The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-10-01
A New Reformation.

| U0ut In GERMANY. - NO Ot0 OOCpOt n0s
been patted afEectionately on the back by
Protestauts, but all in vain. He indig-
nantly denies tde soft impeachment OF
being now Luther" He 10 determined
to live and die Catholic, and refuses to
be expelled from the bosom Of the Church,
even by accommodation. All of sud-
den be and his friends, who claim to be
cold Catholics," have risen into highest
favor with the Evangelicals, notwithstand-
ing their devotion to all save one of those
Catholic doctrines so paganish and
abominable In the eyes Of the saints.
The old Doctor and his little band of
nondescripts arc now held to be
worthy gentlemen, learned divines, pro-
found theologisns and unimpeachable
Christians. What q sudden discovery! A
few months ago and they were all sons of
Belial. The fact is, that intuitively Pro.
testantism and Infdelity recognize in those
dissidents real allies against the Church of
Christ.
1t is of no use to push them on, how
ever. Mr.. Dollinger knows full we'll that
the grand motive power for . new Gre
formation" is wanting. 1t is no longer
possible to buy up the Princes with a
license to plumber the possessions of the
Catholic Church. The spoils would not be
anything like SO tempting as in Luther's
day, and Princes are not quite SO irresist-
IDLE in their power to plumber. That game
will no longer pay, as the Doctor we'll
knows, and therefore he is as impotent to
start new religion as Luther would have
been without such a weapon. The true
secret of success in the Luther Reformation
tivated the Kings and rulers by tempting
their cupidity and sanctioning their crimes,
and then forced its doctrines upon the
people through the despotic power of these
royal partisans. The times are different
now, and Mr.. Dollinger is too old bird
not to know it.
No! there Is NO danger i'll that quarter,
and we must look to the columns of the
New Orleans Presbyterian for the announce
ment fora rsal nevement in the way of
revived q Rafosmation." 1t is to take
place in England AID is enlarged upon in
an articleqp acted by our neighbor from the
New York AetAodist. The following is
taken from that article:
The London Chris.ia. World general organ
of English Evangelical Christianity calls for
Whitefield and Wesley. 1t describes the reli-
giOus disabilities and fearful decentralization of
the lower classes all about London and through
means of their evapgelization than those which
succeeded so nightly at the advent of Method
ism; It remarks: We venture to say that, if
Tent-Preaching around the Metropolis could
be formed by delegates from the committee of
the London City Mission, the Young Mems
ciety, and the Open-Air Mission, the work
would be done, and well done.
We may not be as saDguine of success
for this movement as the organs through
which this announcement comes, but we
heartily concur with them in their ideas of
the necessity for some sort Of a reforma-
tion. We agree with them that the Pro-
testant Reformation " has proved mis-
cradle failure in its influence upon the
people of London and England generally, |
and that "fearfnl decentralization really !
pervades the unfortunate population of
those regions. zE,s,
But because Methodism and field preach
ing once moved the masses in that quarter,
does it follow that they can have the same
! effect no~f In those early days of Pro-
testantism, it found the whole popular
mind, everywhere, imbued with religious
ideas and susceptible to religious fervor.
Methodism did not create these feelings in
it's votaries; it merely guided and directed
them into given channel. 1t found the
people religious, and perverted their faith
into fauaticism it found the fire of piety
still lingering in their hearts aud famed it
into flame of frenzy.
Very different will be it's task now. 1t
has beer a.! the time blowing the flame of
piety without feeding it-supplying the
wind but not the fuel. The fire has there
fore al burnt out. The people are cold
and hardened. Instead Of being fanatics
they are Infdels. In vain will the Evan
gelicals pitch their field-tents. In vain
will they open their Babel of mingled
hymns, prayers, groans and shoutings.
The people will only laugh at them. This