Daily Republican., 1878-11-12

pIe3l leuB OI ItpuUilcb, htukb euu eih
pc os welded the strongest civil pow
or. This was external 70 her oonstitu
tion and accidental. She has now, yot
may almost say, no president, king o.
emperor, among her members. Almos
all earthly powers are now against her
hate her, and some ofthe most power
ful OF them are exerting all their nigh
to destroy her, but she Is at peace with
in herself, perfectly united in all hel
members. While all without are wish
ing and looking for her downfall, nc
one within her has the slightest ap'
prshension of decay or downfall God has
80 constituted mankind that no grea'
body Of msn lound together for evil,
either irreligion or civil anarchy can
live long. Error invariably, sooner or
later, works the destruction of the body
in which 1t exists. Truth alone il du-
rabls, and never falters, never varies.
It is the truth of Col in the Catholic
church that keeps her always united,
always one IN that union that Christ
said He must effect in His church John,
l0c., l6y.. and which He prayed for
so earnestly as st. John t, lis us In the
l7c. Of his gospel--that unity, that
Christ said to His Father, would make
the world believe that He had sent
Him, John TO-, 2lv. Bishop Lees
JapaDss did not know that unity in
the Catholic church, neither did the
Indian chief when a couple Of centur-
les ago in Massach usetts he told one Of
the evangelical missionaries, who was
trying to convert him, to go home and
ascertain what their God revealed and
then come and tell him.
But P. Il. and his friends do not
sse this union. They SEQ only tyranny.
When the enemies of Christ Himself
saw Him cast out devils, aud they could
not deny the fact, they said He cast out
devils by the power Of Beelzebub.
One more proof OF p. h. that the Ro-
man Church is a soul-crushing despot-
ism, must not be passed over In silence.
II Is drawn from his own knowledge
and experience of what occurred thirty
years ago, in district In the south
west of Ireland. II he had been pleased
TO state all the facts We might be able
to show that the Catholic Church was
not the cause of the trouble. All who
know ireland, know that her oppressed
condition is such that very large p0r
ton Of her population had until lately
to live absolutely on potatoes, and that
during some seasons the potato crop
fails and the very poor are reduced to
tn. most destitute state.
Then, the philanthropic Protestants
of Ireland, and far more of England,
send large sums OF money to be spent
in feeding and clothing these abvct
poor. This money is put in the hands
of those who can make it do most good
viz max" most converts TO Protestant
ism. These furnish their charities only
TO those poor starving creatures who
will attend on Fridays and drink soup
and eat meat the best proof they can
get that these creatures are no longer
Papists. Now the lrisi, Il mean the
the Catholic Irish, hate
England as we'll as the Protestant as.
tendency OF Ireland, who for over two
centuries were united in their efforts to
grind out of them their faith or il not
their faith their lives.
may grant that these soup converts
who could not get enough to relieve
their wants from their fellow Catholics
VII wer nearly as poor as themselves,
suffered much from those they had left
for a time and who condemned them
because they have not the spirit of their
ancestors, Who rather than abandon
their religion lied of starvation or a
variety OF other miseries. +. Il. knows
that difference Of standpoint presents
an object nnder different aspect. |
think the candid Readers Of p Es. crit
icism will see that his proofs of the soul
crushing despOtism Of the Roman church
cannot be numerous or strong when he
ha to go to Ireland, of thirty years ago
for one proof which when fully uudrr-
stood tells thousand told more against
Protestant than Catholic tyranny. |
do not consider Bishop Becker's case
a proof at all.
He was not very long ago, a Protest.
ant. No one could or would make him
become Catholic. From the sense Of
his obligation to the will of God, and
an impelling desire for his salvation he
determined, after due examination of.
the grounds of religion in general and
sf the Catholic religion ia particular,
to become u Catholic. If he has been
made Bishop in the church, il was
not from any motive to award his con
version. but to make good use of his
learning, talents and piety. But Bishop
Becker is, like the hunblest of his peo-
Pile, free at any moment to leave the
;hurch and join any Protestant Sect he
might choose. There is no restraint on
him except that which the power of his
aith exercises. ! think | showed this
N my previous criticism, OF any and
very Catholic in Wilmington, and
therefore indirectly of the Bishop. But
t appears by p. Els last criticism, |
iiu hot prove my point sumClently and
therefore had to return to it.
1t is remarkable how Prot-stants
tnow, or think they know the work
ngs Of Catholicity better than Catho.
les themselves do. In this they ap
,ear like the Jews in the days of our
saviour they knew that Jesus was not
he Messiah, no matter how often He
old them He was the long-expectrd
)ne. They knew better. The Messiah
ould not be so poor, choosing for His
minister's poor, nncouth fishermen, and |
or His followers publicans and sinners.
low history, in religion as well as out
# it, works itself round in circles.
| admit, Massrs. Editors, that this
rtice is already too long, but there is
ne very important point in p. E's,