New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-06

Of religion from lHc CldIdCVIo anu 'Vi""N' Va 49,
representatives..
The result was inevitable. The Church lost all
credit. and but for the Reformation, which in its
turn generated the INSTRUMENTATION, 1t is
impossible to see how it could have withstood
the destructive influence Of its own corruption,
which was far moro formidable than any direct
external attack The Reformation in compelling
the Church 10 set its house in order saved it from
itself. and II may we'll he believed that nothing
else would have had this effect That the religious
sentiment survived in Italy the tremendous assaulrs
made upon il ny the spectacle Of so prolligate ana
shameless n Church is indeed one OF the strongest
proofs of the innate existence of that sentiment
1t may. however, be said with equal plausiplly
that the kind Of religion which managed 10 i've
in Italian minds during the Renaissance was
dangerously detached from morals. what II really
,yas in many instances is illustrated by the story
Of the shepberd who was much distressed because,
during Lent while making cheese he had suffered
q few drops of milk to enter his mouth, but WHO
did not trouble himself at all about the fact that
he had, at nearly the same time. participated, rs
member of n gang OF robbers IN several murders
and other outrogcs. II was natural that IN such a
period superstition should lie rife. and thanks 10
Renaissance scholarship, much of II was revival
Of ancient superstition Magic, wtchcraft, sooth-
Astrology, in particular, cultivated, and al
most every despot had his band Of astrooqrrs
Many Of these dcspots did nothing Of importance
without consulting their advisers. Omcns, too,
were carefully studied, and men who laughed at
miracles were seriously disturbed by the flight
of n bird above their heads or the passage OF an
animal across their path.
For long time trust in human nature seems
TO have died ont. Every mans hand was against
his neighbor Among the pcasantry stranger
and an enemy were regarded as synonymous. ~
Rome, where the Cardinals assembled in solemn
festivity every Prince of the Church brought his
own wine and his own faster, for they dared not
trust either one another the Pope. When a
Cardinal or some other rich man died, it was in
variably reported that he had been poisoned. No
doubt many such reports were baseless, but they
serve 10 show how common the use Of poison must
have become before such a general suspicion
could have become established. All powerful
people, in or out of the Church kept in their
pay professional assassns. and the dagger dis
posed of enemies who could not be reached by
subtler means Sometimes rufians like Caesar
Borgia would sally forth at night with their bands
of bravoes. and literally amuck, killing AMI
manning inoffensivc strangers solely for the love
of bloodshed and cruelty. There was no security
anywhere from treachery. The vendetta -four
ished as never before. The condottlcre sold
their military service. and sometimes also those
who employed them. The great despots were en-
gagged in trying TO absorb the smaller ones, in
self-protection. and in pursuit Of the same end
did not hesitate TO invite the permanent ruin OF
their country by invoking foreign intervention.
There seemed 10 be honor nor faith nor
morality nor conscience left in the country. And
yet, through all this, national evolution was pro
ceedng and civilization was actually advancing
The literary side Of the Renaissance is full Of
interest and not the least interesting of it's as
poets is that which concerns tho rise and fall Of
the Hnmanis,s These scholars whose activity
established interest in antiquity, dipped so deeply
into the old fountains that their own natures he-
came curousy altered. Lacking the genuine
stoicsm which protected the better class Of Ro
mans AZ the close Of the Empire, and completely
divorced from all Christian beliefs by their en-
thusiasrn for the pagan authors, they fell into
extremely dissolute and discrcdltable ways Of
life: and while their corruprncss might not alone
have worked the downfall Of their cult gradual
realization Of the barrcnncss and insu1iciency Of
that cult completed the popular revolution, with
the effect of putting an end TO the iIumanists
The C%uTch helped in this. for the IIumnnists had
made themselves very obnoxious by their open scep
ticsm The movement which they had begun, how
ever, did not stop with their discontinue Their
share in il was only "A passing phase. and the
general tendency 10 enlightenment moved onward
steadily Yet. however much may be i'm
pressed by these and simila evidences Of soul
II good in things evil it is impossible not 10 be
struck and shocked by the enormous suffering
and waste Of life involved in all snch struggles
toward better conditions When one contempates
the state of Italy during these centuries; when
one reflects upon the fearful disorders and diSas-
ters which during all that period were raincd
thick upon the unfortunate people; when one
pcrccivcs tho prolonged success Of the most crn"l,
odous mcrccss wrctches, the IMMUNITY with
which every crime conceivable was perpc-
trated, the overthrow OF all moral standards,
the. rupture Of all social tics the practical eclipse
Of almost everything which, 10 modern eyes makes
life worth living-t is difficult TO believe that the
final reform could not have been evolved with
less friction and, above ALL with sighter sacri-
fees
That ANYTHING but sheer evil should have sur
vived such period must always constitute one OF
the strongest jusihcatons of Christian OPTIMISM
however for the fact speaks directly TO the mex
tingushabe vitality, no less than to the natural
| predomnancc, Of good in human nature. Bnt the
study Of the Renaissance inevitably suggests many
lines of reflection, ana perhaps there Is no inOdc
| Of thought which cannot find support in the dI-
| verse phenomena Of the period. Our purpose here
| is not to attempt anything like a sketch of that
| convulsive. chaotic. picturesque and instructive
| period but to awaken interest in one of the most
fascinating and fruitful Of studies, now made pos
| sible to all by the publication OF work which
| fairly and accurately covers the ground. Df
| Burckhardt deals at length with a number ot
topics not touched upon here. His discussion of
The republics Venice and Florence Is deeply in
fcres,ing. He might have said much more than
he has upon war work of art, though his
remarks are suggestive. The chapters upon the
Development Of the individual the awakening
from The torpor of the Middle Ages and the con
scouent growth of personality; that upon the
modern idea Of fame, as distinguished from tho
ancient theory; those upon the expansion OF
fhonrht in natural science, in spiritual poetry, IL
! cvnIorafiOn. in the discovery OF beauty" al
,hpsc mon society and equalization, and upol