Popery in America by Uriah Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 14, 1877

Popery in America.

By Uriah Smith

The Lansing Republican some time ago presented copious extracts from the New American Encyclopedia, now being published by the Appletons, to show how they had sold themselves out to the Jesuits, and the new publication was coming forth in the interest of these loathsome devotees of papal superstition and intolerance, these enemies of America and its institutions. The issue of the 13th volume of the work has brought the Republican again to the charge, in which fresh proofs are presented to show that the papists are trimming and garbling to suit themselves, suppressing every reflection upon the course of the papal church, omitting all mention of many eminent Americans, and giving long notices of some prominent Romish saints who lived from one thousand to fifteen hundred years ago. As it is, in this respect, intensely a Catholic publication, the Christian Statesman appropriately suggests to all Protestants to leave it to that market for which it is so plainly intended.

And now comes another indication of the influence popery is beginning to exert even in governmental circles, in the following item concerning the celebration of the pope’s jubilee, which we clip from The Independent of June 7, 1877:—

“We think that the United States Army could be put to a better use than it was the other Sunday in New Orleans. It was on the occasion of a grand Catholic celebration of the pope’s jubilee. There were volunteer military organizations in the parade, and the Louisiana artillery interrupted the peace of the Sabbath with fifty rounds. The flag of the defunct Papal States was carried conspicuously, the orator fiercely denounced Germany and Italy, and resolutions were adopted accusing Victor Emanuel of wanton cruelty toward the pope, and that he and his supporters had ‘placed themselves beyond the pale of civilization and forfeited the respect of Christendom.’ The strangest part of these proceedings was that immediately following the marshal in the procession came two hundred and fifty of the United States Infantry, commanded by a colonel and lieutenant, all in dress-parade uniform, and a detachment of marines from two Government vessels on duty at New Orleans. We have a right to demand of the Secretaries of War and the Navy that they explain this action.”

U. S.