ciples with which Catholicity-in this country has been identified. The Church identifies itself with no political party, but her enemies, the Know-nothings, have assailed all who are opposed to them as the tools and minions of the Pope and Church. Know-nothingism includes Protestantism in all its shades and degrees, from Episcopalianism to the most inconsiderable sect. Its fundamental principle is opposition to the Church, opposition to foreigners is a secondary malice. A Protestant foreigner makes the best, or rather the worst sort of a Know-nothing.
Now I firmly believe that the result of this political agitation will be that thousands will become Catholics, and that tens of thousands will have their prejudices removed, who, but for the present state of things, would remain enemies of the Church because ignorant of her claims. Already I perceive a disposition on the part of the great party opposed to the Know-nothings, to defend the Church with
which they have been nolens volens identified. The Democrats (for they constitute the majority of the anti-Knownothing party) will feel bound to look into the question of Catholicity in order to meet the objections, arguments and
misrepresentations of their opponents. Moreover they will sympathize with the Catholics; they will become hostile to Protestantism in general; it will be their interest and pleas ure to expose its frailties and follies. Woe to Protestantism when men of sense begin to examine it with the disposition to find fault with it! Woe to it when fact and logic and ridicule are brought to bear upon it! It is needless to say that all that is necessary in order to conviction to the superior claims of the Catholic Church is that these claims be examined without prejudice. These claims will be thus examined, now perhaps for the first time, by vast masses of the people, and be assured that the result will be a glorious
one for the cause of truth. The conflict which the preachers mainly have brought on will well-nigh annihilate their influence and strengthen the Catholic Church in the United States. For such a result I confidently look.