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About The American. (Omaha, Nebraska) 1891-1899 | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1895)
nrnnrir a Hunt? "o inn a it A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER. "AMERICA FOR AMERICANS." We hold that all men are A nerleans who Swear Allegiance U the United States without mental rewrvailon In favor of the Po-. PRICK FIVE CENT Volumk V. "MAHATiMSBKAS Numbkb if i . i v NOTES AND COMMENTS. IIekk is another straw which show which way the wiod blows in Rome: "The pope has issued an order which has been promulgated in Buda- Pesih, declaring that the offspring of mixed marriages shall be brought up in the Catholic faith. This conflict with the Iluogarian marriage law, which gives the parents of children born of such unions the choice of the faith in which they shall be reared." This is further evidence that where the laws of the state conflict with the laws of the church the laws of the church are to be unhesitatingly obeyed Father Chas. Chixiquy says: "I have heard the confessions of more than 200 priests, and say the truth, as God knows it, I must declare that only twenty-two bad not to weep over the secret or public sins committed through the irresistibly corrupting influences of auricular confession! I am now more than seventy seven years old, and in a short time I shall be in my grave. I shall have to give an account of what I now say. Well, it is in the presence of my great Judge, with my tomb before my eyes, that I declare to the world that very few yes, very few priests escape from falling into the pit of the most horrible moral depravity the world has ever known through the con fession of females." The priesthood will soon have to devise something more terrible than a hell if they would keep "doubting Thomases'' from expressing publicly their disbelief in the actual existence of such an 3odlv place. A corres pondent to the World Herald from New York in speaking cf one of these "doubt ing Thomases" says: "Now wo have the 'new preacher,' for, as the old fashioned women have passed away, so also have the antique clergymen, who formerly talked about the golden seats in Heaven and the roaring fires in an eternal hell. One of the new preach ers in this end of the universe is Rev. Frank E. Mason of Brooklyn. At the First Church of Christ the other night Dr. Mason spoke in answer to the ques tion, 'It there a hell?' and this is what he said: 'Yes; if you make one.,Tiicre is no local hell. Hell and" Heaven are conditions of mind, not locations. 'Tell is the abridgement of power. It is the shriveling of the mind. Man carries his own brimstone in the pocket of his thought. It is set on fire by the fric tion of negative ideas. The pessimist relegates his Heaven to futurity The op to mist enjojs it on earth. The one who is continually siDging, 'Earth is a desert drear, Heaven is my home,' lives in perpetual hell. He is suffering from ecclesiastical dyspepsia. He has euten the forbidden apple and cannot digest it.'" V D. Powell, D. D., writes: ( Komanism encourages paganism. It has never;; done anything to turn the Mexicans' from paganism. The chap lain of Max'milian, appointed by the pope, wrote a tract which was pub lished in Paris. He said: 'Mexicans are not christians. 1. Because, they are idolators.c 2. Their religion, ow ing k ignorance, consists oi rites anu ceremonies. They do not know what it is to worshin Gi d in snirit and in truth. Virtue is unknown to the Cath olic clergy. Communion is administered to children five years of age. Each ceremony is made an article of mer chandise.' There is not a robber in Mexico who is not a fanatical Roman ist. They are covered with charms to keep the devil out. A noted robber had made about a million dollars. He became concerned and consulted the priest. A large sum was paid and a receipt takenj securing his salvation. He afterwards returned to his old trade. People are in ignorance of the way of salvation. A leading man of Mexico married his own sister. For 130,000 the pope gave him authority for the marriage. For $1(5,000 a man obtained from the church of Rome per mission to marry his niece. I am per sonally acquainted with this pian. For baptizing a child a fee of from $1.50 to $2 20 is charged. In Mexico, if the government had not taken away the cemeteries, the people could not bury without exorbitant fees. Ihe lowest marriage fee in thechurch is $1."), while wages for a day's labor are twelve and one-half cents. Two-thirds of the peo- ""j pie formerly lived without marriage. 