New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-11-30
REPUBLICS and RELIGION


recklessly Is wronsfhlly alleges.
REPU1LTCS .AJND RELIGION.
We DO mot see with what right or even decen.
cy that hery and fierce radical and ex-priest
whom they call Father Gavaxzi, styles himself
priest, monk, catholic, or, indeed, anything but
. red-hot Jacobin. both of politics and religion
It is dimcult to imagine in what can consist the
Catholicism Of one who Eliminates with NOR,
than Protestant fury ell that was ever imputed
to Catholicism by its most bigoted or unscrupu
lous enemies and even all that was ever alleget
by the common enemies Of all religion. To us
Gavaxsi's anti papscy smells not of the piet,
and candor Of the great protestant controver
sialists. but Of the temper and the truth of Vol
taire and Diderot and Tom Paine; men that
were really no better friends to Luther or Knox
than to ST. Peter. And We fear that Protest
ants will find that such enemies of Popery as
this revolutionist really promote no cause but
that Of In6delity.
That he is false Catholic is perfectly appa-
rent. That he retains the pretence only that
he may be able only the better to damage the
creed hs processes is equally plain. Such men
deserve none Of the confidence Of the good; and
the wise will always beware Of such as danger
Gus because dishonest instruments Besides all
this, there is yet another fact which should ad-
monish oil prudent friends of sincere religion
against him: his Christianity is furiously mixed
with Red Republicanism; and where those two
mingle in man, every body knows that only
one Of them will, ever, in trial, prove itself to
have been true
Let Gavazzi, however, be ever SO good theo-
logian, be is certainly poor politician and his
torian. We ourselves are but indifferent adopts
in Divinity. and will not presume to say that he
is an unskillful, though we can see that he is
an uncandid theologian. But History is as
much the key to all real politics as the Bible is
to all real Theology; and it has, we suspect,
been good deal more the business of our lives
to study History than of his to read the Bible
OF History, he certainly knows nothing: for no
man who does would venture the following asser-
tions: which are his:
The Republic OF America was prosperous because she
was Protestant but in Europe republics had failed to
prosper because they had too much Catholic influence
Their influence was poison to republics it like prussc
acid to the human systemthe most deadly of posons
lit was death to republic. Such was the case with
Mexico and In many OF the small republics of South
beloved Italy.
We destined to become the first people in the
could rule here happy, proud America would fall iRe
whole Of the world.
Now, if our Republic be prosperous only be-
cause Protestant, will Gavazzi please to explain
to us how any Of the many ancient republics
came to be prosperous, without being Protes-
tanti Was Athens or any other of the near
300 Greek republics, never prosperous Was
Carthage never prosperous Was Rome never
prosperous
Or, coming down to Christian times, was
Venice never prosperous nor Genoa nor |
Florence nor any other of the Italian repub. |
lies Of the Middle Ages'
Then what Of the Haunseatic cities Were
they not more prosperous while yet Catholic,
than now when they are nearly all Protestant
But again: was Switzerland Protestant, when
she set herself free' Was Tell Protestant
Who won that famous fight which (Lord Byron
says) stands Freedoms twin with Marathon
Are none Of the Swiss States yet Catholics Or.
except among the Switzers. what republic ex-
lists in Europe, save Catholic one-that of San
Marino' Yet where are the seven United
Provinces Did they cease to be Protestant,
when they ceased to be Republics'
So much for Gavaxzi's first assertion, when
compared with fact We proceed to his second
+" that Republics had failed to prosper in Eu-
rope, because they had too much Catholic in
fuencc.''
Was it g Catholic influence" that subyerted
the $50 Greek republics of the olden time OF
Carthage or Rome or the Hebrew common.
wealth. The English commonwealth failed:
was it through Catholic influenced IT'S usually
supposed to have been that Of one Oliver Crom-
we'll. Was it " Catholic influence" that made
he French republic fail } or was it the goddess.
,ess of the crew who set up that cut throat com
As to the Spanish American re-
'ublics, Signor Gayazzi should learn that it is
lot Professionalism, it is not Catholicism that can
Import republics, without sense or public viz.
ue, in the body of the people And that, he
nay, If he will stay some twenty years, have an
pportunity ofseeing in this Protestant republic,
it goes on as it has been doing and listens to
othing but demagogues 1t is they who have
yer destroyed that sort Of Government: they |
re its rats bane-not this or that religion. No |
Tristan land was ever hurt by its religion or
rs overthrow but from the corruption and ex-
notion of that sacred guard of society.
Finally-writing as one who will defend all
tristan sects against men like Gavazzi-we
Y this. hrawling ex-monk, this bigot infdel,
'as ma sssSln who styles himself Catholic, that
) precious little he knows about Republican
H. 1t is practical thing Men arrive at it,
7 by reading nor writing nor specializing nor
canning nor bsbbliDg nor bswling about it,
It by practising it, in all the social virtues
d wisdom which it demands Where did he a
arn it ! In the midst of oppression and de- Ii
neracy, he fancies 1t is learnt in no such !
aool. If it could be, there would be no scho-
rs; for slaves study license, not the rules of a.
ne liberty. The dominion of tyrants is no
for freedom. Either it makes men in
.ject or ferocious or both. No: as we'll expect ii
attain politeness by growing up within the De
ve-Points, or morals by being bred in peni a. =,
ntiary. You must go away, to learn; and, even \,
zen, you must sit down and study hard in Ii
fst-rate practical academy, in order to become d
all proficient. For, be assured, sweet Signor.
nat 1t is very difficult branch of science. y y
70, In this country, have been at it, by book, +,
y lecture, and by constant experiments. ever I,
~ n r.n.