Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-04-08
WHAT THE CHURCH OF
ROME.WANTS.

. every sect which does not disturb 9th
ers, and keeps within the bounds of de
cency, is free to make as many convert
, as it can. Such, we trust, will always
/ be the case. If there are any evils con
nected with this freedom, they are o
infinitely less weight than those which
must arise from the connection of civi
and religious powers. There is proba
bly, no objection on the part of any de.
nomination, save one, to this equality
and that oneis the Church of Rome.
} We have shown in articles formerly
published in our columns, and have
extorted unwilling admissions from the
Catholic Telegraph, that its sect accepts
the existing status merely because it is
the best for minority. If any one As
serts it to be good, in itself, he comes
into direct conflict with the ex-cathedra
declarations of the Holy See. No
promise has ever been made of the con-
tinuance of such liberties should ma
jorities be reversed, and we know by
what has been done, and what is still
doing in other countries, that a return
of the favor would be the last thing to
be granted. By its own history and
by its own statement the Church of
Rome is an intolerant, exclusive, and
prosecuting body. The allegiance OF
its officials is due, first, to the Pope,
and, secondly, to the country in which
they reside. The Pope is,moreover, the
infallible interpreter of the relations
between Church and State, and the de-
firer of the latter's limits, for the
former has none.
We remarked the other day that bap-
tized members of the Roman Church
were regarded as within its fold. If
that body which furnishes far more
than its numerical proportion of
criminals can not keep men out of pris-
on by its sacraments other ceremonies,
the trouble must be ascribed to lack
of moral instruction has hitherto been
furnished to the inmates of onr prisons
and reformatories, and in general the
ethics on which the Christian public
are agreed have been presented, with
a careful avoidance of sectarianism.
This the State provides, because it
has at heart the reformation Of the Of
tenders. If it went further and pro-
vided for the inculcation of the special
dogmas of the Baptists, the Presbyteri-
ans, of the Methodists, it could right
fully be charged with favoritism. Is
the case any different when faith
which intermlngles religious tenets
with theories that strongly saver Of
treason demands peculiar privileges ? =
No one objects to vigorous presen-
tation of the leading doctrines Of relig-
ion by Roman Catholic priest. He,
as any other respectable and Jealous
man, can have full liberty to help the
fallen to better life. But this is just
what the Church of Rome will not al
low. If it can not carry its full cere-
monial within the prison walls, it pre-
fers TO let the convicts go without in
struction as far it is concerned. Like
the dog in the manger, it holds to its
own narrowness, careless of, or rather
hostile to, the rights of everybody else.
Bishop Rosecrans, of Columbus, has
just manifested this characteristic very
plainly. He was asked to preach in
the penitcntiary. He declined, and
added:
In regard to the appointment of some
future Sunday, you will permit me to
speak frankly, and L hope to do so in
such a manner as to show my apprecia- |
tion of your personal courtesy, while |
[ explain to you the reason why l |
would prefer not to accept the invita-
ton. In the first place, preaching in |
our church Is only very small Incl
dent of religious service, which consists |
of things of Weightier importance. l |
should be very 10th to put any sermon
of mine up for religious service. Sec
ondly, l should dislike TO intrude my |
discourse on those of the inmates whose
attendance is compulsory. We well
come mont n-CathOlics to our churches,
because they come voluntarily, and |
kave US free to present our own doc
trine, and when they are tired of listen.
ing, or annoyed at what is said, they
can go away. But l should feel very
uncomfortable to know that l must re-
frain from saying what ! conceive to |
be is for the real good of my hearers, as
saying it must ruffie the feelings of
those who can not help enduring it.
Fow the ceremonial to which the
Bishops holds may be very precious to
him, but it is not for the State to give
him the opportunity of carrying it out.
To do this involves injustice to other
denominations at least as respectable
and numerous as his own. He can urge
convicts and repentance and promise
them forgiveness on condition of their
penitence without transgressing the
comfy which he and all other Ameri-
cans owe to their fellow citizens of 9TH
er creeds. When he demands more,
he repudiates the American idea.
AS our readers already know, DEM
ocratic Legislature by priestly bidding
has lent itself to make the policy of the
Vatican party issue. This act will
be repudiated and condemned by every
fair-thinking citizen of our State, and
the old condition of things be restored.
Ohio is not yet province of the Holy
See, and flunkeys and bigots are not
long to sway her counsels.-[ Gin. Gaz.
Florida has 100000 acres of timber
land, and is said to be the best timber
ed State in the Union. The cattle
rangers, however, twice year, and
sometimes oftener, burn over immense
of fine timber land, destroying hund-
rod, of thousands of lorUa x,ol,,,kla