The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-06

OheIe chn De uJJle uOuDJ JnaJ OpalIl, III Her
present humor, would grant but short shrift
to the officers of Cuban privateer.
| Whatever may have been the motives Of
the officers of the Hornet or the necessities
which drove them into Wilmington, the
authorities are necessarily obliged not only
by our own laws but by the questions con-
nected with the Alabama controversy, to
detain the vessel until her character can be
fully ascertained, and to prevent her depar-
ture if it can be clearly shown that she is in
fact Cuban privateer.
PROTEST. OF FATHER HYA OINTYE.
The full text of the letter addressed to the
General of his Order at Rome, by Father
Hyacinthe, has been received, and we are now
better able to understand the exact position
assumed by the great French preacher than
we were from the brief reports furnished by
the cable. The calling of the Gcumenical
Council has aroused to the greatest activity
the two great parties in the Church, each of
whom is seeking to make use of it to advance
its own ideas and influence. Father Hyacinthe
represents the liberal Catholics men who,
removed from the religious atmosphere of
Rome, and obliged to mingle with the men
and women of modern society, and to come
into direct contact with the ideas of modern
civilization, understand much more
clearly than does the band of italian
priests who have thus far dictated the policy
of the Roman Church, what the necessities
and requirements of modern Catholicism are
if it desires to maintain its influence
Father Hyacinthe is the spokesman of large
proportion of the French, German, and, we
believe, of the American clergy-men who de-
sire to see the old hard headed policy that
has ruled in the councils of the Church for SO
many years abandoned, and the Church itself
discard the obsolete ideas of the middle
ages and make a gigantic step forward to
meet on equal terms the enemies that are un-
dermining its foundations on every side.
These men probably represent the majority
of the Catholics of the world, but. unfortu-
nately, they are not the ones who have most
influence about the person of the Holy
Father. The party represented by Cardinal
Antonelli and the majority of the italian
priesthood, live in q little world of their
own they dream of the past might and au-
thority of the Church as it was welded by
Gregory and Hildebrand, and like a certain
faction in the Church of England, they would
carry the world back to the darkness of the
middle ages and they resolutely refuse to
recognize the advances in civilization that
have been made since the time when the Pope
put his foot upon the necks of emperors and
kings, and made them tremble with his ana
themas 1t is this party that has succeeded
in debating the Papal policy, and the Gcu-
menical Council has been called, not SO much
to reaffirm the authority of the Church as to
establish doctrines that are particularly often
sive to the enlightened Catholics of the
world, and that have hitherto been success
fully resisted by them. This fact is clearly
recognized by Father Hyacinthe and he has
sounded the first note of alarm by re-
signing his pulpit withdrawing from his con-
vent and entering an eloquent and vigorous
protest against the Ultra-montanists. In the
letter referred to he speaks of the sudden
change of tone adopted towards him by his
superiors:-
'To-day, however, by a sudden change, the cause
Of which do not seek in your heart, but in the in
trgues OF party al-powerful at Rome you arraign
proved, provo and You require that Should speak ' LAM
guage or preserve silence which would no longer
be the entire ana loyal expression OF my conscience
| / do not hesitate an instant With language per-
verted by command. or mutilated by reticence,
shall not ascend the pulpit OF Notre Dame. express
regret for this to the Intelligent and courageous
Archbishop who has given his pulpit TO me- and sus-
tanned me there ag anst the bad will OF men OF whom
! / shall speak at the proper time. express my re-
! grets to the imposing auditory who surrounded me
there with its attention. its sympathies nearly
going TO say, its friendship would not be worthy OF
the auditory OF the Archbishop, OF my conscience,
nor OF God II would consent to act before them
in such role. l separate myself at the same rme
from the convent in which have resided, and which,
under the new circumstances that have happened to
me- renders it, for me, prison OF the soul In acting
| thus am not unfaithful TO my VOWS. l have pro-
missed mOnastic obedience but limited by the honesty
OF conscience the dignity OF my person and my min
istry have promised under the benefit OF that su-
perior law OF justice and OF royal liberty which is
| cordng to the Apostle st James, the proper law OF
the Christian"
This is strong language from monk, and
it carries us back to the days when another
monk nailed his theses to the church-door,
and publicly burned the Popes bull of ex-
communication. But Father Hyacinthe lives
in other days from those of Luther, and the
chief interest we have in his protest is not as
to the consequences towards himself, but the
influence it will have on the future policy of
the Church This French monk is thoroughly
in earnest, he knows exactly whereof he
speaks, and it will be well if the Pope and his
advisers heed his admonitions He says with
solemn emphasis
'The present hour is solemn. The Church passes
through one OF the most violent dark, and decisive
crises OF her existence here below. For the first