The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1854-11-03
From the Front Royal tya.) zion's Advocaf,
THE CiTHOLIC QUESTION.

ey in the United States; aud so formidable has
..Holy Mother" become III this @iand OF the
free, and the home OF the brave" in the eSttna-
ton OF many Of our citizens, that the Ordinary
mode OF waridre-argupen and Tree discussion
is considered entirely too inefficient to arrest
the progress OF The OLD LADY, aud hence secret
societies have been formed to operate against
her.
With this subject, politically, we have Moth
ing to do IN the Advocate, but in It's brarngs
upon the church OF Christ, and as incidentally
embraced in It's history, We have something 10
say; and viewing ii in all It's length and breadth,
according 10 the strength OF our VISION, We frank
Iy confess that nothing to warrant the
cry oil alarm and awful torebodIngs ot the '-.4a
To Da Fe," and taquis1tton, that seem to be
coming up from every quarter. We do not aP-
pea. as the advocate, Eor even the aPolo5ist, oi
the Catholics As rettgionists they appear
bad in history, and judging Of the future w the
past, and with their plea Of iataihbitdy, we
feel perfectly safe in assuming that they seek,
ind must aiVays seek, to obtain the rens Of
Government, aud that whenever and wherever
they succeed they will prosecute all disSrntrrs
but IN this they do nothing more than Frotes-
taats have always done when similarly situat-
I
all faithful ecclesiastical history, THAT ANY DE-
NOMINATION THAT WOULD SEEK FOR or AGREE
no A UNIoN WITH THE STATE WOULD rERsEcu1E
ALL NoN-coNFoRMIsrs, IF -uEY HAD THE POWER.
The very fact that they are willing to form
such an lncestuous connrXlon shows the preHa-
Lnce of the sane spirit that was IN her who
rode upon the scaretcoored beast, and within
whose borders was found the blood OF the saints,
though il nay be under ihe imposing name oi
P9otestaHts.
The Established Church Of England" perse-
cuted dissrnters III this country; when the colo
MES were under the Crown, even 10 stripes, mn
prsonment, and death, which is bat the legItl-
mate fruit of the union OF Church and State, no
matter when or BY what name II is formed: and
the spirit is as clearly and as distinctly destI-
oped without such establishment, as under IT,
when one order is found Systematically peFSe-
cutting another on account their religious sem
;inpnts and this is now being done alike by
Catholics aud ProtrStants, If We may credit the
current newspaper reports of the day. and there
fore there is little to choose between them as
Po0ish Catholics or PopiSh Pr0teSfaafS they
arr OF kindred spirit, though Of different names,
and hostile to each other. The Church olChrist,
however, has never prosecuted any for dissent
ing from her views, and never will and any
spirit that would persrcutp even Catholic. or
an avowed nfdel and deny TO him bis juSt
rights and privileges as citizen in this coun-
try, is anti Christian.
No religious test shall be raised against any
nan undsrs the constitution OF the United States:
and the Catholics, therefore, have the same
right as the most favored, and none have any
right to interfere with them on account OF their
religion The plea of retaliation viii not avail
The Protestant, for, as he condemns the Cotho-
lies for Prosecuting disseHrS, he has no right to
allow in himself what he condems in others; and
no neceSSilv can ever arise IN thus country OF
Wholesome laws TO justify him in taking these
matters in hs own hands. ii the Catholics
commit overt acts by interfering with the civil
or religious liberties of others, otherwise yIo-
late The laws, lei them be punished as cfeeaS,
according to law: bat nothing can Justify their
opponents in aSSaiIing them on account OF their
religious sentiments, or To attempt by force OF
arms 10 prevent them frau building houses OF
worship. and from assembling peacpa5ly TO wor-
ship in their own way. ProteStaHtS that do or
allow these things Gi<arm themselves OF the most
etiectual weapon they have against Popery Tor
what fo-cr will be found in their arguments,
pointing TO the history of the Catholic Church,
that She has uniformly prosecuted Protestants If
P7atestantS do the same thing IN return when
ever they possess the power? AT best /; will
De bot an affair in which the litigants may mn-
ttallv balance accounts. If the Catholics shall,
by fair and lawful means, eventually obtain the
majority in this country over all other denom
nations, why. then, according TO the fundamen-
tai law of the land, IT will be their right to gov
ern and to change that law, too, as 10 remove
every mppdimeut in the way of carrying out
their cherished views.
But this government must be subverted, and
the whole face and organization Of society
changed, before such result can take place;
and by glance at the statistics of the churches
in the United States, which we compile from
the report of the seventh census, it Will be seen
at once how utterly absurd and chmercal is the
idea that such a result is probable, or even posS-
bIe upon the principles ofhuman reason. "All
things are possible with God" and should he
give up our nation TO judicial blindness, and
suffer them to work their own destruction, then
the worst apprehensions. might be realized. But
we hope better things than that as wicked as
our people are, and there are still enough Of the
righteous seed left among us to preserve the ma
tion from such "a dread calamity.
There are IN the United States, including the
District of Columbia and the Territories, thirty
six thousand two hundred and twenty-one
churches, by which we are to understand houses
Of acorShip, and thirteen million nine hundred
and sixty-seven thousand fonr hundred and for
ty-scven under the head Of ''aggrPgate accom-
modatious," by which is meant the total num-
ber of seats for individuals or the congregations
in the aggregate, including the msmbers Of the
churches proper and all that attend worship, or
that can be accommodated with seats. In this