Foreign Language Press Survey

"Messiah" for the Poles

Dziennik Chicagoski, Feb. 6, 1894

One of the readers of Dziennik Chicagoski, residing at St. Adalbert's parish, sent us the following report:

"Inasmuch as for some time a certain individual has been trying to mislead the Poles living in St. Adalbert's parish, I feel it my moral obligation to warn all Poles against him.

"It seems that this individual is an agent of Protestantism who desires to bless the Poles with some kind of new religion. He preaches the worst kind of blasphemies against the clergy and the Roman Catholic Church, maintaining that we should neither believe in the Holy Virgin Mary nor in the Revelations, for (according to his blasphemous assertion) all this is nothing but humbug. He also tells our people that it is not necessary to go to church and pray there, that it is best to pray under the open skies. Finally, he lies impudently, saying that he was sent by the Pope as a messiah to the 2Poles.

"Of course, many people drive out of their homes this emissary of Satan, but there are people who heed him. He fleeces these people of their money, leaving them some kinds of books and Bibles.

"I do not know anything about this 'messiah,' but it seems to me that he probably is a Russian-Jew who is trying to mislead our people and spy upon us. It is sinful to associate with such persons; consequently, we should chase them out with a broom."

So much from our correspondent. In our opinion, the Poles should not admit these uninvited apostles and wolves in sheep's skin into their homes. The broom is too radical a means to drive them away, but there are other methods whereby we can keep away these birds, who try to plant the seed of poison into the Polish hearts.

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