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THE MESSENGER

OF THE

SACRED HEART

WITH SUPPLEMENT.

A MAGAZINE OF THE
LITERATURE OF CATHOLIC DEVOTION.

VOL. XII.— NEW SERIES.
VOL. XXXII. of whole series— 32d year.

JANUARY— DECEMBER, 1897.

EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY

THE APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER

Central Office, U. S. A.

27 and 29 West i6th Street,

NEW YORK.

INDEX.
VOLUME XII. — NEW SERIES.

VOLUME XXXII. OF WHOLE SERIES— THIRTY-SECOND YEAR,

MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART

WITH SUPPLEMENT

i897.

PAGE.

Adirondacks, In the 638

Afoot with America's First Martyr. Illustrated. Late Rev. George O'Connell, S J 406

Albania and the Sacred Heart. Illustrated. Rev. C. Ghezzi, S.J 622, 700

Alps, Mary's Shrine in the. Illustrated. R. M. Taylor 292

A Mountain Funeral. D. Gresham 936

Annecy, Early Days at. E. Lummis. ... 1095

Announcement— A New Depa'tment 1041

Apostle of Prayer, An. E Lummis 809, 906

A-menians, The. Rev. D. A. Merrick, SJ 121

Art, Modern Christian. Illustrated . . 436

Art. St. Anthony in. Illustrated. M.F.Nixon 915

Asia, The True Light of. D. A. Dever 297

Association of tn"e Holy Childhood 940

Australasia, The Catholic Church in. Illustrated. Rev. M. Watson, S.J 77*

Austrian Tyrol, In the. Illustrated. E. McAuliffe 1059

Blessed Sacrament, To Jesus in the. Rev. M. Russell, S.J 722

Books Catholic, in Public libraries. J. F. O'Donovan, S.J. 314

Book Notices 9'- 188. 286. 380, 476, 572, 669, 762, 861, 958, 1053, 1149

Boy Savers, The — Announcement 1041

Boyer, The Late Cardinal. Illustrated 226

Calendar of Intentions 96, 192, 288, 384, 480 576, 672, 768. 864, 960, 1056

California, A Legend of Lower. A. R. Crane 454

Cardinal Boyer, The Late. Illustrated 226

Cardinal Franzelin, A Cardinal of the Sacred Heart 441, 506

Catholic Books in Public Libraries. J. F. O'Donovan, S.J . . 314

Catholic Church in Australasia, The. Illustrated. Rev. M. Watson, S.J 771

Catholic Village in Protestant England, A. Ellis Schreiber 159

Champion of Christian Education in the Seventeenth Century, A. Illustrated .. 880

Childhood, Association of the Holy 940

Christian Art, Modern. Illustrated 436

Christian Education, A Champion of, in the Seventeenth Century. Illustrated 880

Christians of St. Thomas, The. Illustrated. Rt. Rev. Charles Lavigne, S.J 227

Christian Wives and Mothers, The Patron of . . 458

Christmas Mass in the Mountains. D. Gresham 71

Chronicle of the Padres, A. Illustrated. Late Rev. George O'Connell, S.J iota

Churches of Oriental Rite. Rev. James Conway, S.J . . 420

Colombiere, Marguerite Elizabeth de la. Religious of the Visitation . . 922

Colombiere, Ven. Claude de la of the Society of Jesus. Illustrated 126

Condescension, True and False. Rev. H. VanRensselaer, S.J 635

Conversion, A 841

Conversions, Some Remarkable 373

Corpus Christi in an Irish Village. Rev. James Hughes 168

Corpus Christi in an Italian Valley. Rev. Thomas Hughes, S.J 619

........ 619

Corpus Christi in Venice .... ........ ... 357

Cranford, A Modern. D. Gresham .................. ' iogg

Dedication of the Month of June to the Sacred Heart. Ellis Schreiber ......

Director's Review :

January i First Friday- The MESSENGER Index iSge-Diocesan Directors-The New In-
tention Blanks-Review of i897-The SUPPLEMENT Cover-The November Treasury-
Promoters' Receptions-Triduum for Promoters— Premiums and Novelties ....

The New Statutes-The Statutes in this Country-Diocesan Directors-Why so many
Conversions-Apostleship Annuals-Progress of the Apostleship-Intentions and
Treasury— Suggestions for February ....................

Apostolic Books— An Example to be Imitated— Dire tors Honored— Lei. ten Duties

ing of Promoters-The Character of Promoters' Meetings-Temperance Offerings-
Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart— Apostleship Music— The Apostleship at Home-
Obituary ........................................... 279

This Month's Intention— Some good Sources— Special Intentions -The Statutes— A Timely
Editorial— League Hymnal— Promoters in April— Intention Blanks— About Subscrip-
tions—Against Collection Agencies— The Emblem— The Apostleship Abroad— The
Apostleship at Home ......................... • ...... . ' ' ' 369

A New Coat-of- Arms- New Centres- Promoters' Receptions— Preparing Receptions-
Providing Receptions — MESSENGER Commendations— The Divine Praises— For Pro-
moters—Promoters and the Intention— Promoters in May Active Woiks for May—
The Apostleship Abroad— The Apostleship at Home— Obituary— The Apostle -hip for
all the World ................................. 4*8

Conferring the Badge— Conversions by Prayer— A Practical Intention— Din ctors in June
—Available Sources— A Jubilee Offering— For Promoters : Promoters' Own Month-
General Means— Special Means- The Apostleship Abroad and at Home— Obituary—
Our Apostleship ................................. • • • 56»

Special Intentions— Protestants and the MESSENGER— The Union to Pray for— Prayer for
this Intention— A Word for Promoters— The Prayer of our Apostleship -The Apostle-
ship Abroad and at Home— Obituary .......................... 661

Promoters' Roll Book— The Work in June— In Memoriam— A Practical Application— To
Promoters : Treasury of Good Works— Objections to the Treasury Distributing the
Blanks— Unusual Occurrences— The Apostleship at Home ............ 755

The League in Summer— The September Meetings— Organizing the Promoters— Some

Cautions— To Promoters— The Apostleship at Home and Abroad .... . . . . 853

The Daily Decade— The Revised Statutes— League Bands— The Number in»a Baud— A
Model for Directors— A Model for Promoters — The Apostleship at Home and Abroad

— Obituary ...................................... 950

The New Hand Book— Diocesan Directors— Their Importance— The Clause an Old One-

Annual Reports— Against Bogus Agents— To Promoters— 1897 Intentions— The Holy
Souls— For Conversions— Two Things to be Remembered— Correct Addresses -Two
Things of Interest — The Apostleship at Home and Abroad — Obituary ...... 1045, 1]42

Dove of the Churches, The. Illustrated. P. J. Coleman ...................... 588

Duchess and Nun : Maria Felicia Orsiiii. Illustrated. J. M. Cave ....... ....... 983

Early Days at Annecy. E. Lummis. .............................. 1095

Echoes from Paray. Illustrated ............................ ...... 1104

Editorial :

New Education — Striking Figures — Press Prophets— Spreading the Mischief— A Strong
"Last Word"— Who is to Blame ?— Misuse of Words— Other Instances- Reunionist
Temper — Still Protesting ............................... 75

Coventry Patmore — A Defunct Periodical — Physical vs. Mental Culture— Dr. Temple and
the Creed— A Scottish View— Hard on Ritualists— An Australian Primate on Orders—
An English Vicar's View . . ....................... 172

What is Worth While ? — Dr. Oilman's Mind-Moulders — The Burial Service vs. Continuity

— Brownjohn vs. Temple— Defect of Intention— Religion and Art — The Second Apostle

of Germany— A Devoted Cardinal — Mr. Gilbert a Knight ............... 273

A People's Synagogue— A Check on Perjury— The Check Needed— La Croix a Dreaded
Weapon— Protestantism in Germany — Archbishop Ryan's Jubilee— Our Debt to Em-
siedeln— Not so Catholic .... .......................... 363

The Madagascar Missions— Danger in Mere Majority Rule— Offerings to the Dead -A
New Aspect of Death— Spread of Ritualism— The Senate and Our Indian Schools-
Music in Church and Church Music — Church Music — Illogical Prayers ......... 460

False Credit— About Bigotry— Supernatural More than Spiritual— The True Faith Makes
Patriots — The Opening up of the Far East — The Anglican Coronation Oath — The
Modern Epistle to the Romans — A Senator on Our Indian Schools— An Anglican
" Pastor Pastorum " ............................. .... 555

Ill

The Lie Direct to His Archbishops— A Prayer Book as a Bond of Union— Seeking Allies

—A Reparation— Religious Art in the Paris Salons— The Voice of the Deaf 655

The " New Collect "—Which is the More Ignorant?— Common Race and Faith— A Strange
Memorial Window— Advance of Ritualism in England— Revival of Mystery Plays— A
Champion of Relig ous Education— A Protestant Testimony to Religious Educators-
Summer Schools 74s

The Irish Pastoral on Morality and Politics— A Sample of French Liberty— An Attempted
Primacy— A Christian Theatre Suggested— A Strange but True Admission— The Col-
lege for Catholic Women 846

Leo XIII. on Canisius— Educated Catholic Leaders— Theology in Education— A Promoter of
Education— The Lambeth Conference— Some Inconsistencies— Adopting the Protes-
tant Principles — Uucatholic in Spirit — Absurd Hopes of Union . . 944

Catholic Congresses— Abolition of the Catholic Indian Bureau— A Central Seminary
—Beware of Confounding Augu^tines— The Histoiical Parallel at Ebb's Fleet—

" Timely Suggestions" IO37

Education, A Champion of Christian, in the Seventeenth Century. Illustrated 88°

Education, Decline of in Germany in Consequence of the Reformation. Rev. James Conway, S.J. 217

Extract from a Letter of the Vice-Director-General of the Apostleship of Prayer . . J93

Fiction :

A Christmas Gloria. Illustrated. M. T. Waggaman X7

The Prodigal. Illustrated by A. V. Tack. J. Reader 45

TomTilltr. Illustrated by Schwarzeiibach. Alba IJ4

Man Proposes : God Disposes. Illustrated by J. E. Kelly. John P. Ritter 140, 247

The Half-Natural. Illustrated by A. V. Tack. P. J. Coleman 205

A Moiher's Saciifice. Rev. A. C. Porta, S.J 269

The Boy m the Blue Blouse. Illustrated by O. C. Weigand. Rev. David Be arne, S.J. . . . 303

Revolutionary Spirits. From the Spanish of LUIS Coloma, S.J

A Double Release. Illustrated by O. C. Weigand. T.M.Joyce 43°

God s Confessor. Illusirated by A. V. Tack. Francis W. Grey ... 495

St. Anthony's Envoy. M. Murray Wilson 548

Pitied of Angels. Illustrated by O. C. Weigand. .Rev. David Bearne, S J 6l°

Buffalo Falls. C. Caldi.S.J 646

A Little Child Shall Lead Them. Illustrated by O. C. Weigand. J. Marie 69°

Kcce Homo. Illustrated by J. A. Espelt. D. Carroll 7^7

Caught by the Beard. Rev. A. C. Porta, S.J 83'

lather Paul's Stratagem. Illustrated by A. V. Tack. John P. Ritter 899, 972

The Prayers That Save. C. H. Gallagher 933

La Rabina ; or, What Does it Mean ? Padre Luis Coloma, S.J. Translated from the Span-
ish by P. J. Whitty ICO1

In the Service of the King. T.M.Joyce . . I0i9

One Shall be Taken. Rev. David Bearne, S J IO79

Annis. Illustrated. Harold Dijon IIO9

Fiesole and Its Sanctuaries. Illustrated. Rev. P. I. Chandlery, S.J. 483, 725

First Pastor of Pennstown, The. S. Trainer Smith 969

Fourier, St. Peter. Founder of the Congregation ot the Sisters of Notre Dame. Illustrated . . . fe8o

Franzelin, Cardinal. A Cardinal of the Sacred Heart 441. 5°6

From the Seat of War. Padre Gaetano Romano, S.J • • •

Frontispieces :

Dolci, Carlo. " The First to Adore Him" 2

" The Author of the Spiritual Exercises " 98

Capparoni. "The Holy Family '' X94

" Jeanne D'Arc Listening to the Heavenly Voices" 29°

Bartolommeo, Fra. " The Resurrection " 386

" The Sacred Heart of Jesus Pleading." After the Statue in the Shrine at Toulouse.

France 482

" Execution of Jeanne D'Arc at Rouen " 5?8

"St. John Berchmans" 674

"Blessed Bernardino Realino " 77<>

Schwartz. " The Walking on the Waters" 866

Francisi, Guido. " St. Stanislas Receiving Holy Communion " . . 96*

" Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque of the Visitation " il58

Funeral, A Mountain. D. Gresham 936

General Intentions :

January— The Welfare of Religious Communities 65

February — The Cause of Ven. de la Colombiere 161

March — The Third Centenary of Blessed Peter Canisms 257

April— More Interest in the Lives of the Saints 353

May-The Welfate of the Church in England by the Celebration of the Thirteenth Cen-
tenary of St. Augustine of Canterbury 449

June— Filial Submission to the Vicar of Christ 545

July— The Propagation o( the Faith

An-nst— The Apostleship of Good Example 737

September— Priests and Communities in Retreat

October— Religious Instruction in Our Schools 929

November— Souls in Their Agony . . .... T025

December— Parish Works II2t

GoinffHome. D. Gresham 74'

Hail! Full of Grace. Illustration by Orazio Lomi, 1563-1646 225

Hainan. Illustrated. Rev. Win. Hornsby, S.J 963

Hammer of Heretics, The. Illustrated 201

How Saints Are Made. Rev. F. Lamb, S.J 107

India, The Plague in. Rev. Stanislas Boswing, S.J 73

Indian Burial in Rome An. — Rev. D. J. Driscoll 1138

Intention, An Ever Timely 448

Interests of the tlean of Jesus

Ancient Monument in Ireland— Tianslation of the Relics of St. Remigius -Anglican
Homage to St. Edward the Confessor— Anti-Catholic Propaganda Catholic Seamen's
Club in Montreal— The Anti-Masonic Congress— A Masonic Exhibit— Father Smith on
Reunion 79

A Tribute to Catholic Missionaries— Disturbances caused by the other Missionaries .. . . 178

Catholics Honored in the Netherlands— A Doll Show in Church— The Catholic Hall at Ox-
ford—A Catholic Fellow at Oxford— A Tribute to the Catholics of Madras— Silver Jubi-
lee of the Montmartre Basilica— A Witness in Stone— Works of the Sea — The Causes
of John Nepomucene Neumann. C.SS.R., and Ven. Madeleine Sophie Barat, R.S H. —
Dr. Pasteur at rest in the Pasteur Institute, Paris .... 277

Converts' Aid Society— Training of Christian Teachers — Abb£ Roussel, the Orphan's
Friend— Removal of a Cemetery Cross— Unjust Fining of a Sister of Charity— Audif-
f red Prize for Central African Missions— Prize of Louvet's Book on Catholic Missions —
A well-paid Radical Journalist— Jewish Rule in France — Anti-Catholic Instance at
Delle— Probable Relics of Jeanne d' Arc— Five Commemorative Bells at Domremy— St.
Vincent de Paul's Conference Receipts— Silver Jubilee at Montmartre — The Late V.
Rev. Brother Joseph— Students in the Catholic Institute, Paris— The Golden Rose for
Duchess Ma-ia Theresa— Recantation of a Poser as " Escaped Nun" — The Colored
Race in the United States ^,66

Petition of the Bishops of England and Ireland for the canonization of Blessed Margaret
Mary— Gregoi ian University, Rome -Ten Clerics enter Greek Pontifical College,
Rome— The Church in England— Injustice of the Municipal Council of Macon—
Brave Mayor of Concoret— Mgr.Lamoroux and Leo XIII.— The Saint Paul— New London
Club-house for Seamen— Sailor's Home in Bordeaux and Nantes— Blessing of Fishing
Fleet at Paimpol— Work among Belgian Boatmen— Prisons replace Convents in
France— Fatal religious parody at Vinneuf— Collections a Civil Marriages— Nocturnal
Adoration at Montmartre— Night Shelter Society of Paris— Missionaries of Labor-
French injustice in Priests' Salaries— Night Schools in Romer-Medal for the igth year
of the Pontificate of Leo XIII.— Count Campello at Lambeth— Probable new Archi-
episcopal See for England— Edward Vl.'s dispensing Cranmer from fasting— Bishop
Forre.«t as a church-builder— Pilgrimage of the Cauisius Verein to Fribourg— Injus-
tice to Catholic children in Prussia— Efforts of the German Centre to recall the
Jesuits— Death-knell of Swiss Old-Catholicism .... .6.

Commemorative Medal of Leo XHI.-Papal Brief for Dom Oasquet-Close-of-the-Century
Celebration-Proposed Italian Scientific Union-Fruits of Ital'an Unity-Report of
Tabernacle Society-Pope honors French Valor at Canea-American Sailors visit the
Pope— Fishermen of Boulogne prepare for the Season— Their Brethren at Dunkirk—
:atholic Reading Room for Sailors in New York-Bishop of Orleans and Jeanne d' Arc
-Czar's Bell for Chatellerault-Six French Seminarists Fined-A Distinguished Fran
iscan Tertiary-Chapels closed in France-A Bishop's salary stopped- Priest's «alar-
5 stopped— A Mayor intimidated-Passive attitude to the Law ePAbonnement— Comte
e Mun. an Academician-St. Veronica, Patroness of Photographers-Simultaneous
in Marseilles-Archbishop of York in Russia-Two ex-ministers go to Rome-
.dmiral converted-Progress of Catholicity in England-i3th Centen-
cille-Memorialof B. Canisius in Innsbruck- Catholics in Crete-The
Church ,n Norway-King Alphonsoand Cathedral of Westminster-General Gallien!
™£des?ta ^O ' °na,ry-Pr°greSS °f the <*»«* in Madagascar-Ruthenianst he

:d States-Queen's Daughters' Pilgrimage in St. Louis-Religion in Switzerland «0
e Festival of Ven. Jeanne D'Arc, at Paris and Orleans-A Catholic School in Iceland '

Oriental Rite-The Pope on Paray-Leo. XIH, and^heTun^el^of DanTeTo'con-

iiell— Colonel Froment — Catholicity in the French Navy — Ancient Catholic Customs in
Austria and Spain — The Shah and the Pope — Ven. de la Colombiere — Spain and the
Sacred Heart— A New Pious Association— The Almoners of Labor— Paternalism in

Italy — Pilgrimage of French Artisans to Rome 661

The Paray Eucharistic Congress— Additions to the Montmartre Basilica— Golden Jubilee
of La Salette — Outdoor Preaching in London — Outrages in Ecuador— Leo XIII. and the
Academy of the Arcades— Duke d'Aumale's Piety— Religious Orders in Norway—
Union of Franciscan Branches— St. Bede's College, Rome- Statue of Cardinal Guibert -
Graded Sunday School Classes— Cure through Ven. de la Colombiere— Association of

Perpetual Adoration 752

James Britten and the Catholic Truth Society— Death of a Distinguished Belgian Jesuit—
The Kaiser and the Benedictines— The Seminary of Anagni— The Pope and the Irish
People— Verdi's Faith— A Royal Nun— A Model Choir School— Cardinal Vaughan and
Catholic Seamen— Imposing Services at Montmartre— The Feast of the Sacred Heart
in Toulouse— A Monument and an Inscription— A Russian Dignitary among Anglicans
—The Reconversion of Wales— The Tabernacle Society— The Colutnkille Celebration-
Honors for Rev. Luke Rivington— Catholic Aldermen in London— A Mistake and a

Correction 850

Monument to St. Bonaveuture— The Feast of St Anne— Success of Catholic Colleges in the
Irish Intermediate Examination— Catholic Sisters Decorated— The Dominican House
of Study in Jerusalem— A Memorial Church to Herr Windhorst— Chartres and Car-
dinal Pie— Work of The Christian Brothers— Mgr. Paul Bruch£si 948

The Late R. H. Hutton— Blessing of the Bells at Domremy— Statistics of Growth in the
Catholic Church— The Centenary of St. Augustine's Lauding in England— The Cause
of Mother Marie de Sales Chappuis— The Eucharistic Congress at Venice— The Pope
Knights James Britten— Miracle Through B. Margaret Mary— Mme. Canovas del
Castillo and her husband's Assassin — Distinguished Catholic Students — The Martyrs
of the French Revolution — A. Unique Service— Recent Miracles at Lourdes — For the

Conversion of England . 1043, 1140

In Thanksgiv.ng for Graces Obtained 87, 183, 282, 376, 473, 568, 666, 758, 857, 954, 1048, 1145

In the Austrian Tyrol. Illustrated. E. McAu.iffe .... 1059'

Jeanne D' Arc. Illustrated. John A. Mooney, LL.D 319,387,511,579,683,778, 891

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, to. Rev. M. Russell, S.J : 722

Jubilee of the French National Vow. Rev. E. Cornut, S.J. . 328

Jubilee of the Work of the Propagation of the Faith 653

June, Dedication of the Month to the Sacred Heart. Ellis Schreiber . . 736

Kirkstall Abbey, The Story of. J. Reader 346

Knight Hospitallers, The Origin and Rise of the. Illustrated. J. Arthur Floyd 1069

Lake, the Parable of the. Illustrated. Rev. C. W. Barraud, S.J 867

Landing of St. Augustine in England, The Illustrated. Rev. F. Felix, O.S.B 528, 676

Legend of Lower California, A. A. R. Crane . . . 454

Lessius, The Ven. Leonard, S.J. Illustrated. G. J. D lion 993

Libraries, Catholic Books in Public. J. F. O'Donovau, S J 314

Lourdes, The Cure of. Illustrated. J. M. Cave 1088

Loving God .... 673

Mangalore, the Sodality of Christian Mothers in. Illustrated. Rev. A. M. L. Vas 743

Martyr, Afoot with America's First. Illustrated. Late Rev. George OConnell, S.J 406

Martyr, Jesuit and Poet Illustrated. P. J. Coleman 58

Mary's Shrine in the Alps. Illustrated. R. M. Taylor 292

Miraculous Picture of St. Ignatius. Illustrated 609

Missionary Diocese in the Days of the Heptarchy, A. Illustrated. J. A. Floyd .... loo

Missioner, A Model . 65 /

Modern, Cranford, A. D. Gresham 357

Mother of a Famous Priest, The. L. W. Reilly 1066

Music — Our Lady's Lullaby. Rev. Ludwig Bonvin, S.J 175

New York Diocese, 1826-1834. Francis T. Furey, A.M 827, 873

Notes from Head Centres . . . 82, 181

Notice. . . i, 97

Old and Yet New 481

Oriental Rite, Churches of. Rev. James Couway , S.J 420

Origin and Rise of the Knight Hospitallers . Illustrated. J. Arthur Floyd. .- . 1069

Orsini, Maria Felicia: Duchess and Nun. Illustrated. J. M. Cave 983

Padres, A Chronicle of the. Illustrated. Late Rev. George O'Connell, S.J 1012

Parable of the Lake, The. Rev. C W. Barraud, S.J 867

Pennstown, the First Pastor of. S. Trainer Smith • ; . . . . 969

Phi. adelphia Diocese Sixty Years Ago. Francis T. Furey. A.M 521

Poecry :

A Christmas Lullaby. Sonnet 2

Hail the Christ Child ! St. Mary's of the Woods 3

The Stahat Mater of the Crib. Translated by Rev. J. F. Quirk, S. J. . , J

Ulessed Night. F. de Sales Howie, SJ • • • • • " ' ,\* ' ,7

The Burning Babe. Illustrated by J. E. Kelly. Ven. Robert Southwell, S. J 57

An Ideal. E. Lummis

Love not in Words, but in Works. Francis J. McNifi, S.J. . . • *J

The Vespers of the Slain. P. J Coleman

Our Lady's Lullaby (Hymn). Rev. T. B. Barrett, SJ «

St. Joseph and the Presence Light. Richard E. Ryan, S. J. . . :

Gratia Plena. From the Latin. Rev. C. W. B ,rraud, S. J

Ode of Leo. XIII. Translated by Rev John F. Quirk, SJ

Peccavi. Si. Mary's of the Woods

Seven Last Words. Seven Sonnets. F. W. Grey 3 ^

Heaven. E Lummis . .

Easter Song. F. J. McNiff, S. J

Easter Lilies. Illustrated. W. F. X. Sullivan, S J

Rosary Time. M. M. Halvey

The Paschal Light Illustrated St. Mary's of the Woods

St. Aloysius. D. O'Kelly Brauden

The Sanctuary Light. Rev. J. F X. Burns, SJ

Brother Amadeus. S. Trainer Smith

The Lotus. E. Lummis :

St. Columba's Reverie. M. M. Halvey

Ballade of Our Lady's Mantle. Rev. Joseph J. Keaiing, SJ. . . .

A Lesson. F. de S. Howie, S J

Refugium Peccatorum. Rev. Joseph J. Keating, SJ

A Song of the Sea Francis J. McNiff S J

Civitas Dei. F. W. Grey 845

A Dead Beggar's Beads. Joseph O'Halloran

At an Altar of the Sacred Heart. Cbarles Hanson Towne Syq

Father Damien. Illustrated. E. B. E 889

God's Church. Rev. C. W. Barraud, S J 9?8

Consecration. M 932.

Sweet Childhood. F. de S. Howie, SJ 943

Saint Winefride. Illustrated. Rev. C. W. Barraud, SJ 981

Amendment. Eamon Hayes 1024

The Just Man's Death. Rev. M. Watson. S J 1036

I Waited, Lord, /or Thee. J. A. Mullen. S J iosi

Mary's Jewels. Rev. John B. Tabb 1057

Saint Francis Xavier. Rev. M. Watson, S. T 1065

Donum Dei. C. Nugent 113?

God's Meetest Praise. Rev. W. J. Ennis. SJ "39

Prayer , 289

Prayer, An Apostle of 809, 906

Preparing for a Later Day 577

Propagation of the Faith, Jubilee of the Work of the 653

Promoters' Receptions 95, 190, 287, 383, 479, 575, 670, 765, 863, 959, 1055

Reader , The:

Books for Christmas Gifts— Catholic University Bulletin— La Croix of Paris — Catholic

Books in Public Libraries 90

Pedagogy Run Mad— A False History of Education— Catholic Juvenile Literature— The
Paulists and the Catholic Truth Society's Publications— Bias of the American Library
Association— Christmas Numbers of Catholic Newspapers— The Cardinal's Latest
Book 186

Literature and the Young— Changes in The London Month— Silver Jubilee of the Irish
Monthly— PL Successful Literary Experiment— The London Catholic Truth Society-
Gladstone as a Theologian— The Ode of Leo XIII. to France . . 284

Novels About Nuns— Proscribed Newspapers— Exposure of Crime Not a Deterrent-
Coventry Patmore's Holocaust for the Faith 379

Gracious Acknowledgment of L'terary Labors— The Story of Liberty— Another Literary

Fraud — A Sacred Heart Library 475

Discontinuance of the Catholic School and Home Magazine— Protest Against Nun Hero-
ines in Novels— Not the Name, but the Spirit— Masonic Verdict on Irreligiors Educa-
tion • 570, 668

Sketch of the Late Sister Mary Genevieve of St. Mary's of the Woods— The Pope's En-
cyclical on the Holy Ghost " 760i 86o 956) IO52i IJ4?

Recent Aggregations 94,190,287,383,478,575,670,764,863,959, 1055, 1151

Relics of the Sacred Passion, The. Illustrated. Rev. H. Van Rensselaer, SJ 233, 334

Romewards with Archbishop Seghers. Illustrated. L. S :i

Vll

Sacred Heart, A Cardinal of the. Cardinal Franzelin 441, 506

Sacred Heart, Albania and the. Illustrated 622, 700

Sacred Heart in the Tyrol, The 4^8

Sacred Passion, the Relics of the. Illustrated. Rev. H. Van Rensselaer, S.J 233, 334

Saintly Sister of a Saintly Brother, The • 922

Sodality of Christian Mothers in Mangalore. Illustrated. Rev. A. M. L. Vas 243

Some Religious Founders and Their Spirit. Illustrated 29

Some Remarkable Conversions 373

St. Anthony in Art. Illustrated. M. F. Nixon 915

St. Catharine as Promoter of Unity .... 361

St. Ignatius in the Santa Cueva. Illustrated. Rev. A. J. Maas, S.J 146

St. Ignatius, Miraculous Picture of. Illustrated 609

St. Joseph's Day, Thoughts for. Illustrated. Rev. Matthew Russell, S.J 196

St. Thomas, The Christians of. Illustrated. Rt. Rev. Charles Lavigne, S.J . 227

Statutes of the Apostleship of Prayer, The Revised . . 261

Statutes of the Pious Association of the Apostleship of Prayer 165

Story of a Lover of Christ, The. Illustrated 4

Story of Kirkstall Abbey, The. J. Reader 346

Summer in Tuscany. Illustrated. E. McAuliffe 816

Theophile. Illustrated. From the French of Rev. V. Fontanie, S.J .... 537

To Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Rev. M. Russell, S.J 722

Treasury of Good Works 96, 192, 288, 384, 480, 576, 672, 768, 864, 960, 1056

True and False Condescension. Rev. H. Van Rensselaer, S.J 635

True Light of Asia, The. D. A. Dever 297

Tuscany, Summer in. Illustrated. K. McAuliffe 816

Tyrol, the Sacred Heart in the ' 428

Venice, Corpus Christi in 418

Ven. Leonard Lessius, S.J., The. Illustrated. G. J. Dillon 993

Visitation, Marguerite Elizabeth de la Colombiere, Religious of the .'. . 922

War, from the Seat of. Padre Gaetano Romano, S.J '. 602

Where Our Protomartyr Lies Buried. Illustrated. The Late Rev. George O'Connell, S.J 797

Wives and Mothers, the Patron of Christian 458

Zionism 1034

NOTICE.

The MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART and its SUPPLEMENT, which have

hitherto been issued at different times each month, will henceforth, beginning with
this number, appear on the same day under one cover.

Subscription to the MESSENGER will include, as formerly, its Supplement;
those who wish to take the latter separately may do so as before, as it will be
reprinted under a special cover for their benefit.

The PILGRIM OF OUR LADY OF MARTYRS, which was formerly the Supple-
ment of the MESSENGER, will in the future, beginning with the January number,
be devoted exclusively to devotion to OUR LADY OF MARTYRS, to the Cause of
her servants Father Jogues and his Companions, to the interests of her Shrine
at Auriesville, and to the history of our Catholic Missions past and present.

This change has been made for the advancement of the different works for
which our periodicals are published, and for the good of our subscribers and
friends, to whom, in opening this number of the new year, we wish all the
blessings of this holy season.

•

THE FIRST TO ADORE HIM.
(Carlo Dolci )

A CHRISTMAS LULLABY.

Rest Thee, my Jesus, my Maker, my Son,

Flesh of my flesh, my only One !

The weeks of the Proohet seen are run.

These little hands willfbe pierced for sin !
My babe's Blood shed a world to win !
And His Heart be opened to let men in !

Rest Thee, my little One, smile and sleep !
Thy ransomed are tossing out on life's deep,
They fear not : Thy Heart will vigil keep.

To keep at Thy side in peace and strife,
To taste of Thy portion with bitterness rife,
To know Thee, to love Thee, this is life.

THE AESSENGEP^

OF THE

SACKED HEART OF JESUS

Vox, xxxii. JANUARY, 1897. No. i.

HAIL THE CHRIST-CHILD!

^ ^ip^IS solemn midnight ; over all

The silver moonbeams coldly fall,
And, like the murmur of the sea,
The night-wind moans — how bitterly !
But list ! above the snowy plain
Resounds the wondrous, glad refrain :
' ' Be praise to God, be peace on earth ! ' '

The tidings of the Saviour's birth.
Oh, let us meetest off'ring bring,
And haste us to our Infant King

Who in the matter He hath made
Is masked and in a manger laid.
Our Life, our Truth, our Way,
Our Yesterday, To-day.
Our joy of all that now we see,
Our hope — our Heaven yet to be !

In cave of earth where Thou art thrust

To mingle with Thy creatures' dust,
We stand abashed at love of Thine
And mute adore, O Babe divine !

O holy Child ! O beauteous One !

O Juda's Star ! O Mary's Son !

The stable-cave so cold and drear
Is heaven now for Thou art here !

THE STORY OF A LOVER OF CHRIST

Thy sinless Mother hovers nigh,
Thy foster-father standeth by,

The angels voice their joy, and we
Our " Nunc dimittis " sing to Thee
Our Life, our Truth, our Way,
Our Yesterday, To-day,
Our joy of all that now we see,
Our hope— our Heaven yet to be !

A manger must Thy cradle be ;
No room hath Bethlehem for Thee.

No room— yet Thou art Lord of all

And in Thy baby hand so bmall,
The trembling earth Thou boldest up
As dew-drop in a lily-cup.

No room ?— Dear Babe, we give to Thee

Our lowly hearts Thy home to be ;
Fill them and leave Thou room for none
But Thee alone, sweet little One.

What blessedness !— what heavenly charms

To fold Thee in our mortal arms !—
Our Life, our Truth, our Way,
Our Yesterday, To-day,

Our Joy of all that now we see,

Our hope — our Heaven yet to be !

— Sf. Mary's of the Woods, Indiana.

THE STORY OF A LOVER OF CHRIST.

WERE you ever in Bruges ? Did The clump, clump, clump of the wooden

you ever ramble through its in- shoon rattles but not too rapidly on the

definite old streets, or loiter on the stone pavement. Women, old and young,

bridges which span its lazy canal, or rich and poor, fair and not so, in long,

look up at its beautiful belfry while its black-hooded cloaks which have come

carillon filled your ears and soul and the down from an epoch when the fluctua-

sky above with music? They were days tions of fashion were not felt, meet you

of quiet delight if you ever had them, as you walk along. The world has

Not that you were in a Castle of Indo- changed many a time since those all-en-

lence there, for there are no indolent veloping garments were first assumed,

Flemings, but in a land where there is no but not so the wearers. It is now nigh

worry. Nor is there any hurry. Now and twenty years since we were there. The

again a heavy waggon rumbles behind king had just passed through and arches

you leisurely as you walk unconcerned of flowers still spanned the streets. But

in the middle of the roadway. If you it looked as if it had always been so and

are an American it will not overtake you. nobody seemed to care how the world was

THE STORY OF A LOVER OF CHRIST. 5

wagging outside of Bruges, whether com- panels on the great gilded shrine which
merce was greater or less, whether war once encased her relics. It is the great-
was impending or peace was assured. It est treasure of the Hopital St. Jean to-
was happy in its graceful and quiet en- day. There are ten marvellous minia-
joyment, and its holiday garb seemed tures on it, which Memling made, and

INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH OF ST. URSULA,

for every day use, so becomingly did the Memling 's hand was enough to make

city wear it. them marvellous. The six which tell

It was the quiet city of Bruges that the tale of her earthly life are on the

had its great painter tell the story of body of the reliquary, while the other

St. Ursula. He told it on luminous four suggestively also as they speak

THE STORY OF A LOVER OF CHRIST.

of heaven, are on the roof and ends.
Under his brush light takes the tones
of gold such as Claude Lorraine might
envy. The wonderful way in which
his waters are made deep but crys-
tal-like, his meadows glittering like
constellations with flowers, his tufted
woods full of mysterious shadows,
his transparent skies of azure just
veiled by a banishing film of haze,
all marked him as the proper one to por-
tray the little maid who brought heaven
and earth so close together. In sym-
pathy so to speak with St. John's of
Bruges there is in St. John's of Ford-
ham a great painting of the Saint with
her maidens gathered beneath her mantle.
The happy angels on either side touch
its border to lift it. A most exquisite
innocence displays itself on the beauti-
ful upturned faces. They are all of the
same type, but all with just a shade of
difference to distinguish them from each
other. The 'painter has treated the
drapery with the carelessness of an im-
pressionist, and has devoted all his at-
tention to the child-like candor of the
faces. It is an old thing, by I don't
know whom, but he has left us a beauti-
ful bit of devotion on canvas.

There is besides a splendid work on
the legend filled with radiant illumi-
nations which carry one through the
entire history of the Saint. They are
copies from a pupil of Memling, but of
course they are not those of the master
whose wondrous work only the magni-
fying lens can reveal to you. The infini-
tesimal is almost as wonderful as the
infinite when God works, and His paint-
ers have sometimes tried to imitate Him.
This little Saint, born, no one knows
when, away off in the beginning of the
centuries, and dying in a strange land by
the hands of savages, has a Memling to
paint her life, to make his fame while he
illuminates her little story, a miniature
itself, but greater than the great lives of
conquerors.

And what is the story of her life ? One
that the world finds very unlike its own,

and therefore scoffs at. Only lately the
usually impartial Century in its con-
tinued Dictionary had rare sport with
the story of her life and martyrdom . But
that was to be expected. Heresy and
unbelief destroy the poetic instinct just
as they do the power of right reasoning.
No Protestant could ever paint Memling 's
pictures, or even understand her legend.

The story goes back to the Crucifixion
as all stories of holiness must, either open-
ly or by implication. It tells us that the
centurion, who exclaimed at the foot of
the Cross: "Truly this is the Son of
God," went home when his legion was
disbanded. And where was his home do
you think ? Where else but in the Island
of Saints. Why should it not be so ? The
soldiers who were Christ's executioners,
we are told belonged to the Spanish
legion. And why should there not be
among those conscripts of the Celtiberian
Peninsula, one who was a genuine Celt.
The race even then seemed to be ubiqui-
tous. When he found himself among
his people, religious apparently from
the beginning, he wept so copiously and
so often in describing the harrowing
scenes of the Crucifixion, that his tears
caused bright flowers of every virtue to
spring up all over the land. The thought
is like that of Fra Angelico, who, in his
picture of Calvary, makes the hard rock
on which the Cross is planted bloom with
flowers of every hue. If the centurion 's
tears did not produce such a result, at
least the tender love which the Irish peo-
ple always cherished for the passion of
Christ could have done so.

It was in this land of Hibernia, three
or four centuries later (three, four or five,
it matters not, these poetic chroniclers,
take no heed of time, for are not these
facts for all times and peoples ?) that a
holy king, Theonotus by name, or
Known-to-God, reigned in the South.
To him and his holy consort no child
was born, and when at last their prayers
were answered, lo ! it was a princess and
not a prince. But that princess brought
more glory to the realm than perhaps

THE STORY OF A LOVER OF CHRIST.

even a prince might have done. They
called her Ursula, a name whose mean-
ing you would never suspect or perhaps
would be afraid to conjecture, so modern
does it seem. It is nothing else than the
name that has had glory about it in many
a historic scene since that time especially
in our own days. It is the name of Mc-
Mahon. They were in the South, which
seems strange, for does not the sept be-
long to the North ? Not in those days at
least ; or, perhaps the facts are recorded
to tell poetically of the division that un-
happily has always distinguished the
Celt.

The fame of her beauty and purity
spread abroad, and Conan the Prince of

forthwith from Britain and Ireland no
less than eleven thousand maidens came
to her to be guided in prayer and the
practice of every virtue. But they were
not to dwell at home, and what vast fleet
could carry such a multitude away ?

Her royal father began the work
which went on apace, for God was
speeding it, and soon the fair throngs
came to the shore to embark on their
vessels. Every day they sailed out upon
the sea, coming back to the land at the
setting of the sun. Ursula led the host
in her bark which had the pennon flying
from its peak with the words "Maria
Victrix. " There was no toil, no peril,
for angels guided the helm and soft

A CASEMENT OF RELICS.

the Picts in Britain came a-wooing. It
was an invasion of Erin, but this time
not for war. The suit was hopeless, the
father thought, for the virgin had already
in hertenderest youth given her life to
God. To his amazement she consented
to marry, but with a certain roguish re-
serve that was a little bit Celtic and that
even saints may practise. The Prince
might have suspected it, had he not
been from a land that was slow in di-
vining, for the condition was that she
might spend three years in solitude and
prayer in some foreign land in company
with whatever virgins might join her.
The condition was accepted, for what else
could be done ? The call w as issued and

breezes from clear skies wafted them
over the serenest of seas.

At last the day came for their depart-
ure and amid the tears of those whom
they left on the beach, these fair exiles
from a land which has become synony-
mous with exile, willing or enforced,
sailed away. Out they went upon the
open ocean, south of the land of the
Picts where Conan was breaking his
heart, and at last into the Northern Sea
until they came with favoring winds to
ancient Batavia. Apprised of their ar-
rival, the bishops and priests and people
came out to meet them and to pay them
every honor. But there they were not
to abide. They entered the mouth of the

THE STORY OF A LOVER OF CHRIST.

Khine, and, ,n spHe of the cu.ent
came rapidly to Coloma Agnpp-na, h

LKLICS AND RELIQUARIES

sibly none knew it save Ursula. Con- to the Eternal City and, like so many
tinuing up the beautiful river they bright spirits, this vast army of white-
came to Mayence and still further on robed virgins, illumining the mountains
until they disembarked at the fair city as they passed in their flight, paused not

THE STORY OF A LOVER OF CHRIST.

till they found themselves before the
great Pope Cyriacus who blessed them
and called all the city to do them honor.
All their time was spent in visiting the
holy places and in praying at the tombs
of the martyrs for courage in the struggle
before them. Light was coming to all
of them now and they saw before them
what was in store for them.

At last their pious pilgrimage over,
they turned their faces to the battlefield
of the North. The Pope himself accom-
panied them as far as Mayence Some
even say he was martyred at Cologne.

Meantime poor Conan the Prince was
weary of waiting and came in search of
his spouse. He met her at Mayence and
there, the story has it, was baptized, for
he was yet a heathen. But, as he knelt
at the altar and received the Bread of
Life, his heart was changed, and he
arose, no longer thinking of his earthly
espousals but longing for martyrdom
with Ursula. It was not long delayed.
The stream bore them rapidly to Cologne
and there Attila's Huns met them as they
descended from their ships. Up from
the blood-stained city this vast multitude
ascended with their crowns and palm
branches into the kingdom of their
heavenly Bridegroom.

Such is the legend of St. Ursula. Of
course it is poetical in many of its de-
tails, but the substance of truth is easily
distinguished in the ornament that the
admiring love of poet and painter has
overlaid it with, perhaps too heavily at
times, but never so much that the eye
of faith cannot see the meaning.

To begin with, it was not in the third
century the event took place, but as late
as the end of the fifth. Father Du
Buc, S.J., the famous Bollandist, has
carefully collated all the documents
bearing on the question, and has fixed
it at the time that Attila was with-
drawing his forces from Europe. He
rejects the story of the Pope as coming
to Mayence, and even denies that there
was such a Pope. There does not seem
to be any doubt about the native place

of the Saint — and as to the Irish name
it may be added also, as one of the curi-
osities of genealogy that the McMahons
are bolder yet in their claims of remote
descent, by tracing their origin to the
Centurion who came over from Palestine
to tell the story of the Crucifixion.

It is not very likely that the royal
father of Ursula constructed the fleet for
the transportation of the great multi-
tude under his daughter's rule. Many
of those maidens, indeed, may have been
transported in that way with the Princess,
but very likely Ursula and others had
left Ireland and settled near Cologne
and the fame of her virtue brought many
others from Britain and Ireland to place
themselves under her guidance. What
is signified by the vessels going out
daily from the shores of Ireland and
returning at the close of day is hard to
conjecture, except that it is a poetic pic-
ture of the training in virtue that char-
acterized the family life of these high-
born maidens.

One of the early Bollandists, Father
Crombach, who wrote a vindication of
the legend of St. Ursula assures us,
however, that it was a common thing
for the young women of Great Britain,
Denmark, and Norway to engage in bat-
tle, to direct contending fleets and even
command whole armies of women. If
that is true they were more advanced in
some respects than the women of our
day. We are not prepared to say that
Ursula, in her youth, engaged in any
such masculine occupations as these.

The voyage of the fleet over unknown
seas, its passage against adverse winds
and currents, the ready and perfect obedi-
ence accorded to Ursula, are all of course
descriptive of the guidance which they
followed and the dangers and difficulties
of religious life. The journey of the
eleven thousand over the Alps to Rome
is of course not to be taken literally.
Many may have gone, and the hearts of
all most assuredly made the journey.
But the strong attachment to the Holy
See, the solicitude of Rome for the wel-

THE STORY OF A LOVER OF CHRIST.

fare of religious families, as well as the
honor always accorded them, would am-
ply justify the poetic description of the
legend.

These are easy matters to dispose of.
What has for centuries been a subject of
discussion is the vastness of the multi-
tude said to have been martyred along
with St. Ursula. It is contended that
there would have been some record in
profane history of such an awful mas-
sacre, and there appears to be none.
Protestants and unbelievers scout the
whole thing as a myth. Others contend
that it is simply the result of a misread-
ing and maintain that the inscription
"Sancta Ursula Et XIMV " does not
mean eleven thousand virgins, but only
eleven martyrs virgins, the "M," in-
stead of being taken for ' ' martyrs, ' ' has
been taken by popular credulity to mean
"thousand." A further attempt to re-
duce the figure is that Ursula had but
one companion, namely Undecimilla,
and that the proper name was trans-
ferred into what it sounds like, viz.
Undecimmille, which means eleven
thousand.

Other suggestions more ingenious
still, have been made, but against all
this stand the following facts. In the
first place the tradition was never ques-
tioned for centuries. As far back as the
ninth century, and consequently ante-
dating any legend, we find calendars,
martyrologies, episcopal documents and
missals, all stating without any qualifi-
cation that there were eleven thousand
martyrs. There is an indication in one
of these authorities of the very convent
in which they lived outside of the city.

But perhaps the best possible refuta-
tion of all objections is the existence of
the Golden Chamber in the Church of St.
Ursula in Cologne. It is a chapel forty
feet high, and long and wide in propor-
tion. It is called the Golden Chamber,
because it is glittering with gold and
silver and precious gems. It is one mass
of human remains — the bones nearly
altogether of women, piled up on every

side. There are no less than seventeen
hundred skulls many of them bearing
the marks of deadly instruments such as
the Huns made use of. There are tombs
and graves and vaults and cases and
receptacles and double walls, all holding
these relics, and all this after the whole
Christian world has drawn from it to sat-
isfy its devotion.

In a single church of Ghent, for ex-
ample, there are six heads taken from
this collection. The danger and the de-
votion became so great that a Papal Bull
had to check the ravages that were being
made.

Were there fully eleven thousand who
won the palm of martyrdom ? That we
are not prepared to say with absolute
certainty. But there is no difficulty
about admitting that fully that number
may have lived under the sway of the
Saint and were mostly the victims of the
trouble with Attila as he withdrew from
France after the defeat of Chalons. The
Bishop Lupus, who had, like the Pope on
another occasion, gained great influence
over this savage, went with him as far as
the Rhine. On its opposite shore, when
this restraining power was no longer
felt, the massacre took place. That there
is no record of it in profane history is
not surprising, as the nations after he
passed by were deserts. Besides, there
was no profane history. The chroniclers
of those days were the monks. Every-
one knows how vast were the monastic
establishments of those ages of faith.
Even in our own days of degeneracy
there are actually living in one enclosure
in the Beguinage of Ghent no less than
nine hundred nuns, many of them oc-
cupying separate houses. In those bet-
ter times when heaven was more neigh-
borly for us than it now seems to be, the
very deserts were peopled, great multi-
tudes lived under one rule, especially
when the abbot or abbess was of princely
lineage, as in the case of St. Ursula.
What readier prey could there be for a
horde of savages, such as the terrible
hosts of Attila were, than these convents

ROMEWARDS WITH ARCHBISHOP SEGHERS.

of defenceless nuns ? Some few may
have escaped or been led into cap-
tivity, but we know the slaughter was
frightful and many more than these
eleven thousand may have perished,
whose names will be known only in
heaven.

It is this great woman of the early
centuries that the modern Ursulines have
taken as their model. Their purpose,
like hers, is to train young maidens in
learning and piety, to give them princi-
ples which will guide them over the
ocean of life after they have left the pa-
ternal abode, and to teach them, if need

be, to offer their blood for their virtue
and their faith.

That they have followed the teachings
of their mother, their history in the
work of education in Europe attests.
Our own country in those savage days
when Quebec and Louisiana were like
what Europe was when Attila was rav-
aging it, saw them come as Ursula did,
from their princely homes, if need be,
to confront death to advance the faith.
Their work at the present day among
the degraded Crows and Cheyennes, and
their aspirations for still more perilous
missions, all show that Ursula still lives.

ROMEWARDS WITH ARCHBISHOP SEGHERS.

FROM THE DIARY OF AN AMERICAN STUDENT.

By L. S.

is with the consciousness that we are
open to the charge of being illogical,

of untiring activity, the same attach-
ment to the field of his first labors in

that, after having described the life of preference to posts of greater honor, the

an American student and his rambles
among the Alban and Sabine hills, we
have come forward to tell of our trip to
Rome. Let our defence and justifica-
tion be the memories stirred up within
us by reading the letters of Archbishop
Seghers lately published in the American
Ecclesiastical Review. We owe a debt
of gratitude to Rev. Dr. Stang for thus
placing before the world the inmost
workings of the mind and heart of the
great Archbishop, as they stand revealed
to us in that best of all histories, the
autobiography woven from his personal
correspondence. In the light of these
letters, there must appear to one who
has read with attention the Abbe"
Hamon's Life of St. Francis de Sales, a
striking resemblance between the char-
acter of the illustrious Bishop of Geneva
and that of our American prelate. There
is the same meekness, the same combi-
nation of episcopal dignity and priestly
zeal, the same love for God and man,
the same constant realization of the
divine presence, the same unswerving
confidence in Providence, the same spirit

same union of practical common sense
and business tact with the tenderest
piety, so that without presuming to
attribute to Archbishop Seghers the
same degree of consummate sanctity,
we may yet, without violation of the
Bull of Urban VIII., salute him with the
title of the Francis de Sales of the United
States. "To know him was to love
him, "and to have been brought even
for a short time within the sphere of his
influence was in itself a grace ever to be
remembered.

We were three in number, starting for
the American College in Rome. Two of
us, alike in age, in tastes, in our high
youthful aspirations for the future, as
we met for the first time that bright
October morning on the deck of the
City of - — , laid the foundation of a
friendship fruitful in offices of mutual
assistance and encouragement. The
third — God rest his soul ! — was a decade
older, and years of struggle ere he
attained the goal of his desires, the sem-
inary, had stripped life of the roseate
hues in which our imaginations still

ROMEWARDS WITH ARCHBISHOP SEGHERS.

pictured it, and had implanted in their
stead a practical matter-of-fact view of
all things earthly. Hence, acting on
the advice of some ill-informed friends
he was at this moment snugly ensconced
in his berth below, in the hope of stav-
ing off by anticipation the dreaded sea-
sickness.

There is the usual hurly-burly that
marks the departure of an ocean grey-
hound. The air a-flutter with waving
handkerchiefs, those hundred little fare-
well messages so meaningless and silly
to an indifferent spectator, but vested
with such power to hide the deeper feel-
ings of active participants in this scene
of separation, and then, by the aid of a
large tug, our floating palace turns its
prow towards the land of the rising sun.
We would fain deny it, but the truth
must be told ; there is a faintness around
our hearts, a peculiar lumpy sensation
in our throats, and, although a moment
ago the air was transparently clear and
the sun dancing merrily on the waters,
between our eyes and the great city we
are leaving, there swings a misty veil
due to no atmospheric influences. For
relief, we start towards the saloon to
arrange with the purser for our seats at
table.

As we turn from the rail, our atten-
tion is attracted by a thin, rather tall
gentleman of ascetic mien, whose purple
rabbi proclaims him a bishop, and whose
clean but well-worn clothes give equally
clear evidence of the poverty of the dio-
cese over which he presides. We raise
our hats in respectful salutation. He at
once approaches, and, in a voice of sin-
gular sweetness, slightly tinged by a
trace of foreign accent, inquires, ' ' Cath-
olics and students? " "Yes, Bishop,"
we answer. "Of art ? "he further asks,
for, as we were not yet seminarians our
dress as to color and cut was secular.
' ' No, Bishop ; for the Church, and on
our way to Rome." This was enough.
His bright smile deepens into a look of
tenderest paternal affection, and holding
out a hand of greeting to each, "My

dear young friends, " he says, " I am so
happy to meet you. I, too, am going to
Rome, "and drawing out his card from
an old note book, we read the name,
Most Rev. Charles}. Seghers, D.D.,
Archbishop of Oregon City,

Portland, Oregon.

We then give him our names, but
with a kindness and tact that put us at
once at ease, he asks if we would not
prefer to have him call us by our Chris-
tian instead of family names — a proposi-
tion to which we gladly assent. " But
come, let me introduce you to my secre-
tary, and we shall see to getting seats at
the same table." And so Rev. Father
H is added to our list of acquaint-
ances. He is a tall, broad-shouldered,
full-bearded Belgian, who, after many
years of heroic, self-sacrificing mission-
ary labor in the far West, was looking
forward with undisguised pleasure to
seeing once more his country and rela-
tives.

The matter of the table is soon ar-
ranged, and our next business, at the
Archbishop's suggestion, is to persuade
our recumbent friend of the falseness of
his theory on escaping seasickness.
This, after much talking, we succeed in
doing, and he meets us at lunch with a
ravenous appetite, the result of a twelve
hours' fast. In a few hours more we have
lost sight of land, and with the hauling
down of the Stars and Stripes we seem
to bid a long farewell to home and
country.

' ' Water, water, everywhere, ' ' and the
sky above and the horizon around the
only limits to our vision. Wind and
wave were most propitious, and through-
out the whole seven days our sea journey
lasted, there was scarcely a real bona-fide
case of seasickness. Friday, it is true,
with its fish dinner, staggered a little the
confidence of the Catholics among us,
but by dint of remaining all afternoon
and a part of the evening on deck,
Saturday morning found us at the break-
fast table.

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful,

ROMEWARDS WITH ARCHBISHOP SEGHERS.

and by a striking coincidence it was the
feast of Our Lady, Star of the Sea. The
cabin passengers were anxious to have
the Archbishop " hold services, " as they
called it, in the saloon, but the bigoted
Scotch captain gruffly refused, alleging
that in the absence of a Protestant clergy-
man, his rules required him to read the
Church of England service. The rules
were obeyed in the presence of a congre-
gation of less than a dozen members.
The rest followed us to the second cabin
where His Grace pointed out in a few
well-chosen
words the ap-
propriate les-
sons of the
day's feast, and
led in the reci-
tation of the
Rosary. The
exercises fitly
closed with the
singing of the
Ave Maris Stel-
la. Our tenor
was the Arch-
bishop, the bass
my companion,
the soprano — a
strong and
sweet voice — a
buxom Irish
cook, returning
after fifteen
years of ' ' liv-
ing out ' ' to see
"the old sod." The chorus headed by
Father H — - and myself contributed
volume if not music to the hymn.

And so the endless round of meals arid
monotonous ocean scenery ran its course.
Everybody was on terms of familiarity
with everybody else, for all distinction
of wealth, of social position, or of relig-
ion seems banished from the little world
of an ocean steamer. And yet how dif-
ferent were the factors that went to make
up this harmonious whole ! A retired
U. S. Army Colonel is bringing his in-
valid wife to Europe in search of health.

ARCHBISHOP SEGHERS.

Two Irish gentlemen are hastening home
from Pittsburg to attend the deathbed of
a younger brother. That tall, lanky in-
dividual is a Presbyterian deacon, too
conscientious to gamble in the pool made
each day on the ship's run, although he
furnishes his fifteen-year-old son with
money for this purpose, and duly scolds
him when he does not win. An upstart
American girl is straining every nerve
to capture the son of a rich Manchester
manufacturer, while a Belfast college
lad, returning from a summer vacation
in the States, is
looking daggers
at his successful
English rival.
There is a talka-
tive Arkansaw,
who tries to im-
press you with
the fact that
there is nothing
in heaven or on
earth that has
escaped his ken,
and a young
Englishman
just completing
a tour of the
world, a taci-
turn fellow, who
is as tightly
bound up in his
island prej-
udices as if
he had never
stirred a foot from England, and who, in
reply to your questions as to the differ-
ent countries he has visited, volunteers
only one point of information : "Yes, I
have been there." And thus from the
old Captain on the bridge down to the
raging maniac in the hold who is being
sent back to the British Government,
which had tried to foist her on the
United States, there are characters that
would prove good subjects for pen or
brush.

But above them all towers the dear
Archbishop. Saint, theologian, musi-

ROMEWARDS WITH ARCHBISHOP SEGHERS.

cian, his figure even after this lapse of
time stands out in clear relief against
the background of the past, and I doubt
not that our life has been made better,
our views spiritualized, for the week we
passed in his company. Here we were,
thinking that we were doing great things
for our Lord in leaving for a short time
our homes to prepare ourselves for a
ministry to be exercised among our
friends and amid all the comforts and
conveniences of civilization, and talking
with us in familiar conversation was one
who had severed every tie of blood and
country to devote himself to the rude
savages of our western wilds.

We were ready and eager to embrace
the cross, but compared to that which
he had borne these many years, our cross
would be light indeed — more like the
bright and golden symbol which adorns
our churches than the hard wood on
which our Saviour died. How often
had those eyes been blinded by the
falling snows of distant Montana and
Alaska, those feet frost-bitten in a cli-
mate where the thermometer registered
forty degrees below zero, and that frail
frame nourished by an Indian diet so
repulsive as not to bear description !

But to come to some traits of a per-
sonal character. I have called the good
Archbishop a musician and, in truth, I
know few more worthy of the title.
How many a time he would curtail his
dinner or supper to steal away to the
piano in the saloon ! ' ' For thirteen
years he had not touched a note, ' ' he
explained in blushing apology, as he
turned to find the admiring passengers
thronging around to listen. After this,
nothing could induce him to continue
playing when there were others in the
room, and so we hit upon the expedient
of opening the glass transom between
the dining hall and the saloon, and there
in silence we drank in the floods of clas-
sical music which flowed from his mas-
terly fingers. Selections from Mozart,
Rossini, Verdi, Gounod, snatches from
operas and Masses were played from

memory, while ever and anon, as if his
soul had been transported to the vast
cathedral of his native Ghent, the stately
strains of Palestrina or the simple accom-
paniment of the Preface filled the room.
Applause could no longer be restrained,
and covered with confusion at being
overheard, the modest prelate would
rush on deck to escape congratulations
by reading his Breviary.

Not less retentive and solid was his
knowledge of philosophy. I remember
well how our elderly student friend once
dared to measure swords with His Grace
on some obscure point of metaphysics.
"You will find this doctrine on such
and such a page of Liberatore, ' ' he as-
serted, with all the confidence of a young
philosopher still glorying in the honor
of having captured the philosophical
medal of his class. "Yes," mildly
rejoined the Archbishop, "but if my
memory serves me aright after twenty-
five years, you will find that Liberatore
admits my position as more tenable in
the paragraph immediately following the
one you have quoted. "

But great as was the learning of Arch-
bishop Seghers, his zeal and holiness
were still more admirable. Time after
time, at our entreaty, he would tell us
the story of his vocation and apostolate,
always ending with an appeal that we
leave the crowded dioceses of the East,
where there were so many priests, and
come and share with him the happiness
and hardships of the missions. Happi-
ness and hardship — how incomparable
the two terms seemed ! And yet as you
listened to this true apostle you would
deem them inseparable.

Once in particular, I recall a descrip-
tion of a year of more than ordinary
suffering. His episcopal revenue for a
twelvemonth had been but eleven dol-
lars, and hunger, and thirst, and jour-
neyings ; perils of all sorts, labor and
painfulness, fastings, cold, and almost
nakedness, and, above all, his solicitude
for all the churches, had come, as they
did to St. Paul, to bow him down.

ROMEWARDS WITH ARCHBISHOP SECHERS.

' ' And you were still happy ? " I in-
quired. " Happy, " lie repeated, " I was
so happy that I could have sung aloud
for very joy. " And then as he noticed
our surprise, he added with charming
simplicity and earnestness : ' ' How could
it be otherwise ? If our Lord had prom-
ised a hundredfold even in this life to
those who leave all things to follow
Him, why should He not give it on
occasions like this ? My dear young
friends, one hour of spiritual joy com-
pensates long years of hardship, and the
happiest hours of my life have been
those which, humanly speaking, have
been passed in extremest misery and
want. "

I have alluded to the poverty of the
Archbishop's outfit apparent at the first
meeting which led to our acquaintance.
Let me bring out this fact in greater
prominence. All who made the trip
across the Atlantic know the indispen-
sable need of a good overcoat or shawl.
Well, these were comforts unknown to
the Archbishop, and in lieu thereof he
used a linen duster. Upon my remon-
strating that this afforded no protection
against the cold, he smilingly answered :
" Nor is it intended for that purpose.
You see, I wear it to protect my coat
and not myself. ' '

But we must not pass unnoticed the
Archbishop's acting secretary, Father

H . I say acting secretary, for the

reason that he did not come from the
diocese of Oregon, but laboring in a still
more distant mission, had gladly ac-
cepted the invitation of his old friend
and fellow countryman to accompany
him to Rome. Much as the two men
differed in appearance, they were both
cast in the same heroic mould, and had
made equally great sacrifices to devote
themselves to the American Mission.
As these lines will probably not fall

'under Father H 's eyes, I may be

permitted to relate an incident about
which he in his humility would doubt-
less command silence. It will serve to
illustrate the love and devotion with

which those pre-eminent missioners, the
Belgians, give their lives to the salva-
tion of souls in distant iands. " Give
me Belgians, " was the cry of St. Francis
Xavier in the sixteenth century, a cry
repeated over and over again by mis-
sionary bishops and superiors, and which
has been always generously answered
by the clerics of this privileged nation.
But to 'my story.

Father H 's parents were strongly

opposed to his giving himself to the
Missions, and so when, despite this
opposition, he entered the American
College at Louvain, they allowed him to
take none of his clothes away with him
save those he wore. In consequence ot
this harsh measure, he was obliged him-
self to wash his single set of underwear,
and to remain in his room while the
process of drying was going on. Now
it happened one Saturday night that
after he had washed his long black
stockings, he tied them around his
lamp-chimney to dry, while book in
hand he divided his time between study
and watching that the precious stock-
ings did not take fire. But alas for all
his precautions, lie fell asleep to be
awakened by the smell of burning wool.
His only pair of stockings were lost
beyond redemption ! Here was a di-
lemma. It was a rule of the college
that all seminarians should be present
in the choir stalls at the High Mass on
Sundays. But to go to church without
stockings was an impossibility on ac-
count of the ecclesiastical custom on
the Continent of wearing short trousers
beneath the cassock. Were he to absent
himself, it would draw down on his
head a severe reprimand, perhaps a
doubt of his vocation, whereas if he
were to offer an explanation, it would
reflect on his family. But "necessity
is the mother of invention, " and a small
brush and a bottle of ink were soon
weaving for him a novel pair of stock-
ings. He had just finished to his satis-
faction the painting in black of one
limb, when there was a rough knock at

HOMEWARDS WITH ARCHBISHOP SECHERS.

the door, and a moment later the porter
had deposited a large trunk full of
clothes on the floor of his room. It was
from home, and was accompanied by a
note announcing the forgiveness of his
parents and their blessing on his holy
purpose.

Of course we laughed heartily at this
description of his embarrassing situa-
tion and the expedient he had adopted
to solve the difficulty, but beneath its
humor, who will say that there was not
evidence of the highest courage, a fit-
ting prelude to the labor and self-sac-
rifice that were awaiting him in after
days ?

Father H 's work in the West

had thrown him much in contact with
mining people, and he thus summed up
his experience in the camp : ' ' When
they struck gold or silver, I fared well.
But when they did not, well, I fasted
with my flock, " and from this statement
we may fairly conclude, that the fast
days often outnumbered the feasts in his
yearly calendar.

The Archbishop and Father H —
parted from us at Liverpool, where some
of their former classmates at Lou vain
were waiting on the dock to receive
them.

We met His Grace once again at Rome.
It was the day after his memorable audi-
ence with Pope Leo when the Holy
Father, his eyes filled with tears of emo-
tion, expressed his approval and accept-
ance of the generous offer already sub-
mitted to Cardinal Simeon i, that he
return to his old see of Vancouver. ' ' I
am going back to Alaska," was the
simple announcement which he made to
us of this act of heroic virtue after a few
minutes of general conversation, and the
joy that lighted up his pale countenance
told more clearly than words the feelings
with which he welcomed the permission
to return to the first scene of his mission-

ary labors. Indeed what struck us most
in his detailed account of this interview
with the Pope, was his complete uncon-
sciousness of the fact that he was doing
anything extraordinary which would
excite universal admiration. On the
contrary, his main thought was of the
Pope's gracious kindness and condescen-
sion in granting him this favor. Such
is the humility of holy men. They at-
tribute to others the good that is really
in themselves.

Little did we think as the bell for noon
examination of conscience called us away
from the parlor, and we knelt to ask a
blessing on our studies, that within a
short three years, our beloved Archbishop
should fall a victim to an assassin's bul-
let. We all know how on the eventful
twenty-eighth of November, 1886, he
was aroused a little after daybreak to
find the maniac Fuller with levelled
rifle standing before him. No cry of
fear escaped his saintly lips, no vain
effort to prolong a life already devoted
to God and ripe for heaven. Calmly
folding his arms across his breast, and
bowing down his head in resignation to
the divine will, he offered his death, as
we may well believe, in sacrifice for the
welfare of the Alaska Mission. ' ' Greater
love than- this hath no man, that he lay
down his life for his friend, " and as from
the death of our Saviour flow all bless-
ings on this sinful world, so too, with
due measure of difference, may we trust
that from the blood of Archbishop Seg-
hers will come to the poor Indians, the
friends, the children of his heart, a
harvest of God's best and choicest gifts.
A small cross on the banks of the far
away Yukon marks the place of his
martyrdom, and as during the long
night of an Arctic winter it keeps its
solitary vigil, the wind, howling and
sighing through the naked trees, sings
a sad threnody for the Apostle's death.

A CHRISTMAS GLORIA.
By M. T. Waggaman.

f< HRISTMAS EVE in all its gladness
^•^ and glory. Christmas Eve and
the sun winking down merrily from
a clear frosty sky, the hard-packed snow
glittering like diamond dust, the river
frozen three inches deep, curving around
Ben Mar hills with the glint of a Damas-
cus blade.

Christmas Eve, and the stores burst-
ing with holiday presents, the streets
thronged with holiday buyers, the mar-
kets brimming with holiday cheer.

Best of all, Christmas Eve, at old St.
Asaph's, where the heavy college doors
had swung open at the stroke of noon
and three hundred boys with a combined
whoop that would have put a band of
Sioux to shame had burst forth into holi-
day freedom. Gripsacks and travelling-
bags had been hastily grasped, merry
goodbyes spoken, prefects of "schools "
and ' ' studies ' ' had dropped all their
pedagogic terrors and were cordially
speeding their parting pupils " home. "

' ' Hurrah for Christmas, ' ' shouted Har-
vey Wright, who lived in the town near
by, to his chum and neighbor, Jack
Lawrence.

"Let's take a spin on the river, Jack,
before we start home. They say you
can go humming down three miles with-
out a break. Ice like glass — best we've
had this year."

"I'm with you," said sturdy red-
cheeked Jack, clearing the gray stone
steps at a bound. Just wait until I get
my skates from the gym — But, my ! I
forgot — Mother gave me a package for
Father Neville "

" Oh pshaw, don't wait for that ; give
it to Brother Anselm here at the door. "

"I can't," said Jack, reluctantly.
"Mother would not like it. She told
me to give it myself, and ask his bless-
ing before I left. The doctor told her

he was sinking very fast, that he did
not think he would live to see the new
year. ' '

' ' What ! Father Neville ! ' ' exclaimed
Harvey incredulously. " I don't believe
a word of it. Why, I met him in the
corridor only last week ; and he stopped
to talk to me about our football match
and chaffed me about the way we were
used up, and was just as jolly as I ever
saw him in my life. "

" He is pretty sick for all that, I can
tell you," said Jack solemnly. "Dr.
Roland told mother that he was just
dying like a hero without a groan or a
sign. He never saw anything like it in
his life. It will make me feel awful to
see him, I know, but I must give moth-
er's message and little Christmas pres-
ent. Keep in to the river and I '11 be after
you in five minutes. "

And Jack sprang up the broad steps
again into the college hall and made his
way by various corridors and staircases
to Father Neville's room.

The door stood slightly ajar, and, as
Jack reached the threshold a faint moan
from within made his heart suddenly
sink. But his tap was answered by a
cheery " Come in ; " and he entered the
room, to find Father Neville propped
up in his big chair by the sunlit win-
dow in apparently tranquil comfort.

He was a man still in the prime of
life, of kingly form and presence, that a
mortal disease had not been able to mar,
though the noble countenance was
marked with lines of pain, and the suf-
fering eyes told a pathetic story the
smiling lips could not belie.

' ' What ! Jack, my boy is it you ? I did
not think that ropes would hold you
five minutes after twelve, to-day. Skat-
ing on the river, coasting on the hill?,
sleighing, snow-balling. Whew ! this

A CHRISTMAS GLORIA.

is the real right sort of a rousing Christ-
mas we boys like, isn't it? "

"Yes, Father," answered Jack, and
as he looked into the kind, smiling face
and thought of the Doctor's words some-
thing swelled up from his heart to his
throat that made him feel he had better
get through his business quickly or he
would make a break some where. " Mother
asked me to stop and give you this — this
little Christmas present from her, "and
he handed a dainty package to Father
Neville.

"You will have to open it for me, " re-
plied the invalid, smiling. "My hands
are like puff-balls to-day, as you can
see. Silk handkerchiefs, " he continued
as Jack broke the string and showed the
contents of the pretty box within. " God
bless that good mother of yours, doesn't
she know I have made a vow of poverty.
And an initial on the corner, too ; I sup-
pose she put out her eyes doing all that
filigree work herself. "

"Ye — yes, sir, " faltered Jack, think-
ing of the tears that he had seen falling
on that same filigree work when his
mother had heard Doctor Roland's sen-
tence, for Mrs. Lawrence was one of the
many converts that Father Neville had
led into the fold of Truth.

"Well, well," he continued, "I won't
call her foolish, for an old fellow likes to
be remembered, especially when he is
knocked out of wind and time, as I am
just now. Pretty well used up as you
see, Jack ; fairly out of the game — I — I, ' '
here a sudden spasm of pain contracted
the speaker's features, his helpless hands
tightening on the arms of his chair ; he
leaned back on his pillow and closed his
eyes, gasping for breath.

Jack stood dumb and terror stricken.
Oh, this was the suffering of which Doc-
tor Roland had spoken ; this was per-
haps, perhaps "The glass there,"

panted Father Neville, "on the table."

Jack recovered himself enough to hold
the wine glass to the sufferer's lips.
" I'll— I'll run for Brother Francis," he
stammered.

' ' No, no, no, ' ' the helpless hand made
a dissenting gesture, ' ( wait — wait a bit.
It's— just — just — one of my twinges,
Jack; I'll— I'll be better in a minute.
I'm—I'm getting my wind back, you
see," and the pale lips tried to force
their usual smile. " Don't — don't call
any one ; Brother Francis is at his din-
ner. Poor man, his bones are fairly
rattling in his skin now ; let him get
one good, square meal in peace. Look
out of the window, Jack ; my eyes have
failed me this last week ; isn 't that Will
Dutton walking down the road ? ' '

" Yes, sir, Ned Brace and Lem Foster,
and all your old class. They are looking
up here, I think they see you ' '

" Open the window — wave one of your
mother's handkerchiefs to them, Jack, I
can't."

Jack obeyed ; paths and playgrounds
were alive with boys rushing, tumbling,
wrestling, racing to meet car or stage,
but at the flutter of that white signal
there was a sudden pause in the gleeful
tumult. Even Tommy Bond, who was
relieving the exuberance of his feelings
by a series of somersaults on the bar,
stopped head down.

"Father Neville! Father Neville!
Look, boys, look! " went up the ring-
ing shout. "Father Neville is at his
window. Hurrah for Father Neville !
Happy Christmas! Rah, Rah, Rah!"
and hats and caps were flung wildly
into the air, and the frozen hills rang
again and again to the college cry,
while Jack waved his silken pennant
and Father Neville nodded and smiled
as cheerily as if the clutch of death
were not on his heartstrings, and its
shadow on his fearless soul.

"Enough, enough, Jack, put down
the window. If Brother Francis should
catch us at any such skylarking as this
we would both get a fine scolding.
God bless those boys, they are shout-
ing yet. What a thing it is to have
lungs and wind ! And Tommy Bond is
spinning round that bar like a whirligig.
That boy never did know his head from

A CHRISTMAS GLORIA.

his heels, and never will. It makes an when they brought us their Christmas
old water-logged hulk like me feel better greeting. Good will. It's salvation in
just to look at him. Ah, Jack, there is a nutshell, Jack. Have the good will

"HURRAH FOR FATHER NEVILLE! HAPPY CHRISTMAS!"

nothing that braces one up like a breeze to serve God, and help your neighbor in
of good will. Remember that, my boy; all things, little or great, and if we do
the angels knew what they were about make a stumble or two on the road, well

A CHRISTMAS GLORIA.

— we only scratch our noses — not our
souls. They will come out all right.
Take the angel's watchword, Jack. It
will pass you through the lines. Good
will, good will ! And now, I am sure
Brother Francis has got as far as his
apple pie and will be up in a couple of
minutes, and ready with a lecture for
both of us ; so you had better run off.
Thank your mother for her Christmas
gift. Tell her I send her my blessing—
and — good-bye."

It had to come, the sob that Jack had
been choking down so manfully for the
last ten minutes. If Father Neville had
been the least bit solemn, or doleful, or
" preaching " — Jack might have man-
aged himself very credibly and skipped
off with a glad sense of relief into the
holiday sunshine — but to leave him —
jolly, smiling — dying like this ! It was
more than any fellow could stand, and
Jack dropped down on his knees beside
the big armchair, and buried his face
in the cushions while his curly head
shook convulsively.

" Why Jack, my dear boy, Jack, Jack,
what is the matter ? ' '

"Mother — mother told me to get —
your — your blessing, "blurtedjack husk-
ily.

"You have it, my son." The kind
voice grew grave and the helpless hand
was laid tenderly on the boy's hair.
"May God the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost bless you and yours forever.
Remember me in your prayers, and —
and Jack don't grieve. The road may
look a little rough and dark — but I'm —
I 'm near the end, thank God. I'm like
the rest of you, Jack— just a big boy,
going home."

* * *

Jack was glad to find that Harvey had
not waited for him, he felt as if skating
had lost its charms, even the bright sky
looked blurred and dim as he came out
through the smiling sunlight into the
bare white walks, from which the merry
crowd had scattered, leaving the great
college gray, grim and silent— the wind

moaning thiough its leafless groves.—
Ah, a shadow had fallen upon Jack's
Christmas, bravely and brightly as
Father Neville had tried to veil the
presence of death, Jack had felt for the
first time its awful chill.

He turned gravely homeward — but
soon the frosty air sent the warm blood
tingling through his veins, the shouts
of the skaters echoed merrily from the
river, Jack paused, listened, and decided
he must take one turn— one turn only —
and that blue, glinting, shining track
stretching far into the dazzling distance.
And, oh, what a glorious turn it was !
Jack quite forgot the four last things to
be remembered, as with the rollicking
Christmas wind at his back he sped
down the glassy stream on feet that
seemed shod with lightning. Since he
had determined on only one turn, he
resolved to make that turn a long one.
So he kept on until the ekaters disport-
ing themselves near the town, were left
far behind and he found himself at a
point where the river banks rose in great
overhanging cliffs, rough, jagged, frown-
ing, fiercely repellant of all approach.

Further on that same ridge of rock,
terraced into beauty by landscape gar-
deners, was dotted with smiling homes,
but here it had only been hacked and
torn and smitten into deformity that the
massive masonry of the railroad bridge
below might span the stream.

There are such lives — harsh, fierce,
repulsive lives — in which only men like
Father Neville can recognize the same
rock that builds the temples, and upbears
the home.

And underneath these rough-hewn
banks such a life was struck down into
piteous helplessness to-day. A faint
moan reached Jack 's ear, and, wheeling
round suddenly, he saw crouching under
the shelter of the rock the huge, un-
kempt, sodden, shaking wreck of a man.
He had torn his ragged shirt loose at
the throat and breast, as if to ease his
labored breathing. His dull, bleared
eyes were starting painfully from their

A CHRISTMAS GLORIA.

sockets, and the livid features, scarcely
visible under his matted hair and beard,
twitched convulsively. There was an
ugly club at his side, and near it the
red knapsack of the genus — ' ' tramp. ' '-
Altogether, the picture was not a
pleasant one and Jack's first impulse
was to skim hastily away, but — but that
hoarse breathing recalled that other
sufferer, whose blessing still lingered on
his brow, and the boy paused with a new-
born pity in his heart..

"Hallo ! " he called, skating closer to
the bank. " What's the matter? "

There was no answer, the man could
not speak, but the shaking hands made
a grasp at the club, for to his dulled
brain "boy" was synonymous with
" tormentor. "

"I say," repeated Jack in a louder
tone, " are you sick ? "

"None of your business," gasped
the other, with an oath that made Jack,
though by no means a saint, wince.

' ' Well, you might be a little more
civil about it, " said Jack grimly. " You
look pretty bad, I can tell you. I
thought you were making a die of it
here alone."

Another oath was the only reply.

Jack felt his good nature rapidly
diminishing under this fusillade ; but
good "nature" and good "will" are
very different things, as the Christmas
angels know. " Blast you ; what — what
are you standing there gaping for,"
hoarsely panted this neighbor of Jack's.
" Get out, or I'll — I'll, " he clutched his
bludgeon fiercely and tried to struggle
to his feet. Jack made a brisk backward
curve, and in a moment was out of reach.
Then he paused again, for the wretched
sufferer had fallen down with a piteous
moan.

"Jing, he is going to make a die of
it, sure enough. It don't seem right to
leave him here alone like a dog ; you're
a nice one, " continued Jack, addressing
himself indignantly to the shaking hulk
of poor humanity before him, "to go
clubbing people when they only mean

to help you ; you're a dandy sort of dy-
ing man. "

"Water," came faintly through the
working lips, " blast you, water."

It was scarcely the appeal to touch
Jack's heart, but again the picture of
that noble face, darkened by a like agony,
rose before Jack's eyes, and he grew piti-
ful once more for Father Neville's sake.
He glanced around, there was not a drop
of water within sight ; everything was
frozen hard and cruel as steel. Then as
in boyish perplexity he thrust his hands
in his reefer pockets, he felt a package
there. It was the little silver-mounted
vinaigrette he had bought for his pet
sister Nellie, a delicate little girl, whose
"sniffs," as her brother called it, saved
her many a fainting spell. In a second
Jack had the package from his pocket
and the dainty flask in all its uncorked
strength under his neighbor's nose. It
was a powerful whiff, for the pungent
salts were fresh and strong.

The fainting man gasped, struggled,
revived. Like a drowning creature, he
clutched the tiny vial and inhaled it
again and again.

"Gosh! " he muttered, "it's good —
good. It just hits the right place. That
cursed spell came near doing for me ; I
— I crawled down under these here rocks
to die; but I ain't — ain't gone yet;
guess I kin hold out long enough to set-
tle accounts with some folks I know."
And the sodden face lit up with a ma-
lignant gleam. "Here's your bottle,
youngster, and thank you for it. It's
done me a power of good. What sort of
stuff is it, and where do you get it ? I'd
like to have some, 'gin another turn
comes on. "

"Oh, you can keep that, " said little
gentleman Jack, who, apart from all char-
itable considerations, felt his pretty gift
had been profaned for dainty Nellie now.

"I can," and the man, who was
rapidly regaining strength and voice,
looked at the little silver-topped, crystal
toy as if it were a talisman ; "keep this
here ? What do you ask for it ? "

was

"Ask for it? "
why — nothing."

" D'you mean to give it to me ?
the amazed question.

"Why, yes, of course, laughed Jack,
" It isn't worth much, it's just a little
stuff to keep people fiom reeling over.
Keep the bottle tight corked, and when
you feel your spell coming on, open it
and take a good whiff— that's all."

The man looked from boy to flask
in dull amazement. Happy, sheltered,
home-blessed Jack— could not guess
what a bitter story of hopeless, friend-
less, sunless life that look conveyed.

It was as if the hacked and blackened
rock, under which the wretched being
lay, had suddenly found on its strong
breast a flower of spring.

' • Lord ! " he said, with a harsh, strange
laugh, "that's a curious youngster.
I've had to beg, and buy, and earn, and
borrow and steal — and I've done them
all, but it's the first time anybody ever
gave me anything — the very first time. ' '
"That's a pretty tough show for a fel-
low, " said Jack. "Never had a Christ-
mas gift when you were a boy ? ' '

" No ; never had nothing but kicks
and licks, any time."

" Well, I'll break your record with a
Christmas gift to-day. All right again,
are you ? Let me help you up ; better
take another sniff before you start oft"
There's your stick ; keep to the road
under the bridge if you are going to
town ; you'll find it's not so much of a
climb — so good-bye and Happy Christ-
mas ; ' ' and Jack made an artistic back-
ward curve and then a straight sweep
down the shining river home.

"Happy Christmas! " muttered the
man, his face lowering again as the
boy's blithe figure disappeared around
a bend of the stream. " Happy Christ-
mas ! Mebbe I ain't going to make
it happy for some folks I know; " and
gripping his knotted stick, he thrust
his hand in his side pocket as if to
assure himself of something hidden
there, and then passed under the shadow

A CHRISTMAS GLORIA.

of the blackened
town.

lepeatedjack, "why-

rocks towards the

The beautiful drawing room of the
Lawrence home was a very bower of
greenery, a Yule log snapped and blazed
jovially on the tiled hearth, the gar-
landed chandelier, with its pendant crys-
tals flashed and gleamed like an Arctic
sun. For Jack 's family held to the old
German custom, and the " Christkind-
chen " came on Christmas Eve.

Dolls, tea sets, baby carriages, horns,
trumpets, rocking horses and bicycles
were arranged about the tree, which,
twinkling with tiny tapers, glittering
with tinsel ornaments, arose in all its
splendor in the centre of a miniature
Christmas garden on which Jack had ex-
pended all his artistic taste.

" A complete success, my dear, " said
Judge Lawrence, who, though a stern
administrator of justice on the bench,
was the most tender and genial of house-
hold law-givers. "The tree strikes me
as particularly dazzling this year, while
the garden, " and the Judge surveyed the
landscape at his feet with a whimsical
smile, "excepting some slight discrep
ancies in the sizes of those elephants
and lambs that are gamboling over the
walks, is" unusually fine. I trust the
banks of that miniature Como are se-
cure Was it not last year we had a
freshet that ruined six yards of carpet ? ' '
" I know, John, dear, " said Mrs. Law-
rence apologetically, ' ' but we have been
very careful, and the children would be
so disappointed if the lake were not real
water as usual.

' ' My remark was not intended as an
objection, my dear, not at all, " answered
the Judge. " Christmas conies but once
a year, and childhood but once in a life
time. So if our young folks demand
irrigation on this occasion, let us irri-
gate by all means. And now, before we
open the doors and admit the young
revellers on the scene, here is a little
Christmas gift for their mother. ' ' The
Judge's light tone deepened as he spoke

A CHRISTMAS GLORIA.

the word, and he placed in his wife's
hand a tiny, velvet case. Touching the
spring it flew open, revealing within a

face flushed, the low voice trembled with
emotion, for a sweet, dawning hope
seemed to flash from the glowing jewels ;

IN A SECOND JACK HAD THE PACKAGE FROM HIS POCKET.

little rosary of rubies, every bead a flaw- never before by word or sign had the

less gem. Judge given sympathy to the holiest

" Oh, John, how beautiful !" The fair feelings of his wife's heart. His utter

A CHRISTMAS GLORIA.

lack of Christian faith had been the one
bitter trial of an otherwise happy mar-
ried life.

"Since you must tell your beads, my
little Papist, I would have fitting ones
for those dainty fingers. Nay, sweet-
heart," and his voice grew graver, "un-
believer as I am, I say with Hamlet, ' In
those orisons be all my sins remem-
bered,' and if there be a heaven, beyond
that which you have made for me on

' ' Tut, tut, ' ' laughed the Judge kissing
the upturned face, "you have simply
strained nerve and fancy in preparing
pleasure for others, as you blessed
women always do. We must not stand
here love-making any longer or those
young people outside will get impatient.
Is everything ready for the curtain to
rise on the Christmas drama ? Good !
then I'll open the door and call the
children in."

HIIFORE THE BAR OF ONE WHO JUDGES NOT AS M,

eirth, I ieel it will open to me at the
prayer of my wife. ' '

"God grant it!" she whispered
through happy tears, " but, oh ! John, I
do not know why it is, there seems a
strange shadow upon my heart to-night
that I cannot banish. Perhaps it is the
very brightness of my home that makes
me fear and tremble, but I feel, I cannot
say how, ' ' a light shudder passed through
her frame, " as if something dark, some
evil or danger were near. "

He flung the doors open as he spoke,
and with a wild outburst of delight the
six young Lawrences, who had been
possessing their souls as well as they
could in patience on the stairs without,
sprang into the drawing-room, driving
every shadow from the mother's heart
and hushing every chord of fear.
* * *

Outside, the night was bitter cold.
There was no moon, but the dark velvety
sky glittered with myriads of stars

A CHRISTMAS GLORIA.

ranging in splendor from a great white
planet blazing in the East, to tiny points
of light, now flashing, now vanishing
in the infinite distance. It was as if
heaven to its uttermost boundaries was
keeping vigil to-night; as if the gaze of
the mighty universe were fixed on little
earth in wonder at her blessed dignity.

St. Asaph's clock was striking eleven,
when through the starlit shadows a
deeper shadow crept up to Judge
Lawrence's home. The house stood
apart from the street amid its own
gardens and shrubberies that secluded
it usually from the passing gaze, but the
lower windows were open and a flood of
light and the sound of gay voices and
happy laughter poured out into the
night. The shadow paused by the gate
and peered cautiously around.

' ' Curse him ! ' ' — and the light from
the windows showed the dark figure to
be that of a great gaunt man leaning
upon a knotted stick. "He can have his
larks, can he ? He ain 't guessing what 's
tracking him down. He ain't guessing
what's a coming close to him to-night.
He ain't a guessing that oath I swore
seven years ago.

"Seven years, seven years, with y.our
heart a bursting with spite and hate
until it fairly bursts out of place. My !
there's the pain gripping me again.
Where's that youngster's bottle ? " and
the shaking hand lifted the dainty
vinaigrette. " If it hadn 't been for this
I couldn't have kept up, I couldn't have
got here, I couldn 't have settled this
account with Mr. John Lawrence, as I
mean to settle it to-night.

' ' I wonder if they keep a dog, ' ' he
continued, looking around in the dark-
ness. " I don't hear none. But dogs,
nor lions, nor tigers wouldn't stop me to-
night," and the speaker's teeth clenched
together with a grit at the words.
' ' Nothing wouldn 't stop me. I 've been
a waiting for it, a living for it, aye, a
dying for it too long. It's come at last ;
me and John Lawrence is going to be
even at last," and the baleful shadow

crept on closer and closer to the brilliantly
lit window before which Judge Lawrence
sat carelessly in his great armchair,
fearlessly silhouetted against the Christ-
mas lights, while standing beside him,
his hand resting on his father's shoulder,
was Jack, gay, laughing, reckless Jack,
his bright boyish face fully revealed to
the burning eyes looking in the window.

" Darn it ! " burst from the watcher's
foam-flecked lips. "It's my youngster
and — his boy ! "

#.".'*'''*

" Come, children, it is bed time. Let
us have our Christmas hymn before our
sleep on this blessed night," said Mrs.
Lawrence, taking her place at the little
parlor organ and striking the first chords
of the Adestefideles.

A chorus of young sweet voices took
up the grand old hymn. Leaning back
in his armchair the Judge listened,
little dreaming of the shadow of death
that was upon him, and of the Christmas
angels that were guarding him with out-
stretched wings.

Adeste, fideles,
Laeti, triumphantes,
Venite, venite in Bethlehem.

The father's heart thrilled to the ten-
der* harmony. Nellie, the frail, lovely
little daughter, who was his idol, was
singing soprano ; her clear voice rising
like a bird note above her mother's richer
tone. Small Dick and Ned came in with
shrill, boyish trebles. Baby Belle seated
on the organ chirped sleepily, while
Jack's tenor swelled the refrain.

Venite adoremus, Venite adoremus,
Venite adoremus, Dominum.

The Judge's thoughts were wandering
in unaccustomed ways to-night. He
found himself pondering on the Beth-
lehem to which his children's voices
called him ; on that birth for which a
world still rejoiced ; on that babe, from
whose humble coming history dated her
records and whose teaching had rev-
olutionized the pagan world.

A CHRISTMAS GLORIA.

Deum de Deo,
Lumen de Lumine

rose the sweet chorus in unfaltering
faith. The sceptic's heart stirred
strangely. Was there light revealed
to these babes that he was too blind to

see ?

Gloria, Gloria,
In Excelsis Deo

rose the triumphal chant caught from
angelic choirs.

Gloria, Gloria,

and all the voices that made earth's
music seemed to echo back the raptured
song.

Gloria, Gloria,

went swelling through the Christmas
gladness and beauty of the room and
pulsing into the darkness without, when
suddenly the harmony was broken by a
shot, a crash, a muffled cry. Mrs. Law-
rence started from the organ, the chil-
dren clung to her in terror, the Judge
sprang to the window, swept aside the
curtain and flung open the sash.

"Jack, quick. Brandy from the side-
board— some one is hurt out here, ' '
and he leaped from the low sill to the
ground where a dark figure lay moaning
piteously.

' ' What hurt you, my man ? ' ' asked
the Judge, bending over the writhing
figure. ' ' Who fired that shot ? ' '

" Me, " was the harsh answer. " Me,
Mr. John Lawrence, but you needn't be
skeered. It was fired in air, but it was
loaded — for you. "

"For me, " repeated the Judge in
amazement.

' ' Look close, ' ' gasped the man ;
' ' mebbe you won 't remember me, for I
guess you've done the same job for many
a chap since. Mebbe you don't know
Pete Wright."

"Pete Wright, the lifer in State's
prison. "

' ' Where you put him when you was
persecuting attorney seven years ago, ' '
panted the speaker. ' ' I swore I 'd be
even with you for it, if I ever got the
chance. Swore it on my knees day and

night, swore it harder and deeper when
the pain gripped me here, ' ' he struck
his breast fiercely, " and they let me
loose_to die. To die, but I swore I
wouldn't die until I sent you to death
before me, and that's what I come here
to do to-night. And I 'da done it, I had
the drop on you through that window,
and Pete Wright is a dead shot yet. I
could have done it, Mr. John Lawrence,
but I — I didn't. Mebbe, " and the dim,
bleared eyes fixed themselves on Jack,
who had reached the scene with the
brandy, " mebbe, youngster, you can
tell why ? ' '

' ' My ! ' ' exclaimed Jack, staring in
breathless amazement, "it's you again,
is it ? Father, it's — it's the man I told
you about that I met on the river bank
this evening. ' '

"It's — it's that — that chap of yourn
that saved you, Mr. John Lawrence. He
came across me when I was most — most
gone. He was good to me, and he a boy,
too. He was good and I was rough and
ugly to him, but — but he didn't get
scared or back out. He just kept along
being good. He gave me this," the
trembling hand showed the little vinai-
grette in its icy clutch. " Good stuff;
it gave me back my breath again, it
helped me to get — get here. And —
and when I got here — with — with mur-
der in my heart and that pistol loaded
to the muzzle for you, John Lawrence;
when I had the drop on you through
that window and saw — saw that boy's
face at your side, that boy's hand on
your shoulder, when I knowed he was
yourn — well, I fought it out with the
old spite and the old hate for a minute,
and then — then I give up, John Law-
rence, and I fired my pistol in air. And
now — now I'm — I'm dead beat out. No,
I don't want no liquor — 'tain't no use
fighting death no longer. Might as
well give that up, too. Where are you,
youngster ? Would you mind gripping
my hand, I can't see. That Christmas
gift, you know, well, for it, I've — I've
given you your — your, ' ' the words came

THE STABAT MATER OF THE CRIB.

with a piteous struggle, " your father's
life."

There was a shudder, a sigh, and the
convict's soul lit with the first gleam
that had ever fallen upon its darkness
was before the bar of One who judges
not as man.

' ' There was not a more desperate ruf-
fian walked the earth, " said Judge Law-
rence, as a little later, amid his pale,
excited, family group, he told Pete
Wright's story. Yet one little act of
kindness softened him. "Ah, my dear
children, " said the tender mother, "re-
member what we have been spared to-
night. If Jack had not been pitiful to
that wretched man this evening "

' ' I tell you I did not feel much like
it, " said Jack frankly, but you see I had
just left Father Neville, and he was so
sick himself, and so kind and so jolly,

and he talked to me about being good to
everybody, so that somehow, just then
I could not have turned away from a
dying dog. ' '

"God bless Father Neville then, let
us all pray to-night," said Mrs. Law-
rence in a trembling tone.

" Glory to God, and good will to
man, " has been the text of his life. He
preaches it to the last.

To the last, indeed, for the Christmas
chimes sounded through the midnight
as she spoke.

Spire after spire caught up the joyous
peals, until the starry darkness seemed
to thrill and throb with triumphant
Glorias. Then suddenly through the
glad carillons a deep-toned solemn note
came from the tower of St. Asaph's.

The tolling bell for a departed soul —
Father Neville had "gone home. "

THE STABAT MATER OF THE CRIB.

Translated by Rev. J. F. Quirk, SJ.

Stood the Mother wondrous fair,
Joyous by the manger where,
Lapped in straw, her infant lay.

And her soul with gladness flowed,
Till it mantled, till it glowed
'Neath her joy's ecstatic sway.

Oh ! how glad and blest her lot,
Virgin Mother without spot,
Mother of the Only-Born !

How she joyed, and how she smiled,
Glorying in that noble child
Whom she bore this very morn !

Who could still his heart for glee,
If Christ 's Mother he should see
In such great supporting joy ?

Who could see her and forbear
In her happiness to share,
As she fondled Him, her Boy ?

Mid the cattle there she saw
Christ exposed to winter's flaw
For the sins of His own race.

Stabat Mater speciosa,
Juxta fcenum gaudiosa,
Dum jacebat parvulus.

Cujus animam gaudentem,
Lsetabundam et ferventem
Pertransivit jubilus.

O quam laeta et beata
Fuit ilia immaculata
Mater Unigeniti !

Quse gaudebat, et ridebat,
Bxultabat, cum videbat
Nati partum inclyti.

Quis est qui non gauderet,
Christi Matrem si videret
In tanto solatio ?

Quis non posset collsetari
Christi Matrem contemplari
Ludentem cum filio ?

Pro peccatis suae gentis,
Christum vidit cum jumentis,
Et algori subditum.

THE STAB AT MATER OF THE CRIB.

Saw the Son she held so sweet,
Whom the adoring angels greet,
Moan in that poor lodging place.
To Christ's manger angels throng,
Carolling their gladsome song
With a joy no words can say.
Stood old age there with the maid,
Yet nor word nor speech essayed,
For their hearts had swooned away.
Mother, who art love's own source,
Give me some of thy love's force,
Shape my feelings unto thine !
Grant my heart may learn to glow,
In Christ's love may learn to grow,
Till He love this heart of mine.
Holy Mother, favor grant :
On my soul His wounds implant,
Grave them deep upon my heart.
Since He stoops from heaven 's bliss
To a crib of straw like this,
In His pains, oh, give me part.
Fain would I thy gladness share,
Fain the lot of Jesus bear
Even to my latest day.
Let thy love in me abide,
Let me love thy Darling's side,
While a pilgrim here I stray.
Make our loves together knit ;
Never from my soul permit
The pure wish to turn away.
Virgin of all virgins blest,
Do not slight my fond request :
Give thy Son to my embrace.
Give Him me, whose very breath
Was a triumph over death,
Who hath brought us life of grace.
Make me feel thy brimming joy,
And for rapture of thy Boy
Revel in thy keen delight.
Wrought to burning is my soul,
Languishing beyond control,
As this union strikes my sight.
Grant thy Son as warder tend,
Grant the Word of God defend
And preserve me by His grace.
Grant that when my body dies,
On my soul the vision rise
Of thy dear Son, face to face.

Vidit suum dulcem natum

Vagientem, adoratum

Vili diversorio.

Nato Christo in prsesepe,

Cceli cives canunt Isete

Cum immenso gaudio.

Stabat senex cum puella,

Non cum verbo nee loquela,

Stupescentes cordibus.

Eia Mater, fons anioris,

Me sentire vim ardoris,

Fac ut tecum sentiam !

Fac ut ardeat cor meum

In amando Christum Deum,

Ut sibi complaceam.

Sancta Mater, istud agas :

Prone introducas plagas

Cordi fixas valide.

Tui nati coelo lapsi,

Jam dignati foeno nasci

Poenas mecum divide.

Fac me vere congaudere,

Jesulino cohaerere,

Donee ego vixero.

In me sistat ardor tui,

Puerino fac me frui,

Dum sum in exilio.

Hunc ardorem fac communem,

Ne facias me immunem

Ab hoc desiderio.

Virgo virginum praeclara,

Mihi jam non sis amara :

Fac me parvum rapere.

Fac ut portem pulchrum fan tern,

Qui nascendo vicit mortem,

Volens vitam tradere

Fac me tecum satiari,

Nato tuo inebriari,

Stans inter tripudia.

Innammatus et accensus,

Obstupescit omnis sensus

Tali de commercio.

Fac me nato custodiri,

Verbo Dei prsemuniri,

Conservari gratia.

Quando corpus morietur,

Fac ut animse donetur

Tui nati visio.

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

QOD is wonderful in His saints ! And
if in any particular class of saints,
surely it must be in those who have

kindliness of another, the prayerfulness
of a third. He fasted ; he lay on the
ground ; above all he cherished piety

been called by Him to be founders of toward Christ and charity toward others,
religious families.

To all the call has been given to con-
form themselves to the likeness of His
Son, the great model, the first born of
every creature. Thus in all we find the
same general features yet beautifully
diversified. Each has striven in an es-

They esteemed him a special friend of
God. He underwent every temptation
belonging to his age, but without ever
failing. This was his preparation for a
solitary life.

When he was thirty-five years old, he
retired to the desert where he shut him-

pecial way to reproduce some feature of self up in an abandoned building, where
the life of Christ that most appealed to he lived alone for twenty years, receiving

bread twice a year
for his support from
the top of the house.
At the expiration of
this term those de-
sirous of imitating
his life burst in the
doors. Anthony
came forth and by
his conversation per-
suaded many to em-
brace the monastic
life. Thenceforth,
when occasion de-
manded, he would
issue from the soli-
tude of his monas-
tery to meet any
trial of his brethren.
And troublous in-
deed were the times
embracing the last and greatest pagan
persecution and that of the Arian here-
tics.

St. Anthony's struggles with the pow-
ers of darkness are famous. Strong in
God's power he laughed the demons to
scorn. "We must, " he said " fear God
alone, but despise them and have no
dread at all of them. But the more they
do these things [attack and tempt] let us
increase the tenor of our asceticism
against them. For an upright life and
faith in God are a great defence. They

his heart. To an
Anthony, the Mas-
ter's love of retire-
ment alone on a
mountain in prayer
made the call to a
solitary life in the
desert an impera-
tive appeal.

How the call
came is well known.
Hearing the words
of the Gospel read,
in which the Lord
said to the rich
young man: "If
thou wilt be perfect,
go sell what thou
hast and give to the
poor, and thou shalt
have treasure in
heaven, and come follow me." He
straightway left the church and sold
all his property and goods. He reserved
a little money for the support of his
young sister whose guardian he was.
But not long after, again in the church
the voice sounded, "Be not solicitous
for the morrow. ' ' He went out and
gave way all that he had, confiding
his sister to faithful virgins to bring
up. Moreover he began to practise
the virtue of all he saw around him,
cherishing the continence of one, the

ST. AUGUSTINE.

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

dread in ascetics the fasting, the watch-
ing, the prayers, the meekness, the tran-
quility, the disregard of wealth and vain-
glory, the humility, the love of the poor,
the alms-giving, the gentleness, and
above all, their piety towards Christ."
We dwell thus long on St. Anthony be-
cause of the influence of his example on
all who after him led the contemplative
life.

His watchword was piety towards
Christ. He had but one desire to follow
his Lord — to be like Him, to enjoy com-
munion with Him. This was to be car-
ried out in solitude when charity did not
require his aid ; when it did then he lent,
but never gave, himself, for he had laid
down as a maxim that monks must live
in the mountains as fish live in the sea.

St. Anthony is considered the most
perfect example of the ascetic life in
itself, while his disciple, St. Pachomius,
is ranked as its legislator, for he was
the founder of the community life and
gave its rule. As Paul was the first her-
mit, so Anthony is the patriarch of
monks. The greater severity of pen-
ance in the hermit's loneliness was bal-
anced by the greater opportunity of ex-
ercising charity in a religious household
living together under a rule.

The real legislator, however, of the
religious life is St. Basil, who was born
in Caesarea of Cappadocia in 317. He
belonged to a family, eight of whose
members are reckoned among the saints.
St. Gregory Nazianzen, his fellow stu-
dent and friend at Athens, describes their
life as follows : ' ' We two had the same
end in view ; we sought the same treas-
ure—virtue ; and we thought we would
make our friendship everlasting by pre-
paring ourselves for eternity. We knew
but two roads at Athens— the one that
led us to the church, the other to the
schools. All others were ignored. "

The law could not long satisfy the
longings of such a soul. Nobler aspira-
tions were inspired by his holy sister,
Macrina. He betook himself to the des-
ert to study the virtues of the disciples

of SS. Paul and Anthony. When he
returned after several years, he found
that his mother and sister had taken
refuge in a solitary place on the bank
of the river Iris, where they were living
in community with other virgins who
had accompanied them.

Basil resolved to follow their example
and with some friends, his companions,
he built a monastery on the opposite
bank of the same river. For their guid-
ance he composed a rule. Prayer and
manual labor form its foundation. After
praying to God with heart and lips ;
after contemplating Him with the eyes
of the spirit, prayer is to take the form
of work. Cutting wood, tilling the soil,
it matters not, prayer and work are the
watchword against the enemy of souls.
But Basil was not long to enjoy a life of
solitude, however dear to him. He was
called to the priesthood, afterwards to
the episcopacy, and to be the invincible
champion of orthodoxy.

The institute of St. Basil spread rap-
idly in the East and thence passed to the
West. Even in the fourth century there
were many monasteries following this
rule in Italy. In the lifetime of the
saints, the Arian heretics considered the
Basilian monks and nuns as their most
dreaded ~ adversaries on account of their
numbers and the purity of their doc-
trines.

The monks united the active and con-
templative life. They prayed and medi-
tated in their monasteries, took care of
the poor, worked with mind and hand,
writing against heretics and cultivating
the earth. It was their aim to live near
the clergy and the Christians at large, to
assist and strengthen them in the com-
bat. The monastery was not their
boundary line, and in a truly practical
spirit St. Basil had said: "If fasting
prevents work, you had better eat like
Christ's workmen, which you are."
How unceasing this work was to be he
lays down saying: "Athletes, work-
men of Christ ; you have enlisted with
Him to combat all the day ; do not, then,

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

seek for rest until the end of the day
when night falls, that is at the end of
life, the hour when the Father of the
family will come to reckon with you and
give you your pay. "

The nuns devoted themselves chiefly
to the liturgical chant, psalmody and
prayer.

In 340 the great St. Athanasius was
driven into exile and
fled for protection from
new Rome to old Rome,
where Pope Julius wel-
comed him. The con-
fessor of the faith
brought with him a
full knowledge of the
monastic life as prac-
tised in the desert by
the disciples of SS. An-
thony and Pachomius.
Moreover, he was ac-
companied by two
monks, and thus the
knowledge and esteem
of this life were intro-
duced at Rome.

About twenty years
later Pope Liberius re-
ceived the solemn pro-
fession of the sister of
St. Ambrose in St.
Peter's, amid a great
company of nuns, her
friends and partners of
her life. St. Augus-
tine,when still a young
convert, testifies that
he had seen monas-
teries of men and
women at Rome and
Milan.

From the beginning
of Christianity as a
direct following of the Apostles and of
the Apostolic Church at Jerusalem, there
had been those who carried out in their
own lives many of the practices con-
tained later in the monastic discipline.
St. Cyprian called the consecrated vir-
gins the brides of Christ a hundred years

before Pope Liberius in St. Peter's had
dwelt upon that dignity in the sister of
St. Ambrose. But during times of per-
secution it was impossible to have houses
openly acknowledged in which the com-
mon or community life could be led.

This common life required of its mem-
bers three things : an unmarried con-
dition, the non-possession of private
property and the re-
nunciation of self-will
in obedience. To guide
such a community of
those in no ways re-
lated by kinship, a rule
and a ruler were nec-
essary. The spirit of
both is seen in the
names given to the
rulers of abbot and
abbess, showing that
in the case of men it
was to be paternal, in
the case of women, ma-
ternal.

An account given
by St. Augustine of
a "community of
saints, ' ' which he saw
at Milan is interesting:
' ' Its superior was an
e x c e 1 1 ent and most
learned priest. .
He rules the rest, who
dwell with him, in
a life of Christian
charity, holiness and
liberty. They are a
burden to no one, but
maintain themselves
by their own handi-
work, after the Ori-
ental custom, and the
teaching of the
Apostle Paul . It came to my knowledge
that many exercised quite incredible
fastings, not taking refreshment once a
day at the approach of night, which is
the universal custom, but very often
passing three or more days without food
or drink. And this was the case not only

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

with men, but also women, where many
widows and virgins dwelt together, main-
taining themselves by woolen work and
spinning. Each house has a superior of
recognized gravity and experience, not
only in directing and maintaining good
conduct, but of ready skill in the culti-
vation of the mind. ' '

The idea of monastic life affected pow-
erfully the life of St. Augustine. At his
conversion he retired to Tagaste with a
few friends to lead a hidden life. When
called forth to receive the priesthood, he
set up a monastery at Hippo. The idea
was modified when he became bishop,
and he formed a community of which
his own clergy collectively were mem-
bers. This institution, though it has
passed through many changes, remains
to the present day active and efficient as
a combination of the monastic and cleri-
cal life. Those who followed the rule of
St. Augustine were called Canons Reg-
ular. The great bishop founded also a
monastery for nuns at Hippo and con-
fided its direction to his sister Perpetua.
The rule which he drew up for them is
extremely simple and readily adapts
itself to the particular constitutions of
orders which, later on, took it as a foun-
dation.

We might say that fraternal charity
was the distinguishing mark of the
spirit of St. Augustine. " Bear one an-
other with charity, and work hard to
preserve mutual union by the bond of
peace, for you will always find things
that must be borne at the "hands of
others." "Endeavor to prevent com-
plaints or strifes among you, or if they
arise, smother them at once. Be more
careful to preserve union than to reprove
one another. "

The Austin Canons, or Black Canons,
as they were called in England, claim
St. Augustine as their father and the
giver of their rule, so too do the Augus-
tinian hermits or friars.

We pass over with a few words the
admiration of St. Jerome for the monastic
life which he saw at Rome and which he

encouraged by the construction and gov-
ernment of religious houses at Bethle-
hem during the last part of his life.

We must remark that in the beginning
religious were of the laity, and that it
was St. Augustine who first formed a
community of clerics.

In the East the monks of Anthony,
Pachomius and Basil had been a bul-
wark of strength against the enemies of
the true faith. In the West the Roman
empire was giving way before the bar-
barian invasion, the monks formed an
insurmountable barrier of faith, charity
and penance. By faith they saw the
value of souls, which they accordingly
loved. In opposing poverty, chastity,
and obedience, the bases of monastic
life to the triple concupiscence, they at
once offered a contrast and a remedy,
though they had no intention of making
this exceptional life the common rule for
all. But by the very excess of their sac-
rifice they showed people in the world
the possibility of their being able to
keep at least the happy mean. At the
close of the fifth century God raised up
one who is justly called the Patriarch of
Monks — St. Benedict. Like his proto-
type, St. Anthony, he first formed him-
self in a dreary solitude, dwelling in a
cave in the mountains above Subiaco.
There he dwelt for thirty-five years when
he withdrew to Monte Cassino where he
founded a new monastery which he ruled
for fourteen years, until his death. From
the experience he had of the disciples
who had gathered around him in both
these places, he drew up that rule which
was to be embraced by so many genera-
tions and to change the face of Europe.

To understand the services of Benedict
we must review the history of the monas-
tic life. When he came upon the scene it
had been in practice for two hundred
years from its commencement by St.
Anthony. From its home in Egypt it
had spread throughout the East. The
greatest eastern saints had encouraged
it, and among them Basil had regulated
it by his laws. Athanasius had written

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

a life of the first patriarch Anthony,
which became widely known, and per-
sonally had helped to found it in Rome
and the West. Augustine had made it
an institution of his diocese, pointing it
out to his fellow-bishops as the form of
an episcopal home. The three vows on
which the common life depended had
been generally accepted and acted upon,
but though St Basil had drawn up a
rule with much pains, and many monas-
teries had received it, still there was a
great divergence in practices, and it was
not until St. Benedict wrote his rule that
there was a real religious order.

The holy patriarch does not undertake
to found an institute, but finding the
coenobites, that is, the monks, who live
under a rule or an abbot in monasteries,
he seeks to regulate their mode of life.
The abbot is to be, as his nam^ implies,
a father. His authority is absolute,
permanent and elective, with the obliga-
tion of taking counsel of the whole com-
munity, and of acting with a single re-
gard to its interest.

The monastery is to be so constituted
that all things necessary, such as water,
a mill, a garden, and the various crafts
may be contained within, so that there
may be no need foi the monks to go
abroad ; for this is by no means expedi-
ent for their souls.

The whole monastic life was built
upon obedience. But this sacrifice car-
ries another with it, renunciation of all
right to private ownership. After due
probation the candidate who is to be re-
ceived is to make before all, in the ora-
tory, a promise of stability, conversion
of life, and obedience. This promise he
himself draws up in writing and places
on the altar. He has already bestowed
upon the poor whatever property he had.
He then strips himself of his own gar-
ments and is clothed in the habit of the
monastery. The holocaust is complete.

With such forces under command no
wonder the Benedictine Abbot and
Abbess carried all before them. They
went forth from Monte Cassino armed

ST. BERNARD.

with the triple vow and with a missoin
of civilization. Europe was in the throes
of barbarian invasions, and a blight
showed their trail. It was the vocation
of the sons and daughters of Benedict to
redeem the waste places. They drained
the marshes and cut down the forests,
they cultivated the fields and founded
cities, they formed libraries and saved
the learned works of heathen and Chris-
tian authors, they taught school and
trained generations in faith and piety,
they won over to Christ the barbarous
peoples, Franks and Germans, Anglo-
Saxons and Normans. Their monaster-
ies were the refuge of souls that longed
to serve God. From them went up the
unceasing sacrifice of prayer and suppli-
cation for mankind.

After fourteen centuries the spirit of
St. Benedict is as powerful as ever and
the work of his children is carried on
in the lives traced by his guiding hand.

Some six hundred years after the death
of the patriarch of monks a new branch
sprouted from the parent trunk in the
beautiful Cistercian Order, whose chief
glory is St. Bernard.

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

Though not strictly a founder, he
deserves to be ranked as such by the
new life he infused into the Order of
Citeaux. Possessing all the gifts of
nature in a high degree, noble of family
and assured of advancement in the world
he determined to abandon all when in
his twenty-third year.
His example was con -
tagious and all his
brothers but one, the
youngest, followed
him. Later on, he too
knocked for admis-
sion, accompanied by
his aged father with
the same request.

He practised him-
self what he after-
wards taught his nov-
ices : "If you wish to
live in this house,
you must leave out-
side the bodies which
you brought into the
world ; for the souls
alone are admitted
here and the flesh is
useless." The interior
peace he enjoyed from
constant union with
God was reflected on
his countenance and
he seemed rather a
spirit than a mortal
man.

The task of found-
ing the Abbey of
Clairvaux was con-
fided to the young
monk. At first he
found it hard to un-
derstand the difficul-
ties of his less favored
brethren, and showed himseli somewhat
severe as though the same measure of
grace were given to all. When he saw
his mistake he humbled himself for not
having compassion for the weakness
of others. From this time forth he
manifested an extraordinary gentleness

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSIST.

and condescension for his brethren.
This, however, instead of relaxing the
regular observance, rather increased it,
for in a holy emulation the more indul-
gent to them he showed himself, the
more severe they proved to themselves.
Like many another saint he went to
excess in the practice
of bodily mortifica-
tions, which, in after
life he regretted as
blameworthy because,
though one should get
the mastery over the
body, one should not
destroy the strength
given by God to be
used for His service.
But strength was lent
to him on occasions to-
speak before kings and
peoples, to make long
journeys, to preach
two crusades, to de-
fend the Church
against heretics, and
to found one hundred
and sixty houses of h &
Order. No man of his
time wielded such in-
fluence as the Abbot
of Clairvaux. His de-
votion to our Lord and
His Blessed Mother
was intense, and his
writings in their
honor show a heart
burning with fondest
love. This love mani-
fested itself in won-
drous zeal for souls.
Such unction had he
that the title Doctor
Mellifluus was ac-
corded him. Though honey-tongued,
he could use a holy liberty and an
apostolic courage when circumstances
requested them, but withal tempered by
humility and charity. Trials and per-
secutions were not wanting but he ac-
cepted them as God-sent means of puri-

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

fying his soul, and God endowed him.
with the gift of working miracles to
advance His glory.

After forty years of religious life, sur-
rounded by his spiritual children in tears
at the prospect of losing their Father,
Bernard, raising his eyes to heaven, said
with an angelic smile: "I know not
to which I must yield : to the love of
my children which urges me to stay
here below, or to the love of my God
which draws me up to Him." The
love of God triumphed, and the last of
the Fathers of the Church went to his
reward.

The spirit of St.
Bernard still ani-
mates the holy order
of Citeaux, the spirit
of prayer, recollec-
tion, and penance.
And since its aim
was personal sancti-
fication in solitude,
its abbeys are to be
found apart from the
haunts of men in
lonely places. In the
course of ages a re-
laxation in the mat-
ter of food and other
points was intro-
duced. This led to
several reforms or
returns to the primi-
tive rule, the most
famous of which is the Trappist, whose
members live dead to the world in per-
fect silence, except when reciting the
divine office, and not even known by
name to one another. But the spirit of
Bernard lives in them in their constant
union with God and like him they say :
" Living in a cell is living in heaven. "

About fifty years after the death of St.
Bernard the call of God came to Francis
of Assisi. Faith was weakening and
morals were degenerating. The virility
of the Christian spirit was disappearing.
The Crusades had failed, and the dis-
ciples of Mohamet were bent on conquer-

ST. CLAKE

ing Christendom. To this foe from with-
out came an ally from within the fold of
the Church. Heresy was laying waste
the faith in the regiod of the Alps. It
was time for God to raise up for Himself
a champion. Francis Bernardone was the
man of providence.

There was need of an apostle of de-
tachment from all things earthly. Fran-
cis was called to imitate Christ in His
complete destitution on the Cross. Fran-
cis became the practicer and preacher of
holy poverty. He despoiled himself of
everything he had, even to his garments,
and in return received the clothes of a
beggar from the
hand of his bishop,
lie renounced home
and family. Thus
freed from all things
he retired to a cave,
where in solitude he
could listen to the
voice of God. After
forty days he came
forth an enthusiastic
lover of God and of
souls redeemed by
the precious blood.

His zeal was a
flame that enkindled
all with whom he
came in contact.
Disciples flocked
around him. He im-
parted to them his
spirit. A true Catholic, he would have
the approbation for his work from the
Vicar of Christ. At first his request
was rejected, but a vision enlightened
the Pontiff, Innocent IV., of the provi-
dential character of the mission of St.
Francis, and the sanction was accorded.
A true apostle, he longed to bring the
world to the feet of Jesus Christ. Like
his model he first practised and then
preached penance. A living example of
perfect poverty, detachment and charity,
no wonder his words burned deep into the
hearts of men . Not content with receiv-
ing the faith of Catholics, he burned

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

ST. DOMINIC.

with the desire to impart the gift of God
to the Moors. He crossed the sea to
Egypt. He appeared in the camp of the
Crusaders. Then in an excess of dar-
ing he penetrated the ranks of the Mus-
selmans and stood in the presence of the
Sultan. Astonished at the hardihood of
St. Francis, the Sultan spared his life
and even granted him permission to
preach to the soldiers ; but the soil was
barren and the seed of the Word of God
was unfruitful.

The apostle returned to Assisi, and
in the little church of Our Lady of the
Angels he organized his order, embrac-
ing three classes : the Friars Minor, the
Poor Clares, and the Third Order for
those living in the world. The Pope in
the Council of the Lateran approved his
Rule.

His life had been distinguished by his
burning love of Christ crucified. He
was to be conformed to the likeness of
the Crucified even in his body. So on
the heights of Alverno, after long fasting
and prayer, the sacred stigmata were im-
pressed on his side, hands and feet by
one who had the appearance of a seraph,
whom he resembled in his burning love
of God. He could well say with St.

Paul : " From henceforth let no man be
troublesome to me : for I bear the marks
of the Lord Jesus in my body. "

Worn out by mortification and labor,
though only forty-four years of age, he
felt his end approaching. Where his life
for God had begun, there would he have
it end. So he begged to be carried to Our
Lady of the Angels, and there, lying on
a bed of ashes, he breathed out his soul
to God in a transport of love. At his
death he left ten thousand Friars Minor
to carry on his work ! And the work has
gone on in the spirit of the founder. The
name of Franciscan is synonymous with
perfect poverty, child-like confidence in
the providence of God, great simplicity
of faith and zeal for souls. The family
likeness is visible in the Seraphic Doctor
of the Church, St. Bonaventure ; in the
mighty wonder-worker, St. Anthony of
Padua, and in the humble lay brother,
St. Didacus. "My God and my all,"
represents their wealth and their poverty.

What Francis was to do for men, Clare,
under the guidance of the seraphic
saint, was called by God to do for
women. Noble in family, but nobler in
heart, rich and beautiful, but despising
riches and beauty as transitory, she
longed fox a life hidden in God. Though
only eighteen years of age the world had
no charm for her, and she determined to
consecrate herself to God alone. In the
little church of Our Lady of the Angels
St. Francis cut off her hair as a sign ot
renouncing the vanities of the world,
and clothed her in sackcloth with a cord
as a girdle. She then plighted her
eternal troth to her divine Bridegroom
and retired to the Benedictine Monastery
of St. Paul. A few days later her young
sister Agnes, only fourteen years old,
joined her.

A violent storm of opposition arose.
The noble Count Favorino, their father,
was determined to regain his daughters.
But One who had higher claims than he
interposed in behalf of those pure souls
who had offered Him the holocaust of
their lives. The Count accepted the evi-

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

dent will of God and blessed his chil-
dren.

St. Francis could now establish the
Second Order of Penance. He installed
the two sisters in a small house adjoin-
ing the church of St. Damian, and soon
many " doves, " as the saintly foundress
called them, "took shelter in the little
nest of poverty." Among them were
Clare's mother, her other sister, Beatrice,
and her niece, Amy.

They were called the Poor Women,
poverty, their distinctive mark, being
thus emphasized, but the name by which
they are commonly known now is the
Poor Clares.

They went barefoot, observed perpet-
ual abstinence, constant silence and abso-
lute poverty. ' ' They say we are too
poor, ' ' said the Saint, ' ' but can a heart
which possesses God be truly called
poor ? " In this spirit their only treas-
ure was the Blessed Sacrament, and our
Lord more than once gave proof of His
protection in a signal way. Once, when
twenty thousand Saracens were en-
camped near Assisi, a body of them
attacked the convent at night. There
were no guards to resist, nor was there
any money to buy off, the enemy. Put-
ting the Sacred Host in a monstrance,
St. Clare thus armed went to meet the
barbarians. A celestial light shone from
the Host ; blinded and alarmed, the Sara-
cens fled. Hence in sacred art St. Clare
is represented bearing a monstrance or a
ciborium. With some modifications of
rule, the spiritual daughters of St. Clare
are to be found in nearly all civilized
countries. In a luxurious and money-
worshipping age the Poor Clares by their
lives carry out the dying injunctions of
their foundress. "I conjure, you, my
daughters, for the love of that divine
Saviour, who was born poor in a manger,
who lived poor among men, and died
naked on the Cross, to see to it that this
little flock, formed by the Heavenly
Father in His Holy Church, through the
words and example of St. Francis, our
blessed Father, always imitate the pov-

ST. TERESA.

erty and humility of His dear Son and
of the glorious Virgin Mary."

The Saint of Assisi, having provided
for men and women who were willing to
forsake all to follow Christ in the First
and Second Order, bethought himself of
the needs of those who might serve God
with a perfection suited to their state
without abandoning the world. It was
the inspiration of the Third Order open
to all, even to the married, who would
follow a rule adapted to their wants. To
what multitudes in all ages and coun-
tries has it proved the means of leading
a holy life amid the cares and seductions
of the world. To how many has it been
the stepping-stone to a religious vocation
and eminent sanctity.

While the voice of God was calling St
Francis in Italy, to set an example of per-
fect poverty and detachment, the same
voice was speaking to St. Dominic in
Spain. The young Castilian had a heart
burning with the love of God and con-
sequently hating sin, and yearning to
make all men know, love and serve their
master. An instance of his zeal gives a
clue to his character. He heard one
day that a young man had been taken
captive by the Moors. Such a captivity
might cause the loss of salvation to that
soul. He offered to sell himself that the
price of his own liberty might be the
ransom of the captive.

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

Dominic was sent into France on a
diplomatic embassy. While in that
country his heart was touched with sor-

Onr Lady took St. Dominic under her
special protection and gave to him that
most powerful spiritual weapon, the

row and indignation at the ravages of Rosary, with which to overcome heresy.

the Albigensian heretics. He inflamed
other priests with some of his zeal, but

But while the Friars Preachers were try-
ing to gain souls by the apostleship of

as there was no stability in the bond the Word they had need of power and

connecting them with him and the work,
he decided to found an order and sought
the sanction of Innocent III. It was
not granted for a while. Finally the
Pope yielded on condition that Dominic
and his companions should follow some
rule already approved. They selected
that of St. Augustine. Convinced, like
St. Francis, of the
necessity of bodily
mortifications he
enjoined complete
abstinence from
meat, except in
serious illness, a
fast from Septem-
ber 14 to Easter
day, the use of
woolen garments,
a rigorous poverty
and other austeri-
ties.

As the aim of
the new founder
was to gain souls,
the spirit which
he infused into his
brethren was zeal

for the apostleship, ST' JANE FRANCES

and hence their title of Friars Preachers.
The new order spread rapidly. Like the
Friars Minors ;,they depended wholly

unction. So the nuns of St. Dominic
in their cloisters were to carry on the
apostolate of prayer and thus strengthen
the arms of their brethren that else
might have grown weary and powerless.
Faithful to their vocation both sons and
daughters of St. Dominic, the former by
preaching, the latter by praying, are
bulwarks against
the spread of error.
In the sixteenth
century a new
enemy was deso-
lating the fold of
Christ. He needed
new champions.
The Reformers
railed against bodi-
ly m o r t i fi c ation
and the monastic
life. God would
give to them a
striking example
of a mortified nun.
So He drew to Him
the little maiden of
Avila, and Teresa,
when only seven
years of age,

longed for death, because, as she said,
"I want to see God, and I must die
before I can see Him," desiring like

CHANTAL.

for their subsistence on the alms of the Apostle "to be dissolved and to be
the faithful. As missionaries they are with Christ." This same love of God
known all the world over.

Unlike St. Francis, Dominic estab-

drew her to forsake the world with its
attract ions and seek Him in the solitude
lished first a convent of nuns in order of Carmel where He could speak to her
to rescue and shield young girls from heart. Though the Second Order of
heresy and crime. In spite of seniority, Carmelites had not long been in ex-
in time the Dominican nuns form the istence its first fervor had somewhat

Second Order, [while the Friars Preachers relaxed,
have precedence as the First Order.

Teresa, appreciating in her
own case the need of the strict observ-

Lastly came the Tertiaries, cons:sting of ance, resolved to practise the primitive
persons of both sexes living in the world, rule and to induce her fellow nuns to do

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT

the same. Naturally opposition arose. Although so opposed to the weak-
Teresa, convinced of her mission, was nesses of human nature, prone to ease
resolute although humble and obedient, and self-indulgence, the Order of Car-
She persevered and she triumphed. In mel nourishes. The f daughters of the
a suburb of her own town of Avila, she Seraphic Mother, living shut off from
opened the first convent of Discalced the world by their strict cloister, bring
or Barefooted Carmelites. Poverty down upon that world God's richest
reigned there and bodily mortification, blessings obtained by their prayers and
but only as means of freeing the soul to penances. A child-like spirit of joy
hold a more intimate converse with characterizes them, caught perhaps from

God. Where
every human
consolation
was lacking,
there was an
abundance of
spiritual joy.
The de-
lights of the
Carmel of
Avila be-
came known
abroad and
can didates
in numbers
begged ad-
mittance. In
various cities
of Spain
Teresa was
implored to
found con-
vents. Nor
did the call
come from
women only,
but men too
caught the
prim it ive
spirit of
Carmel as

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

their con-
stant con-
templation of
the mysteries
of the Holy
Childhood of
our Lord .
They have
the simplic-
ity and sweet-
ness taught
them by Him,
and these are
the treasures
of Carmel.

In the six-
teenth centu-
ry Teresa was
called by God,
as she has re-
corded, to im-
plore grace
for heretics,
especi ally
those in
France, by
pr actis ing
herself and
inducing oth-
ers to prac-
tise great

preached and practised by St. John austerity of life and constant union with

of the Cross, the fellow worker of St. God in prayer. Two centuries later a

Teresa in the great reform. She lived more insidious enemy, Jansenism, was

to see seventeen convents of nuns and ravaging France. It represented the

fifteen of friars following the primitive Catholic religion as hard and exacting ;

rule. Her wonderful ascetical works, her it dried up the springs of divine love,

Foundations, her Way of Perfection, her and under the pretence of respect for the

Castle of the Soul, and other writings, sacraments tried to keep men from fre-

have won for St. Teresa a place in the quenting them. To counteract this spe-

foremost rank of writers of the Church, cious heresy God chose two elect souls

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

to found a religious order in which sweet-
ness should temper strength, and faith
inspire love ; in which bodily austerities
should give precedence to interior disci-
pline of the mind and heart. St. Francis
de Sales and St Jane de Chantal were
the instruments in founding the order of
the Visitation of St. Mary. God willed
that the work of the saintly bishop of
Geneva should last, and that his spirit
should live through the ages. It was he
who conceived the plan of the new insti-
tute and wrote its constitutions, but it
was the noble Baroness de Chantal who
carried it into execution. Had she been
the author the rule might have been too
severe ; had he not had her counsel it
might have been too easy.

The life of St. Jane is well known.
Her heroic sacrifice of so many endear-
ing ties is famous. A daughter leaves
her aged father, a widowed mother her
orphan children, when they seemed still
to need her care. But a higher claim
than that of father or children had been
made known to her. The Church in the
collect for her feast strikes as a keynote
of her greatness her marvellous fortitude
of spirit in pursuing the way of perfec-
tion in four states of life, and attributed
it to her burning love for God. The
world was aghast at the news that the
beautiful and charming baroness had
forsaken it to devote her life to the
founding of a religious order. The gen-
tle and sympathetic Francis intended to
provide for those devout souls that dwelt
in frail bodily tabernacles and were,
therefore, unable to bear the austerity
of the old orders. Moreover, when first
instituted, the Visitandines were not
cloistered, and thus they could visit the
sick and needy in their homes as one of
their practices of charity. But it was an
innovation in those days for nuns to be
seen in the streets. The good people of
Annecy were edified, and the virtues of
the members of the new order attracted
many postulants. A call came to form
a monastery at Lyons, and thither St.
Jane was sent. The archbishop received

her with honor and respect, but insisted
upon the cloister. St. Francis at first
stood firm, saying that circumstances
altered cases and that the new needs of
the Church required new measures. Mgr.
de Marquemont was inflexible, and the
saintly bishop of Annecy yielded. He
used afterwards to say : " I do not know
why people call me the founder of an
order, for I did not do what I wanted,
and I did do what I did not want. " He
was consoled, however, by the approba-
tion by Paul V. of the new order under
the rule of St. Augustine, which he char-
acterized as "so animated by charily
that throughout it breathes only sweet-
ness, gentleness and kindliness, and
hence is suitable for all sorts of person >,
whatever be their strength or nation-
ality."

Thirty-two years did St. Jane live in
religion, guided during twelve by her
saintly co-founder. When death claimed
her, at the age of seventy, she had
founded eighty-six monasteries. St.
Francis seemed to have an intuition of
the part his order was to play in spread-
ing the devotion of the Sacred Heart, for
he begged the nuns ' ' to unite their vows
to the Heart of Jesus ; " to be the serv-
ants and adorers of the loving Heart of
the Saviour, and he called them "The
daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. "
A little more than thirty years after the
death of St. Jane our Lord made the great
revelation of His Sacred Heart to B.
Margaret Mary, and the humble Visitan-
dine became the apostle of this world-
regenerating devotion.

Mgr. Bougaud portrays the spirit of
the institute as follows : ' ' The Visita-
tion knows not the long fasts nor the
other austerities of Carmel. Mortified,
however, for without bodily mortifica-
tion there can be no religious life, the
daughter of St. Francis de Sales immo-
lates herself especially by interior sacri-
fice, by carefulness to keep herself gen-
tle, recollected, humble, amiable, agree-
able to all and in all things. She lives
in the cloister and behind bars, but less

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPJRIT.

severe ; the veil which God puts on her
head does not hide her face from view.
Her distinctive trait is sweetness. "

St. Francis de Sales had realized the
need of a body of devoted women who
would visit in their homes the poor, the
sick, and the unfortunate. We have
seen how he was obliged to change the
work of his Visitandines. St. Vincent
•de Paul was able to carry out the plan of
the saintly
bishop. Per-
haps the rea-
son was that
one began by
writing an
institute, and
the other
wrote an in-
stitute after
the work had
been success-
fully under-
taken. The
"father of
the poor, ' ' as
.St. Vincent
was called,
like many
another foun-
der, had no
idea that he
was founding
a congrega-
tion. As a
priest he was
inflamed with
:zeal for souls.
He saw that
souls could
be gained

through] ministering to the body. He
believed in organized efforts, so he
•established in parishes the celebrated
•confraternities of charity for the spirit-
ual and corporal relief of the sick poor.
He gathered around him other zealous
priests, who in time became known as
the Priests of the Mission. Wherever
they went to preach there they started in
•every parish a confraternity of charity.

ST. PHILIP NERI.

But the great work was to take a new
development. There was much pious
emulation in Paris among the ladies of
the highest class. -Foremost among
them was Louise de Marillac, widow of
M. Le Gras. St. Vincent de Paul recog-
nized her eminent piety and ability and
charged her with the task of putting
unity of action into the different associa-
tions of charity already established.

It resulted
in the forma-
tion of the
celebrated
Congrega-
tion of the
Sisters of
Charity. It
was a new
departure in
religious
life. Vincent
called them
the Servants
of the Poor
and wrote
his admira-
ble confer-
ences to form
them in
practical
spirituality.
Heexpressed
his idea of
his spiritual
daughters in
the follow-
ing words :
"They will
consider that
although
they are not in a religious order, inas-
much as this state is not suitable to
their vocation, yet, because they are
much more exposed than the religious
who are cloistered and grilled, since they
have for monastery only the houses of
the sick, for a cell some poor room and
that, too, rented ; for chapel the parish
church, for cloister the streets of the
city, for enclosure obedience, for grille

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

the fear of God, and for veil holy
modesty : on account of all these con-
siderations they should have as much
or even more virtue than if they were
professed in a religious order. "

Of course St. Vincent, in declaring
that his daughters were not religious,
spoke in the strict ecclesiastical mean-
ing of the word, which implied those
things which he declared incompatible
with their public duties. At first he
would not allow them to take any vows
at all, but finally yielded to their making
simple vows, which would not make of
them nuns, for as he said, " when you
say nun, you imply cloister, grille, and
other things incompatible with your
vocation." They were not to wear a
religious habit, but the costume of a
peasant of those days, the gray dress and
the white linen cornette. Thus they
could go freely in and out without at-
tracting attention or exciting adverse
criticism. St. Vincent knew how to
adapt means to the end, and what an
end he had in view ! Every work of
charity was a work for his daughters.
The sick, the needy, the aged, the
foundling, the ignorant — all had a claim
on their services. Hospitals, asylums,
homes, schools were to be the scene
of their labors. Their zeal was not
to be confined to any country, "for
the earth is the Lord's"; hence they
were to be missionaries in all lands.
They were to brave every danger, so they
were to follow the army on the battle-
field, and while tending the bodies of
the sick and wounded to pour in the oil
and balm of spiritual consolation. How
they have fulfilled the design of their
founder, the whole world is witness.

Space does not allow us even to men-
tion the numerous congregations of
women which claim St. Vincent de Paul
as their founder. But the successors of
those first Priests of the Mission, com-
monly known as Lazarists, have made
his name glorious, not only for their
work in the civilized world, but for their
missionary labors in heathen lands.

When the voice of God was calling
Vincent de Paul to His service, a glorious
life was closing in Rome.

In the foremost rank of lovable saints
is St. Philip Neri, whose very presence
was sufficient to banish sadness and mel-
ancholy. From his childhood upwards
he was remarkable for the singular
beauty and purity of his character. Given
to penance and mortification himself, he
had nothing but sweetness and kindness
for others. He was consumed with the
love of God, and it showed itself in a
burning zeal to do good to others. A
Florentine by birth, he exercised hi&
apostolate in the Eternal City and earned
the glorious title of Apostle of Rome.

Even as a layman he acquired great
influence over men whom he won to the
practice of Christian virtues. By the
advice of his confessor he received the
priesthood that he might the better gain
souls. His room became the resort of
those who wished to be trained in the
spiritual life. A larger room was soon
needed. Then he got leave to build an
oratory over one of the aisles of the
church of St. Jerome. Other priests
were attracted to engage in the work,
and the Congregation of the Oratory
was formed. St. Philip lived in the sun-
shine of God's presence, and reflected
his joyful spirit on all who came near
him. When he met his spiritual chil-
dren in the street, he would pat them on
the cheek, or playfully pull their hair
or their ears and fill them with joy. He
wished them to serve God, like the first
Christians, in gladness of heart. This,
he said, was the true filial spirit which
expands the soul, giving it liberty and
perfection in action, power over tempta-
tion, and fuller aid to perseverance. His
own life was a succession of miracles.
He could read the hearts of men and fore-
tell their destiny. He could restore
health to the body and peace to the soul.

The great son of St. Philip, Cardinal
Newman, thus speaks of the mission of
his father in God : " Instead of combat-
ing like St. Ignatius, or being a hunter

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

of souls like St. Cajetan, Philip pre-
ferred, as tie expressed it tranquilly, to
cast in his net to gain them ; he pre-
ferred to yield to the stream and direct
the current — which he could not stop —
of science, literature, art and fashion,
and to sweeten and sanctify what God
had made very good and man had
spoilt." So we find the Saint in the
great metropolis of the world in the six-
teenth century, when the pagan spirit
of the renaissance was at its height, not
so much resisting it as subjugating it.
One instance will show it. Music had
alluring charms. Then music shall be
one of the attractions
in his oratory ; and
Palestrina, one of his
disciples, composed
many hymns to be
sung at their meet-
ings. And so to this
day popular devo-
tions, a simple in-
struction and congre-
gational singing,
draw every evening
in the week except
Saturday, reserved
for confessions, a de-
vout congregation.

But we must not
imagine that the gay
spirit of St. Philip
was opposed to mor-
tification. On the
contrary, it sprang from a constant
practice of penance ; and this he taught
those whom he attracted and formed
into the Brothers of the Little Oratory,
laymen living in the world, but meet-
ing regularly in their own chapel where
among other exercises they take the dis-
cipline in common.

The picture of St. Philip would be in-
complete indeed were no mention to be
made of his tender love for the Mother
of God. She in return gave many a
striking proof of her affection, among
others she miraculously upheld the roof
of his chapel which was about to fall

ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

and crush him, and restored him to
health when at the point of death. His
devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and
his ecstatic state when offering the Holy
Sacrifice are well known. But it is as
the Saint of children and young men
that Philip will ever be held in benedic-
tion. "Amuse yourselves, but do not
offend God ' ' was the burden of his talk.
And once when a visitor remarked to
him what a noise the young people
were making in his room and wondered
how he could stand it, the Saint replied :
" Provided the}' do not commit any sin,
they can cut wood on my back, if it
gives them pleas-
ure." Beloved by
God and man, St.
Philip, when dying,
left to his congrega-
tion his spirit of joy
and of devotion to
young men.

A century after the
death of St. Philip,
a saint made this
prophecy of a new-
born babe : ' ' This
child will live to a
very advanced age ;
he will not die until
his ninetieth year ;
he will be a bishop
and will do great
things for Jesus
Christ. " The prophet
was St. Francis de Girolamo, S.J., and
the subject of the prophecy was St.
Alphonsus Maria de Liguori.

From his childhood Alphonsus was
remarkable for his tender piety, especial-
ly to our Lord in the Blessed Sacra-
ment and to the Virgin Mother of God.
But his piety helped, rather than im-
peded his studies, so that he took the
degree of doctor in canon and civil law
when only in his sixteenth year. The
bar, however, could not satisfy his as-
pirations. The voice of God sounded in
his heart : ' ' What have you to do in the
world ? " " Lord, do with me what Thou

SOME RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS AND THEIR SPIRIT.

wilt, ' ' was the answer. In spite of the
opposition of his family, he entered the
ecclesiastical state. He ambitioned to
become an Oratorian, for he had long
been a Brother of the Little Oratory, and
like St. Philip, he tenderly loved the
young, whom he would collect around
him, teach them, and bring them to
church. But the oratory was not to be
his home. He began his public ministry
as a priest in a congregation founded in
Naples for the giving of missions and
retreats. For a whole year after his
ordination he abstained from hearing
confessions out of humility. Only under
an order of obedience from Cardinal
Pignatelli did he take his seat in the
tribunal of penance. His extraordinary
kindness to penitents brought multitudes
to his confessional. He never forgot
that, though he was the judge of the
penitent, he was also the father, and
that it was a ministry of reconciliation,
and not of condemnation, that had been
confided to him. So he was wont to
condemn in after life all rigorism, say-
ing : "The more a soul is plunged in
vice and bound by the bonds of sin, so
much the more must one try by means
of kindness to snatch it from the arms
of the devil to throw it into the arms of
God. It is easy to say : ' Go away, you
are doomed; I cannot absolve you ; ' but
if one consider that this soul is the
price of the blood of Jesus Christ, one
should be horrified at such conduct. "

True to his teaching, the Saint, in
extreme old age, testified that he never
remembered to have sent away a sinner
un absolved, still less to have ever treated
any one with hardness or bitterness.
This came not from laxness or easiness
in giving absolution, but from the
power he possessed of disposing the
hearts of his penitents by his charitable
interest and gentleness.

The success of Alphonsus in giving
missions and the spiritual destitution
that he found among the poor peasants
filled him with the desire of devoting
his life to the succor of the rural popula-

tions. Other priests felt drawn to the
same work, and the Congregation of the
Most Holy Redeemer was founded. In
order the more effectually to carry out
the principal end of the Institute, which
is to assist the most ignorant and
neglected souls, St Alphonsus forbade
his Fathers to undertake such works as
the instruction of youth, the government
of seminaries and the direction of nuns.
Their main occupation was to be the
apostolic ministry in the preaching of
missions and retreats to all classes of
persons, but with a preference for such
as are most neglected, especially those
who live in remote villages and hamlets.
As, however, in many countries the most
neglected souls are to be found in the
great cities, the intention of the founder
is carried out in laboring for them.

The Saint, who was himself so eminent
in learning, insisted on the duty of
continual study, so that his priests
might be "of use and profit to the
Church on all occasions. " Some sixty
volumes attest the wonderful knowledge
and assiduity of him who has been
declared a doctor of the Church. Had
he but written his Commentary of Moral
Theology, it would have been a sufficient
monument. His doctrinal works breathe
a most tender piety, and his Glories of
Mary could have been produced only
by one who, as he declared, had from
his childhood held direct converse with
our Lady, and thus knew her marvellous
power with God.

With great natural repugnance he
accepted, by order of holy obedience
from the Pope, the bishopric of St.
Agatha of the Goths. As a bishop he
emulated the virtues of St. Charles
Borromeo, but when his health had
completely failed he applied to be
relieved of his pastoral charge. The
request was refused by two successive
Popes; the third, Pius VI., granted it.
When the news reached him, he ex-
claimed : " God be praised, for He has
taken a mountain off my shoulders."
He returned joyfully to his religious

THE PRODIGAL.

brethren to edify them by his exact
observance of their somewhat severe
rule and by his holy counsels. Full of
years, the saintly patriarch died, be-
queathing to the Redemptorists the spirit
of zeal for souls and great devotion to
the Blessed Virgin.

We have not pretended to give any-
thing like a complete account of those
founders whom we have selected, and we

have been obliged to pass over in silence
through want of space many whose
claims are evident. But we must re-
mark the truth to which St. Paul calls
attention, saying : "There are diversities
of graces, but the same spirit ; and there
are diversities of ministers, but the same
Lord ; and there are diversities of opera-
tions, but the same God, who worketh
all in all."

THE PRODIGAL.

By J. Reader.
(Concluded.}

THE night of John's flight Father
Stewart sat waiting by himself in

[rs. Stephenson's little kitchen. He
was sitting, stooping forward in his
chair, with his eyes fixed on the fire,
and a pained sad look on his kindly
face.

He had brought the doctor himself
to see poor little Mary, who lay nigh
unto death, stricken to the soul by her
brother's conduct. She did not seem to
have the strength to rally from the
shock of the discovery of his cruel con-
duct ; she lay unconscious and nerveless,
and the mother absorbed in her own
bitter grief was not conscious that an-
other loss threatened her.

Father Stewart hoped that the sight of
the doctor would arouse her to the danger
of Mary's condition. " Poor woman,
poor child : ' ' said the good Father to
himself. "Who could have imagined
such a blow for them, and from such a
quarter ; the sorrows and sufferings of
human life without our faith, how could
we ever bear them ! ' '

The doctor came bustling down stairs,
treading heavily with his creaky boots,
and talking loudly, as if he desired to
rouse the little cottage out of the death-
like silence that had fallen on it.

"There now, Mrs. Stephenson, " he
said when he reached the kitchen :
"cheer up, cheer up, grievin' will no

bring yer lad back, an'it'lltak' ye a'yer
time to comfort the bit lassie up there ;
she's sair shaken."

The doctor generally lapsed into " the
Scotch " when talking with the poor
people, and so indeed did Father Stewart,
though he confessed to a more limited
vocabulary than the doctor. " She'll
neither speak nor eat, doctor," said
poor Mrs. Stephenson between her sobs,
' ' she was aye that set on her brither,
I'm fearin' it'll be the death o' her."

" A weel, she's no deed yet ; ye'll gie
her the bit draughty noo, an' I'll look
in the first thing i' th' mornin'. Yer
lad '11 be a' richt, ye'll see ; he has good
abeelities an' he'll no' stick " — adding
under his breath, "an' the deil's aye
kind to his ain."

Father .Stewart said a few consoling
words, and he and the doctor left the
cottage.

' ' Had you any idea, Father, that
young Stephenson was going to turn out
badly? " said the doctor, as they walked
home together.

" None whatever ; it had shocked me
more than I can tell you. Certainly for
the last month or two he has not been
so attentive to his duties as formerly,
but I did not think anything was wrong,
and lads of that age do not want too
tight a rein, as they get restive. "

' ' Ah well, I 'm not surprised ; he comes

THE PRODIGAL.

of a bad stock, though the mother is a
decent body, anda'a good woman, but it's
' bred in the bone ' you see, as they
say. ' '

" You are great on heredity, doctor. "

"I should not be much good in my
calling if I kept that out of my calcula-
tions. Shakespeare says, ' the evil that
men do, lives after them, ' and we see it
alive and rioting in the offspring, with
destructive vigor. There is not much
advance yet on the wisdom of the
ancient writings ; it is ' to the third and
fourth generations, ' Father, and the
law is inexorable. Sometimes it's the
physical, and sometimes the moral being
that suffers from the ancient evil ; in the
Stephensons you have an example of
both — the lassie is a cripple with a
diseased hip joint, and the lad has a
congenital twist in his moral nature, and
an inherited tendency to depravity. He
has started the downward path now,
and nothing will stop him. "

' ' Fie, doctor ! If I thought as you do
about these matters, I'd ask you for an
ounce of laudanum and make an end
of all things. There are other and
higher laws you should include in the
scope of your philosophy ; I am no
student of heredity, as you know, but
whatever I have ever learned regarding
the question, either from books or from
personal observation, I have no difficulty
in reconciling with the higher, ' the
perfect law of charity, ' which wills not
the death of a sinner, but promises
grace sufficient to save, in spite of all
inherited instincts to evil or in feeble
will. To overcome our evil tendencies,
whether inherited or not, is the con-
tinual warfare of man's life on earth,
and, thank God, there are many who
make a good fight of it. Bodily suffer-
ing, too, if borne patiently, purifies and
strengthens the soul, and sceptic as you
are, doctor, you are not going to deny
that man has a soul, and that this is
often the stronger part of him and
dominates the physical being. "

" I don't deny it, I admit a something

in man beyond the purely material,
which you call a soul. "

"Well, anyway, my prayers will be
for the poor prodigal, that he may have
grace to return to himself and to those
who love him.".

So they shook hands and parted, tak-
ing their several ways home. They were
good friends and much attached to each
other, although the doctor was quite a
free lance in matters of religion, and a
sad sceptic altogether, but his heart was
kind, and his life devoted to good and
useful work. They met almost daily for
some time at Mrs. Stephenson's cottage,
where day by day love and death bat-
tled for the frail and gentle Mary. But
love conquered, and kept her, the om-
nipotent love of a good mother who
knows how to pray — and what will it
not accomplish ?

Before very long Mary was sitting
knitting on her old seat at the cottage
door, and mother and daughter had
taken up the thread of their daily life
with patient but saddened hearts. They
had silently joined the drooping ranks
of those who wait — the votaries of the
"Madonna of Sighs " — a pale company
of women chiefly, of whom for the
most part, " the world is not worthy "
who wait for their prodigals, for their
loved, for their lost, with tears and
prayers, but with much patience.

Mary made a great effort for her
mother's sake, and the mother buried
her own sorrow very deep in her heart
for Mary's sake, and made a brave show
of cheerfulness. It was a long time be-
fore they could talk of John, though
each knew he was never absent from the
other's thoughts.

One day Father Stewart came in with
' ' a grand piece of news for Mary ' ' : Mr.
Lindsey's picture was the picture of the
year. It was hung on the line and bade
fair to make his fortune. " He has had
praise enough to turn his head, Mary,"
said the good Father, his eyes shining
with pride and pleasure. "They say it's
an inspiration— his face of St. Elizabeth,

THE PRODIGAL.

4-7

so delicate and tender — but there! I'll
give you the paper to read for yourself,
Mary. You'll maybe not understand
the half of it, but you will see he has
done a fine piece of work."

' ' Think o ' that now, Mary, ' ' said Mrs.
Stephenson . ' ' She 's said many a rosary
for him, Father, she was that ta'en up

iwi' Mr. Lindsey. But what's his picter
a' aboot ? "
" We will be having a sketch of it
soon, I expect, in one of the illustrated
papers, then I will show it to you. But
Mary here will be getting so vain there
will be no putting up with her. "

"I am so glad, Father," said Mary,
"but he'll have made me a deal bonnier
than I am, I'm thinking, an' I'll no be
vain if you'll just let us see what it's
like."

Mr. Lindsey did not forget his promise
to Mary to "go shares." He felt a
boundless gratitude, he said, to the own-
er of the fair face that had helped him
so much. His picture was exhibited,
engraved, photographed and stereotyped,
so that by the end of a couple of years
the famous picture of St. Elizabeth was
known to most people in the kingdom,
and Charles Lindsey, R. A., could name
his own price for his pictures henceforth,
and take his place amongst the best
artists of his day. By the end of a few
years he was a comparatively rich man,
and his annual presents to Mary and her
mother secured them from that degree of
poverty which would surely have over-
taken them if such welcome help had
not been forthcoming.

As the years went on, Mrs. Stephenson
lost the robust health which had happily
been hers during the earlier years of her
widowhood, and there were many days
when she could not go out to work. The
sorrow and disappointment she had suf-
fered through her son, had in a great
measure broken her spirit and sapped her
energies. More and more she longed
for John's return, and she and Mary
offered up all their prayers and com-
munions for their poor prodigal. If they

could only get some news of him, only
hear that he was alive and well, and
leading a good Christian life they would
be satisfied, even if they never saw him
again.

As it sometimes happens in the case
of delicate children, Mary's health im-
proved as she reached maturer years,
and a young fisherman, the son of a
neighbor, who had long ' ' wanted Mary, "
set himself more determinedly to win her
for his own. He was a decent Catholic
lad, with a boat of his own and "a bit
sillar " put by in the bank.

"A fine fule ye '11 look wi' a cripple
wife, ' ' his mother would say sometimes,
who wished her son to look higher than
the daughter of a poor widow like Mrs.
Stephenson, working for her living.
" An' its no ain of they Stephenson lot
that I'm carin' to hae for a dauchter-in-
law. ' '

" It'll be Mary Stephenson or nae-
body, " he always answered shortly.

Mary had never thought seriously of
marriage, but she was touched by the
man's constancy and his love for her,
in spite of her physical defect. ' ' If
things had been different ' ' she would
say to herst-lf with a sigh, "I might
have fancied him, but as it is, I am best
as I am."

One day after he had been talking with
her some time at the cottage door, her
mother came out and took the seat he
had vacated. "That's a good lad,
Mary," she said, "and a fine. I've
niver thoucht o' ye takin' up wi' a lad,
but he'd mak' a guid husband for ye,
gin ye were minded tae merry. "

" I 'm too cripple, mother, I should be a
burden to him, I'm fearin'. I like Archie
well enough, but I'm no much set on
being married and the lad 's no born yet
I 'd care to leave you for, mother. ' '

" Ah, but whiles I'm fearin' I may be
leavin ' you, ma bairn, I 'm no ' that strong
noo, an' I've a heavy feelin' on me mony
a time, fearin' ye micht be left a' yer
lane, wi' naebody tae care for ye. I've
aye been hopin' and prayin' yer brither

THE PRODIGAL.

waud come hame, an' that I'd see ye
baith happy thegither again; but it's
fourteen year a' but a month sin' he
set off, an' we'll maybe niver see him
1 again. The Lord's will be done, Mary,
but I could na dee in peace, lassie, if I
thoucht ye were to be left friendless an'
alane. "

"Don't, don't mother, " cried Mary in
great distress, "we'll pray to die to-
gether— don't talk about dying, mother,
I can't bear it." After they had wept
together a little, Mary said : ' ' Tell me
about your own marriage, mother, and
how you felt about it — were you very
happy ? ' '

Mrs. Stephenson had never said much
about her married life, but it was so long
past and its sorrows and struggles had
faded into such pale and sweet recollec-
tions, that she felt no pain in speaking
about it now and giving Mary the whole
sorrowful little history. She told it all
in a simple matter-of-fact way — it was
such an old story now, such a short
period out of a life of nearly sixty years.
To the girl, however, it was new, and of
heart-breaking pathos. A great indig-
nation filled her heart as she listened,
and a great compassion for the gentle,
loving woman who had been marked for
so many and great trials, even from her
girlhood.

' ' I thought it was a ' made up to me
in ma bairns," her mother went on,
but John was his father's son, tho' I
did ma best to keep him a God-fearin'
lad. Maybe he was sair tempted, lassie,
we canna tell."

Presently Mary rose and kissed her
mother and took her way down to her
old seat on the rocks. She wanted to
think over the sad story she had just
heard, and weep by herself over her
brother's past sorrows. She had sus-
pected for some time that her father had
not been a good man and the neighbors
had had a good deal to say of him at the
time when her brother ran away ; but he
must have been bad to treat her good
gentle mother so cruelly. ' < And she

thought it was all made up to her in her
children," said the girl bitterly to her-
self. "I've been a fine handful to her
all my life and John treated her worse
than my father ; little we've done to
make it up to her. "

A rush of tears came to her eyes, a
rush of sacrificing love to her heart.
" Oh God, " she cried, " if I could only
make it up to her, oh, let me make it up
to her, let me, let me ; if my worthless
life can avail, I offer it for her happiness;
send her back her son and take me in-
stead. He is more to her than I can
ever be — send him back to work for her
in her old age, as I could never do — for
the sake of them both, I beseech Thee,
that it may be well with them, through
Thy mercy." Mary had always been
near to God as Father Stewart had said,
and now with the whole power of her
soul she prayed ; the fervent prayer of a
heart burning with filial and self-sacri-
ficing love.

* * *

Under a burning Australian sun a
small band of men, diggers from some
neighboring gold fields, were riding into
a town. Their way lay through a dry,
barren, sandy country, wild and deso-
late, which gave no shade from the
fierce noon-day heat They swore at
the heat, at the drought, at the long
dreary tract, without stint, but without
any particular rancor, for they had gold
hid in their shirts — glorious yellow
gold, and they were, therefore, well dis-
posed, on the whole, to creation in gen-
eral. Luck had been with them of late ;
and when they should have banked their
gold in the town, they would feel like
men who had earned some rosy hours of
pleasure, after their hard toil and rough
life. Their spirits rose as they neared
the town. One of them tried to whistle,
but his lips were too dry and stiff, and a
long pull at the whiskey flask did not
help matters much, so they rode along,
almost in silence.

There were five of them, and they
were a fair sample of the band of des-

THE PRODIGAL.

perate, lawless men, who had rushed to
the newly discovered gold field, at the
first rumor of its treasure. Before even-
ing fell, they had eaten and drunk and
rested. They had pockets full of money
and hearts hot with the desire of life
and pleasure. Before midnight they
had gambled and fought, but at length,
one by one, they subsided into silence,
overcome by whiskey and sleep.

At daybreak one of them stirred,
moaned, and awoke, with a heavy ach-
ing head, and a bullet
wound in his arm. His
pain had aroused him. He
got up, cursing his sleep-
ing companions, and made
his way out to the cool
morning air, for he was
hot and feverish, though
his wound was not seri-
ous. He found a pump
and a bucket, and he re-
freshed himself with a
good wash, and bathed
his arm and tied it up.
Then he wandered out
into the streets of the city,
where a few early risers,
like himself, were astir.
Carts loaded with fruit
and vegetables, passed
him, coming in from the
country. He bought some
grapes from one of these,
and he ate them, as he
walked aimlessly along,
less and disturbed, but not despondent ;
his losses of the previous night had not,
by any means, "cleaned him out";
and a drunken fight was nothing un-
iisual to him ; but he was restless, and
he walked on and on.

The morning advanced ; shop-keepers
opened their shutters, and men and
women passed to and fro on their daily
occupations.

Later, he came to one of the better
streets, where the shops were larger and
more attractive. One window had a lit-
tle crowd gathered around it. It was a

picture dealer's shop window, and the
attraction was an engraving of a famous
picture, newly placed there. The man
(whom his mate called Stevie), slowed
up, and waited his turn to get near the
window. When he did so, and had seen
the picture, he staggered back with a
smothered cry of amazement, and would
have fallen had not a bystander caught
him roughly, with the admonition,
" look out, mate."
He pulled himself together, and looked

HE FOUND HIMSELF
INSIDE A CATHO-
LIC CHURCH.

He was rest-

again. Yes, it was the picture of Mary
Stephenson, his sister; Mr. Lindsey's
successful picture, which John Stephen -
son saw now for the first time. Oh, the
purity, the goodness shining in that
exquisite face ! He shrank before it,
feeling degraded and ashamed. Was
she really so beautiful ? Ah, yes, it was
Mary to the very life ; her eyes looked
into his — those innocent, soulful, wide-
open eyes — into his very soul. His

THE PRODIGAL.

patient, beautiful sister, his playmate,
his comrade, so gentle and so good. He
thought of the time when she had sat
for this picture, and the whole scene
rose up before him — the whitewashed
cottage, with the sea spread out before
it, and the breezy green braes behind.
He could hear the splash of the waves,
and the scream of the sea gulls on the
rocks. Memory awoke and gripped him
by the throat, a rush of feeling swept
over him, and almost choked him. He
tried to throw it off, and he turned away
to seek distraction by looking at other
shop windows ; but in a minute or two,
almost unconsciously, he was back again
before the picture. Those eyes, Mary's
wonderful blue eyes, fascinated him,
held him, pleaded, commanded ; but
what ? He began to feel very nervous,
as though some unseen presence were
beside him, whispering that which awed
and frightened him, in a language he did
not understand.

" It's this wound in my arm, curse
it," he growled, (< it must have bled a
good bit in the night, and made me
weak. I want a drink ! " He found a
bar room and went in and gulped down
several drinks, but for once his spirits
failed to respond to the accustomed stim-
ulants, or his brain to be dulled to dis-
quieting reflections. On the contrary,
he was conscious of a great clearness of
mind, something within him, usually
dormant, had been startled into terrible
and discomforting wakefulness. There
was a fear on him, and he shuddered
when he realized that it was deepening,
in spite of the alcohol. He told himself
he was taken by surprise at seeing
Mary's picture so unexpectedly. Poor
Mary ! He would just go back and have
another look at it ; poor little girl ! He
was trying a little bravado with himself,
for he had to go back to the picture, and
in his heart of hearts he knew this.

Again he stood before the picture ; he
tried to confine his attention to the de-
tails ; to the hands, delicate and spirit-
like, to the clinging white robes ; but no !

he had to meet those calm, penetrating
eyes. He tried to avoid them, but he
could not, and soon, powerless to avert
his own, he gazed as one fascinated. As
in a dream, he was back on the rocks by
the sea, telling Mary stories and watch-
ing the ships. He was in the homely
cottage on the quay, and he saw its
cheerful firelight flickering on his
mother's gentle face as she prepared the
evening meal. He was in the chapel,
and he swung the censer at Benediction,
and saw the Host through a scented cloud
of incense. What a bright-faced, happy
boy he was, with curly brown hair
and wide open blue eyes, like Mary's !
How vivid it was ! Was he really a boy
at Rockhaven ? Was that a dream, or
was this ? He touched himself, his
coarse flannel shirt, his leather breeches,
his burning, painful arm ; but he could
not assure himself of his own identity.

There is a suggestion of auto- hypno-
tism here, the man of science might
say, and maybe all the essentials were
there for producing such a condition ;
the man's prolonged and fixed gaze at a
certain object, and that object something
in itself capable of "striking the electric
chaijfl, " of all the memories associated
with his early life.

John was not his own man, he w-''S
caught at a disadvantage, being weak
with fasting so many hours, and with
loss of blood, and the sudden and most
complete reminder of his boyhood had
startled him out of his usual callous in-
difference. His soul, which so long had
mourned within him, awoke and cried
out for a chance for life and God.

He wandered about the town all the
rest of the day, living over again, in
memory, the innocent days of his child-
hood, in the gentle company of his
mother and sister, without sadness and
without regret, even with an occasional
smile at some happy recollection. Now
and then a pang of dismay shot through
him, as at the thought of some great
loss, but for the most part, his past life
and his present, had become wholly dis-

THE PRODIGAL.

associated, and the faculty of combining
them in himself, and comparing them,
was numb.

Towards evening he found himself in
the busier part of the city, and he fell in
with a stream of working people who
were thronging to wards a building which
stood inside some railings. He passed
through the gates unheedingly, and on
to the door. When he reached it, he
saw it was a church and he stopped
short and shrank back. The crowd was
rather thick here, and for a moment he
blocked the way of several who were
eagerly making their way inside. " Now
then, " said one man, " either get in or
get out, and don't stand there blocking
the way for others. "

Just then the little crowd received a
fresh impetus forward from behind, and
in another minute John Stephenson
found himself inside a Catholic church
for the first time since he left his home
on the far-off Scottish coast. The church
was packed, for there was that evening
a special preacher of great repute. John
sat down mechanically on a seat which
was shown him, and before he had time
to look about him, the preacher was in
the pulpit and giving out his text.

He said, ' ' What are these wounds in
the midst of thy hand ? With these
was I wounded in the house of them that
loved me," and he repeated it over two
or three times, his keen gray eyes wan-
dering over the faces of his audience, as
if to assure himself that they were
attentive. ' ' It has been said, brethren, ' '
he went on, "and wisely, that no
stranger can get a great many notes of
suffering out of a human soul. It takes
one that knows it well — parent, child,
brother, sister, friend to wound it in its
most sensitive part ; and it is in pro-
portion to its power of loving, that the
heart is capable of suffering." His
theme that night was the love of Jesus,
and the power He has given us, through
His very love for us, of inflicting suffer-
ing on His Sacred Heart, and the
preacher led up to it by human ex-

amples— the prodigal son, the faithless
spouse, the false friend.

It seemed to one wretched, half-dazed
man, at the end of .the church, that the
preacher had singled him out from the
first, and that he was preaching to him
alone. He tried not to hear, but every
word came home and beat in upon his
brain, and he felt like a man listening to
a recital of his crimes before sentence
should be passed on him. He became so
nervous that he could hardly sit still in
his seat, and once in a kind of panic he
half rose, as if to fly.

" Set still, can't you, " growled a man
next to him, and he sat down again,
with the frightened, desperate look of a
trapped animal. He could not, he felt,
struggle through that crowd of silent
wrapt listeners between him and the
door. But the preacher was nearing the
end ; his charge against sinners was
finished, and he was speaking of the
mercy and love of the Sacred Heart.

" Here, " he said, " is the source of all
love. In loving this adorable Heart, we
cancel all our lesser debts of love ; in
atoning to this Heart we atone for all ;
the love of Jesus fills up the measure
of our love for all men. Come then to
this wellspring of charity ; demand the
pardon which this loving Heart cannot
refuse ; learn of His love, pray for it
fervently, and in loving Him you will
learn that universal charity which He
has promised, shall cover a multitude
of sins."

Then followed Benediction, and in the
adorable presence, did one poor prodigal
' ' return to himself ? ' ' Oh wonderful
operation of divine grace by which
a sinner "returns to himself!" No
wonder there is "joy before the angels
of God " at this marvellous manifesta-
tion of His mercy ! Yes, one prodigal
returned to himself, but it was a hard
won victory, and John Stephenson was
found at the end of the service in a dead
faint, with his face still wet with his
tears.

" Please, yer Reverence, we have a

THE PRODIGAL.

man ill, in the porch, "said a young
man, coming into the sacristy, after
service. "He fainted in the church,
and he seems weak and ill. What had we
better do ? "

"Take him into the house, Brady,"
said the priest, ' ' and I '11 come and have
a look at him. "

A few minutes later he found the
stranger sitting in the Presbytery
kitchen, looking dazed and ill. He
fetched some wine and made him drink
it off. ' ' That's better, ' ' he said, John
nodded, and whispered "Thank you,
Father."

' ' How did you come to faint ? ' ' the
priest went on.

"A slight wound in my arm," an-
swered John, " and I've had no food to-
day, I believe, and, I — I want to talk to
you, Father."

" Yes, but not to-night, my lad, you
must have some food, and a good night's
rest first."

" Let him come home with me,
Father," said the young man called
Brady, "I'll look after him."

"That's good of you, Brady," said
the priest, ' ' do so, by all means, and
call in at Dr. Wilson 's on your way, and
have this wounded arm seen to. " Turn-
ing to John he said, ' ' you will be in good
hands, if you will trust yourself with
this young man; you are a Catholic are
you not ? ' '

' ' I was one, Father. ' '

' ' Then you are one still. What is your
name, by the way ? ' '

' ' John Stephenson. ' '

"Well, good-night now, and I will
look in and see you in the morning. "

' ' A stray lamb with a vengeance, ' '
Brady whispered as he passed the priest.
"Well, take care of him, Brady, for the
sake of the Shepherd, and good-night to
you."

1 ' John Stephenson — umph ' ' — said
the priest to himself. " A country-
man of mine, I'll be bound. Well John,
my man, you are not a very creditable
specimen just at present, and I fancy

you'll have a sorry story for me in the
morning. But, please God, you'll be all
the better for telling it. ' '

It was "a sorry story" indeed, he
heard in the morning, but the "stray
lamb ' ' was safely folded and the good
Father was happy. A week later John
sailed for home ; he sold out his claim at
a favorable moment and it realized well,
so there was something to take back
after all, if not a fortune. He longed
for home with all his soul, for the peace
of that humble godly dwelling, and for
the fresh sweet coolness of the Northern
air, after the hot, dry climate ; for the
quiet and repose of his native village-
after his feverish life of excitement and
dissipation. Above all he longed for
Mary, his friend and comrade, so fair to
see, and so sweet to talk with, so quick
to understand. He never doubted of
forgiveness, or that his dear ones would
receive him again ; he knew their good-
ness and their love. His friend the
priest saw him on board his steamer, and
bade him Godspeed.

"You '11 be home for Christmas," he
said, "and what a happy meeting!"
He had heard about the beautiful sister
and how it was seeing her picture that
brought John to repentance, so the good
father bought a fine photograph of the
famous picture and hung it up in his
study, and to this day he tells the touch-
ing little incident connected with it.
One or two of his visitors inclined to the
study of psychology, have given him
some lengthy explanations on the mat-
ter, but he smiles quietly to himself the
while for he knows something of God's
dealings with the souls of His children,
and he can explain a good deal to his
own satisfaction without the help of

science.

* * •*

Mary had been failing in health for
some months. She did not complain
much nor did there seem any special
cause for her weakness and languor, but
every day she grew visibly frailer and
her mother mourned over her and

THE PRODIGAL.

HE THREW HIMSELF ON HIS KNEES AT HER FEET.

watched with jealous eye, her steadily
decreasing store of health and strength.

"What's wrang wi' the bit lassie
awa ? " a neighbor asked Mrs. Stephen-
son one day.

" There's no anything vera muckle

but si e

wrang wi' her, " she answered,

seems to be just slippin' awa. "
" Is't a decline, think ye ? "
" Na, it's no' a decline; the doctor puts

another name till't, something o' the

nervous system. "

THE PRODIGAL.

" I'm wae for ye, Mrs. Stephenson, "
the woman answered, as the poor mother
hurried away with her apron at her eyes.

One night Mary awoke after a long
sleep and sat up in bed with her eyes
glowing with excitement. "Mother,"
she called.

" Ay, ma lamb ? "

"Mother, I've seen John, and he's
coming home. "

"There, there, honey, dinna excite
yersel', ye've been dreamin' a wee."

"I've seen him, mother, " she went on
decidedly, "he's a man grown now,
mother, with a beard, strong and brown
lie looks, and his arm is in a sling ; he's
coming home, mother, I saw him say
good-bye to a priest on a big ship and
the priest said, 'you'll be home for
Christmas. ' "

"May the Lord grant it, bairn, but
ye 're talking ower muckle ; lie doon and
lie quiet a bittee. "

"Ah, mother ! how happy j^ou'll be to
have him again; you'll have him all to
yourself and he'll no want to be going
off again ; I '11 see it all mother, I '11 be
there too."

" 'Deed ay will, ye bairn."

'•Ah, but you'll no see me, for I'll
soon be leaving you, but I shall die con-
tented now, mother, for I know you'll
soon have John to take my place. "

' ' Oh lassie, lassie, ye fair grieve me
heart ! "

' ' Don 't cry, mother, you know the
doctor always said that you couldn 't look
for a long life for me. It's a happy
home I'm going to, and whiles I'm feel-
ing tired here. Tell John I knew he
was coming home, and that I was glad,
and that he's to take good care of you,
mother; tell him that from me, and to
ti y and make it all up to you, mother,
all your sorrow, and the trouble we've
given you. "

" Never* you, me darlin'; I'd rather
never see the lad again, than lose you."

" Ah, you think so now, but you won't
when once you see him again. Give him
my picture that Mr. Lindsey did, and

tell him to think of me sometimes when
he sits on our old seat on the rocks, and
pray for me wher- I have so often prayed
for him. "

A week later she died. Father Stewart
was with her at the last, and the old
doctor came in just before the end. They
walked home together, sad and unusually
silent. "She fair nickered out, "said
the doctor at last, as if speaking his
thoughts aloud. "She's puzzled me
from the first. ' '

"How will you fill up the causa
mortis form, think you ? ' '

"It's not easy to say just what she
did die of. She was aye different from
other lasses, and she died after a fashion
of her own."

"She made up her mind that she was
to die from the first, doctor, and I don't
think anything would have kept her
alive ; from what she said to me, I
gathered that she had some idea that if
she died her brother would come home ;
a most extraordinary notion ! ' '

" You might explain it on the theory
of suggestion," the doctor went on
musingly, " if you fancied the psycho-
logical doctrine, that the soul accepts
the suggestion and acts upon it. If I
were to tell my patients they were going
to die, the chances are that in a great
number of cases they would die. "

1 ' But you can hardly give suggestion
as the cause of death ? ' '

"No, we must look to the objective
symptoms. Psychology does not count
much in these matter-of-fact details, as
yet ; it was really heart failure at the
end."

"An effect without a cause; do you
know that Mary declared she had seen
her brother and that he was coming
home ? "

' ' She was fey, Father. ' '

"Well, fey or no fey, she was quite
convinced of the truth of her vision,
and died happy in consequence."

"We may live to verify that," said
the doctor. " I 've known strange things
happen to dying people, and 1 'm not

BLESSED NIGHT. 55

such an unbeliever in the supernatural beads in her hands, gazing sadly into

as you fancy, Father, and we come of a the glowing embers. She looked up

superstitious race ; heredity comes out inquiringly as the door opened, and,

in this seeing a stranger, she -half rose from her

" Now, now, doctor, you're off on your seat — but he said : " Mother ; oh, mother,

pet topic, so I'll say good-night; I'll mother! " and threw himself on his

have it out with you another time ; knees at her feet, asking for forgiveness,

your conversion must wait." A few minutes after he raised his head

and looked round.

' ' Where is Mary ? " he asked brokenly,

One dark, snowy evening, John Steph- with a sudden sinking at his heart, as he
enson reached his home. The sea was saw no signs of her presence,
roaring on the rocks, and the wind was " In the kirkyard, laddie, in the kirk-
whistling round the little cottage. His yard these two months — she's won home
mother sat in the firelight, with her afore ye. ' '

BLESSED NIGHT.
By F. de S. Howie, SJ.

The light burned low in the cottage home,

And the stars were sadly shining ;
The raw wind sighed, and the lattice creaked,

And the tree you love was pining.

Be still, my heart, 'tis the blast you hear,

In their graves the dead are lying ;
My chair I pushed, and I sang a song,

But the tree you loved kept sighing.

O night, I cried, thou resemblest death,

On thy brow is written sadness ;
And yet, sweet night, thou art ever kind,

To the good thou bringest gladness.

'Twas night, I thought, when the Infant God

From the realms of day descended ;
'Twas night when, round the manger poor,

The kingly strangers bended.

'Twas night, I thought, when He blessed and gave

To His own the Bread pf Heaven ;
'Twas night when He triumphant rose,

And the rock of death was riven.

The light burned low in the cottage home,

And the stars were sadly shining ;
The raw wind sighed and the lattice creaked,

And the tree you love was pining.

But I was brave, for my heart was strong,
And I smiled in the midst of my dreaming ;

And night, in spite of the sighing tree,
Was as bright as the moon just beaming.

THE CHRISTMAS VISION.

A pretty babe all burning bright did in the air appear.
And straight I called unto mind that it was Christmas Day.

S I in hoary winter's night stood shivering in the snow,

Surprised I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow ;
And lifting up* a fearful eye to view what fire was near,
A pretty babe, all burning bright, did in the air appear,
Who scorched with exceeding heat such floods of tears did shed,
As though His floods should quench His flames with what His
tears were fed.

Alas ! quoth He, but newly born, in fiery heats I fry,

Yet none approach to warm their hearts, or feel my fire but I !

My faultless breast the furnace is, the fuel wounding thorns ;

Love is the fire and sighs the smoke, the ashes shame and scorns ;

The fuel Justice layeth on, and Mercy blows the coals ;

The metal in this furnace wrought, are men's defiled souls ;

For which, as now on fire I am, to work them to their good,

So will I melt into a bath, to wash them in my blood :

With this He vanish 'd out of sight, and swiftly shrunk away,

And straight I called unto mind that it was Christmas Day.

MARTYR, JESUIT AND POET.
By P. J. Cole man.

OF that glorious company of English
martyrs whom the untiring labor
and holy zeal of the late Father John
Morris, S.J., has well advanced towards
the honors of the altar there is none more
interesting than the Venerable Robert
Southwell. Young, gentle, talented, a
poet of subtle charm, a member of the
Society of Jesus in his seventeenth year,
a missionary to England by intense desire
in the face of certain martyrdom, a mar-
tyr in the flower of his manhood, and
soon, we hope, to be enrolled in the cal-
endar of the Church, his story will ever be
a fascination and inspiration to Catholics,
while his writings — wells of ' ' pure Eng-
lish undefiled ' ' — speak the magnanimity
of his character and lend a tinge of mel-
ancholy romance to his saintly life.

Dr. Robert Chambers — surely no par-
tial authority — says in his Cyclopedia of
English Literature: "Robert South-
well is remarkable as a victim of the
persecuting laws of the period;" and,
after reciting the events of his brief but
eventful life, continues : ' ' found guilty
. . . of being a Romish priest, he
was condemned to death and executed
at Tyburn . . . with all the horri-
ble circumstances dictated by the old
treason laws of England." Another
critic, writing of him in Ward's Eng-
lish Poets, says : "No Protestant could
be so desperately bigoted as not to be
touched by the sad yet noble story of
what this young English gentleman
dared and endured. Whatever may be
thought of his cause one can only ad-
mire the fearless devotion with which
he gave himself up to it, reckless of dan-
ger, of torture, of death. . . . Such
a story could not but move men — the
story of a spirit so strong in its faith,
zealous, inflexible." While Hallam in
his Introduction to the Literature of
58

Europe in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth and
Seventeenth Centuries refers to him with
ill-disguised rancor, as ' ' one whom the
jealous law too prematurely deprived of
life."

The story of one who could thus move
even his enemies to admiration must
ever be a touching theme and a proud
heritage to the children of the martyrs.

Robert Southwell, the son of an old
patrician family, was born at Horsham,
St. Faith's, in Norfolk, about the year
1562. A youth of extraordinary dili-
gence, fervor, and piety, gave promise of
the saintly parts that crowned his later
life. Leaving England as a boy and
completing his studies at Paris, Douay
and Rome, he was admitted into the
Society of Jesus at the early age of
seventeen years. After an exemplary
novitiate and a brilliant course in phil-
osophy and theology, he was made Pre-
fect of Studies at the English College,
Rome, whence, at his own earnest solicita-
tion, eager even to the shedding of his
blood for the glory of God and the sal-
vation of souls, he set out for assured
martyrdom, as a missionary to Eng-
land, in 1586 — having, as he put it
quaintly, "travelled far and brought
home a freight of spiritual substance la
enrich his friends, and medicinable
receipts against their ghostly maladies. ""

The date of his arrival in England was
marked by a particularly savage out-
break of " reforming " zeal. The " per-
verted ingenuity " of intolerance, so
vehemently denounced by Edmund
Burke, two centuries later, was at work
with its inhuman accompaniments of
rack and gibbet, stake and thumb -screw,
" Scavenger's daughter, " " iron virgin "
and all the other machinery of torture
still to be seen in the Tower of London.
Special statutes breathing vengeance and

MARTYR, JESUIT AND POET.

slaughter against "Jesuits," "Semina-
rians " and "Papist" recusants had
been enacted. Seventy priests had been
banished the year before, under penalty
of death, should they return. Throck-
morton and Dr. Parry had died on the
scaffold. Babington and his friends
were active in the interests of Mary
Stuart, the hapless Queen of Scots.
Philip, Earl of Arundel, was a prisoner
in the Tower, soon to follow in martyr-
dom his father, the Duke of Norfolk, his
grandfather, and his great grandfather.
Cecil and Walsing-
ham ruled the 'royal
Council and fulmi-
nated the anathemas
of the ' ' Established ' '
Church. Topcliffe
and Young enforced
their bloody edicts
against the Catho-
lics, and the "~ land
was full of pursuiv-
ants, spies and in-
formers. Indeed,
Southwell's gloomy
poem, A Vale of

Tears, is but an alle-
gory of the England
of his day — the place,
as he put it in ter-

ible epigram, to ter-
ror framed by art. These are the lines :

Resort there is of none but pilgrim wights,

FATHER SOUTHWELL.

bre melancholy of which is but a reflex
of the grievous condition in which Cath-
olics were then placed. Here, too, he
soothed the mourning of the Countess
for her imprisoned husband by a series
of spiritual exercises, and wrote The
Triumphs over Death, or a Consolatorie
Epistle for afflicted minds in the affects of
dying friends, a copy of which is pre-
served in the library of Jesus College,
Oxford.

He also wrote, specially for the con-
solation of the noble Earl in the Tower,
An Epistle of Com-
fort to the Reverend
Priests and to Hon-
ourable, Worship/nil
and Other of the Laity
Sort, restrayned in
durance fot the Catho-
lic Faith.

But at last came
the day of his desire
when he was to suffer
"this purgatory we
are looking for every
hour. " After a min-
istry of six years he
was seized early in
1592 at Uxenden,
near Harrow, in Mid-
dlesex, the home of
the Bellamys, an old
Catholic family, whither he had been
inveigled through the agency of Ann

>~VJV^A \. HAV-A ^, 10 WA llWllt L»Ub L/lAli-i. 1A-IA VVlJt.IJ.UOj - - f .+

That pass with trembling foot and panting Bellamy, an apostate daughter of the

heart,

With terror cast in cold and shivering frights,
They judge the place to terror framed by

art.

Yet for six years Father Southwell
managed to escape his enemies, in the
zealous and perilous work of the minis-
try. He found a safe asylum in the
home of Lord Vaux, of Harrowden, at
Hackney, whence, after some months,
he was appointed domestic chaplain to
the Countess of Arundel in London.
There, surrounded by a thousand perils,
in imminent and hourly danger of arrest,
lie wrote most of those poems, the som-

house, who had lost both her faith and
her virtue in the notorious Gatehouse
prison in Westminster. Deprived in
consequence of her father's favor and
aid, and anxious to secure the revenue
offered to informers under "Act 27,
Elizabeth," she made an appointment,
as a would-be penitent, with Father
Southwell, to meet Her at her father's
house, which he had, been wont to visit
in his ministerial capacity. The unsus-
pecting young priest went to Uxenden,
accordingly, where Topcliffe and his
pursuivants, as pre-arranged, surprised
him in a secret hiding place, the exact

MARTYR, JESUIT AND POET

location of which had been divulged by
the recreant Ann.

He was first taken to Topcliffe's
house, where, during a few weeks, he
was put to the torture thirteen times
with such barbarous severity that South-
well, complaining of it later to his
Judges, when on trial for his life, de-
clared, before God, that death would have
been preferable. After two months in
the Gatehouse prison, he was removed
to the Tower and cast into a dungeon, so
filthy and noisome that, when brought
forth at the end of a month for exami-
nation, his clothes were covered with
vermin. His father, therefore, peti-
tioned the Queen, begging that his son
be executed if he had done aught de-
serving it ; if not, that, being a gentle-
man, he might be treated as one and not
confined in such a filthy hole, which
petition the Queen acceded to, and
ordered him better quarters, at the same
time permitting his father to supply him
with clothing, necessaries and books.
Of the latter, the only ones he asked for
were the Bible and the works of St.
Bernard. But withal, his fortitude was
not shaken nor his composure disturbed,
for it was in the Tower that he wrote
that enduring classic, The Funeral
Tears of Mary Magdalen, and St.
Peter's Complaint, a long poem filled
with sublimest thought and sparkling
with gems of poesy, the scope of which
he describes himself :

Prophane conceits and reigned fits I fly ;

Such lawless stuff doth lawless speeches fit;
With David verse to virtue I apply,

Whose measure best with measured words

doth fit.

It is the sweetest note that man can sing,
When grace in virtue's key tunes nature's
string.

After three years' confinement in the
Tower, Father Soujthwell wrote to Cecil,
the Lord Treasurer, asking that he
might be either brought to trial or per-
mitted to see his friends. To which ap-
peal Cecil is said to have answered
brutally that "if he was in such haste

to be hanged, he should have his desire. ""
Accordingly, on February 18, 1595, he
was removed from the Tower to New-
gate and there confined in the Limbo, a
noisome, subterranean dungeon , hallowed
by memories of martyrs, who had occu-
pied it before him. Thence, on the
twenty-first, he was brought to West-
minster, where he was placed on trial
before Chief Justice Popham, Justice
Owen, Baron Evans and Sergeant
Daniel, Sir Edward Coke, the Solicitor
General, conducting the prosecution.

The hearing, however, was but a
solemn formality, and he was sentenced
as a "traitor," in accordar ce with,
the barbarous edict of the day, to
be hung, bowelled and quartered at
Tyburn. He had at length the desire of
his heart, and next morning went to his-
fate, gladly as to a bridal, being drawn
on a hurdle to the place of execution,
hallowed by the blood of so many
martyrs.

Such an effect had his behavior on the
usually turbulent and derisive mob that,
when the executioner wished, in terms of
his sentence, to disembowel him while
he was yet alive, they cried out indig-
nantly against him nor would they allow
him to be cut down until he was dead.
Lord Mountjoy, who happened to be
present, was so touched by his constancy
that he exclaimed aloud : ' ' May my soul
be with this man 's ! "

His head was impaled on London,
Bridge and his dismembered body placed
over four of the gates of London. So-
perished this saintly, gentle and accom-
plished priest — one of the most remark-
able men of his day, according to the
concensus of his enemies — in his thirty-
third year. But his memory is fragrant
in the Church for which he suffered, and
from his blood and that of his fellow
martyrs will yet burst an efflorescence
of Catholicity in a regenerated England.

Father Southwell's works fill a distinct
place in English letters. He is best
known as a poet, but whether he wrote
in verse or prose — and his prose writings.

MARTYR, JESUIT AND POET.

are extensive — his work has all the attri-
butes of poetry, vivid fancy, lofty senti-
ment, delicacy and grace of expression,
exuberant imagery, felicitous epithet,
sonorous rhythm — thus adding one more
proof to the old truth, poeta nascitur
nonfit, and showing that all true poetry
is independent of form, being essentially,
like Ruskin's work in modern times,
but noble thought expressed in noble
language. The fact that his poems were
printed and circulated at all, when the
taint of treason attached to their author,
is ample guarantee of their merit. Yet
we know on the authority of his contem-
poraries that this was so — that not only
was he regarded as one of the choice
minds of his day when alive, but that
his works were in high favor and widely
studied after his death, his enemies,
even the Queen herself, being touched to
pity by the fate of one so talented, and
having copies of his poems printed at
their own expense.

But, were all other proof wanting, we
have the all sufficing testimony of Ben
Jonson to his genius. For Jonson de-
clared, in his conversation with Drum-
mond of Hawthornden, that Southwell
had so written ' ' that piece of his, The
Burning Babe, he (Jonson) would have
been content to destroy many of his. "

What then are the characteristics of
Southwell 's poetry ? Though he him-
self describes it in a preface from The
Author to His Loving Cousin as a
"blameworthy present, in which the
most that can be commended is the good
will of the writer ; neither art nor in-
vention giving it any credit, ' ' we must
dissent from his modest estimate. It is
not the euphuistic language of com-
pliment nor of classical and mytholog-
ical allegory, so common to the Eliza-
bethan bards, though inevitably it could
not have escaped the hyperbolic vein in
vogue in his day. It is not the lan-
guage of courtiers in a hypocritical
court, for it is essentially unworldly in
its themes. Had Southwell been merely
a courtier lisping honeyed flattery, such

talents as he had must undoubtedly
have left us lyrics as immortal as any
"Drink to me only with thine eyes."
And probably in this 'his fame as a poet
suffers, where worldlings like Jonson and
Sidney and Raleigh take high rank in
the Elizabethan choir. But his poetry
is essentially the poetry of devotion, of
religion. And in this it is indeed ex-
travagant, but with the extravagance
of the saint, who finds words, similes of
human compliment all too weak to
image forth its divine ideals.

Where sin was hatched, let tears now wash
the nest, he exclaims in an exquisite image.

And again :

Baptize thy spotted soul in weeping dew.
And of life he sings :

Ah ! life, sweet drop, drown'd in a sea of

sours,
A flying good, posting to doubtful end.

And mark this metaphor :

Ah ! life, the maze of countless straying

ways,

Open to erring steps and strew'd with baits,
To bind weak senses into endless strays,
Aloof from Virtue* s rough, unbeaten straits.
A flower, a play, a blast, a shade, a dream,
A living death, a never-turning stream.

And St. Peter thus quaintly questions
himself :
Didst thou to spare His foes put up thy

sword,

To brandish now thy tongue against thv
Lord?

And again, recurring to the incident
on the Sea of Genezareth, mentioned in
Matthew xiv, he says :
Why did the yielding sea, like marble way,
Support a wretch more wavering than the
waves ?

And then, in a burst of penitence, the
saint reproaches himself :
Ah ! whither was forgotten love exiled;
Where did the truth of pledged promise
sleep ?'

Again, he says :

Base fear out of my heart his love unshrined,
Huge in high words, but impotent in proof.

MARTYR, JESUIT AND POET.

And what could excel the beauty of
the line

Christ, as my God, was templed in my
thought.

To the penitent he says :
Attire thy soul in sorrow's mourning weed.

A thought re-echoed in ' ' Shame, the
Livery of Offending Mind, ' ' and again re-
curring in " Death 's Unlovely Liveries. "

" In them I read the ruins of my fall, "
he says, in a beautiful image, of the
eyes of Christ, confronting him with
reproach for His betrayal. And he
aprostrophizes those eyes of mercy in
thoughts, each more exquisite than the
other.
Their cheering rays that made misfortune

sweet,

Into my guilty thoughts pour'd floods of
gall.

0 sacred eyes ! the springs of living light,
The earthly heavens where angels joy to

dwell.
Sweet volumes, stored ivith learning fit for

saints,

Where blissful quires imparadise theit minds;
Wherein eternal study never faints,
Still finding all, yet seeking all it finds.
The matchless eyes, matched only each by

other.

All- seeing eyes worth more than all you see,
Of which one is the other's only price

1 worthless am, direct your beams on me.

By seeing things you make things worth the
sight.

Oh ! pools of Hesebon, the baths of grace,
Where happy spirits dive in sweet desires ;
Where saints delight to glass their glorious
face.

Images like these the poet pours forth
in prodigal profusion.

Much of Southwell's poetry is autobi-
ographical and depicts his sad lot and
saintly resignation in suffering, as :

At sorrow's door I knocked. They craved

my name ;

I answered, one unworthy to be known.
What one? say they. One worthiest of

blame.
But who? A wretch, not God's, nor yet his

own.

And later :

Pleased with displeasing lot, I seek no

change.
My comfort now is comfortless to live.

Southwell had known sorrow face
to face ; had desired and lived with it
until he became inseparably enamoured
of it.

Sorrow the smart of ill, sin's eldest child,
A rack for guilty thoughts, a bit for wild ;
The scourge that whips, the salve that cures

offense ;
Sorrow, my bed and home, while life hath

sense.

For him, as for so many other Cath-
olics of his day, sorrow was the hand-
maiden of religion, and how closely he
had become wedded to it we know from
a passage in Peter's Complaint, vividl}-
descriptive of his three years' imprison-
ment in the Tower.

Here solitary muses nurse their grief,
In silent loneness burying worldly noise ;
Attentive to rebukes, deaf to relief,
Pensive to foster cares, careless of joys ;
Ruing life's loss under death's dreary roof,
Solemnizing my funeral behoof.

A self-contempt the shroud ; my soul the

corse ;
The bier, an humble hope ; the hearse-cloth

fear;
The mourners, thoughts in black of deep

remorse ;

The hearse grace, pity, love, and mercy bear:
My tears, my dole ; the priest, a zealous

will ;
Penance, the tomb ; and doleful sighs, the

knell.

And all because he was a Catholic
priest, bearing the solace of religion to
his persecuted countrymen.

"Thus griefs did entertain me," he
says :

With them I rest, true prisoner in their jail,
Chained in the iron links of basest thrall.

And throughout his poems run these
same metaphors of bondage and abuse —
metaphors, the significance whereof he
had so cruelly learned.

MARTYR, JESUIT AND POET.

Days pass in plaints, the night without re-
pose
I wake to sleep ; I sleep in waking woes.

And then follows an apostrophe to
' ' sleep ' ' that is worthy of comparison
with a like apostrophe in "Macbeth,"
which did not appear until at least five
years after the poet's death.

S'eep, Death's ally, oblivion of tears,
Silence of passions, balm of angry sore,
Suspense of loves, security of fears,
Wrath's lenity, heart's ease, storm's calmest

shore ;

Senses' and souls' reprieval from all cum-
bers,
Benumbing sense of ill with quiet slumbers.

Whisperer of dreams,

Creating strange chimeras, feigning frights ;
Of day-discourses giving fancy themes
To make dumb show with world of antic
sights ;

Shakespeare has :

Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of

care,
The death of each day's life, sore labor's

bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great Nature's second

course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast.

Again compare this, from Southwell,
with Shakespeare's well-known passage :
The sea of Fortune doth not ever flow.
She draws her favors to the lowest ebb ;
Her time hath equal time to come and go.

In ' ' Julius Caesar ' ' the thought runs
thus :

There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to for-
tune ;

Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

Again in The Funeral Tears of Mary
Magdalen Southwell says : "A guilty
conscience doubteth want of time, and,
therefore, dispatcheth hastily. It is in
hazard to be discovered, and, therefore,
practiseth in darkness and secrecy " — a
passage that is worthy to be compared
with Shakespeare 's :

O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict
me?

From Richard III., and also with the
well-known lines in Hamlet :

Thus conscience does make cowards of us

all;

And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment,
With this regard, their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.

And again we find Southwell saying :
" Thus when, her timorous conscience had
indited her of so great an omission;"
while Shakespeare makes Richard III.
say:

My conscience hath a thousand several

tongues,

And every tongue brings in a several tale
And every tale condemns me for a villain,

Of Southwell's prose works, The
Funeral Tears of Mary Magdalen is the
most notable.

Indeed, if all else of his work were
wanting, his Funeral Tears would assure
Southwell a green memory in English
letters. It is to the ascetical what the
Fairy Queen is to the purely profane, and
Utopia to the ethical literature of the
Tudors. It is pre-eminently the great
Catholic classic of Elizabethan litera-
ture.

But, manifold though the graces of
his work, we wonder not at it, so muck
as at the equanimity in suffering, the
constancy in affliction, the unshaken for-
titude of soul that could produce such
poetry in the midst of abuse and con-
tumacy. Yet the secret is plain. His
song is the song of the soul strong in
its confidence in God, securely an-
chored in His love, joyful in its suf-
fering for His sake. Hence its beauty.
For the beauty of his soul — of his
thoughts, made beautiful from life-long
communion with God, the sum and
essence of all beauty — was reflected in
it. And, as he himself says :

Man's soul of endless beauties image is.

There was yet another reason. He wrote
to correct the tendency of the times,
even in men of the noblest disposition

MARTYR, JESUIT AND POET.

towards, if not profane, certainly idle
and frivolous works — works which were
largely responsible for the depravity of
morals that characterized the times
and renders Marlowe, Green, Peele and
others of their contemporaries noisome
to the healthy mind. This grievous
state the poet deplores in his prefatory
stanzas to St. Peter's Complaint.

So ripe is vice, so green is virtue's bud,
The world doth wax in ill, but wane in good.

For to the world, the sensual, the
material, then, as now,

Christ's thorn is sharp ; no head His garland

wears ;

Still finest wits are stilling Venus' rose :
In paynitn toys the sweetest veins are spent ;
To Christian works few have their talents

lent.

Therefore, he says elsewhere : "Because
the best course to let them see the error
of their works is to weave a new web in
their own loom, I have here laid a few
coarse threads together to invite some
skillfuller wits to go forward in the same,
or to begin some finer piece, wherein it
may be seen how well verse and virtue
suit together."

That he was master of ' ' their own
loom " and made "verse and virtue suit
together, ' ' we have the testimony of three
hundred years — three hundred years of
tendencies alien to the spirit of the poet,
that have been unwilling to let his
poetry die, reproach and scourge though
it be to themselves By the spell of his
song he took the world out of itself into
ethereal realms of religion, of holiness.

And the world through his teaching has
recognized the charm of religion, has
seen the beauty of holiness.

But he was not blind to the life about
him. There were in him touches of
tender human philosophy, of gentle
humanity, that endeared him, and will
forever endear him, to his fellow-men.
He had a song to cheer affliction, to bid
it look up and be comforted, yet with-
out vainglorious presumption.

Not always fall of leaf nor ever spring,
No endless night, yet not eternal day ;
The saddest birds a season find to sing,
The roughest storm a calm may soon allay ;
Thus with succeeding turns God tempereth all
That man may hope to rise, yet fear to fall.

He could also rebuke wrong by the
old eternal truth ' ' do unto others as you
would be done by. ' '

To rise by others' fall

I deem a losing gain ;
All states with others' ruins built

To ruin run amain.

And like Burns — though, sainted
servant of God that he was, he had
none of Burns ' vice — he could reconcile
the lowly, the humble, the poor to their
lot, in a strain as human as ever brake
from the Bard of Ayr — a strain that dis-
tils all the wisdom of all the ages into
the one and only secret of happiness :

I dwell in Grace's court,

Enrich 'd with Virtue's rights ;

Faith guides my wit, Love leads my will,

Hope all my mind delights.

My conscience is my crown,
Contented thoughts my rest.

GENERAL INTENTION, JANUARY, 1897.

Approved and blessed by His Holiness, Leo XIII.

THE WELFARE OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES.

a cartoon lately published in the
weekly edition of the great French
Catholic paper, which bears the name
and imprint of the Cross, the various
^religious communities of France are re-
presented marching in procession up to
an urn labelled ' ' Budget, ' ' into which
an imperious minister of the State forces
them to pour the taxes imposed upon
them by the law of subscription, enacted
against them in 1895. Below and to the
right of the platform on which the Bud-
get rests, is a group of well-to-do citi-
zens, by whom, or at least, in whose
interest, the law was framed, and they
are helping themselves greedily to the
coins that leak through a hole in the
urn. On the opposite side is a group of
sufferers, an orphan, a widow, a lame
man and a feeble veteran, once the
happy wards of the religious, but now
outcasts and destitute of every human
support and consolation.

Our readers are doubtless aware that,
under the pretext of secularizing every
good work hitherto conducted by the
religious communities of France, the
government of that nation has been
striving for the last fifty years to de-
prive them not only of the means of
supporting their various enterprises of
zeal and mercy, but even of the very
means of subsistence. Banishment, con-
fiscation, excessive taxation, conscrip-
tion of novices and seminarists, restric-
tion and denial of the commonest civil

(I)

rights and privileges, every odious and
burdensome measure has been tried, in
order to rob them of the resources which
they are devoting to the education of
the young, and to the many works of
mercy to which their lives are conse-
crated. For robbery is clearly the mo-
tive : the secularization of the various
institutions controlled by religious -is
only a pretext. The very same govern-
ment that is now taxing every member
of a religious community seven or eight
times as much as it taxes its ordinary
citizens, is glad to employ these same
religious men and women, and to help
them to extend their religious influence
in institutions where it controls the
financial management. In spite of its
secular and godless purposes, it still
sets a high appreciation on the services
of these same religious, whose influence
as missionaries in its colonies, indirectly
at least, contributes greatly to the na-
tional influence and prosperity.

If we were recommending the welfare
of religious communities in France only,
we might with profit pause to consider
how futile all this persecution is; for,
although the French Government has
hindered the religious within its terri-
tory from achieving a great deal of
good, it is wonderful, nevertheless, how
much divine Providence has enabled
them to accomplish in spite of, or, to
speak correctly, in virtue of, this very
persecution and the graces won by suffer-

GENERAL INTENTION.

(2)

ing Driven from their monasteries and
convents, and obliged to desist from the
parochial exercise of the ministry, or to
close their colleges and academies, they
have displayed a marvellous ingenuity
and zeal in conducting missions, giv-
ing retreats, evangelizing the working
classes, writing for the reviews and
daily press, and even in leading a com-
munity life so far as their circumstances
permit — 2,000,000 children are still in
their schools, over 100,000 old and feeble
in their homes, 60,000 orphans under
their charge, 12,000 in their refuges, and
thousands of homeless deaf and dumb
and blind people in their asylums.
Truly, the religious congregations of
'Frarice are thriving by persecution ;
vocations multiply, religious training is
necessarily rigorous, and the very in-
justice of their enemies makes many
who -would at other times be indifferent
'to' their welfare, sympathize and co-
' operate with them in their pious enter-
prises.

• Our Intention, however, is for the wel-
fare- of all the religious communities in
the world, and we must, therefore, adverj-
to their needs and hardships in other
'parts of the world, although the difference
between their conditions in France and
elsewhere is merely a difference in the
degree, rather than in the kind of suffer-
ing they meet with everywhere. Thus,
'for- instance, our readers will remember
our appeals in behalf of certain communi-
ties of cloistered nuns in Italy, four hun-
dred of whom, in 1893, were without the
very necessaries of life, entire commun-
ities actually going several days without
food. In the MESSENGER for June, 1895,
• " An American at the Vatican " described
the lot of these poor women, and the
same writer, in the American Catholic
Quarterly for July, 1896, tells at length
how wretchedly they live. Twenty-
three years ago their property was confis-
cated. The State invaded their cloisters
and impiously seized on all that they
had acquired, whether from their own
dowries or by the alms of the faithful

cheerfully given to maintain them and
help on the good works in which they
were engaged. Ten cents a day was
allowed each professed nun, until she
should die, and it was to be paid, not in
advance, but only at the end of the
quarter, so that in case of death it would
not be paid at all.

We might go on multiplying instances
of the injustice and cruel extortion that
are practised, under one pretext or an-
other, on religious communities in various
European countries. We do not need to
picture to our readers the privation and
distress to which nuns, in particular,
are reduced by men who are filling the
world with their cries of liberty, charity,
sympathy for the weak and downtrodden.
Were it only temporal want and hard-
ship religious had to suffer, as a con-
sequence of the confiscation of their
property, and of the unequal taxation
imposed upon them, it would be enough
to excite our pity and make us hasten
with our prayers and alms to their relief.
We might of course deem temporal mis-
fortunes in their case, as blessings in
disguise, as religious themselves con-
sider them. But neither they nor we
can look upon it as a blessing that they
should be prevented by lack of means
from harboring the orphan and found-
ling, teaching the ignorant, reforming
the depraved, consoling the afflicted,
nursing the sick, ministering to the old
and infirm, burying the dead. Surely
it is not a blessing for the nations that
ill-treat them, to lose the thousand and
one forms of charity religious practise
in the exercise of the corporal works of
mercy. What a curse such nations must
have drawn down upon themselves by
closing the churches and the shrines at
which religious used to minister, dese-
crating sanctuaries, sealing the doors
of God's house, breaking up the very
homes of prayer, and cutting off from
the free exercise of their faculties, men
whom God has constituted channels of
grace for their fellow men ?

What we have been saying of the con-

GENERAL INTENTION.

dition of religious communities in France
and Italy, might be repeated for Germany
during the past twenty-five years, and in
some measure for Austria, for in both
countries the free action of religious com-
munities is seriously hindered, while in
the former some of them have suffered un-
justly the penalty of exile and some are
still unjustly excluded from the country.

Although there is no formal persecu-
tion or oppression of religious congrega-
tions in this country, it is clear that the
same motives that prevail with French
and Italian politicians are influencing
many of our own. Not to mention the
hatred of Catholicity that manifests
itself publicly from time to time, the
race for gold and the ambition for pat-
ronage and influence turn many a politi-
cian against the men and women whose
zeal and economy are a painful reflection
on the idleness and waste that usually
characterize the secular administration
of State charities. Were lower salaries
offered to teachers or to employees gen-
erally in State institutions, there would
be less clamor about common school
education, and less desire to see State
charities grow and multiply. Office
seekers and leaders must create places
for the men whose votes they canvass,
and hence they are never done grabbing
at the various institutions of relief,
hypocritically protesting against them
as sectarian, or not sufficiently national,
while secretly they want control of the
moneys supporting them. The usurper
of the presidency of Ecuador • is bolder
in his admission than such men usually
are. The religious banished lately from
that country would not have been moles-
ted had they contributed to aid his insur-
rection, instead of raising moneys, as he
falsely avers, to support the lawful gov-
ernment.

Still, temporal persecutions, whether
it be by confiscation, unjust taxation,
restriction of liberty, or any other
means, are not the only misfortune
which we should strive by our prayers
to avert from religious communities.

Indeed, such persecutions usually bring
their own compensation, and that in
such measure that the founders and re-
organizers of certain religious families
have often prayed that their followers
might always suffer from them in some
form or other. Among the compensa-
tions that they invariably secure for
religious communities are the sympathy
of the faithful, the protection and favor
of the clergy and hierarchy, and the
special concern of our Holy Father, the
Pope. On the other hand, one of the
keenest trials that can befall religious
communities, no matter how affluent
they may be in resources with which to
conduct their various good works, is
that they should be misunderstood or
misrepresented by those from whom they
naturally expect a correct view of their
institute and a cordial co-operation in
their enterprises. It is bad enough that
those who are outside the household of
the faith should have queer and erron-
eous notions of the religious life gen-
erally ; but in this they are more to be
pitied than blamed, and the very extrav-
agance of their errors and their blind
trust in the wildest traditional prejudices
make them more an object of our prayers
than the congregations whom we are
recommending in this Intention. Now,
if the errors of non- Catholics excite our
pity and move us to pray for them, what
limit can we set either to our pity or
prayers for Catholics who admit the
same or worse views about our religious
communities ?

Religious communities in this country
cannot, as a general thing, complain of
persecution or of any legislation dis-
criminating against them. Fanatics
here and there have thought of extermi-
nating them, and many of them are just
now sorely afflicted by the withdrawal
of government support from their Indian
schools. Still this affects their temporal
welfare only, and they would be the last
to pray to be entirely relieved from tem-
poral hardship or distress. So far as
they themselves are concerned, they

GENERAL INTENTION.

(4)

would pray for the grace to bear it all
patiently ; and if they should seek relief
at all, it would only be that they might
have the means of attending to the souls
dependent on them. In like manner,
Associates of the League, when praying
for their temporal relief in every part of
the world, should first beg of Almighty
God to help them to support their bur-
dens, to convert their enemies, to make
them understand how efficiently these
helpless victims of their hatred and
greed would employ their energies for
His glory and the good of their fellow-
men, if they were not deprived of their
very homes and resources.

Our chief prayer, however, should be,
that religious communities may not
have to suffer from the harm that is
constantly done them by those who
ought to be their best friends, either by
erroneous views of their calling, or by a
misconception of their spirit and scope.
To estimate how great a harm this is,
we need to keep before our minds the
common Catholic teaching about voca-
tion, the nature of the religious state,
the substantial requirements of every
religious rule, and the common pious
observances which every religious con-
gregation sees fit to adopt, whether as a
means of preserving its spirit or of facili-
tating its work. Not to repeat what
Catholics should commonly believe
about all these points, it is clear that
one might more truly deny that a law-
yer should have special capacities for his
profession than to question the fitness
required in candidates for the religious
state. Still, there are people who talk
of the religious life as if it were merely
a haven of rest from the turmoil of the
world, a safe asylum for characters that
would be too weak to resist the tempta-
tions of everyday life, a resort for souls
whose crimes call for lifelong penance, a
retreat from remorse; in a word, a con-
dition of life that men may enter when-
ever it pleases them, a calling that no
one will adopt who feels capable of con-
tending vigorously with the world.

Others, again, ignore the real substance
of the religious state. While admitting
that its members are bound to aim at
perfection, and recognizing that Christ
Himself instituted it for this very pur-
pose, even while admiring the holiness
of the means with which He provides it
for the pursuit of this perfection, they
still complain that it unfits men and
women for the world, that it arrests the
development of their character, makes
them all of one mould or pattern, de-
stroys their individuality, keeps them
behind their age and renders them capa-
ble only of a contemplative life within
the cloister, or of the rude, half-savage
life in distant heathen missions. They
forget that the perfection counselled by
Christ was His own, and that it was to
raise up families whose members should
imitate Him perfectly, that He deigned
to institute the religious state. Finally,
some cannot understand why each re-
ligious congregation should cultivate its
own peculiar spirit, limit its activities
to the special work for which it was
founded, or why religious should live so
secluded from their fellow men, devote
so much time to spiritual things, shun
notoriety, cling to certain customs in
dwelling and in apparel, that mark them
off from other men and women. Christ
was misunderstood, as much by His
Apostles as by other men; they, in turn,
were misunderstood; and in proportion
as souls approach Him more closely,
they must expect that those who stand
far off will misunderstand their calling
and misinterpret their motives.

These erroneous views of religious life
do it much more harm than any form
of external persecution. They mislead
young people and make them question
whether they ought to heed and culti-
vate the first call to the religious state.
They lead many who are but newly con-
verted or poorly instructed to give too
much credit to the familiar Protestant
views of convents and cloisters, and even
to believe that some of the traditional
libels on religious life may be partly

(5)

GENERAL INTENTION.

true. They blind many to the sacred
character of the religious state, insinuate
worldly principles into its cloister, dis-
tract even some religious from the true
spirit and scope of their rule, and scatter
their energies over many things to the
neglect of the special work for which
they were instituted.

One would think that Catholic doc-
trine is so plain and even bold on this
point that it calls for assent or denial,
leaving no room for error or misunder-
standing. Bven were there no such
thing as a body of doctrine in the mat-
ter, it should seem that the rare services
which religious communities are con-
stantly rendering the Church and the
blessed fertility with which they mul-
tiply, would satisfy any truly Catholic
mind that they are among the special
creations of divine Providence, and that
it is a mark of sound Catholic faith and
piety to appreciate them for what Christ
intended them to be. Even Protestants
recognize the divine influences of the re-
ligious life, thanks to the many services
of religious communities, notably in the
late war, and before it and since, in the
hospital and schoolroom, in the asylums
and other institutions, in which they
seem to divide up among them all the
needs and miseries of human nature.
The best proof of this influence is that
they work not for a day or while under a
spell of vain enthusiasm, but day after
day, and year after year, while the misery
lasts, patient under adversity, cheerful in
spite of misunderstandings and misrep-
resentations, brave in meeting every op-
position, and above all constant with the
constancy which would be impossible
without the enduring obligations of their
religious vows.

We may be grateful for it, then, that
instead of needing to pray that the relig-

ious communities in the United States
should be relieved from the external
persecutions and oppositions they suffer
from so grievously in other countries,
we may utter a prayer in thanksgiving
that the true Catholic sense of the faith-
ful, and the instinct of religious rever-
ence, prevalent among our fellow citizens
of every belief, protect them from every
hindrance in their holy occupations and
enable them to do so much for the glory
of God and the salvation of souls.
Three thousand priests belonging to re-
ligious communities, over five thousand
lay-brothers and nearly forty thousand
nuns, all bound by vows and specially
dedicated to the service of God and of
the Church, are at present laboring in
our midst, giving missions in city par-
ishes and helping in the mission parishes
so numerous in the far West and South ;
conducting more than one hundred col-
leges for boys and five times that number
of academies for girls, not to mention
the numerous high-schools under their
charge ; aiding the pastors in over four
thousand parochial schools; teaching
nearly eight hundred thousand pupils in
every grade, and relieving every form of
human misery in a thousand charitable
institutions.

We may well bless God for this mar-
vellous providence in our regard. Take
away this army of religious men and
women and who will replace them ? We
should pray, therefore, that every relig-
ious community in the land may advance
in number, in fervor, and in the spirit of
its rule ; in all gratitude, pray that the
favor and protection which our bishops
and clergy have always extended to the
religious in their dioceses may ever con-
tinue to enable them to live as true
religious, entirely devoted to their own
sanctification and the salvation of souls.

AN IDEAL.

By E. Lummis.

"Paint me a picture, sir artist. I pray you,
The work of your brush I have reason to prize,

Choose any subject, I care not to name it —

But whatever you choose, it must be a surprise.

"Something artistic of exquisite beauty,
That friends may delight in its charm ever new,

A joy when I'm joyful, a solace in sadness ;
Such is the task that I set you to do. "

The artist then searched, with fancy poetic,

The realm of beauty, the regions of art ;
Vain was his quest of a subject, and useless

The dream to fulfil of a kind patron 's heart.

One day a mendicant stood in the doorway,

Cheered by a coin, ere the man turned away,
He gave in return a look of such gladness —

The smile of the soul, from its prison of clay.

' ' Ah now, ' ' cried the artist, ' ' I have found inspiration
To-day, in the light of this poor beggar's eyes ;

At last I can offer my kind noble patron

A picture, I trust, that will prove a surprise. ' '

At even he stood by the closely veiled easel,
The picture was finished, the patron was near ;

The curtain he drew aside from the canvas,
And trembling, awaited, the verdict to hear.

The nobleman looked, and saw but a beggar

Stand out from the canvas in colors so true,
Weary and footsore, in poor tattered raiment.

" Nay, friend, " he exclaimed, " I call not this new ! "

" Approach, " said the artist, "and view it still nearer,
Right here, in the light, from the dome far above. ' '

He looked again closely, and he saw — was it fancy ?
In the form of the beggar, the lyord of his love !

Yes, there was the shadow of thorns on the forehead,
The eyes in whose shining were pity and grace ;

Outstretched were the hands, as if tenderly greeting —
He knelt 'neath the spell of the Saviour's face.

Oh ! many a time as we walk on unheeding,
The Lord passes by in the souls that we meet ;

Oh, greet them with kindness the least, yea the lowest,
And trembling await the sound of His feet !

70 (6)

(7)

CHRISTMAS MASS IN THE MOUNTAINS

He comes in the duties that lie in our pathway
In voices of loved ones who dwell at our side :

In shadow and sunshine, in prayer and in labor,
We through the long day in His presence abide.

He comes in temptation, in sorrow, in trial,
And clad as a mendicant pleads at our door ;

While angelic artists are silently painting
The image divine on our souls evermore.

The image divine, that in colors unfading
Will shine to enraptured and wondering eyes,

The likeness of Jesus, by love's own art painted,
In ways that will prove an eternal surprise.

CHRISTMAS MASS IN THE MOUNTAINS.
By D. Gresham.

thad heard of it, read of it, thought of
it, and finally one bleak, biting day
in December longed for it so intensely
that it became un fait accompli. The
sleet pelted me spitefully, the leaden sky
above scowled at my discomfiture, the
sun scorned even to put in an appear-
ance, and wrathful and weary, I resolved
to turn my back on the North and go
where I could be warm, and where the
sun is a sun and not a mockery and a
delusion. To resolve was to act

Two weeks later I am on the road to
my destination— Asheville— spoiled child
of the mountains, petted beauty of North
Carolina, haven and hope of weary con-
sumptives the wide world over. Out
into the bright sunlight, by winding
ways, the train rushes merrily on until
first hills, then the mountains steal upon
us. Puffing onward it tears into them,
then up them ; two engines are needed
for the feat, and creaking and groaning,
the toilsome journey begins " raouend
and raouend, " leaving valleys, cabins,
rushing torrents and pine woods far down
below. Oh ! the clear, sweet air, the
wild grandeur, the uplifting of mind and
heart. Oh ! that all I love were here to
enjoy it.

The setting sun is irradiating the

Peaks as we neared the town. Resting
on the crest of the hill overlooking the
Swannanoa, Kenilworth Inn, with its
great stone porte-cochere, loomed above
us ; running along by the river the train
winds round the mountains, and slowly,
we steam into Asheville. Coming out of
the station, one involuntarily stands and
looks up, up into the pines, the hills
that tower on each side, and one's spirits
mount and gladden with the scene, and
that first never-to-be-forgotten whiff of
air that seems to come from another
world. Merry sounds of laughter, negro
wit forsooth, bargains with livery men,
soft southern voices, chattering pleasant
northern ones meanwhile fall cheerily on
the ear. Up the steep road into the
town, flanked and guarded by the moun-
tains, a gleam of the French Broad river
flashes in the sunlight, valleys open and
vanish, peak upon peak rises above each
other, and high over all, deep blue
Italian sky crowns the whole. I reach
my hotel with a softened feeling for
humanity in general, and a solid satis-
faction that I am where I am, and no
place else in the world.

I am up betimes next morning,
anxious for a tramp before breakfast,
standing by the windows to salute the

CHRISTMAS MASS IN THE MOUNTAINS.

(8)

mountains. I exclaim involuntarily,
"Oh! the sea! and a steamer starting
out. ' ' For the moment I have forgotten
where I am, then, enchanted, from
where I stand I look down on the city,
but there is no city. Instead, a vast,
white, level expanse of clouds, shut in
by the mountains, blue and protecting.
At one end the effect is a cove where
the spur of the mountains pushes into
the seeming ocean, the pines rising out
of theiwater ; beyond the point a white
streak as of a river flowing into the
sea, while stretching away a great waste
of shadowy waters still and dreamy. The
only real thing about it is the smoke
rising from the chimney stack of one of
the hotels, the highest point in the city,
the red roof alone visible like nothing
so much as a steamer starting for dis-
tant lands. The effect is so vivid, so
realistic, that it seems impossible to
believe it merely clouds, that will vanish
at the first kiss of the sun.

Coming down to breakfast I run
against an acquaintance from New York,
and a few minutes' conversation elicits
the fact that a dozen or more are in the
town . Asheville is dearly loved in the
North ; but where is it not loved ?

In the hush of the dying day I
wander into the little church on the
hill, as plain and unpretentious as any
country chapel in Ireland, but smaller
than any I had ever seen even there. As
one closes the door on the outside world
a solemn stillness reigns ; the altar and
statues are gems in their way, and the
exquisite neatness would do honor to any
convent chapel. The dear Lord is loved
Here ; and where could He seek a more
beautiful dwelling ? From every window
the blue mountains seem to rise up and
guard the sanctuary; wherever the eye
rests there they are, never one moment
the same. A peace steals over one's
spirit ; earth and heaven seem to meet ;
and in that little mountain chapel
prayers go up with a fervor never
known elsewhere.

In and out with slow and weary feet,

the sick and the dying are passing
through the long Southern day. That
cough has less pathos when heard close
to the altar, with the kind wistful eyes
of the Sacred Heart statue, so wonderful
in their calm, sweet pity, looking down
on the upturned, stricken face.

Now it is a young mother from the far-
off Northwest, wasted and worn, who
comes to beg for a life that she knows
too well is so necessary for those who
love her. Old and young, rich and poor,
from the snows of Canada, as from the
prairies of the West, all meet there, with
one great cry, to spare them yet but a
few years longer. And the cough breaks
forth again, and the soft air comes
through the open windows, and the
mountains turn to gold with the setting
sun, and the twinkling lamp before the
altar keeps up its undying light, and
the dear patient prisoner hears all in
His own way and in His own time, and
the crushed spirit and the broken heart
go forth into the mountain world com-
forted, for He knows and He loves.

It is Christmas morning, Christmas in
the South, Christmas in the mountains.
It was ushered in at midnight by
cannon, and since day -break the school-
boys have revelled in fire- crackers to
their hearts content. The only day in
all the year the law allows them free
license in that respect. It is the South-
ern Fourth of July.

Through the darkness of the early
morning the poor and the strangers are
climbing up the hill to keep another
Christmas.

The little church so often the scene of
many a silent tragedy, is this morning
all joy and gladness. The altar is
beautiful in its simplicity, the candles
blaze through the red berries of the
holly that cluster round the pillars,
gleam out from unexpected corners, and
are backed in artistic masses behind the
tabernacle. The place is innocent of
lamps, so the sole light comes from the
altar — the centre, and irradiator of every-
thing. The effect is to render the

(9)

CHRISTMAS MASS IN THE MOUNTAINS.

poverty of the little church pathetic and
touching beyond words. The small
congregation is all out, and even some
of the invalids have braved the morning
mists. It may be their last Christmas !
for when the spring flowers are on the
mountains, the weary step and the wear-
ing cough may be silent forever. Just
before Mass the priest comes up the
aisle, he looks at the altar, the fervent
little congregation, and then, as if a
thought suddenly struck him, he stops
before a kneeling figure in the darkness
and says a few words. Then quietly
going to the side altar, he takes a lighted
candle, which he hands to some one.
A young girl conies out of the gloom
with her dim light carefully guarded, an
old white-haired man stretches forth
some matches with a kindly air as she
passes down the aisle. Her steps go
softly up the stairway and I silently
wonder what it all means. The Mass
begins solemnly and reverently, the
kneeling congregation scarcely outlined
in the darkness, while out of the still-
ness a voice rises from above.

It was a strange scene. The small
organ with the solitary candle and the
stranger singing, singing what seemed
to come first, and that not a Christmas
carol, but a hymn to the Sacred Heart.
Thy Heart is my Home, Sweet Lord.
Thy Heart is my Home. To the
strangers far from all their own, the
words were peculiarly comforting, and to
the sick and dying gathered below they
told of a home nearer, brighter, better
than any earth could give them. The
elevation is over and the bowed heads
show the deep earnestness of the little
flock, when scarcely above a whisper,
the strange voice rises again in a hymn
I had never heard, and never will forget :
Peace be still our Lord is dwelling
Silent on His altar throne.

The words and music seemed made
for each other, they were so full of deep
earnestness and pathos. With a great
wail of tenderness, the words fall sadly
on the ear :

Thou hast called the heavy laden,

Called the poor, the frail to Thee.
See us then O Son of maiden,

None could poorer, frailer be —
Heart of Jesus, come we hither

With our burdens, meekly in
From a world where spirits wither

From a world whose breath is sin.

Not a word was lost, and not a soul
there that did not feel its power. Out
on the mountains the light had not yet
broken, the palatial hotels and mansions
are wrapped in slumber, only in this
little church poor and simple is the
Infant King greeted and received. Only
the faithful few are out in the darkness
to welcome Him. As in the old days in
Jerusalem, strangers from over -all the
country are in the town — the great, the
rich, the powerful. Stately churches
welcome Him with closed doors, and in
the midst of all this wealth and luxury
it is only in this little Bethlehem on the
hill, that the great Lord of heaven and
earth has come down to His people, as in
the obscure cave, with but the shepherds
and the strangers from the East to do
Him homage.

The Domine non sum dignus rings out
joyously, the great moment has come,
and the last words of the hymn :

Heart of Jesus, light eternal,
Fill our souls with light and love,

die out from above, with a fervor and
pathos I shall always remember. It is
the day, the scene, the place, that make
that Christmas Mass in the mountains,
so dear to my heart. Where could one
find such an ensemble ? A young priest,
earnest beyond his years, living in the
midst of the dying, the suffering and
the distressed, whose days and nights
are given up almost exclusively to the
dying — not his own people — but sadder
still, to strangers dying in a strange
country. The little congregation, many
whose days are numbered, the others,
the first fruits of a missionary country,
and the corner-stones of a great church
just springing into active life. All go
to Holy Communion, and the young

74-

CHRISTMAS MASS IN THE MOUNTAINS.

(10)

men seem to predominate, a hopeful sign
of a parish. Then in solemn silence the
Mass of thanksgiving quickly follows,
and as the sunrise falls in golden bars
through the long windows, the fervent
congregation melts slowly away.

I linger long— I am loath to go back
into the every-day, work-a-day world.
Such graces do not often flow as in the
early hours of this Christmas Mass of
the Sacred Heart, if I may so call it.
Will the dear Lord hear the cries of His
children and change their Bethlehem
into a mighty church, with its great cross
outlined against the peaks and convent
spires rising above the pines, where the
Angelus will echo down the valley, and
the mountains will look on the convent,
and the convent will look on the town ;
and young hearts will learn to love that
great Heart that has so loved men, and
prayers and praises will rise up from
holy souls, whose watchword is "one
heart and one soul in the Heart of
Jesus, ' ' and whose great deeds may one
day be done for the glory of God. And
as I look up at the altar, it takes but
little faith to see all this at no distant

day.

•* •* -x-

The Winter had passed, and with the
Spring came a stranger from the Kast,
sent in the vain hope that the mountain
air and the mountain wildness would
cure a bleeding heart. She had all the
world could give, but counted it as
nought ; she was a convert, and had
given up much for her new faith ; she
was generous and true and faithful, and
God, to try her, took what she prized as
only such a mother can — her little child.
It was too much. With her little one,
she lost all — faith and hope and love.
Prayer was a mockery ; henceforth her
life was an unending misery. She wan-
dered through the mountains more deso-
late than ever — in all this beautiful
world none so sad as she. One day, com-
ing down the hill, she saw the cross,
and with reluctant feet she entered the
little church. Who could resist it?

That tiny white tabernacle, those won-
derful pitying eyes of the Sacred Heart
that seemed to look straight at her soul.
In a moment the light came, and with it
the blessed tears — a great sobbing fiat,
and all was over !

Easter was at hand ; for the first time
the Repository was seen on Holy Thurs-
day ; such a wonder of flowers and lace
and lights as drew even many non-Catho-
lics to the strange, beautiful scene of
faith and love in the little church on the
hill. How her reawakened faith showed
itself in lavish gifts of flowers for the
great day, and on Easter morning the
electric lights blazed in the once dark-
ened little church, her generous token
of the light she had received in her dark
hours before its simple little altar.

The weeks have run from me blithe
and merry, and they linger in my mind
this evening as I watch from the hill-
side for my last mountain sunset. The
shadows lengthen, the blue mists veiling
the mountains ; the sun, after the day's
work, is resting on the peak ; he lingers
lovingly, as if loath, like myself, to
leave so fair a scene, smiles down at the
valley, flushes the river, warms up the
whole sky around him, and is gone.

Bluer than ever the mountains seem
flung out by the gorgeous afterglow he
leaves behind, which if seen on canvas,
would be scorned as the dream of some
imaginative artist.

But nature is more vivid and daring
than was ever art. She mixes her colors,
blends her tints, that while they startle,
they charm the eye and lift the thought,
mind and heart to the great Artist, whose
hand has fashioned this unrivaled pic-
ture— His own world. The night comes
on, darkness is gathering around me,
and reluctantly my feet turn homewards.
Along the mountain-side the city lights
are flashing ; one by one they twinkle as
if stars come down from the sky. Not a
sound anywhere, and silently, softly,
peacefully, the wings of night fold over
the mountains, and with the sun they,
too, go to their rest.

EDITORIAL.

NEW EDUCATION !

STRIKING FIGURES.

NOTHER phase of the New

Kducation ' ' is the heading un-
der which The Forum for November de-
scribes a system of educating young
people by making them live over again
the lives of certain models. Strangely
enough the model children as well as men
need most is left out, for Christ does not
seem to be one of the models. Many
another is chosen, pagan and even sav-
age though they be, for one of the oddi-
ties of this system is to suppose that
"an actual, though very elastic corre-
spondence, does exist between the devel-
opment of the child's mind during the
school period and a succession of phases
in the history of civilization." Hence
every child is treated as Rousseau would
have had him treated, like a young sav-
age, and made to study from Hiawatha
up to a number of higher types, Cromwell
and William of Orange not excluded, as if
they really were higher in the scale than
our favorite Indian hero. New educa-
tion, surely ! Of course, the system has
some obscure pedagogue's name to rec-
ommend it, though we are assured its
American advocates have developed new
phases in it. Shall we never have done ?
Or, if it has taken us thousands of years
to learn, or, better, to invent such sys-
tems, why should we hasten to work
them out on poor young brains. Verily,
education will ever be made a bugbear to
the young ; the ferule has but given
way to the " modern system, " the rod is
spared, but the system is applied most
mercilessly.

(ii)

Taking the parochial and public
schools of Rochester as a basis, a
writer in the Rochester Cathedral Calen-
dar, shows from actual figures that it
would cost the different States of this
Union $20,927,754.12 yearly to educate
the 946,101 children who receive their
education in our American parochial
schools. If the cost of buildings, repairs,
and the like expenses, are added, they
raise the amount to the enormous sum
of $27,597,766.17. The support of our
parochial schools, it is true, costs the
Church not more than one-third of that
amount ; but this is owing to the neces-
sary economy which is practised in the
administration of our Catholic schools,
and the self-sacrifice of our religious
teachers, who receive for their labors
what is barely necessary for their sup-
port.

Yet, these schools, whatever disad-
vantages they may labor under, thanks
to the devotedness of their unselfish
teachers, and to the religious piety of
the children, which "is useful for all
things, " compare favorably in scholar-
ship with the palatial, well furnished
and well manned public schools. This
fact should be ' ' blown into ' ' the ears of
our hard-hearing fellow-citizens until
they realize the just claims of denomi-
national schools to an adequate remunera-
tion for the work they are doing for the
country. The State considers it its
privilege and its duty to pay for the sec-
ular instruction of its subjects. Are the
three R's and the other secular branches

EDITORIAL.

(12)

of knowledge, less valuable because they
happen to be taught in a parochial,
school ?

PRESS PROPHETS.

"Nothing new under the sun, "is
truer in our day than ever before, with
all the enterprise of our modern news-
paper. The foresight of the editor and
the insight of the reporters leave nothing
to discover. Bach day's press predicts
so much and pretends to know so much
more, that we should know all about
every event before it happens. Should
it turn out, as it usually does, different
from the prophecy, it gives no annoy-
ance to the newspaper man, as the
journalist is vulgarly called. He simply
tells the fact and proceeds at once to
forecast the future, to foresee conse-
quences and to present a number of
likely circumstances with every possible
graphic detail, using illustration where
his style would not be sufficiently actual
or life like. What does it matter to
him should most of it turn out false ?
Who can hope to follow him in the
multiplicity of his deceits ? With the
cool effrontery of falsehood, he is ready
to announce the very opposite of his
statement of yesterday, and skilful to
distract the minds of his readers from
examining his fabrications, by offering
them news as startling and unfounded
as ever before. Still the world reads it
all, and craves for more. The world
lives on lying, and likes to be deluded.
How well the One who came to save it
could say : ' ' Sons of men, how long will
you be dull of heart ? Why do you love
vanity, and seek after lying ? ' '

SPREADING THE fllSCHIEF.

It is bad enough that the world should
run after lying. Some who are not of
the world seem to run after it also.
Some even who presume to teach the
multitude, through a press nominally,
at least, Catholic, repeat week after week
the idle rumors and the false imforma-
tions of an unprincipled secular press.
These things are painful to mention,

even when they must be mentioned in
order to be denied ; when printed with-
out a denial they are scandalous and far
more hurtful to those who read them in
a religious weekly than to those who
give them a passing attention in the
morning newspaper. And still the edi-
tors of such papers are clamoring for
Catholic patronage, and complaining that
their efforts to publish a Catholic jour-
nal meet with little encouragement. We
sometimes blame our great dailies for
giving erroneous and misleading notices
on Catholic affairs. How can we blame
them justly if our own newspapers admit
into their columns so much that is
merely imaginary, or even evidently
false ? Not long ago a New York news-
paper, still in good repute, made some
very ignorant statements about the cere-
mony of the Mass. A week after we
were surprised to see the same state-
ments repeated word for word in a news-
paper bearing a Catholic title. Lately
we have been treated to the wildest ru-
mors about men and things we all con-
sider sacred. Even secular newspapers
denounced the license taken, and still
no less than five so-called Catholic week-
lies repeated them without question.

A STRONG " LAST WORD."

Father Breen, O.S.B., the distin-
guished English controversialist, puts
the continuity question very forcibly as
follows : "If Cranmer had wished to
retain the Catholic priesthood he would
have retained the Catholic rite of ordina-
tion. But he deliberately and of set
purpose put it aside. He sent for
Bucer, a Lutheran, to come over to Eng-
land and draw up a rite for making
Gospel ministers such as he had drawn
up for the German Lutheran, which was
practically adopted. In estimating the
value of such a rite we have to bear
in mind the principle laid down by Sir
James Stephen : ' That in the interpreta-
tion of statutes in general the following
points are to be considered : The old law,
the mischief, and the remedy, '

(13)

EDITORIAL.

" Now, in this case, the old law was
the Catholic Pontifical, the mischief was
its sacerdotalism, and the remedy the
elimination of every trace of a sacrificial
priesthood from the new rite. It is the
fact of this evisceration, this emascula-
tion of the old Catholic rite that the
Pope appeals to, and that Anglican
divines have always appealed to as the
crucial factor that determines the non-
sacrificial character of the Anglican
Ministry."

WHO IS TO BLAnE ?

A gentle .complaint on the misuse of
words appeared lately in The Churchman,
(Prot. Epis.) Bishop Paret is the plain-
tiff. He gives two instances : The
words regeneration and ordination. He
says, "In Holy Scripture, and in all
early use, it [regeneration] designated
the change in relation of the soul to
God, and the consequence of that change
as effected by God's grace in the Holy
Sacrament of Baptism. Careless writing
and popular misuse made it mean the
same as conversion under the revival
system, and many thus lost all idea of
sacramental grace." The Bishop lays
the charge at the wrong door. It was
not popular misuse and careless writing
that are responsible for people losing all
idea of sacramental grace. It was the
deliberate act, not of the people, but of
clergymen, who tampered with the
ancient creeds and formularies and cut
themselves off from the infallible teach-
ing Church.

The Bishop must recollect the decision
in the Gorham case not so many years
ago. The High Court of Appeal decided
that in the Established Church of Eng-
land people were free to believe as they
liked about baptismal regeneration.
Why, then, impute the loss of ideas
about sacramental grace to popular mis-
use? The Protestant principle of the
right of private judgment is wholly re-
sponsible, and that is taught in the
Protestant Episcopal Church whereof the
plaintiff is a bishop.

MISUSE OF WORDS.

His next complaint is about the mis-
use of the word ordination. Alack ! it is
now used by his own sect for the
appointing of women to be deaconesses.
He admits that, by a recent canon of the
General Convention, permission was
given for "setting apart " or "appoint-
ing " women to this office, but he
notices the careful omission of the word
"ordain," and the use of "office "and
not ' ' order ' ' ; moreover, the service is
variable at the will of any bishop and
the office may be resigned. So, too,
may deacons resign their office, and as
for variableness of service, any bishop
may use one of two forms, variable doc-
trinally, in the ordination, not of a
deacon, but of a Protestant Episcopal
priest.

The complaint is founded on the fact
that Bishop Paret holds that ordination
' ' conveys the grace of orders "and ' ' im-
prints an indelible ' character. ' ' ' This
is Catholic doctrine, but not warranted
by the Bishop's own formulary in the
XXV Article of Religion which ex-
plicitly denies that orders "is to be
counted among the sacraments of the
Gospel, ' ' since it has not ' ' any visible
sign or ceremony ordained by God."
We know of no other sacraments than
those of the Gospel and having a visible
sign or ceremony ordained by God, for
He alone can attach the giving of grace
to the use of an outward sign.

OTHER INSTANCES.

It was an unfortunate instance for the
bishop to bring forward. He might add
a few more examples of the same ilk.
Confirmation was retained in name by
the Anglican Reformers, although they
put it in the same category with orders,
penance, matrimony and extreme unction
as lacking a God-ordained visible sign.
It became a mere Lutheran ceremony of
an adult renewing and assuming the
baptismal vows made by his sponsors.

As for the loss of the idea of sacra-
mental grace in Matrimony, in the same

EDITORIAL.

(14)

way, it must not be attributed to ' ' popu-
lar misuse " or to " careless writing, ' '
but to the perverse minds and wills of
the Fathers of the Protestant Reforma-
tion. The present working of the
divorce court, the logical outcome of the
doctrine of non-sacramental marriage, is
the best commentary. The Reformers
substituted for the infallible authority
of God and His Church the private
judgment of fallible men. The teachers
are responsible for the lessons taught.

Dryden admirably answers in the fol-
lowing lines the objection of Bishop
Paret :

As long as words a different sense will bear,
And each may be his own interpreter,

Our airy faith will no foundation find,
The word a weathercock for every wind.

REUNIONIST TEMPER.

The Pope's Encyclical on Anglican
Orders, it seems, has completely dissi-
pated the illusive hopes of ' ' Corporate
Reunion." Lord Halifax has given up
the struggle; but, instead of drawing
the one legitimate conclusion, that there
is no possibility of reunion except by an
unconditioned submission to the visible
head of the Church, the successor of St.
Peter and Vicar of Christ, and practi-
cally acting upon that inevitable princi-
ple, he sulks and rails as if the Anglican
body were treated without '-love,"
"sympathy " and "justice."

Lord Halifax should have learned at
an earlier stage of this movement that
there could have been no compromise
where truth is concerned. He should
have realized the fact that in the matter
of truth there could have been no desire
and no effort of ' ' meeting him half-way. ' '
Truth is a thing that cannot be halved.
He should have known that "other
foundation no man can lay but that
which has been laid, which is Christ
Jesus." On Christ and His teaching
the Church is founded, not on the policy
and work of man. Corporate reunion

on their own conditions would have been
very acceptable to Lord Halifax and his
party, but not corporate reunion on the
conditions put by the divine Architect
of the Church's constitution. They
would have reunion of their own inven-
tion and at their own dictation, a Church
within a Church — reunion without unity.
Their present attitude shows but too
evidently how far these gentlemen were
removed from true corporate reunion
when they fancied themselves nearest
to it.

STILL PROTESTING.

It is much to be regretted that the
late Archbishop of Canterbury closed his
career with a statement which is calcu-
lated, as far as its weight may carry, to
widen the breach which exists between
Anglicanism and the Catholic Church.
His Grace of Canterbury's last utterance
suggests some reflections to the Episco-
pal Bishop of Albany which are very
characteristic of that dignitary. His
Lordship of Albany finds it " a matter of
congratulation that the [Pope's] decision
takes the form of a denial. " Else " cer-
tain Anglican priests, "he thinks, might
be led to recognize the infallibility and
supremacy of the Pope — in other words,
there might be a partial reunion with
Rome, as far at least as these ' ' Anglican
priests" are concerned; and this, of
course, would be the greatest evil in the
mind of the Protestant Bishop of Albany.
This means praying for unity, and pro-
testing against unity with Rome, in the
same breath.

Yet, while the visionary movement for
corporate reunion in the Anglican sense
has subsided, it is consoling to know
that conversions of individuals are mul-
tiplying through the prayers of the faith-
ful and the spread of enlightenment con-
cerning true Christian unity, which is
submission to the one supreme authority
and centre of unity — the Apostolic See,
the Bishop of Rome.

The interests of Jesus Christ are so
numerous that we cannot hope to offer
anything like a complete or extensive
review of them in these columns. The
most we can attempt is to call attention
to some special items that might easily
be overlooked in the mass of news that
fills our daily and weekly journals, and
to select and chronicle what should keep
our readers informed about the triumphs
or reverses of His kingdom. If we re-
joice at the one and grieve at the other,
He who knows their full import for the
salvation of souls cannot be indifferent
to them.

The ancient monuments of our holy
faith naturally become an object of great
interest to Christendom. Lovers of
Ireland's former glory will rejoice to
hear that the Irish Commissioners of
Public Works are carefully helping to
preserve the ancient or mediaeval struc-
tures from the ravages of time. Sixteen
important ruins have been thus treated.
The most important are the great Cister-
cian Abbey of Dunbrody, in the County
Wexford, and the famous stone cross of
St. Boyne at Monasterboice near Drog-
heda, which is considered by many to
be the oldest religious relic in the coun-
try, as it dates back beyond 534.

In France the ancient casket, which
for so many years had enclosed the
relics of the Apostle of the Franks, has
been replaced by a new one, which is
described as an artistic gem. The new
shroud in which the holy remains were
wrapped is of the' most splendid mater-
ial. The translation was the occasion of
a solemn triduum in the venerable
Cathedral. Cardinal Richard, Arch-
bishop of Paris, presided, and Cardinal
Perraud, bishop of Autun, delivered the
opening discourse on the vocation of
Christian France. On the closing day
of the triduum, which was a Sunday,
Pontifical High Mass was celebrated

by the bishop of Arras in the pres-
ence of three Cardinals, two Arch-
bishops and nearly forty bishops. In
the afternoon, the celebrated Domini-
can Pere Monsabre, preached to an im-
mense audience. He sketched in a
masterly way the terrible crisis through
which France had passed, and which, by
the grace of her baptism, she had passed
through safely. He recalled the pact
entered into between God and France ;
if France had wished to break away
from God, He in His infinite mercy had
not accepted the rupture as final. He
instanced the numerous sanctuaries of
our Lady, and especially the great
national votive basilica of the Sacred
Heart at Montmartre. He then appealed
to the people to renew the baptismal
vows taken by Clovis fourteen hundred
years ago, and in response the whole
assembly, in the name of the nation,
repeated the promise made by the
Frankish King ages ago at Rheims. A
procession of the relics of St. Remigius
and Benediction of the Blessed Sacra-
ment closed the festivities. The music
of the Mass was composed by the late
Charles Gounod by request of Cardinal
Langenieux. After Gounod's death it
was found in a box with the inscription :
" Mass of Clovis, after the Gregorian
style."

Very different, but very well meant,
was the Anglican service which was held
on St. Edward's day, the first since the
Reformation, to honor him at his shrine
in Westminster Abbey. At evensong
Bishop Creighton delivered a lengthy
sermon upon the saintly Confessor. It
was the cause of much disappointment,
for many Catholics had come to the
Abbey to pay their devotions to the Saint
at his shrine. This they could not do,
as there is a rule in force which closes
the chapels to the public during divine
service. When the sermon was over,
such was its length, the hour for open-
ing the chapels had passed.

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

(16)

In some way or other, however un sec-
tarian these non-Catholic celebrations
and movements profess to be, they are
generally sectarian in tendency. East
1 4th Street, New York, has a new mis-
sionary organization called the Brother-
hood Club. The originator of it is Mrs.
Katharine A. Tingley, and so her name
precedes the word Brotherhood in the
title of the club. Our readers may be
aware that she is the President of the
occult branch of the Theosophical Soci-
ety. She started, in the Winter of 1893,
to work among the east side poor. To
continue and enlarge this work the club
in question has been organized. It is
the intention of the organizers to estab-
lish classes for the education of children
in useful occupations, to form a free read-
ing club and a medical dispensary, and
to carry out a system of relieving the
needy. A "Lotus Circle" or a non-
sectarian Theosophical Sunday-school
has already been established for the
young. One of the chief objects of the
new organization is to get the tenement
dwellers well acquainted with one
another and with the Theosophists. We
imagine the latter is the thing most de-
sired. To attain this they purpose hav-
ing from time to time ' « brotherhood
suppers. " Is it not the old story of the
' ' soupers ? ' ' The first of the series was
held at 607 B. Fourteenth Street. Fifty
men and women sat down to a repast of
sandwiches, pork and beans, bread,
cakes, and coffee. Theosophical songs
were sung. The object of these suppers
is to inculcate the principles of brotherly
sympathy and co-operation among the
tenement dwellers around the big car
stables in Fourteenth Street.

The Protestant Episcopalians have
also an establishment on a grand scale
in East Fourteenth Street, where the
work of proselytizing is being carried
on among the poor and needy. Of
course, as usual, the main effort is to
gain the rising generation. And now
the news comes that the Universalists
will soon open a campaign in the same
neighborhood, where some five others
are already in the field.

How successfully such influences as
these can be counteracted is clear from
the following instance : Four years
ago the Montreal Branch of the Catho-
lic Truth Society organized a club for
Catholic sailors while in that port. A
Protestant Sailors' Institute had long

been in sole possession. Montreal
claims to have been the first to pro-
vide for Catholic seamen, and her ex-
ample has been successfully followed
in London, New York, and other sea-
ports. The French "Works of the
Sea, ' ' especially among the fishermen
on the Newfoundland and Miquelon
Banks have already been described in
our pages. The activity of the Prot-
estants is astonishing ; they have mis-«
sions or bethels for seamen in more than
fifty seaports, and one society alone, the
British and Foreign Sailors' Society, has
one hundred and thirty-five agents and
seventy-two establishments.

In the face of such opposition, the
work in Montreal was undertaken.
They began in an attic in St. Paul
Street. Games and reading matter were
provided, and every Thursday evening a
concert was given by the sailors them-
selves, assisted by local talent. The aver-
age attendance at these concerts was
from one hundred to one hundred and
fifty. Greater space was needed and a
large four-story building on the corner
of St. Peter and Common Streets, was
rented a year ago. Two floors are given
to the reading and games rooms. An-
other floor is used as a concert hall with
a seating capacity of three' hundred. The
top floor will be fitted up as a gymnasium.
The founder of the club was Rev. A. E.
Jones, S.J., the editor of the Canadian
English Messenger and Central Director
of the Canadian English Apostleship of
Prayer, but on account of the multi-
plicity of his work, he was replaced this
year by Rev. E. J. Devine, S.J , the pres-
ent chaplain. In his report he states that
12,800 seamen have enjoyed the hospital-
ity of the club since the opening of navi-
gation ; 100 took the abstinence pledge ;
1 80 added their names to the League of
the Sacred Heart ; 960 packages of read-
ing matter were given to sailors on out-
bound ships ; 3000 MESSENGERS were
distributed, besides innumerable pious
articles, such as prayer books, beads and
scapulars ; 900 letters were written and
about 700 received. Twenty visits were
made to seamen in the hospital.

The organization of the club consists
of an inside and outside committee.
The former is made up of members of
the Catholic Truth Society ; the latter is
formed of ladies, of whom Lady Kings-
ton is President. They do the collecting
and provide the funds. They have
worked most admirably. We wish the
good work godspeed.

(17)

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

Active work like this is imperative,
but it will not do to devote all our
activity to external work merely. It is
a higher form of Christian philanthropy
to give a fellow man sound principle
than to afford him bodily relief or
amusement. How well the enemies of
Christianity perceive this truth, and
how zealous they are in propagating
their evil principles is clear from the
sessions of the anti-Masonic Congress
lately held in Trent.

The report of the Congress contains
important conclusions founded on
authentic documents. It declares that
the religious doctrines by which Free-
masonry has been inspired are those
of nature-worship, practised in ancient
times in the mysteries of the Indians,
Persians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Ro-
mans, Greeks and Druids. In Chris-
tian ages the same was professed by
the Gnostics, Manichseans, Albigenses,
Cathari, and kindred sects, as well as of
the Templars, Philosophers of Fire,
Alchemists or Rosicrucians, who, on
June 24, 1717, founded Freemasonry
with its actual symbolism, in order to
perpetuate their creed. The funda-
mental principle is : " The ability of
nature, the intelligence of the power
that exists in nature, with its various
operations. ' ' The impious developments
of this creed are not imparted to all the
initiated, but the various beliefs pro-
fessed may be summed up as " Monism, ' '
or the " Great- All-in- All, " of idealistic
Pantheism, and of Materialism under
the name of Positivism. The connect-
ing link of Masonic doctrines is the
identification of the universe with God,
and the idea of a generating God of the
universe is substituted for the Christian
idea of God, the Creator of heaven and
earth. This is said to be shown in the
name Architect of the Universe, the
word architect implying the pre-existence
or co-existence of the materials of archi-
tecture, and of the forces used in
handling them. The Congress defined
the aim of Masonry to be " destruction
in the moral, intellectual and physical
orders. "

This it does in the moral order by
substituting evil for good, in deifying
the evil principle, and with it of all the
vices under the name of virtues. In the
intellectual order, the explicit and neces-

sary profession of secrecy and falsehood
destroys truth. In the physical order,
death or universal destruction is divi-
nized. The Holy Trinity is rejected, and
the Indian trinity of a generating,
destroying and regenerating god, rep-
resenting the Triangle, is substituted.
We see this in the principle that the
death of one is the birth of another, and
in the phrases " struggle for existence, "
' ' perpetual revolution ' ' and ' ' indefinite
progress. ' '

There was at the Congress an inter-
esting though horrible exhibit of Ma-
sonic writings and documents in one
hundred and fifty volumes. Together
with these were exhibited Masonic maps,,
symbols and ornaments. Among the
latter was a crucifix arranged as a sheath
of a poniard. There was also a collection
of emblematical designs belonging to
the Palladist Formulary, all of which are
horribly blasphemous. The cross is put
as the symbol of darkness, while the
triangle represents light. The spirit
which animates them is seen by the rep-
resentation of a Host transfixed by a
dagger beside a chalice overturned and
spilling its sacred contents.

On the subject of reunion : " Here in
England," says Father Smith, in Les
Etudes for September, " we have not ob-
served that the movement of Lord Hali-
fax had any great influence on those
who had Catholic tendencies or on those
who have in the meantime come over to
the Church. On the contrary, we find
that the number of converts to Catholi-
cism have increased to a marked degree
since the publication of Leo XIII. 's En-
cyclical ad Anglos ; and this increase we
attribute to the prayers which this En-
cyclical has elicited. This is a hopeful
omen. We must not forget that it was
the action of Abbe Vortal and Lord Hali-
fax that led to the publication of that
document, and we cannot help being
thankful to them. In another respect
also this movement is calculated to ex-
ercise indirectly a very salutary influ-
ence. It has called attention, on the
one hand, to the dreadful evils of relig-
ious disunion, and, on the other hand, to
the magnificent spectacle of Catholic
unity. In the long run, the contrast
thus brought into relief cannot fail to
impress serious minds."

NOTES FROM HEAD CENTRES.

SOUTH AFRICA.— The Rt. Rev. A.
Gaughran, O.M.I., writes from Kim-
berly : "Of the fruits of the Apostleship
of Prayer in South Africa I can say,
from my own experience, that they can-
not be exaggerated. Shortly after my
arrival here this whole vicariate was
consecrated to the Sacred Heart ; for I
made this promise to the Sacred Heart
before the Altar at Montmartre before
setting out from Europe. Since then
all the Catholics of this Mission seem
to be wholly devoted to the Sacred
Heart. In our Mission in Basudaland
the power of the Sacred Heart was
shown in an almost miraculous manner.
On the very day of the consecration to
the Sacred Heart a large number of pa-
gans presented themselves for instruc-
tion, and during that year the number
of conversions increased in a remarkable
degree. Where formerly there were ten
converts we have now one hundred. In
all our missions we owe great thanks to
the Sacred Heart for its marvellous
favors."

POLAND.— During the year 1895 in
the Province of Galicia 69 parishes were
aggregated to the League, with about
100,000 members, 20,000 of whom be-
long to the 2d and 1,000 to the 3d
Degree. The number of subscribers to
the Polish Messenger was between 137,-
ooo and 138,000. This number has
doubtless been considerably increased
during the past year. The fruits of the
devotion to the Sacred Heart are also
manifest from the fact that during the
same year over 300 remarkable favors,
obtained through the prayers of the
League, were recorded. This speaks
well for the faith and piety of the Polish
people.

ENGLAND. — In England the number
of Aggregations are very considerable.
The Local Directors are careful to make
the reception of Promoters and also of As-
sociates as solemn as possible. June 28,
1896, such a reception was celebrated in
St. Joseph's Church, Surrey. At the nine
o'clock Mass about 200 approached Holy
Communion. The Reception took place

at the evening service. The Church was
packed. After Vespers, before Benedic-
tion of the Blessed Sacrament, the Pro-
moters approached the altar rails hold-
ing lighted tapers in their hands, re-
ceived their Crosses and Diplomas, and
pronounced the Act of Consecration.
Hereupon about 300 Associates were in-
vested with the League Badge. It was
particularly gratifying to see that a
large number of the Associates were
young men.

November 3, Feast of St. Winefride, a
large statue of the Sacred Heart, over-
looking the whole town, was blessed at
Holywell by the Vicar Apostolic of
North Wales. Thus the Sacred Heart
will greet from a distance the pilgrims
that flock from all parts of the Kingdom
to this hallowed spot, and soften the
bigotry of the Protestant inhabitants.

The Apostleship of the Sea is carried
on vigorously by the Promoters of the
League, while the Central Director offers
up the holy Sacrifice of the Mass for this
object every fourth Friday of the month.

The English Messenger will be slightly
enlarged -this year. Promoters make it
a part of their duty to circulate it every-
where.

. IRELAND. — The Irish Messenger with
true Irish zeal urges, in season and out
of season, the Apostleship of Temper-
ance, and that to very good effect ; for
the League supplies all the means neces-
sary to overcome even the strongest
pas -ions and to peform the most heroic
sacrifices. It takes also the greatest
interest in the Work for Seamen. In a
recent number it recommends the custom
which has obtained in some fishing vil-
lages in Ireland — at the commencement
of the fishing season to ask the priest to
come and bless the boats, nets, and the
crew themselves before setting out to
their perilous work. But above all they
are exhorted to prepare themselves
against the dangers of the sea by a good
confession and Communion.

The Kinsale fishermen, who are very
devout to the Sacred Heart, are accus-
tomed to affix to some safe part of their

(18)

•(19)

NOTES FROM HEAD CENTRES.

boats the Badge of the Sacred Heart.
Others are exhorted to imitate their ex-
ample, and not only carry the Badge in
their boats but also on their persons.
These exhortations will bear direct fruits
for seamen, as the Irish Messenger is
widely circulated among them.

SPAIN. — The Spanish Messenger al-
ways inspires respect. It is decidedly
the most progressive of the organs of
the League of the Sacred Heart. The
General Intention always combines solid
instruction and information with ardent
piety and devotion. Its biographical ar-
ticles, under the heading of ' ' Friends of
the Sacred Heart, "which run in regular
series, are very interesting. Controversial
subjects are treated in a solid and, at

the same time, in a popular manner. At
present it is publishing a series of articles
on Galileo. Another very interesting
series, now running in the Spanish
Messenger, is that of P. Watrigant on
Protestants and the Exercises of St.
Ignatius. Familiar conferences on social
questions, by Father Van Trich, are al-
ways sprightly and instructive, while the
Literary Department (the popular story)
has received a world-wide reputation
through the genius of Padre Coloma.
The League notices are very carefully
compiled, but are, to our taste, rather
minute in detail. In short, the Spanish
Messenger bespeaks not only superior
literary ability on the part of the editors,
but also, what is more significant, a
very intelligent constituency of readers.

