American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-11-29

we desire the election OF Senators who will
exercise the right which belongs to them.
That is all, We are satisfied with the
constitution as it sand propose no change.
The other Clause is: ri
"That Congress shall make no law re-
specting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
There is scarcely clause in the cohsttu
ton with which Know Nothing would be
more unwilling to part than the very one
which is thus quoted against US. One of
the chief objections to Catholicism is to be
found in its constant struggles to connect
itself with the Stale. Every other denom-
ination of Christians look upon all connex
ion with the government as fatal TO the
interests of religion. In that Church, a.
lone, restless longing for power, an in
satiable thirst for persecution and blood in
duces unremitting efforts to obtain posses
sion of the temporal sword. In guarding
against that danger, in seeking to keep the
stains of earth far away from the ermine of
the Christian Church, the first amendment
to the Constitution is an auxiliary no Am
erican wishes 10 lose. The Catholic may
perform the exercises of his religion on the
public highways, or in the market-pla
if he pleases: he may celebrate mass at mid
day or at midnight; he may nail saint or
two over his door, or collect dozen holy
relics in his cabinet, and no one will inter-
pose an objection. The American party
make no war upon the Catholic to prevent
the free exercise, ,ofhis religion, but to pre-
vent the possibility Of his interfering with
the free exercise Of our own. Men who
have already declared that it's unconstita-
tiOnal to permit the Bible to be studied in
schools, have no further scruples to over
come before declaring it unconstitutional
to attend any but Catholic church.
When other arguments fail, it is customa-
ry to resort 10 weak attempts to ridicule the
fear of danger from Catholic influence; and
in order to make this effec,ual, the census
statistics have been unscrupulously perver-
ted. According to that document, the
Baptists provide churcA accommodations for
3,247, ,029, the Methodsts fol- 4,333, 579,
while the Catholics provide acc6inmoIa-
tions for only 667, ,o82.
The reason of this disparity is plain
The Bap'ists and Metholicts do not build
churches for themselves alone; every
church will hold more than double as many
worshippers as actually belong to the
church. Their houses arc scattered all
over the country. and the whole neiglbor-
hood; whether they belong to any church
Or not. are welcomed when they come, ID
The Catholic cathedrals, on the other
hand are put UP on a scale of such regal
magnifcence thatit is only in the cities
and large towns they can afford TO build
at all. They have not yet the right to tax
us to build churches for them, and the con.
sequence is. that such thing as Catholic
, church in the country is never heard Of
They cannot afford 10 worship God in the
plain, unassuming edi6ces with which 9TH
, er denominations have dotted the land
: They seem to estimate the value of prayer
: according TO the splendor of the temple
from which it asceDds, and to fear that log
, cabin. .slpplications would never reach the
ear of st Peter. Their church accommo-
| dations, therefore, afford no rule by which
5 to estimate the number Of members. The
actual number of members in the three
f Churches is as follows: Baptists (includ-
ing eight different sects. 1885, 1893; Metho.
r dists (including four different sects, ll;779
e 526; while the Catholics rise to 1,l73,70
: according to the Baptist almanac, or 1884,
: 500, according to another estimate made
| by the superintendent Of the censds. This
g was in 1850. In 1859, Archbishop
/ Hughes gave it as his opinion that there
? were. not less than ), 5000 Catholics in
5 the United States, and added, Emigration
l has no doubt contributed much to this re.
suit" Since 1850, the emigration has
+ been immense, and at this day l have very
b little doubt the Archbishop's estimate is fai
: below the truth. 1t must be Remembered
= also, that there are no sects, no schisms a
/ mong them. They have common OBJ eC
S they obey common head:
= In all that relates to the advancement o
4 the church they have no scruples, no re
: straints, and their capacity for mischief i;
: thus increased many fold beyond their ac
: tual numbers. Yet we are admonished tc
t let this church alone-to permitit to go OF
increasing, without opposition, at the pres
: ent fearful rate. Even Christian minister.
r have entered the political arena to warn u.
that persecution will give it new vitality
i The serpent is among us-we see il grow
: day by day--we watch its scales harden
: and still we must not touch it for fear per
S secutiou will strengthenit. This is one o
S these popular errors which have been &C
y cepted from generation to generation, be
! cause no one thought it of sufficient impor
i tance to expose it. 1t is not only false, i
S is libel upon the Protestant faith, and th
s American character. 1t presupposes twt
y things repugnant alike to the understand
It ing and the heart. 1t supposes tho Catho
: liz to be the true religion, and applies to i
n the maxim that "the blood of the martyrs i
the seed of the church. The greatreforme
}, Knox held no such opinion, stern, sincere
II fearless, unawed by power, unseduced b,
It flattery, he denounced with equal severit,
+ the magistrate who tolerated, and the cit
l. izen who practiccd Romish superstitions.-
i John Wesley was not behind him. Th
: following extract from one of his letter
o speaks forSitself. The. disciples of tn
Q school he founded would do wellto refe
10 to his writings littlemore frequently thai
i. many of them appear to have done.