The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-05-30

can find no like. A seeming .pf weakness,
but n reality af5strSBistlis "a Hook of defeat
din,fr spteHdbrof an ccessr; saii appearance
of decaS, So that men lirof,iiccy tieiith aud
Che ~ fi Is -Essn oval otitt, a re- creation
of thatLoldifs, ever t1Ile yetsG linus,
In the form Wherein 1t best nta, y hHttlcwith
n changing world. It'll ID ~ IL
sirar ls,uNa le,, codes ak ipso
eEs Go bnest ors7 aiillint,n4ee ielFo: 80 30
No doubt, tlere. IL a ,sReciA grandeur in
eacllEa Of IRoDne which may not be repro
duced. Never again an "omnipresent rule
of iron law such as was giveuto heatheni
Rome never again the martyr glories of a.
Church waiting her resurrection in the
Catacombs nor again Rome tanning savage
hordes, destroying slavery, and schooling
barbarians by the charm of her religion
into order, law, and civilization, nor again
Hild6brana uniting nationalities, barely
4Clristianized, into that splendid Christen-
dom of which modern lust of iicence has
made an inglorious wreck; not again these,
but in their places some what as special, as
grand may we now be pardoned If, living
in the midst of it, we think it grauder than
even the glories of the past3 ~
And wherein lies the special glory of Pho
Nono,s RomeP To our mind it is the ex--
ceeiiiDg strength of exceeding weakness,
never has she been SO weak, never SO strong.
For the natural force of heather Rome Sthe
ancient mistress of the pagan world, !" for
| that shadow of power which she derived
| from ner name ana ncr tTu0iblOuS, lot many
la year after her real strength was broken
into fragrnents,-for this we may indeed
| "iook in vain and find it not" 1t was no
protection from natural strength that men
| went seeking, it was no gigantic power that,
they went to propitiate, when they crowded
the other day around the throne of the
| Pontitf on his jubilee. Among all those
| 5000 hearts that drew near him there was
/ no heart that feared. ..
I Nor, if Rome had no more the strength
! of uuconqucred legions, has she the power
which she held of old times, when she was
tue centre to u barbarous world of all the
! natural advantages which go with civiliza-
| ton. When Rome was tie fountain of law
and order 7wlicii''i in Rome was the only
sanctuary of learning; when in Rome only
J were found the great schools and the great
patrops of art when Rome alone among
! the Cities was no camp, no mere city of
war, but the fosterer of all enterprise, all
| useful cudcayor that WAS for the good of
! man, then tue nations turned to Rome, or
! may have turned, not only for the truth
j she tanght, but with her truth, the natural
advantages that. came through. her truth
Now the world has no need Of Aer. Sire
has taught herlessoRsyaud the world may
7 threw away its instruction. Civilization
! though it grew less and, less petiecV rs 1T
rccedes FROM Rome-ris, yet, to. a large ex-
tent, possessed by other nations than those
who cling to her; learning has other seats
! than Rome. Art may take its wares to
fnarke is as profitable as hers; aud enterprise
and invention fiud other patrons than Rome
in the Rome-taught worldI 4 And the
nations think they have no more need OF
+ 44fef.-Not a man among those 5000 on the
eleventh of April gathered around the Pope
1 as one who had need of him for natural
learning, or as one who could find no distri-
butor of rewards to genius and endeavor.
Nor, again, does Rome now disturb
thrones and sway the destinies of the peO-
r,Hl,x III NNNf S,nnI-
1 her now to be freed from tyrants no kings
seek her to be freed from unjust rebellion
no warriors seek the Pontitf's blessing on
their cause as the weightiest weapon in
4 their warfare. With no such meanings as
these did messengers from all peoples throw
themselves the other day ut the Pontiff's
: feet; with no such meanings did So
vereigns, Catholic and nom Catholic, send
their Congratulations aud .ponr in their
gifts. Happier for the nations We're it
otherwise, did they still find their own
glory, as they would find their strength
4 and happiness, in the fullest exercise OF
Il Rome's fullest powers. But it is not so
Political advantage is but little sought from
Rome. Even for the Christian Rome of the
liAge of Faith 1--WE may look in vain and
fiIfd it not. y Nay stranger still, not-aH4F
las earth forsaken her, but heaven would
seem witAltel4 its g et+tfeFls !
J said the Holy Father, l~tGOd used means
| which would not now be useful, He does
not grant us the grace OF WORKING wonders
in order to conv ert nations, as formerly by
means of the Saints" Weak, then, indeed
t Rome wouid seem to be, slForn wholly o.
her old pagan strength, with no ailuremcnt
.of special and natural gift to hold QUIT
nations already civilized by her with the
/, fullest civilization, with no political pre-,
} cmiHeHce recognized, rs OF old, by grateful
2 nations; not even with those startling
? graces of-the supernatural order, which
r would dazzle evcn the nm believing into awe
8 q, Yet Rome is not dead nor about to die,
e This weakness is her strength ! this weak
1 ness is her special glory; and the weakness
9 of Pho Mono seems to us much stronger
c than the might of Hildcbrand. 30
For why, and why only, have those Ca
tholic thousands gathered into Rome
e Why, and why only, have those gifts ant
those humblest addresses come from tht
free nations to the feet of the old man p
4 Why, and why only have the Sovereigns
, hsent signs of their reverence to him, who
t in mere earthly dominion is least among
$ them All earthly reasons have been Gu
r away and the sole nOssihle reason of