Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-11-02
Statesman,
FROM MiRSEILLES.
Correspondence of the Ohio Statesm,n.l
MARsEILLEs, Oct. Is, 1858

MARsEILLEs, Oct. Is, 1858.
The priests in Spain have played such
an important part under Queen Isabella .
reign, that it is interesting at the present
period to compare. their expective sit
uation with that in other Catholic coun-
tries. In Italy, for instance, up to very
recent times, Church and State had al
ways gone hand in hand. The various
governments which had come into power
after the French occupation, had found
it to their interest to make common cause
with the Papacy. Their policy was
limited to boundless submission to the
Holy See, and their efforts were turned
to efface all traces of those changes
which had been introduced during the
revolutionary period. From 1914 to
1859 reaction set in in all its unmitiga-
ted ferocity. The Kings of NAPLES, and
for long time of Sardinia, were more
Papist than the Pope; and the conse-
quence of their abject subserviency to
Papal interests was a rancort to the peo-
pie against the priests, of which we
have not as yet witnessed the final out
burst. After Plus TX apostacy in 1s49
war to the knife began in Italy be-
tween the laity and clergy, which can
only end in the utter separation of
Church and State. But it is otherwise
in Spain, where, on the first in
stalment of Constitutional Gov
ernment, measures had to be taken
for the limitation of priestly ascendan-
cy, measures against which the Pope
began by protesting, but in which he
ended by acquiescing. Mendizabal
abolished the converts, confiscated their
property and while acknowledging Ro-
man Catholicism as the religion of the
State, to a great extent screened the
civil power from the encroachments of
the ecclesiastical authority. But he
was not long at the head of affairs and
constitutional liberties were soon trod-
den under foot by military dictators;
Queen Isabella, in her infatuation, would
stop at nothing short of the utter en-
slavement of her subjects consciences.
The monastic orders came back one by
one; the closest intimacy with the Pope
was established and, with the exception
of the Inquisition, Spain was plunged
back, in all matters connected
with religion, with education,
with social order, into the darkest night
of the middle ages. 1t is questionable,
however, whether the Queens excesses
in that direction created as much ill-will
among the great mass of the Spanish
people as some of her other failings. In
the eyes of her people her reputation Of
muy Catolica (very Catholic) constituted
as great claim to popularity as her
character as muy Espanola livery Span
ish). All the traditions and associations
of the Spanih. nation invariably tended
to foster among them their bigoted pride
of orthodoxy. The Spaniard's creed
may be destroyed, but not changed. II
is perfect mystery to me how conscien'
tious foreign Roman Catholics can visit
those Southern countries and still own
any connection with the groveling SUI
perstition which there goes by the name
of religion. Those who look in at the
Sanctuary OF Atorha, or who visit the
Chapel of the Virgin at Toledo, must bt
at loss to find even the faintest trace o.
Christianity among the paraphernalia o
the worse than Pagan idolatry which
everywhere meets their eyes. Sucl
as it is, however, that is the
Spaniard's religion, the beginning and
end of all his creed and worship. Re
move that mere scafolding which priest
ly cunning has reared and the edifce i:
nowhere. Nothing is easier than to turr
Spaniard into thorough infidel; bu
to stop him at some halfway of rationa
belief is an utter impossibility-unles!
the cure proceeds from the very sources
from which the evil has sprung. Wha
the priest has done, the priest alone ca,
undo. Should anything like a good un
derstanding grow up between the eman
cipated laity and the clergy now de
prived of the Sovereign's support, it i
not impossible that the sounder part o
the priesthood might aspire to place thei
religion on different footing-a footin!
less at variance with the ideas of moderl
progress: Were the Temporal Power t.
come to an end, and the Church to b.
driven to her own resources, it is no
impossible that both in Italy and il
Spain reform of the most shocking
abuses might arise from the Churcl
herself, and for her own sake. Withou
the guidance of his priest, for good o
for evil, the Roman Catholic in Spail
will attempt nothing. 1t is well t.
guard against illusions. Society in tn,
countries of Southern Europe cannot
for long time-cannot, perhaps, for
ever-be emancipated from the clergy
Like the Italians, the Spaniards hav
proclaimed freedom of instruction. In
deed, both countries are clamoring 70
lay education. The truth is, however
that negligent and dangerous teacher
as the priests may be, they are the onl
schoolmasters. Nothing has been foun
easier at Naples or Venice than to ope
schools, but to fill the instructors chai
has proved to be very different under
/