The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-06-30

= ns %" purposes and knocked down the
oaJ like ninepin in mere sport: living
l"s' e suferance, o sort of Smallweed, shaken
y .ow and then oy some reighbor to scare the
u wary with his shrill voice; the pitiaole relic
Of an efste order of civilization, so wholly out
of place in the middle Of this nineteenth CEN
fury, that, as we are told by the most reliable
travellers, the ceremonies and fashions essential
to his state are probably the most comical sight
in Europe-is this the man-this the power-of
which the Order Of Native Americans confess
to the world they are afraid? God help their
backbone, if SO it be!
But we shall be told that Catholicism is not
the Pope, and that though the wings of the lat
ter may be cut the former will thrive notwith-
standing. We-have before US Know Nothing
journal in which this ground is taken. 1t re-
solves itself into very simple question: is
there any danger of the Roman Catholics pre-
ponderating in the United States?
1t is with no controversial intent that we ad-
venture boldly the assertion that Roman
Catholicism is not the creed for the present day.
1t religion Of the feelings and of the heart !;
with contempt: it appeals to the senses more
than to the mind, to the passions more than the
understanding /; and though eliminating in q
system Of morality at least equal to that evolved
out of Professionalism, it is, as every honest per-
son must admit on examination, the best posi-
BILE creed for q nation emerging from barbar-
ism, and, quite as certainly, the most impossible
70 p1ont amnno a c;u;l;zad ond ;ntoIIaot,,ol
people. In this place, we are bound above all
things to be brief and we will therefore sim.
ply add-leaving each to fill up the argument
for himself-that for the very same reasons
which render it matter Of comparative impos-
sibility that Roman Catholicism, as we know it,
can overspread q rejecting, active, energetic
people in the present day, that faith has very
little chance in the struggle with Protestant
ism. All the men who own no religion are
Protestants and the wiser the world grows,
the larger this class becomes. The Anglo
Saxon race is essentially Protestant that is to
say, impatient Of spiritual control 1t will
Judge for itself in religion as in politics.
And it does not seem at all more likely that
these Anglo Saxons will become Catholics than
that they will revert to their old political sys-
TENS, and once more set their necks under the
spurred heel of baron. Finally we may add
that history contains no instance Of one religion
supplanting another on its abstract ethical
merits The heather mythologies fell when so.
ciety became corrupt: Professionalism conquered
half the Christian world, when heaven was sold
at auction by the priests and Rome was the
sink of Europe and Christianity bodily will
fall whenever the morality of the races which
profess it becomes 30 low that society ceases to
have basis.
1t will be found, on examining statistics, that
Professionalism has gained on Catholicity since
the two were imported to this country. The
gain has not been large; but it is quite note
worthy, as, since the Revolution, there is no
Catholic country in the world where the Catho.
lies have had fairer play than here.
But in truth it will be time enough to ex.
anime such trifes when it has been found that
men are worse citizens when they are Catholics
new thing, we imagine, to argue that the people
Of Maryland are not equal to those of any other
State in patriotism and all the civil virtues
and quite entertaining to hear any one defend
such q proposition out of the mouth of history.
It would not be new, as we know, to see blatant
intolerance exclude from an assembly of dele
gates chosen by citizens of the United States,
certain gentlemen because they were Roman
Catholicism French descent; the fact is on re-
cord to prove what substratum Of folly there
is in all Of US. But if the thing had been done
so often that one ceased to feel ashamed of it,
it would not be the less impossible to show one
single doctrine of Roman atholicity-properly
taught-whose tendency it is to make men
worse citizens Of a republic than the most en-
lightened Protestant.
THE TRuE None To ENcorRAGE ARr-It