The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-08-25
TIE Italian Unity Cesesraues-A ssreas
Work and It's Glerious Tcndencies.

their home Will to-day celebrate by grand
demonstration the unifcation of Italy and the
removal Of the capital of the kingdom to
Rome. All the whispe-ings of probable dis
turbance have died away, and the day is likely
to be as serene as if nothing unusual were going
forward. In country which guarantees liberty
of speech and of opinion, the absolute freedom
of the press and the right of the people to
assemble no other result could have been
sanctioned for moment. When our Teutonic
friends set about their imposing demonstration
in honor of the success of Germany no one
thought of interfering to prevent it; and we
doubt if any one has thought seriously of
opposing the Italian celebration. At any
rate, it is likely to be as quiet and peaceable
q procession as ever took place in this city
and it cannot fail to be attractive, both because
it is a political movement by part OF our
people who have never been seen in body in
our streets, and because of the Importance Of
the work in whose honor this singular demon
stration is made.
Nearly nineteen centuries have rolled by
since Italy, with Rome as its capital was
mistress of the world, in the golden age OF
Augustus. After the decline and fall of the
Roman empire the country was ruled, in turn,
by Gothic, Byzantine and German conquerors,
and each State and city was torn by multi
tude of spoilers. Unity was forgotten, and
even the Papacy withstood with difficulty the
encroachments of petty chieftains when the
empire of Charlemagne fell to pieces. But
through centuries of misfortune. and, though
| torn by feuds and animosities as bitter as ever
distracted any country, Italian brotherhood
was not entirely wiped out from the Italian
heart. Early in the present century, though
Napoleon ground his heel deep into the bowels
of Italy, and the Congress of Vienna made
things worse by the restoration of the ante
revolutionary institutions, the seeds of uni6ca-
ton were sown in the hatred of the foreign
rulers and the party of unity, independence
and constitutional liberty gained strength day
by day, till Garibaldi achieved throne for
Victor Emmanuel. In the beginning of his
! reign Pope Plus TX. assisted in the work of re-
organization and reform, and it was only when
unification was so far successful that Rome
alone was needed to complete it tina! be began
seriously to object to it. But though the
Papacy is shorn of its temperatures, we can
see no harm to the Church in tle loss of its
municipal powers, and we unite with the
Italians of New York to-day in hailing the
occupation of Rome as in itself the consumma-
ton of great work, but even more important
| in view of its tendencies and the probabilities
| of the future.
In some respects it is most fitting that this
demonstration should take place in New York,
the metropolitan city of America. 1t was in
this country where the idea of the unifcation
of States, not by force of arms, bus by the
agglomeration of love, had its first exemplffica-
ton, and it was the city of New York which,
by it's will, its wealth and its power, saved the
unity of our Union through the most terrible
civil war in the history Of the world. Our
example first stirred up France to desire and
seek for a republic, and to our success is due
the fact that France is republican to-day.
Germany found in our republic the incentive
to German unity and the hope of the great
future which is before the German empire.
The uniication of Italy is also an outgrowth
of the American idea, and the Italian patriots
struggling to be free and independent, the
Italian people hoping to become one in name,
as well as in race, sought and found their in
spiration in our example. The American re-
public was the forerunner Of liberty every
where, and the success of the United States is
| the hope Of all nations.
The work of unincation is the great achieve
ment of modern progressive sublime work
of the age. The watch cry of the present
century-"Unity, Fraternity, Liberty"-is no
idle and unmeaning phrase. In this country
it has not merely cemented q great nation; 1t
has peopled States, built up cities, developed
agriculture and manufactures, constructed
railways, opened mines and stimulated indus
try and commerce. More than these-it has
taught mankind that great nation may be
great in all the material elements of great
ness and find, besides, fraternity in unity and
liberty in both. If the country were cut up
into a multitude of little republics-New
England, New York, Pennsylvania, the
Atlantic seaboard the Northwest and the
Pacific slope-each exercising an independent
sovereignty, the whole would lose in grandeur,
power and in purpose. This illustration
serves to show the greatness of the work
which the Italians have accomplished. In
the occupation of Rome the Italian people
entered upon new era Of national prosperity
and happiness. The broken fragments of The
primary stock of the old Latin race are agar
bound together. The sunny hills may agar
yield their golden harvests and the modern
vintage show many Of the virtues of the ole
Falernian The Mediterranean may once
more whiten with Italian sails A career full
of promise and bright with anticipated glore.
opens before the people Of that long oppressed
and distracted country, and seems about t.
dispel everything but the recollection Of thu