Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1916-02-23
Some French History
The Papacy, the Same Yesterday, Today
and Tomorrow, Their Boast.


and Tomorrow, Their Boast.
In 906 Robert the Pieu wa
King of France. Robert was NOR
of a monk than a king. He spen
more time saying PRAYERS and re
peating chants and before the al
tar than he did attending to tn,
affairs of his kingdom. He had
married q woman whom be loved,
This woman was his cousin. The
Pope disapproved and exoommu-
nicated the king. But the yesr
1000 was approaching, and ths
year l 900 was the year in which
the world came to An end, or at
least in which the Apocalypse said
it was going to come TO an end.
Ehe people were filled with appre.
hension and half frenzled with
terror. They we've restive and M.
der the ban of the church. Yield.
ing to their opportunities. R bert
she Plous retarced. put away his
wifi. aud was res ored 10 felicity
i'll the bosom If the Holy Church.
1t was in his reign in the year
1922, that active p rsacutic. 6 b..
gan under the coalition 81 church
and state. In ttat yae' thirteeI
Jews we're condemned and put to
death at Orleans, and others else
where. La the year 1903 Pope In.
nocent III vicar of sh, Church
and vios req t of God upon the
earth, called upon the King of
+. .ance to lead an army into the
southern provinces and extermi.
nate heretics. The greater part
of Southern France was oocupr d
by lords, aud MOBILES and peasants,
who, while they were substantially
Catholics, were not in perfect har.
mony With the hierarchy at Rome.
For a while the king resisted the
opportunities of she Pope. Then
she Pops Innocent III, vicar of
the Church and vioe-regeat of
God upon the earth, issued a pro-
clamation addressed to knights,
abboss. mobiles and WARRIORS every.
whore, calling upon them to arm
and invade Southern France, and
promising every knight, every no.
BILE. evsry leader who went with
an armed force. that if they should
dispossess any of the inhabitants
of castles, towns, strongholds or
estateR, the title to those proper
ties would be vested in the con-
qusrers. Thus Pope Innocent III,
vicar of the church and vice. re
gent of God upon the earth, added
to religious fanaticism the lust oil
rspacity and greed. The armies
gathered and the war of religion
and determination began. When
a part of the army was besieging
a certain town the soldiers said to
the chief; "When we have enter
ed how shall We distinguish be.
sween the faithful and the heretic3
How shall we know whom to klll
and whom to spare?" and the
chiefs replied, kill them all the
Lord will surely know his own."
In 1916 there was community
of peasants, that is to say, farm.
ers dwelling in peace and content.
ment in q province at the foot of
the Alps. This community OK,
tended over a domain of about
fifty miles in length and of con
siderable width. They had lived
there, they and their ancestors,
for a period of three centuries
They were not Catholics. They
were heretics. Their heresies con.
sisted in thtse doctrines: They
rejected infant baptism, the sac
riflce of the mass. the alteration
of the cross and the sale of indul-
genoes. Pope Paul Ill, vicar of
the Church and vice-regent Of God
upon the earth, called upon the
KING of France Francis /, to
make war upon the heretics of the
Vandois valley and extermlnate
them, but France hesitatsd. These
people had regularly paid taxes
and tithes; they were harmless,
industrious and frugal The ar.
mics of the king of France had
met wish reverses in their foreign
wars and the internal affairs OF
the kingdom were not in satisfac
tory condition. The clerical par.
ty urged upon the king that hi,
reverses abroad and his embarrss-
ments at home were plainly due