THE AMERICAN,
CAME OUT OF HOME.
Bishop John H. Vincent Re
corded an Interesting
Case From France.
The Cottvtrt Said It VU Not Rieolry W
Tf II the Troth About tbe t buret,
1U frusta and Kdov.
Pauline's path was not a perfectly
smooth one after that day in the open
fleld with her father. And yet It wax
a happy one. Mother was surprised,
aad for a time very sad. But she wa
a woman of little force, no convictions,
much amiability, and worshiped both
her husband and her Pauline. The
two boys, it soon appeared, sympa
thized with the protesting party in
this French household. But the priest
called again and again, and the Ro
man Catholic neighbors, set on by the
priest, had a great deal to say. But
Pauline had thought too much and
read too many pages in her blessed
Bible to be appalled by their warn
ings or silenced by their logic. Paul
ine had three words on her tongue's
nd, and she always gave them in the
Christian Order: "Christ, Scripture,
Church." He, the only mediator, was
always first She sought and found
Him in His hold Word, and she prized
the church only as it was His body
and as it became "the pillar and the
ground of the truth." This was a
solid foundation to stand and to build
upon, and when Romanists talked to
her about the "church" she talked to
them about the scriptures and the
Lord. If they spoke of "saints" she
spoke of Christ. If they talked about
the "pope" she asked for the evidence
LU nmtA trtA n n t man t In ho
Word. And the Bible was too much
for the Romanists. Perhaps this is
the reason why its use by the people
is so much discouraged by the priest
hood. Pauline's course made much talk in
the village. Indeed, this young Joan
of Arc ws8 so brave, and bold, and
so fair and lovely withal, that her
tongue became a dangerous weapon
among the young people of her
neighborhood, whose faith in the
church Was not any too strong before
Pauline had taken hei decided stand.
Something must be done to stop her
mouth, lest she corrupt her compan
ions and harm the church. But how
to do this was no easy problem to
solve. Once the ecclesiastical author
ities had a very simple way of dispos
ing of such an unruly member as a
Protestant tongue. They could burn
the body that owned it; or they could
rmprlson; or they could behead; or
they could torture by rack and wheel,
thumbscrew, boot, dropping water, and
boiling lead. There was a time when
the Church of Rome did such things
for God's glory, the salvation of souls,
. and the purification of the world. And
the Roman Catholic church that did
these things openly and In the full
light of the sun, in Italy and France
and Spain and elsewhere, would do
them today if she dared. Why should
an infallible church change? Why
should one pope strike a medal to
commemorate the brutal Massacre of
St. Bartholomew and send a cograt
Hlatory message to the chief perpetra
tors, and order a Te Deum in St. Pet
er's in celebration of this blow given
to the enemies of the church why, we
ask, should one hope of an infallible
and unchangeable church do all this,
' and another pope of the same church
not do it? But this "perversion" of
Pauline took place in France, the re-
miblic. in the eighth decade of the t
nineteenth century, and the church
dares not do as she has done a thou
sand times in darker ages.
"Father " therefore called on
Pauline to "reason" with her. He had
denounced, and warned, and called her
names, and now expected that by the
proper authorities, in a public way,
she must be "excommunicated." But
what if the "simple child" could ba
won back to "mother church and her
soul saved?" It was the priest's duty
to do all that he could to rescue Paul
ine from her terrible doom. And he
tried. He made several calls. He
found her at every greeting the same
attractive, genial, charming girl she
had always been. But when they be
gan to talk the mild girl became the
brave woman, and although her voice
was not raised unduly, nor her manner
at all violent, the young maiden had
a strong and positive way of putting
things, which caused the "father" to
wonder. He found her more than a
match for him. She had an uncom
fortable way of holding onto the
Word, which, not strange to say, she
seemed to understand better than the
priest. "Where is your Scripture for
it?" she would ask. And he fell back
on the councils, and the fathers, and
the papal decrees, and the voice of the
church. "But where is your Scripture
for It?" was Pauline's ever-ready ques
tion. "As for your confessional," she
said, "It is a human institution, and
has no good end to serve. It Is with
out authority and works much evil.
Aad where la your Scripture for it?"
"Dou you not, my innocent, know that
you are commanded In the Holy
Scriptures and by St Jamea to "con
fess your sins?" asked the priet. "Ah,
but quote It all. quote It all." cried
Pauline: ' "Confess your sins to one
another." And where in this command
to make mutual confession do you
find any ground for the accursed con
fessional? You well know, sir," aud
her face grew red and white by turns,
and her voice trembled, "you know
well what Its possibilities of evil are."
