The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-05-22

public schools. They think that re-
ligious and moral instruction should
always go hand in hand with instruc-
ton in books, and should form an in
separable portion of the education of
youth. They may be right. At any
rate, if they are in error they are suf-
ficiently punished by being taxed to
maintain schools which they do not
patronize without adding hatred and
abuse.
Some wicked and malicious person
has invented a monstrous oath which
the Knights of Columbus are supposed
to take; and misguided fanatics have
given it wide circulation. Any one
acquainted with the gentlemen who
compose that order knows that they
are as incapable of taking such an oath
as are the Jews of sacrificing their
Christian children at their feast of
Passover
The persons leading these attacks
direct their venom largely against the
morals of the Catholic clergy and
Sisterhoods.
We have had great many Catholic
clergymen in our midst, and if their
morals have been bad, and have had
a singular power of concealment. In
small city like this immortality soon
comes to light, and the immoral men
and women are soon pointed out. So
far as we know, the morals of the
Catholic clergy have maintained the
| level of the morals of the Protestant
clergy; and We are glad to say that
| that is high one.
The Catholics naturally feel intense
| ly these sweeping and indiscriminate
attacks upon their spiritual guides. If
names were given and specific charges
made, their truth could be investigated
in an action of SANDER or other judicial
proceeding. But the parties making
these accusations deal only in gener-
alities, for which they cannot be pun
ished.
The Catholics do not feel so strongly
these Venomous attacks upon their
clergy as the objectionable assaults
upon their religious Sisterhoods.
These sanity women are the most
conspicuous examples of self-devotion
that this world contains. They give
up all the joys of life and devote them
selves entirely to caring for the sick
and educating the young. Their lives
are hard and painful, with no hope of
earthly reward. Every Catholic justly
| 11nnT1 fhoiIs whine
as he would resent aspersions upon the
virtue of his own sister or mother;
and it is asking too much of them to
ask that they sit still while such SLAM
ders are being uttered.
The Catholic Church, like every.
thing else, is subject to fair criticism,
but these scurrilous attacks of which
so many have been made of late, can
do no good. They only stir up strife
and i'll feeling; and we appeal to the
| good people of our State to discourage
them. This can be done by simply
refusing to go to hear the incendiaries
and refusing to read their literature.
If not patroniZed they will cease their
agitation. If they have a tangible
charge to make against any priest or
nun whom they will name, so that an
investigation can be had, they should
be welcomed; but if they come to in
dulge in mere general abuse, or to
relate imaginary cases beyond our
jurisdiction, whose truth there is nc
way of disproving, they should be
treated with the obloquy due to the
slanderer.
w. e! Lemon, G. B. Rose, J. w
House, J. M. Moore, ]. w. House, Jr.
w. w. Dickinson, w. L. Hemingway
Charles c. Reid, Tom M. Mehaffy, w
E. Hemingway.