PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY BY 642 TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. For EIGHT DOLLARS, remitted directly to the Publishers, the LIVING AGE will be punctually forwarded for a year, free of postage. An extra copy of THE LIVING AGE is sent gratis to any one getting up a club of Five New Subscribers. Remittances should be made by bank draft or check, or by post-office money-order, if possible. If neither of these can be procured, the money should be sent in a registered letter. All postmasters are obliged to register letters when requested to do so. Drafts, checks and money-orders should be made payable to the order of LITTELL & GAY. Single Numbers of THE J.IVING AGE, 18 cents. LOVE AND LOSS. I. DARK SPRING. Now the mavis and the merle Lavish their full hearts in song, But ah! the silence and the sorrow! Any anodyne for grief A child's voice and visage will Though the sweet lemon blossom breathe, A Voice. II. ONLY A LITTLE CHILD. Only a little child! Stone cold upon a bed! Is it for him you wail so wild, As though the very world were dead? Threaten not the tranquil skies! Do not all things die? 'Tis but a faded flower! Dear lives exhale perpetually Rachael forever weeps her little ones; Threaten not the tranquil skies! Long generations pass. With stormlight, a pale headlong mass Of foam, into unfathomable gloom! Worlds and shed leaves have all one doom. Arise, arise! Threaten not the tranquil skies. Should earth's tremendous shade Human joy, a mere spilt water, Revels red with human slaughter! Arise, arise! Threaten not the tranquil skies. Another Voice. Only a little child! He was the world to me. Pierced to the heart, insane, defiled, All holiest hope! foul mockery, Childhood's innocent mirth and rest. There is no God; The earth is virtue's funeral sod! Another Voice. Only a little child! Ah! then, who brought him here? Who made him loving, fair, and mild, And to your soul so dear? His lowly spirit seemed divine, With pardon for the tranquil skies. Who sleeps upon God's heart! Whom no power avails to part For whom all things are; Love is holy, true, and wise, III. SLEEP. Airily the leaves are playing Lilies of the valley bending Lowly bells amid the green; All around him heather glowing Sound of bees and bird o'erflowing Harsher sight or sound be banished, RODEN NOEL. From The Contemporary Review. WHAT IS GOING ON AT THE VATICAN. A VOICE FROM ROME. THE object of the present article is to set forth as clearly and distinctly as lies in the writer's power the attempts which are now being made, or have been already made by the present pontiff, Leo XIII., to reconcile the interests of the Catholic Church with the peace of civil governments. I. IN entering on this task prominence must first be given to a fact which has exercised great influence on the events to be afterwards recorded. That fact was the death, at the commencement of the present year, of King Victor Emmanuel. The decease of the monarch occasioned such universal mourning, and provoked such demonstrations of affection and loyalty, on the part of the entire Italian population, that the Vatican itself was startled by the spectacle. The event had not only given fresh vigor to the faith in nationality, it had also to a certain extent revealed the deeper traditions and instincts of the national religion. The great liberal party, imposing silence on the materialists and freethinkers, hung all the churches with tricolor flags, and the foremost actors in the great national revolution thronged all the cathedrals and there paid the tribute of religious rites to the departed sovereign, already invested with an almost legendary halo. The impression created by the monarch's death had sunk deep into the minds of the people, when the death of Pius IX., so long expected and more than once even prematurely announced, at last took place. The contrast between the national mourning exhibited for King Victor Emmanuel and the general indifference shown on the decease of Pius IX. was too clear and unmistakable not to suggest very awkward conclusions. It is scarcely an exaggeration to affirm that the contrast thus presented served as a crucial test to the great body of Italian Catholics. From that day illusions were more rapidly dispelled, and, just as if a mist had cleared away, the political rela tions between the Vatican and the Italian State stood forth in their real and sharp outlines. Whatever views might have been previously entertained by the foreign members of the Sacred College, it is quite certain that on entering the Vatican they found a strong current of opinion for which they were totally unprepared. Cardinal Manning may, amongst his own English partisans and admirers, affirm and reaffirm that he never urged upon his brethren of the Sacred College the expediency of holding the conclave beyond the bounds of Italy. Such declarations will not cancel the fact that the representations made by him to his brother cardinals during the conclave could only at the time lead to the inference that, in the attempt to transfer the