FATHER DAMEN' 
 
 O 
 
 LECTURE 
 
 THE ANSWER TO POPULAR OBJJlQyiONS 
 AGAINST THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 
 
 3. !?ri'ci^^ 
 
 A VERBATIM REPORT, 
 
 .*>•• 
 
 W . ir . WALLER. : (^ .J,^ ,., " 
 
 OTTAWA : 
 Printed by I. B. Taylor, 29, 31 and 33, Rideau Street, 
 
 187]. 
 
FATHER DAM EN'S LECTURE. 
 
 TUESDAY EVENING 
 
 "Ilf member my ,vor<l that 1 said to you," miiJ Jfnin, "The servant i^ not 
 grrater -han liiH Lord ; if they havp ])erHecuted me they wJi also perHecute you ; if 
 tlii-y ha\e kept my word they will keep yours also ; hut all these thing's thev will 
 do unto vou tor uiy name sake, because they know not him that sent me." St. 
 John, ir)th ehap. , xx. andxxi verse. 
 
 Dearly Ik loved ( 'liristians I — The Bh'.ssed Saviour lias foretold that 
 those v'ho believe in Him and who follow His rfligion shall be per- 
 secuted, shall be ciluniniated, shall be slandered and misrepresented. 
 '• The Disciple is not better than the Master," he has said. ** And if 
 they lu.ve calumniated, and slandered, and persecuted the master, they 
 will do the same to the Disciple.'' Hence, my dearly beloved Catholic 
 biethi-en iuui s-isters, it is the lot of the true church of God forever to 
 be slandered, :'aluminated and persecuted. It ]ias been so of old. 
 " Who are the ]*rophets i" says the Saviour. "Did not your fathei-s 
 stone t lem :uk1 put them to death V And the Apostles anil piiuiitivi; 
 (.'hristi?ins fur tln'(>e Innulred years sutfered a fearful perseeiiiidji for 
 the religion of Jesus Christ. Hardly had the church hven ushered 
 into existence when she was surrounded by a host of enemies, that all 
 swore t.loud luir destruction, her annihilation. Home and Jerusalem 
 ('ombined together to check her pi'ogress; all the powers of the I'agaii 
 (Jiosars and the Jewish Church ; all the INlagistrates and Jewish 
 Priests, all the Synod and the Jewish Synagogue, all cond)ined to- 
 gether and swore aloml that they should leave nothing untouched, 
 and no:hing iindone to smother in its very cradle the church of the 
 ]Most High (jrod — the Holy Catholic and Apostolic ( 'hurch. For three 
 hundrei years the sword of [)ersecution was lifted iij), and the earth 
 was anointed with the l)lood of the Martyrs of the Church of Jesus. 
 Rome, Jenisalem, Antiocli^ Lyons, and other cities w^ere covered with 
 th«! bodies of her geneious and heroic sons ; her Martyrs that died for the 
 faith of Jesus Christ. Even the tyrants and tie despots got tiivd 
 with [>vitting them to death one by one, and llnally enveloped entire 
 cities m one conflagration that thou.sands might ) erish at onc(?. I'hree 
 hundred vears I have said of fearful i)ersecutiou was raised against 
 the church, and during these three hundred years not less than eighty 
 millions — that ia nearly three times the population qf the United 
 
4 a:<s\vi:ii to i'opi laii oiuixTroNb 
 
 States — died Miutyis for the Holy Oitliolic and Apostolio l\iitli, and 
 iirc ill the onjoyinent of heaven to day for iheir heroism aiul devotion. 
 Tho reign of persecution ceased on the conversion of C'onstantine the 
 Great, who was tho first Catholic Emperor. "When freedom of con- 
 science and freedom of rolifjion was given to the Catholic Church, even 
 then tho Church liad never been without persecution, and even up to 
 this day the Chui'cli meets with opposition on all sides — in Austria, 
 in France, in Kussia, in England, iu Ireland, and in Scotland — and I 
 may say, throughout the world. It is true, my dcarlybelovc^l people, 
 few countries there are now where Catholics are put to death for their 
 faith, excei)t in Japan antl China ; but whei-e is tho country the 
 Catholic is not slandered :n I is not calumniated ? is not misrein'esented i 
 I do not know of one. And s'.ould we bo vexed about this my dear 
 friends 1 Not at all, we should feel cheerful and happy, because it is 
 one of the evidences that the Catholic religion is the true leligion — 
 the Catholic Church the true Church of God ; because she is, as the 
 Saviour has foretold, ever treated as her Divine JNIaster was — slandered 
 calumniated and misrepresented. Perhaps some of you will say "That 
 is not done in our Dominion ; here wo are free." I say, my dear 
 people, that I do not know of a country where the Catholics are freer 
 than they are ia x-his Dominion ; but even in this Dominion the 
 pi*ophesy of the Saviour is fulfilled :~" They shall slander you and 
 calumniate you, and they shall say all maimer of evil against you for 
 my name sake;" and that is done in this Dominion as well as in every 
 other country. All kind of evil is said against the Church of (jrod ; 
 all kinds of doctrines are ai: i;nl>uted to us, which in reality we abhor, 
 so that the objections of our separated brethren against the Catholic 
 religion all proceed from ignorance, beer use they know jiot that religion 
 which they defame. If they but saw the Catholic religion as it is, 
 they v/ould admire it, would fall in lo\e with it, and become Cabholics 
 indess they were cowards. Some are cowards ; they become convinced 
 that the Catholic religion is the rcdigion of .Jesus ; but they rellect — 
 "What will our friends say 1 what think ? and how will they look upon 
 us?" Such a one tliinks he is a brave man; but no, he is a coward. *' I 
 am a brave man," he says. No sir, you ai-e a coward, a slave, fettered 
 and chained, and not free ; you are convinced that the Catholic religion 
 is the religion of Jesus Christ, ])vit, "what will they ray, and how 
 think?" and you dare not embrace the religion of your Saviour I because, 
 by " what will they say," you are made a coward. Hundreds and tho\i - 
 sands there are in a sj)ecial manner in the old Country, and in this 
 Dominion,that are kept from endjracing the Catholic religion because 
 their friends will fall out with them, and their business not be as 
 successful as before — you are therefore cowards. Even in this Dominion 
 I say there is a petty persecution against the Catholic Church. Our 
 separated brethren, with all their good and kind feelings towards us, 
 yet have objections against us ; but these objections are groinided in 
 ignoi'ance. I have announced that I wotdd answer this evening these 
 popular objections aigainut the Catholic religion and the first of these 
 
