The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-06-07

tempted with impunity, he has, in his latter
DAYS, created Cardinal in these United
States. He has given an explicit and inval
liable definition in regard to marriage; he
has defined the grand prerogatiye Of Mary's
Immaculate Conception; he has published q
syllabus Of errors which has drawn upon
him the hatred and malevolent cutlery Of the
eyil-minded, and by still holder step-vbut
always consistent with his predecessors, and
with the consent Of the largest council that
Christianity ever witnessed, he has, in one
of the darkest hours Of his pontifcate, sealed
the glory Of the Papacy, strengthened the
confidence of the Church, and declared tc
the world the dogma Of Papal Infallibility
These are but fractions of the works Of Plus
TX, but they are an index Of his rare ability
in counseling; Of his bold enterprise in di.
recting, and his unflinching determination
in executing the designs of Providence.
When gathered to his fathers his character
will be one Of the central characters of his
tory, around which the great events Of the
century will revolye; and in Heaven, when
human events will be but memory, Plus
TX will be pointed out in the long line OF
Roman Pontiffs as close emanator in apos.
tolic traditions Of st. Peter. Eminent in
ability and distinguished for the reputation
Of integrity which the breath Of calumny has
never affected, he is rendered still more glo-
rious by the prosecutions through which he
has passed unscathed and without reproach.
Even at Spoleto he had taste of the evils
which revolution and foreign invasion
brought in their train. But scarcely was
the tiara laid upon his Amounted head when
the taste was changed to copious.. draugfts OF
sorrow, and the cup Of misery full to the
brim was pressed to his lips, and again and
again 'refilled, and as often drained to the
bitter dregs. This century has proved for
Europe sad one In history, so frequent and
so disastrous have been the eruptions Of her
volcanoes. In 1S4S the spirit of rebellion
and anarchy, long pent up but always in
creasing in flame at length broke forth from
the subterranean councils Of secret societies,
and swept with the blast of the whirlwind
over the continent and darkened the heav-
ems and made desolate the homes Of peace,
and beat to the ground the halls of justice
and the sanctuaries OF religion. 1t concen-
trated its most violent and cruelest forces
in Italy around the throne of the Pope, with
the sworn purpose to dethrone him and an
initiate his power. Like similar efforts,
made at various periods, the spirit of reyolu-
ton was in the ascendant. Rivers were red
with the blood Of Papal defenders; the heav-
ems burned red with the flames of conflagra-
ton, and the followers Of the church with
drew to the catacombs; and Plus TX, in dis
guise, wandered forth refugee like his pro-
totype, st. Peter, from the city which he
had labored to elevate and to save. Sue
ceeding years brought back the Pope and flu
ture prosperity to Rome. They brought
back also in their train new disasters and
new glories, but such were the fluctuations
of'human passions that they never brought
to the mind and heart Of Plus TX peace and
repose. Every pontif Of the Church has
had some measure, larger or less, Of trial or
misfortune, for such is the earthly heritage
of the Church. But Plus TX, who in years
and in labors is foremost as Bishop of Rome,
has surpassed them in the multitude. and
the merciless rapacity of the onslaughts to
which his enemies have subjected him. His
condition at the present is only an accident
of the kind. Locked up in the walls of the
Vatican, stripped Of his temporal power,
slackled in the exercise Of his spiritual au
thority, he is now reduced to an extremity
more affecting than Punishment, and more
trying to the generous soul than martyrdom.
Yet that grand old man of the Vatican, at
this period Of his prolonged imprisonment,
and after the fearful upheavings of society
and the perils Of the church, which have
rendered him old beyond his years, is as
faithful and true a Bishop Of the Church as
he was when fifty years ago the oil of con-
secration flowed rich and fragrant upon his
brow. He has witnessed his temples plum
dered most ruthlessly; has seen the banish-
ment of religious orders, and the rapine Of
religious property. He has seen the city of
the Popes, sitting solitary and desolate,
shorn Of her glory and prey to licensed as
sassins and banded outlaws. Looking be-
You'd the borders Of his States, he sees the
Church in nearly every quarter of the globe,
from Prussia to Brazil, from crushed Poland
and impoverished Ireland over to struggling
Christianity in Syrian and Chinese fields of
martyrdom-hc sees it almost everywhere a
bleeding victim of wrong and injustice, and
no strong arm save the strong arm of God
lifted in its defense. His condition much
resembles that of Gregory VII, who died
broken-hearted and in exile, but his heart is
as large and his hopes as bright as in the
day when that Seventh Gregory ruled the
destinies Of Christian Europe. Repeatedly
in the course Of his reign the rumor has
come over to us that Plus TX was dead. Still
more frequently arose at each blow Of re-
verse the cry, the Papacy is down forever.
But the same cry of exultation was heard
when Plus vi died in prison, and the same
had been heard at rapid intervals from the
days Of Nero. The same will be heard when
Plus TX shall yield, as yield he must to the
law of death. But when the last Pope shall
be dead, then and not till then, will the last
soul have been saved, and then the Church,
having fulfilled its militant mission on earth,
shall be the triumphant Church in heaven.
EDUCATION OF WOMEN. Massachusetts
has society for the university education Of
women, and it makes an attempt to secure
the endowment Of aprofessorship for women
in Boston University. They allude to the
number Of young women already studying
in the College Of Liberal Arts, and say that
the present opportunity s'appeals as strong
ly to those who believe that young ladies
during no period of their education should
be deprived Of womanly counsel and care as
to those who merely seek for women ever
new and more Influential position in soci-
ety."
The last legal obstacle in the way of WON
en- students of medicine in London has beer