He who treats it seriously, as a thing that, more than any other,
demoralizes, discourages and paralyzes _millions_, is regarded as
"sensational," "emotional," or an "alarmist."

In the face of all the facts, of which the daily papers are full, and the
record of the Vatican crowded, I prefer that my own arraignment _shall
stand_. No one who knows half these facts can dispute or gainsay them. We
are making history here to-day, as mankind has had to make it in all the
past, in the face of these "Lions in the path" of civilization and
progress.

If I must choose between being superficial, ignorant and insincere, or
being an "alarmist," I certainly and unhesitatingly choose to be an
_alarmist_! The strongest ally of Superstition to-day is credulity, or
indifference. The average man says, "I do not _believe_ there is any
danger"; and if he "spoke his heart" would add, "if there is, I do not
_care_."

I would only reply, "If you mean to be honest, read, observe, and see."
You may wait too long. Spain and Portugal are just awakening from the
priest-ridden lethargy of centuries, and are making history anew. May a
just God and all the angels help and protect them.

The great daily newspapers of the country are very conservative wherever
Rome is concerned. She is too powerful and her resources too well
organized and available to be disregarded.

It is therefore very significant that an editorial in one of the largest
and most influential of these papers to-day gives a clear, concise, and
impartial epitome of the "_Row in Spain_," clearly locating its cause and
animus in the Vatican, and showing how unbearable this tyranny and
exploitation had become to a large portion of the people of Spain.

I refer to this here for a special purpose, which involves and lies at the
foundation of all other issues and considerations. And that is the
statement in this editorial, that while the Church of Rome has held
practically _undisputed sway_ in Spain _for centuries_, with immense
tracts of land, houses and revenues, independent of civil authority, with
20,000 priests, 5,000 communities with 60,000 inmates in a population of
only 20,000,000 of people--_Seventy per cent. of the people are entirely
uneducated._ With every opportunity, plenty of time and almost boundless
resources, _Rome has kept the people in ignorance, the easier to rob
them_; determined to _own_ the land, the resources, and the people--body
and soul--as the _Autocrat_ of