Columbianism in Texas
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regards our faith, our Church, and the nature of Catholicism. The coming of the Knights of Columbus to Texas brought renewed courage to many, gave them a new pride in their glorious tradition and Catholic heritage, and offered all Catholics a rallying point. On the other hand, the presence of an articulate organization of Catholic men, such as the Knights, alarmed the professional trouble mongers, who beheld in the Knights of Columbus a sinister group. They spread the rumor far and wide that the Knights were plotting the extermination of all non-Catholics and the overthrow of the government by foul means to place it under papal domination. They had proof, they claimed, and soon began the circulation of a "bogus oath" allegedly taken by all Fourth Degree Knights, which made them the hatchet men in the murderous Order. It is hard to believe that such a thing could be taken seriously. The reality of the consequences of this malevolent crusade against the Church and its members leaves no room for doubt. The "bogus oath" received wide distribution in 1912 and was, in connection with a contested election, included in the Congressitmal Record. Quoted out of context from this source, malicious persons used the Congressional Record citation as proof incontestable of its authenticity. "Do you know it is in the records of our Congress?" they would ask with an insinuating look. It cannot be deter- mined who actually wrote the "bogus oath," but nothing more damning and unnatural could have been penned by the most extreme bigot, blind to all reason by his intense hatred of the Church, its members, and the Knights. The Supreme Council, in the interest of truth, and in order that fair- minded persons might not be misled, submitted on October 9, 1914, unable any longer to permit the slander to go unanswered, its secret ritual for examination to an impartial Masonic committee in California composed of high ranking officials of that Order with a request for a public statement. After careful examination and study, the Masonic Committee declared: "We hereby certify ... that we carefully read, discussed, and examined the same. We found that while the Order is in a sense a secret organization, it is not an oath-bound organization, that its ceremonies .. . in four degrea: . . . ·are intended to teach and inculcate principles that lie at the foundation of every great ,religion and every free State. . . . The alleged oath is scurrilous, wicked, and libelous ... the invention of an i!!lpious and venomous mind.-:-:-: The 6raer of the Kni<Yhts of Columbus, as shown byits rituals, is dedkated to the Catholic r~li(Yion, charity, and patriotism. . . . - 0 -
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