LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE JANSENISTS AND THE OLD CATHOLICS.
[TO THE EDITOR, OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—I am told that the Spectator has been wondering with what face Dr. Dollinger could welcome the Jansenist and heretical Archbishop of Utrecht. As I happen to have heard Dr. Dollinger state what would be his answer to such a question, perhaps you will kindly allow me to satisfy you and others who may think as you do on the subject through:the medium of your paper. Dr. Dollinger's answer would be this,—that he agrees with Pope Benedict XIV. in thinking the " Jansenist heresy " a piece of humbug, trumped up by the Jesuits to suit their own purposes; that the Church of Utrecht is not heretical and not rightly ex- communicated ; that it is therefore open to him or any other Catholic to welcome the Archbishop or any other member of that Church.
Perhaps you will:also allow me to state what are the facts about a matter much misunderstood, not only in England, but in Ger- many itself,—the appointment of the two infallibilist Professors at this University. Nolnew Professors have been appointed. Two of the existing staff have received additional pay from the Govern- ment on condition of their delivering additional lectures, viz., in ecclesiastical history and philosophy, for the theological students, who are forbidden by the Bishops to attend the lectures of Dr. Dollinger and Dr. Friedrich. One of these two Professors, Dr. Silbernagel, had already been delivering lectures on ecclesiastical history on his own responsibility, before his salary was raised by the Government.
Had the Bavarian Government not appointed two Professors to deliver these courses of lectures, which all students in theology have to attend, the Faculty of Theology in this University would have been ruined. The Archbishop of Munich had already
announced his intention of removing all the theological students belonging to this diocese to Freising, where he has a theological I college. Other Bishops would have followed his example, for most of them have such colleges, and the University would have- ' lost all its theological students.
The Bavarian Government then, instead of having made ex- traordinary concessions to the Ultramontanes, has done the very least that could be done under the circumstances. That its policy is not in that direction has been conspicuously shown by a recent- 1 decree of the Cultus-Minister that, in the Gymnasiums, history- shall cease to be " confessionell,"—denominational. There shall be only one teacher of history for scholars of all creeds. Under the- old system, the Catholic teacher of history was commonly the same person who gave the religious instruction, i.e., a priest, and, the history taught was not very satisfactory. I may add that I write this neither at Dr. Dollinger's request nor with his know-
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