The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-10-03
PANS, 1909.

PApIs, 1909
Mv DEAR FRIENr.
1 have recGived with gratitude,
s,d read with interest, your magnificent work
t.e Coiu1nkiaG. This monument Of genius and
y geography, will immortalize the author and give
me to the American Press this alone would
j. sufficient 10 destroy the assertion of Pau1v x
other writers, that there is want of talents III
merica, if your country did not already offer a
s'at of great men, who Will SO down with eciat to
posterity.
when book is published. ii enters the DO
rains OF criticism; you yourself solicit it in the
letter which accompanies your present you So
ict II with the frankncss which is natural YOU.
Thus exercise right we'll as perform a du-
ty,not in addressing literary observations to YOU,
but IN repellrng an Insult 10 christianity, insult
on which should be silent, ii Barlow was COM
non writer or his poem inferior work, because
Tie book aud its author would sink together into
itle stream of oblivion.
Anxious usquc adj aras, says an ancicnt--It is
Vt the foot OF the altar, that blams certain lines
ji your book, and an engraving which has the fol
lowing inscription Ffna! a. .Hgciiop Of brejtrf
RS. Prejudices Perhaps no one desires their
destruction more than myself But what do you
cal by this equivOcal name and what do per-
Seive III the midst OF the heaps in this picture,
which serve for emblems' The attributes of the
catholic ma Stry, and above all, the standard of
christianity, the cross fJesus Christ Are thase
works, which have rendered evident the truth of
the gospel; ifeven the principles and the histo-
~ ot eighteen centuries did not give YOU formal
y the lie, it would be easy te shew that this pic
cure is an attack against all christian societies,
tiat It is an act of intolerance, of persecution.
Nhicl; offends God and man.
The unlimited freedom OF religion in the Uni
ted States, cOniers on scot character of do
ANIMATION, nor any of those exclusive privileges,
that are possessed in different countries of Eu-
rope, by the churches of the Catholics, Greeks,
5-utherans, CaviDsts, &C. Let us leave to the
f&rtisans of the English church the endless dis
Iute on the prorogatives of the established church,
on the Utility of those sVH esfablskments, which,
already shaken, will crumble, perhaps on all
sides, at no very distant epoch. Though am by
convection, by sentiment, a catholic, and lronored
'Hith the episcopal character, after deliberate exa-
atRation, think thath we owe to the state qua
rantec OF obedience when it requires il, that ne
yertheless these iSik establishments, which NAV
be IN favor OF error well rs of truth, are often
unjust, impolitic, dangerous in more than one
respect though Providence may draw good from
them, as At does from many other evils which it
toierates.
Let every thing relating to conscience, as well
as every thing that belongs to social organization,
be- fracly I::s,,Iss ii ; truth demands eXaminati.
On, which despotism only can fear thi. alone
hnds it necessary to invoke ignorance, TO sur
rouRd itself with darkness, 10 repel the light
10
reeted by good faith and sagacity
But what will be the result, il, instead of rea-
son'ng with calmness and respect or religion, the
most important object for man in the course of
MS fugitive existence, calumny should point its
sa casms, and spread its black colorS over histo.
rlca facts which it misrepresents if Instead of
speaking to-lle understanding to enlighten it. we
address ourselves to the passions to seduce 3
This has been the conduct which our infi,lel
Frenchmen have followed, pluming themselves
with the title of philosophers. 1t is important
10 recolect, and TO recolect often, that Of those
who have combated christianity, the greater part
have yomited the most infamous things against
Siecency, and morality Lamettre, Votaiie, l. T.
Rousseau, Diderot, Mirabeau, ofthe constituent
assembly, p, ic.-Others have said before
me, that incredulity almost always hasits source
IN the heart, and that the antagonists of relgi-
on, whose morality is so pure, are advocates who
defend their own cause.
Almost all OF them hay. attacked christianity
by approaching it with the abuses il has exoeri.
eaced, aa If tbs abuses we're the thing itself as
it, after having directed the wind on the Straw.
we must still blow away the grain as it wine
and iron ought to represented, because they are
debauchees and assassins
In the stormy course Of our revolution, the in
hdels held, curing some years, the sceptre of
powers you were witness Of the use they made
of it. In an instant these champions Of tolerati-
Gil and humanity were seen to. display all the fc-
rOClIy Oh biOCietan TO shut up, prOtane and
destroy our temples to pursue the religious man
even in the ASYLUM of his thoughts +; TO ircarce
rate and transport bishops and priests. great
number of catholic pastors were dragged to the
scati0ld; during eighteen months, l feared and
expected the same fate ii well known with
what Outrages was loaded, II the midst of the
national convention, for having brayod the mfjI-
rated howlngs of impiety the greatest favor
that WAS accorded us, was only TO mark us out as
sapersfifiOns, as fanatics these the epithets
ia fashion For several years we were constant
ly under the axe of eXecutioners, calling them.
me they usJuped this title we are agreed -
COD preserve me from attributnG TO philosophy
tre crimes OF brigands, who dressed thems elves
IL her liycries In the face, even ofth. Altar, /
bave justified her from crimes she abhArs = but
viii our infdels ever exercise good faith! WIN
they ever cease TO rcproach christianity with the
abuses which she laments
What further did they do They travestyed au.
gust liberty bAochantei they exclaimed that
no one could be at Gace a christian aud rehubli-
can, at once a republican and moderate -; tho
thousands OF examples among US, as we'll as a.
mong JOu, stief ed the contrary though a holy
and natural alliance establishes itself between
those Characters. Some pious but uucnlightenc,l
men were frightened 10y these ciamors bcliey-
ing themselves placed between liberty and rsl!-
zion; could they balance in their choice ? Il
may be seen how our refOrmers, wishing TO as.
cOciate the republic with every thing that could
destroy it, themselves precipitated the vessel III
liberty into the abyss, at the moment it was
reaching the port.
What would they have substituted for christi.
sDIty A gOlatSq and fe1ubke rC yersou. m IN, fqr