The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1875-01-10

In ours, that the Catholic religion, by Ito
recognition OF the Roman Pontiff, wasinvet-
erately hostile to s'modern society" Il is
pleasant to see how Mr; Burke deals with the
argument Of Mr.. Gladstone. 'This old su-
perstition," he says, stating the objection
with which we are now 30 familiar, sis such
in its principles that society, in its general
principles, cannot subsist along with it."
And how did Burke judge this argument
"Could a man think such an objection,
tually heard it made7 An objection con-
tradicted, not by Hypothetical reasonipgs,-
but by the clear evidence of the most de-
cisive facts. Society not only exists, but
fourishes at this hour, with this super
stition, in many countries, under every
civil society at all in these kingdoms before
the Reformstiouf 1t certainly did then
exist; and it certainly then was at least as
much to the advantage of very great part
of society as that zoe haze brought in the
place Of It,
Burke had not forgotten, as Mr.. Glad
stone seems to do, that "Catholicsm," by
the confession of Hallam and Lecky laid,
the everyfoundationso Of modern civilization"
To him, in spite of his Protestant preju-
dices, the Syllabus would have been little
more than . series of Christian truisms. 1t
was directed against impious and subver-
sive maxims which Burke spent his life in
agreeable delusion Of "modern thought"
which Carlyle ridicules when he says :: "In-
tellect did not awaken for the frat time
yesterday, bnt has been under way from
Noah's flood downwards; greatly her best
progress, moreover, was in the old times,
when she said nothing about it," Burke
understood that not only civilization, learn
ing, and liberty owed their very beiag to
the Catholic religion, and found their most
indomitable champion in the Holy See ;
but that loyalty also, of which Liberals do
not comprehend even the motive, and
which they openly do their best to dis
courage in other lands, was as truly the
product of that religion as faith and virtue.
"These Catholics" said Burke, at the very
moment when they were trampled under
foot by English laws, ''show every mark of
loyalty and zeal in support of the Govern
ment." He was the more struck by this
because, as he generously observed, we
ought to recolleet the poison which, under
the name of antidotes against Popery, and
such like mountebank titles, has been cir
culated from our pulpits and from our
presses, from the heads of the Church of
England and the heads of the Dissenters."
Such "infiammatory libels," as he had the
courage to call them, and among which
Mr.. Giadstone's new expOstulation finds its
appropriate place, only made Burke say :
"Tbe King ought certainly not to give up
any part of his subjects to the prejudices of
another. So far from it, I am clearly of
opinion that the Catholics ought to have
been taken under the protection of Gov
ernment." He saw that the only effect of
such legal and polenical rufiiianism was
"to drive all religion from our minds, and
to fill them with nothing but violent
| hatred of religion of other people," This
great statesmen saw further, as all men see
| by what is now doing in Germany and
Switzerland, that to attempt to gag the
Catholic religion, no matter under wha,
pretence, is to stile Christianity. SIT is a
Great truth, }" he said, sand which in one oa
the debates stated as strongly as eonld
to the House of Commons in the last Ses-
sion, that if the Catholic religion is des.
troyed by the ipfdels, it is most con
| temptible and absurd idea that this, or any
| Protestant Church can survive that event.
| (Letter to William Smith, Esq., Ant
whereas Mr.. Gladstone conspired with
blasphemous rabble to pull down tn
throne of the Two Sicilies, and grasped tn
hand, which Mr.. Disraeli ecorned to 90, Q
the buccaneer Garibaldi, Burke offered hi
i felicitations to the Sovereign of Russia
because "your sagacity has made yoa per
ceiye that in the case of the Sovereign
France, the cause of all Sovereigns is trieG
that in the case of its Church, the cause OF a
Churches" (Letter to the Empress OF hu'
sin Such is the difference between
statesman, solicitous for the pront OF &c
+ ciety, and mere politician sehemlpg oni
But Mr. Gladstone in not silenced ye
! ono man. says Burke, emo set OF me
q living are At to administer the affairs
J, regulate the interior economy OF the Cn1re
r to which they are enemies" Mr.. Glat
n stone could tell him that Liberals are fit
d administer or regulate anything whateve
It But this is not his only reply to Burk
n The Catholic Church, he says, in Jnst,fic
!. tion of his own "inhammatory libel" !"
"A changed her nature since the Vatican C0u
i. ell. Bismarck, who is such an excelle
10 indee, says the same thing, and prooa0
3. laughs in HE sleeve while he says IL. d
it is a foolish and transparent taisehooo,
10 even Protestants admit. "To our mlno
il. says the Spectator, "the Vatican can 1%H S0un
n authority which had been virtually
"a. nreme in the Church of Rome for centur
a previous to it's formal enunciation. 1t
;ne not 40 much alter as formally publish
" ;. common com belief as to the centre Of poWe
he that Church.n Every Bishop in Christ
ia dom, including those who from motlV e
~ worldly wisdom once deprecated lts det
;fv tion. affirm it now as a truth OF taith.
~ ha Dana Ia aS truly