Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-04-23
Misrellanfnns.
Origin and Progress OF Civil
Liberty.
IFrom the Louisiana Conri.


Bishop Spalding commenced his entertain
ing lecture of last Sunday evening by remark
ing upon the Importance of liberty as an ele-
ment of civilization. All that has passed un-
der the name of liberty was not genuine
The name had been wrongly applied to many
abuses which were only forms of icentious-
pess. The true liberty we now enjoy was
the growth of The dark ages, and had arisen
in the conflict OF the old powers with the new
In its establishment, the Church had perform
cd Il very important part. He did not claim
that the Church was established for any one
form of government, or intended to flourish
in republics only That was not the design
Of its Divine Founder, who had said: '' Ny
Kingdom is not of this world" 1t was fitted
for all governments, and in all its mission was
to exert purifying. humanizing and eleva-
ting influence, and to foster those better feel
ings in subjects and rulers, from which alone
amelioration could arise. The ends of human
government were limited to temporal affairs
the maintenance Of rights, the protection of
property. the guardianship of honor, the PFC
servation OF life, and the pcrpetuation OF lib
erty. The Kingdom Of Christ was compati-
bic with all forms OF government.
The influence of the church on governments
was and always had been an indirect one but
since its foundation it had been powerful
means of teaching and aiding men TO govern
themselves. Its influence had been, from the
beginning, to put down the naughty, the
proud and the wicked, and to raise up and
foster virtuous merit. to abolish the oppressive
distinctions of rank and caste, to loose the
heavy burdened and to let the oppressed 90
free;" to side with the cause Of all who strug-
gle for liberty and independence. The Church
ho of &bo rotIo1,a
for in the times in which he spoke there was
no ether-had been charged with interference
in the affairs of government. But that in
reference was not an essential rule of the
Church. but was imperative and pressing ne
cessity alone which gave rise TO that interfe-
renee The whole moral strength of nediae-
val Europe was embodied in the Church; she
alone had the moral power to interfere be-
tween the tyraut and the oppressed. She did
and there would now have been no
civil liberty but for that interference. Woe
to civilization had she not stepped forward to
lnterpose her potent arm. She had opened
her sanctuaries as asylums from the brutal
persecution of kings and barons, had estab-
ished the free cities and secured their fran
ehises, and wherever she has reared Gods
altar, the else helpless victim of tyranny found
safety in its shadow.
In support of his statements the learned
orator quoted at some length from Guizot's
History of Civilization, wherein all that he
claimed as to the civilzing influences of the
Catholic Church in the middle ages was con-
,eded by this eminent historian and equally
eminent opponent to Catholicity. Catholic |
leliberative assemblies were the models on
which Eli legislative bodies were formed. The
Parliament of England owed its origin and
is form to Catholic councils. 1t had been
n these councils that Reason and knowledge
he elder sisters of Liberty, had been cherish
I'd, even during the night Of the dark ages.
The spirit of oppression and absolutism
lad always opposed the Catholic Church. He
loted circumstance illustrative of this op-
position. When Gregory XIII. effected that
change in the calendar, by which |
several days were added to the computation
# time, in order to restore to the beginning
# the year its astronomical accuracy, the
hange was readily adopted in Catholic coun-
ries, more refactantly BY Prctestants. and |