New-York tribune., 1841-11-16
The School Question.

To the Edif0r 81 Lee IFsonae'
SIR: Now that the Election is over, and the nue.
ana CIV rsiscd asninst the Catholics OF ms CITY
ma. .erved-,hou:h less ef6siently than was eH-
,ec,ed-it, eeeticnoeriag purposes 1t Is out iaiF,
asd |, is important tina, the claim and conduct ct
these r.en should be placed in their proper hsh'
before the public. naturally led 20 ysu sir, tor
the means vi doing this through OF the few Pa-
Gcal journal. c; city thar WIS not degraded to
he base purposes alluded 10. At the same time.
f,re.se that anything, however impartial, touch
ING ,be startling remons,rance gifts icgr Irish sub
acrs asains: ,he Democracy OF TammGny Hal
will b. there denounced. merely for its appearance
u Wig paper. as manies,ly the man@uvering
Of an iu.idious enemy. Whether the remarks ihinN
oroper 10 make shall furnish any more substantial
,roand Of umbrage to that party or ct approval to
tie other is. in truth. wha, do net well know nor
chic av care ; and w,uld as soon publish IN De-
moeru.ic paper. wsre such equally accessible with
YOUR, on this topic The writer owns no party
bu, that OF Trath and Justice and these (to give
you sn earnest OF lis franknsss) ho thinks to De-
ION. TO neither, and therefore, not entirely, II al
all. TO eithsr Wings or Democrats. This preface
and tho practical observance OF its profession which
.hsl. mark the sequel will perhaps gam rne--aII
,sk-the attention of the honest and Discerning OF
both sides. OF course do not hope to silancs the
csmor Of f4nalc;-m, TO convince the selfish soPh'>-
try OF demagosuss, or to rouse from their stupid
,ub.crvicaee the dupes who may be content to trail
.lcns for ever, the fas end in tho puddle of party
No. The DAYS Of miracles are gone
Ga the sceasiop of this new crusade against the
C.tholics-the School Question: shall not ut
orescnt dwell 1t is more urgent and no less
saectual to examine the awful consequences 10
which it is predicted TO be but the prelude or the
pretcxt Indeed, the subject itself has already
passed through every possible resolution OF logical
analysis, aud. may add. every decomposition OF
sophislical confusion; and each experiment not
only of the former but even Of the latter process
mas been but new preo!, though IN a different
manner of the sterling justice OF ths Cathohc
Claim. say OF The latter process for bad arsu-
rnents work eon,rariiy ike witches prayers 30
conscious of defeat arc the advocates themselves OF
this monopoly thai the merits OF the dispute have
os late been utterly abandoned; and 1t any straS-
clcr now ventures on the rampant. 1t Is only L"
raise the silly cry" .SfctGrtGa,sm, 9" CNt0n 81
Church and State" Priestiy Dictafion, &c.
This sectarinnsm the Catholics have, from the
first, disclaimed, repeatedly disproved, nay, sue,
cessfuy retortcd. And n, the bug bear oil
Church and State, il was hitherto deemed as UNI
worthy of serious notice would the opinions OF
those be Of confutation who could sincerely suspect
this to be the aim of the Catholic demand, or could
apprchcnd anv such result from its shltu conces-
sion But the manly attitude now for the iIrst inns
assumed By our lrish fsllow citizens has furnished
it sscms, by its novelty, sope color to their casuni-
matters SO we'll does this ridiculous mputnton
succeed, that even honest men Aeep their countc-
nances and talk of this - snon oil Church and
STATE" 1t will be wrll, therefore, to dispel this
impending terror-to show il 10 be mere 'brutum
fnimen. and alss to roll back the dust so arTmy
raised about the late Carroll Hall speech Of Bishsp
Hughes All this cvanished, tho rights and the
wrongs Of he Catholics in the School Question
will appear in fresh and fuller evidence.
Some ambitious pri0sts-or, II you Will, the "a
rhoiio CLurch-reir, some centuries ago, prone to
assume temporal power-deegated soyereignties-
dethroncd princes-in u word, united Church and
State Therefore Catholics will alcays en-
deavor to repeat this Observation-Disclosures 1t Is
the policy Of oar free Government to abridge GER
tain announcement rights of the Catholics OF New
York, these being openly advocated by priest,
|
and connected, mo matter how rcmotely,) with the
conservation OF that religion. Such is the logic of
the School Society defenders and the alarmists OF
the Press. Well.
Military chiefs have not only anciently but re-
Gently usurped the authority Of the States that en-
ployed Them AID demasogue have been frequent
! ~ To proverb, the ruin Of Republics. Therefore
GeneraLs-espec.lly when popular-should be
disuu.ted, and no partisan orator should be SUIT
fered 10 lift his sminous head above the democratic
level. Policy requires this too lest our glorious
! Republic be turned, like France, into military
desPotism shvered into fragments like the bill
liant but fragile confedsraces of ancient Greece
events at least equally terrible with the union Of
Church and State
Oh but, SAYS the onc-eycd acutencss of these
gentlemen, you do not duly recognize the differ
sntial influence Of circumstances Distinguish be-
tween eur system of free and firm institution, and
the obsolete and clumsy customs of feudnsm-
! between people, Intelligent and independent,
End tho isnoran, ana slavish multtuaes of Europe.
Nor is security limited to the vigor of sys
TEN toe vigilance and virtue of our people. The
dlsPo.itisns Of men in the present day, and c.pc-
cially amongst US, are tremendously conservative.
Where there ean be NO hopes there will be no de-
sires where there is rabbc there will be no
(dsuecrous) denas ogue-no dcspOt. 1t would thea
NC Dto-d "iy 10 taho a'aIul ~ "h.l IS no lonBer
but name ADOPT gentlemen, your own jast
reasonings Ms my answer to you, and the apology
of the Catholics Of New-York and only add, that
we have at least little to dread the rise amongst
us of Hildebrand, q, Of a Napoleon or an Alci-
blades.
To ground an argument apprehension on
this Catholic claim it should be shown mot
merely said) that there is in Cathoicity itself a
tendency, or, In the circumstances of the Catholics
of this city, temptation, t" the said astounding
usurpation.
But Christianity belongs not to this world, a.d