The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-05-13

| i
| bethun persecution. Schiam aud heresy o
| various kinds spread wide, Presbyterian
ism and PnritaDism were creeping in, but
On tho whole men had but exchanged Il
! higher religion for a lower, and die not yet
dream OF casting it off altogether. The
case is very different now in Germany, fol
whatever hold Lutheranis IN may still have
on the population, and whatever gTourd
| the " Old Catholcs may gain, it is inf
deity which mocks at both, that is really
advancing and sapplng the foundations OF
all belief in revelation and the supernatn
raj. Nor can this Influence be wholly ex-
cluded from the Catholic body, considering g
how many Catholics are in the service OF
the Government and compelled to assist in
the execution OF its taws.
There is no persecution so dreadful as
lega! persecution. Popular violence is soon
over, and often easily avoided or overcome,
but legal cruelty acquires a certain respec-
liability in the eyes of the majority, wears
to many the appearance of justice, and
places the recalcitrants in the dangerous
position of rebels aud trsitOre. The fact of
the Catholic Church in Prussia being CO.
establishment aud it's. clergy paid some.
times and in some places by the State only
makes them more Immediately it's victims.
they would agitate in vain, as some of the
Anglican clergy are beginning to agltate,
for d'sestablishmeBt, seeing that the Prus
sian Government is resolved to keep them
in the moet independent condition possible.
Nor would they, perhaps, eIJoy any
more freedom even if they were wholly
severed fEom the State, for it ls hardly to
be expected that tie arbitrary PrnSslan
Administration would consent to 3" free
Church in free State" The pressure put
upon the Catholic population is the more
astounding because their number is SO
great, and one cauuot help fearing that
there must be among many of them Want
of frmness in their attachment to the
Church, or of courage in asserting their
principles In PRUSSIA they form 1886 per
cent OF the entire population; IN Bavaria
more than seven tenths are Catholics /; n
Wurtemburg they reach 30 per cent. IN
Baden they are two thirds OF tho Grand
Ducty; and in the entire empire the census.
of 1871 gives the following Numbers:
Roman Catholics. IA s67 46d
Christians Of various denomi nations. saIa5
In the census of 1864 there we're more
Catholic priests than Protestant ministers
on the list, the number of the former being
6 706, and of the latter c, 531. 1t is, there
fore, matter of great surprise that majo
rlty of Protestants in the State, which is by
no means overwhelming, should be able to
practise such outrages on the liberty of Ca
tholIcs as the list which we publish to day
exhibits. The clergy are not everywhere
n
the Government in general does not guar
autee their salary or that of the Protestant
ministers. The incomes of the clergy arise
mostly from endowments, bat in some par
ishes of the Rhenish provinces they are
provided for by the State. The Catholic
Bishops are paid by the Government, and
in some cases largely, but several of them
have already braved imprisonment and the
loss of revenue rather than sacrifice con-
science and submit to laws which they feel
intolerable. The Press laws in Prussia
have been made more severe, expressly to
obtain conviction more easily against "Ui-
journalists Not content with
prosecuting the publisher, the Government
inssts on knowing the writer, and retains
in Prison those who refuse to give evidence
on this point. Not long ago it confirmed as
priest of his parish renegade named
s Suszcnyski, who had proclaimed himself an
"Old Catholic" aud taken wife. Eveu
among the Liberal memGeta of the Pfus-
sian Laudtag there are those who take the
part of the persecutcd Catholics, WHO re-
moustrate with tho Ministers and point out
the Iuexpe6iency of continuing policy at
variance with the sentiments of humanity
and the practice of the age. Still the per
secution continues in full viCor, and none
can toresee what will I've the end thereof.
RGmors of war are Gnoat, and if the Empe-
ror of Germany shon'd again IL quire the
services of his Catholic subjects III arms he
may not think it expedient to ALLEVIATE their
affections md weaken their allegiance by
continued vexation of the most cruel and
wantOn description.