Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1850-03-26

Ieu, Imagined; invented Dy SeIIus--li
treasure of civilization, the venerable IN
heritance of generations, the common pal
rimony of knowledge, you reject. If tn
brain Of humanity were here before on
eyes, at your disposal, opened like tn
page of a book, you would make erasure
upon it. Confess il !
In short, there is a book, book whiCl
is, from one end to the other, an emanatioT
from above, book which is for the whole
world what the Koran is for Islamism
what the Vedas are for India, a book
which contains all human wisdom, illumi.
mated by all divine wisdom book which
the veneration of the people called THE
Book, the Bible! Well, your censure
has reached even there. Unheard ol
thing popes have prescribed the Bible
How astonished TO wise spirits, how
overpowering to simple hearts, to see the
finger of Rome placed upon the book of
! God
And you claim again the liberty OF
teaching. Stop, be sincere, let us under
stand the liberty which YOU claim again !;
it is the liberty of not teaching.
All you wish us 10 give you people TO in
struct. Very well. Let MS see your Pu-
pills. Let us see those who have produ-
ced. What have you done for ltaI =
Whathave you done for Spain ? For centu-
res you have kept in your hands, at your
discretion, at your school, under your fe-
rule, these two great nations illustrlouS
among the illustrious. What have you
done for them!
am going 10 tell you. Thanks to you,
Italy, whose name any man who thinks
can any longer pronounce without an IN
Iexpressible filial emotion, Italy, mother
Of genius and of nations, who has spread
over the universe all the most brilliant
marvels of poetry and the arts, Italy, who
has taught mankind to read, now knows
not how TO read.
Yes. Italy is, Of the states of Europe,
that where the smallest number OF natives
know how TO read.
Spain, magniicent!y lowered; Spain,
which received from the Romans her first
civilization, from the Arabs her second
civilization, from Providence, and in spite
of YOU, a world, America Spain, thanks
to you, thanks to your yoke of stuPor,
which is a yoke of degradation and of de-
cay, Spain has lost this secret OF power
which it had from the Romans, this genius
of the arts which it had from the Arabs,
this world which it had from God, and in
exchange for all that you have made il
lose, it has received from you the i''qui-
SiIioa.
The inquisition, which certain men OF
the party try to-day TO re-establish, with
shameful timidity for which | honor
them. The inquisiton, which has burn
ed on the funeral pile FIVE millions OF
men! (Cries of denial.) Read history
The inquisition, which disinterred the
dead 10 burn them as heretics. Witness
UrgheI and Urnauld, Convent of Forcal-
quier. The inquisition, which declared
the children of heretcs even to the Sec
ond generation Infamous and incapable OF
any public honors, excepting only, (these
are the very terms of arrest,) those UhO
shall hare denounced their father. The
inquisition, which, while l speak, holds
still, in the papal library, the manuscripts
of Calico, sealed under the papal mark.
1t is true that, to console Spain, for that
which you have taken from it and given
to it, YOU have surnamed it Catholic.
All, do you know! you have forced
from one of its greatest men this painful
cry which accuses yon 80 | would rather
have her great than catholic"
These are your masterpieces. This
fire which we call Italy you have extn-
guished. This colossus which we call
Spain You have undermined. The one
is in ashes, the other is in ruins. This
is what you have done for two great ma
tons. What do you wish TO do for
France!
Stop; you come from Rome | con-
gratulate you. You have had fine sue
cess there. You come from gagging the
Roman people now you wish TO gag the
French people. understand. This at
tempt is still more fine, only take care, IT,
is dangerous the latter is lion quite
alive.
What would you Of it, then l will
tell you ; you would take from il human
reason. Why! Because it brings day
light. =,
Yes, shall tel you what you desire :
1t is that this immense flood Of free light
which France evolved now for three CEN
turies, light made up of reason, light
more shining now than ever, light which
makes ours so brilliant nation, that we
perceive the brightness Of France on the
face of all the people in the universe, this
glory of France, this free light, this direct
| light which does not come from Rome,
which comes from God, this is what You
wish to extinguish. This is what we
wish 10 preserve.