The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-05-19 00:00:00

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ROMANISM THE C

Jona Krasinski has demonstrated unanswerably that the
Overthrow of Protestantism was the ruin of Poland, and
that both were effected by the direct agency of the Jesuits
and the Roman clergy. He might have added, by the
baneful influence which Romanism universally exerts over
the minds and morals of the people, by keeping the lower
classes in ienorance, and driving the higher orders to in.
Without these the concert of the three spolia-
rs would have been unavailing, and Poland might
t" vihie.li her vast

fidelity

ting pov

still occupy tnat place amuug,a, -
extent of territory and the talent and valour of her chil-
dren entitle her : and far different might have been the
history, both religious and political. of Northern Europe
during the last forty years. Polish power and chivalry,
nerved and guided by Protestant principle. might have de.
feuded Germany, and stopped the invading hordes of
French, as once they did of Mahometan infidels. The
religion of the Reformation, proclaimed by Polish elo-
might have achieved a complete triumph amongst
Slavonian tribes. The house of Austria might
been saved from many a broken oath, and many a
of innocent blood, which still cries to heaven for
vengeance. But it is vain to speculate on the past ; and
all but hopeless to think of the future. The polish lan-
guage still exists. In the remnant of the Bohemian church,
a spark of Polish Protestantism (Calvinism and Luther-
anism are clearly exotics), and in the province of Prussia,
he only independent portion of
nigsburg, Thorn, and

quence,
all the

now a mighty kingdom

3 monar

lvConnected.viith the his.

