The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-02-07
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
OUTBREAK OF BIGoTRY.
Anoka, Mimi, Jan. 81, 1914.

| AnOKa, MIMI, Jan. 81, 1919.
My dear Father Reardon:
You may be interested in the follow
ing latest outbreak of bigotry in this
neighborhood.
Saturday afternoon, January 18th,
l heard, quite by chance, Of an anti
Catholic lecture For Men Only which
was to be given that evening in the
Methodist church in Champlin, a vii
lage just across the Mississippi from
Anoka. Three of my parishioners
went with me to the lecture. The
lecturer, who was the resident min
lister of the town, appeared much dis
concerted at our presence, and con-
tented himself with merely reading
from the pages of The Peril, the bogus
and calumnious Priests Oath, Jesuits
Oath, and knights of Columbus Oath.
I then asked permission to speak, and
for more than two hours held the
platform, 'refuting ISLANDERS, explaining
Catholic doctrines and practices, and
answering questions And l am glad
to say that, with the exception of a
few individuals, the audience was very
fair-minded, and the questions were
entirely without offense. The gather
ing was small one, about thirty men
being present. About a dozen of these,
in response to my closing offer, gave
me their names and addresses, that
might mail them Catholic literature.
The next Saturday another meeting
was announced, this time for both
sexes, at which an imported speaker
was to hold forth. The orator was a
certain S. N. Dancey, Canadian of
Irish (Orange) descent, who is work
ing in Canada and this country to
defeat the cause of Home Rule for
Ireland He came to teach us citizens
of the United States the lesson of
patriotism, and asserted that the Cath
Ollie Church is a menace to the free
institutions of the country. His speech
was the usual bitter, untruthful attack
on all things and persons Catholic, a
tissue of wild, extravagant, general as
sertions, without even a pretense of
offering any proof other than the ipse
dixit of the speaker. I may say here
that the number of individuals in
Champlin who support these enemies
of truth and charity is very small. The
majority of the villagers are fair and
enlightened, and the audience as a
whole was disguised with the torrent
of abuse that flowed from the lips of
the lecturer.
The movers in this attack on Catho-
licity have endeavored to gain an
entrance into the city of Anoka Dur
ing the early part of the week they
strove to secure in turn the Wood
mems hall, the Workmen's hall, the
Odd Fellows hall, the Universalist
church, and, I hear, the Adventist
church. But the non-Catholics of
Anoka are not inoculated with the
virus of bigotry, and all these offers
we're repulsed A member Of the Odd
Fellows lodge said to me: eff those
people want to stir up hatred and re-
ligious discord, let them use their own
churches for it; they sha'nt have our
lodge hall"
The incident has at least had the
good effect of branding as lies the
ISLANDERS that are being so freely cir
culated concerning the Church, of
setting before the minds of earnest,
fair-minded non-Catholics the true
position of the Church on many points,
and of emphasizing the fact that these
fracases are invariably due to un-
called-for, unprovoked attacks on
peaceful Catholics by unchristian
bigots and hired assassins of character.
Religious squabbles are not welcome
in any community; but the good non
Catholics of Anoka have recognized
that in this matter we we're but de-
Tending from base attack what we held
most dear and most sacred. And /
have received assurances without
number from my Protestant friends
and neighbors that they condemn as
heartily as the members of my own
Church the action of those who have
assailed us.
Yours faithfully,
OLIVER DOLPHIN.