The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-04-17

0saAsliss end 1Asir 1igAb.
The Rev. Mr.. Hepworth, Of New York,
recently delivered sermon in the church
Of the Messiah, which has been published
in pamphlet form and circulated far and
wide. The following IL an extract from
this document, which DR.. Brownson, Of the
New York Tablet, has made the occasion Of
some remarks that win recommend Chem
selves to all candid and minded per-
sons. Says Mr.. Hepworth.
"They tell Ms that this plea il one of con-
science. / respect conscience as much as
any man; but If their conscience 10 IN our
sCay sOhy did they come to this country at all
II they cannot accord with the spirit of our
they have no right on our
shores. 1 ask whose conscience is trout led
Is it that of the poor man, whose children
are in our public schools No. Is it that
of the priest, who gives him his spiritual
lessons from Sunday to Sundayf No. Is
ecclesiastical affairs Z No; it ia rather that Of
the Head of the Church, who neither knows
anything of, nor cares anything for, re-
publican institutions. My doctrine is SIM
ply this IL say to all the oppressed of
Europe: Come to our country, for we have
acres enough for you all use our institu-
tiOns for your own development and for
that of your children but do not attempt
to destroy what we hold SO dear. Aud my
only motto is this-Our- public schools and
our Bible-Hands off"
To this DR.. Brownson replies:
To the first question here asked, we an
swer, first, why, If the Catholic conscience
was not to be protected, did you promise
to the contrary, and proclaim to the world
that in your republic all citizens, natural
lied or natural born, should have equal
rights, whatever their religion, and have
perfect freedom of consciencef We an
swer, secondly, that many of us did not
come here at all; we were born here and
were born here because this was the native
land, the home of our parents, as it had
been from the earliest settlement of the
country. There are Catholics in the country
who can trace their origin back to the
the upstart American, descended from an
older American family than any one who
assails him for his Catholicity; though he
is none the better for that, and has no more
right as an American citizen, and no more
right to call the country his own, than the
German or the Irishman who received his
papers of naturalization only yesterday,
and he would like to see the American Who
dares look him in the face and claim to be
more of an American than he.
II they cannot accord with the spirit of
our institutions they have no right on our
shores" How came these to be your shores
any more than ourss Who gave to this
Unitarian minister, who retains of the re-
hgion of his American ancestors, if Ameri-
con ancestors he had, only its intolerance,
to take his own spirit as that of our iDsti-
buttons, and pronounce us aliens, and with
out rights, because We Will not accept it as
suchf We are amepable to the cOnstitu-
ton and laws, but not in the intolerant,
narrow, and contracted sectarian spirit of
q portion of the American people.
Whether our conscience is good con-
science, or whether what troubles it should
or should not trouble it, is a matter with
which Mr.. Hepworth has no concern, SO
long as we do not make it n plea for inter-
fering with his, and we do not concern our
selves with the conscience of Professionals,
so long as they no not urge their conscience
as q plea for violating ours. Mr.. Hepworth
assumes that "the spirit of our institu-
tions" is the law of conscience, and that
no conscience against it is to be respected
We differ. We hold the law of God is the
law of conscience, and that conscience is
the higher law to which the State is bound
to conform, as also political and education
al institutions, in spirit and in letter.
The fact is, such men as this Mr.. Hep
worth, n. w. Clark, DR.. .Jacobus, H. w.
Bellows, and such Journals as tho N. y
Times, the N. \. Observer, the Liberal
Christian, forget that, blythe constitution
and laws of the country, we Catholics stand
as citizens on a footing of equality with
non Catholics, and that the government
and country are no more theirs than they
are ours. 1t is fact that they, in all their
TRADES on this subject, really, and some of
them formally, deny. We wish them to
correct this error, and stop speaking of
non Catholics as the American people. and
of Catholics "a foreigners, and mere deni-
zens, not citizens, of the country. No mat
ter where born, whether in Ireland, Ger
many, England, France, Spain, or on Cape
Cod, we are an integral portion of the
American people. See how false the
Unitarian minister is to American princi-
pies:
My doctrine" says Mr.. Hepworth. " il
simply this: say to all the oppressed of
europe, come to our country for etc, ETC.,
but do not attempt to DESTROY what we
hold 80 dear" Translated, this reads
/" Come all ye oppressed; here is ample
room for you and your children but mind
and respect what we respect; hold what we
hold, and reject what we reject; you shall
here enjoy perfect freedom of conscience,
that is, SO long as your conscience agrees
with that of non Catholics; but the moment
You claim conscience of your own, to
have Catholic conscience, and dare to
plead it, or demand that it be respected.
you will understand your equality. Mr..
Hepworth talks of the Oppressive lawsD of
other countries. The only oppressive
laws which cannot be endured are those
which violate the laws Of conscience Our
Protestant neighbors, are shrewd, but not