Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-08-03

all recognize Its manifestations in the
daily life OF peoples and common
weaIths all around us.
THE negations OF patriotism which
take the form now of religious bigotry
and again OF racial prejudice, are par
ticularly offensive to us Catholics, for
the reason that We are the only ele-
ment of the population who are thus
persistently assailed.
THE charges made against US are
all very ancient. and have been refuted
decisively again and again. These
complaints against US began almost as
soon as the Pilgrims reached our
shores, and have continued intermit-
tently ever since.
But then, as now. there are many
of our separated brethren who re-
fused to believe these accusations, re
fused to take any part in circulating
them, but on the contrary, actively OPP
posed and condemned them.
I'VE Bostonians always take pride
in pointing to these instances in colon
ial times in which the fair minded
Yankee suppressed the efforts of his
more aggressive brethren to Cypress
and harass men and women merely
| because they were Catholics.
Incidents in Boston.
"One Of these incidents occurred IN
! 1746. during the war with France when
| 100 French Catholics We're arrested IN
| Boston. To prevent any danger the
| town may be in The sherln lmme-
diately liberated them, much TO the
disappointment of their captors'
He did not hesitate TO oppose ms
own sense of right against the fanati-
| cism of many of his constituents.
1.-THE hostility to Catholics which
we see here and there today, as well
as the disposition to insult and de-
grade US which occasionally asserts
itself was present in good old Boston
| in re-Revolutionary days. But there
were also those in high place who were
prompt to crush these ebullitions OF
bigotry.
| For several years a favorite diver
sion in New England was the celebra-
! ton of what was known as the Gun
| Powder Plot The celebration usually
consisted of a parade, on the 5th day
! of November in which the pope and
! the devil were represented marching
side by side.
Washington Condemned It
an 1775 Washington CHANGED to be
I in Boston and witnessed the spectacle.
| Immediately he issued an order ex-
pressing his regret and amazement
| that officers and soldiers in his army
should be so devoid of common sense
as thus to insult the religious feelings
of their Catholic neighbors.'
"In 1891 Bishop Carroll came up to
| Boston on official business and was
| the guest of honor at the annual din
ner Of the most prominent social and
military organization of the day-the
Ancient and Honorable Artillery-and
Governor Hancock attended mass as a
token of respect for the distinguish
prelate.
These facts of history merely serve
to show that from the very beginning
there was in the minds and hearts of
the real genuine American lively re-
gard for the principle of religious
liberty.
/ Same Sentiment Alive Today.
""That same sentiment is alive today
in the hearts and minds of the great
majority of our non-Catholic fellow
citizens.
1.-The vast majority Of American
protestants are intelligent, fair mind
| ed people who dateSt bigOtry as the
angels detest sin.
| 81 feel sure that if all our protestant
neighbOrs knew more about our church
| they would be more like Washington
| and Hancock in their attitude toward
US. And l am equally sure that il
some of my fellow Catholics knew a
| little more about the lives and deeds
| of some of our Revolutionary heroes
and their descendants they would not
blast the whole protestant population
with the designation of "bigot.
1--WE sometimes hear it said that
! Catholics are unfit to hold public Of
! D. r. rnf Iair
pudiated that suggestion rs years ago
when they elected as governor, the
| Catholic Edward Kavanaugh, a gradu-
| ate of the Jesuit university at George
town, whose worth and greatness are
embalmed in Longfellow's novel, KAY
| anaugh.' His mother was Sarah Jack
| son, born a protestant, who became a
/ Catholic when she married his father.
Great and good man though his father
was, the governor, like all great men,
is said to have derived his qualities of
| greatness from his mother.
I'm late times the same spirit of
amity and neighborly good will which
marked the attitude of Colonial prot
estants toward Catholics became mani
fest in the descendants of the Pilgrim
and the Puritan.
True Americanism.
| at would De especially pleasant in
this presence, or indeed anywhere, to
continue to cite instances of that per-
feet spirit Of concord which has char
f, acterized the relations of Catholics
and protestants in New England, and
doubtless throughout the country,
| down to this hour. But these few eX-
amples, or let me say exemplars, OF
/ true Americanism are typical of the
/ spirit of most OF our people.
The true American, whether he be
/ Catholic or prot estant, Jew or GENTLE,
/ fervently desires to promote peace and
/ harmony among all races and all
/ creeds. And the Knights of Columbus
are anxious to join hands with their
protestant neighbors in an effort TO
stamp out bigotry and religious
prejudice.
we know that we will have the
/ nf a iufaIIiUpDf fitiZaDS nf