The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-08-24

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community for their most generous hospitality
was passed. and then the Presbytery adjourned
at saturday noon, after a most pleasant meeting,
despite the extreme heat of the weather.
II. A. B.
From the Interior.
The Centennial Celebration at York
= At u the approaching centennial of the surren-
DER OF Lord CORVALLIS to Washington at York
town, Va, on Sunday, October 16. the RELIGIONS
services, we are informed, are to be conducted
by the Roman Catholic Bishop Keane, of Rich
mond Va, assisted by the Roman Catholic
Archbishop Gibbons. of Baltimore, and in the
evening of the same day by the Rev. DIR. John
nan. fresoyterlan' OF New York. Such is the
announcement made by the committee of ar
rangements for this great national celebration.
The prominence thus given to two prelates Of
the Romish church, over all the Protestant min
listers OF every other denomination of Christians
IN the United States has already called forth
much indignant criticism in the public prints,
and still more in thousands of private circles.
II has filled many minds with surprise and
disgust 1t is an appointment which seems to
set at defiance all the historic memories and all
the decent proprieties of the occasion. Whv
should all New England be ignored in this
appointment and with it, that powerful Con-
gregational body, which a hundred wears ago
was the strongest in the country, and without
whose AID In the pulpit, in the cabinet and in
the held, the cause of American independence
could not have been won? And why, too, at
such a celebration, should the whole Presbyte-
rlan body of the Southern and Middle States. at
that time the next most influential church in
the thirteen colonies, and without whose power
ful aid IN Virginia and the Carolinas the final
victory at Yorktown could not have been gained
be entirely set aside? Had Virginia no distin.
guished historic names even among her own
Presbyterian ministers, like those of Hoge at
Richmond and Alexander at Prince Edward
who were worthy to take part in such a com,
memoratlon, on the double ground that they
had won distinction themselves and were the
very descendants of the heroic men who had
helped to win the battles of the WARP
What claim have these Roman prelates
mostly of foreign birth, education and sympa-
thies, whose denomination scarcely existed in
our country hundred years ago. to be thus
exalted over the patriotic descendants of the
noble band of heroes who bore the heat and
burden of the day that tried mems souls"
OF the men who fought under Washington
through the revolution, not one in hundred.
perhaps not one in five hundred, could have
been Roman Catholic. The rank and file of
the Continental army from Bunker Hill to
Yorktown, as well their commissioned Of
hcers, with few exceptions, were Protestants
either OF the stern Puritan and Congregational
mould, or of the equally stern Scotch Irish and
sentiment of writer in one of the CITY news
papers, and we think the whole country would
endorse the same, that so far as possible lineaI
defendants of those who participated in the re-
volutlonary struggle should be selected to of
hclate at the celebration of the victory gained
Iy tnelr forefathers The Presbyterians and
the Congregationalists, as constituting the two
most influential bodies of Christians in the land
at that time-one In the north east and the
other In the southern and middle colonies have
just historic claim to be represented on this
occasion, as they took the most active part in
securing our independence. The committee of
arrangements have made a sad mistake in this
nncalled for, and unhistoric preferment of
komish prelates. If they do not wish to mis-
represent the American people, and to mar what
ought TO be great national commemoration of
historic facts, they should at once correct that
mistake Ii they do not. we warn them before
hand that IN the minds of thousands of intelli-
gent and patriotic American citizens the York
town celebration will be regarded as farce
and an outrage on all public property. II will
De poor patriotism to exalt single aspiring and
ambitious sect of Christians whose antecedents
nave never been remarkable for devotion to
American ideas or institutions at the cost of
disgusting the great majority of all other
churches, whose record through all history is
that they have loved human liberty and human
progress more than ecclesiastical prerogative and
priestly domination.
we agree win the writer In one of our ex-
changes, that in historical celebration there
should be some regard to historical facts. We
nave no prejudice against Roman Catholics as
such. We only object to putting them where
they do not belong and making their prelates
the representative of a great revolutionary
struggle In which they took little part. and
with whose success at the time they had little
or no sympathy. Their proposed prominence
iH t1e 1orktown Centennial as representatives
Of the national struggle will he as incort,r,n,
as 1t would be to have Roman Catholic Bisbop
take precedence Of all Puritan Congregations
lists at the celebration of the landing of tho
pilgrim fathers of New England on plymouth
Rock, or the putting of a Roman Catholic bishop
At the head Of Huguenot celebration in South
Carolina or Georgia. 1t would be insnltin, 70
all historic memories, and would only serve IN
bring the commemoration into contempt with
all fair minded, patriotic men.