THE POLICY THAT ATTACKS THE JESUITS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 178, 25 August 1876, Page 15

THE POLICY THAT ATTACKS THE JESUITS.

A little time a<»o we found it desirable to draw the attention of our readers to the fact, that attacks upon the Jesuits were invariably made for the purpose of advancing some immoral and disgraceful line of conduct. The following paragraph which we take from the ' Catholic Review/ much confirms our statements :— "To what lengths prejudice, and especially the anti-Jesuit prejudice vill carry a man, was not badly illustrated some time since in the Prussian ' Landtag.' One of the Catholic deputies, the Baron Schorlemer-Alst, spoke of the deplorable condition to which the public schools had been reduced, and among other instances cited a book called the 'History of Simplicius Simplicissimus,' which was commonly given as a premium to children of both sexes who attend these schools. This volume, which has been publicly commended by Minister Falck, the author of the infamous ' May Laws ' against the clergy, as a publication well suited to keep alive patriotic sentiments, the Baron denounced as containing an incredibly large number of very obscene passages. He offered to quote them in support of his allegation if the galleries were first cleared of the ladies present. A government commissary rose in defence of the work, and while admitting the obscenity alleged, claimed in excuse or justification that 'similar passages were found in the Holy Scriptures, which were also freely circulated among children of both sexes.' Before Baron SchorlemerAlst had time to reply, Dr. Virchow, a man whose scientific reputation is rot less widely known than his atheism, rose in his place and re-echoed the condemnation pronounced by the Catholic deputy. He had, be said, in his possession a copy of the book in question, but he kept it ' carefully locked up in order that it might ! not fall into the hands of his children. Its obscenity was most gross.' Such a declaration, coming from such a source, created a j great sensation, and Minister Palck could only stammer, in defence of his published eulogium of the volume that he ' had never read it with the exception of the preface, which pleased him on account of its attacking the Jesuits/ He promised that the evil should be remedied in the future, but it will need a dozen Jesuit houses to undo the evil already accomplished by the most successful of the weapons employed against them— lying, and the presentation of stimulants to the baser passions."