John Ronge: The Holy Coat Of Treves Part 5

For the clergyman of this place, where a portion of the congregation is highly educated, another portion tolerably, while a third is altogether uneducated, it is peculiarly difficult to satisfy all parties. I thought, therefore, that the most prudent course for me to pursue, would be to vary my sermons, and address myself by turns to either cla.s.s.

If my point has not been gained, and all parties have not been equally satisfied, it has arisen from a fallacy in the plan, not from premeditated carelessness on my part, which alone would be culpable.

Without egotism, I may say that the annexed testimonial* from the Catholic gentry, the most respectable citizens, and regular church-goers of this town, appears to me to prove that my labours have not been fruitless, and that at least I have given no public cause of offence.

* I have printed this testimonial with its signatures, for the sake of contrast, immediately after the Decree of Suspension, and give here the testimony of the authorities.

Although I consider that, by this testimonial, the secret and shameful accusations against me have been sufficiently refuted, still, for my more perfect exculpation, I shall also produce the testimony of the magistrates and sheriffs of this place, which will not, certainly, be found less favourable. I cannot possibly believe that your right reverend Council, after I have proved a portion of the accusation to be untrue, will carry out in full severity the sentence of the 30th January.

I beg, therefore, humbly to request, should the sentence be so far modified as to leave me in possession of my office, that I may be translated as soon as possible, seeing that even in the exercise of all Christian forbearance, it must still be disagreeable for me to live so near my false accuser, and to eat at his table.

In the lively hope that your right reverend Board will not publicly condemn me on false accusation, marring my earthly prospects, and robbing me of my credit as a citizen; but, on the contrary, that it will remove my Suspension, I shall await here the arrival of a very different decision, especially as the production of the necessary witnesses, and the arrangement of my affairs, require my presence here for some days longer.

As for the rest, I have announced my suspension to Mr. Hoffmann, and shall not venture on the performance of any priestly functions until the arrival of the longed-for reversal, which must most clearly show, that my non-appearance in the Seminary does not proceed from contumacy.*

Besides my own Defence, and the voluntary Declaration by which the town of Grottkau n.o.bly and honourably annihilated the accusations heaped upon me, I sent to the right reverend Council (about six days later) the testimonials from the authorities of Grottkau, which I applied for to a.s.sist in my vindication. They run thus:--

* THE TESTIMONIALS OF THE AUTHORITIES OF GROTTKAU.

"Of the Rev. Vicar Ronge, it is hereby certified, at his own special request, that during his stay here he has always conducted himself in a moral manner, that he has not worn unsuitably long hair, nor dressed ur an improper, or remarkable manner.--von Ohlen, Member of Administration,

"Grottkau, February 6th, 1843."

"Testimonial.--That the Rev. Vicar Ronge, during the period of his appointment in this place, has at all times conducted himself with decorum and propriety, and in all respects irreproachably; and that his dress has never been unsuitable, nor indeed at all remarkable, is hereby truly certified, at the request of Mr. Ronge.--Adam, Muller, Sahm, Reisewitz, Magistrates.

"Grottkau, February 9th, 1843."

"At the request of the Rev. Mr. Ronge, the undersigned delegates of the city hereby truly attest,--That during the period of his stay here as vicar, he has always led a morally correct life, and, in so far as we know, has always conducted himself towards the inhabitants in an affectionate and friendly manner. In regard to his dress, it was not at all indecorous nor unsuitable.

"The delegates of the city have granted this certificate from individual conviction, and with a good conscience.-- Ebel, President.. von Donat, Stephan, Fleischer, Ratschbr, Kahlert, Stadler, Zibold, Anders, Olbrich, Friedrich, Fleischer, Schmidt, Thaum, Tannkrt, Registrar.

"Grottkau, February 9, 1843."

"In justification of my signature, in favour of the Rev. Mr.

Ronge, of this place,--I certify, as an upright and conscientious man, that since the 24th March 1841, on which day Mr. Ronge presented to me the notice of his appointment as vicar, I have perceived nothing in him that could compromise him as a Catholic clergyman. Neither have I heard that he has performed his spiritual functions without reverence or dignity, or that there has been anything offensive in his dress, or the cutting of his hair. Every individual has his failings and peculiarities, of which even accusers are not free, and it is generally easy enough to injure a man, and bring him under suspicion* although no charge can be preferred against him in a moral point of view.

"Grottkau, February 5,1843.

"Pech, Rector."

DEPARTURE FROM GROTTKAU.