The priest was abashed by her bold
manner and braver words. He did
know well, as does every Roman
priest, how full of dangtr is the con
fessional. Thank God that Pauline
was forever rescued from the bondage
which it involved!
"It is idolatry." said Pauline to
Father . "this bowing before pic
tures, and images, and burning can
dles aud the high altar. It can be
nothing else." "We do not worship
them, we worship Him whom they
uurtsent." replied the priest. "No
pagan could or would say less," an
swered Pauline. "The Ctnnaniau w
bows before bis idol worships not the
thine hut the invisible one. At least
so the pagan priest will tell you. li
the meantime the ignorant crowds act
ually worship the thing. And Just
so it is In your Romish church. What
ever you or the auihormes of the
church may say, the ignorant people,
whom you have made and kept igno
rant, worship pictures and Images and
the 'body' of the Lord at your eleva
tion of the 'host.' And as for Mary
and the saints, what can be worse
idoltary than the popular idea among
your people about her and' the other
creatures whomyousupplicate? Where
is your Scripture for it?" Vainly did
the master of sophistries try to evade
the straightforwardness of a girl with
her eyes open, and her tongue, thanks
to the age she lives in, free to speak
the whole truth. "I saw," she continu
ed, "an altar and an Image in the
Cathedral over at T last week
and I read a strange and heathen in
scription. There was a marble Mary
halm in arms. Around her were
flowers, artificial flowers, and twenty
one candles burning (I wish the fire
could have consumed the flowers!)
and I read the offer of three hundred
day's indulgence, once each day, for
those 'who pray before this image.'
Such things fill my soul with hold in
dignation. May the day come when
the Lord shall tear down all idols and
consume them with the fiery word of
His truth!" Pauline's face shone like
one inspired. And the priest left.
Bishop John H. Vincent (Methodist),
in Our Youth, April, 2, 1887.
Pauline, our little French Roman
Catholic of whom a year ago we gave
report, made rapid progress after her
emancipation from Roman Catholic
control, and became an intelligent, de
cided and earnest representative of
the pure religion of the Lord Jesus
Christ. She came more and
more clearly to see what a mass of
human constructions and of rubbish
the Roman Catholic church is. She
saw more and more clearly how
through the centuries its superstitions
had increased in power over the mass
es of the people; how children inherit
the qualities of character which tend
to promote and increase the power of
this superstition; how, by betting
a firm hold on the social customs
of the people, the priesthood was able
to dominate the nursery, the parlor
and the school.
Having a friend who had given much
attention to the discussion between
Romanism and Christianity, she had
access to some of the strong books
on the subject, and was able to trace
in the history of our civilization every
movement of Rome against the 'lib
erties of the people; the consequent
reaction in France, in Germany, in
Italy, and everywhere else against
priestly domination and the absurdit
ies of the Romish faith. With her
father the dear girl talked with utmost
frankness, and they together grew In
an appreciation of each other, in a
love for the person, office and work
of the true Christ, and in a loathing,
intense because intelligent, of the
mummeries, impositions and tyrannies
of the old hierarchy.
While spending a few weeks at Men
tone, on the Mediterranean Sea, in
that lovely south of France region
where all the charms of nature com
bine to give one a sense of restfulness
and peace, Pauline met a bright little
American girl who was just coming
under the spell of the "sisters" and
the priests during her European jour
ney. "You think them all very lovely."
said Pauline, after her little American
friend had glorified the two pleasant
nuns who had called on her, "but you
ion't know them." Nina, the Ameri
can girl, replied: "Have you not too
much bigotry, Pauline, in this coua.
try? In America we have no such
narrowness of view; we are so thor
ougly grounded in our Protestant
faith that we do not fear the Roman
Catholic priesthood." Pauline's eyes
flashed as she replied: "You trust
them because you do not know them.
You trust your own strength and the
strength of your institutions, but you
have not measured their power. What
the Roman Catholic church has done
in Europe it can do in Am. rtca." "An,"
said Nina, "you know nothing about
our system, which educates the peo
ple." "But 1 do know," said Pauline,
"about your parochial schools, which
the Roman Catholic church is estab
lishing In America to prevent Its own
children from coming under the in
fluence of the public schools. My father
says that a republic Is the easiest gov
ernment lu the world to bring undei
priestly control when once the priests
get a good grip." "But how," Bul l
Nina, "where people vole and where
everybody votes, can priests control a
government?" "My father," said Paul
ine, "told me the other day about the
balance of power. 1 never understood
the expression until he explained it.
