The New York herald., 1871-03-19
TIE Irrcpressibie Cssnict-TAe War OI
Churches.

Physical, political, social and religious earth
the world seems to be turning, as 1t were, up
side down; but the good, the true, the pure
and the just, in men and in things, are being
evolved from the chaotic ruins which we behold
on every hand. The world has had its wars
for national Independence, for conquest and
material greatness, for intellectual and moral
progress and for social elevation and improve
ment, and, according to certain class of ora
cles and orators, the next great conact is to
be for religious liberty aud independence and
| 1t Is to begin here in this republic. We had
| been accustomed from our boyhood to think
that we were among the freest, If not alto
| gether the freest, and most independent
but we must have been sadly mistaken
all the time. A terrible tyrant has
been spreading his net over us, and, uncon-
sciously to ourselves, we have been rendered
almost helpless, and unless we free ourselves
at once we may as well abandon all hope Of
religious or civil liberty in the future. Some
of our readers will doubtless be surprised to
learn that this tyrant is none other than the
Roman Catholic Church, and that his chief
seat is in New York. We confess that we
ought to have been aware of his presence here
and of his designs but as we do no: wear gog-
giles. like some of our neighbors and contem-
poraries We cannot see as they do. We are
gravey informed that the Roman Catholic
Church is a political corporation, and that it
always votes as u unit with the democratic
party against liberty and progress that it is
rapidly acquiring vast tracts Of real estate AS
grants from the cities and States which it con-
trolls, and which in this city alone amounts to
| fly millions of dollars; that the acquisition Of
50 much material wealth by one corporation is
4 Injurious to our republican institutions and
vii ere long prove fatal to our liberties. Pity
rs, . We heather, and deliver us from this
monster! But the manner In which this thing
Is TO be accomplished is as ridiculous as the
result ITSELF The large cities, say those
gentlemen, control the State Legisla-
tures thus New York city governs the
State, Philadelphia rules Pennsylvania, St.
Louis Missouri. Chicago Illinois, New Orleans
Louisiana, Boston Massachusetts, and San
Francisco California, and so on throughout
the country. And as the Roman Catholic
Church controls those cities by the possession
Of SO much real estate, 1t follows, as natu-
rally as day and night succeed each other, that
this Church is to control the State and federal
Legislatures Of the land by and by. All this
trash and much more Of the same sort would
not be worth moments consideration did not
our one-sided contemporaries and our warlike
| ministerial brethren treat it so seriously. If
We believed, as they affect to believe that
such a danger threatened us, we should begin
to convert our ploughshares into swords and
| our pruning hooks into spears TO meet this
| deadly foe. But there appears to u.s. perhaps
in our simplicity and lack Of prophetic insight,
| preaching, the practice and the faith Of those
apostles of the sword and fagot.
For example: Ole day we hear them in
the pulpit and on the platform shout
ing from the pinnacles OF progress the
praises Of that Protestantism which they
claim is gaining such headway in
all lands. They point with pride to Spaina
lldly. MtAlcO d.lu 0Uutu AueTlca. 1UelM
praise of Protestant Germany for the hunia- 1
ton of Catholic France is unbounded, and the
entrance of Victor Emmanuel into Rome is al
certain sign that the days Of '.the man Of sin =
are numbered. But when they turn their eyes
toward America, and especially to this city,
their JOY is immed lately changed to sorrow.
and they fad no comfort in the progress Of
their own faith elsewhere. But, good sirs, if
| the vitality Of religion consists in real estate,
| whether it be one millions worth or fifty, why
| do not your churches and religious corpora
tons acquire it also? Then you will be on the
same footing as the Roman Catholics. The
/, State and city of New York appear to be Just
as willing to give you lots and plots for your
| religious and benevolent operations as they
are to aid the Catholics in this way. But you
refuse them, and, like the dog in the manger,
what you cannot ge. and do not want your
selves you are determined If possible that no
one else shall get or have.
| But in regard to religious landordism
what are the facts? The population Of these
| United States may be stated in round numbers
| at forty millions, Of whom about thirty mil
lions are nominaliy or professedly Protestants,
and five millions are Roman Catholics, leav-
ing five millions more for infdels, atheists and
heather generally. The Methodist and Bap-
tist families number each about ten millions
Of sonls, and all the others about ten millions.
more. The church edifces Of Professionalism
throughout the land number u, i59 and those
of Romanism 2, $50. The average accommo-
datiou Of the former is 3i3 persons each, or
an aggregate Of IL, go GOO, and Of the latter
about 900, 900 souls. The properly and values
Of tn. Protestant denominations in the coun-
try are about as follows Methodist.