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REV. A. J, RYAN, Editor-
AUGUSTA, GA„ AUGUST 15, 1868.
THE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL.
On the 13th of December, three hun
dred and twenty-three years ago, in the
midst of religious agitations, political com
motions, and wars which shook the social
fabric in Europe to its very foundations,
the Nineteenth General Council of the
Catholic Church, assembled at Trent.
Germany, at the bidding oi a Monk who
had broken solemn vows, and who raved
against that Home to which his obedience
was due, had abandoned the living teach
ings of a living Church, and had substi
tuted in their place the Bible interpreted
according to the freaks and fancies ol
each individual. England, at the sum
mons of a monarch whose hands w'ere red
with the blood of his murdered wives, had
renounced the faith and the glories of the
faith of nine centuries. Switzerland, in
large part, had risen up from the foot of
the Cross, where, for centuries she had
knelt, and had bowed down to kiss the
feet of Calvin. Charles the sth, the
ruler of Spain and the Germanic Empire,
and a large portion of Italy, was dealing
roughly enough with the Papacy. The
King of France had leagued the Cross
of the Christian with the Crescent of the
Turk, and was looking for the flash of
the scimitar on the shores of Italy. In
Sweden, and Denmark, and Scotland,
and, indeed, throughout the entire of Eu
rope, the bark of the Church seemed
about to be whelmed beneath the waves
of religious revolution.
In such a time, and under such cir
cumstances, at the call of Pope Paul dd,
met the Council of Trent, Interrupted
time and again, opposed by Kings, and
the ministers of Kings, denounced by the
Reformers, the Council, despite the in
trigues of Courts, the violences of ene
mies, and the murmurs of many of the
children of the Church, continued its
sessions for eighteen years, deliberated,
with the calmness of a faith that knows
not fear, on all things relating to the in
terests of the Church, drew up its dis
ciplinary laws and its definition of
dogmas, closed its sessions in 1564, and
sent all its acts to Romo for Papal con
firmation. Three hundred years and
more have passed, and the Code and the
Faith of the Council of Trent are the
Code and the Faith of the Catholic world;
ami the Catholic world is the kingdom
on which Heaven’s sun can never set;
and the subjects of the kingdom are two
hundred and fifty millions—one-fourth of
the human nice!
When scarce more than a score of
Bishops opened the Council three hun
dred and twenty-three years ago, the ene
mies of the Church railed at their folly,
and loudly and lustily proclaimed that the
old Church was passing away—that yet,
in a little while, and her place would no
longer be found. And she buried her
enemies and wrote their epitaph, and
passed on. And their children and chil
dren’s children rose up against her in the
proud spirit of' their forefathers, and with
their forefathers’ prophecy loud on their
lips—“ in a little while—a little while
and the hated Church shall be no more.”
And they died—but the hated Church
still lived. And church rose after
church, but not one of them all could
ever look like the Queen of Churches that
came down from Calvary with the sign
of the Cross upon her brow—not one
of them all could ever sway the world
with a sceptre of empire as powerful as
hers. And “ the little while” in which
she was to pass away, has grown to be
three centuries and more.
The men of this generation, too, have
often times predicted her downfall.—
Pius the 9tli answers these predictions
by his Bull convening in solemn council,
on the Bth of December, 1869, the twelve
hundred successors of the Apostles, and
representatives of the two hundred and
fiity millions of Catholics. There is life
in the old Church yet. She no more fears
the machinations and conspiracies of her
enemies in this age than in any of the
eighteen centuries across the ruins and
graves of which she has passed.
She has announced her twentieth Coun
cil—she will hold it—and its decrees
shall hind the one Holy Catholic and
Apostolic Church.
THE WOLF’S HOWL
The wolf of Puritanism still howls
from his lair in Boston. The animal
pants for blood. From pitiless jaws, still
clotted with Southern gore, issues the old
cry of the old thirst for Catholic blood.
