Golden Age, January 29, 1936
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The Golden Age
A JOURNAL OF FACT HOPE AND COURAGE
in this issue
FASCISM
(CATHOLIC ACTION)
IN IRVINGTON, N. J.
RESOLUTIONS
CONDEMNING FASCISM
COME AND WITNESS
ZEAL FOR JEHOVAH
JESUS
HOME AND HEALTH
OBEDIENCE TURNS OUTCAST
INTO A SON
every other
WEDNESDAY
five cents a copy
one dollar a year
Canada & Foreign 1.25
Vol. XVII - No. 427
January 29, 1936 CONTENTS
LABOR AND ECONOMICS
Huge New Apartments in Paris 278
The Kind of Labor Wanted 279
80,000 Polish Jews to Tel Aviv 279
Palestine Growing Rapidly 279
Tel Aviv a Boom City 279
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL
Not All Policemen Pope-Controlled 262
Jehovah's witnesses Protest Papalistic Peddling 262
OLIVET FORUM RESOLUTIONS CONDEMNING FASCISM 263
JAIL-THREAT LOYALTY 266
What Are We to Gain? 267
COME AND WITNESS THE ZEAL FOR JEHOVAH 272
JESUS 273
An Interesting Letter to Judge Rutherford 274
Report Concerning the Persecutions in Germany 274
Another Report of Things Done in Germany 275
Judge Rutherford's Response 276
The Moffats of Northern Rhodesia 277
OBEDIENCE TURNS AN OUTCAST INTO A SON 284
FINANCE—COMMERCE—TRANSPORTATION
Lighthouse in the Sahara 278
German Trade with Palestine 279
Canned Table Delicacies 282
POLITICAL—DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN
FASCISM (CATHOLIC ACTION) IN IRVINGTON, N. J. 259
Hierarchy Horseplay in Germany 260
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION RESIST FASCISM IN NEW JERSEY 261
The Folly of Lip-Service 265
"With Liberty and Justice for All" 267
HOME AND HEALTH
Cigarettes and Tobacco 280
Dope Farms in Brooklyn 281
Herbal Remedy for Piles 281
Health Insurance Has Its Abuses 281
For a Stubborn Fever 281
Aid in Canning Wheat 282
Barley for Coffee 282
The Iceman Puts One Over 282
Vegetable Shortening (?) 282
Light Meals for Fine Work 282
A Kraut Recipe 283
Dried Foods Better than Canned 283
TRAVEL AND MISCELLANY
GOLDEN AGE RECEIVES "MIRACULOUS MEDAL" 270
Saint Anthony Rarely Fumbles 271
The Bright Pygmies of Africa 278
RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
UNCHRISTIAN POLICY OF CANADIAN PRIESTS 268
INSTRUCTIONS AT RED MASS 269
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The Golden Age
Volume XVII Brooklyn, N.Y., Wednesday, January 29, 1936 Number 427
Fascism (Catholic Action) in Irvington, N.J.
PEOPLE of good will are well aware of the fact that in the state of New Jersey a most determined effort has been made to suppress the truth. The Devil, his invisible demons, the Catholic Hierarchy, their Protestant satellites, judges, magistrates, strong-arm squads, and so-called "patriotic societies" have combined and do combine to "suppress the activities of Jehovah's witnesses". Different cities have each taken their turn at this medieval business of suppressing the worship of Almighty God. Plainfield, Bergenfield, Summit, Maplewood, Jersey City and others have endeavored to set the calendar back and establish the rule of the Dark Ages.
And now cometh Irvington, New Jersey, with the stage all set to join the holy (?) campaign against Almighty God and His witnesses. Irvington is a Protestant city. But Thomas J. Holleran, recorder (may the Lord reward him according to his works), is a Roman Catholic. And it is quite evident that his honor Mr. Holleran is out to "break" Jehovah's witnesses if he can. Irvington, if you please, is going to do the job right. No ordinary arrests for them. New and unusual and cruel punishments are to be inflicted.
The psalmist speaks of the gang "which frameth mischief by a law". (Psalm 94:20) There you have step No. 1. The big argument of these mischief-framers is: "We must enforce our ordinance. We have no alternative. It must be enforced even unto the last period." But the Irvington ordinance was not suitable. It had defects. Consequently a new one was framed to "suppress the activities of Jehovah's witnesses". And, it appears as though the mischief-framers of Maplewood had been called in as first aid in framing up the new law. The wording is the same; and in view of the fact that Maplewood has long endeavored—but without success—to "break" Jehovah's witnesses, it is all part of the same conspiracy.
With their law framed and on the books, the Irvington Inquisition machine has now marched against the soul of the righteous and the innocent. (Psalm 94:21) And note, please, that the machinery of the law, and the might of the police department, was turned first against the innocent children. On December 1 John Dziatkiewicz, age 10, and Mary Dziatkiewicz, age 15, were arrested and placed in detention. On December 7 Alex J. Sabo, age 15, was likewise confined. The "mischief-framers" of Irvington object to children's giving their hearts to God, as Jesus did while He was a youth of twelve years, and would have them incarcerated because they delight themselves in the statutes of Jehovah and forget not His Word.
Cruel and unusual punishments are to be inflicted upon Jehovah's witnesses to keep them out of Irvington. That appears to have been the order from the one directing this Fascistic campaign. Irvington parents, kindly take notice, that if you teach your children to love and serve Almighty God you are quite apt to be yanked into court on the charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. James and Anna Dziatkiewicz were on December 2 summoned to appear before Judge Thomas J. Holleran (may the Lord reward him according to his works), to answer to the charges of contributing to the "delinquency" of their children Mary and John. The preliminary hearing of these innocent parents of these admirable children was held before Judge Thomas J. Holleran (may the Lord reward him according to his works), on December 17. They were bound over to the grand jury. Bail of James was set at $1000, and of Mary at $1500. The prosecutor of the county reduced Mary's bail to $500.
