Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-06-21

yes inculcably damaging for the meantime, tho
not conclusively destructive, and perhaps neces-
'ary as step toward on improved system Of
things.
THE ITALIAN LADY AND THE PICTURE.
In one Of those cities, for obvious reasons
do not say which, was visitisga private gaf-
lery Of pictures, in company with an Italian lady
She was woman Of great personal accomplish,
ments, of fine education, and commanding man
ners As we passed in front of the picture Of
Christ and the woman taken in adultery, she
stopped, and looking at it with fixed and in.
terested gaze, struck hef hand upon her forehead,
and said, When look at these pictures, some
times think shall go mad
was somewhat startled at this sudden an
nouncement, and thought for moment that
there must be something in the peculiar charac-
ter of this picture, which we were contemplat-
ing, that had led to SO excited remark, look.
ed into her eye, and inquired anxiously what
was in the picture. which would so deeply affect
her,
She replied, They tell me that Christ was n
man of humility, meek and lowly, and that his
disciples, the apostles, were fishermen. But here
you see the Bishops, and cardinals, and the
Pope himself in their carriages, clothed in scar
let and fine linen, with plenty of women about
them living in pomp and splendor; and we are
tod that these men are the successors of Christ
and his Apostles-do you believe it -
Certainly not replied, am Protestant,
and of course reject the idea, while you have
been educated in another faith, and, suppose,
have received the doctrine without hesitation
We'll, said she, when you have been here
as long as have, and become as we'll acquaint-
ed with these men, and the manner in which they
live, you will feel, as do, that they can have
no claim to succession from such as Christ and
his disciples were. Why, few days ago, my
husband and were riding in our carriage thro'
the streets, and we met procession of the HosT,
and my husband neglected to take off his hat !;
whereupon the crowd fell upon him, and threat
ened his,life unless he uncovered, out of respect
to the procession which was passing before him.
Fhcy said ishe5s 'r-re earsyine t;ad through the
streets-do you believe it =
Again replied that of course it was not a
part of my faith, but that supposed that she
received it with implicit confidence, as the church
had taught her. Excited now by the remarks
which had made, and by an attempt to show
the grounds upon which the Catholic Church
maintained these doctrines, she became more vi
olent in her denunciations of some Of the lead :
ing opinions of the church to which she belong
ed. said to her, she must recollect that the
Pope claimed to be temporal as well as Splr~
itual sovereign, and that there was propriety
in his assuming some Of the "pomp and circum-
stance which belonged to temporal rulers ;
that we must therefore expect to see in bis style
of living more of splendor than marks the out
ward appearance of the ministers of other
churches, and that perhaps on this ground he
might find some apology for those things which
appeared particularly to have offended her.
Yes, said she, he claims not only to he the
prince of the people, but to have divine power !;
and you remember that a few years ago, in the
time of the revolution of '4S, when he was abou
to fall into the hands of the republicans, for
fear of his life he leaped upon a carriage and
fled from the city to Gaeta. He ran away -
God ran away DO you think God would run
away!'
She looked at me with an arch, sarcastic
expression, and repeated the demand, as if she
held in utter contempt claims of divine power
which could be set up by man who would thus
in the hour of danger-desert his post and
his people, and seek his own safety in iguomini-
GUS fight.
Pursuing this train of conversation for some
time, thought the time had come for me to
make my first attempt in Italy at prosclyting.
then said to her mildly, would it not be wei,
for you, Madam, to leave q church whose lead
lug doctrines you evidently reject and despise
repeated my inquiry and went on to observe
that thought no honest person holding in con-
tempt the cardinal features of the system which
she professed to adopt, could remain for any
length of time in such a connection; and
thought it eminently proper that she should
without hesitation, disavow all adherence to the
church of which she was member, and take
position more consistent with the no BILE prln-
ciples which she did not hesitate to declare.
She turned upon me; and raising her arm it
was bare from the hand to the shoulder,) with
, great earnestness she exclaimed, Sir, would
not leave my church, no, not if they would
make me queen
All the mildness which had marked our former
8 conversation was instantly dissipatod, and the
, idea of tho abandonment of her church, seemed'
in an instant, to have reused every energy OF her
{ soul. She clung to the idea Of union with the
the church rs essential to every hope OF saliva
, tion,-while she rejected, with scorn, the most
: prominent and important doctrines of that same
: church.
Here found, was the secret of the power OF
0 tb;s body. Whatever doctrines its members may
Q ro;ec, thew believe with implicit confidence that
ont of the church there is no salvation. They
? NAV doubt and deny everything else but doubt
Q ing this, they believe they ore damned.
Il found the same opinion to prevail among
, thsr classes Of people, in different parts Of II