South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-12-25


They that take up the sword
shall perish - the sword. st.
Matthew 35:52.
This prophecy Of Christ we ad-
dress unto you, the present rulers OF
the destinies OF our country. styling
yourselves The Peoples Commits
sars" For a year you are holding
the state power in your hands and
are preparing 10 celebrate the ami
versary OF The October revolution,
1917, but tss torrents OF blood OF
your brothers mercilessly killed at
your bidding, compels as TO speak
unto you the bitter word OF truth
I'm Selling power and inviting the
people TO place their confidence in
you. what did you promise them
and how did you fulfill your prom
Use?
Verify you may give them
stone instead OF bread, and a ser
pent in place of fish."-St. Matthew
1910.
What conquests could you re-
nounce. you, who have brought Rus
STA to shameful peace the humii-
iating conditions of which even you
dared not fully publish? You have
robbed the fighting men Of all they
lately CALAMITY fought for You
have taught those who a short
while ago were brave and invincible
to give up the defence Of their coun-
try and flee from the battlefield.
Against whom are you leading
them? You have divided the whole
people into enemy camps and have
hurled them into fratricide unheard
of for its cruelty. You have openly
exchanged the love of Christ for ha-
tired and instead of giving peace
have artificially kindled class war.
Nobody Feels Safe.
II was not Russia who needed the
shameful peace with the external
enemy. but you in your desire to
break completely our internal peace.
Nobody feels safe; all live in con-
slant fear Of perquisitions, robbery.
arrest, execution, hundreds of de-
fenceless- people are seized daily.
and lie for months rotting in foul
prisons, are executed without in
vestigation or trial, even with the
simplified method of trial establish
ed by you. Not only are those exc
cuted who are found guilty towards
you, but also those whom you we'll
know 10 be innocent. and who were
merely taken as hostages" limo
cent bishops. priests, monks and
nuns are shot on a wholesale vague
and indefinite accusation Of "coun-
a ~
istence is made still harder for the
orthodox to believers by their bereft
Of the last consolation OF death
the taking of the holy communion
and by the bodies Of those slain be-
ing refused to their relatives for
Christian burial
Aimless Cruelty.
Does not all this represent the
elimination of aimless cruelty on
the part of those who pose as the
benefactors of humanity, and have
themselves, as they say, suffered
much from cruel authorities?
But you are not content with hav-
| ing smeared the hands of the Rus
sian people with the blood of their
brethren: by concealing il under dir
ferent teams, such as contributions,
acquisitions. AUTHORIZATIONS, you
| have pushed them towards the most
open and shameless robbery.
You have promised liberty.
Is that liberty, when no one dares
to obtain food for himself, to change
ones dwelling, to move from town
| TO town? Is that liberty. when fam
| lilies and sometimes all the inhabi-
tants of a house are evicted and
| their property thrown out into the
street. and when all citizens are ar
| officially divided into categor'es Of
which some are destined 10 famine
and plumber? Is that liberty when
| no one dares 10 state openly ones
| opinion out of fear of being accused
| Of counter revolution? Where are
| freedom of speech and of the press?
| Where the freedom OF church
| preaching? Have not many brave
! church preachers already paid the
| price OF their blood-the blood Of
| martyrs? The voice of social and
| state discussion is suppressed, the
| press. with the exception of the
| narrow pro- bbolshevist section. is
! completely strangled.
Particularly hard and cruel is the
/ suppression of liberty and faith. Not
a day passes but the most mon
/ strous calumnies against the Church
Of God, angry blasphemy and sac
! rilece appear in your press. You
| mock the servants OF the church.
you force the bishops TO dig trenches
/ (Hernogen. Bishop of TobOlslS) and
] mo-
J tasks You have laid your hands
/ upon the inheritance OF the church.
/ gathered together by generations Of
\ the faithful. and have not hesitated
/ to violate their last viii and tesla
4 ment
The Mark OF the Beast.
And what shall I more say? For