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"Thirty Years in Hell"
... OR ...
"From Darkness to Light."
BY
Ex-Priest, Bernard Fresenborg,
Who for thirty long years tread the slippery and deceitful path of abhorrent Catholicism, but who to-day stands at the Vatican's door, with the torch of Protestant wisdom, and denounces Popery with a tongue livid with the power of a living God.
Like a Meteor From God's Throne,
This great book has stirred America from center to circumference.
About 400 Large Pages,
And each Page a stinging rebuke to Roman Catholicism.
Published by North-American Book House, St. Louis, Mo.
Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1904, by NORTH-AMERICAN BOOK HOUSE, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Transcriber's Note: A number of typographical errors found in the original text have been corrected in this version. A list of these errors is provided at the end of the book.
Author's Announcement.
A structure of enlightenment is to be built in this land, which to finish, every man of intellectual power must contribute.
The structure which I refer to, is the structure of "SPIRITUAL LIBERTY," as the spiritual part of man must have room to expand and grow the same as any other God-given privilege that man is blessed with.
Unless we grow in faith we become dwarfs in the worship of God.
Those who go forth into the world and profess to be the teachers of men should be giants of intellect and fully prepared to contribute to this monument of "SPIRITUAL LIBERTY."
These giants are the "KNIGHTS OF THE SPIRIT," who stand upon the summit of righteousness and proclaim an intelligent God to a sinful world.
Many say they do not feel that they possess the ability to contribute to this structure of "SPIRITUAL LIBERTY," but I say, none who possess the power to reason are exempt, for if they cannot place in the arch of this structure the golden "key-stone" that shall securely bind this structure together, they can carry mortar or stones, which is as imperative in this structure, as the polished "Cap stone" which shall complete this great pyramid of emancipation.
I do not crave to have my name engraven in bold letters upon the "Cap stone" of this structure, but I do desire to contribute my mite towards the completion of this grand structure of free thought, which, when completed, will stand out upon the horizon of time as a towering monument to Christ and his cause.
Roman Catholicism, as taught by our modern priests and inspired by the papal power at Rome is naught but the distant rumblings of an antiquated chariot of darkness, as the teachings of this MONARCHICAL creed has naught in view but the enslavement of reason for the financial gain and benefit of the "Robed" few who claim the right to think for the masses.
For thirty long years I was bound to this bewitching spirit of darkness by the chords of superstition and never dared to look above my blind superiors for wisdom, until a "something" which I will call "fate" broke the windows of my mental dungeon and permitted the light of "SPIRITUAL LIBERTY" to filter through my being which awoke "reason and common sense" from her long sleep of lethargy.
Now, what I once thought "Holy" I detest as abominable; What I once worshipped, I now hate.
It is not the glitter of gold nor the applaudits of the protestant world that I crave, but it is the Master's approval that I desire. Therefore I deem it my duty to both God and mankind to proclaim to the world what I know of the awfulness of Roman Catholicism, and I know enough to make my poor soul often wonder if I shall ever be permitted to sing with the blest around that GREAT WHITE THRONE in the New Jerusalem.
As you peruse these pages, I pray that you may whisper a prayer to God in my behalf, as I am now fifty-six years old and only a child in wisdom.
With pity for the blind hosts of Catholicism and a prayer upon my lips for their deliverance from the trenches of paganism, I dedicate this book to the world as coming from a heart which poured out its youth's vitality upon the barren fields of superstition, and wasted its vigor in serving only the god of myths. With a feeling of brotherly love for the entire world, I am,
Yours in His name,
BERNARD FRESENBORG.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. Page. Who I Am, What I Am, and Why I Am What I Am. 15
CHAPTER II.
Some of the Abominations of Catholicism Carried On in the Name of Our Blessed Savior. 33
CHAPTER III.
All Children of Protestant Parents, Declared Bastards by Catholicism. 51
CHAPTER IV.
Tear from the Citadel of Reason, the Power to Reason and You make Slaves of Humanity. 65
CHAPTER V.
Innocent Girlhood at the Confessional Box. 81
CHAPTER VI.
The Nations completely dominated by the Power of the Pope, are Nations of Illegitimacy. 97
CHAPTER VII.
The Power of the Pope in Cuba, Porto Rica and the Philippine Islands. 109
CHAPTER VIII.
Monasteries are often Criminals' Abode, and Nunneries the Slaughter Pens of Virtue. 127
CHAPTER IX.
Unmarried Cussedness of the Roman Priest-Craft. 149
CHAPTER X.
A Brazen Insult to God. 171
CHAPTER XI.
The Characters of the Followers of Catholicism, Compared to the Followers of Protestantism. 181
CHAPTER XII.
Why the Teachers in our Public Schools should not be Selected from the Ranks of Catholicism. 193
CHAPTER XIII.
The Influence of the Priesthood in America. 223
CHAPTER XIV.
The Chastity of the Home Invaded by the Lustfulness of the Priest-Craft. 239
CHAPTER XV.
Nations which have been Disgraced by the Toleration of Popish Rule. 255
CHAPTER XVI.
Nearing the Trenches of Physical Strength. 281
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Page Author's Picture. 2
"What Shall I Do To Be Saved?" 14
The Two Inspirations—The Holy Bible and Catholicism. 33
The Unmarried Life of the Priest-Craft, compared to the Married Life of Protestant Ministers. 50
The Two Ways—"As the Twig is Bent, the Tree's Incline." 64
Immorality of the Priest-Hood—With Romish Lust, the Blossom of Virtue is Destroyed. 80
America's Ruin. 96
Free in Name Only—Take Their Chains Off Uncle Sam, or You will always have Trouble with Them. 108
Save The Girls—Batter Down the Doors of Convents, and the Civilized World will Stand Amazed. 126
Take Your Choice—The Christ of Protestantism Compared to the God of Catholicism. 148
Being Ex-Communicated for Reading the Bible—"May She Be Damned in her Mouth, in Her Breast, in Her Heart, Etc., Etc." 170
A Modern Judas—In His Wake, Misery always Follows. 180
Foes to Knowledge—Like a Poisonous Serpent, Etc., Etc. 192
Heathenish Practices—A Catholic "Dupe" Kissing the Supposed Bone of St. Ann. 222
A Catholic Tool—Begging in the Name of the Lord, but in Reality, to Support the Priest-Craft, Etc. 238
Systematic Robbery—The Road to Glory along the Catholic Highway, Etc. 254
Uncle Sam—"Here is Your Next Fight Boys." 280
Chapter I.
Who I Am, What I Am, and Why I Am What I Am.
My parents were Catholics, and for this reason I suppose, is why I became a Catholic Priest.
I was born in Germany, in 1847, thus you see I am now almost what the world would call an old man—56 years old.
A few years ago, I was of the opinion that my life had been well spent, but to-day I firmly believe that the major part of my life has been spent in erroneous doctrines and nonsensical teachings, as the broad light of wisdom and independent thought has penetrated the dark resources of my bewildered conception of right, and has caused me to look upon things in general in an intelligent manner. Therefore, I feel that my youth and the vigorous years of my manhood have been spent in what one might term idolatry.
From this time forward I am going to endeavor to undo, as near as possible, what I have helped to accomplish in the past.
In the first place, I desire to give the reader an idea of who I am, as the reader is entitled to this knowledge, and in the second place I want the reader to understand what I am, and in the third place to understand why I am what I am, as there must be a reason for all things.
My ancestors came from Sweden, but becoming tired of religions warfare under Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, they settled in a Catholic colony in Germany, in the southern part of the Dukedom of Oldenburg, near the River Haase.
The reader, if he be a Protestant, is familiar with Protestant affiliations, and I am led to believe belongs to one of the many Protestant denominations, known under the head of Methodist, Baptist, Christian, United Brethren, Presbyterian, Free Baptist, or some one of the many other Protestant Churches. Therefore you can easily see why it was that I became a Catholic, as I was taught it from my infancy.
My father, like his ancestors, lived in Essen, Oldenburg. Essen is a town of considerable trade in grain, in fine Oldenburg horses and Holstein cows, in fact, it is a town noted for its fine stock.
The beautiful town of Essen has a considerable population. Two fine rivers, which unite their rapid waters in its very midst, make it an ideal spot to live.
My relatives were among the first and best families of the Dukedom. These families were by name Dickmann, Meyer, Junker and Mohlenkamp, who are at the head of the intellectual and material movements of that place. They are all related by marriage and intermarriage to the Fresenborgs. My parents had ten children. This, however, may not interest the reader, so I will confine myself to my own biography.
The school to which I was sent was one of the leading schools and had a world-wide reputation, especially of sending many scholars and students to the gymnasium and afterwards to universities for different branches of sciences.
It seems as though all of those who attended this school became successful in their individual careers, as lawyers, doctors or some other of the chosen avocations of life.
I was raised, I might say, under the walls of the free City of Bremen, and was inspired with the idea of freedom, and this, perhaps, may be the reason why, when I have come to be an old man, that I have shaken off this eternal bondage of Catholicism and launched my boat so late in life upon the broad waters of Protestant freedom.
As the son of a wealthy family, I was sent to the Gymnasium of Vechta for higher studies, where I received the best education which Germany could give to her sons, and from there I was dismissed with the diploma of "Maturity" in 1870, which was a passport to any man holding such a diploma in any scholarly community, for a diploma from this institution meant all that it implied.
After I had gone through a perfect study of Gymnasium, and after having obtained my diploma, I could then decide for any career that I might choose.
