Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1850-12-26
W HOLE NO. 1859.
Nepporl, Dec. l9, 1850.

DeS leave 10 mink
that IN your earnest espousal Of the
cause OF Catholicism, you have laid
aside the strict neutrality with which it
is no less polite than right, that the ed
or Of an impartial journal should ever
consider matters of religious faith and
made statements which | think ex-
perience will hardly warrant as correct.
1t has been my good fortune to listen 10
the teaching of many of our most emi-
nent divines. land can candidly say l
have never heard the faith of the church
Of Rome denounced as a "hydra-head-
cd monster, in whom no virtue eper ex-
isted or It's Popes, Priests and Monks
represented as vile crawling MONSTERS
| and personlicatons of sin J" its "monas-
taries, and nunneries as earthly hells,"
and therefore desire TO protest against
what consider an unqualified and
L groundless assertion ; that "it il hardly
possible TO listen to Protestant clergy
man, without hearing him denounce the
Church OF Rome in the most bitter and
1 uncharitable manner" | hare heard
them appeal to their focks to initiate the
faith, beautiful trait in the character
of the Catholic Laity, while they deep
ly depIored the errors and supersttions
which have made such fearful progress
among them. We were assured
through the columns Of your journal,
but II short time since, that in the ex-
tension Of her diocese over England, the
church was doing that only which the
! Presbyterians. and other denominations
had done, and were constantly doing
and now you announce the alarming ill.,
telligence that the church has taken "A
broad stride TO power, in the very face
Of the Queen, Church, State andsll, and
has set England and the world agog,
trembling in their shoes, at the mighty
display Of power in his Holiness. You
picture to the delighted imagination Of
your ecclesiastical friends, England's
Church "tumbling and crumbling from
its high position = her Throne overturr-
ed, her Queen uncerimoniously elected,
/ and the general confusion occasioned by
these pleasant revolutions, soothed into
quiet submssiveness, all by the moral
force Of his Holinesscs most formidable
bull. And the pleasant reflection does
not end in the re-establishment Of the
holy fathers inquisition, and not until
all England and the English are there
~ codTed into quie, submission, and
return TO their first ioue.' My recol,
lectlons Of first love are Tar pleasanter.
Neutral papers are usually regarded az
an index to public sentiment in their
localities and as u very large proportion
ofyour readers are Protestants, and SURE
ly by far the most intelligent Of them,
think their views are surely entitled to
representation. 1t is needless to enter
into an argument TO prove what has been
the course Of the Reformation, glance
at the world as il is ,---at Norway, Ger
many, the United States; France, Spain,
Portugal, Belgium and Mexico, will sa.-
isiy the most earnest advocate Of the
Catholic hierarchy that he may pray,
\ If he possesses spark of love for our
| glorious principles OF freedom that our
own dear land may never be so blessed,
as have those unfortunate and priest
ridden nations, who have SO long groan-
ed under the maternal care Of the moth
or church al Rome. PR.
We postpone a notice OF Mr.. Lords
fifth lecture which we prepared for
this mornings paper, in order TO ac-
! comodate the above communication
and in publishing this, we cannot con-
sent TO open our columns to religious
controversy, because, if we should do so,
in one weeks time we should be inunda-
led with more articles than our limits
could publish in three months, but we
publish the one now under considera-
ton TO satisfy the author that we have
every disposition TO be fair, and to nc
comodate all as far as { is in our power.
We should not, probably have writ
ten upon the subject ourselves had not
Mr.. Lords lectures called forth our
rem irks; these lectures form one Of the
events Of the day, in this vicinity, and,
therefore az the conductor of n ncwspa.
per, we have spoken OF them, as of all
other topics. We do not hold to be
neutral 10 matters of religious faith, and
we see no reason why a a.sccular paper
should be neutral on this subject any
more than on all others. The readers
of a paper never all agree on any mat
ter, and, therefore, if an editor was al
ways silent except on matters about
which he was confident that very large
proportion Of his readers agreed with
hinself, he would not o(en have occa.
sion to open his mouth. Our oorrespon-
dent is mistaken in suprosing that We
have earnestly espoused the cause
the Roman Church she requires no
defenders We are fully sustained by