New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-07-04

4
become citizens they have already bee
sensibly affected by the influence OF gu
institutions. and consciously or uncons
ciously. somewhat weaned from theis DE-
pendence upon priessly guidance.
! 4 writer in Karper's Week,y. . sus
pended Catholic priest, giving as hi
authority the Catholic World, claims tha
the Roman Catholic population Of thi
country more than doubled its number
in the forty years from 1880 to 1870, an
that It now comprises more than one-Gftl
OF our entire population. In this calcuia
ton very important fact has been over
! namely, that more than one-hal
OF these so.called Catholics are merel,
nominal members of tina. church, attache,
TO It by the fact Of having been born 0
| Catholic parents, and by that trait o
! human nature which hesitates at fo.ma
change OF religion. I: is a noto
rloUs fact that Of the large con
gregations weekly crowd;ng every
Catholic Church in the country, q. leas,
swo-thisds, perhaps more. are women and
children. having necessarily no political
weight. OF these nass-attending child.
rem when grown up, the boys soon drop
out Of the sphere Of church influence.
cease the practical part OF their religion,
and can only be reached through tie
women, who IN this class have bu: little
Influence upon the political views Of their
husbands. The girls Still follow their
mothers. and when they in their turn be-
come wives bring up their children, boys
and girls. "religiously" as they were
brought up themselves, only to see the
same result repeated; the so-called -eli-
gious training taking effect for the most
part on the female sex only. and Just
here comes in the school question. The
priesthood see that their hold upon the
people is weak ana constantly weakening:
that under the influence Of our common
school system and the spiri: Of in
dependent though. engendered by
our political institutions. they can
no. count upon the male members
Of their focks as thoroughly reli-
able and docile in any question Of 30.
ltical import; in fact. that they will no:
IS rule submit to priestly dictatioa IN
political matters. unless. indeed, i, as
'umes some form affecting their pieju-
ilces. For instance. the jown-trodaen
Millions Of Ireland. escaping from the
weight OF aristocratic tyranny. are natu-
ally attracted by the title "Democratic."
Expressing the very opposite of all they
late. it requires but little eloquance 70 in |!
'eigle them into the ranks CT the party !
'earing that name. That party has ac- !
ordingly recruited itself from among tie ;
ewly naturalized, and these being
Mostly Catholics. it has Eattered their
and in its turn been
sed by the designing among Its
sading prelates and priests to subserye
neir interests. Thus the Democratic
arty and the Catholic Church OF this
ountry have acted and reacted upon each
Their. But there is 9 iimi. to political
nd ecclesiastical management. The
athoiic Church, with all its means Of in
uencing human action, is itself subjected
that greater power. the genius CT ma
on; and the genius OF this nation is not
I'd never can be in accordance with that
Romanism. For instance, it is claimed
those who are attempting to get up
lis scare that the Catholic priesthood.
ting as unit all over the country. and
rected by one head. can bring their
'wer over their Gocls SO to bear
'cn any point Of political attack IS to
rry it in their own interests. They can
{. Look at our late war. In the North ,
10 more eloquent for the Union than the f
tholic priests and bishops. while in the j.
nth they were blessing banners for the /
ntederate cause. and teaching slaves to
main in bondage even after the procla- .
.tion Of emancipation. No. the conflict =
tween Rome and modern civilization | :,
j never amount to anything serious in -
$ country, because in such a conflict =
me could not count upon the hearty :.
'por. Of her nominal adherents. Ia y
h conflict they would find themselves =.
re Americans than Catholics. r,
IS for the papal attack upon our public .,
90! system, if it results in the Danish =
ct the Bible from the schools, there
not be much triumph in that. It -.
not Danish the spirit Of individual in -
~ into religious questions, from which ~
custom Of reading the Bible in the
ools originally came: and as fox the y,
OF the schools being Goddess, which =.
leig second choice slogan, it is futile, :,
be neanest intelligence is capable OF -
ne that the religious instruction of the -,
ug 6evolves upon parents and pastors. ~,
upon the State.
/ the public schools Of New Orleans. 'A
u first established. the Bible was read -
out note or comment every day at the r;e
ling Of each school. In Difference to -
clamorous prejudices Of our Catholic ~,
alation. the custom was afterward abol- -a-
], and with the exception Of an attempt srl
otain from one Of our numerous State
entions since the wa. separate ~
e Of the school fund, which met the
re It deserved. the Catholics Of this Y.
have left the public schools unmo- 49,
d, and satisfied themselves with in. e.
ng as many children as possible to -.