AOAiNRT TirK ( ATnoMf cnrRrn, n 
 
 (tl)jectii»iis istliis: <.)iir riotrsliinl tVimtls hmv < 'iitliolicHurt' Jiot allowod 
 toreadtlioliiMc. I'lns is false, this is a ciiluuiiiy, this istj sliinder. ( 'nth- 
 olios not iillowed to roiultlu' liiljk'I ll:i\(> you cvorKeen iiC.'iitliolic IJil»l»>, 
 my <l<'iir Protestant filend ( " No, J never did." If you had se-en a (Uth- 
 olic liible. you would have found on the lii-st ])nye, a letter from I'opn 
 Vius the VI., exhortiui; all to read ( Jod's Holy Serii»tvu'es, for edilica- 
 tion, for instruction, for sanetitieation. ThiH \h the lettoi" of tho Pope 
 to all the faitliful throiigliout the whole world, that the TJibh; shouhl 
 )»t! ojtt'ii to all. Hence you nie wron<,% my dear Protestant frien<l — 
 you have heou badly informed when you have beeii told that Catholiits 
 iM\' not allowed to rea<l the Bible. And yet that is tho impression of 
 almo»t all our Protestaut friends, that the Catholic is not allowed to 
 read the lUble. I havt; no doidjt, that duriufj; tlitso lioly missions, 
 many of our Protestant friends living in the neighborhood of the 
 (.'athedral, must have said to themselves — " Why what a devoted 
 jieojtle thest' Catholics are; ^vhat a fervent S(it of peoi)le? There they 
 go, trotting owv the .sidewalk at half-past four in the morning, and 
 again in crowds coming back from Church at ten and ^levcn o'clock at. 
 night, — what a devoted and zeahjiis ])eoplo they are? Poor, ])oor, 
 l>enighted people !- poor ignorant creatures I P>ut why do not they 
 r<'ad the liible '. If tliey wo\dd read the Bibh; they would slet!i» like 
 us Protestants until s(;\en and eight o'clock in tlu; )norning. Poor 
 benighted ignorant peoph^ I what a pity they are not allowed to read 
 the Bible ! Why, if tuey i-ead the Bible, they would turn Protestants 
 at once ; a-id oh ! would not tliey make a zealous set of Protestants] 
 For tliey are the [X'opie to make sacrifices for (Jod and their religion. 
 But tho i»riei:t would not let them read tin* Bible; he wants to keep 
 them in ignorance I he know.s if tliey read the Bible they would become 
 Protestants." What I Catholics not allowed to read 'tlie Bible? (jlo 
 among yunr Catholic neighbours, my Protestnnt friends, and you Avill 
 I hardly tind a family but has a family Bibhv niul it is open to all. 
 "But wh .• then," says my Protestants friends, 'Mo you Catholics make 
 i such ix fuss and excitement al)out introducing theBibleinto the publicr 
 I S(;hoois t" The reason is this. The Catholic will make no objection 
 [ at all, provided you havis the right kind of a Bible. '" But what 
 i Bible do you ])ro])0.se to introduce — the Pi'otcstant version?" And 
 tlie Catholic says, '' Thist is mi Bible !it all, sir ; that is only a piece 
 of the ]j;bh>" says th<( (".'atholic, " and a mighty bad })ieoo at lliat." 
 N'ou have not tins two books of the Maccabees ; you have not all the 
 Book of Esther, not all of Tobias, nor tlie history of Susannah, 
 therefore, you have not all of the Bible, and the (catholic cannot in 
 I Diiseinncc^ submit to a falsitication of Go -'s Holy Word. The 
 Catholic says, ''if we must have a Bible, well, let ub have a whole 
 one, and not a piece ; a real Bible, a faithful translation of God's 
 Holy Book. The Catholic can never consent in conscience that his 
 c'lild should be compelled to read a Bible which he knows is not a 
 lUbh'. ' 'hat is one reason w^e have against the Bible now used in p\ib- 
 Ue. I ic Jichools ; and we have aiiothev roa.son : — AVo Catholics have for 
 
