The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-11
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THE prospects of the new kingdom of
Italy are beginning to attract attention
and discussion in the newspapers. Her
population is -twenty-one millions
Less than one-ffth OF its people are
able to read and write. They are i'll
prepared therefore to appreciate fully
the benefits of free government, or to
engage in its great commercial and in
dustrial enterprises, which freedom
stimulates and sustains. They have
not been a hard-working and energetic
people, and change of government
cannot at once change long noted ma
tional habits. We are told that ssmany
in the large cities have been content to
"live by beggary; many have earned a
mere pittancei subsisted on. a diet
which the poorest American laborer
would despise. Many ofgenne birth
The following named gentlemen were
then selected as the officers of the soci-
ety:I III z4EaEE 5L1aG lon -
but reduced fortunes look on
Labor as dishonorabIe, and are
reduced to great straits in main
tanning a respectable social Do
"sition. The products of the soil are
few; the Industrial resources are linn
''ited; and the restless enterprise. which
"in England and the United States com
"stantly finds or creates new openings
"for lucrative labor, is not yet born in
'.Italy.'' r.g lza 4ss.i. -. z-5
One ofthe great difficulties that most
perplexes Italian statesmen is to adjust
the religious convictions and habits of
the people to a free government. The
Italians are Catholics by education, by
conviction, by national tastes and af-
finities. We are told that there are few
Protestants among them, and few will
ling 10 separate from the church of
Rome. "They may dislike the Pope
personally, and feel that his temporal
government is a curse to his subjects,
and a burden on the nation But they
cling to the church, and feel that its
history forms large part of their ma
tional glory. The priests control the
nation through the women, who are
devOut believers, and the ignorant
masses who are held by superstitious
fears. The priests hitherto have been
patriotic. They love Italian unity, be-
AL nay aA4
no less than to the nation. But they do
not favor education, nor industrial en-
terprise, nor freedom of thought. They
live on the past rather than the future,
and viii stand as a formidable barrier
in the way of enlightened statesmen,
who seek to carry forward great nation-
al reforms.
Ricasoh has imbibed more than any
other of the Italian leaders, the broad
views and resolute energy OF the Ia
mented Cavour. He sees distinctly the
danger inherent TO the new government
from the reactionary spirit of the Ro-
mish Church. He longs to sever the
connections between Church and State,
and TO have the religious institutions
of the kingdom modelled after those in
the United states. But neither the
priests nor the people are prepared for
so radical change. The priests are
very willing to be released from the
control of the State, but hesitate to
trust their support to the free-wilI
offerings of the people. And the people
have been so long accustomed to civil
allied closely with the
Church, that a severance of the ties
looks to them like revival of the
atheistic spirit of the French revoIu-
ton. The recent elections, therefore,
OF members of the Italian Parliament
have gone against the policy of Ricasoli,
and may compel him to modify il, and
adapt to the actual condition of the |
people, rather than to their real needs |
and best interests.