4 Almost every priest has children of his own. We do not believe everything we see in print about the fashionable woman. While we do not doubt but what she does many things which other women do not do, yet some of the things with which she is charged are so ludic rous and so devoid of common horse sense that we must perforce reject them as below the level of even a fashlonabl woman. One of these things is spoke of in the following item; "The fashion able woman pick up abroad now to hang in her drawing-room a set of priest's vestraen's. Tnese are ured for window and door draperies, one hang. ing as a lambrequin over a white win dow, with perhaps the narrow case ments in the same room conventionally decorated. These pieces of rich era broidery can be picked up in Spain trance and Italy at very low prices, and are regarded by the discriminating collector as a unique and attractive ornament. In using them as lambre quins or doorway drapings, breadths of soft silk of a contrasting or harmoniz ing hue are drawn through the open ings made in the robes for head and arms, an arrangement which adds pleasing grace to the rather stiff lines of the splendid pieces." 1 he bowels oi the earth are giving up many curious things in these latter days; things which indicate a higher civilization among the ancients than they have been credited with. A dispatch from Athens under date of April 13, 1805, says: "The excavations of the American school of Archaeology at Ileraion and Argos, directed by Prof, Charles Waldstein, has been resumed this spring, giving employment to 250 workmen. The work has been success ful. Besides the two temples and five buildings previously discovered a large colonnade forty-five feet long and well preserved has been found 250 feet below the surface and to the south of the sec ond temple. The excavators have al ready found parts of Metopes, two mar ble heads of the bea. Greek period, a hundred objects of bronze and gold gems, vases ana terra cottas oi tne Homeric period, also numerous scarads, several Mycenan tombs and an argive inscription of bronze, possibly of a re ligious character. The excavations, which are now in their fourth season, will be completed this year. They rival the French excavations at Delphi in magnitude and importance, and the objects found represent all the periods of Greek life, from the prehisioric to the Roman, and give epecimans of the sculpture and architecture of the Hricllean age. They have, already pro duced more material for the hlstoy-of the earliest ceramic art than was dis- cavered in any previous ex ;avatlons, including those of Dr. Schliemann." . Apropos of what we have just said on this subject, we give the following dis patch from Detroit, Mich. "A great stone wall situated in Greenltaf town ship, Sanilac county, four miles east and one mile south of Cass City, is ex citing no lit .le curiosity in the state. The upper p irt of this mysterious struct ure was laid bare by the recent forest fires, and resembling at a distance a huge white serpent lying in a swaup, through which it passes. The wall is about eight feet wide at the top but wider at the base. At one place along the line of the wall a ditch has been made to drain the swamp. This wall was cut through in several places, but the bottom was never reached in any case. How, when, or by whom this mysterious piece of architecture was constructed is a pot-er for antiquarians. There are no breaks during its entire length, and the nicks or interstices are filled with a substance resembling ce ment. Mr. Noah Brooks recently contributed a very interesting article to the Century Mnqazine, from which we take the following: "It is interest ing to call to mind some of the forces which mado Grant the geueral-in-chief of the armies of the United States, and some of the incidents that attended the consummation of that historic work It was by no means a grateful task for the congressmen of that time to lend a hand in creating the grade of lieutenant general in the army, although there was no question as to the man on whom that distinction should be conferred. I question very much if the bill to revive the grade of lieutenant general would have gone through congress then if it hal not been for the very general dis satisfaction with Gen. Halleek, who was acting as general-in-chicf, with head quarters at Washington. This dissat isfaction was constantly increasing, and although the country at large did not seem to be very keenly alive to Halleck's inadequacy to the situation, Washing ton, and especially the chambers of congress, resounded with complaints of his sluggishness, his unwillingness to take responsibilities, and his supposed incapacity to grasp the whole military situation. I doubt if the most out spoken and malignant Copperhead in congress was so