About this time came the disturbance of all of Germany caused by "The German-French War." Like every patriot, I volunteered as a soldier, but the officers in the German army were practical men and they had little use for unseasoned "student soldiers" in the field of action, and I was left in garrisons where universities were situated, where I had military practice for a few hours each day, and then could follow my studies at the same time.
Peace followed quickly after the Waterloo of Napoleon III at Sedan, and this peace was restored quickly in the "fatherland," as not one victorious Frenchman had crossed the "Rhine."
I followed my favorite study, forestry and agriculture, for some time, but as my parents and my forefathers, both on my father's and mother's side, had been devout Catholics, I had an earnest longing to become a Catholic Priest, as I desired to go forth in the world and proclaim the cause of Christ, believing that Catholicism was the only church which had a right to establish her doctrines, and, of course, cast my lot with this church, and to-day finds me an old man with every vestige of childhood's faith shaken from center to circumference, as I have lived in America so long and seen so much of the intelligence of Protestantism, and so much of the deception of Catholicism, I could not remain in the Catholic Church and be true to my conception of what was right and wrong, therefore I laid aside, with a degree of regret, the relics of Catholic barbarism.
I discarded the Scapular and everything that has no more intelligent meaning to it than the cungering devices of the heathen has towards the uplifting of humanity and the civilization of the world.
Many, many years ago my faith was shaken by what I had seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears, but I nursed my religious belief from my mother's bosom; my religion was born and bred in my bones; every drop of blood in my person was electrified in childhood by the cungerings of Catholic legerdemain, and I was taught at my mother's knee to believe that there was no other church that had a ghost of a chance of eternal salvation but the Catholic Church, and I was taught that all Protestants were heretics and abominable in the sight of God and sure of eternal damnation, unless they turned from their sins and joined the Catholic Church.
Ofttimes I would have my faith shaken by the actions of some lustful priest, but I clung tenaciously to the religion of my mother and refused to look beyond the horizon of Catholic superstition.
About the time that I had fully made up my mind to become a priest, I had my faith shaken in the priesthood to a great extent by a scandalous happening near the College of Vechta, which concerned and strictly involved one of the great dignitaries of Catholicism in my college town, but I fought this feeling of dislike down and forced myself to believe that what a priest or bishop did was all right in the sight of God, but at the same time I had a feeling of distrust, as I could not reconcile myself to believe that God would look with compassion upon the acts of a dignitary more readily than he would upon the transgressions of his blind and duped followers, but nevertheless I went ahead and prepared myself for the priesthood, which I followed for thirty years.
Right directly opposite the college which I was attending resided the Very Rev. Harold. This reverend gentleman was a high dignitary in the Catholic Church.
We young priests had often heard it whispered about that Priest Harold had in his house at different times a number of concubines, which are nothing more nor less than lude women. We often saw ladies around the mansion, dressed in the very height of fashion, and their actions led us to believe that they were there at the solicitation of Rev. Harold, as they were seen there at all times of the day and night, and this certainly made a very strange impression upon us young students, as there were so many different faces; one day we would see two or three young girls, and the next day the same number would be about the mansion, but different faces. All of we young students endeavored not to believe the rumor, as we were Catholics in every sense of the word, and we did not want to believe that anything so degrading would be tolerated in the very mansion of one of the officials who were teaching us.
The acts of this dignitary became so flagrant that even the students who were trying not to believe the scandal were forced to believe there was something wrong about the mansion of this Catholic dignitary.
About this time there was a young priest by the name of Wulf, from Rome, who was sent to Vechta and made secretary of this dignitary's mansion, who, during the day, worked in the office of the mansion, where court was held in cases of the Catholic Church and schools.
He was soon familiar in and about the mansion and the surrounding grounds and was given many privileges, and the dignitary seemed to like him because he did not meddle with his vile conduct, and the ladies who frequented this place also seemed to admire him. There was a large lawn surrounding the mansion and at night-time a number of vicious dogs were unchained to guard it.
The priest that was sent from Rome was soon on familiar terms with the dogs and they would mind him and became as obedient as children, and he was soon on such good terms with these dogs that he could approach the house at any time, day or night, and one word from him would cause them to sneak off to their kennels and not molest any who desired to approach the mansion.
The young priests of this college were determined to learn, if possible, if this Catholic dignitary was guilty of the immoral conduct that he was accused of, so they went to Wulf and explained to him that they desired to make a personal investigation, and got this young priest to promise that he would let them into the grounds one night and also see that the dogs did not molest them.
We selected a dark night and a few of us young priests slipped into the lawn surrounding the mansion and placed a ladder up to the second story window, as there was a bright light inside, and we determined to learn, if possible, what was going on in this room.
Dr. Wulf, the secretary, was the first to ascend, and there in this room was the dignitary of the Catholic Church in a half drunken condition, with two licentious and lude women, playing cards and drinking wine, and the trio were in a half nude condition, and frequently this dignitary of the Catholic Church would kiss these harlots.
After Dr. Wulf came down the ladder and told what he had seen, of course the rest of us wished to become eye witnesses to the perfidy of this vagabond of the Catholic Church.
We would take time about going up the ladder to look at this sight, and sometimes one would remain so long at the top of the ladder the others would become restless and urge him to come down and give the rest of us a chance.
It seemed as though this Catholic dignitary and the women up stairs within had implicit confidence in the dogs, and had no fear of detection in their drunken orgy of immorality. This dignitary seemed very drunk, and the ladies began to undress him preparatory to putting him to bed. When they had him undressed, one of them pulled off her clothes and went to bed with him.
The next morning the report in the form of affidavits was presented to the parents of the girls, which caused a very great sensation, and this bundle of infamy and abomination was forced to leave the city by the parents of these daughters whom he had desecrated by his filthy touch.
It was afterwards learned that this state of affairs had existed in this Catholic mansion for years past, and all that had transpired in this mansion would blush the inhabitants of Sodom if it could be told, but it is so filthy that it could not be repeated by any one who had much respect for himself.
After this dignitary had left the mansion there were a number of children's skeletons unearthed in the park belonging to the mansion, and one child's skeleton was found in the waters surrounding the palace.
No one was ever arrested for this awful, awful crime, as this Catholic dignitary fled to some monastery and there was concealed from the law's clutch, as there is no law whereby these monasteries can be forced open and their criminals brought to justice.
A monastery is a Catholic institution that may be used for divers purposes, but for one great purpose, and a very heinous purpose, is to hide and conceal Catholic officials who break the laws of their country, as they can flee to these monasteries and there hide themselves from the wrath of the civil government.
It makes no difference how vile the culprits may be, these Catholic institutions are always a refuge for them, and especially if the culprit who has money or friends supply them with same, as the Catholic Church is and always has been a great money machine, as money, in the eyes of the Catholic dignitaries, covers up a multitude of sins.
You may not know it, but it is a fact, nevertheless, that the monasteries never allow the officers of the civil laws to enter, and suppose the officers did enter, the culprit would never be found, as Catholic institutions are built with the purpose of sheltering her abominable faithless in case these criminals' desire to hide themselves therein, as the convents, monasteries and cloisters have a labyrinth which would mystify any one who was not used to these underground passages.
No one ever learned where the dignitary of this Catholic institution at Vechta went, but we were thoroughly convinced that he was hiding somewhere in a monastery.
At this point in my religious training I perceived the nonsense of celibacy, and the Apostle's injunction: "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." (I Cor. 7:2.) But the teachings of my childhood caused me to believe that it would be sacrilegious upon my part to even allow myself to believe that the Pope of Rome could possibly make a mistake, therefore I did as all true Catholics are expected to do, and forced myself to believe that all of the abominations practiced by this church were godly.
At this time I would conceal myself in privacy, and endeavor to reason why a minister of the gospel should be expected to do things which were unnatural and against the direct teachings of God, as we find in Gen. 21:18 that our Creator said: "It is not good that man should be alone, I will make a helpmate for him," but whenever I would undertake to study and try to convince myself of the erroneousness of the Catholic doctrines, her teachings would loom up and blind my intelligent conception of things, as I had been taught that I should not question a single mandate that the Pope of Rome should see fit to promulgate, therefore I made up my mind that it was a sin for me to use the intelligence that God had given me, and I resolved to follow the Catholic doctrine, regardless of what it might lead me to, consequently I closed my eyes to reason and common sense and became a blind and superstitious follower of Rome.
When I came to America I beheld her great civilization and at once my conception of intelligent action presented itself again, but I fought hard to drive these feelings from my bosom, but the more I fought the stronger I became convinced that I was wrong and that my early training was wrong, and that the entire machinery and mechanism of the Catholic Church was founded upon abominations and superstitions, but the teachings of my mother would prevail and I would slink back into the trenches of Catholicism, and there I remained until less than a year ago, when I resolved to burst the bands of iniquity and walk out upon the plains of Protestantism, regardless of the deep feelings of respect that I had for my early training.
If God is an intelligent God, then we are expected to worship Him in an intelligent manner, and if he is not an intelligent God, it is impossible for Him to be a God, and if the Lord of Hosts is an intelligent Creator and expects us, as His children, to worship Him in an intelligent manner, the Catholic Church and all of her followers are sinning against God every day, as her mode of worship is steeped in the drugs of heathenish superstitions.
In this volume I propose to set forth nothing but absolute truths, and I call upon an intelligent God for my witness, and I am qualified to make oath before any official that is qualified to bind me under oath that every word that appears in this volume shall be the truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.
