Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-08-03
Shall we have II Protestant
League?

Every explosion in society, like
That of the twelfth of July, brings TO
the surface some dead issue. tana-
ties of former time, to whose clam
or society had long turned a deaf car,
come forth from their hiding places,
and hoarsely proclaim that the trou
ble has all fome crom 4 neglect of
their vaticinations, and that the only
safeguard against future periis lies in
taking their nostrums. TO the VIC
lent antiPapists among us the present
is an auspicious hour. There is sweet
satisfaction 10 tie average human be-
ing in the simple words Il told you
so" and this satisfaction our mo
Popery" brcthern Lave been enjoying
for the last week with scarcely any
interruption. did we not prophecy
tumult and Slaughter" they ask tri
umphantly "and have they not come?
Yov were accustomed TO rail at our
forebodings. Now what have you to
say for yourselves 2" Having thus
Justify crowed over the rest us, they
are ready again with their old paua-
cea; Let US have 4 Protestant
League"
There is, it must lie confessed, q
considerable class in our Americ
society who look upon the Roman
Catholic religion and its adherents
with a superstitious terror. The old
which were cruel
enough in fact, and which have been
exaggerated by partial historians
fill their imaginationwith fright
ful pictures; and they often speak
of the massacre of St. Barthol-
omew's Day as tradgedy certain to
be repeated whenever the Papists get
the power in their hands. This ter
ror is generally abated by the in
crease of intelligencc-.hc fact that
the Papists have had the power il:
mans lands fer many years, without
attempting ary such deeds Of cruelty
serving to convince most of us that,
whatever their former policy may
have been, they have now no purpose
of attempting to extirpate heresy with
the weapons of the Inquisition. The
light of the century has shone upon
them, in spite of the Popc's Syllabus !;
and :hey dare not defy the world S
judgment by resorting to their old
practices of persecution.
But there is large class whom
these latter considerations do not con
vince, there is reason to fear that the
traditional hatred of Romanism will
be revived and intensified by occurren-
ces like those Of the twelfth of July,
and that the attempt will be made to
reduce this passion to the form of an
organization. There are persons
among rs to whom The American
| Cardinal is an inspired book; and
such as these are ;,lready going about
with subscription papers, attempting
to form Protestant League. Sober
men will, however, see abundant rca
son why no such movement should
succeed.
In the first place, it is likely that
the league would take the form of G
secret organization; and secret organ
izations for political or religious pur-
poses are in themselves mischievous
and dangerous. Truth and justice
are the ends of government faith and
love are the substance of religion
and these are light, and in them is nc
darkness at all No objects are TO be
sought in politics or in religion which
cannot better be attained openly than
secretly. To seek the welfare of the
state by stealth is a political solecism
to work by intrigue and indirection
for religious ends contradicts the
whole Gospel. Ii evils exist in
church or in state, it is better to let
in the light upon them than to con-
spire in darkness against them.-N.
y Independeat.