On December 17, 1935, Clara Schneider was tried at Irvington, before Judge Thomas J. Holleran (may the Lord reward him according to his works), and on that occasion Mr. Holleran, after setting out that he would stand by the township’s mischief-framed ordinance, and that he would not care whether the person that ran up against it was a priest, minister, or a rabbi, fined this Christian woman $100 or thirty days in jail, for doing what she had a right to do, which right is guaranteed by the constitutions of both the United States and the state of New Jersey.
There are some people of good will in Irvington. One wonders how they like to see the spirit of the Inquisition operating in their midst. One wonders if they are in favor of the suppression of liberty and of the denial of the right of worship of Almighty God. One wonders if they approve their city’s being led around by the nose by those who would abolish all liberty in America. And one wonders if they are going to do anything about it.
In an address at the convention of the International Association of Chiefs of Police at the Hotel Ambassador, Atlantic City, N. J., Winthrop D. Lane, of the division of parole of the Department of Institutions and Agencies in New Jersey, made the statement that if all sentences were carried out as imposed it would take twenty times the present capacity of reformatories and prisons to do it. Yet in that same state of New Jersey the police of Irvington, Maplewood and other places have repeatedly imprisoned the finest citizens they have in the state, Jehovah’s witnesses, solely on the ground that they have failed to request police permits to do that which Jehovah God has commanded them to do. In other words, the worst citizens in the community are given their liberty on parole so that the best citizens in the community can go behind bars to take their place. Nobody but a New Jersey judge under the thumb of Frank Hague, Roman Catholic boss of Jersey City, could ever do as foolish a thing as that. The judge does it to keep his job and to gain promotions.
The Siege of Troy Up to Date.
John Public, the poor, simple-minded bam, looking the Jesuit horse in the mouth, to make sure it is all right to bring it into the citadel of liberty.
Rackets in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
IN New Jersey and Pennsylvania school children are being expelled for not saluting the flag, and then their parents are being arrested for not sending the children to school. This is exactly the spirit of the Inquisition.
New Jersey vies with Germany and Austria in attempts to see how ridiculous she can make herself. On this point the Spokane Press says:
“In a New Jersey town, the school board has ordered principals to ‘make a survey of the attitude of pupils toward the republic’. This seems rather strange, in view of the fact that it is generally held, in the United States, that any citizen is entitled to hold any views he likes about the republic. Every advance in government has its origin in discontent and criticism. These result in protest and the invention of new plans and better methods for carrying out the basic American ideal, which doesn’t change. Meanwhile it is nobody’s business what anybody thinks, and even school students should enjoy the fundamental right to believe what they like, without interference from politicians.”
Hierarchy Horseplay in Germany
AS INDICATING that there is a well-founded belief of substantial accord between the pope and Hitler, a two-column article in the New York Times, issue of November 3, 1935, concludes as follows:
“The Catholic Hierarchy, which has preserved its independence ancient, can afford to take the government statements regarding paganism at their face value. The Confessional churchmen remain hesitant and suspicious. In the offing they see a threat in a national church constructed on a political basis. They are wondering if the recent conciliatory gestures and actions of the régime may not partake of something of the character of the classic horse left before the walls of Troy.” American Civil Liberties Union Resists Fascism in New Jersey
NEW YORK CITY, Dec. 18—The question of the right of school children to refuse on religious grounds to salute the flag and pledge allegiance will be fought out in the case of Alma and Vivian Hering, Jehovah’s witnesses, of Secaucus, N. J., according to an announcement made by the American Civil Liberties Union today.
A petition of appeal against the expulsion on November 1 of the Hering children, aged 6 and 11, from Lincoln Public School was served today on the Secaucus Board of Education and will be filed tomorrow with the Commissioner of Education of the State of New Jersey.
This case is regarded by the Civil Liberties Union as a test of the issue which has been raised by expulsion on the same ground of children of members of Jehovah’s witnesses in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
“The law requiring a salute to the flag and a pledge of allegiance in New Jersey is attacked,” the Union said, “as unconstitutional as applied to religious objectors and as impossible of legal enforcement as regards other children. It is our belief that similar statutes in other states can be challenged on much the same grounds. We cannot believe that the courts will countenance depriving children of their legal right to a free public school education on religious grounds.”
The thirty-page petition prepared by Abraham J. Isserman of the Newark law firm of Isserman and Isserman, representing the Civil Liberties Union and Jehovah’s witnesses in the case, challenges the application of the “salute the flag” law to religious objectors as violating four sections of the state constitution and the “due process” and “equal protection of the laws” clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the federal constitution and the New Jersey Public School laws themselves. In all the petition raises 69 objections to the expulsion, in behalf of John and Ella Hering, the parents, and Alma Hering and Vivian Hering, the children.
Assisting Mr. Isserman in handling the case are O. R. Moyle, general counsel, and Jacob Karkus, New Jersey counsel for Jehovah’s witnesses. It is understood, according to the Union, that an adverse decision from the Commissioner of Education will be appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court, the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, and, if necessary, to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Challenging the possibility of lawful enforcement of the present statute, Chapter 145 of the New Jersey Laws of 1932, Mr. Isserman held:
1. That every town Board of Education in New Jersey violates the law which requires that children repeat each day “The Oath of Allegiance”. What is repeated is not the oath, but a pledge of allegiance.
The oath reads:—“I . . . do sincerely profess and swear, that I do and will bear true faith and allegiance to the government established in this state under the authority of the people, so help me God.”
The pledge in common use reads:—“I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the republic for which it stands. One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
2. It is doubtful whether school teachers are legally qualified to administer “the oath of allegiance”. According to the law, the lowest grade official who may perform this ceremony is a notary public, declares Mr. Isserman.
3. The law itself violates all accepted canons of international law in requiring aliens to salute the flag and take an oath of allegiance to a country not their own.
4. Very young children have never been permitted in court to take oaths, and yet the Board of Education has expelled Vivian, who is but six years old, for refusing to take an oath.
