The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-03-15

r 1t would seem almost incredible that there
could be found persons so devoid of every
sentiment of JUSTICE and humanity, as to
| wish success to n government capable of
such wanton conduct as is displayed in the
| following extract from a private letter of
an italian residing in Florence, to a friend
in London, and communicated by him to
the Register of that city. Yet we have such
among us, foremost lmong whom are tile
| conductors of sectayfan journals, who ap-
plaud merely because the sufferers are CATH
olics: - a.. s-ts.s ..>s r.. ,-',.54t "a
According to recent calculation, rather
more than fifty millions Of francs two mil
lions sterling) of private endowments of
converts been swept into the public
treasury Of Italy by the robber-like act of
parliament inthat country which has lately
come into force. These endowments were
just asamuch the property of the various
communities as Dunrobin Castle belongs to
the Duke of Sutherland, or Be1yoir. Castle
to the Duke of Rutland. They consisted
entirely of lands bought with the money
which each nun had brought with her when
she joined her ORDER, and could never, by
any pretext whatever, have been called
public property. There never was in his
tory, an account of more decided and unr
principled, but systematic plumber. The
working classes are all most indignant at
this intamy, as are also all educated men
who are not either raving /" Reds y or place.
hunters. The nuns of these convents-
many OF them so old as to have outlived
their friends and relatives-are now left to
starve, not upon four pence Il day, as we
said the nuns of Rosano We're, but upon five
soldi, or twO-pence half penny. All the |
monks who had any property of their own
have been treated in nsiniilar manner, and |
one order-the Oratorians, to which DR.. /
Newman belongs7@,has been pldndered in
the coolest way, of all they had in the world, |
their property being strictly private, and I
held by each individual, not by the Fathers
as i community In another three years,
SAYS the writer of this letter, Italy will have
to he provided with the blessings of an
English poor law, or-else the thousands of
infiriu, and sick, and old that were relieved |
by her converts will be left to starve. The
of the converts and the plum
der of their property has deprived some
forty thousand children in the country dis
tricts of the only means of education they
had. Libraries of famous old books, inval-
liable manuscripts, and quantities of church
plate, have all been stolen and taken Off
of governments officials, who were
a few months ago deeply in debt, are now
wealthy men, for some of the plumber has
stuck to their fingers. The writer-and
nearly every word he writes was confirmed
not long ago by the Florence correspondent
of the Daily 1elegrdph-says that, with the
exception of the court followers and place.
hunters, there is not man in Florence who
would not welcome back with joy the old
dukes of Tuscany, and shout with delight
to get rid of Victor Emmanuel and his crew.
What he says of the morals of the present
Italian court could not be copied into any
newspaper. Suffice it to say, that the courts
of our own George 1 and George Ii were
models of every family virtue, and schools :
for virtuous young women, in comparison.
If Mr.. Hepworth Dixon wishes to add a
sensational appendix to his last work, let
him visit the court of Florence during next
vacation. The Italians, ass rule, are not a
people; but even the easy
going Florentines exclaim that q line should
he drawn somewhere in these mattera