I will give $5,000.00 to any charitable institution named by any state of the United States if any Catholic priest, bishop or cardinal will prove by any of their church doctrines that I have misstated or misrepresented the teachings of Catholicism in any letter, word or sentence.
I want to thoroughly impress the reader with the truthfulness of this volume, so when he or she has perused these pages they may know that it has been written by one who has served in the capacity of a Catholic priest for the past thirty years, but who, to-day, stands out upon the broad plains of spiritual emancipation, and from this time forward will always be found upon the side of spiritual liberty and following the doctrines of an intelligent God, and when my earthly race is run I hope and pray to be ushered into the presence of an intelligent God.
Chapter II.
Some of the Abominations of Catholicism Carried On in the Name of Blessed Saviour.
What I will now relate is not hear-say nor something that I have read about, but it is something that I know about, and which I witnessed.
It is a well-known fact that Catholicism endeavors to impress her subjects with the miraculousness of latter day miracles, as she will hold up the bones of some supposed Catholic Saint, and declare to her benighted followers that if they worship these relics, they will work wonders and cure the ailment of any affliction they may be possessed of.
For instance, they will take the bone of some Catholic Saint (?) and admonish the followers of Catholicism to touch this bone, or to kiss it, and declare to them that by so doing they will become entirely cured of any malady that may rack their person with misery.
In fact, Catholicism will resort to all kinds of nonsensical practices in order to completely keep their subjects in darkest ignorance, which will enable the officials to "hoodwink" their followers and make them believe anything the officials see fit to teach them.
I will now relate what I saw in Munster, Germany. The news spread all through Germany that the "Mother Superior" of the house of Saint Clement was living upon "Holy Communion" only.
Now that the reader may understand what "Holy Communion" is, I will here state that it is a thin wafer, used for sacramental purposes, which would not weigh more than the one-hundredth part of an ounce, and this is what they claimed the Mother Superior of the house of Saint Clement was existing upon, she only taking one of these wafers every twenty-four hours.
Of course, this was given out by the dignitaries of the Catholic Church in order to blind their followers, and I desire to state right here that I also believed that this was the fact until it was demonstrated thoroughly that it was an infamous lie and that the instigators were infamous impostors. However, pilgrimages started from all directions to see this "Mother Superior," and when they could not see her, they fought for the opportunity of praying in her chapel. Some stayed for weeks and weeks to see her. Applications for intercessions of all kinds of misery were sent to her, as these simple "dupes" of Catholicism actually believed that this impostor had the power to heal any ailment that might afflict them.
There were thousands of fanatics who visited Munster and hung their crutches on the chapel walls and declared they were cured of their ailment. The blind claimed to see by her intercessions. It was claimed that all, possessed of every kind and description of ailments, could be cured if the one who was afflicted only had faith in this Mother Superior's wonderful power?
"The finger of God is in the land!" was the cry, and tens of thousands of Catholics from all over the country gathered in Munster.
There was a certain man by the name of Friedhoff who doubted the proclaimed powers of this Mother Superior and boldly declared his doubt, and the Catholic world was indignant over the audacity of such a doubt. It was learned that the Mother Superior would allow but one sister of the institution to come to her room, and also her Father Confessor. By the way, it might be pertinent to say that the Mother Superior was an extremely handsome young lady; in fact, very young for the position she occupied.
The guard that was placed over the Mother Superior was given instructions by the Mayor of Munster to watch her closely and see that she lived entirely upon "Holy Communion." The Protestant world took an active part in this matter and gave close attention to the guard that was over this "Mother Superior," as they were determined to learn from whence originated this bold deception, as they were thoroughly convinced that it was nothing more nor less than a deception.
The confessor of the "Mother Superior" was changed and the sister who waited upon her was changed, and in a very short time the "Mother Superior" asked for food; thus it began to dawn upon the public at large that they had been grossly deceived, and they began to learn that all of these miraculous cures (?) were brought about and promulgated by the leaders of Catholicism. Numerous physicians were taken into confidence and an examination was made of the "Mother Superior," and it was learned that she was pregnant, and it was proven that the child belonged to the priest in charge of the convent, who, by the way, was the one this "Mother Superior" confessed her sins to.
This "Mother Superior" sat in her room and gave her orders to at least two hundred sisters who were inmates of this institution.
The Catholic world advertised this "fake" so thoroughly that every house in and about Munster was filled to overflowing with pilgrims who came there on the strength of this well-advertised "fake."
Munster was the Mecca. Every train arriving brought in hundreds and added great multitudes to the already great crowd. Some claimed that the sight of the chapel, or even the sight of the hospital, healed them.
Even the newspapers began to report the wonderful miracles (?) that were performed by this "Mother Superior."
By this time the Protestants in Munster were getting very active and denounced this worship in round terms, and set about to have an investigation made, which was bitterly opposed by the Catholics. The hotel keepers and shop keepers of Munster were bitterly opposed to the Protestants' denunciation, as they were anxious for this "fake" to be advertised as thoroughly as possible, as it was bringing them in large revenues, as the thousands who were visiting Munster were compelled to have raiment, food and lodging; but the denunciation of this "fake" by the Protestants became so great that the bishop was compelled, greatly against the wishes of the citizens of Munster, to investigate, and this investigation brought forth enough to startle the civilized world. However, it is only one of the many, many colossal "fakes" that are promulgated by Catholicism. However, the clamor of the Protestant world brought things to a crisis, as the "Mother Superior" was ordered to stay in strict confinement and a watch was placed over her.
This brought matters to a climax and the "Mother Superior" confessed that one of the inmates of the convent had secretly carried her food during all of this time that she was claiming to exist on "Holy Communion." Of course, this is only one of the tens of thousands of such schemes that are practiced by Catholicism all over the world, and the Protestants were not surprised and stated boldly and above board that they knew there was some "scull-duggery" attached to all of this "fake" miracle business.
This "Mother Superior" fled from Munster, and it was learned that she went to the City Rheine, on the river Ems, and gave birth to a child, and the father of this child was the Catholic priest in charge of this convent, who helped and was the prime instigator in giving out to the world that the "Mother Superior" was performing miracles, which was a malicious lie made of whole cloth and promulgated in order to securely bind the followers of Catholicism to their idolatrous belief.
This is not the end of the "Mother Superior," as she afterwards practiced in the open what she had practiced in this Catholic convent at Munster, as she entered a house of ill fame in the City of Rheine in Germany, and there led a life of shame as a harlot of the world; however, she was only living the same life she had been living when she was sailing under the name of "Mother Superior" in this convent at Munster.
Now, reader, if Catholicism would practice such abominations upon the ignorant dupes of her followers in Munster, Germany, is it not reasonable to suppose that she would practice them to-day wherever she can fasten her hellish belief upon the minds of the people?
Hardly a day passes over our heads but what we see in some newspaper where Catholicism is brazenly declaring to the intelligent public that miraculous cures are being performed by some "hoodoo saint" of their idolatrous creed.
One would believe that in enlightened America the Roman Church could not wield such an idolatrous influence over her followers, but when you stop to think that the children of Catholic parents are brought up from infancy to believe all of this "hoodooism," it is not strange that they fall into these idolatrous practices.
When America learns that the majority of the convents and monasteries of this country are used for the purpose of shielding and protecting Catholic criminals, and for the purpose of Catholic dignitaries to glut their lust upon the female inmates of these institutions, and will exact and demand laws that will force a rigid examination every thirty or sixty days of these institutions, then the world at large will know and thoroughly understand that these institutions are practically the homes of depravity and licentiousness.
To give the reader more information in regard to what Catholicism resorts to to impress their "dupes" with their idolatry, we want to take up their great magician, "St. Anthony." The Catholic priesthood teaches their followers that St. Anthony's spirit possesses the power to answer all prayers, in fact, to perform any favor the supplicant may ask.
Now, to illustrate what I mean, is this: Suppose you had lost your pocketbook containing $50.00; the Catholic Church teaches that all you have to do is to pay a few dimes into the priest's pocket and then get down and pray to St. Anthony and you will at once learn where your pocketbook is.
Now, bear in mind that this praying to St. Anthony don't cut any ice unless you pay something, as every prayer must be backed up by money, and the more money paid the quicker action you can get on St. Anthony.
The Catholic Church calls it "St. Anthony's Bread Box," and right by the side of this box they have a large number of small candles, and you are supposed to drop the money into this box to pay for the candles that St. Anthony uses when looking for what is lost, or to light his path on his road to answer your prayer.
These candles cost the priest from one-half cent to one cent each, and the "dupe" will drop in from ten cents to ten dollars to have his prayer answered, so you can see that the Catholic Church is a good thing for the candle makers.
We will now give you a few idiotic prayers that are offered to St. Anthony by the followers of blind Catholicism.
"O, Glorious St. Anthony, noble Sunflower of divine conformity, I salute thee in the name of the Queen of Angels and of all the angelic choirs; and I thank Almighty God for the grace bestowed on thee, that like to this Great Queen and the angelic choirs thou wert ever conformed to His holy will. I beseech thee that with this glorious Lady and all the angelic choirs, thou wouldst approach the throne of God, lovingly offer Him this my petition and strengthen it by thine intercession.
"OUR FATHER. HAIL, MARY. GLORY."