disliked, so railed against, and so reviled by the more radical members as this unfortunate general-in-chief. The belief that some new man, no matter who he might be, could vigorously prosecute the war and brine a mhvJv weace if he were in Halleck's place, made imssiblo the pas- sace of the bill reviving tho rank of lieutenant general of the army. Oddly enough, men who complained that the president clung tonaeioutly to Gen. Halleek as bis military adviser never doubted for a moment that Mr. Lincoln was more than willing that the rank should be revived with the distinct understanding that Grant should bo the wearer of the title, ai.d by virtue thereof become at ou"6 the general issimo of all the military forces of the United States. That the president did cling to Halleek, in spito of the very general popular disfavor with which the general was regarded Is well known. When I ventured one day to say to the president that Halleek was disliked be cause many people supitosed that he was too timid and hesitating in his mil itary conduct, Mr. Lincoln's face at once wore a sober, almost severe, ex pression as he said that he was Hal leck's friend because nobody else was. Other men had received from tho pres ident a somewhat similar Impression; and, whatever may have been thought of the very remote possibility that any other man than Gen. Grant would lie called to the head of the armies, con gressmen who were clamorous for a more vigorous prosecution of the war were eagerly turning to the "lieutenant general bill," as it was called, as the readiest way to be rid of Gen. Halleck's alleged slowness. If there was any doubt as to the popularity of Grant in Washington, (and ho was disposed to regard that city as a place of snares), the arrival of the newly created lieu tenant general effectually dissipated it. lie had been called to the capital, and had arrived there late in the afternoon of March 8, 1804. That evening, as it chanced, was the occasion of tho usual weekly reception at the White House, and thither Gen. Grant went by special invitation. Thither, too, went throngs cf people whn it was known that he would be on view with the president. So great was the crowd, and so wild the rush to get near the general that he was obliged at last to mount a sofa where he could be soon, and where he was secure, at least for a ti ne, from the maripss of the muliitud. Women wereeaught up and whirled in the torrent which swept through the great east room. Ladies suffered dire dis aster in the crush and confusion; their laces were torn and crinolines mashed; and people got upon sofas, chairs aid tables to he out of harm's way or to get a better view of the spectacle. It was the only real mob I ever saw in the White House. It was an indescribable scene or curiosity, i v and pleasure. For once, at leasi, the president of the United States was not the chief figure in the picture. The little, scared look ing man who stood on a crimson- covered sofa was the idol of the hour. He remained on view for a short time; then he was quietly smuggled out by friendly hands, and next day he de parted from the city, which he then ppeared to dread so much, to begin the last and mightiest chapter in his military career." Down Hill.' According to The Presbyterian, the Roman Catholic church must do some strong work if she "holds her own." She is working hard in the United States to balance her lot-s in other countries, but the question arises, "Is he worthy of success?" According to the influence 03 nations for the good of this nation, she should have a rapid, own hill gait here. We do rot refer to the people who are her followers, but the religion, as it Is called, but it is triple combination a politico religio- semi-pagat'ism. Ihe 1 rcsbytcrmn says: "In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, as a whole, the Catho'ics are now a million and a hal' less than they were fifty years ao. In 841 there 1,000,000 Roman Catholics in Great Britain and 6.000,000 in Ire land, making a total of 7,000.000. In 8SU the British Roman Catholics had ncreased to 2,000,000, chiefly by Irish immigration, while the Irish Roman Catholics had decreased to 3,500,000, making a total for the United Kingdom of 5.000,000, that is to say 1,500,000 less than in 1841, although the population had increased in the interval by 11,000, 000. That is to say, in 1841 the Roman Catholics were 20 per cent of the whole population, but in 1891 they had dropped down to 10 per cent." Now let the Roman Catholics take a hint, and let the ball roll. Ten Pins. Recalled Stormy Times. Well that looks natural" said the old soldier, looking at a can of con densed milk on the breakfast table in ace of ordinary