The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-09-21
AN OLD SUPERSTITION IN NEW
DRESS.

For many months we have been
reading adverse comments on the at
titude of the Christian Science Moni.
tor towards the Knights of Columbus
war activities. The Monitors oppo-
sitiOn has gone so far as to oppose
the very practical war chest idea
which has been favored by many com
munities. Some Catholics have eX.
pressed wonder at finding what they
supposed were ''ultra-respectable Prot
estants" among the cracker class" of
ignorant bigots. Perhaps the Greek
temples of the Christian Scientists
have deceived us all bit. Their own
ers have been elevating themselves
above the common herd, whilst most
Of the. professional skaters are re.
cruited from their ranks.
An explanation as to why Christian
Science has shown it's horns and
hoofs recently may, perhaps, be had
from an examination of it's belief in
malicious animal magnetism" The
Christian Scientist is warned to be
always on guard against this mysteri-
Gus force, which is supposed to have
the power to do him great evil. The
idea is not new, for it is akin to the
old superstition of the Evil Eye"
still existing as a relic Of paganism
amongst even some Christian people,
Superstitions die hard, but it is not
often that we find them revived, clad
in respectable clothes, running along
the boulevards in an electric and stop
ping to worship in christian" tenn
pies. The belief in malicious animal
magnetism is, in reality, bit of fet-
ishism or voodooism, masquerading as
modern. A priest friend of ours was
called some time ago to visit a sick
person in a private hospital A lady,
sitting in one of the rooms with the
door open, noticed his clerical dress
as he passed along the corridor She
Immediately became excited and de-
manded that priests should be ex-
Guided from the hospital, which, of
course, was not done. Out of curl
osity the priest asked someone what
the trouble was with the lady. He re-
piled, "She is a Christian Scientist"
The priest, who had never before met
bigotry in this peculiar form which
opposed his ministrations to the sick
and dying of his own people, began
to make inquiry as to why a Christian
Scientist should be worried about his
presence in the same building. The
only answer he could get was a ref
erence to malicious animal magnet
ism The lady was afraid that he
was an adept at the "evil" game, A
Spanish peasant might put it in an
other form and say that he had the
Evil Eye; a voodooist, of San Do.
mingo, in still another way; but it
is always the same old superstition.
In Ireland it makes cows sick; in Mex
leo and Spain it kills folks; in Russia
it gives disease; the Scandinavian
countries have a form of it all their
own. In America it is malicious an
imal magnetism: and Mrs. Eddy
made it respectable. Catholics in
general and priests in particular
therefore, the knights of Columbus
and their chaplains-are a dangerous
crowd, adopts in the new black art
which is, after ALL as old as the hills.
Someone ought to show the Monitors
worried editors how to make horns
with their fingers to ward off the fear
full, malign influence possessed by
some three hundred millions of the
human race, for the purpose of scar
ing a handful of Eddyites out of their
highly polished shoes
Extension M00Gsine.