The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-02-23

means, aud prayer is the best of these.
The Republicans Biqotry.
The Republican party has an organ il
this city called The Republican, which is moi
much of a credit to it. One of the chief
peculiarities of that paper is it's bigotry, q
quality eminently exhibited in its last
Wednesdays issue in an article entitled
"spain among the Republics"
The following extract will exemplify
! our statement:
1t is impossible now to estimate the distance
between the throne and the people, or the altar
a., and those who paid tythes for it's maintenance
Kings kindred divinity, and for priests .
sanctity which excluded their acts from inves-
tigation here and from responsibility here
despotism and superstition, the subjects of
both were debarred the use of the primer and
the Bible. Nothing could have ever ov9r-
thrown this double despotism over the mind
and BODY except the corruption and dissentions
OF the partners In power. Early European
history is nothing except o narrative of this
fraud and violence: Even the reformed free
all of human liberty, grew out of O conflict be-
tween stubborn and sensual king and o spir.
itual potentate, claiming o temporal right to
name of Him who had created all countries
But this great Babylon hath fallen" and no
agency has been moro powerful than that of
free and successful government in the United
States of America. In>nothing have the twin
despotisms striven harder and more harmop-
ously than, first, in overthrowing the republic
in America, and secondly in sending their SEN
timents for surreptitious dissent alton among
those they could not subdue. But the atmos-
phere of republic is fatal to noxious doc
trines
Take this extract sentence by sentence
and observe its utter disregard of history
and fact.
"The distance between the altar and the
tythe- payer Kings were of royal blood;
priests, Bishops, yes and Popes, came as
we'll from the PEASANTS cot as from the no.
ble's palace.
"The sanctity fpriests." Not one W ord
of proof can be found to sustain the un-
scrupulous assertion that priests were not
amenable to the Investigation of their con-
duct here and to its punishment both here
and hereafter.
"The primer and the Bible" The truth
is that priests were the only ones for many
centuries who taught-zealously and labo-
only the primer, but rheto-
ric and logic and mathematics, frequent
~ without any reward and never with
the motive of amassing money. The stale
falsehood about the "Biblen does not much
accredit the intelligence of any man who
can believe it.
"Double despotism." And yet every
page and every line and every letter of
history, from the day of Constantine to
that of Luther, is, as it were, TRANSPORTED
with the divine charity of the Church into
a luminous protest against despotism and
in favor of the oppressed. She found
civilization scattered to the winds before
the invasion of barbarian hordes. She
found laws destroyed and violence domin-
ant; power triumphant and weakness with
out hope or help. Arts were despised and
fallen into oblivion. Science was no longer
o living thing but lay hidden within the
silent pages of books preserved through
the greatest exertion. Ignorance covered
the land as with pail, and brute strength
was law. Princes were despots and the popu-
lace slaves. The church, one of the "twin
interfered in behalf of the
oppressed. 1t taught them, enlightened
them, clothed and fed them. 1t interceded
with the other of the "twin despotisms,"
argued, implored, reprehended, threatened,
and subjected itself to
The enmity of the mighty that the poor
and weak should be relieved somewhat.
light spread, the arts were ex-
humed from their ruins, learning was re-
vived, universities were established, great
minds developed, great works of masters
written, painted, sculptured, erected.
Liberty was brought forth from her chains,
popular rights were ascertained and re-
,ognized, constitutions formed, civil laws
and civil rights protected. Des-
1otism was cIcumscribed within the
pounds of limited monarchy, political rights
we're placed on a basis of equity, and dem
'cracy established throughout Christendom
n fact if not in name. Then came the
with its train of wars, re-
,OlutiOns red -renuhlico MAN intervaIs Of