milk that failed on account of the storm. "It's the Gail Borden Eagle Brand we used during the war." 4.KI l.OVFKNMKYr. A Subject of Paramount Importance l Fiery Intelligent American. The question of good government Is a subject of paramount Interest to every puiv, Intelligent and loyal citizen of America. In some of the large cities of the United StaU so many discordant elements constitute the bulk of the imp utation that the question of good gov ernment is rendered difficult and In tricate. "It seems as though it were a law of human Intercourse that when races are commingled in largo masses the worst qualities ol each appear In tensified in the general iniquity." (Farrar, "Life of St. Paul," Vol. I, page 201.) If the citizenry of the great cen ters of America were a ooplo of prae tlcally one language, of like training and of like traditions, actuated by one exalted and noble patriotic purpose,and in whoso breasts tho spirit of civic pride and national unity reigned sov ereignly, the problem of good govern ment would bo greatly simplified. The average citizen of any of tho great cen ters of France, Germany or England Is more patriotic than the average citizen of New York, Chicago or San Fran cisco, It is a well known and a deplor able fact that a largo per cent of our urban population is composed of jier sons who are totally out of harmony and out of sympathy with the highest Ideals of American citizenship and American civilization. Undoubtedly the radical and effectual restriction of foreign immigration lsono of the meas ures to which American adepts in state craft must early apply their talents and their energies. A continuance of the present volume of immigration would well-nigh ruin this country. "In the present century (the nineteenth the immigration of a large foreign popula tion is seldom favorable to the moral condition of a nation. Emigration has become so easy and so familiar that it is the resource of multitudes but little remov d from simple pauperism. Men of ordinary characters-usually deterior ate when severed from the ties of home traditions, associations and opinions; and they seldom feel any strong attach ment for a country which was not that of th ?ir childhood." (Lecky, "England In j'no Eighteenth. Century," Vol. 2, pagK Men of low character con stitute the class whose presence in the United States has Imperilled the ctuse of good government and threatened the stability and perpetuity of the Ameri can Republic. There have come hither too many pertoas who seem to consider the honors, emoluments and advan tages of public office as legitimate prey for needy adventurers. Prof 8-ional foreigners exercise n ne mysterious hypnotic power over vast multitudes of American citizens of foreign birth. Not all those who comt to us from oilier lands, however, are professional office seekers. Many of our citizens tf for eign birth are home-seekers. They merely seek homely felicity. And we must be patient and deferential toward those of our foreign-horn fellow citizens who, while they are yet unable to speak English fluently or thoroughly compre hend the nature and scope of American institutions, are eager to qualify them selves for tho proper discharge of the duties and responsibilities of free citi zens, to become exemplars of liberty, progress and enlightenment, and to exalt and idealiz3 American life. The best elements of the old world are none tco good to become citizens and residen's of this American Repub lic. The United States must eventually become a nation actually shaking one great language, with universal freedom and national unity enshrined in the hearts of all the people. Clannishness and sectionalism jeopardize the na tional peace, prosperity and happiness. Blessed is that American who never has betrayed any civic trust reposed In him. America needs a genuine revival of old fashioned honesty. Only men of undoubted honor and probity must hereafter be intrusted with the conduct of public affairs. Public servants should be distinguished above all things for their integrity. We cannot trust to polite learning to swe the nation. His tory teaches that the richest culture may exist 6ide by side with the deepest degradation. "No ages are worse, no places more corrupt, than those that draw the iridescent film of an intellec tual culture over the deep stagnancy of moral degradation." (Farrar, "Life of St. Paul," Vol. i, page 28.) Many of our most cultured citizens entirely ig nore the science of civics and constantly hold themselves aloof from civic con cerns. Every American patriot should labor and sacrifice for the advancement and enthronement of the principles of pure politics, for the actualization of good