The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-06-30
A Little Common Sense Tor the Know
N0thtngs.

Nothings.
We see in several organs Of the Know No
thing party throughout the country, constant
illusions to the Pope, and symptoms Of great
alarm with regard to the spread of Roman Ca
tholicism. From one journal we learn that the
day on which the news of Mr.. Wise's victory
reached the Vatican will have been kept with
unusual ceremony; from another we gather
that the high priests of Antichrist have been
in ecstacies ever since the action of the Massa-
chusetts delegates to the Philadelphia conven-
ton; and generally we may say, the newspa-
pers OF this stripe talk as if we were living in
the days of the great Spanish Armada; and re-
duced to trust to our broadswords to defeat the
famous bull by which the whole of America
was given to the King Of Spain by the Pope.
"There is not single spectator of the politics
of this country" says one, "who takes deep.
er interest in them than the Pope of Rome;"
and instead of feeling fattered by this infor-
nation, which will be new to most Of US, this
ungracious Know Nothing adds energetica ally
that we ought "to make Rome howl" for eff
there be cloud in our nations horizon, it is
the Papacy."
1t is high time that this stuff should be stop
ped. We have made asses of ourselves pretty
freely-we Christians-since the days of Lu-
ther, about our theological quarrel; and car
ried matters to such an extent that no sensible
Chinese who has any respect for himself
will at the present day have any thing to do
with a church so obviously divided against
itself But if our ancestors who shot, stabbed,
burned, tortured and hanged each other on
points of theology, were undeniabls asses, what
are we who have not q 1.-THE Of their grounds
for controversial rancor? For, it must be re-
membered, to the Englishman of the seven
teenth century, Catholicism implied submission
to the Pope, and submission to the Pope in
volved the surrender of America to the Spa
niards: small wonder forsooth that they were
fierce Protestants, and that, while they trusted
in Providence, they likewise kept their powder
dry. But we, what cause have we to fear the
Pope? What harm has he done us? What can
he do?
Why, really, good people, who are quaking
in your shoes about the inroads of the Papacy,
and mutteriug dreadful things about the scar
let woman OF Babylon, you are much more
likely to damage che Pope, than he to injure
you. It is hard work enough for him-poor
old soul-to keep his place, with board and
lodging and fire, at the Vatican nor would be
be there still, in fact if Napoleon III. had not
condescended to use Christianity, just as he
used the Delvigne bullet, to consolidate his new
empire. Since the first Napoleon showed that
Pope might be kicked about as well as any
other man, there hasn't been sovereign in
Europe that would forego the pleasure of try
ing the new sport. All the ministers of
Spain, from the republican juntas to Els.
partero, have had their turn at it. France
has treated him like dog. Metternich let him
know plainly that he must consider himself a
mere pensioner Of Austria on his good beha-
vior; and now in these latter days, even
ltaly's self turns round upon him, and will
have no more dealings with him Rome drives
him into exile, Sardinia deposes him from his
authority. And is this the potentate OF whom
We are afraid? This poor, hunted deserted,
tullied creature, set up by this or that tyran.