The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-16
CARDINAL QUOTED
!. ON Church ENEMIES
Father ]. E. COyle breaches
at st. PauPs
INSULTS BY MAILS
Cardinal O'C0nnell Replies to Charges
of Divided Civil Allegiance Among
Catholics-Priest Answers
Questions
INSULTS BY MAILS

All the five services at ST. PauTs
church yesterday were well attended.
At the second mass at 1890, the Chill
dren of Mary received Holy commun-
ion in a body. At the high mass. the
Rev. Father Heibel was the celebrant,
and the pastor, Father Coyle, filled the
pulpit. Among the announcements
was the notice that the fund for the
school buildings is progressing, and
that before long work will be com
menced. He asked the prayers of the
congregation for the repose of the soul
Of Sister Martha of st. Vincent's hos
pital, who died Saturday, and whose
funeral will take place this morning.
In lieu of a regular sermon, he
called the attention of his people to the
recent great address His Eminence.
Cardinal O'Connell, archbishop of Bos-
ton, delivered in New York. He read
the most striking passages from the
authentic text. Father Coyle was heard
with close attention as he read the
excerpts. Among the most striking of
these were the following:
AAN AJ~hAg ANI l. MEL
1T is because America is the home
of freemen and because over all alike
waves her sacred banner of liberty.
that we love her with a love next only
to that we owe to the kingdom of God
1t is because every man living on her
sacred soil can say those three little
words, I am free whether he be rich
or poor; that whatever his race or color
or creed, he can tread the earth up
nd 1t
his brain and the strength of his sinews
with all the other millions of men about
MIN; 1t is because he has a government
which he helps to make and an oppor-
tunity which he helps to create, that
he is hemmed in by no legal disadyant-
ages, that he is neither bondsman nor
serf nor slave; 1t is because of this
ana this alone, that every citizen of this
land loves her with an undying love
and strives for her stability and per-
petuity.
one OF the startling phenomena of
the age is the tremendous growth of
Catholicism in America growth so
startling and SO impressive and so ur-
| gent that each year it taxes to the ut
most capacity the ever-increasing num-
Der and size of the churches and the
tireless labor of bishops and priests
| whose care 1t is to minister to them
AND 1t is well for the present and fu-
| ture or America that this is so, for here
at least is religious organization upon
whose sterling and steadfast worth she
can absolutely rely, as the very corner
stone of law and order, the prop and
support of government, and a bulwark
against the corrupt forces of anarchy
and decay, of irreligion and infidelity
Look out over the whole field of the
nations actively and tell me what other
organizations in that whole field has
her experience in dealing with the
great masses of the people What
other organization has won as she has
and as she today, right here in Ameri-
ca, possesses, the full confidence and
loyalty and respect of the general pop
ulation? Why are her churches for
ever overcrowded and her ministers
forever overworked? Surely there
! must be an answer to this question
ALL NEED HER
ASK the ordinary man in the street
and he will tell you--it is because no
governments owns her, but all govern
ment needs her. 1t is because she will
| minister to the rich, but not one nor
thousand capitalists can purchase
her or dominate her. 1t is because
she holds the rich to moral reckoning
and the richer and more powerful they
are, the less she flinches. 1t is be-
cause in a world which has gone mad
for wealth she stands by the poor
TT is because even from the poor she
can exact duty and virtue. 1t is be-
cause though she loves all the out
casts and victims of the selfish world.
she can unflinching1y make them throw
down the arms of vengeance and take
up the cross. 1t Is because she loves
even the bleckest sinner and sends to
his knees the false-hearted pharisee
1t Is because before her altar all men
are equal, not in word, but by the
truth. 1t is because not one Of the
100000 600 who, in America, call her by
| the tender name Of Mother, but knows
| that though all the world forsakes
him, her arms are always open.
through the whole day and through
| the darkest night, in love to his en-
brace, to strengthen him, to guide him
| to comfort him. 1t is because of all the
whole world he has found her always
the same.
INSULTS THROUGH MAIL
| IF because a citizen is a Catholic,
a thousand plausible pretexes are set
out to discard him and discredit him
| in your cabinets and your courts. you
are not keeping your contract: this is
not liberty. If you stand by inactive
while under your very eyes, yes
| through your very mails, which we nay
lligned and openly vilified in filthy Jour-
nails and nasty, indecent literature, unfit
| to be printed or read, spread broad
cast that dupes and pigots may be
| poisoned against us, so that we may
be robbed even of our public rights
then you are not keeping your con-
tract-this is not liberty. You are only
wounding the hand. the strongest hand
held out to help you; you are spurn-
/ ing the aid of those who again and
again you have found in your hour
| of direst need the most willing to die
for you. o yes, we know very well the
whole litany of accusations against u.s.
We give only divided allegiance. We
are scheming for government. These
are all lies SO patent that they need no
answer Indeed. those who fling them
out will never listen to my answer
But I am going to answer them once
and forever here tonight.
"As a cardinal may be supposed to
know what ] am saying on this sub
ject And on my word as a gentleman
Of honor I am speaking the simple,
absolute truth. have known intimate
lly, personally and officially three SOW
ereign pontiffs-three popes Of the
Catholic church. 1 am priest now so
years; I am a bishop Is years and a
cardinal five years. I have had the
closest relations with not only the
pope, but the whole Roman church. /
know we'll every priest in my do
cese, and every bishop in this coun-