The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1914-08-27

and dampens the fervor Of the Cath
Ollie husband or wife, while the
children easily follow in practice the
example of the parent whose reli-
gion affords the greatest liberty of
indulgence"
Although the spirit and law of
the Roman Catholic church is against
a Catholic marrying a Protestant, it
Will allow such marriages by a
special dispensatiOn of the priest,
but not until the Protestant party in
the marriage has entered into dis
honorable conditions and signed a
statement which binds his children
forever to the Catholic church. The
Mission Book, pages 462, 463 says,
mo valid dispensation, however, can
be given unless upon the following
conditions: LIST. It must be mu-
tually agreed upon that the Catholic
husband or wife, shall enjoy a per"
feet liberty in the exercise of the
Catholic religion; and 2nd, that all
children shall be educated in the
Catholic faith; 3rd, besides this, the
Catholic party must promise to seek
the conversion Of the other by
prayer, good example and other pru-
dent means. When a dispensatiOn
has been granted upon these cOndi-
tiOns, the marriage may take place
without SIM but still it must not be
supposed that such unnatural unions
are approved by the church. She
only permits them reluctantly and
mournfully. She forbids them to be
celebrated within the church walls,
or to receive the solemn benedictiOn
Of the priest"
All Of this teaching might be re-
duced to few words as follows:
I. The Roman Catholic church
stands absolutely against Protestant
marriages and calls it 'concubinage."
2. The Roman Catholic church
stands unalterably against the mar
riage of Catholics by Protestant
preachers and says it is nothing
short Of adultery.
3. The Roman Catholic church
stands against the marriage Of q
Catholic to Protestant, but permits
it by special dispensation upon the
signing away every right by the Pro
testant party
4. The Roman Catholic church
teaches that marriage of a Catholic
to a Protestant by a Protestant min
lister or civil power is adulterOus,
null and void, and can only be made
valid by marriage by a priest
There are those right here in Ma
con tonight who could bear s0rroWful
testimony to the disastrous effect
upon domestic happiness this relent-
less rule Of Romanism has had.
could call you the name of an
engineer who lived in Macon some
years ago. He was reared a Catho-
lie. He was married to a Protestant,
a splendid Christian woman. A Pro-
teStaDt preacher performed the cere-
m0ny. They began life as happy as
two young lovers ever could. Years
$ came and went. The Catholic priest
came but never went. He was al
ways logging the steps of this man.
He told him he was not married; he
told him he was going to be eternally
damned if he was not married over
by a priest. Little by little the
priest fastened his grip upon the life
Of the engineer. He became aroused.
He begged bis wife finally to be mar
ried again by the priest. She right
fully refused. He said, But we are
not married" She said, do you
mean to tell me that we have been
living in adultery these fifteen
years? Then you go, but I'll never
consent to be married by a Catholic
priost.' They separated He went
one way she another. Home blighted
and lives blasted. All because they
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