The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1915-02-13


juggle with. This drag
ging is very dramatic. Il is sug
gestiye of the dime.noyel villair
who drags the beautiful young
lady by her long tresscs just be
fore the hero appears, and ther
drags his fetters ever after.
The expression is used with
equal facility by Hibernian or.
ators and knight of Columbus
scribblers. They we'll know that
dragging religion into politics
is the equivalent of 1.-THE yillainy
of mixing religion and politics.
If they convict an opponent OF
mixing religion and politics, this
phrase at the same time conyictS
the mixer of villainy.
But, let us see about this mix.
ing of religion and politics.
Thoughtful and observant people
know that the mixing of the two
often makes trouble; and vet
why should a sincerely religious
man not take his religion with
him TO the polls as well as to
church and into his everyday
| life!
The trouble comes from having
religion that is already mixed.
The mixing is done before the in
dividual gets his religion. If
monarchism and popery are
mixed up in a mans religion
when il is handed 10 him by his
spiritual advisers, he will prob
ably confuse religion and politics
to the day of his death unless
something happens TO open his
eyes and enable him to separate
them.
The mixture of pure religion
with politics never hurt either
religion or politics. II is the mix
ing of a religion that is already
half politics with an entirely diff
ferent kind of politics that makes
confusion. The man whose reli-
giOn teaches him that the pope is
king, is possessed of an adulter-
ated religion for the simple rea-
son that real religion has its
throne in the hearts of mankind
and not in the palaces of poten-
tates or popes.
If religion has been dragged .
into politics the dragging was
done long ago when the Roman
emperor, Constantine. captured
the church and reorganized it to
suit his political purposes. If re.
ligion is yet dragged into politics
to the injury of religion and poll
ties, it is because a line of popes
are sitting on the throne of
ROme's pagan emperors and
planning the re-conquest of the
world.
If religion is dragged into poll.
tics in the United States. il is bv
the knights of Columbus, and
societies of Rome. which
have declared their intention of
America Catholic. and
have gone about it by political
methods. Religion had long
been dragged into America poll.
lies before an anti-papaI move. /
nent was organized.
Apd now Sir Knight Callahan ,
s very indignant that Protestant
democracy should oppose papal ]
nonarchism. In the late days of
January this gentleman, as chair.
nan of the committee on reli- {
yious prejudice" recently created
~ the Knights of Columbus
'aused an extensive article TO a
lppear in the magazine sections i
# many newspapers in which he {
would make it appear that the c
movement against papal politics !
n the United States is a wave of
eligious prejudice wholly unjus- {
flied and calculated to make {
rouble between papist and Prot e
slant to no good purpose. q
As usual with the champions i,
f popery, Sir Knight Callahan t
odges the real issue and bids for v
he sympathy of the reading pub y
c. on the plea that the bigoted '
'rotestsnts are attacking his G
recious religion. He attempts s.