That thirst can never be allayed. We
know the wild howl—our Church has
heard it many a time before. It sounded
over Ireland many a hundred years ago,
when the ravenous wolf of Puritanism,
unleashed by the hand of Cromwell,
sprang from its English lair on the
track of the faithful Irish. Ah ! Irish
Catholic blood was fresh and pure, and
the wolf drank it up and howled for more.
And Irish Catholic blood flows through
the veins of millions on this continent,
and the wolf looks out from its lair in
Boston, howls for the blood which was so
savory and so sweet, and prepares to
spring upon its victims and to satisfy its
thirst. Let the wolf spring—the blood is
ready.
“ But how shall we arrest this mon
strous foe, breathing her bold and bloody
designs, concocting her treason, maturing
her strength, and filling the atmosphere
of liberty with poisou and pestilence ?
“In union is strength. Asa similar fate
awaits all Protestants and all Infidels, let
them organize on a platform which shall
embody universal toleration, free discus
sion, and untrammeled liberty of speech.”
* # * *
“ Adopting the policy of Catholicism,
the justice of which she has acknowledged
in h r practice, and which she cannot
condemn without condemning her history
and principles, let them take adequate
means for relieving all Catholics from po
litical, civil, penal, charitable, education
al, and secular positions, for abolishing
all ecclesiastical revenues, for prohibit
ing all convents and churches from hav
ing dungeons, for obliging all religious
edifices to keep their recesses open to the '
inspection of the public, for requiring all |
nuns to have the undoubted liberty of
leaving their abode at pleasure, for iin- j
posing oaths of office and naturalization
which shall prevent any person from hold
ing a governmental position, or any for
eigner from becoming naturalized who
believes in the supremacy of tho Pope, or
in his power to absolve from the obliga
tion of oaths, or who disbelieves in equal
religious rights or universal toleration ;
for establishing the same censorship over
the press that Home has established in
Italy respecting Protestantism ; and for
maintaining it so long as she maintains
hers ; for adopting every judicious and
honorable method to prevent the Church
of Home from repeating in our country
the horrors of her past history, and at the
same time protect her in the exercise of
her mode of worship and the free discus
sion of her principles; and for uniting
every Infidel and Protestant speaker and
writer in one voice to utter a peal of
moral thunder in the ear of America,
which shall reverberate along every vale,
and be echoed by every mountain, till
every freeman be startled from his slum
ber, and Home is fetteicd in harmless
ness.”
* * * *
“ Hut is a union of Infidels and Pro
testants practicable ? It appears rational
to hope it is, as their interest is identical
and their danger common. In every
land where religious liberty has tri
umphed, it has been accomplished. Are
American freemen less tolerant and com
promising than a Europcau freemen have
been ? It seems not; for they have
united like a band of brothers in sup
pressing the great rebellion, and will they
not again unite when Catholicity is threat
ening to imprison them in her cells and
burn them at her stakes ?
* * * #
It is true that the Constitution guaran
tees unconditional religious freedom to
•Mill® ©S £ll B©lom-
all. But the Catholic Church is not a reli
gious, but a political institution ; a fact
substantiated by her principles and
practice.
* * * #
Catholicity declares that Protestantism,
Heresy, and Infidelity, have no rights
where she is triumphant; that, when she
acquires the numerical strength, she will
punish them as crimes; that she merely
endures religious freedom until she can
subvert it; and when she commands a
majority, it is at an end. Let Protestants
and Infidels, then, unite upon some judi
cious and efficient platform, and, as they
have the numerical strength, they can
control the Government and shape the
country at will, and in 1900 wreak upon
Catholicism, if she provokes it, the fulfill
ment of her own prophecy.’’
Thus howls the wolf of Puritanism,
through the Boston Investigator . When
will the wolf spring at our throats ?
Our friend, who sends us the following,
is a deadly enemy to all current shams.
