their care twice that number of children and youth; thus a million and a half are growing up, in, entire ignorance of the simplest elements of knowledge. There are at least another half million, who have been taught to read and write, but who are very little elevated above those who cannot read in point of intelligence and the possession of moral principle. These may be supposed to have under their influence a million of children and youth; so that of the free white population of this country, there are at least three millions, who are in a state of degraded, stupid ignorance, leading to all intents and purposes an animal life, a life of sensation, without any valuable reflection or forethought. Here is a soil very favorable to the luxuriant growth of the papal error—a field, which can be sown over in broad cast, with the promise of a most abundant harvest. The whole ceremonial of the Romish church, the doctrine and the gorgeous ritual, are adapted precisely and admirably to meet the inclinations and circumstances of all the ignorant men and women in our land. The splendid painting, the image almost "instinct with life," the dim taper burning in early morning or in the shadows of evening, the superb vestments of the priesthood, and a thousand other circumstances, are calculated most wonderfully, to captivate an ignorant, unthinking population. The Roman Catholic bishop of Kentucky, writing to his friend in Europe, says, "that the protestants come to our church attracted by the music and preaching. There reigns in our churches a silence and a tranquillity, which are astonishing, when observed for the first time. The protestants themselves rejoice at the sight of these temples erected to the true God, and feel a peculiar attachment to the Catholic worship, whose pomp and splendor form so striking a contrast with the barrenness and nudity of protestant worship." It has always been the maxim of the Romish church, the more darkness the more piety, the more ignorance the more devotion. So far then as there is ignorance in our country, there is strong ground for apprehension.

Another reason for solicitude on this subject, is the condition of the newly settled portions of this country.

There is not much probability that the Roman Catholics will gain a footing in New England, and in some parts of the Middle States, because the people have the pure gospel preached to them. They have the Sabbath with its heavenly light; the Bible, which is perfect, converting the soul; and the influence of the Divine Spirit, rendering effectual the means of grace. But it is not so in many portions of our land. Whole vast territories, with a rapidly increasing population, are nearly destitute of the ordinances of religion. The people perish, for lack of vision, by thousands. The States of Mississippi and Louisiana, extending from the gulf of Mexico to Arkansas, and from Alabama to Texas, containing 99,000 square miles, and increasing with great rapidity, not long since were enjoying the labors of only twenty Presbyterian and Episcopal ministers, together with a small number of Methodists and Baptists. Supposing the latter to have five times as many ministers as the Presbyterians and Episcopalians, and allowing one minister to 1,000 souls, 100,000 of the population may be considered as supplied, while 400,000 are destitute. This is but an epitome of many other great territories. Some districts in the western country double their number short of ten years, outstripping, with fearful rapidity, all the means of religious instruction, which have been hitherto employed.

It will be recollected that the State of Louisiana, which is the outlet of the western country, and in some respects having a more commanding

influence than any other State, was settled by the French, and is almost entirely given to Romanism. There are not more than half a dozen protestant churches in the State, with a population of more than 300,000. Numerous Catholic convents and nunneries are established in various parts of the State. In the two dioceses of St. Louis and New Orleans, not long ago, the number of priests was more than 100. They have one theological seminary, two colleges, several schools for boys, and ten convents in which are 600 pupils. Now these are the regions, which the Catholics consider as their appropriate missionary ground. In the five years before 1829, one association in Europe sent 61,000 dollars, principally to aid the Romish missions in the Valley of the Mississippi. One of their bishops, writing to Europe, has the following language. "The missions of America are of high importance to the church. The superabundant population of ancient Europe is flowing towards the United States. Each one arrives, not with his religion, but with his indifference. We must make haste. The moments are precious. America may one day become the centre of civilization; and shall truth or error there establish its empire? If the protestant sects are beforehand with us, it will be difficult to destroy their influence. Numerous conversions have already crowned the efforts of our bishop. He has established a convent, all the nuns of which are protestants, who have abjured their former faith."

This leads us to mention in the third place, that the sympathy and assistance which some protestants show the papists is a ground of apprehension.

There are, doubtless, several hundred thousand merely nominal protestants in this country, whose minds are not settled in the great principles of Christian, protestant liberty. They change with the wind. Some of them inconsiderately assist the papists. They know not what they do. Others are disturbed by the active friends of evangelical truth, and to escape from the annoyance, go over to the papists. A third class show them countenance from political motives. The Roman Catholic bishop of Charleston, in South Carolina, can command several hundred votes, which is an object of no small importance.

