EXPANSIVE POWERS OF PROTESTANTISM AND CATHOLIC IT Y.
Mr. O'CoNNELT is noted for bold speeches; and maintains his cha- racter in an address " To the People of England," prefixed to a pamphlet containing a report of proceedings at a Roman Catholic meeting in London in July last. The sanguine Catholic leader
declares- " In the present time it is admitted on nil hands, that Protestantism, in all and every of in multitudinous shapes and firms, has lost all expansive power. In fact, power of expansion ceased almost entirely within one C,2II til aft.: the invention of the name of Protestant—that is to say, about the time when the plunder of the ancient Church was exhausted. Since then, Peotvstantusom has scarcely maintained its own, if at all, only by the force of persecuting laws and of practical bigotry. I;ut, almost universally. Catholicity is making at every side its conquests. There is abroad a happy disposition towards return- ing to ' the one fold of the one shepherd,' which consoles the heart and animates the hope of every sincere and charitable Christian. " Look at England, and compare what she was twenty years ago in point of Catholicity with what she is at present. Everywhere Catholic churches are rising around us! Catholic flocks are crowding into these places of worship. Schools, convents, and colleges arc multiplying ; converts ere multitudinously thronging these edifices; and the ancient worship, in that pimp and splendour which,gr`atities the eye and delights the heart, is offered up to Cod with it dig- nity and a reverence worthy, ns far as human means can possibly be worthy, of the worship of the Almighty God of heaven and earth. " Look to Scotland, and similar scenes will crowd upon your eye. The in- crease of Catholics in Scotland is still more striking even than in England. "Look next to persecuted Ireland, scamper jidclis of Christianity, nod you may form an estimate of the numbers and the zeal of her Catin,lic population from the multitude of capacious and splendid churches that are rearing their roofs and exalting the triumphant cross at every side."
In a similar strain of sectarian exultation Mr. O'CoxxxLL refers to the progress of his faith in France, Holland, Germany, and the United States of America.
That Catholics arc increasing in every Christian country, is most probable. Romanism is no more a bugbear, except to Sir Runner hems and Lord Rooms. Many, for political purposes, affect horror of Popery, who feel it not. Protestant governments no longer fear the Papists; and ninny motives, on the one hand to induce profession of Protestantism, and on the other to conceal a predilec- tion for Popery, have disappeared. In the meanwhile, Romauists naturally increase and multiply ; and, like other sects in the midst of a population of different creeds, and in a country with an Estab- lishment, their new churches and augmentation of numbers arc marked, while the growth of the dominant religion is comparatively unnoticed.
"Everywhere," says Mr. O'CONNELL, "Catholic churches arc rising around us !" Everywhere, it may ba responded, new Pro- testant churches and chapels are rising around us. One scarcely takes up a newspaper in which the commencement, or endowment, or consecration of some Protestant place of worship, is not men- tioned.
The "power of expansion censed almost within one century after the invention of the name of Protestant." This is easily said ; but it is absurd to pretend that Protestant nations have not mightily increased in power and number since the beginning of the seven- teenth century. England in the seventeenth century was the bulwark of Protestantism in Europe, and she colonized North America with stanch professors of the Reformed frith. Spain in the seventeenth century was at the head of Catholic Europe, and she established the religion of Rothe in her Western Empire. Contrast Great 13ritain with Spain—North America with South America—in 1839, and then boast of the superiority of Catholicism as a religion for the nations, and the want of expansive pewter in Protestnntism ! One word as to the progress of different sects in the United States. Mr. O'CONNELL anticipates the entire Catholicity of time Republic— "Let me detain the reader one moment longer, while I call upon him to contemplate the progress of Catholic truth in the United States of America. At the time of the establishment of Independence, there was but one Catholic bishop in that country. There ore now one archbishop, and, I believe twenty- fire or thirty bishops ; while the priests, and above all, the Catholic people, have multiplied in a still greater ratio. Miss Martineau described the increase of Catholicity as astounding. Judge Halliburton—one of the most shrewd of living observers of human nature—has given it as his opinion that all the people of the United States will soon be Catholics. Captain Marryat, though exceedingly anxious to dispute that fact, yet qualifies his doubts of it by the admission that all the great 'Western States must soon become Catholic, the great majority of their inhabitants being already of that persuasion. This, in pursuance of the species of rantipole Protestantism which be professes, he calls a dark cloud over the States.' I submit that it should be called the rising sun of Catholic truth, piety, and purity."
Lying before us is the American Almanack for 1839, containing a " Summary- of the Principal Religious Denominations" in the United States. here we find the Catholics put down as 800,000 out of a population of upwards of fourteen millions and a half. Granting that at the establishment of Independence there were very few Catholics in America, their progress since 1776 has not been very Is; ; id. The 13t pt i st s number 4,300,000—one third more than the entire population of the States at the commencement of the War of Independence ; the Methodists 3,000,000; time Presby- terians 2,175,000. The number of Catholic Bishops is stated to be not 30; and though the rapid increase of Catholics is ad- mitted, it is said to be effected "almost exclusively by emigration front EnApe"—in fact, by Mr. O'CoxxIMI:S own countrymen. It is not therefore by conversion of Protestants, but by the intro- duction of Irishmen, that the Catholics have become nearly one- eighteenth of the population of the United States.
We can believe that Romanism has regained part of time ground lost in France. The revulsion from ignorant and fierce Atheism and Infidelity, to religion of sonic sort, was inevitable ; and the Cathelic clergy were not only the most zealous, but possessed time advantage of state patronage. Nor are we prepared to deny that the effbrts of an indefatigable and sagacious priesthood may have obtained converts from Protestant ranks in England and Scotland : but that this process has been going on to any Consider- able extent, has not been proved ; and we incline to think that the recent activity of the Church, and of Protestant sects, must have checked, if not entirely stopped it. Altogether, it is pretty cer- tain that if church-building, and preaching, and religious con- troversy, mill make men virtuous, Christendom is in the fair way.
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