New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-07-26
VATICAN AND QUIRMAL
aENTILIrY IN ROMAN RELIGION.


Society that restricted portion Of q
which 10 emphatically and technically 20 called
IL in very singular and remarkable condition IN
this old papal city, which 10 90 strangely unlike
any other city in the world Society in Rome
always had o speciality of Ito own unlike the
society of other places and that for reasons which
will readily occur to every one. But we arc more
concerned here with the fact that it very dder-
emit now from what 1t was some twenty or thirty
years ago. Nor are the causes Of this change fae
To seek. It IL of course the entry of tho Italian
troops by the breach in the wall the Ports Pia
and the deposition of the Pope from his temporal
sovereignty,-of the ruler. the speciality Of whose
character and position was the cause Of all the
popularity and uniQueness Of the Roman society
of that day.-that has brought about the change.
The present writer carries snow enough on HE
beard to have known Rome and the Roman society
In the days Of His Holiness Pope Gregory
XVI Truly it is changed worldl And very
few, indeed, of those who still remain In u have
any adequate idea Of the greatness Of the change
l must not begin to talk Of tho features Of that
change. or should utterly trSnsgrsss VII limits Of
space and time; bus will condne myself to noting
the ono manifestation Of it which IL needed for
the illustration Of my present purpose. In thoss
days any Englshman. or American either. pre-
sented by his diplomatic representative. or fur.
the houses of all the Roman ayistocrscy open to
him including in many cases even those Of the
Princes Of tho Church, the immensely exalted
members Of the Sacred College. Many noble
Roman ladies' received once, or more
frequently. every week and the nc wc0mer
was freely made welcome to their
,irawng-roofs on the easiest terms and with the
most liberal courtesy. Few questions were asked;
and least Of all did any human being dream 0k
making any inquiry issDestInS tho strauEer's
world akin. aud obl.tsrated smaller differences.
dispensed smiles and gooi:natured words to al
alike. | remember His Holiness relnarkng TO me.
supposed to be a scribblcr OF books, that he had
tat shsTe wets any s
sights ut Easter and Christmas; and scaf0dink.
like boxes at q theatre was erected in Ssins
show, where rat aud drank champagne and
munched sandwiches, without any Roman lay or
ssas 1S pseus, habit:
were all equally Iaglssi and ali equally maii IN
Roman eyes
Those days when We went preying In Saint
Peters very long time ago have all vanished.
The easy-gong Roman world Is NO longer especially
Roman, but has become Italian; and is divided
into two worlds,-two worlds divided by gulf az
impossible as ever yawned between Dives aud
Lazarusl Now, it 10 @under which King. Bszon.
ian Speak. or beg0ne! You are either friend
aud adherent OF the Vatican, and all that it inner.
it's or yOu are friend and adherent OF the inter.
dictcd. prescribed. excommunlcated aud every
the POntiff's throne.
But in this .mutua! exclusiveness it must be adj
sn i a Of ' the clerical word BY Tar the
most exclusive Of the two And 1t is Ineligible
enough that such should be the case. j hey are tho
beaten party, and tho party which considers itself
wr0ngcd. They also the aristocratic party.
The arist0cracy OF titular rank Was always, even
in the anediluvian time before the ua0n. much
Il th.a To-.
other part OF Italy. There is strong reason,
If snch things were amenablc to reason ct ALL
why it should he exactly the reverse The historf.
cal names of ancient Roman territorial maanstes
hut few The great majority OF tis existing Roman
aoblesse are merely tho descendants Of popes'
nephews. who have been scandaOusy enriched by
the plumber of the Church and the ncpotism or thelR
papa uncles. Nevertheless. these nephew founded
families have always been tho most exclusive aud
the most part adhered to tho papa side.-as IL Il
very easy 10 understand that on many grounds
they naturally would do.
In the Qnirinai world, presided over BY a const-
tutonal king. q different state OF things and
different tone prevails. OF course the greatest
men in that world are HIS Majestys MinisterA
And Ministers in parliamentary countries have 70
DO chosen with reference tn other considerations
than grandfathers; sad necessity. which somc-
times occasions dep0rable results; as when not
long ago OF the few Roman mobiles VI ancient
race who has attached his fortunes TO those of the
young msnarcny, obtained the consent Of the
gracious sovereign to be present at bis ball, hue
could not lind among the cabinet Ministers OF the
Crown any one of sufficiently blne blood to be
round for those who should have been in attend
ance on him. aud had to discover that they not
deemed tit associates for his entertainers! Then
there are senators, high court digntaries. knights
and commanders of the royal orders Of chivary, all
stars of the Rrst magnitude in the official galaxy,
but few OF them possessing the desirable number
u Ali this sort of thing, as will readily be seeu
tends to increase the width Of the social gulf that
the ourinai and the Vatican Roman worlds and
at the same tends to give tho latter the character
Of reserved and roped-on high place q veritab!e
inner sanctum Of genteelness and well guarded
preserve possessing tho highest attraction Tor the
aspiring seekers after the more I" distinguished
position to whom Homer refers.
But there is also another dversfyinR character
istic separating the two worlds which must "
briefly specified; Of course the special friends and
lgious. That goes without sayips. - the phrsss 10
But those who have lived exclusively 10 Protestant
communities wonld form very erroneous ldes VI
signify the same or any similar thing 10 tho werde
represent in their own social experience. TheIe arc
many very virtuous and many very vicious mea
belonging to the exclusive little Vatican word.
But they are oil equally religious And there ars
speaking. irreiisious But the really distinguish.
true member Of tho black social world 10 8
devout belief in the sanctity OF tho Popes temporal
sovereignty and in the iniquity Of deprivna him Of
IL, aud hearty soomination Of all Leretics and
liberals.
which confer superior aroma of exclusive die.
tinction on the faithful band of adherents Of The
Papscy, which the general undisting uisbed body
of tho rest of the wcrld irrevereutly terms The
black party" They are comparatively few in
number. they are IN . large proportion pcn.ons Of
regards the outside world. To all which it must bs
added that religious profession makes necessarily
from tho circumstances of tue casn the principal
note OF their social distinction and c0lefence. II
will be evident further. that in such society the
female element. which IN every social systsn
Of fashionable distinction. will be especially in,
huentIal. Priests moro or less purple or scarlet
must necessarily be- the doorkeepers Of snch Z
work harmoniously with the sacerlotsl element.
will belong tho privilege of awarding tho en-.