"I salute thee, Blessed Anthony, noble Narcissus-flower of knowledge, in the name of all the patriarchs and prophets; and I thank the good God for bestowing on thee, like to the patriarchs and prophets, the gift of divine knowledge and of foreseeing future events. I beseech thee that with the patriarchs and prophets thou wouldst approach the throne of God and by your united prayers and merits obtain for me this my petition.
"OUR FATHER. HAIL, MARY. GLORY."
"I salute thee, Blessed Anthony, noble Carnation-flower of fervent love, in the name of all the holy apostles and disciples of Christ; and I thank the most merciful Lord for the great grace bestowed on thee, like unto that of the apostles and disciples, when He chose thee to proclaim the holy Gospel and to spread the Christian faith. I beseech thee that with the apostles and disciples thou wouldst approach the throne of God and by your united prayers and merits obtain for me this my petition.
"Our Father. Hail, Mary. Glory."
We will give you an instance of this "St. Anthony's" witchcraft business that came under my personal observation. A lady was standing upon a bridge that spans one of the many streams that rushes down from the Adirondack Mountains, gazing at this crystal stream and watching the fishes below, and while standing there she was toying with a beautiful diamond ring that had been given her by her lover. In a careless manner she allowed this ring to slip from her finger, and it fell into the waters below.
With a sudden cry those who were near her were attracted to the spot and she explained to them her misfortune, and it was not long until there was quite a crowd about her, offering their sympathy and also their assistance.
Some volunteered to wade into this stream and search for the ring, which was done, and a number of buckets of mud were carried up out of the stream from the point the lady had stated she had dropped her ring, but the ring could not be found.
At this point one of our Catholic "dupes" appeared and explained to the lady that if she would put her trust in St. Anthony and would pay $500, that St. Anthony would restore to her her ring.
This lady being a Catholic also, of course, was easily persuaded to do this, so they knelt down and prayed to St. Anthony and beseeched him to restore the lost treasure, and it was not long until all of those in the crowd that belonged to the Catholic Church were in sympathy with this distressed lady, and they were also kneeling and supplicating St. Anthony to restore the lost treasure. They prayed for an hour, but still the lost treasure would not appear; then the ringleader of this barbarous belief informed this lady that the ring had been swallowed by a fish. He pretended to be inspired and claimed that he could catch this identical fish with the bait of St. Anthony's bread. Everything was soon prepared and the line was let down into the water, and sure enough a good sized fish was caught upon this St. Anthony's bait, and the crowd went into rapturous delight, as they were quite sure they had the identical fish that had swallowed the ring.
As soon as the fish was caught a collection was raised by a priest who was in the crowd for the benefit of "St. Anthony's Bread Box." All of the Catholics in the crowd contributed, of course, as they were afraid not to, for Catholics believe that if they do not do what a priest tells them to they are sure to have something awful befall them, and, of course, all of these Catholics believed in the witchcraft of St. Anthony and believed that he was the actual restorer of all lost things.
The Protestants in the congregation were determined to see what was inside of the fish, so they followed the one that carried it to a butcher shop and the fish was cut open, but naught was found in it but what is usually found in any old fish that never saw or heard tell of a diamond ring.
Now, this is one of the thousands—yea, tens of thousands of such instances that are forced down the throats of the ignorant, superstitions followers of Catholicism.
Now, what I relate above is true in every conceivable manner, and not one sentence or statement is misrepresented.
This belief in the power of St. Anthony is simply abominable and belongs to the dark ages of heathendom.
I have often wondered when I was acting as priest in the Catholic Church why it was that Protestants, when they attended my church, would look on in wonderment and surprise, and I attributed this wonderment to a desire upon the part of Protestantism to make fun and villify the teachings of the Catholic Church, but I now realize that this bewilderment came from minds which had been elevated far above the cungerings of the Catholic Church, and I am now surprised that the Protestants who visit Catholic churches are not more bewildered and mystified, as the teachings of Protestantism are based upon the inspirations derived from the Word of God and the teachings of Catholicism are naught but the rumblings of the dark ages.
Chapter III.
All Children of Protestant Parents Are Declared Bastards by Catholicism.
The Catholic Church declares that all of those who contract marriage otherwise than in the presence of a Catholic Priest, that such marriages are null and void.
Catholicism further declares that your darling child, which is the fruit of your marriage, is nothing more nor less than a common bastard.
How do you Protestants like to hear this? How do you feel when you know that this is the belief and opinion of all Catholic dignitaries, and this belief is taught to all the Catholic world by those who presume to dictate?
Your darling baby boy or girl is branded as an illegitimate offspring by Catholicism, simply because their parents were not united in wedlock by a Catholic Priest, who perhaps is as immoral as hell itself.
The reason why Catholicism so sternly demands that all should be married by the priestcraft is from a monetary standpoint, as the Catholic priest gets his fee, as he will not under any circumstances unite any one in wedlock without a fee, and I have known in many instances where the contracting parties were unable to pay a money fee, and the grasping priestcraft would refuse to unite them in marriage until they had given him some article of intrinsic value, and I have often seen jewelry, silver-mounted pipes, watches and many other things confiscated by the priestcraft before they would perform the ceremony.
It is strange to me, indeed, that America, which is and should be by every law of justice and right, a Protestant nation, is so unconcerned and so listless over the insults that Catholicism daily offers Protestantism, for if it is not a most damnable insult to stigmatize your offspring as bastards, then we are unable to discern and distinguish between a brazen insult and a flattering compliment.
Whenever America learns the actual and true meaning of Catholicism and her teachings, there will be an awakening among the Protestant world that will make the four corners of the government of the United States tremble with a righteous indignation.
Now, if the offspring of that dear old mother is a bastard, then she is nothing more nor less than a common whore, and you cannot arrive at any other rational conclusion. This is only reasoning from intelligent deductions; therefore, whenever Catholicism calls the children of Protestant parents bastards simply because these parents were not united in wedlock by a Catholic priest, they villify the sacred name of father and mother, and trail in the slime of disgrace the sweet memories of that sturdy old father and that angelic old Protestant mother.
I am at a loss to know and to understand how Protestantism can sit so unconcernedly by with folded hands and allow this vulturous foe of human rights and human privileges to brazenly rear its institutions in Protestant America, and teach such damnable doctrines about those who have made America all she ever was, and is, or ever will be.
A creed or doctrine that exists upon the dwarfed ambitions of its followers is undoubtedly an institution which exists upon the carrion of human miseries, and is a menace to a nation, which possesses the godly ambitions that permeate the minds of Protestantism.
We have in this country scores—yea, hundreds of Protestant fathers and mothers who allow their children to attend Catholic schools, when those who are teaching them in these Catholic institutions brazenly, flagrantly and openly declare that those children are the offspring of immorality, as they do not hesitate to say that all children are bastards whose parents were not married by the priestcraft; but still these Protestant parents allow their children to be taught by those who villify and defame their parents' names.
This is one of the strangest things that has ever come under my observation in the United States, as the Protestant world in general knows that Catholicism teaches these things, and the Protestant world also knows that under no circumstances nor conditions would Catholicism allow their children to attend a Protestant college, but Protestant parents go right ahead and allow their children to be taught by a class of men and women who will boldly declare to these children that their own parents are immoral, and that the teachings of their youth were erroneous and would lead to everlasting damnation.
Is it not about time that the Protestant world was arousing themselves from this lethargetic sleep of unconcern, or do you propose to allow Catholicism to convince you, by her doctrines of degeneracy, that she is right, and that you acknowledge her as right by you sending your children to her institutions of learning?
Catholicism has always made her boast that if she can control the children until they are 7 to 10 years old, that they will control the government in the future, and it seems as though Protestant America is perfectly willing to risk the consequences, but let me sound a warning in your ears in this chapter, which may not arouse you from your national stupidity, but which, in after years, will rumble down the avenues of the future the truthfulness of this assertion that will make the Protestant world shudder. It is this: "Unless you guard the goddess of your American liberty with the patriotism of you Protestant manhood, it will not be long until you will find this government face to face with a problem more perplexing than the government of France is wrestling with to-day, on account of this Romish beast, whose jaws are dripping with the blood of doomed ambition."
Catholicism is like a thief in the night, as she goes about her devastation of human rights with the tread of a thief and with the cunning of a bold deceiver, which she is, and this country must station trustworthy men upon the ramparts of this government to watch her progress and batter down her foundation of superstition and ignorance, or within the next fifty years America will find herself bound hand and foot by this Romish creed of abominations, which has caused every nation on the face of the earth that she has ever controlled to wither and decay under her touch, like the tender plant under the broiling rays of a tropical sun.
I have a right to sound this warning, as I know whereof I speak, as I have traveled this Romish road of despair for thirty years, and I know her cunning and dastardly deception so well that her history and her teachings are to me like the primer is to the school boy or girl.
The warnings that I now sound in the ears of Protestant America are not sounded by an alarmist, nor one who does not know whereof he speaks, but these warnings come from one whose back has been lashed for thirty long years with the whip of a Catholic tyrant, and I know the history of Catholicism from beginning to end, for if one cannot learn the history of an institution in thirty years' devout study, then pray tell me of what use it is for man to apply himself to the study of anything?
I was once as devout a Catholic as I am to-day a Protestant, and I am only a Protestant to-day because I was forced to become such, after having the scales of Catholicism brushed from my eyes, which had been blinded by the superstition and fearful doctrines of this abominable creed.
Arouse, ye men and women of America, or else the time will come when you will not be permitted to make a protest; when your wives and mothers are declared whores by Catholicism, and your fathers and brothers are declared whore-mongers and your children bastards!
