The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-25

Manning-an illness which we regret to
say causes alarm to his friends-will give
a painful interest to the celebration of Tues
day. 1t is arranged that the ceremonies
of imposing the berTetta will take place on
that day in ST. Patricks Cathedral. Special ar
rangements have been made to accommodate
all the prelates and priests in the country, and
there will be an unusual gathering IN attend
ance. The disposition to accept in its most
gracious sense the act of the Pope in thus hon.
oring Cardinal McCloskey will bring to New
York the largest assemblage of priests and prel-
ates ever seen in New York. The committee
are making arrangements to have the cere-
monies Of the most imposing character. AS
there are about hundred thousand applicants
for admission and not more than three thou
sand seats the labors of the committee may
be imagined. The police arrangements will,
we trust, be Of the most perfect character. The
least hitch or break or heedlessness in the
police management may lead to the most de
plorable results. There should be allowed no
ovid around the doors or passages Of the
Cathedral or even in the streets around it OF
course the committee would gladly accommo-
date hundred thousand auditors if it were
possible. But since it is not possible there
must be the firmest rules about preserving
order
The ceremony Of imposing the berretta upon
Cardinal McClosley is not simply religious
event in the history of the Catholic Church in
the United States. 1t is not alone that the
Pope has honored an American prelate, but il
is the first time that the rank has been be-
slowed upon on American. So the act has a
political value. Heretofore the policy of the
Roman See has been to regard America as q
missionary country, where the Church was an
experiment, and under missionary control,
like Chill, or Paraguay or Japan, and not
like Germany or France. Whenever there
has been demand on the part of Catholics
in America for such recognition as the crea-
ton of the cardinalate would imply the
answer has always been that the time had not
come that the country had not attained its
growth that the pear was not ripe. This is
no longer true. The Pope indicates by his
comforting the berretta upon an American prel-
ate that he recognizes America as worthy of
his recognition in the largest sense OF
course it does not matter to us in what est
nation we may be held BY q venerable Italian
priest, who is simply o spiritual ruler in the
Vatican. But on the other hand, even the
most rigid critic Of the Roman faith cannot
be insensible to the courtesy paid to the ma
ton and implied in the elevation Of Cardinal
McCloskey.
&c ,o -
religious event. 1t is political, not in the
lesser, bet in the larger sense. 1t shows, we
think, the broadening of the Roman policy in
dealing with other nations. The tradition
that the Church should depend upon the
princes and the royal system has faded
Plus TX. remembers the lesson which
another Plus learned from as great q master
as Napoleon-that the Church cannot depend
upon the princes So long as the Holy See
served the royal and imperial systems all vas
well but whenever the rise of liberalism men
aced in any way the peace Of the throne then
the Holy See was abandoned. Consequently,
as Archbishop Bayley aptly remarked to our
reporter in Baltimore the other day, the Pope
in his latest allocution did not as had been
his habit, pray for the princes, but for the
people Not long since the Pope extended
certain privileges to the President OF Peru
the Same as those accorded to the kings of
Spain. The one Power in Europe which is in
harmony with the Roman See is France
Republic, and in republican America we
have the assurance Of His Holiness that the
Church has unexampled freedom. In
the great crisis which as keen critic
as Mr.. Dlsrnel sees to be surely
coming, the influence Of the Catholic Church
as an ally Of republicanIsm cannot be over
rated. Let the Pope once declare that the
dogma OF divine right is a fiction that the
true divine right is the voice of the people
that in the eyes Of the Church all men are
free and equal that, political privileges
should be as free to mankind as the sacra-
ments, and there will be an end Of the illu-
sions upon which monarchy uneasily rests.
Therefore the ceremony Of Tuesday be-
comes, in some respects, a national event. Il
will Of course be imposing and memorable.
There will be all that wealth Of color, melody,
decoration and eloquence with which the
Roman Church knows 80 well how to clothe
its solemnites. We shall have the largest
body Of ecclesiastics Of the Catholic denomi-
nation ever assembled in New York. This
coming together Of these learned, venerable
and gifted men will have a social value that
is always pleasant in the busy life Of our mod
ern world and the circumstance that q rare
and high honor, for which kings in times past
have vainly sought, will be voluntarily be-
slowed upon native and citizen of the
United States, as a reward for piety and
virtue, will be grateful to all classes, without
distinction Of nationality Or creed.
The Last snow or Spring.