Produced by Chris Curnow, Katie Hernandez, Michael and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net THE DEMANDS OF ROME [Illustration: _Elizabeth Schoffen as Sister Lucretia_] [Illustration: _Elizabeth Schoffen, Lecturer and Author_] DEDICATION In the name of all that is good, kind and Christian, I humbly dedicate this book to those two dauntless Americans, my friends and benefactors, Mr. and Mrs. E. U. Morrison. "The Demands of Rome" --By-- ELIZABETH SCHOFFEN (SISTER LUCRETIA) Second Edition _Her Own Story of Thirty-One Years as a Sister of Charity in the Order of the Sisters of Charity of Providence of the Roman Catholic Church_ PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, PORTLAND, OREGON Copyright, 1917, by ELIZABETH SCHOFFEN (All rights reserved) PREFACE. After many entreaties and a sincere vow, it is now "mine to tell the story" of "THE DEMANDS OF ROME" as I have lived them during my long life and faithful service in the Roman Catholic Church and sisterhood. I would sound this story in the ear of everyone who has the interest of the oppressed at heart--in the ear of everyone who has the interest of disseminating knowledge, the light and power of which would be a great help to the freeing of the captive from religious bondage. For as I view it now, religious bondage is the most direful of all. In a few words, "THE DEMANDS OF ROME" from the individual are from the "cradle to the grave," and they do not stop there, he is followed through "purgatory" and into eternity. In the commercial world, you must listen to "THE DEMANDS OF ROME" or the Roman Catholic trade goes elsewhere, and the anathema of the church is invoked upon you. The church of Rome _demands_ property, and when they have it, _demand_ that they be not taxed for that privilege; they _demand_ wealth, never being satisfied, but forever _demanding_; they _demand_ the suppression of liberty; they _demand_ life; they _demand_ death. Now, as a sister in the church of Rome, it is _demand_ from the very day she enters the convent, as I have explained throughout this book. The first _demand_ is the hair of the victim. The Word of God says, "If a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her," but what does the church of Rome care what the Bible says? It is the _demand_ from the church, and blind obedience of the subject to that _demand_ that Rome cares about. It is their endless _demands_ for supremacy of heaven, earth and hell. We have all heard of the dumb animal which would run back to his stall in case of fire; nevertheless, we must take an interest in the faithful old horse and use every effort to save his life from the horrible death that he would rush to.