The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-06-04

fancy cars paid out of our taxes Why
don't the priests and the bankers and
the government officers come out like
us and work with their hands instead
Of living on our money!"
This was too much for Romeo He
had stQDd somewhat ashamed fer the
moment when his father failed to
| answer the mans first attack on the
priesthood and the government, but
now he/had forgotten his father and
remembered only some of the things
he had studied and some of the things
he had read in his Christian Doctrine
and American history classes. a
| "It's a lie," he cried. tits lie. A
priest doesn't work for money. Some
priests don't even get cent. They
| give up their lives to save peoples
| souls, and you know it. And this gov
eminent is the best government in the
world"
| There was CONSERVATION in the
crowd for moment. The speaker
looked down at the boy and then at
Manuel Rossetti. The boy faced the
stare boldly, but Manuel Rossetii look
ed shamefacedly at his son as if he
wanted to apologize for. him.
| Many men in the crowd started
talking at once. 1t was, easily seen
that some admired the courage Of the
| youth who had taken issue with the
speaker. But others we're plainly
angry at the interruption
''Is that your brat, Rossetti?" asked
one of them. Its we'll seen he's 60
| ing to the church schools"
The speaker with the red necktie
was not disconnected at the Interrupt
| ton. In fact, he had heard the last
remark, and meant to make the most
of it.
That's the way they're bringing up
| the children" he cried. That's what
they teach them. They know more
than their fathers nowadays. They
are brought up to believe all the fairy
tales they tell them in the schools
about their gods and their command
ments and their submission to the peo-
pie who have the money. That's the
way they bring up our children, filling
them full of lies and tommyrot.'
| Just then another voice broke out in
the crowd. 1t was man with blue
sweater, a tall man, and one whose
voice was stronger and more clear-cut
than that of the man with the red
necktie.
"The boy is right" he cried to the
speaker. ut is you who are talking
the lies. Where. did you come from
anyhow"
Russia" said the man on the soap
box, 'the only free workers republic!"
care you an American citizen?"
asked the man in the blue sweater.
mo, l wouldn't become the citizen
of any capitalistic country" said the
man with the red necktie.
Then you ought to go back to Rus,
STA where you belong" cried the man
with the blue sweater. This is no
! place for you to try to spread dscon.
tent among honest hhen. The people
of this country rule themselves. They
are a free people, and if things don't
go the way they want them, they have
a right to vote and to remedy them
They don't want revolutions and blood,
shed like Russia has today. If things
were so fine in Russia, why didn't you
stay there?"
| There was now a confusion of
| speaker wit the red necktis night
after night, as if under SPELL seemed
| to find themselves.
'"The boy was right" one of them
cried out. ut is the man who has
been telling the lies
| Several joined in similar cries
| Others shouted out defending the soap
box orator. The confusion grew gen.
eral Romeo found himself in the
] midst of a babel of tongues ana was
being swayed back and forth as the
bodies of strong men pressed. against
| him. Then he saw the man with the
| red necktie leap from his box and dart
1 quickly up the street. The crowd fol-
| lowed him. Romeo was left standing
alone with his father and the man
with the blue sweater. He looked up
| into this mans face. There was some
thing strangely familiar about it-yet
he could not at first recognize the
man.
| You did very well, Romeo" said
the man with the blue sweater.
| Romeo now knew this man. Of all
men in the world, it was the one he
most hated and most. 1espised, Brother
! Thomas.
"You are to be complimented on
| your son, Mr.. Rossetti," said Brother
Thomas. 81 have stood here many
nights myself and listened to this man,
but have never seen any one con-
tradict him till tonight. The people
of this community owe a lot to
Romeo"
Romeos ears tingled From any
one else in the world the words would
have been sweet. But from that man!
| Romeo, my boy said Brother
Thomas, you have done nobly. This
| year we are going to give out two
Bishops medals. And one of them
will go to you, the boy who not only
knows the TRUTH about his Coun-
| try and his Faith, but who has the
| manhood to defend them" al,
| l-Dohiel Doydn In the Neu York L.aioler.
i