ANSWER TO roPt'LAR OBJECTIONS 
 
 the Bil»l«^ a voiv grout vonorfition ; wo look \ij>on it ns tlie Inngiinp;** 
 of Go(i to man, ninl honce tlio (llimcli cominajKls tluit %vlienover tLo 
 Itrient reads in the imblic service a j>ortion of tlid Bible, )w must kiss 
 it with veneration ; and that whenever lie reads the Gos))el, nil th« 
 eongregation must stand u]* out of respeet for (Jod's Holy Woid. 
 Such is our venenition and respec.'t for the Word of Ood — for the 
 Bible. Now, nchool l>ooks art; nevcu* i-espected by boys and girls ; 
 they tenr them, blot them over Avith ink, throw '.hem about, stund 
 upon them, ait upon them, and so on ; find we Catholics do not want 
 the Bible to l>e treated in that manner, and therefore, object U. t]w 
 Bible in the public schools." "Well, any how," says my Pr<;testant 
 friend, " it cannot b(3 denied that the Catholic reliijior is opposed to 
 education and the fine arts." 1 deny it, entphaticaily I deny it; anJ, 
 moreover, I assert that there is m> religious denomination, th.it does 
 as much for educaticii a.s the Catholic religion. Tiio Governiioit t.f 
 England, some few } ears ago, appointed a eon\miPsion of gentlemeti, 
 who were to travel ever the whole woi-ld, and talro statiaticf; every- 
 where, and see in \k^ha'. country was the most done for education. 
 And they came bad — and mind to\i these men wer« not (.'atholios, 
 they were every th:.ng but Catholics, an<l opposed to the Catholic 
 religion — and wh(n they came back with their st.xtistics, 
 they proved thnt there was not a country in the world 
 wliere as much was done for (nlucationand learni ig f-s Avas done in 
 the Papal States — the States of th(j Pope. That tlio Papal States 
 had exceeded all oUier countries in the world for the means they 
 emydcyed for free, gratuitous education, in every branch of learning 
 and of science; au'l that next to the Papal States caue France, as 
 the next most enlighten ;^d country in the world, and Eughind stood 
 in tho back-ground, far behind all other nations of the eartli. And 
 yet yen say the Catl olio religion is o{)i)osed to education. Why, my 
 dearly beloved separitetl bretlu'en, are you then ignorant that in the 
 Catholic religion the.'eare over a hundred I'eligious ordert; who devote 
 themselves, by a sokmn vow to God, to spend tlieir whole lives, all 
 their snergies and all their talents for the education of their fellow- 
 nien. Siv;h, for instance is the Order of the Jesuits. Kv( ry ])ro- 
 fessed Jesuit makes a .solemn vow to God that he shall spond his 
 whole life, all his talents, all his energies of body and soul and 
 mina for the education of all ; and that he shall receivi; nothing 
 whatsoever for educating his fellow-man, excepting his board and 
 clothes — nothing beyou 1 that — no pocket money, no gold chaijis. 
 no gold watches, no gold movmted canes, no fine carpets in his room, 
 but the hard mattre.ss and the bare floor, ^mean furniture, the :able of 
 the ordinary man in society, possessed of nothing of his owji whatso- 
 ever. So do the Brothers of the Christian doctrine ; so do the sisters 
 of Notre Dame — the ladies of the Sacred Heart ; the School Sisters, 
 and a number of others too long to enumerate. All of these, by a 
 solemn vow to God, bind themselves to spend their lives in the education 
 of their fellow-creatures. Do we find any like that among Ptotestants 1 
 
AOAIXST THF rATIIOLIC CHUR fl. J 
 
 Whei'f* are the men awI wlitTc arc tlio IikHhs juuom^ thorn who will 
 Hpentl their litV iii t»'iichiiig, all for no other ronnnnM-iitioii than Injani 
 and oU)th'i-i ( Ask thoin for «ueh scrvicos, on Huch conditions, and 
 they would ask yon whether you thought th«'y w(;re fools, (Jet me 
 the ProtcstiHit j^onthMnau mid lady willing to saoritieo their lives, 
 and, besides that, never possess anything of their own, an<l never get 
 married, for the sake of humanity and edueatioii. Nowhere oiit of 
 the O.itliolit; Church ean you llnd such saoritic<^H for the eihication of 
 the poor. Tiu! Catholic ('hurch oj)posed to jsducatiou I My dear 
 friends, travel over this whole Dominion, and everywhere you will 
 find < 'olleges, l'uiversities,AejMlemies, select scliools, parochial HchoolH, 
 schools for the rich and the poor ; everywhere you find them estah- 
 iishcd. Is that an evidonco that Catholics want to keep people in 
 ign(»r.iu(;(i >■ What a strange contradiction in my Protestant friend**. 
 Kxaniine all the ('oUeges, the Universities, Academies and Boarding 
 Schools of this Dominion and the United States, and you will finfl 
 that one third of the boarders in the Catholic Colleges, Univereities 
 and Academies are Protestants I INIy dear Protestant friondH, wljy 
 do you H(!nd your children to Catholic Schools? " Well, sir, because 
 1 am convinced that the Catholic education is more thorough and 
 solid ; moreover," says the Protestant father, " I know that when I 
 send my daughter to a CathoUc School or Nunnery, lier viituo is in 
 perfect safety. If I sent her to a fashionable Protestant School sho 
 might be married before 1 knew anything about it." **My boy," 
 says the Protestant father, " is a wild fellow, and I want to keep him 
 in. I send him to the Catholic (.'ollego because I know that the 
 education is good, and the discipline is stricter there than anywhere 
 else ; therefore," says he, " I send my boy to the Catholic School." 
 And yet, with all that, you say the Catholics want to keep people in 
 ignorance. Why, then, send your boy or your daughter to the 
 (Jatholic institutions i AV'ith one eye you frown u])on the Catholic 
 religion, and with the other smile upon it, and say it is, after all, the 
 liest. The Catholic religion opposed to education and tine arts I If 
 it had not been for the Catholic religion the fine arts would hav«! 
 entirel^^ fallen into decay and ruin. What are the fine arts ? Music, 
 Scul[)ture, Painting, Architecture, and Poetry. These are the tine 
 arts. Well, now, the Catholic religion, you say, is opposed to the 
 fine arts. Sculpture for instance. The moment Protestantism came 
 into existonct!, and where^'er it had the power of doing it, it did uway 
 with the statuary in the House of God; broke the statues of the 
 Saints and the Blessed Virgin, and did not even i-espect the 
 image of the Saviour, but broke it asundei*, and 
 took the bread out of the mouth of the sculptor. 
 The Catholic religion has always encouraged the scwlptor by her 
 statuary in the churches. The same in regard to painting. The 
 ]taintings were torn from the walls of the churches that Protestants 
 stole from us; they tore them from the walls and effaced the frescoes 
 because they looked upon them as violations of the first law of God. 
 
