Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-04-23
GBt 9nlp SPg.
THURSDAY. APRIL %, 1857.

The Worcester Transcript says that in addition
IN four murder cases, forty -two bills Tor divorce
are "a come before the present term OF the gu
preme Court for Worcester County.
Rally. the rural districts are getting TO De
vvoTss tban the city itself STILL in the present
instance. it is all natural enough Worcester
comfy is the very focus Of malignant pnl!ahthfo'
Nv. and where people are more espeelaliy con
cerped for the faults of others there II Is not re-
Tl1sre Is no doubt of it, that the more thorough
" abolilioniEed people become, the worse they
- The root Of the matter is bad; what can
be its fruiti- Boston Courier
When the statement appeared in the Tran
seyiot on which the above sagacious and diseri'n-
mating commentary is bestowed by the Boston
Courier, we we're surprised at it, and did not be-
Heve that it was such fair statement Of facts as
would lead the reader to correct conclusion in
the premises. On its face, It indicates state of
morals in the community, of which we had seen
no other external indication. We, therefore,
made inquiry on the subject, and this is the re-
suit. OF the four cases Of murder, two of those
accused are foreigners, who have been but short
time in this country, and third belongs to
another State The trials and convictions for
homicide, in this county, during the last twenty
years, or, for any series of years, during that
time, have been exceedingly small in number,
averaging much less than the average of the
State, and comparing favorably with any portion
of it, or Of the country at large.
1t is true, that there are, nominally, over forty
divorce cases on the docket of the court, but
karoe majority of these ave old cases, which have
been accumulating for years, and most of which
probably, never come to trial. The remainder,
eighteen in number, are new cases, of which,
probably, some will come to trial, and some will
not. Several of these, are informed. are
cases which do not properly belong to this coun-
but in which one of the parties has domiciated
here. for the time being for the purposes of their
trial. But, if they were all cases legitimately be-
longing to the county, we are told by those who
are familiar with those things, that, for county
of ffty-eight towns, and a population of more
than one hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants,
the number of cases of this kind, though greatly
to be regretted, is not usually large, or dispro-
portioned, as compared with other places. It
will be recollected that there is but nisi pri
as term of the Court here in year, and the new
cases, therefore, represent a years delinquences
IN TINS 1SSpBCL Tic itSN VI tnSoOs tlAe uuSh-
ct, forty four to,ons Of the county not repre-
scented by either party to the suits.
We cannot conceive Of the motive which should
induce the editor of the Transcript to make state
nlsnts calculated, and apparently intended, to
create the belief that rapid deterioration has
taken place in the morals of this community, nor
can we imagine why he should thus cast his Par
THAN arrows back upon those with whom he has
associated, but with whom he has announced his
intention soon to part. We hope it is in no
pharisaical spirit that he does it.
Having thus disposed Of the pretended facts of
the Transcript, the comments Of the Courier fall,
of course, with the fabric on which they were
built. But, were itnot so, and were the facts
just as they were represented, and not suscepti.
Bile Of different explanation, is the Courier pre-
pared to carry out the mode of reasoning on
which its comments are based The senior pro-
prietor and editor of the Courier, and the proba-
Bile writer Of the article we have copied. is, il we
mistake not, a Catholic, and an Irishman. If the
prevalence of crime in community where the
principles of abolitionism prevail, is an evidence
that those principles are corrupting, and are the
cause of the crime, will not the same rule prevail,
when applied to Catholicism? Now, although
the Catholics are but mere fractional portion of
the population of this State, yet so far as our
knowledge extends, and we believe that statistics
will show it to be the case throughout the State,
q majority, if not three-fourths, of all the
offences which come under the cognizance of the
Law, are committed by Catholics. Two Of the
murderers now in prison here, are Catholics, and
one of them is an Irishman. If the editor of the
Courier will examine the records of crime in
Boston and New York, and of murders especial
ly, he will find that the number of Catholics
among the convicts have been fearfully large.
Thus, acting on the reasoning of the Courier,
We should hold the Catholic religion responsible
for great portion Of the offences committed, and
should set it down the fruitful parent of crime
But we should despise ourselves, if we could act
on such narrow views or be governed by such il
liberal preiudices. When the Courier stigma.
ties, as it does, movement based on the funda-
mental principle of Christianity, to do unto all
men as we would be done by, and whose advocates
seek oniyto carry into practical operation the
plainest and simplest principles Of common JUS
tice and right, it affords significant warning to
Others, to avoid the unehristian spirit which &C.
tuates it.