The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-23
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Church Censorship of Letters

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 In your editorial page of the issue or February 2O you quote Charles R. Miller, editor of the New York Times, as au- thority for the statement: 'The custom of letter-writing, as a means Of conveying general news. continued through the mid dle ages Church and state both attempt ed to wipe out the practice and in April, 1572 Pope Plus Fifth issued bull against
 letters. Another bull was issued by ms successor in September, 1572, few weeks after the massacre of St. Bartholomew s Day. directing that writers. be condemned to the galleys."
 It is quite true that during the six teenth century, as in earlier ana later cen turies, the holy see issued many decrees prohibiting the publication, circulation or reading of books containing indecent or heretical matter So great became the
 danger from such publications that no
 book was published by a Catholic with out receiving the permission of the church authorities. It is true, also, that, In the different states of Europe. Catholic and Protestant, the civil authorities main
 
 tions issued within their domains. I had never, before this morning, however,
 heard or read of a bull to wipe out the practice of letter writing There is ref erence in the sixteenth article of the index
 of Sixtus the Fifth to those manuscripts which were circulated surreptitiously in defiance of the decrees of censorship. It is decreed that works in manuscript come under the same head as those which are printed; as those wishing to evade the law had distinguished between the writ ten and printed works, contendinS that the former were not books. AS to the bull directing that writers be condemned to the galley. I frankly confess I have never heard or read of such bull. can find no reference anywhere to con- demnation of letters
 As a matter of intellectual curiosity, therefore. I would be grateful to The Age Herald for. some information as to the evidence on which the statement is based. It is a serious charge against the Catholic ! church. "A bull was issued condemning
 writers to the galley" Were all writers condemned? If not, then who were the
 unfortunate victims? During those very
 years popes were constantly encouraging
 all forms of learning; were rewarding writers for their defense of truth and confusion of error: and now we are told by The Age-Herald or Charles R. Miller or both (we are not told whether the para graph in question is a synopsis or ap- proval of MT. Miller's lecture) that writers were condemned to the galley. We are left under the impression that the mas sacre of St. Bartholomew's Day was in some way connected with this bull. In 1 fact, we are given to understand that both were the work of the Catholic church. That the church was responsible , for that massacre has been denied time and again by historians of note. That the pope ever issued such bull is on the very face of it absurd. Does The Age | Herald accept the ipse dixit of Charles
 R. Miller in such serious charge against
 the church. and if it does would it now
 please submit to him request to furnish us with the evidence on which he has 1 made the statement?
 1 If The Age-Herald has in it's own pos
 session any evidence supporting his state ment I would be very glad, indeed, IC see it. PATRICK TURNER, 1 Pastor Blessed Sacrament Church Birmingham. January 20. 1916.