and he showed me how a body of men
bouud together by an oatn could cling
together through thtcK and thin, and
always vote on this side or that as
they themselves or their leuders might
determine. People not bouud In this
way will divide accordius to their
different sentiments. Thus you will
find Protestants voting ou different
sides In almost every political issue,
while Roman Catholics a.", vote on one
side, and while Protestants are calm,
hopeful, and have perfect trust in
what they call their free institutions,
the Roman Catholic church Is grad
ully building up cue solid party,
which can be hurled on one side or
the other according to the money
paid or the places of power offered,
The more secure the people In Ameri
ca feel, the greater Is their danger, be
cause they will continue to think for
themselves and vote for themselves,
forming two, three, or more parties,
the Ki man Catnoiic tyranny tne mean
while always uniting to give the bal
ance of power to the party that gives
them the largest reward of power.
civil and financial." "Well, I confess,'
said Nina, "that I cannot understand
It, but the common feeling in America
is that we have been too severe in our
judgment against the Roman Catholic
church, and many of our girls feel
that the sisters are a very self-sac
rificing and loving class, and that the
priests have been very much abused. '
It would have done our young readers
good to have seen the eyes of Pauline,
the little French Christian, flash like
lightning as she gave reply to her
deluded American companion.
And this Is the reply that Pauline
made: "Never while you live, dear
Nina, can you overstate the wicked
ness of the Roman Catholic church.
You do well, of course, to acknowledge
that there are good and devout Ro
manists. There are sincere and de
ceived people by the hundred thousand
who really suppose that the Roman
Catholic church is divine; that it was
founded by Christ; that Peter was the
aposto.iC head of It; that the Pope is
the representative of Christ on the
earth; that the power of forgiving sin
is lodged in the hands of the priest
hood; that this ecclesiastical power is
also able to deliver from purgatory
and to admit penitent and believing
souls into the everlasting kingdom of
God. These people give freely of their
means to support the church. They
get up early in the morning and
walk through rain and snow and mud
to attend mass. They pay their mon
ey to supportthechurch; to bring, their
dead out of purgatory; to merit the
favor of the priests, which is to win
the favor of the Lord; and thus shut
up in the terrible darkness of this
terrible superstition, they turn over all
their solicitude and anxiety, their fear
and desire, with their money, into the
hands of a self-seeking body of tyr
ants. There are also, my dear Nina,
sincere Roman Catholic priests, who
excuse themselves for the deceptions
which they practice upon the unsuspect
ing people by such sophistry as this:
If we keep them In Ignorance we can
keep them from a good deal of vll,
and If we hold them in bondage we
can control the political powers of
the world in the interest of Christ and
his cause. But, Nina, the Roman
Catholic priesthood is as perfect a
body of tyrants as ever ruled on this
planet. Infidelity is better than Jto-
manism. In some cases, stark atheism
Is better than Romanism. For Roman
ism has been the parent of infidelity,
atheism, and anarchy. It has held
whole nations In bondage, practicing
its diabolical devices at the expense
of the people, until aroused to a sense
of the injustice, they have risen, as in
Mexico, and denounced the church,
and, as in Italy and France, become
infidel and atheistic. Roman Cath
olic priests and sisters are very anx
ious that Protestants should look
upon Romanism as better than no re
ligion. Knowing Romanism through
and through, I solemnly declare that
no religion at all is better than Ro
manism. When people are pagans or
skeptics you have the unimpaired
truth with which you can approach
them; but when people are Romanists
they hold heresies which preclude the
possibility of calm investigation of
truth. And the apologies which you
Americans make for Rome, priests
grin over with fiendish delight, as they
sit together In private planning
against your republic and against the
liberties of the ballot box and against
tbe rights of the people." Pauline
spoke with such Intensity that Nina
approached her, and, placing her little
hand on Pauline's brow, presaed and
rubbed it softly, as If she would allay
the feverish excitement into which the
girl bad Ihh'u thrown by her Indigna
tion. "Be calm." said Nina. "I am
calm," replied Pauline, "but if you
had seen all that I have seen of Ro
manism in France, of Romanism in
our home, of Uomautsm In the confes
sional, of Romanism among the mass
es of the people, you would not won
der at the fire that burns within me
when I see Americans and American
girls so blind to the dangers which
surround them."
The two girls then walked out
through the beautiful gardens stretch
ing along the sea under the blue hills
which overhand Mcntoue and from the
blue background of the wonderful Ri
viera. Our Youth (lllfhou John H.
Vincent, editor). December 31. 18S7.
