Alma White Alma Bridwell White (June 16, 1862 – June 26, 1946) was the founder and a bishop of the Pillar of Fire Church. In 1918, she became the first woman bishop of Pillar of Fire in the United States. She was a proponent of feminism. She also ass ...

Pillar of Fire Church The Pillar of Fire International, also known as the Pillar of Fire Church, is a Methodist Christian denomination with headquarters in Zarephath, New Jersey. The Pillar of Fire Church affirms the Methodist Articles of Religion and as of 1988, had ...

Zarephath, New Jersey Zarephath (, ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) and located in Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, about north of Princeton. In 1915, the publication's anti-Catholic rhetoric aroused the local population in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."

and a mob formed to threaten the

Pillar of Fire Church The Pillar of Fire International, also known as the Pillar of Fire Church, is a Methodist Christian denomination with headquarters in Zarephath, New Jersey. The Pillar of Fire Church affirms the Methodist Articles of Religion and as of 1988, had ...

. By 1921, the publication was a strong supporter of the Ku Klux Klan.

Content

''The Good Citizen'' espoused the political views of

Alma White Alma Bridwell White (June 16, 1862 – June 26, 1946) was the founder and a bishop of the Pillar of Fire Church. In 1918, she became the first woman bishop of Pillar of Fire in the United States. She was a proponent of feminism. She also ass ...

and consisted of essays, speeches and cartoons promoting women's equality, anti-Catholicism,

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

, nativism,

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...

and the Ku Klux Klan. The tract also contained numerous topically provocative illustrations by Reverend Branford Clarke.

Ku Klux Klan and anti-Catholicism

According to Wyn Craig Wade in his 1998 book The Fiery Cross:

lma Whitewas also probably the most active and prolific fundamentalist minister in the 1920s. ... Her value to the Klan, however, came from her viciously anti-Catholic magazine, ''The Good Citizen'', and her easily readable theological tracts that simultaneously found scriptural support for the Invisible Empire he KKKand excoriation for the Catholic Church. ... Her books abounded with conspiracy themes: "We hail the K.K.K. in the great movement that is now on foot ... Were it not that the press is throttled by Rome and her Hebrew allies, astounding revelations would be made, showing the public the necessity for the rising of the Heroes of the Fiery Cross."

White supremacy and racism against African Americans

The following is from the text of a speech given by

Alma White Alma Bridwell White (June 16, 1862 – June 26, 1946) was the founder and a bishop of the Pillar of Fire Church. In 1918, she became the first woman bishop of Pillar of Fire in the United States. She was a proponent of feminism. She also ass ...

on December 31, 1922 at the

Pillar of Fire Church The Pillar of Fire International, also known as the Pillar of Fire Church, is a Methodist Christian denomination with headquarters in Zarephath, New Jersey. The Pillar of Fire Church affirms the Methodist Articles of Religion and as of 1988, had ...

at 123 Sterling Place,

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and published in the February, 1923 (Vol. 11 No. 2) edition of ''The Good Citizen.'' The speech is titled "Ku Klux Klan and Woman's Causes" and the section of the speech which is reprinted below is titled "White Supremacy."

Books from ''The Good Citizen''

White published three books that were compendiums of the essays, speeches and cartoons from it entitled '' The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy'' (1925), '' Klansmen: Guardians of Liberty'' (1926), and '' Heroes of the Fiery Cross'' (1928). In 1943 White reprinted her Klan books as a three volume set under the title '' Guardians of Liberty''. In 1929, Ray Bridwell White, White's son and president of Zarephath Bible Institute published ''The Truth in Satire Concerning Infallible Popes'' which also was a compendium of his essays that had originally been published in ''The Good Citizen''.

Backlash

In 1918, 500 members of the New York City Roman Catholic parish of

Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (french: Notre-Dame de Lourdes) is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, ...

called on the

United States Postmaster General The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...

to exclude ''The Good Citizen'' from the US mail.

Existing copies

Copies of ''The Good Citizen'' are available in six US libraries: *Brigham Young University Library (extensive collection) *Denver Public Library *University of Texas Libraries - Austin *Duke University Library *Syracuse University *New York Public Library (extensive collection)

References

External links

Images published in ''The Good Citizen''
on Flickr

Content

Ku Klux Klan and anti-Catholicism

White supremacy and racism against African Americans

Books from ''The Good Citizen''

Backlash

Existing copies

References

External links

Further reading