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CHAPTER XXI.

THE JESUITS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

The Character of the Jesuits-Authorities on this Subject-Education the Great Jesuit Engine-Jesuit Influence in Great Britain— Daniel O'Connell and his Jesuitry-Specimens of Modern Jesuit Teaching-Survey of those Countries where the Jesuits are tolerated-Conclusion.

THE rise and spread of Jesuitism is matter of history, while the services and merits of their order have so often employed the pens of both the learned and the witty, the priest and the layman, that it might have been supposed Jesuits were thoroughly known to the rest of mankind. And yet it is not so, for without impiety we may aver of Jesuitism in its essence and its practice, its far-sighted policy and its wide-spread ramifications, that it possesses a height and a depth, a breadth and a length, which passeth the comprehension of ordinary men. Yet enough may be discovered from various accredited authors, to enable us to form a tolerably correct estimate of the principles and practice of the order; and perhaps nowhere can a more terse and graphic epitome of them be found than in Brockhaus's Conversation Lexicon, a perusal of which wellwritten and authentic work must lead every impartial person to pronounce the Society of Jesus a bitter satire on his genuine disciples; since, from their beginning to the present

moment, their own aggrandizement, not the benefit of mankind, has been their aim and object; and they have sought to propitiate and ingratiate themselves more with states and princes, than even with the Roman Catholic, and far less with the gospel church. Yet these men, so justly branded as the most dangerous of all monks, who were characterised by one of their early generals, Francisco Borgia, as "creeping in like lambs and ruling like wolves, until they were literally driven away like dogs," now seek to realise the final clause of his allegory, by "renewing their youth like eagles" (be it remarked, still retaining the character of creatures of prey), so that unless the vigilance of human, or rather the kind care of divine government frustrate their attempt, we, or our immediate posterity, are likely to see days of sorrow, which the world fondly flattered itself were passed away, never to return. Could it indeed be asserted, that the Jesuits had become better by the lapse of time, had they relinquished their immoral maxims, and changed their religious sentiments (if indeed they deserve to be called religious) in any essential particular, did the admirable description given of them in Pascal's "Lettres de Province," no longer apply, did they now, though at the eleventh hour, even profess to recognise, in their capacity of instructors of youth, the wants and the requirements of the human mind, and the true and ennobling purpose of education, we might be less grieved at the prospect of their restoration, and more inclined calmly to await the proof of future years, as to whether their improvement were real or hypocritical. But since, far from having benefitted by the lapse of time, or being purified by misfortune, they have only become (according to the testimony of various credible writers* during the last ten years) more subtle, more

*Readers little versed in this branch of modern literature, are referred to the "Catechismo de Gesuiti," Leipsic, 1820. De la Chalotais, Comtes rendus des Constitutions des Jesuites, Paris, 1832. Les Jesuites Anciens et Nouveau, par Simon, Paris, 1826. Les soirées de St. Acheul, Brussels, 1826. Jordan's distinguished work, "Die

covetous, and more dangerous, it is surely a work of humanity, as well as prudence, to open the eyes of men, if possible, to the risk to which every social relation of life will be exposed, if the most powerful, persevering, wily, and mischievous of all secret associations should, under deceptive views of either its merits or its harmlessness, be suffered again to obtain an establishment amongst us. Perhaps few works are better calculated to do this than those of Adam von Bucher (of which a complete edition was published at Munich, in 1819, by Joseph von Klessing), as their perusal will suffice to show the views, principles, and secret springs of action, by which those holy fathers have ever been guided. Bucher was himself educated at a Jesuit seminary, studied at a Jesuit university, and bore, during a long life, the character of a truly devout, zealous, and blameless Catholic priest. The testimony of such a man must have great weight with all impartial persons; and hence his "Contributions to the History of the Jesuits in Bavaria," have ever been highly esteemed as historical documents. Yet, in this work, the hypocritical pretensions of the Jesuits to religion, and their genuine love of worldly power and earthly possessions (of which their conduct in Paraguay gives ample evidence), are painted to the life; their conduct, as teachers, laid open; their customs, manners, and rules of life, all plainly disclosed, together with various biographical notices and anecdotes, illustrative of their worth, whether in the pulpit or the confessional, as well as of their successful legacy-hunting and not infrequent suppression or forgery of wills. And what they were in his days, they are, and must necessarily be, to the present hour, since none of their principles or maxims has ever been changed.