sittings of the conclave to Malta, or some other place not subject to the Italian crown, he was putting forth a zeal not inferior to that displayed by him in the cause of papal infallibility. No sooner, however, had the majority of the cardinals reached Rome than it became evident that on one most important point their decision might clearly be foreseen. They were quite resolved not to elect a foreigner to the papal throne, and equally determined not to elect an Ultramontane backed notoriously by foreign influence. Of the previous existence of this moderate and Italian party in the Sacred College no doubt had been entertained. But the precise strength of its convictions, the character of its organization, the nature of its leadership, if it possessed a regular and recognized leader, were all points which were involved in great obscurity. Through the mist, however, it was not difficult to discern how strongly and in what direction the current ran, and from what quarter the wind blew. A thousand little facts, each in itself insignificant, but collectively allimportant, served to make known the true state of matters. From many a mouth proceeded the remark that the demonstrations of affection and reverence offered, not only by the Italian people, but by all civilized States, to the memory of King Victor Emmanuel, ought to have the effect of at last opening men's eyes. In other quarters it was observed that the principles of free government and national | systematically kept for many years at a unity had evidently struck such deep root distance from Rome, had shortly before that it was quite id'e to continue any been appointed cardinal camarlengo. It longer dreaming about a restoration of the is just possible that Pius IX., in conferpope's temporal power. Italy, it was ring on him that office, took it for granted affirmed, had recorded a second and more that, in accordance with the usual custom impressive plebiscite in favor of the house of the Sacred College, the cardinal camarof Savoy. And then profound regret was lengo would be virtually excluded from the expressed at the fact that so important a list of candidates for the tiara. But the figure in the annals of the papacy as that first consequence of the nomination was of Pius IX. should have passed away with- that Cardinal Pecci, during his brief tenout exciting in the minds of the deceased ure.of office as camarlengo, had the opporpontiff's fellow-countrymen similar feelings tunity of bringing into prominence his of affection and of grief. When the character and opinions. There was causes of this contrast were brought to formed at once without as well as within light and freely canvassed, there were the walls of the Vatican a current of opinfound not a few highly honored and influ-ion favorable to Cardinal Pecci, who was ential prelates who deplored the eccentric- pronounced to be averse to flattery, and to ities and follies of Pius IX., as having been the feminine gossip and jealousies by the occasion of so much mischief. The which Pius IX. was unhappily too much general indifference manifested on Pius characterized. Cardinal Pecci was considIX.'s death found, it was said, its simple ered hostile to the Jesuits, and it was and natural explanation in those eccentric-reported to be his intention to make a ities, which had alienated from the Holy clean sweep of the manifold abuses and See the great mass of the Italian people. corruptions of the Vatican. Future hisAt the very moment when the crowd, torical critics will doubtless display much drawn by curiosity, was thronging St. Pe- acumen in bringing to light the alleged ter's for the purpose of beholding the pon- tangled web of native intrigues or foreign tiff's corpse, many a sharp censure was to influence resulting in the election of be heard in the halls of the Vatican, where Joachin Pecci to the papal chair. I unfrom this or from the other high eccle- hesitatingly affirm, on the contrary, that siastic the words proceeded, "There must his election was brought about by the force be a change of system, otherwise who can of public opinion, which it is not too much tell how it will all end?" In many well- to say had never previously in the annals known clerical houses a frank tribute of of the papacy been exerted so freely and admiration was paid to the conduct of the so fully, not in Rome alone, but throughgovernment and to the bearing of the out the whole of Italy. Not an hour troops, as shown in the admirable order passed in which there were not transmitted maintained at such a critical moment by telegraph to all parts of the world the throughout the whole city. Not that there most minute details respecting this great were wanting furious fanatics who at once event in the history of the Church, so far took the alarm on hearing such language as they could possibly be known; and on as the above, and determined to band all these details the press lavished its comthemselves more closely together to pre- ments. It was utterly impossible for the vent the great danger of a moderate pope. cardinals themselves to keep aloof