It is noteworthy that in the saints who were purely Italian, mystical virtue and religious inspiration were always combined with remark able power of action in social matters. For that reason they were able to work in accord with the Church, which was able and knew how to make use of their influence in moments of grave peril. The Roman pontificate by its won derful faculty of adapting itself to the moral, social, artistic character of the Latin races, and more particularly the Italian people, was truly for long centuries an Italian institution. But those who to-day claim that among the peoples of medimval Europe the Italians were those whom Christianity found and left the most pagan of all, speak truly of the past, but at pres ent and possibly in the future an international industrialism is preparing for a great modifica.: tion of the historical heredity of the race. They are equally extreme in asserting that the papacy will always be a dictator to the consciences, as it certainly has been in the past; a necessity in governing a people in whom the religious senti ment was never associated with a deep knowl edge and liberty of inspiration and of investiga tion which gives such a diversified character to the Christianity of the northern races. It is well to remember that the papacy had in history a national and official character, and the Italian people, by a species of historical instinct, felt that the Latin and national spirit and traditions were really represented, not by the empire, but by the Church, and it was therefore by nature Guelph, and anti-imperial, that is anti-Germanic: For this reason and under the new conditions it can no longer respond to the exigencies and requests of a people who have the deepest inner religion. I do not think it prudent to affirm, as ethers have done; that 'nothing living or news can ever again arise through the spontaneity of the popular faith,' or that the Catholic Church is absolutely incapable of reviving in itself the religious spirit. Indifference characterizes the botrrgeoisie who are not the truly representative Italian maises, who may yet prepare some sur prises and an unexpected outbreak of faith in spired by that need of religion that Mazzini, himself one of the most deeply religious spirits of our age, called 'the universal breath of hu inanity? Should a man of the ideal greatness of a Francesco d'Assisi, or of a Savonarola, rise up not in the name of a dogma, but in virtue of active love and social charity toward his fel low-creatures and speak words of freedom, the Italian mind might yet follow new phases of Christian idealism and civil greatness which would be incompatible with modern liberty.
The Italian Catholic is not lacking in reli gions ideality and spiritual potentiality. It is good to recall the romantic and spiritual Cathol icism of Manzoni, Pellico. Rosmini, if only to convince ourselves that the Italian genius and the Christian spirit may unite to form a kind of intellectual greatness, and that the Christian conscience — in its Catholic ideal — may well be compatible with a certain spiritual liberty. It is doubtless true that among the Italian Catholics the performance of external acts such as are requited by the Church too often goes hand in hand with intellectual incredulity or indifference, and sometimes as in the case of the rough, illit erate peasants, especially in the south, also with crime. The type of SerCiappeUetto is ever alive and real; and of this union of outward religious observance with immorality of life, the history of the Renaissance eves us enough examples without quoting others.
There is no doubt that the profound senti ment of individual responsibility and of sin pre sented to the conscience by continual introspec tion makes it less possible for those nations who have embraced Protestantism to understand this compromise with immorality., we must bear in mind that that very imagiative faculty that in the Italian mind may aid in keeping alive the sentiment of the divine, and in discovering it in every natural object (you re call the Canticle of the Sun by Saint Francis); and that in a Catholic family of good life, the purity of religious and Christian sentiment is not inferior to that in a religious evangelical family, notwithstanding that the latter is pro vided with more religious instruction. If in one there is more spiritual life, in the other there is a sense of authority and of discipline, and a co efficient of moral greatness. However, if one considers the conflict between Church and State in France, that kind of "Serrata" to which the French clergy lend themselves in obedience to the command of Rome, it shows a noble example of discipline and solidarity.
A phenomenon worthy of attention and a possible index of an internal Catholic regenera tion in Italy is the importance that the laity are gaining in the life of the Church, as was pointed out to Germany in a notable book by Professor Ehrard. The Catholic activity of the last few years is owing greatly to this fact, and even to day, although disapproved by the Pope, the "L,ega Dernocratica Nazionale' is declared pub hely to be independent of the Church party, and thus assumes liberty of action in its economic and social program. The motive of all this certainly was not a• religious one, but it doubt less will exercise a salutary reaction on the re ligious life. Thus the laity may be the means by which the Church may unite with modern culture. By its means the central authority of the Church may contribute indirectly to re awaken the religious sentiment in Italy, as she is still in principle, if not in fact, the greatest spiritual power in the world. And in this the character and initiative of the Pontiff play an important part. Now while Leo XIII was a diplomatic Pope and a politician, Pius X was an essentially religious Pope. His main ob ject was to strengthen the internal discipline of the Church, or ineaurare amnia in Christo, as he expressed himself. Meanwhile the history of the Church teaches us that popes of that temperament make many difficulties for the Church, for they look neither to the right nor the left but follow out their own idea. Leo XIII, a more liberal and more subtle spirit, who under stood how to unite the Church with the states of Europe by lenti girl e con maestri passi, to quote Ariosto, would probably, have succeeded in avoiding the Church's conflict with France. But from the simple and direct mind an im pulse, may be communicated to the religious conscience of Italy.
The condemnation of democratic Christianity although perhaps dangerous to Catholic inter ests and to the social organization of the Ital ian Catholic party is induced by fear that the younger Italian Catholic element in its social and political action may lose sight of the true religious scope of the Church.