The New York herald., 1871-05-30

IN the worlds history. Inc Deiuge, he
Exodus, the Captivity, the fall of Babylon,
the destruction of Jerusalem, the collapse Of
the Roman empire, the Crusade outburst, the
Reformation, the first French Revolution, the
gold discoveries in California and Australia,
our great civil war-theser are the grand his
toric epochs of which we are forcibly
reminded by the events which are now taking
place in France. and, indeed, all over Europe.
The latest sensation is the extinction of the
Paris Communists--the men who have revived
the Vandalism Of the barbarians of the North
who destroyed the Roman empire, and who
have re-enacted the worst scenes of the first
French Revolution. Paris is once more in the
hands of the representatives Of order, and the
heart of the world is gladdened at the pros
pect of France being restored to herself
to look at the events Of which Paris is still the
scene to consider the wretched condition of
France, and, indeed, the condition Of Europe
generally, without pausing and asking the
question, whether the end of another his
toric epoch has not been reached, and
WnCtuSt WIZ AC0Aiui piSdAStiOuo Va viz OoAuo
aud seers OF ancient Israel are not now, to a
large extent, at least, being fulfilled? Ger
tainly, so far as Papal Rome and imperial
| France-the mother and the eldest son-are
| concerned, the walls Of Divine wrath are being
| emptied Which of the seals is being opened
we know not Most certainly, however, there
| has been great earthquake; there has been
no lack of blood and fire and vapor of smoke
and there are not few to whom the sun has
become black as sackcloth of hair and the
moon as blood. If the heavens have not
departed as scroll and the mountains been
moved from their places, it has to be admitted
that the kings Of the earth, and the great men
and the rich men, and the chief captains
and the mighty men, have been made
to tremble. The Papacy, the most ancient
of all existing European monarchies, the
power which more than any other has given
shape and character TO our Christian civiliza-
| tion, is now the dependent of Italy. France,
| whose pride it has been for many generations
to be the protector of the Chair of ST. Peter, has
fallen, and to all appearance fallen forever,
Austria, too, SO long main pillar of the Papacy,
is, with the whole of South Germany at her
back, on the verge of great religious revolu-
ton similar to that which shook the world in
the sixteenth century. Italy and Spain strug-
gle into new life, but the new life wanders
away from its ancient religious centre. The
empire Of Charlemagne, of Otho of the Great
Frederick, after the lapse of many years, has
been revived; but in the restored empire there
is no place provided for the spiritual Chief
before whom of old kings trembled and
naughty emperors bowed the knee. In the
Holy Roman empire the theory was-and the
practice was all along more or less consistent
with the theory-that the imperial crown was
the gift of the Vicar of Christ. Looking at the
Papacy in connection with the restored Ger
man empire, and remembering the days of
Hildebrand and Heary the Fourth, and the
days of Alexander and Barbarossa, we cannot
| help exclaiming, how are the mighty fallen
1t is not to be denied that the fall of the
temporal power of the Papacy is one of The
greatest historical events in many centuries.
That the Holy Father is comfortably provided
for we are satisfied; that as the spiritual chief
of large religious body be will continue to
be useful we must admit; but the thunders
of the Vatican will never again terrfy
the nations Like the divine right of
kings, the lofty pretensions of the
Papacy must be abandoned forever. On
France the Papacy has leaned for the last
twenty years. With France it has fallen.
With the collapse of France and the fall of
the temporal power, the Latin or Romance
nations have lost whatever they had of unity
and strength. The star of empire shines in the
northern sky.
Religious and political troubles are not
wholly confined to the south of Europe. We
have already alluded to the religious excite
ment which exists in Austria and South Ger
many. There are some who seem disposed to
belittle the Dollinger movement. If DR..
Dollinger stood alone, it might be safe to do
so. He is man far advanced in life, and in
the natural course Of events he must soon pass
away from the scenes Of human strife. But
he is not alone. He has the sympathy of the
most intelligent Catholics, not in Germany
alone, but all over the world. One of the
latest addresses of sympathy which he re-
ceived was from body Of priests in Naples
showing that outside of Germany he finds en-
couragemcnt aud support. Our readers have
not forgotten the letter addressed to him by
Father Hyacinthe He is on the best Of terms
with the King of Bavaria and the imperial
family Of Austria. In spite of the excommuni-
cation he continues to lecture to the students,
although for the present he wisely refrains
from officiating at the altar. His associates
in this movement, DR.. Friedrich, DR.. Schultz,
Professor Huber, DR.. Michelis and others, are
quite equal to Dr. Dollinger in learning and
influence; and we are not permitted to doubt
bo4 In IL c..x.. 4l..., 4: