The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1875-06-16
MISCELLANY.
RoM1sH DEsfGxs IN AMERICA.

H.
49,
We design to speak with all fairness to-
wards the Roman Catholics in this country,
their religion and their church. So far as they
constitute an element of our American society,
and are honestly laboring for the general vel
fare, either temporal or spiritual, we wish to
commend them as we would any other portion
of our fellow citizens who are aiming at like
result. We recognize them as having become
among us powerful body of people, and we
have no wish TO interfere with their religion
or their church, or any of their charitable or
philanthropic operations so long as they are
conducted honestly and openly upon princi-
Piles which are recognized and accepted as
common to all men who seek the improve
ment of the human race. There are certain
fundamental ideas peculiar to our American
system Of government and society, which
must be borne in mind in considering the at
titude of the Ronlish Church towards the rest
of the world. For example, that in the civil
state the people are the source of authority,
and that civil government must be - from the
people, by the people, and for the people -
that every human being has the right of pri-
vate Judgment and of freedom of speech
and that there is no power on earth to coerce
the human conscience, or that can lawfully re-
strain or Cypress it !; these are things sacred
to every man, woman. and child that bears
true loyalty to the Constitution and laws of
the country. We have here no union of church
and state, but universal liberty of religion,
and system of popular education non-sec-
tartan and recognizing only the sacred Scrip
lures as the word of God, and the sacred Sab
bath as the ordinance of God. These things
were established by the fathers and founders
of the Republic, and have thus far been trans
mitted to us, their children, essentially unim-
paired. Under this American system of ideas,
the country has been developed, and the
American people have fourshed in unexam-
pied prosperity to the present time.
But the Romish system proceeds on basis
exactly the opposite of all this. Some of its
prime essential doctrines are in direct lostl-
ity to these American ideas. The Romish
priesthood teach that there is no salvation
outside of the Romish Church that the Pope
is the vicar of God on earth, and that as such
he rightfully holds all power, temporal and
spiritual that the Bible is to be withheld
from the common people ; that private judg-
ment in matters of religion is to be denied
that the human conscience Is to be coerced
and that for this purpose all popular educa-
ton must be in the charge of the hierarchy,
who control likewise the votes Of the Romish
laity, and claim the right of dictation over
the exercise of the civil suffrage. These are
vital principles of the Romish system, and
they need only to be stated in contrast with
the American system to show the utter ire
C0ncilibility between the two; and to furnish
an explanation of the designs and efforts of
the Romish power in this country.
! These things have been studied and known
from the beginning, and from time to time
voices of warning to the American people
have been lifted up. Meanwhile the Romislf
Church has been advancing, increasing in
numbers, wealth and power, until they have
now attained to formidable proportions, and
begin to put forth in holder manner the
declaration Of their designs for the future
To show their increase in this country, IL IL
stated by writer in the atlantic Monthly,
that 10 the year 1900 there were one Bishop,
fifty-three priests, and about ninety thousand
members. There are now seven Archbishops,
forty Bishops, three mitred abbots, three
thousand one hundred priests, sixty-five Cath
Ollie colleges, fifty-six converts of men. one
hundred and eighty-nine converts of women,
and four million eight hundred thousand
Catholic population. neither words, in 1900
the Catholics were something like one-seven-
tieth Of the whole population of the United
States. They are now about one-sixth. -
They have also increased faster than the gen.
eral population Of the country. and Judging
from the past they count on being one-third
of the whole population in the year 1900, and
Increase of Romans in the o. S. from 1880 to 1875
1880 there Roman Catholic for every 49,
1Qa0