The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-16
.ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S DAY IS SUBJECT
Dr. A. E. Seddon Delivers Historical Discourse i'll
 Reformation Discourse

In observance of the great reforma-
 ton a historical discourse was deliv-
 cred yesterday by Dr. Elfred E. Seo-
 don, pastor of the North Birmingham
 Christian church, Powers of Hell in
 France-st. Bartholomew's Day." was
 the topic of his sermon.
 In the opening of his discourse pr.
 Seddon referred to the Tractarian
 movement at Oxford university 6t
 years ago. one of the fruits of which
 he claimed was a definite effort to
 efface from the memory of the pub
 lie the crimes which in times past
 had been committed in the name of
 religion.
 Another fruit of that movement has
 been the perversion of historical truth
 and an attempt to throw the blame of
 crimes from the criminal on to the
 victims" said he. Such efforts have
 been made In this country, efforts
 which you are probably better ac-
 quainted with than myself, but I can
 recall at least one case in which all
 editor of Catholic paper in the Uni-
 ted States. speaking of the St. Barthol-
 omew massacre said, in effect, S.hst.
 statistics as to the number of vic
 tims varied from S0,000 to 70,000. For
 his own part. said the editor, he hoped
 the latter number was nearer being the correct one, since it would afford
 him more satisfaction to know that 10000 rascals had met with their de- serts than if only 10000 had.
 However. it might be with The
 Catholic press in America, I can bear testimony to the attitude of some cler- ical papers in Europe. In the French paper, Le Reformiste. an editorial ap-
 peared in 1900 in which the Catholic
 clergy of France were accused of pnb-
 fishing the names of certain Prot
 estant officials. pastors and univer- sity professors, who were commended to the attention of those who would conduct the operations of the future St Bartholomew massacre. In April, 1S9S M.s Charles Maurras. Catholic writer. in communication to the roy alist organ, Le Soleil, served notice on the Protestants in this fashion;
 Take care, your trial is going on in clerical circles in peaceful manner today; but it may yet have to be sst- tied by rifles At the time of the Drls.- fus agitation in France M. Louis Teste. writing in the Catholic Journal de ! Bruxelles said: It is the idea of Jewish St. Bartholomew that is stir ring as with a Tightening flash the French people and out of this springs another idea. the idea of religious war. Pray excuse my frankness; the idea Is not only mine, 1t Is shared by all my friends and I personally shaii
 most willingly pull a trigger against those fellows Gle refers to Prot estants. free thinkers, and Free Ma sons,)
 When there are fanatics who talk in this way in the opening of the twentieth century. Is 1t right for us to consent to forget such deeds al the St. Bartholomew massacre? How can we forget this frightful butchery when there are people today who not, only seek to justify it, but who appear to want to repeat 1t? Shall we leave the disciples of Ignatius Loyola to tram pie on historic truth and throw upon the victims the blame of this abom- inable crime, whilst vainly trying to | wash out from the robe of the church this ineffaceable stain?"
 The lecturer had much to tell about Catharine De Medicin of the House of l valois, the evil genius of the French court, wife of one French King, moth CT of three others and mother-in-Iaw of fourth; Italian by birth and deep fly versed in the wiles of Machiavel- Han intrigue. He also told of the parts played in the tragedy by the dukes of Guise and Cardinal de Lorraine. He gave full length portrait of the Protestant leader. Admiral de Coligny. showing his influence at court. so much dreaded by Catharine the at tempts made on his life and how he fell, the first victim on the night of the massacre and also gave graphic account of the mental and bodily suf ferings of the dying King Charles ". under whose authority the bloody tragedy had been enacted.
 Ln conclusion he showed how the Me- mesis of divine retribution followed the actors in this awful tragedy, be- coming themselves executions of each other for every one of the principals came to violent death
 The next lecture of this series will be given on Sunday night July e9, the subject being, Louis XIV and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes"