The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-14

far she has been successful in holding
these her lieges would be a question diff
cult to decide. as II would involve a
rather impalpsble distinction between for
NAL membership and Jealous attachment
That she loses the Jealous attachment of
great part of them in two or three gen.
erations and that Of the South Germans
more quickly than that of the Irish. is
what you are commonly told. Conversions
of native Americans flying from the dis
fractions of controversy to the repose of
unity under authority there have been.
but the number probably has not been
large In America, as IN England. Ritual
ism has served Roman Catholicism as a
tender The critical question was how
the religion of the Middle Ages could sue
coed in making itself at home under the
roof of a democratic Republic, the ami
mating spirit of which was freedom, in
tellectual and spiritual as well as poll
teal, while the wit of it's people was
proverbially keen. and their nationality
was jealous as well as strong. The Papacy
may cali Itself universal; in reality it is
Italian. During It's sojourn In the French
dominions the Popes were French. ether
wise they have been Italians. native or
domiciled; with the single execution of
the Flemish Adrian VI thrust into the
chair of St. Peter by his pupil, Charles
V and by the Italians treated with con-
tumely as an alien intruder The great
minority Of the Cardinals always has
been and still is Italian. National sus-
capabilities therefore. were pretty sure
to be aroused In meeting the difficulties
of her new situation Rome has shown a
certain measure of pliabilty. She has not
thrust the intolerance and obscurantism
of the encyclical in the face of the dis
ciples of jefferson. She has paid all due
homage to republican institutions, alien
though they are TO her own spirit, as her
uniform action in European politics hith-
erto has proved She has made little
show of relics She has abstained from
miracles. The alteration of Mary and the
saints. though of course fully maintained,
appears to be less prominent, Compared
with the medieval cathedral and its null
tiplicity of side chapeIs. affairs, and
images. the cathedral at New York
strikes one as the temple of a somewhat
rationaIized version.N Against Puritan
intolerance of Popery. if any remnant of
it remained, the Catholic vote has been
a sufficient safeguard. To part of the
American people, especially to wealthy
New York, the purple of the cardinalate
and the pomp of Catholic worship
have of late been by no means uncon-
genial Yet between the spirit of Aheri-
can nationality, even in the most devout
Catholic, and that of the Jesuit or the
native liegeman of Rome, there cannot
fail to be an opposition more or less acute,
though it may be hidden as far as pos
sible under a decent veil. This was seen
in the case of Father Hecker who had
begun his career as a Socialist at Brook
Farm, and IS a convert to Catholicism
founded a missionary order. the keynote
Of which was that mans life in The ma
tural and secular order of things is
marching toward freedom and per-
sonal independence" This he described
as a radical change. and radical change
ii undoubtedly was from the sentiments
and the system of Loyola. Condemnation
by Rome could not fail TO follow. Edu
cation has evidently been the scene Of a
subterranean conflict between the Jesuit
and the more liberal, or, what is much
the same thing, the more American sec
ton The American and liberal head of
a college has been deposed, under decor
Gus pretences, it is true. but still deposed.
Enyoys have come out from Rome TO
arbitrate and compose. Some of the
Catholic prelates, it appears, are very
willing to show their liberaIity by CO.
operating in charitable work with the
clergy of Protestant churches: others de-
cline that association. One prelate, at all
events, is an active politician and a con-
spieuous worshipper OF the flag Others
strictly confine themselves to the eccle-
siasticaI sphere The laity in general seem
to take little account of these variations.
them rather as personal pecuI-
than as divisions of the Church
In the American or any other branch OF
the Roman Catholic Church freedom of
enquiry and advance in thought are of
course impossible. Nothing is possible
but immobility or reaction like that of
the Syllabus and the Immaculate Con-
ceptiOn, or the declaration of Infailibility
of the Pope DR.. Brownson, like Hecker
a convert showed after his conversion
of the spirit of free enquiry
belonging TO his former state, though
rather in the line of philosophy than in
that of theology, properly speaking. But
if he ever departed from orthodoxy. he |
returned to it and made a perfectly
edifying end.
In our survey of the religious world we
are apt to leave out of sight a fourth !
part or more of Christerdom. When the |
Anglican Bishops some years ago were
challenged TO say whether they were or
were not in communion with the Eastern