I have been a careful observer of events through my entire life, and I never was more thoroughly convinced than to-day that we stand near the threshold of Popish power in America, and I ask of the reader, and of the Protestant world at large, Are we about to realize the prediction made by the father of our country? Are we nearing the time when liberty shall be bound to the stake by Catholicism? Are we nearing the great Romish chasm that has swallowed up the hopes of many nations? Are we nearing the crater of a Roman volcano that pours out its desolation and devastation upon free men? Are we nearing the inky night of servitude, where no light is possible, but the dim and treacherous lamp of idolatrous Catholicism? Are we nearing the stretch of waste lands that contains no friendly oasis for him who seeks liberty? Are we building our own sepulchers to bury all the hopes of liberty cherished by our forefathers? Are we willingly carrying fuel for our own funeral pyres, there to be consumed by the greedy and relentless ghouls of Catholicism?
These are questions that demand an answer and demand an answer at once, as we are far along the road to the end of human rights in Protestant America, unless we call a halt and kindle anew the fires of patriotism that have so long been unnoticed by those who have been left in charge to guard our interests.
Catholicism is a vile deceiver and a rank hypocrite, therefore we must diligently watch her serpentine movements, for she will appear where you least expect her, as she wraps about her the American flag and other symbols of patriotism and goes about as a lamb in wolf's clothing.
I have no reason for writing this book only a desire to help undo what I have already done in my fifty-six years of the past, and by writing this book I have cut every tie that binds me to those whom I have associated with since my childhood, therefore the reader must know that what I am doing is being done in the name of right, justice and the love I bear my fellowman and my adopted country, which is the "Garden of Eden" of all the universe.
"The fool doubts what a wise man tells him because the information is new." You may doubt what I am telling you, but your doubt will cost you your liberty.
I have your cause at heart and I have no ambition to gratify, as I am an old man and have no other desire than to help those who need help, and I have come as a friend to talk to you around your firesides, with no mission but that of truth.
Many of us have never been told to our face that we were fools, but because no man has been frank enough to tell us the truth is no reason why we should not investigate what is told us, and which you have no right nor reason to doubt.
The mission of this book is to get you to think and to examine and pry into the past history of Catholicism, and when you have examined the pages of Catholic history and then scrutinize her present, you must know that her future promises no more than her past and present would indicate her future to hold.
This book is written from a Protestant standpoint, but by a man who was a Catholic fifty-six years before he ever became a Protestant, and we feel absolutely certain that the Catholic world will endeavor to throttle its circulation, but we have laid aside every vestige of fear from that standpoint and have made up our mind that we are no better than Martin Luther, and thousands of Protestants who were burned at the stake by Catholicism for proclaiming to the world the awful deeds of that awful creed.
We want you to consider this book as a friend, who has called at your fireside to tell you truths that you should know, and which, if you do not learn, will lower you and your posterity to the level of the commonest slave and place over the most brutal despots the world has ever known, and these despots are nothing more nor less than the Catholic Church.
This book comes from a man who does not court the friendship of any sect of class of men; therefore, it comes to you with intentions as pure as it is possible for a book to come from the hands of a poor mortal, who fears nothing but the wrath of a living God.
Catholicism is taught her cunning from her childhood, as she is taught to watch the ranks of Protestantism and whenever she finds a weak spot, she turns her forces upon this weakened line, and is further instructed never to weaken in her continual march of devastation.
Could the tears that have been shed on account of heartless Catholicism be gathered in one body, the mighty oceans of the earth would appear as silvery mountain brooks. Could the innocent blood of Protestants shed by the heartless hand of Catholicism be congealed, it would build a purple mountain that would cast a shadow the length and breadth of this land.
The nations of the earth have had wars from the creation of the world, but the myriads of those who have fallen in all the battles of the world would only be a small portion compared to the millions who have laid down their lives that greedy, abhorrent Catholicism might be appeased.
It is time for us as American freemen to become free men in every sense the word implies, and exercise both our franchise and our brains in relegating this "Scarlet-Robed Hag of Rome" to her original haunts.
Will you perform your American duty and band together and become a Protestant army and march out under the blood-stained banner of King Emanuel and help to make America the greatest Protestant nation the sun has ever shone upon?
Be men, and by your manhood you can, if you make the start now, lull into eternal sleep this Romish power which villifies your ambitions and brands your offspring with the stigma of disgrace.
Chapter IV.
Tear from the Citadel of Reason, the Power to Reason, and You Make Slaves of Humanity.
The men and women of the world, who have caused nations to advance and prosper, have never been, nor never will be Catholics, unless she discards her present mode of procedure, and this she will never do. Whenever you tear the cloak of superstition and idolatry from the form of Catholicism, you have naught left but the skeleton of abominations.
The men of science and of reason, all over the world, boldly accuse the Roman Catholic Church of being the enemy of science, detesting it and desiring to spread the mantle of ignorance over all those whom she controls.
The Church seems not to understand that everything finds its source at the fountain of reason, as all things must originate from God, and most assuredly the Supreme Being is an intelligent, reasonable and rational God. The Catholic Church must resist, as a matter of life or death, the progress of modern civilization, or else go down in disgrace, for civilization and reason is a nightmare and an everlasting enemy to Catholicism, as "scientific thought" makes her doctrines and dogmas stand out as abominations.
If the world is to depend upon the Romish Church for her intellectuality, and for her philosophy, and for her scientific resources, she will always be groping her way in darkness, as the Popish church has never advanced one-hundredth part of an inch from the trenches of ancient ignorance and superstitions, nor has she in any material way been instrumental in advancing a single interest of the masses which elevates, as her every cry and her combined efforts have been to paralyze progress and scientific research, as she well knows that to have the searchlight of reason turned upon her mystified labyrinths of hoodooism, the world will behold the marks of ignorance, superstition and barbarism upon her degraded form.
Whenever an institution comes to believe that it is infallible and an impossibility to err, then she settles back into the ruts of tyranny, and whenever you find an individual or a body of individuals who believe whatever they do is right, no matter what it may be, you will find those who believe themselves ordained rulers of men, and whenever this happens, the individual who believes this becomes a tyrant, and tyranny belongs to the dark ages of heathendom, whence Roman Catholicism originated.
To demonstrate to the reader and give him or her some idea of the tyrannical rule of Romanism, we will take the history of Galileo, which every child, perhaps, is acquainted with.
Galileo declared that the sun did not move, and this declaration greatly insulted Pope Urban, who grew very angry, as this pope had taught that the sun did move and that the earth stood still.
The teachings of Galileo so angered the pope that he called together an inquisitorial board and had Galileo tried by this Romish tribunal, and Galileo was sentenced to imprisonment for what Catholicism termed a heretical doctrine.
Who was right—Catholicism or Galileo? Not a school boy or girl six years old in this land but what knows that Catholicism was wrong, as she usually is, but she would not have acknowledged her wrong had not the world-at-large been thoroughly convinced of her error, which would have brought her to the very feet of ridicule had she persisted in teaching the doctrine promulgated by Pope Urban that "the sun did move, and that the earth stood still."
The Catholic Church is always desirous of evading questions which are susceptible to debate, and which, by mature thought and deliberation, can be analyzed, as she does not desire to come into contact with the brains of any nation, but is satisfied to prey upon the ignorant and superstitiously inclined, as those are her dupes and the ones from whom she derives her revenue, and "revenue" is one of the main perquisites of the Catholic Church, as this Romish institution is run for the sole purpose of making serfs of men and controlling the destiny of nations, so that the inhabitants may be forced to disgorge their sustenance in her lap of greed, and it matters not how low she brings her followers, nor what may be the hardships they have to endure, just so she accomplishes her diabolical end.
The reader may think it strange that a man who was born and raised a Catholic, and who for thirty years officiated in the capacity of a Catholic priest, could turn his back upon the creed of his forefathers and so vehemently endeavor to destroy every vestige of his childhood's doctrines, but this is no more unreasonable than it was for Paul, in the twinkle of an eye, to turn from his wickedness and become one of the chosen Apostles of Christ.
Many years before I cut loose entirely from the Catholic Church my faith in her abominations was at times almost threadbare, and I have declared time and time again that never would I enter another Catholic Church in the capacity of a priest, but as often as I declared and made these resolves, just so often I broke them, as my early training and my superstitious fears would get the better of my convictions, and I would be whipped back into the trenches of superstition.
I have often tried within the past ten years to "nag" those officials who were above me into a paroxysm of fury and have them excommunicate me, as I tried to make myself believe that it would be better to have them throw me out of the church than to leave it on my own free will, but it appeared as though they discerned by intentions and they would not do as I desired, and at last I made up my mind that I would swing out upon my own account from the dark shadows of this superstitious belief, and every word of this book has been written without a single charge preferred against me by the Catholic Church, therefore the Catholic Church cannot declare that I was not in good standing as a priest at the time this book was compiled.
What I mean by "good standing" is that the robed monarchs who boldly claim the power to damn the soul by excommunication, have not as yet seen fit to eternally obliterate my prospects of ever entering the "New Jerusalem," but as soon as this book is given to the reading public, then those who wield the axe will let it fall with all the diabolical vengeance of Roman hatred upon my head and declare the "pearly gates" have been forever closed upon my depraved soul; but what I most desire is to have the public understand that NOW, while I am writing this book, I am considered AND AM BY ALL THE RIGHTS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH A PRIEST AND ENJOY ALL THE PRIVILEGES OF CATHOLICITY AS SUCH.