5. The parents themselves, the petition indicates at length, are placed in the difficult position of facing conviction in proceedings already begun before the Secaucus Recorder’s Court as disorderly persons for not sending their oldest child to school when she is not permitted by the authorities to attend schools. If convicted under the Disorderly Persons Act they may be given a year’s imprisonment. The parents have excellent grounds for a civil suit against the Board of Education for infringement of their rights, according to Mr. Isserman.
On the matter of the unconstitutionality of the law as it relates to the children and their parents, Mr. Isserman raises the following points. It is held invalid:
In depriving the children of “the privilege of worshipping Almighty God in the manner agreeable to the dictates of their own conscience” guaranteed in Section 3, Article 1 of the New Jersey Constitution.
In depriving the defendants of “the civil rights” to an education in a public school guaranteed under Article 1, Section 4, of the State Constitution.
In violating Article 4, Section 7, of the constitution, which established free schools "for the equal benefit of all the people".
Under Article 1, Section 1, of the constitution, "in that it unreasonably restricts the unalienable rights of said Alma and Vivian Hering of enjoying and defending liberty and obtaining happiness by subjecting them to the penalties of dismissal from school and of juvenile delinquency."
In violating Article IX, Section 125, of the New Jersey State School laws, prohibiting exclusion of children from the schools "on account of their religion".
Similar objections are raised regarding the parents, John and Ella Hering, who it is charged have been deprived on religious grounds of the property and civil right to educate their children in public schools and been subject on the same grounds to prosecution under the Disorderly Persons Act.
Turning to the federal constitution, the law is held to violate the "due process clause" as it affects both children and parents in that it unreasonably restricts the liberty of both parents and children "who are conscientiously unwilling and unable to salute the flag and take a pledge of allegiance". The law is further held to violate "the equal protection of the laws" clause of the 14th Amendment in that it discriminates against children in school in requiring them to take an oath not asked of the rest of the population.
Not All Policemen Pope-Controlled
NOT every police officer in New Jersey wears the badge of servitude to the Papal empire. Many while locking Jehovah's witnesses in the cells have said, "We hate to arrest you folks, but have to obey orders." And just the other day in a New Jersey town (the name is withheld, for we would hate to see this officer lose his job just for acting civilized) a detective hailed one of Jehovah's witnesses and questioned him as to his activities. Then he said, "Oh, you are a Jehovah['s witness]. That's all right. I am a Jehovah['s witness] too. Good for you." And then he drove off.
We respectfully submit that the place where this detective does his thinking is not filled with concrete. He is one of many policemen who are not at all in sympathy with the efforts of their superiors to throttle liberty and disregard common sense in the United States.
Jehovah's witnesses Protest Papalistic Peddling
THE GOLDEN AGE notes this in The Leader (Wildwood, N. J.) of December 26, 1935:
VETERANS PROTEST 'RELIGIOUS' PEDDLING
Peterson-Little Post of Cape May, Take Action
Following Refusal to Recognize Flag
At the semi-monthly meeting of the Peterson-Little Post No. 386, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U. S., held at Cape May on Thursday, the following resolution was adopted:
"Whereas, from time to time religious sects calling themselves Jehovah's Witnesses, Rutherfordites et cetera, have visited Cape May City and have annoyed the residents by peddling religious tracts from door to door, and
"Whereas, these above mentioned religious sects have instructed their members and member's families to refuse to salute or take oath of allegiance to the American Flag, stating that it is contrary to the teachings of their sect, and
"Whereas, the City Council of Cape May, recently passed an ordinance prohibiting the peddling of merchandise from door to door within the city limits,
"Be It Resolved, that these peddlers of religious tracts be placed in the same category as the peddlers of merchandise and subjected to the same punishment as provided for in the ordinance."
Guests at the meeting were Frank Y. Force, Commander of the 9th District County Council, V. F. W., and J. Weintraub, Officer of the Day of the 9th District County Council, V. F. W.
The coming Bonus fight was one of the chief topics discussed.
As an antidote to this outburst from the "patriotic" cult Jehovah's witnesses present the following:
Whereas, from time to time the Veterans of Foreign Wars and other "patriotic" cults, have annoyed order-loving people by peddling their Hitleristic and Papalistic and Fascistic ideas to them; and
Whereas the above-mentioned organizations would require, force and coerce all peoples to worship in accordance with their ritual of ceremonial "patriotism"; and
Whereas such action is contrary to common sense, common decency and the well established principles of liberty, freedom of religion and freedom of worship;
Therefore, Be It Resolved that these purveyors of Hitleristic, Papalistic and Fascistic ideas be placed in the same category as the dictators, popes, autocrats, despots, great moguls, kaisers, czars, caliphs, oligarchs, Caesars, caciques and tycoons, and subjected to such punishment as Jehovah of Hosts will in due time provide.
