Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1858-12-08

THE MoRTARA AFFAIR AGAIN.

THE MORTARA AFFAIR AGAIN.
Pope Plus Ninth, who was, ten years ago,
looked upon sort of apostle OF liberty In
Europe, and the hope of the world, has an
swered the demands of the various European
governments on the subject of the restitution
to his parents of Edgar Mortara, now in the
hands of the Inquisition authorities. He tells
them that the boys restoration TO his parents
is impossible. A brief statement of this very
remark able case will serve to put this decision
of the head of the Roman Church in a strong
er light. Edgar Mortara Levi is about seven
years old. He is the son of Momola Mortara
Levi Jewish resident of Bologna. In 1857,
when he was about one year old, he was Ill, and
a Roman Catholic nurse, about fourteen years
DID, thinking he might die, administered the
rite of baptism, lay baptism, under such cir
cumstances, being tolerated and recognized as
all sufficient by the Roman ecclesiastical au-
thorites. The child recovered, but the gIrl
kept her secret. Yet she was sensible OF the
wrong she had done in deceiving her master
and mistress, and communicated her uneasl-
ness TO arother Raman Catholic woman, ex-
pressing great regret at the act she had done,
and declaring that she would not have done 1t
had she been older. The woman wanted her
to tell the matter to priest, but this she re-
fused, and the other one then went and COM
municated the whole affair 10 priest. The
girl was Immediately summoned before the In
quisition, and made to swear to say nothing a.
officers of the Church were sent TO the house
of Signor Mortara, and to the amaZement and
grief of the family, the child Edgar was yio-
lently carried off, weeping in terror at what
was done. He was taken to Rome and put in
charge of the Catechumens, who still retain
him. Remarkable stories are told OF his be-
ing q sincere aud even an inspired convert to
Christianity talking words OF wisdom and truth
very astonishing in a child of seven years. 1t
is even said that he refuses to go back to ms
parents. But all of these reports want verIl-
| cation. Indeed, when the boys faher was ad-
mitted to see him, he is said to have wept DIT
terly and to have begged to be allowed TO go
home. Even if it be true that the child talks
sound Christian doctrine, and even II he reiu-
ses to go back to his parents, 1t may easily DC
seen how one of such tender years, secluded
from all other Influences for many weeks. could
be trained, either by tenderness or by fear, to
deny, not only his religion, but his parents al
| SO. But leaving out of the question the Wis
| dom or the inclination of the child, and put
/ ting aside also the question of religion, look
! ing-simply at the act of depriving parents OF a
| child, it is the lost monstrous thing done, un-
| der sanction of a civilized government, since
| the worst days of the Spanish lnquisition.
The Papal Government, in sanctioning the act,
fairly presents itself to the world kidnap-
ping institution. The abduction of the child
is not only an un-Christian act it is an fnhu-
man act, the parallel of which is only TO be
found among certain wild Indian tribes of our
Western wilderness, who are in the habit of
stealing children from white settlers on the
frontier, and forciby making them members
! of their own community. So long as the act
was only that of Subalterns in the Roman
| Church, and there chance of its disa-
vowal by the higher powers and the restoration
of the child to its parents, it was not quite so
| bad as il now is. The determination of the
Pope to sustain The Inquisition, and not to per-
nit the parents % have their child, makes 1t
the boldest wrong perpetrated by any Gespot
ism, in this century at least. The leading Eu-
ropean governments, Roman Catholic as well
as Protestant, have demonstrated with the
| Pope on the subject. In refusing to listen to
them, and declaring that the boy Edgar Nor
tara cannot be restored, he sets them all at de-
fiance, and insults Emperors and Kings. as he
has already insuited all humanity. From a
smaller spark than this a great fire has often
| been kindled- 1t will not be surprising If Eu-
/ rope should yet be convulsed and thrones Sha-
! ken, as a consequence of the superstitious act
| of Roman servant girl of fourteen in the
year 1S52.-P Philadelphia Bulletin.