In the name of God, my country, and your best interests, I bid you, beseech you, stay at home! or if you must make a change of location, let it be in the direction of that fertile north-west, out of which the future greatest provinces of the Dominion are destined to rise in all the glory of agricultural magniticence!

5. Canada needs commercial independence, especially in the adjustment of her traffic regulations with the United States. Since confederation, Canada's business transactions with the United States, in the general volume of international commerce, has been entirely one-sided, — to the loss of our own merchants and people. This was not fully recognized, though it was all the same doing its work of ruin, until our money no longer commanded any considerable premium over greenbacks, but the last twelve months have convinced every merchant in Canada making purchases with the United States for importation, that in the recent treaty with that country England purchased her own desires at the expense of Canada. But these things will be remedied when a firmer and more intellectual statesmanship shall distinguish the deliberations of our gov

crnment.

6. The vexed question of Romanism, as it affects the present, and is likely to affect the future, of Canada, is of course a difficult one, and one in which the historian must deal with great delicacy. Personally I am not disposed to malign Roman Catholics or Catholic institutions, and I regard as Protestant fanaticism those uncharitable and no less unintelligent religious terms which have been applied to the Roman Church, such as Anti-Christ, etc. Romanism has wrought, and is still achieving, a wonderful work, in the hands of an all-wise Ruler, for the civilization of the race. That in some countries it presents the objectionable spectacle of oppressive priestcraft, and in others that of an obstruction to the advancement of popular education, is not a sufficient ground for unqualified condemnation. There is more than one nation of the earth today, which is yet unprepared to throw off, with safety, the restraints of Ronanism, unless such can be, at the same time, brought under the protection of those political institutions so grandly characteristic of Anglo-Saxon civilization. With the present political construction of the map of the world Romanism is indispensable, and will never be abolished except with the most radical changes in that map; and when those changes will have come, and they must certainly come, — it will not

then be true, that, as a whole, Romanism shall have been a curse rather than a blessing to the world.

It is difficult for many people in these advanced days to comprehend the fact that some of the oldest and most unfashionable agricultural implements were once useful, and served a good purpose. My father owned a hoe years ago, as long ago as I can remember; it was a most unwieldy affair, made in one of his unskilful attempts at blacksmithing, from a castaway ovenlid. This was anterior to the "Yankee hoe," which found its way into the provincial markets some twenty years ago, and which, as also "Yankee pitchforks," and kindred implements, succeeded those of the home-made pattern. In time, my father's hoe, that must have weighed about five or six pounds, was thrown aside, and the light Yankee article substituted. Some ten or twelve years later, when we were making an excavation for the foundation of a new barn, this old and forgotten hoe was dug up; but no one recognized it until some three years after, when a peculiar accident caused its identification. It was difficult at that time, because this castaway relie was no longer useful, to realize that it ever had been; but my father was present to testify that it had served him more years and under more trying circumstances than any other hoe he had possessed. Now, this illustration is not more simple than forcible. What is true concerning improvement in implements is, in one sense, true of institutions. Catholicism is the old, burdensome, tax-imposing implement, which, in the hands of God, first rooted out the choking briers that were clustering, in united oppression, around the young plant of Christianity. It can hardly be doubted that so imperfect an implement has, on the one hand, compromised with the evils it sought to overcome, and, on the other, trampled and bruised the fruit it attempted to cultivate. The only point in which my illustration is lame and herein it teaches an important lesson-is that but one cause prevents the improved instrumentality from supplanting the old, burdensome one, and that is a political

We seek to delay its removal, that the struggle may be a bloodless one, and in this, toleration is one of the best evidences of Protestant wisdom, nay, more, an evidence that Protestantism is of God. Nor by this do I wish to be understood as saying other than that Protestantism is more than a grand improvement on the Roman forms of Christianity; and, holding this, I affirm, also, that there is no ground which can justify, in the sight of Heaven, a persecution of one of

these branches of the church by the other. Moreover, I can have no sympathy with the enthusiasts on either side, who oppress their religious opponents, under the pretext of any Scriptural authority. For my own part, I know too much of history to be led into the delusion that either Romanism or Protestantism will ever be subjugated or driven from the world by oppression or persecution. Such a course ever has and ever will develop the power and promote the growth of any institution founded in truth, and I can see how, pursuant to this method, a continuance of the old feuds between these great divisions of the church can have no result so surely to be depended upon as the perpetuation of each other. If the Protestant really believes in the superior excellence of his form of Christianity, as compared with the old Roman forms, and can manage to add an unbiased intelligence, with an unprejudiced knowledge of history to this faith, it will produce in him the greatest toleration of Romanism. Indeed, it will make him oppose it only in that wherein it is at grievous fault, and to encourage it in all things wherein it promises to uplift and bless its votaries.

