umiliating and admits the sinner to reconciliation on
condition of mere interior dispositions? As all our catechisms teach, and
as every Catholic knows, there is no pardon of sin without sorrow of heart
and purpose of amendment. It is a great mistake to suppose that the most
ignorant Catholic believes he can procure the pardon of his sins by simply
confessing them without being truly sorry for them. The estimate which so
many Protestants set on the virtue of even the lower classes of Roman
Catholics is clearly enough evinced in the preference which they
constantly manifest in their employment of Catholics--practical
Catholics--Catholics who go to confession. I maintain, therefore, that
confession, far from being an incentive to sin, as our adversaries have
the hardihood to affirm, is a most powerful check on the depravity of men
and a most effectual preventive of their criminal excesses.

But is it true that crimes, especially murder and illegitimacy, are more
prevalent in Catholic than in Protestant countries? I utterly deny the
assertion, and also appeal to statistics in support of the denial. Whence
do our opponents derive their information? Forsooth, from Rev. M. Hobart
Seymour's "Nights Among Romanists" and similar absolutely unreliable
compilations, the false statements of which have been again and again
refuted.

Rev. Mr. Seymour gives the following list of the number of murders in
England, France and Ireland:

Ireland: 19 homicides to the million of inhabitants
France: 31
England: 4

The reader of the above might well draw back in astonishment and exclaim,
"Truly moral atmosphere of England!" But how do these statements compare
with the official records which I submit to the unprejudiced reader?
Recent returns from the "Hand-Book" for France, and "Thom's Official
Directory for England and Ireland, 1869," are as follows:

Convictions (and Executions.
sentences to
death).
1864.--France 9 5
1867.--England and 27 10
Wales
Ireland 3 0

These figures, which are from authenticated sources, do not bear out our
accusers in their assertion that murders are more prevalent in Catholic
than in Protestant countries. The statistics of this crime are limited, or
they are not in very general circulation. But we have more extensive
information in reference