The Hawaiian gazette., 1872-02-07

cal party, "that public opinion is not fair
ly represented in the Chamber. Very
well; am quite willing to open the way
for more popular Institutions; quite will
ing to refer our differences to the arbitra-
ment of manhood suffrage" With the
aseendeney forty years of assiduous work
have given her over the Belgian peasant
ry, the Church has every reason to lean
for support on an unlimited popular vote.
In Belgium, rs in France, the rural dis
tucts bear down everything in a freely
elected Legislature. The priests have the
country at their discretion, and it is either
wisdom or magnanimity which prevents
their following up their advantage and
using their power to the uttermost. Our
correspondent, A Belgian Conservative
whose letter appears in another column,
assures us of the generous intentions of
the Catholic party. "They wish each
philosophical, religious, and political creed
to make use of its own means to propa-
gate its ascendency." There is to be '' free
competition" for all creeds; but, in the
meanwhile the Catholic Conservatives
have the State and its schools in their
hands; they accept Dogmas and Sylla-
buses which aim at strangling all free in
quirS and they have, as they have had
for forty years, the moral and mental
training of population of which 81 out
OF loo are still unable to read or write.
" The Catholic party" our correspondent
continues, "detend the Catholic creed, not
only becauseit is their personal conviction
this is a case of conscience-but in ref
erence to the social necessity of religion"
We fancy we have often heard this argu-
ment before, and we know how it may be
used and abused. The safety OF the State
depends upon public morality, and this
must be based on religious conviction.
No doubt; but conviction implies free
dom, and the Bishops just returned from
the Vatican Council may best tell what
ground Papal DEGREES have left for free
examination. Belgian institutions may
have worn well theoretically; free com
petition" may as vet be the "Conserva-
tive creed" Practically, however, the
priests have won over the entire mass of
great landowners, the farmer class, and
most of the peasantry, while the Liberals
have their stronghold among the 6or-
geoisie and the financial men. That the
priests may have the upper hand when
ever they wish, and to the extent they
wish, is very evident, and if they choose
to rule as the Pope dictates, it is impossi-
BILE to see what means of resistance or
redress remains to their adversaries No
society, we are told, can exist without
religion, and there is hardly any other
religion in Belgium than the Roman Cath
ole. But the Roman Catholic, like all
other religions, is subject to notifications
and alterations. Else, why do we hear
of its new Saints and new Dogmas, why |
need we an infallible guide against its
possible alterations and corruptions? /
There is no law in Belgium to compel
man to be Catholic But if the party
in power styles itself Catholic, and if
Catholicism becomes Synonymous with u
it is difficult to see how
Ong a man may be free in the choice of
-eligion. The uncontrolled ascendency of
he Catholic party would lay Belgium at
he mercy of lay theocracy. With
Universal suffrage the reign of the peas
lntry, or, in other words, of the priests,
would set in; and the only chance of re-
lress for the cities would lie in some des-
,erate measures of the nature of those
With which Brussels was lately threatened.