The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1915-03-18

was talking very pleasantly with
gentleman about the present custom
of dance in comparison with fifty
years ago, and spoke Of the tendency
OF religious teachers to fall into the
drift of the times towards familiar
ity between the sexes" and made
mention of the inconsistency of $50
young unmarried priests being gath
cred together with some 500 young
ladies called nuns" in the city of
Mexico, or Whereabouts, and made the
statement that if $50 young Baptist
preachers were to take 500 young
sisters in their church off to seclu-
sion in such a manner, there would
be all sorts Of 'cain' kicked up
about it. There was q Catholic gen
tleman sitting on the seat just be-
hind me Gle was a stranger among
other strangers, and l knew not that
he was taking interest in my con-
yerSation with the other man until
he reached over and called my atten-
ton to the fact that those priests
were above reprOach, and free from
SIM | asked him if they were not
men, with bodies and passions like
him and me. He asked me if Christ
did not have a body, and free from
sin. l asked him if he compared
those priests to Christ. He said,
"Certainly," for they are His repre-
sentatives upon earth, and were~free
from sin. I asked him if they did
not belong to the same class with
those priests whom we are having
before the courts for outraging girls.
He said, Eyes, but they are only
black sheep Of the flock I said no,
they are the unfortunate who have
been caught at their meanness; that
they we're no better than the preach
ers, and that the preachers were no
better than him and me, and that
he and | would do to watch and that
he had better watch his priests An
other Catholic Of bigger mouth and
better knowledge ran up and ordered
me to shut my mouth; that the laws
of the U. S. allowed people to wor-
ship as they pleased, and that l had
no right to open my mouth about it.
l told him that his crowd were try
ing to pass a law preventing me from
"Opening my mouth" but it had not
yet become law, and that there at
present existed q law allowing me
to say what I pleased, just so l con-
fined myself to the truth; that my
mouth was open by authority of that
law; that he in his worship was eXer-
cising the right under enc law, and
that | was exercising my right under
the other law. The discussion got
very hot. Before it ended | was
forced to call his attention to the
oath, and the fOot-kissing, telling
him Of the date and record wherein
he would find my authority for my
words, More than fifty people came
around us in the discussion.
His Catholic riends came up. boldly,
'nXiously waiting to put in word
.-gainst our Professionalism, and our
Americanism, while my Protestant
friends stood afar off, looking "pale
behind the gills," showing every sign
of meekness and fear If those
Catholics had made for me to cut my
throat for talking, or shoot me in q
manner as did those Catholics over
in Texas q short time ago. ! doubt
very much if there had been q
Protestant near enough to mo to
catch the slayer's hand, and prevent
him from doing as he pleased with
me. Our people have been wrong
fully taught from the pulpit that re-
ligion demanded that we suffer all
kinds o persecution, and have in
cluded Christ in the persecution.
This idea of letting q fellow slap
you on both sides of the cheek was
taught by Christ at a time and under
ron ditiOnS that ha and his fo11Owors