The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-01-31
Byron. Forty-pnr.on Power n, Lust.


Byron, in moment of frenzy, called for a
''forty-parson power" to do something or
other. What it was we don't remember, and
have not time to hunt up the passage, but we
rather fancy it was to sing the praises of the
great goddess Hypocrisy. Well, we have at
last very nearly realized the cynical poets
WISH The forty-parson power has all but
made its first appearance on the great Ameri-
can stage. 1t is at present only thirty or
whereabouts parson power-not quite the poets
number, but very nearly answering in the pur-
pose to which it applies itself to the poets
has stepped forward, being ministers Of
Protestant denominations, to do-what?
Make united onslaught on sin, on immor-
atty, on Sabbath breaking on political COR
ruption, on the devil or any portion of that
active personage's works9 Oh, dear, no; not
the least in the world. They unto in this
comical ecclesiastical phalanx to request the
Executive to remove Roman Catholic gentle
man from the head of the Custom House Of
the city of New York
are SO overpowering that we may be excused
If we dwell almost exclusively npon them.
The thing has its serious, almost tragical,
aspect; but Divine Providence and the congre-
cations who pay these gentlemen may be
trusted to take care of that. But it is mex
pressbly droll to observe the total want of
taste as well as of honor in these guardians Of
the faith and pastors of the flock Theo-
logians have been in the habit of talking Of
holy simplicity as specific Christian attri-
butte. Shall we be thought very unkind if we
characterize this step as an illustration of pro-
fame simplicity? For, indeed, there is some
thing little short of profane in combining such
mass of ecclesiastical responsibility for an
assault upon single secular official Of a diff
ferent creed. And perfect simplicity it is for
these gentlemen to suppose that any result can
come from their eccentric proceeding except
discredit and ridicule to the ecclesas-
teal character, 80 far as they repre-
sent it. 1t is curious, indeed, to see with
what animus ecclesastics combine. Once,
and once only, did the Bishops of the Estab-
lished Church Of England combine for par
ticular purpose in this century. II eur read
ers were to guess forever they would never
divine for what it was these prosperous and
ponderous personages laid their heads toge-
Their, and, putting by for the nonce bitter per-
sonal and religious animosties, subscribed
their right reverend names to a common mani
festo. 1t was to implore the directors of rail-
way companies in Great Britain never more to
run a single railway train on Sunday. That
was the noble and exalted object for which the
total British Episcopate blew its united and
absurd blast. All England laughed at them,
and in its respectable way swore little under
its breath at this amazing exhibition of par
sonic impracticability. But absurd as that was
it was respectable, and even dignifed an d
pious, compared with this Illumination of
hole and corner council of Protestant ministers
against particular Roman Catholic official.
1t is disagreeable to have to break butter
flies on the wheel but if butterflies will get
into the way of the wheel of business life they
must thank themselves if they are crushed
under it. We should like to know what the
ministers of religion have to do with appoint
ments to the Custom House, and we should
even more like to know the processes of
thought which induced a group Of these
spiritual officers to approach the Executive
with such an extraordinary attempt to influ-
ence his policy and purposes. The ways of
parsons are dark, we know-too dark for us
to Understandable we generally give them up
like a riddle that cannot be guessed But this
latest and queerest phenomenon of the eccle-
siastical movement is one of which we should
very much like to have the key. Is it a case
of pure spontaneous generation Hardly !;
there is no such thing in point of fact. What
fly was it that dropped the egg that
Matched this maggot in the respectable
brain ecclesastic? Can it be that political
cliques know how to manipulate the
strings to which these puppets dance? Can
it be that the churches are being invaded
by the great republican and democratic fght2
Can it be that the money changers have got
into the Temple and are raising therein the
seven devils Of party strife? We shrink
appalled, from such hypothesis. But what
are we to think, and how shall we explain this
mysterious circumstance? We would give it
up, like the riddle, but we cannot. It will
not give us up. 1t haunts US. 1t clings like
the recollection Of hideous dream. 1t is
nightmare in broad daylight-an abomination
of desolati on, and perplexity and absurdity.
And the frightful question further arises
whether this is the first step in a series Of
such acts For this sort Of thing were these
gentlemen in reality, among the rest, ordained?
Shall we see perpetually recurring series of
little Protestant councils pronouncing infalli-
bly, upon the merits Of tax collectors and
taxes? Will some little group Of tobacco
hating parsons unite in manifesto
to the President no longer to profane his posi-
ton and the atmosphere by the Havanas