8 • ANSWER TO POPULAR OBJECTIONS 
 
 And so with regard to music — that beautiful art that stirs up the soul ; 
 lifts it up to Jieaven, takes \is away from earth as it were. MuRi<^ 
 — where has it found enconragement if not in the Catholic Church t 
 Who are the great masters of music ? Mozart, Beethoven, Merca- 
 dante, Rossini, and a number of others, all of whom were Catholics, 
 The gi'andest mnsic, most masterly and soul-stirring now in ex- 
 istence comes fi'om the Catholic brain and pen. Protestantism 
 has been in existence 350 years or so, and duriug all that 
 time it has nsver produced a musician that can be compared 
 with Mozart or Beethoven or Mercadanti?. So well convinced 
 are Protestants of this now in the United States, that in 
 all the great and fashionable churches in New York and 
 Boston and otaer large citie , they are all adopting the Catholic 
 music, because they know that there is nothing in their own music 
 but something like Yankee Doodle — nothing to stir up the soul and 
 lift it up to GDd and to heaven; and, therefore, they are adopting 
 the composition i of the great masters of the Catholic Church. And 
 so again with r(!gard to architecture, my dear peo])le. Have Protes- 
 tants, for the la-jt 350 years, with all the wealth that they have in 
 England, and other countries, produced such architecture as the 
 Catholic Church has given to the woi-ld 1 Tne great architects of 
 England, of Canada, and the United States, when they travel through 
 Europe stand wrapped in wonder before the grand Catholic Churches 
 and Basilics, they see in Rome, and every where else ; stand before 
 them perfectly amazed — taken out of tlieii- senses as it were, as they 
 contemplate the grandeur and architectiual beauty of those magnifi- 
 cent edifices — b?fore St. Peter's in Rome, St. John Latteral, St. Maj'v 
 Major ; before ohe Cathedral of Cologne and Notre Daine of Paris 
 and Antwerp. All these grand productions of the brain of the archi- 
 tect were of Cat hoi ic. conception and idea, conceived by architectsfull 
 of Catholic faith and sublime ideas of the beauty and grandeur that 
 should adorn the tem])le constructed for the worship of the Living 
 God that dwells upoii our altars. And the generous Catholics come 
 forward with open hands and purses in order to build those grand 
 Cathedrals and Basilics. London, in England, made an attempt to 
 throw St. Peter's into the shade by building St. Paul's. Ha ! Ha ! 
 St. Paul's in Lcndon is nothing but a ginger bread compared to St. 
 Peter's in Rome ! And in the United States, where among our 
 separated brefchi-en, there is so much affluence and wealth, have tliey 
 don«2 anything c r built anything that would be a monument of giniid 
 and sublime ideis in the shape of a temple for th<j worship of the lii ving 
 God 1 Nothing. Poor as the Catholics of Ne\v York are, they hxve 
 commenced a oatLedral on which they have sp3nt altogether one 
 million three hi ndred thousand dollars, and it is no'; one-third finished 
 yet. With all dicir poverty they have undertaken to build a grand 
 Sofucture that ■v^ill be the wonder and beauty of the Un ted States. 
 And yet you sf.y the Catliolics are opposed to fine arts. Ignorant 
 man ! — stupid man 1 — you must never have travelled out of your own 
 
AUAIXKT THE f'ATHOLIC CHIRCH. 9 
 
 country, or yoii would never have made such an assertion ms that tlie 
 Catholic I'eligion is opposed to fine arts, education and learning. 
 Again, they say that the Cliurch is opposed to discoveries and invori- 
 tions. Why, my dear people, tlie greatest and most useful inventions 
 now in the land are all of Catholic origin. Who invented the art of 
 printing i Was it not a Roman Catholic ? — a hundred years before 
 thei*e was a Protestant on the face of the earth. Who invented giin- 
 [►owder ] A Cathclic. Who invented the spectacle ? — an article of 
 such great aid to the near- sigh ted] It was a Catholic that invented 
 the magnifying glass. Who, again, invented the mariner's compass ? 
 Was it not a Catholic? The Catholic religion opposed to inventions 
 and discoveries ! My dear Canadians, how dan; you say it. Who 
 first gave you America? — and gave you this country, this land of 
 freedom and jircsperity ? A Catholic — Christo])her Columbus. 
 lie it was who has given you the veiy soil on which 
 you stand, and the bread you eat and the clothes you wear. 
 The Catholic r)li:^on has at all times encouraged dis- 
 coveries and inventions, and supported the arlist nnd cheered him 
 up, whereas Protestantism, you must acknowledge it, has crushed the 
 energies and efforts of the Sculptor, the Paintei', and the Musician. 
 Again, says my Prot3stant friend, " I could never be a Catholic 
 because the Catholics violate the first commandment of God." That 
 commandment say;^ "Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven 
 image, northe likem'ss of anythingin the heavens above, nor on theeartli 
 Ixineath, nor in the waters under the earth, thou shalt not adore nor 
 worship them." " Now you Catholics violate that command of God, 
 and there is no slander about this ; you have only to go to the. 
 Catholic Church to find the evidence. What is that over tlie altar 
 there?" " The image of Christ crucified — a likeness of the things in 
 the heavens above." ''And what is that, thei-e?" The image of St, 
 Ann, the mother of the Blessed Virgin. *' And that?" '• Thiit is 
 Ht. John the Baptift, and, therefore, the likenesses of the things in 
 the heavens above." "Therefore you Catholics viohite tlui command- 
 ments of God by nii .king those images and statues " "Well," my dear 
 Reve;-end Minister of the Gospel, my dear preacluu-, "will you allow 
 mc come toyourhon e 1" "Yes." says he, "I haveno objection to let even 
 an old Jesuit come to mv house." I go, and walk into mv friend's 
 drawing room, and point to a painting on the wall and iisk " what 
 paint:ng is that?" "That" says he, " is the portrait of my dear 
 mother." " Whei'e is yoiir mother now?" " I ho])e," says he, " she 
 is in lieaven with God." " V7hat is that painting ?" " That is the like- 
 ness of my darling wife." "Where is she?" " She is uj) stairs in 
 the nursery with hei li:tle ones." " And that other [)ainting there over 
 the door?" "Well, sir, that is an oil painting of one of the great 
 masters, it represents i fish." "Why," my dear Protestant preacher, 
 "what Ji breaker of God's commandments you are ! There is the like- 
 ness of youi'mothei', who you say is in heaven above; there is the 
 likeness of your wife, who is on the earth beneath, and there is that 
 
