The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-08-29
sa.rnlng Star and Catholic Messenger.
The Situation in Europe.
london Register. Aug. II

From time to time we ssk ourselves-is
the Catholic cause making progress iu
Europe, or are We losing grounH' ihe
question 10 q serious one. Let Ms see wnat
anaWer we can give TO is at the present mo
ment. Glsucing over the wide field OF Con-
tjnentsl politics, it seems to Us that we have
eyery reason to be Satisfied with the action
of the Catholic party In the various
countries of Europe during the last two or
three months-and our survey extends NO
farther. More than one brilliant success
has been obtained by persevering aud in
telliRent action under well tried leaders,
and these amply compensate Tor partiai
failures in other quarters. Every where the
clergy and the people are closely united,
o fearless Press supports and defends
Catholic interests, and mere or less organ" |
ICED electorate secures for them represen-
tative voice in the Senate aud the munich
pslity. -.
or Germany, or Spain, but TO Italy and
Rome, the great centre of the Catholic
world. There, under the revolutionary
rule of the Subalpine Monarchy, Catholic
action is necessarily dwarfed and restricted
throughout the Peninsula, the Catholics
are debsrred from making any attempt to
secure O representation In Parliament, for
the elected members would have to take
the oath of allegiance to the usurPing King,
and the electors themselves could not re-
cord their votes without at once acknowl-
edging and rstifying the usurpation. They
had even abetained from voting at the
municipal elections until, three years agoi
the Holy Father permitted and invited
them to endeavour TO obtain snare g, 10 sne
local government of the country. The frat
effort was, on the whole, failure. AT Nap
lea. indeed, the Catholic committees d.
rested by the Archbishop Cardinal iRlario
SforSa, secured victory and Cathohc
candidates were also successful In many OF
and in the Pspal States. But In far the
greater majority of CAGES the Liberals were
returned. Throughout Italy the result was
hailed by the Piedmonteee Press as KIND
Of plebiscite confirming the WORK OF To- me
Catholic party had refused TO take any part
in the elections, 30 long as their motto was
.tNe eletsori ne elett," they had been able to
boast that they were in the majority and
that the country was with them put, nav;
ing once veutured to the urns and suffered
q signal defeat, the delusion was at an end
for ever.
The English press ever ready to adopt
the falsehoods and misstatements OF the
Liberal press of Italy and France, took NJ
the cry, and proclaimed that the Catholic
party 10 Italy, was y miserable and lmpo
tent fraction. For once the semi -ofhcia
press of Germany spoke the truth anc
showed keener insight into the situation
in Italy, perhaps, because the Liberals
in what was passing beyond the Alps, and
therefore, watched the current OF Italian
politics with more than usual assiduity
More than one semi-of1cial organ pointe'
out that the Catholics had In genera
muatered strong minorities at the urns, ant
declared that their defeat was to be sttri
buted ieas to want of numbere than to
hurried and imperfect organization, whic
rendered these numbers unavaiiing at tn
artificial moment. s'If the Liberals wish
N lNAOlD
Journals of Berlin, ''they must DO vigilau
and uuited.n Gradually tho one want q
the Catholics has been supplied: IN
nreaent year found them fully aud efficient
~ organized, and the result mas oeen
Victory at the recent municipal election
won, not in Q few places, but throughor
the whole of Italy. At Rome, indeed, tn
presence of the bussnrrS and the whole arm
Of Government oficials has kept the Lio'
raj municipality In power; oqE In al ~
noa, aud Turin; aud even at Venice, wheI
the Catholic party was supposed to D
hopelesely disOrganiZed, Catholic mAJosALie
have been returned. This success 81
somewhat startled the opeimists o. Sns L ~
eral press. 1t is . certain proof OF tL
failure OF the Revolutionary regime
Italv. It shows that the Catholics 81
aCronper than the Republicans and, Il
Moderates united, and 1t gives good no!
Of reaction at no distant s GsTS' T. n1ac
the local Government throughout q
greater part of the Peninsula under Cath
iic control, aud in Italy, despite Piedmo
tese centraliEation, the municipalities st
possess great power for good or evil with
their boundaries, and local lnVeEsS'S
above all others.
In France, though the Republic lie de
nitely established, Though the temporisi
noiiticians Of the Centre are in power, o.
for the moment thore Seems ont nt
of Thn n
monarch-in France, too, the prospect ls
brioht one. We have more than on
RDoken of the wonderful revival OF Catho
spirit in all ranks of society. In the
sembly it has led to the enactment OF
osasnre Which-we cay it without heat
tjon-will have o moro important intueu
ON the future OF France than any other Il
which has been passed since the work
reconstruction began in 1879. The law
the Freedom of Higher Education eman