Persecution of the Jews

It would seem from the following, that there is a very material difference between Catholicism in Italy, and in the United States: and that while its advocates in this country cry aloud for equal rights, and equal privileges, and profess great reverence for republican institutions, that in Italy, where they possess the power, thy are most fierce and intolerant in their proscriptions and persecutions; and whatever may be said concerning the more liberal views of Catholics in this and the mother country, it is evident, from the following, that they want only the power to reinstate in England, and put in force in this, or any other country, all the damning horrors of the "Holy Inquisition" which has been lately revived in Italy, in their base persecutions of the Jews.

"At the very moment when a spirit of toleration seemed to influence the feelings of society throughout the civilized world, we regret to perceive that the tribunals of the Pope [Pope] are, in June, 1843, reviving at Rome and Ancona the very worst proscriptions of that fell and sanguinary institute, the Inquisition, as will be seen by a perusal of the following document-

"We, Fra Vicenzo [Vincenzo] Salina, of the Order of Predicatori, Master in Theology, General Inquisitor in Ancona, Sinigaglia, Jesi, Osinio, Cingoli, Macerata, Tolentino, Loreto, Recanati, and other towns and districts, &c.

"It being deemed necessary to revive the full observance of the disciplinary laws relative to the Israelites residing within our jurisdiction, and having hitherto without effect employed prayers and exhortations to obtain obedience to those laws in the Ghetti (Jewries) of Ancona and Sinigaglia, authorized by the despatch of the Sacred and Supreme Inquisition of Rome, dated June 10th, 1843, expressly enjoining and commanding the observance of the decrees and pontifical constitutions, especially in respect to Christian nurses and domestic servants, or to the sale of property either in town or country districts, purchased and possessed previously to 1827, as well as subsequently, to that period, we decree as follows:-

"1. From the interval of two months after the date of this day, all gipsy [gypsy] and Christian domestics, male and female, whether employed by day or by night, must be dismissed from service in the two Ghetti; and all Jews residing within our jurisdiction are expressly prohibited from employing any Christian nurse, or availing themselves of the service of any Christian in any domestic occupation whatever, under pain of being immediately punished according to the pontifical decrees and constitutions.

"2. That all Jews, who may possess property, either in town or country, permanent or moveable, or rents or interests, or any right involving shares in funded property, or leased landed property, must within the term of three months from this day dispose of it by a positive and real, and not by any pretended or fictitious contract, Should this not be done within the time specified, the Holy office is to sell the same by public auction, on proof of the annual harvest being got in.

"3. That no Hebrew nurses, and still less, any Hebrew family, shall inhabit the city, or reside in, or remove their property into, any town or district where there is no Ghetto (place of residence for Jews;) and that such as may actually be there in conformacy to the laws must return to their respective Ghetto within

the peremptory period of six months, otherwise they will be proceeded against according to the tenor of the law.

"4. That, especially in any city where there is a Ghetto, no Hebrew must presume to associate at table with Christians, either in public houses or ordinaries, out of the Ghetto.

"5. That in a city which has a Ghetto, no Hebrew shall sleep out of the Israelite quarter, nor make free to enter into familiar conversation in Christian a house.

"6. That no Hebrew shall take the liberty, under any pretext whatever, to induce male Christians, and still less female Christians, to sleep within the boundaries of the Ghetto.

"7. That no Hebrew shall hire Christians, even only by the day, to work in their houses in the Ghetto.

"8. That no Hebrew, either male or female, shall frequent the houses of Christians, or maintain friendly relations with Christian men or women.

"9. That the laws shall remain in force respecting the decorum to be observed by the Hebrews who may absent themselves from their Ghetto, to travel in other parts of the State."

"After laying down these monstrous rescripts [prescripts], which we had hoped even the Romish church would not have attempted to revive and still less to re-clothe with authority, and arm with tremendous pains and penalties. The savage order is issued that these intolerant laws shall be read in each of the Jewish synagogues. It is added:-

"They who violate the above articles, will incur some or all of the penalties prescribed in the edicts of the Holy Inquisition."

Why the Jews have been thus selected as the victims of their hellish wrath, is difficult for us to determine. We cannot account for it upon any other principle than that of legalized plunder-such as has been too frequently practiced upon them by most of the courts of Europe.-It is thus that their property, in the second section, is not ostensibly confiscated; but it is virtually so, as it places them in the power of their enemies, if they cannot find purchasers for their property, which is very unlikely, when they are placed under these severe, inhuman restrictions. "The property must be disposed of within three months, whether in town or country, permanent or moveable, or rents, or interest or any rights involving shares in funded property." And if there are no buyers, what then? "The Holy office (rather say holy devils) is to sell the same by public auction."

We are led to ask, is this Christianity? Are these the followers of the meek and lowly Jesus? Is this the conduct of a church which professes to be the only true church? purely apostolic? Oh shame! where is thy blush?-The heart sickens at the contemplation. Only think of the thousands of men, women and children, being dispossessed of their inheritance-robbed of their property-rendered houseless and homeless, and destined to wander about as vagrants and exiles, through the tyranny, rapacity and thirst for plunder, which is evidently manifest by these infernals of the Holy order. We had hoped that those days of horrid barbarity were gone by, and that even the Roman church would not have attempted to revive them: and still less did we imagine that the edicts of the Holy Inquisition would ever have disgraced the footstool of God. What if the governments of America, England, Russia, Prussia, Norway, Sweden, and other powers, were to exercise the same spirit of intolerance towards the professors of the Catholic religion? Would they like to have meted to them the same measure which they give to others? We know that there was great dissatisfaction manifested by the Catholics of England and Ireland during the existence of the Test Act. They made long and loud complaints against the injustice, tyranny and oppression of that instrument; and no one felt more indignant than ourselves at such illiberal proceedings-but we must confess that in this instance they have "out-Heroded Herod" a thousand times.-What would the Irish Catholics have thought had the British government dealt with them as their great Pontificate has dealt with the poor Jews? How much misery, how much distress would not such a step create among them?

We cannot but feel indignant at such proceedings; and as the conductors of public journals, feel ourselves in duty bound to express our feelings. We heartily despise oppression in every shape; and if the European courts do not take sufficient notice of such proceedings as to frown down, indignantly, upon the perpetrators of those inhuman deeds, and awe them into a respect sufficient to ameliorate the condition of their victims, we shall, at least, have had the satisfaction of entering our protest against the proceedings of those heartless wretches, who would make a pretext of religion in order to plunder the inoffensive, and put in force these inhuman, savage edicts, merely because they have them in their power.

We had thought that the cup of misery of the Jews had been sufficiently wrung out, and that they had drank it to the very dregs. They have been persecuted by almost every nation in its turn. They have been plundered, driven and banished, and their lives have continually hung in doubt. We had hoped that the recently

expressed opinion, concerning their persecutions in Damascus, by the European powers, and the revolutions in Spain, would have greatly ameliorated their condition, and have operated well for them, even in Italy; and we are yet in hopes that some steps will be taken to cause the power who oppresses them to mitigate their sufferings; and if not by power, out of respect to courtly influence, which may be used to remove the heavy load under which they groan.

The Rothschild's possess great influence in many European courts. Can it not used at the present time, in behalf of their oppressed brethren?

From the Millennial Star.