March Twenty-fifth in New York
SWEENEY, ELLEN F.
MARCH TWENTY-FIFTH IN NEW YORK TO OFFER our readers a complete account of the great public meeting in the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, which commemorated the founding of Maryland, is...
...more even than milestones in human progress...
...The press and other agencies of opinion have generously pronounced it a success, and that verdict The Calvert Associates may accept with pardonable pleasure...
...The first was Father Walsh's critique of the proclamation by a group of ministers of their unwillingness to protest against Moscow since (they held) the Russian Church had been so intimately bound up with the czarist regime that antipathy to it was natural at present...
...But only partly effective...
...These are not reproduced here, for obvious reasons...
...These two contributions are more than chapters in American history...
...This exposition met with obvious favor...
...It profited by the mistakes at Avalon, at Jamestown and at Plymouth...
...Two details stand out as especially memorable...
...It was the ideal of a religion born of freedom and not of force...
...MARCH TWENTY-FIFTH IN NEW YORK TO OFFER our readers a complete account of the great public meeting in the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, which commemorated the founding of Maryland, is patently impossible...
...So long as men are free to worship their God according to their conscience, so long shall we have a nation powerful not only in a material sense but also in a moral and religious sense...
...Smith and I cannot be with you at the annual celebration of The Calvert Associates, I want at the same time to express my deep interest in the work that they are carrying on...
...From Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York: It is a fine thing that The Calvert Associates are to hold this meeting in memory of the establishment of the principle of religious liberty in America...
...From Lieutenant Governor Herbert H. Lehman of New York: I am deeply regretful that because of the pressure of official and legislative duties here in Albany, it is not possible for me to attend the celebration of the two hundred and ninety-sixth anniversary of the founding of Maryland...
...From ex-Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York: While I must write you that I regret that Mrs...
...Clement's Island never entirely set but brightened slowly into glorious noon...
...more than landmarks in American institutions...
...The second detail is Mr...
...That later history in the province limited this concept of general tolerance for awhile does not abridge the significance or effect of this initial step...
...There are always those who, when persuasion fails to bring others to their way of thought, are willing, when they can, to put compulsion in its place...
...Should it not be the policy of our government...
...But there is some truth in it...
...Thus did Maryland give to the new world the principle of popular sovereignty as well as a notable advance over Virginia in the idea of local self-government...
...It should be added that we have also received, and are still receiving, messages from others...
...and to afford opportunity to impress upon the public the values of religious art, specifically music, as fostered by Catholic, Episcopal and Jewish groups in the city...
...Faith and hope were essentials of religion already...
...In any event, he did not use it for self-aggrandizement, and the Maryland charter contained a provision which had not been known before, that the lord proprietary should make no laws and lay no taxes without the consent of an assembly of the freemen of the province or their representatives...
...Indeed, how can life itself be worth the living where these things are denied...
...Attention must also be called to Father Walsh's pamphlet, which served as the basis for his discourse and which is now available for distribution...
...Lord Baltimore became a Catholic and, therefore, the object of religious persecution...
...The spirit and work of your association are of vital importance in American life and I wish the organization every success...
...Can we refuse to place a cause like this above a few paltry millions-utterly insignificant, moreover, in amount not only to us but to any other of the intelligently organized and humanely governed nations...
...Ellen F. Sweeney...
...The continuance of that greatness will depend largely upon our keeping alive the spirit that gave birth to the celebration being held tonight...
...It was the commencement of tolerance as a cardinal principle in religious teaching...
...We give them in alphabetical order, as follows: From Archbishop Curley of Baltimore: Lovers of religious freedom in Maryland are proud of the fact that their fellow-countrymen in New York are celebrating Maryland Day...
...One feels that it forms an essential part of any dossier upon which an opinion regarding present-day Sovietism should be based...
...a means to make this financial boycott more effective...
...From Governor Albert C. Ritchie of Maryland: There is no more vital or notable anniversary anywhere on the earth than that of tonight...
...Matthew Woll's proposed course of action, explained as follows: "There is one way and one way only by which we can prove our sincerity and make ourselves felt by the dictators...
...We may also be pardoned for adding the plea that study of the Maryland origins may be fostered wherever possible, in order to prepare minds for the observance of the Maryland Tercentenary, in 1934, with the requisite spirit and information...
...These faiths were, as a matter of fact, constantly in danger of persecution under the old order...
...The Commonweal hopes to publish soon another remarkable document bearing upon the situation and sure to be widely noticed and commented upon...
...From Honorable John W. Davis: It is a matter of deep regret to me that a severe cold makes it impossible for me to be present or to address the meeting which you are holding on March 25 under the auspices of The Calvert Associates...
...Charles Hackett elicited volley after volley of applause...
...We but defend our own freedom when we stamp with indignant disapproval the denial of a like freedom to other men...
...Only those are given which were read at the meeting by the chairman...
...Matthew Woll, whose thought-provoking speech was quoted in all journals which dealt with the event, was similarly obliged to cancel his promise to come...
...Let us know such men for what they are-enemies of their neighbors, enemies, could they but believe it, -of themselves, and enemies of Him Who created the mind of man and made it to be free...
...This is the lesson of all human history-that vigilance, eternal and constant vigilance, is the price of liberty...
...It commemorates Maryland's contribution not only to her own posterity, but to the world...
...No development in the history of the colonies or of our nation was of deeper importance than the establishment of the principle of religious liberty in America through the vision, courage and steadfastness of purpose of George Calvert, Lord Baltimore...
