rnment schools for secular and irreligious
education, among the upper classes, are like those for elementary
teaching, very thinly attended, parents preferring to send their children
abroad, and, when this cannot be afforded, to such ecclesiastical colleges
and seminaries as are still in existence. The State schools have already a
monopoly in the conferring of degrees and the consequent civil advantages.
It is proposed to go still further, and, actually, to close by force, all
the higher schools in which religion is recognized, even as the school
established by the Pope in the city of Rome, was recently put down. It is
thus that these emancipators of mankind understand liberty!

As regards female education, especially, the people will never, willingly,
give up the schools that are conducted by "Sisters" or "Nuns." The
education which such schools afford is universally appreciated--among
ourselves who are divided, but more particularly among the Italians, who
are all Catholics. It is in vain _to kick against the goad_, and this the
Italian government will learn, some day, when it is cast forth as a rotten
institution by the people, whose dearest wishes it ignores. It is of no
use to suppose that Italy is advanced to a state of irreligion, and so
requires a system of Godless education. The contrary is well known. State
systems, based, not on statistical facts, but, on idle suppositions, must
needs come to nought.

ITALY--RELIGION.

"A free Church in a free State"--the great idea of such Italian liberals as
had any conception of a church at all, was surely to be realized when the
fellow-countrymen of Count de Cavour came to rule at Rome. What was the
case? There was neither a free church nor a free State? That State is not
free, wherein the people are not fairly represented. The new Italian State
could not claim any such representation. It was held in such contempt that
the great majority of the Italian people, unwisely, indeed, we who are
accustomed to constitutional government would say, declined to take part
in the elections. Thus the entire control of the country was left in the
hands of two comparatively small factions--the _moderate_ and the _extreme_
radicals. It is of little importance to the mass of the Italian people
which of these factions holds sway for the moment. They both legislate and
execute the laws in opposition to the will of the nation, and in the sense
and for the benefit of the prevailing faction. T