The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1876-12-13

from onre. Inc only oneS, Wno Oy Ties
blood and language are found nearest the nj
tional comuunion, are the Portuguese. b
unfortunately it would never be these VIII
would impress on our society better d
rection, if they should come to er joy pollt
cal rights among us. In these circumstance
what advantage would revolution, initiate
under the preteuce of lberating US frOr
Rome, brir to Brazil? Made by Whicheve
of the three political p4ries, and granted tn
hypothesis that it should succeed, how woul
it advance the question? 1t is certain tba
it would extiogush the "persOnal power
which 10 day exists, but it is also certain
that another would subs ute it, if a wors
thing than this should not arise, fratri
cidal struggle of various leaders, and lup
ture Of the uai)n, which really has no aim
aud would not attain one by that victory
Revolutionary shocks, as history teaches US
only sgi;ate peoples adSantageOusly wher
there are good gerus to devel p. Aud in th'
present case if revolutionary victory should
be gained with the aid Of the masonic ee
ment of the capital of the Empire, we would
even run the risk of retrogradipg to the
phase anterior to Independence.
The enterprise is more difficult than many
imagine, because the work, 10 order to be
profitable, must be gentle and accurate. We
treat of nothing less than giving new fOun-
dation to Brazilian society, and placing it on
a new track.
FIRST, The whole element of fanaticism
must be extirpated; cleansing the national
body of the leprOsy of slavery, and educating
and instructing the liberated and the indi
genous population of the North, which lives
in immediate contact with the white popula
ton, in such way that the miserable inhab
ilauts of the interior may cease to contribute
an "explorable mass for Romish mission
aries.
Second, The Church must be separated
from the s ate, stopping the absurdity of a
privileged religion. Against this reform the
trite argument that the State has the reli-
gion of msjority of its inhabitants cannot
now avail, because, if by such ms jority We
lnderstand-whst We oughtto understand
the mass of the voting citizens, that is indif.
ferent ratbep than anything else. Moreover,
What the Constitution decreed was that the
religion of the State should continue to be
the same which it already was in the colony,
add as to day there no longer exists the
Catholicism of 1924, so altered is it by re
cent d 'guas, it is clear that we can, al
.h,ush respecting the spiri' of our constitu
ional legislator, cancel from our fuodamen.
:al c)de, as void Of practical meaning, The
) b Article.
After this the State will have no more to
h with the national conscience, which of it's
Sn it4tise will choose the religion which
most suts it, II is then the duty, not only
# tue liberal, or R publican party, bu, of
he Conservative party, of all the parties
composed # Brazilus who love their spa
ria, to thiuk OF substituting indifference by
belief, aud superstition by faiab, the only To-
plrtr of good deeds, moral or political. If
he friar, C4stauo d. Messina, says that
here is no advantage in sending youth to
school, the enemies of obscurantism will i'm,
nediately know that the school is the best
Medicine for killing Jssui:s, aud has only to
establish them and distribute them prOfusely.
As soon as the priest is cancelled from the
census, and when we say priest, we under
stand the Archbishop, the Bishops, the Vi
,ars General, the prelates, the canons, the
,urates sealed aud recommended, the assis-
;ants, the Church revenues, the tax tables,
the trapping', the repairs of churches, etc.,
as soon as the priest is cancelled from the
census, it will be a good article for educa-
ton and in little while Instead of the
of Mariolatry, We will have the
diffusion of thousand sciences useful to the
health of soul and body. II is schools, acad-
emies, and universities that will open new
paths to the spirit emaucipated from govern
neotal tutOrage. Aud as it is an indisputa-
Bile fact that no nation can exist without a
moral basis, and Consequently without reli'
Sion, between the two currents of supersti-
ton aud Indifference which to day exist,
there will a)w forth the liViug stream of ma
tiOnal faith, the light of the Gospel.
Yea, after comparing the frui of the law
Of the Gospel among the most prosperous
peoples of the earth With the ruin with which
Roman Catholicism has oppressed the world
wherever it has passed; after contemplating
the prosperity Of Protestant nations and the
decadeuce Of Catholic nations; after inves
eating the reason OF the individual initiative
of the Anglo Saxon race, and the expectant
inertia of the Lltin race; after seeing Eng
lish America rise as colossus in one cen.
tury, and Portuguese America struggle still
10 the swadlling band, of infancy in its crs
de three centuries old, we believe that the
Brazilians will for some time lay aside the
barren strife of parties, the momentary iue
quality of powers, the question of the form
of government, to attend with more interest
to the fundamental question of the State, the
religious question, and to decide for one o.
these two forces, the one of blessing, the 9th
er of exteruinatiou, one that places on thu
forehead of nations the sign of life, the othel
.ll Il Ian,h. H. CAnnL &C Oh, Z