St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-06-18


them, and should allow them the sweet
liberty of work of seeming superero-
cation. There are three churches built,
not for public service. but as monu-
ments OF some sacred event. A saint
was strangled here, or a martyr MUIR
dered there, and pious people concluded
that church is the most Storied urn 10
commemorate the event. Aa%
A Dissertation.
There Is great deal of talk about the
seizure of churches in the Eternal city
In some cases, but not in all, the Italia
government makes compensation where
in view Of some public improvement 1t
confiscates church. A confiscation OF
another kind has taken place, not by
any red-shirted follower OF Garibaldi,
but by some resident religions in Rome
from the empire of William Ii. st.
lsid0re'S in. Rome has been captured by
a people whose plodding persistency Is
worthy of all praise, but VINO seem to be
Unsuitable in their desire to grasp every
thing in church and state,- since the
FrancO-PrusSian war.
In lreland's darkest hour, when Chris
tianS hated and prosecuted each other
for the love of God. and when Irishmen-
could not publicly worship God after
the fashion they thought fit, Luke
Wadding, of Waterford, went to Rome
and built st. Isidore's. 1t was built by
an lrishman; the money which built 1t
was mostly contributed by Iri5hmen; it
was built chiefly for the Irish earls.
who had to fly from their country and
who took refuge in Rome: its founder
distinctly stipulated for whom he built
it. In spite of these facts st. lsidore's
has passed into other hands, and is pre-
sided over by representative of anoth-
er race. Quite true. "a few Irishmen are
there still, but their presence is OF no
consequence. One of them, Rev. Mr..
Dillon. whose father was patriot,
and whose brother is John Dillon,
the Irish parliamentarian, wasted a
precious hour of my time in vain
effort to justify the dissertation. he
spoke to me about st. Patrick's day
sermon. But should no more think OF
disturbing the spirit of st. Patrick by
invoking his blessing upon transac-
ton of that nature than should think
of asking him to bless the gambling
tables of Monte Carlo. / could not help
thinking how the proud spirit of Luke
Wadding would revolt at the sickening
change. And as the slender Franciscan
vainly stroye to make the best Of bad
cause the worms of Moore came un-
hidden to my lips:
"Despised are her sons till they lie arm to be-
tray,
Undistinguished they live II they shame not
their sireS."
ItaIy's Poverty
The financial question has long been
uppermost in Italy. The land of the
vine and the olive is rich in art and lit
erature and song; it is poverGy-stricken
in those resources which 60 20 make up
the prosperity of materially powerful
people. The country has debt Of S24,
900, 1000; the people are taxed beyond en-
durance. Sgr. Crispi says that they get
value for their money. l think they do
not. My proof is this: The peasantry
is obliged to fly from a soil taxed at
from 25 to 35 per cent, a soil where they
cannot possibly, even with the hardest
paying the claims of an Unsuitable treas
ury.
Lest l should fall into mistake like
unto that of Charles Dickens, Sir Lee
pei Gritfen and Rudyard Kipling in
reference to the United States when
they took in birdseye view of this
country and wrote plumbers about it, |
questioned cardinal who was stopping
at Rome and who was we'll versed in
Italian affairs. His eminence stated what
we all know to be true, namely that
every year there is an increasing def
icit in the treasury. He said, You will
ask where does all the money go?' And
he answered that great portion Of it,
goes to keep up a large and useless
standing army. The cardinal empha-
sized the word useless and then told
why.
II say useless" continued his emil
nence, ''becauSe we should be done
with standing armies in Europe, and
should follow your example in the
United States. Besides, Italy can never
be great power. The country Is not
productive enough to have it such. 1t
will be always great in art, music and
literature, but not in war;" There is
no likelihood of change in the form of
in the near future. Should a financial
crash come. it will be followed by
which will establish re-
public, mayhap in the form of fedora
tion of states.
A federation Of states would not be
for the inhabitants of the
various Italian provinces differ very
widely from each other. The stalwarth
citizen OF Milano, with his love for
athletics as we'll as for art, is very
different specimen of humanity from
the enervated inhabitant of Ancona.
When Italy undertook TO play the part
of great power, of course she had to
have all army and a navy. With popu-
lation of thirty millions she had an at
tack Of what statesmen call megalo-
mania, or desire to ''do the great"
but what we in America call "the big 4
head"
Italy, with her paltry industries, could
not hope to compete i'll maintaining
standing army with those countries
whose industrial resources are enor-
nous. How could she expect to bear
the burden of building war ships with
the ease of those nations which produce
iron and steel. The result has been
overtaX, deficit, loans, brigandage, beg
gary. Nature never Intended that beau
teous Italy should bear the burden of a
land of poetry and art, the nursery
the highest civilization, the Eden o the
of Europe.
Italian Beggars.
Italy is land of beggary as we'll as of
beauty. And yet its numerous beggars
are hardly fair indication Of its pow
erty. The state provides for them, but /
does not force them into its institutions.
1t leaves them at liberty either to beg or
to become inmates of the establishments
provided for them. Many prefer to live
by alms, for their wants are few and
they retain their liberty. A blind eye,
Or crooked foot, or short arm affords
a good excuse for an easy livelihood in
Italy.
In the United States few of the ex-
are seen. for they go to the
state institutions; in Italy the vast ma
Jority of the poverty-stricke are con-
before the public gaze. They