The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-08-23
Catholic Progress in England.
From the London STANDARD J

Il Is one that has been avowedly penned 10
| consequence of, rather than In answer to,
an argument recently set forth In the Geo
| graphical ReUiew, wherein the writer main
tains, after the manner of Gradgrind, by a
| series of figures and calculations, that tn o
Catholic body in England is decreasing in
| numbers in proportion to the general pro-
gress of the population. Into statistics of
| the question the writer in the Month does
not enter in the least. He in no way, even
| once, touches upon them. Throughout the
whole course of his reasoning not o single
figure is adduced. To his view, and, we
think, most reasonably, the mere numerical
part of the matter, Immediately under con-
sideration, is of secondary Importance.
The gauge applied by our contemporary
is at once nobler and more trustworthy.
The statistics, whatever they are, how
ever procured and however arranged, the
Month at once unhesitatingly denounces as
"utterly and palpably untrustworthy."
They are necessarily entirely copjectural.
They are vaguely guessed at deductions or
differences. They are certainly notproved
and reliable facts. Beyond which, as in
ually in dispute. they are simply beside
the question. Happily, however, as the
writer in. the Month goes on Immediately
to argue, "there are measures Of advance
for body "like the Catholic body, in
England especially, which are more valu-
able and more significant than those which
are reckoned by the counting of heads"
Until religious census shall be again
made, it must remain, as matter of
course, entirely problematic, whether the
aggregate number of Catholics in this coun.
try amount to 1900, 900 or to 5000, 600
whether the Catholics in London alone
should be regarded as slightly above or
every inquiry of this kind as really of COM
parative indifference, our contemporary
insists, with the fullest possible reason,
that what it could wish to have ascertained
in regard to the growth of the Catholic
body is 'its growth in compactness, in or
ganization, in the knowledge of it's own
resources and in their fuller development,
in courage and manly assertion of its own
rights, in independence of party politics
and social tyrannies, in the literary and
intellectual power which may enable it to
command the attention of the mass around
it, and do something towards cleansing the
air of England of that lurd cloud of inso-
and weekly from almost as many organs
of tho Press as there are furnaces aud
chimneys in the Black Country Towards
the realization of something of all this,
one has but to recall to mind for mo-
ment the position or condition of Catho-
licism in this country prior to the estab
lishment of the Hierarchy, now very near
ly quarter of Il century ago, and it's act
ual position or condition nowadays. 81
requiris, circumspice. "The
Measures of Catholic Progress" 30 regard
ed, give evidence, at least, of this, that,
integral part of the body polite, we
have as distinctly come to the front now
as we were formerly in the background.
The retrospect, at this precise juncture,
is all the more interesting, under existing
from realization of the fact
that the Anglican Church is again entering
one of its great stages of transition, when
the natural yearning, trending, or pro.
cligity of many earnest believers within it's
is distinctly in our direction.
When this transition-stage last came it was
known as the Oxford Movement. Now it is
Familiarity spoken of as the Rtualistic
Movement. Then, thirty years ago, as the |
Month now most appositively recalls to re-
mem brance, came, under the Providence of |
God, that " remarkable accession to the |
Church of band of converts who acknowl-
edge the Oxford Movement as the origin of
their incliniEg towards Catholicism, and
DR.. Newman as the providential Instrument
whose mind and whose course guided
theirs" Outside the Church the influence
of the great theological thinker, whom
every body but himself was fain to recog-
Mise throughout as the Leader of the so
called Tractarians, urged irresistibly, and
for long, no doubt, quite unconsciously, |
tOHdTus CEO"o VI
who some sooner, some later than himself,
were eventually, through the mercy of
God, absorbed into it's bosom. Within the
Church, attracting numbers towards it |
from all directions, there was felt, at that
same time, the Influence of another earnest |
and devoted nature, of another high and |
dominant intellect, that of Nicholas Wise. |
man, then Bishop of Melipotamus, later on |
Cardinal and Archbishop of Westminster
no less distinctly than John Henry New
man a presidential instrument in tue ex-
pansion and development here in England
of the sacred interests of Catholicism.
Nearly ono whole decade has already
elapsed since the first Primate of our
newly created Hierarchy was gathered to
his rest, after having nobly ought the good
fight and, in leading US onward, won the
love and reverence of all his spiritual
children. Since then, during this interval
of nine years and upwards, the Catholic
body bias, in the truest sense of ALA sense
far beyond the idle dreamings of stats-
ticians-been appreciably rising, advanc-
ing, and expanding. 1t has 80 risen, ad-
vanced, aud expanded, as the writer in the !
Month for this present August takes occa-