Soon after receipt of the Decree of Suspension, I discontinued my official duties, but remained a few days longer in Grottkau, to take the necessary steps for clearing my character from the calumnies of Kaspar Hoffmann, and Ebel the apothecary and president of the body of delegates,* who had brought their silly accusations against me under cover of the Church. By the other inhabitants of the town I was most kindly treated, and the partially evasive testimonies which were afterwards given in by a _soi-disant_ Church community of Grottkau, are only to be accounted for by the employment of Chapter influence. Various reports were, of course, in circulation, for but few were aware of the actual cause of my suspension, or of the manner in which I had been treated; and I was obliged to keep silence--to allow every report to circulate unchecked--deeply though I felt the altered looks of those I had accounted friends. But it would have been unreasonable in me to have expected of them a more thorough appreciation of the circ.u.mstances of my case, for no one knew how the slave-yoke of Rome had galled me, nor how my indignation was aroused to see my native land distracted and enthralled by a set of knavish Roman priests and their German a.s.sistants. I felt it as a joy and pride to suffer undeserved reproaches for my fellow-citizens, even for those who persecuted me, as they fancied, to the credit and in the name of the Church. I felt an a.s.sured confidence that the day of light would come, the day of emanc.i.p.ation from the tyranny of Rome, when my conduct should be made public, and my exculpation be complete; and I gave expression to these feelings in a few farewell words to the inhabitants of Grottkau, which I caused to be inserted in the weekly newspaper.

* Mr. Witke, the former superior of the Seminary, named Ebel (the brother-in-law of a canon, and a converted proselyte,) as my calumniator, and I can prove him to have been so. Such persons, who can consciously a.s.sume religion as a cloak for their false-heartedness, should be denounced by name to all the world. Our Saviour tells us that hypocrisy is the most heinous crime, and that murderers and adulterers may be saved, but not hypocrites!

From Grottkau I travelled to Valtorf, near Neisse, where my friend the Count von Reichenbach offered me the shelter of his roof. Although I had relinquished certain competence, which the office of a Catholic clergyman secures, and knew not how long I might be a wanderer, yet the feeling that at length I had escaped from the cursed and ignominious yoke of Rome, under which I had groaned for three years, was indescribably delightful, and confiding in my righteous cause, and in my youthful strength, it seemed as if I had but just emerged from some dark, dismal prison, into the lovely light of heaven. New energy glowed in my veins; a new and beauteous world bloomed before me, in which I was to labour and to live as the free teacher, and the pastor of my own, the German people!

MY SISTERS.

My joy was damped, however, and turned to sadness, when I thought upon the annoyances which my family, especially my four sisters, (our parents were dead) endured, owing to the numerous and often ill-natured reports that were spread regarding me. Homely country people, reared in the Catholic religion, young and inexperienced, they did not think the motives were sufficient, which led me to throw up my office. Although they placed unbounded confidence in me, it was doubtless somewhat shaken, when they found themselves disappointed in the prospect they had very properly indulged of future aid from me. They endeavoured, time after time, to prevail on me to resume my office, in consideration of the calumnies they had to bear. This has caused me hours of bitter sorrow.

THE ANSWER OF THE COUNCIL.

About three weeks after the despatch of my Defence, and the testimonials from the magistrates, I received a negative reply from the right reverend Board.* In this reply no farther weight is given to the testimony of the magistrates of Grottkau, and the declaration of the inhabitants, than that they silenced the false accusations of Kaspar Hoffmann; and the representatives of Christian love and justice in the diocese of Breslau do not condescend to offer satisfaction for the annoyances to which I and mine had thereby been subjected. Although they might not consider themselves called upon to pay me a just debt, yet surely the united voice of an entire town was worthy of some little deference. But here we touch upon the second curse by which the hierarchy overlays the people. Even as the thraldom of the inferior clergy, in regard to their superiors, annihilates their manliness of character and self-respect, so the thraldom of the congregation in their relation to the clergy, keeps the great ma.s.s of the Catholic people in darkness and insensibility. That neither the congregations nor the inferior clergy have always been in this state of thraldom, is well known. It has been induced by their torpidity and ignorance. But had they never before enjoyed a state of greater freedom, the present times imperiously demand it.

* "In reply to your remonstrances of the 5th and 10th of the month, you are hereby informed, that as you do not distinctly deny the authors.h.i.+p of the the article 'Rome and the Chapter of Breslau,' our judgment of the 30th of January remains unaltered.--Latussek, v. Ploto, Elsler, Freis, Canons.

"Breslau, February 18th, 1843."

With my convictions, to have remained one moment longer in my office, after receiving the answer of the right reverend Board, would have dishonoured me. How could I have met my fellow-citizens, and spoken to them of the unfettered moral dignity of man, while I myself had sacrificed religious conviction in a pitiful and cowardly manner, for a bit of bread, secured to me by my condition as a Romish priest? This was my fixed determination:--rather the grave than dishonouring punishment--rather starvation than self-degradation, and injury of the rights of my fellow-citizens and colleagues! In order, however, that I might leave no method untried of obtaining justice, I wrote to the Council, stating that 1 should appeal to the still unappointed bishop.

