The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-25
COUNCILS and PTLGRTBLAG IN
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
From Tie Pan MaN Gazette.


we read of many hundred venerable fathers of !
the Church hocling to Rome from East and West
in obedience to the summons of the successor
of St. Peter, our mind goes back skipping
over such recent events as the assemblies
at Trent and Constance which were in
truth little more than partisan meetings
of the caucus order, to the early memories of
Nice and Ephesus and ChalccdOn. But how
strangely different the external features of
modern and ancient solemnties Then, the
meeting of such q number of representatives OF
the Church il one place and under one guidance,
was matter of peril adventure, and romance.
1t involved long absences from their respective
dioceses. There were danger from pirates, rob-
bers, heretics, false brethren. Many bishops
died on their way to or from the councils. Many
had to return to sees desolated by faction or by
war. For all round the border OF the civilized
world lowered the countless hordes of Darba
rians-Northmen, Huns, Arabs, Nandals-ready
TO close upon the frontier and break through at
any weak point of defense, and rendering ut last
Gas they did for many centuries) the assembling
of councils of any prctensiOn TO universally i'm
possible Now, whatever the spiritual difficult
ties OF the Council of 1869 may be, its physical
economy will be managed with all the precision
and comfort of a iirst-Class watering-paCe in
prosperous season. Hundred of excellent persons
in decent but somewhat mOnotOnous episcopal
costume will arrive by rail and steam, free (in
all probability from let or hndranCc Of any
kind barring accidents not to be fOrescCn or eX-
pected. They will be fed, boarded cared for,
like the guests in some great hotel establish
ment Their cXpensCs-mOderatc enough from
the perfection TO which travelling arrln ,nents
have now been bTought-Wiu be betrayed viii
lngly by triiing subscriptions on the part of the
faithful of their respective diOcGscs. They will
con over their daily kilograms and read their
daily newspapers. While intellectual progress
such rs we herctlcs consider it, is undergoing
the condemnation OF the Syllabus, material pro-
gTess, which we are commonly apt to connect
with it, will supply all its new and marvellous
resources to aid the Papal design, by lubrcating,
in n mechanical point Of view, the wheels OF the
Conncil. 1t is a strange peculiarly of this cen
tury that aged institutions habits, and practices,
which appeared some years ago to be perishing
of atrophy and neglect, should be thus aided in
recovering their footing by the appliances Of
modern science. art. and industry But the Ucu-
mencal Council will afford by no means the only
instance of this paradoXical revolution in human
affairs.
The report of our Consul ut Jedda has re-
Gently informed the public that 10 900 pilgrims
are estimated to have assembled at Mount
Arafat on the occasion of the pilgrimage of last
spring to Mecca. This number exceeded by no
less than $4,000 that of the pilgrims of 1868. The
spirit of Mahometan pilgrimage has thus CXpe-
rienced, and continues to experience, great re-
vival simply owing to facilities of transit. The
faithful are hurried across Egypt from the west
and north by rail and steam. India is furrowed
with railways. which bring the devout portion
Of her thirty millions of Moslcms to the coast,
thence to be conveyed speedily and safely across
the sea of Jedda. From that port to Mecca the
old caravan journey must still be accomplished
as of yore; but even there the necessity
of going ahead begins to be felt, ana we are
told that the Governor of the HediaZ is organic
ing a company, against next spring, for the
conveyance of pilgrims in carriages drawn by
camels." "Lct them come unto thee on foot,
saith the Koran in the chapter OF the Pilgrim
age land on every lean camel arriving from
every distant road: and let them pay their VOWS
and pass the ancient house" Modern devot9es,
we have seen, are beginning to pay their vows
ftcr fap nlnfn tll,l 10 fash nd thn
sanitary arrangements seem to have been i'm
proved even more than the locomotive. Not
withstanding the great heat OF the weather.
says the consul, ''the public health at Mecca
was remarkable; the total mortality while the
ceremonies lasted amounted only to forty
four In fact, strange it may sound, the
Arabian, Egyptian, and Indian Govern
ments all watch with considerable anxiety
the health arrangements of the pill
grimages. quarantine physician CDR. Vale
RAM looks after the maritime part of the busi-
ness at Jedda. And the COnstantinOple Board
of Health has informed the various steam COM
panies concerned that mot more than one pill
grim for every two tons of burden can be allowed
without subjecting a vessel to quarantine. y
Those who returned via Suez this year were all
put into quarantine at Moses Well" Lastly
we are informed that the Medina division of the
pilgrims returned as usual by way of YembO,
and as usual were plundered on the road by
Bedoun robbers" the only little bit of old-fash-
oned romance which seems to cling to the great
pilgrimage.
Now the noteworthy circumstance in this GU
rious relation is that it denotes revival in Mus
sulman devotion, indicated by outward OBJ
servance, much of the same order with that
which has impelled the West towards councils
and synods and clerical gatherings in general,
and professions to miraculous sites, and other
great demonstrations which some years ago
! would have been deemed appurtenances of ages
| long gone by We have seen the Church of
Rome rise Gas far as outward signs of life are
concerned) out of the decrepitude which most
| observers assigned to it sixty or seventy years
| ago. Similar seems TO be the course of events
! in Islam. When Burckhardt was at Mecca
! Oslo the number of pilgrims was about 20, 600
| But il was then in course of dimlnution: it was
commonly supposed and predicted that the OBJ
| servance had grown antquated, along with the
! spirit of devotion which eugendered it, and that
| il would in no long time die out What Circum-
! stance has thus suddenly rekindled the old ashes
| of Mahommedan zeal? 1t may be that the move.
| ment is really in part religious, and that as in
the various Christian persuaslOns, so in that OF
| Islam, there has been something of a renewal OF
original ferVOr. But we are inclined to attribute
a great deal more to the simple cause TO which
We first adverted-the inviting ease with which
| a duty is now accomplished which cost Of old sc
| much of time and labor Philosophers and meI
Of science look on with some astonishment a
the reCandescence OF religious activity whiCl
bcgets both councils and plgrimages and dc
not notice how much their own achievements
their victories over space and time--On whicl
they counted for the eXtirpaton OF what the,
deem fanatcism, have really done to assist ID
manifestations.
But these are only slight eccentric devaion
from the general rule which governs the advance
of society. No one supposes that the singula
reaction which has taken place in respect of thu
pilgrimage to Mecca win really arrest the slow
but certain decline of Mohammedanism. NJ
one. except very superficial enthusiasts, will sup
pose that the destinies OF the Church OF Rome
whatever they may be. VIII be materially aitecte'
- 4 rsNatf.