There is no University properly speaking in Rome. The constant and
minute interference of the priests in the course of study; the rigid
censorship extended over all books of learning, and the arbitrary
restrictions with which free thought and inquiry are hampered, would of
themselves be sufficient to stop the growth of any great school of
learning at Rome, even if there existed a demand for such an institution,
which there does not. Still in these days, even at Rome, young men must
receive some kind of education, and to meet this want the Sapienza
College is provided. Both in the age of the scholars and the nature of
the studies it bears a much closer resemblance to a Scotch high school
than to an University, but still, such as it is, it forms the great lay-
place of education in the Papal States. There is a separate theological
faculty; the head of the college is a Cardinal, and the whole course of
study is under the control and supervision of the priests. Many,
however, of the professors are laymen, the majority of the pupils are
educated for secular pursuits, and the families from whom the students
come, form as a body the _elite_ in point of education and intelligence
amongst the mercantile and professional classes in the Papal States.
At the commencement of the year a great attempt was made by the
Government to get up addresses of loyalty and devotion to the Pope. Not
even Pius the Ninth himself believed one single word in any of these
purchased testimonials. Indeed, on one occasion, when an address was
presented by the officers of the army, he informed the deputation with
more candour than prudence, that he knew perfectly well not one of them
would raise his hand to save the Papacy. But abroad, and more especially
in France, it was conceived that such addresses would be accepted as
genuine testimonials to the contentment of the Roman people with their
rulers. In obedience to these tactics, it was resolved to have an
address from the students of the Sapienza. Such an address, containing
the stock terms of fulsome adulation and unreasoning reverence, was drawn
up by the authorities. Only a dozen students out of the 400 to 500 of
whom the college consists volunteered to sign it. The students were then
summoned in a body before the rector, and requested to add their
signatures. For this purpose the address was left in their hands, but
instead of being signed it was torn to pieces, and the fragments
scattered about the lecture-room, amidst a chorus of shouts and groans.
With the sort of senile folly which characterized all the proceedings of
the Vatican at this period, the affair, instead of being passed
unnoticed, was taken up seriously, and assumed in consequence an utterly
uncalled-for notoriety. The college was closed for the day, several of
the pupils were summoned before the police, an official inquiry was
instituted into the demonstration, and the matter became the talk of
Rome.
Of course at once a dozen contradictory rumours were in circulation, and
it was with considerable difficulty that I obtained the above narrative
of the occurrence, which I know to be substantially correct. As a
curious instance of how facts are perverted at Rome by theological bias,
I would mention here that when I made some inquiries on the subject from
an English gentleman, a recent convert, and I need hardly add a most
virulent partizan of the Papal rule, who was in a position to know the
truth about the matter, I was told by him, that there had undoubtedly
been a demonstration at the Sapienza, but that the truth was, the
students were so indignant at the outrages committed against his
Holiness, that they drew up an address of their own accord, expressive of
their devotion to the Pope, and that upon the rector refusing his consent
to the presentation of the address, on the ground that they were too
young to take any part in political matters, they vented by tumultuous
shouts their dissatisfation at this somewhat ill-timed interference. Now,
not only was there such an inherent improbability about this story, to
any one at all acquainted with Roman feelings or Papal policy, that it
scarcely needed refutation, but subsequent events proved it to be
entirely devoid of foundation in fact, and yet it was told me in good
faith by a person who had every means of knowing the truth if he had
chosen. The anecdote thus forms a curious illustration of the manner in
which stories are got up and circulated in Rome.
