The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-11-10

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present reign. The result win be that
some fine morning people viii have to
search with . lantern for the Orthodox
Church and will not find It. For this reas-
on think it worth while to call your at
tention to the point Of who these RaskOl-
nfks really are for whom our journals have
all at once been seized with SO violent an
affection.
Their OTgin.-The old Russian clergy
can only boast of having produced one
great man, namely, the Patriarch Nixon,
about whom your learned country men, Mr..
William Palmer, has published such inter
estiDg documents. When he assembled the
found the liturgical books used in the Rus
sian Ichurch to be- in q wretched state.
Whether printed or in MSS. they were foil
of errors. This was no more than might
have been expected; it is notorious that
great ignorance prevailed in Russia at that
period. Uneducated transcribers could
not help classifying text which they did
not understand, and which was ever be-
coming more and more corrupt with
every fresh copying. On the other
hand, printing was not introduced into
Rnssla until very late period, and the
first printers were not capable of pnrgiDg
the books issued from their presses, Of the
errors with which the. MSS. swarmed.
Therefore q thorough revision of the itar-
gical books, and of the Slavonic version of
| the Bible had become Indispensable when
| the Patriarch Nixon, determined to under
take it. But this remarkahle man had not
only to com Dat the iguorancesof the people,
| he also resisted energetica&ly usurpa-
tons of the Stat, and str0ve tOaeeoyer for
his Church her liberties. The correction
of the hturgical books was effected, but the
| Church was not freed. Nixon succumbed
to the attacks of his enemies, the cause of
freedom was lost; if not hopelessly, yet
| for a very long time to come. Neverthe
less, there took place in the Russian Church
q revolution which was not tue less real
because its outward manifestations we're
| restrained. The popular instinct ceased,
from that day forward, to regard the Estab-
lished Church as the true Church of Christ;
it shrank from the State religion and chung
to its recollections of the "Old Church"
which in it's idea had ceased to exist when
ignorance was unable to discern the causes
and real authors of the revolution, which
it resented so strongly; this was closel y
connected with the name of Nixon, and
Nixon was accused Of making it. To this
day the memory of Nixon is held in exc
epithet" Nikonian" which they apply to the
dominant Church, is meant as a term OF
opprobrium. Nevertheless, as the matter
of fact Russian intelligence needs some
thing material and palpable by which to
distinguish the ancient Church from the
old editions bristling as they are with er
rors, and makes OF those very errors q
rallying point and a creed. Hence the
systematic contradiction which seems en-
grained in the nature of Staroverism. TIC
look only on the surface, the Staroveres
would appear simply an ignorant dull wit,
ted set OF men, who cling with fanatica
obstinacy to obviously incorrect editions Of
church books, and to practices in them
, selves Indifferent But on a deeper exam
A. - xl,a
= real object of the Sectaires' hatred is the
dominant Church itself; and of alt the in.
j, novatiops with which they reproach it the
= most really obnoxious, is the loss of its
> ancient Independence. Tie poor Star
a overes in this point of view suggest t.
n ones mind the Jews of the Babylonish cap
r tivity weeping for the ruin of their temple
, or some good Christians lost in o rem ote
/. country, cut off from the world, remaining
. faithful in memory to the Catholic Church
! seeking it around them in vain, and refus
. ing to acknowledge it in an official Church
= deprived of independence and life. Their
: is a Raskolnik emigration to Austria, il
. Hungary, and in East Prussia. If thes'
small and isolated communities could b.
! brought into communion with the Holy Sc,
a our eleven millions of Raskolniks at hom
= | would doubtless follow their example
y The Oriental Question: really cauno
Q help regarding these interests Us more seri
= Gus than the cdncdns to which the BerliI
3 Congress has given occasion. There cal
= be no doubt that the events which are pos
V sible in France must have formed the top
: les of the three Emperors' coloqnies: an.
. that he of Germany has got carte blanch
= on that head from tue other twu.-I peFsis
- in assuring you that the "0riental Cues
!, ton" was nouted toe. That is seen in tn,
a selection just made by the Berlin Cabine
of the Count Won Keudat for the post a
:, Constantinopie. He is Prince Bismarck
:, riaht hand man. He would not be sen
. there unless there were important work t.
y be done.
Is The "Old- Cdtholics."-Our Church pa
i pers are Illuminating against the er per
It Hyacihthe, not because he married wife
70 but because that wife was a widow. Th
e real reason of the orthodox indignation i
d that it was hoped he would join the East
It ern Communion. This hope is still cher
1t ished about the Able Michaud. A Bishop
y was hoped for not long since, but that ide
is now given up, since it has become know
that Mgr. strossmayer has made his com
plete submission. An "orthodox" iourna