FRUIT OF THE; LEAGUE IN SCHOOLS — EAST INDIA.

The following obituary comes to us
from St. Joseph's College, Darjeeling,
East India. The subject, little Leonard
Snee, was a member of the Sodality of
the Blessed Virgin, for whom he had an
ardent devotion, and of the League in
Schools, whence he derived the spirit of
self-conquest which animated him in his
last moments.

When, some days ago, I heard of death's
first visit to North Point College, Darjeeling,
I could well recall the lad with his bright,
round face, lively as a lark, innocent as a
babe, and loved by all, masters and boys.
He was one of those boys for whom silence
or refraining from an innocent trick, when
occasion offered, meant a heroic act, but in
chapel he could pray like an angel. There
he appeared quite a different boy. Early
and thorough Catholic training, in a pious
Catholic Irish home, had made Leonard Snee
what he showed himself so unmistakably in
his last moments.

He was ill for hardly more than a week ;
it was a case of high fever, and the doctor
soon declared it to be a serious one. Sun-
day, September 20, was the day for the Gen-
eral Communion of Reparation, and Leonard,
used to frequent Communion, would not
let that day pass without Holy Communion.
It was given to him as viaticum. When
Extreme Unction was spoken of, he said :
" Oh yes, the catechism says, ' it will help
the sick man, he will recover." He received
the sacrament in presence of his masters and
the officers of the Sodalities : he was a Sodal-
ist and he always kept his medal by him
during his last illness. He had been taught
to say "Thy will be done ! " and till the last
these words were on his lips Very early
on Tuesday morning he remarked : " I hope
I'll go to heaven! There is nothing like
heaven ! " Mass was said in his room ; he

wished to make his last Holy Communion.
He followed with great devotion, but at the
offertory he exclaimed : " Good bye ! I am
going!" However, he recovered and re-
ceived his dear Lord and joined in the
prayers of thanksgiving. After that, his
brother Willie kissed him and Leonard said
to him : " Good bye, Willie ! Give my love
to all at home ; poor mother, she will feel
it!"

The fever remained high and the poor
little fellow began to grow delirious ; but
religious thoughts alone occupied him. In
his fevered imagination, he fights over again
the spiritual battle which he had so often
victoriously fought against the evil one, and
he is heard to exclaim: "Where is my
crucifix, and my Sodality medal? " Grasp-
ing them he cries : " Begone, Satan ! don't
you know this is holy ground ? The Holy
Sacrfice of the Mass has been said here.
Don't you see I'm a child of Mary? Here is
my medal ! " Holding his Badge of the Sacred
Heart, he said in a touching tone : " Behold
this Heart ! Have you ever seen a Heart like
this? This is the Heart of my God, who
died for me ! " Indeed from the fulness of
his pious heart his pure mouth spoke, even
under the influence of the raging fever.

Thursday, September 24, our Lady of
Mercy came for this faithful child of Mary.
In the morning he was calm and conscious,
and he wished once more to receive Holy
Communion. He was still able to do so, but
he was evidently sinking. Yet, there was
strength enough left him to repeat frequently
his favorite aspirations , " Thy will be done !
Jesus, Mary, Joseph ! " Towards evening the
prayers for the dying were recited, and the
dear little boy gently expired at about 9 130
P. M. A solemn Requiem Mass was celebra-
ted in the college ; there was general Com-
munion and a short sermon preached on the
text : " He pleased God and was beloved. He
was taken away lest wickedness should alter

NOTES FROM HEAD CENTRES

(20)

his understanding or deceit beguile his boy who has not said to himself since that
soul." day: "May my last hour be like unto

I am convinced there is no North Point his ! "

THE LEAGUE AT HOME.

The American Sendbote (Messenger)
records the following Aggregations for
October and November, 1896 : St. Mary's,
Des Moines, Iowa; St. John's, Alden
Centre, N. Y.; The Guardian Angel's,
Cedar Grove, Ind.; St. Anthony's, Jeffer-
sonville, Ind.; The Guardian Angel's,
Ottawa, Kans.

The careful reader will remark an in-
crease in the number of our own Aggre-
gations for the last few months. They
now nearly average one a day.

ST. PATRICK'S CENTRE, PROVIDENCE,
R. I. — The League was started here Sun-
day, October 25, by one of the Fathers
from the Head Centre, New York, who
preached at all the Masses and at Ves-
pers. Seventy Promoters, a few of whom
formerly belonged to other Centres, pre-
sented themselves at the Promoters'
Meeting, which was called at 3 o'clock,
and about 1,000 Associates were regis-
tered the first week. Since that time
the number of Associates has doubled, so
that we have now about 2,000 registered.
The League at St. Patrick's promises to
be a grand success.

ST. CATHARINE'S CENTRE, BROAD-
BROOK, CoNN.-The Apostleship of Prayer
was organized in this parish Sunday, No-
vember 15, by a Jesuit Father from New
York. The reverend Father preached at
Mass and Vespers on the Devotion to the
Sacred Heart and the Apostleship of
Prayer, and held a Promoters' Meeting
at 4 P. M. We had 15 Promoters to
begin with ; and there is good reason to
hope that the bulk of our congregation,
which numbers about 500 souls, will
soon be enrolled in the League.

ST. MARY'S TRAINING SCHOOL, FEE-
HANVILE, ILL., reports 413 Associates of
the ist and 2d Degree and 258 monthly
communicants, or of the 3d Degree.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES' CENTRE,
BROOKLYN, N. Y., reports a total enrol-
ment of 5,350, an increase of 1,520 over
last year. The number of Promoters is
215, 82 more than last year.

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S CENTRE, NEW
YORK CITY. — The congregation of deaf
mutes at St. Francis Xavier's, New York,
is nourishing. They meet every Sunday
afternoon and receive an instruction
from the Father in charge, after which
they attend the Benediction of the Blessed

Sacrament. The League of the Sacred
Heart has been established among them.
There are 14 Promoters and 161 Associ-
ates. It is gratifying to note that the men
are well represented among the Associ-
ates. Out of the total of 1 6 1, the men num-
ber 60. The Promoters ' meetings are held
at St. Joseph's Institute, 113 Buffalo
Avenue, Brooklyn ; the ladies meet on
every third Sunday, the gentlemen on
the following day. One of the Asso-
ciates has been sick in the hospital for
over two months, and her fellow Associ-
ates have shown their charity and zeal
by visiting her frequently.

— A Director writes: "I am highly
gratified with the success and the spir-
itual fruits of the League. The Sacred
Heart melts everything as fire does wax.
As Local Director I feel my own heart
inflamed, and I realize God's love to us
daily more and more. The League is
the soul of Catholic devotions. "

ST. PATRICK 'S.TABERG, N. Y. — Thurs-
day, October 29, a reception of Promoters
took place in this Centre. Rev. Dr.
Lynch, of St. John's Church, Utica,
N. Y., assisted by the pastor and a num-
ber of the neighboring priests, after de-
delivering an eloquent and touching
address, conferred the Crosses and Diplo-
mas on fifteen Promoters. The occasion
was one that will be long remembered
in this congregation.

THE HOLY ANGELS' INSTITUTE, FORT
LEE, N. J. — A Branch of the League in
Schools was established in this institu-
tion by one of the Jesuit Fathers from
the Head Centre, New York, Sunday,
November 29. The children and young
ladies all entered with great fervor upon
the work and promise, under the foster-
ing care of the zealous School Sisters of
Notre Dame, to make this Apostleship
productive of much spiritual fruit as
well as intellectual profit.

OBITUARY.

Patrick Burke and Charlotte Moore,
St. Patrick's Cathedral Centre, New
York City; Mrs. Joanna Delany, Cathe-
dral Centre, Philadelphia; Catherine
Irene Poland, Convent of the Sacred
Heart, Clifton, Ohio ; Rev. John P. Mc-
Incrow, Pastor of St. Mary's Church,
Amsterdam, N. Y. R. I. P.

The new year begins on
adayspeciallyconsecrated
to devotion to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. It offers a fine oppor-
tunity to Promoters to have their Asso-
ciates begin the year with a proof of
their eagerness to honor that Heart, and
to make it their first and last thought
during the whole year of 1897. It would
be a splendid tribute to the Heart of
Jesus, if Promoters could induce all or
most of their Associates to approach
our Lord at His banquet table that day.
The turn of the year is a time for better
aspirations and holier resolutions. Men
as a general thing, want to bury the
past, and look forward to the future as a
chance of repairing its evils. With
Christ our Lord in their hearts, they
might attempt the work of reparation
with every assurance of success. Even
if each Promoter could induce but one
or two of a band to receive Holy Com-
munion that day what a glorious begin-
ning it would make ! Where the Blessed
Sacrament is exposed during the entire
day or part of it, there should be no
difficulty in having every League Asso-
ciate visit the church on this day of
mutual courtesies and civilitv.

The index for last year's
T"*™R MESSENGERS quite differ-
ent from the indexes drawn
up for former years. Instead of group-
ing various articles under common titles,
it gives them all alphabetically, keeping
together only the poetry and the League
department. It makes a very good
showing by the variety and interest of
its titles, and proves how broad the scope
of our Apostleship is. For those who
have their MESSENGERS bound it is in-
dispensable. Every subscriber received
a copy with the December issue.

The monthly bulletin,
issued by the Director
General of the League,
publishes a list of the Diocesan Direc-
tors of our work in France. They are
seventy-eight in number, one being
appointed for each diocese by the Bishop

(21)

Dl°CeS"ectors

advising with the Director General. This
is in strict accordance with our statutes,
although even in a Catholic country like
France it is not always easy to provide
Diocesan Directors at liberty to attend
to the work, even when they are well
acquainted with it, and interested in its
advancement. Usually, some active Lo-
cal Director takes this charge. The ob-
servance of this statute has been tried in
this country, but always with some loss
to the League. Now that it has become
so widespread, and that so many efficient
Directors have grown familiar with every
detail of it, it should not be impossible
to find among them capable Diocesan
Directors, who would promote its inter-
ests among their brother clergymen.

The new It is gratifying to hear

intention of the satisfaction given
Blanks, by the new Intention and
Treasury blanks. They will save us
much trouble, and what is more im-
portant, they will be a means of inducing
secretaries of League Centres to be more
punctual in sending us the summaries
of Intentions instead of leaving that
task to the Promoters who may wish to
send them. In this wray the union of
prayer, for which the League has been
instituted, will be more extensive and
fervent. The change announced last
month for the Calendar of Intentions, to
go into effect this month of January,
will help to this end. By the use of
clearer and more compact type, there is
now space enough on this .sheet to give
not only the Calendar, but blanks for
the Intentions and Treasury.

There is scarcely any
Review need of a review of our

97' work this month, as the
Almanac furnishes so many details about
almost every branch of it. What is
chiefly worthy of notice, viz., the changes
in our periodicals, has been so widely
advertised, and speaks so well for itself,
that it would be useless to mention it
here. One thing we cannot help men-
tioning, as gratitude requires it : al-

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(22)

though we cannot acknowledge all the
letters that say complimentary things of
the MESSENGER, we are still very grate-
ful to the writers and much encouraged
by their kind expressions of approval.
We are happy to add that these senti-
ments seem very common even among
those who do not write them, if we can
judge by the prompt and numerous
renewals of subscriptions and by the
fact that the few who give up the MES-
SENGER do so with regret, in which we
cordially sympathize with them.

The To enable all our readers

SUPPLEMENT to know the full extent of
cover, the changes we are making
in our different periodicals, we have in-
serted in this number the design for the
cover of the SUPPLEMENT, printed on the
red-colored paper that will be used for
that magazine. It has been inserted
just before the General Intention, because
with the explanation of that, as the
special pagination shows, the SUPPLE-
MENT properly begins. The Pilgrim cover
design is very beautiful, as our readers
will have an opportunity of judging for
themselves on receiving the first num-
ber, which will be mailed to all who are
now on our lists for the MESSENGER or
Pilgrim .

The The increase in the

November number of good works,
Treasury, reported in the Treasury
printed for this month, is the result of
the work of Promoters during the month
of November in behalf of the souls in
purgatory. Many special reports are
only now reaching us, too late for men-
tion here. Three to four million good
works, the increase over our last Treas-
ury, is no slight proof of the piety of
our Associates toward the faithful de-
parted.

If December has come
around to find some
Centres without enough
candidates for the Promoter's office to
hold a solemn reception for them,
Directors and Promoters themselves
should be reminded that it is not too
early to begin preparing for the reception
they hope to hold in June, as candidates
chosen now will by that time have
finished their six months of probation.
It is not fair to keep any of them wait-
ing too long. It ensures the permanency

Promoters'

Receptions.

of League work to keep training a num-
ber of them for its continuation.
Promoters are not doing all they should
do by merely enrolling new members ;
part of their work is to help Directors
in getting and in forming new Promoters.

_ ., __.__ Triduums have been

given to Promoters for the
past twelve years, and in
some places they have been attended by
Promoters from other parishes as well as
from the parish in which they were
given. This year, for the first time,
Promoters have been invited to make
these exercises in a common church, and
thanks to the zeal and cordial coopera-
tion of Local Directors, they have been
a means of giving a new impulse to
Promoters in several dioceses, notably
in Boston and in New York. The triduum
given in the Church of the Gesu, Phila-
delphia, beginning November 30, and
closing December 4 with a Reception of
Promoters, was really a .short retreat,
three exercises being given every day.
The triduum in St. Francis Xaviers,
New York, which was held the same
time, was attendt d by Promoters, repre-
senting over forty of the League Centres
in that city. Both of these were con-
ducted by Fathers from the Central
Direction. Many of the Promoters from
the various Centres attended the recep-
tion held in this church the night after
the triduum, at which Rev. J. H. Mc-
Mahon, Director of the Cathedral Centre
preached the sermon.

A neat eight page cir-
cular has been issued from
the Central Direction,
showing by illustrations the beauty and
variety of some of the premiums and
novelties prepared for our subscribers
the coming year. A mere list of its con-
tents will show how well it has been
designed to effect its object, which is to
increase our subscription list. The new
SUPPLEMENT cover design ; the premium
pictures, The Mission of the Apostles,
and Imle's Sacred Heart of Jesus and
Immaculate Heart of Mary; the emblem
and Apostleship medal for the premium
beads ; the new Pilgrim cover design,
and the premium given to Pilgrim sub-
scribers, together with a summary of
the contents for the January MESSENGER,
all make a circular worth having and
circulating.

Premiums

and Novelties.

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.
TOTAL NUMBER OF THANKSGIVINGS FOR LAST MONTH, 120,148.
"/« all things give thanks. " (I. Thes., v, 18).
A REMARKABLE CONVERSION.

A priest returns thanks for a won-
derful conversion. A Protestant man
had a Catholic wife and children. He
himself was a strict Scotch Presby-
terian. His little boy fell sick and the
father asked the priest to call. So
pleased was he with the visits, that,
when some time later he was ill, he sent
for the priest, stating, however, that the
visit was to be purely a friendly one.
He asked the priest ' ' to put up a prayer
for him, " warning him, however, not to
form a wrong impression as he intended
to die, as he had lived, in the faith of his
fathers. He pointed, as he said this, to
a trunk, containing his Presbyterian
baptismal certificate. The priest, noth-
ing discouraged, asked if he believed in
the Holy Trinity and the different
articles of the creed, and if he would
not like to be a member of the true
Church. "Yes, indeed," he replied,
' ' and I would die for the Church if I
knew it were true. " So he begged for
more prayers. It happened to be a First
Friday, and the priest at once spoke to
the Local Director of the League to ask
the Associates to beg for this honest man
the light of faith. On the next Monday
the sick man sent for the priest and
asked for more prayers. " Why can I
not be anointed like other sick persons,
Father ? " " Because you are not a
Catholic. " " Then I want to be a Catho-

lic. The Reformation, I believe, came
from passion and the love of money. "
As he was very ill the priest thought it
imprudent to delay. He, therefore,
questioned him to try his sincerity and
explained various things. Convinced
that he was in earnest, the priest baptized
him conditionally, heard his confession,
anointed him, and was about to give him
Holy Communion, when there was a
knock at the door. ' ' That is the minis-
ter, " said the sick man. "Do you
want to see him," asked the priest?
" No, let my wife tell him that I will see
him as a friend bye-and-bye. " He had
stood the test. He seems to have
had a great love for the Sacred Heart,
for he wore the Badge and frequently
asked for prayers to be made to the
Sacred Heart. On Wednesday night he
waked up, and missing the Badge
which had slipped off, he at once asked
to have it replaced, and for the priest, who
happened to come in, to say some more
prayers. He lived till Thursday morn-
ing. When dying he took his crucifix
in his hands, whereupon his brother, a
strict Presbyterian, was so displeased
that he went off in a rage and has never
come. near the family since. But this
did not trouble the dying man He
looked lovingly at his Badge and died
with a smile on his face saying : " Isn't
the Sacred Heart good ? "

Special Thanksgivings. — A zealous
Promoter records the following conver-
sion : She asked a Protestant to make
the Morning Offering, telling him that
he would have a share in the prayers of

(23)

millions of people, and he promised to
do so. From that moment there was the
greatest change in him. He is a lawyer
and a very intelligent man. His parents
are extremely bigoted so that his change

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

(24)

of faith is a cause of great surprise to
everybody. He is extremely fervent and
edifying.

Thanks are returned for the saving of
property from damage and ruin by a
flood. The whole town suffered terribly.
The water was rising rapidly, and above
us a larger body of water than at any
previous flood was overflowing the
country and coming down upon us. A
Badge was thrown into the water and
Mass and publication promised. It was
truly wonderful how we were spared.

A society woman married to a Prot-
estant, and surrounded by Protestants,
had for many years practically aban-
doned her religion. After many prayers,
Masses and novenas offered to the Sacred
Heart by pious relatives, she consented
to see the priest, received the sacra-
ments, and is now looking forward to an
early death with sentiments of true pen-
ance, piety and resignation.

A young man of twenty-two years had
a very sore finger, caused by a little
abscess at the nail, in which he caught
cold. The doctor said an operation was
necessary, that he would lose the first
joint and perhaps the entire finger. Re-
course was had to the Sacred Heart and
publication was promised. The finger
is perfectly well and not even the finger
nail was lost.

A person was compelled to sign a note
payable in three months, but there
seemed little likelihood of being able to
meet it. An intention for work was
recommended to the League so that the
money might be earned. The request
was granted and the obligation was can-
celled when due. Three Masses for the
suffering souls and publication were
promised.

A prominent man, non- Catholic, was
very ill with pneumonia. He consented
to receive a Badge and applied it him-
self to his chest with great faith. He
was at once relieved, and attributes the
cure to the Sacred Heart. He had a
handsome frame made for the Badge and
hung it over his bedstead.

Thanksgiving is made for the im-
mediate cure of a young woman at the
point of death with typhoid fever. The
doctor had no hope of her recovery and
she had received the last sacraments. A
medal of the Infant of Prague was put
on her and she was instantly cured.

A dying man was in a state of coma
and could not respond to the questions
of his confessor enough to receive abso-
lution. A Badge was pinned on his

breast and he then became able to repeat
the act of contrition and make the sign
of the cross.

Spiritual Favors : Several conversions
to the faith ; a man of twenty-nine
prepared to make his First Communion ;
return to the sacraments of a young
man after ten years ; of another after
fifteen years ; of another after twenty-
four years ; of two others after thirty
years ; of a father and son long neglect-
ful ; of a brother after several years ; of
many other similar favors.

Reconciliation between a husband and
wife, when a separation seemed inevit-
able. Almost in despair the poor wife
fell upon her knees and cried out : ' ' Oh
God, why hast Thou forsaken me ? ' '
Her prayers were heard immediately and
perfect peace now reigns in her home.

A mother, after recommending her
intention to the prayers of the League,
got news from her absent son, of whom
she had not heard in fourteen years. The
account was consoling.

Temporal Favors : — Restoration of
reason to a father of a family, who had
been insane for ten years ; after three in-
tentions had been sent in to the League,
a letter came stating that he was entirely
cured. Recovery from a serious case of
lung trouble through a novena ; sudden
and wonderful cure of a very sore foot in
a few days ; cure of a very badly ulcer-
ated sore throat, through St. Blaise ; re-
lief from severe stomach trouble ; cure
of two children of whooping cough and
of three of very sore eyes ; relief from
severe headaches, through St. Aloysius ;
recovery of a little boy from diphtheria ;
regaining of strength to perform duties
after receiving Holy Communion five
times in honor of St. John Berchmans ;
restoration to health of a man down with
nervous prostration for a year ; relief by
applying a relic of B. Margaret Mary ;
recovery of one at the point of death ;
cure of a woman from an abscess which
threatened to prevent her working for
many months. Many other cures and
successful surgical operations.

Remarkable success of a pupils' re-
cital and many benefits resulting from
it ; successful building and working of
machinery ; increase of business ; satis-
factory settlement of a matter which
threatened a great loss of money; a favor
obtained from the Sacred Heart through
St. Expedit after fifteen years of prayer ;
also quick alleviation of extreme pain
through the same Saint ; many other

(25)

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

favors obtained and acknowledged but
not specified.

Success in obtaining funds to con-
tinue work on a church when it seemed
hopeless to be able to raise them ; unex-
pected help to meet debts ; means to send
a young man to college when there
seemed no way of doing so ; money to
take a health cure ; means for an insti-
tution to pay a heavy indebtedness.

Position assured to one in danger of
losing it ; another position retained
through devotion to the Sacred Heart,
when the loss of it was threatened
because the holder was a Catholic ; re-
gaining a position which had been given
up ; employment obtained for many per-
sons, when recommended to the League.

Preservation of a house from catching
fire from a burning building across the
street ; safety in several severe storms.
The averting of a great trial. Preserva-
tion from a threatened danger during a
cyclone.

Favors through the Badge and Promo-
ters' Cross. — Recovery of a patient with-
out a threatened operation ; cure of a
non-Catholic from a bad case of neu-
ralgia when all other remedies failed ;
cure of a little girl from spasms ; im-
mediate change for the better of a woman
dangerously ill ; a temporal favor
granted in an extraordinary manner;
great ease obtained for a rheumatic per-
son ; cure of a serious lung trouble that
seemed to be consumption, Lourdes

water was also used, the recovery is
perfect ; cure of an ingrowing nail in
lour days without any operation ; relief
from a nervous attack, from toothache ;
a cure of typhoid fever.

The cure of the broken arm of a little
boy, eleven years old, is acknowledged.
Though the doctor pronounced the
fracture serious, by using the Badge a
speedy recovery was effected and the
little fellow is as active as ever. Cure of
one who had so serious a trouble in one
of her legs that she could scarcely walk.
The doctor could do nothing to help her,
but a Badge was applied, and she is now
entirely well. Many other favors not
specified were also obtained through the
Badge and Promoter's Cross,

A Promoter called on a Protestant
friend who was very sick and of whose
recovery the doctor had very little hope.
The Promoter pinned her Cross, a Badge,
and a St. Benedict's medal on the sick
woman, making some promises and
getting the patient and her mother and
sister also to promise something. The
sick person is now convalescent and
says the Badge of the Sacred Heart has
been doing its work.

An Associate, who had suffered for
over twenty -eight years with a severe
shooting pain in the spine, which at
times would affect the heart and make
her feel as if she were dying, was in-
stantly cured by the application of a
Promoter's Cross.

A CORRECTION.

ST. MICHAEL 's COLLEGE CENTRE,

Sante Fe", N. M., November 30, 1896.
DEAR REV. FATHERS :

It was with the greatest pleasure I
received, and with no less degree of in-
terest, read, the last issue of your valu-
able magazine, the MESSENGER OF THE
SACRED HEART. The article, entitled
"New Mexico and the City of Holy
Faith," does justice to the able pen and
thorough researches of the late Rev.
Father to whom the readers of your
magazine are indebted for its production.

A mis-statement is found in the sec-
ond column, page 982, beginning with
the words "The cracked old bell " and
ending with the words, ' ' into the heaving
crucible. ' '

There can be no doubt that the late
Rev. Father was fully convinced that he
was justified in putting the date of its

casting as 1850 ; but when he speaks of
a "cracked old bell," and one that is
at present in "mournful disuse," it
seems to me that the subject of his
statement must have been an entirely
different bell from the one for which
there is a claim of old age ; for there
is just such a bell as the one he
describes standing near to where the old
one hangs. This bell would exactly
coincide with the said statement, as being
cracked, out of use, and probably cast in
1850. But there never has been any
claim of old age given to it, and the real
old one hangs by its side, in use to-day,
pronounced by all to have the most
beautiful of tones, and with proofs to
justify the claim of its having been cast
in 1356. It still bears the inscription
San Jose rogadpornosotros,Agosto 9,1356-
I remain, dear Fathers,
Yours truly,

BRO. BOTULPH.

THE New Year's MESSENGER will
reach its readers just about the
time when they will be asking
themselves the important question :
What shall I give for a Christmas present
this year ? This question we answered at
great length in the ' ' Reader ' ' for Decem-
ber, 1895, when we also touched on the
motives which should animate us and
the rules which should guide us in
making such presents. We could now
add considerably to our list of good
books, but we must content ourselves
with referring our readers to our Book
Notices during the past year, which will
serve as a safe guide for Catholic book-
buyers at this season. Without incur-
ring the stigma of egotism we may be
allowed here to suggest that a bound
copy of the MESSENGER for 1896, or a
subscription for 1897, would be a very
appropriate, and in very many cases,
acceptable Christmas or New Year's
present. Such a gift would not only
give joy to the heart of the individual
to whom it would be inscribed, but
bring light and gladness to the fortunate
family of its possessor.

In selecting books for Christmas pres-
ents we should combine usefulness and
edification with pleasure — choose with
preference those books that are edifying
and instructive. It is to be feared that
we trust too little to the intelligence of
our young people, as if they appreciated
nothing but beautiful covers and pic-
tures, and wild adventures in books.
We had an evidence of the contrary the
other day, when we received a letter
from a cultured Catholic mother asking
us to send her a copy of Father Jogues"1
Life, by John Gilmary Shea, for her
little son, who asked to have it as a
Christmas gift. The lad is not yet
twelve years of age. He has been read-
ing the graphic account of Father
Jogues' martyrdom in the Pilgrim, and
wanted to know all about the holy priest
90

who had suffered so much for Christ's
sake.

In the January issue of 1896 we gave
an extended review of the work of the
largest and most efficient organization
of the Apostleship of the Press in exist-
ence—that of the Lroix, in Paris. We
are pleased to see from the report of the
general " congress of the Croix held at
Paris in September last, at which over
600 representatives of local organizations
from all parts of France assisted, that
the work is spreading rapidly and doing
immense good. "^_ j

The Croix of Paris itself, with its
various weekly and monthly supple-
ments, has now an aggregate circulation
of very nearly 2,000,000. The provin-
cial and foreign supplements, over a
hundred in number, have an aggregate
circulation of nearly 500,000. The in-
crease of circulation during the year is
about 500,000.

The organization of the Croix is being
perfected " from year to year. At this
year's congress an elaborate plan of
campaign has been arranged and adopted
to defend Catholic interests at the polls.
It is based on the organization of the
German Catholics, which is acknowl-
edged to be the most efficient in the
world.

Another very important resolution has
been adopted — to consolidate local Cath-
olic papers with the Croix of Paris, re-
serving one page in each number for
local items. This plan, if it succeeds,
will enable even the smallest hamlets in
France to have the full benefit of the
most up to-date daily or weekly in the
metropolis with all the interest of a local
paper at very small cost, the local ad-
vertisements paying the additional ex-
pense of printing the local page.

' ' The Croix, ' ' says the Director, ' ' has
passed through its critical period, over-
come the prejudice against it, found sup-
porters— in short, taken a firm foothold.
The time has now come when we should

(26)

(27)

THE READER.

no longer rest satisfied with certain vic-
tories gained in this or that place, but
should endeavor to secure a truly effec-
tive and universal circulation for the
safety of the country. Our motto is :
Faith and confidence in God ; submis-
sion and devotion to the Pope, His Vicar
on earth, loyalty to his teaching and
guidance ; we are his soldiers. "
* * #

The Catholic University Bulletin for
October, publishes a set of interesting
and valuable documents from the Vati-
can library, bearing on the history of
the early Churchf in Greenland and
America before the discovery. They
are ten in number. "These ten docu-
ments," says the editor, "form that
chapter of the Chartularium of the
Church of Norway which deals with her
in all her dependencies. No doubt much
more has perished, but enough remains
to show that the Curia had a knowledge
of, and an interest in, the lonely territor-
ies that lay far off in the Atlantic flood,
where the dwellings of men were six
days 'journey apart, and the visits of
merchants rare, sometimes at intervals
of eighty years ; where wealth consisted
of hides and peltries, and the products of
whaling ; where wine and bread and oil
were obtained with difficulty, and barter
was slow and coin depreciated ; where
men lived on dried fish and milk and
carried their tents of skin on the sledges
that bore them over the great icebergs ;
where the savage Esquimaux harried
the white settlers, and cut them off from
the sea and left them at last without a
priest to say Mass with only a corporal
that they kept one hundred years and
exposed once a year, waiting for the re-
turn of their priests. ' '
•* -x- *

The idea of a public library is to provide
books for the reading public at the city's
expense. Now, as this expense is usu-
alty met by funds coming from taxes, it
is clear that the taxpayers should have a
voice in the selection of the volumes to
have a place on the shelves of their
library, for theirs it really is, both be-
cause it is intended for their use and
provided at their cost.

We have called attention in times past
to the great dearth, if not entire absence,
of the works of Catholic authors. This
would not be so remarkable if there
were not an abundance of books by de-
cidedly anti- Catholic writers and written
professedly against the Catholic religion,

so that the perennial excuse of non-sec-
tarianism cannot be alleged.

We could understand an intention to
exclude all books on controversial ques-
tions, but understand* we cannot, how
in equity the Protestant side should have
free fling, and the Catholic side no fling at
all. Fair play is a jewel and one prized by
all fair minds. Unfortunately Catholics,
hitherto being a minority in numbers,
as well as in wealth, have been very
passive in the matter. Perhaps it comes
from the fact that the public libraries
are not so much patronized by them.
Perhaps, too, it comes from a compara-
tive scarcity of Catholic authors The
fact remains the same that the history of
religion available in our libraries is in-
variably from Protestant sources.

Our attention was called to this great
danger by an editorial in the Catholic
Universe of Cleveland. It seems that
the Cleveland public library, strange to
say, has a Catholic department. Stranger
still is the collection of "religious"
works comprising the " Catholic collec-
tion, " which is supposed to constitute a
"concession " to the Catholic sentiment
in that city. As the Universe remarks :
"What an admirable 'working libra-
ry ' it would make for the bitterest and
most uncompromising anti-Catholic
evangelist, crusader or Protector of
American Institutions ! Here it is :

Plain Reasons Against Joining the Church
of Rome, (Littledale).

Elliott on Romanism, 2 Vols.

Romanism and the Reformation ( Protest-
ant Educational Institute, Exeter Hall, Lon-
don).

Political Romanism.

Variations of Popery.

Romanism in Canada.

Romanism at Home.

Growth of the Papal Power.

Evenings with Romanists.

The Faith of Our Forefathers (Reply to
Card. Gibbon's Faith of our Feathers).

Rome, Christian and Papal.

History of Roman Catholicism.

Essay on Romanism.

Catholicity, Protestantism and Roman-
ism."

If other public libraries were examined,
doubtless we should make similar dis-
coveries in the Catholic department, if
any such department exists. It is time
for the Catholic taxpayers and public at
large to see to it that the true Church
be properly represented, and that the
young and unsuspecting be safeguarded
against imbibing such soul-poisons.

BOOK NOTICES.

Our Martyrs. A record of those who
suffered for the Catholic faith under
the penal laws in Ireland. By the
late Rev. Denis Murphy, S.J., LL.D.,
M.R.I. A. Illustrated from contempor-
ary prints. Dublin: O 'Fallen & Co.
1896. 8vo. Pages xxii and 373. Price 6s.

This is a book of rare historical value
and research as well as interest. It
is culled from contemporary records
scattered through many libraries of
the British Isles and the continent of
Europe. The learned and painstaking
author did not live to give it the finish-
ing touch. But even as it is, it cannot
but elicit the interest of the Irish at
home and abroad, and of Catholics gen-
erally.

The preface, which has been written
not by the author himself, but by
another hand, forms a succinct and
instructive treatise on martyrdom as
understood by the Church. Then fol-
lows the author's introduction, giving
in nine periods, as so many different
phases, the history of the Penal Laws in
Ireland from the reign of Henry VIII.
to that of Victoria. The main body of
the book gives the record of over three
hundred Irishmen who gave their lives
for their faith under British persecution.
Of these a good number are bishops.
Of the remainder the great majority are
religious, particularly Franciscans, Do-
minicans, Augustinians. Cistercians,
Carmelites and Jesuits. Yet the secular
clergy and laity are well represented.
The book is illustrated with six charac-
teristic contemporary prints, the frontis-
piece being a portrait of the Venerable
Archbishop Plunkett.

Yet this record does not make any
claim to completeness, as many others
were massacred, or starved, or tortured
to death, whose names are known to
God alone. We warmly recommend this
excellent work to all who would gain an
accurate and detailed knowledge of the
history of the dark days of persecution
in Ireland.

Rome and Enarland. By the Rev.
Luke Rivington, M.A. London : Burns
& Oates. New York : Benziger Broth-
ers. i2tno. Pages 193.

This is the latest controversial work
by that master of controversy, Father
Rivington, His sub-title, Ecclesiastical
92

Continuity gives us the subject of the
book. It is a refutation of ' ' The National
Church in the Middle Ages," by Dr.
Creighton, then Bishop of Peterborough,
but since translated to the See of Lon-
don. His work was selected as being
' ' fairly representative of the line of argu-
ment adopted by members of the Church
of England on the subject of continuity. "

Anglicans are difficult people to refute
for they are always shifting their ground,
adducing new theories, and have no
standard of authority.

Father Rivington undertakes to prove
that " the present titular church of Eng-
land is not a spiritual continuation of
the old Church of England, but that the
Roman Catholic body in England is. ' '
He does not, however, ' ' deny a certain
kind of continuity between the present
Establishment and the Anglican Church
of the past. There is a kind of legal
continuity ; there is a sort of material
continuity ; there is a continuity of
nomenclature." But this is not suffi-
cient ; there must be unity of govern-
ment, unity of faith, unity of sacra-
ment, and not unity in name, or material
privileges, or local habitation.

It is a question of history. " Is it, or
is it not, true, ' ' he asks, ' ' that the Church
of England — by which I do not mean the
Parliament, but the accredited teaching
body in England — held that doctrine
concerning her relationship to Rome to
be a part of the faith once delivered to
the saints ? "

Father Rivington conclusively proves
his point. He clinches it from the teach-
ing of Cramner's predecessor in the See
of Canterbury ; and the testimony of
Archbishop Warham is conclusive for
the hitherto universally recognized
power of the Pope in spiritual matters
in England.

A Key to Labor Problems: being an
adapted translation of the Catechisme
du Patron, by Leon Harmel, with an
illustration by Virginia M. Crawford.
London : Catholic Truth Society, 1896.
i6mo. Pages xxiv and 52. Price 6d.

This little book, which was first pub-
lished in French under the modest title
and unpretending form of a Catechism
for Employers, condenses a vast amount
of matter in very small space. It con-
tains no vague speculation, but solely

(28)

(29)

BOOK NOTICES.

and simply the outcome of the author's
own experience. Leon Harmel has for
many years controlled an extensive in-
dustrial concern which served at the
same time as a model and as a social
and economic experiment. The experi-
ment has proved a success and is
regarded almost as a prodigy of industrial
organization. It is based on a strictly
religious foundation and is conducted on
scientific economic principles. Every
principle laid down in this book has
been practically and thoroughly tested
and found efficient towards the formation
of a healthy, intelligent, moral and
happy working population, as well as a
successful and profitable development of
the industry in question. There is
nothing one-sided in the principles of
M. Harmel. He treats of the rights
and duties of employer and employed
with equal fairness and impartiality.

The translation is carefully done and
is enlarged by a copious and highly in-
teresting introduction by the translator,
chiefly descriptive of the admirable or-
ganization of M. Harmel's woolen in-
dustries at Val-des-Bois. In the English
translation the work has been stripped
of its catechetical form, which we can
hardly regard as an improvement. We
should like to see this excellent little
book adopted as the standard handbook
of employers and employees. Here they
could find their true rights and duties,
as based on the law of God, and sanc-
tioned by all just human legislation,
clearly set forth, and thus they would
become, at the same time, proof against
the pernicious doctrines of the hundreds
of social and economic quacks who in-
fest our modern society and cajole the
unsuspecting working-man.

Father John Morris, S.J. By Rev. J. H.
Pollen, S.J. London : Burns and Gates.
New York : Benziger Brothers. Pages 294.

We quite agree with the criticism of
this book sent to the author by Mr.
Gladstone. "It seemed to me while
reading it that you had executed an ac-
complished piece of biography. ' ' It will
interest not only those who knew Father
Morris personally, but even strangers,
on account of his intimate connection
with so many prominent men of the day,
particularly with Cardinals Wiseman
and Manning, to both of whom he was
secretary. He earned a great reputation
as an historical writer, especially for his
life of St. Thomas Becket, and of Father-
John Gerard, and Troubles of our Catholic

Forefathers. Largely through his efforts
as Postulator were the English martyrs
beatified. He was well known as a skil-
ful director of souls and held the office of
Master of Novices. Father Pollen is
very fair in giving both light and shade,
and in not trying to make out his sub-
ject faultless, as too many biographers
do.

Cochem's Explanation of the Holy Sac-
rifice of the Mass. Benziger Brothers.
i2mo. Pages 424. Price $1.25.

This is a translation of an excellent
book by Father Martin von Cochem, a
Capuchin, who lived in Germany in the
seventeenth century. He wrote several
other works, both in Latin and German,
which were very popular, but his expla-
nation of the Holy Mass is considered
his masterpiece, for learning and practi-
cal usefulness.

The matter is treated both dogmati-
cally and devotion ally. The style is
agreeable and impressive, and the trans-
lation is, on the whole, well done. The
holy sacrifice of the Mass is, as Father
von Cochem rightly says, an inex-
haustible treasury, whence we all, sin-
ners as well as just, may draw the riches
we stand in need of. To make these
treasures more widely known is the object
of this book. There is a useful preface
by the Right Rev. C. P. Maes, D.D., at
whose suggestion the translation was
made.

Katakombenbilder. Erzahlungen aus
den ersten Jahrhunderten der romischen
Kirche. Von Anton de Waal. New
York: Pustet & Co. Illustrated. i2tno.
Pages 430.

This volume contains three delightful
stories of the Catacombs told by one
who combines an accurate historical and
archaeological knowledge with superior
literary culture — Mgr. De Waal, the ac-
complished rector of the Amina in
Rome. The series consists altogether
of six stories, representing different peri-
ods of the persecutions, and thus giving
a complete picture of the first four cen-
turies of the Church's history. The
chief persons, places and facts are strictly
historical, while the details, which go to
make up the narrative, are taken from
life. If only some competent hand would
put these stories in English, they would
be a very valuable addition to our Catho-
lic literature.

Children of Mary. A Tale of the
Caucasus. By Rev. Joseph Spillmann,

RECENT AGGREGATIONS.

(30)

S.J. Translated from the German by
MivSS Helena Long. St. Louis : B. Her-
der. i6mo. Pages 122 Price 50 cents.
This interesting tale forms the third
volume of a series of stories for the
young. As intimated in the title the
scene is laid in the Caucasus, amid the
horrors of the Russian war of extermina-
tion. Our young friends will find the
story full of stirring incidents, and, at
the same time, high ideals of Christian
heroism. The translation is well made,
and the book is attractively gotten up.

Prayer. By St. Alphonsus Liguori.
Benziger Bros. Pages 222. Price 50
cents.

This is a neatly printed handy edition

of the celebrated treatise on prayer, as
the great means of obtaining salvation
and all the graces which we desire of
God.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

Catholic Family Annual. 1897. New
York : Catholic School Book Company.

Jus Pnblicnm Ecclesiasticnm. Dis-
sertationes. Auctore Sac. Jeremia Rossi.
Roma: Festa, 1896. 8vo. Pages 91.
Price 2 lire.

Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament and Eucharistic League of
the People. New York : Cathedral
Library Association. 1896. 321110.
Pages 15.

RECENT AGGREGATIONS.

The following Local Centres have received Diplomas of Aggregation from the Central Direction
from October 20 to December i, 1896.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Date
of
Diploma.

Buffalo

Newfane. N. Y
Chicago, 111
Kankakee, 111
Bond Hill, 0
Cleveland, O

St Bridget's

Church

Academy
Church

Convent
Church

ns' "

Hospital
Church

College
Institute
Church

s Convent
Church

Chapel

Convent
Church

Nov. 17
Nov. 6
Nov. 27
Oct. 30
Oct. 26
Oct. 26
Nov 12
Nov. 12
Nov. 6
Nov. 27
Nov. 17
Nov. 21
Nov. 6
Nov. 6
Nov. 6
Nov. 21
Nov. i
Nov. 6
Nov. 30
Nov. 27
Nov. 6
Oct. 26
Nov. 21
Oct. 26
Nov. 6
Nov. 30
Oct. 26
Nov. 27
Nov. 12
Oct. 30
Nov. 17
Nov. 27
Nov. 17
Oct. 30
Nov. 17
Oct. 26
Nov. 27
Nov. 6

Chicago

St. Mel's
St Patrick's

Cleveland

St. Vitus'

Columbus, O

St Francis'

St Lawrence's

Dallas
Denver
Dubuque .
Erie
Fort Wayne

Grand Rapids

Cleburne Tex

St. Joseph's
Loretto
Sacred Heart
St. Ann-'s
St. Bernard's
Holy Cross
St. Mary's

Denver, Colo. .
Rockwell la

Erie, Pa
Crawfordsville, Ind
Notre Dame, Ind. . . .
Musfcegon, Mich

Saginaw, E. S., Mich
Briggsville, Wis
Delwich, Wis
Broad Brook, Conn
Kansas City Kan

Holy Family
St. Mary, Help of Christia
Our Lady of the Snow . .
St. Catharine's
St Margaret's
Immaculate Conception .
St. Alphonsus'
St. Benedict's

Hartford

Kansas City, Kan. . .
» < " " Mo
Natchez

Lee Summit Mo

Ocean Springs, Miss. . . .
Newark, N. J
Fort Lee. N. J.
Sylvan Lake, N. Y. . . .
Tarrytown, N. Y. ...
Allegheny, Pa

Newark

New York

St. Denis'
Transfiguration . .
Y. L. Sodality, St Andrew

Pittsburg ...
Providence

Richmond

Providence, R. I

St. Patrick's
St. Mary's
St Mary's

Taunton, Mass
Richmond. Va
Fort Myer, Va

St. George's
St Louis'

St. Louis

St. Louis, Mo

Mexico, Mo
St. Paul, Minn
Byrnesville, Minn. . . .
Rome, Ga. ... ....
E. Syracuse. N. Y
Hutchinson, Kan

St. Brendan's
St. Luke's
St. John Baptist's ....
St. Mary's

St. Paul

Savannah ... ....
Syracuse
Wichita

St. Teresa's

Aggregations, 38; churches, 29; chapels, 2 ; convents, 3; college, i ; school, i ; institution, i ; sodality i.

PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

Diplomas and Indulgenced Crosses for the solemn reception of Promoters who have faithfully served
the required probation have been sent to the following Local Centres of the League of the Sacred Heart

(October 21 to November 21, 1896).

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Diploma

Ilion N Y

Albany, "

Holy Name
Our Lady of Angels

. . Convent
Church

4
4

Alton
Baltimore

Effiugham.Ill
Mt. St. Mary's Md .

Sacred Heart

Brooklyn

Baltimore, Md .
Brooklyn, N. Y

St Joseph's
St. Francis de Sales'

. . Church

Buffalo

East Buffalo,"

St. John's
Holy Name of Jesus

. . College

Chicago

Chicago 111

All Saints

St Elizabeth's

Cincinnati

Cincinnati, O

Atonement ...

St. Xavier

College

Cleveland

Coviugton '
Dallas
Davenport . . .
Denver

Cleveland, "
Akron, O
West Covington, Ky
Fort Worth, Tex
Davenport, la
Colorado Springs Colo

St. Agnes'
St. Vincent's
St. Ann's
St. Patrick's
St. Anthony's
Loretto

Church
Academy

5
I
5
3

Trinidad Colo

Dubuque
Galveston

Denver, Colo

Odebolt, la. . '.'. ! . . .'. '. .
Galveston, Tex

Sacred Heart .
Sacred Heart
St. Mary's
St. Mary's

. . College
. . Church
. . Cathedral

i
i

•Green Bay
Hartford

Oshkosh, Wts
Hartford, Conn .. ... .
Mtriden "

St. Peter's
St Joseph's

. .'cathedral
Church

6
g

Kansas City

Ottawa, Kan .

Holy Angel Guardian

Paola, " . ...

Holy Trinity

'•• : : : : :

Leavenworth, Kan
St. Mary's, '

Mt. St. Mary's
St. Mary's

. . Academy
. . College

Louisville

Loretto, Ky .

Loretto

Academy

Fancy Farm, Ky. . .

St. Jerome's

Church

Manchester

Concord, N. H

St. John's

Marquette
Monterey and Los An-
geles
Nashville
Natchez

Manistique, Mich

Santa Barbara, Cal
Nashville, Tenn
Bay St Louis Miss

St. Francis de Sales' ....

Our Lady of Sorrows ....
St. Joseph's

I
g

Nesqually

Seattle, Wash
O'Brien's "

Imtnac. Concep
St Bernard's

Church

Newark . .

Macopin, N. J

St Joseph's

New Orleans

Paterson, "
New Orleans, La

St. Joseph's
Holy Name of Jesus'

: ;

New York .

New York City

All Saints

Mt. Loretto, S. I., N. Y. . '. .
New York City

Guardian Angels
Immaculate Virgin . . . .
Nativity
Sacred Heart

! '. Mission
. . Church

H it

St Catherine's

..::..

Milton, Ulster Co. N. Y. . '.

St. Ignatius Loyola's . . .
St. James"

.: ;';'

:::::.

Tremont, New York City . .
Brewster, N. Y
New York City

St. Joseph's
St. Lawrence O'Toolt's . . .
St. Vincent Ferrers'

. . Academv
. Church

Ogdensburg
***« "
Omaha . .

Watertown, N. Y
O'Neill Neb

Antwerp
Notre Dame
St Patrick's

Mission
. . Church

3
9

Oregon City

Portland Ore

St Mary's

Academy

Peoria

Peoria, 111

St. Mark's

Church

Philadelphia
Pittsburg

Philadelphia, Pa
Pittsburg Pa

St. Boniface'
Holy Trinity

Providence

Providence, R. I
Woon socket, "

Assumption
Sacred Heart . .

. . "

Sacramento . .

ig^"

San Francisco

San Andreas, Cal
Nevada City, "
Santa Clara ' '

St. Andrew's. ....
St. Canice's
Santa Clara

College

Q
12

Savannah .

Macoii Ga

. . Church

St. Augustine

Tampa, Fla. ...

St. Louis'

St. Cloud

McCauleyville Minn

St Thomas'

St. Louis

St Louis Mo "

St Francis Xavier's . . .

St. Paul's

Syracuse .

Taberg, N. Y . . .

St. Patrick's

Wheeling

Huntington, W. Va
Wheeling, "

St. Joseph's
St. Joseph's

.' Cathedral

Total number of Receptions, 78.
(31)

Number of Diplomas, 633.

CALENDAR OF INTENTIONS, JANUARY, 1897.

THE- MORNING OFFERING.

O Jesus, through the immaculate heart of Mary, I offer Thee the prayers, works, and sufferings of this
day for all the intentions of Thy divine Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and in par-
ticular for RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES, for the intentions of the League throughout the world, and for these
particular intentions recommended by the American Associates.

F.
S.

First Friday. — CIRCUMCISION OF OUR

LORD— ist u., A.C.

Octave of St. Stephen.— St. Macarius (Her-
mit 39.).

Self-denial.
Pray for enemies.

120,148 Thanksgivings.
53 075 in affliction.

Octave, St. John.— St. Genevieve ¥.(512). Pr

Humility.

54,358 sick, infirm.

8
9

T.
W.
Th,
F.
S.

Octave Holy Innocents. — B. Angela, W.
(0 S.F., 1309).
Vigil.— St Telesphorus, P.M. (139).
The Epiphany of our Lord.— A.I. , B.M.
St. Lucian, M. (312).— H.H. [482.)
St. Severio, Ab. — (Ab. Austria and Bavaria,
SS. Julian and Basilissa, M.M. (313).

Morning Offering.

Confidence in God.
Thanksgiving,
fidelity in trifles.
Zeal for souls.
Forbearance.

66,951 dead Associates.

35,912 League Centres.
2,152 Directors.
19,872 Promoters.
182 732 departed.
104,249 perseverance.

1st after Epiphany.— St. Agatho, P. (682).

Sorrow for sins.

450,3 1 2 the young.

M.
T.
W.
Th.

F.
S.

St. Hyginus, P.M. (142).
St. Bennet, Bp. (690). [Bp. (608).
Octave of the Epiphany. — St. Kentigern,
St. Hilary, Bp. D. (368). — St. Felix, M.
(256).-H.H.
St. Paul, First Hermit (342).— St. Maur, Ab.
(O.S.B., 580).
St. Marcellus, P. M. (310).

Crush human respect.
Purity of heart.
Kindliness.
Read good books.

Retirement.
Generosity with God.

35,753 ist Communions.
117,112 parents.
85,373 families.
37,596 reconciliations.

140,500 work, means.
77, 206 clergy.

2d after Epiphany. — The Holy Name —St.
Anthony, Ab. (366).— C.R.

Repair blasphemy.

114,083 religious.

18
19

20
21

M.
T.

W.
Th.
F.
S.

St. Peter's Chair at Rome. — St. Prisca, V.M.
(54).-A.S.
St. Canute, M. (K. 1086) — SS. Marius and
Comp. MM., C. (270). [288).
SS. Fabian, P. and Sebastian, MM. (250-
St. Agnes, V. M. (304).— H.H.
SS. Vincent and Anastasius, MM. (303) [304).
Espousal B V M.— St. Emerentiana, V. M.

Devotion to Holy See.
Detachment.

Knowledge of self.
Love holy purity.
God's holy will.
Say Daily Decade.

61,889 seminarists, novices.
43,709 vocations.

42, 190 parishes.
64,033 schools.
36, 583 superiors.
31,319 Missions, Retreats.

3d after Epiphany.— St. Timothy, Bp. M. (97).

Respect authority.

24 333 societies, works.

25
26
27
28

29
30

M.
T.
W.
Th.

Conversion of St. Paul, Ap. (35).
St. Polycarp, Bp. M. ( 66).
St. John Chrysostom, Bp. D. (407).
zd Feast of St. Agnes.— St. Julian, Bp.
(1208). -H.H.
St. Francis de Sales, Bp. D. (1622). — Pr.
St. Martina, V.M. (260).

Guard the eyes.
Spirit of justice.
Fear mortal sin.
Guard the tongue.

Judge not.
Patience in trials.

8 r, 618 conversions.
J39.87o sinners.
121,315 intemperate.
122,197 spiritual favors.

96,654 temporal favors.
I37,653 special various.

4th after Epiphany.— St. Peter Nolasco, F.
(Order of Mercy, 1256).

Be firm in hope.

MESSENGER Readers.

?: Ap. — Apostleship. (T).=Degrees, Yr.= Promoters, C. R.=Communron of Repara-
\.. £..=Archconfraternity ; §.=Sodality ; B. M.=Bona Mors ; A. I.=Apostolic

PLENARY INDULGENCES: Ap. —
lion, H..H.=ffoly Hour); A. C.=<4;

Indulgence; A. ^>.= Apostleship of Study ; S. S.=St.'john Berchmans'1 Sanctuary Society ;' B. \.=Bridgettinc
Indulgence.

TREASURY OF GOOD WORKS.
Offerings for the Intentions recommended to the League of the Sacred Heart.

ioo days1 Indulgence for every action offered for the Intentions of the League.

NO. TIMES.
Masses heard .
Mortifications .

NO. TIMES.

Acts of Charity 762,563 ii.

Beads 697 356 12.

Way of the Cross 104,279 13.

Holy Communions 126,469 14.

Spiritual Communions 357, 147 15.

Examens of Conscience 234,802 16.

Hours of Labor 996 648 17.

Hours of Silence 320,183 18.

Pious Reading 147,401 19.

Masses read 15,457 20.

303.9"

2-9/02

Works of Mercy 185,654

Works of Zeal 138,593

Prayers 4,681,279

Kindly Conversation 64,812

Sufferings, Afflictions 113,482

Self-conquest 201,023

Visits to B. Sacrament 400,944

Various Good Works 447,517

Special Thanksgivings, 1,392; Total, 10,550,806.

Intentions or Good Works put in the box, or given on lists to Promoters before their meeting, on or
before the last Sunday, are sent by Directors to be recommended in our Calendar MESSENGER in our
Masses here, at the General Direction in Toulouse, and Lourdes.

(32)

THE HONORABLE WILLIAM GASTOX,

Catholic Pioneer in North Carolina.

THE MESSENGER

OF THE

SACKED HEART OF JESUS

VOL. xxxiv.

FEBRUARY, 1899.

No.

CATHOLICITY IN NORTH CAROLINA.

By Very Rev. F. Felix, O.S.J3.

JULY 4, 1584, opens the annals of the
history of North Carolina. Sir
Walter Raleigh, at the direction of
Queen Elizabeth, sent two vessels, under
the command of Philip Armidas and
Arthur Barlow, to the New World, not,
however, to fulfil the pious ambition of a
Columbus, to plant the standard of salva-
tion upon the virgin soil of America, but
acting effectively upon the order of the
reigning Tudor, to conquer and appro-
priate in England's name.

These vessels were driven about the
bays and inlets of what is now the Caro-
lina coast, until a landing was effected on
Wokoken Island. Here they discovered
a friendly tribe of Indians, artless and
generous, upon whose chief, at a later
date, the English Queen conferred
the title, ' ' Lord of Roanoke. ' ' This was
the Anglo Saxons' preface to the great
chapters of their history on the new con-
tinent.

The visit paid to the amicably disposed
red men and their island, was not succeed-
ed by a settlement in this region until

the year 1637, when we may speak of
the first colony in North Carolina. Re-
ligious persecution had driven men and
women into the inhospitable wilderness
of the then unbounded State.

The Puritans of Massachusetts, those
liberty-loving, God-fearing exiles of the
Mother Country, forced the Quakers as
far south as Virginia, after having muti-
lated their bodies by revolting tortures
which truthful historians do not hesitate
to depict in all their shocking details.

I shall pass over the Palatines founded
in this State by Swiss and French Hugue-
nots. The number of these immigrants
was barely one thousand. Many of them
were massacred in struggles with the In-
dians, and their homes destroyed. Sub-
sequently English settlers, Scotch Pres-
byterians, and Lutherans formed com-
munities, and by Colonial legislation, the
" Church by Law Established " enjoyed
exclusive rights; other religions were per-
mitted, provided they did not interfere
with the Episcopal form of worship.

The voluminous Colonial Records of

100

Catholicity in North Carolina.

North Carolina give no evidence of any
early Catholic settlers. Even the names
chronicled suggest none that may be sus-
pected of belonging to the true Faith. If
there were a few faithful souls, no trace
of them can now be discovered. Prob-
ably Catholic emigrants feared to share
the cruel treatment their co-religionists
received in Virginia, where they enjoyed
no liberty, were named incompetent to
act as witnesses ' ' in any case whatso-
ever, ' ' and hence were mere slaves to
lordly proprietors. There Irish women
and children were actually sold as slaves,
when under Cromwell seventy thousand
sons and daughters of Erin were trans-
ferred to the colonies, the greater num-
ber, however, being sent to the Barba-
does and Jamaica.

Bicknall's History of North Carolina,
published in Dublin, 1739, refers to a
Catholic settlement at Bath Town, on
PamlicoSound, where a priestwas supposed
to have resided, but no trace of such an
established colony is extant. The ao-
sence of any positive law against the
Church in the primitive days of the set-
tlements, leads one to imagine the non-
existence of a necessity for framing such
ordinances. Only after the sons of the
State had rallied and banded themselves
in freedom's cause, to which the cele-
brated Mecklenburg Declaration of Inde-
pendence (of which the Carolinians are
justly proud) gave an impulse, laws det-
rimental to the Catholic Church were
enacted; in fact, no early constitution of
any State, except Massachusetts, equalled
that of North Carolina in animosity to-
wards those professing that belief — ' •' any
man who shall deny the existence of God
or the truth of the Protestant Religion,
or the divine authority of the Old and
New Testament, shall not hold any office
in this State."

These difficulties naturally deterred
conscientious Catholics from seeking an
asylum within these hostile borders.
Later and present perplexities will be
mentioned as we proceed.

Research proves that the torch of

Catholicity was first lighted in the little
town of Newbern. In 1774, Gerard and
Joseph Sharpe, two English gentlemen,
were extensively engaged in commercial
pursuits in this town. They were visited
that year by their sister, Margaret, a de-
vout, pious Catholic woman of strong in-
tellectual acquirements and an equally
intense attachment to her faith. Though
far away from the consolations of the
Church, she was not shaken in her belief,
and by her example kept alive the
smouldering flame of faith in her brothers'
bosoms.

In May, 1775, she married Dr. Alex-
ander Gaston, a native of Ballimini, Ire-
land, a graduate of the medical college 01
Edinburgh, and a surgeon in the English
navy, a position which he resigned to
sail for the North American provinces.
He settled in Newbern, where, after a
few years' residence, during which he
practised his profession, he married Mar-
garet Sharpe. Her two brothers had
died and her husband was shot by Tories
commanded by Major Craig of the
British army, in August, 1781, whilst
attempting his escape in a canoe across
the river Trent. Mrs. Gaston was then
left entirely alone in America with a
young son and infant daughter dependent
upon her. Too strong to shrink amidst
these disasters, supported by religion and
energy of character, she met the exigen-
cies of the hour with fortitude, and made
the education of her son the grand object
of her existence.

Upon his susceptible childish character
she stamped her own exquisite sensibility,
high integrity, and above all her religion,
thus fashioning his volatile and some-
times irritable temperament in her own
perfect mould. She knew he might be
of use to his God and country ; therefore
he was reared for these two great ends.

William Gaston received his education
in that bulwark of learning, Georgetown,
where his name is immortalized. "Few
institutions in America can boast of hav-
ing matriculated a man of higher intel-
lectual attainments and more spotless

Catholicity in North Carolina.

101

character," wrote Stephen B. Weeks, of
Johns Hopkins University. Mrs. Gas-
ton lived to see her son loved by his
fellow-citizens, honored by his State,
and promoting the cause of God' s Holy
Church, so that the very name of Gas-
ton was sufficient to dispel the pulpit
defamations of would-be religious min-
isters. By his eloquence he succeeded
in having the constitution of his State
amended so as not to exclude Cath-
olics from office. His mother
died at Newbern full of days,
blessed with temporal posses-
sions, but more glorified for
preserving the pearl of religion
in a hostile State, and after
giving the same trust to her
son, departed to God to re-
ceive her reward.

In time Newbern became
the residence of other Catho-
lics, Francis Lamotte, a ref-
ugee of the French Revolu-
tion, two other French gen-
tlemen, Francis Xavier Mar-
tin, author of a history of
North Carolina bearing his
name, Mr. Gillet and wife
and Mr. William Joseph Wil-
liams, formerly a respectable
Episcopal clergyman and a
convert to Catholicity.

Rt. Rev. John England
visited the town for the first
time in 1821, remained eight
days, preached each night in
the court house, and cele-
brated Mass every morning
in Hon. William Gaston's
house. He organized the
little congregation, and erected Newbern
into an ecclesiastical district under the in-
vocation of St. Paul. This may be con-
sidered as the opening of the Catholic
missions in North Carolina.

From that year, Bishop England paid fre-
quent visits, baptizing, confirming, preach-
ing, and in 1824 appointed Rev. Francis
O'Donoughue missionary for the entire
State, with Newbern as his residence.

The vestry met on June 24 of the same
year for the purpose of raising funds to
purchase a site for a church. The founda-
tion was soon laid and the church
finished, but owing to the death of Bishop
England in 1841, was not blessed until
his successor, Dr. Reynolds, paid his first
visit in 1844, placing it under the patron-
age of St. Paul.

The death of Judge Gaston, January
19, 1844, affected the interests of thelit-

R1GHT REVEREND LEO HAID, O.S.B.

tie church materially, so that its pastor,
Father Quigly, was obliged to solicit con-
tributions from other cities. Bishop
Reynolds continued to visit Newbern,
carrying on the good work; converts in-
creased, and the congregation was now
fully organized. Yet the death of Judge
Gaston would long be felt.

Judge Gaston was also the founder of
the first Catholic colony in the western

102

Catholicity in North Carolina.

part of the State, in a county named after
him " Gaston," which now forms the
centre of Catholicity in the State. He
composed the stirring lyric so dear to the
hearts of Carolinians, a stanza of which
will suffice to show the trend of its verses
and convey an idea of the love which
gave it birth :
Carolina! Carolina! Heaven's blessing

attend her,
While we live we will cherish, protect, and

defend her ;
Tho' scorner .may sneer at, and witling

defame her,

Yet our hearts swell with gladness when-
ever we name her.

CHORUS.

Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the old North State

forever !
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the good old North

State !

At the present writing the church at
Newbern is in a flourishing condition.
Extensive improvements have been made
by the present pastor, who, together with
an assistant, labors energetically for the
propagation of religion and the educa-
tion of white and colored children. As a
number of prominent colored people re-
side in the town, a school has been re-
cently erected for their accommodation,
and a church, both placed under the
patronage of St. Charles. The result
has been very gratifying.

jje * # # #

Edenton, a mission attended by the
priests of Newbern, was inaugurated in
1857, when three young graduates of St.
Joseph's Academy, Emittsburg, who were
converts to the Faith, conceived the idea
of building a church in their home. The
twelve Catholics of the place were com-
pelled to worship in a small room in one
of their houses, and forced to be satisfied
with an annual visit from some good old
missionary. Without a farthing in their
pockets, the young girls commenced the
great work among Protestants ot every
persuasion, nothing daunted by the re-

fusal of the visiting priest to assist in the
project, lest failure be the ultimate issue.

Applying to her Protestant father, one
of the girls received $100 and a promise
of a site for the church. A trip to
Baltimore followed and an appeal to
Archbishop Kenrick, whose answer, as
he placed a twenty-dollar gold piece in
her hand, deserves to be recorded:
"Go, my little apostle, with my abund-
ant blessing; you will succeed with the
help of God. Be sure, my child, to put
all insults in your heart and the money
in your pocket."

Returning home with $585.50, the
work was commenced and continued by
the young women, who translated French
works, taught music and, through the
post, solicited donations . in the United
States and Europe. Father Faber of
the Oratory of St. Philip, Prince Hohen-
lohe, and even the great Cardinal Anto-
nelli, helped them. Bishop Lynch of
Charleston laid the corner stone on the
feast of St. Anne, to whose care it was
entrusted, and the occasion was made
memorable by his eloquent discourse.

Surmounting innumerable obstacles,
these persevering converts prayed the
humble church to completion, and on
July 26, 1858, the first Mass was celebrated
in Edenton in a house really dedicated to
God's service. On that happy morn, as
the congregation knelt at the altar to
receive the Bread of Life, as the priest
advanced with the uplifted Host, a beau-
tiful white dove flew in through the
window and hovered over the middle of
the sanctuary until the priest returned to
the altar.

The church gained converts and
thrived until the Civil War, when it
became the barracks of soldiers and
everything of value was stolen or sold at
auction among them. , From this deplor-
able condition it has been rescued, rededi-
cated, and brighter days have dawned
for the little church of St. Anne.

%. $i %. %. %

A church in time arose at Fayetteville,
a quaint old town in the centre of the

Catholicity in North Carolina.

ST. MARY'S COLLEGE AND ABBEY, BELMONT, N. c.

State, which, even to-day, gives the vis-
itor many reminders of the colonial
epoch, when the curfew meant "lights
and fires out — all abed," as even now it
rings at nine o'clock.

John Kelly presented the property
upon which a church was built, but a
fire destroyed the greater portion of the
town and consumed this wooden struc-
ture also. In 1839 the present building
was erected, and stands to this day a
significant monument of the poverty of
God's religion in the South, especially in
North Carolina. Yet sweet are the
memories that linger around that hal-
lowed place. The eloquence of an
England and a Reynolds flowed in a
golden tide within those sacred precincts,
but the once flourishing mission gave
way to time, so that, in the period when
in Northern cities a cathedral might have
graced the site, the poor frame church
still remains, its little tower pointing
heavenward. In recent years Fayette-
ville has again received a resident priest
after a vacancy of nearly thirty years,
and by his energy and careful zeal he has
wiped away the dust of by-gone years,
and now the mission is growing.

During the war hundreds of Catholic

soldiers worshipped in this humble house
of God, dedicated to Ireland's saint and
built by the faithful sons of Erin.

The capital of North Carolina-, Raleigh,
is situated near the geographical centre
of the State, a city flourishing by reason
of the various institutions located there,
supported by State appropriations, and
owing its aristocratic reputation to guber-
natorial influence.

The first Mass celebrated in Raleigh
was by Father Whelan in 1832. A small
church was built the same year and dedi-
cated by Bishop England, but subse-
quently sold and new property purchased
near the capitol. This second edifice
was blessed by Bishop Hughes, of New
York, on his way to Chapel Hill, N. C.,
to deliver the annual address to the grad-
uates of the State University.

The church building acquired was
formerly a Baptist meeting-house, and
being of many years' erection, was offici-
ally condemned and a new lot with house,
etc. , bought, and to this was attached a
chapel of the Sacred Heart.

The late Rev. James B. White, who
was ordained by Bishop Gibbons after
having served the United States as an

104

Catholicity in North Carolina.

important Federal officer, gave to Raleigh
all that it can boast of to-day. He was
a familiar figure in Northern cities, for
only through Northern Catholics was he
able to effect what proudly claims to be
his monument in this State. His vener-
able appearance, sweetness of voice, and
charm of manner made him loved every-
where. For many years he was pastor in
Raleigh, and when he was removed to
Asheville, he left the place free of debt
and a handsome property as its own.

Few churches in the United States
have experienced greater visitations than
this; God's Bride has bowed her head
amidst severe trials ; she could exclaim
with Jeremiah, "Intuere et respice oppro-
brium nostrum."" Let us cover these
dead sorrows with the mantle of love and
consider only the present and future.
Gloriously she arose out of chaos, and
now enjoys the respect, love, and con-
fidence of the city and State.

The present efficient pastor has done
much to further the interests of Catholi-
city, not only in Raleigh, where the con-
gregation has numerically increased, but
in all the missions attached.

# * * * *

Wilmington, the seaport of the old
North State, is our largest city, and has
many advantages commercially and soci-
ally. Doubtless Catholics reached this
point early in the century, owing to easy
communication with the West Indies.
The present church, known as the Pro-
Cathedral of St. Thomas, was built by
Rev. F. Murphy in 1854. It is a mas-
sive structure with a beautiful interior.

Wilmington was frequently ravaged by
yellow fever, but in 1862, the malignant
disease hurried unusual multitudes to an
early grave. Father Murphy, assisted by
the Sisters of Mercy, with untiring zeal
administered to the dying, averaging more
than one hundred each day. The scenes
which transpired in this plague- stricken
community baffle description. Old citi-
zens, survivors of the dread epidemic, can
with difficulty be persuaded to refer to
those mournful days when death's sable

pall hung over the city. Father Murphy
died in 1863, a victim of yellow fever,
and was buried in the basement of the
church, where a marble monument marks
his last resting place.

Subsequent to the separation of North
Carolina from the Charleston Diocese by
Pope Pius IX. in 1868, when it was
raised to a vicariate, the young Vicar
Apostolic, our present beloved and most
eminent Cardinal, selected Wilmington
as his residence. In a paper read by
His Eminence before the Historical So-
ciety of New York, in his " Recollections
of North Carolina," he says : " My sole
companion here was Rev. M. S. Gross.
Our accommodations (we had no house)
consisted of two small rooms, one for an
office, another for a library, attached to
the rear of the church. But my work on
hand left no leisure to breed homesick-
ness. Everything had to be started,
missions inaugurated, schools established,
priests to be had, conversions to be
made. ' '

The young Bishop Gibbons worked
without ceasing among the five hundred
Catholics in the State. He introduced
into the Vicariate the Sisters of Mercy,
from a branch of the order founded in
Charleston by the illustrious Bishop En-
gland, and they established a flourishing
school in the city. The Pro-Cathedral
was adorned by marble altars and grand
paintings, which the Bishop brought with
him from Rome when he returned from
the Vatican Council.

Wilmington's present pastor has iden-
tified himself with the cause of his people
and his church. Bishop Haid, now
Vicar Apostolic, has established a suc-
cessful school for colored children, and is
aiding the good priest in all his noble
undertakings.

Speaking of colored schools, my mind
reverts to the significant words penned
by Cardinal Gibbons : "I remember on
the Saturday after my arrival in Wilming-
ton, October 31, 1868, I witnessed a
political torchlight procession of colored
people. I learned that this element was

Catholicity in North Carolina.

105

the leading political factor in the State,
as it was at that time in the South gener-
ally. While right-thinking men are
ready to accord the colored citizen all to
which he is entitled, yet to give him con-
trol over a highly intellectual and intri-
cate civilization in creating which he had
borne no essential part and for conduct-
ing which his antecedents had manifestly
unfitted him, would be hurtful to the
country as well as to himself. ' '

A beautiful church was built in recent
years at Goldsboro, and dedicated to the
Virgin Mother. Another was only lately
dedicated at Taboro. Both owe their
existence to the noble efforts of Father
Price. This Reverend gentleman, a
North Carolinian by birth, now sacrifices
his sacred ministry to an exclusive mis-
sionary work. He publishes Truth, a
monthly magazine for non- Catholics,
which is doing effective good in dispel-
ling ignorance and aids the priests in the
work of conversion. It is edited in

Raleigh, and subsists by the charity of
the faithful.

In Sampson County there is a small
settlement called Newton Grove, twenty
miles distant from a railroad, in which a
congregation sprang up in almost the
same miraculous manner as did that 01
Jerusalem on the first Pentecost. Dr.
Monk, a gentleman of more than ordin-
ary intelligence, entertained for a long
time serious doubts concerning his reli-
gious views. By chance a copy of the
New York Herald, in the shape of wrap-
ping paper, reached his isolated home.
Upon reading it, he perused a sermon,
preached by Archbishop McCloskey, on
the "One True Church.'-' Instantly
the light of faith dawned on his heart.
He addressed a letter to "any Catholic
priest in Wilmington," requesting to be
received into the Church. Shortly after,
Bishop Gibbons baptized him and his
family, and the neighbors began to imi-
tate his heroic example with the happiest

GROTTO, ST. MARY'S COLLEGE, BELMONT, N. c.

io6

Catholicity in North Carolina.

results. The mission numbers nearly
six hundred souls now, all of them con-
verts.

Another mission, with a beginning
somewhat similar, was started by three
brothers, Irish peddlers, who settled in
Duplin County. Strange ! They could
neither read nor write, yet by their in-
tegrity and personal influence, they as-
sisted the priest whom they called to their
home, in the work of conversion, and
helped to erect the Church of the Good
Shepherd. These men have now passed
to their reward.

When Bishop Haid visited those coun-
ties for the first time in 1888, Mr.
Galagher, one of the brothers, drove
him in an open buggy from Newton to
Good Shepherd, a distance of thirty-six
miles. The road took them through
sand beds, and swamps alive with rep-
tiles, malaria, and mosquitoes. The
Bishop remarked the dismalness of the
country, but Galagher, equal to the
emergency, retorted, "Yes, my Lord, our
good God forgot to finish this portion of
North Carolina, ' ' and sadly added, ' ' and
I believe He never will. ' '

In his " Memoirs," Cardinal Gibbons
refers likewise to another interesting
mission in this locality: "One of the
missionaries went still further and visited
the 'classic' precincts of Chinquepin, a
village in the dark pineries, where lives a
most primitive people, blissfully ignorant
of the outside world. Here he met an
old Irish woman, who had not seen a
priest for forty-five years. Her faith,
she said, was still as fresh as the sod of
her native home, and her prayers, em-
balmed in the old Irish tongue, were
never forgotten or omitted. Chinquepin
grew into a mission of converts with
chapel and school. ' '

Goldsboro being conveniently located,
has now these missions attached to its
church. The zealous priest who attends
to the spiritual wants of them has indeed
to endure countless temporal wants,
owing to the extreme poverty of the
people. And yet no place has produced

greater or happier results, for God's
words seem to be fulfilled: " The poor
you have always with you. ' '

Having considered Catholicity in the
eastern portion of North Carolina, we
shall now briefly regard the growth
and condition of our Faith in the
western division. Like a queen among
her subjects stands the most beautiful of
the cities of the State, Asheville. Tra-
vellers claim for her the grandeur and
natural magnificence of the most favored
retreats in Europe, and for healthfulness,
agriculture, mineral, and other resources,
she is without a peer in the Old North
State. Picture to your mind a region
where range after range of heavily for-
ested mountains parallel each other like
waves of the sea, where interlacing val-
leys are rich with verdure and flowers,
and where silver streams murmur un-
ceasingly. Imagine an air so light and
pure that breathing itself seems a new-
found joy, then throw over it all a can-
opy of bluest of Italian blue, and you
have what our eminent Catholic novelist,
Christian Reid, first named the " Land
of the Sky. ' '

* ' Land of forest-clad mountains, of fairy
streams,

Of low, pleasant valleys where the bright
sunlight gleams

Athwart fleecy clouds gliding over the
hills,

Midst the fragrance of pines and the mur-
mur of rills.

"A land of bright sunsets, whose glories

extend
From horizon to zenith, there richly to

blend

The hues of the rainbow with clouds pass-
ing by-
Right well art thou christened the ' Land
of the Sky. ' ' '

During the administration of Bishop
Gibbons and while paying the first visit to
Asheville in 1868, a vacant plot of land,
seven and one-half acres in extent, at-
tracted his attention as a suitable site
for a church. Whilst conducting negotia-

Catholicity in North Carolina.

107

tions for the purchase of a church site,
the present valuable Battery Park prop-
erty could have come into his possession
for a few hundred dollars. Now, mil-
lions cannot buy it. But means were
then wanting. After much labor the
necessary funds were collected, a brick
building erected and dedicated by him
under the invocation of St. Lawrence.
Later at Hot Springs, forty miles distant,
the resort of health and fashion, Father
Gross built a small church for the accom-
modation of visitors. After years had

bright beams of the sun streaming from a
dazzling blue sky full upon the mountains
in the near distance, at the same time
transforming the creamy tints of the altar
into pale gold, is impossible. A correct
estimate of the amount of good the pres-
ent pastor in charge accomplishes cannot
be given. Numbers who would never
have had a claim to a heavenly inherit-
ance now enjoy the bliss of the celestial
city through his kindness. They came
to this health resort with the last hope for
life. Whilst many are cured, many more

'AKOCIIIAL SCH(

elapsed, St. Lawrence's in Asheville was
found on account of its location to be in-
convenient of access. To better meet
the demands of the growing congregation,
land was obtained in the central portion
of the town, almost opposite Battery
Park, and a church erected thereon. It
is an attractive edifice, just the dainty,
ornamental structure required in such a
place. To describe the gentle, restful
feeling which soothes one's senses as he
kneels in that hallowed sanctuary, with the

never see their home again. The con-
gregation may be termed fluctuating, as
it grows and decreases with the seasons,
owing to the influx and departure of visi-
tors; however, the few hundreds perma-
nently located in Asheville are fervent
Catholics, worthy sons and daughters of
the true Church.

The grandest of the grand peaks sur-
rounding Asheville is Mt. Mitchell, the
highest mountain in the United States
east of the Rockies. In 1866, with a

io8

Catholicity in North Carolina.

half dozen companions, Dr. Jeremiah
O'Connell reached the top through
treacherous passes. It had been made
memorable by one sacrifice, the life of
Prof. Mitchell, of the State University,
who, while engaged in authenticating his
measurement of the peak, was dashed to
pieces on the rocks lying in the bed of the
Caney River. But now the summit was
to be consecrated by another sacrifice,
the grandest and sublimest sacrifice of a
God, the unbloody rite of Calvary. Early
that August morning, as the sun shot his
first rays in great splendor over the east-
ern hills, diffusing all around a flood of
golden light far more brilliant than St.
Peter's illuminated, Father O'Connell
erected an altar and said Mass. It was
the feast of St. Rose of Lima, the first
flower of the American Church. There
could be no temple more sublime or more
worthy of the Holy Sacrifice. The ma-
jestic mountains that stood around on all
sides, like the ancients before the throne
of God, seemed to bare their heads in
tumultuous adoration before their Maker.
Who can know and tell us that they did
not rejoice after centuries of waiting, in
being able to pay their first act of jubilant
homage to the Hand that raised them up,
the unbending witnesses of His power,
wisdom, and goodness !

Again on August 17, of this year,
our zealous missionary, Father Price, as-
cended this mountain and nearest to
heaven, offered the unbloody Sacrifice
for the conversion of North Carolina. It
was the Mass of the Assumption of the
Glorious Virgin.

* # * # *

Leaving the everlasting hills, the Pied-
mont Valley next claims our attention.
The Southern Railway passes an in-
significant looking station, " Belmont;"
but one mile beyond that village, we find
the very nucleus of Catholicity in the
State, as the majestic towers of Maryhelp
Abbey greet our eyes. From here the
spiritual affairs are administered ; here
resides the Bishop of the Vicariate ; here
too is the centre of Catholic education,

comprising the magnificently equipped
St. Mary's College and the Academy of
the Sacred Heart.

Great, and almost insurmountable,
difficulties faced the Benedictines when,
in 1875, they first set foot on the spot.
Remote from the great centre of Catho-
lic population, and outside the settled
currents of immigration, the foundation
seemed destined to become a failure.
The gift of the Rev. Dr. J. J. O'Connell
of many acres of forest, with many oner-
ous conditions attached, gave little prom-
ise for the future. The first colony that
came from the Mother-House in Penn-
sylvania, regarded the undertaking as
extremely hazardous, premature, and
hopeless. Men, who themselves doubted,
marvel at the success to-day.

By apostolic decree the infant college,
in the pineries of North Carolina, was
raised to the dignity of an Abbey in
1885, and the following year Rev. Leo
Haid, O.S.B., was elected Abbot. With
a band of energetic young men, he came
to North Carolina, to be clothed with a
dignity which in European countries a
prince might envy, but here meant
little more than drudgery. The mitre
was placed upon Father Leo on Thanks-
giving Day, 1886, in the Pro-Cathedral
of Charleston, S. C. , to which diocese
the vicariate was then attached under
the administration of Bishop Northrop.
The noble personality of Bishop Haid is
thus described in the New York Sun,
February 24, 1886 :

"He is deservedly esteemed one of
the foremost pulpit orators of America.
Unconscious of self, his very sermon is
an entire tract — touching all the impor-
tant truths bearing on the subject

Perhaps no one else could be found better
adapted to the situation, or equally cap-
able to found a new abbey. He attends
personally to every department and
seems ubiquitous — on the field, in the
chapter, at the workshops, at the altar, in
the pulpit, in the choir from four o'clock
A. M. to eight P. M. at the canonical
hours, in the class room. ' ' Even as

Catholicity in North Carolina.

109

bishop he continues
the same simplicity
of life, and he never
fails to bring before
our people the truth
of the Gospel in
churches, in court-
houses, opera houses,
public halls — any-
where, everywhere.
Like the great Bish-
op England, he
thinks no place un-
worthy and no audi-
ence too small to hear
the word of God.

Abbot Haid was
consecrated titular
Bishop July i, 1888,
in the Cathedral of
Baltimore, and in
him was united the
double dignity and
honor, unique in
America, of Abbot
and Bishop. He is the successor of three
living prelates, His Eminence, Cardi-
nal Gibbons, Archbishop Keane, and
Bishop Northrop, of Charleston. I shall
leave to future historians the good work
of recording the labors of Bishop Haid as
a missionary, and only speak of his monu-
ment, the present St. Mary's College
and Abbey.

The most conspicuous of the massive
buildings within the monastic precincts
is the Gothic church erected in 1895
and dedicated by His Eminence, Cardi-
nal Gibbons, surrounded by all the
Abbots of the United States and many
Bishops. The interior contains gems
of Christian art. The stained glass
windows are acknowledged universally
the finest in the country, and as such,
were awarded first prize at the World's
Fair.

The Abbey comprises one half wing of
the building, is two hundred and
forty feet long, forty feet wide, and
three stories high, and contains a mon-
astic chapel, chapter rooms, a suite

IN THE CONVENT FOREST, BELMONT, N. C.

of rooms reserved for the Abbot-Bishop,
domitories, and cells for the monks.

The College is two hundred and
fifty feet long and sixty feet wide ;
has study halls, class rooms, dining
hall, parlor, laboratory, reading room,
library, chapel, and recreation halls.
All the buildings are lighted by elec-
tricity.

To the north of the church is situated
the Music Hall, equipped with a hand-
some stage. It is outside the monastic
precincts, so that the neighboring popu-
lation may attend the entertainments,
which are generally of a classic nature.
The workshops, power house, etc., an-
swer the required needs. What strikes
the natives most forcibly is the handsome
barn, large herd of cattle, and agricul-
tural implements. Benedictines laid the
foundation of agriculture in Europe ; no
surprise, then, that in the forests of North
Carolina, history should repeat itself.
His Eminence, the Cardinal, is exceed-
ingly proud of this place, which he terms
his foundation, since the first steps were

I 10

Catholicity in North Carolina.

taken whilst he was Vicar Apostolic, and
I once heard a Bishop remark to His
Eminence, upon viewing the Abbey
from a distance, "Cardinal, this is the
brightest jewel in your crown."

The little seminary attached to the
Abbey has already become the nursery
for priests in the South. More than
twenty-five have been ordained within
the past twelve years, who now labor in
Southern missions. As Seminarians,
they learned the poverty and privations
of the Bishop's missionaries, and as
priests they expect only to share in them,
their only aim being the advancement of
religion. May the good work go on !

Several years ago, a pet project of
Bishop Haid's was to found an academy
for girls on a lovely hillside, a short
distance from St. Mary's College. His
chief object was to place the mother
house of the Sisters of Mercy in the Vi-
cariate under the immediate spiritual
influence of the Abbey. These good
sisters had worked for nearly twenty-five
years on various missions, and through
the scarcity of priests had never really
enjoyed the spiritual comforts for which
the soul longs in religious life, though
they had deserved them a hundred-fold.
The Bishop's project was gratefully and
joyfully received by the sisterhood, a
plain, yet pleasing building was erected,
and a school for girls opened. It now
enjoys, after seven years of existence, an
enviable reputation. Considering all the
difficulties to which schools in this State,
with only thirty-five hundred Catholics,
are exposed, it has achieved wonders. No
other academy in the South, it may be
safely said, enjoys such advantages as this.
The Sisters now contemplate the erec-
tion of a magnificent chapel, which, in
addition to the various and handsome
buildings, will give to the Sacred Heart
Academy an imposing appearance.
Through the beneficence of a wealthy
Catholic, an orphanage for girls was like-
wise added to the convent, so that the
poor of the Vicariate may have a safe
refuge for their children. The convents

at Wilmington and Charlotte are subject
to the jurisdiction of the Rev. Mother at
Belmont.

On St. Patrick's Day, 1851, Rev.
Jeremiah O'Connell laid the corner-stone
of the first Catholic church in Charlotte,
the queen city of the State. The cere-
mony was simple, quite as unostentatious
as the structure, which was dedicated
the following year by Bishop Reynolds
and called St. Peter's. The church lot
is located almost in the heart of the city.
At that time a very small sum was paid
for the property in comparison with its
present value. At the date of erection
there were scarcely one hundred adult
Catholics in the town, the mission was
poor, but the priests who attended
this and other places labored with zeal,
fidelity and disinterestedness during
many years, even through the bitter days
of civil strife.

Later the church was attached to the
Benedictine mission, and for a number
of years has been in charge of a resident
priest of the Order. A handsome new
church and rectory have replaced the
dilapidated frame building of '51. St.
Peter' s has an attractive exterior and a
surprisingly beautiful interior, lovely
altars, walls daintily frescoed, windows
the best creations of American manufac-
ture, and a grand organ recently placed
in position.

The congregation numbers more than
six hundred, an extraordinary increase
in the South. The energetic pastor has
organized various societies, all of which
have many members. A parochial school
in charge of the Sisters of Mercy is grati-
fyingly successful. On the whole, this
parish may be considered the most suc-
cessful in the State. The Rev. Rector
is especially successful in making con-
verts. Prominent families were recently
added to our faith. Considering that
Charlotte was first settled by Scotch
Presbyterians, it will be only the more
gratifying to know that possibly nowhere
in the State are priests and Sisters more
respected than here. The gentle influ-

Catholicity in North Carolina.

1 1 1

ence of the educational institute of St.
Mary's, only eleven miles distant, has
gradually worked upon the people, and
the more they come in contact with
Catholicity, the more pleased they seem
to be. The founding of a school for col-
ored people has opened a new channel
for conversions among those people. It
may here be mentioned that Bishop
Haid has made it a regulation in the
Vicariate that in all churches to be built
a row of pews either to the left or the
right of the aisle must be set aside for the
colored people. In this way he has
overcome the great difficulties he first
met in solving the race question in the
church.

Salisbury, forty miles north of Char-
lotte, is an old mission. During the
war, Salisbury was a
noted stockade for
the captured Federal
soldiers, among
whom were many
thousand Irish and
German Catholics.
The horrors of this
military prison baffle
all description; suffice
it to say that over
eleven thousand died
of disease and star-
vation whose remains
now peacefully slum-
ber in the national
cemetery to await the
eternal call. Their
names were never
recorded, so it is im-
possible to compute
how many of these
belonged to the true
faith. The fearless
Father]. P. O'Con-
nell administered
spiritual consolation
to the dying. It may
be mentioned that in
the Museum of St.
Mary's College a

chalice is preserved which was stolen
during these days in the house of a
Catholic and put up as a target by Federal
troops. It was hit no'less than fourteen
times.

The present handsome little church
owes its existence to the celebrated Fisher
family, on whose property it is located.
Colonel Fisher of the Confederate army
fell in the first battle of the Civil War.
His sister, Miss Christine, and his chil-
dren entered the Church. Among them
is the gifted Frances C. Fisher, now Mrs.
Tiernan, who, under the nom de plume of
"Christian Reid," ranks among the
leading Catholic novelists of this country.
In the parlor of their colonial residence
they were baptized and later confirmed
by Bishop Gibbons. The congregation
steadily increased by conversions greatly

ST. PETER'S CHURCH, CHARLOTTE, N. c.

112

Catholicity in North Carolina.

due to the pious example of the Fishers.
In justice it may be said that no mission
in the State is as thoroughly Catholic and
as edifying in its piety as that of Salis-
bury. The Southern Railway by its
recent enterprises has imparted new com-
mercial life to the city, and in conse-
quence Bishop Haid has assigned the
first resident priest to the little flock
there. This kindness of the Ordinary is
keenly appreciated by the faithful, and
they work most harmoniously with the
Rev. Rector to the social and religious
advancement of the congregation. The
church was at once remodelled, a resi-
dence built for the priest, and a. school
opened.

At Greensboro, twenty-five miles north
of Salisbury, the present mission was es-
tablished about 1871. Rev. F. Moore
erected a frame chapel and dedicated it

ST. LAWRENCE'S CHURCH, ASHEVILLE, N. c.

to St. Agnes. Bishop Haid gave the
place a resident priest. At the present
writing transactions are on foot to erect
a new church, more conveniently located
and better suited to new demands. St.
Leo's at Winston is attached to this
mission and visited once a month. In
each of the other prominent towns of
that district, as Reidsville, Burlington,
Thomasville, Highpoint, etc., at least
one family can be found to represent our
faith.

The State of North Carolina, with its
fifty-two thousand, two hundred and
fifty square miles, is almost as large as
England; among its one million, seven
hundred and fifty thousand inhabi-
tants, probably three thousand five
hundred are Catholics, or one man
in five hundred. The missions with
resident priests are few for the ter-
ritory represented, and often more than
one hundred miles apart. No other
State of the Union is so densely Pro-
testant.

If the Church in the South has never
enjoyed that vitality which it justly claims
in the North, the general and specific
reasons may be applied a fortiori to North
Carolina. Dr. Jeremiah O'Connell, who,
with his two Rev. brothers, Mgr. O'Con-
nell and the Very Rev. Lawrence
O'Connell, labored for nearly one half
century in Southern missions, most ap-
propri ately says:
"Slavery, like an-
other wall of China,
isolated the Southern
Church from the
world abroad, and
during a century she
sat in darkness and
in the shadow of
death. The learn-
ing of her Bishops,
like a lightning flash,
was the only ray that
rent the universal
gloom. Eminent
writers who fluently
related the progress

Modern Christian Art in Catholic Churches.

of the Church in America, slightly noticed
its existence in the South, or barely
recognized it in a line or two, like the
epitaph on a tomb. ' '

The entire absence of immigration to
North Carolina is the most potent cause
of the apparent stagnation of the Church.
In recent years, the average immigration
to this State was seventy persons a
year, less than any other State in the
Union, and probably only five of them
might have been Catholics. Were it not
for the terrible race question, which
again, like a fiery dart, has flashed over
the horizon of this State, immigration
might be encouraged. Our farm lands
are fertile, our mountains are rich with
pasture and valuable lumber, and in their
bosoms they bear priceless mineral wealth;
and yet the dreaded negro stands guard
over the princely domains and repels the
white foreigner who wishes to seek a
home. Will it always remain so? Is
there no change? The All- Wise Father
alone can answer.

To speak of manufacture and commer-
cial enterprises, I must limit myself to
cotton mills and distilleries. The labor-
ers in the former, though white, are of
such a moral and social standard that
Catholics cannot be induced to be num-
bered among them. And as to the lat-
ter, they had better abstain from them
entirely. Our Catholics are mostly con-
verts, true and noble sons and daughters
of our holy religion. They have a fear-
less, zealous band of priests protecting
their religion and defending their faith.
Nothing is left undone by prayer and
work, by teaching and preaching, by zeal
and good example, by spreading whole-
some literature, and coming in social
contact with non-Catholic citizens ; and
if the harvest of conversion nevertheless
remains small, we can only, with humble
and fervent hearts, point heavenward to
the Giver of Grace, and say with St. Paul:
" Neither he that planteth is anything,
nor he that watereth; but God that
giveth the increase." — (I. Cor.3, 7.)

MODERN CHRISTIAN ART IN CATHOLIC CHURCHES.

By Professor William H. Goodyear.
( Continued. )

WE shall now assume that a simple
church, Basilica plan, with large
wall surfaces, sufficiently light-
ed, is ready for the brush of the decora-
tive artist. How shall the work be begun ?
What'are the conditions of success?

The first condition is the employment
not necessarily of one artist, but distinct-
ly of one absolutely controlling artist, who
employs and directs the others. In no
other way can one color scheme be at-
tempted and carried through. That there
should be great personal confidence and
good feeling between the employers and
the employed is also, of course, necessary.
It is also necessary, or desirable, that the
employing priests should appreciate the

educational and spiritual value of the
pictures to be made, and quite essential
that the artists should have in view this
value as the real cause ot their employ-
ment. In other words, we must throw
away the idea of decoration as an end in
itself, and yet without denying that the
merely decorative end must be thor-
oughly understood and compassed by the
designing artist. We must exalt the point
of view that the Resurrection and the
Crucifixion, the Apparition, the Draught
of Fishes, the Giving of the Keys to
Peter — in a word, the whole inexhausti-
ble list of Bible subjects — have a unique
power when presented in pictorial art,
a power which, of course, depends on

Modern Christian Art in Catholic Churches.

some contact with the story as it is found
in literature, or, at least, on a traditional
knowledge of it. Pictorial art is a most
important adjunct to religious instruc-
tion, and its assistance has been wofully
neglected in recent times.

I do not see how a reform is possible
unless ecclesiastical students strive to ac-
quire some elementary knowledge of the
conditions under which the great works
of Christian art were achieved in the past;
unless they school their taste by some
knowledge of the actual matter-of-fact
history of the subject. In the present
tendency to specialize occupations, and
in the hurry of modern life, from which
even the Catholic Church cannot escape,
I have no exalted anticipations as to the
number of ecclesiastics who might under-
take their own art education, even in the
cause of their beloved Church, but I can
see that a respect for the knowledge and
power of others in such matters depends
on a certain amount of knowledge in
themselves. That much knowledge, it
seems to me a part of their calling to
obtain or strive for.

The elementary condition of any atti-
tude whatever to the subject of art is
an ability to guage the subject matter and
to value the work according to subject
matter and its worthy conception. I have
found among Catholics an excellent
literary standard, far superior, it seems to
me, to that held by the average Protest-
ant of corresponding position or station
in life. What is needed is enough ful-
ness of mind, enough knowledge of the
subject to apply this literary standard to
an art work — the ability to look at the
subject and the conception of the subject
are then essential.

The application of this remark to our
immediate topic is this : In the choice
of an artist do not consider that your
main mission is to test his knowledge of
design. The knowledge of design is
essential, but the ability of the artist to
present the religious subject in a serious,
earnest spirit, in which his own science is
purely a means to the worthy representa-

tion of the subject, is the main point.
Character is the quality which we must
seek in a work of art and in an artist.
The whole matter then of Catholic
church decoration seems to me to rest on
this question : Is it possible for ecclesias-
tics, by study of historic art, to acquire a
standard which will make them apt in
their choice of painters ? I will not at-
tempt any answer to the question.
Neither is this my affair. My business
is rather to point out the causes which
have produced the decline of religious
art, to indicate the traits by which this
decline is distinguished, and to explain
the conditions under which religious art
once flourished. If this is properly done
the remedies will suggest themselves.
The greatest remedy of all, a conception
of the possibilities and mission of
Christian art, might even dawn on some.

It will probably appear from the matter
of my papers, as so far presented, that
the starting point and axiomatic mental
condition of the art critic, as I under-
stand him, is a profound sense of the
superiority of the past and of the in-
feriority of the present in the matter of
Christian art. This inferiority is due in
the first place to the invention of print-
ing. The substitution of printed books
for pictures and carvings deprived these
of the one important field of subject-
matter which had been their chosen one
for ten centuries, viz. : the Bible story,
Christian tradition, and Church history.
When you deprive an art of its subject-
matter, you have cut away its root ; it
will perish by degrees for want of em-
ployment. This is a simple statement of
the causes which have led us step by step
from the decorations of the Sistine Chapel
to the pitiful barrenness in art of a
modern Catholic church.

Now there is going on in the civilized
world to-day a movement in education
which recognizes the failure of an educa-
tional system which is confined to books.
This movement is represented by the
kindergarten, by the idea of manual train-
ing in public schools, by the revival of

Modern Christian Art in Catholic Churches.

•decorative art, and in the revival of in-
terest in historic art. It is for the
Catholic Church to say whether or not it
will take part in this movement outside
the necessary reaction which it must in
any case experience from it.

But we have to consider another cause
of decline, that determined by the di-
vision of labor, the specializing of occu-
pations, and the use of machinery. What
is done by the trained hand, is done
well ; what is inspired by independent
creative effort is well thought out. The
modern stone-cutter is given a cathedral
capital carving to copy, the ancient stone-
cutter invented one for himself, and a dif-
ferent one for each separate column or
pillar of the church. This example ap-
plies to all trades and consequently to all
arts. In general, the use of machinery
and the consequent division of labor
have crippled the creative power and
lowered the moral stamina of the work-
ing classes. The artisan of our day is,
man for man, the pitiable inferior of the
artisan of the Middle Ages.

We have for this difficulty at present
only one practical remedy and only one
practical recourse. We must get from
the aristocracy of intellect and talent by
paying double and treble prices, in fact,
by paying ten-fold prices, a work
of art which any ordinary painter of the
sixteenth century could have surpassed.
Raphael had fifty scholars, to any of
whom we might have confided a work of
church fresco decoration with greater se-
curity than we should feel with the great-
est modern artist. Our only consolation
is that if we revive the demand, we shall
also revive the supply. Patronage is the
lever of art — patronage, not of wealth or
caprice, but permanent patronage, will
raise any art to any desired level in the
long run.

I come back then to the question, how
shall taste be cultivated in religious art ?
The answer is not difficult. Owing to the
causes named, viz. , the use of printed
books, the division of labor and intro-
duction of machinery, to which I am in-

clined to add the general influence of the
Protestant reformation (for its antagon-
ism to Catholic art undoubtedly had re-
active detrimental influence on Catholic
countries), there has been a gradual and
consecutive decline in religious art from
about the year 1530 down to the present
time. According to the law of decline the
seventeenth century art is inferior to that
of the sixteenth century, and the eigh-
teenth century art is inferior to that of
the seventeenth century. We have, then,
a sequence in time by which a sequence in
art is determined. The student of religious
art traces a progressive rise from the time
of the Catacombs up to 1530, and a con-
secutive decline after that date. When the
traits of the progression and of this se-
quence of decline are once grasped and
understood, the criticism of art, relig-
ious or otherwise, stands on a firm basis.
It is true that but few of us may have
sufficient contact with the originals to
train the eye to quick recognition of
artistic quality. Still it is important to
note that there is a science in this subject
which appeals to definite standards and
definite authorities. I shall, therefore,
now undertake some account of the dis-
tinctive traits of the centuries of progress
and greatest success in Christian art, as
compared with the centuries of its de-
cline.

We begin by noting that in historic
Christian art, there were long centuries
in which technical perfection in design
was made impossible by historic condi-
tions. In the matter of realistic illusion
and of scientific drawing, the whole period
from the fifth to the fourteenth century
was one of frequent shortcomings and
general incompetency according to our
modern point of view and knowledge.
This was owing to the coincidence of
early Christian history with the relative
barbarism of early Mediaeval Europe, to
its coincidence with the decadence of
Roman civilization, and to the battle
between paganism and early Christianity
which was waged for the destruction of
pagan art as representing pagan belief.

u6 Modern Christian Art in Catholic Churches.

From this period of Christian art we may
learn, however, most interesting lessons;
for instance, in Cathedral sculpture, how
the beauty of the whole building was still
furthered by work which was undeniably
deficient in scientific knowledge of form;
in mosaics, how gorgeous color effects and
imposing solemnity of conception were
possible in works which were likewise de-
ficient ; in all branches of art, how
Mediaeval interest in the subject-matter
carries our thoughts beyond the mere
question of technical perfection.

The study of early Christian art does
not lead one to despise science in de-
sign, but it leads one to understand how
inadequate this science, by itself and
alone considered, must be, since such
great results were achieved without it.

Both in decorative results and in
thoughtful conception of subject-matter,
in simple faith and in ingenuous inno-
cence, the art of the Middle Ages is full of
exquisite beauties and profound lessons.
It had its undeniable limitations, but it
had also its undeniable merits, both
artistic and religious.

I should say that the great lesson of
Mediaeval art between the sixth and the
fourteenth centuries is, that art to be
great must be popular, that it must ap-
peal to faith, to conviction, to the in-
terests and needs of the whole people,
not of the favored few of wealth and cul-
ture. When we consider the solemn
power of the Romanesque frescoes, now
mainly destroyed, but still here and there
to be judged by surviving relics — when
we consider the decorative beauty of the
Gothic Portal Sculptures, the unrivalled
solemnity and decorative color of the
Byzantine Mosaics, the delicacy of the
Mediaeval wood carvings made for de-
votional purposes, the extraordinary vigor
and inventive quality displayed in Medi-
aeval metal works, and notice how the
Christian subject and the Church tradition
ruled throughout — we shall find a wide
field for the cultivation of taste in Chris-
tian art beyond the senseless modern
habit of laughing at every design whose

quaintness separates it in exterior appear-
ance from the style of the nineteenth
century. An art must be judged by its
subject-matter. Where that matter is
worthy and serious, the art will be essen-
tially good — this I consider the great
lesson of Mediaeval art.

In the fourteenth century the Italian
painting began under Cimabue and
Giotto to struggle after greater accuracy
in the design of the figure and after a
more powerful expression in the matter
of gesture and action. The illusive rep-
resentation of details was, however, still
fluite neglected. In the fifteenth century
this also became a care to the painter.
Perspective, light and shadow, precision
in drawing, the scientific expression of
form and action, the reproduction of the
facial portrait — all these things were grad-
ually brought inside the aims of Christian
art.

In the early sixteenth century, the
supreme moment arrived when modern
science in design had been perfected and
when intellect and thought still rose tri-
umphant to their own higher aims,
making this science their servant and
hand-maid. The time of Raphael and
Michael Angelo has this distinguishing
quality, that its science in design was of
supreme perfection, but that the thought
of the artist,' the subject-matter of Chris-
tian art and Catholic tradition, continued
to be the essential thing. Design was
still a means to an end.

Although we are accustomed to quote
the names of certain great geniuses like
those above named as characteristic of
this period, its greatness was not con-
fined to them. The greatness was that
of a period, not of certain men of special
genius. This greatness lay in the fact
that the subject-matter of the art con-
tinued to be what it had always been
since the history of Christendom began,
that the technical capacity and facilities
of the artists were superior to what they
had ever been before, and that they had
not yet become an end and object of
themselves, as distinct from the subject-

Modern Christian Art in Catholic Churches.

natter. To reattain the perfection of
his period oi Christian art would de-
nand an amount of patronage equal to
hat which it enjoyed, an equal amount of
niblic interest, an equally quick and pro-
bund public appreciation of the value of
irt to the cause of religion and the cause
)f culture, an equally high public con-
:eption of the mission of Christian art.
For the present, perhaps forever, we
must put aside even the ambition of
rivalling this past perfection, since it im-
plies a social revolution beyond our
power even to hope for. None the less
it is clear that our efforts for improve-
ment, our efforts to realize our own pos-
sibilities, and to do our own duty in the
matter of religious art, must look back to
the sixteenth century as the source of in-
spiration, and that we must be able to
realize that little has been done since,
even in individual cases, that has not
been relative decadence. I am far from
saying that we should make the sixteenth
century our outward model. This would
appear to me absurd, since no century
can revive successfully the exterior forms
or appearance of its predecessors. But
we should make its art the object of study
and reverence and appreciation. We
should use its art as a standard of appeal
in the cultivation of taste, and we should
above all consider as the main thing the
knowledge of the conditions which pro-
duced it. Among these conditions uni-
versal patronage of it and universal in-
terest in it must be put first. Let
the fact be grasped that the decline
of religious art since the sixteenth
century is at bottom a decline of patron-
age ; by which I understand a decline
in the whole amount of work done and a
decline in the whole number of artists
employed.

The elementary difference between the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, is
this — that whereas the sixteenth century
painted the Holy Family entire, the
seventeenth century painted a head of
the Madonna ; the sixteenth century
painted the historic Crucifixion ; the

seventeenth century painted the head of
Christ crowned with thorns ; the six-
teenth century painted the Last Supper,
the Draught of Fishes, or the Charge to
Peter, scenes in which the apostles ap-
pear in their historic activity ; the seven-
teenth century painted the half figure of
one saint in a picture whose main claim
to interest is the realistic success in
painting the portrait of a picturesque
model. The distinction between the six-
teenth and seventeenth centuries is thus
in the first place a distinction in physical
extent, in amount, quantity and dimen-
sions, a distinction concealed from view
by the fact that the characteristic pictures
of the former period are wall paintings
which can only be seen in the buildings
which they decorate, whereas the char-
acteristic pictures of the latter period are
the panel pictures which fill the galleries
of Northern Europe. In this mere fact
of portability, the element of smaller di-
mension is contained. Otherwise, when
the panel pictures themselves are con-
sidered, the same philosophy of the sub-
ject asserts itself, when we notice that the
characteristic type of the seventeenth
century panel is a head or a half figure,
as compared with the full figure compo-
sition of the sixteenth century.

Side by side with the diminution in
patronage thus attested, ran the efforts of
the artist to save himself, to make him-
self felt, to draw the eye, to please the
sense. In a word, the whole character
of the seventeenth century religious art
betrays the relative insecurity and the
anxiety of the artist. Hence it is more
demonstrative, more sentimental, more
disposed to exalt the importance of de-
tails and consequently more common-
place. What use may be made of these
historic distinctions by the patrons of
modern religious art, I shall now endeavor
to point out.

We have seen how the diffusion of
printing deprived the art of painting
of its importance and leading position.
The social and political revolutions of
the Reformation period had also much to

Modern Christian Art in Catholic Churches.

do with the decline of Christian art.
In Protestant countries it was formally
antagonistic. In Catholic countries, the
battle with the Reformation absorbed
the energies which had once found their
outcome and expression in it. The
Catholic Church was now poorer, it was
often hard pressed to hold its own in the
field of politics or religion, as the case
might be. All this tended to depress the
enthusiasm of the artist, to lessen the
exaltation of his spirit, and to weaken the
moral and material support which the
community gave him.

We turn now, under these conditions,
once more to the seventeenth century,
the time of Van Dyck, Rubens, Murillo
and Domenichino, of Carlo Dolci and
Le Sueur.

I have no wish to under- estimate the
beauty of its paintings or the warmth of
its Catholic faith, but there was a la-
mentable decline at this time in power of
thought, in simplicity of expression and
in average dimension, for wall decoration
was almost abandoned. There was a
tendency to exalt the means above the
end, to make the picture pleasing to the
eye, at the expense of its serious interest.
The machinery and science of art began
to be exalted at the expense of subject-
matter. This is the time of Madonnas
which are simply aristocratic ladies, of
holy families which are scenes taken
from the nursery, of Divine shepherds
which are simply beautiful children, of
crucifixions whose human agony was more
interesting to the artist than the triumph
of our Lord over death, of martyrdoms
whose gory cruelties were stressed at the
expense of good taste, of saints whose
emaciation is more evident than their
learning, or their piety, or their services
to man, of evangelists whose sentimental
attitudes and expressions ought to be re-
volting to every well-bred gentleman.
The seventeenth century was at times a
very carnival of bad taste in religious art;
it was at its best generally not much more
than a period of art when beautiful pic-
tures were more in demand than serious

thought. Its productions have flooded
the galleries of northern Europe. The
print-shop windows are full of its Mag-
dalens and Ecce Homos. There is not
much hope for modern Catholic art until
the true quality of seventeenth century
Catholic painting as universally known
to art historians, is equally well known to
the average taste of the cultivated Cath-
olic world. What is needed is that we
should learn to reverence Raphael and
Michael Angelo not only as great painters
but also as sincere Christians, and good
Catholics.

I do not allow myself to be guilty of
the absurdity of elevating the Catholicism
of the sixteenth century above that of the
seventeenth century, but I do most dis-
tinctly say that the quality which makes
Shakespeare greater than Dryden, and
which makes Corneille greater than
Racine, also makes Michael Angelo
greater than Guido Reni. I say that the
distinction, as far as paintings go, is not
one simply between men, but that it is
also one between periods. I say that
there is no criticism of Christian art which
does not draw the line distinctly against
what was done after 1600 as compared
with what was done before, and I say
that it is highly important for intelligent
and educated Catholics to master the
rudiments of art criticism as recognized by
all historic critics in the matter of the dis-
tinction of styles according to centuries.

It is rather important after the sweeping
assertions preceding, to qualify our gen-
eral remarks on seventeenth century re-
ligious painting by noting the more seri-
ous artists as against the less serious.
The heaviest weight of stricture falls on
the Italians ot this century. The Flem-
ings and Spaniards are undoubtedly su-
perior in point of religious warmth and of
serious intellectual purpose for the given
time. Among the Flemings, we must in
this point of view again differentiate be-
tween Van Dyck and Rubens in favor of
the latter, who was the greatest religious
artist of the century. In Italy we must
place Domenichino far above Guido Reni

Modern Christian Art in Catholic Churches.

119

or Guercino in the matter of sincerity and
thought. The summary of all this matter
is that in the decline of religious art the
facility and science of the artist came to be
of more importance than the serious treat-
ment of his subject.

I have taken the point of view in pre-
ceding matter that some historic knowl-
edge of Christian art would be an excel-
lent guide to a proper standard in modern
Catholic art, as tending to correct the
mistake commonly made by the non-ex-
pert, that a painting is judged for its tech-
nique before it is judged for its thought.
I do not wish to urge this matter of
historic art education further than com-
mon sense or average possibility would
carry us, but it seems to me high time
that intelligent Catholics should put them-
selves on the average level, and even on
the progressive level, of the taste of the
day. Admitting that taste in art can-
not be ladled up in buckets or dealt
out in reading courses, it is still possible
for non-experts to recognize the success
and employ the talents of the admitted
leaders in American art.

When we strike the heart of the matter
the truth will be this, as to the present
relation of the Catholic Church to art :
In all matters of general culture, all
religious faiths are interested, and all are
dependent on a general movement in
culture which is confined to none. As a
question of general culture, there has
been in modern architecture a deplorable
indifference to interiors as to their proper
color decoration by monumental pictures,
a deplorable excess of attention to exte-
riors and an excess of expenditure on exte-
riors, with inadequate results. In this
mistake the Catholic Church of the
nineteenth century has suffered, as is
natural. In the progress of events and
of modern education there is a tendency
to correct this error and to retrieve this
lapse, which becomes more and more
apparent the more the works of his-
toric Italian art are studied and en-
joyed, the more the possibilities of in-
terior decoration are realized, as these

works of the past become known to a
wider circle of.travellers" and students.

The progressive movement is distinctly
felt in this country, and of its effects I
might cite many instances. Now I say
that the Catholic Church ought to be
abreast of this movement and it ought to
lead it. A taste for color and a taste for
music are natural to the Catholic tem-
perament, which is at large warmer, more
sympathetic, and more artistic than the
Protestant temperament. The subjects
of religious art are nearer to the tastes
and comprehensions of Catholics; the
average dimensions and splendor of their
churches are already superior to others,
their church financial policy is sounder and
their church financial standing is firmer.

What is needed first, then, is a redis-
tribution of estimates in the matter of
new churches; second, a collaboration of
architect and artist in which the wall
spaces needed by the latter are properly
distributed and seen to by the former;
third, an appreciation by the priesthood
of the spiritual and educational value of
pictures in churches ; fourth, the em-
ployment of artists of recognized distinc-
tion or possibilities in the given specialty
and of known decoKative power.

On this last head let me say a final
word. The wall painting demands
qualities and talents which may or may
not be possessed by a successful oil
painter. More than that, the almost ex-
clusive use of oil paintings in the last
two centuries has cultivated methods of
painting which are prejudicial to the
qualities of fresco. Hence our difficul-
ties in reviving that art. The first ele-
mentary difference between these arts is
that of permanent location on the one
side and of portability on the other.
Permanent location means monumental
quality, and this again means dignity and
power as inexorable conditions of success.
In the oil painting we may ask for many
other qualities and may concede the
absence of these. In the wall painting
dignity and power are absolutely essen-
tial. In the latter again we demand life-

After the Battle.

size figure, composition and subordina-
tion of landscape and detail. Wall-
painting, therefore, demands a draughts-
man having at his fingers' ends the science
of figure. Simplicity of arrangement
and effect is presupposed by the fore-
going conditions. The oil painting may
win favor by complication and by elabora-
tion, not so the wall painting. With
every increase of dimension in painting
we demand a simpler scale of color, a
more commanding balance of outlines
and forms at the expense of multiplied
tints and shadows. As regards the color
scheme, the very best decorative talent of
our day is needed if even a remote ap-
proximation to the glories of old Italian

art in color harmony is to be obtained.
It is, therefore, essential that artists be
employed who have already made a
specialty of the problem of decoration.
That many superior oil painters have paid
no attention to these problems is well
known. Finally, artists of serious char-
acter and intellectual power, as distinct
from those merely efficient in technical
detail, are demanded by the wall paint-
ing. It is one glory of the Catholic
Church to have developed in past cen-
turies the greatest school of art which
has been known since the ancient Greeks.
Doubtless she will do her fair share in
that revival of art which is one glory of
the later nineteenth century.

AFTER THE BATTLE.

By D. S. Beni.

" Fleet footed is the approach of woe,
But with a lingering step and slow
Its form departs."

A LETTER to-day from a sorrow-
stricken, widowed mother, tell-
ing of the death of her two sons,
her only children, at the battle of San
Juan, revives within my heart, most viv-
idly, some incidents of the Civil War,
one of which, a scene so sad in its sur-
roundings and its sequences, will hardly
be credited by those who did not witness
it. But before unveiling the sad picture,
let us throw a gleam of sunshine on this
page, by showing the happy home-life of
a most estimable family, before the ' ' dis-
astrous accidents ' ' of war had veiled all
in gloom.

Our home was in a small city or town,
picturesquely nestled in the shadows of
the Blue Ridge, and in a population of six
or eight thousand, I think no man was
more universally respected and beloved
than John Randolph Creighton. He
was a lawyer, as distinguished for his lit-
erary tastes and attainments, as for his
success in his profession. His family

were among our nearest and certainly our
dearest neighbors, and interwoven with
the most pleasant recollections of my
childhood, are the hours I spent under
their hospitable roof. Mr. Creighton
had some peculiarities; he visited little,
finding his pleasure in his own home; he
had few intimate friends, he was exceed-
ingly particular about the associates of
his children, he devoted himself to his
family, who fully repaid all his tender-
ness. Mr. C. and all his children were
musical, and every evening they had a
little musical entertainment, followed by
reading selected by Mr. C. About once
a week, they invited a little coterie of
congenial friends to spend the evening
with them in this charming and improv-
ing way. Mrs. C. was a niece or grand-
niece of Thomas Jefferson, and she look-
ed like a lady of the olden times, for the
beauty of her sweet, gentle face was en-
hanced by the quaint lace caps which she
always wore. She was thoroughly con-
genial to Mr. C. in his tastes and incli-
nations ; both were devoted to chil-
dren, and certainly both practised in a

After the Battle.

121

marked degree that "affability to the
poor" recommended by Holy Writ.
They dispensed an open-handed charity,
and in after years, when I read in the
"Life of Charles Dickens" that he
often walked five miles a day to visit
some poor child, the pen-picture of his
charity immediately recalled Mr. C. to my
mind. I think he never passed a child
without speaking to it; if it was bright
and intelligent, he invited it to come
and see him, and in this way many young
men of humble .position were allowed
the use of his fine library, and Mr. C.
himself directed their reading, for he was
always willing to "help those who helped
themselves." As to his home, his door
was always open, and no one of refine-
ment ever visited L without being

entertained by the Creightons, not at a
grand table catered by Delmonico, but
with real, genuine hospitality at a well-
filled board, where was found
"The feast of reason and the flow of

soul."

The old-fashioned house must have
been a remnant of Colonial days ; cer-
tainly there were no ground rents when
it was constructed, for the one object
seemed to be to spread out as much as
possible. The furniture and all the sur-
roundings were antique ; old china, old
silver, everything in it would have been
treasures beyond price in the Centennial
craze. There were old-fashioned por-
traits, fine oil paintings and beautiful en-
gravings. The history of each one I
think I knew perfectly when I was ten
years old, for it was Mr. C.'s delight to
relate or read to us everything connected
with them. Among their treasures was
a handsome chair which had been used
by the ill-fated Marie Antoinette,
which was either given to Mrs. C.
or bequeathed to her by Thomas Jeffer-
son, who was in Paris at the time of the
execution of that unhappy Queen, and
secured the chair as a souvenir. Some-
times Mrs. C. would show us the queer
little ball dresses and high-heeled slippers
which she had worn as a young girl in

Washington, such as we afterwards saw
reproduced at the Martha Washington
tea parties. She told us many stories of
the olden time, but none touched my
heart, or had such a fascination for me,
as that connected with the chair of Marie
Antoinette. How many tears I shed over
her death and the sufferings of the poor
little Dauphin, as dear Mrs. C. related it
to us so pathetically as a true story. The
Creightons were Episcopalians, and I
believe conscientiously exact to their con-
victions ; in all the years we lived to-
gether almost as one family, I never
heard one unpleasant word about religion,
and from what I know of their character,
I am sure they respected us all the more
for being staunch Catholics. My mother
had so impressed it upon our youthful
minds that, living among Protestants, we
had a double duty to perform ; we must
"be ready to give a reason for the faith
that was in us, ' ' give good example, and
let every one see that we were proud to
be of the true faith. I was so imbued
with this pardonable pride, that although
I then knew not the words : " Oh, if
thou didst but know the gift of God, ' ' it
was certainly the sentiment uppermost in
my heart, and the extensive sign of the
Cross I always made when I was at the
table with Protestants, I am sure must
have surprised them.

One day at Mr. Creighton's, I forgot
it was Friday, and was just going to help
myself to a piece of meat, when Bessie
whispered to me gently: "Agnes,
don't forget this is Friday," and
with a delicacy which would have
done credit to maturer years, she
quietly had my plate removed. Oh! how
I thanked her, for had I eaten meat on
Friday, I should have deemed life too
short to atone for the scandal given to
my Protestant brethren ! Mr. C. had
lost his oldest children, five boys, who
died in childhood, who were known to
me only by family tradition and the names
on their tombstones. He had two mar-
ried daughters, besides two daughters
and two sons at home. It was his rule

122

After the Battle.

to take a long walk with his children
every day for exercise, for there was
nothing effeminate in his training of
young people. In these long walks we
always accompanied them, but later
when the two Creightons went to the
University and our boys to college, the
little party was reduced to Mr. C. , Bessie
and myself, and as we walked along he
told us beautiful stories or repeated rural
poems for us. There was a favorite walk
of several miles to a place called the
" Rattling Bridge," where the scenery
was most beautiful. High hills, covered
with wild azaleas, surrounded it in every
direction, and the bridge spanned a deep
ravine, the sides of which were covered
with luxuriant ferns which cast their long
shadows in the silvery stream below. In
the Spring it was like fairy land. Along
the road, broad fields, green with tender
young wheat, spread out before us ; the
orchards laden with pink and white
feathery fruit tree blossoms, the little
violets peeping out from their mossy beds
showed us that all nature had put on its
sunniest smile to greet Christ in His
glorious Resurrection. Turning our
faces back towards the town, the moun-
tains towered far above it, covered with
verdure of many shades, relieved by white
dogwood and graceful festoons of that
beautiful mountain moss which I have
never seen elsewhere, but which there
falls in great sheets of pure white and
brilliant rose color from the overhanging
rocks, ' ' upon which nature' s ready pen-
cil paints the flowers. ' '

The wagon road which leads up to the
summit of the Blue Ridge is thickly cov-
ered with a silvery white sand inter-
mingled with quartz which shines and
glistens in the sun like a terrestrial
' ' Milky Way ' ' upon a dark-blue back-
ground. The hills in every direction
are covered with " Johnny-jump-ups,"
and later in the Summer we used to
gather wild field poppies and the pretty
corn-flowers, which

"With their blue eyes in tears o'erflow-
ing

Stand like Ruth amid the golden
corn. ' '

Afar off towards the north a spur of the
Alleghanies loomed up grand and gloomy,
with its sighing pines and its hemlocks,
"a remnant of the forest primeval."
In Winter, when the fleecy snow covered
our beautiful valley with its silvery veil,
we took our sleds, for Mr. C. always
knew the best sliding places, and he
even ' ' pulled us up " the hills. But
these were days of peace.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Mr.
C.'s sons had graduated with the high-
est honors at the University, John Ran-
dolph Creighton, Jr., was practising law
with his father, and Henry was studying
for the Anglican ministry. Miss Jennie,
the oldest daughter, was about twenty-
five, a charming, intellectual woman,
Bessie, the youngest of the family, was
seventeen, and I, her little friend, just
fifteen, when we saw the troops march
out with glittering arms and martial
music, little dreaming of the horrors of
fratricidal war.

'.* The noble steeds and banners bright,
And gallant youth and stalwart knight

In rich array ; —

Where shall we seek them now ? Alas I
Like the bright dew-drop on the grass,

They passed away. ' '

One month later, it was Sunday, July
21, the town looked deserted, and the
clouds hung low all day — not the clouds
which portend a thunder shower — " but
over it was spread a heavy night, an
image of that darkness which was to
come upon it. ' ' There was a sound of
distant rumbling, and in whispers it was
passed from mouth to mouth : "A bat-
tle is going on," and the day was spent
in suspense and fear, which cannot be
described. At three o'clock that day, a
young lady died in the town, and just
before her death, when she was supposed
to be unconscious or delirious, she ter-
rified every one around her by her
screams : "A battle ! see how they
fall ! Now they lie flat with their faces

After the Battle.

123

to the ground ! The shells tear them to
pieces, and among the bushes, side by
side, die Randolph and Henry Creighton
locked in each other's arms ! There on
that side falls Cousin Creighton Carter !"
Then she expired. I think we must
have been sixty or eighty miles from the
battle field, and at another time, perhaps
the low rumbling of the artillery would
not have been noticed. A sleepless night
followed — the next day passed and still
no news. The clouds still hung over us
like a funeral pall, and there was around
us the stillness of death — when suddenly,
at 8. 30 P. M., a horseman dashed down
the street, and halting in the Court House
square, looked in every direction, as if to
locate something. His right arm was in
a sling and the bandages on his hands
were covered with blood. My father
immediately stepped out to the curb-
stone, and the trooper advanced towards
him, and looking at a paper he held in
his hand, he said, "Can you tell me

where I can find George B. ? I

bring news of the battle. ' '

' ' I am he, what news do you bring ? ' '
"Victory is ours," said the young
soldier triumphantly, " but Col. S. of
the Third Regiment sends the list of
dead from Co. B." Here he read
aloud : First Lieut. John Creighton
Carter; Second Lieut. John Randolph
Creighton; Private Henry Carter Creigh-
ton, the fourth name which had been
written with a pencil on the battle field
was— - illegible. "Can you not tell
me the name of the fourth ? " my father
asked anxiously.

" I am sorry I cannot, but it was im-
possible to learn, as I was detailed to
bring the bodies, as soon as my wound
was dressed, and the battle was scarcely
over. Oh ! it was a noble charge, the
enemy in full retreat, the war is virtually
at an end. I came in advance of the
wagon, which moves slowly, as we have
travelled all night and all day. The burial
must take place at once." My father
tried in vain to hear something of my
brother, who was also in Co. B, only

eighteen years of age, and as the mes-
sage was sent directly to ray father, it led
him to believe that the fourth name was
that of my brother, though he told his
fears to no one. It was a terrible mo-
ment. My father turned to me and
said: "Try to dress his wound, give
him a substantial supper, tell John to
assist him to bed, and see that his horse
is put up — I must go." The wound
which the young warrior called slight,
was the loss of the first three fingers on
his right hand ! My father went to carry
the crushing news to Mr. Creighton. As
he reached the house, he saw through
the open windows, Bessie at the piano
and Mr. C. accompanying her with the
flute; Mrs. C. and Miss Jennie sat at a
little distance from them, playing chess.
My father paused, and these words of
Keble's hymn fell on his ear:

" And'well it is for us, our God should

feel
Alone our secret throbbings: so our

prayer
May readier spring to heaven, nor

spend its zeal
On cloud-born idols of this lower air.

' ' For if one heart in perfect sympathy
Beat with another, answering love for

love,
Weak mortals all entranced, on earth

would lie,
Nor listen for those purer strains

above. ' '

My father walked away, he was un-
equal to the duty laid upon him. Then
he sought a friend, Mr. R. and begged
him to take his place. Finally both went
together, and calling Mr. C. they told
the crushing news. Mr. C. received it
quietly, said not one word, but returned
into the house. Lieutenant Carter was
Mr. C.'s nephew, a promising young
lawyer only twenty-seven, who left a wife
and four children. When the news was
carried to Mrs. Carter, she fell to the
floor and remained unconscious for
several hours. Mr. R. and my father
then repaired to the cemetery to have

I24

After the Battle.

the graves prepared. The night was
spent walking back and forth from the
suburbs, watching for the wagon which
bore such a precious weight. About two
A. M. , while the moon was shining almost
as bright as day, the wagon rolled slowly
down the street. About six gentlemen
followed it with Mr. C. Anxious in-
quiries were made about the fourth
coffin, which strange to say was the only
one unmarked, but the driver knew
nothing, he was a civilian pressed into
service. As the procession passed on
slowly, from the house directly opposite
to Mr. Creighton's, a young man stepped
forth, and joined in silently. He was a
Catholic priest. At the grave there were
no funeral services, "not a prayer was
heard, not a funeral note," as the bodies
were lowered into the earth, but we
know that some prayers were said from
the heart, though not audibly. 'Where
was the fourth one to be buried ? In con-
secrated ground? or where? No one knew.
Mr. R. said: "We will be obliged to
open the box. ' ' My father walked away.

"Breathless he waits and listens —

A desolate hearth may see;
And God alone to-night knows where

The vacant place may be !"
And when Mr. R. called out softly: "It
is John Foster," all wept, not because
John Foster was a relative or even a
friend, but death is "that touch of na-
ture which makes us all kin. ' '
"There all are equal, side by side
The poor man and the son of pride
Lie calm and still."

And all hearts wept in deepest sympathy
and sorrow. John Foster was a brave
young fellow, — some one must tell his
poor father — then Mr. Creighton, forget-
ting his own grief, said: "I will go with
you when the day dawns. Poor Foster !
when he sees a companion in shipwreck
and in sympathy, it may help him to
bear his cross. ' '

As Mr. Creighton turned away from
the grave, his eyes fell upon the
young priest; he looked at him a

moment and then extended his hand
to him across the grave; it was a recon-
ciliation. Father X. was a most gifted
man, a convert, and seven years before
when he announced his intention of
going to Rome to study for the priest-
hood, Mr. C. had opposed it earnestly.
For a year Father X. had been the pas-
tor in L , and although his house

was directly opposite to that of Mr. C. ,
the latter had never called on him or shown
him any courtesy. Father X. had retali-
ated as the saints retaliate; he had spent
that night in prayer for Mr. C. and his
sons, and we will see later how that
prayer was answered by the conversion
of Mr. and Mrs. Creighton. The next
day the whole town was in mourning.
Everybody knew and loved the Creigh-
tons; they had had a kind word for every-
one, rich and poor. During the follow-
ing week the funeral services were held
in the Episcopal Church, a meaningless
ceremony certainly, for they knew not
of prayers for the dead. Everybody
wondered at the composure and self-con-
trol of the Creightons; theirs was that
awful, crushing, stunning sorrow which
paralyzes the heart and finds no relief in
tears. Miss Jennie had scarcely spoken
since that awful night of July 22, and
after the service in the church she ceased
to speak, and for seven years she never
uttered one syllable, neither did she eat
unless the food was put in her mouth.
She acted like one in a trance, never
changing her position unless she was told
to move, and then she did so mechani-
cally. Bessie was the sunlight and the
comfort of her home. She had no
thought of self, but tried in every way to
lighten the .TOSS of her devoted parents.
One day she asked me to go with her to
the cemetery, where a massive slab had
been placed over the double grave. Mr.
C. himself wrote the epitaph.
" Under this stone lie buried

John Randolph Creighton,

aged 23, and

Henry Carter Creighton,

aged 21,

After the Battle.

I25

Brothers, as they fell side by side in battle
July 2ist, 1861.

"Brothers in blood and faith,
Brothers in youthful bloom;
Brothers in life, brothers in death,
Brothers in one same tomb.

" Well fought they the good fight,
In death the victory won;
Sprung at one bound to Heaven's light
And God's Eternal Son !"

Bessie sat down beside the grave, and
wept as if her heart would burst under its
weight of woe. Could this be the pretty,
joyous, light-hearted Bessie Creighton ?
Oh ! true it is, that "the lightest heart
makes sometimes heaviest mourning,"
and as I tried to console her, she said :
" Oh ! let me cry, I am so glad to be
where no one can see me. I hide my
tears and my grief at home, because I
must try to bring a little sunshine to my
father and mother. Do you remember,
Agnes, when we were studying Ancient
History, like foolish children we said, we
wished we could see a war ? Now we
have seen it, and this is what it has
brought to me." Hoping to divert her,
I pointed to the beautiful acacia trees
around the cemetery which were covered
with a heavy dew, or drops from a gentle
shower, that sparkled in the sunshine
like innumerable diamonds. Bessie said :
"They are tears — all nature weeps, and
every flower I see has a tear hidden
within its heart. ' ' Mr. Creighton tried
to alleviate his own grief by going from
house to house to comfort the sorrowful,
for almost every day brought news of
more wounded, dead or dying, and his
heart knew how to sympathize and " to
weep with those who weep. ' ' Later,
when the great battles near us made our
town one vast hospital, Mr. C. visited
the wounded every day, waiting on them,
writing letters for them and cheering
them in their suffering; whenever he
found a Catholic ill, he notified the
priest, and I never attended a soldier's
funeral that Mr. C. was not near the bier.
He was especially kind to the widows of

those who fell in battle, and from his
farm near the town, he had provisions
sent to them. But this did not last long,
for even "the seed time and harvest
failed," for there were neither men to
work nor horses to plow, and at the close
of the war, I think we might have gone
from one end of the county to the other,
without seeing one field fenced in, the
boards had been used for firewood,
and stone fences levelled to give way
for the passage of the troops, first of one
army, then of another. There was
scarcely a family in the town which was
not in mourning, and now, as I look
back, I wonder how the human heart
survived each sorrow and the continual
anguish of suspense, almost as crushing
as the sad reality. We learned from the
wounded, who were brought home from
camp, that on the twenty-first of July
the Third Regiment, with others of the
same brigade, had orders to fall flat
among the bushes, where they lay for
two or three hours under heavy fire,
without firing a shot, until they were
ordered to charge, just before three
o'clock, and in the charge the two
Creightons fell and died in each other's
arms. Lieutenant Carter fell by their
side, and thus the words of the dying
woman were verified. The Holy Scrip-
ture says, "It is better to go into a
house of mourning than to a house of
joy," and Mr. Creighton' s was certainly
the house of mourning. There was no
longer the sound of music within its
walls. The piano was covered with its
pall, the shrouded violins in their nar-
row cofrins were hidden from the sight
of men and the flutes hushed in silence;
for the Divine Musician played upon the
human heartstrings, attuning them to
the song of sorrow, until every note
should be in perfect harmony with His
own.

During the Summer of 1862, Mr. C.
received word that his daughter^ Mrs.
R. , was dead. Her husband was in the
army, and her seven children, the eldest
ten years of age, were on their Southern

120

After the Battle.

plantation with about two hundred col-
ored slaves. We were then within the
Federal lines, there was no way to reach
them or write to them, and his other
married daughter and her only child had
died within the same week. Mr. and Mrs.
C. tried to be cheerful and look forward
to the time when the little ones could
come to them to bring sunlight into their
desolate home, but that time never came,
for their father would not part with them.
In spite of their sweet, quiet resignation,
I think I never looked at Mr. or Mrs.
C. without thinking of the words of Job,
''Have pity upon me, have pity upon
me, at least you, my friends, for the
hand of the Lord hath touched me;"
for, like him, they saw before them only
ruined hopes, a desolate fireside and a
name extinct, and they said always,
' ' May His holy will be done. ' '

This was the agony, but the summit
of Calvary was not reached. There were
still ties to be severed, and on July 21,
1863, after a short illness, the noble-
hearted Bessie Creighton, bowed down by
suppressed grief, passed beyond the veil.
I went at once to the sorrow-stricken
home. I asked Mr. C. to let me take his
place by her side. He answered: "Let
me have her to myself; I will not leave
her till she is taken from me. ' ' I tried
to say a word of sympathy and consola-
tion, but I could scarcely speak.

' ' O, what were life if life were all ? Thine

eyes
Are blinded by their tears, or thou

wouldst see

Thy treasures wait thee in the far-off skies,
And Death, thy friend, will give them
all to thee."

After the record of Bessie's death in
the family Bible, Mr. C. had written
these words, which were seen only after
his death :

My God, these gifts were Thine ere they

were ours:
Oh give us strength to give them back to

Thee.
With patient resignation.

One day towards the close of 1864,
Mr. C. called at our house, and my
father said to him cheerfully: "There
is a prospect of peace, and that is good
news." Mr. C. said: "You may read
it to me," and as my father read aloud,
Mr. C. leaned his white head upon his
cane. "They cry peace, peace, when
there is no peace, the time is past, ' ' said
Mr. C. My father continued the article
in which the word reconstruction was
used many times. Then almost in a tone
of despair Mr. C. said: " Reconstruction !
impossible ! Can they reconstruct our
desolated fire-sides, can they breathe the
breath of life into my dead children and
give me back my home? Reconstruc-
tion is beyond the power of man. ' '

In 1866 Mrs. Creighton was para-
lyzed, and although helpless her mental
faculties were unimpaired. This was the
moment of God ; she and Mr. C. re-
ceived the light of Faith, and together
they were admitted into the true Fold,
by Father X., and her death in 1868, was
to her but the beginning of life. Mr. C.
had never spoken of his children after
their death, but of Mrs. C. he spoke in-
cessantly, saying over and over again:
"All good came to me through her, she
taught me to trust in God, and though
He slay me, I will trust Him still." Miss
Jennie's condition remained unchanged,
and at last Mr. C. yielded to the solici-
tation of his friends and consented to
send her to a hospital for treatment.
Only those who knew Mr. C. can judge
what this separation cost him. In her
affliction he had devoted himself to her,
and it was like giving publicity to his
family troubles, which were to him so
sacred. After a year, she returned home
much improved, but still her condition
was most pitiable, she spoke as one awak-
ing from sleep. She was so gentle, and
so grateful for every attention. She had
been exceedingly fond of chess, and as
she had frequently played with my
younger sister, the physician suggested
this as a diversion for her. At first she
placed her men at random, but after they

After the Battle.

127

were placed for her she began to play,
and when she observed that my sister did
not checkmate her, when she could have
done so, she said gratefully, " How kind
you are, you do not want to give me
pain. ' ' But the battle of life for her was
over, and in 1870 she joined her loved
ones who had passed beyond the tomb,
and Mr. Creighton said: " My God, I
thank Thee, all have passed over the
river before me."

Mr. C. remained in the old home-
stead, with no other companions than
two faithful Irish Catholic girls', who had
been in his household for years, and
whose silent fidelity had made an im-
pression upon him for good, and a
colored man-servant who waited on him.
Instead of the long walks to the country,
he now lived the life of a recluse, taking
exercise only in his large garden. We
went sometimes to see him, and although
he received us most kindly, we were not
sure but that we were intruding upon
his grief. Indeed I never could pass
the house without emotion, when I
thought of the many hours I had spent
there, for Dante says: " Nessunmaggior
dolore che ricordarsi della gioia nella
miseria, there is no greater grief than
to remember days of joy, when sorrow is
at hand. ' '

One day in 1876, I was surprised to
see Mr. C. sitting on his front porch, and
as I drew near, he said : " Come here,
my child, sit down beside me and tell
me where you have been that I have not
seen you for so long — I love you be-
cause you are the child of a good and
virtuous man — I knew your father and
your grandfather, yes, and even your
great-grandfather, and where have you
been all this time ? " I answered that I
had only been away three weeks attend-
ing the Centennial Exposition in Phila-
delphia. ' ' And what is this Exposi-
tion? " It was then September, and he
had lived so far out of the world that he
had not even heard the echo of the In-
dependence bell which resounded over
the whole Continent, but he seemed inter-

ested when I told him what I had seen,
especially when I spoke of. the paintings,
and he talked like himself, ' ' though as
one whose voice seemed faint, through long
disuse of speech." The next time I
went to that dear old house it was to pay
a last tarewell to that kind friend, who lay
still in death, but a happy death pur-
chased by a long crucifixion, which
opened to him the gates of life eternal.
But it was a sad funeral. Everything in
the house remained just as I had first
seen it in my childhood, not even a piece
of furniture had disappeared or changed
its place, and in the midst of those
things he had loved, lay the master, the
noble-hearted Christian gentleman whose
life had been spent in kindness towards
others. He was a gifted man,

" But he has a higher and nobler fame
By poor men's hearths, who love and

bless the name

Of a kind friend ; and in low tones to-
day

Speak tenderly of him who passed
away. ' '

The chief mourners who walked next
to the coffin, were his two faithful Irish
girls — who were faithful to the end — they
had assisted him when the summons
came suddenly, repeating with him acts
of love, contrition, hope and confidence,
catching his last whisper : " Though He
slay me, yet will I trust Him still, Jesus,
Jesus come ! I believe — I hope, I re-
pent. "

A short time after his death, some am-
biguity in the wording of his will, resulted
in an auction sale of all his property.
The things which had been so sacred
in his eyes, seemed now to be public
property, even the record in the family
Bible and his own private diary were
opened, read and commented upon.
''Nothing is our own; we hold our
pleasures

Just a little while, ere they are fled :

One by one life robs us of our treas-
ures j

Nothing is our own except our dead. ' '

ONE OF THE UNNUMBERED.

By John J. a Becket.

was six in the morning of a cheerless
December day. The lowering sky
hung in dismal greyness above the
bare brown fields. The country road, stiff
with the frosts of the night, stretched a
forlorn streak of solitude. The dawn
seemed breaking dispiritedly on the chilly
world. A few fitful snowflakes, dry mi-
nute particles, floated about in the air,
not even hardy forerunners of a cheering
storm. It was an hour and a morning
which they best enjoyed who were snugly
bestowed in warm beds, asleep.

The numbing dullness of the scene
was punctuated by one living thing. An
old woman past seventy-five Winters (she
did not suggest past Summers) was toiling
along the road with resolute slowness.
Her burden of years lent a feeble roll to
her gait humorously suggestive of a
mariner's.

A black shawl was held tightly around
her narrow shoulders. A warm but un-
sightly ' ' quilted ' ' hood sheathed her
head like a baby's cap. From it her
wrinkled faced peered out, as a walnut
might from its shell.

One intuitive of the soul in human
features would have found an odd beauty
in that old face, of a serener grace than
the senile tenderness breathed for cen-
turies from the stone Silenus with protec-
tive yearning for the Babe in its arms :
the beauty to which the heart quivers.
As the face of age has its last ugliness
when it shows the scorings of vice, this
wrinkled visage held the mellowed sweet-
ness of a lifetime on the heights.

The small sunken black eyes had the
shy softness of a wood violet. The thread-
like line of the thin, closed lips was
movingly benign. The cheeks dipped
from the broad high bones into hollows
with a like pathetic accent.

Her dark brown woolen skirt cleared the
128

ground by three or four inches, revealing
the stoutly shod feet. One of the shoes
showed a small rent near the toe, elo-
quent of poverty rather than untidiness.

The old woman's hands were tucked
away beneath her shawl, perhaps through
the spirit that leads him who prays to his
closet. For the stubby fingers were
slowly passing one bead after another of
a wooden rosary through their calloused
tips. From longtime friction of this kind
the grains had taken on a modest lustre.

Poor old hands, whose rest was prayer,
though their labor was a prayer, too. On
their backs, in dim blue ridges, rose the
veins, hypocritically full conduits of the
blood that performed its function for
the outworn body with tepid laggardness.

Had the villagers seen her, this is
what they would have surmised her
hands were doing, as they would also
have known the term of her lonely course
that Winter morning before the sun had
softened the iron grey sky to cloudy pearl.
They knew nothing short of a cyclone
would prevent Mother Brennan from
journeying each morning to the ugly
wooden church on the outskirts of the
village, a full mile from her own box of a
house. Not a villager but felt heartened
by her sweet homely smile of greeting.
Never a smile breathed more dignity,
content and warm fellowship of heart.

The ravens that brought his loaves to
the Prophet were not more regular than
was the lone old woman in quest of her
daily bread, the manna of the Lord.

Lone, for Mike Brennan had been
sleeping, tired laborer that he was, full
forty grateful years in the small graveyard
on the slope of the hill, and only a few
months back had her gently streaming
eyes seen stout Tom Brennan, her only
son, " and she was a widow" — lowered
to a place by his father's side.

One of the Unnumbered.

129

It was a pleasant place to sleep, that
sunny slope, when one was to sleep so
long, and one felt they must sleep in
dreamless peace who were laid there.

The field flowers flecked it with their
artless prettiness in Springtime, and in
Summer the ruminant kine roved along
the hilltops above it, their cumbrous-
ly gracious forms a pastoral proces-
sional athwart the sky. • Yes ; a
sunny tract, one to charm from out the
hearts of the living any rancor of regret
for the dead.

Mother Brennan felt no farther re-

as one of the Wise Virgins', and then
prepared her simple breakfast : a cup of
coffee and a cut from the loaf of her own
making. Having renewed her slender
strength, she made her slow, loving way
to the church, where, with the childlike
audacity of God's little ones, she held
familiar converse with her Lord.

Through sheer humility she would not
receive Communion except on Sundays,
the Feast Days of the Church and the
days of Saint Michael the Archangel,
Saint Thomas the Apostle and Saint
Rose, the family patrons. Mike and Tom

THE NUMBING DULLNESS OF THE SCENE WAS PUNCTUATED BY ONE LIVING THING.

moved from her long dead husband than
from her recently lost son. They were
both only over the border line of the two
worlds, and few could know how close
those two worlds were to each other for
Mother Brennan. Now, especially when
she was so near that border herself, she
was nearer to her dead than to the living
ones about her ; she dwelt more in their
company. The Communion of the Saints
was a lively tenet of her simple faith.

Each day she rose before the sun,
lit her oil lamp, as neat and trimly kept

were Saints now themselves, and though
she never thought it, so was she. Those
dear ones, their address was different
from her own ; but hers, like theirs,
was in the ' ' Care of God. ' '

Friends she had on earth as in heaven.
The whole village regarded her as a
homely comfort and an honor rather than
as a duty heritage to the community.
The tender heart had other ties, not as
close as those which bound her to the
dear Unseen with Mike and Tom, nor as
strong as the bonds between the good

i 10

One of the Unnumbered.

village folk and herself; yet sweet and
soothing. There was the fragile rose
bush, back of her kitchen window. It
responded to her constant care by two or
three sumptuous blooms which seemed
to tax its whole system. This was in the
Summer. The remainder of the year it
pined, a chronic invalid.

Then there was the cat, sleek, de-
murely affectionate and house-loving. It
would curl itself up on the hearth when
Mother Brennan went to church in the
morning, and would come to greet her
with a tremulous miaou on her return,
arching its back caressingly against the
brown woolen skirt, though it was cool
from the morning air, and Bethlehem
loved warmth with her whole soul.

For Mother Brennan had named it
Bethlehem. It had not seemed quite
right to call it after one of the Saints and
yet she wished it to bear a holy name.
There was an advantage in it she had not
foreseen ; for it was so long and said it-
self so slowly that it was like having a
little talk with the petted thing to call it
by its name. The soft grey creature
answered to it with sweet simplicity and
no more abashedness than if it were
Jessamine or Mehitabel.

But Mother Brennan loved it dearly.
For Tom had brought Bethlehem in one
evening, a small, wild-eyed mop of
stringy fur. He had plucked it from the
mill-pond, where small boys had thrown
her, not through a laudable Malthusian
view of kittens, but merely in exuberance
of innocent cruelty.

When Tom's stout hand had placed
the damp, rattled waif upon the sanded
floor, it had worked to its feet, raised its
head and regarded Mother Brennan with
wide, arraigning eyes. Then with deep
conviction it tottered toward her, doling
out a feeble yowl. A mere fraction of
such commending things would have won
her hospitable welcome. Bethlehem al-
ways reminded the old lady of the sweet
heartedness of her big, powerful son,
who could never see a weak thing ill-
used. Many a prayer had Mother

Brennan breathed with deepest devotion
for Tom's dear soul, at sight of Bethlehem
dreaming in homely comfort on the
hearth, a purring coil of contentedness.

One other object, dear to her old
heart, she cherished with some spiritual
reserve because its appeal was only human
and roused reflections the good soul
viewed askance in that they were tinged
with melancholy. One who is a friend
of God should not be traitor to Him by
any feeling of that kind. Not one drop
of melancholy had ever mingled with her
beautiful sorrow that Mike and Tom had
gone from her. This qualified object of
Mother Brennan' s affection was a pot of
shamrock, grown from a tiny sprig
Father Downes had brought back to her
from her native Limerick. Like that
little plant, she had been uprooted from
the land of her birth. Unlike it, she had
no one to care lor her.

Other loved objects, partly of heaven
and partly of earth, were the beautiful
things of the bright world that surrounded
her. The broad tranquil mill-stream in
front of her small house, which the sun
stroked with lambent touches and into
which the wild swallows would dip in
their needless haste, and then dash away;
the willows, that stretched their slender
wands of palest yellow above the mirror-
ing water, and when the wind ruffled
them turned the silver underside of their
lanceate leaves, as if paling at the thought
of a storm ; the broad sweep of meadow,
sparkling gaily with dewdrops in the
Summer mornings, soft in soothing green
after sundown, and hushed in white
silence when Winter wrapped it in a pall of
snow; the undulating line of hills melting
into hazy blue against the distant horizon;
the genial brightness of the sun by day,
and the fantastic clouds, snowy, pearly,
rosy, which God let play in His heaven ;
the stars that blazed in glittering con-
fusion in the night's dome of blue, each
of which answered to God from just that
spot where He had set it — these were all
Mother Brennan' s good, dear friends.
She loved them all, for they were God's,.

One of the Unnumbered.

and so was she, and kinship is cement-
ing.

But kind, stupid, human friends had
been telling Mother Brennan of late that
she ought to provide for herself and for
her latter days. Not that they were
weary of supplying her with things to be
knitted or made up; but they saw that
she took longer to get to church, and
that the sturdy, faltering steps were more
faltering, if still determined. She would
need be cared for at home, how soon
none could tell, nor for how long. There
was no one to give that care.

A factory man wanted her plot of
land. He needed it for business ends.
With the money he would give her she
could comfortably provide a refuge for
herself in her last days. She could go to
the Little Sisters of the Poor in the
neighboring town and be tenderly looked
after till she died, and with a sense of in-
dependence withal.

Mother fBrennan, who had gone on in
utter trustfulness upon God, nursing her
rose-tree and caring for Bethlehem, her
soul exhaling an aroma that sweetened
her lone but not lonely life, lent humble
ear to their superior wisdom. She did
not want to trouble any one. She had
thought before that came to pass, the
Angel would have called and taken her
to Mike and Tom. God knew how will-
ing she was to go. But the simple faith
that accepted and did not analyze or
rebel, or even pray that something that
God wished might be changed to some-
thing that she wished, felt that duty
might point to what the neighbors urged.
She was not insensible to her growing
weakness. She had noted it with inward
joy as a loosening of the bonds. But
she had no right to impose herself as a
burden upon others. She had no wish to.

So the small house where she had
lived for half a century, where Tom had
been born and where Mike and Tom
had died, with her quarter acre of ground,
including the forlorn rose-tree, passed to
the factory man, who could hardly wait to
tear it down. Her few household goods

she gave to a poor shoemaker who had
made shoes for Mike and Tom and her;
good shoes, if they were the only thing
she wore out. To him she also gravely
consigned Bethlehem in perpetual trust
on his promise that the cherished thing
should never want a home or food.

Then Mother Brennan rode in the
milkman's cart ten miles to the town,,
the neighbors coming to the doors and
waving their hands and handkerchiefs to-
her as the rickety white horse slowly
jogged by the cottages, she bowing simply
and gravely to them like an old queeik
going into exile.

She endured her asylum in the noisy,
ugly city six months without a murmur
of tongue, look or feeling, not knowing,
that she was making greater headway
toward heaven than ever before. But
one soft early day of Spring, a broad sun-
beam stole into her room, and the tepid
air that lightly stirred the grey locks on
her temples smelt of the warm, resolvent
earth. It said budding willows, the
peace of a sunlit stream, the elms waving
in a mist of green welcome, the long
sweep of meadows quickening to emerald
life after their Winter sleep, the moun-
tains dim in the azure distance. Oh, so
distant!

A yearning for the soothing touch of
that old friendly environment, as posses-
sive as Death's fingers, laid hold of
Mother Brennan' s soul. The balmy
Spring, the joyous Summer were coming
to the hillocks ot her dead, and she would
not be near them.

There was an almshouse in her little
village. She must go there and wait so
long as God should will. It was His inn,
and they would take her.

She told the Sisters with slow earnest-
ness that she must go back. They had
been good and kind. Yes, very. But
she was nearer to God there, where she
had lived so long. She knew the path-
ways to Him better there.

They strove to dissuade her, strove in-
nocently, ignorantly, and in vain. They
told her they could not give her back the

One of the Unnumbered.

money, for it was gone. She did not
want it. She was glad the poor old
things for whom they cared should profit
by it. She must go back. They would
not ask anything for her keep in the
almshouse. She must go there. The
graveyard on the hill, the meadow, the
stream, the waving willows, all the beauti-
ful dear things God had lavished on her,
and which had woven themselves into
the slow pulsations of her tired old heart
— she said almshouse, she meant them.

So they reluctantly let her go. For
her soft, sweet patience was so different
from the querulous exactions of the other
old people, that the Sisters loved her.
She revived visibly in that dear home-
setting. Poor old woman in an aims-
house ; everything about her was her
own.

A tinge of pink crept into the fine
skin with its myriad wrinkles, like the
reflection of a rose petal on old ivory,
and the dim, worn eyes had almost a
glow.

Never had Spring been so soothingly
gentle, never a Summer so bounteously
sweet. They were as great flagons
brimming with Nature's wine, from
which her weary old body and grateful
young soul drew gladness and refresh-
ment.

Then came the nipping touch of
Autumn. The willow leaves turned their
silver backs upon the harsh air with art-
less aversion. The sleepy stream broke
into a dumb whimper of steely ripples,
and the blooming meadow fell into
shrivelled brownness before its Winter
sleep under the snow.

Mother Brennan felt the chill of the
dying year like those friends of hers.
The almshouse was not her cosy, if
humble home, seasoned with hallowed
memories and brightened by Bethlehem's
sympathy. The Fall was despoiling her
as it did the other creatures of the dear
God, and the coming Winter forenumbed
her brave, resigned spirit. She must
take her heart to what warmed it most,
the Lord in His little church.

So she told the Overseer one day that
she must go to church the following
morning. It was the anniversary of
Tom's death, though she was character-
istically silent about that. The Over-
seer remonstrated with her well-mean-
ingly. The morning air was too cold for
her, the walk too long. At least she
should have some bread and coffee be-
fore going, and she could not get that
before seven. Let her wait till then. No,
she could not. There was only one Mass
and that was at six. She would go fast-
ing in any case, for she wished to receive
Communion. She could do it well ; she
had often done it before.

The sullen dark morning found her
faring slowly over the old familiar road.
The chill got into her blood, but there
was something in her heart that made her
insensible to it as well as to the feeble
lagging of her feet. The enfolding peace
of her thoughts surpassed the charming
of the Springtide. Mike and Tom
seemed never so near. As she passed
the little graveyard and looked at their
two graves, side by side, a more than
wonted tenderness for her dead made her
poor old eyes grow moist with unshed
tears as she plodded on without a pause.
When she got to the bare little church,
with its three or four worshippers, she
made her way to a pew near the sanctuary
and sank exhausted on her knees. When
the time for Communion arrived, a young
girl near her, a factory hand, marvelled
that she did not rise and go to the altar
railing. She knew Mother Brennan well.
Looking at her more closely she saw
that her head drooped, that she was
breathing with the fitful respiration of a
gaunt dog, dreaming on the hearthstone.
Leaning forward the girl touched her,
and as Mother Brennan roused herselt
with conscious effort, asked if she did not
wish to go to Communion. The sweet
smile came to the old woman's lips, her
smile of lowly gratitude.

She rose laboriously, and with tenacious
purpose made her flagging strength bear
her to the Communion rail. When the

One of the Unnumbered.

133

Priest came to her, the venerable old
head sank back upon her shoulders as
she raised her face, that he might place
the sacred particle upon her tremulous
tongue. Then it slowly bent in touching
dignity of obeisance to her Lord, and the
small black figure did not stir.

She clung close to the Communion
rail, as a ruffled bird snuggles into some
tiny niche in a Cathedral tower, seeking
shelter from the scurrying blast.

The Priest had marked the
expression of the wan, worn
face. The soul had never
stood forth so strongly in it.
When he came down the al-
tar steps at the end of Mass,
he looked at her again, keen-
ly. He made hisgenuflection,
walked quickly into the sac-
risty, and having set down
the chalice, took a leather case
containing the Hojy Oils from
a closet, and without unvest-
ing hurried back to her. He
touched her sloping should-
ers, then gently raised her
head. Mother Brennan re-
vived under his hand like a
fainting flower, and slowly the
sunken eyes upturned to his
with the look of a baby in
their innocent gaze.

' ' You are ill, Mother Bren-
nan, are you not? " he said
in his warm, unctuous tones.
"Would you not like to have
me give you the Last Sacra-
ment and Absolution ? Then
I will send you home, or take
you there myself. ' '

The bony fingers feebly interlaced
themselves and the lids fell over the
dimmed eyes in meek assent. With
light touch of the Holy Oils the Priest
anointed the eyes, ears, nostrils, lips
and hands, those organs of the senses
which Mother Brennan had never used,
save to get at God with through His vesture
of the sweet, clean universe, never any-
thing but sweet and clean to her.

Then the weary old head, with its
touches of the consecrating chrism, sank
slowly forward once again and the homely
little figure became motionless. The
Priest walked rapidly back to the sacristy,
returned the leathern case to the closet,
took off his vestments as quickly as he
could and, in soutane and biretta, re-
turned to her at once — the shepherd to
his stricken sheep.

" Now, Mother Brennan," he said?

THE VENERABLE OLD HEAD SANK BACK UPON HER
SHOULDERS.

with quiet, cheerful tones, " I will take
you home. Come."

For the first time in her life, Mother
Brennan paid no heed to the Priest. He
placed his hand on the bowed figure.
There was no movement. Stooping, he
peered into the placid face, which seemed
to be shyly hiding, as if with a smile at
her own playfulness. Mother Brennan
had gone home by herself.

LIGHT HOUSE AT ENTRANCE TO RIVER PASIG.

MANILA AND ITS SUBURBS.

By R. V. V. Schuyler.

TEN years ago, when the steamer,
on board of which I was a passen-
ger, plowed her way up into Ma-
nila Bay, little did I think that the Stars
and Stripes would ever be floating over
the Philippine Islands. Not the most
imaginative mind could have conceived
such an idea. Except to those, possibly
a score, who had business connections
with the Islands, I doubt if many Ameri-
cans could have told their exact location,
if the question had been put to them
suddenly.

As you sail up the Bay, your first im-
pression of Manila is not favorable, and it
produces a feeling of homesickness, even
before landing. After getting on shore,
the next step is to the Custom House,
where fortunately I had no trouble, as I
was well prepared; to be " forewarned is
to be forearmed. " As I had no dutiable
effects, I was detained only a few
moments, and I have been put to much
more inconvenience, in our free and glo-
I ^d

rious America. The next thing was to
present my letters of introduction to one
of the American firms, which I did, and
was at once given a cordial welcome and
installed as a member of their household;
from that moment things assumed a
more couleur de rose aspect. My first
night in my new home was an eventful
one. I retired early, as I was completely
fagged out. During the night I was
awakened by the rocking of my bed.
Thinking that I had not quite got over
the motion of the ship, I lay awake for a
moment, and then went to sleep again
and forgot all about it.

In the morning, about nine o'clock, as
we were taking our "desayuno," or be-
fore-breakfast cup of chocolate, one of
the gentlemen asked me how I had rested.
I told him of my experience, and they
all smiled very audibly, and informed me
that we had had an earthquake. This was
rather a startling experience for the first
night in a country to which you had come

Manila and its Suburbs.

LOWER PART, RIVER PASIG. OLD FORT ON LEFT.

with the intention of locating for some
years. After "tiffin, "or noon lunch,
my friend took me in his carriage to call
upon the foreign residents. This was
soon accomplished, and I became, in one
day, a duly accredited citizen so far as
the foreign element was concerned. But
there was still another important formality
to be gone through, and that was to ob-
tain permission from the Spanish authori-
ties to remain in the Islands. I signed
a petition made out on fapel sellado,
official paper, which costs fifty cents for
the seal; this had to be countersigned by my
friends, guaranteeing that I was a proper
person. This same formality has to be
gone through when you desire to leave
the country. Visitors coming to stay
only a few weeks, have to get some respon-
sible person to be guarantee for their good
behavior during their stay; this is required
only in the event of their not having
passports; should they have them, they
will have to be countersigned by their
consul, and these passports will be re-
tained by the authorities until the parties
are ready to take their departure, when
the consuls will have to make application
for their return. Thanks to our Army
and Navy, this red tape business will soon
be done away with.

It is now time to say something about
Manila, and the customs of its inhabitants.
One of the most notable features is the
Rio, or River Pasig, which has its source
in a large lake some distance up country.
It is the dividing line of the Old City,
always spoken of as Manila, with its
crumbling old walls and generally dilapi-
dated appearance, from the commercial
quarter, or New City, so to speak. The
Old City is on the right bank of the
Pasig, as you enter from the bay. The
Custom House and other government
buildings are located there, and many of
the government officials reside within its
walls. On the left bank is located the
commercial quarter; a short distance from
the entrance you will find the stores
usual to a seaport, ship chandlers, sailors'
boarding houses, etc. Further up the
river are the business places of the
foreign merchants, some of which are
very handsome buildings, with large
warehouses or "Go-downs," as they are
there called, for the storage of merchan-
dise awaiting shipment. At one time
many of the foreign residents lived over
their places of business. The terrible
earthquake of 1863 partially destroyed
most of these buildings, rendering them
uninhabitable as residences, though

'36

Manila and its Suburbs.

some of them were still occupied for
offices. Much serious damage was caused
by that shakeup in Manila proper and its
suburbs. Churches that had withstood
many previous shocks were either partially
or entirely destroyed. The Custom
House and other government buildings
were badly damaged.

The earthquake occurred June 3, at
7:20, in the evening before the Feast of
Corpus Christi. Great preparations were
being made for the celebration and many
persons were in the churches at the time,
but, thanks to a merciful providence,

badly injured and for a time was con-
demned, so to facilitate traffic a pontoon
bridge was constructed, as the only other
bridge was the suspension bridge further
up the river; strange to say, it was scarcely
damaged at all.

The natives are very much afraid of
earthquakes, and when they feel the
slightest shake they cry out " tembla,
tembla ! ' ' and are on their knees in a
moment, beads in hand, saying their
prayers. The Fathers maintain that
these little "shakes" have a beneficial
effect upon the natives, as it induces

PONTOON BRIDGE OVER RIVER PASIG.

few were injured. The Cathedral,
founded about the year 1578, suffered
severely, as did also the Convent of
Santa Isabel. One of the Fathers, who
was caught in the Cathedral, was almost
completely buried under falling stones,
but was most miraculously saved. It
took several hours to remove the stones,
as the utmost precaution had to be taken
for fear of crushing him. Had the shock
occurred on the day of the celebration,
when the procession was in the streets,
there would have been a great loss of life.
The old stone bridge over the Pasig was

them to be more mindful of their duties
to the Church.

The Chinese are the retail dry goods
merchants of the Philippines, and you
will find them in every little village, no
matter how unimportant it is.

The principal shops in Manila are
located in Binondo, one of the suburbs,
and in the Calle del Rosario (Street of
the Rosary) you will find dark-skinned
Seiioras making their purchases at almost
all hours of the day, for they do not
mind the heat so much as do their fair
sisters of America.

Manila and its Suburbs.

137

Over the narrow sidewalks are stretched
canvas awnings, which hang down quite
to the curb, completely shutting out all
glare from the street and affording shelter
from the extreme heat.

The Tagalos, as the natives of the
Island of Luzon are called, seldom have
regular shops, but have instead little cov-
ered stands in the streets. Their stock
in trade usually consists of the native
fruits and sweets, and articles made from
the fibre of the pineapple plant, such as
handkerchiefs, shirts, and other knick-
knacks suitable to the needs of the people.

Their pay is very small, but their wants
are few, and they seem satisfied with
their lot. The writer has often visited
the factories, and chatted with the em-
ployees, and invariably found them cheer-
ful and contented. A more tractable,
happy-go-lucky people does not exist.
They are born gamblers, and are very
fond of card playing; but their greatest
sport is pelea de gallos, as they term it
(cockfighting in our language). They
seem, actually, to think more of their
game-cock than they do of their families,
and should their house, or rather hut,

STONE BRIDGE OVER RIVER PASIG, PARTLY DESTROYED BY AN EARTHQUAKE, 1863.

Some of the handkerchiefs that are made
from this fibre are very elaborate, the
work is all done by hand, and will com-
pare favorably with our best imported
lace goods. Some bring ^as high as a
hundred dollars apiece. The natives are
also skilful in the manufacture of hats and
cigar cases made from a species of grass
called Tarey. They also make many
fancy articles out of the tortoise and
mother of pearl shells.

A great industry is the manufacture of
cigars and cigarettes, which gives employ-
ment to many thousands, mostly women.

for it is little more, catch fire, their first
thought is for the safety of their " gallo. ' '
The wife is supposed to look out for her-
self and children.

Hospitality seems to be innate in them,
and on occasions, such as their "Fiesta
del Pueblo" (Feast of the Village), and
christenings they keep open house, and
give a hearty welcome to every one that
calls, they are uniformly courteous, and
pride themselves on being up in little
points of etiquette. They are undoubt-
edly superior in many respects to the na-
tives of Cebu, and some of the other

Manila and its Suburbs.

SECTION OF RIVER PASIG.

islands. They do not seem to be crushed
by the supposed iron heel of despotism
of the so much censured Augustinian and
Franciscan Friars.

Touching on this subject, it would be
well to reflect a moment as to what might
have been the condition of these people
had it not been for the kind care and
solicitude of the Friars. It was their good
counsel and advice that prevented them
from an outbreak years ago. The writer,
then a non-Catholic, during a residence
of many years, often wondered at their
patience under the tyranny of the Spanish
Government. The Fathers are surely en-
titled to some credit for this, as well as for
the general contentment of the natives.

One of the accomplishments these Ta-
galos possess is that of dancing. They
are very fond of it, and dance besides the
"Habanera," originated in Habana,
from whence it derives its name, all the
dances known to Europeans. The women
are exceedingly graceful, and waltz beau-
tifully. A most remarkable feature of their
dancing is that they wear heelless slippers,
which they keep on their bare feet, as
they do not wear stockings, by placing
their little toes outside of the slippers;

they hold them firmly, never losing them
no matter how rapidly they dance.

Smoking is universal, men, women
and children indulge. When one enters
a house, after the usual salutation Mag-
andary a vi Po, cigars, cigarettes and the
betel nut are offered to all present. It
is the exception when any one declines,
as it is not considered courteous to do so,
but occasionally the line is drawn at the
betel nut. In appearance this nut is not un-
like our nutmeg. For chewing purposes,
the nut is cut into slices, or small pieces,
and a part of the leaf of the plant is
rolled or twisted around it. It discolors
the teeth very much and it has a sharp,
pungent taste, not unpleasant to most
persons, but the effect it produces in
some is not altogether agreeable, for it
is like that produced by liquor, flushing
of the face and momentary dizziness in
the head. Old timers put a small quan-
tity of lime in the leaf to make the effect
more lasting.

There is a great mixture of races in the
Island of Luzon, the worst is that of the
Chinese and native women; the offspring
Chinese Mestizo seems to inherit all the
vices of both races and none of the vir-

Manila and its Suburbs.

139

tues of either. Aguinaldo, the Insurgent
Leader, looks like one, and probably is
one; certainly his conduct towards our
people demonstrates his fondness for
double dealing.

The Palace of the Captain General,
a large comfortable looking building, but
not much from an architectural point, is
located in the Village of San Miguel. It
is surrounded by some beautiful tropical
plants and is considered one of the sights
worth seeing.

Many of the foreign merchants reside
in that vicinity, and in the suburbs of
Sampolos, San Sebastian, Nagtajan, and
Santa Ana. Many of these residences
will compare favorably, in point of com-
fort, with any in Europe or America.
The foreign merchants live in the most
luxurious manner, no expense being
spared.

All the suburbs of Manila are accessible
by water, and although th£ gondola is
not in evidence, the graceful and buoy-
ant canoe answers the purpose quite as
well. Nearly every one keeps a trap of
some kind, as the cost of keeping one is
moderate. Some of the turnouts are very

fine ; the horses are small, but quite
speedy.

One of the most amusing things at an
entertainment there is to watch a new-
comer trying to roll a cigarette in the pres-
ence of a bevy of young girls, who try
their utmost to keep from laughing, but
after witnessing the destruction of a dozen
or so of cigarettes, one of them steps
forward, and in the most charming man-
ner offers her assistance. After giving a
few lessons in the art of rolling, she lights
one, puffs it for a moment and then, with
her dainty fingers, places it between the
stranger's lips. Is it to be wondered at
that men take to smoking cigarettes in
the Philippines ?

The costume of the Mestizo, (half-
breed woman) consists of a richly striped,
colored skirt, generally of silk, over which
falls a shorter skirt, called tapis, somewhat
like an apron, in front. The waist has
long, loose sleeves; it is rather low in the
neck, while a bright colored handkerchief
is carelessly thrown over the shoulders,
coming down below the waist in a point.

The native girl wears a loose skirt and
waist of fine Nipe, or pifia cloth, a valuable

RUINS OF CUSTOM HOUSE, EFFECT OF EARTHQUAKE, 1863.

140

Manila and its Suburbs.

material of the finest tissue. Her neck is
bare and ornamented with beads. On her
head she wears a handkerchief of bright
fantastic colors, which comes over her
eyebrows and down to the tips of her ears,
from which hang long earrings of spark-
ling gems. One end falling over her neck
is fastened to her waist, in front. Her
legs are bare, and on her feet she wears
slippers half shod, which when she walks
she drags in a careless way, peculiar to
her class, but inconceivable to a European
lady.

The theatre, located near the " Calza- .
da" or Boulevard, just outside of the
walls of Manila, is well patronized, Sun-
day and Thursday being the ' • gala ' '
nights.

There is a very imposing and exceed-
ingly well-proportioned monument erect-
ed in memory of the great navigator Ma-
gellan, the discoverer of the Philippines,
who lost his life in battle with the na-
tives.

The great event of the day is the drive
on the ^Calzada," or Boulevard; every
one that can muster a vehicle of any kind

turns out. The Spanish element dine at
five o'clock, and then go for their drive.
The foreigners take their drive before
dining at 7:30. When the Captain Gen-
eral, with his escort of Mounted Lancers,
drives down the centre of the avenue, all
the carriages, with their gay occupants,
line up on either side until he passes.
Crowds of pedestrians, hurrying along to
their homes after their day's labor, sud-
denly come to a halt, as well as the car-
riages, at the sound of the '' Angelus "
bell. Hats are removed, and for a mo-
ment there is a deathlike silence. The
effect is most impressive, and if there is
a spark of Christianity in one it must
kindle with love for God, and his fellow-
beings, at that moment, at this reminder
of the great mystery of the Incarnation.
Each suburb has its own church and
parochial residence. Some of these
churches are very fine specimens of
architecture, San Sebastian and Santo
Domingo being notably so. The
"Tagalos," apparently, are a religious
people, very strict in their observance of
the rules of the Church. Not so much

SPANISH VESSELS AWAITING CARGO.

Manila and its Suburbs.

141

CHINESE SHOPS, ESCOLTA, BINONDO.

can be said of the Spanish element ; the
men are very lax in their duties, the
women, as they are everywhere, are
more devout. The Military Mass is
usually well attended, on account of the
music. There are no pews or seats in
the churches and the worshippers have
to kneel on the tiled floors, so they have
to be well imbued with a good share of
Christian fervor to go through the ser-
vices on their knees. Since the arrival
of the Jesuits, some thirty-five years ago,
there has been a notable improvement
in the community in every particular,
but especially from an educational stand-
point. Comparatively little had been
done towards improving the condition of
the natives in that direction. In the
Philippines, as everywhere, the presence
and refining influence of the Jesuits is
felt.

The fertility of the soil of the Philip-
pines is marvellous ; the growth of every
tropical product is so spontaneous that

scarcely any cultivation is needed. The
methods hitherto used are of the most
primitive character. Just imagine the
immense increase in the production
when modern implements are introduced.
It is impossible to compute the wealth of
these islands, as many thousands of acres
are uncultivated, in fact are virgin soil.
Its resources are illimitable. In minerals
alone there are immense opportunities, to
say nothing of the thousands of trees of
the most valuable and merchantable
species of wood The fruits grow wild ;
you can ride for miles and miles through
the woods and will find the mango,
banana, lemon, orange, guava and other
products, natives of the soil, in abun-
dance, and can indulge your appetite to
the utmost, free of cost. The export
trade is at present confined principally to
sugar, hemp, tobacco and indigo; coffee,
Japan wood, hide cuttings, and rattans
are also shipped in small quantities.
The staff of life of the natives is the

142

Manila and its Suburbs.

cocoanut. They use it for many pur-
poses. It provides them with food,
wine, oil, fishing tackle, fuel, etc. But
little attention is paid to the cultivation
of coffee, which could be made a great
source of income if properly cultivated.
The berry is very similar to that of the
''mocha" and the flavor is quite as
good.

Cavite, where the navy yard is located,
is about twelve miles from Manila, just
across the bay, and stands about in the
same relation as Brooklyn does to New
York. It is but little visited by the resi-

upset and other such complaints. If
these persons would tell the truth about
their manner of living, we should find
that they had kept up most of their old
habits, particularly in the way of imbib-
ing, taking their Guinness' stout, brandy
and soda ad libitum, and then blame the
climate. This is probably the trouble,
at this time, with our soldiers that are ill
in Manila. If the matter were looked
into, it would be found to be attributable
to their excessive indulgence in drink.
Malaria exists there, but are the islands
in the neighborhood of New York free

VILLAGE OF SAN SEBASTIAN, SUBURB OF MANILA.

dents of Manila. It contains several very
old churches.

Much has been written about the un-
healthiness of tropical climates, but that
objection cannot hold good so far as the
Philippines are concerned. On the
contrary, there is no healthier spot on
the face of the globe ; but of course one
has to adapt one's mode of living to the
climate. The difficulty with Europeans
is that they do not take proper, or even
ordinary care of themselves. We often
read of persons coming back from the
East Indies broken down in health, liver

from it? Yellow fever is not known.
The most prevalent fever is typhoid, but
it is seldom epidemic. During certain
hours of the day the heat is intense, but
is tempered by cooling breezes; besides,
no work is done during those hours, and
the nights are invariably cool and re-
freshing, so one can sleep and arise in
the morning invigorated and ready for
the day's work. How I longed for such
nights last Summer in New York. The
temperature changes but little, the rainy
season sets in about July and continues
until the middle of October. During

Manila and its Suburbs.

'43

RESIDENCE OF AN AMERICAN, NAGTAJAN

RESIDENCE OF CAPTAIN GENERAL, SAN MIGUEL, SUBURB OK MANILA.

144

A Peasant Wedding in France.

that season occasional typhoons make
things lively; the river overflows its
banks and canoes become serviceable for
navigating the streets; but such events
happen even in climates that are not
tropical. If there is a Paradise on earth,
in my opinion it is in the Philippines.

When the American government shall
have extended its benign sway over the
inhabitants and given to them their rights,
while exacting a strict observance of the
law, then will open a new era of prosper-
ity, and, we trust, of happiness for all
classes of Filipinos.

A PEASANT WEDDING IN FRANCE.

IN a picturesque part of Northern
France stands a charming old
chateau, surrounded by a park with
many fine large trees and vast stretches of
greensward. The neighboring hills and
meadows are covered with innumerable
wild flowers, which lift their purple and
golden heads to show their joy at the re-
turn of Spring and sunshine.

The chateau, still inhabited by repre-
sentatives of a monarchical age, though
architecturally not imposing, is rather a
spacious home-like structure, with many
dependent buildings near by; and a short
distance from a town quaint with moss-
thatched cottages, a town hall and school
house, not to mention the village church
with its pretty Norman tower. Adjoining
the church is a deserted Calvary, long
the scene of many beautiful reunions,
when father, mother and children gathered
round the foot of the cross, to offer their
first prayers at morning, their thanks-
giving at night, to Him who by the cross
had redeemed them. At least the sym-
bol of salvation is allowed to stand, and
though few gather near to pray as in the
good old days of faith, perhaps this silent
reminder may be an influence, which in
time will make the many as fervent as
the few now are, and bring back a re-
petition of other days, before wars and
revolutions came to work such havoc.

Evidently something unusual has
happened in the quiet little town, for the
peasants hurry to and fro with garlands
and bunches of flowers, and beaming
faces and expectant looks tell of some
pleasant event to occur. It is nothing

less than a wedding, and the bride-
groom being one of the richest men of
the village, a cultivator of the soil,
whose wealth in a newer country might
make him aspire to positions of great
importance, here is perfectly content to
till his fields and live as his fathers have
done for generations.

The nineteenth century with its pro-
gress, however, has invaded this secluded
spot, and no longer will the scene be
bright with quaint old-fashioned cos-
tumes; short petticoats, knee breeches
and bright ribbons, all belong to a by-
gone age, and in very few parts of
France do we see anything picturesque
in costume, though many old customs
still remain.

The bride is from an adjacent village
where the marriage ceremony had oc-
curred the day before, but in a few
hours, the bridal procession will reach
this town, which being the home of the
groom is the last place to be visited.
Whenever a wedding takes place, it is
customary for the newly married pair to
visit all their friends, and this duty is not
confined to a single hamlet, but if they
are peasants of some wealth and impor-
tance, they must visit all the neighboring
villages, and in this case, it is the second
day after the wedding, before the bridal
couple reach their home. Fortunately
these maidens are little less sturdy than
the men, otherwise their visiting, we
fear, would be apt to result disastrously,
as in most cases they go entirely on foot,
and the fatigue of the dancing and mer-
riment in addition would hardly be borne

A Peasant Wedding in France.

by those who were not brought up in the
open air and green fields of a healthy
country.

Two triumphal arches have been
erected, one at the entrance to the town
which they must pass through, the other
outside the bride's new home. These
were gayly decked with flowers and
boughs of trees, and the words "Hap-
piness, joy, felicity to the newly married"
were inscribed below. The plan was
that the bridal party should come from
the town to the chateau, where they
would be entertained by the family, and
this would conclude the ceremonies, at
least, the bride's visits would then be
completed. The young people from the
chateau go down into the village to see
the entry of the procession. Nearly all
the peasants are in their freshest frocks
and the children are wandering about in
evident glee. At last the signal is given
that the party is in sight, and im^iediate-
ly a grand cannonading begins. It was
a slightly alarming spectacle to behold a
smoking gun in the hands of a next-door
neighbor, and a somewhat astonished
small child having the hardihood to cry
at such unexpected proceedings, is sum-
marily suppressed by a determined
mother's well-timed slap, and in the
midst of the uproar, the bride and bride-
groom appear. She had discarded her
white dress and veil of the preceding
day, and was now attired in a silk dress
of a light color, and wore a hat bedecked
with flowers, which if scarcely of the
style adopted by the Parisian lady of
fashion, at least bore more resemblance
to that mode than to the quaint pictur-
esque peasant costume of an earlier date.
She was said to be very young, but this
child of the fields had not worked for
naught, and her robustness gives her the
appearance of a maturer age. The
groom wears a high silk hat and black
suit and the rest of the procession are
dressed in their best clothes.

A table had been placed beneath the
arch with bisque figures^ of a man and
woman, and before this the newly mar-
ried pause while a speech of congratulation
is read to them. At last they turn their
footsteps towards the chateau, the pro-
cession being led by performers on the
cornet-a-piston, and make their way
to a beautiful grove where they are to be
received. Light refreshments had been
prepared, but they first began by a dance.
All the men wore their hats as they went
through the mazes of a sort of
quadrille, which was performed
with considerable solemnity. As soon
as this dance was over, the groom left
his wife, and invited one of the ladies
of the chateau to dance, and then all
the men left their village partners, to
ask different members of the household
to honor them. The young ladies
graciously complied. An onlooker could
not help thinking how much prettier the
sight would have been, had there been
glimpses of vivid color and quaint garbs,
rather than the imitation of city styles,
reaching a culmination in stove pipe
hats. However, everything was very in-
teresting, and when the lord of the
Chateau came forth to drink the health
of the young couple and in graceful
words wished them many blessings and
much happiness, a fitting termination
seemed to have been given to the day.
As all had been invited to stay and
make merry, the music and dance went
on somewhat longer, and then the wed-
ding party moved back to the town,
where the bride's entry into her new
home was marked by a second cannon-
ading.

On the morrow everything had re-
turned to its ordinary condition, and
these simple pleasure-loving people
were ready to begin again their rustic
toil, brightened by the memory of this
wedding festival.

A GLIMPSE OF MISSION LIFE
IN THE PHILIPPINES.

LETTER OF FATHER RAYMOND PERUGA

TO FATHER PAUL PASTELLS, SUPERIOR

OF THE MISSION.

MY VERY DEAR FATHER SUPERIOR, P. C.

Last week I went to Cauit, thence to
Oteiza to greet Father More who is all
alone at his station; then I visited, suc-
cessively, the missionary posts of Tago,
Alba, and St. Michael, and finally re-
turned to Tigas for the Easter duty.
Thus in a few days I managed to make a
little visitation of the whole of this mission.
Everywhere I found good health, and
moreover a general appearance of cheerful
content, because the rice-harvest, which
they have just gathered, was everywhere
fairly good. This will keep them in food;
their clothing, tribute, and other neces-
sary expenses, will be supplied by the
filament of the abaca, which abounds in
this region and brings a good price.
It remains now that, in acknowledgment
of so many favors received from our Lord,
these people should try to lead a good
Christian life and serve God by a faithful
observance of His Commandments.

I would to God that I could tell you
positively and without qualification that
all our converts are fulfilling this duty of
gratitude. But among so many there are
always some lame, some laggards, some
stragglers, as if the light burden of serving
God were too heavy for them. There
are some, too, who seem to grow weary
at times of walking steadily on the beaten
road and who, like wild goats, leap the
barriers and run wild in the woods and
mountain paths, which are full of perils
for their souls. But even these wan-
derers, it must be said, if once their
shepherd can succeed in reaching them,
submit readily enough and return humbly
to their duty. From this it appears
clearly enough that the mistakes and the
146

sins of our poor Indians proceed much
less from lack of good feeling or real
wickedness than from ignorance and a
certain levity of character.

As you know already, in the vast basin
of the river Tago which is navigable for
boats of light draft, there are unconverted
natives of various races, who are in great
need of the work and the zeal of the
missionaries, who should be able to devote
to them abundant time and care. These
races are the Mandayas, the Manobos,
and the Mamanuas. The Mandayas are
already, for the most part, converted
and baptized. Some of them are in-
cluded in the municipal limits of Tago,
as their plantations lie near that settle-
ment; the remainder of them form the
Reduction of Alba, which is situated on
the right bank of the river, about a day's
journey from its mouth. For this peo-
ple, then, the chief part of our work has
been accomplished; they need only cul-
tivation in Christian life and principles,
that is, frequent visits and instructions,
to become deeply rooted in Christianity
and to bear abundant fruit in the Vine-
yard of the Lord.

It would be very consoling to be able
to say as much of the Manobos and Ma-
manuas. Unhappily their story is vastly
different. However, in order that you
may be able to take measures for the
conversion and the organization of these
people, with full knowledge of their case,
I shall tell you all that we know of their
character, their customs and their atti-
tude towards Christianity. ,

The Manobos of the Tago consist of
natives of the valley of the Tago itself
and of those who have come to them from
beyond the mountains, that is, from the
basin of the Agusan. These immigrants
are called by them Luyohanon, which
means, those from the other side. These

A Glimpse of Mission Life in the Philippines. 147

Konn the majority, and they are the dregs
,nd the refuse of the Agusan district,
from which they have fled for various rea-
sons : some for fear of the troops, who
have been hunting them because of their
crimes, which are innumerable ; others to
avoid the Fathers of that Mission, who
were seeking them with great zeal and

elicitude, in order to bring them to a
tter life, and to form them into civilized
mmunities. From this, you can easily
judge what manner of hardened wretches
and criminals they are, and how hard it
will be, if at all possible, to Christianize
them. There are other difficulties con-
cerning these poor savages, which, to-
gether with those mentioned, would make
us despair of ever converting them, were
it not that our chief ground of hope is in
the Precious Blood of Christ, which was
shed for them, as well as for us and for all.
However, I may say, for your consola-
tion, that something has been dcpe by
way of an opening, towards winning them
over to Christianity. It is not quite three
years since I made my first visit to a num-
ber of those Manobos who are nearest to
Alba, though it takes a good day's jour-
ney by water to reach them. Though
they received me, on that occasion, into
their dens and their forest-haunts, I made
no headway with them concerning the
chief purpose of my visit. Yet this was
more than I expected, for I was quite pre-
pared to find that they had all taken to
the woods on my approach. Thank God,
they did receive me well enough, after
their fashion, though I observed that they
seemed very suspicious. As I soon dis-
covered, they believed that I had brought
with me a large body of troops, left some-
where in the rear, to make them all pris-
oners. Though I protested repeatedly
that I had no thought of any such thing,
I could not quite overcome their mistrust.
I found them with hardly enough cloth-
ing on to cover their bodies ; indeed,
many of them wore nothing but a dirty
breech-clout. All night long some of
them kept watch, fearing a surprise from
the fancied escort of troops.

On the following morning I proposed
to them to form themselves into a com-
munity, and I promised them that we
would establish a court among them to
adjust their constant and troublesome dis-
putes. They answered that if I would
allow them time, say until I should make
them another visit, they would consult
about the proposal and then give me a
definite decision. As this was all I could
obtain from them for the moment, 1
treated them to a few cups of nipa wine,
of which they are exceedingly fond. Be-
fore I left them they promised, as it is
very hard to reach their distant habita-
tion, to meet me at the shores of their river
and to put up a little hut for the night.
Finally, I took leave of them, and rowed
away with mingled feelings of satisfaction
at the fact that I had effected an opening
for further negotiations, and of sadness
at the sad condition of those poor savages
who had no knowledge or thought of the
true God.

When the time fixed for my next visit
had come, I went up the river again to
meet them. I found a few Manobos at the
appointed place, and when I inquired
about the shelter they had promised to
provide, they answered very coolly:

"We were just beginning to put it up
when a limbcon began to sing, which we
take to be a bad omen, and so we all left
the place. ' '

"Is it possible," I asked, "that men
as brave as you, are afraid of a wretched
little bird?"

"What could we do ?" they answered,
"for so we believe."

And so I was compelled to make a new
appointment for a meeting, which had
happier results. This time I found a
shelter prepared, a very poor one, it is
true, but it gave me much encouragement,
for I looked upon it as a token of progress
in my relations with these savages. We
had a long talk together before retiring
to rest at night, though it was hardly a
rest for me, as the sleeping place was so
small that there was no possibility of
stretching one's self out in it.

148 A Glimpse of Mission Life in the Philippines.

Early in the morning I began by re-
commending my undertaking to St. John
Francis Regis, whose feast we celebrated
on that day. When the sun was well up
we resumed our conference, which re-
sulted in their promising to build them-
selves houses like civilized men, and I
was able to appoint judges and judicial
procedure for settling differences among
them. They begged, however, that I
would not insist on their receiving bap-
tism immediately. I told them that I
should be happy to baptize those who
might apply to me for it, but that it was
not the custom of the missionaries to
force anyone to receive baptisim.

I have visited them twice since then,
and I find that they are actually building
themselves dwellings, very few indeed,
so far, but it is a beginning. In this
new reduction there are about twenty-five
families, and there is another band of
.them about half a day's journey further
on and about as numerous. I have not
yet been able to meet these, but I hope
to bring them in soon. They tell me
that there is also another party of Mano-
bos, still further off, consisting of about
fifty or sixty families. Their chief is an
escaped convict from Surigao, and his
presence and influence will increase the
difficulty of treating with them. He is a
real fugitive and always keeps himself
out of sight, for he is, as he has reason to
be, very fearful of the approach of
strangers. I hope to make another ex-
cursion soon into that region with some
hopes of taming those savages. Could
you not send me a supply of hardware,
tools, and the like, as a means of attract-
ing them ? They are fond of such things
and it would be well to have them learn
the use of them. But enough of the
Manobos for the present. Now let me
say a word about the Mamanuas.

These savages seem to me to be among
the most wretched of the children of
Adam. I have no idea of their number,
nor is it easy to ascertain it, because of
their nomadic life. They are vagrants,
always moving and carrying with them all

that they possess, which amounts to a
spear and the dogs they keep to hunt
wild boars. As far as I can learn, they
wander about the region which stretches
from the source of the Tago to the basin
of the Cantilan. They lead so miserable
a life that they are despised even by the
Manobos. I beg you to consider whether
there may not be some means of ap-
proaching and of bringing them to the
knowledge and service of God.

In a word, I believe that the gaining
and Christianizing of the Manobos along
the Tago, will be a very hard task, and
even much harder still will be the work
of dealing with the Mamanuas. I hope
that you will help me to overcome these
difficulties, by your prayers, your coun-
sels and some timely alms, which are all
levers of great power for removing ob-
stacles.

But I am running on too far, though I
have endeavored to spare you by omit-
ting details that wonld be interesting.
But, to come to an end, I recommend
myself to your Holy Sacrifices and
Prayers.

Your Servant in Christ,

RAIMUNDO PERUGA, S.J.

LETTER OF FATHER RAMON RICART TO
THE REV. FATHER PASTELLS, SUPE-
RIOR OF THE MISSION.

DEAR FATHER SUPERIOR, P. C.

This letter is my account of the second
quarter of 1892. Until the zyth of
June, I was helping Father Ramo among
the natives, near Talacogon, and those
who dwell on the shores of the river
Gibon. I reached Veruela on the i6th,
and there celebrated the feast of St. John
Francis, patron of that settlement. After
the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I
set out, on the 27th, for Jativa, where
Brother Mataniala had been left all
alone.

The news of the murders at Talacogon
came upon us here like a thunderbolt,
and spread terror among our communi-
ties of Christians in these parts. The

A Glimpse of Mission Life in the Philippines. 149

unbelievers around about us have also
committed murders, and have carried off
some captives into slavery. I have heard
likewise of three human sacrifices in May
and June. Some of them, early in May,
made an attack upon the old settlement
of Filar, where they killed some and en-
slaved others, and they did the same to
some Manobos at Salug. By way of re-
prisals, the infidel Bacudan of Salug car-
ried off into slavery a woman and her two
little sons, though they failed to seize the
husband, who is a Christian of the sta- «
tion of Patrocinio.

In the beginning of June, among the
hills opposite Veruela, there were two
murders, and a chief performed a paghu-
aga, or human sacrifice, the victim being
a Christian maiden whom he had brought
for the purpose from I know not where.
We shall probably soon hear of other
murders by these same inhuman wretches.
The chief motive of all these crimes 'may
be found in the iniquities which accom-
pany the traffic in slaves. These are
nearly always carried through Gandia
and Compostela, and the Gandians
always know when they pass. By trans-
ferring the detachment of troops sta-
tioned in Veruela to Gandia, and order-
ing them to bring the slave-drivers as
prisoners to Surigao, there would be an
end to this nefarious business; one thing
certain is that the Manobos of these
mountains and along these rivers, will
soon disappear, for it is known that every
slave means preceding murders and con-
sequent reprisals for revenge.

Here in Jativa we have Aferez, who
was one of the civic guard that was en-
gaged in the pursuit and punishment of
malefactors, and who is quite ready for
such work. If we could have, in addi-
tion, from Surigao, Sergeant Bernardino
Leasurra, who was in the same service,
and who knows those evil-doers very
well, and who, moreover, is acquainted
with every foot of ground along these
rivers and mountains, it would be a great
help toward setting things right.

I mast add that, for the care and the

consolidation of these communities, there
ought to be a Father in* residence here.
It is impossible for me to visit them all,
even as often as twice a year. Though
I am on my feet and travelling without
interruption, yet I cannot even attend
properly to the conversion of the unbe-
lievers and the recovery of our stragglers.
I must be content to send messengers
to them and thus I have managed to
reach nearly all the backsliders. By this
means I have been able to organize three
new settlements.

During the eight days I spent in
Veruela, I made up a number of feuds
and quarrels among the Manobos, most
of which sprang from assassinations. In
Patrocinio I met five converted families
that had come in to escape the dreaded
assassins. At Jativa no one dares to go
over to the other side of the river, where
their plantations are left uncared for be-
cause of the terror that reigns everywhere
among them.

In our visitation of the settlements of
San Luis, Santa Ines, Novele, Ebro,
Borbon, Navas, Prosperidad, Azpeitia,
and Arcos, Father Ramo heard confes-
sions and preached in their language,
and without any need of an interpreter.
It seemed to me that all was going on
well there.

You perceive that I have not asked for
anything this time ; however, if it should
occur to you to send me any little thing
that might be useful in our dealings with
the savages whom we shall try to bring
over, or any church articles, they will be
received very gratefully, for Veruela is
quite destitute. If any money comes in
for alms, I might give you a hint as to the
objects in which it could be most use-
fully invested.

I wish you all a very happy feast on
the day of our Blessed Father Ignatius.
Present my affectionate greetings to our
Fathers and Brothers, to whose Holy
Sacrifices and prayers I commend my-
self.

Your Servant in Christ,
RAMON RICART, S.J.

THE AUGUSTINIANS IN ASIA.

'rTTvHE following interesting and in-
structive details are taken from
the " Annual Report of the Mis-
sions of the Augustinian Province of the
Most Holy Name of Jesus in the Philip-
pines, China, Spain and Rome for 1897-
1898, printed at Malabon, at the Or-
phan Asylum of Our Lady of Consola-
tion, under the management of the Au-
gustinians, 1898."

REPORT.

From this report we gather the follow-
ing data relating to the missionary work
of the Augustinians in Asia, in the Phil-
ippine Islands and China.

In the Philippine archipelago, in the
care of the Fathers in the Islands of
Luzon, Panay and Cebu are twenty-two
extensive districts, whereof six are in the
archdiocese of Manila, and sixteen others
in the following dioceses, — eleven in
Nueva Segovia, one in Cebu, and four in
Jaro, embracing in all two hundred and
twenty-five parishes and missions, in
charge of three hundred and twenty-six
religious.

The statistics of their work for the last
year (as given in the Report) present
the following figures: Souls in charge of
the Fathers, 2,377,743; number of bap-
tisms, 110,233; number of marriages,
17,909; number of deaths, 67,508.

As we learn from the Report, co-work-
ers with the above Augustinian mission-
aries are three secular parish priests in
care of souls, under the direction, how-
ever, of the Father Provincial.

All the missions (as well as those on
the Asiatic continent in China) are un-
der the direction of a chief, styled Pro-
vincial, whose headquarters are in Ma-
nila. With him as assistants in his
widely scattered territory, are associated
seventeen coadjutors, known, all but one,
as vicars provincial, whereof one resides
at Madrid, Spain, another in China, the

others assisting him in the Philippines, in
different parts of the islands under his
care, in the several mission groups,
thirty-two in number, which are formed
of parishes and cures.

These groups, all comprising a larger or
smaller number of cures within their limits,
are centered in the four dioceses of the
Philippines as follows : In the archdiocese
of Manila are six of them with 940,906
souls in charge ; in the diocese of Nueva
Segovia (also in the Island of Luzon),
are eleven with 553,739 souls, whereof
140,392 are pagans ; in the diocese of
Cebu (in the island of the same name
and others of the Visaya group) is one
district with 258,866 souls in charge,
while in the diocese of Jaro (in the island
of Panay) are four missions-centres with
623,302 souls in care of the Fathers.

In Luzon the six mission groups (in
the archdiocese) have their headquarters
as follows : Manila with ten parishes ;
Batangas with ten parishes ; Bulacan
with eighteen parishes ; Nueva Ecija with
twenty-two parishes ; Tarlac with four
parishes ; Pompanga with twenty- five
parishes.

These are in the archdiocese (as said
of Manila), while the other eleven in the
diocese of Nueva Segovia (in the same
island of Luzon), are in four groups
known as provinces, Ilocos Norte with
twelve parishes ; Ilocos Sur with eleven
parishes ; Union with twelve parishes ;
Abra with four parishes; five known as
districts, distntos, Tiagan with two mis-
sions ; Lepanto with five missions ; Bontoc
with four missions ; Quiangan with two
missions ; Benguet with three missions,
and two commanderies, commandancia\
Amburayan with three missions ; Cabu-
gaoan, data not given.

On the island of Cebu is one sole pro-
vince known by the same name, with
seventeen parishes, while in Panay are
three provinces, Iloilo with thirty-one

The Augustinians in Asia.

Ulb

«.:

parishes ; Capiz with eighteen parishes ;
Antique with sixteen parishes, and a
district, Concepcion, with seven parishes.
Thus in these two hundred and twenty-
e parishes and missions the Fathers
have in care 2,376,813 souls, of whom
140, 392 in Luzon are yet to be Christian-
ized.

CONVENTS.

n/Vith these immense burdens depend-
on the labors of the missionaries, yet
are there only three convents, so-called,
in the Philippine group. At Manila are
the convent headquarters of the brethren
in the islands founded on June 24,
1571. Here are fifty-one religious in com-
munity; twenty-six Fathers, whereof
eight are retired from active mission
service ; fourteen scholastics and eleven
lay brothers.

At Manila, which is -the headquarters
of the Eastern missionaries, resides the
Father Provincial with his immediate
assistants, as definitors, the procurator-
general of the missions (with his assist-
ant), the archivist, chronicler and secre-
tary of the provincial and the preacher
general of the province.

Here at Manila, it may be observed,
was held the second provincial chapter of
the province on May 3, 1572, whereat
twelve Fathers, all at the time in the East,
were present.

A second convent in honor of the Most
Holy Child is at Cebu, founded on April
28, 1565, the year the Augustinians with
Admiral Legazpi reached the Philippines
from Mexico, whence they had sailed
the year before. At Cebu are eight re-
ligious in community, four Fathers and
as many lay-brothers. At Cebu was held
the first provincial chapter of the Fathers
in the Philippines, in June, 1569.

Then, thirdly, comes the convent of
Nuestra Senora de G facia at Guadalupe,
a Sanctuary or Shrine much frequented
by the devout, especially the Chinese, two
leagues E.S. E. from Manila, where a
house of the Order was opened in 1601.
At Guadalupe are four religious in res-

idence, three Fathers and one lay-
brother.

Belonging to the Philippine province
are two other convents in Europe, one at
Madrid (in Spain) where resides the
European vicar-provincial depending on
Manila, with two Fathers and one lay-
brother, and the other in Rome (Italy)
with a Father and a lay-brother in res-
idence.

COLLEGES.

Both in Spain and the Philippines are
colleges under the direction of the Pro-
vincial at Manila for the education and
training of youth destined for work on
the missions.

One of these institutions is at Valla-
dolid, the novice-house of the Philippine
province, founded in 1735, under the
title of the Most Holy Name of Jesus,
where there are 158 religious in resi-
dence, nine Fathers, 134 clerics, of whom
twenty- five are novices, and fifteen lay-
brothers.

Here is taught philosophy, a three
years' course, and one year's divinity.1

At La Vid (also in Spain) a monas-
tery founded in 1032, but granted to the
Order in 1865, are 108 religious in resi-
dence, ten Fathers, eighty- one clerics and
seventeen lay-brothers. Here the Schol-
astics pursue a four years' course of The-
ology.

At both convents lay-brothers pass their
year of novitiate. While at the Manila
convent (to which reference has been
made), the students finish their fourth
and fifth year of divinity.

So much for the administrative depart-
ments of the Philippine province.

For the aged mission-workers and such
as have been invalided in service, a house
of the province known as la Casa de
Gracia was opened in Spain in 1880.
This community embraces twenty-three
religious in residence, twenty-two priests
and six lay-brothers.

INSTITUTIONS.

In the Philippines under the direction
of the Fathers are conducted the follow-

The Augustinians in Asia.

ing establishments of training and benef-

icence.

COLLEGE AND SEMINARY.

At Vigan, the Villa Fernandina of
other times, a charming city, thus named
in memory of King Ferdinand VI., who
conferred on it city rights, and place of
residence of the bishops of Nueva Se-
govia since 1755, is a seminary and
college under the direction of the
Fathers, seven of whom are teachers.
Here 209 students are taught the follow-
ing branches (as set down in the Report),
viz. : Dogmatic Theology, Moral The-
ology, Metaphysics, Logic, Ethics, Phy-
sics, Chemistry, Geography, Poetry,
Rhetoric, Trigonometry, Geometry, Al-
gebra, Arithmetic, Analysis and transla-
tion of Latin, Greek, Spanish and French,
Church History, Natural History, Uni-
versal History, History of Spain, History
of the Philippine Islands, Christian Doc-
trine.

ORPHAN ASYLUM FOR BOYS.

At Tambohn, about a league from
Manila, is an orphan asylum under the
care of six religious, two Fathers and
four lay brothers, inspectors of the
schools, where 145 lads are taught the
following trades: Compositors, thirteen;
press work, twelve; bookbinders, thirty;
gilders, three; candle makers, forty-
three, and forty-four too young to train.

ORPHAN ASYLUM FOR GIRLS.

At Mandaloya on the Tasig is another
orphan asylum for girls, conducted by

Augustinian Nuns, in number twenty-
two. From the report we gather the fol-
lowing items: Number of pupils, 122.

The course of instruction embraces
music, piano; painting, drawing, embroid-
ery, artificial flower making, dressmaking,
hairdressing, lacemaking, laundry work
and sewing.

GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE SAID
PROVINCE.

Total number of religious engaged on
the missions entrusted to the Order or
associated therein, 613, of whom 326 are
in the Philippines, thirteen in China,
two at Rome in Italy and 272 in Spain.
Total number of missions with care of
souls, 234, of which nine are in China
and 225 in the Philippines.

CHINA.

In China, where the Fathers, twelve
in number, have charge of the province
of North Hu-nan in the interior of that
empire, they have missions in eight dis-
tricts with headquarters at Hofu or Jofu,
Yalan or Pateros, Cai-tchi-kiao, Tseleang-
ping, Yotchon, Sesuetien, Semen-sien
and Nie-kia-se. At Shanghai and Hang-
how, cities nearer the coast, are resi-
dences, which, with the missions, are
under the direction of the Augustinian
Vicar Apostolic, Father Louis Perez,
Titular Bishop of Corcyra, and Vicar
Provincial, Father Saturnine de la Torre.
Unfortunately, no detailed statistics of
these Chinese missions similar to those
referring to the Philippines, whereon
they depend, are given in this report.

VITAL STATISTICS RELATING TO THE MISSIONS OF
EXCLUDED) IN THE PHILIPPINES.

Baptisms

!o3,oi5
104,049

io7,573
1 12,130
110,233

Parishes,

Year

Pueblos

Missions

Souls

1892

203

1 88

,082, 131

1893

208

,096,281

1894

219

,136,103

1895

231

, 191,604

1896

,324,968

1897

225

,377,743

THE AUGUSTINIANS (RECOLETOS
FROM 1892-1898.

Augustinians

in the
Marriages Deaths Philippines

20,355 83,051 310
21,279 78,335 286

25,005 73, 696 3*7

22,660 81,652 317

19,421 71,295 344

17,909 67,508 319

THE VENERABLE FATHER ALOYSIUS
MARY SOLARI, S.J.

TT THAT Father Bernard de Hoyos
yV was to Spain in the last century,
the venerable Father Aloysius
Mary Solari, the subject of this sketch,
was to Italy in this century, in spreading
devotion to the Sacred Heart. Both were
priests of the Society of Jesus, both
died young and in great repute of holi-
ness, and the cause of the Beatification
of both has been begun.

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD, 1795-1806.

Father Solari was born May 13, 1795,
in Chiavari, now an important town
of thirteen thousand inhabitants on
the Riviera di Levante, about
twenty-five miles south ot Genoa.
*He was baptized on the Feast of the
Ascension, the day after his birth,
in the paiish church of St. John the
Baptist, and was named Augustine John
Nicholas Aloysius and Raphael.
Although it is not the custom in the
Society of Jesus, for its members to take
a new name in religion as in other re-
ligious Orders, still instances are found
of names being changed or modified.
Before his entry into religion, Father
Solari was always called Augustine, but
thenceforth he wished to be called
Aloysius Mary, out of devotion to the
Blessed Virgin and to St. Aloysius, to
whom he had made a vow when he was
in trouble about his vocation. He re-
ceived the Sacrament of Confirmation,
January 18, 1801, from his uncle, Mon-
signor Luke Solari, Bishop of Brugnato.
Another uncle, Father Joseph Solari of
the Congregation of Pious Schools, en-
joyed some fame as a man of letters.

Augustine was the only son of a family
of four children. Like many others we
read of, he amused himself at a very early
age by preaching to his three sisters.
On one of those occasions he indulged in

a rhetorical flight to which significance
was attached in the light of after years.
He compared the Solari family to a
beautiful torch with four lights, and him-
self to an extinguisher which should put
them all out. The four lights, it seems,
were his father and his three uncles, the
Bishop, the Scolopian, and another who
was a lawyer of note. The fact proved
that the renown of the sanctity of the
young orator eclipsed in after years the
fame of those distinguished personages,
though his father had his fears at the
time that the youth would prove any-
thing but a credit to the family on ac-
count of some faults he observed in his
character. This good man died in the
July of 1807, and in him Chiavari lost
one of its most respected and public-
spirited citizens. He was one of the
three founders of the Societa Economica
of Chiavari, the first of its kind in all
Italy, and it was through its means that
the cultivation of Indian corn was intro-
duced, as well as that of another popular
vegetable sometimes called solatium
tiiberosum, but better known as the potato.
So slow, after all, is the spread of the
knowledge of useful things.

AT SCHOOL IN SAVONA, 1806 1814.

In the November of the year 1806,
Augustine was sent to a college atSavona,
once the property of the Society of Jesus,
now kept by the Lazarists. The Rector,
Father Castagna, has left us in a letter,
written March 16, 1830, the following
account of Solari as a school boy :

"During the first year of his college
life he was so lively that at times he
seemed to be beside himself. His viva-
city, however, never led him to breaches
of good manners and failure in docility.
His levity sprang from impulse, and never
from malice, nor did it ever degenerate

J53

154 The Venerable Father Aloysius Mary Solari, S.J.

into boldness or wilfulness. He was in-
constant in study, though he was not
backward in class, owing to his clear and
ready mind. During that year he was
neither fervent or negligent in practices of
piety. In the following year he changed
so suddenly and completely that the
Fathers used to say he was no longer
the same boy. Thenceforth he was
always diligent at study, constant and
faithful in his piety, and guarded in his
conduct. At proper times he was jovial
but always in moderation. He chose
the most virtuous of his companions for
friends and they called him their St.
Aloysius. He had a tender devotion to
the Blessed Virgin, and was solicitous to
make her the subject of conversation at
the evening recreation, especially on Sat-
urdays. ' He arranged with his com-
panions to draw by lot a little ticket every
week on which was prescribed some
special virtue to be practised during the
following week, a pious practice he kept
up the whole of his stay in the college.
He would not tolerate anyone speaking
ill of another in his presence, even though
it should be of trifling faults ; much less
would he stand scurrility, or anything
wanting in decency. I know that he
fasted, especially on the eve of the feast
of our Lady, but I am not sure whether
or not he practised other mortifications,
though I suspected that he did. He used
to pray by his bedside longer than was
prudent, and it was remarked that he
knelt on his bare knees. His humility
led him to give unstinted praise to the
gifts of others, while without affectation
he accounted himself inferior to all in
talent, knowledge, and endowments of
the mind. He was charitable to the
poor, equal to every emergency, and
docile to the orders of his superiors and
the advice of his spiritual director,
though he was somewhat scrupulous on
account of the delicacy of his conscience. ' '
The salutary change recorded in this
letter was largely owing to a Prefect who
came to the college in 1807. Up to
that time the young Solari was apt to

give too free rein to his natural liveli-
ness. Hence his sisters, when vacation
time approached, did not look forward to
his home-coming with feelings of unal-
loyed satisfaction. They knew by ex-
perience what a disturbing element his
vivacity was in their quiet home. But
when he returned to them in the Autumn
of 1807, they were agreeably surprised to
find him changed so much to their lik-
ing.

In the Summer of 1814, he left the
college of Savona, having completed
his course of rhetoric, and studied
some philosophy. The impression he
made on his companions and superiors
during his eight years of college life, was
one that lasted all their lives. One of
them wrote in 1871, after an interval of
sixty years, that he remembered him as a
saintly youth, who was the joy and admir-
ation of all, and that to his love of letters-
he united a rare and winning piety.

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL STU-
DENT. 1814-1817.

After his return to Chiavari, Augustine
studied mathematics for a while under
Father Spotorno, a Barnabite, a famous
teacher of the exact sciences. Being
more of a literary than a scientific turn
of mind, he derived little profit from the
two lessons he received each day from
his tutor, who was called away soon after
to Bologna to be professor of rhetoric in
the Barnabite College. Solari then went
to Genoa to continue his philosophy in
the University under a certain Father
Massucco. During that year he. was of-
ten blessed by Pope Pius VII., without
being aware of it. The Pontiff had re-
moved from Rome to Genoa, where he
lived for a time in the Durazzo Palace,
now the Royal Palace, in the Via Balbi.
From its terrace Pius VII. often beheld
Solari, in a little room in the house oppo-
site, all intent on his studies. The Holy
Father, filled with admiration at his appli-
cation and the modesty which revealed it-
self in his countenance, blessed him as

iThe Venerable Father Aloysius Mary Solari, S.J. 155

often as he beheld him; and this blessing
was productive of abundant fruit.

A year later he returned to Chiavari,
where he put on the clerical habit, and
began to study theology under the direc-
tion of the Provost of Rupinaro. He
agreed to this arrangement to content his
mother, who, failing to induce him to give
up the idea of adopting the priestly life,
preferred to see him a secular priest rather
than a member of the Society of Jesus,
which had 'been lately restored through-
out the whole world by Pope Pius VII.,
and to which he felt strongly drawn.
During his studies, his zeal displayed it-
self in every direction. At one time v/e
find him striving to do away with abuses
that crept in at the celebration of a festi-
val in a neighboring village; at another,
nursing the fever-stricken in the hospital,
and ministering to the spiritual as well as
the temporal wants of those detained in
prison. His charity to the poor impelled
him to give away to them even his own
clothes. Within his own home circle he
always exerted his influence for good
among his sisters, relatives and friends,
in short, his conduct was so edifying that
the old people in Chiavari still retain
memories of him as a most edifying
cleric.

This one fact alone will show how ear-
nest he was at this time to attain the
perfection of his state. He made an
agreement with his relative, Christopher
Gandolfo, to mutually admonish each
other of their faults, and because Augus-
tine always insisted on the fulfilment of
the bargain, in order to satisfy him,
Christopher scrutinized him most care-
fully, to try to detect even the slightest
fault in him. His efforts, however, were
unsuccessful, although he enjoyed his
closest friendship, and well understood
what goes to make up perfection.

On May 16, 1817, he received the
tonsure and minor orders from Mgr.
Gentile in that prelate's private chapel
in Genoa. On the 3ist of the same
month he was raised to subdeaconship,
and to deaconship on the 2oth of Sep-

tember, in the chapel of the convent of
St. Sebastian. In the «ame year he
made a public defence in theology in the
Church of St. John the Baptist in Chia-
vari, in the presence of the Cardinal
Archbishop, Spina, and a number of
learned ecclesiastics.

VOCATION.

Solari' s vocation to religion resembled
somewhat that of St. Aloysius in the
opposition he had to encounter for three
years. This opposition came from his
mother who, being a very religious
woman and unwilling to run counter to
the will of God, multiplied examinations
and trials of his vocation in the hope of
proving it to be a passing whim or fancy.
From letters written before he left school
at Savona, we learn that it was his inten-
tion to become a religious, but it was not
fell the middle of August, 1814, that he
made known to his brother-in-law, Chris-
topher Gandolfo, that the Order of his
choice was the Society of Jesus, which had
been restored one week before, August 7,
1814, having been suppressed through
the machinations of Freemasonry in 1773.
A month later, he broke the tidings to
his mother, who at first made light of it.
Seeing afterwards that he was in earnest,
she made an agreement with him not to
speak of the matter any more for a cer-
tain length of time, after which, should
he remain firm in his resolve, she would
give her consent. When the term of the
truce had come, she found that he was as
steadfast at his vocation as ever, where-
upon she had him examined by seven
different ecclesiastics, who one and all
approved of his decision. Blinded by
maternal love, she still resisted, and as-
sembled under her own roof another
tribunal of distinguished persons, among
whom were the Archpriest of Chiavari, a
canon, a Capuchin, the confessor of her
son, and some others. She then went
before them and pleaded her cause for
withholding permission for her son to be-
come a Jesuit with an eloquence of which
none had believed her capable. Never-

156 The Venerable Father Aloysius Mary Solari, S.J.

theless, she found herself in the minority;
the vocation carried the day. Still she
would not yield, but had recourse on two
occasions to Cardinal Spina, Archbishop
of Genoa, to have him throw the weight
of his authority in the scale against her
fon's entering religion. She would have
him in his capacity of Archbishop forbid
him once for all to become a religious.
On the first appeal the Cardinal wrote
from Forli, where he happened to be at
the time, to Augustine, exhorting him to
weigh the matter more attentively; but
the second time he answered the mother
plainly that he could not oppose a voca-
tion which bore the stamp of truth. In
the theological disputation before men-
tioned, Solari concluded with some ver-
ses of his own composition expressing his
thanks, and to the surprise of all, ended
his appeal with the two lines:

E mai non tergero dagli occhi il pianto,
Finche non vesta di Loiola il manto.

For two years the mother had resisted
her son, and could not bring herself to
give her consent to his becoming a relig-
ious. Having now come of age he de-
termined, after taking counsel of Mgr.
Biale, Bishop of Ventimiglia, who was
then in Chiavari, to do at all hazards
what he believed to be the will of God.
Accordingly, at the country-house of a
kinsman near Chiavari, he renounced be-
fore a notary his rich inheritance in favor
of his three sisters. He then returned
home happy in the thought that he had
freed himself from at least one bond that
might have bound him to the world.
Then, after having once more consulted
the Bishop, he left a letter to his mother
on the table in his room, and set out
under the cover of night for Genoa.
This was probably the 26th of September,
and the day following, accompanied by
the kinsman in whose house he had made
his renunciation, he knocked at the door
of the Jesuit novitiate attached to the
Church of St. Ambrose.

His mother took some time to become
resigned, but at length yielded, and

wrote to her son giving her full consent
and her blessing. The occasion of this
reconciliation was the visit of three young
Jesuit novices, who came on foot from
Genoa in guise of pilgrims to visit the
sanctuary of the Madonna del' Orto at
Chiavari. The novices preached in the
Church of the Sanctuary, and in another
near by, and God made use of their words
and example to bring about a change of
heart in the mother when they visited her
and explained to her that further opposi-
tion might entail the sending away of her
son to some more distant place than
Genoa.

LIFE IN RELIGION. 1817-1829.

The new novice, henceforth to be
known as Aloysius Mary, spent the whole
two years of his rioviceship in Genoa.
We have noticed that from boyhood he
had quite a taste for literature, and that
he cultivated from a very early age his
talent for preaching. One of the reasons
why he preferred the Society of Jesus be-
fore other religious orders was that he
believed it would give him a wider field
for turning these two talents to account.
In connection with this it is pleasing to
note that before he effected his entrance
into the Society, he said daily prayers
that he might be sent to preach in
America, "as I have always desired,"
are his words. Being in deacon's orders
his superiors occasionally appointed him
to preach in their church. He evidently
acquitted himself with credit, for he was
selected to preach the panegyric of Saint
Ignatius on his feast day, July 31, 1819.

The steady advance he made as a
novice in the practice of every kind of
virtue corresponded with the high ex-
pectations raised by the singularity of his
vocation. He was especially remarkable
for his obedience and simplicity of man-
ner, so much so that his Master of
Novices declared that he could never find
in him the least trace of self-will. On a
scrap of paper, which after his death was
given to his sister, Teresa, a\ong with a
picture of the Sacred Heart, which bore

The Venerable Father Aloysius Mary Solari, S.J. 157

he impress of many a fervent kiss, the
ollowing was written in the third person
n which he gives an account of himself :
"He one day asked his Master of Nov-
ces for a spiritual book to read, and he,
lolding up a crucifix, said to him : ' It is
)ut of this book you should study. ' Hav-
ng thus rid himself of the thought of other
reading, he set himself to hear what this
Divine Master was teaching from His
chair of the Cross, and soon learned
there to despise whatever passes with
time, to deny his own will, to desire to
suffer, to think little of himself, to take
pleasure in being made little of, to desire
earnestly the salvation of his neighbor,
and many other virtues."

On October 3, 1819, he made the three
vows which Jesuit novices take at the end
of their noviceship, and was sent immed-
iately to the Collegio del Carmine, at
Turin, to teach rhetoric. He taught
this class until after Christmas, when
superiors relieved him of a burden to
which he was not equal, and, knowing
that he was a man of solid virtue, they
put him to teach the lowest grammar
class in the same college. To one who
was naturally as ambitious of glory as he
was this would have proved a severe trial
if he had not learned well those lessons
he was taught by the crucifix.

During the month of November, 1820,
he went back in Genoa and preached to
the congregation of Bona Mors in the
Church of St. Ambrose, and explained
the catechism. He was then sent for a
term to Rome to perfect himself in
Italian, Latin and Greek. From Rome
he went to Naples to teach grammar, and
was soon after ordained priest and de-
voted to the ministries proper to the
priesthood, especially preaching. He was
stationed chiefly at Benevento, where he
remained till his death in 1829.

The well known philosopher and writer,
Father Liberatore, S.J., who died a few
years ago, often heard Father Solari
preach, and said of him that he usually
mounted the pulpit with his eyes dimmed
with tears, and that he easily moved his

audience also to tears. When he preached
on the Passion, he remained the whole
time on his knees bathed in tears. He
was so powerful in word that at Naples
where gambling was a prevalent vice, in-
veterate gamesters were known to go and
hand over to him their cards and dice,
and make a confession full of compunc-
tion. There was a young man who had
resisted every entreaty to give up a -long
standing enmity until Father Solari took
him in hand, and holding a crucifix up
before him, said so pathetically : "Will
you refuse this to Jesus? " that he yielded
at once. In the confessional he was so
kind and loving that all sorts of people
flocked to him. He frequently visited
the hospitals and prisons, where every-
one wished to confess to him. On his
way back to the college he was sure to
meet some sinners, whom he used to
l£ad to a little chapel, where, after a few
words, he would kiss the feet of all,
which so won them over that he had no
difficulty in getting them to make their
confession. In giving the Spiritual Exer-
cises he was exceedingly successful, and
perhaps nowhere were their beneficial re-
sults seen to better advantage than among
the three hundred boys, for the most part
undisciplined and wayward, who flocked
to the College of Benevento, when the
Society was restored in the Kingdom of
Naples by decree of Ferdinand I. , Sep-
tember 3, 1821.

The celebrated Father Parisi, S. J., who
was called the Apostle of Naples, used to
say that it would be a difficult thing to
write the life of Father Solari, because his
sanctity consisted rather in the perfection
of his interior life than in any showy ex-
ternal work. The sweetest hours to him
were those he passed before the Blessed
Sacrament, and for a long time it was his
custom to visit our Lord at midnight.
He was once found as if in ecstasy before
the Tabernacle. On one occasion he
distributed to the poor the money given
him for a journey of thirty- five miles. He
made the journey on foot and fasting, and,
as soon as he arrived at his destination in

158 The Venerable Father Aloysius Mary Solari, S.J.

Naples,' he went without taking rest or
refreshment to shut himself up in the
chapel before the Blessed Sacrament.
Sometimes while passing through the cor-
ridors he would stop and remain motion-
less as if rapt in spirit. His love of cor-
poral mortification was so great that
superiors had to watch over him to check
him. His desire of the foreign missions
never deserted him, and when he died,
he had been already destined by the
General of the Society, Father Roothan,
for the Missions of the .^gean Sea.

DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART
OF JESUS.

The devotion to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus is in our day universal. But at
the beginning of the present century, it,
had many opponents, although so often
approved and defended by the Holy
See. The opposition came mainly from
the spirit of Jansenism, which found
itself in direct opposition to the spirit
of the devotion. Father Solari, when a
boy at school, read the life of Blessed
Margaret Mary Alacoque, and it was
probably the reading of this book that
attracted him to the Order which was
commissioned by our Lord to propagate
the devotion to the Heart of Jesus. He
began this apostolate among his fellow
students at the University of Genoa. It
is not surprising, then, that his attach-
ment to the devotion and his zeal for its
spread took very deep root in his heart
during his noviceship. From that time
forward he was accustomed to have fre-
quently on his lips the following verses
which he himself composed :

II Cuor del mio bene

Tutt' arso d'amore,

II Cuor del mio cuore,

II Cuor de Gesu.

The Heart of my Beloved
All burns with love,
The Heart of my heart
The Heart of Jesus.

When he was professor, first in Turin
and afterwards at Naples, his school-

room was the field of his apostolic work.
The themes which he set his scholars
always contained some allusion to the
Heart of Jesus and Mary. Then, as
now, it was the custom in the colleges of
the Society to excite emulation among
the students by dividing them into two
opposing camps of Romans and Cartha-
ginians, who wage relentless and blood-
less battles with pen and tongue. Father
Solari substituted for the old historic
rivals the two departments of Jesus and
Mary. At Naples he placed a picture
of the Sacred Heart on the door of his
class-room, and woe to the boy who
neglected to salute it as he passed.

He continued the same apostolate in
the Roman College among his fellow-
students of the Society, and their fervor
wonderfully increased. His letters reveal
this tender devotion to the Sacred Heart.
In one written from Naples in 1828 to a
relative, he says: " I rejoice with you
and your sister that you have propagated
devotion to the Sacred Heart in the
Church of St. Peter. What spiritual
and temporal favors are in store for you
and your children ! What inestimable
treasures of merit may you not promise
yourselves from the Divine Heart, which
is so pleased with this devotion, and has
promised to shower down blessings on
those who practise and spread such a
tender and excellent and fitting devo-
tion ! You could not, I assure you,
have given me more consoling news than
this." He then goes on to treat at
length of the many practical ways of
spreading the devotion.

In 1829 he wrote from Benevento to
his sister Rose : "Be sure to have a beau-
tiful picture of the Sacred Heart in the
church of the future Hospice (an institu-
tion he was instrumental in founding at
Chiavari), exposed to public veneration.
If you love me, help me to extend this
attractive devotion, which I long to be
able to spread throughout the world,
coupled with that of the Sacred Heart
of Mary."

In every sermon he preached there

The Venerable F'ather Aloysius Mary Solari, S.J. 159

was mention of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus. He founded at Benevento the
Confraternity of the Sacred Heart and
preached to its members on the First
Friday of every month with great fervor.
At recreation with those of his com-
munity he could not speak of anything
but the love of Jesus ; and he went so
far in this that his superiors used to re-
commend him to moderate it. In his
daily meditation he invariably introduced
some point relating to the Sacred Heart.
On the very Friday morning when he
was seized with his last illness, he
preached on devotion to the Sacred
Heart in such a way that one who heard
him wrote: " If your Reverence had
heard that sermon you would have said,
' This is the last sermon from Father
Solari. ' He made a resume of his for-
mer sermons, explained the nature of
solid devotion to the Sacred Heart, and
concluded with a stirring exhortation to
practise it. ' '

LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.

It is not known whether the day of his
death was revealed to Father Solari, but
it is certain that he spoke many times as
if he had that knowledge. He gives
some indication of it in his last letters to
his relatives, especially in one written to
his mother in the month of July, 1829,
the month before his death. He said
also one day to a lay-brother of the house
that he would soon die. On the first
Friday of the month of August, he was
taken with a fever, the nature of which
the doctors could not well determine, so
one called it brain fever, another spotted
fever, and another nettle-rash. After
several days he appeared to be well again,
but it was an illusion ; the spots disap-
peared, but the disease was inwardly
progressing. The day before his death,
he told those about him that the morrow
would be the last day of his life ; an
opinion that was shared in by no one.
He then called his confessor to make his
last confession, and begged that Extreme
Unction should be administered to him.

The following day all admitted that the
disease had taken a change for the worse.
Notwithstanding the weakness of his
stomach, which rejected the least thing
he took, he was able to receive the Via-
ticum. When he was anointed, he bade
farewell to many of his brethren, as one
about to start on a distant journey, and
then turned his thoughts heavenward.
He joined in when the prayers for the
dying were recited, and repeated to him-
self many ejaculations. When the end
came he laid his hands on his breast in
the form of a cross, and breathed his last,
with his eyes turned toward heaven,
about the hour of noon, on Thursday,
August 27, 1829.

A missionary of the Precious Blood
who was present at his death, expressed
the sentiments of all when he exclaimed:
"This is the death of a saint !" During
ike progress of his illness, the whole city
of Benevento was interested in hearing
the latest news about him, and many
were the prayers offered for his recovery.
As soon as he was dead, there was uni-
versal mourning. At his funeral it was
found necessary to put barriers around
the bier, so eager were the people to
secure some memorial of him. The
Fathers who watched his remains, as they
lay in an open coffin, were kept busy
touching them with the rosaries to satisfy
the devotion of the people. Some of
them even sent candles afterwards to be
lighted at his grave, where many went to
pray and weep. The Fathers of the
community, foreseeing the honor that was
in store for him in after times, decided to
have him buried in a closed coffin, such
as we see in general use nowadays.

THE FAME OF HIS SANCTITY.

Father Solari' s reputation for holiness
was very widespread, even during his
life. It was the fame of his sanctity
chiefly that drew great crowds to the
church of the Society at Benevento when-
ever it was known that he was to preach.
Although other Fathers who had some
claim to eloquence succeeded him

i6o

Ash Wednesday.

they never brought such crowds to hear
them. In 1869, his sister Rose, accom-
panied by her two sons, who were priests,
visited Benevento, to pray at his tomb,
and although forty years had elapsed
since his death, she learned from some
aged canons who had known him, how
his memory was held in veneration.
When there was question of receiving
Father Solari's sister into the congrega-
tion of the Sisters of Mercy, Father
Minini, S.J., said to one who consulted
him : "Certainly, receive her, she is the
sister of a saint, who perhaps will be one
day venerated on the altar. ' ' His mother
used to say to her grandchildren, when
she would show them Father Solari's
room : "Respect this room in reverence,
for it is the room of a saint." In Naples
he was commonly called an angel, on
account of his modesty and recollection.
When there was question of his being
sent as a missionary to the islands of the
^Egean Sea, the Fathers of the house de-
clared that the wonders of the apostolate
of St. Francis Xavier would be renewed
in him. Even during his life, material
was collected for his biography ; and a
Father in Benevento had such confi-
dence in his intercession with God, that
he begged a certain favor by means of a
letter which he placed in the tomb of
of Father Solari. The Rector of the

Jesuit college at Naples, as soon as he
learned of the death of the saintly Father,
assembled the whole community and de-
clared him holy during life, at death, and
after death. He and others were of
opinion that his soul was not detained in
Purgatory. The Fathers of Benevento
concluded a letter, which they wrote two
days after his death, with these words :
"Everyone of us looks forward to the day
which the Lord God for His great glory
may make manifest."

That day seems to be near at hand,
for the preliminary processes before the
Ordinary have been successfully gone
through at Benevento and Genoa, and
the cause of his Beatification was pre-
sented to the Congregation of Rites on
April 27, 1894. The cause of Father So-
lari will be watched by all with much in-
terest on account of his connection with
the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and by
the brethren of the Society of Jesus, for
the additional reason that he is the first
member of the restored Society whose
cause has been so far advanced. Many
special graces obtained through his inter-
cession, especially in Naples and Bene-
vento, are reported, which are at present
the subject of inquiry by ecclesiastical
authority. May this great apostle of the
Sacred Heart intercede for the Apostle-
ship of Prayer and all its Associates!

ASH WEDNESDAY.

By S. T. Smith,

ASHES of penance ! Ashes of vain desires !
Ashes of memories, blown so wide and far !
Upon my brow before the altar fires,
The priestly hand hath traced the Stem and Bar.
" Remember, thou ! " he said unto my soul,
' ' Thus, even thus shall end the years' long roll
In ashes light as these, as pale, and worth
Less as a sigh. For this God gave thee birth ?
Nay ! For the Cross. And, as I sign and seal,
The welcomed Cross doth only wound to heal. ' '
The welcomed Cross ! Be forty days for me
Companionship and service, Lord, with Thee !
I bring the ashes of my life. Thy touch
Kindles to flame the love that loveth much.

PRIESTS IN PARISHES.

GENERAL INTENTION FOR FEBRUARY, 1899.

Recommended to our Prayers by His Holiness, Leo XIII.

TT ^E pray for our priests continually.
V/V We join with them in the
august prayer of the Mass, and
we kneel with them before the Blessed
Sacrament exposed, invoking blessings
upon them through whose ministry we
have the inestimable blessings of Christ's
Eucharistic Presence. Our eyes and
our hearts follow them as they go about
their ways of mercy, and our lips utter
only blessings on their work. Nor do we
forget them when death deprives us of
their presence; we inscribe their names
where the faithful may read them as they
enter the house of prayer, and without
ceasing we sing our requiems on the
anniversaries of their departure.

It is right that we should pray for all
those who are "ordained for men in
the things that appertain to God," since,
as our mediators with God, they all must
offer gifts and sacrifices for our sins. It
is, therefore, most proper and natural
that we should pray unremittingly for
priests whose occupations bring them
directly and constantly into contact with
ourselves, whose lives and energies are
devoted to our welfare, and who by a wise
constitution of the Church dwell in our
midst in such close and familiar relations
with us as to form with us the household
of the faith, shepherds keeping their
flocks in the great fold of the Chief
Pastor, and able to say for their several

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sheep, as He says of all : "I know
mine and mine know me. ' '

A parish is wholly a Catholic creation.
It is so constituted as to enable bishops and
priests to carry out the design of Christ
in appointing Peter to be his Vicar, with
the Apostles, His disciples and their suc-
cessors to take His place in extending
the benefits of the Redemption to souls.
Its object is to make certain priests and
their assistants responsible for the salva-
tion of a definite body of people, to
whom they are to give the most careful
personal attention. The priests of a
parish are in every case selected and ap-
pointed by the bishop ; the parishioners
usually are those who dwell within a
certain district, also determined by the
bishop, though sometimes those who
dwell beyond the limits of a parish may
become parishioners by fulfilling certain
conditions which the bishop again must
name. In any case the parish priests
must live among the faithful confided to
their care, and dedicate their whole life
to the welfare of the parish. As much
as possible they are to remain with their
several flocks, so as to know them
thoroughly, watch them growing from
infancy to mature age, study their char-
acters, observe their needs, recognize
their various capabilities, and be ready
always to keep them from error, to pre-
vent them from falling, to confirm them

161

162

General Intention.

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in virtue, and inspire them with zeal.
The priest in a parish is verily a spiritual
father to the souls under his care, and
gladly do the faithful give him this title,
and all the love and veneration it calls for.

Since, therefore, we are always the
special objects of their paternal solicitude,
since we are ever in their prayers, we
should not ask why we are invited to pray
especially at this time for those for whom
we pray at all times. Much as we may
pray for them we cannot realize how
frequent and fervent our prayers for them
should be without recalling, from time to
time, how w^ell they deserve and how
greatly they need our prayers, and how
our own obligations of gratitude and piety
should move us to make intercession for
them above all other men.

The priests who build up and maintain
our parishes deserve our special prayers
at all times, because they sacrifice them-
selves for our benefit and devote their
lives to labor for our salvation. In the
spirit of the chief duty of the priesthood,
which is to offer up sacrifices for sins,
they begin by making their own sacrifice,
leaving house and brethren, sisters, father
and mother, wife and children, lands,
and all things, in the name of Christ.
To be entirely conformed to Him, the
great High Priest, they leave home and
kindred, and go to dwell in the company
of their fellow priests ; consecrated for
the exercise of divine worship and for
the administration of holy things, they
withdraw as much as possible, not merely
from the evil influences of the world, but
even from its lawful and innocent asso-
ciations, lest anything earthly should dis-
tract them from the things that appertain
to God, lest the things that are their own
might keep them from the things that are
Jesus Christ's, and lest secular ties, pur-
suits, or pleasures might hinder them
from working for our good. They are
in the world but not of it, they stand
apart, not to live solely for themselves,
but the better to help us ; they are never
aloof from us, because they are constituted
mediators between God and men.

The sacrifice a priest must make before
receiving Holy Orders cannot be esti-
mated by simply enumerating the things
he must leave or forsake. It must be
measured by the generosity with which
it is made, by the fact that it is to be
lifelong, and by the motive of charity
which prompts him to make it for others
as well as for himself. Its earnestness
also must be considered, for it is made in
all sincerity and with every possible
precaution to persevere in the life of
privation thus begun, by sworn submis-
sion to the authority of the Bishop and^
other ecclesiastical authorities, by giving
up the opportunities of engaging in com-
mercial life to live in a spirit of poverty,
and by a promise, which is considered as
binding as a vow, to lead a life ot celi-
bacy, so as to be forever and entirely free
to work for God's glory and for the sal-
vation of souls.

How well our priests deserve our pray-
ers by the sacrifices they make in order
to dedicate themselves to labor for our
welfare, we can only judge when we
remember that no men in the world re-
alize more clearly than they the nature
and extent of that sacrifice, experiencing,
as they do, its hardships already in their
seminary life. The sacrifice once made,
the priest who is to engage in parish
work assumes the responsibility and obli-
gations of his office, which also have been
explained to him most thoroughly during
the seminary course, and put before him
in the solitude ot retreat to be measured
and weighed solemnly in God's presence,
so that no man entering a profession is
made to study its responsibilities as con-
scientiously as our candidates for the
priesthood. With this clear knowledge
of what he is undertaking for oar sake,
the young priest generously enters the
labors of his vocation, and the experience
of each day but makes his sense of re-
sponsibility all the more vivid and trying,
and his obligations more numerous and
exacting.

With responsibility comes labor, the
never-ending lot of a priest who gives

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General Intention.

163

himself to parish work. Indeed, in cer-
tain religious orders, the consecrated
>rm used to designate a priest engaged
parish duty is the significant Latin
;rm operarius, or workman in the sanc-
lary or pulpit on Sunday, in the confes-
sional or parochial office, in the schools
or. homes of his parishioners the rest of
the week, from early morning until late
at night. His night' s resfoften disturbed,
and his day laden with cares, he is con-
stantly weighed down in body and mind,
and often unable from sheer fatigue and
ceaseless demands on his time, to devote
himself to all his high and holy tasks as
he longs to do. He is responsible for
saving and perfecting every soul under
his care as well as his own, and instead
of being free to meditate and study spiri-
tual books, or even to prepare his ser-
mons properly, too frequently his very
thanksgiving after Holy Mass is inter-
rupted, and one duty presses upon an-
other so rapidly that he barely finds time
for reading his Office, and with difficulty
can recollect his thoughts sufficiently for
this pious duty. The catechism class and
the schoolroom, the parish register and
account books, the adornment of the
sanctuary and the altar, the training of
altar boys, the management of a choir,
the direction of pious and benevolent
associations, and the constant adminis-
tration of the sacraments, baptisms, mar-
riages, First Communion and Confir-
mation classes, sick calls and funerals, the
instruction of converts, and all the special
cases of poor to be relieved, the distressed
to be comforted, the afflicted to be con-
soled, of scandals to be averted or re-
paired, of injustice to be exposed, of
crimes to be prevented, of wrong to be
righted, of virtue to be protected and
sustained, — these are only the ordinary
tasks of a priestly life, not to mention the
special and extraordinary occupations or
solicitudes with which every faithful priest
is invariably charged.

The priest's parochial duties are, there-
fore, so numerous and so supernatural in
their nature as to require extraordinary

helps of divine grace, and the special
favor of divine providenqe for their ac-
complishment. Difficult as they are in
themselves, they are doubly so in our
country where our parishes are still but
quasi or missionary parishes. With com-
paratively few exceptions they are con-
stantly changing. A parish is scarcely
built up and completely established be-
fore the change begins; now it is a change
of parish limits, or new people come to
dwell within the limits, while old parish-
ioners move away, and this change means
new requirements, and different resour-
ces; again a church must be renovated or
replaced by a larger and finer struc-
ture, or rectory, school, society rooms
and library must be provided, and
in many dioceses all this material work
devolves upon the priest: he is thus made
responsible for the temporal as well as for
the, spiritual interests of his parish, and
that one or other of these interests does
not suffer is due only to the self-sacrifice
and devotion with which our pastors and
their assistants apply themselves to both.
Surely our parish priests need our
prayers quite as much as they deserve
them. If their hands are constantly up-
lifted in prayer for us, we must needs
stand by to keep them uplifted when
human infirmity leaves them unable to
sustain their many burdens. They need
our prayers to keep up their disposition
and desire for their own and our perfec-
tion, when all around them is a world of
disorder, indifference, lukewarmness, in-
gratitude, discontent and depravity.
They need our prayers to sustain their
zeal in spite of the discouragement which
seizes their spirit when they are left with-
out resources or cooperation, and con-
fronted with apparent failure, or met by
contradiction. They need our prayers
to keep their faith strong and vivid, their
confidence unwavering, their prudence
at once simple and wary, their fortitude
indomitable and their reverence for holy
things so conspicuous, as to compel and
justify the pious reverence we have for
them.

1 64

The Two Victories.

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We might go on forever enumerating
the needs of a priest in parish work and
his titles to our prayers. When all is said,
each one of us can quietly recall the
special blessings we owe to their minis-
tration. Suppose for a moment — and
may God avert the misfortune ! — that
their number should be lessened, that
their spirit of piety and zeal should fail,
or that they should be taken from us, as
in some European countries, or prevented
from devoting themselves freely to our
welfare. Without making the supposition,
we have reason to know too well how
many of our brethren in our own country
are falling away from the faith for want
of priests, and too often we have to de-
plore the good left undone and the evils
caused by priests who are careless and
indolent, worldly and even faithless to
their holy calling. ' ' Like people, like
priest," was a saying of the prophets, and
it means that our lot is bound up with
theirs, and that as we depend on them
for instruction, example, and all the sacra-
mental channels of grace, so they in
turn, look to us for our prayers and for
the encouragement afforded them by
our cooperation with them, and for the

benefits we derive from their ministry-
We must therefore pray for the priests
who are building and maintaining our
parishes and laboring night and day for
our welfare, that their number may be in-
creased so that every hamlet in our land
and in the territory lately brought under
our control, may have the blessing of
their ministry, that they may grow in piety
and zeal, and impart their own spirit to
ourselves so abundantly that the Catholic
life, thus engendered and propagated,
may compel not only the admiration of
sectarians and unbelievers, but also by
divine grace, their acceptance of our holy
faith. While blessing God for His mercy
in providing us with so many good and
zealous priests, who go about their work
quietly and humbly with so much con-
solation for our souls, we must pray that
the good work they are doing may be
multiplied by the proper cooperation of
the laity, that their holy lives and ex-
ample may influence even those who do
not believe as we do, to recognize the
divine forces at work in our holy religion,
and that God may make every one of
them "a faithful priest, who shall do ac-
cording to my heart, and my soul."

THE TWO VICTORIES.

Bv F. S.

SOME years ago, I attended a mili-
tary hospital in one of our cities,
where self-sacrificing religious gen-
erously devoted themselves to the care
of the sick and wounded. They had
consecrated their labors to the Sacred
Heart with the earnest supplication that
not one soldier confided to their devoted-
ness should leave this world unprepared
to appear before God. To this end,
they had attached a Scapular of the
Sacred Heart to every bed, remitting
with entire confidence each soul to the
mercy of the Divine Heart, while they

lavished most tender cares on the wounds
of their mangled bodies.

One day, a young officer was brought
in, whose state excited the deepest com-
passion, and the efforts of the attending
physician to relieve him only aggravated
his excruciating torture ; however, a
strong constitution gave a slight ray of
hope. Morning and evening, the visits
of the doctor occasioned such acute
suffering to the patient that his compan-
ions could scarcely bear to witness the
cruel operations. Every time his wounds
were probed, they were found more

(37)

The Two Victories.

165

fatal; soon all hope was abandoned, and
the Christian doctor expressed to the
gentle religious his wish that something
might be done for the soul of the un-
happy man, whose condition at this
moment was most critical. The patient
was morose and insensible to every other
thought than that of his agonizing pain.
The Sister, at the same time his nurse
and good angel, at first sought only to
make him endure patiently his awful
sufferings. Who would not accept a
word of kindness at such an hour ?
What nature would not incline towards
a religion which is our only support when
all else fails ? Instinctively, the eyes of
the dying man rested on the little scapu-
lar suspended at the foot of his bed. As
he gazed on the image of that meek and
merciful Heart, his cries of anguish and
distress were changed to this touching
prayer : My God ! My God ! In spite
of his state he still clung to the hope of
life, but there were moments when almost
in despair he wished at any price to end
his existence. One night in a paroxysm
of pain, he called for some one to shoot
him and thus free him from such misery.
The Sister approached his bed and tried
by gentle words, drawn from the Sacred
Heart, to soothe the anguish of his soul.
Seeing him somewhat calmer, she spoke
of the disquietude of the physician in his
regard, adding that the interest she felt
in his eternal welfare would no longer
permit her to dissimulate the gravity of
his condition. " You tell me there is no
hope ! " he cried. " Impossible ! " It
must be acknowledged resignation was
difficult for a man in the flower of his
age, already decorated with the highest
military honors and captivated by the
seductions of the world. ^Danger, how-
ever, was not immediate. The next
morning I visited him again, but alas !
my ministry was refused. This was a de-
lay, but not a defeat, for his soul was in
the keeping of the Sacred Heart, in which
no one has ever vainly trusted. It should
certainly be a miracle, such as has never
yet been wrought, nor shall ever be seen,

if that royal Heart were wanting to them
that rely upon its aid,'Or if it did not
hasten to their assistance. Meanwhile fer-
vent prayers ascended in the patient's
behalf to the Throne of Mercy, and I
was asked to make a second attempt.
Grace had done its work, the Sacred
Heart had triumphed. The young
officer made his confession with senti-
ments of deep contrition and prepared
with true devotion for the reception of
the Holy Eucharist. Reminiscences of
childhood being awakened, carried him
back in spirit to that happy day, when
for the first and probably the only time
in life, his heart had been the dwelling
of his Saviour. After a fervent thanks-
giving he renewed with great fervor the
promises of baptism, and when an Act
of Consecration to our Immaculate
Mother was suggested to him, he gladly
acquiesced. During this little ceremony,
the countenance which heretofore had
worn an expression of suffering and sor-
row, shone with hope and joy. Weak-
ness gradually increased, and as the pallor
of death overspread his features, he
gently murmured: "Oh! how good
God has been to me ! " and in these
dispositions passed from this vale of tears
to bless eternally the infinite mercy of
the adorable Heart of Jesus.

Another miracle of mercy has recently
come under our notice manifesting again
the unlimited power of the Sacred Heart
over the most wayward of its creatures,
proving once more the miraculous virtue
of that little talisman, the Scapular of the
Sacred Heart.

Miss M. made a practice of giving daily
to the first person she met a Scapular of
the Sacred Heart. One Friday, last
June, a man selling strawberries called
at her residence and according to
her custom, she presented him a
scapular. At first he appeared startled,
but when she told him to put it on,
he obeyed. Some hours later, the man
returned to her palatial home, and asked
to see Miss M. alone, which impu-
dent request was refused. He mani-

1 66

The Boy Savers.

(38)

fested such distress and insisted so ear-
nestly that the interview was permitted,
the mother of the young lady remaining
within calling distance. As Miss M.
entered the room, the visitor of the
morning, telling her not to fear, mysteri-
ously closed the door. Great was her
surprise when the unhappy man informed
her that she had that day prevented the
commission of an enormous crime, as it
had been his intention to kill his wife.
The dread deed consummated, he
planned escape on the first train leaving
the city. When he placed the little
scapular on his breast, remorse seized
him, and some hours later he determined
to seek his benefactress, acknowledge his
guilty design and beg her to release the
intended victim, who at that moment
was locked up in one of the rooms of her
house. Imploring light and strength
from above, Miss M. spoke to him of
the love of the Heart of Jesus for his im-
mortal soul, and after many fruitless
attempts, finally convinced him of the

necessity of seeking pardon in the Sacra-
ment of Penance. A good priest, to
whom Miss M. recommended this poor
man, took a deep interest in him; many
interviews resulted in a fervent retreat
from which the penitent came forth a
changed person, and has since led an
edifying life.

How encouraging are these facts which
exemplify the promises made by our
dear Saviour to His faithful disciple,
Blessed Margaret Mary, the Apostle of
Devotion to the Sacred Heart, who as-
sures us on the part of her Divine Mas-
ter, that we shall want for help only when
His Heart shall want power! If, then,
these little Scapulars are as a spark en-
kindling in a soul the love of the Heart
of Jesus, bringing it back to the sweet
empire of grace, with what zeal should
we not spread them, recalling the words
of our Lord Himself: " Those who pro-
pagate this devotion shall have their
names written in My Heart, and they
shall never be effaced."

THE BOY SAVERS.

JUVENILE USE OF BILLIARDS, POOL AND CARDS.

LAST month, we outlined a deience
for those who would offer the
above pastimes to lads in their
teens. Opponents cry " away with such
games ; they will lead our boys to
saloons." On the contrary, provide
these games, say we, and thus prevent
young people from filling saloons.

Concerning billiards and pool in par-
ticular; there is a fact, generally un-
noticed and unknown by critics : these
amusements usually excite no permanent
interest, but merely a short-lived, though
passionate attachment. A little practice
at driving billiard balls eliminates from
the game much of the delectable element
of chance, and develops something un-
pleasantly suggestive of skilled labor. As
we were once informed by a retired ex-

pert of fifteen summers, "when a feller
gits so he knows how ter make shots, de
fun is most gone. ' '

Amusement seekers soon tire of the
cue, as saloon proprietors well know,
hence, these unworthies usually regard
cushioned games, not as permanent fix-
tures but in the light of passing novelties.
Saloon tables are great travellers. A
dozen of them trundled about town,
halting now at this bar, and again at
another, like Indian strategists, take on
semblance of great numbers by simply re-
appearing in several different places. In
Young Men's Clubs, also, the above two
games frequently pall, and to the extent
of suffering exclusion. Indeed, the boys'
rendezvous would have to relate simik
experience, only for its sustained copious

(39)

The Boy Savers.

i67

influx of new members, all of whom be-
gin by enthusiastically contemplating the
green table surface as if a most delicious
oasis amidst the arid deserts of life.

Conjointly with this, consider another
feature of the situation : By consenting
to saloon monopoly over these innocent
games, you drive the vast majority of even
God-fearing, young men into drinking
places for that trial of the cue which they
ivill inevitably make. Be not deceived by
imagining that boys can be successfully
turned against future patronage of the
amusements in question. They grow up
with pleasing anticipations concerning
these choice games that '•' the men play,'
and in passing glistening doors, give eager
heed to the wondrous, clicking balls. After
a few years, these young auditors will be-
gin their pool noviceship — to be pro-
fessed, at least for a season or two — and
the period thus occupied will find them
saloon habitues.

Therefore, observers are thoughtlessly
and needlessly horrified that, in a pure
moral atmosphere, lads of thirteen crowd
about pool tables. The earlier this, the
better. The vast majority of our boys
will soon tire of the cue: let them, there-
fore, have full use of the same, and be
done with it before reaching the age that
admits into drinking resorts. Let them
in early years " work off the fever," and
thus become immunes, able to withstand
climatic moral evils of social life.

No doubt, through juvenile attach-
ment to the cue, an occasional lad ends
sadly enough, by permanently accepting
saloon hospitality, just as vaudeville
actors of low type sometimes begin de-
velopment in school theatricals, but be
assured that, while one youth may lapse
from early billiards or pool to alcoholism,
a dozen of his companions obtain happy
satiety of these games which averts their
otherwise inevitable patronage of saloons.

The foregoing reasoning, confidently
advanced regarding amusements that
quickly pall, is not, however, applicable
to cards. These latter remain a joy for-
ever, because always handy, while de-

pendent less on skilful play than on
Dame Fortune's favors bestowed in shuf-
fling and deal.

The situation thus created is more
serious than the one just considered.
Cardplay in general certainly inclines to
cardplay in the saloon; and, do what you
will, cards boys are going to plav. Posi-
tive restrictions on this point only alien-
ate the youthful crowd. The most that
can be done is to check the game very
considerably by inducing its patrons to
interest themselves in other forms of
amusement.

The club that excludes cards suffers
disastrous lack of membership; hence we
advise a policy of toleration, if only to
secure the following that is to be led into
new fields of recreation. Gambling must,
of course, be under severest ban, but
legitimate play should be mercifufly per-
mitted in the interest of many boys ready
to '''suffer expatriation out of loyalty to
their favorite game.

There need be no fear that such liber-
ality will increase the local contingent of
card devotees. On the contrary, since
a well equipped club actively weans boys
from objectionable sports, less attention
will be given to spades and diamonds
when all of their young patrons flock to
the rendezvous, and there learn to play
at something else; but card games will
not decrease as long as players, debarred
from the amusement centre, are returned
to former haunts, which offer scarcely
any indoor diversion save this very one
that ought to be checked.

While undertaking at once to permit
and discourage cards, the writer has
found great advantage in obliging mem-
bers to carry their playing packs to and
from the club; this arrangement saves
trouble for attendants, while rendering
the greater service of gently directing
youthful visitors to safer amusements.

In the present instance chronic boyish
heedlessness, for once, serves a purpose.
Tell a lad that cards may not be used in
the rooms, and he will become a deserter
for the sake of enjoying them. On the

i68

De Gaudiis Paradisi.

(40)

other hand, effusively bid him to bring
his own cards, for play, to the rooms, and
half of the time, out of forgetfulness, he
and his chums will arrive in empty-
handed readiness for other pastimes. In
this way, cards, even left idle at home,
become contributory to the cultivation of
amusements of better class. Sometimes
they lead to such pursuits as music, light
reading, etc. , in other instances, by de-
veloping taste for gymnastics and general
athletics, they place still stronger barriers
to saloon frequentation.

We believe the foregoing arguments
justify boyish use of billiards, pool and
cards, even when associated religious in-
fluences are not at all considered. How-
ever, our position becomes immeasurably
stronger when it is remembered that the

games in question are of unspeakable ad-
ditional value as attractions to a Catholic
recreation centre, wherein religion and
morality are actively cultivated.

It seems, then, a deplorable mistake
that the best of indoor pastimes should
be surrendered, with anathema, to the
evil one, because he has power to set
them up within the "wide gate," and
on the "broad way that leadeth to de-
struction." Rather, let. God's children
reclaim what is really their own. Let
them thwart the enemy by placing inno-
cent amusements — for cheer and encour-
agement, for temporal support and spirit-
ual gain — beside the "narrow gate,"
and along the ' ' straight path that
leadeth to life. ' '

DE GAUDIIS PARADISI

Attributed to Saint Augustine.

Ad perennis vitae fontem
Mens sitivit avida,
Claustra carnis praesto frangi
Clausa quaerit anima,
Gliscit, ambit, eluctatur
Exul frui patria.

Dum pressuris ac aerumnis
Se gemit obnoxium,
Quam amisit, dum deliquit,
Contemplatur gloriam,
Praesens malum auget boni
Perditi memoriam.

Nam quis promat summse pacis

Quanta sit laetitia,

Ubi vivis margaritis

Surgunt sedificia,

Auro celsa micant tecta,

Radiant triclinia.

Solis gemmis pretiosis
Haec structura nectitur ;
Auro mundo, tanquam vitro,
Urbis via sternitur,
Abest limus, deest fimus,
Lues nulla cernitur.

THE JOYS OF PARADISE,

Translation.

For the fount of life eternal
Panteth the enamored soul,
From its bonds th' imprisoned spirit
Seeketh freedom of control,
Exiled here it turns and flutters,
Struggling for its native goal.

When ' neath trial and confusion,
Pressed by misery and pain,
It beholds its glory clouded,
By the breath of deadly bane,
Present evil but enhanceth
Memory of a perished gain.

Who can voice the joy surpassing
Of that endless peace supreme,
Where the living pearls of beauty
In the lofty dwellings gleam,
Where the spacious halls and mansions
With a golden glory stream?

Precious are the gems compacted
In that palace, stone on stone,
Purest gold like unto crystal
Is upon the highway strown
Free of dust and spotless ever,
For no darkening stain is known.

De Gaudiis Paradisi.

169

Hi ems horrens, aestas torrens
Illic numquam aeviunt,
Flos perpetuus rosarum
Ver agit perpetuum,
Cadent lilia, rubescit
Crocus, sudat balsamum.

Virent prata, vernant sata,

Rivi mellis influunt,
igmentorum spirit odor,

Liquor et aromatum.
endent poma floridorum
on lapsura nemorum.

Non alternat luna vices,
1 vel cursus siderum,
gnus est felicis urbis

Lumen inocciduum,

Nox et tempus desunt ei,

Diem fert continuum.

Nam et sancti quique velut
Sol praeclarus rutilant,
Post triumphum coronati
Mutuo coniubilant,
Et prostrati pugnas hostis
lam securi numerant.

Omne labe defaecati
Carnis bella nesciunt,
Caro facta spiritalis
Et mens unum sentiunt,
Pace multa perfruentes
Scandalum non perferunt.

Mutabilibus exuti
Repetunt originem,
Et praesentem veritatis
Contemplantur speciem.
Hinc vitalem vivi fontis
Hauriunt dulcedinem.

Inde statum semper idem
Existendi capiunt,
Clari, vividi, jucundi
Nullis patent casibus,
Absunt morbi semper sanis,
Senectus juvenibus.

Hinc perenne tenent esse,
Nam transire transiit,
Inde virent, vigent, florent :
Corruptela corruit,
Immortalitatis vigor
Mortis jus absorbuit.

Blighting Winter, burning Summer
There no longer hold their sway,
Spring perpetual bright with roses,
Bloometh, knowing no decay :
Lilies glisten, crocus gleameth,
Balsam sendeth perfumed spray.

Verdant are the springing meadows
And the honied rivers flow,
Odors breathe their sweet aroma
As the spicy breezes blow,
In the groves, with fruit unfailing,
Leafy boughs are bending low.

There no fickle moon appeareth,
Nor do planets speed their way,
For the Lamb is light undying
Of that happy land alway,
Night and time are ever banished
For ' tis never ending day.