have ev

i Posen was, and is, if

the Union of 1830 has not extinguished one 01 me last
to the stable, the dog followed him, and having drawn Ms
Polish churches of the Bohemian brethren, the seat of a
attention to the heap of rubbish under which the money
senior, almost a metropolitan. The school of Lissa still was buried, began to scratch till he had brought the booty
exists, with all its historic associations and genuine Polish to view. The apprentice brought it to his master, who
nationality ; and might still be made the centre of religious
marked the money, and restored it to the place where it
if not of national life. Whether the pious monarch of
had been hidden. Some of the marked money was soon
"russia will understand his relations to his Slavonian
afterwards found on the porter, who was taken before a
amen, as well as he does to Germany—whether he may
magistrate, and convicted of the theft.—Jesse's Anecdotes
',e Polish Protestant church, and
of Dogs.
.- its indepene,:nce, lay a fresh foundation for
KING JAMES AND THE AUTHORISED VERSION.—The
the independence of the nation—and whether, if he did so,
only revision of any importance in the time of Elizabeth
the Poles themselves would understand their duty, it is
was undertaken by Archbishop Parker, assisted by his
impossible to conjecture. But certain it is, that nothing
brother prelates, whence it derived the name of the
but the vigour and firmness of Christian principle, which
Bishop's Bible. But evidently it was his own affair, and
forms the most conspicuous feature of Protestantism, can
quite independent of his royal mistress. It is true, that
ever contribute effectually to the restoration and rnainte- in his letter to Lord Burleigh, Oct. 15th, 1568, he requests
nance of national existence.—The British Magazine.
that the book may be lieens.d and commended for public
AMUSEMENTS
IN NORMANDY.—No fair is without its
reading in the church; but it appears that the request was
show. 'This one was announced to cont,it.t of puppets and never granted: and the version was left to stand on its
the apotheosis of Napoleon. The deification came last.
own merits. Parker's Bible never obtained a wide ciicu-
On the suminit of a high pillar in the clouds stood the
lation : though used by the clergy in public worship, it
idol of France, dressed, as on earth, in a green coat, white -
rarely found its way into private families, with whom the
breeches, long cavalry boots, and a three-cocked bat on
Genevan version was the decided favourite, and remained
his head. To the right and left stood some of his marshals so for a considerable period after the publication of King
bareheaded. The showman spoke to the spectators in James's Bible. Of the history of that version, we shall
words which I translate literal y :—" Napoleon in heaven
takes off his hat and salutes his generals." And so he say but little, as most of our readers, no doubt, are ac-
did : suiting the action to the words, he bowed with the quainted with it. Though it bears the royal name, it ori-
most condescending grace imaginable to them all. Slid- ginated in the suggestion of a puritan at the Hampton
denly the stage became illuminated with red light, and as Court Conference, and was executed at the expense of the
le- "-' -es in the act of salutation the curtain drop- Company of Stationers. All that the pedantic monarch
e scene, in which the ludicrous and the did was to approve of the undertaking, and to write a
-.c (SUS blended—a hero in heaven performing letter to Bancroft, suggesting the general plan of its exe-
.e part of a petit maitre. Even while I write, the ab- cution, which, in justice to its royal author, must be ac-
knowledged to be sound and judicious. It is well, per-
surdity of the act makes me smile; yet I can never make haps that he did not meddle with the matter any further,
a jest of sacred matters, or see them pantomimed without
as he might have marred it ; but as it was, some consider-
remembering the remark of Dr. Johnson, " that it is a
able abatement should be made from the debt of oblige-
mode of merriment which the good man hates for its pro-
, tion so extravagantly expressed by the translators, in the
fauity, and the witty man for its easiness and vulgarity.' servile dedication prefixed to our bible, where the High
Tho profane was so blended with the burlesque that even and Mighty James is blazoned forth as the champion of
a truly pious person might smile at the exhibition ; but Protestantism and the Word of God, appearing like the
deeply outraged would have been his feelings if present at sun shining in his streneth on the setting of that bright
such a performance as I saw at St. Servan, in June, 1845,
occidental star, Queen Elizabeth. Not one farthing ever
one which, though it called for unqualified reprobation, came from the royal treasury to defray the expense of the
was sanctioned by the authorities, and exhibited during
work, nor are there any other proofs of his Majesty's zeal
• • -•- -try general approbation in relation to it than the words he dropped at the Hamp-
ton Court Conference, and the letter lie wrote to Ban-
anerant actors, - —.Hang some feats of agility and croft. It may be added, in the words of Dr. Symmonds,
itrength, and a merry pantomime in the style of a Green- what probably is not known to our readers in general,
wich fair show, represented in tableaux vivants various ' that the present version appears to have made its way
classical groups with great correctness and taste. Alter without the interposit on of any authority whatever, for it
the curtain had fallen on Bellisarius and other personages is not easy to discover any traces of a proclamation, canon,
renowned in story, the passion and resurrection of our or statute published to enforce the use of it.'—British
Saviour was enacted (according to the programme, writ- Quarterly Review.
ten in large characters) "en personnes naturelles." Of INVENTION AND USE OF THE BOWIE KNIFE.—TO
the godless mimers, who blasphemously represented the
the best of my knowledge, this instiument was devised by
last solemn and affecting scene through which the Son of
Colonel James Bowie, an American, and a man of despe-
the Living God condescended to pass. one dared to re-
rate valour. He considered, and apparently with justice
present him scourged, buffeted, crowned with thorns, and
too, that in close fighting, a much shorter weapon than
crucified ; while the reckless sailor, or the heedless ap-
the sword ordinarily in use, but still heavy enough to give
prentice boy, in the crowd of spectators, laughed and
it sufficient force, and, at the same time, contrived to cut
talked of " la passion" as they would have criticised with
and thrust, would be far preferable, and more advantage-
gibes and leers the most ordinary spectacle. The finale
ous to the wearer. He accordingly invented the short
of this appalling pantomimic drama was more profane
sword, or knife, which has since gone under his name. It
in language than its previous parts had been blasphemous is made of various sizes ; but the best, I may say, is about
in mute action ; for, as the curtain was about to drop, the the length of a carving-knife—cast perfectly straight in the
call-boy who had announced the several parts in the re- first instance, but greatly rounded at the end on the edge
presentation said, "Voila la resurrection," which was the
side : the upper edge at the end, for the length of about
signal for the prostrate and kneeling group to jump upon two inches, is ground into the small segment of a circle
their legs and bow to the audience, an act of obeisance
and rendered sharp ; thus leaving an apparent curve of the
which caused a plentiful diffusion of the white powder knife, although in reality the upturned point is not higher
which had been on their heads, "horresco referens."— than the line of the blck. The back itself gradually in-
Hairby's Rambles in Normandy. creases in weight of metal as it approaches the hilt, on
THE UNITY OF THE Cnuactt.—The unity of the which a small guard is placed. The bowie-knife, there-
Church of God in Christ, the " one body," animated by fore, has a curved, keen point ; is double-edged for the
the "one Spirit," is a unity inclusive of much diversity;
space of about a couple of inches of its length ; and,
a unity by comprehension, including in its gracious em- When in use, falls with the weight of a bill-hook. I have
brace the circumcision and the uncircumcision (Eph. ii. heard it stated, that a blow from one well wielded is suf-
-14, 16), the observer of days and meats, and the non-
. .