10 AK8WER TO POPULAR OBJECTIONS 
 
 fish, the likeness of the tilings in the waters under the earth I "Fool- :-^..; 
 ish, foolish ]>iiest," says ho, " do you think because I have tfeoso ,^l 
 pictures hanging up there that I break the commandments of Gtoit;^." j 
 "No," my friend, "J do not; butyou say that v/e Catholics break it by '^^ 
 having the pictures in theCiiurch." "There is no harm to make them" 
 he says, " but you adore them." "Here you slander us, we do not 
 adore any of the images in the Church." " Why have you them 
 then? Why have you the portrait of your mother]" "Because" 
 f.ays he. '* wjienever 1 look at it, I remember how good a woman 
 she was, it seems to say to me. — ' Be good, be a Christian I ' When I look 
 at that picture, I feel myself excited to practice all the virtues of 
 which she has given mo the example. 1 remember all the good 
 lessons she used to give me." " Why, yon are a Catholic my friend! 
 This is precisely tlie use Catholics make of the [lictures and statues, 
 in the Church. When the Catholic looks at the imag(! of Christ 
 crucified, he ways, * See what the Saviour has suffered for me, — how 
 he has shed out his precious blood to save my soul, I must, therefore, 
 love Jesus.' Whenever the Catholic looks at the statue of the 
 Blessed Virgin Mary, he says, ' How pure, how holy, and how chaste 
 was Mary, the Mother of Jesus ; I must endeavour to imitate her 
 ]>urity in the service of God.' When we look at the statue of St. 
 Joseph, or any other saint, we say, ' These saints were men as wo 
 are; they lived in this worM, had the same ]>assions and the same 
 diliiculties to contend with, as we have, but in spite of all these 
 they were faithful to God. I can do the same,' says the Catholic, 
 ' I must, thei-efore, make an effort to imitate their virtues and copy 
 their exumple in human conduct." " But," says my Protestant friend 
 "yon bow down before them. Have I not seen Catholics in this 
 < 'hurch, during this mission, bowing to that image over the alter V 
 "No! not to the image, but to Jesus, whom they believe to be in the 
 Jlolv Tabernacle. Tlie Cat! olic bows not to the image, but bends his 
 knee in homage to Jesus CJiiist. Is thf t wrong, my dear friend?" 
 '• No," says the Protestant, " for at the name of Jesus the Bible tells 
 us that extxy knee .shall bo^^- in iieaven and earth, and even in 
 Iiell." " But you bow also to tlie Rta:ue of the Blessed Virgin," says he. 
 " No, not to the sttitue, but to the one i-epresented by the statue — the 
 iUessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Go I." " Is not Mary a crea- 
 ture / " " Yes, a creature, hv t an ex! Iteil i ,nd holy creature." " Well," 
 says the Protestant, "you nust not bow to any creature." " Why, 
 my dear man, when I first came to Ottawa, I Uiot you in the street 
 one day — you were ])oiuted out to me wa the minister of sucli-and- 
 such a church ; 1 watched you as you went along, and you met a 
 li'iend, a lady, an I in a moment you had youi hit in your hand, anrl 
 bowed politely to her." ■' Yes, sir, but sho s such a nice creature, 
 she is such a good and ]>i jus pei>on, aid a\ 3 should respect virtiu* 
 and piety, and therefore J bowed to her.' " .vnd is not the Blessed ' 
 v^irgin Mary good and holy, and siiould not I b>w to hei- and honor 
 her exalted dignity as the mother (jf Gou ?" " Well, yes, that, after 
 