There the saints in light supernal
As a glorious sun-burst shine,
Crowned triumphant then, exulting
In an Vcstacy divine,
They recount their glorious conquests
With the raging foe in line.

Free from stain, their battle over,
E'en the flesh is glorified;
Flesh transfigured, with the spirit,
Doth in harmony abide,
Peaceful with a holy stillness
Troubled by no sinful tide.

Freed from weight of all mutation,
To their source they swiftly rise,
On the Face of Truth eternal
Gazing with enraptured eyes,
Thence to draw reviving sweetness
From the fount of Paradise.

They rejoice in changeless being,
Glory in a steadfast will,
Lit with vivifying rapture,
Subject to no passing ill,
Sickness flying, health undying,
Though eternal, youthful still,

Thus they have perennial being,

For transition now is o'er,

Thus they flourish, bloom and flower,

Ne'er decaying, as of yore.

Strong with an immortal vigor,

Death is conquered evermore.

De Gaudiis Paradisi.

(42)

Qui scientem cuncta sciunt
Quid nescire nequeunt,
Nam et pectoris arcana
Penetrant alterutrum
Unum volunt, unum nolunt,
Unitas et mentium.

Licet cuiquam sit diversum
Pro labore meritum,
Caritas hoc facit suum,
Quod dum amat alterum,
Proprium sit singulorum
Fit commune omnium.

Ubi corpus, illic jure
Congregantur aquilae ;
Quo cum angelis et sanctae
Recreantur animae,
Uno pane vivunt cives
Utriusque patriae.

Avidi et semper pleni,
Quod habent desiderant,
Non satietas fastidit,
Neque fames cruciat,
Inhiantes semper edunt
Et edentes inhiant.

Novas semper melodias,
Vox meloda concrepat,
Et in jubilum prolata,
Mulcent aures organa,
Digna per quern sunt victores
Regi dant praeconia.

Felix cceli quse praesentem
Regem cernit anima,
Et sub sede spectat alta
Orbis volvi machinam
Solem, lunam et globosa
Cum planetis sidera !

Christe, palma bellatorum,
Hoc in municipium
Introduc me post solutum
Militare cingulum,
Fac consortem me donetur
Beatorum civium !

Probes vires inexhausto

Laboranti praelio ;

Nee quietem post procinctum

Deneges emerito,

Teque merear potiri

Sine fine pnemio.

Knowing Him who knoweth all things,
In all knowledge they delight,
E'en the secret of each bosom,
Charmeth now each ravished sight,
One in mind, in will, in spirit,
They in all of good unite.

" Star shall differ," for the glory

Is apportioned to the pain,

But in bond of sweet communion,

Charity doth so ordain,

That the treasure each possesseth

Shall enrich the common gain.

To the body flock the eagles,
For the royal feast is spread,
Saints and Angels rest together,
On celestial bounty fed;
Citizens of earth and heaven,
Seek the one life-giving bread.

Famished yet restored with plenty,
What they have they yet desire,
Sated, yet they languish never,
Nor doth hunger ever tire.
Ever longing they are feasting,
Yet to feast they still aspire.

Songs of melody enchanting
Their melodious voices raise,
String and psaltery are mingled
With the jubilee of lays,
Offering to the King eternal
Homage of the victor's praise.

Happy soul to whom the vision
Of the Heavenly King is known,
Who hath seen the vast creation
Circling 'neath His lofty throne,
Sun and moon and sphery splendor
In their varied beauty shown.

Thou, O Christ, the palm of battle,
Lead me to Thy land of rest,
When I shall have loosed the sword-belt,
Cast the buckler from my breast,
Make me sharer in the guerdon
Thou bestowest on the blest.

Prove the valor of Thy warrior
WThen the din of war is rife,
But refuse not sweet refreshment
To the victor after strife,
Be Thyself my prize eternal,
Thou, my everlasting life.

THE ANNUNCIATION.

ST. LUKE explains this mystery
the first chapter of his Gospel.

And in the sixth month [after
the birth of John the Baptist], the Angel
Gabriel was sent from God into a city of
Galilee called Nazareth. To a virgin es-
poused to a man whose name was Joseph,
and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the Angel being come in, said
unto her : Hail full of grace : The Lord
is with thee : Blessed art thou among
women.

Who having heard, was troubled at
the saying, and thought with herself what
manner of salutation this should be.

And the Angel said to her : Fear
not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with
God. Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and
thou shalt call his name Jesus:

He shall be great, and shall be called
the Son of the most High, and the
Lord God shall give unto him the throne
of David his father : and he shall reign

(43)

in the house of Jacob forever. And
of his kingdom there shall be no end.
And Mary said to the Angel :
How shall this be done because I
know not man ?

And the Angel answering said to
her : The Holy Ghost shall come
u\)on thee, and the power of the
most High shall overshadow thee,
and therefore also the Holy which
shall be born of thee, shall be called
the Son of God.

And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she
also hath conceived a son in her old age;
and this is the sixth month with her that
is called barren : Because no word shall
be impossible with God.

And Mary said : Behold the handmaid
of the Lord, be it done to me according
to thy word, and the Angel departed from
her. "

The mystery, known as the Annuncia-
tion, is, therefore, the Incarnation of the
Son of God. The Second Person of the
Blessed Trinity, the Eternal Word of the
Father, His Only Begotten Son, born of
Him before all ages, was made flesh in
the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as-
suming our human nature in its integrity,
a body and soul, real and in all things
endowed like ours, and made it truly His
own, uniting it so closely to His divine
nature, without, however, confounding
the two, that it could be truly called
His own body, and the Virgin Mother of
whom He was born the Mother of God.

171

EDITORIAL.

INDIVIDUALISM VS. UNITY.

''Meanwhile Rome remains calm and
undisturbed, logically rejecting the indi-
vidualism that a persecuting Protestan-
tism first scorned and then embraced,"
are Dr. De Costa' s own words, as re-
ported in the daily papers of December
12. Which means that the Catholic
Church logically rejects selfishness in
every form in which it can manifest
itself, whether it be in the form of private
judgment or in the excessive attachment
to one's own will to the oversight, and
often to the positive injury, of others.
Logically is not the word here, though it
does express part of the fact ; the Church
rejects individualism instinctively, as the
source of every breach of God's great
law of love, and as the cause of disunion
among the members of Christ. The
right of the individual she protects, and
she promotes in every way the personal
development of each of her subjects ; in-
deed, the more one submits to her laws
and ordinances, the more completely is the
individual character preserved and per-
fected. It is not individuality that she
seeks to suppress, but individualism, or
the selfishness which aims at imposing
one's views on others, and at making
them contribute to one's own advance-
ment without due regard to the common
welfare and progress. Protestantism,
which is individualism in the extreme,
may well regret having embraced a prin-
ciple, which has produced so many hope-
lessly divided sects, and even within
each sect such hopeless disunion among
ministers and members.
172

AS OTHERS SEE US.

' ' They never descend to sensational-
ism ; institutional methods are not popu-
lar with them. They insist upon parish
limits, and compel their people to respect
them. They require all attendants upon
their churches to give. They invest the
Mass with a sacredness that no Catholic
thinks of disregarding. They exalt the
altar and bring the confessional into the
foreground, and by a system carefully
articulated and consistently put into
practice, they keep their adherents closely
tied to the church and carry on a suc-
cessful propaganda among Protestants. ' '
So spoke a Moderator of a Presbyterian
Assembly, quoted by Dr. De Costa, in
his tirade against Protestantism in the
Protestant Episcopal Church of the Re-
deemer, Sunday evening, December 12.
And the Presbyterian Moderator says
much that is true, and discerns very well,
from a natural point of view, some of
the causes of the vitality of our holy
religion. This is precisely the trouble.
These well meaning men either do not
understand what is meant by a superna-
tural religion, or they deal with all relig-
ious belief as if it were of purely human
origin. Still we may hope that either
they, or others prompted by their utter-
ances, will be led to investigate the truly
divine origin and character of a church
whose mere external discipline excites
such admiration.

THE CATHOLIC'S BEST ARGUMENT.

Apparently, Dr. De Costa is right, be-
cause Protestants cannot agree on any-
thing, even on the fact that their at-

(44)

(45)

Editorial.

173

tempt to make a religion is a failure. The
Rev. F. D. Luddington, of Shelton
Baptist Church, Derby, Connecticut,
contradicted the New York divine, and
said so many outrageous things against
the Catholic Church that his own con-
gregation rose up against him, and his
resignation is now before the Board of
Trustees of his church. Pending the ac-
ceptance of his resignation, the poor man
has been burned in effigy in various parts
of Derby, Shelton and Ansonia, as the
New York Herald of January 4, reports.
The people in these cities know too well
the virtue of the Catholic women in their
communities to tolerate Mr. Ludding-
ton's slanderous reflections on their vir-
tue, as reported in the local newspaper,
the Evening Sentinel for December 19.
Meantime, the two ministers are reported
to be exchanging letters, and the news-
papers hint that the Derby preacher may
have to answer in a suit for slander. It
is consoling to know that the people are
so much better informed and fair-minded
than their ministers, and that the Catho-
lics of Connecticut generally command
such respect. If heresy spreads, the
ministers are to blame; the good lives of
Catholics are the strongest proof of the
divinity of our holy religion.

OUR SALVATION ARMY.

We shall not need our army chaplains
much longer ; some of our generals and
colonels are ready to take their places.
It simplifies things to combine in one
and the same person, spiritual and civil
authority It is edifying, indeed, to see
our army officers so deeply interested in
the spiritual welfare of their men, but we
do not understand why officers only
should feel inspired, or take upon them-
selves the religious advancement of the
troops. Since this vocation is usually
considered to come from above, why
should not some of the men preach to
their officers ? Since there is question of
providing religious instruction and min-
istry not only for the army, but also for
the benighted Porto Ricans, Cubans and

Filipinos, at present under our care, may
it not be that our private soldiers will be
needed and that they will suffice to
evangelize the natives in their respective
territories ? It would be so economical
and effective in every way to have religion
preached by the men whom we send to
police the islands.

NOT TOO BAD FOR USE.

It seems that after all the monks in the
Philippines were not so bad, and, accord-
ing to the New York Herald, "one of
the most well informed [sic] men in
Spain," says that all they did was to
make the islands a "monastic colony,
the enormous profits of which went to
Rome and into the hands of chiefs of
various orders which exploited the archi-
pelago." The Universities in Manila
"distributed every year a great quantity
of diplomas to the natives, who thus
regarded^ themselves as young literary
men. " . . . The monks filled the
empty heads of the Tagalos with the
theory of Roman law and the philosophy
of St. Augustine and St. Thomas. Ma-
sonic lodges and Spanish liberal demo-
cratic newspapers quickly transformed
this kind of learning into revolutionary
aspirations and protests against an insup-
portable theocratic domination. ' ' That
was all; and since they constitute a power
in the country, they could be utilized,
"but their sphere of action, he thought,
should be limited to purely religious and
moral functions. " As if it were not a
religious function to teach, and to fill the
empty-headed Tagalos with the philoso-
phy of St. Augustine and St. Thomas.
With all this lofty knowledge, and with
the inner light and lectures of the lodge-
room, which, we presume, will also be
utilized, why concern ourselves about the
highly cultivated Filipino, unless, indeed,
we mean to profit by his knowledge of
Roman law, and his readings in the Doc-
tors of the Church, as we hope to profit
by the material products of his native
soil?

174

Editorial.

(46)

CAPTIVE TURNED CONQUEROR.

The most well informed Spaniard who
spoke with the correspondent was not al-
together wrong in his tribute to the high
grade of education given by the monks in
Manila, but he expressed himself as
ignorantly on this point as on every
other. The Independent, in an editorial
on "The Educational Outlook," in its
issue of December 29, pays the following
tribute to the higher education in Cuba,
Porto Rico and the Philippines, which is
quite remarkable after all we have been
hearing the past year about Spanish
ignorance and dread of civilization
generally.

"It is important," the Independent
says, ' ' at this moment in our national
life to emphasize the claims of higher
education. We have had much to do
with training inferior peoples, but in our
new possessions we encounter an un-
familiar class. For ages they have been
in contact with a civilization in which
higher education has been honored and
fostered. The leaders in all the con-
quered islands, Cuba, Porto Rico, and
the Philippines, are familiar with, and
many of them are formed upon, the hu-
manities; they have intellectual standards
by which to measure us. Moreover, we
shall come in touch with foreign diplo-
mats in respect to matters that have to
be settled by historical precedent rather
than upon a broad basis of principle.
Knowledge, comprehensive and minute,
must supplement the natural aptitudes
which have heretofore been the chief re-
liance of our diplomacy. ' '

So the new territories, which we shall
in all likelihood annex as colonies, under
the pretext of civilizing them, will force
and help us to improve our own civiliza-
tion. It is a hopeful sign that we are so far
emerging from the conceit of ignorance
as to admit that we have much to learn
from our elders.

ONLY ONE INSTANCE.

The Rev. T. J. Earley, of St. Peter's
Church of the Borough of Richmond,

New York, has succeeded in having a
public school teacher reprimanded and
punished for making remarks and criti-
cisms in her class of history which were
both untrue and prejudicial to the Catho-
lic Church. Even had she escaped pun-
ishment, Father Earley would have suc-
ceeded in showing how defective and
dangerous is any school system which en-
gages teachers who neither know nor re-
spect a doctrine which is at least as im-
portant as the branch of a science they
are employed to teach. Father Earley
has also succeeded in convincing a num-
ber of Catholic parents that they cannot
send their children to the public schools
without taking extraordinary precautions
to preserve them from shipwreck in their
faith, and he has put clearly on record
another instance of the abuses in our
much- cherished school system, which
even some pastors, who persist in prais-
ing it, will do well to examine.

A FIELD FOR FADDISTS.

If we cannot appreciate the benefits
of educating our children in Catholic
schools, and the importance of helping
pastors to make these as good as we de-
sire to see them, we should at least take
the trouble to know something of the de-
fects in the public school system, which
commonly receives such indiscriminate
praise. A Western educator has lately
shown the weak points of the system as
applied in the Empire City, and though
some members of our school board re-
sent his attack, they are painfully aware
that the Mayor of the city has the same
opinion of many of their methods as their
Western critic. The sensible superin-
tendents and teachers of our public schools
are raising an outcry against educational
fads. That the abuse is prevalent in
more than one city we can judge from the
repeated charges of our local newspapers,
which are well summarized in the editorial
of the Independent quoted above :

" One of the chief causes for alarm in
respect to the public schools is the ten-
dency to make them an experimental

(47)

Editorial.

175

field for faddists. Unfortunately, even
superintendents are found in this class,
and may sacrifice the interest of a whole
generation in the pursuit of crude fan-
tasies, psychological, sociological or
what-not."

NOT UNWELCOME.

The Superintendent of Education in
the State of New York says that nuns
employed as teachers in public schools
must give up their religious garb or go.
By this decision some few parishes will
lose the support they have been deriving
from the towns of which they form part,
but they will gain by having the nuns free
to give their children a thoroughly Catho-
lic education, without constant hindrance
and annoyance from officials of the city
and State. As there is no election in
sight the decision is not likely to be re-
versed. The nuns will surely not regret
it, but rejoice that it has at length been
announced, along with the principles laid
down by Mr. Skinner in explanation of
his views. We have seen this system of
conducting some of our parochial schools
at work in various places, and whatever
may be said of its advantages, when
Catholic lay teachers are employed, it is
always both humiliating and oppressive
for sisters, preventing them from giving
the full course of instruction for which
they are instituted, and submitting them
to countless annoyances from people who
•cannot be expected to appreciate the
modesty and reserve of religious women.
The decision will not be welcome to the
pastors, who must now seek to support

their schools by collections from their
parishioners ; but they have at least the
satisfaction of knowing how vainly they
look to politicians for State aid for our
schools, and no doubt, they will recognize
in this as in otherinstances the advantages
of the union of Church and State, against
which so many declaim, while at heart
they long for it.

TO PURIFY THE NEWSPAPERS.

"To announce a murder or a suicide,
to allow a few lines for the circumstances
of time, of place and of persons, to seek
the motives and the causes of such an
odious act with a view to showing the
shame and ignominy thereof, constitutes
the honest use of a liberty which nobody
thinks of contesting with you." So
writes Archbishop Bruchesi of Montreal,
to the newspaper editors of that city.
Were he addressing his letter to our own
journalists, he would add what seems so
obvious to everyone but them, viz. , that
they should report only what they have
reason to believe true, and leave out all
invention, conjecture, and ill-founded re-
port. Our yellow journalists will consider
the Archbishop as very simple-minded
and innocent to address such an appeal
to men who act on their principles ; but
apparently he has reason to hope for a
respectful hearing from the Montreal
editors, and it is possible that they will
at least publish less revolting illustrations
and less sensational details in their re-
ports of crimes which His Grace well
describes as a sort of diabolical attack on
the imagination of the readers.

The third national congress of French
Catholics was held at Paris from Novem-
ber 27 to December 4. The best
Catholic orators of France spoke in turn
on various subjects interesting for the wel-
fare of religion and society. We notice
the following points in particular:

The work of teaching catechism to
children by volunteer instructors was
highly praised and strongly recommended.
To make it more efficient, it was sug-
gested to award certificates to such
teachers as should have qualified them-
selves by an examination in Christian
Doctrine. It seems that similar diplomas
are already given by the Catholic Insti-
tute of Paris, and that they are greatly
appreciated by the zealous catechists of
the capital.

Father Lemius, superior of the chap-
lains of Montmartre, called the attention
of the congress to a plan of his, aiming at
nothing less than the creating in every
parish of France of groups of ''Men of
the Sacred Heart." They are to be the
right-hand of priests and pastors in all
their works and enterprises. They will
at the same time form an immense army,
with the banner of the Sacred Heart as
their standard, and will group themselves
around the national Basilica to promote
the speedy consecration of France to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The ever-increasing popularity of cleri-
cal schools in France, and the conse-
quent disrepute of government institu-
tions, have once more aroused the spite-
ful anger of the atheistic legislators. A
socialist deputy introduced a motion in the
Chamber, prohibiting religious congrega-
tions and members of the regular clergy

176

from taking part in educational work.
Urgency was asked for the proposal, but
the demand was rejected by 303 votes
against 149. Urgency was likewise re-
fused for another motion to give the
university a monopoly of education.

Mgr. Laborde, Bishop of Blois, is one
of the latest victims of religious persecu-
tion, as it now prevails in France. Whilst
making his episcopal visitation in a small
village of his diocese, he was seen cross-
ing the short distance from the presbytery
to the church, attired in rochet and cape.
Immediately the law stepped in, and the
bishop was found guilty of attempt at
procession, and condemned to the maxi-
mum penalty, a fine of five francs.

The next Eucharistic Congress is to be
held at Lourdes. It will open on August
6th.

An interesting feature of the Exposi-
tion recently held at Turin, was the
presence of a number of missionaries from
various parts of the globe, accompanied
by natives from those countries, and ex-
hibiting important collections of ethno-
graphical curiosities. Before returning
to their several missions, both the mission-
aries and their charges had an audience
at the Vatican, and were most kindly re-
ceived by our Holy Father, Leo XIII.
In the motley and picturesque gathering
there were nine Arab children, fourteen
Chinese Christians, seven Bedouins, six-
teen Hindoo women and native nuns,
twenty-six Copts of Upper Egypt, thirty-
three Abyssinians, eight Bolivian Indians,
and five Brazilian Indians. Each group
was in turn led before the Pope, and had

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49)

Interests of the Heart of Jesus.

177

he honor of kissing his hand and of re-
viving his blessing. The Pope appeared
jreatly moved at this manifestation of the
jreat progress made by Catholicity of
ate years in the wildest and most distant
regions of the world.

The question, Of what good are reli-
gious ? — was thus answered lately at one
of the sittings of the Paris Congress, by
the Very Rev. Pere Le Dore, Superior
of the Eudists. "Preparations are being
made," he said, "for selling this month
in the name of the law, the premises of
certain religious communities. Men thus
turned out are not so helpless as women.
Yet not one of these women is inclined
to falter in her resolve. When our
country is invaded and an army of 120,-
ooo sent to defend it, the loss of 20,000
soldiers is reckoned of small account as
the price of victory. And so let it be
with our nuns. Let 20,000 of them
perish, if necessary. They are ready. ' '
The orator said that he could affirm with-
out exaggeration that in several commu-
nities the religious had already asked
what hymn they should sing in going to
prison or to the scaffold, in order that by
practice they might become perfect in it.

He proceeded to point out that be-
side the 180,000 religious whom it is a
question of putting outside the reach of
the law in the matter of their rights, there
is a much vaster array of human beings
dependent on these religious for all the
necessities of life. He alluded to the
pupils of the colleges, convents and or-
phanages, whom they taught, and to the
inmates of homes, asylums and hospitals
whom they tended, housed and fed,
these making in all with the benefactors
and those benefited the sum total of up-
wards of 2,500,000 persons in France at
the present time. Alluding to the in-
stitution of the Bon Pasteur of Pere
Eudes, he showed 7,000 religious to be
employed in connection with it at the
work of reclaiming fallen women.

"This is what religious communities
are good for ! " he exclaimed in ringing

accents and with a tone that communi-
cated his energy and conviction to those
who heard him. Alluding to the work of
foreign missions, he showed how mis-
sionary priests were to be foremost in the
great work of winning to Christianity the
twelve hundred million souls of the as
yet unconverted races of the globe.
" This is what religious are good for ! "
he again exclaimed. Coming to the con-
templative orders, he said: " But there
is still greater work being done by re-
ligious than any € we have been enumerat-
ing. Members of the active orders
speak before men, but their work would
be of little profit were not the angels to
pray for them before God. Carmelite,
Ursuline, Carthusian and other contem-
plative orders serve as precious lightning
conductors to the world. Destroy the
contemplative orders of prayer and pen-
ance and the fabric around would quickly
crumble. ' '

In connection with the foregoing just
and indignant protest against the iniq-
uitous proceedings of the French Govern-
ment our readers will remember that not
long ago a law was passed in France im-
posing such heavy taxes upon religious
orders that the payment of them was im-
possible if the orders were to continue in
existence. Under the disguise of a tax
it was nothing else than a law for the
suppression of religious communities. Jus-
tice demands that taxes for the public good
should be distributed proportionately over
the whole population. A tax laid upon
one class of the people for the benefit of
other classes is manifestly unjust. No
one is obliged to obey a law manifestly
unjust. And hence of 180,000 religious
in France, 120,000 refuse to pay this
suicidal tax.

The twenty-seventh Annual Report of
the Apostolic School at Turnhout, Bel-
gium, furnishes striking evidence of
the assistance rendered by it to the
Foreign Missions. Conformable to the
motto of its founder that their work was

i78

Interests of the Heart of Jesus.

(50)

to be accomplished without noise, the
Report is silent as to much of the good
effected by its former pupils, but a few
extracts from their letters home, testify to
their career of usefulness on the Missions.

At a Secret Consistory held in the
Vatican, on November 28, the Holy
Father appointed Mgr. Ephraem Rahmani
to be Patriarch of Antioch.

The Pope has addressed a letter to the
Franciscan Order urging renewed zeal
for higher studies, and apostolic work
among the masses. He hopes that the
Third Order of St. Francis, intended for
people living in the world, will greatly in-
crease in membership. When we recall
all that the Church has done to promote
the honor of St. Francis of Assisi, and
the welfare of the great Order which he
founded, it is amusing to hear a ' 'learned' '
critic in a recent periodical telling us that
St. Francis had a ' 'dread of dogma' ' and
that he believed in "the annihilation of
creed and cult" — in other words St.
Francis was not a Catholic. Later on we
are told that "the famous economic aph-
orism of Proudhon, 'Property is theft,'
an unconscious echo of Brissot de War-
ville's 'Wealth is theft,' " was almost an-
ticipated by the creed of St. Francis and
his followers — in other words, St. Francis
was a Socialist. After this we shall not
be surprised to hear that Washington was
King of England or that Luther was Pope
of Rome. $

Renewed life and vigor have come to
the Baltimore Mirror, the official organ
of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, with
the advent of its new editor, Rev. M.
O' Keefe. In his salutatory editorial he
declares that one of the objects dearest
to his heart will be to uphold Christian
education, and particularly parochial
schools. He quotes in this connection
the strong language of the Pastoral
issued by the last Plenary Council of
Baltimore, and signed in his own name
and in the name of all the Fathers by

Cardinal Gibbons, who, as Apostolic
Delegate, presided over the Council.
Father O' Keefe is Superintendent of
Parochial Schools for the Archdiocese of
Baltimore, a position for which he is well
qualified, having devoted himself to the
cause of Catholic education for the space
of eleven years.

Mgr. Rubies, Bishop of Kaschau, in a
recent pastoral, deplores the decline of
Catholicity in Hungary — that land once
so thoroughly Catholic. The cause is
State education Speaking of the youth
the Bishop says: "When this precious
treasure of the nation, they who are des-
tined to rule the country in the future,
step out into lile at the close of their
studies, very few will be recognized as the
children of Catholic parents." As the
University of Pesth has almost entirely
lost its Catholic character, and the two
other universities are non-sectarian, that
is to say, infidel, Mgr. Rubies proposes to
establish a new university which shall be
thoroughly Catholic, under the invoca-
tion of St. Stephen, Hungary's famous
monarch. The Bishop promises to sub-
scribe for this purpose 200 florins a year
as long as he lives.

When President Grant inaugurated his
' ' Peace Policy ' ' according to which the
various Indian tribes were arbitrarily ap-
portioned among the different religious
denominations without regard to the
rights of conscience, the arrangement was
made that each denomination should ap-
point its own teachers for Indian schools,
and these teachers should receive their
salaries from the government and be
placed on its pay-rolls as if they were
government officials. But as this arrange-
ment seemed to many too much like a
union of Church and State, it was after a
time abolished and the system of con-
tract schools was introduced. Under
this system the religious denomination
built and equipped its own Indian schools
and was paid per capita for the support
and tuition of the children who attended

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Interests of the Heart of Jesus.

179

them. At first this arrangement was
satisfactory to all, but when it was seen
that the Catholics, having the largest
number of schools and the largest num-
ber of pupils, received 'the largest share
of the public money, there arose a great
outcry from those who had hitherto
favored the contract school system, and
the result was that in 1897 Congress de-
clared it to be " the settled policy of the
government to hereafter make no appro-
priation whatever for education in any
sectarian school," and proceeded to cut
down the appropriations for Catholic
Indian schools by twenty per cent, of
the allotment for 1895.

Thus the government has undertaken
to force non-sectarian schools upon the
Indians. Those who have lived among
them can testify that such schools so far
from improving them only make them
worse than they were before.

And now it is proposed to compel
the Indians to send their children to
those schools whether they like it or not.
And without waiting for the law the In-
dian Commissioners as far back as 1896
issued a declaration that Indian parents
have no right to designate which school
their children shall attend, and Indian
agents to-day claim the right to enter an
Indian home, seize the child by force,
carry him off to whatever school they
please, and punish the parents for har-
boring their own child. Surely this is
persecution of the most atrocious charac-
ter. It would be less cruel to burn
mother and child at the stake than to
tear the child from the mother and force
it to receive an ' 'education ' ' which, with-
out a miracle of grace, must result in the
ruin of its faith and morals, and most
likely its everlasting misery.

Why should the government pay for
the education of the Indians? First,
because they are unable to educate them-
selves. Secondly, because they are
"Wards of the Nation" and the gov-
ernment has undertaken to provide for
their welfare. Why should the govern-
ment support denominational schools?
Because without religion it is impossible
to civilize. The government is not
asked to pay for the religion that is
taught, but it should pay for everything
else that is taught.

In the name of all the Archbishops of
the United States, Cardinal Gibbons
has addressed a petition to Congress in
favor of retaining the contract school sys-
tem. He asks that the whole subject be
investigated by a committee of Congress
and the result given to the world in a
public report, " and not kept as a secret
of State concealed in the files of any de-
partment or office. ' '

On the same day that Lord Kitchener
proposed the founding of a college in the
heart of Africa, Mr. Hope proposed the
founding of a Catholic University in Ire-
land. The first request has been granted,
the second, thus far refused. The re-
ligion of the Mussulmans is to be scrupu-
lously respected, the religion of the
Catholics is to be scorned. What Ma-
hometan Africa desires, is to be cheerfully
conceded, what Catholic Ireland de-
mands, is to be contemned. We are not
surprised then to learn that Lord Emly
has left the Unionist party in disgust,
declaring that as a Catholic he can no
longer subscribe to the anti-Catholic
attitude of what he calls " the most offen-
sively anti- Catholic government of mod-
ern times. ' '

Under the heading " Apos-

Annual , A , j ,,

tleship at Home and Abroad,
Reports ,

Directors will note an abstract

from the Reports of two Local Centres
which have been published as supple-
ments of our Almanac and Calendar.
One of them, St. Aloysius Centre, Wash-
ington, D. C., with 381 active Pro-
moters, reports the distribution of 84,481
Leaflets during the year, 60,000 Com-
munions of Reparation, and 3,230 Re-
ports handed in at the Promoters' Coun-
cils. The Director of this Centre has
written his views on the benefits of an An-
nual Report as follows:

DEAR FATHER:— The 500 Sacred
Heart Almanacs arrived safely. The As-
sociates of the Apostleship of Prayer in
this Centre are very much pleased to see
our local report printed under one cover
with your Almanac and Calendar.

< ' Printer's ink is nowadays a very great
power to help on organization. The list
of Promoters in clear type with addresses
attached is of incalculable service. I am
convinced that it would benefit the work
of the League immensely if every Centre
would publish an annual report. Local Di-
rectors could then exchange reports and
thus see at a glance what is being done
for the glory of the Sacred Heart in every
Centre.

"Now, the cheapest way to print a
report is to accept your terms. ' '

It will be observed that both these re-
ports lay special stress on the part that
men take in League work in these
Centres. In St. Aloysius' Centre,
Washington, D. C. , the services every
third Friday evening are chiefly for
them ; and in St. Francis Xavier's Cen-
tre, New York, they occupy places in the
middle aisle on the first Friday evenings,
and make the nocturnal adoration during
the Forty Hours Exposition and on Holy
I 80

Thursday. Their interest in the League
was enlisted by young men, who as
Promoters canvassed the parish a year
ago to make sure thai every parishioner
was enrolled in the League, and the five
hundred or more men, that they dis-
covered were not active members, have
since become more faithful and zealous.

Promoters'
Triduum.

We recommend to Local
Directors the triduum of in-

structions for Promoters, as
described in the letter of the Diocesan
Director of the Apostleship in San Fran-
cisco. Though such an invitation comes
most properly from the Diocesan Di-
rector, still there are many cities and
towns distant from a Diocesan Director,
in which Promoters might very properly
be assembled in one or other of the
churches to hear special instructions from
one or several Local Directors. Such
triduums might be held before some
feast day, or before the first Friday, so
that the Promoters might conclude the
exercises by Holy Communion.

The Apostleship of Prayer
Please . . v .

Notice 1S av"v incorporated under
the laws of the State of New
York, under the title of the "Apos-
tleship of Prayer." Directors may
communicate with us under this title,
sure that one of the Fathers, whose
names are given in the Annual Almanac
and in the Catholic Directory, will give
their letters personal attention. They
will do us a favor by letting us know of
Post Office clerks and others who are
not satisfied with this title, for registered
letters and money orders.

The League Director for February
will contain the continuation of the sub-
ject taken up in the January number,
why pray for all men ? Last month the
answer was: Because God wishes the

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Director's Review.

181

salvation of all, and calls on all to pray for
it. This latter point will be developed in
the February number; the usual summary
of the General Intention; some practical

hints and some questions and answers,
together with a refutation of a strange
error regarding images or pictures of the
Sacred Heart, will complete the number.

To PROMOTERS.

1. St. Francis de Sales1 feast is trans-
ferred this year from January 27, to
February 3, and the indulgence granted
to Promoters on his feast may be gained
on this day.

2. The two days before Lent, February
13 and 1 4, are days for special reparation,
since so many people make the Carnival
of those days a time for licentiousness
and of grievous insult to God. Promoters
should strive to multiply the Communions
of Reparation received on the Sundays
previous and following.

3. Lent begins on February 15, just
as the Promoters' Councils begin, and
they should make it from the very start
a time of special prayer and zeal for the

Associates, taking care to repair the past
by more than usual fidelity to the
practices of the League, and the duties
they have assumed for the benefit of
others.

4. Thanksgivings are published almost
verbatim as they come to us, without
discrimination on our part as to the send-
ers or the locality whence they come. We
must, however, insist on having them
signed. A priest opens the letters, so that
no one need hesitate to give us this evi-
dence that the thanksgiving is sent us in
good faith. If we give preference to any,
it is to those that are expressed with the
greatest simplicity and that recount favors
obtained through our special practices.

APOSTLESHIP ABROAD AND AT HOME.

ENGLAND. — Seldom has the trite ex-
pression "Much in Little" had fuller
meaning than when applied to the Annual
Almanac, issued for the Associates of the
Apostleship by the Rev. Editor of the
English Messenger. The whole booklet
is brimful of interest and of hints, sugges-
tions, and advices which, if carried out,
would make the perfect Apostle accord-
ing to the model set before us by the
founder of our Apostleship, Father
Ramiere. Its six stories are all well told,
and the virtues proposed for each day of
the year are eminently practical and
within the power of every Associate.
What, however, we most admire is the
Promoters' Corner, a short instruction,
averaging some twenty lines, placed at
the foot of the Calender for each month.
The Promoters' Cross, the necessity of
having the Handbook at their fingers'
ends to do effective work, a personal, en-
thusiastic love of our Lord, the Sacred
Heart as the Centre around which every-

thing revolves in the Apostleship, the
value of the Morning Offering, the pur-
pose of the Messenger, are some of the
subjects treated, and this with a freshness
and succinctness which invite reading.
The year's progress is thus summed up :
Forty-four Diplomas of Aggregation have
been sent to new Centres. Seven hun-
dred and thirty-three have received
Promoters' Diplomas, 40,000 Certificates
of Admission and 123,750 Monthly
Leaflets have been issued, and the num-
ber of Messenger subscribers has reached
37,000. A reprint of "Messenger
Stories' ' at the low price of twopence is
announced as a feature of the League
publications for 1899.

FRANCE. — The French Almanac is
more elaborate than the English, espe-
cially in point of copious illustrations.
There is a peculiar charm and naivete
about its many short stories. Its open-
ing page, greeting the Grand Army of

182

Director's Review.

(54)

those who pray under the banner of the
Sacred Heart, has truly a military ring.
Its keynote is found in the following
forceful quotation from Donoso Cortes ;
"I believe that those who pray do more
for the world than those who fight, and
that if the world is going from bad to
worse, it is because there are more battles
than prayers. If we could penetrate the
secrets of God and of history, I hold as
certain that we would be seized with ad-
miration for the prodigious effects of
prayers, even in human affairs. My
conviction on this point is so strong that I
believe that if there were a single hour or
a single day on which no prayer ascended
from earth to heaven, that day and that
hour would be the last day and the last
hour of the world. ' ' An item of practi-
cal interest and weight as coming from
the Moderator General of the Apostle-
ship is the announcement that the total
number of Local Centres throughout the
world is 56,592, representing a member-
ship of upwards of 20,000,000 souls.

CALIFORNIA — The following letter of
the Very Rev. Diocesan Director for San
Francisco, may suggest the possibility
and advisability of a similar reunion of
Promoters, especially in large cities. It
may be here remarked that there is no
State in the Union where the Apostleship
of Prayer is better organized, has more
numerous Associates in proportion to
the Catholic population, and gives so
many signs of spiritual activity, than Cali-
fornia.

ST. IGNATIUS' CHURCH,
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12, 1898.
REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER :

I have arranged a Triduum for all the
Promoters of the League of the Sacred
Heart in the city and its immediate
neighborhood, to be held on Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday evenings, the
3d, 4th and 5th of January, and to be
concluded with a solemn Renewal of
Consecration, on the Feast of the Epiph-
any, January 6.

You will, I am sure, agree with me as

to the great profit to be gained from
gathering all our Promoters together for
this renewal of spirit. That those of your
Centre may receive the necessary cards of
admission, I beg you to be good enough
to request your Secretary to call upon me
for them ; or to send me a list of the
Promoters' names and addresses, that I
may send them to each by mail ; or to
direct your Promoters to apply individu-
ally to me for them, as maybe most con-
venient.

Should you desire to attend any of the
exercises yourself, you will be most wel-
come ; and I most earnestly invite you
to be present in the Sanctuary at the
closing ceremonies on the Feast of the
Epiphany.

Your servant in Christ,

J. P. FRIEDEN, S.J.,
Diocesan Director.

COLORADO. — REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C. Your note of October 6,
in regard to Diplomas of Aggrega-
tion to the Apostleship, after many
meanderings, reached me yesterday.
Thanks for kindly interest manifested in
my work. Wish I had one of your men
to help me ; there is a whole empire out
here to evangelize, Colorado, Wyoming,
New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Nevada,
Western Texas, Western Kansas and
Western Nebraska. Many souls are lost
to the faith in this vast territory. Mis-
sions have never been given save in a few
of the very largest centres of population
and there is not a town of even 500 peo-
ple that would not yield a sufficiency of
fruit to gladden a missionary's heart.
The poor people are good-hearted, but
become negligent and incredulous through
ignorance. It is astonishing how they
brighten up and get interested when the
great truths of Holy Church are made
plain to them. A large percentage of the
Catholics are Irish, and you know it is
very hard to knock all the faith out of an
Irishman's heart. I tell them this, and
quote Moore: "You may break, you
may shatter the vase as you will, but the

(55)

Director's Review.

scent of the roses will hang round it still. ' '
You should see the tears glisten for a
moment in the eyes of some brawny
miner who had not been to confession
since he left the " Auld dart," and then
he hangs his head in shame and sorrow,
but he will be sure to turn up for confes-
sion. Some weeks ago I was giving a
mission in a town on the other side of the
Range. A manager of a mine invited me
to hold a service or two at his ' ' camp, ' '
almost at "timber line." So I went.
The ' ' Bunkhouse' ' was put in order, and
some seventy-five persons assembled.
Started the Rosary. No response. So
I turned towards them, and said "My
God, boys, is it possible that you have
forgotten the Hail Mary which your good
old Irish mothers taught you in the old
land ?" ' ' No, father, no, father, go on. ' '
And after that the responses were loud
enough to deafen you. The service
lasted two hours, then confessions, Mass
at four o'clock in the morning, to ac-
commodate both the " Dayshift " and
"Nightshift," as the crews are called.
When all was over, a delegate approached
me. "Father," said he, " the boys is
very sorry ye didn't come round pay
day — this is all we have now — they is
awful glad ye came anyhow. Shure we
didn't think there was any God up in
these hills. ' '

I have given ten missions, and esta-
blished nine Local League Centres this
Fall. The work is hard, but there is a
world of good in it. The League takes
like hot cakes when explained. I always
introduce it with a talk on the personal
attractions of our Lord — the workman
of Nazareth and nature's only gentle-
man. Protestants, or rather agnostics,
for they have no faith at all, come in
crowds to hear "the big talker up at
the Catholic Church," and they persist
in coming night after night, even though
I roast them for their immorality and
want of faith. Many of them want to
join the League ; let us hope that the
Sacred Heart will be mindful of their
good desires.

NEW YORK, ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S
CENTRE. — The special edition of the
Apostleship Almanac prepared by this
Centre furnishes us with many interest-
ing and instructive details of the work
accomplished by Promoters and Associ-
ates. One hundred and seventy-five
new Promoters received their crosses and
diplomas during the past year, despite
the fact that the parish is not a growing
one, and the already large number of
Promoters. For this increase, not merely
of number, but also of fervor and zeal,
several causes are assigned. First there
was the careful attention given to the
Promoters by the Rev. Local Director,
and his insistence on fidelity to the duties
of their office. A second cause was the
facilities afforded by setting apart and
furnishing an office for the use of the
Secretary and other assistants. This
office was found useful, not only as a
store-roofe for League supplies, the new
card registers, and all report and account
books, but also as a reception room for
those who have any business connected
with the Apostleship, that needed the
Director's or Secretary's attention. A
third, and perhaps the most potent fac-
tor in this increase, was the new impulse
given to the zeal by the approved Pro-
moters, and the need thereby created of
a number of others to help them in the
additional fields of labor opened to their
energies. A striking evidence of this
was the house to house canvass of the
parish made by some of the most active
men Promoters. Their apostolic work
was blessed beyond the most sanguine
expectations. In two weeks they had
registered five hundred men, almost all
of whom agreed not merely to observe
the three degrees, but also to give one
or more hour's time watching before the
Blessed Sacrament during the nocturnal
adoration of the Forty Hours, and to
attend the First Friday evening services.
This canvass revealed a fact of great im-
portance, namely, that some of these
men had never even heard of the
League, while others who had long ago

1 84

Director's Review.

(56)

given their names for membership, had
never received the essentially necessary
certificates of admission, or their
monthly leaflets. This discovery shows
•how there is always work to be done,
even in well-organized Centres, and
serves as as admirable illustration of one
leading principle of our Apostleship, that
Promoters must not wait for people to
come to them, but go out to them, to
lead them to the Church and an active
and devout attendance at her services.
A fourth cause was found in the beauty
and attractiveness of the First Friday
services, and the solemnity and prepara-
tion attending the semi-annual Recep-
tion of Promoters. A great increase in
the circulation of the MESSENGER, work
in the hospitals and on the Islands,
organized adoration of the Blessed Sacra-
ment, are other evidences of the activity
of this Centre. The Deaf Mute Associ-
ates have twenty Promoters from among
their own number, and thirty regular
Adorers. The League in the Parish
School has been rendered more efficient
by the establishment of the Apostleship
of Study. Out of eight hundred and
forty pupils, one hundred and seventy
qualified themselves for the decorations
by their faithful performance of all the
devout practices recommended, especially
the daily offering to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus of an hour of study, an hour of
silence and an hour of recreation. A
full list of Promoters and another list
of deceased Promoters and Associates,
give completeness to this sixteen page
report, and make us cherish the hope
that other Centres may imitate their ex-
ample by annually setting forth the his-
tory of the League in their respective
parishes.

WASHINGTON, D. C., ST. ALOYSIUS'
CENTRE. — A sixteen-page supplement,
printed and bound in with the regular Apos-
tleship Almanac, constitutes the Special
Edition issued by this flourishing Centre.
Here, again, the success of a house to
house canvass for Associates is a marked

feature of the year' s work, an increase of
1,200 Associates being the immediate re-
sult. There are 381 active Promoters,
of whom ninety received their Crosses and
Diplomas during the first year. Forty-nine
others are filling their term of six months'
probation; nine who were formerly active
have resumed work; thirteen resigned
either because they entered convents or for
other reasons; death deprived us of four
faithful Promoters and 121 Associates,
while the names of fivePromoters have been
erased from the Register, owing to re-
missness in duty. Eighty-four thousand,
four hundred and eighty-one Leaflets
were distributed during the year, and
60,000 Communions of Reparation of-
fered. Three thousand, two hundred
and thirty- six Monthly Reports have
been handed in by Promoters, and 5,500
Badges distributed. A steady increase
in the use ol the Intention Blanks, and
the Treasury of Good Works, has been
noted, an effect due, in part, to the hand-
some new ''Sacred Heart Casket"
placed in a prominent position in the
church. A " Roll of Honor," contain-
ing the names of those Promoters who,
during the year, never failed to hand in
their reports before the fourth Sunday of
the month, was read at two of the Pro-
moters' Meetings, and then hung up in a
conspicuous place in the League office.
The third Friday night of each month
is called the Men's League Night. On
that occasion, the middle aisle is reserved
for men, and their deep voices lend an
additional charm to the congregational
singing, which is now a striking fea-
ture of all public services in this Cen-
tre. The practical and energetic Local
Director notes with pleasure an increase
in the number of subscriptions to the
MESSENGER, the great means, as he says,
to keep alive the true spirit of the Apos-
tleship, and he declares he shall not rest
satisfied until every Band subscribes for
at least one copy. His short chat with
Promoters which closes the report, is full
of valuable suggestions and clearly-enun-
ciated practical principles.

(57)

Director's Review.

FROM OUR MAIL BAG — " I am in re-
ceipt of the first number of the MES-
SENGER for 1899, and to-day I received
the beautiful picture you sent as a prem-
ium to my address. I feel now that I
was never so rich in all my life. My
sincere thanks for both, and I will save
up every cent I can, in order to be able
to continue my subscription for the MES-
SENGER for many years to come."

"With this find subscription for an-
other year. I could not do without the
MESSENGER."

I have recommended the M ESSEN -
ER all I could, but not as much as it
deserves, for I do not believe we have in
the English language anything like or
equal to your MESSENGER. May God
prosper it ! "

" Enclosed find subscription to the
MESSENGER for 1899. Would have re-
newed it sooner, but being a working
girl and only paid once a month, I did
not have the means to do so sooner. I am
very much pleased with the MESSENGER,
and being a member of the League of
the Sacred Heart, I hope to continue
taking it as long as God spares me and
gives me the means to do so."

"Thanks for your kind offer to send
me MESSENGER free next year. I con-
fess that I would have missed it very
much, had I been obliged to do without
it. A friend has been sending me hers,
but it reaches me late in the month. I
glance at it and mail it to my niece who
lives nine miles from a church. She
has gathered the few Catholics around
her, and after unceasing effort a priest
has been appointed, who comes twice a
month to say Mass. Every Sunday she
reads the devotions and some suitable
selections to the people in the little hall,
and she and her children lead the sing-
ing of hymns, and teach catechism.
This good woman -is married to a non-
Catholic. When she has read the MES-
SENGER, she forwards it to my nephew,
who went a year ago to a mining district
in northern California. Many Catho-
lics are scattered over the mountains, and

for miles reading matter goes from hand
to hand, returning honbrably to the
owner, only to go forth again. ' '

"Hoping for the unlimited success
which your efforts deserve, I beg to as-
sure you that an inestimable amount of
practical good in the parish, is always the
result of the presence of the Apostle-
ship. "

A STRANGE ERROR. — "While the
Church," says the Catholic Weekly,
' ' approves the devotion to the Sacred
Heart, she only tolerates pictures or
images of the Heart alone or of Christ
with His Heart exposed. Such repre-
sentations will be gradually withdrawn
and the scapular of the Sacred Heart now
bears only an image of Christ. ' '

This is wrong. The Church has re-
peatedly approved of such images by
granting Indulgences at various times for
the use o/ scapulars or badges bearing
the image of the Heart alone, and for
prayers before pictures of the Christ ex-
posing His Heart, and the Sacred Congre-
gation of Rites has decided that such In-
dulgences could not be gained unless the
Heart appears on the picture. The dates
of these decrees are given in the League
Director for February.

The Sacred Heart scapular still bears
the image of the Heart of Jesus alone,
and so also does our Badge ; if we have
added on one side the figure of Christ
exposing His Heart, it is because we
wish to make our Badge a perfect ex-
pression of the spirit and practices of our
League, by representing Christ plead-
ing for us and showing us His Heart in
order to suggest the love and devotion
with which He prays for us, and would
have us pray for others.

OBITUARY.

Ellen Handibean, St. Aloysius Centre,
Washington, D. C. ; Patrick Lally, St.
Ann's Centre, St. Louis, Mo.; Nicholas
Martin, St. Patrick's Centre, O'Neill,
Nebraska.

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

TOTAL NUMBER OF THANKSGIVINGS FOR LAST MONTH, 1,075,899.
"/« all things give thanks" (I. Thes. , v. 18. )

Special Thanksgivings. — GARDINER,.
N. Y. — " Please announce in the MESSEN-
GER, that I attribute my recovery from
a severe attack of influenza to the Sacred
Heart of pur Divine Lord. I promise,
therefore, to say a Mass, for the inten-
tions of the League, on the first Friday
of each month during the coming year of
1899. I asked for this favor when my
illness was most critical."

" I wish to offer a public thanksgiving
for the safe return of my husband
from the Santiago campaign. Though
not a Catholic, he wore a medal of the
Sacred Heart, also a Badge, and a medal
of Our Lady of Victory. His regiment
was under fire from noon, July i, until
July 3, when the flag of truce went up.
Its members occupied a position nearer
the Spanish lines than any other regi-
ment, and here it remained in the
trenches until July 17, without once be-
ing relieved. The rifle pit of my hus-
band's company was penetrated by a
Spanish shell, which exploded, injuring
no one, though the cap of the shell,
weighing many pounds, fell in his own
rifle pit, immediately in rear of his com-
pany. Neither was he ill a single day in
Cuba. For these great favors I wish to
return a special and fervent thanksgiving
to the Sacred Heart."

WASHINGTON, D. C. — " Being obliged
to go to a hospital to undergo a serious
operation, I placed myself under the pro-
tection of the Sacred Heart, and felt
great confidence in the prayers of
the League Considering my age and
weak condition, doctors and nurses
thought I got on remarkably well, better
than many others who appeared to have
much in their favor. One night, in par-
ticular, I suffered severely. I knew
1 86

nothing could be done to relieve me, and
I tried hard to be patient. I had my
Promoter's Cross, Badge and a relic of
Blessed Margaret Mary fastened together,
aud I suddenly remembered having heard
that it was proper to make use of these
articles. I placed them just over the
terrible pain, begging the Sacred Heart
through the virtues attached to them,
and the intercession of Blessed Margaret
Mary, to ease my suffering. In a few
moments the pain was gone, and I fell
into a comfortable sleep. ' '

WASHINGTON, D.C. — "Since January
of last year, my brother had been out of
employment, trying all the while, both
in Washington and other cities, for some-
thing to do, but all his own efforts and
those of friends seemed of no avail. Still
he never lost faith in the prayers of the
League. On the First Friday of October,
the intention was read out at our regular
League meeting, and a novena begun to St.
Joseph, with a promise of publication in
the MESSENGER, and a Mass for the poor
souls in honor of the Sacred Heart. That
same month, from a most unexpected
source, he was helped into a position
here in this city."

BROOKLYN, N. Y. — "About a month
ago, some articles were lost, and in con-
sequence I was in danger of being retired
from my position. I prayed to the
Sacred Heart and promised to go to Holy
Communion and to have favor, if granted,
published in the MESSENGER. I had
searched everywhere, but could not find
the lost articles. On Monday morning,
when I came in, I found them where I
am sure that I had looked before, in full
view. I received Holy Communion, and
hope that you will publish this, so that I
may fulfil my promise. ' '

(58)

(50

In Thanksgiving for Graces Obtained.

187

ASHTABULA, OHIO. — "We wish to
re urn special thanks to the Sacred Heart
fo the cure of a child sick with a fever.
Ti e little one grew worse rapidly from
th j beginning of her sickness, and almost
fr< m the beginning her mind wandered.
A Badge was pinned on the child's cloth -
in ,r, a Mass promised in honor of the
Sacred Heart, and promise of publication
if the child were cured. Almost imme-
diately the child grew better, and in
at out three days after, the little one was
atle to be up and play about the house.
Her cure was certainly wonderful, and
with grateful hearts we offer this for pub-
lication. ' '

CALIENTE, CAL. — "I wish to return
thanks to Blessed Margaret Mary for
recovery of health, when very much de-
pressed at the prospect of being obliged
j to give up work. In a short time I
picked up wonderfully. ' '

WATERBURY, CT. — "Would you al-
low me space in the MESSENGER to thank
I the Most Sacred Hear.t for obtaining the
grace of a happy death for my husband?
He had seen the priest several times, but
refused to go to confession or Commun-
ion, though he knew his end was fast ap-
j proaching. Almost discouraged, I pro-
! raised the Sacred Heart that I would
have it published in the MESSENGER if he
received the Sacraments, which he did,
several times, before death came. ' '

Spiritual Favors through the Sacred
Heart. — Two conversions to the faith; a
return to religious duties; a deliverance
from temptation; reform of two persons
addicted to drink; reconciliation of two
brothers and two sisters who had been at
enmity for years. A wife and her non-
Catholic husband were about to obtain a
divorce on account of suspicions and
misunderstanding. The wife was asked
by a Promoter to wear a Badge of the
Sacred Heart, that the separation might
be avoided. She consented. The diffi-

culty was happily settled, and the divorce
suit dropped. The wife is* convinced
that all is due to the Sacred Heart.
The return to his duty of a neglectful
Catholic; the grace to make a good con-
fession; preservation of virtue amid grave
danger; the conversion of an only bro-
ther; peace of mind and patience for
several persons ; the good work done by
the Promoters in my parish.

Temporal Favors. — Success of four
surgical operations; good positions for
three; recovery of a child from malignant
scarlet fever; successful examination; un-
expected sale of some property, after
promise of publication and a novena of
communions; a brother's restoration to
health; the cure of a severe cold; abate-
ment of a high fever; recovery of health;
receipt of an important letter; means of
livelihood for several persons ; settlement
of a lawsuit; unexpected success in busi-
ness; recover^ of a mother and daughter
from a contagious disease; recovery of a
husband from serious bone trouble; cure
of rheumatism; recovery from an injury
which threatened a serious operation;
rapid convalescence after an attack of
pleurisy; employment through a novena to
Blessed Margaret Mary; the return of a
nephew who had been missing for nearly
eighteen months; cure of headaches and
nervous trouble; a good position; re-
covery from severe attack of appen-
dicitis.

Favors Ascribed to Application of Badge
or Promoter' s Cross. — Escape from
threatened appendicitis; relief from pains
in the side; cure of sore eyes in the case
of two; cure of earache; stopping of hem-
orrhage of the lungs; relief from rheu-
matism of the back; checking, of a severe
cold which threatened to lead to con-
sumption; cure of a swollen leg; subsiding
of a swelling on the face; cure of sore
throat; relief from severe pain in the
limbs; recovery from cramps ; cure of
bronchial troubles.

It has been often said and cannot be
too often repeated that reading is for the
mind what food is for the body. Just as
the strongest constitution must needs
succumb to the effects of unwholesome
diet, so the sturdiest soul will sicken and
die from the effects of unwholesome
reading. The enemy of mankind was
quick to seize upon the press for the ruin
of souls, but it can also be made one of
the mightiest means for their salvation.

* * *

We have reason to rejoice at the great
increase of Catholic literature during the
past decade of years. In every depart-
ment Catholic authors are coming to the
front. We must not, however, make the
mistake of thinking that because an
author is a Catholic, therefore everything
in his book is commendable, nor allow
ourselves to imbibe the poison of a book
which caters to the popular taste at the
expense of principle and even sometimes
of purity. Still, of good literature by
Catholic authors there is now an abund-
ance. Every taste can be gratified, every
condition of life find something to suit
its needs.

* * *

College students will derive both bene-
fit and entertainment from a little book
recently published by Rev. John F.
Quirk, S.J., late Professor of Rhetoric
at St. John's College, Fordham, N. Y.
This work contains a eulogy on Bl. Ed-
mund Campion, S.J., together with the
martyr's Homo Acadeinir.us, a Latin
oration delivered at Douay. There is an
English translation by Father Quirk. As
a boy Edmund Campion, a pupil of the
Blue-Coat school, was chosen among all
the school-boys of London to address
188

Queen Mary upon her entrance into that
city. The little orator was then only
thirteen years of age. At sixteen he
entered St. John's College, Oxford.
Here his brilliant talents and especially
his gift of eloquence soon made him
famous. When Queen Elizabeth visited
Oxford he took the principal part in a
Latin disputation held in her presence.
He delivered the funeral oration over
Amy Robsart, whose tragic death is told
in Scott's Kenilworth. He became the
model and hero of university students.
He was the leader of the fashion not
only in literary style, but even in dress
and manners. He was the favorite of
Elizabeth, of Cecil, and of Leicester.
Cecil called him one of England's dia-
monds. Who could then have predicted
that this dashing young student, this
spoiled child of fortune, would end his life
upon the scaffold ?

Hitherto he had remained faithful to
the Catholic faith. But in a moment of
weakness, yielding to temptation, he
allowed himself to be made a deacon of
the new religion which Elizabeth was
forcing upon the English people. Re-
penting of his sin, he resolved to devote
himself to the service of God. He left
Oxford in 1569 and after a short stay in
Ireland passed over to the Continent.
He entered the Society of Jesus, re-
turned to England as a missionary, and
became the most famous champion there
of the persecuted religion. Proscribed,
hunted, but always feared, he was at last
taken and finished his life a glorious
martyr for the Faith.

Next to St. John's College where Cam-
pion studied there stands a massive and
noble-looking building, though of modest

(60)

The Reader.

189

pr (portions. It was there in Campion's
tii ie and had been there for centuries
In ore. As you enter the door the first
th ng you see is a statue of the martyr
in his Jesuit dress, and you know that
yc u are in Campion Hall, where the
yc ung Jesuit students of Oxford are pre-
pi ring themselves to follow in the foot-
stops of their great patron. The Homo
Academicus puts before us an ideal col-
lege student, such as all students should
strive to become. Father Quirk is to be
congratulated on bringing it within reach
four Catholic young men.

Lovers of fiction will be charmed by
Westchester, a tale of the Revolution, by
Henry Austin Adams, M. A., the well-
known lecturer and editor, and two books
of stories by Maurice Francis Egan. We
! need not make any remarks on these
l. books. The names of their authors are
a sufficient commendation.

The Apostleship of Prayer in England
is working hard for the sailors. It has
published a Sailors' Hymn Book and a
series of Letters to Catholic Seamen by
the Rev. John G. Gretton, S.J. These
letters are short but solid, well-written
and impressive. The following extract
will serve as a specimen of the style :

"Eternity is not made up of years
and centuries, like time. No amount
of time could ever make up eternity,
just as no amount of the restless ocean
could make up the immovable rock.
Time and eternity differ much more
than sea and land. Time is always mov-
ing and changing, filled with our count-
less thoughts, words and actions. Eter-
nity knows no movement, no change.
// is one unchangeable, everlasting, in-
finite Now. It has no yesterday and no
to-morrow. It is foolish, therefore, to
imagine, as some do, who have not the
faith, that after an immense time the soul
will change its mind and return to God.
After ages and ages of time, eternity has
not moved by the fraction of a second

from its beginning, for it is an everlasting
existence."

In far greater need of help than the
sailors are the pagans and the slaves of
Africa. The Life of Cardinal Lavigerie,
by Rev. J. G. Beane, tells of the im-
mense labors and glorious success, not
however unmixed with great trials, of
one man- — the Apostle of a Continent.
To give an idea of what he accomplished
it will be sufficient to state that before
his death there were 100,000 Catholic
Africans in Uganda alone, where his
first missionaries had found not one.

A bright and interesting little book is
Father O' Conor's Sacred Scenes and
Mysteries. It contains accounts of such
places as Paray-le-Monial, Oostacker, the
home of St. John Berchmans, with short
articles on devotional subjects such as
the Childhood of Mary, St. Ursula,
the Guardian Angels, etc. The volume
closes with a hymn and several poems,
composed by the author. There are
numerous half-tone illustrations taken
from the works of great masters. It is a
book that can be taken up at any time in
moments of weariness, when one is in
search of spiritual recreation and refresh-
ment.

The Columbian Guard designates
an important booklet, by Rev. M. P.
Heffernan of St. Anthony's Church,
Brooklyn, N. Y. , and is descriptive of a
happily named boy's society which he
has organized on military lines.

The pamphlet contains very earnest and
eloquent appeals for increased attention
to Juniors, besides offering a constitu-
tion for their government. Father
Heffernan' s practical, literary contribu-
tion emphasizes the charity-duty of
priests who are successfully engaged in
boy care : let them, for the benefit of
others, publish their experiences, expedi-
ents, etc. Guide books of this kind
would provide inquiring beginners with

190

Recent Aggregations.

(62)

large choice of methods, and therefore
cannot be too numerous.

By the way, the above booklet should
enlighten Mr. B. Paul Neuman, who, in
the very interesting Fortnightly Review
article, ' 'Take care of the Boys, ' ' makes
no exception for Catholic priests when
declaring that clergymen are incompetent
to organize and care for the junior male
growth of cities.

A writer, so experienced in men and
things, should know that heresy's blight

of sterility does not afflict the Mother
Church. Here, for example, is a
Brooklyn priest modestly unfolding
methods that bring him hundreds of
young followers. Many of the same
vocation, who are silent, have like suc-
cess ; and others still might enjoy it if
they would. Perhaps new workers will
be formed by the booklet now considered.
It is intended for private circulation only,
and can be had on application to the
author.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

BENZIGER BROTHERS,

New York, Cincinnati and Chicago.
Marice Corolla. A Wreath for our Lady. By Father
Edmund of the Heart of Mary, C. P. (Benjamin
D. Hill). Pages, 201. I2mo. Cloth, $1.25.

H. L. KILNER & CO.

Philadelphia.
Prince Ragnal and other holiday -verses. By Eleanor

C. Donnelly. Pages, 40. 12 mo. Cloth.
In a Brazilian Forest and Three Brave Boys. By
Maurice Francis Egan. Pages, 219. 12 mo.
Cloth.

The Leopard of Lancianns and other stories. By
Maur-ce Francis Egan. Pages, 229. 12 mo.
Cloth.

B. HERDER,
St. Louis, Mo.

Westchester. A Tale of the Revolution. By Henry
Austin Adams, M. A. Pages, 264. 12 mo. Cloth.
Lasca, andother stories. By Mary F. Nixon. Pages
190. 12 mo. Cloth.

CATHOLIC TRUTH SOCIETY,

London.

Christian Argument. By J. Herbert Williams, M.
A. Pages, in. 12 mo. Cloth.

MESSENGER OFFICE,

Wimbledon, England.
The Catholic Sailors'1 Hymn Book. Edited by F. M.

De Zulueta, S.J. Pages, 33. 12 mo. Cloth.
Letters to Catholic Seamen, on Christian Doctrine^
I to VIII. By Rev. John George Gretton, S.J.
Paper, 4 pages each.

APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER,

New York.

A Patron for Scholars. Eulogy on the Blessed Ed-
mund Campion, S.J.. with his oration on 'The
Model College Student." By Rev. John F.
Quirk, S.J. Pages, 8r. 12 mo. Cloth and paper
LONGMANS, GREEN & CO.,

New York.

Sacred Scenes and Mysteries. By Rev. J. F. X.
O'Conor, S.J. Pages, 138. 12 mo. Cloth. $i oo.
THE CATHOLIC BOOK EXCHANGE,

New York.

The Voice of the Good Shepherd. Does it Live ? and
Where ? By the Rev. Edmund Hill, C.P. Pages,
24. Paper.

ANGEL GUARDIAN PRESS,

Boston, Mass.

Impressions and Opinions By Walter Leckey.
Pages, 180, 12 mo. Paper, 50 cts.

RECENT AGGREGATIONS.

The following Local Centres have received Diplomas of Aggregation, December i to 31, 1898.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Date.

Cleveland
Denver

Dubuque . . •

*Erie ...
Fargo

Defiance, Ohio
Fruita, Colo
Grand Junction, Colo . .
Dubuque, la . . ....
Fairbank. la ...
Titusville, Pa ...
Mmot, N. Dak '

St John's. .
St. Malachy's '
St. Joseph's
St. Ambrose's
Immaculate Conception
St. Walburga's
St. Leo's

. . . Church

. . . Convent
. . . Church

Dec. 22.
Dec. 6.
Dec. 6.
Dec. 9.
Dec. 16.
Nov. 5.

*Galveston . . .
Indian Territory . . .

Mexia, Tex
Hennessy, Okla. Terr'y . '.

St. Mary's ,
St. Joseph's . ...

• • (1

Nov. 12.
Dec 6

*Milwankee
New York
Pittsburg

Tomah, Wis
Jefferson, Wis .
Mt. Vernon N. Y
Millvale Pa

vSt. Mary's
St. Laurenz'
St. Joseph's

. . Academy

Dec. 29.
Dec. 10.
Dec. 8.

Pitcairn. Pa ....

St. Michael's

. . . Church

Dec. 21.

Portland
Providence

Wilmerding, Pa .
South Brewer, Me ...
Warren R. I

vSt. Aloysius'
St. Teresa's
St. Mary s. .

. . "

Dec. 21.
Dec. 6.
Dec 22.

*St. Louis .
*St Paul
San Francisco .
Wichita

North Attleboro, Mass .
Florissant, Mo . . .
New Allm, Min . .
Oakland, Cal . .
Wichita, Kans .

St. Mary's
Sacred Heart
Holy Trinity
St. Joseph's .......
St. Aloysius'

. '. School
Pro-Cathedral

Dec. 25.
Dec. 10.
Nov. i.
Dec. 8.
Nov. 4.

Aggregations. 22; churches, 19; schools, 2; convent, i; 'German-speaking Centres.

Promoters' Receptions.

191

PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

Diplomas issued from December i to 30, 1898.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

No.

Alton
Baltimore
toston
Brooklyn
~3rownsvi le

Buffalo . . ...
Chicago

Cleveland ...
Columbus

Dallas . .

Newton, 111
Washington, D. C
Brighton, Mass
Brooklyn. N. Y
Goliad Texas

St. Thomas'
St. Aloysius.-

. Church 2

7i
7

St. Columbkille's. . .
Nativity ....

St. Maiy's
St. Patrick's

5
7
15
H
4
3
5
7

. College 1 8
. Convent i
. . Church 4

" 10
" 2
" 12

. Cathedral 14
. Church 20

" 5

San Patricio, Tex
Buffalo, N. Y
Chicago, 111

Delphos, Ohio • . .
Ironton, Ohio
Steubenville, Ohio
Dallas, Texas
Dubuque, Iowa
Collegeville, Ind
Tipton, Ind
Houston, Tex
Green Bay, Wis
Oconto, Wis. .

Holy Angel's

St. Vincent's
Our Lady of Sorrows'
St. John the Evangelist's. . . .
St. Lawrence's

St. Peter's
Sacred Heart

Dubuque ...'..
Fort Wayne

Galveston

St. Patrick's.

St. Joseph's
St. Joseph's
St. Joseph's

St. Patrick's

Harrisburg
Hartford

Shamokin, Pa
Hartford, Conn.. . . .
E.Hartford, Conn
Norwalk. Conn
Monett, Mo , . . .
Pao'a, Kans
Louisville, Ky

St. Edward's
vSt. Joseph's
St. Mary s. . .

Kansas City
Leavenworth
Louisville
Milwaukee

St. Lawrence'a ...
Holy Family .*
Assumption
Holy Rosary . . ....

. Cathedral 3
. Church 5
" i

Milwaukee, Wis
Spokane, Wash
Jersey City, N. J
Paterson.N. J

New Orleans, La
New York City, N. Y. . .

Portland Ore

Nesqually
Newark

New Orleans
New York. '.'.'.'.'.'.

Oregon City
Pe« ria
Philadelphia

St Mary's .... ....
Franciscan ....

41
. Monastery 5
. Church 3
19
3

St Joseph's
St. Alphonsus'

St. Ambrose's , . . .
St. Ann's ...
St. Patrick's
St. Paul's

" 22

. Cathedral 42
. . Church 3

. Academy u
. . Church 2
4
. . Convent 6
. . Church 18

St. Mary's ...
Immaculate Conception . . .
St. Columba's
St. Joseph's

Streator, 111
Philadelphia, Pa. . .

Glenfield, Pa .......
Rochester, Pa. ... ...
E'mhurst. R. I
Nevada, Cal
Fernandina. Fla
Florissant, Mo
St. Louis, " ....

San Francisco, Cal

Pittsburg .......

Providence
Sacramento
St. Augustine
St. Louis

San Francisco

Scranton
Sioux Falls
Springfield
Vincennes

St. Kyran's
St. Mary's
St. Cecelia's
Sacred Heart

23
. . i

. . Academy i
. . Church 8

St. Michael's
St Ferdinand's
St. Francis Xavier's ....
St. Mary's and St. Joseph's. .
St. Francis of Assium's

. 2

. . " 7
. . i
. . " 28

•• " st

. . " 13

Vallejo,Cal .........
Scranton, Pa
Emmet. So Dak

St. Peter's

. ' 21

St. Joseph's

Clinton, Ind
Evansville Ind
Indianapolis, Ind

St. Patrick's ... ' * . .

. . ' 4
. . 3

Good Shepherd

. Convent 3

Total Number of Receptions, 62. Total Number of Diplomas issued, 654.

CALENDAR OF INTENTIONS, FEBRUARY, 1899.

THE MORNING OFFERING.

' O mv God I offer Thee my prayers, works and sufferings this day, in union with the Sacred Heart of
Tesus Tor the intentions for which He pleads and offers Himself in the Mass, for the petitions of our
Associates; especially this month for Priests in Parishes.

W '

St. Ignatius, Bp.M. (107).— Pr.

All far Jesus.

^075,899 thanksgivings.

Th.

Purification B.V.M.-H.H., A.C., A.I.

Care of Children.

77,286 for those in affliction.

First Friday._St. Francis de Sales, Bp.C.D.

Amiability.

83,041 for the sick, infirm.

(1622).— St. Blaise, Bp.M. (316).— ist D ,

A.C., Pr

St. Andrew Corsini, Bp.C. (O.C., 1373)-

Compunction.

67,830 for dead associates.

Sexagesima.— st. Philip of Jesus (O.F.M.-

Constancy.

56,850 for Local Centres.

1597)-

St Titus Bp.C. (94).— St. Dorothy, V.M. ! Union with Christ.

66 823 for Directors.

(304)

St. Romuald, Ab.C. (1207). Penance.

95,943 for Promoters.

St. John deMatha.C.F. (Trinitarians, 1213 ) Charity.

215,540 for the departed.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bp.C.D. (444). -St. Reading good books.

166,730 for perseverance.

Apollonia V.M. (249) .—H.H.

St. Scholastica, V. (O S.B., 543). Trust in God

162,696 for young persons.

Seven Servites, FF. CC. (1233). Love of our Lady.

47,128 for ist Communions.

S. Quinquagesima.— St. Eulalia, V.M. (304). Self-Immolation.

95 968 for parents.

i ^

St. Raymond, C.(O.P., 1275).- St. Catharine

Prayer for the dead.

104,017 for families.

de Ricci, V. (O.S.D., 1590).— Pr.

St. Valentine, M. (306).

Kindness.

52,065 for reconciliations.

Ash Wednesday. ^

Mortification.

107,245 for work, means.

St Onesimus, Bp.M. (95).— HH.

Liberty of spirit.

192,167 clergy, religious.

Holy Passion.— St. Fiutan, Ab.C. (560). ;§>

Self-denial

41,711 seminarists, novices.

SS. Paul, John and James, MM. (S.J., 1597)

Zeal for souls

52,966 for vocations.

1st in Lent.— St. Conrad of Placentia, C

Resistance to evil.

124,037 for parishes, schools.

St. John the Almoner, Bp.C.

Compassion.

51,699 for superiors.

St Ephrem, C

Humility.

53,167 for missions, retreats.

Ember Day. — St. Peter's Chair atAntioch.^,

Loyalty to the Church.

49,715 for societies, works.

Th.

St. Peter Damian, Bp.C.D.— H.H.

Faith.

203,080 for conversions.

Ember Day.— St. Matthias, Ap.-A.I. ;<>

Obeying vocation.

3}4,86o for sinners.

Ember Day. — Holy Crown of Thorns. ^

Resignation.

76,147 for the intemperate.

0«

2d in Lent.— St. Porphyry, Bp.C. (420).

Horror of superstition 388.789 lor spiritual and tem-
•j poral favors.

St. Brigid, V. (Patroness of Ireland, 523).

Imitation of Mary.

114, 161 for special, various.

St. Joseph of Leonissa, C. (1612).

Devotion to crucifix.

For MESSENGER Readers.

PLENARY INDULGENCES: Ap. — Apostlcship. (T).=Degrees, PT.=f^omo(ers, C. R.=Communton of Repara-
tion, H..H.=Jfoly Hour); A. I., B.I.=Apostolic, Bridgettine Indulgence ; A. §.=Apostleshit> of btudy .

TREASURY OF GOOD WORKS.
Offerings for the Intentions recommended to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

/oo days' Indulgence for every action offered for the Intentions of the League.

NO. TIMES.

Acts of Charity 4,210,161 n. Masses heard

Beads .

3. Way of the Cross . . .

4. Holy Communions . . .

5. Spiritual Communions

', 789

6. Examens of Conscience 400,484

Hours of Labor 2,633,593

>I73>344 I2- Mortifications

6i,375 13. Works of Mercy

45,960 14. Works of Zeal

15. Prayers

16. Kindly Conversation .

17. Sufferings, Afflictions

8. Hours of Silence 1,954,209 18. Self-conquest

9. Pious Reading 67,615 19. Visits to B. Sacrament

10. Masses read 6,380 20. Various Good Works.

Total, 23,273,173.

). TIMES.

296,121
332.09Q

1,471,876

1,317.553
3,163,760
2,130,482

34,851

1, 733.011

324,268

2,354,202

Intentions or Good Works put in the box, or given on lists to Promoters before their meeting, on or
before the last Sunday, are sent by Directors to be recommended in our Calendar, MESSENGER, in our
Masses here, at the General Direction in Toulouse, and Lourdes.

192

(64)

" If we wish to know the value of the power of prayer, we must consider the
prayer that goes up from the lips and the Heart of one who is God, sure of being
heard, because it begs and desires and wishes only for the Father's desires and will,
and its supplication is worthy of Him. It is by this prayer that every other becomes
meritorious, availing, efficacious. In fact, but one prayer is really worthy of God,
because there is but one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ. Through
Him we must make our every demand : through Hirp present our every request ;
properly speaking, Jesus Christ is the only and the universal man of prayer. St.
Augustine puts this doctrine in this way : " When we pray to God we do not dis-
tinguish between the Son and the Father; and in like manner when the mystical
body of the Son sends up its supplications to heaven it must not separate itself from
its Head, but so pray with Him, that it may be Jesus Christ who prays for us and by
us. He prays for us as our priest, He prays by us as our Head, He is Himself the
one we pray to as our God. Let us recognize our accents in His and His accents
in our own."

JEANNE D'ARC LISTENING TO THE HEAVENLY VOICES.

THE AESSENGEP^

OF THE

SACKED HEART OF JESUS

VOL xxxii. APRIL, 1897. No. 4.

PECCAVI.

AVE mercy, Lord, have mercy Thou on me !
Lone and despised, I turn imploringly,
As in debasing penury I wait .;
To beg a pittance at the temple gate.
Yea, Lord, the loathsome leprosy of sin
Hath long defaced Thy beauteous work within ;
Yet, 'neath these scales, me beggared and denied
Thou seest, still Thy creature— still Thy child.
Thou who hast made me, Thou wilt not despise
My voice of weeping and my piteous cries.
Unclean, unclean ! Low in the dust I fall.
Pity me, pity me, Lord of all !
Peccavi ! peccavi !

Almighty Ruler of the wind and wave,
'Tis Thou canst heal ; 'tis Thou alone canst save.
Thy hand out-stretch, O Thou of gentle mien,
And speak the word of blessing, " Be thou clean. "
Healer of all who hope, good Master, stay,
Nor from Thy presence cast my soul away.
Forbid it now, where none but grace do meet,
That one who hopes should perish at Thy feet.
No price I bring, no privilege I claim,
But hide my face in misery and shame.
Unclean, unclean ! Hark to the leper's cry !
Pity me, pity me, Lord, I die !
Peccavi ! peccavi !

— St. Mary's of the Woods, Indiana.

291

MARY'S SHRINE IN THE ALPS.

By R. M. Taylor.

WHEN the great mystery of the In-
carnation had been accomplished
in the Virgin Mother through the po-
tency of the Holy Ghost, she went across
the mountains to sanctify by her pres-
ence the Precursor of God. On this
pilgrimage, the first in the New Law,
Mary, in the plenitude of grace and
inspiration, announced that henceforth
all generations should call her blessed.
Guided by the Spirit of Truth, the
Church of God has in every age and
clime designated her as such. Cathe-
drals, churches, sanctuaries, altars, have
been erected in her honor, and wherever
a Catholic heart beats there is found an
almost innate love of the Mother of God.
Divine Providence, furthermore, sancti-
fied certain spots consecrated to Mary's
name, whither man in his misery might
direct his steps and find relief from all
ailments in this valley of tears. Thus
France has her Lourdes, Italy her Lo-
retto, Germany her Altoetting, Mexico
her Guadalupe, and the United States
her Auriesville.

Equally renowned, and peacefully
nestled among the Alps of Switzerland,

THE JUNGFRAU.

is the famous shrine and abbey of Our
Lady of the Hermits.

Modern civilization has found its way
even to this sequestered portion of the
Alps, and thus the pilgrims are now
very comfortably conveyed to their des-
tination by a mountain railway. It
makes .its start at Wadensweil, a quaint
little village, and, running along the
beautiful lake of Zurich, it speeds to
higher ground, affording them a delight-
ful view of the blue Swiss waters. The
smiling banks, dotted with villas and
farm-houses, front the lake and are sur-
rounded by orchards and vinej'ards,
while the lofty Alpine heights pierce the
sky like unsheathed daggers and bound
the horizon with their sunlit but inhos-
pitable brow.

Far below on the shining waters rests
the little island of Ufnau, with its an-
cient church ; in the distance the island
of Lutzelau floats upon their surface,
and the high towers of Rapperschwyl,
pointing upwards, appear as an atmos-
pheric mirage.

Arriving at Schindellege, the road
crosses the Sihl, a picturesque torrent
rushing into the Lake of
Zurich, and here the tourist
delights in new scenery.
The placid water, blended
with amethystine and azure
sky and luxuriant vintage,
is exchanged for the austere
ruggedness of nature itself.
Swiftly the railway passes
Alpine villages and roman-
tic chalets planted on the
crevices by the mountain-
side. Passing by St. Mein-
rad's Brunnen, Biberbruck
will be reached, and cross-
ing the River Alp, the green

292

MARY'S SHRINE IN THE ALPS.

293

pastures of the valley of Einsiedeln
stretch before him, while the towers of
the monastery shape themselves against
the clear, unclouded heavens.

The town owes its existence to the
abbey and its thrift to the constant in-
flux of visitors. The hotels are crowded
throughout the year with pilgrims and
tourists alike. Piety is breathed in the
very atmosphere of this village Even
the hotels bear the names — St. Bene-
dict's, St. Meinrad's, St. Catharine's
and many other glorious and saintly
names. The well-known firm of Ben-
ziger Brothers has here its ecclesiasti-
cal institute. It affords employment to
nearly a thousand of the mountaineers.

But the glory of the country is the
abbey, which incloses the shrine of Our
Lady of the Hermits. To ascertain the
history of its foundation we must re-
trace our steps to the year 837.

In the ninth century a scion of the
noble family of Hohenzollern, called
Meinrad, assumed the habit of St. Bene-
dict. His rank deprived him of the tran-
quillity he sought in the cloister, and,
deciding to attain a higher degree of
sanctity, he secured the permission of
his superior and retired to Mount Ezel
near Lake Zurich. The fame of his
sanctity spreading abroad, he was vis-
ited by such numbers that, alarmed, he
fled to a dense forest near a fountain to
which he carried a statue of the Blessed

Virgin. Such was the origin 01 the
Monastery of Einsiedeln.

Twenty-six years had passed in peace
and happiness for Meinrad when, on Jan-
uaiy 21, 863, two men begged for shelter
within his hermitage. The weather was
excessively cold and the saintly anchor-
ite welcometl them in his humble abode.
The travellers were robbers, who, expect-
ing to secure booty, murdered the recluse
during the night. A hair shirt was the
reward for their crime, for he had noth-
ing else. Terrified by what they had
done, they fled, but two faithful friends
and guardians of the martyr interposed.
During the years of his sojourn in the
secluded forest Meinrad, like many other
hoty men, had gained the love of two ra-
vens, which were his faithful companions
in life, and even in his death proclaimed
their fidelity. They followed the mur-
derers wherever they went. They men-
aced them by their cries, even to the
city of Zurich where, consequently, the
strange behavior of these birds and the
men attracted the attention of an inn-
keeper. Suspecting evil he had the men
given over to justice, and confessing their
crime they were put to death. The inn
to this day bears the sign of the two
faithful ravens, and the crest of the
Prince-Abbot of the Abbey of Einsiedeln
immortalizes their heroic deed.

The body of the dead saint was con-
veyed to Reichenau, where God made

294

MARY'S SHRINE IN THE ALPS.

manifest the sanctity of his servant by
many miracles. Forty-four years subse-
quent to Meinrad's death, Benno, the son
of the king of the Burgundians, visited
the cell and the small oratory. Here he
experienced heavenly peace, and, filled
with the spirit of St. Meinrad, he ex-
claimed : "This is the place of my re-
pose " Some of his companions joined
him and they lived together in the exer-
cise of piety and virtue until the arrival
of St. Eberhard who came to share their
retreat.

He employed his riches in erecting a
monastery and church, and, adopting
the rule of St. Benedict, he was made the
first abbot. At his invitation St. Conrad,
Bishop of Constance, came to consecrate
the newly erected church in 948. St. Ul-
ric, Bishop of Augsburg accompanied
him. The church was constructed over
St. Meinrad's little oratory, and on its
altar was placed the sacred Madonna
once the pride and joy of the great saint.
On the night preceding the consecration
the Bishop arose, and in the company of
a few of the monks went to pray before
this image. Their devotion had occu-
pied them but a short time when sud-

denly the church was filled with a bril-
liant light brighter than the sun at mid-
day, and the chant of psalms and hymns
by a great multitude fell upon their ears.
Hastening towards the altar, which was
illuminated as for a solemn festival, St.
Conrad beheld Christ offering the Holy
Sacrifice assisted by the four Evange-
lists. Angels on either side of the divine
Priest swung the fuming censers. The
Apostles, SS. Peter and Paul, and the
Pope, St. Gregory, bore the pontifical
insignia. SS. Stephen and Lawrence offi-
ciated as deacons, and a choir of angels
made the temple resound with celestial
melody.

Morning dawned, and still the good
bishop remained in ecstasy at the vision.
Finding him there the monks requested
him to vest for the solemn ceremonies,
but he refused, maintaining that the
church had been divinely consecrated.
St. Eberhard, skeptical of the miracle,
insisted. The bishop obeyed, but no
sooner had the highest step of the altar
been reached than a voice from heaven
cried: "Cease, brother, the church is
divinely consecrated." Such is the tra-
dition handed down from antiquity.

The Church of Our Lady of the Her-
mits acquired great celebrity. The Em-
peror Otho I. conferred the title of prince
upon the abbot. Pontiffs, emperors,
kings, prelates, noblemen vied with
one another in enriching or granting
privileges to the abbey. The buildings
were decorated with the most lavish art.

In 1039 the body of St. Meinrad was
translated thither, and many other pre-
cious relics were entombed in the various
altars. The gifts of Mary's clients con-
stituted a valuable treasury, and, al-
though the revolution which closed the
last century materially injured the build-
ings and the church, it is still one of the
most beautiful edifices in Switzerland.
Five times the monastery has been de-
stroyed by fire in various centuries, and
upon as many occasions the holy chapel
and image have been preserved.

The present structure is a large square

MARY'S SHRINE IN THkL ALPS.

295

building, divided into quadrangles. It
is somewhat similar in construction to
the Escurial, Spain's famous monument
of royalty. In the centre of the fa9ade,
fronting the large square, is the church
with its twin towers — the arch between
them crowned with the Blessed Virgin 's
statue, and in a medallion above the
entrance the crest of the monastery, two
ravens upon a ground of gold. The en-
tire building is four hundred and fifty by
five hundred and sixteen feet. On either
side of the abbey are the workshops,
lodgings for farm-hands and poor pil-

The image of the Blessed Virgin before
which St. Meinrad once prayed is Ein-
siedeln's greatest treasure.

Upon the left arm of the Madonna rests
the Infant Saviour, in whose hand nestles
a tiny bird pecking at the Babe's fingers.
The flowing hair of the Virgin falls in
graceful tresses on the shoulders. The
expression of the countenances is tender
and pleasing, although they are black
from age and the incense of ten centuries;
and happily the words of the Canticle of
Canticles may be applied to it : "I am
black, yet beautiful." The whole is a

ABBEY AND CHURCH AT EINSIEDELN.

grims who come to the Shrine, stables
well stocked, and gardens.

The church is a gorgeous specimen of
architecture, from the tesselated pave-
ment to the glowing roof; everything is
radiant, beautiful, bewildering, even to
the cynic. The altar upon which the
miraculous image stands is of purest
marble, framed in gold and silver, and
is a masterpiece of ecclesiastical art.
The resemblance between this chapel
and the house of Loretto is marked.
Both are simple, unpretentious chapels
•enclosed within magnificent temples.

wonderful creation of mediaeval Christian
art. Clustered about the altar are the
offerings of those, who, like the woman
in the Bible, have found the reward of
their great faith. Innumerable tablets
announce miraculous cures recently as
well as in the past. Among the most
precious offerings is a handsome cande-
labrum presented by Napoleon III. in
commemoration of a pilgrimage made
by him when a boy in the company of
his mother, Queen Hortense.

Over the timeworn pavement watered
by so many tears of penitent souls and

296

MARY'S SHRINE IN THE ALPS.

upon which millions have knelt, once
passed the illustrious Charles Borro-
meo, Nicholas, and numbers who are
now canonized saints. Emperors, kings,
princes and the great ones of the earth
have come hither offering in common
their homage to Mary. Goethe, who

it may, there is a yearning in the human
heart for the same warmth and light of
faith which consumed the heart of Ein-
siedeln's saintly founder, St. Meinrad. "
It is said that the pilgrims who annu-
ally visit Einsiedeln number over two
hundred thousand. Upon the feast of

AN ALPINE VILLAGE.

twice visited Einsiedeln, leaves the fol-
lowing testimony of his edification in his
writings : " It is a subject of deep thought
that morality and religion have here
kindled a flame ever brilliantly burning.
Thousands of pious souls come to this
flame amidst untold hardship. Be it as

the divine Consecration, September 14,
great numbers are unable to procure ac-
commodation in the town. The Ameri-
can Catholic tourist, when visiting the
sacred places in Europe or when sojourn-
ing in Switzerland, should never fail to
visit Mary's Shrine in the Alps.

THE TRUE "LIGHT OF AS!A.J
By D. A. Dever,

EDWIN ARNOLD^ with a power
founded upon great natural gifts,
wide culture, and a partial grasp of
real Christianity, has given to the world,
in the great work whose title we have
borrowed, such an exposition of Budd-
hist thought and principle as even
their most erudite adherent could hardly
have hoped to produce, and one in which
the beauty of poetic thought and expres-
sion have been twined about the ancient
Asiatic idol with so sympathetic a hand
that its native ugliness almost seems to
have given place to an air of mysterious
power and majesty. We do not look
with satisfaction upon this use of Chris-
tian talent ; nevertheless we see in it an
indication of reawakened interest in the
peoples of those vast regions which
cradled the infancy of the human race,
but which have not shared to a proper
extent in its later progress. We have no
time to lose in thus regilding the unsub-
stantial phantasms of diseased human
thought, but there is, in those far lands,
a real work for Christian hands to do in
behalf, not of heathenism, but of its
victims ; and a fair hope of its accom-
plishment beams before our eyes, and
urges us to be eager and confident in the
task. We refer to the longed for return
of the Eastern Church to ecclesiastical
unity as the first step towards the Chris-
tianizing of Asia. The true God must
reign in the East, as well as in the West,
and the glorious promise that the Cross
may soon gleam from the Euxine to the
Pacific seems to herald a flashing dawn,
which we may justly term the "True
Light of Asia. ' '

We can take up this work with all the
more ardor and hopefulness, when we
consider that God's ever watchful care is
evidenced by the character of the leader
whom He has given us in these difficult

and dangerous times In the chair of
Peter sits one of the very greatest of the
popes, a pontiff who acquired command-
ing power in the most important affairs
of men ; for, besides the elevated spirit-
uality by which he stands supreme, Leo
XIII. has proved himself a leader in the
higher realms of purely intellectual life,
and has devoted all the force of his many-
sided genius to the one task of elevating
mankind, and leading it to eternal salva-
tion. Even his enemies have been forced
to acknowledge the more than human
wisdom of his words, while his children
look up with confidence and love to the
faithful guardian and guide who antici-
pates their every^need, and warns them
of even- danger. The whole world
listens to the great seer who, from his
rock-bound height, looks out upon the
nations, and in tones that resound to the
uttermost ends of the earth points out
to men the destruction to which they are
drifting, and calls upon them to gather
round the cross of Jesus Crucified, the
emblem of their only salvation. With a
range of vision as wide as the world, and
with an ability proportioned to the great-
est, as well as to the least, of the issues
which concern the spiritual welfare of
the human race, he is ceaselessly plan-
ning, perfecting, and executing, designs
whose splendor befits the Vicar of Christ,
and proves the divine origin of his mis-
sion.

France, England, Germany, each pre-
sents a mighty field where stupendous
interests hang upon Leo's word ; and the
far-reaching influence which he wields
in those great countries would be suffi-
cient to cast a halo of fadeless glory over
any pontiff's reign. But even the ever-
increasing and affectionate care with
which he regards German, Frank, and1
Briton, cannot exhaust his apostolic

297

298

THE TRUE LIGHT OF ASIA.

solicitude, and all the accumulated splen-
dors which cluster around the close of a
long and glorious life are not sufficient
to prevent him from detecting the first,
faint shimmering of a holy light which
promises to flood the East with an out-
pouring of celestial splendor more mag-
nificient than any which the Christian
ages have as yet witnessed. With all
the fervor of heavenly zeal, the Holy
Father seeks to shield and cherish the
reawakened life of light and grace which
is beginning to throb anew in the long-
palsied members of the once great East-
ern Church ; and with all the eagerness
of- one who knows their value, he is
trying to restore to the Church of John,
of Ignatius, of Polycarp, and of Chrys.
ostom, the dazzling glory which has
suffered so long and so disastrous an
eclipse.

Already his earnest prayers and his
prudent action have borne glorious fruit;
a sense of his sincerity and sanctity has
pervaded the East, the true source of
Christian unity has been indicated by the
holding of the Eucharistic Congress of
Jerusalem, and the wise regulations con-
cerning the election of bishops, the train-
ing of ecclesiastics, and the preservation
of liturgical integrity, have convinced the
Eastern mind that the Bishop of Rome
is seeking only the glory of the Father,
and the restoration of the wounded ex-
ternal -beauty of the Spouse of Jesus
Christ. lyet us turn from so much that
is sad in the West, to gaze with L,eo upon
the vast scene just glimmering in the
advancing light of what may prove the
most glorious dawn which earth has
witnessed since the True Light Himself
came down two thousand years ago.

During one half of the Christian era,
schism has cast its dark shadow over
these historic lands. After an infancy of
such splendor as the West has never
known, after the toils and the blood of
the most illustrious confessors and
martyrs, after the burning eloquence of
the most fervent and gifted preachers,
after ten centuries of glorious and fruit-

ful life, the Eastern Church suddenly
sank to insignificance ; for the magni-
tude of their ecclesiastical organization,
and the consciousness of lofty intellec-
tual achievements sowed the fatal seeds
of pride in the hearts of the Oriental
patriarchs, and blinded them to the true
source of their undoubted greatness and
power. Political jealousy fanned the
flames of ecclesiastical discord, and tem-
poral rulers, for their own temporal
ends, studiously labored to prevent any
reuniting of the ruptured bonds of Chris-
tian charity. We need not enter upon
a detailed history of the separated church.
Ere long the scimitar of Mahomet fell
upon the obstinate people, the crescent
supplanted the Cross on the turrets of
Constantine's capital, and dreary cen-
turies, shrouded in the nameless curse
of Islam, bring the sad record down to
our own day. We do not mention the
reconciliations which took place, for
they are known alike for their brevity
of duration and their barrenness of re-
sult ; but we shall linger for awhile
on the scene before us, to seek the causes
which have proved so fatally effective in
prolonging, through the life of nations,
the existence of a state of affairs which
owes its origin to the caprice of proud
and misguided individuals.

Rising like a leaden barrier between
the active Roman Church and the semi-
civilized races of the East and North,
the palsied Schismatic Church interposes
an almost insuperable obstacle to the
beneficent spiritualizing energy which
has rescued and refined Europe. The
Christian conquest of the East, the
proper task of the Greek Church, and a
task for which its territorial contiguity
and consequent similarity in thought,
language, and custom, peculiarly adapt
it, lies all unattempted, save for the
heroic labors of the ill-equipped mission-
aries from the West : and countless mil-
lions who should have received the
Gospel of Truth have passed, and are
passing, from the face of the earth with-
out any knowledge of Jesus Christ. The

THE TRUE LIGHT OF ASIA.

299

schismatic peoples themselves, enervated
and enfeebled by their long separation
from the fount of all true life, whether
national or religious, are unable to as-
sert their natural rights, and lie supine
outside the pale of vigorous, healthy
humanity, in the direction of whose des-
tiny they no longer have a voice. They
who, in conjunction with the Roman
Church, could long since have driven
despotism into the Arctic seas, and idol-
atry into the Pacific, lie leprous at home,
a corrupted and corrupting people, sub-
jected to the whims of semi-barbarous
sovereigns, and used by the devil to sus-
tain and perpetuate the reign of organ-
ized lechery in the East.

It is upon this awful scene that the
light of heaven is breaking, and with
all the ardor of true zeal, the Holy Father
is striving to bring to reality the glori-
ous promise which now shines from these
long unhappy lands. The masses of the
people are eager for reunion, but their
masters are laboring to prevent it ; and
this secular opposition is the principal
difficulty with which we have to deal.
And here, even at a cost of a digres-
sion, we shall not resist the temptation
to read a lecture to those who are wont
to clamor so loudly for the complete
separation of Church and State, mean-
ing, of course, the denial of any partici-
pation in civil affairs to the Church of
Rome. Why are they silent when they
see the double sceptre in the hands of
the English Queen or the Russian Czar ?
Where is their indignation when the
openly immoral Turk prescribes the kind
and amount of religion which may be
granted to his Christian subjects, with
the least of whom he is unworthy to
speak ! It is common enough to decry
the interference of Rome, when the just
condemnation of a saintly pontiff falls
upon the iniquitous proceedings of cor-
rupt legislative bodies ; but the suffer-
ings and the blood of pure and holy
hearts, whose only offence is fidelity to
conscience, appeal in vain to the self-
constituted champions of religious lib-

erty who swarm everywhere in our
favored days.

The nineteenth century .has been great
in many ways ; it has been no whit be-
hind its predecessors in the production
of monstrous shams ; but it has wit-
nessed no pretension more absurd than
the hollow mockery which now passes
for enthusiasm in the cause of religious
liberty. Mankind knows very well that
there is co-ordination and correlation in
the social, as well as in the material
world. It knows that Church and State
have an essential and indestructible inter-
relation ; and temporal rulers have al-
ways recognized this fact and acted upon
it. The struggle between the ecclesias-
tical and the civil power has not been
for independence or autonomy, but for
precedence in one and the same sphere ;
and, to return to our subject, the unjust
invasion by the civil power of the proper
domain of the Church has been largely
responsible for all these sad centuries of
unnatural separation. The real enemy
of reconciliation is the crystallized
national policy of rulers who have placed
the material above the spiritual, and who
recognize in ecclesiastical jurisdiction a
most powerful means of leading the
masses to assist in the accomplishment
of designs inspired by worldly ambition.
The disposition of the people is the
bright feature of the prospect, the oppo-
sition of their rulers is its dark side ; but
we may hope that even this will soon
yield to better counsels, for all must ad-
mit that neither Constantinople nor St.
Petersburg has much to show for ten
hundred years of toil. Surely it is time
for these rulers to reverse their policy,
or, if the}r fail to do so, for outside pres-
sure to reverse it for them.

The principle of international inter-
ference in cases of extraordinary injus-
tice, though so long but feebly acknowl-
edged, is not firmly established. It now
is, and still more in the future is to be,
a very powerful factor in determining
the action of even seemingly isolated
and irresponsible despots; for the Church

3OO

THE TRUE LIGHT OF ASIA.

has taught nations, as well as individu-
als, that all the world is their neighbor;
and, how little soever it may be to their
taste, both Czar and Sultan know that the
mailed hand of the stranger will put an
end to their bloody persecution, if it be
carried to any great extent. Ages of
submission have solidified their power,
and lessened the energy of their people;
but the first breath of freedom will
awaken a spirit of liberty which there
will be no bonds to shackle, and which
will not be silenced until it rests sure in
the possession of restored religious right.
Millions of earnest souls will at once
rejoin the great Roman communion, and
their rulers, blessed in spite of them-
selves, will find that they govern nations
which have become really and truly
great. With a united Church, once moi e
firmly established at the portals of Asia,
the future of the world belongs to Jesus
Christ.

Such is the possibility, such the prob-
ability, that causes Leo's eyes to kindle
as his eager gaze flashes from the Orient
to the Pole, and such is the promise
which thrills many an unknown but
generous heart and makes it prompt for
any sacrifice required for its realization.
The very conditions, which have rendered
the situation so deplorable in the past,
now justify the most glorious hope for
the future. We are far from the scene, we
seem to be powerless in the matter, but
we are near to God, and He is every-
where, and if we bring our tears and
prayers to Him, He will make them
effective wherever we wish Him to do so.
The sons of God rejoice in their Father's
power, and the influence of every Chris-
tian is proportioned to his zeal. Our
opportunity and our obligations to lend
all the aid in our power is present and
imperative. May God in heaven bless
our splendid hope, and may we not be
wanting in our duty.

We can rest assured that the enthusi-
asm with which we enter upon this
glorious work will not be thrown away ;
for the policy of the Pope is such as to

insure the greatest possible results from
the efforts we are making. Even the at-
tractive ideal of iiniversal liturgical
unity has no power to deflect his zeal
from the one paramount "desideratum"
in this matter, the immediate reconcilia-
tion of the Schismatic Church. We
are not sure, moreover, that there would
not be loss, instead of gain, in reducing
all nations to absolute uniformity in
liturgical observance. There are many
valid reasons why the Christians of the
Greek Church should retain their beauti-
ful and impressive ritual. The East was
the cradle of Christianity; its soil first
drank a Christian martyr's blood; its
language was the link which bound the
New Revelation to the Old; its liturgy,
warmed into rich, demonstrative life by
the best emotions of the human hesrt,
formed, perhaps, the noblest exterior
public worship which God has ever
received from man. The very schism
itself is a proof, though a sad and dis-
astrous one, of the conscious power of
Oriental thought. No Grecian heart can
ever forget its countiy's immortal
achievements. Next to that formally
religious life, of which the Church is
the only and ever- vigorous soul, the
vast intellectual fabric which the mighty
mind of the centuries has fashioned,
is the noblest thing in all the world,
and we cannot but feel a profound
reverence for the lofty spirits who reared
the magnificent edifice whose turrets rise
until they glitter in the very light of in-
finity itself. And Greece was the earth-
ly home of the all but inspired architects
who, in the ancient world, flung highest
and fairest the glories of human thought,
and its noble language was the medium
through which their sublime concepts
flashed to the zenith of the soul's exalted
firmament.

God Himself seems to have ordained
that the Hellenic tongue should bear His
message to the Gentile world; for, twenty-
two hundred years ago, three centuries
before the coming of our Redeemer, the
Septuagint was written under c:rcum-

THE TRUE LIGHT OF ASIA.

301

stances which scarcely permit us to
doubt that it was the means of which
God made use in acquainting pagan
peoples with the prophecies concerning
the Messiah, and thus preparing them
for the reception of the truths which He
was to establish. We know that' it was
principally through this language that
the Gospel was first given to mankind,
and we know that it has never ceased to
ascend with the noblest and the sweetest,
and the holiest aspirations of the heart
clothed in its flowing periods. Why
break the golden Grecian chain which
flashes beside its Latin brother down
through all the dim ages to the very
rock of Peter, and stretches alone far
beyond, to bind the Vatican to Sinai?
Heaven has not blessed the attempt to
do so in the past, nor have we any reason
to believe that it would act differently
now; and it is worthy of the command-
ing genius of Leo XIII. to perceive the
error of such a course. The Church has
no need of being unreasonable. Strong
in her essential, immanent life, she can
confidently adapt her exterior acts to the
exigencies, and even the proprieties, of
her various surroundings. All the real
beauty of the world belongs to her by
right divine, and it is eminently fitting
that the chosen language of scholars
should have a place, and that an import-
ant one, in the service of the one great
civilizing and educating agency of the
world.

We know not whether sorrow for the
past, or hope for the future should urge
us the more powerfully to be zealous in
this matter. Either should be sufficient
to rouse us to instant and earnest action.
Besides those separated, though Chris-
tian, peoples, countless millions whom
the Greek Church should long since
have evangelized, still lie in the darkness
of idolatry ; for the splendid talents of
the Eastern mind, whose true sphere of
action was made so evident in the early
ages of the Church, no longer flash in
the lofty realms of religious truth, but,
dimmed and broken, are scarcely able to

pierce the clouds of pride and error which
hide the heaven-lit cross of St. Peter's,
the source of the only in'spiration which
can ever cause them to blaze forth again
with all their ancient lustre. But, once
united with Rome, the keen, poetic in-
tellect of the East would cease to be the
barren principle that it now is. A new
era of elevated spiritual life would shed
its radiance over those long-slumbering
lands, and could not fail to illumine the
benighted countries whose conversion,
as we have said, is the proper, but long
neglected task of the Eastern Church.
Of all the works now open to Christian
zeal, no other offers rewards as great for
an equal expenditure of toil. A vast
amount of missionary labor, and a long
period of time, would be needed in order
to bring one-half, or one-fourth of the
number with which we are now con-
cerned to a knowledge of the faith, to
say nothing of supplying the ecclesiasti-
cal organization that would be required ;
but in the East we have only to strike
the earthy incrustations from the jewel,
and release its imprisoned splendor ; we
have only to tear away the false pomp
with which pride has obscured the ce-
lestial beauty of Christ's immaculate
spouse. The civil authorities will resist
as long as they can ; but the titled Pris-
oner of the Neva, as well as the Sick Man
of the Bosphorus, will soon have to face
demands which thus far they have been
able to ignore, and their response will be
the knell of unwarranted and irresponsi-
ble interference in the religious affairs of
their subjects. A thousand years is long
enough for any mistake to endure. Let
us have a return to reason and sense.

As we have said, it may seem that our
power is necessarily limited, and that we
can do but little to determine the final
result ; but this view would be utterly
erroneous, since we need not be less
powerful where we are than we would be
were we actually upon the scene. There
are many ways by which our whole in-
fluence for good can be brought to bear
upon this, the greatest issue of our age.

302

THE TRUE LIGHT OF ASIA.

Our power can be exerted wherever that
of God is known. To begin with what
seems little, we all know the extreme
value of pecuniary aid in almost every
important undertaking, and it is alto-
gether unnecessary to call attention to
the fact, that the comprehensive and far-
sighted policy by which the Sovereign
Pontiff seeks to insure the permanence of
the great results at which he aims, will
admit of the advantageous disposal of
vast sums of money. The beneficent
influence of the institutions to be estab-
lished for the training of Greek clerics
will be directly proportioned to the scale
upon which they can be projected and
maintained. Indeed, an adequate sys-
tem of these seminaries would solve the
question almost at once ; for its presence
would immediately infuse a new life into
the long paralyzed ecclesiastical organi-
zation of the East. Besides the solid
culture and the intelligent zeal which the
students themselves would quickly ac-
quire, the prestige of the able and learned
body which they would form would pos-
sess great weight with the scholarly
minds of the Eastern races, and would
do much to bear down the principal ob-
stacles to reconciliation. We can con-
ceive of but few motives which could
appeal more powerfully to the liberality
of our Catholic people than these con
siderations, especially when we consider
that the great results already pointed
out, are but secondary and intermediate
to others, the importance of which can
be measured by no earthly standard.
What would really be bestowed by this
Christian benevolence would be, for
countless souls, the priceless boon of
perfect union with the only fount of true
spiritual life ; and for countless others,
it would be the whole treasure of the
faith, with all its wealth of heavenly light
and grace, and all its fulness of divine
strength and consolation. Here we can
truly say, Qui dat pecuniam dat Christum,
because the priests whom we help to
form will bear the sacraments far and
wide, and administer them to multitudes

of our fellow- creatures ; so that to ad-
vance this great work is, in reality, to
place Jesus Christ in the hearts and souls,
of those He loves, and for whom He died,
but who, without our intervention, might
never hava known the ineffable sweetness
of His presence. We would search in
vain fora nobler transmutation of earthly
substance than that in which Christian
charity changes worldly wealth, always
a source of danger, and often of sin, into
the Most Precious Body and Blood of
Jesus Christ who ceaselessly pleads for
us from the depths of the gentle hearts
He has forever sanctified. In truth, it is
a very great privilege due to God's good-
ness thus to be enabled to co-operate with
Him in the salvation of souls by employ-
ing temporal gifts for the furtherance of
eternal interests.

But money is the most insignificant
of our resources. All the exertions of
the Pope, all the efforts suggested by
the experience and piety of his minis-
ters, and all measures of reconciliation,
no matter by whom, or how skilfully,
they may be devised, must find their
ultimate principle of efficacy in the
blessing which Almighty God places
upon them, and in the dispositions
which He excites in those for whose
benefit they are intended. To secure
God's blessing, therefore, upon the
splendid zeal of our Great Father, and to
ensure the inflowing of the Holy Spirit
into the hearts of our long-lost brethren,
should be the first desire of those who
3Tearn with holy longing to see the fair
unit}7 of Christ's beautiful Church re-
stored. And who possesses more power-
ful means of effecting this, of moving
God's compassionate heart, than His
own chosen people? We need not set
forth the efficacy of the most Holy Sacri-
fice. We know that the Victim there
offered never pleads in vain, and we
know that He will ask His Heavenly
Father to grant our requests, if they pro-
ceed from hearts really lacerated by the
evils which we see, and really on fire
with zeal for the magnificent consumma-

THE BOY IN THE BLUE BLOUSE.

303

tion which now seems to be a near possi-
bility. Nor is the Adorable Sacrifice the
only means by which we can secure the
favor of God. One of the privileges of a
zealous life is to possess an intimacy
with souls in which God's delighted
friendship is evidenced by the most
splendid gifts of sanctification ; souls
whose power with heaven cannot be
doubted, and we can join with these
glorious spirits in praying for the inten-
tions of the Pope. Moreover, we can

speak to those about us of the import-
ance and the necessity 'of earnest in-
terest in this great affair of the Church,
and the lisping prayer of some little
child may shake the foundations of Rome
and Constantinople. The task before us
is great with respect to our strength,
but it is little compared to God's om-
nipotence, and all His power lies at
our disposal. If we labor with hu-
mility and faith, the result is God's and
ours.

THE BOY IN THE BLUE BLOUSE,

By Rev. David Bearne, S.J.

44 fl REEP a little closer to the cross,
^•^ my son ! ' ' This is what the
good canon, his confessor, had said.
Benoit repeated the words to himself
again and again. Well, if that was what
the good God wanted of him Benoit
thought he could obey. Now that the
lonely widower had lost his only child
he must needs nestle close to something,
somewhere. " It is either for the boy 's
good or your own," the priest had said,
his heart throbbing with pity for his
poor penitent, and his kindly voice shak-
ing with tears, "either for the good of
the little Denis or your own. If for his,
you dare not weep; if for your own, you
should not sorrow. " Yet the priest wept
much.

Benoit spent a long time in the cathe-
dral that Saturday evening. He could
not kneel among the crowd in the chapel
of the Holy Sacrament, much as he
wished to do so. He feared that his
sobs would disturb the prayers of others.
He knew that his was not the only bleed-
ing heart that the Saviour would be
asked to heal that night, but then his
wound was so very fresh. It was the
day after the funeral of his son. So
Benoit stole away into the recesses of
the south aisle of the choir and knelt in
the farthest corner close to the big cruci-

fix, which stood half hidden behind a
disused confessional. It was very quiet
there and, through me curtained screen,
his eye could rest upon the tabernacle
in the neighboring chapel of the Holy
Sacrament— yes, he was near to the
tabernacle, and very close to the cross,
but he could not pray, he told himself.
Yet he was praying devoutly enough.
He was saying the beads of Mary 's Dol-
ors, but his own were uppermost. He
tried to see Mary in the Temple — on the
road to Egypt — on the Way of the Cross ;
but Denis was in every picture, the dead
Denis, who was lying deep down in the
soil of the cemetery. The tears \7ould
not come now. Perhaps their fount was
exhausted. He wished to weep that he
might have tears to offer to Mary, but
they would not flow. A sort of hardness
was creeping over him, he thought. He
did not know that this was only the
physical reaction after so much sadness.
He said his beads to the very end ; said
the last three Aves in honor of Mary's
tears and then took from his pocket
a tattered manual of prayers. He knew
that he was acting rightly.

1 ' Never mind what you may feel, my
son," his confessor had said, "only go
on praying mechanically, if you will ;
something good will come of it. It is

304

THE BOY IN THE BLUE BLOUSE

just that steady persistence, that dogged
will to pray on, that the Sacred Heart
delights in, not feelings, emotions,
tears."

So Benoit read his acts of love and
resignation \vith_ his heart rather than
with his lips, and rose strengthened.

Benoit walked slowly home — so slowly
through the big streets — and, in a poor
quarter of the town, mounted many
stairs that led to his desolate rooms.
How desolate ! He passed into the bed-
room beyond. Denis' little bed, that
folded into a chair, was put away. Upon
the white coverlet of Benoit 's own bed
the outline of a coffin was still visible.
The man had not slept for several nights.
He asked himself now if he might not
tidy the sitting-room first. Denis had
never allowed it to remain in disorder.
Should he begin with Denis' corner?
Yes ; for that portion must always be
tidy, and kept fair and clean for the love
of Denis.

What a very pretty fiction it had been,
that division of the room into apart-
ments ! There had been, first of all,
the kitchen, which included the stove
and a little space in its neighborhood ;
then "my father's apartment;" the
cosy corner farthest from the draught,
farthest from the window, yet facing it,
and in full view of the blue and scarlet
blossoms Denis had coaxed into life and
color ; then the space about the table,
the salle a manger ; then Denis' own
apartment ! the space near the window,
where stood a little cabinet, which was
at once a prie-dieu, a writing table, a
bookcase and a chest of drawers. Yes,
that cabinet was Denis' own — was full
of his "things." It had been the
father's present to Denis on the latter 's
twelfth birthday. What a fete they had
had on that day ! What a solemn in-
stallation of Denis' "things " ! It was
amazing how many articles Denis pos-
sessed— all presents. So natural, the
father thought, that people should
shower presents upon Denis. Did not
everybody love him ? Even the cross

old lady on the front floor — said to be a
miser, and known to dislike all boys —
had said that the sound of Denis' wooden
shoes on the staircase was as the sound
of music. But then Denis could step
lightly, even in sabots.

Benoit's hands rested for a moment on
the dead boy's cabinet. It must be kept
intact, of course. There was the crucifix
in the centre, a crucifix of wood carved
in Switzerland, and given to Denis by
his confessor. There was the colored
picture of Our Lady of Victories, and
another of the boy's patron, St. Denis,
There was the Decade of the present
month, and some prayers on a card writ-
ten in Denis' big round hand. The lit-
tle vase given him by the old lady below
on the day of his First Communion, a
vase filled now with dead wild flowers,
the last Denis had plucked. The row
of books — what a precious row ! "I am
the happiest boy in all France," Denis
had exclaimed, whenever a volume was
added.- There they were — lives of the
saints, books of history, and poetry, and
travels — books of devotion. More, a mil-
lion times more, they had been to the boy
and his father, than are the libraries of
the wealthy to their owners. What
nights the father and son had spent to-
gether— nights too blissful to last, Benoit
always knew. What a home-coming it
had been for the tired artisan ! What a
marvel that Denis who had never known
a mother — she had died when he was but
a few months old — should have been so
handy, so tidy, so natty. He could pre-
pare soup with the best — could cook a
cutlet — had more than once achieved an
omelet. Benoit's evening meal had ever
been a banquet, brightened with the
merry tongue, and the shining eyes of
his son. And afterwards ! Could the
music of the opera have equalled Denis'
reading aloud? Benoit knew it could
not. How quickly, once the lingering
meal was over, would every vestige of
supper disappear into the little scullery
beyond, and how deftly would the boy
roll his father's cigarettes for the long

THE BOY IN THE BLUE BLOUSE.

305

COULD THK MUSIC OF THE OPERA HAVE
EQUALLED THE MUSIC OF DENIS,
READING ALOUD?

evening's consumption. And what a
pretty choice the boy had in the reading
he selected. By some instinct he always
knew what his tired father would enjoy
most. There were few Catholic papers
and magazines published in France that
did not, sooner or later, find their way
into Denis' hands.

Some were bought regularly, week
after week, month after month ; some
were borrowed, for who would refuse a
loan to Denis ? And so the nightly
reading, always good if not always
directly devotional, contributed much
to that pious atmosphere which both
father and son delighted to breathe.
Stories were kept for Sundays and
feasts, but then the feasts were many.
It was one of Denis' surprises, this pro-
duction of some little tale he had saved
for a bonne bouche. Over these father
and son laughed or wept together. Then
before bed-time always a page of the
Imitation of Christ, or a chapter of St..
Francis de Sales, and night prayers,
kneeling side by side — Benoit and his
Denis, before the crucifix on the cabinet.
The cabinet ! It was very sacred, Benoit

thought, as he opened one of the drawers
and looked in, too sacred almost to
touch. How full of little things was.
this very drawer, and how tidily kept !
A pile of religious magazines, a small
reliquary and many little pictures, a
bottle of Lourdes water, a box of domi-
noes, a draught board, and many odds-
and ends. Benoit closed the drawer,
not before the holy water of tears had
sprinkled its contents. There were a
few articles of clothing lying about :
these he would fold and put away in the
lower drawers. So he took up the small
blue blouse, the leathern belt, the broad
white collar, still clean and fresh as on
the day when that cruel inflammation of
the lungs had seized the child, and, kiss-
ing the little bundle, laid it away ten-
derly. Some day, perhaps, he would give
them to one in need, but not immedi-
ately. No, he could not at present part
with a single thing that had belonged to-
Denis, not even the little pair of wooden

306

THE BOY IN THE BLUE BLOUSE.

shoes which he also carefully put away
underneath the cabinet. On a future
day, perhaps, for the love of Denis, he
might bestow them on some poor lad,
but not yet.

» * *

Sunday — and how lonely? But O,
liow more than lonely it would have
been but for the Banquet of the Angels
at sunrise, and the all-day open portals
of his Father's house ! He must spend
the day there, Benoit told himself. So
the desolated rooms saw little of him
that day. He had returned after Com-
munion, had made his bowl of coffee and
smoked a cigarette ; then he had gone
Taack to the cathedral. He sought out
his quiet corner of the night before, and
remained there — except at the time of
the sermon — close to the crucifix, during
the whole of the solemn Mass. It was
very soothing. The music, heard from
this retired chapel, had a far-away sound,
and the voices of the boys might well
have been from heaven — the abode of
Denis, and his own future home. Lying
far away across the chapel of the Holy
"Sacrament, and beyond the aisle that
separated it from the choir, he could
almost see the high altar, could actually
see the movements of the sacred minis-
ters.

It was very peaceful and beautiful,
and sometimes he could pray with at-
tention. Was it possible that Denis
could be in purgatory! "Denis of the
Lily Soul," as the good priest, his con-
fessor, had always called him? Who
could say ? At least, Benoit knew it
was his duty to pray for his child's soul.
A sufficiently beautiful and profitable
occupation that. Tears for the dead
were natural enough, but they had not
the supernatural value of prayers. Be-
noit had received many condolences that
day from sympathizing acquaintances.
Bach he had thanked in few words, but
to each he had said : ' ' Pray for Denis. "
And was he himself to neglect such a
plain duty ?

At the warehouse next day — it was
one of several great woolen and hosiery
establishments — Benoit received the
sympathy of his fellow-workmen. They
knew how it was with him. " Beautiful
as the spire of Chartres is the love of Be-
noit for Denis," they had been wont to
say to each other, justifying the remark
by adding that both pointed to the
heaven of heavens. Now, however, as
they watched the bowed man go about
his work with less than half his former
alertness, they shook their heads. "He
is unhinged, " they whispered. " If he
is not roused from this stupor he will
die or — " they tapped the forehead with
a significant finger. They did not know
he was praying for Denis. They were
always kind to him. From time to time
they tried to carry him off to a cafe — to
the gardens, into the country about
Chartres — but Benoit always gratefully
refused their offers. "I must creep a
little closer to the cross," he told him-
self again and again. " If such a wound
as mine will never heal, the more need
I have to hide it in the torn side of
Christ. ' ' So, after his lonely meal every
night, he passed under the great door-
way of the cathedral, made his way to
that retired spot in the farthest corner
of the choir aisle, and knelt or sat beside
the crucifix. It was seldom he was in-
terrupted. Once his confessor had passed
through on his way to the chapel of the
Sacrament. Returning an hour later,
the good priest, seeing Benoit still
kneeling had brought him a chair. ' ' Be
seated for a little while, my son: you
should not fatigue yourself overmuch.
I will take care that this chair remains
here. Now you may say: ' I sat down
under the shadow of my beloved, and his
fruit was sweet to my palate. ' " So all
the summer through Benoit sought the
' ' shadow of a high rock in a weary land. ' '
As the days lengthened, and the light
lasted, he could bring his book — one of
Denis' books — and read. Not for long,
however, for at nightfall, though the light
fell through a hundred shining windows,

THE BOY IN THE BLUE BLOUSE.

SOT

the old jewelled glass turned it into a
mellow gloom — soothing and restful, but
less fitted for reading than for prayer.

wa
to
ch;

One August night, after a day of ex-
ceeding heat and heavy labor, Benoit
was late in reaching his place of prayer.

ng shadows lay upon the deserted
:hapel, and the lamps already shone
through the cathedral like fixed stars.
Benoit was very weary. He had remained
at the warehouse two hours later than
the usual time, for the sending away of
a large and important order. After his
evening meal he had almost doubted if
he were able to pay his usual visit to the
cross. But he had come. He was leav-
ing the chapel slowly and wearily, when
a sound of sobbing made him pause.
Was it possible that some one was kneel-
ing there ? For a moment Benoit experi-
enced a feeling of annoyance — a feeling
for which he immediately chided himself
severely. Star ding in the middle of the
chapel he tried to scan the neighborhood
of the crucifix without proceeding fur-
ther, but the big old confessional threw
the entire corner into a shadow deeper
than that of the already deepening twi-
light. Benoit advanced a step or two,
and then stopped as one who has sudden-
ly received a blow. It was well that he
could stagger a few steps further, and then
lean against the confessional. A figure
was kneeling in prayer — the figure of a
boy — the figure of Denis himself! If
only Benoit could see the face ? but that
was bowed upon the hands. The boy's
elbows rested upon Benoit 's chair. It
must be Denis ! Height — age — figure —
dress, everything suggested Denis. The
white collar over a blue blouse reaching
to the knees, the long black stockings,
and wooden shoes — each single item the
very counterpart of what the dead boy
had worn. Bendit trembled and clutched
a pilaster of the confessional. His
breath came quick and short. Suddenly
he lost his hold, reeled, and fell.
* •* #•

Benoit awoke in a sunny bedroom

under the shadow of the cathedral, woke
to the ringing of the cathedral chimes.
An old man, the canon's servant, was
sitting at the foot of the bed. Benoit 's
eyes wandered round the bright little
room, and at length looked to the watcher
appealingly. ' ' Monsieur must not talk, ' '
he whispered: " the canon has said it. All
was very well now. The doctor would
come again shortly. Monsieur must
have nourishment. ' ' Benoit was entirely
obedient. He took whatever the man
offered — a sip of brandy, a spoonful of
jelly. The servant nodded and smiled,
and whispered again that all vas very
well — very well, indeed. A quarter of
an hour passed away, and the chimes
were again in the air — a soft silvery ring-
ing of many bells. A moment later and
the faint music of a far-away organ
reached the sick man 'sear. The canons
were singing Tierce. Benoit had slept
long and heavily, had slept and dreamt
an aching, weary dream — of Denis. Yes,
all the long night through, from the twi-
light hour of his swooning in the cathe-
dral until the light of day had filled the
room in which he was lying, Benoit had
seemed to dream of Denis. The dead boy
was before his eyes — not dead, but alive,
so close to him, and yet ever beyond the
reach of the father's hand. Sometimes
Denis was kneeling at his night prayers
before the little cabinet in the Rue. —
Benoit would fain have knelt at his side,,
but could not rise from his chair. Some-
times the child was crying out with pain,
crying through a palpable, visible dark-
ness, and the father toiled hither and
thither in his longing and his agony to-
relieve his darling's sorrow. O the piti-
ful, desperate groping in the strange
gloom with the boy's sobs ever in his
ears, and the face he knew so well hidden
in a veil of perplexing mystery! What a
night of painful toil, now walking over
heated high roads, and climbing lofty
hills in search of a wandering voice, and
the echo of a little sigh; now plunging"
into the growing dimness of a low valley,
and now passing into the heart of a wood

308

THE BOY IN THE BLUE BLOUSE.

whose darkness was deeper than the
midnight.

But perhaps the dawn of day penetra-
ted the dream mists, for the morning had
brought light and restful sleep. He had
caught a glimpse of Denis — not in pain
or sorrow, but Denis radiant and beaute-
ous, Denis singing and triumphant! Just
for a moment the happy boy bent over
him: then the vision vanished. But the
burden of Denis ' cry was still in his ears.
Benoit had heard that with startling dis-
tinctness. "All is well — O, very well
indeed." Benoit had heard the words
again and again — long after the momen-
tary vision had vanished and each repe-
tition of the burden had brought him
peace and rest. After that he thought he
must have slept, dreaming. For several
•days Benoit lay there, tended by the
canon, and visited by the doctor. The
soul of the sufferer was in great peace.
The atmosphere of the canon's house,
the presence of his good confessor, may
have contributed to this: but to the pa-
tient himself it seemed as though the
happy epilogue of that long and painful
dream had bestowed upon him a lasting
benediction. He had seen Denis — in
vision it may have been, but then he told
himself that the vision had been sent by
Ood for his consolation. He had heard
— O how distinctly he had heard — the
words that declared that all was well,
very well with Denis. But what of the
apparition in the cathedral ? When the
canon permitted him to talk a little —
which was at the end of the second day —
his first remark was connected with this.
The priest argued with him very gently.
" In such matters, my son, it is so easy
to be mistaken. Remember, you were
very weary — the twilight was falling —
you were in bad health. Yes, Benoit,
you were in bad health, I am sure. The
doctor thinks you have neglected your-
self somewhat — too little food — too little
rest — too little change. We must see to
all this. As for the apparition — try not
to think of it." Benoit would have
obeyed if he could have done so.

" Father, it was so very real, " he urged
as on the morning of the third day the
canon invited his guest into the garden
for a little air.

" And he was kneeling; O yes he was
certainly kneeling, I could have touched
him, I had got so very close, and was
going to put out my hand when my
strength failed."

" But think, my son, " said the canon
smilingly: " How should Denis who is
surely in heaven, Denis with whom you
yourself say ' all is now very well, ' how
should he be kneeling, and in sorrow, at
the foot of the crucifix ? "

"Ah, Father, what can I say? It
may have been that he was not then
released from purgatory. He may have
come to me for one more rosary, one
more De Profundis. But Your Reverence
is right. All is well now, very well with
him : this I know."

Later the same day the canon inquired
of one of the Suisses attached to the
cathedral, if others besides Benoit were
in the habit of praying in that far
corner. The man said no. He and his
confreres called it the chapel of Benoit.
He did not think it was ever visited save
by Benoit. Still for the future he would
look there from time to time. As for a
boy in a blue blouse, well, his Reverence
knew there were many such at that time
in Chartres ; many came to the cathedral
every day to Mass and to Vespers, to
pray in the chapel of the Sacrament.
Why, on the night Benoit swooned, one
such boy came running to him in the
nave.

" "Ah," inquired the canon eagerly,
" that is what I want to hear about ;
don't you see, this very boy may have
been praying there at that time ? "

Yes, the Suisse had not thought of
that. As his Reverence said it was most
probable, though the boy might have
come from the chapel of the Sacrament.
Some of the worshippers there had run
out into the aisle hearing the noise.

' ' And }*ou would know the boy again ?
The verger could not be sure of that.

THE BOY IN THE BLUE BLOUSE.

309

A FIGURE WAS KNEELING IN PRAYER— THE FIGURE OF DENIS HIMSELF.

310

THE BOY IN THE BLUE BLOUSE.

He only remembered hearing a great
clatter of sabots, and a cry. He was, in
fact, going to rebuke the boy for running
in the cathedral, but saw that the lad
was frightened and that something had
occurred."

After this the canon himself would
occasionally look into Benoit 's corner,
it was always empty. Doubtless the
whole thing was an illusion on the part
of Benoit. Weak and tired and ill as
the poor man had been, what more likely
than the kneeling figure was a creature
of his imagination ?

A day or two later Benoit, still stay-
ing in the canon's house, came in to the
cathedral to pay a visit to the Blessed
Sacrament. The canon had forbidden
him to remain there for more than a few
minutes. He returned greatly agitated.

" Father," the poor man cried, meet-
ing the canon on his way back, " I have
seen Denis again. Look, Your Rever-
ence, it is bright daylight, how then
can I be mistaken ? And again he is
weeping, my poor Denis ! But I dare
not remain, I came to find Your Rever-
ence. "

" Be calm, Benoit, " said the priest:
" I myself will see him. Be sure there
is some mistake. It cannot be Denis. "
The canon left him and hurried into the
cathedral. There, in the corner of the
choir-aisle, knelt a boy, with his face
buried in his hands and sobbing.

' ' What is the matter, my poor child ? ' '
whispered the canon bending down.
The boy lifted a pale tear-stained face,
and rose to his feet. Yes, in height and
figure, and dress he was certainly like
the dead Denis. There was some excuse
for poor Benoit. The canon repeated
his kindly inquiry, and led the boy out
of the cathedral into the sacristy. For
some time the lad could not speak for
weeping, after a little while he told his
story brokenly.

His name was Henri, and he lived
with his grandmother. On Monday
evening last his father had died. His
mother had died long ago. His grand-

mother was old and could only work a
very little. Already the authorities had
said they must go to the poor-house
He was trying to get work, but nobody
would employ him ; they said he had not
strength enough.

The canon eyed him pityingly. It
seemed to be true that he had little
strength. He was tall for his Pge, over-
grown, and his face was pinched and
pale.

" You shall take me to see your grand-
mother, " said the good canon. "We
must think what can be done." The
canon led the way to his own house
first, "you must have some breakfast
my poor child, then we will set out."
The canon also wanted to see Benoit.

There are three persons now living
on the second floor at No. — of the Rue

. Benoit has a housekeeper who,

now that she has a sufficiency of good
food, is quite capable of looking after
the wants of her benefactor, and of her
grandson. They are very happy. In
many ways Henri reminds Benoit of
the dead Denis, and certainly the boy's
love for his foster-father could not be
greater. There are few things once be-
longing to Denis that Henri has not in-
herited. The nightly readings have
been resumed, and sometimes when Be-
noit is drowsy he fancies that Denis is
sitting there at the cabinet as of old.
But both by Benoit and Henri that dark
little corner of the choir aisle is visited
daily. The cross old lady on the first
floor likes the newcomer, but sometimes
scolds him, for, though Henri is now
wearing Denis' sabots, she declares that
he walks like an elephant. Benoit only
smiles and thanks God for sending him
a dutiful and loving foster-son in place
of the child that he grieved over per-
haps too deeply and too long. But of
one thing he is certain, with Denis all is
now well — very well indeed.

"Yes, I see how it is. Father; God
would have me take him in the place of

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS. 311

Denis. I have been selfish in my sor- had come to the cathedral to pray for his

row; that must now cease. And he dead father. I had gone there to pray

will help me to pray for Denis. He is a for Denis. The living boy mistook me

pious child, this Henri, and even if I in the twilight for his father. And I —

cannot love him as I loved my son, I well, I was certain that the kneeling

can benefit him, and he is a comfort to figure was that of Denis ! "
me." All who know Henri tell Benoit that

" A strange coincidence, " Benoit often the boy will be to him another Denis,

ays to his friends. "My poor Henri and the good man knows they are right.

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS.

SEVEN SONNETS.

By Francis W, Grey,

Gloriam Domini nostri Crucifixi, et in honorem Septem Dolorum Beatissimse Virginia Marii
"FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO."

' ' Father ! forgive, they know not what they do ; "

Not knowing, low upon Thy cross of pain

Their cruel hands have laid Thee — not in vain

Thy generous prayer ; ah ! surely, if they knew

The spear, the nails, had never pierced Thee through,

And Thee, the Lord of Life they had not slain.
" Father, forgive ! " and doth Thy love constrain

Thee for Thine enemies ? oh, love most true,

All perfect, all unselfish, all Divine,

In that dread hour triumphant ! — 'Twas for me

Thy praj^er ' ' Forgive them ! " for the sin was mine

That laid the weight, the Cross, the shame on Thee —
"Father, forgive ! " may that sweet prayer of Thine

In my last hour, my hope, my solace be.

"TO-DAY THOU SHAI/T BE WITH ME IN PARADISE."

To-day ! the strife is short, the end is near,

The prize eternal ; thou shalt be with Me

In Paradise to-day, and I with thee

My fellow sufferer. Dost thou doubt or fear ?

Turn but thy face to Me, and thou shalt hear

My faithful word of promise ; "Thou shalt be

To-day in Paradise ; ' ' and thou shalt see,

Shalt share My Glory, and for every tear

Find joy eternal ; suffer j^et awhile

With Me and for Me, patient to the last ;

I will not fail thee ; hell, with all its guile

Shall never tear thee from Me ; hold Me fast

In this last agony, for I will smile

And bid thee " Welcome " when the strife is past.

312 THE SEVEN LAST WORDS.

"WOMAN, BEHOLD THY SON; SON, BEHOLD THY MOTHER.

11 Behold thy Son ! " Thou canst not hold Me now
In those dear arms of thine, or know the bliss
Of perfect mother love ; thou canst not kiss
The dews of death from off my aching brow ;
I may not stay to share thy life, and thou
Must taste the bitterness of death in this,
Thy soul-transfixion : Mother ! thou must miss
My loving care for thee ; and grief will bow
Thy gentle head, sweet Mother, day by day,
For those calm years which thou and I have known ;

" Behold thy Mother ! " Thine to wipe away
The tears from those dear eyes, and thine, alone,
The task to love and tend her ; thine to stay,
As I have stayed, beside her — all her own.

" i THIRST."

" I thirst ! " Of old, when Thou didst sit and rest
Beside Samaria's well, Thy sacred feet
Worn with the dusty way, the noontide heat,
Thy sacred mouth by burning thirst distrest —
One gave Thee drink, dear Lord, with willing zest,
Drew, at Thy bidding, water cool and sweet,
Glad but to do the service, as was meet,
As waits a slave upon a royal guest.

" I thirst ! " Oh, son of man ! by God accurst,
That nailed Thee to the Cross ! What tongue may tell
All Thou hast suffered ? Nay, nor this the worst,
Thy mortal anguish ; since on Thee there fell
The Father's wrath. Oh cry of God, " I thirst ! "
Oh, thirst of God ! that saved my soul from hell.

"MY GOD! MY GOD! WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?

" My God ! My God ! "—The darkness, like a pall,
O'ershadows all the world ; and, now, Thy Face
Is turned from Me in anger : all disgrace,
All bitterness and shame ; the sins of all
That ever sinned against Thee, now must fall
On Me alone. My God ! and wilt Thou place
The heavy guilt of all the fallen race
Of sinful men on Me ? Lord, wrilt Thou call
Me to account, Me only ? Lo ! the dread
Of Thy just anger shakes Me, and the weight
Of sin is all too heavy on My Head.

' ' My God ! My God ! forsake Me not ! ' ' — too great
My lonely grief, give back Thy peace instead ;
Give back Thy Love, nor leave Me desolate.

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS.
"IT IS FINISHED."

Lo ! ' ' It is finished ! ' ' Perfect and complete
The one great offering Thou alone couldst make ;
The task stupendous Thou didst undertake ;
The victory won, and, crushed beneath Thy Feet
The deadly foe whom Thou alone couldst meet —

" Finished ! " Sweet Lord ! 'twas only " for our sake, "
Since, by Thy Death, Thou bidd'st our souls awake
To Life in Thee, to servitude most sweet.

" Finished ! " The toil was long, but Thou hast died
To triumph over death ; and Thou hadst need
To lay Thy glory for awhile aside,
And share in all our griefs, that so a greater meed
Of glory might be Thine ; and, Crucified
Hast made Thy work, O Lord ! complete indeed.

"FATHER, INTO THY HANDS I COMMEND MY SPIRIT.

"Into Thy Hands, O Father ! " Lord ! at last
Thou prayest for Thyself, for Thou hast done
All that Thy Father bade Thee, didst not shun
The toils, the sorrows — all the pain is past
But the one parting sigh, and Thou dost cast
Thyself upon His Love, O Perfect One—
Into Thy Father's Hands, His Blessed Son,
His well-beloved. Love made sure and fast
In Love Divine, was in Thy dying Heart
With that last word — Lord ! when the hour is near
That bids me pass to meet Thee, where Thou art,
Oh ! may I whisper in Thy listening ear

4 ' Into Thy Hands ! ' ' and then in peace depart ;
If Thou be with me Lord, I shall not fear.

313

CATHOLIC BOOKS IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

ByJ. F. O' Donovan, SJ.

THE question which, at the very out-
set, may suggest itself to the readers
the MESSENGER is, Why should an
article on a topic of this kind be present-
ed in a magazine whose aim is the spread
of devotion to the Sacred Heart ?

The answer may be found in the MES-
SENGER " Reader " for November, 1893.
" Each and every Catholic should ask
himself, what can / do to contribute my
share to the conversion of America ?
Among the agents that may be employed
for the conversion of America, the press
is certainly not the least important ; in
fact we are warranted in saying that if
America ever becomes a Catholic country,
at least one-half of the work of conversion
will have been accomplished by the press.
Reading has converted thousands in the
past and is destined to play a still more
important role in the conversions of the
future." Surely, then, those who pro-
fess to realize in themselves, and to bring
to the knowledge of others, the motto of
the Apostleship of Prayer, ' ' Thy King-
•dom Come," cannot afford to neglect
so important a means of doing good as
is here presented for their consideration.

The late President Porter of Yale, in
Ms work on Books and Reading, strikes
the keynote of the warfare which is being
waged to-day by the enemies of God 's
Church, when he remarks : "A youth in
an unhappy moment meets a volume,
and it makes him a hater of his fellow-
man and a blasphemer of his God. One
book makes one man a believer in good-
ness and love and truth ; another book
makes another man a denier or doubter
of these sacred verities."

If we carefully observe the trend of
opinion at the present day, we must
admit that the evil of godless reading is
at the root of the thousands of crimes
which are committed by those whose

minds are poisoned by the more than
doubtful moral principles, the mawkish
and sickly sentimentalism which are in-
stilled by hundreds of modern books.
Readers ask for the bread of truth and
they are given the hard stones of lying
and error, coated with the glitter and tin-
sel of a flowing and graceful diction.
The evil seems to be spreading under
the, let us say, unintentional guidance oi
purblind leaders, for we are not prepared
to say that their acts are malicious.

From Cleveland conies the telling
story that a list of books on Catholic (?)
doctrine was prepared at the public
library for those who desired to study it,
and, what a list that was ! From.another
Western state comes the news that a
certain volume, the product of a highly-
wrought imagination, written, doubt-
less, with a view of spreading the whole-
some food of truth was being quietly,
but surely, propagated by means of
school libraries. While from a third
source, we hear that a special alcove for
Jewish books has been placed in the
Denver public library. We reach the
climax when we are told by the Rt.
Rev. Bishop Hurth, C.S.C., of Dacca,
Bengal, formerly President of St.
Edward's College in Texas, that the
Protestant ministers in that country, in
order to poison the minds of the natives,
and make them hate Catholic doctrine,
had translated the apostate Chiniquy's
villainous attack on the Church into
their native tongue and spread it broad-
cast throughout the entire country.
"Verily, the children of this world are
wiser in their generation than the chil-
dren of light. ' '

Perhaps the most insidious attempt,
however, to spread throughout the entire
country the seeds of scepticism and in-
fidelity was made, wittingly or unwit-

CATHOLIC BOOKS IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

31S

tingly, when a certain volume, the com-
pilation of an educated monopoly, was
brought to light some three years ago.
Considering the source whence it came,
we think that it is the accepted standard
for most, if not for all, of our public
libraries.

The magnitude of the design which
the authors had in view was, we pre-
sume, in keeping with the wants of a
nation which embraces within its limits
all shades of religious opinion, from the
one which possesses the fulness of truth,
the Roman Catholic Church, to the never
ending " isms " which are the result
of the prime tenet of Protestantism.
Justice, and a regard for the wants of
their readers, which is the first requisite
of every well equipped and properly con-
ducted public library, would demand
that the literatures of the various beliefs
should have been consulted with a view
to presenting the best which each con-
tained. To bring about this desired
result, the course adopted by a certain
standard work, in giving the article on
the Jesuits to a Littledale, should not
have been adopted. Yet, if we judge by
what is offered, the natural conclusion is

No. of

that something similar did really take
place in the general make-*up of this one-
sided production.

The volume was issued by the United
States Government Printing Press, with
the sanction and approval of the Com-
missioner of Education. It is a strange
monument to the learning and, we trust,
well-meant consideration of ' ' the com-
mittee who passed upon the suggestions
of about seventy-five librarians and
specialists." Indeed, the crowning
glory of their labors was the world-wide
reputation which the work attained
when it was presented to admiring
thousands at the Chicago World's Exhi-
bition.

To make it evident to the readers of
the MESSENGER why we call their atten-
tion to this selection of five thousand
volumes for a public library, we shall
examine in detail one of the systems of
cataloguing, that known as " Classed
Catalogue," according to the expansive
classification, "embracing from page 149
to 1 6 1 , exclusive. We confine our review
of the work to those matters only which
are of special interest to Catholics. The
following items will speak volumes :

Catholic

General Title Authors. Vols.

Writers.

Various Headings \ _
of Philosophy, j

St. Augustine's

Confessions.

Christian Ethics (?) 10 10

Kempis.

Religion and
Allied Subjects.

Ecclesiastical
History.

153

Fenelon s Spiritual Letters

2 Vols. j

Card. Gibbons' Christian ]

Heritage.
Dixon's Life of Christ,

2 Vols.

Catholic Bible.

Catholic Dictionary.

Montalemberts' Monks

of the West.

2 Vols. J

Some non-Catholic
Writers.

Darwin, Mill, Spencer,

Draper, and all the

German School.

William Penn,
Jeremy Taylor,
Richard Baxter.

Pfleiderer,

Renan,

Matthew Arnold,
A. D. White
Martineau.

D'Aubigne".

Foxe.

Milman,

Dorchester.

Total number of volumes, 325 ; Catholic, n!
Periodicals recommended, 27 ; Catholic Reviews, o.

We shall now, for the amusement of our readers, give a few specimens of the
cataloguing practised by these experts :

-316 CATHOLIC BOOKS IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

MORAL PHILOSOPHY. NATURAL THEOLOGY.

Burton, Robert. Anatomy of Melancholy.
Oilman, N. P., Jackson, E- P. Conduct as a

Fine Art.

Mathews, William. Getting on in the World.

Ward, Mrs. H. O. Sensible Etiquette of the

best Society.

Draper, J. W. History of the Conflict be-
tween Religion and Science.
Laing, Samuel. Modern Science and Mod-
ern Thought.

Hinton, James. Mystery of Pain.
White, A. W. Warfare of Science.

CHRISTIANITY.

DOCTRINAL THEOLOGY.

Luther, Martin. Table Talk; tr. by Hazlett. Clarke, J. F. Common Sense in Religion.
Coleridge, S. T. Aids to Reflection ; States- I Hughes, Thomas. Manliness of Christ,
men's Manual.

"Angels, and ministers of grace,
defend us" from such leaders !

It is worthy of remark that two of
the Catholic books adopted were given
by "The Cathedral Library " of New
York City.

No elaborate comments are needed to
bring vividly before our minds what dire
consequences will follow if our reading
public are to slake their thirst for knowl-
edge at these poisoned fountains. When
there is question of the Catholic Church,
it is true to say that the scripture ex-
pression, "The venom of asps was un-
der their tongues," may be justly ap-
plied to a number of the writers recom-
mended by the American Library Asso-
ciation .

We would not have the readers of
the MESSENGER understand that there
are no Catholic books in our public libra-
ries besides those already mentioned.
The present writer examined the cata-
logues of two public libraries, one in the
South, the other in the East, and, as a
result of his work, found in the former
the best Catholic works on history, re-
ligion and philosophy. An examination
of the various committees which gov-
erned the library showed that prominent,
influential and aggressive Catholic lay-
men had a voice in the management of
the institution. In the latter, a sturdy
and devoted pastor of one of the local
churches, who was a member of one of
the committees, left the impress of his
zealous work on the pages of the cata-
logue. A lesson to those who desire to
imitate noble examples.

What we do wish to emphasize is the
animus which, whether intentional or
not, was shown in the making of this
volume ; also, the incalculable mischief
which may be wrought by placing within
easy reach of an almost omnivorous read-
ing public the works which have been
recommended by the learned doctors who
govern so many of our public libraries.

The evil, as all can perceive, which we
have to contend with is evidently very
great, hence, we must, following the ex-
ample of the man who wished to build a
tower, ' ' sit down and reckon ' ' the
amount of labor which will be required ;
also, the most effective ways whereby to
execute our designs. To spur us on-
wards, it would be well to recall fre-
quently to mind the words of one who
has done yeoman service for the cause of
truth, in the work of converting non-
Catholics in America. Father Elliott,
writing in the Catholic World for April,
1895, said : ' ' The condition of things in
America is this : the Catholic Church in
America is among a non-Catholic people
who are willing to listen to Catholic
truth. Stop at that fact and square your
conscience with it. As layman, priest,
or prelate, reckon with God thus : I can
get a hearing for its claims from non-
Catholics, what should I do about it ? "

We can learn from his method of work
what it is possible to do to effect this
holy object. Every where he goes, Cath-
olic books are distributed by the hun-
dreds. This same work, the diffusion of
Catholic literature, was earnestly recom-
mended, some three years ago, to the

CATHOLIC BOOKS IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

317

readers of the MESSENGER : ' ' We are
convinced that thousands of non-Cath-
olics would be converted to the faith if
they were placed within reach of Cath-
olic books." What more sure and se-
cure means of taking part in that apos-
tolate than by seeing to it that the pub-
lic libraries be well stocked with the
best Catholic books, so that non-Catho-
lics may have them for the asking ?

Those who are familiar with the his-
tory of St. Ignatius Loyola may, per-
haps, pass rather hurriedly over one
incident in his life which is the turning
point in his career; the fact that his
change of life was due, in great measure,
to the chance-reading of a Catholic book:
Truly, then, might we say, if we trace
the stream of blessings which have
refreshed and renewed to a better life
the millions who have come under the
influence of his sons, that the source
was like the mustard-seed of the Gospel
which became a wide-spreading tree.

We were about to quote the trite ex-
pression, Fas est et ab hoste doceri, when
the thought came to our mind that we
need not have recourse to the enemy's
camp to learn a fruitful lesson. The
learned and zealous priest who is editor
of The American Ecclesiastical Review,
with that foresight which is so conspicu-
ous in his magazine, engaged the
co-operation of experts in the various
branches of knowledge which befit the
priestly rank to give a list of books which
would further the study of his confreres in
these several departments of knowledge.
The result appeared in the Review, under
the title "The Library of a Priest "

With much greater reason a like work
should be done for our Catholic laity,
the vast majority of whom know little or
nothing about what Catholic literature
means. They are frequently told to ask
for Catholic books when they visit the
public libraries; would it not be well
first to give them a list of the best books
written by Catholic authors ? We say
the best, for we would not be under-
stood as approving a deposit of works in

the alcoves of a public library which
have nothing to recommend them but
flashy bindings and irrelevant pious pic-
tures which present all the colors of the
rainbow.

The symposium on ' ' Pastors and
Reading Matter for Children," in the
December number of the magazine,
shows how readily our best writers will
give their valuable assistance to any
movement which has for its aim the
direction of the Catholic reading public
in the matter of books.

When the proposed volume on Cath-
olic works is prepared, the Reverend
clergy, throughout the country, will
surely bring it to the notice of their
respective congregations. One of their
number, a man who has risen to promi-
nence in the world of fetters as Walter
Lecky, writing in the Catholic News of
New York, about two years ago, made
this very pertinent remark: " What a
wonderful advertising agency for Cath-
olic literature lies in the hands of
priests ? And, in these days, when in-
fidelity is going to the poor, and when
her weapon is the printing press, the
dissemination of sound, honest Catholic
literature is in the front rank of priestly
work. The priest's voice reaches all
classes ; and his praise of a book will
often gain it an entrance when ordinary
methods would be resented. "

The work can also be taken up by
Catholic papers. The columns which
are sometimes devoted to matters that
have little or no interest for Catholics
would be more fruitful of good and
more in accord with the mission of that
department of the public press, if some
earnest, suggestive, and lucid articles
were written on the books recommended
by the catalogue.

Reading circles, and, indeed, all Cath-
olic societies of whatever description, can
adopt no better means of fostering among
their members the true spirit of zeal, and
of bringing about the reign of the king-
dom of Christ, which is the special work
of the League of the Sacred Heart, than

318

CATHOLIC BOOKS IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

by uniting their efforts for the insertion
of Catholic books where the poorest can
find them. The voice of our glorious
Pontiff, Leo. XIII., bids them nerve
themselves for the battle of truth against
the onslaughts of wicked and cunning
scribblers. With his paternal blessing,
he recommended the " Apostleship of the
Press " during the past year as an object
most dear to the Heart of Jesus. By
tongue and pen he has urged this glori-
ous work on all his children. This,
therefore, ought to be a sufficient incen-
tive for earnest work.

If we look for motives from our Spir-
itual Rulers in the United States, we
have them abundantly. The Fathers of
the II. and III. Plenary Councils of Bal-
timore, in their efforts for the welfare
of the Church and human society, among
the many wise and well-defined provi-
sions which they enacted for this end,
took particular pains to call the attention
of their flocks to the necessity of using
every honest endeavor to distribute
Catholic books. "We most earnestly
desire that such pious societies shall
everywhere exist, whose object shall be
the publication and distribution of good
Catholic books and tracts. ' ' We may be
permitted to add, interpreting their
wishes, and of placing them whither the
American public flock to get books, pub-
lic libraries. "These societies ought to
be protected, assisted, and propagated
with all the more alacrity and zeal in
proportion to the daily increasing efforts
and incredible diligence of wicked men
and sectaries who spread everywhere
countless publications against God, His
Church, and sound morality. We are not
deserving of high praise if, for the best
of causes, we do only that which the im-
pious do for a wicked cause, and take for
the salvation of souls the same pains
which they take for their damnation,
but not in any way to rival them were
most disgraceful sloth. ' '

Words cannot be clearer. We may,
therefore, say with truth : this is God 's
work ; this will promote the interests of

the Sacred Heart ; this will hasten the
spread of His kingdom. ' ' The consent of
the saints is the sense of the Holy
Spirit, ' ' wrote a noted Catholic theolo-
gian. If ever there was unanimity in
any matter, it is, undoubtedly, with re-
gard to the 'propagation of sound and
wholesome reading. We may, and do,
complain bitterly about the lack of Cath-
olic books in public libraries ; the fault
is ours, in a great many cases. We merely
denounce the bigotry which ignores that
portion of the sum of knowledge, while
no concerted action, no vigorous, intel-
ligent measures are adopted to make our
Catholic laity know what that is which
is designated by the name of Catholic
literature. It may be, that there are
some who fancy that Catholic literature
and goody-goody story books about
angels and saints, and bright youths
whose youthful piety betokened a voca-
tion to the priesthood, are convertible
terms. If such there be, and we can
hardly conceive that state of mind at the
present day, let them but stud)' the ques-
tion honestly, and they will find that the
world has moved since they were young.

We cannot but deplore the ignorance
of many well-meaning persons on this
subject. Experience has taught some of
us that not even our Catholic College
students are aware of the wealth of
knowledge which is hidden in the un-
worked mine.

"Faith comes from hearing," says
St. Paul ; we might say intelligent
faith, "the reasonable service," which
the same Apostle demands of us, comes
from a well -regulated, orderly course of
Catholic reading. Hence, the necessity
that lies upon us to procure it, if pos-
sible, for all.

If we create a demand for such read-
ing, it will be supplied. We may, fre-
quently, with profit, address ourselves-
in the words of St. John, adapting them
for our present purpose : ' ' He that hath
the truth of God, the Catholic faith, and
shall see his brother wandering in error>
and shall not help to enlighten him,,

JEANNE D'ARC.

319

how doth the charity of God abide in
his heart. Let us not love in word, nor
in tongue, but in deed, and in truth."

It is high time to take up the work,
earnestly, of placing the standard Catho-
lic works which have been written on
every branch of knowledge, in our public
libraries, and of prosecuting our work
orderly until the treasure of knowledge
which we possess shall be ready at hand
for the millions who are without the
true fold. Work we must if we wish to

accomplish anything worthy our holy
faith. Opposition will be. placed in our
way, the cry of bigotry will, at times,
be heard ; but, if God, as He certainly
is, be for us, who can be against us ?

Our last suggestion is that when we
have secured a goodly number of Catho-
lic books wherever we are, a printed
catalogue be supplied, if feasible, for
every Catholic family. For truth, "to
be loved," must, as Pope says, "be
seen."

JEANNE D'ARC.*

FROM DOMREMY TO CHINON.

By John A. Mooney.

f ESU ! JESU ! JESU ! " Ten thou-
^ sand hear the piteous cry ; and,

irough pity, some swoon ; others, re-
morseful, shiver; many weep and moan.
•The soft-hearted have already fled. A
gust of wind parts the greedy flames,
disclosing the figure of a young girl.
Upon a crucifix her eyes are fixed; a
•crucifix held aloft, outside the circle of
the crackling fire, by a priest. Now
the girl is hidden from sight, by the
fagot's ruddy blaze, rising higher and
higher. Even the hardened English
soldiers blench, as the scent of burning
flesh is diffused. Again, out of the fire, a
voice issues ; a firm, a confident voice:
" My mission was from God. Jesu! Jesu! "

The end is near. Only agony could
inspire the beseeching cry : ' ' Water !
blessed water ! ' ' — a vain cry. Not a
man or woman, though human feeling
prompted, dare risk the proffer of a single
drop of water to soothe the victim 's soul
or body. One English soldier responded
to the appeal by flinging a dry fagot
into the glowing fire. Choking, dying,

* Having read carefully several Lives of Jeanne
d' Arc, by Catholics, Protestants, and infidels, of
differing nationalities, and having also read several
works dealing with incidents in the Maid's life, aud
having consulted those documents upon which all
reliable Lives of Jeanne must be based, the wri-

once more the voice invokes the Sav-
iour : ' ' Jesu ! Jesu ! ' ' and the writhing
girl 's last breath is expended in uttering
that dear name : "Jesu ! "

The executioner gathers up the re-
mains. A few bones he finds, and a lit-
tle dust. These he looked for ; but with
terror does he perceive a heart ; and he
trembles as, touching it, he feels it warm ;
warm, not with the faint heat exhaled
from wood-ashes, but with that generous
ardor that smoulders in the embers of the
Saint. Trusting not to the piled up fag-
ots, he had nourished the flames with
oil and sulphur. The heart should have
been burned to a crisp. Now he remem-
bers that, before mounting the pyre, the
girl-victim had besought the bystanders
to give her a cross ; and that, none be-
ing at hand, a gentle English soldier had
formed one, roughly, out of a couple of
bits of a stick. Kissing this rude cross
devoutly, she had placed it over her
heart, close to her flesh! The wooden
cross was no more ; but the heart it had
pressed, remained. Was this a sign ?

ter determined to follow, as he has followed, closely,
the narrative of the learned historian, M. Marius
Sepet, as told in the twentieth edition of his admir-
able work: Jeanne d' Arc, Alfred Mame et Fits,
Tours. 1895.

320

JEANNE D'ARC.

Neither the executioner, nor the curious
onlookers, who wondered with him, dare
say yes. Bones, ashes, and even the
heart, were cast into the River Seine.
An English cardinal, the cardinal of
Winchester, so ordered.

Did this young girl deserve the pun-
ishment and the indignities meted out
to her on the thirtieth of May, 1431, in
the market-place of Rouen ? Return with
me to the scaffold ! To yonder tall,
charred stake, she was tied. Surmount-
ing the stake is an inscription, still legi-
ble. Thus it reads: "Jeanne, who
named herself the Maid, a liar, a perni-
cious woman, a deceiver of the people, a
sorceress, a superstitious woman, a blas-
phemer of God, a presumptuous woman,
an unbeliever, a boaster, an idolatrous,
a cruel, a dissolute woman, an invocatrix
of devils, apostate, schismatic and here-
tic." If the inscription be true, Jeanne,
who named herself the Maid, was pun-
ished justly. But if the inscription were
a lie ! Lie it was ; every word a lie ; and
the men who devised the inscription were
liars, pernicious men, deceivers of the
people, presumptuous and cruel. To-
day, better than ever, we know the truth
about Jeanne the Maid ; and for the sake
of truth, men of every land love to tell
her story ; and, most of all, those who,
like her, glory in the cross, and believe
and trust in Him whom her burning lips
greeted, as her pure soul flew heavenward.
How did it happen that English sol-
diers played leading parts in the painful
scene we have just witnessed; and why
did an English cardinal lend his pres-
ence to the burning of Jeanne, the Maid,
in the market-place of Rouen ? A com-
plete answer to these questions would
be the history of a hundred years of war
between English and French kings.
When William, the conqueror, Duke of
Normandy, seized the English crown, he
did not renounce his Norman duchy;
and, after his death, his successors on
the throne of England claimed the Nor-
man dukedom as a right. Nor was this
claim rejected by the French kings, who,

however, required that, as dukes of Nor-
mandy, the English sovereigns should
do homage, presenting themselves be-
fore the French kings, bareheaded, and
withoiit gloves, sword or spurs, as a
mark of vassalage. In the course of
time, through prudent marriages, the
kings of England increased their posses-
sions on the soil of France, acquiring
and controlling a territory larger than
that subject to the kings of France. A
vassal more powerful than his lord was
a vassal to be feared. So Philip Augus-
tus wisely argued; and he proved his-
conclusion true by dispossessing the
English of three of their fiefs, leaving
them but one, Guyenne. Of even this
province, Philip the Fair deprived them
a century later; though, imagining that
generosity could temper avarice, he
made the mistake of returning it.

Occasional intermarriages between the
members of the English and French
royal families should have assured the
peace of both countries, but had no such
effect. Indeed, one of these marriages
brought only war and disaster upon
France; for, upon the death of Charles
the Fair, in 1328, Edward III. of Eng-
land claimed the French throne as the
heir of his mother, Isabella, the sister of
Charles and of his predecessor, Philip
V., known as the Long. Not confining
himself to mere wordy demands, Edward
invaded France with a well-equipped and
well-trained army, and at Crecy (August
28, 1346) inflicted a grievous defeat upon,
the French. Philip VI. lost the port of
Calais, and no French king recovered it
until two centuries had passed. The
Black Prince, Hdward, proved a scourge
more terrible than his father, Edward III.
At Poitiers, ten years after Crecy, he
vanquished an army in whose ranks the
most valiant among the nobility of
France fought to the death. There, too,
he made a prisoner of the King, John II..,.
who, six years earlier, had succeeded
Philip VI. A prisoner on English soil
John remained during more than half of
the eight following years.

JEANNE D'ARC.

321

His son, Charles V., showed more wis-
dom and more courage than his father,
and with the aid of that romantic
knight, Bertrand du Guesclin, drove the
English out of almost all the territories
they had seized during the preceding
reign. Dying in 1380, he left a son but
eleven years old to succeed him. At the
age of twenty this son, as Charles VI.,
assumed the sovereignty that, during his
minority, had been exercised by his
uncles, the Dukes of Berry and of Bur-
gundy, but his administration of the
royal power was short lived. Within
four years of his elevation to the throne
he lost the kingdom of his mind, not
without cause, and the mad semblance
of a king he remained for full thirty
years.

When Charles VI. was practically de-
throned, his eldest son, Louis, being a
minor, ruled but nominally until his
death in December, 1415. Then his
brother John, also a minor, succeeded to
the vain authority he inherited, and, on
his death in 1417, Charles, the youngest
son of the insane Charles, acquired a
title which, though it must have grati-
fied a youth of fourteen, made him no
more powerful than his brothers had
been.

Since his father's misfortune twenty-
five years had elapsed ; twenty-five years
of ill fortune. Ambitious nobles, con-
tending for the control of the persons of
the young princes and for the possession
of Paris, then as now the heart of France,
had divided the people into warring fac-
tions. Seeing their chance, the English
attempted to recover their lost territories.
Indeed they hoped to gain the crown
that Ed ward III. ambitioned. Led by the
aspiring and gallant Henry V. a powerful
army disembarked near the port of Har-
fleur on August 14, 1415. After a month 's
siege Harfleur capitulated. Around the
French princes the chivalry of France
rallied only to meet at Agincourt a de-
feat no less calamitous than that of
Crecy or of Poitiers (October 25). Still
the English king feared to risk an ad-

HOME OF JEANNE AT DOMREMY.

vance and returned home to prepare for a
new invasion.

One of the most puissant and daring
French nobles lent no aid to his country
at Agincourt — John the Fearless, Duke
of Burgundy. His father, Philip the
Bold, had striven for supremacy in
national affairs during the minority of
the oldest son of Charles "jjfl., thus op-
posing the clever but debauched Duke
of Orleans. In the face of a rival, John
was less timid than his father. He did
not hesitate to connive at the murder of
Orleans, and by this crime not only
weakened his own position but also dis-
rupted the country. Out of revenge the
son of Orleans took the field and with
him a powerful Southern noble, to whom
he was allied by marriage, Bernard,
Count d'Armagnac. In Paris and else-
where the people were by turn Burgun-
dians or Armagnacs, as interest, senti-
ment or passion moved them. When the
youngest son of mad Charles VI. became
Charles the Dauphin, Bernard d'Armag-
nac, whose party the new dauphin
favored, ruled Paris ; and through him
Charles might have quickly united the
country, were it not for the base act of a
wanton woman.

This woman was Isabeau of Bavaria,
wife of the unfortunate Charles VI., and
mother of the youth who was rightfully
claiming recognition as heir to the throne
of France. Originally, Isabeau had sup-
ported the debauched duke of Orleans
against Philip the Bold; but in Novem-
ber, 1417, she conspired with John the
Fearless against her own sou. Having
proclaimed herself regent at Troyes,

322

JEANNE D'ARC.

she appointed John her administrator,
and, setting up a revolutionary gov-
ernment, kindled the flames of a civil
war.

In the name of this unnatural woman,
who had been exiled from Paris on ac-
count of her scandalous behavior, the
Burgundians ravaged the centre and the
South of France ; while the English
King, taking advantage of the French
Queen's treachery, returned into Nor-
mandy, where he campaigned victori-
ously. In May, 1418, Paris fell into the
hands of John and Isabeau. Fortunate-
ly, young Charles escaped and estab-
lished his government at Poitiers ; but
his daft father, Charles VI., remained a
prisoner of his wife, Isabeau. As the
English advanced, John of Burgundy,
opened negotiations with Henry V.
John was a self-seeking trickster. Once
master of Paris, he tried to make
terms with the dauphin, Charles. They
met at Montereau. Had they never met
it could have been no worse for France.
Neither one had confidence in the other.
They disagreed. Their retainers fought,
and John met a death similar to that
of his old enemy, the duke of Orleans.
Meantime, at Rouen, the capital of
Normandy, Henry V., of England,
was coining money bearing his name,
and the title : King of France.

Worse fortune was in store for the
rightful heir to the throne. Philip of
Burgundy, son of the murdered John,
declared for the English ; and so did his
unwomanly ally, Isabeau. Nay more,
she and Philip, and their helpless tool,
Charles VI., signed a treaty, at Troyes,
on May 21, 1420, by which the king of
England was acknowledged to be the
legitimate heir of the insane king of
France, and, during his lifetime, sole
regent. Isabeau 's daughter, Catharine,
was betrothed to Henry V., with the
understanding that their first child
should wear a double crown: the crown
of England and of France. Without de-
lay, the marriage of Catharine and Henry
was celebrated ; and in the following

December, the royal pair made a solemn
entry into Paris.

Even after Crecy, or Poitiers, or Agin-
court, who would have imagined that
the brave, the glorious, the proud, the
great nation should be thus humiliated !
Still the rightful heir to the throne was
not wholly discouraged. South of the
Loire, the people were loyal. Aided by
their Scotch allies, his forces won a
notable victory at Bauge (March 22,
1421), where the Duke of Clarence,
brother of the English king, lost his
life. When, in June of the same year,
Henry V. headed an army of twenty-
eight thousand men, Charles might well
fear for the future. They closed him up
in Bourges ; but, at the darkest hour,
hope returned. Word came of the death
of Henry V., at Vincennes, on August
31, 1422. Seven weeks later the un-
fortunate Charles VI. died. Displaying
courage, if not confidence, his son as-
sumed the title of King of France, six
days afterwards, on October 30.

Of hope and courage, Charles VII.
had need. The duke of Bedford,
brother of Henry V., as a soldier and a
politician, was second in ability only to
that illustrious monarch. Having as-
sumed the regency, and, in the abbey of
St. Denis, amid the tombs of the French
kings, having proclaimed king of
France the infant son of Henry and
Catharine, Bedford warred actively
against Charles, defeating him often.
Fortunately for Charles, though he was
hampered by selfish and intriguing min-
isters, Bedford was no less impeded by
a rash and ambitious brother, the Duke
of Gloucester. Had it not been for
Gloucester's passions, Charles would
not have enjoyed three years of com-
parative peace. In 1426, the English
pushed forward, won, and then halted.
Two years later, under the lead of the
Earl of Salisbury, they carried every-
thing before them. Between June and
October, 1428, twenty-three strong
places surrendered to them ; and on
the twelfth of October, they laid siege

JEANNE D'ARC.

323

to Orleans, the key to the centre of
France.

Under the command of the famous
Bastard of Orleans, the inhabitants
defended the city bravely; women show-
ing no less courage than men. Fatally
wounded eleven days after the opening
of the siege, Salisbury died at the end of
October; but his death did not lessen the
efforts of the English. William de la

Poole, earl of

Suffolk, now
directed the
operations.
Orleans is
situated o n
the right
bank of the
Loire. Sal-
isbury had
fortified the
left bank;
Suffolk,
crossing the
river, en-
t r enche d
himself on
the right
bank, and
warily c i r -
cled the walls
of the city
with strong
forts. Fail-
ing to cap-
ture Orleans
by assault,
he purposed
starving it
into submis-
s i o n . All
winter the besieged defended, sallied,
countermined. Spring came, bringing
no hope. The French king offered only
slight assistance. To provision the city,
was growing more and more difficult, as
the English forts girdled the walls more
closely. An attempt on the king's part
to surprise a strong body carrying food
to the besiegers, February 12, 1429, was
a sad failure. Despairing, the inhabit-

JKANNE D'ARC HEABING HER DIVINE MISSION.

ants of Orleans offered to surrender,
not to the English, but to the duke of
Burgundy. Suffolk declined, saying
that : "he had not beaten the bushes
in order that o'hers should catch the
birds. "

His many trials, defeats, losses, dis-
couraged Charles VII. He began to
view the downfall of his dynasty as
providentially ordained. A tormenting
suspicion
had wormed
itself into his
mind and
heart : Was
he a legiti-
mate son of
Charles VI.?
If he were
fi o t, should
he not lay
down his
arms? He
besought
God to re-
solve this
doubt , s o
that his
course might
be in accord
with justice;
yet the doubt
remained.
The peril of
Orleans i n -
creased his
anguish.
Partisans
were forsak-
ing him; the
royal treas-
ury was empty. When Orleans should
fall into the power of the English,
how could he hope to hold even the
mean remnant of a kingdom that still
acknowledged his authority ! Strong
hands and courageous hearts there were,
upon which he could count to the death;
but, vainly sacrificing them, would not
he be a coward ? Thus disturbed,
wavering, anxious, Charles passed his

324

JEANNE D'ARC.

days in the castle of Chinon. The
cause of the French king, the independ-
ence of the French people, the life of a
grand nation, were in jeopardy. Who,
but God, could save ?

On February 23, 1429, just eleven days
after the rout of the royal army sent
to aid the inhabitants .of Orleans, six
armed men, led by a girl — all a-horse-
back— ambled through the gate of Chi-
non. Though her hair was cut short,
like a man's, and though she was ac-
coutred exactly like a-man-at-arms —
her lean breast and supple back covered
with a cuirass ; at her belt, on the one
side, a dagger, on the other, a sword; in
her right hand a lance — no observant,
man or woman, could have questioned
the leader's sex. The completest armor
never disguised a maid ; and this girl
was a maid.

At Chinon, they had reason for expect-
ing her ; for, from a neighboring village,
she had written to no less a personage
than the king, saying : "I have travelled
fifty leagues to be near you, and I have
many excellent things to tell you."
From Vaucouleurs to Chinon was a good
fifty leagues, and only a brave girl would
have dared the journey. The cities, the
bridges on the route, were in the hands
of the English, or of the Burgundians.
A partisan of the French King ran great
risks. At Vaucouleurs, friends had
warned the girl. ' ' I do not fear men-at-
arms," was her answer; "my way is
prepared. Should there be enemies on
the road, I have God, my Lord, who will
open for me a path by which to reach the
dauphin ; for I was born to save him. "

They travelled by night ; they sought
unfrequented or roundabout roads. The
men-at-arms found the journey hard ;
but the girl did not complain. All day
and every day, she was joyous, having
one sole anxiety : to hear Mass. To be
present at this holy office she hazarded
her liberty more than once, though her
male companions were more prudent.
On the morning she wrote to Charles,
she had been present at three Masses in

a pilgrim church. As she journeyed, the
beggars by the way had learned to love
her. For their sake, she was ready to
borrow.

' ' I have God, my Lord, who will open
for me a path to reach the dauphin ; for
I was born to save him. " A wonderful
saying ! A girl, born to save the defeated,
despairing King of France — born to save
not merely a crown, but also a people, a
nation. All that her words expressed
and implied the girl-soldier meant. Nor
had she waited until she reached Chinon,
to affirm that she was chosen of God to
do marvellous deeds in and for France.
In the preceding year, accompanied by a
male relative, Durant Laxart by name,
she had sought and obtained an inter-
view with Captain Robert de Beaudri-
court, who held Vaucouleurs in the inter-
est of Charles VII. ' ' Send word to the
dauphin, ' ' said she to Captain de Beaudri-
court, ' ' that he must have courage, and
that he must not, as yet, enter the field
against his enemies ; for God will send
him succor toward the middle of the com-
ing I^ent. The kingdom does not belong
to him, but to my Lord, who desires to
confide its guardship to him. The dau-
phin shall be a king, in spite of his ene-
mies. I will lead him to Rheims, and
there he shall be crowned." Then de
Beaudricourt asked : ' ' Who is your
Lord? " And she made answer; "The
King of Heaven." "Take this girl
home to her parents ! ' ' exclaimed the
captain ; ' ' she is raving. ' '

The captain's farewell to the girl who
offered to lead Charles, in the face of
the victorious English, up to and into
Rheims, a city controlled by his enemies,
and there to crown him King of France,
was not a polite farewell. Still, it was
as polite as the greeting with which the
Captain welcomed her when she en-
tered Vaucouleurs.

Durant Laxart, having called on de
Beaudricourt, and having told who he
was, and who his companion was, and
what she claimed to be, the captain
summoned a priest, and together they

JEANNE D'ARC.

325

went to the girl 's lodging and forthwith
exorcised her, surmising that she was
possessed by an evil spirit. Though she
submitted, she could not help laughing
as she said to the priest : "It would
have been more sensible to hear my con-
fession first." Probably she was better
pleased at being called mad than she
had been when they treated her as a
child of the devil.

From Durant Laxart, and from the
girl herself, the Captain learned the
story of her life. Born on the sixth
of January, 1412, she was but a little
more than sixteen years of age. Her
birthplace was the village of Domremy,
nigh to Vaucouleurs, on the border of
Champagne and Lorraine. There her
father, Jacques d'Arc, and her mother,
Isabelle, simple peasants, esteemed for
their industry and virtue, lived labori-
ously, comforted only by their three
sons and two daughters. From their
earliest years these children were trained
to labor and to fear God. Of the five,
the daughter, Jeanne, had been noted for
piety from her infancy. Loving work
she was as expert with a spade as with a

needle, could spin with the best, and
was as trusty among the hills with the
sheep as if under the eye of her mother.
A joyous child, companionable and fond
of play, Jeanne was even fonder of
prayer. In the midst of a merry game
she would slip away, kneel behind a
hedge, breathe a prayer and return to be
as merry as the merriest. To the Blessed
Virgin she was especially devout. Near
to Domremy were several chapels dedi-
cated to our Lady. With a candle, a
garland of field flowers, an orison,
Jeanne embellished each altar. At all
the offices of the village church she was
faithful, and most exemplary in confess-
ing and in receiving the Holy Commun-
ion. Obedient to her parents, she was
also a loving sister, a kindly neighbor,
generous to the poor, tendei/Lothe ailing.
All these adornments of womanhood
Jeanne d'Arc had acquired without ever
learning the esteemed art of reading or
of writing.

These details may have interested de
Beaudricourt, though it is more than
probable that he knew many peasant
girls no less virtuous or pious. How

THE MAID'S PARENTS AND PRETENDED LOVER CLAIM HER AT TOUL.

326

JEANNE D'ARC.

ever, this was not the whole of the story.
In her thirteenth year — thus she told
the captain — and often during the three
years that had since passed, heavenly
beings had appeared to her and had
spoken to her. Jeanne's home adjoined
the parish church ; and it was in the
garden, close to the church wall, on a
summer's day in 1425, at midday, that
a glorious light shone on her, and out of
the light issued a voice, saying: "Jeanne,
be good and pious, go often to church !"
The resplendent light, the mysterious

sun, was but the shadow of the splendor
of the Archangel Michael; the voice was
the Archangel's voice; the multitude
with him was a squadron of his immor-
tal, invincible, army of angels.

The mysterious voice, on that first
summer-day, counselled her to be a
Christian, and no more; but, as time
passed, portentous words were spoken to
her. She had heard of the wars. Her
parents were loyal to the crown. Before
her day, Domremy had suffered from the
enemies of France. The history of her

THE MAID'S PROGRKSS.

voice, affrighted the girl, as, certainly,
they would have affrighted you or me.
Who spoke, she knew not Whence
came that indescribable radiance and
the voice whose speech she could never
forget? A second, a third time, she
heard the voice, though perceiving no
form. Then a form appeared, a com-
manding form accompanied by a multi-
tude of unearthly, though real, beings.
Finally she grew into the knowledge
that the wondrous light she had first
seen, more lustrous than the noonday

country, she knew well; the traditions
were familiar to her; but one can easily
understand that the peasant girl of
thirteen was not prepared to assume
that she had been selected to save
France, to rout victorious armies, to
make a king and unite a nation. Still,
Michael, promising prudently, suggested
much, and finally ordered. She had a
mission from heaven, he said, to succor
the King of France. During three years,
the simple girl listened, trembled, won-
dered, feared. Two sainted women came

JEANNE D'ARC.

327

to aid her: Catharine and Margaret.
They encouraged her, calmed her. To
neither mother, nor father, nor confes-
sor, did she disclose her secret. Alone
she bore her burden, day after day, year
after year. A rare sacrifice was de-
manded of her by God, if her guides
(re trust-
jr thy .
The paren-
tal home,
mere hu-
man love
of every
sort, she
must re-
nounce, if
Michael,
Catha-
rine an d
M a r g aret
spake true.
Should she
doubt? To
prove her
confidence
in them
and in their
word, she
made a vow
of virgin-
ity. Come
what may,
h e n c efor-
ward she is
the Lord's.
When,
after three
years of
compan-
ionship
with the
A rchangel
and with

Saints Catharine and Margaret, Jeanne
first presented herself to Robert de Beau-
dricourt, at Vaucouleurs, it was not to
please herself, or to satisfy an idle
fancy. She would not have dared to take
a step so unbecoming to a modest girl,
were it not that the directing Archangel,

and her guiding Saints as well, had
insisted, saying : '• You must seek out
Robert de Beaudricourt, and have him
give you an armed escort to bring you
to the dauphin ; him you shall crown
King at Rheims, and drive the foreigner
from the kingdom. " To St. Michael, to

SS. Catha-
rine and
M argaret,
Jeanne put
a most
natural
qu estion.
" How, "
she asked,
"shall I,
who am
onlya peas-
ant girl,
give orders
to m e n -
at arms? "
Whereupon
A r changel
and Saints
responded :
"Child of
God, great-
hearted
child, you
needs must
go ; God
will aid
you."

Dismissed
by de Beau-
dricourt as
one bereft
of reason,
Jeanne was
not d is -
couraged.
She re-
turned home. Her parents were un-
aware of her venturesome journey. She
had left them to visit a cousin. As
of old, she worked in the house and
in the field; but the Saints were not
silent. Indeed they commanded her
anew to go forth and free the city of

THE HOLY MARCH TO ORLEANS.

328

JUBILEE OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL VOW.

Orleans from the enemy. No longer
could she resist. In the early part of
January, 1429, once more she set forth,
without saying a word to father or
mother. Durant Laxart, who still had
faith in her, accompanied her to Vau-
couleurs. There de Beaudricourt was as
obstinate as ever. The girl's claims
were not lessened by time. " No one in
the world, " said she, " neither the king,
nor the duke, nor the daughter of the
King of Scotland, nor any one else, can
recover the kingdom of France; from me
atone shall it have aid, although I had
rather spin alongside of my poor mother;
for such is not my condition in life But
I must go and do that ; for so my Lord
wishes. ' ' Then once again they asked :
' ' Who is your Lord ? ' ' and she gave the
same answer : " He is God. "

The people of Vaucouleurs saw Jeanne
and heard her words ; and they believed
in her. They noted her modesty, her
piety, her sincerity. The soldiers trusted
her ; they had faith in her mission. Peo-
ple and soldiers united to provide for
her journey to the king, buying a horse,
armor and arms. As she was called to
do a warrior's work, Jeanne determined
to dress like a man.

When de Beaudricourt learned the tem-

per of the people, he consulted the royal
council ; and at length, on February 23,
permitted her to set out for Chinon,
where Charles was playing king ; nay,
more, he presented her with a sword.
Long before she reached Chinon the
name of Jeanne the Maid was known in
camps, villages, cities. At Orleans they
had heard of her, and of her promise to
raise the siege, and a deputation of offi-
cers had been sent to meet her at Chinon
and to report whether there was indeed
reason for hoping.

* -x- •*

Yes! It was this girl, Jeanne d'Arc,
pious, charitable, gallant maid, that we
saw amid smoke and flames in the mar-
ket place at Rouen. Her heart it was
that, red, firm, unburned, was flung,
with the ashes of her bones, into the
river Seine. Did she receive no mission
from her Lord ? Were Michael and Cath-
erine and Margaret creatures of her im-
agination ? Did some one else, some
king or duke, save Orleans ? Was her
story, that she was chosen to crown the
dauphin at Rheims, the fiction of a mad-
dened brain ? We shall see. Thus far
we know her only as "a child of God, a
great-hearted child. ' ' Surely ' ' God will
aid her " — at Chinon and elsewhere.

(To be continued.)

JUBILEE OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL VOW.

By Rev. E. Cornut, SJ.

QREAT WORKS are not the product
of chance circumstances ; they need
a deep soil to take root in, and an
atmosphere suitable for their develop-
ment. Such was the case with the
national vow of Montmartre, whose
twenty-fifth anniversary was celebrated
on January 17, of this year. Few mon-
uments have a more eloquent history.
Every one of its stones is literally a cry
of anguish, of faith and hope, evoked
by penitence and love.

In one of His apparitions to Blessed

Margaret Mary, our Lord expressed His
will that France should be officially con-
secrated to His Sacred Heart. Louis

XIV. in his glory neglected this demand,
or, perhaps, he never knew it ; Louis

XV. was unworthy to hear it ; Louis

XVI. and Marie Antoinette, in their
prison of the Temple, accomplished it
as far as it was permitted them. Then
many years rolled by handing down this
precious heritage.

The association of the Apostleship of
Prayer and the MESSENGER OF THE

JUBILEE OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL VOW.

329

SACRED HEART revived this tradition,
rendered it popular and enkindled in
pious souls an intense desire to see it
at length realized. The evils that befell
France in 1870-71 providentially pro-
vided the occasion.

In August, 1870, after the first reverses
of the French, the MESSENGER published
an article written in 1823 by Father
Louis de Bussy, S.J., in which he pointed
out the Sacred Heart as the only salva-
tion for France.

Unforeseen and terriHe disasters oc-
curred. In the beginning of September,
1870, Father Ramiere, S.J., wrote two
articles in which he urgently appealed
to the repentance and the devotion of
France, and proposed to her a national
act of expiation for the past, and of con-
secration to the Sacred Heart for the
future. At the same time he scattered
broadcast a leaflet with the title : The
Heart of Jesus the only salvation for
France.

This appeal found a responsive echo.
On October 17, Father de Boylesve, S.J.,
in an important sermon, preached in
the convent in Paris, known as Les
Oiseaux, gave definiteness to the idea of
Father Ramiere by calling for an expia-
tory church in honor of the Sacred
Heart. The very next day he com-
posed and distributed 330,000 copies of
a leaflet recalling the desires and the
promises of our Lord. In his inten-
tion, France, repentant and confident,
was to erect this monument at Paray-
le-Monial.

About the same time, or shortly after,
M. Legentil and M. Beluze, men of faith
and action — then exiled to Poitiers by
the turn in public affairs — with M. Ro-
hault de Fleury and some other friends,
conceived the idea of proposing to the
Parisians to make a vow to the Blessed
Virgin, or to the Sacred Heart, to save
Paris, in imitation of the Lyonnese who
had promised to rebuild the Church of
Notre Dame de Fourviere, if their city
were spared. The leaflet of Father de
Boylesve decided them in favor of the

Sacred Heart, and M. Baudon agreed
with them on January 6, 1871.

Father de Boylesve had put M. Legen-
til in communication with Father Ra-
miere, who had for some time been
engrossed in spreading the formula of a
vow to the Sacred Heart, which was both
patriotic and Catholic, since it had for
objects the deliverance of the Sovereign
Pontiff and the salvation of France.
These two causes were, in his eyes, in-
separable ; nevertheless, he promised M.
Legentil his assistance, and the publicity
of the MESSENGER, of which he was the
founder and editor. He made, however,
a condition that the project so far only
local and particular, inasmuch as it was
question of an appeal to the Parisians for
the deliverance of Paris, should be
enlarged by taking in Rome aid France.
After the siege of the capital, the name
of Paris disappeared.

M. Legentil at first resisted ; he feared
that this general proposition would fail
to influence those whose hearts were so
preoccupied by their own sufferings.
He yielded, however, and gradually
adopted almost literally the ideas and
the formula which Father Ramiere had
already been propagating for a month
and a half. The vow to erect a church
to the Sacred Heart in the spirit of
expiation and consecration became truly
national and Catholic. These are pre-
cisely the characteristics which Cardinal
Richard praises and brings out in the
beautiful letter written by him on the
occasion of this first jubilee.

Having come to an agreement, Father
Ramiere and M. Legentil set to work,
each in his own line and sphere. The
Apostleship of Prayer, with its universal
organization, its far-reaching circulation
of the MESSENGER, and wisely directed
activity of its Promoters, was, from the
beginning, and always, according to the
expression of M. Legentil, " an all-pow-
erful lever. ' ' It was, in fact, in this at-
mosphere of piety and devotedness that
the successive appeals were best under-
stood.

330

JUBILEE OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL VOW.

A lay committee was formed to organ-
ize the undertaking, start the subscrip-
tions, and superintend the works. An
admirable, religious man, M. Leon Cor-
nudet, was elected president.

Mgr. Darboy was not favorable to the
project ; his successor, Mgr. Guibert, at
first tempered his sympathy with a pru-
dent reserve ; but soon gave his full ap-
probation and all his devotion to the
cause. The National Vow became his
work of predilection. At the request of
Very Rev. Father Jandel, General of the
Dominicans, Pius IX. blessed the work,
and subscribed 20,000 francs. The
Bishops of France followed his exam-
ple. Finally, on July 24, 1873, the Na-
tional Assembly, after a serious discus-
sion, declared that the project was for
the public benefit, and conferred on the
Archhbishop of Paris ample powers to
carry out the undertaking.

Where should they build ? They first
thought of the site of the Court of the
Exchequer, and of that of Finance,
burned by the Commune ; they were sit-
uated on the bank of the Seine and easi-
ly approached. The heights of the Troca,
dero offered also great advantages. How-
ever, Montmartre was chosen because
of its elevation above Paris, and the
abundance of its historical and religious
memories.

In the brilliant contest which was
opened to artists, the plan of M. Aba-
die, the able restorer of the Cathedral
of Perigueux, the Byzantine Church of
St. Front, was preferred. The summit
of a hill did net afford sufficient space
for the long nave of a Gothic edifice.
Apart from other technical difficulties
this style would have lost its most ad-
vantageous points.

Once the work was begun, difficulties
were not wanting. It was soon perceived
that the mountain was too friable to offer
solid base for so heavy a construction .
After reflection and prayer, however,
Mgr, Guibert persisted in his choice; but
it was necessary to dig 83 wells, 33
metres deep, fill them with masonry and

bind them together with arches. This
entailed an unforeseen expense of four
million francs. Then came successively
the deaths of M. Cornudet, president of
the committee ; of M. Abadie, the archi-
tect and director of the works ; of M. Leg-
entil, one of the chief promoters, and
finally of Cardinal Guibert, the great pro-
tector of the nascent basilica. Happily
he bequeathed to his pious and beloved
coadjutor and successor his prudent and
devoted zeal.

In another line, other attacks and -an-
noyances befell the undertaking. In
1880, the partisans of free thought at-
tempted to repeal the legislative act of
1873; but the proposition of Delattregave
way before the firm reasoning and author-
ity of Mgr. Guibert. In fact, in spite of
everything, there never was a single
stoppage or even a sensible slacking of
the work. Funds kept coming in when
needed with a regularity that smacked
of the marvellous.

How were the 30,000,000 francs al-
ready spent, collected ? Providence, in
great part, holds the secret ; many givers
concealed their names. One day, the
Duchess de Galliera proposed to the Car-
dinal to build at her sole expense the
edifice, then scarcely begun ; this was
an offering of 30,000,000 to 40,000,000
francs; Mgr. Guibert refused to accept
the condition which would have taken
away from the votive basilica its na-
tional character and all its meaning of
penitence and devotion.

There is nothing more touching than
the long lists of subscribers published
every fortnight in the Bidletin of the
work. Paul Feval used to read them
with rapt admiration, reading beneath
the naive names the heroic piety of the
givers. Truly we can truly see in them
faith, generosity, humility, love. Large
offerings are not wanting ; but moderate
ones predominate and makeup the bulk.
How many hidden sacrifices and heroic
privations are represented by most of
these innumerable blocks of stone! If
they brave the ravages of time and

JUBILEE OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL VOW.

331

weather, the love of which they are the
expression, should, we would think,
draw down rich graces from heaven.

Many touching and ingenious methods
have been successively invented to
stimulate, foster, and reward the gener-
osity of subscribers. Thus families,
communities, colleges, religious orders,
parishes, dioceses, corporations have
combined to offer a stone, a pillar, a
column, a chapel, according to their
means. Nearly 4,000,000, French peo-
ple have brought their offerings. It
is really with hearts, we may say, that
the immense walls have been built ; from
all these stones gleams the soul of the
true France.

The chapels of the upper church and
of the crypt are dedicated to the heavenly
protectors of France : Our Lady, St.
Michael, St. Joseph, St. Martin, St.
Remy, St. Louis, St. Genevieve, St.
Radegunde, B. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
The principal religious orders are repre-
sented by their founders : St. Benedict,
St. Bernard, St. Bruno, St. Francis of
Assisi, St. Dominic, St. Ignatius, St.
Vincent de Paul, St. Teresa, all have
their special chapel.

Many of the professions and depart-
ments of state have their chapel, for
instance : the magistracy, the army,
navy, medicine, the priesthood, writers,
the arts, agriculture, commerce, trades.
There are the pillars of music, poetry,
of the sick, orphans, widows, the be-
trothed.

The four pillars which support the
dome, and which cost 100,000 francs
each, are due to the liberality of the
College Stanislas, the students of the
Jesuits, the newspaper Pelerin, and the
Children of Mary.

As regards the symbolism and artistic
value of the monument, we must wait
until the work is finished before we can
fully appreciate it. Some visitors are
premature in their strictures. When
the basilica shall spread out on the
transformed mountain, and shall crown
it with its massive white structure, its

marvellous crypt, its great cupola like a
gigantic tiara, its lofty tower whence the
Savoyarde will sound its urgent appeals
over Paris, its gaping porch which seems
to await pilgrims, its immense nave,
from whose end the ostensorium will
gleam, while the Sacred Heart will
stretch out its arms to embrace the
human race, its innumerable glittering
chapels, its mosaics and its statues; the
effect will be truly original and majestic.
We shall feel that we are entering a
sanctuary of penitence and devotion;
and this unique monument, in contrast
with all that exists in the enormous
capital spread out at its feet, will appear
worthy of France and of Christ, recall-
ing in an imposing unity the patriotic
and religious anguish in the midst of
which its solid foundations fwere laid
and the bright hopes for France and the
Church, which the Sacred Heart has
promised to realize in favor of the nation
which has thus consecrated herself
publicly to His honor and His service.
Between the guilty earth and the infinite
mercy of divine love, there will be
henceforth one bond the more, the
basilica of the National Vow, raising up
above the crowd, its noise and its crimes,
the motto of expiation and of consecra-
tion : Christo Ejusque Sacratissimo Cordi
Gallia Pcenitens et Devota.
* * -si-
Father Corn ut in the preceding article,
which appeared inFrench in theEtudesfor
January, has pointed out briefly the part
which the Apostleship of Prayer and the
French Messenger played in the National
Vow of France. We have a right, then, to
look upon the Basilica of the Sacred
Heart on Montmartre as due in great
measure to the League. A few points
may throw stronger light on the subject.
We, therefore, give in full the protesta-
tion of Father Ramiere proposed to the
Catholics of France in December, 1870.

"At the moment when, in Christian
Europe, brute force is, with impunity,
crushing the most sacred rights ;

" At the moment when the patrimon}'

332

JUBILEE OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL VOW.

given to the Church by the early Kings
of France is sacrilegiously invaded, when
the Capital of Christendom is taken by
force ; when the Head of the Church is
deprived of the freedom indispensable to
fulfil his office, and when the liberty of
all the Catholics of the universe is affected
by the loss of the independence of their
Supreme Pastor ;

"At the moment, finally, when con-
trary to the will of France, very clearly
expressed many times by its represen-
tatives, the Charge d' affaires of the Re-
public has thought himself authorized
to congratulate the government which
has triumphed over the august weakness
of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and the re-
sistance of his faithful subjects ;

1 ' French Catholics can wait no longer
to join their voices to that of all the
other Catholic nations in the universe,
and to manifest openly, in the face of
heaven and earth, the profound indigna-
tion which fills them at the sight of these
outrages.

"WE PROTEST, then, in the name of
justice outraged in its holy personifica-
tion ; in the name of right the most
legitimate in its origin, the most vener-
able in its antiquity, the best justified by
its benefits, the most authentically sanc-
tioned by the pledges of governments and
the suffrages of peoples.

" WE PROTEST in the name of France,
our unhappy country, which, a victim
of violence, would no longer have the
right to appeal to the judgment of the
world and of posterity, if she connived
at a violence more gratuitous and more
sacrilegious than that which she herself
is suffering.

" WE PROTEST in the name of the peace
of Europe, which has no longer any
guarantee, from the moment when, with-
out provocation, without motive, with-
out any pretext, a state is authorized to
take advantage of its superior power to
invade another state.

"WE PROTEST in the name of Christian
civilization, which makes way for bar-
barism, so soon as the right of might

substitutes itself without resistance for
the might of right.

" WE PROTEST finally, in the name of
liberty of conscience, which is a thousand
times dearer to us than life. We declare
that we are resolved to use every lawful
means in our power to obtain the full
independence of the supreme guide of
our souls. We do not wish that the
word of God should be fettered ; that the
mouth charged to make known to us the
thoughts of Jesus Christ should be
exposed to be gagged by any human
power. Rome, adorned with its monu-
ments erected by the papacy with the
offerings of all Christendom, is the prop-
erty of all Catholics, and we demand its
restitution. We openly demand it of
its unjust invaders ; we earnestly ini-
plere it of the infinitely just God; and
in virtue of the part of sovereignty which
the existing form of the Government of
France confers upon us, we demand it as
well of those who recognize themselves
as our proxies.

' 'And, in order to repair the outrages
done to St. Peter in the person of his suc-
cessor, in order to obtain, through the
merciful intervention of the Heart of
Jesus, the pardon of our crimes and the
extraordinary helps which alone can de-
liver Rome from its captivity, and cause
the misfortunes of France to cease, WE
PROMISE when these two graces shall
have been granted, to contribute, accord-
ing to our means, to the erection of a
church consecrated to the Heart of Jesus,
under the invocation of the Prince of the
Apostles. "

With this protestation Father Ramiere
sent an explanation of the intention of
the Vow he proposed, and an appeal to
the Associates of the Apostleship to
assure by their energetic co-operation the
success of his peaceful but salutary
crusade.

The Messenger was the first to tell its
message in all the dioceses of France and
even in foreign countries. The vow as
conceived by Father Ramiere, was na-
tional in so far as it affected the deliver-

JUBILEE OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL VOW.

333

atice of France, but it was Catholic, that
is, universal, in that it had for end the
freeing of the Papacy from its unjust
aggressors. For nearly three years the
organ of the Apostleship might be said
to have adopted the cause of the National
Vow, until the latter founded its own
Bulletin; even then the Messenger still
continued to stimulate the zeal of its
innumerable readers in carrying on the
great work at Montmartre. As soon as
the provisional chapel was erected, it was
at once affiliated by diploma to the Apos-
tleship of Prayer. To hasten the accom-
plishment of the Vow, the Messenger
proposed to all the Associates the denier
du Vo3U National, and the League Coun-
cils organized collectors in sets of tens,
who collected abundant alms. A year
later the Bulletin of the National Vow
thus testified to the work of the League.
" At this time, the Apostleship of Prayer
is our all-powerful lever. Some day we
shall treat of the origin and extension of
this admirable work which occupies the
first rank in the army of the Sacred
Heart, and has contributed in the broad-
est and most effectual way to extend this
devotion. It has adopted with an abso-
lute devotedness the idea of the National
Vow. ' '

In 1877 tne Holy League of the Nation-
al Vow to the Sacred Heart was founded
by M. Rohault de Fkury and approved
by the Pope. Its founder at once asked
Father Ramiere to aggregate it to the
Apostleship, which he readily granted.

He did more, for the General Intention
for the following July, was ' ' TJie Suc-
cess of the National Vow." No wonder
the Bulletin could say : ' ' We rejoice to be
sustained and seconded by the Associa-
tion of the Apostleship of Prayer, the
magnificent work, whose success is one
of the greatest marvels of our times. We
thank the Messenger of the Sacred Heart
for the news it gives every month of the
work of the National Vow. Our solemn
prayers for each day of the month include
always both the General Intention and
the Particular Intentions proposed to
the Associates of the Apostleship."

We think that our readers will now
appreciate the share which Father Ra-
miere, the Apostleship of Prayer and the
Messenger have had in erecting this
magnificent monument of expiation and
consecration to the Sacred Heart at Mont-
martre. But the views of Father Ra-
miere were not limited by the horizon of
France, and he wrote: "Our desires would
be still more completely fulfilled if we
could bring to pass that every nation
should have, like France, its monument
of repentance and hope, and if, by the
united efforts and offerings of the serv-
ants of the Sacred Heart throughout
the world, there should rise in Rome,
that capital of Christendom, a splendid
sanctuary, whose construction should
express to the divine Heart our confi-
dence, and whose completion should
mark for the centuries to come the hour
of His complete triumph ! "

THE RELICS OF THE HOLY CROSS.

By Rev. H. Van Rensselaer, SJ.

4 1 \A /B ought to glory in the Cross
W of our Lord Jesus Christ, in
whom is our salvation, life and resurrec-
tion, by whom we have been saved and
delivered." So sings the Church in the
introit of the Mass for Maundy Thurs-
day, quoting the Apostle of the Gentiles
in his epistle to the Galatians. Again
she uses these words on the feast of the
Finding of the Holy Cross, May 3, as
well as on September 14, when she
celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross But still more strikingly than
by the celebration of these two feasts,
does she bid us honor the symbol of our
salvation on Good Friday, in the most
affecting ceremony of the veneration of
the cross.

On the eve of Passion Sunday all
crucifixes are veiled in violet. On
Maundy Thursday the purple is ex-
changed for white in honor of the
Blessed Sacrament, but it in turn gives
way to black on Good Friday. On that
day of days the crucifix stands draped
in mourning over the empty tabernacle
on the high-altar until the Passion has
been solemnly chanted, and the priest
has sung those most touching prayers
for all sorts and conditions of men.
Then the celebrant lays aside the chasu-
ble, and, going to the epistle side of
the altar, receives from the deacon the
cross in its mournful drapery. He turns
the crucifix towards the people, uncover-
ing at the same time a little of the upper
part, and sings: "Behold the wood of
the cross, on which hung the Salvation
of the world," the sacred ministers
assisting in the singing. The choir
answers : " Come, let us adore, " and all
humbly kneel. Then the celebrant
advances up the steps of the altar, un-
covers the right arm of the cross, ele-
vates it, and, taking a higher tone, again

334

intones the Ecce lignum Crucis, and
again the people answer and genuflect.
The priest next goes to the centre of the
altar, lays bare the cross, lifts it aloft,
and in a still higher key sings the same
words, and the faithful respond and
kneel as before. The celebrant then on
bended knee lays the cross on a violet
cushion at the foot of the altar. After
this he retires to the bench, takes off his
shoes, and then advances to adore the
cross kneeling three times on both knees
before he kisses the crucifix. Then fol-
lows the adoration of the cross by all
present, first by the clergy and then by
the laity, all approaching with the triple
genuflection.

While this very impressive ceremony
is taking place, the chanters sing those
most touching complaints drawn from
Holy Scripture called The Reproaches,
in which our Lord upbraids the Jews
with ingratitude for the manifold bless-
ings He had conferred on them. " O my
people, what have I done to thee ? Or
in what have I grieved thee ? Answer
me." Then comes a recalling to their
minds of the various deliverances and
favors He had bestowed on them. After
each one the choir answers first in Greek
and then in Latin : ' ' O Holy God, O
Holy Mighty One, O Holy Immortal
One, have mercy on us."

The retention of the Agios o Theos,
Agios Ischyros, Agios Athanatos, eleison
imas, like that of the Kyrie and Christ e
eleison in the Mass and litanies, reminds
us of the fact that the language of the
Church, now Latin, was once Greek, and
shows her identity through the centuries
from the time when the sacred writings
of the New Testament were all in Greek.

Next is sung the anthem : ' ' We adore
Thy Cross, O Lord, and we praise and
glorify Thy holy resurrection, for behold

THE RELICS OF THE HOLY CROSS.

335

irough the wood of the cross joy hath the cross in that masterpiece of liturgi-
>me upon the whole world. " The first cal service which the Church directs her
/erse of Psalm LXVI follows : " May children to perform in honor of the Pas-
God have mercy on us and bless us ; sion of Christ.

may he cause the light of his counte- It is hardly necessary for us to tell our
nance to shine upon us, and may he have readers that when we prostrate ourselves
mercy on us;" and the anthem is re- to venerate the Cross on Good Friday,
peated. and, indeed, whenever, or wherever, we

show this extraordinary honor
to the crucifix, the adoration,
exteriorly given to the repre-
sentation, interiorly goes to the
only one to whom it is due,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Only
those who are ignorant of our
religion could imagine that we

Then comes the versicle :

" O faithful Cross ! O noblest Tree !
In all our woods there's none like thee !
No earthly groves, no shady bowers
Produce such leaves, such fruit, such

flowers.

Sweet are the nails and sweet the wood
That bears a weight so sweet, so good."

The first four lines of this are

repeated as a chorus after each verse
of the hymn Pange lingua gloriosa
lauream certaminis : "Sing, O my
tongue, devoutly sing, the glorious
laurels of our King.
With this ends the veneration of

terminate our act of worship in a
bit of wood, metal, or stone. Every
Catholic knows the difference be-
tween praying before a crucifix, and
praying to a crucifix, between wor-
shipping Christ with divine wor-

Crucifixion as conceived by M. Renault de Fleury, showing the portions of the Cross above and under
ground, footrest, title, and height at which the crucified hung.

336

THE RELICS OF THE HOLY CROSS.

ship and honoring with an inferior
worship any representation of Him, so
that if the word worship or adore could
be taken only in the strict sense of
divine worship or adoration, as non-
Catholics insist, contrary to common
usage, upon understanding it, it could
never be used except of an act directly
relating to our Lord, or the other persons
of the Blessed Trinity.

We have dwelt purposely long upon

surprised that the heretical leaders of the
sixteenth and later centuries should reject
the relics of the Cross, as well as its very
sign, since they also rejected the sacrifice
of the Mass and the sacraments as under-
stood by the Catholic Church, and, by
denying the real presence of Christ in
the Blessed Sacrament, they relegated
Him from earth to heaven and wished to
have no sensible reminders of His death.
Hence the horror which Protestants of the

CHRIST CARRYING THE CROSS. Design of M. Renault de Fleury.
A 1 . Side view of footrest. A 2. Cross-section of footrest.

the part which the cross plays in the lit-
urgy of the Church, though we have not
touched upon the constant use of the
holy sign in the sacrifice of the Mass, in
the administering of all the sacraments,
in every blessing, and, in fact, we might
say, at the beginning and end of all her
actions. All this will help us to under-
stand the value that the Church sets
upon the relics of the true Cross.

On the other hand, we should not be

old school feel at the sight of the paint-
ing of the crucifixion or the crucifix. It
was too awful, they thought, for repre-
sentation, and too unpleasant to look
upon. The Lutherans are an exception,
as they retained the crucifix in their
churches. All the other sects repudiated
even the use of the bare cross. They
were right from their standpoint, espe-
cially in England. The altar gave way to
a four-legged table ; the symbol of Christ

THE RELICS OF THE HOLY CROSS.

337

ie king on His throne of the Cross was
replaced by the royal coat-of-arms of the
temporal sovereign, who had usurped the
place of the Vicar of Christ in the spirit-
ual government of England.

The late revival of the use of the cross
by Protestants comes either from a return
movement towards the old faith, or from
a spirit of indifference that adopts it be-
cause it lends itself well to decorative
art.

What was the form of the Cross ? We
are accustomed to consider it as being
what is known as the Latin cross, crux
immissa or capitata, which has its hori-
zontal beam at two-thirds of its height,
t. In this it differs from the Greek,
whose cross-beam divides the height, f .
The crux decussata is what is commonly

Fathers; Socrates, Theodoret, Eusebius,
Innocent III., Justus Lipsius and Gretser
support this opinion.

From a practical point of view this
latter would be preferable, because the
cross would be simpler and stronger. A
single pin or peg would hold it together,
and the part rising above the cross-beam
would serve to hold the title. When St.
Peter was crucified head downward an
ordinary cross was used, and it must
have had a projecting head piece, which,
in this case, was sunk into the ground.
As the case stands, there does not seem
to be any cogent reason to abandon the
form so sanctioned by the use of the
Church

Besides the perpendicular and horizon-
tal beams there was, in all probability, a

TITLE OF THE CROSS AS RESTORED TO ONE-FOURTH SIZE.
By M. Rohault de Fleury.

called St. Andrew's cross, and is an X-
The crux furca is like a Y- The crux
commissa is in the form of a T. The
question seems to lie between the first
and the last mentioned, and there are
grave authorities for both, but the strong-
est arguments seem to favor the one so
familiar to us all. Tertullian, St. Jerome,
St. Paulinus, Sozomen and Rufinus
would appear to consider the tau or T as
the correct shape. The eminent archae-
ologist Father Raphael Garucci, S.J., and
the translator into French of his works,
Mgr. Van den Berg, gave their verdict
for this, and Dom Calmet seems to agree
with them.

Those who maintain the form of the
Latin Cross are St. Justin Martyr, St.
Irenaeus, and St. Augustine among the

piece of wood attached to the Cross as a
support for the feet, as the weight of the
body is too great for the hands to bear.

The traditional measures of the Cross
are fifteen feet for the vertical post and
seven to eight feet for the beam forming
the arms ; in scriptural cubits they would
be ten by five. If we apply these to the
details of the Cross, we shall have two
cubits under ground, one cubit from
the ground to the footrest, five cubits
from this latter to the cross-beam, and
from that to the summit two cubits. It
will be seen from this that the body of
the crucified was not raised up high
above the earth. There are many rea-
sons for this supposition. The pagan
Latin authors speak of dogs, lions, and
bears tearing out the entrails of the vie-

338

THE RELICS OF THE HOLY CROSS.

339

tims ; and of slaves being able to mount
the gibbet with a running jump. An-
other argument comes from the difficulty
of raising a cross with the body attached,
and the higher the position of the body
the greater would be the difficulty, as the
centre of gravity would be proportion-
ally raised. That, of course, is on the
theory that the body was fastened to the
Cross before its elevation. Moreover,
had the crosses been high, a foot-soldier
could not easily have broken the legs of
the thieves, nor have pierced the side of
the Lord.

It has been estimated that the weight
of the Cross was about one hundred kil-
ogrammes, or more than two hundred
pounds avoirdupois, of which three-
quarters would bear upon our Lord's
shoulders and the remaining quarter rest
upon the ground, as He dragged it after
Him. On the supposition of this weight,
and taking the density of the Scotch
pine as being an example of medium
density, the total volume of the wood
of the Cross might be one hundred and
seventy-eight millions of cube millime-
tres. This is important to note, for Cal-
vin attacks the authenticity of the relics
of the true Cross on the ground of their
absurd quantity, whereas, in fact, the
total volume of all the known relics only
amounts to 3,941,975 cubic millimetres,
leaving 175,000,000 unaccounted for.

One should think that it would be an
easy matter to decide what was the wood
of which the Cross was made. Yet it is
still much disputed. The Venerable Bede
held that the Cross was composed of four
different woods ; the inscription on box,
the top on which it was fastened of pine,
the cross-beam of cedar and the post of
cypress. Durandus substitutes the palm
and olive for the box and cypress. Other
authors suggest different woods, but the
idea of a composite cross seems to be
only the pious fancy of contemplatives,
who wished the different trees to have a
share in the honor of having borne the
' ' sweet weight ' ' of the Redeemer of the
world ; or attached mystical meanings to

the various woods ; or applied vague
Scripture texts as proofs. In all proba-
bility, then, the Cross was of one wood
only, as the executioners would naturally
employ the simplest means. Some in-
cline to think it was oak because it is com-
mon in Judea, and is strong and adapted
to the purpose. Others claim it to be
cedar, but this was a precious wood not
likely to be so used. The best opinion is
that it was a conifer belonging to the
pine family. These trees were commonly
employed, and a microscopic examina-
tion of portions of the Cross coming from
the relics kept at Santa Croce in Geru-
salemme, Rome, and in the Cathedrals
of Pisa, Florence and Paris, show that
they were pine.

Let us now turn to the finding of the
Cross. For three centuries dt lay hid
with the other relics of the Sacred Pas-
sion. This was providential, for had
they been discovered sooner, they would
have been objects of derision, and would
certainly have been destroyed. It was
left to the Emperor Constantine, vic-
torious through the cross, to seek and to
find them. He erected in various parts
of his empire magnificent churches, and
thought to add to their splendor by
enriching them with fragments of the
instruments of the Passion. Rightly
enough, he judged that they might be
found in the holy places, and charged
his mother, St. Helena, with the pious
commission of finding and procuring
them, cost what it might.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (350 to 386)
wrote to Constantius, son of Constan-
tine : ' ' Divine grace made known the
spot in the holy places, to him who
sought it in the piety of his heart. ' '

St. Ambrose, in his panegyric of
Theodosius, says : " Helena, then, came
and began to examine the holy places ;
the Holy Ghost inspired her to search
for the wood of the true Cross ; she
reached Calvary, and said : ' ' Here is
the spot of the combat, where is the vic-
tory ? I seek the standard of salvation
and I find it not. Am I on the throne,

340

THE RELICS OF THE HOLY CROSS.

TERRA COTTA BRICK (ONE-HALF SIZE) COVERING THE NICHE IN WHICH THE RELIC OF THE TITLE
WAS KEPT AT SANTA CROCE-IN-GERUSALEMME, ROME.

and is the Cross of the Lord in the dust ?
Am I in gilded palaces, and is the
triumph of Christ among ruins ? Is it
still hidden ? Is the palm of eternal
life concealed? How shall I believe
myself redeemed, if I see not redemption
itself?"

Unconsciously, the pagan Emperor
Hadrian had preserved the identity of
the spot where the Cross had stood, by
erecting over it a temple of Venus, in-
tending thus to stamp out the remem-
brance and devotion of Christians for so
sacred a place.

This impious fane Helena demolished
and ordered excavations all around its
site, for it was the custom to bury near
by the place of their death the bodies of
the criminals and the implements used
in their execution.

The work of the Empress was success-
ful and the three crosses were unearthed.
But how was that of Christ to be dis-
cerned from those of the thieves ? St.
Ambrose says the title served to identify
it. But the common tradition, sup-
ported by the institution of the feast of
the Finding of the Holy Cross, attributes
the identification to a miracle wrought

on the spot in the immediate restoration
to full health of a woman, either half,
or, according to some, wholly dead.
This is held by Rufinus, born in 340 ;
St. Macarius, then Bishop of Jerusalem ;
St. Paulinus of Nola ; Sozomen, and St.
Theophanus, and with them the Bol-
landists agree.

Those who would deny the identity of
the Cross, because of the seeming im-
possibility of wood having been pre-
served under ground for three centuries,
can be refuted by pointing out to them
the fact of wood found in Herculaneum
and Pompeii after some two thousand
years. This is confirmed by discoveries
of timbers used in constructions in the
mines of Campiglia, and in the ancient
aqueduct and port of Carthage, antedat-
ing the Christian era, and which learned
men declare to be the same kind of wood
as that of the Cross.

A strong proof of the authenticity of
the Cross found by St. Helena, is held in
the immediate use of fragments of it
Constantine placed a piece of it in his
statue at Constantinople to protect the
city. St. Chrysostom records that those
who were fortunate enough to have por-

THE RELICS OF THE HOLY CROSS.

341

tions enclosed them in rich reliquaries,
which they wore on a chain around the
neck.

St. Paulinus, Bishop of Nola, sent a
very small particle as a present, and
Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, had
another taken with authentications to
Pope St. Leo I.

Long after this period the relics were
eagerly sought after, and carried from
Jerusalem to various cities ; and, espe-
cially, by the Crusaders. Queen Rade-
gunde presented to a convent at Poitiers
a fragment which she had received from
the Emperor, Justin II. In 569 Queen
Theodelinde had a similar gift.

St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, writing
only twenty years after the finding of
the Cross, said : " If I deny the Passion
of Christ, Golgotha, which is close to
me, will give me the lie, as also will the
wood of the Cross, which, divided into
small portions, has gone forth from, this
city to be distributed throughout the
world "

We can readily understand the wild
diffusion of these relics, when we con-
sider the smallness of the pieces given
to the greatest princes, and the mere
particles, St. Paulinus calls them atoms,
presented to various churches.

As we have already seen, the total
volume of the wood of the Cross might
be estimated at 178 millions of cube milli-
metres. Now each of these millimetres
could easily be divided into five or six
appreciable parts, and we could thus
have some 1,000 millions of particles. A
skilful preparer of microscopic objects de-
clared that he could cut off 400 slices
from every millimetre of wood, and so
the true Cross might furnish 70,000
millions of perceptible fragments.

The learned M. Rohault de Fleury,
from whose work we have taken our
illustrations, and a great deal of material,
has endeavored to trace and descr be all
the relics of the Cross known to be in
existence. He has even calculated the
volume of each one, and states that the
total would not equal the tenth part of

the volume of the Cross itself. The
other nine-tenths not to be found
would amply suffice to form the myriads
of relics unknown or destroyed.

In the 4th and 5th Breviary lessons
for the feast of the Exaltation of the
Holy Cross, we have an account of the
capture of Jerusalem in 614 by Chosroes
King of Persia, who carried off the true
Cross as the most valuable trophy, and
treated it with the greatest honor, not
even daring to remove it from its case.
In 628, Heraclius defeated Siroes, son of
Chosroes, and, as a price of peace, de-
manded the restoration of the Cross,
which was restored intact and in the very
reliquary in which St. Helena had placed
it. In commemoration of this triumph,
Heraclius had a medal struck, on one
side of which was a representation of the
Cross, and on the other his own likeness.
He himself bore the precious relic to
Jerusalem on his shoulders, barefooted
and in the simple dress of a peasant,
having in vain endeavored to pass
through the gate leading to Calvary
clad in imperial garb.

After his death in 636, the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre was partly burned
by the infidels, and, to save the Cross,
the Christians decided to divide it into
nineteen parts of which crosses were
made. They were distributed as follows:
To Constantinople 3; to the Isle of
Cyprus 2; to Crete i; to Antioch 3; to
Edessa i ; to Alexandria i ; to Ascalon i ;
to Damascus i; to Jerusalem 4; to
Georgia, 2. This is related in 1109 by
Anseau, a priest and chanter of the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusa-
lem, in his correspondence with Galon,
Bishop of Paris. He only mentions the
dimensions of one of the four deposited
in Jerusalem, and which was kept in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was
a palm and a half long, by an inch broad
and thick. He does not mention the
cross-beam, which we can suppose. The
volume of this cross would be about
500,000 millimetres, and, taking it as an
average we would hnve for the nineteen

342

THE RELICS OF THE HOLY CROSS.

crosses, which represented the original one-third of his rich treasures to the

piece kept at Jerusalem, 9,500,000 milli- poor of Christendom, and two-thirds to

metres. the archbishops and bishops of his em-

With this period began the great dis- pire and kingdom, that they might

pcrsion of relics, and there is a docu- divide them among all the churches

1. Cross of Justin I!. — St. Peter's, Rome.

2. Cross of Constantino— St. Peter's, Rome.

3. Relics kept in St. Nicholas Chapel, Vatican

4, 5, 6. Relics at Jerusalem— respectively 57,55 and
115 millimetres.

7. Relic at St. Paul's, outside-the-walls, Rome.
8,9,10. Relics at Santa Croce - in - Gerusalemme,

Rome.
All except 4, 5, 6, are natural size.

ment showing at the beginning of the convents, and hospitals. These execu-
ninth century the most important cities tors were twenty-one in number repre-
in which the greatest number of relics senting Italy, Germany, and France.

would be found. It is the last will
of Charlemagne, who left at his death

To enumerate all the extant known
relics of the Holy Cross would take too

THE RELICS OF THE HOLY CROSS.

34-3

much space and be tedious. We shall,
therefore, only mention a few of the most
remarkable. At present Rome has the
most notable fragments. The principal
ones are kept in St. Peter's in the Vati-
can and in Santa Croce in Gerusalemme,
the latter 's relic was presented to it by
St. Helena herself, or better this basilica
was built as a reliquary for it. Of the
four at St. Peter's, one is said to be that
worn by Constantine himself, another
was sent to Pope John VII., between 560
.and 574, by the Emperor Justin the
Younger. Fourteen other Roman
churches possess portions of the Cross,
Some fifteen other cities of Italy have
pieces of this precious wood, Venice,
Florence and Pisa, being the richest and
in this order. About forty-five cities
in France claim to have relics; the
treasure of Notre-Dame of Paris contains
one of the largest pieces known. It
comes down d irectly from St. Louis, who
Teceived it from the Latin Emperor
Baldwin in the year 1241. Brussels,
-Ghent, Limburg, Ragusa in Dalmatia,
and the convents on Mt. Athos have
large and important relics.

As we have already mentioned, M.
Rohault de Fleury made a table of the
volumes of the known relics of the Holy
Cross, the total being 3,941,975 cube
millimetres. He was enabled to make
this calculation by information obtained
through an appeal to all possessors of
such relics. In most cases he person-
ally visited, examined, measured and
drew representations of every piece of
the sacred wood. Allowing for great
losses owing to the iconoclastic spirit
-of the revolutionists of all ages, it is
evident that no argument against the
authenticity of these relics can be ad-
duced from their quantity, since it falls
vastly short of what the actual volume
of the Cross might reasonably be sup-
posed.

We cannot pass by in silence the title
of the Cross composed by Pilate himself
and proclaiming, to the intense chagrin
of the Jews, the Kingship of Christ. Ac-

cording to SS. John and Luke, it was
written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin.
As is well known, the Evangelists do
not give precisely the same words,
though they do agree in Rex Judceorum,
which, indeed, is all that St. Mark re-
cords. SS. Matthew and Luke put be-
fore this Hie est Jesus, while St. John,
omitting the Hie est, qualifies Jesus by
Nazarenus. There is no real difficulty
in this diversity, for the cause of the
crucifixion, that Christ was "King of
the Jews," is stated by all. Hie est,
' ' This is, ' ' are useless words and not
common in inscriptions. That St. John
should give Nazarenus is not strange,
for he was the only Evangelist that was
an eye-witness, and in confirmation of
his gospel, almost the only word pre-
served in the relic of the title in Rome
is this : Nazarenus.

The title was probably cut into a thin
board with a sharp instrument and the
letters were then colored red. It was
carried in the procession conducting
criminals to the place of execution and
here fastened with nails to the gibbet
over the head of the victim.

The dimensions of the relic as restored
are about 65 x 20 centimetres, or, in an-
cient measures, a cubit and a half long
by a half cubit broad.

It was found, according to tradition,
by St. Helena, when she discovered the
true Cross. In all likelihood she divided
it into three parts ; giving one to the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeru-
salem, another to Constantinople, and
the third to the Church of Santa Croce
in Gerusalemme, in Rome. Our illus-
tration represents the last-named. It is
apparently a thin board 235 millimetres
long by 130 broad. It has some Latin
and Greek letters and fragments of what
must have been the Hebrew or Syro-
Chaldaic. It was not uncommon to place
relics in columns, and to this day some
of the most precious in St. Peter's in the
Vatican are thus kept. This relic was
placed in the keystone of the great arch
of the basilica of Santa Croce. A cen-

344

THE RELICS OF THE HOLY CROSS.

RELIQUARY OF THE TRUE CROSS (ONE-FOURTH SIZE) CEDED BY THE EMPEROR BALDWIN TO ST. LOUIS
^ OF FRANCE, AND FORMERLY IN THE SAINTE CHAPELLE, PARIS, BUT LOST IN THE REVOLUTION.

THE RELICS OF THE HOLY CROSS.

345

tury after the death of St. Helena, Pla-
cidus Valentinian III. ornamented this
arch with mosaics. Troublous days for
the Church followed, and the precious
relic lay securely hidden for ten centur-
ies. It was not until February i, 1492,
that it came to light in the following
manner :

Cardinal Gonsalvi de Mendoza, whose
titular church was this very basilica,
ordered it to be repaired and whitened.
When the workmen sounded the top
of the arch they found it to be hollow,
and discovered a niche in which was a
leaden box well shut, and concealed by a
terra cotta brick on which were cut the
words TITVLVS CRVCIS.

The fragment of the title enclosed in
the box has, as we have said, the word
NAZARINUS RE ... in Latin, HAZ-
APENOC I in Greek, and the lower
strokes of the Hebrew characters. The
letters are written from right to left after
the Hebrew fashion. Most likely the
Roman soldier, who prepared the title,
knowing only Latin, wrote the three
inscriptions in Latin with Hebrew, Greek
and Roman characters.

The very difficulties, arising from
the use of certain letters and the Hebrew
style of writing from right to left, so far
from militating against the genuineness
of the relic, are rather proofs in its favor.
For a counterfeiter in later centuries
would never have so written the Latin
and Greek, nor used an I for an E, nor an
H for a Greek N, although these letters
in ancient times, according to good
authority, are found interchanged in
inscriptions. The title, then, most likely
was Latin, written in Hebrew, Greek and
Latin letters. As is clear from the word
NAZARINUS, only the central portion
of the title board is preserved as the relic
at Santa Croce. The parts containing

the beginning and the end were probably
presented by St. Helena to'Jerusalem and
Constantinople.

It is well to remark that the genuine-
ness of any particular relic is not a mat-
ter of divine faith for Catholics, but a
question of human testimony, yet, with-
out being credulous, we should rather
be inclined to accept than reject what
has come down through the centuries
with the honor and the veneration of our
forefathers in the household of faith.

Let us not forget the almost priceless
value which emperors, kings, and the
great ones of the earth attached to the
relics of the Sacred Passion. Had it been
only popes, bishops, and priests, who so
esteemed them, then there might have
been some ground for slanderously accus-
ing these ecclesiastics of wishing to
make capital for their churches by the
supposed possession of such treasures.
But history shows plainly that, begin-
ning with Constantine and Helena, it
was the princes of Christendom who held
holy relics in such wonderful estima-
tion.

Let us not forget that the Church, in
her use of them, has ever in mind the
strengthening and cherishing of the
devotion of the faithful to Him who
sanctified the wood of the Cross by being
crucified upon it. When we recall the
tender spirit of piety of St. Helena, as
witnessed by the words attributed to her
by St. Ambrose, we should blush at our
own coldness and indifference, and
resolve, like the Apostle, to glory in the
Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom
is our salvation, life, and resurrection,
and say, as the Church bids us, in mak-
ing the Stations of the Cross : ' ' We adore
Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, be-
cause by Thy holy Cross Thou hast
redeemed the world. ' '

THE STORY OF KIRKSTALL ABBEY.

By J. Reader.

Man and his littleness perish, erased like an error and cancelled;
Man and his greatness survive, lost in the greatness of God."

AT this time, when the conversion of
England to the true faith, is a
subject of interest for all, and of prayer
for many ; when the Holy Father, the
Pastor of the lambs and sheep, is yearn-
ing yet more and more for the return of
the straying ones to the fold; it may not
be amiss to turn to a page of her history,
of a time long past when the Cistercian
Order nourished in the land that was
" Mary's Dowry, " and the holy monks
lived and worked, and raised these won-
derful abbeys and monasteries through-
out the country, to the glory of God, and,
unwittingly, to their own enduring re-
membrance.

Three hundred years ago the monks
were driven from their homes, and it did
not take very long to rid the whole coun-
try of all who wore the cowl and habit ;
but come and look at their ruined homes,
come and examine their gray and deso-
late walls, these marvels of building,
strong and beautiful in deca}% and it will
be seen, that not three times three hun-
dred years, will remove the traces of
these holy lives from this land. Indeed,
at this time, everything is being done to
preserve these ruins to posterity; the
Cistercians Abbeys are "the gems of
Gothic architecture " of which the coun-
try is justly proud : do they survive as a
memorial of a noble past, or a pledge of
future revival of Christian zeal in this
once Catholic England ? Who can tell ?

The coming of the Cistercians to Eng-
land, sent thither by St. Bernard of Clair-
vaux himself, is recorded by an ancient
writer who tells us in simple words, how,
" in the reign of Henry I., St. Bernard,
Abbot of Clareval, a man full of devotion,
and chief of many monks, some of whom
346

he sent to England, who were honorably
received by both king and people."

This pioneer band of Cistercians came
to Northumbria. St. Bernard having
commended them to the care of his friend
Thurston, Archbishop of York ; and here
in this Northland they settled themselves,
at a place afterwards called Rievaux —
a wild and unfrequented spot, there,
like the brethren at Clairvaux " to keep
more perfectly the rule of the blessed
Benedict," in prayer, in labor, and in
silence. For the next fifty years, in
the wild and rugged Northumbria, the
people thereof might well have exclaimed
— " the land that was desolate and im-
passable shall be made glad, and the
wilderness shall rejoice and nourish like
a lily;" for the Cistercians, forbidden by
their rule to establish themselves near a
town, always sought out wild and desert
places for their homes, and made them-
selves a beginning of things, in those
parts, both of religion and agriculture.
Soon, therefore, the land all around, cul-
tivated by their patient toil, bloomed
into fertility : rocks and stone, and
wood, and undergrowth, obstacles to
man's habitation, became the indispensa-
ble materials of their work — first for the
wattled oratory and thatched hut, to
which succeeded in time, a noble pile of
Gothic architecture — a Cistercian Abbey,
dedicated, as their rule enjoined to "St.
Mary, the Queen of Heaven and Earth. "

Kirkstall Abbey, on the banks of the
river Aire, is described as a singularly
pure specimen of genuine Cistercian
architecture. Indeed, more than either
of its glorious " Sisters " in the North
of England, it adheres to the severe
lines and unadorned style, laid down as

THE STORY OF KIRKSTALL ABBEY.

347

the rule for the order, in their building.
A.t the present day, however, it is hard to
realize how the site of this abbey could
ever have fulfilled the necessary condi-
tion for a Cistercian house, in the respect
that it should be a remote spot in the
wilderness, and far from the "busy
haunts of men. " To-day, the great City
of Leeds, extends almost to the ruined
walls of the abbey, and any unromantic
sightseer, on architectural ' ' thoughts
intent," may jump into a steam tram-
way in the heart of Leeds, which will
snort up to within a few yards of its hal-
lowed precincts, and land him in a good
position to make his first observations.
Here it is hard to bring back the past
to mind very vividly, because of the too
obtrusive present — the trains roar past
through the once silent meadows, by the
river ; while the river itself, polluted
by a hundred different ' ' foreign sub-
stances, " from mills, foundries, and
factories ; the smoke-laden atmosphere,
and the blackened vegetation, proclaim
loudly the fact of the busy life, and com-
mercial activity around. What a change
from the time, when the holy monks
came thither, to make their home, on
the banks of the Aire, in the middle of
the twelfth century ! Then the country
round about was the home only of the
deer, the wild boar, and the white bull,
which roamed at will over boundless
heaths, and high rocks — and lurked in
deep and unfrequented woods. In the
distance, remote enough, and unobtru-
sive, the little Villa of Leeds was strug-
gling into a township, still in the hard
grip of the feudal system, the Conquer-
or's merciless legacy. This was the
" Loidis " mentioned by Bede ; it had
almost suffered extinction by the Danes
in their devastating invasions ; it had
shuddered through the miseries and
bloodshed of the Norman Conquest, but
surviving, it recovered itself little by
little, in its peaceful intervals, and made
the most of its resources, and life gener-
ally under its hard conditions. At the
beginning of the century, one Ilbert de

Lacy, who came over with the Con-
queror the lord of this, and many other
manors, granted his Vill of Leeds to a
certain Ralph Paganel, and, after a time,
one of this Ralph Paganel's descendants,
built himself a castle here, which became
a tower of strength to the little Vill ;
and under the protection it afforded from
troublesome and turbulent neighbors,
the inhabitants made their first commer-
cial ventures, and throve and prospered.
Kirkstall has now become identified with
Leeds, but the city itself preserves no
signs of its own antiquity — even the site
of the castle is long since forgotten —
while the beautiful ruin of the old abbey
stands just without its boundaries —
gray and ghost-like, as a spirit of the
past ; a protest against the frivolous,
purposeless life of its noisy neighbor,
which invades its sacred precincts and
disturbs its silent vigil among its sleep-
ing dead.

The founding of Kirkstall was in this
wise : Henry de Lacy, one of the family
already mentioned, lay grievously sick
— dying it was feared — and in his suffer-
ing and distress he implored God to
spare him, and promised, that if he re-
covered he would found a monastery, or
perform some such work equally pleasing
to Him. He recovered his health, and,
mindful of his vow, he at once set about
considering the best means of fulfilling
it. He bethought him of the holy
monks at Fountains Abbey — founded
some ten years earlier — and determined
to go and seek the advice of the prior
there. The prior, Abbot Alexander,
advised him to found a Cistercian Mon-
astery, and this de Lacy decided to do,
and he begged the abbot to find the
monks, while he provided the money and
lands needful for the mission.

Alexander, himself, undertook the
founding of the new colony, and, with
twelve monks, and ten lay brothers, he
set out on the nineteenth of May, 1147,
for a spot called Bernoldswic, in Craven,
where de Lacy desired to establish them.
Here they found a building ready to

34-8

THE STORY OF KIRKSTALL ABBEY.

their hand, also a dilapidated parish
church, which they immediately an-
nexed. This proceeding, of course, was
a manifest departure from the Cistercian
rule of reclaiming waste and solitary
tracts of land, and settling in the wilder-
ness, and their commencing thus in com-
parative ' ' comfort ' ' was not a very for-
tunate innovation. The good people of
the district, accustomed to the ministra-
tions of their own parish priest, naturally
resented the intrusion of the monks and
their rather high-handed proceedings in
taking possession of their parish church ;
and from all accounts, they took all pos-
sible means of visiting their displeasure
on the holy men, and we read that they
were very " troublesome " to the monks.
Besides this, the brotherhood suffered
very much from cold and hunger, and
an unfavorable climate — also, they were
much exposed to the attacks of robber
bands, and had their goods plundered
again and again, for "the times were
evil." After some disturbed years they
decided to remove, and Abbot Alexander
set out to go and see de Lacy and consult
him about the matter.

One day, as he was journeying to-
wards the house of his patron, he came
to the Valley of the Aire, and here, it
was the will of God, he should find a
solution for his difficulties. As he
passed along this lonely vale, shady and
green and watered by the fair flowing
river, to his great surprise, he came
upon a small band of men, dressed after
the manner of religious, living, evi-
dently, a holy life, apart from men, like
the hermits of old, but without rule or
organization. Alexander, seeing them
there, was at once struck by the suita-
bility of the place for a home for re-
ligious, its beauty and solitude and shel-
tered position, were all most desirable
features — here, indeed, might be estab-
lished an ideal home for his monks He
approached the men and addressed them,
and in answer to his questions he re-
ceived this strange account of their pres-
ence there.

Their spokesman, Seleth by name, said
that he had journeyed thitber from the
south of England, in obedience to a
voice from heaven. "Arise, Seleth,"
this voice had said to him, " and go into
the Province of York, and seek diligently
in the valley that is called Airedale for a
place known as Kirkstall, for there shalt
thou prepare for a brotherhood, a home
where they may serve my Son." And
he said : ' ' Who is thy Son whom we
must serve?" "I am Mary, " was the
answer, ' ' and my Son is called Jesus of
Nazareth, Saviour of the world. "

For a long time Seleth pondered in his
mind what this command might mean,
but assuring himself of a divine mis-
sion, he left his home and all things,
and set forth to obey. He found the
place without difficulty, and there he
stayed for some time alone, living on
roots and herbs ; and a little later, he
was joined by others, desiring the soli-
tary life.

" Under the guidance of her who
called me, " said Seleth, " I reached with
some difficulty this valley which you are
beholding ; and here I learned from some
herdsmen that the spot on which we now
dwell was named Kirkstall. Many days
was I a lonely man, feeding on roots and
herbs, and the alms which some Chris-
tians gave me for the sake of charity.
These brethren whom you now see, af-
terwards joined themselves to me, re-
garding me as their rule and master. "x

While the abbot listened, he de-
cided that this was the spot for his
monastery, and heaven had selected it
for him, also here were men worthy to
become sons of St. Benedict. He there-
fore spoke to them of his order, of a
higher form of religious life under rule
and guidance, and at length, sure of his
converts, he went on his way, and find-
ing de Lacy, he told him of his plans
and begged fora settlement at Kirkstall.
The abbot had his way, and soon he
brought his brethren to their new home,

i. From a MS in the Bodleian Library.

THE STORY OF KIRKSTALL ABBEY.

349

where at once they set about building
themselves a house, and a church dedi-
cated to St. Mary, Queen of Heaven and
earth, and they called their monastery
Kirkstall.

l< In the year of our Lord 1153, King
Stephen reigning in England, and Arch-
bishop Roger presiding over the See of
York, the monks came on the nineteenth
of May from their first abode, now reduced
to a grange, to the spot now called Kirk-
stall — a spot, woody, unfruitful, and des-
titute of almost every kind of produce,
except timber and stone, and a pleasant
valley, with a river flowing through the
midst of it." l

Thus runs the charter of Henry de
Lacy concerning the foundation of the
Abbey of Kirkstall !

"Be it known unto all present and
future, that I, Henry de Lacy, have
given and granted, and by this my pres-
ent charter confirm, to God and the Holy
Mary, and to the Abbot Alexander of
Kirkstall, and to the monks there serv-
ing God, in frank almoigne, for the
purpose of building an abbey of the Cis-
tercian order, the site itself of Kirkstall
andBernoldswic, together with all their
appendages in forest and plain, in mead-
ows and pastures, and waters, and every-
thing that appertains to these lands,"
etc., and later from an autograph in the
tower of St. Mary's at York.

" Henry de Lacy to all his retainers,
both French and English, and to all
sons of Holy Church, greeting.

"Know ye that I have given and granted
and by this present charter have con-
firmed to God and to the Abbey of St.
Mary of Kirkstall, and to the monks
there serving God, a half mark of silver
in each year for lighting a certain lamp
day and night before the altar in the
presence of the Most Holy Body of our
Lord, in frank almoigne, for the health
of the souls of myself and heirs. ' '

Considering the grandeur and mag-
nificence of these old Cistercian Abbeys,

i. From a MS. in the Bodleian library.

one might think, that, if these wonderful
monkbuilders of the twelfth century
had been men who had given up all the
pleasures of the world, and all the dear
attractions of hearth and home, for no
other purpose than to raise noble tern pies
to the glory of God, where He might be
worthily honored, they had spent their
lives in a good cause, and had left to
future generations a full and complete
expression of the idea which had so
allured them. But, as a matter of fact,
all this noble work of building and fash-
ioning was work done by the way.

The real business of these men 's lives
consisted of prayer, and hard manual
labor — ploughing, sowing, reaping, gar-
dening— all the needs of the community
had to be met by their own hard and
continual exertions. Yet, as t$e late
William Morris says, "every day the
hammer clinked on the anvil, and the
chisel played about the oak beam, every
day, stone by stone, some fair edifice
rose to its stately proportions. ' '

Further he says : " It was no great
architect carefully kept for the purpose,
and guarded from the common troubles
of common men, who designed these
great marvels of mediaeval architecture,
it was the monk, the ploughman's
brother ; oftenest his other brother, the
carpenter, smith-mason, what not — a
common fellow, whose common everyday
labor, fashioned works which are to day
the wonder and despair of many a hard
working ' cultivated architect. '" The
monk's church was the expression of all
that was good and noble in themselves,
the expression of their "zeal for God's
house" — hardly could they stay their
hands from such rich adorning and orna-
menting as their rule prohibited.

Whether the Abbot Alexander was his
own architect at Kirkstall, or whether
it was the ' ' ploughman 's brother ' ' or
some other humble worker, we do not
know, but we are told, by one who
evidently does know, that "Kirkstall
Abbey is a monument of the skill, the
taste, and the perseverance of a single

350

THE STORY OF KIRKSTALL ABBEY.

man ' ' — for the same Alexander who
chose its site and directed its founda-
tions lived to see both the church and
the monastery completed, having lived
there thirty-five years and seen the com-
munity prosper exceedingly under his
rule. With regard to the architectural
details of Kirkstall, the writer cannot
speak as " one having authority" — but
in these days of societies, antiquarian,
archaeological, and what not, all busy
with research, and eager for a hearing,
there are a good many items of fairly
reliable information to be picked up
at second-hand by any one interested in
such matters. The simple form of the
Latin cross was the main feature in all
Cistercian churches, and this, strictly
adhered to, with a short and aisleless
presbytery, and if a tower were desirable,
a very modest one, rising no more than
one square above the crossing of the
nave and transept, and all unadorned
and severe in detail, was the ideal Church
of St. Bernard.

At Kirkstall the builders kept very
closely to the lines laid down for them :
in style it is "a good specimen of the
later Norman, grave and chaste, with
channelled columns and grooved and
moulded arches." Here and there are
evidences of later work. The modest
tower of Abbot Alexander's plan, was
raised to a lofty height in the perpen-
dicular style at the time wlien the
seventh Henry ruled in England ; it is
long since fallen in ruins (a warning to
the too ambitious), for the foundations
thereof were not intended " for so proud
a burden. "

In the beautiful east window, and in
the east windows of the presbytery and
chapels, we find the pointed arch, but the
additions to the twelfth century work
are but few, and the round arch prevails
throughout. The remaining features of
special interest in the church, are the
beautiful western fa9ade and the north-
west doorway; the chapter house, which,
two centuries after the Abbot Alex-
ander's time, was enlarged, also deserves

special notice. In the later work here,
the walls are built to a great extent of
stone coffins, some hollow, some filled
up, with here and there a coffin-lid effec-
tively worked in. To some this may
seem a desecration of material, sacred
to another use and purpose, but it is
not hard to imagine that the good men
whose bones crumbled to dust within
these narrow cells, would not have been
ill pleased to find such a resting place
for their stony shells, if they could have
had a voice in the matter. The chapter-
house was a place hallowed by its close
proximity to the church, a part of
the church itself almost. Here the
monks were " chalenged and chiden "
— here each confessed publicly his culpa
and received his punishment: herein
also, lay buried abbots and holy men,
patrons and benefactors of the Monas-
tery. Surely a place for serious re-
flection, where the contrite heart might
feel still greater compunction, and
where the woes of living longer might
be solaced by a remembrance of the
peace of the dead, in the " Hie jacet " of
the sculptured coffin lids.

When the Abbot Alexander passed
away the community were not quite so
fortunate in his successors, and for some
years their fortunes were at rather low
ebb.

History makes mention of one, the
4th Abbot, named Turgesius, who pos-
sessed to a remarkable degree the rare
gift of tears. He wept always. The
tears hardly ever ceased to rain from his
eyes — even in conversation. At the altar
he wept so much, that no one could wear
the vestments after his Mass, until they
were dried. Moreover, he clothed him-
self in haircloth, and went without
shoes even in the coldest depths of win-
ter. One is inclined to think that the
abbot of a large monastery had needs be
more practical and "made of sterner
stuff, ' ' but whether he ruled wisely and
well, or the reverse, we know not ; his
tears alone have kept his memory green.

But in the story of Kirkstall the most

THE STORY OF KIRKSTALL ABBEY.

351

ithetic incident is the closing one. In
November, 1540, came the dread sum-
mons to surrender to the crown. The
monks dispersed, each going his way,
and everything of beauty or value
in the abbey, which had been accumu-
lating during the four centuries of its
existence, was ruthlessly plundered to
help to fill the king's empty coffers, or
else destroyed as a relic of Popery.
John Ripeley, twenty-seventh Abbot of
Kirkstall, watched with breaking heart
le destruction of his home, the depart -
of his companions, the desecration
the sanctuary that he loved : and
rhen the vandals had finished their
pork, and departed with their booty ;
rhen the brethren had taken their last
irewellof their stately abbey, and when
silence had fallen, that should never
more be broken by prayer, or praise, or
the call of matin or vesper bell, then
the Abbot Ripeley sat down and wept,
that hi? house was left unto him deso-
late. But having loved it in the day of
its prosperity, he did not abandon it in
its adversity ; and where he had praised
Cod amongst his brethren, he worshipped
Him in his solitude. He took up his
abode in the gate-house, and there he
spent the remaining years of his life ;
the gray cold walls of Kirkstall were
more to him than the gleam and warmth
of a strange fireside. Who can walk
amongst the ruins, and not think of that
lonely soul, that sorrowful heart, bank-
rupt of everything that had once made
its life ? Who can refuse the tribute of
a loving thought for this faithful serv-
ant, faithful unto death, watching by
this sepulchre of the dead hopes of an
ardent brotherhood, offering up the sac-
rifice of his broken life and desolate
heart, when bereft of all things else.
" After life's fitful fever he sleeps well,
amongst a goodly company of his fel-
lows— heaven takes their souls, and
"England keeps their bones, " and the
ruined abbey is their monument.

* * *
There is one recent episode in the

history of Kirkstall which, having a
certain element of romance in it, de-
serves mention. Years ago, a good
man, a certain poor workman, left the
city of Leeds, together with some com-
panions, to carry out some engineering
work in South America, which their
employers had undertaken. When the
work was completed, this man remained
in that country, when his fellows re-
turned home, having some little schemes
of his own in hand. When at length he
returned to England, about ten years
ago, his native city of Leeds welcomed
him home as Colonel North, "The
Nitrate King," and one of the noble
army of millionaires. At this time the
jfa/'had gone forth that Kirkstall Ab-
bey should be sold, and there was a
great outcry amongst the more qfisthetic
portion of the townspeople, at the idea
of the demolition of this beautiful ruin,
the glory of their unlovely city; and
indeed all classes, to some degree,
deplored the threatened loss of their
familiar abbey. The city fathers them-
selves were loath to let it go to the ham-
mer, but it was a financial question, and
pressing, and while they anxiously
deliberated the matter, along came the
generous and wealthy Colonel North.
" What, sell Kirkstall," pull down the
old abbey, the place he had known from
babyhood, sacred to the memory of those
far off courting days, where, as "whis-
pering lovers " are wont to do, he
walked with his humble sweetheart in
his own humble days ? Never ! If any
money of his could prevent it.

He went to the mayor of the city
and offered to buy it, and present
it straightway to the corporation of
Leeds. His offer was gladly accepted,
and Kirkstall belongs now to the people
of Leeds. The work of "repairing"
the ruin was devised in an evil hour,
and goes on apace. In many parts the
walls, stripped of their sheltering
mantle of green ivy, stand gaunt and
woebegone, defaced with props and
stays, and other "preserving " devices,

352 HEAVEN.

grievous to behold. The drooping ash follow up their work, with those touches

trees and graceful witch-elms that of beauty, she alone can give. To those

nestled lovingly against the sheltering who go thither with Catholic hearts,

walls and broken arches, have been Kirkstall will always be beautiful, as

ruthlessly dealt with and ordered out long as one stone stands upon another,

of court to make way for buttresses, and there is a greater attraction for such

good honest nineteenth century bricks than the study of Gothic architecture,

and mortar. ' ' 'Tis true, 'tis pity, ' ' but This is a spot, hallowed by prayer and

after all, nature always begins again praise, by watching and by fasting and by

where man leaves off. Let the city fathers tears, where good men fought the hardest

preserve the gray walls, and nature will fight of all and conquered self.

HEAVEN.

"0 MON SAUVEUR JESUS, LE CIEL C'EST VOUS MEME (PERE FE^IX.)
By E, Lummis.

O perfect Chord of Love Divine,
Wherein all harmonies combine !
O Crystal Fountain, springing up
With Life Eternal in Thy cup !
O flawless Mirror, in whose sphere
All lesser beauty doth appear !

0 Universe ! divinely fair,

Where thrones and seraphs cloud the air;

Where hosts of crowned saints are seen

Like shining stars, in light serene;

In silvery mists the sanctified

In splendor gleam on every side.

And unknown worlds of wondrous grace

Roll on, in endless depths of space.

Ah, truly were it vain to paint

The bliss of each enraptured saint.

Too dull am I to understand

The beauty of the Heavenly Land.

Too full, alas ! of self and sin

To let the light of glory in.

Yet, looking up, a face I see,

In pity, Jesu, bent to me,

From Throne and Seraph at Thy side,

To me, who Thee have crucified !

And in Thy tender, loving eyes,

1 see, O Lord, my Paradise.
Thy face, my God, is all I see,
For Thou alone art heaven to me !
The weary bonds of earth to break,
And cast aside, for Thy dear sake;
O Love Divine ! in death to rest
With childlike trust, upon Thy breast;
To seek and find my all in Thee,
What more, what less, could heaven be?

GENERAL INTENTION, APRIL, 1897.

Approved and blessed by His Holiness, Leo XIII.

MORE INTEREST IN THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS,

WHY should we be asked to pray
that Catholics generally may
take more interest in the lives of the
saints ?

We worship the saints, we pray to
them, we venerate their images, we
know, or at least we should know, how
to explain this worship, intercession, and
veneration, and how to answer the objec •
tions raised against us by non-Catholics
for honoring as we do these heroic
servants of God. Many of us go so far
as to cultivate a few of them as special
patrons, and all of us like to hear the
beautiful legends which are commonly
associated with them; but how few
Catholics read and study the lives of
the saints with real interest ; how few
make any effort to overcome the ob-
stacles to such a study, or take the time
to recognize its advantages ?

Now, it is a general principle that
prayer must be employed whenever we
wish to obtain something which is ac-
knowledged to be most excellent, but yet
so difficult of attainment that human
means seem altogether inadequate.
When the very excellence of the object
in question is ignored, and, when more-
over there is an indisposition to respond
to the ordinary efforts made to induce us
to embrace it, prayer is the only means
at our disposal. A knowledge of the
(97)

lives of the saints is something so useful
and excellent, that, although noj one is
strictly obliged to acquire it, still no one
can well be excused for neglecting it.
It is considered by all holy writers a
necessary means for leading a good
Christian life. Instead of realizing its
necessity and seeking its benefits, the
majority of Catholics ignore it entirely,
and they are so absorbed in other things
that without prayer it is hopeless to ask
them to cultivate it. Let us see then
whether the advantages of this universal
interest in the lives of the saints be so
excellent as to be a worthy object of the
prayers of the Apostleship; and, finally,
whether the effort needed to dispose men
to read and profit by these lives be so
superhuman as to call for our fervent
prayer ; whether a knowledge of the
lives of the saints is so necessary as to
make this an urgent General Intention.
The fruits of this interest in the lives
of the saints, recorded in the history of
the Church, are so marvellous as to jus-
tify the hope that we should again be
restored to something like the terrestria
Paradise, could all Christians be guided
by St. Alphonsus Liguori's example and
counsel to spend, if possible, a half
hour daily in reading the life of some
saint. When one recalls a St. John
Columbini, changed from the covetous

353

354

GENERAL INTENTION

(98>

and passionate nobleman into the meek
and generous saint, by reading the life
of St, Mary of Egypt ; an Ignatius
Ivoyola converting his worldly ambition
into a heavenly zeal, by poring over the
lives of the saints to relieve his ennui ;
a Teresa, breathing in the first senti-
ments of her seraphic love, while grati-
fying her childish curiosity with the Acts
of the Martyrs ; an Augustine, aroused
to a sense of the divine truth that in-
spired the heroic conduct of the early
martyrs and hermits ; when one remem-
bers all that is told of the preference
which all saintly souls have shown for
reading the lives of their saintly models,
it becomes easy to understand how sanc-
tity begets sanctity, howr heroism com-
pels admiration, how the good the saints
do lives after them in the influence of
their holy example.

Clearly as the instances just given
prove the advantages to be derived from
a study of the lives of the saints, it is
these very instances, strange to say,
that deter some people from reading
them. Some natures are afraid to do
anything that would commit them to
more than an ordinary Christian life.
They justify their consciences by quot-
ing a part of St. Francis de Sales' say-
ing, that saints are to be admired, not
imitated, ignoring that the holy Doctor
also said that some saints can be imi-
tated in most things, and that all the
saints should be imitated in some
things. It is a common trick of the ene-
my of human nature to make us dread
what is most useful and necessary for
us. Souls that fear to aim at perfection
in their proper state of life are the very
souls that most need to read and study
the lives of the saints ; for, if these lives
prove one thing more clearly than an-
other, it is this, that the work of perfec-
tion is the natural employment of every
Christian, and that painful to human
nature as this task may be, it is infi-
nitely more satisfactory than the dissi-
pation of a lax or worldly life.

It may be idle to remind people who

fear to read the lives of the saints, that
sanctity should be the great aim of
every Christian. "This is the will of
God, your sanctification " wrote St.
Paul to the Thessalonians. "He has
chosen us to be saints ; " ' ' we are called
to be saints, ' ' and similar expressions
recur constantly in his epistles. Not
only are we, in the words of Tobias:
' ' the children of the saints ; ' ' but we
are bidden to be holy, and, so 'far as God
is concerned, everything possible is done
to sanctify us, for the very simple reason
repeated over and over again in the Old
Testament, that God is holy, and He
has chosen us to be like Himself. Now,
if this be our calling, we must learn
what it is like in the lives of those wha
have been true to their calling ; if it be
our profession, we must study it in the
science of the saints, which is found
both by precept and example in the
records of their lives. Holiness consists
in uniting ourselves closely to God by
the theological virtues of faith, hope
and charity; in clinging to Him in spite
of every interference, 'by the moral
virtues, justice, temperance, prudence,
and fortitude. To realize this fact and
to learn these virtues in their highest
degree we must necessarily study the
lives of those who have cultivated them
to perfection.

" God is admirable in His saints, " the
scripture tells us. Wonderful though
His name be in every grade of creation,
it is most wonderful in the soul of a
saint. Ribadeneira expresses this beauti-
fully in his quaint manner by compar-
ing the manifestations of divine power
in the lower orders of inanimate and
animate nature, with its most excellent
workings in the souls of those who sub-
n it to the divine will in all things.
' ' Now without doubt the greatness of
God's grace and goodness is not so much
manifested in any of the visible things,
or in all of them put together, as in one
only soul of a saint. Not only for that,
there is no work of nature to be com-
pared with the supernatural works of

GENERAL INTENTION.

355

grace, but also because all the other
works are only the traces and footsteps
of God ; whereas the saint is His image
and resemblance, His temple, His friend
and His child, in whom He taketh de-
light. Besides this, the holiness that
man hath comes not by himself, nor
from himself, but by the blood of Jesus
Christ, which was shed upon the Cross
to render him holy. From whence it
cometh that neither the earth with all
its fertility and abundance of diversity
of flowers, fruits and beasts; nor the
extent of the ocean with all its monsters
and fishes; nor the air with its several
kinds of birds; nor the fire with its
thunder and lightning; neither the
heavens with the course and light of the
sun, moon and stars, which cause such
wonderful effects on the inferior bodies,
preach unto us as much the glory of God
as doth the soul of a saint ; in which He
abideth as in His temple, reposeth as in
a bed, and embraceth as His spouse."

Aubrey De Vere expresses some of this
thought by saying : ' ' The saints of God
are divine works of art ; they are the
living monuments of supernatural grace,
wrought out, touch by touch, and line
by line, by that sanctifying spirit who is
Digitus Patentee Dextera. The ' Lives '
of the Saints constitute the gallery in
which these monuments are stored. ' ' The
theologian, Lessius, of saintly memory,
tells us that we cannot form any true
view of the external glory of God unless
we consider the excellence of saints.
His comparison is that, just as a king's
great glory is in the splendor of his
court, so the glory of God is best shown
in the glorious company of souls that
make His heavenly household. Hence,
to know God as perfectly as we can in
this life, we must study His master-
pieces in the souls of the saints. In
them shine out His power, His wisdom,
His goodness. In the triumphs of His
grace in their lives, we can read His
power and His determination to achieve
the same triumphs in our own, if we but
co-operate with His will.

If the lives of the saints are the great-
est external glory of God, they are also
our own greatest glory. To quote Alban
Butler : ' ' They make the history of the .
most exemplary and perfect virtue and
piowess. . . . Their names stand
recorded in the titles of our churches,
in our towns, estates, writings, and
almost every other monument of our
Christian ancestors." And, elsewhere:
"Neither is it a small advantage that,
by reading the history of the saints, we
are introduced into the acquaintance of
the greatest personages who have ever
adorned the world, the brightest orna-
ments of the church militant, and the
shining stars and suns of the trium-
phant, our future companions in eternal
glory." "Men of renown, our fathers
in their generation, " the Scripture calls
them, . . . rich men in Hrtue,
lovers of beautifulness, living at peace
in their houses, . . . men of mercy,
whose godly deeds have not failed."
The lives of our worldly heroes are not
without their use and their charms ;
the lives of the saints surpass them in
both, because their deeds are always
heroic, their motives always excellent,
and their sentiments always sincere.

Nor is it fair to plead that the lives of
the saints are less interesting than oth-
ers. An objection of this kind shows
an unpardonable ignorance. It shows,
likewise, that the one who makes it is
ill-disposed toward the contents of these
lives. It is precisely because such ig-
norance and prejudice against the lives
of the saints prevails, even among many
Catholics, that we deem it of little use
to add reason to reason for studying
the lives, and, therefore, have recourse to
prayer. The objection may mean that
saints ' lives are not written in the same
attractive style as others ; but this is
not true in all cases, since we have many
that are considered masterpieces. Surely
the objection cannot mean that the
saints did little of external interest, or
took but slight part in the great events
of their time ; because, it is exceptional

356

GENERAL INTENTION.

(100)

to find a saint who did not take great
interest in his fellow- men, and ordinarily,
men or women, they devoted themselves
so actively to the needs of others and
took such a prominent part in the affairs
of this world, that it seems incredible
how they should have found any time for
God. The history of Christendom is, in
its best chapters, the history of such men
as Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory, Ans-
elm, a Becket, Helena, Clothilde, Cath-
arine of Sienna, and of the great pioneers
of our holy faith, who planted Christi-
anity in heathen lands.

There is no lack of interest, human or
divine, in the lives of the saints ; but
there is, unfortunately, little relish for
the supernatural element so predominant
in them all. We have grown too critical
of late years, or, better, we fancy that it
is critical to doubt all that we cannot
see, to question all that we cannot prove.
We have, perhaps, let our faith be
shaken by listening to unbelievers brand
all that is extraordinary in the saints as
a lie or blasphemy ; or, we may have
lost our reverence for the Spirit of God,
and failing to appreciate His workings
in the souls of the just, we set down as
pious fables all that, for want of piety,
we are too slothful to examine. We be-
lieve, or, at least, we respect the cred-
ulity that makes some people believe in
spiritualism, and in the absurd preten-
sions of hypnotism, and such other oc-
cult and unexplored phenomena ; but we
are less considerate with the saints, and
"treat the marvellous in their lives as
popular legends, pious surmises, if not
fictions, or worse.

