The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-11-20

Catholic France, but to the Catholic reli
gian at large.
| fully agree with your correspondent,
When nc oestows the greatest praises on
The Catholic population of Prussia and
cannot deny that there is but too much
foundation for the blame which he throws
i on the indifference and hostility to religion
which has Invaded the upper classes and
oou'go'S'e OF France. l grant him also
C 5na,' IN the present crisis of the Church,
Uod Almighty can work u miracle analO-
gous to that which changed into n triumph
for Catholicity the destruction of the Ro.
man empire by the northern Arians and
ld"lators That the same king who lately,
at the inauguration of the statue of Luther.
set himself up at the head of PROTESTANT
ism, should soon "restore the Pope to his
d"minions;" and that, "as a reward for her
(hypothetic) loyalty, Prussia should he
converted to the true faith" are possibili-
Ties which tue power OF God can change
INTO real facts. Your correspond has fixed
exclusively his attention on the msdeeds
and shortcomings of the French nation.
while in Prussia he has not seen ANYTHING
Dut what seemed to him praise worthy.
iffat Is not the way of getting Il true esti-
mate of things. Is there really in France.
either III the upper classes, in the bou,uoisie,
or In the peasantry nothing but ind fer
ence, hostility to the Church, aud stupid
and middle classes continually recruit those
battaiors OF Christian charity, the admira-
ton OF the whole world, which, under the,
banner of st. Vincent of Panl, st. Francis
Regis, st. Francis Xavier, ETC., fight SO
generously for the destruction of physical
and moral evils 2 How is it that, IN spite
OF the engagements taken by the late EN-
peror with the anti Catholic sects, the pub
lie opinion OF France has Obliged him twice
to send his troopsft co Rome, and to main
| tain for twenty years the temporal power
of the Pope? How is it that the French
clergy, not content with the food offered to
their zeal by the parocl,ial apostleship, run
to the most barbarous shores in order to
aliay their hunger for the salvation of
sous9 Who are the Apostles and Martyrs
whose devOtedness cOmpels the admiration
even of heretcs themselves, in Japan, in
China, in Africa, every whereof Are they
not mostly Frenchnren. and do they not
spring from the bosom of that nation which
your correspondent declares utterly and
irreparably corrupted! How can he recon-
cile with that corruption the birth and the
wonderful increase of those mum berless re-
ligiotis institutions which meet all the forms
of human misery with all the forms of Ca
thoic self denial and charity9 Does he
not give the lie to his gospel who pretentis
that Il tree utterly bad and rotten can pro-
duce such excellent fruits7 If "tle moral |
ity of Catholic France was infinitely lower |
than that of Protestant Prussia" would
the former contribute as generously as she |
docs To the propagation OF the fhith to the |
Peters pence, aud to all kind OF good |
works .? Whatever be the evil deeds of
French intidcls, cannot conceive how they |
can oblige II loyal Catholic To overlook the
fruits of everlasting life which the Spirit
of God brings forth from among that filth.
Y"nr correspondent is not less mistaken
in his estimate of the favorable dispositions
of Prussia towards the Catholic Church
than in his judgment on the universal hos
tility to- religion prevalent in France. To
rectify his assertions, 1 shall quote some
lines of a remarkable article published in
the Kdtholk, of Mainz, for the last month,
under the title Der crosse Krieg"-the
Great War. Let us hear the testimony of
that very competent witness:
"The liberal press of Germany sees in
the establishments of the future German
empire the triumph of the German spirit,
in the Reformation, over the
Romanism which is breathing it's last in the
Catholic Church. They celebrate the hege-
mony of Prussia in Germany and in Europe
as victory of Professionalism over the
whole world. What the press develops in
abstract sentences, the Protestant preachers
produce in a more concrete form. That
opinion has acquired in all the Protestant
pulpIts the rank of a dogma of faith, and
therefore it would be no wonder if, at the
conclusion OF the present war, IN all the
parts of Germany, the eBfuriated mob per-
secute the Catholics the friends of the
French, and celebrate the victory of Ger
many the defeat of the Catholic Church.
Hard struggles await us. When
the shouts of victory. with which the re-
turning armies will be received at home,
shall have died away, the irreconcilable
enemies of liberty of conscience will begin
anew their work with n fresh energy. The
with which our religious
orders have nursed the victims of war will
not prevent the return of another general
storm against the cQnSeIfts. FiTe=GTcat
moral force which religion gave to our SOL
iIers will be but too quickly forgotten, and
he destruction of all religious feeling by
he educational monopoly of tlse State will
% again taken up, aud, the Government
may he sure To have the APPRECIATION OF all
lie powers and all the parties for any OPP
,ressive measure which il may please to
AXE against the Catholic Church"
HrIe, sir, are surmises somew hat differ
,nt from the golden representations of |
your correspondent; aud we must confess
hat they are founded on more solid
grounds. We are told that we must not he