The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1917-03-15
THE JET F E RS On IAN

Lydia Maria Child, in her History of Women
women were in deep disgrace it every
where reiterated from the pulpit that woman
caused man. expulsion from Paradise, and ought
to be stunned by Christians as one OF the greatest
temptations of Satan.
lydia Maria was referring to the Dark
Ages, and to Roman Catholic pulpits.
The Romanist priests who preached that
doctrine are named In my booklet, Ancient
Civilization
Nobody ever heard such rot uttered in a
Protestant pulpit.
Mr.. Dague quotes again:
The whole church. both Catholic and Protest
ant was fred with a holy zeal to destroy the
kingdom of the devil. All over Europe myr1ads
of noble women persisted in the most excruciatlng
agonies because the clergy SAID that they were
witches agents Of Satan. In Germany theE
Church had 1000 women burned at Treves. Six
hundred were burned by a single bishop at Bam-
berg At Wuerzburg, 500 were put to death in
one year. In Italy, the Church burned alive
1000 women in one year. In Geneva, 500 were
burned in three months. In France, one judge
of Nancy sentenced to death 500 witches in six
teen years. At Toulouse, 400 WOmen-w1ves,
mothers, daughters-were taken out into pub
lie square, chained to stakes and burned to ashes
in a single execution, by order of the Christian
church (so-called) The zeal to burn women
witches ragged with fearful intensity~in Protestant
Scotland and England. historian says: The
Protestants were, if possible, more intensely
earnest than the Catholics in searching for vic
TINS Martin Luther said: I would have no
compassion these witches I would burn them
ALL The Rev. John Wesley, the father of the
Methodist Church, said: The giving up belief
in witchcraft is in effect giving up the Bible. "
Did Mr. Dague 90 to the trouble to investi-
gate any of these charges!
If so, which ones!
Is he in the habit Of accepting statements
because he sees them in book!
"All over Europe myr{Gds Of noble women
persisted in the most excruclatlng agOnes be-
cause the clergy said they were witches"
Does Mr.. Dague believe that?
"Myriads, means, patches Of ten thousands.
Does Mr.. Dague believe that groups con-
sisting of 10000 women call over Europe"
were tortured and killed, in the word of the
clergy?
The truth in this case is bad enough, with
out exaggeration; and the truth can be found
in any Of the Standard Encyclopedias
For convenience, I will cite the well-known
''United Editors Encyclopedia and Die
tionary"
Vol. 40, treats the subject of TVitcHcraft,
and traces it, not only to the old Mosaic Law,
but to the Roman law of the Twelve Tables.
1t was Pope Innocent VIII who in 1884,
loosed the bloodhounds of the Roman Cath
Ollie Inquisition against the so-called witches,
and used torture to compel confessions
The Papal edict of 1884 was afterwards
strengthened and enforced by Pope Alexan-
der VI. in 1894, and by Leo X in 1921, four
gears after Luther h0d started the Ref0rmQ-
ton.
THE results were dreadful says the En-
cyclopedia: "a panic fear of witchcraft took
possession Of society; every one was at the
mercy of his neighbor."
But 2Uheye?
In the Papal courts, where the Roman In
QuisitOrs applied torture!