The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-12-17

of NJ. d'IIarcourt's dispatch has incontro-
vertibly settled the question. AT first the
Italian press began to buster, declaring
loudly that Favre's account was correct,
that the original copy of the dispatch had
| been found, and that tho responsibility for
it rested Con NJ, d'IIarcourt. They were
| confident, therefore, that d'IIarcourt would
be unable to return to Rome, or ut least
that le would be badly received at the
Vatican, and that thus the way would be
smoothcd for their pet plan-the abolition
of the separate Embassy to the Holy See.
They are pvoportionately disgustcd ut tho
return of NJ. dlIarcourt, together with his
family and establishment, rs if for
Heightened stay. Moreover, nothing seems
to have been done towards finding home
in Rome for tho legation accredited to
Victor Emmanuel. M.ide Sayne, the French
charge datfaires, is there, but in hotel.
The maintenance of the French Legation
to Italy at Florence is, as the Inircrs
justly says, the last protest of France
against the Ubiquitous act of Italy. We do
not believe that Theirs would venture to
commit tho Assembly, which, after all, is
| supposed to be sovereign, to II formal &C
ceptancc of the fat dccompti, without OBJ
, tanning it's consent. There can be little
doubt that he is prepared, as far as he HIM
self is concerned, to do so, and this, we
imagine, is the true explanation o: tlIecon
Trajectory reports res ,,ccting the French
Legation in Italy. When tho Assembly
has resumed its labors, we shall find
Timers explaining, in a lengthy speech,
with plenty of protests, how France cannot
afford to provoke Italy, or isolate herself
| from other Powers, and must, therefore,
send her representative to Rome.
Catholic Cosmopolitan. Strangely enough,
| while the extreme RevolutionistS are
bent on substituting the idea of humanity
for that of patriotism, Republicans in
France, and their most bitter enemies
in Germany, seem to be conspirng to-
gethcr to attack the Church for the
cosmopolitan character Of her teaching.
The Germans thought otherwise during
the war. They were severe enough on the
French clergy for tho part they took in en-
couraging resistance to the invasion, and
the treatment to which they subjected the
Bishop of Orleans will not be soon forgot
ten. Now, however, we arc told by tho
semi official press, that the organization of
the Church and its religious orders is dan
gcrous, because " intcrnati"nhi, ana Nat
Brussels and Geneva are to hc specially
watched as centres, not only ut SOCIALIST,
but also of Catholic action. Among the
French Republicans the same argument Is
being used in the interest Of secular schools.
During II recent debate of the council
general of the Seine, on the subject OF pm
mary education, the reporter of the com
mittee declared that the Church had no
",
that, if the clergy more than paid their
debt to their country during the recent
war, it was not to defend France, but to
resist Protestant bigotry represented by
! Prussia and for this cosmopolitan cduch-
ton must be substituted purely lay teach
! ing, Ivy which the ancient patrIotlsm-ot
! France would be revived. The committee
which has been formed IL Paris for the de-
| fence of Catholic intcrests-have replied I"
! these observations by protest published
/ in the papers, in which they very justly
/ observe that, although the council general
| by its vote has shown how little value it
attaches to these accusations, still there Is
! always danger of their producing a certain
! effect. To what cause, asks the commit
! tee, was to be ascribcd the hatred and
| fcrucity shown to the hostages on their
! way to die at Bellevillc, if it was not the
systematic calumny which had been for so
long aimed at the Catholic clergy One
| of the better disposed insurgents aCknOWl-
edged TO Il priest who-has since rccountcd
his escape, that it never before occurred to
| him that IL priest could be other than n
| scoundrel. This is scarcely to be wondered
at for so he is depicted by the disrcputable
! feuilletOns and the suburban melodramas
which form the ideas of this class of think
crs. Calumnies against the patriotism of
the clergy, however little their propagators
may intend it, will surely produce Il similar
effect, and the Catholic committee rightly
Judges that an earnest and vigorous con-
tradiction is necessary.
General dc Cissey's Pilgrimage. - We
learnt some time ago from Mr.. Aytoun that
no Catholic who prostrates himself before a
priest, or, in other words, receives the sa-
craments, and generally practices his re-
ligious duties, would in any Catholic coun-
try be admitted to a responsible political
post. We have now only to note the fact that
General de Cissey, the French Minister OF
War, has, according to the French papers,
been performing, together with his staff,
the pilgrimage to st. Anne d'Auray, there
to fulfil a vow, made in critical moment
of the war, to offer up his sword at that