He uses hard words, and we believe he is
right. Strong diseases need strong rem
edies. His pen is as sharp as a lancet,
lie knows how to probe and dissect shams
and humbugs of all kinds. We
know that the following will hurt—
but, at times, to be hurt is to be healed.
The country is sick with shams—religious,
political, social.
Friend A., you are a good physician,
though your doses are bitter. Give us
some more of your prescriptions. They
will do good :
ONE OF THE MODERN RELIGIOUS
SHAMS-
“ Search the Scriptures !” What an
unmitigated sham our religious folks
have made of that text ; never, we ven
ture to say, were words more misunder
stood ; nor upon such a slender founda
tion, was a greater sophism perpetrated.
Starting out with a total misapprehen
sion of time, place, and circumstance, at
tending its first utterance, it has been
made the engine of one of the world’s
humbugs. The Ass, no doubt, while
luxuriating on thistles, during the time
he masticates what to him is the best of
food, wonders ti at other animals than
himself do not like thistles ; so men, in
their ignorance, . eize hold of an isolated
text, and rush frantically into isolated
efforts to give forth to the world so many
copies of the Bible, as they can persuade
men to pay for, and wonder that more
don’t subscribe.
How many men are there who have
read the Bible—and how many men are
there who, having read the Bible at all—
have read it intelligently, we mean with
the same degree of intelligence as the
business man gives to the telegraphic
column in the morning paper, to the price
current last received from Europe ? We
hear of many lacky-daisioal effusions,
about “ childhood’s hours,” “ mother’s
influence,” “ old family Bible,” Ac., the
latter chiefly valuable because it proves
some men in this aristicro-democratical
country had grandfathers; how many men
are there who, after suffering such stuff
to pass current, deceive themselves into
the belief that they really like it ? How
many men are there who really and
practically carry out their own grand pre
cept, and do search the Scriptures ? How
many men, and with how many motives,
subscribe various sums, without the slight
est consideration of the practical ques
tion of what becomes of the money, and
what disposition is made of the Bibles ?
The amount of money collected annual
ly by Bible Societies, is astounding—the
sums might he stated in millions of dol
lars. It is time we heard something of
the result; and, although it may he urged
that, as we Catholics give no money to
this cause, therefore the question does not
affect us, yet we would say that the out
side world, in general, is very fond of
making particular inquiry as to what we
do—for that reason, perhaps, some perti
nent questions may he asked, and the
query may still be offered, to wit : What
amount of good can be clearly ascertain
ed to have been effected by Bible Socie
ties, and by the Bibles distributed by
them ?
Suppose an intelligent and polite Ha
gan, lands, for the first time, on the
shores of this enlightened and advanced
country ! and is informed, while travel
ing through the land, of the existence of
this sacred volume, and what a valuable
possession it is, and, as an example ot the
general circulation ol so blessed a book,
his attention is called to the fact, that
every steamboat cabin, hotel parlor, read
ing-room, and oven hotel bed-rooms, have
a copy, which has been generously donat
ed to it for the comfort of its suffering
guests, and it is demonstrated to him
in some pretty speech, that in this free
and glorious country, a ready-made reli
gion is to hand for every seeker, we
would like to inquire if all these Bibles
would be proof positive, to the aforesaid
polite and intelligent Pagan, of advanced
and refined civilization ? If so, do not
let the gentle Pagan open the covers of
any of the numerous Bibles lying about,
else he might find out exactly what the
general public value such great privi
leges at; for he would find the blank
leaves, and margins of pages, profanely
illustrated by iow wit, fools’ names, and
obscene jests. This is a fact; we appeal
to any of our readers, who have travelled
through any of our larger cities, to say
that it is not so. It seems as if familiari
ty has, in this instance, breeded the largest
sort of contempt. It is useless to say
such acts were committed by thoughtless
young men, for the varied expressions,
the different styles of humor, and the
characteristics of hand-writing, show that
the habit is a general one, and is com
mitted by a rather general sort of people
In our Southern army, during the late
war, we recall to our memory the distri
bution of Bibles and tracts —wc remem
ber what little value was placed upon
either of them. Now, il the Bible could,
or would, be generally read at all, surely
Confederate camps was a fair place to
make the test; the long weary days were
frequently passed in camp in utter idle
ness ; books were eagerly sought after —
almost anything lor a change—but Bibles
and tracts were opened only on rare occa
sions, by about one man in a thousand.