...The facts indicate, he declared, that the present "war on God" is not a battle against any traditional ecclesiastical organization but a campaign in behalf of atheism...
...As we announced last week, copies may be ordered through this office...
...His intention was to make Maryland an asylum for his coreligionists...
...But owing to the good-will of the Reverend Edmund A. Walsh, S.J., Rabbi Nathan L. Krass and others, there was good oratory in plenty, while the singing of Mr...
...From the Margaret Brent Civic Guild: We read with much interest in The Commonweal your announcement of the annual celebration in memory of the founding of Maryland and the establishment of the principle of religious liberty in America...
...It embodied the results of George Calvert's practical experience with American colonization...
...The spirit of that day is the most important force in the civic and religious life of our nation...
...The Maryland idea was an evolution...
...This was followed by the insistence of the people that the assembly had the right to initiate legislation and to determine the times of its own sittings...
...But he did not aim to do this by making Maryland a Catholic province...
...The Soviets are now boasting of the economic support they are getting from American big business...
...Perhaps you will permit me to express through you my sympathy with the purposes of the meeting and the cause it is intended to advance...
...Thus the Honorable John W. Davis, whose address many were anxious to hear, was prevented from appearing by a sudden illness, and Mr...
...Charity was soon to begin its age-long struggle for acceptance too...
...Frank C. Scanlan of Boston started an organization for women to study civic problems from a Christian viewpoint...
...Nearly fifteen years ago when suffrage for women was inevitable, Mrs...
...Our free institutions must to a great degree take their inspiration and impetus from the acceptance of the doctrine of inviolate religious and political liberty...
...Father Walsh pointed out that under no circumstances was it possible to hold that either the Catholic Church or Jewry had been identified with czaristic autocracy...
...We of Maryland are proud of the contribution made by the Calverts and the early settlers of the colony to the well-being of what is now one of the greatest nations on earth...
...On the civil side, vast and autocratic powers were given Lord Baltimore...
...That cause is none other than the cause of religious liberty, and the date is the anniversary of the landing of the voyagers in the Ark and the Dove under Leonard Calvert at the mouth of St...
...It was a beginning and although the famous Toleration Act of 1649 fell short of modern standards, and the later history of colonial Maryland was marred by the struggles of contending creeds, the sun which rose at St...
...Can we not get other nations to act with us to refuse all credits until the Soviets return to the fold of civilized humanity...
...He embodied the new ideal and he secured toleration for the Catholics by demanding tolerance for those of all other faiths as well...
...A few years ago, when refusing recognition, President Coolidge aroused the overwhelming support of America when he said we were not influenced by material motives and would not sell our recognition for trade...
...Our government has disapproved of the extension of long-term credit to Soviet Russia and that disapproval has been partly effective...
...Mary's River...
...They embody in very truth the spirit of liberty, the gospel of freedom and the consciousness of the American people...
...The name of Margaret Brent was selected for our guild and as an organization named in honor of a Catholic pilgrim of Maryland we send you our best wishes for a successful meeting...
...Can we not find Because of the interest taken by the public in the ceremony commemorating the foundation of Maryland which was staged by The Calvert Associates on March 25, the following is offered by way of editorial summary...
...Stress is laid upon the letters received from prominent persons unable to attend the meeting...
...We like to think, with Bishop Russell, that his intention in securing this sweeping sovereignty was to defend his colonists from royal interference and to preserve intact the principle of religious toleration which he desired should always be theirs...
...As the years go on Lord Baltimore and Thomas Jefferson will stand out more and more as the protagonists of a cardinal truth which is one of the cornerstones of the republic...
...Freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of worship -what are more precious than these in all the catalogue of human rights and liberties...
...Can we do less ?" We regret that it is impossible to reprint the addresses, which taken together constitute an interesting documentation bearing upon a major issue...
...To weaken this principle would be to weaken the entire structure on which our government is built and I conceive it to be the duty and desire of all right-thinking Americans to stand unswervingly and without compromise for its maintenance...
...Intolerance was almost universal, but beneath the surface a new thought or ideal was beginning to dawn...
...The melancholy events that are taking place in Russia should remind us how great are the blessings we enjoy, and should strengthen us to defend our birthright of freedom from whatever quarter or with whatever pious pretense it may be assailed...
...The choral selections offered by the Paulist Choristers, the Choir of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine and the Temple Emanu-el Choir, were likewise enthusiastically received...
...They will, it is hoped, convey the significance of the meeting.-The Editors...
...to protest against the violation of conscience by the Soviet government in the name of socialized tyranny...
...It remains true that Maryland was the first province to establish religious freedom in the new world...
...It remains to present as part of the record the letters received from prominent persons who could not attend the meeting but were anxious to express their interest in the aims and endeavors of The Calvert Associates...
...There were some disappointments, caused by accidents over which no control could be exercised...
...Most of this is falsification-the purest propaganda, which could not stand a moment's analysis by unbiased and unprejudiced persons...
...Briefly speaking, the program had three objects: to bring home to a large number of people the significance of the Maryland colony in the history and development of religious toleration...
...That event is one of the milestones in the history of religious liberty in America, for the little band of mixed religion began at once to practise what in that day few dared to preach-toleration for views which differed from their own...
...The opening remarks by Mr...
...Williams, who served as chairman of the meeting, are incorporated in Places and Persons in this issue...
...They have established a fine record of bringing together the liberal leaders of American thought to foster tolerance and the high ideals on which our country is founded...
Vol. 11 • April 1930 • No. 23
