The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-08-06


vices ;hty Gully partially sucoeeoe5. Zoe they
hoG 10 wage wsr almost Of ex,efniaatioa 10
VtDcee 10 oveltoyo@ the arcient inito, and oaly
tocoeete co 81 la, in forcing external eupmi sru.
After she Reformation the successes rf Proteet-
ant governments IN wAr, the massacre OF ST
BaIiholoBe ", the persecution oftn Waldensrs
IN Piecmont, the ecics of Nantes by Henry ".
# France. putting an end 60 toe persecution Of
the Hoguenots, tie revocation Of thai edict by
Louis XIV, 'he suppression Of the order Of the
j suits under nearly every government in Eu-
rope, AUG their final extinction by Pope Clement
XIV in 1878, the Frenca Revolution in twenty
yesis attsr, and the abolition Of the Inquisiton
by Napoleon Bonspazte, were all events which
contributed, duectiy or indirectly, to reduce the
Papal power il Europe 10 the mere shadow OF
what it was. But Bonepayte saw that the Catho-
lie religion tse If had strong hold on the alice
tons of the people in France and other Catholic
countries. and therefore he restored it to its le
gi.mate position. Had he been permitted to
carry out his ideas be would Lave probably re-
stored the Pope to Rome, and made him the head
of an italian CoDfederaion-not only for the
rake OF Italy, which be loved but "a an e1ectual
barrier against the encroaohments and aggran-
djzement of Austria. 'That swelling spirit"
says Sur Walter Scott, "entertained the proud,
the noble idea of uniting the beautiful peninsula
of Italy into one kingdom, Of which Rome should
be once more the capital
Napoleon III. is now in position to realize
the ideas Of Napoleon L, modified by his Own
experience and by the rapid intellectual progress
and changes Of haNa century. BY erecting an
Italian Confederation and placing the Pope Of
Rome at Us head, be establishes powerful 60
v-rrmspt, his friend and ally, on his own from
tier and between him and Austria, whose pre-
sent Emperor he has won by the religious idea
of the Conf deration. And he gives the Ca.ho
lie rel gion new lease Of power, and makes il
an agent of extensive civilization. Stripped of
the mummeries which were heaped upon it in the
dark sges, and its fascinating ritual blended
with pm oeopby, and adapted to the progress OF
the ege, it will thus become religion suited to
the Protestant as well as the Catholic mind, and,
superseding the myriads Of Christian sects, will
regain the position it lost in Europe. Had this
course been pursued at the time Of Luther and
Calvin there would have been no Protestant Re-
formation, but Catholic one, like that Of Hide
brand, within the church itself The religions Of
Professionals and Catholics are at bottom the
same They are both founded on mysteries
which cannot low be understood; but the codes
of doctrines and morals are essentially alike
while the Catholic church has the advantage of
its magnificent ritual to kindle devotion, to
touch the soul through the Senses and to appeal
to all that is beautiful in nature and art to win
the affections to Heaven and to God. Such is
the grand design Of the Emperor Of the French.
THE LATE RAILROAD Observation-Disclosures
s,p1r1rY OF RAILWAY CoMPANIEs.-According
to all accounts there are no means of making the
responsible to the sufferers by the recent dread
full accident near Schaghticoke. The company is,
1t appears, hopelessly bankrupt through its own
improvidence and Encouragement and nothing
can be squeezed out Of it in the shape of money
compensation to the families of the persons who
have been so cold bloodedJy sacrificed by its
neglect As there is 10 way of reaching the
pockets of the shareholders, the men to whose
indifference to their duties this dreadful disaster
ID attributable shnnld be made criminally re-
ponsible. 1t the law provides no remedy for cul-
pabiliy such as theirs, then recourse must be
had to fresh legislation on the subject. The
same causes which produced this accident are
actively at work upon all our other railroads,
and if things continue to go on in the same
fashion, in few years there will not be line in
the Union which will be in ssfe condition
to travel over. What then will become of the
families of the unfortunates who may be killed
or hcapacitated for labor by the accidents that
will be constantly occurring? The State Legis.
latures should at once take measures to secure
such responsibility, pecuniary or penal, on the
part of railroad directors as will awaken them to
proper sense Of the obligations which they have
contracted towards the public, and thus prevent
the recurrence of such disasters
The subject is of course surrounded with Diff
culties, but they can be overcome. The simplest
and most direct remedy is the one that will have
the best chance of escaping the formidable influ
ences that will be brought to bear by the rail-
way companies to defeat it. A short time ago
one of the charivari papers threw out sugges-
ton which, although intended merely as huuor-
GUS illustration Of the necessities of the case is
perhaps as effective an expedient as can be de-
vised. It proposes that seat shall be construct
ed on railway locomotives imm ediately over the
cow.catcher, which the President, or one of the
directors of the company, shall be alternately
compelled to occupy. We have no doubt that if
this plan were put in execution it would be at
tended with the halpiest results. Whatever may
be the opinion of others as to its merits we re-
peat that the law should afford some sort of pro-
lection against railway companies whose bridges
are known to be as rotten as their finances
PRIVATE PIGGERIEs AND PUBLIC HEA1TH-
Not only does the existence of that abominabe
nuisance-tbe piggeries up town-infest the