The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-10-24
eui.Ot Rot Afraia Of the Council.

Mons Gutzot, the enlightened historian and
statesman, has recently published letter IN
the review OF the LeHx MoRdcs in which he
saws "the greatest danger TO society at this
time is not in the meeting of the Gcumenical
Council, but in the war that is waged against
Christianity by n class of persons who gain
influence by protesting respect for, and exalt-
ing the morality of that religion whose
foundations they arc seeking to destroy"
This letter was called forth by the attack of
NJ. Janet, a member of the French Institute,
and chief of the French School of Rationalists,
who charged Mons. Guizot with having dis
played moro sentiment than philosophy m his
late work in defence of Christianity A cor
respondent of the Savannah Republican,
writing TO that journal, says
The venerable author aud statesman, who is
now upwards of eighty years old, has replied
in the last number>of the Dear Noades, IN terms
of great dignity aud, considering his advanced
age and he/subiect, with touching pathos.
He refers>to the pious instructions of Chris
tiau mother as having been his protection
when, rs youth, he was thrown into the
great maelstrom of Paris life, and says that
now in old age and after years of study, he
finds infinitely greater consolation and knowl
edge in divine revelation than in phiiauthroPI.
cal ideas. But shat his serious convictions of
the truths of the Bible may be seen not to be
founded on the fragile basis of mere senti-
ment,D he says that~wheu at one period of his
life, the Rationalistie doctrines of Germany,
preached by the Protestant pastors of Geneva,
had contributed TO give him an extreme
federation, rather philosophical Indifference,
to all kinds of Religions dogufa, he was
brought to believe in and feel the necessity of
sincere and simple faith in the Christian creed
by the study of the early Fathers, and the
records of the growth and developments of
1t is impossible to give in the compass of a
letter an idea of the completeness and beauty
of this article of GniZot. 1t should be trans
lated and circulated wherever the Unitarian
and Ratioualistic schools have encroached
upon sound views. 1t takes common ground,
and summons all Christians to the defence of
the fundamental doctrines OF their religion.
Its peculiar Importance at this time is, that
great Protestant author and statesman like
tIuizot, should proclaim that the greatest
danger to -society, at this time, is not in the
meeting OF the Ecumenicai COnnc1i. or IN the
extent of this that sect of Christians
but in the war that is waged against Christi
anity itself, and necessarily through Its
ultimately against society, by n class of peG-
sons who gain influence by protesting respect
for and eXnlting the morality OF that religion
whose foundation they are seeking to destroy:
An appeal like this coming from NJ Guzot.
who is called in France The Protestant
Statesman" would, at any time, command
great attention. Bat at this particular mo
Inent it has q special significance, and has
been read aud commented on by all the various
organs of opinion. Its tribute to ,Y1Sett is
valuable in Catholicism is so generous, its
arguments against Rationalism are clothed
with such courtesy, and its deprecations of
the evils to society from the relaxation of
religious belief sincere and forciblc,
that, with the thinking class of the Paris
it has excited quite as much at
tention as the late speech oS Prince Napoleon,
and merits to be classGd with the great events
of the day. ii. Guizot concludes with
quotation from Plato, that 1t is more easy
TO build city in the air than to found n
society without religion and with another
from Machaeyelli in the fourteenth century,
saying: That what we lack is u religious
spirit"