The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-09-12
80 sCalnmnies. . 80

| warfare of Professionalism against our holy
Church consisted in falsefication OF facts
| These " facts are generally concerning
/ some country remote from the point where
they are circulated, and where, of course,
it is difficult to examine into their claims
to credcnce. Thus Spain, italy and Aus
tria are the fayorite theatres for these tales
of horror, while France, with which we
| have intimate commercial relations, Ire
land, which has millions of witnesses in
our midst, whose testimony on doubtful
! points can be had at any moment, and the
| United States itself, in which we live, are
not SO popularity selected for the location OF
these supposed events.
The people and countries of which we
know but little are painted in the darkest
colors. They are chiefly populated by
banditti, the stilletto and the cup of poison
are as it were play things from childhood,
while infidelity to the marriage VOW and
illegitimacy of birth are the rule In vain
you recall the calumniator to figures and
authentic statistics. You show him that
nearly ten per cent in Scotland, while they
are less than four per cent in Ireland; that
they are six per cent in Catholic Prussia
and nine and third per cent in Protestant
Prussia two per cent in Sardinia, and
nine and a half per cent in Sweden nine
per cent in Austria, and sixteen per cent in
Protestant Saxony and Wurtemburg He
quietly ignores all this, and dwells with
great gusto on local statistics, where dis
-, ,ns. =
figures from being any indication of the
moral condition.
Thus he will compare Paris with Lon
don--Paris, which has founding hospitals
that attract the unfortunate results of vice
from all parts of France, while London is
full of institutions that treat and practice
the art of putting such evidences of i'm
morality out of the way. Statistics give
the proportion of illegitimate children in
Paris much greater than in this country.
This is natural. They give the proportion
in London less than in the rural portions of
the country. This is most unnatural. The
moral workings of system are not estab-
lished by proof which shows evidently that
the marks of its impurity are hidden under
the worse crimes Of foeticide and infanti-
eide.
No, the only fair way to arrive at any
conclusion from such figures is by survey
ing the whole field it will not do to COM
pare the, two systems by placing o brothel
of fallen Catholics side by side with Pro-
testant prayer meeting. And even with
the most liberal and general survey. it is
easy to make mistakes and come to false
conclusions. The Jews of old, who I'M
doubtedly had the inheritance of the faith,
sometimes fell into the grossest idolatry
and immortality, while the Roman people of
the early ages, though Pagans, were re-
markabie for purity, honesty and many of
the most heroic virtues. Circumstances
made them so, in spite of their Paganism,
while the Jews fell into all wickedness in
spite of their faith. Must we say, there
fore, that Judaism had a much worse effect
on its adherents than Paganism 2 The
Spanish Empire of several centuries ago
was the most prosperous and splendid of
the world; shall we say that the same Ca.
tholicity made it mighty and powerful
then, but now drags it down into supine-
ness and degradation 2
There are then two kinds of calumnies-
those EEtieft- 1nisrcPresent facts as they
exist, and those which attribute them to
wrong causes.N The only reliable way of
ascertaining the true working of n system
among people is by investigating among
a people only which is faithful to that sys-
tenn. If You want to know the real results
of Catilolicity, seek it among practical Ca !
tholfcs, not nominal nnes-
The Catholic World and tho Ne,o Eng
lander have rece"tly been at issue on the
question of moral statistics in European
and the result OF it is a tri-
nmphant announcement. on the part of the
latter paper that the book of calumnies
which gave rise to the controversy is to be |
republished as consequence
If that controversy. 1t is an old work of
! Rev. Mr.. Seymour, giving garbled
statistics, local comparisons, and totally
Unfair conclusions. ~
But we are not alarmed. Though such