Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-10-28

are seen now, even now aho"S o. ou' oS.'.os
ven before the eyes Of the orlglnators OF the II
bel against which write. The very perpetual
ton of the system is wonder, and will contin-
ne so TO be, until time shall be no more. wen
then have our opponents described ours as
wonderful system, | feel happy thar in this al
least we are agreed.
Blu, in describing the parts of this wonderiui
system, he who is but slightly acquainted WIN
them is liable to err. When Mr. WINE nd,
entered upon this description, he mas eA''l'',eu
to us at once his rashness, his mallce ana mo
disregard Of truth. Those, my trends are
very serious charges, and very strongly expires.
sed: can, however, by the abundance OF Proo''
;ustifv nv assertion, or would not thus aeiio-
erately make it. In looking over his pages no
Protestant. not even Bishop Kemp, nor Ioclof
H.,vlev nor any other Of the Jealous gent'emeh
who volunteered his own exposure, is oapaole OF
forming an opinion as 10 MIR. Whites creeiiph-
;tv upon those topics: those gentlemen nave
never studied either the system OF the theo'ogy
or canon law, Of the Catholic Church, they are
&C little qualified 10 give an opinion upon the
merits Of the work as they are to explain the
composition Of the ring oil Saturn. write this
without disrespec,; write it, with deep regret
,ha, sense Of duty compels me to expose
I hem. for nv own protection. The general bo-
DIV of Roman Catholics may feel, in reading the
work. that tits a foul, slanderous misvpresen-
ta,ion; but except TO persons who have made
the canons and usages Of the church their stu
DIV, the greater portion Of its talsehood will not
be specially evident. To endeavour by the ex-
hibition of few of the most gross misstate-
ments of this sort. TO exhlbi, MIR White as alto
eether regardless Of truth, will require from
me minute reference TO some laws, customs
and decisions Of the Catholic church, in full
force in Spain, which may have the appearance
of pedan,rv, and will be altogether different
description ofslyle from that which The subject
would appear 20 demand. however, have
formed nv opinion, which is, that my case will
bs best sustained, and Mr.. White best exposed
by this mode. l shall therefore follow II at
present.
MIR. White tells us in p. Isl, OF his "evl'
dence" respecting younger sister,
CAT the age of twenty she left my nfrm mo-
Their to the care Of servants and strangers and
shut herself up in convent, where she was mol
allowed 10 see even the nearest relations.
"Disease soon filled her conscience with fear
and had OFTEN TO endure the torture OF wit
Messing her agonies a, the CONFESSIONAL.
| Of his eldest sister he tells us p $50
"Isaw nv eldest sister a, the age Of two and
twenty sink slowly into the grave within tht
walls Of a convent"
| 81 saw her on her death bed obtained tina,
melancholy sight at the risk OF bursting my
heart, when in my capacity OF priest, heard
her last confession"
p. IA. "The picture Of female convent re-
quires more delicate pencil: yet canno md
! tints sufficiently dark and gloomy to pourtray
the miseries which have witnessed in their H.
mate Crimes indeed makes lis way into those
recesses, in spite Of the spiked walls and prlsor
gates which project the inhabitants. his
KNOW with all the certainty which the SELF Ao
cUsATIoNs OF THE GUILTY, can give.
That those guilty who made this seli-accusa'
ton, which gave him the certainty, were the
nuns, is plain from the succeeding passage
''It is besides a notorious fact, that the hume
ries Of Estremadura and Portugal, are frequent
! ly infected with vice ofthe grossest kind. But
will not dwell on this revolving part OF the pic
ture. The greater part of the nuns, whom
have known, were beings Of much higher des-
! cripiion-femaes whose purity owed nothing
to the strong gates and high walls OF the clols-
/ ter, &c"
zone more passage is all that shall now
quote TO place this side of the case upon Its pro-
per ground, p. 1873, l39 and 49,
"Of monks and friars, know comparatively
very little, because the vague suspicious, oil
which even the most pious Spanish parents can
not divest themselves, prevented my frequent
ing the interior of monasteries' during my boy
hood. Nv own Judgment, and the general dis
gust which the prevailing grossness and vnlga-
rity of the regulars, create in those who daily
see them, Kept me subsequently, a,oay from all m
teycouyse ,Uih the Co0ed tribes; but of The secular
clergy, and the amiabie life prisoners Of the
church of Rome, few if any can possess more an
innate knowledge then myself 50
"rhe intimacy OF Friendship, the urdisguised
converse of sacramento confession, opened to me
the hearts Of many, whose exterior conduct
mighr have deceived a common observer.
Such are the sources OF the knowledge |
possess: GOD, sorrow, and remorse are my
witnesses"
From those passages the obvious conclusions
NAV be embodied in the following propositions,
viz
/. That Mr. White had>no intercourse with
the regulars, tina, is with monks or friars
g. That few if any persons knew more init