RELIGION. The great bulk of the inhabitants of Italy belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Especial prominence attaches to the Church in Italy from the fact that the seat of the central administration of the Church is in Rome. The welfare and harmony of the Church, however. suffered greatly through the Fitter contention that arose over the question of temporal power of the Pope and the possession of property by religious orders. There is still a Clerical Party, the influential portion of which consists of the clergy, who would have the temporal lamer of the Clumrell reestablished. Pius IX. refused to recognize the validity of the claims of the Italian Government to the posses sion of the Papal territories, and always insisted upon the rights of the Papacy to the States of the Church. Leo XIII_ has steadily pursued the same course. and declined the consideration of any modus ricendi which does not admit the Papacy's rights to the temporal power. This unyielding attitude against compromise has considerably hampered the political work of the Government in internal affairs. and weakened it in its policy against the alarming aggressiveness of the So cialist Party. The great majority of the upper classes are strongly Opposed to the realization of the claims of the Clerical Party. it is probable that the antipathy to the political ambition of the Clericals, is largely responsible for the indifference which the majority of the better classes show toward all mligious principles., and for the wide spread prevalence of free thought. The clergy, however, have a very considerable following from the ranks of the ignorant classes of the popula tion. .liracles and mysteries play an important part in the worship of the lower classes, particu larly in Southern Italy. In 18611 a law suppress ing all religious houses was passed, applicable to the entire Kingdom. Their property was sold by the State, the greater part of the proceed.: being turned into an ecclesiastical fund for the support of public worship, though a part of the proceeds is granted as pensions to some members of the suppressed religions institutions. ln 1899 there were still over 13.000 persons reeeiving pension funds. Although their property was taken from them, the religions Orders still have a large membership. The last census figures available (I SS1) return 62.000 Protestants and 38,000 ,Jews. Over a third of the Protestants were Waldenses. They are strongest in Pied mont. The Greek Orthodox Church also has a small representation in Italy.
SOCTAn. BETTERMENT. The large agricultural population of Italy still live on a very low plane. a great portion of them being scarcely aide to eke out an existence. The inferior condi tion of the food consumed by the peasants has given rise to a disease known as the pellagra. It. is most. prevalent in Venetia and Lombardy. In recent years the disease is becoming less prominent. In some regions certain classes of
agricultural laborers receive as low as tenponee ft day. With the growth of the manufaeturing industry along modern lines, the condition of the laborers has in a measure improved. With the new. industrial conditions labor organi zation: have developed, and strikes have be come a very important factor in the industrial situation of Northern Italy. In some instances even the agricultural population have partici pated in strikes. In order to facilitate improve ments in agriculture, laws have been passed to make possible the granting of State loans to land-owners and agricultural unions. the issning of agrarian bonds. and the establishing of agra rian banks. (For the statistics of provident in tititutions, see paragraph on Banking.) In the first decades of the nineteenth century a large number of eoilperative societies Were organized in the north of Italy. The majority of them were for distributive puriloses. These distributive so cieties follow time policy of selling their com modities at eost, without trying to secure dividends. There are a large number also of productive coi;perative soeieties which undertake various kinds of labor contracts.
CuaarriEs. The extreme poverty of the popula tion in Italy has given occasion'for much activity in order to prevent distress. Formerly the income derived from the property of the religious orders was liberally. though not always wisely. spent for charitable purposes. Indeed, the belief that the sort of elmrity which the religious Orders dispensed tended to foster pauperism was one of the motives which led to time selling of their possessions. The responsibility for the care of the poor now falls nmre definitely the State, which has become very active not only in the usual sphere of charitable endeavor, but also in the matter of improving the industrial and social conditions (see below). A large part of the Go•ernment's annual expenditure for eharitable purposes is by grants to charitable institutions which have permanent charitable endowments. In the course of years a large number of these have been established, the investigation of 1880 showing 2l,Sfiti, with an aggregate capital of about $400.000,000. Large additions have been annually made since that time. In 1890 a law was passed to secure a better administration of these establishments. The charitable institu tions include different kinds of hospitals and asylums, almshouses, workhouses, etc. Outdoor relief is also extensive, and includes assistance in food or money, medical attention. and other objects, one of the most. important being the giving of marriage portions. The Alinister of the Interior is at the head of the charitable adminis trative system. the burger institutions being directly under charge of the provincial govern ments, and the smaller ones in charge of the cam 1111111eS.