New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-12

Philadelphia Lea BrtiihciN ~ Co.
The essays in this volume deal with questions
upon which new light was obtained by tie author
while gathering the material for his History of
She InIuisition in the Middle Ages, but which
seemed to call for more detailed treatment than
could hc given them in that work. Thc% en-
brace the following topics "Ccnsorship "t the
Press. Mystics and Illuminate EndcmonlriaS,
RI Santo Nmo de la Guardia, and Brianda de
BardaXi." The opening essay must Ike conslderei
as the most important historically though mat
on the Mystcs and illuminate Is highly m'cl-
csting and full of significance and s".:Ses'loh'
Mr. Leafs researches into the Spanish system OF
censorship throw a food Of light upon the Who'll"
problem of Spanish dccadcncc. and show h"W
Church and State, Roman congregation ana
Spanish Inonisition, though contcnding ficrcelr
and stubborny with one another for Supremacy
worked together consciously or indirectly III tie
onslavemcnt and dcbascmcnt Of the Spanish intel
lcct and the maintenance of iron barriers against
the entrance of knowledge. culture and civlliza-
ton Spanish literature, writes MI Lea
in the sixteenth century, like the Spanish armies
seemed destined 10 dominate the civilized world.
in no land was there moro active intellectual
movement in all the principal lines of ,honIht'
or one with a faIrer prospect Of brilliant deVe'p-
ment The intensity of the Spanish CHARACTER
its force It's disregard of obstacles, its trnacliy
in the use of its admirable vehicle of expression
MS had been by the conqucs'adoreS OF the
New World Yet blight settled down on Span
ish literature like that which unncrNed the con-
ouc-ing tread of the Spanish t"rcios. and by
the end of the seventeenth onntrry the nation
which had seemed destined to supremacy alike IN
the world of letters and of arms had shrunk nhUI
in both spheres there were more 50 poor ~ 10 90
il reverence
Among the most potent causes of this intellect
nal decadcnce was the censorship. FROM '"c
first il was a machine devised tor the express
purpose of eXtinruishine freedom of Thought anu
cycludinC new ideas. The first practical apiI'~
catjon Of the principle was the clirt Of Con-
s;l;.::rC C>rdcmning the Arian WRITINGS ana Gait
in. for their surrender under penalties. Later
The efforts of tic Church were directed against
tie circulation of tranSlationS Of the Bible mo
vernacular tongues The Latin Nulga" was TIC
only version of tho Scriptures tolerated. Among
the sins of the Cathari and WaldcnsrS was the
rendering of the Bible into the vcrnaculaT "heh
the people possessed the Scriptures IN tongue
they could understand. tlcv always began u III
1crorct tlcm for themselves. The exercise Of
private Judgment resulted III "hcrcs!cH. and the
suppression of the book upon when those hcresits
were founded became eventually chict aim OF
the Church and the State under the Church. and
In Spain vcrnacular versions were for time per-
n,itted. but this federation soon gave place to
nolcv of suppression so radical and which was
applied SO vigorously that before long the faithful
learned to regard the Bible as an infamous book,
and it's perueal as crime not less hcihons IMAM
Lcrcsv Strange as the circumstance appears.
il was perfectly logical outcome OF the I hurch
policy The Bible may hc said TO have been the
first work put upon the Index E\purga'"r!ns.
It's prohibition inevitably caused 1t to hc looked
upon as an Objectionable and herrtical p"hlir'-
ton: and as in a few ycarn all know lcHgc OF it'
contents disappeared from the popular mind, II
came 10 he classed with all the rest of the pro-
bibited books, vet with a special stigma OF It's
The censorship not al first held TO 'T one
OF the functions of the Inqnistion the chef hnsl-
ness of which in The fifteenth century was 'he
penancing and burning the multitude OF con
yersos' or Jewish Christians. 80 lar as l"oV
there is no mention in the constitution alI' c""c
of procedure of the Holy Oilc" OF any amy III
regard to the supervision OF the press Rome
however was by that time taking step, to wa'rh
over and control the pr,s all the world, the
intellectual activity of Germany III particular
heinp cause for uncasinrsS. Alexander tic Win
yninlv tried to check German authorship. hnt
tevout Spain was more ancaabr, and though
already 50 completely Gndcr the Thumb OF 'hr
Church that fresh prccauti IONS might have seemed
needless Ferdinand and Isabella responded IN
100? with an elaborate statute establishing Il
censorship over the press. Thus system WAS
nrac;ical!y inauguratcd which produced gravcr
effects than the prosecuting sword the rack. OF
tie iagot Step by step Mr.. Lea follows TIE
deyc,opmen, of this ccclrsias,icll octopus whose
elastic and far-rcachin@ tcntacle> were |" s'r"lSf
Suanjsh civilization and ruin thc h.ushtl"s' nation
tlo, dot lie ot he
euce mast hc made to the essay itself. 1t is
cnourh 10 say that the censorship deliberately and
Systematically put every obstacle i'll the way OF
authorship and intellectual progress; and 'ia'
this policy was applied not only 10 matters having
a distinctly religious bearing. but to the arts ana
sciences TO every kind of writing which tended
10 enlightenment, and even 10 iicton. Inc ooJcr'
of the censorship Was to keep tie Spanish NINA III
the thick darkness Of Medlaevalism. to shut oa'
the Renaissance wholly. and 10 produce ana main
tain a condition of intellectual apathy and staGna-
ton which should render the rule Of the Church
easy and secure.
To effect this. worse fortunes were applied I"
AL the hes, inIcllects of the agc than the lnIuIs
,;,n ever cmployrd upon the bodies of suspected
Ler.,ics The purpose Of dlscOuraclng Literature
was success fully carried ont. Authorship IAN
uuishcd and presently ceased. Edura'ioh under
these conditions became a solemn farce IL Wa
declared that those who at'"Hded the SPANS!
universities five Years were more ignorant al 'h'
end of the term than AZ the beginning One student
has left il on record that hc had been two year:
q, ,ic University of Salamanca before be knew
that the mathematical sciences existed. HE
teaching the lectures. the so-callcd cduca'I"na
works were worse than worthless. Spain. under
tic paralysis of the censorship. stood still. Sir
rejected the discoveries OF Coirrricus and Newton
4 hundred and fifty years after Harvey discovery
of the circulation Of the blood when all TIT
world hid long accepted il as part OF The body
Of demonstrated scientific truth. Spain continued
IN rclcc, II. In science AMI art. as well rs II
literature in mechanics in Agriculture. in chem