The Ocala banner., 1914-08-28
THE CATHOLIC POSITION


out let or hindrance. Our prayer Isl
to hasten the day VIXEN wars shall
be no more; when nations shall never
again take up arms against nation;
when individuals shall cease making
war on individuals; when the pistol
and bowie knife shall be regarded as
relics of brutality and savagery;
when soldiers shall beat their swords
into plowshares and their spears into
pruning hooks; when every man and
woman shall sit under their own vine
and fig tree in the enjoyment of their
social, religious and political beliefs
with none to make them afraid. All
we ask is that those exercising this
golden privilege shall not attempt to
interfere with other people in their
enjoyment of the same privilege ex-
cept by argument. entreaty and per-
SuaSion.
In a woru, we are in favor of toll
CA 0lOO VI CfOA N&AAA5 OON AhbOACA 0ANO.
1t is our belief that the freedom
of speech and the freedom of religion
were intended by the fathers to be
the foundation stones of this republic
and we believe just as thoroughly that
their sons should see to it that these
beliefs shall be its capstones.
1t seems to us that our aims should
all be in this direction. So believing
we regret to find spirit of prejudice
and intolerance in the tone and tenn
per of some of our exchanges against
certain forms of religious beliefs and
spirit of rank hostility
against certain forms and formulas
of the Catholic church-the Mother
Church."
In order to correct this as far as
possible we give space in our columns
for the following article from a cor
respondent of the Tampa Times CIV
ing the Catholic position on some OF
the controverted points which do not
seem to be thoroughly understood by
some of us who are not members of
that great religious body:
"To the Editor of the Times: Hav-
ing read the poem "Candita," publish
ed in the Tampa Times of August Sth,
| would like to state most emphati-
cally, that Catholics do not and never
have worshipped the Blessed Virgin.
1--WE do ao1or and reverence her. as
the mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
and in this we follow His example,
for it is not to be supposed that He,
how came to teach us how to keep
the commandents, should Himself
have violated the one that commands
us to honor our parents. And We do
ask the blessed Virgin to help us, BY
her intercession, to obtain from God
the favors we pray for, and again we
are justified by His example, for He
worked His first miracle at the re-
quest of His mother, at the marriage
feast of Cana. AS God, He knew per-
fectly well that the wine had given
out, yet He does nothing until His
mother asks in behalf of the hosts.
st. Joseph the foster-father of
Jesus, merits the highest praise in the
Gospels, for they say of him that he
was a just man. He, and the other
saints, honored by Catholics, are the
friends of God, who are now in
Heaven. Believing in the communion
of saints, we believe that they can
help us by praying for us to God. ST.
Paul asks the brethern many times to
pray to God for Him, notably in Rom.
ans, Is chapter, 30th verse: 81 beseech
you, therefore, brethern, through our
Lord, Jesus Christ, and by the charity
of the Holy Ghost, that you help me
in your prayers for me to God" And
in the book of Job, 42d chapter, Z and
8 verses, we find God commanding
the Temanite, and his two
friends, who had offended Him, to
carry their offerings to Job, that Job
might offer the holocaust for them
and pray for them. Is it reasonable
suppose that an action that pleased
God on earth will displease Him
when done by His friends in Heaven?
No one accuses Protestants of being
idolators, because they honor the
pictures and statues of the great men
of this and other nations. In the pub
lie schools of this enlightened coun-
try the class rooms are adorned with
pictures of George Washington, Rob.
ert Lee, Abraham Lincoln and many
others. Are our teachers fostering
idolatry because they teach the child
rem to honor these representatives of
national heroes whose civic. virtues
they should emulate? Neither are
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