New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1867-06-02

own sympathizers, the better and this feel
ing, which is daily strengthening, will go
far to reconcile even the Episcopalians to
severance of the church from the State
But a majority of the people OF England,
without taking Ireland and Scotland into
the account, are not Episcopalians. The
Catholics, the various dissenting Protestant
churches, the Jews. and the very large class
who avowedly have no religion, together
make up number greater far than those
who still maintain even nominal and for
nal connection with the established church.
But all of these classics are compelled to
stttute large portion of its revenue are
collected with rigor, and no one is per
mitted to escape their payment. The Cath
Ole, whose faith forbids him TO enter
Protestant church; the Baptist,
who supports his own church the
Methodist, the Presbyterian, the Congre-
gationalst, the Jew, and the infdel, all
have to pay alike. 1t has only been be-
cause until now there has never been
representation of the people in parliament,
that this state OF things has been suffered
to endure. 1t cannot last when the people
are permitted to govern themselves.
Thus far we have spoken only of Eng
land. But in Scotland and ireland there
is an equally anomalous condition of
affairs. In Ireland, Lightweight out Of
every hundred of the population are Cath
olics and never enter Protestant church;
but every one of the people is compelled
to contribute to the support of the estab-
lshment. The church is in possession of
all the valuable property that belonged to
the church of Rome when Cromwell over
ran the island; her cathedrals have been
converted into Protestant churches, and
the people have been compelled to sup
port their own friends out of the little that
was left after the tithes for the English
state of things exists still more strange.
The established church here is the Presby-
terrain kirk of which, by some
curious anomaly, the queen is recog-
nized as the head. 1t enjoys the ecclesias-
teal revenues of this section of the king
dom, and all classes are compelled to CON
tribute to its support. The majority of
the Scottish people are Presbyterians, but
the strong sense of justice that is charac-
teristic of this people, has caused two sue
cessive schisms to take place from the es-
Enlistment, and the result is that the free
church of Scotland, which is Presby terian
also, but which refuses to recognize the
queen as its head or to accept unwilling
tithes, now outnumbers the establishment
Thus, in the three divisions of the king
dom the established religion neither rep
resents the belief Of a majority of the
people, nor commands the respect even of
large minority. 1t is seen to be an OPP
preston, an outrage, a deception, and
wrong and it may be expected that one
of the first acts of the parliament elected
under the new reform bill will be to sweep
it away. That the vital and wholesome
portions of the Episcopal church will be
injured by this divorce from the State, is
neither expected, nor desired. On the
contrary it is believed, that the step will
purity, elevate, and ennobIe the church,
and restore to it great measure of the in
tiuence over the minds and hearts of the
people that it has now PROFESSIONALLY lost.