The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-02-25
Italian Unity.

-A~AS~"y e'oniHS' 4uo Hall was Dy no MEANS |
ull, but the audience, the Advertiser says,
vas "a representative one, in which the fe-
male element latgely predominated. The Rev.
iilbsrt Haven called the meeting to order in
speech rejoicing that the work begun by the
pen of Mazzini, the sword Of Garibaldi, and
lie voice of Cavour, is completed, and Italy is
free from the snow-clad Alps to the soft waves
that lap the southernmost tpOint of its sunny |
soil. We rejoice that discordant factions are
in united commonwealth; and |
that its imperial head, the pride Of Virgil and |
Caesar, or Horace and Cicero, of Paul and the |
martyrs, crowned with an unequaled fame, |
Rome, the Eternal, again assumes her place |
among the capitals OF the world. May ner long
press the free school, the free church, the free
gospel uplift that land to higher than its
highest history, and may the occasion which
we celebrate be memorial throughout all gen
arising again to rule the eorth, not by the arms
with which it once !subdued it, but by more
perfect art, and laws and faith, than these in
which for ages it governed and guided man
kind. -r
Hon. Emory Washburn was made President
assisted by3a very large array of Vice Presi-
dents. The absence Of persons prominent in
politics was observed and commented on dur
ing the evening, The speakers Of the evening
were Hon. Emory Washburn, Rev. DR.. F. 81.
Hedge, E. P. Whipple. A. B. Elr, Rev. Jas.
Freeman Clarke. Edward Atkinson and Rev.
Phillips Brooks. Letters were read from Hon.
Schuyler Colfax and John G. Whittier. Reso-
lutions were offered by Rev. A. A. Miner, the
most expressive of which are these:
That every true American echoes in spirit
the refrain Of Cavour:-"A free church IN a
free state land rejoices in the hope that
worship will henceforth be as free to American
citizens in Rome as it now is to Roman citizens
10 America W III la'aao3a % 5
That we recognize in Italian unity an inspir-
alton that will nurture patriotism, quicken en-
terprise, stimulate ambition and renew in gov
ernment, literature, art and religion all that
gave to that classic land her ancient renown.
We make few extracts rom the remarka-
BILE speech Of Mr.. E. P. Whipple: 8 vae
The majority of us are, suppose, Protest
ants as respects theology; but we none the less
welcome the establishment of a great Roman
Catholic nationality, as one OF the grandest
and most impressive triumphs of constitution
al ideas in the sphere of government. No his
toric student, not carried away by momentary
enthusiasm, supposes that the Latin races are
to be converted into Calvinists, or Presbyteri-
ans, or Eplscopaians, or Unitarians, because
the Pope of Rome has been deprived of a /. few
square miles of territory over which he FORM
erIy exercised an absolute political dominion
If felG the passionate dislike of Romanism
which fills some Protestants breasts, should
regret the reinforcement Of the Pope; for the
unity of Italy, by depriving the Pope of tenn
poral sovereignty over few square miles, will
in my opinion, inevitably increase his spiritual
power-the only power which Protestants have
| any reason to dread. HIS the purely govern
mental" corruptions of the court of Rome were
| the occasion if not the cause OF the. Reforma-
l ton, so the incapacity of the Pope to govern
| we'll few million of Italians has ever since
been one of the most efficient of the Protes-
| tant arguments against the Roman Catholic
church. If the papal states are hereafter mis-
| governed the misgovernment cannot be said to
| result from the defect OF q theological system.
In truth, the Roman Catholic church, divest-
| ed of all abuses in its administration, has won
its ministering to spiritual needs. Its success
is reason for existence. 1t excels. perhaps
| all other Christian churches, in the sagacity
| with which it adspts itself to the average Of
human beings. 1t; has shown its capacity to
| deal both with the heart OF the savage and the
heart Of the sauant. Moe than any other
Christian church, it has succeeded in making
| religion visible aud palpable-that is, in spir-
itualizing the senses Through long ages o.
barbarism it was unmstakably the defence Of
| the weak and the civilizer of the strong. II
has produced every variety OF human genius
and every variety of human virtue. have no
words, therefore, to express my wonder that
| any Roman Catholic should think his church
| was menaced because the Roman Catholic in.
habitants of a few square miles of Italian soil
have entered into their urdoubted rights to
| conduct their temporal affairs in their OWE
way. ....,s ,-.-
| IL is impossible that church, whose spiri.
tual aim is to establish a universal monarchy
over the souls of men, should not be injured
as primary purpose, by its ill-success in prac
| tically managing the material concerns of a
million of people. Indeed, would most en-
| phatically repeat my conviction that the power
| OF the Roman Catholic church will be tincreas.
| ed, now that the Pope is no longer a temporal
prince; that the revolution we came here to
| celebrate is revolution, not in favor OF Pro
| testant doctrines but in favor Of constitutional
| ideas. I believe that every Christian church
Protestant as well IS Catholic, has been injur-
| ed just as far as it has attempted to govern
states as well as to direct souls. 54.-,. =, ~
The last speaker was Rev. Philips Brooks
I Mr.. Brooks said that they bad all noticed,
that the striking thing about all the speeches
was the constant union of the two things
which belong with US Americans. Union and
liberty being together with us Americans. We
cannot conceive of the two separated. When
we see new nation coming forward, drifting
with the great current OF the times, we look to
1t to see whether IL possesses these two dStin-
| gushing characteristics; and when the two are
united to make one single great cause, we have
! reason for Thanksgiving to God and congratu-
| iation to each other. We do not believe in the
dominion of any class, especially of any eccles-
iastical class. over the temporal destinies Of
men, and that is why we should speak as loud
| as possible tonight. We believe that religion
| and church and ministry have not merely a
place in politics, but right in the centre of poll
tics; but that is something entirely different
from that general Administrative power that
| governs nations. When we look back over past
history when we see how never in all the his
tory of the world has the church united herself
| with the distinctive administration of govern
ment without government being weake ned and
N ainipo
| at one more breaking of such an nnhOly union.
The following hymn was written by Mrs.
Julia Ward Howe to be sung at the meeting,
but the singing was omitted:-
Let them sound victor strophs from the mountains
Sweep away the old deiences let the tide Of life
As the thoughts OF God commissioned, that outeaps
ssis Let Italy be oneI a-E
Chorus: Glory, hallelujahl &c. ..s -r4rsr
There's mother, sad and lonely, who for ages gave
Save in moaning for her children, from her bosom
sold and bound;
They have gathered now about her, with their beau
ty she is crowned
And llaIy is one!
Not of war this boon was given, not achieved in
wrath and blood,
Not the scaisrs gauntlet fling, it; the battles
In the garden OF Chrsts passion did it slowly bloom
and bud, Sd 1IT
The love that makes men one.
Sound the trump OF resurreetion let the noble dead
arise! slle :
Let the hour long wept and wished Tor make God
present to their eyes!
Let onej " lume the heavens and the earthly par
Since Italy is one.
Mother, mourning long thy dear ones let the PREF
enIs rapturous strain r.fIf-
Lift its prayer tor all who suhsr, pour its balm on
every pain;
Till the motherhood immortal hold Gods children
In itS reign. 4. = i.