New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-22
DIR. EWER'S RETURN SHOT.
A REPLY TO Mr.. BAKERS REVIEW.
THE "CorroN-MIIL ARGUMENT" FOR PROTESTANT
ANgWPRrD.

| THE "COrToN-MlIL ARGUMENT" FOR PROTESTANT
ISM ANSWERED.
| To the Editor Of The Tribune.
| SIR: As understand the reply to my first lecture
| on CathOlicty in ITS relationship to Professionalism
and Romanism. nv reverend brothers first point is
summed up in the following remark: Nevertheless
there is somethngi in the cottOn-mlll argument-and
something profoundly difficult to answer from DIR.
Ewer's position" viii you kindly print what said
on the subject in 1868:
The attempt is made TO identify Professionalism with
the Nineteenth Century. But one has charged
that the Nineteenth Century is failure that Freedom
gun, the sowing machine or the steam
boat are failures. The charge Is that Protest
antism hath wrecked the Bible the Church, the minis
try the sacraments, and the Apostolic faith. do
our adyersaries really mean to assert that not only
modern mes bnt everything IN modern times Is sue
cessi Then Comtcan school OF PositiVism ana
Emersonian Panthcism aud Spiritualism, and Fourier
ism and MOrmonism successes. But, thirdly, our 0p
ponents would have suppose that Professionalism Is
tho cause of all the glOries OF the Nineteenth
Century. WHAT the religious dogma that says:
away with Gods Apostolic visible Church, and let
every man be his church, his priest, his own
interpreter of the Bible and his own judge as to what
the Bible is" the OF all this science and modern
light The real cause OF the light and
advance OF modern times Is not theological dogma,
but is a general awakening and activity Of mind,
which began far back in the middle ages, four hun
bred years before the Protestant dogma was thought
of-an awakening OF mind, OF taste, OF the genius
Of invention, which, abandoning the ludc ttruc-
lures Of the seventh eighth ninth and tenth
centuries, brought ont, long before the Continental
reformation the most ornate specimens OF architecture
the world ever saw which in the eleventh century in
vented paper, and, before Calvin or Luther saw the
light produced the art of printing which in the twelfth
century devised banks OF exchange and discount, and
not long invented gnpowdcr, conceived the idea
II the post Office discovered and applied the principle OF
magnet sm IN the mariners compass, giving such start
to commerce and geographical discovery they had
never hal before which In the tenth century cOutrved
| clocks which invented painting In oil col
ors before Luther born which in the thir-
| teenth century introduced astronomy and geomc-
ry into Europe and not long after brought In algebra
fo,tercd all three sciences which discovered Afer
lea quarter OF century before the Continental Reior
| nation opened which, centuries before Luther, pro-
duced Dante, Pc-drch, ChaUcer, Bocclccio ana
Roger Bacon. The cause Of the light and advance OF
| modern times q general awakening OF Iniho III
Western Europe, which began clear back IN the tenth
century which brought out all this that have men
| toned and more which has been bringing out new
blessings 10 since which has rolled up and
out thousand thnCs-mOst OF them good some OF them
bad which after while rolled mp tho Protestant dogma
rs ono OF and varied inyentlonsi ana which Is
rolling up today England and America the solemn
prescutment OF that dogma aud OF is disastrous iruts
al ilH blI OF WIS tHiia ii'Il'A '''lN' va" 'fl''
would fam mako one. think that PrJtestantlsm
IS notmcrcy OF the mi Nturc Of things
that awakening mind ia lts power, but also IN It's h-
by turned up, 400 years after the mind had begun to
produce It's cOus fruits Dut that IL really i some
how or other the cause fa the good Of modern times
-gunpowder glass. paper, prntins, painting. tee-
scopes astronomy. algebra, Magma Chara. and every
thing else. Tnis TO suppose mother producing
children before she born. PrJestin.sm was bu,
one Of the effects Of the general awakening Of mind not
It's aud our charge IS that happened to be one
Of the bad cnecs-uot In TINT II struck 81 Roman error
rut because II has destroyed Catuohc i'uih also.
Where Pro. stanu.m prevails iheI every tAlug
!. triir" Tlu- u the argument. Nay,U should have
,.'l, 49, n. mo-. ui.ytii SGicn bless mankind and
some tnu-s thai ar. curses. Who're PfOts .su pre-
walls pnolnal "i'' S'l WIN ,,sI, a. W., r.. a,r,
thing prevails that bic,scs mankind; ergo, nhdehiy IS
| true.
| Pardon me If hereafter decline to answer refer
| atcd arguments which have already been answered.
eIthc ten years 500 or ~ the present course oil New
| ark lrct urcS, and keep silence.
The srcend objection which Mr Baker raises, is to
| nv statement that Christ came to relieve Us iIon
mere work or tho fundamentals OF supcruat-
| ural law and OF salvation. lie fOTtic5 his obIcc-
ton by stating that 1t n generally supposed that, on
the other hand, Christ came to save uN from olr suns
| | did not say He didn't. Then my reverend brother
| goes on 10 remark that as FOR gur+--Woik unless
| the lecturer has some other gospel tnan we have
Jesus tlcitiy denied that His mission had anything
10 do with cOuJcCiurCs. Unless my much respected
| brother has Some other gospel 'thau Catholics
have, jesus said =" will guide You into all TRUTH
declared that not only grace but also truth came by
| Him and left a church which the Holy Ghost calls
| "thc pillar aud ground Of the truth"
Mr.. Bakers third argument l. summed mp ~ the
charge; " lie Or. Even CaIics the decision Of the
| very question OF the whole lecture 10 the bar o
| that very private Judgment which he condemns as
| the evil genius of Professionalism" Certainly and
| what then " Reason stated III the lecture,
twas always held By Cathollcity to be the prelude
| of faith"
Mr. Bakers fourth and last point is " Tho Church
! bnt what Church" Reason, again, is the prelude
| Of faith he then charges me with leaving tho
whole subject in md-aIr lie certainly was justified
in making this charge, and 1t is the strongest point
| i'm his reply. But he misundcrstands; the lecture
| was simply the Introductory of course of six,
| which the Newark gentlemen requested, and il had
| 10 end somewhere. L. T.. EVER.
| Neir-Iork, May 10, 1873.