Year: 1877

person diifusng such speech writing by means of
the press, from wkaterG ecclesiastical authority
and from chdcrer place such speech OF writing may
proceed shall be liable to similar pains and penal
ties. Now, of such legislation as this 1t can Only
be said that let who may be the object of it, ii is
most atrocious persecution and tyranny. Here
again one knows very well what is in the mind OF
the legislator. OF course the words III Itacs III the
above sentence (the italics being mne) have refer
ence to the Pope and the Vatican. And 1t is abunn-
antly true that the Pope is continually upon occa-
sions of all sorts, putting forth discoursos' eagerIN
published by the clerical papers which are neither
more nor less than appeals 20 all men and Powers IN
heaven and earth to overthrow destroy, and abolish
the Kingdom of Italy and all apperta'ning to II.
Also IT is true that we occasionally hear scdiilous
sermons from the pulpit rather those few hear
them who 90 to hear them, for never was any clergy
so utterly doomed to tho fate which the French caH
"prfcbcr an contcti" as the Italian Church OF thc
present day Nobody hears their sermons except
those who thought and felt just the same before as
after the discourse.


Nevertheless il may be admitted that political ser
mons are bad things; and that il is aggravatlng 10
good and loyal Italians to be called upon 10 chdoW
the Pope with one of most agnifcent residences
on the face of the earth and guarantee the IN
vioabilIty of it to him while he continues to pour





factors But none the less is it perfectly monsrouS
that a law should be enacted making il penal for
priest TO do that which il is perfectly competent 10
any other member of society to do. What fine ana
Imprisonment for censurng any law institution, or
royal decree As if every newspaper every Doy ana
every man who NEEDLES with public matters at
public meeting were not guilty Of this "cIime." If
il be said that SavOnaroa in the pulpit ruled Flor
ence and that other sermons since his day
have been found of such dangerous quality
as to he incompatible with the puohc
safety, the answer is that sedltion winch
can be legally shown 10 be such Is punishable by cA-
isting laws. But the legislation Of Slgnor Manclm
goes far beyond this. Amy priest who cens'ires W
any law or institution is liable to the penaineS Ii
enacts But the party calling themselves liberals
par excellence in this country is absolutely maddened
beyond tho limits Of sanity by their hatred for the
Catholic Church and It's minsteTs-a hatred not I'M
provoked or undoServed. it is the constant ann
and object of the priesthood to IcGStahsh and per
petuate all the evils, all the ignorance, all the mh-
cries. all the immoralites which made Italy by
word of ignorance superstition, sloth, and baIbar


ism for three hundred years-but still mischievouS
because a blind and unrcasoning hatred which ike
other unreasonable things defeats it's own object.


Garihaldi once expressed to the present writer at
some length his opinion that all priests should at
once be hung On the lattcrs Yentnrng to express
some doubt as to the cxpodency of such policy the
General very warmly pointed ont that robber is
hung; that a man who steals your soul is worse dian
any other robbr; that this is what the priest does,
and that he ought therefore to be hung too-Q T. ID.
1t was quite in vain that the present deponcnt at
tempted with much Difference 10 point out that the
fact Of all mankind being agreed about the stealing
Of a purse, while opinions differed considerably
abOnt the stealing of soul made q difference be-
tween the two cases of robbery, which caused
difficulty in the way of their being treated III the
same manner by the legislator. The General could
moi see it, and adhered TO his original opinion and
propositiOn Our learned Minister of Justice seems
10 lac 10 have gone to bis work Of legislation ~
somewhat similar spirit. But it Day be confidently
predicted that This portion Df the law also viii not
be called into operation. We make abundance Of
Jaws in Italy which 10 man obeYs or Is ever punished
foT not obcying. Il is much easier to make laws
than TO enforce them. And in this happy land we
always do what is easy, trotiEg along merrily as
long as the road Is on a dead level, but stopping
short as soon as the collar be"n TO gal wtherS
There i. one norton OF the new law for restraining
clerical abuses which may probably be attempted
10 be carried out Ii is very possible that any news


paper or publiShcr reproducing any OF the ordinary
papal uiterauccs may be proceeded against. Bat
neither in this case could any possible rood arise
from such a prosecution. The clerical party would
with tEe greatest promptitude and ease bring for


ward the money TO pay as many fines as the courts
could impose and nothing IS easier than to pay
some poor devil TO live in prison responsible editor
Of all the papers that may rcpubifh The discourse ~
question. All that would be gained woud be to
crown the offending prints with a halo OF martyr
dom; not to speak Of the utter impossible
itv of keeping ont copies OF The oticnding
cnaacbpc nruted in other countries, Tho dis
courses in question would be printed by
the hundred thousand in Swiss towns just across
the frontier, and al the Custonhouse officers in
Europe would fail to prevent their beng smrggled
across the frontier with the result Of drawing an
enormously increased amount Of attention 10 such
contraband articles, not to mention that foreign
ncyspapcTs III Switzerland, France, Belgium, and
England if il We're found that the article
dcsidclatUm in ltdy would al reprint the discourse
incupated; and it would be necessary to close all the
passes of the Alps with wall of China and TO shat
ND the post-oilices in order to keep it ont. am
afraid that Signor Mancin has yet to learn truth,


which if must he admitted is Of the more recent
acquisitions Of manind-that spiritual miSchiefs
cannot he combatcd with success by material arms.
Not body against body, but mi;d, and mind alone,
against mind is indefeaSible rule for legislator
as for every one else.


Another matter which has for some timc past been
furnishing one Of the chief topics Of interest from
one end of Italy to the other is the trial of The Ga


setta d'Jalia newspaper published at Florence, for
printing llbe on the Baron Nicotcra, our radical
Minister Of the Interior. No doubt your readers
know that such trial has been going on. Wcll il
hascone to the conclusion which indeed was fore
gone conclusiOn-that everybody anticipated. The
paper has been fo2ud guilty, and the editor, SignOr
Sebastiano YiscOnti has been sentenced TO fine and