The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-08-08
Fae 1856 cklsI5 Adv % inject 1t.

thayet b undergo the ordeal of anti Catholic
mob violence ana proscriptive legislation
1in this eountry. Snclfan anticipation may
startle the compIacepcy Of somepious souls,
blessed with unbounded faith in so called
4 popular institutions, and the alluring but
deceptive guarantees of the right of free
worship held out by Z. the best government
the world ever saw" These good, com
placent souls are not given TO reading the
signs of the times. Bills of rights and the
glittering generalities Of party platforms
are good enough, so far as they go, bnt in
the conflict of political or religious pas
| sions and sectional or party interests these
sounding manifestoes are no more regarded
Than would be the refnonsfs of some
latter dag cassahdfa, and segiproof thereof
I've need only refer to the late war. In that
eenaict SheS minority justified their strug-
gles for empire-as Earl Russell termed it
partly by perverted appeals to Constitu-
ton guaranteeing the equal and sovereign
rights of all the States of the Confedera-
sF66, d part by hctifihg III whds1S, and'at
any and all seasons by appeals to popular
passions The Puritan spirit that wrought
this mighty apheaval stiil liyes- an an unquiet
spirit -and popular passions, only siulmlber,
ready at any time to burst forth, like
subterranean fire.. 10 no N aaf los til7 ttA
For this iptolerant and aggressive Ppri-
tan spiris: must be at war with society. The
South being subjugased, slavery abolished,
New England manufactures /" protected"
and New England school ,naarnlS having
had congenial cares opened to them among
.A.tbe American citizens, of African 'seent,n
what remains but the Impregnable Rock
the citadel of Ronae-guardian of Christian
liberty and Christian morals - for the
aspiring and disturbing ambition of Pnri-
tanis1n & g. She has proclaimed it herself
through the press and the pqiPib during
and since the war for empire. Whoever
has scanned his newspaper knows this; and
we therefore shall not enforce that point.
1t is sufficient for us to know--as we do as
Catholics that society, as at present sig
naIized in a larger portion of our Federal
Union, is at war with Christian polity; and
according to the teachings of history soci-
ety SO constituted must sooner or later be
at, open war with the Catholic Church. We
have no fears rs to the result of the struggle.
We have the Faith and the Inheritance OF
the martyrs through eighteen hundred
years-iilustrated in every ciime-and we
have the lessons of. experience gathered
frog, the enemy. Association or co-opera-
ton is a leading creature ofepery movement
these days, whether material prosperity,
ton, be the aim-and cooperative 1associa-
ton is what we invoke. let us have "a
Catholic Congress m America. -,Cs,,,
sbaW q have. the numbers, the moral and in
tellectual influence, 1.-The wealth. and the
social position to engage the attention and
command the Icopsi Iteration Of our our non
Catholic fellow countrymen; We venture
to say that none of us, lay Or clerical are
aware of the total strength and influence
of the Catholic body throughout the United
States, Certainly our. opponents do not SO
much as dream Of 6nr strength orr wide
spread social and intellectual influence, or
they -never-Esesaltl talst,-ss-t they seasetiRes
.das 87Gathetiotsuf d1sing aneyels the faith
of ignorant immigrants, and as being in
compatible with Republican instithtibhs.
A Congress of American Catholics will dis
tappoillt such dangerous ,delusions,salS Il
Ia, Catholic Congresses in Europe have done
much towards tenIoHstrati the vita lii Ynf
Catholic faith and morals among the chill
tften Of the Church, and have received the
sanctions of Rome itself. Whatanore could
he desired9 raysE an a..a u g
We do not think it too much TO say that
we, American Catholics, assembled or
represented in a Congress, would surpass, in
numbers and Asseaee- aad EaFiea- ehaEae-
ter, any Congress assembled OF Malines or
elsewhere in Europe. However people may
sheer at the blatherumskite of our Jefferson
Bricks, this is truly great country in
every natural feature and social aspect,
and Catholic Congress assembled in New
York or any other great cent.e, would call
together such numbers aud would demon
strate such a degree of social, political,
intellectual and moral influence as can be