The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1864-03-03

1
existence in Christian land of the evi
which deplore, cannot folbi us her,
to remind the world of the true anC
pure inspirations Of Christianity. W,
have the right also, we priests, to raise
our voice and complain of the par
which other priests are made to beai
in this matter. You priests of my dio
cese, you who present the Gospel to the
families which the Gospel has formed
in the bosom Of regular and free so
ciety, where Christianity continually
sheds its blessings--you who continu
ally recall all who are around you tc
the holy equality of duties, of rights
and ofhopes, imagine the situation O
the Catholic missionary placed between
the masters and the slaves!
Suspected first by one and then by
the other, preaching to the masters i
justice which their interest contra.
diets, and submission to those who's,
chains he would gladly break, endeav-
oring to elevate the will and dignity O.
creatures deprived of liberty, and de-
graded in their own eyes; the priest SC
situated fulfils mission indeed. All,
yes, the faith is good for all. / pity
those whoever they may be, whose
life draws to a close without this light
with tho faith, we can at least say tC
the slaves that there is no condition oi
life in which Heaven cannot be attain.
ed. Religion ameliorates the condit.
ion even Of the poor slave by soften.
ing the heart Of the master; but she be.
walls a condition which keeps man in
brutal abasement.
We are ready to preach for the con
demncd, and 60 with them to the scat
fold, to live with the galley slaves, to
evangelize idiots, to dress the wounds
ofthe sick. We are ready to console
the slaves, we love them and they love
us, but we abhor slavery. l admire
the bishops and priests in the land Of
the slaves; but l appeal to them, to
their heart, to their conscience, to
their dignity, to the honor of their sac
erdotal character; they suffer, for they
know as do, that our religion is re
ligion Of free men.
1t may be allowable, then, to pray.
Pray, Messieurs, pray much, that pa
cific solution of this lamentable prob
lem of slavery may be initiated, estab-
lished, and consummatcc.
L do not forget that the work is for
the time less advanced and more diff
ficult than it appears to be. The mas
ters have to be indemniticd; the slaves
have to be civilized. L admit
that among the masters God preserve
me from accusing them too heavily
many are in good faith and many hu-
name; they have not made this situa-
ton; they regret it; they merit an in
demnity. But it has already been of
fercd them. These slaves, when set
free, will endeavor to improve their
condition, and scrvitudc has not pre-
pared them for such efforts; but the
priests of Jesus Christ and all Christ
ians of q kind heart will aid them
therein. In word, l know the diff
culties: but some magnify them, for
getting that interests and mutual ne
cessities create among men relations,
ties, and necessary accord. In the
meantime these difficulties exist, and
they are grave. But it is precisely be-
cause the work is notyet achieved that
it is necessary to pray that it may be
simplified and accomplished.
My eeneratcd colleagues, the bish
ops Of the province Of Bordeaux, as
sembled in council at Rochelle, in 1853,
with the new bishops of the colonies,
three years after the emancipation Of
the slaves in the poSscsslors OF France,
pronounced this solemn declaration,
which was approved by the Holy See :
"The Catholic church has always
dcplored the existence of slavery, in
which multitudes of men arc held to
the great detriment of their souls, and
she has not ceased to labor to rem
edy so great an evil"
/ place under the protection of these
beautiful words and other apostolic
words, the ardent vow which | have
formed, that this cruel slavery may
cease at last upon the entire surface
of Christian lands.
Alas Mcssicurs, / know the slaves
are not the only men oppressed. There
are countries even in Europe; there is
Ireland, there is Poland, there isSyria,
where oppression exists in u different
form, but not the less intolerable. My
for the one, does not pre-
vent my feeling for the other. 1 do
not understand how men can resign
themselves to evil because of the en-
barassment which they experience in
deciding between all the motives that
move their feelings. No, let us not ac-
cept one evil as an excuse for another.
Let us labor TO destroy first one & then
tie other. Asfor myself, would newer
resign myself to any evil practice. l de-
plore all, and would wish to repair all,
and if my life were sufficiently long,
with the grace of God, l would conse-
crate it entirely in doing my feeble
part in the efforts to remove from hu-
manity all the evils which afflict it,
If could act, l would act; III could
speak, l uld'speak; if l could do
nothing but pray, l would at least ad
dress my prayer to God. You see,
therefore, why l have been led to ask
you to pray especially for the poor
slaves.
In those universal prayers, SO touch
ing, which you recite at your evening