Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-11-10
The Pope's Troubles.

The present year has witnessed a
most striking indication of the chang
ed power of the church of Rome. The
revocation of the Concordat with Aus
tria and the revolution in Spain are
the hardest blows the Papacy has suf-
fered during the century. If there
were any two countries in which the
Pope and his adherants and the world
in general supposed that the Roman
Church retained its power they were
Austria and Spain. But it appears
that even in these countries the church
has little power over the conscience
of the people, and inspires no terror
in the minds Of the ruling monarchs.
A few months ago the newlyelected
Parliament of Austria passed laws
giving the Protestants the right to
control their own schools and to teach
their children whatever form of relig-
ion they pleased allowing children of
Catholic mothers by Protestant faith
ers to be reared in the Protestant
faith; granting to Protestants the
privilege of marrying according to
their own forms and ceremonies with
out having their children pronounced
illegitimate and debarred from all le-
gal benefits; and finally permitting
non Catholic Christians to be incloS-
ed in unblessed coffins and inferred
in unsanctifed grounds without being
eternally condemned In consequence.
The Pope solemnly protested against
this dangerous innovation, and called
upon the Emperor and the faithful to
hold fast to the Concordat which had,
from time immemorial, given the edu-
cation and salvation and perdition of
all souls to the church. But the new
ly-selected Imperial Counsel approved
what the new Parliament fresh from
the people had enacted, and the bold
and sturdy Prime Minister, Won
Beust, said to the Emperor, "Signr'
And Francis Joseph signed, and in
reply to the Pope's protest shrugged
his shoulders and said, "I had 20 sign
or abdicate, and | did not choose to
abdicate." The sturdy Beust also re-
piled to the Pope's letter, and briefly
but plainly told Plus TX. that he was
meddling in affairs that did not con-
cern him. Meantime, just across the
Austrian border, in the city of Worms.
another reply to the protest of the
Pope had been prepared; and on the
very day Of the publication of his con-
plant the Protestants of all Germa-
ny, headed by their king, dedicated
magnificent monument to Martin Lu-
ther on the spot where just three hun
dred and fifty-seven years before he
had defed Pope and priesthood, and
had set in motion the vast. and in
creasing Protestant reformation.
The present revolution in Spain
seems to indicate that the respect for
Pope, and Church, and priesthood is
not the blind spirit of reverence which
Buckle thought ''the capital and essen
tial vice Of the Spanish people" 1t
may have been, as the Historian of
Civilization declared, "their sole ma
tional vice" but it has not. as he fear
ed, quite yet suffered to ruin them"
Like the people of many other ma
tions the Spaniards have suffered in
tellectually from priestly influence;
but they have not, as the late revolu-
| tion has shown, been so broken in
spirit as to accept without murmur an
unworthy and ignominious submission.
No more significant sign of the Span
ish virtue, or more threatening to the
Roman supremacy, has yet appeared
than the banners carried in the pro-
cession at Madrid on October 3, at
the reception of the revolutionist lead
ers inscribed Religious Liberty" and
Free Education" Queen Isabella
and her whole race in Spain and
France have ever been faithful child
ren of Rome. She has frequently
protested her spiritual allegiance to
the pope, and often offered to send
troops to the defense of Rome, when
she could hardly have mustered 10y
al squad to defend her own person.
Her vehement protestations and offers
of aid were made to propitiate France
and the rest of Catholic Europe. She
could send no troops to the Pope for
the reason that the Spaniards refuse
to serve in the Papal army. That
little squad of ten thousand men is
almost wholly composed of Swiss, Aus
trians and Frenchmen. There is one
Italian battalion, but no Spanish or
German organization of any character.
The Pope's frmest foothold seems
to be in South America; and should
the cry of "united Italy" be once more
inspired by the republican movement
in Spain, the Holy Father may yet
turn longingly to the scene of his ear
ly labors as a Dominican friar in Bra
zil. But, alas one of the most Wig
orous of the allies of Brazil has just
chosen former schoolmaster and ed
itor to be its President. And what
has the Pope to hope from CONT
nent of republics, schoolmasters, and
editors.-Harper's Weekly.
SPAsMoDIC PIETY.-A quaint writer
compares certain class of professors