Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-01-21

claims infsllibility, is one which no Government
constituted like the British can tolerate with
either dignity or safety. The German Govern
ment is right in principle on this question,
whether it be just and wise in it's measures or
not and Mr.. Gladstone occupies q position that
is impregnable- The dogma of Papal infallibili-
ty is an offense to the common sense Of the
world and the doctrine of supremacy which
grows out Of it as naturally a tree grows ont
OF the soil,is challenge and an insult to every
Government that holds and protects a Catholic
subject within its limits.
This woud seem to be too plain a matter to
call for augmentation. To claim supremacy in
matters Of conscience, and to hold ut the same
time, the power of deciding on questions OF con-
science-of declaring what s right and what is
wrong, in all things civil as we'll az religious lis
to clam the supreme and all subordinating alle-
glance of every man who belongs to the Catholic
communion In every country of the world How
any fair minded man can deny this is beyond our
comprehension and the only reason why
the matter does not make as great
commotion in America as it does in Great
Britain and Germany, is that, as a State, We
have no connection with the Church. Practically
the matter is of very little Importance to US.
The Catholic Church has the same toleration
here that tile Methodist Church has-no more,
no less. Our Government simply protects it in
its liberty, and sees that its own laws are obeyed
irrespective Of all church communons. We come
into no collision with it, because we assume no
has State church, and it cannot tolerate the
existence Of two authorities that assume
supremacy within the same kingdom but Eng
land is weak IN its position, because itself
assumes to be an authority in matters OF re-
hgion.
Theoretically, the Sovereign of Great Britain
"can do no wrong" Here is is doctrine of
"infallibility !" and though it has no such
range as that Of the Papacy, and is applied rath-
or TO the breaking than the making Of law, it is
Just as absurd as that against which Mr. Glad
stone inveighs 30 nightly. There the State
undertakes to NEEDLE with the Church. 1t sup
ports and in many ways directs it, and exercises
functions that are just as illegitimste and pre-
sumptuous as those assumed by the Pope with
relation to the different States. The same may
be said of Prussia and the Pope has good right
TO say If he chooses to do so Take your
hand from religion, and will take mine fnom
the State So long as you choose to make
State affair Of religion you must not blame me
for doing the same. Give me back my kingdom
and my temporallties. Shape your policy to the
necessities Of my Church. Until you do so, l
will define the limits of your power, and OF my
own, as it seems best to me, and best for the in
terests l have in charge"
For ourselves, we rejoice to witness the pres
ent struggle. In the progress of the world, and
in the free development Of the power of Chris
tianity, it Was necessary that it should come !;
and its coming marks an epoch and demonstrates
an advance. Just 80 soon as the nations Of the
world can comprehend the fact that the King
dom OF Christ is not a kingdom OF this world |;
that it is within men, and is not in any way CON-
plcated with civil organization and administra-
non,- just 30 soon will all strife between the
State and the Church cease The Pope, if report
be true, has recently said that the only country
where he is truly and practically respected is the
United States. The reason is, that the State
simply minds its own business, and lets him alone
Whom other States attend only TO their civil
functions, and let the Church, in all its denom-
nations, take care Of itself, they will care no
more about the dogma Of Papal infallibility than
they do about the civil dogma of regal infalhoili
ty. They will not even take the trouble to "speak
disrepectfully of the equator" 1t is now essen
tally fight between the head Of the greatest OF
the churches and the civil heads of the smaller
churches. We have mo such head in Ameri-
ca, and therefore we don't care. Par
ticulary, we do not care how soon
the fight proceeds to its predestined end-the
disestablishment Of all the churches of Europe.
That is the natural solution of the difficulty, and
the only possible one 1t may come through " q
great religious war;" which the wise are fore
telling, but which real wisdom will avoid by
putting away, at once and forever its cause
The OK is strong and excellent beast but he
cannot be yoked with the horse, who is equally
strong and excellent. The horse cannot work
according to his law without wearing out tile OK
and the OK cannot work according to his law
without degrading horse and cheating him
OF his power. The Church and the State can no
more be yoked together with natural advantage
than the OK and the.horse. To undertake to
unite the machinery of the State and the Church
s, in the end, to degrade the latter. To make
the Church in any way subordinate to
the shifting necessities and caprices Of politics
is a practical Dissertation Of holy things We
believe that no State church ever existed, ,wheth-
or presided over by pope or king, that did not
become corrupt, or 80 nearly dead as to lose its
asgressiveness and healthfulness as a spiritual
power. Mr.. Gladstone and his friends have only
to labor earnestly for the disestablishment Of
the Church Of England, to lose all practical in
terest in the Papal dogmas and the Papal as
sumptons. BY doing this they will at least be
in a position, as Englishmen, to oppose them
with come show Of consistency.