East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1866-04-11
Increase of Catholics In the United
States.

Der more than four millions. They
have been rapidly increasing ever since
the close Of our revolutionary war,
which opened the door to perfect re-
ligious liberty in all the states except
Massachusetts and Connecticut, and
to religious federation in all. In 1890
the Catholics numbered in the United
States only about $4,000, more than
half of whom were in Maryland. The
purchase of louisiana added to their
numbers about 35, 900. ~
n The New York Observer says: "Since
1908 there has been an increase from
so to $500 churches; from 6S to 2,30O
priests; from 2 to45 bishops; and from
| to 4S dioceses.
Besides these, the Catholics have
102 orphan asylums, where they edu-
cate some 1000 orphans, and have
over 100 benevolent and charitable
societies, and 2S hospitals. They have
also 81 library institutes for young
men; 2l2 female academies, 3l3 free
schools for 1910 males, and 327
btIOOlS lDf -O,Ot Il lCIluito.
The Catholics now constitute about
one-seventh part of the population of
the United States; and as about three
fourths Of the emigrants to our country
are Catholics, the percentage of our
Catholic population is increasing rap
idly. That increase has alarmed many
Of the Presbyterians and Congrega-
tionalists, who are looking forward to
and preparing for religious war with
the Catholics. Having preached
crusade against slavery, provoked the
rebellion, and finally converted the
war into crusade against slavery and
shareholders, and succeeded in putting
down the institution Of slavery, many
are now anxious to unite those that
call themselves evangelical Christians,
and are burning with impatience for
an opportunity to preach crusade
against Catholicism, to urge on war
against the Catholics, and to put them
down also.
The Catholics are getting strong in
this country, but they are weak when
compared with the Methodists, Baptists
or the combined influence Of the Pres
byterians and Congregationalists, who
generally act together.
During the last twenty years Ireland
has sent annually to the United States
from seventy five thousand to one hun
dred and fifty thousand Catholic emf
grants; but her population is becoming
so much reduced that in few years
she cannot send out more than from
twenty to fifty thousand annually,
which will be oyerbalanced by Prot
estant emigrants from the British Isles
Not more than half the emigrants
from the continent of Europe are
Co,tholics-the other half being mostly
Litherans, with some Rationalists and
few Calvinists. There is no proba-
bility of the percentage of Catholic
population increasing much in the
United States after twenty years.
After the great source of Irish Catho-
lie emigration shall be nearly ex-
hausted, the relative increase of our
Catholic population will be very small.
The various classes of Methodists now
constitute twenty per cent or more,
of tho whole population Of the United
States; and there is no reason to be-
lieve that the Catholics of our country
will constitute SO large proportion of
our population in less than fifty years,
if they ever do.
The Catholics of the United States
behaved admirably well during our
great civil war. They have shown
themselves to be n conservative, loyal,
quiet and poaceable people; devoted to
the governmento of our country. Both
priests and laymen have quietly sub
mitted to the laws, without any at
tempt 10 dictate or interfere with the
policy or measures of the government.
What a striking contrast between their
conduct during our great national
struggle, and the restless and inter
meddling spirit Of some other Chris
tan sects And when we look to the
Southern States, we find them quiet
and conservative people, and not rest
less revohtionisrs. They were gene
rally loyal to the constitution and
government of tho United States,
when compared with the Methodists,
Baptists, Presbyterians, and even the
Episcopalians, many Of whom were
original secessionists, violent revolu-
tionists, and fierce war-hawks while
the Catholic priests both North and
South, pursued the even tenor Of their
ways, during the war, confined them
selves TO preaching the gospel as they
had done, without intermeddling " ith
the government or its policy, and
showed that the Catholic Church is a
pacific church. Many of the clergy of
the evangelical churches, both North
and South, converted their churches
and ecclesiastic conventions into arenas
for the discussionof political questions
and policies; preached revolutionary
doctrines, war and violence urged
upon the government radical and ex-
treme measures and showed them
selves to the church militant--and not
to the church pacific. sf
The Catholics of the United States
are a very different people from the
Catholics of Spain and Italy. Their
ideas have been expanded and liber-
allied by intercourse with Protestants,
and by an acquaintance with the in
stitutions of free, enlightened, and
enterprising people. They form an
important industrial and conservative
element in our country. Though they
may be subject to the charge of clan
ishness, often made against them, and
TO narrow sectarian views upon the
subject of education; yet their views
and opinions are becoming more and
more enlarged and liberalized, as they
witness and feel more and more the
influence of our common school system