The fourth reason for apprehension, which we shall mention, is the present condition of Europe.

What will be the result of the late astonishing revolutions in Europe, is known only to God; but we may safely calculate, that the emigration to this country will be greatly increased. The Catholic religion has ceased to be the exclusive religion of France. This will doubtless throw many of their priests out of employment. To our shores they will look as a resting place from their toils, where they can repair their shattered fortunes, and reinstate themselves in their former influence and glory. The government of the United States adopts a complete indifference towards all religions. Here they have no persecution to fear. Here are vast tracts of unoccupied, fertile land, strongly inviting them to leave their famished brethren in the crowded districts of Europe. In a few months of one year, 30,000 individuals arrived at New York, from Europe, most of whom were Catholics. So we have not only to provide for our own people increasing beyond all former parallel, but we have to guard against the nameless evils of an ignorant, bigoted population, flowing in a strong current from the old world.

Another source of apprehension arises, from the fact that nearly all the knowledge in the Catholic church is in the hands of the priests.

Diffusion of knowledge among all the people is the glory of protes

tantism. There is no privileged order among protestants. The whole body of enlightened clergy would rejoice to see the streams of knowledge flowing to every man's door. They would give to every human being a Bible, and have him think for himself seriously, conscientiously and independently, on the great subjects of his duty and his destiny. They would have no such thing as a monopoly of knowledge of any kind. Let it be free as the air and light of heaven. But it is not so with the popish priesthood. They would monopolize all the intellectual and moral light. They have denied to the laity all participation in church government. They have for centuries forbid the circulation of the Bible among the common people. They have refused to the laity the use of the wine, in celebrating the sacrament of the Lord's supper, pretending that it was designed only for the priests. They have arrogated to themselves the power to forgive sins, thus gaining possession of the consciences of the people.

Thus it is for the interest of the priests to spread their faith as widely as possible, and with as much concealment as possible. Their influence-their very existence is depending on the deep and unbroken ignorance of the people. And to accomplish this design they have consummate ability— the accumulated wisdom of several hundred years.

Another ground of apprehension, is the nature and pretensions of the papal church.

They are one and indivisible throughout the world, a compact mass, held together by a belief, that out of their church is no salvation, by a vivid recollection of former and departed glory, by a strong sense that they are now a persecuted community. If one member of their church suffers, another suffers with it. If there are not papists enough in this country now, there are enough in Europe. If there are not cathedrals sufficient, there are funds sufficient in Europe to build them. In the upper circles of Italy, the conversion of the United States has been a frequent subject of conversation. The Catholic bishop of Cincinnati, in a late communication says, "that we shall see the truth triumph; the temples of idols will be overthrown, and the seat of falsehood will be brought to silence. This is the reason that we conjure all the Christians of Europe to unite, in order to ask of God the conversion of these unhappy infidels or heretics. What a happiness, if, by our feeble labors, and our vows, we shall so merit as to see the savages of this diocese civilized, and all the United States embraced in the same unity of that Catholic church in which dwells truth, and temporal happiness."

A further reason for solicitude on this subject, is the fact that the Catholics depend for success very much on the instruction of the young. They are directing their principal attention to the establishment of schools, convents, colleges, asylums, and theological seminaries. The schools in Maryland, are frequented not only by the Catholic, but also by protestant children, many of whom embrace the Romish religion, or at least receive impressions in its favor, which they carry into the bosom of their families. They also say "that the establishment of convents of nuns devoted to the education of females does great good. Catholics and protestants are admitted indiscriminately. The latter after having finished their education return to their homes, full of esteem and veneration for their instructresses. They are ever ready to refute the calumnies, which the jealousy of heretics loves to spread against the religious communities, and often where they have no longer the opposition of their relations to fear, they embrace the Catholic religion."

The last cause for apprehension which we shall mention is, that the doctrines of the Romish church remain in substance the same, unchanged.

"The refinement of modern manners, the withholding of objectionable articles of faith, in soothing conversations maintained with inquirers, the specious glosses put on expressions, startling to the lover of scriptural simplicity, might seem to say that Rome is changed." But such is not the fact. The late Pope, Pius VII., in 1805, declared "that according to the laws of the church, not only could not heretics, that is protestants, possess ecclesiastical property, but that, also, they could not possess any property whatever, since the crime of heresy ought to be punished with the confiscation of goods. The subjects of a prince who is a heretic should be released from every duty to him, freed from all obligation, all homage." The same pontiff in 1808, professes this doctrine, that “the laws of the church do not recognize any civil privileges as belonging to persons not Catholics; that their marriages are not valid; that the Catholics themselves are not validly married, except according to the rules prescribed by the court of Rome; and that if united in this manner, the marriage is valid, had they in other respects violated all the laws of their country." These are an exact translation of the words used by the late head of the church, a man of enlightened views on many subjects, and of distinguished celebrity.

