New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-15

difference between history read and history IN
the making is the text OF these lectures OF
Froude on the Council OF Trent
He endeavored to put his hearers in a posit'oh
where they could sympathzc with the hopes the
fears and the uncertainties OF the men VINO
shared and the who opposed the Reforma-
ton. and also Of the men. still more harassed
who tried to keep the peace of Europe The task
he set for himself was not an easy one lie was
an eager partisan OF the Reformation, particu-
larlv I'm the form that il took in England under
Henry VIII and sometimes he praised In the
reformcrs what he condemned In the adherents
of the ancient Church. The idea seems to be ad-
yancod that when Luther and his associates
went in for minute hair-splittIng about doctrines
they were forced to do this by the dogmatism OK
their adversaries. while the eagerness OF the
bishops AMI others in the Council OF Trent 10
plunge into the mysteries was only pol'icai
dodge T. evade awkward questions ABOUT the
mmoralitics OF churchmen. But the time had
been not SO long before. when the Boheniahs
crowded together by thousands to hear sermons
largely doctrinal three or four hours long Eras-
n,us'a New Testament In Greek circulated 10 the
extent Of 100 900 copies. had spread the taste LOT
/ theological discussion all over the CHRISTIAN
world IL was as much the thing then 10 'aiN
h,,, r.IIgious doctrine az II is now TO debate
ahou, evolution or theories Of socialism GiDbon
SAYS that the very BARRIERS in Constantinople
dclugcd their patrons with conversation on thc
creed II took long 10 get Western Europe in the
samo ,emper but once this was accomplished;
o,lg,,al sin was doubtless debated even In those
d,srcnu, HE places which Erasmus says, barely
escaped hearing mass.
I'm, when one gets back to the beginning or
the Lutheran movement, and takes contem-
porary view Of things one easily understands
how very simple ii all was. The Church hau
been going on from one conquest to another
| o., hundreds of wears outward uniformity had
No., s.cured everywhere. The feeling in the
North Of Europe in favor of married clergy
had gone the way OF the Saxon bearded priests
under the steady pressure from the South. Ihe
priesthood had bccom. caste with an endless
list of rights and privileges. They were SUD-
feet TO none OF the laws which pressed so nara
upon others They could not be committed ny
,royis,rate nor tried by "A Judge unless they
were degraded. and the processes Tor degrad-
inc priest even when caught red-handed, were
80 tedious and costly that they couiu rarey
he invoked. But until these were invoked. UNI
iii the mysterious power conferred at ordiha-
tion was taken away, priests had a supernatu-
raj character-there were occasions wheh
| r,r,udo said magical instead of supernatural
| and wer, as dangerous to touch in the eyes OF
| tho laitv as an African ranmaker Is now In
/ tho owes of his fellow trlbesmen. "Felons and
that description Of persons. said Froude, are
.rot frightened by excommunicatio and thus
crImlnous clerks had nothing to fear at all.
They might lose their benefices. but they could
not be hanged they could not be whipped To
cage them up for life was costly ana lncoh-
venient They paid with their purses as much
as could be got out OF them. and were turned
adrift 10 20 on with their trade IL they had
been Obliged to stick to their trade. things would
not have been so bad: hut they could buy ex-
cmption from the Papal Court ana Keep their
bene0ces while engaged In some secular occupa-
ton 4 loyman never could tell where he might
stumble against clerk. pishop might De
the spiritual ruler Of n diocese that he never
set foot In: If he was Cardinal, this was sure
| to he the case
The efforts OF the Papacy under the men who
were at it's head in the years Immediately pre-
| ceding the Reformation were directed to gather
| ing the whole revenue OF the Church into Rome
| Among these Popes there many splendid
| natrons of art. But art did not appeal to the
| reople who were hedged about by ecclesasti-
cal restrictions on every side. and were free only
| 90 far as their money payments made them So
EverythIng was for sale at Rome. says Froude
| A man paid for a dispensation to marry his
| forty-second cousin. Then he paid to have the
| marriage annulled. Then the whole question
was likely TO be reopened. and new payments
demanded THE legitimacy OF children could
| be challenged. the right OF inheritance could
| he challenged with fresh suits before the Rota.
and fresh rivers Of gold running into the Papal
| exchequer"
| IT,
| There had been a time when the self-abnega-
| ton OF the mendicant friars seemed In a way to
! correct all this TO restrain the avarice Of the
secular clergy. and clear out the abuses OF the
Papal Courts. But the friars had themselves be-
| come the most useful instruments Of the Roman
| See and the Roman See impersonated by
| Vn1p To al ,,,lkA