KtmiituKm at lu Old TiIcLh.
liRACEIONA. Nov. 27. Great In
terest is felt in the trial, now In prog
ress here, of the two men, Callls and
Enrique, accused by Ascherl, iUHtlgat
or of the bomb-throwing outrage dur
ing the procession of Corpus Christ!
in the spring of last year, of throw
ing bombs at a strike meeting in 1896,
when several persons were killed and
many others injured.
Callls was lutely condemned to
twenty years' Imprisonment as an ac
complice of Ascherl In the Corpus
Chrl8tl procession outrage. During
bis trial on that charge be confessed
himself guilty of the bomb-throwing
of 1886. Brought now to trial on that
confession he alleges that it was ex
torted from him by torture at Mont
Juich fortress, and his statement that
he was subjected to torture is con
firmed by the testimony of other con
Expose of
Secrets
R0ME's PLOT AGAINST CUBA
Jesuitical Intrigue at
Washington.
Don't fail to hear the astounding disclosures on NEXT
SUNDAY EVENING TO MEN ONLY, at Washing
ton Hall, 18th and Harney Streets. Extra accommodations
for immense crowd expected. The only opportunity to hear
this unrivaled Orator of Boston.
Boys Under
BISHOP SCANNELL, Omaha, Neb.:
Reverend and Dear Sir: I have been in the Roman Catholic Church for twenty,
five years, and am conversant with its doctrines and dogmas, but am now, thank God,
an evangelist of Christ, fighting in the interest of Protestantism,. God, and Country. I
assert that a Romanist cannot be true to his church, and at the same time be a true
American Citizen. I, upholding said statement, hereby challenge you to a public debate.
Meet me now, or forever hold your peace. Respectfully,
. . EVANGELIST KOSTELO.
The above Challenge is open to any Priest in this City.
Evangelist Kostelo, the Famous Anti-Jesuit and Ex-Romanist
Lectures to
Lies
0DIO
at 2:30 O'clock and
TO HEN ONLY SUNDAY
at 7:45 on
Gonvenis
AS AN ORATOR ILK SENATOR
victs railed as witnesses. Enrique, ar
tanged with him on the charge of
lxnib-tbrowlng In 1888. was acquitted
today.
With regard to the annertlon of Cal
lls that he was tortured. Lieutenant
Portas and others called for the pros
ecution, deny that there Is any truth
In tbe story and the weight of evi
dence U against Callls. The public
prosecutor demands a sentence of Im
prisonment for life In his case.
SHALL WE HAVE THIS LAW?
God placed la every R.mian Catholic
nun pawlon like thoe lie placed In
each of tttelr mothers, and when we
hear a Ktitnan Calholiu, or a milk and
water Protestant, pral-lng tbe virtue
of the cuds we wonder If they have as
much itense a G kI gave geoo.
Wa do not believe nun are all virtu
ous. Where you could find one who
would dare submit to a physical examin
ation by a cotnpetentcommlttoeof m-'d-Ical
expert, you would find a thousand
who had loot that priceless (rem their
virtue If one dares believe one-half
he hears, seoi or reads.
For that reason Is It not about time
that the American people begin to re
gard prlut-ts and nuns a human; to
realize that they have their good
qualities and their fault; their love
affairs and lhelrdlnp.ilotmenti; their
jnys and l lie I r sorrow, their calms and
their pasxtont.; that they are faithful
or treacherous?
Let ut have A law compelling com
munities of unmarried women, who
admit to their sleeping apartmonU
none but unmarried men, to submit
monthly to a physical examination by
a board of exp rl physlcans who shall
report their findings to the chief mag
Utrste under oath, and that In every
case where evidence of moral delin
quency can be established, the woman
shall be fined for prostitution and the
woman at the head of the community
CCSTEL
Convent Horrors
of the Confession Box
1 5 Positively Not Admitted.
Sunaay
Laid Bare and Confession Exposed."
shall ba fined for conducting a hous s4
111 fame, and ths man who Is a party ts
tbs Iniquity shall be arretted and Bm4
as In such caes mads and provided.
Such a law tnlg bt act hats ths effsat
we would wlh, but It would make It
Imnosrlble for any ooe to que-in the
virtue of a ltotnau Catbol Ic oi o, wbita
Is often done today.
AliKKtCA has never procuotj a cwr
polished scholar, a greater logician oe
a grander Christian than A. Clave
land Coxe, Bishop of the Episcopal
church for Western New York. HI
letters to Satolll have never bees,
equalled by any living writer. Wa
have thone letters printed In pamphlet
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