Men, maintaining such doctrines in any degree, are dangerous any where. There is ground for alarm wherever they may happen to live. So long as they deny, on any pretext whatsoever, the right and the privilege of the full and of the free circulation of the Scriptures, among all the people, they are not even a corrupt part of the Christian church, they do not belong to it. This is a fundamental article, not of protestantism only, but of civil freedom; the light and hope of the world. The Bible contains glad tidings of great joy for all people. Where is the individual or the church, which has the right to lock up this heavenly treasure, or do any thing to prevent its universal diffusion?

JEAN BAPTISTE SAY.

THIS celebrated political economist was born in 1767 at Lyons, where his father was a respectable merchant, who afterwards removed to Paris about the commencement of the revolution. He himself was educated for commercial pursuits, and was in business for some time, but soon relinquished it with a view to devote himself entirely to literary pursuits. At the most stormy period of the revolution, he established in connection with Chamfort and Ginguené, a literary periodical. When Buonaparte was about to depart for Egypt, he employed M. Say to collect all the works which the nature of that expedition was likely to render necessary to him. In 1802, he published his "Treatise on Political Economy, or a plain Exposition of the Formation, Distribution, and Consumption of Wealth." This is the most important of his works, and the one which has contributed to make his name known throughout Europe. Though Adam Smith's work had been translated, yet it was little read or comprehended. There were even strong prejudices against the study among all the leading men of France, headed by Buonaparte himself. M. Say's work produced an

entire change in public opinion. In addition to its great and unques tionable merit, from its clear and logical arrangement, from the felicity of many of its illustrations, it is enriched with several accurate, original, and profound discussions. Besides five editions of the original, enlarged and improved in each, it has been translated into almost all the languages of Europe. Say kept aloof from public life, but was the friend of some of its brightest ornaments. He died in Paris about the middle of November, 1832, aged 67.

STUDY OF HEBREW AT OUR LITERARY INSTITUTIONS.

THE reasons for the incorporation of the study of Hebrew into our literary courses are very obvious. All the required helps for the thorough study of the original Hebrew are now easily accessible. The Hebrew literature contains the only records of the history of our race for a long period after the creation. It exhibits full historical annals of a most interesting people. The language is probably the parent of the most important languages of the East. The literature is pre-eminently original-the effusions of truth and nature the overflowings of genuine feeling-the utterance of undisguised sentiments. The literature has great variety. It is simple history; it is close epigrammatic proverb; it is taunting irony: the solemn, elaborate composition of the courts of Susa and Babylon; the tenderness of sweet pastorals. It is the revelation of visions such as mortal eye never saw. It is serious and animated; simple and vehement, now flowing in harmonious cadence; and now abrupt, elliptical, and disjointed.

Above all, it is essential truth without any mixture of error: the thoughts of heaven-refining the taste, enlarging the intellect, winging the imagina tion, illuminating the inmost soul. If we had only a few of the closing chapters in the book of Deuteronomy, we might value them as a treasure above all price. Did you never mark the repetition-the energy-the pathos-the noble disinterestedness-the unequalled and glorious poetry of the dying prophet and legislator, with which these chapters are instinct?

The objections to the introduction of the study of Hebrew, as it seems to us, can be very easily disposed of. It is said that the minds of a majority of young men are averse to studies so sacred, and that in fact it would be converting a college into a theological seminary. Not at all, it may be replied. There is no system of theology in the story of Joseph, or in the history of Ruth. Ridgely never thought of constructing a corpus of theology out of the wanderings of the children of Israel; nor Turretine from the wars of Canaan. It is teaching simple, impartial history. It is studying well-conceived, well-expressed, beautiful poetry. Who is the

student, that has such a pagan mind as to be unwilling to study what Homer never reached, what Milton was glad to copy, what Chatham confessed that he had taken as the model of his eloquence, what Sir William Jones declared to be (considered as mere human compositions) the highest efforts of genius.

Another objection is, that the literature of the Hebrews is very confined, being entirely included in the books of the Old Testament. This objection would have some weight, if any man, or college of men, had mastered what