The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-09

With the Reformation desire for at least the rudimcnts of learning was awakened. because the Bible had been translated by Luther and was being printed in the mother tongue. and the people wanted to be able to obey the command of Christ Search the scrip lures. for in them you find life ever lasting. and they testify of mel More over they wanted to be like those dis clples. who are commanded tActs li-ll) because they searched the scrip lures daily to see for themselves. whether they were taught arieht But darkness hates the light and all the powers of darkness combined to extin- guish it. There were disputations, bit ter and slanderous. there was turmoil and strife following the Reformation finally eliminating in the so years war. which depopulated Germany and made II waste. That such time was not propitious for letters Is obvious, but To lay the blame on Luther and the Reformation is unfair when 1t was the arch enemy of all liberty and progress. who tried his very best to stamp out the light. But praises be to God the Father of all light the aim and ob- ject of all this strife was won at last. and the Protestant principle of relg- ious liberty prevailed. What has been the result In my native province of Schleswig- Holstein. which has been Protestant since the beginning of the Reformation, there Is not single per- son who cannot read and write In Germany, which is not altogether Prot estant, but where religious freedom Is the rule and where the state controls the schools Tor the everlasting benefit of the state, the percentage of Hitter acy is about one-tenth It Is the same in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. which have been Protestant since the Reformation. Who will say that inc Reformation retarded enlightenment l? By their fruits. We shall know them In Protestant Holland the percentage is about 4, In England 5, and in Scotland 5 E. Turning now to Catholic countries. we find the rate of illlteracy to be: In Belgium, IS per cent.
 In Holland. 17 per cent.
 In Austria, 26 per cent.
 In Hungary, 40 per cent.
 In Italy, AS per cent
 In Portugal. 73 per cent
 In Spain. 7S per cent
 How all these Catholic countries are peopled by Aryan stock, alike capable with the Germanic Protestant peoples to acquire knowledge, why then this darkness? Verify. by their fruits We shall know them In glancing over the above list. it will be readily seen that wherever the Protestant principle of freedom prevails best. there the masses of the people are most enlightened, and on the other hand. wherever the mediae- val church is most dominant there the intellectual darkness is greatest. What will the more researchful modern his- torian, who claims that the middle ages were really ages of light and learning, say of the present age. dark in so many countries, and whom will he blame? Who knows? I could answer, sI a ne rA1 In, 1o Der of The Age Herald, in which my former letter appeared The Age Her aid published an edict issued by Gov ernor Villareal of the state of Nueva Leon, Mex. by which the scope of the Catholic church was limited in that state, Jesuits and alien priests were expelled, the confessional was abolished and the people were forbidden to en- ter the sacristy, because all these wore a menace to public health and nor esity. as Nillareal said. and because siie priests were always siding with the reactionaries and even with for eign invaders, and never on the side of progress Only those native priests. who promised to be good were to be allowed to offciate. In another num- Der of The Age-Herald. I read state ment by constitutiona1ist general say ing that while he and almost all the officers and men in the army were Catholics, yet they were all opposed to the priests on account of their pernic- ious political activity, having lost sight of their spiritual calling, but getting the last cent of the poor peon and In- dian and leaving him in. ignorance. Last year, according to The Age Her aid, Bibles were burned publicly in Chile, and the same thing occurred four months ago in the Philippines. Dark ness hates the light. Anyone who keeps up with the days doings in the daily press will see things going on yet, not only abroad. but even in our own free which smack very much of the dark ages If I were to enumerate them, there would be no end to this letter. which is getting more lengthy than I intended.
 Before closing, however. I wish to say that Christ and his religion, built upon the rock of faith in Him alone, will ever be the light of the world is not to blame for the dark facts, cited in this letter 1t is the lack of Christianity which is respon- sible I will also say that l am cer tain that the Creators fiat Let there be light" ever active, will, In the end dispel all the gloom of ignorance and IT. SCHOEL
 Birmingham, August ', 1914.
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