One would expect the intelligent
reader to distinguish between what is
related as fact and what is added as
legend, to weigh the reasons given for
extraordinary statements or miraculous
manifestations. Every Catholic should
know something of the Bollandists.whp,
for three hundred years, have been writ-
ing the Lives of the Saints and applying
<every accepted canon of criticism to
what is ordinary as well as to what is

extraordinary in them. No Catholic can-
be ignorant that even those who ridicule
our veneration for the saints declare that
it is a miracle to have the Holy See
admit the accounts of their lives that are
presented for examination when there is
question of pronouncing them Blessed or
Saints. With all this in mind, it is un-
reasonable to complain that their lives
lack interest, or require too pious a
credulity ; and it is always a loss to look
for such interest or a matter-of-fact treat-
ment in Lives wiitten by non-Catholics,
which, to one who knows the Catholic
Lives, give an impression like walking
in a beautiful garden despoiled by win-
ter, in which the breath of a cold and
killing frost has left neither flower or
perfume.

Fervent prayer is necessary to remove
the ignorance and prejudices which keep
so many from reading Lives of the Saints.
It is necessary also to overcome the diffi-
culty of putting good Lives within the
reach of all, and to save so many from
the trashy and corrupt reading of the
day. How much needed this study of
the saints is in our age, Aubrey De Vere
tells us in his essay on "A Saint." In
the first part of his own excellent study,
he points out how much we need a knowl-
edge of the saints in order to arrive at
something more than a stunted knowl-
edge of Christ, the King of Saints; since,
in their manifold and derivative perfec-
tions, that perfection, one and infinite,
which belongs to Christ is brought down
to our poor intelligence, and revealed to
us in paits. Again, as the saints are
fragmentary images of that illimitable
perfection expressed in the divine Hu-
manity, so ' ' the Word made Flesh ' ' is
Himself to us a picture of Him whom no
eye can see. These two thoughts recur
often in the essay referred to, and their
importance stands out fully toward the
end of it, where he writes : "In propor-
tion as the idea of God, the ' creator of
heaven and earth ' stands distinctly be-
fore us, we must needs see with a grow-
ing clearness that all creaturely perfec-

( 01)

A MODERN CRANFORD.

357

t on consists in dependence, not in a
( od-like and self- asserting might. In
r icent times, wherever Pantheism has
\ een superseding a belief in a creative
( rod, the Pagan ideal of human character
1 as been reasserting itself; and what has
the consequence been? — an avowed and
t oastful hero-worship ! Men who refused
to yield ' honor where honor is due, ' and
to reverence God's saints, have expiated
their irreverence by becoming a ' servant
of servants ' — by rendering a servile
adulation to those false gods of the
world who perhaps in their day had
themselves been the most servile to hu-
man opinion."

To save ourselves from adopting low
standards, to rise above an earthly level,
to live in this world for the better world
to come, to be guided by heavenly max-

ims, and to act on true Christian motives,
we must pray for a greater interest in
our saints for ourselves and for others.
As members of the Apostleship of
Prayer, we have been taught to cherish
as one of the leading principles of our
peculiar spirit, the communion of saints.
It means a great deal to appreciate what
these two words mean; we cannot appre-
ciate it without studying the lives of
those with whom we should have so
much in common. Gratitude requires
us to know those who have left us such
a glorious legacy; piety requires that we
should cherish the memory of our elder
brethren in the household of the Father;
if we have any sentiment of Christian
honor, it must impel us to pay these
true heroes the sincere tribute of. our
imitation.

A MODERN "CRANFORD/'
By D. Gresham.

YT was unlike anything we had ever
^ seen before, we had read of such.
Mrs. Gaskell touched off some of its
points. Miss Mitford had immortalized
part of its beauties in " pur Village, "
but here we found ourselves in a real,
living spot like no place in this busy
work-a-day world.

We wanted the South, and we wanted
the mountains, and we wanted air that
was worth breathing, and that could be
breathed out-doors, when the wintry
sharpness set in, and the Northern world
was wrapt in its icy pall. Florida was
trumpeted, and Asheville was lauded,
and here, there, and the other place, rang
out in chats and letters, but they were
either this, that, or the something — not
the desired object. Casually one day we
heard of a little place among the North
Carolina mountains, with its back
against a high range that effectually
sheltered it from the North winds, its
face smiling towards the South. Fifteen

hundred feet high, air with great cura-
tive properties, and last and best, this
treasure was all encased in the Thermal
Belt. ' ' That sounded well, but sounds is
deceivin' things! " and we thought we
had better take a look behind the scenes
first, and see how things really were. One
of our party descended on the hidden
treasure late in October, dreading disap-
pointment, but determined to find out all
the deceptions and drawbacks if they
could be found. She returned late one
evening, with hardly suppressed excite-
ment, mildly stating that she thought
the place would do, and furthermore, had
secured a cottage, pending our appro-
bation. It was not ideal, she said— that
cottage — it is only in books one tum-
bles on ideals, but she was very grateful
to get it No enthusiasn, mark, so far
— but we decided to try.

The last day in October saw our arrival;
we brought otir invalid up the mountains,
and, as she slowly stepped off the train,

358

A MODERN CRANFORD.

(102)

her face lighted up, but we uttered not a
word. The engine puffed busily down
the mountain, and we were left, standing
on the little platform. Kind words of
welcome came from a stranger beside us;
it was our landlady, her hand was out-
stretched in kindly greeting, her face
said more even than her few cheery
words. There was a waggon for our
boxes, a carriage for ourselves, and with
one hasty glance at the mountains that
loomed majestically from the pretty lit-
tle station, we drove silently down the
steep road to the cottage. The roses
were doing their duty, a delicate bud close
to the door, and deeper shades showed all
the way up the short walk from the
country road. Some purple morning
glories lingered on the railing of the
piazza to greet us, and they must have
been satisfied with our appreciation, for
we gave it unstintingly.

We entered the pretty hall opening by
folding doors into the parlor. "Oh,
how beautiful, " said our invalid, "what
a splendid place for the Mass, ' ' for God is
always first with our invalid. And we
examined everything and we declared
that our new abode is ideal, just as one
finds it in books, and we are satisfied.
The November days go languidly by;
such warmth and sunshine, such roses
and chrysanthemums as that dreary
month never gave us before. Our in-
valid is out and has slept seven hours
at a stretch, the first time in more than
twenty years. There is an utter absence
of mountain tempest, and more, a fog is
almost unknown in this Eden, and so we
smile the sunny happy hours away. Then
the inhabitants come to see us, and bid
us welcome; they are almost all North-
erners, who came South with a delicate
relative, found out this little place, and
nothing could tempt them away. They
are all charming, speak enthusiastically
of the cultured society, and count up
some of the stars, who shine beneath
this favored sky.

A well-known poet lived his last years
here and is buried in the little cemetery

among the mountains he loved so well.
A free library was opened here by his
admirers and bears his name. A Prus-
sian and German poet— writers innumer-
able, retired actors, and a famous play-
wright, who has a quaint cottage beyond
the village, buried in the woods, where
he shuts himself up to compose, soothed
and refreshed by this wonderful air, and
the wild mountain scenes, stretching
away from his romantic retreat. There
are literary, dramatical and musical
clubs, where kindred spirits meet and
discuss their tastes and ambitions. Club-
men from the great Northern cities are
willing to forego all metropolitan de-
lights, and, coming here, grow strong
and interested in the cultivation of ex-
tensive vineyards. With such a sky,
and such a land, who with a touch of
nature could want aught else ? Hearing
all this we are encouraged, and our in-
valid asks, with great interest, if there
are any Catholics among them all. A
slow but disappointed negative is re-
luctantly given, but our warm-hearted
Congregationalist hastens to add :
"There will be some soon, wThen the
Northerners come for the winter. " " Yes,
but can't you find some here now among
the mountaineers ; do try and get some, "
appealingly. One of the ladies is a Con-
gregationalist, the other a Presbyterian,
and both seem anxious to produce the
required article, when an Episcopalian
sister, in a habit like a mother abbess of
Chaucer's time, who has left her tene-
ments, her Bible class, and her dear New
York, to see our invalid safely settled for
the winter, looks lovingly and mischiev-
ously over at her dejected face, saying(
"That is not what we are usually look-
ing for. ' '

They all laugh at the humor of the
scene, our invalid the merriest of all.
"Yes," she declares, "I know, but it
only shows the beautiful spirit I have
found among you all, so willing to make
others happy, so utterly devoid of big-
otry." They are surprised that she is
surprised at what they only consider

(103)

A MODERN CRANFORD.

359

common kindness and charity. And
they go, promising every help if she
will but always remain among them.
And others come with the same sweet
spirit, bright, clever, pleasant women,
from all over the States, and even Can-
ada is represented. They belong to every
sect almost, and know little or nothing
of Catholicism, yet they are all interested
in our invalid's efforts to find some stray
sheep ; tell her their cares, hopes and
griefs, and one and all leave her with
kind words of encouragement and earn*
est hopes that she will remain among
them. And last of all conies a bonnie
little Scotch widow, with the glad news
that she has found one Catholic ! Is
there any need to say that he hailed from
the green shores of Erin ? I do believe
that if Nansen had gone the whole way
to the North Pole (as he should have
done), he would have found an enterpris-
ing Irishman sitting on it, coolly de-
manding, in his best Cork brogue, why
he had not come up before now, that it
was going on thirty years since he had
seen a priest !

Sunday our corner-stone appeared,
venerable and respectable, we hailed him
with joy, since he was "the congrega-
tion " ! He had a nice, honest old face,
with a name and a brogue as racy of
Kerry as O 'Council's own. He ex-
presses his delight at our invalid's
arrival, and says that fifteen years ago,
when the railroad was being built, an
Italian missionary sent word to the
Catholic men on the road that he was
coming through the mountains and
would hear their confessions. There were
only five, three Italians, a Scotchman,
and our old Edward ; they all met him,
took him to a Protestant farmhouse,
where they boarded in the country. The
Father said Mass the next morning and
.gave them all Holy Communion. I fear
Edward has not heard Mass since ! He
lias been a rolling-stone, and, of course,
no golden moss has ever clung to him.
He landed in Montreal in the early forties,
•drifted South, fouirlit on the Confederate

side in the war ; had been here, there,
and everywhere since, fout this is the
spot he liked to consider home. Would
our invalid remain now, and let him end
his days in piety and peace ? He shows
his new clothes that his Protestant con-
nections gave him this morning to come
to us ; his brother-in-law wanted him to
wear his own fine coat, but he refused,
declaring he would be welcomed just
the same in his own old one, but he
would wear it for Mass, please God.
When he hears the priest will be down
next week he looks pleased, but solemn,
too ; he wants to go to confession, but
he seeme to think that the preparation is
no small matter.

Wednesday morning he arrives, as he
promised, "bright and early," looking
like a fine old Irish farmer in his gala
attire — we are proud of him. THe parlor
is the chapel, and the altar is beautiful
in white roses and chrysanthemums,
gathered last evening in the warm June-
like air. An Episcopalian lady, who
wants to know much of our religion,
the little Scotch widow, who, though a
Protestant, had gone to the nuns 'school,
in Glasgow, were there and prayed, and
knelt as we. It was a pathetic little
congregation, but Edward could not look
happier or more proud, if he had been at
some gorgeous ceremony at Notre Dame
in Montreal. The Father gave a practi-
cal instruction ; and, after Mass, Ed-
ward, the corner-stone, and the Protest-
ants came forward to bid him welcome,
and earnestly hope that this, his first
Mass, would be the prelude of great
things in this favored and growing little
Eden.

And as we begin to look out hopefully
on the future, and sometimes in great
moments actually to see a little church
among the woods yonder, the kindly
face of the Episcopal Rector, looks in on
us one lovely afternoon in December.
His ultra-Roman collar and reserved,
ascetic air are very suggestive, indeed,
— deprived of his Dundreary whiskers,
he might have been an old Jesuit Father,

360

A MODERN CRANFORD.

(104)

come to see how we were getting along.
No need to say ' ' Anglican Orders ' ' are
not the order of the conversation. We
talk as if we all belonged to the one
God and the one Shepherd.

The two great evils of the day the
Rector considers are avarice and intem-
perance, the great barriers and enemies
to the interests of Jesus. He talks long
and interestingly, and he leaves us with
a kindly feeling for those who are not so
blest as we, and a prayer for Christian
unity, in one sense, at least, if we can-
not have all. If the " Cranford " spirit
of charity and toleration existed through-
out the world, heaven would soon be
down on us.

And as with the Rector so with all:
every one comes with news of hitherto
unknown Catholic relatives, but now
brought strongly to the front. They
are here, there, and everywhere through-
out the world, and of course, "such
charming people. " One young widow,
airy and graceful, bearing an old Dutch
name, famous in early New York, tells
of three aunts who became Catholics,
one a nun in Virginia, the best beloved
of all. She spends her winters here, and,
like every one else has taken "Cranford"
and its doings and sayings, its climate
and pleasant ways, straight to her heart.
While waiting to build her winter home,
she has turned the barn into a bower.
This she describes with inimitable hu-
mor. A window flung out here and
there, portieres, pictures, books and old
china, with all the entourage of a fine
lady, she has made her ' ' barn ' ' one of
the curiosities of the place.

It is only on Sunday mornings as the
solitary bell echoes across the hills that
we realize how far apart we are, in
thought and feeling. The people come
down the mountain roads, across the
brooks, out from the pines, on their way
to the three chapels on the hill — and the
One True Church, where is it? Before a
little altar with its crucifix and candles,
three people are kneeling in union with

the Mass now being said in Asheville
forty miles away. The only Mass this Sun-
day morning in all the beautiful .niouu-
tain world of Western North Carolina.

The sunlight falls on the bowed white-
haired old man, his voice rising in the
Hail Mary as he counts the beads to
which he has clung in all his wild
wanderings through the New World.
At the reading of the Gospel he sits close
beside our invalid, " being, " as he said
" hard of hearing, " to catch every word
of the old beautiful story. The devo-
tions always ends with the Litany of
Reparation to the Sacred Heart and the
"We all promise for the future that we
will console Thee O Lord" sounds
strangely and touchingly from the soli-
tude of this mountain wilderness. From
the first Sunday with three, the Rosary
seems to bring a blessing, there are four
next Sunday, five the next, and very
soon a dozen gather round the little
altar and, better than all, the children
appear. The visitors arrive from the
North, and for the first time in "Cran-
ford" they can practise their religion
openly. From Maine to Michigan they
all "meet in the one same spirit of faith,
reparation and love. " At the next Mass
when the Father comes from Asheville, he
is greeted with rapture, and the Protest-
ants are to the fore, one Baptist walk-
ing four miles to be in time.

The power of a good priest! what can-
not he do with his people. To get here
this morning, the Father had to be up at
daybreak, arriving a little before eleven
o'clock, hear the confessions, say Mass,
preach, and hurry back to his sick and
dying, his Christmas cares and duties.
The Christmas communion must be
anticipated by three days. The Father
feared the invalids could not stand the
long fast, but one and all scorned to lose
their communion for a breakfast.

And thus history repeats itself; the
spirit of the old missionaries is alive to-
day in the youthful priest, whose vineyard
stretches from end to end of the State.

ST. CATHARINE AS PROMOTER OF UNITY.

a large hall of the palace of the popes
at Avignon sat the Holy Father,
Gregor}- XI , surrounded by cardinals
and officials of the Papal Court, listen-
ing with rapt attention to one who
spoke as if inspired. Who was the elo-
quent orator who could thus hold so
exalted an audience ? It was a woman
about thirty years of age, ascetic in
appearance, clad in a coarse white
woolen habit partly hidden by a black
mantle, with her head coifed and veiled.
It was a woman known not by her
family name of Benincasa, however
honorable it might be, but by the name
of the city and republic of Sienna, which
claimed this honor. It was Catharine
of Sienna.

How came she by such a distinction ?
What title had she to be heard by the
Sovereign Pontiff in full conclave ? Was
ever such a privilege accorded to a
woman before ? Has such an honor ever
been granted since ? No wonder some of
the cardinals were astonished, and re-
sented such a novelty. Three of them,
eminent for learning, undertook to
prove her by their questions. They
were put to confusion by the humility
and wisdom of her answers, and ac-
knowledged to the Pope that their suspi-
cions were unjust, and that Catharine
was a true servant of God with a mis-
sion from on high.

What was that mission ? It was no
less an undertaking than to restore the
Papacy to Rome. For seventy years the
venerable See of Peter had been desolate,
while the successors of the Fisherman had
resided at Avignon. Those threescore
and ten years were commonly known as
the Captivity of Babylon. Hitherto all
efforts had been futile to effect a return
to the Eternal City. What princes and
men had failed to obtain, the daughter of
an artisan was destined to accomplish.
It was high time ; for the Patrimony of
(105)

Peter was being wrested from the Church.
The Popes during their sojourn at Avig-
non governed their provinces by legates.
Their rule was not paternal, and constant
turmoil ensued, which threatened the
loss of the States of the Church. Flor-
ence, Perugia, Bologna, and more than
sixty Papal cities were in revolt. Who
was to bear the olive branch of concili-
ation ? Catharine, who loved her coun-
try devotedly, but loved more fondly still
the Church, inspired by heaven, under-
took the apparently hopeless task. It
was the role of a diplomatist; where had
she studied diplomacy ? It was the part
for a political economist; what kfjowl-
edge of political economy had she ? Yet
she was a mistress of both.

She wrote to the Pope: "Alas, my
gentle Father, in the name of Jesus cru-
cified, I beseech you to act with kind-
ness, and to overcome the malice and
pride of your children by patience,
humility and gentleness. You know,
Holy Father, you cannot drive out the
devil by the devil, but by virtue alone.
Alas, Holy Father, give us peace for
the love of God, that your children
may not lose the heritage of eternal
life. Peace, and no longer war ! Let
us march against our enemies bearing
the sacred standard of the Cross, and
armed with the sword of the sweet and
holy Word of God. I can do no more ;
take pity on the sweet and loving de-
sires that I offer you with my tears for
Holy Church. As for me, I will give
willingly my life for the glory of God
and the salvation of souls. Jesus, love ! ' '
Such was the policy of Catharine:
Prayers, tears, pardon, peace. It is the
policy of the Cross. She was not, how-
ever, an advocate of unjustly wrung con-
cessions, but of justice tempered with
mercy. Was not Gregory XI. the Father
of the Faithful ? Could he not, then, be
mercifully indulgent to his children, if

362

SF. CATHARINE AS PROMOTER OF UNITY.

(106)

they were repentant for their misdeeds !
But those who were to be the objects of
mercy must show themselves worthy of
it. So Catharine addressed herself to
rulers and people to do their part. Her
representations were true to the life. She
pointed out the real source of all the
troubles. She sought to enkindle in the
hearts of the princes the fire of patriotism
and respect for the rights of the people-
When she failed with her pen, she
determined to accomplish with her voice.
So we find her in the presence of the
Holy Father, to demand in person, the
inestimable boon of peace. She stands
in the great hall, in the august presence
of the Vicar of Christ and his councillors,
fearless in the knowledge of the justice
of her cause. She represents not men,
but God. She hesitates not to lay bare
the wrongs of the people and their
rights. She exposes the vices preva-
lent in high places. She demands a
reformation. She bears down all oppo-
sition. She forces conviction even on
the unwilling. The Pope quitted
Avignon, and took up his abode near
the tomb of St. Peter, on January 17,
1377. It was the day of Catharine's
triumph.

Florence must now be pacified. The
revolutionary party were in power
when the Siennese Virgin came on the
scene. Was she to be the victim
whose blood should purchase peace?
The populace sought her with evil
intent. She heard it and offered herself
saying: " You seek Catharine, here I
am. Do to me whatever God shall per-
mit, but do not harm those with me. ' '
Echo was it not of the divine words
spoken centuries before in Gethsemani?
The leader, at whose feet she knelt,
overwhelmed by such courage and con-
tempt of life, quickly bade her make her
escape, before the mob could harm her.
" No," she replied, "I want to die here.
I want to give my blood for the God,
whose representatives you are out-
raging, and for you and for your salva-
tion. This is mv sole desire." The

stormy waves sank into the bosom of
the deep. Catharine had poured the oil
of peace on the troubled waters.

The peace of Sarzana concluded her
mission. She then retired to her humble
cell, this woman who had been received
in Sienna with a public triumph. There,
in the retirement she loved so well, she
dictated her famous Dialogue, one of
the most remarkable works on mystical
theology ever written.

But once again was she to play an
important part for the Church's weal.
Gregory XI. had been gathered to his
fathers, and Urban VI. reigned in Rome.
Upright, just, but somewhat severe, he
sought to establish ecclesiastical reform
in all its rigor. The cardinals, who
should have supported him, rebelled.
The Pope had known Catharine at
Avignon. To her he had recourse in
his troubles and summoned her to
Rome. Though sorely shattered in
health she obeyed. Once again we see
the wondrous spectacle of a woman
addressing the cardinals in full consist-
ory ; she discoursed on the particular
providence of God over His Church.

She appealed by letter to the princes
of Europe in behalf of unity. She
sought to win over three cardinals guilty
of schism in setting up at Avignon an
anti-pope, Clement VII. Political mo-
tives were the mainspring of the schis-
matical movement. Catharine fought
valiantly, but her work on earth was
drawing to a close, and she died in her
thirty-third year.

' What was the secret of Catharine's
power. It was her life of most intimate
union with Christ, who espoused her in
mystical wedlock. An angel in the
flesh, {she lived in the practice of the
most austere penance. Raised to heights
of ecstasy, knowing the secrets of the
future, possessing the gift of miracles,
in her own estimation she was the low-
liest of God's creatures, His handmaid,
His instrument to accomplish great
things for the divine glory and the good
of souls.

»A PEOPLE'S SYNAGOGUE.
5 is one of Chicago 's latest prod-
»cts. It was organized by Rabbi
Isaac S. Moses, because but 1,000 of the
4,000 Jewish families residing on the
South Side were identified with any
synagogue. The chief reason of this is
that the prices asked for pews in the
existing synagogues are prohibitive to
the mass of the Jews, who either can-
not or will not pay them. He thus de-
scribes the organization of the new
Temple Israel : ' ' The congregation is a
stock company, with a dividend-draw-
ing agent, called Rabbi, whose chief task
it is to swell the ranks of contribu-
ting shareholders ; or a club maintained
for the benefit of members who demand
the latest and the best in the line of
amusement and opportunity for display. "
This would seem to be up-to-date enough,
even for progressive Chicago. The move-
ment is said to promise much for the re-
Judaizing of the Jews. We have too
much respect for the ancient religion of
Moses, the lawgiver, to confound it
with that of the People 's Synagogue of
Moses, the dividend-drawing agent.

A CHECK ON PERJURY.

It is not infrequent to read in the
public papers of charges of perjury made
against those who have appeared as wit-
nesses in courts of justice. Probably,
many a perjurer goes unscathed, while
his victim is meted out undue punish-
ment. The question is a serious one,
for it concerns the carrying out of jus-
tice. Unfortunately, among the most
(107)

EDITORIAL,

unreliable witnesses are to be found
those who belong to various depart-
ments of city or state government.
The kissing of a book, which they are
told is the Bible, and the raising of the
right hand, seem to make very slight
impression upon those intended to be
impressed. The same difficulty appears
to exist elsewhere. In Catholic countries
the presence of the crucifix in law courts
is said to be a powerful check on perjury.
On this plea, it was lately proposed in
the Chamber of Representatives of Lux-
emburg, and carried by a large majority,
to hang up a crucifix in all courts of
justice in the Grand Duchy. Would
that the Supreme Victim of false wit-
nesses might mutely preach from the
walls of our courts.

THE CHECK NEEDED.

Apropos to kissing the Bible, an effort
has just been made in the House of Rep-
resentatives of Delaware, but unsuccess-
fully, to do away with this time-honored
custom. The motive of those who fav-
ored the repealing of the law requiring
this act of a witness before testifying,
was the omnipresence of the microbe,
which does not even respect the sacred
volume, and the consequent danger of
contagion. One of the opposers "wanted
to know if it was right that men who
believed it is necessary to go through
certain formalties in order to be saved
should have their faith in the Bible
shaken by the passage of the bill."
Another representative suggested that
each witness should be sworn on a new

363

364

EDITORIAL.

(108)

Bible which had been examined by a
bacteriologist, for, said he: " there is
a growing sentiment in favor of individ-
ual communion cups." Another mem-
ber was ' ' shocked at the deception prac-
tised by witnesses who touched the
Bible with the tips of their noses instead
of with their lips. " Delaware is conserv-
ative. The spirit of the times can be
gauged by the fact that to-day there are
comparatively few States of the Union
where a simple affirmation, without any
formality, is not accepted as sufficient to
bind a witness to be veracious. Perjury
is becoming out of date ; we must coin a
new word to meet the emergency ; or,
better still, let us endeavor to revive
the true faith and bid the witness look
upon Him whom they pierce and crucify
again by the sin of false witness.

LA CROIX A DREADED WEAPON.

The enemy's note of alarm is a joyful
sound to those beleaguered. The Ma-
sonic newspapers in France show their
fear of the influence of that wonderfully
vigorous and well-organized paper, La
Croix, which appears in Paris, but has its
local issues in all the departments of
France. One of the anti-clerical papers
says : ' ' All these sheets obey the same
direction, and receive the same word of
command. It [La Croix] is the most
powerful weapon of war that audacity
and clerical fanaticism have ever in-
vented." Moreover, a certain sub-prefect
addressed a confidential note to the
mayors and teachers of his district, in
which he begged them to watch the
movements of the clergy, and to point
out to them those among them who were
engaged in propagating La Croix. Noth-
ing could better express what the paper
is doing for the cause of religion. The
loyal support it is receiving from Catho-
lics is an example for our countrymen of
the true faith to imitate.

HONOR FOR LA PUCELLE D'ORLEANS.

The women of France are clamoring
for the Government to make a national
holiday in honor of Jeanne d'Arc. No

wonder they are proud of her, and their
petition is so just that it will probably
be granted. France, in the providence
of God, owes her national existence to
this simple, pious, peasant Maid of Dom-
remy. She is a phenomenal instance of
how a woman can leave her natural
sphere without surrendering a whit of
her maidenliness. Wherever La Pucelle
went, she carried with her an atmosphere
of purity, modesty and piety. She af-
fected her surroundings, not they her.
All honor to the women of France who
appreciate the character and the achieve-
ments of Jeanne d'Arc.

PROTESTANTISM IN GERMANY.

Professor Harnack who enjoys the
highest authority in Germany as a Prot-
estant divine, in a recent address deliv-
ered before a coterie of his co-religionists
gives expression to the fact that Protest-
antism in the Fatherland is tending
toward what he calls Catholicism. ' ' The
old, narrow, doctrinal form cf Protest-
antism," he says, "is disappearing;
the old relation between theolog}^ and
Church no longer exists ; the ancient
system of religious instruction has proved
insufficient, there is a tendency towards
extending, remodelling,organizing, while
the clear conception of the fundamental
condition of Protestantism is vanishing. "

The learned Professor very seriously
warns his countrymen and co-religionists
against this movement. Such a devel-
opment and organization of German Prot-
estantism, would, he thinks, lead to a
weak and ineffectual species of Catholi-
cism, having none of the safeguards and
advantages of Roman Catholicism.
"Roman Catholicism," says Harnack,
"has the Pope, it has the saints and the
monks (The italics are Harnack 's).
These we cannot obtain. The monastic
tendency towards the formation of
saints, the self-sacrifice, contempt of the
world and devotion in the Catholic
Church form a mighty barrier and cor-
rective against worldliness and formal-
ism which we do not possess. In the

(109)

EDITORIAL.

365

papacy, on the other hand, lies the
power of adaptation to circumstances,
personal authority as against the author-
ity of the letter, the firm conviction that
the Church of God in the highest in-
stance is not to be governed by a tradi-
tion, but by living men guided by the
spirit of God. But Protestantism, if it
should continue to develop on the lines
of Catholicism, could not reach these
ideals ; for they are excluded from its
first principles. "

The only logical advice for Professor
Harnack to give his Protestant fellow-
countrymen would be to submit to the
pope, and the "monks and the saints "
would soon be forthcoming from the now
sterile soil of German Protestantism.
Strange, that an historian and divine
of such broad and liberal views should
shrink from this conclusion. But stranger
still that a rationalist, to whom Christ is
a merely human being and the Christian
religion is merely human work, should
be so eager to preserve in the Fatherland
the rigid forms of L/utheranism and be so
shy of the slightest symptom of Catholi-

cism.

ARCHBISHOP RYAN'S JUBILEE.

Readers of the MESSENGER and Asso.
ciates of the Apostleship of Prayer owe
a debt of gratitude to His Grace, Arch-
bishop of Philadelphia. For ten years
his archdiocesan city was the home of
the Central Direction of our work, and
during all that time he extended to it
not only the ordinary courtesies of a kind
ecclesiastical superior, but also a most
gracious and encouraging personal inter-
est. Now that he has reached the twen-
ty-fifth anniversary of his elevation to
the episcopate, we should gratefully
unite our tribute of prayer to the splen-
did festivity with which the Catholics of
Philadelphia are preparing to celebrate
this happy event. His Grace presides
over a most important See, and his influ-
ence in ecclesiastical matters in this

country has always been as welcome as
it has been beneficial. In praying that
his jubilee year, and the many years yet,
as we trust, in store for him, may be
fraught with blessings for himself, his
clergy and his genuine Catholic congre-
gations, we are praying for something
that largely affects the welfare of the
Church in this country.

OUR DEBT TO EINSIEDELN.

Apropos of our sketch of ' ' Our
Lady's Shrine in the Alps," it may be
interesting to note that St. Meinrad's was
the convent from which our own Bene-
dictines came to this country. In the
United States these zealous religious
now number 804; two bishops, one arch-
abbot, ten abbots and abbeys, 405 priests,
149 professed clerics, 237 lay-brothers.
There are two provinces or congrega-
tions, the American Cassinesse and the
American Swiss.

NOT SO CATHOLIC.

Not every newspaper that gives a pro-
fessedly Catholic editorial now and
then, can be said to have "a Catholic
tone, " or to be fair to Catholic interests,
and therefore worthy of Catholic patron-
age. If the very same editorial page
offer principles that are questionable or
false, and if the news columns tell their
stories in a manner that offends the mod-
esty of the reader whether Catholic or
not, a stray Catholic item or principle can-
not leaven the entire mass. Catholic taste
is eminently consistent and likes to find
the truth in politics as well as in theol-
ogy, dislikes an unprincipled partisan-
ship in the former as well as sectarianism
in matters of faith. A trained Catholic
mind will detect error in the corre-
spondence columns, no matter how
speciously the truth may be presented
in the editorial paragraphs. The true
Catholic spirit detests immodesty, and
resents calumny, no matter how plau-
sibly the writer may sometimes treat
Catholic topics.

Subscriptions to the Converts' Aid
Society in England are coming in quite
satisfactorily. In the first month of its
establishment nearly ,£300 were re-
ceived. Two individual benefactors have
guaranteed sums of ,£500 and /2oo
respectively during the first year.

Great interest is being manifested in
Paris in the work of Christian Teachers,
founded by the Countess d 'Adhemar and
much favored by the late Mgr. d'Hulst.
Its object is to form model governesses
who will be capable of giving solid
reasons for their faith and of defending
it ably wherever they may be placed.

The Abbe Roussel, the well-known
founder of the work for Orphan Appren-
tices, died lately. He was born in 1825,
and was an assistant priest in Paris and
a military chaplain, when in 1865 he
took pity on a little street urchin and
lodged him in his room. Within a week
he had given shelter to six. The work
was founded, but where was the house
to accommodate them ? He heard of an
old villa for sale at Auteuil. He collected
alms and bought it, though it was very
much out of repair. On St. Joseph's
day, 1866, he installed the little family.
Naturally, the work became popular and
grew rapidly. Four times a year he had
a band of these forsaken lads prepared
for their First Communion. But should
he then send them out to battle with the
world, would they persevere ? He re-
solved to keep them and make Christian
apprentices of them. He began to have
all the trades taught; his printing
press was especially remarkable. From
it issued weekly, La France Illustree,
noted alike for its matter and illustra-
tions, and the other illustrated weekly
L'Ami des Enfants.

In 1878 the French Academy awarded
the Abbe a Monthyon prize of 2,500
francs. This was most timely, for it
came when he was 200,000 francs in
debt. This he made known and within
eight days a subscription brought him

366

in 33l,l77 francs, and the work was-
saved.

In 1887, a violent attack was made on
the good Abbe and his little flock, but
he went on in spite of it, receiving
orphans until he had over 16,000.
Finally, May 12, 1895, grown feeble
from a long and laborious life, he con-
fided his work to the Brothers of St.
Vincent de Paul.

In 1882 he established at Billancourt
an institution for uncared for little girls
and placed it under the direction of the
Sisters of the Child Jesus. Truly we can
say of good Abbe Roussel that he rests
from his labors, and that his works
follow him.

The Cure of Saint-Claude ( Jura >
erected a cross in the cemetery. The
municipal council met soon after, and a
councillor who had not spoken at any
meeting during the twelve years in
which he had held office, spoke to have
the cross removed. This was ordered to
be done within twenty-four hours. The
devil and his followers always have
hated the cross.

A good sister of charity, Sister Elios-
ippe, in charge of a school for many
years at Cudot, France, was in the habit
of providing free medicines for the poor
of the district. Government officials
seized her supplies and condemned her
to pay a heavy fine of 500 francs for
infringing on the law of monopoly of
pharmaceutical products. An appeal to
the court at Paris has resulted in revers-
ing the decision, since acts of charity
cannot fall under the penalty of the law.
The medicines were returned.

At the annual meeting of the Academy
of Moral and Political Science the Audif-
fred prize of fifteen thousand francs was
awarded to the Catholic Missions of Cen-
tral Africa, which have so powerfully
worked against slavery. The heads of
the two principal Centres have received
it for division : Mgr. Augouard, C.S. Sp.,

(no)

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

367

7icar Apostolic of Congo, and Mgr. directors of Neutral Education are all
vivinhac, Superior General of the White rampant Protestants. Verily the minor-
Bathers, ity rules.

This same academy has awarded a
orize to the fine book of M. Lou vet :
Les Missions Catholiques au XIXe. Siecle.
The author states that 30 committees or
congregations have at present 13,314
priests in 300 missions scattered over the
world ; 2 1 institutes of Brothers provide
these missions with 4,500 catechists ;
42,300 Sisters of various congregations
are in charge of schools and hospitals.
A century ago there were only about 300
apostolic workmen in the field. Two-
thirds of the missionaries are French,
four-fifths of the Brothers and Sisters
corne from France; that country supplies
the chief funds; she can claim five-sixths
of the martyrs, for of the 119 priests put
to death within a hundred years in hatred
of the faith 95 were French.

It is interesting to note what a profita-
ble thing it is sometimes to be a cham-
pion of the " poor, down -trodden people,
the victims of rich capitalists, " etc. M.
Rochefort, editor of a socialistic, radical
paper, receives for his pay the comfort-
able sum of 242,000 francs a year. No
wonder he pities the "proletariat." He
can afford to.

It is lawful to learn a lesson even from
a teacher whose morals we cannot en-
dorse. Mme. Sarah Bernhardt gave the
following view of the woman bicyclist :
" I believe, " she said, "that the bicy-
clist is on the high way to transform
our manner of life more profoundly, it
seems to me, than is imagined. All
these young women, all these young
girls who fly along, devouring space, re-
nounce family life for a considerable por-
tion of their time."

France has a population of about 39,-
000,000. Of these only some 100,000 are
Jews. Yet this absurdly small minority
rules the country. Jews fill 49 prefect-
ships or subprefectships; there are 19 in
the State Council ; 10 in the Court of
Appeals ; 10 counsellors in the Court of
Paris ; a considerable number in other
Courts and Tribunals, and in education ;
ii officials in the department of agricul-
ture ; 21 in the direction of the Post
Office ; 30 in the Department of Public
Works ; 27 in that of Finance ; 35 in
that of Public Instruction. When Jews
fail, Protestants are taken, and the 3

Another instance of the same spirit is
seen in the little town of Delle, which has a
population of 2,500. Of these only 150-
are Protestants or Jews, yet the munici-
pal Council withdrew the usual allow-
ance for Catholic worship, while contin-
uing that for Protestants and Jews.
Happily the Council of the Prefecture of
Besan£on has reversed this decision.

Li£ge has celebrated the twelfth cen-
tenary of the martyrdom of its reputed
founder, the Bishop St. Lambert. Fif-
teen bishops and the Cardinal Arch-
bishop of Mechlin, Mgr. Dechamps, took
part. The wonderful procession, relig-
ious and historical, attracted one hun-
dred thousand strangers to the ancient
city. A remarkable feature of the pa-
geant were the portable shrines, oijsreli-
quaries, of all the great Saints ot the
diocese, which were, for the most part,
marvels of the goldsmith's skill, and
dating back many centuries. Foremost
was the great golden bust containing the
skull of St. Lambert, which happily
escaped the French Revolutionists, who
contented themselves with stealing the
precious stones.

M. Tourlet, a druggist of Chinon
(France), possesses an old bottle contain-
ing some bones, over the stopper of which
is a bit of parchment, sealed with red
wax, on which are the words in seven-
teenth century French writing; ' 'Remains
found beneath the scaffoldof Jeanne d' Arc,
Maid of Orleans," The supposition is
that some one collected them on the
night of May 31, 1431, as relics. A
commission, under the presidency of the
Bishop of Orleans, has examined the
matter. It states that the bottle has
been closed since the seventeenth cen-
tury. It then opened and took out a
packet wrapped in an old cloth of pure
hemp going back at least to the fifteenth
century. This wrapper contained three
bones and two bits of wood. One of the
bones is a portion of a human rib. It is
covered with a sort of pitchy substance.
One of the pieces of wood has a similar
covering. The other bones are not of a
human skeleton. Probably, whoever
gathered them, picked up whatever he
could find beneath the scaffold. Under
analysis, the fragment of the side offers
the composition of human bones, but

368

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

(112)

the calcination by the fire has caused it to
lose, before it was picked up, all trace of
bony envelope. It is known that, to an-
nihilate the body of Jeanne, whose heart
and entrails, according to witnesses, re-
sisted the action of fire, the execution-
ers used oil, sulphur and coal. Does
not this explain the coating on the bone
and bit of wood ? Canon Cochard, at
the end of his report, announces : ' ' That
there is at least great probability that
we possess a rib of Jeanne d'Arc. "

Five bells are to be placed in the tower
of the national monument to Jeanne
d'Arc in her native place, Domremy.
Two of these have already been pre-
sented, the other three are to be paid for
by subscriptions of ten cents (fifty cen-
times) a person.

The receipts at the conferences of St.
Vincent de Paul in France for 1895 were
2,227,203 francs; other offerings make up
a grand total of 7,726,007 francs be-
stowed upon the poor by the Brothers of
St. Vincent de Paul conferences.

What a glorious day for France was
the last seventeenth of January, when
the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Na-
tional Vow was solemnized in the Votive
Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on Mont-
martre. The Cardinal Archbishop of
Paris celebrated the Mass, at which very
many received Holy Communion ; the
men being well represented. After a
short address Cardinal Richard read the
Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart.
In the afternoon deputations from the
city and the provinces arrived, 7,000
men in all ! Under the lead of General
de Charette, 150 Pontifical Zouaves were
present, but not in uniform. More than
i, 800 men were ranked under the ban-
ners of the capitals of each department.
Vespers were sung by this great con-
course of men, and after a sermon by
Pere Feuillette, they all joined in re-
peating aloud the Act of Consecration.

When the late Rev. Brother Joseph,
Thirteenth General of the Brothers of
the Christian Schools, became superior,
in 1884, there were 12.000 Brothers, with
300,000 pupils under their charge. At
his death he left 15,000 Brothers with
350,000 boys. His government was
characterized by intelligence, prudence
and firmness, and he had much at heart
the founding of associations to guard
the graduates of his schools from the
evil influences of the day.

The work of the Catholic Universities
of France is beginning to tell through
their numerous graduates. The public
is awakening to the fact that they aee
deserving of support. The Catholic
Institute of Paris in 1885 had only 284
students; in 1891, 410; in 1897, it has
719.

lyeo XIII. has announced his inten-
tion of sending the Golden Rose this
year to the Duchess Maria Theresa, wife
of Duke Philip of Wiirtemberg, who, in
all likelihood, will one day wear the
royal crown of Wiirtemburg and be the
first Catholic King of this important
South German State since the Reforma-
tion. The Duchess is a pious and
charming woman, and worthy of this
distinction.

Mrs. Mary M. White, nee Windsor,
before her death, on January 25, at An-
napolis, Md., made a statement before a
notary public in which she retracted all
she had said about the Catholic Church
and the life of nuns. Some years ago
she posed on the lecture platform as
an escaped nun. She also made serious
charges against certain priests.

Mr. Rudd, a colored man, and editor
of the American Catholic Tribune of
Detroit, Michigan, is responsible for
the following statistics concerning his
race in the United States. They are
paying taxes on $370,000,000 worth of
property, have 57 college presidents, 30,-
ooo school teachers, 25,000 Piotestant
ministers who have studied theology,
100 authors on different subjects, 1,000
lawyers, 800 doctors, 250 newepapers, 2
dailies, 4 magazines, 4 banks and sev-
eral building loan associations. Accord-
ing to him there are 10,000,000 negroes
with the right of suffrage. Out of that
population only 2,900,000 are professing
Christians, and, out of this number, only
250,000 adults are Catholic, with 2 priests
and 30 seminarists, 3 convents with
about 200 sisters. Mr. Rudd is interested
in founding the National Catholic Indus-
trial School for colored youths, where all
trade branches will be taught. He says :
' ' The colored man in his love of music
and ceremony, in his gratitude and sub-
mission in suffering, and in his needs, is
naturally a Catholic, and I hope to see
him very largely represented in the Cath-
olic Church in a few years. "

DIRECTORS-REVIEW

Phis Month's

Intention.

Those who have read
Father Ramiere's Apos-
tleship of Prayer will re-
member his chapter on the communion
of saints. This great dogma of our faith
was, to his mind, one of the principles
ipon which our Apostleship was based.
The community of interests which unites
as in one body the saints of the Church
Triumphant and the elect of the Church
Militant brought home to him the im-
portance and necessity of prayer. The
communion of saints implies that the
members of Christ depend upon one
another and mutually share the influ-
ence ttyey receive from Him as their
Head. Prayer is the great means by
which we can help those who depend
upon us, as it is also the chief means by
which we can derive help from those
upon whom we depend.

We have quoted from
sources. several sources in explain-
ing the General Intention
this month. Indeed, the sources on this
topic are so plentiful that there would
be little need of explaining it at all, only
some might not have our references at
hand. Those who wish to obtain excel-
lent reading on the subject should read
DeVere's essay on "A Saint," in his
Essays Chiefly on Poetry, a study 'we
cannot commend too highly. Alban
Butler has some good points in the Pref-
ace and Introductory Discourse to his
Lives of the Saints, Father Ribade-
neira is charming and his remarks on
this point are well translated in the Eng-
lish version of his Lives. Father Du Pont
has a few good chapters on it in his
Spiritual Guide. Father Giry treats it
more thoroughly than any of the others
in his epilogue to the Petites Bollan-
distes*

Special We are often asked to

intentions, recommend in our General

Intention things of great

importance to Catholics in this country.

It does not depend upon us to determine

the General Intentions which are chosen

for the entire world; but we can recom-

mend in a. special manner the interests
which affect us more than Catholics in
other nations. There is no reason why,
besides praying for the particular inten-
tions recommended in our Calendar, we
should not keep in view other things
also; for instance, we might pray at the
present holy season that the missions
given in so many churches at this time
may be successful; we should also rec-
ommend about the time of Holy Week
the welfare of the holy places in Jeru-
salem, which are made an object of our
charity on Good Friday; the missions for
colored and Indian people are properVub-
jects of prayer just now, and so is the
promised prosperity for which we have
been waiting so long and patiently.

The Statutes.

"I am pleased beyond
measure, ' ' writes a Local
Director, ' ' that the Revised Statutes are
so simple and yet so complete. ' ' What
pleases him pleases all who have read
them with any attention. As soon as
we shall have received from the Modera-
tor General the various explanations
and decisions he may see fit to give in
answer to the questions raised by the
revision, we shall publish them for our
Directors, in order that no time may be
lost in applying them, and in obtaining
by them the many advantages they are.
meant to bring to our League.

The Catholic Columbian,
meiy,, - . a Catholic weekly, which

Editorial. J ' . .,

has always promoted the
interest of the Apostleship, printed lately
the following advice in its editorial col-
umns : "All Catholics should belong
to the Apostleship of Prayer. Its one
essential obligation is to offer up the
prayers, works, and sufferings of the day
for the Intentions of the Sacred Heart,
for the General Intention of the League
for the month and for the intentions of
all the members of the organization.
One half minute in the morning will
fulfil this obligation."

The Columbian prints many an edi-
torial of this pious character, and its

369

370

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(114)

paragraphs on current topics are just as
well phrased.

We have never recom-

I/eagUe H ninai mended the League Devo-
tions and Choral Service
so strongly as a Local Director does in
the following letter: "I think this
League choral service in music is grand,
indeed. I have the Sacred Heart devo-
tion on every first Sunday of the month,
with choral service, and I must say,
amongst the different afternoon services

the Sacred Heart devotions take the
lead. The choral service I use for the
congregational singing, and it is very
effective. The congregation likes this
beautiful devotion. The choir and con-
gregation render the singing with ex-
pression and effect. I wish that this
choral service could be introduced in all
the League Centres of our United States.
A little patience and practice required
of the priest and choir singers will lead
to its success. "

To PROMOTERS.

Promoters

in April.

In April Promoters
should try to gain, and
have their Associates gain,
the plenary Indulgence granted to all
the members of the Apostleship who re-
ceive Holy Communion with the inten-
tion of making reparation for those who
neglect to make their Easter duty. About
the time of Holy Week and Easter they
can be of great help to pastors who are
striving to have the ceremonies of the
Church performed worthily ; if they
would only urge their Associates to make
a congregation, it would be doing a great
deal. As May comes they will find
many opportunities in preparing for the
May devotions, First Communions, and
the different festivals that are commonly
kept during this month. Zeal, as well as
prayer, is a duty of every Promoter.
" Catholic Books in Public Libraries, " is
an article in this number of the MES-
SENGER, which we commend to their no-
tice ; it may suggest a proper field of
zeal for many of them.

The folded intention
^Blanks blank is evidently as con-
venient for Local Directors
and Secretaries as for ourselves. If they
could appreciate how much it facilitates
our work, they would use it even at their
own inconvenience. It is not meant to
exclude the use of the smaller intention
blanks ; on the contrary, the new form
adopted for these, and the reduction in
price, makes them much more useful
than before. It is needless to remind
Promoters that these blanks help won-
derfully the practice of mutual prayer
for which the Apostleship exists.

It takes time to insti-
a change such as we
have lately made in our
various periodicals. Usually, it is nec-

Intention

subscriptions.

essary to repeat the notifications about
such changes over and over again. We
are fortunate, however, in having for the
most part subscribers who heed first
notices, and this is why all our readers
now understand that a subscription to
the MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART
now includes subscription to the Messen-
ger Supplement, both reaching sub-
scribers the fifteenth of each month.
From the increase of subscribers to the
Messenger Supplement only, it is clear
that all understand that this can be
taken separately. The Pilgrim of Our
Lady of Martyrs is now published as
a separate periodical, entirely distinct
from the MESSENGER OF THE SACRED
HEART, and from the Messenger Supple-
ment. It was gratifying to note the
number of subscribers who were disap-
pointed at not receiving the Pilgrim,
because they had overlooked the fact
that we send our periodicals only to
those who expressly order them or renew
their subscription.

We never employ a col-
ToiLtion lec*on agency to collect
Agencies, amounts due for subscrip-
tions to our periodicals or
for other supplies. Our own agents,
who are usually known to subscribers and
to our Local Directors, or at least prop-
erly furnished with credentials, are the
only ones authorized to solicit new sub-
scriptions, or collect amounts due on old
bills. Fortunately our present system
makes the latter task seldom necessary,
and we are constantly being thanked by
Directors and others for saving them
from the embarrassment of contracting
debts. We shall always be glad to re-
ceive application from Promoters who
may wish to act as agents for the MES-
SENGER and Supplement.

(1 5)

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

371

T e Emblem.

.ely

To meet the demand for
our emblem, we have
authorized several jewellers to

we have ever officially issued for Asso-
ciates of the League; aparl from this
fact, its beauty and cheap price lecom-

pply it to their customers. We remind mend it as the most popular for its pur-
r readers that this is the only emblem pose.

THE APOSTLESHIP ABROAD.

SOUTH AMERICA.— A zealous Pro-
moter sends from California an intert st-
ir g account of the flourishing condition
of the Apostleship of Prayer in Santos,
South America.

In 1886, a civil engineer, an Associate
of the League, passing through Santos
met a friend who had been a Promoter in
Petropolis and was surprised to find that
the Promoter had given up the work.
He urged her to begin again and to the
objection that there were many obstacles,
he replied ; " Oh, never mind the obsta-
cles. Go on with the work, and I'll send
you a statue of the Sacred Heart for the
church."

Two years later the engineer while
travelling in France, bought a beautiful
life-size statue of the Sacred Heart and
sent it, in fulfilment of his promise, to
the old church at Santos.

The fervor of the people was awakened
by the practices of the Apostleship, and
a new church dedicated to the Sacred
Heart is building to replace the old one.
The land on which the new church stands
was the gift of the Promoter, although a
woman of over fifty years of age she gave
all her savings in order to secure the land
for the Church of the Sacred Heart.

The Lord is rewarding her in the tangi-
ble results of her apostolate. There are
now, through her efforts, 1126 Associates
and where formerly twenty communions
on Easter Sunday was considered good
for a year, there are at least 100 every
First Friday.

The good work is spreading and in the
district of San Paolo, about thirty miles
away, the results are more gratifying.
There are about 100 daily communi-
cants. A zealous Associate like the en-
gineer and an active Promoter can, with
God's help, effect much for the glory of
God.

ALBANIA. — A correspondent from
Austria draws our attention to the omis-
sion on our recent list of Messengers, of
the Albanian Messenger, the Eleija,
which is published in Scutari, under the
editorship of Rev. Father Genovizzi, S J.
The Eleija is widely circulated among
the Albanians, and has been a very

effective means of propagating the devo-
tion to the Sacred Heart among them.
"Wonderful conversions have been ob-
tained by our missionaries," says our
correspondent, "in the mountains of
Albania by the preaching of the devo-
tion to the Sacred Heart. These conver-
sions are often published in the Eleija
and render its perusal very interest-
ing. The Sacred Heart often rewards the
devotion of the Albanians with numer-
ous favors and graces, which are also re-
corded in the Messenger, ' '

CROATIA. — We give the following,, in-
teresting extracts from the Glasmk or
Crotian Messe7iger .

A new college consecrated to the Sacred
Heart. — A new boarding-school was
opened at Segna, one of the episcopal
towns of Crotia, last December. Besides
a large gathering of townsmen, a good
many people had come from outside to
witness the opening ceremony. At nine
o'clock, the Right Rev. A. Maurovic,
Bishop of Segna, solemnly pontificated
at the Cathedral. Mass being over,
a devout procession moved from the
Cathedral to the new building; the
large crowd, the clergy (sixty priests
and fifteen canons) singing the Veni
Creator on the way. After the recital
of the prayers prescribed by the Ritual,
His Lordship ended the devout ceremony
with the dedication of the new institu-
tion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose
beautiful statue he had just before un-
veiled and blessed. Then the procession
made its way back to the Cathedral sing-
ing the Te Deum.

Very Rev. Aloysius Pareparambil, was
consecrated bishop of Tyana and vicar-
apostolic of Ernakolam, on the twenty-
fifth of October, 1896, at Kandy, Ceylon.

On the twenty-fifth of November, the
first diocesan conference, presided over
by him, was held on a grand scale
at St. Mary's Church, Ernakolam. In
accordance with the programme, His
Lordship delivered a short, but eloquent,
address on the devotion of the League of
the Sacred Heart, and expressed his
desire of dedicating the Ernakolam

372

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(116)

Vicariate to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
About one hundred priests and two
hundred representatives of the laity
were present for the conference. With
one voice they accepted the bishop's
proposal. The League was formally
established. The prayer of dedication
was read aloud by one of the clergy and
repeated in turn by the assembled multi-
tude. All those who assisted at the serv-
ices were moved as if the Sacred Heart
had sent its fire to kindle their hearts
with divine love. As soon as the dedi-
cation ceremonies were over, His Lord-

ship spoke about the devotion of the
Nine Fridays, the Communion of Repa-
ration, and the public adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament, and requested the
clergy to be very earnest and diligent in
propagating this devotion.

While Drs. Lavigne, S.J., and Medly-
cott were our Vicars-Apostolic, this ad-
mirable devotion was implanted in our
hearts. Now, we hope, in the immense
goodness of the Sacred Heart, that the
League will reach far and wide through-
out this vicariate, and produce a plente-
ous spiritual harvest.

THE APOSTLESHIP AT HOME.

ST. JOSEPH'S CENTRE, TROY, N. Y.—
The League Guide and first annual of
St. Joseph's Church contains some items
of exceptional interest.

St. Joseph's Centre was organized
in September, 1888, and almost immedi-
ately became, what it has since been,
one of the most important religious forces
of the community. At the present mo-
ment it is impossible to give the number
of its Associates with accuracy. How-
ever, a conservative estimate founded
on the number of monthly leaflets dis-
tributed, and on incomplete returns
by reports, give for January, 1897 :

Associates in the First Degree only 2,000
" " Second and Third

Degrees .... 7,000

Probable total of Associates of the

League Centre . . 9,000

At the date of its organization this
Centre had forty Promoters. They
rapidly increased to the number of three
hundred or more, which figure has been
retained up to the date of this writing.
At present the Promoters stand as fol-
lows:

Men Women Total
Promoters of St. Joseph's

congregation . 62 115 177

Promoters of other con-
gregations . , 130 130

Total 62 245 307

During the eight and more years of its
existence St. Joseph's Centre has been
active from a devotional standpoint,
but within the past four months it has
made important developments on the
side of parochial and charitable work
dear to the Sacred Heart. The in-
mates of the County House are visited
and cheered, the use of pious articles
is increased amongst the faithful, con-

verts and First Communicants are in-
structed, and the cause of temperance
is advanced. The Promoters have re-
organized and improved the parish
library. Their night school for young
men and boys continues with undi-
minished ardor on the part of its seventy
grateful students, quite rivalling that of
twenty-six instructors (teaching in bands
of five), all of whom hold positions in the
Troy public schools. Meanwhile God's
poor are not forgotten. The Aid Com-
mittee, with the co-operation of the
body of the Promoters, is making stren-
uous and successful efforts to enable the
needy to bear the rigors of the prevail-
ing hard times.

ST. JOSEPH'S CENTRE, PITTSFIELD,
MASS. — A very interesting sketch of the
history and working of the Apostleship
of Prayer in Pittsfield was recently pub-
lished in the Father Matthew Herald.
It was organized in 1892, by Rev.
Francis McCarthy, S.J., and has now
on its registers, 7,000. From it, six
other Centres have been formed in as
many neighboring congregations.

ST. MARY'S CENTRE, NEWBURGH, N.Y.
— The Apostleship was started here
last summer by one of the Fathers of
the Head Centre of New York City.
Since then it increased very steadily by
the judicious guidance of the zealous Local
Director. On Sunday, February 7, fifty
Promoters of St. Mary's received their
well-earned Diplomas and Crosses — well-
earned, according to the testimony of
their reverend pastor, Dr. McGlynn, who
presided. Father Malone, of Brook-
lyn preached the sermon. They have
in that short time brought at least
one-half of the congregation into the
League. Few Centres, have, in such
a short time, and in proportion to

SOME REMARF/BLE CONVERSIONS.

373

their number, done so much towards
the circulation of the MESSENGER as St.
Mary's. This is a sure indication of pres-
ent, and an earnest of future success.

ST. BRIDGET'S CENTRE, ETTRICK,WIS.
— I am happy to inform you that the
League of the divine Heart was success-
fully established here during our recent
mission by Rev. Father Murtagh, C.M.
We have at present 150 members belong-
ing to the ist Degree, most of whom also
practise the 26. Degree, and some have
joined the 3d Degree. We expect to re-
cruit about fifty more members, the com-
ing month.

ST. BONIFACE CENTRE, PHILADELPHIA,
PA., reports 755 members of the First
Degree, 764 of the Second ; 588 of the
Third ; Number of leaflets distributed,
2,120.

ST. IGNATIUS' CENTRE, NEW YORK
CITY. — Since October 17, 1895 (till Janu-
ary 25, 1897) we have enrolled 2,358 new
members at our Centre.

ST. MARY'S CENTRE, CLINTON, N. Y.
—The League was successfully estab-
lished here on January 17. 506 took
the ist Degree ; 326 the 2d Degree ; and
190 the 3d Degree, promising to make
the Communion of Reparation each
month.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST'S CENTRE,
BROOKLYN, N. Y. — We are exceedingly
gratified at the success of the League
of the Sacred Heart since its establish-
ment five years ago in our parish. It
is in a most prosperous condition. Our
Associates number over 1,500, and our
Promoters 80.

In honor of the Sacred Heart, a daily
Communion of Reparation is made by
one of the Promoters or Associates of
the League, and the same devout clients
of the Heait of Hearts spend half an
hour each day praising, thanking and
adoring Jesus in the most Holy Sacra-
ment of the Altar.

On the First Friday we have : In the
morning, at eight o'clock, solemn Mass,
followed by exposition of the Blessed
Sacrament during the remaining part of
the day. In the evening, at 8 o'clock,
are announced the petitions of the faith-
ful to the Sacred Heart, and the good
works performed in honor of thejsame
adorable Heart. A short sermon is then
preached, after which acts of reparation
and consecration are read, and benedic-
tion of the Most Blessed Sacrament is
given.

The Promoters of the League meet the
third Sunday of each month in one of
the rooms of St. John's College.

SOME REMARKABLE CONVERSIONS.

SINCE the erection of the Dahlgren
Chapel, at Georgetown University,
which is dedicted to the Sacred
Heart, some remarkable conversions
have taken place here, a brief recital of
which will doubtless prove interesting
to the readers of the MESSENGER. In
submitting them for publication I grate-
fully fulfil a promise made to the Sacred
Heart.

Some five years ago I made the ac-
quaintance of an influential business
man, a German, who, after leaving the
elementary school, had entirely aban-
doned his religion. Having completed
his education in Germany and spent
some time in France and England, he
came to this country. He had imbibed
a thorough hatred and contempt of re-
ligion from the reading of such works as
those of Rousseau and Voltaire. His
superior ability and education soon se-

cured him an independent position as
business manager in a large concern.
In a short time he himself was the pro-
prietor of a business establishment of
world-wide fame. He married outside
the Church, became a Freemason and
soon occupied a high degree in the lodge.

Soon after our first acquaintance I
drew his attention to his responsibility
for his children. But he rejoined that,
in his opinion, the children should be al-
lowed to choose their own religion after
they came to the years of discretion.
I gave him Father von Hammer-
stein's Edgar and What Is Christ? by
Father Roh, to read. But he tried to
evade their arguments. If God wished
him to believe, he said, why did He
not work a miracle before his eyes ? It
would be an easy matter for Him, he
thought

I insisted on his praying, but he ob-
jected that he could not pray, as he felt
no inclination that way.

374

SOME REMARKABLE CONVERSIONS.

(118)

Meanwhile I daily made a memento
for him in the holy sacrifice of the Mass
and promised publication in the MES-
SENGER in case of his conversion. Now
divine Providence, which so far had
given him all the temporal success,
prosperity and happiness his heart could
crave for, sent him a series of very severe
trials. First, his beautiful villa, where
he had treasured up a valuable collec-
tion of precious objects and curiosities,
in which he prided himself not a little,
was, on one bleak December day, reduced
to ashes. The next calamity befell his
youngest son, his special favorite, whose
left eye was accidentally pierced by a
lead pencil. Despite the best medical
treatment and enormous expenses the
boy has remained hopelessly blind of
that eye. The third was the severest
blow of all. His only daughter, just out
of school, died on the very anniversary
of the first mentioned misfortune.

The loving parents were inconsolable.
I called at Christmas to offer him the
good wishes of the season ' ' No meny
Christmas for me ! " he said, and began
to weep bitterly. He then called his
wife, who explained to me the cause of
their grief, and added that a few months
before the girl had, of her own free choice,
been baptized in the Protestant Church.
Yet her remains were cremated in right
pagan fashion

Having listened to tne mother's dole-
ful tale I spoke to them of the loving
disposition of divine Providence, which
prepared the child's soul by baptism
while chastising the father for his obsti-
nacy. My intimate acquaintance en-
titled me to speak freely to them.

The mother was greatly affected, and
was soon, with two of her little boys,
baptized in the same Protestant Church ;
and, led more by sentiment than by faith,
rented the same pew which the deceased
girl used to occupy, where she easily
persuaded her husband to accompany
her. But he found no relief in his sor-
row. In his despair and unbelief he
went even so far as to visit a spiritist, in
order to obtain a glimpse of his daughter.
For the paltry sum of a dollar she was
shown him, but only in outline. He
thought he heard her say : ' ' Follow
mamma ! ' '

Next morning he came to see me, the
very picture of despair. "I am an un-
happy man," he began, "I have no
rest; I come to ask you what to do."
He then told me his spiritistic experi-
ence. It took me some time to convince

him that God was not likely to put his
child at the disposal of a spiritist for the
sum of one dollar ; and, on the other
hand, that the evil spirits were very
much interested to have him ' ' follow
mamma." I asked him if he had not
finally come to believe in the divinity of
Jesus Christ. After some hesitation he
said, "Yes," and began to repeat the
argument of Father Roh, that if Christ
is not God He must have been a liar or a
fool; and neither could be said of Him.

I then conducted him to the chapel of
the Sacred Heart. Following my ex-
ample, he took holy water, and made the
sign of the cross. He then knelt on
the floor, apparently much moved. I
then led him up to the communion rail,
and explained to him the beautiful
stained-glass picture of the Sacred
Heart, and added that the Sacred Heart
is the fountain of true happiness. ' ' That
is what was wanting to me, "he said,
" thus far I have sought only what was
material, and in that I found no happi-
ness. "

Before we parted he assured me that he
felt much relieved, and spontaneously
declared himself ready henceforth to
comply with all the commandments of
the Church: to hear Mass on Sundays
and holidays, to abandon the lodge, to
go to confession and Communion, and
to keep the abstinence.

Meanwhile Masses, prayers and no-
venas were offered for him. Within a
week he had made his confession, and
on the feast of the Ascension, in that
same chapel of the Sacred Heart, he re-
ceived holy Communion the first time in
thirty-five years

II.

On Easter Sunday of last j*ear the
Dahlgren chapel was the scene of another
very remarkable conversion, which shows
the merciful love of the Sacred Heart.
It was that of a chaplain of the Navy, an
Anglican of ritualistic tendencies. He
believed all the articles of the faith ex-
cept the supremacy of the Pope. He also
thought that his orders were valid, ad-
ministered all the sacraments, and
dressed, and behaved in all things, like a
Catholic priest.

Of late years he had been detailed as
chaplain to a school ship, where there
were many Catholic as well as Protestant
cadets. Having little influence over his
Protestant hearers, he took much inte*1-
est in the Catholic boys, and as no Cath-
olic service was allowed on board, and

SOME REMARKABLE CONVERSIONS.

375

they were not permitted to go ashore
alone, he accompanied them himself to
the Catholic church, and introduced them
to the pastor. He even taught them their
own catechism, and thus prepared them
for confession, Communion and confirma-
tion, and presented them in the best dis-
position to the Catholic priest.

The Sacred Heart generously rewarded
his charity and zeal, and soon showed
him his error. He recognized the su-
premacy of the successor of St. Peter,
and fearlessly followed his conviction.
What a terrible sacrifice ! He had a
wife and children. All his studies had
been of a clerical nature. Without any
fixed means of support he faces a world
with which he is but little familiar. But
he is resolved to do the will of God,
come what may. Magnanimously he
followed the direction of the Catholic
priest, to whom his charity has greatly
endeared him. He spent Holy Week
here in retreat, devoutly preparing him-
self for the important step he was about
to take. On Holy Saturday he made his
profession of faith and received condi-
tional baptism, and, after a contrite con-
fession of his whole life, on Easter Day
made his First Communion in the Chapel
of the Sacred Heart.

He immediately resigned his commis-
sion and is now studying law in order to
fit himself for a profession in which he
may honorably support his wife and
family.

III.

Whitsuntide of this same year brought
another stray sheep into the true
fold. She is the daughter of a German
Lutheran mother and non-practical Catho-
lic father. She was educated with great
strictness, but without religious princi-
ples. When the time came to declare
herself to the Lutheran persuasion, she
absolutely refused; religion she would
have none. The death of her parents
soon threw her on her own resources, but
this condition only confirmed her in her
unbelief.

Yet the loving Heart of the Good
Shepherd watched over her. She obtained
for a short time a position as teacher of
art in a Catholic noble family. The piety
of this family, both in their own private
chapel and in the public church kneel-
ing side by side with the simple peasant-
ry, made a deep impression on her. Yet
she remained in her unbelief, until one

day one of the young ladies of the house
happened to remark, as if by chance:
"What a pity you are not a Catholic ! "
This simple remark set her a thinking.
She saw the misery of her own condition
and the happiness of religion in the case
of the young noblewoman.

She was just about to set out for
America. She thought she would make
a beginning before entering upon her
journey. Her first step was to procure
a copy of the Following of Christ to read
on the journey. Its pious maxims deep-
ened the impressions already received.
Arrived at her destination her first search
was for a Catholic priest, with whom she
discussed the existence of God and other
philosophical questions She was study-
ing Stockl's Handbook of Philosophy, vf^n
she found a situation as governess in our
vicinity and was directed to me for in-
struction. I made her acquainted with
the books of Father von Hammerstein,
which she eagerly devoured. Soon,, how-
ever, she gladly exchanged philoVophy
for piety, and spent more time in visit-
ing the churches and praying than in
study.

On the feast of Pentecost, after due
preparation, having made her profession
of faith, and being conditionally bap-
tized, she received our Lord for the first
time in the Dahlgren Chapel. The noble
lady who gave her the first religious im-
pulse acted as godmother by proxy.

Some two years and a half ago, the
son of a prominent astronomer, himself
an astronomer and mathematician, was
received into the Church by his abjura-
tion, and made his First Communion in
the chapel of the Sacred Heart. Of
Puritan descent, he had become an
Episcopalian, and had received baptism
from a High Church clergyman. Con-
versations with one of the Paulist
Fathers at the Catholic University
brought him to the knowledge of the
Church. The absence later of this
Father from the city, did not allow him
to undertake his instruction, so he
recommended him to apply for this to
one of the Jesuit Fathers, with whom he
was already somewhat acquainted. The
increasing approach to Catholic truth in
the Episcopalian body, over which we
cannot but rejoice, is shown by the
fact that two of the Jesuit Fathers could
not find even the shadow of a reason for
questioning the validity of his bap-
tism.

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.
TOTAL NUMBER OF THANKSGIVINGS FOR LAST MONTH, 197,985

1 ' In all things give thanks. ' ' (I. Thes. , v, 1 8).

Special Thanksgivings. — A person de-
sires to return thanks for her restoration
to health from severe and long-standing
rheumatism. She had tried many rem-
edies and various prescriptions of the
doctors, but obtained no relief; on the
contrary, she became incapacitated for
duty and her sufferings increased. At
length she determined to go to the
Sacred Heart, in the Blessed Sacrament,
and to depend entirely on Him.
Scarcely had she placed her case in His
paternal care when the affliction left her,
and she is now entirely cured.

' * Some months ago I got into some-
what serious trouble with my Bishop,
about a certaic* administrative change in
my parish. It was considered for the
best interests of the parish, and the
people desired it. While yielding en-
tirely to the Bishop, I committed the
matter to the Sacred Heart, whose name
the parish bears. I promised if our
divine Lord would have the matter set-
tled favorabl}T that I would say three
Masses in honor of the Sacred Heart, and
have the matter published in the MKS-
SKNGER. My prayer has just now been
granted."

' ' Being in a serious business trouble,
I made a novena to the Infant Jesus, and
on the ninth day a way was opened to
me by which I was led to make a
settlement. I am a Protestant, but wear
a Sacred Heart Badge, and use a St.
Vincent Manual in my daily devotions.
I was raised a Protestant, and have never
yet come to where I can fully accept the
Catholic faith, but I pray that, if it be for
my eternal welfare. God will lead me
into the light. Pray for me. I ask
you to publish this notice in the MESSEN-
GER."

Thanks are returned for the perfect
restoration to health of an old lady, si xty
eight years of age. She was stricken
with paralysis, and her left side was
completely dead for several days. Three
doctors agreed that there was no hope of
her recovery but that if she should re-
cover, she would be a helpless cripple for
life. Her only child and her whole sup-
port had a novena of M .. — . -

376

her welfare, temporal and eternal. On
the fourth day she was able to move her
hand and foot, which had been para
and she is now perfectly well. Priests.
nuns and doctors, interested in tlu
acknowledged that it was miraculous.

A young man was afflicted with the
most painful trouble in his feet. He
was treated by doctors for nearly four
years, but without benefit, as they de-
clared they were baffled. One said it
was rheumatism, another that the nerves
of the feet were affected, and ordered a
special kind of shoe to be made
vena was made to the Sacred lU-art
through the intercession of Our Lady of
Perpetual Help, publication was prom-
ised, and the young man joined the
League. He now records his thanks.

A man had not practised his re
in over forty years, and was a constant
source of anxiety to his family. Nvve-
nas were being made for him continually,
but seemingly to no effect, as he would
become exasperated whenever religion
was mentioned, so that they had
sist. A few weeks ago he fell fatally ill.
and lay unconscious for some days One
of his daughters is a religions a:
her community to join her in a novi-na.
and had nine Masses offered for him.
His consciousness and speech were re-
stored, he asked for the priest, and re-
ceived the last sacraments on the First
Friday .

A man was married to a Protestant by
a minister, and had his first child bap-
tized by a Protestant. He even attempt-
ed to induce his younger brother and
one of his sisters to give up their religion;
and the}- both became indifferent v
lies. Their mother's pious death made
an impression on them; the daughter at
once attended to her duties, and tl (
brother promised to reform, but d<
doing so. Some time after, the elder sis-
ter, always a devout Catholic, h
to let her be godmother to his IK
son. To this he consented, and she in-
duced him to take the child himse' :"
church. Later on he met some iv.
ers from his old college and tlu
suaded him to make the mission. He

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

37Y

lid so and approached the saeraments,
ic first time in seventeen years ! He is

io\v interested in converting his wife.

A Promoter acknowledges two great
favors grunted. One was the conversion
of her grandmother at the age of eighty-
nine years. The old lady always had
great respect for the priest and many
things about our holy religion, but it
seemed as though she could not make
up her mind to become a Catholic.
Last June, when she took to her bed,
she was glad to have the Father come.
At first he had little hopes ; but when
lie had been coming for nearly a week,
he said that we should be prepared, as he
would bring her First Communion on the
next Saturday. He brings her commun-
ion every two weeks since then, and it is
surprising with what devotion she re-
eei ves our Lord. The second favor was the
answer to a petition that has been prayed
for over two years, besides having Masses
said for that intention. It was at last
obtained by making the nine First Fri-
days, and invoking Our Lady of the
Sacred Heart.

•tual Favors. — Several religious
vocations; marked improvement in per-
sons recommended to the prayers of the
Apostleship; relief from scrupulosity; a
father's consent to his daughter enter-
ing a convent, although he had persisted
in refusing for two years; a young man
approached the sacraments after neglect
of fifteen months; another after two
return of a man after thirteen
years of neglect; of a woman after fifteen
years; of another woman after more than
thirty years; return of two brothers who
have stayed away from the sacraments
for many years; conversion of an obsti-
nate sinner; perseverance of one in a
virtuous life; conversion of a husband
when very ill, he received the last sacra-
ments with great fervor; many other re-
turns to duties; many became temperate;
reconciliation of parties who had given
great scandal; restoration of peace be-
tween some members of a family and
thereby averting serious scandal; and
many other graces not specified.

Temporal Favors: — A cure of deafness,
which had resisted all the efforts of doc-
tors for fifteen years at great expense; a
novena to the Sacred Heart was made
and a Mass of thanksgiving was offered.
Speedy relief from pain in the arm;
almost immediate cure of sore eyes of a
seminarist; restoration of reason to an
insane woman who had to be put in an

asylum; cure of a child from epilepsy;
recovery of a mother and brother danger-
ously ill; cure of a sudden attack of
sickness; instant relief from a severe
cough, upon promising publication if the
favor were granted; disappearance of
severe pains that seemed to indicate
pneumonia, upon invoking Ven. de la
Colombiere; immediate and permanent
cure, through a novena, of a man who
suffered agonies for nine years from
neuralgia of the stomach, which doctors
could not relieve; cure of a child suflfer-
from a terrible kidney disease; recovery
from a complicated case of grippe; relief
from pain in the eyes; cessation of what
had been a chronic discharge from the
ear for ten years; safety of a mother and
infant deprived of human assistance;
recovery of a man in danger of losing
his reason through nervousness; cure of
a person threatened with consumption;
a cure of severe headaches; disappearance
of symptoms of the growth of a tumor,
after one had been removed; sucress of
several serious surgical operations;
deliverance from an annoying and per-
haps serious throat trouble; removal of
a skin disease of three years' standing,
and restoration to perfect health of mind
and body, through the thirty days'
prayer and the nine First Fridays.

The obtaining of pupils by one who
was the support of her family; pre-
vention of the threatened loss of a
father's position; several lost articles
found; renting of rooms as soon as the
intention was put in the intention box;
position as a school teacher; the obtain-
ing of a situation that seemed almost
impossible; a money matter settled with-
out scandal; relief of a person in great
need; prosperity in business, upon
recommending to the prayers of the
Apostleship, though, at the same time,
it was thought that the firm would fail
within three months; a house was de-
stroyed by fire, the only piece of furni-
ture spared was a bureau in which
was a painted picture of the Sacred
Heart; the owner begged the firemen
to look for her picture, and it was
found in the only drawer untouched,
everything else was charred; preser-
vation of a foot, burned by boiling metal
being thrown over it, and which the
doctor thought would have to be ampu-
tated; cure of a man's arm, through
which a burning wire passed, while he
was working in a mill, and which caused
the rottening of the bone, the doctor
feared that amputation would be neces-

378

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

(122)

sary; release of a young man unjustly
accused; restoration of peace in a family;
news from a brother who had not written
for a long time; aposition obtained after
a year's idleness; means to meet the
payment of a mortgage through a
novena, the money was got where it was
least expected; money and clothing for a
family in great need; success of many
in their work; successful examinations;
amicable settlement of a threatened law-
suit; means to pay pressing debts in
several cases; many positions obtained;
various other favors not specified.

Favors through the Badge and Promot-
er's Cross: — A young girl was ill with
scarlet fever, a Badge was put on her, a
novena begun, and in a few days she
was convalescent ; a similar favor was
obtained for a fellow pupil at death's
door with pneumonia ; cure of a little
girl ill with diphtheria, and given up by
the doctor ; cure of another child, the
Badge and Lourdes ' water being used in
these cases ; great relief from rheumatic
pains ; a man, suddenly rendered help-
less through intense pain, was speedily
helped by applying the Badge ; immedi-
ate cessation of neuralgic pain in the
chest ; several restorations to health ; re-
lief from fluttering of the heart; cure
of two children of bronchial trouble ;
immediate relief from pleurisy wheri
remedies failed ; cure of liver disease,
when the doctors gave no hope and the
patient had heen prepared for death ;
cessation of headache by applying the
Promoter's Cross ; a cure without an
operation, which had been deemed neces-
sary ; instant relief of terrible pain in
the side ; favorable turn in a case of ap-
pendicitis, by applying the Badge and
invoking Ven. de la Colombiere ; recov-
ery of a child from scarlet fever, and the
preservation of its little brother from
catching the disease.

While lifting a piece of furniture, an
Associate sprained her back so that after
a few hours she could scarcely move.

When put to bed, some one suggested to
place the Badge over the sprain, and
asked : ' ' What do you request ? ' ' The
patient replied : ' ' That I may assist at
Mass and receive Holy Communion in
the morning. " The next morning she
was well, and obtained her request.

An alarming symptom of throat affec-
tion suddenly disappeared upon the ap-
plication of the Badge. The patient at
the time was a non-Catholic, but has
since embraced the faith,

We record the return to her religious
duties of a mother after twenty years of
neglect. The occasion was the illness
of her four children. The oldest, who
had been baptized when an infant, died
without the priest being called to assist
her. The mother and the other children
went to a Sisters' Hospital. Another
child was given up by the consulting
doctors. A Badge was put on him ; he
made his First Confession and Commun-
ion, and was cured, to the surprise of an
infidel doctor and the boy's Protestant
father, who both admitted that the cure
was miraculous, as it was beyond human
skill or power. Another of the children
is being instructed, and the mother has
become a practical Catholic.

OBITUARY.

Sisters Mary Seraphim and Mary Lo-
retta, of the Sisters of Charity, Leaven-
worth, Kansas ; Mrs. Kate Fahy, Phila-
delphia, Pa. ; Miss Mary McGarvey, St.
Patrick's Centre, Newburgh, N. Y. ;
Miss Mary Manning and Miss Lizzie
Donovan, Centre of Our Lady of Mercy,
Philadelphia, Pa.; Brother Philip Cas-
sidy, O.S.B., Archabbey, Beatty, Pa.;
Miss Elizabeth J. Daly, St. Francis'
Centre, San Francisco, Cal.; Mrs. Mary
Quinn, St. Joseph's Hospital, Lexington,
Ky.; Margaret Mary Jordan, Woodbury,
N. J.; Mrs. Michael Morissey, Philips-
burgh, N. J.; Catharine Maguire and
Henry Miller, Philadelphia, Pa.; Rev.
W. J. Corcoran, St. Vincent's Church,
South Boston, Mass.

BtREADER-

ISS MARY J. ONAHAN writes
on Nuns in Novels for the
Catholic Citizen of Milwaukee.
She deals especially with two writers :
James Lane Allen and Marion Crawford,
and justly calls them to account for their
misrepresentations. All such stories have
one characteristic in common— they fail
to portray the truth. The grave error
of such novelists is the entire fail-
ure to grasp the true spirit of convent
life. Nuns there may be who have lost
their vocation, but this was the falling
away from an ideal which they once had.
The heroines of such novelists seem
never to have had an ideal at all. More-
over, the situations depicted are impos-
sible. Discipline exists in convents, and
Carmelite nuns do not stray abroad at
midnight ; or, for that matter, at any
hour of the day or night, being perpet-
ually enclosed. In some of these novels
punishment overtakes the guilty nun
heroine, but that does not atone for the
false impression left on the mind of the
public that this is a true picture of every
day convent life. Truth demands a rep-
resentation of real religious life ; and, if
the heroine is a scapegrace she must be
depicted as such, an exception and a dis-
grace which would throw out into clearer
light the grandeur and beauty of lives
hidden in God.

The trustees of the Newark (N. J )
Public Library have taken a step which
must commend itself to all right thinkers.
They have decided unanimously to drop
their subscription, and refuse admission
to two New York papers, which are
samples of the new realistic journalism.
As they represent two political parties
the move cannot be ascribed to politics.
The sole motive of this unanimous action
is, as one of the trustees declares, the
impropriety of young people who fre-
quent the Library, not only reading the
most minute descriptions of foul crimes,
but also seeing them depicted in the
most shameless manner. As he well

(123)

remarks : ' ' What notions must a child
get from seeing illustrations of the most
successful methods of suicide, or the
quickest and most satisfactory way to
kill a human being? What notions
must our young men and women get of
the sacredness of the marriage contract
when actions for divorce are told in
detail?" Unfortunately, the evil is not
to be ascribed wholty to the unscrupu-
lousness of the journalist, but in great
measure to the pruriency of the. public
who support such sheets, and, funda-
mentally, to self-constituted reformers
of God's Church and His unchangeable
code of morality. However, the action
of the trustees of the Newark Public
Library is most commendable and iniita-
ble, yet they should not stop at news-
papeis but ostracize and eliminate all
magazines and books which treat in a
SMnpathetic, if not admiring, tone those
who defy the laws of propriety and
decenc}7.

* # #

Readers of modern literature, whether
in the form of book, magazine, or paper,
must be impressed with the tendency to
depict in no uncertain terms the crimes
to which our times are so given. This
seems to be all-pervading and is not re-
stricted, as in times past, to certain fla-
grantly sensational and off-color publica-
tions. A masterly refutation of the com-
mon extenuating argument is attributed
to Archbishop Elder. When His Grace
was asked by a reporter, what would be
the first thing he would do if elected
Mayor of Cincinnati. He said :

"I would try to close the saloons on
Sunda}^ and abolish the immoral theat-
rical posters, both of which are a disgrace
to the community.

" Another thing I would endeavor to
accomplish would be to stop, if possible,
the sensational publication of criminal
and other disgraceful and disgusting
trials. It is the greatest evil with which
we have to contend. Familiarity with
crime in its details may be divided into

379

380

BOOK NOTICES.

(124>

three stages. First it is endured,
then pitied, then embraced.

"The argument that exposure is greatly
dreaded and acts as a restraint on crime
is weak. Those who dread such exposures
are the very ones who may be redeemed,
and, if exposed, grow hardened, and when
hardened, desire notoriety."

Facts prove the truth of the Archbish-
op's statement. Moreover, many a
criminal is made by reading the account
of the crimes of others. Such evil exam-
ples suggest imitation. Many instances
might be mentioned. We shall give one
instance only, that of the derailing of a
train a year ago by a gang of boys. It
suggested the idea to others all over the
country, who accounted the young ruf-
fians to be heroes and who were tempted,
and attempted to imitate them and get
their names in the paper. No, exposure
of a crime, in too many cases, acts not as
a deterrent but rather as an incentive,
and is a menace to society.

The robustness of the faith of the late
Coventry Patmore is proven by a holo-
caust which he made of prose work, en-
titled Sponsa Dei. He had intended that
it should appear only after his death,
and so had instructed his friend Edmund
Gosse to issue it at a certain time after
the author's decease. The manuscript
was probably completed in 1883. Five
years later, Mr. Gosse was a guest of
Mr. Patmore at Hastings. One morning,
the author remarked " abruptly, almost
hysterically : You won't have much to
do as my literary executor ! " and then
proceeded to announce that he had
" burned the entire manuscript of

Sponsa Dei on the previous Christ-
mas day. " "I asked him, ' ' relates Mr.
Gosse, "if he seriously meant what he
had stated. He replied yes, that it was
all destroyed, every scrap of it, every note,
except one page, which he had published
in 1887 in \hzSt.James" Gazette. He had
come to the conclusion that, although
wholly orthodox and proceeding no
further than the Bible and the Breviary
permitted, the world was not ready for
so mystical an interpretation of the sig-
nificance of physical love in religion, and
that some parts of the book were too dar-
ing to be safely placed in all hands."
Mr. Gosse, who was familiar with the
work, speaks of it as a " vanished mas-
terpiece, not very long, but polished and
modulated to the highest degree of per-
fection. No existing specimen of Pat-
more 's prose seems to me so delicate or
penetrated by quite so high a charm of
style as this lost book was." . . . "The
subject of it was certainly surprising.
It was not more nor less than an inter-
pretation of the love between the soul
and God by an analogy of the love be-
tween a woman and a man. "

As the public at large has not ' ' the
purity and crystalline passion which
carried the writer safely over the most
astounding difficulties," according to-
Mr. Gosse, we honor the heroic sacri-
fice of Mr. Patmore, who, for conscience
sake, lest any of the little ones of Christ
might therefrom take harm, offered to-
God a most fragrant and precious holo-
caust in the burning of the Sponsa Dei,
" which involved a distinct loss to litera-
ture," if that can be called loss, which
is a distinct gain to the glory of God'
and the good of souls.

BOOK NOTICES.

Thoughts for all Times. By the Rt.
Rev. Mgr. John S. Vaughan. With a
Preface by the Rt. Rev. J. C. Hedley,
D.D., O.S.B., Bishop of Newport. West-
minster: Roxburghe Press. New York:
Benziger Brothers. 8vo. Pages x and
385. Price $1.50.

This handsome volume is made up of
about a score of well written essays on
important theological and philosophical
themes, mostly reprints of different pub-
lications by the author. Such subjects
as the " Nature, " " Love " and "Wis-
dom" of God, the " Blessed Trinity, "

the " Riddle of Human Life, " " Man,
a Microcosm, " " Heroes, True and False. "
' ' Vivisection, " and so forth, are treated
in a popular and interesting style, and,
at the same time, with sufficient scientific
accuracy. The author follows a middle
course between the strictly doctrinal and
ascetic treatment. All direct appeal to
sentiment is avoided. The truths are
allowed to commend themselves to mind
and heart by their own light and loveli-
ness. While these essays afford interest-
ing reading to all intelligent Catholics
and Protestants, they will prove very

.'(125)

BOOK NOTICES.

381

serviceable to the pulpit orator, inasmuch

as they offer him a rich mine of thought

and illustration, leaving him perfect free- missions.

dom for oratorical development.

inseparable companion of every parent.
It is an excellent book lo distribute at

Logic and Metaphysics. By Rev. Louis,
Jouin, S.J. Fordham, N. Y. City: St.
John's College. i2mo. Pages 263 and
ix. Price $1.00.

The veteran professor of philosophy at
Fordham College has conferred a real
benefit on the .students and professors of
American Colleges by publishing this ex-
•cellent little handbook. Father Jouin has
been long and favorably known to the
public as the author of the popular text-
book of Evidences of Religion and a
Latin handbook of Moral Philosophy,
both of which have been widely adopted
in our colleges. Few men are better
•qualified to write a college text -book.
A convert to the faith in his early
3'outh, and an exile from the land
of his birth, bringing with him a thor-
ough knowledge of the languages and
literatures of Europe (including the
Slav languages) he has devoted himself
for nearly half a century to college work,
mostly as professor of Philosophy, in the
colleges of his Order.

This text-book, like his other works,
is remarkable for accuracy of doctrine,
clearness, brevity and systematic ar-
rangement. It is only a master who
could condense so much matter in such
small compass, without becoming ob-
scure. The book furnishes a complete
outline of the extensive subject without
overtaxing the student's mind, and leav-
ing the teacher sufficient room for orig-
inal exposition and development. We
doubt not but Father Jouin 's work is
destined to become a favorite text-book
in our colleges. A copious alphabetical
• index adds to its practical usefulness.
We miss a table of contents which would
serve much to bring out the connection
between the various parts.

Popular Instructions to Parents in the

Bringing up of Children. By Very Rev.
Ferriol Girardey, C.SS.R., New York:
Benziger Brothers. 1897. 321110. Pages
202. Price 35 cents.

This little book is a fitting supplement
to the author's recent work entitled
Popular Instructions on Marriage which
has been deservedly received with much
favor. The present volume is truly
popular, instructive, and devout and is
sure to bring a blessing to every house-
hold, which it enters. It should be the

Cochem's Life of Christ. Adapted by
Rev. Bonaventure Hammer, O.S.F. New
York: Benziger Brothers. 1897. 8vo.
Pages 314. Price $1.25.

This volume is an abridgment and re-
arrangement of the best and most popu-
lar work of the distinguished seven-
teenth century Capuchin, Father Martin,
called from his birthplace in Germany,
von Cochem. Father Bonaventure has
done his part remarkably well, and puts
within reach of an English reading pub-
lic an excellent devotional life of Christ.
Some beautiful illustrations adorn the
book.

Flora, the Koinan Martyr. London :
Burns & Gates. New York : Benziger
Bro.thers. 1896. 8vo. Pages 496. Price
$1.60.

As the preface states, this is tr.e third
edition of a book written during a visit
to the Eternal City many years ago, with
a view of recording the impressions of
devotion gathered at many a Roman
shrine. This latest edition is presented
as a grateful acknowledgment for the
great favor the book has received at the
hands of the public, not only in England,
but abroad. The proceeds of this little
work are destined to relieve the nuns of
Italy, ruthlessly torn from their convent
homes, and oftentimes left without any
shelter, or at best, having the most mea-
gre means of support. The excellence
of the book is proved by its successive
editions and its translation into French,
German and Italian.

Pius the Seventh. By Mary H. Allies.
London: Burns & Gates. New York:
Benziger Brothers. 1897. 8vo. Pages
310.

Miss Allies has written an extremely
interesting life of a most eventful sover-
eign pontificate. The exorbitant and
unscrupulous ambition of the Corsican
Pretender to universal empire are well
shown in his correspondence with, and
treatment of, the saintly pontiff, whom
Napoleon sought to make the first vassal
of his throne. The magnanimity of the
pope as contrasted with the egotism of
the adventurer are well depicted. The
sudden reversal of positions in the res-
toration of Pius to his sovereign
dignity and the deposition of Napoleon,
offers a striking climax in two fateful
lives.

382

BOOK NOTICES.

(126)

Pray for Us! By A. Sewell. London:
Burns & Gates. New York: Ben-
ziger Brothers. Pages 88

The sub-title, Little Chap lets for the
Saints, explains the design of the book,
which is to provide short and suitable
devotions for novenas and triduums now
so much in vogue. As the compiler
states, "most of the prayers are original
translations, and with very few excep-
tions, are not found in English man-
uals of prayer. ' ' We admit this last and
regret that the beautiful collects of the
Church were not adopted. Another
desideratum is a table of contents.
However the little book will find many
to welcome it, as it helps to supply a
long felt need.

Manual of the Forty Hours' Adoration

New York: The American Ecclesiastical
Review Co., 1896. Pages 32.

This is a most useful handbook for the
clergy, as it gives all the instructions
necessary for carrying out correctly
this popular devotion, and contains the
Litany and prayers to be used, printed
in large readable type.

Catholic Ceremonies. From the
French of the Abbe Durand. New
York: Benziger Brothers. 1896. Pages
283. Price 50 cents.

This is an excellent Manual, giving a
short and clear explanation of the Church
liturgy and offices, its ceremonies, sym-
bolism, vestments and ornaments. The
illustrations, ninety-six in number, con-
vey important object lessons of, we may
say, everything connected with exterior
worship, A study of this book would
help Catholics to assist at devoutly,
and explain intelligently, the services of
the Church.

The Philosophy of Literature. By
Conde H. Fallen, PhD., LL.D. St.
Louis : B. Herder. 1897. Pages 184.
Price 75 cents.

Dr. Fallen presents in this well printed
and attractive volume five essays in lec-
ture form. The thesis is a noble one,
which must commend itself to all who
realize that Christ is not only the Light
of the World, but also the focus in which
all rays of true created light meet.
Hence the author well states : " It is in
the Philosophy of the Incarnation that
we must look for the philosophy of
literature. By the Light of the Eternal
Word made manifest to men in the flesh
is human life solved and harmonized.

As literature is but a reflex of life, it is
only in the same Eternal Word that its
meaning may be read aright and its final
significance interpreted." Dr. Fallen
handles his theme in a masterly way,
from his first enunciation that : ' ' Liter-
ature is the written expression of man 's
various relations to the universe and its
creator, " to the closing one : "Truth in
the word by virtue of truth in things ;
truth in the visible universe by the
power of the Eternal Word, who is the
Eternal Truth of the Eternal Life."

Sacred Heart Bannerettes. We have
received some beautiful Bannerettes of
the Sacred Heart, made of watersatin,
bearing the motto, Thy Kingdom Come,
in gilt letters, surmounted by the Heart
and Thorns, neatly done in red and
brown, with an aureola in golden yellow.
The larger size, hanging from brass bar
and chain, is 11x9 inches for $1.50, the
smaller with ivory bar and silk cord,
7XX5 inches, for seventy-five cents. Ad-
dress, Miss Edwards, 393 Clermont
Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.

Mirli's King and the Mysterious
Shrieks. By Margaret E. Merriman.
London: Catholic Truth Society. 1896.
i2mo. Pages 165. Price is.

This little volume contains two inter-
esting and well-told stories. The hero-
ine of the first is a plain, good-natured
and generous Swiss village girl, whose
character is delineated in a very life-like
manner. Incidents, scenery and sur-
roundings generally are true to nature,
and present a very fair picture of Swiss
peasant life. The second story, taken
from English life, is equally interesting.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

My Crucifix and Other Verses. By

Caroline Harris Gallagher. Baltimore :
Gallery & McCann. 1896.

Report. America's Relief Expedition
to Asia Minor under the Red Cross.
Washington, D.C. 1896.

Annual of the League of the Sacred
Heart. St. Francis Xavier's Church,
New York City. 1896-1897.

Imitation of the Most Blessed Virgin.

From the French by Mrs. A. R. Bennett-
Gladstone. New York : Benziger Bros.
1897.

Devotion to St. Anthony of Padua. By
Rev. J B. Manley. Baltimore: Gallery
& McCann. 1896.

RECENT AGGREGATIONS AND PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

The following Local Centre'; have received Diplomas of Aggregation, February i to 28, 1897.

Diocese.

i lace.

LOCH! Centre

Date

Buffalo, N. Y

St. Marv's School

Feb. 17

Bunaio .

St. Raphael's Ch., St.Mar\ 's Academy

Feb. 27

t< 1 1

Sac. Heart Ch., Mt. St. Mary's

Feb! 27

Cl veland ! ! . !

Cleveland O

St. John's Hospital

Feb. 10

Covington

Verona, Ky

St. Patrick's Church

Feb. 27

Cascade, la

St. Marten's "

Feb. 3

Cherry Mound. la

vSt. Pius' "

Feb. 6

Erie
Grand Rapids
Kansas City, Kans
La Crosse

Johnsonburg, Pa
Big Rapids, Mich
Clay Centre, Kan
Reedsburg, Wis

Most Holy Rosary "
Mercy Convent
SS. Peter and Paul's .... Church
Sacred Heart . '•

Feb. 20
Feb. 3
Feb. 27
Feb. 15

Monterey and Los Angeles
Natchitoches
New Orleans
New York

Fresno, Cal
Na chitochts, La. . .
New Orleans, La. . . .
Mt. Vernon, N. Y

St. John's "
Immaculate Conception . Cathedral
St. Joseph's Ch., Newsboys' Home
Immaculate Conception . . . Church

Feb. 19
Feb. 14
Feb. 20

Feb <5

Philadelphia

Cheltenham, Pa

Presentation B. V. M

Feb 9

Pittsburg
Wheeling

Leisenring, Pa
Ronceverte, W. Va

St. Vincent de Paul's .... "
St. Catharine's. . .

Feb. 8
Feb. 20

Aggregations, 18 ; churches, 12; chapels, 3; convent, i; school, i; institution, i.
Promoters' Diplomas and Crosses have been sent to the following Local Centres, February i to 28, 1897.

=^=—

Flan-.

Local Centre.

Number.

Albany
Alton . .
Baltimore

Troy, N. Y
Quincy, 111
Baltimore, Md. . . .
Washington, D. C
Westminster. Md

St. Joseph's

St. Francis Solanus .
St. John's
St. Augustine's
St. John's
Woodstock

. . College 4
. . Church 20

. . " i

Belleville

Woodstock Md
Waterloo Ills

SS. Peter and Paul's ....
Immaculate Conception . .
St. Mary's
Immaculate Conception . .
St. Ann's
Holy Name . .
Immaculate Conception . .
St. Patrick's
LaSalle
St. Joseph's
Sacred Heart
St. John's

. . Church 6
. . " 12

• 2
I

. . 6
. Cathedral 10
. Church i
. . 8
. . Study 33
. . Convent i
Church 5

Salem, Mass .
Corning, N. Y
East Aurora, N. Y
Hornellsville, "
Chicago, 111
Cleveland O

Buffalo

Chicago
Cleveland

Davenport
Denver
Detroit
Duluth
Grand Rapids ....
Green Bay
Helena
Kansas City, Kans. .

Little Rock . .
Louisville
Marquette
Milwaukee

Monterey and Los j
Angeles. . . J
Nesqually

New York '. . . '. '. '.

Salineville, O
Toledo, O
Ottumwa, Iowa ......
Denver, Colo
Monroe, Mich

Duluth, Minn
Parnell, Mich
Keshena. Wis. . . ...
Missoula, Mont
Burlington Kans

St. Clement's . . ,

. Prior v

St. Patrick's Church 14
St. Joseph's ..... Industrial School i
St. Francis Xavier's Church i

SS. Peter and Paul's " 5
Sacred Heart •' T

Clay Center, Kans
Kansas City, Kan-;. . .
Leaven worth, "
Paola, Kans. ... ; . .
Pocahontas, Ark
Louisville, Ky
Marquette, Mich

Mt. St. Mary's ...
Holy Trinity
St. Paul's
St. Benedict's
St. Peter's

. . I
. . I

. . " I
. . Academy 2
. Cathedral 2
Church 2
. - " 2
. . 6
. . i
. . i

Gesii
St. Rose's
St. Bridget's
Our Lady of Angels
St. Aloysius

Hanford, Cal
Los Angeles, Cal
Spokane, Wash
Walla Walla, Wash
Mt. Vernon, NY
New York, N. Y. . . .

St. Patrick's
Sacred Heart
St. Anthony's
St. Augustine's
St. Ignatius Loyola . . . .
St. Jerome's

• • " 3

• • 4

. . " 2
. . I

Philadelphia . .
Pittsburg ...'.'.'.'.

St. Monica's

»3

Our Lady of Good Counsel .
St. Mary Magda' en's . . . .
St. Joseph's

• • 3
• • 7
. . i

Lost Creek, Pa . .

Philadelphia, Pa
Pittsburg Pa •

St. Joseph's
Our Lady of Visitation . . .
St. Mary's . . . .
St. Mary's
St Bernard's

. . Convent 5
, . Church ioo
• - 5
114

Providence
Sacramento . . ...

St. Joseph . .' '..'.''. ',
St. Louis . . . .'[.'.

Mansfield Mass
Eureka, Cal
Marysville, Cal
St. Joseph, Mo

Notre Dame

Colleere i

St. Mary's

. . Church 4
. . Cathedral 13
. Monastery i
. . Church 3

• • 9
. . Convent i
. . Church i
. . 30

St. Joseph's
Our Lady of Good Counsel .
St. Charles
Holy Name
Visitation ...
St. Francis Xavier's ...
St. Joseph's

Normandy "

St Charles "

St. Louis, Mo

Florissant, Mo

St. Ferdinand's

• • 3

Total number of Receptions, 60.

(127)

Number of Diplomas, 588.
3S3

CALENDAR OF INTENTIONS, APRIL, 1897.

THE MORNING OFFERING.

O Jesus, through the immaculate heart of Mary, 1 offer Thee the prayers, works, and sufferings of this
day for all the intentions of Thy divine Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and in par-
ticular for more interest in the I/ives of the Saints, for the intentions of the Apostleship throughout
the world, and for these particular intentions recommended by the American Associates.

Th.
S.

St. Hugh, Bp., (1142).— H.H.
First Friday.— Most Precious
A.C.
St. Benedict the Moor (589).

Blood.— ist D.,

Respect innocence.
Pray for sinners.

Prav for colored race.

T97-9^5 thanksgivings.
52,278 in affliction.

55,048 sick, infirm.

4 { S. Passion Sunday.

Sorrow for sin.

67,870 dead Associates.

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39,021 reconciliations.

St. Justin Martyr (167). ;<>

Defend the Faith.

104,142 work, means.

I c

Th.

Maundy Thursday. — A.C., B.M., H.H

Devotion to Mass.

87,705 clergy.

1 j

Good Friday. ^

Die to the world.

170,650 religious.

Holy Saturday. ;<>

Silence.

56,541 seminarists, novices.

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Joy with Christ risen.

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^/.

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37,293 superiors.

Th.

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Fidelity to promises.

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Spirit of prayer.

190,284 sinners.

Af.

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110,381 intemperate.

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St. Paul of the Cross. F. (Passionists, 1775.)

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95,420 temporal favors.

2 Q

Th.

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3°

St. Catharine of Sienna, V. (O.S.D , 1380).
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MESSENGER readers.

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TREASURY OF GOOD WORKS.
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3-
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708,317
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• • • 3,570,982
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10.

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Special Thanksgivings, 1,229; Total, 6,396,149.

^ t Intf "tion!? °r G°od Works put in the box, or given on lists to Promoters before their meeting, on or
before the last Sunday, are sent by Directors to be recommended in our Calendar, MESSENGER n our
Masses here, at the General Direction in Toulouse and Lourdes

384

(128)

EASTER SONG.
By F. J. McNiff, SJ.

rSTCLOUD and storm, and night on all the land,
Moan of the waters, and flash of lightning brand ;
Seaweed and wrecks along the beaten strand.

Sunshine and calm, and faded is the night,

And all the sea is golden, and all the land is light ; *

And in the sky a rainbow, and all the world is bright.

All hail ! Blessed Sun, whose glory withereth
The old fruits of Sin. The old wound of Death
Is healed once again, and Jesus conquereth.

Joyfully carol a hymn of triumphing.
Passed are the old days, and Christ will be our King !
" O grave, where is thy victory ; O death, where is thy sting ? "

*%S'l"*%£

THE RESURRECTION.

(Fra Bartolommeo. )

THE WESSENGEI^

OP THE

SACKED HEART OF JESUS

VOL. xxxii.

MAY, 1897.

No. 5.

JEANNE D'ARC.

FROM CHINON TO RHEIMS.

By John A, Mooney, LL.D.
(Continued.}

JEANNE the Maid, could she have had
her way, would have met Charles
VII. within an hour after her arrival at
Chinon. Imagine then how impatiently
she waited, during a whole fortnight,
while the royal Council debated whether
she should be admitted to the king's
presence. Doubts were expressed as to
the girl's sanity, and as to the saintliness
of her inspiration. De Beaudricourt, was
not alone in thinking that her prompter
might be the devil. A committee of
ecclesiastics was appointed to test her.
Having done so, with much formality
and caution, and being favorably affected
by her manner and speech, they advised
the king to grant the girl an audience.

Into the grand hall of the castle, where
a crowd of courtiers had assembled, the
peasant of Domremy was led, on the
night of March 10, 1429. Purposely,
the king bore no mark of royalty ; still
the Maid, who now saw him for the first
time, picked him out at once, saluting
him with the words : ' ' God give you
good life, gentle prince." "What is
your name ? " Charles asked. " Gentle
dauphin," she replied, "my name is

•Copyright, 1896, by APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER.

Jeanne the Maid, and by me the King of
Heaven sends word that you shall be
anointed and crowned at Rheims, and
that you shall be lieutenant of the King
of Heaven, who is King of France."
Then she gave a proof that wrhen she
wrote to Charles of " the many excellent
things she had to tell him," her words
were not boastful. "I say to you, on
the part of my Lord," said she, "that
you are the true heir of France, and the
son of the King. I am sent to you to
conduct you to Rheims, in order that
there you may be anointed, and crowned,
if you so will. "

Why should this peasant girl publicly
assure Charles that he was the legitimate
son of the late king ? How could she
know of the tormenting doubt locked up
within the heart of Charles, and dis-
closed by him to God alone ? All the
secrets of which she had knowledge,
Jeanne did not reveal at this first inter-
view. A few days later, in the presence
of Charles and of four of his confidants,
having first sworn the latter to secrecy,
she related that, on the first day of No-
vember, 1423, in the royal chapel at

387

388

JEANNE D'ARC.

Loches, Charles had begged God to free
his soul of the doubt of his legitimacy.
Unless a messenger from God had dis-
closed this fact — for it was a fact — to
Jeanne, she could have known nothing
of it. If Charles desired a sign proving
the Maid's heavenly mission, he had at
least one.

Whatever the king's conviction, the
royal Council still doubted. A second <
commission of ecclesiastics was ap-
pointed to question the girl, and a
deputation of Friars Minor was des-
patched to Domremy, to inquire about
her family, habits and reputation.
Though the reports of both the friars
and the doctors were favorable, the royal
Council decided to carry her to Poitiers,
where the king's parliament was in ses-
sion There another commission of
theologians, professors, canonists and
lawyers, catechized her and argued with
her, displaying much art, learning and
subtlety, as became men of prudence and
of erudition, not unmixed with vanity.
Members of parliament, courtiers, great
ladies, visited her ; all observing, prob-
ing, and some spying. These official
and private inquisitions ended in a gen-
eral acknowledgment of Jeanne's piety,
virtue, sincerity and intelligence. With-
out pronouncing her mission super-
natural, the theologians, professors, can-
onists and lawyers declared that it was
not impossible that God had sent her; and
that, considering the alarming condition
of France, the king not only might, but
should employ her against his enemies.

During the month, and more, that
Jeanne had been questioned, cross-ques-
tioned, sounded and curiously inspected,
her heart was strained almost to break-
ing ; nor could she help resenting a
method that seemed to her witless, if not
absurd. There was she, sent by God,
vowed to Him — she who had left a dear
mother, a good father, brothers, a sister,
loved companions, the garden, the sheep,
the fireside, home and her cherished
shrines ; she, a Maid, who — having
doffed maiden attire — donned armor,

and risked a long and dangerous journey
among men, among enemies — was eager
to rescue the city of Orleans, to crown a
king, to save France, and yet, instead of
accepting her promptly, instead of fol-
lowing her lead and fighting the Eng-
lish, not a man had sense enough to do
more than ply her with interrogatories,
just as if she were trying for a univer-
, sity degree ! She wept often, but it was
when alone, kneeling before God. Fac-
ing men she was calm, firm, fearless.
Through prayer, she knew that God
was with her ; and that, therefore, she
could not be overmatched.

Assuming that Jeanne had no special
aid from heaven, one could not help
attributing to her rare gifts of mind.
She was quick of understanding, far-
sighted, ready of speech, direct, witty.
The bachelors of law, the licentiates in
theology, who were tempted to be smart
at her expense, regretted, with reason,
their callow impertinence. For hours
at a sitting, solemn, dull clerics, bored
her with questions as futile as that of
Master Peter, who, though her faith in
God was constantly expressed, asked
her: " Do you believe in God ? " Natur-
ally, the more he reflected upon her
answer: " Better than you, " the more he
doubted her mission. "You say, "-
thus another learned ecclesiastic tried
her — "You say that you have had a
revelation that God desires to deliver the
people of France from the evils that
oppress them. If God so desires, being
all-powerful, He has no need of the aid
of men-at-arms." One can see the
Maid's pitying look, as she answered:
"In God's name the men-at-arms will
fight, and God will give the victory. >r
Once, aweary of their prosy inquiries,
she exclaimed: "I don't know A from B;
but I am sent by God to raise the siege
of Orleans and to conduct the king to
Rheims, in order that there he may be
anointed and crowned."

In this answer, according to the books,
she spoke of Charles as "the king"; but
such was not her custom. Generally,

389

THE MAID ENTERS ORLEANS.

she named him, "the dauphin," a title
applied, at the time, to the heir to the
French throne As we have already
seen, in 1422, six days after his father's
death, Charles had assumed the title
7 king. Neither he, nor any of those
who met Jeanne could help noting that

she spoke of Charles as if he were, in
1429, no more than an heir expectant.
They may have thought her ignorant of
the meaning of the term she commonly
used, but she disabused them. ' ' Why do
you call the king dauphin and not king? "
she was asked at Poitiers. "I will not

390

JEANNE D'ARC.

call him king" she replied, "until after
he has been anointed and crowned at
Rheims, whither I have a mission to con-
duct him. ' ' There is a whole treatise on
kingly government in Jeanne's speeches.
Would that kings and peoples had
learned from them! The King of Heaven
is indeed the sovereign of every land.
The Christian who would be a lieutenant
of the King of Heaven, should bear the
King's sign on his forehead, before wear-
ing a bauble crown. The gift of the
King of kings, freely given, He may, at
will, withdraw. What kings may lose,
peop'es may lose. The proud He puts
down; the humble He uplifts.

At Poitiers, as at Chinon and at Vau-
couleurs, the people had not waited for
the decision of Council or commission.
They saw and noted the girl ; devout,
prudent, frank, great-hearted, showing
more spirit than king or courtier. That
she was heaven-sent they doubted not.
When the royal Council recommended
that Jeanne the Maid should be put in
charge of an army corps, and sent to
Orleans to victual the city and supply
the besieged with arms, there was great
rejoicing. A word had passed around
and Durant Laxart was the authority.
More than a year back, rumor said,
Jeanne had spoken to Durant of an old
prophecy, that he, and all his country-
folk had heard again and again. Its pur-
port was, that the Kingdom of France
should be ruined through a woman, and
then saved by a young girl from Lor-
raine. Through a woman, Isabeau, the
unnatural mother of Charles, had not
the kingdom been ruined ? And Jeanne
the Maid, was not she from Lorraine?
Seventeen is young, and Jeanne was but
seventeen.

From Poitiers they led her to Chinon,
thence to Blois, and finally to Tours,
where she arrived towards the end of
April, 1429. During her stay at Blois,
the king gave her a complete set of
armor, and empowered her to organize a
military staff becoming to a leader. On
this staff she appointed her two younger

brothers, Jean and Pierre d'Arc, \*ho
had affectionately followed her. As her
chaplain she chose Jean Pasquerel, an
Augustinian. Robert de Beaudricourt
had presented her with a sword, when
she set out from Vaucouleurs. At the
suggestion of one of her saints, she put
aside the captain's weapon and used
another in its stead. The village from
which, on the way to Chinon, Jeanne
wrote to the king, was known as Ste.
Catherine de Fierbois, and so it is called
this very day. To the church, founded
by Charles Martel and dedicated to Ste.
Catherine, pious pilgrims were wont to
resort.

Of a morning, while at Tours, Jeanne
summoned a skilful armorer. "Take
this letter," said she, "to the priests
of Ste. Catherine de Fierbois. Follow-
ing my directions, they will find a sword
buried behind the altar. Bring it to
me." The priests had never heard of
the mysterious sword. However, they
upturned the earth back of the altar,
and, wonderful to relate, not far below
the surface discovered a sword. The
weapon was covered with rust. They
cleaned the blade and polished the five
crosses that ornamented the guard.
Then the armorer carried the sword to
Jeanne. Some folk said that Charles
Martel himself had wielded the weapon ;
but Jeanne called it Catharine's sword.
In the Maid's hands we shall see it do
braver work than Charles Martel ever
did, and better work, for, often as she
fought, Jeanne never shed one drop of
human blood.

The battles she was to fight, in the
name of the Lord, the Maid determined
to wage only with the aid of Christian
soldiers. And that no one should doubt
upon whom she depended for victory,
she gave orders for a standard having a
white ground strewn with lilies, and on
this ground a painted image of the God
of Majesty throned on clouds, and bear-
ing in His hand the globe ; beneath,
adoring, were two angels holding lilies.
Inscribed on the standard were the

JEANNE D'ARC.

391

words: "Jesus, Mary." Another and
a smaller standard she also designed.
This one bore a figure of the Blessed
Virgin, to whom an angel offered a lily.
To these Jeanne added a banner upon
which was portrayed an image of Christ
on the Cross.

Though no worse than that of the
fighting men of any prince of the time,
the discipline of the French king's army
was not creditable to a Christian coun-
try Blasphemy, murder, robbery, in-

with to confess to one of the priests at
hand. And with the sword of St. Cath-
arine she performed a glorious deed,
for she drove out of the camp a woman
who was neither the mother, nor wife,
nor child, nor sister, nor relative of any
man there. As the Maid pursued hotly
the blade broke in her hands, but no
sword in so short a time did braver
work than the sword of St. Catharine.
Within a few days Jeanne had a new
army, an army of decent men, all devot-

ORLEANS — MUJKUM JKANNii Ji'AK.C.

cendiarism, even rape, were common
crimes. At Blois, by Jeanne's orders,
every morning and evening the banner
bearing the image of the crucified Christ
was set up in a public place ; and be-
neath the banner Jeanne and her chap-
lain, with the priests of the city, sang
hymns to the Mother of God. And as
the soldiers gathered around the banner
to join in the devotions, the Maid ques-
tioned each one: "Have you confessed?"
If the answer were negative, the Maid
ordered the man to withdraw, or forth-

ed to her, just because, by her example
and teaching, she had helped them to be
Christian.

At length, all things being ready, on
April 27, in the morning, the army
set out from Blois to rescue Orleans.
Preceding Jeanne, who, seated on a
white steed, held aloft proudly the ban-
ner of the God of Majesty, walked the
priests chanting the hymn: "Come,
Holy Ghost,'" A day's march, a night
under the sky, an early reveille, and
marching again till past mid-day, they

392

JEANNE D'ARC.

saw Orleans in the distance. The Bas-
tard of Orleans, with a detachment of
troops, met Jeanne's force. " I bring
you, " said she to him, " the best succor
ever sent to knight or to city, for it is
the succor of the King of Heaven. ' ' The
night was passed inactively, because the
leaders deemed daylight more favorable
to their enterprise. Coming by the left
bank of the Loire, the provisions could
only reach Orleans by means of boats. The
citizens of Orleans made a feint of attack-
ing one of the English forts. The effort
was wasted. Jeanne 's men worked undis-
turbed, and before night- fall of the same
day, the twenty-ninth, Orleans was re-
victualled and reinforced. By the light
of torches, the banner of the God of
Majesty in front, Jeanne entered Orleans
amid the glad welcomes of the inhabit-
ants. Her armor, the trappings of her
horse, they touched reverently, as if she
were a messenger of the Lord. And
she. gentle and grateful, led the way to
the Cathedral, there to thank God for
His favor.

Jeanne marched to Orleans, I said,
along the left bank of the Loire, but the
road was not of her choosing. The king's
officers who accompanied her feared to
risk the road leading along the right
bank, because there the English were in
force. "In the name of God," ex-
claimed Jeanne, "the counsel of my
Lord is surer and wiser than yours."
Where the English were, the Maid would
be. Was not she commissioned by her
Lord to drive them out? Why then
should she fear ? The sooner done, the
better. To save words, she yielded to
the timid, but having entered Orleans,
she was unwilling to let one day pass
without assailing the enemy.

Again the timid opposed. All but
two hundred of her army insisted on re-
turning to Blois. Soon they would
come back, so they promised. Not a
day beyond the first of May would she
wait. The people were ready to follow
her anywhere at any hour. Along the
whole of the right bank of the river she

tested the strength of the English on
two successive days. Early on the morn-
ing, on the fourth of the month, her
Christian soldiers returned from Blois.
Before mid-day they engaged the enemy
and captured one of the strongest of the
English forts. On the sixth, at the
head of four thousand men, she sallied
forth again. Before sun-down two other
forts had fallen. At night, the English
burned a third which they dare not de-
fend. After Mass, on the morning of
the seventh, at the head of a company
of soldiers and citizens, Jeanne rode up
to one of the city gates, meaning to
lead an attack on another English fort.
The gate was closed and a high official
informed her that the Council of War
forbade her exit without their permis-
sion. " You are a bad man, " cried the
Maid, "whether that please you or not,
the soldiers shall go out of the city, and
they will conquer as they have con-
quered." The great man was flung
aside, the gates were forced, and Jeanne
and her troops assailed the English once
more.

Then the Council of War gained cour-
age. Soldiers hurried from the city, the
guns opened fire. All day besiegers and
besieged fcmght desperately. Night fell,
and still they fought. At last the
strongest of the enemy's forts surren-
dered. Early on the morning of Sun-
day, the eighth of May, forsaking their
wounded, their provisions, their artil-
lery, the English deserted all their posts,
retreating. Orleans was saved. The city
that had been besieged for seven months,
and that had offered to surrender, so
hopeless was its case, had been vict-
ualled, reinforced, and freed from all
danger within nine days. The succor
brought by Jeanne the Maid, the succor
of the King of Heaven, was indeed the
best succor ever sent to knight or to
city.

' ' Are the English facing us as they
flee, or do you see only their backs ? "
asked Jeanne. ' 'They show their backs, ' '
was the answer. Then said Jeanne:

JEANNE D'ARC.

393

« ' Let them go ; my Lord does
not wish us to fight them to-
day. We shall have them at
another time." Thereupon,
in a field they set up an altar,
by her order, and the whole
army worshipped at two
Masses of thanksgiving.

As they hurried to Jar-
geau, the English leaders
must have recalled the words
of Jeanne's summons, issued
from Blois before she opened
the campaign. Against the
foreigner, or the Burgundian,
she bore no hate. The latter
she hoped to unite to Charles;
the former she would fight,
only if they refused to ac-
knowledge the rights of the
lawful sovereign. "Give up,"
thus she wrote to the En-
glish, "the keys of all the
good cities taken in France
to the Maid sent by God, the
King of Heaven ... I am
sent here by God, the King
of Heaven, to cast you out of
the whole of France ....
And if you will not believe
the news that God sends you
by the Maid, wherever we
shall find you we shall hit you hard, and if
you do not make satisfaction, we will cre-
ate a tumult the like of which has not been
in France for a thousand years. And be-
lieve firmly that the God of heaven will
send the Maid a greater force than you
can assemble against her and her gal-
lant men, and when it comes to blows
we shall see who has the best right,
God or you. . . . Answer whether you
desire to make peace in the city of Or-
leans, and, should you not do so, re-
member that soon you shall suffer great
losses." They laughed at her, reviled
her ; but the seventeen-year-old girl had
hit hard ; great losses they had suffered,
unexpectedly. Would she drive them
out of the whole of France ?

" Child of God, go on, go on, go on!

JEANNE D'ARC REPULS

ORLEANS.

I will aid you, go on." Thus a voice
spoke to Jeanne. On the second day
after the flight of the English from
Orleans, standard in hand, she set out
for Tours. The king must be crowned
forthwith at Rheims, as her Lord desired.
Charles went forth to meet her, and
meeting, embraced her before all the
people. Ten days were passed at Tours,
then the king accompanied her to Loches.
The royal Council hesitated to advise
Charles to venture on a journey to
Rheims. " Let me go against the Eng-
lish, " said the Maid, when she found she
could move neither king nor Council.
They had discharged her good soldiers,
and six weeks passed before another
force was gathered.

On June 6, she rode forth from the

394

JEANNE D'ARC.

town of Selles, this time mounted on
a black horse, armored, all but her head,
and holding in her hand a small axe.
She reached Orleans on the ninth. Two
days later she hurried to Jargeau, where
the English, strongly fortified, blocked
the way. At once, the Maid attacked.
The fight was bloody, the English lost
heavily. Those who could, escaped.
Jargeau was in the king's hands. On
the thirteenth Jeanne re-entered Orleans;
on the fifteenth she was once again in the
saddle. At the bridge of Meung, on the
Loire, she came up with the English,

fate of Beaugency. The leaders took
fright and ordered a retreat. On the
plains close to Patay, the Maid cameTup
with them. ' ' Have you spurs on? ' ' asked
she of the Duke of Alen9on. "Why,"
said he, " must we flee?" "No," an-
swered she, "in the name of God, the
English will show their backs and you
will need your spurs to follow them."
And so it proved; two thousand of them
were killed, two hundred made prisoners
the others ran like frightened hares.
Dismayed, the English evacuated fortress
after fortress. The Maid had kept her

THE ROYAL PROGRESS TO RHEIMS.

attacked and defeated them. The fol-
lowing morning she was in front of
Beaugency. Not awaiting an attack,
the English abandoned the city and fell
back on the castle.

Early on the seventeenth she learned
that a force of five thousand men, sent
by Bedford to crush her, was near at
hand. That night the garrison of the
castle of Beaugency capitulated. At
daylight Jeanne went in search of the
army of five thousand. The English
had determined to fight near the town
of Meung. News came to them of the

word, and, wherever she met them, had
hit them hard. The God of heaven had
sent a greater force than they could
assemble against her or her gallant men.
Verily, God has the best right.

Nine days — and Orleans was saved ;
eight days more — and the English
power was weakened, the English spirit
broken ; better still, the courage, the
patriotism of the French were renewed.
Could it be that for these extraordinary
achievements Jeanne deserved little cred-
it ! Had she been merely a pretty figure
in armor, a romantic "daughter of the

JEANNE D'ARC.

395

regiment, " who was permitted to play
soldier in order to kindle a false enthu-
siasm among ignorant and superstitious
men ? Positively, No ! At Orleans, and
in the valley of the Loire, there were
capable men and bold, the best blood
of France; men of education, training,
ambition. The Maid had learned to
spin, sew, dig, and pray, but no more.
When the king presented her with a
suit of armor, she put it on gladly, little
knowing how her tender flesh would
suifer from the weight and pressure of
the metal. And yet, to the astonish-
ment of the graybeards — as they frankly
testified — this green girl disposed an
army with a science beyond theirs,
though some of them had fought and
led a good thirty years. Her tactics no
contemporary had equalled. When she
entered the field, artillery was a novelty;
still, this did not hinder the spinner of
Domremy from handling a battery more
skilfully than the best trained gunner.
In what military school was she so
quickly and thoroughly educated ? In
the school of her saints, the Maid said.

At Orleans, when veterans fled she
stood firm, holding aloft her standard.
More than once, when panic meant ruin,
she rallied panicky troops. Fearless,
she carried the banner of the God of
Majesty up to the enemy's wall. On
the memorable day that, against the
will of the royal Council, she forced
her way through the city gate, just as
she had planted a scaling-ladder against
the rampart of an English fort, an arrow
pierced her above the breast. She had
foretold the event on the preceding day,
and a long time back, at Chinon. Still,
she had not spared herself. Strong-
hearted as she was, the girl could not
hold back her tears when she saw her
blood flowing. They drew out the arrow
head and dressed the wound, whereupon
she returned to lead her men, as though
she felt no pain.

During the eight days' campaign on
the Loire, again and again did she dis-
play her chivalrous spirit. The dukes,

marshals, captains, were all pusillani-
mous, ever seeking delay, ever timorous
of the enemy's strength and doubtful
of their own. While they palavered,
Jeanne, standard in hand, would face
the men-at-arms and give the order :
' ' To the assault ! Fear not, be bold ;
God is our leader ! ' ' Thus the Maid
forced the fighting. At Jargeau, as,
with her standard, she was mounting
a ladder, a heavy stone, striking her
helmet, stunned her. The moment she
recovered, up she rose in the ditch, urg-
ing the men : ' ' Friends, at them ! At
them ! Courage ! Our Lord has con-
demned the English ; even now they are
ours! " "In the name of God," said
she, on the road to Patay, "we must
fight ; we should have them even if they
were hanging halfway betwe&H earth
and sky."

At Domremy, she had been brought
up to dig, to spin/to sew, to tend sheep.
A from B she did not know, and yet, in
all France, there was no braver soldier,
no more intelligent, skilful, dashing
leader of men than Jeanne the Maid.
If her saints did not instruct her, if God
did not aid her, pray who did ?

" I am sent by God to raise the siege
of Orleans and to conduct the king to
Rheims, in order that there he may be
anointed and crowned." Her mission
was still unfulfilled. The will of God,
Jeanne was anxious, promptly and com-
pletely to execute. She had hoped, and
so had the people, that, after the victory
at Patay, Charles would come to Orleans,
uniting with soldiers and subjects in
their solemn thanksgiving and in their
festal rejoicings ; but the king remained
at Sully, a short thirty miles away,
seemingly careless of God's will and un-
mindful of God's mercy. The Maid
hastened to him, urging him to set out
for Rheims without delay. Charles con-
sulted the royal Council and they debated
as usual.

Finally on June 22, Jeanne induced
him to advance a dozen miles to Chateau -
neuf. There the royal Council, having

396

JEANNE D'ARC.

argued, duly consented to the Maid's its of citizens and soldiers, Charles
wishes! She galloped to Orleans, gath- and Jeanne entered Troyes triumphantly
ered her army corps, and, on the twenty- Next Chalons surrendered,
fourth, marched to Gien, where she met The army halted within a day 's journey
the dauphin. As the king and the of Rheims. At Rheims the authorities
Council insisted on another leisurely were undecided. Since they heard of
discussion, Jeanne left them to talk and Jeanne's coming, they had sought aid
advanced by herself.
Two days later Charles
followed her with
twelve thousand men.
By July fifth they had
reached Troyes. A
number of lesser places
had acknowledged
Ch a r 1 e s from day to
day. But Troyes was
garrisoned by English
and Burgundian sol-
diers and refused to ad-
mit a French force into
the city.

After a five days'
siege the royal Coun-
cil advised Charles to
waste no more time on
such obstinate people.
Was it not better to
proceed to Rheims,
having as little trouble
as possible. Jeanne
protested. "Gentle
King of France, " said
she, ' 'this city is yours.
Remain here two or
three days and without
any doubt it will be in
your power, through
love or by force." They
gave way to the girl.
Then she mounted her
horse, called out the
men-at-arms, and set

JEANNE AND CHARLES VII. ENTER RHEIMS.

them to making entrenchments and dis-
posing artillery. All night they labored.
In the morning, Jeanne, bearing the
standard of the God of Majestj^, was
about to lead the army in an assault
against the walls, when, from the
gates of the city, a deputation advanced
offering to capitulate. Amid the plaud-

from the duke of Burgundy, their inten-
tion being to stand a siege rather than to
admit Charles. No help came from Bur-
gundy. The news from Chalons and
Troyes had a chastening effect. On the
sixteenth of July, a motley crowd of citi-
zens left the city, tramped to Septsaulx,
where Charles was encamped, and invited

JEANNE D'AKC.

397

CORONATION OF CHARLES VII. AT RHEIMS.

him to make Rheims his own. Towards
evening he entered the city. Forthwith
it was arranged with the Archbishop that
Charles should be crowned on the morrow.
All night there was bustling, and hurry-
ing and scurrying. When sleepy citizens
opened their eyes on Sunday morning,
they asked : " Can this be Rheims ! " so

changed was the appearance ot the
houses, the streets, the churches.

At nine o'clock on the morning of
the seventeenth, the king, the arch-
bishop of Rheims, the bishop of Laon,
the bishop of Seez, the bishop of
Chalons, accompanied by an escort
of nobles, rode through the central

398

JEANNE D'ARC.

door of the cathedral of our Lady, dis-
mounting from their horses, only at the
entrance to the choir. At the Church of
St. Remi, the abbot of the abbey at-
tached thereto had committed to the
archbishop la sainte ampoule; a vial
containing holy oil reserved for the
anointing of the kings of France — so the
tradition ran — ever since the coronation
of Clovis. As Charles took the custom-
ary oaths ; as his forehead was signed
with the holy oil ; as the kingly crown
was placed upon his head, Jeanne the
Maid stood beside him, upholding the
victorious banner of the God of Majesty.
From the walls of the cathedral of our
Lady the blare of the trumpets echoed
exultingly, high above the shouts of the
gladdened people ; yet none, not even
the new king, felt a joy more intense
than that which filled the heart of
Jeanne d'Arc.

In the glad chorus, her voice was not
heard. Emotion overpowered her. But,
after Charles had been crowned, weeping
she fell on her knees and kissed his feet,
thus addressing him as she knelt :
"Gentle king, now has been accom-
plished the will of God, who desired that
you should come to Rheims and be worth-
ily anointed, thus showing that you are
the true king, him to whom the kingdom
should pertain. ' '

Omit the supernatural wholly from
the story of Jeanne d'Arc, and still it
reads like a romance. She freed de-
spairing Orleans in nine days ; out of
the valley of the Loire, she drove the
English within eight days ; from the
day she forced the dilatory Charles and
his garrulous Council out of Gien, until
the coronation at Rheims, barely three
weeks had passed, and in that short
time not only had she given France an
anointed king, but she had also re-
covered an extensive territory, shaken
the whole fabric of the English power —
the labor of fourteen eventful years —

and aroused the national spirit in every
part of France.

But one cannot omit the supernatural
from the story of Jeanne the Maid. The
men-at-arms fought ; it was God gave
the victory. Not as a mere patriot did
Jeanne lay down the distaff and take up
the sword of St. Catherine ; not because
of military ambition did she put off
woman's attire and put on armor. Of
herself, independent of God, her Lord,
she pretended to do nothing. " To save
the dauphin I was born," said she to
de Beaudricourt. "God will aid him
through me. I will lead him to Rheims,
and there he shall be crowned. No one
in the world, except me, can recover the
kingdom of France; from me alone
shall it have aid, and I must do that,
for so my Lord wishes. " . . . "I bring
you, " said she to the Bastard of Orleans,
"the succor of the King of Heaven."
. . . "I am sent by God, the King of
Heaven," was her message to the Eng-
lish at Orleans ... " Now is the will
of God accomplished, He who desired
that you should come to Rheims to be
anointed," are the words we last heard
from the Maid's lips as she knelt, weep-
ing, at the feet of the king she had
crowned. A child of God, and an instru-
ment of God assuredly, was Jeanne d'Arc.

The very same! I grieve to say it.
Great-hearted Jeanne, chaste Jeanne,
believing Jeanne, gallant Jeanne it was
that we saw burning at the stake in the
Rouen market-place. Her valiant heart
it was that we saw cast into the river
Seine. It was her expiring cry we heard:
1 ' Jesu ! Jesu ! ' ' That beseeching cry I
hear this very day and hour. Shed no
tears for the Maid ! The children of
her Lord, neither men nor women, need
weep for her. Believe firmly that the
God of heaven will aid her still. He is
the God of Majesty, and bears in the
palm of His hand the globe of the world
from generation to generation.

REVOLUTIONARY SPIRITS.

From the Spanish of Luis Coloma, S.J.

NXIETY and apprehension filled the
hearts of all the townspeople. The

n left off their work at an earlier hour
han usual ; and, having laid aside their
implements of labor, hastened in small
batches to the tavern of old Mai-Alma.
The women, likewise, were in a state
of great anxiety, and gathering occa-
sionally into groups here and there
would immediately disperse, while some
of them would run every now and then,
as if in quest of news, from the tavern
to the door of the dilapidated old house
of Don Pablo Sin-Cara.

Tied to an iron ring in the wall of this
house was a superb, jet-black horse, with
massive bit and double rein, saddlebags
thrown across behind, a pair of pistols
at the pommel and a double-barrelled
rifle slung on the right.

A knot of interested youngsters sur-
rounded the spirited animal, who em-
ployed himself in shaking his mane
vigorously and in pawing the ground
impatiently, as if in indignant protest
against the outrage which deprived him
of his liberty.

By his side was another coarse, sinewy
animal of the class generally ridden by
cowboys and farm servants. He was
comparisoned in a style similar to his
more mettlesome companion, that is, in
a style half rustic, half warlike, and by
his quiet demeanor might be said to be
giving a lesson in submission to his un-
subdued and high-spirited neighbor.

Anxious inquiries, half-finished an-
swers and exclamations of surprise, fear,
hatred, hope, were heard on every tongue,
and were invariably connected with the
curious name, Lopijillo.

"Lopijillo has come," the men re-
peated with mingled hope, fear and mys-
tery, but the women, on hearing the

sound of this name, were filled with
feelings of hate and horror, and cried
out angrily in such uncomplimentary
terms as these : ' ' May Old Nick fly away
with him, " "Is there no bolt in heaven
to come down and crush the villain? "...

At the last house in the town (a house
separated from the others by a small
melon garden), a very stout, puffy- faced
man was resting his capacious shoulders
against an aged fig tree which grew at
the door and around the stem of which
a tender green-leafed vine was climbing
and coiling with all the playful trust of
a child who twines his arms around an
old man's neck. He pretended to be
dusting his pantaloons with a cane
which he held in his hand, but in reality
was only thereby trying to conceal the
agitation which was but too clearly de-
picted on his simple good-natured coun-
tenance. A woman of dark complexion
and with piercing bright eyes was stand-
ing on the threshold holding a man's
hat beneath her arm and knitting with
a nervousness and hurry which betrayed
the irritation and excitement with which
she was at the moment agitated.

' ' I tell you you shall not go, Juan
Antonio," she was saying, "that Don
Pablo (whom the title Don suits just
about as nicely as a bishop's mitre
would suit yourself) will most certainly
ruin you. What matters it to you who
rules, whether it be a king or only a
pawn chessman ? Then for the love of
heaven let these people cook their dish
as they like, when you have not got to
eat it."

' ' What matters it to me ? ' ' replied the
husband. "See here, one of these days
when we have got our rights, no one
will be more delighted than yourself.
Why, Don Pablo has promised me all

399

400

REVOLUTIONARY SPIRITS.

those wide fields that adjoin our little
farm. Look at those broad acres of
waving wheat, every stalk as thick as
an oak and every ear as big as my hand.
Never mind, we'll have great times yet,
something infinitely better any how,
than all this present toil and slavery
which, bitter as it is, can scarce bring
us in enough to eat. ' '

"Bless me; "exclaimed the woman,
if that Don Pablo or Don ' ' Falso ' ' has
made you promises, you ought to go
and write a mark on the water of the
well to remind you how sure he will be
to fulfil them. Do you know what he
will do if he gets to the top of the tree
himself? He will kick away the ladder
to prevent you or anybody else from
ascending like himself. Take care you
are not cutting a hide into thongs to
scourge your own skin . ' '

"But what about all those rich folks,
who are so sleek and comfortable, and
do not a thing the livelong day except
what their lordly fancy pleases ? ' '

" Not so, Juan; the poor indeed must
work and suffer, but does not everybody
know that the wealthy also have their
troubles, which oftentimes are much
worse than those of the poor ? And are
not their very riches a source of anxiety
to them ? Besides, why are there rich
and poor at all, only that they may
help each other to get to heaven; the
rich pay the entrance- fee by the alms
they give, while the poor pay it by their
patience and resignation; and if there
be some rich people who have hearts of
flint and hands that never give; well,
there is a God, and a judgment and a
hell and a heaven; so I crave you not to
go to the house of that wretch Don
Pablo, where they only cram your head
with folly and your heart will gall. "

' ' I told you before that I promised to
go, Catalina; and you know the old say-
ing: take the ox by the horns, but a man
by his word."

"But if that word be such that by
keeping it you put the rope around
your own neck ! If that word "

Her own was frozen on the lips of
Catalina, as there appeared around the
corner of the house a broad flat face, of
a very decided canine appearance,
covered over with gray grizzly hair.
The new arrival fixed his vicious eyes
on the husband and wife, and said in a
shrill grating voice, which sounded not
unlike the wheezing pipes of a dilapi-
dated organ: " Friend, let us be going;
time is up."

Catalina stepped resolutely forward
between the two men, and said: "He
doesn 't stir from here to-day, old man;
so, just right about, and away with
you. "

Mai-Alma, for he it was, folded his
arms and quietly replied: "What a
wise one you are, Gossip; " and then
turning to Juan Antonio, added, like
one who knew well the cord he was
touching: "What! are you going to
let your hair be clipped by a woman ?
Really, my friend, you seem very soft
in the mouth ! "

"I!" exclaimed Juan Antonio,
fiercely; for like all weak characters he
could not bear to have his weakness
exposed, so snatching his hat from the
hands of Catalina, he set out for the
town without another word.

The cunning Mai- Alma, as he followed
him, turned round, and said with great
solemnity to the wife: "If you are
afraid you may lose your husband, I
will give you a receipt for him if you
like."

"I tell you what I would like; it is
that I might never see that phiz of
yours again; it is just as sour-looking
as a Jew's on Good Friday; " answered
Catalina in a fury.

Mai-Alma smiled sardonically, and
trotted off jauntily singing:

Six hundred parrots in a wood,
Four hundred women chattering,

Make a racket shrill and loud.
As ten hundred imps a'clattering.

The sum total of the ladies and par-
rots was more than Catalina could
stand; so in she rushed to her house,

REVOLUTIONARY SPIRITS.

401

fls

m
fu

ind gave the door such a violent bang
;hat the cat sprang in terror to the roof,
ind the panic-stricken hens came out in
force with a chorus of cackling; where-
upon chanticleer himself took it into his
head to address them in Latin by a very
prolonged propterea quo-o od; after which
brief remonstrance he marched two
paces forward, elevated one foot,
stretched his neck to its full capacity,
balanced his head on one side, and with
flashing eyes sang out in solemn warn-
g: Caveant consules.

Night fell and several weird phantoms
might be seen gliding about the peace- .
ful town; one by one old Mai-Alma's
customers left his tavern as bats leave
their dingy holes ; and, after darting
from this place to that, stealthily, as if
in dread of being observed, disappeared
into a dark grove adjoining Don Pablo
Sin-Cara's house. Here about fifty men
were soon assembled in a musty room,
which had attained its present capacity
by the removal of a partition previously
separating it from a stable. Here, lux-
uriating in the odors they brought with
them, the foulness of the place itself,
the vapors of abominable wine, and most
atrocious cigars, and the mephitical
essences peculiar to every stable ; here
nervous with apprehension, yet hoping
for great events, these men made due
preparation for the reception of Lopijillo.
the illustrious demagogue from the city,
whom Don Pablo Sin-Cara, the deputy
demagogue for the town, was about to
introduce to them.

It was whispered around with blanched
lips that the hour for action had come ;
that Lopijillo had brought in his saddle-
bags from headquarters a peremptory
mandate for an equitable distribution of
property ; and that this should be the
last night on which their wealthy op-
pressors were to be permitted to enjoy
their hitherto tranquil and comfortable
slumbers.

Old Mai- Alma, the Ganymede of these
conscript fathers, in the meantime

pushed around a demijohn of wine,
which had the effect of enkindling
enthusiasm, banishing fear, fortifying
hope, and setting free the flow of elo-
quence. Fecundi calices quern non fecere
disertum?

After some time issuing from a sort of
gap in the manger, which communicated
with the house, there appeared a man
who, indeed, scarce seemed to be a man.
A mushroom hat, with a prodigiously
wide leaf, descending to his eyes, com-
pletely hid the upper part of his face ;
beneath the hat glared a pair of immense
green goggles ; and beneath the goggles
was to be sten a great gr>zz1y black
beard— a very wilderness of beard — from
the middle part of which projected a
huge Roman nose, which seemed to be
doing the work of an epitaph on alomb,
and saying : " Here lies a face " "

This individual was no other than the
notorious revolutionist, known through-
out the district as Don Pablo Sin-Cara ;.
so called because he seemed to be with-
out any face.

Don Pablo was always and in all
seasons dressed in a hooded great coat,
into the capacious pockets of which he
would invariably plunge his hands,
whenever, in the full flow of an ex-
tempore oration, he happened to be at a
loss for a word or a phrase, as if the
pockets were the secure depository in
which he was wont to treasure up his
ideas and sentiments. It mostly hap-
pened that when he thrust in his hands
he would withdraw them very hastily
again without having captured the fugi-
tive idea ; though on such occasions he
never failed to find instead some coarse
and brutal oath, which he would dis-
charge pure and unmitigated to round
a period or give cogency to a phrase.

Immediately after Sin-Cara came Lopi-
jillo, the city demagogue, an illustrious
personage whom in another place we
shall introduce to the public in all the
splendor of his revolutionary glory.

In the rear of both came a third indi-
vidual in a smart ccat and knicker-

402

REVOLUTIONARY SPIRITS.

bockers ; this was Lopijillo's rural sec-
retary, who, on this present occasion,
bore aloft a banner of naming red calico.

The trio ascended a rickety old plat-
form, which had been erected at the ex-
tremity of the stable council-chamber ;
and when profound silence was secured
Lopijillo commenced his address, which
consisted of a piece of bombastic elo-
quence, that had already appeared in
the Guillotine, a journal for the wealthy.
It ran as follows : The moment had
arrived ; the hour of justice to the
humble and justice to the proud had
struck ; the tables were now going to be
turned. . . . With the flaming torch
ofcivilization in his hand he, Lopijillo,
had traversed cities, towns, villages,
country places, sacrificing himself for
the benefit of the people ; hunger, cold,
nakedness, persecutions, all the torments
that tyranny could devise, or the Inqui-
sition could suggest, to crush the gallant
champion of the people — all these he had
undergone. But he was prepared to suf-
fer yet more ; his thirst for sacrifice was
not yet satiated. . . . The time had
come when Spain, with one unanimous
cry, should proclaim a Federal Republic ;
and here also he was willing to immolate
himself, by coming forward as candidate
for deputy if they desired to elect him.
Let them cast their eyes on that blood-
red banner, which, at the risk of his life,
he had come to deliver into their keep-
ing ; once that glorious ensign was
flaunted to the breeze in time-honored
Iberia he would proceed to make a just
and equitable distribution of property
amongst the poor ; the usurpers of the
country 's wealth had enjoyed it far too
long. . . . As far as he himself was
concerned, he coveted nothing ; give him
the blue canopy of heaven, the limpid
stream, the waving heather, the emerald
meadows, and the glorious vision of all
men fraternally embracing one another
beneath the shade of a Phrygian cap ;
these things only let him have, and his
soul would be quite content.

When the orator came to this part

of his harangue the council-stable was
shaken with a storm of hurrahs, bravoes,
bellowings and feet-stampings, which
immeasurably out-rivalled all the brav-
ings and kickings that so often echoed
from its ancient walls at such times as
its original tenants (the mules) agreed to
practice with lungs or heels in concert.

These warlike ebullitions, which had a
ring of Thermopylae about them, com-
pletely drowned the speaker's voice.
After a brief pause he made an effort to
resume ; but no, he was silent still ; a
soaring giddiness, a sensation of enthu-
siasm, of rapture enveloped him as in a
whirlwind, and flights of Roman and
Grecian eloquence began to hover before
his mind ; still he spake not ; but was
not Mark Anthony silent when he tore
open the toga of his friend that the
people might behold the wounds he had
received in defence of his country ; and
was not Pericles also silent when he
embraced Aspasia in the Areopagus of
Athens ?

Lopijillo's action in the present crisis
was more eloquent than words ; he affec-
tionately embraced the crimson flag ;
and, like the heroes in Klopstock, he
stood mute and mot ionless ; stood buried
in the contemplation of his own assured
immortality and smothered in the ruddy
folds of calico, presenting somewhat the
appearance of a plucked chicken swim-
ming in tomato sauce.

During this pathetic scene Don Pablo
Sin-Cara came forward ; he, too, should
address the meeting. Wherefore, to en-
force attention he brought down his fist
with stern violence on the rickety old
table.

The sacred inspiration shone in his
eyes to such a degree that his green
spectacles blazed like a pair of Venetian
lamps ; and when he spoke it was dim-
cult to determine whether the voice pro-
ceeded from the lamps, the nose, or the
mass of shaggy beard, which concealed
his mouth as cobwebs veil the entrance
to the spider's hiding place.

The mysterious voice spoke as fol-

REVOLUTIONARY SPIRITS.

4C3

lows: "Fellow-men; the hour has at
last arrived ! The time has come !
Now is the time ! I say nothing ! Noth-
ing say I ! Say nothing I ! Oh ! Ah !
Aw ! Because this flaming civilizer has
spoken, and I am at his side ; at his side
I am ! Ah ! Oh ! Eh ! " And here Don
Pablo plunged his hands into his pockets
in search of the idea which had escaped
him ; he extracted them again ; he
plunged them in once more ; and, having
this time discovered one of those vigor-
ous interjections, with which he usually
interlarded his periods, he, with admir-
able revolutionary simplicity, shot it
forth direct and plump.

The audience was convinced ; its en-
thusiasm passed all bounds ; and Lopi-
jil'o having by this time returned from
his flight of genius, found it necessary to
impose silence by ringing a small bell
which he took from the harness of Don
Pablo's mule.

Order having been restored, Lopijillo
sketched the plan of campaign. The
following morning there was to be a
general uprising of all true patriots ;
and it was the duty of the men who
composed the present meeting to seize
upon the town hall, to depose the
mayor, aldermen and the members of
the council ; and nominate in their
stead, others who were to be chosen
from the people. An hour was fixed at
which all should assemble in the public
square, bring with them whatever arms
they might be able to procure.

Lopijillo then dissolved the meeting
that he might return, as he said, to the
capital, 'before the dawning of a day so
fraught with future freedom, future
glory. " Well did the demagogue know,
that if the wind be once loosed upon the
sea, the tempest will not fail to do the
rest.

The crowd, upon taking leave of Lopi-
jillo, we-re enthusiastic to such a degree
that they accompanied him out of town.
When opposite the house of Juan An-
tonio he cautiously mounted his horse,
which, by the way, he had stolen three

days previously from a well-known
farm.

The figure he cut when on horseback
was a very sorry one, for while the steed
was full of spirit the rider had none.
Evidently unfamiliar with the saddle he
kept pulling and mismanaging the horse
generally ; as he contrived to utter a
feeble "Hurrah for freedom." Immedi-
ately a woman's voice, sharp as steel
and charged with scorn and irony, rang
out on the night air, and answered :
"Cowardly spouter, if you must hurrah
for freedom, then give free rein and let
your horse have a little of it ! "
•*•*•*

The auspicious day at length dawned,
and the revolutionary malcontents v\7ere
mustering around the municipal hall,
manifesting by their troubled Ifeoks,
their hurried questions and whispered
answers, the anxiety and suspense,
which rend man's heart, when he plays
a game in which all is to be won or lost.

Old Mai-Alma, the Mephistophiles of
these misguided men, was moving about
fiom group to group ; exciting their pas-
sions ; boasting here, promising there,
and farther on indulging in impious buf-
foonery.

At last the clock in the church-tower
struck ; and all who were not in the
secret were amazed to hear, not the
measurtd tones of the Angelus, but an
abrupt and noisy peal, which carried
confusion and dismny to every nook and
corner of the town.

At the same time a figure appeared on
the summit of the tower, (soit of Jack-
in-the-box on a large scale;) it was
the fantastic form of Don Pablo Sin-
Cara, bearing a red flag, which he made
fast at the highest point, and then
bawled out with all the strength of his
lungs: "Hurrah for the Federal Re-
public. "

The shout was caught up and re-echoed
by the mob in the square; but it was no
longer the silly and grotesque huzzaing
of the previous night : what was but
comedy then was tragedy now; the thou-

404-

REVOLUTIONARY SPIRITS.

sand passions by which men are swayed
in the fearful game of war, were reflected
in those rude and distorted features, so
that the laughable had disappeared and
the terrible had taken its place. Rage,
fury, fear, suspense; above all the pale
and tremulous suspense, which precedes
all great struggles or great crimes, were
depicted on the faces of these men who
awaited only the first flash, the first puff
of powder-smoke, to plunge headlong
into that carnage, where man's tiger-
passions are let loose; where vengeance
and cruelty are glutted to the full.

But the strong arm of authority had
also taken precautionary measures; for no
sooner had the rebel shout pealed forth
from the church tower, than the doors of
the town hall were banged home as if by
magic; and the formidable three-cornered
hats of the civic guard, together with the
menacing muzzlts of their double-bar-
relled carabines were seen at the win-
dows.

" Clear the way, all hands, " shoiited
the commander. Immediately there was
a volley from the mob, succeeded by cries
of rage and defiance. The guard then
opened fire; and thus commenced that
ever-recurring tragedy, which has been
acted on the world's stage since Cain
imbrued his hands in Abel's blood.

B rothers were struggling with brothers,
panting to shed each other's blood that
would be barren of results, but fruitful
in remorse; like the bedouins of the
desert, fighting for a little stream of
turbid water which springs in the sand,
but forgetting those fountains which flow
from paradise: the only waters that can
quench the thirst of the heart of man.

There was one solitary spectator of this
sanguinary drama : the individual who
liad put the weapons into the hands of
these infatuated men, and who then dis-
appeared in the moment of danger, to
re-appear in the hour of triumph, like
the vile marauder who is never seen on
the battlefield until there remain only
the dead to be plundered and despoiled.
That spectator was Don Pablo Sin-Cara,

who had taken shelter in the belfry,
there to await the result of the struggle;
and who, notwithstanding he was fully
protected by the massive walls, was now
enduring all those agonies which the
coward never fails to feel in the hour of
danger. Crouching on the steps of the
winding stairs, at every volley from the
musketry he instinctively rubbed himself
over as if to be assured that his person
was yet untouched. Bven some faint
fragments of prayer that still lingered
within him came to his lips; for let the
vase be ever so much neglected or defiled,
the odors of the perfume with which it
was once replenished will continue to
cling around it still.

The struggle was still raging in the
square; human blood was freely flowing;
impious tongues were hurling forth im-
pious blasphemies; when suddenly, from
one of the adjacent streets, the singing of
hymns, mingled with confused outcries,
was borne upon the breeze; and amid the
clangor of the battle, enveloped by vol-
umes of smoke, there appeared a group
of women, who, with lighted candles in
their hands, surrounded an inner group
of six, bearing on their shoulders a
statue of Jesus, the Nazarene. There was
the Saviour, His majestic brow wreathed
with a crown of thorns ; His marble
features and pitying eyes turned towards
those fratricides, as if from His livid lips
would again issue the terrible question:
"Cain, Cain; what hast thou done with
thy brother?"

At such an unexpected sight the com-
batants on both sides became rigid and
motionless, as if suddenly turned to ice;
with one hand grasping their muskets,
they respectfully uncovered their heads
with the other, while their rage in-
stantaneously disappeared, and was suc-
ceeded only by the tenderest feelings,
as amongst the women who surrounded
our Lord, each man saw a mother, a
wife, a daughter

A single spark only was now wanting
to cause the flame of repentance to be
enkindled in the hearts of these now

REVOLUTIONARY SPIRITS.

4O5

wavering men; for it had come home to
them, one and all, that they were crim-
inals in the presence of their Saviour.

That spark was supplied by the sacrile-
gious hand of Mai-Alma, for he was seen
to raise his musket to his shoulder, and,
with the grin of a fiend, to direct his
aim at the sacred figure, pull the trigger
and fire, and forthwith disappear down
the street like a flash.

The impious bullet lodged in the heart
of the statue; lodged in that heart whose
tenderness even in the throes of death
had prompted those most sweet and
beautiful words : " Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do. "

Then there took place a scene without
a parallel ; expressions of horror, love,
repentance, awe, arose on all sides ; men
threw down their muskets, women their
tapers, and all rushed towards the sacred
image, stretching out their arms to it as
if they would embrace it, showing for
the figure the same affectionate concern
as if it were a living one, and as if they
verily expected to see the Saviour of man-
kind die again before their eyes from the
effects of that sacrilegious wound.

The doors of the town hall were then
thrown open, and its defenders having,
like the trest, thrown down their arms,
mingled fraternally with those who
were their foes a moment ago, and all
together accompanied the statue to its
shrine in the suburbs of the town, a
procession truly representative of the
Good Shepherd leading back His lost
sheep to the fold.

Just as the shrine was reached, two
shepherd boys came running up, breath-
less and excited, to announce that they

had come upon the dead body of a man
lying on the highway. At once the
multitude, as impelled by- a common
presentiment, hurried to the spot, and
there found the corpse of Mai-Alma.

A rifle- bullet had struck him in the
breast, and had passed through his
heart, just precisely as the bullet from
his own carabine had passed through
the heart of the statue.

No one inquired: Who? How? When?
In that solemn silence that enchains the
tongue when a human creature sees
plainly the hand of God, and by a sort
of innate perception becomes conscious
of His august presence, one solemn ex-
clamation broke from the lips of all :
"The judgment of God is here."

While these things were taking place,
a shadow was stealing down froii the
church-tower. It was no sprite of the
battlefield, attracted by powder-smoke,
nor hideous vampire thirsting for the
feast of blood — it was only Don Pablo
vSin-Cara, now skulking nervously and
dreadfully crest-fallen. On reaching the
ground he flew in panic to the pig-sty,
where Lopijillo and his secretary had
hidden themselves to await the result of
the foolish revolutionary outburst, and
where he soon arrived, breathless and
exhausted. Like the Grecian courier
from Marathon, he seemed to have run
himself to death, only, unlike to him,
there was no victory to announce.

"All is lost, then?" inquired his
friends.

"All but our skins," replied Don
Pablo, having made which philosophical
remark, he plunged his hands deep into
his capacious pockets.

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST MARTYR.
By the late Rev. George O' Conn ell, S.J.

THE first martyr blood was shed in
America exactly fifty years from
the fateful day on which Columbus
let the shadow of the Cross fall upon the
groves of Guanahani. On November 30,
1542, the Franciscan missionary, Father
John de Padilla, was slain by the roam-
ing Guyas on the plains of western Kan-
sas.

With their giant strides over all the
islands of the West Indies and over the
vast plateaus, the burning deserts and
the snow-clad mountains of North, Cen-»
tral and South America, it took the peer-
less Spaniards but half a century to be-
come virtual masters of the New World.
Never has history recorded so rapid and
stupendous a conquest, and never, it
should be added, has any modern nation
held possession of its co1onies so long as
Spain possessed its American conquest.
The settlements of the French and Eng-
lish, along the Atlantic seaboard, were
as the slow progress of the tortoise com-
pared with the rabbit-like leaps of the
Spaniards, and the former nations were
as much earlier in losing their foothold
here, as they had been later than the
Spaniards in acquiring it.

One reason, doubtless, of this aston-
ishing progress and long tenure was that
the minister of God was with the Span-
ish explorer everywhere, often indeed
far in advance of him. Everywhere the
banner of the King of Heaven floated
higher than the banner of their earthly
sovereign. Hence it happens that we
find our first martyr laying down his
life, not where the Atlantic breaks on'its
sandy shores, or where the Caribbean laps
the coral isles, but inland, thousands of
miles from the sea. Hence, too, we un-
derstand how it was not till fifty-six
years had rolled by, from the precious
death of Padilla, that Oiiate, the colo-

406

nizer, led his first band of homesteaders
into New Mexico. Religion was in ad-
vance. The zeal for souls gives an im-
petus to man's endeavors to which no-
human considerations can ever be equal.
As in Alaska, the Sahara and Zambesi
to-day, so it has ever been. The cham-
pions of Holy Church have invariably
been in the vanguard of civilization.

I. — PADILLA'S EARLY LIFE. — THE JOUR-
NEY TO CIBOLA.

Though it was the soil of Kansas
which so eagerly drank up the lire
blood of the martyr Padilla, still New
Mexico can justly claim him for her own.
To New Mexico he first set out on his
fearful foot journey with Coronado, and
around its pueblos all his first flaming in-
terest was centred. To Kansas he went
only to die. In Kansas, no shrine or other
record tells of his deeds. His remains
lie buried in the New Mexican pueblo of
Isleta. The great adobe church of San
Augustin, whose towers lord it over so
broad a stretch of country, has been
their sanctuary — now in glory, now in
ruins, and now in glory again — for more
than three hundred years. Srme day
we shall pay his sacred shrine a visit.
Meantime let us briefly ske'ch the mar-
tyr's life and death, only regretting that
so few details have been left us.

Father John de Padilla was born in
the province of Andalusia in Spain,1
toward the opening of the sixteenth cen-
tury. Brave and romantic by nature, he
enrolled himself at an early age in the
soldiery of His Catholic Majesty, and
about the year 1520, found himself de-
tailed for service in the newly discovered
country of Mexico. Here his ambitions

i. A short sketch of the martyr will be found in the
Pilgrim for April, 1889.

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST MARTYR.

407

inderwent a radical change. Hearing
mceasingly of a hundred pagan tribes,
o whom as yet the mysteries of divine
ove were unknown, his generous soul
vas speedily convinced that there was a
lobler vocation than that of arms. The
leaceful conquest of souls, and not the
slaughtering of bodies, should hence-
forth engage the faculties of his mind
and heart alike.

Humbly begging for admission
amongst the sons of St. Francis, he
was, after due probation, admitted into
their order in the Province of the Holy
Gospel. Once ordained a priest, he be-
sought his superiors to send him to
preach G)d's law to the sadly benighted
people in the far North. As such labor
is only reserved for the most fervent and
best tried of the religious, his vocation
was put to the test in various, ways, be-
fore his petition was finally granted. He
was appointed the first father-guardian
of the convent of Tulancingo, in the
present State of Hidalgo, northeast of
Mexico, and was afterward transferred in
a similar capacity to the State of Jalisco,
further north, where he lived for some
years at the convent of Tzopatlan, in
Michoacan. After his term of service in
the latter place, he was allowed to enjoy
the first taste of his long coveted mis-
sionary life, by acting as companion to
the renowned Father Mark of Nice, in
some of his earlier travels among the
Indians of Mexico. Giving in these
travels the best proofs of the zeal and
wisdom which such a life demands, he
was at last, to his intense joy, ordered to
join the same Father in Coronado's great
conquest of New Mexico. He was the
youngest of the four priests of the party,
and the record of the rest of his life is in-
separably connected with that of the con-
quest.

To equip this brilliant expedition cost
Coronado no less than sixty thousand
ducats, or a quarter of a million of dollars.
He was a handsome and accomplished
young nobleman of Salamanca, in Spain,
and had already risen to distinction in

the New World. He had occupied a num-
ber of important positions under the
crown, and was at present Governor of
NuevaGalicia, a province which vaguely-
embraced the great northwest of Mexico.
His expedition consisted of three hundred
Spaniards, mostly college mtn and gentle-
men of noble birth, and eight hundred
friendly Indians. They were provided
with large herds of sheep and swine and
over a thousand spare horses. Their
supply of ammunition was almost inex-
haustible, while everything possible was
done to surround the expedition with an
air of splendor.

The army started from Compostella on
the twelfth of February, 1540. This town
was the capital of Nueva Galicia, a prov-
ince which no longer exists under that
name, and was situated in the western
part of the present province of Jalisco,
not far from the mouth of the Rio Tolo
lotlan. The route of the army is hard
to follow exactly. In general, however,
we trace it first to Culican, on the Gulf
of California, and thence to Chichiticale,
where they entered upon a desert of fif-
teen days' march, barren, sandy and de-
void of water. Their route was chiefly
up the Sonora valley, in a line parallel
with the western bank of the San Pedro
river. A little to the west of the junc-
tion of this- stream with the Rio Gila,
they struck out at almost right angles
with their previous line of march till, on
July twelfth, they reached the delusive
Cibola or Zuni. The journey was already
one of some three thousand miles, and
all this distance the devoted Padilla and
his religious companions accomplished
on foot. Most of the Spaniards were
handsomely mounted on horseback, but
nothing could induce the devoted mis-
sionaries, on this or any of the expedi-
tions, to allow themselves the same
luxury.

The rate at which the army travelled
was much too rapid to leave the Fathers
free to preach to the many Indian tribes,
whom they encountered. Some of the
tribes, moreover, were hostile, and it

4-08

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST MARTYR.

would have taken much labor and
patience, even to win them to the first
.stage of docility. Others, however, re-
membered Father Mark whom they had
met on his previous journey through
this country, when he first discovered
Cibola, and received him with every
show of joy and affection.

The Cibolans capitulated after only a
brief resistance to the Spaniards, and
assigned them quarters in the pueblo of
Oa quima. Here, as we saw in a pre-
vious sketch, 2 the conquerors were over-
come with disgust, to find their seven
glittering cities of gold reduced to a few
poor pueblos of a farming people, and
heaped the most uncalled-for reproaches
upon Father Mark, to whose glowing
reports they owed the inspiration of
their brilliant enterprise. A little sober
reflection would have proved that the
whole-souled friar had not deceived
them in a single instance ; but a severe
stroke of paralysis, from which he then
began to suffer, the result of his many
journeys afoot and his ceaseless bodily
mortifications, induced Coronado to
send the veteran missionary back to
Mexico, in the company of Captain
Gallego, who was commissioned to
carry to the Viceroy the first report
of the expedition. We can imagine
how keenly Father Padilla must have
felt this separation from one, who had
been for him so brave and successful a
teacher in the ways of Christ. Little
he then fancied, much as he craved the
crown, that God was but reserving
him to give testimony of his love, by a
bloody death, after one short year.

II. — THK MOQUI TOWNS AND THE FIRST
JOURNEY TO OUIYIRA.

The disappointment, which Coronado
experienced at Cibola, by no means dis-
couraged him. He listened still to
fables of limitless wealth in a country
away toward the rising sun, and awaited
only the coming of the following Spring

2. " In the Land of Pretty Soon— I," in the MES-
SENGER for February, 1895

to enter on new discoveries. He had
heard, meantime, of a great province
called Tusayan, five days' journey to the
northwest, which contained a group of
five pueblos. This was the land of the
isolated Moquis, hard by the mighty
canyon of the Colorado, and thither, on
the third of August, the conqueror dis-
patched Captain Pedro de Tobar.

Father Padilla was the chaplain on this
brief excursion. He was, therefore, the
first priest to visit these strange rock-
towns, which to-day, in spite of the revo-
lutions which have transformed the coun-
tries which lie beyond the deserts around
them, are practically the same as when
Padilla first saw them. Each pueblo is
built upon a butte or table-like rock of
enormous proportions, that rises ab-
ruptly from the plain, to a height of
several hundred feet. The sides of the
rock are nearly perpendicular, and aie
scaled by means of a rude stairway cut
out by the Indians and so narrow and
overhung with precipices as to be almost
unassailable. A handful of warriors
could hold the path against an army, by
simply rolling down its slope the ener-
mous boulders, which they always keep
in readiness. Stealth and the most skil-
ful strategy alone could take the towns.
Their farms, where they have cultivated
fruit, vegetables and cotton, from long
before the coming of the Spaniards, lie
in the open country about the base of
the mesas. Their five villages were
called in Padilla 's time, Oraibe, Gualpi,
Jongopavi, Mossaquavi and Aguatuvi,
and contained some four hundred and
fifty houses. The people were rather a
handsome race, and dressed in gaudy-
colored cotton, which they wove them-
selves. They were neat and cleanly in
their habits, and hospitable to visitors,
though taught, from sad experience with
the Apaches, to be wary of strangers.

This last peculiarity forced De Tobar
to be cautious. After travelling five days
over an uninhabited country, he came
quietly upon the first town by night.
This was probably Aguatuvi, a town

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST MARTYR.

409

which has long since been deserted. In
the morning, the natives were aston-
ished at the sight of their unheard-of
visitors, and listened attentively to all
they told them. They were not satis-
fied, however, and at the close of the
interview they drew a line between the
Spaniards and the pueblo and forbade
them to cross it. As De Tobar hesitated,
and seemed to be on the point of yield-
ing, the martial blood of the young friar,
which the
religious life
had not cool-
ed, asserted
itself, and he
exclaimed
impatiently ,
loth to lose
the coveted
chan ce of
opening a
mission here:
" If we are
to turn back
now, then in-
deed I cannot
see why we
came here at
all!" The
expo s t u 1 a -
tion had its
effect. The
Spaniards re-
fused to ob-
serve the
line, and, few
as they were,
marched de-
fiantly into
the pueblo. The natives made a show
of resistance for a short time, and then,
surrendering, became as amiable as
they were hostile before. They made
their visitors presents of food and rich
ornaments, and professed their willing-
ness to be enrolled as vassals of the King
of Spain. Among the marvellous stories,
which they told the Spaniards, was that
of the great canyon of the Colorado.
Having accomplished his first commis-

RUINS OF NORTH PLAZA OF PECOS.

sion, and being eager to receive new
ones, De Tobar led his little band back
in hasty march to Cibola, and there made
his report to Coronado. This induced
the conqueror to send Garcia de Car-
denas with a force of twelve men to ex-
plore the canyon.

What must have been the feelings of
the romantic cavaliers as they gazed for
the first time into those profound abysses,
whose wonders have often since moved
the student
to very tears
""X of awe and
I wonderment!
They beheld
an immense
river, broader
than the
Hudson,
sunk one mile
and a quar-
ter deep in
the earth, till
it looked like
a tiny rib-
bon. For
seven h u n -
dred miles it
stretch e s
between enor-
mous walls of
terraced and
richly- h u e d
san d s t o n e ,
limestone
and marble,
and the width
of this migh-
ty canyon is
from eight to twenty miles. Niagara or
the Yosemite Falls would be utterly lost
within its stupendous area. The great-
est known canyons of the world would
be undistinguishable, amidst its count-
less array of tributary wonders. The
followers of Cardenas vainly essayed to
reach its abysmal river, but the report
they made of what they did accomplish
and observe is found faultlessly accurate
to the present day — a matter of praise,

410

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST MARTYR.

which we find in all the Spanish chroni-
cles of the period. The poetic hidalgo,
in search of gold and adventure, never
let imagination run wild with him, but
described the climate, scenery and re-
sources of the country explored, v»ith
scientific exactness.

Father Padilla was not destined to re-
turn to the land of the Moquis that had
so fired his missionary zeal. God was
calling him away to another field there
to shtd his
heart's blood.
The people
were after-
wards evan-
gelized by his
brethr en of
St. Fran c i s ,
but the mis-
sion was al-
ways a diffi-
cult and un-
satisfac t o r y
one. Poor
Father Porras
was poisoned
by thenatives
in 1633, and,
in Pope's re-
bellion of
1680, the two
resident
friars were
stoned to
death. Their
remote loca-
tion, even in
our own time,
makes these
towns difficult of access, and missionary
work amongst them has never thrived.
The Jesuit Fathers, then working along
the Gila valley in southern Arizona,
made several ineffectual appeals that the
mission be given to them, since they were

INDIAN PUEBLO OF SANTO DOMINGO.
INDIAN BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE.

While revolving his plans for the
Spring, Coronado was suddenly sur-
prised to receive a delegation of visit-
ors from Cicure, or Pecos, a pueblo far
to the northeast, on the edge of the
buffalo-plains, the same which lies in
such mournful ruin and solitude to-day.
Their leader boasted a pair of long
moustaches, quite a rarity among the
Pueblo Indians, which won for him
from the Spaniards the title of Bigotes,
the Spanish
word for that
facial adorn-
ment. Bigo-
tes and his
party made
the general
many pres-
ents of leath-
er ornaments,
as a sign of
frien d s h i p ,
and begged
him to come
to visit their
people. Their
story was so
attr active,
espec ially
when they
described the
wild-cow or
b uff a 1 o ,
which they
hunted in
coun ties s
herds, that
Coronado
gladly sent
with them, on their return, his trusty
lieutenant Hernando de Alvarado. Father
Padilla was again chosen as chaplain
of the pioneer explorers.

This new tramp over more than a
thousand miles only stimulated the zeal

in a better position to reach the people of the ardent friar, and he eagerly pic-

than the Franci&cans of New Mexico.
To-day, there is no resident priest
amongst them, and it is asserted that
much of their old paganism survives.

tured to himself that, at length, he might
establish a permanent mission in the
homes of the redmen. The first town
of importance, which the party visited,

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST MARTYR.

411

PUEBLO OF ZUNI, LOOKING NORTH.

was the marvellous rock-town of Acoma,
more beautiful, more heroic and more
difficult of access than the Moqui strong-
holds. The general summit of the mesa
on which it stands is not unlike the
shape of an enormous spider, and the
many ravines that gash its noble face
give it an air of picturesqueness, that
can hardly be imagined. The rock rises
out of the plain in a startling manner,
and, when flooded with the glories of
sun-up or sun-down, is simply of match-
less beauty. Its cultivated fields are on
the plain at the incredible distance of
fourteen miles, and every drop of water
or soil that is found on the summit has
to be carried there, up more than three
hundred dizzy steps, cut into the living
rock. Like all the Pueblos, the people
at first received the Spaniards threat-
eningly, but they were easily pacified,
and sent their visitors on their way with
liberal presents of bread and corn.

On arriving in the province of Tiguex
(pronounced Tiguesh), with its twelve
small pueblos admirably built along the
Rio Grande, Captain Alvarado sent back
word to his commander that this would
be a far better place for his winter quar-
ters than Zuiii. Five days afterwards
he reached Pecos-Cicuve and found that
Bigotes had not deceived him. Five
hundred warriors came out in proces-
sion to meet him, and made him costly

presents of hides, cotton, clothing, and
turquoise gems, while their four-storied
pueblo of eighteen hundred souls gave
every sign of prosperity. Here, too, he
met the treacherous Mississippi Indian,
El Turco, or "the Turk, " as the witty
Spaniards called him, because of the
way in which he dressed his hair, shaved
close to the head, except for a long
braided queue. Finding him bent on
new travels, "the Turk" told him glow-
ing stories of another land further east,
where the people lived in great stone
houses and abounded in gold and silver,
where the river ran six miles wide and
was navigated by canoes of forty oars-
men, where fish could be found of the
size of a horse, where the lord of the
country took his daily siesta in the
shade of a tree, whose branches were
hung with a myriad of golden bells,
and where the very weapons of the sol-
diers were heavily plated with gold.

After a brief visit to the buffalo plains,
Alvarado hastened back to Tiguex, and
bade ' ' the Turk ' ' repeat his stories to
Coronado. They had the effect of curing
the disheartenment which the conqueror
had now begun to feel. Cardenas, whom
he had sent ahead to Tiguex from Zufii,
had provoked the natives by his cruelty
to the bitterest hostilities, and it had
taken him fifty days to carry the place
by assault. The whole country, too,

412

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST MARTYR.

seen in an unusually severe Winter, was diers met no mountain or hill or any

uninviting. He had either failed to
recognize the fertility of the sandy soil

elevation of more than a few feet. Shade
was to be found in only an occasional

under irrigation and the rich pasturage ravine, and water was obtainable only
afforded in many parts of the country, at great distances apart, and from a few
or, more probably, being in quest of small ponds, not more than a rod or two
gold, he could not brook the long delay
which agriculture or cattle-raising must
require, before it return any profit. He,
therefore, hailed with joy the stories of accustomed to the strange monsters,
the Turk, " and was soon in readiness they enjoyed some rare sport in hunting

in diameter. Their meeting with the
buffalo herds served as a distraction for
a time, and, after their horses had grown

to be piloted over the buffalo plains to
this new land of disappointment.

The army travelled up the Rio Grande
to the Sierra Nevada, or Snowy Range,
south of the present Santa Fe, and
thence across the country to Pecos.
While resting here, they secured the

them, and some grand feasts to reward
them for their long fasting. When out
a journey of. seventeen days from Pecos,
they came upon the Apaches. These
savages were friendly then, and greatly
interested the Spaniards by their trams
of pack dogs. These were the same as

Xabe. This honest Indian promptly
gave the lie to nearly all of "the

services of a native of Quivira, named are in use to-day among the Esquimaux,

from whom the Apaches are doubtless
descended. They continued to use dog.«,
Turk's" stories, but he spoke to deaf thus, as draught animals, till they had
ears; and the Spaniards, after travelling mastered the art of horsemanship, in
northeast till they came to the deep, which, in time, they far outstripped their
broad Canadian River, which they teachers. These people warned Coro-
bridged, soon found themselves out on nado that " the Turk " was a liar, and

the limitless prairie.
They had borne well
with the dangers and
other hardships of
mountain and desert
travel, but it now re-
quired all the consola-
tions of Father Padilla
to keep them from
mutiny, in this hor-
rible, unchanging
country. The Father
was always stern and
uncompromising, but
he could also be tender
and compassionate, and
won the love, as well
as the respect, of the
soldiers by his own un-
complaining courage
and by his many sym-
pathetic and inspiring
counsels.

For as much as five
hundred miles the sol-

PUEBLO INDIAN GIRL.

so did the Teyas or
Utes, whom he next
encountered, but he
had now gone too far
to retreat.

Quivira was reached
on the twenty-eighth of
August, 1541. It was
not far from the pres-
ent town of Newton,
in Kansas. Then the
full extent of "the
Turk's" treachery was
revealed. Gold and
silver were absolutely
unknown there. Noth-
ing resembling them
could be found, except
a few bits of copper and
iron pyrites. There
were no huge fishes,
canoes or river. In-
stead of houses of
stone, only miserable
huts of straw were

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST MARTYR.

413-

found. The only cultivated produce was
maize, while the natives devoured their
meat raw. The soil, on the other hand,
was good, being black and strong and well
watered, while wild fruit, such as plums,
grapes and mulberries, was plentiful.
The wretched guide was charged with his
falsehoods, and then sought to excite the
Quiviras to rise up and murder the Span-
iards. His plot was discovered, and he
was hanged.

Coronado, however, had not set out to
find an agricultural country, and nothing
was left him now but to return to Tiguex.
Even yet, however, his buoyant dispo-
sition would not suffer him to abandon
all hope. He still cherished the notion
that a land of gold did exist to the east,
and seriously thought of making still
another expedition in that direction. If
he had done so, he would not have been
long in reaching the Mississippi, and
there would, in all likelihood, have met
that other famous Spanish cavalier, De
Soto, who was suffering similiar dis-
appointments at the same time.

At Tiguex, however, a bad spirit broke
out in the ranks of the soldiers. Never
indeed, as the historians of the day as-
sure us, was general more

beloved or better obeyed by
his army, but his thought-
fulness and forbearance and
his ambitious character were
not equalled by his subordi-
nate officers Many urged
him to return to Mexico and
abandon this ignis fatuus
which had already cost him
so dear. These dissensions
might have had no effect, if
he had not met with a serious
accident in the Autumn. He
was thrown from his horse
and confined to his bed, for
a long time, with his injuries.
This decided the fate of the
expedition, and in April,
1542, the terribly deceived
and well-nigh bankrupt con-
queror set his face toward

Mexico. The extent of his discoveries-
and the obstacles he surmounted have
never been equalled in the history ( f
the continent, yet how sad it is to see
that the country, which he so bravely
opened to civilization, neglects him
utterly ! Not a monument in all New
Mexico or Arizona has been erected im
his honor. Not a mountain peak, nor a,
county town or river bears his name !

III. — SECOND JOURNEY TO QUIVIRA AND
MARTYRDOM.

Father Padilla and his religious com-
panions refused to accompany Coronado
on his return. It would have been like
an act of treason to the Lord, in whose
interests alone they had entered < n the
expedition. As the glitter of gold
had not attracted them, they did not
share in the conqueror's bitter Disap-
pointment. They had come to preach
the faith to pagan peoples, and of
these they had found a vast country.
The field, they thought, was white to
the harvest, and they felt it their duty
to stay for the reaping.

The Franciscans, who remained with
Father Padilla, numbered five. There

SUINS OF OLD CHURCH AT ZUNI PUEBLO, BUILT 157'.

414

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST M \RTYR.

WATfc.R CARRIERS.

were Father John de la Cruz and Brother
Luis de Ubeda, or Escalone, as he was
often called, and three donados, or mem-
"bers of the third Order of St. Francis.
The latter had given their services gratis
to the mission, much as our dear donne,
Rene Goupil, did in later years in the
service of Father Jogues, and all three
were allowed to wear the religious habit
of St. Francis. They were Lucas and
Sebastian, two Zapoteca Indians of
Michoacan, and a young colored man,
whose name has not survived. A
Portuguese named Andres del Campo, a
mestizo, and two Indians from Oaxaca,
were also of the little company, and with
them were afterwards united the Qui-
•vira Indians who had come to Tiguex
with Coronado.

In vain the conqueror warn d the de-
moted band of the risk they were thus

assuming. On finding
thtm resolute, he made
Del Campo a present of a
fleet horse, and to the
whole party he gave a
number of mules and a
flock of sheep, besides all
the requisites for celebrat-
ing Mass and fitting up a
chapel. Berore the part-
ing, Father Padilla
preached a farewell Len-
ten sermon to the army,
and there outlined his
missionary intentions
with such fervor, that
even the fault-finding his-
torian, Castaneda, who
was present, says "we
must believe that his zeal
was true and sincere."

Once left to themselves
in the new land, the mis-
sionaries were not long in
mapping out their respec-
tive fields of labor. Father
de la Cruz decided to re-
main among the Tiguas,
where they were then
stationed, and to make
modern Bernalillo, his
He was a Frenchman,
whose family name we cannot discover,
the name by which he goes being the
one he chose in religion. He was re-
garded with such veneration by the sol-
diers of Coronada, that they were wont
to uncover their heads on hearing his
name. The details of his death are
obscure, but we can hardly doubt that
he, too, suffered martyrdom. It was a
crown he ardently desired and even ven-
tured to foretell. When his white
friends had left him at Tiguex, he con-
tinued to teach the Gospel with such
success that he was encouraged to ex-
tend his field of work, and set out for a
neighboring pueblo where, the story is,
he was murdered by the natives while
preaching to them.

Brother Ubeda, as he was called from

Tiguex, the
headquarters.

4-15

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST MARTYR.

the place of his birth, seemed also to
have a premonition of a violent death.
He was beyond middle age, but full of
the ardor of youth. He chose the
neighborhood of Pecos for his missionary
labors, and thither drove a flock of sheep
with which he intended to teach the In-
dians herding. He was not allowed to
reside in the pueblo, but built himself a
little hut immediately outside the walls.
Here he set up an altar and spent in fer-
vent prayer the time which he did not
employ in instructing the natives. It
seems that he was eventually shot to
death with arrows, at the instigation of
the medicine men of the tribe.

Bidding an affectionate farewell to
his religious brethren, Father Padilla
chose for his portion the great land of
disappointment, Quivira. Accompanied
by Del Campos, the three don ados, the
mestizo and the Oaxaca and Quivira
Indians, he made afoot once more the
exhausting journey over the dreary buf-
falo plains for more than a thousand
miles.

Arrived at Quivira in the Summer of
1542, the savages received him with joy,
and besought him to remain amongst
them. To prove their sincerity, they
pointed proudly to the wooden cross, still
standing asCoronado had planted it and

cut with his modest inscription : " Fran-
cisco Vasquez de Coronado, leader of a
campaign, came to this place."

In delight at his cordial reception, the
good priest now beheld a broad field of
missionary work opening on all sides,
and determined to make his headquarters
with these gentle savages. His work was
fruitful and replenished with consolation,
but in this very fact lay Father Padilla 's
destruction. His soul was eager for new
conquests, and it was not long before he
prepared to set out for a neighboring
tribe. The Quiviras assured him that
this tribe would only murder him.
They had been at war with the Quiviras
for years, and were notoriously men
without mercy. Thus, they argued, his
present friends would be abandoned and
no new conquests achieved. The Father,
however, was impervious to fear, and,
confiding in the mercy of God, he set
forth with his little band. It is quite
possible that he felt that his end was
approaching, that his hands were soon
to bear the palm of martyrdom. To
speak of danger to such a soul, is but to
inflame its ardor. The Way of the
Cross is something intensely real and
earnest to the true soldiers of Christ.

It was towards the end of November,
1542, that Father Padilla began his lart

-416

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST MARTYR.

and fatal journey. He was accompanied,
as usual, by his devoted friends, Lucas,
.Sebastian and the negro, the mestizo
.and the Portuguese, Del Campo. They
had hardly travelled one day's distance
from Quivira, when they suddenly be-
Tield a band of hostile Govas bearing
down upon them. At the sight of the
missionaries, the savages set up a frantic
-yelling and
inc reased
-their speed.
Their mur-
-derous de-
signs were
only too evi-
dent. With
a prayer of
~th a n ks giv-
ing that his
"time indeed
had come, the
iDrave priest
turned with
•c o m p assion
^to vard his
•comrades.

"Fly, my
friends ! " he
•cried. " It is
only my life
these people
seek. You
•cannot help
me. Do not
stay. You,
Campo, put
spurs to your
horse, and
away with
you ! Let the
others fly to

where the tall grass may
Fly ! fly ! do not argue ! ' '

The poor fellows hesitated, but only
for a moment. The Father's command
was peremptory, and they saw how
futile would be any attempt to save him.
The Portuguese were soon lost to sight,
but the three donados and the mestizo
ran far enough, only to feel secure in the

APACHE WARRIOR.

hide them .

waving prairie-grass. There they awaited
in fearful suspense the tragedy they
knew would happen.

As the savages drew near the Father,
he knelt down calmly and clasped his
hands in prayer. A shower of arrows
descended upon him. A dozen pierced
him through and through, and, with his
hands still clasped, he fell to the earth in
a brief death-
agony. H e
had given to
his Maker
the h igh-
e s t possible
pledge of his
love. The
Guyas then
dug a hasty
grave, into
which they
cast his body,
after which
they covered
it with a heap
of stones and
ran off with
fiendish
shouts of
s a tis faction.
The donados
marked the
spot care-
fully, and
stole away to
overtake Del
Campo.

So perished
A m e r i c a 's
first martyr.
The rest of
the story is

soon told. His former companions
managed to return to the Quiviras,
with the mournful yet glorious tidings
of his martyrdom. The Indians were
not surprised, as they knew the risk the
Father had taken, but they mourned for
him, with all the sincerity of children
deprived of a well beloved parent.
The Spaniards now recognized that

AFOOT WITH AMERICA'S FIRST MARTYR.

417

they alone, without the assistance of a
priest, could not continue the work
which Father Padilla had begun. With
deepest sorrow, therefore, they set out
on their return to Mexico. Like the
typical explorers of their race, however,
they needs must try some new route and
so, perhaps, discover new tribes, new
lands and natural wonders. This re-
solve cost them nine years of wander-
ings, privations and slavery. Their
travels and sufferings have only been
paralleled in our history by those of
Cabeza de Vaca, who had crossed the
continent from Louisiana to the Gulf of
California. The young men were at
first captured by hostile savages, and
kept in the cruellest bondage for ten
months. Escaping finally, they tramped
despairingly eastward, probably crossing
the Missouri, until they came near the
great Father of Waters, but, all uncon-
scious of its imposing presence, they
then struck southwest, through the
present Indian Territory. Across the
bare plains and thirsty sands of Texas,
they pursued their terrible way till at
last their famished eyes were feasted on
the sight of the Spanish town of Tam-
pico, on the Gulf of Mexico. The Portu-
guese now left the party, and pushed on
to the City of Mexico. Thereafter we
lose all trace of him. The others re-
turned to their long-lost convent of
Michoacan, but Sebastian's health could
stand the strain no longer. Just as all
his trials and dangers were happily
ended, he fell sick of a burning fever and
soon surrendered his soul to God.
Lucas lived on, and was rewarded for
his fidelity and sufferings, by being
raised to the sacred priesthood, and by
laboring for many years, in the conver-
sion of the Indians of Zacatecas. The
faithful negro was also admitted, it

seems, into the Franciscan Order, prob-
ably as a lay brother ; but'the fate of the
mestizo is shrouded in obscurity, like
that of Del Campo.

Record, meantime, had been carefully
treasured of the marks by which the
donados had intended that the tomb of
Padilla should be recognized. Long
years afterward, Onate colonized New
Mexico, and the knowledge and love of
the true God swept like a consuming
fire through the territory. The blood of
the martyr had become the seed of a
flourishing church. Then it was that
some of his religious brethren set out
with Onate, when that famous general
followed in the way of Coronado, to Qui-
vira, and eagerly sought for his sacied
remains. The grave was readily discov-
ered, and, to their joy and amazement,
the friars found the habit in which Pa-
dilla had died, as well as his venerable
body still unhaimed by the grave and
untainted by the lapse of time. The
very arrows were still in the open
wounds. With feelings of profoundest
awe, and chanting many a hymn of
exultation, the remains were reverently
borne home with every mark of honor,
till the party reached the church of San
August] n in the pueblo of Isleta. They-
saw how just it was that his body should
be laid at rest in the territory where
religion owed so much to his holy death ;
and the church of Isleta was the nearest
to the scene of his first labors at Tiguex.
Here then the body of Father John de
Padilla was solemnly interred, and here
it has ever reposed, for three hundred
years and more. Some day soon, please
God, our pilgrim steps shall bear us
hither, and we shall learn, from Isletefio
lips, how devotedly his name is still
cherished, and what wonders God has
wrought in his honor.

CORPUS CHRISTI IN VENICE

N many countries the religious festi-
vals are celebrated with great pomp,
but in no country are they celebrated
with so much fervor and love as in
Italy. There the festa brings joy to the
poorest, comfort to the most afflicted ;
the blind> the halt, the crippled forget
for a season tbeir woes in the universal
jubilation.

We were fortunate enough to be in
Venice last year for a series of festas.
When we arrived on Easter Monday the
city was still en fete for the Resurrec-
tion; next came tfce feast of San Marco,
the Patron Saint of Venice; next the
feast of St. Anthony of Padua, a city so
near that the day is equally honored in
the city of the Doges ; next came Whit-
suntide, and lastly Corpus Christi. On
all these days government offices and
banks are closed, business of all kinds is
suspended, the churches are crowded at
all the services, and the entire popula-
tion enjoys a day's freedom from care,
thronging the public gardens and the
steamers which ply to and from the out-
lying islands in the lagunes, between
the church services.

There are some distinctive features to
mark each festa; thus for San Marco we
have a grand display of fireworks on
the piazza of St. Mark, to finish the
day's celebration. For the feast of St.
Anthony a bridge of boats is constructed
across the grand canal to the Church of
Santa Maria Delia Salute ; and although
there are in Venice 378 bridges, all the
populace traverse this special bridge
with as much wonder and delight as
if there was no other Of course we
must bear in mind that it is the only
day in the year on which they can visit
this favorite shrine without going in a
boat. But of all the festas, the one
which impressed us most was the Corpus

418

Christi, or Corpus Domini, as they call
it in Italy. We attended a quiet early
Mass in the Church of San Zaccaria, to
avoid the distraction of the crowds of
irreverent sightseers ; this is a beautiful
church, the walls entirely covered with
magnificent paintings by Mellini and
other renowned artists. It stands in au
open sunny square, under the shade of
grand old trees, and to reach it one has
to thread one's way through a labyrinth
of little crooked streets, perfectly pictur-
esque, but puzzling in the extreme.
Later we visited San Marco to seethe
decorations, and the devout people, and
the procession, and the great palle d'oro.
The latter is the altar piece ; it is an
immense oblong plaque of pure gold,
studded with precious gems, and is only
uncovered on high festivals. From
thence we went to the Gesu (Church
of the Jesuits) on the Fundamento Nuovo;
every where the same devotion, the same
crowds, the poor, of course, numerically
strong. I often think of the day when
these poor, with their faded garments,
their worn shoes, will enter joyfully into
' ' the marriage feast in the world of
light; " how the rich robes will pale and
be outshone, as the wearers will shrink
into the background in fear and trem-
bling, feeling themselves, like Adam after
his fall, destitute of good works. The
church of the Jesuits in Venice is a most
wonderful work of art, all the interior of
the walls is cased in marble, inlaid with
verd antique : the altar is splendidly
decorated with columns of verd antique
and lapis lazuli : there are also some
fine paintings of Tintoretto and Titian.
On the Sunday within the octave, as
we stepped into our gondola after hear-
ing Mass, the gondolier informed us
that there was to be a bella processione
(beautiful procession) in the evening

CORPUS CHRISTI IN VENICE.

from the Church of San Geremia ; it was
to be at 6 P. M. We told him to come
for us at five. Long before the time we
saw the gondola waiting at our steps,
and as we moved down the grand canal,
we judged, from the numbers of boats

«aing in the same direct:on, that we
ere none too early. San Geremia (St.
•remiah) is a very handsome church, on
a prominent corner jutting into the
grand canal, where the Canareggio turns
off. The Canareggio is a very broad
can al.difft rent from the others, insomuch
that it has qvLa.y$(fundamenti} on either
side, and therefore the houses do not rise
out of the water, but stand on the quays.
It was here the procession was to pass,
from the church along the quays to a
certain distance, across a bridge, and
back by the opposite quay. As we came
near, the scene was truly impressive :
all down the canal, as far as the eye
could reach, handsome banners were
hung across the intervals : from every
window and balcony of the houses on
either side, were suspended draperies ;
some of velvet fringed with gold from
palace windows, some less pretentious,
but all made the best display they could
to honor the expected guest.

The crowd on land and water was in-
conceivable ; not only the windows and
balconies filled, but even the housetops,
and the boats were so wedged together
that the water was quite invisible. We
really thought that it would be an im-
possibility to get our boat through, but
an Italian crowd is very accommodating,
and with great skill and patience our
gondoliers worked their way down to
the third bridge, from which the bene-
diction of the most Holy Sacrament was
to be given, and we took up our posi-
tion there, intensely interested in the
surging masses surrounding us on every
side, and the infinite variety of boats
and their occupants. At length the
tinkle of a little bell gives notice that
the procession is leaving the church.
Soon we descry it moving slowly along
the quay, the crowd falling back on

either side. First come the religious
sodalities of men in blue and white
robes, all bearing candles, immense
candles, each springing from the cen-
tre of a large bouquet of roses, and
wreathed with roses. A massive silver
crucifix is borne in front, and many
rich banners are seen along the ranks.

At intervals were little boys of not
more than two years, to personate St.
John the Baptist, wearing no clothing
but a lamb's fleece, and a crown of flow-
ers, each little fellow bearing a banner
and leading a real little lamb, also deco-
rated with garlands and ribbons. I never
saw anything so pretty as these angelic
little creatures, trotting along with
chubby bare feet, and when the little
feet were tired there was no lack of
kind, manly arms to lift the San Gio-
vannino and carry him till he was rested
and able to resume his march. After the
sodalities came a numerous band of
choristers, after these a troop of little
girls, robed in white and crowned with
flowers, and carrying baskets of flowers,
which they strewed along the path of
the Lord. Next came the canons and
clergy, and lastly the Cardinal Patri-
arch, bearing the most Holy Sacrament
under a gorgeous canopy. Silence fell
on the immense crowd ; all knelt ; no
sound wras heard save the music of thou-
sands of voices in grand harmony. As
the Cardinal reached the centre of the
third bridge, the remonstrance was
placed on the balustrade of the bridge,
where a temporary altar had been
erected, the Tantum ergo was intoned,
the hymn, familiar to us from child-
hood, but never heard with such sur-
roundings. The sky all reddened by the
setting sun, the kneeling crowd on land
and water, the picturesque gondoliers,
each kneeling on the floor of his barque,
with oar in hand and head uncovered,
the intense devotion portrayed in so
many faces, made, altogether, a sight
never to be forgotten.

The benediction given, the procession
returned by the opposite quay, the peo-

42O

CHURCHES OF ORIENTAL RITE.

pie all following. We too followed in our lows were singing their evening hymn,

boat, until the Cardinal entered the high up in the rosy sky, and the Ave

church Maria bells were ringing over the quiet

As we returned homeward, the swal- lagunes.

CHURCHES OF ORIENTAL RITE.

By Rev James Conway, S.J.

DURING the octave of the feast of the
Epiphany of our Lord the Church
of San Andrea della Valle in Rome
offers an interesting spectacle illustra-
tive of the universality and unity of the
Catholic Church, which thousands of
Romans and visitors of the Eternal City
flock to behold There the holy mys-
teries are celebrated each day accord-
ing to a different rite, and a sermon is
preached each day in a different lan-
guage. A similar spectacle, though on
a smaller scale, may be seen daily at
the College of the Propaganda, in Rome.
There are the Maronites, the Armenians,
Copts, United Greeks, Ruthenians, Bul-
garians, officiating in their own lan-
guage and according to different rites,
some of which, not only in substance,
but also in many of their minor observ-
ances, date back to apostolic times. All
these different rites have been sanctioned
by usage and are approved and protected
by the Church, not only in those places
where they have originated, biit also
wherever the clergy and people, who
follow such divergent rites, may hap-
pen to reside. Thus the Orientals, who
emigrate to this country, for example,
are free to worship according to their
respective rites, and their rights are
respected by the bishops and clergy of
the country.

Within the last few years several very
significant facts have drawn the atten-
tion of Western Christendom to the
Churches of the Orient. The atrocious
massacre of the Christian Armenians
has aroused the indignation of the civ-
i'ized world, and awakened the sympa-

thy of all Christians with their perse-
cuted brethren in the East. The Abys-
sinian war, while it revealed the power
of that half-civilized empire, proved also
the influence which Christian, or rather
let us say Catholic, humanity can exer-
cise over that people and its absolute
ruler. At this present writing an out-
break in Crete threatens to involve not
only the two nations concerned, but the
whole of Europe in an international
struggle.

But what has of late years most of
all turned the mind of Christendom
toward the East are the zealous, and,
by no means unsuccessful, efforts of our
great Pontiff, Leo XIII., to bring about
the reunion of the Eastern Churches with
Rome, the one true centre of Catholic
and Apostolic unity. Hardly had Leo
XIII., been raised to the papal throne,
when he gave expression to his great
love for the Orientals, and his ardent
desire to bring them back to the com-
munion of the Church. In an Allocu-
tion delivered April 16, 1879, he ex-
claimed : ' • Ah ! how dear to us are the
Churches of the East ! How we admire
their ancient glory ! How we should
rejoice to see them resplendent in their
pristine glory !" It were long even to
mention the various important steps
taken by the truly apostolic Pontiff
towards the realization of this great
plan. A measure of the greatest signifi-
cance was the convening of the Eucha-
ristic Congress in Jerusalem in 1893, at
which bishops and priests from various
parts of the world assembled. On June
20, 1894, Leo XIII., published the Ency-

CHURCHES OF ORIENTAL RITE

421

clical Prccclara gratulationis, exhorting
Christian princes to co-opetate toward
unity, and particularly the reunion of the
Oriental Churches. On December i, of
the same year, the Pope issued the Con-
stitution Orientalium dignitas, confirming
and extending the rights and privileges
of the Catholics of the various Oriental
rites, after protracted conferences with
patriarchs of the East, whom he had
invited to Rome for that purpose. The
great interest of the Father of Christen-
dom in his children of the East has
naturally, in a greater or less degree,
seized all fervent Christians. Are not,
in fact, the interests of the Holy Father
the interests of Christ, whose vicar he
is, and consequently the interests of the
entire Church ?

But in this country we are confronted
with a fact which calls forth a special
interest in the history and peculiar rites
and customs of those churches. Of late
years many of these Orientals — both
Catholics and Schismatics — following
the example of other nations, have
sought a refuge on our shores, bring-
ing with them all the peculiarities of
their various nationalities, languages,
churches, rites, and the like. Not long
since the public press devoted much at-
tention and space to the solemn dedi-
cation of a Maronite church in New
York City.

We have been credibly assured that
between seven thousand and eight thou-
sand Catholic Maronites are to be found
hawking pious objects, fruits, and other
merchandise in our large cities. Be-
tween two thousand and three thousand
United Greeks will be found similarly
employed; while the Schismatic Greeks
number from three thousand to four
thousand. Some fifteen thousand Ar-
menians, who mostly profess themselves
to be of the Episcopalian denomination,
being the harvest of our P. E. American
Missionary Society, may be found em-
ployed in the carpet trade chiefly in Chi-
cago and in the New England States.
Other Oriental churches are represented

by smaller numbers. Three Maronite
and three Greek priests minister to those
of their respective rites in the United
States, besides one United Greek priest
in Canada. The Schismatic Greeks have
also three priests of their own in the
United States. The number of Or-
thodox Russians must be considerable.
They are nominally under the jurisdic-
tion of the Orthodox Bishop of Alaska,
In this country, then, we maybe said to
have the Orientals with us, almost in
every type, Catholic and Schismatic,
representing almost every rite. They are
our brethren in the faith — having the
same creed, the same sacraments, the
same unbloody sacrifice, though some
are separated from the centie of unity.
We cannot, therefore, be indifferent as to
their history and their manner of wor-
ship.

Nor is this fact without utility for us
Catholics of the West. It puts before
us, as by an object lesson, the unity,
universality, charity and toleration of the
Catholic Church, that is, of the Apostolic
See, which, while holding supreme and
immediate power over all its children,
uses this power to defend, not to stamp
out those individual preferences and
usages that have been sanctioned by
long established custom. Such tolera-
tion cannot but work towards the edifica-
tion as well as the instruction of the
Catholics of the West, while it will have
a beneficial effect on the Orientals them-
selves, who are the objects of such con-
sideration on the part of the Church, and
will tend to remove the common preju-
dice from the minds of the Orientals
that Rome is bent on centralization, and
particularly on the suppression of the
Oriental liturgies. When they once
begin to realize that the Apostolic See
not only approves and defends the
Oriental rites in the East, but also over
the entire world, \vherever Eastern
Catholics are to be found, this preju-
dice will soon vanish, and greater confi-
dence will be restored. In any case,
we of the Latin rite cannot be indifferent

422

CHURCHES OF ORIENTAL RITE.

towards those immense communities,
who, while having the same faith as our-
selves, are in great part severed from
the life-giving fountainhead of the
Church. They are the disciples of the
Apostles, are baptized into the Church
as we are. They make use of the same
sacraments and the same holy sacrifice
of the Mass as we. It is our duty to
help them by our prayers, and, to some
extent also, by material assistance; and
the more we know of themselves and their
history and time-honored customs and
institutions, the more willingly and
effectually shall we render them these
offices of charity.

If we except the Slavs, the Christians
of Oriental rite were among the first
disciples of the Apostles. They received
their respective liturgies from the Apos-
tles themselves, as did the Western
Church from SS. Peter and Paul. These
liturgies were substantially the same,
but differed widely in accidentals.
While all that strictly refers to the mat-
ter and form of the sacraments and of
the holy sacrifice of the Mass, which
were instituted by Christ Himself, was
essentially identical in all liturgies, the
Apostles and their disciples were free to
engraft upon them, other prayers and
ceremonies for the edification and in-
struction of the faithful and for the
greater solemnity of the sacred functions.
These varied in different places accord-
ing to the character, religious customs
and languages of the various communi-
ties. Therefore, while there was perfect
unity in the Oriental Churches, as to
the faith, the primacy of St. Peter, the
sacraments established by Christ in His
Church, and the essentials of divine
worship, there arose a considerable
variety in the external forms of their
liturgy.

If we go back to the origin of Chris-
tianity we find that in Palestine and
Syria, besides the vernacular, which was
Syro-Chaldean, or, as it is also called,
Aramaic, the Greek language was widely
spoken. The Apostles in their writings,

and to a great extent in their preaching,
made use of the Greek language and
the Greek version of the Scriptures
known as the Septuagint. Our Lord
Himself also quotes the Greek version
of the Old Testament. From this fact
it may be concluded, although we have
no direct evidence of it, that the divine
mysteries and the office of the Church
were, in the earliest apostolic times, ordi-
narily celebrated in the Greek language.
But side by side with, if not anterior
to, this Greek liturgy was the Syriac,
which was used as occasion required,
and doubtless became more common
after the translation of the Scriptures
into Syriac, about the beginning of the
second century. Thus we find from the
earliest times in Syria and Palestine
two liturgies — or two versions of one
liturgy — the Greek and Syriac, both
called after the Apostle St. James, first
Bishop of Jerusalem.

Towards the end of the second cen-
tury, or in the beginning of the third,
the Scriptures were translated into the
Coptic language of Egypt, and this
gave rise to a third liturgy — the Coptic.
The Greek liturgy of St. James, how-
ever, or, as it is sometimes called, that
of St. Mark, continued to be in use at
Alexandria, where Greek was the lan-
guage of the schools and of the people.

From the Coptic or Alexandrian, or
from both combined, was subsequently
formed the Abyssinian liturgy, still in
use in that empire, which was converted
to the faith by St. Frumentius in the
early part of the fourth century.

The original Oriental Greek liturgy
known as that of St. James, was revised
successively by St. Basil the Great and
St. John Chrysostom, in the fourth cen-
tury, and gave its origin to the Liturgy
of Constantinople, which has ever since
been known as simply the Greek lit-
urgy, in contradistinction to the Ori-
ental liturgies.

A fifth liturgy was originated in Great
Armenia at the beginning of the fourth
century by St. Gregory Illuminator, its

CHURCHES OF ORIENTAL RITE.

423

postle, and was subsequently adopted
nd followed by all the Armenians, after
he Scriptures had been translated into
heir language, about the end of the
ifth century.

Thus we find in the East, in the early
; ges of the Church, five great branches
of the one true Church, each having its
own liturgy — the Syrians, the Armeni-
ans, the Copts, the Abyssinians, and
1he Greeks. From these five rites have
been formed various other liturgies.
The Syrian, particularly, gave rise to
many different, but only slightly diverg-
ing, forms. Others, again, as the Slav
liturgies, originated simply by trans-
lating the Greek into the various lan-
guages of the Slav nations.

Despite this variety of ritual, the Ori-
ental churches, up to the fifth century,
were united among themselves, and with
the centre of Christendom. The Church
of the I$ast was governed by four patri-
archs, having their seats respectively in
Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria and
Constantinople, and each patriarch hav-
ing a number of suffragan bishops under
his jurisdiction.

Controversies on matters of doctrine
and points of dispute between patriarchs
and bishops were referred to Rome for
settlement. The legates of the Holy
See presided at the ecumenical councils,
the first eight of which were celebrated
in the Orient ; and it was not until the
pope gave his approval that their decrees
became laws of the Church .

The first schism was formed in the
fifth century b}' Nestorius, who was also
a heretic, asserting two persons — the one
divine, the other human — in Christ. He,
consequently, denied the divine mother-
hood of the Blessed Virgin, who, accord-
ing to him, was the Mother of Christ,
but not of God. His doctrine was con-
demned by the Council of Ephesus, in
the year 43 1. But it was not thereby
exterminated. It spread particularly in
the Patriarchate of Antioch. Its fol-
lowers called themselves Nestorians.
They maintained the Syriac liturgy of

St. James. Thus was formed the first
separate sect of the East.

After the condemnation of Nestorius,
Eutyches and his followers fell into the
opposite extreme, admitting in Christ
but one nature. They were, therefore,
called Monophysites (the advocates of a
single nature). The heresy of Eutyches
was condemned by the Council of Chalce-
don, in the year 451. It infected, how-
ever, many Christian communities in
the western part of Syria, while the
eastern part was tainted with Nestorian-
ism. The Monophysites are known as
Jacobites, deriving their name probably
from Jacobus Baradaeus, Bishop of
Edessa. These formed the second sep-
arate sect. They followed the liturgy of
St. James, which, in the course of time,
diverged into some forty slightly dif-
fering forms. They constituted what is
generally known as the Syrian rite.

At the same time the Copts and Abys-
sinians refused to accept the Council of
Chalcedon and fell away from the centre
of unity They formed an independent
community known also under the name
of Jacobites.

In the fifth and sixth centuries the
Armenians likewise fell into the Mono-
physite heresy and established an inde-
pendent church.

Those who submitted to the teaching
of the Council of Chalcedon and re-
mained united with the Catholic Church
were calkd Melchites (that is, loyal to
the king), because in submitting to the
Council they proved also their allegiance
to the Emperor Marcian, who used all
his influence to enforce submission to
the decrees of Chalcedon.

Thus were founded the Schismatic
sects of the Nestorians and Armenians,
each under a sell-constituted head called
a Ratholicos; the Jacobites, under the
Schismatic Patriarch of Antioch; the
Copts and Abyssinians under the Schis-
matic Patriarch of Alexandria.

The Catholic Melchites, who followed
the liturgy of St. James, in Greek or in
Syriac, according to circumstances, were

424

CHURCHES OF ORIENTAL RITE.

governed by a Melchite Patriarch having
his seat at Antioch. Many of them
remained faithful even after the Greek
Schism, so that they can point to no
fewer than twenty-five orthodox Patri-
archs from 849 to 1714, when the Catholic
Greco- Melchite Patriarchate was estab-
lished by Rome.

A Catholic Syrian rite which deserves
very special mention is that of the
Maronites, who inhabit the district of
Mount Lebanon, and who have never
been tainted by schism or heresy. They
derive their name, in all probability, from
St. Maroun, abbot of a monastery at the
source of the Orontes, who flourished
towards the end of the fourth century,
and is regarded as their Apostle and
the founder of their nation. They have
a special liturgy of ancient Syrian
origin, which approaches nearer to the
Latin rite than any of the other Oriental
liturgies. Several popes, from Leo X.
to L^o XIII., have borne testimony to
the unfailing loyalty of this good people
to the Holy See.

Briefly to sum up the data thus far
reviewed, we find in the Orient proper,
before the great "Oriental schisms of
Photius and Michael Cerularius, in the
ninth and eleventh centuries, seven
principal Oriental rites: the Greek, three
Syriac (the Syrian properly so-called, or
Jacobite; the Chaldean, or Nestorian;
the Maronite); the Armenian, the Coptic
and the Abyssinian.

With the growth of political power in
the Byzantine Empire, the Greek rite
obtained the ascendancy over the other
Oriental rites. It now comprises the
Greek rite proper, in Greece and the
adjacent islands, and in Constantinople
and its ecclesiastical dependencies; the
Russian, Servian, Bulgarian, Ruthenian,
Roumanian, and Arabian, these latter
being only translations from the Greek
into the respective languages of those
nations.

Such is the variety of the Greek and
Oriental rites which sprang up in the
East during the course of ages, and are

not only tolerated but sanctioned and
defended by the Apostolic See. We can-
not, however, have an adequate idea of
those different rites and their followers
without briefly reviewing their relation
to the Holy See.

We have seen that a large number of
the Christians of the Orient were, at an
early age, carried away into heresy and
schism by Nestorius and Eutyches ; the
Maronites only, and those who are known
by the name of Melchites, remaining
faithful and subject to the centre of
unity. Also in the Church of Constanti-
nople, and in those churches which were
under the influence of the Eastern em-
pire, schismatic tendencies were in evi-
dence long before the final rupture with
Rome was definitely effected. Abbe"
Duchesne sums up five different periods
before the Photian Schism, aggregating
203 years, at which the Church of the
Empire was in an attitude of open defi-
ance to the Holy See. A deep wound,
from which she never since recovered,
was inflicted on the Greek Church by the
schism of Photius towards the decline of
the ninth century. But the death blow
was dealt to the unity of the entire
Oriental Church by Michael Cerularius,
Patriarch of Constantinople, in 1054. In
this schism were involved all the Ori-
ental rites in Europe as well as in Asia
and Africa, also the Melchite Catholics,
who had thus far remained faithful. The
Maronites of the Lebanon alone, as we
have already remarked, formed an honor-
able exception.

It were long to recount the efforts
made by the Holy See at various times
to bring back those nations to their
allegiance to the Vicar of Christ. Such,
however, were the prejudices against
Rome with which their minds had been
filled, that all attempts at reunion have
thus far proved abortive. The results of
the efforts of Leo XIII. cannot yet be
estimated to their full extent ; but it
cannot be denied that His Holiness,
during his active and successful pontifi
cate, has done much to remove preju-

CHURCHES OF ORIENTAL RITE.

425

dices, and to win the confidence of
Eastern Christendom.

Ever since the Schism, missionaries
from the West have been toiling among
the Schismatics. Permanent missions
were established in various parts of the
East after the Crusades. St. Francis of
Assisi himself led a colony of his sons to
the Orient. The Carmelites and Domini-
cans were not slow to follow in the foot-
steps of the sons of St. Francis. The
first idea of St. Ignatius in the founda-
tion of the Society of Jesus was the con-
version of the Orient. But God disposed
otherwise and chose the Jesuits at that
time for another field. In our own day,
side by side with those first occupants,
L,azarists, Jesuits, members of various
recent congregations and secular priests
are laboring among the Schismatics of
the East. These missions, however,
have thus far been attended with great
difficulties, and consequently their suc-
cess has not always responded to the
amount of life and labor expended upon
them.

However, in spite of the great difficul-
ties arising from hostile governments,
from the fanaticism of the Turk, the prej-
udice of the Greek, and the destructive
work of Protestant missionaries, who are
now established in almost every part of
the East, with millions of dollars to back
them, the efforts of Rome and the zeal
of the Catholic missionaries have suc-
ceeded in reclaiming, or preserving in
the faith, nearly 7,000,000 Christians of
Oriental rite. Yet this number is com-
paratively small when compared with
the 97,000,000 of the various Oriental
bodies who are still outside the pale of
the Church.

Before concluding this review we may
be allowed to give a brief statement of
the present condition of the various
Oriental rites, according to the most re-
cent data to hand.1

The Oriental Church, .properly so

i. We follow the figures quoted by Michel in
his work entitled D 'Orient et Rome (ad edition)
Paris, 1895, who supplements and brings down todate
Werner's statistics in his Orbis Catholicus, Herder,

called, as we have seen, is divided into
seven principal groups or rites. Each
rite has its own separate hierarchy — both
united and schismatic. To begin with
the Nestorians, who have returned to
the Church, they are under the Patriarch-
ate of Babylon, established 1681 by Pope
Innocent XI., and comprising eleven
bishoprics, five of which are archiepis-
copal sees. The number of Catholics in
the district of Babylon does not exceed
20,000. More numerous are the united
Nestorians of Malabar in East India, who
number 208,500, now under three native
Vicars Apostolic. The converted Nesto-
rians are generally known by the name
of Chaldeans, while the Schismatics of
that sect are called simply Nestorians.
The latter still number some 200,000-
souls, governed by their Schismatic Kath-
olicos.

The United Syrian Church was organ-
ized under the Syrian Patriarch of An-
tioch in 1787, and now comprises ten
dioceses, four of which have the dig-
nity of archbishoprics. There are about
30,000 Catholic Syrians. More than
500,000 are still Jacobites under the
schismatic Patriarch of Antioch.

The Catholic Maronites constitute the
most important Catholic body in the
Orient. They number over 300,000
souls (some have estimated them at
400,000). They are governed by a pa-
triarch of their own, also of the title of
Antioch, with four archbishops and as
many bishops, and about 1,200 priests,
secular and regular. The Patriarchate
was established in the year 1254 by
Pope Alexander IV. The patriarch re-
sides in the Monastery of Kanobin on
Mount Lebanon. There are no Schis-
matics belonging to this rite.

The Greco- Melchite Catholics number
about 120,000, under the jurisdiction of
a Greco-Melchite Patriarch of Antioch,
established 1724, resident at Damascus,
who presides over six archdioceses and

St. Louis, 1890. See also Father Yasbek's address be-
fore the Kucharistic Congress at Washington, D. C.,
1896, in Euckaristic Conferences, Catholic Book Ex-
change, New York.

426

CHURCHES OF ORIENTAL RITE.

eight dioceses, with some 400 priests.
The Catholics of this rite are scattered
through all parts of Syria and Egypt.
They have substituted the Greek liturgy
of Constantinople for that of St. James,
which they had originally adopted, but
they very commonly use the Arabic
language in the sacred functions. About
400,000 Schismatics follow this rite.
They are under the jurisdiction of the
three Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch,
and Alexandria, who profess themselves
independent of the Patriarch of Con-
stantinople.

The united Armenians number about
130,000 souls. They are scattered all
over the Turkish dominions, Persia, and
parts of Russia and Austria. They are
governed by a united Patriarch, resident
at Constantinople, to whose jurisdic-
tion all Catholic Armenians have been
assigned by Pius IX. in 1866. The
Armenian Patriarch governs five arch-
dioceses and fourteen dioceses. The
Schismatics of the Armenian rite are
more numerous than those of any other
of the strictly Oriental rites, being
something in excess of 3,000,000, gov-
erned by a Katholicos with several patri-
archs subject to him.

Passing from Syria and Armenia into
Bgypt, we first meet the united Copts >
under the Catholic Patriarch of Alexan-
dria, numbering probably 25,000, served
by twenty-five priests of their own rite.
Gross ignorance, more than ill-will, holds
some 500,000 of this rite still in the state
of separation from the one true Church.
Of late years the outlook for the con-
version of the Copts has become brighter.

The Abyssinians have been the most
stubborn of all Oriental Schismatics.
On occasion of the Council of Florence
they were reconciled with the Church,
but soon fell away again. According to
Rev. Oscar Werner, the number of Cath-
olics in Abyssinia in 1890, was about
10,000, under a Vicar Apostolic and thirty
missionaries, while the Schismatics num-
ber 3,000,000. The Schismatics are gov-
erned by a Metropolitan bearing the

title of Abouna ( Father ) and several
bishops. The monastic element in
Abyssinia is very strong. The recent
transactions between the Pope and the
Negus of Abyssinia in regard to the re-
lease of the Italian prisoners seem to
point to a growing sentiment in favor of
Rome, which, we may trust, will result
in the reunion of this brave people with
the Rock of Peter.

We now come to the Oriental rites
improperly so-called, or the Oriental
rites in Europe. And first we en-
counter the Greek rite, strictly so-called,
or Hellenic, which uses the liturgy of
Constantinople in the Greek language.
The united Greeks of this rite, if we
except the Italo-Greeks, who number
about 42,000, amount to no more than a
few hundred. The Schismatic Greeks
of this rite, on the other hand, in the
Dominion of Turkey, in the Kingdom of
Greece, and the Island of Cyprus, are
about 4,000,000 in number, under three
Patriarchs, independent of each other,
respectively of Constantinople, Athens,
and Cyprus.

Next come the Greco- Roumanians.
The United Catholics of the Roumanian
rite have been estimated, in the jear
1892, at 1,029,416 souls. Most of these
are outside of Roumania, in Austria and
Hungary. The number of separated
Roumanians has been reckoned at 6, 1 1 1 , -
149. Of these 4,580,000 are of the King-
dom of Roumania.

The United Greco- Ruthenians in Aus-
tria, Hungary, Russian Poland, Croatia
Carinthia, Dalmatia, muster about 4,000-
ooo, while the Schismatics of the same
rite amount to something over 3,500,000.

The Bulgarians, in Bulgaria, Mace-
donia and Thrace, to the number of five
to six millions are Schismatics, there
being only about 60,000 United Bulgar-
ians, mostly in Macedonia and Thrace.
The efforts for the reunion of the Bul-
garians have thus far met with little
success.

In 1885 a new rite was originated in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, which may be

CHURCHES OF ORIENTAL RITE.

427

lied the Latin-Slav, by an indult of
;o XIII., granting them permission to
lebrate the Mars and holy office in the
av language, but according to the
atin rite. This rite was at that time
Uowed by 265,788 Catholic Slavs, in
lose two States.

The most important and numerous of
1 the Oriental rites is the Greco-Rus-
an, which counts 70,000,000 of Schis-
latics. So far, all attempts at reunion
f the Russian Church with Rome have
)roved fruitless, such is the iron grasp
f the Tsar on the Church. There are,
herefore, no Catholics of the Greco-
Russian rite. The nine or ten millions
of Catholics under Russian dominion
belong mostly to the Latin, some to dif-
ferent Oriental rites.

Such, in brief, is the present condition
of the Oriental Churches, both Catholic
and Schismatic, in Europe, and in the
Orient proper. Much has been done for
the last eight or nine centuries towards
their reunion with the one true Church,
both by the action of the Holy See and
by the individual efforts of Catholic
missionaries ; but much more remains
to be done in the future. The field is
now ripe for the harvest.

In the Orient proper the modern facili-
ties of communication have opened up a
large field for missionary work. Protest-
ant missionary societies were not slow
to take advantage of the situation. They
have penetrated everywhere, and, sub-
sidized by millions of dollars, they have
opened schools and churches in every
part of the Levant. Their schools are
frequented by thousands, who are not
only taught, but also fed and clothed,
gratuitously. Thus, in Egypt, the
American Missionary Society has 2,500
Copts in its schools. In Palestine the
Church Missionary Society had, in 1882,

2. We would not be understood as underrating the
educational work that is done in the East by our
Catholic Missionaries and the religious communities
of both sexes, who are laboring very successfully
with the slender means at their disposal. In this
work the Brothers of the Christian Schools
deserve special mention. They have flourishing
schools at Constantinople. Chalcedon, Erzerum,

no fewrer than 3,607 pupils. In the
same year there were, in the town of
Beyrouth alone, 128 teachers and 3,004
pupils in English Protestant schools.
In 1892 the Protestant societies had in
Northern Syria 120 missionaries, 410
native agents, 236 schools and 12,903
pupils. In similar proportion the Prot-
estants are found at work in all parts of
the East. Most of those thousands of
children, who are the hope of the coming
generation, will be lost to the Church.
They will be deprived of their Catholic
faith without receiving any satisfactory
substitute, and the result will be rank
infidelity in the coming generations,
unless provision is made for Catholic
schools to counteract the Protestant
Propaganda.

The Oriental Catholics, in their sim-
plicity and illiteracy, are not prepared to
meet the dangers that now threaten
them from the invasion of Protestantism.
It is only by the apostolic activity of
Western Christendom that they will be
able to combat this evil influence. Prot-
estantism must be fought with its own
weapons. Catholic schools must be set
up against sectarian schools. Though
the churches of the East were all united
to-morrow, it is only the missionary
activity of the Latin Church that could
save them from the destruction that
threatens them. While therefore we
pray for the re-union of the Churches of
the East and the spiritual success of
those who labor among those peoples,
we must not forget that our charitable
aid is a necessary means in the dispensa-
tion of Providence, to give effect to our
prayers. It will avail but little to have
those nations united with the Church, if
then they are left a prey to the ' ' ravenous
wolves, " who go about in sheep's cloth-
ing seeking to devour the unwary flock.2

Smyrna, Salonica, Sophia, Trebizond, Jerusalem,
Bethlehem, Jaffa, Nazareth, Beyrouth, Rhodes,
Cairo, Alexandria, and other places. Besides
several colleges in various cities, the Jesuits
have at Beyrouth a fully equipped university
with more than five hundred students, and a
clerical seminary for the formation of Oriental
secular priests.

THE SACRED HEART IN THE TYROL.

THE following description of the
centenary celebration of the conse-
cration of Tyrol to the Sacred Heart
at Innsbruck is an interesting sup-
plement to our recent illustrated article
on that subject. It is taken from the
Croatian Messenger. The last feast, with
which the Tyrolese celebrated the cen-
tenary of their League with the Sacred
Heart, greatly exceeded in grandeur the
previous celebrations.

September 27, 1896, at about 8 : 30
A.M., from fourteen to fifteen thousand
Tyr.jlese, besides two battalions of regular
troops, gathered in the immense court-
yard of the large casern of Innsbruck. A
camp altar had been erected there with
a large statue of the Sacred Heart on it.
On the arrival of their Highnesses, the
Archduke Ludwig Victor, and the Arch-
duchess Alice of Tuscany, to preside at
the festival in behalf of their Imperial
Majesties, they were saluted with the im-
perial anthem, played by seventy-four
regiment bands.

The ceremony opened with the bless-
ing of seventy old regimental flags, most
of them all in shreds, around which so
much blood had been shed by the faith-
ful Tyrolese in the campaigns of these
last hundred years. They were borne by
sturdy veterans. A ribbon, sent by Her
Imperial Majesty, was hung on the most
glorious of those banners. At this mo-
ment, Lieutenant Count Brandis deliv-
ered an enthusiastic speech to the
assembled troops. He said that the
Tyrolese, following in the footsteps of
their forefathers, would be ever faithful
to the House of Hapsburg, for whose
defense they would be ready to shed their
blood in battle under the banner of the
Sacred Heart. Mass was then begun.
The elevation was a solemn moment,
indeed. A small bell announced that
the august moment was approaching;
at once the music stopped ; all the ban-

428

ners were lowered to the ground ; all
eyes were riveted on the altar. The clear
voice of the ofiicers rang out in the pro-
found silence, commanding all to adora-
tion and prayer. " I write as an eyewit-
ness, " says the correspondent of the
Glasnik. "The sight of some sixteen
thousand brave soldiers silently adoring
the divine Heart under the sacramental
veil ; the presence and devotion of their
Imperial Highnesses sent an indescriba-
ble thrill to the heart. I gave vent to
my emotions in tears of joy. "

After Mass the troops paraded through
the town. All the houses were gaily
adorned with flags and garlands ; all the
windows were thronged with spectators.
Each music-band played in front of its
division, which was headed by the
respective ensign with the regimental
colors flying. The Landesshiitzen fol-
lowed in good order, musket on their
shoulders, and wearing the well-known
costumes of their valleys and villages.
Among those brave mountaineers one
would have seen rosy-cheeked young men
mixed with old veterans, some of whom
were made cripple and lame in some
previous campaign. One old man above
all attracted the eyes of the spectators —
a modest Capuchin, venerable for his
long and white beard, on whose breast
shone many a military medal won in
the battlefield. Those loyal men marched
after their music-bands, singing at the
highest pitch of their voice their national
hymns and songs.

On the evening of the same day, Sep-
tember 27, more than thirty thousand
spectators were assembled in the court-
yard of the casern to see the splendid
illumination representing the famous
battle of Spinges, South Tyrol, where,
for the first time in the year 1797, the
Tyrolese peasants, under the protection
of the Sacred Heart, utterly defeated the
regular troops.

429

A DOUBLE RELEASE.

By T. M. Joyce.

UPON the summit of a hill, high
over a beautiful valley and against
a background of vivid green pines, a
Gothic cathedral reared its brown ivied
turrets in solitary state. So strongly
were the rays of the setting sun ascend-
ing from below the western edge of a
shining lake, directed upon the base of
the glistening cross that, like an even-
ing benediction, it seemed to hover in
mid-air over the restless world.

Obliquely gleaming through the
stained-glass windows, the soft tints
illumined the angels carved over the
arch at the entrance until they seemed
ready for upward flight on wings of
purest gold.

Within the sacred edifice, although
many of the faithful kept vigil in adora-
tion of the Blessed Sacrament during
the Forty Hours' Devotion, a sweet and
solemn stillness reigned.

On the lowest step of the sanctuary,
with his earnest eyes raised in plead-
ing eloquence to where the exquisitely
carved tabernacle with its treasure of di-
vine Love nestled among the flowers and
ferns, Willie Carroll knelt and prayed as
he never had prayed in his life.

The softly lighted air was flooded with
the delicate perfume of flowers. The
flames rising out of the hearts of the
gold rose petals in the tall candelabras,
quivering and flickering in silent service
before the throne of the Most High, shed
a sweet radiance over the kneeling form
of the boy.

A, wonderful love entered and suffused
itself within him, taking possession of
his inmost soul.

Sweet Jesus, low before Thee,
We bend in fear and love
in children 's voices floating up through
the dim vaulted roof, fell upon his ear,
and a new confidence, born of tender-
430

ness, vibrated through his frame so thor-
oughly that, when half an hour later he
arose from the step, his young face glow-
ing with hope and victory, this boy of
twelve had offered himself, his whole
life, to his dear Master, the Saviour,
whose grace had stirred the depths of
his soul, that his father might be exon-
erated from the almost inevitable fate
which awaited him on the morrow,
prison and the stamp of guilt.

Below in the valley, from the lace-
draped window of a cottage, set some-
what back from the street among avenues
of leafless shrubbery, Mrs. Carroll looked
out of tearful eyes upon the dimmed
beauty of the evening. Glimmering
through the depths of the green and
brown branches of pine, lights of gold
and the palest of blue broke forth from
the illumined background, but the twi-
light, slowly deepening, soon left on the
landscape only a dense darkness of
woods, with here and there a bit of
brightness shining for a moment and
then fading away, leaving the space it
had lighted more gloomy than ever.

" It is like my own life, " thought she
sadly, (< the hope and the sweetness
gone out." The words of the Memorare
were upon her lips, but her heart's
desolation was plainly depicted upon
her white face.

Her attention was suddenly diverted
when a fine equipage drawn by a pair of
horses with silver trappings on their
harness, came to a full stop at her gate.
A vague hope arose within her, as she
recognized them as belonging to Judge
May, who, on the morrow, might pro-
nounce the sentence, fatal, perhaps, to
her husband; words more cruel than
death to her !

But it was Mrs. May who stood on the
threshold.

A DOUBLE RELEASE.

431

" My dear Mrs. Carroll, " said she, " I
have come to offer you my sympathy,
and to help you to dry those tears if I
can. Although there is little comfort
derived from words when one is unable
to remove the root of the evil, still there
is consolation in knowing there are hearts
grieved for us."

"You are very kind," faltered the
grief-stricken woman, as she motioned
her visitor to a seat, "to take this
interest, considering we are unknown to
you. "

" Not entirely, " observed the strange
lady quietly, ' ' your little son on the
altar each Sunday has almost sung him-
self into my heart. ' ' She smiled cheer-
fully as she said this, but when she
added slowly, " he is like the only child
I ever had, "the steady voice quivered
for a moment.

Her listener detected this, and a great
wave of pity swept through her heart
for the lonely mother, whose son she
concluded had died.

' 'However, I was going to say, my hus-
band returns from the city to-morrow
and I mean to tell him all the good I
know of Mr. Carroll, so I have come to
hear it all from you. "

The poor woman arose and advanced
to her visitor with outstretched hands,
"You have come in answer to my
prayers, " she exclaimed tearfully. Then
lifting her face so that her eyes were on
a level with those of the Saviour in
an engraving of ' ' The Agony in the
Garden," she added in grateful tones,
"Oh, my God, I thank Thee ! "

" Nay, my dear, " responded the other
quickly rising and gently clasping her
arm, "I would not encourage you with
false hopes. I am powerless, as my
husband will be. It is not he who
decides the — innocence of persons in
cases like this. However, I am sure he
will speak in his favor. "

The afflicted woman sank despairingly
upon a couch, and covered her face with
her hands. "Then there is no hope
left, "she sobbed, ' 'none whatever, not

anything in the world can save him,
the evidence is so strong ; although he
is innocent, God knows he is innocent ! ' '

"There, there, my dear, Mrs. Car-
roll," said the other soothingly, "why,
you must pray."

' ' Pray ! ' ' repeated she hopelessly, ' ' I
have prayed ; but what prayers could
stand against such proofs, such false
proofs ; the night watchman, the patrol-
man, and the roundsman, all of their
statements are precisely the same."
Then drying her eyes at her visitor's
bidding, she began : ' ' My husband has
held the position of cashier in the
wholesale department of Richie's cloth-
ing house for four years. While in their
employ his salary has been raised fre-
quently, so well have they appreciated
his service. He was trustworthy always.
I believe they are sincere in their efforts
to avert this misfortune from us. And
yet not anything that they can do, can
swerve the finger of blame from pointing
steadily at my husband. The money,
five thousand dollars, was missing on
that morning. My husband alone un-
derstood the combination of the safe,
and after supper on the previous night,
he returned to the office, being some-
what worried about whether he had
properly locked the safe. The money
was there and everything as usual when
he left. He had some conversation with
the night watchman on duty there, and
with the two officers outside.

1 ' In the morning the money was miss-
ing. That is all. There was no clue
except that some red rubber bands were
found in our orchard, and which they
proved were the same that bound the
little bundles of the missing notes. A
neighbor's child, whose oath would not
be accepted, says he used them for a
sling-shot, a little contrivance used for
shooting birds.

' ' Then it seems a fact that no entrance
had been effected during [the night."

" O, Mrs. May, it is all a plot to ruin
my husband ! and I believed we had no
enemy !. " Stopping suddenly, the whole

4-32

A DOUBLE RELEASE.

expression of her countenance changed,
and with white set lips, she added : " If
I thought it were not sinful, I would
pray God to shower down His heaviest
curse upon the head of him who perpe-
trated "

"No, no!" interrupted the other,
warningly, "heap no curses upon any
one. O there is sufficient misery in
the world ! Our lives are often filled to
overflowing ; besides, you have much
consolation in your sorrow. Your hus-
band has wronged no law of God. What
if the law of man condemn him to suffer
as though he were guilty? My dear
Mrs. Carroll," entreated her visitor,
soothingly, "an aged priest who has
guided me safely over the most danger-
ous perils of my life, often repeats to
me : ' Learn of Him, to whom was done
the most cruel wrong that ever stained
the face of the earth, to pray for your
enemies. '"

Mrs. Carroll looked up wearily.

" You cannot understand the depth of
my sorrow," she sighed. "My boy's
father branded as a thief; besides his
cruel suffering and our poverty. O,
Mrs. May, I am desolate in my misery,
so desolate that you could never know,
you who have known no want that
wealth could not remove. ' '

The visitor bent her beautiful face,
with its crown of white waving hair,
toward the bowed head of the heart-
broken wife.

"Listen to me, Mrs. Carroll," said
she, in a steady voice, " I tell you I
have a grief so much greater than yours
that all the wealth of the world could
not remove it." Her large, calm eyes
were slowly kindling, and her listener
gazed in astonishment. "The wealth
of which you speak has done but little
for me. While it surrounds me with
luxury, jewels and costly gowns, and
serving people who wait upon my light-
est word, I wear no stronger shield upon
my heart to guard it from the memories
and the words that wound, or the sorrow
which has filled my life.

' ' My silent house is lonely and often
most unbearable ; yet, wherever I go,
my empty, aching heart is with me ;
his vacant chair, his untouched books,
his rooms still undisturbed as when he
left them, for, dear Mrs. Carroll, I stood
beside my husband when he sent our
only child, my son, an outcast into the
world ; I stood beside him when he
said the words that broke my heart,
and I was powerless to countermand
them."

Her face was aflame with wounded
love, and her form quivered with emotion,
as she continued in a low tremulous
tone, ' ' I saw his boyish head bowed low
upon his breast when he passed down
the staircase, and when he turned his
white wan face to me, his mother, the face
that was engraved upon my heart, I
heard my husband 's voice in harsh dis-
cordant tones.

" When I awoke from the swoon, that
sad pale face came back to me, and it has
never left me. The memory of those
sorrowing eyes is ever before me, and
my heart is aching for him every moment.
While my life is passed in plenty, I
know not where he is, or whether he is
suffering, while I, his mother, dwell
amid hateful riches. My son alone,
homeless, disinherited among strangers. ' '

It was now Mrs. Carroll's time to offer
consoling words, and while the cadence
of their voices rose and fell a sweet peace
seemed to descend upon them, and when
Mrs. May took her departure they had
both resolved to pray for the one who
committed the theft, that his heart might
be softened, as well as for the man who
had been accused. Mrs. Carroll shuddered
as she thought how nearly she had been
to cursing him.

# * *

Slowly down the cathedral aisle the
procession moved in solemn grandeur.
Beneath the trembling canopy of gem-
bespangled snowy silk, bordered with
bands of heavy gold from which depended
waves of glistening fringe, the Bishop
bore with stately grace, in the shin-

A DOUBLE RELEASE.

"OUR LIVES ARE OFTEN FILLED TO OVERFLOWING."

ing monstrance, the Holy Sacrament, with fragrance. A tall well-dressed

The soft lights of the tapers shed a man hurriedly entered the church and

radiance upon the assemblage, and waves seated himself with the boys in the

of incense ascending, flooded the air wing.

434

A DOUBLE RELEASE.

His cheeks were thin and flushed, and
his eyes had a brightness in them strange
to see. A curly-headed youth at his side
imparted the whispered information to
him that everybody in the church knelt
in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
and that he should do likewise. As no
heed was paid to this timely admonition,
the little fellow concluded the man was
deaf, and gravely ruminated upon the
possibility of putting him on his knees
by force.

Meanwhile, sweet rose-crowned little
girls were nearing the ring in advance of
the procession, and scattering flowers in
His pathway who trod on earth a thorny
one; still clouds of incense arose thicker
and nearer. Clear and sweet sounded
the notes of the little bell carried by
Willie Carroll. That bell had a holy
mission in the world, and Willie loved
to hear its high quivering resonance.
The little children's voices sang out
sweetly and plaintively to the one who
loved them .

O Lord, I am not worthy,

That Thou shouldst come to me,

But speak those words of comfort
My spirit healed shall be.

Suddenly, to the intense astonishment
of the boys in the ring, the man who had
remained seated until that moment, with
an awful sob, prostrated himself in the
aisle before the king of heaven and earth,
and remained in that position until the
procession had ascended the altar. The
Brother in charge of the boys sent a
message through the ring to the effect
that a Memorare was to be said by each
of them for the man who seemed to be a
penitent sinner.

In a few moments, the aisles were fill-
ing rapidly, and the people were leaving
the church. The man had arisen and
joined the moving throng. Seized with
a sudden weakness, he looked about for
a place of resting. He was on the side
of the aisle next the wall. There were
no pews at his right, but a confessional
hung with dark green curtains stood be-
fore him. Somebody almost pushed him

into it. He looked behind to see who it
wras who was elbowing his way so
roughly, and only the Brother with a
face of humility and meekness, moved
slowly ahead of the boys, a faintness
again stealing over him, and the toys
crowding upon his heels, he stepped
into the only refuge and mechanically
knelt on the bench. The slide was
drawn back and a voice at once gentle
and soothing said: "How long since
your last confession ? "

" How long !"

It was the good Bishop himself who
had responded to the humbler request of
the Brother, and who awaited the sinner
whom he had promised to send to him
in the confessional.

•* •* •*

Willie Carroll was seated beside the
prisoner in the court-room. One hand
clasped his father's hand, the other, since
the commencement of the trial, was
thrust into his coat pocket. He looked
often at his mother, always hoping he
would not see her crying and wishing
she were not so pale. Mrs. May whis-
pered words of encouragement in her
ear, but she added: "Try to say 'Thy will
be done. '"

The lawyers and the very learned men,
whose eloquent pleading proved irresist-
ible and convincing in many famous
cases, would scarcely credit the fact that
the calm little boy with the grave, earn-
est face, was pleading his father's casein
a higher court than theirs as he told the
beads in his pocket.

At length the trial came to an end,
and the judge addressed the jury. Long
and earnestly he adjured them to reflect
carefully upon the evidence, to weigh
well each trivial circumstance, and,
above all, to be just in their decision.

When they had retired a few moments,
Willie began the last decade.

The judge moved uneasily in his chair.
He felt he knew what the verdict would
be. There was no other way. He would
like to believe the man innocent for his
wife's sake, but the law was unflinching r

A DOUBLE RELEASE.

435

unyielding, and would take its course.

Willie told his father to cheer up, as
he had but two more Hail Marys to say.

The jurymen entered and seated them-
selves.

"Guilty!"

The word burned like fire in his head.
He heard the noise in the court-room,
his mother's low moan, and felt his
father's clasp tighten on his hand.

" Pray for us sinners now and at the
hour of our death. Amen. "

§He finished with white lips.
A voice arose over the murmuring
throng.

' ' He is not guilty ! ' '

"The man who would not kneel in
the church, " exclaimed a small boy in
the gallery to his companion, "till I
made him !"

A. cry from the depths of a mother's
sad heart rent the air, and Mrs. May
raised her hands in supplication to
heaven, and fainted.

The judge's face became livid. Three
times he attempted to rise from the chair
into which he had sunk, and as often
failed.

Willie Carroll's pleading had won.

" From the roif of the garden adjoin-
ing. " continued the man, "I descended
the skylight." A cough, which nearly
choked his utterance, seized him, but,
resisting it, he added, " the notes I have
with me." Then, in loud stentorian
tones, the judge exclaimed authorita-
tively, "I will take charge of the pris-
oner."

* * •*

The servants in the spacious house-
hold of Judge May moved noiselessly
to and fro, and spoke in subdued voices.
A hush was over everything. Although
it was scarcely dusk, a soft rose-colored
light burned dim in the wide hall, and
tinted with long shadows the snow on the
lawn.

At the top of the staircase the door of
a room opened, and Mrs. May passed
quietly out bearing two lighted candles.
A maid coming into view with a tray,

started suddenly back, and exclaimed :
' ' O, Ma- am — is it ? — Is he ? "

"What is the matter, child? Come
up with the toast."

" Nothing has happened, thank God.
It is Christmas eve, and I mean to leave
the candles lighted all night. It is an
old custom. Have you never heard
of it?"

On an onyx table before a beautiful
crib, she deposited one. Then moving
to where, at the opposite end of the room,
over the mantel, hung a picture of the
Holy Mother at the foot of the Cross,
she placed the other. Long and appeal -
ingly she looked into the face of the
sorrowful Mother, until deep sobs shook
her frame.

" O blessed Mother, protect him ! " she
moaned. ' ' Thou who didst witness such
a sight, pity my son and me ! O holy
Mother give me strength ! ' '

A step at her side startled her, and she
turned to see Willie Carroll.

"Ah, my dear, dear boy," said .she
laying her hand affectionately on his
head, "you have a good mother. Tell
her my son is no better. It is God's

will " Then following- her own

train of thought, she asked dreamily :
' ' What will become of you when you
grow up ? "

' ' A priest, ma'am, if God wills, ' ' came
the answer earnestly.

An hour later the muffled bell at the
hall door was rung vehemently. The
man who responded repeated the order
which had been given him, that he was
to admit no one.

Notwithstanding this, however, three
officers in uniform filed in and instructed
the servant that they wished to be con-
ducted to the hiding place of the man
who had confessed himself to be guilty
of the theft in the courthouse. Further,
they informed him that he would save
himself trouble by obeying them with-
out delay.

In a dazed manner, the man pointed
up the broad staircase to an entrance on
the left. Softly the door opened and the

MODERN CHRISTIAN ART.

mother stood facing the advancing men.
Proud and beautiful she looked, her
white hair shining against the purple
velvet curtain.

' ' Madam, ' ' exclaimed the leading offi-
cer, ' ' we have a warrant for the arrest of
Gerald May."

With a slight wave of her hand she
motioned him to follow her within the
room. The men passed through the
entrance into the spacious chamber.
Two tapers were burning on a table
at the bedside. No other lights were
there.

' ' Now, God forgive me, ' ' gasped the

foremost officer, dropping on his knees;
when he caught sight of the form on,
the bed, for death had just preceded him
within that quiet chamber. Gerald May
was dead !

The good Bishop returned, having left.
the grief stricken father in his room.

The mother, whose white head \vas-
bowed with grief a few moments since,.
now stood on guard by the side of her
dead son, with a gleam of proud triumph
visible in her moist eyes.

"He has paid his reckoning in a
higher court than yours," the Bishop'
said.

MODERN CHRISTIAN ART.

BY the courtesy of the Executive
Committee of Deutsche Gesellshaft
fur Christliche Kunst, we are in receipt
of the publications of that distinguished
Art Association for 1896 — its annual
report and Jahresmappe (annual album)
of acknowledged masterpieces, exhib-
ited at its art rooms in Munich,
Bavaria, during the past year. These
publications and the work of the organ-
ization deserve more than a passing no-
tice in a periodical which is devoted to
the interests of the Sacred Heart and the
advancement of religion.

This Association was founded in Mu-
nich in 1893, and numbered at the end of
last year 1,164 members from all parts of
Germany and from various other coun-
tries. Its object is the cultivation and
advancement of true Christian art as op-
posed to the modern industrial tendency
which crowds the markets and fills the
churches with cheap and inferior works,
turned out by thousands from factories,
without any regard to the principles of
Christian art, without inspiration, with-
out originality, without finish in execu-
tion.

The Association does not profess to
follow any school or epoch of art; it sim-
ply applies the strict principles of gen-

uine art to sacred subjects, utilizing old'
and new models and concepts without
rigidly committing itself to any srecific
style. What it demands of the works of
Christian art, which claim its acknowl-
edgment, is originality of conception,
a design that is worthy of the sublime
object which they represent, find an ar-
tistic execution suitably embodying the
idea underlying each work.

The first exhibition of Christian art
was held by the Association on occasion
of the German Catholic Congress in Mu-
nich in 1895. Only works of real artis-
tic merit were admitted for exhibition.
The works exhibited were 165 in num-
ber, representing painting, sculpture,
metallurgy and architecture. Eighty ar-
tists were represented. Among them we
are pleased to notice one American,.
Henry Schmitt, sculptor, Buffalo, N. Y.,
whose model of the Rosa Mystica, repro-
duced in the MESSENGER for May, 1896,.
was there crowned with distinction.

The Society and its work received the-
emphatic indorsement of the Christian
Art Department of the Catholic Congress-
and also a letter of acknowledgment and
encouragement from the Holy Father,
through the Apostolic Nuncio of Munich..

The magnificent Jahresmappe is, it*

MODERN CHRISTIAN ART.

43T

LADY ALTAR, ST. BENNO'S CHURCtT, MUNICH— (iJALTHASAR SCHMITT, SCULPTOP . ,

itself, a grand exhibition of Christian
art, with twelve folio phototypes and
engravings, and twenty other half-tone
photo-engravings inserted in the ex-
planatory text. These were selected
from the entire exhibition of last year,
by a jury of eight sworn judges, made
up of artists and art critics. They are
all masterpieces, each in its own line.

The new church of St. Benno, in
Munich, designed by Architect Romeis,
has supplied the chief architectural fea-
tures. It is a magnificent structure, in
pure Roman style, whose architectural
beauty is outrivalled by the spier dor of
its internal decorations and the com-
pleteness of its outfit. The Lady Altar,
executed by Balthasar Schmitt, which

438

MODERN CHRISTIAN ART.

we reproduce in these pages, is a gem
of Christian art. The figure of the
Madonna and Child, forming the centre
piece, combines the sweetness and in-
wardness of the Christian ideal with the
majesty and simplicity of the best Greek
models. The bas-reliefs, on either side,
represent the Annunciation and the Birth
of our Lord ; that underneath, the Death
of our Blessed Lady. The paintings
on the two folding doors represent, on
the inner side, the Taking-down from the
Cross and the Assumption ; and, on the
outside, the Crucifixion, and the Child-
hood of the Blessed Virgin. These are
executed by the same artist, who is a
painter of merit as well as a distin-
guished sculptor.

The other specimen which we select,
representing the Sacred Heart, is by
Thomas Buscher, sculptor. Our Lord,
in all His divine beauty and majesty,
reveals the love and tieasures of His
divine Heart to representative saints of
the Old and New Testament. He is the
ideal as well as the material centre of the
group. To Him the homage and adora-
tion of all rational creatures — angels
and men — are directed. The facial ex-
pression of the different figures, though
full of repose, is most telling. The
technical execution could hardly be
surpassed.

Among the cartoons is the reproduction
of an exquisite painting of the resuscita-
tion of the widow's son of Nairn, by
Louis Feldmann. The fact of the Gospel
is brought before us in the most life-like
and striking manner. The artist chooses
the moment before the resuscitation.
The bier is borne by four hooded figures.
Beside it walks the afflicted mother,
draped in black, with clasped hands, the
personification of sorrow. A little girl
bears a wreath of flowers by her side,
while the funeral cortege follows in the
rear. Jesus, with an expression of sym-
pathy, that reveals at the same time
a more than human power, has already
joined the bereaved mother ; and, with
His right hand, lightly touches her

clasped hands. It is the moment when
He pronounced the words, ' ' Weep not. ' '
The expression of sympathy is very
clearly brought out in the faces and
position of the accompanying friends and
relatives of the deceased. This moment
is happily chosen by the artist, as it
enables him to give a dignified and
impressive picture, in which there is
nothing strained or repulsive — a picture
which reveals the depth of the widow's
sorrow, and enables us fully to antici-
pate the excess of her joy, when, at the
bidding of the Master, her son shall sit
up and begin to talk and be restored to
his mother. We hope on some future
occasion to present this beautiful picture
to our readers.

A Pieta, the reproduction of a painting
by Heinrich Niittgens, is a work of high
artistic merit. Sorrow, resignation, and
fortitude are well combined and brought
out in the figure of the Sorrowful Mother,
while a certain moderate realism is dis-
played in the accurate delineation of the
dead, yet still pliant, body of our Lord.
Thus it seems to be an improvement on
the well known models of this tragic
subject. It is rivalled by another Pieth
group inserted in the text, which em-
braces also Joseph and Nicodemus, and
the other Marys, and is consequently
more complex, varied and impressive.
The latter is the work of Joseph Althei-
mer, painter.

A most imposing figure is that of the
prophet Ezechiel, painted by Samberger
In all his majesty the prophet is unfold-
ing the volume of the law, and looking
gloomily into the future. Another rep-
resents Elias in the wilderness, fed by an
angel. It is a figure of great strength,
offset by the beauty and gracefulness of
the ministering angel — a piece of ex-
traordinary finish, painted by Adrian
Walker. It is intended for an altar-
piece. A text illustration, representing
Isaias addressing the people, by Sam-
berger, is in a similar line, embodying
majesty and strength.

There are some excellent specimens of

MODERN CHRISTIAN ART.

439

SACRED HEART SHRINE. BAS-RELIEF — (THOMAS BUSCHER, SCULPTOR.)

mural decorations and frescoes, by Trenk-
wald, Kolmsperger, and others.

The explanatory text accompanying
the Mappe is highly interesting, not
only as making us acquainted with the
artists represented, but also by numerous
other hints. Among other things it sub-
mits a few plans of churches by distin-
guished architects, combining good taste
and purity of style with economy.

The illustrations inserted in the text

represent works of high artistic worth.
Besides those already mentioned, a
Gothic side-altar, by Theodore Schnell,
Jr. , is a gem that might take its place in
any of the medieval Gothic cathedrals,
side by side with the works of the great-
est masters.

It is refreshing to glance at this mag-
nificent collection of genuine works of
Christian art, at a season when natural-
ism is running riot, and art is divorced

4 iO IN ROSARY TIME.

noto;ily from religion, but from morality terested in art, whether sacred or pro-

and higher intellectual taste as well, fane, would study the chaste models

We believe, then, that we are doing a exhibited in such number and variety in

thing that is eminently in the interest of this annual Art Album. It will be a

religion and for the glory of God in treasure which they will be eager to pre-

druwing attention to this work. It serve and will revert to with pleasure, and

would be well if priests and others in- cull many a fruitful inspiration from.

ROSARY TIME.

By M. M. Halvey.

41 Tell us of your Irish twilights, " begged the children at my side,
At the hour when rhyme or story might not lightly be denied.
Then I faced such limitation as I had not known before,
When their choice was holy legend, knightly tale, or fairy lore.

4i Paint your twilight, " quoth an artist — one whose subtle brush had caught
Many a time such fleeting essence as the beauty of a thought.

" Ah ! " with modesty of greatness and a sigh that art could fail,

•" 'Twas that she might mock our seeking Nature wove your twilight veil. "
Dears, for me 'twas magic blending — silver haze that reeked perfume —
Quiet that was rife with music — shade that never bordered gloom;
You could almost feel the stillness, as you felt the blessed dew
Dripping soft, like tears of gladness, wept by angels, trickling through.
Often now I dream of twilights, indistinct and dimmer grown,
But I link them with a memory, sadly vivid — all my own,
Wiih the name my mother gave them, when her voice like abbey chime
Floated to us in the warning, " Children, come, 'tis Rosary Time."

Rosary Time ! it hushed the chatter, playmates smiled their soft good-night;
On the lowly household altar flickered up the votive light.
Dolls were given to fairies' keeping ; by the wicket lay the ball ;
Hand in hand thro' dewy pathways came the children at the call,
Bringing blossoms earlier gathered for this welcome vesper hour,
Never bare was Mary's Altar through the "moons of leaf and flov er. " *
Wistful to her turned the primrose, like the glance of yearning eyes.
And the breath of happy violets rose around her incense-wise ;
Busy feet and baby fingers ministered to simple needs
Of that simple hour of service — setting blossom, book and beads ;
While in nook beneath the whitethorn, or in swing beneath the lime,
To the laggard came the summons, " Come, Alanna ! Rosary Time ! "

Music of an Irish twilight ! thro' the turmoil and the moan,
Worldly toil and worldly sorrow, sounds again the tender tone
Of a mother's fond petition, seeking out that great Beyond,
Where in lieu of childish treble, angel voices might respond.
Ah ! the tears, the toil, the sorrow ! Never so at Mary's feet
May that group of twilight pleaders gather in Communion sweet.
Winding leagues and restless waters — cares and duties came to part,
vSince for them arose that pleading — mother heart to mother heart.
O ie upon whose brow the signet of the Master's choice was laid,

* May was called by the Indians the " Moon of I^eaves."

CARDINAL FRANZELIN.

441

Hears to-day the solemn anthem rise in dim cathedral shade ;
Reverent tongues salute him " Father, " and his life-work is to lead
Laggards of the flock where Mary hearkens still to intercede.
She, who lisped the sweet responses in the quaintest baby phrase,
Has to earth's forsaken nurslings vowed the vigor of her days.
Others, in the daily struggle of the hard world set to bide,

y Cherish hopes for that reunion, never-ending, sanctified,
^here a sainted mother waiteth prayers' fruition in that clime,
LUght of shadow may not enter, tho' 'tis ever Rosary Time.

CARDINAL FRANZELIN.

A CARDINAL OF THE SACRED HEART.

AS Cardinal Franzelin was one of the
first professors of Dogmatic Theol-
ogy to give to his students a complete and
scientific treatise on the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, it will not be amiss to lay an
account of his holy life before our
readers.

John Baptist Franzelin was born on
April 15, 1816, at Altino, a small town
situated in the Italian Tyrol, between
Bolzano and Trent. His parents occu-
pied themselves in the cultivation of
a farm belonging to them, on which they
resided, leading a simple and pious life,
contented and happy, free alike from the
pressure of poverty and the temptations
which beset the rich.

While quite a child, John Baptist was
exposed to imminent danger through
the fierce onslaught made upon him by
an infuriated bull, which tossed him into
the air with great violence. In falling,
he struck against a fence with such force
that he retained forever after traces of
the unlucky adventure, his chin being
rendered slightly awry, and his head
bent 'a little toward the right side.

As soon as he was old enough he was
sent to pursue his studies at Bolzano,
under the superintendency of the Fran-
ciscan Fathers, and from the very outset
he showed himself to be remarkable alike
for quickness of intellect and goodness
of heart, so that his teachers early began
to prophesy great things of his future
career. He speedily distanced his com-

panions, to whose sports and pastimes
he manifested a supreme indifference,
devoting all his spare time to the pursuit
of learning and to religious exercises, so
that already he might be said to have
adopted as his own the watchword to
which he was faithful till his latest
breath, and to have consecrated his life
to study and prayer. Yet there was
nothing morose or unsociable about him;
on the contrary, he was always cheerful
and pleasant, beloved and esteemed alike
by his masters and his fellow-pupils.

On Sundays and festivals, he invari-
ably approached the sacraments, taking
his post as early as four o'clock in the
morning outside the confessional of his
director, Father Gabriel Sprenger, a
Franciscan priest of eminent virtue,
whose penitents were so numerous that
Franzelin was frequently compelled to
wait a considerable time before his turn
arrived to be heard. Year by year, as
Holy Week came around, he laid aside
his studies in order to go through the
Spiritual Exercises ; and his intimate
friend, Father Patiss, who was associated
with him from his earliest years, bears
witness that he never remarked in Fran-
zelin anything worthy of reprobation
during the whole time they spent to-
gether, either in regard to his words,
deeds, or general bearing, with the ex-
ception of one occasion, on which he
gave way to a violent fit of anger. ' ' But
I myself," Patiss remarks, with sim-

442

CARDINAL FRANZEL1N.

plicity, ' ' was perhaps principally to
blame for this."

It is customary at the college of Bol-
zano, that the students, toward the end
of their course of rhetoric, should delib-
erate with their confessors concerning
the manner of life each is called to
adopt. In Franzelin 's case this choice
was beset with peculiar difficulty. He
felt himself drawn to the Society of
Jesus, at that time comparatively little
known throughout the Tyrol, but of
which he had often heard from his friend
and companion, Patiss. One of his mater-
nal uncles, however, who held a high
post in the Diet of Styria, and enjoyed
much credit with the emperor, was de-
sirous that his gifted nephew should
take up his abode in Innsbruck, in order
to study philosophy and jurisprudence,
promising to defray every expense during
his residence there, and to secure him a
brilliant career in the future. The pro-
posal was all the more alluring to Fran-
zelin, because, his friends not being in a
position to make him a sufficient allow-
ance, he had been obliged to give private
lessons, and even to become indebted to
the charity of certain wealthy persons
in order to procure what was absolutely
necessary for him, whilst continuing his
studies at Bolzano.

Father Sprenger, feeling himself un-
able to come to a determination, or not
wishing to take upon his own shoulders
so weight v a burden of responsibility,
had recourse to Maria Mori, the Ecstatic
of the Tyrol, and through the medium
of her confessor requested her to ask God
that He would be pleased to make known
His will concerning the future destiny
of Franzelin. It was signified to her in
reply that the young man ought cer-
tainly to enter the Society, but that this
would not be accomplished without much
difficulty. Subsequent events fully justi-
fied the truth of the prediction.

