The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1916-10-14
L0UISIANA'S HOTHOUSE OF immortality
n the Acid Test Of Experience ROms Boasted Paro and Religious
Training Has Failed to Produce Desirable Results Orleans Has
for Centuries Been Dominated by Roman Catholicism and Has the
Largest Vice Area of Any City in the United States

the ciIruuiyry 10 claim superior rc.
,Isryt for Law and LOYALTY fur Roman
Catholics. and since the New York
convention the Roman Catholic
press ha, vuutiuucd o., chorus ul
bua,ilnrs relative tu the hvucfcirl
elects Go the cause 'uf murilrl, ul
Roman Catholic education and IT,
ligluus training
Perhaps nothing about the Roman
hierarchy iu o., plaiiuu tu tlir gru-
rul public Is 20 striking or remark
able rs its ul'cn,iVcly exaggerated
claim iur sIcrior morality and r.
,pu,t Tor law aud order. uulc,, It
3, the astounding absence Of these
iCrF things 70, h yh0WH WhcHsrcr Ws
0pp'H Zee 1rid icSi Of fi,iorg or of
present ddg facts 10 The ,ldimS. And
this u precisely why Rome demand,
that She hc ayrcplcd at her own face
value while Indignantly rcscntrng
any suggestions that her claims he
brought before the bar of impartial
investigation whore they NAV be-
properly examined in the light Of
historic facts.
Since Rome shrinks from meet
'ng the issue in the democratic way.
il remains for ull friends of free in
,titutions aud liberal democracy to
place over against her frazier pre-
lenses the facts ~ shown M con-
rIctc aud typical eases.
In our recent examination of
iomC's claim that her religion,
training was needed 10 promote
law-abiding citizenship. We went Ia
the state prisons or New York In
order 10 see whether the exalted
claim for parochial and Roman
Catholic training was borne out in
the prison statistics. which in that
event of course would show very
small percentage of Roman Cath
ollcs IN the state pcnitcntiarics.
However. 1t will bc remembered
that though Rome was represented
hy less than Unc-thlrd the entire
citizenship throughout the state: in
the pcnllcntIarv the Roman Cath
oliCs were largely n the majority.
showing that She hal tremendous
FrcpOudrmnrc Of ra:Io in tine rrlm-
inal population. Now We WISH 10
give our readers another concrete
example of the fruit uf Roman
Catholic training. Here again We
will Srr that the fact, arr the exact
reverse Of the prctcu>c> of the HER
arrhv.
An Ancient r. c. Stronghold
Stretching rar back 10 the carly
colonial period. New Orleans ha,
l,'ru under the dominance or the
Roman Catholic chur,h. Genera
iIuS have been born. have wcarilv
passed over the stage of life AMI
disappeared. France. Spain. our
icpuhlic aud England have rIamcd
&C struggled for po,Srssiou of this
Queen CITY of the Southland" but
under an the various flags that have
tioatel from her public buildings.
the dominance of Roman Catholi-
cism a the master religion or pre-
dominating religious influence has
remained, 10 such "a degree. that New
Orleans often. and Sdoubtlc>s very
truly. hd, hccn termed the most
Catholic city in America.
Other cities, owing to the vast IN
ilux Of immigration from old world
Roman Catholic lands. have become
Vominantlv Catholic. or to hc more
accurate have fallen undcr the
Influences uf the Roman
Catholic political machine. But
such Is not the condition that has
in New Orleans Here
Roman Catholicism has been in
dlgenouS and ha, remained domi-
uant.
Here, therefore. aS nowhere clSn
IN our commemorative can VIC best
judge the fruit Of Roman Catholic
religious training anG sec the effect
Ia the moral life Of the city.
Now what do the facts reveal :