The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-11-11
acknowledgement:
Iou tho Pope Plays Prisoner.

nonisls which are traultiohAlIy ueaF 10
,bs Roman Church. Since the day that
he legions Of Victor Emmanuel passed
through the breach opened in the Porta
p, and neither Papal ZOuaveH nor in.
irrational jeaIousies Sufiiced any longer
IN depriye the Italian people Of their
G,ni,sl the doors Of the famous temple
t,Te been closed with more than Lenten
,u,erity against the splendid functions
n which il owes half It's celebrity. The
Vatican has been in mourning for up.
s,,d, Of six years. It's "august prison.
s,"m Cardinal Manning has been re.
ninding us, has not passed its portals
Iuring all that period, though he forgot
"a adj that the seClusion OF His Holiness
b,l been sef.imposed, and that there 10
mol much liberty in this world which is
more agreeable than Imprisonment in the
IN, and commodious palace, the extern
i've and delightful gardens, the inexhaus.
idle library, the endless galleries Of art
and curiosilies which constitute the ma
terial part Of Papal incarceration. But
Plus *, having assumed certain and
specific role, has acted up to il since the
autumn Of 1870 with CONSTANT obstinacy.
he is.the prisoner OF the Piedmontese,
and be behaves rs such. He no longer
holds splendid state at the high altar
where Attila once threatened to stall his
,teeds. The silver trumpets are hushed;
the Pope's choir Is u tradition. The
Ihspheris no longer come from the
mountains OF the Abruzzi TO pass the
night OF Christmas eve in the celebrated
BSsilica. There Is no washing Of feet on
Naunday Thursday; no.tdeanda, no tarola.
The balcony where the Sovereign Pontitf
Used TO bless the City and the World,
slh the exception Of the insolent Colon.
"a, ID no longer taken possession Of by
he venerable parsonage who, on Easter
Day, used 10 Gil it with his presence.
Saint Peters remains undisturbed, and
strangers come and go, gazing up ut It's
Iusndous space and barbarie orna-
nen.. But there are no ceremonies for
hsu-no peacocks' feathers, triple Tiara,
30 Servant Of the Servants OF God borne
lloIt on the shoulders OF the men.
It has fallen TO the lot Of Catholic
Spain to break the spell, to burst open
the hermetrically sealed gates,to coax Pic
Mono from his private oratory, and to re-
psW in Saint Peters something Of the &C.
:le.intical glories Of old. Ii is easy 10
throw an air Of ridicule around the jour.
Ny Of pilgrims whom the conditions Of
modern life compel to travel by railway
lsi steamboat, and expose to the irrever.
.ut criticism Of unsympathizing cor.
respondents. But that persons sense Of
he ridiculous must DO Of a peculiar
ont who finds nothing but food for
zIrla in the fact that several thousand
Spanish pilgrims, for the most part Of the
poorer ClaIacS, have been making their
ny 10 Rome, with no other object but 10
rgVItfl,e themselves at the feet Of tho
pup, and testify to him their unalterable
lsvotOu. II the hardshipS and disap-
pAGtnsnts Of the journey have been
neat, their fidelity only becomes tho more
torIpiCuOus. A Roman satirist said that
700 Of the hardest conditions attached to
poverty il that Il makes men ridiculous.
Bot tho notion muStsbe condemned US
UlgIr one, and we confess that IN read.
log the account Of what took place in
SAINT Peters the day before yesterday,
shat most interests and impresses us Ii
%! the account Of the nineteen Car.
finals" Of the Guardia Mobile OF the
S'l Guard, or even the crimson damask
Areries," bnt rather the fact that the bulk
oIthOse whom the Pope addressed were
p0Or lifted peasants and artisans from |
Catalonia. There were ten thousand OF
hem in Saint Peters by midday on Mon.
!iy last awaiting the appearance OF the |
Pope. A tremendous shout was raised
'hen he entered, for Saint Peters Is not
u other GhurcheS, and has witnessed |
ainy an ebulliliOn Of popular euthusi.
IN or passion. A throne had been erect.
4 in the left trsnscept, and on this Plus
!Atook his seat, and listened to the ad.
!'e,l presented to him by the pilgrims,
Nd read aloud by tho Archbishop oil
G'iusda. His Holiness delivered a re-.
ny, which, we are told, lasted a quarter
Alan hour, and then the piOus concoursc
~ iIested to spectacle which has al.
"u been reserved for great occasions,
va which those who have ever Witnessed
NlIloW to be peculiarly imposing. Al.
1eItending his hands to bless all those
present., the Pope was carried down the
EsNnave into tho atrium, 10 the Sedia
Ss'tI,Io'ia, and thus passed once more
ss9 bis prisOR-housc. The enthusiasm
9:lalIeted by the pilgrims, 1t ia said, was
Iaaen'e," but the expression Of their
.saaasnt. lwoke no resentment outside
@'Ss walls Of the Basilica,
Nov, Is there not 4 moral to be drawn
v'u this interesting event, Of which II
sEhS said in no conventional or ex-
'I;ated sense that those who run may
ga IL The Pope is reported 10
we observed, in the course OF his reply
a'SSPlnSh pilgrims, that their coming
Rome proved that persecution" did
~ weaken the Church." but made II
Tonge' than ever. But II this be so,
10y ny becomes Of the alleged persecution?
Tn IAs Nj. Mill, in his monograph on
I%isy'" pointed out that persecution
IMls'ons opinions can attain Its ends
,S,sNIIs'ninating diWident, II only Il be
TPaeG With sufficient vigor. Can that
a!Ied persecution which allows 4
s s.,s openly to boast that II possesses
w., W. power, more authority, more ad-
S S.', th9n syer1 Confirming our atten-
~ ~ y Italy, We will venture to affirm
SG mere never was a prOIense so EMMY
aM Of the persecution Of the Roman |
t ,,T aud the Roman Church, II the
rsJI ss are Prosecutors, they arc tho
,sTlSe't and clumsiest prosecutors the
r "s ever saw. Yet they are not a
n % people. On the contrary, they
=, Vagulatly shrewd and cleaf. seeing,
w., ave rare talent for adapting
I'M, 70 ends. They wanted 10 make
rtoas AID free, and they made Il one
sTI& They desired to abolish Tho tenn.
hi SNat o. the Papaey, and The tenn
lover Ss Of the PapAcy IL abolished.
e,s,s.sI did not aspire 10 destroy the
u! 4 'asIt, and Il may DO doubled II
a,Ia% them cared even to oirsumscribe
atI,'Sa G authority 80 long as II did
v E,iII VIII the political Interests Of
kingdom. Prince Bismarck