Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-03-12
English Criticism Of England.
From the Chicago Tribune


purest and ablest of living English
divines, Readers Of his "Sermons
on Ecclesiastical Subjects" the Sec
ond volume of which has just appear.
ed, through the Catholic Publication
Society Of New York, will find ample
reason to pronounce him, apart from
bis ROmanism, which is of the most
thorough ultra-montane type, one of
the most interesting of the eminent
preachers Of the day, and especially in
his handling of great practical ques-
TONS Of society and general human
interest, such as concern all friends
Of human progress. The word "ec-
cieslastical' conveys to persons I'M
familiar with Catholic thought an
incorrect idea OF the nature Of DR.
Manning's dlscourses. They do not
treat Of the form Of church govern
ment, but of church action In the
largest sense, and much of it action
Of the most practical character.
Criticism of the condition Of Eng
lish life frequently recurs, and much
OF il is Of particular interest. DIR.
Manning has large and just idea
OF tho unparalleled opportunity of
England, her contact with every
nation upon earth, her commerce
traversing every sea and reaching
every shore, her people mingled with
every race and inst ucted in every
language English activity at homo
on the shores Of every nation of the
world the sons of England mingled
with the human race more widely
than any empire that ever was, not
excepting even the old Roman itself.
OF the failure to improve this oppor-
tunity there occur many items in The
course OF DR.. Manniugs pages.
Thus he calls attention to the
condition OF the classes Of England
tho separation of the rich from the
poor; the unequal distribution Of
wealth the unwieldly miseries and
irremediable distI esses of the millions
of the people private charity ex>
hausted, public relief broken down,
pauperism and hunger gaining head
against everything that has been
attempted at least one person q
week dying in London itself OF abso-
lutte starvation neither wealth nor
skill nor pride Of Government suffic-
ing to redress these evils, which are
tho degradatiOns of barbarism, not
the maadies Of Christian society"
The development Of national
egotism, DR.. Manning declares, has
reached in England it's climax Of
isolation and pride. Spiritual desti-
tuition covers with darkness almost
half the land, English statistical
books showing that nearly one half
OF tho English people enter no place
of worship; that is, are without
pastors and have no religion. And
England takes her share OF u system
which keeps more than four millions
of men perpetually under arms,
gazing in defiance and in fear on
each others motions, waiting to
ward or TO strike the first blow,
while the world of Europe drifts
toward a collision Of which all
former strife is but faint shadow
! The plague of bad books covers the
land-the furtive, stealthy, serpen-
tine literature which is penetrated
through and through with unbelief
and passion, false principles, immoral
whispers and infaming negotiations,
and no iader erpurgat0riuS possible
except that which may be transcribed
upon the delicate and enlightened
conscience of those whe love purity
and truth.
Naturally DR.. Manning declares
that England has spread abroad the
poisons of a corrupt civilization, evils
which are still sweeping on like u
deadly pestilence, carrying ruin
and determination where there was
especially needed an inauguration of
virtue and culture. The poor Hindoo
can make nothing Of English Christi
anity, because it is 80 distracted
within itself. And the contact Of
the English people with all such
races has introduced the worst vices,
the enormous curses of their civilian
tion, as drunkenness, which once had
no existence in the East, and the use
of opium. The just reproach of the
Hindoo race TO the English is :;
wherever your British sway enters,
INVESTIGATION follows il; till you came
among us we knew not your burning
spirit you are making trade and
revenue of it 2nd wherever that
enters, the Hiudoo perishes.' These
things, saws DR.. Manning, will be
written in the annals of the British
Empire, records Of her Christianity,
and not these only, but other records
OF Christian power turned to acts of
cruelty and OF determination which
make the heart sick
The guilt of England towards the
poor negro Of Africa is dwelt upon
with great earuestness by Or. Man
ming England, he declares, is guilty
before God, stained with the blood
of the negro. Eogland has draw n
more tears, and sighs, and groans,
from the heart Of the negro than any
other people. For century and a
half she inficted the slave trade
upon Africa, and it was English
slavery in the West ILdies which
created this traffic in North AmeriGs.
There is nothing more bloodstained,
nor more horrible, in the history OF
man than the recitals OF the mur-
derous slave trade, save only the still
more revolving story of the slave
market, men and women exposed
like beasts in the shambles, sold and
rent asunder, every bond that binds
the human heart in fidelity and love
T disregarded by tue inhuman, pitiless
foul trader in flesh and blood, until,
out Of the cities 90 which the Ere of
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