The result of the inquiry was that seven or eight of the students, who
whether justly or unjustly were regarded as ringleaders in the
demonstration, were either expelled or suspended from prosecuting their
studies. Amongst the expelled students was the son of the medical
Professor, Dr Maturani, who, considering his son unjustly used, resigned,
or rather was obliged to resign his post. The Pope then made a state
visit to the college, but was very coldly received, and held out no hopes
of the offenders being pardoned. The partizans of the Government talked
much about the good effect produced by the Papal visit, but within a day
or two the students assembled in a body at the Sapienza, and demanded of
the rector that the medical professor should be reinstated in his office,
and that the sentences of expulsion should be rescinded, as all were
equally guilty or equally guiltless. On receiving these demands the
rector requested the students, as a personal favour, to make no further
demonstration till he had had time to lay their sentiments before
Cardinal Roberti, the president of the Congregation of Studies, which he
promised to do at once. The students thereupon retired, but on their
return next morning received no reply whatever. The following day was
Sunday, when the college is closed, and on Monday the new medical
professor was to deliver his inaugural lecture. It was expected that the
students would take this opportunity of venting their dissatisfaction,
and the government actually resolved to send the Roman gendarmes into the
lecture-room in order to suppress any expression of feeling by force. At
the time this act was considered only a piece of almost incredible folly,
but the events of St Joseph's day shewed clearly enough that the Vatican
was anxious to bring about a collision between the troops and the
malcontents. A little blood-letting, after Lord Sidmouth's dictum, was
considered wholesome for the Pope's subjects. Fortunately the intention
came to the knowledge of the French authorities, who interfered at once,
and said if troops were required they must be French and not Papal ones,
as otherwise it was impossible to answer for the result. On the Monday
therefore a detachment of French troops was sent down to the college. The
lecture-room was crowded with students, who greeted the new Professor on
his entry with a volley of hisses, and then left the room in a body. The
French officer in command was appealed to by the authorities to
interfere, but refused doing so, and equally declined receiving an
address which the students wished to force upon him. His orders he
stated were solely to suppress any actual riot, but nothing further. Some
400 of the students then proceeded to the residences of Cardinal
Antonelli, of General Goyon, and the Duc de Gramont, and presented an
address, a copy of which they requested might be forwarded to the
Emperor. These were the words of the address;
"Your Excellency--Some of our comrades have been removed from us.
United to them in our studies, united, too, in our sentiments, we
protest against a punishment so unjust and so partial. When adulation
and servility suggested to some amongst us the utterance of a
falsehood which insulted the Pontiff, while it did no service to the
Sovereign, we all rose in union to denounce those who, without our
consent, constituted themselves the interpreters of our wishes. This
act was not the caprice of a section. It was the vast majority
amongst us who thus spoke out the truth. The punishment, if
punishment there is to be for speaking the truth, should not fall upon
a few alone.
"We confess it openly, the act was the act of all; the measure of our
conduct was the same for all. We therefore demand from your
Excellency that the expelled students should be allowed to return, or
else that we should all be united with them in one common punishment,
as we are proud of being united with them in a common love of truth
and of our country.
"The presence of our 400 students supplies the place of signatures."
The last clause is open to question. The plain fact is, that the
students could not get their courage up to signing point. A government
of priests never forgives or forgets, and their vengeance though slow is
very sure. Any student who had actually affixed his signature to the
address would have been a marked man for life; and instead of wondering
that the whole body had not sufficient moral resolution to express their
sentiments in writing, I am surprised that they had the courage to
protest at all, even anonymously. This hesitation, however, afforded the
government a loop-hole, which they were wise enough to take advantage of;
Cardinal Antonelli declined at once to give any reply to the address, on
the ground that he could take no notice of an unsigned and unauthentic
document; so the matter rested. Logically, the Cardinal had the best of
the dispute; but, practically, the remonstrants triumphed. The students
kept away from the classes, and after a short time the Sapienza college
had to be closed, in order, if possible, to weed out the liberal faction
amongst the pupils. Numbers of the students were arrested or exiled. As
instances of Papal notions of justice and law, I may mention two
instances connected with the government inquiry, which came to my
knowledge. One student was sent for to the police-office and asked if he
was one of those who presented the address; on his replying in the
negative, he was asked further, whether, if he had been on the spot, he
would have joined in the presentation. To this question, he replied,
that the police had no right to question him as to a matter of
hypothesis, but only as to facts. The magistrate's sole answer to this
objection consisted in an order to leave Rome within twenty-four hours.
Another student was arrested by a gendarme in the street, and brought to
the police-office; it was past five o'clock, and the magistrate informed
him it was too late to enter on the charge that day, and therefore he
must remain in the custody of the police for the night. In vain the
student requested to be informed of the charge against him, and protested
against the illegality of detaining a person in custody without there
being any charge even alleged; but to all this the magistrate remained
obdurate, and the student was sent home under the care of the gendarme.
Happily for himself, he managed to give his guardian the slip in the
streets, and left the Papal States that night without awaiting the result
of an inquiry which had commenced under such auspices.
It is true that the political opinions of a parcel of boys may have very
little intrinsic value; but straws shew which way the wind blows, and so
this exhibition of the students' sentiments shews how deep-rooted is the
disaffection to the Papacy throughout Roman society, and also how strong
the conviction is, that the days of priest-rule are numbered.