Olivet Forum Resolutions Condemning Fascism
By Olivet Institute Free Forum of Chicago, Illinois
WHEREAS it appears that in different parts of the United States the issue of religious liberty is becoming vital, aroused by the pretense that saluting the flag and swearing allegiance to the American flag must become the primary duty of citizenship, to be imposed by law, and enforced by strict penalties, upon the present and future generations, even to the extent of depriving children of the benefit and advantages of free education in free schools of a society supposed to be based on voluntary association of peoples respecting the rights of one another to grow in accordance with the dictates of private conscience as the natural prerogative of man; and
WHEREAS it appears that the demand for compulsory saluting the American flag, and swearing allegiance to the same, is subject to suspicion because no necessity exists for the same, and such compulsion is inconsistent with a state of free society, and tends to breed discontent, dissatisfaction, and rebellion against established authority, due to proper fear of attempted usurpation of power, backed by entrenched authority, under color of national emergency, and necessity; and
WHEREAS it appears that this compulsion is designed and intentionally planned to mislead the American people, and impose upon the American people a Fascist state of mind, so as to make the government superior to the people, instead of deriving its just powers from the consent of the governed; and
WHEREAS such a state of mind is the beginning of "Government by Intimidation", under color of law, daringly and contemptuously designed to be imposed upon the American people regardless of their former proud boast that we have maintained and preserved the right to all to grow in accordance with the dictates of private conscience; and
WHEREAS such a state is intended primarily to deprive the American people of the right to determine for themselves a free choice as to how better secure to themselves and their posterity the blessings of liberty and the bounty of Providence; and
WHEREAS it must remain a fundamental principle of free government that government exists for the sole purpose of securing to the people the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, on equal terms, under equal conditions, at all times and under all circumstances; and
WHEREAS this government was instituted to secure these rights inviolate to all, without distinction of race, creed, or color, or previous condition of servitude, it must maintain the separation of church and state, so that man may worship his Creator according to the dictates of his conscience, to attain the fullness of life, and life more abundantly; and
WHEREAS Thomas Paine, who first declared to the world that "these United States ought to be, and are by right, free and independent", in asserting the rights of man, declared, "There is a single idea, which, if it strikes rightly upon the mind, either in a legal or a religious sense, will prevent any man, or any body of men, or any government, from going wrong on the subject of religion; which is, that before any human institution of government was known to the world there existed, if I may so express it, a compact between God and man, from the beginning of time; that religious devotion, which is a part of this compact, cannot so much as be made a subject of human laws; and that all laws must conform to this prior existing compact"; and
WHEREAS those who dare exercise that religious devotion which is a part of this compact, by refusing to salute the flag or swear allegiance to the American flag as a symbol of earthly power, claim merely that right to which all human laws must conform, and any attempt, under color of law, to nullify this prior existing right is a denial of religious liberty and freedom of conscience supposedly guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and preserved under its Civil Rights Code; and
WHEREAS the attempt to impose, by law, as a primary duty of citizenship, the obligation of saluting the American flag, and swearing allegiance to it, is inconsistent with the rights of man in a free society, tending to degrade man by making him a subject of government, under a symbol of power, substituting the state for the people, as the source of all power and authority in government: and
WHEREAS the president of these United States recently declared that this nation and its people remain dedicated to the principle of maintaining religious liberty, yet, notwithstanding, inasmuch as religious liberty cannot exist without freedom of conscience, as its foundation and security, while this declaration was being made it also became public knowledge that in the District of Columbia, and in various States of the Union, persecution and prosecution were being engendered against a certain class of people, mainly children, who, regarding their religious faith in the matter, and in the exercise of the rights of free persons, in a free state of society, refused to swear allegiance to the American flag or salute the same as a symbol of earthly power, which, being true in principle, as by its nature it is subject to correction, improvement, change, decay and death, therefore cannot bind man to his destiny without attempting to secure the enslavement of man; and
WHEREAS such refusal to swear allegiance to the flag, or salute the same, under compulsion of law, is an act of free conscience retained in a free system of society, the same is consistent with the noblest and highest ideals which made this nation and this people possible, and tends to establish a wholesome, elevating and progressive spirit within these United States; and
WHEREAS the historical development of these United States and its people is born of the spirit of "protest" against injustice in government, and a character of "non-conformity in religion", the sole justification for the continued existence of these United States, as a free society, must remain by preserving the right to "protest" against injustice, and refusal to conform, as a matter of free conscience, so that greater good may be attained and greater blessings achieved; and
WHEREAS swearing allegiance to the American flag, or saluting the same, is not conclusive of good citizenship, inasmuch as base and cowardly persons are most prone to submit to compulsion, intimidation and deprivation of rights, as men and as citizens, the attempted imposition, under color of law, of such an obligation as duty appears to be an attempt to cover up usurpation of power, or planned usurpation of power and authority, whereby the people of these United States may be compelled to submit to further deprivation of the rights of man, and as citizens in a free society; and
WHEREAS democratic government has not always existed, nor has the Christian religion been the accepted faith of man, at some time in the past both appeared as a menace to the existing order of things, yet, notwithstanding, through the struggles, sufferings and martyrdom of noble souls and high-born spirits, we have enjoyed the blessings of both, and the consciousness of liberty accruing therefrom; and
WHEREAS in all ages it was the daring and courageous minority that dissented, protested and refused to conform, to the existing order of things; who dared to appeal from the keepers of Divine Truth, to Divine Truth, itself; from the trustees of God, to God, Himself, and thereby brought man into life, and life more abundantly; into consciousness of his rights and proper place in society; and
WHEREAS, as we are by nature "protest-ant" and in character "non-conformists", we have refused to allow the doctrine of infallibility to be written into our laws, we thereby acknowledged that man lives in a state of continual change, growth and development, and that he ought not to be bound by the "dead hand" of any generation from realizing a better life, and greater things in life; and
WHEREAS every scheme, design or plan tending to infringe upon the rights of man, and subject him to the domination of government, seeks to deprive him of liberty dearly bought, and blessings attained by great sacrifice, and the same ought to be challenged by all free men, and true citizens, jealous of their rights and honors, now,
IT IS, therefore, hereby unanimously RESOLVED that we, members of the Olivet Institute Free Forum, of Chicago, Illinois, conscious of our duty to others in the matter, do protest to the president of these United States, and to the United States Congress, and appeal directly to the chairman and members of the Committees on Judiciary of the Senate and House of Representatives, against any and all attempts to impose upon the American people a Fascist form of government, or state of mind, by force, compulsion of law, or intimidation under the pretext that swearing allegiance to the American flag, and saluting the same, is conclusive of good citizenship, necessary to the same, or is the salvation of this nation and the only means whereby our liberties can be maintained and preserved, and remain secure; and It is further RESOLVED that we call upon the president of these United States, as free citizens in a free system of society, seeking to maintain the same, and secure to our posterity the blessings of liberty, and ask that he proclaim to the world that religious liberty, including the freedom of conscience, remains secure and sacred within the jurisdiction of these United States, to all people, and each and every one of them, and that no person ought to be persecuted or prosecuted for exercising such rights, or doing any thing consistent with their religious faith in the matter, including the right, as free persons, and free citizens, to swear allegiance to the American flag, as the symbol of earthly power, or salute the same as a prerequisite to citizenship or to enjoy the rights of free education in free schools, its benefits and advantages, which is necessary to maintain a democratic form of government; and
It is further RESOLVED that a copy of these resolutions be sent to the president of the United States, to the United States Congress, and to the chairman and members of the Committees on Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and to such other bodies as are interested in maintaining religious liberty and a free system of government, in these United States.
