The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-03-15

D1tiOu sOI Vitality III ldUIOQ WHICH
shad been looked upon as dead-a
nation which had no life blood in its
system So Italy, the youngest of
the nations of Europe, she who has
been most enslaved, longest and most
firmly bound to the ideas of the
Dark Ages, is ahead of all others on
this side of the water-far in advance
even of Englandl Switzerland prom
Uses soon to follow. The question
has already been up before the Swiss
Congress, but has been postponed till
another year France is agitating the
question. So the nations will soon go
like row of bricks, now that Italy is
starting the train.
1t is not new thing for State to
take possession of Church property.
France did it years ago, but she bound
the Church to the State bymaking
the priesthood dependent on the State
for their living. America has al
ready set the example of building up
a State without a Church, or rataer
building the two side by side, separate
and independent But far different is
this action of Italy, which has had
the Church for a thousand years, but
which never was State till six years
ago. Her State has been a dozen pet
ty provinces and duchies, all working
at cross purposes, governed by tyrantsV
and despots, yet all owing allegiance
to the papacy, and all loyal to the
Church of Rome. She has been all
Church and no State; but now that
she has but one King, one Govern
ment; now that she is united nation,
numbering twenty-five millions, she
sewers the Church from the State with
a single blow. 1t is more than that,
it is transformation, a resurrection,
a new life She rises,from the tomb
of the dead past, leaves her grave
clothes behind her, and appears before
the nations clothed in shining gar
ments.
THE AWAKENING OF ITALY.
The awakening of Italy to a new
life is one of the marvels of the age.
Even those who were best acquainted
with the influences at work are sur
prised by this event Of last week
the introduction Of such a radical
measure into the House of Deputies.
What contrast between the Italy of
to-day and the Italy of ten years agol
Then she was in the dust The
Bourbons ruled in Naples and Tus-
cany; Parma, Modena, Umbia, and
the Marches were under separate
Princes; the Austrians were planted
in the streets of Milan, to sweep all
its thoroughfares Croats kept guard
in the public places. In Piedmont
and Sardinia alone was there any
sign of life Jesuits, priests and
monks swarmed over all the land.
The Pope was supreme. All the
best lands were in the hands of the
Church. Agriculture languished.
The soil was titled as it is now in the
.Pope's dominions, with a sharpened
stick for pillow, drawn perhaps by
donkey or a woman, ard a COW har-
messed In one team. Industry was of
no account. The priest had the fat
of the land, while mendicant monks,
lazy and besotted, ignorant of every
thing except the formula of prayers
established by the Church, devoured
the substance of the people. The
whole land was smitten, as if by par
lysis, The spirits of men were bro
ken. Charles Albert, King of Sardi-
MIA, had died broken-hearted after
the defeat of Nevarra, and all over
Lombardy, all sover Italy, had there
been a dying out of hope. Those
were years Of darkness. Poverty,
degradation, wretchedness, supersti-
ton, ignorance and vice were the dis
tinguishing features of Italy. -
But the year 1859 and go were
eventful. For the sake Of obtaining
Nice and Savoy, Louis Napoleon
marched over the Alps and aided Italy
at Magenta and Solferina. There Carl
baldi and his heroic band carried de-
liverance to Naples. Thus Tuscany
and Umbia, the Marches, broke away
from papal dominion, and consolida-
ton followed, which never hef9rel was
possible. Rapid have been the GeYel-
opments since then. Industry, agri-
culture, commerce and navigation
have had wonderful growth. In
1858 the entire steam navigation of the
port of Genoa was carried on by
twenty-five small steamers with ton
mage of G, 298. In the year 1863 there
were thirty steamers built at &C.
noa with a tonnage of $4,000, and
since then the construction of vessels
has been going on with undiminished
vigor. ~
A like spirit Of enterprise is mani
fest throughout the kingdom. All of
the large towns are increasing rapidly
in population. Genoa, Leghorn, AL
lesandria, Milan, Naples bear signs of
vigorous life. Turin alone has suf-
fered, but only through the removal |
of the Government Trade and man
ufactures, even there are asserting
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