.v> -vV^^, 
 
 ^t^ 
 
 S.M.E. \ \ 
 
 1964 / I AGAINST THE CATIIOLIC CIU'RCn. 11 
 
 i,'^>-_Slir-^^N^8 to be pretty reasouublo ; l)ul. you Cailiolios ovtn-do the . 
 ^■^e tA^^jj^oii make too mu^h fuss about the Blessed Virgin ; you can- 
 "'WJLmid a Catliolic Church with an altai- to (Jod in it, in which then* 
 is not one to the Blessed Virgin also. I think that is w: -ng, sir." 
 " Well," my dear Pre t stint friend, ''suj>i>ose for a moment that the 
 mother of George Washington v/as to come to New Yoik on a visit ; 
 what excitement and fuss thero would be there — roaring of cannon, 
 and firing of pistols, \\\\ bands of music marching through the 
 streets, and bon-tires and illuminations ; and the hflies of New York 
 dressed up in the grandest possible style, and in beautiful carriages, 
 rolling through the streets of New York. Shoidd I say. ' liadies, 
 what is all this fuss ar.d excitement about? Where are you going ? ' 
 They would answer, ' 3ir, we go t(j pay our respects to the mother 
 of Washington ; she his pu*^ up at the Aster House, and we go to 
 see her." ' Well, ladies,' 1 would say, • why is the mother of 
 Washijigton more thai any other woman, that you should thus 
 honor herl' ' Oh, sir,' they would. say, 'it is easy to see you are 
 a Dutchman ! What, .-lir I yoi; say not honor the mother of Wash- 
 ington, who has given is so great a son ; a son who has made us a 
 free, independent, glorious, and prosperous [)eople 1 And you say 
 we should not honor the mother of Washington 1 ' ' All right,' 
 say I, ' go and honor the mother of Washington ; I love to see 
 gratitude in the hearts of the people.' " But tell me, my friends, has 
 not Mary given us a gi eater .son than Washiugtc.n \ Has not Jesus 
 done more for us than Wishington ? Has not he delivei-ed us from 
 the slavery of hell, and made us heirs <if Heaven ; and woidd not 
 Ave Catholics be an uigi'ateful poojtle if we did not respect tht^ 
 mother that has given u-i .<«() i.;reat a son [ "AVell. 1 d(M-hire," says 
 my Protestant friend, 'that is })rotty reasonable, alter all." So it is 
 Avith all the doctrines )f the Catholic religion ; it is a reasonable, a 
 scriptural religion. It is a nahiral religion, for, my dear peoph', if 
 the Catholic religion is the religion of Cod, then it must be a reason- 
 able, a scriptural, and a natural religion. There can be no discor<l 
 in tJie works of God — C od i.'- the author of reason, the author of 
 the Bible, the author o!" nature, and the author ot the true religion. 
 All these are the Avorlo of God ; aiul there nnist be in the works of 
 Got, a harmony, a co icord, a union ; and, therefore, the Catholic; 
 religion :'s i-easonablo, scriptural, and natural. "■ Well, anyhow," 
 says my Protestant minister, " thei-e is one thing in your Church I 
 don't like. I have bee i comin.i; to this mission sevei-al nights, and 
 when the Priest says * Hail Mary,' the congregation say ' Holy 
 Mary.' Now, sir, I don t like that ' Hail JNFary ! Hail Mary ! Holy 
 Maiy ! Holy ]Mary !' it appears to me to be all nonsense, I cannot 
 understard it." " Well, :ell me, my dear reverend sir, do vou never 
 say the ' Mail IVFary ? " ' Never, siV ; God lorbid T should.'" " Well, 
 my dear reverend ])reacher, I think you say the ' Hail Mary ' some- 
 tia)(3s % " " Never, sir, never ! " " I think you do ; liavc you not 
 family ptayer every night % " ** Yes." " Will you allow me to come 
 
12 AX8WER TO POPULAR ORJECTIOKS 
 
 to your family prayer.] " " Yes, and if you do, we will all pray hard 
 for your conversion." *' Well, you will have to pray mighty hard, 
 for Father Damcn will prove a hard case to convei-t." Well, I go to 
 his family prayer ; and it consists in an extemporaneouM prnyei" and 
 in reading a chapter of the Bible ; and, after the pi-ayer in naid, with 
 the greatest solemnity, the minister ojiens the Book of Ciod, and 
 reads the first chapter of St. liuko ; iind, among othf^r things he 
 read;-;, is this : " And the angel Gabriel came to Mary, and said 
 Flail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, l)le«Hed art thou 
 among women;" and Eiiziibeth, inspired by the Holy (Mifwt, said "and 
 blessed is the fruit of thy womb." " Stojt. stop," sayH I, "you are 
 saying the Hail Mary." "No, ]io," says ho, "T aiu <tiily reading 
 my Bible." " Yes, but my dear man. the Tlitil Mary is in the 
 Bible." " Well, my God, tliat is a fact, and I ncsvcr knitw it l)efore," 
 says he. " Well, Rebecca," .says he to his wife, •' what in going to 
 become of us ] We are half- Papists already ; we Imvtt Ixmmi saying 
 the * Hail Mary' all along, and never knew it I" Is it true or not? 
 Bible readers, when you go home to-nigiit, read (he Ifit rliapter of 
 St. Luke, in your own Protestant Bible, and you will (ind tla; "Mail 
 Mary " there. See how blind you have been in turning iipyotir eyes 
 to heaven at the nonsense of poor ignorant Catholi(!H for saying the 
 " Hail Mary." And so it is with all the texts of (ioflH Holy Book that 
 contain Catholic doctrines. You read it over and over again, but you 
 are blind, and do not seek the evidence of the doctrine of the (/atholic 
 religion in yovir Bible. And why is it that you are Idind t Because 
 of your prejudice. You have formed your religion, and opinions about 
 religion, before you ever opened the Bible at all ; formed it from the 
 teaching of your parents, and the preaching of your (jhurch ; through 
 your teachers, and not the Bible. You have taken thoir preaching 
 in preference to God's Ploly Book, and yet with all that dare to 
 say the Bil)le is your guide. If you were to be a Biblo Christian, 
 you would be a Cat'iolic, fvnd never anything ol»a. •* Well, 
 anyliow," says ray Protesti'.nt frisnd, " I will never be a Catholic. Who 
 are tliose Catholics] — :*oor peo})le I" Aid who was Our Lord, my 
 dear Protestant friends — was he rot ]) )0v ? Who were the best 
 friends of Jesus? — Tlie poor. Whom did he choos*! for his mother] 
 —A poor Virgin. Whom did he a) point to be his guardian ui)on 
 earth] — The pooi- mechanic. St. JDsoph, Tluf ilrst ninrtyrs, the 
 Apostles of Jesus, who were tluy ? — .i^ooi-llsl crnien. And wliat does 
 Jesus say: — " Blesssed are the ])oor, fo • theirs is t]ir» Kingdom of 
 Heaven." Never did lie say 'blessed a "c thf I'icli," for \u> knew 
 they would have a hard time ol' it to get to Hi iUfii, And you, my 
 dear fashionable people, do niit wt:nt tr bo iunong lIk! (!ath(dicH, 
 because they are poor; but i' you had lived in the (hiys of the 
 Apostles, you would h?ve lool<ed at the )are feet of tlm (Isjiornien 
 and have said, "Shall A\e subm t to the tijaching of tli('«(! poor bare- 
 footed fishermen]" That is pride, niy dear friends ; but Cod resists 
 the proud, and gives .His grace to the hum' le. 'J'heM a/^tun, say the 
 