a encourage t

by restor

Emperor v
_ A

strang

many successive nights with the
of the spectators, The matter v
,fter exbi

lowed with the disciples of Christ, and those who hon-
oured the name of Christ, yet, followed not with his dis-
ciples (St. Luke ix. 49, 50); all, in a word, who " hold
the head" (Col. ii. 19), agreeing in primary truths, how-
ever widely they may differ in the special peculiarities of
inferential interpretation, and, by consequence, in second-
This is a variety such as no visible

myself seen skulls of Mexicans brought from the battle.
ground of San Jacinto, on which Texas gained her inde-
pendence, that were cleft nearly through the thickest part
of the bone behind, evidently at one blow, and with suf-
ficient force to throw out extensive cracks, like those of a
starred glass. This is more more true to fact, than com-
plimentary to Mexican valour. At the same time, it
proves that old adages may occasionally be mistaken.
" He that fights and runs away," does not always " live
to fight another day." Bowie went to Texas during the
troubles which preceded the independence of that country,
and was lying sick in bed at the fortress of the Alamo,
when, on the 6th of March, 1846, it was stormed by Santa
Anna and taken. Bowie was murdered there upon his
pillow. The hand that formed the dreadful knife could
no longer wield it. Although the act of carrying arms in
secret is held to be illegal, yet it is quite general, I be-
lieve; unless, perhaps, with the immediate inhabitants of
a tolerably well populated town. They are generally at
band in the majority of stores; in liquor-shops, either
placed -under the counter, or, more usually, behind the
bar upon the wall, within reach of the individual attend.
ing, and immediately before the eyes of the customer:
When openly carried,. the knife is in a sheath attached to
a body-belt; when secretly, either in a narrow pocket,
purposely made, down the straight part of the trousers'
thigh, so that the bending of the body is not incommoded
nor the weapon discovered ; or in a similar casing down
the back, between the shoulders. It is hence considered
by some individuals as sufficiently indicative of evil inten-
tions on the part of an opponent, if, in the event of a warm
dispute, or of presumed offence given, you see him pre-
tend to scratch the back of his head, or make any other
equally genteel and polite attempt to conduce to his own
personal comfort and private satisfaction in that significant
and suspicious region of a loafer's earthly tenement of
clay. The ruder orders of people farther south—for
there, no more than in England, are the " ruder" orders
to be considered as merely synonymous with the " lower"
orders—have a custom, I am informed, of occasionally
deciding desperate wagers of battle by hooking themselves
together by the bands they wear, and thus fighting with
the knife, since neither can get away, until one falls or
both are killed.—Hoolon's Sketches in Texas.
Why is a beehive like a bad potatoe ? Because one 's
a bee-holder and the other a spec-tator.

ary ceremonies

Church on earth ever possessed. The unity of e
ble Church is a unity by exclusion, not by comprehension ;
a unity which maintains itself by rejecting all who will not
conform to its secondary specialities. The unity of the
Church of Rome is by such exclusion, rejecting all who
who will not submit to the assumed supremacy of the
Bishop of Rome, and conform to the various customs of
the worship and discipline adopted and sanctioned under
him. The unity of the Church of England is, by such ex-
clusion, rejecting all who will not agree in the detailed ar-
rangements of her provincial and diocesan Episcopacy,
and her union with the State, and who will not conform
to the use of her liturgy, and other customs and forms of
her worship. The unity of the Church of Scotland is
maintained by such exclusion, rejecting all who will not
agree in her Presbyterian form of Church government,
-and extemporaneous mode of public worship. The same
may be said of all other bodies of men calling themselves
Churches. It is of the characteristic littleness of visible
Churches to exclude non-conformists in visible things; to
exclude all who." follow not with us," although they may
be devoutly honouring the name, and sincerely rejoicing
in the truth and love of our Lord and Master, Jesus
Christ. The unity of the Church of God knows nothing
of these artificial boundaries of man's erection. True, it is
exclusive ; but the boundary lines of its exclusion are
traced in the fundamental verities of God's revelation, not
in the fancied improvements of human tradition. It is a
unity of holy sympathy in the relation which every mem-
ber bears to Christ ; a unity of mutual forbearance, and
forgiveness, and charity, in the relation which the mem-
bers bear to one another. We perceive, also, that it is
produced and maintained by " one Spirit," whose graci-
ous influences are not confined within any one form, or
custom, or country. No man, whatever country he may
inhabit, whatever customs he may grow up in and prac-
tise, whatever forms he may prefer:and adopt has, or can
have, any part or lot in this unity, but by the Holy Ghost.
4' There is one Spirit." And every man, of every land,
.and custom, and form, in whom that Holy Ghost dwells,
witnessing for Jesus, and purifying the heart, is a member
of Christ's body, "of his flesh and of his bones." (Eph. v.
30.) " There is one body." The Church and the
-Churches, by ArNeile.

!ch visi.

A. FRENCH LEGEND.—A French theatre is being built
at Algiers. The first piece will be a popular story, which
has been making a great noise for years in the French
papers, called" Lq Prise d'Abd-el-Kader." Rumour at-
tributes the invention to Marshal Bugeaud.—Punch.