''The Good Citizen'' was a sixteen-page monthly political periodical edited by Bishop Alma White and illustrated by Reverend

Branford Clarke Branford Edward Clarke (March 18, 1885 – July 7, 1947) was an Evangelical preacher, poet and artist who promoted the Ku Klux Klan through his art which was drawn for the Pillar of Fire Church and their publications. Biography He was bo ...

. ''The Good Citizen'' was published from 1913 until 1933 by the Pillar of Fire Church at their headquarters in

Zarephath, New Jersey Zarephath (, ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) and located in Franklin Township, in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic ...

in the United States. White used the publication to expose "political Romanism in its efforts to gain the ascendancy in the U.S." In 1915, the publication's anti-Catholic rhetoric aroused the local population in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nicknamed "The Queen City",

and a mob formed to threaten the Pillar of Fire Church. By 1921, the publication was a strong supporter of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

Content

''The Good Citizen'' espoused the political views of Alma White and consisted of essays, speeches and cartoons promoting

women's equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

anti-Catholicism Anti-Catholicism is hostility towards Catholics and opposition to the Catholic Church, its clergy, and its adherents. Scholars have identified four categories of anti-Catholicism: constitutional-national, theological, popular and socio-cul ...

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

, nativism,

white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

and the

. The tract also contained numerous topically provocative illustrations by Reverend

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 on December 31, 1922 at the Pillar of Fire Church at 123 Sterling Place,

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

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

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

parish of

Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (; ) is one the Marian devotions, devotional names or titles under which the Catholic Church venerates the Mary, mother of Jesus, Virgin Mary. The name commemorates a series of Lourdes apparitions, 18 apparitions reported by ...

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