Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-04-02
progrrss In Gernlnny.


ifnot paid within three mouths.
--~----------~-~---~---~ -,.--e--e-,e-.-,-,
Progress In Germany.
The cable has already Informed us Of the
passage, by the Prussian House Of Lords,
Of the proposed constitutional amendments
in respect to the relations Of The State to
the Church The bin Is slowly toilug
through the House Of Deputies, with much
discussion, but without any alteration, and
will probably be adopted 10 ful, without,
amendment Our late foreign adyices give
the discussions which were Inspired by the
bill in the upper House, and also furnish
the speech Of Prince Bismarck lie ap-
pcarcd in the House Of Lord on the l0,b
alt, and pressed tho passage Of the BID in
a speech whore signii was uumis'ak-
able. 1t was speech Of unusual power
and drecineS short, compact, and full Of
bitter defiance. 1t Invested the question
Of the religious and side issues that had
been collected about it, aud defined the po-
sition Of the Government with perfect pre-
cision and exactness. After the speech the
House Of Lords adopted the amendments to
the constitution BY vote Of 80 to G2, a
vote which shows that the government has
gained largely in strength since last De-
cember.
At the outset Of lis speech Bismarck
admits that "liberalism has mad, great
progress in Prus.ia, and is likely to make
still further progress. But the conserya.
lives were to blame for it, They had
forced the Ministry to rupture with The
Papacy. Daring the French war the ccri.
cal party had organized a political party, and
had carried the elections in many Of the
districts on merely religious issues. They
we're aiming, to use his own language, to
establish a confessional State, whose soy
ereign would be a foreign ecclesiastical
prince having his residence IN Rome The
Government was thu, forced into self de-
Tense in order to protect itself against the
auti-national principle and procedure of
the clerical party. 1t came before the
Parliament with a request for help and CO.
operation in defending the State against
Vaccinations that endangered It's existence.
The amendments and the laws which the
Government proposed had no religious char.
acter. They were merely political in their
nature. The struggle was not one be-
tween Professionalism aud the Roman Cath
Ollie Church, but it was between the State
and the Church, between the secular author
ityaud the Roman Hierarchy The Papacy
was seeking to place Germany in subjec.
ton to priestly power and influence. Had
the French war resulted otherwise than it
did, its work would have been simplifed
and easier, yet even now the Papacy kept
undeviatingly to its programme Of tie sub
lection Of the secular power. It bad at
tempted by undue influence aud by the
elections to turn the Ministry of education
and of Public Worship into Bureau for
maintaining the interests Of the Church at
the expense Of the rights Of the King, and
there was but one course left open to the
Government in order TO protect itself
against being subordnotcd to an occlesias.
teal supremacy.
Such was the substance OF Bismarck 5
grafton, and its effect was overwhelming.
The national sentiment in Germany is quite
as strong as any other. That sentiment al
lows and tolerates the widest diversity of
religious opinions and worship, but it is
jealous Of the encroachment and domination
Of any single mode ofreligious thought and
worship. 1t protects the public school
against ccclesiastcism, and il demands that
every ecclcsiastic in Germany shall owe and
pay obedience TO the secular authority Ii
protests against any use being made Of the
heNHihNi VI NHS bpFtl ulltul OF OF Tue IuD-
lie schools, to extend and propagate any
special religious opinion or worship.
While not claiming for itself the right to
Interfere with the conscience Of any Of its
subjects, it also alhrms that the conscisnee
of its subjects, or Of any portion Of them,
shall not impose laws and modes Of worship
on the Government, or on any other portion
of its subjects Bismarck declares that in
every age the Papacy has been a political
power, and has always sought to dominate
over the secular power" 1t is but repeat
ing its ancient history and ideas. But his
object, he says, lis not the subsection of the
Church, but the definition of the bounda-
RIGS between Church md State, 20 that the
latter may secure It's own existence"
The result Of this contest in Prussia is
no longer doubtful It is impossible, in
this age of the world, for any Church,
Protestant or Catholic, to WELD the tempo.
raj power in any State That day has
gone BY, and neilbsr Puritan nor Roman.
ist shall see IL aguie. 81 aa.