After the Paris revolution of 1830 had exiled them from France, the Jesuits made their chief attacks upon Belgium,

Jesuiten et der Jesuitismus," Altona, 1839. And, in evidence of their deep share in the Belgian revolution, the well-known work, "Das Scharze Buch oder die Enthullte Propaganda Belgiens,” Altenburg, 1838.

Italy and Switzerland, although Germany was not wholly overlooked, as they attempted, and not altogether without success, to insinuate themselves under other appellations into various parts of the empire. More recently their strenuous efforts have been directed against Bavaria. But, in every place, their main object is to possess themselves of the sinews, and, as it were, to command the future fate of the nation, by getting into their hands the education of its youth, on whose facile minds their subtle sophistries, fair-seeming and gentle governance (gentle in the main, notwithstanding the degrading system of corporeal punishment which they advocate), seldom fails to make an impression favourable to their future influence. Without going all lengths with the pope, we may safely admit that in some very important respects——

"Just as the twig is bent, the tree's inclin'd;"

and therefore would earnestly urge upon all who do not desire to see their sons become the dupes or the tools of Jesuits, the wisdom of withholding them from Jesuit seminaries. Their great capability as instructors, and their distinguished services in the various fields of literature, is the common cant of ultra-liberalism in the present day, even in Britain, in which stronghold of Protestantism the latest and boldest attacks of the order have been hazarded; and, if we may judge by appearances, not without having had just grounds for anticipating success. We have not room for entering into an examination of what Jesuits have given to the world in the different departments of science; but can fearlessly assert, that whoever chooses to institute a comparison between their productions, whether in theology, history, general science, or belles lettres, will find that neither their attainments, nor the use they have made of them, deserve the eulogiums which it has pleased their advocates or their pupils to pass upon them. The latter, indeed, may perhaps be excused for thus seeking to swell their own sails by a side wind of praise, while lauding the superiority of their instructors. It is undoubtedly strange,

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and yet true, that very few enlightened Roman Catholics on the Continent (not personally connected with the order) can be found disposed to join in the praises so lavishly bestowed in England on Jesuits. Whence comes this anomaly? Is it because Britons have been so long unused to their machinations, that they have forgotten and cannot credit their danger and extent? Or is it that Puseyism familiarly called in Germany, a bastard of popery," is paving the way for its corps of spiritual janissaries? Or, worst of all, is there reason to dread that Jesuits have not been so much strangers in Great Britain as was supposed; but that many of those who have gone, or ought to go, over to Rome, are in reality Jesuits, some of them in clerical robes, others in short skirts, as the Germans term that most numerous and most dangerous phalanx, who, not known as Jesuits, but on the contrary, appearing to earn their bread in some honest calling, whether of trade or as members of liberal professions, make their way into all classes of society, stir up the bigots of their own religion to oppose all education but what is under priestly rule, and, more marvellous still, succeed in getting Protestants to oppose it likewise; and thus contrive to make their greatest enemies subserve their plans, by resisting all education not introduced with the "shibboleth" of their party? This is a master stroke; for well do the Jesuits know that seminaries which would enlighten the mind without any ostensible dogmatic instruction, are infinitely more dangerous to them than seats of learning where Protestantism is professionally taught. Hence, their outcry in England as in France, that "colleges not under priest-rule are unchristian." The German author of a small but clever pamphlet, called "the Jesuit Plague," thus expresses himself on this subject :-"You kind-hearted liberals of Germany, who have sent addresses to the patriot, Daniel O'Connell, are not your eyes at length opened to his true character and your own folly? See you not, by his opposition to the anti-Jesuit French law of instruction, that he is a genuine disciple of Loyola? Wherefore, I would ask you,