowl-
edge, you should know that this al
legged knights of Columbus oath is.
with few up-tO-date interpretations,
the so-called and alleged Jesuit oath,
as it's preamble implies, being ad-
dressed ito you, My Ghostly Father,
the superior general of the Society
OF Jesus, founded by Saint Ignatius
Loyola, forged by Robert Ware and
exposed by Bridget in "Blunders
Forgeries," inspired by, and COM
posed of fragments of and state
ments from the satire by Jerome
ZahorWski on the Jesuits and printed
in CracoW, Poland, 1914, under the
title ''Monita Secreta.''
The alleged code of secret in
structions Of the Jesuits, set out in
this work, the ''Monita Secreta," has
been denounced and repudiated as a
fabrication out of the whole cloth
by such writer's as Bishop Lipski, of
Cracow G616), Fra Paolo Sarpi, the
historian of the Council Of Trent, the
Jansenist Henri De Saint Ignace, and
also by such anti-Jesuit writer's as
Won Lang, Dollinger, Friedrich, HUI
Der, Reusch and the Protestant his
tOrian Gieseler. The work has also
been declared "apocryphal" by the
authorities of the British Museum
and the French photographer, M.
Barber.
But we are not attempting to
teach you history, nor can we, per-
haps, convince you that the alleged
and scurrilOUs oath, or anything
similar to that published in your pa
per of the said date, forms no part
of the ritual of the knights of CO.
lumbus. We wish, however, to
make you, or anyone who wishes to
accept, this proposition: We will
place in the hands of a committee of
three or five, Zone member only of
which shall be Catholic and Knight
OF COlumbus) to be chosen in the
usual way, the constitution, bylaws
and the full ritual of our order, to-
gether with any sum Of from five
hundred (5OO) to two thousand
(2,0OO) dollars to be- paid as a free
gift to any charitable institution,
designated by said committee, in the
town where the person or persons
accepting this proposition reside, be
it GastOnia, Shelby or elsewhere, if
upon examination of said constitu-
ton, bylaws and ritual, a majority
of said committee shall find therein
any such oath as that published in
your paper, or shall find therein, or
elsewhere authorized by the knights
of Columbus, that it is or ever was
suggested to, or required of any
Knight of Columbus to take or sub
scribe to any such oath, or to do, say
or pledge to do anything inconsistent
with the duties of good citizenship:
Provided, however, that you, or
whoever accepts this proposition
shall place with said committee
like sum to be paid as a free gift to
the Mercy General Hospital, chari-
table institution, of this city, in the
event a majority of said committee
shall find that no such suggestion,
requirement or oath is contained in
said ritual, constitution or bylaws.
Th ic iS a fair nrODOqition opd If