The avant courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1871-1872, 1871-11-09
F0rcibly Expressed.

Il NJ i :. *
g Catholic . writes as follows to the New
York Independent from the city of Rome
and it may be well enough to repeat the In
dependents assertion that the writer has beel
reared and educated Roman Catholic, ant
regularly attends mass and confession:
With the fall of ths
temporal power falls Romanism; and witt
the fall of Romanism will begin the rebuild
ing OF Catholicism. which is the only genera
term OF Christianity. Romanism, or Ultra
montanism, which means the same thing
holds the same relationship to Catholicism
that Mormonism holds to religious liberty il
America. 1t is not its fruit; it is its abuse
And, ii Catholicism is to be continued in the
world, it must rid itself of its sectarianism
which has become despotic. and must show
itself consistent with reason and human ma
ture, in accordance with science and commoI
sense in short, it must prove itself frient
to mankind, by enlarging his liberty, under.
standing and generosity, promoting his pros
perity, and adding to the happiness of this
life Dead doctrines must be inferred; laws
that are against Nature, and, therefore, the
destruction Ct men, must be repealed and
Faith must have its untrammeled work OF
love.
It cost centuries of contention and blood
she'd to establish the temporal power. Alex
andria, Constantinople and Rome fought des-
perately for the primacy. Their Bishops ex-
communicated each other alternately ard
sometimes simultaneously. Butat last Rome
won, and the Papal oligarchy has ruled a
large part of the Christian world ever since.
During the Middle Ages, when the. Church
was strongest, Rome thought less OF her
temporal goods, and carried her spiritual
power to its greatest extent, creating and de-
posing princes and soyereigns at will. But
as governments and peoples became stronger
she turned, like them, to worldly affairs and
temporal goods, until at last we find her
sacrificing her divine legacy of souls for a
few square miles of Italian territory! O,
Christ. into what hands have your treasures
fallen! Since Judas betrayed the Son OF
Man, those who carry the bag have fallen
under the temptation of lucre. There are
bright pages and some are illuminated, in the
history OF the PapAcy but, alas there are
too many red with blood, and some black as
hell. The reign Of the Consuls, whatever it's
faults, was marked by a sublime idea of jus
tice. The reign of the Popes, whatever were
its virtues, is marked by its absence
1t was long and difficult task to build the
temporal editice OF the Church, but it ieil in
a day. A few cannon shots in the early au-
tunln morning broached the walls OF the
Eternal City. At The Salarian Gate (by
which Alaric entered) a gallant charge of pa
triots, under baptism Of blood, the clarion
sounding down the streets, and it was finish
ed. The building of this edifice was the
work of men, and they built it well, walling
up the truth within its overthrow is Of God,
who sets the truth free.
LII the march OF human progress Paris and
Rome had become great central points, where
the fusion of Divine and Satanic elements
eliminated in an explosion so violent that
the whole world reeled under it. Bigotry
and blaspllemy coalesccd, and light and lib
erty are evolved. The smoke OF that petfo-
leum east pail over the civilized world and
the dedication of this man has rent the hui
man conscience in twain But the worlds
progress will not be tiwarted because another
Babylon has fallen, nor the hand of God be
stayed because of the folly of one man or OF
ten thousand.