Adopted unanimously this 5th day of December, 1935, by the Olivet Institute Free Forum.
JOHN L. METZEN, Chairman.
A Punxsutawney (Pa.) Editorial
RELIGIOUS freedom is our pride and our boast, and in the particular case of the Canonsburg brother and sister who have declined to salute the flag, school authorities are making a mockery out of that religious freedom, by talk of enforcing respect for the flag. To ask the attorney general of Pennsylvania to rule as to whether or not a boy and a girl down Canonsburg way should or should not be made to salute the flag, is, it seems to us, about as silly as asking him to rule whether or not left-handed people should be forced to walk on the left side of the street.—From an unidentified paper.
The Folly of Lip-Service
PEOPLE who insist our citizens must give lip-service to the flag are destroying the very thing which soldiers thought they were fighting for: democracy.
The danger that may come of the forced salute is greatest in the cases of growing boys. It puts into their minds the idea that the United States is enslaving them, as Russia, Italy, Germany and such countries do to their subjects. It implants in the growing mind the thought that he was created to serve the state.
Many who might not be willing to do homage to the Stars and Stripes are doing so today rather than create a stir. Nobody should be allowed to hide behind the flag by means of legislation that defeats its own purpose.
This is a free country and it is in that spirit that practically every American pledges his allegiance to the flag. That editor who said the law was passed so as to leave nothing to chance in the case of the pupil does not take into consideration the fact the minds of these youngsters are growing and absorbing new thought at a great pace. To force so sacred and traditional a thing as Old Glory down his throat at that stage of his life is suicidal. It breeds disrespect and rebellion for the very thing he should learn to love, honor, respect and defend of his own free accord and will.—Terence P. Finegan, national commander of the United American War Veterans, in the Kearny (N.J.) Leader and Bergen Ledger. Mr. Finegan (a Catholic by faith) is manifestly a thoughtful man.
Relief (of Politicians) in Kentucky
THE New York American carried a photograph of an affidavit by Hiram Steadman, of Kentucky, that he was warned by the relief people that he must vote the Democratic ticket or be cut off the relief rolls.
Jail-Threat Loyalty
(Editorial and Cartoon from Akron [Ohio] Beacon Journal. Used by permission.)
MEMBERS of the school board of East Liverpool, Ohio, must have been made very happy by a ruling just handed down by Attorney General John W. Bricker.
For the opinion assures them of their complete legal right to bully four very young children and their parents, in an effort to force upon them their own narrow and intolerant super-heated patriotic convictions.
They have been told that it is their privilege to crush the spirit of those four youngsters, to grind the religious precepts taught them by the parents under the merciless heel of vested authority. They have been given licence, under that ruling, to interfere with the sacred instruction of a mother to her child.
They have been given freedom to seek to malign, to thwart and challenge a parent's inherent right to the respect, the confidence and the loyalty of his own offspring.
They have been told that they dare, with the full prestige and power of the great commonwealth of Ohio behind them in their smug concept of patriotism, to say to four children who refused to salute the flag, on the grounds of religious principles:
"Your parents are wrong. You must disbelieve what they have taught you. We are right. You must believe what we say."
And, glory of glories, if the parents henceforth dare to maintain their beliefs, counter to the now legally hallowed opinion of the stern and frosty educational tyrants, then the parents can be sent straightforth off to jail.
Ridiculous? Not for one minute.
The threat already has been made, and there is no reason to suppose it an idle gesture.
The four children, two high-school and two grade students, have been under suspension for three weeks as a result of their refusal to salute the flag and take the oath of allegiance. In each instance the children's parents were members of a sect known as Jehovah's witnesses.
This sect believes the oath is a commitment to war and war methods. They strive for world peace, and refuse to take up arms against brother men as the practical way to achieve peace. Is it treason to decline to take an oath which you believe is a pledge to kill other people, with as much right to live as ourselves? At very least, there is very broad ground for argument.
Armed with the oath ruling, the East Liverpool school board has decided to enforce the educational law, which requires parents to send their children to school until they are 18 years of age. The penalty for failure is jail.
But, to get the children back in school, from which they have been suspended, the quartet must declare their allegiance and, in their mind, take the oath to kill.
What mockery there is to the attorney general's opinion that requirement of the oath by the school board would not "constitute an invasion of one's right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of one's conscience, or interfere with the rights of conscience as guaranteed by the constitution of Ohio".
If it doesn't constitute such an invasion and such an interference, what does it do?
If we read about Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini or Josef Stalin herding countrymen off to jail for refusal to subscribe to their dictatorial systems, we would be enraged. We'd say "It couldn't happen here".
Well, here it is. And here we are, dictating, bludgeoning, bullying; interfering with freedom of thought, or conscience, and religion; jailing those who dare to disagree with it.
What these Fascist-minded patriots put out of mind is that America grew to greatness as the refuge and haven for those who were oppressed and persecuted; that it always has been a sanctuary for victims of religious and political intolerance.
Its principles are too broad to require compulsory oath-taking and jail-threat allegiance. Traditionally it has commanded admiration the world over, and loyalty and adherence at home by its guarantees of personal freedom of thought, of spoken and printed word, and non-interference with conscience and religious beliefs.
The American flag must not be permitted to become a symbol of fear, oppression and intolerance. It must forever remain the emblem of the free—loved, honored and respected.
"With Liberty and Justice for All"
(Editorial and Cartoon from Columbus [Ohio] Citizen. Used by permission.)
"I PLEDGE allegiance to my flag, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
That's a simple pledge, one that nearly every American is proud to make freely and of his own will. It imposes no obligations not inherent upon an American by simple virtue of his citizenship.
