Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-06-25


ton should try to obtain the balance
of power in the state for the purpose
Of increasing its UNCONVENTIONAL sway.
Religions have always deteriorated If
they have obtained temporal, that is.
political power. When Christ said:
"My kingdom Is not Of this EARTH" he
expressed one Of the fundamentals of
true religion. How much power the
Christian church would have retained
If 1t had not become the state religion
of the Roman empire. as It did 'uneer
that crafty. hypocritical and murderous
scoundrel, Emperor Constantinus, him
self an unbaptized "heathen" until he
was on his death bed, and yet the ar
bitter of the council of ,Nicaea,, that
council which forced the frst comics
sion of faith on the consciences Of the
Roman citizens.
| l am convinced, however. that your
enlightened view is not the view of
the general body Of the Roman Catholic
hierarchy, the men who dominate the
| rank and file of the Roman Catholic
people of our land. Nor is it strange
to me that it is not. If they were OF
your mind they would be entirely out
of harmony with the Roman Gatho-
| lie hierarchy Of the rest of the world
4
ment in any Christian land which is
Roman Catholic, that tends toward a
| liberation of the political life of the
| state from clerical dominion. that is
! not fought tooth and nail by the clergy
> of that country. backed by the holy see?
Think of the recent history of France,
! Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Bavaria,
Mexico. In all these countries-as you
| have intimated correctly there is a
tremendous upheaval in favor OF dem
! ocracy 20 freedom of the state from
ecclesias ticism, but the movement IS
! not supported from the hierarchy
! it is movement from below, not from
above
find precisely the same case here,
in our land The Catholic leaders. as
I Gibbons. Ireland. etc. are Bourbon IN
sympathy. even If they call themselves
democratic They are constantly
working to secure for the Catholic
hierarch a predominating influence on
the public life of America thru the ever
/ increasing mass of Roman Catholc
laity. They have their large bureau
which influences the press. They are
to all intents and purposes Cathonc
political ligan only that 1t serves their
| purpose better 70 work much as pos
|
| ligious body can this be said.
| It is under these circums tances MOTH
ing but natural that an intense antag-
onism should be aroused against the
Roman Catholic laity. We do not want
that same sitting atmosphere created
| in our country by the Roman Catholic
! hierarchy, which 1t has brought about
in every single country where 1t has
| been in control for long time.
BY your courageous stand against
these ecclesiastical ambitions you have
| certainly incurred from time to time
the criticism Of that ecclesiastical body
but you have gained good deal OF
respect from those Of your friends who
stand for a noble and free life.
Albert Kuhn.
Professor Of Greek Language and liter
allure, Dubuque German College and
presbyterian Seminary.
The Telegraph Herald has published
In full Professor Kuhn's communication
| because 1t brings out prominently the
fundamental fact underlying the pres
emit hysteria Of denominational-mi
called religious-animosity, taking the
form, in some quarters, Of opposition
Ito Catholics in public life. This funda-
mental fact is the fear present In the
minds Of communicates OF otner cleeos
and persons protesting no Greco. OF
what Professor Kuhn calls hierarchiai
and others call Jesuitical domination ol
American government.
The reasons for this fear we need not
go into here, nor into me ques''oil
~ whether the fear is warranted or
not Anything which might De salo
TO controvert the existence OF hier-
fear still present, would leave even
gentlemen of Professor Kuhn's erudl-
ton We, unconvnced that they are
wrong in their suspicion. Contention
! no less than argument therefore Is
profitless
Let it be assumed, for the sake OF
J arriving somewhere, that professor
Kuhn is right in all that he says ano
that Americans should be eternally
yigilan, in protection of their institu'
tions as established today. against the
: hierarchical designs alleged. Questlor
then is of the best means 10 ne EN-
ployed in the service of the eno de'
, voutly TO be wished for-the mamie
{ nance Of creeds and government d.
things apart Professor Kuhn knows
: that persecution unitios the prosecuted
t He very we'll knows, as man OF ios
tical mind. that hostility to Cathoilcs II
l public life on UNCONVENTIONAL ground'
, must weld Catholics together and MAKE
them subservient to the Will OF I'M
hierarchy in the designs he alleges I'M
latter harbors against our INSTITUTIONS
Assuming his fear to be well 1ounoeo
does he desire to do this? AS SANE
man he does not, of course. On TN
+ contrary he wants to keep enlisted II
8 defense of our institutions the Catho
i, lie in public life; he wants to ouil'
, higher, thru the efforts of educate'
and conscious Catholic laymen, the pul
wark against the thing he fears. ~
q wants not as a Presbyterian put a.
t GOOD American. to make aliles o
G other good Americans who are Catho
: lies in kee ping the church strictly con
fined to its own sphere. not one cnurci
: bur all churches. And wanting tha'
, no will disco,nterance sectarian1sm II
i politics, and far from opposing. up
n hold the hands Of Catholic laymen
whose sterling Americanism he Is con
4 vinced
A minister of Professor Kuhn
church. a gentleman who. did we men
3, ton his name, would be recognized
a Instantly as one of the foremost Pres
: byterian divines in the nation, SAID II
private conversation and embodied II
q single sentence all that needs o.
" said. and something which 1t were wei
:. tn ponder over: II have never held
-. rz1t f6SntnA