Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1836-06-23

things of this world, the priests com,
in very OPPORTUNITY to lead the peopl,
to forget at times such things, and theI
10 think of heaven. What say then
perhaps ought to be directed agains
tho government of Rome, and no
against the church, which though cen
tered in one head, are very differcn
things in fact. There seems to be a
much in priest to unfit him to govern
mankind, as there is in sinner to ruiz
in heaven--the reason undoubtedly
being, that politicians must at times
pull and haul, and then let 60 and pull
again: whereas the priest never lets
go, but always pulls either because his
conscience troubles him, or that he
judges man by other than worldly rules
whereas the politicians conscience
is tenderer, and very elastic at times.
Conscience, too, is the devil and all,
when it is not upon the right rond. A
man that has conscience will never
stir step even il n world is tumbling
on him-whereas reason in such case
would run and scamper like a rocket.
] have seen man with conscience
many time, { do not speak ltorally,)
putting and putting to blow whirlwind
back-whereas when reasonable man
came along, he mounted it at once,
and safely rode it off. Our souls are
for the church government, but our DO.
dies are for our own, and our fellow
men.
But to the Vatican--not TO talk Of
its Bulls and its 'Thunders,' though
they were once so terrible all over the
Christian world, that even the servants
of Kings would not touch their masters
nor the food that fed them. The Va
tican is the Papal Palace, or the home
of the Popes, though the Popes do not
live there all the year, (if they live
there at all, on account of the maid-
ria to which to which the situation at
times is exposed. st. Peters and tho
Vatican Palace are side by side,--and
the greatest Church in the world is in
companionshp with the greatest Pa.
lace for the Vatican has so many
rooms, that none count them alike
some making the number 4,422, others
1900, and others yet $4,000, inclu.
ding the subterrancan. The city of
Turin, which seems TO occupy on area
as large al Boston, and the Vatican
are pronounced to have about an equal
circumference, from which you may
Judge whether the tenant and owner Of
such palace, had not a right to make
Bull, and to thunder little now and
then. But be this as it may--ifhe had
not right to thunder on account of
the extent of his palace, no man had b
better right to thunder over what was
in it. The whole revenue of the U.
States, for half century, would not
be able to buy the works of art here
collected. Though had been seeing
some things as | had travelled along
in Italy, and felt even little wiser for
having been in England, and though
| had believed my curiosity long ago
to be all dead, surfeted as it had been
with novelties-yet young Ben Frank
lin with his two loaves Of bread under
bis arm, when he first entered the city
of William Penn, did not feel queerer
than Ibid, when first came into these
dazzling galleries of art. If young
bashful boy, when he is first making
his entrance into society, remembers
his first impressions Of female beauty
in the bright saloon, when all is glory,
and all with him is love, and every
whisper, and every smile touches him
to the heart, then he may have some
idea of my impressions in this saloon
of mine, only remembering that though
marble and porphyry statues cannot
talk, nor sing, nor dance, yet none OF
his that are singing or dancing, have
the tenth part Of the beauty of mine.
Jonathan never went swapping his whip
through the streets of Boston, with a
droller feeling than | did from one end
of these galleries to the other. Long
ago, from drawings and engravlngs, |
had formed an acquaintance with many
of the gentlemen and ladies here, and
Mr.. Belvidere Apollo, and the Mrs.
Muse Thalia, Polyhymnia, and all, ]
was delighted to see. Demosthenes
and Cicero were old acquaintance OF
mine, that ol.boy lessons had at
least impressed upon my memory
The philosophers of Greece were to be
seen, and the Roman Emperors, and 50
were all the gods from Jupiter down
ward--to say nothing ofthe Fawns and
Bacchantes, know not how many
The personages of whom | had been
reading for years were before me-
Ideas which have ever been seeking
for objects on which to fix themselves
were embodied at once. An admira.
Bile Commentary found them to be on
all that had read of Roman or Gre
clan story. A new book was opened,