Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-05-13

took her victor captive" Rome is still Pa
gan city. The king and priest Of Rome isl
now, as of old, the Pontifex Maximus. The
very name Of the ancient official Of PagnniSn
is unchanged. The robes that are worn in sa-
cred rites, bear no distant rescmblanceto to those
in which he was wont TO invoke the gods.
Still, as of old, the swinging censor smokes
before him, and the vestsl fire ceases not to-
burn in modern temples. The mythology Of
former days repeats itself in the alteration
that is offered TO saints and martyrs, to hosts
of men and women that are exalted into quasi
divinities. Herculesreappear in lIildebrand.
The Roman Emperors come once more on the
stage in the guise of Popes And if Caligula
deihed his horse, Rome has deifed wax doll.
The Son Of God has ceased TO be an object OF
alteration The Eternal Father looks upon
YOU in the person Of an old man, whose face
and form are copied from the antique statues
of Jupiter The Divine Saviour appears Of
teDest as a little child and nearly the whole
worship Of Rome is subservient to the glorl-
fcation, not of the Father or Of the Son, but
of a great goddess, and after her, Of multi
tude of men and women who have been cloth
ed in the attributes of the Godhead itself
And that may not seem to speak strangely,
let me tell vou of the matters Of fact which
have come under nv observation and knowl-
edge.
In one of the halls Of Raphael in the Vat
lean. recently and elaborateiy frescoed to in
dicate the present position of the Roman
church Is n Grand paiptino of the Father and
the Son while between them and above them.
standing ON the worlds and eneircled with the
olorv ~ anoels and the svmbols of infinite an.
tbority. is a picture of the Virgin Mary. An
other frcseo in the same hall represents the
present Pope as reaching forth to her. in her
heavenly heipht. the crown of celestial power.
The decretal of the immaculate conception has
entbroned the Virgin above her child. One
fact illustrates This and shows the effect of
his Mariolatrv ON the popular mind. One
of the artists here heard his servant blasphem-
inc fearfnlly the name of Christ Shocked at
the blaspbemv. he asked him. Are YOU not
afraid Of Christ ?" "No." said he. . [ am
not afraid of Him " Z. But of whom are Won
afraid ~ he asked ." am afraid of the Ho-
lv Marv And no one who has been in Rome
a wcel who has witnessed the RELIGIONS cere.
mon;as and who has MINGLED in the crowd of
annarept worsbipners. and studied the images
ana na;nt;nos of RELIGIONS art hut knows well
that the wopsbin of the Virgin Mary is the
,sorsb;n ~ Rome Another fact discloses the
;dolotry of tbe svstcm In the Catbolic Man.
,,aI ,,L;oh 7 bo1,bt of nr;os, the second
oo,,,,androo,, l. oxnpnced and the ten are
- h., Jiyis;on Of M last one The nrac.
,ic,i .oyrI, ;s nm universal MANAGE of saints
- r,,u as oc tbo Viro,;n & Peter,s toe I.
ki.sed nearly off and with each kiss the head
is bowed to the toe and a PRAYER is offered to
the image. And the image itself is doubles.
statue of an old pagan deity which has been
exhumed. and now receives the alteration Of
Christian worshippers. St. Agnes, St. Cath
crime St Sebastian, St. Francis, divide with
Christ the homage of the Faithful, while wink.
inc Madonnas las in the church of s. Maria
del Popolol and speaking Madonnas las in
the church of SS' Cosmas and Damian in
the Forum.) and weeping Madonnas las in the
church of Vicovaro,) receive such incense Of
alteration as is never given to the Son, except
il NAV be to his Bambino. gaudily dressed
| doll in the church ofS. Maria sopra Minerva.
have heretofore taken Romansm from its books
| have admired its devotional literature
have honored some of its historic names.
have thought of it as il has been mirrored in tn,
men and writings that were exceptional to tn,
system but now my eyes have seen it, M
ears have heard it, and my hands have touched
\ il. and am convinced that from its Pontife,
Maximus to its least devotee in this land, i
is but the restoration, in Christian guise, o
the very spirit and genius of old Paganism
A thousand times have thought of Pope an,
Pagan in the wonderful allegory of Bunyan.
! And what l. the social condition of Rome
This Rome Governed bv the Vicar of Christ
and demanding to give law. and condescend
inc 10 olive benedietions. .urbe et orbi !?
There is hut one oninion ON this matter anon
tbe foreign residents of the city and anon
The more Intelligent Romans Rome has N
commerce. | have not seen dray while
have been in the city. II derives its ineom
altooether from the fine arts. the sale of pic
mres mosaios. scarfs and pearls. For three
fourtbs of the wear the grass grows in its nj
azzas Hence It's people have a precariou
Subsistence. and are moor. Its palaces are dc
serted and the poyertv of the people and tn
eouinaoe of eecIesiasticism stare us in the fac
always There are FIVE thousand priests i
Rome one TO every thirty inhabitants. Their
/ are 6fty cardinals, all with immense income.
t There are ten thousand soldiers, besides til
French troops Now take these figures, an
: sec how large is the consuming class, i" mai
cons,nere E1,oes" Now take another fact
on many Of the churches there is inscribe
7 over the door--e Lidaloeatia plenaria Q71ot
) d;aua pro pipis et defu1sctis." " Daily indu
ge,ce is given in full to the living and tn
4 dead By visiting in advent the Church O
5 s. Croce. . IL 900 wears of indulgence an
1 remission of ali ones sins By a Single vii
: il 10 other churches (SS. Damian and Coz
mas one thousand wears, and on the day {
5 the Station, 10000 wears. By kissing III
foot of the idol in 81. Agostino, 100 days il
b dnloence. And A deyout Roman NAV, in hi
J daiiy walk. obtain every year of his life il
f dul9ence for 100000 wears. Over some {
the altars | have seen Inscribed, " Each ma
AT this altar frees a soul from purgatory."-