But there are those to whom it is repugnant for religious reasons. And there are vastly greater numbers to whom it may become a hateful mockery if it is exacted under duress and force, as Attorney General Bricker's ruling says it may be from school children at the discretion of boards of education.
By what right of law or reason has anyone the power to compel an American to take an oath against his will? What does it mean if it is taken? Since when has any oath exacted under duress had force and effect in the eyes of either God or man?
One may command the physical rendition of an oath. One may force a child to salute the flag until his arm grows weary. But who will stop the inner seethings of humiliation and hate nurtured by compulsion?
We hope that someone makes an issue of this. We hope that it is carried to the highest court of the land. We cannot believe that the Supreme Court will sustain this attempted regimentation of loyalty. Such is the essence of Fascism. It is only one more step to "I pledge allegiance to Franklin Calvin Hoover, and to the dictatorship for which he stands—."
Дальше будет это?
What Are We to Gain?
WHAT are we coming to when we expel from school children who refuse, for religious reasons, to salute and pledge allegiance to our flag? The flag is a beautiful symbol, the symbol of the aspirations, the ideals, the sacrifices, the institutions, which make our great United States. But it is only a symbol, not the thing itself. So long as these children, in their daily lives and school conduct, do nothing to injure society, why should they be persecuted because their unusual religious doctrine discourages them from saluting and pledging allegiance to a symbol? What is to be gained by expelling such children from school? Will it increase their respect for country? Will it increase their classmates' admiration for their government? Does it make of the flag ceremony a natural expression of love and loyalty or an instrument of suppression? Who feels better because of such methods or forced patriotism?—Hugh Nixon, in the Boston Post.
Unchristian Policy of Canadian Priests
Letter signed by a committee of French Canadians addressed to their fellow citizens
“IS IT not a fact that our leaders complain that we are but ‘the hewers of wood and drawers of water’ (de bois porteurs d’eau et de bons seieurs de bois,—l’Evangeline, May 9, 1935) for the English-speaking people? In the same editorial l’Evangeline further complains that ‘our system actually produces boys and girls who have no knowledge of either the English or French tongue’ (Notre systeme actuel produit des jeunes gens et des jeunes filles qui ne connaissent ni l’anglais ni le francais). They are the brilliant products of our official educational system whom we are sending out to acquire bilingual jobs. Why? Because of the domineering policy of the French clergy. We pay more attention to the catechism, rites and ritual of our church than we do to the actual things which would put our children in as good a position as the English-speaking children. Our clergymen say we must not send them to high school; we must not mix with the English; we must not do this, or do that—the result being that, instead of being on equal terms with our English-speaking friends (and they would be our friends if we would let them), we but play second fiddle to them.
“What we want is—Our schools like the English schools. For instance, lay teachers, men and women—men for the boys, and practical women, instead of nuns, for the girls. Cut out the religious part during weekdays and teach them how to face the problems of this life, not so much the hereafter.
“Our educational plan (French) is so bad and our clergy bleeds us so persistently that we have no money left which we could so profitably use to educate our children. In other words, our French clergy, many of whom blasphemingly classify themselves as God, think so much of having magnificent churches, owning beautiful cars, lovely homes, and living on the fat of the land, that it is time we woke up and insisted on a square deal. Give our children a chance. Put practical things in the hands of practical men. You can see how little is left for educational purposes from the huge sum the church requires, as, for instance, in the 1932 financial report of the Parish of l’Assomption of Moncton, the Church received $57,108.22, the expenditure being $50,567.04. This works out, with 1,158 families, at about $52 per family.
“Another instance of the total lack of co-operation shown by our French clergy and the unchristian policy adopted by them demonstrates to us how we are deprived of the many benefits which we would otherwise enjoy, as shown by the following:
“Mayor Blakeny was given $800 for community welfare work. To properly dispense this he called the clergy of the city together, and all the Protestant clergy agreed to name a committee in agreement with Mayor Blakeny’s plan of community welfare in which the unfortunate would have benefited. However, the Catholic clergy would not agree to the plan, and asked that their share be given directly to them. Mayor Blakeny had another splendid suggestion. The plan was to open a soup kitchen for the benefit of the poor children of the city. It is understood the facilities of the Y.M.C.A. were offered free. The clergy of the city were again invited. All agreed to help the plan, St. Bernard’s representative being also in accord with the movement. But the French priest opposed it on the grounds that it should not be in the Y.M.C.A., and also that Protestant children should not sit with French Catholic children.
“Now you see, French Canadians, what this propaganda of hatred and the policy of our French clergymen is bringing us to: Misery, hardships, poverty, unemployment. Isn’t it time for a change? Would it not be better to co-operate with our English-speaking neighbors in the matter of language, education, and all social activities? The present policy of our French clergymen is very dangerous and unchristian. Let us wake up—insist on the same educational facilities as our English friends. Let us decide to co-operate, and then we will all the sooner bring about that for which we all aspire—a united Canada, a free and happy people.”
The Sea of Arbitrary Power—Jesuitism
IN AN address at Washington Senator Borah said of present tendencies: “There can be no such thing as a great federal union without great commonwealths on which it may rest. Once the dike of constitutional restraint is opened and the sea of arbitrary power which lies behind is invited in, the inundation of personal liberty and right will ultimately be full and complete. We should strengthen the dike at every point.” Instructions at the Red Mass
NEW YORK papers made much of the fact that about 100 judges and lawyers, including Protestants and Jews, attended Red Mass at St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic church, before starting their next judicial year. They came together to hear the “Very Reverend” Edward J. Walsh tell them of what he called the “damnable vice” of perjury in our courts. And for fear he did not state the official Roman Catholic Hierarchy’s view of perjury, it is here set out.
