The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-08-12

The decrease Of bigotry, and even Of
sound religious feeling, throughout the
Latin countrieS does not necessarily i'm
ply the decrease q superstition. There
are plenty d men N over DE world Who
never believed in any religion, Jet would
not embark In 3 new business on . Non
day, or start upon 3 journey on 8 Friday;
and in counties 20 much predIsposed 10
superstition Is Spain and Italy, people
viii, for long time TO come, remain what
they have bean In this respect But their
superstition d no longer religious one
II Is one Of ignorGnce
The Protestant missionaries have long
been aware Of this decline Of the Roman
Catholic religious sentiment, and have In
creased their own zeal in the southern
countries Of Europe; but they hGye had
very little success. The superstition that
because men became bad Roman CSthO-
lies they could be easily turned into good
ProtestAltS proved 10 be q thoroughly
false one. The cold form Of northern
Protestant worship, with it, long dis.
courses, cannot suit the southern temperA.
ment The above quoted Tine cores
pendent remarks that
"a religion all Of pomp and ceremony
and groyelliDg AsceticiSm suited the south.
eTn temperament, and down almost 10 the
present day the opera and ballet in Rome
were always worse than third rate, and
poorly attended, because the theatre could
not compete with the Church In the pomp
and Circumstance Of mere scenic effects.
Italians do not see the advantage OF rAis-
ing many Churches on the ruins Of one.
Il would be, in their opinion, like marry.
ing the Pope, and begetting q whole
brood oil IniAllbles.' There are now
WAldensiAn, Methodist and other Evan
gelicSl Churches and schools m Rome q
IL other Italian cities, but their success d
not very encouraging even In the opinion
Of their candid promOters."
Something very similar Is said with
inference to Spain, BY all who have care
fully observed the state Of Affair." in thai
country for the last few years. In 81
English work recently Published OF
Spain, the author, devoting = vhOlt
chapter to the decline oil religious feeling
in that country, says
There are chapels in Madrid, Seville
Alicante, and few other towns, bu'
they never had and never will have sny
more influence upon the general state o
religion In these countries, than ehspe
got up somewhere near WolTeThGmpton
by, u / remember rightly, some twenty
three gentleman anxious TO introduce the
rite OF the Greek Church in England, viii
have in the United Kingdom. True, thA,
should one be disposed to give Oneself
some trouble, one mIy ind In Madrid and
In few Of the southern towns q copy
Of the Bible. But Il Is always sure e
DO very dusty one; and for my part
have never seen any either in circulation
or even in the show.windoWs OF the book
sellers. All the efforts Of the British and
Foreign Bible Society Of the GGtionAl
Bible Society Of Scotland Of the .Rdin-
burgh EvAngeliZStion Society, and WhAl
not, have never obtained any greater re-
suit than that which crowned the effort
of the London Society for Promoting
Christianity among the Jews which
spends, ! believe, about thirty thousand
pounds year Tor converting on the Az
ersge about thirty Jews, at the expense
Of something like one thousand pounds {
piece TO the country"
In view ofthe above extracts, the N. Y
Pot remarks that in ioreboding general
disturbances OF 3 religious character, n:
Dsraeli showed 8 remarkably dehcienr
understanding Of the time we live in, Gnt
a thorough want Of knowledge of the con
dition Of the political and working classel
throughout Europe.