This decision was communicated to
Franzelin, who received it with joy, and
on July 27, 1834, he and his friend Patiss
were together received into the Novitiate

at Gratz. Here Franzelin made rapid
progress in the school of sanctity, and
set an example of perfection to all his
companions. "Omnibus raro praeluxit
exemplo " was the testimony of his
superiors respecting him.

He was most careful in his observance
of the rules, especially that of silence,
and if any one happened to speak out of
the appointed hours, or at too great
length, he would place his finger to his
lips with an expressive smile. His love
of mortification was so great that his
superiors were obliged to be most positive
in their prohibition, in order to restrict
his penitential exercises, which he carried
so far as to abstain from drinking even a
little water. There is no doubt that he
permanently weakened his constitution,
and, indeed, about this time he suffered
from severe and repeated attacks of
hemorrhage, so that his lungs were con-
sidered to be seriously affected, and his
superiors had grave doubts as to whether
he would be able to persevere in his
vocation. But he regained his health,
at least for the time, though it appears
surprising to those who know him at
this period, that he should have been
able to sustain all the labors and fatigues
which fell to his lot in later years. His
dauntless will kept him up, and he
accustomed himself to treat his weak and
suffering body as something quite inde-
pendent of his real self. After he had
passed the appointed limit of three score
years and ten, he began to wonder how
he could have borne so much exertion,
especially in teaching at the various
colleges of the Societjr, with his chronic
weakness of chest, and he remarked to
several of his friends: " I never thought
I should live to be seventy! "

On leaving the Novitiate he went to
the House of Studies at Tarnopol in
Galicia. He had already attained such
proficiency in Greek and Hebrew as to
be able to read the Holy Scriptures with
ease in both languages. Upon one
occasion, when he was seriously ill, the
doctor had forbidden him to read at all,

CARDINAL FRANZELIN.

443

xcept perhaps some favorite book which
night serve to divert his mind. At his
text visit the physician accordingly
ound his patient with a copy of the
lebrew Scripture open before him, and
angrily inquired whether this was obey-
ing his injunctions?

"Certainly," answered Franzelin,
" \ on told me I might amuse myself with
a favorite book, and is there any book
which I could prefer to this? "

During Franzelin 's residence at Tar-
nopol, the late General of the Society,
Fa'her Beckx, happened to spend some
days there, and frequently conversed
with him, as he was one of the few per-
sons among the inmates of the house
whocmld speak German, Polish being
the language usually employed there.
The discerning eye of Father Beckx per-
ceived and appreciated the mental and
spiritual excellence of his youthful com-
panion, whose character, he used to say,
was strong in sympathy with his own.

As soon as Franzelin had finished his
philosophy, he was appointed Professor
of Humanities and subsequently of
Rhetoric, besides filling other posts in
the house. Yet he contrived, in spite of
his manifold occupations, to acquire
Polish so perfectly as to be able to
instruct the children of the neighbor-
hood in Christian doctrine. He also
thoroughly mastered Italian, and while
in Rome he used to teach Catechism to
the prisoners in the Castle of St. Angelo.
Father Cardella, who was in the habit of
reading Italian with him, and at a sub-
sequent period was professor of theol-
ogy with him at Rome, relates that
when the future Cardinal was sent to
take up his abode in the Eternal City,
he used to remain perfectly silent at
recreation during the first few weeks of
his sojourn there, listening with fixed
attention to the conversation which went
on around him, until he began to bear
his part in it with ease and accuracy.
The speech which marked the unsealing
of his lips is too characteristic to be
omitted.

"Brother Franzelin," one of his com-
panions asked him, "have you in your
possession Christian Perfection?" mean-
ing of course the book by Rodriguez.

" I possess a copy of Rodriguez, " was
the reply, ' ' but certainly I do not possess
Christian perfection."

In relating an incident, however,
which occurred while Franzelin was in
Rome, we are anticipating the course of
events, for we have not as yet stated
that early in September, 1845, ^e was
sent to study theology at the Roman
College. One of his professors was
Father Passaglia, who, from the first,
exhibited a marked predilection for his
talented and hard-working pupil, while
the latter warmly returned his teacher's
regard. During the next three years he
quietly pursued his studies with an
ardor and application that were most
remarkable. His devotion to learning
and love of books were astonishing, his
clear and powerful understanding being
moreover aided and supplemented by
his accurate and retentive memory, so
that the stores of knowledge accumu-
lated by him were equally vast and
varied. He remembered not only ideas,
but facts, historical events, the names
of persons and places, dates and gene-
alogies.

His writings bear witness, however,
to the sanctity of the author no less
than to his learning. His treatise on
the Holy Eucharist is written with so
much unction that it might well be
studied on one's knees, and be used by
priests as a text-book for their daily
meditations. The same may be said of
those portions of his works in which
he treats of devotion to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, of the Immaculate Con-
ception and perpetual virginity of our
Lady, and of other mysteries of the
faith.

The celebrated Italian preacher, Father
Zocchi, was so much delighted and edi-
fied with his work on the Incarnation,
that he wrote a letter of thanks and con-
gratulation to him, in which he said: " It

444

CARDINAL FRANZELIN.

is from you that I have learned how to
speak of our Lord Jesus Christ. "

Such was Father Franzelin's life up
to the period when, at the age of sixty,
he was created Cardinal ; but before we
speak of his latter years, we will give
some few particulars illustrative of his
character and virtues, more especially
of his excellence as a religious.

It is well known that obedience is a
virtue very especially enjoined upon the
sons of St. Ignatius, and Father Franze-
lin practised it in a high degree of per-
fection. Among many instances which
might be cited in proof of this, we shall
give one, exemplifying as it does, the
truth of our Lord's words: " He that is
faithful in that which is least, is faith-
ful also in greater." Father Franzelin's
superiors, anxious lest his health should
be injured by his close and incessant
application to study, commissioned one
of those who resided in the same house
with him, from time to time to call him
away from his beloved pursuits. When-
ever this Father made his appearance
on the threshold of the room where
Franzelin was at work, and said: ' 'Father
Rector wishes you to take a walk with
me, ' ' the interesting research was at
once suspended, the busy pen laid aside,
the open volume closed, and, without
the slightest sign of annoyance, the
unwelcome command was promptly and
cheerfully obeyed. During the entire
period of Franzelin's abode in the
Roman College, the Father Minister
declares that he never knew him to be
behind time in coming to the exer-
cises of the community. Such unerring
punctuality would be laudable in any
one, but is particularly so in the case of
a powerful and voluminous writer, an
indefatigable and persevering student.
How many vigorous sentences must
have been abruptly suspended whilst
still half finished, how many intricate
arguments broken off before they could
be satisfactorily worked out, in conse-
quence of this strict obedience to the
rule.

Not a less remarkable feature of Fran-
zelin's character was his unfeigned hu-
mility and invariable readiness to own
himself in the wrong. In a second edi-
tion of some of his theological lectures
he altered various things and suppressed
others in regard to points upon which
maturer examination had induced him
to change his opinion. It fell to the lot
of a student, recently arrived in the col-
lege, to argue in a debate which was
held against a certain thesis connected
with a passage of Scripture, in regard to
which Franzelin had modified his own
views. Not approving the explanation
given by the latter, he attacked it vigor-
ously, and his opponent, whose duty it
was to defend the thesis in question,
after a sharp contest sustained a com-
plete defeat. Then Father Franzelin
stood up, and with rare humility ac-
knowledged his own interpretation to be
erroneous and incapable of proof. ' 'Sed et
nos profecimus," he added, "and after a
more thorough study of the subject I
found reason to change my opinion."

Out of love for holy poverty he was
scrupulously careful never to waste the
smallest thing, and even after he became
Cardinal he made a point of not using
more paper than was absolutely neces-
sary for writing his manuscripts. In
1873, when the Jesuits were compelled
to quit the Roman College, each member
of the house had to leave behind him the
contents of his own room. A govern-
ment official presented himself in the
doorway of Father Franzelin 's room and
asked: "Does this furniture belong to
your Reverence? " "I have the use of it
all, "was the reply. The question was
repeated three times, the answer being
each time given in the same terms, until
a second official coming upon the scene,
good-naturedly exclaimed: ' ' Don 't tease
the poor man any longer ! "

Father Franzelin had a great attraction
to mental prayer. On days when the din-
ner was somewhat more prolonged than
usual and the rule of silence suspended,
he would, if sufficiently intimate with

CARDINAL FRANZELIN.

445

neighbors, excuse himself from car-
ying on a conversation, and betake him-
elf to meditation . Undoubtedly he went
oo far in this direction, and he was,
n fact, from time to time, admonished
n regard to being too silent and not
} umciently cheerful and sociable during
recreation. This was mainly owing to
1 he scrupulosity, which was certainly a
^veak point in his character and occa-
sioned him much suffering, especially
as he was of a highly nervous tempera-
ment. Occasionally he was betrayed
into exhibitions of irritability, and he
often felt that his only refuge was in
silence. Deeply was he sensible to these
imperfections, as he one day remarked
to a friend who was completely in his
confidence: "I feel that I must, as St.
Francis of Sales says, content myself
serving God as well as I can, or perhaps
a little less well than I might, but for
my nerves and my scruples." These
slight failings, the only faults his fellow-
men could detect in him, were, after all,
mainly attributable to physical causes.
little surface defects, moreover, being
found in very holy persons, and serving
to keep intact the treasure of their hu-
mility.

Having shown what manner of man
John Baptist Franzelin was, we will now
relate the circumstances of his elevation
to the purple. Pius IX. had in various
ways given proof of his love for the per-
secuted Society of Jesus, the last instance
having been the bestowal of a cardinal's
hat upon one of its members. The newly
made dignitary died a few months later,
to the great disappointment of the Su-
preme Pontiff, who in conversation sev-
eral times recurred to the subject, and
mentioned his desire to select another
Jesuit for a like honor. One day he said,
"I cannot help thinking of that Father
who always shows so much wisdom and
prudence in the congregations, and who
is so humble. A short time ago I offered
him a medal, but he at once retreated,
saying, 'No, no, Holy Father.'" It
was thus he described Franzelin, but the

matter dropped, and as thne went on,
the Pope seemed to have relinquished
his project, until all at once he notified
the General, Father Beckx, that it was
his determination to raise Father Fran-
zelin to the Cardinalate. Father Beckx,
who was then at Fiesole, hastened to
Rome without delay, and throwing him-
self at the Pope's feet said all he possi-
bly could to dissuade His Holiness from
executing his intention. All was to no
purpose, however, for Pius IX., whilst
commending the General's desire to
maintain the rules of his order in their
integrity, exhorted him to obedience,
and would not permit the delay of two
or three years for which he pleaded.
The news had next to be carried to the
unconscious object of this discussion,
and Cardinal Bilio gladly undertook the
task, little dreaming of the manner in
which the intelligence would be received,
but we will give his own words:

44 After a few prefatory remarks, I in-
formed Father Franzelin that I brought
an express order from the Holy Father,
who commanded him to pass from the
German College to the College of Car-
dinals. The poor Father was so over-
come by this announcement that I really
felt half afraid he was going to have a
fit. ' This is impossible; it cannot be
true ! Surely it can never come to pass ! '
he exclaimed, pacing the room in
extreme agitation, and imploring God
to prevent such a thing from happening.
Nothing I could say had the least effect;
so at last I laid my hand on his arm,
and said: 'My dear Father, I think
your behavior is the reverse of edify-
ing. I expected from you an act of
obedience. Remember it is the Holy
Father who commands, and you have
only to submit.' Then he burst into
tears, and as soon as he was a little
calmer, we went together to the Vatican,
where we were received in a private
audience. Franzelin prostrated himself
before Pius IX., and with fresh tears
protested that he really could not become
a Cardinal, as he did not possess the

446

CARDINAL FRANZEL1N.

requisite ability. ' And pray what
ability had St. Peter ? ' returned His
Holiness with a smile. ' He only knew
how to manage oars ' Franzelin was
about to persist, but Pius IX. cut him
short in the most positive manner, and
would not allow him to add another
word. "

A confirmation of this account is
furnished by Father Schroeder, who was
at that time lying seriously ill in the
German College. He tells how Father
Franzelin, who usually paid him a daily
visit in the infirmary, came in one even-
ing in a state of dejection, and without
mentioning the cause of his distress,
began to sigh aloud and declare that he
did not wish to live any longer, that he
was weary of his existence, and could
not carry the load any further. After
he had gone on in this way for some
time the invalid attempted to remon-
strate. "Father," he said, "what is
the matter with you to-day ? You ought
to be ashamed of talking in this fashion;
your business is to do your duty, and
wait patiently until the appointed time
comes for you to die " It was not until
a week later that Father Schroeder, hear-
ing of Franzelin 's elevation to the Car-
dinalate, obtained a clue to the depres-
sion he had manifested.

During the six weeks which elapsed
between his nomination and the day
fixed for the Consistory, he was a prey

(To be

to perpetual agitation, and could with
difficulty maintain his self-control. To
Father Cardella, at that time Provincial,
he spoke frankly of his feelings, repeat-
ing over and over again: " This is chas-
tisement from the hand of God ! " The
Provincial at first tried to console him,
but finished by telling him that his
manner of talking really occasioned
scandal. A day or two before the Con-
sistory was held, Father Franzelin
availed himself of the opportunity
afforded by the penances ordinarily per-
formed in the refectory, and, immedi-
ately after grace had been said, knelt
down and kissed the feet, first of the
Fathers, then of the Brothers, and lastly
of the students belonging to the German
College, all happening at that time to
be dining together. This act gave great
edification, for every one was aware of
Franzelin's nomination, though he had
never said a word about it.

When the first time he entered his
lecture-room after the news was known,
all his pupils stood up and received him
with loud acclamations and clapping of
hands, but he paid no heed to these
demonstrations, and quietly proceeded
with his subject, seeming rather annoyed
than otherwise. At length the appointed
day arrived, and on Monday, April 3,
1876, the prescribed ceremonial was gone
through, and the long dreaded promo-
tion became a reality at last.

continued )

blessed ray o TT?ori?ioQ
the darkest L

447

AN EVER TIMELY INTENTION

REV. DEAR FATHERS :

E future of the Catholic Church
is in America, " are words which
are attributed to the Saintly Pius IX.,
and there is not a doubt but that he
spoke very wisely when he uttered them .
But what is that future to be ? Pius
IX. spoke as if it was to be glorious, and
certainly if such it is to be, it depends on
Catholics to make it so. Almighty God
has placed the Church here that it may
win all men to its own sweet guidance
in the affairs of their salvation ; and it
is the duty of each and every man,
woman and child, by all means in their
power to spread Catholic truth among
their non-Catholic brethren. By word and
deed we should proclaim the truth of the
Faith which we love so much, for God,
who has been so bounteous as to give it
to us, will not have us to be at all stingy
with it in regard to others. The days
when Catholics had to suffer for their
Faith, and keep it jealously in spite
of persecution, are passing. These are
the days when millions of people in this
fair land are crying out: "Give us the
truth if you have it, we are perishing
for want of it. We are going down to
hell because we do not know where is
truth and how to attain salvation. Tell
us how to keep from sin, tell us how to
get rid of it, tell us how to persevere in
a good life, tell us what to believe and to
do that we may save our souls ! ' '

With the blessing of the Vicar of Christ,
and with the approbation of the whole
Hierarchy of the Church in our coun-
try, many of the clergy are earnestly
laboring in this Holy Crusade to win
souls who are outside of Christ's stand-
ard. But the success of the whole move-
ment, and a success it must be, depends
wholly on prayer. If this is not kept in
the forefront of the campaign we shall
not win our cause. The writer is a
448

member of the League and has been for
years, and he can tell of the many favors
he has received from the Sacred Heart.
It would be most gratifying to that lov-
ing Heart, if every member of the League
would put into the intention box, each
month, at least one name for conversion.
But do not let us stop with one name,
let us put in all the names of the non-
Catholics we know. Suppose that every
member of the League were to sit down
and write out a list of non-Catholic
acquaintances numbering them from one
upwards, we should very soon have all
the non-Catholics of the country the ob-
ject of the special prayers of this grand
League, and the favors which we are
asking for ourselves would be the more
readily granted by the Sacred Heart.

The last command of Jesus was : " Go
ye out into all the world and preach the
Gospel to every creature." Is He less
interested now than He was nineteen
hundred years ago in that mission ? And
is not the command still ringing in our
ears ? Here is our opportunity to help the
missions to non-Catholics which are be-
ing given now in many places all over
the United States. Let us rest not either
day or night until each one of us has
his list of non Catholic friends whose
names he places monthly in the box be-
fore the Sacred Heart. It will not then
be "81,000 conversions" among the
list of intentions but 8,000,000 conver-
sions. Let us besiege heaven with
prayers, for there is nothing the Heart of
Jesus loves more than souls who desire
Him to be generous to others as He has
been with them. Thus will the work of
the conversion of America be increased
and brought nearer and nearer to its ful-
filment, and we may live to see the day
when we shall inhabit a Catholic country
and religious strife shall be at an end.

ARTHUR M. CLARK, C.S.P.

GENERAL INTENTION, MAY, 1897.
Approved and blessed by His Holiness, Leo XIII.

THE WELFARE OF THE CHURCH IN ENGLAND

By the celebration of the Thirteenth Centenary

OF ST. AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY.

ST. AU.GUSTINE of Canterbury
founded the Church among the
Anglo-Saxons. In the year of grace,
5971, he landed with his forty fellow
Benedictine monks on the Isle of Thanet
in Kent. His mission was to preach
Christ to the fierce Saxon conquerors
of the Christian Britons, and to keep
the latter from lapsing into paganism.

Augustine came from Rome in the
name of the great Pope Gregory, and by
his orders, missionaries had come into
Great Britain even while the Romans
were in possession there. In parts of the
island the Church had flourished for
fully four centuries before its invasion
by Hen gist with his Saxons. The
Britons, however, did not seek to spread
their faith among the newcomers, nor
did they cling to it tenaciously them-
selves. Augustine came, therefore, with
the avowed purpose of converting all
to the Gospel of Christ, and so rapid,
widespread, and lasting were the fruits
of his ministry that he is justly regarded
as the Apostle of England.

The story of his mission is one of our
Catholic household tales. He knew
little more of the nation he was chosen
to convert than he had seen in their
slaves exposed for sale in the Roman
market; and we know as little of his

(129)

own life prior to the time of his com-
ing to redeem their native land from
the fetters of paganism. He was well
known to the great pontiff who chose
him for this mission. From the day
when Gregory had been struck by ttie
fair faces and erect forms of the young
Saxon slaves offered at auction in the
very streets of Rome, he conceived the
grand design of preaching the faith to
their nation and of making them all
like himself, slaves of Jesus Christ.

The scene is a familiar one to the
Catholic imagination, and the pious
abbot's play on words has become pro-
verbial . ' 'Why, ' ' he exclaimed, ' 'should
the prince of darkness possess beings
with an aspect so radiant, and why
should the grace of these countenances
reflect a soul void of the inward grace ?
Of what nation are they ! "

"They are Angles, " was the answer.

"They are well named, then, for these
Angles have the faces of angels, and
they must become the brethren of the
angels in heaven. From what province
have they been brought ? ' '

"From Deira " (one of the two king-
doms of Northumbria).

' ' Still good, ' ' answered he. ' 'De ira
erutt—they shall be snatched from the
ire of God, and called to the mercy of

449

450

GENERAL INTENTION.

'130)

Christ. And how name they the king
of their country ? "
*"Alleor,Ella."

"So be it; he is right well named,
for they shall soon sing the alleluia in
his kingdom."

Sincere in his interest in the for-
eigners, the zealous monk sought and
obtained permission from the Pope to go
as a missionary to the Anglo-Saxons ;
but the Roman people loved him too
well to suffer his departure. A few
years later he was made Pope, and soon
after his elevation to the pontificate,
messengers came to announce that King
Ethelbert of Kent had espoused a Chris-
tian wife Bertha, great-granddaughter
of St. Clotilda, whose prayers and good
deeds had a century before converted
her husband Clovis and brought about
the baptism of France. Queen Bertha
was like another Clotilda for England.
Pope Gregory had not lost his interest
in the Saxons, and their queen's appeal
for missionaries but quickened into im-
mediate action his zeal for their con-
version.

Of all the priests available for such an
arduous enterprise, Gregory selected
Augustine, Prior of the monastery of St.
Andrew on the Ccelian Hill, to lead his
forty Benedictine missionaries who were
to bring all England under the sweet
yoke of Christ. Augustine went bravely
on his journey, but his followers were
timid. Once they even induced him to
go back to Rome to ask the Sovereign
Pontiff to recall them. Gregory's only
answer was: "Forward, in God's name!
The more you have to suffer, the brighter
will be your glory in eternity." They
resumed the journey in virtue of the
Pope's repeated commission. England
clearly owes to Rome whatever it has of
true Christian faith. Had Gregory him-
self been permitted to evangelize it, he
would have done so with the approba-
tion, it is true, but not with the formal
commission that he himself, as Pope,
gave to Augustine; had the disciples of
Augustine set out on their mission with

any heart in England's conversion, the
part the Roman Pontiff took in it would
not be so prominent.

It was thus a special providence that
the Roman Pontiff should have exercised
his authority as Chief Pastor so vigor-
ously in the foundation of the Church
among the Anglo-Saxons. All who hon-
ored his authority were soon rewarded
with blessings that heaven always be-
stows on all those who recognize author-
ity exercised in its name. Ethelbert
received Augustine cordially, permitted
him to preach, and provided him with
dwellings. For this he was blessed with
the grace of baptism, on Whitsunday,
597. The monks who had started but
reluctantly on their mission soon reaped
the fruit of their obedience by conceiv-
ing a burning zeal for the salvation of
the kingdom which had welcomed them
so generously. By Christmas of the
year of their arrival they had converted
more than ten thousand of Ethelbert 's
best subjects, and then they moved
about in every part of the kingdom, leav-
ing Augustine in Canterbury. The king
withdrew from his own capital, so that
Augustine might use his palace as a
monastery. Augustine, in accordance
with Pope Gregory's order, was con-
secrated Archbishop by the Metropolitan
of Aries in France. In little less than
a year the Saxons wrere converted from
paganism to the religion of Christ.

The imagination loves to dwell on the
pageants that marked the meeting of
Augustine and his monks with Ethel-
bert, when they marched, ' ' preceded by
the cross and image of the great King,
our Lord Jesus Christ, offering their sol-
emn prayers for the conversion of Eng-
land." Mind and heart are overcome
in striving to measure the miracle of
grace that subdued the fierce Saxons to
the sweet yoke of the gospel. Monta-
lembert helps us to appreciate it in some
way in his chapter on Augustine. " The
King," he writes, "who believes him-
self descended from the gods of the
Scandinavian paradise, yet who resigns

(131)

GENERAL INTENTION.

451

his capital to the priests of the crucified
God ; this people, fierce and idolatrous,
which by thousands prostrates itself at
the feet of a few foreign monks, and by
thousands plunges into the icy waters
of the Thames, in mid-winter, to receive
baptism from these unknown strangers;
the rapid and complete transformation
of a proud and victorious, and, at the
same time, sensual and rapacious race,
by means of a doctrine pre-eminently
fitted to quell lust, pride and sensuality,
and which once received into those sav-
age breasts rests forever implanted there
— is not this of all miracles the most
marvellous, as it is the most indis-
putable ? "

There is still another reason for con-
sidering that the direct exercise of pon-
tifical authority in founding the Church
in England was specially ordained by
divine Providence. Those who have
tried at various intervals to rob England
of her proper Faith have all sooner or
later denied her dependence on the Pope
of Rome. Her faithful, on the other
hand, have always looked upon this de-
pendence as their bond of union with
the true Church of Christ. With a con-
stancy unprecedented in the annals of
martyrdom, English Catholics suffered
and died for their loyalty to the Vicar
of Christ. ' ' Their lawful Bishops, ' '
writes a pious Benedictine, " were
gagged and imprisoned ; their clergy
done violence to, and they themselves
driven into outward conformity with a
faith they detested in their hearts and
which was forced on them by fines,
imprisonment, and even death, under a
code of penal laws such as has seldom
disgraced any statute book. Some two
hundred priests were executed, while a
large number perished in the filthy and
fever-stricken prisons into which they
were plunged on purpose to cause their
death. Forty-two clergy accepted a safe
convoy to Ireland, but were drowned off
Scattery Island by the Queen's order.
About twelve hundred had at various
times escaped to Ireland, and were now

hunted like wolves, and shot like carrion
crows, till the few survivors from bullet,
steel, nakedness and htinger died in the
most inaccessible places, where they
were beyond the reach of their perse-
cutors. "

True to the Vicar of Christ the Cath-
olics of England gave up all, property,
social position, good name, family, and
life itself, rather than admit a king's
supremacy in spiritual matters. Nor
was it only under Henry VIII., Edward
VI., or Elizabeth, that Catholics suffered.
The penal laws against them were not
removed from the statute books until
late in this century, and their children
are suffering even now, deprived as they
have been of their birthright, and ex-
cluded by the descendants of their perse-
cutors from every advantage in private
and public life.

To their credit be it said that keenly
as they appreciate the natural goods of
life, they value above all things the one
truth which keeps them loyal sons of the
Church and brethren of the true mystical
body of Christ. Though still suffering
like their forefathers, the English Cath-
olics of our day have a consolation that
would have made the pains of their mar-
tyr ancestors sweet to bear. The world
begins to do them justice, the very infi-
dels begin to applaud their consistency,
and their heretical enemies only empha-
size by their denials the great princi-
ple for which they suffered, the suprem-
acy of the Roman Pontiff through whom
alone Christ imparts His truth and grace
to men. The coming centenary of St.
Augustine will bring this fact home
more forcibly to Catholic and non-Cath-
olic alike, for his mission and ministiy
derived all their virtue from the saintly
Pope who sent him to preach to the
Saxons. If Augustine's life means any-
thing to Englishmen, it means that to be
a Catholic, to belong to the Church of
Christ, one must be in union with the
Church of Rome and with its Chief
Pastor, the Vicar of Christ.

Finally, there is a special providence

452

GENERAL INTENTION.

(132)

in the peculiar circumstances in which
this Centenary occurs. The past few
years we have been constantly hearing
about projects for uniting Christendom.
Nearly thirty years ago the late Pius IX. ,
foreseeing the specious pretexts on which
overtures for reunion would be made,
deemed it necessary to state in plain
terms that union with the Church of
Christ meant absolute acceptance of His
doctrines without hope of change or com-
promise. His venerable successor, now
gloriously reigning, has time and again,
in the name of Christ, repeated the same
terms. To remove all confusion from
the minds of many, who, presumably in
good faith, believed they could claim
what is vital in the priesthood, validity
of orders and the consequent power to
offer a true sacrifice and absolve sins, he
has deigned to consider their arguments
in order to meet them with an answer,
and, in virtue of his divine prerogative,
to give a decision which precludes all
further controversy on this point. The
immediate importance of the encyclical
Apostolicte Curce is plain from the fact
that the Anglican Archbishops, not to
speak of a number of Anglican Bishops
and other heads of churches originally
Anglican, have found it imperative to
reply to His Holiness, even though their
argument, or lack of it, must naturally
betray the weakness of their contention.
The ultimate and greatest importance of
the decision is that ' ' it clears the atmos-
phere, ' ' to use the phrase of Father Riv-
mgton, and leaves but one question at
issue between Catholics and Anglicans,
the one they dare not face — the Primacy
of the Roman Pontiff, and their duty of
submitting to him as a condition of
entering the Catholic Church.

The coming celebrations in honor of
St. Augustine will, therefore, make men
appreciate God's special providence in
the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons, and
in the present restoration of the Roman
Catholic Church among their descend-
ants.

The Anglican establishment realizes

this, and has already inaugurated its
own celebrations at Canterbury, and
promises an elaborate memorial pro-
gramme for next July to be followed by
a Pan Anglican conference of their
bishops together with bishops of kin-
dred sects from our own and other
countries. It is their hope to offset the
legitimate Catholic commemoration of
this great event, or at least to distract
men's minds from the principle of the
primacy of the Roman Pontiff, which
St. Augustine's mission and the whole
course of the Church History of Eng-
land establishes so clearly. Their
gathering will doubtless be an impos
ing one, and their ceremonial interest-
ing, even if it be no more than a lifeless
rehearsal of the scenes which marked
the coming of Augustine into Kent;
but when the spectacle shall have
passed, men's minds will still dwell on
the simple ceremony, which will take
place a month before, when on June 2,
the Benedictine Bishop Hedley will
preach on the very field whereon Augus-
tine first met King Ethelbert, and forty
Benedictine monks will accompany him
in procession over the grounds, chant-
ing the solemn litanies their brethren
chanted with Augustine.

When Bishop of Salford, His Emi-
nence Cardinal Vaughan addressed a
conference of the Catholic Truth
Society on "England's Conversion by
the Power of Prayer. ' ' The address has
been printed among the Society's publi-
cations, and it makes an excellent argu-
ment for the present Intention. The
mere enumeration of the prayers offered
for this object since the days of her
secession from the Catholic ChurcH
explains the marvellous change that has
come over her during the past half
century, and her growing disposition to
submit to the authority of the Vicar of
Christ. Pope Gregory XIII., St. Charles
Borromeo, St. Philip Neri, St. Paul of
the Cross, and his disciple Father Domi-
nic, distinguished themselves by pray-
ing and by inducing others to pray for

the return of England to the true Faith.
In many religious institutions, it is
customary to make this prayer, and St.

tgnatius had it chiefly in mind when he
njoined that his society should pray for
' ' the conversion of Northern nations ' ' in
their Masses and other prayers. Among
the faithful associations of prayer have
been founded for this special purpose,
notably Father Ignatius Spencer's,
who after enlisting the co-operation of
many European countries in his crusade
of prayer, with characteristic Christian
charity at last appealed to Ireland, say-
ing: "If I could induce the Irish to
pray for England, prayer springing from
such charity would be irresistible. ' ' Over-
looking the wrongs of past and present
the Irish bishops and their people joined
with him in praying just as the English
Martyrs had done for the conversion of
England, and in the words of Cardinal
Wiseman, for reparation for her defec-
tion from the unity of the Church.

The systematic and persevering prayer
of the past three centuries is in our day
being granted, and strange to say in the
work of converting England Almighty
God is employing the very agencies
which the enemies of His Church seemed
to have controlled and perverted to their
own evil ends. The temples they have
stolen, the libraries they confiscated, the
national seats of learning, and the press,
all of which, up to our own century, had
been used in the endeavor to obliterate,
if possible, the very memory of the
Church from the minds of the nation,
are, by a marvellous providence, begin-
ning to pay tribute to her claims on a
people that owes its elements of true
greatness to the Christianity implanted
in their he.irts by an Augustine and his
successors under the influence imparted
to them by the Roman Pontiffs and
Vicars of Jesus Christ. Not to speak.of
other agencies, the blessing which

GENERAL INTENTION.

453

prayer has brought upon the crusade of
a Catholic press in England from the
foundation of its noble quarterly, the
Dublin Review, down to its present
providential issue of the Catholic Truth
Society series, is an instance in point,
showing how the tables have been turned
on the teachers of heresy, and how
rapidly their organized misrepresenta-
tion of the Church breaks down before
the simple statement of her history and
doctrine.

It will be noticed that although these
celebrations will take place in June, the
Intention for their success has been
recommended for May. This is done at
the special request of the Editor of the
English Messenger, who would have the
prayers offered for England said during
the month of our Lady, remembering
that England is OUR LADY'S DOWRY,
This timely suggestion brings to mind
the sermon of Cardinal Newman on
"The Second Spring, " and his beautiful
apostrophe to Mary in behalf of his
country, which might well be our prayer
in its behalf during this month :

"It is the time for thy visitation.
Arise, Mary, and go forth in thy
strength into that north country, which
once was thine own, and take possession
of a land which knows thee not. Arise,
Mother of God, and with thy thrilling
voice, speak to those who labor with
child, and are in pain, till the babe of
grace leaps within them. Shine on us,
dear Lady, with thy bright countenance,
like the sun in his strength, O Stella
Matutina, O harbinger of peace, till our
year is one perpetual May. From thy
sweet eyes, from thy pure smile, from
thy majestic brow, let ten thousand in-
fluences rain down, not to confound or
overwhelm, but to persuade, to win over
thine enemies. O Mary, my hope, O
mother undefiled, fulfil to us the prom-
ise of this spring."

A LEGEND OF LOWER CALIFORNIA.

By A. R. Crane.

FEW of the Missions of Lower Cali-
fornia have suffered so complete
extinction as that situated in the ro-
mantic canon of " Guadalupe." Only
insignificant remnants of the walls of
the church remain, although the con-
vent building is somewhat better pre-
served. Until about twenty years ago
the grand arch which spanned the altar
stood erect, the most conspicuous object
in the wide expanse of desolate plain;
but this has now crumbled into a shape-
less mass. Where once smiled the
orchards and gardens planted under the
direction of the good Fathers who there
gathered their dusky flock, whom they
trained both in the arts of industry, and
the higher knowledge of the will of
God, utter desolation now reigns su-
preme. No ivy clings to the tottering
walls; no sound except the singing of
the birds or the nervous yap of the
coyote vibrates upon the air.

Near the ruins are numerous mounds
where sleep the quiet dead. No loving
hand scatters flowers over their graves,
but God forgets them not; and each
year myriads of fragrant blossoms clus-
ter above their last resting-place.

The story I am about to relate was
told me by a venerable pioneer, who has
lived in Lower California for more than
seventy years. He can remember in his
boyhood hearing the Mission bell peal-
ing morning, noon and night to call the
people to prayer and worship. He lived
there throughout the revolutionary
period ; and can distinctly recall the
time when the Mexican government
confiscated the Viejo Mission, and drove
the old Padres out at the point of
bayonet over the line into the United
States, and also the eventful night when
(iuadalupe Mission was attacked.

454

It was night. The bell had tolled the
hour of nine; and all were in bed, and
at peace with God and man. Suddenly
a piercing shriek rang out on the still
night air. It was a woman's voice, and
the next instant her pitiful wails were
mingled wilh brutal curses and firing of
guns. Father Lopez, the Prior, sprang
from his couch. The Indians and Mexi-
cans, employed at the Mission as guards
and servants, were always carefully
looked after by Father Lopez, who
never failed to see them all quietly in
their rawhide cots at the proper time.
He had this night gone through the
usual routine of locking, barring and
counting his flock, to see that they were
all in the fold ; and had just lain down
to rest when those fearful shrieks
startled him to his feet. His quick ear
told him from whence came the screams;
and he recognized the voice of the wife
of Pancho Gonzales, a Mexican that
lived in a little adobe house about a
quarter of a mile from the Mission
building. This family had a small
piece of ground under cultivation, given
them by the Fathers, and, being honest
and peaceable, had felt secure in their
little home under the shelter of the
church.

Up to within a few months all had
been peace and happiness in this isolated
region, where the Fathers had braved
the dangers and privations of the wilder-
ness to bring to its savage inhabitants
the Gospel of Christ, and teach them the
arts of peace. But since then constant
repprts had come of outrages committed
by the Revolutionary Party against the
representatives of the Church, especially
the Jesuits. So Father Lopez had no
hesitation in attributing the tumult to
its true caus^e.

(134)

(135)

A LEGEND OF LOWER CALIFORNIA.

455

All possible precautions had been taken
to guard against the danger of an attack
by one of the brutal bands, who were
scouring the country insulting and mas-
sacring the servants of God, and destroy-
ing the missions they had established
with so much toil and sacrifice. The
doors of the mission building were se-
curely barred each night, and such
weapons as could be procured were pro-
vided to arm the little band that faith-
fully rallied round Father Lopez and his
three fellow priests.

The good priest hastened from his
room and found many of the household
already assembled in the corral where
they could see through the portholes
what was going on outside. No sooner
had he placed his eye to one of these
outlooks than he saw a large group of
dark figures advancing toward the
church. As the disorderly throng drew
nearer he could distinguish three or four
brutal men in soldiers' uniforms drag-
ging a man between them, who was
alternately fighting and pleading for
mercy amid the jeers and scoffs of the
crowd. Close at the heels of the doomed
man was his terrified wife with two little
children clinging toherskirts andscream-
ing with fright. Nearer and nearer drew
the lawless mob, their band more than
double the number of men in the mis-
sion. It was useless to go out against
them. There was nothing the Fathers
could do but pray and encourage their
terrified people.

Padre Lopez was loved by his flock
more than any of the pastors before him,
and his words of faith in God's assist-
ance had a wonderfully soothing effect
on his dusky followers. He was an in-
spiring figure as he stood among them,
his upturned saint-like face looking to-
ward the pale moon, his furrowed cheeks
bathed in tears of pity for his suffering
neighbors, his hands raised in supplica-
tion in their behalf. As his half-naked,
half-civilized friends drew closer to him
they beheld a circle of light gradually
closing about his head, a halo of glory,

such as they had seen over the brows of
the Child Jesus and the Virgin Mary in
the pictures above the altar. They trem-
bled with fear and reverential awe. The
other three priests looked on as much
amazed as the natives. They felt that
God had heard the good Father's petition
and would now protect them from harm.
As the low, sweet voice of the holy Padre
chanted forth the words, " Not my will,
but Thine be done, O God," all stood
with bowed heads in silent venera-
tion.

Suddenly a thundering crash startled
every fast-beating heart. It was from
the battering ram that had been placed
against the door of the wall that en-
closed them. A second and a third crash
followed— the door began to give way
under the heavy blows, the screams of
the mother and children were fearful.
The good woman realized that the church
and the ' ' dear Padres ' ' were in great
danger — that all would soon be de-
stroyed. The neophytes knew that the
time had come to fight. One more stroke
and the enemy would be in their midst.
Padre Gomez ordered his men to be ready
to fire. Padre Lopez still stood trans-
fixed, the halo of light remaining bright
about his head. Again the heavy weight
of the battering ram fell with a dull
thud. In rushed the soldiers led by th,e
much-feared and hated General-in-chief,
one of Mexico's most bloodthirsty
leaders.

' ' The Padres ! the Padres, first ! Down
with the priests ! kill them first ! Then
make away with the rest of the pack ! ' '
sounded the fiendish chorus.

The trembling inmates of the Mission
fired at random, then dropped their guns,
or were disarmed. The General was
wounded, but soon rallied, being only
slightly hurt. His men soon tied the
Fathers hand and foot. The terrified
savages scattered like frightened sheep,
and hid in all available crannies. As
the General turned, with a curse, to
continue the half-finished sentence on
his victims, he was, for the moment,

456

A LEGEND OF LOWER CALIFORNIA.

(136)

overcome by the sight of Father Lopez,
who had not spoken nor changed his
attitude during all this time ; nor had
the circle of light about his head les-
sened in its brightness. All of the in-
vaders saw it at the same time, and, for
a moment, cowered in fear.

"Take and bind him!" yelled the
General to his men, pointing to the holy
Father. " Take him, the partner of the
devil."

Overcome with hatred towards the
priests, and with fear of the General, they
obeyed. Father Lopez made no resist-
ance. When he had been securely tied
they perceived that the halo of light
still hovered all about his body as he lay
on the ground. This caused great con-
sternation to the more superstitious.
Some fell upon their knees and covered
their faces with their hands, as if to shut
out the wonderfully illumined face, but
were brutally slashed by the sword of the
General or battered over the head with
his rifle. Then he ordered the priests to
be carried, and so placed against the
outer wall, that their faces would look
toward the altar.

By the soft, melancholy light of the
moon, the form of the half-naked, half-
unconscious man, whom the soldiers had
dragged hither, was easily distinguished;
fcis face was haggard, his lips moved,
yet they did not utter a sound ; his eyes
were closed, his hands and feet were
tied with rawhide thongs. He was
closely guarded waiting execution. He
dreaded to open his eyes for fear he
would, see his innocent wife and babes
beaten, and, perhaps, murdered by these
inhuman wretches.

"Where is she? I cannot hear her
now: Oh, if I must die, let it be soon ! "
he moaned. He heard the good Padres
dragged by him, but he dared not look
at them, his friends who must share his
fate. The cold perspiration started on
his face. He heard the clicking of the
guns in the hands of the soldiers, that
he knows are ready to riddle his body
with bullets, and then his helpless wife

and babes — one yet unborn — will be left
alone to the mercy of these wretches.
The thought drove him to despera-
tion. He tried to wrench himself loose,
but it was of no avail, he could cot
move a limb. His brain reeled ; he
fainted.

The moonlight faded away, the stars
disappeared, the sky grew black as ink,
the silence was intense; slowly, con-
sciousness returned to his bewildered
mind. He opened his eyes wearily as
out of the distance could be heard the
sound of retreating footsteps. He
listened ; it ceased. Then his dulled
ear caught the sound of a soft voice in
prayer at his side. He turned his eyes
in the direction of that soothing,
heavenly sound. He started, and turned
cold, for there, standing near with a
halo of light about his body, was
Father Lopez holding an infant bo}r in
his arms, looking like the Saviour of old
blessing little children. It was a new-
born babe, and he guessed the truth,
the child was his. "Oh Father! "the
poor wretch cried, " is my wife safe ? "
Then, like the chimes of sweet bells,
the voice of the holy Father answered:
"Fear not, she is safe. God has taken
her to His bright home. This child,
born to-night, shall overcome the wicked
enemies that have destroyed the house
of God, and persecuted His children.
Put your trust in Him and fear not. "

A ring of rifle shots echoed through
the old walls, and poor Pancho Gonzales
was dead.

As the gray dawn broke over the
mountains, the hoarse voices, and the
din of tramping feet were again heard
in the ruined building. ' ' Wheie is he, ' y
they shout, ' ' the priest with his old
witch light ? " In vain they search for
him. Father Lopez was nowhere to be
found. He and the child had as surely
disappeared, as though they had been
swallowed up by the earth. The Gen-
eral raved and swore at thus being
cheated out of his victim. After killing
all they could find, he, with his remain-

(137)

A LEGEND OF LOWER CALIFORNIA.

457

g army and the three Padres, started
the mountains, where the priests
were cruelly and barbarously put to
death.

After this massacre, peace was in a
measure restored ; and except for oc-
casional small raids and plunderings,
the Peninsular of Lower California
suffered little at the hands of the Revo-
lutionists.

Not until thirty years later, in 1859,
was there another serious uprising, the
year in which Senor Don Castro was
killed. He was at that time Governor
of the Northern district, but by no legal
right, having refused to obey the Presi-
dent's order of removal. Governor
Castro was a man who frequently
became intoxicated, and, at such times,
was very quarrelsome. His associates
were the worst set of outlaws in the
country; and his boon companion was
Manuel Marquez, the leader of a noted
band of Mexican outlaws.

One evening Castro and Marquez were
stopping at a house in San Miguel, and
enjoying social drinks in their custom-
ary way. In the midst of their hilarity,
Castro drew his knife from his boot, and
playfully flourished it before Marquez ;
but, unfortunately for himself, acciden-
tally cut his companion, who instantly
became enraged, and shaking his wound-
ed hand in Castro's face, fiercely ex-
claimed, " blood calls for blood !" The
men were finally separated, and Castro
was persuaded to go to another house a
little further up the river bed. He left
on foot, and, a short time after, the in-
mates of the house he had just left heard
the report of a pistol. Following in the
direction of the sound, they found the
unfortunate dead man under a willow
tree, while the murderer, Marquez, had
fled north to Los Angeles. The poor
victim was buried on a neighboring hill-
top, where there is naught to mark his
lonely grave, the frail wooden cross was
placed at its head having long been
blown down.

The news of his death spread rapidly,

and acted as a signal to his many follow-
ers, who believed him to have been mur-
dered by the order of the hated Ameri-
cans. In a revengeful mood they pillaged
the country. No law abiding citizen was
safe, and disorder and dismay reigned
supreme.

At the time of the Governor's death,
there was in his employ a strange young
Mexican named Feliciano Esparza, a man
of unusual strength of character. He was
secretary to the Governor, and now came
into full power as acting Governor. The
state of affairs was desperate, and it de-
volved upon him to do something to re-
store order at once. After due deliberation
he issued a call, summoning all law-
abiding citizens of the surrounding coun-
try to appear at Sauzal. When they had
assembled, he formed them into a mili-
tary company, and sent them in quest of
insurgents, with orders to bring in every
outlaw that could be found. A few days
later a courier returned to Sauzal with
the tidings that twelve of the desperadoes
had been captured, and were but a short
distance from the town. Bsparza has-
tened forth, and met the posse with the
prisoners where the road from Sauzal
joins that from San Miguel, on the way
to Bnsenada de Todos Santos. He
ordered a halt and sentenced the prison-
ers to be shot. A pit, wide enough to
contain all the bodies, was prepared, and
the prisoners given a brief examination.
Esparza then spoke to the men with a
voice full of feeling, and entreated them
to make their peace with God, confess
their sins to the priest and be absolved
before the death signal was given. He
called to his aid a Padre, who had ac-
companied him hither, and bade the old-
est of the prisoners retire with the priest
if he so wished.

The old prisoner lifted his eyes, and
looked long and steadily into the face of
the young Esparza. <( That voice, " he
muttered, " that face so like . Ab-
solve, Oh, absolve my soul, O priest!"

One after another the prisoners knelt
in confession, then all were arranged in a

458

THE PATRON OF CHRISTIAN WIVES AND MOTHERS.

(138)

row. The men with loaded rifles stood
waiting the order to fire. "Fire ! " Es-
parza commanded, and when the report
died away a voice chanted : ' ' Peace,
peace to all. Esparza, your father and
the Church are revenged ! "

All eyes turned to the young Mexican.
For an instant a bright halo appeared
about him, then darkness settled down.
The one common grave was covered, and
the citizens returned to Sauzal. After
clearing up accounts with the desper-
adoes, Esparza retired to the Island of
Guadalupe, with his wife and family.

For many years he lived in peace and
happiness in this secluded spot. One
day his wife noticed that he seemed
more quiet and thoughtful than usual.
By and by he rose, took his gun and
kissing his dear ones started out to
hunt. This was no unusual occurrence;
but he did not return that day, nor the
next following, nor the next. His wife
became alarmed at his long absence, and
with her two sons started in search of
him. But though they travelled over
every foot of the island, no trace of the
lost one was found.

Senora Esparza had heard the strange
story of her husband 's birth and life, for
it was he that was born on that night of
the Guadalupe Mission massacre. The
holy Padre, with the child in his arms,
had been guided by an unseen hand to
an unknown cave in the mountains.
There he reared the boy and taught him
his mission. When he had grown to
manhood he sent him into the world
with full instructions as to his future
course. ' ' When thy good work is done,
my son, I will come and take thee to a
home of peace and beauty. ' '

The seiiora doubted not that Padre
Lopez's prophecy had been fulfilled.

A few years after Esparza 's disappear-
ance, his family were found on the island
by the crew of a fishing vessel that
chanced to stop there, in a very destitute
condition. They were taken to San
Tomas where they related the history of
Esparza 's life. When their story was
investigated and found true, the prop-
erty which belonged to Esparza before
his disappearance was restored by the
Government to his family, as they were
the rightful owners.

THE PATRON OF CHRISTIAN WIVES AND MOTHERS.

JN an age when the responsibility and
the nobility of the office of wife and
mother are being sadly lost sight of,
the example of one pre-eminent in both
offices cannot too often be insisted upon.
The pagan trend of modern society
makes us tremble for the future. Woman,
overlooking, either designedly or un-
designedly, the ordinary vocation to
which Almighty God calls her, and for
which He has fitted her, beats against
the walls of her home, as though they
enclosed a prison cell. Stronghold, in-
deed, is home, but containing only pris-
oners bound by chains of filial, wifely,
or maternal love and devotion. Slave is
she not, who gives a willing service.
Servant is she not, who only asks for

love as wage. Queen is she, though
often her crown ma}', like her divine
Master's, be made of thorns. Mistress
is she, for without asserting her rights,
her Christian tact will enable her to
rule.

If women only realized the vocation to
which God calls them, and would not
vainly strive after that for which their
nature does not fit them ! If they only
would appreciate the tremendous influ-
ence confided to them in the home circle!
As the Count de Maistre wrote to his
daughter Constance, who complained of
the role assigned to women in society,
and desired that they should take up the
pen and become authoresses : ' ' My deal
child, how you deceive yourself respect-

(139)

THE PATRON OF CHRISTIAN WIVES AND MOTHERS.

459

ing woman's real power and mission."
Then enumerating some of the master-
pieces of literature, "none of these, "
he says, " were written by her ; but she
performs greater things, for on her knees
is fashioned the world's most precious
treasure. ' ' We may enlarge the list of
pursuits not suitable to woman, yet to
which the modern woman impatiently
aspires. Would they be great ? There
is a greatness which is exclusively
theirs. There is a sphere in which they
have no rival — home — a short, simple
word, but brimful of meaning. Those
who have it not, long for it. Too many
who have it, or the makings of it, do
not appreciate it

Daughter, wife, mother, woman, saint
— Monica looms up like a giantess above
her fellows. Study her life, O women !
and imitate it ; for it is imitable. Not a
pampered favorite of fortune was she.
Not the creature of happy circumstances
was she. Not the product of auspicious
environment was she. A devout Chris-
tian maiden was she, married to a brutal
pagan of twice her age. Had she undi-
vided sway over a household ? She
shared its rule with a pagan, imperious
mother-in-law. Untoward surroundings
surely were these. God gave her chil-
dren for her joy and consolation. Augus-
tine, following in the footsteps of his
worthless father, wrung tears of anguish
from his mother's heart. But, as St.
Teresa used to say, ' ' patience wins all. "
Patience, not of stoical waiting and en-
during, but Christian patience that puts
up with the present ills while praying
in unshakable confidence for the accom-
plishment of God's will.

By her sweetness and her respectful
attentions, Monica gained her haughty,
disdainful and imperious mother-in-law,
who, from a persecutor, became an
ardent advocate of her gentle daughter-
in-law. Yet, what this victory must
have cost the saint ! Having won the
mother, she applied herself more than

ever to gain over, by her* patience and
her devotion, her husband Patricius.
Obliged sometimes to contradict and
resist him in things concerning the
faith, in other things she served him
with all the greater humility and love.
After a struggle of seventeen years she
conquered. Patricius yielded to grace,
asked for and received baptism with
great fervor and died in the peace
of God.

But her lifework was not ended.
Augustine was living in sin. For
his conversion she now lived. She
renounced all the pleasant things of the
world ; she practised the most rigorous
penances ; she fasted almost continu-
ally; she attended the public offices of
the Church ; she prayed incessantly, and
became the servant of the poor and the
sick. And Augustine went from bad
to worse Were his mother's fast, pen-
ances, alms, prayers, tears unheeded?

Fifteen years pass by, years of desola-
tion for Monica. At length, grace tri-
umphs, and Augustine, the son of her
tears, renounces Satan and swears his
deathless allegiance to Christ. Monica's
work was fulfilled. Augustine was a
Christian. She had forsaken her native
land to follow her son to Italy, she
would return with her prodigal. At Os-
tia they awaited the sailing of a ship.
Who has not seen that exquisite picture
of this mother and son depicted by Ary
Scheffer ? Hand in hand they sit with
eyes uplifted to heaven, discoursing on
the things of God, which Monica was
so soon to behold in open vision. In
a few days the end came. "Lay this
body anywhere, " she said, " be not con-
cerned about that ; only this I beg of you,
that wheresoever 5^011 be, you make
remembrance of me at the Lord's altar. "

Christian wives and mothers, behold
your model. Learn of Monica the re-
sponsibility and dignity of the wife
and mother, and )-ou, too, will give
Augustines to the Church of God.

EDITORIAL.

THE MADAGASCAR MISSIONS.

tOTADAGSCAR should be a favorite
J^A country with members of the
Apostleship of Prayer. One of our first
General Intentions was for the spread of
the faith on that island, and our prayers
were answered very speedily and richly.
During the late insurrection it was
feared that the interests of religion
would suffer. Even after peace had been
restored, the appointment of a Protest-
tant Resident- General Laroche made it
likely that Catholic missionaries would
have to retire from Madagascar. Under
the new Resident-General Gallieni, full
freedom is guaranteed to all religions,
and with such a guarantee, the one true
religion is sure to make rapid progress.
Indeed, the Catholic missionaries are
succeeding so well, that the sectarians
are beginning to employ their usual tac-
tics of frightening or buying up the
natives to relinquish the Church. Mean-
while they calumniate the Jesuits who
are in charge of the Catholic Missions,
and their false reports have reached
some sectarian newspapers in this coun-
try. The Jesuits in Madagascar have
little time to write about their work,
much less to spread reports with a view
to conciliating outside influence or
sympathy for it. They work directly
for the natives and have already 65,103
children in their schools, whereas before
the war they had only 27,000.

DANGER IN MERE MAJORITY RULE.

French statesmen are beginning to
realize the danger of the rule of mere

460

majorities. M. Jules Roche, one of the
chiefs of the party in power for the last
twenty years in France, said not long
ago in a conference to the League of
Decentralization: "We cannot doubt
that we are living under a regime of
legal despotism which has been surpassed
neither by Louis XIV. nor by Nero, nor
by Heliogabalus, nor by Dionysius of
Syracuse. Suppose there were found in
the Chambers a majority to vote, for in-
stance, the confiscation of the property
of all citizens ? This law would be reg-
ular and executory. Our constitution
has created no normal guarantee against
so monstrous an iniquity."

M. Roche speaks of this as a bare pos-
sibility, whereas he is perfectly aware
that this so monstrous iniquity is in fact
being now carried out in part against
those citizens who have the honor to be-
long to the religious orders of men and
women Encouraged by such a precedent,
why should not the Socialistic party take
heart and extend the law to the other
citizens, whose rights are precisely the
same as those upon whom this out-
rageous spoilation is being executed ?
No, the vox populi, i. e., the majority, is
by no means always vox Dei. Other
States should learn the lesson.

OFFERINGS TO THE DEAD.

Many bishops of late, when dying,
have given instructions that their fu-
nerals should be extremely simple, and
thereby gave a striking example and
great edification. The abuse of floral
wreaths and other designs has grown to

(140)

141)

EDITORIAL.

461

uch an extent that such offerings should
>e abolished altogether. First, it is not
Catholic custom. Second, in many
:ases, in fact in all except that of very
x>ung persons, it is most inappropriate.
Third, it is a needless burden on rela-
tives and friends. Fourth, it is abso-
^utely useless to the deceased. Fifth, it
is a most unseemly occasion for display.
All these reasons hold good of persons
in easy circumstances, but they are much
more cogent when the departed was very
poor, and the surviving members of the
family are in want, and the money spent
on fading flowers might have been a
real boon to the living. True charity to
the departed is best shown by prayers
and Masses. Holy Scripture tells us
that almsgiving, too, benefits the dead,
hence the pious custom of giving an
alms in money, or a dole of bread, or
other food, to the needy, to secure their
grateful prayers in behalf of the departed
1 one, in whose name the gift is bestowed.

A NEW ASPECT OF DEATH.

At two recent funerals of Episcopalian
ministers, death took on a new aspect.
At one, we are told, "the music was
triumphant in tone. ' ' The noble hymn ,
"Rise, crowned with light, imperial
Salem, rise, " was sung by the choir and
the entire congregation. The second
hymn, "The strife is o'er, the victory
won," one of the finest of the resurrec-
tion hymns of the church, was sung by
the choir.

At the other funeral the choristers
wore blue cassocks and the clergy white
stoles, by request. "The music at this
most impressive function," we read,

' demands special notice and the warm-
est encomium. In every respect it was
most appropriate and effective. It
seemed to be the aim of* those who se-

iccted the hymns and their tunes, and

:he various other compositions that
were rendered, to give the entire musical
service a bright and cheerful, and, one
might even say, a festal character, ex-
pressive of a peaceful death and of a

joyful entrance into the. Paradise of
God. ' ' We need not remark that this
festal character for funerals is opposed to
the universal custom of the Catholic
Church, except in the case of very young
children, when white is used and the
tone of the service is joyous. Even in
the case of those who die in the manifest
odor of sanctity the Requiem and Dirge
are performed. Martyrs naturally are
an exception.

SPREAD OP RITUALISM.

The craving of man's aesthetic nature
for the beautiful in divine worship is
steadily asserting itself in the various
Protestant sects. The most ultra con-
servative of them all, the Presbyterians,
are feeling its effects. That ritualism
should spring up and flourish in the
Church of England and its off-shoot,
the Episcopalians, is not surprising ; for
it is simply an effort to' return to the
teachings and practices of the Catholic
Church, of which they are a mangled
form. But to think of the Kirk becom-
ing ritualistic is enough to make John
Knox rise from the grave and protest.
Yet, in spite of it, the trend towards rit-
ualism is there. Witness the new Church
Service Society, whose avowed purpose
is to provide a set form and ritual for
use in the Presbyterian churches. The
' ' new ' ' men and women are not content
with the baldness in worship which
their forefathers endured, hence came
defections to the Episcopal churches.
Organs, formerly condemned as an abom-
ination, were introduced, and high-priced
singers engaged to replace the old-time
congregational Psalm-singing with Mass
music set to English words, and even
Ave Marias are to be found in the
repertoire. The ear was delighted, but
there was nothing for the eye. Stained
glass windows with figures of saints and
floral decorations were added ; but still
there was no ritual, at least with appro-
bation. The new society, therefore, pro-
poses : First, to learn by inquiry, what
"Orders of Worship" are now actually

462

EDITORIAL.

U42>

in use in Presbyterian churches ; second,
to study the history and significance of
the various forms, and thus to recognize
the importance of this branch of histor-
ical theology ; and third, to prepare a
form of worship that shall be historically
true. As the society numbers among its
members influential ministers in differ-
ent parts of the country, the movement
is important and indirectly endorses the
wisdom of our Holy Mother Church in
providing, as she does, for the needs of
the whole man in divine worship.

THE SENATE AND OUR INDIAN SCHOOLS.

Fair-minded Protestants have always
been generous defenders of the Catho-
lic Indian schools in the United States
Senate. The name of Senator Vest will
at once suggest itself. A few weeks ago,
during a debate on the Indian Appropri-
ation Bill in the Senate, a champion of
our cause appeared in the person of
Senator Pettigrew, also a Protestant.
He advocated our schools and said :
' ' During the first two administrations
after we had adopted this policy (of ask-
ing the co-operation of the various de-
nominations in educating the Indians)
not a single Catholic school was en gaged
in the education of the Indian children.
The Protestant churches of this country
commended this policy. The Protestant
churches built the first Indian contract
school; but, Mr. President, in 1880, we
made the first provision for contracts for
the education of these children in schools
under the control of the Catholic Church.
The Catholics were enterprising, and by
1885 they were getting three-quarters of
the appropriations, because they had
built the schools at the invitation of the
Government, and then it was that we be-
gan to hear the cry there should be no
sectarian education; then it was that the
clamor arose to abolish sectarian educa-
tion for the Indian children, and it has
continued until this time. "

History repeats itself; what they could
not get themselves, they did not want
any one else to get. But a specious

reason must be given to mask this con-
temptible dog-in-the-mangerism. Patri-
otism is always the cloak under which
such persons masquerade to conceal their
real malice against the true Church.

MUSIC IN CHURCH AND CHURCH MUSIC.

Many priests surrender all their rights
in the selection of the music in their
church to their choirmaster or choirmis-
tress, who is often the organist as well.
We say advisedly surrender, for it is giv-
ing up what belongs to them, in virtue of
their office. It may be said in defence,
that ex officio they are not endowed with
a knowledge of music. Quite true. But
every priest should have a sense of the
eternal fitness of things, and he should
not delegate his authority to one who
lacks it, however good a musician the
person may be. But the organist may
be a volunteer, and might resent inter-
ference on the part of the priest, and the
people may prefer an unchurchly style
of music. Then both organist and people
need enlightenment, and the priest
should impart it. The Mass is the es-
sential, the music is but accidental.
The Holy Sacrifice is the diamond, the
music is but the setting. It should be
only of purest gold. Other precious
stones may be used to enhance the
brilliancy of the diamond, but what
jeweller would set it in base metal ? So,
too, only the best music should be used
in the liturgy, nor is there any lack of
it. It is a sacred duty of the priest to
veto everything that is light, trivial,
sensuous, or suitable, whether in the in-
tention or not of the composer, for the
stage, not for the church. The object is
not to please the ears of the people, but
to move their hearts to worship God and
to assist the better at Holy Mass, Ves-
pers, and Benediction.

CHURCH MUSIC.

The Bishop of Newport (England),
Dr. Hedley, made Church music the sub-
ject of his Lenten Pastoral. He handles
it with a masterly hand. "Music," he
says, ' ' has her place very near the altar ;

(143)

EDITORIAL.

463

for it is music which is the setting and
the adornment of some of the most
beautiful and solemn prayers which pre-
cede or accompany the great act of sacri-
fice." . . . The music of that august
rite must be no common music, but
music that is appropriated, sanctified,
and completely dominated by the liturgy
itself. If we are to worship by or with
music, music must be worthy of the act
of worship. ... If the skill and de-
votion of Christian hearts can accom-
plish it, there must be a difference set
up and established between the music of
the Kucharistic liturgy — the music of
the Sacrifice — the music of the Blessed
Sacrament — and all other strains, modes>
uses and fashions of music whatsoever.
It would be a less evil that she should
sacrifice some of her sweetness and her
power, than that she should be the
means of dragging adoration down to
the world's prose, or the flesh's baseness,
or the devil 's arts of diversion. It would
be better to silence her forever in the
sanctuary than bring in over the church's
threshold an atmosphere of worldly
passion, or mundane frivolity, or even
of mere human and heathen art, un-
hallowed by the Blood of the Redemp-
tion." He makes a strong case for the
use of the plain chant. " Is it not true, ' '
he asks, "that the very strangeness and
inaccessibility of the Gregorian Chant
renders it all the more suitable for the
liturgy ? It is music of an age gore by,
as the vestures of the sacrificing priest
are survivals of past centuries. There
is history in every phrase of it. Its pro-
fessions, its rises and falls, its intona-
tions and its endings, are not heard in
the modern world — not heard in the
theatre, or the concert-room, or the street.
He who would use it, must seek it apart,
where the steps of man do not tread, as
if he sought some old-fashioned flower,
neglected and rare, to put upon the
steps of the altar. When he comes to
be familiar with it, he finds that it is a

true art ; that it has form, symmetry,
variety, and beauty." After speaking
of the way in which the music suits the
sacred words, he says : ' ' Thus the chant
of the Church is the handmaid of devo-
tion, shutting out distraction like the
walls of the sanctuary, and drawing the
thoughts and the emotions to the altar
and the Blessed Sacrament. Better,,
more elaborate, more brilliant, more
taking music may, perhaps, be easily
had ; but not music that will be equally
worthy of its sacred burden of adoration
and prayer. ... It is perfectly true that
the Church admits and allows, even in
the Mass, music which is not Gregorian
Chant. But not every kind of music is
permitted in church, whether at Mass
or at other times. " He then lays down
some excellent rules. He quotes St.
Bernard, who said of certain singers of
his day : ' ' They sing to please the
people rather than God. " He concludes
by laying down the principle that Church
music should not be " a tawdry imita-
tion of the music of the outside world,
but an art of its own, inspired by the
sacred liturgy, and conforming in all
things to the ' pattern shown upon the
mountain.' "

ILLOGICAL PRAYERS.

We cannot look for consistency in
religious matters in sects which recog-
nize no authority in dogmatic teach-
ing, but it is strange to see in print
such contradictions as the following
sample in the Churchman: "Entered
into life eternal, January 2, 1897, after
a brief illness N. N." (Then follows
the family connection). "Grant her, O
Lord, eternal rest, and may light per-
petual shine upon her. ' '

How, we ask, can these two things be
reconciled? First, the deceased is de-
clared to have ' ' entered into life eternal "
—the assertion of a fact— then comes a
prayer that this already accomplished
fact may be realized in the " future ! "

The bishops of England and Ireland
have lately addressed to His Holiness,
Leo XIII., a joint petition to beg him to
hasten the canonization of B. Margaret
Mary.

The Gregorian University in Rome
has more students this year than ever
before. The number is at present 1,029.
There are'three faculties, those of the-
ology, philosophy and canon law, con-
sisting of twenty-three professors, all
of whom belong to the Society of Jesus.

The * Patriarch of Antioch, of the
Greco-Melchite rite, Mgr. Gregory Jus-
sef, has lately sent to Rome ten young
clerics to enter the Greek Pontifical
College, at the instance of the Holy
Father, thus carrying on the apostolic
work for the reunion of the Churches of
the Orient.

The Catholic Directory for 1897 makes
the following statement about England :
There is one cardinal; 25 archbishops
and bishops ; 3,090 priests, of whom
2,143 are seculars and 947 regulars;
i, 812 churches, chapels and stations.

During the past year, 1896, conver-
sions to the faith are estimated at 15,000,
of whom 2,000 belong to the archdiocese
of Westminster.

The Municipal Council of Macon, in
France, has rejected the petition of 950
fathers of families demanding justice
and equality for children frequenting
the free (Catholic) schools. Yet the
Jews, who number only fifty in a popu-
lation of many thousand Catholics, have
a representative on the Board of Public
Charities.

The mayor of Concoret (France) had
committed the awful crime of conse-
crating his municipality to the Sacred
Heart. He was cited by the Protestant
Fabre, .sub-prefect of Ploermel, to give
an account of himself, and was soundly

464

rated by this high official. Not at all
repentant, M. Desbois tendered his resig-
nation, which was at once accepted.
But the Municipal Council of Concoret
thought otherwise, and considered M.
Desbois worthier than ever to direct
their town, so they re elected him mayor
by a large majority.

At the audience of Mgr. Lamoroux,
Bishop of Saint-Flour, with the Holy
Father, for the purpose of presenting to
His Holiness the Peter's Pence of the
diocese, Leo XIII. asked the bishop to
read him the verses that accompanied
the offering. Perceiving that the Bishop
was putting on spectacles, the Pope
laughed and said : ' ' Give me the verses,
I will read them without spectacles as
well as you would with them. " This he
did aloud without any hesitation, and in
great glee that his sight was better than
that of a Bishop so much younger than
he was.

The " Saint Paul, " one of two vessels
ordered by the Committee of Works of
the Sea to replace the " Saint Pierre, "
shipwrecked last year off Newfoundland,
was launched on January 20 very suc-
cessfully in presence of a great many
spectators interested in the work for sea-
men.

The work for seamen is progressing in
England. In London an excellent house,
with a large hall at the back, has been
taken on a seven years' lease. It is situ-
ated on Well-close Square, near the
former quarters, which were quite in-
adequate for the number of seamen who
frequented the rooms. Over 3,350 have
inscribed their names as members in the
Club Register. Board and lodging will
be provided at moderate prices.

Those interested, and all Catholics
should be, in the work of Missions for
sea-faring men, will be glad to hear of a
Catholic Sailors' Home opened last

(144)

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

465

October in Bordeaux, and of its success.
Library, reading-rooms and games, medi-
cal and legal advice are free. Board and
lodging can be had for two francs a day.
The committee in Paris has started an-
other Sailors' Home at Nantes. Two
vessels have been built for the Deep Sea
Fisheries, one for Iceland and the other
Newfoundland.

On Sunday, February 14, a touching
ceremony took place at Paimpol, on the
north coast of France. It was the feast
of the fishermen. There was a fleet of 56
vessels, manned by 1,091 seamen. The
boats were all decorated and drawn up
in line along the docks, where an altar
of repose had been set up. A procession
of the officers and men, accompanied
by the municipal musicians, escorted
the Blessed Sacrament from the church
to the port. The statue of our Lady of
Good News, much venerated by the
sailors, was carried by a delegation of
them. All along the route the houses
were decorated with flags. The Vicar
General gave the Benediction to the
vessels, while their flags, in recogni-
tion, were raised and lowered three
times.

Though Belgium has not seamen, she
has boatmen on her rivers and on the
coast. Some Promoters of the Apostle-
ship in Ghent, who had been instructing
the children of the bargees for First
Communion, begged Father De Beck,
S J., to set up an ceuvre in favor of the
boatmen. This was in August, 1893.
The work, dedicated to Mary Star of
the Sea, and to St. Peter, has extended.
At Antwerp, the cure of St. Lambert's,
Abbe" de Bruyn ; at Bruges, the well-
known Capuchin preacher, Father Li-
bertus ; at Ostend, the chaplain of a
despatch-boat, Abbe Pijpa, are attend-
ing to the welfare of the boatmen, ably
assisted by the League Promoters and
the members of Conferences of St.
Vincent de Paul. They make an exten-
sive distribution of good literature in
order to counteract the socialistic, radi-
cal and anti-Catholic propaganda.

For the department of the Seine in
France, there is building at Fresno a
huge central prison to contain 1,500
cells, and to cost 10,727,000 francs. The
great De Maistre, a century ago, seeing
the demolition of religious houses,
prophesied : "If you destroy the houses
of prayer, upon their ruins you shall be

obliged to build barracks, and prisons.
How literally true has this been i
France.

The free-thinkers of Vinneuf, in Bur-
gundy, thought to make merry over a
sacrilegious parody of a religious cere-
mony on the public square. They con-
cluded with a ball, at the beginning of
which one of them fell dead. The
others, unwilling to show their fear,
kept on dancing. Shortly after, another
fell out of a window and crushed his
skull ; and later on another broke his
wrist! These various accidents pro-
duced a serious impression, and caused
them to abandon their intention of in-
terrupting a religious ceremony the
next day.

In France for marriages to be recog-
nized by law, the contracting parties must
appear before the Mayor or his represen-
tative and state their intention. Some
anti-Catholic mayors have taken occa-
sion of this to take up' a collection for
the State schools, the wedding party
not daring to refuse. Not long ago, in a
certain city, there was a great marriage
to be solemnized. Preparatory to it the
bridal party went to the Mayor's office.
As usual, the Mayor passed round the
hat, thereupon one of the guests said :
"Mr. Mayor, you have taken up a col-
lection for the State schools, so you can-
not be surprised if I in turn take up one
for the Catholic schools. ' ' He suited the
action to the word and collected thirty-
five francs, whereas the Mayor had only
got about five francs.

The nocturnal adoration is being car-
ried on with great fervor in the Basilica
of the Sacred Heart on Montmartre,
Paris. Of course, only men take part
in it. The minimum number in the
winter months, when it is hard to climb
up the mountain, is from twenty to
thirty. In Summer the number is much
greater, so that one night last June
there were more than 200 adorers.
On the night set apart for Christian
bosses — we do not know how else to put
patrons — there were twenty of them at
every hour. They prayed and sang
hymns during the whole night. Some
took no rest; others divide the time
between watching and resting. There
are two dormitories adjoining the sa-
cristy, provided with iron bedsteads,
mattresses and blankets. True Christian
fraternity is to be seen there, where men

466

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

(146)

of all ranks of society lie side by side.
Thus is reparation offered during the
night for all the bins of the past day, and
God's mercy invoked for sinners instead
of His justice.

The annual report for 1896 of the
Night Shelter Society of Paris, tells
of much good accomplished. During
the year it has received 80,496 men and
4 017 women and children ; in all 84,513
lodgers who have spent 234,645 nights
within the walls of the various branch
houses. The funds are free offerings
of the charitable. The municipal au-
thorities opened during the cold season
what are termed chauffoirs publics , public
heaters, where the homeless could con-
gregate to warm themselves, and go in
and out at will, but only benches, and
not beds, were provided. Some vagrants
prefer this liberty of ingress and egress
coupled with less comfort, to the more
comfortable quarters of the night shel-
ters, where the doors are closed from 9
P.M. to 6 A.M., and where they are
obliged to take a warm bath on entering,
and also to wash before leaving. They
receive a dole of bread, and the old and
weak get soup as well.

The Missionaries of Labor is the title of
a body of priests, who, renouncing parish
work, have, with the consent of their
bishop, devoted themselves exclusively
to solve the labor problem. The founder
is the Abbe" Henry Fontan, and the
house of this new Society is at Tarbes,
in the Pyrenees. St. Anthony of Padua,
is the chosen protector of these ceuvres
socials, of which the most important is
the Pyrenean Agricultural Syndicate, to
look after the interests of the tillers of
the soil. Rural banks, scattered through
the department, and united by means of
a Central Bank, advance money to the
country folk to enable them to carry on
the working of their farms. The Com-
munal Syndicate for Agricultural Indus-
try provides funds necessary for obtain-
ing up-to-date machinery, at wholesale
prices, for the use of the associates. For
other industries the missionaries have
founded workingmen 's banks . Moreover,
at Tarbes, there is a circle for the study
of social questions for the clergy, where
priests can meet to discuss matters of
interest and have the free use of the
principal books and periodicals of the
day. The question may suggest itself :
How are these ceuvres the suitable object
of a congregation of priests? The

answer is, that these are the mea?ts, not
the end, which is the apostolate of the
Gospel to lead souls to God, and heal
the deep wounds inflicted on modern
society by its abandonment of God. As
these means have been used by the
enemy of souls for spiritual rum so,
being good in themselves, may these
worthy missionaries use them for the
weal of society.

The French Government, as adminis-
trator of the Church property stolen
during the Revolution, pays the salaries
of clergymen. The Archbishop of Tou-
louse called attention lately to the in-
justice of the apportionment. In the
first place, Protestants and Jews have
no just claim whatever to money de-
rived from Catholic foundations, yet
they not only get their share, but a
larger one than the Catholics, as the
following statistics show:

POPULATION.

Catholics 36,000,000

Protestants 500,000

Jews 300,000

AVERAGE; SALARIES.

Priests 1,014 francs.

Ministers 1,900 "

Rabbis 2,105 "

Besides this, the Protestant ministers
receive special assistance, which makes
their salary amount to at least 3,000
francs.

There are now in operation in Rome
ten night schools, located in various
parts of the city, for the instruction of
working boys. There is an attendance
of about one hundred in each school,
and there are many more applicants,
but space is wanting. The teaching is,
so far, only elementary, drawing being
the only extra branch. On Saturdays
the catechism is taught. The boys are
prepared for their First Communion,
which is preceded by the spiritual exer-
cises of a retreat made in the celebrated
house called Ponterotto. Every year
about one thousand lads make their
Communion at the altar tomb of St.
Aloysius. They attend Mass in their
own oratory ; or, if that is wanting, in
the nearest church. Each school has a
garden or playground, in which the
scholars can amuse themselves on holi-
days. Once a year there is a distribution
of prizes. Cardinal Satolli assisted at
one lately in the Church of St. Nicholas.
All these schools are under a common

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

467

lirection, the president of which is
ippointed by the Pope.

Count Campello, an apostate, who is
leader of a Protestant sect in Italy,
dsited the late Archbishop of Canter-
mry, at Lambeth Palace. In his exam-
ination of the portraits of the Primates
of England, in the picture gallery, he
remarked that the pre-Reformation
Archbishops had the pallium, but not
those who ruled after the Reformation.
He asked why they had renounced this
distinction. ' ' Because, ' ' said the Arch-
bishop, ' ' the Pope sends the pallium,
and they could not make a request for it
without acknowledging his supremacy, ' '
an open admission that the archbishops
of the old time did acknowledge the
supremacy of the Pope.

This exercise of his usurped spiritual
power, as head of the Church of Eng-
land, is recorded of Edward VI. in
regard to dispensing from fasting :

' ' The King to all whom these presents
come, greeting :

"Be ye made aware that we of our
own special grace, and our own certain
knowledge and mere motion, moreover
with the advisement and consent of our
Councillors, we have given and granted
license, and by these presents do give
and grant license, to the most Reverend
Father in Christ, Thomas Archbishop of
Canterbury, Primate of our whole King-
dom and Metropolitan, as well as to all
his family, and to all those (how many
soever they be) who come to the said
Thomas, that he and all his family,
wherever they may be, henceforth, during
the whole of the natural life of the same
Thomas, in times of Lent and other
Fasting Days whatsoever, may freely
and with impunity eat .flesh-meat and
white-meats, any statute, act, or procla-
mation, constitutions, or ordinances to
the contrary made or published, or in
future to be made or published, notwith-
standing. ' '

February 28, 1550.

Similar licenses were granted to other
bishops by the same authority. A MS.
of the year 1547 records that: "This
year the Archbishop of Canterbury did
eat meat openly in Lent, in the Hall of
Lambeth, the like of which was never
seen since England was a Christian
nation."

Antonio, has a deserved reputation as a
church-builder, and he is keeping it up,
for he has at present twelve churches,
just completed, under way, or about to
be commenced. He is a vigilant chief
pastor watching over the spiritual wel-
fare of his flock.

Rt. Rev. J. A. Forest, Bishop of San

The Canisius-Verein,2,-Q. extensive or-
ganization in Germany, are making elab-
orate preparations for the celebration of
the Third Centenary of B. Peter Cani-
sius, Apostle of Germany. There will
be a monster pilgrimage to the grave of
B. Peter, at Fribourg in Switzerland.

Catholics in Prussia justly complain
that 55,367 of their children attend
Protestant schools, and about 100,000-
are educated in mixed schools, while
12,000 receive no Catholic instruction in
school. How does that compare with
the educational condition of Catholics
in the United States, where we have
some 2,000,000 of our Catholic children
in mixed schools, equivalently Protest-
ant, with no Catholic instruction at all ?
Verily, our forbearance is heroic.

The German Centre party, on Feb-
ruary 23, introduced for the third time
in the Reichstag the bill for the recall
of the Jesuits. Last year Chancellor
Hohenlohe promised an amicable settle-,
ment; but so far nothing has been
done. This fact is emphasized by the
Centre in the preamble to the bill.
Every bill that passes the Reichstag is
at the mercy of the Reichsrath, which is
appointed by the Emperor. The feeling-
of the Emperor towards Catholics may
be seen from the fact that he lately cre-
ated six new life members to the Upper
House of the Prussian diet, among whom
there is not a single Catholic. Yet one
man out of every three in the Kingdom
of Prussia is a Catholic, and many of
the noblest and best blood of the land
are Catholics.

The Old-Catholics of Geneva, Switzer-
land, in a letter to the Great Council,
submit that four of the churches which
they took from the Catholics be restored
to them, as there is no one left to wor-
ship in them. They also ask that the
number of the Old- Catholic clergy be
reduced, as there is no longer any need
of their services. This is the death-
knell of Old-Catholicism in Switzer-
land where it held out longest.

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW

New Centres.

A New
Coat of Arms.

To mark the
issue of our Re-
vised Statutes
the Moderator
of the Apostle-
ship has adopt-
ed a new coat
of arms. We
have already
substituted it
on the design
of the Promo-
ters 'Diplomas,
and as soon as possible we shall intro-
duce it in our other prints. It is simpler
and more artistic than the old one, and
it tells the nature and purpose of our
work very effectively. It will appear
on every document issued by us in the
name of the Moderator General, acting
in his official capacity.

The increase in the num-
ber of Centres aggregated
to the Apostleship during the past month
is owing to the impulse already given
to our work by the publication of the
Revised Statutes. Quite a number of
Centres which had either relinquished
our practices, or failed to take up all
•of them, have taken this opportunity for
reviving and adopting the work in all its
details. Hence it is that, even for one of
the less active months of the year, we
record thirty-four new aggregations.

The number of Promo-

ters' receptions is never
options. very great {n March Many

Centres choose December or January,
May or June for these ceremonies, and
the Lenten exercises in city churches
prevent many from holding these recep-
tions with the proper solemnity. Still
five hundred is no small number of
Promoters to reward with Cross and
Diploma. If they all prove worthy of
their charge ; if they have all been tried
and trained well; and, if Directors en-
courage them as they should, what
effective work they could do for their
pastors and fellow members.

It is not too soon for
preparing Directors to begin prepar-

Receptions. ^ for the

receptions of Promoters.
468

ration should be going on at all times,
for there should be new Promoters al-
ways in training to extend and per-
petuate the work. It is well, however,
to make special preparations now and
then, and to do it in such a manner as to
renew the interest of old and new Pro-
moters alike. The revision of our Stat-
utes has already started new energies in
our Directors ; it is expected that Pro-
moters will show an increase of zeal by
imparting their own spirit to others, by
extending the benefits of the new regu-
lations to their Associates, and by intro-
ducing them to the notice of those who
have not 3^et joined the League.

While speaking of Pro-
moter s' receptions we
may as well make the
oft-repeated request of our Directors to
send us their orders for Crosses atid
Diplomas, if possible, two weeks before
the date of the reception. This will
allow ample time for mailing to and fro ;
for filling in the names of the candi-
dates, which Local Directors may send to
us, for arranging the Crosses and Diplo-
mas for the immediate distribution and
for attaching the Local Director's signa-
ture. Instead of affixing our own sig-
nature to all the Diplomas issued for the
League in this country, we have asked
and obtained the consent of Father
Drive, the acting Moderator of the
League, to affix his signature. Local
Directors should sign them as usual.

Providing

Receptions.

Directors have read the
hearty commendations of

This prepa-

Commendatxons.

the April number of the League Director.
To these we might add the hundreds
that are kindly sent us from time to
time by Directors themselves. Of late
we have been communicating to several
of them in places where the MESSENGER
is not widely circulated, a plan for get-
ting subscribers either to the MESSEN-
GER or Supplement, and our letters have
elicited many encouraging replies.

" Yours is a noble work," writes one,
" of immense benefit to religion. May
it daily increase in usefulness and be-
come one of the chief means of strength-
ening the faith of Catholics and bringing
non-Catholics into the fold of Christ. "

"I must tell 3Tou, " writes one who
(148)

(149)

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

469

has had great experience as an editor,
1 ' how pleased I was with the last num-
ber of the MESSENGER. I read every
line of it and found it most interesting.
I cannot go into details, but everything
was good. I am becoming more and
more convinced that American Catholics
must be very indifferent in religious
matters if they fail to see that they have
a good thing in the MESSENGER. Its
main fault, I think, is that there is not
enough of it. One gets through it too
quickly."

We take the following
extract from the Ecclesias-
"• tical Review, for March,
1897: "There exists in Rome, and in
many other places, a custom of reciting
after Mass 'or during exposition of the
Blessed Sacrament a series of short
invocations — "Blessed be God ! Blessed
be His Holy Name, " etc. It is said that
the prayer was composed by the Jesuit,
P. Felici, about a hundred years ago,
for a sodality of sailors (dei marinari) in
order to counteract the tendency to use
the Holy Name in blasphemy. There is
an Indulgence of one year attached to
the recitation each time, and a Plenary
Indulgence, under the usual conditions,

for those who recite it daily for a month,
both being applicable to the souls in
purgatory.

" Leo XIII., who is very fond of this
beautiful prayer, has just added to the
received form an invocation in honor of
the Sacred Heart, and doubled the
Partial Indulgence for those who recite
the prayer publicly (in any language)
after Mass or during exposition of the
Blessed Sacrament. ''

The prayer is here translated from the
Italian in common use in the churches
of Rome, and attached to the form of
decree.

Blessed be God.

Blessed be His Holy Name.

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and
true man.

Blessed be the name of Jesus.

Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.

Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy
Sacrament of the altar.

Blessed be the great Mother of God,
Mary most holy.

Blessed be her holy and immaculate
conception.

Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin
and Mother.

Blessed be God in His angels and in
His saints.

FOR PROMOTERS.

St. Augustine's Day
falls on Mly 28. He was

and the — , , . J , ,

intention. England's great apostle,
and our General Intention
this month is for England's speedy con-
version as a fruit of the celebrations of
his Thirteenth Centenary. There is an
excellent account of his mission to Eng-
land in the Catholic Truth Society series.
These celebrations mean so much for the
cause of our religion that we cannot
afford to be ignorant of the history of
the establishment of the Church among
the Anglo-Saxons, of its glorious his-
tory since, and of the conversions now
j being made yearly by thousands from
the ranks of the sect that most opposed
lit.

IPromoters , There is no end to the

in Ma devotions and good works
our Promoters can advance
lin May. We have tried to enumerate
them on the Promoters' page in the
\Decade Leaflets, but space failed us . The
saints' days and Holydays they can
observe with special pietv would require
:oo much space even here ; the feasts of

the apostles Philip and James, St. Mon-
ica, St. Joseph, the Rogation days and
the Ascension, besides the First Friday
and the Promoters' Patron days.

The May Devotions of-
fer a splendid opportunity

Active Works

for May.

ters. To be present at them faithfully
will be all some can do. Some may
help in the choir, and others about the
altar or shrine of our Lady. All can
help to fill the churches by inducing their
Associates to come to the devotions every
morning or evening. The May proces-
sions require considerable preparation,
and the First Communion days come,
for many parishes, in May. Without the
assistance of zealous Promoters some pas-
tors would be distracted by the many de-
tails claiming their attention every May.
The question is often asked of Promo-
ters, "How shall I join the League?"
The answer is simple enough, when the
League is established in the parish of
the applicant; it is not so simple when
there is no Centre in the parish, or, as

470

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(150)

often happens, when there is no Centre
for some distance. In such cases Pro-
moters should not be quick to advise
without first knowing the mind of their
Directors. Ordinarily the simplest an-
swer would be to refer the questioner to
our office for proper information, or to
say what our owa circular says in answer
to the question. We ask them to send
their name, post office address, city,
State, diocese, parish or nearest church.
With this information we are usually
able to direct them to the nearest Local
Centre. If there be no Local Centre in
their neighborhood we take their name
for register and send them a certificate
of admission, or refer them to the Secre-

tary of some Large Centre, whose Director
consents to look after such isolated mem-
bers. It should be clearly understood
that as soon as a Local Centre of the
League shall have been established in
their neighborhood, they must have
their names transferred from our register
to that of the newly established Centre,
and receive the Decade Leaflets, etc.,
from a Promoter attached to that Centre.
If several people desire to become Asso-
ciates, it would be well to seek the co-
operation of your Rev. Pastor in estab-
lishing a Centre.

For further information they should
be referred to our Handbook, or to the
MESSENGER.

THE APOSTLESHIP ABROAD.

The total number of parishes, com-
munities and institutions regularly affili-
ated by Diploma to the Apostleship of
Prayer, is at present 55,379.

ENGLAND . — There are in England
about 200,000 Associates of the 2d
Degree. The 3d Degree is especially
popular in Lancashire where one-third
of the population is Catholic. The de-
votion of the Nine Fridays is nourishing
in the large manufacturing towns of
Lancashire. In many places Mass has
to be celebrated very early, to allow the
men and women working in factories
the opportunity of approaching the Holy
Table before going to their work

The English Messenger has been some-
what enlarged this year. It prints an
edition of 30,000 copies each month, and
its readers may probably be estimated at
ten times this number. It is read pub-
licly in many religious communities.

The Apostleship is doing good work
among the sailors. Catholic papers and
pamphlets are sent to each of the 160
ships of the royal navy, the MESSENGER
being always of the number. This
work of the sailors is now being ex-
tended to the coast guardsmen.

THANA, INDIA. — The Diocesan Direc-
tor of the Apostlehip of Prayer for the
isle of Thana, India, writes us a very
edifying account of the fervor of the
Associates in the Local Centre under his
direction. He tells us that while the
bubonic plague caused great havoc in
Bombay and other parts of India, the
isle of Thana was free from it. This he
attributes to the prayers and good works
of the members of the League. Mass

was offered daily to avert the scourge,
and every day two of the Associates
made in turn the Communion of Repara-
tion. The practices of the League have
produced marked results in increasing
the piety of the faithful. Prayer is more
common and more fervent. People nock
to the church every morning and evening,
and on Thursday and Sunday the church
is overcrowded when the Litany and other
prayers are said and Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament given. All these ex-
ercises are for the cessation of the plague
and the fervor of the Associates is very
marked. The children of the schools
also have their hours each day for prayer
and exercises of devotion in the church.

A sample of the daily good works for
the Treasury will give some idea of the
earnestness of the Associates : Masses
heard, 25 ; Visits to the Blessed Sacra-
ment, 31; Spiritual Communions, 53;
Rosaries, 42 ; Recreations, 133 ; Hours
of Silence, 60 ; Hours of Work, 160 ;
Mortifications, 19 ; Sufferings, 40 ; Vari-
ous prayers, 210 ; Acts of the love of
God, 1,570; Acts of zeal, 12; Examens
of Conscience, 24. This is a fair sample
of the good works offered daily by the
Associates of this Centre.

Some of the visible effects resulting
from this activity of the League are a
greater interest in church affairs, recon-
ciliations, an increased attendance at
Mass, a more frequent reception of
Holy Communion and the reformation
of many lives after an absence from the
Sacraments of 30, 40, and, in some cases,
50 years. We have 20 Promoters aiid
650 Associates. So you see our little
Centre is doing well.

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

471

THE APOSTLESHIP AT HOME.

ST. JOSEPH'S CENTRE, TROY, N. Y. —
Ahe Apostleship of Temperance is mak-
ig rapid strides. At the present writ-
ing (March n, 1897), our Promoters'
pledge cards, for the Lenten season, bear
10,016 signatures ; and still they come.
The duplicate cards, that were intended
for the Sanctuary, are placed prominently
before the Altar of the Sacred Heart,
where a special light is burning. All
classes of people have signed, and nota-
bly a large number of intemperate per-
sons, and in consequence the saloon-
keepers are getting alarmed. The heavy
Raines license and this forty days' total
abstinence on the part of one-sixth of
the Trojans, will probably have the
effect of driving many out of the busi-
ness. This system of duplicate pledge-
cards in the hands of the Promoters,
with the Masses and other spiritual ad-
vantages, will capture any Catholic com-
munity for the season of Lent.

LOCKPORT, N. Y.— Last Fall the Pro-
moters of St. Patrick's parish here col-
lected a sufficient amount to procure a
very beautiful statue of the Sacred Heart,
which was unveiled and blessed with
great solemnity. The pastor has kindly
consented to give Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament on the evenings of the
First Fridays from the beginning of the
present year, which draws large numbers
of people. A Catholic family in St.
John 's parish has likewise promised the
funds to supply a life-size statue of the
Sacred Heart for that church in memory
of their deceased mother. Surely this is
better than the most costly monument.
An acknowledgment in the MESSENGER
was promised by the writer if the two
statues were procured, and is hereby
gratefully submitted.

HOLY ROSARY CENTRE, SCRANTON,
PA. — We had a Promoters' Reception on
the First Friday in March. Nineteen
new Promoters were received. Rev. W.
P. O'Donnell, of Holy Rosary Church,
officiated. Our Centre is in a flourishing
condition.

ST. MARY'S CENTRE, INDEPENDENCE,
Mo.— During the Novena of Grace in
honor of St. Francis Xavier, we had
public prayers in the church every even-
ing, which were well attended. Ninety
received Holy Communion at the close,
March 12 ; many more received the Sun-
day before. The choir sang hymns ap-

propriate to the occasion, consisting
usually of selections from the League
Hymnal. The Novena closed with Bene-
diction of the Blessed Sacrament. Our
Reverend Director announces and ex-
plains the Apostleship devotions from
the altar. A bulletin board in the vesti-
bule of the church also facilitates the
work of the Promoters. We are using
fifteen sets of Decade Leaflets, and many
members have copies of League Devo-
tions.

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA,
WASHINGTON, D. C. — A League Centre
has been organized here by the Very Rev.
Rector. The Holy Hour in Common is
celebrated in the University Chapel every
Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 P. M., with Ex-
position and Benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament.

ST. BRIDGET'S CENTRE, ETTRICK,
Wis. — A few days after the establish-
ment of the League in St. Bridget's
parish, the Lazarist Fathers Weldon and
Murtaugh opened a mission here with
wonderful success. Thanks to the Sacred
Heart it was a prodigy of divine grace.
One old man fifty years absent from the
sacraments, another forty-five, another
thirty, and many from ten to twenty-five,
returned to the fountain of divine grace.
One old man, baptized a Catholic in in-
fancy, made his First Communion, and
six young men, with one young woman,
between twenty-three and thirty-five,
likewise made their First Communion.
These are some of the miracles wrought,
I believe, through the influence of the
Most Sacred Heart which we endeavor
to honor. A rock could not resist the
influence of the sweet Sacred Heart ot
Jesus. Since my advent here last July
I notice a wonderful change in the hearts
of my good people. The Sacred Heart
has worked the change We have now
thirteen Promoters and 175 members.

OBITUARY.

Mary McCarthy, New York City ; Mrs.
M. D. Lewis, Mrs. Lucia Marrotte Tes-
son, Visitation Convent, St. Louis, Mo.;
Mrs. Mary Ray, St. Patrick's Centre,
O'Neill, Nebraska; Miss Nellie Fowley,
Immaculate Conception Centre, Cleve-
land, O.; Mrs. Julia McCarthy, St.
Francis de Sales' Centre, Brooklyn, N.Y.;
Miss Mary Dillon and Miss Mary
O'Rourke, St. Rose's Centre, Milwaukee,
Wis.; Miss Margaret Cann, St. Andrew's
Centre, Nashville, Ohio ; Rev. Edward

472

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(152)

Malone, Boston, Mass.; Mrs. Mary Macupin, N. J.; Mrs. Mary Deville and

Abbott, St. Vincent's Centre, Boston, Miss Stella McAllister, St. Philip's Cen-

Mass.; Miss Katherine Claughessy, East tre, Dungannon, Ohio; Mrs. Graney,

Albany, N. Y.; Mrs. Val. Tintle and Oakland, CaL; Amanda Fera, Rostland,

Mrs. John Shenise, St. Joseph's Centre, B. C.

THE APOSTIvESHIP FOR AU, THE WORLD.

All the world, to use a French phrase,
belongs to the Apostleship of Prayer; at
least, it is hard to find anyone who does
not belong to it. New Promoters dis-
cover this as soon as they begin canvass-
ing for Associates, and forthwith they
are discouraged and come back to their
Local Directors to say that they will be
content to be like everyone else — an
ordinary member.

Now everyone else is not an ordinary
member. Because the limited circle of
your acquaintances and mine may be all
enrolled in our registers, it does not
follow that all the world belongs to us.
A vast multitude of Catholics know
nothing at all about us; and even of our
ordinary members numbers barely know
our League as a pious society to which,
if admitted rightly at all, they have at
one time given their names for entry on
our register, receiving a certificate of ad-
mission which they have carefully put
in their prayer book or lost, without
ever reading it.

To neglect reading our various prints
or even to lose one's certificate of admis-
sion woud not make one the less our
Associate, entitled with us to all the
spiritual benefits attached to our prac-
tices of piety, but is "all the world, " or
the little portion of it that we know ob-
serving our practices of piety? Is "every-
one else " making the Morning Offering;
and in what spirit, with what under-
standing and sentiment are those who
are faithful to it keeping this one essen-
tial observance of our Apostleship?

These questions are not raised in any
complaining mood, or without due ac-
knowledgment of the members and fervor
of the Associates who are taking part in
our various practices. Indeed, the statis-
tics we publish so frequently are some-
times hard things even for some piously
minded people to admit. No, we ac-
knowledge and give credit for all this
and more that is hidden even from our-
selves. Indeed, it is simply because we
do appreciate what is being done, that
we afe eager to have more still done and
to have what is done more intelligently
and fervently done. It is for this reason
we take the opportunity afforded us by

our new Statutes to begin at the begin-
ning and treat some point in them famil-
iarly with our Associates every month.

Now, we need not dwell on our name,
or names, since in the course of these
explanations every title that was ever
applied to us will be more than enough
accounted for After all, if a name
really expresses the very nature of a
thing, one must acquire some knowl-
edge of the thing before he can appreci-
ate the meaning of the name. Now our
name expresses the very substance of
our work as perfectly as words can ex-
press anything, so we shall begin at once
with things and come to names later.

First of all we are called a pious asso-
ciation or society. What does it matter ?
We used to be called a pious work, and
what difference did that make ? Many
Associates never stop to think that in
giving in their names they are becoming
members of a pious organization; or, if
they do realize in some vague way that
they are joining a society approved by
the Church, they do not study what
manner of a society it is, or how it
differs from a dozen or more other pious
associations to which they may at one
time or other have given in their names.

The force of this word association or
society applied to us is: i. To denote
that we have a distinct existence as our
own, and that we are in no way depend-
ent on other pious societies, such as the
Archconfraternity of the Sacred Heart,
or Living Rosary.

2. That we acquire all our many priv-
ileges and spiritual advantages without
having to comply with the numerous
formalities required of sodalities and
other confraternities strictly speaking.

3. And chiefly, that we take up our
various pious practices not as individ-
uals apart, but as members united to-
gether, acting in one spirit, impelled by
the same motives, seeking the same
interests, each one of us acting with and
in behalf of all the other members, and
all the others acting for and with us.

This is a meaning which makes it
desirable to have ' ' all the world " or as
much of it as possible take part in our
work.

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

TOTAL NUMBER OF THANKSGIVINGS FOR LAST MONTH, 225,347.
' ' In all th ings give thanks. " (I . Thes . , v, 1 8) .

I Thanksgiving: — "I desire to
thanks for a great favor gained
from a non-Catholic President of a large
college. As musical director and pro-
fessor of music in the college I was
obliged to play in the college chapel.
My Bishop forbade me the Holy Com-
munion until I should find some other
place. At last on the First Friday of
November I was relieved by the Presi-
dent and that day at noon received again
the Holy Communion, having a place
of business assured me, where I had no
need to compromise my religious prin-
ciples.

Special Favors: — A lady returns thanks
for a miraculous escape from death or
mutilation in a collision of street cars.
She attributes her escape to the Sacred
Heart, whose Badge she had on at the
time.

A Promoter records the recovery of
an Associate whom physicians failed to
relieve. He had been confined to bed
six weeks, when a novena was begun to
the Sacred Heart with promise of publi-
cation and a Mass for the souls in purga-
tory. On the third day he was able to
sit up and on the fifth day to attend to
business, and has been in perfect health
since.

Sincere thanks are returned for the
conversion of a very dear uncle, who
had neglected his duty for a great many
years. He was determined not to amend
and I did not urge him very much ; but
we all prayed fervently to the Sacred
Heart, St. Joseph, St. Anthony and the
Holy Souls; and on the First Friday of
last month he received Holy Com-
munion, for the first time in years. He
intends to go to his religious duties
every month hereafter.

There was a bill pending in the Legis-
lature, where it remained until it seemed
sentenced to be forgotten. A friend of
the bill determined to say the Rosary for
the Holy Souls in Purgatory for sixty
nights, the time during which the Legis-
lature was in session ; but a number of
Protestant friends having interested
themselves in it, our prayers for its sue-

(153)

cess were redoubled. The Holy Sacrifice
of the Mass was offered, and the prayers
of the orphans obtained, and on the third
last day of the session news was tele-
graphed us that the bill had passed and
been signed by the Governor.

Spiritual Favors: — Conversion and re-
turn to religious fervor of a brother who
had been intemperate for ten years, had
given up his religious duties altogether
and had refused to work; happy death
of a woman who had not received the
Sacraments for ten years; the return to
his religious duties of a man who had
neglected them for twenty years; many
conversions from intemperance; conver-
sion of a brother who had not been to
the Sacraments for fifteen years; conver-
sion of a husband after eighteen years'
lapse from the Church; conversion to the
Faith of a sister-in-law and Catholic in-
struction for her children; conversion of
a father; for the conversion of a young
man leading a very dissipated life — a
grace obtained by the Nine First Friday
Communions. He received on the last
First Friday.

Temporal Favors: — Many promotions
in studies; the passing of a difficult ex-
amination; relief of pecuniary distress;
the unexpected sale of property; recov-
ery from influenza; a recovery of a child
from dangerous illness; employment for
the head of a family; abatement of con-
tagious disease; permanent employment
after a successful probation; cure of a
very severe cough and catarrh, after a
novena to Blessed Margaret Mary in
honor of the Sacred Heart, and promise
of two Masses for the suffering souls ; a
brother's safe return from Europe ; cure
without threatened operation after a
novena ; the unprecedented success of
schools after they had been placed under
the protection of the Sacred Heart;
relief from severe cough and soreness
in chest and side ; a good position ob-
tained through a triduum before the
First Friday ; immunity from floods ;
recovery of a nephew seriously ill with
pneumonia ; employment obtained the
week following a novena to the Sacred

473

474

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

(154)

Heart and the promise of a Mass ; pres-
ervation of children from, sickness during
an epidemic ; cure of sore eyes ; employ-
ment obtained for two brothers; two
successful examinations ; protection of
an absent member of a family ; recovery
from a severe operation ; restoration to
health of a mother and employment for
a brother ; relief from financial troubles ;
the successful issue of a lawsuit ; re-
covery of a woman who had lost her
mind, and of a man afflicted with blood
poisoning ; a husband's recovery from
deafness ; restoration to health of a
Protestant minister's wife; preserva-
tion of a situation when others were dis-
charged ; cure of hemorrhage ; cure of
grippe and bronchitis immediately after
two Masses ; instantaneous relief from
rheumatism after prayers to the Sacred
Heart; financial assistance in a very
special manner ; success of a charitable
benefit ; improvement of one who had
an operation performed ; miraculous re-
covery, through the Infant Jesus of
Prague, from a nervous disease of a girl
whom three doctors had pronounced in-
curable.

Spiritual and temporal favors obtained
through the intercession of St. Joseph,
St. Anthony, St. John Berchmans, the
Holy Face, the Holy Man of Tours, St.
Francis Xavier, Ven. de la Colombiere,
B. Gerard Majella, St. Anne, St. Expedi-
tus, St. Jude, St. Blaise, Holy Angels,
Blessed Margaret Mary.

Favors through the Badge and Pro-
moter's Cross: — Relief from cold and sore
throat after applying the Badge and
Promoter's Cross ; recovery of a child
who had been given up by the doctors
after application of the Promoter's Cross
and the promise of a thousand Hail
Marys; employment of a young man
who promised to wear a Badge and
attend Benediction on Friday evenings ;
speedy recovery from erysipelas after
applying the Badge ; recovery of a little
' Protestant girl from hip disease. After
the Badge had been applied she im-
mediately walked across the room ; cure
of palpitation of the heart after applica-
tion of the Badge ; happy death of a
man and painless death of a child with
spasms after applying the Promoter's
Cross ; temporary recovery of a person
whose mind was deranged after applica-
tion of the Badge ; two recoveries from
operations for appendicitis. One of the
patients wore her Badge and Promoter's
Cross during the operation.

Instantaneous relief from quinsy after
thrice applying the Promoter's cross; a
Promoter placed the Badge on a person who
was threatened with a serious sickness,
from which he was suffering great pain,
promised a Mass of thanksgiving and
publication if the attending physician
could give relief and the patient be cured.
Thanks to the Sacred Heart the request
was granted ; disease of the face cured
by applying the Badge; "a child was
dying; I placed my Promoter's cross on
her, the child improved from that min-
ute and is now a lovely baby, thanks to
the Sacred Heart; ' ' speedy recovery from
sprain of foot, the Badge being applied;
relief from pain in neck and shoulders.

The conversion of a brother, who had
neglected his duties for twenty years.
His wife has also returned to the practice
of her faith. They expressed their de-
sire to live like Catholics almost im-
mediately after a promise of publication
in the MESSENGER had been made.

Last Spring a person was afflicted with
nervous prostration and her mind was
affected. Promises of prayers and of
publication were made in her behalf.
She is now entirely well and has better
health than she had in eight years.

A young man returns thanks for his
cure. He had been given up by the
doctors and had received the last Sacra-
ments. Masses, prayers, and publica-
tion were promised. He had made the
nine First Fridays.

The cure of a most dangerous form of
sore eyes, which in twenty-four hours
would have proved fatal to the sight,
according to the doctor.

Some months ago we recommended to
the League the cure of a physician who
was very ill mentally and physically,
and we promised publication. Thank
God he has been miraculously restored
to health of mind and body.

Last Fall I made four novenas for a
temporal favor, to the Holy Face, to the
Sacred Heart, to our Lady, and to the
Holy Souls. At the time that Bishop
Neumann's beatification was introduced
I thought of his intercession and made a
novena to him, visiting his tomb twice.
One week after the novena ended I re-
ceived the favor. I shortly made another
novena, and received a most striking
answer. But most remarkable, perhaps,
is the granting of a favor through the
holy Bishop's intercession, which our
entire family had prayed for earnestly
for a year.

THE following lines, written to M. lye-
maitre by the distinguished littera-
teur, M. Fran9ois Coppee, will touch
a responsive chord in all Catholic hearts:
"Is it because I am growing old and
have acquired some experience of the
expression of faces, that I see now at
every step, and recognize in them un-
bearable pride. It is the vice of the
century ; and in those infected with it, it
is easy to discover all the evils it begets,
namely, indifference, contempt of others,
dryness of heart, in a word egotism.
Well, Christianity — the religion of our
father and mother, in which we shall die,
my dear Lemaitre, and whose morality
we shall force ourselves to practise as
well as we can — has made no mistake
about it. When it drew up the list of
deadly poisons to the soul, it put pride
in the first place, as that from which all
others can be extracted. "

All observers of expression must have
been similarly impressed. Nor is it to
be wondered at, since self-assertion, self-
interest, self-advancement, self-satisfac-
tion, self-concentration, self-reliance, are
inculcatt-d in the school of the world,
and these lessons are very congenial to
human nature, which finds the self-
contempt and self-sacrifice of the school
of Christ most uncongenial and un-
relishable.

Among the many able works recently
published on Anglican Orders and their
final rejection by the Holy See are
the articles by the Rev. Salvator M.
Brandi, S.J., in the Civilta Cattolica,
which have been published also in sepa-
rate form. The Pope was exceedingly
pleased with Father Brandi 's articles
and sent him a very gracious letter of
acknowledgment, commending also his
various other works in defence of the
action of the Holy See, which have not
only had wide circulation in the original,
but have been translated into other lan-
guages. Chief among those writings of
Father Brandi were his articles on the

(155)

Policy of Leo XIII., in answer to a writer
in the Contemporary Review ; his answer
to the Greek Patriarch of Constantinople
on the Reunion of the Churches ; his work
on the French Question, a commentary on
the Pope's Encyclical to the French ; the
Biblical Question, commenting on the
Encyclical Providentissimus Deus, on
the Scriptures. We are glad to learn
that the work on the condemnation of
Anglican Orders, which has been trans-
lated and published in the Ecclesiastical
Review, will soon be issued in book form
for the benefit of English readers.

* * *

We have at various times drawn atten-
tion to books circulated for educational
purposes, containing the vilest calum-
nies and most glaring representations of
the Catholic Church, her history, her
teachings, and her practices. It is grati-
fying to see that Catholics are being
gradually aroused to the perils arising
from, the circulation of such works, and
that they obtain a respectful hearing
from fair-minded Protestants. This we
have seen recently instanced very strik-
ingly in the case of the ' ' Story of Lib-
erty, " which, at the instance of Hon.
Peter Wallrath, was ruled out of the
public schools of Indiana by act of the
State Legislature. The publishers, Har-
per Brothers, New York, very courte-
ously offered to have it corrected and to
have every objectionable passage elimi-
nated ; and having found that this was
impossible without destroying the book,
they withdrew it from publication. It
is to be hoped that the Harper publish-
ing house will in future submit such
works to the revision of some intelligent
Catholic, and that their action will be
an object lesson to other publishers.

# # #

A similar literary fraud is being per-
petrated, we suppose unwittingly, by
the firm Funk & Wagnalls, who send
out as a premium to the Literary Digest '
a volume with the high-sounding title
Historical Lights teeming not only

475

476

BOOK NOTICES.

(156)

with historical inaccuracies and mis-
statements generally, but with countless
calumnies and misrepresentations of the
most offensive character against the
Church, the popes, the Jesuits, etc.
Seldom has more falsehood been con-
densed in smaller space, than the com-
piler of this work has managed to weave
into his checkered narrative. We would
fain hope that the spirit of the Literary
Digest, which, at least, professes to be
fair, is not reflected in this vile append-
age, which business enterprise has
tagged on to it.

We are pleased to see that the Irish
Messenger has started the publication of
a Sacred Heart Library. The two little
penny volumes before us — the Life of B.
Bernardine Realino, S.J., and that of
St. Antony of Padua — are very attractive.
They are in the same shape, and nearly
the same size as the Messenger itself.

Such books are sure to do much good
among Catholic people, and respond to
the wish of the Holy Father as expressed
in the General Intention of last month.

We have before us the twenty-fourth
bound volume of the Irish Monthly. It
presents the usual variety of essay,
story and song in the best literary form.
Few publications of the kind appeal so
strongly to true Catholic sympathy. It
presents what is noblest and best in the
Irish character — religion, patriotism and
genius — in the simplest, most tasteful
and unaffected garb. It would seem as if
the genial editor had breathed his own
spirit into all his numerous contributors.
We wish the Irish Monthly renewed suc-
cess in this its Jubilee year. Nothing
would please us more than to see this ex-
cellent and cheap magazine having a
long subscription list on our side of the
Atlantic.

BOOK NOTICES.

Three Daughters of the United King-
dom. By Mrs. Innes Browne. London :
Burns & Gates. New York : Benziger
Brothers. 8vo. Pages 412.

Often have the hopes and fears and
high aspirations of the ' 'sweet girl gradu-
ate" been touchingly described ; but sel-
dom, if ever, has such a true, realistic,
and, at the same time, fascinating picture
of her been given to the public as that
presented in the volume before us. The
gifted author gives us a five years' ex-
perience of three young ladies of widely
differing fortune, circumstances and dis-
position, representing the three king-
doms of the British Kmpire, after finish-
ing their education in a Benedictine
convent in France.

There is no evidence that the ' ' Three
Daughters ' ' have drunk very deeply of
classic literature and science. They do
not talk Theosophy, or discuss Brown-
ing, or pronounce learned dissertations
on art ; but they have learned to live,
to love, and to suffer in true womanly
fashion. All three reap the reward of
loyalty to- God and to their friends, and of
faithful fulfilment of duty — but in a way
that illustrates, in the most striking
manner the truth : Man proposes ; God
disposes.

Mrs. Browne's beautiful sto^y will be
read with absorbing interest and much

profit by young ladies generally, and by
the graduates of our academies in par-
ticular.

Catechism of Liturgy. Translated from
the French of Abbe Dutilliet by Rev.
Aug. M. Cheneau. With illustrations.
Baltimore : John Murphy & Co. 1897.
32tno. Price 50 cents.

This is an excellent little book, con-
taining just what the faithful should
know about the Liturgy of the Church.
It treats (i) of the objects which serve
for divine worship, (2) of the principal
functions of the Liturgy, (3) of the feasts
of the Church, (4) of Pontifical cere-
monies. It will come very handy to
catechists and to all who wish to have
a correct notion of the divine worship of
the Church. The price is somewhat out
of due proportion to the first cost of the
book and will be a bar to its circulation.

The Failure of Protestantism as a Sys-
tem of Faith. A Lecture by Rt. Rev.
Mgr. Thomas Preston. Second Edition.
New York : Sisters of the Divine Com-
passion. Price 20 cents.

This interesting lecture, though de-
livered and published for the first time
twenty years ago, is still timely. Were
the distinguished author still among the
living, he would probably find other
evidences of the failuie of Protestantism,

BOOK NOTICES.

4-77

and of its utter inefficiency. However,
those which he presents in this lecture
are sufficiently telling and have only
become more patent in later years. The
booklet is, like all Mgr. Preston 's works,
very readable and instructive both to
Catholics and Protestants. It will be a
good book to put into the hands of in-
uiring Protestants.

An Anglican Examination of the Papal
Letter on Anglican Ordinations Ex-
amined. By Rev. H. J. Heuser. Re-
printed from the Ecclesiastical Review.
8vo. Pages 20.

In this pamphlet the learned editor of
the Ecclesiastical Review cleverly detects
and exposes the fallacies of an anony-
mous critic of the Pope's Bull on Angli-
can Orders. The timeliness of this
review may be judged from the fact that
it has been republished b}^ the League
Centre of St. Joseph's Church, Willing's
Alley, Philadelphia, for free distribu-
tion.

The Life and Death of James, Earl of
Derwentwater. Compiled by Charles
H. Bowden, of the Oratory. London:
Catholic Truth Society. 1897. Pages
85. Price sixpence. Paper.

An edifying sketch of one who lived
and died loyal to his principles to the
one whom he considered his earthly
king and to his faith. His attachment
to the last cause of the Stuarts and to
the religion of his forefathers was the
reason of his untimely death on the
scaffold at the age of twenty-seven
years. It cannot fail to interest and
edify.

Father Cuthbert's Curiosity Case. By

the Rev. Langton George Vere. First
series. London: Catholic Truth Society.
1897. Pages 163. Price one shilling.
Cloth.

A collection of souvenirs of a priest's
dealings with various classes of people,
told in a graphic and entertaining way.
The motive of the tales is in some relic
of the incidents described and kept in
his curiosity case.

The Value of Life. By C. E. Burke.
Preface by Aubrey De Vere. London:
Catholic Truth Society. 1897. Pages
243. Price one shilling. Paper.

A very takingly printed book, written,
as Mr. De Vere says, in a style that is
"perspicuous, concise, and free from
false ornament. Its substance is the
result of habitual observations taken
from actual life, and the quotations

which supplement those observations
are drawn impartially from writers
belonging to very different schools. " It
deals largely with woman's sphere in
life and her relations to home. The
author does not believe in the new
woman, and asks pertinently: "Should
it not be a woman's highest privilege
to feel she is the 'home-maker?"
Again , ' ' may we not ask why a manly
woman should inspire respect and
admiration any more than would a
womanly man? " We recommend this
little book to all who wish to know how
to heighten " the value of life. "

Love Stronger Than Death. By Jose-
phine Marie. New York: Catholic
Library Association. 1896. Pages 61.

This daintily gotten up book is a
devotional exposition of the article ol
the Creed: I believe in the Communion
of Saints. The intention of the au-
thoress is to bring home the consoling
teachings of the Church in regard to
the faithful departed and the relation of
the living to them. There seems to be
a growing tendency among those out-
side the true fold towards a belief in
purgatory and prayers for the dead.
But there is no authoritative teaching
in its favor in the sects. Miss Marie
aims at unfolding to them the beauty
and consolation of the right understand-
ing of the Communion of Saints, and in
such a way as to make it equally ac-
ceptable to those who understand and
believe it firmly.

Leprosy and the Charity of the Church.
By Rev. L. W. Mulhane. Chicago and
New York: D. H. McBride & Co. 1896.
Pages 155. Price 75 cents. Cloth.

The author has treated his subject as
the title indicates in two parts: One on
leprosy in itself in ancient and modern
times; the other on the charity of the
Church in her care of her leprous chil-
dren all over the world. This latter part
wall interest those who might not care
to investigate the question of leprosy
scientifically. There are twenty-five
illustrations.

How to Make the Mission. By a Do-
minican Father. New revised edition.
New York: Benziger Bros. 1897. Pages
153. Price 10 cents. Paper.

A great deal of useful instruction is
conveyed in this little book The title;
however, is rather misleading, as the
object is rather to train persons in the
right use of the Sacraments, and only a
few pages are devoted to the Mission.

4-78

RECENT AGGREGATIONS,

It is in the dress of a dialogue between
a priest and an inquiring, if not doubt-
ing, Thomas, some anecdotes and stories
help to his enlightenment. There are
eleven pages of tabulated examen of
conscience, with the direction to note on
paper or in the memory the sins com-
mitted and the number of times. We
doubt the advisability of these cata-
logues, and especially the noting of sins
in writing.

Foundations of Faith. From the Ger-
man of Father L. von Hammerstein, S.J.
London: Burns & Gates. New York:
Benziger Brothers. 1897. Pages 304.
Price

This volume is Part I of a series of
three on the above subject, and demon-
strates the existence of God. The trans-
lator's name is modestly withheld, but
great credit is due for the excellent Eng-
lish dress. Father von Hammerstein
is a recognized leader in Germany in
philosophical matters, and this present
work has run through four German edi-
tions. The manner of imparting his
doctrine is that of a series of familiar

letters, which are answers to difficulties
proposed and printed before the replies.
It is a popular and readable way of cloth-
ing matter, in itself somewhat abstract
and dry, and it is done with great clear-
ness. It will prove, we can safely pre-
dict, a valuable manual for all, Catholics
and Protestants alike, who feel it their
duty to be able to explain and defend
this prime dogma of religion. We shall
look forward to the translation of the
other two parts, which are entitled
' ' Christianity ' ' and ' ' Catholicism and
Protestantism."

Our Favorite Devotions. By V. R.

Dean A. A. L/ings. New York: Ben-
ziger Bros. 1897. Pages 637. Oblong.
32tno. Cloth. Price 60 cents.

Dean Lings of Yonkers has given us
a finely printed, handy manual, replete
with what he considers ' ' our favorite
devotions. " The " our " is comprehen-
sive enough to enable any reason-
able person to find abundant material
whereon to feed his or her piety. The
various devotions are usually tersely
and clearly explained.

RECENT AGGREGATIONS.

The following Local Centres have received Diplomas of Aggregation, March i to 31, 1897.

Local Centre.

Albany N Y s* TnVm'c . .

School

Mar. 27
Mar. 6
Mar. 26
Mar. 10
Mar. 4
Mar. 5
Mar. 2
Mar. 30
Mar. 10
Mar. 27
Mar. 29
Mar. 27
Mar. 10
Mar. 27
Mar. 6
Mar. 27
Mar. 10
Mar. 16
Mar. 29
Mar. 4
Mar. 30
Mar. 27
Mar. 6
Mar. 4
Mar. 16
Mar. 16
Mar. 27
Mar. 27
Mar. 2
Mar. 16
Mar. 4
Mar. 4
Mar. 4
Mar. 4

Alton

Arizona (V.A.)
Boston

Jerseyville 111
Raymond, 111

Holy Ghost
St. Raymond's

St Mary's

. . Church

Brockton, Mass
Rockaway Beach, N. Y. . .
Napoleon, O.

Sacred Heart
St. Rose of Lima
St. Augustine's . ...

Convent
. . Church

Galloway, O

St. Cecilia's

Georgetown, Ky

r>° J

St. Paul's
St. Elizabeth's
St. Bridget's
Assumption ....

Detroit Mich

Grand Junction, la
Silva, la. . ...

Erie . ...

Lucinda, Pa
De Pere, Wis

St. Joseph's
St. Boniface's

; ; "

Green Bay
Hartford

South Manchester, Conn. .
Coal Gate, Indian Ter. . . .
Strong City, Kan
Hancock, Mich
San Luis Obispo, Cal. . . .
Jackson, Miss
Vicksburg, Miss
Monroe La

Indian Ter. (V.A.) . . .
Kansas City, Kans
Marquette
Monterey and Los Angeles
Natchez

Blessed Sacrament . . .
St Anthony's

• • l(

St. Joseph's

. . Mission
. . Church

St. Peter's

St. Francis Xavier's . . .
St Matthew's

. Academy
Church

La Conner, Wash
Olympia, Wash

Sacred Heart
St. Michael's
All Saints'
St. Virgilius' .....'..
St. Alphonsus Turibius'
Purification B. V. M. . .
St Mary's

Puyallup, Wash
Morris Plains, N. J
Suisun City, Cal
Salem, S. Date. ....
Baldwinsville, N. Y. . . . .
Meadow Bluff, W.Va
Sweet Springs, W. Va. . . .
White Sulphur Sp'gs W.Va.
Williamsburgh W. Va. . . .

Newark
San Francisco
Sioux Falls
Syracuse

St. John of God
St. John Evangelist . . .
St. John Baptist ....
Immaculate Conception.

; ;

Aggregations, 34 ; churches, 30 ; convents, 2; mission, i ; school, i.

PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

Promoters' Diplomas and Crosses have been sent to the following Local Centres, March i to 31, 1897.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Number

Albany
Alton

Troy, N. Y
Ashland, 111

St. Joseph's
St. Augustine's

. Church 5

Quincy, 111
Wallace, Idaho
Brooklyn, N. Y. ...

Morris Park, I,. I., N. Y. .'
Corning, N. Y
Chicago 111

St. Francis :olanus
St. Alphousus'
St. Stanislaus'
Mercy
St. Benedict Joseph's
St. Mary's "

. College i
. Church 3

" 2

. Convent 3
Church i

" 2

" i

Buffalo
Chicago

Blessed Sacrament
Aged

Cincinnati
Cleveland

u ii

St. Monica's

ii 1 1

House of the Good Shepherd.
Sacred Heart " Fr

ee School " i
. Church 3
" 45
Study 2

Cincinnati, O
Cleveland, "

St. Bridget's

Toledo, O

Holy Name
La Salle

„

Concordia

Covington
Davenport
Detroit

Dubuque

Ellsworth, Kan

St Bernard's

. Church i

. Academy 2
. Church ii
. School i

Plaiiiville, "

Sacred Heart

Georgetown, Ky
Iowa City, la
Detroit Mich

Visitation ...
St. Mary's of the Visitation. .
St. Joseph's
SS Peter and Paul's

Mt. Clemens, Mich.

St. Peter's

Dubuque, la

Visitation

. Academy 7
Church 4

Lycurgus, "

St. Mary's

Erie . ... . . . . . . .

Monona, "

St Patrick's

' • 6

Lucinda, Pa

Ridgway, " . .

St. Joseph's

1 i

Green Bay
Harrisburg
Milwaukee

St. Leo's

Jacksonport, Wis
Bellefoiite, Pa

St. Michael's

' 6

St. John's . .

' i
' 10

Columbus, Wis
Watertown, " • .

St. Jerome's . . .

Mobile .........

St. Bernard's .
St. Joseph's
Our Lady of Lourdes
Holy Cross

4
i
9

Mobile, Ala. .

Nesqually

Spokane, Wash. ....
Harrison, N. J. . . ^. . . .
New York City

Newark
New York

North Carolina, Vi-\
car- Apostolic of j
Omaha
Philadelphia

St. Anthony's
St. Boniface
St. Francis Xavier's
St. Ignatius Loyola

St. Mary's
Creighton

' i

7
6

4 10

. College 4

University 8
. Church i
" i

Belmont, Gaston Co., N. C. .

Omaha, Neb
Ballv Pa

Most Blessed Sacrament . . .
St. Vincent de Paul's

Germantown, Phila., Pa. . .
So. Easton, Pa.

St. Joseph's ....-•
St. Benedict's
St. Michael's
Mercy
Sacred Heart
Holy Cross

. School i
. Church 8

. Convent 2

" 2

Church 1 1

Pittsburg . .

Carrolltown.Pa. . .
Pittsburg, S.S., Pa. ... .
Bangor, Me
Elmhurst, Providence, R I.
Lyncbburg, Va
Roanoke, Va.
Mayport, Fla
Tampa Fla

Portland
Providence
Richmond

St. Augustine
St. Louis

St. Andrew's ....

" 14

St. John's

3
13

St Louis'

Millwood, Mo
St. Louis, "

St Alphonsus'

St. Leo's
Sacred Heart

" 10
Convent 5
. Church 9

St. Paul

Kilkenny, Minn

St. Canice's

San Francisco . . .

Santa F£ . . . '.'/!!
Savannah

Scran ton . . . . . .

Sioux Falls . .'.!'.
Springfield '. ','.'.'.

San Francisco, Cal

Las Vegas, N. Mex
Macon, Ga

Sacred Heart
St. Ignatius' . . ...

. Academy 3
. Church 3
'3
5

Nuestra Senora de los Dolores
St Joseph's

St. Stanislaus'

Novitiate 2

Great Bend, Pa
Hazleton, Pa. '.
Little Meadows, Pa
Scran ton. Pa
Sturgis, S. Dak
Yankton, "
Lee, Mass

St. Lawrence's
St Gabriel's

. Church 7

St. Thomas Aquinas' . . . .
Holy Rosary . . ....

" 10

. Convent i
. Church i
Convent 4

St. Martin's
Sacred Heart
St Joseph's

St. Ann's

. Church 4
. College ii

Syracuse . . ,'.'.'.

Worcester, Mass
Clinton, N. Y

Holy Cross

St. Mary's

St Paul's . . .

. Church 2
" 92

Trenton
Vincennes . .
Wheeling ...',!.'.'

East Camden, N. J. . . .
Indianapolis, Ind
Huntington, W. Va

St. Joseph's. . •
St. Joseph's
St Joseph's

" i
18
" I

Total number of Receptions, 76.
(159)

Number of Diplomas, 494.

479

CALENDAR OF INTENTIONS, MAY, 1897.

THE MORNING OFFERING.

O Jesus, thro igh the immaculate heart of Mary, I offer Thee the prayers, works, aiid sufferings of this
day fo'r all the intentions of Thy divine Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and in par-
ticular that the i3th Centenary Celebrations in honor of St. Augustine may hasten England's
Conversion, for the intentions of the Apostleship throughout the world, and for these particular inten-
tions recommended by the American Associates.

SS. Philip and James, Apostles.— A.I., B.M.

Honor Mary.

225,347 thanksgivings.

2d after Easter. _ Good shepherd. — st-

Athanasius, Bp. D. (373).

All for Jesus

91,101 in affliction.

J/.

W.
Th.
F.
S.

Finding of the Holy Cross. — (376).
St. Monica, W. (387).— B. de la Salle, F.
(Christian Brothers, 1719).— Pr.
St. Pius V., P. (0. P., 1572).— A.C.
St. John before the Latin Gate (95).— H.H.
First Friday.— St. Stanislas, Bp. M. (10791.—
ist D., A.C.
Apparition of St. Michael, Archangel.

Patience.
Pray for wayward sons

Daily rosary.
Suffer for God.

Zeal for the Eucharist.
Trust in angels.

93>350 sick, infirm.
101,785 dead Associates.

61,427 Local Centres.
25,325 Directors.

36,589 Promoters.
300,996 departed.

3d after Easter.-patronage of St. Joseph.
2d D., B. M.

Honor St. Joseph

274,039 perseverance.

4
15

M.
T.

W.
Th.
F.
S.

St. Antoninus, Bp. (1459)-
St. Mark. Evang. (68)— (Apl. 25)— St. Francis
di Geronimo, S.J (1716).
SS. Nereus and Achilleus, MM. (98*.
St. Leo I.,P.D. (461).— (Apl. u).— A.S..H.H.
St. Anselm, Bp.D. (O.S.B., 1109).— (Apl. 21.)
St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bp.D. (389).

Love for the poor.
Pray for Missions.

Constancy in trials.
Spirit of silence.
Live for heaven.
Holy simplicity.

342, 157 young people.
82,245 First Communions.

180,589 parents.
116,967 families.
53,799 reconciliations.
174,590 work, means.

16 S. 4th Easter._st. Ubaldus, Bp. (1160).— C.R. Devotion to scapular. 151,510 clergy.

St. Paschal Baylon (Minorite, 1592).

Honor the Eucharist.

229,532 religious.

St. Winand, M. (Boy, 252).

Pray for boys.

87,918 seminarists, novices.

St. Peter Celestine, P. (1296).

Spirit of generosity.

85,929 vocations.

Th.

St.Bernardineof SiennaO.S.F. (1444).— H.H.

Devotion to Holy Name

87,335 parishes.

St. Felix (Capuchin, 1587).

Help one another.

98,455 schools.

St. John Nepomucen, M. (1383). — St. Julia.

Pray for confessors.

70,686 superiors.

Stb after Easter._B. Boboia, s. j., M. (1657).

Steadfastness.

68,941 missions, retreats.

Rogation— B.V.M., Help of Christians.- A.S.

Ask Mary's help.

51,562 societies, works.

Rogation — St. Gregory VII., P. (O.S.B.,
1085).— Pr.

Zeal for the Church.

165,338 conversions.

Rogation— St. Philip Neri, F. (1595).

Cheerfulness.

740,111 sinners.

Th.

Ascension of our Lord. — (of precept.) —

H.H , A.I., A.C.,S.>B.M.

Spiritual conversation.

189,098 intemperate.

St. Augustine, Bp. (Ap. of England, 605).

Pray for heretics.

236,463 spiritual favors.

St. Maximus, Bp. (349*.— St. Theodosia, M.

Pray for infidels.

JSS.Sis temporal favors.

Within Oct. of Ascension. _ st. Felix i.

Pray for pagans.

352,734 special, various.

M. St. Angela de Merici, V.F. (Ursulines, 1540).

Pray for nuns.

MESSENGER readers.

tion

Indulg*

Indulgence.

'olic
etttne

y Society

TREASURY OF GOOD WORKS.
Offerings for the Intentions recommended to the league of the Sacred Heart.

loo days' Indulgence for every action offered for the Intentions of the League.

NO. TIMES.

11. Masses heard 248,086

12. Mortifications 268,219

13. Works of Mercy 269, 807

NO. TIMES.

326,533

545,257

• 86,741

109,830

Spiritual Communions 334,596

6. Examens of Conscience 296,616

7. Hours of Labor QdS.sS1;

Hours of Silence

1. Acts of Charity . .

2. Beads

3. Way of the Cross

4. Holy Communions

14. Works of Zeal

9. Pious Reading
10. Masses read .

299,61?

Prayers 6,959,751

Kindly Conversation 75,218

Sufferings, Afflictions 76,798

17.

18. Self-conquest

1 85, 323 19- Visits to B. Sacrament 344,

147,597

19,380 20. Various Good Works. .

522,524

Special Thanksgivings, 1,271 ; Total, 12,150,782.
Intentions or Good Works put in the box, or given on lists to Promoters before their meeting, on or
before the last Sunday, are sent by Directors to be recommended in our Calendar MESSENGER, in our
Masses here, at the General Direction in Toulouse, and Lourdes

480

(1 60)

OLD AND YET NEW.

" In its essence and root, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is as old as
Christianity itself, as the doctrine of the union of two natures in the one Person of
our divine Lord. It is a logical sequence of the doctrine of the unity of Christ's
Person, proceeding naturally from this as from a first corollary; and it was
implicitly affirmed in the Council of Ephesus, by the condemnation of the heresiarch
Nestorius. If, in that venerable assemblage, any one had risen to ask those great
and learned defenders of true doctrine what was to be thought of devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, such as it is now taught to ths faithful, not one would have
hesitated ; at once all would have hastened to answer through their spokesmen
Proclus, Theodotus, Cyril: 'We accept it gladly, we recognize in it a rational
development of the doctrine handed down by our fathers, which we are now
affirming more precisely in our definition. Anathema to him who rejects it.'

" Devotion to the Sacred Heart did not, however, take its present form until the
seventeenth century; not until then was it taught by our Saviour to B. Margaret
Mary, with the mission to make it known to all." — (FRANCIOSI.)

THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS PLEADING.

After the Statue in the Shrine at Toulouse, France.

THE AESSENGEJ^

OF THE

ACRED HEART OF JESUS

VOL. xxxii.

JUNE, 1897.

No. 6.

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

By P. I. Chandlery, SJ.

IESOLE, a vener-
able city, once
capital of Etruria,

f m but long since

fallen from its
high estate, is
picturesquely sit-
uated on the crest of a hill some three
miles northeast of Florence. Its popu-
lation, five or six thousand in number,
are of the sturdy Tuscan type and speak
Italian so beautifully and correctly,
(though with a curious guttural sound
of the letter c) that the language of
Tuscany is admitted to be grammatically
the most perfect in Italy. La lingua
Toscana in bocca Romana.

The little town is poor and has no
trade or industry except straw plaiting
for the women, the men finding employ-
ment in the neighboring farms, vine-
yards and stone-quarries; but it is sur-
rounded by villas and palatial residences
belonging to wealthy foreigners and
some of the leading merchants of Flor-
ence.

It would be hard to find throughout
Tuscany a city with so many and such
varied attractions, artistic, historical,
archaeological and religious. Its scenery

is unrivalled, its air is the purest, its
situation romantic, its history stretches
back a thousand years before Christ.
More than all this, Fiesole has been the
home of many illustrious saints.

It was already an old and powerful
city, when Rome was still in its infancy,
and its stupendous walls, that seem to
have been the work of giants, bear wit-
ness to its former prowess and import-
ance.

The city is said to be mentioned by
Caesar in his commentaries on the Gallic
wars, and by Livy, who speaks of Han-
nibal pitching his tents beyond its walls
on the eve of a military stratagem, by
which he ensnared the legions of Rome
and defeated the consul Flaminius in the
last days of the Roman republic.

Catiline made it his stronghold in
Etruria and fled to it from Rome when
his conspiracy was revealed and de-
nounced by Cicero. Pliny mentioned it
as a thriving city in his day.

It was near Fiesole that Stilicho saved
Rome in A. D. 406, by defeating an
immense army of Goths led by Rhada-
gais, forcing the invaders into the passes
of the Apenines, where most of them
perished by famine and the sword.

483

484

F1ESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

Fiesole is referred to by Dante as the
cradle of Florence, and many of the
noblest Florentine families proudly trace
their descent from the old Etruscan city.

In the artistic world Fiesole occupies
a unique position, and can boast of such
names as Fra Angelica di Fiesole, Meno
di Fiesole, Benedetto di Maiano, Ferrucci
di Fiesole, etc. Nearly all its artistic
treasures, however, have been swept
away by invading armies, or seized by
the rapacity of unscrupulous govern-

i. — FLORENCE TO SAN DOMENICO DI

FIESOLE.

Till within recent years the journey
from Florence to Fiesole was made
partly in a light carriage as far as San
Domenico or Maiano, and partly in a
traineau, or sled, drawn by bullocks up
the steep and rocky slope. At present
the electric cars convey visitors up the
hill in one-fourth of the time formerly
required, and at one-sixth of the cost.
These cars are usually crowded, for the

ments, and but few real works of art
remain. It is chiefly for its scenery, its
historical associations, and its archae-
ological remains that Fiesole is now
resorted to by visitors.

Our present purpose is to give a brief
sketch of the religious attractions ol
Fiesole, which have a special interest
for Catholic readers and visitors, though
they are left unnoticed in the ordinary
guide books.

journey is a pleasant one, the air brac-
ing, and the scenery glorious. The rails
are laid along the high road in a zigzag
course, and the cars glide rapidly up
hill beneath the walls of villas half
hidden from view in a perfect luxury of
embowering trees, and at each turn of
the ascent beautiful and ever widening
views of Florence and the rich plain ol
the Arno open out by a sort of enchant-
ment. Everywhere the landscape is

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

485

thickly dotted with villas, nestling amid
clusters of trees, the intervening spaces
being occupied by trim gardens, rich
vineyards and olive plantations.

Pilgrimwise we prefer to make the
journey on foot, leaving Florence by the
ancient Porta di San Gallo, which now
stands a melancholy ruin since Florence
was dismantled of its walls by the Pied-
montese, thirty years ago. Through
this gate St. Francis of Assisi is said to
have entered the city, through it St.

Not far from the Jesuit villa (now a
private residence) is the villa where
Dante is said to have lived, an inscrip-
tion over the entrance recording the
fact. A pleasant walk of some two
miles from Porta di San Gallo brings us
to the little village of San Domenico.
Right in front is the hill of Fiesole, its
sides covered with villas, gardens and
religious houses, its summit crowned by
monastic buildings. Every feature,
every detail in the view is wonderfully

VIEW OF FIESOLE FROM SAN DOMENICO.

Aloysius frequently passed on his way
to and from his tutor's house at Fiesole.
Our road lies along the valley of the
Mugnone, past the Villa Palmieri, where
Boccaccio lived, up the slope to wards the
high ground on which stood the old
Jesuit villa belonging to the college of
the Society in Florence. It is interest-
ing to notice that Venerable Cardinal
Bellarmine taught in this college when
a scholastic, and that B. Anthony Baldi-
nucci there received his early education.

distinct, owing to the remarkable purity
of the atmosphere. An old writer speak-
ing of this view from San Domenico,
tells us that the very stones projecting
from the hillside have their story to tell
of saints and martyrs, and that on
every side are monuments calculated to
impress the visitor with a feeling of
religious awe.

On approaching San Domenico we
notice in the valley by the stream
Mugnone a poor convent where the

486

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

fONTANE; _ ;_E

'H« DOCCIA

nuns, robbed ot everything by the
Italian government, are literally starv-
ing. They are allowed to occupy the
conventual buildings, as they are con-
sidered too old and rickety even to serve
for a stable, the purpose to which so
many religious homes in Italy have
been sacrilegiously perverted. Starving
communities in Italy abound, and many
a religious home that has outlasted the
storms of centuries seems now doomed
to extinction.

II. — SAN DOMENICO DI FIESOLE. ST. AN-
TONINUS. FRA ANGEUCO.

The village of San Domenico derives
its name from a famous Dominican con-
vent founded here in A.D 1404. Things
go slowly in Italy, and the building then
begun is not yet completed.

The first Dominican community came
from Cortona, having for their Superior
Blessed Giovanni (John) di Domenico, a
man distinguished for his learning and
sanctity, and for his services to the

Church, at a later
period, as Cardinal
Archb ishop of
Ragusa.

During the evil
days of the great
Western Schism
the religious of
San Domenico had
much to suffer
from the Floren-
tines for refusing
to acknowledge
the Antipope, Alex-
ander V., elected
at Pisa. They
were cast out of
their convent,
chained in prison,
tortured with hun-
ger, yet they never
swerved from their
allegiance to the
lawful Pontiff,
Gregory XII. The

storm passed, and they were allowed to
return to their religious home.

About the year 1418, when Blessed
Giovanni was still Prior, a young boy
of thirteen, with pale, but handsome
features, knocked at the convent door
and begged to be admitted as a novice.
The Prior decided at a glance that he
had not the health for so rude a life, yet
commended his holy dispositions, and
inquired how much Latin he knew. The
boy replied that he had read something
of the Decrees of Gratian. "Well,"
said the Prior, ' ' when you know the
whole of Gratian by heart you can come
and apply again:" a task about as diffi-
cult as would be the committing to mem-
ory the whole of the Breviary. The con-
dition seemed an impossible one, and the
Prior certainly never expected to see the
boy again. Yet in a twelvemonth's time
he again presented himself at the con-
vent gate, having learned every word of
Gratian by heart. The Prior, astounded
at such a feat of memory, charmed at the
same time by the boy's modesty and

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

487

simplicity, admitted him as a novice,
and was not long in discovering that
God had sent a Saint to join his young
community. That boy was St. Antoni-
nus, one of the greatest glories of the
Dominican order, whose body, still in-
corrupt, is venerated in the Church of
San Marco, Florence, and whose mem-
ory is still cherished by the Florentines,
as of their great and good Archbishop.
The people of Fiesole tell beautiful sto-
ries of St. Antoni-
nus' novice days
and of his early
miracles.

San Dome n i c o
was the home for
many years of
another great light
of the Dominican
order, Beato An-
gelica di Fiesole, the
prince of religious
painters, whose
pictures seem like
glimpses of the
home of the bless-
ed.

He never took
Tiis brush in hand
"without first kneel-
ing to offer up his
work to God ; he
never painted a
crucifix without
"bathing his cheeks
with tears, and,
from his constant
union with God
and the purity of
his soul, he paint-
ed like one inspired, his figures of saints
and angels having an ecstatic look that
no other painter has ever succeeded in
imitating. He died in Rome in A.D. 1455,
and. lies buried in the Church of Santa
Maria-sopra-Minerva. The Dominican
-convent of San Marco in Florence was
transformed by him into a veritable par-
adise, his genius and piety making the
"walls of every cell glow with beautiful

visions of saints and angels. A recent
writer says of him : "He was the ideal
painter of the celestial choirs, infusing
into his work the enthusiasm of a holy
joy and heavenly beauty. The picture
by him at the National Gallery (Lon-
don), ' Christ with the Banner of Re-
demption,' contains over two hundred
figures, and among them groups of
angels, the beauty of whose forms and
countenances has never been equalled.,"

SAN QROLAMO

- FIESOLE

Mr. Ruskin grows enthusiastic when
speaking of Fra Angelico and his angels:
' ' With what comparison shall we com-
pare the angel choirs of Angelico, with
the flames on their white foreheads,
waving together as they move, and the
sparkles streaming from their purple
wings like the glitter of many suns upon
a sounding sea, listening in the pauses
of eternal song for the prolonging of the

488

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

trumpet-blast and the answering of psal-
tery and cymbal, throughout the endless
deep and from all the star shores of
heaven? "

Fra Angelico painted several frescoes
on the walls of the convent of San Domen-
ico, but, unfortunately, two of them were
removed after the convent had been seized
by the Piedmontese government in 1860 }
and had fallen into the secular hands.

Recently the religious have repur-

Fra Domenico da Peseta, one of Savon-
arola's ill-starred companions, who suf-
fered death with him at Florence in A.D.
1498, is said to have been Prior of San
Domenico. A little before his death he
wrote to the community, begging that his
body might be buried in a humble grave
in front of their church. This last wish
was frustrated by the order of the gov-
ernment at Florence, that his body, with
those of Savonarola and Fra Silvestro,

FA£ADE OF

chased their old home, and it is still a
Dominican Noviceship, but the large
frescoes of Angelico that inflamed the
devotion of the novices for four centuries
and more are no longer there.

Blessed Anthony Baldinucci of the So-
ciety of Jesus had a brother Philip, who
was a religious at San Domenico, and it
was revealed to a great servant of God
that the Dominican novices were mak-
ing novenas, that Anthony, too, might
get a vocation; but God had other designs.

THE BADIA.

should be burned and their ashes cast
into the Arno.

The church belonging to the convent
— now served by a secular priest — was
once rich in works of art by Perugino,
Fra Angelico, Donatello and others, but
it has several times been rifled, though
one priceless treasure has been allowed
to remain, a painting of the coronation
of our Lady, by Fra Angelico, in which
the great painter seems to have sur-
passed himself.

F1ESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

4-89

III. — FONTANEIvLE. ST. ALOYSIUS.
THE DOCCIA.

At the entrance of the little village of
San Domenico, a country lane branches
to the right from the main road, and
skirts the southern wall of the convent.
Following it we presently find ourselves
in an enchanting spot, between gardens
of luxuriant trees and hedges of wild
myrtle and cyclamen, with glorious
views all round. Some ten minutes'
walk brings us to a wooded glen lying
at the foot of the Fiesole and Ceccoli
hills, where no sound is heard but
the plash of brooks and the music of
birds. Wild flowers abound, mantling
the ground with purple and gold, and
loading the air with fragrance. In
the centre of this delightful spot is
a country mansion belonging to the del
Turcho family, which on several occa-
sions was the home of St. Aloysius in
his boyhood. It derives its name Fonta-
nelle from several streams that have their
sources in the neighborhood, and com-
bine to form the Affrico, which Boccaccio 's
songs have made classical. In the hot
summer months, when Florence was con-
sidered to be unhealthy, the boy saint
came with his tutor, del Turcho, to live
at Fontanelle, his presence imparting to
this secluded spot a religious charm, as
though it were some consecrated cloister,
where saints only should enter. Every-
thing at Fontanelle reminds us of the
young saint : we see the little room he
occupied, now converted into a chapel ;
the lawn where he used to play at ball ;
the sheltered paths along which he used
to stray with his young heart fixed on
God. Of this we are reminded by a
painting of the saint in a niche by the
roadside, where he is represented in page
costume, walking with Rosary in hand
and eyes raised heavenward, on the path
that leads to Fontanelle. The place, sanc-
tified by his prayers and presence, seems-
like a little paradise, where all that is
inspiring in nature appears at its best,
filling the mind with thoughts of God.
Fontanelle remains much as it was in

St. Aloysius' days. The house is the
same, the surroundings are unchanged,
the seclusion is as great as ever. The
only other buildings within sight are a
modern villa, known as Lander's villa,
because once the residence of the poet,
Lander, and an old Franciscan monastery
called La Doccia, some way up the hill-
side. The Doccia looks very picturesque
with its noble loggia and cloister, said to
have been designed by Michael Angelo,
and its ivy clad walls against a dark
background of firs and cypresses. The
view from its terrace is magnificent. Its
church, being the nearest to Fontanelle,
may possibly have been the one fre-
quented by St. Aloysius, unless he pre-
ferred the more level road to San
Domenico.

Though Fontanelle remains much the
same, a great change has come over the
Doccia. For more than a century it has
lost its saintly inmates, turned adrift by
the revolution, — and, though occupied as
a villa residence, it has a melancholy
look, as though all happiness had left it
with the departure of its religious.
There is a tradition that St. Francis
of Assisi spent a night in the Doccia, and
that several Beati lived near it. In a
villa close by the body of a saint is
reverently preserved.

IV. — THE BADIA DI FIESOLE.
ST. ROMULUS. ST. DONATUS.

Returning to San Domenico, we notice,
almost opposite the church, a road to the
left leading to a severe looking building
crowned by an ancient campanile. This
is La Badia or Abbey of Fiesole, whese
church served for many centuries as the
Cathedral of the city. It was built on
the site of the martyrdom of St.
Romulus, disciple of St. Peter and first
Bishop of Fiesole.

About a mile from the Badia, on the
hillside, close to the gate of San Giro-
lamo, is a large stone on which St.
Romulus' companions are said to have
been beheaded, and which marks the
spot where his own terrible martyrdom
began. He was cruelly scourged, then

490

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

dragged down the steep hill to a spot
overhanging the stream Mugnone, and
there hacked to pieces with knives. His
holy remains and those of his com-
panions were cast into a well, but after-
wards received and reverently placed in
a chapel, which in the fifth or sixth
century grew to be the Cathedral of
Fiesole.

This Cathedral was found to be awk-
wardly situated, being at too great a
distance from the city, at the foot of a
steep hill, and unprotected in time of
war. Already in A. D., 966, Bishop
Zenobius complains of the fewness of
the clerics who attended the services.

In 1028, Bishop Jacopo Bavaro decided
to build a new Cathedral within the city
walls, being encouraged and liberally
assisted in the work by St. Henry II. of
Germany. The materials were ready at
hand in the ruins of an ancient temple,
and, on its completion, the remains of St.
Romulus and companions, and of St.
Donatus, were solemnly translated to
the shrines prepared for them in a crypt
beneath the High Altar.

The ancient and discarded Badia was
now allowed to fall to ruin. Such orna-
ments as it once had were transferred to
the new Cathedral. The story is told
that a holy Camaldolese monk named
Blessed Azzone of the Abbey of Valdi-
castro came on a visit to the holy places
of Fiesole about the year 1029. One
night, as he was praying on the spot of
St. Romulus' martyrdom, in the ruined
Badia, he saw a procession of clerics
with crucifix, lights and censer, followed
by a Bishop with mitre and crosier, file
down the hillside from Fiesole, and enter
the ruined church. There they sang the
midnight office, and St. Romulus (for he
was the Bishop, bade Blessed Azzone tell
Jacopo Bavaro to restore at once the dis-
mantled church and appoint religious to
sing the divine office.

Bishop Jacopo, who alludes to this
vision and its mysterious message in his
deed of Foundation (still kept in the
Cathedral archives) lost no time in re-

pairing the church, and building an
abbey for a community of Benedictine
monks. This abbey he richly endowed,
and for centuries religious fervor was
maintained: but the times were lawless,
relaxations gradually crept in, and
Bugenius IV., for wise reasons, decided
in 1439 to suppress the abbey, handing
over the church and buildings to the
Canons of St. Augustine.

A few years later, i. e., in 1460, the
Badia found a munificent patron in
Cosimo de' Medici, Duke of Florence,
who, out of the affection he bore for one
of the community, Doni Timoteo da
Verona, a renowned preacher, decided to
rebuild the abbey and its church, and to
make them one of the most splendid
monastic piles in Tuscany. Brunelleschi
was the architect, and the present church
and monastic buildings are his work.
The cloister is much admired and worthy
of Brunelleschi. Cosimo Vecchio had
already spent an immense sum of money
on the work, which was as yet only half
completed, and resolved to spend as
much more ; but the religious protested
against such lavish generosity, saying
that he was making a palace rather than
a religious house, so the work was inter-
rupted and remains unfinished to the
present day. The fa9ade of the church
is partly cased in black and white marble
which has a picturesque effect and is
said to be the most beautiful work of its
kind in Tuscany, surpassing even the
fa9ade of San Miniato. There is a spa-
cious refectory with a remarkable fresco
by Giovanni di San Giovanni.

Within the Badia up to the time of the
translation of the cathedral (1028) was a
chapel of St. Donatus, an Irish saint, who
became Bishop of Fiesole, under remark-
able circumstances, at the close of the
eighth century. The period was a wild
and lawless one, the incursions of the
Northmen had spread ruin and devasta-
tion over Italy, and the spiritual admin-
istration of Fiesole, like that of so many
other cities, was thrown into grave dis-
order. The death of its Bishop added to

F1ESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

491

he state of confusion, and, as the old
hronicle tells us, the inhabitants, bereft
f their pastor, reduced to the utmost
nisery by civil disorder, had recourse to
rod in prayer, imploring that a pastor
night be sent to His shepherdless flock,
n answer to their prayer a Bishop and
saint was sent in the person of St.
Donatus, an Irish monk, who was ret urn -
ng from a pilgrimage to Rome, accom-
panied by a brother monk, named Andrew.
Passing through Tuscany the two pil-
grims resolved to visit the holy places
at Fiesole. They reached the spot where
now is San Domenico, on the very day
the clergy and people of Fiesole were
assembled in the Badia beseeching God
to guide them in electing a worthy
pastor. Suddenly a mysterious voice
was heard by all in church: "Receive
the stranger who approaches — Donatus
of Ireland — take him for your pastor."
At the same time the bells of the Badia
began of themselves to peal a glad chime
of welcome. St. Donatus and his com-
panion, hearing the bells, fancied some
solemn feast was being held, and turned
aside from the main road to attend the
service in the Cathedral. The appearance
of the strangers attracted attention, and
being questioned as to who they were
and whence they came, Donatus replied,
" I am Donatus of Ireland, and my com-
panion is Andrew of the same country.
We are returning from a pilgrimage to
Rome." At once the people recognized
their divinely appointed Bishop, and
cried out: "Hail, Donatus, God-given
father, thou must ascend the Bishop's
throne."1

His body now reposes with that of St.
Romulus under the High Altar of the
Cathedral at Fiesole.

At the close of the last century the
Badia saw its community dispersed at
the French invasion, and remained deso-
late till the Scuolopi Fathers opened it

i. A sketch of the life of this Saint is given in the
Irish Messenger of the Sacred Heart lor March, 1897,
from which we have borrowed the substance of the
above account.

as a college, some twenty years ago.
The church and buildings remain the
property of the See of Fiesole. It is a
matter of deep regret, both religiously
and archaeologically, that one of the Rec-
tors of the College was allowed to pull
down the ancient chapel of St. Romulus,
adjoining the Badia, built over the well
into which the martyr's remains were
cast. It is said that Pope Leo X. on a
visit to Fiesole lowered his ring and
glove into the well, and recovered them
again, crimsoned with the Martyr's
blood.

V. — SAN GIROLAMO. BLESSED CARLO
DE' CONTI GUIDI.

Retracing our steps once more to San
Domenico, we have a choice of two
roads up the hill to Fiesole, the one
known as the old road, too steep for vehi-
cles, but preferred by pedestrians, as it is
shorter and more picturesque; the other,
the present high road, along which the
electric cars run, and which curves round
the steep brow over the glen where Fon-
tanellelies, then takes a sharp turn up a
steep incline to the city. The first jour-
ney made by the electric car resulted in
a sad accident at this spot, when several
persons were killed. This was con-
sidered a judgment of God for having
worked at the line on Sundays. The
Directors were alarmed and requested
the Bishop of Fiesole to come and bless
the cars, and no accidents have occurred
since.

We will take t\\eold road, which leads
up to the Villa de' Medici and the ancient
monastery of San Girolamo. At the
foot of the road near San Domenico, we
notice a marble tablet with an ancient in-
scription, stating that the Dominicans
of San Domenico were bound to supply
two bullocks and a sled to convey the
Bishop of Fiesole up the hill, every time
he wished to ascend to his Cathedral.
The view becomes enchanting as we as-
cend. To the right is Maiano, made
famous by the Decameron of Boccaccio,
to the left the deep gorge through which
flows the Mugnone, with the Carrara

492

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

hills in the distance: in front are the
Villa Medici, and the monastic buildings
of San Girolamo, and crowning the hill is
the ancient monastery of San Francesco
A stiff climb of some eight or ten min-
utes brings us to an avenue of tall cy-
presses leading to the Villa de' Medici,
now commonly known as Villa Spence,
from its present owner. It is a beautiful
old palace with balustraded terraces and
gardens of ancient cypresses, built by
Cosimo Vecchio, Duke of Florence, to
be near his friends, the monks of San
Girolamo. It was a favorite residence
of Lorenzo de' Medici, and here, with Fi-
cino, Landino and Politiano at his side,
he loved to while away the summer even-
ings on one of the terraces overlooking
Florence, indulging in dreamy visions
of Platonic philosophy. Immediately
behind this Villa de' Medici, is an iron
gate, beyond which a broad flight of
some sixty steps, flanked by two rows of
cypresses, leads up to the picturesque
loggia of San Girolamo. Artists from
Florence may often be seen sketching
this entrance, the sombre hue of the cy-
presses, the warm tones of the old walls,
and the originality of the design com-
bining to form a striking picture. The
steps were formerly of marble, but these
have long since disappeared. Just in-
side the gate is a pilaster with an inscrip-
tion recording a remarkable Indulgenceof
one hundred years and one hundred times
forty days granted by Leo X. (de' Medici)
to all who should visit the Church of
San Girolamo, and there pray for the
Pope's intention. The tablet furthor
states that this Indulgence was confirmed
by Pope Pius VII. at the beginning of
this century.

Ascending to the small terrace in
front of the loggia or church porch, we
are fairly dazzled by the exquisite view
spread out before us. Beneath is a
broad, richly cultivated vallev, through
which flows the Arno, and on its banks
is the beautiful city of Florence, with its
numerous palaces and gardens, its clus-
tering towers, the majestic dome of its

Cathedral, and the glorious campanile
of Giotto. In the background is the
blue line of one of the spurs of the
Apenines. Everywhere round Flor-
ence the country is dotted over with
snug villas and castellated buildings,
half-hidden by trees. What a number
of wonderful and historical places the
eye takes in at a glance from this por-
tico of San Girolamo. Just below us
are San Domenico, the Badia and Fonta-
nelle ; further off, to the left, is Settig-
nano, the birthplace of Michael Angelo,
and near it the fields where Cimabue
first met Giotto, the shepherd boy artist.
In front are the villas of Dante and
Boccaccio, and, beyond Florence, the
villa of Galileo ; some two miles away,
to the right, is the beautiful villa of
Careggi, where Lorenzo, the Magnifi-
cent, died. In the distance may be
caught a glimpse of Vallombrosa, which
Milton describes in his Paradise Lost.

We first enter the church, which is
open for Mass every morning from 5:30
to 8 o'clock. It was once rich in artistic
treasures, marble altars and shrines
sculptured by Andrea Ferrucci, and
works of art by Castagno and Ghirlan-
dajo. Unfortunately these were sold
some forty years ago by the then lay
proprietor of the house (one of the
Ricasoli), and one of its marble altars,
if I mistake not, has found its way to
the London South Kensington Museum.

At present the church has no art
treasures to show; it is severely simple,
but is much frequented, because it is
devotional. Beneath the high altar is
the body of a child martyr, St. Floridus,
placed there by the Very Rev. Father
Beckx, General of the Society of Jesus.
There are some interesting tombs, one
being of the Rucellai family, with date
1461.

The monastic buildings, simple and
severe of style, are of the thirteenth,
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, with
a few recent additions. The original
proprietors were the Hermits of St.
Augustin, founded by Blessed Carlo de'

ST. ALOYSIUS. 493

Conti Gudi in 1360, and suppressed, third and fourth stories, were added,

along with the Jesuati or order of St. together with the church, by Cosimo

John Columbanus, by Clement IX. in de' Medici about 1430.

1668. This central building is flanked by

The property was then bought by the two wings, each having a terrace in front,

Bardi family, of Florence, who used it on a level with the second story of the

as a villa residence till 1820, when it main building. The right wing consists

was sold to the Ricasolis, who again of the church, private rooms and a large

>ld it in 1870 to the Fathers of the hall used for community exercises. In

:iety of Jesus, driven from Rome the left wing are the library, kitchen,

by the usurping Piedmontese govern- storerooms and private rooms,

ment. There is a picturesque little courtyard

The buildings consist of a central with a neat arcaded cloister, and in the
block, the ground and first story of centre a splendidly constructed well or
which (built against the rock on the reservoir with two artistic pillars sup-
hillside) are of the thirteenth and four- porting a frieze, on which are the arms
teenth centuries. The upper portion, or of the de1 Medici.

( To be continued.}

ST. ALOYSIUS.

By D. O' Kelly Branden.

'Mid mournful scenes of misery and woe,
Where pestilential death with ruthless blow,
Struck down each moment 'neath his wasting scythe,
Alike age, rank and fame, and parent's pride:
A youthful form, of sweet angelic grace,
Undaunted by the horrors of the place,
Around him poured a heavenly -healing balm,
That brought despairing souls a joyous calm.

As, clad in Mercy's garb, from bed to bed
He went with loving voice to calm the dread
That death and plague had cast o'er every soul,
Who constant 'round them heard Death's warning toll,
Now bending o 'er a soul mad with despair,
He strives to lay its terrors by his prayer.
Now giving joy to those that calmly die,
And on Christ's saving merits firm rely.

II.

This morn, as through plague-stricken Rome he went,
How best to follow Christ was his intent,
When lo, a wretched victim 'fore him lay,
"Behold, " he cried, "the Cross I bear to-day. "
Him on his youthful shoulders then he raised :
While all who saw his burden stood amazed,
Soon 'neath its weight his youthful form was spent

4-94 ST. ALOYSIUS.

But spirit unto flesh new vigor lent,
For going, thought he how the Lord of yore
Man's awful load of sin and misery bore;
How o'er His virgin-soul that garb of sin
By ages stained, He put, us life to win,
And in His tender flesh the lash and blow,
He bore His love divine for men to show.

' ' My God, ' ' he murmured ; ' ' how I long to prove
For Thee my ardent all-consuming love ;
Behold the victim whom I bear to-day,
In him I can that love for Thee display,
His body Death doth claim ; his soul 's in sin
The health of both for him I fain would win.
Dear Lord as Thou wast offered on the Cross
That ours should be the gain, e'en at Thy loss ;
So do I ask this gracious boon of Thee :
Spare this poor victim, — in his place take me ! "

His prayer was heard : Death had his victim flown,
Seized on the Saint and claimed him as his own !
Heroic love divine that makes men choose
What men abhor ; and what men seek, refuse !

III.

The scene is changed ; 'tis eve, the dying sun
His long and heated summer course has run,
He sinks, and, as he slowly fades to night,
An angel spirit plumes for heavenward flight,
The sainted Aloysius, slowly — sure,
Lies dying on his couch, Love's victim pure.
His brethren dear in Christ are bowed in prayer,
While angels hover o'er that soul so fair,

' ' My God, I go to Thee. Thy will is mine.
My aim through life has been that will divine,
Forgive me now if, in my love for Thee,
I 've never failed ; and let Thy mercy be
My refuge sure. And you, my brethren dear,
Me pardon grant, and pray that God may hear
My prayer for mercy : that we all may win
The victor's crown by ever conquering sin,
Through thee, sweet Mother, I my soul commend
To Jesus : — Ah, I die — they come — I end. . . . "

IV.

He sank back on his couch, and, from his face,
A heavenly light shone on the hallowed place:
"A Saint ! a Saint ! " His brethren joyful cry !
" A Saint ! a Saint ! " The angels sing on high.
More swift than lightning rends the burdened air,
In angel-arms arose that soul so fair
From men to God ; from trials to joys unborn :
From Time's dark night to God's eternal morn,
Through heaven's open portals on they bear,

COD'S CONFESSOR. 495

This soul enraptured, now God's chosen heir,
Before the Throne of Heaven's King they bow.
While angel-bands are hushed to silence now,
The soul entranced with heavenly delight,
In spirit's gaze now views the glorious sight:
There sits the Monarch of an ageless reign,
There at His side the Lamb, eternal slain.
O'er both the Flame of Love, the Spirit true,
Breathes peace and glory, though eternal, new.
There Mary rules in glory crowned serene,
There countless virgins wait on Heaven's Queen,
There prophets — patriarchs — apostles stand,
With martyrs, doctors grave on every hand,
One glance of this eternal jubilation,
Fills him with bliss, he falls in adoration.

Then spake the Eternal Father, ' ' Come to Me,
Child of My heart, My glory waits for thee !
Him will I crown who faithful loved my name,
Him will I crown who sinners did reclaim.
But him in glory thrice will I extol
Who gives in love his life for a poor soul,
Be thine a martyr's palm eternally
Be thine a virgin's robe and jubilee. "

The Spirit breathed on him the breath of love,
Then rose he to his glorious rank above.
The empyrean choirs burst forth in peans of praise,
The empyrean bards resumed th' eternal lays,
The ancients bowed before the Maker's throne
To offer glory unto Him alone,
Who of all glory worthy now did deign
To choose our Saint in glory's bliss to reign.

GOD'S CONFESSOR.

By Francis W. Grey.

I. — THE FORT AT CHAMBLY.

T was an autumn morning in the year bois, were guests such as the old fort

17 — . The little fort at Chambly had seldom seen; their English voices,

was crowded with a motley assemblage ; sounds such as its old walls had seldom

priests, soldiers, Indians — these you echoed. There was an air of subdued

might have expected to see; just as you excitement about them, too, as of those

might have expected to hear the babel who were soon to start on a long and

of French and half-a-dozen Indian dia- difficult journey. And, to the babel of

lects. But women and young girls, a French, English, and Indian tongues,

few lads, in a dress differing from that the rapids of the Richelieu river sang

of soldiers, or even of the coureurs des their ceaseless, monotonous accompani-

496

COD'S CONFESSOR.

ment. Some of the prisoners of the
Deerfield Raid were preparing to return
home.

One little group — two in all, a priest
and a young girl of some seventeen
years of age, merit closer attention.
The priest, old, white-haired, venerable;
his face worn and weather-beaten by
many a hard Canadian Winter, spent,
not a few of them, in sharing the hard-
ships of wandering Abenaki tribes; in
his eyes, the look of one who has
learned, by many a cross, by many a
painful penance, to look beyond the
shadows which we common men call
realities, to the realities which we call
shadows. The girl's face was grave and
earnest, as suited her Puritan dress ;
yet sweet withal; one that could light
up, on occasion, with merry child-like
laughter, or cloud over with tender
grief and sympathy. A strong face,
too; the face of one who is patient to
endure, to suifer, if need be, but to
yield — where to yield means to be false
to duty, — never.

"Daughter," said the priest, earn-
estly, speaking in French, " art thou
still resolved to return to Deerfield ?"

"To my mother and father?" an-
swered Grace Maybury, gently; "Yes,
Father, surely I must go ? "

' ' To thy father and mother, ' ' the
priest repeated, smiling; accepting her
correction, not as a reproach, but simply
as a truer version of her duty. "Truly,
my child, I see not how thou couldst
do otherwise. And yet, " he continued,
sadly, ' ' my heart fears for thee ; fears
sorely, ' ' he repeated, almost to himself.

"Fears, Father?" questioned Grace,
surprised by the sadness of his tone,
" wherefore, then fear you?"

"Think, child, but fora moment,"
answered the old man, kindly, yet
gravely, ' ' think what thou art now,
and what thou hast been. "

"A Catholic," returned Grace, rever-
ently, "and once a Puritan. Why
should you, then, fear for me, Father ? "

" Knowest thou what it means, that

word Puritan ?" asked the priest, more
gravely than before.

" One who knows not our holy faith,"
answered Grace; "even as I knew it
not," she continued, "until I learnt
from your lips, Father. "

" One who knows not our holy faith,
indeed, " rejoined the priest, " aye, more
than that, more than that. Tell me,
child," he went on, after a moment's
pause, ' ' didst thou hate our holy faith,
before thou knewest it as true and
holy?"

' ' Hate it, Father ? ' ' said Grace, ' ' how
could I hate that of which I knew
naught ? ' '

" Hadst never, then, heard thy
parents speak of French Papists?"

"Of Papists?" the girl answered;
' ' Nay, never that I wot of — who be
they ? ' ' she asked.

' ' Such as thou and I, ' ' was the reply,
' ' who own our Holy Father, the Pope,
as vicar of Christ. Men call us, there-
fore, Papists — aye, and idolaters to
boot. ' '

" Do, then, all Puritans hate our holy
faith?" inquired Grace, in utter wonder
—"All of them?"

"That do they, child," answered the
priest, reluctantly; " hate, not our faith,
alone, but us, as well, as French idola-
ters."

"Think you my father and mother
hate our holy faith, then ? ' ' asked the
girl, looking anxiously at the priest's
troubled face.

" I fear me, child, I fear me, " was the
answer; "in that they are English and
Puritans, they must needs hate the faith
of Frenchmen; let be of Papists."
**"But, surely, Father, they cannot
hate me ?" said Grace, tr}'ing to speak
confidently; "I am not French, and
' Papist' and ' idolater' as they may deem
me, I am yet their child. "

' ' Hate thee, child ? ' ' returned the old
man, smiling kindly, "nay, who could
hate thee, thy parents, of all others?
And yet I fear me, " he went on, " that,
hating thy ' Papistry ' and thine ' idola-

COD'S CONFESSOR. 4.97

try' with the fervor of mistaken zeal, believed — "why should you fear ? Know

they may deem it right to deal harshly you not that I am a child of Mary?"

with thee, as with one who hath been she went on, "and shall not my Mother

seduced into deadly error. " take care of me ? "

"MAY BE THY DAUGHTER is WEARIED WITH HER JOURNEY."

"Fear you for me, even so, Father? " "That will she, child, in very truth, "

asked the girl, lifting her head, and answered the priest, with a sound in his

smiling bravely; as one who knows, not voice as of unshed tears. "Child," he

herself only, but Him in whom she has continued, gently, "thy simple faith

498

GOD'S CONFESSOR.

hath put my faithless fears to shame.
Truly, I have no fears for thee; thou
shalt be God's confessor amid the here-
tics of thine own people, God's and our
Blessed Lady's."

"God's confessor and our Blessed
Lady's" repeated Grace, crossing her-
self, reverently. Then, kneeling hum-
bly at the feet of the "Father" she
should never see again in this world,
she added, "Give me your blessing,
Father, ere I go — I see the others are
about to start. "

" God and our Lady bless and keep
thee, child," said the priest, his voice
husky with emotion, his eyes full of
tears. Then raising his hand, and mak-
ing the sign of the cross, he blessed her,
in the Church's words — and thus they
parted.

II. — THE HOME COMING.

"Rachel," said William Maybury,
coming into the house at noon, some
few days later, from his autumn plough-
ing, "knowest thou our child is to be
with'us ere sunset to-night ? ' '

"Truly, husband?" returned the
woman, rising from her spinning, "art
sure of this ? If so, the Lord be praised
indeed;" and the grave, earnest face
grew graver still, yet glad withal; the
gray eyes filled with unaccustomed
tears, the firm mouth quivered, as she
whispered, ' ' My Grace ! my little
daughter ! ' '

' ' Aye, truly, ' ' answered William May-
bury, not without emotion, for the hard,
time-furrowed face of the old Puritan
had grown softer, and a mist, that was
near akin to tears, dimmed his eyes for
a passing moment, "aye, truly, the
Lord be praised. Dost remember," he
continued, after a pause, as if to clear his
voice, ' ' her winning ways, my Rachel ?
How Elder Thompson reproved us for
over-much softness in dealing with her? ' '

' ' How knoweth Elder Thompson how
to deal with children ? ' ' rejoined Rachel,
sharply. " Methinks, the Lord did well
to withhold such gifts from him, else
might he, too, have been reproved by

some other childless, prudent elder for
over-much softness in dealing with his
children." The emphasis on "prudent"
showed that Rachel Maybury, for all her
saintliness — according to Puritan stand-
ards— could be sarcastic on occasion.

"Nay, rather," said her husband,
" for an over-zealous following of Solo-
mon's rule anent the rod. I know not,"
he continued, musingly, "but, per-
chance the Wise Man knew not how to
deal with women-children. To my mind,
the rod is scarcely fitted for such as they.
Yet say not so to Elder Thompson's
wife" he added, hastily, "the next time
thou meetest her at thy sewing-circle,
else may I have to answer to the Church
for speaking slightingly of Holy Writ."
But, for all his gravity, there was a
smile lurking somewhere round the
thin, stern lips.

"Tell her!" repeated Rachel, almost
contemptuously, "nay, that will I not
— moreover, as to Holy Writ, surely the
Lord Christ's love to little ones, 'of
whom is the kingdom of heaven' is
more befitting those who follow flim
than Solomon's counsel anent the rod —
How thinkest thou?" she asked, look-
ing earnestly at her husband.

"I think," he answered, laying his
toil-worn hand on her shoulder with a
kindly tenderness he rarely showed so
plainly, "that could we all learn of
Him as thou hast learnt, we might, per-
chance, please Him better than by fast
or prayer or our many laws concerning
things which are but of lesser moment,
at the best. "

' ' Learnt of Him ? ' ' repeated Rachel,
humbly, " nay, hast thou not read
that a little child shall lead them? I
learned of her, first, or so it seems to
me, and then of Him. Is not that as He
willed it?" she inquired, almost anx-
iously.

"Nay, how could it be otherwise?"
returned her husband gently, ' ' since the
Lord Christ bade us become as little
children. We needs must learn of them,
would we grow like to them. "

GOD'S CONFESSOR

499

There was silence between husband
md wife for a few minutes. The log-
ire crackled in the wide chimney, the
logs barked in the yard outside, the
lorses rattled their harness, as they
waited to begin ploughing again. Sud-
lenly, Rachel looked up from her spin-
ning—

"William," she said, almost anx-
iously; she seldom called him by any
name save that of ' ' husband, " being un-
demonstrative, as became one of the
"Saints, " to whom human things were
supposed to be " of little worth. ' ' ' 'Wil-
liam," . . . and then she paused, as if
at a loss how best to express the thought
that was evidently troubling her. ' 'What
is it, Rachel? ' ' asked her husband, gently,
still under the influence of the tender
memories the allusion to their child had
awakened — "What is it thou wouldst
say?"

" William, " said Mrs. Maybury, still
with some hesitation, " the French that
live in the Canadas, be they, indeed, all
Papists and idolaters? ' '

"That be they, truly, " answered May-
bury, gravely, "enemies of God, and
followers of Anti-Christ, worshipping
graven images."

' ' All ? ' ' asked his wife sadly.

" Yea, every mother's child of them, "
was the reply. ' ' Why askest thou ? ' '
Maybury continued, looking at her in
amazement.

"Because . . ." stammered Rachel,
terrified at her own thoughts, terrified
still more at what the truth of them
would involve, if indeed , — God help her —
it were the truth, " thou knowest . . .
our child hath been long among them
. . ." she broke off, suddenly, as if un-
able to finish.

"Aye, and then?" asked Maybury
sternly, almost fiercely, and yet as if he,
too, were smitten with a sudden indefin-
able dread.

"What if she, too, be a Papist ? " re-
turned his wife, putting her thought
into words at last.

"A Papist?— our child?" exclaimed

Maybury, "nay, how could that ever
be ? " He tried hard to speak with con-
fidence, as one who scouts an idea which
seems to him absurd; and yet, try as he
would, the fear her words had instilled
into his heart haunted, and almost over-
mastered him.

' ' Nay, but if she were ? ' ' persisted
Rachel, "what wouldst thou do then?"
She spoke anxiously, as if pleading for
she knew not what, grace, mercy, par-
don; maybe for her child's life.

"God knoweth, " answered her hus-
band, solemnly, " God only knoweth,
Rachel ; yet, even so, she is still our
child. Maybe," he resumed, after a
thoughtful pause, ' ' thou dost disquiet
thyself in vain, as David saith, and yet
I know not, " he added, gravely, "she
was ever easily persuaded where her
heart was touched, and these men of
Belial, these Jesuit priests of Satan, have
their master's proper cunning. God
help me, Rachel, I fear me it may be,
even as thou sayest. ' '

"And yet," returned his wife, as she
wiped her tears on the corner of her
apron, "she is still our child, husband,
still our little winsome Grace. "

' ' Not ours alone, ' ' was the reply,
"not ours alone, Rachel, but God's, who
gave her. Leave her to Him. ' '
•& # #•

Of the meeting between parents and
child what need to speak ? Grace was
as one given back from the dead, and all
the pious stoicism of their Puritanism
melted in the warmth of natural affec-
tion. "Grace; my little Grace," said
her mother, holding the girl close to her
heart, as if loth to let her go again, "is
it thyself, in very deed ? Now, God be
praised, I have thee once again. "

"My child," said her father, kissing
her fondly, yet with more self-restraint
than her mother had shown, "my heart
is glad indeed to bid thee welcome home. ' '

"Yes, mother dear, and father dear,"
answered Grace, smiling through her
tears of joy, " God hath been good to us
indeed."

5OO

GOD'S CONFESSOR.

"That hath He been in very deed,"
repeated William Maybury, "nor can
we do otherwise than thank Him in the
words that He hath taught us. "

They all knelt reverently, as he spoke,
and he and his wife repeated the Lord's
Prayer. The words trembled on the
daughter's lips: words dear and familiar
to her from her earliest years, hallowed,
now, by the associations of such a meet-
ing. Yet, even this, was the test of her
faithfulness, of her courage. She must
own herself "our Blessed Lady's con-
fessor;" if from the very first, so much
the better. They would wonder why she
did not join with them in their fervent
thanksgiving; and, when she told them
why, might, for all she knew, shrink
from her as one in deadly sin. If so it
must be, let God and our Blessed Lady
deal with her as they should deem best.

As they rose from their knees her
mother said, gently, " Wert thou too
much moved, child, to lift thy voice in
prayer with us to God, our Father ? "

How easy to answer "yes, " and so put
off the evil moment, which she knew full
well would pain their loving hearts as
much as it would wring hers thus to
cause them grief. — How easy! — but she
answered bravely, simply: —

"Nay, mother, dear, not over moved,
and yet I might not say the words ye
said."

" Might not, my daughter? " said her
father, gravely, and yet with a tone in
his voice as one who fears the answer he
is about to hear, " and wherefore might-
est thou not join thy mother and me in
saying, ' Our Father ' ? "

"Because ..." if Grace hesitated, it
was because she loved them, not because
she feared them. "Because I am a
Catholic."

The words were said, as said they
must be, sooner or later, and she waited
for what should follow; let it be as it
might. But the mother, whom she loved
so well, did not shrink from her as she
had feared; she only held her closer in
her loving arms, as if to shield her from

bodily harm. The father, whom she rev-
erenced, did not raise his voice to banish
her as one uho had "wrought folly in
Israel," but only covered his eyes with
his toil-worn hand, as one that listens to
the ravings of a delirious child who
babbles blasphemies instead of prayers
or innocent prattle.

"A Catholic! " it was all they could
say. "Not Papist," as they had been
wont; it showed, even in that decisive,
trying moment, how much they loved
her, that they should, half-uncon-
sciously, refrain from using the more
familiar term. Then, after a minute or
two of silence in which mother and
daughter clung to one another, each
dreading she knew not what, the father
added, quietly:

" Hast learnt in the Canadas to deny
thy God? " The question was for him
but a most natural one. Was not a
Papist an idolater? And what was idol-
atry but a denial of the True God ?

' ' Nay, ' ' answered Grace, gently, ' ' not
to deny Him, but to know Him better,
and to love Him more. "

"In very truth, child? " It was her
mother this time that asked the question.

"In very truth, as God heareth me,"
was the girl 's earnest answer.

Husband and wife looked at her in
silence. Then the father said, with more
than usual gentleness. "It may be,
daughter, even as thou sayest. Yet art
thou weary with thy journey. God bless
thee, dear, and give thee quiet rest. "

Then after they had bidden her good-
night, William Maybury put his arm
about his wife and said, quietlv, but
firmly: "Papist she maybe, and idola-
ter as well, God knoweth; this do I
know, that she is still our child. "

And Rachel Maybury, laying her tired
head on her husband's shoulder, an-
swered with a sob, ' ' God knoweth she
is still our child."

III. — THE JUDGMENT OF MAN.

"Brother Maybury," said Elder
Thompson with solemn earnestness at

GOD'S CONFESSOR.

501

the close of morning meeting the follow-
ing "Sabbath " — "I saw not thy daugh-
ter, whom the Lord hath restored to
thee, among our little flock of worship-

krs this morning. " The Elder paused,
it as if expecting a reply, but, proba-
bly, for want of breath, certainly not for
want of words. " Methinks, " he con-
tinued, pompously, " it would have been
more seemly had she sought the Lord's
House to give Him thanks, with His
people."

"Doubtless, Brother Thompson,
doubtless," returned Maybury, hoping,
by agreeing with his inquisitorial neigh-
bor, to escape without further questions,
for the moment. And yet, William
Maybury was no coward ; he would
have scorned a lie as unworthy of a
"saint," or even of a man. But it is
true, for all that, that he dreaded, for
the first time in his life, to tell the truth,
and longed to get away from Elder
Thompson 's fussy curiosity, which that
individual honestly believed to be pious
zeal for the spiritual welfare of his
neighbors. For to tell Elder Thompson
the truth was to tell the Church, and
what that might mean, not to himself, —
he could have faced torture, moral or
physical, with the stoicism of an Indian
— but to one he loved better than his
own soul, he simply did not dare to
think.

But Elder Thompson was not one
to be put off with evasive generalities.
" Maybe thy daughter is wearied with
her journey?" he resumed. It was an
unusually charitable speech on his part.

William Maybury was too honest a
man to avail himself of a subterfuge,
however tempting. After all, the truth
must out, sooner or later, perhaps the
sooner the better. He would, at least,
know what to expect. His darling's
"Papistry " might mean a double mar-
tyrdom for him and for her mother ; an
inward martyrdom, caused by a separa-
tion, which was, to all of them, in-
finitely more bitter than that of death;
an outward martyrdom in the cold looks

and colder words of his fellow saints.
To his darling herself — well, they were in
God's hands. Further than that, his
thoughts refused to travel.

" Nay, not overwearied, " he returned,
quietly, almost carelessly, to Elder
Thompson 's suggestion, mentally brush-
ing it aside, as a snare of the evil one

"In truth," he added, reverently,
' ' the Lord hath dealt graciously with
the maid." But, even as he spoke, the
doubt rose, unbidden and unwelcome,
in his mind, — "Had He? " As to her
body, doubtless. But how as to her
soul ? Was this, too, a snare of Satan ?
How could the Lord have dealt gra-
ciously with his daughter's soul if He had
suffered her to become a Papist ? Was
not Popery the very worship of the
Beast? The drops of agony stood out,
large, on his brow as the thoughts
flashed, one by one, through his tortured
brain .

"Then wherefore joined she not the
worship of the Church ? ' ' demanded the
Elder, sharply. "Of a truth, Brother
Maybury, the Lord will require this
child at thy hands and the Church "...

" Prate not to me of the Church, " in-
terrupted Maybury, stung to fury by
the mental anguish under which he was
laboring; — "Art thou, then, the Church,
or I, or any sinful man ? " he continued,
scornfully. "If so, in very deed, then
must we needs be infallible, as Papists
claim of their idolatrous Church. Who
art thou that takest upon thyself to
judge me ; wilt deign to enlighten my
blindness ? "

His whole tone and manner were full
of bitterest irony and contempt. The
Elder stared at him in utter amazement.
Was this the quiet, saintly William
Maybury, whom he had known since
boyhood, a shining light in the Church,
an example to all his neighbors ?

"Art drunken with wine? " he asked,
sternly, "or possessed of the devil?
One or the other thou must be, to rave
thus blasphemously. "

"Drunken with wine am I not," an-

502

GOD'S CONFESSOR.

swereJ Maybury, more quietly. "Pos-
sessed of the devil I may be, for aught
I know. God only knoweth ; it passeth
my poor understanding." He paused
for a moment, then added : " Would 'st
know the truth about my daughter, and
wherefore she sought not the assembly
of the saints to-day? "

"That would I," returned the Elder,
trying to speak more calmly. "That
is " he said, "if thou canst tell the
truth."

The taunt passed unheeded. " Her
conscience might not let her," said
Maybury. What it cost him to say it,
God only knows. Was it her conscience,
or the devil ? If it cost him his soul, he
would shield her — if he could.

" Her conscience ? How meanest
thou?" The Elder, for once in his
life, was at a loss for words.

' ' Yea, truly, her conscience, ' ' repeated
Maybury, firmly, almost defiantly. He
was striving, not only with his mortal
opponent — as he knew the Elder must be,
now — but with an unseen adversary, as
well, one far harder to overcome, his
own heart. His heart told him that
Elder Thompson was right, and he
wrong ; yet it whispered, at the same
moment, "She is thy child." Was it
human love against the love of God ?
How should he answer that dread ques-
tion ? " Wouldst know why ?" he con-
tinned, " She is a Papist. "

There was silence for a moment, after
that. A daughter of the saints a Papist,
an idolater ? Truly, this was a visita-
tion of God, for some awful, secret sin.
That was the Elder's first thought. It
had tortured Maybury almost beyond
human endurance, ever since he knew
the truth about his child.

Then the Elder spoke. ' ' Brother May-
bun-," he said, solemnly, "I may not
guess why the Lord hath dealt thus
with thee and thine. That, thine own
conscience must tell thee, in the sight of
Him to whom all hearts are open. Yet
is thy duty clear as noonday in this
matter ?"

' ' Truly, to me it seemeth dark as
midnight," retorted Maybury, almost
sullenly. " Yet would I fain hear what
thou hast to say, " he went on ; adding,
under his breath, ' ' God giveth wisdom
to fools to teach those who deem them-
selves wise."

1 ' Thy duty ? ' ' returned the Elder, in
amazement. " Were she afflicted with a
bodily ailment, what wouldst thou do ?"
he inquired.

"Consult with a physician. A fool
might answer such a question."

" A fool might answer this, as well,"
replied Elder Thompson, sharply, " being
afflicted as to her soul, how else may she
be healed, save by the prayers and whole-
some discipline of the Church ? "

" If she be, indeed, spiritually afflict-
ed, doubtless . . . but" — the other
burst in upon him with —

"If, sayst thou ? Dost, thou, then doubt
that it is so with her ? ' '

"Yea, of a surety do I doubt it,"
answered Maybury, calmly.

" And wherefore ? Prithee, enlighten
me, for, as the Lord liveth, I understand
thee not. "

"Doth not God order all things?"
asked Maybury, quietly.

" Doubtless. Dost take me for a fool,
or one of the little ones ?" The Elder
was, evidently, grievously offended.

"All things ?" repeated Maybury,
as quietly as before.

"All things." The answer came
almost before he had finished the ques-
tion.

"Then hath He ordered it that my
child should be a Papist," replied May-
bury, still speaking calmly, but with a
certain triumph in his voice. Perhaps
the strife in his own heart was over at
last. If so, the Elder was still uncon-
vinced; for, to the question, " what sayst
thou now ? " he retorted, angrily, ' ' Truly,
that thou blasphemest, and that the
Lord will require thy daughter's soul at
thy hands."

" God may, an' He will," said May-
bury, turning away, " but not thou, nor

GOD'S CONFESSOR.

5O3

any othtr sinful man, were he a thou-
sandfold more saintly than thou deemest
thyself— which were impossible, in mor-
tal man, ' ' he added as he walked swiftly
homeward.

William and Rachel Maybury could
bear it, bravely enough — God's hand had
fallen so heavily upon them, already,
in what they deemed, in very truth, the
spiritual perversion of their loved one,

THINKEST THOU HE DIED FOR PAPISTS?

But it was one thing to bid defiance
to the Church in the person of Elder
Thompson, another thing to bear the
wrath of those who claimed to be saints.
Excommunication was a social, as well
as a spiritual ban. For themselves,

that the cold avoidance of their neigh-
bors was as nothing by comparison. But
for Grace; that men and women should
look upon her as one leprous and ac-
cursed, that the children should call her,
in the streets, ' ' witch ! " " Papist ! ' '

5O4

GOD'S CONFESSOR.

' ' French idolater ! ' ' wrung their very
hearts. Was it not enough that God, in
His inscrutable dealings with her, had
-cut her off from the communion and
fellowship of His saints, had shut her
out from the light of truth in the outer
darkness of Popery? What right had
sinful men and women, saints though
they might be, to deal harshly with her,
when the hand of God had touched her ?
And in spite of themselves, they asked
the question, "Would the Lord Christ
have dealt with her as His servants
did?"

As for Grace, she bore it all patiently,
almost gladly. Was she not God's con-
fessor, and our Blessed Lady 's ? Was
not this the cross that the Lord Christ
had deigned to lay upon her, that she
should bear it after Him ? Had He not
removed from her cup the bitterest drops
of all, by making her parents so loving
and so tender, more so than she had
dared to hope? It was but an easy
martyrdom after all. Had not Father
Anne de Noue died, alone in the snow
and frost ? Had she not kissed the
maimed hands of that martyr of Jesus,
Father Isaac Jogues ? What were her
sufferings compared to theirs ?

IV. — THE JUDGMENT OF GOD.

It was the cold, bitter New England
Spring. The snow still lay in patches
on the ground, the east winds, bearing in
their breath the salt spray of the stormy
Atlantic, howled through the forests and
the clearings. And yet, Nature was
waking to the new life of her annual
resurrection from the death of Winter,
even as He who made her rose, Himself,
from the dead for us — new life, new
hope to man, to beast, to bird and tree
and flower ; no season this for death.

For death, if death it be to pass from
suffering and martyrdom to endless rest
and peace, all seasons are as one. In
her little room, in her father's house,
Grace Maybury lay dying. Over her
bed hung the crucifix the old priest had
given her. What it had meant of love,

of sacrifice, of heart-searching to her
father and mother to suffer her to hang
a " Popish image " there, God only
knew. But it was there, where she
could see it, as she lay.

One evening as he came from work,
William Maybury met Elder Thompson,
near his house. They had not spoken
since Maybury defied the Church, in the
Elder's person. But Maybury stopped
him now. ' ' Suffer me to speak to thee, ' '
he said quietly, almost humbly.

' ' What wouldst thou ? ' ' The Elder's
tone and manner were ungracious, but
he stopped, nevertheless. They had been
friends, for many years, and, under all
the hardness of his Puritan " saintli-
ness, " the Elder's heart ached for the
man he could not help loving. Per-
haps, too, the quiet, patient, uncom-
plaining heroism with which Grace had
borne her excommunication and its con-
sequent ostracism, spiritual and social,
had raised a doubt, which would not
down, as to whether she was, indeed,
possessed of Satan. If so, then was he,
in very truth, transformed into an angel
of light. Be that as it may, he stayed
to listen to what his friend had to say.

" Knowest thou that my daughter is,
even now, at the point of death ? ' ' asked
Maybury, speaking with difficulty. His
face was so full of an unutterable sad-
ness, that the Elder's first thought—
' ' Said I not that God would require thy
daughter's soul at thy hands?" re-
mained unspoken. Instead, he said,
with an unaccustomed gentleness, of
which, somehow, he was not ashamed:

4 ' Is she, in truth, so near her end as
that?"

' ' In very truth, ' ' was the mournful
reply. "And she would fain speak
with thee, ere the end come. ' '

' ' With me ? " The Elder could hardly
believe his ears.

"Yea, with thee," returned Maybury,
still speaking quietly, "art thou not
one of the saints ? " he asked.

"An unworthy member of the Church,"
answered the Elder, with a humility that,

GOD'S CONFESSOR.

505

once, was evidently genuine — "What
>f that?" he inquired, wondering what
,vas to come next.

"Wilt, then, refuse to speak to a
3opish idolater ? ' ' demanded the other,
nore bitterly, with a strange emphasis
m the two opprobrious epithets.

"Nay," said Thompson, too much
:ouched by the other's sorrow to be
offended at the bitterness of his tone,
" is she not thy daughter, and thou my
friend of many years ? ' '

' ' Thou hast proved thy friendship in
true saintlike fashion," retorted May-
bury, sharply, then added, more gently,
' ' but let that pass ; doubtless, thou hast
but done as thy conscience bade thee.
Enter, " he went on, pushing the door
open noiselessly, saying, in a whisper,
' ' let not thy conscience move thee
to speak harshly to her, or, as the
Lord liveth, will I smite thee on the
face. ' '

The Elder nodded, but said nothing.
Whatever his faults, however strong his
bigotry, he knew how to make allowance
for the other's agony of grief. In an-
other moment, they stood by the bedside
of the dying girl. In her hand she held
the little crucifix. "Brother Thomp-
son" she said, using the familar form of
address, and speaking with difficulty,
' ' Knowest thou what this is ? " holding
up the crucifix.

The Elder seemed unable to answer.
Something, he knew not what, checked
the words "a Popish image." They
seemed like blasphemy in such a pres-
ence.

" Knowest thou, then, what it mean-
eth ? " asked Grace, still in that strange
labored whisper.

" That Christ died for all men. " This
time the Elder answered, without diffi-
culty, without hesitation.

" Think 'st thou He died for Papists?"
inquired the girl, clasping her frail fin-
gers tighter round the crucifix, while with
the other hand she held her mother's
hand.

" Doubtless, " replied Thompson, with

a sound in his voice as if the tears were
very near his eyes.

' ' Died He then for me ? ' ' There was
no doubt in her voice, but rather, con-
fidence unshaken, unspeakable.

"Surely." The Elder's voice was
almost as faint, now, as that of Grace
herself.

"One question yet," pursued Grace,
speaking with increasing effort, "hast
thou ever prayed for me, the Popish idol-
ater ? ' ' She used the bitter names as if
they were titles of the highest honor
possible to mortal man or woman.

Elder Thompson shook his head, in
utter shame. But he was not ashamed of
the tears that now flowed as freely as
those of her father and mother.

"Yet have I prayed for thee, " whis-
pered Grace, smiling, " because He died
for thee and for me. Wilt pray with me,
now, ere I go to Him?" she added,
speaking with a humble, calm assur-
ance, as of one who knows no doubt or
fear.

No answer, but the Elder fell on his
knees near the bed, as did the father and
mother. Then the girl's voice, in a
whisper that came slower and fainter
with every word, with her eyes fixed on
the crucifix, with her thin fingers hold-
ing it fast, as, with her other hand, she
clung to that of her mother, led them,
all there, in saying the words that the
Lord Christ taught us — "Our Father."
Slowly and faintly, till the words
came, " Forgive us our trespasses . . .
as ... we . . . forgive . . . '
No more ; there was a long, shuddering
sigh; her mother, who was nearest to
her, caught the last whisper, ' ' Jesus 1
Mary! " The fingers that held the cruci-
fix slowly relaxed, and Rachel Maybury
caught it, as it fell.

"Truly" said Elder Thompson,
through his tears, "the Lord knoweth
them that are His. We know not how
He dealeth with His own, yet died she as
the saints die. ' '

"As the saints die." "Papist" as
they had deemed her and ' ' idolater ; ' '

506

CARDINAL FRANZELIN.

one cut off from the Church, she had
died as the saints die. And, as they laid
her to rest, with all the reverence they
could show her, they said, one to an-
other, "Trulvthe Lord knoweth them
that are His."

In William Maybury's house there

hung, for many years, a little crucifix,
a strange sight in a Puritan home. But,
as he said, " God knoweth, she is still
our child."

And Rachel May bury answers, through
her quiet tears, "God knoweth, she is
still our child, — and His, as well. "

CARDINAL FRANZELIN.

(Concluded.)

THE newly made Cardinal chose to re-
side at San Andrea, on the Quirinal,
where the Jesuit Novitiate then was, but
the apartments destined for his use not
being yet ready, he took up his abode
for a few days in the Belgian College, a
suite of rooms suitable for holding the
customary receptions having been kindly
offered for his use. On Holy Saturday he
removed to San Andrea, and, by a curious
coincidence, this day, the fifteenth of
April, was also the sixtieth anniversary
of his birth. Here he spent the remain-
ing ten years of his life, refusing to leave
the house, even when it was in great
part demolished in October, 1886, about
two months before his death. Indeed,
some three or four years previous to this
event, when the foundation of a new
college was laid, and he was told of the
convenient apartments which would be
prepared for him there, he replied with
the utmost certainty that he should
never remove thither, but should die at
San Andrea. He repeated the same
thing several times, and God granted
the wish of His faithful servant by call-
ing him to Himself, only a few brief
months before he would have found him-
self compelled, however reluctantly, to
abandon his beloved abode. Of the
saintly life he led within its walls, we
will now give a few particulars.

Alike in Winter and Summer, he rose
every day at 4 A. M., and at half- past
five, at the conclusion of his hour's
meditation, he usually made his confes-

sion, invariably repairing for this pur-
pose to the room of his Spiritual Father,
in spite of the entreaties of the latter
that he might be allowed to spare the
Cardinal this fatigue by coming to his
Eminence's apartment. At six he said
Mass. He remained the whole time of
his thanksgiving on his knees. Nothing
could exceed his exactitude in keeping
to the hours he had fixed for his private
'devotion, and he had never failed to be
present at all the religious exercises of
the community. His time was literally
divided between study, prayer, and the
duties of his office. He never went out
except to assist at the Congregations, in
his capacity of consultor, and subse-
quently of Prefect of the Congregation
of Indulgences, or else to go to the
Vatican, in order to listen to the ser-
mons, or to fulfil some other of the
multifarious duties belonging to his high
position. He never received any one in
his apartments for the purpose of con-
versation after either dinner or supper,
and only on a few special days in each
year did he yield to the urgent and press-
ing invitation brought him, and consent
to dine with the community. But let it
not be imagined that he was otherwise
than gracious and courteous toward
those who were admitted to his presence,
and the cordial and pleasant reception
he accorded to his visitors must be con-
sidered as no small proof of virtue in so
ardent a lover of solitude and silence.
He took no recreation, and never drove

CARDINAL FRANZELIN.

507

)ut unless absolutely obliged to do so;
md during the entire period of his Car-
linalate, the only occasion on which he
ibsented himself from Rome for even a
few hours was when he accepted an invi-
:ation to be present at the distribution of
.he prizes in the College of Mondragone.
Unquestionably he went to an extreme
in this direction, and our Holy Father,
Leo XIII., when informing Father Maz-
zella of his intention to create him
Cardinal, laid it upon him as a special
injunction, to guard against imitating
Cardinal Franzelin's custom in this
respect, and to take a certain amount of
air, exercise and recreation, so as to
obtain that change and distraction which
is necessary for physical, mental, and
spiritual well-being, at least in the case
of a great majority of persons.

Far from availing himself of any of
those exemptions and privileges which,
in virtue of his exalted rank, he might
now so easily have claimed, he seemed
only anxious lest his dignity as a Prince
of the Church should lead him to forget
that he was a religious; and he proved,
in a thousand ways that the bright-
hued robes of a Cardinal were not half
so dear to him as the more sombre garb
of the Sons of St. Ignatius. Advanced
as he was on the road of perfection, and
skilled as he was in the secrets of the
spiritual life, he knew that there is no
enemy so much to be dreaded as the
demon of pride and independence, and,
like the skilful general that he was, he
guarded the outposts with jealous vigi-
lance, lest, perchance, the citadel of his
soul might, in some evil hour, be sur-
prised and entered unawares. The rule
which he had bound himself to observe
when in the bloom and fervor of early
manhood, he loved yet more dearly amid
the infirmities of his declining years, and
never sought to lighten the pressure of
the yoke, which must at times weigh
heavily upon the shoulders even of those
who heartily rejoice in the privilege of
wearing it.

Innumerable instances might be cited

to prove how carefully he continued, as
far as his altered circumstances would
permit, to observe the usages and cus-
toms of the Society, even in matters
which a less wise and prudent man
might have deemed trifling and of no
account. He invariably made Brother
Malatesta, who waited upon him with
affectionate assiduity, read to him at
meal-time from the life of some saint; at
the beginning of each month he caused
the Summary of the Constitutions to be
read to him, in compliance with the cus-
tom of the Society, and if the Brother,
through forgetfulness, began his ordi-
nary reading, the Cardinal would in-
stantly say : ' ' Get the Rules. ' '

He never permitted any dishes to be
prepared specially for himself, but par-
took of those intended for the com-
munity, and he did this even on the
days when he was detained at the Vati-
can until so late an hour that the dishes,
which had been prepared at mid-day,
must, by the time they were at length
placed before him, have been the reverse
of appetizing or attractive. He never,
indeed, dined until one o'clock, so he
habitually ate what had been prepared
an hour before, as noon was the general
dinner hour. On all Saturdays he ab-
stained from bread and milk at his even-
ing collation, as a mark of devotion to
our Blessed L/ady, and took nothing but
a cup of black coffee. During the last
two years of his life he extended this
practice to the Friday evenings also.

His love of poverty continued undi-
minished, and it was with difficulty that
he could be prevailed upon to dress in a
manner befitting his dignity as Cardi-
nal, and not unfrequently his Spiritual
Father had to exhort him to procure
some new garments, in order not to
show disrespect to the Sacred College,
of which he was a member. His linen
was of the poorest and plainest quality,
and so averse was he to any personal
outlay, that the good Brother, mentioned
above, occasionlly ventured to make
purchases in regard to which he had

508

CARDINAL FRANZELIN.

received no definite authorization. The
Cardinal invariably detected these some-
what bold proceedings, as he was most
exact in going through the accounts of
his household expenditure, and would
ask why such and such articles had
been bought without his permission.
' ' Because, ' ' was the ingenuous answer,
"if I had not bought them without
your Eminence's knowledge, they would
not have been bought at all. " We must
not, however, for a moment imagine
that anything like meanness or parsi-
mony disfigured the character of Cardi-
nal Franzelin. His apartments were
suitably furnished and decorated, and
his alms and charitable gifts were alike
constant and munificent. His regard
for others equalled his disregard of him-
self, and nothing could exceed the care
with which he looked after the temporal
and spiritual interests of those who
waited upon him.

Angelo Torri had been in constant
attendance during a long period of
years upon Cardinals Bianchi and Bar-
nabo, and was in consequence a servant
much valued by Cardinal Franzelin, as
he knew the hours of the various Con-
gregations, as well as the customs of
the Vatican so thoroughly that he
could always order the carriage and
give directions to the coachman, with-
out troubling his master for instruc-
tions. Yet one day Cardinal Franze-
lin sent for him, and said in a deter-
mined manner :

"Angelo, I do not think I can keep
you in my service any longer. "

" And why not, your Eminence ? "

" Because you are not a good Chris-
tian."

" Your Eminence, I go to Mass, and
confession and Communion every month,
I say my prayers and my beads. What,
then, have I done wrong?"

' ' You are not following the exer-
cises with the other servants of the col-
lege. "

' ' Your Eminence may be assured that
I shall begin to-day, and though I have

omitted the first three days, I shall care-
fully attend during those which re-
main. "

This he did accordingly, and was re-
stored to favor.

It is greatly to be regretted that Car-
dinal Franzelin, about three months
before his death, caused a vast mass of
manuscripts to be burned. He assisted
in person at the work of destruction,
which lasted several hours, in order to
make certain that his orders were exe-
cuted to the letter. Much that was
most valuable and interesting was lost
in this manner, and much especially
that would have thrown light upon the
interior life of the writer. Hence the
materials available for this purpose are
of the scantiest, but we are able to give
some resolutions which he drew up with
a view to the avoidance of venial sin,
and which he carried constantly on his
person, written in minute characters on
a small sheet of paper placed within the
pages of his particular examen book.
We give these resolutions because they
are not only admirable in themselves,
and characteristic of the distinguished
man who drew them up, but because
they possess the further merit of being
applicable to all, in whatever state of
life, who desire to attain true sanctity.

Resolutions against venial sins to be
specially avoided.

1 . Never to admit into my heart any
evil suspicion, rash judgment, or con-
tempt of my neighbor ; much less to en-
tertain or encourage them.

2. Never to cherish feelings of anger
or impatience.

3. Never to speak of the failings of
others.

4. Never to omit any of my spiritual
exercises, or to perform them with wilful
distraction or negligence.

5. Never to allow myself to entertain
any inordinate love or too fond affection,
or knowingly do anything that may
give rise to impure imaginations; and il
any such thoughts should enter against
my will, to cast them out immediately.

CARDINAL FRANZELIN

509

6. Never to indulge in vain self-com-
placency, or contempt of others.

7. Never to approach the sacraments
with tepidity, or without due and care-
ful preparations.

8 Not to bear trials, from whatever
source they may come, with impatience
and murmuring, but with calm and
thankful spirit, as if they were sent by
God for my good ; remembering that
whatever evil may happen to me in this
life is nothing in comparison with hell,
which I have so often deserved.

9. Never to conceal my tendencies,
defects, mortifications, etc., from those
who ought to know them, or to represent
myself as different from what I really
am.

Before giving some details respect-
ing the closing scenes of Cardinal Fran-
zelin's life, we must not omit to record
the unfailing affection and respect he
ever evinced for the Sovereign Pontiff. A
priest happening, through inadvertence,
one day to let fall in his presence the ex-
pression, Pope Pecci, was instantly re-
buked with mild firmness by the Cardi-
nal, who said to him: "You ought to
say the Holy Father. ' ' What was the
opinion of him entertained by Leo. XIII.
will be best shown by quoting His
Holiness' own words. They were ad-
dressed to Cardinal Mazzella two days
after Cardinal Franzelin's lamented
death.

' ' During my pontificate I have had the
happiness of knowing him intimately,
and I have admired in him the gifts of
God, such as knowledge and prudence,
but these were natural gifts, and what I
admired the most was his profound
humility. He used to come and speak
to me of his scruples and perplexities
and difficulties with the simplicity of a
child, and I used to try and encourage
him. He would frequently say : ' I
place my soul in the hands of your Holi-
ness ; try and save it, I beseech you. '
Then he would humble himself in every
way, and tell me everything he thought
most likely to give me a poor opinion

of him, and so great was his sanctity
that it never occurred to him that all he
said did but increase the veneration I
felt for him. "

It is not easy to state the precise
nature of the malady to which this great
servant of God finally succumbed ; for,
indeed, he can scarcely be said to have
had any last illness, properly so called,
his death being occasioned rather by a
total and sudden collapse of those vital
forces upon which he had habitually
drawn too largely, than by any definite
disease. We have already alluded to the
ill health from which he suffered during
his noviceship, as well as at a subse-
quent period, and there is no doubt
that all through his life he overtaxed his
physical powers. His lectures greatly
tried his delicate chest, and, after having
delivered them, he was often so utterly
exhausted as to be able to do nothing,
except to read the newspaper, a fact
which speaks volumes in the case of a
man such as he was.

On Monday morning, December 6,
1886, he was in his accustomed place at
the Congregation for the Propagation of
the Faith, though on his return home
he was so weak as to be unable to mount
the stairs leading to his apartments, and
had to be carried up in an armchair.
Yet he persisted in continuing his ordi-
nary occupations, and on the morrow he
attended the sermon at the Vatican. He
gave Solemn Benediction in his domestic
chapel on the feast of the Immaculate
Conception, although his weak and
exhausted appearance was distressing
to all who saw him, and the next day
he went out as usual, returning in a
state of exhaustion pitiable to behold.
Towards evening, wishing to make his
confession, he betook himself to his
spiritual Father, and waited at the door
of the latter 's room until some students,
who happened to be there, should leave
the apartment. The Cardinal did not
knock, or give the slightest sign of his
presence, and those who passed up and
down the corridor dared not announce

510

CARDINAL FRANZELIN

that he was thus standing outside, be-
cause of the strict prohibition under
which he had laid them in this respect,
for it was his invariable habit thus to
await his turn, though, during the last
few months of his life, it must have cost
him a great effort to do so, since he was
often quite unable to stand upright, and
had to lean against the doorpost for
support. The profound humility and
unselfish courtesy thus exhibited by one
whose rank, learning, and virtue com-
manded universal respect, are calculated
to teach a lesson which all would do
well to lay to heart.

The saintly old man was now stand-
ing on the very verge of the grave,
though neither he, nor any of those
about him, as yet realized the fact. On
the morning of the tenth he attempted
to rise at his usual hour, but was com-
pelled to lie down again. "I cannot
think how it is," he said, with much
simplicity, "but my strength has en-
tirely forsaken me all at once." It was
at first hoped that a period of complete
repose might restore him, at least to a
certain extent, but those sanguine antici-
pations were speedily dispelled by the
doctors, who did not attempt to disguise
the gravity of the case, and advised the
administration of the last sacraments
without delay, as they feared bronchial
paralysis might supervene. This opinion
was imparted to the patient, and received
by him, as might have been expected,
with unruffled calmness ; he at once
made his confession, and prepared to
receive our Lord.

The Father Rector had, in the mean-
time, informed the Fathers, Brothers, and
students belonging to the house, of the
alarming state of Cardinal Franzelin, in
order that they might assemble in chapel
and there pray for him, and also accom-
pany the Holy Viaticum when it was
borne to the sick chamber. Truly, it
was an affecting sight when, as the
priest approached the threshold of the
room, the dying man, filled, as it were,
with an ardent longing to greet his

divine Guest, began to exclaim, in ac-
cents of deepest feeling and tenderest
devotion, " O bone Jesu! O bone Jesu!"
He repeated these words several times,
and then added : * ' Credo in te, spero in
te, amo te super omnia, super omnia. . . ".
Then he recited the Apostles' Creed, the
Confiteor, and the Domine non sum
dignus, in spite of his extreme weak-
ness and the difficulty of breathing,
under which he was laboring. Before
the priest could give the final blessing
he began again to repeat, " 0 bone
Jesu!'1'' and, when left alone, he said
the Miserere.

The evening passed quietly, although
he could not sleep. About midnight he
asked for his rosary, and endeavored to
say it, but his cough interrupted him in-
cessantly, and the Brother Infirmarian
gave him a soothing draught. When he
had taken it he requested his attendant to
remove the light from the room, but, as
the latter was in the act of doing so, he
heard an unusual sound, and, turning
his head, saw the illustrious invalid had
contrived to leave his bed, at the foot of
which he was kneeling in an attitude of
prayer. The Brother • wisely judged it
best to take no notice of this, as the
Cardinal evidently fancied himself un-
perceived, and indeed he contrived to
struggle back into bed.

About five o'clock on the morning of
the nth, he again made his confession
and received Holy Communion, Extreme
Unction being administered immediately
afterwards. A little later the venerated
General, Father Beckx, arrived, and on
his entrance wished to kiss Cardinal
Franzelin 's hand, but the latter drew it
away, saying: "Father General, I feel
that my end is near. I ask pardon for
the sins of my whole life, and especially
for any scandal I may have given during
my religious life." He concluded by
exclaiming three times: "O God, be
merciful to me a sinner ! ' '

" Let your Eminence have no fear,"
responded the General, "all will be well
with you. Deus tibi propitius erit et

JEANNE D'ARC.

511

benignus." These words greatly con-
soled the dying man, who repeated over
and over again, "Jesu, amo te. Jesu,
amo te" When Father Beckx had
taken leave, Cardinal Mazzella, who had
always been much attached to the inva-
lid, and had been on terms of intimate
friendship with him, entered the room,

id indeed remained with him to the
last, for it was now evident to all that
iis hours were numbered. The Father
Rector also did not leave the bedside,
and one other Father too, was privileged
to be present, besides the Brother Infir-
inarian.

The oppression of the chest increased,
but from time to time the sufferer con-
tinued to utter pious ejaculations, and
expressions of contrition. "Jesu, Jesu,
Jesu, amo te super omnia . . . tu me
elegisti. Doleo, . . . " he would whisper,
occasionally returning to the language
of his childhood, and saying in his
native tongue: « ' Mein Gott, ich Hebe
dich ilber Alles." About noon his
power of speech failed, though he re-

tained his mental faculties, and was
conscious of receiving the Papal Bene-
diction, when it was given him. He
was now rapidly sinking, though in his
case there was no agony, but rather a
peaceful falling asleep ; and, when the
prayers for the departing had been
recited, so calmly did he breathe forth
his pure soul into the hands of his
Creator, that those who were present
scarcely knew that his spirit had de-
parted, until one of them held a watch-
glass to his lips, and perceived from the
undimmed surface that he was indeed
no more. It was between one and two
o 'clock on the afternoon of December 1 1 ,
1886, that Cardinal Franzelin was thus
called to appear in the presence of the
Master whom he had so truly loved and
so faithfully served, from his earliest to
his latest breath. To him may fitly be
applied those beautiful words of the
Holy Writ: " Os justi meditabitur sapi-
entiam, et lingua ejus loquetur judicium.
Lex Dei ejus in corde ipsius, et non sup-
plantabuntur gressus ejus."

JEANNE D'ARC.

FROM RHEIMS TO ROUEN.

By John A. Mooney, LL.D.
(Continued.}

WHILE the holy chrism was yet
visible on the forehead of the
King, the Maid urged him on to Paris,
arguing that, with the King of France
in the capital of France, the English as
well as the Burgundians would be dis-
mayed. Expecting and fearing what
Jeanne advised, Bedford, the English
leader, had already bargained with his
uncle, Henry Beaufort, the Cardinal of
Winchester, for a reinforcement of six
thousand men ; and when, three days
after the coronation, Charles consented
to follow Jeanne's wise plan, the Eng-
lish Cardinal and Bedford, with ten
thousand men, were marching toward

Rheims. Coming up with the French
army, the English dared not attack.
As the King advanced, they retired,
blocking the way now and then, but
carefully avoiding a battle. Through
cities, towns and villages, Charles pa-
raded, as a legitimate sovereign amid
dutiful and loyal subjects, and not at all
as a conqueror. On August 18, he halted
at Compi£gne. Paris was only fifty
miles away.

And here at Cornpiegne, I cannot help
recalling an affecting incident that hap-
pened a week earlier, as the army rode
through Lagny. The Maid was in the
van, the Archbishop of Rheims, chan-

512

JEANNE D'ARC.

cellor of the kingdom, on her right, and
the brave Bastard of Orleans on her left
hand. Said the Archbishop: "Jeanne,
in what place do you hope to end your
days ? " " Wheresoever it shall please
God, ' ' the Maid replied ; " for I am sure
neither about time nor place, knowing
no more about the matter than you.
Would to God, my Creator, that, this
very day, laying down my arms, I could
return to my father and mother, to tend
their sheep, with my sister and my
brothers, who
would rejoice to
see me. " Her
father had come
to Rheims to
give her a last
fare well and
blessing. Thus
Jeanne spoke as
they rode through
L,agny. At Corn-
pi egne — and too
soon you shall
know why — I am
sadly reminded of
her words.

No less than
Bedford, another
enemy of France,
Philip of Bur-
gundy, feared the
King's advance.
Putting more
faith in de c e i t
than in arms,
Philip again
feigned frien d-
ship for Charles, and thus induced him
to sign a truce, suspending operations
until the Christmas following. With
astounding simplicity, Charles in-
cluded the English within the terms of
the truce. Before these concessions
were made, Jeanne, at the head of the
fighting men, had marched away from
Compiegne. At St. Denis, within five
miles of Paris, she learned of the King's
action, and at once protested.

The Maid, advising Charles to repudi-

A FATHER'S LAST BLESSING.

ate the truce, was in the right ; for
Philip of Burgundy, before negotiating
with the French, had agreed with the
English to hold and defend the capital,
in their interest. A mettlesome king
would have promptly punished such a
trickster ; but Charles, influenced by
his timorous council, dawdled away
valuable time at Compiegne. Many an
entreating message did Jeanne send, be-
fore he ventured to move as far as Senlis.
There, twenty-five miles from Paris, he
rested as if every
day were a Sun-
day. At last, on
September 7, h e
joined the Maid.
Before eight
o'clock the next
morning the
French army was
marching against
the capital.

The attack was
bold : an attack
of patriots on the
foreigner, and the
traitor, who, by
force and fraud,
had seized the
capital of the
French nation.
Protected by walls
and artillery, and
stim ulated by
leaders whose
ambitions were at
stake, the Bur-
gundians fought

hard. Toward evening, Jeanne's troop,
amid arrows and shot, had pressed nigh
to one of the city 's gates. ' ' Assault the
wall ! ' ' cried the Maid, intrepid as ever.
Then she started in front of the men.
A double moat encircled the wall. Into
the first moat, the Maid jumped. It was
dry. Crossing it, she clambered up on
top of the ridge that divided the outer
moat from the one close by the ram-
parts. Only then did she discover that
the inner moat was filled with water.

JEANNE D'ARC.

513

entered the venerable Abbey Church of
St. Denis, to whose foundation Dago-
bert, Pepin, Charles the Great, and St.
Louis, had contributed. Before the altar,
devoutly, she presented to the glorious
patron, the arms and armor she wore
during the days of conquest. Was the
child of God disheartened ? Did she

They saw her plunge her lance into the
water, to test its depth; her order they
awaited. Suddenly, with a sharp cry,
she fell flat on the ridge. An arrow had
pierced her thigh. Retaining her pres-
ence of mind, she requested the men-at-
arms to carry her under cover; and then,
regardless of her wound, urged them to
bridge the inner moat, and
to assault the wall. The
cowardly captains feared to
do as the girl bade, because,
forsooth, only the stars were
lighting the sky. Prostrate
as she was, Jeanne, who knew
neither day nor night when
the cause of her native land
was at stake, insisted, prom-
ising victory. Neither in-
citement, nor promise, nor
entreaty availed. Officers
and men fell back, bearing
off the wounded, helpless,
chagrined Maid.

The arrow in her thigh
did not keep Jeanne abed on
the morning of the ninth.
Betimes, she arose, and
speedily ordered an assault;
but the nerveless king coun-
termanded the order, and,
shabbily, retired to St.
Denis, where, as if he were
fated to prove his paternity,
he renewed, insanely, the
truce with the perfidious
Duke of Burgundy. Not sat-
isfied with sacrificing the
Maid, who had crowned him,
he now sacrificed his people,
including Paris within the
terms of the new truce ; thus
assuring the capital of France
to the enemies of France.

On the thirteenth of September, the
sovereign who, proudly, triumphantly,
had entered St. Denis, retreated like a
vanquished pretender. The Maid went

unwillingly, protesting that if the army to honor St. Denis, the Maid was moved
held on, the capture of Paris was cer- by patriotism as well as by piety; for the
tain. Before they led her away, she war-cry of France was: "St. Denis!"

FROM RHEIMS TO PARIS.

believe that the term of her heavenly
mission had closed? No; she merely
followed a pious custom, according to
which wounded soldiers dedicated their
arms and armor to a Saint. Choosing

SI 4

JEANNE D'ARC

A fortnight after his retreat, Charles
disbanded the grand army created by
_ Jeanne d'Arc: the reformed army,
which, under her guidance, had won a
crown for him, and which, had he the
courage and foresight of a woman, would
have made him the master of the capital
of France, and the sovereign of a united
Kingdom. Having thus relieved him-
--self of troublesome cares, Charles spent
the time in journeying from one agree-
able castle to another, carrying the Maid
wherever he went, and treating her with
rare honor and favor. An idler's life
was displeasing to Jeanne; she longed
for action; and therefore, when, at the
end of October, 1429, the royal Council
decided to send a force against those
towns, on^the upper Loire, that had not
yet acknowledged the King, the Maid
gladly accepted the command. At St.
Pierre-le-Moutier, early in November,
heroically, she stood her ground, at the
foot of the wall, when her men had
deserted her; shamed them into fight-
ing, and captured the town. The royal
-Council ordered her to La Charite. She
lacked artillery, food and cash, nor
-could she obtain these from the Council.
Only by begging aid from the loyal
cities could she equip her little army.
The siege opened on November 24. So
skilful and brave was the defence, that,
after a month of repulses, the Maid was
compelled to retire, leaving her artillery
behind. At La Charite, for the first
time Jeanne d' Arc suffered defeat.

After this reverse, the King not only
received her kindly, but also showered
favors upon her. Ennobling herself and
all her family, by a special provision he
ennobled the female descendants of the
family as well as the male. Honors
could not reconcile the Maid to the easy-
going policy of Charles. The perils she
foresaw, and from which — with her
Lord's aid, and for His sake, — she would
have saved her native land, were vital.
Not only had the English and the Bur-
gundians reoccupied St. Denis, but, dis-
honoring its patron saint as well as their

own manhood, they had robbed the
Abbey Church of Jeanne's armor. This
contemptible act should have made
Charles wary, if not indignant; and yet,
feebly, he consented to an extension of
the terms of the truce signed after his
retreat from Paris, and bound himself to
keep the peace until Easter, 1430. Philip
of Burgundy was doubly, trebly, a
deceiver; for, while negotiating with
Charles, he accepted from the Duke of
Bedford, the office of Lieutenant-Gen-
eral of the English sovereign, Henry
VI. The English withdrew all their
troops, and the Duke of Burgundy
became the head and front of the enemies
of France. In March, 1430, his ambi-
tion was fully disclosed. To add one
perjury to another cost him nothing.
Violating the word he had so often
plighted, the faithless Philip led an
army against the loyal cities; the Eng-
lish paying him a subsidy, and promis-
ing him a large increase of territory.

Was all that France had won, thanks
to our Lord, to be lost through the pusil-
lanimity of the King and his Council !
Jeanne could not bear the thought.
Charles was loitering at Sully. With-
out a word to him or to his attendants,
the Maid slipped away, gathered a small
escort, and took the road to Paris.
Gloomier days were to come, but gloomy
enough was that fifteenth of April on
which she passed through the gate of
Melun; for, before the day closed, her
Saints informed her that, by the next St.
John's day, she would be in the hands
of the enemy. Again and again, this
warning was renewed.

God 's will be done ! exclaimed Jeanne,
patiently ; and yet she was troubled.
A prison awaited her; perhaps death,
perhaps dishonor. She besought her
heavenly patrons, that, if death was in
store for her, at least her imprisonment
might be short. The answer to this
prayer was a counsel: Resignation to
God's will, whatever came. At once the
Maid resolved to show her resignation
to the Lord's pleasure, and her unselfish

JEANNE D'ARC.

515-

love of her native land. No longer
would she lead. As a volunteer,
she followed the captains.

Combining with the scattered bands
brought into the field by some of the
King's officers, the loyal men-at-arms
who had been subject to the Maid
fought inside or outside the walls, de-
fending or attacking, as one
loyal town, or another, was
threatened. Victory alternated
with defeat; but finally the
army of Philip forced the roy-
alists to divide, one band seek-
ing safety here, another there.

While at Crespy, on May 3,
Jeanne heard that Compiegne
was in peril
once more.
Faithful
Compiegne
In her heart
she c h e r -
ished, loved

its good people. Hastily she col-
lected a force of three hundred
men and galloped to the rescue.
Passing through the enemies ' lines,
she made her way into the city
on the morning of April 24. Late
in the afternoon of the same day,
with the King's captain, she at-
tacked the enemy, and drove
back the Burgundians. Eng-
lish troops came to their assist-
ance ; .the French took fright -
and ran. Bravely as ever, the
Maid stood, rallying the men.
They failed her. She was rec-
ognized, surrounded; eager
hands con-
tended f o r
the honor
of dragging
a girl down
from her
horse, and
of leading

COMPIEGNE— CITY BUILDINGS— STATUE OF JEANNE.

516

JEANNE D'ARC.

her away — a prisoner. Will her im-
prisonment be short ? Will death come
soon? as she prayed. Nine months
ago, on the road leading from Lagny
to Compiegne, as you remember, the
Archbishop of Rheims questioned, say-
ing : "Jeanne, in what place do you
hope to end your days?" Her an-

swer was : ' ' Wheresoever it shall please
God, for I am sure neither about time
nor place, knowing no more of the mat-
ter than you." About time or place,
on this night of April 24, she knows no
more than she knew when they cantered
by Lagny; but we know that Compiegne
is on the road that leads to the scaffold

and the Seine. The great-hearted child
of God has need of resignation.

All the King's true friends grieved
over the capture of the Maid, and whole
cities mourned ceremoniously. Well
might sovereign and people grieve and
mourn, having lost her who brought
them succor greater than that of any
knight, duke, or
prince. All the
King's enemies
rejoiced at the
Maid's discom-
fiture, and the
English ran mad
with delight. To
have been worsted
by a peasant girl;
to have been de-
prived of all their
hard- won gains by
a peasant girl ; to
see the bravest and
noblest of their
proud leaders g o
down before the
lance or the sword
of a peasant girl,—
had filled the Eng-
lish with fear and
with shame; and
fear, coupled with
shame, bred hate.
Their bitter hatred
of Jeanne d'Arc, be-
fore her capture,
they could show
only by words ; and
words they had not
spared in defaming
her ; asiftobe
thrashed by a vile
woman were more

honorable than to be routed by a Chris-
tian virgin: now they could revenge
themselves by cowardly deeds. Within
forty-eight hours after they had valor-
ously dragged her down from her horse,
they plotted her death. It was a das-
tardly plot, a sacrilegious plot.

By the law of nations, Jeanne, as a

JEANNE D'ARC.

517

prisoner of war, was entitled to honor-
able treatment and to ransom. Had her
captors put a price upon her, the French
people, if not the French King, would
have paid it, at any cost. To deprive
her of her rights as a combatant, there
was only one way; and that way was:
by charging her with a crime against
religion, thus bringing her immediately
under the jurisdiction of ecclesiastical
law. Pierre Cauchon was the man for
the work — a clever cleric, who, ten years
earlier, had assisted in negotiating the
disgraceful treaty of Troyes, by whose
terms Henry V. of England had been
recognized as regent of France and
legitimate heir of Charles VI. As a
crafty agent of Philip of Burgundy,
Cauchon had not been ill-paid for his
services, holding, as he did, the bishop-
ric of Beauvais and also an office of
honor and authority in the powerful
University of Paris. Through his influ-
ence, on April 26, the second day after
the Maid's capture, Philip of Burgund}'
was summoned by the vice-inquisitor of
Paris to deliver up to him: "a certain
woman named
Jeanne, suspected
of heresy, " so
that she might
be duly tried be-
fore good and
learned doctors
of the Univer-
sity. The Bur-
gundians knew
that their pris-
oner was valu-
able; so, giving
no answer to this
summons, they
shrewdly held
''the woman
named Jeanne ' '
in the castle of
Beaulieu, until
the end of June,
when, because
she attempted
to escape, they

transferred her to the fortress of Beau-
revoir.

Meantime Pierre Cauchon had not
been idle. With his connivance, the Uni-
versity of Paris issued a summons, on
July 14, citing the " woman suspected of
heresy". To this summons the peculiar
provision was added, that, in case the
woman wrere not sent to Paris, she should
be handed over to the Bishop of Beau-
vais, in whose diocese she had been
captured .
The Bishop
of Beauvais
we recognize
as Pierre
Cauchon, the
tool of the
English as
well as of
the Burgun-
dians.

DEMIS ABBEY,

518

JEANNE D'ARC.

THE OFFERING AT ST. DENIS

On the Duke of Burgundy, and on his
lieutenant, John of Luxemburg, Cauchon
served this new summons, and with it a
third, issued in his own name, requir-
ing that the suspected woman should
be committed to the church, because she
was charged with idolatry, and also with
invoking demons, the use of magical
charms, and the commission of many
other most wicked actions. In the text
of this latter summons, Cauchon artfully
offered Jeanne's jailors a bribe. By law,
he said, the English King, Henry VI.,
as King of France, enjoyed the right to
acquire from a captor, on the payment
of six thousand francs, possession of a
prisoner, be it a great lord, or a prince,
or even a king ; and, though Jeanne
was neither king nor prince, nor great

lord, Henry of England was
ready to pay those who
held her the sum of six
thousand francs, upon her
delivery into the hands of
his representative, — Pierre
Cauchon.

Philip had been waiting
for a bid. Cauchon 's price
was too low for the Duke,
who asked ten thousand
francs. Perhaps Jeanne had
an inkling of this plot; in
any case she knew how
thoroughly the English
^^^^ hated her, and what harsh
1|| treatment she might expect
from them. Escape was
hardly possible; still when
she heard that her beloved
Compiegne was sore
pressed, she determined to
seek freedom at the risk of
her life. From the top of
the tower of the castle of
Beaurevoir, she leaped to
the ground, missed a foot-
ing, was disabled, seized,
and, once more interned.
Soon after, the English ac-
cepted Philip's terms, and
he sent the Maid to Crotoy,
where she was delivered to the deputies
of Henry VI. From Crotoy, toward
the end of December, 1430, she was
removed to Rouen and imprisoned in a
tower of the royal castle. Manfully,
gallantly, the English chained, hand
and foot, the young peasant girl, for
whom they had paid a price almost
double that of a King.

By letters patent issued in the'name of
the English sovereign, and dated Janu-
ary 3, 1431, Jeanne d' Arc was handed
over to the jurisdiction of the Bishop of
Beauvais ; and this was done notwith-
standing the fact that, after her arrival
at Rouen, the University of Paris had
made a demand on both Bedford and
Cauchon, that she should be brought to
Paris and be tried there, becomingly, by

JEANNE D'ARC.

519

men learned in ecclesiastical law and in
theology. The English desired a con-
demnation, rather than a trial by a com-
petent tribunal, and this desire was
apparent not only from their disregard
of the University's request, but also
from their selection of Cauchon, who,
as Bishop of Beauvais, had no juris-
diction in the See of Rouen ; and still
more, from the provision inserted in the
letters patent, requiring that in case of
the ecclesiastical courts finding her not
guilty, Jeanne should be recommitted
to the King's officers ; a provision which
it was hardly worth wasting a scribe's
time in writing, for the King's officers
took good care that their prisoner never
passed out of the hands of the King's
jailors.

Cauchon 's lack of jurisdiction was a
serious matter. In the effort to make
good his defect, he obtained from the
archiepiscopal Chapter of Rouen, a docu-
ment conceding him jurisdiction within
the territory of the archdiocese, for this
particular case. In fact this concession
was null and void, because the Chapter
did not act freely, being
swayed by the threats and
the promises of the English
government. The mere
thought that Jeanne d' Arc,
a virgin, dutiful, devout,
heroic, is to be tried as a
heretic, awakens our pity,
our sympathy ; but know-
ing, as we do, that she is
to be tried by one who has
usurped the office of a
judge, and by a court such
as a false judge must
select ; and that the forms
of a sacred law are to be
dishonored in order to com-
pass her death ; and, still
worse, to calumniate her,
our souls are fired with a
just detestation of the hor-
rible criminals, as well as
of their infamous crime.

From among his inti-

mates and those whom he thought he
could rely upon, Cauchon chose a body
of consultors, numbering not less than
seventy. The prosecution of the case
against the Maid he confided to a former
official of the diocese of Beauvais, a cer-
tain Jean d'Estivet, who showed himself
worthy of the trust reposed in him by
his unprincipled superior. Though,
nominally, officials of an ecclesiastical
court, judge and jury were actually em-
ployees of the English King, receiving,
as they did, a liberal stipend through
the Duke of Bedford.

There was no evidence against Jeanne.
No witnesses had appeared, accusing
her of any ecclesiastical crime. To try
her, it was necessary to make charges
against her. A commission was des-
patched to Domremy to enquire into her
early life, and, if possible, to lay the
foundation for an indictment. The re-
port of this commission was not helpful
to those who had plotted her ruin. More
than six weeks passed before Cauchon
felt it safe officially to declare that there
was ground for proceeding against the

ST. DENIS GATE TO-DAY.

520

JEANNE D'ARC

JEANNE'S FAVORITE OCCUPATION IN PRISON.

Maid. Immediately after this declara-
tion, she was cited to appear before the
Bishop of Beauvais, on February 21, at
eight o'clock in the morning.

The trial thus opened on February 21,
1431, closed only on May 30, though,
within this period, according to the
forms of law, Jeanne was the subject of
several processes. Between February
21 and March 3, she was examined, out-
side of the jail, on six different occa-
sions. On March 10, a secret examina-
tion was initiated, in the jail itself.

This examination, adjourned from day
to day, ended on March 17 ; and with-
in these eight days, the unfortunate
prisoner was interrogated during no less
than nine long and wearisome sessions.
At the secret examination, the prose-
cutors, for such they were, numbered
only five ; and they were discreetly
chosen for the work, by Cauchon, be-
cause of their subserviency.

These fifteen inquisitions, public and
secret, were intended to prepare the way
for the ordinarv trial of the Maid. She

PHILADELPHIA DIOCESE SIXTY YEARS AGO.

521

had been questioned and cross-ques-
tioned, artfully, on many matters having
no relation with the faith of a Catholic,
and on some matters that even learned
folk might innocently answer in a most
heretical fashion . Had her answers been
truthfully recorded, it is questionable
whether, unlettered as she was, a single
flaw could be found in them. But her
answers were not set down truthfully.
Under the direction of Cauchon, and of
his servile agents, the written page was
made to lie about her. A heretic, or a
witch, she must be proved. Who else
could have thrashed the English, and
the Burgundians, so often and so sorely !
From a lying record, between March 18
and 26, no less than seventy articles were
formulated, an<', on the 27th, Jeanne,
having been taken from the jail and led
into a hall of t e castle of Rouen, was
submitted to another examination on
each of these articles. Thirty-nine can-
onists and theologians faced the lone

Maid on this day; on the 28th, thirty-
five confronted her. Ye maidens who
are not yet heroes ! But I need not ap-
peal to you, — on your tender, heartfelt
prayers, Jeanne d'Arc can count.

Three days later, Cauchon, with eight
others, put her to a further test, in the
jail. After this she was left to herself
until April 18, and meantime skilful
doctors in theology revised the seventy
articles of accusation, and compressed
them to twelve. These were submitted
to each of the con suitors and to the
University of Paris, with a letter from
Cauchon inviting one and all to say
that the ' ' assertions ' ' contained in the
articles were opposed to the faith, scan-
dalous, rash, contrary to good morals,
and, in a word, culpable. The Univer-
sity, and the majority of the consultors,
basing their opinion on the statement
presented to them, answered as Cauchon
desired. He could not formally condemn
the Maid, but the road was clear.

Af
\ r

PHILADELPHIA DIOCESE SIXTY YEARS AGO.

By Francis T. Furey.
O proof, other than a statement of
the facts, is needed to show that

no means is all of this confined to un-
published archives. Much of it is in

we are best enabled to form an idea of print; the books and periodicals contain-

the growth of the Church in this coun-
try, as well as in any other, by a com-
parison of the present conditions with
those existing at a former date. This

ing it are, however, seen only by the
few, and but very little of it has been
transferred into our popular literature.
In regard to Church history in this

work is comparatively easy within the country, indeed, one rich mine of infor-

time during which our Catholic direc-
tories have contained full statistics of
all the dioceses, but, in regard to the
earlier times, sufficient data for every
period and every section do not, unfor-
tunately, exist. We have enough, how-
ever, to furnish material for a long

mation has been, if not altogether ig-
nored, at least not utilized as it deserves.
It consists in the early volumes of
the Annals of the Propagation of the
Faith, those of which no English ver-
sion has so far been issued. They
abound in most interesting details con-

series of interesting studies. Some of tained in letters from bishops and priests

it is to be found in books that are within
easy reach of every student of our his-
tory, but there is a much greater mass
that is not so readily accessible, and by

who labored here in the early part of the
present century. They are, in fact, to
that period what the Jesuit Relations and
the Edifying Letters are, respectively,

522

PHILADELPHIA DIOCESE SIXTY YEARS AGO.

to the seventeenth and eighteenth cen-
turies. How the Church was planted
and fostered in every part of the land
is graphically described therein ; and
though this is done much more fully for
other sections than for the diocese of
Philadelphia, yet a goodly share of at-
tention is bestowed on the condition of
religion in that region sixty odd years
ago.

This information may rightly be re-
garded as official, for it is contained in
two letters from the Rt. Rev. Francis
Patrick Kenrick, D.D., then coadjutor-
administrator of the See. On October
3, 1833, the editor of the Annals wrote
to him, asking for an account of the
state of religion within his jurisdiction,
which embraced not merely the present
archdiocese of Philadelphia, but the ter-
ritory of the other four Sees now in
Pennsylvania and the greater portions
of those of Trenton and Wilmington as
well. On January 14 following, the
Bishop complied with this request, being
only too glad of the opportunity to fur-
nish the desired information. His second
letter was written to the same corre-
spondent nearly three years later, on
December 31, 1836, and is a most valu-
able appendix to the earlier missive, by
reason of its throwing light on the in-
ternal conditions of the Church, the
other having dealt only with its external
affairs.

In his first letter he says that, within
his jurisdiction, there were, on a rough
calculation, about a hundred thousand
Catholics, most of them either immi-
grants themselves or the children and
grandchildren of immigrants from the
various countries of Europe. The great
majority of them were Germans and Irish;
but the French were also quite numer-
ous, especially in Philadelphia, where the
presence of three French priests, Fathers
Foulhouze and Guth at Holy Trinity,
and Father Dubuisson, S.J., at St.
Joseph's, afforded them every facility
for practising their religion. At the for-
mer church sermons were often preached

in their language, and sometimes also
at St. Mary's, then the cathedral. In
the interior of Pennsylvania, French
families were to be found at various
points, and some had just settled in
Centre, Clearfield, Potter and other coun-
ties. A small colony of that nationality
had long ago bee a established at Asylum,
or Frenchtown, in Bradford (now Sulli-
van) county ; but, having for many
years been deprived of the ministrations
of religion, there then remained, he had
been told, scarcely a vestige of the Catho-
lic faith among its members. Nearly all
the original immigrants were dead, and
their children, having had no one to in-
struct them in the faith of their ances-
tors, had drifted into the various sects
in the midst of which they had been
reared. He ardently desired to pay them
a visit, so as to try to bring them back
to the Church; but so far it had been
impossible for him to do so, though he
made a pastoral visitation of a large
section of his vast diocese every year,
devoting several months to each of these
tours. The fifty-nine parishes and mis-
sions within his jurisdiction had kept
him constantly busy during the three
years and a half that had elapsed since
his elevation to the episcopate. There
were three or four to which he had so
far been unable to go and yet he had
already given confirmation to fifty -six
hundred persons. He hoped that ere
long he would be able to visit, rather as
a missionary than as a bishop, the very
remote places in which no missions had
yet been established. It would be a
great consolation to him to carry the
light of faith to those people sitting in
the darkness of error, to give a pledge of
the Heavenly Father's love to those
children unhappily so remote. But from
his second letter it appears that he was
unable to gratify his wish in regard to
the poor unfortunate people of the Asy-
lum settlement. In the Autumn of 1836
he was in that region. After visiting a
German colony in Ly coming county,
where a few Catholic families had lived

PHILADELPHIA DIOCESE SIXTY YEARS AGO.

523

for over eighteen years without having
once seen a priest, he seized that oppor-
tunity to go to Towanda, where he in-
quired as to what had become of the
French colony; but among the inhabit-
ants he found not a trace of the faith
of their fathers.

Yet he often found cause for rejoicing
as well as for despondency. In his earlier
missive he tells us that he had recently
visited St. Peter's in Brownsville, on the
Monongahela, then only a small village,
and that there he was very much edified
by the joy with which a pious widow, a
Frenchwoman, came with her children
to receive the sacraments, of which she
had been deprived for several years, be-
cause of there being no priest who
understood her language. All the faith-
ful of that mission, indeed, were to be
pitied, seeing that only four times a year
did they enjoy the presence of a priest,
the Rev. James Ambrose Stillinger, pas-
tor of Blairs vi lie, a young American
missionary, who was visiting them until
the Bishop could find some one to send
there as resident pastor. The French
families residing in Potter county had
not even that consolation; for it was only
very seldom that the pastor of All
Saints', at Lewistown, to whom were en-
trusted this mission and those of Clear-
field and Bellefonte, could make the
long journey that a visit to them re-
quired. Once every month he journeyed
sixty miles to Clearfield, where the
French were quite numerous ; but those
of Potter lived at a much longer dis-
tance.

There were about twenty-five thousand
Catholics in Philadelphia, where they en-
joyed those religious advantages which
Providence, in His mysterious dispen-
sations, had not granted to their breth-
ren in the interior of the State, remarks
the Bishop, who then continues: "We
already have five churches here, of con-
siderable size and well built. I should,
however, make an exception of St.
Joseph's, which is the oldest of them,
and which is to be admired more for the

piety of the faithful who frequent it
than for the elegance of "the edifice. It
was founded a hundred years ago, when
Catholics were as yet very few in num-
ber. The civil authorities of that time
deliberated very seriously as to whether
they ought to tolerate the scandal of the
public celebration of Mass. Since then
it has been enlarged to more than double
its former size1, and yet it is still the
smallest of all the churches in the city.
The Church of St. John the Evangelist,
which Father Hughes, its pastor, aided
by the generosity of the public, and par-
ticularly by that of a Frenchman (M. A.
Frenaye), built two years ago, is an
elegant structure. It has already cost
nearly $50,000, a large part of which
remains unpaid ; and $12,000 more will
be needed to complete it. A sixth church
is already being built to the north of the
city, and will be open to the public in
the course of a few months. And yet,
at least one other is needed to the south;
but our resources are exhausted, and we
find it difficult to finish the one that has
been begun, St. Michael's. Scarcely
$20,000 will suffice for the erection of
this edifice.

1 ' Each of the city churches is served
by two priests, and occasionally at-
tended, as is the custom, by some
others. Two Jesuit Fathers, one of
them, Father Dubuisson, a Frenchman,
and the other an Irishman, exercise the
sacred ministry at St. Joseph's, the
original home of the Jesuit missionaries
in the State of Pennsylvania, who were
members of the same society. It does
not appear that at the time (1732) when
the little St. Joseph 's chapel was built
there was a priest residing in Phila-
delphia ; for I have seen by the register
preserved at Goshenhoppen, forty-five
miles away, that Father Schneider, S.J.,
who took up his residence there as early
as 1741, came to Philadelphia from time
to time, and there baptized the children

i. To four times its original size, indeed. It was
first enlarged in 1757, and again in 1821. The present
edifice was erected in 1838.

524

PH1LADELPH1A DIOCESE SIXTY YEARS AGO.

of the faithful in the little chapel, as it
was then called, in the early years of his
mission. We find, however, that he
baptized no more than one or two chil-
dren on each of his visits. Some time
afterwards, two Jesuit Fathers took up
their abode in Philadelphia2, in a house
adjoining St. Joseph's, which continued
to be occupied by the Jesuit Fathers
until their Order was suppressed. They
returned thither at Easter of last year.
Their piety and zeal have already pro-
duced much fruit. ' '

He then takes a glance at the other
extremity of Pennsylvania. Pittsburg
he describes as a city of some import-
ance, containing, at the lowest estimate,
a population of twenty thousand souls,
between four and five thousand of whom
were Catholics. Until that time there had
been but one church there, St. Patrick's ;
but it was hoped that they would soon
have another, St. Paul's, a vast edifice
that was then well advanced and splen-
didly built. It had been begun five years
before; but the lack of pecuniary resources
delayed its completion. The pastor of
St. Patrick's, Rev. John O'Reilly, who
had already built three churches, those
at Newry, Huntington, and Bellefonte,
was then exerting all his efforts to give
the finishing touches to St. Paul's in
Pittsburg. The Rev. Father Masquelet,
an Alsatian, was his assistant, attending
chiefly to the Germans, who were very
numerous there, and to some French to
be found there also. Near Pittsburg the
Poor Clares had a convent with fourteen
nuns, under the spiritual direction of
the Rev. Father Van de Wejer a Belgian.

At Conewago, near the Maryland
frontier, the Jesuit Fathers had an im-
portant mission, in the midst of quite a
large population of Catholics. These
Fathers' zeal extended to the surround-
ing districts, and they had charge of
three churches besides that adjoining

2. Cnthis point the Bishop is in error. Father
Joseph Greaton, S.J., had resided in Philadelphia
for some years before Father Schneider came to
Pennsylvania, probably since 1729.

their dwelling. Father Pellentz, quite a
famous missionary, had founded this
mission. The present church had been
built in 1787. Nearly five hundred per-
sons had received confirmation in three
of these churches at the time of the
Bishop's visit.

The church at Goshenhoppen, belong-
ing also to the Jesuits, must, he was sat-
isfied, have been built before 1765 to take
the place of the original chapel ; for, in
the register, we find some baptisms tak-
ing place in templo that very year. Per-
haps it was begun at the same time as
St. Mary's in Philadelphia, built in
1763. The Catholic population in the
neighborhood was quite numerous in
Bishop Kenrick's time, and was almost
entirely of German origin ; whence it
happened that the generation he knew,
though American by birth, did not speak
English, at least, in general. The spirit
of faith and piety had been preserved
there, and was fostered in his day by
the zeal of Father Corvin (Krokowski),
a Jesuit from Livonia, just as it had
hitherto been fostered by that of his
predecessors, ever since the time of
Father Schneider.

Loretto, in Cambria county, was still
the home of the famous missionary and
colonizer, the Rev. Prince Gallitzin,
who lived in the midst of a large popula-
tion that was almost exclusively Catho-
lic. Thirty-five years had elapsed since
that venerable man had chosen the sum-
mits of the Alleghanies as his retreat,
or rather as the centre of his mission ;
and thence he went from time to time to
bear the aids and consolations of religion
to Catholics scattered over an immense
area, in which five priests were minis-
tering when Bishop Kenrick wrote his
report. At the time of Father Gallitzin 's
arrival in that region the faithful were
far from being strong in numbers in
Cambria county ; but his perseverance,
despite all the difficulties that he had to
encounter, was crowned with celestial
blessings ; the mountains had been
made fertile, and the forests flourishing.

PHILADELPHIA DIOCESE SIXTY YEARS AGO

525

Many Protestants had followed his ex-
ample and renounced the errors of the
sects in whose bosom they had been
reared ; and Catholics flocked fn m all
sides to confide in the paternal solicitude
of a priest whose humble and pure life
moved them to the faithful practice of the
evangelical virtues.

Though a detailed account of every
mission in his vast diocese would no
doubt give edification, yet the Bishop
felt that he was already taking up too
much space, but he was careful to refer
to the zeal that the details he was fur-

the laborers emplo} ed on the public
works being, for the most part, emigrants
from Ireland, and large numbers of them
preferring their mother tongue to Eng-
lish. All the missionar es then working
in the diocese spoke English, and nearly
all French also ; there were ten who
spoke German, and several who knew
Irish. These missionaries had been
furnished by nine nationalities, so that
there was greater diversity among them
than among the faithful themselves, in
respect to origin. They contained four
Frenchmen, three Germans, two Bel-

nishing might enkindle in the hearts of gians and twenty-one Irishmen. Russia,

those desiring the advancement of the

kingdom of Christ, and accordingly he

pointed out the need he had of more

missionary priests. At that time only

a small number of his churches were

provided with resident pastors and had

the Holy Sacrifice offered up every day,

or even every Sunday. Philadelphia,

Pittsburg, Conewago, Loretto, Mana-

yunk and Wilmington were the only

places that possessed this advantage.

Among the missions there were some

that enjoyed the presence of their

pastors three times a. month, such as

Haycock, Pottsville, Lancaster, Bedford

and Chambersburg ; others only twice,

others but once, and others again still

Livonia, England and Portugal had
given to Pennsylvania one missionary
each. As for native Americans, there
were three then engaged in diocesan
work, and two in the seminary at Em-
mittsburg, but their number might well
be increased, if he had a suitable semi-
nary of his own to receive the young
natives desiring to devote themselves to
the sacred ministry. He was then
exerting his energies in the fostering of
a seminary that he had founded on a
very small scale eighteen months before,
and he hoped, God willing and those
aiding to whom he had confided the
distribution of His gifts, to make it
successful. His wish and work have

more rarely, according as the work of been splendidly realized in the magnifi-
the other missions gave opportunity to cent outgrowth of that humble begin -

the priests attending them. Browns-
ville, Carbondale, Silver Lake, New
Castle, Butler and Hart's Sleeping
Place, though supplied with churches,
were in this desolate condition. Each
of the missionaries was entrusted with
two, three, or even more missions, often
rather remote from one another. And

ning, the present Theological Seminary
of St. Charles Borromeo at Overbrook.
Yet three years after his writing this
letter, when he was preparing to move
his twelve students into a new but yet
small building, he had working in his
diocese only two priests who were
Americans, and one of these, the Rev.

for some of these missions the gift of Father Barber, S.J., was a new arrival ;

tongues and an iron constitution were
required; but English was everywhere
essential, German in nearly all cases,
unless the flock occasionally received
the attentions of a special missionary

so that, in the meantime, two of these
spoken of above must have departed.
Nor had there been any increase in the
aggregate number of his priests.

Before closing his first letter the

speaking that language ; French was of Bishop records that public opinion in

great advantage, especially in the large
cities ; and Irish was also very useful,

Philadelphia was becoming every day
more favorable to the true religion. The

526

PHILADELPHIA DIOCESE SIXTY YEARS AGO.

heroic courage of the Sisters of Charity,
when the cholera (of 1832) was spread-
ing consternation everywhere, won for
them universal admiration, and the
civil authorities had given them public
testimonials as to benefactors of society.
The maternal care that they were lavish-
ing on nearly fourscore orphans in the
two establishments named after St.
Joseph, also won much praise for them.
The priests of the diocese, on their part,
by their devotedness to the service of
the ministry on behalf of the victims of
cholera, whilst the ministers of the sects
had fled, made evident the excellence
of the priesthood and its divine char-
acter. Such works of charity are visible,
palpable proofs of religion ; but it seems
that he was overconfident in asserting
that there was no one who would dare
try to belittle their merits, for, accord-
ing to his second letter, there must have
been a fresh outbreak of anti-Catholic
bigotry soon afterwards. This he
charges to the Presbyterians, by far the
most powerful of the Protestant sects in
the State.

They wielded immense influence, be-
cause of their wealth and of the effort
that they were constantly making to
increase their strength. They were the
bitterest enemies of the Catholic Church,
and were doing everything to have Cath-
olics regarded as enemies of liberty and
of the government. They were never
weary of saying that Catholics must be
deprived of all the rights and privileges
of citizenship. While considering this
subject he dwells on the famous contro-
versy between the Rev. Mr. Brecken-
ridge, a Presbyterian minister, and the
Rev. John Hughes, pastor of St. John's,
to which he had briefly alluded in his
first missive, saying that Father Hughes '
discourses and letters had been very
helpful in enlightening Protestants, sev-
eral of whom had come over to the
Church. But it appears that Brecken-
ridge and his imitators had their influ-
ence on the bigots, continuing to teach
them that the Catholic religion is irre-

concilable with popular liberty. In-
famous books against the religious in-
stitutions and the clergy were in circu-
lation, and the foulest calumnies had
been invented. The Leopoldine Asso-
ciation, an Austrian society, modeled
after that of the Propagation of the
Faith, served as a pretext for an accusa-
tion against all Catholics, who were said
to be in league with the Austrian gov-
ernment for the overthrow of the Repub-
lic. But in spite of all these efforts our
holy religion not only held its own, but
was advancing, and by the end of 1836
the violence of their adversaries seemed
to be giving way to the patience of the
Catholics.

In noting conversions he is more par-
ticular in the second than in the first
letter. They were not very frequent, he
says. During the year 1836 twenty-
five persons embraced the faith in the
cathedral church, thirty-six in St. Paul's,
Pittsburg, while to his knowledge there
were over fifty others in various places.
He thought, indeed, that the number of
conversions on which no report had been
sent to him was almost as large.

But he had other disagreeable as well
as pleasing details to furnish. While
defections, properly so called, were rare,
yet there were many who did not profess
the Catholic faith of their parents. The
spirit of independence, which was com-
mon to all, led people to make too much
of their own judgment and to regard all
exercise of authority with jealousy.
Even children learning their catechism
seemed to lack that docility which they
ought to have at their age. Adults lis-
tened to preaching, which they liked
very much, rather in a spirit of criticism
than with the humility of faith. The
intense prejudices against Catholicism,
which prevailed everywhere, led to many
being ashamed of their religion, espe-
cially in those localities in which the
faithful were few in number and their
position was far from prominent in soci-
ety. From lack of opportunity to ap-
proach the sacraments the use and love

PHILADELPHIA DIOCESE SIXTY YEARS AGO.

527

,f them were lost, and scarcely did the
>eople retain a few memories of the ex-
•rcises of piety.

The poverty of'parents was also one of
he causes of their children being lost to
he faith ; and even in the very locali-
ies in which priests resided, whether in
he large cities or elsewhere, Catholics
#ere often obliged to place their chil-
dren as apprentices with Protestants, or
;o put them in the establishments for the
poor in which the Protestant sects had
che chief control. That was why the
Bishop thought that the money which
:he Association for the Propagation of
the Faith had been so charitable as to
send to him, would be well spent by
giving it almost entirely to St. Joseph's
asylum for Catholic orphans.

In regard to the ordinary expenses of
the diocese and of its missions, the gen-
erosity of the faithful was sufficient to
supply their needs, except in some
places where Catholics were few in
number and very limited in means.
Such was the case in the French and
in some of the German colonies also.
But the support of the churches, indis-
pensable as it was, encountered many
obstacles, because it was so difficult to
obtain the necessary funds, except on
conditions that not only might, but in
fact had, in certain cases, become dan-
gerous. It was very seldom that a gra-
tuitous gift was made ; and if a site was
obtained for a church, it was on condi-
tion that the title to ownership be vested
not in the Bishop, but in the trustees
chosen annually by the pewholders,
under the sanction of a charter. When
anyone contributed a certain amount
towards the erection of the church, he
demanded a rebate in the price to be
paid for a pew, and he was allowed to
have his way in order that expenses
might be met. As soon as the sale of
pews had been made, the church was no
longer the house of the poor ; each pur-
chaser owned his pew, as he owned his
house ; he could sell it again, bequeath
it, dispose of it as he pleased ; he had it

secured by lock and key, and kept it
empty when he pleased. The trustees
received an annual rent for it, a portion
of which they gave to the pastor, at
their pleasure, and did what they saw
fit with the balance. Cases had hap-
pened, and were always in danger of
happening, in which the trustees had
refused any support whatever to the
pastor appointed by the Bishop, and had
used the money to support some un-
worthy and rebellious priest, in defiance
of ecclesiastical authority, to publish
pamphlets against it, and even to bring
civil suits against the Bishop himself !

While making the annual visitation
of the diocese in the Autumn of 1836 he
had occasion to notice how the faithful
were exposed to losing their piety and
even their faith, for want of mission-
aries. Some congregations had not had
resident priests for several years; but
into one of these districts he had just
sent a young Irish priest immediately
after his ordination. He does not give
his name, but we presume it was the
Rev. John V. O'Reilly, who about that
time took up his residence at Friends-
ville, in Susquehanna county, and was
for years the only priest in a territory
almost coterminous with the present
diocese of Scranton, which now has one
hundred and forty priests and a Catholic
population of one hundred and thirty-
five thousand. And the increase through-
out the rest of Bishop Kenrick's terri-
tory has been almost as great, thus
more than justifying the hope he enter-
tained in January, 1834, that the light
of truth would be shed abundantly, and
that the piety of the faithful would be-
come, from day to day, more fervent.
There had already been a very large in-
crease in the number of communions,
and this increase, as well as that of the „
faithful and of the clergy, has continued.
Bishop Kenrick's jurisdiction is now
divided between seven Sees, with an
aggregate of over eightfold more Cath-
olics than he ruled — eight hundred and
forty thousand against one hundred

528

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

thousand. And they are very much more academies and many charitable in&ti-

emciently served, for, instead of the mere tutions. The Church in the diocese

handful of priests of that time, there are ruled by Bishop Kenrick has, then,

now over eleven hundred in the same far more than merely kept pace with

territory, which is also supplied with the general progress throughout the

hundreds of parochial schools and country.

