The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-12-08

'ooH1NN ElO' w Nbh ~ bCC IL III ID
with tho English Govern ment, the Con fed
Grafton began to- experience acme of its
most disastrous defeats and Ireland's
cause was already broken aud almost lost.
when, in tho year l6A9, Oliver Cromwell
arrived in ireland. Mr.. Frouie says, and
truly, that he did not come to make war
with rose water, but with thick warm blood
OF the Irish people. And Mr.. Froudospre
!aces the introduction Of Oliver Cromwell
u Ireland by telling us that the Lord
General Was . great friend of Ireland, that
he was liberal minded man, and that he
interfcrred with no mans liberty of con-
science And he adds ti,ut,--..If Cruu-
Wells policy were carried out, In all proba
bility would not be here speaking to you
of our difficulties with Ireland to day"
He adds, moreover, that Cromwell had
formed design for tho pacifcation of Ire-
land. which would have made future trnu
bic there impossible" What was this de-.
signf Macauiay tells us what this design
was. Cromwell's nvowed purpose was to
end all difficulties in Ireland, whether
they arose from tho land question or from
the religious questiop,-by putting n total
pating them off the face of the earth. This
was an admirable policy my frieuds, Ia or.
der to pacify ireland and create peace: for
the best way and the simplest way to keep
any man quiet is to cut his throat. The
dead do not speak; the dead do not meve;
tho dead do not trouble any one. Crom-
well came to destroy tho Irish race, and
the Irish Catholic faitl, of tho people, and
40 put AZ end at once to all claims for land,
and to all disturbances arising ont of reli-
gious persecution. But. ask this learned
does he imagine that the people
of America are either 80 ignorant or so
wicked as to accept the monstrous preposi-
ton that a man who came into ireland with
such an avowed purpose "a this can be do
clared q friend Of tue real interests Of the
Irish peoplef Does he imagine that there 10
no Intelligence ia Americs, that there 10 DO
manhood In America, that there is no love
of freedom in America, no love of religion
and Of life in Americai And the man
must be an enemy of freedom, of religion,
and Of life itself before such man can
aympathize with the blood-stainsd Oliver
Cromwell. Those words of the historian,
/ regret to say, sound like bitter irony and
mookery in the ears Of the people whose
fathers Cromwell came to destroy. But he
says the Lord Protector did not interfere
with any mans conscience. The Irish de-
manded liberty of conscience. inter
fere with no mans Conscience" aaid Cron-
we'll, "but if, by liberty. OF conscience,
You, Catholics mean having priesta and
the Mass, 1 tell you you cannot have this
and you never will have it, as long a. the
Parliament Of England has power to pre-
vent It," now ask you my friends. what
these words meant To grant the Catho-
lies liberty of conscience, their conscience
telling them that their first and greatest
duty is to hear Mass; to grant them lioer-
ty of conscience, and then deny them priests
to say the Macs assurediy it is contra
diction in words it is an insult to the
intelligence, to PROFOUND 40 extravagant q
proposition! "Oh but" Mr.. Froude says,
you must 60 easy" "Of course, l &C.
knowledge that the Mass is beautiful
rite, ancient and beautiful; but you must
remember that, in Cromwells mind
the Mass meant the system that was
shedding blood all over Europe; the
system of the Church that never knew
mercy, that slaughtered the Protestants
every where; and therefore he was re-
solved to have none of it." All! my
friends, if the Mass were the symbol Of
slaughter, Oliver Cton well would have had
more sy mpathy with the Mass.
Aud so the historian seeks to justify
cruelty in Ireland against the Catholics, by
alleging cruelty on the part Of Catholics
against their Protestant fellow-subjects in
other lands. Now, these words the histo-
rian has repeated over and over again, in
many of his writings, and at other times,
! aud in other places; aud may 40 we'll At
| once put an end to this. Mr.: frouds says:
for all the blood that the Duke Of Alva
shed in the Netherlands )" and l say to Mr.
Froude deny it. Aiva fought in the Ne:
therlands against the subjects that rebelled
against Spain. Alva fought in the Neither
lands against people the tirse principle Of
whose new religion seemed to be an up
| rising against the authority of the State
With Aiva or his State question the Catho
lie Church had nothing to do and IL Alvs
shed the blood Of the rebels, and If those
who rebslled happened to DO Professionals
that is no reason to father the shedding o.
that blood upon the Catholic Church. Mr.
Froude says that the Catholic Church is re-
sponsible for the blood that was shed il
the massacre Of st. Bartholomew Day, b.
Mary de Medicis, in France. I deny it
The woman that gave that order had NJ
sympathy with the Catholic Church. l
| was altogether State measure. She saw
/ France divided into faGtions, and she en-
deavored, by court intrigue and vi'lainy o
her own-for most viliniDons woman sh
was-she endeavored to stifle opposition il
the blood of the people. Tidings were sen
to Rome that the kiHg's life was in danger
and that that life had been preserved b.
heaven; and Rome sang 3e Deans for tn
safety Of the king, and not for the blood o