The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-08-29
Disestablishment in New Orleans.

dition of supreme satisfaction at present
over the recent victory of fair play in the
settlement of the great Irish Church ques-
ton. For centuries the establishment in
Ireland has been the bane of that country
and the disgrace of England. But truth
and Justice must triumph at last
In bloodshed and rapine the Church of
Ireland was established, by blood and fire,
by persecution and famine, by proscriptive
laws, numerically administered, it has
been maintained to this day. But its dar-
ling hope of perverting the national faith
made no progress. With nearly all ~the
land in the possession of its members,
proudly claiming to contain within its
bosom all the intelligence and responsibility
of the country, the Irish Church could
make not one inch of progress, and humbly
confessed that it could not sustain itself
for n moment without the continued appli-
cation of force by the Government Such
iniquitics cannot maintain their unblushing
front forever. The day. will come when
their own partisans will grow ashamed of
them, and quietly turn away from their
support. Thus with the Church of Ireland.
The people have patiently borne the
wrongs of Elizabeth, the fury of Cromwell
the despair of long and hopeless ages, till
finally, and almost WITHOUT a struggle, the
heavy hand has been withdrawn from them
and the Irish Church has ceased to exist
And may we not datter ourselves that
here, in New Orleans, the history of our
wrongs will finally have as happy an end
ing4' When can we hope for disestablish-
ment at home? There is not precisely an
Established Church, co nomine, in our city,
but there is an Established School, which
is equally as unjust and proportionally OPP
pressiye. In Ireland, Catholics were forced
to support by their taxes Church which
they could not conscientiously attend
here they are forced to pay heavily for
school to which they cannot properly send
their children.
In vain we are told that we are wrong,
that it is a mistaken conscience which pro-
hIbits us from patronizipg such schools.
The same modest argument was used with
Catholics in Ireland, who were informed,
with the same bland irony, that they were
over scrupulous in the selection of a Church |
If we choose to tell our tax-masters that it |
is wrong for us to permit our children to
attend the public schools, what business is I,
it of theirs to set US right 2 Who has con-
stituted them judge over our conscience
And as long as we believe it to be wrong, |
of course we are virtually debarred from
the benefit of the schools. Therefore we, I
New Orleans Catholics, are obliged by law
to support with our taxes an establishment
of which We cannot possibly profit-not |
indeed an Established Church, but an
Established School. The character of
wrong is identically the same as in.the case
of :ne late Established Church of ireland |
The people around us cannot see it in |
that light, however, Mt present. The fana-
ticism of the public education movements !
blinds them to SO simple truth as effectu- |
ally as the fanaticism of the early Protest
ant movement did its PaFtisatfs to any +
scheme of injustice which might promise
to help on their hobby. When the people
learn by sad experience that the brightest .
education, if goddess, is a curse; that in
their enthusiasm for popular education they
have been deiuded into eniisting under the
banners of q real Paganism; that their beau
ideal, Prussia, is in reality Sparta over
again, and must suffer the same fate then
their eyes will be able to see the truth of
our plea, and the iniquity which grinds us
down will be quietly dropped.
COMMEMORATIVE. II p 4 BiII, Of IL, |