AUDIENCE OF THE BISHOP.

The confirmation of Bishop Knauer's appointment did at last take place; he was to enter Breslau in April 1843. I had gone to that town, partly to attend to my affairs, and partly to seek the means of future subsistence. After the the arrival of Bishop Knauer, I went to a Canon, whose name is appended to my Decree of Deposition, to ascertain at what time I might speak with the Bishop. This right reverend gentleman told me quite naively that I should have answered--"No, I am not the author of the article--bring it home to me!" with this addition, if I "desired to remain at my _clerical trade_." He further informed me, that although _he had not read the article in question_, it was said to contain terrible things.

What say the younger clergy to the expression, _clerical trade!_ and what shall one think of the justice and indepedence of a spiritual tribunal, whose members are not even aware of the nature of the crime for which they condemn their fellow-men! Justice! how, indeed, could I expect it at the hands of those who were at once my judges and accusers!

I found the Bishop himself, when I preferred my complaint to him, essentially different from the greater number of the Catholic clergy.

He received me in that winning manner, with which youth is easily fascinated by age. There was no trace in him of that _quasi_ lowly spiritual pride, and vulgar affectation of pious condescension, so common in prelates. When I had made my request to him in few words, he replied, that the affair was not unknown to him, and that I only needed to apply to Dr. Ritter for a removal of the Suspension, to have the matter satisfactorily arranged. On my objecting, that I was of excitable temper, and that, under existing circ.u.mstances, I feared myself incapable of dealing calmly with that individual--he offered to hold a previous conference with Dr. Ritter. He then asked if I were the author of the article. I answered in the affirmative. "But why," continued he, "did you _invite_ all this persecution?"--"Because," I answered, "it was my duty to give utterance to the unanimous feeling of the citizens and the clergy, seeing that no other priest considered himself called upon to do so." He said no more on this subject, but, speaking of the situation as tutor which I had accepted, he said that he needed my a.s.sistance in the diocese, and appointed that I should return to him in the afternoon. When I returned to the Bishop, he was embarra.s.sed and reserved, in consequence of the conference with Dr. Ritter, who had inveighed against me in coa.r.s.e language,* and a.s.serted that I had been invited to appear before him and had not come (a falsehood! for surely condemnation is not invitation!). I proved, indeed, that Dr. Ritter had a.s.serted an untruth; but Bishop Knauer, already eighty years of age, found it very inconvenient to quarrel with his canons, and excused himself by saying, that he had not so fully entered on the duties of his office as to qualify him as a competent judge. (This was on the day before his Inauguration.) Replying only by my looks, I took my leave, and set out for my new destination, Laurahutte, to engage in the teaching of the children of the functionaries of the place.

* Among other things, Dr. Ritter a.s.serted, as I was informed by Bishop Knauer, that I had been idling about for some time in Breslau without making my appearance at the Cathedral. A speaking instance of the n.o.ble nature of the right reverend gentleman! I had been staying all the time in the house of Mr. Wittig, a highly respected citizen, who had hospitably received me, and I had scarcely quitted it for an hour.

LAURAHuTTE

Lies near Beuthen in Upper Silesia, about half a mile from the Russian frontier. It is the most extensive foundry in Upper Silesia, and was only erected in 1839. It may easily be imagined that my spirits were not a little affected by the difficult circ.u.mstances in which I had been placed; for, besides seeing all my past labours brought to a fruitless termination, I had been compelled to submit in silence to all the attacks which had been made upon my character. Several of my Catholic friends had slighted me, or treated me unkindly; and the greater number of my Catholic fellow-citizens did not appear sufficiently to feel the oppressive yoke of Romish superst.i.tion.--The time had not yet come! My confidence had been severely tried by all these causes. I only clung the more closely, however, to my pupils at Laurahutte, and I often felt inclined to beg of them that they would not treat me so unkindly as other friends had done. I trembled if they left me for even half a day.

I tried to find a resting place within their hearts, by building on their love. And truly, the brightest hours of my life have been pa.s.sed in the school-room, cheered by their innocent and youthful hearts.

My mind was gradually strengthened and refreshed, to which result the tender kindness of my friends at Laurahutte mightily conduced.

I employed my hours of leisure in work connected with my avocation, and several performances were already completed, when the day of my release arrived, which I had been long expecting, and with increased impatience and a.s.surance the nearer it approached. Our feelings oftentimes outrun all reason, and my confidence of ultimate release had been rising ever since I left the Seminary. The day at length arrived!--the 1st day of October 1844. From the moment when I saw my article in print (I trembled lest it should be interdicted) I felt as if the month of May were come, and spring were budding in my Fatherland.