ed, of impurest motives--she, the self-constituted, self-endowed
spiritual guide of mankind, arrogating to herself infallibility,
superiority, supreme authority--yea, the very voice of God himself!"

The priest had now lost all sense of environment, and his voice waxed
louder as he continued:

"The conduct of the Church throughout the centuries has made her
the laughing-stock of history, an object of ridicule to every man
of education and sense! She is filled with superstition--do you not
know it? She is permeated with pagan idolatry, fetishism, and
carnal-mindedness! She is pitiably ignorant of the real teachings of
the Christ! Her dogmas have been formed by the subtle wits of Church
theologians. They are in this century as childish as her political
and social schemes are mischievous! Why have we formulated our
doctrine of purgatory? Why so solicitous about souls in purgatorial
torment, and yet so careless of them while still on earth? Where is
our justification for the doctrine of infallibility? Is liberty to
think the concession of God, or of the Holy Father? Where, oh,
where is the divine Christ in our system of theology? Is he to be
found in materialism, intolerance, the burning of Bibles, in
hatred of so-called heretics, and in worldly practices? Are we not
keeping the Christ in the sepulcher, refusing to permit him to
arise?"

His speech soared into the impassioned energy of thundered denunciation.

"Yes, Holy Father, and Cardinal-Bishops, I _am_ justified in
criticizing the Holy Catholic Church! And I am likewise justified in
condemning the Protestant Church! All have fallen woefully short of
the glory of God, and none obeys the simple commands of the Christ.
The Church throughout the world has become secularized, and worship is
but hollow consistency in the strict performance of outward acts of
devotion. Our religion is but a hypocritical show of conformity. Our
asylums, our hospitals, our institutions of charity? Alas! they but
evidence our woeful shortcoming, and our persistent refusal to rise
into the strength of the healing, saving Christ, which would render
these obsolete institutions unnecessary in the world of to-day! The
Holy Catholic Church is but a human institution. Its worldliness, its
scheming, its political machinations, make me shudder--!"

"Stop, madman!" thundered one of the Cardinal-Bishops, rushing upon
the frail Jose with such force as to fell him to the floor. The
Pontiff had risen, a