American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-05-10

.FN&et frs LETTER v. aDH
Ny DEAR SIR,--In my last letter, in
which stated to you the, process, Of my
mind in its transition from Popery to Inf
deity, l asserted that the effect Of your
religion is, tomake the masses supersti-
tious, and the intelligent in6dels, in alrthe
countries where il predominates. Al
though thetruth of this assertion is self |
evident 20 the well-read mind, the briefest
consideration will make its truth apparent
TO all. ~ - ssri ~
How stands the matter in our own coun-
try? Who attendyou Confessional, and
your Masses in New York? How many
of the educated Irish, French, or Germans,
ever whisper at your knees their sins, or
ever bow at your altars to receive your
waters on their tongues, believing them to
''bc Jesus Christ himself, true God and
true man. and believing that be is truly,
realya and substantially present" in them?
How many Of these go to your churches?
Let any body wishing to know, stand at
the door of st. Peters or st. Patrick's,
on the Sabbath, and examine the multi
tudes who attend these places, aud they
will soon learn. And even when an in
telligent person is seen mixing with those
who attend onyOur masses, he goes mere
ly through the force OF habit, or to wait
upon female relative. Permit me TO say
that, with an acquaintance somewhat ex-
tended in our country, | know not a sin
| gle layman, of any repute for learning or
science, who believes in your distinguish
ing doctrines. There are some, allow,
of high standing and character who are
nominally Catholics, but who, | learn on
inquiry, are but nominally so. And the
nomnally Catholic is really an infdel.
And how stands the case as to Ireland,
the laud of our birth, where seven Of her
nine millions of people are Roman Catho-
Ilics? Whilst its masses are with your
church, is not its mind in opposition toit?
And what has kept the mind of Ireland
| from being infdel, but the fact that the
religion of the Bible stands out there with
greater or less degree of prominence in
Opposition to the religion of the priest?-
Thank God the Irish massacre did not ex-
terminate Professionalism in the "fairestisle
of the ocean" #tF
And how stands the case in France,
where your church, Nero like, extin-
guished the lights of truth, and caused
the blood of the Huguenots to-run like
watei? Popery has managed France in
its own way, without any let or hinder
: auce, and what has been the result? Ii
S legislated God out Of exstence--decreed
: lreligion to be fable, and death to be an
!, eternal sleep. Knowing nothing of re-
! ligion but what it learned through the un,
d meaning rites of yous church, and by tht
y carnal policy of your priests, it sough t'
a erase every trace OF 1t from existelce.-
@ And although France has recovered from
e the intoxicaton of the maddening bowl
/ and has risen to order from the wild chao
d into which Popery plunged it, its mind j
> yet in6del. Voltaire is the pope Of th
1t mind of France, and Sueis the high prizes
l. of the people. Your dumb show of i'm
r posing ceremony is there esteemed, not a
* solemn, but farcical; and upon your rite
T. but few attend save the peasantry and th
IS women. And the world should hold tn
n Papal church accountable for all the hor
p rors of the French Revolution.
e What is thus true Of France is yet NOR
Of true of the other Papal countries Of Eu
u rope. Ifthe nobility Of Spain, Portuga
"a Austria, or Italy, are less inidel than j
" France, tits because they are lesseducatec
OF Their masses are superstitious-their ed
I'd ucated men, including many of their clel
p gy, are in6dels-and their men of forum
50 ndspirit live without any moral restrain
NJ Popery brings no strong moral influenc
'st to bear upon the mind and conscience
us any people. In the proportion Chat its II
en- huence is strong, do people and naioT
a sink in the intellectual, social, and NOR
N. scale. fte af
eu That you yourself dear sir, may S,
" We this, sit down and candidly compare Coz
y naught and Ulster, in Ireland. In the on
mne m Popery almost exclusively prevails;
~ the other, Professionalism is in Il
're ascendency. Whata difference bctwet
"a N theml Compare Ireland and Scotland
70 and although the land Of ST. Patrick isl
OF OF richer than that Of ST. Andrew, yet ho
III heaven wide the difference between thei
tn Compare Spain with Ehgland-ltaly wi
Prussia-Rome with Edinburgh-Befs
with Cork: how wide the ditference Cor
us across the Atlantic, and continue the col
The parison on our own Western continent
lli- Compare Mexico to New England-Br
of zil to these United States-the city of Me
ty, leo to that of Boston, or New York, or Oh
hly cinnatil How great the contrast Coz
sad yetnearer home: compare the worshippt
18th at st. Peters ir Barclay-street with the
lay at st. Paul's in Broadway; ay;--compare
,ay attendants on your own ministry at
Ire- PatricRs with those who worship God
life the Brick Church. or at La Fayette Pla
ical or at University Place How wide the d
ons ference intellectually, socially, morally!
low And why is it that Papal countries a
sct- communities thus suffer, and so.sadly s
ng.a fer, when contrasted with other commu
on ntieswherethereisanunshackledc conscier
,wn and an open Bible? There must be so
lion general law or cause in operation to p,
ere, duce results so uniform. What is Il
be-' law or cause? Sir. IFS the influence