We

but yet after a few paragraphs a careful have said, find fault with his want of spereader suddenly pauses to think where he cial designs and of a far reaching policy. is and what he has assented to. And even But to this generation of Englishmen this when he reads the paragraphs over again was no fault at all. We wish that foreign he will not always find it easy to be sure nations should, as far as may be, solve their that he sees the limits of what was meant own problems; we wish them to gain all and the limits of what was not meant. The the good they can by their own exertions, limpid flow of delicate words takes him and to remove all the evil. But we do not steadily on, but where at any precise in- wish to take part in their struggles. stant he is he cannot be very confident. fear that we might mistake what was best; For the old intercourse of foreign Courts we fear that in so shifting a scene we might this sort of style has immense advantages; find years hence, when the truth is known, it gives no present offence, and, having no that we had in fact done exactly the reverse marked sentences, leaves no barbed words of what we meant, and had really injured for after irritation. And in Lord Russell what we meant to aid. We fear that amid we had a warning of the evils of the oppo- the confusion our good must turn to evil, site style. He wrote as he used to speak and that our help would be a calamity and in the House of Commons. With a cer- not a blessing. And for an age like this tain cold acumen he "pitched" (there is Lord Clarendon was a fitting Minister, for no less familiar word adequate) "into" he had a wise sagacity to interfere as little, the foreign Courts, as he used to pitch into and to refrain from acting as much as pruSir Robert Peel; and not being used to dence rendered possible. Parliamentary plainness the foreign Courts did not like it. Lord Russell hardly conducted a foreign controversy in which the extreme intelligibility of his words did not leave a sting behind them. Of Lord Clarendon the very contrary may be said, he scarcely left a sting, never an unnecessary one. But, on the other hand, Lord Russell's dispatches, hard and unpleasant as they often are, never left anyone in doubt as to their precise meaning. If they did mislead some foreign Courts it is because they could not understand that a Minister would blurt out all his meaning in that gauche manner; but to a common reader they are as plain as words can make them. And, as in the present day, great despatches, being published, are really addressed to whole nations of common readers as well as to small Courts of special training, they ought to be so written as to combine the gentle suavity that suits the one with the unmistakeable plainness which is essential to the other. It was exactly the gliding urbanity of Lord Clarendon's style which pleased the Courts while it perplexed the common people.

From The Spectator. THE NEW DOGMA.

IT is finished. Hurried by the approach of a war which would have filled Rome with Italian troops, alarmed by the bitterness of a controversy which carried away even Cardinals, sickened with the terrible and ever-increasing heat of Rome, the majority of the Ecumenical Council have made one more dead heave; and, on 13th July, the theory of Papal Infallibility was proclaimed by the representatives of Catholic Christendom a dogma of their Church. Henceforward it is sin for any who recognize her authority — that is, for more than half the Christian world to doubt that the Pope, when deciding ex cathedra on matters of faith or morals, has always been, now is, and always will be, so overruled of the Holy Spirit that error is as impossible in his utterance as it would be in that of God. We have all along affirmed our belief that the dogma, which is but the But we do not need now to dwell at logical completion of a doctrine which has length on a point so subordinate. It is been developing itself for ages, would inevmuch for a man of Lord Clarendon's stand- itably be accepted; that the time had aring to have written nearly perfectly in rived when the half-hidden monarchy, which the old style; it is no ground for serious for centuries has controlled the Catholic blame to him that he did not invent a new Republic, must avow itself before the style. He will be remembered by pos- world; that Protestants misunderstood terity as a Minister singularly suited to the both the extent and the character of the retransition age in which he lived, and assisting forces, and the result has proved possessing both the courtly manners which the soundness of each and of all our conare going out, and also the commercial clusions. The opposition has put forward tastes and the business knowledge which its utmost strength, has gone the length of are coming in. Some critics will, as we threatening schism, has been backed even

with menaces by every Catholic power, has exhibited an astonishing superiority in intellect, eloquence, and learning, and has for reward been crushed by a vote of nearly five to one, a vote far greater than that which extinguished Arianism, a vote which may be accepted as irreversible. The only ground on which it could be reversed without destroying the Catholic system would be the allegation that the Council was not free, - an allegation which is not true, as every man there present could have shouted" Non placet!" had he been so moved, - and which, if true, could be affirmed only by another Council assembled under similar circumstances, subjected to similar intellectual influences, and pressed by the same necessity for the concentration of power. Nor do we affect to wonder, as most of our contemporaries do, at the triumph of the Papacy. They call the dogma new, but though not formulized as dogma, it has been accepted as fact by the Church for generations. The assent of the Bishops was held to be needful to the decision of the Papacy, but the assent was never witheld. They declared that it was an insult to reason, but an Infallible Person is no more contrary to reason than an Infallible Book, and has the advantage of being able always to explain himself and fit the application of truth to the necessities of the time. They said that faith must crack under so terrible a strain, and forget that, to an immense proportion of mankind, to the majority of women, for instance, a straining exercise of faith, like a straining exercise of obedience, is a delight, an effort which strengthens the quality itself as use strengthens a muscle. And finally, they argued that an impossible unanimity was essential to the promulgation of so immense a dogma, as if the Holy Spirit could not act through a majority as well as through an unanimous body, as if the election of each successive Pope, which no Catholic doubts to be dictated from above, were not invariably the result of a conflict sometimes latent, but more frequently avowed.

