Evening star., 1918-01-27

brated mass. Ono Of the Puritan anti
Catholic enactments Of the Maryland
legislature in 17o4 was entitled An
ACT 4 to Prevent the Growth Of Popsry
that priests should. be fined ESQ
and imprisoned six months for say
ing mass or baptizng other than
o1.s opish fso,,sa children Re that any Cath v
or inherit lands: and that Protestant
children. OF Popish parents might not,
for want Of a suitable maintenance. be
compelled to embrace the Poplish
religion contrary to their inclinations."
but. "if any such persons refused
then the governor or keeper Of his seal
should have the power to make such
order therein as suited the intent of
tho act"
Gov. seymore had locked up the little
chapel of St Mary's at ST. Marys City
which was tho first house of worship
in Maryland. Under these hostile laws
there was no public Catholic service
in the province and private worship
was attended with danger. though it
was carried on in most Of the Catholic
homes. That part of the law Of the
Maryland legislature of 1704 providing
fine and punishment for any priest say
ing mass was undone soon after its
mass "in a private family of the Ro-
man communion" It was this permis-
sion of the Queen Of England which
sanctioned the private chapel or the
'house-church" in Maryland. This ex-
plains why there were so many of these
house churches in the early homes
in the territory that became the Dis
trict, and even after it became the Dis
trict. In some instances these first
families of the District" built a small
structure close to the house as a pri-
vate chapel for the accommodation not
only of the family but of the poor
Catholic neighbors.
The religion of David Burnes tho
Rambler does not know and Is not par
ticularly concerned with. The patentee
of Bealrs Levels. Ninian Beall. was a
Scotch Presbyterian from Scotland and
held Catholics in as great aversion as
they held him. David Burnes. if not
Scotch-born, was Scotchman who was
very Scotch. George Washington had
more trouble with him in coming to
an agreement as to the use of his farm
as part of the site of Washington than
with all the other Original proprie-
tors" combined. Washington, in one of
nate Mr.. Burnes.' Margaret Brent
Downing, in paper before the Column
bia Historical Society several years
ago, classed David among the Catho-
lies. She said:
OF the original proprietors pf the land on
which the city of Washington is built, Robert
Peter, David Burnes. James McCubbin Lingan,
Uriah Forrest, Benjamin Stoddert, Motley
Young, Daniel Carroll Of Duddington, Overton
Carr. Thomas Beale Of George, Charles Beatty.
Anthony Holmead, William Young, Edward
Peirce. Abraham Young. James Peirce and viii
liam Prout Catholics. OF those who al
most at once acquired holdings through purchase
or inheritance, Robert Morris. Samuel Blodgett,
William Bailey, Samuel Davidson. William
Deakins jr.: James Greenleaf. Thomas johnson,
Robert Lingan. Dominick Lynch. John Nicholson.
John II. Stone. Comfort Sands. BENJAMIN oden.
John P. Van Ness, George Walker, Elizabeth
Wheeler and the Wheeler heirs, who inherited
the rights Of Abraham Young, were Catholics.
The Rambler does not know much
about this subject. but II 1t was read be-
fore the Columbia Historical Society II
is probably pretty good matter.
In this narrative the Rambler has
tried to present picture. though, per-