The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1869-06-03
SOMETHING ABOUT CATHOLICISM,

To those who feel exercised over the fear
that it is the intention of the Catholic Church
to establish species of hierarchy in the United
States, we commend the following article,
which we clip from that standard New England
paper, the Springfield (Mass.) Republican. 1t
says:
In one of his coarse but funny Peter Plymey
letters, Sydney Smith ridicules the idea of Eu-
rope coming again under the sway of the Cath
Ollie religion. Talk of Europe coming again
under the sway of the small pox,-talk of any.
body who has ever heard Lord Redesdale,
knowingly and willingly hearing him again.
talk OF anybody else that is absurd and im-
probable, but do not talk of Europe coming
again under the sway of the Pope" This was
sixty years ago, and every year has loOsened
the hold which Catholicism has on the world,
and weakened the poor old Pope, who even IN
Bunyan's time, hundred years before was SO
doting and feeble. Why then should we per-
mt Father Hecker, or anybody else to per-
suade us that America is fast becoming Catho-
lie! Is 1t because James Parton, statistically
inclined, seems to support his proposition aud
to prove that, If the Catholics go on increasing
as they have done for the last twenty wears
they will be majority of the American pco-
pie before 1920! Let us look at the matter
little and see what ground the komanists have
Tor their high hopes, if such they have.
Between $40 and 1850, says Parton, the
United States increased in population 80 per
cent, or little more than One-third: III the
same period the Catholics increased l25 per
cent or more than doubled. So did the Nor
mons; but who expects 10 see them controlling
the couatry At the present time, out of 40,
600. 600 Of people, ), 900, 600 are believed 10 be
CatholcS-that is one in eight. How long will
it be- before they will convert the wanting three,
elghths aud secure n bare majority! TO an
s"cr the question let us remember that in or
der To retain their relative proportion the
Catholics must double their numbers in this
country about once IN Twenty-Five wears: that,
10 do ths, they must import very largely from
the Catholic countries OF Europe, and must re-
tain as Catholics the bulk of those who come
over from ireland. the Catholic portions of
Germany and from French Cauada-now the
chief snurchrs ot Catholic cmigration But
lrrland's emigration is falling of by thousands
every year. while the Catholic emigration from
Germany Is fully balanced by that of Protest
ants. leaving the Scandinavian cmjgrantS. the
English, the Scotch, the Wcch etc. to offset
IT n. y
little study of the figures will soon convince
any one that Catholicism is making no relative
progress in tins rou;try by immigration
But We shall be told on the strength Of Or
Aliens researches. and Dr. Woolsry's stats
ties nt divorce that the natural increase of our
people is much greater among the Catholics !
In certain localities this is true.-but taking |
th' country through, and especially taking into |
Tiew the infant mortality among the Catholic
rs compared with the Protestant population
hlS bug will cease to alarm us much. In |
Massachusetts more babes are baptized by the
Catholic form than by the Protestant, the re-
ylstratIon reports do not 60 far enough in rep
rcscnt!ng the Catholic ma jorty. But on the
pthcr hand. twice as many of those whom the
priest has sprlnkled with holy water probably
lie before they can take their first communion
han die among Protestant children Of the same
age; while OF the survivors many grow up to
)e anything but Catholics. And IN the coun-
ry at large the prcpondcrancc OF Catholic
1lrthS Is by no means maintained, Again, we
nay be pointed to the number of eminent men
n the national government of late years who
lave been Catholics. Judge Taney was a Cath
,lic; so are Thomas Ewing and his greater
General Sherman; Gen. Rosecrans
$ n Catholic and has Il brother who is Bish-
'p,-and there are many more that might be
FAMED. But these men are none the worse
americans for their religious faith, nor is their
umber relatively much greater than it has
'een in former years. AS James Freeman
Ilarke said in his Sunday sermon in reply to
'ather Hecker, "when the country was first
ettled, the Catholics in three states had large
minance,-Maryland, Louisiana and Ken
ucky,-new they have lost it in ALL" And
hey can never recover it for any hurtful pur-
ose there or elsewhere in the United States.
IS religion, Catholicism may increase in our
and but as political power its time is past