George Washington, November 5, 1775, General Orders

The George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799 ^ | November 5, 1775 | George Washington

[Pyro7480]

...As the Commander in Chief has been apprized of a design form'd for the observance of that ridiculous and childish custom of burning the Effigy of the pope--He cannot help expressing his surprise that there should be Officers and Soldiers in this army so void of common sense, as not to see the impropriety of such a step at this Juncture; at a Time when we are solliciting, and have really obtain'd, the friendship and alliance of the people of Canada, whom we ought to consider as Brethren embarked in the same Cause. The defence of the general Liberty of America: At such a juncture, and in such Circumstances, to be insulting their Religion, is so monstrous, as not to be suffered or excused; indeed instead of offering the most remote insult, it is our duty to address public thanks to these our Brethren, as to them we are so much indebted for every late happy Success over the common Enemy in Canada.

[Pyro7480]

What George Washington thought of Guy Fawkes Day.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

He also didn’t want to alienate Catholic France.

[Pyro7480]

Catholic ping!

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[Alex Murphy]

...As the Commander in Chief has been apprized of a design form'd for the observance of that ridiculous and childish custom of burning the Effigy of the pope--He cannot help expressing his surprise that there should be Officers and Soldiers in this army so void of common sense, as not to see the impropriety of such a step at this Juncture; at a Time when we are solliciting, and have really obtain'd, the friendship and alliance of the people of Canada, whom we ought to consider as Brethren embarked in the same Cause. The defence of the general Liberty of America: At such a juncture, and in such Circumstances, to be insulting their Religion, is so monstrous, as not to be suffered or excused; indeed instead of offering the most remote insult, it is our duty to address public thanks to these our Brethren, as to them we are so much indebted for every late happy Success over the common Enemy in Canada.

"Don't insult their religion - we need them as allies in our Revolution!" In other words, Washington said to make nice-nice for political reasons, not for religious ones.

[Pyro7480]

Yes, but he preceded it by saying it was a “ridiculous and childish custom.”

[Alex Murphy]

...As the Commander in Chief has been apprized of a design form'd for the observance of that ridiculous and childish custom of burning the Effigy of the pope--He cannot help expressing his surprise that there should be Officers and Soldiers in this army so void of common sense, as not to see the impropriety of such a step at this Juncture; at a Time when we are solliciting, and have really obtain'd, the friendship and alliance of the people of Canada, whom we ought to consider as Brethren embarked in the same Cause. The defence of the general Liberty of America: At such a juncture, and in such Circumstances, to be insulting their Religion, is so monstrous, as not to be suffered or excused; indeed instead of offering the most remote insult, it is our duty to address public thanks to these our Brethren, as to them we are so much indebted for every late happy Success over the common Enemy in Canada.

In 1605, 13 young men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament in what is now called "the Gunpowder Plot". The Gunpowder Plot came about after Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603. English Catholics, who had been persecuted under her rule, were bitterly disappointed when her successor, James I, who had a Catholic mother, failed to be more tolerant of their religion. Their leader Robert Catesby decided to blow up the Houses of Parliament, hoping to kill the King, the Prince of Wales, and the MPs who were making life difficult for Catholics. Among 13 young men was Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor and Roman Catholic convert. He was arrested in Parliament's cellar with 36 barrels of gunpowder. Fawkes was tried, convicted, and executed for treason.

Even now, four hundred years later, the reigning monarch only enters the Parliament once a year for the State Opening of Parliament. And before the opening, according to custom, the Yeomen of the Guard searches the cellars of the Palace of Westminster.

Related threads:
Guy Fawkes in the U.S.
Book bound in skin of executed Jesuit to be auctioned in England
Jumping off the scaffold [Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot]
‘Master Illusionist’ (Tower of London Is Hallowed for the Blood St. Nicholas Owen Spilled There)
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How Brits Fail To Remember, Remember The 5th of November [Guy Fawkes Day]
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[Salvation]

We would do well to heed George Washington!

[Alex Murphy]

...he preceded it by saying it was a “ridiculous and childish custom.”

Which, presumably, must be a devastatingly persuasive argument for the Catholic mindset.

[Salvation]

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[Pyro7480]

Were you desiring rhetorical flourishes? Sometimes the truth is simple.

[wagglebee]

Which, presumably, must be a devastatingly persuasive argument for the Catholic mindset.

What General Washington described as a "ridiculous and childish custom" was the burning of an effigy of the pope. In light of this, your presumption makes no sense.

[Alex Murphy]

We would do well to heed George Washington!

....the next time we go to war, and need to depend on the help of the Canadian and French governments, I'm sure we will. Who do you recommend heeding, the next time a group of Catholics attempts domestic terrorism? Father Henry Garnet?

Book bound in skin of executed Jesuit to be auctioned in England
‘Master Illusionist’ (Tower of London Is Hallowed for the Blood St. Nicholas Owen Spilled There)
St Peter’s School tribute to Guy Fawkes

[lack-of-trust]

or you can substitute “RINOs”, “Party Elites” and “Party Establishment” for “Pope” and “Catholics” and offer this same advice to the Tea Party.

[Ransomed]

“Which, presumably, must be a devastatingly persuasive argument for the Catholic mindset.”

Huh? Argument for what? He was talking to non-Catholics who were planning to burn the Pope in effigy. He thought it was ridiculous and childish, which seems reasonable.

Freegards

[Pyro7480]

You leave out part of the context, which was tyrannical policies conducted on a populace simply for sticking by the faith of their ancestors.

[antiRepublicrat]

Thanks for the list.

BTW, not necessarily [sic] on the “Prophesy” line. If it’s meant as a verb, then the spelling with the “s” is correct.

[marshmallow]

"Don't insult their religion - we need them as allies in our Revolution!" In other words, Washington said to make nice-nice for political reasons, not for religious ones.

Pyro, the thing you need to realize is that Washington hated Catholicism as much as the next red-blooded, patriotic American. This order was purely for pragmatic purposes and nothing should be read into it. His description of the practice as "ridiculous and childish" is not to be taken seriously. Washington was a twister and a joker. You know that.

Alex, you raise an excellent point. It would appear that there were Catholics in Canada with whom we had common cause, as Washington implies. I never knew this. I thought Catholics were sworn enemies of American interests.

Please advise.

[wagglebee]

Huh? Argument for what? He was talking to non-Catholics who were planning to burn the Pope in effigy. He thought it was ridiculous and childish, which seems reasonable.

Let's look at this another way:

For several decades Islamofascists have had demonstrations where they burn the effigy of Uncle Sam. Now, let's say the one day reason overtakes an Islamic cleric and he decides to denounce the "ridiculous and childish custom" of burning effigies of Uncle Sam.

So, would a normal reaction of this be to say, “Which, presumably, must be a devastatingly persuasive argument for the American mindset"? Because this is EXACTLY the reaction that that Alex had to Washington's statement.

[I Buried My Guns]

I saw an old, old movie on the king of England that married a Catholic. As the king led his new bride on horseback to his castle and her new home, the king's religious leader, (forgot his name and title) was on a hill overlooking them. He yelled out "PAPIST WHORE!" as they passed, in disgust.

Since that was a newly discovered insult to my wife, who was not familiar with religious conflict or anti-Catholic bigotry, we I began using it in our daily interactions with each other, and have now taken to calling our cats that when they get into trouble. It's a fun insult, and since 95% of Americans have no sense of history, a good phrase to use in mixed company.