The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-10 00:00:00

look to the source from which they sprang, we
can only regard them as perfectly intolerable. It
is well known that German Protestants now, as
formerly with matchless, modesty, declare Protes-
tantism alone to be German, Catholicism to be
foreign, to be un-German, to be Romanism,
and Catholics to be mere Romanists. In like
manner they declare rationalistic philosophy and
theology to be 'alone scientific, whilst Catholic
theology is incompatible with science. Now, is
it becoming in Catholic theologians to treat their
brethren to all this clap-trap ? Protestants, it
must be allowed, have some claim to the exclusive
Germanism of their celebrated science. For, with
all respect for the talents of our Protestant philo-
sophers, and, however willingly we may acknow-
ledge the grain of truth to be found in their sys-
tems, however misused, yet it must be con-
fessed that such unpalatable food, crudities so
barren, so contrary to wholesome common sense,
are not easily to be found anywhere abroad. But
is it conceivable that Catholic theologians, in
opposing their brethren, should abase themselves
so much as to borrow the glory of the so-called
German Science' from this Protestant philoso-
phy ? Another observation forced upon our minds
has also made a disagreeable impression upon us.
It is the unmistakable approximation of many
Catholic theologians of the so-called German
Scientific School towards the false Liberalism' of
the day. They are evidently very desirous of
being noticed by the chiefs of Liberalism, and
of not being classed by them with their scholastic
and Roman brethren. Therefore, are they so
apt to have the word freedom' ever on their
lips,l without, however, having proved as yet that,
when themselves raised to rule, they do not treat
their adversaries with the same tyranny as the
Liberals do whenever they possess the power.
When Catholic theologians think to serve the
Church, or to influence the minds of men, by
joining the liberals' in abusing intolerance, the
Index, Papal aggressions, the Inquisition, and
the like, we can only deplore their holding this
opinion, because it must end in signal failure ; but,
for the sake of science and the German character,
we blush for them when, as unfortunately too
often happens, they stigmatize their adversaries as
Ultramontanes ' and Jesuits' the two most
shallow and unscientific bits of clap-trap ever in-
vented by religious and political liberalism;'
empty husks to be scattered among the crowd,
whom they have relieved from the trouble of
thinking. To tell the truth, a certain Catholic theo-
logian pleases us far better who regularly every
year in his philosophical lectures seeks to fire the
enthusiasm of his disciples for German science by
the following rhyme :—Doctor Romanus, Asinus
Germanus. This sentence is as little scientific
as it is German, and is likewise as remote from
all philosophy ; yet in our eyes such a rough and
ready mode of fastening ridicule on adversaries
is far preferable to the smooth-tongued liber-
alism,' whose respect for the clergy will cer-
tainly not be increased by seeing theologians
borrow language adopted in order to cheat
the unreflecting, and eagerly seeking to sun
themselves in liberal applause. Unhappily, this
is not the only point where the advanced theolo-
gians of this school and the liberalism' of our
times meet each other. Liberalism is the natural
fruit of the separation of our universities and
higher educational institutions from the Church.
Those who were in power in the State, having
set them free from the authority of the Church,
thought thereby to subjugate science, and to
make it subservient to the despotism of State rule,
for which they so eagerly strove, and through
its influence to make the people also pliable to
their views. The plan could not but fail. Science,
freed
from the yoke of the Church, withdrew itself
shortly from the authority of the State. Science
was something absolute, resting on its own
foundations.' No one dare' contradict her, nothing
check her in her progress.' She set herself
above all authority ; henceforth she measures all
things by an 'idea,' and demands that Church and
State, Legislation and Law, Government and
People, all should now accommodate themselves,
without hesitation, to the new dicta. A pro-
gress until then unheard of—an astonishing, uni-
versal, intellectual culture, happiness, and pros-
perity, were the brilliant results promised by
Science.' But by science must be understood
the learned professors themselves, and their disci-
ples or admirers in prose and verse. For the
goddess ' Science' has no actual existence. Thus
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Lodges, and by carefully cultivated family influ-
ences, came by degrees to exercise an intellectual
despotism, and the more this was extended the
more liberal' our times became. Whatever is
taught in the name of science and set forth as the
highest aim of our efforts is repeated by the
' Liberal' press in a thousand various tones, as
by- a well-built organ. The Minister believes it as
piously as the Philister ;' the Parliament as well
as the clubs ; and in a trice the institutions of
the State, the laws, the schools, social relations are
changed to meet the demands of 'Science.' Hence
endless change, endless progression,' so that the
unfortunate people subjected to such numberless
changes, though more and more heavily taxed,
can get no peace, the State no stability, since prince
and Government in profoundest worship lie pros-
trate before the goddess " Science," whom them-
selves have nurtured to her present dimensions.
