The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-06 00:00:00

M. KOSbUTHIS LECTURE.

Oa Saturday evening M. iiossuth delivered his second
lecture in the Edinburgh Music Hall, which was crowded
in every part.

Dr. SCHMITZ, of the High SchOol, occupied the chair,
and many of the most it fluential citizens were present
on the platform. The'chairman having, in a few obser-
vations,-introduced the illustrious Magyar, .
r 4. KOSHUTId stood forward, and was received with
loud and repeated plaudits. He &gad by declaring that
he was not .prepired to see such. a ready assent being
given to the Concordat by the Emperor of Austria. In
thee acting, Francis Joseph had become guilty of the
most flagrant violation of solemn treaties. These treaties
M. Kossuth detailed at some length, and after wards pro-
ceeded to discourse of the rights and privileges which
used to be enjoyed by both the clergy and laity of Hun-
gary, particularly as respected their immunity from the
power arid jurisdiction of the Covet of Rome. He
r showed that no order or bull of the R ernan Pontiff
was val.d in Hungary until the Legislature had ac-
corded its consent ; and even the regulation concerning.
the celibacy of the clergy (which he considered an act of
craft, as severing all social tte, between the priests and
people) was not carried out in ersluogary till such con-
sent was obtained. M. Kossutii then contrasted the
•fermer happy state of affairs and the horrors that threat-
ened by, the introduction of the Concordat ; and, after
dwelling ontbat point, he said that !rota this they would
uriderStand the lamentable condition of his poor naive
country, • which, notwithstanding its eminent services
rend, rid to Christ todoni, apps e 1 boniet to suffer all
the excru iation which the co operation of kirgcraft and
peiestcraft could devise. It was net enough to have
lust, by Russian interference, her coestitutie.nal rights
and national existence ; but by the Concordat Hungary
waenow doomed to total dastroction. 'A Roman Pope
real to be the supreme lord of his unfortunate country:
Venliii'sarae norelionglies-filie one executive erigan 'for
carrying out his decrees was to be created by forming
into blind tools the patriotic Catholic clergy of Hun-
gary, and the collation of ecclesiastical edifices was to be
brought under the grasp of the Roman Popes. The Con-
cordat brought the disposition of that Power, from the
archbishop down to the collation of the smallest perish
living, either under the direct disposition or the indirect
control of the Pope. No priest would be permitted
henceforward to enter upon the temporal emoluments
of the benefice without the permission of the Pope—
upon the Pope's pleasure depended his emoluments—the
Pope was his benefactor, his master—his lord, The
whole education of the people, and the whole of the
press, was placed under the arbitrary control of the
priests thus organised ; while n,thing was reserved to
the civil Government but only to act the beadle at the
command of the Bishops, and to provide money, more
money, and still more money. (Hear, bear.) He wes
perfectly justified in saying that Pope Pius IX. was
encroachiug on the liberty of Hungary, because he was
guilty of the most flagrant violation of the canonical
constitution of his own church, and might, from a pon-
tifical point of view, be considered a ht-retic himself.
(Laughter and cheers.) Some said that was but fret-
dom --a species of self-government; but ho said it was
hypocrisy. They must have seen that the Concordat
had very little to do with religion, but very much with
wealth, and all other temporal advantages. Some said
the State should not interfere with the Church. His
principle had an essential corollary, that the Church
should not interfere with the State. No man could
serve two masters. (Hear, hear.) History would bear
witness that it was not less treasonable to betray
a nation into the hands of an ambitious Pope than it
would be to betray it into the hands of a temporal prince.
(Hear.) He then proceeded to allude at some length to
the Protestant institutions of Hungary. As soon as the
House of Hapsburg ascended the throne, they corn-
rnepced an attack on the religious freedom of the land.
Those attacks had been since incessantly repeated, and
would be continued as long as an Hap-burg was allowed
to hold his dominion over his (M. Kossuth's) noble but
unfortunate native land. (Hear.) Against civil and reli-
gious liberty were those attacks made ; but those prin-
ciples were always inscribed on the Hungarian banners
against Austrian intolerance and despotism. The schools
were occupied by foreign mercenaries, and given over to
the Rowan Catholics—clergymen were treated as felons
—tortured and placed in dungeons—exiled, or chained
to the oars of the galleys—the noblest and the best of
patriots were hung, drawn, and quartered, and their
bedies were given forfood to the ravens. (Cries of shame.)
Whole communities fled to the mountains and caveie—
such was the paternal rule of the Auetrian House of
Hapsburg. But not less persistent than the persecution
had been the national resistance. Five times did Hun-
gary rise in arms in self-defence. (Cheers.) But the
legal establishment of the Protestant Church was steadily
advancing and consolidating ; and it spread its root deep
in the congenial soil of his country—a country always
favourable to the principle of self-government. (Hear.)
He must say that, for the progress in consolidation and
development, the Protestants of Hungary were mainly
indebted to their Catholic brethren._ No nation on earth
was more, tolerant than the Hungarian—(heae)—and, in
fact, their differences of religious views never did inter-
fere in their social relations, or their organisation of poli-
tical parties. Nine millions of Roman Catholics ap-
