The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-12-28
First u. 5. Catholic Journals
Fought Many Bitter Battles

a.
NEW YORK, (NC)-The Cstho-
lie magazine was ushered into the
world more than 120 years ago
in an atmosphere Of controversy
and quarrel and bigotry," the Rev.
John B. Seerin, esp, editor of
The Catholic World magazine, told
the annual convention Of the Uni
ted States Catholic Historical So
ciety at Hunter College here.
The history of Catholic maga-
zines in the United States is root
ed deep in the Irish national pub
lieatiors in the early days Of this
country Father Sheerin said.
The editors Of these publications
we're belligerent. They had to
be. The Irish we're the victims Of
rampant intolerance and social dis
elimination.
Father Sheerin detailed some of
the extremities TO which the bigo-
try Of those days was carried -
the burning Of the Ursuline Con
vent at Charlestown, Mass. in
1884; the counsel of New York s
Archbishop John J. Hughes 10
Catholics TO defend their homes
and churches by force of arms If
necessary; the reign of terror
in Philadelphia when nativist mobs
burned St Michaels and st. Aug
uStine's churches.
Irishmen in those days, Father
Sheerin said, suffered as much for
their religion as their race, and
the editors Of the forerunners Of
the Catholic magazines believed
in fighting fire with fire.
perhaps we regret their use Of
questionable tactics" Father
Sheerin related. The Truth Tell
er of New York, for instance, used
to carry on incesssnt controversies
with The Protestant. The Rev
John Hughes, a contributor to
The Truth Teller, manufactured
mass of ludicrous misstatements
OF Catholic doctrine and submitted
: them in letters to The Protestant
signing himself 'Cranmer." The
Protestant printed them with eu
logistic commentary: thereupor
Father Hughes revealed himself
and exploded the hoax to the greai
chagrin of The Protestant. Sucf
strategy was, however, quite com
mon in those early days and We
should not attempt to judge thess
early writers by contemporary
standards"
As an example of history re
peating itself with amusing fidel
ity," Father Sheerin related: "Ir
Cincinnati in 1884 there was ;
bigoted editor named Blanchard
who apparently had a penchant fol
gathering information about the
Catholic Church much in the fash
ion of his namesake of today
/ This Mr.. Blanchard once dressed
himself as a woman and attended
Mass at a Catholic church but wa;
discovered"
Father Sheerin related that the
first Catholic magazine to appear
was The Metropolitan published
in Baltimore in 1880. He said thai
it was devoted exclusively to the
defense of the Catholic religion
and the editor was the Rev. Char
les c. Pise The Protestant jour
nails, he said, took issue with The
Metropolitan but the editor com
petently handled their objections
Father Sheerin related that the
Catholic magazine died within
year for lack of patronage.
He related that The Minerva ap
peared in 1884, published at st
Joseph's College, Bardstown, Ky.
but was literary rather than re
ligious in character. He said that
The Children'S Catholic Magazine
appeared in New York in 1888
while in 1912 The Catholic Re
lioious Cabinet appeared in Balti
more, later was changed to the
United States Catholic Magazine
but lasted only until 1849,
catholic journalism however
reached its high-water mark with
the conversion of the great Ores
tes Brownson in 1874" Father
Sheerin said. "In 1888 he hac