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.
By Rev. F. Felix, O.S.B.

f'N the recent Apostolic Letter of Pope
J- Leo XIII. to the English people,
His Holiness dwells at length upon the

ST. AUGUSTIN.

prodigious work undertaken by St.
Gregory the Great and the conversion of
the ancient Britons, and it is with special
purpose he recalls ' ' These great and
glorious events in the annals of the
Church which must of necessity be re-
membered with gratitude by the sons of
England. "

That illustrious predecessor of our pres-
ent Pontiff gave the first impetus to the
missionary enterprise of St. Augustin
and his co-laborers, which subsequently
terminated in the conversion of the
Anglo-Saxons to the religion of truth
and immortality, in the civilization of
the barbarous tribes, and the sanctifica-
tion of the nation and land which rejoices

in the distinction of being the " Isle of
Saints."

England now celebrates the thirteenth
centenary of the landing of St. Augustin
and his forty companions. Justly may
she rejoice in the memory of the ' ' blessed
hallowed days of yore"; yet deep and
bitter sorrow will surely mingle in her
gladness. She, who was once the tender
nurseling of the Church, the pride and
bulwark of Christianity, the mighty de-
fender of the religious cause, the propa-
gator of the true faith, to-day bears the
stigma of apostasy upon her humbled
brow, and for more than three centuries,
has been alienated from the bosom of her
loving Holy Mother. But who caused this
dire disaster and upon whom rests this
terrible responsibility ? Not many years
ago the late Cardinal Manning sought an
answer to this searching question. To a
vast congregation in his pro-cathedral at
Kensington, his trembling voice re-
sponded to his own interrogation in
tones so convincing and impressive, for
he already stood on the threshold of the
eternal shore: ' ' A voluptuous king, a
handful of corrupted, licentious courtiers,
and — God have mercy on them — a few
cunning bishops and priests. Yes, ' our
fathers have sinned and we bear their
iniquities. Our inheritance is turned to
aliens and our homes to strangers. ' '

Millions of saints, however, whose
ashes consecrate the blood-stained soil of
Britain, in unceasing chorus, will con-
tinue to supplicate God's mercy for the
land they loved. Again the voice of the

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

529

common Father of Christendom exhorts
the English people to unite in faith and
charity : " God is our witness how keen
is our wish that some effort of ours
might tend to assist and further the great
work of obtaining the reunion
We place our confidence of a happy issue
principally, and, above all, in the wonder-
ful power of God's grace. ' '

Strange coincidence of divine Provi-
dence ! Thirteen hundred years ago St.
Augustin, with forty companions, first
set foot on the English strand, bringing
the message of redemption. Upon the day
of the centenary celebration, on the spot
hallowed by the Saint's advent, the
sacrifice of the altar will be celebrated
by the illustrious Bishop Hedley, O.S.B.,
surrounded by the episcopacy of Eng-
land and forty Benedictine monks. As,
thirteen centuries ago, the land was sanc-
tified by England's great apostle, so now,
by their prayers and benediction, it will
be reconsecrated to the Church and to
religion.

Innumerable and venerable are the
memories which linger about this Isle.
The atmosphere is heavy with the aroma
of sanctity, and faith still lives, even
though God's temples be in ruins and
deserted.

"The spot that angels deign to grace
Is blessed though robbers haunt the place. ' '

The humbler classes still cling to the
traditions beautiful in the eyes of faith.
Every shattered pillar, every crumbling
stone is stamped with a history which
will exist through long living ages. The
ruins of the abbeys and cathedrals are
wreathed in memories, and Nature alone
has pity on them and with a cover of
clustering ivy and eglantiiie she hides
man's vandalism. There is no nation
on the globe whose religious, history re-
cords so many interesting events and, in
these days of jubilee, the glad memories
of the past return, so with the bard let us

"• . . Seek upon the heights of time the

source
Of a holy river on whose banks are found

Sweet pastoral flowers ajid laurels that

have crowned

Full oft the unworthy brow of lawless force;
Where, for the delight of him who tracks its

course,

Immortal amaranth and palms abound."
* * *

The scattered fragments of the early
history of the Britons were handed down
to posterity by a few Latin writers.
Caesar, with two legions, crossed the Eng-
lish Channel and with his intrepid forces
soon subdued a small portion of the Isle,
leaving the greater part still indepen-
dent. Augustus thrice announced his
intention of completely annexing Britain

ST. GREGORY.

to the Roman Empire, but pressing de-
mands required his attention at home.
There is no necessity to refer to the in-
sanity of Caligula in fighting the ocean
as his enemy and thus claiming his
triumph over the free land of the Britons.
The four legions sent by the Emperor
Claudius, under the able command of
Aulus Plautius, finally accomplished the
subjugation of the people and took the
British chieftain Caractacus captive.
Even this conquest appeared folly to the
conquered yet proud Briton, for when he
was led in chains through the streets of
Rome he marvelled how so great a race
could abandon palaces to conquer the
hovels of an unknown land.

530

THE LANDING OF ST. AUCUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

CAMALDOLIAN MONASTERY OF ST. GREGORY.

There can be no doubt that many of
the Roman soldiers who remained in
Britain had brought with them the seed
of the Christian Faith. Numbers of
immortal traditions point to an
propagation of Christ's religion,
sacred ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, once
the "Roma Secunda, " tell us that
Philip, the Apostle, sent Joseph of
Arimathea with twelve faithful follow-
ers to England, who subsequently erected
on that spot the first monastery to which
St. Patrick gave a Rule. At Winches-
ter, to this day, the site of the house is
still known in which Claudia, the wife
of Prudens, was born, who is related to
have conversed with the Holy Apostles.

Diocletian and Maximian
is well-known, for, among
them

"... Was St. Alban . . .
England's first martyr, whom

no threats could shake,
Self offered victim for^his

friend he died,
And for the faith. ' '

These persecutions and the
invasions of the Teutonic
hordes were the weapons by
which Christia n i t y was
almost totally extirpated.

In the year 449 the British
King, Vortigern, solicited
the aid of two Saxon chief-
tains, Hengist and Horsa,
in order to resist their
Northern invaders . They
landed at Ebbsfleet, near
the Isle of Thanet, upon
the very spot touched in
597 by the emissaries of
Pope St. Gregory.

Roman power succumbed
to force, but in turn the
Saxons, increased by Teu-
ton auxiliaries, drove the Briton from
his native haunts, and by bloodshed,
intrigue, and rapine, became masters of
the land. These bold tribes established
early one kingdom after another, wresting the
The territory from its lawful owners. Kent,
Sussex, Essex began to rise and, later,
East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria,
comprising Bernicia and Deira, were
founded. Thus originated the Heptar-
chy.

These Teutons were intrepid and war-
like and adhered with tenacity to their
religious belief, customs, and languages.
These they impressed so deeply upon
the British race that by no vicissitudes
of time or fortune were they eradicated.

The ruins of chapels and churches were They adored Odin, or Wodan, the Jupi-

many upon St. Augustin's arrival, and
the Council of Aries, in 314, numbered
three British Bishops among the Fathers
of the sacred assembly. That England had

ter of the North, who ruled the elements
and the destinies of men; Freja sup-
planted the Venus of the Romans; Wara,
Juno. Their Druids sacrificed in the

many martyrs during the persecution of forests under the sacred oaks, and their

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

531

festivals were the occasions of the most
shameful orgies. Belief in immortality
was characteristic of the people, for, in
the Walhalla, both the brave and the just
could hope to meet. Their conception
of virtue, justice, conjugal chastity, oc-
casioned the framing of laws which were
worthy of a nobler race, and rendered
them most susceptible of Christian civ-
ilization. The spirit manifested towards
a conquered people was inhuman in the
extreme. Their captives were offered in
sacrifice to the gods, and, from the skulls
of the victims, they would quaff the na-
tion's health. If youth and beauty in-
voked clemency the unfortunates were
sold as slaves and then transported to
foreign markets. This traffic seems to
have been carried on to a remarkable
extent, and the human chattels from the
Anglo-Saxons supplied the Continent.

Providence, in patriarchal times, per-
mitted the beloved son of Jacob to be
sold as a slave to Egyptian mer-
chants, and this servitude gave deliver-
ance to the aged parent and his famity,
and Joseph became the saviour of his
people. Like Joseph, these Anglo-
Saxon slaves were brought by merchants

to the City of Rome. .Let us not be
surprised if we find a slave market in
Rome during the second half of the sixth
century, when our own "all Christian
nation " legalized this infamous trade to
the second half of the nineteenth cen-
tury, For Rome, though partly Chris-
tian, still nursed the dying groans of
paganism, and, as the commercial centre
of the world, it was quite natural that
young Britons, like Joseph, were offered
for sale in the Forum. That Forum re-
tains now no trace of its greatness in the
past, and of the famed tribunal whence
the people were ruled by force of elo-
quence only broken columns remain.
Crumbling and shattered marbles mark
the foundations of temples, arches, etc.,
and the dust of centuries is heaped upon
the ground immortalized by the tread of
a nation of enduring greatness.

It may probably have been in the year
586 that St. Gregory the Great, then
Abbot of the Monastery of St. Andrew,
passed through the Roman Forum and
beheld the Anglican youths offered for
sale. He was attracted by the sight of
these captives with their flaxen locks,
bright bine eyes and regular features:

532

THE LANDING OF ST AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

FIRST RESIDBNCE OF ST. AUGUSTIN.

"A bright-haired company of youthful

slaves,

Beautiful strangers stand within the pale
Of a sad market, ranged for public sale,
Where Tiber's stream the immortal city

laves,
Angli by name. ' '

Gregory, by the nobility of his birth
(he was the son of Gordianus, a senator,)
and by his great learning and the mild-
ness of his manners, was well-known to
the Roman citizens. The Saint was
induced by sympathy and curiosity to
inquire of the merchant the country and
religion of the beautiful but unfortunate
children. " What evil luck " exclaimed
St. Gregory, "that the Prince of Dark-
ness should possess beings with an
aspect so radiant and void of inward
grace. But of what nation are they? "
"They are Angles " answered the mer-
chant most willingly. "Well named,
for these Angles have the faces of the
angels in heaven. From what province
have they been brought?" "From
Deira. " "Still good " answered he,
" De ira eruti — they shall be snatched
from the ire of God and called to the
mercy of Christ. And how name they
their King ? " " Aella is his name."

" . . . Subjects of Saxon Aella — they

shall sing
Glad alleluias to the Eternal King."

The charitable Abbot then
purchased the captives and
led them to his monastery
on Monte Celio, once his
father's mansion. The
Camaldolian Benedictines
are now in possession of the
venerable spot which bears
the name of St Gregory.
Few places in the Eternal
City are more worthy of re-
membrance than Mount
Celio. The cradle of Eng-
lish Christianity is planted
upon this soil, steeped with

the blood of many thousand

martyrs, for, at the foot of
the mountain, is the famous
Coliseum in which so many Christians
have sacrificed their lives for Christ,
and oft from this mount the smoke
must have been seen arising from the
fire in which the Christians were sac-
rificed.

"Where is the Englishman," says
Montalembert, "worthy of the name,
who, in looking from the Palatine to the
Coliseum, would contemplate, without
emotion and without remorse, the spot
from whence have come to him the faith
and name of Christian— the Bible of
which he is so proud — the Church her-
self of which he has preserved but the
shadow — there were the slave children
of his ancestors gathered together and
saved. On these stones they knelt who
made his country Christian. Under these
roofs were conceived the grand idea of
their salvation. By these steps de-
scended the forty monks who bore to
England the Word of God and the Light
of the Gospel along with Catholic Unity,
the Apostolic Succession, and the Rule
of St. Benedict."

It is said that Cardinal Newman, after
his conversion from Anglicanism, was
deeply moved when he prayed at this
spot, and upon the archives of Monte
Cassino he wrote the memorable words,
"O holy Cassinese, whence England
once drew the waters of salutary doc-

THE LANDING OF ST. AUCUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

533

trine, pray for us now arising from
heresy to pristine vigor. "

In the monastery of St. Andrew, St.
Augustin or St. Austin, as he is known
in the land of his destination, was Prior
at that time. Little is known of his
previous history. Suffice it to say that
he must have been a great and good
man. St Gregory the Abbot offered
himself at once for the distant mission
among the Britons, but, failing to re-
ceive the desired encouragement from
Pope Pelagius II., he secretly set out for
England, leaving St. Austin in charge of
his monastery. But the people of Rome
cherished the deepest love for this great
Saint, and, in the wildest confusion,
sought the Pontiff to demand his return.
This he did by special messengers. See-
ing his plans frustrated, St. Gregory
still nourished in his bosom the desire to
transform the Angles into angels, and
when, after the death of Pelagius. he was
called to the pontificate as his successor,
he realized the grand ideal of his soul.
From among the sons of St. Benedict he
selected forty. He placed them under
the leadership of St. Augustin and com-
missioned them to seek the foreign
shores. Ite et docete. Many saints were

in that glorious band, as a St. Melitus,
St. Justus, St. Lawrence, St. Paulinus,
who subsequently became bishops in the
episcopal sees erected in England.

These great apostles set out on their
memorable journey in 596. It must have
been a sad farewell when last they kissed
the ground of the Holy City and the
hands of the Sovereign Pontiff. Histoiy
does not relate what words were spot en
and what tears were wept when St.
Gregory extended his hands in solemn
benediction over the noble band. They
departed and arrived without hindrance
in Provence, then stopped for some time
at Lerins, in that Mediterranean Isle of
the Saints where, one century and a half
before, St. Patrick, Ireland's apostle, had
sojourned for nine years previous to his
mission by Pope Celestire to evangelize
the Celts.

Much has been written and said derog-
atory to the mission of these holy men
on account of a certain event which
transpired on their journey to England.
It seems that in various places, prob-
ably monasteries, they received most ex-
travagant accounts of the barbarity and
ferocity of the Britons. Human nature
asserted itself. Fear possessed their

CANTERBURY CATHEL.RAL.

534

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

CHOIR OF CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL.

hearts. The anticipation of the arduous
undertaking and the dangers accom-
panying it, but chiefly the love for their
monastic home they had left in Rome,
made them hesitate. It is said that St.
Adelhard of Corby wept when he for-
sook his house of exile to return to
honor by the command of Emperor
Louis. Alcuin hesitated at the thresh-
old of his monastery to obey the imperial
mandate which required his wisdom at
the Court of Charlemagne. St. Anselm,
England's great doctor, could only be
persuaded through obedience to depart
from his monastery and assume the See
of St. Augustin at Canterbury, and it
is related that St. Lioba, St. Walburga,
and their noble companions shed bitter
tears when they reached the inhospit-
able shores of Germany when in thought
they returned to their beloved convent
atWinburn, England. Saints, too, knew
how to weep and suffer.

Augustin returned to Rome and be-
sought His Holiness to recall his orders,
but instead of the leave of return, St.
Gregory, filled with the Holy Ghost,
now commanded, "Forward in God's
name ! The more you will have to suffer
the brighter will be your glory in eter-

nity ! * * * If I cannot share your
toil I shall, nevertheless, rejoice in the
harvest, for God knows I lack not the
will."

With letters to the Bishops of Aix,
Autun, Tours, Marseilles and the Abbot
of lyerins, St. Augustin returned, at
the same time invested with the supreme
power as Abbot — and no contradiction or
complaints were now heard, for their
Holy Rule requiied, " If any brother is
commanded by the Abbot to do things
that are too hard or even impossible, he
ought to receive the order with all mild-
ness and obedience. " At the same time
Gregory directed letters to the two young
Kings of Austrasia and Burgundy, and
their mother, Brunehaut, to solicit the
services of an interpreter to accompany
them and a royal conduct to insure a
safe journey through France. In God's
name by obedience they proceeded.
Autun, in France, was the last stopping
place. Finally, they reached the straits.
On fragile vessels, such as were then in
use, they crossed the vast expanse of
water, and, before many hours elapsed,
the white cliffs of the British shores
loomed into view. A rocky, dangerous
coast stretched before them, yet no stony

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

535

hearts awaited their coming. They
landed between the modern towns of
Ramsgate and Sandwich, singing hymns
like Columbus when he landed in Amer-
ica nearly a thousand years thereafter.

It is said when St. Benedict arrived at
the inhospitable heights of Monte Cas-
sino he sank upon a rock as he sought
God's blessing upon his future work,
and it still bears the impress of his
sacred knees. In England, through the
ages of faith, a rock was venerated bear-
ing the outlines of the sacred feet of
England's Apostle when first he stepped
upon the stony soil. " O how precious
the feet of those announcing peace, an-
nouncing good."

" Forever hallowed be this morning fair —
Blessed be the unconscious shore on which
ye tread."

It was the festival of the Holy Ghost,
Pentecost, upon which they touched the
English shore ; and, as in
the time of the Apostles,
the divine Spirit hovered
over them, directing their
acts and wills. Immedi-
ately interpreters were des-
patched to the King an-
nouncing the ambassadors
of the Pope, bringing with
them ' ' glad tidings and the
promise of celestial joy and
an eternal reign in the fel-
lowship of the living and
true God."

Ethelbert, noble and
valiant in name and deed,
was King of Kent, and Brit-
walda (supreme ruler) of the
Heptarchy. He was es-
poused to fair Bertha, a
princess of French lineage,
and an adherent to the one
true faith. Tradition
speaks of the exalted
virtues of this queen and
her ardent desire for the
conversion of her land and
people, but history relates
little of this pure flower

blooming in the wilderness, spreading
infinite loveliness and g'ace, dying only
to live in the memory of her kinsfolk.

Having imbibed the Saxon supersti-
tion which suspects both friend and foe,
Ethelbert welcomed the strangers in an
open field, lest his palace or roof might
suffer by some unknown spell. In solemn
procession Augustin and his followers
advanced to meet him.

"Church history," says Bossuet,
"contains nothing more sublime than
the entrance of the holy monk Augustin
and his forty companions into Kent."
And the poet gives music to the scene by
saying :

" And blest the silver cross which ye instead
Of martial banner in procession bear.
The cross preceding Him who floats in air
The pictured Saviour ! by Augustin led
They come, and onward travel without dread,
Chanting to barbarous ears a tuneful piayer,
Sung for themselves and those whom they
would free."

ST. AUGUSTIN'S CHAIR — CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL.

536

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

Augustin 's patrician bearing and lofty
stature attracted every eye, for, like
Saul, "He was higher than any of the
people from his shoulders and upward. "
It was the custom of the Teutonic
chieftains to receive the ambassadors of
other tribes and nations under a conse-
crated tree. Ethelbert was seated, there-
fore, surrounded by a numerous retinue
under a great oak and patiently listened
to the eloquent appeal of Augustin who
spoke to him of the one immortal God,
of the benedictions, temporal and
spiritual, which the true faith would im-
part, of the great future of his nation

to believe to be the truth and the supreme
good, we shall do you no hurt — on the
contrary, we shall show you hospitality
and shall take care to furnish you with
means of living. We shall not hinder
you from preaching your religion and
you shall convert whom you can." By
royal command the missionaries now
marched towards Canterbury. Again in
solemn procession they entered that
primitive city, the future metropolis of
Catholicism in England. Chanting the
litany they marched after the silver cross
and concluded in unison in the following
prayer : ' ' We beseech Thee, O Lord, by

CLOISTERS OF CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL.

and land. It must have been an eloquent
appeal to the king's heart and intellect
for, like the Apostles, he feared not what
and how to speak, for " It is not you that
speak but the spirit of your father that
speaketh in you." Ethelbert, worthy
to be a king, responded with dignity :
"You make fair speeches and promises,
but all this is to me new and uncertain.
I cannot all at once put faith in what
you tell me and abandon with my whole
nation what we so long held sacred.
But since you came such a distance to
impart to us what you yourselves seem

Thy pity to spare in Thy wrath this city
and Thy holy house, for we have sinned.
Alleluia." "It was thus," says an
ancient historian, "that the first teachers
and fathers (proto-doctores et proto-
patres) entered the future primatial city
and inaugurated the triumphant labor
of the cross."

Canterbury occupied then the site of
the Roman Durovernum, a city estab-
lished, after the first invasions, as a
halting place for troops on the march
and as a commercial centre in Britain
It was the capital of Ethelbert, the fourth

THEOPHILE.

537

Saxon King of Kent. There was out- prayer, in vigils, in fasts ; «they preached

side of this town to the east, at that the Word of Life to all that they could

time, a small church dedicated to St. reach, and, despising this world's goods,

Martin, which still exists, whither Queen accepting from the converts nothing be-

Bertha was in the habit of going to yond what was strictly necessary, lived

pray and to celebrate the offices of in all harmony with their doctrine, and

religion. Thither also went Augustin ever ready to suffer or to die for the

and his companions to chant the monas- truth they taught. The innocent sim-

tic office, to celebrate Mass and to plicity of their life, and the heavenly

preach and teach the people. "They sweetness of their doctrine, appeared to

lived here," says the most truthful of the Saxons arguments of an invincible

their historians, "the life of the Apostles eloquence, and every day the number of

in the primitive Church — assiduous in candidates for instruction increased. "

(To be continued.']

THEOPHILE

From the French of Rev. V. Fontanie, S.J.

JHAD been several months in Mada-
gascar and was engaged in building
the church and school for my district of
Alrobia when, one day, I noticed among
the workmen who helped the masons, a
deformed, awkward creature, a perfect
dolt, who could use his hands and feet
to no better advantage than his intellect.
The poor fellow was not only the drudge
but the laughing-stock of his com-
panions, so, approaching him, I said:

' ' What is your name ? ' '

" Teoufilon," he replied.

' ' Where do you come from ? ' '

" From Ambositra. "

' ' Are you a slave ? ' '

"No."

' ' Why then do you work for Rami-
tavy ? Does he give you any pay ? ' '

" No, not even a grain of rice."

' ' Do you want to come with me ? I
will set you free."

"Yes, Father."

Our bargain was concluded without
any hesitation, and thus it was that this
poor kneader of mud became my cook,
which, perhaps, accounts for the fact that
for some time thereafter my soup bore a
strong resemblance to mortar. But in
Madagascar such trifles are not taken
into account; so much the worse for my

poor stomach. However, I had chanced
upon a cook who was not a thief, and
this was something quite unheard of in
the country, and gradually, by dint of
practice, my stupid Theophile became
noted as the most accomplished culinary
artist in the missions.

Whenever we went up to the capital of
Betsileo, the cooks employed in our resi-
dence there would deliberately fold their
arms and insist upon Theophile doing
their work, and thus, in a mechanical
sort of way, he learned all the secrets of
his art, save that of cleanliness, and
before he had progressed that far, alas !
with what indigestible jumbles did he
not load my poor stomach !

His first act, after entering upon his
new functions, was innocently to set fire
to the kitchen. I had bidden him fry a
couple of eggs for my supper, but seeing
that he knew not how to proceed, I said:
" Heat some fat in the frying-pan, and,
when it boils, drop in the eggs. "

He assured me that he understood me,
and, in fact, carried out my orders to the
letter; but unfortunately, I had not told
him to break the eggs, and he threw them,
shell and all, into the boiling fat. The
explosion that ensued was equal to that
of a bomb, and, of course, no more was

538

THEOPHILE

needed to start a blaze in my humble
straw-thatched kitchen.

At another time I told him to cook a
beefsteak, but first to pound it well that
it might be tender; and what do you
suppose he used as a table whereon to
lay the meat? His bare thigh. Happily,
fire is purifying !

Theophile had an innate respect for au-
thority and the hierarchy, and he mani-
fested it in his way of serving my guests
at table, setting forth for each the num-
ber of dishes, etc., proportionate to his
dignity. For instance, for the superior
of the mission, two plates, knives, forks
and spoons were laid ; for the minis-
ter from Fianarantsoa, three; and when
the Bishop came, Theophile would set
before him a platter in lieu of a plate, a
soup-ladle instead of a spoon, and a
carving knife ; moreover, a large bowl,
which ordinarily did service as a soup-
tureen, would replace the usual drink-
ing-glass; and a bottle, not being com-
mensurate .with the episcopal dignity,
would be supplanted by the largest
demijohn procurable. Indeed, in Mada-
gascar, the size of a man 's plate and the
amount of food offered him, vary with
his rank, and I have come upon a would-
be civilized governor squatting on a
mat, his sleeves rolled above his elbows,
his hands smeared with grease and be-
fore him an immense dish — I was about
to say trough — filled with rice, meat,
and gravy.

Such was Theophile 's integrity that I
could overlook many of his little faults,
and I think that I can boast of having
been, perhaps, the only European in Mad-
agascar who had not been robbed by his
cook. Theophile had indeed my interest
at heart, and many an evening did he
treat me to a bit of the ragout that I had
left in the morning for him and the
other servants who, to their great dis-
tress, were therefore reduced like him-
self to the necessity of eating dry rice.
One Good Friday, fully intending not to
partake of an evening meal, I gave him
a part of a dish of greens that he had set

before me at noon, but Theophile was
more rigorous than I in point of absti-
nence and positively refused to eat the
greens which he insisted on serving for
my supper.

In Madagascar it is customary to look
upon a loaned article as lost when the
lender neglects to reclaim it, and in-
numerable are the objects, valuable and
otherwise, that are thus honestly stolen
from the Europeans by the Malagasy.
But I was hardly ever obliged to submit
to such inconvenience, as Theophile was
constantly on the alert and demanded
the return of even the smallest articles.

One day I presented the governor with
a bottle of wine, and, in the evening,
Theophile audaciously called upon His
Excellency and claimed the bottle, de-
claring that its contents only constituted
my gift.

Apropos of bottles, which are quite a
rarity in Madagascar, and, consequently,
pretty dear, I can relate another edify-
ing instance of Theophile 's devotedness.
One day four French explorers, hand-
somely equipped and remunerated by
some mining companies, accepted the
hospitalities of my modest abode, and
they had expended the trifling sum of
ten thousand francs for Bordeaux, cham-
pagne, beer, etc., whilst journeying in
Madagascar. My poor, limp table, ac-
customed only to the simple luxury of
clear water, tottered like a drunkard be-
neath the weight of these high- class
spirits, and each day was piled up a
fresh heap of empty bottles, which the
Malagasy servants of these Frenchmen
readily obtained permission to sell.
Elated over their profits, and eager to
increase them, the fellows hesitated not
to carry off three or four empty bottles
that had slumbered peacefully in the
dust of my improvised cellar, but they
had not counted upon Theophile who
watched their every turn. That evening,
whilst we were at dinner, he burst into
the room, exclaiming most excitedly :
"Father, the servants of these travellers
are stealing your bottles!" There was

THEOPHILE.

539

great commotion, and my guests prompt-
ly chastised the perpetrators of the lar-
ceny, deciding that thereafter all the
empty bottles should belong to The"o-
phile. That night the denounced thieves
took their revenge by soundly beating
my faithful domestic, but this was of
little consequence to him as long as he
had saved his master's bottles.

Theophile was not content with being
cook and constable ; so great was his
interest in all that pertained to me that,
to help me economize, he set about
learning different trades. Never idle,
he would turn from the frying-pan to
the spade, and thence to the trowel or
plane, and, thanks to his industry, I was
enabled, within three months, to build
my church, schools, and the residences
for my inspectors and school-masters.
Think of such rapid progress in a coun-
try where the natives are loath to work !
Theophile 's plan was this. He went
about in the different stations of my
district, gathered in as many apprentices
as he could, and begged me to give them
shelter in the kitchen. Then he con-
stituted himself head of this regiment,
which, though it could not respect, was
at least kindly disposed toward him,
and to one individual he assigned the
drawing of water, to another the carry-
ing of mortar, and to a third the making
of bricks. As he himself lent a hand
to everything in general, he had but
little time during the day for cooking,
and often spent much of the night in the
kitchen preparing food for his fellow-
workers and myself. On the tenth of
August the first stone was laid, and the
twenty-first of November saw the last of
our buildings completed. So much for
the labor of willing hands.

However, Theophile was not satisfied.
On our premises he dug and fertilized
eight hundred large holes, and planted
therein all sorts of tr.es and fruit-trees,
including eucalyptus, lilac, apple, fig,
banana, and others such as flourish in
Europe and the colonies; and to-day the
belfry, built by Theophile himself, is

almost hidden from view by the gigan-
tic, five-year-old eucalyptus trees that
have thrived under his tender care and
so greatly ornament my beautiful Eng-
lish garden, where cabbages, onions, and
strawberries also abound.

But the indefatigable Theophile found
still more to do. Unlike the work of a
French cure, that of a missionary is not
confined within the limits of a parish,
and at present I have under my care
twenty-two churches and presbyteries
that are scattered over a stretch of terri-
tory almost equal to one of the depart-
ments of France. With Theophile 's
help, I had to build at each of these
stations the same structures as at my
central post, only, of course, on a smaller
scale, and I am obliged to visit each
place monthly in order to inspect the
schools, attend the sick, hear the con-
fessions of the Christians, etc.

Theophile escorts me everywhere,
walking before my horse, my portable
chapel carefully poised upon his head.
Arrived at our destination, he starts out
in search of water, wood, and provisions,
and does the cooking, whilst I am occu-
pied with the duties of my sacred minis-
try; moreover, every week he travels
fifty kilometres, going to the capital to
procure provisions and get the mail.
However, he has still more elevating
occupations, as he is sacristan of my
portable chapel, and, in default of some
one else, serves my Mass. It is indeed
touching to see this coarse, black fellow
arrayed in a red robe — which seems to
throw his ugliness into bolder relief —
presenting incense at the altar. But the
honor which Theophile enjoys, was not
won without trouble on our part, and
many a weary hour did I spend trying
to drive the Introibo and Confiteorinto
his dull head. The operation required
about eighteen months, and even yet
many might take exception at the qual-
ity of the Latin that issues from his
thick lips.

While still remaining what he was
first, a humble cook, Theophile has never-

540

THEOPHILE.

theless gradually risen to the dignity
of catechist, and that, too, without a
knowledge of catechism. An old sor-
ceress, called Raniiratsara, and renowned
throughout the country, came one day
and begged me to baptize her, promising
thereafter to be as zealous in the service
of God as she had previously been in
that of the devil. I imposed upon her
several conditions, and amongst them
that of learning the Our Father, and the
Hail Mary by heart. Unfortunately the
poor creature, then eighty-five years old,
had lost her memory, but her sorcery
had failed to restore it, and for a whole
month the schoolmaster, catechists, in-
spectors and myself wasted our time on
her, as what she had learned in the
morning she would forget by night. It
was then that Theophile's talent came
into play. He craved permission to
lodge the old woman and her blind,
sickly husband in the kitchen, and
there, amongst pots and kettles, from
night till morning and morning till
night, he kept repeating the words Rai-
nay any audauitra, and even when
his two pupils, whose combined ages
amounted to the round sum of one hun-
dred and sixty years, became fatigued,
he would force them to pronounce the
words, if necessary letting them go
hungry and only giving them to eat
when they had memorized one or two
more words of the prayer. At the end
of a month the old sorceress and her hus-
band were able to recite, in their own dis-
jointed fashion, the Lord's Prayer in full,
and it was to Theophile's perseverance
that they owed the happiness of receiv-
ing baptism. It was really quite hu-
miliating to the school-teachers, inspec-
tors, and myself, to be eclipsed in point of
practical science by my poor, ignorant
cook, who was now at the zenith of his
glory. But alas ! as is so often the case,
honors turned Theophile's head.

However, before detailing the account
of his downfall, let me give you an idea
of the profit he made from his trades of
cook, chief of police, mason, carpenter,

porter, sacristan, chorister, catechist, and
apostle. He earned — incredible though
it may seem — the sum of two francs,
fifty centimes a month, and, though his
scant clothing was included in his ex-
penses, still during all the time that he
has spent in my service he has never
called on me for his monthly pay. Of
course I kept it carefully in reserve for
him, saw it gradually increase, and was
glad to be able to add an occasional
present to his regular wages. Moreover,
every time that he received money in
grateful acknowledgment of his serv-
ices to those travellers who had sam-
pled his cooking, Theophile would
always confide the entire amount to my
keeping, and I was in a fair way to
having quite a hoard laid by for him,
when events came to an unexpected
issue. For a long time I had desired to
see my competent cook married, but even
the homeliest girls in all the surrounding
country were wont to shrink from him.
However, one fair day he came to me ex-
claiming : ' ' Father, I 've found her and
I want to be married. "

"Very good, my boy, I ask nothing
better ; bring your betrothed to me. ' '

You may imagine my astonishment
when he conducted into my presence
a poor, shabbily-clothed, though not
homely, young woman, who seemed
shrewd and intelligent, and in whose
bright eyes there lingered a look of
roguishness. Three times did Theophile
tell me that she was his intended wife,
and still I could not believe it, when,
with an air of composure, rarely found
among these savages, the prospective
bride assured me that she wanted The-
ophile and him only. I took the liberty
of asking how many husbands she had
previously had and, though she could
not say exactly, they certainly had been
as numerous as those of the Samaritan
woman. However, she evaded the ques-
tion by informing me that she wanted
Theophile on account of his brilliant
qualities; that she was anxious to re-
ceive holy baptism, lead a good Chris-

THEOPH1LE,

541

tian life and effect her salvation. Was
she deceiving me ? Not being able to
tell, I asked time for reflection and
begged that she also would think mat-
ters over, and, accordingly, I placed her
for a month under the care of a wealthy,
and respectable Christian woman living
in our neighborhood.
From that day for-
ward Theophile was
no longer the same ;
he not only d e -
manded his wages
when they came
due, but also asked
for his back pay and
the treasure that I
had laid by for him,
even going so far as
to borrow money
without my knowl-
edge. The month
had elapsed and at
dawn, on the ap-
pointed day, The-
ophile, smiling and
radiant, came to ask
me for four sous
with which to pur-
chase the conven-
tional offering for
his sweetheart.

You see, on the
wedding day, it is
customary amongst
the Hovas to offer a
saddle of mutton,
and amongst the
Betsileos, the back
of a hen; then, if
the parents of the
intended bride ac-
cept" the gift, the
marriage is solemn-
ized. Theophile had

decided that the ceremony should take
place in my home, and at last the fiancee
arrived, accompanied by her hostess,
the noble matron Cecilia: but what did
I behold ?

The poor, miserable girl of a month

before appeared in my presence trans-
formed into a queen and attired so gor-
geously that Cecilia could have been
easily mistaken for her attendant.
"And who gave you this gown?" I
asked. "Theophile," she replied.
"And this lamba? " "Theophile."

THfeOPHILE.

"And this pearl necklace?" "The-
ophile. " " What has so improved your
appearance during the last month?"
" Theophile 's presents." "Very well,"
was my answer • ' are you to marry Tbe-
ophile or his gifts?" She was silent

542

THEOPHILE.

and I continued: "If it is Theophile him-
self that you want, cast off all this finery
and resume your former humble cloth-
ing, and I shall consent to your mar-
riage; on the other hand, if it is his
presents you wish, I give you timely
warning. He earns but two francs, fifty
centimes a month, and within the last few
weeks he has not only spent much of what
he had saved up, but has likewise run into
debt, and two months hence you will be
reduced to your former poverty. Now,
think well on it, consult your parents,
and come back this evening with your
answer." But she did not return, as I
requested, and, ever since, Theophile has
been strongly averse to discussing the
subject of matrimony.

After this first storm had blown over,
another, broke. I had strictly forbidden
my men to mount my horse, fearing
that by mismanagement and cruelty
they would make him vicious. One
day I went off on a little excursion, and
left my steed, Talata (Tuesday), in
Theophile 's care, and upon my return I
could see, from the top of the mountain
that overlooks the town, that a cheering
crowd followed a cavalier who was
proudly mounted on his noble charger.

At first, I supposed that the horseman
was some prince of the blood, but not
at all, the horse was Talata and the
rider — Theophile. I gave him chase and,
overtaking him just as he was about to
dismount, I administered coram populo, a
ringing slap. But, alas ! for wounded
pride; the blow, following so swiftly
upon the applause of the crowd, was
more than Theophile could bear, and,
promptly demanding his wages, he left
me. Indeed, I found the first days of
our separation most painful ; I had so
long depended upon my faithful Betsileo
that his absence became almost unbear-
able, and nothing that my new cook
prepared could tempt my appetite.
In the long run Theophile was the
greater loser. Upon leaving me he went
to a big Hova from Imerina whom he
risked to keep his few remaining coins,

but the unscrupulous wretch pocketed
them all and, after a month, poor, simple
Theophile was penniless. From morn-
ing till night he drudged for the new
master whose slave he had become and
— sad to relate — at the end of three
months, found himself indebted to the
amount of three piastres to this con-
temptible Hova. The latter then suc-
ceeded in selling him a quantity of soap,
suggesting that he would dispose of it
at retail ; but Theophile had the worst of
the bargain, and, in order to carry on his
business, was obliged to borrow more
money from his master. Again he came
to grief and discovered that he owed the
scheming, dishonest Hova the sum of
twenty piastres. Like the prodigal son,
poor Theophile, now reduced to the
most pitiable extremes, at length re-
solved to return to his Father, and so it
was that, one day, he came wrapped in
tattered sail cloth and flung himself at
my feet. Not doubting his sincerity I
restored him to my good graces and was
about to celebrate his return by setting
forth the fatted calf, when that wolfish
Hova burst in upon us, threatening to
flog Theophile and drag him before the
tribunal ; but I quickly showed him the
door and his retreat was not only speedy
but effective, for he never dared return
to demand the payment of his pretended
debt. The part I played in this episode
only served the more solidly to ce-
ment the union between Theophile and
myself, and we were thenceforth the
staunchest friends.

But, alas ! just as we were peacefully
enjoying our newly-restored happiness,
cruel war broke out, not in our humble
household, but between our two coun-
tries, and Theophile and I were again
obliged to separate. Suddenly, toward
the end of October, 1895, a formal order
was issued from Antananarivo for all
French subjects to leave Madagascar,
but it was only the third summons that
I obeyed, and, with a heavy heart, I
started, followed by the members of try
household — Talata, my horse; Sofina

THEOPHILE.

543

(ear), my dog, and Theophile, my cook.
I will not attempt a description of the
trip, but the different missionaries ar-
rived at Mananjary in detachments, and
for three days they enjoyed Theophile 's
cooking. On November 4, a man-of-
war dropped anchor and signalled to us
to embark immediately. Theophile 's
grief was harrowing. He threw himself
at the feet of the Rev. Father Superior,
imploring us to take him with us, and,
despite our justifiable refusal, when the
barges started he endeavored to scale
one of them. The Malagasy police
rudely held him back and then he waded
out till the water was up to his waist,
declaring that he would follow us as far
as possible, and crying and ringing his
hands most despairingly. Can you be-
lieve it, when leaving the poor Betsileo,
I wept just as bitterly as I had at Mar-
seilles six years previously, when part-
ing from my country and friends. But,
contrary to all hope, I was destined to
see my loved ones and my native land
once more, and it was war that furnished
the occasion of my return to France,
whither I was named to accompany my
Bishop. Once there, I found it necessary
to talk much of Madagascar, and I gave
illustrated lectures on the subject, but
no part of my discourse elicited more
applause than my story of Theophile,
and no picture thrown on the canvas
was better received than that of his un-
sightly face. In very truth Theophile
had scored a great success, and, when,
writing to me from all quarters of France,
Alsace and Lorraine, my friends and
benefactors would never fail to inquire
what had become of him. And would
you, too, like to know ? Those mission,
aries who had taken refuge in Bourbon
were, of course, nearer to Madagascar
than I was, and, after the war, they re-
appeared on the island a while before I
returned thither. Exactly one year from
the date of our departure they arrived
on the beach of Mananjary, and, to their
astonishment, saw coming toward them,
a poor, miserable-looking Malagasy,

carrying in one hand a pair of ducks,
and in the other a baskel of eggs, and
gesticulating most wildly in his endeav-
ors to welcome them. As he came
nearer, the missionaries discovered the
poor creature to be none other than the
faithful Betsileo, and, with one accord,
they joyfully shouted : ' ' Theophile ! ' '
And he it was indeed ; but whilst the
Fathers greeted, questioned and caressed
him, Theophile seemed uneasy and his
eyes wandered restlessly, first in one
direction then in another, till at length
he exclaimed :

' ' Where is he ? Where is he ? ' '-

' ' Whom seek you ? ' '

"My Father, Father Fontanie", the
Father from Ambohimahasoa. "

"He's still across the water, and will
not return for two months. "

At this announcement Theophile al-
most lost hold of the ducks and eggs,
but the Fathers tried to comfort him by
assuring him of my early return, and
thus consoled, he set about preparing
the ducks and eggs, and spread before
the missionaries their first meal on terri-
tory to be thenceforth French.

I suppose you wonder what Theophile
did during our absence. Well, after we
had embarked, he bestowed all his affec-
tion and attention upon Sofina, my dog,
who, according to Theophile, died of
grief eight days after my departure, and
Talata, my horse, which became frac-
tious and unmanageable, returning The-
ophile's caresses by kicks and bites.

Then the fever laid hold of my poor
cook, and painful indeed was his jour-
ney from Mananjary back to Ambohima-
hasoa, where he soon spent the last of
the round little sum I had left him, and,
wasted by disease, covered with scurvy,
dying of hunger, despised and insulted
by the Malagasy Protestant-English
faction, he, nevertheless, still cared for
my garden, which was one of the few
spots left unpillaged during the war.
He remained faithful to his post till the
arrival of the news that Antananarivo
had been taken. On that day his droop-

54-4

THE SANCTUARY LIGHT.

ing energy was revived, and, rousing
himself, he went amongst my Chris-
tians, raised a subscription, bought the
pair of ducks and the basket of eggs,
and, in spite of distance, fever and
fatigue, came to meet us at Mananjary,
on the same beach where we had parted
a year before. Whilst awaiting my re-
turn Theophile continued to care for the
ungrateful Talata, whose kicks were
still of frequent occurrence, and when, at
length, I reached Fianarantsoa I was
greeted with a familiar whinny and the
joyful cry of ' ' Father. ' ' Talata and The-
ophile had come to meet me, and when
I re-entered Ambohimahasoa — the prin-
cipal station of my district — Theophile 's
joy knew no bounds. His head, sur-
mounted by the insignia of his rank,
fry-pan, saucepan and plates, all lately
arrived from France, he walked, ran,
nay, even flew before my horse, and
about a thousand Christians came half
way to welcome us, the chiefs and
matrons being in their filanjana and

escorted by the governor's band. Gen-
eral Duchesne's entry into Antananarivo
could not have been more eminently
triumphal, and even the governor him-
self, formerly our pronounced enemy,
came forward to do homage to the Father
and Theophile. Yes, indeed, to The-
ophile, as it was he and the barnyard
that gained most by our triumphal
return. The presents offered on that
auspicious occasion and turned over to
the care of my cook, were a yoke of oxen,
eleven sheep, fourteen fat geese, thirty-
five turkeys, one hundred ducks and
hens and several measures of rice. The-
ophile then invited my fiiteen hundred
former apprentices and twelve hundred
Christians to a grand spread, and now,
after five months, without having ex-
pended one cent on provisions, we are
vStill living on the remains of that mem-
orable feast !

Theophile is, indeed, a treasure, and
may God bless and spare him to me for
many years to come.

THE SANCTUARY LIGHT.

By Rev. J. F. X. Burns, S.J.

Dark fell the evening shadows, bleak and cold,
When from the paths of busy trade I turned
And stood within a temple vast, where burned
Afar, a tiny rosy flame that told
He dwelt within whom heaven nor earth can hold.
" Art thou the light which Israel's host discerned
O'er Egypt's sand, or which the Magi learned
Would lead them to their God in human mould ? "
"All this thou art, and more, " my soul replied,
' ' Thou ruddy emblem of the Heart divine :
Thou tellest of the ever-open side
Of Him who 'neath thy shadow doth recline ;
Who not for hours or days doth here abide,
But ever dwells to welcome me and mine. ' '

GENERAL INTENTION, JUNE, 1897.

Approved and blessed by His Holiness, Leo XIII.
FILIAL SUBMISSION TO THE VICAR OF CHRIST.

APPROVED and blessed, as the object
of our prayers is this month by
the Holy Father, it sounds like an appeal
coming directly from himself. It is a
clear echo of the words of the Master
Himself, crying out to us: "My son,
give me thy heart ! "

We are invited to pray that Catholics
all over the world, particularly in our own
country, may cultivate the spirit of filial
submission to the Vicar of Jesus Christ.
We say, particularly in this country,
not because there is amongst us, any
more than elsewhere, any spirit of in-
subordination to the successor of St.
Peter; on the contrary, we yield to no
other nation in our loyalty and devotion
to him as the Chief Pastor of our souls:
but because it is only fair that, while we
embrace the whole world in our charity,
we should pray, first of all, for those
who are bound to us by ties of race and
country When we are asked to pray
that Catholics may cultivate a filial sub-
mission to the Father of all the faithful,
we are not to suppose that any great
number of his subjects is disposed to
rebel against his authority. In that
case we should need to pray that God
might avert an impending schism. We
shall do well to pray that schismatics
generally may return to the obedience of
the Sovereign Pontiff, and that those
Catholics, who may be disposed to ques-
(161)

tion or disobey the authority of the
Holy See, may recognize and submit to
its claims on their submission. We
must, however, ask still more, and, re-
membering that, in God's good provi-
dence, the Pope is the chief representa-
tive of His authority on earth, we
should, in the words of St. Paul, cast out
all sentiments of bondage and of fear,
and as we have received the spirit of
adoption as sons of God, whereby we
cry to Him: Abba (Father) ; so we should
be disposed, and pray to grow in the
disposition, to look upon Christ's Vicar
upon earth as being truly our father,
and submit to him like loving children.
There are many more reasons than
occur to us at first sight, why we should
pray for a spirit of obedience to the Pope.
A brief reflection will make us discover
so many obstacles to this spirit, that we
may well marvel at the power of God's
grace in keeping it alive in us at all.
The world is all against it, and hates us
for it; enemies of the Church make it a
reproach to us, and call us Papists in
contempt. Again, every virtue needs
some exercise, or else it grows weak and
languishes, and we cannot see many
occasions for an exercise of this very
virtue of obedience to the Holy See.
The Pope is far away from us, and vastly
above us in dignity and power; his com-
mands reach us but rarely, usually

545

546

GENERAL INTENTION.

(162)

through our bishops and clergy, and
frequently they concern matters which
do not seem to affect us. Finally, there
is the obstacle, or, in the strict sense,
the scandal, of men about us professing
loudly their sentiments of loyalty to the
successor of St. Peter, and still minimiz-
ing his authority, or limiting it to cer-
tain spheres of action, questioning cer-
tain of his rights, attributing his conduct
to motives of purely human policy; in a
word, attempting, on a small scale, and
in a covert way, to do what out and out
rebels to his power have been doing
since the days of the arch-schismatic
Photius.

With all these obstacles to a due sub-
mission to the Vicar of Jesus Christ
before our minds, it is important that we
should also keep in mind the divine
origin, the duration and the nature and
extent of his authority, and by a con-
sideration of the benefits accruing to
those who submit to it, and of the evils
that have befallen its enemies, incite
ourselves to pray for its acceptance by
every Catholic.

The citizens of great nations take a
peculiar pride in their rulers, in the
origin and force of their authority, and
in their titles to its exercise. The more
venerable and exalted the authority of a
king or other chief executive, the more
easy and glorious it is for the subject to
obey. Worldly rulers succeed to their
power by inheritance, conquest, pur-
chase or ballot. Divine providence, it
is true, controls the agents that co-
operate toward their attainment to the
supreme offices of state ; their author-
ity comes from God, and they are said
to rule by divine right ; but in no
case may their office or authority be
said to be specially constituted by Him.
They are merely elements in the moral
order established from the beginning.
They are, besides, limited in scope and in
time. The ruler of God 's Church holds
a supreme office and exercises a supreme
authority specially constituted by the di-
vine Founder of the Church, and des-

tined by Him to be universal in scope
and everlasting in duration. It is this
authority we obey in the person of the
Vicar of Jesus Christ.

The authority of the Sovereign Pontiff
did not originate with Constantine, as
Wickliff falsely asserted ; nor did it be-
come universal only in the time of Pho-
cas, or of Pepin, as Calvin tried to prove.
It is not the trust of any or of several
General Councils reposed in the suc-
cessors of Peter as a matter of human
policy or convenience. Christ Himself
instituted it so plainly, and insisted
upon it so repeatedly, that no one
nowadays pays serious attention to the
errors of the heretics just mentioned.

1 ' We teach and declare, ' ' are the words
of the Vatican Council, "according to
the testimony of the Gospel, that Christ
promised and conferred immediately and
directly on the blessed Apostle Peter a
primacy of jurisdiction over the univer-
sal Church of God. It was to Simon
alone, He had already said: ' You will be
called Cephas, ' when he had uttered
his confession : ' Thou art Christ, the
Son of the living God; ' and to him alone
He addressed the solemn words: ' Blessed
art, thou, Simon Barjona : because flesh
and blood hath not revealed it to thee,.
but my Father who is in heaven: and
I say to thee : that thou art Peter, and
upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it : and I will give to thee the
keys of the kingdom of heaven : and
whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it
shall be bound also in heaven: and what-
soever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall
be loosed also in heaven. ' Again it was
to Simon Peter alone that, after His
resurrection, Jesus gave the jurisdiction
of chief pastor and rector over His entire
fold, saying : ' Feed my lambs: feed my
sheep.' "

The jurisdiction thus conferred was
not to die with Peter : it was not a per-
sonal distinction given solely in reward
of Peter's confession of the divinity of
His Master, nor an extraordinary power

(163)

GENERAL INTENTION.

547

to meet the peculiar difficulties of estab-
lishing the Church. It was given for
the good of the whole body of the faith-
ful for all time to come ; and it made
Peter not merely a legate or deputy, but
the real head of the Church. "No
one doubts, ' ' to quote the Council again,
"nay, it has come down through all
ages, that holy and most blessed Peter,
the prince of the Apostles, the head and
support of the faith, and the foundation
of the Catholic Church, received the keys
of the kingdom from our L,ord Jesus
Christ, the Saviour and Redeemer of the
human race; and that until now as ever,
he lives and presides and executes judg-
ment in the Bishops of the Roman See,
founded by him and consecrated by his
blood."

Finally, the jurisdiction of the Vicar
of Christ is not merely one of honor, but
of power, "a power truly Episcopal,"
the Council adds, "to which both pas-
tors and faithful of whatever rite and
dignity, whether individually or collect-
ively, are amenable by offices of hier-
archical subordination and of true obedi-
ence, not only in things pertaining to
faith and morals, but in those also
which belong to the discipline and gov-
ernment of the Church throughout the
whole world; so that by keeping in
union with the Roman Pontiff, as well
by sharing as by professing the same
faith, there may be one fold in the
Church of Christ under one chief pas-
tor."

This, in brief, is what the Church be-
lieves and teaches about the authority of
the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and it is her
assurance in these statements of revealed
truth that makes us recognize, with all
the certainty of our faith, in the person
of the Holy Father, this authority divine
in origin, perpetual in duration, supreme
in its power and universal in its scope,
and in the subjects, destined to its obedi-
ence. No wonder we should glory in be-
ing admitted to honor it and submit to
it as sons.

The will of Christ cannot be frustra-

ted. Whenever we find it revealed, as
in this instance, in the pages of scrip-
ture, we find it also infallibly fulfilled.
Indeed, the splendid fulfilment of His
will in instituting Peter and his succes-
sors His Vicars upon earth is a fact that
stands out so prominently in history as
to have something like the force of a
divine revelation in itself. Through the
primacy which the Roman Pontiffs, by
Christ's special ordination, have inherit-
ed from Peter, His divine purpose, to
preserve the lambs and sheep of His fold
united inseparably under the one pastor,
has been so evidently accomplished, that
we look upon allegiance to the Pope as
the direct bond of our union with Christ.
Through the authority bestowed upon
Peter flows, as from a fountain, all the
authority of our bishops and pastors,
and, when duly honored, its influence is
so benign and salutary, as to confirm
our faith in the scriptural revelation,
and make us realize that, in submitting
to the authority of the Vicar of Christ,
we are actually obeying Christ Himself.
It is not surprising that Catholics
should instinctively recognize the divine
origin and influence of the authority of
the Sovereign Pontiffs, when non-Cath-
olics and unbelievers are forced to
acknowledge their power and their
unbroken succession from Peter as some-
thing utterly inexplicable by human
causes. The tributes of Protestant and
infidel historians to the benign influence
of the Papacy, generous and eloquent
as they may be, are still but feeble testi-
monies to this special institution of
Christ, when compared with the admis-
sions, fortunately of late so frequent,
on the part of men who sacrifice every-
thing dear on earth to profess their
belief in the supremacy of the Vicar of
Christ and their filial submission to His
authority. May their numbers grow
from day to day, and may our Lord
reward them with His special consola-
tions, for they are truly the martyrs of
our day, our most convincing witnesses
to the principle of His divine authority,

548

ST. ANTHONY'S ENVOY.

(164)

acting in our midst through His Vicar,
the Pope of Rome.

Catholics need not be reminded of the
blessings attached to obedience to the
Vicar of Christ. The manifest inter-
positions of divine providence in behalf
of the Roman Pontiffs, when laboring
and praying for the good of Christen-
dom are too numerous and striking to
admit of more than a passing allusion
to them here. Fortunately, we have
before our eyes, a living instance, in the
person of the Pontiff gloriously reign-
ing, whose influence over all men,
friends and enemies, is too manifest to
be denied. It is the story of the Roman
Pontiffs over and over again. Deprived
of all human power, imprisoned and cut
off from the ordinary channels through
which he might exercise the authority
divinely entrusted to him, Leo XIII.,
still finds means of compelling the
attention of princes and peoples, opposed
to him in principle and policy, and his
words inspire trouble even in the hearts
of the sectarians hitherto arrayed tri-
umphantly against the Church. Nations
seek his arbitration to avert the horrors
and expense of war ; statesmen applaud
his utterances, and appeal to his author-
ity against the advances of socialism;
prince and president seek to conciliate
him in favor of their measure; the
churches of the East are entertaining
his overtures to return to his obedience ;
the most influential of Protestant sects
has lately appealed to his decision in a
matter that very closely concerns his

supreme spiritual jurisdiction, and his
answer has stirred its members in the
very depths of their souls.

It would be idle to dwell on the
degradation and confusion into which
the enemies of the Holy See have ever
fallen. Not to recall the fate of a
Theodoric, or of a Belisarius, we need
but look upon the degenerate Greek
Churches, the hopelessly confused Angli-
can bodies to say what comes of dis-
obedience to the authority of Christ's
Vicar on earth.

It is more important for us to consider
the glorious instances of obedience to
the Roman Pontiff, which history re-
counts of St. Cyril, St. Patrick, St.
Anselm, St. Bonaventure, St. Benedict,
St. Ignatius, St. Alphonsus Liguori, B.
de la Salle, and, in a word, of all the
holy bishops, priests and laymen who
have had an opportunity of showing
their devotion to the Holy See. Since
we cannot all, at all times, be manifest-
ing externally our obedience to the Sov-
ereign Pontiff, we must cultivate and
pray for the dispositions of mind and
heart that make us ready to obey his
slightest behest. As children, to whom
a father's merest glance is law, we
should try to accept the counsels as
well as the commands of Christ's Vicar,
not because we consider Him wise,
successful, or estimable in the eyes
of the world, but simply because
he is the Vicar of Christ, and bears
His person, His dignity, and His
authority.

ST. ANTHONY'S ENVOY.

By M. Murray Wilson.

JKEMP D'ARCY of Montgomery, though not classic, were satisfactory;

. Ala., had just returned from a visit his complexion, a clear, healthy pallor

to New York. He was a man pleasing to suggestive of a habit of superior self-

the eye of friend or stranger; a broad- command. Though scarcely more than

shouldered fellow, lacking about half thirty years of age, he was a bank presi-

an inch of six feet in height; with dark dent and a man of influence at home;

hair and eyes and a face whose features, unmarried, due, probably, to his kind-

165)

ST. ANTHONY'S ENVOY.

549

less of heart, not wishing to disappoint
nany by choosing one. An Episcopa-
ian by inheritance and education, he
lad friends in every church, and one of
;he warmest was a Catholic priest,
Bather Jordan of St. Mary 's. The latter
vas having dinner with him one of the
•are cool days of early August.

Answering the priest's glance of sur-
prised inquiry, when a bottle of Bur-
gundy was produced, D'An^'s hearty
:augh of confidential goodfellowship
prefaced the following story:

"Yes, I broke my blue-ribbon pledge
in New York, Father, and have not yet
renewed it, though I'll be persuaded
shortly, I suppose, not because I am in
danger of intemperance — that is not in
my blood — but, to give good example to
those who are weak. For my own part,
I agree with Dr. Holmes: —

" 'Tis but the fool that loves excess;

Hast thou a drunken soul,
The fault is in thy shallow brain,
Not in my silver bowl."

The priest laughed indulgently, look-
ing at his young friend through affec-
ion's glasses.

' ' How did you happen to break the
lue-ribbon pledge? " he asked.

"Ah! I was at luncheon with some
>ankers, you know, and drank cham-
pagne."

' ' Very much ? ' '

' ' Come, now, you look as though you
expect a repentant confession, which is
not forthcoming. I think I remained
sober. If I lost my head at all, you will
admit when I have finished my story
that my heart played its part well
enough. "

' ' Your heart ! My dear boy ! ' '

"Oh! ha! ha! ha! It's not a love
story. Listen: It was the day before I
eft New York, and I remembered sud-
denly, that, out of respect to you, I ought
:o go and admire the Cathedral, which I
had not yet seen. So, as one by one my
companions dropped off in various direc-
tions, I finally made my way alone to

the great marble structure, and entered.
It was cool and pleasant, refreshingly so.
I walked about slowly, admiring every-
thing, in no hurry to leave, yet in no
mood to pray. You remember that, to
the right on entering, there is a very
beautiful altar to St. Anthony of Padua,
where the lamp is ever burning, at least
that is my impression, since I did not
see a lamp on every altar. There was a
young man kneeling there, praying, ap-
parently with great earnestness. I re-
membered then that this St. Anthony is
believed to recover for good Catholics
who appeal to him things that they have
lost, and I fell to wondering what the
young man had lost. I knew it must
be something precious. His upturned
face showed suffering, keen regret, con-
trition, firm purpose of amendment and
all that — don't look at me as though
you think I am very flippant; I've read
all about the Sacrament of Penance from
books in your library, and its require-
ments occurred to me as I looked at that
man's face. It may have been imperti-
nent curiosity; it may have been all due
to the champagne; I prefer to believe
that it was natural human sympathy,
but the desire to know that man 's trou-
ble and to help him took instant posses-
sion of me, and I found myself lingering
near him, wondering how to begin con-
versation with him, and eventually to
win his confidence. At last, just as he
was rising from his kneeling posture,
dropping some coin in the box as he did
so, a happy thought came to me. I
asked him to show me which of the
altars had been presented by Augustin
Daly to the Cathedral. He looked
blank for a moment, as though he had
never heard of the gift, and then bright-
ened a bit, but said he did not know,
that he was a stranger in the city; as he
glanced about, I accosted another man,
and received the response that he, also,
was a stranger in the city. To the first
man I remarked, jocularly, that native
New Yorkers had perhaps gone to the
seashore or the mountains. He spoke

550

ST. ANTHONY'S ENVOY.

(166)

again, seeming to have suddenly awak-
ened to reality, which he had left awhile
for the realm of prayer, saying: —

" ' Let's look at the altars; perhaps I
can recognize it. I recall now having
read about it, and having been told by
an actor that it is adorned with a statue
of St. Augustin. '

"I was charmed to hear his voice.
The accent was undeniably Southern,
which I remarked, and he acknowledged
that he was a Georgia man; then the
sorrowful shadows fell upon his face
again. By and by he paused before a
beautiful altar saying: —

"' This must be the one. That is the
statue of St. Augustin. How pure the
white marble is ! The altar, too, is ex-
quisite. '

' ' I admired the altar and the statue of
St. Augustin, but my interest in my
companion increased. I determined to
hear his story. The champagne prob-
ably increased my conversational alert-
ness, if it clouded my judgment. I
managed to walk out of the church with
my man, making him talk to me. List-
lessly he went my way — or I went his —
at any rate, we walked in the direction
of Central Park. You might have sup-
posed, had you been a listener, that I
had met no congenial people at all in the
North, so eagerly did I seize upon the
pretext of his Southern accent as an ex-
cuse to make his further acquaintance.
Crossing over to the entrance to the
Park, I asked him to take a drive with
me, and looked about for a carriage to
hire. One of the Park phaetons stood
there, waiting to be filled.

' ' ' Let us get in here, then ' he said,
' and start these people on the ride they
are waiting for. There is just room for
two, and I fancy you may find more
Southerners from the appearance of that
party. '

' ' I wished to ride with him alone, but
I agreed to his proposal and we started.
His conjecture as to more Southerners
proved correct. The party proved to be
New Orleans people, as they talked of

that city as home, and I was thankful
that they alighted at the Museum of
Natural History, leaving me for the rest
of the tour alone with my interesting
companion. But the word New Orleans
was the key that unlocked his con-
fidence.

" ' I have a dear, dear friend, ' he said,
' a Southern poet, whose admiration for
New Orleans — the entrancing city of the
heart, he calls it in one of his letters-
is unbounded, and for his sake I love it.
He is a singularly gifted man and an
ardent Catholic. He has the simplicity
of a child in matters of faith. His
heroic resignation when overtaken by
adversity, though he fought like a Titan
to avert the catastrophe, suggests the
spirit of the Christian Martyrs and
makes the lukewarm ashamed of their
lack of true piety — you are not a Catho-
lic, I believe ? '

" I was sorry he asked that question,
because somehow I felt its answer might
make him less confidential. I confessed,
of course, that I was not. He looked
into my face for a second, and con-
tinued :

' ' ' This poet friend has great devotion
to St. Anthony of Padua, whose altar
you must have noticed in the Cathe-
dral. '

' ' ' The one before which you were
praying ? ' I remarked.

"He assented, and then the pained
look came into his face again, but this
time there was hope struggling with it.
He seemed like a man who has lost his
nerve and throws himself upon the sym-
pathy of others with a childish expecta-
tion of relief. That is, he seemed so.
Then, as he began to tell me the story
of his sorrow he seemed acting under
some strange influence, for he told me
afterwards that he was a reticent man.
am not aware that I have hypnotic
power, but I certainly willed that the ,
man lay bare his heart to me and he did
so. About a month previous he lost the ,
position he held in a Georgia railroad
office because of violating a promise

<167)

ST. ANTHONY'S ENVOY-

551

made upon obtaining the place. That
promise was that he would not drink one
drop of anything intoxicating. He was
thoroughly contrite and blamed only his
own weakness for his misfortune. He
was about to be married. Some of his
friends gave a club banquet in his honor
to celebrate the event of his approach-
ing farewell to bachelorhood, and in an
«vil moment he allowed himself to be
persuaded to drink the forbidden bev-
erage. After his long abstinence it
affected him more than it might other-
wise have done ; he lost control of his
will and became thoroughly intoxicated.
He was not able to attend to his duties
properly next day; the truth somehow
got to his employer's ears, and he was
summarily discharged. Imagine the
state of his mind. He was compelled
to postpone his marriage indefinitely on
the plea of having lost his position, and
finally throwing himself upon the mercy
of his betrothed, confessed all. She
must be an excellent girl and a pious
Catholic. She advised him to pray to
St. Anthony to recover his lost position.
Hoping to find mercy from a friend in
New York, who has influence with his
former employer, he procured a railroad
pass and went there, meeting with dis-
appointment, however, as the friend,
being bitterly prejudiced against the use
of intoxicants on account of some family
trouble resulting from it, would not lift
a finger to help him. The man fell a
prey .to nervous disorder and was just
out of the hospital when I saw him in
the Cathedral. He said that he had
been severely punished and he deserved
it, but that he believed St. Anthony
would help him at last ; in fact that
conviction had come while he prayed
that day, and he was going back home
to make another appeal to be re-
instated.

" Now, having drank champagne that
day myself, and feeling rather happy
than otherwise on account of it, it struck
me as unjust that so much misery for
another man should result from a like

experience. The man was evidently
weak on that point ; he had struggled
against the weakness for a long time
before the fatal banquet, and I knew he
was fully determined to struggle more
successfully in the future I thought
his sincere repentance ought to bring
some reward, and if you will pardon me
for saying it, I hadn 't a bit of confidence
in St. Anthony's power to move that
railway employer's hard heart toward
reinstating the deposed clerk. So I
made up my mind I would remember
him upon my return and see what I
could do for him. I told him of my
sympathy, gave him my home address,
and said that in the event of St. An-
thony failing him he might come to me
and I would see what I could do for him.
He was grateful, but I believe his grati-
tude was directed toward St. Anthony
instead of me. We came South together,
and he went to Georgia full of hope.
Two days later he called on me. The
railway man would not take him back.

" ' So much for St. Anthony, ' thought
I, and then I offered him a place in the
bank, a vacancy having occurred before
I went away, but no one being engaged
just then to fill it.

"The man was overjoyed; his face
would have made a picture of thanks-
giving, and I secretly rejoiced that I
could prove to him how foolish it is to
expect pilgrimages to the shrines of
saints to help us in worldly matters.
A day or two later I asked him how
much of his faith in St. Anthony re-
mained, and what do you think he
answered ? Why — ha ! ha ! ha ! it is
rich —

" ' My faith in St. Anthony ! ' he ex-
claimed, ' it is firmer than ever before.
Has he not answered my prayer ? '

' ' ' Certainly not, ' I said. ' Your
former employer refused to take you
back. '

' ' ' Ah ! ' he replied, ' but you were
sent to me instead, and that is very
much better. I shall always honor St.
Anthony, you may be sure, and my

552 BROTHER AMADEUS- (168)

faithfulness to your interests shall equal finish this Burgundy to the fulfilment

my devotion to the Saint. ' " of my man's good resolutions —

A burst of laughter from the priest "And to the health, happiness, and

made D'Arcy turn to him question- life-long prosperity of St. Anthony's

ingly. new envoy, " added the priest.

" My dear boy, the man's faith was re- D'Arcy 's eyes were full of merry

warded, as he said. Henceforth I shall good humor, as he looked at the empty

regard you as St. Anthony's envoy. " glasses, saying :

"You Catholics are invincible in " I'm glad we have finished that. I'll

y0ur — » ' renew my blue-ribbon»pledge to-morrow,

' ' Faith ? " both as a good example to my new clerk

' ' I was not going to say that, but have and to keep my wits clear, that I may not

it }^our own way if you will, and we'll fall a victim to j^ourSt. Anthony idea."

BROTHER AMADEUS.

By S. T. Smith.

Brother Amadeus, tall and thin,
Gaunt of feature and pallid of skin,
Grave-eyed, serious, patient of mood,
Whether the day brought him ill or good,
Whether he dusted or scrubbed or wrote,
Polished the windows or mended a coat,
Whether he labored or rested, still
Steadily doing another's will, —
Brother Amadeus, "one of the least, "
Was bidden first to the Marriage Feast,

Brother Amadeus wore a gown,
The only one of its kind in town ;
Closely it clung to his shoulder blades,
Hanging thence in an hundred shades
Of black or brown or rustiest gray,
With countless patches that overlay,
Bound with a girdle so scarred and worn,
The others viewed it with righteous scorn,
While Brother Amadeus went and came,
Poverty honored beyond all shame.

Brother Amadeus had in charge
The church's altars, both small and large.
And when the day of a feast drew nigh,
Then came a light to the Brother's eye !
Then came a flush to his beardless cheek.
An eagerness that could almost speak
Sprang in his step on the bare, brown floor,
Went with him in at the sacristy door,
And stirred the heart of a passing friend
With the wordless message his smile could send.

(169) BROTHER AMADEUS. 553

His was the work of an artist then,
Homage paid to One greater than men !
Wreathing of ivies and trailing of green,
Heaping of blossoms in loveliest screen,
For wall and pillar, and arch, and base,
In bowl or basket or sculptured vase,
With everywhere amid bloom and leaf,
Flashing of lights from each golden sheaf,
Sparkle of jewels of flame, and glow
Of ruby tintings through crystal's snow.

To and fro in the holy place
Would Brother Amadeus swiftly pace ;
Down the long aisle for the best effect,
Back for a touch if a twig project ;
Here, low bending with coaxing hand,
There, tall lily near rose to stand ;
This sweet scent of the violet's dew
With spiced fir balsam to blend anew ;
Ever praying at heart this prayer :
" For Thy sake, Lord, may they find it fair."

1 ' For Thy sake, Lord ! ' ' Ah, no other thought
Was ever with power like this one fraught !
Brother Amadeus did not preach,
It was no part of his lot to teach ;
Silence mantled his learning's store,
Obedience narrowed his path yet more ;
His simple duties in daily round
Called for no reasoning gifts profound :
But ever, he gave, and did his best
"For Thy sake, Lord ! " without haste or rest.

Often and often, the pulpit rung
With eloquent pleading from wisdom's tongue ;
The walls of the college thrilled each day
With keenest logic and fine word-play ;
Into the curtained confessionals stole
Many a burdened penitent soul ;
The good priests struggled from morn till night
With crime and care in their anguished might ;
Brother Amadeus had no share,
In this, they thought, as they marked him there.

Brother Amadeus, one fair day,
Still and cold near the altar lay :
Straightened the folds of his habit worn,
Only his beads in his pale palms borne ;
His girdle's clasp by another prest,
Loose locked under his quiet breast,
Funeral tapers around him burned,
Their yellow glimmer to pallor turned
In the golden sunlight flooding the nave
Blossomless, leafless, as any grave.

554 BROTHER AMADEUS- (17O)

But on the face of the lowly dead
There was a wondrous radiance shed !
The look of peace and the smile of love
O 'er the chiselled features seemed to move ;
Majesty crowning the broad white brow,
Rest down-sweeping the eyelids now,
Content no heart has ever conceived,
Satisfied knowledge where faith believed.
Father Lawrence rose where he knelt, and cried :
' ' Behold ! among us a saint has died ! ' '

" To me came in the visioned night,
This truth as clear as its own pure light.
Brothers, we labor, we hope, we pray ;
Empty we send not a soul away;
Early and late, we are spent for God,
We seek His glory, we kiss His rod ;
With tears of blessing, we thank Him still
That we are chosen to do His will ;
On earth, in heaven, His power we own
But Amadeus lived for Him alone. "

" His was no weighing of death with life,
His was no question of peace or strife,
He tarried not for the tempter's word,
Nor paused in fear of the angel's sword,
He knew no evil — for God is good,
And ever close to God 's Heart he stood,
Brothers, the increase our works have brought
The living prayer of this Saint has wrought. "
He ceased. They knelt in reverence meet,
At the poor Lay-Brother's lifeless feet.

EDITORIAL.

FALSE CREDIT.

f T is always a matter of regret, not of
^ complacency, that we should have
Catholics endowed with excellent talents
or favored with the advantages of for-
tune, who devote these natural gifts to
anything but the service of religion. Of
what credit is it to our Church that this
poet or that musician, some distin-
guished scientist, or clever politician be
a Catholic, unless we can answer for the
influence of our holy religion in his
moral conduct, or, at least, in the prin-
ciples on which he writes and acts.
One would think the Church depended
for its respectability, on a roster of dis-
tinguished names, and Catholics often
reckon up their fellow religionists who
have achieved some degree of notoriety,
as though that should put us all under
an obligation to them. Genius is God's
greatest natural gift to man, and from it
He should derive His greatest glory.
He deigns to reward it when well em-
ployed; but the possessor of it should be
as grateful for being permitted to use it
in His service, as for receiving it from
His bounty.

ABOUT BIGOTRY.

There can be no such thing as tradi-
tional Catholic bigotry. It is question-
able if the words ' 'Catholic ' ' and bigotry,
when put together, make any sense at
all. A Catholic is essentially one of a
body co-extensive with the world, and
one who glories in communicating his
own faith and spirit to his fellow-men.
Individual Catholics, here and there, may
fail to realize the tendency of their faith

to spread to the ends of the earth, and
some few may be lacking in the spirit of
charity that would make them eager to
embrace all men as brothers in Jesus
Christ; but, in so far, also, they lack traits
of character essential for a true Catholic.
Hence it is absurd to speak of Catholic
bigotry, as if a sufficient number of big-
oted Catholics could possibly be found
as to constitute bigotry, in any sense, a
Catholic trait. It is still more unfair to
speak of traditional Catholic bigotry, as
if bigotry could not only exist exten-
sively among Catholics, but even go
down from one Catholic generation to
another. Bigotry is possible only in in-
dividuals or in communities whose relig-
ious principles naturally beget discord ;
it is impossible among men or in a body
of men essentially one and Catholic.

SUPERNATURAL MORE THAN SPIRITUAL

Religious minded people will always
remember kindly the late Henry Drum-
mond. His lectures did much to allay
the fears of some timid souls who
thought there was no way of meeting
the foolish objections raised by sciolists
against religion. Some were even grate-
ful to the Professor for things he had
not done, nor, so far as we know,
thought of doing. They read his books
in the light of their own faith, and were
satisfied that he meant to apply his
principles to the supernatural life,
whereas he seems to have stopped short
of the supernatural, resting always on a
natural plane. He believed in a spirit-
ual world, in something beyond the

555

556

EDITORIAL.

(172)

material, and, by upholding this belief,
plausibly and even eloquently, he did
good service to religion. He failed,
however, to conceive the supernatural
state to which man has been raised in
the present order. The spiritual is be-
yond the veil of sense, but the super-
natural is above both, and above all the
possible natural powers of both. Reason
cannot deny the existence of a spiritual
order; the supernatural it can never
know without revelation and God's
grace to accept it rightly.

THE TRUE FAITH MAKES PATRIOTS.

An admirable refutation of the oft-
repeated calumny that the Catholic
faith is opposed to the spirit of patriot-
ism has lately been given in the Island
of Madagascar. The contrast in the
patriotism of the Catholic and Protestant
French settlers and their missionaries
is most striking. The Protestants, far
from upholding the interests of France,
have falsely been playing into the hands
of the English faction, of course united
to them in the bonds of Protestantism.
So palpable was this, that the Protest-
ant Resident- General, Laroche, had to be
recalled, and his place filled by General
Gallieni. He knows who the really
loyal upholders of France are, and, al-
though not favoring with unjust discrim-
ination any religious party, has enforced
freedom of conscience, which the Prot-
estants had refused to the Malagasies and
the Catholic Missionaries. So marked
is the national and religious difference
that the natives have come to consider
as synonymous Catholic and French and
Protestant and English. This is cer-
tainly a damaging verdict regarding the
patriotism of the French Protestants who
sympathize with England against their
own fatherland. A French paper re-
marks that the same unpatriotic but
fanatical anti-Catholic spirit was mani-
fested when England was allowed to take
Egypt, Zanzibar, and other favorable ter-
ritories, 1o the disadvantage of France.
Whereas, Catholic Missionaries all the

world over are famous for their patriot-
ism.

THE OPENING UP OF THE FAR EAST.

What will be the influence on the King-
dom of God of the rapidly approach-
ing completion of the great Trans-Si-
berian Railway? It will bring within
comparatively easy reach the immense
Chinese Empire, for there is to be a net-
work of connecting railroads in Man-
churia, and it is only a question of time
when China will be girdled with them.
The present line in Russian territory is
four thousand seven hundred and thir-
teen miles long, while with its direct
connections with Moscow, St. Peters-
burg, Berlin and Western Europe, it ex-
tends more than half way around the
globe.

Unfortunately whatever aids the spread
of the true faith in pagan countries now-
adays, gives the same aid to the propa-
gation of the sects cut off from the
centre of unity, and everywhere the
Catholic missionary finds not merely
paganism to contend with, but also Prot-
estantism, like the many-headed hydra,
each mouth of each head having a dif-
ferent teaching, but all united in op-
posing the true Church. But, as the
Apostles, in the time of Christ, thought
nothing impossible to God, however
impossible it might seem to men, and
used this very seeming human impos-
sibility as a spur to their efforts and the
ground for entire confidence in the power
of God, so the Apostolic missionaries
of to-day will not lose heart, but boldly
use the facilities afforded by the advance
of civilization to win the kingdoms of
the Prince of darkness to the standard
of the Cross.

THE ANGLICAN CORONATION OATH.

The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Vic-
toria recalls the coronation oath which
the British Sovereign takes to maintain
" The Protestant Reformed Religion by
law established." Among other things
she has to declare: " I do believe that in
the Sacrament of the Lord 's Supper there

(173)

EDITORIAL.

557

is not any transubstantiation, and that
the invocation or adoration of the Virgin
Mary or any other saint, and the sacri-
fice of the Mass, as they are now used in
the Church of Rome, are superstitious
and idolatrous. I do solemnly declare
that I make this declaration, and every
part thereof, in the plain and ordinary
sense of the words read unto me, as they
are commonly understood by English
Protestants, without any evasion, equiv-
ocation, or mental reservation whatso-
ever, and without any dispensation al-
ready granted me for this purpose by the
Pope, or any authority or person what-
soever, or without thinking that I am or
can be acquitted before God or man, or
absolved of this declaration or any part
thereof; although the Pope or any other
person or persons, or power whatsoever,
should dispense with or annul the same,
or declare that it was null and void from
the beginning."

There is certainly nothing equivocal
about this oath exacted of the supreme
head of the Church of England. The
wonder is, how the Anglican hierarchy,
subject to her, can have the assurance to
deny that the State Church is Protestant
and claim it to be Catholic.

THE MODERN EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

Some one has facetiously dubbed the
pretended answer of the Anglican Arch-
bishops to the Pope's Bull on Anglican
Orders, the Modern Epistle to the Ro-
mans. We do not propose to criticise
it, but shall give a brief summary of
some of the conclusions of an unbiassed
critic in the New York Independent.
Among others it says : ' ' We have here
no such answer to the Papal Encyclical
as Rome can accept. This appears from
the analysis by the Archbishops of the
Eucharistic Sacrifice ; (i) the sacrifice of
praise and thanksgiving ; (2) the plead-
ing and representing of the sacrifice of
the Cross ; (3) the sacrifice of ourselves.
The sacrifice is different, the altar differ-
ent, the priest different. " Of course we
cannot expect a Protestant critic to be-

lieve in the doctrine of transubstantia-
tion being part of the Christian faith.
" But, " as he says, " the Roman Church
holds that it was, and it is, perfectly
clear that the Pope is right when he says
that it was the purpose of the Edwardine
Ordinal to repudiate this doctrine which
the Council of Trent makes essential to
the powers of the priest . . . " Else-
where the critic remarks : ' ' One must
assume that when the words were
wilfully changed the intention was
changed, and that afterward there was
no intention to make a priest whose
service at the Mass would convert the
bread and wine into the body and blood
of Christ. The intention was quite the
contrary ; therefore, they are not true
priests ; for priesthood implies this su-
pernatural gift as its chief essence. They
were, therefore, priests and bishops not
according to the Roman definition, but
only according to Anglican definition."
This is the whole matter in a nutshell.
Catholics do not deny that the Church
of England has orders and ministers
called bishops and priests, and that
these have certain powers ; what we do
deny is that they are bishops and priests
in the Catholic sense. The Salvation
Army has its officers, general, brig-
adiers, colonels, majors, etc., and they
have power, but their power differs
wholly from those who bear the same
titles in the regular army. If the Angli-
cans have th*e priesthood in the sense
of those who have the power to offer the
unbloody sacrifice of the Mass for the
living and the dead and to forgive the
sins of those whose dispositions have
been shown in the tribunal of penance,
then, why have they persecuted with
fines and even death, for over three hun-
dred years, those who professed to have
and exercise these powers ? The writer
in the Independent declares : "To our
mind, the weakness of the Archbishops'
reply is in the attempt it makes to mini-
mize the Protestant Reformation and to
magnify the importance of the validity
of regular and legitimate orders. "

558

EDITORIAL.

(174)

A SENATOR ON OUR INDIAN SCHOOLS.

Once again Senator Vest of Missouri,
has boldly defended the Catholic Mis-
sion Schools in the United States Sen-
ate. He pleaded eloquently for the con-
tinuance of the appropriation for their
support. He characterizes the Indian
day schools, which are under the care
of the Department of the Interior, as
"travesties upon education," while the
instructors were-" broken-down preach-
ers and defunct politicians. ' ' The Indian
children taught in these State schools,
he declared, were "ignorant of the very
first elementary principles of the com-
monest education. " . . . "I found,"
he said, ' ' that the only schools that have
ever done the Indian any good are those
conducted by the Jesuits They have de-
voted their lives to them. " (Of course,
Mr. Vest understands by Jesuits all
Catholic religious teaching orders). "It
is impossible, " he goes on to say, "that
a Protestant minister or a Protestant
teacher should turn his back upon civili-
zation, and for $1,000 or $1,200 a year,
discharge the duties in an Indian tribe
of bringing them out of barbarism into
the sunlight of civilization and Chris-
tianity." The Senator is quite right.
Mere individual effort of salaried officials
can never accomplish what can be ef-
fected by the united efforts of men or
women knitted by the common bond of
charity and giving their self-sacrificing
services for the love of God. This the
Senator fully realizes although he is a
staunch Protestant. Therefore, he says :
' ' I would give this duty and mission to
the people who could perform it best
and cheapest. " He concludes with the
assertion, which he declares he had
never yet seen any intelligent man, who
spoke from the same standpoint, dare to
contradict, ' ' that the only schools that
have done anything for the Indians on
this continent have been those under
the control of the Jesuits, " i.e., Catholic
teaching orders of men and women.

Though admitting that he cannot defeat
the bill cutting off wholly, or in part, the
appropriations for Catholic schools, "I
wish, " he said, " to put myself on record
against the provision to which I have
alluded." A few more broad-minded,
unprejudiced public men of the Senator
Vest stamp would be a boon, not only to
the interests of the Indians, but of civil-
ization and humanity at large.

AN ANGLICAN "PASTOR PASTORUM."

A brochure entitled Office and Work
of a Bishop in the Church of God has
lately been addressed by a Protestant
Episcopalian minister to his Bishop. In
one of the chapters, headed " Pastor Pas-
torum " is a strong plea for the Bishop to
give some care, thought, and time to the
ministers and their families. The ideal
is when the Bishop visits the parsonage
' ' with no other purpose than to cheer
and comfort the heart of the wife of the
minister, and to give some loving
thought and care to the difficult prob-
lem of helping to bring up the minister's
children in the way they should go. As
things are now, the clergyman is the
only member of the Church without a
pastor. He and his family can never
look for a friendly, informal, pastoral
call, such as he is daily making to his
people. There is no minister of God
who takes interest in him and his chil-
dren. "

Strangely enough, the author in the
preceding chapter has cited St. Augus-
tin of Hippo, as an ideal Bishop. Im-
agine St. Augustin paying the ideal
pastoral visits to a married clergy! And
the writer laments over the hurry of
life and the lack of time. St. Paul, he
might recollect, says something about
the "man without a wife being solic-
itous for the things that belong to the
Lord, how he may please God; but he
that is with a wife, is solicitous for the
things of the world, how he may please
his wife: and he is divided."

jjj >The medal commemorative of the nine-
teenth year of the Sovereign Pontificate
of Leo XIII. has just been executed in
Rome. On one side it has the likeness
of the Pope, with the inscription : LEO
XIII. PONT. MAX. SACRI. PRIN. A.
XIX. On the other side it bears a rep-
resentation of our Lady enthroned with
the divine Infant on her lap, presenting
the Rosary to the world, represented by
allegorical figures on their knees. Leo
XIII. is seen standing and placing the
faithful un.der the protection of the
Rosary. The legend is : PRESIDIUM.
DIVINE. MATRIS. ACCEPTISSIMA.
ROSARII. PRECE. EXORANDUM.
' ' The protection of the Mother of God is
to be asked and obtained by the prayer
of the Rosary most pleasing to her. "

Leo XIII. has honored the learned
Benedictine, Dom Francis Aidan Gas-
quet, with a Brief, in which his Holi-
ness gives him the highest praise for
his researches and writings in defence of
the Church, and recommends him to as-
sociate in his work ' ' other helpers and
companions fitted for it by capacity and
age."

An international committee has re-
cently been organized whose aim it is to
prepare a grand and universal manifesta-
tion of love and devotion to Jesus Christ
our Redeemer, to mark the end of the
present and the dawn of the next cen-
tury. His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII., has
encouraged and blessed the project, and
many bishops from all parts of the world
have given it their sympathy and
approval.

The committee has its headquarters at
Rome (Piazza of the Apostles, 49) and at
Bologna (Mazzini Street, 94). At the
outset of its labors, it invites the Cath-
olics of the whole world to join in a
spiritual pilgrimage to Our Lady of
Lourdes, to place the work under her
maternal protection. The following

(175)

prayer may be used, enriched by our
Holy Father with an indulgence of
one hundred days, applicable to the
souls in purgatory, which may be gained
once a day until the close of 1901, by
those who recite it with humble and
contrite heart:

"Grant us, O God of mercy, through
the intercession of the Immaculate Vir-
gin, grace to expiate by our penance
and tears, the sins of the century which
is about to close, and to prepare the
beginning of the century which is to
follow. May it be entirely devoted to
the glory of Thy Name, and to the reign
of Jesus Christ Thy Son, to whom may
all nations render homage in unity of
faith and perfection of charity. Amen. ' '

The Bishops of Pavia and Padua have
addressed a letter to the whole Italian
episcopate, in which they propose the
founding of a great scientific union or
society, divided into as many sections as
there are branches of human knowledge,
and which will be composed of the Cath-
olic thinkers and workers of Italy dis-
posed to consecrate their work to the
honor of the Faith and the service of the
Church.

Italian Unity was the catch-word used
by anti-Catholic revolutionists in seiz-
ing the States of the Church. The
Budget for 1897-98 puts at 791,858,586
francs the goods of the Church stolen
by the Italian Government and sold at
public auction. But this stolen patri-
mony of the Church has not benefited
the people. On the contrary, the taxes
have been quintupled. Agriculture, in-
dustries, and commerce are languishing.
The public debt has risen to 13,000,000,-
ooo; that of the communes and prov-
inces to nearly 3,000,000,000. Stolen
goods never benefit the thieves.

The Tabernacle Society, which sup-
plies vestments, altar vessels and orna-
ments for poor churches, is making

559

560

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS-

(176)

steady progress, as will be seen from the
fact that since February i, 1879, two hun-
dred and thirty-four Diplomas of Aggre
gation had been issued to associations
throughout the world : 95 in Italy, i in
Greece, 2 in France, 3 in Spain, 7 in
Belgium, 13 in Holland, 30 in the Ger-
man empire, 9 in Switzerland, i in
Poland, i in the Grand Duchy of Luxem-
burg, 4 in England, 2 in Ireland, 3 in
Scotland, 20 in Austria-Hungary, 2 in
Turkey, i in Mesopotamia, i in the Isle
of Malta, i in the East Indies, 16 in the
West Indies, 4 in South America, 3 in
Canada, and 12 in the United States.
The centre of the arch-association is at
Rome, to which it was transferred from
Brussels in 1879.

The Administrator Apostolic of Canea
has written a letter to Leo XIII. to eulo-
gize the self-sacrifice shown by the
French sailors in order to save the
Catholic institutions at the burning of
Canea. The Pope, in consequence, con-
ferred decorations on nine officers who
had distinguished themselves in the
rescue.

On Sunday, March 21, some hundred
Catholic American sailors from the man-
of-war ' ' San Francisco, ' ' lying in the bay
of Naples, came to Rome to be presented
to the Holy Father and assist at his
Mass. They were accompanied by two
officers, their chaplain and the rector of
the American College. Leo XIII. was
delighted with the loyalty of the sailors
and told them so in affectionate terms,
and had each of them come up close to
him to kiss his hand and get his bless-
ing. The tars showed their appreciation
by prolonged hurrahs at the close of the
audience.

Preparatory to sailing for their annual
fishing off Iceland, the fishermen of Bou-
logne-sur-Mer made a spiritual retreat.
At the close, seven hundred of them
received Holy Communion, and were en-
rolled in the Archconfraternity of Notre
Dame des Mers (Our Lady of the Sea).
The Bishop of Arras celebrated pontifi-
cal High Mass in presence of the State
Marines and the fishermen in their Sun-
day clothes, and preached an appropri-
ate sermon. After the consecration of
the men to the patroness of sailors, they
went in procession to the shore, whence
the Bishop blessed the sea in the midst
of a furious storm.

A similar ceremony took place at Dun-
kirk. First there was Mass in the Chapel
of Notre Dame des Dunes, and then a pro-
cession to the harbor, where the fleet of
ninety-eight fishing vessels at anchor
received the solemn blessing.

The Report for 1896 of the Catholic
Reading Room for Sailors in New York,
gives a very consoling account of the
good work done among the seamen of the
great Trans-Atlantic liners. Although
the present quarters in Christopher
Street are not very commodious, they
have proved a great boon to those who
frequent them. The Apostleship of the
Sea, as the League for Seamen is called,
is very flourishing. There are over one
thousand names of Associates in the
register. On Easter Sunday, one hun-
dred and twenty seamen, from two steam-
ships, the "Teutonic" and "Campania,"
received Holy Communion in St. Veron-
ica's Church, near the docks.

The Sacred Congregation of Rites has
confided to Mgr. Touchet, Bishop of
Orleans, the duty of examining into the
heroicity of the virtues and the authen-
ticity of the miracles of the Venerable
Jeanne d'Arc as a necessary preliminary
to her beatification.

The great bell presented by the Czar
of Russia to the Church of Chatellerault
will be christened in the Church of St.
John Evangelist by Mgr. Pelge, Bishop
of Poitiers, on May 19.

Six seminarists, of the Seminary of
Moulins, France, were lately fined five
francs apiece for a breach of the law
against ' ' exterior manifestations of wor-
ship." The offence consisted in their
putting on their surplices at the door of
the church, which they were about to
enter to take part in a religious cere-
mony.

It is edifying to record that the late
Duchess de Montpensier, sister of Queen
Isabella of Spain, was a fervent member
of the Third Order of St. Francis. As
superior of the confraternity established
in the convent of the Capuchins of San-
Lucarde-Barcaride, she considered it an
honor to walk at the head of the ter-
tiaries in processions, modestly veiled
and carrying in her hand a lighted
candle.

177)

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

561

In consequence of the refusal of the

eligious congregations to pay the unjust

ax imposed by the government, on Sun-

.ay, March 21, the Prefect of Drome

ssued a decree against the Redemptor-

sts of Valence and closed and sealed

i he doors of their public chapel. On

he same day the chapel of the Capu-

c hins of Crest and that of the Carmelites

;.t Montelimar were also closed.

Another kind of persecution is the
stoppage of salaries of ecclesiastics,
foremost among the sufferers is the
]3ishop of Viviers, Mgr. Bonnet, whose
crime is that in his Lenten pastoral he
declared that those who bought the con-
iiscated property of the religious congre-
gations would incur the censure of the
Church.

Several parish priests and their assist-
ants have received the same treatment.
One, the venerable Abbe Guerin of
St. Fulgent (Vendee), had a Mission
preached by the Redemptorists, who
refused absolution to parents who
endangered the souls of their children
by sending them to the State atheistic
schools. The Mayor of the town had
taken it upon himself to announce with
the sound of the trumpet that the
Fathers would give absolution to every-
body.

How intimidation is carried on by the
State, which pretends so absurdly to be
based on liberty, is seen by the follow-
ing letter :

" MR. MAYOR: — The Republican Com-
mittee has learned to-day with pain, that
your son has been for a year at the school
of the ignorant brothers. It is aston-
ished at your conduct, inasmuch as you
had yourself placarded and inscribed as
Republican Mayor at the prefecture.

"If you do not send your son to a
government school, the Committee,
though with regret, will know how to
do its duty. t The Committee. ' '

These are the men who cry out against
clerical intolerance.

Twenty-seven congregations of relig-
ious men were represented by their dele-
gates at a meeting held lately in Paris
in regard to the unjust, impious, and
oppressive law of subscription (abonne-
ment}. They were unanimous in main-
taining the passive attitude which the

great majority had already Adopted. In
case the attempt is made to dispossess
them of their property, they will yield
only to violence and protest against the
flagrant injustice. Waiving the rights
of the Church to immunity from taxa-
tion, they are willing to pay their pro-
portion of the public taxes, but are not
willing that the unj ust burden of excess-
ive taxation should be imposed on
them, and that, too, in spite of the
services they are freely rendering to
their countrymen.

The French Academy has shown good
taste in electing to membership the
Comte de Mun as successor to M. Jules
Simon, by eighteen votes to twelve for
M. Ferdinand Fabre, and two for the
persistent, but oft-defeated M. Zola.
Though the Comte is not a writer, he is
an orator of high repute, and as a fear-
less champion of all that is noble and
good, his election does credit to the
exclusive Academy.

The photographers of France have
chosen St. Veronica for their special
patroness . The propriety of their choice
commends itself; for, upon the veil,
wherewith she bravely wiped the face of
our Lord on His way to Calvary, was
reproduced instantaneously, exactly and
inalterably the likeness of the Holy
Face.

During Lent, for the first time since
1820, a simultaneous Mission in all the
churches of Marseilles was given.
Eighty-two Redemptorist Fathers were
engaged in the work, which proved
most fruitful.

The Archbishop of York, accompanied
by Mr. W. J. Birkbeck, has gone to
Russia to see if he can find any support
for Anglican pretensions among the
Russo-Greeks. Will he offer a copy of
the Thirty-nine Articles and the Corona-
tion oath as samples of his orthodoxy ?

The Rev. H. Mather, formerly curate
of St. Bartholomew's (Ritualistic) Church,
Brighton, England, has been received
into the Church recently, and has gone
with Mr. B. W. (late Father) Maturin to
Rome to study for the priesthood.

Rear- Admiral Tremlett of the British
navy was lately received into the Church

562

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

(178)

on his death-bed . He stood high as an
officer of distinction. Perhaps he was
best known as having been chosen by
the Admiralty to elaborate a system for
training boys, and later on as Inspector
of training ships. He was very careful
about the religious formation of the boys
under his charge, and saw to it that the
Catholics attended Mass and received
the Sacraments regularly. He was much
pleased at the conversion of one of his
daughters some years ago. He had
reached the ripe age of eighty-two.

A Protestant journalist, Mr. Gambier,
has lately published an article on the
progress of Catholicity in England,
which has attracted considerable atten-
tion: "There is no country in the
world, ' ' says he, ' ' where the power of
the Pope is growing more rapidly than in
England. The principal reason of this
must be sought in the entire absence of
discipline in the English Protestant
churches, especially in the one which
bears the title of the Church of Eng-
land. The disagreement among its
clergy is such that the most radically
opposed opinions are held by its pastors,
and yet they all pretend to serve it
equally well. The discipline of the
Catholic Church, on the contrary, is
perfect. Priests and laymen work hand
in hand to spread and propagate its
doctrines. A Catholic party is growing
up which will ere long acquire an
irresistible power in the land. "

and completion of the Church of the
Holy Trinity in that city. The work is
to be undertaken in honor of B. Peter
Canisius, and will be a jubilee memorial
of the three hundredth anniversary of
his death which is being celebrated this
year. This church is the collegiate
church of the famous Innsbruck Uni-
versity, in the foundation of which the
Blessed was chiefly instrumental. He
lived seven years at Innsbruck as court
preacher to the Emperor, Ferdinand I.;
but his name is held in even greater
veneration as the friend of the poor and
children, than as the adviser of rulers.

The great celebration of the thirteenth
centenary of St. Columkille will take place
at lona, on June 9, and will no doubt be
almost altogether of a religious char-
acter. In Gartan, county Donegal, the
birthplace of St. Columkille, a celebra-
tion will be held with great eclat. The
Rt. Rev. Dr. O'Donnell, Bishop of
Raphoe, by blood a lineal descendant of
the great Saint's family, says it will be
one of the greatest turnouts of modern
times. There will be High Mass in the
open air, together with sermons and ad-
dresses in Irish and English. Cardinal
Logue will make the principal address
in Irish, and will be presented with ad-
dresses in Irish by the Gaelic League
and other representative bodies from the
diocese of Raphoe.

The number of Catholics in Crete is
small, a mere thousand out of the two
hundred thousand Christians. At one
time there were ten Bishoprics, but ow-
ing to the Mahometan invasion and the
spread of the schismatical Greek Church,
Catholicism has dwindled away. In 1874,
Pope Pius IX. reestablished the Diocese
of Candia, and committed it to the care
of the Capuchin Fathers. Of these there
are at present in the island six priests
and five lay brothers.

The Church is making great headway
in Norway. A new church is being
built in Christiana and another in Dron-
theim, which already has one. Chapels
and stations are being established at
many places in the country.

King Alphonso of Spain has intimated
to Father Kenelm Vaughan his desire to
be the founder of the Chapel of the
Blessed Sacrament in the new Cathedral
of Westminster. For the first Mass to
be said in it His Majesty will present a
magnificent chalice.

The German Messenger which is pub-
lished at Innsbruck in Tyrol, has opened
a subscription list for the restoration

The Governor of Madagascar, General
Gallieni, has sent the following letter to
Father Colin, S.J.:

"Commander Verrier, Chief of the
geographical service, has acquainted me
with your share in the last works of the
topographical brigade of the East Coast,
and has pointed out the ready and dis-
interested aid afforded by }^ou in this
undertaking. This new mission, in
proving once more your devotion to
a science eminently useful, has acquired
for you new titles for recognition by the
body now in occupation, for which your
remarkable and numerous works are so
precious an aid in the repression of the

(179)

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS-

563

insurrection and in the organization of
the colony.

• ' I am pleased to express to you per-
sonally all my thanks. ' '

A missionary in Madagascar writes :
' ' As one of our brave soldiers said the
other day : ' Protestantism is a complete
failure here. ' Yet to make the Catholic
religion triumph, there was no need of
decree, or force, but simply true liberty
granted by General Gallieni to all
religious bodies. From the first dawn
of this liberty, there was a movement
among the natives towards the Church,
and this is on the increase. The most
eloquent proof is the constantly growing
number of our pupils. Formerly we had
in all Madagascar scarcely 26, 729 pupils,
while at the end of last year we counted
65,103, though many schools have not
yet been reorganized. At this rate, we
shall soon have three times as many as
before the war."

Besides the Catholics of Oriental rite
incidentally mentioned in the MESSEN-
GER (May, 1897), as residing in the United
States, we learn that there are fifty thou-
sand or sixty thousand Greco-Rutheni-
ans ministered to by some eighteen or
twenty priests of the Ruthenian rite in
this country, mostly from Hungary.
Like other Slavs of the Oriental rite,
the Ruthenians use the Greek liturgy,
translated into their own language.

There will be a pilgrimage under the
auspices of the Queen's Daughters of
St. Louis, during the month of May
to the Shrine in the Visitation Con-
vent, in Cabanne Street. Archbishop
Kain, who is the Spiritual Director of
the Association, will be present and
will consecrate seven hundred children
of the Industrial Schools under the
supervision of the Queen 's Daughters to
the Sacred Heart. This excellent asso-
ciation has for its object the performance
of spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
Its chief work is the Saturday Sewing
and Industrial School. Several of these
have been established in St. Louis. The
members teach poor children how to sew
and make clothes, while at the same
time they impart to them lessons in the
faith. These are called the Self-helpful
Bands. The children of well-to-do par-

ents form the Guardian Angel Bands to
meet the poorer children .and encourage
them by kindness and sympathy to take
interest in this work. They also make
garments for distribution to their less
fortunate companions, especially for
those who are to make their First Com-
munion. The Sewing Guilds consist of
members who meet at each others homes
to make and collect clothing for the de-
serving poor.

An Episcopalian minister, \\ho is con-
tributing to the Churchman, "Sketches of
Foreign Churches, " in a paper on Switzer-
land, while admitting that the type of
Christianity which appeals most strongly
to him is the Old Catholic, is obliged to
confess that " he was disappointed and
chilled by the apparent apathy of the
people. ' ' He instances the small attend-
ance at either high or low Mass, says
"the devotion of the people is not con-
spicuous, and that many depart after the
sermon. Evidently the early enthusiasm
of the movement has faded away." He
assigns the true reason for this in that
" the revolt against the Vatican decrees
was professional, and not popular."
Mark well his next reason : ' ' Further-
more, the ground of separation was a
negation, and a negation is an unsub-
stantial foundation for a corporation of
any character. " Strange it is that this
Protestant writer does not see that the
same unsubstantial foundation of negation
is the one on which the Protestant sect
to which he belongs is founded. Through-
out his article he always denotes Catho-
lics as Romanists. ' ' Swiss Romanism, ' *
he says "differs in no apparent respect
from that of the neighboring countries,
being just as devout, just as formal, and
just as superstitious. " We used to think
that formalism was opposed to devotion,
but it seems that the Swiss Romanists
combine the uncombinable, perhaps
welded together by their superstitions,
which would appear to be chiefly, ac-
cording to this writer, in their love for
our Lady, and their manifestation of
piety by "the plenty of crucifixes and
wayside shrines." We might fitly
remark here that the Catholic churches
which had been unjustly given over to
the Old Catholics in four places have
lately been restored to the Catholics, in-
asmuch as there were no Old Catholic
congregations any longer to use them.

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

Easter week is always
thenBadge ««ked by an increased
activity in League Cen-
tres. Things that could not be attended
to while Lenten and Holy Week services
were engaging the attention of Directors
become urgent after Easter, and prepara-
tions must be made for the devotions to
be held in May and June. Perhaps the
notable sign of this activity during the
past month was the frequent call for
Badges of the League to be conferred
publicly on Associates who have been
admitted during the past few months.
The ceremony for conferring the Badge
is a simple one, and it never fails to
bring an increase of members.

Directors

in June.

Conversions

by Prayer.

The ever timely inten-
tion recommended in our
May MESSENGER, for the
conversion of souls in our own country
has moved a number of our readers to
send us lists of names of people for
whose conversions they are praying.
Of course, we cannot publish these lists;
But we commend every person mentioned
m them to the prayers of our Associates,
and we trust that many conversions will
speedily follow. The mere writing down
of these names makes those who are
praying say their prayers with more
fervor and constancy, and prayer of this
£ind is sure to be heard. It is notice-
able in our intentions that the number
of petitions for conversions has been of
late double of what it used to be, and
our thanksgiving pages also tell of more
conversions, some of them very remark-
able.

The General Intention
motion, designated for the month
of June will be very ac-
ceptable to all our Local Directors.
Priests and people in the United States
are devoted to the interests of the Holy
See and are naturally desirous of seeing
the Catholics of all nations bowing in
filial submission to His Holiness. The
practice of the 2d Degree is for his wel-
fare and for the monthly Intentions he
faithfully recommends to us. It would
be very proper, .therefore, to multiply our
2d Degree offerings to our Lady, in
Behalf of this Intention which closely
concerns his welfare and his influence
.for the good of the Church.

564

The office of a League
Director in June reminds
us forcibly of many things
that our Lord asked Blessed Margaret
Mary to do in honor of His Sacred Heart.
She is surely the model for our Directors
at all times, but especially in June. It
is the month consecrated to the Sacred
Heart ; it is the month in which falls
the feast of the Sacred Heart, established
in accordance with our Lord's own re-
quest ; it is also the month during which
we commemorate His first great revela-
tion to Blessed Margaret Mary, and in
which the Church first set the seal of its
approbation on the establishment of the
feast of the Sacred Heart. The will of
Him who directed the first Apostle of
this devotion is plain for us who are
striving to direct others in its practices;
and Margaret Mary's compliance with
His will, in her efforts to have His great
feast observed, is evidently our model in
our work for June. Preparation cannot
be made too soon nor too elaborately.
Promoters and Associates are but too
eager to do their share ; it rests with us
to take the initiative and direct their
piety and zeal.

All this is to be done in
accordance with the Stat-
utes of our Apostleship,
not only because we have engaged so to
do it, but also because our peculiar
manner of practising devotion to the
Sacred Heart has been found most prac-
tical and salutary for millions of souls.
Hence it is that we recommend Father
Ramiere'rf Apostleship of Prayer as the
very best book for Promoters who wish
to master by knowledge and practice this
great devotion as cultivated by our pious
association. For a knowledge of the
history and dogma of the devotion the
books by Cardinal Manning and Father
Dalgairns of the Oratory are excellent,
and sufficiently popular in style and
treatment, but Father Gallifet's Ador-
able Heart of Jesus is acknowledged by
all to be the most thorough and satisfac-
tory treatise on this matter. Father
Suau's book on the Sacred Heart, just
published in English, and noticed in our
present number, is one that every Pro-
moter and Associate should read. With
sources like these at hand no Promoter
need be at a loss for a thorough knowl-
edge of devotion to the Sacred Heart.

(180)

(181)

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

565

A Jubilee

Offering.

In view of the magnifi-
cent festivities held lately
in Philadelphia to com-
memorate the twenty-fifth year of the
Archbishop's episcopal consecration, it
may seem too trifling to mention that
the Promoters of the Cathedral Centre
in that city had their Associates make
up a spiritual bouquet to offer him on
that occasion, consisting of:

Masses heard and said . . 3,015
Holy Communions . . . 1,000
Beads 9,500

Stations of the Cross .. . . 1,165

Angelus 3,661

Spiritual Communiors . . 698

Prayers 62,407

No doubt it was due to these and the
other fervent prayers offered by his devout
people that the jubilee celebration was
so successful. The Cathedral Centre of
Philadelphia is one of the most active in
the United States. Its Promoters are at
present engaged in org&nizing a kinder-
garten, and we trust their effoits may be
blessed as they deserve.

FOR PROMOTERS.

Promoters'

Own Month.

June is a Promoters ' own
month. The rest of the
year may go by with little
or no effort on the Promoter's part to
advance devotion to the Heart of Jesus,
but June cannot fail to be a time of com-
punction for such negligence and of
reparation for it also. Promoters are
not alone in experiencing such senti-
ments in June, because every good
Catholic must wish to make the month
fruitful for the devotion to which it has
been, by common opinion, consecrated
for over sixty years. ' ' Promoters, ' ' the
Statutes read, "should endeavor, by
every means, to advance daily more
and more. . . the worship of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus according to the
Statutes of the Apostleship. " This, at
all times: how can they do so, especially
in June?

First of all, there is no
end of the devotions, pri-
vate and public, in which
they can take part, and to which they
should invite others, particularly their

General

Means.

these two great feasts. The close of the
Easter season, too, offers a splendid op-
portunity for zeal in inducing, one's As-
sociates or friends to be sure of making
their Easter duties. All these are some
of the means in the power of Promo-
ters to advance the worship of the Heart
of Jesus, and most excellent means they
are; but they are not the only means,
nor are they so salutary as the one we
would suggest as most proper for Pro-
moters in June.

For the very reason that
this month of the Sacred
Heart usually arouses in
Promoters sentiments of compunction
for past negligence of their duties, and
of desire to repair the loss caused by
such negligence to themselves and
others, it would seem that they should
begin at once to cultivate devotion to
the Sacred Heart in such a way that
they would be disposed to continue prac-
tising it, not merely during June, or for
a short while after, but for the entire
coming year and for all their lives after.

Special

Means

Associates, in June; morning or evening For this purpose they should read and

devotions in the church; daily Mass or study, and, in their own way, meditate

Benediction; novenas or triduums; fre- upon the meaning, the origin, the his-

quent Communion and visits to our Lord tory, the fruits, the object of this great

in the Blessed Sacrament. Then there devotion of our times; and they should

are the special observances of Corpus pray so to acquire it by these means as

Christi, of the Feast of the Sacred Heart to acquire also a facility for promoting

and of the days intervening between it in others.

THE APOSTLESHIP ABROAD AND AT HOME.

DENMARK.— The beautiful chimes of the faithful to Catholic worship. When

the newly erected Sacred Heart Church they ring out the Angelus far and wide

of the Jesuit Fathers at Copenhagen are through the city the inhabitants listen

imous all over the city. Last Christ- in surprise and admiration, and become

as, for the first time since 1536, their aware that the long proscribed Church

peculiarly sweet and clear tones called of Rome has once more sprung into ac-

566

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW-

(182)

tive and vigorous life in their midst.
The church edifice is rather small, but
richly and tastefully adorned ; it is of
brick, in the purest Gothic style. As it
is not centrally situated, however, it is
the intention to build shortly a magnifi-
cent Cathedral in the most fashionable
quarter of the city ; the ground for it is
alieady purchased.

ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY, ST. CLOUD,
MINN. — Our local branch of the Apostle-
ship, which has been in existence here
since last October, is doing excellent
work. Seven Promoters received their
well-merited Crosses and Diplomas on
Easter Sunday.

SACRAMENTO, CAL. — Our Centre is
growing .more and more interested in
their work lately. We fill out the blank
space on our Monthly Calendar^ which
is kept on the Sacred Heart altar, and
the Associates seem to make more use
of the Intention Box. The number of
monthly communicants has increased
greatly since the League was established
here. It promises to grow to be a great
benefit to the parish.

ST. JOSEPH'S CENTRE, MINONKA, PA.
— The League here is, I am glad to say,
in a flourishing condition. The work
is carried on quietly, but systematically,
with most excellent results.

ST. MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS,
BRIGGSVILLE, Wis. — A reception of six
Promoters was held here on Easter Sun-
day. Our Centre is fervent and happy.
It is most wonderful what blessings are
being bestowed upon our good people.

ST. JAMES' CATHEDRAL. VANCOUVER,
WASH. — Our League is increasing very
rapidly. At the last meeting of our
Promoters, fifty new names were handed
in for registration. We have already
over four hundred members. Our Pro-
moters are zealous and all anxious to
get their Diplomas and Crosses, which
we hope to have the pleasure of asking
in two or three months.

ST. MARY'S CENTRE, PATERSON, N. J.
— On Low Sunday the Apostleship of
Prayer was started here by one of the
Fathers from the Central" Office, New
York City, who addressed the congre-
gati<>n at all the Masses, and at Vespers,
and held a Promoters' meeting at four
o'clock, P.M. The success was all that
could be desired. About thirty Pro-
moters presented themselves, and set
out at once upon their apostolic work.
The Sisters of St. Dominic, who are in
charge of the Parochial school, have
organized the children's League. It is
expected that the whole congregation
will shortly be enrolled.

A DIRECTOR FROM WISCONSIN WRITES :
The Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the
instrumentality of the League, con-
tinues to go about in this locality doing
good. To my knowledge one person,
not a member, absent several years re-
turned to the fountains of life eternal
— the Sacraments. Another person, a
member, has almost completely recov-
ered from a dangerous disease. With
each returning First Friday the number
of communicants continues to increase.
May the Sacred Heart of Jesus rule the
world.

ANOTHER DIRECTOR FROM WEST VIR-
GINIA WRITES : Thanks be to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, I am doing very well
among my flock since I started the
League. Nearly one hundred persons
have joined and others will follow thtir
example.

OBITUARY.

Miss Anna A. Mahoney, Cathedral
Centre, Philadelphia, Pa.; Mary Buck-
ley, Mrs. Maty C. McMeeser, St. Mary's
Centre, South Dakota; Sister Mary
Stanislas Riani, Convent of Mercy,
Sacramento, Cal.; Mrs. Mary Reynolds,
Duquesne, Pa.; Francis Carlin, St. Pat-
rick's Centre, N. Y. City; Mrs. Anne
Coleman, Boston, Mass.; Cornelius
O 'Sullivan, Troy, N. Y.

83)

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

567

OUR APOSTLESHIP.

The name Apostle is so sacred that it
; ; usually reserved for the members of
t tie College of the Apostles, and for the
j 3w saintly missionaries, who, like them,
c pened up new countries for the preach-
iigof the gospel.

So entirely and exclusively were the
i irst twelve and the more modern apos-
lles devoted to their vocation, that we
t peak of all they did as their apostle-
j.hip; for all was inspired by zeal, all was
sanctified by their virtue, and all was
made fruitful by prayer. On first
thoughts, therefore, it seems presump-
tuous on our part to speak of our Apostle-
ship. Who are we, and what can we do
that any effort on our part should be dig-
nified by this name ?

Still, we can all be apostles in some
degree. The great Apostles, SS. Peter
and Paul, invite us constantly in their
letters to do things that the Apostles
did, and for which they obtained their
name. Hear St. Peter: "As every man
hath received grace, ministering the
same one to another: as good stewards
of the manifold grace of God. If any
man speak, let him speak the word of
God. If any man minister let him do it
as of the power which God administer-
eth : that in all things God may be
honored through Jesus Christ. ' '

And St Paul: ' ' I desire, therefore, first
of all, that supplications, prayers, inter-
cessions and thanksgivings, be made for
all men. . . . For this is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour, who will have all men to be
saved, and to come to the knowledge of
the truth."

This is why our Statutes speak of our
apostolic duties, and why we call our
association by the name Apostleship.
Hence we need have no misgivings about
the propriety of our name. The only
occasion for such misgivings would be
any failure on our part to infuse an
apostolic spirit into all we do.

Now this apostolic spirit maybe culti-
vated without following what is known as
an apostolic career. The Apostles them-
selves were never without this spirit,
whether actively engaged in their career
or not. We cannot conceive a St. Fran-
cis Xavier without it, even when he was
buried in the solitude of a retreat, or
journeying over the lonely mountain
passes on his way to Italy, with no chance

for an external exercise of zeal. The
missionaries who leave their seminary
or monastery for the first time to preach
the gospel to distant nations do not be-
come there and then apostles by the mere
fact that they are journeying with a view
to beginning an active ministry. Unless
they have been cultivating the spirit of
apostles during all the time of their
preparation for the ministry, it is more
than likely that they will become mere
ramblers, or explorers, now and then
engaging in the ministry.

It was to cultivate this apostolic spirit
among young men preparing for the
missions that our Apostleship was first
founded. Their mental and religious
formation kept them secluded from
every object of their zeal. They might
incite one another to piety and de-
votion, but they had no incentive to
an apostolic interest in the welfare of
the heathen and heretical nations to
whom they were to preach the gospel in
after years. They still yearned for an
active ministry, so much so, that it be-
came imperative on their superiors to
show them how they might become
apostles even within their seminary
walls. Our Apostleship was suggested
to them, and from their cloisters it has
spread throughout the world. For over
fiftv years it has helped to cultivate the
apostolic vSpirit in candidates for the
priestly ministry, and it has also ob-
tained from God a singular efficacy for
the labors of those who are actively
engaged in saving souls.

An apostleship, in our sense, is any
pious occupation < r series of occupations
performed with the motive of glorifying
God and saving souls. It may be
prayer, or it may be labor or suffering
piously offered in prayer, with the
intention that God's glory may be in-
creased, and souls saved. God can
derive glory from all we do, whether we
think of Him or not, but it rests with
us to give Him the glory of our actions,
by acknowledging that He is the author
of all we have, and by so serving Him as
to help others to recognize His excellence
from the goodness of His creatures. To
help them in this way is already to bring
them near to God. and to put them on
the way to salvation To honor God
and to help men constantly in this way,
and with this motive, is the simple
object of our Apostleship.

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

TOTAL NUMBER OP THANKSGIVINGS FOR LAST MONTH, 235,311.
"In all things give thanks," (I. Thes., v, 18).

Special Thanksgiving: — "In the city of

B , a short time ago, a lady met with

an accident which resulted in a broken
hip joint, together with many lesser in-
juries. In a few days she was reduced to
a state of utter prostration, not alone
from the agony endured from the in-
jured limb, but from the more alarm-
ing fact that her already frail consti-
tution had been totally shattered by
the shock : nothing — not even a drop of
water could be retained on the stomach.
The physician could give no further hope
— death seemed inevitable. At this crisis,
a Protestant attendant, who had been a
witness of the marvellous effects of the
Sacred Heart Badge, on a previous occa-
sion, suggested that it be tried now.
Accordingly a Badge was placed on the
sufferer's stomach, and the same instant
vomiting ceased, relief and rest were ob-
tained, and the following day solid food
was relished and retained. From that
date, contrary to all expectations, the
patient improved constantly and rap-
idly."

' ' My husband has been sick for ten
months, and was despaired of by the best
doctors in the country, who pronounced
him an incurable consumptive. Not de-
spairing, I put a Badge on him and began
a no vena to the Sacred Heart. The day
after it was finished, he began to emit
matter that showed the existence of an
internal abscess. Though the doctors
more than ever despaired of his recovery,
we kept on praying, so that he was en-
abled to submit to a successful operation.
He is now improving, and we know it
was our prayers to the Sacred Heart that
did it."

A woman who had been troubled for
twelve years with running sores on one of
her limbs, and who in all that time had
only slept when exhausted with pain, or
under the influence of a narcotic, was
sent some oil from a lamp burning before
a statue of the Sacred Heart in a con-
ven-t. She applied the oil, setting aside
the useless remedies of science, and at
the same time joined the nuns in a
novena to the Sacred Heart. Her limb
is painless now and is entirely cured.

568

" For several months my health had
been in a very bad condition. I made
several novenas in honor of our Blessed
Mother, and on the day before the close
of the last one, I again visited my
physician, and was told that an opera-
tion was necessary before my health
would be improved. For my children's
sake, more than for any other reason, I
went to the hospital, and then promised
that if the Sacred Heart would spare my
life, through the intercession of Our
Lady of Lourdes, I would have five
Masses of thanksgiving offered, and the
favor published in the MESSENGER and
the Annals of Our Lady of Lourdes. For
several weeks after the operation my
life was despaired of, and I feel confident
my recovery was granted through the
many prayers offered to our Blessed
Mother in my behalf. It is four months
since the operation and I am gaining
strength every day and hope in time to
be well and strong again. Through the
kindness of a Sister, I obtained several
bottles of Lourdes water, which I used
during my illness. I have been a Pro-
moter of the League for some years."

"A novice, upon whom a successful
surgical operation had been performed,
being permitted by the surgeon to return
to the novitiate, met with an accident
which reopened the wound. It bled
freely, but the doctors failed to stop the
bleeding. We began a novena for the
First Friday for her; at the end she was
better but not well. We then began
another with our little orphans ; at the
end she was perfectly cured."

"I desire to return most heartfelt
thanks to the Sacred Heart for the
recovery of a young Sister who was, as
we supposed, dying. The doctors attend-
ing her concluded that nothing but a
very serious surgical operation could
save her life. As the operation was
very critical we hesitated to have it
performed. Novenas were begun in our
orphanage and by the community; also
by other religious. We had six Masses
celebrated for the souls in purgatory,
and promised to publish in the MES-
SENGER if it was a success. The morn-

(184)

185)

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

569

ing before the operation two Masses
were celebrated for her. The operation
was a complete success and her speedy
recovery astonished all."

Spiritual Favors: — A wonderful reli-
gious vocation obtained after a novena
to the Sacred Heart, in honor of St.
Benedict ; conversion of a person who
had been remiss for twenty-two years ;
return of a brother to his religious
duties after ten years of neglect ; con-
version on his deathbed, through a
novena, of one who had for years re-
pudiated religion; conversion of a man,
through the intercession of St. Anthony,
who had not received the Sacraments
for forty-eight years ; conversion of a
woman after fifteen years of neglect ;
a convert whose faith had been shaken,
recently lost his employment, but
secured it again after a novena had been
begun to the Blessed Virgin and three
Masses had been promised for the suffer-
ing souls: he has now returned to the
practice of his religion; the gift of faith
for a friend; a brother's conversion after
years of indifference, he has just made
his Easter duty; return of a father to
the Sacraments after many years of
neglect; conversion of an intemperate
woman, who had given great scandal
and had almost ruined her family, after
the promise of Masses; many other con-
versions, and returns to temperate life.

Temporal Favors : — Employment se-
cured for many persons ; miraculous
cure of a woman whom the doctors failed
to help, by wearing the Father Jogues'
medal and making a novena and two
Communions for the holy souls in pur-
gatory; protection from a severe cyclone;
unexpected success of a lawsuit; the
miraculous protection from violent death
of one who had been threatened and
pursued by a murderous desperado for
weeks; for friendly assistance to one in
a strange land and much in need of
help ; position secured in a Catholic
choir by a young lady who had been, for
pecuniary reasons, compelled to sing
in a Protestant church; cure of a black-
smith whose limb was so severely
injured, as, according to doctors, to
necessitate amputation, which was hap-
pily averted through prayer to St. Bene-
dict ; a like favor, the cure through
prayer to St. Benedict of a suppurating
shoulder, injured accidentally; the hon-
orable and speedy settlement of grave
business troubles through the interces-

sion of St. Anthony and the promise of
Masses for the sufFerin g* souls ; relief
from a financial difficulty after promise
of ten Masses for the souls in purgatory,
in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes, to
whom at the same time a novena was
made, publication having also been prom-
ised; the unexpectedly advantageous
sale of property after promise of saying
the rosary for a year and of having
Masses and novenas offered ; recovery of
a woman who was at the point of death
from a virulent disease ; recovery of a
pastor from severe illness; reconciliation
of husband and wife; the speedy re-
covery, after her parents had promised
a Mass in honor of the Sacred Heart, of
a little girl, whom the doctors had given
up; a successful examination; relief of
financial distress and settlement of busi-
ness difficulties after novenas to St.
Joseph ; an invalid husband's health
restored and business prosperity ; an-
other husband's recovery from long-
standing asthma ; miraculous preserva-
tion of life in circumstances of extreme
peril ; the prevention of a lawsuit.

Favors through the Badge and Pro-
moter's Cross: — Recovery of a young
mother after a dangerous operation. She
wore the Promoter's Cross during her
illness ; another Promoter's sore eyes
cured by application of the Cross ; also
a facial blemish, a case of pleurisy, and
a violent case of pneumonia; two re-
markable cures through the Promoter's
Cross — one of a woman, seemingly
incurable, who wore the Badge and
Cross through a dangerous operation,
the other of a child seriously ill. A
woman who had been suffering from
heart trouble recently lost the use of her
right side from a paralytic stroke. The
Badge was applied, and a Novena be-
gun to the Sacred Heart, with promise
of publication. In a few days she was
well ; cure, through applying the Badge,
of an apparently incurable running sore.
A little girl bad lost her voice for two
weeks through a dangerous illness, but
regained it immediately on application
of the Badge. Conversion , through wear-
ing the Badge, of a young man who had
been remiss for eighteen years ; miracu-
lous cure of a young married woman
who ruptured a blood-vessel and con-
tracted blood-poisoning ; many other
cures of measles, mumps, heart trouble,
pneumonia, typhoid fever, sores, evils,
earaches, grippe, diphtheria, neuralgia.

WE receive with regret the notice
that the publication of the Cath-
olic School and Home Magazine
has to be discontinued. The important
duties of its founder, proprietor, and edi-
tor, Dr. Conaty, now rector of the Cath-
olic University at Washington, have
•caused this step. For five years it has
been welcomed by some thousands of
people throughout the country, although
it was originally only a parish organ of
the Church of the Sacred Heart, Wor-
cester, Mass. The Young Catholic, pub-
lished by the Paulist Fathers of New
York, has promised to embody some of
the departments which were character-
istic of the Catholic School and Home
Magazine, and will be its substitute.

A few months ago we protested against
the libels on Nuns, of which so-called
Catholic authors were guilty. Again
we have to protest. A secular magazine
of large circulation, whose proprietor
and editor is a Catholic, puts before the
public, in two numbers, a story by a
Catholic authoress, in which once more
the nun is a heroine. To make it more
objectionable the plot turns on a revela-
tion of the secrets of the confessional,
which is supposed to be simply an inad-
vertence, A priest is made to say in
public that his first penitent was a mur-
derer. The confession took place im-
mediately after the murder. It was
easy, then, to fix the guilt, especially,
as some one declared that he was the
first to confess to the Abbe, his former
commanding officer in the army. Of
course this some one falls in love with
the murdered man 's sister, and naturally
she questions the Abbe, and he falls into
the trap, and apparently admits the fact.
Thereupon the lovers are parted, but
their love is undying. Of course, all
nuns (according to fiction) are women
disappointed in love. We must, there-
fore, find this interesting love-lorn
maiden in the guise of a Sister of Char-

570

ity, although the authoress calls her a
Sister of Mercy while describing the cos-
tume of a Daughter of St. Vincent de
Paul. After many years the whilome
lovers meet (the usual way in novels),
he as a general of the army on the bat-
tlefield, she as a nursing Sister. In the
meanwhile the Abbe has called upon
Sister Claire and informed her that he
had made a mistake about his first peni-
tent and that her lover was not reallv
the first. This is an immense relief to
the faithful heart of Sister Claire, who
shrewdly fixes the first penitentship on
the villain of the plot. The finale of all
is that the General presents to the Sis-
ter a splendid decoration for her services
to the sick and wounded on the battle-
field. "She looked up into his eyes.
Bach understood the other. Their love
had lasted through more than thirty
years, and in that time it had become
so purified and ennobled that it was not
unworthy of the angels themselves."
They exchange ' ' very proper ' ' letters,
according to the Mother Superior. Af-
ter the receipt of the General's letter
' ' Heaven seemed very near ' ' to Sister
Claire. As for the General, while he
looked toward the white-walled convent
which held Sister Claire, his eyes were
full of tears for the broken hearts of
their youth , but he said to himself, ' ' I
would not have it different now. " This
is the end. What can be the motive for
a Catholic to write such a story? A
travesty of most sacred things, calcu-
lated to give most false impressions, a
confirmation for non-Catholics of their
false ideas of a religious vocation; this it
is and nothing more.

Time was when non-Catholics gloried
in the name of Protestant. Apparently
this time is no more. A recent issue
of the New York Independent contains
an appeal for a corporate union of the
sects like the confederation of the free
churches of Great Britain. It says :

(186)

87)

THE READER.

571

The division of our American Christen -

< om is its sad reproach. Our Roman

< atholic brethren never tire of declaring
1 lat they are Catholic, and that we who
] ave inherited the unfortunate name
, ^rotestant are split into a hundred com-
] eting and conflicting sects. "

The name Protestant is just as appli-
c ible now as it ever was, for has their
1 rotest against the distinctive doctrines
of the Catholic Church, singled out by
the Reformers, ceased? The unfortu-
nateness is not in the name, but in the
spirit — Prqfestant. Let them cultivate
the Catholic spirit, and the names will
follow suit. Christ prayed not for con-
federation among those who should be-
lieve in His name, but for unity. External
union will follow internal unity of faith.
The agreeing upon certain articles of the
Creed, and the waiving of others, will
never produce the oneness which is the
mark of the true Church.

" Menace from the Religious Congre-
gations " is the title of a s.-ries of articles
in the French Review of Primary Educa-
tion, which is a free-thinking organ.
What to the free-thinkers seems a men-
ace is really the hope of Christianity in
France, namely, the multiplication and
prosperity of free Catholic schools.

The Review admits that, after fifteen
years of laicization, in one-third of the
departments of France, the majority of
girl pupils is still in the hands of their
adversaries, i.e., the Catholics. For the
boys, the situation is the same. In
two thousand six hundred communes,
usually in the most important centres,
and often among the people considered
the most anti-clerical, these Catholic
primary schools have been founded.

In some ten departments the State
schools have lost eighteen thousand,
while the Catholics gained twenty-nine
thousand scholars; in eight others the
State is at a disadvantage by its losses;
in thirty others the success of the
Catholics, although real, is not alarm-
ing, so says the Review. But what will
become of the State schools when every-
where they will be opposed by religious
ones? it asks. The answer is simple
enough. They will be closed by the
common verdict of the fathers and
mothers, who, enjoying liberty of con-
science, wish their children to receive a
true education which includes morality
and religion.

A remarkable conference was given in
Lyons, a lew weeks ago, by M. Georges
Thiebaud, to an audience of three thou-
sand people, on what he calls the Protest-
ant Menace in France.

First he gave statistics admitted by
Protestants. There are in France thirty-
seven millions of Catholics by birth; six
hundred and fifty thousand Protestants,
of whom five hundred and sixty thou-
sand are Calvinists, eighty thousand
Lutherans, ten thousand Huguenots of
various sects, and one hundred and forty
thousand Jews.

There is in France a deputy for every
seventy-five thousand group of inhabit-
ants. Imagine, then, that there are
seventy-one Protestant deputies in the
Chamber. In the public instruction,
seven out of ten are Protestants. The
director of primary instruction, M.
Buisson, is a Protestant. The director-
general of secondary instruction, M.
Rabier, is a Protestant. The director of
higher instruction, M. Liard, is a Protest-
ant. At the head of the normal schools
are Protestants. With the Jews the Prot-
estants control the finances. In Paris, out
of two hundred and fifty banks, two-
thirds are in the hands of Protestants.
M. Thiebaud referred to the way in which
French Protestants in Madagascar had
played into the hands of the English to
the detriment of the interests of France.

He proposed to the Assembly the fol-
lowing resolution : " That the political
influence of Protestants and of Jews in
the republic should be reduced to the
just and legitimate proportion assigned
to it by the number of their adherents
in the population of France. "

The Grand Orient of France has lately
published its official report for 1896. It
declares that the formation in moral
virtues given in the State schools is
absolutely defective. The following is the
translation of the exact words :

' ' Whereas the course of moral pre-
scribed by the law of 1882, to be given
every day in the schools, is only given
in a very imperfect way, and produces
but little or no effect on the children and
young people of both sexes.

"Whereas the object of this course, is
to form manly, polished, Republican
youth, and that, instead of this, the
largest part of the children become
more and more disagreeable and ill-bred
(malelevcs) . . . that, when these genera-

572

BOOK NOTICES

(188)

tions shall come to the age of voting,
we cannot but ask ourselves anxiously
what sort of voters will they make.

"Whereas this deplorable state of in-
struction comes from the fact that this
important teaching and these manuals
composed by from eight to ten different
authors are left to the discretion of the
teachers ; while with our adversaries
it is quite the contrary, where there is
unity of book and of moral teaching
from the college to the lowest school ;
the same is not the case with us where
the pupils, in changing classes and
schools, are liable also to find a change
in the handbook of moral and the man-
ner of teaching it ; this absence of unity
of moral instruction is very hurtful to Re-
publican education, and one of the most
fatal things to the Republic, etc., etc."

Here we have the evil clearly stated:

The product of the State irreligious
schools, their advocates admit, are 3 oung
people, becoming more and more dis-
agreeable and ill-bred. The courts and
criminal statistics bear a strong testi-
mony to the evil Jesuits of such educa-
tion. What remedies does the Grand
Orient, the highest Masonic body, pro-
pose ? "A competition for a handbook
of moral for the use of primary schools, "
and "the suppression of all mention 'of
duties to God in the programmes of
studies, exactly conformed to the law of
1882, on neutrality (in religion), "which
really means the absence, or, rather, the
crushing out of all religion. No wonder
the future voters thus trained are to be
feared when they reach the age when
their votes will decide the affairs of
France. Mutatis mutandis, let the United
States consider this object lesson.

BOOK NOTICES.

De Religione Revelata Libri Qninqne.—

Auctore Gulielmo Wilmers, SJ. New
York : Fr. Pustet & Co. 1 897. Large 8vo.
Pages 686.

This is the first instalment of a truly
monumental work, in three volumes, on
Fundamental Theology. The learned
author is favorably known to English
readers by his Handbook of the Christian
Religion, which is widely circulated, and
has been adopted as a text book on re-
ligion in many of our colleges and higher
schools. He is also the author of a very
learned and popular work, in four large
volumes, entitled Lehrbuch der Religion, a
scientific exposition of the Christian drc-
trine, and a history of Religion (Geschichte
der Religion} in two volumes. The edit-
ing and re-editing of these works, which
have gone through various editions, has
occupied most of Father Wilmers' leisure
for the last thirty years, so that he was
obliged to defer the publication of this
last work, on which his fame will chiefly
rest, till his eightieth year.

This long delay has turned out greatly
to the advantage of the work, as the
author had ample time to revise it thor-
oughly and bring it completely up to
date. The most recent works have been
consulted, and utilized or refuted, as the
case required .

The present volume, as the title indi-
cates, treats of Divine Revelation in five
books. The first book handles Religion
and Revelation in general — the necessity
of religion ; the possibility, the neces-

sity, and the criteria of revelation. In
the second book, the Pi imitive Revela-
tion to our first parents, the Patriarchal
and the Mosaic Revelations, as a prepa-
ration to the Christian, are established.
In the third, the Divinity of the Chris-
tian religion is proved from the miracles
and prophecies, and from the testimony
of Christ as a divine envoy. The fourth
book develops the proof from the preach-
ing of the Apostles, the rapid spread of
Christianity, the testimony of the mar-
tyrs, and the effects of the Christian
religion upon mankind. The fifth book
evolves the fifth and last evidence of the
divinity of Christianity — the marvellous
sanctity, vitality, unity, and indestruc-
tibility displayed in the Catholic Church
throughout the ages.

Father Wilmers, in this treatise, sup-
poses the student to have gone through
a full course of philosophy. Such ques-
tions as the existence of God and His
attributes, the possibility and knowable-
ne'ss of miracles, the existence of a moral
law, and the like are not treated except
incidentally. He supposes also the genu-
ineness and authenticity of the Sacred
Books as historical documents of un-
questioned authority. His argument is
a mere historical and philosophical one.
His thesis is: The facts of history show
that God revealed a positive religion—
the Christian religion— which is, there-
fore, a divine religion. Every argument
is brought to bear on this proposition.

The book is remarkable for extensive

BOOK NOTICES-

573

aii { accurate erudition, close reasoning,
ar< 1 lucidity and precision of expression.
Tl e Latinity is unpretentious, but sur-
pa >ses in purity most even of our
be t Latin theological and philosophical
lit ->rature. The work, when completed,
\vi 1 supersede by a long way, anything
of its kind in our theological literature.
N< serious student of theology can afford
to dispense with its use. We look for
thi second volume, De Christi Ecclesia,
at an early date; and we trust that God
will spare the veteran theologian to
crown the work with the third volume,
Dtfidefideique regulis. By this present
volume he has put us under a deep obli-
gation.

His Divine Majesty; or, The Living
(Jod. By William Humphrey, SJ.
London : Thomas Baker. New York :
Benziger Brothers. 1897. Crown 8vo.
Pages 44 1.

This is the title of a comprehensive
treatise on the one true God (de Deo Uno)
and God the Creator (de Deo Creante).
The title has been suggested by the
Spiritual Exercises &i St. Ignatius, where
it occurs no less than twenty-four times
to express the Saint's great reverence
and homage to the Supreme Being. It
j comprises in twelve chapters what reve-
lation teaches on the existence, essence,
attributes, properties, knowledge, will,
creative action, and inner life of God.
The author has freely used the lectures
of Cardinal Franzelin and Father Pal-
nieri, both of whom were at one time his
professors at the Roman College. Like
he many other works by which Father
Humphrey has enriched our theological
iterature, this volume is distinguished
by solidity and accuracy of doctrine. This
work is by no means light reading, but
this defect, if defect it may be called, is
nherent in the subject and is more than
compensated by the author's depth and
width of grasp. The book will prove
valuable to the clergy and to the edu-
cated laity who are eager to get an
nsight into some of the most profound
:ruths and mysteries of our holy faith.

The Formation of Christendom. By

T. W. Allies, K.C.S G. London : Burns
& Gates. New York : Benziger Brothers.
1897. Third edition. Three volumes.
8vo. Pages 328, 410, 419.

It is a gratifying sign of the times
that a third edition of this truly great
work has been called for within the
short space of three years after the sec-

ond edition was published, while it took
nearly twenty years to exhatfst the first
edition. The present edition is, more-
over, in handy and cheap form, such as
will make it accessible to the greatest
possible number of readers. It is hardly
needful for us to say anything in praise
of this work, as it is universally ac-
knowledged to be one of the first works
of the age. Suffice it to quote a few
lines from a letter of Cardinal Vaughan.
His Eminence says : "It is one of the
noblest historical works I have ever
read. Now that its price has placed it
within the reach of all, I earnestly pray
that it may become widely known and
appreciatively studied. We have noth-
ing like it in the English language. It
meets a need which becomes greater
daily with the increase of mental cul-
ture and spread of education. "

We trust that American Catholics will
show their appreciation of this work
themselves and also bring it to the
knowledge of as many as possible of
their Protestant acquaintances.

The Church and Modern Society. By

John Ireland, Archbishop of St. Paul.
Second edition. Chicago and New York:
D. H. McBride & Co. 1897. 8vo. Pages
415.

It would be impossible to give in the
brief space of a book notice, any ade-
quate account of this book, whose every
chapter invites some comment and sug-
gests some useful practice. The fact
that it has already reached its second
edition, proves that there is an eager and
widespread interest in the utterances of
the Archbishop of St. Paul, and that he,
at least, has succeeded in what he urges
so earnestly upon us all, in commanding
the attention of men of every creed, as
well as of those who have no creed at
all, to the influence of the Church in the
history of modern civilization. Through-
out this collection of lectures and ad-
dresses, His Grace is ever mindful of the
purpose which first and last inspires
them, as he expresses it in the introduc-
tion to this volume, to show how the
Church ' ' must continue to hallow all the
relations of man with the principles of
the Sermon on the Mount, and bring to
bear upon the world the vivifying energy
of the Christian idea." His Grace is
more concerned with principles than
with methods ; but he presents his prin-
ciples in such an earnest manner as to
incite others to practical effort.

574

BOOK NOTICES-

1190)

The Sacred Heart of Jesus. By Rev.
Pierre Suau, S.J. Translated from the
French by Marie Clotilde Redfern. Phila-
delphia : H. L Kilner & Co. 1897. 16
mo. Pages 134. Price 25 cents

The very best rt commendation of this
work is that it answers perfectly to its
sub-titles : WHAT the Sacred Heart is,
WHAT it demands, and WHAT it gives
Our readers will remember that we have
already praised and recommended the
original of this work, and we are, there-
fore, much pleased that it is now access-
ible to all in English, the more so that
the translation is well done, well edited,
and neatly printed in good type, in nar-
row lines, on broad margined pages.
The binding is also very attractive, and
the publishers deserve praise for the
reasonable price they put on such a
tasteful production. The book bears the
imprimatur of His Grace, the Archbishop
of Philadelphia. It is eminently a book
for June, and every Associate would do
well to read it.

The Falcon of Lange'ac. By Isabel
Whiteley. Boston : Copeland & Day.
1897. Pages 227. Price $1.50. Cloth.

It is refreshing to find a Catholic
novelist breaking loose from the old tra-
dition of controversy and converts. This
is what Mrs. Whiteley has done in the
Falcon of LangCac — a romance of France
in the time of Francis I. The story,
which is told with the simplicity and
ease of literary genius, has its full quota
of hairbreadth escapes and moving acci-
dents by flood and field. Its action and
interest are intense, and its characters
well drawn and artistically contrasted.
Between graphic glimpses of the political
and social conditions of the day, we catch
a powerful picture of the beneficent in-
fluence of the mediaeval Church as the
nurse of chivalrous manhood, the guard-
ian angel of winsome womanhood, the
rebuker of violence in high places as in
low, the asylum of the wretched and op-
pressed, the foster-mother of morality.
Notably fine is the description of monas-
tic life — refined without luxury, hos-
pitable without prodigality, by precept
and example ennobling and elevating —
as practised at Mont St. Michel, where
the greater part of the action centres.
From a minute topographical knowledge
of the scenes depicted, from a close study
of history, from diligent archaeological
research, evident to the initiated, and
with the seemingly "unpremeditated
art ' ' that is the essence of true art, Mrs.
Whiteley has given us a story that not

only marks a distinct departure in Amer-
ican Catholic literature, but heralds for
the author a' distinguished career in the
world of letters.

Companion 10 the Encyclical "Satis
Cognitnm." With a reply to the Bishop
of Stepney. By Rev. Sydney F. Smith,
S.J. London: Catholic Truth Society!
1896. i2mo. Pages 129. Price is.

This volume contains (i) an English
translation of the Encyclical Satis Cog-
nitum, on the unity of the Church,
which has the authoritative approval of
the Pope ; (2) an analysis with a running
commentary by the author ; (3) a reply
to some strictures published by the
Bishop of Stepney, misrepresenting the
teaching of the Scriptures and the
Fathers on Christian unity, "This
[the Bishop's] compilation, " says Father
Smith, " is in reality of a very worthless
character, but, nevertheless, is drawn up
with a certain effectiveness calculated to
mislead persons unable to test the com-
piler's statements for themselves. Ac-
cordingly, in the present work, some
observations on its comments have been
made. ' ' This book will prove very handy
and useful for those who wish to make
themselves familiar with the Church's
teaching on Christian unity, and the
answers to the chief objections of Angli-
cans against the Pope's teaching.

Purcell's "Manning" Refuted. By
Francis De Pressense. Translated from
the French by Francis T. Furey, A.M.
Philadelphia: John Jos. McVey. 1897.
Pages 203. Price $1.00. Cloth.

Had the author of the book refuted
and its refuter exchanged places the
works would have seemed more natural.
It is certainly remarkable to have a
French Protestant champion the mem-
ory of a Cardinal of the Holy Roman
Catholic Church against a Catholic who
undertook to write the life of this Prince
of the Church.

M. De Pressense divides his work into
three parts. The first, which he calls
"Introductory, " is the formal refutation
of Purcell's conception of Manning's life
and character. The second and third
parts treat respectively, Manning as a
Protestant and as a Catholic.

Those, then, who have read Purcell's
version of Manning would do well to see
the statement of the defendant, and then
judge for themselves which is the true
limner of the man who played so distin-
guished a part in Church history in the
nineteenth century. M. De Pressens£
has presented an extremely interesting
book.

RECENT AGGREGATIONS AND PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

The following I/ cal Centres have received Diplomas of Aggregation, April i to 30, 1897.

Diorese.

Huce.

Local Centre.

Date

• '

Abiugdon Md.

St Francis de Sales'

Upper Falls, Md
Madonnaville, 111

St. Stephen's -. .
Immaculate Conception.

Apr. 5
Apr 15

Brooklyn . .
Brownsville (V. A.) . .
Chicago ._

Brooklyn, NY
Corpus Christi, Tex
Chicago, 111
Spiingfield O

St. Finbar's
St. Patrick's
St. Joachim's
St Raphael's

; •'«

Apr. |
Apr. 15;
Apr. 15

Detroit Mich.

St Joseph's

Dubuque, Iowa ...

Green Bay
Kansas City, Kans
Kansas City, Mo
Louisville
Nesqually

Antigo, Wis •
Tonganoxie, Kans. .
Holden, Mo
Louisville, Ky
Alma, Wash. ...
Chehalis Wash

St. John's
Sacred Heart
St. Patrick's
St. Charles'
St. Mary's
St. John's

. Church

. Mission
. Church

Apr. 20
Apr. 15
Apr. 29
Apr 20
Apr. 15
Apr. 26

Newark
Ogdensburg,

Paterson, N. J
Malone, N. Y
Pittsfield, Mass

St. Mary's
St. Joseph's
Notre Dame

Apr. 21
Apr. 5
Apr. 5

Trenton ....

Trenton, N. J

Immaculate Conception .

Apr. 15

Aggregations, 19; churches, 16 ; convents, 2; mission, i.

Promoters' Diplomas and Crosses have been sent to the following Local Centres, April i to 30, 1897.

Di.M-.-H*. Place.

Local Centre.

Number

Albany
Alton . .

Baltimore
Belleville

Herkimer, N. Y
Altamont, 111
Decatur, "

St. Francis de Sales
St. Clares'
St. Patrick's

. Church

5
13
5

I
5

8
i
6
3

i
3

3
9

4
5

4
25
I

4
4
7

4
3
7
5
7
9
I
31
8
9
4

St. Maurice's . .
St Benedict's

Waterloo, 111
Hopkinton, Mass
Roxbury, Boston, Mass. . .
Morris Park, N. Y
Brooklyn, ''
East Aurora, " ....
Lockport, li
Chicago, 111
Dayton, Ohio
Kenton, %l
Niles, "
>outh Brooklyn, Ohio . . .
Dallas, Texas
Mendon (Bronson) Mich
Dubuque, la
Monona, "
Hrie, Pa .
Orange, (Liberty) Texas
Briggsville, Wis
Lancaster, Pa
Kansas City Mo . . .

SS. Peter and Paul's

St. John the Evangelist's . .
St. Francis'
St. Benedict Joseph's
St. Brigid's

Orphanage
. Church

Academy
. Church

. Convent
Church

Brooklyn

Buffalo

Immaculate Conception . . .
St. Joseph's
Holy Rosary
Sacred Heart
Immaculate Conception . . .
St. Stephen's
Sacred Heart of Mary ....
Sacred Heart

Chicago'. '. .' .' .'.'.'.'.
Cincinnati

Cleveland

Dallas ........
Detroit
Dubuque

Erie
Galvestou
Green Bay

St Edward's
Presentation
St. Patrick's

St. Ann's

St. Vitalis'
St. Mary, Help of Christians
St. Mary's
St Alovsius

;

Harrisburg
Kansas City, Mo.
Lincoln
Louisville . ...
Milwaukee

Newark . . .'. . ..'. '.
New Orleans . . .
New York ..'.'.'.'.

Ogdensburg ....
Peoria
St. Cloud
St. Joseph

St.(Louis . . . '. '. '. !

St. Paul ....'.
Santa Fe
San Francisco . . .

Savannah ...!'. [
Scranton

Lincoln, Nebr
Louisv ille, Ky
Oconomowoc, Wis
Watertown, Wis
Butler, N. J
Orange, "
West Hoboken, N. J
Grand Coteau, La

New Orleans, "
New York City

Holy Child
Sacred Heart

. Convent
Home

St. Jerome's
St. Bernard's

. Church

St. Anthony of Padua . . .
St. John's
St. Michael's
Sacred Heart

Monastery

St. Charles' College
St. Joseph's
St Boniface's

and Church
. Academy
. Church

M ",

Aniwerp, N. Y
Sireator, 111
Collegeville, Minn

St. Alphonsus'

St. Francis Xavier's

St. Ignatius Loyola's ....
St. Patrick's
St Michael's
Immaculate Conception . .
St. John's
St. Boniface

.Cathedral
. Church

. University

Indian Grove,"
De Soto, '
St. Louis '

Kilkenny, Minn
Las Vegas, N. Mex
San Francisco, Cal

; St. Raphael's
St. Rose of Lima's
Sacred Heart

. Academy
dral Chapel
. Church

s' . "
. . Convent
. Church

. Novitiate
. Church

St. Louis' Cathc
St. Rose's
St. Canices'
Nuestra Senora de los Dolore
Notre Dame
St. Ignatius Loyola's ....
St. Rose's

Santa Rosa '•
San Francisco, "
Macon. Ga
Great Bend Pa

St. Ignatius'
St. Stanislas'
St. Lawrence's

Hazleton, Pa
Little Meadows, Pa. . ... .

St. Gabriel's
St. Thomas Aquinas' ....

Total number of Receptions, 60.
(191)

Number of Diplomas, 342.

575

CALENDAR OF INTENTIONS, JUNE, 1897.

THE MORNING OFFERING.

O Jesus, through the immaculate heart of Mary, 1 offer Thee the prayers, works, and sufferings of this
day for all the intentions of Thy divine Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and in par
ticular for Filial Submission to the Sovereign Pontiff, for the intentions of the Apostleship through-
out the world, and for these particular intentions recommended by the American Associates.

St. Ronan, Bp. (VI. Century).

Love retirement.

235,311 thanksgivings.

B. Mary Ann of Jesus (1645). — SS. Marcellin

Practise self-denial.

80,607 in affliction.

and Comp., MM. (304).

•J

7%.

Octave of Ascension. — St. Clotilde, Q

Pray for soldiers.

90,230 sick, infirm.

(France, 545).— Pr. H. H.

First Friday.— St. Francis Caracciolo,F.( 1608).

Heed holy inspirations

90,883 dead Associates.

—ist D., A.C.

Vigil.— St. Boniface, Bp. M. (754)- tg;

Pray for Germany.

79,062 League Centres.

Whitsunday.- Pentecost.-A. I.. B.M.

Honor the Holy Ghost.

59,021 Directors.

ytf.

Whit-Monday.— St. Robert, Ab. (1139).

Spirit of faith.

53 721 Promoters.

Whit-Tuesday.— St. Medard, Bp. (545).

Spirit of thanksgiving.

222,150 departed.

IV.

Ember Day. — SS. Primus and Felician,

BB..MM. (286). ^

Spirit of joy.

r59,oi3 perseverance.

Th.

St. Margaret, W. Q. (Scotland, 1093).— H.H.

Spirit of simplicity.

334,686 young persons.

Ember Day. :§>

Console the afflicted.

88,406 First Communions.

Ember Day.— St. John Facundus(O.S.A.,

1479)- <£

Reparation.

"3,383 parents.

Trinity Sunday.— St. Anthony of Padua

Honor the Trinity.

134,564 families.

(O.S.F., 1231). — A.I., B.M.

St. Basil, Bp. D. (379).

Zeal for the faith.

95,546 reconciliations.

St. Barnabas, Ap.(6i). — June ii.) — Our Lady

Patience in trials.

142,682 work, means.

of the Way (S.J.)

St. John Francis Regis (S.J., 1640).

Pray for the ignorant.

234,818 clergy.

Th.

Corpus Christ!.— St. Botolph, Ab. (655).— A.I.,

Repair sacrileges.

192,800 religious.

B.M., H.H.

SS. Mark and Marcellian, Brothers, MM.

Guard the senses.

197,421 seminarists, novices.

(286).

St. Juliana Falconieri, V..(i34o).

Visit the B. Sacrament.

109,744 vocations

2d after Pentecost.— BB. Pacheco and

Confidence in God.

47,017 parishes.

Comp.,S.J., M.M, (1626).— C.R.

St. Aloysius, Patron of Youth, (S.J., 1591).

Love of purity.

93,006 schools.

St. Paulinus, Bp. (353).— St Alban.M. (303).

Guard the heart.

92,587 superiors.

St. Etheldreda, Q. (679).

Despise the world.

83,010 missions, retreats.

Th.

Nativity of St. John Baptist.— Octave of
Corpus Christi — A.I., B.M., H.H.

Spirit of penance.

61,324 societies, works.

Sacred Heart of Jesus.-St. William, Ab. (£142 .

Apostolic spirit.

403,681 conversions, sinners.

ist O., A.C.

SS. John and Paul, Brothers, MM. (352).

Fraternal union.

159,712 intemperate.

3d after PenteCOSt._st. Ladislas, K. (Hun-

Pray for happy death.

J66,837 spiritual favors.

gary, 1095).

St. Irenseus, Bp. M. (Lyons, 205).

Pray for France.

147,698 temporal favors.

SS. Peter and Paul, App. (67).— Pr., A.I.,

Obey Christ's Vicar.

228,870 special, various.

A.S., A.C., B.M.

Commemoration of St. Paul, Apostle.

Live for Christ.

MESSENGER readers.

PLENARY INDULGENCES: ^.—Apostleship. (Q.=Degrees, Vr.=Promoters, C. R.=Communton of Repara-
tion, H.H.=//o/j> Hour); A. Q..=Archconjraternity ; S.=Sodality ; B. M.=£ona Mors ; A. I.=Aposiolic
Indulgence; A. S.=Apostleship of Study; S. S.=St. John Berchmans1 Sanctuary Society; ~B.I.=Bridgettine
Indulgence.

TREASURY OF GOOD WORKS.
Offerings for the Intentions recommended to the League of the Sacred Heart.

/oo days' Indulgence for every action offered for the Intentions of the League.

NO. TIMES.
212,321

. 230,749
116,892
I93,822

NO. TIMES.

Acts of Charity 93,546

Beads 447,091

Way of the Cross 97,367

Holy Communions . .......... 77,136

451,828
177,715

Hours of Labor. . 870,773

Hours of Silence 246,832

Pious Reading 122,613

Masses read 11,022

5. Spiritual Communions .

6. Examens of Conscience

73,105
58,379
143,328
2,225,059
1,012,354

Special Thanksgivings, 1,556; Total, 12,330,622.

Intentions or Good Works put in the box, or given on lists to Promoters before their meeting; on or
before the last Sunday, are sent by Directors to be recommended in our Calendar, MESSENGER, in our
Masses here, at the General Direction in Toulouse, and Lourdes.

n. Masses heard

12. Mortifications

13. Works of Mercy

14. Works of Zeal

Prayers 5,468,134

Kindly Conversation

Sufferings, Afflictions

Self-conquest

Visits to B. Sacrament

Various Good Works

576

(I92)

"To love God, and to love nothing but Him ; or, if we love something else, it
must be loved only in Him and for Him. It is this which constitutes the felicity of
the saints in heaven, and it must also be the merit of those who strive to be such on
earth. However slight our attachment to creatures may be, it slackens the cord
which binds us to God ; we withdraw from the latter what we give to the former.
This great God owns no sympathy with a divided heart; He seeks to possess
without division and without reserve." — ST. JOHN BERCHMANS.

ST. JOHN BERCHMANS,

Patron of Youth.

THE MESSENGER

OF THE

SACKED HEART OF JESUS

VOL. xxxn. AUGUST, 1897. No.

BALLADE OF OUR LADY'S MANTLE.
By Joseph J. Keating, SJ.

AINT blue, far blue, blue of the braes,

In the early twilight, limpid, cold;
Hill-top tints in the autumn days;

Light that the violet's leaves enfold;

Hyacinth-glimmer in wood and wold,
Or the shade, mid-deep, in the opal seen,

Azure, the fairest that earth doth hold —
May it vie with thy mantle, Mother and Queen ?

Dark blue, blue of the ocean bays,

In the headland's shadow, sheer and bold,
Or the fleeting tinge in the mid-sea's blaze,

When a cloud-drift dark o'er the sun hath rolled;

The mere that the feet of the mountains mould,
Lit in each curve with a glancing sheen.

Or the fringe of the rainbow sky-enscrolled —
May it vie with thy mantle, Mother and Queen ?

Pale blue, setting for Hesper's rays

In the west, or ever the eve is old;
Ultramarine, which the light inlays

Of a million midnight points of gold;

Blue air-channels of depth untold,
The noon-lit islands of cloud between;

The hue where night into dawn hath shoaled —
May it vie with thy mantle, Mother and Queen ?

ENVOI.

O thou with the star-light aureoled !

Nought in creation's wide demesne,
Search we ever so longing-souled

May vie with thy mantle, Mother and Queen ?

yright, 1896, by APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER.

675

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

By Rev. Father Felix, O.S.B.

(Continued.}

THE first encouragement received by
St. Augustin for his unvarying
labors was the conversion of King Ethel-
bert. The event was brought about
through the pious example of Bertha,
the queen-spouse, in conjunction with
the spotless lives and the earnest en-
treaties of Augustin and his com-
panions, and the prayers of the saintly
pontiff" in the Eternal City. Ethelbert
was baptized with great solemnity in
St. Martin's Church, near Canterbury.

Almost three hundred years had
elapsed since Pope Sylvester baptized
Constantine, who restored peace and re-
ligious liberty to Christ's followers, ex-
alted God's Church, and trampled Roman
idolatry and paganism in the dust.
Similar to that of the great emperor was
the conversion of Clovis, who, through
the divine assistance, conquered the Ale-
manni beyond the Rhine, and, faithful
to his vow, received the waters of re-
generation with thousands of Franks
from the hands of Bishop Remigius, at
Rheims, one hundred years before Ethel-
bert's baptism, thus laying the founda-
tion of Christianity in France, and ac-
quiring for that land the enviable distinc-
tion of being the ' ' eldest daughter of the
Church."

The Saxon King 's conversion and its
influence upon the Anglo-Saxon tribes
of the Heptarchy, since he was its Bret-
walda, cannot be overestimated. Accus-
tomed to bestow almost divine honors
upon their rulers, the Saxons, in great
numbers, flocked to the ministers of the
Gospel, and eagerly opened their hearts
to the influence of truth and grace, in
pious imitation of their sovereign. Thus
was the infant Church planted, and, in
an incredibly short period, she had grown
676

and spread her branches, sheltering all
those who came to her.

While the work of Christianizing was
being promoted and advanced by his as-
sociates, Augustin recrossed the chan-
nel to receive the episcopal consecration
from Virginius the Bishop of Aries, the
former Abbot of Lerins. Aries was at
that time the seat of the Primate of all
France. This may have been the reason
why Augustin travelled such a distance
to be elevated to the episcopacy.

On his return to England, his heart
was gladdened by the promising harvest
which the faithful monks had begun to
reap. On Christmas Day, 597, more
than ten thousand Saxons received the
sacrament of Baptism in the Swale, the
channel which divides the Isle of Shep-
pey from the mainland. Augustin him-
self vigorously centralized his energy in
the city of Canterbury, the established
ecclesiastical metropolis of England. In
this city, besides the ancient Christian
church of St. Martin, near the royal
residence, were the remains of a Roman
basilica. The latter was given to Au-
gustin, and converted by him into a
monastery, and near the former he
erected the famous cathedral, and, as if
to leave the Bishop the same isolated
dignity in Canterbury as the Pope held
in Rome, Ethelbert built himself a new
palace at the old Roman fortress of
Reguldium, at the northern entrance of
the Wantsume channel. Dean Stanley
has pointed out this grant of house and
land to Augustin as a step of immense
importance in English history, because
it was the first instance in England of an
endowment by the State.

The present cathedral of Canterbury is
in the hands of the Anglican sectarians,

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUST1N IN ENGLAND.

677

and was constructed by Lanfranc in the
eleventh century, upon the site granted
by Ethelbert. This sanctuary yet bears
traces of the Catholic era, and the chair
of St. Augustin, still preserved (see illus-
tration in May number), was occupied
by men renowned for learning and sanc-
tity. With the exception of the Papal
See, no other in all Europe can enu-
merate a greater number of saints and
scholars than the metropolitan See of
Canterbury.

dation for the present scholastic system
of philosophy and theology (1093-1109),
St. Thomas Becket, the martyr (1162-
1170), Stephen Langton (1207-1228), St.
Bradwardin, the doctor profundus (1349).
Ethelbert presented also to Augustin
a pagan temple which bore traces of
once having been a Christian church.
He consecrated it to St. Pancras, since
the Roman boy saint was dear to the
Italian monks, for the monastery of St.
Andrew on Mount Coelius in Rome was

OLD CHURCH OF ST. AUGUSTIN, NOW CHAPTER HOUSE— OBSERVATORY, ABBEY OF ST. AUGUSTIN.

Cardinal Reginald Pole was the la.«-t ol
the seventy successors of Augustin, and
with him died the Catholic era. The re-
maining twenty-five to the present in-
cumbent belong to Protestant times
Let me mention a few of the illustrious
pontiffs, and their names will suggest
the height of learning and piety achieved
even in the " Dark Ages." St. Mellitus
(619-624), St. Justus (624-630), St. The-
odore (668-690), St. Dunstan (959-988),
Lanfranc (1070-1089), St. Anselm, the
learned philosopher, who laid the foun-

previously in possession of the Saint's
family, and, subsequently, as already
stated, was purchased by Gordian, the
father of St. Gregory, who, in turn, gave
it to the monks at Monte Cassino.
Upon this place Augustin then built the
famous Benedictine Abbey, one of the
most opulent and venerated sanctuaries
in all Christendom, which later was to
bear his own name, St. Augustin.

Only a few remaining ruins, a beauti-
ful gateway, the Abbot's hall, and a few
scattered pillars from the church attest

678

THE LANDING OF ST. AUCUSTIN IN ENGLAND

the former grandeur of this institution.
Like other monastic homes in England,
the abbey fell a prey to the lustful and
avaricious King Henry VIII. In the
ages of prosperity it had exercised a
powerful influence over the whole of
Europe. It was the cradle of saints,
great bishops and doctors. Pope Leo
IX., in 1055, conferred upon the Abbot
of Canterbury the privilege of sitting in
the first place after the Abbot of Monte
Cassino in General Council.

From the banks of the Tiber, the
Common Father of Christianity WHS
watching the progress of his spiritiial
sons in the British Isle. The joy of his
heart was intense when he heard the
glad tidings of the beginning of con-
versions, and, in a vast correspond erce,
which he has left us, he gives a most per-
fect and faithful image of his mind and
life. To Augustin he writes: "Glory
be to God in the highest; glory to that
God who would not reign alone in
heaven, whose death is our life, whose
weakness is our strength, whose suffer-
ing cures our sufferings, whose love
sends us to seek even in the Island of
Britain for brothers whom we knew not,
whose goodness causes us to find thof-e
whom we sought for, while yet we knew
them not! Who can express the exulta-
tion of all faithful hearts now that the
English nation, through the grace of
God and thy brotherly labor, is illum-
ined by the divine light and tramples
under foot the idols which it ignorantly
worshipped, in order that it may now
bow down before the true God?" He
then conveys into the East the happy
news which reached him from the ex-
treme West. He writes to the Patriarch
of Alexandria: " You announced to me
the conversion of your heretics — the con-
cord of your faithful people. ... I make
you a return in kind, because I know
you will rejoice in my joy and that you
have aided me with your prayers. Know
then, that the nation of the Angles,
situated at the extreme angle of the
world, had, till now, continued in idol-

atry, worshipping stocks and stones.
God inspired me to send thither a monk
of my monastery here, to preach the
Gospel to them. This monk, whom I
caused to be ordained bishop by the
Frankish bishops, has penetrated to this
nation at the uttermost ends of the
earth, and I have now received tidings
of the happy success of his enterprise.
He and his companions have wrought
miracles that seem to come near to those
of the Apostles themselves, and more
than ten thousand Angles have been
baptized by them at more than one
time."

The two monks, Lawrence and Peter,
were subsequently sent to Rome by St.
Augustin. They related to the great
Pontiff the marvellous virtues of Queen
Bertha; her maternal love for the mis-
sionaries, and her apostolic zeal in propa-
gating the faith. St. Gregory directed
most affectionate words to her, compar-
ing her to glorious Helena, the mother
of Constantine, and pointed out to the
world how much Christian women
might co-operate in the spread of the
Gospel. ' ' We bless the Almighty, ' ' he
writes to Bertha, ' ' who has reserved for
you the conversion of England;" and
then the great Pontiff adds words which
even to-day many a Catholic woman may
take to heart, and which may rouse her
to her duties as wife and mother: "Al-
ready for a long time it must have been
your endeavor to turn, with the prudence
of a true Christian, the heart of your
husband towards the faith, that you pro-
fess, for his own well-being and for that
of his kingdom. Well instructed and
pious as you are, this duty must not
have been to you either tedious or diffi-
cult. Strengthen in the mind of your
noble husband his devotion to the
Christian faith; pour into his heart the
love of God; inflame him with zeal for
the complete conversion of his subjects,
so that he may make an offering to
Almighty God by your love and your
devotion. I pray God that the comple-
tion of your work may make the angels

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

679

ST. AUGUSTIN'S, RAMSGATE — FROM CEMETERY, FACING SOUTH.

in heaven feel the same joy which I al-
ready owe to you on earth." Only one
more quotation from his exposition of
the book of Job: " Look at that Britain
whose tongue has uttered only savage
sounds, but now echoes the hallelujah
of the Hebrews! Behold the furious sea;
it gently smoothes itself beneath the
feet of the saints! These savage clans
that the princes of the earth could not
subdue by the sword, see them enchained
by the simple word of the priest! That
people which, while yet pagan, defied
undauntedly the arms and renown of
our soldiers, trembles at the speech of
the humble and weak. It knows fear
now, but it is the fear of sin, and all
its desires are centered on glory ever-
lasting."

As a vigilant father, St. Gregory gave
most careful instructions how to govern
the pagans. He directs the mission-
aries that the temples of the idols are by
no means to be destroyed, but purified
by holy water and fitted up as churches,
and that the heathen sacrifices of oxen

should be converted into feasts in honor
of saints and martyrs. "To the end
that, by having some outward joys con-
tinued to them, they may more easily
agree to accept the true inward joys.
For assuredly it is impossible to cut
away all things at once from minds
hardened by evil customs, just as the
man who strives to reach the summit of
perfection climbs by steps and paces,
not by leaps and bounds. " Many traces
of this policy are still apparent in the
ideas and customs that survive in Eng-
land, and in the very language of the
Church which calls its greatest festival
by the name of a goddess of the heathen
Anglo-Saxons, Easter, for Eastro, a god-
dess whose festival was in April.

The faith which St. Augustin brought
to the island is plain from Venerable
Bede's ecclesiastical history, which says
that those monks imitated the lives of
the apostles in frequent prayers, fastings
and watching, serving God and preach-
ing the word of life with diligence.
They taught religious vows, the excel-

680

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

lence of perpetual chastity ; confession
of sins to a priest, the precept of fasting
on Fridays and in Lent, the veneration
of relics, which was confirmed by God
by divers miracles ; the invocation of
the saints, purgatory, praying for the
dead, holy water and holy oil, both
recommended by miracles ; altars of
stone, chalices, altar cloths, the sacrifice
of the Mass, a number of lights burning
day and night at saints' shrines, pic-
tures of our Saviour, of our Lady,
crosses of gold and silver, the Holy
Eucharist reserved, and called the true
Body of Christ ; exorcism, blessing with
the sign of the cross, the supremacy
of the Pope, to whom all the greater
causes were referred, by whose authority
bishops were to preach to heathens, and
whom Bede calls the Bishop of the whole
world. How does the Anglican faith of
to-day compare with this ?

The last commission of the Pope to
Augustin seems to have been to confer
with the British bishops of Wales and to
urge them on, that they might unite in

the common work of evangelizing the
heathen. Through the influence of Eth-
elbert he met them in conference at a
place called Augustin 's Oak. From the
demands of St. Augustin upon the Brit-
ish Christians, it is evident that their
faith was one with the faith which he
brought from Rome. He demanded of
them only three things : Charity towards
the English, and conformity in two
points of discipline. Any difference of
faith would undoubtedly have been men-
tioned by Augustin at once. It has been
historically proven, to the enlighten-
ment of our separated brethren, that the
Britons confessed that the faith of Au-
gustin was truth itself. They, them-
selves, had lived in perpetual intercourse
and communion with the churches of
Gaul and Rome. This is evident from
the Council of Aries. Pope Celestine
had sent Palladius to preach to the Scots
and St. Patrick to the Irish. St. Ninian,
a Briton, studied at Rome before he
preached in his own country, where
he died in 432. We must also bear in

LODGE CHAPKL OF ST. AUGUSTUS'S CHURCH.

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

681

mind that the primitive Christians were
watchful and jealous in preserving the
purity of faith derived from Christ
and His apostles. The dispute which
arose between St. Augustin and them
was, consequently, not concerning the
primacy of the Pope, as some foolish
minds think, but the celebration of
Easter, in which they obstinately pre-
ferred their own traditions to the judg-
ment of all the churches, and Augustin,
thereupon, proposed to appeal to God by
the test of a miracle. A blind man,
having been brought before the British
bishops, without result, was restored to
sight by the prayers of Augustin. The
Britons confessed that Augustin was
the preacher of truth, but they insisted
upon a second conference, at which
learned men from the great monastery of
Bangor-in-the-Wood, near Chester, were
present. At this second conference Au-
gustin said that he would tolerate all
other customs, provided they would
accept the Catholic usages of Easter and
Baptism and join him in preaching the
Gospel. Relying upon the superstitious
saying of an old hermit, they refused all
these things and even to receive him as
their Bishop.

Augustin thereupon assumed a threat-
ening tone and foretold that, if they
would not have peace with their breth-
ren, God would send them war with
their enemies, and if they would not
preach the way of life to the English
they would suffer death by their hands.
And so it happened. A few years later
Adelfrid, King of Northumbria, over-
threw the Britons with great slaughter
near Chester and massacred the monks
of Bangor who were praying on the
field of battle.

The fact that the Britons refused aid
in the conversion of the Saxon tribes
did not discourage Augustin. It would
be difficult to assign any other reason
for that strange conduct of theirs than,
perhaps, national pride or ambition or,
possibly, fear of the bold Teutonic in-
vaders. Though an Archbishop, Augus-

tin continued the noble work begun.
Travelling from place to place, from town
to town, he instructed, baptized and con-
firmed the pagans in the true faith; but
his life's career was now drawing to a
close. Feeling that he soon would have
to render an account before the Eternal
Judge, and not wishing to leave his fol-
lowers orphans, he conferred upon the
monk Lawrence the episcopal consecra-
tion and appointed him his successor to
the metropolitan See of Canterbury. In
the year 604 he died. Some historians
assert that in the same year Pope Greg-
ory went to his reward. Thus two great
men had passed away, to whom all Eng-
land, in fact all English-speaking na-
tions, now scattered over the entire
globe, should render eternal thanks.
Their lives, actions, precepts are per-
petuated in the English character, and
whatsoever good may be possessed by
the Anglican sectarian in his separation
from God's Church, he is indebted for it
to Gregory and Augustin.

Is it not surprising to find malignant
tongues slandering the saintly charac-
ter of Augustin ? We concede he was
inferior to the powerful genius of Greg-
ory, yet he wTas an obedient disciple and
son of his, executing all mandates to
the letter. If he did not succeed in
uniting the British Christians to the
Anglo-Saxons in his lifetime, the fault
was not his, but far be it from us to
argue, as Protestant historians delight
to do, that "the Briton did not wish to
bend his neck under the Roman yoke, "
and that they did not desire to acknowl-
edge the Papal authority. Again I assert
that there was no difference in faith,
but difference in discipline and nation-
ality only.

Augustin was buried in the abbey
he built, but later his sacred remains
were removed to Christ's Cathedral
at Canterbury, in which were also
venerated the relics of numerous saints,
bishops, abbots, doctors, as SS. Anselm,
Dunstan, Thomas Becket, up to the
time of dissolution when the sacred

682

THE LANDING OF ST. AUGUSTIN IN ENGLAND.

ashes and tombs were profaned, stripped
of their ornaments of gold and jewels,
and, as worthless, thrown to the
winds.

After Augustin 's death the noble work
of conversion continued. The great
Northern Kingdom of Northumbria un-
der Edwin was converted in 627 by
Paulinus, one of Augustin 's comrades,
who was appointed first Archbishop of
York. Whilst Edwin was Bretwalda,
East Anglia was also converted in 632.
New missionaries from Rome converted
the West Saxons in 636. Mercia, whose
heathen King, Penda, had slain in battle
two Northumbrian Bretwaldas and three
Christian Kings of East Anglia, but
who was defeated and slain in turn by
Oswald's brother Oswy in 655, became
Christian under Peada, the son of Penda.
It was from Northumbria also that Chris-
tianity was carried to the South Saxons,
and their conversion was completed by
Wilfrid, Bishop of York, in 680. Thus
all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had
become Christian within a hundred
years of the landing of Augustin ; and,
in the early years of the eighth century,
English Christianity was fully organ-
ized, and its results were felt throughout
society and the state.

It is not my scope to give a history of
Catholicism in England, yet I may point
to the immortal work which the Church
has accomplished in that great nation.
From the ages of faith date the grand
cathedrals of Canterbury, Durham, Win-
chester, Carlisle, Ely, Norwich, Roches-
ter, and the monastic buildings still
extant at Bristol, Chester, Gloucester,
Oxford and Peterborough, and the grand
Westminster Abbey, the tomb of the
great men of England. These still point
to Catholic times, and though now no
longer in the hands of the sons of the
true faith, still their memories are sweet.
The greatest schools, colleges, acade-
mies, universities — as at Cambridge, Ox-
ford— are Catholic, at least in their noble
founders. Yes, the very occupant of the
throne of England, if true to the national

traditions, should bear the Papal title,
' ( Defender of the Faith. ' '

What the ancient missionaries and
monks accomplished in England is
better told by others. Let me only
quote the opinion of Kemble: "Far
from giving themselves only to prayer
and manual labor, they cultivated and
propagated all the sciences and litera-
ture which the world, urj to their times,
possessed. Their first abodes were soon
changed by force of things into cathe-
drals, cities, rural, and urban colonies,
destined to be the centres of schools, li-
braries and workshops, and stronghold^
for the newly converted families and
tribes. Around these monastic cathe-
drals and principal monasteries, cities
were soon formed which stand to this
day, and in which were seen to spring
up those municipal liberties whose vital
guarantees are yet bound up with the
names of magistrates delegated to defend
and use them. The monasteries were
then the centres whence missionaries
went forth to the rural stations in order
to baptize, preach, and celebrate all the
rites of worship, and they returned to
them in order to refresh themselves in
study and prayer. "

From these powerful fountains of di-
vine grace the Anglo-Saxon monks, when
they had no longer a field of their own
for conversion, sought the lands beyond
the sea. As once their Saxon fore-
fathers invaded with sword and fire the
British Isle, so they in turn invaded the
Teutonic homes of their ancestors with
the cross and the word of God. Thus it
came about, through the mercy of God,
that many lands owe their conversion to
the Anglo-Saxon missionaries — a St.
Werenfrid preached in Friesland and St.
Willibrord is venerated as the Apostle of
that land. In Holland we find St. Engel-
mund, and St. Lebwin, preaching the
Gospel. Gregory II. deputed Boniface,
formerly called Winfrid, to the aposto-
late of Germany, though before him
many other monks had crossed from
England to the Continent to bring the

J-EANNE D'ARC.

683

light of the Gospel to that Germanic
nation from which the torrent of bar-
barians called the Goths, Vandals, Rugi,
leruli and others, once rushed upon the
provinces of the Roman Empire. Yet
imongst these missionaries towered
3niface, the greatest of them all.
From the nunneries of England came
St. Lioba, St. Walburga, St. Thecla,
whose virtues and sanctity bestowed a
brilliant light upon the newly founded
Church in Germany. Such, then, was
the effect of the great work begun by
St. Augustin.

" 1/et us then," says Montalembert
' ' preserve intact our admiration and
our gratitude for the first missionary —
the first bishop and abbot of the Eng-
lish people. Let us give our meed of
applause to that council which a century
and a half after his death decreed that
his name should be always invoked in
the litanies after that of Gregory,
because it is he who, sent by our
Father Gregory, first carried to the Eng-
lish nation the Sacrament of Baptism
and the knowledge of the heavenly
country."

JEANNE D'ARC.

FROM ROUEN TO ROME).

By John A. Mooney, LL.D.
(Continued.)

*^\A/E have burned a saint ; we are

^V ruined!" So spake Jean
Thiessart to one, to another — to all who
would listen — as, pensively, he made his
way through the crowd, that, satiated,
or sickened, with the odor of the Maid's
burning flesh, hurried out of the market-
place of Rouen into the neighboring
streets. No common man was Jean
Thiessart, but, indeed, the secretary of
the King of England.

On the morrow, among courtiers, sol-
diers, clerics and townfolk, there were
whisperings about other strange sayings
and doings. It was reported, and the
story was true, that, as Jean was riding
to the scaffold, L/oiseleur — the miserable
fellow who, conspiring against her life,
had lied to her — jumped on the moving
car. Overcome by remorse, he sought
the pardon of her whom he had so
gravely injured ; but the guards cast him
off, and, as he lay on the ground, buf-
feted him, and, were it not for the
officers, would have killed him. Why
should he, who had endeavored, by the
vilest means, to convict the girl of
heresy and of sorcery, kneel at her feet,
imploring ? Did he know her to be in-

nocent? Perhaps Jean Thiessart was
right, and they had burned a saint.

The story of the executioner, everyone
knew. Wherever he turned, he saw a
bleeding heart. The waters of the Seine
had not hidden the heart from his view.
Quaking, he had presented himself to
the clergy. " God will never pardon
me," he cried, and cried again, as he
told how the oil and the sulphur had
failed, and how he found the Maid's
heart, sound and whole. Could it be
that they had burned a saint! Would
ruin follow!

During the process, Jeanne had spoken
words which no one who heard them, or
who heard of them, could forget. On
February 24, at the third public ses-
sion, turning to Cauchon, she thus ad-
dressed him: "You say you are my
judge ; beware of what you do, for,
verily, I am sent by God, and you are
putting yourself in great danger. ' ' At
the solemn session of May 2, when, in
the presence of sixty- three consultors,
the Bishop of Beauvais tried to force a
plea of guilty from her, threatening her
with punishment by fire, the Maid
warned him once again : " If you do to

684-

JEANNE D'ARC.

me what you say, beware! for evil shall
come to your body and to your soul."
And on the last day of her life, as
Cauchon, visiting her in the jail, tried
to extort from her a renunciation of her
claim to a heavenly mission, her answer
was a refusal and a summons: "Bishop,
through you I die. I appeal from you
to God!" If they had burned a saint,
Cauchon and his abettors might well
feel anxious as they recalled the Maid's
admonitions and her fearless appeal to
the divine Seat of Justice.

Neither Cauchon, nor his criminal
tools, had greater cause for alarm than
had their cruel masters, the English dep-
uties of the boy king, Henry VI. Warn-
ing her wicked judge, menacing him
with the vengeance of God, the Maid
had also prophesied the ruination of the
invaders of her fatherland. During the
fifth public interrogatory, on March i,
1431, enthused by the memory of the
letter she addressed to the English king
and his regent, two years earlier, on the
eve of her departure from Blois to
rescue Orleans, she uttered these omi-
nous words: "Before seven years have
passed, the English shall pay a forfeit
much larger than that of Orleans. They
will suffer a loss greater than any they
have suffered in France; and this loss
will come to them through a grand
victory which God will send to the
French." "How do you know this ?"
asked Cauchon; to whom the Maid
answered: "I know it by revelation.
This shall happen within seven years,
and I should regret its not happening
long before the expiration of that time. ' '
Cauchon plied her with questions, and
again he demanded: "How do you
know these things will happen ? ' '
Whereupon she replied: "I know these
things through SS. Catharine and Mar-
garet. "

Seventeen days later, when the judges
commanded her to deny the reality of
her heavenly visions and voices, the
Maid prophesied once more, with these
words: " As to the good deeds I have

done, and as to my mission, I leave them
to the King of Heaven, who sent me to
Charles, son of Charles, King of France,
who shall be King of France. You shall
see the French gain a great advantage,
soon; so great that almost the whole
kingdom will be wondrously corn-
moved. I say this, in order that when
it happens, men may remember that I
said it." Were these vain words? Or
were they inspired by heaven — mes-
sages to a saint from SS. Catharine and
Margaret ? If Jean Thiessart, witness-
ing the Maid's death, formed a just con-
clusion, then, well may the English be
troubled about the future.

As Jeanne said, so it happened. Six
months after her murder, desiring to
tone up the waning courage of his army
and to impress upon the French people
the might and resolve of England, tLc
Duke of Bedford challenged once more
the right of Charles to the French
throne. Pompously, Henry VI. was
anointed and crowned King of France,
at Paris, on December 17, 1431, by the
Cardinal of Winchester. The effect of
this ceremonious display in the capital
did not equal their hopes, and the Eng-
lish leaders began to lose faith in the
success of their cause. Could they have
made terms with the French king, they
would have done so, gladly. Charles,
however, showed unusual firmness. He
fought the enemy at every point; and
though he did not fight incessantly,
with might and main, as Jeanne always
counselled, still he fought; now win-
ning, now losing, a battle, but con-
stantly gaining ground. At length he
had determined that the foreigner should
be driven out of the whole of France.

Not alone in the field did the English
suffer reverses. Philip of Burgundy
turned against Bedford, a year after the
crowning of Henry VI. at Paris. Patriot-
ism was not the motive that influenced
Philip. Interest prompted him to aban-
don the English, but he did not joir
hands with Charles. He was not averse
to forming a union with his old enemy,

JEANNE D'ARC.

685

provided he could have the best of the
bargain. The King negotiated with the
Duke, while delaying an agreement in the
hope that, showing no anxiety, Burgundy
might be induced to lessen his demands.
In time the pressure from friends in
France and outside of France, compelled
Charles to yield ; and in September, 1435,
the King of France and the Duke of
Burgundy buried theirenmitiesbefore the
altar of the Church of St. Wast, at Arras.
A week earlier, death had deprived the
English of their great leader, Bedford.
The loss of their powerful ally, the Duke
of Burgundy, was only the beginning of
the end. Seven months later they paid a
forfeit much larger than that of Orleans,
and suffered a loss greater than any they
had suffered in France. On April 13, 1436,
Paris surrendered to the forces of Charles
VII., and amid cries of : " Long live the
King" — "Accursed be the English! "
the French entered the capital which
had been held by the enemies of the
Crown during eighteen long years. Thus
was the prophecy of Jeanne in part ful-
filled. The term of seven years had not
closed — indeed the sixth year had barely
opened, counting from the day on
which she foretold the grand victory that
God would send to the French. And
when it happened as she said, there were
men who remembered the Maid's words;
and among these, not a few recalled the
saying of Jean Thiessart : ' ' We have
Durned a saint ; we are ruined. ' '

Over the capture of Paris, the whole
kingdom was ' 'wondrously commoved. ' '
The King put on a new manhood ; he
grew firmer, bolder, more energetic. At
:he head of his army, he charged with a
spirit like unto that of the young peasant
maiden of Domremy. Less subservient
to the royal Council, he directed the af-
airs of his kingdom, and, while pushing
)ack the invader, reorganized his forces.
Eight years after the taking of the capi-
tal, he consented, at Tours, to sign a
truce with the English. From 1444 to
1449. he labored, seriously and wisely, to
undo the evil effects of the long wars, con-

solidating his power, securing to his sub-
jects the benefits of orderly government,
encouraging agriculture and the indus-
tries that can flourish only where peace
reigns. When, on March 24, 1449, the
English broke the truce of Tours, they
had a new France to cope with.

Into the stronghold of the usurpers,
Normandy, the French army marched,
Charles himself commanding. Fortress
after fortress surrendered. From siege
to siege, the King advanced, victory ever
accompanying him. On the sixth of
October he summoned Rouen to open its
gates. The inhabitants accepted the
terms offered them, but the Duke of
Somerset, who had succeeded Bedford as
Lieutenant of Henry VI., made a show
of defending the city. On the hill of St.
Catharine it was that, on the nineteenth
of the month, Charles planted his artil-
lery. Ten days later Somerset capitu-
lated. Regardless of snow and of biting
frosts, the King besieged Harfleur. A
month afterwards, the English sur-
rendered. In the Spring of 1450, rein-
forcements came from England, but they
availed nothing. Each month, increas-
ing the conquests, increased also the
courage and the enthusiasm of the
French army. On June 5, they invested
Caen, the second great city of Nor-
mandy. The Duke of Somerset, here, as
at Rouen, defended as best he could; but
the French attack was irresistible, and,
on the nineteenth day of the siege, he
was compelled to capitulate once again.
Cherbourg fell on the twelfth of August —
a date that marks the ruin of the Eng-
lish in Normandy.

A province, ample and rich, Guyenne,
still acknowledged, as, ever since Philip
the Fair's imprudently generous conces-
sion, it had acknowledged, the dominion
of the English. Faithful to his purpose
of driving the invader out of the whole
of France, Charles, within a month after
the capture of Cherbourg, sent a goodly
force into Guyenne, under skilful lead-
ers. Before Winter had set in, many
towns were freed from English rule. In

686

JEANNE D'ARC.

the Spring of 1451, the French re-opened
the campaign and vanquished all oppo-
sition. On the twelfth of June, Bordeaux
submitted ; on the twentieth of August,
Bayonne ceased to resist. Thus Guyenne,
too, was freed from the yoke of the
foreigner. However, this conquest was
not final. Resenting the unreasonable
exactions of certain French officials, the
inhabitants of Bordeaux secretly agreed
with the English, in 1452, to betray the
city into their hands. A considerable
force sailed from England, and, on Octo-
ber 22, entered Bordeaux. Though they
recovered several towns in the neighbor-
hood, Charles held the English in check
until the June following, when, at the
head of his army, he put the invader on
the defensive. At Castillon, where, on
July 17, 1453, they lost their leader,
Lord Talbot, the English suffered an irre-
mediable defeat. Bordeaux still held out;
but, besieged by land and sea, it sub-
mitted for the second, and last time, on
the ninth of October.

"Do SS. Catharine and Margaret hate
the English ? ' ' was a question asked
of the Maid by her wily judge, dur-
ing the trial at Rouen. Very simply
she answered: "They love what our
Lord loves, and hate what He hates "
A question no less artful followed:
"Does God hate the English?" The
Maid's response we may fitly recall now:
" Of God's love or hate of the English,
and of what He does with their souls, I
know nothing whatsoever, but well d:> I
know that they will be expelled from
France — except those who shall die on
its soil." Twenty-two years and six
months have run by. The English have
been expelled from France — all of them,
except only those who died on its soil.
They are ruined, as Jean Thiessart la-
mented they would be, on the day he
declared they had burned a saint. And
Charles, son of Charles, King of France,
to whom the Maid was sent, ' ' by the
King of Heaven, ' ' with the promise that
he should be King of France, zs,at length,
the King of France — united France.

As Jeanne foretold, beginning with the
first day on which she publicly an-
nounced her mission from heaven, so it
befell the English invader. How fared
it with Cauchon and his abettors who
maligned her, persecuted her, burned
her? Did evil come to them, as she
warned them that evil would ? Hearing
the facts, each listener may form his
own judgment. While she stood on the
scaffold, in the market-place at Rouen,
Master Nicolas Midi preached at her,
using language ill-befitting the moment,
or the person of the innocent girl. Mas-
ter Midi was a luminary of the Univer-
sity of Paris. A henchman of Cauchon,
he had been among the first of those
chosen by the Bishop to contrive the
process and to secure the conviction of
the Maid. Gossips had not ceased talk-
ing over the incidents of her execution,
when Nicholas Midi was stricken with
leprosy. We have seen Loiseleur on the
ground, beside the executioner 'scar, and
the English soldiers beating him. They
would have killed him rather than that
he should obtain from the Maid the
pardon he asked for. Loiseleur 's was a
base soul. Not only had he deceived
Jeanne, conspiring with Cauchon to
make her conviction sure, but when the
inhuman Bishop would have tortured
the girl, he was one of a cowardly three
who voted: Aye. At Bale, Loiseleur 's
life was snuffed out, like a candle flame
in the whirl of the wind. Cauchon 's
chief agent, Jean d'Estivet, canon of
the diocese of Beauvais, the merciless
prosecutor and persecutor of the Maid,
from the day she fell under his heavy
hand until the hour in which the fagots
were lighted beneath her girlish body-
Jean d' Esti vet's corpse was found — not
in the Seine, but in a sewer. When
Paris was captured by the French, the
infamous Cauchon— traitor as well as
murderer — was there, a witness to the
fulfilment of his saintly victim's proph-
ecy. How he schemed to get the Maid
away from the Burgundians we know.
Then and afterwards, every act of his

JEANNE D'ARC

687

,yas inspired by an unholy ambition.
When Jeanne revived the patriotism of
the French people, the inhabitants of
Beauvais took the King's side; and as
Cauchon, then Bishop of Beauvais, sup-
lorted the cause of the foreign invader,
tiis flock refused him, not only obedience,
out even a home in the city. In Eng-
land, he found a patron: the Cardinal of
Winchester. The archiepiscopal See of
Rouen was vacant. With the English
cardinal's influence, Cauchon hoped to
obtain this valuable prize. To make
sure of this influence, he violated all
law, unjustly trying and unjustly ex-
ecuting Jeanne d' Arc. Thus effecting
what the English cardinal, as well as
the military leaders, desired, he had
good reason for thinking that he had
earned a right to their favor. Of petty
honors, his patron was not chary; but
his ambition to rule the See of an arch-
bishop was never gratified. Six years
after the taking of Paris, ruin came to
him. While in the act of shaving, in-
continently his soul parted from his
body, at the summons of the Judge to
whose justice Jeanne appealed, as against
the injustice of the Bishop of Beauvais.
As Cauchon fell to the ground, well
might it be that he heard a voice, re-
peating, as during the years a voice had
often repeated, the parting words of the
Maid: "Bishop, through you I die; I
appeal from you to God."

The Cardinal of Winchester, the politi-
Ical prelate who ordered that the ashes of
the bones of Jeanne d'Arc, as well as her
(bleeding heart, should be cast into the

;ine, died in his bed. Those who stood
jnigh to him on the morning of the

[aid's execution, related that, as she

rayed aloud, he could not hold back his
tears. Many a time after that sad day,
Cardinal had cause for weeping.

trough the enmity of his own nephew,
pie Duke of Gloucester, he was practi-

illy exiled from England during two

rfiole years. His wealth, and his will-
ingness to loan money to the King, as
)ften as it was demanded, preserved him

from misfortunes greater than the loss of
influence at Court. On his deathbed
— so it was reported — the patron of
Cauchon, the man who incited him to
deprive a chaste and generous heroine of
her life, and who looked on while the
flames consumed her — all save her heart
— that man, losing life, "lamented that
money could not purchase life. ' '

Henry VI. of England, in whose name
were perpetrated all the wrongs Jeanne
the Maid suffered, had not completed his
tenth year when she was burned in the
fish market of Rouen . Ruined in France,
as we have seen, Henry was afterwards
more completely ruined at home. In
the same year that Charles conquered
Guyenne, and thus constituted the king-
dom Jeanne was commissioned to found,
Henry lost his mind ; and he recovered
it only to lose his liberty. Twice im-
prisoned by rebellious subjects, de-
nounced by Parliament as an usurper, his
crown declared forfeited, compelled to
sue for aid from the French, whose coun-
try he had assailed, coveting its crown
— an outcast, heartbroken by the murder
of his son and heir, Henry VI. met death
at the hand of an assassin. Ruin like
unto this even Jean Thiessart cannot
have foreseen.

On account of the obstacles they placed
in her way from the day she first entered
Chinon until her capture at Compiegne,
we shall do the royal Council no injus-
tice if we number its members among the
Maid's enemies. Against the Council's
will, I dare maintain that Jeanne d'Arc
saved the kingdom of France. Seeking to
discredit her while she led them from vic-
tory to victory, they deserted her when
she was captured. Abandoned by the
men whom she had made great, the Maid
died friendless at Rouen. They seemed
to ratify the verdict of Cauchon, and
with the English, to denounce her as
a heretic, a sorceress, and a deceiver.
Chiefest among these cowards, if not
criminals, was the first minister of the
King, Georges de la Tremoille, baron of
Sully, a false heart, who, neither un-

688

JEANNE D'ARC.

friendly to the Burgundians, nor wholly
inimical to the English, had controlled
the policy and, indeed, the person of
Charles. Envy, greed and ambition had
impelled La Tremoille to oppose the
Maid's plans. Evil came to his gross
body, and, of all places, at Chinon, in
the very castle where Jeanne first met
the Dauphin. There, at the end of June,
1433, a crowd of conspiring nobles at-
tacked the baron while he lay abed.
They slashed his head, stabbed him in
the belly, and then jailed him. He was
permitted to purchase his life, but Charles
banished him from the Court. Though
the King had no knowledge of the plot
against his first minister he could not
regret the incident which relieved him
of a tyrannical master. The Council
that replaced La Tremoille 's neither
sought nor obtained control of the King.
As the events we have recorded plainly
show, with a new Council, France gained
a new Charles.

If the Council proved false, was not
Charles true to the Maid ? Surely he, to
whom she brought the succor of the
King of Heaven ; he, whom she anointed
and crowned at Rheims ; he, to whom
she gave a kingdom, an army, subjects,
as well as a crown ; he, for whom she
risked her life and shed her blood, did
not abandon her ! The truth is not al-
ways flattering to human nature, and, if
the truth must be told, even Charles
abandoned the heroic girl to whom he
owed a debt incalculable. In vain have
historians searched for the proofs of his
gratitude or of his justice to his heroic
benefactor. Not one single shred of
evidence, favoring him, has been dis-
covered. To ransom her from the Eng-
lish he made no effort ; against her un-
just trial he entered no protest. Of in-
dignation or grief there is no sign. And
yet, to the last, she was true to her
King. Often during the trial she spoke
of him reverently. Her saints had re-
vealed to her knowledge that would re-
joice him, and she longed for an oppor-
tunity to make him the partner of her

secrets. Not once did she complain of
his neglect. Of patriotism and loyalty,
never has there been a nobler, loftier
manlier exemplar than Jeanne the Maid.
On the twenty-fourth of May, 1431, the
day on which Cauchon's agents cheated
her by the substitution of a false ' ' con-
fession," as she stood facing the crowd
in the cemetery of St. Ouen, Guillaume
IJrard, doctor of the University, the
preacher selected to expose, correct and
censure her errors, denounced her King
as a heretic and a schismatic. To em-
phasize his words he addressed the Maid
directly : ' ' Jeanne, it is to you I speak, "
and here he pointed his finger at her.
' ' To you I say that your King is a
heretic and a schismatic." Jeanne did
not permit him to proceed, but, inter-
rupting him, before the vast assembly,
she exclaimed loudly : " By my faith,
and with due reverence, I dare to say to
you, and to swear it on my life, that he
is the most noble Christian of all Chris-
tians, and the one who most loves the
faith and the Church, and he is in no
wise what you say." Six days later,
when, before mounting the pyre, she
kneeled on the ground, beseeching our
Saviour and the angels and saints to
have pity on her, the Maid did not forget
the King : ' ' Let not iny King be ac-
cused, ' ' she prayed, sobbing. ' ' In what I
did, he was not involved, and should I
have done wrong, he is innocent." If
the Cardinal of Winchester shed tears—
and it was rumored that he did — while
listening to these expressions of tender,
hearty loyalty, need we be astonished !
Had even Cauchon wept I should not
wonder.

Nineteen years after Jeanne 's pathetic
manifestation of chivalrous fidelity, the
King of France showed the first sign of
gratitude to his benefactor, and of abid-
ing faith in her heavenly mission. Per-
haps, entering Rouen, and looking upon
the place where her uncorrupted body
was consumed as a punishment for great
service rendered to him, the memories of
her unselfish, her noble deeds, awakened

JEANNE D'ARC.

689

remorse in his soul. Perhaps, too, he
learned then, for the first time, from eye-
witnesses, how foully she had been
abused, and how shamefully the forms
of law had been violated in order to in-
sure her conviction as an infamous
criminal. Whether moved by regret,
pride, sympathy, or by a sense of duty,
the fact is that, on the fifteenth day of
February, 1450, three months after the
capture of Rouen, Charles commissioned
Guillaume Bouille, dean of the chapter
of Rouen, and a former rector of the
University of Paris, to inquire how and
why Jeanne the Maid was tried and con-
demned.

"Whereas, some time ago," thus
wrote King Charles, "Jeanne the Maid
was captured and seized by our ancient
enemies and adversaries, the English,
and was brought into the city of Rouen,
and by certain persons to this end de-
puted, an action was entered against
her ; and whereas, during the trial of the
said action, many faults and abuses were
by those persons done and committed ;
and, whereas, finally, on account of the
great hate our aforesaid enemies bore her,
j iniquitously and unreasonably, and most
cruelly, they put her to death ; and be-
cause we desire to know the truth con-
cerning the aforesaid process ; we order,
command, and expressly enjoin that you
shall well and diligently inform yourself
about the aforesaid matter." To this
end Guillaume Bouille was authorized to
take possession of the documents relat-
ing to the trial, and to use all legal
means to obtain the said documents
from those who held them, and to call
upon all the King's officials and subjects
to aid in acquiring the said documents.

The former rector of the University of
Paris discovered in Rouen seven of those
who had taken part in the trial of Jeanne
the Maid, or who had assisted at her
execution in the fish market. Their
testimony he reported in due form to the
King, who submitted it to a number of
theologians and canonists. By these
experts he was advised that the Maid,

having been tried by a tribunal which
pretended to be ecclesiastical, and hav-
ing been adjudged guilty of an ecclesias-
tical offence, he could not right the
wrong done to her, if, as appeared, wrong
had been done. Only at Rome could
justice be sought, in the Court of Appeal
of which the Pope is the deciding judge.

In 1452 Cardinal d'Estouteville, as
legate of Pope Nicholas V., exercised a
special authority in Fiance. To examine
into the case of Jeanne d'Arc, he had no
mandate. Still, at the King's request,
the Cardinal opened an inquiry, unofficial
though none the less formal and com-
prehensive. Through a delegate, twenty
witnesses were interrogated, and their
testimony having been sifted and
weighed by doctors of approved learn-
ing, not only in France but also at
Rome, a petition was presented to the
Holy See, asking for a juridical review
of the Maid's process.

This request placed the Pope in a deli-
cate position. Cardinal d'Estouteville
having acted at the request of the King
of France, the Cardinal's inquiry could
not be accepted at Rome except as the
King's inquiry. Pleading, as a King,
Charles appeared to be the accuser of the
King of England, Henry VI., by whose
order the Maid had been tried, and with
whose consent and, indeed, by whose
command she had been burned at the
stake. Condemned under the forms of
ecclesiastical law, Jeanne had been
burned in pursuance of an ordinance of
the English law. The King of England
could not be expected to submit to a
decision unfavorable to himself, without
attempting to influence the Holy See.
Threats of reprisal, or even of schism,
were not improbable. Thus, instead of
settling a judicial question, there was
danger of the Pope's being involved in a
political quarrel. Charles recognized
his error and withdrew from the case.
Thereupon, the Maid's venerable mother
Isabelle, and the Maid's brothers, Pierre
and Jean, and a number of their rela-
tives, petitioned the Holy See to appoint

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.

a commission, before whom they might
produce legal evidence proving that
Jeanne had been wickedly condemned.
Honor is dearer than life ; wherefore,
they desired to recover the Maid's
honor, of which the English had robbed
her. The mark of infamy unjustly
stamped upon themselves, her family
wished also to remove. In support of
their petition, they charged that the
Maid was not tried according to the
regular forms of law ; that the testimony
adduced against her did not warrant a
conviction ; that she was denied her
right of appeal to the Apostolic See;
and that the whole process was null, and
the sentence iniquitous.

To Calixtus III., the petition of
Jeanne 's mother and brothers was duly
presented, and on June u, 1455, just
two months and three days after his
election to the Papal chair, this illus-
trious Pontiff, in a letter addressed to the
Archbishop of Rheims, and to the Bish-
ops of Paris and of Coutances, nominated
a commission to review Jeanne's process.
These ecclesiastics were empowered and
ordered, citing witnesses, to hear both

sides of the case ; and, having procured
and considered all the requisite testi-
mony, to render a final sentence, binding
under pain of ecclesiastical censures.

The last cry of the Maid: "Jesu!
Jesu ! ' ' was heard in paradise, by the
King who entrusted her with a glorious
mission — the one King who never deserts
a loyal friend. "Shed no tears for the
Maid," I said as the tongues of fire
lapped her flesh on the pyre at Rouen,
' ' believe firmly that the God of heaven
will aid her still." In His court justice
has already been done to her. At Rome,
in the court of the Vicar of Christ, jus-
tice shall be done to her. There, the
honor of the dead is esteemed as highly
as the honor of the living. There, if the
mark of infamy has been unjustly
stamped upon any Christian through
the abuse of the sacred law of the Church,
the shameful mark will be effaced ;
there, the calumniators will be censured ;
and honor, priceless honor, will be re-
stored for all time and in all lands. The
awful wrongs inflicted at Rouen upon
the ' ' child of God, ' ' Jeanne the Maid,
will surely be righted at Rome.

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.
By J. Martt.

is a most quaint little cottage in a
quaint Canadian village. Honey-
suckle and violet, wild and sweet, cluster
round the rough-hewn porch as though
glad to linger there, conscious that this
primitive home is the home of love and
so their proper resting place, for, should
not flowers always bloom where love
abides ?

Seated at the piano in the square, low-
ceiled parlor, dressed in a plain stuff
gown and check apron is the young
housewife, her soft dark eyes half laugh-
ing, half serious as her fingers fly deftly
over the keys — quite as deftly as they

kneaded bread an hour or two before.
At her side, still in his overalls, stands
her husband, violin in hand, his rough
face softened with the light of tender-
ness as he touches caressingly the strings
of his instrument, ever and anon mur-
muring words of encouragement and
praise to his young wife.

On a cot (which, by the way, answers
the purpose of a divan during the day-
it is never by any possibility called by
the prosaic name of sofa) lies a fair-
haired little lassie about six years of
age. The cot is in a large sitting room
just off the parlor. There is no curtain

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.

691

.etween, so the light of the big lamp by
he piano falls with flickering ray upon
he sweet face of the child, who has
alien asleep with a bunch of honey-
;uckle in her tiny hand

It is a picture worthy of any artist
vho truly loves the quaint and single
und pure in life, and what true artist
does not ?

The music — well, perhaps the less said
about that the better, though it, too, has
a peculiar charm of mingled pathos and
brightness, all its own.

"How sunny our life is, Jeannette ;
how thankful we should be for our
many blessings, " exclaims Pierre as the
last strains of his violin die away.

"Yes, indeed, Pierre; but," she adds,
a frightened look crossing her face which
a moment before had been so merry, " I
sometimes fear it cannot last ! It seems
almost too blessed for earth. We have
scarcely a shadow upon our lives, my
Pierre."

"Jojr is God's as well as sorrow,
Jeannette. ' '

"Yes, I know; in one sense even
more so, for God is joy. He wished
creation to be simply the reflection of
the infinite home destined for His crea-
tures ; but oh, I wonder if it is because
we were meant to live ever in sunshine
that we shrink from shadow FO ! "

' ' Why, what an April spirit you are
to-night, wife dear, one moment all
smiles, the next — "

"Wait a minute, Jules, just wait,"
interrupts a sleepy childish voice. " I 'm
only a little girl, and - — " but the
words die away in slumber.

"Just listen," exclaims Jeannette,
"there is Jeanne talking again in her
sleep, " and she hurries to the cot, her
face bright once more with tender amuse-
ment.

' ' My merry little lassie, ' ' murmurs
Pierre as he joins his wife bending over
their child, ' ' so you are dreaming of your
play even in your slumbers, pet."

"Hush, do not wake her, dear,"
whispers the mother, ' ' she often talks in

her sleep. Bless her little* heart ! She
had a most exciting time to-day playing
hide-and-go-seek with her little play-
mates. She and Jules — Mme Fernet 's
boy, you know — were looking for the
others, and he, boy-like, was running
from place to place, poor Jeanne getting
quite out of breath trying to keep up
with him. 'Wait a minute, Jules, I'm
only a little girl,' she would say pa-
thetically,'but I'm comin', I'm comin'.'
It was so cunning I could not help laugh-
ing though all alone. ' '

' ' Be careful of that hill, ' ' her husband
replies, placing his arm affectionately
around her as he leads her back to the
piano, ' ' Jeanne is too little to rush down
so steep a hill — even with Jules," he
adds laughing, "especially as he cer-
tainly does not appear to be much of a
protector. It seems to me our young
daughter is beginning rather young ta
dream of young gentlemen. I fear we
will have our hands full when she grows
up; eh, little mother? "

Dear Jeannette and Pierre ! how happy
you are to-night; how unconscious that
the shadow which the mother dimly
fears is so soon to cross the threshold
of your home, only to blight, it would
seem, the fairest flower there, but in
reality to crush it, only that it may yield
sweeter fragrance than before.

* -x- *

Anxious faces flit to and fro in the
sweet brier cottage by the lake. Jeanne
has met with an accident. In the heed-
lessness of play she has fallen, striking
her head against a large stone at the foot
of the hill, and now she lies, white and
unconscious, upon the bed. Weary days
and weary nights come and go, and still
Jeanne lies moaning with fever and pain.
But a morning dawns when the little
sufferer is better— better in every way,
save one.

Very softly Jeannette steals to the bed
where she lies asleep, one arm thrown
above her head close to the auburn
curls which lie rumpled across the pil-
low, her lips parted in the beautiful

692

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.

smile one sees so often in slumbering
children, as if angels were whispering to
them secrets which only such pure little
hearts can comprehend. The dark lashes
sweep softly the white cheeks which have
grown thinner, making the childish face
oval instead of round.

"Is that you, mamma?" she asks,
stirring uneasily.

' ' Yes, my darling, what is it you
want ? ' '

" Nothing ; I just like to feel you are
there, my own mamma ; " and the tiny
fingers feel, with touch that has grown
strangely delicate, the face of the mother
she cannot see — Jeanne is blind !

Not a leaf is stirring ; the water rush-
ing softly along makes scarcely a ripple
upon the calm surface of the lake. All
is quiet as a prayer, as Jeannette slips
noiselessly out of the cottage at twilight,
and, hastening, soon reaches the village
chapel where so many humble hearts find
rest. The rough stone-door stands ever
ajar as if to invite all who pass by to en-
ter in.

' ' O Thou who biddest the weary and
heavy-laden to come to Thee, help me,
comfort me ! ' ' she prays, as she kneels at
the foot of the altar, the light of the
Sanctuary lamp shining like a star of
hope above her bowed head.

Over the altar is a beautiful painting
of the Presentation in the Temple. The
figure of the venerable Simeon is full
of dignity, the face expressive of such
mingled pathos and awe that it has often
seemed to Jeannette as though she could
almost hear the words of fearful predic-
tion which tell the Virgin Mother of the
future sufferings of her Child. ' 'And thy
own soul a sword shall pierce. "

The words have new meaning, added
depth, to the mother shrinking at the
vision of her own little one's affliction.

"Sinless, yet human; a broken-hearted
human mother like me, " she murmurs,
"yet her peace unshaken even as she
offers her Son, her God to suffer all."

And thus as she kneels humbly before
Him in His silent Tabernacle, the divine
Son Himself teaches her, from the ex-
ample of His own blessed Mother, the
lesson she so much needs, that even
purely human hearts — even a mother's
heart — when strengthened by Him, have
courage to accept suffering, not alone for
themselves, but what is far harder,
for those they love most — nay more-
strength even to offer them if need be
to the sword of keenest sorrow.

It is two years later, and noon of an
October day. The sun shines brightly
upon the fields where harvesters are
gathered reaping the hay. The tall,
angular forms of the New England
women in their straight-up-and-down
print calicos, and large, untrimmed
straw hats shading their rather hard yet
not unkind faces, flit to and fro among
the tender, dark-eyed French women in
their picturesque half-peasant costume,
their not unmusical patois interspersed
with broken English, mingling with the
peculiar twang of their Yankee sisters.
The long grass and colored leaves of the
trees swaying in the light, cool breeze,
the bleating of the sheep, and soft ' ' moo,
moo ' ' of the cows make the scene a
strikingly quaint and pretty, as well as
characteristic one.

A group of merry children is near the
harvesters, their blithe voices and cheery
laughter making one happy only to hear
them. In the midst stands a little girl
dressed in pink gingham and sunbonnet
of white, her curls shining like gold in
the sun— the brightest, merriest, pretti-
est little lassie of all. It is Jeanne.

" Now we will play blind-man's buff,"
she cries, ' ' someone will lead me, and
Belle can be ' It. ' " " No, no, ' ' she says
as several rush forward at once to claim
her hand. "One at a time, you know ;
come Jules," and, giving her hand t
a bright-looking boy, some years h
senior, she manages to scramble about
deftly, if a little uncertainly, the others

A LITTLE. CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.

693

areful not to knock against the little
>lind favorite everyone loves.

1 ' You will not have to blindfold me,
yill you? " she says, laughing.

It is pathetic to hear her make, when-
>ver she can, a joke of the affliction
•vhich even those who loved her best
feared would still forever the winning
merriment so characteristic of her bright
nature. But Jeanne is still merry, only
she is a thoughtful little Jeanne, too.
One sees no trace of the thoughtlessness
which had been so marked, even in her
earliest years, as to cause her mother
anxiety.

" It might hurt God's feelings if I got
cross over it, might it not, mamma?"
she said one day. And Jeannette, smil-
ing tenderly at the quaint question,
thought that if only grown people would
have a little thought about ' ' God 's feel-
ings, " how much better and happier the
world would be.

" It would be just as if I called you —
you, my own mamma — horrid," con-
tinued the child as though following a
train of thought which had been puzzling
her, "when you put the drops in my
eyes that smart so much that I cry some-
times. I do try very hard not to," she
interrupted pleadingly, "though I know
all the time, it is just to make me better,
and that you would rather be hurt, oh,
ten billion times more yourself, my own
dear mamma! and our dearest Lord did
get a great deal more hurted, didn 't He? ' '
she softly added.

" Waal, that's what I call a sarmon,"
thought old Jane Cruikshanks — "the
Grumbler" she is commonly called —
who had reached the piazza, just in time
to overhear this child-view of suffering.
" It kinder makes you feel queer, Jane,
doesn 't it, ' ' she soliloquized, ' 'guess you
think yourself superior to the Almighty,
Jane Cruikshanks, specially when you
have the rheumatiz. If I was Him — no
disrespect meant, " she added, suddenly
conscious that this way of thinking
might not be altogether reverent, " if I
was Him, I kinder think I'd just blow

us presumshus creeturs right up instead
of waitin ' and gettin ' jest wounded like. ' '

" Good morning, Miss Cruikshanks,"
said Jeanne in her courteous way,
' ' won 't you come in ? "

" Marcy me! Whatever am I standin'
here fur," exclaimed Jane. " Beg par-
don, Mrs. Lee Brune — (Le Brun is the
name). I was —

"Oh, that's all right, Jane," inter-
rupted Jeannette. "Jeanne recognized
your steps at once. Is your rheumatism
better?"

"Yes, thank ye kindly ma'am, so I
jest stopped over with these pansies. I
know the little one likes the smell of
'em."

"Yes indeed," exclaimed the child,
"are they the yellow or the purple pan-
sies, mamma?" and as she buried her
little face in the bouquet and Jane noted
how like in color to the deep violet of the
pansies are the beautiful sightless eyes
that in spite of their pathetic, vacant
look brighten with the light of welcome
whenever she — yes, even she, poor
grumbling Jane Cruikshanks whom no
one but the blind child ever welcomes —
comes to see her, the hard face grew
wonderfully soft, and, taking out the
large check handkerchief which is just
as much part of her daily costume as the
neat white kerchief around her neck, she
surreptitiously wiped her eyes.

"Why the Lord afflicts a sweet inno-
cent like you," she began, but stopped
abashed by the quick look of reproach
and surprise which crossed the child's
face. "I beg your pardon, Miss," she
stammered, ' ' I forgot that your — your
God has feelins! ' ' and she stumbled awk-
wardly out of the room, ' ' too uncomfort-
able like to stay another live instant, ' '
as she confidentially confessed later.

"That babe has more sense in her
small head than all the theological
gentlemin I ever seen," she informed
her neighbors that afternoon.

And even Betsy Ann, Jane's greatest
enemy was forced to admit that ' ' some-
thin' must have come over Cruikshanks,

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.

for she sartainly is gettin' more agree-
abler like."

* * •*

"Good morning, Monsieur le Cure, "
saj s Pierre one morning, as the tall form
of a venerable looking man enters the
garden gate. "Jeannette has gone up
stairs with Jeanne but will be down in
a moment. Ah, here she is now. "

"Justin time to welcome you, mon
Pere," says Jeannette as, coming for-
ward, she bids him be seated.

"I just stopped in for a moment,"
answers the Cure. " I have a great favor
to ask. You know Philip Jackson, do
you not ? "

"Philip Jackson, " exclaimed Jeannette
and Pierre simultaneously, "that hard-
ened character ! Yes, indeed ! I imagine
he has made himself pretty well known
to every one around this village. What
of him ? "

" He is dying, ' ' replies the priest very
quietly.

" Dying ! "

" Yes. He met with an accident a few
days ago and though the doctor says
there is no immediate danger, he may
die at any time."

" Have you seen him ? " asked Pierre.

The old priest shakes his head sadly

"No; and there seems slight chance
of my ever doing so. The mere mention
of my name, the doctor tells me, angers
and excites him. ' I tell you I won't see
him, ' he said, ' what do I want with those
meddling priests ? I tell you I don't be-
lieve and what is more I don't want to. '
I/isten Jeannette. Do you remember how
you asked me the time your great trouble
came why the good God afflicted your in-
nocent little one so terribly, and I told
you to wait and see ; that light would
surely come out of this darkness, else
God would never have permitted it; that
to those who love Him trials are not
chastisements but graces ? "

' ' I remember, I remember, ' ' murmurs
Jeannette, " each detail of those terrible
days seems graven upon my mind in let-
ters of fire. "

And she tells him of that evening when
she knelt alone before the altar, the words
of Simeon ringing through her own
broken heart : " Thy own soul a sword
shall pierce that out of many hearts
thoughts may be revealed. Ah, I under-
stood those words as I never did before,
mon Pere, and — I think I know what it
is you wish. You want our angel child to
go — to that hardened sinner. "

"You have guessed rightly, my
daughter. The example of your patient,
afflicted little child has done more to
spiritualize the homely lives of our vil-
lagers than all the labors and preaching
of my years of service have done," lie
humbly added. " Take the example of
poor old Jane Cruikshanks I declare it
is wonderful to see how softened and how
considerate of others she has become.
' Mon-sur, ' she said to me one evening.
1 Mon-sur, I'd jest like to be the faith of
that ere child ; the religion that can make
her what she is must be worth somethin ',
no matter what folkes say. '

' ' Then, there is that unfortunate Fran-
9ois who had taken to drink. He told me
he had never been so ashamed in his life
as the day he came to see you, Pierre,
and you spoke sternly to him about meet-
ing him intoxicated again, and Jeanne,
whose presence for the moment you had
quite forgotten, interrupted. — 'Oh, I
am sure he will not do so again, papa.
You forgot yesterday, did you not,
Fran9ois? for, of course, you wouldn't
hurt the good God's feelings if you
had stopped to think a moment. It
wouldn't be polite, you know. But do
think, Fran9ois, do think, and you will
go to-day, this very day, to Monsieur le
Cure, will you not, Fra^ois ? '

" 'What could a man do, I would like
to know,' he said to me afterwards,
'with those wonderful eyes looking
straight at him as though they could see
right inside of his wicked old heart and
know all that is going on in there, for
all they are so blind — as blind as my
poor soul has been, mon Pere, ' he added,
pathetically. Ah, my good Jeannette,"

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.

695

says the Cure, as he rose to go, "you The solemn words, the beautiful light

are not to grieve too much over your in the priest's face, awe both Jeannette

little one's darkness, for out of it is and Pierre. "And a little child shall

coming much 1 ight ; out of many hearts lead them," Pierre quotes a little brok-

' MY GOD! DON'T; I'M NOT FIT, I'M NOT FIT," HE CRIES.

thoughts are being indeed revealed ; the enly. "Jeanne shall see Philip
deep inner thoughts which lie hidden in morrow, to-day, if you like. "
every human soul, however hardened, * * *

but which so often seem to wait the
touch of a little child, to waken from

to-

A broken staircase, in a hut not far
from the cottage, leads to a poverty-

the slumber threatening to numb forever stricken room at the top of the miser-
the conscience, the immortal soul ! " able abode.

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.

"It is no use, I tell you, " cries an
angry voice, " you see to my body, will
you ? Leave my soul to take care of it-
self. There is noGod.no heaven, no hell. "

Jeanne shrinks at the angry tones
which reach her, though the words do
not, as she and her mother climb the
rickety stairs. But it is only for a
moment.

"He won't mind just me, will he,
mamma?"

"No, no, my darling," murmurs
Jeannette, but her heart sinks a little
as she knocks timidly at the door, still
leading Jeanne by the hand.

"Why, Mrs. Le Brun," exclaims the
doctor in genuine astonishment, the
greater as he sees her little blind daugh-
ter is with her. "Ah, this is the work
of that sly old Cur£, " thinks this big-
hearted country doctor, chuckling to
himself in silent glee. "He certainly
does beat the devil all to pieces, that
Cure of ours. I '11 be hanged if he hasn 't
struck the right chord this time, ' ' and
he watches curiously but with eyes
which are not quite dry (for the heart of
this rough country doctor is softer far
than his words) the little scene by the
straw bed Jeanne is already beside the
sick man, her fear and everything else
forgotten in her tender sympathy.

" Oh, I am so sorry you are so sick, "
she says in her simple way. "We
heard you had met with an accident and
were afraid you might be lonely, you
know. I met with an accident once, oh,
a long time ago, ' ' and she touches her
eyes by way of explanation. " That is
why, " putting her small fingers on his
face, " I must do this; it is my way of
getting to know people, is it not,
mamma ? ' ' and before he had had time
to recover from his surprise, Philip feels
the delicate touch of the little white
fingers which seem like a caress upon
his hardened countenance — that counte-
nance upon which are traced lines
marked by sin, but which, perhaps, has
never known before the pure touch of a
little child. Who can tell ?

" My God! don't ; I'm not fit, I'm not
fit," he cries, in the first moment of
utter astonishment unconsciously utter-
ing the name of the one whose existence
he had, only a few moments before,
denied. " Is she an angel, doctor?" he
asks in a bewildered sort of way, and the
doctor smiles, for he sees that in spite of
all his braggadocio, this poor sinner, in
his inmost heart, knows that there is a
God, and angels, and heaven.
* * *

Day after day, Jeannette and Jeanne
call to see Philip, and the sick man
learns to watch for their visit as the
prisoner watches for the gleam of sun-
light in his darkened cell.

' ' I am going to give you a surprise
this afternoon," announces Jeanne one
morning, in her sweet imperious way.

' ' A surprise ? What kind of a sur-
prise ? ' ' asks the invalid smiling — yes,
actually smiling, though his voice is
very weak to-day.

' ' Ah, that would be telling, you know;
wait and see. "

He had not long to wait. Early that
afternoon she and her mother return to
the hut, but this time they are not alone,
for Monsieur le Cur£ accompanies them
— it is Jeanne's surprise. Never once has
it occurred to the child that it can be
anything else but a delightful one ; that
God 's own priest can be ought else but
welcome. And is not every one glad to
see the kind Cure who is so good to
everybody and who, the villagers know,
gives gladly his own meal, if necessary,
to some one more needy than he ?

Is it that the unsuspiciousness of the
child touches Philip, or is it merely that
the sweet influence of all these days has
been slowly but surely preparing him for
this moment ?

I only know that as the priest enters the
room he stretches his worn hand humbly
out as if to welcome him.

"I am glad to see you," he says
simply; " I'm a great sinner, I — 'but
the words die away in tears — tears ovei
which the angels rejoice in heaven.

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.

697

Truly, "A little child shall lead
them." ^ ^ #

Merrily the kettle boils on the kitchen
fire, the unceasing "chirp, chirp," of
the cricket making a sort of accompani-
ment as Jeannette bustles around pre-
paring the evening meal. Jeanne does
what she can to help her mother, moving
about in the gentle, gliding way which
somehow speaks pathetically of the
blindness which has afflicted her all
these years. It is twelve years since the
accident and all hope of her sight being
restored has long since died, even in the
hopeful hearts of Jeannette and Pierre.
Jeanne's fair, delicate beauty of eighteen
more than fulfils the promise of her
childhood. She is of medium height,
slender and very graceful, the rich
auburn of her hair making lovely con-
trast with the deep violet and dark
lashes of the sightless eyes which, in
spite of their blindness, seem to reflect
the light of the pure soul within. His
stars, her father calls them. They
shine with subdued happiness and ex-
citement to-night, and in the cottage all
is bustle and eager anticipation, for
Jules Fernet, Jeanne's old playmate, has
just returned from Germany where he
has been studying medicine for the past
five years, and is expected for supper.

"I wonder if he has changed very
much, mamma, or if we will find him
just the same — "

"Big-hearted, honest Jules as ever,"
exclaims Pierre, who enters the room
just in time to hear the girl's wistful
words.

" Oh, papa, have you seen him ?" she
cried.

"Yes, indeed, and a handsomer, more
stalwart looking fellow than our young
medical student would be difficult to
imagine. I declare I feel as proud as if
it were my own boy who had graduated
with the highest medical honors at
twenty-three years of age; only twenty-
three, just think of it !" exclaims Pierre
•enthusiastically. ' ' Bless him ! ' '

' ' Dear Jules, ' ' murmurs Jeanne softly.

' ' He always blamed himself for my
accident, poor boy. ' If I had held your
hand that day, Jeanne,' he once said to
me, ' you would never have met with that
terrible fall. ' And yet, ' ' she adds, more
to herself than to them, " I scarcely re-
gret it. Good, much good, the dear Cure
tells me, has come from it. "

" Do you know, I have always thought
that was the reason why he suddenly de-
cided to study medicine, ' ' says Pierre,
not catching Jeanne's last words. ' ' He
has made special study of the eyes, you

know, and . " But Jeannette makes

him a warning gesture.

Why disturb her with possible hopes
which for years they have felt would be
impossible ever to be realized ?

1 ' He will be here very shortly, Jeanne,
darling, ' ' he says somewhat abruptly,
looking at the large, old-fashioned clock
over the mantel.

"Hark! I hear the sound of wheels
now, " exclaims the girl, and in another
instant the door is thrown wide open and
her little hands are clasped in the warm
grasp of the big brown ones which close
tenderly over them.

"Jeanne ! "

"Jules!"

Neither can speak foramoment; Jeanne
because an unaccountable something in
her heart makes further speech impossible
just then ; Jules because the sight of the
blind eyes lighted with that wonderful
look of welcome almost unmans him.

" I am so glad to see you once more,
my dear, dear boy, " murmurs Jeannette,
as she takes him right into her dear
motherly arms. "Doctor, I suppose we
will have to call you now, Jules," she
adds, laughing.

What a merry, happy meal that is to-
night! And Pierre notices how Jules
watches with the keen glance of a physi-
cian now, the sightless eyes that turn
eagerly toward him as he tells of his
travels, his studies, but never, strange to
say, of any future plans. But Jeannette,
with the quick perception of a mother,
notes that the dear eyes have a pecu-

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

By Rev. C. Ghezzi, SJ.

II.

is time for us to accompany the mis-
sionaries to the Albanian mountains,
there to see verified once more the prom-
ises made by our Saviour for the wel-
fare of those who honor His Sacred Heart.
One or two fathers, a lay brother, and
a catechist, all mounted on old hackney
horses, a guide also mounted, a pack-
horse carrying the portable altars and
other mission furniture, make up each fly-
ing column of the "missione volante, "
as it is called.

In former years each of the travelling
party took with him his little scrip, i. e. ,
some provision of dry figs and beans, but
now this has been done away with, and
divine Providence is the missionary's
ever well furnished wallet. The Fathers
are the guests of their spiritual children,
and the mountaineers, to enjoy the
longed-for happiness of having the Holy
Sacrifice said in their own huts, vie with
each other to entertain one or two Fathers,
some days each in turn. Thus the mis-
sionary, if sometimes regaled with a
somewhat better fare in the house of those
who are in easier circumstances, shares
also very often the scanty meal with the
poorest in their humble lodgings.

The poverty of the people, however, is
so great that the Fathers make it a point
to reward their kind hosts with some
alms. Foremost among the mission
articles are the pictures. The Aristotel-
ian aphorism, that nothing is in the in-
tellect that has not been first in the
senses, is palpably illustrated among the
Albanian mountain tribes. To bring
home to them the eternal truths, the
Fathers exhibit some large oil pictures
vividly representing the mysteries of our
faith. These paintings are usually ex
posed at the opening of the mission to
attract and entice the people to the
700

Church, at other times some one of them
is produced on a sudden during the ser-
mon, while the missionary, pointing to
it, describes it to the gaping audience in
glowing words and always with great
effect. ' ' I was resolved not to go to con-
fession, " said a Romanian to the Fathers,
' ' but when I saw and heard you explain
your pictures I could not resist, and
right glad am I to have yielded to grace. "
In the same village an old woman, who
could not stand on her feet through ill-
ness, having heard her people extol the
pictures, was so anxious to see them,
that she had to be carried to the church,
and there left to enjoy the fascinating
sight.

One of these paintings represents the
Sacred Heart surrounded by a motley
crowd of blind, lame, and sick, of every
description, who throng around their all
powerful physician for cure. How many
a sinful and afflicted soul found pardon
and consolation before this hope-inspir-
ing picture !

A poor woman, writes a parish priest
to the Albanian Messenger, was danger-
ously ill, and utterly helpless for a long
time. Sick in mind and body, she was
dragging out her existence in tears and
sorrow. One day she was told that the
missionary, who had come to the parish,
had exhibited a picture of the Sacred
Heart encompassed by poor and miser-
able people like herself, and that in the
afternoon the Father would bless all the
people and consecrate them to that di-
vine Heart. " At this news I felt, " she
relates, "a voice within me bidding me
to have recourse to the Sacred Heart for
a cure. When the bell rang for Benedic-
tion, I got up from bed and, though
shivering all over with fever and totter-
ing, I went to the church. Oh, what
were my feelings at the sight of that

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

701

touching picture ! I knelt before it and
prayed the divine Physician to have pity
on me too. Immediately the deep mel-
ancholy, that for a long time had been
oppressing me, vanished and was suc-
ceeded by a great peace of mind, and
when I got up from prayer I was per-
fectly cured. — Praise be to the Sweet
Heart of Jesus ! "

Another of these pictures represents a
person tormented in the tongue by the
devils for licentious and uncharitable
talking. This image unveiled during
the sermon on obscene conversations and
songs at the mission given at Scutari
last October, produced the salutary effect
of making many of the bystanders join
together in the form of a guild for the pur-
pose of rooting out this evil. Many an
Albanian minstrel, who used to entertain
the people at nuptial feasts with objec-
tionable lays, has since joined the pious
league. — May they, in the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, find the strength needed to act
up to their promise ! But to return to
our missionary band .

The parishes of Ibalia.Berisha and Fira
were the terminus of their first apostolic
excursion. They lie in the diocese of
Sapa, one of the most needy in upper
Albania ; its villages are scattered and
perched on mountain-tops, perhaps the
highest in the country and are entirely cut
off from city-life, owing to their poverty
and want of communication. The Chris-
tians labor here under all the disadvan-
tages we have mentioned above. Their
distance from the church, while prevent-
ing them from attending the divine serv-
ice, is a great obstacle for the otherwise
zealous pastor to tender his flock those
spiritual ministrations they stand so
much in need of. This drawback is, of
course, greatly enhanced when, as it is
often the case in this diocese, one priest
must carry on by himself the administra-
tion of two and even three parishes.

Ibalia stands on a very high peak in
a charming semi -circular rocky cove,
which contains the one hundred houses
that make up the village. A moun-

tain torrent runs through it and a
number of silvery springs water it on
all sides, a precious boon to the ground
during the hot season. It is encircled
by mountains and hills so variously
shaped as to present a most delightful
prospect to the spectator. But the moral
state of its inhabitants is in great con-
trast with the picturesqueness of the
view. Their spiritual destitution, in
fact, was extreme. Poor things ! They
wanted religious instruction more than
food. An old highlander, looking one
day at the mission pictures, when he
came to that of our Lord on the Cross :
' ' Pray, tell me, Father, ' ' said he, ' ' who
is this Saint, for he seems to be the finest
of the lot." "Don't you know Him?
He is Jesus Christ. " ' ' Oh ! Jesus Christ !
But why is He on the Cross ? "

Obviously Christian knowledge was
here at its lowest ebb, a thing that the
missionaries unhappily realized in many
other places too. At Shakola, for in-
stance, they found eight Christian fami-
lies— the family on the Albanian moun-
tains is of a patriarchal type numbering
twenty persons or so — whose members
knew nothing beyond the Our Father
and the Hail Mary, and these, too, full of
blunders. And from whom had they
learned them? An old renegade one
day had asked some of them whether
they knew any prayer. ' ' None, ' ' was
the answer. ' ' Well, ' ' rejoined the apos-
tate, ' ' I will teach you what I myself
learned from my elders, and has been
handed down amongst us from our an-
cestors." So he taught them these
prayers, which they kept reciting ever
since, without much understanding their
meaning. Likewise at Bukemire, an old
man, on being told of the arrival of the
missionaries, exclaimed in his wonder :
"This cannot be! 'Tis four hundred
years that we grew tip utterly ignorant,
and no one has come to teach us. Will
now God work a miracle in our behalf ?"
But let us overtake our missionaries visit-
ing Ibalia.

The mission was begun by teaching

702

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

Albanian National Air.

" More Pashe, o Pashe Kavaya,"

Andante maestoso,
f

Mo - re Pashe, O

Pashe Ka - va - ya a-man a - man

=&=i=*

«P

Po te vieu kek se a - man a - man te

7"»vo stanzas of the War-National Song to Mahmud Pasha.

INTRODUCTION.
Mor£ Pashe, O Pashe Kavaya
Po te vien kek se te ka mete daya.

Nuk me vien kek se me ka mete daya
Por me vien kek se u ndex kalaya.

Bini yu, Merditas more
Pers£ Pashe met ner vorhe.

TRANSLATION.
O Pasha, Pasha of Kavaja
Are you sorry for your Uncle's death?

i. ANSWER.

No, I am not sorry for my Uncle's death
But sorry am I that they have burnt the

[fortress.

2- [negrians)

Fight along, Mirditians, fight (the Monte-
Because their Pasha is dead and buried.

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

703

the Christian doctrine to the children,
and this proved a most effectual means
of drawing their elders to the mission-
service. Allured by the hope of a medal,
a rosary or a picture (rarest objects among
them), the little ones flocked around the
Fathers, and very soon such an emulation
was roused amongst them, that they
seemed never tired of learning both the
doctrine and the prayers — of these the
favorite one was the Rosary of the
Blessed Virgin, which the missionaries
taught them to sing (as they are very
fond of singing). They knew some sort
of Litany of Loretto , handed down by oral
tradition, but the titles were so cor-
rupted as to be hardly recognizable, and
provoked laughter. To mention some
titles only, they called our Lady: Mater
poilza, Mater demi-grata, Mater Moa-
melis, Mater sabelis, Virgo predichina,
Bunia siburia.

' ' The Children 's Mission ' ' is the name
under which this first mission has ever
since been known, as their prayers and
example were the instruments, in God's
hands, for the conversion of their elders.
To come to some brief particulars : The
habit of swearing was rampant among
the Ibalians. A pious league, under the
name of the ' ' League of the Sacred Heart
against swearing" was started among
the children for its extirpation, and,
thanks to the divine Heart, their juve-
nile efforts were crowned with the hap-
piest results. Other wicked practices,
too, such as that of selling their maid-
ens to the Turks and contracting unlaw-
ful marriages obtained amongst them,
occasioned, no doubt, by the long contact
with their Mussulman neighbors ; but
the Sacred Heart moved them to take
vigorous measures for the rooting out of
the evil. Thus the village chiefs entered
into this important engagement, that:
' ' Thenceforward no one of them would
make unlawful marriages, under pain
of one thousand piastres (two hundred
francs) fine, of having the house burnt,
and of being driven from the village
until he should have dismissed his un-

lawful wife ; and as for those who were
already thus united, two months' respite
was allowed them, which, being passed,
the unrepenting would be outlawed and
as such excluded from national gather-
ings, mourning, dinners, etc. " Similar to
this is the resolution passed by the vil-
lage-chiefs of Dharda (a neighboring vil-
lage on the east of Ibalia): "We, the
undersigned, bind ourselves, tomake our-
selves responsible, that no Christian of
this village shall ever promise or give his
daughter in marriage to Turks. Should
any one of us (which God forefend) break
his plighted faith, we will have his house
burnt, confiscate his lands and livestock,
and drive him out of the village as a
perpetual outlaw." Dharda, November,
30, 1888. Signed : The Village Chiefs.

Nor did the Sacred Heart fail to assist
them to carry out such important resolu-
tions. Soon after this an Ibalian, con-
trary to the promise, had taken home a
woman in illegitimate wedlock. The
chiefs, prevailed upon by intercession
and by party-spirit, were loath to out-
law him, nay, they were on the point of
foregoing their Easter duties. The mis-
sionary grieved at this news, offered up
a Mass to the Sacred Heart, who, true to
the promise to Blessed Margaret Mary,
' ' gave him the power of touching those
hard hearts ' ' and shortly the evil was
remedied, the criminal being publicly
segregated from the rest and the repent-
ing Ibalians receiving the Holy Sacra-
ments.

Under such happy auspices the Missione
volante was begun, and under the same
it continues to flourish. This was the
first seed, as it were, which, having
fallen on good ground, moistened by the
dew of heaven, and vivified by the sun
of justice, keeps growing steadily into
the evangelical tree, on which the birds
of the air build their nests. The Sacred
Heart is the true missioner of Albania.

As we have mentioned the fervor of
the children for Christian instruction,
we rejoice to say that this holy enthu-
siasm on their part has been one of the

704

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

characteristic features of every mission
ever since. Our divine Master who
said: " Let little children come to me,
for of them is the kingdom of heaven, "
has, in His mercy, shown a love of predi-
lection for the Albanian little ones.

"You cannot imagine," said Mgr.
Troksci, Archbishop of Prizrend, to the
missionaries, "how pleased I was as I
traversed the country on my way to
Scutari, to hear, all along the way, the
little shepherds singing prayers on the
mountain slopes, as if they were in the
church." If the Mission had only pro-
duced among them this love for prayer,
the missioners ought to consider all their
labors abundantly repaid, for, as the
saying of the Fathers goes : "he who
prays shall be saved ; he who does not
pray shall be damned." The favorite
prayers, however, are everywhere the
Rosary of the Blessed Virgin, and the
Corona Aurea of the Sacred Heart. That
ejaculation: "Jesus, meek and humble
of Heart, make my heart like unto
Thine," repeatedly said by them, seems
to have a wonderful efficacy in subduing
the savage feelings of the Albanian
Highlanders. And this is wherein the
Sacred Heart principally displays His
divine power, I mean in the pacifica-
tions, which are brought about at every
Mission. These are the more marvellous,
as each of them implies a victory over
national prejudice, inveterate habit, and
pride. Peace and the Christian spirit of
forgiveness had nearly deserted these
mountain homes ; they now come back
in the wake of the image of the Sacred
Heart, which passes among them herald-
ing a happy new era. We will give a
few gleanings only of this plentiful har-
vest.

The diocese of Pulati is entrusted to
the Franciscan Fathers, who, with ad-
mirable self-sacrifice and active zeal,
have been working here for many cen-
turies ; so that it is, after God, due to
them alone, that the faith was kept
alive in this diocese, which has no secu-
lar clergy. Unhappily, their number

did not always correspond to the im-
mense needs of parishes so vast as these.
At Planti, in this part of the country,
there was a Christian whose friend had
been killed. Being a good-natured man,
he shrank from bloodshed at first, but
the shame of being reputed mean-spirited
had made him resolve on taking venge-
ance. The reader is well acquainted with
the Albanian code of honor, which
brands, as a coward, him who leaves his
wronged relatives and friends unavenged.
The parish priest of Pulati had tried
his best to induce this man to pardon,
but in vain. During the Mission the
stubborn man had gone to the missioner
and asked to have his confession heard,
but he resisted all the latter 's entreaties,
saying: "Honor is worth the soul."
The sermon on forgiveness came. This
is usually the Mission-closing sermon
and it is followed by the touching cere-
mony of kissing the crucifix. After a
vehement peroration, the preacher, tak-
ing up the crucifix, invites all the con-
gregation to come up to the altar and
put all the wrongs they may have re-
ceived and all their uncharitable thoughts
into the wound of the Sacred Heart.
The scenes that follow are such as to
move even the most insensible to tears.
They are scenes of a very strong and
simple faith. All the people take part
in them with a naivete", which may
astonish the reader who lives in a coun-
try where culture and refinement moder-
ate even one 's behavior in the church.
The Albanian mountaineer, when moved
by the sermon, does not hesitate to break
out in a loud voice : ' ' God have mercy
on us ! Father, we will do what you
say. For the love of the Sacred Heart
I will not steal any more." So in
the ceremony of the crucifix, as each
one nears the altar-steps, the missionary
puts the question : ' ' What sayest thou
to thy crucified Lord ? " "I pardon the
murderer of my father, ' ' says one, and
then he kisses the Sacred Side, and all
the congregation repeat aloud after the
Father : "Be thou forgiven, as thou dost

SACRED HEART.

7O5

A MIRDITI WOMAN.

forgive ! Be thou honored ! ' ' Then
another follows bearing, perhaps, the
scars of fresh wounds : ' ' What sayest
thou to thy Jesus nailed on the Cross for
love of thee ? " "I pardon my enemy,
who has wounded me, burnt my house,
etc. " Again, all the people : "Be thou
honored, be thou pardoned, etc." But,
to resume our narrative. During the
sermon the man was asked to forgive
his friend's death for the love of
the Sacred Heart, but he, shrugging
his shoulders, answered : " I could par-
don my father's death, but I cannot
pardon the death of my friend." The
missionary redoubled his entreaties, but
the man, with big tears in his eyes, pre-
pared to go out of the church. Then the
parish priest and all the people joined
their exhortations. The man wept like
a child, but was inflexible : " I cannot,
I cannot, " he roared out. The preacher
then, no doubt by God's inspiration,
went up to him, put down the crucifix at
his feet, and said : ' ' There will I leave
Him until thou shalt take it up and kiss
it, as a sign of the granted pardon."
Such an act caused a great sensation

among the audience, and all said : ' ' Do
take up the crucifix, kiss Him, pardon
for Christ's sake." The Sacred Heart
had triumphed; the poor man, all bathed
in tears, lifted up the crucifix, kissed it,
and forgave. After this ceremony the
procession was started to set up the cross
of the mission. On the way the Rosary
of the Sacred Heart was sung. Some peo-
ple were seen crying for joy, and said
they had never in their life witnessed the
like.

At Pogu, a section of Planti, a young
man of about twenty-five, whose parents
had been murdered on the same day, had
steeled his heart against the Father's-
pressing solicitations and even refused to-
grant a short truce to a poor cripple, ark
uncle to his foe. Meanwhile fervent-
prayers were offered up to the Sacred
Heart and our Immaculate Mother for
that blinded soul. At the sermon, there-
fore, when Father Pasi asked his hearers
whether there was any one amongst them
who wished to put all his grievances into
the open Heart of his Saviour, the youth,
reasonably suspecting that the preacher

CHRISTIAN LADY AT HOME.

7O6

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

A CHRISTIAN LADY IN SUMMER.

would turn to him as he stood just in
front, hastily got up to leave the chapel.
Then the Father seizing him by the arm,
with his right hand, whilst holding the
crucifix in the left, entreated him to kiss
it. The young man refused, and was
trying to break loose, but the mission-
ary : " No, my child, I won't let go of
thee until thou kiss thy Redeemer. " The
congregation were all up on their feet ;
some wept, others said aloud : " Forgive,
forgive, for Christ's sake, kiss the
crucifix. ' ' Others on the contrary : ' 'Let
him go, Father ; the dogged fellow will
never give in." But the young man had
been most assiduous at the Mission and
diligent in learning his prayers. He had
repeated scores of times : ' ' O Sacred
Heart of Jesus, meek and humble of
Heart, make my heart like unto Thine. "
The Sacred Heart answered that very
prayer. At last he said : " For the love
of Jesus, I do forgive the murderers of
my parents." It was an unexpected
triumph of grace !

At Giovagni, during the sermon on
forgiveness, the preacher had made all
grant a general pardon : then he went

on to question his audience in particular,
whether among them there was any one,
who planned in his heart any bloody
scheme against his brother. He had
waited a few seconds for an answer,
when he saw, within the sanctuary, close
to the communion rail, a lad of eighteen,
whose father had been murdered, and
who, he knew, had not yet pardoned the
murderer. Thereupon, the Father came
down from the altar, and, crucifix in
hand, begged him to pardon for the love
of his Lord. The young man, proud and
fiery as he was, doggedly replied: " No,
Father, you do not know our customs, I
cannot. I do not mind giving him
one year's truce for the love of Christ,
but never will I forgive him. " Mean-
while all the people had stood up; some
urged the young man to meekness, others,
and among them his mother and other
relatives, told the Father to let their kins-
man go, that he would not, and should
not, grant forgiveness. The contest lasted
ten minutes more, until the Sacred Heart
of Jesus softened that hard heart, and he
yielded to grace and kissed the crucifix.
After which he knelt for the blessing of

A CHRISTIAN LADY IN WINTER.

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

707

the missionary and again kissed the cru-
cifix. Whereupon some one said : "But
then, Father, you must heap the heaviest
curse on the head of those who will
chaff him for not having taken the blood. ' '
— "Let them chaff and mock me, "was
the young man 's prompt and spirited re-
ply. "I don 't mind it, for I haven 't par-
doned for the sake of any man, but only
for the sake of Jesus Christ. "

not once, but ten times for the love of
Jesus Christ ; but the rogue, you ask me
to forgive, is a Turk, who does not un-
derstand what it is to forego the pleasure
of vengeance for Jesus Christ's sake:
nay, he will undervalue my act, and take
me for a coward to boot. ' ' The mission-
ary, resorting to the expedient, which
had proved so successful at other times,
placed the crucifix at his feet and said :

ALBANIAN BEGGARS

DAILY AT THE JESCI

EGE GATE, SCUTARI.

The following fact still better illus-
trates the victories gained by the Sacred
Heart over the rude Albanian mountain-
eers.

During the Mission of Gumsice, the
missioner invited a mountaineer "to
pardon the blood ' ' of his nephew killed
by the Turks. He surlily replied:
"Father, if it were a question to pardon
my Christian comrades, as all others have
done, I too, would not be loath to forgive,

' ' L/ook here, this is the last trial I make
with thee : see thy Saviour, who implores
thee, not only from the Cross, but at thy
very feet : do what thou pleasest, leave
Him on the ground or take Him up and
kiss Him." The young man was won-
der-struck, while all the others thronged
around, beseeching him to pardon, so
that he could resist no longer, and lifting
up the crucifix, kissed Him, giving there-
by generous forgiveness to his enemy.

708

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

Here, too, a woman came up to the altar
and said : ' ' They have bereft me of my
husband, and left me to die in the gutter
with my children ; but I forgive them for
the sake of Jesus Christ. " Then came a
heart-rending scene. Her eldest son,
twelve years old, followed her to the altar,
all flushed in the face and weeping ; and
said to his Lord nailed on the Cross :
' ' They have brought ruin on my house
but I forgive them for your sake, O my
Jesus."

The next fact is given in the very
words of the missionary, who related it:

We had just ended the Mission at
Kalivari, and had passed on to Cia-
famalit, when some Kalivarians arrived
to call back their parish priest, who had
come along with us. ' ' Father, ' ' said
they, ' ' do come back with us or a good
deal of the fruit of the Mission is about
to be marred. " What was the matter ?
An old man during that Mission had
generously forgiven " the blood " of his
friend. Now the old man's son, who
had been away from home, and had
returned two days after the close of the
Mission, on being apprised of what his
father had done, grew furious and swore
he would take it upon himself alone, to
do his duty towards the murdered friend.
In vain had the village chiefs tried to
bring him to better sentiments ; he had
not heard those eternal truths, which,
during the Mission', change men's hearts.
The good villagers then sent for the
parish priest. " With him I, too, went
back, "writes the missionary, "having
taken with me the crucifix given by His
Holiness, the Pope, to our Superior. We
reached Kalivari at about sunset, and
next morning, accompanied by two
influential persons, went to see the
young man. The village chiefs, having
heard of our arrival, had gathered in
his house and were engaged in a friendly
talk, when we reached the door. It was
like an apparition. The youth colored
and dared not speak. After the usual
compliments the parish priest called
him aside and I went after him. We

began to exhort him to pardon, but in
vain: we brought up to bear against him
a full battery of holy considerations, but
to no purpose. He drily retorted: ' I
cannot, I won't forgive.' Then his old
father joined us, and said : ' Look here,
my son, the whole village is with Christ,
thou alone art with Satan. Pardon and
confess thy sins. ' It was all lost on the
obstinate fellow. Thereupon I," says
the missionary, ' ' remembering what
Father Pasi had done in Pulati on a like
occasion, took out the crucifix, put it
into his hands and began reminding him
of the passion of our Lord. He seemed
to be moved. Then I went on : ' Well,
say with me: ' I believe, O Jesus, that
Thou hast died for me; I believe, that
those who sin are of the devil and I
have sinned so much. . . . ' He re-
peated this slowly two or three times.
Then I prayed with him five or six times:
' O Jesus, meek and humble of Heart,
make my heart like unto Thine. ' This
done, he was quite another man; the
Sacred Heart had won the day, and the
desired pardon was granted, to the com-
mon joy of all who witnessed this
change at the hand of the Almighty.
He confessed, and passed the night at
the Presbytery, where, having met an
old acquaintance, his accomplice in
several desperate enterprises, who had
likewise been converted during the Mis-
sion, for over one hour they kept sing-
ing prayers, which they interrupted
from time to time to express their grate-
ful wonder at the marvellous way in
which the Sacred Heart had brought
them to bay and conquered."

The annals of the Albanian Missione
volante are an uninterrupted series of
such favors of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Although there is some sameness in their
circumstances, we think the reader will
not object if we subjoin some few more
from the latest accounts.

The Sceldians showed from the very
first a great devotion to the Sacred Heart
by offering candles and other gifts to His
picture. Most fruitful was the sermon

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

709

on forgiveness. A woman, whose hus-
band had been killed, and who had, be-
sides, been treated with blows for de-
manding compensation of the damages
done to her livestock, walked up to the
altar and, her voice shaking with tears,

issed the crucifix and pardoned her
enders. She carried in her arms her

ittle child, who, after having kissed the
Cross, lisped out that " He, too, forgave

the church, saying: "Pardon me."
" But be thou pardoned. " Never before,
they remarked with visible emotion, had
they passed such a happy day.

At Renzi a boy of ten, on being ques-
tioned what he said to the Sacred Heart:
"I pardon my father's blood" he replied,
his eyes streaming with big tears. Then
the missionary said to him : "Dost thou
pardon heartily ? " " Most heartily, ' ' he

SCUTARI BEGGARS FED DAILY AT JESUIT COLLEGE GATE.

for the sake of the Sacred Heart of Jesus"
and promised that when grown up he
would not bear them any grudge. Also
her eldest son came to the altar, and,
though a little wayward at first, he, too,
granted a hearty pardon to his father's
murderers.

All, without exception, forgave each
other and how moving it was, when the
bell of < ' forgiveness ' ' was tolled to see
them embracing one another as they left

replied, "only for the love of Jesus
Christ. " " Wilt thou remember these
thy words, when thou shalt be grown up
and able to use a gun?" " I will, from
now I give my ' bessa ' (word) to Jesus. ' '
Thereupon all the audience unanimously
applauded: "Be thou honored, etc."
A woman had lost her son, who had
been treacherously shot, while sleeping.
When kissing the Sacred Wounds she
said: "I had yearned to revenge my dear

710

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

child with my own hands, but now I for-
give for the love of Jesus alone;" so say-
ing she sobbed for joy.

At Blinischi, twenty-two feuds were
pacified, which for many years had been
the ruin of the souls, bodies and property
of those villagers. One day a moun-
taineer called the Father aside and said
to him : ' ' Father, am I really bound to
forgive my enemy ? " ' ' First of all tell
me what harm has he done thee ? " ' ' He
stole my gun, and then beat me half
dead." " And why ? Hadst thou per-
haps gone to steal anything from him ? "
"No, Father, he did it merely on sus-
picion that I had slighted him. If he
had killed my brother I could pardon
him ' the blood, ' but this outrage cannot
be forgiven, for I could never again show
myself without being the jest and the
butt of all, as a coward who does not
know how to take revenge ; now this
stings me to the quick. " The mission-
ary recalled to him the example of Jesus
Christ and of the saints. He listened
with great attention and sobbed ; then
he promised he would come to the Mis-
sion. He was true to his word. During
the sermon on the love of the enemies
the Sacred Heart moved him ; before
kissing the crucifix he said aloud : "For
the sake of no man would I forgive this
insult, but I cannot resist Jesus Christ.
I will bear patiently all the gibes and
taunts that they will offer me on account
of this my act, which I perform with all
my heart." His example aroused two
others who had remained insensible to
all entreaties up to that time, to follow
him.

In the Gumsice Mission the Father
had tried to induce some other people to
pardon, but these had kept away from
the church. Among them there was one,
whom we may call Paul, whose nephew
had been shot. The Father had been
able to have a talk with him, but, at the
very mention of pardon, he flew into a
rage and said he would sooner become a
Turk. After the procession to set up the
Mission-cross, a little crucifix and a

picture of the Holy Family were distrib-
uted, one to each family. Meanwhile,
Paul was nursing his rage sitting by
the fire under a shed. On the one hand
he wanted to have his grievances re-
dressed by arms, on the other he felt
inwardly grieved at being thus sep-
arated from the rest in the Mission serv-
ice. This over, many people gathered
around the fire, and endeavored to soothe
the anger of Paul, but he broke out in
most violent language and would not
listen to them.

That afternoon, however, he went to
see the missionary and the Bishop, hop-
ing they would give him, too, the part-
ing blessing, the little crucifix and the
picture. Indeed, his heart told him he
had not deserved a blessing, but he
silenced its remorse by saying to him-
self, "how could I forgive my nephew's
blood ? ' ' Both the Father and the Bishop
tried once again to win him over, and at
last they extorted this answer from him:
that, for the love of Jesus Christ, he
granted forgiveness to the father of the
murderers, to these, however, only a
truce, until the parish feast, next May.
This partial pardon, of course, was not
accepted. Meanwhile, many had come
round, and one of them said to Father
Pasi: ' ' Give him the crucifix, ' ' alluding
to what the Father had done at other
times. Father Pasi then went unob-
served to the Church to fetch the crucifix
of the Mission, and, returning, placed it
suddenly on the lap of Paul, saying:
" It is not the Bishop, nor the mission-
ary, who asks thee to pardon, but it is
Christ Himself. I do not think thou
wilt give a refusal to Jesus Christ;"
whereupon cries of "kiss Him, kiss Him,
forgive, " arose on all sides. Paul wept.
At length he rose, gave the kiss, and
"the blood was forgiven." He feared,
however, that the mother of the murdered
youth would not consent to this pacifica-
tion, but the Sacred Heart completed
the favor.

The missionary had laid himself down
to rest, much worn out by the day's

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

711

A TURKISH LADY IN VISITING DRESS.

work, when he was suddenly called up.
It was the old woman, who had come to
speak to him, led by her daughter-in-
law, as she was half blind. She had
come to declare her hearty pardon, and
to obtain a blessing also on her family.
What was her consolation when she
came to know that Paul, too, had par-
doned, too. Pacifications of this kind
are exceedingly difficult, but the Sacred
Heart inspires such generous feelings in
those who make a sacrifice to Him of
their affections.