Why I so earnestly desire to impress this upon the minds of the reader is that I know so well the trickery of those whom I write about and I know full well that the Catholic officials will at once endeavor to make the world believe that I am an outcast and in bad standing with the Catholic Church.
This book is being written in the year 1903, and I will make oath before any court of record on earth to the truthfulness of the statements herein set forth, and I will give ten thousand dollars to any charitable institution in America if any priest, bishop or archbishop on the face of the whole earth will make oath and prove before any lawful tribunal of America if one word of the foregoing is not true.
Furthermore, I will give up all of my earthly possessions, which amounts to several thousand dollars, if any priest, bishop or archbishop living upon the face of the earth can prove before any court of justice in America that I have not always endeavored to live an exemplary life and rigidly taught the doctrines of the Catholic faith, although at times my whole life rebelled at being compelled to do so, but my whole training and long association would invariably get the master of my reason and better judgment, and I would be forced by my superstitious training back into the mystified labyrinths of my childhood's education.
I stood it until I became tortured day and night by the prod of reason, then I quietly left the church and bade farewell to the heathen Scapular and the ten thousand other trinkets of blind paganism, and resolved to break the chain of this "slave of the soul" and "tyrant of reason."
In this chapter we want to give the reader some idea of the nonsensical and unreasonableness of the claims of Catholicism, so that you may more fully understand how disgusting it is for a man who endeavors to use his God-given abilities to submit to such abominations.
The Catholic Church depends more upon the saving power of the Scapular than it does upon the saving power of Jesus Christ. Now, this is a broad expression, but I know whereof I speak and I am prepared to back up the assertion with facts.
The Scapular is a veil or cape, which covers the shoulders. It was worn as such by Monks and Nuns, over their dress, but which is best known among Catholics as two little pieces of cloth worn out of devotion, under ordinary garments, and connected by a string which goes around the neck and hangs down, allowing this "trinket" to rest upon the breast.
Catholic children, from their infancy, are taught that this trinket is a preventative against accident and disease, and they actually believe it, and should they lose this "nothing" they at once become miserable and will undergo any hardship to possess another.
It was through the Carmelites (Monks) that this devotion began and I believe that the history that I will relate in regard to it is the first history ever repeated in this or any other country by an ex-priest that ever lived or died.
A man by the name of Simon Stock was elected to the generalship of the Carmelite Order, and this same Simon Stock was considered a Saint, and it is taught by Catholicism that the Virgin Mary appeared to Simon Stock in a vision and exhibited this Scapular and gave Stock to understand that it was to be worn by the Catholic world in the future as a preventative against accident, disease and sudden death.
There is another story which is told in regard to this Scapular, as follows: It is said that the Virgin Mary appeared to Simon Stock in a vision in behalf of the Carmelite Order, which at that time was in great trouble, and gave to Stock a Scapular, which she bore in her hand, in order that it could be worn, and which she guaranteed was an order direct from God Almighty that the Carmelite Order should wear this "trinket," which would be a preventative from any evil overtaking any of those who did wear it, and further stating that all of those who wore this Scapular "shall never suffer eternal burning."
It is further stated that Pope John XXII, in his famous Sabbatine Bull, declared that the Virgin Mary had appeared to him and informed him that all the members of the Carmelite Order who wore this Scapular should be gotten out of purgatory by her on the Saturday after their death, and this Pope winds up his declaration with the following sentence: "I accept, corroborate and confirm, in the name of Jesus Christ, for our Glorious Virgin Mary, who has granted this great privilege to those who wear the Scapular."
This abomination is nothing more nor less than a "tale of fiction," and promulgated by men who know that it is a positive lie, but they do it in order to mystify the ignorant and to compel them to remain in darkest ignorance.
Now, to convince the reader that Catholicism is as densely ignorant to-day as it ever was, we will bring her history up to date.
Pope Leo, in the good year of 1903, on his death bed, ordered this Carmelite veil brought from Mount Carmel, that he might have assistance from it in his dying hour, and declared that by the assistance of this mythical Scapular that when he died he would go straight to Heaven.
You can take the history of the Roman Catholic Church from the earliest days of its cussedness up to the present time, and you will find that the same heathenish superstition that surrounded it centuries ago still follows it to-day.
Is there any proof that the Virgin Mary appeared to Simon Stock and made to him the promise above related? No proof whatever, only the cungered up proof of the officials of Catholicism, and the Sabbatine Bull of Pope John has no more sense nor righteous meaning in it than the ghost dance of the American Indian.
The Scapular that we above refer to is not the only emblem of heathendom that Catholicism resorts to, but we have a number of others which the Protestant world knows but little about, and especially the Protestants in America, as the Catholic officials do not want "this Scapular business" talked about too much in this country, for fear that the Protestant world will give it the deserving ridicule that it should have. However, we have started out to show up the teachings of Catholicism as they actually exist, and the more light we turn upon this subject the more prominent her abominations will become, consequently we want to mention these other Scapulars.
The first that we will mention is, "The Trinity of White Linen with Red Cross;" the second is, "The Survite Scapular of Seven Dolors," which is of black woolen stuff; the third is, "The Immaculate Conception," which is of blue woolen cloth, and the fourth and last Scapular is one that was originated in 1846 by a Sister of Charity in Paris, France, who is said to have received a revelation from God Almighty, and this one is called "The Red Scapular of the Passion."
While American Catholics are a class far superior in intellect to the Catholics of other nations, they still tenaciously cling to the inert Scapular and believe in its efficacy and power; however, the Catholic Church is getting to have quite a number of these Scapulars, which is causing the intelligent Catholics to become a little doubtful as to which has the greatest "pulling power," and many of them, in order to make no mistake, wear all five of them in a bunch; thus they are assured that if one fails to get in its work another will come to the rescue, and should they fall off of a train moving 60 miles an hour, this little bunch of woolen goods will save them from a bruise, or should they drink a quart of the essence of strychnine they would be saved from instant death by one of these five Scapulars.
You ask a Catholic to explain the merits of the Scapular and all they can tell you is that if they die during the week that the Virgin Mary will then take them to heaven on the Saturday following, but if they happen to die on a Saturday, bear in mind that the Virgin Mary gives them a cold shoulder until the next Saturday. Now, this is the only explanation that you can get a Catholic to give you in regard to a Scapular.
Is it any wonder that the power to reason is shattered by these cungering devices of Catholicism, and do you wonder that the dense ignorance of Catholic nations are completely under the power of this angel of darkness?
Let us repeat, in conclusion of this chapter, that Romanism is the everlasting enemy of science and individual intellect, as she knows full well that when the broad, effulgent light of Protestantism dawns on the benighted minds of her followers that she at once loses her grasp upon her "hood-winked" dupes, as it is impossible for the teachings of Catholicism to exist side by side with the teachings of Protestantism, provided that those who believe in these Romish abominations care to look above the horizon of Romanism.
Chapter V.
Innocent Girlhood at the Confessional Box.
Blight girlhood and you destroy the usefulness of womankind. Tarnish the sacredness of girlhood and you scar the purity of womanhood. Deface the beautiful countenance of chastity, which is found in the bosom of girlhood, and you not only mar the happiness of girlhood, but you deface and obliterate the families of the future, for without that priceless treasure, virtue, the eternal principles of conjugal love becomes a barren waste without a single oasis.
Oh, if I could but call about me in one vast throng the girls of this land, and all other lands, who have had the first thought of carnality planted in their bosom by the scheming Priestcraft, I would have a throng of tear-faced mortals that would rend the heart of stone and stigmatize the cunning of Catholicism with a stigma blacker than the lowering clouds of despair.
When you force childhood to believe in the infallibility of the priestcraft you educate the mind of that child to implicitly believe in the officials of the Catholic Church, and when you gain the implicit confidence you have established a belief that cannot be easily eradicated, as this belief has become a part of that child, and as it grows older, this erroneous belief grows in proportion to the body, and by the time this child has arrived at the age of maturity, she is as densely ignorant of the cunning of this doctrine as she was when she first learned to repeat the Catechism with a childish lisp.
We desire to preface this chapter with common-sense arguments, so that the reader may thoroughly understand how completely the female element of the Catholic Church is under the control of the priesthood of this institution.
Priests are, as a rule, men of more than average intellect, and, as they have no other calling nor no other avocation in life than to make good impressions upon their members, they of course become cunning in their art, especially with the female members of their congregations, and more especially with their young and handsome members.
Imagine the power that a Catholic priest has over a young girl in her teens—yea, over any female member of their congregation, when you take into consideration the fact that from infancy these girls and women have been taught that it is almost an absolute impossibility for a priest to commit a sin.
When you dwell upon the doctrines taught these girls and women it will not be a matter of surprise that the priestcraft wields such a powerful influence over them, as any one with this doctrine funneled into them from childhood is open and ready to believe what the priestcraft may tell them, and the individual is not to blame for believing this, as they have been taught it by their parents from infancy, and the officials of the Catholic Church have taught it; then why should we be surprised at the dense ignorance upon the part of these girls and women?
Priests always try to impress their members with the idea that they are infallible and that it is impossible for them to sin. They do this for many reasons. First, in order that they may have their congregations in humble submission to any of the demands of the church, and, secondly, it enables them to accomplish any devilish deed they may wish to accomplish under the guise of priestly sanctity.
