SCOTLAND AND THE HOLY SEE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VI, Issue 272, 19 July 1878, Page 11

SCOTLAND AND THE HOLY SEE.

SKiS££3S£32 Safe £L*. %s*& cream of creation, in fact, as a Yankee would express it S^ he were a +w I £ make ample reparation for all the insults and injuries Snwf%^ in \ ctlQ S on the Catholic Church during the three centur es of their unhappy alienation from her fold. The Scotch are naturally possessed of a strong religious sense, no less than strong rZr n t' enS? ' They br °¥ away frbm the Cat ' lolic fol d * a time of comparative ignorance and under a strong delusion. The populace Sn'lS ISGd UI T by Se^ sh ' ? reedy ' a^°ambitious men landowners who had a covetous eye" for the lands of the Church. Their popular passions were also inflamed by proud and fanatical men like : Kaox who spoke to them great swelling words about liberty a soft of licentious liberty which the religion of Christ recognises not but Pointedly condemns. The Scotch rabble, following "at the heels of Knox hkc so many ye lmg Maori savages, pulled down those splendS buildings which the pious liberality and taste of their Catholic SeScotland has advanced immensely in national prosperity since Knox's day, and that such national progress is due to the PresbyterSn crSl Her wonderful progress in material or secular prosperity is certain* But to argue that this is due to her Presbyterianism is a Ln-sequ ?ur notioT Vf J OglCl a f f lsG con , clusion > ™* an erroneous notion of the very nature and main design of the Christian religion. The Church of God, the Roman Catholic Church? counS nances and encourages every work intended to dignify and adorn human nature, to minister to men's necessities and lawful enjoyS She, therefore, encourages literature in general and all the arts and sciences. The Universities she established in Scotland still exist to attest the fact. It was within the walls of these Scotch Universities founded by the Church or under her auspices, that the people of Scotland were originally inspired with that passion for lSature and t?™™ which they now exhibit, and which has led to such splendid ff q n Jl?^o^J 1 ?^ 0^ at ls t0 *ne past influence of the Catholic Church S Sc ° tland tbafc we are indebted for such men as your Dr. Stuart and £'J! a f DD f f n cW ~~ m f ardently devoted to the religion of Christ and the good of the people. It augurs rather gross ignorance, or black ingratitude, in Protestant Scotchmen to speak disparagingly of the CathoLc Church, as if she were opposed to the cultivation of literature and science in general, or even indifferent to their cultivation But tiaen, the Christian religion was never given to men for the purpose ot teaching them how to make money, and machinery, power looms steam engines, iron-plated ships, torpedoes, and so on These are the things after which the Turh and heathen eagerly seel-. The Catholic Church was established to teach men how to live piously ni a manner pleasing to God, and how to die happily at last, whatever their circumstances, rich or poor, learned or unlearned in a secular sense. In fact, a thoughtful reader ot his Bible will see that, in a certain sense, national prosperity is the gift not of God but of Satan, and that God permits him to give or withhold it at his pleasure. Satan took our blessed Lord into a certain position, and was permitted to show him in a vision all the riches pomp and glory of the world. He promised to give Him them all if He would only forsake God and serve him. It does not require either the Catholic or Protestant religion to stimulate men to the > successful pursuit of wealth, science, and secular learning • selfinterest, the impulse of genius, and the love of wealth and fame will do that, independent of any religion. The Pagan Greeks and Eomans were far a-head of the Jews in wealth, secular literature, arts and arms. According to Scotch Protestant logic the religion of these Pagans was far to be preferred to the religion of the Jews. The Pagan creed was far more favourable to national prosperity than the religion of the Jews— the worship of demons better than the worship of°the true God, so far as this world was concerned. This is your contention, my Presbyterian friends, is it not, when you instance this great material prosperity of Scotland in Presbyterian times, compared with what it was in Catholic times 1 On that account you prefer the Presbyterian heresy to the Catholic and Apostolic Faith. Oh ! " most lame and impotent conclusion." Whatever progress Scotland may have made m material prosperity since she rejected the Catholic faith she has not, I believe, made a corresponding advance in Christian morals On the contrary, I err if she has not greatly retrograded in that respect. In point of honesty, truthfulness, temperance, and chastity, I believe the Catholic Scotch— rude though they were in many wayswere superior to the Presbyterian Scotch of our day, with all their boasted education, and refinement, and riches. The Catholic Church sacrifices every thing— learning, science, and wealth— in Catholic lands are sacrificed for God's honour and man's spiritual as well as temporal benefit.

