New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-06-27


denominations, and protection to all citi-
gems of the Empire against any Infringement
on their rights by the clergy; and, second,
to introduce bill regulating the legal posi-
ton of religious orders and associations, their
admissibility, and its conditions, and making
them liable to punishment in case their ac-
tivity--particularly that of the order of
Jesus-shall prove to be dangerous to the
State, or to conflict in any way with the laws
of the State and Empire.
These resolutions, clumsy in form, and not
sufficiently explicit as to the real object, show
none the less clearly in which direction the
wind is blowing. 1t cannot be doubted that
the Catholic Church considers the German
Empire its most formidable enemy, that il
has secretly declared secret war against it,
and has set out on the gigantic task of gradu-
ally undermining the first power in Europe
by firing the Catholic heart" fostering
superstition and fanaticism, and by dissemi-
mating religious discord and enmity. With
all the prOverbial cunning of the "holy
mother" it has contrived to isolate Germany,
to deprive her Of the moral support of the
neighboring powers in her struggle against
the encroachments of the clergy, and has
really succeeded so far as to have re-estab-
lished amicable relations with some of them,
which were anything but friendly to the Pope
until quite recently.
We have shown in previous article how
the French Observation-Disclosures as well as
conscrvatives-in their mbounded hatred of
the Germans, are ready to join hands with
any power whose assistance would offer them
a chance of satisfying their thirst for revenge.
France, moreover, was the pillar that for
many years upheld the temporal power of the
Pope consequently, the alliance between
them is quite natural one, at least as natu-
raj and legitimate as that between Mr..
Greeley and part of the Democracy, COM
as in the other.
More unexpected was the intelligence that
Austria, the southern ncighbor of Germany,
had also been drawn into the circle that is
proposed to insulate the Empire. "A liberal
cabinet at the head of affairs did not seem
to hold out great prospects to the "holy
cause :" nevertheless, a compromise has been
effected. Experience has shown that the
smallest and weakest thread by which indi-
viduals or governments are held dependent
moment become iron chains under the man.
agement of cunning priests. In this instance
the Church, it appears, while protesting its
readiness to make all possible concessions,
has regained a large part of its former as
tendency and fully accomplished its chief
object.
This feat, however, is completely eclipsed
by greater one. The neutrality, even the
good will of Russia has been secured. Him
self the head of a schismatc church, the En-
peror must have been an object of horror to
the Pope for his tyrannical treatment of the
Catholic clergy Of Poland, many of whose
dgnitarics have been exiled to the deserts of
Siberia for their participation in the late
Polish instruction, whose converts have
either been secularized or turned over to the
Greek clergy. Russia, indeed is the only
power in Europe that has always prosecuted
and oppressed the Catholic clergy with a de-
greeof uelty.xhicll, though originating more
in political than in religiouscauses, is only out
done by the cruelty which has always charac-
terized the Catholic church itself in its deal
ings with heretics, whenever it was backed by
material power. Notwithstanding these
welghty obstacles, an understanding has
been reached, and the Emperor and the
Pope are ostensibly on amcable terms,
each of them having probably become
convinced that however antagonistic to
each other on certain points, as represent
atives of political and religious abso-
lutism they are natural allies in their struggle
against the progressive tendencies of the age.
To be sure, the Pope had to surrender all
the claims Of his Polish children; but of how
little consequence is the fate of nation
when the cause of the church is at stake! We
are the last, at all events, who have a right to
wonder, after having seen a man desert not
only the people to the advocacy of whose
claims he had nobly devoted nearly Il
merely personal ends.
Bsmarck's course in his dealings with the
clergy and his declarations in the Diet at
former occasions prove conclusively that he
had early information of these Vaccinations
and is fully prepared to meet the enemy. He
neither lacks ability nor energy; yet even if
he were less formidable an antagonist, the
church would never again recover its long
gone ascendency. With all its shrewdness
it has not yet learned that the progress, the
growing enlightenment of the nations of
Europe offer an insurmOuntable obstacle to
a restoration of church supremacy. If a large
part of the French can still be made willing
tools in the hands of the clergy, the Germans
cannot, nor the Spaniards, nor the Italians,
who of all others have suffered too much
from ecclesiastical misrule, have been too
near the footlights, have seen through the
game too well to allow its being acted over
again.
Serious troubles and complications may
nevertheless arise, and the more serious, as
evidently neither Bismarck nor the masses
of the German people are sufficiently adj
vanced to apply the only radical cure for
religious discord, namely: the separation of