Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-02-24


ROME CRUMBLINa TO DEcAY.-This famed
and proud city is not now WHAT it once was
Its ancient grandeur and glory has long since
departed. For ages the spirit of decay has
been creeping over it. Many other once throng-
ed streets are now d~esolate, and her once gos-
geous palaces lie in scattered and crumhing
ruins. For years the population has been
steadily declining. The malaria of the marsh
es issteadily poisoning the atmosphere and pal-
sying the energies Of the whole region. Causes
seem, in the providence of God, silently yet
powerfully at work, which VIII in lapse OF
years render Rome like Babylon and Nineyeh,
an uninhabitable desolation.
Rev. DR.. Adams, Pastor of the BFoome ST..
church, is delivering a coarse of :lectffeson
the present condition of Rome, TO crowded au-
diences. In the last lecture which he delivered
after dwelling on the ecclesiastical aspect OF
affairs at Rome. he said
but over this vast metropolis has an air of
change and decay passed. The seven hills are
distinctly visible, but strewed and almost COW
cred with broken fragments, the ruins aud dust
of her once proud monuments and greatness
The Tiber still flows, an insignificant and
sluggish stream, between lis banks, forgetful of
the time when the arms and Injuries OF the
world foated on its tide, when it was crowd
ed with The barges of princes, whose gorgeous
| Ddtl1eTS dlO SllktH SdlIS UOIe lcStllt8uf 70 Xxx
magnifcence. AS you look forth Q pom the sunny
plains of The Cdmpagna, far stretching TO the
see, you sea a region of sterility and death,
where the peasants who would cultivate the
soil drop into The grave almost as fast as the
rain drops, and where the country has been
mostly abandoned to Buffaloes and wild Bears.
The whole population of the Papal States is
only one-half the number which once inhabit-
ed Rome itself. Rome has not changed in her
claim TO ecclesiastical power. She regards her
claim as the highest in power, her superiority.
of divine appointment.
$50 of its moral aspects. Preaching is hard
ly known. One sermon only ] heard in the
Sistine Chapel, in Latin, aud only six minn.es
long. Dispensatiops for reading The Sacred
Scriptures are often granted, but the Bibles are
of such size and shape that the common peo-
pie with difficulty can obtain them. The spir-
it of Rome is still seen I'M picture In which q
victorious angel is represented as treading in
triumph on the PROSTATE forms of Luther and
Calvin.
But great change has passed over the Ro-
man Poniifr. The wealth of Rome is exhaust
ed. She is poor. horelessly poor. With a debt
of $40. 1000, 000, the interest is a tax of more
than 80 per cent. upon her whole income
Leo X. raised immense sums for the rearing Of
churches and the encouragement of the arts and
artists, by the sale OF indulgences, but the Coul-
Gil of Trent forbade the sale of indulgepcies for
money. Kings were once impoverished by
this, and wealth flowed into Rome like rivers
of water, and Augustan elegance was united
with Augustan luxury. But no TezeF could
now be sent into Germany to sell forgiven ess
~for*sins and raise treasures IN return. Rome
wears the aspect>of proud poverty. That gov
eminent is fallen which relies upon borrowed
funds-"-N. y. Erungelist.