The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-02-25
THE MARCH MAGAZINES.
"THE GAIAxYv


following table of contents-
''Put Yourself in his Place by Charles
Reade, chapters xxxiii, xxxiv, 1xxv, xxxvi,
and xxxvii with an illustration) "At Cam
bridge University; can Editors Tales, No.
iv; The Panjandrum, part ii; Despair, by
Anthony Trollope; "The Lost Bird" by E.
r. Sill; Letters from Havana" Laure
.dHauterive to Angela Gaynor, ii, bv E. de NJ;
'''The Prince of Wales, by Justin Mccarthy;
''Ten Years in Rome" The Religious Orders
"Medusa," by Robert Weeks; "Hand to
Hand" by Rebecca Harding Davis; ''The
Clowns Real Piging," by Richard Grant
White; "Glimpses into Portrait Gallery"
by George H. Calvert; "The Galaxy Miscel-
hny;" 'Drift-wood," by Philip Quiibet
Literature and Art;" ''Nebule," by the
editor.
From the paper on the Religious Orders,
under the title of ''Ten Years in Rome, we
quote as follows
In the year 1864, the Holy Father instituted
an inquiry into the condition of the clergy,
secular and regular, in the city of Rome and
the outlying dioceses. This inquiry was in
tended to vindicate them from sweeping
charges of concubinage. Certain priests in
Turin, in the disorganization of affairs conse-
quent on the cession of Umbria and the
Marches to Italy, broke through their obliga-
ton of celibacy, and openly married. Now,
although the people of Northern Italy
are not quite ripe for such reform,
yet, viewing the antecedent immortality
of large numbers of the clergy, they
considered marriage as the less of
two evils The example of these recusants
was followed in Naples. A priest brought an
action against his bishop for suspending him
because of marriage. Popular feeling was
with the priest and the court pronounced
that priest can lawfully marry like any other
citizen. On the strength of this decision a
Capuchin friar, and soon after a Dominican,
left their respective orders and married In
self-defense, the clergy favorable to this
reform ventilated good deal of information
previously carefully concealed. But their
facts were not credited until the full report of
the commission instituted by the Pope had
been received.
Up to this time the Pontiff had lived in
ignorance of any such state of affairs. He
had heard reports, but had treated them con-
temptuously as falsehoods. Here let me re-
mark that the purity of his character, and his
large-hearted faith in the best qualities of
humanity render any attempt to destroy
them particularly hateful; and SO, by COM
mon consent, no one has ever attempted to
enhghten the Pope. Yet such minds as his,
when they get an inkling of facts, are apt to
exaggerate them in proportion to the previous
misconceptions in contrary direction. The
persistent and exultant tone of the Turinese
and Neapolitan clergy for the first time con-
yinced the Pope that they had some good
grounds for their assertions. Not that mere
assertions could have produced this, but he
could get no authoritative denial of them.
Persons of whom he inquired merely smiled,
shrugged their shoulders, and replied, "Yes,
they say SO, but what would you have?" A
very unsatisfactory equivocation, with several
possible meanings.
The commission is most important For
although no true critic would estimate the
moral value of religion by the lives of its pro-
fessors, yet this is SO constantly done in a
very illogical way by controversialists on the
Roman side against the Protestant, that the
statements of commission not in any way
likely to be prejudiced except in favor of the
accused, are of the utmost value as showing
the fallacy of such arguments
The parishes and dioceses of the Roman
States are very poorly endowed. In many
cases they are not endowed at all. They de-
pend in these instances on contributions.
-Having no one but himself, say the peo.
pie, "a priest needs little" Consequently
he is very poorly provided for. The offerings
of the whole parish would not equal thou.
sand dollars per annum on an average. But
he does not get the offerings OF the aofc0tt
parish. 1t may ordinarily contain two thou
sand persons. There are sure to be three
frequently five, churches, besides particular
chapels and shrines. Then the monks com,
and found q monastery. Of course
they bring funds with them, an(
have a regular endowment out of tn,
chest Of their order; but they also have
church, and frequently they have more ser
vices than the other churches, and give longe
attendance at confession. Their sermons
too, are numerous, and an Italian is fond o.
q good sermon. On all these occasions con
tributions are solicited from the faithful. 1
may be ostensibly for the altar of the Ma
donna or any of the saints, but really il
is for the need of the order. When a brancl
a superior, his tact and ability are esti
mated by the reduction of his drafts on tn
mother house. Then he is assisted in an
other way John A., the butcher, can hardl,
charge the friars as much as other people
Nay, will not the desire to stand well will
them, and the entreaties of his wife, always
partisan of the priests induce him very fre
quently to send them presents SO that fooC
is procured very cheaply, sometimes gratui
tously. At Easter and Christmas, and tn,
festival of the patron saint, the monastery i
overrun with gifts and presents. All thes
things reduce the income of the o0r0chUS
who, but for the religious, might reap tn
entire benefcence of the people.
The report respecting the life of countr!
monks is anything but favorable. Taking
one specimen, the Dominican house at Brac
ciano, we find number of young men unde
the laxest disciple, having constant inter
course with the outside world, familiar wit