Roman Catholic Church. The precise evils threatened may not, it is true, matter very much. The Liberal Catholics, it is said, may depart; but Liberal Catholicism is almost a contradiction in terms, is at best the day-dream of a few learned men, and if all Liberal Catholics departed, the Church as an organization would probably be all the stronger. No Pope has ever succeeded like this Pope, and he is a man of slight though shrewd intellect, no worldly attainments, and very limited theological culture, - much less, in all probability, than any one of his own chaplains. North Germany, it is said, may go, and it very likely will; but South Germany went once, and_went back again. What really matters to Rome is the loss of the people's devotion, the drying-up of that grand reservoir from which she has drawn through ages such an endless array of instruments and powers, and it is this loss with which the dogma threatens her. The masses never have been and probably never will be accurate theologians, but they are always keen observers of the appearance of things; and this dogma, though it changes so little in reality, in appearance changes all. It replaces the vast, formless, mystical entity, the Church, which is never seen in the flesh, and cannot be cross-examined, which is like the universe in its aggregate invisibility, by an individual Italian who eats his dinner, and seems to observers a man like other men, and who can and will be watched by a million eyes eager to convict him of error. The substitution will operate as the introduction of a new book into the Canon would operate among Protestants, will compel them to criticize, and consider, and give reasons to themselves for believ ing in verbal inspiration, and consideration of that kind is always fatal to blind faith. The veil is torn away, and Catholic mankind is not only forced to believe, but forced to acknowledge to itself, that it believes that Mastai Ferretti, worthy and slightly humorous Italian of seventy, cannot make an official blunder about faith or morals; and that his successor, be he whom he may, however different in mind, character, and training, must inevitably,

Nevertheless, though we conceive the result to have been sooner or later inevitable, and see clearly that most of the pop-upon all subjects, implicitly agree with him. ular arguments against the dogma assume all the great points at issue- are, in fact, based on the theory that Catholicism is false - though we do not hope that the vote will be followed by schism, and though we can understand that it may produce in some quarters a strange revival of energy, we cannot but believe that it will produce terrible, it may be fatal results upon the

The masses, who never blind themselves wholly to outward facts, will be more and more tempted to ask for proof that this man, whom they see described by a thousand pens as a man considering, scheming, arguing, perhaps plotting, is indeed the exponent of unerring truth; and the silent scepticism of the South, the scepticism which is not religious but contemptuous,

nates it, so to speak and does this in the most realistic and inquisitive cycle through which man has ever passed. How is it possible to believe that faith in infallibility will not be diminished?—and among Catholics everywhere one syllogism, at all events, is universally admitted. The Church is Christianity. If the Church is capable of error, Christianity is a delusion. It is not, therefore, only the Catholic Church but Christianity, which in Catholic countries is threatened by the Dogma.

From The Economist.

THE DECLARATION OF WAR BY FRANCE.

which does not encourage schisms or accept | tion of the Dogma which its defenders bereformations, but quietly surrenders belief, lieve is so greatly to strengthen the Church. will receive a new and amazing impetus. That dogma brings the first claim of the Silently, without parade, without, it may Church, the one without which she has no be, giving up the offices of the Church, the locus standi down from the heavens to the people will retire from its pale, as for exam-earth, makes it visible, concrete — incarple, the middle-class of France and Italy have done, until some event, perhaps trivial in itself, reveals to themselves the depth of their own unbelief. This event may be the proclamation of some new dogma by the Pope's own authority, or some demand of extreme inconvenience, or the consecration of some old idea which the world has given up- witchcraft for example while the priesthood has not. The world saw nothing extraordinary in the Church affirming through a Pope that to take interest for money was sin, because that affirmation was at that time in accord with the silly prejudice against renting out money entertained by all agricultural communities, whatever their creed; but suppose Pio Nono to reaffirm that on the authority of his infallibility, continuing THE declaration of war by France against the while to pay interest on his own Debt. Prussia is one of those awful events which There would be no escape possible for the bring comment to a stand, and which of priesthood, no confusion to be created be- themselves make an impression far deeper tween the Papal authority and that of the and greater than anything which can be Church, there would be a hard, unmistaka- said about them. This time last week ble, infallible utterance on a high question almost all the best judges in Europe would of morals. And the utterance would be have considered such an event impossible. an utterance demonstrably wrong, silly It was bad enough that France should say an utterance of the kind which men, al- that the accession of a very distant relative most without reasoning upon it, feel that of the King of Prussia to the throne of they cannot respect. Some such blunder, Spain would be esteemed by her a casus some such patent proof that the oracle can belli; it was worse in her to volunteer this err, is sooner or later certain, for the Pope in an offensive way before any occasion reafter this decree is under a temptation quired it, and so as if possible to cause a which it is scarcely in human nature to re- quarrel; it was yet worse in France when sist, the temptation to use his new Prince Leopold resigned his candidature to power, to settle once for all some problem ask for more," and want stipulations for or other which has hitherto perplexed man- the future which were inconsistent with the kind. Now he is restrained from blun- dignity of Prussia and which were meant to dering by a necessity, more or less felt, be refused; it was yet worse to make these of consulting the episcopate, then he further offensive demands in an unprecewill be alone, uncontrolled, and in theory dentedly offensive manner on the King of uncontrollable, save by the necessity of Prussia in a public place; but worse than apparent accord with his predecessor, all is the sudden declaration of war which which necessity would not be felt on any implies a "foregone conclusion," and shows novel point. Whenever such an incident that, whatever may be said, the momentary occurs, the Catholic community will become candidature of the Hohenzollern Prince was conscious that it has ceased to believe that but a pretext, that the Emperor meant from infallibility exists in any mortal, will say the beginning to fight Prussia, and meant so, and will throw off, it may be with nothing in the least else. agony and effort, it may be with a mere To account for such conduct we have to movement of its shoulders, the chain of abandon all recent ideas of the French Emits ancient creed. This is the process go- peror, and forget our experience of him as ing on everywhere in all Catholic countries, an important statesman and as for years except Ireland-where it has been pre- one of the conservators and guardians of vented by Protestant social persecution the peace of Europe. We must recur to and it will be aggravated by the proclama- the times following the coup d'état when

66

Louis Napoleon was regarded as a gambler
and a desperado capable of planning any
misdeed and of committing any crime,
as a man who might invade any country
without notice, and who would not want
even decent pretext for a war he thought
convenient to himself or France. For years
we have held other opinions of the French
Emperor, and have thought that these old
unfavourable ones were fears and fictions.
But nothing in them is worse than what he
has now done. The most deperate act of
a midnight conspirator is not morally worse
than a breach of the peace of Europe in
this manner on a sudden, and with no
object which anyone can state.

sonal. It is said (and is we fear true) that war is popular in Paris, because Prussia is grown suddenly great, and because France has less prestige and is less thought of since she had so large a neighbour. But what is more infamous than to declare that the more prosperous and strong another State, the more bound we are to attack it at once? The same sort of doctrine might be urged in England. No doubt the immense growth of the United States does in some degree diminish the exclusive weight of England. The present French Ambassador at Washington says that "the nations of the past were France and England, but that the nations of the future are America and Germany." And on that showing, England has as much right to attack America as France to invade Germany. We are glad the United States are great, and similarly France ought to be glad that Prussia is powerful as well as herself.

When indeed the French proclamation of war reaches us we shall have the decent drapery in which the Emperor clothes his policy. But use what words he may, the momentary pretext can only come to this - that what is called a relative" of the King of Prussia, that is, a German Prince, But perhaps in the obscure mind of the who has a common ancestor with the King Emperor the personal fate of his dynasty before the year 1200,- should for a moment has precedence over the national prosperity have been a candidate for the Spanish Crown, of France. Because many soldiers voted and that the King of Prussia will not prom- against him at the plebescite he may wish to ise that he shall never be so again. But divert them, and to make himself popular what two nations are ever to be at peace if by an immense war. The new Parliashadows like these are to cause war? Eng-mentary Government to which he is bound land or Prussia might have attacked France is not probably very agreeable, and to get on the first beginning of a Bonaparte Empire, on the ground of the probable injury to European equilibrium and its inconsistency with the Vienna treaties, upon far more plausible reasons. A Bonaparte at the Tuileries was much more of a menace to Europe than a Hohenzollern at Madrid is of a menace to France. And the Hohenzollern is not even at Madrid- -on the contrary, says he won't go there; and all the complaint is that Prussia will not say that if he changes his mind he shall not be let go there. A pretext for a great war so little specious and so evanescent was hardly

ever seen.

Of course the real reasons are very different. The only rational motives for war are two -one national, and the other per

rid of it he wishes to turn men's thoughts elsewhere, and nothing so much as war changes the current of all ideas and all thoughts. But this is but saying that the French and the Prussians are to be killed for "diversion's sake." We seem not to be speaking of this age or of any civilized age, but of some barbarous period, when we discuss the killing of multitudes to please soldiers or to keep a dynasty upon the throne.

Nothing that can be said is adequate to the meaning of this most awful and painful event, and it is most melancholy that with all our boasts of civilization, and after so many centuries of Christianity, so great a crime (for it is no less) should be possible in the world.

THE Feuille des Jeunes Naturalistes is a praiseworthy attempt by a small body of French naturalists to establish an international school journal of science and natural history for the boys of France, Germany, and England. Contributions, written in either of the three languages, are invited from any schoolboy; and

they will be received from no other source. The
proprietors are especially anxious to interest our
English schools in their enterprise; and we
gladly give publicity to a very novel and very
admirable scheme.
The subscription is four
francs per annum. The editor is M. E. Doll-
fus, Haut Rhin.

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