government. We who love our country and sincerely desire to see our land and nation happy, exalted, peaceful and prosperous must eject the enemies of state and society from the strongholds of official power. Ih-iuagoglstn Is tho bane of American polities. Demagogue are generally the Intransigent anlagon Uts of simon pure A tnerleuiil-in; they are generally In favor of making the I nlted Slates a mere colony of Europe Ignorant, Incompetent and iniquitous Incumbents of public places should be turned out of theollloes which they dis grace. Parvlsclent, disloyal and ruf flanly jiersons ought never to lie in trusted with police Kwers In America. AUAI.IIF.KT llKACll. The I inn go of the lleasl. What is the Image of the beast, men tioned, Rev. 13:11? John and Daniel evidently describe tho same beast. The "great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his head-" Rev. 12:3, Is Rome pagan. The crowns were on the heads for the empire of Rome was not yet divided Into tho ten kingdoms. It is probably called tho "great rod dragon" because the dragon or Satan is the author and supporter of tho pagan religion. "And the dragon gave him bis owcr, his seat, and great authority," Rev. 13:2. That tho "great rod dragon" is Rome pagan, Is believed by buth papists and rrotcstants. I here Is no reason to doubt it. But what is the beast with seven heads and ten horns, with the crowns on the horns, described In Rev. 13:1-10? It Is evidently the same as the "great red dragon" in a changed form; the same old dragon in a new dress, ho has put on the Vatican collar and wrist bands, but under his coat are the scales of the dragon. Tho dominion has passed from the heads to tho horns, but U Is the san e beast, for the horns grew out of the heads. The horns are tho secular or civil power. But another beast appears in the scene. "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the c arth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." Rev. 13:11 18. What does this beast represent? Evidently the ecclesiastical power of Rome, the papacy the false prophet the "man of sin." If the "great red dragon" Is Rome pagan, then the beast of the 13th chapter, Is Rome papal, the secular and priestly power. There Is clear evidence of this and no fact against it. If the two horns of the beast that spake, as a dragon are significant, they may repre sent the two orders of the clergy or the union of the priestly and the civil power in tho pope, the pretended "vicar of Christ" and "prince of tho kings of the earth." The pope claims not only to be tho head if all churches, but higher than the kings of earth, hence claims au thority to depose kings and absolve their subj -cts from allegiance. Tne description of this two-horned bea-t agrees with the pope exactly and with the tyrannic.il and cru- 1 reign of the popes. This beast is considered to be tho same as the "little horn" of Dan. chapter 7th. They are b th as sociated with the ten-horned beast. Papists admit their identity, and that they corr spond to the great anti Christ. They stand at the head of the anti christian empire that has drenched the earth with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. We know who slaughtered the saints, it is a matter of history, no Jesuit or vandal hand can blot out the record. History atul prophecy run parallel. John saw in vision, the ' har lot" that vas "drunkea with the bWoi of the saints." Now, a question arises, what is the ' imago of the beast?" It will d ro harm to express an opinion. Some say it is tho papicy. But whatever con stitutes the image of the Wast, the pope is evidently the head of the com hination. My opinion is: that the image of the beast that received the deadly wound and was healed, isa union and co opera tion of the ten-horned beat and the two-horned beast the succession of popes, the pope being supreme dictator, tne head, center and bond of union. In this combination, the empire was recon structed, idolatry reestablished and the deadly wound healed. The ton horns agreed, sustained idolatry and gave their power unto the beast The papacy says to the civil powers, "Our religion is tho only true religion and ought to be the religion of all. You mako my religion tho religion of the land, then all your subjects will be my subjects; make your subjects obey my religion and I will make my subjects obey your laws, hence the result is an iron despotism. Such a tyranny has long existed in papal nations. The pope or court of the inquisition con demns the victim to death and then turns him over to the civil power to be executed. Verse 12th shows a com bination between the ten horned beast and the two-horned beast. "And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and