The menace., 1917-12-29
A NEAR-DENIAL or
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Typical Roman Catholic Function on
Military Parade Ground Thanks
giving Excluded Protestants

| he nuubt o1 homeS mcesSane
cry OF religious persecution, which is
intended to befuddle the minds of un.
informed Americans and make them
think the results Of THE MENAcE's
publicity are other than what they
are, it is interesting to note that in
a California cantonment Rome was
able to make the Thanksgiving mass
a Roman Catholic function. Those
who have been reading their papers
closely already know of the Presidio
mass and the protests that have been
made because what should have been
a non-sectarian celebration of the
Day OF Thanks was perverted to Sec
tartan ambition and made a special
Roman Catholic function as truly as
though the soldiers had all been COM
municants Of the Roman church and
the feat held inside the. confines of a
papal institution with no other object
in view than the usual celebration of
mass.
THE MENACE makes no war on the
Roman religion and its peculiarities.
II 100000 people find it in con-
formity with their ideals it is not our
task to interfere with their choice or
the exercise Of their American rights,
but when 1t comes to practically
forcing papal rites on our soldiers on
a national holiday which should be
so observed as to give soldiers of all
faiths an opportunity to follow their
own inclinations the case takes on
an aspect that very nearly involves
the principles of religious liberty.
What would the civil population Of
this country think to find itself COM
PEELED to attend Roman Catholic
mass because officials came to the,
conclusion that such would be suffi-
cient for a proper observance Of
Thanksgiving? The least, it would
seem that we can do, would be
to provide at least a general Prot
estant function and a Roman Cath
olic function.
The two classes have nothing in
common on religious grounds and
Protestants are entitled to the same
measure of consideration as Roman
Catholics.
Rev. W. S. Fleming of Chicago,
superintendent of the Methodist Mu-
tual Aid Union, is quoted in the
Christian Science Monitor for De-
cember 11th as saying:
"The action of Archbishop Hanna
in conducting a religious service in
the open air on the army parade
ground in San Francisco, with all
the paraphernalia of a sectarian
meeting in a Roman Catholic church,
when an interdenominational army
Thanksgiving service had been an
nounced, was, to say the least, a
breach of faith, in bad taste, and
exceedingly discourteous.
ut was the more SO being done
by an archbishop with high officials,
both of the state and army, and
clergymen of other denominations
present by invitation, and some OF
them to take part in the service.
But an archbishop Is too keen man
thus to violate the proprieties with
out motive. Undoubtedly his aim
was to make the service contribute
to the worldwide, never-ceasing mis-
sionary propaganda Of the church Of
Rome. In other words, he did what
he could to turn a great interdenom-
national religio-patriotic service in
to sectarian revival meeting.
"Even fair-minded Roman Cath
olics must condemn the act as a
breach of faith, in bad taste, dis
courteous, unpatriotic, un-American."
| George P. Rutledge, editor of the
Christian Standard Of Cincinnati is
also quoted in the same issue as fol-
lows:
"'If it be true that high mass was
celebrated at what was announced as
union, or an INSTRUMENTATION
service on the parade ground at the
Preside in San Francisco, on Thanks
giving Day, the Roman Catholic
church has again made itself an OBJ
ject of just criticism, as have those
who we're in charge, or authority
said Mr.. Rutledge relative to the
services held in the West.
"'Had the occasion been appro-
priated by the Baptist or Methodist
church, or any other denomination,
the same criticism would be rele-
want"
1t would seem that there is enough
backbone left in Professionalism to de.
mand its rights in this all-important
matter and the spirit CT caring for
the needs of the soldiers should sufi-
ciently assert itself that, in future,
it will be possible to give every SOL
dier an opportunity to attend any
sort Of religious service he may de-
sire.
President Wilson had an invitation
to both a Roman Catholic mass OIL
Thanksgiving and to an observance
\ of the true spirit Of Thanksgiving in
| Methodist church. He chose the
latter, and the private in the RACKS
ought to have equal opportunity in
such matters as his COMMANDMENTS
chief.
A certain official in Washington
when asked about the Preside mass
and why no Protestant services were
in evidence said that the officers in
charge at various cantonments had
authority to decide what should be
done. And it's a striking exhibition
of sectarian propaganda the "author-
ity" in San Francisco permitted; an
exhibition as wholly at variance with
the spirit and genius of our Liberal
4 Democracy as it is in conformity
with the narrow sectarian spirit Of
Rome. --