It is no pleasant task to dwell upon this most distasteful and most repulsive of all of the fallacies of Rome and the abominable rottenness of the priesthood, but without giving a vivid description of the cunning of the priestcraft in regard to the "Confessional" would be treating the subject in a manner that would not do justice to the abominations of her hideous doctrines; and to fail to touch upon this subject would leave the greatest and most deadly weapon in the hands of this band of devils.
The Confessional Box is an emblem of paganism, as innumerable trustworthy authorities prove that Roman Catholicism has pre-empted this custom as well as many other of her practices from the dark ages of paganism.
Oricular confession was practiced centuries ago by the ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, Mexicans, Peruvians and the Japanese—in fact, it is not only an ancient custom, but one which belongs to the darkest of the ancient ages, which should have been relegated to the haunts of hell centuries ago.
A priest once said: "Nobody should be surprised when we priests, bishops and popes sink into the bottomless abyss of immorality, for the celibacy of the priestcraft is only a cudgel in the hands of Catholic officials to drive us to the haunts of immorality."
A priest once said "that the Confessional is one of the most damnable institutions that was ever permitted to exist, as these Confessionals are only traps to lead the piously and morally-inclined priest to the plains of immorality, for a priest is naught but man, and when he is forced to compel women penitents to pour into his ears their every thought, feeling, desire, emotion and act, it kindles the fires of unholy thought upon the altars of his better ambitions and before he knows it he has committed adultery and not only ruined his own soul, but has been the implement in the hands of the devil to destroy the virtue of innocent womanhood."
He further states "that not only do the thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc., have to be related, in all of their details, to the priest, and perhaps a bad priest, but all circumstances leading to and the results growing out of these thoughts, must be given in detail."
The immorally inclined and licentious priest is not satisfied with the female penitent enumerating only her mortal sins, but he insists and forces the penitent to give circumstances, minutely describing her thoughts and feelings of every-day life, which leads both the penitent and the confessor to the lowlands of immorality.
The priestcraft is instructed by the Romish Church not to allow the penitent to conceal anything from them, and the priestcraft is given instructions to probe the penitent to the heart's core.
In this chapter we propose to give you a little insight to the character of one or two priests that I have personally known, and if I dared and if it was possible to print the nasty history of a number of priests that I have been acquainted with, I could fill this volume with their depravity; but should I do so this book would not be permitted to circulate through the mails of the United States. But I will endeavor to clothe my recital of a few instances of priestly immorality in language of chastity, but will make my recital plain enough that any one who can read may understand.
Rev. Chas. Kuhlman, who was pastor of a Catholic Church in Edwardsville, Ill., was suspicioned of having become too intimate with a sister of his own school, and this sister soon left the sisterhood, and it was rumored that she went to St. Louis to evade the birth of a child.
This very same priest was caught in the act of adultery with a married woman in his office in East St. Louis. He was at that time, besides being pastor, the editor and publisher of a very important Catholic paper called "The Catholic Progress." This immorality of Priest Kuhlman became public property and formed such a nasty mess that the Catholic bishop had to take some notice of it and the case was tried before the Bishop of Alton, Ill., and Kuhlman was excommunicated for life.
This married woman gave testimony that was very damaging to the Rev. Kuhlman and gave her evidence before a notary public, which cannot be disputed, and it matters not how hard the Catholic Church may try to villify these statements, they cannot overcome the truthfulness of the same, as there are too many living witnesses at this time who know that what I am relating is absolutely true.
Rev. Kuhlman was not satisfied with the verdict of the bishop of Alton, Ill., and appealed his case to Rome, and the bishop was indeed glad to get rid of this dirty case and did not appear in Rome to prosecute the case, and the Rev. Kuhlman won the case in Rome by default, and this same Rev. Kuhlman became a Catholic priest in good standing again and was permitted to officiate as a minister of the gospel, with all of this abominable slime of immorality clinging to his priestly garments.
Now, bear in mind that Rev. Kuhlman, after having all of this immorality laid at his door, was permitted by the Pope of Rome to go right ahead with his priestly duties, but a short time after he won his case at Rome there was an affidavit sworn out against Kuhlman by a man in East St. Louis, averring that he had been again caught in the act of adultery with another woman. This time the case was reported to Bishop Janssen, of Belleville, Ill., and also to Cardinal Martinelli, of Washington, D.C., but there was no attention paid to it, and this Rev. Kuhlman was permitted to go right ahead in his pastoral duties and is at the present time the pastor of a church in East St. Louis and is also the spiritual director of a convent, which contains many sisters and many pupils.
Now, if what I have related is false, Rev. Chas. Kuhlman has redress at law; and if I have libeled him he can make me suffer for the crime, and he will not have to spend any money to locate my whereabouts, as he is aware of my location at the present time and can find me at any time that he desires to bring suit against me for blackmail or any other crime that he sees fit to instigate against me.
It is no pleasant task to relate these very nauseating things, but it is my aim and intention to so plainly and powerfully set forth the deceit, cunning and dastardly deeds of Catholicism that I may be able to open the eyes of not only the Protestant world but of Catholicism at large, for there are thousands of the followers of the Pope who are very weak in their faith, and if I can by the righteousness of my cause, convince them that they are following the blind leaders of paganism, I am absolutely certain that the Protestant ranks will have an in-gathering of the hosts of Catholicism that will cause the angels in heaven to shout hallelujahs of thanksgiving.
Do not understand me to say, or to intimate, that there are no sincere priests, as there are; but their sincerity is founded upon superstitious beliefs and erroneous doctrines, consequently their sincerity and devoutness only helps to fasten the abominations of Catholicism more completely upon humanity, as those who are candidly sincere are held up to the Protestant world as models of Catholicism, when, in fact, they are but exceptions to the general herd of Catholic officials.
To more plainly illustrate to the reader how fascinating and powerful the teachings of Catholicism is upon the minds of man, I would illustrate this by the power that parents have over a child. You teach a child some doctrine, it matters not whether it is right or wrong, and you will impress it with the truthfulness of this doctrine in its childhood, and let it understand as it grows into manhood and womanhood that this doctrine is absolutely true, and hedge it about with superstitions confirming this doctrine, and the hosts of hell can hardly convince it that its early teachings were wrong; so you can easily see what a powerful influence Catholicism has over the minds of its followers, as you must bear in mind that Catholicism takes up the child when it is only a few days old and continually hedges it about with emblems of ignorance and superstition and never allows it to gaze above the horizon of this mass of erroneous doctrine; therefore the child is not to blame for its implicit confidence, but the cunning of those who practice this deception upon this child is to blame, and the doctrine of Catholicism is what I am assailing in this volume, for if I can be instrumental in opening the eyes of those who have arrived at the years of accountability, I feel sure that I can be instrumental in having those so reached declare to their offspring that their first lessons have been altogether erroneous, and if the Catholic parents will begin to teach their children before they leave the parental roof that their first lessons were erroneous it will not be so hard for the Protestant world to finish the job and turn these hosts of darkness into the highways of intellectuality.
The reason that we have so many disgraceful happenings and immoral incidents in the lives of the priestcraft is because of the absolute confidence that their followers have in them, as it is a well-known fact that the female world has a greater confidence in humanity than the male population, so it is an easy matter for any sane man or woman to understand why an immoral priest, and one who has no regard for honor, has such an easy task in accomplishing the ruin of those whom he seeks to destroy.
The paradise of the priestcraft is inky darkness, as they prefer darkness to light, and by their actions, their every-day lives take on the hue of midnight. If we can read God Almighty's hand-writing in a legible manner, we believe that any intelligent man or woman can discern in the countenance of a majority of the priestcraft a look which is almost equal to a condemnation of their actions, as a large majority are lacking of that manly frankness of countenance which is found in the countenances of godly men.
In conclusion of this chapter, I beg to state that the Confessional Box of the Romish Church is one of the darkest pages of the dark history of Catholicism, and if this hideous chapter was removed from Romanism, three-fourths of her diabolical deeds would be eradicated; but when you remove the "Confessional" you remove the charm for that part of the priestcraft which exists upon the carrion of the human family, and whenever you remove the "Confessional," the celibacy of the church will be abandoned and the priestcraft will be allowed to marry, as Protestant ministers are permitted to do, and when this is done, instead of having a Roman Catholic Church, we will have a Protestant denomination in its stead, and my prayer is that a just God will hasten the day when this "virtue trap" will be relegated to the dark recesses of paganism, from whence it came.
Chapter VI.
The Nations Completely Dominated by the Power of the Pope Are Nations of Illegitimacy.
In this chapter, we have before us the vision of two countries; one is Protestant America and the other Catholic Ecuador.
Protestant America stands upon a plane of morality and chastity, which is pleasing to contemplate, and for which she can thank only the principles of Protestantism, for Protestantism teaches, by both precept and example, as she looks to the only true standard of morality that ever existed, which is the Holy Bible. But Catholicism looks only to a standard which the Pope of Rome sees fit to establish, and a standard of morals which is set by mortal man, can only be, at its best, a very inferior standard, as the licentiousness and lust of unholy man can never compare with that great and infinitely good being, the Lord of Hosts.
Broad education of the mind means a subduing of the passions, and broad education is something that the Catholic Church fights against, as she knows full well that to educate her masses would be equivalent to losing her grasp upon their actions, for no man or woman of a broad education and an individual intellectuality will permit these hosts of darkness to dictate to them.