Poor mountaineers ! Over four hundred
years, that is, since the Ottoman occu-
pation, they have lived in the worst con-
dition a nation could be in. Destitute of
laws, and without a proper administra-
tion of justice on the part of the gov-
ernment, it is no wonder if, in their
daily strifes and quarrels, they let them-
selves be guided by mutual enmities and
passion. Being without priests, without
churches, and therefore without religious
instruction, it is nothing short of a
miracle that they have not entirely lost
their faith, and it is but natural they
should be in the most pitiful ignorance.

The scarcity of clergy is, perhaps, one of
the most urgent needs of Albania, the
poverty of some churches is also very
great. Meanwhile the Sacred Heart has
come Himself to the rescue, inspiring
the members of the ' 'Missione volante, ' '
with self-sacrificing zeal for the good of
this sadly benighted nation.

In this way the Sacred Heart is little
by little regenerating Albania. The Al-
banian character is gradually softened,
and thirst for vengeance gives way to
the milder feelings of Christian charity.
As each Mission is commenced under
the patronage of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus and of Our Lady of Lourdes, so it
ends with the consecration of all the
families to the Sacred Heart and to the
Holy Family. The Badge of the Sacred
Heart is largely distributed among them,
each family is presented with the beads
of our Lady, many are aggregated to
the Apostleship of Prayer, the organ of
which, the Elcija (or Albanian Messen-
ger], has already entered on its seventh
year. The Sacred Heart of Jesus, it is
to be hoped, will carry to perfection the
work of evangelization He has so well

TURKISH LADY AT HOME.

712

ALBANIA AND THE SACRED HEART.

SCUTARI TURK IN GALA DRESS.

begun. He will continue His abundant
help to the missionaries to overcome the
difficulties with which this Mission is
beset. Passing over the hard life which
both the secular and the regular clergy
must necessarily live among these pas-
toral tribes, the devil has many a time
brought to play all his machinery to put
an end to the "Missions volante. " Thus,
in April, 1895, while the Fathers were
working in the Mirdizia, a peremptory
order from Scutari reached the Kaima-
kan of the Mirditi, that the Mission
should be stopped and the Fathers sent
back to Scutari. The evil one had pre-
possessed the minds of the Turks to
misconstrue the pacifications achieved
in the missions, and give them a politi-
cal significance. The reader knows al-
ready how the follower of the Prophet
finds his advantage in the anarchy and
misrule that distinguish its government.
But the Sacred Heart assisted the Fathers,
and through the interposition of the
Austro-Hungarian consul, the legal pa-
tron of Catholic communities in Albania,
the order of Osman Nouri, Governor of
Scutari, has been repealed. Whatever

furthers the spread of the Catholic faith
must necessarily be an eyesore to the
Turk, the natural enemy of the Christian
name, which he would gladly see stamped
out of the world. Hence his deadly
hatred of the missionaries. So, for in-
stance, in 1895, when passing through
Ipek, the latter were told*of an ambush
laid for some of them by the Turks the
previous Spring : the Christians had got
wind of it too late and wondered how
the Fathers had come off unscathed.

Bven now, while we are writing, a
menacing storm is brooding on the Al-
banian horizon, but let us confidently
hope, the Sacred Heart will very soon
bid the raging elements be still. May
He, too, inspire the kind readers of these
articles to pray for and help with alms
this mission, whose great poverty has
been among the hardest obstacles the
evangelical workmen have had to cope
with. Finally, let us raise"'[a hymn of
praise to the loving Heart of Jesus, who
gives to the missionaries the gift of
touching the hard hearts of the Al-
banian highlanders and ^blesses those
mountain homes where His image is
exposed and honored.

A CHIEFTAIN'S WIFE IN GALA DRESS.

THE PLAGUE IN INDIA.

CORRESPONDENCE.

By Rey. Stanislas Bo swing, SJ.
A peste, fame, et bello, libera nos, Domine!

THIS sacred formula embodies the
thoughts, and fears, and hopes of
millions of distressed minds in and about
Bombay at the present hour. It is the
common text of sermons, the subject of
pastoral encyclicals, the topic of conver-
sation in and out of season, the one
prayer of all those, at least, that have
any sense of religion left. Indeed, ears
and eyes are sated with the associations
of one of the most dreaded forms of
death. Under such circumstances, you
understand, it is no pleasurable task for
a correspondent to devote a chance hour
of leisure to the anatomy of the melan-
choly subject. Yet I shall do it, for
the general reason that the interest our
distant brethren take in us demands it,
and for the particular one that they will,
in their charity, extend to us with
special fervor, the help of their prayers.
In this account I confine myself to the
matter of the plague, for that is the one
great calamity that is absorbing our at-
tention at present. In fact, it is strange
in some way what little thought the peo-
ple of Bombay are just now giving to
the other scourge, the famine, which is
extending its havoc close up to their own
gates. It would seem somewhat selfish,
but, after all, if you are engaged in put-
ting out a fire in your own house, you
may, in good conscience, leave the burn-
ing house of your neighbor to the next
man. So it is with Bombay. With this
bubonic plague upon its hands, with its
trade and commerce paralyzed, its finan-
ces crippled for years to come, its own
inhabitants falling fast before the skele-
ton Reaper, it can do no more than satisfy
that prime moral duty of cura domesti-
corum. And if she were only to do that !
But of late the presidency, and in part

the Indian government, had to come to
her aid — not, however, in pecuniary re-
spects, but by legislative enactments and
by taking over from the hands of the
municipal bodies the direction and en-
forcement of stringent sanitary measures.

Let us here discontinue these general
reflections and come to facts and figures.
And surely the first thing one wants
to know is the exact number of the vic-
tims of the plague. Wildly differing
numbers have been given even officially
by the authorities as well in England as
here at home. The former, in their
statistics, have taken their cue from the
official Bombay municipality reports.
But this latter body has endeavored, from
the beginning, to minimize the number
in the interest of its foreign commerce.
Bven now, while its cooked reports are
the laughing-stock of the town, it will
not give in, and, as it seems, from a per-
verse sense of consistency, goes on play-
ing the juggler with its plague returns.
Now, the plain truth is, that up to
March 24, 21,500 have died of the
bubonic plague in the city of Bomba3r
alone. The method of calculation, fully
reliable and universally accepted here,
is the following. The excess of mortal-
ity above the average has been taken
weekly since the outbreak last Septem-
ber, and the sum total of such excess is
the true mortuary report of the plague.

Now the average weekly mortality is
less than 500 among a population of
820,000, while during the epidemic the
weekly figure rose above 1900, almost
the quadruple of the average. These
figures, therefore, would yield in propor-
tion one death for every fort}' inhabit-
ants. But to arrive at the true propor-
tion we must take into consideration the

713

714

THE PLAGUE IN INDIA.

enormous extent to which emigration
has drained the city of its population.
It is admitted on all hands that for at
least six weeks fully one-half (400,000)
had quitted Bombay; some newspaper
authorities place the number even as
high as five-eighths (500,000). If, then,
we take these 300,000 to 400,000 resident
inhabitants for our basis of calculation,
the rate of the plague mortality will not
be less than one death to every thirty
persons during the space of six months.
Here follows a detailed list of statistics,
(from the Bombay Times, of India, Fri-
day, March 5, 1897), giving an idea of
the weekly inroads made by the disease:

DATE

29 Dec.
5 Jan.

12 "
I9 «
26 "

2 Feb.

9 "
16 "

23 "

TOTAL
MORTALITY

1853
I7II
1638
1758
1721
1648
1911
1728
1650

PLAGUE
MORTALITY

1484
1217
"54
1257
1203
1119

Of the 21,500 victims up to date, the
vast majority were Hindoos, forming
about two-thirds of the whole. Next
come the Mahometans, representing
about one-fourth. The Parsees and
native Christians account for the rest.
The losses of the 16,000 Europeans in
Bombay are soon told ; only 20 to 25 died
of the plague, and of these all but four
were born in India of European parents.
This immunity is accounted for by their
habits of cleanliness and their constitu-
tional powers of resistance. As to the
natives, certain shortcomings of their
character have come to light in the most
glaring manner, which will, for many
years to come, prove to the world that
the masses of them cannot claim even
the proverbial "skin-deep " civilization.
For filthiness the Hindoos certainly
take the palm, and the Mahometans are
a good second.

It had long been known to the Euro-
pean public that there were in Bombay —

"the Beautiful, " as it has been called of
late years — numerous slums in a shock-
ing state of filth, although this un-
friendly opinion did not rest upon
stronger evidence than that furnished by
the nose and often gathered a consider-
able distance away from its object of ex-
ploration. But what was once only a
region of smells has now become a pano-
rama thrown open to the wondering eye
as well. The General Sanitary Commit-
tee have condemned hundreds of huts
and houses unfit for human habitation,
and are daily at work in destroying them
by fire or axe. Shades of Hastings and
Wellington, return to us and behold
your glorious progeny of civil servants
and red-jackets storm these strongholds
of pestilence ! Judge whether the British
soldier and official ever had to encounter
more ghastly scenes than in the present
house-to-house inspection of Bombay !
But there they are, the valiant crowbar
brigade, thinking less of those departed
leaders than of their one rupee extra
daily pay, ready to begin operations.
Posting a cordon around the square of
buildings, and leaving within call before
the house a battery of fire-extinguishers,
chemical disinfecting apparatus, and the
like, they try the door. It may be well
secured, but this is no proof that every-
thing is in order within. They effect an
opening, and enter in with lanterns in
broad daylight. In a number of cases
they find that the inmates had locked
themselves in to escape the inspection.
But trusting to their own wit for their
guidance, the search party see that no
plague -patient nor dead body is kept
concealed in the house. They pass
along lines of rooms, each serving for at
least one family, and that without any
opening but the door for light and ven-
tilation, with the earth as a floor, sleep-
ing, eating, living-room all in one, in
this corner the inevitable fireplace formed
of a few loose stones put together, in
another a few tattered blankets, rolled up
in the daytime, and spread upon the
damp ground for beds at night — no

THE PLAGUE IN INDIA-

715

airs or tables, but a wealth of kettles,
rags and rubbish adorning the walls,
and last of all, not an uncommon fix-
ture at all, a broad sewer or latrine pipe
opening into the room, and serving the
whole year round for all the necessities
of kitchen sink, bath-room and privy.

Veritably, these are human dwellings
in which a European would refuse to
lodge his cattle, and a greater pity it is
that there have been so many of them.
But, thanks to God for the plague in this
respect, they have finally been unearthed,
or rather, Lord Sandhurst, the noble-
minded and energetic governor, has
given the municipal corporation (mostly
controlled by natives) to understand that
this reproach to ' ' Bombay the Beauti-
ful," and to humanity, shall be removed.
But our inspectors push bravely on, and
make new discoveries. In uninhabited
houses it has happened a number of
times that they found abandoned corpses.
The number of plague patients they
find thus is very large. When, then,
any of these is conveyed either in a
palanquin or ambulance wagon to the
hospital for rational and scientific treat-
ment, there ensues, in most cases, a scene
of lamentation among the relatives over
the doom awaiting the stricken person
at the hands of the hospital doctors not
belonging to their caste.

In fact, the caste prejudices revealed
during the plague have been something
phenomenal. Some of the objections of
the Hindoos to hospital treatment are the
following. Their caste people could not
keep the caste observances ; they would
have to take objectionable food, and food
generally not preferred by their particu-
lar caste ; some of the hospital attend-
ants are of lower caste than themselves
and their touch would be pollution ; the
corpses would be borne to the place of
cremation by non-caste men. These are
not casual instances of inhuman bigotry.
They are shared in by the mass of the
Hindoos, and largely also by the Mahom-
etans. Here follows an abstract of a
speech by a Mahometan Cazi (priest),

delivered at a large public meeting of
Mussulmans on March 13, as reported
in the Times of India, March 16.
' ' Cries were now being raised from the
four corners of Bombay of Fire, Destroy,
Break, Get away, Go out [alluding to
the government measures for disinfec-
tion and segregation] . It was true that
the new activity prevailed for the good
of the people, but then the point was
that it prevailed at a time when most of
the houses in Bombay had become so
many abodes of lamentation. It was not
right, at this juncture, to carry off the
sick from the midst of their families,
and the vehicle employed to carry pa-
tients to the hospital was no more than
a hearse brought to the door of one s
house to take away the dead. Mothers
would become frantic and take away
their lives. Men's frenzy would turn
them into fanatics ; they would lose con-
trol over themselves. How could a hus-
band be expected to tolerate the sight of
his wife's hand being in the hand of an-
other man (z. e. , the doctor 's) ? The
1 purdah ' (family harem) system would
be upset, the four months and ten days
of undisturbed seclusion enjoined on
widows as the time of mourning and
sorrow for departed husbands could
hardly be observed ; on the death of her
husband a woman would be immediately
taken away to the segregation quarters.
In the hospital one could not say his
prayers so and so many times a day; one
would be made to drink spirits. A peti-
tion should, therefore, be presented to
the government, and a copy of it for-
warded to General Gatacre's Plague
Committee." Thereupon a committee
was appointed to draw up this petition
to the government of the Presidency
against the compulsory segregation of
Mahometans.

All this is as much as to say : Rather
let this whole city become a prey to the
plague than one of our precious number
be forced to break one caste observance.
And still, some of the very adherents of
this principle will, on other occasions,

716

THE PLAGUE IN INDIA-

when it serves their selfish ends of
politics or the like, pour forth from public
platforms the most eloquent effusions
on fellow-feeling, humanity, and univer-
sal brotherhood. A system of a more
ingrained egotism, a spirit more opposed
to that of our Saviour, it will be- hard to
find in any part of the world. Such non-
Christian hordes St. Paul must have had
before his mind when he characterized
the pagan world as foolish, dissolute,
without affection, without fidelity, with-
out mercy." Rom. i, 31. And such,
too, are the millions whom the mission-
ary has to confront with the divine com-
mand of Christian love. Well might he
despair if he did not know that God does
not set His Church impossible tasks, and
that, as in the case of individuals, His
long-suffering extends to years, so with
.nations He does not consider it too long
to wait whole centuries for their conver-
sion.

If we now turn our attention briefly to
the history of the plague in this city, we
cannot help noting some peculiar facts.
It is public opinion that the authorities
had not taken the slightest notice of what
havoc this same plague was making in
Hong Kong a short year before its out-
break here. That lesson that could have
been taken, so to say, at other people's
cost, and the warning that the nearness
of the calamity conveyed, were all lost
upon Bombay. When the first case of
the disease actually occurred in our
midst, no one shall ever know. As a
matter of fact the first note of alarm was
publicly sounded by a Catholic native
Doctor, Mr. Viegas, when on September
26 he declared, in the municipal meet-
ing, that in his practice he had met with
the Hong Kong bubonic fever. Whatever
the men of light and leading in the cor-
poration and the public executive depart-
ments had heard or remembered of the
symptoms, diagnosis, or fatality of the
Hong Kong plague, sure it is that a
number of voices put down Dr. Viegas
as an alarmist, and when his cry of alarm
did not cease, and while the fell disease

was daily invading new quarters, these
wiseacres deigned to give the subject so
much thought as to discuss with much
more verbiage than learning, and with
more leisure than both, the preliminary
question whether the identity between
the Hong Kong and the Bombay fever
had been scientifically established. With
them, also, the wish was the father to the
thought. The plague was a disagreeable
customer ; to the corporation at large it
meant enormous expenditure ; to the
landlord interest represented among the
city fathers a serious fall in the value of
house property ; to the tradespeople, ces-
sation of business ; and, if it should be-
come known in Kurope, it was sure to
mak:e fearful inroads upon the commerce
of ' ' Urbs prima in Indis. ' ' So the plague
was a consummation devoutly not to be
wished, and accordingly our wiseacres
decreed the non-existence of it. As late
as the second of November or there-
about, when it had been upon us some
two months, The Times of India, the
leading local paper, devoted (9) nine
whole lines to its daily report on the
plague. In this happy-go-lucky manner
Bombay, as a whole, went trudging on
for another month. The only general
commotion of spirits it caused during
the month of November among the aver-
age European section of citizens was
the greater and rather pleasant tickle
of curiosity with which they awaited
the morning paper, just to see how
each day the number of victims would
slightly leap up or down, much in the
same way as during the monsoon they
would muse on the readings of the rain
gauge. If he was of a scientific turn, he
could further regale his mind with the
newspaper controversy on the burning
question of the hour, whether the disease
was to be designated bubonic fever or
bubonic plague — on which momentous
question at least oneof the leading dailies,
the Bombay Gazette, expended a prodigal
amount of valuable ink. But the awak-
ening was now at hand. December ist
brings on the end of the scholastic year.

THE PLAGUE IN INDIA.

717

fe of St. Xavier's closed too, one or two
lys later, and that under circumstances
>f festivity that were, if anything, more
rand than in preceding years. His ex-
cellency the Governor, Lord Sandhurst,
had come to witness the exhibition cere-
monies. He expressed himself pleased
with everything, and especially so with
the splendid manner in which the stu-
dents, all natives, had gone through a
dramatic representation of Shakespeare's
"King John." With such good augu-
ries for the next school year we broke up,
and without any special thought about
the plague entered retreat two days later,
only that, in the last moment, we heard of
the death by plague of one of our boys
who had been present at the exhibition,
and of the attack of another. But after
the retreat we saw that Bombay had at
last awakened indeed. Even the Health
Department had now to admit, instead of
a dozen, fifty and upwards to be the
daily number of plague deaths, though
this was not half the number. The
weekly mortality went up by leaps of
300, so that in three or four weeks the
figures rose from 700 to 1800. A little
before Christmas a general panic among
the natives set in and lasted to the mid-
dle of February. An extra railway serv-
ice had to be arranged on both the great
lines. Crowds beleaguered the railway
stations for several days before their turn
came to board a train. By sea the exo-
dus was proportionately as great. Not
only the chief steamship companies, like
the "British India " and "Shepherd's"
carried the fullest complement of passen-
gers, but the poorer class of people en-
trusted themselves, in what looked like
a stampede, but for the immense area of
Bombay, to any native ship that came
along. The statistics (official) of this
exodus are as follows :
Total of excess of outward pass-
engers by sea and land in No-
vember and December - -171,400
Total of excess of outward pass-
engers by sea and land in Janu-
fry " - 178,600

Grand total, Nov., Dec., Jan. -^50,000

Even now, a month after the great scare,
one need not go far in Bombay for evi-
dence of the depopulation of the city.
Here and there in our own house, and in-
deed, in any orderly house, you will notice
that the maintenance of the former state
of cleanliness, for instance, is too much
for the few and shifting servants that we
were able to secure even for extra wages •
The ill-condition of our little garden too,
tells you that it has several times of late
experienced a change of master. Of four
men in the kitchen only one has re-
mained, the other three have had to be
replaced. We hear of other private Eu-
ropean parties in town faring far worse.
Think of a comfortable gentleman, just
ready to drive to office, hearing that his
coachman and grooms have left him to
look after his horses himself, at least for
that day. Or take another that comes
down in the morning and finds no break-
fast on the table. He calls for the waiter
and no waiter answers. He goes to the
kitchen and to his horror finds things
there precisely in the same condition in
which they had left the supper table the
night before — with not the soul of a cook
remaining to tell the reason why. And
what shall a poor fellow do if his tailor
or his barber suddenly decamps, or if, on
the death of his " dhobie " (washerman)
the linen is detained for disinfection or
even burnt? But these,after all, are the
less serious considerations. It is sadder
to think that most branches of business
are paralyzed. The shops that are closed
are numbered by the thousand ; so the
houses. The foreign commerce has suf-
fered severely ; hence reduced hours of
labor in the docks, and the suspension of
work in some of the mills. The tram-
way company has curtailed its service.
Labor has become considerably dearer
all round and the price of food risen.

Such was in general the state of affairs
in December, and the responsible au-
thorities in the Municipal Corporation let
things drift on from bad to worse till
about the middle of February, when Lord
Sandhurst, as the head of the Presidency

718

THE PLAGUE IN INDIA.

government, took the management of af-
fairsoutof theirhands. But it must be said
in extenuation of the remissness of the
municipality that in the most important
point, that of segregation, their hands
were bound. They had at their disposal
only the police force of which only rela-
tively few are Europeans, and to ask
this mere handful of men to challenge all
the caste prejudice and fanaticism of the
Bombay semi-savages by the systematic
enforcement of strict sanitary measures
would have been the signal for rioting
and bloodshed. Everyone, however, re-
grets that the government stepped in
only at the eleventh hour. For by the
middle of February the plague has
scoured every single ward of the city, rich
and poor quarters alike. The question
now was, not to protect one ward against
another within the island, but in the
superior wisdom of Lord Sandhurst, who
most likely took his cue from vice-regal
government, to protect the outside world
against Bombay herself. Here, too, they
locked the stable when the steed was
stolen. In Kurrachee and Poona the
plague was in full blaze already. Never-
theless, bands of medical inspectors were
stationed at numerous railway junctions
outside the city, who faithfully saw that
not a single plague case escaped outward.
For the direction of this and all the other
sanitary measures the Governor ap-
pointed a committee of four, answerable
only to himself. At its head he placed
one of the military, no less a soldier than
General Gatacre who had, a couple of
years ago, so successfully conducted the
campaign of Chitral and whose word, to
the mind of the stolid natives, meant com-
mand. The good man evidently brought
to his task an unbounded trust in the
credit of the municipal treasure, and with
a magnificent lavishment of its funds,
which no one but the aldermen regret,
he is giving the taxpayers their money
back in the shape of startingly new
hygienic improvements.

Thus about ten (10) new hospitals have
suddenly sprung up to meet the caste

prejudices of the ignorant masses, the
costs of which, however, are in part de-
frayed by the respective communities
themselves; the dumping place has been
ordered to be instantly removed some five
miles further away; better arrangements
for the burying and cremating of the
corpses have been made ; a systematic
house-to-house inspection is being car-
ried out, and scores of landlords made
to tremble for the fate awaiting their
tumble-down plague nurseries, hitherto
called human habitations. God bless
General Gatacre!

Next in order let me say a few words
about the causes, nature and treatment of
the epidemic. It is admitted by all to be
a Jilth disease, and the only question open
to discussion is as to the insanitary con-
ditions of the city that propagated the
bacillus peculiar to the plague. No one
here believes any more in its importa-
tion from Hong Kong. It originated in
the foul stibsoil water of Bombay. Now
you must recall Bombay to your mind
as the island that it is, measuring
roughly two to four miles in breadth
and ten miles long from north to south,
and containing, in the southern half of
its area, the compact part of the city.
Now, formerly this inhabited area used
to be drained of its subsoil water partly
by overground channels and partly by
favorable underground strata. But un-
fortunately, on the harbor side, the
communication of these strata with the
sea was cut off by the long line of piers,
dock walls, and harbor embankments,
all of solid stone; and on the opposite
side, on the low grounds skirting the
city on the west, the city sweepings and
refuse Jiave. for quite a number of years,
been deposited just across the natural line
of drainage. Inquiries made into that
matter have lately (see Times of India,
March 11,1897) led to the discovery "that
the refuse underneath the recent deposits
had not yet been decomposed. ' ' Yet the
mass of the subsoil water, standing
underneath the city proper, has either
percolated through that foul organic

THE PLAGUE IN INDIA-

719

tatter or is, at least, in communication
dth it. All this infected water, as I
lave already said, finds no ready outlet
the sea, and is gradually rising higher
and spreading over wider areas. Add to
this the fact that a large proportion of
the pure water brought into the city by
the costly water works of Bombay finds
its way into the ground instead of into
the drains, since one of the many delect-
able habits of cleanliness of the natives
is that of using gutters and drains for
solids, and any other part of the earth's
surface, in or out of doors, for liquid
sewerage. Long before the plague ap-
peared an alarming increase of deaths
from diseases of the respiratory organs
was noticed without satisfactory ex-
planation of its cause. But it has all
been cleared up now. The whole plague,
with its mysterious antecedents, of dis-
ease and death, is now attributed, in the
first place, to the want of proper drainage
for the subsoil underlying the city
proper.

Concerning the symptoms and course
of the disease, I shall here set down
what I have gathered from eye-witnesses.
My chief authority is one of the Fathers
of the Society that are appointed to the
service of the plague stricken. I may
add that the heroic men have to live
apart from the rest of us, and occupy a
separate building which we have to con-
sider as being in quarantine. This being
the case, I can only account it a piece of
double good luck that I lately had a
good hour's interview with one of them.
Now the plague, as every one knows, is
a febrile disease. It announces itself by
shivers, pains in the limbs coming on
suddenly, a peculiar distress of mind,
which at times is stamped on the face,
strong headache. Some of these symp-
toms may precede the attack from a
couple of hours to two to three days.
The attack is almost always signalized
by high fever, the temperature rising to
one hundred and five degrees and more.
In the generality of cases the bubo in
the groin, armpit, neck or face appears.

I have been told of one particular case
where this swelling in the face of the
patient made his head appear double its
size. In one-fourth of the cases the bubo
does not appear. The eyeballs redden;
the pulse and respiration become irregu-
lar.

Vomiting, of a bilious kind, is a usual
accompaniment ; so also constipation at
the same time, though diarrhoea, is also
met with. Great thirst is experienced.
Above all, the characteristic comatose
condition of the patient sets in. The
confessor is satisfied if he can extract
one conscious answer from the patient
at any one visit. The disease is further
described as a very' painful one, espe-
cially so the agony. Some patients toss
with pain and writhe themselves into a
ball. In the Bombay visitation that
peculiar, and, perhaps, most frightful
feature of hemorrhage has occurred,
that is considered the distinctive mark
of the Black Death, and which forces the
blood to flow from the mouth, nose, ears,
and eyes of the patient while alive and
discolors the skin of the body, either
altogether, or in part, into a ghastly
livid hue.

The attack often lasted two to three
days before it reached its critical point,
but it was often simultaneous with death
in case it at once affected the action of
the heart. People have been found
dead in railway carriages, in their busi-
ness shops or offices ; some dropped
dead while alighting at railway stations,
others while walking in the streets.
The plague assumes a very treacherous
character when the bacillus does not
form buboes, but does its fatal work,
especially under cover of acute respira-
tory diseases. An extraordinarily large
number of such cases have occurred
here without their ever having been
recorded. A notable instance of the
recorded cases of this insidious kind of
attack is that of the late European,
Dr. Manser, the examination of whose
spittle led to the discovery of the plague
bacillus shortly before his death. In

720

THE PLAGUE IN INDIA.

about one-fourth of the cases no buboes
were formed.

It is said that sixty-nine per cent, of
the attacks have proved fatal; Dr. Yersin
puts it down at eighty per cent. ; in Kur-
rachee it was for two months over ninety
per cent. At this moment, while the
plague is diminishing in extent, it is
increasing in virulence.

A number of European countries have
sent scientific missions to study the
plague. Also America is represented
by no less a scientist than Mr. Julian
Hawthorne. He has been received with
becoming attentions on the part of the
authorities, more, perhaps, in considera-
tion of his literary than medical attain-
ments. However, the story goes — which
I give for what it is worth — that at the
City Customs House he was charged
Rs. 200 for certain anti-toxic prepara-
tions, but which the officials declared
liquor. He is the only one of the mem-
bers of the foreign medical mission that
is said to have independently treated
any plague case, and that successfully.
In this connection it certainly strikes
one that the two doctors that have
brought the latest results of scientific
medical research to bear on the plague
are foreigners, Dr. Haffkine, a Russian
Jew, and Dr. Yersin, a Swiss Huguenot,
naturalized in France. Dr. Haffkine
employs a prophylactic serum, with
which he inoculates the healthy, and
by which he effects the same immunity
from the plague as vaccination does in
respect of small -pox. By all accounts
this seems to be a success. Thousands
have submitted themselves to his treat-
ment in Bombay, and a number of other
stricken towns have sent him petitions
to come to their help, also. The success
of Dr. Yersin is not so settled a matter.
But it must be remembered that he has
set himself a more difficult task. His
treatment purports to be a curative one.
He had been for a time on the scene of
the Hong Kong epidemic; of the twenty-
three cases that he there treated twenty-
one were cured (Annales de VInstitut de

Pasteur.} He obtains his serum by inocu-
lating horses with the plague poison,
and he himself declares it an expensive
process, as the yield of each horse is
very small. Hence it came that the sup-
ply he brought on his arrival, some five
weeks ago, is already exhausted. While
here he has effected cures enough for
Bombay to be forever thankful to him,
although he has also met with some dis-
appointing failures. But he is a thor-
oughly upright man, and never claimed
greater merit for his cure than it really
possesses. On the contrary, he publicly
declared its particular deficiencies. Thus
he desired it to be widely known by the
friends of persons attacked, that, unless
patients could be treated by him within
forty- eight hours of attack their recovery,
through the toxic serum, could not be
speedy or sure. However this may be,
he deserves the thanks of Bombay for
the lives he has already saved, and pos-
sibly this, his more or less tentative
process, is the first step to the eventual
discovery of the master cure.

Lastly, there remains something to
be said about the relations of the plague
to religion and education.

In his Lenten Pastoral, dated Febru-
ary 21, His Grace the Archbishop of
Bombay, Theodore Dalhoff, S.J., touches
upon the inroads the epidemic has made
upon the Catholic flock, although it
must be remembered that more than
half of the Goanese, that is, about one-
third of the whole number of Catholics,
have fled from the city. The Pastoral
says : ' ' Indeed, with the present plague,
trying days have come upon us. Sad-
ness, mourning, anxiety and fear pre-
vail. Amongst the great number that
have been snatched away by death, we
have also to mourn over the loss of many
fellow-Christians. In some cases entire
families have been taken away in the
space of a few days. And though we
hope and pray daily for a speedy de-
livery from the affliction, we do not yet
see any signs of a decrease in its se-
verity." The chief pastor also bears

THE PLAGUE IN INDIA-

721

witness to the significant fact that the
great visitation has brought men nearer
to God. To quote his words : "Suffer-
ings lead us also to humility and con-
fidence in God. Do we not see in these
days of afHicton how men humble them-
selves before Almighty God, knowing
full well that human power and wisdom
are unable to stem the tide of the growing
evil ? Now they pray frequently and
fervently; assist at the adorable sacrifice
of Mass, approach with a contrite heart
the tribunal of penance, and receive with
devotion the sacred Body of Christ."
By the counsel of the Archbishop the
nuns of the two congregations of the
Daughters of the Holy Cross and of
Jesus and Mary offered their services in
behalf of the plague-stricken to the muni-
cipal commissioner. The latter, in the
name of the whole town, accepted the
offer with gratitude and admiration, and
at once made arrangements to have the
nursing work of three public plague hos-
pitals divided among the fourteen to six-
teen Sisters that came forward. I need not
go into details about the exemplary fer-
vor with which they devote themselves
to their heroic work. It is enough for
us to know they are Catholic Sisters true
to their divine calling. But I will not
pass over a public testimony given to
their edifying work of charity by a
wealthy Mahometan gentleman, who
spoke as the representative of a commit-
tee of his co-religionists before General
Gatacre in a conference about the estab-
lishment of another hospital. He said
(see Times of India, March n): " They
had gone round the different wards, and
they were much pleased to observe that
the persons suffering from plague and
those who were convalescent were happy
and contented. They had not the slight-
est idea before they had visited the hos-
pital that such tender and motherly care
was taken by the nurses (Sisters) and the
medical attendants. It was a mistake
to call these nurses only Sisters of Mercy,
because from what they had themselves
seen, they were more than mothers to

the sick. He assured the gallant general
that, even if members of his community
were to spend hundreds of rupees a day
for the treatment of their sick in their
own houses, they would not be able to
receive a tenth part of the kind and af-
fectionate treatment which the patient
received at the hospital."

His Grace, the Archbishop, has also
directed special public devotions to be
held, and made particular arrangements,
in certain cases, for the burying places
of the plague victims. The St. Vincent's
Society of the Archdiocese is also mak-
ing special and strenuous endeavors to-
wards mitigating the sufferings of the
poor. The Society, besides, extends its
work of charity to Poona, where His
Lordship, Bishop Beiderlinden, S.J.,
made an urgent appeal in his Lenten
Pastoral for help in feeding the famine-
stricken neophytes from Hindooism in
the numerous missionary stations of
our Fathers, One of the Fathers, Father
Weishaupt writes to me: "We are not
yet at the height of the famine. How
will it look in three to four months
from now? Grain is many times dearer
than it was one year ago. All main-
tain that many of our people will die
this year in consequence of the famine.
Many have even now but one meal a
day, and these consider themselves
happy; others get one meal about every
second day. Of course, I cannot allow
myself the usual meals, when seeing
others starving. Thus I reduced my
expenses and my meals to a minimum
in order to save a few rupees a month
for alms." I shall conclude my letter
with a few statistical references to
the working of the schools during the
plague. Of the dozen or so of native High
Schools only two have, so far, withstood
the shock of the plague, and they are the
Government High School and our own
St. Xavier's. But it must be noted that
the former, whose two divisions num-
bered last year over 1,200 pupils, is
working now with not more than seventy
boys all told on the roll, and govern-

722

TO JESUS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.

ment refuse to close it out of policy, lest
thereby they should increase the scare.
Our own High School numbers at pres-
ent 230 out of the 1,264 °f last year.
Among the closed native High Schools
there are at least three that usually
had each from 1,000 to 1,500 pupils,
and this year could by far not reclaim
100 of them. Of the European High
Schools the Cathedral (Anglican) dis-
solved its boarding establishment, and
works with no day scholars in place of
its former 200. St. Peter's (Protestant)
has been transferred to Nasik on the
Deccan. The Byculla (Protestant or-
phanage) had a few cases of plague
among its pupils, and was ordered by
the municipality to disband the day
school, keeping only its boarders. The
Scotch Orphanage Boarding School is
the only one remaining unaffected, as it
is situated in an isolated position out-
side the city limits, and receives only
orphans. Our own St. Mary's High
School (for European boarders and Chris-
tian day scholars of all classes) has
divided itself into two establishments,
continuing its day school in Bombay,
and transferring the boarding depart-
ment to Khandalla, seventy-five miles
away in the Ghaut Mountains, with 135

attendants in the former, 115 in the lat-
ter, numbering together 250 out of the
former total of 550 pupils. Of the three
University Colleges of the city the Gov-
ernment College has only 60 students,
and is forced to continue lectures for the
same reason as the Government High
School. The Wilson College (Presby-
terian missionary) was dissolved in Janu-
ary, and then began work again on the
second of March, with only 40 stu-
dents. St. Xavier's College maintained
from the beginning of the term, in Janu-
ary, a steady 1 10, with slight fluctuations
above and below, its last year's total
having been 262. Taking together the
present attendance of St. Xavier's in
school and college we get a total of
340 as against the grand total of 1526
of last year. On the whole, therefore,
we consider that we have plenty to
thank Almighty God for, as by His
favor we are passing through the ordeal
with the least losses. But with regard to
all the other trials, to which God has
subjected us by His scourges of plague
and famine, we must, in love and
thankfulness, adore the hand that is
chastising us. "The Lord gave, the
Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the
name of God."

TO JESUS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.

By Rev. Matthew Russell, SJ.

SOME very devout lines bearing the
above title were printed in the
Handbook of the Confraternity of the Serv-
ants of the Holy Ghost by a very holy
priest, the Rev. Dr. Rawes, one of the
Oblates of St. Charles, Bayswater, Lon-
don, who died some ten years ago. I had
some years previously wished to join these
with other Eucharistic Verses, and I
wrote to crave Dr. Rawe's permission.
For a reason which will presently ap-
pear, I give his answer :

ST. MARY OF THE ANGELS,

BAYSWATER, February 10, 1879.
DEAR REV. FATHER :— The lady, to whose
prayers, under God, the Confraternity of the
Servants of the Holy Ghost is due, gave me
about thirty lines "to Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament." I left some out and altered
others, and added about as much more. It is
therefore only partly mine. If you put it in
your book you could put after it, " From the
Handbook of the Confraternity of the Serv-
ants of the Holy Ghost." I should be glad
also if you would append the following little
note, that this lady may have her own.
Yours faithfully.

H. A. RAWES.

TO JESUS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.

723

Note. — The idea and form and about half
the lines of this little canticle are due to the
lady by whose prayers was brought about, as
I believe, the establishment of the Con-
fraternity of the Servants of the Holy Ghost.
I altered some lines, rearranged some and
added nearly a half. This is how the canticle
came to the light. H. A. R.

Before giving either of the two ver-
sions of this canticle, a word may be
said about the form of it, the credit of
which Dr. Rawes shows himself so anx-
ious to give to the lady whom we shall
name presently. Each line consists of
ten syllables, like ordinary blank verse,
but instead of ending with rhyming syl-
lables, all the lines of each stanza end
with the same word. We ma}' first ex-
emplify this by an extract from Dr.
Rawes ' adaptation of the metre to his own
favorite devotion :

0 Paraclete, whom Jesus sent to me,

Who, one with Him, didst give Thyself to

me,

Thou Love of God most High, who lovest me,
Thou King and Lord who sweetly drawest

me,

For life, and light, and love I come to Thee.
My soul is dark and hopeless without Thee,
My heart is weak and withered without Thee;
My life is burnt, like stubble, without Thee;

1 cannot say, " My Jesus," without Thee :
O, Loved One, pour Thy living light on me.

It seems to be agreed amongst critics
that, when there are two forms of the
same piece, the more extended form is
sure to be the latest. The second comer
is more likely to expand than to con-
dense. It is so, at least, in the present
instance. Instead of printing what his
pious friend had given to him Dr. Rawes
has himself told us that he expanded it
as follows, addressing our Lord in the
Blessed Eucharist :

O Jesus, hidden God, I cry to Thee ;
O Jesus, hidden Light, I turn to Thee ;
O Jesus, hidden Love, I run to Thee ;
With all the strength I have I worship Thee ;
With all the love I have I cling to Thee ;
With all my soul I long to be with Thee,
And fear no more to fail, or fall from Thee.

O Jesus, deathless Love, who seekest me,
Thou who didst die for longing love of me,
Thou King in all Thy beauty, come to me,
White-robed, blood-sprinkled, Jesus, come

to me,
And go no more, dear Lord away from me,

O God, most beautiful, most priceless One ;

O God, most glorious, Uncreated One ;

O God, Eternal, Beatific One ;

O God, O Infinite and Hidden One ;

O God, Immense, O God, the Living One ;

Thou Wisdom of the Everlasting One ;

Thou ever-loved, and ever-loving One.

Make me, O holy God, Thy treasured one ;
Make me, O glorious Love, Tlry precious one ;
Make me, O highest Good, Thy longing one;
Make me, O blessed Light, Thy chosen one ;
Make me forever more Thy loving one.

My soul is dark away from Thee, my own ;
My eyes are dim in seeking Thee, my own ;
M)' flesh doth pine away for Thee, my own ;
My heart leaps up with joy to Thee, my own;
My spirit faints receiving Thee, my own.

6.
Where in the height of heaven is light like

Thee?
Where in the breadth of heaven is bliss like

Thee ?
Where in the depth of heaven is peace like

Thee?

Where in the Home of love is love like Thee ?
With all my heart I give myself to Thee,
And waiting wait, O King and Spouse, for

Thee,
Till I am one for evermore with Thee.

O sweetest Jesus, bring me home to Thee ;
Free me, O dearest God, from all but Thee,
And break all chains that keep me back from

Thee:

Call me, O thrilling Love, I follow Thee:
Thou art my all, and I love nought but Thee.

O hidden Love, who now art loving me;
O wounded Love, who once wast dead for me;
O sun-crowned Love, who art alive for me;
O patient Love, who weariest not of me —
Alone of all, Thou weariest not of me —
O bear with me till I am lost in Thee;
O bear with me till I am found in Thee.

724

TO JESUS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.

I am not sure that these lines, pious
as they undoubtedly are, were, in the
foregoing form, quite satisfactory to the
pious taste of Mrs. Emily Mary Shap-
cote, although, in printing afterwards
her original verses, she speaks of them
as having been ' ' lengthened and beauti-
fied " by the late Rev. H. A. Rawes, D.D.
Lengthened they certainly were, for Mrs.
Shapcote's stanzas consist each of four
lines, while those of Dr. Rawes have
generally seven. In a very devout vol-
ume, entitled Eucharistic Hours, pub-
lished by Mr. Washburne, of London,
and dedicated * to the Irish South Afri-
can Bishop, Dr. Rickards, Mrs. Shap-
cote, author of Legends of the Blessed
Sacrament gives thus at page 112 her
Eucharistic Canticle under the title pre-
fixed to this paper.

O Jesus, dearest Lord, I cry to Thee;
With all the strength I have I worship Thee;
With all my soul, I long to be with Thee;
And never fear to fail nor fall from Thee.

O Jesus, sweetest Love, come Thou to me;
Come down in all Thy beauty unto me;
Thou who didst die for longing love of me;
And never, never more depart from me.

O God, most beautiful, most treasured One !

O God, most glorious uncreated One !

O God eternal, beatific One !

For ever loving ! ever gracious One !

Oh, melts my heart receiving Thee, my own;
My eyes are dim for lack of Thee, my own;
My flesh doth hunger, needing Thee, my

own;
My soul doth faint apart from Thee, my

own.

Where in the height of heaven is light like

Thee?
Where in the deep abyss is strength like

Thee?

Where in creation is there bliss like Thee ?
Where among creatures is there love like

Thee?

Free me, O beauteous God, from all but

Thee;
Sever the chain that holds me back from

Thee;

Call me, O tender Love, I cry to Thee;
' Thou art my all ! O bind me close to Thee.

* She says that her book (dated 1886) was pub-
lished through the Bishop's bounty; and she men-
tions that twenty years before, her husband, an An-
glican missionary clergyman, had been driven from
the Orange Free State for preaching the doctrine of
the Real Presence.

O suffering Love, that hast so loved me;
O patient Love, that weariest not of me;
Alone, O Love ! thou weariest not of me;
Ah ! weary not till I am lost in Thee;
Nay, weary not till I am found in Thee.

Having now sufficiently vindicated
Mrs. Shapcote's claims to any original
merit that this poem may possess, let
us, in conclusion, suggest that the pe-
culiar metrical effect produced by these
identical line-endings, as distinguished
from the merely similar endings of
ordinary rhyme, had already been used
with admirable skill by Cardinal New-
man in his marvellous Dream of Ger-
ontius. E. M. S. attaches to her poem
the date " Clapham, 1879," to show
that she was before Dr. Rawes; but
1865 is the date of the dedication of
" Gerontius," in which poem the great
Angel of the Agony, who strengthened
our divine Redeemer

. . . " What time He knelt
Lone in the garden shade, bedewed with
blood"—

pleads thus for the dying and the dead : —
' 'Jesus ! by that shuddering dread which fell

on Thee ;
Jesus ! by that cold dismay which sickened

Thee;
Jesus ! by that pang of heart which thrilled

in Thee ;
Jesus ! by that mount of sins which crippled

Thee ;
Jesus ! by that sense of guilt which stifled

Thee;
Jesus ! by that innocence which girdled

Thee;
Jesus ! by that sanctity which reigned in

Thee;
Jesus ! by that Godhead which was one with

Thee;
Jesus ! spare these souls which are so dear to

Thee;
Who in prison, calm and patient, wait for

Thee;
Hasten, Lord, their hour, and bid them

come to Thee ;
To that glorious Home, where they shall

ever gaze on Thee."

This is the precise scheme of the metre
of the lines "To Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament, " except that the Oratorian
Cardinal adds a syllable to the beginning
of each line. May all the holy words
that these three holy souls have here
spoken to us, sink into our hearts, even
if we care little for the slight discussion
that has woven them together.

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

By Rev. P. I. Chandlery, SJ.
PART II.

VI. -SAN GIROLAMO.

BLESSED CARLO DE CONTI GUIDI.

HERMITS OF SAN GIROLAMO.

f\ PROMINENT member of the Italian
fV legislature is reported to have said
that the most beautiful city of Italy was
Florence, that the most beautiful part of
the neighborhood of Florence was Fie-
sole, and that the most charming site in
Fiesole was San Girolamo. Certainly
San Girolamo, apart from its religious
associations, has special attractions that
make it a delightful residence.

The view from the gardens and front
of the house may thus be described in the
words of Shelley. ' ' You see below, Flor-
ence, a smokeless city, its domes and
spires occupying the vale ; and, beyond,
a range of the Apennines, whose base
extends even to the walls. The green
valleys of these mountains, which gent-
ly unfold themselves upon the plain, and
the intervening hills covered with vine-
yards and olive plantations, are occupied
by the villas, which are, as it were, an-
other city — a city of palaces and gardens.
In the midst of the picture rolls the Arno,
through woods, and bounded by the
aerial snow and summits of the L,ucchese
Apennines. "

Another writer says : "The hills that
border the valley of the Arno are very
pleasing and striking to look upon ; and
the view of the rich plain, glimmering
away into blue distance, covered with an
endless web of villages and country-
houses, is one of the most delightful
images of human well-being I have ever
seen . ' '

But besides its beautiful scenery, San
Girolamo has an interesting history rich
with holy and venerable traditions.

Here, already, in the tenth century
stood a chapel dedicated to St. Jerome,

partly hollowed in the rock, and close to
it a grotto, which at different periods
served as a hermitage and a shelter for
pilgrims.

At the foot of the steps leading up to
the chapel and grotto, stood the much
venerated Martyrs' stone, on which St.
Romulus' companions are said to have
been beheaded. The stone is still in the
same position, but pilgrims no longer
press their lips to it, as of old.

In 1360 a distinguished pilgrim, B.
Carlo de Conti Gudi, who had re-
nounced the military profession, a noble
estate, and an ample fortune in order to
consecrate himself wholly to the service
of God, came to lead a hermit's life in the
grotto beside St. Jerome's chapel.

Two Florentine youths, B. Redo and
B. Walter soon followed him, and begged
to be allowed to share his solitude and
become his disciples. These formed the
nucleus of a religious order, the Hermits
of St. Jerome* of which B. Carlo was
the father and founder.

The object of the new foundation was
to pray for the restoration of peace and
union to the Church, then in the throes
of the Great Western Schism, and to
atone for the luxury and licentiousness
of the age by a life of unceasing prayer
and penance. Their austerities rivalled
those of the anchorets of old — their holy
example won the admiration of popes
and bishops — and their theological learn-
ing made them respected in all the uni-
versities of Italy.

San Girolamo soon became the resort of
saints. St. Bernardine of Sienna is said
to have visited San Girolamo to discourse
with B. Carlo and his community on the
glories of the Holy Name of Jesus.

*Note. Not the hermits of St. Augustin as stated
by mistake in the June MESSENGER, p. 492.

725

726

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

St. Antoninus and B. Giovanni di Do-
menico frequently came to assist B. Carlo
in the foundation and direction of a lay
confraternity, known as the Buca di San
Girolamo, or "St. Jerome's Cave."

Those were the days of faith, and fre-
quently, on Saturday evenings, fervent
bands of youths and merchants might
be seen wending their way up the shady
slopes from Florence to San Girolamo,
there to spend Saturday night in prayer
and holy vigil as a preparation for Holy
Communion next morning. This con-
fraternity, some three centuries later,
was transferred to Florence, and still
flourishes, having its chapel in the
Piazza dell' Annunziada. Among its
treasures is the head of B. Carlo in a
richly gilt shrine, and those who have
examined this relic say he must have
been a man of noble and commanding
appearance.

Cosmo de' Medici, the ruler of Flor-
ence, 1428 to 1464, is said, when a youth
(about 1410), to have chosen B. Carlo
as his spiritual director, and built a
palatial residence (the Villa Medici) near
San Girolamo, in order to profit by
the counsels of so holy a confessor and
the example of his saintly community.
He frequently expressed his wish to
build a worthy monastery for the order,
not inferior in magnificence to the Badia,
but B. Carlo would not listen to the
proposal, as conflicting with the rigid
poverty they professed.*

The Brethren of San Girolamo soon
spread throughout Italy, gaining great
renown for learning and piety. Before
long they had founded some forty monas-
teries, of which San Girolamo was the
mother house and novitiate.

In the evil days of the Great Schism
many were the prayers and penances
offered up at San Girolamo for the termi-
nation of a crisis so calamitous to the
Church. It is said that B. Carlo con-

* The present buildings were erected by Cosimo
Vecchio, Duke of Florence, after the death of B. Carlo,
the old chapel and monastic cells being preserved.
The church, designed by Michelozzi, is admired
for its elegant proportions.

templated a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to
intercede for the Church, but the close
of the Schism at the Council of Con-
stance, A.D., 1413, altered his plans, and
he decided to return to San Girolamo.
He died soon after at Venice, where his
body is still held in veneration.

His successor at San Girolamo and in
the government of the Order was Padre
Pietro da Geneva, a man of extraordi-
nary ability, the trusted counsellor of
Popes Martin V. and Eugenius IV. Un-
fortunately, as time went on, the favor of
dukes and princes chilled the first fervor
of religious observance at San Girolamo
and in its dependent monasteries : relaxa-
tions of rule gradually crept in, Pope
Eugenius IV. consenting, at the entreaty
of the religious, to temper somewhat
the austerity of their poverty and pen-
ance, and allow them more time for
study. The necessity of living upon the
chance alms of the faithful was dis-
pensed with, the Dukes of Florence
paying a monthly allowance for each
religious out of their private purse.

In 1668 the Order was found to have
so far departed from its original spirit,
that it no longer seemed to serve any dis-
tinct purpose, and it was judged expedi-
ent to suppress it. Its revenues were
devoted to the relief of Candia, then be-
sieged by the Turks.

Brocchi, writing some forty years after
the suppression, says he knew a priest in
Florence who had been a member of the
community at San Girolamo at the time
of the suppression . From him he learned
the following particulars. On the arrival
of the Papal messenger with the Brief of
Suppression, the community, who had
just finished vespers, were hastily as-
sembled in the choir of the church, and
there received the sad intelligence of the
extinction of their Order. No words can
describe the painful scene that followed.
All the religious burst into tears, and
the novices, sixteen in number, sobbed
aloud.

Next morning they left San Girolamo
and entered Florence in the dress of

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

727

ular priests, carrying with them the
eadofB. Carlo. Much sympathy was
shown them in their trial, and the secular
clergy and religious orders offered them
shelter. Many of their number joined
other religious orders ; some few be-
came secular priests, serving God with
at zeal and edification.

The remains of B. Redo and B.
Walter are believed to be in the base-
ment story of San Girolamo, where the
old chapel was long preserved. The
cells of the three Beati may still be seen,
much as they were at the beginning of
the fifteenth century, small, inconveni-
ent, with tiny windows overlooking the
beautiful city of Florence.

San Girolamo, as we have stated, about
1700 was sold to the Bardi family who
used it as a villa residence, preserving,
however, its conventual features. In
1820 it was purchased by the Ricasollis
who again sold it in 1871 to the Fathers
of the Society of Jesus. Some beautiful
frescoes in the refectory, overlaid with
several coats of whitewash, have recent-
ly been discovered. The views from the
garden terraces are exquisite, and the
eye never tires of gazing on the lovely
scenery spread below, where nearly every
house, every road, every field recalls
some religious or historical event of im-
portance. The garden occupies a por-
tion of the ancient Etruscan acropolis of
Fiesole, and traces of Etruscan masonry
are distinctly noticeable, huge masses of
masonry, that seem to have been the
work of Titans.

It reaches up to the Franciscan Monas-
tery on the crest of the hill, and just out-
side the garden wall, where a steep in-
cline leads up to San Francesco, there is
a terrace called Belvedere, with a mag-
nificent view of Florence, which nearly
every visitor to Florence comes to see.
Many stay over night to watch the sun-
rise from this spot, when the thousand
villas sprinkled over the valley, and the
fair city of Florence, with its clustering
towers and spires and its glorious belfry

of Giotto, shine white as ivory in the
soft silvery light. Nearly every evening,
too, a number of visitors gather on this
terrace to watch the violet or crimson
glow that flashes across the valley at the
hour of sunset.

The garden terraces, shaded by ancient
cypresses, are much as the old monks
left them ages ago, judging from an old
map, or plan, in the corridor. Near the
summit is a grove of cypresses, which is
a delightful retreat in the heat of summer.

One avenue is flanked by a hedge of
rose bushes, which seem to be perpetually
in bloom. Many of these trees were
planted by the Very Rev. Father Ander-
ledy, General of the Society of Jesus,
and are prized on his account.

VII. — CONVENTO DI SAN FRANCESCO.
ST. BERNARDINE OF SIENNA.

The Franciscan Monastery, on the
crest of the hill, occupies the site of the
ancient fortress of Fiesole, which was
destroyed by the Florentines in 1125.
Amid the scattered ruins the nuns of
Santa Maria del Fiore built their con-
vent, the chapel of which still exists,
but in 1407 they migrated to Florence
for greater security. The sons of St.
Francis then established themselves on
the rock of Fiesole, and, except for a
short period when driven from their
home by the Italian revolution, in 1860,
they have continued to occupy this lofty
and solitary retreat ever since.

This monastery of St. Francis is fam-
ous and became, soon after its foundation,
a real nursery of saints.

It was once the home of St. Bernardine
of Sienna, who was guardian for a time of
the community. His room may still be
seen, unchanged, except for the position
of the window ; together with the rooms
of B. Tommaso Bellaci da Redi,B Basti-
ano, Martyr of Chastity, and the rooms of
some ten or twelve other Blessed.

The chapel where St. Bernardine used
to pray, may still be visited ; the banner
with the Holy Name of Jesus embroi-
dered in letters of gold, which he bore

728

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES-

with him on his missions and carried into
the pulpit, is preserved in his room; and
the old church, the poor galleries, the
ancient cloister, the garden are just as
they were in his day.

Everything at San Francesco reminds
us of St. Bernardine, and of his wonder-
ful devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus.
His sermons stirred all Italy to the
very heart ; wonderful results followed ;
miraculous con versions, miraculous recon-
ciliations, heroic examples of virtues,
were the fruits of his preaching of the
Holy Name. That Name, carved in stone,
he caused to be fixed at the very apex of
the facade of the Church of Santa Croce,
that it might overlook and bless all Flor-
ence. It is a subject of regret that, in the
recent restoration of the fa9ade,the stone
of the Holy Name was removed, and
placed inside the Church over the en-
trance.

Of the other saintly sons of St. Francis
who lived at Fiesole, beautiful stories are
told in the Annals of the Convent, for
which we have no space here.

The monastery and its community are
as poor, as humble and as retired from
the world as St. Francis could wish his
children and their home to be, yet the
situation is beautiful, on a breezy height,
encircled by shady woods and rejoicing
in the purest air in Tuscany. So the
property did not escape the rapacity of
the Italian government, who, in 1860,
turned the religious adrift and put up
their ancient home for sale. It is grati-
fying to note that an English Protestant
gentleman, Mr. Crawford of Villa Pal-
mieri, helped the religious to repurchase
their monastery from the marauders who
had seized it.

The only artistic treasure it ever pos-
sessed was a painting of St. Francis on
the high altar, which was carried off to
the museum in Florence.

In an old gray belfry are three very
musical bells, whose silvery voices have
called the religious to choir since the
days of St. Bernardine.

VIII. — S. ALESSANDRO DI FIESOLE.

As we leave San Francesco, we notice,
still on the summit of the hill, a remark-
able church which is regarded as one of
the gems of Tuscan architecture. It
is said that two of the greatest lights
of the renaissance, Brunelleschi and
d'Alberti, came to study its proportions,
and were struck by its admirable com-
bination of elegance and simplicity.

It was originally built by the Goths
under Theodoric in the sixth century,
out of the materials of a pagan temple.
The form is that of a Basilica, the first
ever built in Tuscany, and the richness
of its materials is itself a revelation of
the greatness and importance of Fiesole
fourteen centuries ago. The nave is di-
vided from the aisles by two rows of
magnificent columns of Eubaean, or Ci-
pollino marble, and above the high altar
is a shrine of costly marble containing
the body of St. Alexander, the Patron of
the Church. Its original founders had
named it St. Peter in Jerusalem, but in
A. D. 582, when St. Alexander's remains
were enshrined here, it received the title
it has borne ever since.

St Alexander was Bishop of Fiesole in
the sixth century, and, like another, St.
Thomas of Canterbury, the glorious
champion of the Church's right and
property against usurping kings and
nobles. His recovery of the ecclesiasti-
cal property that had been seized, excited
the hatred of the nobles, who hired
assassins to murder him, and cast his
body into the river Reno, near Bologna.
He is justly accounted a Martyr, and
his tomb has been a place of pilgrimage
since the sixth century. In 966 Zenobius
II., Bishop of Fiesole, made a foundation
for a community of priests to serve this
church, which, because of the distance
of the Cathedral (the Badia) served as the
parish church of Fiesole. It is now used
only by the confraternity of the Miseri-
cordia.

As we descend the steep road from San
Francesco to the piazza of Fiesole, hav-

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES

ing the garden wall of San Girolamo on
our right, we notice, in the gardener's
house, an arched entrance, now walled
up, which led to the little chapel of the
Holy Sepulchre, much frequented by pil-
grims in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and six-
teenth centuries. When the enthusiasm
of the crusades had cooled, and the power
of the Turks had been broken at Lepanto,
the little chapel was less resorted to and
it now lies in a neglected and untidy
state, its altar having been long since
taken away. It contains some remark-
able frescoes of the Giotto school, badly
injured by neglect.

The cathedral is a basilica in form
with narrow aisles, and a raised chancel
or Presbyterium approached by steps at
the end of each aisle. Under the Pres-
byterium is the crypt containing the
shrines of SS. Romulus and Donatus,
and of St. Romulus' companions, SS.
Dulcissimus, Carissimus, Crescentius
and Marcitianus.

The style of the building is severely
simple, and seems to need frescoes to give
it color, warmth and brightness : it is,
however, unique as marking an epoch in
ecclesiastical architecture.

In a niche in the left aisle is preserved

CATHEDRAL

IX. — CATHEDRAL OF FIESOLE.
ST. ANDREW CORSINI.

As previously stated, the present ca-
| thedral was built in 1028 by Bishop Jacopo
Bavaro, St. Henry II. of Germany defray-
ing most of the expenses. The old deed
of Bishop Bavaro (still preserved) states
[the reason of the translation of the Epis-
1 See from the Badia : ' ' Erat enim
ppiscopatus longe a prsedicto oppido
(Fesulis), atque difficultate itineris per
levexi mentis latus raro a Clericis fre-
huentabatur. "

the episcopal throne ol St. Andrew
Corsini, Bishop of Fiesole from 1349 to
1373. In the chapel of the Blessed
Sacrament, to the right of the choir, is
a beautiful painting by Ghirlandaio of
the martyrdom of St. Romulus and his
companions, and some exquisite frescoes
in the vault are by Botticelli.

The Cathedral has a slender crenel-
lated tower, which is a conspicuous land-
mark, and imparts a touch of beauty to
an otherwise severely plain exterior.

As the monastery of San Francesco is

730

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

hallowed by the memory of St. Bernar-
dine, so Fiesole and its cathedral are
full of holy reminiscences of St. Andrew
Corsini, one of the most illustrious of
its long line of bishops.

He was of a noble Florentine family,
his father being Marquis de' Corsini.
In 1318 he entered the Carmelite Order,
being then sixteen years of age, and it
was evident, from the first, that he had
entered religious life in order to become
a saint.

On the death of the Bishop of Fiesole
in 1349, the cathedral Chapter met to
elect his successor, and with one voice
they chose Father Andrew Corsini, the
Carmelite, as the most worthy of all the
clergy in Florence and Fiesole to be pro-
moted to the vacant See. St. Andrew's
humility was alarmed, and he fled
secretly from Florence, and hid himself
in the Certosa, or Carthusian monas-
tery, some three or four miles from the
city. Messengers were dispatched in
every direction to search for the fugi-
tive, but all in vain; he seemed to have
vanished suddenly from the earth. Dis-
concerted at his loss, the Chapter again
met in the cathedral to proceed to a fresh
election, when the shrill voice of a child
of tender years was heard exclaiming.
' ' God has chosen Andrew for His
Bishop. Lo ! he is at the Certosa pray-
ing. There you will find him. "

Amazed and overjoyed at this revela-
tion, they set out for the Certosa Mean-
while an angel had warned Andrew to
accept the dignity, and not to resist the
divine Will.

Great were the rejoicings at Fiesole
when St. Andrew was consecrated, and a
long cortege of prelates, ecclesiastics and
nobles escorted him from Florence to
Maino, and thence up the hill to Fiesole.
In the Episcopal palace he was still the
same holy, mortified religious as in his
Carmelite home in Florence ; nay, he
added to his austerities, and constantly
wore an iron girdle and a rough hair
shirt, sleeping only on the floor, on a
bed composed of vine branches. Prayer,

meditation, holy reading were the only
recreations he would allow himself. His
great characteristic was extreme tender-
ness for the poor. What Villari says of
St. Antoninus of Florence, may be re-
peated of St. Andrew of Corsini, namely,
that it would be difficult to find in his-
tory an example of self-denial more con-
stant, of charity more active, of love for
our neighbor more truly evangelical than
in this great saint.

Like St. Antoninus, St. Andrew was
constantly seen going about among the
homes of the poor distributing bread, and
clothes and relief of every kind, with more
than paternal affection. He sat down by
the poor in their wretched homes, he list-
ened to their tale of suffering, he wept over
them, noted down all their names in his
book, and made them feel that they were
his favored children. Every Thursday
he washed the feet of several poor men,
and, on one occasion, as a poor criple re-
sisted, saying that his feet were sore
with ulcers, the Saint kissed them and
they were instantly healed. Never was
a poor man allowed to leave his door
without relief. In a time of great scarcity
the famishing people flocked round the
episcopal residence, and when his clergy
told him that all the provisions had been
given away except one loaf which they
needed for themselves, the Saint bade
them bring it, blessed it, and it was
multiplied miraculously in their hands,
so that the wants of the poor and their
own were abundantly supplied.

The room which the Saint occupied
in the Episcopal palace at Fiesole is still
shown, and it was here that his happy
soul took its flight to God on January
6, 1373, under circumstances we shall
presently describe.

St. Andrew has left the impress of his
spirit on the bishops and clergy of Fie-
sole, who are characterized by their ten-
derness for the poor, their devotion to
our Blessed Lady, and their loving at-
tachment to the holy See. It would be |
hard to find an Ecclesiastical Seminary
in Italy where the students are more fer-

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

731

vent, more earnest, and more deeply im-
pressed with the religious spirit. These
Seminarists, about one hundred in num-
ber, are arranged in three divisions,
placed respectively under the patronage
of SS. Aloysius, Berchmans, Stanislas.
The Jesuit Fathers of Florence and San
Girolamo are their spiritual directors,
and they have all the happy simplicity
and fervor of novices in a religious order.
They wear a bright purple cincture,
which gives them a smart appearance,
and they certainly look picturesque
when seen walking or seated among the
rocks and woods of Fiesole.

X. — CHAPEL OP THE PRIMERANA.

The piazza, or large square of Fiesole,
has the cathedral on its northern side,
the episcopal palace and seminary on
the west, and the
post office, museum
and a little church
called Primerana
on the east.

This little church
is perhaps the most
venerated of all
the sanctuaries in
Fiesole. It con-
tains a miraculous
painting of our
Lady and the Holy
Child, said to have
come orig i n a 1 1 y
from the East, and
which, it is
thought, was
brought to Fiesole
in the ninth or
tenth century. The
chapel has some
beauti f u 1 terra
cotta figures by
the Robbias, a
crucifix said to be
by Giotto, frescoes
of the thirteenth
century, and carved
stalls of the four-
teen t h . E v e r y
feast of our Lady

there is a great outpouring of devo-
tion in this little sanctuary, and every
Sunday it is frequented nearly the whole
day through.

The miraculous picture of our Lady
is screened by a veil and is seldom ex-
posed, except on occasions of public
distress or calamity.

St. Andrew Corsini had a tender de-
votion to this miraculous picture of our
Lady and spent most of his free time here
in prayer.

There is a tradition at Fiesole that on
Christmas eve, 1372, our Lady appeared
to him in the Primerana and bade him
prepare for his approaching death on the
Epiphany. Surius says the warning
came to him at midnight Mass in the
cathedral. Whichever it was, he was

INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL.

732

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

suddenly taken ill after midnight Mass,
and, as the fever increased, his fervor
and rapture increased with it till, on the
day foretold him by our Lady, i. e., the
feast of the Epiphany, 1373, he gave up his
blessed soul to God. He had stated in his
will that he wished to be buried amid his
brethren, the Carmelites at Florence: but
the good people of Fiesole refused to part
with the body of their Saint. One dark
night, however, the body was stolen away
and conveyed to Florence, and has re-
mained ever since in the Church of the
Carmelities. After his canonization by
Urban VIII. a splendid shrine was erected
in the north transept of the church to re-
ceive his remains, a portion of his relics
being given to the Cathedral of PAiesole.

XI. — MONTE SENARIO — FONTE LUCENTE.

At the northwest corner of the cathe-
dral, near the episcopal palace, is the
residence of the canons, and behind this,
but screened from view by a curtain of
cypress trees, is the Campo Santo or
Cemetery of Fiesole. This is the last
resting place of many a holy soul, for
Fiesole has its modern saints, whose
lives were a faithful reflection of the
virtues of the Church's canonized chil-
dren. We may be allowed to mention
one great soul that passed to its re-
ward a few years ago, and whose body
lies in the Campo Santo of Fiesole,
namely, the Very Reverend ANTONIO
MARIA ANDERLEDY, General of the So-
ciety of Jesus. The sweetness of his
charity, the fervor of his devotion, the
heroic spirit of self-sacrifice which he
ever displayed, made those who were
privileged to live near him, revere him
as a saint. He died peacefully at San
Girolamo, on January 18, 1892, and his
remains, followed by his weeping breth-
ren, were borne by the confraternity of
the Misericordia, first to the cathedral
for the absolutions, then to the Campo
Santo, where he lies near the graves of
several other Fathers and Brothers of
the Society.

From the Campo Santo we can see the

whole stretch of the valley behind
Fiesole, terminating in Monte Senario,
some seven or eight miles distant, with
its summit crowned by a large con-
ventual building rising in the heart of
a noble forest of oak and pine trees.
This is the cradle of the Servile Order:
here its first canonized saint, St. Phi-
lip Benizi, led a life of great austerity,
and was favored with celestial visions ;
here the seven founders of the Servite
Order, all canonized saints, made the
wilderness to flourish as the lily, and
passed to their reward amid the songs
of angels.

Following the road at the back of the
Cathedral, past the entrance to the
Campo Santo, then turning to the
left by an old wall that may have be-
longed to ancient fortifications of the
Acropolis, we come to a deep gorge
through which flows the river Mugnone.
Picking our steps carefully down a steep
path along the edge of a precipice, we
reach an isolated church called Fonte
Lucente, containing a miraculous Cruci-
fix, and, at the side of the church a
fountain of crystal water which gives its
name to the spot. This crucifix is said
to have been seen radiant with super-
natural light : and once in a time of
great drought a luminous cross was seen
shining near the sanctuary, while a
stream of pure water was found to have
burst miraculously from the rock.

Previously this part of Fiesole, with its
dark woods and frowning precipices, was
believed to be haunted, and few could
summon courage enough to venture near
it after sunset. Now it is a hallowed
spot to which pilgrims from Florence and
the surrounding country resort on feast
days.

Right above the church the road passes
along a steep rocky ledge, being protec-
ted on the side overhanging the gorge by
a low wall. Here the young Dominican
novices from San Domenico may be seen
at times resting in their walk ; and a
pretty sight they form, their white habit
contrasting with the stern surroundings

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES

733

>f the scenery and making them appear
like a vision of angels.
As we look back at them, we think of

>t. Antoninus and B. Fra Angelico who,
in their novice days, must frequently
have rambled along these same paths.

tThe road takes us round by the Villa
egli Angeli, once a house of the Car-
tiusians, now owned by a Protestant
lergyman — past the entrance to San
Girolamo — and back to the piazza of Fie-
sole. Here a group of children flock

XII. — SAN MARTINO NEAR MAIANO.

ST. ANDREW OF IRELAND AND HIS SISTER,
ST. BRIGID.

If, instead of returning to Florence by
San Domenico, we choose the less direct
road of Maiano, we shall find another
sanctuary well worth visiting, especially
as it is associated with an Irish saint.

At Maiano itself once an aristocratic
suburb of Florence, now almost a deserted
village, there is little to notice, except

CHUKCH OF SAN FK.ANCi.SCO, SHOWING ST. BERNARIJINE'S ROOM.

round us crying out ' Un Santino ! Un
Santino ! ' (• ' a little saint "). It is their
way of asking for a pious picture. Ital-
ian children are not easily disconcerted
by refusal ; they follow after us, and re-
peat the attack with a number of fresh
requests : un crocifisso, un librettino, una
coroncina, una medaglietta, un centesim-
ino, etc., anything they can get, for here
children seem to be born with an itching
palm. We get rid of them as best we
can by promising to bring a pocketful of
medals another day.

the old church recently restored. Ad-
joining the church is a convent, once
famous in the ecclesiastical annals of
Fiesole, but long since closed.

About five minutes walk from Maiano
brings us to the Church of San Martino
situated amid pleasant vineyards, over-
looking Settignano, the birthplace of
Michel Angelo. The church, picturesque
in appearance, crowns a little hill, which
slopes gently down to the banks of the
stream Mensola, and flanking it is a mon-
astic building associated with St. Andrew

734

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES.

of Ireland. His body is preserved in a
rich shrine under the high altar, and the
good people of the neighborhood are fond
of repeating the story of him and his
sister Brigid.

It will be remembered that St.Donatus,
at the time of his miraculous elevation to
the See of Fiesole, was accompanied by
a young monk named Andrew, formerly
his pupil and now his faithful attendant
who had followed him on his pilgrimage
to Rome from his convent home in Ire-
land. On Donatus' promotion to the
vacant episcopate, Andrew decided to
remain with his master at Fiesole, re-
nouncing all thoughts of return to Ire-

theatre. St. Andrew expressed his wish
to Donatus to rebuild the ruined church,
and add to it a cell for himself, where he
could resume, on the slopes of the Apen-
nines, the peaceful monastic exercises of
his home in Iniscaltra. St Donatus,
though he could ill spare the services of
Andrew, recognized that it was a call of
God, and gave his consent. So the
ruined church was soon restored, and
many priests of Fiesole begged leave to
join Andrew in his life of solitude and
prayer. Thus St. Andrew became the
founder of a society of priests leading a
monastic life, but without the obligation
of vows. The foundation continued for

SAN GIK.ULAMO.

land. St. Donatus made him his arch
deacon, and he rendered valuable assist-
ance in the administration of the diocese.
By his charity he won all hearts, and by
his fervor and unflagging zeal he effected
quite a reformation in the diocese of
Fiesole.

Still he longed for a life of greater re-
tirement, with more leisure for prayer,
and often spoke of this desire to Donatus.
One day, as they strolled together in the
direction of Maiano, speaking as only
saints can, of the things of God, they
came upon the ruins of a sanctuary,
probably destroyed in one of the many
wars of which Italy has been the

a period after the Saint's death, till at
length the church and monastery were
annexed to the Benedictine Abbey of
Settignano.

Before his death he prayed that he
might see once more his sister Brigid*
from whom he had parted fifty years be-
fore on the banks of the Shannon. St.
Brigid, too, was inspired with a similar
desire, and, setting out on the long jour-
ney to Italy, she is said to have been
miraculously transported a good portion
of the way by angels. She reached her
brother in time to assist at his holy

*Note. This Saint is not the St. Brigid of Kildare,
patroness of Ireland.

FIESOLE AND ITS SANCTUARIES-

735

death, and from a desire to be near his
grave, renounced all idea of returning to
her native land. Thenceforth she led
the life of a solitary in a grotto on Mount
Fanna, near Fiesole. The scenery around
Mount Fanna, which is to the North of
Fiesole, in the direction of Monte Se-
nario, is thus described by Ruskin :

' ' The traveller passes the Fiesolan
ridge, and all is changed. The country
is on a sudden lonely. Here and there,
indeed, are seen the scattered houses of a
farm grouped gracefully upon the hill-

palaces, gardens, and vineyards, where
artists come to study Nature under its
sunniest aspect !

How holy, Fiesole, hallowed by the
presence, the memory and the relics of
so many saints !

How good its people ought to be! Yet
the evil leaven of continental liberal-
ism has infected the minds of many
with an irreligious spirit, estranging
them from the Church, and making them
disloyal to the Vicar of Christ. There
is a movement on foot to erect a statue

MUSEUM— CHURCH OF ST. MARY.

sides, here and there a fragment of a
tower upon a distant rock; but neither
gardens nor flowers, nor glittering palace
walls, only a grey extent of mountain
ground, tufted irregularly with ilex and
olive." Here St. Brigid died and was
buried, probably near her brother, in the
Church of San Martino.

* * *
How beautiful, Fiesole, encircled by

to Garibaldi, in the Cathedral piazza,
and a statue to Victor Emmanuel on the
Belvedere, overlooking San Girolamo,
by way of rejoinder to the Catholic
Congress held at Fiesole in September,
1896. The thought is saddening, and
we leave Fiesole praying that its many
saints may protect it from the intended
desecration.

DEDICATION OF THE MONTH OF JUNE TO THE
SACRED HEART.

By Ellis Schreiber.

E custom of dedicating the month
of June to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus has now become almost universal
in the Church. How this pious and
salutary practice originated is not as gen-
erally known.

The religious of the Order of Notre
Dame, who enjoy a high reputation on
account of the solid instruction and ex-
cellent training their pupils receive,
have a celebrated convent school in the
Rue de Sevres, Paris. The house had
belonged to a lady whose fancy it had
been to fill her house and grounds with
birds of every description. Hence the
house had acquired the name of Les
Qiseaux. Louis Veuillot, two of whose
daughters were educated there, used to
speak of it as his beloved aviary. The
convent church, opened in 1839, is one
of the first public churches in France
erected in honor of, and dedicated to,
the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

One of the priests, who at that time
most frequently gave instructions and
heard the confessions of the pupils in
that school, was Father Ronsin, S.J.
The chief aim of his labors, his prayers,
his mortifications, his sermons, was to
spread the devotion to the Sacred Heart.
This formed the theme of his conferences
to the community at Les Oiseaux, and
of his addresses to their scholars.

The influence exercised by this good
priest did not pass away when he was
removed from Paris. The devotion he
propagated so zealously took root and
flourished there ; many of the girls, who
had given their teachers no little trouble,
learned to be meek and humble of heart.
Among these, Ernestine d'Augustin had
become a changed character. She it
was, who, with one of her school-fellows,
first suggested the method of honoring
the Heart of Jesus by setting apart a
month for this devotion.
736

"One morning, whilst making my
thanksgiving after Holy Communion,"
says Angele deSte. Croix, "the thought
occurred to me that there might just as
well be a month of the Sacred Heart
as a month of Mary. The first thing
needed was a manual ; why should not
one be compiled in the school ? ' '

This idea was carried out. It was not
a difficult matter to compile a small vol-
ume from the works of the best writers
on the subject.

On May 29, 1833, the Archbishop of
Paris celebrated Mass in the Chapel of
the Children of Mary, and afterwards
went over the school. So favorable an
opportunity for proffering their request
was not to be neglected by the girls :
Angele de Ste. Croix was spokesman,
and the venerable Prelate listened most
kindly to her petition. He approved
highly of the suggestion: ' ' We will offer
this new month, " he said, " for the con-
version of sinners and the salvation of
our country; but in order to avoid innova-
tion we will conform to the custom
already established of honoring by thirty-
three days of prayer the thirty-three
years of our Lord's life." He ordered
that the new devotion should be prac-
tised in the community and amongst
the pupils in the convent during the
following month. Later on, the little
volume, The Month of the Sacred Heart,
having received the episcopal sanction,
was published ; and, shortly after, a
letter from the Archbishop recommended
the clergy and laity of the Archdiocese
to practise, each year, during the month
of June, a special devotion to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus.

Such was the commencement of a prac-
tice which has gradually been adopted
throughout Christendom.

GENERAL INTENTION, AUGUST, 1897.

Approved and blessed by His Holiness, Leo XIII.
THE APOSTLESHIP OF GOOD EXAMPLE.

WHY should we pray that all Chris-
tians, and, particularly, our As-
sociates, should exercise an apostleship
among their fellow-men by giving them
good example ? Why not pray simply
that all men may lead good lives without
minding whether others profit by their ex-
ample or not ? If it be an apostle's work
to glorify God and save souls, cannot
each one do his share of this by attend-
ing to himself, and by attaching more
importance to good deeds than to good
example ?

It is true that a good life is all import-
ant and that good deeds are the very
source of the influence of all good ex-
ample ; but it is also true that in our
outward actions, good example is as im-
portant as any good deed required of us
and that it is an integral part of the duty
we owe to God and to our fellow-man.
Did Christians generally appreciate the
importance of good example, and esti-
mate rightly the part it plays in glorify-
ing God, saving souls, there would be no
need of special prayers for the Intention
we are now explaining ; but, unfortu-
nately, too many belittle the importance
of good example, and by one specious
pretext or another, induce others to dis-
regard it, to the neglect of God's honor
and to the injury, if not positive scandal,
of many souls.

Thus, many who seem to serve God
(225)

interiorly affect a disregard for all the
external acts of self-restraint which are
usually comprised under the virtue of
modesty ; others will say it is enough or
a great deal, not to give bad example and
some will even deem it a merit to keep
concealed from the public eye the gravity
of their hidden disorders. Many again
will pretend that it is only the weak-
minded who profit or lose by another's ex-
ample, and, since good deeds are often
misconstrued, they will complain that
the influence of our example does not
depend upon us but on others who may,
according to their dispositions and prej-
udices, be harmed as often as they are
benefitted by it. Many who cultivate a
virtuous exterior with the motive of ad-
vancing their good reputation among
their neighbors will not do one good ac-
tion with the motive of advancing a neigh-
bor's virtue. Finally, some are very care-
ful of their conduct at certain times and
with certain persons, but careless with
those to whom they owe true Christian
edification. Difficult as the self-restraint
needed to edify our neighbor is under any
circumstances, it becomes ten times more
difficult when these and similar pretexts
confuse and blind our intellects and pre-
vent us from seeing clearly the grounds
of our obligation to give good example,
and, apart from any obligation in the
matter, our interest in doing so for its

737

738

GENERAL INTENTION.

(226),

very benefits to ourselves as well as to
others.

It is well that the will of God has been
so clearly manifested on this point.
Throughout the Old Testament the in-
fluence of good example appears as one
of the chief agencies by which the Al-
mighty directs the world for man 's wel-
fare. Not content with setting before
us the heroic loyalty and patience of
Job and Tobias, we are actually told that
' 'this trial was permitted to him [Tobias]
that an example might be given to pos-
terity of his patience, as also of holy
Job. " — (Tobias ii, 12). The fine instance
of Bleazar, the martyr for good exam-
ple's sake, inspired as he was to die for
this cause, and to profess it as his chief
motive in suffering, is beautifully told
in the second Book of Machabees vi, 18.
His executioners would have been satis-
fied had he merely pretended to eat the
forbidden meats offered him, doing him
this courtesy for the sake of their
friendship with the old man. "But
he began to consider the dignity of his
age, and his ancient years, and the in-
bred honor of his gray head, and his
good life and conversation from a child,
and he answered without delay, accord-
ing to the ordinances of the holy law
made by God, that he would rather be
sent into the other world. For it doth
not become our age, said he, to dissem-
ble, whereby many young persons might
think that Bleazar, at the age of four-
score and ten years, was gone over to
the life of the heathens : and so they,
through my dissimulation, and for a
little time of corruptible life, should be
deceived and hereby I should bring a
stain and a curse upon my old age. For
though for the present time, I should be
delivered from the punishments of men,
yet should I not escape the hand of the
Almighty, neither alive nor dead.
Wherefore, by departing manfully out
of this life, I shall show myself worthy
of my old age : and I shall leave an ex-
ample of fortitude to young men, if with
a ready mind and constancy I suffer an

honorable death for the most venerable
and holy laws." Inspired as he was-
with God's view of the importance of
good example, even in the face of
death no plausible pretext could obscure
his vision.

The paramount importance of good
example is manifest again in the Son of
God assuming our nature and living in
the flesh to be our model. He is the
pattern on the mount on whom we are
to look and whom we are to imitate. So-
great a part of Christ's mission was it
to give us good example, that some of
the sects have mistaken it for His entire
or chief office in our regard. He Him-
self did not magnify its importance
above all other things ; but He left no
room for doubt about the regard in
which He held it, by enjoining it on us
so clearly as to silence completely the
quibblers who strive to justify, by
any words of His, their aversion to the
restraints required for good example.
The maledictions pronounced upon scan-
dal givers are surely an implicit recom-
mendation of the good example we owe
our neighbor. The exhortation to let
our light shine before men so that they
may see our good works and glorify our
Father who is in heaven, is an express
call to all men to join in the apostleship
of good example. The very example of
Christ, and His own plain appeal to it,
show how much He valued edification
for its own sake. ' ' For I have given
you an example that, as I have done to
you, so you do also." Dwelling with
men as He did to be their example
when leaving this earth, He meant that
Christians should perpetuate His ex-
ample, and that their lives should be, as
Tertullian testifies they were in his time,
" A compendium of the gospel. "

Obedient to the will of their Master,
in season and out of season, the Apos-
tles insisted on the importance of giv-
ing good example. "Be thou an exam-
ple of the faithful," writes St. Paul to
Timothy (i, 4, 12), "in word, in conver-
sation, in charity, in faith, in chastity."

(227)

GENERAL INTENTION-

739

And again to Titus (ii, 7): "In all things
shew thyself an example of good works,
in doctrine, in integrity, in gravity."
' ' Comfort one another; and edify one an-
other " (Thessalonians v, n); "keep the
things that are of edification one towards
another " (Romans xiv, 17); "let no evil
speech proceed from your mouth: but
that which is good to the edification of
faith, that it may minister grace to the
hearers "(Ephesiansiv, 29) — are some of
his many reminders on this point. His
motive, it will be observed, is the apos-
tolic one of "ministering grace to the
hearers." St. Peter urges the same
motive: "Having your conversation
good among the gentiles: that whereas
they speak against you as evil doers,
they may, by the good works which they
shall behold in you, glorify God in the
day of visitation " (I. Peter ii, 12). And
the reason for every form of good ex-
ample we gather from the same Apostle:
"because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving you an example that you should
follow His steps" (Ibid. 21). How well
the Apostles labored for the flock is
clear from St. Peter's word to their dis-
ciples, reminding them that they are " a
pattern of the flock from the heart"
(Ibid, v, 12); and from St. Paul's: "be
ye imitators of me as I am of Christ"
(I Cor. iv, 1 6).

It is God's will, therefore, clearly
revealed to us in Holy Writ, that every
man should help, or, to use the inspired
phrase, build up his neighbor by giving
him good example. It is clearly one of
the economies of divine Providence that
men should exercise a salutary influence
on one another by letting the light of
their virtue shine before men. This
obligation of mutual edification is, after
all, only one of the obligations arising
out of God's great law of charity. In
commanding us to love one another, He
means that we are to help one another
in soul as well as in body. Now good
example is the simplest and most effica-
cious means of doing good to other
souls, and one that is always in our

power. Like a light to th*e eye is every
good deed to the souls of those who
witness it, enlightening the ignorant,
arousing the slothful, reanimating the
feeble, reassuring the downcast and sus-
taining the struggling. What one man
does, another can imitate ; when one
leads the way, it is easier to follow; with
good models every task grows less diffi-
cult, even the trials annexed to the
practice of virtue are less formidable
when we are in the company of those
who have already borne them.

When explaining the General Inten-
tion for April, of this year, we had oc-
casion to speak of the influence of the
good examples left us by the saints and
narrated in their lives. If the memory
of their good deeds was so powerful,
what must have been the immediate
influence of the deeds themselves ! How
often the mere sight of Christian mar-
tyrs, dying for the fai >nade lukewarm
Christians, and even ] vans, offer them-
selves, like Boniface t, ' mart}^r, for the
same glorious end ! By the sweet influ-
ence of their example St. Vincent de
Paul, St. Charles Borromeo and St.
Francis de Sales converted souls whom
their words could not reach nor move.
When Alaric pillaged Rome many of
his fierce soldiers were won over to the
Church by the patience and meekness of
their Christian victims. St. Augustin
in England, St. Dominic among the
Albigenses, SS. Francis Assisi and
Leonard of Port Maurice, in the towns of
Italy, St. Ignatius and his companions
everywhere in Europe preached as much
by their conduct, it is said, as by their
words. "Indeed, " writes the eminent
spiritual writer LeGaudier, "this ex-
ample has been the usual means em-
ployed by Providence from the very
foundation of the Church, when the
ways of men are obscured by ignorance,
corrupted by malice, or dulled by sloth,
to send from above new forces and new
lights, and inspire some with new ways
of well doing, in order to spread abroad
a wholesome knowledge of faith and

T40

GENERAL INTENTION.

(228)

•morals, and cleanse the hearts and move
the wills of men." And, writing as he
was, shortly after the Council of Trent,
he goes on to thank God for the singular
"benefit of living in an age when so many
holy men and religious communities
were saving Christendom from apostasy
by the influence of their holy example.
The advantages of giving good ex-
ample cannot be rightly appreciated
unless we consider the evils consequent
on bad example. Even the prophet
David complained that "a fainting hath
taken hold of me because of the wicked
that forsake thy law" — (Psalm cxviii,53);
and our Lord, Himself, said, "because
iniquity hath abounded the charity of
many shall grow cold." To save our-
selves, then, from this coldness and dis-
couragement, we should crave from
others the good example we are bound
to show them. .What a support it would
be to our faith £? °our charity if, instead
of seven or ei^°t millions, we could
count ten times that number of Catholics
in the United States ! What renewed
vigor our souls would feel could we be-
hold even our comparatively small num-
ber of Catholics giving outward proof of
the Christian life that animates them by
approaching the Sacraments and living
as real members of the Church ! If it be
true to say that we are less practical as
Catholics because we live in a heretical
and irreligious atmosphere, it is also
true that many of our fellow-country-
men remain in heresy and infidelity
because our lives do not give them the
most convincing of all arguments in
favor of our holy faith. The word of God
is preached to them and they hear the
truth, but they wait to see it verified in
our lives. "More potent is the testi-
mony of one's life than of one's tongue, '»
says St. Cyprian. They might see mira-
cles and still doubt ; but they could
not long resist our example, since, ac-
cording to St. Chrysostom, "works of
virtue are more convincing than mira-
cles. " If we feel the drawback of liv-
ing in evil times, with all the forces of

sectarian prejudice, unprincipled news-
papers, a corrupt stage, an immoral
literature, and godless educators arrayed
against us, let us stop to consider that
we ourselves owe the influence of our
best example as Catholics to those about
us, first, to our fellow-Catholics, who
are as sorely tried as we are by the evil
surroundings, and then to all our non-
Catholic fellow-countrymen, who dep^re
with us the evil influences at work and
who are without our safeguards or rem-
edies against the same. Nay, more, we
owe it to the very promoters of evil to
let them know that Christianity is not
to blame for all the disorders of its dis-
ciples, and that it is holier, at least in
some of its members, than they admit;
that if some be immodest, many are
chaste; if some be revengeful, others are
meek; if some worship wealth, others
adore God in spirit and iri truth. We
owe it to them to check their impiety by
our devotion, their dishonesty by our
integrity, their lust by our modesty,
their deceit by our sincerity, their pride
by our humility; in a word, their vices
by our virtues, and their scandals by our
good example.

The man who does not appreciate and
feel the harm done by sin to his neigh-
bor's soul, has no true appreciation of
the harm done by sin in his own soul;
and the man who will not do a good
action for the help it would be to the
soul of another, will scarcely do a vir-
tuous act for the good it would do him.
It is singular how good people will
blind themselves in this matter. To
evade their manifest obligation of giving
good example, they will appeal against
the manifest sense of Scripture and the
interpretation of the Fathers as well as
of all holy writers, and they will quote
our Lord's counsel not to do our good
works for the applause of men. Father
Coleridge dismisses their difficulty with
a fine retort. After giving the usual
answer of the commentators, that our
intention must necessarily be directed
in secret to God our Lord, though our

229)

GOING HOME.

741

utward actions must be visible to men,
e warns these quibblers that: "The
pplause of the world is not the only
r the most serious danger to those who
esire to serve God in the practice of
good works. They are often more in
peril from cowardice than from the
approbation of men. Men are ordinarily
on the side, if not of actual worldliness,
at least of a very large moderation in
the practice of virtue. ' ' Before we claim
that we wish to keep our good deeds
secret, we might ask ourselves "'whether
it would not be a good thing to brave
human respect, whether we fear the
applause as much as we dread the con-
tempt of worldlings; whether we do not
feel inclined to do our good works in

secret, because we are ashamed to pro-
fess our faith and our piety openly
before men.

Since men attach so little importance
to good example; since so many permit
themselves to be deceived and to adopt
every miserable pretext for ignoring its
importance; since some even affect to
discover an injunction against it in the
very Scriptures that reveal it so clearly
as one of our obligations, prayer, and
very fervent prayer, is necessary that all
Christians and particularly our Asso-
ciates in the League may be right-
minded in this matter, and, by their
mutual edification, extend to one another
the excellent advantages that God means
them to obtain in this way.

GOING HOME.

A FACT.
By D. Gresham.

fT did seem a shame. Coming South
^ for the first time and this the greet-
ing !

A day in February, and the Asheville
train was driving in and out through,
the bare woods, dashing around
curves, pounding over North Carolina
"branches," and at last, soberly and
cautiously, laboring up the wild moun-
tain road. The clouds above were sullen
and sultry, the long-looked-for views of
the famous route, gorge, and pass, and
torrent were wrapt in gloom. Nothing
to look at but dim distances, not a peak
even to gratify or rejoice the eager eyes
from the train windows.

The ' ' sleeper ' ' was crowded , for the
season had opened and, alas ! the Ashe-
ville train has ever its goodly number
of consumptives. They were there now
in all stages of the dread disease, and
the well known cough falls ominously
on the ear, jangling discordantly with
the light laugh of the society girl who
has run down from New York for a few

weeks' rest during Lent. Two sisters
in mourning were gazing drearily
through the windows, amazed and dis-
mayed at the fine snow that had begun
to fall. Is this the South that was to do
so much for them ?

The younger is a teacher in a New
England village, who is bringing her
sister South, a frail, delicate worn-out
woman suffering from nervous prostra-
tion. Behind them a party of Canadi-
ans, an Ontario Queen's Consul, with a
delicate wife and a merry daughter^
who has kept up a steady chatter since
the train left Salisbury. A rail at the
sunny South and its inconsistencies, a
would-be sigh for all the dear delights of
her lost winter carnival, a jest at every-
thing they passed, and, under all, a bright,
joyous spirit overflowing with mischief,
with the double object of cheering her
weary mother through this unexpectedly
trying scene. She tried to fall in with
her daughter's merry mood, knowing so
well of old for whose btnefit the jokes

742

GOING HOME.

(230)

were made. She was so much better off
than the other invalids around her ;
indeed, some of the faces made her
heart ache. Young and old, the wealthy
surrounded by every luxury to beguile
the sufferer into momentary forgetful-
ness ; the hard-worked clerk, the strug-
gling farmer, who had, perhaps, mort-
gaged his few acres to bring his child to
Asheville in the vain hope of saving the
young life that was so surely drifting
away. Such sweet, sad faces, some, but
at the end of the sleeper all alone, weary
and dejected, was one that the mother's
eyes fell on with peculiar interest and
sympathy. A mere lad, tucked away in
a corner, his head thrown back against
the cushion, his eyes closed, and so still
and white that death seemed to have
stolen unawares on him as he reached
the longed-for mountains.

4 ' What a handsome lad, ' ' said the law-
yer softly, to his wife, following the di-
rection of her earnest gaze.

"Yes, and where is his mother? If
she is living how could she let him
go from her in that state ? I should
not be surprised if he were to die to-
night. I cannot think of anything else
since I first saw him this morning.
How proud any woman would be of such
a son ; even with his health as it is ;
what a splendid figure and air he has. I
wish we could do something for him,
but he seems as if he wanted to keep to
himself ; he is not a person to invite inti-
macy."

"No," replied her husband, "once
or twice I felt an impulse to speak to
him, but somehow I thought it cow-
ardly to bore a fellow with attentions
when he was too wretched and weak to
fight one off."

At this moment the train stopped at
"Round Knob," and the more adven-
turous spirits sallied forth to see the
abandoned hotel and the fountain. The
water shot up frozen and sparkling, but
though shorn of half its charms by the
absence of sunshine, was not unpic-
turesque nor unlovely.

"Rene"e, take care of your mother un-
til I return, I am longing for a tramp,"
and the energetic Canadian joined the
few strong spirits who were anxious to
brave the mountain blasts and the flying
snowflakes.

" How do you feel, mother ? Let me
wrap your cloak around you ; it seems
chilly since they opened the door,
though I am so glad to get a breath of
fresh air. The sharpness seems home-
like, ' ' and the young girl drew the furs
around her mother with a protecting,
comforting air that made one warm to
see.

The lawyer came hurrying back, fresh
and rosy ; looking down at his wife with
an encouraging smile, he said, "Two
months from, now, Marie, you will enjoy
all this, there is something in the air up
here that puts new life into one. ' '

The sun made a feeble effort to steal out,
and threw a faint brightness on the moun-
tains, the train moved out and began its
steep winding climb round and round
the last stiff ascent of the wonderful
road into Asheville. Renee was watch-
ing with eager eyes the railway cutting
down below they had just passed over,
and was growing more and more excited.
' ' Will you please tell me how soon we
will reach Asheville? " said a timid
voice over her shoulder.

The girl turned round hastily to meet
the tired, honest eyes of the New England
teacher ; touched with compassion she
jumped up, and drew her interlocutor
down beside her. " I will be most happy
to help you in any way. I have been in
Asheville three winters and may be of
some assistance to you. "

"You are very kind, but we wrote
to a friend from Boston who has a board-
ing-house, and she will meet us and
take us to her place. ' '

' ' Excellent ; that will make matters
comfortable; arriving in Asheville in .such
weather is not pleasant, especially if one
is ill. It will not last long down here ; to-
morrow or the next day you will be in
hay."

(231)

GOING HOME.

743

' ' Is not this very unusual ? ' ' asked the
teacher, sadly.

"Well no, not very," with a droll
look, "shall I tell you? "

The merry expression of the girl's
sunny face cast its shadow on the New
England woman, and soon she was laugh-
ing at Renee 's icy tales of Southern
winters.

" You forget you are in the mountains,
and they do not build houses in the
South, as they do with us. When the
few cold days, or sometimes weeks, come
on, the suffering is really pathetic. You
will scarcely believe me that I have
bathed beside the fire, and as the drops
of water fell to the floor they were frozen
solid ! You must not be frightened
away if you have to endure a little of
that for a few days. I do hope you will
have a little nip if only to give you a
standing joke at the sunny South,"
ended the girl with a roguish smile.

The evening was closing in, the end of
the journey was at hand, and all further
conversation was cut short for the pres-
ent.

Rushing along by the Swannanoa the
train swung around a projecting ridge and
then Asheville. A hurried goodbye from
Renee to her new friend, confusion, bustle,
a hoarse shouting of hotels from the
eager, excited, colored porters and Jehus
in a solid wall at the gate, and the tall
figure of the Canadian made his way
through the crowd to find a carriage be-
fore bringing his wife out in the sharp
air. Hurrying back through the snow
and slush he found his daughter stand-
ing impatiently at the waiting-room
door.

" Oh ! Father, " she cried, " that poor
boy has had a hemorrhage; mother is so
unhappy about him. ' '

With a few impatient strides the lawyer
was beside his wife. ' 'Where is the lad? ' '
he ejaculated " is he dying ? "

"I cannot say ; they carried him into
one of those rooms. Do see about him,
poor boy, and Renee and I will go up
to the hotel at once. ' '

The carriage was waiting and, seeing
his wife and daughter safely tucked away,
he reached the baggage room only to find
the boy lying on the floor, a negro sup-
porting his head. Kneeling down beside
him he looked searchingly into the still
face and spoke very softly : ' ' The worst
is over now, do you think you could come
with me ? ' '

"Yes," faintly, then as if he remem-
bered, added:

' ' Where am I ? "

' % Never mind, I will take care of you
now."

The boy opened his eyes and gazed
earnestly into the strange, strong, kindly
face bending over him, and seeing, he
trusted. " You are very kind and you
will find a letter in my pocket from my
doctor, read, and see what he says."
It was addressed to the head of the sani-
tarium for consumptives, and thither the
Canadian decided to take him. There
was little said during the long slow
drive up into the town ; the snow was
still falling, the steep-mountain roads,
deep in mud, and only the measured
breathing of the invalid showed that he
still lived. Arrived at the sanitarium
they entered the hall redolent with dis-
infectants, and looked around sadly at
this house of death and suffering. The
manager received them and having read
the doctor's letter, handed it to the
Canadian. It was very brief ; only, "Take
this patient in charge, his father can pay
all expenses. ' ' The invalid was taken to
his room, and the lawyer promised to re-
turn early on the morrow.

Tramping along the slushy streets,
he pushed on upwards to his hotel; once
he stood near the top of the hill and
looked back on the town where he had
left the boy, then he burst out fiercely:
' ' I would lose the best case of my life
if I could only thrash the fellow who
sent that poor lad down here to die
in such a place. ' ' Then he set his face
sternly towards his destination; not an-
other sound, but a vicious drive of his
stick into the soft melting snow, and a

744

GOING HOME.

(232)

tight closing of his lips as if he could
say fearful things; but now was not the
time to talk, but to act. A cold, clear,
frosty night, and the sun came up from
behind the mountains with a radiant
smile to make up for the gloom of the past
two days. It sparkled on the snow, gave
it a few hours' grace, then drove it tri-
umphantly before it. Asheville aroused
from its torpor and demoralization,
awoke to its old sprightliness and charm.
The wonderful air had an added vim
with the wintry sharpness and braced
the system, until men felt like school-
boys and tired mothers were as joyous
as their children. Weary consumptives
took heart again, and, going out into
the sunshine, thought life worth the
struggle. The Canadian left the hotel
soon after breakfast and entered the sani-
tarium in a more amiable mood than
when he first saw it last evening. Sun-
shine is the great brightener of the heart,
as in the home. He found the invalid
listless and limp; a colored bell boy kept
watch in a corner of the room, and, as the
visitor entered, with his bright whole-
some face, the sick lad looked up with a
wan smile of welcome.

"Well, lad, the sun is up, take cour-
age ; that, you know, is half the battle, ' '
was the Canadian's cheery greeting.
"Come, Sambo, you can run out and
play, ' ' with a droll twinkle. « ' I will
take your place for a time now. ' '

"Yes, sah, " and the grinning nurse
vanished with alacrity.

' ' I am glad you came, ' ' murmured the
invalid faintly, putting out his wasted
hand. "Sit down here by me; I want
to talk to you about things that are
worrying me. I lay awake the greater
part of the night and I made up my
mind to tell you all if I lived until to-
day. I feel better now, and oh ! I want
to live to see my mother. Don't you
think I will?" wistfully looking into
the Canadian's honest tell-tale face.

It was only as the boy so pathetically
appealed to him that he saw it was now
but a question of days. "God knows

best, and we know He always does what
is the kindest for us all. "

A deep sigh was the boy 's only sign that
he understood. For fully five minutes
not a word was said, then slowly the lad
began : "I said I wanted to tell you
something, and I think I shall feel bet-
ter when you know it. My father is

, and I am his eldest son," he

paused a« the Canadian started. The
name was one of the best known among
the legal lights of the American bar;
a man rare in these days of politics and
corruption. A Brutus to the heart's
core. ' ' He taught us that honesty and
truth were the one heritage he hoped to
leave us, the best and noblest road to
fame and fortune. I admired, respected,
but feared him. I fell in with a fast set,
my allowance fell short of my expendi-
ture, I dreaded to tell him, and, in a wild
moment, helped myself from his open
safe ! He discovered it at once and
sent for me; I could not face him, I was
crushed and, no doubt, a coward. I left
a note saying he could not feel worse than
I, that I would go out West and work
until I had earned what I had taken and
then hope for his pardon. It is three
years since, and, of course, my life has
been hard and unhappy. If only I
could have heard from my mother, but
I would not let them know where I was.
Six months ago I was doing well; for-
tune seemed to smile on me at last,
when I caught a severe cold and it set-
tled on my lungs. The physician whom
I consulted sent me to my native cli-
mate. I reached home — but not my
home. A great bustling absorbed city,
not the one I loved when life was one
long summer day. No one- knew me as
I was; that night I staggered to the old
house, only God knows how I wanted
niy mother's love and help and sym-
pathy at that moment. Twice I touched
the bell, I felt I must go to her. I scarce
had strength to go another step, but I
thought how scornfully he would look
at me and my pride would not stand
that. Almost broken-hearted I dragged

GOING HOME.

745

myself away through the midnight dark-
ness, determined more than ever that I
must live to pay that money. I saw a
doctor next morning who said Asheville
might pull me up. ' Could I go ? ' I
was obliged to say I was not wealthy,
that my travelling expenses would swal-
low up my little all. Then I asked him
for a letter to some physician down here,

!and gave my father's name as reference.
He looked surprised, then after some
hesitation wrote the note you saw. He
was busy, took his fee, hoped I would
have a pleasant journey, and I left. You
know the rest, finished the lad; are you
sorry you had anything to do with me ? "

The Canadian said cot a word but
looked down with deep pity on the dying
boy. " Poor mother, poor mother, if we
could only get her here," he murmured
as if to himself. Then his natural hope-
fulness returning, he jerked out excit-
edly: "Sorry ? no, glad, very glad, I ran
across you. Your punishment has been
severe, all that remains now is to tell
your father how you feel."

"Oh!" wailed the invalid, "if he
were only like you. ' '

"None of that," cried the Canadian
sternly. " Would there were more like
him. Old Thomas at Kempis says:
'Circumstances do not alter a man;
they do but show what he is.' Let
us look it squarely in the face; you
have done wrong, disappointed an
honorable man, and now ask the good
God to pardon you. Your father must
come at once, and before another word
I will telegraph for him." At last the
culprit consented to that proposition, and
the Canadian disappeared with a twofold
object. The doleful message sent flying
northward, another Father must be found
at once. The lad's soul needed strength
and food as does the poor frail body.
He hailed a porter and ordered him to
telephone for the priest.

"Jest making his rounds, sah, will
send him to your room right away. "

' ' Good, ' ' exclaimed the Canadian with
satisfaction, " there is no time to delay. "

On his return the invalid seemed
brighter ; after all these years some one
shared his sorrow. He talked of his
mother constantly ; to see her again
would, he knew, put new life into him.
The sunlight fell across the bed, touch-
ing with gentle radiance the wasted fin-
gers lying on the coverlet.

"Ah," he sighed, "how beautiful it
would be to be out once more and able to
tramp the mountains. Now I want to live,
how different I will try to be. ' ' A knock
at the door interrupted the boy's solil-
oquy, and the Canadian went forward
cordially, to welcome the young priest
who came in with a bright smile.

"So glad you have come, Father, you
will have much to say to my young
friend here; you can do more for him than
any one. I will leave you together, and
return in an hour if you will be ready
for me. "

The boy's eyes were full of tears and
the Canadian quietly left the room. . . .
The old story of human weakness was
told, the wonderful words of absolution
were said, and the young priest looked
down with a pitying tenderness on his
boyish penitent.

"You have made me so happy, Father,
my conscience feels lighter and I feel I
can go home now. ' '

" Yes, my child, and may it be a glad
home-coming, with a contrite heart, and
a bright simple trust in the Father who
knows your weakness and misery."

' ' I want to see my mother, and then I
think I could die more reconciled. If I
could only tell her how I have grieved,
and missed, and longed for her. "

" Yes, it would be a comfort, and that
is just the last sacrifice God may ask of
you. Be a man now, and tell Him, with
me, that you will receive, as your sen-
tence, all His just designs for you. To
live or to die when and how He ordains. ' '

The boy thought a moment, then said
brokenly: " You will help me.Father ? "
stretching out his poor, wasted hand in
his helplessness.

The priest knelt by the bed and to-

746

GOING HOME.

(234)

gether they offered up the j^oung life ;
twice the strong earnest voice broke as
he called on the God of love and mercy,
to witness that the sinner had coine back,
and gave up all in atonement.

Some hours later a little table arranged
as an altar, with its white cloth and
solitary candle, was drawn near the sick
bed. The priest was kneeling in adora-
tion before the Blessed Sacrament, the
tall reverent figure of the Canadian near
the dying lad, on whose face there shone
a new and happy light. The prayers
began, the brilliant lawyer and man of
the world was an acolyte once more
making the responses. With bowed
head, in deep heartfelt tones, he began
the Confiteor; the dying boy following
with great earnestness and fervor.
Peacefully, calmly, lovingly, he received
the Bread of Angels, and a sad solemn
hush fell on that little room.

The following afternoon Renee and
her father had been out for a long
gallop, and were returning from one of
their old haunts in the mountains. On
by a lonely bye road, through the woods,
they came out at the railway, station,
where the first arrivals were gathering
for the northern train. The horses
turned off and were dashing towards
the town, when they pulled up suddenly
before the black van, with the very
black horses, and the solemn driver so
well known in Asheville. That dreary
looking vehicle from the undertaker's
always on the road to the railway, with
the latest victim of consumption. The
Canadian reverently bared his head,
while the girl murmured ' ' one more
unfortunate." They rode on; the scene
was too familiar to excite more than a
passing sigh. Only another broken
heart, only another blighted hope, only
another silenced step in the far off north-
ern home, where the merry laugh and
the loving word will echo no more at
the winter fireside, or ring through the
yellow cornfields among the lone New
England hills. Father and daughter
journeyed along in silence, lost in

thought, but as they turned in at the
hotel grounds, the Canadian stopped
suddenty, and, wheeling his horse
around, said:

" Renee I believe I will go down and
see that lad, his father should have
been in on that afternoon train, and he
and the boy have had time to talk things
over by now. I can have no peace until
I see him off with his father. Ride on
and tell your mother I have gone to
inquire."

In less than ten minutes the impetu-
ous man was mounting the steps of the
sanitarium; as he entered the hall with
his light, buoyant step, he met the priest
coming out, and he burst out eagerly:
' ' Father, how is the patient this even-
ing?"

"You have not heard the news?"
with a sad look at the excited man.
"The boy's father has come and gone;
stayed just two hours. ' '

"What!" cried the Canadian indig-
nantly.

"Yes, he has taken his son with
him," continued the priest quietly,
' ' taken him in his coffin . ' '

A mist came before his eyes, and
there was an ominous silence for a time;
when the Canadian spoke it was in a
subdued tone.

"When did he die ? " was all he said.

"This morning at daybreak. He
seemed stronger when we left him
yesterday, and last night he told the
nurse he was going home to-morrow.
Towards morning they saw a change
and sent for me. I knew at once he
was going, and told him. He was re-
signed, and said you had said to him:
' God was good and He knew best. ' I
said I was going home to-day, and I
am." He answered all the prayers and
was conscious to the last. Just before
the end he drew me down towards him,
and he said to give you his best thanks
for all your kindness, that he would
remember you in heaven, and would ask
God to bless you, and make your boy
like his father. Then his last words

<235)

A LESSON.

747

were for his own dear father and mother.
Poor fellow ! it was more than I could
stand, his hopeless craving for their
forgiveness. As I gave the last absolu-
tion he looked at me with such a sunny,
beautiful smile that brought joy and
hope, and comfort with it, and he was

Igone.
' ' When the father came the lad was
in his coffin; I brought him in and' left
them together. When he came out you
would not have known him for the same
man; he was crushed. ' I will take him
back with me,' was his only remark.
There was just time to catch the train.
I wish you had met him, he seemed a

remarkable man. I gave him your
address and he is to write to you. His
gratitude was touching."

Sadly the priest and lawyer went down
into the street. ' ' Gone home, poor
fellow, " the Canadian murmured, " and
the father to meet him thus, after all
those years of pain, and shame, and
loss!"

The sun went slowly down the moun-
tains, the lights from the city came out
one by one, and with bent head, but
peace in his soul, the warm-hearted man
thought of the black van he had passed
but one hour before, bearing the once
merry innocent lad — home !

A LESSON.

By F, de S. Howie, SJ.

A silvery streamlet that danced o'er the plain,
Was merrily singing a wild mountain strain ;
It caught the bright smiles of the new blushing day,
And laughingly scattered its diamonds of spray.

It toyed in the meadow where little lambs toss,
Where shepherds pipe on the green velvet moss,
Where lilies and bluebells swing in the breeze,
And poems are sung by the wide-spreading trees.

I asked the dear rill, if a lesson it taught,
And faint was the murmur : "Be lowly of heart. "
I've been to the spot where the rill used to flow,
And violets sweet in its hollow now blow.

EDITORIAL.

" THE NEW COLLECT."

THE "new collect," used in St.
Paul's Cathedral, London, in com-
memoration of the thirteenth hundreth
anniversary of the baptism of King
Ethelbert by St. Augustin on the eve of
Pentecost, has proved a bone of conten-
tion for Anglicans. For it reads: "O
God, who, through the preaching of Thy
blessed servant Augustin, didst first
bring the English race out of darkness
and error into the clear light and true
knowledge of Thee, and of Thy Son
." This might seem to imply, on
the part of its author, that, before the
coming of the Roman Benedictine monk,
Britain was destitute of Christianity
and this affects the British Church con-
tinuity myth held by some Anglicans.
Perhaps the use of English instead of
British was intentional, to prevent such
a construction. Strange it is, that, with
so many eye-openers to the truth of the
Catholic position, intelligent Protestants,
who have some idea of a church, should
remain blind to the absurdity of their
pretended succession.

WHICH IS THE MORE IGNORANT?

Though living in a glass house, the
Churchman throws stones at the Church
Association, representatives, both of
them, of the Anglican communion. It
says: "The Church Association, wThile
it is terribly in earnest, lacks the sense
of humor, while its view of history and
historic perspective is plainly distorted.
The president, secretary and other offi-
cers of the C. A. are snorting with rage
at the Ethelbert celebration, and espe-

748

cially the landing on English shores of
Augustin. They actually petitioned
the War Office not to detail any of her
Majesty's soldiers to do duty at Canter-
bury Cathedral on July 3, in order to
give kclat to a public commemoration of
the coming of Augustin, the Monk, to
England !" As the Churchman sapiently
remarks: "This little incident only
shows the odd ignorance of the history
of their own religion which prevails
among Associationists. " (We might
add and Churchmanites.) "Christian-
ity was not buried about the time of the
Apostles, to spring into fresh life in the
Reformation of the sixteenth century.
And, indeed, these ' monks ' and mis-
sionaries of the so-called dark ages had
something to do with preserving in the
world, and certainly in England, the
faith once delivered to the saints. " This
is the Churchman in the role of Balaam.

COMMON RACE AND FAITH.

The preposterous assertion has been
ptiblicly made, and that, too, in a public
prayer, read in all the Protestant Epis-
copal Churches of a certain Episcopal
Diocese, that Americans and Englishmen
were of common race and common faith.
As to the common race, it is estimated that
not ten per cent, of the seventy millions
of our population are of English descent.
As to the common faith, not over two
per cent, claim to be members of the
Protestant Episcopal Church which is in
communion with the Church of England.
Statistics are the best argument against
the Anglonianiac claims on the right of
England and her rulers to the filial love

(236)

(237)

EDITORIAL.

749

and devotion of Americans. The exhi-
bition of snobbery on the part of some of
our countrymen at the late jubilee is
enough to make us wish that they would
take up their permanent abode in their
"mother country, " where an occasional
glimpse of royalty may gratify their
wholly unrepublican hearts.

A STRANGE MEMORIAL WINDOW.

Among the various strange outcomes
of Queen Victoria's Jubilee is a memo-
rial window in the Protestant Episcopal
Church of St. John the Evangelist in
New York. It is the gift of the St.
George's Society, and given to this
church because the Anglo-American free
church of St. George the Martyr holds its
services there. As a work of decorative
art we doubt not its excellence ; as an
adornment for a church we wonder at its
selection. There are four panels. The
two lower ones contain, respectively,
portraits on glass of Queen Victoria and
Sebastian Cabot. Under the Queen's
is a representation of the White Star
steamship " Majestic, " emblematical of
our international commerce, supported
on one side by the arms of Great Britain,
and on the other by a page of Bradford's
History, called ' ' The Log of the May-
flower." The upper panel contains the
arms of the Empire. Beneath Sebastian
Cabot's portrait is a ship of ancient
time, supported by the shield of the
United States and the arms of the City of
Bristol, England, whence he sailed in
1497. In the upper panel are the arms
of St. George. The motto under the
Queen 's portrait reads : ' ' United States
and Great Britain— Two States and One
People." To this we decidedly object.
If we except language, we are in no
sense one people with the English. Nor
has the log of the Mayflower any connec-
tion with Sebastian Cabot, who was a
Catholic, and an explorer for a Catholic
King, Henry VII. The whole conception
is, in our judgment, inappropriate.

ADVANCE OF RITUALISM IN ENGLAND.

The High Church Union, in its annual

report, claims that the daily Eucharist is
celebrated in 500 churches, that incense
is used in 372, and that ritualistic vest-
ments are worn in 1,032. A large ad-
vance is reported in the use of the con-
fessional, but regret is expressed that
prayers for the dead and extreme unction
are not making the headway that could
be wished. These items are quoted by
Harold Frederic, London correspondent
of the New York Times, who is spoken
of as a very keen observer. We give an
instance of his keenness. He saw at an
early morning service in an English
parish church ' ' twenty nun-clad women
of a Church of England Order who, dur-
ing prayers, bowed at the name of Jesus,
but knelt at the mention of the Virgin
Mary. " Of all the changes wrought in
the Victorian era, he considered this the
most curious and unexpected ! No won-
der. But, alas ! for his critical acumen.
Doubtless the kneeling was at the incar-
natus est in the Nicene Creed, and the
honor being for our Lord and not for His
Virgin Mother. This is a sample of pro-
fessional criticism. The advance claimed
for ritualism is, as we see, true to the
spirit of Protestantism — private judg-
ment. The Church's preparation for
death by extreme unction and her piety
toward the faithful departed by suffrages
"are not making the headway that
could be wished. ' ' The use of incense is
increasing ! Just as if that were an es-
sential in religion ! We might say the
same of vestments, except so far as they
are employed to represent sacerdotal
functions. However, ' ' the assimilation
of Roman forms," which Mr. Frederic
remarks in the Established Church, is a
step Romeward, even if it be only in the
fact that ' ' the new Bishop of London
recently displayed a mitre, the first one
seen in St. Paul's since the Reforma-
tion." He forgets, perhaps, that the
present St. Paul's never was Catholic,
being the work of Sir Christopher Wren,
and was not completed until 1710. So
the " display " of the mitre was a nov-
elty in St. Paul's.

750

EDITORIAL.

(288)

REVIVAL OF MYSTERY PLAYS.

One is not much surprised at any
novelty in vogue at Paris, the mother of
novelties, but it is, indeed, surprising
that the Parisian stage should be the
scene of the revival of mysteries and
Passion Plays. That such is the case
we need only enumerate some of the
recent productions, such as the ' ' Na-
tiviteV' by M. Jouin ; the "Enfant
Jesus," by M. Grandmongin; the
"Christ," by the Abbe Delamaise ; the
" Sarnaritaine, " by M. Rostand; the
" Redemption," by M. C. Vincent, and
the "Chemin de la Croix, " by Armand
Sylvestre, whose name is connected with
anything but savory literature.

As most of these plays have recently
been presented, with all the latest stage
effects, and as theatrical managers
usually gauge the taste of their patrons,
they must have discovered that the re-
ligious play would be palatable. Is this
a hopeful sign that even the Parisian
theatre-goer has become surfeited with
the unwholesome food provided and
craves for something elevating and
spiritual ? Let us hope so. But what
of the actors who are to delineate the
most sacred parts. The awful incon-
gruity of a Sarah Bernhardt, essaying to
portray the Blessed Virgin Mary, is too
palpable. Yet she undertook it in the
"Passion" produced on Good Friday at
the Porte St. Martin Theatre.

It might be possible to imagine her
as the ' 'Sarnaritaine, ' ' another of her
roles. But if the religious drama is to
be revived as an ally of religion, the
lives of the actors must be in conformity
with Catholic principles. The Passion
Play at Oberammergau, and the rules
regarding its dramatis persona, should
be taken as models. Is not this revival
a suggestion to those in charge of our
colleges and schools ? In them there is
no lack of the pure and innocent of life,
on whose lips the most sacred words
would not be unseemly.

A CHAMPION OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.

On May 28, took place the solemn
canonization of St. Peter Fourier, Cure"

of Mattaincourt, a village of Lorraine.
Born in the year 1565, this great servant
of God showed himself a model of every
virtue, and an indefatigable laborer for
the salvation of souls, until his death
in 1636. France owes him the estab-
lishment of schools for girls, a thing al-
most exceptional before his time. How
this bold champion of Christian educa-
tion would have looked upon our modern
system of divorcing religious from secu-
lar teaching, may be concluded from the
rules and counsels given by him to the
renowned sisterhood of which he is the
founder. ' ' An hour or two of catechism
taught outside the schoolroom, " he was
wont to say, " may indeed be of use in
acquainting the child with a certain
amount of Christian doctrine, and in-
teresting its mind for a time ; but such
teaching will not take hold of its will,
nor sink deep into its heart, and hence
will be of no efficacy in influencing and
directing its life. For the simple and
the unlearned, it is absolutely necessary
that over and above the preaching and
instructions given publicly by the pas-
tors, there should be other persons ex-
plaining to them familiarly, in close in-
tercourse, and frequently, what pertains
to their salvation. "

A PROTESTANT TESTIMONY TO RELIGIOUS
EDUCATORS.

In one of our smaller cities there is a
Catholic High School which is a formid-
able rival to a well equipped State High
School. In fact in many points the for-
mer is acknowledged to be superior even
by the Principal of the latter. He even
assigns the reasons. In his own institu-
tion he has a corps of efficient instructors,
but, as he says, they are working for
their salary. The women hope sooner or
later, by marriage, to be able to give up
the drudgery of teaching All, both men
and women, feel that when they have
taught their class for the day, the rest of
the time is theirs for recreation. This
often takes the shape of some fatiguing
exercise, or some entertainment, which
while amusing, dissipates the mind, or, at

(239)

EDITORIAL.

751

least, puts away all thoughts of their pu-
pils. Social gatherings, harmless in
themselves, are often prolonged until
late at night, or even till morning. How
can the teacher participate and be strong
in body and fresh in mind for the day 's
work ? On the other hand, the teachers
of the rival institution are members of a
religious congregation. Teaching is
their vocation, and to it their lives are
devoted. They have their recreation, it
is true, but it is never of such a character
as to unfit them for their duties in the
class-room. At fixed hours they rise and
retire. Everything is done from a re-
ligious motive, and the welfare of the
scholars under their charge is their zeal-
ous ambition. They are not working for
a salary but for God. Hence their un-
doubted influence and success. This is
high commendation coming from the
source which it does. Its truth must be
evident.

SUMMER SCHOOLS.

There are now various kinds of sum-
mer schools in vogue. The Champlain
Assembly and the Western one at Madi-
son, Wisconsin, are the summer schools
par excellence, but perhaps the humbler
ones may have more practical effects on
those who attend them. We refer to
those attended by members of religious
teaching congregations. It is but a new
proof of their interest in education, that
those, who spend over nine months a year
in the class-room as teachers, should be
willing, even eager, to avail themselves
of opportunities for improving them-
selves in what might otherwise be vaca-
tion months, and patiently sit upon the
benches themselves to learn the better
how to teach in the next session. Of
course the cloistered orders are debarred
from this advantage, but might they not
obviate the disadvantage by inviting
special lecturers to give courses in some
central convent to which the sisters could
resort. It would tend not only to put

fresh life into the teachers, but, by the
contact with many others engaged in
the same line, it would broaden their
views and stimulate greater intellectual
activity.

THE CATHOLIC SUMMER SCHOOL.

The proof of a good thing is its de-
mand. Judged by this criterion, the
Catholic Summer School is decidedly a
good thing. Not only has interest not
flagged, but it has steadily increased.
The many difficulties that beset such an
enterprise have not been wanting, but the
overcoming of them shows the value of
the enterprise. Nor is it as a pleasurable
way of spending a few weeks that the
Summer School attracts. The demand
for an extension of time and an increase
of lectures proves that the educational
advantages are those which attract.
Accordingly, the Sixth Session will
last seven weeks, from July u to Au-
gust 29. The eminent lecturers will
provide an intellectual treat in their
various lines. But, apart from the
culture to be derived from lectures,
there is another culture which comes
from association, and this, too, is to be
found at Plattsburg. Living as Catholics
do in a mixed society, it is a boon for
them to spend some weeks, months
would be better, in an entirely Catholic
atmosphere, surrounded by persons who
are accustomed to apply Catholic prin-
ciples to all the affairs of life, small and
great. As some one has said in this
regard : ' 'When they pass one-quarter
of their lives in a community like that,
where everyone is happy and proud to
be a Catholic, it will be impossible for
them to be ashamed of their religion.
For this, more than for the intellectual
part; for the moral and unconsciously
educational, rather than for technical
instruction, even from our able and
brilliant Catholic lecturers and teachers,
do I make my Summer home in Platts-
burg. "

An international Eucharistic Congress
will be held at Paray-le-Monial, from
the twentieth to the twenty-fifth of Sep-
tember. The idea of Eucharistic con-
gresses dates back to the year 1879, and
was greeted as an inspiration from
heaven by Monsignor De Segur of pious
memory. They have since become very
popular in many countries of Europe, in
Asia and in the United States, producing
much good everywhere. International
congresses, attended by delegates from
the whole Catholic world, take place
every two or three years, the most suc-
cessful in the past, being those of Avig-
non, Fribourg, Jerusalem and Rheims.
That of Paray-le-Monial, surrounded by
so many memorials of the Saviour's
love for men, will surely yield to none
in ardor and enthusiasm. It will insist
more particularly on advocating and
promoting social homage to the Blessed
Eucharist.

The giant work of constructing and
decorating the basilica of the Sacred
Heart on Montmartre is going on with-
out interruption. Four of the smaller
domes are nearing completion, and a
multitude of workmen are busy on the
large dome. With regard to church
furniture, some fine pieces have already
replaced their temporary substitutes.
The chapel of the Blessed Virgin has
received an addition to its many beauties,
a set of splendid candelabra, Byzantine
in style, of purest bronze and enamel.
They are fair specimens of the general
style of decoration which has been
adopted for the whole basilica. The
chapel of the navy has been presented
with a magnificent lamp of the most
delicate workmanship. The belfry for
the great bell "La Savoyarde " is not
yet built, nor the main altar, though the
plan of the latter is finished, and ac-
cepted by Cardinal Richard.

The Golden Jubilee of the apparition
of our Lady at La Salette, will be

752

solemnly celebrated this Summer by
numerous pilgrimages from France and
other countries, and by religious mani-
festations of unusual splendor. The
apparition having taken place in 1846,
the Jubilee should have been held last
year, but was postponed on account of
the great national festivities of the four-
teenth centenary of the baptism of King
Clovis and the conversion of France to
Christianity. His Holiness the Pope
has granted a plenary indulgence to all
those who shall visit the basilica of La
Salette on the occasion of the jubilee.

In Catholic France religious proces-
sions and manifestations outside the
church walls are forbidden and pun-
ished; in Protestant England they meet
with favor and success. The Reverend
Father Atnigo, who has charge of the
mission of St. Mary and St. Michael,
Commercial Road, London, has adopted
the plan of preaching the word of God
in the street, whenever he judges the
audience within the church too insignifi-
cant. Thanks to this step, the Catholic
religion has become quite popular in the
districts of Wapping and Whitechapel,
the most ill-famed of the city. Not long
ago he organized a solemn procession
through the narrow streets in the neigh-
borhood of his mission. More than
twenty priests accepted the invitation,
and marched in the procession vested in
their sacerdotal vestments. The statue
of the Blessed Virgin was borne along
in triumph, the faithful singing pious
hymns in praise of their Queen, while
an enthusiastic multitude of spectators,
many of whom were Protestants, openly
expressed their admiration and showered
flowers on the statue.

The little Republic of Ecuador is just
now the scene of a religious persecution
surpassing in malice and cruelty any-
thing witnessed in our modern times,
even among barbarian nations Presi-
dent Alfaro and his government, com-

(240)

(241)

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

753

posed of members of secret societies, have
sworn to root out the Catholic religion
from the land of Garcia Moreno. No
measure is considered too unscrupulous
or desperate, provided it helps them to
accomplish their end. Many religious
orders and congregations are being ban-
ished from the country, under pretext of
insurrection and plotting against the
government. The Archbishop and clergy
are openly and grossly insulted, many
priests are thrown into prison, where
they suffer the greatest hardships.
Honest and peaceful citizens, who are
unwilling to sympathize with the revo-
lutionary ideas of the day, are fined, im-
prisoned and ill-treated. Commerce and
industry are almost dead , and agriculture
is crippled with exorbitant taxes and
burdens. An odious system of black-
mail reigns everywhere, while assassina-
tions and robberies are multiplying in an
alarming manner, justice being either an
accomplice or powerless to interfere.

The members of the Academy of the
Arcades, a famous Roman literary so-
ciety, have just been celebrating the
sixty- fifth anniversary of the enrolling
among their number of Pope Leo XIII.,
under the name of Heracleus Neander.
The happy event was commemorated
with much splendor and enthusiasm,
and attracted a large concourse of dis-
tinguished guests, conspicuous among
whom were their Eminences Cardinals
Satolli, Ferrata and Frisco. Under the
•same assumed name of Heracleus Ne-
ander the Sovereign Pontiff has sent to
his associates a graceful greeting in the
following lines :

Haec Heraclea dictus de gente Neander
Nuncupat Arcadibus vota suprema Senex.

The Duke d'Aumale, recently deceased,
was as fervent a Christian as he was a
great soldier and a distinguished writer.
As general, he never failed to assist at
Mass on Sundays, and his regularity
and religious demeanor were such as to
edify all who saw him. When one of
his household fell ill he would prepare
him for the coming of the priest, whom
he immediately sent for. During a sud-
den attack of illness in December, 1896,
he ordered both the priest and the phy-
sician to be called, "but the priest
first ! "he energetically added . He was
often surprised reciting the Hail Mary
and then he would explain saying:
" Yes, I have all my life had great love
for the Blessed Virgin. "

The law banishing religious orders
from Norway, has been partially abro-
gated by the Storthing or National As-
sembly. The Jesuits alone are still ex-
cluded, a motion to admit them also
being defeated by a vote of sixty-three
against forty-eight.

In a recent letter, His Eminence, the
Cardinal Prefect of the Sacred Congrega-
tion of Bishops and Regulars, approved
in the Pope's name, the union of the
four distinct families of the Franciscan
Order, under Father Louis de Parma as
Minister General. The four branches
thus united are : The Conventual Fran-
ciscans, the Franciscans of the Observ-
ance, those of the Strict Observance or
Reformed, and the Capuchins.

Leo XIII., in view of the present in-
flux of convert Anglican ministers who
desire to prepare for the priesthood, has
decided to reopen what was formerly the
Collegio Pio. It will not, however, bear
that name, nor that of the Collegio Leo-
nine as has been suggested, but will be
called St. Bede's. The Holy Father does
this to honor England and her saints,
and as a proof of his admiration for the
Venerable Bede. Several distinguished
converts have begun their course of
preparation.

The founder of the Basilica on Mont-
martre, the late Cardinal Guibert, O.M.I.,
will be immortalized by a beautiful white
marble statue. He is represented kneel-
ing and holding in both hands the model
of the votive church which he offers to
the Sacred Heart. It has been placed
temporarily in front of the altar in the
Lady Chapel, but will eventually stand
at the entrance to the nave.

Among those who have given time
and thought to the work of our Sunday-
schools there is an oft-repeated desire
that some general system of classifica-
tion and grading might be introduced.
For years our parochial schools were in
the same condition, and for that reason
did not gain the esteem and affection
which they should have won.

But the workings of the Diocesan
School Boards, for some years back, have
done much for the advancement of the
schools, for better system and greater
order have been adopted, which have
raised our parochial school system to be
a proud boast of the Church.

The parochial schools, however, con-

754

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS-

(242)

tain only a minority of our Catholic
children. For the majority, then, of our
children, there is need of systematic
education in the doctrines of their faith.
For these ' ' lambs of the flock ' ' there
can be no doubt that every pastor labors
earnestly, according to his ability, to
perfect his Sunday-school, and has
adopted the best methods available.

But all have felt the need of some gen-
eral system which would mark out and
classify the children according to their
wants. It is true a step has been taken
by the general adoption of the two num-
bers of the Baltimore Catechism. But
text-books, even if these were complete
for all classes, are not sufficient. To call
attention to the want in this respect, to
show the need and the method of proper
grading, conferences are to be given at
the Catholic Summer School during the
first week in August, and it is hoped
that these important matters will call to-
gether a very large number of priests and
teachers.

The establishment of a system, even
with graded text-books, is not enough,
for system is only the line upon which
knowledge is to be gained.

To obtain the best results from the
execution of the system there must be
periodical examinations by others than
the local authorities.

-, ILLINOIS, June 23, 1897.

REV. DEAR FATHER : — Last January I
had a sick call, a child about fifteen
years of age; the illness was St. Vitus'
dance, and so bad was the case that I
had no hesitation in believing and tell-
ing the parents that the child would die,
or, if restored to health, it would be a
miracle. The doctor attended the child
daily for about two months previously,
promising a cure, but the case became
worse, and so much worse that she was
in bed and could not leave it except
when lifted out and put back in the
same manner by her parents. Her nerv-
ous system was utterly unstrung, she
had lost the use of speech, and she be-
came so weak and exhausted from want
of sleep, and from not being able to take
any nourishment that, in my judgment,
she must die, and I gave her the last
Sacraments, expecting to hear of her
death at any time. At that time the
General Intention for the month was the
glorification of Pere Colombiere, and it
was stated by the League Director that
there was need of evidence, and nothing
but first-class miracles would do. I rec-

ommended the child's recovery to the
good Pere, if it was God's will, that
through his intercession she might be
restored to perfect health. The next or
second day, with this object in view, I
offered the Holy Sacrifice of Mass for
the recovery of the child, intending to
send an account of the case for the bene-
fit of the good Pere if the child was re-
stored to health. Rapidly, recovery was
accomplished. I may state that another
physician was called in, but said he
could not cure her; also that the child's
father procured some patent medicine
which he gave her. The child was re-
stored to health, and is now in perfect
health. And I may say, by way of paren-
thesis, that it was of some benefit to
me, because the family previously did
not come to Mass for over a year. Im-
mediately after the recovery of the girl
they rented a pew in church, received
the Sacraments, and attend at Mass reg-
ularly every Sunday. There is little
more that I have to add to this account
except the child's name, Mary Glavin.

If this be of any use as evidence toward
the Beatification of Pere Colombiere, I
can have the fact attested before a notary
public, by these two physicians who are
regularly practising physicians of this
city.

As far as I am concerned myself, I
have no desire for notoriety and nothing
could induce me to send you this state-
ment of fact but my wish to ' ' give credit
where credit is due. " It is my firm and
abiding conviction, become stronger
right along, that the child 's recovery is
due to the intercession of Pere Colom-
biere, and as I intended to give him
credit I send you this account. If you
think it may serve you for the purpose
intended, please make it out in due form,
send it to me and I will have it certified
before a notary public. With kindest
regards, I remain yours very truly,

J. S. G.

Since the first general reunion of the
Association of Perpetual Adoration on
January 25, 1897, the growth of the work
has been most encouraging. To the six
churches then in New York city, then
represented as having introduced the
work, have been added that of St. Law-
rence, Cincinnati, Ohio ; St. Barbara,
West Brookfield, Ohio ; the Tabernacle
Society of Notre Dame, Cincinnati, and
St. Patrick's Church, Huntington, L. I
The number of Associates whose names
have been registered in Paris, exclusive

(243)

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

755

of the two latest aggregations, reaches
3100, of which 250 are men. To the various
approbations already received is that of
the Rev. Archbishop Ryan, who gives
his blessing to the work of the Perpetual
Adoration, and favors its introduction in
his Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where,
as in several other cities, there is already
a demand for it. Letters of commenda-
tion have been received also from several
eminent members of the Priests' Eucha-
ristic League. The churches represent a
very active membership, the largest being
that of St. Francis Xavier's, with nearly
1,200 members, the Cathedral following
closety with 1,000. The Thursday Con-
ferences at the Cathedral have been
largely attended during the entire season.
One could scarcely present a more edify-
ing report of the local work than that of
the Jesuit Church of St. Lawrence, soon
to assume its new title of St. Ignatius.
' ' The Perpetual Adoration ' ' was here in-
troduced on the feast of St. Joseph, March
19, 1897, and was inaugurated by special
exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
At the conclusion of the High Mass the
Act of Consecration was read from the
Manual, and 80 first members assumed
the medal of the association, and made
an hour's adoration in union. There
were never less than 30 present at once
during the day, and in the evening
the teachers and those whose duties pre-
vented an earlier visit came to adore
their Lord and their King, 198 adorers
being registered for that day. There are
now 345 Associates, all of whom make
an hour of adoration weekly, with the
exception of four children of one family,
who. having each made the half hour
weekly, unite once in the month with
their father and mother in making an
hour's adoration in order to gain the
Indulgences, the whole family kneeling
together. Their bands have been placed

under special patrons; 'one zelatrice
brought 30 members, and one band is
composed exclusively of young men.
There are 18 zelatrices, and the meetings
are held in the church on the second
Sunday of each month.

The report of the little church of Hunt-
ington, L. I., mentions the devotion of
the Associates, many walking three or
four miles in all kinds of weather. The
Convent of the Sacred Heart, Fifty-
fourth street and Madison avenue, New
York, notices the edifying fervor and
perseverance of the children since the
introduction of the work, on December
8, 1897, the pupils sacrificing their only
recreation on the chosen day for this
pious visit to the Blessed Sacrament.
To-day, the special Feast of the Associ-
ation, marks its affiliation to the work
of the venerated Pere Eymard, and has
been solemnized by a General Commun-
ion of all the Associates, special expo-
sition of the Blessed Sacrament all day
in the Cathedral, the general head
centre, and will conclude with a solemn
procession, in which all the zelators and
zelatrices will take part.

The following letter, in its English
form, will interest the Associates :

' ' The Rev. Assistant General of the
Congregation of the Most Blessed Sacra-
ment is most happy to learn the admir-
able development of the devotion to the
Blessed Sacrament among the faithful of
New York City. He aggregates the Asso-
ciates of the various Guards of Honor of
that city to the Arch Association directed
by the Congregation and renders them
participants in all the merits, prayers and
indulgences of the Congregation of the
Aggregated Members in the whole world.

Given at Paris, in the Mother House,
in the name of the Most Rev. Father
General, June 4, 1897.

"A. TESNI^RE, Assistant General."

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

It has been our custom

Promoters . ... /-

Roll Book. to require the names of
candidates for the Promo-
ters' Diploma and Cross, not because we
are obliged to do so, or because it is
necessary to register their names for the
validity of the indulgences granted to
them but because we usually inscribe
their names on the Diplomas as well as on
our Promoters ' Roll Book. In sending us
the names some time in advance of the
receptions, our Local Directors give us

the best assurance that the candidates
are well tried and fully deserving of the
honor and privileges to be conferred on
them. This year the demand for diplo-
mas grew so numerous as the feast of
the Sacred Heart approached that we
were compelled to ask our Directors to
have the names inscribed on them by
their own secretaries. Directors will no-
tice that we have been empowered to use
the signature of Father Drive on Promo-
ters' Diplomas instead of our own ; but

756

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(244)

Local Directors should still continue to
sign them at the place marked for their
signature.

Not since June, 1895,

hi Tune have tliere been S° many

Promoters' Receptions as
there were during the month of June
just past. In two hundred and sixty-
one Centres twenty-nine hundred and
eighty - five Promoters were solemnly
received, and about four hundred more
Diplomas and Crosses were Lssued for
those who were received privately or
without any public ceremony. This is
one of the best signs of the progress of
our work. We have reason to believe
that in every instance these Promoters
were well chosen and well trained. In
some cases they had been kept on proba-
tion for fully one year. That they had
not been chosen at the last moment,
merely for the purpose of having a cere-
mony is clear, from the fact that with
almost every application made to us for
their Diplomas and Crosses, the names
of the candidates were sent at least one
week, and sometimes fully a month, be-
fore the day of the ceremony.

By the deaths of Arch-
In. bishopjanssens and Father

Memoriam. .-f J , , , . r

Hewit, the Apostleship of
Prayer loses two good friends and patrons

of its work. The Most Reverend Arch-
bishop never failed to add to his various
official answers to our requests a word
of encouragement and of commendation
for the devotion to the Sacred Heart.
Father Hewit often took the opportunity
of writing to us and of expressing in
detail the intentions he wanted us to
recommend to the prayers of the League
and his request was invariably accom-
panied with a desire that all Christians
should take part in our union of prayer
and zeal. Our Directors will repay our
debt of gratitude to both of them by
recommending them both at the altar and
at the meetings of Promoters and As-
sociates.

A Practical AS E Pmctical applica-

AppHcation. tion of the General Inten-
tion for this month, we
beg to call the attention of our Directors
to the suggestions about the Treasury of
Good Works made in the following
columns, under the heading, " To Promot-
ers." We might have addressed them
directly to Local Directors themselves,
and we have something special to say on
this topic in the League Director for
August. Still, our appeal to Promoters
will have more weight here, since they,
more than the Directors, need urging in
this matter.

To PROMOTERS.

Treasury of
Good Works.

The Treasury reports
for the month of June
over 9 , ooo , ooo good works .
Apparently, the Promoters exercised un-
usual zeal in obtaining that number, or
Promoters and Associates both yielded a
point of their usual modesty and con-
sented to let some of their light shine
before men because they felt they must
do something special to honor the Sacred
Heart, much as their humility revolts
against doing their good works in pub-
lic. The Treasury is the best means of
making the General Intention for August
a practical one ; and when we call for
prayers that all Christians, and particu-
larly the members of the League, may
recognize the importance of giving good
example and correct the wrong notions
they have on this point, we have in
view chiefly the false modesty which
makes many Promoters as well as Asso-
ciates refuse to report their good works
on the Treasury blanks that are sent
us every month to be published for the
consolation of all who take part in our
work of prayer and zeal.

Objections to the
Treasury.

We are constantly told :
' ' God knows what good I
am doing, and of what use
is it to publish it ? I am vain enough
without indulging vanity in counting up
my good deeds. Time is short enough
to do what is good, without writing a
history of it," etc., etc. The objection
is put in a dozen other forms, but it
always comes to the same, and it arises
in all cases from a lack of positive
knowledge of the obligation and advan-
tages of giving good example, of edify-
ing and encouraging others by letting
them know that what they find hard is
done everywhere and under all circum-
stances by thousands of people like
themselves. Were the Treasury blanks
signed, or if each good deed must have
the name of its performer written after
it, there might be some reason for pro-
testing against such vanity. Were the
good works themselves of an unusual,
extraordinary, or heroic sort, we might
be obliged, in humility, to conceal them ;
but they are all the common, ordinary
good works that any Christian ought

(245)

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

757

to do regularly and constantly and still
feel like an unprofitable servant.

Promoters will do well,
therefore, to make the
General Intention for
August a practical one by inducing
their Associates to report their good
works in the Treasury nor should they
neglect the Intention Blanks, since it
is a great help to the faith of every
Associate to know that vast numbers of
people are praying for the objects men-
tioned in those lists. Let each Promo-
ter have at least the blank printed with
the Decade Leaflets, or, let each Promo-
ter distribute blanks among the Asso-
ciates In due time these blanks can
be collected and sent to us on the proper
susumary forms, and we shall publish
them. When the Intention and Treas-
ury lists for July and August appear in
the MESSENGER, we feel confident they
will prove that our Promoters have acted
on our exhortation to use them to more
effect, and thus spread the practice of
giving good example by the faith and
piety evidenced in the lists of intentions
and good works.

unusual , We received the other

occurrences. **? a letter containing a

bill for articles sent from

this office, and with twice the amount

of money to pay it. This being quite

unusual, we wrote to inquire what it

meant and got the following answer :

"DEAR REV. FATHER:

"Your postal was received yesterday
and I think you will smile when you
hear how the three dollars surplus
money happened to reach you. Here is
the account in full : I filled out a money
order application ; gave it to our gar-
dener, Patrick K., and told him to get
the order when he went to the office and
to enclose it in the envelope addressed to
the Apostleship of Prayer. Pat asked no
questions, but thinking the money was
sent to aid some charitable work, in-
closed three dollars from his own purse,
convinced that this was a golden op-
portunity afforded him of becoming an
unknown benefactor in a noble cause.
When he came home and related what
he had done, all concerned were highly
amused. However, Patrick desires me
to say he is glad he made the mistake
and he knows you will give him a re-
membrance at the altar. ' '

A zealous League Director in Minnesota
writes : "I have tried my best for the
MESSENGER through the Promoters, but
failed. I am now taking up the job my-
self and I hope to be successful in secur-
ing very soon a number of subscribers.
I do believe the MESSENGER does won-
ders for the Sacred Heart. It is a real
messenger of our Lord. I'll do all I can
to have a MESSENGER in every house in
my parish." The good will and appre-
ciation expressed in this letter is most
grateful and encouraging. May his ex-
ample be catching !

THE APOSTLESHIP AT HOME.

PITTSFIELD, MASS., Notre Dame
Church.— We are much pleased with the
League in our Centre; new members are
coming in all the time showing how
zealous our Promoters are. Our Rev.
Director is quite elated and urges on
the good work as much as he can. We
have the satisfaction of having a great
many men in our Centre, which is saying
a great deal.

WATERTOWN, N. Y., Notre Dame
Church.— We had a League social in
June to give our Associates a chance to
meet and get acquainted with one an-
other. We have now about eleven hun-
dred members.

^ ORLEANS, LA., St. Alphonsus'

Church. — Our June reception of Pro-
moters was celebrated with great pomp
and splendor. It made a lasting im-
pression upon the thousands who had

gathered to witness the unusual scene.
The heat, ranging according to the ther-
mometer between ninety-five and one
hundred degrees, was powerless to keep
back the eager throng.

PHILADELPHIA, PA., Cathedral Centre.
— On the evening of the feast of the
Sacred Heart, Pontifical Vespers were
celebrated by Archbishop Ryan. Rev.
P. J. Dooley, S.J., delivered the sermon.
The Archbishop made an address thank-
ing the Associates of the League for the
spiritual bouquet of communions and
other religious acts which they offered
for him on the occasion of his silver
jubilee. He extolled the work of the
League in the parish and blessed the
Crosses and Diplomas which he after-
wards conferred on the one hundred and
twenty new Promoters. This Centre,
was, a short time ago, estimated to have
at least nine thousand members.

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

TOTAL NUMBER OF THANKSGIVINGS I-OR LAST MONTH, 291,007.
"Sn all things give thanks." (I. Thes., v, 18.)

Special Thanksgiving: — An Associate
returns thanks for many favors obtain- d
from the Sacred Heart through the
intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual
Help during the month of May. One
in particular was the transfer by a father
of all his property and business to his
children for whom he had said that he
would do nothing any more.

' ' I write in thanksgiving for the
baptism of three children whose mother
is a Catholic but whose father is not. I
recommended them to the League,
promising to acknowledge the favor
if I obtained it. The father always re-
fused his consent but some weeks ago
the eldest little girl became ill with
diphtheria. When he saw that she
could not live he at last said she might
be baptized, which was done about ten
minutes before her death. He after-
wards said the others might also be
baptized and they were, on Ascension
Thursday. We are all very grateful for
this favor and wish to make it known
through the MESSENGER OP THE SACRED
HEART."

' ' My little baby was sick since it was
born on May 2, 1897. It kept getting
worse all the time. On the eleventh of
June it entirely lost its voice, and for
three days we all thought it must die.
On June 14, I promised to say a rosary
a day for a week, moreover to join the
League, to have a Mass said for the
souls in purgatory and in case my baby
recovered, to have it published in the
MESSENGER. On the night of the four-
teenth, he slept all night, has since been
rapidly improving, so that to-day — feast
of Sacred Heart — he is almost entirely
well."

' ' My brother, a talented scenic artist
with a wife and child to support,
had been unemployed for a year. As
we had prayed, apparently to no pur-
pose, he seemed to lose all faith in prayer.
However, he made another novena, to-
gether with his wife, in honor of Bishop
Neumann; my mother made one in honor
of the holy bishop to further the devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and I made
one to the holy bishop and another in
honor of our Blessed Lady of Perpetual
Help. Then my mother and his wife also
said the thirty days' prayer and a few

758

days after the novenas were finished, my
brother received first one contract, then
another, and then a third, until he had
some trouble arranging the three satis-
factorily to all parties."

" A young person, who had neglected
her religion, was sick and deaf to the
priest's entreaties. A Promoter proposed
a novena to the Sacred Heart, that the
patient might either recover long enough
to learn her religion, or die fortified with
the Sacraments. She is now well and
has received the Sacraments of Penance,
Holy Eucharist and Confirmation."

" Last Summer while in East Boston,
and wishing to meet a friend before re-
turning home, while visiting the Church
of the Sacred Heart on Brook Street,
kneeling before a statue of the Sacred
Heart, I asked, as a very great favor, to
meet the person I wanted to. The day
wore on and it did not seem as if my
prayer was to be answered. I left there
about six o'clock, and had given up the
hope, when, stepping from an electric
car to enter the depot, I felt a hand
touch my arm, and turning, came face to
face with the person I desired to see.
My prayer was answered, as is always
the case where the Sacred Heart is in-
voked."

"While nursing a case of diphtheria
I was threatened with the disease my-
self, having all the symptoms. I prom-
ised a Mass for the souls in purgatory
and publication in the MESSENGER if
the child recovered and I escaped the
disease. The little boy is perfectly well
again and neither myself nor any other
member of the household took the diph-
theria. ' '

Spiritual Favors; — The return of a
brother to the Sacraments after an ab-
sence of twenty years, his sister having
worn a Badge of the Sacred Heart for
his conversion : " a great favor granted
to a lady seventy-three years old. She
was baptized in infancy, but for reasons
unknown fell away from the practice of
her religion in early girlhood, though
she never failed to hear Mass on Sun-
days. A great timidity and fear of her
unworthiness prevented her from ap-
proaching the Blessed Sacrament,
joined the League of the Sacred Heart
about four years ago, and on May 2

(246)

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

759

she made hvr First Communion " ; the
return to his Easter duty, after prayer
and promised publication, of a young
man who had been remiss for years ; a
daughter wishes to thank the Sacred
Heart for the return to his religious
duties of a father who had neglected
them for five years ; the conversion of a
mother who had neglected her religious
duties for many years, followed very
soon by the conversion of her son who
had been equally remiss ; conversion of
a father after years of neglect ; a member
of the League rid of scruples that kept
him from the Sacraments over a year,
after a novena and promise of publica-
tion; return of a prodigal son to his
home and work ; conversion to a tem-
perate life of two brothers who had been
intemperate for ten and two years re-
spectively ; also conversion of a father
who had been intemperate for twenty
years ; conversion to temperance of the
father of six children, who had long
been intemperate ; preservation from in-
jury in an accident ; restoration to health
and employment of a young man afflicted
with nervous prostration ; conversion of
a sister long estranged from her religion;
"the return of a son after four years'
absence from confession. He went to
confession and is a better man. "

Temporal Favors: — The almost im-
mediate relief of an ailment that at times
i caused great mental anguish. A novena
was begun to the Sacred Heart, through
St. Ignatius Loyola, the water was used
and relief experienced from the first day;
a Visitation nun returns thanks to St.
Joseph for the removal of a throat trou-
ble, which, for more than fifteen years,
prevented her from singing divine office.
The favor was granted on the feast of
St. Joseph, after publication had been
promised; " My brother was out of em-
ployment for a long time. I made a
novena to the Sacred Heart, abstaining
from meat the nine days. On the eighth
day he obtained work from a very unex-
pected source;" restoration to health of
an insane brother after two Masses had
been offered and two novenas made in
honor of the Sacred Heart; a Promoter
who was suffering from an illness for
which an operation seemed necessary,
was cured shortly after making a novena
to St. Ignatius and using the Ignatius
holy water; restoration to health, after
a novena, of a husband who was pro-
nounced hopelessly insane ; complete
cure of a chronic stomach affliction of a
woman who had tried doctors and nos-

trums unavailingly for years. She asked
a Promoter and his wife to join her in a
novena to the Sacred Heart and to re-
ceive Holy Communion for her; recov-
ery, after a novena had been begun, of
a daughter who had been ill for more than
a year ; recovery, after a novena, of a
sister in Denver, Col., who had been
despaired of by physicians. Also recov-
ery after a novena and promised publi-
cation of one who had been ill for months
and pronounced incurable.

Favors through the Badge and Pro-
moter's Cross: — An Associate of the
League accidentally stepped upon a nail
which penetrated the shoe and passed
some distance into the foot. With great
presence of mind she drew out the nail
herself, and, hurrying to her room, ap-
plied Lourdes water to the wound, and
later the Badge. Next day she was able
to resume her duties; relief of severe
chronic pain after application of the
Badge; a lady cured of a severe pain after
applying the Promoter's Cross; cure of
a sister long demented; financial help
for a church from a non-Catholic; a
painful abscess of the ear, threatening
permanent deafness, cured by applying
the Badge; also relief from severe head-
ache; a severe case of congestion of the
lungs followed by congestion of the liver
and violent inflammation of the stomach
cured by applying the Badge at different
times; a little grandchild cured of bron-
chitis after application of the Badge and
promise of a Mass and publication, the
doctor being unable to attend in time;
inflammator}^ rheumatism averted by
applying the Badge; a man who had
neglected his duty for over twenty years
had the Badge placed on him when at-
tacked with fatal convulsions. A Mass,
Communion and publication were also
promised, and he lived long enough to
receive the last Sacraments; impaired
sight restored; also an invalid mother, a
daughter who had been given up by the
doctors, and a friend dangerously ill
cured through the Badge; many cases of
kidney trouble, abscesses, evils, injuries,
neuralgia, croup, diphtheria, rheuma-
tism, and other afflictions cured by ap-
plying the Badge.

Spiritual and temporal favors ob-
tained through the intercession of our
Lady under various titles, St. Joseph,
St. Anne, St. Benedict. St. Ignatius
Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, St. Anthony
of Padua, B. Rita, Ven. Claude de la
Colombiere and Bishop Neumann of
Philadelphia.

"f N the last few years our readers must
\ have been pleased and edified by
some beautiful and devotional poems,
which appeared from time to time in
the MESSENGER and signed "St. Mary's
of the Woods." It was the modest re-
serve of a young religious, a convert to
the Faith, which prompted her to hide
her own identity. Just a year ago she
passed away, as we confidently trust, to
see Him face to face, about whom she
had so lovingly sung in her verses.
Her superiors, having been urged to
publish a selection of her poems, now
offer them to the public. The impression
they produced upon her bishop, Rt. Rev.
F. S. Chatard, he himself tells in an in-
troduction which he wrote for the vol-
ume: "'Charming, pure, fragrant as a
lily ' were the words that came as if
spontaneously from our lips as we fin-
ished reading the poems of Sister Mary
Genevieve, a few days after she had
passed to the bourne for which her soul
had yearned. It may be said that a
minor tone pervades what she has writ-
ten ; but while she had her portions of
sadness, and labored long under the
malady that put an end to her young
existence, there is a spiritual joy that
shows itself in her realization of the
union of her chosen soul with God here
and hereafter, as she longed for her
Beloved. Her days were not all sunless
as she n eared her goal. As it was our
privilege to know her well and see her
quite often , we could not but remark her
joyous spirit, even in the midst of her
trials. . . . The good she did (in
the novitiate) by her example and by her
poems was greater than she thought ;
and now she has been called from God's
earthly garden, the fragrance remains,
. . . and the legacy of her poems
will exert a wholesome and elevating
influence." Such words from so cul-
tured a prelate are a sufficient imprimatur
to make this volume welcome in every
Catholic home. Besides poems it contains
the "Week of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
the Divine Teacher in the Tabernacle"

760

and a "Week for Children," based on
the practices of the virtues of the Sacred
Heart. Both these " Weeks" are full of
devout and practical suggestions in
scripture texts and original verse.

A few quotations from MESSENGER
poems will help our readers to recall the
gifted singer :

Abide with us ! Thy presence sweet and

holy,

Still let us see, O Fellow- Pilgrim fair !
All day we've journeyed ; now our hospice

lowly
We pray Thee share.

Then follow four verses, full of beauty,
with this conclusion:

Abide with me! life's ray is dimly sinking,
And sombre shades are falling thick and
fast,

Dissolving death, each tie of earth unlinking,
Comes on at last.

Abide with me ! The night is lone and
dreary;

But safe with Thee upon Thy bosom blest
I'll lean and trust; till, like a child a-weary,

I sink to rest.

In a brighter, sprightlier vein she
wrote:

Consider how the lilies grow;
Not an anxious care they know,
Nodding gaily to and fro
Through the summer hours,

Toiling never,

Trusting ever,
Happy, favored flowers.

Her last published poem, we believe,
was the much admired one called ' ' Life's
Angelus," and the prayer in the last
lines was soon after answered.

Ave Maria ! Faint and fainter grows

The tuneful echo of the evening bells,

And, with the growing shadows of the wood,

A deeper silence o'er the spirit falls.

O pia Mater ! sweetest, holiest,

From thy celestial dwellings, fondly now

Bend down and listen while we trusting

breathe
Our evening prayer: " Oh, take us to thy

rest!"

(248)

(249)

THE READER.

761

As she herself described in "At Close
)f Day:"

Now I lay me." Pale and trembling

Are the clasped hands to-night,
And the dim eyes fast are closing

Kver more upon earth's light;
One more tear for love and sorrow,

One more sigh so long and deep,
And within the Heart of Jesus,

She hath lain her down to sleep.

Besides poems in verse Sister Mary
Genevieve has left some exquisite
studies in prose; poems, too, they might
be called, such as "Soul Pictures, " the
"Harp of Ireland," "Nazareth," and
"The Temple of Providence." We
heartily recommend the two volumes
published by P. J. Kenedy for the Sisters
of Providence of St. Mary of the Woods,
Vigo Co., Indiana. Volumes, we say,
because, although the same poems appear
in both, one contains the "Weeks " we
have mentioned, and the other has the
prose studies.

THE ENCYCLICAL ON DEVOTION TO THE
HOLY GHOST.

Leo XIII. is a man of inspirations; he
understands how to grasp the needs of
the hour. In our days when sectarian
pulpits resound with denials of divine
truths, His Holiness most opportunely
insists upon their acceptance. If there
ever was a time when we need to en-
kindle the spirit of faith or to foster it
where it exists, it is now. Hence the
Holy Father has sent forth to Christen-
dom a message upon devotion to the
Holy Ghost. As he says " we have been
anxious that all the works undertaken
and carried out by us during the already
long course of our Pontificate, should
tend to two main ends: First, the res-
toration of Christian life in civil and
domestic society, among rulers as well
as peoples, because there is no true life
among men except that which flows
from Christ; and, second, the reconcilia-
tion of all those who in faith or obedi-
ence are separated from the Church;
since it was most assuredly the inten-
tion of Christ to reunite them all in one
fold under one Shepherd. "

The attaining of these two aims can
only be accomplished through the Holy
Ghost, and so Leo XIII. sketches in a
masterly way the part which the Third
Person of the Blessed Trinity plays in
regard to man as a member of a fallen
race and of a supernatural societ}'. He
puts clearly the teaching of the Church

concerning the Holy Trinity as the
fundamental doctrine of Christianity,
showing how jealously she guards the
unity of nature while holding the
trinity of persons, and "appropriating"
to each some particular function; for
instance she attributes to the Father
works characterized by power, to the
Son those characterized by wisdom, and
to the Holy Ghost those characterized
by love, though, as St. Augustin says:
"since the three divine Persons are
inseparable, so, too, they work in-
separably. ' '

He next explains the part of the Holy
Ghost in the Incarnation of the Second
Person, whose natural human body was
through Him conceived. Then the in-
fluence of the Holy Ghost on the mysti-
cal body of Christ, the Church, is
treated, in its outpouring on the first
Pentecost, then as the abiding spirit of
truth and the constitutor of the hier-
archy with the power to blot out sin.
He contrasts the state of the just before
and after Christ, and shows the abun-
dance of the gifts vouchsafed to the
latter. He describes the effects of the
Sacraments of Baptism and Confirma-
tion, that we may understand our
dignity as adoptive sons of God and
partakers of the divine nature. He
enlarges on the dignity of man, even in
his body, as the temple of the Holy
Ghost, in consequence of which the
whole Trinity deigns to come and abide
in the just soul and bestow the most
precious gifts. Our duty of gratitude
necessarily flows from the realization of
this immense bounty of the Holy Ghost,
our Sanctifier, and this we should show
by our obedience and devotion, zealously
striving to know, love and invoke this
Spirit.

That the faithful may not fail in this
duty, preachers and directors of souls
are exhorted to impart with more zeal
and efficacy the teachings regarding the
Holy Ghost, for our love for Him will
increase with our knowledge of Him,
but it should manifest itself in a prompt-
ness to act and to avoid sin, since it is
this beneficent Spirit whom the sinner
offends. Especially must we beware of
that sin which is said to be against the
Holy Ghost, and which consists in
maliciously contradicting or turning
away from the faith, inasmuch as He is
the spirit of truth. Nor is it enough
merely to avoid evil, but we must shine
with the brightness of all the virtues,
particularly purity and sanctity, which

762

BOOK NOTICES.

(25O)

are the characteristics becoming a
temple, the violation of which is the
subject of the awful threat " if any man
violate the temple of God, him shall
God destroy. ' '

Finally we are bidden to invoke the
Holy Ghost, "because there is no one
who does not stand in the greatest need
of His aid. In truth we are all without
wisdom or strength, overwhelmed with
temptations and inclined to evil; there-
fore should we all seek a refuge with
Him, who is the eternal source of light,
strength, consolation and holiness."
The Church teaches us how we should
address Hun in the Veni Sancte Spiritus,
which the Pope here paraphrases.

Then comes the decree prescribing
the yearly novena to be made before
Pentecost in all the parish churches,
and, if the ordinary deem it useful, in
the other churches and sanctuaries
throughout the world, with an impart-
ing of rich indulgences, which may be
gained even by those who make the

novena in private. He concludes by
begging the hierarchy to join with him
in these prayers, and he says : Let all
Catholic nations unite their voices with
ours in engaging the intercession of the
most powerful and ever blessed Virgin.
You know the close and wonderful ties
which unite her with the Holy Ghost,
whose immaculate spouse she is called.
Her prayer was most efficacious for the
mystery of the Incarnation and for the
descent of the Holy Ghost on the Apos-
tles. May she, by her gracious aid,
fortify our common prayers, that the
prodigies celebrated in the prophecies of
David may be accomplished by the Holy
Ghost for all who labor throughout
the earth ! ' ' Thou shalt send forth thy
spirit, and they shall be created ; and
thou shalt renew the face of the earth. "
May this magnificent encyclical of
Leo XIII. find a responsive echo in
every Catholic heart, and may it arouse
fervent devotion to the spirit of truth
and of love !

BOOK NOTICES,

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass worthily
Celebrated. By Rev. Father Chaignon,
S.J. From the French by Rt. Rev. L.
De Goesbriand, D.D., Bishop of Bur-
lington, Vt. New York: Benziger Broth-
ers. 1897. 8vo. Pages 295. Price $1.50.

The venerable Bishop of Burlington
has made the English-speaking clergy
his debtors by putting this excellent
book into English. The best prepara-
tion and the best disposition for the
celebration of the holy sacrifice of the
Mass may be drawn from the considera-
tion of that august sacrifice itself. This
is precisely what the work before us
offers to the priest. Combining piety
with theological accuracy, Father Chaig-
non, first treats, for the benefit of the
priest, of the nature of the holy sacri-
fice, the sanctity it requires in the priest,
the means of sanctification it contains,
and the preparation which should pre-
cede its celebration. He then proposes
as so many subjects for consideration
and meditation the preludes and the
various parts of the Mass. This book
supplies just that spiritual food which
the priest needs for the well-being of his
soul, as the devout celebration of the
Mass is the life of his spiritual life. No
priest will regret to make it his daily
companion.

Bound Together. Six short plays for
home and school. By Rosa Mulholland

and Clara Mulholland. Baltimore : John
Murphy and Company. i2mo. Paper.
Price 50 cents.

The literary fame of the Mulholland
sisters is a sufficient guarantee for the
high merit of these plays. We warmly
recommend them to school managers
and amateurs.

The New Testament. Translated from
the Latin Vulgate. With 100 illustra-
tions. New York: Benziger Brothers.
1897. i6mo. Pages 443. Price 60 cents.

This handy little edition of the New
Testament, which is published with the
approval of His Grace, the Archbishop
of New York, fills a long felt want.
The print, though necessarily small, is
very legible. The illustrations, which
are well selected and finely executed,
make the book quite attractive. We
trust it will find a wide circulation
among the laity who should be eager to
make themselves familiar with the scrip-
tures of the New Testament.

St. Joseph's Anthology. By Rev. Mat-
thew Russell, S.J. Dublin: M. H. Gill
& Son. 1897. i2ino. "Pages 155.

As the compiler tells us, the title of
this volume is taken from a Greek word
which means "a gathering of flowers."
The flowers which Father Russell has
plucked are " poems in praise of the
Foster Father, gathered from many

(251)

BOOK NOTICES.

763

sources." To all clients of St. Joseph
this choice collection of beautiful and
devotional verse will prove most accept-
able.

Explanation of the Our Father and the
Hail Mary. With numerous examples,
parables and interesting anecdotes from
Holy Scripture, the Lives of the Saints,
the doctors of the Church, and other
sources. Adapted from the German by
Rev. Richard Brennan, LL.D. New York:
Benziger Brothers. 1897. i6mo. Pages
202. Price 75 cents.

The title of this book fully sets forth
its nature, character and scope. It offers
excellent subject-matter for instruction,
pious reading and meditation. The
Scripture texts, extracts from the
Fathers, and examples are generally
well chosen ; and the whole is put in
good English dress. We heartily recom-
mend it to our readers.

Jasper Thorn. By Maurice Francis
Egan. Philadelphia: H. L. Kilner &
Co. 1897. i2mo. Pages 304. Price
50 cents.

As Dr. Egan puts it in the sub-title,
this is a story of New York life. The
various boys introduced are varied in
type and are used to throw in relief the
sterling character of the hero, Jasper
Thorn. The moral is excellent and the
interest of the story never flags.

Three Indian Tales: Namameha and
Watoimelka: By Alexander Baumgart-
ner, S.J. Tahko. By A. V. B. Father
Rene's Last Journey. By Anton Huon-
der, S.J. Translated from the German
by Miss Helena Long. St. Louis: B.
Herder. 1897. Pages 124. Price 45
cents.

Three simple and artless stories of
mission experience among the American
Indians. Though quite distinct, they
have all the same finale — that an Indian
boy becomes a priest and missionary.

The Blessed Sacrament Our God. By

a child of St. Teresa. London: Burns
& Gates New York: Benziger Broth-
ers. 1897. Pages 52. Price 30 cents.

The sub-title explains that the object
of this little book is to give some " Prac-
tical thoughts on the mystery of love. "
It considers the Blessed Sacrament in its
abiding aspects, and so, passing over
Mass and Holy Communion, it treats
of "our visits," Benediction, and inte-
rior and exterior dispositions of soul and
body. The advice is forcible and prac-
tical.

Immortelles of Catholic Columbian
Literature. By M. Seraphine, O. St. U.
Chicago— New York: D. N. McBride
& Co. 1897. Pages 625.

The Ursuline Nuns of New York have
made this excellent collection of choice
selection from the writings, prose and
verse, of our Catholic American women.
A short biographical sketch of each
authoress is given. We had no idea
that the Church in this country had
produced in this century sixty-three
writers deserving of literary fame. It
was compiled to serve as a "supple-
mentary Reader, " to be used in schools
in any grade, as well as "to put before
the young people what brain-workers we
have, and what we hope for in the
future. " We cordially recommend it.

Letters of St. Alphonsus Liguori. New
York: Benziger Brothers. 1897. Pages
460. Price $1.25.

This is the fifth volume of the corre-
spondence of this illustrious doctor of
the Church, and the twenty-second and
last volume of the complete ascetical
works of St. Alphonsus, translated from
the Italian and edited by Rev. Thomas
W. Mullaney, C.SS.R.

Laughter and Tears. By Marion J.
Brunowe. St. Louis: B. Herder. 1897.
Pages 169. •

This little volume contains eight short
stories dealing chiefly with young peo-
ple, whose ways the authoress seems to
understand thoroughly. Each tale con-
veys an excellent lesson on which the
point hinges, and is told in a lively and
entertaining way.

A Summer at Woodville. By Anna
T. Sadlier. New York: Benziger Broth-
ers. 1897. i6mo. Pages 168. Price 50
cents. Cloth.

We naturally expect something good
from the pen of the gifted Miss Sadlier,
and we are sure that the boys and girls
she writes for will pronounce this a capi-
tal book, full of incidents and adven-
tures.

My Strange Friend. By Francis J.
Finn, S.J. New York: Benziger Broth-
ers. 1897. Pages 70. Price 30 cents.
Cloth.

This little vohime contains two short
stories, My Strange Friend and Looking
for Santa Claus. That they come from
the author is enough said.

764

RECENT AGGREGATIONS

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The Boys in the Block. By Maurice
Francis Egan. New York: Benziger
Brothers. 1897. Pages 85. Price 30
cents. Cloth.

A sketch of city boys, with race an-
tipathy and the evils that flow from it,
and from reading dime novels.

The Fatal Diamonds. By Eleanor C.
Donnelly. New York: Benziger Brothers.
1897. Pages 73. Price 30 cents. Cloth.

A startling little episode in the life of
a young wife, conveying a warning
against vanity and showing the desirabil-
ity of staying at home.

A Little Book of Wisdom. St. Louis :
B. Herder. 1897. Pages 297. Price 75
cents.

This is a " collection of great thoughts
of many wise men and women," made
by Lelia Hardin Bugg, and will prove
useful for those who like to know what
the wise thought and said, some in prose
and some in verse, about matters of in-
terest to all.

The Taming of Polly. By Ella Loraine
Dorsey. New York: Benziger Brothers.
1897. i2mo. Pages 244. Price 85 cents.

This is a delightful book, full of in-
terest from beginning to end. The story
is laid in the West, and there is a fresh
and invigorating tone about it, caught
from the ranch. Polly is a most uncon-
ventional character, whose early educa-
tion, while bringing out the best natural
traits, entirely lacked everything super-
natural. The taming is the work of the
Sisters, who most judiciously encouraged
what could be commended, and gradu-
ally unfolded to her the beauty of re-
ligion. We heartily recommend it as
most enjoyable.

The Blissylvania Post Office.
Three Girls and Especially one. By

Marion Ames Taggart. New York : Ben-
ziger Brothers. 1897. i6mo. Pages 152
and 168. 50 cents. Cloth.

These two books, by Miss Taggart,
will prove acceptable to young readers,
as they contain many suggestions in the
way of amusement which could be
adopted by them. The boys and girls
represented are just the kind we meet,
with childish ambitions, and bad as well
as good traits. The conversations are
natural and well sustained.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

From Catholic Truth Society: London.
Price of each One Penny.

Remember Me. Daily Readings for
Lent. 1897. Pages 51; The Ember Days,
By Dom Columba Edmondo, O.S.B.
Pages 20; The Drunkard. By Archbishop
Ullathorne. Pages 16; The Catholic's Li-
brary of Tales, No. 24. Pages 22; Two
Tales: A Lucky Hamper. By Margaret
Merriman; Unfaithful, By Joseph Car-
michael; St. Stanislas Kostka. Pages 20.

We are in receipt of a beautiful oleo-
tint picture of the Sacred Heart. It is a
very faithful copy of an altar-piece, by
Tozetti, in a church in Munich. All who
desire a handsome picture of the Sacred
Heart, delicate and rich in coloring,
tender and devout in expression, will
find it in this picture, which we can
heartily recommend. We are pleased to
be able to recommend such a pleasing
work of art to all who wish to share in
our Lord 's promise : "I will bless every
place where a picture of My Heart shall
be set up and honored." Elegantly
framed, this picture may be obtained
from the Catholic Supply Company, 19
and 21 Quincy Street, Chicago, Illinois.

RECENT AGGREGATIONS.

The following Local Centres have received Diplomas of Aggregation, June i to 30, 1897.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Date

Boston Mass . . .

Catholic Deaf Mute ....

Mission

June 6

Brooklyn
Buffalo

Brooklyn, N. Y
Randolph, N. Y

Sacred Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
St. Patrick's

Church

une 25
June 25

Cleveland
Dubuque
Erie

Cleveland, O
Dubuque, la
Clarion, Pa
Rasselas, Pa

St. Casimir's
St. Joseph's Mercv
Immaculate Conception . .
Holv Cross

Hospital
Church

iune 19
une 16
une 16
une 16

Hartford

Stoneboro, Pa
Bridgeport. Coin

^t. Columbkille's ....
St. Patrick's

une 19
une 6

Helena

Hazardville, Conn
Anaconda, Mont

St. Bernard's
St Paul's

une 25
une 16

Marquette . . .

Bessemer, Mich

St. Sebastian's

une 16

Nesqually
Newark
Oregon City . . .

! Spokane Falls, Wash. . . .
South Orange, N. J
Portland, Ore
Calais Me .

St. Joseph's
Our Lady of Sorrows . .
St. Vincent's
Immacu'ate Conception . .

Hospital
Church

une 16
" une 25
" une 6
' ime 25

Webster, Mass

St. Louis'

June 20

Trenton
Vincennes

Hammonton, N. J
Brazil, Ind

St. Joseph's
Annunciation

•'

June 25
June 6

Aggregations, 19; churches, 16 ; institutions, 3.

PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

ers' Diplomas and Crosses have been sent to the following Local Centres, June i to 30, 1897.

Diocese.

Place

Local Centre.

Number.

Albany
Ilton

Alb.-ny, N. Y. . .

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception 19

Renssetaer, N. Y
Troy, "
Decatur, 111
Effingham, 111
Pana, '
Quincy, ' ....
Springfield, '

Taylorville, '
Baltimore, Md

St John's

5
" I

St. Joseph's

St. Patrick's ....

5
" i
" 6

Sacred Heart
St Patrick's

Baltimore

Belleville! ! ! ! ! !
Boston

St. Francis Solano's

' ' 2

St. Joseph's .

" 6

St. Agnes' Church. ....
Immaculate Conception ....

St Mary's .

" 2
" I
" 3O

St. Bernard's
St. Ignatius'
Redemptorist

5
37
. College i
. Church 34
University 12
. Church 9

" 5

Ilchester, "
Washington, D. C

Belleville, 111 !
Chester, '• . .
Waterloo, "
Boston, Mass.

St. Aloysius'
Georgetown
St. Patrick's
St. Luke's
St. Mary of Help

SS. Peter and Paul's
St. Joseph's
St. Margaret's
St. Stephen's
Immaculate Conception . . .
St. Mary's
St. Patrick's
St Patrick's

' 2

18
37
H
' 4
6
25

' 22

: :: 11

8
7

!! 5°

" 22

,'! 5

4
" 7
" 14
6
. . " 9
. Home
. Convent 18
. Church 30
3
. . " 9

" 21

. Convent

• ::;;::: :

" " (Roxbury). . .
Brockton, "
Chelsea, " . . ....
Lowell, '|

St. Rose's

Immaculate Conception . .
St. Peter's
Immaculate Conception . . .
St. John's
Immaculate Conception . . .
St. James'
St. Joseph's . .
St. Ann's ...
St. Patrick's
St. Mary's
St. Joseph's
St. Vincent de Paul's
Our Lady of Victory
SS. Peter and Paul's
Nativity of our Blessed Lord.
St. Ambrose's ...
Bltssed Sacrament
St. John's
Mercy
Holy Cross
St. Monica's
St. Raphael's
St Mary's

Maiden, "
North Chelmsford, Mass.. .
Salem, Mass

Somerville, Mass

Stoneham, "
Waltham, "
Brooklyn N Y

; ...!...!

" !!!!!!!!

u y • • • •

Buffalo

" (Flatbush
Jamaica, LI
Long Island City

Buffalo, N. Y. . . . . . . .

St. Joseph's
St. Joseph's. . . ...

Charleston

Lockport, " , . .
Waverly, "
Charleston, S. C. . .
Columbia, "

St. James'
St Patrick's

. Church

. Convent
. Church

: " 'i

. Academy 7
" 4
. . Home 5
. School 5
. . Convent 5
" i
. " 13
" . 5

" 10

. . Hospital i
Academy
Church

Ursuline . ...
St. Monica's
St. Malachy's
St. Columbkille's
Sacred Heart . . . . •
Mt. Carmel
St Joseph's

Chicago

Chicago, 111

Cincinnati
Columbus.
Covington

Dallas

Urbana. Ohio

Ephpheta
St. Mary's
St. Andrew's Church. ....
St. Anthony's
Immaculate Conception . .
Immaculate Conception . .
St. Bernard's
Sacred Heart
St Stephen's . . .

Nelsonville, Ohio
Bellevue Ky . .

Newport, "
El Paso Tex

Davenport
Detroit

Dubuque

Council Bluffs, la
Detroit Mich

Port Huron, Mich
Ballyclough, la

St. Joseph's
St. Raphael's
St Joseph's .

/Cathedral
College 4

Dubuque, ' . . .
Easrle Grove, " .

St. Patrick's
St Mary's

. . Church 12

" 2

Erie . .
Fort Wayne

Galveston

Green Bay
Harrisburg
Hartford. . .

Kane, Pa

Elwood, Ind. . .
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Tipton,
Austin, Tex. . . .

Galveston, Tex. .
Shawano, Wis. .
Harrisburg, Pa. .
Ansonia.Conn. .

St. Calistus'

St. Joseph's "

Immaculate Conception .... Cathedral

St. Joseph's Convent

St. Mary's Academy

Immaculate Conception .... Church

Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart "

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Assumption Church

(253)

765

766

PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

(254)

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Number

Hartford , . ,

Bridgeport, Conn

Sacred Heart
St. Catherine's

. Church 44
"c i

/Cathedral 11
. . Church 9

Danbury,
Hartford,
New Haven,
Newtown,
New London, Conn
Stanford, Conn
Bismark, N. Dak
Jamestown, N. Dak
Lidgerwood, ....

Kansas City, Mo

St. Peter's
St. Joseph's
St John's

St. Rose's .

Jamestown n

v .;; ; • • • • •

Kansas City, Mo.
La Crosse

St. Mary's
St. John's
St Mary's

14
8

Cathedral i

St James'

St. John Nepomucene's . . .
St. Helena's
St. Aloysius'
St Lawrence's
Notre Dame
St. Mary's . . .
St. Patrick's

. Church i
i

10
2

Monett Mo

Chippewa Falls, Wis. . . .
Lyndon Station, " . .
Manston, Wis
Wauzeka, "
Fort Smith, Ark. . .
Fancy Farm, Ky. . . .
Knottsville,
Lebanon, ....
Louisville,
Paducah,
St. Joseph's, "
Concord, N. H
Escanaba, Mich
Kenosha, Wis

Little Rock
Louisville

Manchester
Marquette
Milwaukee

Mobile ........

Nashville' '. '. '.'.','.
Nesqually

Newark '.'.'''.'.

Sacred Heart
Immaculate Conception . .
St. Jerome's
St. William's
St. Augustine's
Assumption

I
II

7
i
17
Cathedral

St. Francis de .Sales' ....
Mt. St. Joseph's
St. John's
St. Joseph's
St. James'
St. Bernard's
Immaculate Conception . . .
Springfield
Assumption
Immaculate Conception . . .
Gonzaga
St. Paul of the Cross . . .
St. Michael's
St Peter's

. Church 2
. Academy 2
. Church 9
23
•

.Cathedral 13
. College 4
. Church 3
" i
. College i
. Church

Watertown, "
Mobile Ala

Springfield, .
Nashville. Tenn
Seattle, Wash

Spokane, "

Jersey City, N.( J

Newark, " . . . . .

Ridgewood, "
New Orleans, La

Cornwall on Hudson, N. Y.
Fishkill,
Kingston,
Mattewan,
Middletown,
Mt. Loretto,

Newburgh
New York City

St. Benedict's
St. John's ... ...
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel . .
St. Alphonsus
St. Boniface's
Sacred Heart
St. Thomas of Canterbury .
St. John's
St Joseph's ....
St. Joachim's ....
St. Joseph's
Immaculate Virgin
St. Elizabeth's
St. Patrick's
All Saints

College 5
. Church 25

,'< 9

. Convent 3
Church i

" 10
. . 20

" 9
. . Mission 3
Convent i
. Church 32

New Orleans
-«»

New York ......

:; - "••:-•

Annunciation

. " 18
8

" 7
15

( «

St. Ann's . . . . ...
St Bernard's
St. Charles Borromeo . . .
St. Catherine's
St. Columba's

I ((

1 ! 38

Sacred Heart

Convent 12
. Church 20
24
" 16
15
7
. " 32
4
" 4
I
. Cathedral 45
. . Church 12

" 10

" 3

St. Gabriel's
Guardian Angel . . .

it i

1 ' (Mulberry St.)

Holy Name
Holy Rosary

St. Ignatius Loyola

" . . .

St. Michael's . .
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel . .
Our Lady of Good Counsel .
St. Patrick's
St. Patrick's
St. Paul the Apostle ....
St Paul's . .

" (Riverdale)
Pocantico Hills, N. Y. . . .
Port Richmond, ' . . .
Poughkeepsie, . . .

Sing Sing, NY

St Peter's . . .

" 22

St. Stephen's
St. Teresa's
St. Vincent Ferrer's ....
Mt. St. Vincent
Magdalene
St. Mary's
St. Mary's
St. Peter's
St. Augustine's
St. Denis'
St Joseph's

" 12

.:. - II

. . Convent 4
. . Church 4
9
. . " 7
. - 9
. . " 10
. . " 10
. Seminary 5
. . Church 2
. . 8
" i
. . " i

Sylvan Lake, N. Y. .
Yonkers, N. Y
Charlotte, N. C
Port Henry, N. Y
Watertown. "
Omaha, Neb

North Carolina ....
Ogdensburg

St. Peter's
St. Patrick's ....
Notre Dame

Omaha

Holy Family

(255)

PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

767

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Number

Oregon City ....

St. Paul, Ore

St. Paul's

Church 2

Peoria

Utica, 111

St. Mary's

Philadelphia

Allentown, Pa

Immaculate Conception . . .

1 1 ....

Ashland, Pa

St. Joseph's

1 i

Coaldalt, "

St. Mary's

" '..'..'.','

Falls of Schuylkill, Phila.

St. Bridget's

" 34

Nesquehoning, Pa

Sacred Heart ...

" 3

New Philadelphia, Pa. . . .

Holy Family

" 2

>. .

Norristown, Pa . . . .

St. Patrick's

" 7

::• :

Philadelphia, Pa

Assumption of the B. V. M . .
St. Anthony's

•' 12
17

< »

St. Charles'

...

St. Edward's ."

St. Elizabeth's

St. Gregory's

'' ......

The Gesii

Sacred Heart

St. James'

Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Lady of Mercy ......

SS. Peter and Paul

. Cathedral 19

St. Peter's

. Church 122

St. Stephen's

" 9

1 *

St Vincent's .

. Seminary 2

South Easton, Pa

St. Joseph's

. School 2

West Chester, Pa

St. Agnes'

. Church 9

Pittsburg . .

Apollo, Pa
Carrolltown, Pa

St. James'
St. Joseph's

. " 6

Emsworth, Pa

Loretto Pa . .

St. Michael's ' * .

. " 8

" ....

Pittsburg, Pa

St. Bridget's

* '

St. Mary's

1 '

St. Paul's

. Cathedral 26

Portland

', Portland, Me

Immaculate Conception . . .

. Church ii

Providence

; Elmhurst, R. I

Sacred Heart

. Academy 4

; Fall River, Mass

St. Mary's

. Church 24

Providence, R. I

Assumption".

Immaculate Conception . . .

::::::

Valley Falls, R. I. '. '. '. '. '.

St. Joseph's
St. Patrick's , .

Woonsocket, R. I

Sacred Heart

Richmond ....

Richmond, Va

St. Peter's

. Cathedral 7

Sacramento

Nevada City, Cal

St. Canice's

. Church 9

St. Louis

Florissant, Mo

St. Ferdinand's

" 4

Fredericktown, Mo

St. Michael's

" ii

Perry ville, Mo
; St. Louis, Mo

St. Mary's
St. Francis Xavier's

. Seminary 2
. Church i

" '. '. '. '.

Good Shepherd

. Convent 8

*•

Holy Innocents'

. Church 5

'•

" ........

Immaculate Conception . . .

St. John's

«i

St. Lawrence O'Toole's . . .

" ii

t«

St. Michael's

" 2

St Paul's . .

" 3

« .'

St. Vincent's

" 33

St. Paul, Mo. . . . . . . . .

St. Paul's

" 2

St. Paul .'.'.'.'.'.'.'.

i Fairfax, Minn

St. Andrew's . . .....

" 10

Minneapolis Minn

Holy Rosary

" 25

San Antonio

Victorio, Tex.

St. Joseph's

. College i

San Francisco . . . .

Oakland, Cal

St. Mary's

. Church 36

Sau Francisco, Cal

St. Brendan's

Stockton, Cal

St. Mary's

" 10

Savannah

Atlanta, Ga

Immaculate Conception , . .

" 10

Scranton

Ashley, Pa

St. Leo's

" 9

Jermyn, "

St. Mary's

" 15

" .......

Scranton, Pa

St. John the Evangelist's . .

* i

ti i.

St. Paul's

" 12

Wilkesbarre, Pa.

St Mary's

" 22

Sioux Falls .

Sioux Falls, S. D.

St Michael's . .

Cathedral 2

Yankton, s! D.

Sacred Heart

. Church i

Springfield

Adams, Mass
Holyoke, Mass

St. Thomas'
St. Jerome's

Lee, Mass

St. Joseph's

. Convent 3

«'

North Adams, Mass

St. Francis

. Church 27

Pittsfield, Mass

St. Joseph's

AVorccstcr *4

Sacred Heart

Syracuse

Camden, N. Y. .'.'.'.'.'.'.

St. John's

Oswego, '
Syracuse, "

St. John the Evangelist's . .
Assumption

" . 29
. College 13

St Lucy's

. Church 26

<•••

Utica, " ...'....

St. John's

Vincennes

Indianapolis, Ind
Navilleton * c

St. John's
St. Mary's

. " 2

Wilmington '.'...

St. Mary's, Ind
Wilmington, Del

St. Mary's
St. Paul's

. Academy 5
. Church 38

Total number o

: Receptions, 261.

Number of

Diplomas, 2,985.

CALENDAR OF INTENTIONS, AUGUST, 1897.

THK MORNING OFFERING.

O Jesus, through the immaculate heart of Mary, I offer Thee the prayers, works, and sufferings of this
day for all the intentions of Thy divine Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and in par-
ticular for The Apostleship of Good Example, for the intentions of the Apostleship throughout the
world, and for these particular intentions recommended by the American Associates.

8th after Pentecost-st. Peter's chains.—

Seven Machabees. — s$.

Devotion to Holy See.

376,131 thanksgivings.

3
4
5
6

M.
7.
W.

Th.
F.

St. Alphonsus, Bp D.F. (C.SS.R., 174").
Finding of St. Stephen's Body (415).
St. Dominic, F. (O.P., 1221).— Pr.
Our Lady of the Snow (366).— H.H.
First Friday.— The Transfiguration of our
Lord.— ist D , A.C.
St. Cajetan, F. (Theatines, 1547).

Pray forbad Catholics.
Pray for persecutors.
Daily Rosary.
Filial trust in Mary.
Renewal of spirit.

Pray for doubters.

105,113 in affliction.
100,481 sick, infirm.
125,854 dead Associates.
54.533 League Centres.
21,374 Directors.

52,973 Promoters.

9th after PentecOSt.-B. Peter Faber (S.J.,
1546). -S.S.

Devotion to angels

276,517 departed.

12
13

?•

vSt. Romanus, M., Soldier (258).
St. Lawrence, M., Deacon (259)
SS. Tiburtius and Susanna, MM. (286-295).
—St. Philomena, V.M. (300).
St. Clara, V.F. (Poor Clares, 1257).— H.H.
St John Berchmans (S.J , Patron of Altar
Boys, 1621).— S S.
Vigil.— St. Eusebius (298).

Christian courage.
Suffer for Christ.
Confidence in saints.

Love of purity
Pray for altar-boy«.

Spirit of penance.

239,305 perseverance.
400,027 young persons.
^SiSys First Communions.

129,754 parents.
133,682 families.

72,995 reconciliations.

10th after Pentecost.— AssumptionB.V.M.

C R A I. A.C., S.. B.M.

Rejoice at Mary's joys.

162,922 work, means.

18
19

20
21

M.
T.

W.
Th.
F.

St. Hyacinth (O P.. 1257).— St. Roch (1327).
Octave of St. Lawrence — SS. Liberatus
and Comp. MM. (483).
St. Agapitus, M. (274).
St. Helen. Empress (328). — H.H.
St. Bernard, Ab. D. (1153).
St. Jane Frances de Chantal, W.F. (Visita-
tion Nuns, 1641).— Pr.

Pray for the afflicted.
Forget self.

Perseverance.
Love of the cross.
Love for Mary.
Pray for nuns.

166,022 clergy.
2 1 2, 069 religious.

101,630 seminarists, novices.
81,731 vocations.
59,140 parishes.
142,719 schools.

llth after Pentecost.— St. Joachim, Father
B.V.M.

Pray for fathers.

58,634 superiors.

27
28

M.
7.
W.
Th.
F.

St. Philip Benizi (Servite, 1258).
St. Bartholomew, A.p. (71).— A.I., B.M.
St. Louis, K. (1270).
St. Zephyrinus, P.M., (218).— H.H.
St. Joseph Calasanctius, F. (Pious Schools,
1640).
St. Augustin, Bp. D. (430).— St. Hermes,
VI. (1321.

Love of peace.
Virtue of patience.
Love of purity.
Respect priests.
Pray for children.

Pray for bishops.

51,607 missions, retreats.
49,958 societies, works.
189,431 conversions.
960,327 sinners.
206,723 intemperate.

227,062 spiritual favors.

12th after Pentecost.-Pure Heart B.V.M.

— Beheading St. John Baptist. — 2d D.

Avoid sinful occasions.

223,818 temporal favors.

30
,v

M.
T.

St. 'Rose of Lima, V. (O.S.D., 1617).
St. Raymond Nonnatus (1240).

Pray for America.
Pray for captives.

204,696 special, various.
MESSENGER readers.

PLENARY INDULGENCES: Ap. — Apostleship. (D.=Degrees, ¥r.=Promoters, C. R.=Communwn oj Repara-
tion, ~K.¥L.=Holy Hour}; A. £.=ArchconJraternity ; S =Sodality ; B. M.=Bona Mors; A. I.=Afiostolt€
Indulgence; A. $.= Apostleship of Study ; S. S.=St. John Berchmans' Sanctuary Society; 'R.l.^Bridgettine
Indulgence.

TREASURY OF GOOD WORKS.
Offerings for the Intentions recommended to the League of the Sacred Heart.

ioo days'1 Indulgence for every action offered for the Intentions of the League.

NO. TIMES.

291,007 ii. Masses heard

.... 484,200 12. Mortifications

.... 67,037 13. Works of Mercy

.... 88,883 14. Works of Zeal

.... 415,904 15. Prayers

.... 383,070 16. Kindly Conversation

.... 818,590 17. Sufferings. Afflictions

.... 280,964 18. Self-conquest

.... 166,557 19. Visits to B. Sacrament

1. Acts of Charity

2. Beads

3. Way of the Cross ....

4. Holy Communions ....

5. Spiritual Communions . .

6. Examens of Conscience

7. Hours of Labor

8. Hours of Silence

9. Pious Reading

o. Masses read

18.

19.

20. Various Good Works. . .
Special Thanksgivings, 1,999; Total, 9,223,450.

NO. TIMES.

238,111

219,242

224,832

87,033

4,300,611

58,733

79,043

132,202

307,145

Intentions or Good Works put in the box, or given on lists to Promoters before their meeting, on or
it by Directors to be recommended in our Calendar, MESSENGER, m our

before the last Sunday, are sent by

Masses here, at the General Direction in Toulouse, and Lourdes.

768

(256)

BLESSED BERNARDINO REALINO.

THE MESSENGER

OF THIS

iAGRED HEART OF JESUS

VOL. xxxu.

SEPTEMBER, 1897.

No. 9.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AUSTRALASIA.

By Rev. M. Watson, S.f., Melbourne.

A RECENT event of importance in
connection with Australian Cath-
olicity is the long-expected publication
of the " History of the Catholic Church
in Australasia," from authentic sources,
by Patrick Francis Cardinal Moran,
Archbishop of Sydney, New South
Wales. This magnum opus, which con-
tains over eleven hundred pages, and is
profusely and splendidly illustrated, has
been printed and published by the
Oceanic Publishing Company, of Syd-
ney and Wellington (New Zealand), and
is in paper, type and binding, a very
perfect specimen of the bookmaker's art.
The author, whose style is character-
ized by ease, grace and perfect literary
finish, has arranged with masterly skill
the great mass of materials, drawn from
official and original documents and from
hitherto unpublished papers belonging
to the archives of Rome, Westminister,
and Dublin. There is no straining after
effect or attempt at fine writing; the nar-
rative, which flows with the smoothness
of a placid stream, possesses a singular
charm and imparts an interest even to
the driest statistical details. The his-

tory, doubtless, will be read with most
pleasure by him who has known many
of the men whose names appear in its
pages, some of whom are still living,
while others have passed from this
visible scene — "precious friends hid in
death's dateless night ''; but even Cath-
olics belonging to other quarters of the
globe cannot fail, I think, to peruse
with an accelerated pulse this glowing
tale of the trials, the struggles and ihe
victories of the Church beneath the
Southern Cross. Here, in the South,
thousands of miles from Europe and
America, lies a great island-continent,
with its sunny skies, its dry and healthy
climate, its luxuriant vegetation, and its
three and a half millions of energetic
colonists. One hundred years ago the
first settlers, landing on its eastern
coast, discovered a capacious inlet of the
sea, that formed a natural harbor of ex-
traordinary beauty, and there, close to
the bright, restless waters, they laid the
foundations of the city of Sydney. A
few years since, when Sydney celebrated
with much public ceremonial and re-
joicing the completion of her first cen-

771

772

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AUSTRALASIA.

ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL, MELBOURNE.

tury of existence, the Catholic Church
was represented on the auspicious oc-
casion by an Australian Cardinal, and a
great body of Australian Archbishops
and Bishops, and much public attention
was attracted to the important part
which the Catholic Prelates took in the
observance of the anniversary.

The readers of the MESSENGER, who
have not seen the ' ' History of the Cath-
olic Church in Australasia, ' ' will be,
perhaps, interested by the following
sketch of the events which that work
sets forth in detail and which have con-
tributed to establish the Australian
Church in her present assured position.

Australian Catholicity is the off-shoot
of a vigorous tree, the ancient Church of
Ireland. That Church seems to have
been endowed by Providence with an in-
destructible vitality. The old faith has
perished in other countries that were
once highly favored; England and Den-
mark and Sweden and Prussia are no
longer Catholic nations. But Ireland,
despite unparalleled suffering, has clung
to the purity of Catholic doctrine with
the tenacity which springs from enthu-
siastic love; and to-day her children go

forth to every quarter of the globe,
bearing with them the pearl of great
price, for which they proved themselves
willing to sacrifice every earthly bless-
ing. The chief founders of the churches
of the United States, they have also suc-
ceeded in rapidly building up the Catho-
lic Church in Australia.

The first Catholics who landed on
Australian shores were insurgents who
had taken part in the Irish Rebellion of
1798. They were accompanied by three
Catholic priests who had been unjustly
condemned to the same punishment. It
was subsequently proved that those
priests had nothing whatever to do with
the insurrection. After some years two
of them were set at liberty and returned
to Europe. The third, the Rev. Father
Dixon, became through the recommend-
ation of the Home Government the first
recognized Catholic chaplain in Aus-
tralia. He discharged his duties with
fortitude and zeal in the midst of much
poverty and suffering, but persecution,
excited by hatred and bigotry, soon de-
prived him of all power of doing good.
By a despotic exercise of power the gov-
ernor of the settlement forbade the cele-

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AUSTRALASIA.

773

bration of Mass and the administration
of the sacraments. The priest, finding
his position intolerable, requested per-
mission to return to Ireland. Leave was
readily given, and the year 1808 saw the
Catholics deprived of all spiritual suc-

tion of the so-called offence ; and the
sentence pronounced on continued dis-
obedience was confinement in heavy
irons. Nearly ten years passed before
help came. At length, in the beginning
of November, 1817, the welcome news

ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL, MELBOURNE.

(Complete Design.)

cor. The years immediately succeeding
were full of gloom and sorrow. All dis-
senters were forced to attend the Church
of England service. A refusal to do so
was punished with twenty-five lashes;
fifty lashes was the penalty for a repeti-

was spread among the Catholic popula-
tion that the Very Rev. Archpriest
O 'Flinn had landed in Sydney. Before
leaving Ireland this zealous priest had
asked for the government approval of
his mission, but he did not receive it

774

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AUSTRALASIA.

previous to the sailing of the ship in
which he had taken his passage. He
requested a friend to send it after him
and he set sail for Australia. His zeal
not only greatly endeared him to his
Sydney flock, but even won converts to
the Catholic faith. This attracted the
attention of the Colonial officials, who
asked if he had obtained the requisite
sanction from the Imperial authorities.
Being unable to reply in the affirmative,
he was at once seized and carried on
board a homeward bound vessel which
was about to return to Europe, May
15, 1818. Owing to the haste with
which this arbitrary act was carried out,
the Archpriest was unable to consume
the Blessed Sacrament. The Sacred
Species remained enclosed in their silver
receptacle in the house of a Catholic in
Sydney, and there the flock, so suddenly
deprived of their pastor, assembled to
mourn and to pray. That afflicted and
kneeling crowd presented a touching
spectacle. Bowed in adoration before
the hidden God, they begged that light
and strength might be given them in
their desolation, and that the holy Sac-
rifice and Sacraments might be speedily
restored to them once more. Their
prayer was heard. The priest's expul-
sion created great indignation in Ire-
land, and a public protest was made in
Parliament by one of the Irish represen-
tatives. Pressure was also brought to
bear on the government and produced
the happy result that salaries were as-
signed to regularly appointed chaplains
for the Catholic part of the Australian
convict population. Two Irish priests,
the Rev. John Joseph Therry and the
Rev. Philip Connolly zealously volun-
teered to devote themselves to the spirit-
ual interests of their fellow-countrymen
beneath the Southern Cross.

From the landing of Father Therry
the commencement of Australian Church
history may properly be dated. He has
been very justly called the Apostle of
Australia, for it was his energy, courage
and self-sacrifice that laid the deep and

lasting foundations of the Catholic re-
ligion in the ' ' Great South Land. ' ' He
gave himself from the outset with whole-
hearted devotion to the worthy discharge
of his priestly duties. In addition to-
offering the Holy Sacrifice, preaching
the Word of God, and administering the
Sacraments, he was obliged by the pecu-
liar circumstances of his position to be-
come for the members of his flock a bul-
wark against injustice and oppression.
According to the iniquitous law of the
time all Catholic orphan children were
instructed in the doctrines of the Church
of England. As soon as Father Therry
became aware of this regulation, he de-
termined, cost what it might, to attack
and destroy such a crying injustice.
For this object he engaged in a pro-
longed and determined fight. Being a
man of great strength of character, he
was dismayed by no obstacle, he per-
severed despite great obloquy and per-
secution, and finally he gained a vic-
tory that enabled him to snatch from
the jaws of heresy the tender lambs of
his flock. Father Therry also built in
Sydney a noble and spacious church,
the foundation stone of which was laid
by the English governor of the colony.
This church was subsequently known as
St. Mary's Cathedral.

I cannot delay even to summarize the
facts of the interesting career of this
devoted pastor, but the following in-
stance of his zeal gives an insight into
his character and explains the singular
affection with which his people cherish
his memory. He was once told that a
convict, condemned to death, desired to
see him before the execution of the sen-
tence. The prison where the condemned
man lay was far distant, and the time
available for the journey was scanty in-
deed. Without hesitation, however, the
priest sprang upon his horse and set out.
It was the winter season and the rivers,
swollen by the rains, had, in many in-
stances, overflowed their banks and
flooded wide tracts of country. He rode
on as speedily as he could, wading

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AUSTRALASIA.

775

irough the floods and swimming his
horse through the swift and dangerous
streams, until, as the day was drawing
to a close, he reached a furious torrent,
which his horse refused to enter. In his
distress he shouted to a man on the oppo-
site bank. A rope was thrown across.
He bound it round his waist, and was
dragged through the foaming water to
the opposite side. Getting a horse he
resumed his journey without a moment's
delay, and arrived in time to prepare an
immortal soul for its passage into eter-
nity. Some years after the arrival of
Father Therry large numbers of free
immigrants from Great Britain and Ire-
land settled in New South Wales and
began to make their influence felt. Thus
a free state was gradually built up. As
the stream of immigration continued
unchecked, the colony advanced with
rapidity in population and wealth, and
became the parent of many similar settle-
ments throughout the island-continent.

At this critical period Dr. Ullathorne
(afterwards Bishop of Birmingham) was
sent as Vicar- General to Sydney by the
Bishop of Mauritius, who possessed

jurisdiction over Aus'tralia and the
South Sea Islands. A man of singular
organizing ability, the Vicar-General
saw at once the elements of greatness
which Australia enjoyed and would soon
fully develop, and he felt that the Catho-
lic Church was destined to attain an
important position in the country. His
zealous and energetic efforts, inspired
by this clear prevision, were crowned
with the success he desired, and in
1835 the Right Rev. John Bede Folding,
an English Benedictine, was appointed
Vicar- Apostolic of New South Wales.

The new prelate brought with him
from Europe a small band of evangelical
laborers, but he took his full share him-
self in ordinary missionary work and set
his priests an edifying and striking ex-
ample of charity and zeal. He was obliged
on one occasion to ride nearly a hundred
miles to attend a sick call. On reaching
his destination he found that the patient
had regained his health. As the bishop
wyas returning to Sydney, he came to a
spot in the woods where a poor Irish-
man was felling trees. He was recog-
nized as a priest by the woodman, whose

ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL, MELBOURNE.

776

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AUSTRALASIA.

eyes glistened with joy. " Glory be to
God, your reverence!" he said, "it is
many a long year since I last saw a
priest ; often I wished to go to confes-
sion and couldn't do it. " The bishop
at once heard his confession and left
him full of peace and consolation. It
was a providential meeting, for a very
few minutes after Dr. Folding resumed
his journey a tree fell upon the man and
killed him.

Year by year the Church increased in
numbers and influence. A striking
proof of its growth is supplied by the
fact that while Dr. Folding was on a
visit to Rome in April, 1842, he was
named by the Sovereign Pontiff Arch-
bishop of Sydney and Metropolitan of
Australia. When the new Archbishop
returned to his diocese, a great hubbub
arose among the clergy of the Church
of England. The Anglican Bishop read
a public protest, standing on the north
side of his altar. I give an extract from
the document : ' ' We do hereby pub-
licly, explicitly and deliberately protest
against," dissent from, and contradict
any and every act of episcopal and metro-
politan authority done or to be done at
any time, or by any person whatever,
by virtue of any right or title derived
from assumed jurisdiction, power, su-
periority, or pre-eminence, or authority
of the said Bishop of Rome, enabling
him to institute any episcopal see or
sees within the diocese or province
hereinbefore named." The sonorous
protest fell flat. Dr. Folding paid no
attention to it, but devoted himself
quietly to the duties of his office.

Shortly after his return from Europe
several suffragan sees were created.
The first bishop consecrated in Australia
was the Right Rev. Francis Murphy,
who had been chosen to rule the diocese
of Adelaide, South Australia. The cere-
mony took place on September 8, 1844,
in St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. In the
following year the diocese of Perth,
Western Australia, was formed, and on
the eighteenth of May its first bishop,

Dr. Brady, was consecrated. Hobart
Town had been made a bishopric in
1842, and the increasing importance of
that part of Australia, which is now
known as the Colony of Victoria, gained
it a bishop in 1848. In that year, on
the sixth of August, Dr. Folding, as-
sisted by Dr. Murphy of Adelaide,
consecrated the Rev. James Alipius
Goold, O.S.A., Bishop of Melbourne, a
see destined to become in a few years
an archbishopric, holding sway over a
new ecclesiastical province.

The discovery of gold in 1851 caused
an enormous influx of population, and
the progress of the Catholic Church kept
pace with the astonishingly rapid growth
of the colonies. Additional ecclesias-
tical districts were marked out ; churches
and presbyteries were built ; and con-
vents, colleges and schools arose on
every side. Melbourne was made an
archbishopric in 1874. When Dr. Fold-
ing died in 1877, he was succeeded by
his coadjutor, Dr. Roger Bede Vaughan,
whose short but brilliant career was
terminated by sudden death in 1883.
The Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran,
Bishop of Ossory, Ireland, became the
third Archbishop of Sydney. On him
the present illustrious occupant of the
Chair of Peter, Leo XIII., bestowed
the dignity of the Cardinalate in the
year 1885. Dr. Goold died in 1886.
His able and zealous successor, the most
Rev. Thomas Joseph Carr, had been pre-
viously Bishop of Gal way in Ireland.
His translation to Melbourne was the
cause of keen grief to his Irish flock,
whose veneration and love no words
could adequately express.

From the Catholic Directory of Austra-
lasia for 1897, I find that our ecclesiasti-
cal statistics may be thus summarized:
i Cardinal Archbishop, 5 Archbishops,
26 Bishops and Vicars-Apostolic, 1046
priests, 532 religious Brothers, 3726
nuns, 4 ecclesiastical seminaries, 27
colleges for boys, 124 boarding schools
for girls, 158 superior day schools, 890
primary schools, 77 charitable institu-

MELBOURNE: ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL. 777

ions, 108,935 children in Catholic Australian vegetation. ' In the fertile

schools, and a Catholic population of valleys that are to be found among our

over 850,000. There are 553 Bcclesiasti- mountains, the health-giving eucalyptus

cal Districts and 1436 Churches. takes root by the running waters, grows

This list may be regarded as giving quickly, and finally attains the mighty

the results of about sixty years of pro- altitude of from four hundred to five hun-

gress, for when Dr. Folding commenced dred feet. So the Catholic Church has

his career in 1835 as Vicar- Apostolic of found in this land a rich and kindly soil ;

New South Wales there were in all Aus- it has struck deep and wide-spreading

tralia but eight priests and four ecclesi- roots ; it has been blessed with abund-

astical students. ant increase and even already it stretches

This rapidity of growth can be aptly out on every side branches laden with

compared to that of our semi-tropical fruit for the healing of the poor.

MELBOURNE: ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL.

(STILL UNFINISHED.)

By Rev. M. Watson, SJ.

MINSTER fair ! I see thee glorified :

For lo ! 'mid stillness, peaceful and profound,

The moon with silver mantle wraps thee round ;
Roof, window, buttress, cross, and arches wide —
All, all thy stately grace and strength and pride —

Are here with chaste and fitting splendor crowned.

O loveliest vision on our Austral ground !
How long, unfinished thus, shalt thou abide ?

Too slowly grow shaft, pinnacle and tower :
May Faith and Hope and seraph Charity

Move, in the might of their transcendent power,
O'er human hearts, that all may vow to be

Thy builders: — then shall perfect beauty's dower
Be swiftly thine, be thine eternally.

O ye, whose toil and self-denial raise

This glorious pile, your mighty task complete !

For time, insatiable, doth slowly eat
Your passing years, your bright or gloomy days.
When ye are gone, this temple's hymn of praise,

To thrilling music wed by voices sweet,

Shall rise like incense to the mercy seat,
And solace hearts desponding in hard ways.

Here men shall lift oblations, pure and whole,
To God, their Lord, above earth's baleful crime ;

And, though your names live not in history's scroll,
Your monument shall be this work sublime,
Whose sweet bells, pealing noon and eve and prime,

Proclaim your faith and love, while ages roll.

JEANNE D'ARC

ROME S JUSTICE.

By John A. Mooney, LL.D.
(Continued.}

ON a November morning, 1455, the
seventh of the month, a notable
group of men and women entered the
Cathedral of Notre Dame, in Paris. Per-
haps they chose the portal to the right,
St. Anne's, or the portal to the left, the
Virgin's, though it pleases me to see the
great central doors swing open and a
feeble, white haired matron leading the
clerics, lawyers, and common folk, as
they pass under the " Last Judgment,"
sculptured by devout, skilful and strong
hands, in the stone archivolt. A verger
guides the assemblage through the
aisles, halting where, formally disposed,
three ecclesiastics expectantly await. At
their feet, the venerable woman, fore-
most in the procession, prostrates her-
self, and, sobbing, exclaims: "Jeanne
d'Arc was my daughter. I brought her
up in the fear of God and in the traditions
of the Church, according to her age and
to her condition, as one who lived in the
meadows and in the fields. She con-
fessed and communicated every month,
went to church frequently, and fasted as
prescribed. Her enemies, nevertheless,
without regard to her denials and ap-
peals, falsely imputed crimes to her, at
the risk of their souls. . . . Here,
now that our Holy Father, defender of
the truth and help of the oppressed, has
graciously accorded me judges, I come to
pour forth my plaint, long repressed ;
I come to demand justice." Thereupon,
beseechingly, the mother of the Maid
stretched forth a worn hand — two worn
and rugged hands — in which she held
the apostolic letter of Calixtus III.; prof-
fering the document now to one, now to
another, of the seated ecclesiastics.
Among those who entered with the

778

venerable petitioner, a man spoke up :
"Where Jeanne's accusers presumed
crime," said he, "there is, instead, vir-
tue ; where they presumed heresy, there is
religion; where they presumed a lie, there
is truth ; where they presumed shame,
there is glory. I appeal to you, delegates
of the Sovereign Pontiff, listen with com-
passionate benignity to the grievances of
this woman who asks of you justice! "
From the altars of the cathedral, wor-
shippers had gathered around the kneel-
ing matron. Out of the streets, the
knowing and the curious had made their
way. A goodly crowd followed the
speaker's words, sympathetically. When
he ceased, spontaneously and accordantly
they shouted : ' ' Justice ! Justice ! ' '

It was Jean Juvenal des Ursins, Arch-
bishop of Rheims, who answered in be-
half of himself and his co-delegates,
Guillaume Chartier, Bishop of Paris, and
Richard de L,ongueuil, Bishop of Coutan-
ces : " Examining carefully and equit-
ably the grievances of the widow," the
Archbishop of Rheims declared that he
and his fellow-judges would be "merely
obeying the will of the Holy See, the
teachings of the Scripture, and the
natural dictates of conscience. ' ' Pru-
dently he counselled the Maid's mother
to consult good advisers, lest, carried
away by her feelings, she should only
increase her sorrows. If the judgment
already rendered were reaffirmed, and if
another condemnation were added to the
first, would she not, as long as she lived,
regret her indiscreet zeal ?

Isabelle's friends answered for her:
"Confident in the equity of our cause,
we demand a public trial, and we arc
ready to appear." The judges, having

JEANNE D'ARC.

779

leliberated, adjourned the case until the
iventeenth of the month, and fixed the

>lace of meeting in the episcopal court of

5aris.

What may be fitly called the trial of
Cauchon and of his criminal aids, was
duly opened on November 17, 1455; it
closed only on July 7, 1456. At the first
session, pursuant to the Papal instruc-
tion, the delegates of the Holy See named
Jean Brehol, the inquisitor general of
France, an associate of the court, and
ordered him to expedite the inquiry in a
manner strictly conformable with the
law. To Jean Brehol, to Simon Chapi-
taut, the promoter of the cause, and to
Pierre Maugier and Guillaume Prevos-
teau, the legal representatives of Jeanne's
mother, brothers, and relations of what-
ever degree, not alone the Maid's family,
not alone France, but indeed the world is
indebted ; for the sacrilegious injustice
done to the peasant girl, at Rouen, was
an injustice done to universal human-
kind.

At Rouen, in December, 1455, and in
May, 1456, nineteen witnesses were ex-
amined. During January and February,
1456, a commission, visiting the Maid's
home at Domremy, and the scene of her
first entrance into public life, Vaucou-
leurs, interrogated thirty-four men and
women, gray heads or gray beards, who,
as children, or grown-up folks, had
known her familiarly. Forty-one testi-
fied at Orleans, in February and March of
the same year, and no less than twenty
at Paris, during April and May. Sworn
on the Holy Gospels to tell the truth,
giving ear neither to love nor to hate,
neither to interest, fear, nor favor, these
one hundred and fourteen witnesses have
left a record unique among the legal re-
ports of moderns or ancients — a record
moving a reader, now with wonder, now
with joy, now with love, admiration, en-
thusiasm ; now with hot indignation,
and, again and again, to compassionate
tears. Telling the story of the Maid !•
have used this record, but here I shall
more fully set forth details confirming

Jeanne's virtues, mission", innocence, and
the guile, the perfidy, the perjury, the
profligacy, the atrocious villainy of those
who conspired to take her life, and who
did, sacrilegiously, murder her in the
market-place at Rouen.

Opening the case on November 17,
1455, Pierre Maugier announced that his
clients would make charges only against
Cauchon and his chief assistants. The
consul tors who had voted for the Maid 's
condemnation he dismissed as dupes, or
as cowards, who, fearing bodily chastise-
ment, or exile, or a dungeon, or loss of
place, or life, voted against their con-
science to please the English. That many
had reason to fear was proven beyond
question. The Earl of Warwick, tutor of
the boy King, Henry VI., was the Maid's
jailor. To consummate the judicial mur-
der of the girl who had vanquished the
English on so many fields, Warwick or-
ganized a reign of terror in Rouen.
Nicolas de Houppeville was summoned
as a consul tor. In conversation, he ven-
tured to find fault with the method of pro-
cedure. Cauchon, not satisfied with re-
fusing him admission to the court, im-
prisoned him. Guillaume de la Chambre
signed the false record of the process,
constrained and forced thereto by Cau-
chon. Because the friar, Isambard de la
Pierre, the good soul who held up the
crucifix before Jeanne, while the flames
Consumed her incorrupted body, endeav-
ored to bring out the precise meaning of
certain answers she made to insidious
questions, he was silenced, Warwick
threatening to fling him into the Seine.
Masters Minier, de Grouchet and Pigalle
received a public reprimand for interro-
gating the Maid in a way that would per-
mit her to explain the true intent of her
testimony. Jean de la Fontaine, fearing
they would condemn the Maid to death,
gained admittance to the jail, and advised
her to offer to submit to the Church and
to a general council. So violent were the
threats of Cauchon and Warwick when
they heard of de la Fontaine's charitable
act, that, believing his life in danger, he

780

JEANNE D'ARC.

fled from the city. Jean de Chatillon,
suspected of doubting the validity of the
process, was ordered to absent himself
from the sessions of the court. Doctor
Jean Lohier, a canonist of repute, received
an invitation from Cauchon, shortly after
the opening of the trial, to review the
evidence and to express an opinion
thereon. Lohier, as honest as he was
learned, pointing out the error and de-
fects of the proceedings, declared them
radically invalid. Not caring to die by
drowning — they threatened him with the
Seine — Lohier, like de la Fontaine, ran
away. Pierre Migiet was summoned be-
fore the Cardinal of Winchester to answer
an accusation of being favorable to the
Maid. Fearing for his life, he excused
himself, and was permitted to go free.

Justice at Rouen, there was none. In
the presence of Lord Talbot some one
dared to speak fairly of the Maid's
career. Drawing his sword the English
noble would have killed the rash man on
the spot had he not taken flight. Tal-
bot pursued him, and he owed his life
only to his escape into a holy place
where he could claim the right of sanc-
tuary. It was this very Talbot that met
a memorable death on the field at Cha-
tillon twenty-two years later. Wounded
in the thigh, he fell from his horse. A
company of French bowmen surrounded
him. He begged for his life, offering a
ransom in gold. The French did not
recognize him. They were giving no
quarter. On the field of Chatillon there
was no holy place, no right of sanctuary.
On rushed the soldiers, each one anxious
to have a hand in the execution of a
public enemy of France ; and as they
willed, they did. Count his wounds —
no man could.

Considering the many proofs of the
tyranny exercised by Talbot, Warwick,
Winchester and Cauchon, we cannot
doubt the truth of the testimony of Guil-
laume Manchon, the chief clerk during
the mock trial, who asserted there was
not one among the consultors, chosen by
the Bishop of Beauvais, that did not act

through fear. Because they^were evi-
dently not free agents, the counsel for
the Maid's mother and family declined
to pursue the consultors legally, as we
have seen ; adding that, not only were
they coerced but also duped. I have not
hitherto fully exposed or duly repro-
bated the infamous methods of Cauchon
and of his Bnglish masters. The story
of how he duped learned and clever
clerics, not excepting the doctors of the
University of Paris, is almost incredible.
Besides Manchon, one Boisguillaume,
and one Taquely, were appointed to
report the testimony taken at the mock
trial of the Maid. No person had ac-
cused her of any crime. There was not
even ground for a suspicion of crime;
nay, more, when the court was organ-
ized, there was good ground for believing
her to be a thoroughly good, if not a
saintly, woman. The commission de-
spatched by Cauchon to Jeanne's home
gathered no testimony that was not most
favorable to her. Baulked in his effort
thus to lay the foundation for charges
against the Maid, Cauchon destroyed
the evidence that should have freed her
from jail, and so deprived the consultors
of knowledge that should have been com-
mitted to them. Seventy-two articles of
accusations, it will be remembered, were
originally presented to the consultors
for their consideration, and they were
led to believe that these articles were
based on the Maid's own testimony.
Manchon, Boisguillaume and Taquely
knew that these articles, and the twelve
articles that were subsequently intro-
duced, were a fraud upon the consultors
as well as upon the accused. During the
process, with Cauchon 's connivance, and
at the instigation of the English, a body
of unofficial clerks, concealed in the
embrasure of a window, behind curtains,
made a special report. Their instruc-
tions were to record only such answers
as could be construed unfavorably to
Jeanne. The men who would consent to
be parties to such a devilish injustice
were not above forging answers which

JEANNE D'ARC.

781

ie girl did not utter. Not satisfied with
lanufacturing these lying records, Cau-
L insisted on falsifying the record
;hich he pretended to recognize as of-
icial. Neither Manchon nor his assist-
ants were permitted to set down the
questions or answers truthfully. Cau-
chon controlled the text, ordering them
to suppress whatsoever displeased him.
Out of the forged text and the falsified
text, Cauchon concocted the Twelve
Articles. He knew they were fraudulent,
for Manchon, comparing them with his
own false record, noted in the margin
many perversions. Though Cauchon read
these corrections, he modified in nowise
the lying text he had maliciously de-
vised ; and this lying indictment it was
that, without ever reading it to the girl
whose life depended on it, he submitted
to the consultors at Rouen and else-
where, and to the theologians of the
University of Paris. How they could
conscientiously give a verdict, not hav-
ing in their hands a single word of the
Maid's testimony, is not easily ex-
plained ; but the fact is, that they con-
victed her solely on the forged and
fraudulent articles purposely contrived
to cheat them, and to ruin her.

As we stood in the market-place at
Rouen, by the pyre, and looked upon
the girl, all aflame, and prayed and
wept as she pleaded: "Jesu ! Jesu!" I
pointed to the inscription that sur-
mounted the stake. You have not for-
gotten it: "Jeanne, who named herself
the Maid, a liar, a pernicious woman, a
deceiver of the people, a sorceress, a
superstitious woman, a blasphemer of
God, a presumptuous woman, an un-
believer, a boaster, an idolatrous, a cruel,
a dissolute woman, an invocatrix of dev-.
ils, apostate, schismatic and heretic."
After we had read this inscription, I de-
nounced it as "a lie — every word a lie. "
Did I exaggerate ? Nay, more, when
denouncing the men who devised the
iniquitous inscription, I branded them
as "liars, pernicious men, deceivers of
the people, presumptuous and cruel."

Was I not most moderate in expression ?
As I develop the whole truth concerning
the character and doings of Jeanne d'Arc,
and further record the details of her in-
human persecution, I believe that you
will, with one voice, declare that the
authors of the foul inscription deserved,
and deserve, the most solemn execra-
tion.

From the day that Jeanne first ap-
peared at Orleans, the English had but
one name for her ; a shameful name,
befitting only the woman Jeanne was
pursuing when St. Catharine's sword
broke in her hands. After they had the
Maid in their power, one can guess how
they vilified her. Nobles, and even such
a cleric as Jean d 'Estivet — whose corpse
was found in a sewer — did not spare her.
And yet Cauchon knew she was chaste.
Twice had her virginity been juridically
established at Chinon. and once again
at Rouen. With malice he concealed
his knowledge from the consultors. The
testimony of the soldiers who fought
alongside of her is beautiful to read.
' ' All the men at arms looked upon
Jeanne as a saint, " said one, under oath.
"I was inflamed by her words and by
the divine love that was in her, ' ' Jean
de Metz testified, one of the brave fel-
lows that accompanied her on the road
from Vaucouleurs to Chinon. Bertrand
de Poulangy, another of the party,
swore that, when she spoke, he felt him-
self enthused. "For me," he added,
"she was a messenger from God. She
inspired me with reverence." Need we
quote the testimony of Pasquerel, the
Maid's chaplain from her entrance into
Blois until her capture, that "she was
filled with all the virtues." Had the
English done no worse than vilify a
helpless girl, so godly, so stainless, it
were shame enough ; but they did worse.
Cauchon persecuted her, as I have re-
lated, because she would not put off
male apparel. Her reason for refusing
to change her dress was evident. Why
did she prefer to be deprived of the
sacraments rather than do Cauchon 's bid-

782

JEANNE D'ARC.

ding ? He knew, as Warwick knew ; for
she had told them both, that, more than
once, attempts had been made to despoil
her of the virtue she so highly esteemed.
The excuse for condemning the Maid to
death was her resumption of the man's
dress she had, most unwillingly, laid
aside. Still, Cauchon, who reopened the
case against her, and who hurried her
conviction, had her word for it, that the
violence of a brute of an English lord
had compelled her to do as, prudently,
she had done.

When I expressed my belief that you
would, ere long, unanimously declare
that the cowards who so belied Jeanne
the Maid, deserved, and deserve the most
solemn execration, I did not do justice
to the feelings of disgust, of horror, of
righteous hate, that now possess your
soul. ' ' Justice! ' ' exclaimed the sobbing
mother, as she knelt before Rome's dele-
gates, in the Cathedral of Our Lady of
Paris. Was ever Justice — divine Justice
— more justifiably invoked! If "the
immaculate blood of innocence oppressed
cries out before the throne of the Lord, ' '
how loudly the mother's appeal : "Jus-
tice ! " must have resounded, as, piercing
the floor of heaven, it filled the court of
the Most High God!

"She was good, simple, gentle; she
was so good, and I loved her so much;
everybody loved her : ' ' thus three of
Jeanne's girl playmates testified ; and
one related that their dear little friend
" would gather in the poor, and lie down
in the corner by the hearth so that they
might sleep in her bed. " " Everything
that a good Christian should love, she
loved, " said a brave French nobleman,
who had fought by her side ; ' ' she heard
Mass every day that she could." Her
page avouched that rarely did she eat
more than twice in the day ; ' 'sometimes
she ate but once, making a meal on a
morsel of bread." "When she con-
fessed, she wept, " her chaplain testified,
adding this beautiful trait : ' ' she loved
to go to communion with little chil-
dren." And from another source we

learn that, ' ' at the sight of the body of
Our Lord, she often wept with an abun-
dance of tears." Do you wonder that
the Maid's heart outlived the fiery
flames ?

The marvellous story of Jeanne's mili-
tary career, I have scantily told. There
are men, who, pretending to believe in
some sort of a God, still decline to en-
dow their Supreme Being with a provi-
dent omnipotence. These illogical in-
tellects cannot deny, they cannot even
question the truth as proven by wit-
ness after witness. What explanation
shall they give of the astounding
achievements of the Maid ? Only those
who court ridicule would fall back on the
convenient, though overworked, theory
of hysteria. Thus the more sensitive
and cautious sophists must be content
with acknowledging that they are face
to face with the inexplicable. The brave
Bastard of Orleans was in no such
plight. He had fought many a hard
fight before seeing Jeanne d 'Arc. After
her murder, he fought, north, south, east
and west, until the English had all been
driven out of France — all, except those
who died on its soil. What intelligent
leaders and bold, trained, men-at-arms
could do, battling, the Bastard well
knew. And yet, on his oath, he swore :
" I believe that Jeanne was sent by God.
. . . In her deeds I saw the finger of God. ' '
The Duke d'Alen9on, a warrior born,
and whom no one dare charge with a
lack of experience or of independence,
asserted that ' ' the bastilles of the
enemy (at Orleans) were taken by a
miracle rather than by the force of arms. "
. . . "It was a work from on high,
not a human work." A soldier who
stood by her, time and again, on the
field of battle, the Chevalier d'Aulon,
averred that "all the deeds of the
Maid seemed to him divine and miracu-
lous rather than otherwise, and that it
was impossible that a maid so young
could do such deeds without the will
and the direction of Our Lord." This
was the "sorcery " for which the Eng-

JEANNE D'ARC

783

sh burned Jeanne d'Arc; the "sor-
cery " of victories, miraculous rather
than human. And though the English
were more cruel, they were not more
unreasonable- than are the sophists who
close their eyes, lest they may see "the
ringer of God " directing the deeds of
His child.

The defenders of the Maid 's honor be-
fore the Papal Court charged Cauchon
and his colleagues with not less than
one hundred and one violations of law
and of equity. To Jeanne the Bishop of
Beauvais had denied the right of having
counsel ; now, not a soul would consent
to plead the cause of his dishonored
honor. The Promoter of the diocese of
Beauvais, summoned by the court, re-
sponded that : " while it seemed to him
incredible that Cauchon had made use
of the iniquitous methods charged in the
one hundred and one articles of accusa-
tion, whatever might be the case, he sub-
mitted to the wisdom of the tribunal,
and declined to put in an appearance. ' '
Even the natural heirs of the unjust
judge, though summoned, refused to
attempt to palliate his guilt. Through
counsel, they pleaded that the matter
did not concern them ; acknowledged
that, from public report, they had good
reasons for believing that Cauchon had
acted as an English partisan ; and they
begged that whatever was done should
not be to their prejudice, invoking the
benefit of a certain armistice granted by
the king after the conquest of Nor-
mandy.

To seek to extenuate Cauchon 's guilt
would have been vain. The list of his
crimes is endless. By the canon law,
the Maid, being a minor, should have
been represented by a guardian. Of this
right she was deprived. All the exam-
inations in the case should have been
public. Many of them, as we have seen,
were secret, and therefore lawless. The
report of the trial, the falsified report
which Cauchon stamped as official — was
edited and attested long after Jeanne's
death. I say "attested," though, in

fact, Manchon and his assistants refused
their signatures to a portion of the docu-
ment. Describing the sad scene in the
market-place of Rouen, I narrated that,
having formally excommunicated the
Maid, Cauchon handed her over to the
secular power. By law, she should,
thereupon, have been sentenced to death
by the English officials. As if, however,
the devil had devised that, from first to
last, injustice should triumph at Rouen,
no civil sentence was pronounced upon
Jeanne, but, incontinently, she was tied
to the stake and burned. Tried without
a legal indictment, by a judge who had
no jurisdiction, upon charges that were
based on no evidence, convicted by a
jury whose members were either intimi-
dated by threats, purchased by promises
or money, or duped by a lying summary
of a lying record ; excommunicated sac-
rilegiously, and burned without even
the form of a judicial sentence — such is
the history of the infamous process, by
means of which the English rid them-
selves of the young girl whom they
hated and feared because of her glorious
prowess, the gift of heaven and the re-
ward of her virtue.

Some one has ventured to say that,
excepting the iniquitous trial of the Re-
deemer of mankind, Jesus Christ, neither
in any nation, nor at any time, has there
been a trial so unrighteous, vicious,
malevolent, so atrocious as that of Jeanne
d'Arc. To disprove such a statement
would be difficult, if not impossible.
Still, however unrighteous the trial, and
however atrocious the conviction and
execution, the English were pleased with
their work. Nine days after the Maid's
execution, on the eighth of June, 1431, to
wit, the royal Council of Henry VI., in
the name of the King of England, ad-
dressed a letter : "To the Emperor, the
kings, dukes, and other princes of the
whole of Christendom, " informing these
personages that, under a judgment of
the secular power, Jeanne had been
burned at the stake, and that, seeing her
end approach, she had confessed "that

784

JEANNE D'ARC.

the spirits she claimed to have converse
with, were evil and deceitful spirits."
To the lies of the record, a royal lie must
be added. Jeanne had not disavowed her
"voices." Cauchon, pretending that
secretly, in his presence, she had done
so, tacked on another falsehood to the
record ; but the clerks of the court refused
their attestation to this unholy fiction.
The royal Council, in the King's name,
lied deliberately. Nor was the Council
satisfied with a single public advertise-
ment of its complicity in the murder at
Rouen. Again, on the twenty-eighth of
June, in the name of Henry VI. , a second
letter was despatched : ' ' To the prelates
of the Church, the dukes, counts, and to
the other nobles, and cities of his King-
dom of France. ' ' In this letter, the
shocking truths and the falsehoods of
the first were reiterated. Of the judicial
murder of any man, or of any woman ex-
cept Jeanne the Maid, has any govern-
ment, other than Henry's, heralded its
guilt, before the whole of Christendom ?
Not one. Good or evil, some spirit in-
spired the Maid's murderers to commit
themselves irrevocably. And so doing,
they exposed their malice, from the day
they paid almost twice the ransom of a
king for the living body of the peasant
girl of Domremy, until the day on which
they flung the ashes of her bones, with
her bleeding heart, into the river Seine.

The policy followed by the King's
Council, after Jeanne's death, was one of
pure bravado. Conscious of the fraud,
the forgery, the usurpation, the unparal-
leled infractions of canon law, of civil
law, of natural law, through which they
had effected their wicked purpose ; and
fearing, not merely the indignation of all
just men, but also the juridical annul-
ment of the lawless process, they sought
to stifle the voice of justice by putting
forward the English nation as the cham-
pion of the crime of Rouen. Their sense
of guilt, their anxiety, are still more ap-
parent in the extraordinary letter issued
in the name of Henry VI. , three days after
the first letter, and sixteen days before

the second letter, to which we have al-
ready referred . Assuming the blustering
air of a bully, the royal Council hoped to
intimidate not only the temporal princes
of Christendom, but also the Vicar of
Christ. By the document dated June 12,
1431, the King of England guaranteed
that " if any of the judges, doctors, mas-
ters, clerics, promoters, advocates, coun-
sellors, notaries or others who had been
occupied with and had listened to the
process (of the Maid), should, on account
of the said process, be put on trial before
our Holy Father the Pope, the general
council or the commissioners and dele-
gates of the Holy Father, or of the gen-
eral council, or before others, we will in
court and outside of it, aid and defend,
and provide aid and defence for, all the
aforesaid judges, masters, clerics, etc.,
and each one of them, at our proper cost
and expense." The bad faith of those
who compassed the death of the Maid,
this letter clinches. Had she been law-
fully tried before a regularly constituted
ecclesiastical court, why should the King
of England guarantee to aid and defend
the judges of that court against the Pope ?
Why promise aid not only in court, but
also outside ? Their threat is a confes-
sion of conscious guilt. The court they
organized to convict Jeanne d'Arc was
an English shambles, and in no wise a
tribunal of the Church. Craftily and
wickedly, they abused the forms of eccle-
siastical law in order to take a life, which,
under the forms of their civil law, might
have escaped from even their vindictive
hate.

Carefully and equitably the Papal dele-
gates examined all this testimony. No
less than eleven briefs of learned theo-
logians and canonists, setting forth the
facts of Jeanne's career or the irregu-
larities of her trial, were presented to
the court. From many experts, to whom
all the evidence had been submitted,
opinions were asked and received. Be-
fore deciding the case, Jean Brehol was
charged with the duty of exhibiting, in
in an orderly fashion, all the questions

JEANNE D'ARC.

785

at issue, and of resolving them in ac-
cordance with the doctrine and canons of
the Church. This charge Brehol ful-
filled, composing a masterly treatise of
twenty-one chapters ; a work of the most
comprehensive and solid erudition. Hav-
ing duly considered Brehol 's "Recol-
lection," as the document is officially
called, the Pontifical delegates met in
Rouen, and there held a public session
on the first of July, 1456. On the fol-
lowing day the counsel for Jeanne's
mother asked the court, heeding both
the law and the evidence, to proclaim, in
the name of the Holy See, the iniquity
and the nullity of the original process,
and to repair, beseemingly, the wrongs
done to the memory and the honor of
the blameless victim of that process.

Adjourning the court until the seventh
of the month, the delegates meantime
held further consultation with a number
of the resident theologians. On the
morning of the seventh, in the great
hall of the episcopal palace of Rouen,
the court held a solemn session, at
eight o'clock — the very hour fixed for
Jeanne's appearance in the market-place
twenty-five years before. Besides the
Papal delegates, the Maid's brother
Pierre was present ; and, with these,
the counsel for the Maid 's mother, the
court officers, and fourteen clerics, theo-
logians, and lawyers, sworn to witness
to the terms of the judgment.

It was the Archbishop of Rheims, Jean
Juvenal des Ursins, that read the deci-
sion of the court, whose tenor, in sub-
stance, is here set forth : ' ' Desiring
that this, our judgment, should emanate
from the face of God, who weighs the
souls of men, and who is the sole perfect
arbiter, the sole absolutely infallible
judge of His revelations ; who breathes
where He wills, and who often chooses
the feeblest to overturn the strongest,
and who, in fine, abandons not, in the
days of trial and tribulation, those who
hope in Him. We having studiously
deliberated, with men equally scrupu-
lous, competent and experienced, on the

records and conclusions of the process ;
and having acquainted ourselves with
the solemn decisions of the learned men
aforesaid, as formulated in treatises con-
firmed by references to many books, and
in special memoires ; and having com-
pared many spoken and written opinions
dealing with the form as well as the
matter of the process, .... do
say, and, justice requiring, we do de-
clare, in the first place, that the Articles
beginning with these words : ' A certain
woman, etc. , etc. , ' were and are viciously,
deceitfully, calumniously, fraudulently
and maliciously compiled from the con-
fessions and the records of the trial of the
deceased (Jeanne d'Arc); and we declare
that the truth was suppressed, or mis-
stated, so that, on essential points, those
called as judges would be induced to
hold an opinion contrary to that re-
corded ; and we declare that many ag-
gravating circumstances, that were not
a part of the record, have been unlaw-
fully added thereto, while, at the same
time, many favorable and justificatory
details have been omitted ; and we say
that the form of the expression was
altered in a manner affecting the sense
of the ideas."

' ' Wherefore, considering the aforesaid
article to be tainted with falsity, deceit,
calumny, and to be wholly at variance
with the confessions from which a pre-
tence was made of extracting them, we
quash them, destroy them, annul them,
and we ordain that, having been torn out
of the aforesaid record, they shall be
here judicially lacerated.*

And, in the second place, having dili-
gently examined the other parts of the
same record, and especially the two sen-
tences therein contained ;

and having most carefully measured the
character of those who judged Jeanne,
and of those by whom she was detained,
and having seen the appeals and requests,
often repeated, by which Jeanne declared

*The portions of the record here referred to were
not destroyed ; they were, however, " lacerated."

786

JEANNE D'ARC.

that she submitted herself and all her
acts to the Holy Apostolic See, and de-
manded that the process be referred to
the Sovereign Pontiff, and having exam-
ined an abjuration tainted with falsity

and deceit ; and having

considered the treatises composed by ex-
perts in sacred and human law ;
and having given diligent attention to
the whole and to each of the things that
we had to see and to study, we, judges,
sitting on our tribunal, and having God
alone before our eyes, by this definitive
sentence, which, and here we solemnly
utter and formulate, do say, pronounce,
decree, that the aforesaid processes and
sentences, with the abjuration, their
execution and all that follows, are mani-
festly stained with deceit, calumny,
iniquity, inconsequence, and with errors
of law and of fact ; and we declare that
they have been, are, and shall be null,
void, without value or effect ; and more-
over, inasmuch as need be, and as rea-
son commands, we quash them, annul
them, destroy them, and make them
absolutely void.

' ' And we pronounce that neither
Jeanne, nor her relatives, have con-
tracted or incurred any note or mark of
infamy through the said process, and we
declare them, in the present and for the
future, freed and cleared absolutely from
all consequences of the said process :
ordaining that the solemn intimation
and execution of this, our sentence,
shall ensue forthwith in this very city,
in two places, to-day in the Place St.
Ouen, after a general procession and a
public sermon, and to-morrow in the old
market-place, 'on the very spot where
Jeanne was so cruelly and horribly smoth-

ered and burned. There a solemn sermon
shall be preached, and a cross shall be
planted in perpetuation of the memory
of that honest girl and to excite the faith-
ful to pray for her salvation, and for the
salvation of all the dead.

' ' To ourselves we reserve the right of
publicly executing this sentence, in an
impressive manner, and for the edification
of future times, in the cities and other
notable places of this Kingdom, as we
shall judge expedient. "

* * * * *

Gratefully, joyfully, I have listened to
every word of the meet and equitable
sentence pronounced by the Archbishop
of Rheims. From the great hall I hasten,
anxious to be among the first to reach
the Place St. Ouen. On the way, I find
myself repeating the words of Jean Thies-
sart: "We have burned a saint " I
look upward, the skies open, and, with
the eye of my spirit, I see into heaven.
And there I behold, lovingly embraced,
three beauteous figures. Surely I recog-
nize them : Catharine and Margaret, —
and Jeanne the Maid, armored with a
heavenly armor. Then I remember the
wise counsel of Catharine and Margaret
on the eve of Compiegne : ' ' Resignation
to God's will, whatever come." A mo-
ment, and a new heaven opens, disclos-
ing the archangel Michael; and I feel
that his glory is more dazzling than it
was on that summer day, when, in the
garden, by the church wall, the Maid
heard a mysterious word breathed on the
glowing air. No longer do I see. But
in my ears resounds, and ever will re-
sound, a chorus, not plaintive, not merry,
and yet glad, whose refrain is: "Jesu!
Jesu ! Jesu ! ' '

"ECCE HOMO."

By D. Carroll.

/t LETTER from an old friend and
f> fellow artist in Florence brings
tidings of the total destruction by fire
of the Church of Santa Lucia, together
with the priceless paintings and orna-
ments which had adorned this edifice ;
and the communication makes me sad,
for the little church is intimately asso-
ciated in my mind with the purest soul
and the noblest man I ever met, Rafaello
Amati, whose wonderful painting of the
"Ecce Homo " had hung upon its wall
and awakened the admiration and devo-
tion of many souls who gazed upon it.
With the destruction of this great work
of art must come to light again the
romance, if I may so call it, attached to
the painting ; and though it is familiar
to many Italians, yet to you, I am sure,
the story will be altogether new, albeit
I shall prove a poor chronicler.

It must be at least twenty years ago
that I first met Rafaello, while spending
my time "copying," as he was, some
gems in oil in the Academy. His great
beautv first attracted me, for never before
nor since have I seen a man so generous-
ly endowed, so physically perfect as he
was. His eyes were the typical Italian,
but his hair was a wonderful brown with
strange golden lights in it, that curled
closely about his small head, and pre-
sented a most pleasing contrast to his
dark brows and olive complexion.

A few words, which he addressed to
me in the purest English, yet with the
slightest foreign accent (his mother was
an Englishwoman, he afterwards told
me) led to our becoming better ac-
quainted ; and it was not many months
before we had decided, as we were both
alone in the world, to rent a studio and
share our good or evil fortune with each
other. Rafaello had many friends, but
to none of his fellow countrymen had he

ever shown the strong liking that he
evinced for me, whom the jealous-hearted
Italians called "the stupid English-
man."

Our studio was a large airy place
which we curtained off, thus making
two apartments, one of which belonged
to him and the other to myself. Here,
day after day, we would labor upon
some work which monopolized our
whole attention ; and though neither
was obliged to work for his daily bread,
yet the sale of a picture was hailed with
as much joy as it would have been by
any starving wielder of the brush. In
the summer when the green fields lured
us from our easels, we would seek some
pleasant retreat to dream, and to pass
away the hours in converse.

I remember as distinctly as though it
had been but to-day, one afternoon we
had spent in the valley. It was a glori-
ous day, warm and beautiful, and Ra-
faello, lying prone upon the earth, had
spoken of his dream, the one longing of
his life — the desire to paint an Ecce
Homo such as had never been painted
since the days of the old masters.

The sun shone on his face as he spoke,
and that face comes between me and the
pages as I write, it was so full of light
and resolution.

"No one at the present time has
painted that divine face as it really
looked when the time of His agony had
come — when they led Him to be cruci-
fied. No one can, and yet — my God ! we
can only imagine what a divine being
would suffer, for He was divine, the
most perfect being that ever trod the
earth. And how they mocked Him !
How they scorned Him ! How they cruci-
fied Him ! "

Rafaello, when he spoke like this, was
something to wonder at and admire, al-

787

788

" ECCE HOMO.

though I knew he was most devout, and
sometimes, to my slow imagination,
rather an extremist in his religious ten-
dencies.

He would often talk to me of the beau-
ties of the Catholic belief, and try to per-
suade me, who acknowledged no church
whatever, that this was the fold which I
should enter. In those days I did not
agree with him, although I never failed
to accompany him to his devotions within
the sacred portal.

The ceremonies, the ornaments, the
rich vestments of gold, and white, and
purple, the lights, the soft monotone of
the officiating priest, all pleased my
artistic sense ; but I refused then to look
at it in any other way than that all these
embellishments were intended to appeal
to the eyes and imaginations of the un-
wary, like the glittering candle-light
which proves the funeral pyre of the
deluded moth.

"The Catholic religion is all senti-
ment," I would say to my companion,
and the eloquent words of denial would
fall rapidly from his lips.

That afternoon he spoke of the ' ' Ecce
Homo, " as I have said, and continued in
the same strain as he had begun.

' ' You remember that statue of the
Sacred Heart which you saw in the
church ? Do you think that looks like a
divine being ? I say no — no, it does not.
The face is not what I would picture it to
be. The sculptor who wrought that was
Peronelli, the famed ! the wonderful
Peronelli — Peronelli, the man who never
bent a knee in prayer ; who never under-
stood the story of the Via Crucis, and
whom I have heard many a time blas-
pheme His name ! But enough of Pero-
nelli! "

' ' Peronelli is dead — let him rest in
peace," I said, and Rafaello did not
answer as he smoothed a spray of deli-
cate iris lilies in his fingers. The sculp-
tor whose work we were discussing had
died shortly before my coming to Flor-
ence, but I had heard that there had been
a slight difficulty between him and my

friend, arising from an incident which
happened at the church's very doors.
Peronelli, blindly intoxicated, trying to
force his way into the church, was ejected
by Rafaello, during the religious service.
Rafaello had never spoken of it to me,
but I could imagine how shocked he was
to see that reeling form in God's temple,
and how gently and yet firmly he led him
out.

"Did you ever wish," he continued,
1 ' but then you didn 't, I am sure — but I
have wished it many a time — that I had
lived in those days when the Saviour
walked the earth and taught and healed.
How grand it would have been to have
followed Him about, listening to his
voice, and then ' ' - — here Rafaello sat
upright, his beautiful, changing face
shadowed by the intensity of his thoughts
— "to have shared in that terrible jour-
ney to the Hill of Sacrifice ; and those
barbarians. I can see them all there,
jeering Him with their foul tongues,
striking Him with their leprous hands,
and lastly nailing Him to that infamous
gibbet ! I can hear the thud of those
fearful hammers driving the heavy nails
through the delicate bones of His hands ;
and then, in a little while to hear Him,
speaking in a voice full of anguish : ' My
God! My God! Why hast Thou for-
saken me ? ' "

"You rave," I said calmly and with
cynicism ; but I remember even now how
my heart beat at my friend's words.
His flashing eyes, the unearthly expres-
sion of his face which evinced such great
love for his God, moved me against my
will.

' ' Forgive me, I forget myself some-
times," he said gently, "and I must
weary you, poor fellow."

Weary me ? No, he did not weary me,
for he was too much in earnest and I
knew he spoke from his heart. He was
gifted with extraordinary eloquence, and
it was a positive delight to listen to the
sound of his voice, which was soft, car-
essing and full of pathos, breathing ot
music ; yet, strange to say, the gift of

ECCE HOMO.

789

THERE WAS THE 'KCCK HOMO '—THERE WAS THE MASTERPIECE."

song- was not his. It seemed odd to me
at the time that he should love, should
speak so tenderly of a person he had
never seen, and be so filled with this
great love of the Saviour, that all human
affection was artificial beside it.

' ' I want to paint a picture of the thorn-

crowned Head, one which will make men
pause and think of all He suffered for
them, and perhaps move them to make
some reparation. I have wasted too
much time already, so I shall begin to
morrow, and you will help me."

"Help you" I said, and Rafaello

790

" ECCE HOMO.

laughed the liquid laugh of his race, as
he linked his arm in mine and together
we went home.

That evening we sat in the purple twi-
light, musing, while the soft tinkle of a
mandolin and the echo of a man's voice
singing an amorous Italian strain came
to us, mellowed by the distance ; and a
crowd of merry-makers passing beneath
our casement saw the face of Rafaello
framed by the jasmine flowers and called
to him ; while a dusky-eyed creature
flung up to him the pomegranate flower
she had worn at her throat.

Rafaello smiled, a smile half scornful,
half tender, and left the blossom lying
neglected where it had fallen ; for no
woman's face or smile, among the beau-
foil women of Florence, had ever moved
his pure serenity of heart, though many
admired him, and had plainly shown
their admiration.

I spoke that night on this very subject,
and I rememcer, he answered in his
characteristic fashion.

"There is but one woman in this
world that I have ever loved, and that
woman, peerlessly beautiful with a fair
English beauty, as pure as an Easter
lily, was my mother. When she lay
dying she commended me to the care of
that other Mother, the Virgin Mary, and
made me promise never to forget her,
nor cease to love her, the Spotless One.
I have not forgotten that promise, and
prefer the divine love to that selfish,
vain attachment which men call human
love."

I have said before that he was very
devout, and our conversation, no matter
where or when it would take place, if
we two were alone together, would in-
evitably turn upon religion. By some
people my companion would have been
deemed a fanatic, but every one who has
come in contact with them knows that
the Italians are an innately religious
people.

To see Rafaello and myself, standing
with uncovered heads (he insisted upon
my complying) whilst the bells rang the

Angelus hour might have, nay, would
have caused comment in any other coun-
try, but passed unnoticed in Florence.

The days that followed were busy
ones for him, and knowing that he wished
to be undisturbed, I went quietly about
my own affairs during working hours.
Our evenings we would spend at church
or reading, for my fellow artist would
never work by artificial light, and laid
aside his brushes and colors when the
sun sank behind the hills.

In the still church, with its ruby lamp
which swung before the tabernacle, I
would feel strangely at rest, while he
knelt before the small altar of the Sacred
Heart, like a figure carved in stone, so
still, so rapt was he.

Now at this distant date, now that the
Church calls me her child, I believe that
God designed our friendship as the means
of turning me from the path of blindness,
as the instrument of my conversion ;
and surely no man had a fairer example
than had I in the life of my friend, a
creature whose very gifts, had they not
been united to so pure a soul, would have
proved his own destruction.

One evening, when we came out of the
shadowy church, Rafaello said :

" I will show you my work to-night.
It is finished, but I am not satisfied. "

He entered the studio first, and pro-
cured a light, then took up his brushes
and tubes of paint.

"You may be able to suggest some
improvement. Now look."

He lifted up the curtain which hung
before it, and I stepped a little further
back.

I was amazed.

There was the "Ecce Homo, "—there
was the masterpiece, and to my e\ es it
seemed a marvellous thing. It shone
out like some beautiful unset gem, a
work far beyond what I had imagined it
would be, and so I told Rafaello as he
stood looking upon it, with a strange
expression upon his face.

He did not answer. He poised the
blender, heavy with burnt sienna, and

ECCE HOMO.

791

without warning, and before I could pre-
vent the action, had swept it across that
peerless picture, and a meaningless daub

I blotted out the sacred lineaments.
" Rafaello ! " I cried, in horror.
He dropped the curtain over his work,
and faced me. His own face was white
beneath its olive tint, and the brushes
snapped beneath the fierce grasp of his
slender brown fingers.

' ' You mock me ! The picture is a
failure ! I saw it all now ! It is a daub
— a daub ! And / found fault with the
face of Peronelli 's statue ! ' '

He laughed bitterly, a laugh full of
self-scorn and humiliation, which was
not pleasant to hear, and I saw a great
despair in his eyes.

' ' It was fine, ' ' I affirmed, ' ' and would
have looked even better by daylight.
That execrable light distorts outlines
so."

This last, I saw as soon as I had
spoken, was the most foolish remark I
could have made, but men have always
been credited with being tactless, and I
was no exception to the rule.

I say this was a foolish remark, for by
it my companion thought that I pitied
him, and pity stings like a scorpion
when one is in such a mood as he was at
that moment.

" You knew it was a failure, " he said,
hotly, "you knew it, and you stood
there laughing in your sleeve at the
picture born of my mad dreams ! / was
mad ! That — pointing to the draped
picture — that is the artist's dream —
Rafael lo's dream !"

1 ' My dear boy, you are so excited, you
do not know what you are saying. The
picture was a gem — a masterpiece. I
told you the truth about it, and now you
reproach me, ' ' I said, watching his face
closely as I spoke. The flush of passion
had faded and left him weary-looking,
but the light of passion still burned in
his eyes.

"Listen, " he cried, springing up from
the low couch where he had flung him-
self, and grasping me by the arm, "I

will paint another whfch will not be a
failure. The new picture, the new 'Ecce
Homo,' shall hang above Peronelli 's
statue in the church, and then my work
in the world will be complete. The
picture will not fail, for I will pray with
more fervor to Him, and He will help
me !"

' ' My dear Rafaello, if the new picture
surpasses the work you destroyed to-
night, it will be divine."

' ' Divine ! That is it. A mere mortal
endeavoring to paint divine beauty,
divine tenderness, and divine agony!
Presumption ! I am a fool and have been
ungrateful to you, my best friend ! ' '

That was our first and last quarrel, and
the matter was never mentioned between
us again. He began another "Ecce
Homo, ' ' and, as before, I left him to
his work, untrammelled by my society.
Again the days fled away, but the time he
gave to his employment was much longer
than it had been before. We still fre-
quented the church during leisure hours,
and he always knelt before the Sacred
Heart. Often I have imagined that I saw
the " Ecce Homo " hanging there before
him, and then it seemed strangely out of
harmony to my mind for both to be there
at the same time — the beautiful pictured
face, and the creature who had blended
those exquisite tints upon the canvas.

The memorable, long-awaited evening
came at last.

It gives me pain to write this passage
of the story, for it brings back painful
remembrances. Again, as on that other
night, we stood before the curtained pic-
ture. Rafaello was flushed and excited.
With one nervous hand he brushed back
the curtain, and I saw his work.

At this moment I feel again the chok-
ing sensation that rose in my throat, and
I know my heart beat painfully.

"It speaks," I said huskily, and he
gave a smothered, satisfied sigh.

We both stood gazing upon that won-
derful work, silent, and then Rafaello
spoke :

' ' I feel as if I had done my best, and I

"ECCE HOMO.

"RAFAELLO SANK BACK INTO MY ARMS"

have worked hard upon it. I have tried
to do it justice "

He went close to the picture, and as he
turned his face toward me again I was
struck by the great delicacy of his
features . Rafaello looked worn , and there
were deep shadows beneath his lustrous

eyes ; but the painting drew my attention
again, and I said nothing.

Such beautiful tenderness, such agony
shone in that pictured face that I am
not ashamed to own that something like
tears dimmed my eyes. Every line was
perfect, and the entire work was replete

"ECCE HOMO.

793

with, and seemed to breathe forth, all
the intensity, the passionate love which
the young artist entertained for the di-
vine original.

' ' It breathes, ' ' I whispered, ' ' my dear
afaello ; you will be famous. Your
dream has been realized. It is sublime,
and I feel honored and happy to have
been the first permitted to glance at that
peerless face. ' '

I" You think I could not improve upon
it? "he asked, wistfully.
"No. It is perfect, and I am proud to
clasp the hand that executed it. "

He gave my fingers a swift pressure,
and I could see that he was moved by
my scant words of praise. I did not tell
him half of what I thought. I could not
tell him how the expression of that face
had shaken my composure ; how the eyes
followed and haunted me with their un-
speakable agony.

Nothing remains of that beautiful work
now but a memory which to me, at least,
is most painfully vivid.

Rafaello had dropped upon one knee
with an almost adoring look upon his face.

"Look at it, just once again," he
cried, joyously, "and then we will go to
His altar, and I shall thank Him there. "

I looked, and then my friend let the
curtain fall upon the "EcceHomo." He
caught up his hat, and we went out to-
gether.

How happy he was that evening. His
beautiful face beamed with an almost
heavenly light, and his dreamy eyes
were lit with the same fire.

"We have worked together long
weeks, " he said, softly. "It will seem
strange to you, dear Edgar, will it not,
when I am no longer with you ? ' '

' ' No longer with me ? " I said, amazed.
' ' What do you mean ? ' '

' ' I mean this, ' ' he answered. ' ' I would
have told you before this, but you have
laughed so much at my ' extreme views, '
that I could not bring myself to confide
my secret to you. It is this. I intend
to become a religious — a priest. The
world has no charm for me, and in that

life devoted to God's service I shall find
all earthly happiness."

"Rafaello, it is impossible! You — a
priest! I can never believe that you are
in earnest — never, never, never! "

I was conscious of suffering at that
moment, conscious that I was about to
lose the one creature to whom I was
attached; and the days that I should
spend alone in the old studio came to my
mind like spectres in a dream. I knew
Rafaello too well ever to suppose he
would jest on such a subject. No, I
knew full well, for I remembered many
delicate hints he had thrown out, that
he had made up his mind to don priestly
robes. I pictured him clad in foamy,
glistening vestments, exhorting the
people to virtuous, pious practices. I
could see his face, with its expression 01
purity and serenity, gazing down upon
those devout worshippers.