7. Could Romanism throw off its bigotry, and suppress such of its forms and ceremonies as should have been laid away in the grave of that empire in which they had their rise; could the old papal church rise to the reforms which it must experience to keep pace with the march of mankind; nay, would the church but embody in its composition, and teach among the masses of its communicants, those principles of popular education and independent thought which she is compelled to tolerate among the higher classes, where wealth and education abound, I see no reason why the followers of St. Peter and St. John might not yet be reconciled and united in a bond of the warmest, purest union. It is just like Christianity to accomplish such a result as this, and in such an event there would be nothing to justify taking the keys from St. Peter's successor, so long as the apostolic succession of St. John was entrusted with the records, as heretofore. But we shall have no signs to indicate the coming of these things until in one or in both branches of the church, a few great men shall be raised up, broad as humanity in their sympathies, and deep as the problem to be solved in their wisdom, - men who shall strive to make the marching song of the ages accord with the pulsations of God's will, and who shall interpret that will by an untram

melled inspiration. Patient hope will not die until these things be!

8. But to the historical side of the question. There is nothing in the records to alarm Protestants in Canada, or anywhere else, with the possible exception of England, but much to enforce upon the attention of Romanists the needs of subscribing to the relief of a waning cause. We must now tolerate a few statistics, but these will not be considered dry in a subject such as this. There are in the world to-day, according to certain well-authenticated estimates, about 1,400,000,000 inhabitants; of these about 200,000.000 are Romanists, and 100.000.000 Protestants. Previous to the Reformation the sway of Romanism was almost universal, but in three and a half cervuries Protestantism has gathered to its standard half as many as now adhere to the Pope. The increase of Protestantism has been at the rate of about 30,000,000 a century, and that of Romanism, during the same period, about half that ratɔ. The reader may follow out this ratio with his own mathematical genius. But, to be a little more specific, there is probably no country to-day which presents such encouraging signs for Romanists as in Old England. Romanism his been gaining in England during the past thirty years, not only with the masses, but in the higher walks of society. Many of her converts are fellows of colleges, ministers of the Church of England, members of the learned professions, and of elevated rank. Bat this increase of Papists in England is not wholly due to conversions from Protestantism; and this explanation is made plain in the light of the fact that England has been colonized by Catholies from Ireland, to a considerable extent. But place the case in the most favorable light to Protestants, and yet England presents a problem in this respect. However, England is an exception to the whole world, while in the Dominion of Canada we have, in less than a century, reversed the status from fivo Catholics to one Protestant, to that of three Protestants for one Catholic.

9. Romanists are not asleep to the signs of the times, but are taking the most active measures to perpetuate their doctrines in all parts of the world. In this effort no changes whatever are made, even in the most objectionable forms of the church; but it is sought to continue and exact obedience to the old ones in various ways, but in none more emphatically than among the children of their own adherents and of those of Protestants, who, because of various misfortunes, fail into

their hands. This is particularly characteristic of Romanistic measures in the Dominion of Canada and the United States, where, in the different series of illustrated school and Sunday school books, a recent departure in Roman Catholic litcrature,graphic pictures of priests, saints, and Papal ceremonies are set forth. The four different series of Catholic school-books which I have examined, are thoroughly Papal, and profusely filled with legends of the, saints, and pictures of worship before crucifixes and images. One series of seven books, of United States origin, is for use by the " Sisters of Charity;' the" Christian Brothers' Series of Readers" is for male schools. This distinction is obvious. Another series is compiled by "a member of the Holy Cross." Now, I am writing a book intended alike for Catholic and Protestant readers, and must pause here to intimate that no one sentence is here written with a desire to. offend Catholics; and, in giving the following sketches and illustrations from these school-books, I do no more than is demanded of me in the strict line of duty; no more than any Catholic historian would be compelled to do, and which he would have a right to do, concerning Protestants; and, assuming that there is nothing in these books of instruction for the youth of which Catholics have reason to be ashamed, I cannot think myself giving offence by instructing Protestants in what is taking place around them in all churches. Hence I give a few specimens of lessons and illustrative cuts, found in these readers, to show what kind of an education

children secure in Roman Catholic schools. Beginning with the "First Reader," page 49, we have the following cut and lesson:

"It is bed-time. See! little Mary is saying her prayers before she goes to bed. The crucifix hangs above her bed; when little Mary looks at it, she thinks of God's love that made him die on the cross to save all little children."

The reader will see that this picture is well calculated to strike the imagination of a child. It is carefully taught that