T. W. Allies in his book, “Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847,” discusses the state of the churches with the introductory section going thus “Of a vast number of English men and English women who have traveled on the Continent in late years, comparatively few, I imagine, have deemed it worth their while to give much thought and attention to the action of the Church in the countries they have visited. Doubtless, all have entered the material fabrics of Roman Catholic worship, but generally, it has been treated as public monuments, rather than as “the house of prayer for all nations.” But how many of those travelers who enjoy leisure and independence have made it their study to understand those manifold institutions for the education of the clergy or the laity, for the consolation of the suffering, for the instruction of the poor and outcast, or for the advancement of the interior life, by which the Church Christianises the world, and lays hold of the heart of humanity?”
