The Irish standard., 1915-01-30
Historic Account of Ant-Catholic Prejudice in the
United States

States. AS in the struggle for inde-
pendence and in the War of 1872,
Catholics had stood shoulder to
shoulder with their Protestant fellow
citizens on many battlefield, so in
the interval of peace, Catholics had
faithfully borne their part in devel-
oping the resources of the country
and increasing. it's wealth and pros
perity. They had no share in the Sc.
cession plans Of New England or the
revolutionary schemes of the south
west. They had erected churches,
colleges. academies and parish schools
for the religious, moral, intellectual
training Of their members. There was
nothing, in their record to show that
they had ever abused the liberal prin.
ciples of the government, or to afford
a pretext for any revival of the old
colonial spirit of persecution and op-
preston. It is not to be wondered at
that Catholics believed the days of in.
tolerance had gone and lived in the
feeling of perfect security relying on
protection of the laws.
John Culinary Shea, in his history of
the Catholic Church in the United
States. Vol. ILL.,, page 420, declares:
yet there is a steadily increasing
current of thought hostile to them in
the country, nurtured mainly by a
strong imported anti-Catholic litera-
ture evoked by the agitation for Cath
olic emancipation in the British Isles.
Many of these attacks on Catholics
were reprinted here and widely circu-
lated; old prejudices were revived and
the INSCRIPTIONS soon found. that new
contributions would be readily well
coined without too close scrutiny.
"The anti Catholic feeling was gain
ing ground steadily and becoming,
though no one seemed to comprehend
the fact. a menace to the peace and
harmony Of the country, without one
redeem1ng element, but fraught with
q DANGEROUS disregard Of the rights Of
fellow-citizens to life and property.
This dangerous condition pervaded
the whole country in 1929, encouraged
and stimulated by men who professed
the most religious principles, but who
wanted only pretext to burst out in
to open violence"
This spirit of blind fanaticism, ut
terly at variance with the real genious
Of our American institutions, con-
trasts sharply with the Catholic thot
expressed about this time by the
venerable Charles Carroll of Carroll
ton: "When I signed the declaration
of independence, had in view not
only our independence of England, but
the federation Of all sects processing
the Christian religion and communi.
eating to them all equal rights. Happily
this wise and salutatory measure has
taken place for eradicating religious
feuds and persecution, and become a
useful lesson to all governments. Re-
hecting as you must. on the disabil-
tiles, may truly say on the proscrip-
tion Of Roman Catholics in Maryland
you will not be surprised that had
much at heart this grand design
founded on mutual charity, the basis
of our holy religion" (Charles Car
roll to G. w. P. Custis, Feb. 20 1929
In 1929. the houses of Catholics or
Broad street. Boston, had been attack
ed, but beyond breaking a few win!
dows, no damage was done. In 1881
st. Mary's church, in Sheriff street
New York. was attacked and burned
In the same year the American Pro,
tective Association was formed by the
Orange lodges throughout the country
and began the practice which it still
continues of publishing and propagat.
ing from the, pulpit and through the
press all manner of calumnies against
the church, and using every means to
incite hatred and arouse the people to
deeds Of violence against the Catho.
lies.
This systematic warfare Of calumny
and hatred then revived has been car
ried on with pertinacity and skill
in raising new issues and misstatine
the case, that has few parallels in his
tory.
In 1881, young woman named Re.
becca Teresa Reed, who professed tc
be a convert to the Catholic faith, ap
piled to the Ursuline nuns at Charles.
town. Mass, and was admitted on pro.
baton. She left the convent before
six months had elapsed (Jan. 1S. 1892
and began to circulate stories which
aroused prejudice against the nuns
who had accepted her as a postulant.
From the time that Rebecca Reed left
the convent and began her attack on
the nuns, Rev. Lyman Beecher, Of
Boston, and other minister's assailed
the Church more furiously in their
sermons and lectures. and the villih'
cation continued until an unfortunate
occurrence gave pent.up New Englar