Year: 1878

Almost daily we see cOntemptl-


BILE. low, mean and cowardly filings


at ministers of the church, because,


for sooth, some of them in the exer-


else of a high and holy duty to


themselves, their families, their


churches and the holy cause they


espouse, have sought safety in fight


from the destroying hand of the


scourge. 1t should be rememb bered


that preachers are mortal, that they


are men of like passions with other


men, that they have families to care


for, who in most instances are


wholly dependent upon them for


bread Would a senseless and un-


reasonable public opinion force


these men to desert their families,
and walk into the jaws of death for
a mere sentiment? 1t is nothing


more. Their hocks have flown, and


besides, the time to administer spir
itual comfort and consolation Is not
after the destroying monster has
laid his brawny clutches upon the
victim. The noble sacrifice some
of them make is to be commended
and admired. We would be quick
to condemn the man who deserted
his post without good reason. If
he have no dependent family and
there is work to do we could not
excuse a minister from his post. He
should be in the thickest of the
fight. And we are glad to know
that few of this kind have deserted.
On the contrary, not only these but
many others who had the strongest
counter obligations resting upon
them have gone down in this fight.
1t is indeed beautiful to behold the
faithfulness of the Catholic priests
to the teachings and tenets of their
religion. But they haze no families to
care for, and besides, their personal
presence is necessary to d6solve tie Vic-
tim and save his soul from purgatOry,
and all honor be to the noble men
who have so heroically and un-
performed their heaven
work. But it is different
with the protestants. They claim
no power to absolve. They spend
their lives and energies and intel
lects in persuading men to prepare
in health for final dissolution. They
warn men from day to day that in
such an hour as they think not the
scourge, pestilence, famine, death
come.


But they need not a defence from
us. The assaults are made upon
them by those who sneer at any
thing and everything they do-by
those who continually seek oppor
tunities TO throw reproach upon re
ligion and yainly search for excuse
for their own weakness and neglect
of duty. We write this, therefore,
not as a defence. but simply as a
protest. The protestant ministers
have remained at the post of duty
heroically, and scores of them have
fallen. Those who fed can, in every
instance, doubtless, give the most
reasons for so doing.
But it is no part of their duty to
render an account unto an unrea
sonable, carplng, 1aulJ-unolnS, lnu-
del rabble, who would find fault
even with the Savior, and deny His
and divinity, if He were
to reappear upon earth. There is
a spirit of irfdelity abroad which
seeks all opportunities to make
odious comparisons, to throw con-
tempt upon religion, to blight the
usefulness of its members, to Grip
pie the church, to rob christianity
of its beauties, and thereby hide
their own deformities. To do tits,
they would even blight the fair
name and fame of holy men, rob
their families of bread by driving
their only support into the whirl-
pool of death to satisfy rapacious,
wicked. heathenish sentiment.