Alphonso Maria de Liguori, bishop and founder of the order of Redemptorists, taught as follows, and his teachings are still ‘perfectly good theology’ for “Reverend” E. J. Walsh: “A culprit or a witness questioned by a judge, but in an illegal manner, may swear that he knows nothing of the crime about which he is questioned, although he knows it well, meaning mentally, that he knows nothing in such manner to answer. He may swear that he knows nothing, when he knows that the person who committed the crime committed it without malice; or if he knows the crime, but secretly, and there has been no scandal. When a crime has been well concealed, the witness, and even the criminal, may, and even must, swear that the crime has never been committed. The accused may deny his crime under oath, understanding that he has not committed this crime in such a manner as to be obliged to confess it. He who has sworn to keep a secret is not obliged to keep his oath, if any consequential injury to him or to others is thereby caused. If anyone has sworn before a judge to keep the truth, he is not obliged to say secret things. . . . We may be allowed to conceal the truth, or disguise it under ambiguous or equivocal words or signs, for a just cause, and where there is no necessity to confess the truth.” The Lateran Council officially declared: “They are not to be called oaths, but rather perjury, which are in opposition to the welfare of the Romish church.” Pope Innocent XI “infallibly” declared: “If any, either alone or before others, whether asked or of his own accord, or for the purpose of sport, or for any other object, swears that he has not done something else which he has done, or in a different way from that in which he has done it, or any other truth that is added, he does not really lie, nor is he perjured.” Antonio Escobar of Mendoza, Jesuit, another recognized ‘authority’, also said: “A man may swear that he never did such a thing, meaning within himself that he did not do so on a certain day, or before he was born, or understanding any other such circumstances, while the words which he employs have no such sense as would discover his meaning.” He also said: “Promises are not binding, when the person in making them had no intention to bind himself.” All these points on perjury may have been brought out by the “Very Reverend” “Father” Walsh, but they may not; and inasmuch as he is quite right that perjury is such a damnable vice, it is good for these Protestants and Jews that are just getting initiated into the Red Mass to know the facts. The “Very Reverend” Walsh referred to the Red Mass as a gathering around God’s altar. He called the legal profession the custodian and guardian of the great Christian Catholic concepts of social truth and social justice. If the judges at the Red Mass are going to go by the official Catholic concepts, then God help the honest and truthful.
Jews and Protestants at Red Mass
THE process of turning America over to the Roman Catholic Hierarchy goes merrily on. For the present, but only for the present, there are still a few Jews and Protestants on the judicial bench in New York city. The New York Times makes record of the fact that fifty-five judges, wearing their judicial robes, marched two by two from the Federal building to the Catholic church that was left standing right in the midst of the civic buildings for that purpose, and attended a Red Mass; “Reverend Father” Edward J. Walsh, preacher. Why Jews and Protestants have to go to Red Mass in their judicial robes is not merely a matter of their own business, but is very much a matter of public concern. If honest men, they know they have nothing in common with what goes on at a mass, and they could readily find that if they are active for their respective faiths they are marked for slaughter as soon as the Catholic Hierarchy feels that it is strong enough to put it across. See the regurgitations of “Reverend Father” Harney on this point.
Catholic Influence in British Royal Family
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR contains a dispatch from London claiming that Queen Victoria was a Catholic, confessing regularly to a French priest; also that King Edward was a Catholic. The leaning of King George toward Catholicism is well known and often commented on.
Golden Age Receives “Miraculous Medal”
THE GOLDEN AGE acknowledges receipt of one “miraculous medal”. It came in an envelope 1 3/4 inches square, bearing upon its face the following: “The enclosed Miraculous Medal touched the Chair in which Our Lady sat during her first apparition to Blessed Catherine Laboure in 1830. It is blessed. The Central Association of the Miraculous Medal, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa.”
Along with the envelope which contained the medal was additional information marked, “Imprimatur D. Card. Dougherty, Archbishop of Philadelphia, September 25, 1935.” So now, starting off with a “blessing” and being primed with Dennis Dougherty’s priming, one looks further to see what it is all about. It seems to be something affecting the financial interests of “Rev. Joseph A. Skelly, C.M., Director, 100 East Price Street, Germantown, Phila., Pa.”
The green circular that comes along with the medal shows that the lady who is running this “purgatory” scheme is very forgetful. Her memory needs priming, and this is something Dennis should see to. Thus the circular says in one breath, “I am the Mother of the Poor Souls in Purgatory, for all the sufferings they have deserved are being mitigated every hour more or less by my intercession”; and then fourteen lines farther away is the startling information, “How sad it is to reflect that there must be millions of utterly forgotten souls in Purgatory.”
Well, that certainly is a great way to run the place. Here Mary, through “Father” Skelly and Dennis Dougherty, is supposed to get plenty of dough for these medals, and then when the medals are all “blessed” and everything Mary goes and forgets millions. But maybe the millions she forgets are those that did not buy the medals. This makes one all the more interested to look further into the medal racket.
The reading matter says, “The Church has always taught that it is a blessed and salutary thing to pray for the dead. Your pity alone will not help them.” Herein lies a gentle suggestion that it is necessary to come across with the long green; and the next sentence makes this still plainer. “For St. Chrysostom says, Not by weeping are the departed aided, but by prayers and alms.”
Down near the bottom of the first page comes the sad news, “The membership fee for living or deceased is 25 cents a year.” If you go down in your pocket for but two bucks, sometimes called “simoleons”, you can steer yourself around “purgatory” for one year and take seven erring friends along with you, and they can be either living or dead.
Either way, you are short only $2, and one of the eight, and that is you, and not any of your dead friends, can have the “Miraculous Medal” around your neck when the procession starts, and if you dodge the hottest places you will still have it when the time comes to cough up another 25c apiece for yourself and the same or another seven friends, a year later.
The medal itself should be described, besides the statement that it is “a beautiful Art Miraculous Medal”. Getting down to brass tacks, the medal is of the same length as a dime, and it is two-thirds as wide, and a little more than half as thick. Stamped out of aluminum, the cost ought not to be over 1c, and allowing for postage and advertising and “blessings”, the profit ought to be around $1.90 for each medal.
