The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-06-27


pressed disapproval of the Council and
rumor has it that France would be rather
pleased than otherwise to have all her troops
recalled from Rome before December The
truth is that the approaching Council has
already become source and cause of disturb
ance to the Catholic Church itself. What will
come Of it we know not. This however, we
do know, that regarding the Council, from
which some expect so much and others expect
80 little Rome is not unit. There are those
who think that the whole affair is got up in
the interests of the Jesuits, but we have it on
good authority that the Jesuits more than any
order in the Catholic Church look upon the
Council with disfavor. Whether the Pope is
to be declared infallible, the dogma of the In
maculate Conception sanctioned, the law re-
garding the celibacY Of the clergy modified,
modern progress justified or condemned we
must wait to see. AS, however, the notorious
Syllabus has not yet been disavowed at head
quarters, we are at liberty to conclude that
the Council, although it may prove big and
somewhat glorious show, will be no more, no
less than magnificent failure.
In the nom Catholic world we do not find
matters any better. The proudest and most
pretentious of all the Protestant churches, the
Episcopal Church of England and Ireland, is
pregnant with trouble On every side dangers
threaten. Ireland is shaking it off as an incu-
bus, and the people Of Scotland and England
are helping Ireland to get rid of what we can
speak of in no milder terms than religious
nuisance This, however, is not ALL While
we see in the fate of the Irish Church the fate
of all ecclesiastical establishments, we cannot
close our eyes to the fact that in the English
Church there are infinite and ruinous divisions.
What with high church and low church and
broad church, evangelicals and non-evan-
gelicals, ritualists and anti-ritualists, we find
it hard to indulge hopeful thoughts of the
Church which had the uxorious Henry for its
founder. If we look at the Protestant Epis-
copal Church in this country we discover
almost all the maladies which atilict the parent
Church.
In this country, in truth, where freedom is
fact and not a mere name, all religious Or
CARNATIONS are in the agonies of revolution.
The Episcopalians, as was made manifest by
the recent Chicago Cow enti0n, are threatened
with division. The Presbyterians are prepar-
ing for grand marriage, which, they think,
will make their Church one of the most power
full religious organizations in the United States.
But who believes that among Presbyterians
To nit 10 La a.
is their life. The Methodists are threatened
with destruction through the introduction of
the lay element. On the TANKS of all those
churches, which constitute the main army
of the Christian cause, there have
gathered innumerable camp followers, in
the shape of Free Religionists, Sweden
borgians, Spiritualists, Free Lovers, Shakers,
Quakers, Mormons and the rest. On this
Continent, in fact, religion is to be found
in all manner of forms, old and new. The
Chinese, who are coming to us in crowds
of thousands and tens of thousands, are bring
ing with them their idols and their joss houses
and their own domestic institutions. The
Jews, too, giving up the past in despair and
believing they have found richer land of
promise on the American Continent and
better and more desirable Jerusalems in New
York, Philadelphia Cincinnati and the other
large cities of the Union, are seriously medi-
tating reforms which will surprise the world
What is to come of all this fever and revolu-
ton we know not. II can hardly be the
millennium, we think, for the lion and the lamb
as numerous as ploughshares. Unless the
Ecumenical Council or the Evangelical Alliance
works miracles another and a more fearful
deluge-a deluge without an ark-is not an
impossiblity. What can we do? The most
sensible answer we can give to these questions
is, Give the Pope and the Cardinals their
place, be respectful to the priest and the par
son, but have faith in steam, electricity and
the printing press.