The Feliciana Democrat. (Clinton, La.) 1855-186?, 1855-06-30
How il Works The Methodist Church
Threatened

lHItdttLtu
As we confidently predicted some time since, the
intolerant and proscrptivc spirit of Know nsthing
ism has not stopped with the Catholic church. Un-
der the plea of correcting the abuses and curtailng
the power of church, whose priesthood, above al
others in this country, have most studiously kept
aloof from the arena of party politics. the order has
made its most violent assaults upon Catholicism
Arguments which had been answered more than a
half century ago. and charges which the ablest d.
vines in the Protestant churches had long since rcpu
dated, have been again brought to light, and para
ded before the public, with all the zest Of novelty
Catholics and Catholicism must be put down. So
relentless and unsparing is this prescription it has
been already boldly announced that no compromise
can be made upon the subject. All other elements
may be Observation-Disclosures frce-soilsm higher
lawism-all other isms could find seat and voice
and vote In the deliberations of the grand council
of the order lately held in Philadelphia but the
Catholic delegates from the state of louisiana men
born npon the soil and fully accredited by respec
table portion of the people of the state, must be
thrust out as unclean, admitted merely as silent
spectators of the strange to be enacted before
them! We must confess, we were not prepared for
this Desperate as the new order has become, and
driven to great extremtiesa it is, we still had hope
when its leaders should meet in solemn council, they
should abate some little in their intolerance and pro-
scrpton Of large body Of men, who it is freely
admitted, held in their creed, the great essentials
of christianity. But it was not so determined, and
the Catholic delegates from the state OF Louisiana
with their credentials in their hands, ruled out
of the Convention-and men that were protesting
one form Of religion have been thus publicly ostra
cised. What have other denominations right to
pcct Is it to be supposed that those who profess
no faith in any form of christianity and others uni
ted in this unholy crusade should they succeed in
tramplng under their feet whatever is sacred in
Catholicism. will not assail with equal violence, ev
cry other form of christianity when they find it thcil
interest to do SOP Will 1t be pretended that it is the
object of this order to reform the abuses of the
Catholic church! This object has been avowed be
fore, when for nearly two centuries, England rcfu
sed permission to any Catholic, to hold place in
: her universities Of learning or to plead in hel
courts of justice, or to represent their fellows int
parliament of the nation 1t was because they wer,
n supposed to be dangerous to the state, and unde
the pretext of correcting their abuses When du
ring the reign OF the virgin Queen, Catholic parent
@ had their children ruthlessly torn from them and
pluCcu unuer tue Oh IFOtcStanJ teachers
u and taught to abuse the faith Of their fathers it wa
IS under the pretext of correcting their abuses. Whc
II during the intolcrant and arbitrary government O
: a later period, Catholic priests were hunted Xix
/ wild beasts through the moors and hills of Ireland
e and 1t was declared felony for any one to Civ
IL them food or shelter under the pretext of
recting their abuses. When the Infdel Philosopher
OF France, just before the first revolution, mad
III their most violent assaults upon the Catholic churcl
u was under the pretext of correcting her abuses.
Is And there has never yet occurred in the worlds hi
" tory single act of intolerance and prescription tt
er wards this body of christians, that not ustifc
IN by the preeXt of correcting their abuses? An
IA what has been the result of all this? In not fe
instances those who began by assailing the Cathol
C. church, soon fonnd an equal necessity for assan
W. every other form of religion. And that such wi
W be the course of the new order in this country
OF pushed to its legitimate consequences we enterta
Ell but little doubt. Men who to accomplish polite