The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-03-25
The Papacy-The Choice OF the Next
Pope.

one of men who are hale and capable AT
that age-and even several years beyond it
while the existence of centenarians Is not
open to SO much doubt as was thought by
Mr.. limbs. But to the great rule OF human
life these instances are exceptions -depar-
lures from the common course. Three
score years and ten is not an absolute limit;
"yet if by reason of strength they be four
score years, yet is their strength labor and
sorrow" At the Pope's age, therefore, MS
death at any hour could not be looked upon
as an unex pected event; and the activities
at Rome, rather limited at than chronicled
IN the dispatches, indicate that there is in
peculiar sense much preparation on foot in
ecclesiastical and in government circles as
well as in the diplomatic world with regard
to this event. 1t is but natural that this
should be the case, for the death the Pope
and the necessity that will Immediately
arise for the choice of his successor will
probably be the induction to some startling
scenes
1t is doubtless regarded in the Catholic
world rs calamity that the statesman who
is deemed the arch enemy OF the Church
should in this crisis be so pre-eminent by
the power, physical, intellectual and moral,
which he possesses and controls, that his
opinion must certainly determine the course
of events on any point of Continental policy
OH which he may choose to express it. Had
Prince Bismarck declared positively at any
stage of the negotiations with regard to
Turkey England must yield, Russia
must yield, Austria must yield, or
the Ottomans must yield, the power
condemned by that declaration would
certainly have given way under what
ever specious formulas it might have yelled
its course. If wax were imminent between
any two Powers in Europe, if the armies
were on foot, and every hope to preserve the
peace were abandoned, one word uttered at
Berlin would preserve it. In short, the Ger
man Chancellor holds that position of SUI
preme sovereignty which was conceived as
an ideal by Frederick the Great, who said
that if he were King of France not shot
should be fired in Europe without his
consent. In his day France was
in the politics Of Europe what Germany is
now. Since then the political centre of
gravity has changed from Paris to Berlin,
and the German power is welded by man
who is like some great force of nature-like
an earthquake or whirlwind-in his indif-
ference to merely sentimental reasons for
mitigating the application of force to the
accomplishment of purpose. 1t was
great blunder on the part OF the princes OF
the Church to quarrel with such man or
to even permit it to be possible that he
should quarrel with them. 1t seems to in
dictate that the Church, whatever zeal she
NAV now have in her service, has lost the
sagacity which once controlled her policy.
For. in view of the dominant position of
Bismarck in Europe, it is only to be sup
posed that any topic would be determined
without his consent by the consideration
that he was indifferent to the result This
it is not possible to suppose with regard to
the Papacy 1t has always been recognized
that the organization of the Church was Of
great consequence in Catholic countries,
and the governments of those countries have
never been Indifferent to the choice of a
Pope. But recen: changes in the position of
the Church have made it Of far greater con-
sequence than it was before what ideas are
dominant in the Vatican, while the recent
changes in the map of Europe have practi-
cally made Prussia Catholic Power. These
are two facts of great moment, and they
will probably appear to be the leading facts
in the case when the conflict for a choice
actually arises. High ground may and
probably will be taken in the ecclesiastical
councils, and even in the conclave, against
the notion that the North German
Power has any relation whatever to the
choice of Pope, or is implicated in eccle-
siastical concerns in any such way as should
exact from the prelntes any regard to its
views Prussia, Of course, is a Protestant
! Power, and the German Empire is Prussia
plus the inhabitants Of several formerly in
dependent States and the machinery of sew
eral governments that lag superfuous on the
stage. But this Empire has fourteen mill
ions of Roman Catholic subjects. More
than one-third of the population is of
that communion. 1t has the same concern
that any other country has in the tran
guilty and content of it's people and can
not view with indifference the occurrence of
events likely to continue or revive strife
that has put the people in moral hostility to
the government. That these events may
occur beyond the frontiers of his own coun-
try is of little consequence to the practical
statesman concerned. They are within
his jurisdiction wherever he can reach
them. If opinions entertained in Rome can
control the attitude of populations in Bavaria
it is not strange that opinions held in Berlin
shall come into an arena in Rome. That
they will be produced there with effect in
one form or another is certain.
/ Prussia deems that an active interest in