from, or remain indifferent to, these manifestations of public opinion. The current in IN the very first meetings of the con- favor of moderate courses was strong and clave, I repeat, it was quite evident that undeniable. As it flowed into the Sacred the Ultramontane cardinals had no chance College it found itself encountered and of success. Cardinal Joachin Pecci, one arrested by several groups of schemers, of the most learned members of the Sacred bent on objects which it would be difficult College, who was an object of profound to regard as compatible either with the welaversion to Cardinal Antonelli, and was | fare of civilized States or the good of the II. Catholic Church. There was wanting, eign ecclesiastics have soon an opportunity however, for this current of opinions favor- of learning the extreme limit of gratitude able to a moderate policy a clear and defi- felt in the Vatican. One of these may, nite expression. On the first division a after the fashion of Cardinal Manning, considerable number of votes were given create a widespread agitation in favor of in favor of Cardinal Pecci. Then all such a dogma as the personal infallibility; doubts and hesitations vanished. Even he may squeeze out, from the hoards of Cardinal Franchi, who wielded so much the rich or the hard-won earnings of the influence in the Sacred College, bowed poor, millions to be laid as Peter's pence down before the clear expression of pub- at the feet of the pontiff; he may effect in lic opinion. What followed with such the interests of Rome the conversion of rapidity must be ascribed to the good his Grace the duke of this, and the most sense and tact of the cardinals, who per- noble the marquis of that, and assure his ceived that a prolonged opposition would spiritual chief that their conversion only only result either in the defeat of Cardinal precedes the "going over" of entire towns Pecci's reactionary opponents, or in the and counties; he may do all this, and he humiliating and perilous spectacle of an will have his reward in the possession of open division amongst the rulers of the a red hat, and the consequent social disCatholic Church. The triumph of Cardi- tinction which his exalted rank in the nal Pecci was hailed everywhere through- Church will secure to him in his native out Italy as a national triumph, and this country amongst all the members of his for the special reason that his election had own communion. But if he dreams for a been imposed on his brother cardinals by single moment that with the acquisition of Italian public opinion. For Cardinal such honors he has gained the power of Manning, who, if he had not actually put influencing at the Vatican the councils of forward direct pretensions to the vacant the Church, he will very soon make the chair of St. Peter, certainly did nothing to unpleasant discovery that he has been discourage the efforts made by his devoted reckoning without his host. All the talent partisans and admirers to represent him as and energy which he has been exerting, the member of the Sacred College best and successfully exerting, at home, for the fitted to fill so high an office,- for a car-interests of his Church, will be found utdinal of this stamp it must have been no terly powerless the moment that he seeks slight humiliation to find himself compelled to employ them in making the slightest to bow down with all apparent reverence impression on that obstinate, ignorant, yet before a pope the known enemy of those most practically vulpine element in the very Jesuits whom his Eminence of West- Roman Curia which is so thoroughly Italminster holds in such honor. It is to be ian-nay, more, so thoroughly Roman. hoped that the severe lesson thus received This is a characteristic of the Roman will have the effect of opening, however Catholic Church which deserves far more late, Cardinal Manning's eyes to the exist-attention than it commonly receives; and, ence of a fact which he has hitherto paradoxical as the assertion may at the seemed resolved most obstinately to ig- first glance appear, it is not the less true nore. The fact is this, that the Roman that exactly in proportion to the increased Curia is essentially Italian. No phenom- predominance of this exclusively Roman enon in the administration of the Roman influence in the Curia, the congregations Catholic Church is more remarkable than of cardinals, and the foreign nuntiatores, the skill with which the Italian ecclesias- there is an increased willingness on the tics constantly residing in Rome, though part of the foreign dignitaries of the Roin most cases far inferior to their foreign man Catholic communion to prostrate brethren in talent, in learning, and in moral themselves in abject submission before the character, continue to turn to account the will of the Vatican. No better example influence in foreign countries of those very of this intense selfishness of a local caste, if brethren for the firmer consolidation of I may so term it, can be found than is furtheir own power at the papal court. For-nished by the whole story of the proceed |
