The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-06-14
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
THE PoPE's SISTERS.
Minneapolis, Mimi, June 9, 1913.

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Editor, The Catholic Bulletin:
Twenty years ago, the fair city in
which / live was infested by horde
of New England puritanical preachers
who made 1t their business to wage
war on the Vatican and denounce the
Scarlet Woman who sits on the Seven
Hills and from her throne of beauty
rules the world.
Of all the evangelical fire-eaters
who made Rome howl in those days
but few are now living. Those who
have died are almost forgotten. Way
land Hoyt, David J. Burrell, o. F
Burgess, j. J. Faude-Where are they?
Burrell is in New York and changed
creeds for a bigger salary; Hoyt and
Faude are in the grave, and the
whereabouts of Burgess is unknown
The latest acquisition to the belli
gerent Protestant clergy in this city
is Banks Nelson, who officiates in 9
church on Park Avenue. Where he
came from / don't know, but l an
credibly informed that his harangues
against the Catholic Church are unre
portable and unprintable. On one &C
casion the note-takers for the Journa
and the Tribune folded their arms anC
took down not single word of his
TRADE against the Church of his fore
fathers, because of the bitterness O
his bigotry. In fact, they entirely
| ignored him.
The last thing l heard of Nelson il
that he was blaming the Pope fol
illiteracy in Italy He positively de
clared that the two sisters of Pope
Plus K could not sign their names il
an autograph album when asked tt
do so by an American lady who il
touring the continent. Mr.. Nelson
did not explain how the Yankee wo
man obtained an interview with tn,
Pope's sisters. It is probable tina
the story is made out Of whole cloth
But Nelson is sure that the story il
true and circulates it to show tina
Ignorance is the mother of devo
ton" in priest-ridden Italy.
wonder if Nelson ever read ''Note
of Traveller" by Samuel Laing,
Scotch Calvinistic minister who Wis
tied Rome during the pontificate O
Pope Plus TX, who was not 'onl,
Christ's vicar on earth but also tn
temporal ruler of the States of tn
Church. While temporal ruler, tn
Pope encouraged education within hi
realms. Let us hear the homes
Scotchman, Rev. Mr.. Laing, on tn
subject:
Education is in reality not onl
not repressed, but it is encouraged b
the Popish Church, and is a might
instrument in it's hands, and abb
used. In every street in Rome, for in
stance, there are at short distances
public primary schools for the educs
ton Of the children of the lower an
middle classes in the neighborhooC
Rome, with a population of 1857
souls, has 372 primary schools wit
482 teachers, and $4,000 children a.
tending them. Has Edinburgh s
many schools for the instruction {
those classes? / doubt it. Berlin, wit
a population about double that {
Rome, has only 264 schools. Rom
has also her university, with an ave
age attendance of 600 students; an
the papal states, with a population {
100000, contain seven universitieI
while Prussia, with a population {
14,000,000, has but seven"
That's how the Italians governe
by the Pope were educated before tn
confiscation of the states of tn
Church by Garibaldi and his freeboo
ers. The man at the Quirinal and hi
government are solely responsible t.
day for the educational status of tn
Italian people, and Banks Nelson an
his tribe ought to have known it b.
fore they blame the Pope for allege
Italian ignorance.
Hallam, the historian, says that i
culture and literature Italy has Away
been in the front rank of Europea
nations and adds: "The difference
point of learning between Italy an
England was at least a century"
course, Nelson wouldn't believe Ha
lam, though the latter was a Brito
and Protestant to boot.
1t is agreeable for me to say ths
the Protestant clergy of Minneapoli
today are more tolerant and broaC
minded than their predecessors c
twenty years ago. There are only
few in the city now who do not a
tend strictly to their own bushes
and leave the Pope and his sister
alone. Nelson will gradually get hi
eyes open, and the invigorating ozon
of the Northwest will drive out of hi
system the virus of religious intole
ance which he imbibed at his mother
breast.
,