The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-01-20
The NETHERLANDS.
A Brief Sketch of Their Civil and Re.
ligious History.
ANOTHER ARTICLE FROM HENRY WOLF.
How Prosperity Led TO Persecution, and the
Attempt Of Philip TO Crush Out the
Love OF Freedom.

Manufacture, art and science
were in more flourishiug con
dltion. The people were adopts
also in ingenious inventions. The
weaving of tapestry, painting in
oil colors, painting upon glass,
the improvement of the compass,
watches, sundials and printing,
have been invented here.
Now, in consideration of this
prosperity brought about by their
great commerce aud industry,
which enables then to pay larger
revenues than any other province
the ruling sovereigns would en-
courage the sources of thrift by
granting to them great liberties
and privileges. They enjoyed a
constitution by which their sover-
eigns, under oath promised to
govern them-a chief stakeholder
(govenor), and stadtholdes for
each province, also a senate to
which every province sent their
representatives. Thus they pos.
sesscd the very institutions of "a
free and happy nation.
No wonder then, that Protes-
tant refugees from all Europe
sought shelter here. Moreover,
these strangers were mostly men
of strong convictions and of the
better classes who spread the
protestant faith wherever they
came. Before long nearly all OF
Holland favored the new doctrine
to the great disgust of Philip IL,
Now, this narrow minded mon
arch vowed in his heart to SOP
this heresy from spreading any
further and to stamp it out, alto
gether-at any cost what SO ever.
1t might be in place here to
mention, that Catholics and Prot.
estants at the peace of Augsburg
in Germany, in the year of 1855,
had settled these religious trou-
bles by giving every body, ire
spective of party, freedom of con-
science, of religion, and of poll
tics. Nevertheless, king Philip
adhered to his motto: 81 would
rather not rule at all, than rule
over hereticS.
The first thing in order to gain
his end, was to send a Spanish
army into the borders of the
Netherlands, which army had not
been paid wages for long time,
and was therefore much demora.
llzed, and stole or destroyed eve
ry thing that came in Its way
This army was not needed for
the province, for they kept suf-
ticient army of their own to keep
order, and enforce the laws
These acts created great alarm
and discomfort among the people.
Next, Philip installed his natural
sister, Marguerite of Parma, as
chief stakeholder of the Neither
lands, and cardinal Granville as
her chief counselor; all this IN
violation of their constitution, aud
to the great exasperation of the
people.
Now, Philip ordered the edicts
Of the council of Trident ia town
in Tyrol under pope Plus ". in
the year 1869 to be enforced to
the very letter. These edicts
were as follows: lnfallibility of
the pope; that the latin transla-
ton of the bible called vulgatta
be the only true bible, and 40 9th
er must be read for ever, that the
traditions must be considered as
sacred as the bible itself: that
good works are lnseparable from
the doctrine of justification; that
the hierarchy of the Catholic
priesthood was divine lnstitu.
ton, that there are seven sacra-
ments; VIZ, baptism, contirma'
tion, the eucharist, penance, ex.
treme JUNCTION, holy orders, and
neutrality-suspicious. to every
one that doubts these articles.
But these edicts were SO ill.
favored with both Protestant and
Catholics, that they were not en-.
forced, as the officers dared not
a., do an Dh.l;.. n .. .-.I.. 4