The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-02-03
GROWTH OF RoMANIsM.

A great deal has been said of late, and
much alarm excited about the growth of Ro-
mauism in the United States. No doubt it
has increased largely in certain places, and
the Indifference of many Protestants on the
whole subject, and especially their careless
ness in exposing their children to the seduc-
tive arts practised in the schools of this
Apostate Church, are worthy of the gravest
condemnation. But we are satisfied that
the statement often made about the inroads
of the Roman Catholics upon our Protestant
Churches are exaggerated. Archbishop
Hughes made some very explicit declarations
to the contrary fifteen years ago, aud ad-
mitted that their people become Protestants
at most ruinous rate. The following
statement from the Universe, leading Ro-
man Catholic paper published in Philadel-
phia, confirms this view, and will beread with
interest:
1t is. perhaps, quite legitimate to boast with
snug dissatisfaction of the growth of the Church
in America. But for our part, we doubt it, They
would doubt it in Rome il they knew the real
figures. The Church in America is, in truth, a
sad Church. 1t is all as priest said in our last
number, section from the bleeding side of Ire,
land, and it is not able to retain what it GETS
Look! In one city alone it looses at single stroke
twenty thousand souls Who, in presence of such
a dreadful truth, can say that the Church here
gains more than it loses-that it even preserves its
natural integrity? For the twenty thousand in
one city alone does it gain twenty thousand
throughout the whole remainder OF the country?
All, no no no Had the poor parents of these
twenty thousand children remained at home in
Ireland, there had been no loss to the faith, be
cause though they had died early, leaving nothing
to their children, vagrancy in Ireland does not en-
tail the loss of faith Such is the holy character
of that country that the fire of faith is always
aglow.in it. And New York is mot the only eng
crUciS tha1ii16 lin America. Philadsll
s is no Fsi AST q E cd
They are New York, Philadelphia Boston, Bal
timore, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Chicago, Pitts
burg, Charleston, Washington, &C., and to these
may be added an immense number of very popu
lous minor places Taking the figures fer New
York to be correct, and the authority that gives
them Is reliable, it is certain fact that not less
than two hundred thousand baptized Irish Catho-
lie children are lost every year to the faith in
America. How true the great Archbishop Ken
rick was, as a clergyman wrote in these columns
last week, when he maintained that the Church
here is constantly losing more than it gains !?
What does it gain? Emigrants-n nothing but emf
grants What does itlose? The one case in issue
shows that it loses every year two hundred thou
sand of the children of these same poor emigrans.
What can be more unfortunate or degenerate than
that I? Two hundred thousand Irish chldren-the
best Catholic stock in the world-lost every year
Talk Of your converts your growth of liberty to.
wards Cathn' .cs Well may American Protestants
be liberal to the Catholic Church, when the lat
ter loses every year, for their advantage, two hun.
dred thousand these figures are much too ow,) of
the best Catholic stock that ever received baptism!
0, nothing is more out Of place, more unnatural,
or more heartless than the loud boast made for the
Catholic Church here When eloquent glowing
accounts are sent to Rome, is there any mention
Of the twenty thousand lit ought to be thirty
thousand, of the very SpeS GregiS itself lost in a
single city? Who are to be blamed for it? The
Bishops first, the priests next, the we-to-do peo
pie afterwards. The loss is common. They are
building a cathedral in New York at the cost of
four millions of dollars. Very grand But would
not the saving of twenty thousand boys and girls
to the faith of their fathers be a grander thing
than any cathedral ever erected? For God, the
true Cathedral is the saving of souls. At the late
Plenary Council it was allowed that praise might
be given for putting up fine marble churches; but
the concession was distinctly, and directly and
Satiricaly followed with the antthetical comment
that it would be far more pleasing to God to save
the young flock from the ravages of the wolves
These noble words went to Rome, and noble Rome
approved of them. Splendid Gothic Corinthian
piles may diStend with audable pride the hearts of
the men that erect them; but it is not for Gothic
and Cornthian piles the Blood of Calvary was
shed, but for souls and the souls most tenderly
loved in heaven are the souls Of orphans. Deny
it, who can"