THE TABLET

A IVeekly Newspaper and Review.

D um VOBIS G R A TU LAM U R , AN IM O S ET IAM ADDIMUS U T IN INCCEPTIS V E S TR IS CON STAN TER M ANEATIS.

From the Brief oj H is Holiness to T he T ablet, June 4, 1870.

V o l . 4 0 . N o . 1 7 0 8 . L o n d o n , J a n u a r y 4> 1 8 7 3 -

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[R e g is tered a t t h e G en e r a l P o st O f f ic e a s a N ew s paper .

C hrontci.e o f t h e W e e k : Ger­

man View of Prince Bismarck’s Resignation.-Indications of a more Moderate Policy.— The Papal Allocution and the German Press.— Diplomatic Action of the German Government.— The “ Daily Telegraph” on the Cause of the Persecution.— The “ Times” on same Subject.— German Statistics.— The Dachauer Banks.—The County Franchise.— Mr. Cardwell and Mr. Vernon Harcourt.—The Pope on .Aristocracies.— M. Thiers and the Sub-committee.— The Due de Gramont’s Revelations.— Austrian Explanation.—The Empire and the Montpensier Candidature.— Resignation of the Ambassador at Rome . x

CONTENTS.

L e a d e r s :

The Tyranny of Modern Libe­

ralism

;

The Political Position o f Catholics T h e T a b l e t Minimizing Mr Froude’s Failure Proposed Settlements of the Irish

University Question O ur P r o t e s t a n t C ontem po r ar ie s :

The Past Year and the Future of

Protestantism .... T he A n glican M ovement R e v ie w s :

Rome Souterraine The Liberator, his Life and Times. Shelley’s Early Life, from Original

Sources S h ort N o t ic e s : Twenty Thousand

Leagues under the Seas.—The Ca

Page

5 5 6 7 8

9 xo t i 12

Page tholic Directory for 1873. — An Essay on Protestantism, Anglicanism, and Romanism.-The Story of Henry M. Stanley’s Life . 14 C orrespondence :

D io c e sa n N ews : Westminster .... .19

Southwark .... .19 Birmingham .... •19 Salford : The Bishop of Salford on

Oaths . . . . . - 1 5 Spiritualism and Science . . 15 Stourbridge Mission . . 15 The Protestants of Geneva . . 15 j The Reformatory at Mount St.

Bernard’s . . . .

R ome :

Allocution of our Most Holy Lord

Pius IX . . . . . . 1 6 The Pope and Victor Emmanuel .18 Peter’s Pence. . . . . 1 8 R ecord of G erm an P er secution ,

& c...................................................... 18

the Position of Catholics in this Country .... •19 I r e l a n d :

.1

Letter o f the Pope to Mrs. J. F.

Maguire . . • . . 22 F oreign N ew s :

F rance .... .22 M em o randa :

Religious . . . . .22Catholic Union . 22 Educational .... •23 Literary .... .24 Statistics . . . . •24 G e n e r a l N ews .24

C H R O N I C L E O F T H E W E E K .

THE German papers, whether Ultra-Liberal or Catholic, do not consider Prince Bismarck’s retirement from the Prussian designation. Premiership as anything but a check to his policy. He remains of course in a position o f commanding importance as Imperial Chancellor,, but his resignation of the Prime Minister’s place in Prussia, after his declaration but a short time ago that it was essential to keep the two offices united, is evidently not looked upon, as it has been treated by most of our English contemporaries, as a manoeuvre which will facilitate the carrying out of his policy. On the contrary, the Spetter Zeitung which is so semi-official as to be almost official, and the first copy of which is placed upon the Emperor’s breakfast table every morning, acknowledges that the Premier’s resignation proceeds from a conviction that the complete realization of the schemes to which he is pledged, and especially of those relating to ecclesiastical matters, would result in such unpopularity for the Empire as to make its duration beyond the life of the present sovereign almost more than problematical. The Kölnische Zeitung, another Liberal paper of considerable influence, is also evidently of opinion that the change in the Prince’s official position indicates defeat rather than preparation for victory. And the curt tone in which the King accepts his resignation, and puts in his place a representative of the opposite policy, General von Roon, whose seniority confers no absolute claim to the post, tends to confirm the impression thattheunquestioningconfidence of the Sovereign in thepolicy of his successful Minister is somewhat on the decline. And i f we desire motives for such a change in the Royal dispositions they will not be difficult to find. For the last three months all elections in Germany, municipal or parliamentary — and they have been numerous— have resulted in success being pretty equally divided between the Catholic and Democratic candidates. The state of public opinion thus indicated must be excessively distasteful to a monarch whose traditions are all Conservative, and whose private inclinations have always been for the maintenance of cordial relations between the Crown and all classes of its subjects. 'That the triumphs of the Radicals inspire considerable alarm in governing circles may be inferred from the announcement that laws against the Democratic Socialists are now in course of preparation for the approaching Session of the Reichstag. Ñor is it likely, as some of the English papers seem to think, that Prince Bismarck would succeed in getting his own way entirely by throwing himself unreservedly into an Ultra-Liberal opposition. There is no real friendship or confidence between him and the extreme

N ew Series. Von, V I I I . No. 217.

Radicals. He is in fact a statesman who rules others, but cannot work with them. And the Ultra-Liberals have followed his lead only because they believed that he could manage the King as he pleased, knowing that the attachment«of the country to the person of the Sovereign has hitherto been so great, that they had little hope of success while in overt opposition to the Crown. But if it once became apparent that the leadership of Prince Bismarck did not mean the support of the King, Prince Bismarck’s leadership would be considerably depreciated in value. The Chancellor and the Radicals together would be scarcely equal to maintaining a direct contest with the Crown and the moderate Conservatives. It is therefore quite on the cards that the Prince may adopt the more prudent course of laying aside the more violent measures. He would thus discontent the Radicals, it is true, but he could throw the responsibility of the change on his colleagues in the Prussian Cabinet.

Not a few more reasonable officials seem to ta^e t*le sarae view as that which is attributed moderate to the moderate members of the Cabinet and to p o l i c y . the King, as regards not only the impolicy, but the impossibility of carrying out the extreme measures which Prince Bismarck and Herr von Ealk had initiated. Thus the military commission which has recently tried Mgr. Namszanowski has declared, in pronouncing its incompetence in regard to the principal points in the indictment, that in the ecclesiastical acts alleged against him as offences, the Bishop was merely obeying his ecclesiastical superiors, while the chaplains were simply obeying him; and the only point on which it decides that he is amenable to military law is that he left one place for another while under arrest, for which it inflicts the smallest penalty known to Prussian military jurisprudence, a reprimand. And if this view of his case had not been the one acceptable in what Germans call “ All-highest quarters,” the Court/thinks the Kolnische Zeiiung, would have contrived to pass another sentence.

But the recent Pontifical Allocution has th e papal^ iasiieci the German papers into positive frenzy. Aand the** The Norddeutsche'Zeitung talks of an “ attack german “ upon the Emperor’s honour,’’ an “ unpardon-

press. “ able insult to the German nation,” “ colossal

“ impudence” (!), and “ the imperative neces“ sity that the limits between Church and State must be im“ mediately clearly defined by law.” The Spener Zeitung heads its article “ a New Benedetti,” and attempts to rouse the same kind of feeling against the Holy Father as was excited by M. Benedetti’s alleged attempt to bring the King to book at Ems. “ The impudence of Benedetti towards the King,” says the official organ, “ is here far surpassed. The national