The Mountaineer. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1859-1861, 1860-11-10
Criginal GuntrihufinlIs.
TIE GREAT sCHIsM4A HIS
ToRIoAb SKETCH G
ny ALExASbfR or,

lCaPhIlsousi Ieii attire ana ttudal pageant
~ Thong the mind In wild but splendid
confusion, when We see In fancy's mirror
the memorable scenes Of the great schissm
the historical view 81 which Il dect,ly
dyed with turpitude, and abouutis Il
pictures Of the grossest licentuousliess 4.
BY the great schism which existed
from the year 1878 TO l4I4, Is under.
stood that remarkable episode when THREE
popes, viz, John XIII, III Rome: C,rer.
tory MI, ID Avignon, in France. aiid
Benedict XIII. III Spain. disputed IN
possession Of the so-calIed holy see, each
rival claimant accommodating the other
IN turn, including oil his followers; 50 that
all the countries OF Ghristendom found
themselves subject 10 the ban Of the
church, either BY the one pope Or the
other rs a" h
The church had indeed become 20 de-
graded that out Of all the principal and
leading members Of the ecclesiastical nro.
fession, but few could read. and many
had neither heard Of, nor read the Bible
and knew the book merely by hearsay
Instead of living according to the princi.
plies Of their divine Muster whom they t,ro-
fessed TO represent here on earth. and az
.deyoting their time 70 the pursuit Of the.
illogical and other useful studies, thew
passed tin gambling, drinking, swearing
and in the preparation of the most re-
voting crimes; yes, according to the tes-
.timony Of the pope Adrian vi, bishop or
Augsburg, Christopher Of Stadion and
Hugo, bishop Of Constance, nunnerirs
were almost like houses Of ill-fame, and
even the daughters and wives of respect
able citizens were not safe from tie M
ruly appetites Of a deprased clergy. /. .a
In addition 10 this, every conceivable
scheme was employed to cxtort MONEY
from the benighted people Of that are.
Letters Of Indulgence were sold for the
preparation Of the heaviest crimes, n.
Guiding pillagc Of churches, perjury,
adultery, murder; and to suit the coarse
and deprhred state Of public feeling, The
promise Of Indulgence could even he Oh
tanned prior TO the commission of Il crime.
And to cap the climax Of these shameful
proceedings, the of intmIgencies was
for the sake Of u greater profit, let out 10
the highest bidder or general agents, and
these again appointed slb-agentS, who ull,
of course, awaited themselves Of the word
of God to, fiji their Golfers with m0uey.
It=waS q very common thug To hear a
monk or any other ccclcsiaStlc roar out
with q stentorian voice, III d public street:
81 900 are wanted 70 relieve poor
sinner from the further agonies Of
the purgatory; come, yc faithful ones aud
help; the poor man has already been for
ten years in the pit Of fire and birthstone.
81, 600 more, and the holy father will in.
terfere in his behalf, aud wrest him out
Of the fangs OF the devil, ? ? .,.. b
s. Atlast, Sigismuhd. the newly elected
emperor Of the so-called Roman empire,
and a man of brilliant intellect, directed
his attention to the great sctisin and the
seandalous. proceedings connected with the
same. To remove the difficulties existing
in the church was almost as difficult a
task rs the cleaning of the Augeah stable
by Hercules; but Sigismund, determined
to reform the clergy, succeeded at last
in the year l4l4, in converting the ceIe-
bratcd council of Constance on the Be-
densee Lake in Switzerland The
assembly was one OF the most numerous
and brilliant ever mentioned ia the an
nails of history. Besides the pope there
were present the patriarehs Of CONSTANT
.no2le, Grade and Antioch, twenty-five
cardinals, twenty archbishops, niuety-two
bishops, two thousand Of the lower clergy,
about two thousand five hundred princes,
mobiles, counts and knights, with their
retin1e, forming altogether ihe vast Us.
sembly Of more than 100, 900 persons. -
. John XXIII., being the principal actor
in that remarkable drama, a few remarks
touching his former career will be inter-
esting to the reader. When about the
age Of 90, John had been engaged in the
lucrative but hazardous business Of pi-
rate in the Mediterranean. His life be-
coming, however, endangered by his san
culinary exploits, he resolved on a salItary
change, by repairing to Rome, protesting
repentance and taking the orders of a
monk. John, possessing much natural
cunning and shrewdness, acted any part
to perfection, providing his own interests
we're promoted by II. Thus he, assumed
suddenly great sanetimoniousness, aud his
peculiar taste aud talent for manenyring,
wire-pulling and doing evil, under the garb
Of religion, suiting the spirit Of that age,
he rose from ruuk 10 rank, till he took the
papal nitro, having. as is asserted by good
authority, poisoned his predecessor, on
whose death-bed he shed crocodile tears.
That pious, worthy man being at last
in possession of the holy chair, resumed
then from dear old propensilies, his traffic
ing operations by the sale Of bishops
mitres, consecrated palm-twigS, aud . va
riety Of other articles, aud being great
admirer OF the fair sex, he had many a
beautiful maiden at his court, where were
assembled the gifted and the gay from all
parts Of Europe, while he was the most
dissipated among the liceutiOns tbrong
that fluttered in the blaze Of the pontid,
cal palace =, S,,. ,;.,r a. ~. f4,s..... r..
or the three Popes, John XIII,
from Rome, was ahDle present, hoping
firmly by his deeply laid intrigues. aud with
the assistance Of his friends, 10 influence
A.. s,,ncu IA denoSe hiS fwn tIF,nonentS