plauded, in his person; the election of a Protestant to the
highest dignity in the commonwealth—(loud applause),—
while three millions of Protestants applauded his choice,
in his position as President of Hungary, when ha named
-a Roman Catholic Archbishop to be Minister of Public
Instruction. (Hear.) A Hungarian formed his estimate
of the worth of a man not by his creed—(hearl—but by
his morality and patriotism. (Loud applause.) Extremely
susceptible of his own freedom of conscience, he was ex-
tremely jealous that the freedom of his neighbour's con-
science should be respected likewise. Let him make
his vow between himself and his God—no one should
enter in between. The Roman Catholics of Hungary
had fought side by side with, and bled and died for,
the religious freedom of their Protestant brethren. Now,
in order that they might see to what extent the legal
privileges •of Hungary had been infringed by Francis
Joseph, it would be necessary to say a few words of the
constitution, of the Pretestant Church of Hungary. The
Calvinicte and Lutherans comprised this Church. The
Lutherans, but not the Calvinists, had a general assem-
bly of all the districts, with a general lay inspector,
elected by universal suffrage. Though entirely depend-
ing on voluntary contributions, the Protestant schools of
Hungary were prosperous, and enjoyed great reputation,
I and were acknowledged even to be superior to the edu-
cational establishments of the Roman Catholics, though
these had vast resources, and were patronised by the
Pepe. But the schools had to share in the common
oppression of all other Protestant rights. The op-
pression began, and the Lutherans had the cruelest
share—perhaps because he (M. Kossuth) happened to
belong, to the Church. The clergymen were persecuted,
and afterwards deprived of their livings as ministers.
One minister was sentenced to six years' imprisonment
in a fortress ; and, dreadful to relate, his daughter, a
highly accomplished lady, had been publicly flogged for
having dared to murmur at this severity ; and when the
poor man came home, and was entreated to resume his
pastoral functions, the Government interposed and pro-
hibited him. General Haynau appointed the adminis-
trators of Episcopal Dignity, who were nominated by
the Government, paid by the Government, responsible
only to the Government, and who were still kept in
office notwithstanding the remonstrances of the Protes-
Itants. A heavy blow was thus struck at the self govern-
meet of the Church ; the General Assemblies were
abolished, the lay inspectors deprived of their rights,
and a measure taken to have the Protestant Church
governed by ecclesiastical consistories appointed by the
Government. He concluded with his opinion as to the
probable results. He said if this system is allowed to
work for two generations, the least of the evils that must
follow is not that the present, but the next generation,
will be thrown back by a century standard of our coun-
try. Many a Hungarian parent, will prefer not to have
his child instructed at all than to have his mind and soul
corrupted by bad instruction. Therefore, how dread•
fel to think that we :should prove our safety in our
ignorance. Now, if the Concordat is thus allowed to
work, al I can say is that Hungary was always the bul-
wark of Christendom—always the bulwark of civilisation
against barbarism—the bulwark of tolerance against in-
tolerance—of freedom against spiritual and temporal
despotism, and of human national rights against ponti-
fical ambition. Thus Hungary will prove such au ad-
dition to the power—will form such a stepping-stone in
the onward course of pontifical ambition—as to give it
strength to overawe civilisation on the Continent, and
smother with its sombre extinguisher, light, truth, and
civil freedom, and religious liberty. (Cheers.) It is
thus the fate, though perhaps the glorious sate, of my
country, that every particle of its soil holds trembling
in its balance some great general interest of Europe.
The war just concluded, together with all its sufferings,
and all its disasters, should have taught the world that
the interests of Hungary, of freedom, and of civilisation
are intimately connected with the interest of European
freedom and civilisation. And yet, as if the consciences
of mankind were frozen, and the light of three centu-
ries were nothing more than the flickering flame
of the expiring lamp, and history— with all
its instructions were but a blank leaf dedi-
cated to oblivion, and the spirit of darkness
reason, freedom, civilisation, and liberty
and Hungary is the battle-field again. She, always the
champion—sometimes the victim of Christian Europe—
she, the Goliath of freedom, must again bear the brunt
of the battle ; and again, oh, my nation, thou standest
forsaken and alone—(loud applause)—yes, stands atone;
but there's a God in heaven, revealed to us not only in
the Scriptures, but in the moon, and in the stars, and in
the laws by which the drop is falling—in the germina-
tion of the flower-seed, and in those eternal moral laws
of justice, which, history is my witness, can as little be
violated with impunity as those eternal, immutable,
physical laws of the world. Then, oh I my nation, yet,
though thou standest alone, will I appeal to the God of
mercy and of justice. He will weigh the grievances in
the balance of his retribution. Sir, I have done ; and,
in bidding you a most hearty farewell, I beg from you
to be allowed to hope that, though I may not have come
up to your expectations, still you will allow me for one
moment to bold a small place, kind remembrance, side
by side with your generous sympathies for my unfortu-
nate, persecuted country. (Loud cheering.)
At the conclusion of the lecture a vote of thanks was
tit cordially awarded to M. Kossuth, and the assemblage
then broke up, with a loud cheer for M. Kossuth. • ;