The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-11-03

Austria and the Concordat.
According to the Vienna correspondence of
the London Morning Herald even Transylvania,
that ultima Thule of the Austrian monarchy,
has sent up petition to the Reichsrath for set
ting aside the concordat. This concordat or
treaty, was made by the See of Rome with
Austria In 1855, after Hungary had been
crushed and Francis Joseph had revoked the
constitutional privileges which his uncle had
been forced to concede The provisions of the
c0ncordat are now felt to be onerous, even by
the sluggish Austrian mind, which has been
slowly awakening to q sense of its natural
rights ever since the battle Of Sadowa dated
the period OF transition through which Austria
Is now passing from ga despotism that aimed at
supremacy over vast variety Of homogeneous
and alien provinces by the agency Of great
army, skilful bureaucracy, and, it must in
fairness be added, of kind of hazy benevo-
lence," to the experiment OF constitutional gov
eminent. The Transylvanian petition against
the concordat Is characterized by primitive
simplicity in the dictioh not generally TO
be found in such documents. In al
luding to the imperfect state of the
schools It says that at the annual
examinations the best children are able to
give an account of how things looked in
heaven; they know the names Of the principal
angels, the number of the saints, and they
know something about hell and purgatory,
and Of the torrents of the damned. But
bnuu oIaJ ~ khasv vhax
1t produces, and what might be produced
better and cheaper, what is exported and i'm
ported, &C., Of all this they know nothing"
Thus, in Pennsylvania, as in other parts Of
the empire-and from all parts similar petit
tions have been presented to the Emperor
there is a growing popular demand for some
thing better and more in conformity with the
actual political changes which are taking
place than the old doctrine and practice
prevalent whenever and wherever ecclesias-
teal authority is supreme, and predicts
anarchy, impiety, social and political ruin as
the inevitable consequence Of any attempt to
subvert or weaken it. OF course the latter
view is taken by the majority of the clerical
party, naturally jealous Of innovation, and
anxious to maintain the privileges conferred
upon the hierarchy by the concordat Twenty
Eve archbishops and bishops have presented
petition to the Emperor in favor Of the con-
cordat, asserting that either the rights of the
clergy must be upheld or the principles OF
revolution acknowledged. On the school
question they say:-"It is not better instruction
which is wanted. What is desired is to
attack religion and morality. 1t is
wished to make the school serve to
propagate unbelef" Again they say -
GAS to what this miserable scream
ing against the concordat betokens no one can
any longer doubt. 1t means we will have mar
rage without solidi,y and holiness, and
schools without religion and moral earnest
ness" The bishops tell his Majesty the Empc-
ror that "thcy consider IL impossible that
son of the exalted house which God has called
to govern Austria shouli ever 20 far forget
his mission and the example ~ sis ancestors
as to turn the rights WI ve given him
against the Church Of Goa~ Happily, the
Emperor in his reply showed that he had
clearer and livelier sense o. the changed con-
dition OF things, and OF his own responsibilities
and duties in view Of II, than his clerical nd
visers. He reminded them distinctly of the
fact-which they had seemed to forget-ihat he
is now "a constitutional prince as well as
true son Of the Church." The Roichsrath has
shown that it is likewise in unison with the
modern spirit Of progress by appealing to the
Pope to sanction such notifications of the
concordat as shall harmonic with the response
which it has itself made to the popular demand
for the repeal Of the concordat. Now that
such demand has become almost universal
in Austria, and especially now that railway
enterprise Is beginning to animate Hungary
and bids fair to extend beyond Its limits, ii is
not extravagant to hope that even Austria will
at length lay aside every weight and run sue
cessfully the race that is set before her as well
az before the other nations Of modern Europe.