The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-04-20

only way in their power against a law
which would have been forced upon them
whether they had voted or not. There was
| practical coalition of strong anti-Catholic
lists, and the result was that 9,O5l votes
were recorded in favor of the Bin, and
ISL against it. (There are about II, 0C0 vo-
tiers in all, of whom 1000 are Catholics M.
de Mestral, o Protestant pastor of Lausanne,
has written a remarkable letter, which the
on the subject of the persecution at Geneva
and the state of things which have led to
it. He seeks to explain why the Protes-
tants make common cause with the intidels.
"lf," he says, "this (Protestant) Church
was not paralyzed and discredited through
Rationalism for the last hundred years
we should not see the Genevese
tremble like a leaf before Catholicism. If
your Professionalism cannot support tie
presence of II Vicar Apostolic within your
walls, if it has not the strength to resist
such a trial as that, if you fear so greatly
| its being brought into contact with the
Roman Colossus, then permit us to tell
you, it is a very fragile vessel, to defend
and preserve which is scarcely worth the
| trouble" The fact is, says M. de Mestral,
| that the managers of the Protestant Church
"oniy succeed in maintaining the religious
establishment which they call the National
Church by means of compromises, equivo-
cations, and clever balancing on the tight
rope" The COMPANY of PASTORS" which
has recently recommended ga version Of
the Scriptures falsified and tainted with
Arianism," as we'll as an absolutely anti
Christian catechism-both drawn up by
members of its own body-"can scarcely
olicism !" Aud "the errors with which
the Roman church, is constantly reproached,
including the dogma of the Papal In
fallibility, are far less to be feared as
dangerous to the Christian life than the
audacious negations of modern theology
which sap the foundation of all belief, AID
leave of the Holy Scriptures (the founda-
ton of Protestantism) nothing but q shred
scarcely moro than the title-page and the
cover" In the expulsion of Mgr. Mermil-
lod, Nj. de Mestral holds that the Govern
ment has committed, not only an illegal
act, but a most decided blunder; for the
Bishop will be more powerful at Ferney
than he was at Geneva, as the attachment
to him of the clergy and people will be in
creased, and the zeal of the Catholics in the
Canton and throughout Switzerland will be
stimulated. But he thinks that he per-
ceives a motive in the action of the Fede-
raj Government. The latter has not yet
obtained all the increased power which it
desires, and it may be glad "to do good
turn for more exalted personages than
NJ. Carteret and the frightened Protestants
of Geneva" But true Professionals, he con-
cludes, should be the last to applaud this
"despotism of Berlin, Berne and Geneva"
ianity is attacked, and, therefore, also Pro-
testantism. in whatever it retains that is
Christian"
The Clergy of the Jura.-We have now
the text of tue Berne decree ordering the
prosecution before the Court of Appeal and
Cessation of all the ecclesiastics in the
Canton who signed the protest against the
pretended deposition of the Bishop, and
Professionally euspending them from, all
against them. Tue decree is accomplished
by an order of the Executive Council to
the Projects of the Jura district, district,
be it remembered, which was annexed to
Canton Berne under very special stipula-
tions against interference with any Catholic
rights or privileges. This order ebjoins
the projects to serve upon each of the
ninety -seven ecclesiastics o copy of the
decree; to put the suspension in force, by
charging police agent to see that they
exercise no parochial function whatever,
and to demand of them the surrender of ali
the registers of births, death and maria
ges. The Lberte of Fribourg justly OBJ
serves that this act "places the Catholic
Jura in q position which Western Europe
has never witnessed since 1904 whole
country deprived of it's lawful pastors, the
priests of a whole district forcibly torn from
the spiritual charge ofthelr parishes" And
the Frihourg paper does not think that the
Government will content itself with the
suppression ofthe clergy's means of sub
sistence, or even with the seizure of the
churches and presby teries. The clergy
would be supported by the voluntarily
offerings of the population, by subscrip-
tions from the Catholics of Switzerland,
and if necessary of France, where there is
q long standing and lively sympathy for
"the Bernese Poland" And if they were
only driven out of the churches, the Divine
Offices would be celebrated in the barns,
SO that the Government would have shown
its Intolerance to the whole of Europe
without any very great result from its own
point of view: The Liberte therefore thinks
that there will soon be in Switzerland
territory in which the preaching and pro-
fession of the Catholic religion will be no
freer than they are in China or Corea, per-
haps less free. This is by no means too
strong way of stating the case, for the
act which has been required by the parish
priests is one, the committal of which
would cause them instantly to cease to be
Catholics. They are summoned ''to break
off every kind of official relation" with
their Bishop, and "henceforward to exc