AcAiNsT Tun ''ATiioi.ic ciinicir. i:{ 
 
 American, and T suppose tlie En^'lisli Prutcstants, too, " We never 
 could hecome Catholics, for tl;c (^'atholics arc for the most part 
 Dutch and Irisli. We could never associuto with Catholics, because 
 tliere are too many Paddies and too many Biildies among them." 
 Well, my dear Protestant friends, if you no not Avant to assoclatt^ 
 Avitli the Paddies and Bi:ldios, if ever you <H't a chance to go to 
 Heaven, you ■will find plenty ol Paddies and Biddies there. Again, 
 " There are in vour religion bo many unnecessary ceremonies, and 1 
 like to worship God in faith, and truth, and sinijilicity, with all jiiy 
 heai-t, and do not want p.11 these ceren.onies. Co to a Catholic < 'hurcli, 
 and, in the middle of the day, they have a dozen of candles on th*^ 
 altai' — in the very middlo of ^Ijo day ! What is the meaning of 
 that '? How did they como in use V Why object to what you do 
 not know anything about J Th3 candles upon the altar were intro- 
 duced by the Apostles. Tliey were persecuted, and had to celebrate 
 mass or divine ser-saco in subtcrranein caves, in the Catacombs of 
 Home, in cellars, in the darkness of the night, in order to escape 
 persecution; ind, thorelbr?, they had to use lights. When the per- 
 secution ceased, 300 yeta-s after the Church had been established — 
 A/hen Constai.tine the Gre:it gave frcDdom of religion — the Catholics 
 continued to make me of Jights upon the altar, as a remembrance of 
 the persecution of their fa' hers in the faith. So that candle on the 
 altar says to every Catlio ic CI ristia.i child, " Remember that your 
 ancestors and the Apostles suflu'ed for their faith and religion." Con- 
 sequently, the candle on tlio altir is ; u emblem of love. Fire is the 
 figure of love ; hency we sa/ — I burn \vitli love for such an one. Now, 
 in true love, Jesus has <.iven us H s botly and blood in the Holy 
 Sacrifice of the Altar, l'ecui«e Ho loved us, because He wished to 
 remain with us all days, even to the consummation of the world. 
 Now that lamp hanging there n front of the altar, is an emblem of 
 the love of Jesus for nun ; an. I that little laui]) that burns day and 
 night, all the time, is an indicat on that Jesu; is tliei'o upon the altai- ; 
 and that little lamp, and the candles upon the altar, say to every 
 Catholic, "Love Jesus; give bve for lo\e. He has loved you so 
 much that he has given you His body and blood for the nourishment 
 of your souls. Return, then, love for lo'-e. Love Jesus, and sei-vo 
 Him faithfully," says the little lamp and the candles upon the altar. 
 Assuredly, the candles upon the altar are burning there to give honoi- 
 and gloiy to God. " Well, now," says my I'rotestant friend, " is not 
 that a queer idea ! What honor and glory can an old candle give to 
 God ]" Well, my dear friends, you believe in that. Whenever you 
 have obtained a great victory, a great triumph, and you want to 
 iionor the general that obtained it, what do you do I Have a great 
 illumination, light many candles, many torches, and turn the 
 darkness of night into the brightness of day ; and besides 
 that, you light many bon-fires. And what are these bon-fires 
 made of < All kinds of old rubbish and old barrels ; and all to give 
 honor and gloiy to the great general that made you a triumphant 
 