Ignorance is the greatest breeder of crime known to the intelligence of man, and it is an established fact that crime breeds immorality, and immorality of course is the equivalent of illegitimacy, and historical facts will bear me out in the assertion that the countries which are absolutely under the power of the Pope are countries which are densely ignorant, and again, as above stated, ignorance leads to crime, and crime to immorality, and now we are back to the first proposition and have proven without going further that "The nations completely dominated by the power of the Pope are nations of illegitimacy," but we propose to use historical records to convince without the shadow of a doubt that our statements are true. However, I do not need these historical facts, as I have traveled extensively through Europe and many other countries, and I know whereof I speak, by personal observation and by coming into personal contact with both Catholic and Protestant nations. However, we are not going to be satisfied with this alone, as we do not want the reader to rely implicitly upon our individual statements, but we propose to bring facts to bear upon your mind which cannot be over-thrown, as statistics are stubborn and unyielding facts, which none but fools dispute.
We propose to take statistics from the Peabody Reporter, which you can corroborate with the official report of the United States Commissioner of Education. The statistics that we above refer to follow:
"To every ten thousand inhabitants under the Roman Catholic school system, there are 1,400 illiterates, 410 paupers and 160 criminals, while in the public school system we only find to every ten thousand inhabitants 350 illiterates, making a difference of 1,050 to every ten thousand." Thus you see that what we have said in previous chapters of this book in regard to Romanism being founded upon the mountains of ignorance is true.
Education in its literal meaning, means an infusion of intelligence that lifts up the minds of man, and it is generally so accepted by the world at large, but education, as far as Catholicism goes, means only a rehearsal of abominations, which have been practiced upon the followers of this creed for centuries in the past, and does not in the least bear upon the principles of true education.
The public school system is established on the principle that the intelligence and virtue of the people constitutes the foundation of free government.
Our public schools therefore form one of the chief cornerstones of our American republic; they are the sheet anchor of our hopes. The growth and prosperity which have characterized the first century of our schools fulfills their mission.
Education is the watchword of the hour among Protestants, but never among Catholics. We must educate if we would elevate, and unless we elevate the minds of men we will have humanity running riot with vice and immorality, and this is why the Catholic nations of the earth are found with their morals trailing in the slime of degeneracy.
Our public schools are to-day the great assimilating power in this country. We find in them children of all nationalities, and whether they be English, Irish, Scotch, Danish, Norwegians, French, Italians, or some other nationality, when they enter these institutions they pass out of the school houses, scattered all over this land, Americans, one and all, as it is absolutely impossible to make anything but a true American out of a pupil who has been turned out of the public schools of this country, and one who has been permitted to assimilate the doctrines of broad education taught in these schools.
The influence of the public schools works rapidly upon childhood and is felt through all of their after lives. A child who has been educated in the public schools of this country is always an unrelenting foe of caste, but the child who is educated in the parochial schools is taught to look up to innumerable superiors, and such an education dwarfs the minds of childhood and teaches them to continually look to others for their individual happiness, but the teachings of the public schools broaden the individual mind and gives courage, which enables the child to swing out from the influence of others and become a mighty power in the mechanism of the universe.
We touch upon the public schools in this chapter, only in connection with the dominating influence of the Pope over nations which he completely rules, in order that the reader may thoroughly understand that ignorance begets crime and crime begets illegitimacy, as we expect to dwell more fully upon the education of nations in the future, but we want the reader to begin at the "Alpha" of reason, so that when he or she is through with this chapter that there will be no doubt in their minds as to why the power of the Pope breeds illegitimacy among his followers.
We have contrasted the difference in morals of the inhabitants, which are completely dominated by Roman Catholicism, to that of the inhabitants of Protestant America, but we have made this comparison in a general way; but we now want to select a country which for its absolutism of Catholic monarchy has no comparison, and that country is Ecuador.
In Ecuador the Catholic Church has such a complete hold upon the inhabitants that they will not allow Protestantism taught, and the consequence of her tyranny is that out of every 100 children born in that country, seventy-five are bastards or illegitimate and have no idea of their father, and the immorality of the priestcraft is so vile that their actions are absolutely passed over without notice, as there is scarcely a single priest to be found in that country but who is the father of from ten to twenty-five and thirty children; but still the Roman Church continues to forbid her priests to wed, when they know full well that celibacy in the Catholic Church is the cause of all of this degeneracy.
This state of affairs is not confined to Ecuador alone, but the same state of affairs exists throughout the length and breadth of all Catholic nations which are completely under the power of the Pope.
Italy, for instance, which is the home of the Pope and which has been the home of the Catholic Church since the existence of her abominations, is one of the most immoral countries that ever besmirched the face of the earth.
The first lesson that a Catholic child is taught is "hate," and that lesson is directed at Protestantism; therefore, is it any wonder that the education of Catholicism only reaches out far enough to hoodwink the student and does not elevate him or her above the festering mess which surrounds it?
We want, to repeat the statement that the Roman Catholic Church does not want to educate anybody, nor will it do so, where it is not under the pressure of Protestant influence. However, the American people demand figures and facts before they will be convinced; so as further evidence of the truthfulness of what we are telling you, we propose to quote from a report of the minister of education in Italy, made some few years ago. This report is true in every particular, and bear in mind that this minister of education was a Catholic himself. The report follows:
"Of every 1,000 males in the province of Lombardy, 539 only were able to read, and 461 did not even know their letters. Of every 1,000 females, only 426 could read and 574 could not read, neither did they know their letters.
"In Naples and Sicily, out of every 1,000 males, only 165 were able to read and 835 could not, and out of every 1,000 females, only 62 could read and 938 could not read and did not know their alphabet. Taking this report, you will find that out of every 100, only about 10 were able to read.
"In 1864, out of 21,000,000 people, only 3,500,000 could read and write, and the rest did not know their alphabet, and to-day Spain, another country which is completely dominated by the power of Rome, has a population of ignorant dupes, as 80 per cent of the population of Spain cannot read and write.
"In Ireland, where the Romish Church is dominant, this same record is repeated, as in other Catholic nations. In European countries where Protestantism is taught there is but one out of every ten that cannot read and write, but in the same countries, where Catholicism has absolute sway, there is but one out of every 125 that can read and write.
"In six leading Protestant countries of Europe there are 315 inhabitants to every newspaper or magazine, while in six Roman Catholic countries in Europe there is but one newspaper to every 2,715 people.
"It is estimated that at least seven-eighths of the twenty million inhabitants in Spanish-America, which consists of the countries of Mexico, Cuba, Central America and the north and west parts of South America, are unable to read, and in Mexico alone 90 per cent of the inhabitants cannot read nor write, neither do they know their alphabet;" thus you can see what Roman Catholicism does for the countries which she controls.
We are writing this book, believing that an intelligent class of people will read it, and if such is true, we believe that it is useless for us to try to demonstrate further why the countries which are completely controlled by Catholicism are countries of illegitimacy, for an intelligent reader knows full well that ignorance is the greatest brooder of immorality known to man, and, of course, immorality means illegitimacy, and we believe that we have thoroughly demonstrated to the mind of the reader that Catholicism spreads a cloak of ignorance and superstition wherever she is allowed to rule supreme, and if this is the case, then the natural consequences of such a state of affairs is illegitimacy.
Chapter VII.
The Power of the Pope in Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands.
It makes my heart sick when I realize that the Government of the United States has spent hundreds of millions of dollars upon the Islands of Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands, and, after all, these Islands are still in the grasp and the filthy embrace of the Vatican at Rome.
Not only fabulous amounts of money have been spent by the United States upon these Islands, but hundreds of our noble boys in blue have given up their lives in battle and by the scourge of disease, and still Catholicism has absolute sway in these far-away countries.
These islands have been under the immediate control of Popery for hundreds of years, but when the Government of the United States took charge of them, their inhabitants had advanced no further in intellectuality and the freedom of free men than they were centuries ago.
It may sound strange to the average reader when I declare that all of the lives lost and all of the money expended by the United States upon Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands was brought about by the tyrannical rule of Rome, for it was by her abominations that Cuba rebelled, which was the prime cause of the interference by the government of the United States; therefore you can readily see why it is that I claim that Catholicism is to blame for the part that the government of the United States took in the affairs of these countries, and what puzzles me so much is why the government of the United States still permits Catholicism to control the destinies of these countries, when the officials of this government know full well that had it not been for abhorrent Catholicism that Cuba would never have rebelled and that Porto Rico would have been satisfied, and that the Philippine Islands would not to-day belong to the United States; but, instead of this government trying to remedy the great wrong done to the inhabitants of these countries, it went right ahead and allowed the bone of contention to remain, and to-day finds this government not only permitting Catholicism to continue to practice her abominations in these countries, but this government is instrumental in sending Catholic teachers over to these countries, when, if this country would do its whole duty, it would not permit Catholicism to take any part in the affairs of these countries.
Archbishop Chapelle was shipped to the Philippine Islands with all the pomp of a ruler, and so was Archbishop J.J. Harty, whom I am personally acquainted with, and whom I have been on intimate terms with for a number of years, and this man Harty is to-day in the Philippine Islands ruling with the same tyrannical hand that has characterized Romanism for centuries past, and whose rule is only symbolic to ruin, as the interests of the inhabitants of these countries are never considered, as it is Rome's ambition and only desire to keep them under the heel of perpetual tyranny.
We would like to know why Archbishop Chapelle should be given the best stateroom in a transport ship sailing for Manila, while our pure-blooded, honest, sincere Protestant boys who wear the blue were huddled together like so many cattle. |
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