, 1863-07-22


Our readers know well, that, without ever
hay ing been Or being an Abolitlonlat in The
party sense, We have ever been opposed to
slavery, and have done our best to resist the
efInrt to commit our Church to tho rebellion
il i,s tayor- But our efforts, though not
wholly fruitless, have to y great extent been
neutra1ized by the fict Of our being = conyert
and Yankee, and by the ridiculous suspicion
industriously circulated that we are shaky In
our faith, and on the point Of lapsing ag lin
Into professionalism or infidelity. We, there.
fore, welcome rs an able coadjutor in our op-
position to slavery the Cincinnati Telegraph
and Adtocdte,-a paper published under tho
which has from the first held us in sort Of
holy horror. 1ts editor is Vicar-General Of
tho Diocese, and native of ireland, and his
Cstbolicity cannot be suspected. His voice
cnn peletr1te where OURS caunot, and will be
listened to with respect, where ours will be
nnheeded. We forgive hin and the Arch
bishop himself for having publicly and oftt-
Catholic Review, and sincerely thank them
for doing on the slavery question tho work
which We we're the first Catholic publiclst in
the United States to attempt. We can cheer
fully co-operate with our most bitter enemies
In the battle for truth, freedom, and Justice.
sumption that negro slavery has been vlrtu-
ally abolished III this country, aud 1t Yigor-
ously opposes, on moral and religious grounds,
all efforts to restore Or re establish It. It Las
opened the question, ard 1t has shown that
the Church has always been opposed to slave
calls upon aIl Catholics to lock the subject
sqrare1y in the face, and be true to the spirit
Of their holy religion. This opens new era
in American Catholic journalism, and for the
first time introduces into it true manliness
and moral Independence. If We were the
At-Sf &ho1$ nfo fn r. TIL
to open the discussion, in It has been found
the first priest to bear q clear, distinct, and
urmistaEable testimony in public against
slavery, and to condemn it on moral and re-
lisious grounds. This honor belongs
to the Very Reverend Edward Purcell,
eaaat; eIothsr of fr,u the HI Archbishop Gin
give him conrage and strength to perseyerc to
The end In the good, the noble, the truly
Christian work he has go brAtely commenced.
His name will never be forgotten in, the
Church in America, but will be repeated with
gratitude and honor BY millions and millions
Of emancipated souls.
The Very Reverend Editor has thrown
bomb shell into the camp OF pro-slayery and
disloyal Catholics, and startled not q few Of
his clerical brethren /, he has to undergo much
obloquy and abuse, but he will out1iTe oppo.
sition; he will bring Catholics to their senses,
and soon have them a!l or nearly all with him.
LIZ " La FULL e00 OAA IEIlIudE0 WlQtU out, our
church rescued from the false position in
which her needless children haye placed her,
and Catholics the leading champions Of hn-
n'anity, Too much Importance cannot be IT.
taehet to his movement, for hencefortha a man
VIII be able to oppose slavery and sustain the
Government without having his Catholfcity
suspected or denied, bY the public opinion Of
his brethren and the leading organs Of the
Church. How far In moral grandeur and true
Christian independence does the Very Rev
erend Edward Purcell tower above those
timil and truckling Religious. who informed
US that they did not dare invite us to dine at
their bouse, because We had given lecture
before the Emancipation Ieagne.
BRowxsos,,s FORMER POSITION coss1sEEST.
Our Catholic brethren erred in 6upposing
that opposition to political antl.slayery agita-
ton before the rebellion necessarily implied
any sympathy with slavery itself We op-
posed that sgitation from love for the Union,
not from love Of slayery, which We never do
Tended, but always detcated. Even in the