We heard pretty tales of affections mani
fested for Bibles and tracts by our sol
diers; also, of thrilling escapes from the
deadly bullet by reason of a Testament
carried in the breast pocket, but we sol
diers never knew of such a case; nor did
we believe the Bible distributors ever
saw T one, for the reason that the last
named were never known to trust them
selves in the neighborhood of bullets.
No; Bibles are not generally read,
hardly ever studied, and but rarely
searched. Tfie nauseating doses of Bible
reading, and Bible lessons, administered
to children in their tender youth, is amply
sufficient to give a large majority of them
a distaste for it in after life, and also to
cause them to lose the appreciation of its
real comforts and blessings, not to speak
of its Divine teachings. A.
Richmond, July 22d, 1868.
lieu. A. J. llyan :
Sir — My attention has been called to
an article in your issue of the 18th ult.,
which a due sense of self-respect forbids
me to pass unnoticed.
It seems that the Radical Postmaster of
this city, who, I wish you to understand,
at once, is no political friend of mine,
thought proper to direct your publishers
to discontinue my paper, and with mine,
he associated the names of five or six
gentlemen of this city, who, from the
simple fact of having subscribed to the
“ Banner of the South,” gave some
evidence at least of their sympathy with
the “ Lost Cause and who, so far as
I can ascertain, are all conservative in
sentiment. Taking this, in connection
with the report that an Irish Radical
Club had been organized in Richmond,
(you will excuse me if I fail to see the
connection between the two,) and some
article in the Southern Opinion , as inspi
ration, you jump at the illogical conclu
sion that these unfortunate gentlemen, and
myself, arc Irish Radicals ; and you as
sert that “ These Richmond Irishmen
dare to stand up in the light of day and
proclaim themselves members of such a
party.”
lam surprised, sir, that, with the im
perfect information you evidently pos
sessed on the subject, you would have
been so hasty and inconsiderate as to pub
lish an article reflecting so severely on
the character of men who, I venture to
say, have at heart the prosperity and hap
piness of the South. On the strength
of an assumption which is not true , yoti
arraign these men before the public, and
pour upon their devoted heads u storm of
invective and denunciation which, if it
has not overwhelmed them, is because it
is unmerited, uncalled for, and unjust.
I, who have shared with other gentle
men the burthen of this indignity, must
say, that you have done me a most
grievous wrong by placing me in such an
unenviable position.
I have no sympathy for Radicalism, in
any shape or form, whether it be Irish,
Scotch, or Yankee, and I call upon ‘you,
sir, to repair the injury you have done
me, by making the amende as full and
ample as the occasion demands, and give
publicity to this, through your columns.
Very respectfully, yours,
Alexander Delaney.
“ Father,” said a cobbler’s lad, as lie
was pegging away at an old shoe, “ they
say that trout bite like everything now.”
“ Well, well,” replied the old gentlemen,
“ stick to your work, and they won’t bite
you.”
GEN. LEE.
The following is the conclusion of an
address on “ Integrity of Character,” de
livered at the Commencement of the Ken
tucky Military Institute, June 4th, 1868,
by Rev. R. A. Holland:
I rejoice, young gentlemen, that I can
find an embodiment of this sublime in
tegrity of character in a hero—not of the
past but of the present —not of some di«-
tant realms of your own suffering section
—-not. of foreign birth, but of blood
brother to that which throbs thrills of en
thusiasm through y r our veins at the men
tion of his name. I rejoice that we p as
sess a model of manhood worth more to
our noblest attributes than all the for
tunes spent in the terrible war that re
vealed his grandeur to our gaze.
