The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-14

| the whole body Of Remains '.IIisto les OF
Israel of Christ and of the early
Church. the supernatural Is entirely ex-
cruded.
The Roman Catholic Church has not
suffered from criticism. historical. liter
airy, or scientific. to the came extent as
the Protestant churches, at least Internal
~, because it depends not so much on in
tellectual conviction as on ecclesiastical
organization. and rests comparatively lit
tie on the authority OF the Bible Its priest
hood has not been affected like the clergy
of the Church of England or the minis
tries of the Protestant churches. But It
has everywhere been losing the educated
classes. or retained a part OF them not
so much from conviction. still less from
speculative conviction, as because its
alliance is congeniaI to political and social
reaction. Its inability to come to terms
with science has been shown by the re-
cent case of st. George Mivart, and
scientific eminence among Roman Catho-
lies is rare. In Italy. the centre of the
system. while the poorer classes still flock
to the liquefaction of the blood of St.
Januarius at Naples or the emulation of
s.AN DVhNS VI 81 -tuuItW at Analf1. still
climb the holy staircase on their knees.
or make pilgrimages to the House of
Loretto. the general tone of intelligence
is described as skepticai. though some
aristocratic families. especially those OF
Papal creation. adhere to the Papacy on
political and social rather than On re-
iisious grounds. Near to the shrine of
Ignatius Loyola stands the statue of
Giordano Bruno, on the spot Of his mar
tyrdom by fire, dedicated to him by the
age which he foresaw" Attempts have
been made to liberalize the Church OF
Rome and enable 1t to float with the cur
rent of the age, but they have failed.
Pho Mono for time put himself at the
head of the popular and liberal move
ment in Italy. But he soon found. as
Carlyle said, that 1t was an alarming
undertaking to govern by the rule of
veracity in the chair of st. Peter so long
after Luther. Lamennais' attempt at
liberalization ended, after long INTEL
lectual agony. in his own secession. The
combined attempt of Lacordaire to liber-
alize enthusiastically and OF Montalembert
to liberalize politically had scarcely less
melancholy result: both of them died
under the shadow of Papal displeasure or
OF that of the Jesuit party by which the
Papacy was controlled. The almost in
sanely reactionary spirit of De Maistre
has prevailed. The Jesuit has ruled at
the Vatican. Under his guidance the
Papacy has proclaimed the infallibiiity
of the Pope and the immaculate concep-
ton Of the Virgin. thus breaking COM
pletely and finally with reason and with
all who. like the '.Old Catholics In Ger
many, remained in some degree within
that pale. 1t has gained in it's own de-
spite in respectability and influence by
deprivation of its temporal power. against
which the Prisoner of the Vatican still
nopelessIy protests.
In France the national religion. abolish
ID and prosecuted by the Jacobins, was
for a political purpose by Napo-
con. The new Charlemagne was requited
with the degradation OF the Pope, who
low of the murder of the Due d Enghien
and broke the best traditions of the Holy
See by falling to veto the divorce from
Josephine. Identified with political reac-
ion under the restored Bcurbons. the
'hurch nearly suffered wreck In the rev.
'lution by which they were overthrown.
She remained the object of intense and
,ersecuting hatred to the revolutionary
md republican party. Plaintively, when
he Orleans monarchy FELL she chanted
Domino salvum fac populum." Joyous
Y, when the Empire succeeded, she chant
d Domino salvum fac Imperatorem."
But the Empire in its turn fell. The
'hurch has continued to ally herself with
,olitical reaction and aristocratic hostil-
ty to the Republic, though she has lat
erly been receiving hints from the vati-
an that the Republic is strong, that the
nonarchical and imperial pretenders are
weak, and that Providence is on the side
4 the strong. The consequence is a vio-
ence of hostility on the part of the Radi-
ais and Socialists which assails not only
nonastic fraternities. but educational in
titutions, and even charitable institu-
ions, in clerical hands. and has pro-
uced an infidel literature carrying bias
hemy to the height almost Of frenzy and
in a comic Life of Christ
he official world of France is almost
ormally infidel, and a religious express
ion would be very injurious to politi-
ian. On the other hand. the Church
raves and exasperates public reason
nth appari;ions of the Virgin and the
liracles of Lourdes. Over most of the
Iomen the priest still holds sway. OF
ne men. not many are seen in churches.
he general attitude of the educated to-
ard religion seems to be not so much
hat of hostility as that of total indif-
arence, state of estrangement more
opeless than hostility i.self.
There Is In France a Protestant Church,
which Guizot was an eminent member,
nd which. in his time ives renewing its
fe. But there was schis-' in it between
n evangelical party and "a party which
as entirely nationalist, Guizot belong
lg to the first. his son-in-law TO the sec
nd; and rationalism seems to have pre-
allied. With the Protestant party of
rance was allied an evangelical party In
of which Vinet was the most
oquent divine. But In Vinet. as in liber-
divines generally. we find an inclina-
on to rest on the spiritual rather than
i the supernatural. In the city of Cal
In, generally opinions appear to reign
ore opposed TO the religion of Calvin
ian those for which he burned Servetus.
But of the disintegrating forces, critI-
SIN, the Higher Criticism as it is the
shion to call it. has by no means been
e only one. Another, and perhaps in re-
mt times the more powerful, has been
fence, from which Voltaire and the ear
r skeptics received little or no assist
ice in their attacks: for they We're un-
lie to meet even the s1ipposad tastir,or,,