Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-11-24
ROME AS 1T is.

ROME AS 1T is.
GessIPY Letter of an American
Cath0lIc-I2S Daily Papers-The
Reign of hmm OraiitY-Carf
LA MarmOra's Troubles I'm Con-
cfliatlng the POpe-The PIebiscIte-
$4,000 Imported VOters-One Man
Casts los BaIIOts-The COIOsse um
a StabIe-The Pantheon n Market
place.
RoMR, Oct. 23.-Dear M For
the nonce all must assent that Rome is
the centre of our most modern and most
progressive civilization-if the news
paper be the criterion. We have now no
less than one hundred and twenty eight
daily newspapers Won't that do2 One
of the first acts of the followers of Ca
dorna, after getting into the city, was to
sack the printing Office of the Csservatore
Romano, but that journal has resumed
publication again. That, with the Unita
\ Cattolica, and the Imparziale, are about
the only journals favorable to the Pope.
The leading revolutionary organs are the
4AlOOuO. luE La SdpllhlC duu 1lo
Liberia. The Sapienza and the Univer-
sta are open advocates of Atheism. AS
for the rest, many have no respect for
common decency, to say nothing of
morality. ] especially call your attention
to the Fishetto, which send you, as it
shows the utter contempt in which all re-
hgion is held. The most amusing scenes
are the frantic efforts made to sell the
daily papers. The true Roman hates to
part with his pennies; and the other day
,gamiD, in utter disgust at his want of
patronage, thrust his bundle under the
nose Of donkey passing by, exclaiming,
''Somarello mio-at least ,yOu will read
them, won't youg"
During the early days of the occupation
we were overTun with monkeys, strOlliDg
singers, dancing girls, clowns AID all
manner of street nuisances. Isaw women
dressed in tights and very innocent of
drapery, persmbulating the streets, and a
friend of mine witnessed them leaping and
tumbling in the public squares. Infamous
houses are licensed and registered, and
are generally located in the most public
part of the city, being known by the trl-
color from the windows Abandoned
women, in the guIse of flower girls, etc.,
are so open in their jibes and jests with
the men that a lady dare not appear on
the street unprotected at midday. Last
week woman appeared at the postoffice
TO get q registered letter, and being re.
Quired to identify herself, she produced q
paper from the Questura of Naples stating
that Ga Signors Tsle-tale e venuts a
Roma col permesso della Questurs per
stsbilirci una casa dj tOLJerG'lzd". She
got her letter.
A store, Nos ALOHA, in the Corsc,
styled the ''English Warehouse" and
sporting the British arms, was open last
Sunday as usual In the windows are 8
display of crsvats, and arranged between
these are photographs of the most obscene
nude female figures. Last Sunday such
pictures were being vended on the very
steps of the Church of st. Louis des
Francois, while high mass was being cele
brated. OF caricatures of the Pope anC
Cardinal Antonelli there is no end. The
photograph of Pho Mono is 10 be seer
everywhere, thanked by those of Victor
Emmanuel and Garibaldi-suggesting the
Just One by excellence between the two
thieves, but it would be difficult in thil
case to say which is the good thief. Let
US hope they will both repent before they
die. The most immodest story books arr
openly displayed for sale: ''Neapolitan
Cloisters, 4" Gamma, the Prostitute" "Tht
Amours and Debaucheries of the Popes
and the Youthful Days of Him who il
now Plus the Ninth" ''The Myste
ries of Paris" etc. l had though
our bookstalls in America had o
late years reached the refinement O
obscene diabolism; but you must yield
. the palm to Rome in this feature of mod.
EN- civilization, as well as in newspapers
A book titled ia DOttrina di VettoriC
Emanuele II. was so blssphemous thai
evsIl the loose military Government ha!
suppressed it.
On the piazzss of the Rotunda and tn
Capranica have seen Protestant cOlpor
teurs vending Bibles at ridiculously low
prices, and in spite of their assurance o.
the great value of the Word, they go
precious little patronage, the people seem
ing to prefer the more diverting literature
that teens from our decidedly "free'
press now.
No respect is paid to the Sunday an,
longer. Jews crowd the Rotunds on tina
day selling their wares. The soldiers ar
not permitted to leave their barracks ol
Sunday till midday, lest they should at
tend Mass, and all government employee
are required by official order to remain a
their posts till the same hour.
Gen. La MarmOra has arrived to try Il
''conciliats" the Pope, Cad lrna hsvinl
exhausted all means of forcing himsel
into the Vatican without brute force
The day of MarmOra's arrival the stree
leading from Castle st. Angelo TO III
Vatican was covered with banners an
festoons, and in answer TO questions th
ready answer was given, ''On account Q
the passage of Gen. La MarmOrs, who
TO have an audience with the Pope
This to lull the people and persuad
' them that all is right. La MarmOra re
uuested an audience, and was refused
He then demanded to see Antonelli, bU
the Cardinal declined. He then asked {
nav His Eminence visit of courtesy, q
from a General to a Carolina
The Secretary of State reptile
that there could be nelibt
official interviews nor visits of cOurtes
between q Cardinal of the Sacred Roma
College and those who had entered Rom
by means of bombs and canon balls. IL
next we heard of La Marmora, was
suggestion that if the Pope would pet
ton Victor Emmanuel, his cases, etc
would be delivered through the custom
house free of duty. His Holiness II
piled; "No petition goes from the Vat
can to the King of Piedmont not ltalI
mind you'll. Should Gen. La Marmol
open my cases and tax them, it will |
one violence more; should he delivI
thera unopened, there win be one violenC
less" / have this from one of the A.
ditors of the Rota, who is attached I
the person of the Pope, and keeps me q
cosfrdnt of matters and things. 1t
needless to say that the Pope is not eco
cilisted."
We have had speedy proof of the n
cessity of the Pope's temporal indepen
ence. In order TO be unirameled In b
spiritual relations. For some time aft
the occupation our letters came to |
opened. OF coufse the POpe's CORE
nondence yas treated likewise. lndeet
some of the dignitaries of the church ha
been obliged to undergo an examlnatlC
of their persons after audience with u
Pope, lest they should be the bearers
Papsl letters. Even the Radical oTga
insist that the Italian scheme of Pap
prerogatives is an impossible absurdit
and call for national church, with I
Pope at the head of it. This is co
fession that, as a subject, the Pope cou
not rule the church at large.
/ don't know whether our Protesta