| Catholic Countries. | ||
| 1825-37 | Kingdom of Sardinia | 2.1 |
| 1859 | Spain | 5.6 |
| 1853 | Tuscany | 6. |
| 1858 | Catholic Prussia | 6.1 |
| 1859 | Belgium | 7.4 |
| 1856 | Sicily | 7.4 |
| 1858 | France | 7.8 |
| 1851 | Austria | 9. |
| Protestant Countries. | ||
| 1859 | England and Wales | 6.5 |
| 1855 | Norway | 9.3 |
| 1858 | Protestant Prussia | 9.3 |
| 1855 | Sweden | 9.5 |
| 1855 | Hanover | 9.9 |
| 1866 | Scotland | 10.1 |
| 1855 | Denmark | 11.5 |
| 1838-47 | Iceland | 14 |
| 1858 | Saxony | 16. |
| 1857 | Wurtemberg | 16.1 |
Every item of which was taken by ourselves, after a patient and minute examination, from the Journals of the Statistical Society of London, in the Astor Library, taking the latest accounts of each country in every case.
Here the whole question lies in a nut-shell. As Mr. Bacon says, "the criterion is in the number of illegitimate births." This table gives a complete view of this criterion, and therefore it requires to be refuted before it can be said that any refutation has been made of The Catholic World. How does Mr. Bacon meet it?
He does not meet it at all. He says that the figures of The Catholic World are "outrageously false," and "that he shall presently prove it." We have looked in vain for the proof that any figure of this table is either "outrageously false" or false at all. We do not see that he has said one word to bring any of them under even the least shadow of suspicion. We will give the substance of his arguments against the truth of our statements:
1. Mr. Seymour's book appeared, and no answer was made to it for many years, and therefore it must be presumed to be truth, as to its facts and conclusions.
To this we reply, that it makes no difference what presumptions may exist when they are upset by positive proof. Whether Mr. Seymour has been answered or not, does not change the rate of illegitimacy in any country of Europe in the least. Catholics may not deem it more worth while to reply to Seymour than to the McGavins and the Brownlees. The obviously sinuous and unfair selection of Mr. Seymour's statistics is a sufficient reason for allowing them to slide along with a thousand other calumnies so obviously false as not to be worth the trouble of refuting. However that may be, we have given the refutation, and that ends all the presumptions.
2. Mr. Bacon tries to produce an impression on the minds of his readers that we shall add up and arrange the figures to suit our convenience, and are not to be trusted because we profess confidence, in the outset, of the result of the investigation, on account of our belief that the Catholic Church is the church of Christ.
We will give an extract, that our readers may judge:
"But The Catholic World for April last crushes these formidable allegations with one single stroke of a priori argument: 'We know that she (the Roman Church) is Christ's church, and that just in proportion as she exerts her influence, virtue and morality must prevail; and that it is impossible to prove, unless through fraud and misrepresentation, that the practical working of her system produces a morality inferior to that of any other.' This, of course, is 'the end of controversy.' To go into details of argument would be superfluous, not to say ridiculous, after a demonstration so sweeping. But scorning criticism and ridicule, straightway down into details and figures marches The Catholic World. Having at the start announced it as de fide that the figures must be so found and so added up as to show a satisfactory balance in favor of his side, or else the foundations of the faith were destroyed and the hope of salvation cut off, he proceeds to the statistical business with that eminently fair, candid, and philosophical spirit which might be expected to result from such convictions."