Stamped in the aluminum are the words “O Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to thee”. Mr. Skelly in his letter says: “I am confident that you will cooperate with me in promoting devotion to the Blessed Mother through her Medal”; so it seems that Mary is involved in the matter, and, besides, it is “Approved by His Eminence Cardinal Dougherty, Archbishop of Philadelphia, and recommended by His Excellency, the Apostolic Delegate”, meaning Mr. Cicognani.
It seems that not only is this “Medal” good to have in that “hot place” called “Purgatory”, but, according to the testimonials, persons wearing the “medal” have been caught in automobile accidents, operated on for goiter, stricken with spinal meningitis, and given birth to twins. It is not probable that all these things will come to The Golden Age as a result of having this “Medal”, but it is best to wear fireproof socks and asbestos underwear in these days, so as to be all O.K. no matter what happens.
The old newspaperman that sent in this medal was mean enough not only to send it, but also to say, deprecatingly: “Look at all the fine printing, fine premiums, fine promises, fine prayers, fine prestidigitation, fine profiteering, fine piffle and fine postage in this fine package which went through the fine permit meter of Prelate Pfarley’s Philadelphia post office for one penny! Pshaw! Poor old Purgatory is in the Peasoup if you pfail to pfall pfor it!” Superstition Department
Saint Anthony Rarely Fumbles
EVEN the best catchers will sometimes miss one at first base, or out in the field; and here is some literature from St. Anthony Messenger, 1615 Republic St., Cincinnati, Ohio, admitting that some of the liners sent to St. Anthony get by him. Thus the advertising matter says: "A confident prayer to St. Anthony usually brings results." That is to say, it all depends on how St. Anthony feels. If the priest has been well oiled, then Anthony can be depended upon to deliver the goods; but if the priest has been neglected, then why should Anthony put himself out to help somebody who is trying to renig financially? The literature shows just how to pray, to get on the right side of Anthony; so if anybody doesn't get results, why, the reason for failure is self-evident. The literature shows how a side line can be worked to get Anthony to do his best. One can send for a lily that has been "blessed"; and the result is: "People often carry portions of the blessed lily about them, sewn in a small bag, in order to find relief in illness, or to overcome temptations against the holy virtue." What with all the religious goods one is supposed to hang around his neck, or have tied around his waist, it seems as if it might be a good idea to have a "holy" traveling kit made in which one could carry these "holy" objects around; still that might make St. Anthony sore. It is best to be careful. It is claimed by some that St. Anthony never washed his feet. This makes it specially necessary to be careful on days when the weather is hot and sultry, for a man with gummy feet is liable to be peevish. It is entirely out of order at any time to ask Anthony where it was you laid those clean socks you intended to wear. He answers only civil questions.
The Seraphic Mass Business
THE Seraphic Mass Business of "Reverend Father" Patrick, O.S.F.C., Franciscan Friary, Crawley, Sussex, England, is making progress, financially. The proof is that it is able to run advertisements in the papers, selling masses. Usually the dead get a mighty bad break on this "Purgatory" graft, but here is an exception. Live ones must pay £1 for this fire protection for all time, but the dead can get by for 8s. Now isn't that liberal? It is tough enough to be parked in an oven for a thousand years, with a good chance of being forgotten and left there (for it seems that nobody gets out unless a friend comes across with the long green, to bribe the vicious caretakers of the place). But it is still worse to get the bake oven and then find that you have to pay just as much as if you were alive, whereas, as a matter of fact, you are dead as a doornail and therefore have no regular income of your own. So it really does seem that "Reverend" Patrick, in shaking down the living for 2 1/2 times as much as the dead, is moving in the right direction. However, another good idea would be to show the right spirit by letting both the dead and the living have their masses free, or, still better, to admit that the whole thing is a conscienceless fake, and that the mass is nothing, does nothing, and in all honesty and decency should be forthwith stopped. The association claims 187,000 masses a year; one every three minutes.
Who'd 'a' Thunk It?
SAYS St. Anthony's Messenger: "The plainest Catholic knows more about the Bible than the most learned Protestant. The Protestant's Bible is a make-shift affair, changed to suit individual or denominational tastes; entire books are omitted, etc. The Catholic has the unadulterated word of God in his Bible. Clearly, then the Catholic knows little about the Protestant's Bible, but a bit more about his own. The Catholic 'church' is built on a rock, the pope, not on a book, the Bible. The Bible contains some of the teachings of Christ, not all of them. The Catholic believes all the teachings of Christ." To which may be added "And then some!" It would certainly be refreshing to see some evidence of this "belief".
The Bishops Should Get Together
THE Roman Catholic bishop of Westminster, England, said apologetically that the pope is a helpless old man that cannot do one thing to stop another World War, and yet Cardinal Hayes at Cleveland said that he is the "supreme shepherd of Christendom whose peerless leadership among the nations of the earth is verily a divine benediction to a bewildered and afflicted world. What a unique, pre-eminent and majestic figure the supreme pontiff presents among the world's leaders and rulers: None is like unto him." Seems as if these boys ought to get together on their canvass.
Come and Witness the Zeal for Jehovah
BARRING, perchance, a Jesuit spy, every reader of The Golden Age is honest and has the foundation upon which to build faith and hope. This is an earnest invitation to every one of these whose heart is right with God to participate in something he will rejoice to remember throughout eternity.
There have been conventions of Jehovah’s witnesses before, but never one like this one! In the United States (and Canada) alone, in ten places at the same time, it is more than a convention: it is an assembly extraordinary.
Select from the table shown herewith with the place that is nearest or most convenient, and set aside Saturday, February 22, and Sunday, February 23, wholly to Jehovah God; not to do your own will, nor the will of anybody else, but His will.
Accommodations are prepared for everyone to stay over night Saturday night, and, if necessary, Friday night. Cafeteria service will be provided. State if white or black, male or female, how many in your party, how many in a room, when and how you will arrive, when you expect to leave, and rates desired.
Address your communication to the place shown in table herewith where you expect to observe and participate in the work of the people of Jehovah God. If you don’t love God, don’t come; if you do, then, by all means, drop all else and come. Select your own assembly place.
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