Besides, liberalism has its demi- ods itsgrandees,
and its leaders of tone. Their
sayings are
watchwords in the camp ; they areabove all
law, not to be touched, infallible. They are
privileged to do and say what they please ;
they may annihilate any
adversary in public
opinion by stigmatizing him
as retrograde, or asap
obscurantist. But woe to
freedom, dare rebel againsthim wthisint in the
lleotn amaln
despo-
tism—to think and to inquire ef
e
lay a finger, however gently, on
ofnor
thehim himself and
of these leaders of opinion! Who ever has
attentively observed, with calm eye, the liberal'
delusion of our times, will readily acknowledge the
truth of this picture. Let us turn now to theology
and philosophy, that stand in such close connec-
tion with each other. Do we not see, signs
enough there also that not a few endeavour to
isolate science,' to raise it above the living
authority of Pope and bishops? And, in institu-
tions° that are not under ecclesiastical authority, do
we not see a professional sceptre lowering in the
, distance, the bearers whereof do not seek to con-
ceal the temptation they cherish to rule in the
Church, and in the name of science ;' and,
according to its ideas' and ' demands,' to cut and
shape ecclesiastical matters after their favourite
patterns ? Do we not also see signs of a
tendency to ascribe to certain men (men, no
doubt, of great scientific
acquirements) a sort
of infallibility, and an almost
entire exemption
from criticism, whilst the docrine of the infalli-
bility of the Pope, when speaking ex cathedra, is
found intolerable ? It is painful to us to speak,
but we wish to explain the impression which
these things have made on us. Whether our
judgment be correct any one can answer for him-
. self who has preserved his heart and mind free,
and unclouded by the volumes of incense contin-
ually offered up at the shrine of science. The
extreme usefulness of science in the Church—
yea, its real necessity—(though not exactly in
the shape of ' German Science'), we are far from
denying ; but its depositaries and, guardians should
never forget that God neither sent out profes-
sors to teach the nations nor built his Church on
Science.' No member of the Church, however
good his intentions, ought to overstep his voca-
tion. A third sign that displeases us in the more
advanced men of German Science' is their love of
describing the theologians of the 'opposite school
as a party, although they refuse the designation
for themselves. Let us examine this accusation,
which again has to do service as a bit of clap-trap.
Party, in the evil sense of the word, exists where
the common welfare is sacrificed to the particular
aims of certain confederates of congenial princi-
ples and of kindred aspirations. Whether the
' Romans' or ' Scholastics belong to this class can
best be discerned by observing their bearing
towards ecclesiastical authority. No party can
live in undisturbed peace with the Pope and
-the episcopate, who pursue selfish aims at the
cost of the Church, and a body of men cannot
constitute a party in the Church who are always
found standing at the side of the authority set
over them by God. Now, it is a well-known fact,
that the so-called ' Romans' and Scholastics'
are in perfect peace with the ecclesiastical
authority; we have not heard that a single warning
or reprimand has been issued against an individ-
ual among them on account of his party man-
oeuvres from Pope or bishop. To the best of our
knowledge they have never been reproached with
expressing discontent with the acts of those in
authority, or with having excited others to discon-
tent ; on the contrary, their accordance is so
apparent, that their opponents have taken up a
directly opposite complaint. They accuse the
scholastics of having hood-winked and misled the
Holy Father and his congregations, and of
having thus brought German Science' into dis-
trust and disfavour at the Holy See—a complaint
which takes as little heed of the honour and dig-
nity of the Holy See, as it is unsupported by
proofs ; as is easy to be forseen it cannot expect
to gain credence with the unprejudiced, as from
time immemorial similar subterfuges have ever
been practised by all those who did not yield
willing obedience to the decisions of the highest
ecclesiastical authority. And what of the German
bishops? Were they all misled by the party ?'
Or was it not their duty to open the eyes of the