The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-03-19
ROMAN CATHOLICS.

No matter what may be said Of the .
blind devotion Of the Roman Catholic .
Iaitv to their church and priesthood in /.
countrir, where it ma, ever been the Only +
recognized AMI established church, the .
same cannot be said Of lis members in
the United States This j, due from one
OF two causes In European countries.
where the religion has always been 1t
power, there has, fora long period past,
existed bitter preclude" among " large
clu,s to thi, church. Hence It's members
have been and are warrcd upon, and
,riyrn in self defence, to bind them
selves more firmly together, and rec"g-
uising their church as the object Of attacks
huyr been made more and more positively
determined To- rally to her defence.
Again in many of these European coun-
tries, ignorance largely prevails, and tn"
people not indulging in thinking for
themselves, and indeed, having only one
channel in which to think, and besides,
having to look up to their priests as their
sole instructors and guides, very natu-
rally cling tcuaciously to their ideas and
teachings, and view with almost super
stitious horror any inroads upon, orde-
parturcs from, what they believe Is
only truth. But here in America
this is not the case. Here there
is no national church, no established re-
Hgion. Every man can think and be-
licve rs he pleascs, and the consequence
l. there is no warfare, norpersecution for
rrli giou> convictions and hence neither
pride nor seltrcspcct are demanded FOL
the maintenance of any .spcclal creed.
In addition to this, the very influence
md characteristic of the American Re-
nuhlir is that of free thought and asa de-
uinl of the privilege, which has come to
I've regarded here rs one of the essential
elements Of freedom, is immediately re-
,cntcd it inevitably follows thatmen will
think for themselves, in spite OF every
thing and so spirit OF independence on
ALL subjects, secular and religious Is cnScn-
dcrcd.
This fact of independence among
American Roman Catholics has never
been more conclusivcly demonstrated
tnan at the present time. On the loth
instant the New York Unpublished
Il sermon sand to have been delivered in
that city, on the day previous by
Roman Catholic priest, Rev. Father
WALKER, in which he is asserted to have
.nokcn most bitterly and intcmperatcly
REGARDING the education Of Roman Cath
ollie children in the public schools. He
i, even reported to have gone :" far As t"
have said that Roman Catholic who
did this. was guilty of perjury, and
worthy of death and damnation. This
sermon has called forth many letters
from Roman Catholics in New lrk,
defsntly opposing the stand taken by this
priest. One person says:
"Thcsc continued and uncallcd-tor at
lacks ON the public schools will crcntu-
ally keep away converts and Others from
tho church. No Catholic or Protestant
parent would send their children 10 i'm
ianral schools if they knew it, and no
Catholic cmld going TO apubllc school
com be influenced or drawn from It's faith
unI.ss the parents themselves are neg
Iectful Of their own duty.
Still another says:
"Wnh AL due respect to Father W ak
er. am all adopted citizen, not pcrJnrrd
and not afraid Of going To- he'll for send I
ing my children 10 the public schools,
snCw as good Catholic priests rs he Is, and !