The New York herald., 1871-01-13
10 italian Unity nfeeting-The Future
or Italy, Romc and the Pope.

| New York has seen for many day. INSIDE
the immense building was packed so closely
that no more could find even standing room,
and the overflow of these formed the nucleus
of another immense assemblage outside. Cen
eral Dix, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, Rev.
Henry W. Bellows, William Cullen Bryant
and others of equally high standing addressed
the meeting inside and Horace Greeley, Rev.
Howard Crosby and Rev. William Aikman
spoke to the assembled multitudes outside
While the Revs Beecher and Bellows made
use Of the occasion to illuminate somewhat
strongly against the Pope-these two gen.
tlemen, strangely enough, being quite liberal
towards any religion that smacks Of Protes-
tantsm and exceedingly illiberal towards
Catholicism-the general tenor of the addresses
by the other gentlemen, both inside and outside,
and Of the resolutions, were turned in spirit
Of personal kindness toward the temporarily
unfortunate head Of the Church, and dealt
mainly with the political question ITSELF
The speeches and resolutions of this meet
| ing are but the expression on italian unity Of
the overwhelming If not the all-embracing,
do not forget that in all the principal cities Of
the Union there have been meetings of the
Catholic clergy and congregations Of the Cath
| olic Church in support of the rights and claims
of the Pope to his temporalities, and in ear
nest denunciation of the seizure and appropri-
alton thereof by the Italian government as
sacrilegious robbery and usurpation; but these
Catholic meetings have been rather manifesto
tions of pious devotion to the Holy Father
than expressions Of judgment on the political
question involved. We are called upon to
consider the political and the religious ques-
ton, the rights of the State and the rights of
the Church, the liberties of the people and the
liberty Of the Pope, and we think they all may
be and will be happily reconciled with the
political unity of Italy.
Through all the centuries since the dissolu-
tion of the Roman empire Italy has been the
prey of the incessant and inevitable rvalries,
jealousies and discords Of the petty kingdoms,
| principalities and Independent cities into which
that beautiful country has been divided; and
the VICTIM too, from these divisions and dis
And in the long catalogue of internal wars and
foreign invasions which have thus desolated
Italy for a thousand years the Pope and his
temporalities have played very conspicuous
part, and from time to time, too-vanquished
on the field Of arms, driven into exile, or held
the disastrous consequences. Through all
this long period, from the misty twilight Of the
Dark Ages to the MONDAY blaze of modern civil
lization, the petty political divisions and sub
divisions Of Italy have been only demoralizing
and ruinous to the Italian people-politically
morally and religiously. So it has been with
the petty divisions of the great German family;
so it was with the petty divisions of ancient
Greece, and Of the still more ancient kingdom
Of Saul, David and Solomon. So it was with
the ancient petty divisions Of Ireland and Of
Scotland, and so with the Saxon heptarchy of
her seven kings are aptly described by John
Milton as utterly useless to the historian, being
as senseless and unmeaning as the battles Of
80 many kites and crows in the air.
The unity of Italy is her resurrection from
the dead. Though the idea has been his ruin
it was happy thought Of Louis Napoleon
that Napoleonic idea of ''the unity of nation
alities" He saw that in assisting the great
Cavour to carry ont this sublime idea in Italy
he would create and secure powerful ally;
but he failed to see that Bismarck and Ger
many would profit by the example SO far as to
In c..
and sword. He expected to keep Germany
divided as she was kept divided by Napoleon
the First; but the idea Of national unity"
from our example in our late civil war, had
outgrown his calculations in Italy and in Ger
many when he entered upon this conflict with
Prussia. With his declaration of the war he
found that the South German States were a
unit with the Northern Confederation; and in
the withdrawal of his troops from Rome he
found that Italy was marching to occupy the
city, and that King Victor Emmanuel was
utterly powerless to resist or delay the execu-
ton Of the will Of the italian people.
| We believe, too, that from this consumma-
ton of Italian unity-can it usurpaticn, spo-
liation, robbery, or what you wiil-the most
| benefcent results will follow to Italy, to Rome,
and to the Pope and the Church. We believe
that the Italian people, after all their oppres-
sions Of a thousand years and more, still pos
| sess the best attributes of the old Romans,
and are capable Of making Rome, under their
new dispensation, greater in all things great
than was the Rome of the Caesars, and Italy,
in all its reviving beauties, the wonder and
admiration Of the Earth. We expect that the
living generation Of men will, from all lands,
be witnesses to much Of the development of
this glorious resurrection of Italy and Rome
From the dust in which they have been sitting
in sackcloth and ashes through all these long