Whatever may have been the errors of
the South—errors for which, if they ex
isted, she has by the dearest hecatombs,
sufficiently atoned ; the world is indebted
to her for a gift that will enrich mankind
forever. That gift is the example of a
man who, in civil conflict, wins the admi
ration of his enemies, who charms envy
into love and awe, or malice into silence;
who comes forth from among the smoke
and carnage of battle, revealing a brow
unstained with dishonor and hands nn
clotted with cruelty; who, although victor
in a hundred fights against such odds of
troops and treasures skill never van
quished before, suffers no word of boast
ing to soil his pure lips, and notices his
success only in modest ascriptions of
gratitude to the Lord of Hosts; who,
marching forward in the perilous path of
duty, refuses a moment’s pause for dal
liance with the fame which others must
follow', but which, like one entranced,
tracks his steps and courts the conde
scension of his kingly glance ; who, as he
kneels under triumphs, vises above re
verses, and when the last blow is struck,
and genius can no longer cope with force,
surrenders his sword with the same equa
nimity with which he had ever wielded it,
and receives it back from the conqueror
in mute testimonial that none but him
self is worthy to wear a weapon whose
blade blazes with a lustre of purity and
prowess bright as the scimitars of Eden's
sentinels.
Great in victory, greater still in de
feat ; great as described through the red
haze of war, greater still as contemplated
througli the clear air of peace ; great as
a General, hut greatest as a man—behold
him a character which, if not perfect,
conceals its faults with the refulgence of
its virtues, even as a sun conceals the
spots on its dazzling disc. I need not
call his name; nor need History, when
she carves for the highest niche in her
Pantheon a statue to represent manhood
apotheosized by its own glory, inscribe
beneath it a name which the very design
of the statue speaks aloud—the immortal
name of Lee.
GENERAL HOWELL COBB’S SPEECH
AT THE
MASS RATIFICATION MEETING
AT
Atiaiita Georgia. July 23d,
PREPARED FOB THE CHRONICLE & SENTINEL XD TH2 MI
AUTHORIZED REPORT.
Mt. President, ladies and gentlemen:
I congratulate you, my friends, that the
time has come in Georgia when the people
can meet together as you have assembled
to-day. When I “say the people" I mean
just those I see before me —these women
and children, these good men ami true,
who are the representatives of tho men
and women throughout our State. I con
gratulate you, that you meet and again
hear the voices of your favorite sons—that
you can respond in your hearts to the
patriotic sentiments which fall from die
lips of those sons. While the past cass
its shadows over the land, and mv own
heart is in full sympathy with the picture
which was drawn by my friend, yet I do
feel rising up in my soul the promise of a
brighter day not far distant in the future.
To-day, in common with you, I have
heard the familiar voice of one who, m
times past, has aroused his countrymen
from the mountains to the seaboard. H'-‘
speaks freely and there is none to make
him afraid. [Applause.] God speed the
day when the echoes of that voice shall*oo
heard throughout all the land, speaking
from his old standpoint in the National
Legislature. My friends, the argument m
that branch of the subject which ha- ’ n
discussed by my friend has been presented
to you so comprehensively that 1 shall net
trespass upon your time, nor weaken it
power and influence by a recapitulation ol
it. It was an exposition of truths that
will live when you and 1 have passed away
and are gone. The people of Georgia to
day are passing through a trying ordeai.
which, I trust and believe, will he of short
duration, and from which they will emerge
refined and purified like gold from tie
iuruace. They are living under a govern
ment whose days are numbered, hut who
it exists it is well that we make the best w
can of it. I shall offer some suggesti m
here in your hearing for the benefit 1
those who are called upon to adtninismi
that government in order that, to the ei-