Lord Macaulay remarks that the Protestant faith made a rapid advance for about 50 years after Luther's revolt against the Church and then suddenly stopt. It has made no progress since. On the contrary the Catholic Church has been slowly but steadily reconquering the " realms" she lost by Luther's apostacy. England and Scotland have virtually been reconqnered to the Church now, Deo gm>

tuu! Thank God for all His mercies. The kirk and her adherent* must accept the inevitable.; God is stronger than man. It may console you to reflect that the Scotch are " Celts/ and not of the S™xon breed -beef-eatera who make their belly their God so often /the Scotch organisation is spiritual. Some forty years ago, the General Assembly of the Kirk were greatly exercised about the progress of « Poperv "' m Scotland. They deplored the fact that splendid temples fcifhe "idolatrous worship" of the Catholic Church were being £Sed in all SU- mC +rl + i°— S> They ' iadeed > consolecl themselves with the reflection that this increase of « Papists" was mainly due to the influx of Irish Catholics. Still they were striking their roots into the Scottish soil. What would these worthy sons of the Kirk hive said had they known that the head of the clan Stuart, the Lord of Bate and members of the ducal houses of Buccleugh and Sutherland l 5 sides other Scotch ladies and gentlemen of high position, were so soon to go over to Rome and join in her " idolatrofis worshi,"" The ve?y w * SU S a tm ,?S would > ve made « each particular hair on their head stand on end like quills upon the fretted porcupine." The conversion of Scotch men and women in the middle ranks of life is now no uncommon thing. It is the natural sequence of the diffusion of educationamong the people generally. A liberal educa?in so far from being hurtful to the interests of the Catholic Church, as narrowS^ ™J re i Sb / ci '1v ««** ever telling their people, or dupes, is the most likely thing to advance those interests. The Scotch Zt a ? and canny people, and will not be for ever hood-winked by men of the Dr. Stuart stamp. They have been so too long. I noticed some time back that one of the principal publishing firms iv Edinburgh was advertising 5i m l ?, S° ~ a com P lete edition of Bishop Hay's Works CWh f IT fl p £ ? ay W I S himSelf a convert *o the Catholic 2^ V , 6 Presb T tcnan heres y. His works re the doctrines and duties and ceremonies of the Catholic Church are of a popular character; plainly and clearly and forcibly written, and likely to take the fancy of plain and sensible and candid Scotch Presbyterians who may read them. Sir Walter Scott used to call poor Constable SwEf^i ?e? c i°W J presume there are still craft ? publishers to be found in Edinburgh. The one who is about to publish Kishop Hay s works is, possibly, one of their number. He would not be likely to undertake such a spec if he did not see his way to an extensive sale of the works of the worthy Scotch Catholic bishop, besides Hay is a fine Scotch name, and speaks of gentle blood Lord Macaulay, on the occasion of his being elected rector of the university of Glasgow, delivered an address, I need not say, an eloquent anl interesting address, from the rector's chair to the students. He reminded them that it was to a Pope one of the Nicholases, the 4th, I think, that they were indebted for the founding of . the »niyersity in which they were being educated. He paid a splendid tribute to the zeal and munificent liberality of this pope as a patron of letters. I wonder if Dr. Stuart or Mr MacandroV had sat m the chair of the university of Glasgow, in place of Lord Macaulay, whether they would ever have had the grace and sense ot justice to speak in such terms of its illustrious founder ? I doubt it much.

Since writing the above I have read a plucky letter in the Auckland 2/mzZtf, signed "Protestant," evidently the production of a red hot Presbyterian Scot. He will have the machinery of the Scotch aw put in action against the Popo for daring to send his Cardinals, and political archbishops, and bishops into bonnie Scotland. Well we shall see the result. It is not likely the Pope would take such a grave stop as establishing the hierarchy in Scotland S# h< 2;* Previous consultation with legal authorities on the subject. Will this furious Scot tell us what civil power the Pope is attempting to usurp in Scotland by his Bull, re-establishing the hierarchy? Have acts of Parliament any control over our rel gious acts, rights, or convictions? If so, then, what becomes of the boasted Protestant principles of religious liberty ? The late Earl Russell tried to restrain, by a special act of Parliament, the action of the Pope in reestablishing the Boman Catholic hierarchy in England— what did he gain by it ? Failure and humiliation. The spirit of justice and the spirit of the age was against him. The Church gained a fresh triumph by the defunct « Ecclesiastical Titles Bill." The same will be the case in Scotland if these Presbyterian zealots try to obstruct the l ope in bcotland by any tyrannical law infringing on the rights of conscience. The Presbyterians tell us that as we have" vicars apostolic in Scotland, bishops for infidels, that is quite enough, and we ought to be satisfied with these bishops— Scotland being a country of many infidels and few Catholics. Well, Scotland was a country of infidels up to a late date ; but it is now a Catholic country, though it still abounds with infidels and sectarians of various kinds Under these circumstances the Pope surely is the best judge as to what ecchsiastical organization is now required for the religious wants of Catholic Scotland. The dye is now cast, let the Scotch Kirk and her sons do their worst. It is quite likely rich Presbyterians in Scotland will try the question of the Pope's right by Scotch law to do what he is doing. One enthusiast is said to have given £5000 to fee lawyers Query,— Would it not be worth Mr Stout's while to visit Scotland, and see it he could get a share of what is going in that line ?