Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-11-06

ings were stopped. A violent ringing of the
church bells diverted the attention Of the
people and brought them into the street, and
meanwhile the doors were barred against
them. The arrival of sufficient military
force effectually prevented the renewal OF
the outrages.
We presume no member of a Protestant
communion will suppose that any assault is
made upon Scripture by calling this belief of
ignorant Italians that Catholic Bishop,
either alive or dead, could heal diseases,
superstition -; but why may not such
miracles be wrought by Catholics as well as
by Protestants
The same newspaper which furnishes the
above item respecting 8 superstition" gives
this also:
The French minister at the court of Italy,
NJ. Fournier, recently paid a visit to NJ
Ventura, who at present offcates as mayor
of Rome, and the visit was the occasion of
considerable public comment, for it had the
appearance of an important political event.
The object of it was soon known, however
and proved TO have little connection with
politics. The Roman municipality had a
few months ago decided that Inscriptions
should be placed on the walls of the houses
where celebrated artists, or poets, or martyrs
had lived or died. One of these inscriptions
was to have been placed in front of the
French academy, and was to have been to
the following effect !" Calico Galilei suf-
fered torture within these walls because he
had committed the crime of declaring that
the earth revolved round the SUM- NJ.
Fournier called upon the mayor, begging
him to abandon the idea of putting up the
would afflct the holy father. Sgnor Ven
turf declared that the matter rested with the
municipal council. A lively discussion of
the incident took place in thepublic journals,
and the Voce della Verita, the organ of the
Jesuts, declared that the decree of the
sacred council which condemned Calico was
scientifically right and just OF course this
called forth perfect storm of articles on
the liberal side, but, Notwithstanding, this
Jesuit organ still maintained its position,
asserting that the ignorance concerning the
Calico question is profound, and continuing
thus: d" W e have sustained ard continue to
sustain, that the sacred office did well in
condemnig Galileo's opinion as he presented
it, because in its form the opinion was alb
surd and contrary to the Scriptures and as
was the case then, so likewise it is now"
As the church had interpreted Scripture
Calico was wrong and the Jesuit organ is
right; yet we presume Catholics do not now
refuse to teach their children the modern
belief in the motions of the earth
All that was asserted in our former article
on this subject was that prayer was spirit
ual agency, and worked only IN the realm of
spiritual forces. If it heals the sick other
than by natural causes 1t works mira eles.
And If 1t works miracles it may as well set
broken limbs as cure fevers may as we'll
change the temperature and the course Of
the seasons, giving us snow in July and
flowers in January, as rain or sunshine NAV
as well stop the earth in its revolutions
turning back the shadow on the dial, "a TO
stop The course Of disease or lengthen life
We laugh at the pretended miracles of the
Catholic Church; if its priests should claim
to heal disc Uses We should call them i'm
posters the members of its communion who
are imposed upon by its pretended miracles
We characterize as poor. ignorant, deluded.
supersttious people; yet how is any one
Sno asserts that prayer viii do the work Of
medicines OF physIcIAns, or IN any respect
change the course Of nature, any less super
stItlous?