mid ocean, the "Roman church seemed once to lazily float on an ocean of abject superstition, ignorance, and blind fanaticism, beneath Mexico's bright skies. But a hurricane struck her from the north, and the Mexican Roman church is now on her beam ends.
The example of the United States led to the formation of the liberal Mexican party, and has constantly inspired it with the love of liberty and progress. For more than fifty years has the Roman church in Mexico unscrupulously and murderously fought the liberal party, and with the sword in her hand, stained with the blood of Mexico's best sons, tried to destroy the hopes and influence of the Mexican liberals. The liberal party gradually gained strength, and won victory after victory, until by its constitution of 1857 and "laws of reform," it shattered the political power of the Roman church in Mexico. In vain did she bring about the French intervention to recover her lost position; that effort but branded her with the name of traitor. The constitution of 1857, and the "laws of reform," emptied all the convents and scattered their inmates to the four winds; separated church and state, gave entire liberty of worship, forbade religious processions, the wearing of ecclesiastical robes, and the carrying about of the "host," in the streets; declared ecclesiastics ineligible to hold offices in the government, established civil marriage, nationalized the church property, and in many other ways broke down the political power of Rome in Mexico. In vain did the Roman church excommunicate those who accepted the constitution of 1857 and the "laws of reform." They have become the laws of the land. The gigantic and protracted contest waged by the Roman church against the liberal party has convulsed the nation, impeded the education of the masses and left them poverty stricken. That contest has been condemned and opposed by a few liberal and patriotic presbyters in the Mexican Roman church. Several of these threw off the yoke of Rome in consequence, and tried to establish an independent and patriotic Mexican church, while others from deep evangelical convictions sympathized with this effort. The clergy that connected themselves openly with this movement
