New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-08-20

hsw-YoRK, Monday, Aug. ls
Mr. Horace GRELLEY-Dear Sir: have
been subsc iber 70 your journal for a number of
years, and have seen many articles from your cor
respondents abroad which have caused the blood to
rush through my veins and make my hear, bsat
with the excite nent which every good Catholic
feels when bis beloved Church has been 20 fo1lly
slsndered. TO that Church | owe what am.
Born in poverty and thrown among many tempsa
tions, my mind hnassed and often on the point Of
madness, | have found no comforter bat that
| Church, established by Christ, and whose priests
he commanded to preach TIC Gospel to all nations,
baptizng them In the name Of the Father, the Son
| and Of IT, Holy Ghost and furthermore promisingl
| 10 be with them to the end Of time. | an man
! like yourself who have work ed my way from a
poor boy 10 the high poation Of a merchant, doing
a large business in the lower part Of the City. BY
the aid Of the Grace OF God received through Hs
| Divine Institution, the Catholic Church, | have
| tried 10 do right; and, although be,et with many
difficulties and temptations, have gone through
life to the present time much better than il bad
been LET 70 my own wild theories an sculatlons.
| II you have n better Church 10 teach men, let ms
know it, for l am sesrcher after Truth, for Truth
is eternal and belongs to God.
There reflections have been called forth by the
letter OF your correspondent Mr.. Chs. Lane, who
makes the Bible lie and Christ an Imposter. Do
you sanction the vie re of MIR Lenei IL so, can
not confcientiouily subscribe for your paper any
longer. Yours, Az AMERICAN CATHOLIC.
Remarks.
If our correspondent has been long a sub
scriber to The Tribune, as he states, and has
read it with any decent share of attention,
he knows very well that one of its funda-
mental principles is the allowance Of entire
freedom Of opinion and Of u!terance on all
subjects vital to human well.being, believ-
ing that Truth is thus, and thus OILY, to be
elected and determined. lie knows, too,
perfectly well, that the expression Of an
opinion by g. correspondent Of this paper is
not to be taken az an indication Of the Edi-
tors opinion, since he allows free speech to
men of various and diverse convictions. Nay,
this very letter of Charles Lane is in reply
to enc of NJ. Lechevalier, which insisted that
the Reforms which the Age demands aud
signs for arc only to be effected through the
agency Of the Church, or established Chris
tan organizations. To this, Mr.. Lane, hold
ing the contrary view, responds in the letter
above referred to. Now if our correspon-
dent be reasonably intelligent, he must see
that our publication of Mr.. Lanes letter
could not involve an Endorsement Of his
views, for it did our publication of NJ. Le-
chevalier's letter would involve an in1orse-
ment Of exactly opposite views. To ask US
If we indorse this or that correspondents
views is like asking us if we rejoice over the
result Of the Battle of Idstedt, or the defeat
Of the Compromise, or the muzzling of the
French Press-all which have been dis
played at full length in our columns. The
truth is that we agree neither with NJ. Lee
ehevalier nor Mr.. Lane, holding that the
Reforms new most needed are to be achieved
through the operation Of the spirit of Chris
tianity, but neither through subordination
nor antagonism to the forms and dogmas Of
any Church whatever. Any Church may
temporarily impede Reform and ultimately
injure itself by opposing needed Reforms in
the sphere Of Industry and Social Life, but
the true Reform spirit is neither subservient
nor antagonist to any Church whatever.
Now il AN American Catholic is dis
turbed and shocked by the expression of
opinions adverse to his own, we think The
Tribune by no means well adapted to his
edifcatiOn for, since we manifest no ten
derness for our own opinions, we cannot be
expected always to shelter his from criti-
oism. For our own part, we choose to let
Churches and Creeds entirely alone, but our
correspondents do not always follow our ez-
ample, and we do not watch them with re-
lentless vigilance. If our correspondent
cares to inquire for "a better Church. very
well; but this is net the shop; nor do we
think one. whose blood boils whenever NAL
conduct is attributed to the human dignita-
ries of his Church is in proper frame of
mind to investigate the merits OF other
Churches. However, that is his business,
not ours. Ed.