eauseth the earth and them which dwell therein to wor ship the first beast, whjse deadly wound was healed," that is Rome pagan. The revival of idolatrous wor ship by the papacy, healed the deadly wound. Next forties mplbli miracles bogus miracles by which he declined them, for a real miracle deceived no one, heuce he is called tho "falso prophet that wrought miracles In the sight of the Wast." "And he docth great wonders, so thai he uiaketh Ore come down from heaven on the earth In tho sight of men, and dceelveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he bad power to do In the sight of the beast, eto." Rome to lay, claims to work miracles. Cardinal Newman Improving Rome's claim to miraculous ower, says, "Our church is hung with miracles." The two-horned beast "spake as a dragon." His pretensions were pious and lamb-like, but his lan guage and character Is that of tho dragon. By re establishing Idolatry and demon worship under the papacy, by the union of thn secular and priestly Hwer, with the pope at the hod, tho deadly wound is healed and there exists tho image of the beast, In the old em pire restored. The seven heads passed away successively and then the empire was divided and the dominion passed to the horns. "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto tho beast. These shall make war with the lamb and the lamb shall over come them, eto." Rev. 17:13. "And tho licast that was, and Is not, even ho ia the eighth, and is of tho seven, and goeth into perdition." Rev. 17:11. That Is, tho empire is restored in the image of the boast, hence tho beast is tho Ighth and last head of the beast, yet s of the seven, because it is tho old empire restored or revived. In this form tho beast goes Into perdition, Rome Is In the last stage of her existe nce and the papacy will have no suc cessor; when It falls, it will rise no moro. Tho dreadful end of popery Is pre dicted. "And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before hlra, with which ho do c .lved them which had received the mark of the beast and them that wor shlK)d his image. Those were both cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." Rev. 1) 20. This ia the end of popery, it can jxtrsccule no more, and the millennium Is then at the door. The doom of the beast ia predicted in Dan. 7:1120, Rev. 17:10. What wo have said, may not bo very eh ar to tho reader, but we havo tried to express our opinion. We consider the last form of the empire, combined with the two-horned beast, to be the imago of the beast, the opo being the supreme head and dictator. Well, what about It? It is this, you urn warned that a terrible and cruel enemy confronts you. The bi mt has sethis cloven foot upon the American shore. If God has seen it important to forewarn the church and the world of the rise of this terrible power, it is surely right and a duty to call the at tention of men to this prophetic warn ing. Tnus wj write. Wo are not writ ing as a politician, but as a patriot and a friend of liberty and morality. Nor are we guessing or ba-ing our thoughts) on human opini in, but on tho infallible word of God. Prjphecy is history written before the event. God has written tho history o' the beast before it was organized. Din. "th chapter. This prophecy was not writ en to at tract the curious or furnish material for speculation, but are the true, sayings of God, to warn His people against the sorceries of the "mother of harlots." And it is no wonder that Rome is op posed to our public schools aud tho reading of the Bible in them. We see why she does not allo'.v her ditelples to road the Bible, it brands h.T as "the mother of harlots." Her whole char acter Is delineated in the Scriptures. Her history anJ doings confirm the prophecy. The history was painted by Daniel the prophet, long before her risa. Popery answers exactly to the "little horn" and the two-horned beast of John. Every intelligent reader of tho Bible recognizes the likeness, so the Bible is a dangerous book tor Rome, and she knows it. Among the fellest evidences that Rome is anti-Christ is her treatment of the Scriptures. But the Biblj is the hope of the world. Reader, cling to it and walk in the light of it. It will free the nations. It would spoil the creed of every papist if he would study it honestly. I have a neighbor, a Catholic, that never saw even the Douy Bible, the Romish ver sion of the Scriptures. Rome pagan is the "great red dragon;" Rome papal is the anti-christian empire and successor to Rome pagan. This is not prophecy only, but it is history. Americans, do not sleep, do not be deceived. Calvin. 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