Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1863-06-16

/ most GEAR DfOtDef, especially me- OUT nov
much more to thee, both ID the flesh and 10
tie Lord.
Any one who eau fnd anything in this
10 favor Of slavery must baye piercing OPP
ties. Would ST. Paul have sent Inn back
to a heather master-or one who would
have the power and the will to despise him
Ito sell his wife aud children into slavery.
The thought is not to be entertained ofthe
blessed apostle.
If a fugitive slave in this country was to
be sent back to some maste, ia Mississippi
OF Texas 6y Catholic Bishop Of our days
bearing such md epistle as the above, how
Noulathe master mock and the world laugh
at the Bishop What ioke L would BIO
considered in the South
But what did the Popes think Of slayerya
tbs viii probably throw some light on ec-
elssias zeal history. Paul H., 1881, and
Urban VIII, in 1899, condemned in the
strongest terms the crime Of reducing men
to slavery, separating them from their
wives and children, or ID any manner de-
pmting them of their liberty, or upon any
pretext to preach or teach that it is lawful.
Plus H., 1869, also deuounces the system
in the strongest terms Gregory XVI,
who, in bis Apostolic Letter Of December
3, 1889, refers to the foregoing, and uses
this vehement langnago on the same sub
j.c,; Wherefore we, desiring 70 tarn away
so great reproach as this from all the
boundaries Of Christians, aud the whole
matter being maturely weighed, certain
Cardinals Of the Holy Roman Church, our
venerable brethren. being also called into
Council, trealiug in the footsteps of our
predecessors With Apostolic authority, To
yehemently admonish and allure in the
Lord all believers in christ, that no one
hereafter may dare, uujusily, to modest In
dians, negroes or other men Of this sort, or
to spoil them Of their goods, or reduce them
to slavery. We, therefore with Apostolic
authority do reprobale all the aforesaid ac-
tons as utterly unworthy Of the Christian
name, and by tue same Apostolic author
ity DO trictly prohibit and interdict that
any eec'esiastio o. lay person shall presume
to defend that very trade u negroes as
lawful uader eng preteEsc or studied er-
cuse, or otherwise TO preach, or in any
manner, publicly or privately, to teach con-
trary to those things which we have charg-
ed in this, our Apostolic Letter"
This is tolerably snowy language. It's
import, we think, is clear enough to any
one who has human mind. There can
be "no pretext or studied excuse" says
the good and great Pontiff Are oath
olics afraid OF unwilling 10 read the adiDo-
nition Of the Vicar Of Jesus Christ.
But it viii be said chat Gregory XVI.
alluded to the foreign slave trade! This,
however is pretext and has not even the
dignity Of STUDIED excuse." We have 2
VOID to say on the point.
Shortly before the appearance ef this
Apostolic Letter, religious order in the
United States, by their close commu-
nication with Rome, received informa-
ton Of its existence and approaching publ
cation
With more wit than piety, the superiors
OF that order collected together a largo
number of their slaves and sold them to a
Southern geahemen--we will call him so
who hurried theta into Louisiana, aud
they were scattered over the South with
out reference to their relationship one to an
other.
The whole Catholic community was
shocked at the occurrence. Pope Gregory's
Letter appeared soon after, and it did not
moderate the feelings Of indignation. When
the fact was knc% d in Rome, such was the
emotion felt by bis holiness, that the supe-
riors, on whom the responsibility rested,
were ordered forthwith to proceed to the
Eternal City, ald they did not return for
years. Why they were detained it is IN
necessary to discuss.
This shows that slavery, in every shape,
is condemned and reprobated by the
Church In the meantime she did nethirg
violently She only spoke the solemn
words Of admonition Events have hurried
on-what the church would not or could
not DO the polititions have done. The door
is now wide open without any agency OF
Catholics, and those who wish to despise
the venerable Pontiffs and be the jailors Of
their fellow men may endeavor to close and
lock and bolt it. We take no part in any
such proceeding.