14 ANSWER TO POPULAR OBJECTIOXS 
 
 peopli*. Wliiit liouof and glory can aii olrl barrel give to your 
 {general I " Well," they say, " tliat is one <»i" the means we take to 
 show we love the ;,'enera] that t,'av(' iis ,sneh a ^'reat victory." For the 
 same }»urpu.se the Catholic l)in'ns th*; candles on the altar to honor 
 Jesus. Again, " Why have we candles ujioij (he altar?" It is, iny dear 
 I Kiople, because tluj candh^ uj»on the altr.r is a rci)resentation of the 
 J[()ly (llujst ascending upon tlie A))ostIes oji I'enticost's Day. We 
 read in the DiVile that ten days after Clo'ist ascended into Heaven, the 
 Holy (Ihost came down on the Apostles and (pialified them to he the 
 preachers of the CJospe] of Jesus, and to ])lant the Chu:'ch all over the 
 eurth. Before that tJie Apostles wei-e i;;norant men, timid men, 
 cowardly men, Avho dai-ed not p)'each in j>ul)iic through fear ; hut when 
 the Holy Chost came down on them in the shape of tongues of lire 
 they were tilled with the tS[)iiit of (jlod, and vent forth and planted 
 the Church all over the earth. Now, this hi ize of the candle is the 
 emblem of the Holy Gnost coming down on he Apostles, and says, 
 "Christian remember that thou art the ciiild of \ C'hurch not established 
 l)y )nan— by Martin Liither, Henry the Ylil, Calvin or Wesley— but 
 a child of the Church established by Jesus and the Holy Ghost, there- 
 fore," says that candle upon the altar, " let your hearts expand with 
 joy and hapjiiness that you are a cliihi of tiie » Jhurch not established 
 by man but by Cod." "There is iuiother queer thing" says my 
 Protestant friend, " I see everyone wJio eom_^s here si)rinkks him- 
 self with water; this appears to me vei-y nonsensical." And do you 
 read the Bible, and never read that Cod eomm.jided that in the temi>le 
 there shoidd be a fountain of water, and t/iat all should wash their 
 hands in it before entering the tempJ(», i-'i or jer to admonish them 
 that they should come to the temjde of (<od nith a pure heart, and 
 worslii]) Him. So in the Catholic Cljureh there is a fountain with 
 water, and evei-y Catholic puts his liand in thitt,and it is a monitor tf) 
 him, and says, " Christian child enter into the louse of Cod with a pine 
 intention and worshif) Cod, do not go tlieir to see and be seen, and 
 sjiovv oii" your nice clothes, but go and worship («od." That water at 
 the door of the Chuich is a monitor toove)yone. " Then again " says 
 iny Protestant friend, " T Jiave seen a <puier thing here during this 
 mission ; towards the end of the s(?rvice the Priest would be raising 
 smoke." Why my dear friend that is intense to Cod. Did you 
 never read of such a thing as that/ If ]K>t it shows your ignoi-ance of 
 the Bible. In the Bible Goil commands that incense should ))e burned 
 before Him. It is burned in order to reeogiuse ( Jod's suju'cme dominion 
 over all things and )nan's de[)endence on Clod. The burning of the 
 incense is emblematio that oiu- pi-ayers may ascend before the throne of 
 Cod. " Well," says my Protestant friend, " that is in the Old Testa- 
 ment, and that is done away with." It is in i.he Gospel too. When 
 the Saviour was Ijorn in the stable at Bethleluni, the wise men eune 
 and otleieil incense, gold, frankincence and myrrh. 1'hey otll'red 
 incense to recognize Him as a God, and so v/e burn it on the altar in 
 order to adore Him and worship Him as our God. "Why is it, among 
 
A(iAINST TlIK ( ATIIOI.K- (lirKClJ. IT) 
 
 you Cntliolics, tluit tJifit'.iicM) iniuiy l);iil ])eo]iU';'' usks my ProtestMut 
 
 iVit'iid. Arc all my s(']iaiate(l ln'(;tlievii ,>s;iiiits ? I lu'vcr heard of a 
 
 Prott'HtiUit Saint. Jiave you uuo at ail ! 1 don't l)ulie^(' the r*!'-)- 
 
 testKuts know it' tlipy lia\" a siu^cle saiji' ; and tlioy object to l)ad 
 
 ])eople among Ciitlio.ics. 'i'beie is a ;^oo<l .sliare of Protestants bad. 
 
 " Among you," says mv Protestant iViemls, "Tliero ai-e l>ad priests." 
 
 If there never liad been a Ik d priost tlitifre never wuidd lia\'e been ji 
 
 Protestant in the ^vor.d. There Mre .snme bad priests jiut tliey are 
 
 miglity few. Thoie av.'stmi ' ]);id j)reac]ier.s too. Wo read, from time 
 
 to time, in the paneiis, o" che Uev. Hr. S<.' and So. fallhi!.; in love with hi;; 
 
 iieighbor'fi wife, and they skedr.ddle. Sure, my dear peo[)le, that i;; 
 
 not nice to run away \\ith his nei_i>;hbor's wife. So you see you have 
 
 your shars of the ba<l { eoj>le. There are good and bad people amouj^- 
 
 all denominations. Bid Ca Jiolic. and bad Prote.stants, and so it will 
 
 be to the end of time. As long as vhe Church is composed of humar. 
 
 beings, there shall be good and bad. Is tlie Chtircli to be blamed for 
 
 that'{ Is it the Cluireh teaches them to be bad { The Church do«;i 
 
 all she can to n»ake tier chiMren good, mcral, honest, pure, chaste an(. 
 
 sober. I^oes not she A\ork idl the time, priests constantly preaching 
 
 and missions continual'y gi'cn f(;r the reformation of the people ( 
 
 The Chur^^h is not to blame if son e of her children do not obey her, 
 
 and be guided by lioi' instructions and admonitions. Are parents to 
 
 be blamed when they havi' a bad son, notwithstanding, having done 
 
 everything to biing Lin- \i[) in a Christian like manner and nuike a gooti 
 
 man of him? Xo ; so the '.yhureh is nor to l»lanie if some of h(!r 
 
 children do not obey her in;itru(!tions and admonitions. The Church 
 
 spares no })a ins : it makes eveiy lossihle ertbit to make her children 
 
 good. But where do you se>', out ni' the (.'atholie Cluu'ch, .such h«M'oic 
 
 chaiity as you see in it. l.,ook at the Grey^ Sisters of Charity, going 
 
 to the huts of the poor, an<l wiutii.'g ujion then and nursing them, no 
 
 luatter what their disease or disorder, snuill pox or tV'Vcr, it matterfi 
 
 not. Will any of youi- Protestant ladies do that I Oh no, not they I 
 
 In the Catholic i-eligion you see that devotedness, th.at charity A\ithou: 
 
 any reward, serving the poor and U'nding them as though tliey were 
 
 their mothers. And who are tht).se sisters — those kind ministci-ing 
 
 angels? Most of them ha vt; been young l.idies reared in the lai> o.' 
 
 luxury and ease — young ladies of wealthy iamilies, but who have le- 
 
 nounced the world, and given their heart and handto.fesus Christ and 
 
 to the poor. 
 
 My dearly beloved people, 1 ha\(' been sjieaking to you now for 
 nearly two horns. 1 am delighted with all of you, my dearly beloved 
 people of Ottawa. To-moiTow evening I will speak to you again, and 
 to-morrow night bid you fai'ewell, meantime let me assure you that 
 Ottawa has made a favorable hnpression upon me; that I have fallen 
 in love with the people of Ottawa.