made by the several witnesses to the contract and ceremony, do hereby assert our belief that Mr. Brandt is innocent of any conspiracy to or practice of deception; and furthermore, it is our opinion that he is receiving a cruel and uncalled-for persecution from powers vast in extent and mighty in influence, whose fallacies he has been exposing, whose sins he has been denouncing, and whose practices he has been showing to be injurious to public morals and perilous to our free institutions; and further, it is our intention to protect him in this unjust persecution, to encourage him in his ministry, and to hold up his hands in the future as we have done in the past. C. I. HAYS, L. B. SHELTON, S. A. GOSNEY, L. SECOR, F. A. CAMPBELL, Members Official Board. Now, the above statements and affidavits are from all the parties privy to the contract, and I challenge the combined Catholic world to secure a statement from one of the parties to the contrary. It may be asked why did the priests and papers give these false reports such a vigorous circulation? I had been preaching to large congregations, a series of sermons on False Doctrines, Popular Evils, etc. These discourses were copyrighted, and published in full in The Rocky Mountain News. They brought against me the Roman Catholics, gamblers, saloon-keepers, corrupt politicians, etc. I was president of the Pastors' Association of Denver, and supported the citizens' ticket; the priests had attacked our public schools, and I had answered them; nine Catholics had united with the church of which I was the pastor, and my predecessor had formerly been a Catholic; I had united in marriage a Catholic lady of great wealth to a Protestant man. They were watching for an opportunity to slander me, and they caught at this straw. My life was threatened, and on Sunday nights I was accompanied to and from the church by officers. My enemies tried to crush my influence, and circulated false reports to accomplish this end. I remained in Denver six months after the affair happened, and continued president of the Pastors' Association of Denver and pastor of the North Side Christian Church till my departure, which was necessitated by the ill-health of Mrs. Brandt. On leaving Denver, six different sets of resolutions of appreciation and respect were given to me without my solicitation. Two of them are here appended: At a meeting of the Pastors' Association of Denver, Colorado, held March 21, 1892, the following preamble and resolution was unanimously adopted: WHEREAS, Rev. John L. Brandt, Moderator of the Pastors' Association of Denver, Col., is about to leave us for another field of labor : be it Resolved, That we accept his resignation with regret, and express our appreciation of his relationship with us, and wish him a hearty God-speed in his departure from us and in his future labors. W. W. MORTON, Moderator. May 2, 1892. WHEREAS, Our pastor, John L. Brandt, has been compelled to resign his pastorate on account of the illness of his wife: be it Resolved, That we unanimously regret his departure from our midst, in that we lose the services of a valuable minister of the Word; the aid and counsel of a man that is fearless in the discharge of his duty; the sympathy and cheer of a brother that possesses a tender heart and hopeful disposition; and be it further Resolved, That our prayers ascend to Him who is able to do all things, that Brother Brandt may be kept in all the ways of righteousness, and that his •labors may yield abundant fruit for the Master. T. B. BIRD and C. I. HAYS, Elders of the Church. MRS. FRANCES GIBSON, Pres. Ladies' Aid Society. F. A. CAMPBELL, Pres. Y. P. S. C. E. Rome has told many falsehoods about me, but this is the only one that I have ever refuted. MORAL: Rome circulates falsehoods. Roman Catholic newspapers are unfair and unjust. Protestants should never subscribe or contribute to the support of newspapers edited or controlled by Romanists. JNO. L. BRANDT. 12. THE THIRD PLENARY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE ON THE NEW SYSTEM OF PRIMARY AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS. The Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, whose decrees were revised by Leo XIII., September, 1885, has surpassed all preceding Councils on American soil in the number, importance, and cogency of its regulations on the subject of education, enjoined as the law to be strictly followed by pastors, teachers and people. Upwards of fifty of the one hundred and eightytwo pages of the body of the volume are taken up almost exclusively with all grades of schools, proceeding from the Elementary, through the Intermediate schools, colleges, and academies, to the "Catholic University of America." At the end of Chapter I., Title VI., the following decrees are set down as the fundamental rules governing the whole educational legislation: "We determine and decree : "I. That hard by every church, where it does not already exist, a parochial school is to be erected. within two years from the promulgation of this Council (January 6th, Feast of Epiphany, 1886) and to be kept up in the future, unless the Bishop see fit to grant a further delay on account of more than ordinary grave difficulties to be overcome in its establishment. "II. That a priest, who, within the aforesaid time, hinders, by serious negligence, the building and maintenance of a school, or does not regard the repeated admonitions of the Bishop, deserves removal from that Church. "III. That the mission (missionem) or parish neglecting to aid the priest in the erection and support of a school, so that on account of this supine negligence the same cannot exist, is to be reprimanded by the Bishop, and by every prudent and efficient means urged to supply the necessary helps. (subsida). "IV. That all Catholic parents are bound to send their children to parochial schools, unless they provide sufficiently and fully for their Christian education at home or at other Catholic schools. They may, however, be permitted for a good reason, approved by the Bishop, and using meanwhile the necessary precautions and remedies, to send them to other schools. But it is left to the judgment of the Ordinary to decide what is a Catholic school." WAYS AND MEANS OF PROMOTING PAROCHIAL "If on the one side, we most strictly enjoin on the consciences of priests, the faithful, and especially of Catholic parents, the observance of the above written Decrees; on the other we regard it our bounden duty as Bishops, to labor with all out strength in providing Catholic parents with nor only nominal, but actually good and efficient schools, which, shall be nowise inferior to the public schools,' as the Instruction of the Sacred Congregation directs. We, therefore, shall propose and enjoin some regulations by which parochial schools may be brought up to the standard of usefulness and perfection demanded by the honor of the Church and the eternal and temporal welfare of the children, and merited by the generous devotion of the parents. "I. As to priests: We decree that candidates for the priesthood be taught in the seminaries that one of their principal future duties, especially nowadays, relates to the Christian education of the young; and that it is simply impossible to fulfill this duty without parochial or other truly Catholic schools. "Therefore in the study of Psychology, the Normal Course, and Pastoral Theology, let special stress be laid upon the matter of education. The students must also learn the method of explaining. Catechism and Bible History in a clear and solid manner. "Let priests love their schools as the apple of their eye,' frequently visit and inspect them, or some department of them, at least once a week, watching over the children's morals, and spurring on their diligence by proper enticements. Let them teach Catechism and Bible History themselves, or have them rightly taught by the religious in charge. "Take particular notice of their other studies; and by public examinations once or twice a year, bring their schools before the eyes of the people. and commend them to their patronage. Especial |