St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-04-17
New Rome.
BY REV. c. L. GOODELL, d. d.

My first visit to Italy was in 1867,
| ana the progress in that country since
then has been very great every way
especially does this appear in Rome.
Then Italy was broken into fragments
and powerless. In the words of Prince
Metternich, Italy was but a geOgraPh-
ical expression, now it is a consolidated,
united nation. Then King Victor En-
manuel had moved his capitol from
Turin to Florence. and was looking
! toward Rome. But the Pope held civil
power over the fourteen papal States,
and Garibaldi's guns had not liberated
| Naples and the South. In crossing the
| frontier into the domains of his HOli
ness, all trains were stopped and the
| Bible was taken from the bag of the
traveller but the revolver might remain.
! No Protestant books could be sold in
| Rome, OF religious service held except
under the roof of the American am
bassadOr. The eternal city WAS stag
nant and filthy and dead. Its stencil
rose surely to heaven.
But,in 1872, GaribaIdi's army pressed
through the gate of St. Sabastiano at
! the South, le",i"s +I~ nI.s'I.., Vr ii"
cannonade still on the portals. Victor
Emmanuel came in from the North and
established his capital, and Rome be-
came once more the center of Il great
nation. The good Plus IN. lost his
civil power and his successor still con-
flies himself as prisoner ut the Nati
can, to the spiritual care of his people
Travellers take their Bibles to Rome
Protestant worship is set up every
where, Sabbath schools are opened
and a fine Protestant bookstore undel
. the shadow of st. Peters dispenses Ri
/, bles aud religious reading. EXcellen
: day schools are opened throughout
Italy, with ii normal department 70
the training of teachers. Even i'll Rome
forty per cent of the children can rea'
and write. The everlasting beggar ha
been set to work by law and has almOs
disappeared from Italy, where hi
presence was worse than that of th
army worm.
The city of Rome has been wonder
fully changed for the better Larg
= streets like the Via Rationale and tn
COrso are cut through to its center, EN-
= bankments are building on the mudd
Tiber, the Jewish quarter is cleansed
The streets of the city are cleane
every day and all refuse removed
Excellent stores are established an
: modern hotels with furnace fires an
elevators put in. and a thousand tOkeI
of general enterprise and progress al
pear The free, sweet winds OF &c
have swept through Rome, and JOY an
hope are apparent. The old ruins
the city are carefully restored and pr
served. new buildings are erected RAJ
idly as in a Western city. Trade al
n commerce are prosperous, labor is sr
warded. A new Rome is rising on Il
ruins of the old, with her forehead
the future.
We were astonished at the chang
which even the decade since our Ia
visit had brought.
There was light in the eye of t
venerable Father Gavazzi speak,
in glowing terms of the spread of
gospel in Italy, he said to us, 81 ;
satisfied He believes that the da
- of Catholicism, as it is written in h
tory, are numbered, and that the g
pei of Christ is fast taking root amC
the people The Count Enrico de Ca
pello, a Romanist of distinction, ca
out two years ago aud is holding 5
vices every Sunday in the Protest
faith. The sensation of the winter
.R. Rome has been the remuneration of
Romish Church. in December last,
. the prelate MonsignOr Savarese, a b
officer of the POpe's household al
man of great influence. 1t is very
Iry. moving to the Pope, Il note of warn
to the papal church, and victory
onsh Professionalism. Although be may
In, shake off all his former errors, 1t sh
thing what the spirit of free Italy Is d.
'e'- and how strong the tendency is to
--. of the old yoke of ecclesiastical b'
ED age and come into the freedom OF
truth. .....
have been very happy in this
N. / to Rome. Much work is yet to be q