I could have wept at the thought of
losing him, but outwardly I was very
calm.

' ' Then we shall no longer be ' David
and Jonathan, ' " I remarked, and Rafa-
ello pressed my arm.

It was he who had given us the names
one day, after he read to me the story of
the two young men who loved each
other with a love ' ' passing that of
woman."

' ' We shall always be the same, though
our paths be different, " Rafaello replied,
and I saw that his eyes were dim with
tears. "We shall always love each
other — like David and Jonathan of old. "

His voice trembled, and just as we
reached the church door, he turned and
faced me, grasping my hands in his,
which were cold as ice. "Dear Edgar,
I shall pray for you to-night— pray that
you will embrace the faith, my best, my
truest and sincerest friend."

We entered the dimly lit church,
where there were but few worshippers,
and he went to his usual place before
the statue of the Sacred Heart, while I
remained in the rear, enveloped in
shadow.

794

" ECCE HOMO.

I watched him as he knelt in prayer,
his head bowed upon his hands which
rested upon the narrow railing, and the
sculptured fingers of the statue out-
stretched above his head, as if in the act
of blessing the young devotee. From
Rafaello, my eyes wandered to the main
altar with its tall candles and sweeping
draperies, and the flowers which filled
the vases and made the air heavy with
their sweetness.

From the vestry a black -robed priest
noiselessly came forth, and he too knelt
in voiceless prayer. I watched him idly,
though I could not see his face until he
looked toward the spot where my friend
was kneeling motionless. I noticed how
boyish-looking the clergyman was, and
wondered how any one, so young as
he appeared to be, could give up every-
thing in the world and bury himself,
as it were, just as life was opening
for him. I followed his glance, and
saw that Rafaello had not changed his
position, and then my eyes returned to
the priestly figure, who at that moment
made the sign of the Cross, and stole
away as silently and softly as he had
come.

The moments had not seemed long to
me, yet I intuitively knew that the hour
had grown late and took out my watch
to note the time. The obscurity pre-
vented me from seeing the position of
the hands, so I moved further toward
the altar before which swung the gold
lamp, and by the light of its red beam-
ing saw that it was later than I had
imagined.

I did not like to disturb Rafaello at
his devotions, but I knew that he was
worn out from his long labor and needed
rest. I went up and gently touched him
on the shoulder. He did not seem to
feel the pressure of my fingers, so I
pulled him gently by the sleeve.

He swayed slightly but did not relax
the firm grasp of his hands upon the
railing. I was growing impatient and
shook him, this time a little roughly.
The fingers slipped from their place,

and, like a lily that falls to earth when
its slender stem is broken, Rafaello sank
back into my arms, mute — his counte-
nance illumined with a smile of ex-
quisite happiness, and his lustrous eyes
wide and staring— dead.

I knew that it was death, his slender
hands were so cold — a dreadful coldness
which sent its chill shaft to my heart.
My eyes burned, the blood rushed throb-
bingly to my brain, and there, with
those unseeing eyes turned to mine, I,
the stolid, the unimaginative English-
man, wept, as I have never wept since,
as any woman might weep over her be-
loved dead.

•x- #• •*

Kindly hands assisted me in the work
of preparation for burial. Rafaello 's
many friends heaped flowers upon his
coffin, and their eyes grew dim when
they rested upon his still form. On the
day of his burial, the wonderful paint-
ing, the ' ' Ecce Homo ' ' for which he had
given his life, hung above the altar of
the Sacred Heart, where he had wished
to see it ; and dark-eyed women sobbed
heart-breakingly, and men brushed the
tears from eyes unused to weeping, as it
shone down upon them from the wall.

Rafaello had died of heart failure,
brought on by excessive and too close
application to his work, which was too
great a burden for his delicate constitu-
tion to bear.

When robing him for the grave I
found resting upon his breast a small,
golden heart, attached to a chain of
Italian workmanship. Upon the trinket
were engraved the words : ' ' Cuore di
Gesu ' ' — the words which had been full
of sweetness to him. The pendent heart,
with its delicate chain, I now wear, and
it has never been removed since that day,
years ago, when the waters of Baptism
were poured upon my head.

When the time comes for me to die I
ask that it be left untouched.

This is the story which I set out to tell
you ; the story of a man who ' ' was in
the world, but not of the world, " whose

REFUCIUM PECCATORUM.

795

love was all given to that Divine Heart,
whose emblem he had worn.

The ' ' Bcce Homo ' ' had been all that
Rafaello had dreamed, and I have knelt
beneath it, and to me it has seemed to
speak with those lips which let fall such
golden truths in the days of His glorious
mission upon earth.

Now that the flames have destroyed
this unexcelled work of art, as time
speeds on, Rafaello 's name will be but
seldom heard ; but the object of this pic-
ture has been accomplished, for I know
that many have been moved to repent-
ance after having looked long upon and
studied the ' ' Kcce Homo. ' '

It was not for fame 'nor gold that he
had labored upon it, but rather from love
of that divine Face, to which painters had
never done justice.

The body of my companion, Rafaello
Amati, has long since returned to dust,
but the memory of his chaste and holy
life, the remembrance of his beautiful
personality, remain with me until death
shall still the throbbing of my pulse.
With these remembrances also remains
with me that visible link binding me to
the old days in Florence, the precious
golden heart, bearing the words I had
heard Rafaello breathe tenderly so many
times — " Cuore di Gesu."

REFUGIUM PECCATORUM.

By Rev. Joseph Keating, SJ.

Heavy thine empire's care,

Queen of our souls, for lurk
Foul rebels in word and work
Deep in the darkness there.
Pride of the hardened will,
Hate with its brood of ill,
The flesh that is traitor still,
Betrayed, one with betrayer —

Natheless, 'midmost the fray,
Hope in our hearts lives on ;
Thou, our Help in the day,

Our Light when the day is gone.

The quenchless fuel of these

Is the wayward sense of man,
Warped by the primal ban
From the spirit's high decrees,
Gross-fed on husks of swine,
Drowsed with the world's wine
To hold but self divine
And self alone to please.

Leagued with the foe within

This fragile soul-redoubt,
Massed are the foes without
By Satan, the Lord of Sin,

Who, writhing aneath thy heel,
Yet wars against our weal,
Unseen tho' the battle steel,
Unheard, the combat's din.

796 REFUGIUM PECCATORUM.

The heavens were under his feet.

He said, "I will mount yet higher "-
He lies in the lake of fire,
And thick in the smoke-pall beat
The wings of his rebel host,
Like-doomed as alike their boast,
Who bear to that burning coast
The sifted tares from the wheat.

The world he hath made his own ;

Hath hidden the heart of dust
And the chains that fret and rust
With flowers from his poison zone ;
Hath set in the barren waste
Sweet fruit that is death to taste,
And the sinner's sigh displaced
For laughter that ends in moan.

Queen, Queen, how may we fare

Unscathed thro' foes like these,
Frail barks on perilous seas,
Poor moths in Folly 's glare ?

Mother, our hearts make pure !
Make wav'ring wills endure
'Gainst force and specious lure,
Dear suasion and sweet snare !

Thou'rt by the Father dight

In robes of royal array ;
The Son hath made thee sway
The sceptre of his might,

The unction of the spouse
Is brilliant on thy brows,
And every spirit bows
To own thy queenly right.

To thee we hasten, to thee,

Our refuge, solace and hope,
From whom cometh strength to cope,
Who givest us grace to flee ;
The hours are flying fast
Like wild wings down the blast ;
Life ends, sweet Queen, at last,
And Death shall set us free.

Still then, 'midmost the fray,

Hope in our hearts hath home —
Thou, our Help in the day,

Our Light when the shadows come.

WHERE OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

By Rev. George O' Council, SJ.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF ISLETA.

•OISING like a white terrace on a
A\ gentle elevation in the midst of its
reservation of one hundred and ten
thousand acres, the Pueblo of Isleta has
for more than ten decades been a strik-
ing feature in the country south of Albu-
querque. After leaving the latter town,
the traveller by rail is first borne through
a pitiful-looking stretch of sand, to
which even the rich alluvial deposits of
the Rio Grande have given neither life
nor beauty. Then suddenly, some
twelve miles south, he finds himself in
a region of fertile orchards, vineyards
and farms. The country is transformed.
A lovely green appears on every hand,
and industry and plenty mark the scene ;
while the master of all appears in the
brown, but handsome and muscular,
town-dwelling Indian. Clad picturesque-
ly in vari-colored turban, red print shirt,
white calzoncillos or loose trousers, and
maroon leggings and moccasins, his
hair tied back in an Egyptian queue or
chongo, as he calls it, he is as much at
home with the plough and the pruning-
knife as any bony-handed farmer of New
England. Out of this vision of plenty,
the well-built and well-preserved pueblo
of twelve hundred souls stands forth
proudly, as if to challenge comparison
between the beauty, comfort and Chris-
tianity that centre round its adobe walls
and vast two-towered church, and that
more advanced and feverish civilization
which claims the screaming locomotive
as its emblem.

If only contentment be sought in this
poor world, the Pueblo will ever possess
the advantage. Drunkenness, theft and
brawling are literally all but unknown
in his town, poverty is absolutely so,
family relations are the tenderest and

truest, irrigation assures him of con-
stant and plentiful harvests, the priest
is always near to baptize, to shrive, to
marry and to bury him, and to preach
him the word of God every Sunday and
holy day, and as for curiosity or envy
of the outside world, he will not so
much as turn his head to see the engine
flying past. With only the utmost diffi-
culty was he ever persuaded to let the
iron rails be laid across his reservation.
He feared the entering wedge which
might one day split to fragments all his
jealously guarded possessions, and when
finally his consent was given it was with
the stipulation that nothing but the bare
necessities of the railway be allowed —
two tracks, with a fair allowance of
ground on either side, a water-tank, a
telegraph office, and an agent's house
and narrow patch of garden — nothing
more.

He will sell the products of his farm
and his oriental looking pottery and
beaded trinkets to the white man of
Albuquerque, and in fact of every town
and ranch of New Mexico, but he gently
declines the white man's civilization,
and after a thousand years from now, if
the angel of the seven plagues with-
hold the vials of his wrath so long, he
will be a Pueblo still — proud, courteous
and happy, but as independent as in the
day of the undiscovered past, when first
his ancestors built their homes in the
fair valley of the Rio Grande.

II.

SOME ISLETENO HISTORY ; FIRST DIS-
COVERY ; REBELLION ; FLIGHT

AND RETURN.

Isleta of New Mexico is not to be con-
founded with the half-Indian, half -Mexi-
can town of a similar name in Texas,
fourteen miles or so to the east of El

797

798

WHERE OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

Paso. The Indians of the Texas Isleta,
though true Pueblos, as we shall see,
have not that distinct and separate ex-
istence which marks their brethren of
the North, but have become 'too inti-
mately associated with their Mexican
neighbors to be reckoned any longer in
Pueblo statistics. The Moquis, in fact,
in their lonely six rock-crowning vil-
lages in northwestern Arizona, are the
only genuine Pueblo Indians outside the
limits of New Mexico.

Our Isleta has been identified as the
Tutahaco of Coronado. It was one of
the eight Tigua towns which that gallant
soldier found four leagues to the south of
Tiguex when, in 1540, he left Zufii and
travelled for eleven days over the water-
less waste and the freezing mountains
south of Acoma. A welcome sight its
prosperous streets and the glorious river
flowing at the foot of the bluff on which
it stands must have been to the parched
and shivering explorer. He lingered no
longer, however, than to recruit himself
and his 30 followers for their meeting
with his full army, which had preceded
him by another route to Tiguex, our
modern Bernalillo. Of the eight towns
which Coronado found, Isleta alone sur-
vives, though the ruins of four of the
others are still vaguely traced.

During Coronado 's first and second
sojourn at Tiguex, it is more than prob-
able that the ardent soul of Father de
Padilla, who was one of his chaplains,
led him to visit Isleta. Distance was as
nothing to this tireless traveller of
Christ, and he could scarcely have suf-
fered these souls to remain in the dark-
ness as long as his arms could hold aloft
to them the light of the Gospel. He cer-
tainly must have visited the Pueblo after
the explorer had returned to Mexico, and
left Fray Juan and his few companions
alone in the vast new territory ; and it
could only have been the assurance that
his companion, Father de la Cruz, would
labor in its interests that permitted him
to start away on his fatal tramp across
the buffalo plains to Quivira.

To this pious conjecture we may add

another, that Isleta was visited also by
Fathers Santa Maria and Lopez and
Brother Rodriguez, after Chambuscado
had left them at Tiguex in 1581. We
know that these servants of God trav-
elled considerably up and down the Rio
Grande Valley before they, too, received
the crown of martyrdom. Espejo, in the
following year, probably rested there for
a time, when, in company with Father
Beltran, he went in search of the re-
mains of those martyrs, journeying
north through a pleasanter land than
Coronado had met with, through the
forests of mesquite, pine and cottonwood
that adorned so profusely the valley of
the Rio Grande. Near here, also, it was
that the dashing and generous, but un-
appreciated, Castafio was arrested ten
years later by Captain Morlete for hav-
ing presumed to make his expedition
without the royal sanction. Ofiate passed
it hurriedly in 1598, on his way to Apu-
ruay, where he found on the walls of one
of the houses two life-sized portraits of
Brother Rodriguez and Father Lopez,
which the guilty inhabitants had vainly
endeavored to efface. With his coming
to New Mexico the real modern history
of Isleta begins.

Among the many chieftains who as-
sembled on his call at Caypa (or San
Juan) on the memorable ninth of Septem-
ber, 1598, to submit to the Spanish con-
queror and swear allegiance to King
Philip II., were several representatives
of the Tigua nations. To them the
padre custodio, Martinez, in his first as-
signment of missionaries, sent Father
Juan Claros. Father Claros was there-
fore the first priest of whom we have
any definite record as laboring at Isleta.
No less than sixty Pueblos are enumer-
ated as belonging to his mission, but
this number by no means implies such a
population as might be supposed. They
were all very small, and were, later on,
gathered together to form a group of
much larger and more powerful towns.
Isleta was at first situated a little lower
down the river than at present, and
probably changed its location when the

WHERE OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

799

general consolidation was made. At
what time the church and convent were
built cannot be told exactly, but it
was certainly before the year 1630, for
they were then enumerated in the list
which Father Benavides drew up in his
memorial to the King. Their building
was by the venerable Father Juan de
Salas.

The town grew rapidly in importance,
and its fertile surroundings soon attrac-
ted Spanish settlers. The modest adobe
town of Atrisco was founded some ten
miles to the north in 1660 by Don Diego
Antonio Duran de Chavez, a colonel in
the Spanish army, and by 1680 six other
ranchos were established much nearer,
while the town itself contained two thou-
sand souls and was the headquarters of
caravans on their way west to Acoma and
Zuiii. The rebellion of Pope rudely dis-
turbed this happy scene and threatened
the town with extinction.

As soon as Governor Otermin 's scouts
arrived at San Felipe to announce the
outbreak of hostilities, the Spaniards and
faithful Indians of that and the lower
pueblos saved their lives by flying to
Isleta. Here they were hospitably re-
ceived by Captain Garcia and the natives,
but on the fourteenth of August that offi-
cer, taking it for granted that all his
friends in the north had been slaughtered,
retreated south to Fra Cristobal. Mean-
time Otermin in vain sent him an appeal
for assistance, and was himself compelled
to abandon Santa Fe" a few days later
As soon, however, as the appeal did reach
him, Garcia obediently set out on his re-
turn, and the two officers met at Alamillo.
It was then too late to make a stand
against the hordes of savages who were
sweeping down the valley in a whirlwind
of murder and pillage, and all continued
their retreat to El Paso. Here the gov-
ernor renewed his forces, and December
6, 1 68 1, found him again at the walls of
Isleta with an army of reconquest. Dur-
ing his absence, the fifteen hundred in-
habitants had joined the rebels and now
resisted his approach. A brief assault

convinced them of their folly, and on the
morrow they surrendered with every pro-
fession of penitence . They declared they
had been forced into the rebellion by
their brethren of the north, and when the
Spaniards pointed to the walls of the
church, which now only served as a cor-
ral for cattle, they stoutly asserted that
the sacrilege was not theirs. To prove
their sincerity, they renewed their alle-
giance to the King and brought many of
their children to be baptized . Thereupon
the Spaniards generously pardoned them
without exacting any penalty, a rule
which was invariably followed by Var-
cas in his reconquest.

The submission of the Isletenos was
dishonest and short-lived. On Christ-
mas Day, as soon as Otermin had with-
drawn his forces to a point a little
opposite their town, over one thousand
of them fled north to join the rebels.
Otermin was soon afterwards convinced
that his ill-provided soldiery could not
afford to meet the growing strength of
Pope's infuriated army. He therefore
bade the four hundred faithful natives
join him, lest they should fall beneath
the vengeance of their brethren, and
then burned the town and returned to El
Paso. Now it was that these four hun-
dred founded the Texas town of Isleta,
where their descendants reside to this
day, faithful in all the practices of re-
ligion and distinguished in little from
the Mexican population around them.

Isleta lay in ruins for twenty-eight
years. Its re-establishment was due to
the Padre custodio of the missions,
Father Juan de la Pena. That sturdy
priest, famous for his crusade against
the scalp-dances and the pagan and
immoral rites of the estufa, and for his
courageous defence of his neophytes
against the exactions of the civil and
military authorities, set about collecting
once more the scattered bands of the
fugitive Tiguas. This was in the year
1709. Ill, indeed, had the poor people
fared since the days of the rebellion.
Their dearly bought liberty had meant

800

OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

only ruin, and little persuasion was
needed to make them occupy their aban-
doned pueblo and its smiling fields
anew. The town of Albuquerque had
meantime been founded in 1706 by Gov-
ernor Cuervo with thirty Spanish fami-
lies, receiving its name in honor of the
second Mexican viceroy of that name.
The colonists had returned to Atrisco
and the surrounding ranches, and pros-
perity on every hand invited the wan-
derers to resume their old industrious
and happy lives. Their history since
that day is only a record of how faith-
fully they have responded to the invita-
tion.

Hence we see how wild the guesses
are of photographers and others who
have given the church of San Augustin
an antiquity of more than three hundred
years. In its present shape, it can
scarcely lay claim to one hundred and
eighty-six years, and even its original
foundations and walls, if indeed they
survived the fury of Pope and the fire of
Otermin, date back, as we have seen, no
further than 1630.

The last item of important history
attaching to the pueblo is found in 1742.
Father Charles Delgado, one of the
most famous of the New Mexican mis-
sionaries, a man who labored for forty
years at Isleta, set out in that year for
the Moqui towns. Father Ignatius Pino
went with him and by their persuasion
they brought home four hundred more
of the fugitive Tiguas and their descend-
ants, much as Father de la Peiia had
done forty years before. These were
distributed through Isleta and the neigh-
boring pueblos, instead of in their former
abandoned homes. For the latter much
wiser plan the Fathers tried in vain to
secure the co-operation of Governor
Mendoza. The expulsion of the Span-
ish Franciscans in 1828 does not seem
to have affected Isleta. Some Mexican
members of the Order were found to ad-
minister it; but their day was short,
and soon the good Padres bade adieu
to this town, as they had done by de-

grees to all the territory. It is adminis-
tered at present by Father Augustin
Docher, a resident secular priest, who
includes in his parish a number of the
adjacent Mexican ranches. Its Indian
governor is Juan Bautista Lucero.

III.

TO ISLETA BY CARRIAGE ; AN APOSTATE
PUEBLO ; THE SACRED SNAKE.

The writer's latest little pilgrimage
to the tomb of America's protomartyr,
Juan de Padilla, was made by car-
riage on a cool and perfumed day in Oc-
tober, and not, as he had done before,
on a sweltering June day in the close
caboose of a freight-train, a rude con-
veyance to which even yet the average
tourist is forced to resort, for lack of a
passenger-train that stops at the pueblo
going south in the daylight. Eight
o'clock in the morning found us moving
through the adobe-built suburb of Los
Barelas, on our way to the thousand-
foot bridge that spans the Rio Grande.
Already the streets of Albuquerque were
bright with groups of Pueblo Indians.
Many of these tireless pedestrians, peri-
patetic merchants all, had walked into
town that morning from Isleta, while
others had come up the evening before
and camped over night, some round
fires in the vacant lots, some along the
broad and- sheltered platforms of the
railway warehouses.

Their picturesque costumes, their quiet
and orderly behavior, the invariable mod-
esty of the women, and the many luxu-
ries of fruit which they bring to sell,
assure a hearty welcome from the nervous
American town, but fifteen years of age,
to these gentle scions of a race that has
known few changes from time immemo-
rial. Their presence, in fact, is shrewdly
recognized as one of the foremost attrac-
tions of this star city of the territory.
They feel their security, but never pre-
sume upon it. They all speak Spanish
with fluency, but only a small number
have mastered English — such of the men
as were educated at the schools which

WHERE OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

801

the Jesuit Father Gasparri opened in
1869 in Old Albuquerque, and such of
the women as have been fortunate enough
to enjoy the training of the Sisters of
Loretto at Bernalillo. They buy and
sell with the strictest honesty, but make
no effort at being intimate. This re-
serve, which is never offensive, keeps
them to-day the same people they were
when Coronado first beheld them, three
hundred and fifty years ago.

A delicious breeze swept down the Rio
Grande as we crossed the great bridge.
Combined with the peculiarly sweet song
of the blackbird, who is a famous choris-

winter snows along their summits and
all year round protect the valley from
the colder winds, thus giving it a sooth-
ing and purified atmosphere that is a
balm unrivalled for the poor invalid . The
level country before us is still green with
the late-growing crops or with clumps of
cottonwood trees, in and out of which a
thousand bluebirds and robins are flit-
ting in an ecstasy of winged joy that is
answered in every corner of the fields by
the handsome and warbling lark. Back
more than a mile from either shore the
country receives rich nourishment from
the fierce and yellow ' ' River^of the

ISLETA PUEBLO, NEW MEXICO.

ter here, and the incessant twittering of
the saucy young red-headed linnet, it
made us pause a moment and remark
that the landscape too, as well as the na-
tive Indian, was not without its beauties.
Seen from this point rather than from
the windows of the flying train, the val-
ley is fair and productive. The sky is
often cloudless for two or three days at
a time, and of such a deep, soft blue
as were not unworthy to be likened to
the matchless heavens of Sorrento and
Naples. The brown and rugged Sandia
Mountains on the east, with the range
of the still loftier Manzanos looming
vaguely in the south, will catch the

North," the Nile of New Mexico, that
is beating so vainly at the piers beneath
us. A line of Mexican ranches nestles
close to the foot of a long stretch of
sandy hills on the west. The sum-
mits of these hills are frequently
broken by the craters of prehistoric vol-
canoes, from the mouths of which strong
gases still escape, to tell us of slumber-
ing furnaces locked deep in the bosom
of the earth. We find them checked in
other places and walled up by cliffs of
black lava, while crossing the tortuous
paths that wind wearily over their faces.
Herds of sheep are moving towards us,
leaving the dried-up Rio Puerco, away

802

WHERE OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

AN ISLETA HOUSEWIFE.

beyond, to enjoy their weekly plunge in
the unfailing Rio Grande.

Thus beguiled, we slowly leave the
bridge and enter the perfumed groves
that lie between Atrisco and the river.
The United States now seem to have fled
behind us. We are travelling apparently
amid the trees and meadows and people
and houses of Mexico. Not a house is
more than one story high. All are made
of adobe, and so little to be distinguished
in color from the earth around them that
we often come upon a group of them
whose presence we had not suspected half
a mile before, though they had actually
been straight in our way. Spanish is
the only tongue we hear, and in every vil-
lage, or plazita, the church is the most con-
spicuous and imposing edifice. A long

and narrow adobe girt yard
invariably protects it in
front, and never is the belfry
wanting to relieve the plain-
ness of the broad, flat roof.
Men and women sit basking
in the warm sun, smoking
their cigarettes, chatting
quietly, and presenting a
picture of enviable happi-
ness. Though the people are
poor in all these villages,
there seems to be nothing
like misery. The world
affords no such scenes of
peace and contentment, no
better examples, either, of
the most courtly hospitality.
The stranger is always wel-
comed at their doors, and if
but a single egg make the
host's humble meal, his
guest is asked to share it.

The Ranches de Atrisco,
Pajarito and Los Padillas are
all of one type — tidy streets
and well-kept homes, thrifty
farms and garden-patches
irrigated from the river, pa-
tient burros at every turn,
grazing cattle in the further
fields — < < sunshine, silence
and adobe, "as Lummis summarizes it,
to which we may add what is far more
precious, piety and restfulness and peace.
For a while, in 1894, the Rancho de
Atrisco was threatened with disorder by
the presence of a renegade Pueblo, who
had been ordained a preacher by the
Presbyterians, after studying a little at
their schools in the East. Dropping his
Indian and Spanish names, he called
himself Ford. Supported by the credu-
lous missionary societies of the East, he
presumed to open a school and a meeting-
house in this ancient stronghold of the
Faith, and by presents, free books and
the like weaned a number of hapless
children from the Catholic school. Of
course, no Mexican ever becomes a Prot-
estant. Money, food and clothing will

WHERE OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

803

make him a temporary apostate in ap-
pearance, but once these convincing ar-
guments of the mission boards fail, he
will return in penance to the only true
Church. In any event, he is almost sure
to call for the Catholic priest when he
dies. Puffed up with his early success,
Ford wrote a glowing account of the same
to the Cleveland Leader and boasted,
among other bits of piety, that he had
stationed a man at the door of his meet-
ing-house who would shoot like a dog
any one who interfered with the saving
Gospel he taught ! His only hope lay
with the children, he said, as their
elders were beyond redemption. He
might, however, have converted the
whole town long ago had he not been
constantly harassed by the French Jes-
uits who swarm through the territory.
How useful this bugaboo of "Jesuit"
to account for all sorts of
mischief! To his amaze-
ment, he was promptly an-
swered by a man in Cleve-
land who happened to know
all about New Mexico. This
gentleman, after disposing
of his other false claims, in-
formed him that there are
only ten Jesuits in all the
territory, and not one of
these is a Frenchman ! The
secular clergy, however, are
French almost to a man.
Still, in this case it really
was a Jesuit who thwarted
him, one of the Fathers from
Old Albuquerque. Then the
vigilant Revista Catolica, of
Las Vegas, " The Watchdog
of the Rio Grande," as it
has been aptly styled, added
its word in the matter, and
awakened the dreamy folks
of Atrisco to their danger.
They promptly confessed
their rashness, and the
school fell off by half, and
now is only languishing to
ruin. Would that the voice

of the Revista had been heard with equal
docility at Tres Piedras, Santa Fe, Las
Vegas, Mora and so many poor plazitas
where the money which the preachers
dispense is working such havoc with
souls !

No preacher dare show himself in
Isleta. Round their great white church
traditions cling which have sunk so
deeply into the hearts of the Pueblos that
the bare thought of denying the consol-
ing doctrines of the Church fills them
with horror. No violence has ever been
employed, but the preacher is sternly
told in what loathing his doctrines of
denial are held, and he soon discovers
that time and money alike are wasted on
such an unpromising field, and that no
violence of language or conduct on his
part can provoke the Isletenos to give
him any chance to claim the glory of

AN ISLETA NIMROD.

8O4-

WHERE OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

persecution or martyrdom. The same
consoling fidelity is witnessed in all the
pueblos, except in the sad case of La-
gun a. The practice of the Catholic re-
ligion is, unfortunately, often tainted
with a lingering practice, in private, of
some of their old paganism, especially
where they have no resident priest to
guide them, but they are too wise to find
anything to satisfy them in a mere
negative faith like Protestantism, devoid
alike of depth, warmth, beauty and hope.

With the progress the Church is mak-
ing, however, the pagan rites in the pu-
eblos are dwindling away. In Jemes, for
example, San Juan and Isleta, it is posi-
tively denied that there is either idolatry
or immorality in the secret rites of the
estufa, and the same is true of many
other pueblos. They claim that they
exclude the white man for two very sim-
ple reasons. What they do is none of
his business, and he is sure to laugh at
what he cannot understand. Still, at
Isleta they once invited their pastor to
be present at their services, and explained
to him the meaning of all their actions.
The only objectionable feature the priest
could discover was a peculiar ceremony
they practised for the relief of the souls
in purgatory — dipping their fingers into
a bowl of atole and scattering the food in
certain fixed directions.

The worship of the Sacred Snake exists
but little at the present day in the pueblos
of New Mexico, if indeed it ever existed
as real worship. Many contend that it
was only venerated as a being in high
favor with their gods called • 'The Trues. ' '
Wherever it was so venerated, it was kept
in a cave and fed with great ceremony,
and we are told that the Moquis of Ari-
zona still do so ; but it is ridiculous to
assert that a living baby was fed to it
once a year. The snake was the ch 'ah-
rah-rdh-deh or rattlesnake, and even the
largest of these, which have been known
to grow to the thickness of a man 's thigh,
could never devour a human child. The
last of its race to be held in veneration
by the Isleteiios was confined in one of

the volcanic grottoes in the Hill of the
Wind, or the Cerro del Aire, twenty
miles to the west of the town. He prov-
identially, however, made his escape in
1887 or thereabouts, and, after hunting
awhile in vain to recover him, the Pueb-
los left him to his fate and gave over for-
ever the pagan honor they had been wont
to pay him. The great biennial snake-
dances of the Moquis in August are as-
sociated with this superstition. After a
fast of several days, in which they drink
only the secretly prepared Mdh-que-be,
the dancers go through their fearful
ceremonies holding living, writhing and
biting rattlesnakes in their mouths,
and sometimes as many as five or six in
their hands. They thus hold them for
an hour or an hour and a half, and suffer
no harm.

IV.

AT THE TOMB OP THE MARTYR ; THE
LEGEND OF THE COFFIN.

After leaving Los Padillas, the drive
is made for several miles through the
tall prairie grass, with many a huge
table-like hill of lava cutting off the
view on the west, till we see the two
white towers of the pueblo church in the
distance. Another hour brings us into
the orchards and vineyards of the pueblo.
Here, with scenes of tempting plenty on
either hand, we make our way to the
railroad track, where we enter the village
and are soon at the hospitable doors of
Pablo Abeyta. Pablo is a full-blooded
Indian, a good Catholic, and an old
pupil of the Jesuits at Albuquerque.
His great adobe residence is the largest,
richest and best furnished in the pueblo.
Dona Marcellina Abeyta is distinguished
as managing the largest business con-
ducted by any woman in the territory.
Her house is a depot of supplies for the
pueblo, and her wine and farm-produce
yield her a handsome revenue. Her
rare business ability, her unfailing mod-
esty, the neatness and real beauty of her
house-furnishings, and the prominence
given to religious pictures and other ob-

WHERE OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

805

jects of piety, reveal the broad mental
capacity of her race and their docility to
the doctrines of the Church. The same
good qualities and virtues are observable
on a humbler scale all through the pu-
eblo. Here the remark is timely that
only by a cruel injustice can we speak of
a pueblo "squaw." No such miserable
creature is known in any pueblo. The
pueblo wife is as far removed as possible
from the poor beast of burden that her
sisters of the savage tribes have become.
She suffers no degradation whatever on
the part of either her husband or her
people. She is, on the contrary, es-

them for service ! The adobe walls are
some six feet thick, and are supported at
intervals by massive buttresses whose
bases must measure at least twenty feet.
While the flat-roofed, unornamented
structure cannot be called beautiful, it is
still solemnly impressive. It tells a
story which must affect even the most
thoughtless, a story of zealous priest
and patient Pueblo, of centuries of devil-
worship disappearing like magic before
the light of the Cross, of two civiliza-
tions, so distant, yet united in the com-
mon bond of Christianity. The usual
long churchyard stretches in front. It

MOQUI PUEBI-O.

teemed as quite her husband's equal.
Her position is precisely that of a wife
in any civilized Christian community,
with the advantage in favor of the pu-
eblo.

Leaving horse and carriage to be cared
for at Dona Marcellina's hostelry, we pass
up through the streets of the pueblo till
we are standing before the colossal
church. What an enterprise it was to
build it ! Every piece of timber had to
be carried in some twenty miles from
the mountains, just as the people get
their wood to this day, and no saws as-
sisted the native workmen in fashioning

is the pueblo cemetery, but, unlike their
brethren of San Juan, the Isletenos
never mark their graves. The dead are
laid to rest with every rite of Holy
Church and every sign of heartfelt grief,
but once the earth has been piled above
them, scarcely a single Pueblo can tell
where the bones of his relatives are
lying.

East of the church is the humble
school where seventy serious-faced boys
are taught by a young New Mexican,
Mr. John Guerin, himself a student long
ago at the Jesuit college in Las Vegas.
The children are bright and assiduous

806

WHERE OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

enough while on their benches, but,
like all country schools, attendance is
sadly affected by the claims of the
orchard, vineyard and farm. It reaches
its highest average after the harvest.
The school is one of the nine so-called
' ' contract schools ' ' of New Mexico, now
supported by the government. A few
steps from the school bring us to a high
adobe wall pierced by a single gate.
This is the entrance to Father Docher's
pretty garden.

The pastor is a well built, kindly man
of some fifty years, who had seen serv-
ice as a sergeant in the armies of France
before he left his native hills forever, to
labor as a priest of God in this lone
land, amid so strange a people. He
receives us with genuine French cour-
tesy, and is evidently pleased as we
admire the coolness of the fountain that
plays in the midst of the garden, the
fresh, bright colors of his myriad
flowers, and the grave airs and flashing
plumage of the parrot that swings from
the sunny veranda. Refreshments are
brought us while we chat of the history
of Isleta and the days and death of
America's protomartyr, after which
Father Dgcher conducts us to the
church.

As we pass through the sacristy we
notice ten dainty red cassocks and as
many cunning little surplices hanging
tidily along the wall. Pretty and happy
indeed the Isleteno altar boys must be,
serving the priest in robes so gorgeous.
With them, beauty of ornament is in-
separable from strength and depth of
coloring. The church is too narrow to
admit of more than one altar. This is
raised some three feet above the floor of
the church, and is positively gay with
mirrors and chroino-lithographs that
bedeck the surrounding walls, and with
a profusion of artificial flowers and
wooden figures of saints that load the
altar steps — the highest form of art that
can appeal to the Indian. One picture,
however, is certainly a masterpiece. It
represents the Blessed Virgin, and,

though its lines are growing obscure
with age, it bears evidence of powerful
artistic execution. It bears the date
" 1545 " and is reputed to be by one of
the first Spanish painters in the New
World. Vasquez, we believe, is the
artist's name. Father Docher has
already refused an offer of fifteen hun-
dred dollars made for it by a German
artist, as well as one of two thousand
made by an English gentleman. It
carries us back too near to the time of
our protomartyr 's death to be so easily
disposed of.

The body of Father Juan de Padilla
lies buried beneath the floor of the church
on the Gospel side of the altar. No slab
or inscription of any kind commemorates
his virtues and glorious death, nor is
there any sign to mark the exact location
of the coffin that encloses his sacred re-
mains, but the blade of a saw inserted in
the crevices of the floor soon guided us
to the spot. It rests partly beneath the
wall of the church and partly beneath
the beams which support the flooring
and answers every stroke of the saw
with a clear, sharp sound. It has been
exposed more than once within the mem-
ory of some of the older inhabitants, and
has been found to be of poplar-wood
and marvellously well preserved. Here
the strange legend of the coffin confronts
us. We may call it "legend," indeed,
but if the story of the venerable ex-sac-
ristan, Diego Abeyta, is to be believed,
never was truer history recorded. All
his fellow Isletefios cling to it tenaciously
and repeat it without variation. Biiefly
told, it runs as follows :

When the body of the martyr was first
discovered beneath the mound of stones
with which his terrified companions,
Lucas and Sebastian, had hastily cov-
ered it, far off on the Kansas plains near
Quivira, it was still transfixed with the
deadly arrows of the Guyas, and the flesh
and the garments were still incorrupt.
The delighted discoverers, who were prob-
ably members of Onate's expedition, re-
verently laid it in a coffin of fresh poplar-

WHERE OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

807

1C 1

CHURCH OF ST. AUG0STIN, ISLETA, NEW MEXICO— EXTERIOR.

wood and bore it back in triumph, a
thousand miles and more, across the
prairies and down the valley of the Rio
Grande, to the noble church of San Au-
gustin at Isleta. It was only fitting that
his body should rest here near the scenes
where he labored last before setting out on
his journey to martyrdom. Hardly a
quarter of a century had passed, however,
when an unheard-of phenomenon was
witnessed. The coffin slowly arose from a
depth of six feet, through what was then
the earthen flooring of the church, and
rested on the surface of the ground !

All the fifteen hundred people of the
pueblo and many Spaniards from the
neighboring ranches beheld the sight,
and none could explain it. No possible
shrinking of the boards of the coffin, or
caving in of the earth about it could ac-
count for a rise of so many feet. The
pious natives declared it an unmistak-
able proof, given them from heaven, of
the exalted virtues of the martyr. A
watch of requiem was kept about the cof-
fin for two days, and then it was solemnly
reburied with all the services of a regular
funeral. This time, it was buried even
deeper than before ; but, exactly twenty-
five years later, the same phenomenon
was witnessed. Again the death-watch

and the funeral were repeated, but with
more elaborate details, and again the
mysterious coffin was consigned to the
earth. No depth of interment, however,
can prevent its rising to the surface un-
failingly four times in every century.
Of no fact are the natives so certain, and
they resent no scepticism so keenly as
to doubt its supernatural character.

Casting about us, some time later, for
an actual eye-witness of the miracle,
we were introduced to a stalwart, fine-
looking merchant of the pueblo, Juan An-
dres Zunis. He repeated the story as we
have just told it, and begged us to ac-
company him to the home of his grand-
father, the old sacristan, Diego Abeyta,
who had seen the coffin come to the sur-
face on two different occasions. This
patriarch of the pueblo is now some
ninety years of age, and is stone blind.
To judge from the thin gray hair that
hangs in two long locks across his fore-
head, the withered fingers and the parch-
ment-like skin drawn tightly over the
bones, we might imagine him contem-
porary with the martyr himself. His
mental faculties, however, seem to be
unimpaired, and, rousing himself at our
entrance, he told us the story exactly as
Zunis had done, and responded to all

808

WHERE OUR PROTOMARTYR LIES BURIED.

our doubts and difficulties with a readi-
ness and sense of conviction which it
was hard to combat.

"Twice," said old Abeyta, "I have
seen the coffin containing the remains of
the martyr Franciscan, Fray Juan de
Padilla, rise more than six feet through
the earth to the surface of the ground.
There it remained motionless for a couple
of days till funeral services were held
around it and it was reburied. The two
risings were about twenty-five years
apart. On each occasion the coffin was
opened and I beheld the body of the mar-
tyr. Except that the features looked
hard and dry, they bore the appearance
of a man but recently dead. They were
as distinctly preserved as in life. The
habit, too, was wonderfully well pre-
served. It was the same as that with
which I was so familiar in the days when
the Franciscan Padres still had their
residence in Isleta. The wood of the
coffin was the same in both instances,
and bore no mark of decay from time
to time. There was no chance whatever
of fraud or illusion. It was something
which the whole population saw, and
which continued for two days. Many of
our people still keep small relics which
they cut by stealth from the coffin and

habit. In those days there was no floor-
ing in the church, and only the hard earth
lay upon the coffin. Nowadays it is
pressed upon by the beams of the flooring
and by part of the western wall. It is
almost time that another rising should
occur, and I hear that the coffin has al-
ready mounted near the surface. Will
the miracle be repeated ? Quien sabe ?"
This is in substance what the fine old
Indian told us. Who can deny his
story ? Who can wantonly belie the tra-
dition so long obtaining from father to
son, so universally accepted by men who
are anything but savages, rather indeed
wise and cautious people whose ways
were those of civilization back hundreds
of years before the white man met them?
We shall only wait. If the coffin rise
once more in its present altered surround-
ings, we shall indeed have solid grounds
for thinking it a miracle. This much at
least we learned in our visit to Isleta.
So little known abroad, the valiant de
Padilla is profoundly venerated where his
people know him best. Is his resting-
place destined to become a New Mexican
Auriesville? God only knows. We
knelt and prayed earnestly over his
sacred relics, and came away wonder-
ing.

CHURCH OF ST. ATJGTTSTIN, ISLETA, NEW MEXICO— INTERIOR.

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.
By E. Lummis.

APRIL 19, 1804, was a memorable day
in the city of Lyons. The streets
and roadways were filled with joyous,
yet respectful crowds, hastening to the
miraculous Shrine of Our Lady of
Fourviere, so dear to French hearts.
Through the terrible days of the Revo-
lution of 1793, and the disasters that
followed, it had been closed and aban-
doned to solitude and desolation. To-
day, however, it was once more to be
opened to the pious prayers of the faith-
ful, and the Holy Father, himself, was
to offer the Holy Sacrifice in the dearly
beloved Sanctuary.

From the terrace of the ancient house
of Albon, on the heights of Fourviere, a
dais, magnificently adorned and shel-
tered by waving banners, announced the
presence of His Holiness, Pius VIII.
Beside him stood the Archbishop of
Lyons and the officers of the Papal
household, and, at a little distance, mem-
bers of the clergy and religious orders,
and deputations of men from the city,
were arranged in orderly ranks.

From the summit of the hill could be
seen the city of Lyons, spread out like
a map at the feet of the Holy Father, its
outlines softened by the early mists
of morning, and its monuments and
spires gleaming in the sunlight. Its
imposing domes were here and there
interspersed with ruined buildings and
unroofed houses that told a tale of
wealth and disastrous desolation. Be-
yond, in the far distance, the lofty sum-
mits of the Alps outlined the picture and
lifted their heads to the blue skies.

The Holy Father gazed a moment
with emotion upon the magnificent pros-
pect, and then, at a given signal, the
banners were lifted and he extended his
hands over the city and the multitude
gathered at his feet. With one unani-

mous voice the bells rang out in musical
accord from every spire and steeple, in-
tensified by the deep roar of many can-
non. As the venerable Pontiff stood
with extended hands and eyes raised to
heaven, far as sight could reach, on the
bridges, quays, the roadways, and even
the house-tops, the multitudes knelt to
welcome the benediction that seemed
ratified in heaven.

When the ceremonies of the day were
ended and the Holy Father descended the
hill of Fourviere, a respectable mer-
chant who stood by the roadside with
his wife and family, pressed forward to
present his two youngest children for a
special blessing. One, a boy of four or
five years, full of enthusiasm, shouted
bravely " Vive le Saint Pere !" and led
by the hand his little sister, who was
silent, but whose heart overflowed with
emotion that found vent in big tears
that rolled down her rosy cheeks. The
Holy Father smiled as he laid his hand
upon the graceful heads of the children,
whose after lives justified the predilec-
tion of grace. The merchant was Antoine
Jaricot, well and worthily known in his
native citj7, and the little girl, who knelt
with her brother that memorable day at
the feet of the Vicar of Christ, was
later to ask the blessing of the Church
on two of its most fruitful works, the
' ' Propagation of the Faith ' ' and the
" Living Rosary."

Antoine Jaricot, and Jeanne his wife,
were truly Christian parents. They had
attained a considerable competency in
the silk trade by wise and careful busi-
ness ability, and that true consideration
for the numerous workmen whom they
employed, which is at once a mark of
Christian education and sentiment and
an earnest of good service. They had ten
children, of whom the youngest was

809

810

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

the little Pauline, whose varied fortunes
and great works are the subject of our
sketch.

The story of Pauline's childhood is
exquisitely traced in the French edition
of her life. It is like one of those charm-
ing French pictures that one comes
across now and then, all naivete", sim-
plicity and grace. She has her faults,
but they are very childish ones, and the
ardor of her pious sentiments and zeal-
ous, if impossible desires, quite efface
them. She has a very ardent temperament
and a proud spirit that will fight hard and
long, perhaps, before it is wholly over-
come, but she is a very sweet and attrac-
tive little girl and the darling of her
family. She loves to play and will gladly
leave her amusements to visit the Blessed
Sacrament. Her prayer is one of childish
simplicity and she talks heart to heart
with the Eucharistic Jesus. ' ' I spoke
to our Lord as I would to my mother, ' '
she relates of herself, ' ' confiding to Him
all my childish troubles, all my joys;
I told Him I loved Him very much and
begged Him to teach me how to make
Him loved by the whole world, ' '

Pauline loved to stand with her
mother by the great well in the court-
yard, watching the buckets of water
that were let down into the well and
drawn up again and again to be refilled.
She watched the glittering drops that
shone like jewels in the sunlight, but
her childish pleasure had some graver
source.

One day when more water than usual
had been drawn, she said, "Mamma, is
there any water left in the well ? ' '
"Surely, my child," was the reply,
"the spring is inexhaustible." "Oh,
mamma, ' ' cried Pauline with a radiant
face, " how I wish I had a well of gold,
that I might draw enough for all the
unhappy, that there might be no more
poor people, and no one to shed tears ! ' '

The mother smiled at the innocent
little one who thus sounded the key-
note of her future mission and said to
her: "It is true that we would like to

have gold enough to give without count-
ing and solace all woes, but we would
not succeed, for there are woes that gold
cannot solace, and tears that gold cannot
dry. But never mind, if you are very
good, and love God very much, He will
give you spiritual riches which will com-
fort many sorrowing hearts." Pauline
listened with rapt attention and then,
with a warm embrace, replied, ' ' Oh,
mamma, pray then that I may love God
very, very much, so that I may console
all the unhappy! ' '

Pauline was very sensitive, but her sen-
sibility came rather from tenderness of
heart than self-love. She had an apostolic
spirit that revealed itself in many child-
ish traits and was exercised among her
little circle of playmates, of which the
favorite and most congenial companion
was her brother Phileas. The innocent
childhood of Phileas promised a virtuous
career, which was later realized in the
priesthood. He was a staunch protector
of his little sister, but he would not give
up to her. ' ' You should obey me, ' ' he
said, in some childish difference, "be-
cause I am a man and learn Latin. " But
Pauline rebelled, and when maternal tact
had reconciled the combatants by plead-
ing the displeasure of God, though she
yielded with a good grace, she could not
forbear to add: "It is not because you are
a man and know a few words of Latin
that I give up to you, but because I can-
not offend God."

Phileas loved to tell his little sister
tales from the lives of the foreign mis-
sionaries which he had read, and the
story of their labors and sufferings. One
day, fired by these brave deeds he said to
her : "I have made up my mind to be-
come a missionary. I will go to China
and become a soldier of Jesus Christ ;
perhaps they will make a martyr of me,
but so much the better. ' The blood of
the martyrs is the seed of the Church, '
my catechism says. " Pauline listened
with admiring wonder and begged to
go too. "And why not ? I can teach the
children catechism, and make the altar

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

811

linen and^dress the church with flowers. "
But Phileas drew such terrific pictures of
the dangers of life in foreign lands and de-
scribed so vividly the tigers and leopards
and crocodiles which, according to him,
were indigenous to these latitudes, that
Pauline could only agree with his deci-
sion that men only were brave enough to
be missionaries. But she was inconsola-
ble at the idea of being left behind, un-
til the little man comforted her by show-
ing that she could still be useful in more
feminine ways. " You can pray for me
and make vestments and altar linen for
the missionaries, and send me plenty of
money to buy the poor little children
that are put to death by the wicked
Chinese. " How vain are our hopes ! It
was Pauline who was to penetrate, by her
alms and assistance, to these remote re-
gions, while Phileas sighed in vain for
the realization of his desires and died
with longing eyes still turned to the land
of promise.

The father and mother of Pauline were
good pious people and brought up their
ten children wisely and well. Jeanne,
especially, was a prudent mother, who
watched carefully over her little family.
She taught them to visit the poor, and
to be kind to the working class. She
impressed upon them the lesson that
the poor were God's children as well as
the rich, and, though God made- all
things, they owed a debt of gratitude
also to the skilled workmen who
fashioned so many articles for their use
and con venience,and without whose labor
they would be very uncomfortable and
want for houses, and churches, and
bread and many pretty comforts. But
we cannot linger over these early days.
The elder children grew up, and married
well and virtuously. Pauline was now
nearly fifteen years old, a sweet and at-
tractive young girl, in whom the mother's
watchful eye saw the germ of a religious
vocation, which, indeed, was manifest to
Pauline herself. Jeanne did not dispute
the sacrifice of her child to God, though
it was a costly one. But Antoine was

somewhat rebellious. He thought such
talents as those of Pauline should not
be buried in obscurity, and parental love
pleaded a little too hard on the side of
nature. " I would not refuse my child
if God calls her," he said, "but she
must see something of the world. "

And so the vocation of the young girl
was exposed to those trials that so often
make shipwreck of souls, unless God's
providence steps in to rescue them. She
was made to take part in the gaieties of
companions of her own age, and, though
the circle was a chosen one, the tempta-
tions of dress, and compliments and
youthful society were too strong for the
child of fifteen to resist, when sanctioned
by parental authority. Little by little
her religious fervor cooled and she
formed an attachment from which,
indeed, there seemed no escape, since
the projected marriage was in every way
a suitable one.

The mother, who had relied too much
on the strength of her daughter's pious
desires, saw too late that she had made
a mistake, and wept over the growing
worldliness of the young heart that had
seemed so chosen of God. But Provi-
dence provided a means of escape from
the difficulty. Pauline was taken ill ;
the consequences of a severe fall were
aggravated by unskilled medical advice
and resulted in a serious form of what
we would call "nervous prostration."
The illness was obstinate and her heart
was not at peace. It was the struggle be-
tween human affection and divine grace.
It was a long combat, but Pauline re-
covered at last to find that her dear
mother was no more. She had died,
offering to God the sacrifice of her life
to bring her daughter back to the grace
of her vocation. The sacrifice was ac-
cepted but the moment had not yet
come.

Pauline, unfortunately, had no one to
whom she could turn for spiritual advice,
though she went to the Sacraments. The
priest to whom she confessed was, per-
haps, a little stern and exacting, and

812

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

when there was no question of sin she
shrank from submitting to any one the
interior struggle of her heart. The pro-
jected marriage was renounced, but still
she strove against the divine call that
would not be silenced. Mile. Jaricot
was the life of the world about her; she
was brilliant, gay, and talented, and the
charm of the home circle. Yet her
father would say now and then, " What
is it, Pauline ? Is there anything more
that I can give you ? You do not seem
happy." And she would laughingly
put the question aside. She sought to
solace her heart with dress and vanity,
but there was a need in its inmost depths
that could not be satisfied.

Her elder sister, Sophie, Madame Char-
tron, happened to go early one morning
to the Church of St. Nizier, and, in the
absence of her confessor, sought advice
from another priest who happened to re-
place him in the sacred tribunal. His
words were so wise and his counsel so
salutary that she was deeply impressed
and hastened to tell her sister that she
had found a saint. She begged Pauline
to accompany her to the Church of St.
Nizier on the approaching feast of
Trinity Sunday, that she, too, might
meet the holy man who had spoken so
wisely and well. The Abbe" Wurtz, who
was preaching a course of sermons at the
church, was indeed a very saintly man,
and one whose interior perfection was
deeply grounded in humility and self-
conquest. Pauline yielded, partly out
of curiosity, to her sister's wish, and, on
the ensuing Sunday, accompanied her to
St. Nizier.

We must be pardoned if we sketch her
portrait as she stands on the threshold of
womanhood and ready for the trans-
forming touch of divine grace. The pic-
ture is thrown into relief by the dark
shadows of her tragic future. One is re-
minded of a pretty episode in the life of
St. Francis de Sales, where Fran9on, the
daughter of Madame de Chantal, who is
staying at the Convent of the Visitation,
stepping across the threshold, decked in

all the fluttering ribbons and gay co-
quetries of a court toilette, comes face
to face with St. Francis de Sales. The
indulgent Saint smiled at the dainty
maiden and greeted her with the arch
question : " Is it all for the good God ? ' '

Mile. Jaricot entered the church with
her sister. "She was dressed with ex-
quisite taste in a handsome robe of blue
silk draped with white" (it was a hun-
dred years ago !) " Little blue shoes tied
with ribbons of the same color completed
the ensemble. Her face was shaded with
a broad-brimmed hat of Leghorn straw
turned up with pink roses, while her
clustering hair fell in curls over her
shoulders." Thus adorned and radiant
with the freshness of her seventeen
years, Antoine Jaricot was proud of his
pretty daughter, and Madame Chartron
heard with pleasure the flattering mur-
murs that greeted her cherished pro-
te"ge\ Pauline for once was insensible
to the admiration she awakened, and in-
tent only upon seeing the promised
"Saint."

The sisters made their way through
the crowd as best they could, and the
preacher entered the pulpit. His coun-
tenance was austere and yet mild, and
bore the impress of eminent virtue. He
chose for his text the dangers and illu-
sions of vanity and spoke with sim-
plicity and directness, but with evangeli-
cal liberty. More than one glance was
turned towards the brilliant Mile. Jari-
cot, and the curious wondered if she
would take it to heart She did, indeed,
but far more deeply than they perhaps
would have desired.

The ceremonies over, Pauline entered
the sacristy and asked to see the
preacher. With all simplicity, urged
by an interior impulse, she said to him:
' ' Father, your sermon has touched and
troubled me. In what does culpable
vanity consist ? ' ' The holy man hesi-
tated at a question so direct, from one
who bore the exterior evidence of the
vice her words denied. But seeing the
candor of her expression and feeling

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

813

that the moment of grace had come to
the soul before him, he replied: "My
child, for most women, this vanity con-
sists in adorning oneself solely to attract
the admiration and affection of creatures.
But for those whom God calls to higher
things, ' ' he added, with gentle sweet-
ness of manner, ' ' it consists in the love
of anything that holds the heart a cap-
tive."

Pauline was touched, and begged that
she might go to confession. He heard,
with pity, the story of this soul that
was famishing in the midst of worldly
delights. Pauline exposed to this kind
friend all her faults, her hopes, and as-
pirations, begging him to be, in future,
her director. She left the sacred tribu-
nal with a face bathed in tears, through
which shone the radiance of heavenly
peace and tranquillity. From this mem-
orable feast she dated, what she loved to
call, her conversion.

The Abbe" Wurtz was a wise director.
His course with the ardent soul confided
to his care was a very direct one. He
said to his penitent, in the words of St.
Ignatius: ' ' Despise what you have hith-
erto sought and valued, and love what
you have fled from and despised. " And
Pauline had the grace to follow. How-
ever bitter the draught of humilia-
tion, the atonement for her few years
of vanity and worldliness, she accepted
it bravely, and ran in the way of divine
grace. Then began her heroic novitiate
in the spiritual life. She visited the
hospital of the Hotel Dieu in Paris, and,
conquering at once the repugnance of
her constitutional delicacy and refine-
ment, washed and dressed and attended
a poor old woman, whose terrible malady
would have tried a stouter heart than
hers. The most repulsive offices were
performed without shrinking and she
thanked the poor invalid for bearing
with services so awkward as hers. She
did not hesitate to sacrifice at once the
ornaments, the dainty and exquisite
toilets that had absorbed so much of her
time and thoughts, and appeared in a

costume common and ill suited to her sta-
tion in life, that she might once for all
put an end to the temptations of human
respect. She wore a dress of violet — a
color she detested — of coarse material,
a muslin handkerchief draped her shoul-
ders, her pretty hair was hidden under a
muslin cap. The family respected the
motives of Pauline, but they secretly
sighed at the transformation, and the
world, the thoughtless world, that can-
not understand the heroism of such sac-
rifices, said that Mile. Jaricot had lost
her mind. Nor was the good confessor
spared in these recriminations. But
Pauline, who heard the voice of the well
Beloved, followed the odor of His per-
fumes. She spoke of the matter later:
"I took these extreme measures, be-
cause, if I had not broken all ties at
once, I would have lost courage. I was
so confused at appearing in public in
such an odious purple costume that I
trembled like a leaf. Yet it was neces-
sary to overcome my pride. A less
direct means would have been insuf-
ficient. "

We cannot follow her conversion step
by step, but it was complete and entire.
The aim of her life was changed and
she lived no longer for the creature, but
the Creator. Her little vanities were
overcome, but it was not a painless vic-
tory. Her time was spent in works of
charity, and all her tastes and habits
were renounced with unflinching morti-
fication. She bore patiently what was,
perhaps, hardest of all, until little by
little it was conquered, the ridicule, the
displeasure, the misunderstanding, the
pain, even of her friends and family,
who were not quite ready for so com-
plete and summary a spiritual trans-
formation. Her favorite brother, Phi-
leas, tormented her with solicitations to
join the gaieties of the world and painted
in brilliant colors the pleasures she had
renounced. But perhaps it was because
he, himself, dreaded to listen to the in-
terior call that was sounding in the
depths of his own heart, and he admi<-

814

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

ted later that the sight of his sister's
persevering abnegation won him at last.
Yet she was dearly loved by one and all.

She drew patience and strength from
long hours of prayer that were passed
before the Blessed Sacrament, and while
she consoled the poor and ministered to
them in untiring charity, it was hers to
study and to penetrate the moral evils of
the day. The desire of remedying these
evils and the need of appeasing the
anger of God, provoked against her
country, grew upon her day by day in
these silent meditations. She began to
gather around her numbers of pious serv-
ants and working girls, and spoke to
them of the outraged justice and good-
ness of God, begging them to aid her in
making reparation to the Divine Heart.
She formed them into a society whose
only rule was to love God without meas-
ure and serve His divine will without
seeking consolation, immolating them-
selves on all occasions for His glory and
the salvation of souls, in reparation for
the neglect and indifference shown Him
in the Holy Eucharist. They met upon
certain occasions and sought to watch
over the interests of the Blessed Sacra-
ment whenever and wherever they were
in question, by interior and exterior tes-
timony of love and respect. She called
these pious souls the "Reparatrices" (Re-
pairers ) of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and
found in them the first apostles of her
zealous mission for souls.

Pauline's elder sister, Mme. Chartron,
lived with her husband at St. Vallier,
and mourned with him over the evils
that existed in their vast establishment.
Two hundred young girls were-employed
in the factories and workrooms, whose
lives of careless dissipation were a scan-
dal and a disgrace, in spite of the efforts
of their employers and the exhortations
of the parish priest.

During the time of the carnival the
streets of St. Vallier were filled with
frivolous young men and women in
masquerade, who put restrictions of law
and order at defiance, and the rest of the

year was not much better. Soon, after
what Pauline termed her conversion,
she came to spend some months with her
sister at St. Vallier, and her presence
did much to improve the state of things.
Her very appearance was a lesson in
fervor, Christian simplicity and modesty
of demeanor. When the frivolous work-
ing girls saw the rich and accomplished
Mile. Jaricot tending the poor, the sick,
and the infirm, and spending hours
before the Tabernacle, they took the les-
son to heart, and began to reflect that
there are higher aims in life than pleas-
ure and self-indulgence. Her conversa-
tion, ever brilliant and witty, attracted
them at first, and soon she won their
confidence and love. These poor girls
began to gather around her when she
came to address them, and day by day
the moral atmosphere of the workrooms
was purified and elevated.

She continued this apostolate for
some time, and, instead of the little ora-
tory where they first met during their
leisure moments, she obtained for them
later a pretty chapel, where the Blessed
Sacrament could be reserved. Many of
these poor girls became models of piety
and were ever ready to render Pauline
the assistance of their prayers. Once,
overcome with the thought of the perils
that threatened the city of Lyons, and
the anger of God that menaced France,
Pauline wrote to her zealous converts,
begging that forty persons should each
fast for one day on bread and water, to
appease the justice of God. Not one re-
fused, and they fasted with the rigor of
the most austere community. She kept
up a correspondence with these poor
girls in spite of many cares and occupa-
tions, and her apostolate was crowned
with enduring consolation. Here, too,
in the workrooms, she began to interest
them in the foreign missions, to which
every week a collection of a few cents
was devoted.

The interior virtues of Pauline were
more manifest still to those who knew
her intimately. Her purity of heart was

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

815

revealed in an exceeding dread of the
slightest fault, and her love of God
seemed to urge her to great labors in His
service. She longed to throw herself at
the feet of the Vicar of Christ, and beg
him to employ her for the service of the
Church, since she knew not God's de-
signs in regard to her soul. And then,
overcome with the thought of her un-
worthiness and feminine weakness for
such great enterprises, she was filled with
desolation. And yet some secret im-
pulse assured her once more that God
would employ her for His glory. She
seems never to have had any call to enter
a religious order, but, as she relates,
"the heart that the whole world could
not fill was too small to contain the love
of God."

Phileas Jaricot had entered the Semin-
ary and was studying for the priesthood.
He still cherished his love for the foreign
missions, and. his letters were full of
glowing descriptions of the hardships
and sacrifices of the missionaries. He
appealed to his sister's charitable labors
to procure funds for these zealous apos-
tles of Christ who were restrained in
their pious labors by the want of money
and turned to France for aid. Pauline
had lost none of her early devotion to
this cause and interested all her pious
assistants, through whose united aid
she obtained a considerable amount of
money. But day and night she pon-
dered the question of some assured and
systematic means of income. Prayer
and mortification were called to her aid,
yet the solution seemed to elude her.
But, while awaiting the inspirations of
heaven in the cause dearest to her heart,
she exercised her fervor in all the good
works possible to a Christian woman in
the world, where so many needs appeal
to the heart and the mind. Through
the disasters of the Revolution, many

young ladies belonging to the most dis-
tinguished families were reduced to ter-
rible want and often to temptation and
danger. To assist these young girls,
who, too proud to beg, and unable to
labor for support, were often in terrible
distress, Pauline assembled them in her
rooms and taught them to make a liveli-
hood by the manufacture of artificial
flowers. The recital of her deeds of un-
ostentatious charity would fill many
pages. But still the needs of the mis-
sionaries were represented with more
heart-rending details and were commu-
nicated to a wider circle through her
zealous cooperatrices. In many quarters,
too, there existed in pious hearts a dis-
position to aid the work, and it only
needed some bond of union to gather up
these local interests and perpetuate them.
At last, the inspiration she had sought
so long with prayer and longing, came
to Pauline when least expected. Sitting
apart from the family circle one evening
she pondered the problem, and there
flashed upon her mind the clear and
definite plan which has led to such great
results. "I realized with what facility
I could obtain from ten of my friends a
regular contribution of two cents a
month for the Propagation of the Faith, ' '
she relates. ' ' Among these it would be
easy to choose those who could receive
the collected alms of ten others. Over
these again could be appointed persons
who would head ten of these divisions,
and so on. Fearing to forget the plan, I
hastily noted it down upon one of the
cards used in the game my family were
playing, and submitted it later to my
confessor. How well I remember his
answer : ' Pauline, you are not bright
enough to have invented this. It comes
from God. I not only approve but urge
you strongly to put it into execu-
tion. ' "

(To be continued.}

SUMMER IN TUSCANY.
By E. McAuliffe.

WINTER was over in the ' ' Eternal
City, ' ' and the fashionable world
was hurrying away to Switzerland, the
Tyrol, the Spas of Germ any, or the glades
of its "Black Forest." But as it was
not with fashion 's votaries we had min-
gled while in Rome, we cared not now to
follow in their train. Like Lamartine,
we longed not for "the wood which the
breeze disturbs, " but sighed rather for
1 ' Forest of Porphyry and Marble " : so
our summer sojournings were to be
among the mountains of Italy, our roam-
ings through the picturesque streets of
one of its old cathedral towns. We were
going to Sienna. There we knew were
to be found splendid churches, grand old
palaces and all the glories of art.

Our journey thither was a most delight-
ful one and it was with a feeling akin to
rapture that we caught our first glimpse
of the picturesque walls, encircling the
three hills on which Sienna is built ; a
city truly among the hills, on the hills,
and of the hills. The country around
was radiantly beautiful, all illumined
with floods of glowing light ; in the dis-
tance we discerned the old towers of the

816

town, standing in bold relief before us,
and suddenly we heard them all lift up
their voices in sweetest melody. It was
the sunset hour and these were the "Ave
Maria" bells. Their last faint echo had
died away just as we reached the town
and stood before the Porta Camollia
reading over its graceful archway the
words of cordial welcome, Cor magis tibi
Sena pandit (more than her gates Sienna
opens her heart to you).

And from our hearts there went forth
a greeting of responsive affection, and
that the Siennese were worthy of it, we
felt more and more every day of our sta)^
among them.

The palace in which we located our-
selves belonged to the Piccolomini family,
so renowned in past ages, and boasting
among its distinguished members the
great Eneas Sylvius Piccolomini, who
filled the Pontifical chair as Pius II.

Oh, what realms for the imagination,
what delight to the mind to be here in
Sienna where one lives, not in the mere
present and existing century, but in all
the centuries of the past. The Pontifical
arms were emblazoned above our door ;
we were to sleep in a room where a Pope
had slept !

The charm and mystery of it all filled
our dreams with bright visions ; which,
however, were not to be dispelled but
rather intensified on awaking . From the
windows of the palace we had a view of
surpassing loveliness ; immediately be-
neath was a broad, handsome marble ter-
race, enclosed by light airy balustrades,
with graceful flights of steps of a spiral
form ascending to higher galleries above,
and descending past lower galleries to
the garden below, whence, borne on the
breeze with the perfume of flowers, came
the silvery sound of a sparkling fountain.
Beyond the limits of our garden, still

SUMMER IN TUSCANY.

817

appeared a flowery expanse ; all around
Sienna is this girdle of flowers, for no-
where does the town reach the wall, hav-
ing gradually shrunk from its original
dimensions since the year of the great
depopulation, A. D. 1348, when so many
thousands of the inhabitants were carried
off by the plague. Sienna's population
was then a hundred thousand, it is now
twenty-five thousand ; a very small town,

but picturesque in the- extreme. Its
grand old walls, massive and turreted,
were one of the most charming features
of the landscape; beyond stretched the
open country, undulating and beautiful,
as is every bit of landscape in Italy; it
all shone clearly in the soft, velvety light
of Italian skies; it was ravishing. There
were the olive and fig trees clustered
around some old castle or monastery,

THE PORTA CAMOLLIA, SIENNA.

818

SUMMER IN TUSCANY.

THE TOWN HALL AND TORRE DEL MANGIA, SIENNA.

which here and there crowned the height
of a prominent eminence; far beyond all,
bounding our horizon, appeared the great
chain of the Apennines.

But why do we long linger outside
the walls ? Let us go back to Sienna,
where so much of interest and delight
awaits us, yes, and at every step. There
are things to be found in many a little
dark and crooked street to ravish one
with admiration ; it may be a mere foun-
tain, old and moss-grown, it may be a
bit of sculpture or faded fresco over some
palace door, it may be a picture of the
Madonna in some wayside shrine, or it
may be some peasant child beneath,
whose beautiful face is a living image of
the Infant in that Madonna's arms.

Indeed, the children in Sienna are a
study in themselves, they have all such
bright, radiant faces. Just as we issued
from our palace for our first sight-seeing
expedition, running towards us came

tiny Giovannino, the gardener's little
son, and having greeted us gaily with a
Buon giorno a loro, he offered to be our
guide to the Duomo (cathedral), as,^of
course, we were going there first. Ve-
dramo signore, quant' % bello ! (You will
see, ladies, how beautiful it is), and went
on to say much more about it ; his volu-
bility was great, but his voice and accent
were so soft and musical, we did not
check him. He led us first down a nar-
row slanting street, at the foot of which
we found the great square, the Piazza
del Campo of Dante's time. It is the
centre of Sienna — and, surrounded by
its three hills, it is shaped like a scallop
shell, depressed in the centre, and sup-
posed to be the crater of an extinct vol-
cano ; it is beautiful and picturesque;
on all sides rise great castellated palaces,
massive structures, but so skilfully de-
signed as to present a graceful and aerial
effect. They are pinnacled, and the win-

SUMMER IN TUSCANY.

819

dows divided by little slender columns.
Conspicuous among them is the great
Palazzo Publico, or town hall ; this is
very large and immensely high ; beside
it rises a tall and graceful tower, the
famed Torre del Mangia. At its base is
the Cappella del Piazza, a very pretty
little chapel, adorned with frescoes by
Sodoma, built in thanksgiving for the

cessation of the plague above mentioned.
The interior of the chapel and of the
palace are splendidly decorated with
frescoes, exquisite ironwork, wood-carv-
ing and sculpture. There were pages in
our guide book cataloguing these won-
ders, and, passing the Palazzo, we cast
longing glances within. Our little guide
detected us, and, guessing our wish to

THE DUOMO, blEJNNA.

82O

SUMMER IN TUSCANY.

A STRBET IN SIENNA.

enter, said reproachfully : Si va prima
al Duomo, nevero, signore ? (We go first
to the cathedral, do we not, ladies?) to
which we promptly responded, Si, si (yes,
yes), and proceeded. Opposite, on the
Piazza was the exquisite fontana Gaza,
adorned with bas reliefs by Jacopo della
Quercia. This fountain supplies Sienna
with most cool and delicious water ; its
merits were extolled by the great Charles
V. From here we ascended the stairs of
a steep street, and were really on our
way to the cathedral.

It is situated on the highest of the
three hills, and overlooks the town,
raised far above it, away from its bustle
and confusion, and seems to draw the
weary toiler almost to the vestibule of
heaven ; all here is so calm and peaceful.
The Piazza del Duomo is flanked with
solemn and majestic buildings ; the
archi- episcopal palace, the orphan asy-
lum, the hospital and the church belong-

ing^to it, Santa Maria della
Scala ; all built in a style
of architecture to correspond
with the cathedral, which
occupies the central posi-
tion, and is the focus to
which all eyes turn. How
beautiful it is ! It was some
time before we entered, the
beauty of the fa9ade so de-
lighted us that we stood as
though spell-bound before
it. It was designed by
Giovanni Pisano, but to the
work of its enrichment has
been lent the genius of many
masters. There are mosaics
and sculptures innumerable,
each one a study, and per-
fection in itself.

Having allowed us, as he
thought, a sufficient time for
their contemplation, our
little guide again ventured
to address us : Ma dentro,
Signore, se si vedeva dentro
(but the inside, ladies, if you
would only see the inside),
said advancing towards the
and so we followed him and
passed through the great central door,
and were in the cathedral : that lovely
cathedral of which we had read and
heard so much, but which now itself
appearing to us outshone in beauty and
brilliancy all the ideas we had conceived
of it. Everything on which the eye rests
there, is a delight to it, from the exquisite
mosaic pavement, to the glories of the
vaulted roof.

Our little guide was pleased with our
admiration of the Duomo, and contem-
plated our rapture with undisguised
satisfaction. "(9, si signore, gli Vaveva
ben detto cheera hello, bellissimo, stupendo,
magnifico!" We spent a long time in
this our first and general view, promis-
ing ourselves many more visits for ex-
amining it in detail. There were all the
marvellous pictures in the pavement to
be traced out, the designs of the windows

This he
cathedral,

SUMMER IN TUSCANY.

821

to be studied, all the side chapels to be
visited, and their wonderful art treas-
ures explored. But without penetrating
distant recesses we had before us a tri-
umph of art, the pulpit, by Nicolo Pi-
sano. It is of white marble, octagonal in
form, borne upon ten columns resting
upon lions ; it is adorned with beautiful
reliefs. When we left the cathedral we
wandered down such a picturesque
street, and found ourselves close to the

celebrated fountain of Ftfiitebranda, im-
mortalized by Dante, Boccaccio, and
later by Alfieri. This is the dyers'
quarter, and is just the same now as in
St. Catharine's time. In the life of the
Saint we are told that her father was a
dyer; his house is still standing, Calle
Benincasa, now bearing over the door
the inscription : Sponsce Christi Cathar-
ine Domus. The house is kept in good
order, and is much visited by strangers

INTERIOR OF THE DUOMO.

822

SUMMER IN TUSCANY.

THE CASA BENINCASA, BIRTHPLACE OF ST. CATHARINE.

and pilgrims. All the rooms
are converted into chapels,
decorated with many fine
frescoes, representing scenes
from her life. There was
something strangely i m -
pressive in being here, on
this spot, where were passed
so many 3^ears of that won-
derful life. We thought of
St. Catharine's vigils and
prayers, and asked for our-
selves some share of her
fervor. We were shown the
bare boards, the only couch
on which reposed her weary
frame, exhausted from fast-
ing and self-inflicted pen-
ances. We looked sadly at
the scoffing sight-seers and
called to mind the words of
Pere Felix: "The pagans
had exhausted voluptuous-
ness ; Christians had ex-
hausted suffering. From

this crucible of sorrow the
new man has come forth,
and this man is greater than
the old one. Oh ! I know
well that corporal penances,
fastings, abstinence, the dis-
cipline, flagellation, are sub-
jects of mirth to the so-
called thinkers of our day,
who consider themselves far
too wise to practise such
follies ; they have more re-
gard for the flesh, more re-
spect above all for the body,
and they sneeringly say ol
Christian austerity : ' As-
ceticism ! Fanaticism ! Mad-
ness ! ' The truth is, that
to voluntarily chastise one's
body, to revenge man's dig-
nity, outraged by its revolts,
is a holy and sublime thing.
The truth is, that to accord
pleasures to one's body, a
man need to be no more
than a coward ; the truth

STREET IN SIENNA.

SUMMER IN TUSCANY.

823

is, to voluntarily inflict^ suffering on
one's I ody for the end of moral restora-
tion, a man must be courageous, a man
mu*t be truly great. ' '
> Near by was the little window through
which daily alms and food were handed
to the poor and hungry. We thought
here of all the
miserable people
who had found
relief, all the
stricken souls
who had been
filled with con-
solation, and we
exclaimed with
St. August in:
"Oh, sweet felic-
ity, to behold the
saints, to be with
the saints, to be
oneself a saint. ' '
On leaving the
Casa Benincasa
we again mount-
ed a hill, the hill
crowned by the
grand church of
San Domenico.
How often had
the same path
been trodden by
the baby feet of
the little Catha-
rine, who, steal-
ing away from
her noisy com-
panions, would
run up the hill to
visit her dear
Lord in the Tab-
ernacle there!
And what a wel-
come awaited her,
and what gifts

had her Beloved prepared for her, even
the most precious of all gifts, His
own most Sacred Heart !

San Domenico was the scene of many
divine apparitions, and we felt it a great
privilege to be permitted to meditate and

pray there. It is a grancl old church,
thoroughly Italian in character. It has
not the splendor of the cathedral, but is
filled with the solemnity of a basilica.
There are many beautiful renaissance
pictures in the side chapels, and the
chapel in which the relics of the saint

ST. CATHARINE OF SIENNA.

are enshrined is decorated with frescoes
by Sodoma. It was intense pleasure to
look at all these beautiful things, and
our days passed all too swiftly in loved
Sienna. Many hours were spent visiting
curious collections and old museums,

824-

SUMMER IN TUSCANY.

SAN DOMENJCO E FONTEBKANDA.

exploring every nook and corner in
many a church and palace. Sienna may
be truly styled a city of palaces ; they
are so numerous, so grand and solemn
looking, and flanking the narrow streets
make them all as beautiful as the aisles
of a Gothic cathedral ; this is especially
felt at the Benediction hour, when hymns
of praise are intoned in all the churches,
and when music and clouds of incense
fill the air.

Thus time slipped by till suddenly the
little dreamy city seemed to awake to
life ; all was bustle and confusion, we
were approaching the season of the an-
nual summer festival — the Palio. This
takes place in the beginning of July and
again in August on a grander scale. The
latter celebration is for the feast of the
Assumption and in special thanksgiving
for a miraculous preservation of the city
from an earthquake, which, while creat-
ing havoc in all the surrounding cities,
spared Sienna. It happened on the day
of the feast, the fifteenth of August. The

Siennese being a most religious people
their public festivities, like those of
the Hebrews of old, all partake of a reli-
gious character. A solemn novena ush-
ers in the feast, and at the various church
services of the day the immense cathe-
dral (dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta}
is filled with crowds of adorers. The
music is on a grand scale, one of the
Papal choirs, either the Sistine or
Lateran, being brought from Rome for the
occasion. On the day after, the popular
games of the Palio commence ; rehearsals
have been going on from the beginning
of the month; to Sienna come the peas-
ants from all the surrounding country.
Through the picturesque town gates
every day may be seen passing the great
white oxen, this time laden with a fair
cargo, bevies of beautiful peasant girls.
Yes truly, the Tuscan contadina is fair
to see; she wears a great wide spreading
Leghorn hat which flaps in the breeze, and
when blown backward discloses the sweet
face it is supposed to conceal, a face bright

SUMMER IN TUSCANY.

825

and rosy, smiling and beautiful, illumined
with eyes so large and brilliant as to
dazzle the beholder. It is hard to believe
that tears will ever dim such eyes, that
tears have already been there. And yet
the Italian girl has her own trials-; there
is the horror of the dreadful conscription
which falls like a blight on all her hopes
and joys. The young man she loves is
ordered away, perhaps to meet a horrible
death on the scorching plains of Africa,
surrounded with savage faces. But now
all this is forgotten, everyone devotes
herself to fully enjoy the festa, the at-
mosphere of joy converts the young
maiden's very fears into hopes, and she
thinks no more of a dreadful fate await-
ing her caro amante. She dreams now
that he will return home decorated with
medals for some brilliant achievement,
and so she laughs and is gay, and goes
with the crowd to the square. What is
to take place there to-day ?
To-day the horses will run;
it is the first of the prove
(rehearsals) for the grand
Corso, or horse race, which is
the principal feature of the
festival. These races are in
the open street or rather the
great square, and are among
the old customs to which the
Siennese cling with such
tenacity.

Every family and individ-
ual in the city has a person-
al interest in them, for in
these races every quarter of
the city is represenied by a
horse, and the most popu-
lar young man of the district
rides the horse. The dis-
tricts are called by their old
name contrade and each con-
trada has a different device
on its banner.

At last the final day ar-
rives, the day of the grand
Corso ; the city is filled with
wild excitement. Everyone
is awake and astir betimes

in the morning. The race is preceded
by a mediaeval procession, in which
numbers of the citizens take part in
gorgeous costumes. Many thus ap-
pareled sally forth in the early morn-
ing, and all the day there is much
music and song and parading through
the streets. No excesses are in-
dulged in ; these people understand
"that honorable stop, not to outsport
discretion " The first duty of each
brave knight is to repair to the chapel
of his contrada to have his horse blessed ;
each contrada (ward) has its own chapel
dedicated to its patron saint, and here,
before the race, the horse which is to
run is brought to be solemnly blessed.
To the stranger how pretty and inter-
esting is this little ceremony ; we never
heard a word of criticism on this point
even from the most bitter railers against
Catholic customs. All enter with mar-

A PORCH IN SIENNA.

826

SUMMER IN TUSCANY.

tial tread ; the horse is led down the
centre aisle to where, in front of the
altar, the priest is waiting. He blesses
the horse and the men ; these men of
mediaeval faith sing a hymn of praise.
Then all go forth again and proceed to
the Piazza del Carmine, where the pro-
cession is to form and then march in
order to the grand square, where all
Sienna and a large delegation of for-
eigners besides are awaiting them.
There are thousands of people, groups
in every window, every balcony filled,
besides the numbers in the palchi, or
rows of seats which are thrown up in
tiers against the fronts of the palaces,
as high as the first story.

A small charge is made for seats, vary-
ing according to their location, but the
great open space surrounding the foun-
tain in the centre is free to all. Here
is only standing room. Here congregate
the contadini (peasants) and poor people.
All are gaudily dressed and add much
to the charm and picturesque beauty of
the scene ; they look like a great bed
of wild flowers, the wide-brimmed Leg-
horn hats, waving in the breeze like so
many big yellow daisies. The square,
indeed, presents a brilliant scene, as
though it were an immense amphi-
theatre, larger by far and more imposing
than the Roman Coliseum. Gay colored
draperies are floating from every window
and balcony, flags are waving, and the
procession ap-
proaches. It
is a right
gorgeous one.
The seventeen
contrade vie
with one an-
other in splen-
dor and mag-
nific e n c e of
costume ; each
is represented
by a company
in the proces-
sion. Most
conspicuous is

the captain, who is mounted and splen-
didly armed ; he is preceded by a page
bearing a banner ; next come two en-
signs, also with banners, next the
drummer and four more pages, next
a knight riding a richly caparisoned
horse, and lastly, the horse which is
to race. This latter is bareback, and
is led by its jockey ; so on all the
contrade pass in the above order,
making the circuit of the square three
times. It is a perfect pageant of the
middle ages; one feels that in coming
to Sienna it has not been travel over
space alone, but a voyage away back
across the sea of time. The procession
makes the final circuit, the knights with
nodding plumes pass into the courtyard
of the Palazzo Publico, disappearing
under its great arched gateway — nine-
teenth-centuryism sinks below the hori-
zon. Now again all is excitement as the
racing horses reappear. At last the course
is cleared, the signal is given and the
race begins. The horses rush forth ;
three times they make the circuit, and
the race is done. The victor is em-
braced by his friends, literally embraced,
for the warm Italian nature can satisfy
itself with no milder demonstration of
delight. He is presented with a hand-
some banner, and, the congratulations
being over, the victorious party repairs
again to the chapel, this time to sing a
hymn of thanksgiving, the horse going
up to the altar
as before, and
stand ing in
front of the
sanctuary dur-
ing the sing-
ing.

The remain-
der of the day
is spe n t in
processions
and gene r a 1
rejoicing, all
the members
of the van-
quished con-

GOING TO THB PALIO.

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

827

trade good-naturedly taking part in the
festivities. Some days after, all are bid-
den to a grand open-air banquet, which is
to be held in the principal street or square
of the victorious contrada. This takes
place in the evening, immediately after
mdown ; several long tables are set in
le middle of the street, which is bril-
mtly illuminated by millions of little
>lored lanterns everywhere, attached
lines which cross and recross the
treet ; not far away, on a balcony, is sta-
tioned a band which plays dance music,
to whose measure light feet are gaily

tripping. It was truly 'a pretty scene
and a happy, enlivening one. Soon it
was all over, the peasant went back to
his field, the little merchant to his shop,
but each and all carried with them a
rich fund of joy and many enlivening
topics of conversation to break the
tedium of their daily occupations.

We had not many more days to spend
in Sienna ; in the first week of Septem-
ber the tramontana was with us, that
cold, piercing wind which comes from the
snow-clad mountains. Reluctantly we
bade farewell to the old Ghibelline town.

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

By Francis T. Furey, A.M.

THREE letters from Bishop Dubois
to the editor of the Annales de la
Propagation de la Foi, dated March 16,
1830, May 15, 1833, and March 16, 1834,
give details of the condition of the New
York diocese fully as interesting as those
concerning Philadelphia furnished by
Bishop Kenrick about the same time.
The condition of affairs was even worse
in the former than in the latter, and
therefore presents a much more strik-
ing contrast with that of to-day. The
diocese of New York then embraced
all the territory of the nine sees forming
the present province of the same name,
with the exception of that of Trenton,
which was at that time a part of the
diocese of Philadelphia ; and it had a
Catholic population of over 150,000 in
1826, and of fully 200,000 in 1834. And
yet, though this was twice as much as
that of Philadelphia, it had a much
smaller number of churches and of priests
to serve them than had the latter. Both
sees were instituted at the same time,
on April 8, 1808, along with those of
Boston and Bardstown, the first four suf-
fragan sees of the new province of Balti-
more; and the history of the church
since then in the territory embraced in
each is a story of marvellous growth

scarcely paralleled elsewhere for the
same space of time.

John Dubois was nominally the third,
but in reality the second, bishop of New
York. The first, Luke Concanen, an
Irish Dominican resident in Rome, never
saw his diocese, as he died in Naples
shortly after his consecration. Pope
Pius VII. was then Napoleon's prisoner,
and no successor was appointed until
after he had been restored to liberty.
Then another member of the Irish Do-
minican community in Rome, John Con-
nolly, was chosen, and he ruled the dio-
cese for eleven years, until his death
at the close of 1825. Nearly a year
later Bishop Dubois was consecrated
and took possession of the see. He
was one of the Sulpician exiles from
France who settled in Baltimore in 1791.
In 1808 he founded Mt. St. Mary's Col-
lege, Emmittsburg, Md., which he built
three times. He began it with a frame
structure which he paid for out of his
own savings. This he soon replaced
with one of stone, also at his own ex-
pense, that was before long destroyed by
fire, compelling him to do the work over
again. At that time he received assist-
ance from the Association for the Propaga-
tion of the Faith, through Father Brute,

828

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

afterwards the first Bishop of Vincennes,
who declined to divulge its source to him.
This institution soon began its record as
a fruitful mother of bishops by the ap-
pointment of its founder to the see of
New York, a record which has just been
continued by the choice of its latest
president, Very Rev. Dr. Allen, for the
bishopric of Mobile.

The selection of Father Dubois for the
then extremely poor diocese of New
York, but a fraction of which is said to
be now the greatest in the world, was
made by Papal brief dated May 23, 1826.
With great reluctance he accepted the
high honor as well as the heavy burden
that he was thus asked to assume.
' ' The Emmittsburg Seminary, ' ' he says
in the first of his letters, "had under
my eyes received so many blessings for
seventeen years that I was very much
attached to it, and my whole ambition
was to devote to it the short period of
life that yet remained to me ; but . . .
the will of the common Father of the
faithful came to impose on me the oner-
ous burden of that immense diocese.
It was very hard for me to abandon my
seminary ; the feeling of my un worthi-
ness and of my weakness made obedi-
ence still more painful ; yet it was
necessary to submit to the authority of
God, who manifested Himself through
all the organs that He has established in
His Church to direct us. "

In the Baltimore Cathedral, on Sun-
day, October 29, 1826, Bishop Dubois
was consecrated by Archbishop Mare-
chal, surrounded by a large number of
his forrmr pupils, who were eager to give
that last mark of attachment to their
revered Father. He owed his Episcopal
ring and pectoral cross to the generos-
ity of the then very aged Charles Car-
roll of Carrollton, the last survivor of
the signers of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence— ' ' one of those old patriarchs, ' '
he says, "who are devoted with their
whole heart to our holy religion, and
who profit by their wealth only to do
good with it." Three days later, on the

Feast of All Saints, he took possession
of his see. ' ' With what an impression, ' '
he continues, " was not my heart moved
at the sight of the immense multitude
that filled the cathedral ! " (old St. Pat-
rick's in Mulberry street). He estimates
at four thousand the number of the
faithful who were present ; and they
were only the representatives of 150,000
others. "Was it possible for me, more-
over, not to be affected on thinking
of that multitude of Protestants who
live in my diocese, and who, of course,
are not yet of the fold, but whom Jesus
Christ wishes that I lead to it, so that
there be no longer but one fold and one
shepherd ?"

Full of confidence in the support of
the Holy Ghost, he put his hand reso-
lutely to the work that he had just
undertaken. And in what a condition
did he find that poor diocese when he
began to examine its needs ! There
were in 1829 at least thirty five thousand
Catholics in the city of New York alone,
and probably one hundred and fifty
thousand in the rest of the diocese, a
much larger number than had been re-
ported to him ; for before long he learned
that in every district into which he
sent priests, or which he visited himself,
he often found ten times as many Catho-
lics as he had expected — seven hundred,
for instance, where he had been told
there were fifty or sixty ; eleven hun-
dred instead of two hundred, as reported,
and so on. And for the service of that
multitude there were, when he arrived
in New York, only nine churches and
eighteen priests. Three of the churches
were in the city, namely, St. Peter's,
begun in 1785 by Father Farmer, S.J.,
from Philadelphia (for New York had
as yet no resident priests), and partly
paid for by the munificence of the kings
of France and Spain ; the cathedral,
built at the time the diocese was cre-
ated, by means of incredible efforts on
the part of the Catholic population,
aided by a certain number of pious and
generous Frenchmen whom the French

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

829

Revolution had thrown on the shores of
the new Republic, and most of whom, un-
fortunately, returned home after the Res-
toration ; and St. Mary 's, which had
been bought from the Presbyterians.
St. Patrick's was still unfinished and
heavily loaded with a debt of twenty-
four thousand dollars. It was also devoid
of ornaments necessary for the dignity
of worship. Soon after his arrival the
bishop purchased another church from
the Episcopalians for twenty thousand
dollars, loaned to him by a pious Span-
iard, and which he expected to pay back
from the proceeds of the pew rents.

But what were these four churches, for
a population of at least thirty-five thou-
sand souls, besides the many Protestants
who often frequented them, and whom
it was not proper to exclude, since their
attending gave an opportunity for mak-
ing the truth known to them ? But pe-
cuniary resources were lacking to supply
more, as the Catholic population was
made up chiefly of poor immigrants, for
whom it was impossible to meet the ex-
pense. At the same time there were
over seventy churches of the various
Protestant denominations in the city.
The limits of his letter did not permit
him to point out and explain fully the
' reasons why the great bulk of the Cath-
olics were poor ; but he digressed to ob-
serve that, the penal laws of England
against Catholics having been in force
until the time of the American Revolu-
tion, all property of any value was in
the hands of Protestants when Catholics
began to settle in the State, and some
time would have to elapse before the
latter would acquire independence. If
during this interval they were to be left
to themselves, they would lose the faith ;
and the means that they would have ac-
quired by their industry, instead of be-
coming useful to religion, would serve
to support error.

If additional churches were needed in
the city, they were very much more so
in the rest of the diocese. He refers to
his inability to procure resources for the

building of one in a suburb, the name of
which he does not give, but which may
be inferred to be Brooklyn, where the
Catholic population was quite consider-
able, and too remote from the other
churches for them to be able to attend
Mass. He had been obliged, then, to
rent, for two hundred dollars a year, a
rather large room that held seven or
eight hundred persons. It was a charge
that fell entirely on himself, quite
poor though he was ; but he was ready to
make any sacrifice to save the souls en-
trusted to his care. In a territory em-
bracing nearly thirty-five million acres
there were only nine churches, properly
so called, separated from one another by
distances of from two to three hundred
miles, and besides a few small chapels
provided in private houses. Soon after
taking charge of the diocese he found it
necessary to replace two of the churches
that were entirely too small by larger
ones, and to advance money for this
purpose.

It is no wonder, then, that more than
once the sheriff was very close to his
door. From this law-officer's clutches
the Association for the Propagation of
the Faith saved him by two considerable
remittances it made to him in 1828 and
1829. With these he would have liked
to start his darling project of a diocesan
seminary, without which he felt that re-
ligion could not be solidly established,
but they were not sufficient for that pur-
pose. Accordingly he devoted them to
relieving the burdens of two of his out-
of-town congregations. There was a
church in Newark, the only one appar-
ently in the New Jersey part of his dio-
cese, which was so overburdened with
debt that it was on the point of being
sold to satisfy the creditors ; and the
Catholics of Albany needed a new church
to take the place of a small chapel that
could not accommodate one third of the
congregation. The former was saved
and the latter realized. He hoped that
both flocks would be able to pay him
back gradually the sums he had ad-

830

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

vanced, and accordingly he felt it was
only his duty to make the loans. When
reimbursed, he would apply the money
to the most urgent needs of the diocese,
and especially to the founding of a semi-
nary. If he had not been able to come
to the relief of his poor people of New-
ark, he^no doubt would have had to
grieve at seeing a Catholic church turned
into a Protestant meeting-house, and the
congregation scattered ; but instead, at
the time of his writing, he had the con-
solation of knowing that the congrega-
tion was in a flourishing condition and
growing in strength from day to day.
Nor would the poor Catholics of Albany
have ever dared to undertake the build-
ing of their church had he not made the
first advances. They were then exerting
their best efforts t© give the finishing
touches to that edifice ; and Protestants
themselves, seeing the zeal that they
displayed, came to their assistance.
Such he felt to be the course that it
would be necessary for him to follow in
building the numberless other churches
that his diocese needed.

In those days, under the stringent cir-
cumstances of pioneer times, the bishop
had to perform not only the duties of
his own special office, but the parish
work of a priest and of a catechist as
well. In this way he became specially
endeared to the people of the cathedral
parish ; and his dear city flock missed
him and lamented his absence when he
had to visit the other parts of his diocese,
attending to his sheep scattered through
an immense expanse of territory. But
this annual tour of three thousand miles
afforded him the only relaxation he
could get to comfort him for the fatigues
of the confessional and the daily service
of his poor sick children. Fatigue of
body, however, was nothing in compari-
son with the anguish of mind that he
experienced at the sight of that innu-
merable multitude of abandoned souls
that he found on his way asking him
for pastors, and at his being able to
answer these petitions only in the nega-

tive and with tears streaming down his
cheeks. But, weighed down as he was
by so many cares and so many difficul-
ties, and by the thought of its being im-
possible for him to meet them all, his
courage never flagged.

He gives us in his first letter a some-
what detailed account of a diocesan visi-
tation that he made of a part of his dio-
cese, just before leaving for Rome in the
early autumn of 1829. On that visitation
he travelled three thousand miles, alone,
because he could not meet the expense
entailed by a priest accompanying him ;
and while making that course he heard
over two thousand confessions. At Buf-
falo, where a most worthy Frenchman
had given him a superb site on which to
build a church, he found between seven
and eight hundred Catholics, made up
of French Canadians, Swiss, Irish and
others, instead of some fifty or sixty that
he had been told of. Though he did not
know German he was obliged to hear the
confessions of over two hundred Swiss,
who understood neither English nor
French. He did so by means of inter-
preters, but in such a way that the latter
could not know anything of the confes-
sions made by those poor people. He
had recourse to an expedient that neces-
sity had compelled him to invent while,
a long time before, engaged in mission-
ary work, when he met strangers or
Indians whose language he did not un-
derstand. It was no wonder, as he tells
us, that those good souls experienced an
unspeakable joy on having been thus
enabled to receive the Sacraments. He
celebrated a solemn Mass in the court-
house, which was attended by over eight
hundred persons, among whom were
many Protestants. An altar had been
erected on the elevated platform on which
the judges were ordinarily seated. The
presence of a bishop, the celebration of
the Holy Sacrifice, the large number of
communions, the beauty and solemnity
of the singing, the administering of the
sacrament of baptism, which he con-
ferred on between thirty and forty per-

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

831

sons, produced a general feeling of ten-
derness on all of those present ; but what
made the most singular impression on
their minds was the blessing of the
ground on which the proposed church
was to stand and of that allotted for a
cemetery. At four o'clock in the after-
noon, the time that had been fixed for the
ceremony to begin, he found those good
people — men, women and children — as-
sembled in that same court-room where
he vested in his pontifical robes. Thence,
without him speaking a word to them,
they fell into line, four deep, to betake
themselves to the cemetery, which was
about half a league distant. Four white-
haired old men began to recite the Ros-
ary in a loud voice in German, and the
French, English and Germans in attend-
ance said the second part of the Pater and
the Aves, each in his own tongue. All
the inhabitants of the town, whom that
ceremony had attracted, were ranged in
rows on both sides of the street.. The
modesty, recollection and devotion that
shone on all those countenances, and
especially on those of the four old men
who led the march, formed quite an ex-
traordinary spectacle for that Protestant
population. The head of the procession
had arrived at the cemetery when the
last of it had yet scarcely left the court-
room. Having reached the cemetery,
those good Swiss chanted the psalms and
the litanies set down in the Ritual for
such a blessing, and the people separated
only after sunset.

Next day, that on which the bishop
was to take his departure, a few Catho-
lics who had learned of his arrival only
by hearing of it from those who had at-
tended the ceremonies of the day before,
called to see him. He could not refuse
to hear several additional confessions, to
baptize children, and to bless a few mar-
riages.

He was obliged to tear himself away
from that interesting mission in order to
go to another of a different character,
which also had claims on his solicitude.
Some one had written to him that not

far from a village of sava'ges, called St.
Regis, through the middle of which
passes the boundary line between L,ower
Canada and the State of New York, there
was an Irish settlement that solicited the
erection of a church and a missionary
priest to serve it. The bishop felt how
far out of his power it was to give them
a priest, but he hoped that he could
either have them attended to by the
missionary who was entrusted with the
Indians, or at least send one to visit them
from time to time. He had to travel
over three hundred miles to reach the
place. The bishop hesitated so much
the less to make that journey, as he took
advantage of the opportunity to go
among his good savages who were impa-
tiently awaiting him. A misunderstand-
ing had arisen between the part of the
village that was subject to the British
Government and that which was on the
territory of the United States. The in-
habitants of the latter section wanted to
raise the banner of the Republic in front
of the church, side by side with the
British flag. As the church was situ-
ated on the Canadian side, those subject
to that government did not want to allow
this. The savages on the south side,
irritated at this refusal, were waiting for
the bishop's arrival, in order to entreat
him to have a church built for them-
selves and to give them a separate pas-
tor. Nor did they fail to present their
request to him. He felt to what dangers
such a division might expose them, and
had recourse to the well-known moral of
the bundle of sticks — that one may so
easily be broken when they are separated,
whilst united they resist every effort that
one may make to break them. He ex-
plained to them that their conduct would
furnish to both governments a plausible
pretext for taking possession of their
village and for driving them into the
wilderness, where they would be de-
prived of all communication with their
brethren, the white Catholics; but that
their rights would be always respected as
long as they were seen to be united and

832

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

numerically strong. They felt how just
was this remark, and he had the happi-
ness of reconciling them. He recalled
especially a touching reflection made by
one of the old chiefs during the discus-
sion. "Ah, Father, "he said, " we are
no longer Christians, since we are lack-
ing in charity. ' '

Next morning the bishop celebrated
Mass, attended by a dozen Indian youths
who had made surplices for themselves
out of their coverings. The chant,
which was the correct Gregorian,
though the words were in a savage
tongue, was very edifying. The bishop
remarks that this chant suits that lan-
guage as well as any other. The In-
dians had learned it from the Jesuits,
whose memory was still held in great
veneration among them, and they had
transmitted it from generation to genera-
tion. He confirmed quite a large num-
ber of them, to whom also he gave Holy
Communion. Thence he betook him-
self to the Irish settlement, which he
found six hundred strong. He made ar-
rangements to secure a site on which a
church could be built, and entrusted the
people in the meantime to the care of
the pastor of the Indians, who spoke a
little English.

He would never come to an end with
his letter, he says, if he went on writing
of all the communities that he found
abandoned along the Lakes and the St.
Lawrence. At least half of the inhab-
itants of the towns in that region w-re
French Canadians who had come to
settle on the New York side. Those
mixed communities presented so many
difficulties, the more as it was necessary
for the missionary priest to understand
at least two languages, English and
French, and sometimes even German
also. The French, besides their poverty
not allowing them to contribute much
towards the support of religion, were so
much the more repugnant to giving any-
thing, as they had been accustomed in
Canada, where the clergy and the parish

buildings were supported by the tithes
to getting everything gratuitously. But
if the bishop had to deplore the lack of
churches, chalices, ornaments, etc., how
much the more keenly did he not feel
the dearth of laborers in the Lord's
vineyard ! When he arrived in New
York he found no more than four or five
really efficient missionaries. How much
good, then, might be done by zealous,
pious, disinterested priests stationed
among those thousands of poor Catho-
lics, thus abandoned and exposed to the
dangers of ignorance, stolid indifference
and the enticements of the sects around
them. In New York, if the clergy were
numerous enough to establish a uni-
versity and to devote themselves to deep
studies, religion would derive immense
advantage therefrom. The Church could
then struggle successfully against false
philosophers and heretics, by drawing
weapons for use against them from the
sciences which they abused in order to
deceive others and lead them astray.

The English language being that of
the country, until then it hdd been
necessary to recruit the clergy from
Ireland; and as the Irish bishops were
themselves in need of priests, could it
be hoped that they would let truly apos-
tolic men leave their own country ?
What means remained of remedying so
afflicting a dearth? No other than the
building of a seminary in which he
would be able to train a national clergy.
It was on that account that he had to
leave his dear flock for a short time, and
not merely to make his first official visit
to the Eternal City, from which he wrote
this letter. He had come *o Europe to
implore assistance from his brethren
there, and tell them: "With tears are
the little children asking for the bread
of the Word, and there is no one to break
it to them. " By force of repeated solicit-
ing he had slightly increased the number
of his priests; but what avail were so few
for so many thousands of souls perishing
every day for want of assistance ?

(To be continued]

GENERAL INTENTION, SEPTEMBER, 1897.

Approved and blessed by His Holiness, Leo XIII.
PRIESTS AND COMMUNITIES IN RETREAT.

ONE would imagine that priests and
communities of religious are forced
by their very vocation to live sufficiently
apart from the world without needing
to seek from time to time the more
sacred seclusion of a retreat. Or, admit-
ting the benefits of a retreat for all classes
of men, some might think that those
who are so favored as to make one year-
ly, have little need of our prayers, at
least during the week which they are
spending in the most perfect exercise of
prayer, and in the other spiritual occupa-
tions known by the name " Retreat."

Useful and, in a measure, necessary
as a retreat is for all Christians, it is in-
dispensable for priests and religious ; the
oftener they make one, the more they
need our prayers, that they make it well:
indeed, the spiritual welfare of the faith-
ful depends so much on the fidelity and
piety with which the clergy and religious
communities make their annual retreats,
that in praying for them whilst they are
engaged in this holy occupation, we are
actually praying for our own welfare and
for the interests of the Church at large.

In our day, and, particularly, in our
country, most of our priests and religious
men and women are so busily occupied
during the greater part of the year that
they barely find time for their ordinary
spiritual exercises of prayer, spiritual
reading, and examination of conscience.

(257)

Their occupations are of such a nature
that distractions follow them from the
sick bed, the pulpit and the confessional
to the very altar, from the desk to the
priedieu, from the class-room to the
chapel. While interruptions of all sorts
disturb the recollection so necessary for
the priestly and the religious life, the very
routine of the'ir labors deadens the spirit
which should quicken their holy work.
Sometimes the most sacred duties are
full of peril for their souls ; at all times,
grave questions are coming before them
which intimately affect the welfare of
souls, and which need more time, at-
tention and prayerful study than their
active labors will permit them to give.

Even priests who are occupied in the
external ministry only on Sundays and
holy days of obligation, and religious
also, who are partially or wholly clois-
tered, need to make retreats from time
to time. Favorable as their leisure and
retirement may be to a spiritual life,
they still lack many helps and incentives
that can be given them only during a
retreat. To mention but one, they lack
the special direction which is usually
obtainable during a retreat, and which
is then more beneficial than at any other
time, for no matter how prudent and
skilful their ordinary spiritual directors
may be, they themselves are never so
well disposed to benefit by their counsels

833

834

GENERAL INTENTION.

(258)

as when entirely submissive to God's
will and, as it were, entirely under the
control of His divine grace, they deserve
to receive through His representative
the intimations of His pleasure in their
regard.

Fortunately, our priests and religious
generally are enabled to make a retreat
once every year, and they esteem this
privilege highly, for they feel the need
of renewing their spirit by the very
spiritual exercises and direction that are
given them during these intervals of
from five to eight days of solitude and
prayer. From time to time during the
year they are more vividly impressed
by the exalted character of their vo-
cation, they realize more keenly the
obligations of their state and the re-
sponsibilities of their various charges,
and they long to withdraw for a while
from the turmoil of every-day life, not
only to refresh their minds and bodies
by a much-needed rest, but to bring into
active exercise and train their spiritual
powers to persevere and go forward in
the state in which they have consecrated
their lives. With a full sense of the
importance of these weeks spent in re-
tirement with God, they look to us, as
Moses looked to his people, to gather
about the mountain which they ascend
in order to commune with God, and if,
while expecting great things with their
return, our prayers could but avail to
keep alive in their hearts this longing to
go near unto God, and speak with Him
familiarly, as it were, face to face, they
could not ask more of us, nor should we
be disappointed in welcoming them back
as our prophets and law-givers.

For the great purpose of every retreat
should be to unite the soul to God. This
purpose may be expressed in many ways.
It is sometimes called conversion, since
a true conversion implies a return to God
as well as a separation from all that leads
away from Him. It is called also a ref-
ormation, in the sense of St. Paul, that
we should be reformed in newness of
mind, and look to Christ to reform the

body of our lowness, since in every re-
treat Christ is set forth as the model of
our perfection and the bond of our union
with the Father. No matter how we may
describe this chief and ultimate purpose
of a retreat, it is this purpose which must
determine every other immediate motive
that may lead a soul to make one. Thus,
a priest may wish to conceive a higher
idea of his sacred character, to study and
fulfil the obligations of his calling, to ac-
quit himself of his holy functions and
dispense the sacred mysteries with more
piety, to promote divine worship and
grow in zeal for souls ; in like manner,
religious may seek to be confirmed in
their vocation, to acquire a higher regard
for their Institute, for the pious observ-
ances of religious life, and to regulate the
time and attention they give to their own
perfection and to the welfare of their
neighbor. But all these various purposes
are but as means to an end, and the end
is always God. ' ' Any way of preparing
and disposing a soul to rid itself of all
inordinate affections, and, when one is
rid of them, to seek and find the divine will
in putting one's life in order for the soul 's
salvation, " is the description given of a
retreat by St. Ignatius, whose own way
of doing all this has been universally
adopted or closely imitated everywhere
in Christendom during the past three
hundred and fifty years. If we insist on
this point, it is not because priests or re-
ligious are not aware that union with
God is the ultimate purpose of every re-
treat, but because we cannot appreciate
how important their annual retreats are
for the welfare of the faithful at large,
unless we consider that it is only by this
union that priests can properly discharge
their office as mediators between God
and men, and religious their duties as
preservers of the spirit of the Son of
God.

If our own interest should move us to
pray for priests and communities in re-
treat, our desire for their spiritual profit,
and our sympathy with them in the
struggle they must make against the

259)

GENERAL INTENTION.

835

>nemy of human souls, especially during
;he days of a retreat, should induce us to
pray with something of the anxious fer-
vor of the early Christians who were
permitted to witness the conflicts of the
martyrs, that our martyrs to self and the
vvorld may come off victorious in their
combat against the evil one for the pos-
session of their own souls. The lofty
purpose mentioned in the preceding par-
agraph needs a mighty effort of human
powers, even though grace be plentiful
to assist them. This effort must be in-
tensified when all the forces of the world
and of hell conspire to frustrate it. We
must not imagine that priests are so
hedged around with the rights of the
sanctuary, as if Lucifer could respect, in
their regard, a ' ' truce of God ; ' ' nor that
the vows and rules of religion are like a
panoply which he dare not hope to pene-
trate. On the contrary, the more sacred
and the better safeguarded the person, the
more terrible Satan's assaults. "Hast
thou not made a fence for him, and his
house, and all his substance round
about?" is his challenge to the Al-
mighty, just as it was in Job's day,
every time God's chosen ones are set
apart from the world, as if it was his
pride to prove that no flesh, left open to
his attack, can resist his fury. And so
we read : "Son, when thou comest into
the service of God, stand in justice and
in fear, and prepare thy soul for tempta-
tion.'1'' A retreat may be a time of con-
solation, but it is necessarily a time of
trial. ' 'Spiritual exercises, "St. Ignatius
describes its occupation, "by which a
man may overcome himself, ' ' and by self
in this case is meant every passion not
under control — bad habits, perverse in-
clinations, whether for honor, self-
esteem, one's own will, or bodily com-
forts. Nature is there clamoring for its
own ; flesh and blood are crying out for
gratifications of the senses and for what
is carnal more than for what is spiritual
in every human relationship ; the world
is striving to penetrate even the sanctu-
ary and the cloister, not merely out of

curiosity, but to try the charm of its
allurements, of its honors and riches
upon the consecrated inmates. The
spirit of darkness is there, at one time
prompting to pride, at another to sloth,
and at all times to despair. This is
something of the crucible in which,
more than all others, priests and relig-
ious are tried during a retreat, passing
through its ordeal of dryness, doubt,
darkness, discouragement, weariness of
soul and body, now deploring that the
meditations of the spirit should afflict
the flesh, and, again, that the corrupt-
ible body should be as a load to drag
down the soul. And all this, be it re-
membered, is for our benefit. Indeed,
the very problems which oftentimes give
most trouble to the priest or religious in
retreat are those which directly concern
the souls to whom they minister in a
parish or school, in a society or mission,
the comfort of the aged, the welfare of
the sick, the integrity of their young
men, the purity of young women, and,
above all, the innocence of children.

It is clear that the experience of trial
of this kind on the part of those who
labor and pray for our souls must re-
dound to our benefit, not only because it
makes them more devoted to our welfare,
but also because it supplies them with
the most necessary principles of the
spiritual life for their own direction
and for ours. The mere enumeration
of the exercises of a retreat is enough
to show how valuable they must be
in forming directors of souls. The
various forms of vocal and mental
prayer, the pious consideration, medita-
tion and contemplation, the particular-
and general examination of conscience,
the additional practices or helps to pre-.
serve recollection and keep the mind in-'
terested, the leading petitions and the
familiar colloquies with God and those
whom we address in prayer, the study of*
the spirit of Christ with every faculty
and even with every sense, the rules for
detecting and counteracting every sug-
gestion, every pretext, and every snare

836

CAUGHT BY THE BEARD.

(26O)

of the devil, the directions given for
choosing to do God's will in every seri-
ous deliberation of our lives, so that we
may not be the victims of impulse, or
the sport of every vain imagination —
these are some of the exercises of a re-
treat. Throughout, the whole soul of
the one in retreat is exercised in these
various occupations with a view to
grasping a few leading principles of the
spiritual life, the principle that God is
our Creator and last end, that Christ is
our Redeemer and our Mediator with
the Father, that with Him we must
labor not merely to save but to perfect
souls and unite them with God, for His
greater glory and their own. The diffi-
culty attendant on all this, as well as the
benefits accruing from it for the Church
at large, should make us understand why
priests and religious in retreat need our
prayers and how greatly they can bene-
fit by them.

We have had occasion from time to
time, particularly in October, 1892, and
again in September, 1896, to speak at
length on the nature and advantages of
a spiritual retreat, because the present
Intention, under one aspect or other, is
not a new one for us. It would be but
repeating what we have written before,
to quote the testimonies of the Vicars of
Jesus Christ in favor of these retreats,
implied, if not openly expressed, in their
many accommodations of the spiritual
exercises of St. Ignatius. Neither is it

necessary to enumerate here the fruits of
holiness which they have produced in
thousands of souls. Our aim is merely
to make every Associate pray fervently
that these fruits may be more and more
abundant, not only in the souls of the
priests and religious who are actually in
retreat, but for those who have still to
make or who have already finished their
retreats for this year.

Our prayer, then, must be that they
may be free from every business and
care to enter into this holy solitude with
God ; that they may be well in body and
active in mind to embrace this season of
grace with a generous readiness to seek
and to recognize God 's holy will ; that
they may take no limited view of what
God can and means to do in their souls,
and put no obstacle to His action upon
them ; that they may have prudent di-
rectors, men of experience and authority
in all that concerns the spiritual life,
who may understand, guide, advise and
encourage them, and further God's holy
operations in their souls ; that their
souls may be flooded with light, filled
with peace about the past, and inspired
with confidence for the future ; that they
may come forth charged with the influ-
ence of divine grace, and endued with
new strength and a holy courage to live
always and in all things united with God,
acting in His presence, strictly in accord
with His will for the welfare of our
souls and for His glory.

CAUGHT BY THE BEARD.

By Rev. A. C. Poita, S.J.

E fine morning in May," said
Father Henry, " I took a ram-
ble through the suburbs of the south-
ern town of X , accompanied by

the zealous young pastor of the church
in which I was then preaching a mis-
sion. We were walking through what
might be called the garden district of the
town, with its quaint wooden cottages,
whose gateways and pillared verandas
are trellised with tropical vines and its
dormer windows framed in with roses,
when a strange sight attracted my atten-
tion. At the entrance of a grotto which
was situated at the end of a long, shad}7
avenue of magnolia trees, stood a vener-
able looking old man. He was tall, thin
and straight as an arrow. He might be
ninety years of age, and his long flowing
beard was as white as the snows of
Mount Blanc. The grotto, which was
wholly artificial, was set off with all the
charming rudeness of gravel and rugged
stones, imitating in miniature the craggy
cliffs and deep ridges and yawning
chasms of the Pyrenees. ' Who is that
old man? ' I asked of my companion.
'Oh! that's the old sinner, ' he replied
with a shrug of the shoulders.

" ' The old sinner ! ' I exclaimed.

"'Yes; that's what my parishioners
call him. He is an eccentric old French-
man who came here about sixty years
ago. He built that grotto himself, and
has lived there the life of a hermit ever
since he came here. He spends his whole
time gardening, and goes nowhere ex-
cept to the market early in the morning
to make his daily provisions. '

" ' Is he a Catholic ? '

" ' Well, he was baptized one ; but he
has not set his foot in church once since
he came here. His religion consists in
a kind of pantheistic worship of the
beauties of nature. He is especially
fond of violets.'

(261)

" 'Have you ever tried to get around
him? '

" 'Only once. I did all I could to in-
spire him with the fear of the Lord. I
spoke to him of judgment, of death, and
of hell ; but all to no purpose. Not only
would he not listen to me, but he went
so far as to insult me in the most shame-
.less manner.'

" ' Why did you not try kindness ? '

"' Kindness with an old sinner like
that ! I do not believe in kindness in
such cases. Just think — '

" ' My dear friend, you do not believe
in kindness, and old sinners, as a rule,
do not believe in severit}'-. Why, it is
just because a man is a great sinner that
you should be kind and indulgent to-
ward him. And tell me who was kinder
to sinners than our Lord Himself? Be-
lieve me, sermons on the mercy of God
have converted more people than the
most vivid and terrifying discourses on
hell. Such, at least, has been my ex-
perience during my thirty years of mis-
sionary life. To-morrow I must have
an interview with the old man. '

' ' ' Take care what you do. I am sure
he will insult you, and perhaps do you
physical harm. He has already threat-
ened to give a sound thrashing to any
priest who should dare invade his prem-
ises. '

" ' Never mind, we shall see. '

' ' The next day I said Mass in honor of
the Sacred Heart, asking Him in return
to help me and give me the grace to touch
the heart of ' the old sinner. ' At 4
P.M. I set out on my difficult mission.

" ' Where are you going? ' asked the
parish priest, as he met me at the door
of the presbytery.

' ' ' Fishing, ' I replied, smiling. ' I 'm
tired of catching minnows in your
church : I am going now to fish for a
whale. '

837

838

CAUGHT BY THE BEARD.

(262)

" 'Ah ! going to see the old sinner.
Take care that the whale does not swal-
low you up. What kind of bait are you
going to use ? '

" ' Kindness. '

" ' Well, I wish you luck. '

' ' ' Thank you. Pray for success. '

' ' When I reached the old man 's place,
he was in the garden, wateringhis flowers.
I stood at the gate and watched him in-
tently. He had his back turned to me.
After three or four minutes, he turned
around and saw me. He gave a start as
if he had seen a rattlesnake at his feet.
His eyes flashed and his lips quivered.

'''Whom are you staring at?' he
asked in a hoarse voice. '

" ' At you, ' I replied calmly.

" ' Well, you had better go about your
business. I don't want to see priests
here, you understand ? '

" 'Well, if you do not want to see
priests, for my part, I want and I like to
see men like you. '

' ' ' Am I such a curiosity, then ? What
do you find in me that should make you
stop and stare at me that way ? '

" ' Your beard, my good man. I have
travelled a great deal, and have seen
many beautiful beards before, but never
have I seen one to compare with yours. '

' ' This compliment seemed to please
the old man and disperse the dark
cloud of anger that had fallen upon
him the very instant he had caught
sight of my soutane.

" ' Well, now,' he said, as his voice
softened and assumed a tone of play-
fulness, ' I know you are poking fun
at me. '

" ' Not at all, my dear friend. I mean
what I say. Please excuse my candor
and sincerity. '

" 'Well, now, I rather like your frank-
ness, ' he said, as he came up to the gate
and gave me his hand cordially. Hither-
to my idea of priests was always asso-
ciated with deceit, coldness and severity.
The mere sight of a cassock used to
stir up my bile. I see now I was mis-
taken. '

" ' Won't you please step into my gar-
den and have a look at my flowers ? '

" ' Most willingly. '

' ' And we walked into the garden , chat-
ting like old friends. This was doing
pretty well ; much better, in fact, than I
had anticipated.

" ' Do you like my garden? ' he asked,
as we stopped before a large and beauti-
ful bed of violets.

"'Like it!' I exclaimed, 'and who
would not like it ? It is simply lovely.
And what beautiful violets you have
here ! '

" ' Yes ; I think they are beautiful. I
give most of my time to them, for I am
very fond of violets. Won't you accept
a little bouquet of them ? '

" ' Certainly. I will place it before my
little statue of the Sacred Heart. I am
sure He will appreciate them. Don't
you think so ? '

" ' I suppose so, ' he muttered, with the
French characteristic shrug of his shoul-
ders. We walked further on and came
to a moss-grown stone table that stood
in the middle of the garden.

' ' ' Won 't you sit down and have a glass
of wine with me ? ' he asked, as he moved
an arm-chair toward me. 'By all means, '
I answered; 'but on one condition.'
' What is it ? ' he asked, with a look of
apprehension. ' That you will take this
chair, and I that camp-stool. You know
I am a mere stripling by your side. A
tout seigneur tout honneur. '

"It would be impossible to describe
the look of surprise on the old man's
face ; he seemed simply bewildered, but
the surprise was by no means of a dis-
agreeable kind. He muttered some ex-
cuses, but I insisted.

"'Well, I never!' he exclaimed.
' What a big fool I have been all these
long years. Please excuse me until I
get that bottle of Bordeaux. ' And he
left me, muttering to himself all the
while, 'What a big fool I have been.
Quefaietebete!'

"Shortly after his departure he re-
turned, carrying in his arms a tray, on

(263)

CAUGHT BY THE BEARD.

839

which were two tumblers, a bottle of
Bordeaux, and a plate of cakes. We sat
down, and there, among the leaves,
gently stirred by a soft whispering
breeze, and the warm air laden with the
sweet perfume of roses and violets, and
over our heads the bright blue sky of
the sunny South, we chatted together
and sipped our wine. We spoke of
flowers, then of French politics, and,
finally, the conversation drifted into
religious matters. The old man re-
hearsed the principal events of his life.
He told me how, at the age of thirteen,
he had enlisted as a drummer-boy in the
army of the great man, ' le grand
homme, ' as he called Napoleon Bona-
parte. He related to me how he had
fallen in with some wicked, impious
and dissolute soldiers, and how he had,
one day, been induced to take a most
solemn oath never to enter a church.
' I am now eighty-four years of age, '
he said at the end of his story, ' and I
have kept my promise. ' Seventy years
without prayer and without sacraments !
However, I showed no surprise at his
narrative. In my turn I related to him
some of my missionary experiences. I
dwelt at length on the goodness and
mercy of God. '

" 'Tell me frankly, ' he said at last,
moving his chair towards me, and plac-
ing a trembling hand on my knee, ' do
you believe that all sins can be for-
given ? '

" 'Yes, all,' I replied, 'with, the ex-
ception of the sin against the Holy
Ghost, which, you certainly have not
committed. The mercy of God is in-
finite. Ever ready and eager to enter,
it stands at the door of the sinner's
heart. '

" 'But what about His anger? ' he
asked.

' 'God's anger is terrible,' I replied,
1 and nothing can resist it save His
mercy. God's arms are always open to
receive the repentant sinner, and His
bountiful hands are ever ready to shower
upon him the gifts of His mercy with

which they are filled. You know, my
dear friend, there is more rejoicing in
heaven over the conversion of one poor
sinner, than over the perseverance of a
hundred just. '

' ' While I was thus speaking, the old
man's countenance looked singularly
radiant. His eyes were fixed on me in-
tently, and he kept stroking his long
snowy beard, as if to say : ' I owe all
this to you. ' It was about seven o'clock
when I arose to leave my host, remark-
ing that it was growing late.

' ' ' Won't you come back to-morrow ? '
he asked with eagerness. ' I must have
another talk with you. '

" ' I will come back,' I said, 'but on
condition that you do something for
me. '

'"What is it? '

' ' ' Promise me to say a little prayer to-
night before going to bed. '

" ' Prayer ? ' he echoed. ' But I don't
know any prayer. It is seventy years
since I have prayed. And I have no
prayer-book. '

' ' ' You do not need any prayer-book,
my dear friend. Kneel down by the side
of your bed and say three times : " O
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on
me. '

" ' Well, that's easy. I'll repeat those
words, to please you, and have you come
see me to-morrow. '

"Thereupon we shook hands, and I
left, well satisfied with my afternoon's
work.

' ' What passed in the old man 's soul
during that night ; what joy, what pain
he experienced in the struggle, for strug-
gle doubtless there was, ever remained a
secret between him and God. The next
morning the sexton found on the altar
of the Sacred Heart a large bouquet of
violets.

"After my Mass I returned to the old
man 's place. He met me at the garden
gate. We sat down and talked for near-
ly two hours. I was about to leave, when
he got up suddenly and said : ' I must
put an end to this, Father. You must

840

A SONG OF THE SEA.

(264)

hear my confession. ' So saying, he fell
on his knees and, without more ado, be-
gan his confession. And most beautiful
and touching were the sentiments of sor-
row which that repentant sinner ex-
pressed during the sad recital of his
many past infidelities.

" The next day he came to the church,
neatly dressed in a new suit of clothes.
As I complimented him on his elegant
toilet, he replied: 'That's the way I
used to fix up formerly to go and offend
God ; it is but fair that I should do as
much to-day when I come to visit Him
for the first time in so many years. I
spent a long time in trimming my
beard, ' he added, with a smile, ' for to
it I owe the happiness and peace which I
now enjoy. '

" ' How is that ? ' I asked.

" ' Well, it's very simple, Father. If,
when we met first, you had begun by

speaking to me of God, of the Pope or
of hell, it is most likely that I would
have insulted you . But when you began
by praising my beard, I felt so pleased
that I was ready to do anything for
you. '

" 'Well, you see, before setting out on
my arduous mission I asked the Sacred
Heart to come to my help and to sug-
gest to me some way of ingratiating my-
self with you. An interior voice then
whispered to me : Praise his beard and
his violets. And then, you must not
forget the little prayer you addressed
to the Sacred Heart and the beautiful
violets you placed on His altar. They,
I am sure, had a great deal to do with
your conversion. '

"He looked at me through the big
tears that hung on his long lashes, and
said : ' Yes, God is good and merci-
'ful.' "

A SONG OF THE SEA.

By Francis}. McNiff, SJ.

A wild cloud sweepeth adown the bay
To the troubled sea, and the sailor hears

The beat of the breakers die away,

Like the moan of a grief too deep for tears.

The bare trees rise in the lowering west,

Like spectres against the purpled sky,
But the sailor saith, when the foaming crest,

And the flash of the lightning glanceth by :

"I fear not the fire of the storm-king's breath,
Nor the tumbling waves, nor the midnight drear,

But the Lord, in whose hands are both life and death.
Whom the waves obey — His wrath I fear. ' '

A CONVERSION.

By M. S.

THE story of my conversion goes back
to my early years, for it began al-
most with the beginning of thought.

The religious training of my child-
hood was of the type to be expected in
the family of a Protestant clergyman.
There was singularly little of actual
verbal religious teaching, for my parents
were reserved on the personal side of
religion. They were exceptionally fair-
minded, however, and my first notions of
the Catholic Church were fortunately
derived from history and the best liter-
ature. The Saxon captives at Rome,
"non Angli sed angeli, " the mission of
St. Augustin to Britain, the Crusades,
the building of the great cathedrals,
Columbus planting the Cross on the
shores of the New World — these were
the pictures that the name of the Church
called before me, with a vision of Fra
Angelico's saints,

" Or the Maid-mother, by a crucifix,

In tracts of sunny pasture warm,
Beueath branch work of costly sardonyx,
Sat smiling, Babe in arm."

It was naturally enough a crude and
childish conception, still the Church
stood out, in my mind, a mighty, benef-
icent power. Nevertheless, this was all
in the past, and she seemed now like a
deserted temple, beautiful but desolate ;
and I should have thought it quite as
possible to become a sun-worshipper in
this nineteenth century as a convert to
the Catholic faith.

When I was about twelve years old
my father put into my hands a biography
of Martin Luther. I opened the book
with glowing anticipations ; I closed
it with deep disappointment. The char-
acter of the ' ' Great Reformer ' ' was re-
pulsive, and the account of the rival
sects, their jealousies and mutual intol-
erance, damped my enthusiasm for the
beginnings of Protestantism. One ques-

(265)

tion troubled me, and I asked my father :
" If Martin Luther introduced the true
religion, where were all the Christians
from the time of the Apostles to the
sixteenth century ? Were there none ? "

He explained that there might have
been a few scattered here and there, but
that the greater part of Christendom was
plunged in the darkness of error, and,
properly speaking, had no right to be
called Christian.

"What a pity," I exclaimed, "that
our Lord did not put off His coming till
the time of Luther ! Then so many hun-
dreds of years would not have been
wasted. "

The remark was made in all sincerity,
but my father supposed that it was ironi-
cal, and reproved me sharply ; and he
took pains to give a long and elaborate
explanation of the corruptions that had
overlaid the faith of the early Church.
This did not satisfy me, however, and
though I said no more, the problem re-
turned again and again to my mind.

It was more than a year later that I
read a study of St. Ignatius — "Loyola
and the Jesuits, ' ' by Isaac Taylor. The
wonderful life of the saint, his ardent
love of God and love for souls, the mar-
vellous union of energy and flexibility in
his nature, all illumined and vivified the
dry and unsympathetic style, and gave
the book a charm. This reading taught
me two facts : That the Protestant
movement did not sweep Catholicism
from the face of Europe ; and that the
Church was still living and growing.
Instinctively I placed St. Ignatius and
Luther side by side, and the contrast
taught its own lesson, with no need of
comment.

About that time I ( ' experienced reli-
gion," to use the Baptist phrase, and
after a probation was baptized and be-

841

S42

A CONVERSION.

(266)

came a member of the local Baptist body.
With all the morbid emotion of a Protest-
ant revival, there is much sincere and
earnest feeling (certainly it was so in my
case); but my strongest memory of that
period is of the utter loneliness I felt
after becoming a church-member. Every-
thing seemed to depend on our feelings;
there was nothing outside ourselves to
hold to for help or guidance. If we "felt
right, " we were good Christians ; if we
were not happy, we were looked upon as
weak in the faith, or possible backsliders.
I dared not confess it to any one, but
there seemed to be a great barrier be-
tween heaven and our sinful selves which
no faith or prayer could surmount; and
I finally was convinced that religious
people were either hypocrites or were
the victims of a delusion.

Shortly after this my father began to
make a study of the Tractarian move-
ment, and he gave me a life of Keble to
read (on account of the fine English
style), and with it several short essays
on the Oxford revival. There was a
strong attraction about the lives of these
men, especially in the account of Cardi-
nal Newman, and this I read and re-read,
until my father became disturbed. He
gave me a set of essays, written from the
extreme Low Church point of view, as
an antidote to any lurking Ritualistic
tendencies : but if the arguments of these
writers proved anything, they proved
too much. It was all very well to sneer
at the miracles of the saints as impossi-
ble ; on the same ground we should be
obliged to clip and pare away faith in
everything beyond the reach of our
senses.

And now came a revelation for which
these early experiences had been a train-
ing school.

It was early in Lent, and some one in
the family proposed that we should go
over to the Catholic church, "for the
fun of it, to see what it is like. " So we
went one evening to the small, unpre-
tending building on a back street, a re-
sort of the common people whom our

Lord loved, and who, as they did eigh-
teen hundred years ago, still hear Him
gladly. The earnest devotion of the
kneeling crowd impressed us. The ser-
vice was simple — recitation of the Ros-
ary, followed by an instruction and Ben-
ediction— yet much of it was strange
and perplexing ; but through the cloud
that my ignorance raised before me
pierced a glimpse of divine truth. Was
there one Church, coming down in
unbroken succession from the worship-
pers in the Catacombs ? Had the light
of faith shone through the ages with no
eclipse? It seemed as if the broken
and scattered fragments of history and
human life suddenly ranged themselves
in harmonious order as parts of a great
whole.

We attended several of these evening
services, and I ransacked our library
shelves for some book on the Catholic
Church, but in vain. For lack of some-
thing better, I took the Low Church
essays that my father had recommended,
and by carefully sifting the arguments
against the Catholic doctrines, managed
to get some conception of the doctrines
themselves ; but this was uphill work,
and I finally took courage, and went to
the parish priest and asked him to lend
me some books.

Father T lent me some simple

controversial works, and was most kind.
He encouraged me to read and study
about the Church, but he fancied me
younger than I really was, and told me
that I was not old enough to decide so
important a matter. My shyness pre-
vented me from confiding to him any of
the thoughts and experiences that had
troubled me for several years, and doubt-
less he supposed the whole thing was
the freak of an impulsive, impressionable
child.

My father, who had been away from
the city, now returned, and when he
learned that we had been attending the
Lenten services at St. Mary's he was
exceedingly annoyed, and forbade our
going again ; and he discouraged my

, 267^

A CONVERSION.

843

^ wading any more Tractarian literature.
ts for my excursions into Challoner and
'arry's Instructions, I was not brave
( nough to confess them.

On thinking over the matter it was

] lain that Father T was right — I

was too young to take so important a
<tep ; my studies must claim all my
time, and there would be no chance to
learn more on this subject, even if my
lather were willing— and that he would
never be. So I put my religious doubts
and difficulties on one side, as something
to be settled later.

While away at college, and after I
returned home, the works of Catholic
writers were out of my reach. We had
moved to another state, and I was far
away from the priest who had been so
kind. For several years I drifted, feel-
ing sure that some time I should be a
Catholic, but sure also that if God really
wished me to embrace the faith He
would open some way and would send
me more enlightenment. This fatalistic
notion kept me passive.

The Episcopalian view of Church unity
now began to be much discussed. The
Branch Theory promised great things ;
the simple beauty of the Anglican serv-
ice was soothing and satisfying, in
contrast with Protestant eccentricities ;
and as my religious reading had been
chiefly drawn from Anglican writers, it
was not hard, after the first struggle
and irresolution, to decide to become an
Episcopalian. But I was determined
not to be fickle ; I would abide by the
choice I now made. It had always
seemed to me an abject, if not a dis-
honorable, thing to use the Episcopal
Communion as a stepping-stone to the
Catholic faith ; and I made a vow that
I would never think of Catholic doctrines
or try to investigate them further. My
father was wonderfully tolerant of my
change of views, and only made it a
condition of his consent that I should
attend the nearest Episcopal church,
which he believed to be a happy' mean,

both in doctrine and ritual. Soon after
this I was confirmed.

It quickly dawned upon me that
' ' Episcopalian ' ' was an elastic term.
The Gothic roof of Grace Church shel-
tered a multitude of opinions. Some of
us leaned towards the broad freedom of
our neighbors, the Unitarians ; others
believed in a strict observance of feasts
and fasts, and went to early services.
But the spirit underlying it all was shal-
low and trivial, and our worship was, in
literal fact, an empty form — empty, be-
cause the great truth which the form
symbolized was ignored. We adopted
this or that practice because it was ' ' so
devotional ;" we discarded the other be-
cause it was " too extreme. " Our little
parish was a theological happy family,
and parish and diocese gave abundant
illustrations of the variations of An-
glicanism.

I became very unhappy, and, in spite
of my vow, I longed to meet some one
who could tell me more of the true faith.
The opportunity came. A young girl,
a pupil of mine, gave me a prayer-book,
and told me where I could get a list of
standard books of a popular kind on
Catholic doctrine. I obtained a number
of these books and studied them care-
fully, praying all the while for light.

It would seem as if God leads each
soul to Himself by a different path.
With some it is a special doctrine that
appeals to them or a devotion that
touches their hearts ; others are attracted
by the beauty of worship in the Catholic
Church. The question that had troubled
me from the time that I could reason,
was the lack of Christian unity. At
first it was a historical unity that I in-
stinctively demanded. It was incredible
that our Lord should have promised His
spirit to the disciples, and then left them
without guidance, to fall into confusion
and error. And such darkness of error !
— the long interval from the end of the
first century to the so-called Reforma-
tion illumined only faintly by wander-

844

A CONVERSION.

(2Q8)

ing lights here and there. Afterwards, it
was visible unity under one head, a
teaching authority, that I sought. My
prayers were now answered, and I saw
clearly what before had been but half re-
vealed. I knew that the Catholic Church
was the one, holy, apostolic Church,
the pillar and ground of the truth, keep-
ing the faith committed to her by our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

And did I leave all and follow Him ?
It is my keenest sorrow that I hesitated
and faltered. A storm of trial and suf-
fering had come upon my family, and it
seemed cruel to think of myself at this
crisis ; and for a year or two it was im-
possible to act.

My associations were now with agnos-
tics, and unconsciously I was swayed by
their views. I hid my talent in the
ground, fancying I could keep it until
time of need ; and meanwhile this ques-
tion, which had risen before me as the
one thing that gave life its meaning,
sank by degrees into the background.

Out of this dream God waked me —
not by the shock of a great sorrow, or
the rending of the nearest and dearest
ties ; not in the fire or in the whirlwind,
but in the still, small voice came the
divine call. It was a sudden, terrifying
consciousness that life was slipping
away, a warning that

" Time ends, eternity begins,
And thou art judged forevermore. "

The knowledge was burned into my
mind that God was all, that there was
no rest for the soul but in Him. It was
not the fear of punishment or of for-
feited happiness, except that the loss of
God was the loss of the only happiness.
How could I find Him, where could I
find Him, save by the way He had ap-
appointed — the Church? I resolved to
be a Catholic now.

But my powers of believing seemed
paraljzed, and, despite my will, ques-
tions and objections confronted me. I
learned what it meant to fight with
doubts. The higher faculties of my soul,
so long cramped and prisoned, could not
spread their wings. In the terror of
utter helplessness that seized me, I
longed for some one with an unwaver-
ing faith and a firm grasp on realities,
and I turned, as before, to a Catholic
priest.

The clergyman whom I consulted
showed the greatest patience in freeing
me from the labyrinth of pseudo-philoso-
phy in which I had gone astray, but it
was slow work to retrace the steps of
these long wanderings. Through this
time of trial help came, often from most
unexpected sources. A book taken up by
chance, a few words of an instruction
and a series of sermons preached during
that Lent cleared away some of my
worst perplexities. No words could ex-
express my gratitude to the new friends
who showed such unwearied kindness.
To their efforts and prayers I owe, in
great measure, the gift of the true
faith. And over all was God's loving-
providence. For some time past I had
attended, in a purposeless sort of way, a
Catholic church. May it not be that the
Holy Sacrifice had worked this miracle
of grace upon my inert soul ?

And so, at last, I came home. With
all the joy there was mingled an under-
tone of sorrow and deep repentance at
the thought of wasted years and wasted
efforts, and of the unspoiled, exultant
gladness of my first credo, which could
never return. But the joy and thankful-
ness were deeper than the regrets, for
God loved me, His weak and erring
child. He had to come to meet me whet*
I was yet a great way off, and now in
my Father's house I was at peace.

CIVITAS DEI.

By Francis W. Grey.

Pilgrim of earth, who art journeying, journeying on through the desert,

Long hast thou travelled, and far, since first, in life's innocent morning,

Heedless of toil and of pain, but eager to follow the Master,

Forth thou didst set on the way that leads to the City celestial.

Rugged the pathway hath been, and many a storm hath beset thee,

Many a tear hast thou shed, and heavy the cross thou hast carried ;

Many a fall hast thou known, and many the stains on thy raiment ;

Many a friend thou hast loved, who journeyed beside thee, hath left thee —

Passed through the Valley of Silence and entered the gates of the City ;

Pierced are thy feet with the thorns, yet shrink not to tread them, O pilgrim !

Pierced were His feet Whom thou lovest ; and all of His saints, who have

trodden
Slowly, with toil, in His footprints, have felt them, the thorns that have hurt

thee.

Many a tear hath He shed, the Master thou servest, and heavy,
Heavier far than thine own, the Cross that He bore, to redeem thee ;
Fell He not thrice 'neath its weight ? The storms that beset thee, beset Him ;
Lonely was He in the way that leads to the City Celestial.
Be not discouraged ; the noon is passed, and the lengthening shadows
Tell of the close of the day, and soon shall thy journey be ended ;
Soon shalt thou pass through the mists and gloom of the Valley of Silence,
Pass through the River of Death, and enter the gates of the City.
Look ! Dost thou see them ? The lamps that lighten the heavenly City —
Vision of peace and of rest, the home of the Master thou lovest —
Shine through the mists of the valley, more bright than the stars of the zenith.
Hark ! Dost thou hear them ? The songs of angels and saints in the City
Sound o'er the rushing of waters that border the Valley of Silence.
Art thou afraid of the darkness ? The lamps of the City shine clearly —
Lift but thine eyes, thou shalt see them, more fair than the rays of the dawning.
Fear'st thou the noise of the waters ? The songs of the City celestial
Ring, through the roar of the river ; the dear ones thou lovest are singing ;
Singing to welcome thee home. O way-weary pilgrim, press onward ;
Soon shall the journey be done, and thou, who hast followed the Master,
Shared in His toil and His Cross, shall share in His glory forever.

(269) 845

EDITORIAL.

THE IRISH PASTORAL ON MORALITY AND
POLITICS.

N a letter to the clergy of the Arch-
diocese of Dublin, in reference to the
pastoral instruction of the Archbishops
and Bishops of Ireland upon the au-
thority of the Church in regard to poli-
tical affairs, Archbishop Walsh writes:

It states, with the accuracy and pre-
cision of a theological treatise, the posi-
tion of the Church, as the divinely ap-
pointed guardian of faith and morals,
in public affairs, and — to use the expres-
sive words of the Holy Father — "in the
business of life. ' '

With political matters, in so far as
they are merely political, the Church
and the pastors of the Church, as such,
have nothing to do, just in the same
way as the Church and the pastors of
the Church have nothing to do with the
operations of industry and commerce.
But, in the one case as in the other, it
is the right and the duty of the Church
and of her pastors to point out to the
faithful, when occasion demands it, the
restraints imposed upon the aims and
actions of men by the unchangeable
moral law of God.

However profitable a commercial
transaction may be, nevertheless, if it
be conducted on lines at variance with
those of justice or of any other Christian
virtue, it is a sinful transaction, and
the pastors of the Church are charged
with the duty of pointing out its sinful-
ness when the need of doing so arises.
So, too, in political affairs. No matter
how clearly a given line of action may
conduce to the temporal welfare and
prosperity, whether of individuals or of
a people, or to the advancement of a
political cause, worthy, in itself, of all
encouragement and praise, that line of
action becomes unlawful in the light of
Christian morality if it be in conflict

846

with any principle of morals. For
whether in politics or in commerce, or
in any other sphere of human action in
all the "business of life, "it is impos-
sible, without utterly overturning the
boundaries of good and evil, to give a
moment's toleration to the anti-Catholic
and anti-Christian doctrine that the
" end " can ever "justify the means.""

As is evident, this statement is of
great value for us in America, where
complex questions are continually aris-
ing and where the teaching of the Catho-
lic Church in regard to them is often
gravely misunderstood. As the pastoral
asserts, there are public men in Ireland
who make formal claim to ' ' absolute
freedom of thought and action in politi-
cal matters, and assert that civil and
religious liberty," as they phrase it,
"involves complete freedom from all
moral control in their publication and
political conduct. They utterly re-
pudiate all clerical interference in such
matters, and deny that they are amen-
able in respect of their political action
either to the moral censure of their own
pastors, or even of the Pope himself."
Their conduct, says the pastoral, is in
keeping with their opinions. It then
shows that these opinions are erroneous
and in clear opposition to the teaching
of the Catholic Church and to the observ-
ance of Christian morality.

"As our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII.,
has declared in his Encyclical ' Immor-
tale Dei, ' ' the true mistress of virtue and
guardian of morals is the Church of
Christ, ' 'to exclude her influence from the
business of life, from legislation, from the
teaching of youth, from domestic society,

(270)

271)

EDITORIAL.

847

s a great and pernicious error. ' ' Real
reedom, ' he adds, ' is exercised in the
mrsuit of what is true and just — absolute
reedom of thought and action, untram-
nelled by the laws of morality, is not
iberty but license. '

"There are, no doubt, many purely
>olitical matters about which the wisest
md best men may disagree, and in which
;he pastors of the Church, as such, have
10 desire to intervene, nor to restrain
freedom of thought and action, except
when the means and methods employed
are such as cannot be deemed conform-
able to the principles of Christian moral-
ity. Questions, for instance, about the
best form of local or national govern-
ment, the extension of the franchise, the
operation of commercial and industrial
laws, belong to this class. But there are
many other questions — mixed questions
as they are called in Canon law — which
have a moral and religious, as well as
a political or temporal aspect, and in
some of which the religious or moral
question at issue is the predominant one.
Such, in the past, were the Emancipation
question and the Disestablishment of
the Protestant Church, and such, at the
present time, are the Education question,
Poor Law legislation, and many kindred
subjects. To say that the clergy have no
right to intervene in such questions,
where oftentimes the highest interests of
religion are at stake; that they ought
not to point out to their flocks the line
of conscientious duty, and call upon them
to follow it ; that they cannot, and ought
not. to advise them in such political
matters to choose as their leaders men of
high character and sound principles, is,
indeed, a great and pernicious error, in-
volving a manifest denial of the teaching
authority of the Church.

" The commission which the Apostles
received from Christ Himself, and which
their successors inherit, was to teach
the nations — politicians as well as pri-
vate persons— all the truth of the Chris-
tian revelation — dogmatic truth and
moral truth — and to condemn everything
which, judged by that £ode, is untrue,
immoral, or unjust. All this the Bish-
ops are authorized to do, and this they
mean to do when the spiritual interests
of their flocks require it, whether there
be question of public or of private conduct,
of the rulers, the politicians, or the
people. The opposite principle is utterly
subversive of Catholic truth, and would
be fatal to Christian morality."
These weighty words are well worthy

of consideration on both sides of the At-
lantic, as the questions that occupy men 's
attention are in the main the same.

A SAMPLE OF FRENCH LIBERTY.

We can hardly be surprised at any
action of the existing French Gov-
ernment concerning religion, but we
cannot help being indignant at an
event which occurred recently in Paris.
French Catholics have always shown
great devotion to the feast of Corpus
Christi, beautifully called by them the
F£te-Dieu. On that day, or on the Sun-
day within the octave, splendid pro-
cessions used to take place in the public
streets of cities and villages. Legisla-
tion has forbidden this and, in fact,
any outward manifestation of religious
worship in the street. The reason as-
signed by the legislators was public
order, which might be violated by pro-
cessions. Therefore, all processions
should have been prohibited. Not so ;
they confined the enforcement of the
law to those of a religious character,
and have made themselves ridiculous by
the arrest of unoffending clerics. The
manifest injustice was clearly shown in
Paris on the day of the solemnization of
the Fete-Dieu. Permission for proces-
sion was asked by the clergy and posi-
tively refused. Yet the very same
authorities permitted an abominable
procession called the Vachalcade, and de-
tailed a body of mounted police to clear
the way for it. With representations of
the vilest kind the maskers dared to
associate St. Genevieve and Jeanne
d'Arc, and in the last chariot was a
drunken man dressed as a bishop in full
pontificals pretending to bless the peo-
ple. It is not enough, it would seem, to
injure the Catholics, by depriving them
of their rights, but they must submit
to be publicly insulted, without means of
redress. However, their spirit appears
to be aroused, and there is a general
movement among all classes to assert
their rights by the election of men
worthy to represent a Catholic nation.

S48

EDITORIAL.

(272)

AN ATTEMPTED PRIMACY. ^

One of the measures proposed at the
recent Pan-Anglican Conference at Lam-
beth was to constitute the Archbishop of
Canterbury the Primate of the Anglican
Communion. This, of course, required
the approval of all the British Colonial
representatives, as well as that of the
Protestant Episcopalian Bishops of the
United States. This proposition, how-
ever, was altogether opposed by these
American and Colonial dignitaries. They
were wise enough to see that it was far
better for them to be, as they are now,
independent, than to put a yoke of their
own making upon their necks. What was
the Archbishop's claim to such jurisdic-
tion does not appear. It certainly does
not rest upon any divine right. Yet the
mere fact of such a proposition shows the
realization of a want, at least, on the
part of its proposers. How different is
the Catholic position, which acknowl-
edges the supremacy of the Bishop of
Rome, because, being the successor of
Peter, he is the Vicar of Christ, holding
a universal jurisdiction over the whole
flock. He is the Supreme Pastor, not
because all the flock, clergy and laity,
agree to accept him as such, but they all
accept him as such because Christ Him-
self committed the flock to his keeping.
At all events, the members of the Lam-
beth Conference had no authority, as
they themselves realized, even if they
had had the will, to appoint the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury their primate ; nor
would any such action have been rati-
fied by Protestant Episcopalians on this
side of the water.

A CHRISTIAN THEATRE SUGGESTED.

We lately noticed the production on
the Paris stage, during Holy Week, of
plays with the most sacred subjects for
motives. A writer in the Etudes de-
nounces them in most unmeasured terms
as "hideous parodies," and states that
even free-thinking papers and reviews
found fault energetically with these scan-
dalous productions. He even quotes one,
the Revue Bleue, in which M. J. du Til-

let characterizes these theatrical enter-
prises as ' ' obstinately travestying the
Gospel. ' ' It would seem that there does
not exist in the French capital a single
theatre where morality is not put to
shame and vice glorified. Evidently the
taste of theatre-goers is vitiated. How
is it to be purified and elevated ? A
Christian theatre is suggested and even
is in act of formation. But how can it
hope to draw people who revel in the im-
proper, and for whom vice is romantic
and interesting ? They might go once
out of curiosity, but doubtless would be
bored and would not repeat the dose.
The difficulties of the undertaking seem
hard to overcome. First, the perfectly
proper plays must be written, and they
must of course be interesting ; next, the
actors and actresses must be of irreproach-
able character, and remain so. Then the
audience is to be found, but where ? Some-
one suggested that "it would be com-
posed of respectable people who never go
to the theatre. " Better let such people
stay at home, contented with it as before.
No ! such a theatre appears impractic-
able, but what is perfectly practicable is
that Catholics should show their disap-
proval by not patronizing theatres where
anything against faith or morals is
played. And if by chance either word or
action causes them to blush, they should
give sign of their disgust either by hiss-
ing, or, better still, by getting up and
leaving during an act. This will make
an impression upon others and arouse in
them, perhaps, a sense of the fitness of
things.

A STRANGE BUT TRUE ADMISSION.

The Anglicans look upon the organi-
zation of the Catholic Church with en-
vious eyes, but, as the editor of the
leading English ritualistic organ con-
fesses : " It is to be feared that there
are not yet signs of a sufficiently general
acceptance of the principles upon which
our Lord instituted the sacred hierarchy
of the Church to make it safe to hasten
the development of ecclesiastical organi-
zation, whether diocesan, provincial, or

(273)

EDITORIAL.

84-9

of a wider character. ' ' This is rather a
startling admission. What! After nearly
nineteen centuries of Catholicity and
thirteen hundred years of it in England,
and over three hundred years of the
Established Church, "there are not yet
signs of a sufficiently general acceptance
of the principles (mark well it is a ques-
tion of principles) upon which our Lord
(not the State) instituted the sacred
hierarchy." Those who make and be-
lieve such an admission had better trans-
fer their allegiance to that Church where
Christ's principles in all matters are
generally, i.e., universally, accepted.

THE COLLEGE FOR CATHOLIC WOMEN.

Catholic young women who are seek-
ing education in special branches will
rejoice that they need no longer go to
sectarian or secular schools for this pur-
pose. The twofold influence of profes-
sors with infidel tendencies, or, at best,
with vague religious beliefs, and of
associates with all sorts of views in
matters of faith, to say nothing of text-
books with open or covert attacks on
religion — all these together, or any one

of them simply, constitute a serious
danger for the young Catholic woman.
Yet she does not want to lag behind
in the race for knowledge and be out-
stripped by her sisters more favored
than herself in means to this end. To
give her equal facilities, and without
danger to her faith withal, a college will
shortly be opened in Washington, near
the Catholic University, for her higher
education. Trinity College, as it is to
be called, will be under the direction
of the Sisters of Notre Dame, whose
mother-house is at Namur in Belgium.
Their capability for the task is evidenced
by the colleges which they conduct at
Oxford, Edinburgh and Lovain. Many
of the professors of the Catholic Univer-
sity have signified their willingness to
preside over special courses. This new
college is not to be a rival of existing
academies, but is intended exclusively
for post-graduate work; and it is on this
supposition that Cardinal Gibbons en-
dorses it. The only thing, however, to
insure it is to insist upon a genuine
post-graduate examination. This will
be done. We therefore wish it godspeed.

I/eo XIII. has recognized the great
services to religion done by Mr. James
Britten, Secretary of the Catholic Truth
Society, by making him a Knight of St.
Gregory the Great. Mr. Britten 's activity
is exhaustless in the spread of Catholic
literature in England.

By the recent death of Father Van
Tricht, S.J., the Belgian Province of
the Society of Jesus has lost one of its
most distinguished members. His fame
was earned chiefly as the giver of confer-
ences on science, literature, history, and
religion, in which he treated these sub-
jects with remarkable skill and aptness
of illustration. Sixty of these confer-
ences have been published, and hold a
high rank in Belgian literature. The
Spanish Messenger has published several
of them. He was also a very successful
preacher. He died at the age of fifty-
five.

The Kaiser, William II.. lately visited
the celebrated Benedictine abbey at Maria
Laach, founded ten centuries ago by the
Benedictines. Its name is known to the
public by the excellent review Stimmen
aus Maria Laach, conducted by the Ger-
man Jesuits, who occupied the abbey
from 1862 to 1872. The Emperor was
much pleased and remarked to the
Abbot : "In all the great centres of
culture that I have visited I have invari-
ably found traces of the Benedictine Or-
der." He promised to pay for a new
high altar as a token of his apprecia-
tion. The Sons of St. Benedict resumed
possession of their ancient abbey in
1892.

The medal commemorative of the
twentieth year of the pontificate of Leo
XIII., struck every year for the feast of
St. Peter, and representing one of the
chief acts of the Holy Father, will recall
this year the founding of the grand
seminary at Anagni, where there will be
courses in philosophy and theology un-
der the direction of Fathers of the So-

850

ciety of Jesus. Accordingly, the medal
bears on one side the likeness of the
Pope and the date, and on the reverse a
representation of the building with the
inscription : Doctrinis optimis in clero
provehendis, and, Collegium Leonianum
Anagnice.

The Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin,
who recently visited Rome, says that
he was amazed and astonished at the
strength of the language made use of by
the Holy Father when speaking of the
Irish people, past and present. With
wonderful vivacity he discoursed upon
the virtues of Irish Catholics, upon their
trials and persecutions in the past, and
of the unflinching loyalty with which
they have always clung to the See of
Peter, with which they have always held
fast to the Christian faith, and handed
it down from sire to son, even in the
midst of the most terrible crises recorded
in the history of the world. In conclud-
ing, the Holy Father said of the Irish
people, ' ' Nunquam defecerunt ' ' — " they
have never failed in loyalty to the Holy
See, " and he added, with prophetic con-
viction : " Nunquam deficient" — " they
never shall fail. "

The great Italian composer Giuseppe
Verdi is reported to have said lately to
his physician : ' ' For my part I am con-
vinced that for the person who has the
habit of assisting at Holy Mass the very-
sight of a priest is in itself a potent
medicine." One day, when passing
through the hospital which he founded,
his friend Boito, who is near-sighted, and
who accompanied him, failed to remove
his hat in presence of the Blessed Sacra-
ment in the chapel which they had en-
tered. Verdi said decidedly: "Boito,
take off your hat. Do you not see that
the Most Holy One is here ? "

Queen Adelaide, a German princess,
widow of Dom Miguel I. of Portugal,
made her religious profession in the
Benedictine Abbey of Solesmes. She

(274)

(275)

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

851

was born in 1831, and married when
twenty years old. She has seven chil-
dren : a son, the Duke of Braganza, and
six daughters, married into the sovereign
families of Europe. Two of her nieces
had preceded her into this convent.

Nuces, in the diocese of Rodez, France,
possesses a model choir-school. A score
of little boys and girls from eight to ten
years of age, directed by a little organist
eight years old, sing Mass every morn-
ing with an ease and smoothness rarely
found. A five minutes' rehearsal every
day after catechism is enough to produce
this result.

The crowd of worshippera was immense,
and three thousand men accompanied
the Blessed Sacrament.

On the last day of June Cardinal
Vaughan opened the new quarters, at
1 6 Wellclose square, London, Bngland,
provided for the Catholic seamen in the
port of London, by the committee of
which the Count de Torre Diaz is the
president and the indefatigable Mr.
Raikes is the secretary. The Cardinal
Spoke highly of the success that had at-
tended their efforts, and said that he had
lately, when in Italy, laid the . matter
before the Archbishops of Naples and
Genoa, and the Patriarch of Venice, who
had expressed their willingness and de-
sire to promote the movement for the
protection and comfort of seamen fre-
quenting those ports. He also adverted
to the neglect of Catholic seamen in the
Royal Navy, and advocated having Cath-
olic chaplains at stations where squad-
rons called. An appeal from Barcelona
showed the need of some provision for
English-speaking seamen in Spanish
ports.

According to the desire of Cardinal
Richard, there was a solemn novena of
supplication and expiation at Montmar-
tre after the Feast of the Sacred Heart.
There were special services at night for
men. On Sunday, June 27, there was an
imposing manifestation of piety organ-
ized by the professors and students of
the Catholic Institute. The rector, Mgr.
Pechenard, read the act of consecration.
The same day the members of the Frater-
nity Union of Trades and Manufacturers
made their annual pilgrimage, and filled
the central nave. The attendance of
men every evening was large.

On the Feast of the Sacred Heart in
Toulouse there was a solemn procession
in the enclosure of the new cathedral.

A monument has been set up in the
house where Fratel Cherubino, the well-
known Christian Brother, taught the
youth of Rome for more than fifty years.
The inscription is as follows : —

In questa casa

Fortunate de Virvent

nell ' istituto del Beato de la Salle

Fratel Cherubino
oltre cinquant' anni

fu maestro fu padre dei figli del popolo

nel XXIX. Marzo MDCCCXCVII.

ascese alia gloria degli eletti.

ad esempio e memoria
gli antichi alunni riconoscenti

In this house

Fortunate de Virvent

in the institute of Blessed de la Salle

Brother Cherubin

for over fifty years

was the teacher and the father of the

children of the people

on March XXIX, MDCCCXCVII.

he went up to the glory of the elect.

The old pupils in recognition
for an example and a memorial.
It has been placed on the very spot in
order to perpetuate the memory of the
good Brother in a local way. This school-
house is in the Esquiline quarter. The
uncovering of the slab was the occasion
of a joyful celebration.

The Archbishop of Finland, the
Envoy from the Russian Church to the
Diamond Jubilee, has been treated to
two ritualistic exhibitions in London.
At one the service was High Evensong.
The minister was vested in a cope and
at the Magnificat incensed the altar.
The choir and clergy also went proces-
sionally to the two side altars, which
were incensed, as was also the Arch-
bishop. The other service was a high
celebration of Holy Communion, which
was described to the Archbishop as the
children's Mass. He told the children
through his interpreter, Mr. Birkbeck,
that they had a similar custom in his
country. Alas ! His Grace was com-
pletely duped. This is a sample of
Anglican ingenuousness and good faith.
We wonder what he thought of the high
function at St. Paul's at which he oc-

852

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS

(276)

cupied the Lord Mayor's stall and
attracted much attention by his dress
and crozier.

The work of the reconversion of Wales
is progressing, and a fresh impulse is
being given to it by the establishment of
St. Teilo's Branch of the Guild of Our
Lady of Ransom. Help is coming to the
Welsh in the near future from their
kinsmen in Brittany, who have pre-
served the ancient faith. It is the inten-
tion of the Prior of the Benedictine Mon-
astery of Kerbeneat to send missionaries
to assist in the Catholicizing of Wales,
and with this view the study of the
Welsh language is being taken by an
increasing number of the secular and
regular clergy and of the laity in Brit-
tany. They have even founded a Breton
Branch of the Guild of Our Lady of
Ransom, affiliated to the St. Teilo's
Branch.

The July number of the Annals of the
Tabernacle Society of Philadelphia makes
this statement of the four months' work
from November, 1896, to April, 1897.
In the April exhibition were 130 full sets
of vestments, 8 copes, 32 surplices, 44
albs, 30 cinctures, 151 stoles, 13 humeral
veils, 4 tabernacle veils, 2 portable mis-
sionary outfits, nearly 1,000 pieces of
altar linen, and numberless other requi-
sites for divine worship.

The display of sacred vessels was un-
usually imposing, including 19 hand-
some large chalices, 19 ciboriums, and
one fine ostensorium. These were all
individual donations, offered in thanks-
giving as memorials, or for special in-
tentions. Lastly, a beautiful statue of
the Sacred Heart was the gift of one who
earnestly desired to propagate that great
devotion. All these articles are pre-
sented to poor churches unable to pro-
vide for the becoming performance of
divine service.

The celebration of the thirteenth cen-
tenary of St. Columba was on a grand
and impressive scale. It included a
High Mass, Benediction and a Te Deum
on the mountain slope, where the saint
was born. But what was most im-
pressive was the religious fervor, or,
better, enthusiasm of the multitudes
assisting at it. The common form of
salutation was Dia agus, Muir agus,
Colum agat, "God and Mary and Co-
lumba be with you." Cardinal Logue

celebrated Mass at Letterkenny. Then
the procession started for Gartan, where
the saint was born, December 7, 521.
A detour was made so as to take in
Templedouglas, where he was baptized.
After the ceremonies at Gartan, Kilma-
crennan was visited, for there he was
educated before he went to the schools
of Clonard and Glasnevin.

While the scenes of the earlier life of
the saint in Ireland were being honored
by a concourse of his countrymen, lona,
where he passed the later and last years,
was visited by Scottish pilgrims, who
claim St. Columba as their apostle. Of
the hierarchy there were present the
Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edin-
burgh, the Bishops of Argyll ar,d the
Isles, of Aberdeen, and Dunkeld. The
clergy and religious orders were well
represented, and of the laity the most
notable were the humble people, who
attended from the Western Isles. The
Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, in
whose diocese lona lies, celebrated Pon-
tifical High Mass. The Archbishop of
Edinburgh was the preacher in Eng-
lish at Mass, and Father Campbell, S.J.,
of Glasgow, preached in Gaelic at the
conclusion of the ceremonies. Strange
as it may seem, lona, a week before,
was visited by members of a pilgrimage
under the direction of the Protestant
High Church party. May St. Columba
open their eyes to the truth !

The Holy Father has been pleased to
confer the degree of Doctor of Divinity
upon the Rev. Luke Rivington, the dis-
tinguished convert. The distinction is
not an honorary one, but earned, accord-
ing to the judgment of Leo XIII., by
the controversial works in defence of the
Church, entitled Authority; Dependence;
Dust; The Primitive Church and the See
of Peter; Anglican Fallacies; Our Sepa-
rated Brethren; Rome and England, and
numerous magazine articles.

Mr. John Knill, son of Sir Stuart
Knill, once Lord Mayor of London, has
been elected unanimously Alderman of
the ward of Bridge Within, in the City
of London, in the place of his father,
who has accepted the sinecure alder-
mancy of Bridge Without, two wards
adjoining. It is probably a unique oc-
currence for a father and son to be
Aldermen of London at the same time.
They are both practical Catholics.

THE MESSENGER, among other Catho-

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DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

853

lie publications, published last month a
statement which it has since found not
to have been warranted by facts, to the
effect that His Eminence, the Cardinal
Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of
Bishops and Regulars, has approved in
the Pope's name " the union of the four
distinct families of the Franciscan Order,
viz., the Conventual Franciscans, the
Franciscans of the Observance, those of
the Strict Observance, or Reformed, and
the Capuchins. ' ' The mistake arose from
a misapprehension of the facts in the
case, and the Rev. Father Albert, O.S.F.,
of Butler, N. J., has kindly pointed out
our error in the following comprehensive
statement :

' * The fact of the matter is : there has
not been any endeavor whatever to bring
under one head or General, the three dis-
tinct orders, viz., the Brown Francis-
cans or Fratres Minor es de Observantia,
the Black Franciscans or Fratres Mi-
nores Conventuales , and the Capuchins or
Fratres Minorum Capucinorum These
three are distinct Orders, each having
its own General in Rome. The Brown
Franciscans, or O. S. F., profess the
original rule of St. Francis ; the Con-
ventuals, O. M. C., or Black Fran-
ciscans, profess the original rule, with
mitigations regarding poverty, privi-

leges granted to them by several Popes ;
the Capuchins profess the original rule,
like the Brown Franciscans, and differ
only from that by non-essentials, viz.,
form of capuce or cowl, wearing beard.
Now there has been no question of bring-
ing these three distinct Orders under one
General. But the Brown Franciscans or
Fratres Minores de Observantia, the O. S.
F., were again subdivided into several
so-called Franciscan families, viz., Ob-
servantes, Reformat i, Alcantarini, and
Recollecti. All these professed the orig-
inal rule of St. Francis and were under
one General, but had, besides the rule,
their own peculiar constitutions, differ-
ing more or less in shape and form of
the habit, each family having its own
Procurator-General in Rome. Now, what
the Holy Father proposes to do is : to
abolish the different names or families
and Procurators, and to call them all,
these four families, by one name — Fra-
tres Minores de Observantia. It is said
that the Papal Bull will appear October
4th, 1897. It would indeed be a desirable
thing to get the three distinct Orders —
the Observantes, the Conventuals and the
Capucini — into one Order, simply calling
it OrdoFratrum Minorum, asthefounder
called it ; but that will remain a pious
wish yet for some time. ' '

[DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

The I,eague

in Summer.

The work of the League
does not cease in the sum-
mer season. Promoters'
meetings may be suspended in July and
August, and the public devotions may
not be so well attended at other times ;
but the majority of our Directors and
Promoters are as active now as ever;
at least, we have quite as many letters
to answer, as many Intention and Treas-
ury lists to put together, and this year
we have been kept busy either establish-
ing or helping to reorganize the League,
even on the hottest Sundays. Indeed,
many Directors take advantage of their
vacations to attend more carefully to the
League, and to prepare for the Councils
and services of the coming year.

The September meetings

of Peters "ft?" S™
some trouble to Directors.
In some places a number of Promoters
may fail to attend ; in others, a number
may apply to take up the office ; some
will forget to bring in their reports ;
others will have a variety of matters

needing attention — Associates ' names to
register, transfers of Associates from one
band to another, questions to ask and dif-
ficulties to solve — in order to satisfy the
new members they may have enrolled
during vacation. It is not to be ex-
pected that Directors should attempt to
look after all this ; on the contrary, it is
opposed to the very spirit of the League
for Directors to do anything they can
have Promoters or Associates do. Hence
it is advisable to organize the September
Councils or Promoters' meetings, so that
they may be able to attend to all that
needs attention at the opening of the
year, and thus leave the Director free to
direct the entire work, whether of As-
sociates or Promoters.

Although it is not usual

Organizing the tQ ^^ officerg
Promoters. promoters of

Centres, it is useful, and in most Centres
necessary, to have some who will dis-
charge many duties similar to those that
would fall to officers in other Associa-
tions. Thus every Centre should have a

854

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(278)

well-trained Promoter to receive and in-
struct candidates for the Promoter's of-
fice, Every Centre should also have one
secretary to collect and keep track of the
Promoters ' Reports, and another to col-
lect and attend to the Intention and
Treasury blanks. Another special charge
for some Promoter would be to procure
the proper amount and kind of League
supplies, to see that they be properly
distributed and used, and to act the part
of the Treasurer in meeting the bills for
them. Finally, some one should have
charge of the register for the names of
Associates, with the additional duty of
assigning them to bands, and of provid-
ing Promoters for bands, or for members
who have lost their Promoters. It should
not be very difficult to select the Promot-
ers who are most capable of looking after
these various duties, nor is an election
always advisable, especially as the
Promoters usually have so much confi-

dence in the judgment of their Direc-
tors.

some cautions. . Nooneof any authority
in the League has ever
approved of a certain celluloid button
issued by a Newark firm in imitation of
our League Badge. Not long ago the
agent responsible for the circulation of
this spurious badge promised to stop cir-
culating it, and we understood that it was
to be entirely suppressed. The impor-
tant thing for Directors to notice is that
the Indulgences attached to the League
Badge are not gainable by wearing this
celluloid button.

A second caution, and an important
one, is against agents who pretend to
have our authorization to collect money
for subscriptions to the MESSENGER.
Our authorized agents carry with them
the signature of the Central Director over
the seal of this office.

To PROMOTERS.

If you have not been attending the
meetings faithfully, begin to do so this
month. You will find it easier to do so
now than next month or the month
after.

If you have been forgetting or neglect-
ing to hand in your reports at these
meetings, bring one with you this time,
so that the year's record of work may be
complete, so far as you are concerned.

Come to the meeting with a desire to
do something for the glory of God, a de-
termination to spread the spirit of prayer,
devotion to the Heart of Jesus, and to
make ample reparation for lost time.

The spirit of prayer you can promote
by getting associates to hand in their
Intentions, either by dropping them into
the Intention box, or by marking them

on the Intention blanks specially pre-
pared for that purpose.

Devotion to the Heart of Jesus you can
easily promote by learning something
about it and practising it yourselves, by
praying that your associates may do the
same, and by urging them to do so.
For this purpose, induce them to come
as often as possible to the First Friday
or other public League services.

Do not forget the Treasury blanks.
Offer up your own good works and show
your associates how to do the same.
Prayers, works and sufferings, the bur-
den of your Morning Offering, all count
in the Treasury, all add to the powerful
prayers of the League, all edify and
move to confidence every one who rec-
ommends an Intention to these prayers.

THE APOSTLESHIP AT HOME AND ABROAD.

PHILADELPHIA, PA., Cathedral Centre.
— A typographical error in the MESSEN-
GER for August credits this Centre with
the reception of 19 Promoters in June.
It should have been 119. Similarly, the
122 Promoters credited to St. Peter's
Church should have been 22.

CINCINNATI, O., St. Patrick's Centre.
— The Apostleship has not lowered its
standard. It has been of great help in
maintaining the efficiency of the schools.
It takes a good pupil to win a decoration.

ST. Louis, Mo. — The Feast of the Sa-

cred Heart was observed at the Visitation
Convent at Cabanne, with all the cere-
mony and devotion which characterizes
the feast. Early in the morning the Sis-
ters of the Visitation Convent began to
assemble about the shrine of the Sacred
Heart, where the relics of Blessed Mar-
garet Mary are reposing, for meditation
and prayer. At six o'clock a special
Mass was celebrated for the Sisters by
Fr. Burroughs of the Jesuit College.
The Sisters all communicated, and spent
an hour upon their knees in prayer at
the shrine. Later devout Catholics from

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DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

855

all over the city arrived on their annual
pilgrimage to worship at the shrine. All
day long little groups of worshippers as-
sembled and offered up their prayers and
kissed the casket containing the relics of
the founder of the feast they were ob-
serving. During the day several thou-
sand people visited the shrine.

NEWARK, N. J., St. Joseph's Centre. —
The twenty-six new Promoters credited
in the MESSENGER of August to St.
John 's should have been credited to this
Centre.

ETTRICK, Wis., St. Bridget's Centre.
—The Sacred Heart continues the good
work of drawing souls to the spring
of grace. One old man and two young
men, absent from the Sacraments for
nineteen, eleven and eight years, respec-
tively, made their Easter duty.

THE CE.NTRE OF ST. MARY'S OP THE
ANNUNCIATION, CAMBRIDGEPORT, MASS.
— The names of 70 Promoters are en-
rolled, 43 of whom have enrolled 746
persons as associate members, making a
total membership of 823. Of these 408
practise the 2d Degree, and 360 the Com-
munion of Reparation. Leaflets distrib-
uted, 1,125.

MANHATTAN COLLEGE, NEW YORK
CITY. — We had the consolation of seeing
our students approaching the Holy Com-
munion in a body on the feast of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus — a consolation
which we have also every First Friday of
the month. I had the pleasure, likewise,
a few days ago of distributing to them
the leaflets of the Act of Consecration of
Families to the Sacred Heart.

THE PRESENTATION CONVENT, WEST'S
HILL, DUBUQUE, IOWA. — The Sacred
Heart has gained a victory. A year ago
we sent our first name to Rev. Father
Dowling, S.J., the Holy Family Church,
Chicago. Now we are to have our own
Promoters. All we could get of the chil-
dren of the school, numbering nearly
200, was four bands. Now I want sup-
plies for eight more, just our own school
children, and, the sweet Sacred Heart
willing, we may soon have their par-
ents, too.

THE SISTERS OF PROVIDENCE, HAM-
MOND, IND. — Our children and good peo-
ple are obtaining great favors through
the prayers of the Apostleship and have
implicit confidence that the intentions,
recommended through the box will be
granted. The League is doing its work
slowly, but surely, in most remarkable
conversions, thanks to the Sacred Heart.

SACRED HEART CONVENT, ST. CHARLES
AVENUE, NEW ORLEANS, LA.— About
forty pupils have worked most zealously
for the League during this year's scho-
lastic term.

ST. MARY'S SEMINARY, PERRYVILLE,
Mo. — Our parish extends over such a
considerable territory that, thus far, it
has been difficult to get the Intentions
gathered in time. Thanks be to God, the
League is doing much good in the
parish. We have our usual meeting of
Promoters once a month, and the general
meeting of all the Associates once a
month, on the first Sunday. It is truly
gratifying to find at this meeting, which
takes place immediately after Vespers,
many from distances of five, six and
seven miles.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN'S CHURCH, f,osT
CREEK, PA.— To-day, the feast of the
Sacred Heart, was a gala day for the
members of the League in this parish.
It marked the close of a nine-days'
novena, which had been started under
the direction of the pastor and spiritual
Director of the League, Rev. P. F. Dag-
get. Mass before the Most Blessed Sac-
rament exposed was said at 8 o'clock,
the church being thronged to the doors.
Upwards of 300 approached the holy
table, and were refreshed with the Bread
of Life. The altars were tastefully dec-
orated, the altar of the Sacred Heart
being a bower of roses, lighted with
myriads of candles. Several hundred
Intentions had been taken from the box,
and placed on the altar during Mass,
at the close of which benediction of the
Most Blessed Sacrament was given and a
solemn Te Deum sung in thanksgiving
for all the favors, both temporal and
spiritual, received during the one-year's
existence of the League in this parish ;
out of about i, 600, the number of souls
in this parish, we have enrolled in the
various degrees of the Apostleship of
Prayer nearly every adult in the parish,
or upward of 900, the great majority
being enrolled in the 3d Degree, or
Communion of Reparation. Our pastor
is untiring in his efforts to have every
soul in the parish become a member of
the Apostleship of Prayer.

CATHEDRAL CENTRE, CHARLESTON,
SOUTH CAROLINA. — We had exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament all day on
June 25. It was a happy day for our
Centre, as many received communion,
and the entire congregation seemed
impressed by the solemn services. The

856

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(280)

League has done much good here, as a
greater number of people now receive
Holy Communion frequently.

The Roman Messenger for June is
jubilant over the honor shown our Lord
in the Blessed Sacrament, when, during
the Easter time, He was taken to the
houses of the sick of the parish of San
Carlo in Catinari. The splendid baldac-
chino was borne by noblemen in full
dress, surrounded by clerics and nobles
bearing lighted torches. The procession
was formed of the Barnabite Fathers and
the members of the Oratory of the Sacred
Heart directed by these Fathers. After
them came little boys clothed in white,
and scattering flowers before the Blessed
Sacrament, which was carried by the
Roman Local Director of the Apostle-
ship of Prater. Promoters and Asso-
ciates of the League followed, carrying
candles and reciting the Rosary. The
line of march was through the chief
streets of the parish, and everywhere
great respect was shown, all uncovering
their heads and very many kneeling.
On the return to the church young mem-
bers of the Roman nobility rendered
some exquisite music, and the celebrated
silver trumpets, usually reserved for
Papal celebrations, sounded a welcome.
It was truly a triumph for the Sacred
Heart.

The Irish Messenger manifests great
interest in the work for seamen. In a
recent number it recommends the
custom which has obtained in some
fishing villages in Ireland, to ask, at the
commencement of the fishing season,
the priest to go and bless the boats, nets
and the crew, before setting out on their
perilous work. Above all they are ex-
horted to prepare themselves against the
dangers of the sea by a good confession
and Communion. The Kinsale fisher-
men, who are very devout to the Sacred
Heart, are accustomed to fasten to some
safe part of their boats the Badge, as
also to wear it themselves.

OBITUARY.

Mary Donohue, St. Rose's Centre, Mil-
waukee, Wis.; Mrs. Rose Farrell and
John Malone, St. Mary's Centre, Nor-
walk, Conn.; Mrs. Timothy Collins,
St. Anne's Centre, Bentley Creek, Pa.;
Miss Elizabeth Grill, St. John the Bap-
tist's Centre, Manayunk, Pa.; Mrs. Mary
McSticker, St. Francis de Sales' Centre,
Brooklyn, N. Y.; Mrs. Maria Jones Hay,
Dubuque, Iowa; Rev. F. X. Cuppens,
St. Theresa's Centre, New Orleans, La.

Very Rev. Father Jacquet, Galveston
Tex.; Rev. Joseph Northman, St. Mary's
Cathedral Centre, Portland, Ore.; Miss
Julia and Mr. John O'Dea, the' Gesu
Centre, Philadelphia, Pa., Miss Katie
Condron, St. Edward's Centre, Philadel-
phia, Pa. ; Mr. John Carey, Mrs. Carey,
Mrs. Ellen Murphy and Miss Katie
Gearin, St. Vincent's Centre, South
Boston, Mass.; Miss Margaret Collins,
St. Ann's Centre, Bentley Creek, Pa.;
Teresa C. Pierce, Bohemia, Ind./Miss
M. C. Jenkins, Los Angeles, Cal.

Mother Mary of the Nativity Williams
who died May 15, in Portland, Oregon,
in her fifty-first year, had spent thirty-
three years in religion, and for the past
seven years acted as Mother Superior of
the Seattle House of the Good Shepherd,
of which she was the foundress. Her
loss is deeply deplored, not only by the
Order of which she was an ornament,
but by hosts of people, East and West',
to whom she had endeared herself by a
life of kindness and holiness.

Reverend Joseph Northman, who died
at St. Mary's Cathedral, Portland,
Oregon, May 18, had been connected
for nine years with the Cathedral. On
Sunday, May 16, the reverend deceased
celebrated one of the early Masses
at the Cathedral, and in the afternoon
of the same day presided at a reunion of
St. Mary's Altar Society. Though ail-
ing, no apprehensions of his serious
state were entertained, hence the uni-
versal outburst of grief with which the
intelligence of his death was received on
the morning of the eighteenth. His last
moments were worthy of an apostle of
the Sacred Heart. This devotion was the
panoply with which he would have all
souls girded to lead them near to the
centre of all grace; it seemed to be the
end of his every exhortation in the con-
fessional. In him was realized our di-
vine Lord's promise to Blessed Margaret
Mary: "The talent to touch hearts."
Gifted as a pulpit orator of rare excel-
lence, he was eloquent and forcibly per-
suasive, but in the tribunal of penance
he appealed with the tenderness of a
father to the erring, through the love of
the Sacred Heart. He was a native of
St. Louis, Mo., and at the time of his
death was in the fortieth year of his
age ; seventeen of those years had been
given to the priestly office. In life he
held sway over a legion of Catholic
hearts ; in death a prayerful, sorrowful
throng tendered him assurance of that
affection that lives beyond the tomb.

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

TOTAL NUMBER OF THANKSGIVINGS FOR LAST MONTH, 363,578.
"In all things give thanks." (I. Thes., v, 18).

Special Thanksgiving. — " Heart fe It
thanks are returned for the recovery of
a sister, whose complaint necessitated an
operation and the attendance of a skil-
ful nurse to help the doctors.

"In an almost miraculous manner the
very nurse prayed for, but already in
an engagement, was allowed spare time
to be at the operation, and dressing of
the wound each morning for weeks.

"Fearing one night that the patient
would become exhausted through Suf-
fering, I asked the Sacred Heart to let
me bear some of it for her, but in some
way that did not interfere with my duties
as nurse. My prayer was granted al-
most immediately, and in a very pecu-
liar way."

' ' Twelve years ago a member of our
young women 's Sodality suddenly turned
her back on the Church, by entering into
marriage with a Lutheran before a
Lutheran minister. As time passed by
six children were born to her, all of
whom, the last excepted, she consented
to have baptized by a Lutheran minister.
Her father and two sisters, devout
members of the Church, tried in vain
to induce her to return to her duty.
By the advice of their pastor they made
her case a matter of urgency in their
devotion to the Sacred Heart, after the
establishment of the League in this
parish.

" As time passed on and no seeming
favorable result followed their prayers,
and when all were filled with disappoint-
ment and almost with despair, it occurred
to the woman 's unmarried sister, an offi-
cer in the Sodality, to petition St. Aloy-
sius to obtain from the Merciful Heart
of Jesus that, as this woman seemed deaf
to all appeals, her children might be
brought up Catholics and that the hus-
band, though a Lutheran, should be
moved to offer to bring the children for
reception into the Church.

' ' This petition, against all probabilities
to the contrary, obtained a speedy favor-
able answer. A very short time after
the husband consented, without hesita-
tion, to have the children received into
the Church, and, at considerable incon-
(281)

venience to himself, as they live twelve
miles from the church, he brought his
six children, three at a time.

"Shortly afterwards the mother ex-
pressed a desire of being reconciled to the
Church, a dispensation from the reserved
excommunication was obtained for her,
and she has had the happiness of once
more receiving Our Lord in Holy Com-
munion. "

' ' I wish to return thanks for cures
through using a relic of Blessed Margaret
Mary, also to tell you of the grace im-
parted by the Badge of the Sacred Heart.
A woman allowed me to pin one on her
breast, and although she had not been
to confession for ten years, she promised
to go, and I had the joy of kneeling be-
side her at the communion rail on the
feast of Corpus Christi. She is married
to a bad man and has had much trouble,
but she has gone each day since to Mass,
a thing she did not do for years. An-
other young Protestant girl allowed me
to pin a Badge on her yesterday and
promised to say the offering. I have
a promise from another bad Catholic
woman that she will go to confession.
She has not gone in fifteen years, as she
is married to an atheist, has a lovely
family of children, but never even hears
God's name mentioned."

' ' I wish to offer thanks to the Sacred
Heart, the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph
for the conversion of two of our friends.
They were Catholics, but neither the
husband nor the wife had ever made
their first Communion, and were per-
fectly ignorant of their religion, so had
very little faith. We sent Intentions for
their conversion every month, and finally
got them to join the League and wear a
Badge. Not long after, the wife made
her first Communion, and the husband
is preparing now to make his. "

" My little girl was to make her first
Communion at a convent one hundred
and eighty-five miles from home. As it
seemed impossible for me, to my great
regret, to be present, I promised the
Sacred Heart to attend several Masses
for the holy souls and to practise morti-
fication, if He would grant me the hap-

857

858

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

(282)

piness of assisting at my first child's
first Communion. Everything was fa-
vorable and I was enabled to be pres-
ent."

"A neighbor of ours, suffering from
chronic heart disease, was safely con-
fined, though the doctors had despaired
of her life. A few days later she had a
terrible attack of heart disease, and the
doctor said it would be a miracle if she
recovered. I gave her my Promoter's
Cross to wear over her heart. The next
morning the doctor was astonished to
see how much better she was. But a few
days after she again took very sick with
rheumatism of the lungs and suffered
untold agony. We placed the cross over
the pain and she slept that night for the
first time in four nights. She continues
to get better. ' '

Spiritual Favors. — "We had solemn
high Mass in this village last Sun-
day, for the first time in years, and
a committee was appointed to take in
charge the erection of a church here —
all in answer to the prayers of the
League. A year ago there was little
hope of ever having a church here ; ' '
return to religious duty of a friend who
had been remiss for twenty years ; re-
turn of a young man after an absence of
five years ; also of a father and of two
young men after an absence of several
years ; two conversions to the faith ;
return of a man and wife, who had neg-
lected their religious duties for twelve
years and who seemed obstinate in error ;
a man who had not approached the Sacra-
ments in twenty-five years, became very
devout before his death, in answer to
our earnest prayers ; conversion of a
young man from a life of intemperance ;
baptism of a child of seven months in
danger of death, after a bigoted father
had done his best to have the priest kept
away ; return to their religious duties of
a brother and a sister-in-law after an
absence of eight years.

Temporal Favors. — A brother restored
to health ; a lost deed recovered ; work
obtained for two young men, after a no-
vena of monthly communions ; unex-
pected relief of financial embarrassment
and honorable settlement of business
difficulties ; cure of a dangerous wound
from which blood poisoning was feared ;
preservation from fire ; recovery of a
person from a serious operation ; recon-
ciliation of a long-estranged member of
a family; cure of a serious illness after
promise of publication ; cure from insan-

ity through the intercession of Our Lady
and St. Joseph ; cure of a mother who
had several serious attacks, the last
being an apparently fatal swelling of the
limbs and stomach ; cure of a sister seri-
ously ill ; cure of a woman who had
been sick ten years ; appointment to a
desirable position after a novena to the
Sacred Heart and promise of publication;
recovery, after promise of publication and
High Mass of thanksgiving, of a child
whose life had been despaired of; restora-
tion to health of a young man who had
been insane for three years : numerous
Masses were said for him, and the League
prayed constantly for him ; restoration
of a lost child to its parents ; miraculous
escape in a serious accident ; the complete
cure of a child who had almost lost the
use of one eye, a novena of Nine First
Fridays for the Souls in Purgatory hav-
ing been begun ; removal of a long-
standing scandal ; recovery of two chil-
dren from diphtheria and preservation of
their friends from the disease ; cure of a
very nervous, irritable and rebellious
child, who after many prayers has he-
come quite amiable ; cure of deafness in
both ears caused by a rupture of the
tympanum through an abcess : the
water of Lourdes was used and a novena
to the Sacred Heart made, with promise
of publication, and hearing was restored,
contrary to the doctors' opinions; cure
of a bad swelling in the knee after prom-
ise of a Mass and Novena of the Blue
Scapular for the Holy Souls ; the almost
miraculous recovery of a young lady
after many Masses and novenas were of-
fered for her : a Mass of thanksgiving
and publication were promised ; the find-
ing of a lost sister and the reunion of a
family whose members have been scat-
tered since the Civil War : this inten-
tion has long been recommended to the
prayers of the League ; reconciliation of
two friends long estranged ; the cure of
threatened consumption after a Mass and
promise of publication ; recovery of a
little girl from lung trouble, after a no-
vena and promise of publication : though
the doctors had given her up, an imme-
diate improvement was noticed, the lung
that was affected being now in a per-
fectly healthy condition ; also recovery
of two children from scarlet fever and
kidney disease ; employment obtained
for a brother after novenas by two sisters
and mother in honor of the Sacred Heart,
the Precious Blood, the Blessed Virgin
and St. Joseph ; cure of a father from '<
very serious brain trouble, causing com-

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

283)

lete collapse of mental powers ; many
« olds cured ; many successful examina-
• ions ; tenants obtained for rooms and a

LOUSC long vacant ; a lawsuit obviated,
Another won after promise of publica-

ion ; a third lawsuit won unexpectedly

fter promise of a Mass for the holy
souls in honor of St. Anthony; other

awsuits settled satisfactorily ; recovery
of a lady from virulent typhoid fever,
after applying the medal of the Holy
Child of Prague ; restoration to health,
;ifter a no vena of First Fridays to the
Sacred Heart and saying the Thirty
Days ' Prayer to Our Lady ; recovery of
young nephew, who had been given up
by the doctor, after a Mass was offered,
a novena made and publication prom-
ised ; restoration of domestic peace ; fi-
nancial help received from unexpected
sources ; recovery of a woman threat-
ened with insanity ; employment ob-
tained for many people ; complete
recovery, after promise of publication, of
a sister who had been despaired of by
the doctors ; many cases of rheumatism
cured ; threatened diphtheria averted
and child cured ; the successful sale of
property ; a Protestant examining board
decided a much coveted prize in favor of
a Catholic competing against fifty Prot-
estants ; a bookkeeper, having lost his
position in a bank through financial
stress, sought employment in vain until
a Sister of Mercy suggested a novena to
the Sacred Heart, the miraculous Infant
of Prague and St. Anthony, wyhen he
was immediately appointed teller at an
advanced salary in another bank ; many
positions retained under adverse circum-
stances ; the permanent cure of heart
trouble where medical skill had failed,
publication having been promised ; cure
of a broken arm in a twelve-year-old
child, who, the doctors said, would be
a cripple, after novena to St. Francis
Xavier, Our Lady of Good Counsel, and
promise of publication.

859

Favors through the Badge and Pro-
moter's Cross. — "Our little boy had a
very disagreeable sickness : as long as
he took medicine he was relieved, only to
relapse when his medicine was stopped.
After promise of publication, I put a
a Badge on him and stopped the medi-
cine. He has never had the least sign
of his sickness since ; ' ' cure of a servant
girl suffering from severe cold : she had
tried medicine in vain and was ap-
parently going into consumption, when
she put on the Badge and experienced
instant relief; cure of sore eyes after
applying the Badge ; a boy subject to
violent attacks of vomiting, the result of
being hurt in the stomach two years ago,
was cured after applicationof the Badge ;
cure of a brother suffering from violent
chills, the Promoter's Cross having been
applied ; cure ^through Promoter's Cross
of a serious illness ; cure, by applying
the Badge, of grievous pain ; cure of a
sore arm, ulcerated tooth, neuralgic
toothache, inflammation of the knee and
serious illness after application of the
Badge ; cure of inflammation of the eyes
and face by applying the Promoter's
Cross ; a sick horse, undergoing an
operation, had an artery in the neck ac-
cidentally severed, and the veterinarian
was unable to staunch the wound : I
applied my Badge and promise dpublica-
tion, and the hemorrhage ceased at once ;
a religious cured of acute rheumatic
pains by applying the Badge and prom-
ising publication ; also cure of a serious
wound ; also cure of violent pain and
stiffness in the back, Mass and prayers
for the souls in Purgatory having been
promised ; cure, by wearing the Pro-
moter's Cross, of a young woman who
had been ill for fourteen weeks.

Spiritual and temporal favors obtained
through the intercession of our Lady,
St. Joseph, St. Benedict, St. Antony,
St. Vincent de Paul, St. Teresa, Blessed
Margaret Mary and the suffering souls.

OUR Catholic newspapers gave long
and interesting accounts of the
Commencement and Prize days in
our colleges, academies, convents and
parochial schools. At one of the com-
mencements His Excellency the Presi-
dent presided, and at all of them
eminent prelates, devoted priests, civil
officials and distinguished laics attended
in numbers. It would be hard to over-
estimate this manifestation of interest
in Catholic education of every grade. It
is all the more remarkable, since those
who are really devoted to the work of
educating our youth, employ their time so
laboriously in the task confided to them,
that they have little time or opportunity
to recommend their work, whilst those
who do least to help the cause of Catho-
lic education very often spend their
time in hindering the efforts of its pro-
moters.

The college catalogues, also, are doing
their share to make known the fine
opportunities offered by our numerous
colleges and other institutions for an
education, which is always free of error,
and of worse, and which in most cases
is as advanced as any of our secular col-
leges or universities, so called, can offer.
It is singular how some people can affect
to consider these catalogues as represent-
ing what should be rather than what is.
If they trust them at all, it is still more
singular how they can devote so much
time to pointing out the defects of our
Catholic colleges and schools, when
they are manifestly unacquainted with
the system and thoroughness aimed at by
Catholic educators generally. No doubt,
the writers have had little or no experi-
ence of the Catholic class-room.

So much is said against the Catholic
newspapers, and so little in their praise,
that it gives a Catholic editor great
pleasure when he can pay his fellow
editors a compliment which no thought-
ful reader will deny them. We doubt if
it be possible to do more than what our
Catholic editors have been doing since

860

the late Commencement season to recom-
mend sound Catholic education to their
readers. Besides their careful reports
of the closing exercises of our educa-
tional institutions, many of them have
had excellent editorials on the value of
the education given in Catholic schools
of every grade. The Standard and Times,
of Philadelphia, in its issue for July 23,
had such an editorial, and most, if not
all, of it would read well in the pros-
pectus sent out by some of our colleges
at this time.

Another compliment well deserved by
our Catholic editors at present is the
good sense they show in ignoring the
efforts made from time to time in certain
quarters to provoke and spread a quarrel,
which can only do harm, particularly
when there is no reason for it, whatever
be its motive. Evidently our Holy
Father's repeated exhortations to Catho-
lic editors have had their effect, and his
late regulations for periodicals that are
really Catholic have been accepted by
their editors with a loyal obedience that
deserves all praise. This right spirit of
our editors cannot fail to bring down
blessings upon them, their journals and
their readers, and we trust and pray the
blessings may come speedily and plenti-
fully and last with them always.

The Catholic Book Exchange has sent
us a parcel of the catalogues of the
English Catholic Truth Society publica-
tions, and we shall be glad to send a
copy to any of our readers. These publi-
cations cannot be recommended too
often or too highly, and their price puts
them within reach of all. We have been
noticing them very favorably from month
to month, and our readers will be glad to
know that the Catholic Book Exchange,
under the Paulist Fathers, 120 West
Sixtieth street, is now an agency for
them. Our book notices keep multiply-
ing. Those who are constantly seeking
lists of books would do well to look for
Catholic books in our notices, which tell
in a few short sentences the subject, and

(284)

:85)

BOOK NOTICES

861

t ie merit of the latest books by Catholic
] ablishers. Those who wish to know
A -hat the magazines and reviews are
^ siting about will do well to look at the
i \osary and Ave Maria from month to
i lonth, though neither of them has
{ 9 yet mentioned an article in the

Edinburgh Review for July, on ' ' Pros-
perity and Politics in Italy," which
Catholics should read, to have what they
know so well from Catholic sources
about the maladministration of the pres-
ent Italian Government, confirmed by an
authority of this character.

BOOK NOTICES,

An Heir of Dreams. By Sallie Marga-
ret O'Malley. New York: Benziger
Brothers. 1897. i6mo. Pages 168. Cloth,
50 cents.

A well told story of how a country
dolt became a useful and successful mem-
ber of society, chiefly through the en-
couragement of the village priest.

Vocations Explained. — New York :
Benziger Brothers. Pages 70. Price
10 cents.

This is a very handy abridgment of
"Questions on Vocations," by a Vin-
centian Father. It treats in catecheti-
cal form the important subjects of matri-
mony, virginity, the religious state, and
the priesthood. It has the approbation
of Cardinals Satolli and Gibbons, and of
Archbishop Corrigan. It is a useful
book, not only for those who are study-
ing their vocation, but also for those
who may have the power to favor or dis-
favor a choice.

A Famous Convent School. By Marion
J. Bruno we. New York : The Meany
Company. 1897. i2vo. Pages 153.

This is a most daintily gotten up
book, a credit alike to the great Acad-
emy of Mount St. Vincent-on-the-Hud-
son, whose golden jubilee volume it is ;
to the authoress, an alumna of this
famous school of the Sisters of Charity,
and to the publishers. Ten fine photo-
gravures enhance its attractiveness.

Lectures on Literature. By Richard
Malcolm Johnston. Akron, Ohio : D. H.
McBride & Co., 1897. Pages 269. Price
50 cents.

This is a very instructive and readable
book. It treats the literature of Eng-
land, France, and Spain, and, though
Mr. Johnston handles the abundant
matter concisely, an excellent idea of
the master writers in these languages
can be gathered. The quotations are
well selected and are not too abundant.

The get-up of the book is very at-
tractive.

A Glimpse of Organic Life. By Will-
iam Seton, LL.D. New York : P.
O'Shea. 1897. Pages 135

Dr. Seton states in his preface that,
' ' beginning with the far-off past, he
traces briefly the development of organic
life through the ages." His object is,
besides giving a little pleasure and in-
struction, to enkindle a love for the neg-
lected study of Natural History. He
has cast his material into the form of a
dialogue. It is profusely illustrated.
We think that the book will fulfil the
desire of the author.

The Month of the Sacred Heart. By
Rev. F. X. McGowan, O.S.A. Philadel-
phia : John Joseph Me Vey. 1897. Pages
278. Price 50 cents.

This is a compilation from the writ-
ings of Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque,
translated and adapted by Father Mc-
Gowan. Lovers of the Sacred Heart
will be glad to have in so handy a form
choice selections from the writings of
her whom our Lord Himself selected
as the apostle of this great devotion.

Devotion to St. Anthony of Padua. By
Rev. J. B. Manley. New York. Chris-
tian Press Association. Second revised
edition. Pages 205. Price, paper, 25
cents ; cloth, 40 cents.

This little pamphlet has a twofold
aim : to make known the glory of the
popular saint of the universe, and to
show how to practise devotion in his
honor, pleasing to God and profitable to
man.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

Le Triomphe de Notre-Dame deEomay.
-By Rev. J. Zelle, S.J.

This is a little brochure in French
made up of articles from the Messager.
It gives the history of the famous
statue of Our Lady and of its recent cor-
onation. It is illustrated.

862

BOOK NOTICES.

(286)

Roma e Canterbury. By Rev. S. M.
Brandi, S.J.

This is the third edition of Father
Brandi 's reply to the answer of the An-
glican Archbishops. Some hitherto un-
edited documents have been added.

De Prohibitione et Censura Librorum
— Brevis IMssertutio. By Rev. Arthur
Vermeersch, S.J. Tournai : Descle"e,
Lefebre & Co.

This is a Latin dissertation by Father
Vermeersch, Professor of Moral Theology
and Canon Law in the University of
Louvain, on the recent constitution of
Leo XIII. " Officiorum ac Munerum. "

The Dream of Bonaparte. By Rev.
William Poland, S.J. St. Louis : B.
Herder. Pages 46.

This is a graphic account of that most
unholy and ambitious attempt of Na-
poleon to make the Pope his vassal.

The following penny publications of the
London Catholic Truth Society have
been received :

The Mission of St. Augustine. By Dom
Aidan Gasquet, D.D., O.S.B.

The Coining of St. Augustine. By Ven-
erable Bede. With an introduction by
the Rt. Rev. Abbot Snow, O.S.B.

The Alleged "Failures" of Infallibil-
ity. By Rev. Charles Coupe, S.J.

It treats the cases of Liberius, Hon-
orius and Galileo.

Church Music. A Pastoral Letter by
Rt. Rev. John Cuthbert Hedley, O.S.B.,
Bishop of Newport.

Sergeant Jones and His Talks about
Confession. By Rev. G. Bampfield.

The True Story of Barbara Ubryk. By
Rev. Sydney F. Smith, S.J.

This is a refutation of a calumny
against convents.

Why I became a Catholic ? By Horace
E. Chapman, M.A.

Conversion of Miss Trail, a Scotch
Presbyterian. Written by Herself.

The Catholic's Library of Tales. No. 26.

Innovations. By Joseph Carmichael.

A Living Picture. By Mrs. Wollaston
Whete.

Hail Mary. By Rev. Richard F. Clarke
S.J.

Meditations for a month on the An-
gelical Salutation,

The Landing of St. Au« ustlne. By Rev.
Sydney F. Smith, S.J.

Indifferentism. By the Rev. Charles
Coupe, S.J.

The Jesuits. By the Comtesse R. de
Courson. $d.

We need not say that, like all the pub-
lications of the Catholic Truth Society,
all of these are well worth reading and
distributing. We beg to remind our read-
ers that the Catholic Book Exchange,
1 60 West 6oth street, New York, is the
agency for these publications.

RECENT AGGREGATIONS AND PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

The following Local Centres have received Diplomas of Aggregation, July i to 31, 1897.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

•

Date.

Al ska (P. A.)
Al any
Ar zona (V. A.)

Kosorefifski, Alaska ....
Lansingburg. N. Y
Silver City, N. Mex
Lowell, Mass

Holy Cross
St. Augustine s
St. Vincent de Paul's . . .
St. Michael's

Mission
. Church

July 20
July i
July 2

Bu falo

Buffalo, N:JY

Depew, N. Y. . . '.
Perry, N. Y. ......

Transfiguration
Good Shepherd . . .
St. James'
St. Josephs' . .

Convent
. Church

July 22
July 10
July 10
July 20

Br. rlington
Chicago
Co. ambus

Bristol, Vt
Waukegan, 111
Delaware, O
Crown Point, Ind

St. Ambrose's
Immaculate Conception .
.St. Mary's . . ....
St. Mary's

: <

July 10
July 28
July 20
July 10

La Crosse
Manchester
Nt-w York
Oiegon City . . • • •
Scranton

Superior, Wis
Lancaster, N. H
Whiteport, N. Y
Gervais, Ore.
Scranton, Pa
Bonne Terre, Mo

St. Francis Xavier's . . .
All Saints'
St. Patrick's
St. Louis' •
St. Patrick's
St. Joseph's

July 10
July 18
July 20
July 10
July 10
July 20

New Madrid, Mo
W Fitchburg, Mass. . .

Immaculate Conception .
Sacred Heart

July 20
July 2

Trenton

Trenton, N. J

St. Joseph's

July 2

Aggregations, 22; churches, 20; mission, i ; convent, i.

Promoters' Diplomas and Crosses have been sent to the following Local Centres, July i to 31, 1897.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Number.

Baltimore

Belleville! '.'.'...'.
Boston

Brooklyn
Brownsville"

Mechanicsville (Leonard-
town), Md

Immaculate Conception . .

St. Joseph's
St Aloysius'

Church 2

4
7

Morganza iLeoiiardtown).
Md ...
Washington D. C
Carlyle 111

Immaculate Conception . .
Catholic Deaf Mute ....
St Joseph's

' i
. Mission i
. Church 2

Boston, Mass

' (South), Mass . . .
North Chelmsford, Mass. .
Brooklyn, N. Y

St. Margaret's ........
St John's . . .

i
i
5

ry 2
i
od Shepherd 3
. Church ii
4
15
Cathedral 2

Presentation B. V. M. .
St Michael's
Our Lady of the Holy Rosa
St. Patrick's
Home of the Sisters of the Gc
Holy Family
St. Vincent de Paul's . . . .
Immaculate Conception . .
St Peter's

Blanconia (Refugio), Tex. .
San Patricio, Tex
Buffalo, N. Y
Chicago, 111

Buffalo

Cincinnati

Waukegan, 111. . ...
Cincinnati, Ohio

St. Joseph's .

. Church 8

Dubuque
Grand Rapids ...
Harrisburg
Hartford
Kansas City, Kans. . .

Kansas City, Mo. . . .
Marquette
Milwaukee ....
Mobile
Monterey and LOS An-
geles
Nesqually . .
Newark

Peoria
Philadelphia

Pittsburgh .'.....
Providence ......

Richmond '. ! '. '. ".
Rochester. .

st. Joseph ...::::

St. Louis

Cedar Rapids, la
Saginaw, W. S. Mich
Bellefonte, Pa
Bridgeport, Conn
Hartford (Lyon Co.), Kans.
Leavenworth, Kans
Ottawa, " ....
Independence, Mo.
Escanaba, Mich
Milwaukee, Wis. . . .
Montgomery, Ala

. Academy 36
. Church 7

4 2
' I

2
I
I

" I
" 12

" 3

St. Andrew's
St John the Evangelist's .
Sacred Heart of Jesus . . .
St. Mary's . . . . . .
Immaculate Conception . .
Holy Angel Guardian . . .
St. Mary's

"The Gesu"
St. Peter's

Holy Cross

Vancouver, Wash. . .
Newark, N. J. ....
Credited to St. John's
Church, last month. . . .
Ottawa, 111
Philadelphia, Pa
(omitted last mo.)
" Pa

St James'

. Cathedral 14
. Church * 26

. Church 17

" IOO

St. Joseph's

Convent of Mercy
St. Francis Xavier's . .

St. Stephen's

. Church i

Allegheny, Pa
North Oakland, Pa
Fall River, Mass
Providence, R. I
Woonsocket. R. I
Richmond Va

" i

St Mary's

" 3

" 9

St. Peter's

. Cathedral i
. Church 5

Corning, N. Y

" i

3
i

Hannibal, Mo
St Charles Mo. . . .

Immaculate Conception . .
St. Charles'

San Francisco ...
Scranton
Springfield

Syracuse .'.'.'.
Trenton. . .

Oakland, Cal
1 Scranton. Pa
Adams, Mass
Holyoke, Mass
North Adams, Mass
Syracuse, N. Y
Camden (East), N. J. . . .

St. Patrick's
St Paul's

2
I

I
I

3
I

St! Th omas'
St. Jerome's .
St. Francis'

St. Joseph's Church

Total number of Receptions, 53.

Os7)

Number of Diplomas, 357.
863

CALENDAR OF INTENTIONS, SEPTEMBER, 1897.

THE MORNING OFFKRING.

O Jesus, through the immaculate heart of Mary, I offer Thee the prayers, works, and sufferings of this
day for all the intentions of Thy divine Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and in par-
ticular for Priests and Communities in Retreat, for the intentions of the Apostleship throughout the
world, and for these particular intentions recommended by the American Associates.

3
4

Th.
F.

St. Giles. Ab. (720.) — Twelve Brothers, MM.
(III. Cent.)
St. Stephen, K (Hungary, 1038.)— H H
First Friday.- BB. Ixida, S.J., and Comp.
MM. (1631.)— ist D., A.C.
St Rose of Viterbo, V. (O.S.F , 1252.)

Lowliness of heart.

Pray for rulers.
Sanctify daily work.

Watch over self.

363,578 thanksgivings.

88,482 in affliction.
89,564 sick, infirm.

109,795 dead Associates.

13th after PenteCOSt.— st. Lawrence Jus-
tinian, Bp (Venice, 1455.)

Confidence in God.

48,428 League Centres.

7
8

M.
T.

W.
Th.

St. Onesiphorus, M., Disciple of the Apos-
tles.
BB. Thomas Tzugi, S.J., and Comp. MM.
(16,8.)
The Nativity B.V.M —St. Adrian, M. (306).
— A.I., A.C., S., B.M.
St. Peter Claver, SJ. (Ap. of Negroes, 1654)-
— H.H.
St. Nicholas of Tolentino (O.S.A., 1310).
BB. Charles Spinola, S.J., and Comp MM.
(1622).

Teachableness.
Kindliness.
Renewal of spirit.
Pray for colored race.

Avoid deliberate sin.
Dare to do right.

27,623 Directors.
51,461 Promoters.
263,380 departed.
234, 744 perseverance.

475.385 young persons.
125,827 First Communions.

14th after Pentecost.-Holy Name of Mary.

Honor Mary's name.

165,963 parents.

13
H
15

17
18

M.
T.
W.

Th.
F.
S.

St. Eulogius, Bp (608).
Exaltation of the Holy Cross (629).
Ember Dav.— St. Catharine of Genoa, W.
(O.S.F., J5».)
SS. Cornelius and Cyprian, Bpp. MM.

(252-25o).-H.H.

Ember Day. — Stigmata of St. Francis of
Assisi. >o
Ember Day.— St. Joseph of Cupertino
(Minorite, 1664). ^

Pray for the clergy
Way of the Cross.
Help the Holy Souls.

Zeal for the faith.
HonorChrist's wounds
Virtue of obedience.

198,024 families.
71,228 reconciliations.
156,104 work, means.

159,044 clergy.
244,882 religious.
95,932 seminarists, novices.

15th after Pentecost.-sevenDoiors B.V.M.

C.R., B.M.

Compassion.

90,317 vocations.

20
21
22
23

24
25

M.
T.
W.
Th.

F.
S.

SS. Eustace and Comp. MM. (118).
St. Matthew, Ap. (90).— A. I., B.M.
St. Thomas of Villanova, Bp. (O.S.A , 1555.)
St. Linus, P.M. (71). -St. Thecla, V.M. (90).
H.H.
Our Lady of Ransom (Mercy) — (1605).
St. Cleophas, Disciple of our Lord.

Generosity.
Contempt for riches.
Zeal for souls.
Devotion to Holy See.

Help the unfortunate.
Readiness to believe.

104,748 parishes.
115,819 schools.
62,933 superiors.
53,974 missions, retreats.

48,517 societies, works.
408,607 conversions, sinners.

16th after Pentecost.-ss. Cyprian and

Justina, MM. (304).

Christian fortitude.

165, 779 intemperate.

27
28
29
30

M.
T.

Th.

SS. Cosmas and Damian, MM. (286).
St. Wenceslas, M. (K., Bohemia, 938).
St. Michael, Archangel. — Pr.
St. Jerome, D. (420).

Pray for physicians.
Devotion to Holy Mass
Confidence in angels.
Study the Bible.

234,963 spiritual favors.
159,518 temporal favors.
413,167 special, various.
MESSENGER readers.

PLENARY INDULGENCES: Ap. — Apostleship. (Q.=Degrecs, Pr.=Promoters, C. R.=Communton of Repara-
tion, ~H..'H..=-Holy Hour); A. £.=Archconfraternity ; §.=Sodality ; B. M.=£ona Mors ; A. \.=Apostolic
Indulgence; K.. $.=Apostleship of Study ; S. S.=5/!. John Berchmans' Sanctuary Society; B. \.=Br"
Indulgence.

TREASURY OF GOOD WORKS.
Offerings for the Intentions recommended to the Sacred Heart.

100 days' Indulgence for every action offered for the Intentions of the League.

NO. TIMES.

1. Acts of Charity 309,849

2. Beads 562,798

3. Way of the Cross 90,300

4. Holy Communions 145,557

5. Spiritual Communions 399,34°

6. Examens of Conscience 253,211

7. Hours of Labor 855,028

8. Hours of Silence 277,287

9. Pious Reading 155,973

o. Masses read 10,241

NO. TIMBS.

Masses heard 265,403

Mortifications 205,349

Works of Mercy

14. Works of Zeal

15. Prayers

16. Kindly Conversation .

17. Sufferings, Afflictions .

1 8. Self -conquest

Visits to B. Sacrament .

1,366,238

558,951
4,979,268
106,223
163,229
153,294

440, e

Various Good Works 248,248

Special Thanksgivings, 3,301; Total, 10,548,048.
Intentions or Good Works put in the box, or given on lists to Promoters before their meeting, on or
before the last Sunday, are sent by Directors to be recommended in our Calendar, MESSENGER, in our
Masses here, at the. General Direction in Toulouse, and Lourdes.

864

(288)

THE WALKING ON THE WATERS, (Schwartz.)

THE MESSENGER

OF THK

SACKED HEART OF JESUS

,. XXXII.

OCTOBER, 1897.

No. 10

THE PARABLE OF THE LAKE.

By Rev. C. W. Barraud, S.J.

THE lake of Genesareth, the Sea of
Galilee ! what a crowd of blessed
memories these names bring back to our
minds !

The more important part of our Lord's
teaching was uttered on the shores of
this lake. The Sermon on the Mount,
the Sermon in the Plain, the promise of
the Blessed Eucharist were all given
here. Here the 5,000 and the 4,000 were
miraculously fed. Here our Saviour
chose His twelve Apostles. Here He
wrought many of His most astounding
miracles. Here Peter declared Him to
be the Son of God and received in return
his own sublime commission.

Yet not the shores only, the very
waters, of Genesareth have a history all
their own, as the scene of a great acted
allegory wherein the fortunes of God's
Church are not obscurely foreshadowed.

Simon Peter's fishing-boat moves be-
fore us over that fickle mountain lake,
through light and shadow, through calm
and tempest, and we recognize in the
lake itself a striking image of this dan-
gerous and deceitful world, and in Peter's
bark the one, Holy, Catholic and Apos-
tolic Church.

In this parable of the lake there are
four scenes :—

1. The first miraculous draught of
fishes ;

2. The stilling of the tempest ;

3. The walking on the waters ;

4. The second miraculous draught.
Let us dwell awhile on each of them,

pondering with reverence their possible
significance.

FIRST SCENE.

' ' And going into one of the ships that
was Simon's, He desired him to draw
back a little from the land. And sitting
He taught the multitudes out of the
ship. Now when he had ceased to
speak He said to Simon : launch out
into the deep and let down your nets for
a draught. " (Luke v).

' ' To draw back a little. ' ' For while
our blessed Saviour was on earth His
gospel was preached only in Judea. He
was sowing the seed ; His Apostles were
to reap the harvest, that both He that
sowed and he that reaped might rejoice
together. But the time was at hand,
after ' ' He had ceased to speak ' ' and had
gone back to heaven, when the Holy
Ghost should come down on these fisher-

867

868

THE PARABLE OF THE LAKE.

THE WALKING ON THE WATERS.

(Plockhorst.)

men of Galilee, filling them with heaven-
ly wisdom and strength from on high.
Then the word would go forth : ' ' Launch
out into the deep and let down your nets
for a draught."

It was not our Lord's design to con-
vert the whole world, nor even one small
country of the world by His own preach-
ing. This He would leave for His Apos-
tles ; acting therein as He always acts :
making the salvation of men depend
upon their fellow-men. "Fear not,"
He says to St. Peter ; ' ' from henceforth
thou shalt catch men. " All and each of
us, in our own generation and in our
own measure, He wishes to become
" fishers of men."

We recall the marvellous effects of St.
Peter's first sermon, and we can under-
stand how those converted, coming, as
they did, from every quarter of the great
Roman Empire, would carry back with
them the seeds of faith and prepare the
way for the apostles. The apostles fol-
lowed, and the first miraculous draught
was the conversion of the Roman world.

SECOND SCENE.

' ' And there arose a great storm of
wind, and the waves beat into the ship,
so that the ship was filled. And He was
in the hinder part of the ship, sleeping
upon a pillow. And they awake him
and say to Him : Master, doth it not
concern Thee that we perish ? And ris-
ing up He rebuked the wind, and said to
the sea : Peace, be still. And the wind
ceased, and there was made a great calm. ' '
(Mark iv.)

These various scenes of our parable
are of course, one and all, finding their
fulfilment every hour and in every age
of the Church , yet each of them seems
to have a specially suitable application
to some particular period. We may
apply this to the Middle Ages, when the
Christian world was torn with factions,
jealousies and family feuds. ' ' The waves
beat into the ship so that the ship was
filled ; ' ' and to many our divine Lord
might have seemed to be asleep. Yet
then it was He called forth St. Dominic
and St. Francis of Assisi. The Truce of
God was His own invention, and the
Third Order, winning rich and poor,
prince and peasant, to the practice of
poverty and humility, softening, elevat-
ing, sanctifying all hearts, leavening
the whole of society with the principles
of His gospel. The heroic Order for the
Redemption of Captives, the noble en-
thusiasm of the Crusades, Christian
Knighthood and the Military Orders, the
suppression of serfdom, the pilgrimages
to the four great shrines, the love of Jeru-
salem, the love of Rome, the love of
Mary — all had their origin in the burning
heart of Christ. "Peace, be still, "He

THE PARABLE OF THE LAKE.

869

said ; ' ' and there was made a great
calm." "I sleep, but my heart watch-
eth."

THIRD SCENE).

' ' But the boat in the midst of the sea
tossed with the waves ; for the wind
ras contrary. And in the fourth watch
>f the night He came to them walking
upon the sea. And they, seeing Him
walking upon the sea, were troubled,
saying: It is an apparition. And they

thing. ' ' But her children can ; and in
those days there were many and grievous
abuses. Yet our lyord, at the right
hand of His Father, and in the Blessed
Sacrament, was pleading with that
prayer which, beginning at Nazareth,
will end only when time shall be no
more. And lo ! in the fourth watch of
that dark night He comes to His storm-
tossed Church, walking upon the waters.
He seems, says St. Mark, as though He
would pass them by ; but no, He bids

THE FIRST MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES.

By Raphael, in the Vatican.

cried out for fear. And immediately them be of good heart, takes St. Peter by
Jesus spoke to them, saying : Be of good the hand, and enters the ship with him.

heart.

xiv).

It is I. Fear ye not. " (Matthew

Then the wind ceases, and the ship is at
once in port. He calls His Church to-

"The fourth watch of the night"- - gether in the great Council of Trent to
later on, therefore, in the Church's tern- reform abuses and to set controversy at
pestuous voyage. Was it the time of rest, by denning her doctrine on disputed
the great Protestant rebellion ? That points and so cutting the ground from

under the feet of her assailants. He
sends her at the same time an army of

was a sad, dark age, indeed. Revolt
without, corruption within. Not that

the Church can ever grow corrupt. She glorious saints ; for never, perhaps, was
is "without spot or wrinkle, or any such there an age so productive of sublime

870

THE PARABLE OF THE LAKE

THE SECOND MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT.

By Julius Schnorr.

holiness as this period of the so-called
Reformation.

Meanwhile St. Francis Xavier, St.
Peter Claver, St. Louis Bertrand, de
Nobili, Anchieta, and scores of other
heroic missionaries make their way to
India, China, Japan and the newly-dis-
covered countries beyond the Atlantic,
and gather in a vast harvest of souls
from lands where the Gospel had never
been preached before. ' ' Be of good
heart. It is I. Fear ye not. "

FOURTH SCENE.

' ' Simon Peter saith to them : I go
a-fishing. They say to him : We also
come with thee. And they went forth
and entered into the ship ; and that
night they caught nothing. But when
morning was come Jesus stood on the
shore ; yet the disciples knew not that
it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to

them : Children, have you any meat ?
They answered Him : No. He saith to
them : Cast the net on the right side of
the ship and you shall find. They cast,
therefore ; and now they were not able
to draw it for the multitude of fishes."
(John vi.)

There are two things here specially
worthy of notice. First, St. Peter's
prominence throughout. It is his boat
again, as ever. He says : "I go a-fish-
ing. " The others answer: "We come
with thee. " It is Peter alone who draws
up the net. These details are deeply
significant, especially to us in this nine-
teenth century, when the insults inflicted
on the Holy See give it a stronger claim
than ever on our loyalty.

Again, in the three earlier scenes pi
our parable Christ is either in the ship
or enters it ; in this last He is standing
on the shore. For now, as St. Gregory

THE PARABLE OF THE LAKE.

871

eminds us, our Lord is risen and is no
onger of this world. He stands on the
irm shore of eternity, while His apostles
ire still tossing on the shifting waters of
:his transitory life. This last scene on

with you all days, even to -the consum-
mation of the world. ' '

Now, surely, we should love the Lake
of Galilee, both for the sake of its blessed
lessons and for the sake of Him who

THE STILLING OF THE TEMPEST.

By Raymond Baize.

the lake, however, is meant to assure us taught them. And Holy Church, the

that, though He has entered into His bark of Peter, we should love her too for

glory and His well-earned rest, He never every reason ; for her glorious history,

forgets His Church. "Behold, I am and her saints ; for all she : has done for

872

A DEAD BEGGAR'S BEADS-

the world and for us ; above all, for the
sake of Him who made her and washed
her in the laver of His precious blood.
And while we bless God that by His
great mercy we are safe in the bark of
Peter, we should try in our measure to
become fishers of men.

May we not hope with some reason
that this second miraculous draught is
to be granted to Holy Church in these
latter days?

Pope Leo 's efforts for reunion in East
and West; his letter to the English,
urging all, no matter what their differ-
ences, no matter what vagaries private
judgment may have led them into, to
unite in prayer for a united Christen-
dom ; among ourselves, the Apostleship
of Prayer, counting its adherents by
millions — one and all seem to point in
the direction of a great revival.

Never was there an age when such a
cloud of intercession rose up to the
throne of God. Apostolic prayer is no
longer left to monks and nuns ; all are
eager to have part in it. And this
prayer must be heard. Our divine Sa-
viour has said : ' ' Wheresoever two or
three are gathered together in my name,

there am I in the midst of them." He
has promised that whatever we ask the
Father in His name shall be given to us.
How then can this prayer of united mil-
lions for all the dearest interests of His
own Sacred Heart go unheard ?

"Mercy," says the poet, "is twice
blessed. It blesseth him that gives and
him that takes. " But prayer for others
is one of the highest forms of mercy. It
goes forth in the blessings upon them,
only to return in tenfold blessings on
ourselves. We can do nothing better for
our own souls, nothing more effective to
secure their eternal salvation, than to
pray for the triumph of God's Church,
the spread of the true faith, the re-
cementing of our sadly fractured Chris-
tendom.

These are the dearest and deepest de-
sires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ; and,
if we help ever so little to their fulfil-
ment, may we not, when the wild waves
of death arise and beat over our own
frail vessel, reckon confidently on having
Him at our side Who walked on the
waters and stilled with His word the
winds and the waves ? And will He
not sav : " It is I ; be not afraid " ?

A DEAD BEGGAR'S BEADS.

By Joseph O'Halloran.

Lay the dear rosary upon her breast —

Time-stricken chaplet, lustreless and frayed :
As tho' each link with gems was overlaid.

Tenderly handle poverty's bequest,

Worthy of reverence as knightly crest

Rich with the stains of tourney and crusade,
Or as some grimy, battle-hallowed blade —

Emblem of faith and valor, let it rest !

Poor was she, like her Saviour and her King,
Ignorant as the men of Galilee,

Rude as the sainted conquerors of Rome :
Yet not a bead upon that simple string

But pleads with silent eloquence how she

Steadfastly sought her Mother's starlit home.

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

By Francis T. Furey, A.M.

(Continued.']

PART II.

ALL the time of Bp. Dubois, and of
his priests, was taken up by the ad-
ministering of the sacraments, and even
for that they did not suffice. Yet conver-
sions were continually taking place —
the divine Goodness seemed to bring
them about not only with weak instru-
ments, but sometimes apparently with-
out any instruments at all. The hand
of God was always so clearly manifested
that it was impossible not to recognize
it there. During the very week preced-
ing his departure for Europe he had the
consolation of receiving two Protestants
into the bosom of the Church. The
pomp of the Catholic ceremonial was
not without its good influence; it spoke
to the hearts of Protestants who were
often most prejudiced. It was even
remarked that the erection of the cathe-
dral, now the old St. Patrick's, which
was then regarded as a fine Gothic
building, contributed a great deal to-
wards attracting public esteem to the
Catholics of New York. As long as
non-Catholics saw only small churches
like the Methodist meeting-houses, the
great bulk of them, who had never been
out of the country, and who were con-
sequently ignorant of the condition of
Catholicism in Burope, regarded the
Catholics as a poor and despised sect,
and, notwithstanding their republican
ideas, many disdained frequenting what
they considered to be resorts of the
rabble. The solemnity of Catholic wor-
ship would make a still deeper impres-
sion, if it was what it ought to be; but
the cathedral was absolutely devoid of
a complete outfit of ornaments. The
bishop's supply consisted of but one
decent mitre and a wooden crozier. But

how was he to buy ornaments while the
cathedral was still loaded with a debt of
twenty-four thousand dollars ? Besides,
he ought to lengthen it by forty feet, in
order to have symmetry with the width,
and to build two sacristies, with a room
over them that would serve as a gallery
for the little children, who had no space
to themselves ; for the rising generation
was particularly the object of his fond-
est hope. Thanks to the good Sisters
of Charity whom he had sent from
Emmittsburg to New York some years
before (in 1819), over seventy small
boys and nearly three hundred girls
were supported in an asylum and taught
by them. The disinterested zeal of those
Sisters, their more than motherly kind-
ness to the children entrusted to them,
the cleanliness, nay, even the elegant
simplicity, which they maintained both
in their schools and in the asylum, con-
tributed considerably to diminishing the
prejudices entertained by Protestants.

But matters were not altogether as he
would wish in this affair of the training
of destitute youth. As the girls were
reared and instructed entirely in the
asylum, he had good reason to believe
that they would preserve the feelings of
religion with which every effort was
made to inspire them. But he had not
the same hope in regard to the boys ;
for them he saw only an afflicting
future. They had no other alternative
than to go to the public schools, from
which not only the teaching of religion,
but its very name, was excluded, or to
attend the only school that the cathedral
trustees had built, but where the master,
chosen by a plurality of votes cast by
men who sometimes were Christians

873

874

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

only in name, was often devoid of re-
ligion himself and always indifferent in
regard to it. He was, therefore, most
desirous to have Brothers of the Chris-
tian Doctrine. Some young Irishmen,
who had an institute almost like that of
these religious, had presented themselves
to him, but he had not been able to take
advantage of their good will. They
offered to instruct the children gratui-
tously by combining the pay school with
the free school, so that the profits of the
former would serve to support the lat-
ter. All that they asked was a house
for their novitiate and their chief school.
Besides, they wanted to be subject only
to the bishop, so as not to be at the
mercy of the caprices of trustees, who
might drive them away when they be-
came old and exhausted by the fatigues
of teaching, and give their places to
some irreligious protege's. But this
favor had to be refused to them ; liberal
Americans had, indeed, offered to give a
few dollars towards the purchase of a
house, but on condition that they would
have control over this property and over
the community also, which would have
thrown Catholic education entire!}' into
the hands of those who, having no re-
ligion themselves, would perpetuate the
abuses that already existed in the cathe-
dral school. Accordingly, the bishop
found it necessary to reject a gift that
was accompanied with a condition so
disadvantageous .

What might he not say also about
liis savage tribes, whom heresy had long
since corrupted, or rather amused with
a phantom of religion, but who might be
brought back to the faith by means of
the pious St. Regis tribe? This plan
would be so much the easier to carry out,
as the Protestants had taught the Indians
only songs that attracted the reprobates
of the neighborhood. Nor was he going
to speak of all those communities scat-
tered over the immense territory of his
vast diocese, and who were loudly calling
for the succors of religion ; nor of a large
number of counties that he had not yet

been able to visit, and from which he
had heard word by mail that he would
find thousands of Catholics there; nor
of the need that he had of a hospital in
New York City, where multitudes of
immigrants, who were arriving every
day, and who were dying for want of
attention, could recover health of body
and of soul. These unfortunate patients
were huddled together in the only hos-
pital that was open to them, which was
situated three miles from the city and
was conducted by Protestants. In order
to procure spiritual aid for over seven
hundred Catholic invalids who were in
that institution, and who had previously
been abandoned from necessity, he had
to share his morsel of bread with two
priests to whom he had entrusted the
duty of caring for them. He also men-
tions a multitude of widows and orphans
who had been left in the city by poor
immigrants, who had perished almost on
their arrival.

These were great misfortunes, but he
leaves them, to refer once more to his
cherished project of a seminary. He
thought it important above all to found
a nursery of apostles ; and the purchase
of a seminary was not an easy thing in
the city of New York, where property
was sold at from $10,000 to $12,000 an
acre ! His plan was to combine a college
with the seminary — a combination which
he had formed with such happy results
in the diocese of Baltimore (at Emmitts-
burg) — so that the profits of the former
would meet the expenses of the latter ;
he thought he needed only to make the
initial effort for the establishment to be-
come a reality ; as soon as it was founded
it would be able to support itself. Be-
sides the advantages of ecclesiastical
education, the college would offer im-
mense resources for a Catholic training,
in a country in which one had no other
means of rearing children than to launch
them into the midst of the dangers of
England, or to send them to colleges
where lack of discipline was the leaot
disadvantage to be met with. While

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

875

passing close by Princeton, then as now
one of the most famous colleges in the
United States, he was grieved at seeing
children of from ten to fourteen years,
standing on the doorsteps of the inns in
which they lodged, smoking their cigars,
and at learning that as little bounds
were set to their drinking as to their use
of tobacco, so dangerous at that age.
As regards Cambridge (Harvard) Col-
lege, which was and is still more famous,
it was enough that, besides the un-
bridled liberty that the students enjoyed
there, as well as at Princeton, the ex-
penses were so large that young men
who had only $1,500 a year to spend
would make complaint.

Thus with his fondly cherished subject
of education does Bishop Dubois close
the news of his first letter, which he con-
cludes with apostolic thanks to the be-
neficent association that had helped him
and with an equally apostolic determin-
ation to perform to the best of his ability
the duties of his exalted office. He re-
turned to New York soon after writing
this letter, and from his episcopal city he
wrote the other two, in which he shows
that his seminary was never absent from
his mind. At the date of the second it
had not yet become a reality, but he had
secured a site for it. And circumstances
had made his other cares even more bur-
densome than before ; for the number of
poor immigrants had increased, andso had
that of the orphans, on account of the
cholera epidemic. It is no wonder, then,
that he again dwells on the poverty of
his people and on the insufficiency of the
number of churches (which had remained
the same) and of priests to attend to
them, to whom only two had been added
in the city, where there were in 1833 at
least forty thotisand Catholics, out of a
total population of two hundred and for-
ty thousand. The figures for the dio-
cese were two hundred thousand against
twomillions. No wonderthebishop pleads
his being so overwhelmed with work and
care as not to be able to write the detailed
account of his charge that he would like,

and that the importance "of the subject
merited. He had still to do the double
duty of bishop and missionary ; for he
had no revenue attached to his office as
bishop, and it was only by performing
the pastoral functions that he could meet
his obligations. His resources, then,
scarcely sufficient for an ordinary city
priest, did not permit him to have either
secretary or chaplain. It was necessary
for him to do everything himself, and his
pastoral visits, which took up whatever
little time was left at his disposal, were
all made at his own expense ; yet on each
of these trips through only a part of his
diocese he travelled some three thousand
miles.

The problem, then, of providing sup-
port for the additional priests he needed
was far from being an easy one. Yet he
had succeeded in adding two members to
his city clergy, and for these, under the
title of chaplains, he had reserved the
burials ; but their time was taken up with
visiting hospitals and hearing the con-
fessions of the children. Thus an idea
may be formed of the fatigues that had
to be endured ; yet, even at the risk of
their lives, all the clergy could not give
the instructions and assistance that were
necessary. But what time for instruct-
ing and consoling could a priest have
who, night and day, was called to the
bedside of the sick, and forced to confine
himself to a single visit to each person,
so as not to neglect others ? Another
embarrassment confronted the few priests
scattered through the rest of the diocese,
and that was the difficulty of building
churches that would accommodate their
congregations. In most of the other
States frame structures could be erected
in the country at very little cost ; but in
New York, where cities and large towns
were numerous, the churches were all sit-
uated in these places, and consequently
had to be of stone or brick. There was
one advantage accruing from this regu-
lation, and it was that the honor of the
Catholic religion had not to suffer too
much from comparison with the Protest-

876

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 18Z6-1834.

ant meeting-houses alongside of them.
In New York State alone there were seven
hundred and eighty-two cities and towns,
and four hundred and twenty- fuur vil-
lages, populous enough to be called towns
in Europe, at least as regarded the greater
number of them.

But how, the bishop thought it might
be asked, did it happen that in a State so
flourishing, and with so large a popula-
tion, were the means wanting to him to
build churches and supply the needs of
the missionaries ? In answer to this
question he discusses at greater length a
subject to which he had referred in his
first letter. It was because all the wealth
was in the hands of Protestants. While
it was true that the government then
placed no hindrances in the way of
Catholics practising their religion, yet
neither did it allow them any assistance,
and nearly all the Catholics were poor
immigrants. The State of New York
differed from some of the other common-
wealths of the Union, in which, up to a
certain point, religious liberty prevailed
prior to the Revolution, or which, hav-
ing been settled since that time, put
Catholics in a position to acquire property
when it could be procured for nothing, or
at a very low price. But New York, like
New England and Virginia, having been
among the first to be colonized, and hav-
ing, like them, rigorously excluded Cath-
olics during the colonial era, Catholics
could not become land- owners, or even
settlers, without exposing themselves to
persecution. In this state of affairs the
Protestants had the advantage of taking
possession of all the lands that were open
to the first settlers, or that could be ac-
quired for a mere trifle. When the Rev-
olution came to assure liberty of con-
science everywhere, Catholics flocked
from all parts of Europe ; but there was
no more unclaimed land that was good
for anything, and property had risen to
an almost incredible price that made it
practically impossible for them to ac-
quire it. Those even of the Protestants
who had only a few acres near the cities,

not enough to support their families,
taking advantage of the extraordinarily
increased value, got rid of their little
farms and divided the proceeds among
their children, whom, in that way, they
put at the head of the industrial move-
ment that was then entering upon its de-
velopment.

Now, consequently, new immigrants
found employment only as wage labor-
ers, domestic servants, journeymen, sales-
men, store-clerks, etc.; and with regard
to this class the same was the case in
New York as in England — it was com-
pletely enslaved to the business class, not
because the law so required, but because,
the rich alone being able to advance the
money needed for factories, steam engines
and the various workshops, the poor were
obliged to labor by the day, the week or
the month for these masters, at what-
ever price the la ter saw fit to give and
on the conditions which they imposed.
These conditions, especially in regard to
domestic servants, were sometimes car-
ried to tyranny ; frequently the hirelings
were forced to work on Sunday, were re-
fused liberty to hear even a Low Mass,
were obliged to attend the prayers of the
sect to which their employers belonged,
and were left no other alternative than to
sacrifice their consciences or to lose their
place, at the risk of not being able to
find others. There was also to be con-
sidered the ignorance of a large number
of those immigrants, a consequence of
their extreme poverty in their own coun-
try and of the penal laws against their
religion, under which their fathers had
lived. What answer could they make to
the insults and calumires against the
Church that they had to listen to every
day? Such was the persecution they
had to endure from masters who did
everything they coiild to detach them
from their religion. There were also
the dangers to which were exposed a
multitude of orphans who had lost their
fathers almost immediately after their
arrival.

Furthermore, there was the lack of

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

877

spiritual assistance, a necessary conse-
quence of the dearth of missionaries.
Nor was this the least of the difficulties
that the bishop and his few priests had
to contend with. An epidemic had
come to diminish still further their re-
sources by exhausting those of charity.
The vast majority of the Catholics being
made up of immigrants, nearly all of
whom were laborers employed in facto-
ries or at service, they had not the re-
sources of the native Americans, who
had their relatives around them to aid
them in case of need, to give them hos-
pitality in their old age, or to take
charge of their children. But the immi-
grants were nearly all isolated beings,
without kinsfolk near them, or, if they
had any, these were laborers or domes-
tics like themselves. Should an immi-
grant, then, who was the head of a
family, chance to die, his widow and or-
phans had no other resource than pub-
lic charity ; and if places were found for
the children, it was nearly always with
Protestants, who did everything in their
power to undermine their faith.

In spite of so many drawbacks, those
poor people had until then made in-
credible efforts to save their children
from heresy. At that time, it is true,
there were in the city two asylums for
orphans, and they had no other re-
sources than the modest contributions of
charity. In the city also four churches
had been built, but they could not ac-
commodate half the Catholic popula-
tion ; and in addition there was a small
chapel for the Germans, which was, as it
were, the nucleus of a large congrega-
tion. The country districts were still
more unprovided for, there being only
eighteen churches where there ought to
be over a hundred. While waiting for
them to be built, the divine service was
held in private houses.

But a need that made itself still more
keenly felt was that of missionaries to
attend to that immense population, so
scattered over a territory so extensive.
In order to overcome so many difficulties

a seminary was indispensable ; but it
was not possible for the bishop to pro-
cure a suitable tract of land in the city,
where an acre would cost him twenty
thousand dollars, and there would be no
certain means of supporting it in case
boarders were lacking. He had decided,
therefore, to buy a small farm on the
west bank of the Hudson River, near
Nyack, in which, in any case, he would
be able to train a few priests. Access
to it was easy and did not cost much ;
but that farm had more than exhausted
the assistance that His Holiness had
granted to him for the purpose. In
order to erect the necessary buildings
he then had only whatever resources
Divine Providence would send to him.
It was not merely a seminary, but a col-
lege also, that he deemed it necessary to
provide, so that the revenue from the
one, if there should be any, might sup-
ply means for supporting the other,
which had no other income. Without
a seminary he could not have zealous
and educated missionaries ; neither Ire-
land nor England could spare their
learned and pious ecclesiastics, as the
bishops had every reason for not con-
senting to dispense with their services.
In regard to those of other countries
that might send genuine apostles to
him, their zeal would be fruitless if they
did not speak English, especially in a
country in which people took quite a
deep interest in preaching, and where
the competition of a multitude of sects
made this talent the more necessary. In
the very congregation in which the
French, the German and other foreign
nationalities were predominant, there
was always a certain number of persons
who spoke only English.

In his last letter, after most gratefully
acknowledging a further remittance of
fourteen thousand francs from the Asso-
ciation, he reverts to the subject of the
seminary and the training of an Ameri-
can priesthood. Without that institu-
tion, which he had now (March, 1834)
partly built, he could not satisfy the de-

878

NEW YORK DIOCESE, 1826-1834.

mands that were made on him every day
for missionaries. Over thirty missions
were abandoned for want of priests to
attend to them. In vain, even, did pi-
ous French priests offer him their gen-
erous services ; unless they knew Eng-
lish fairly well they could not do any
good in his diocese, and he would be
obliged to support them for a long
time before the}' could speak the lan-
guage, even imperfectly, while he had
no means to do so. He was soliciting
his poor people to aid him, but their
means were very scanty. What could
they give him when they were out of
work and needed bread themselves ?
Poor Catholic souls were being lost
every day from lack of spiritual assist-
ance ; and while he was daily receiving,
in New York City, fresh converts into
the bosom of the Church, whole families
were being lost in the remote rural dis-
tricts, for want of churches and priests.
Even in the city, where he had just built
two new and very large churches, in
spite of the scantiness of means — one to
replace St. Mary's, which had been de-
stroyed by fire, the other under the pat-
ronage of St. Joseph, which he had dedi-
cated the Sunday before March 16, 1834,
the date of this letter — there yet was need
of still further spiritual aid in relation to
the number of Catholics. There were
even now only five churches, besides the
chapel for the Germans, one-fourth of
whom could not be accommodated in it ;
if he had ten churches, indeed, he would
not have a single one too many, or
even enough for fifty thousand souls,
the number at which the Catholic popu-
lation was then estimated. And what
were ten priests to administer the sacra-
ments to them ? Occupied night and
day in attending to the various duties
of the pastoral ofiice, he was obliged to
deprive them of his services in the city
during a period of six weeks every year,
in order that he might visit a portion of
his scattered sheep in the country. He
was also solicitous for the poor savages
who were on the frontiers of his diocese,

but within its limits. A portion of them
received spiritual ministrations from
Canada, through the priests serving the
northern section of the village of St.
Regis ; the others had been entirely per-
verted by the sects surrounding them.
Only by training missionaries instructed
in their language would he be able to
succeed in bringing these Indians back
to the faith.

He would not speak of his internal
troubles. He had to struggle at one and
the same time against the intrigues and
the declamations of fanatical heretics,
who became irritated at seeing Catholi-
cism extending every day, at the expense
of their sects, and who, in every way in
their power, calumniated and persecuted
the poor Catholic domestics and laborers
who were obliged to work for them, and
against the prejudice that ignorance and
the spirit of the age had stirred up
against that multitude of immigrants,
whom poverty was bringing to his dio-
cese in thousands. At one and the same
time he was afraid of exacting either too
much or too little. And the burden of
his cares was increasing. He was then
providing for the education and support
of twelve young men studying for the
priesthood, some in Canada and some in
his own nascent seminary, on account
of which he had to deprive himself of
some necessaries of life. Here, too,
a great disappointment and a poignant
grief were in store for him, no mention
of which is made in these letters. Next
year (1835) his infant institution at
Nyack, on which he had based so many
fond hopes, was destroyed by fire. No
attempt was made to rebuild there, and
he witnessed the resuscitation of his pet
project only five years later, in the open-
ing of St. John's College, at Fordham,
wrhere the seminary was conducted until
it was transferred to Troy.

Such, sixty-three years ago, was the
condition of the most populous, and at
the same time the poorest, diocese in the
United States. Its territory is now di-
vided between eight sees, whose aggre-

AT AN ALTAR OF THE SACRED HEART.

879

gate Catholic population, if the full
truth were known, is probably not far
from 2,500,000. The names of only three
of the new sees erected since then —
Newark, Albany and Buffalo — are men-
tioned by the bishop, and the Church
was extremely weak in each place ; that
of a fourth, Brooklyn, which now has a
Catholic population of over half a mil-
lion, is merely hinted at. The other
three, Rochester, Syracuse and Ogdens-
burg, are not heard of; yet their aggre-
gate population is now far in excess of
the number ruled by Bishop Dubois, as
is also that of the New Jersey portion of
his jurisdiction, the Newark diocese,
where there was then only one parish.
New York itself, containing now only a
mere fraction of the territory, is reputed
to be the greatest and most prosperous

metropolitan see in the world. It alone
has a Catholic population of nearly a
million, considerably over six hundred
priests and two hundred and thirty-five
churches, besides one hundred and
twenty-eight stations and chapels ; and
sixty-three thousand children are cared
for and educated in its institutions and
schools. And omitting Trenton, the
only diocese of the present province that
was not included in the original diocese
of New York, as it was ruled by the
Bishop of Philadelphia until 1853,
there are now one thousand nine
hundred priests, where less than
seventy years ago there were only
eighteen. The eloquent exposition of
progress made by these figures, and
others that might be quoted, needs no
elaborate comment.

AT AN ALTAR OF THE SACRED HEART.

By Charles Hanson Towne.

Thro' all the hours, at morning or at night,

Thy loving hand points ever toward Thy breast,
And shows to every soul that here seeks rest

That Heart which suffered so. And Oh, the light

That streams from out its depths upon my sight !
Here I, aweary, after long, long quest,
Kneel while the world goes by, and, unoppressed,

Gaze at Thy face so calm, and pure, and white.

Thro ' all the hours Thou waitest here for me !

O patient One, Love's debt I cannot pay,
And if I bowed my head in agony,

And spent myself in prayer from day to day,
I could not tell Thee, even, Lord, in part,
What wealth of love flows from Thy Sacred Heart !

A CHAMPION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN THE
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

St. Peter Fourier, Parish Priest of Mattaincourt, Founder of the Congregation of

the Sisters of Notre Dame.

ON the Feast of the Ascension, May
27, 1897, amid scenes of splen-
dor unrivalled since the days when
Rome knew no master but the Pope, the
blessed servants of God, Antony Zacca-
ria and Peter Fourier, were solemnly
added to the number of canonized saints.
A brief sketch of the life and labors of
the last-named of the new saints will
have a twofold interest for our readers.
Fourier's holiness was of an eminently
practical character. He was, to a greater
extent than is commonly the case, a
modern saint, a saint for our own times,
calling upon us not less to admire than to
imitate his virtues. Moreover, he was so
keenly alive to the importance of a thor-
ough Christian education of children,
and so successful in promoting it, that
we may well consider him as one of the
chief patrons of the General Intention for
this month, viz., Religious Education in
Catholic Colleges.

Peter Fourier was born on November
30, 1565, at Mirecourt, one of the
richest and fairest cities of the then in-
dependent duchy of Lorraine. He was
the eldest son of parents highly esteemed
by their fellow citizens and noted for
their piety, who were subsequently hon-
ored with a title of nobility by Duke
Charles III. Desirous of consecrating
their first-born to God, these worthy

880

progenitors of a saint were overjoyed to
observe in him, from his very childhood,
unmistakable signs of future holiness.
His fervor in prayer was that of an angel,
his obedience most prompt and cheerful,
his application to study untiring. He
avoided with scrupulous care what to
others would seem innocent familiarities,
and observed on all occasions a modesty
almost incredible in one of his age, thus
guarding and fostering, as if by instinct,
the flower of virtues, virginal purity.
He was of a sweet and gentle disposition,
somewhat timid and more fond of soli-
tude than company, yet of remarkably
ready wit and solid judgment. Having
developed, as time went on, a strong in-
clination for the priesthood, he was,
when thirteen years old, sent to the Uni-
versity of Pont-a-Mousson to acquire the
knowledge and experience necessary for
the carrying out of his vocation.

The University of Pont-a-Mousson, so
justly renowned in after times, had been
founded; six years previously, by the
joint efforts of Duke Charles III. and
his uncle, the illustrious Cardinal of
Lorraine. Higher education had un-
fortunately fallen into utter neglect both
among the secular and the regular
clergy, and the heretics were availing
themselves of the situation to propagate
their errors, and to spread trouble and

A CHAMPION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN THE 17TH CENTURY. 881

discord through the country. The Uni-
versity was raised up as a barrier against
these evils, and nobly did it fulfil its
mission. For two hundred years it re-
mained the intellectual centre of Lor-
raine, and welcomed within its walls all
the great men that shed lustre on their
country during this last period of its
independence. The entire management
had been entrusted to the Jesuits, and
in October, 1574, the first solemn open-
ing of schools
took place.
The following
year there
were already
three hundred
and twenty -
three students
on the roll,
and six years
later the
buildings had
become too
small for the
eight hundred
youths who
sought ad-
mittance.

The story of
Fourier's so-
journ of seven
years at Pont-
a-Mousson,
may be told
in the two
words said ol
him by his
teachers and

fellow - students : " Aut studet, aut
oral : he is either studying or pray-
ing." He had divided his time into
two parts, giving one to prayer, the
other to study, and was method and
regularity itself in discharging the par-
ticular duty set apart for each hour.
His success in the various branches of
learning was second only to his progress
in virtue. Under the enlightened guid-
ance of his professor, the famous Father
Jacques Sirmond, who became afterwards

ST. PETER FOURIER

confessor to King Louis* XIII., he won
brilliant laurels in classic literature and
oratory, being almost as familiar with
the ancient languages as with his own
mother-tongue.

While pursuing his philosophical
studies, Fourier was prevailed upon to
undertake a work which deserves men-
tion, as it shows thus early his taste and
aptitude for the training of youth, to
which so great a portion of his atten-
tion and ener-
gies was to be
devoted in
afterlife. Act-
ing on the ad-
vice of his
directors, h e
complied with
the request of
several p e r -
sons of high
rank to watch
over the
studies and
conduct of
their sons,
students at the
University. It
became his
duty to be the
companion of
their work and
recreations, to
correct their
faults and mis-
takes, to keep
guard over
their inno-
cence, and to implant in their hearts
the seed of those virtues and refined
manners which make the true Chris-
tian and the true gentleman. It was
a delicate task for one who was him-
self only seventeen years old, but our
saint was admirably fitted for it. The
mixture of exquisite gentleness and
unyielding energy which formed the
groundwork of his character, supplied
him at once with the affection which
invites love, and with the vigor which

382 A CHAMPION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN THE 17TH CENTURY.

MIRECOURT.

inspires salutary fear. His own ex-
ample was the most persuasive of les-
sons, and left an impression on these
young souls, which the lapse of many
years was unable to efface.

The time had now come for Peter
Fourier to make choice of a state of life.
To the amazement of all who knew him,
but certainly not without a special dispo-
sition of Divine Providence, he knocked
at the door of the abbey of Chaumousy
and asked to be admitted among its in-
mates, the Canons Regular of St. Augus-
tine. These religious had, at the time
of which we are speaking, almost entirely
fallen away from the fervor and strict
observance of former days, and were in-
capable of appreciating the splendid
talents, the enthusiasm and holiness of
their novice. He persevered, however,
in spite of many discomforts and perse-
cutions, and was ordained priest in
February, 1589, celebrating his first
Mass after a long preparation, on June
24th of the same year. The dream of
his boyhood and youth had become a
reality. How he loved and revered the
sacerdotal dignity ,with which he had
been invested ! " Madam, " said he one
day to a mother who was consulting
him about her son's vocation to the

priesthood, "do
you know what
is required of a
priest ? When
you dip a straw
into a spring of
clear water, a
little drop of
brightest trans-
parency will
cling to its ex-
tremity. Equally
pure and spotless
must be the con-
science of the
priest when he
celebra t e s the
Holy Mysteries. ' '
Fourier now re-
turned to the Uni-
versity of Pont-a-Mousson to study the
sacred science of theology. His professor,
as well as his director, was Father John
Fourier, his cousin, a man of great vir-
tue and prudence, who continued for six
years the delighted witness and guide of
the progress of his pupil and kinsman
in earthly as well as in heavenly wis-
dom. It was he who, by his courageous
advice, influenced the whole future
career of our saint. The latter had
come to the conclusion that it was no
longer God's will that he should live in
community with his religious brethren of
Chaumousy, and was thinking of accept-
ing a parochial benefice, a privilege he
was allowed to use, being, as before,
under the obedience of the abbot. Three
benefices had been offered to him, No-
meny, St. Martin of Pont-a-Mousson
and Mattaincourt, and he hastened to
ask his director's counsel as to which he
should choose. " If you are looking for
wealth and comfort, " answered the man
of God, "choose Nomeny or St. Martin ;
if you prefer trouble and labor to ease
and reward, go to Mattaincourt ! ' ' Fou-
rier made the choice of a saint, and by
so doing became what history has so ap-
propriately styled him, The Good Father
of Mattaincourt.

A CHAMPION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN THE 17TH CENTURY.

883

When Peter Fourier chose the parish
of Mattaincourt as the scene of his
priestly labors, he did so fully aware of
its wretched, not to say desperate, con-
dition. Not only were its revenues in-
significant, but immorality, heresy and
atheism had made it their home. It was
called by no other name than the ' ' Little
Geneva, ' ' thus to express in one word
the disorders, the scandals, the degrada-
tion of social and domestic life which
had long been disgracing it. The way
to the church was almost unknown to
its inhabitants, the Sundays and holi-
days being spent in drunkenness, gam-
bling and other sinful amusements. It
was a flock that might well test trie
apostolic spirit of its new pastor. " My
children," he said to them in his first
sermon, "God gives Himself to men
in the Blessed Eucharist without seek-
ing any profit but the eternal welfare of
those who receive Him. To-day, I give
myself to you, not for honors or riches,
but for the good of your souls, which I
long to save, at the cost of my blood and
of my life, if necessary. ' ' During the
forty years which he spent at Mattain-
court, he was ever faithful to his prom-
ise. He began, as was his wont, by
letting his example and his actions pave
the way for his
preaching. His
parishioners were
observing him,
and were amazed
at what they saw.
In his person and
manner of life he
was the very em-
bo dim en t o f
poverty, detach-
ment and morti-
fication. No
costly furniture
was ever seen
in his room;
nothing besides
the bare walls,
the floor and
ceiling of plain

boards, a rough table covered with
books, a few wooden chairs and a large
bench on which he took his scanty rest.
The bed which he had possessed at first,
though without using it, had soon found
its way to the sick and poor. His
clothes were the simplest and plainest
imaginable, and his food, taken once a
day only, was that of an anchorite. It
may truly be said that he forgot him-
self, that he had neither time nor wish-
to think of his own needs and comforts,
when there was so much to be done for
those whom the Lord had committed to
his care. To them he gives himself and
everything he has. When he is not near
them to instruct, console and assist, he
pleads their cause with God by his pen-
ances, his prayers and his tears. When
did Christ's poor find a friend like Fou-

rier

When his own resources were

exhausted, he would tax his ingenuity
to procure alms for them from others.
Those in distress who were ashamed to
beg, found in him the most skillful and
discreet of benefactors. For the sick his
charity and solicitude were those of a
mother. He would spend whole nights
by their bedside, uniting the duties of a
priest with those of infirmarian. He
created a fund to assist business men in

MATTAINCOURT.

S84 A CHAMPION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN THE 17TH CENTURY.

distress, andjorganized a body of influ-
ential men to settle the differences that
might occur among his parishioners,
thus precluding innumerable quarrels
and lawsuits. He himself was always
ready to act as judge and mediator, and
held daily audiences for this purpose.
Like the Apostle, he made himself all
things to all'.jmen, to win them all to
Christ. The conquest of souls for

A CATECHISM CLASS.

heaven, such indeed was Fourier's sole
aim and ambition among his children of
Mattaincourt. What loving devices and
pious contrivances did not his charity
invent to carry light to their darkened
minds, and to move their hardened
hearts ! What a spectacle for angels
was that of our saint, struggling single-
handed against the passions of men and
the wrath of the powers of darkness !

But victory came at last, and his pa-
tient labors and trust in God had their
reward. Little by little, prejudices had
been dispelled, the burning words of the
pastor had sunk deep into the souls of
his wayward flock, and had worked a
transformation without parallel, per-
haps, in the history of the Church.
The "Little Geneva" had been changed
into a New Jerusalem, discord and con-
fusion had given place to peace and or-
der, error and impiety to truth and de-
votion, and public morality had come
back with the faith of olden days. The
whole country marvelled at the revolu-
tion that had been wrought, and the
bishop of Toul, in his joy, could write
to the Pope : " The parish seems to have
become a regular monastery, such is the
order and piety that we see reigning in
it. " He would often repeat that to ren-
der his diocese the most flourishing in
all Christendom, he would only ask for
five men like Fourier, one at each corner
and one in the middle. But no one was
happier at the new state of things than
the ' ' Good Father ' ' himself. How he
rejoiced to see his long-neglected church
now crowded to the doors by multitudes
of devout worshippers, the confessional
besieged and the Holy Table frequented !
How he exerted himself to add beauty
and solemnity to the religious services !
It had become a disgrace to enter a tav-
ern. Hospitality, neighborly charity,
and a noble rivalry in the practice of
every virtue, had made of Mattaincourt
the paradise of Lorraine. May the Lord
raise up in His Church many priests im-
bued with the spirit of St. Peter Fourier,
and the world will be renewed !

It has been said that great saints leave
behind them, after their short passage
on earth, some one monument, which,
more lasting than their other works,
defies the ravages of time, and is their
title to the admiration and gratitude of
posterity. Whether the saying is of
general application or not, matters little;
it is certainly true of St. Peter Fouriei.
Among his various achievements, there

A CHAMPION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN THE 17TH CENTURY. 885

is one whose glorious survival amid the
storms that have assailed it, proclaims
it to be his masterpiece, the principal
object of his providential mission. We
speak of his lifelong interest and im-
mense labors in the cause of Christian
education, which he practically em-
bodied and perpetuated in his Congre-
gation of the Sisters of Notre Dame.
Fourier had understood the sad lesson
given to thought-
ful minds by the
rapid spread of
Protesta n t i s m .
With the glance
of true genius,
he saw what had
been wanting to
his generati o n ,
and he did not
hesitate to step
beyond the nar-
row limits of his
modest field of
action, to provide
better things for
the generations
to come. He be-
came the origi-
nator and leader
of a movement
for the education
of the children of
the middle and
laboring classes,
which has been
taken up by
many relig i o u s
bodies since his
time, and is still
in our days the

object of the most anxious solicitude
of the Church and her pastors.

Fourier had not been long at Mattain-
court without perceiving that to render
his work of reform solid and permanent,
it was not enough to secure the conver-
sion of the older people. He felt that
the hope of the parish, its whole future,
rested with the children, and to win
them he poured out the treasures of his

apostolic zeal. He never wearied gather-
ing them around him, teaching them the
truths of religion, and fashioning them
to habits of virtue and piety. They had
their special feasts, their banners and
insignia, and their confraternity under
the patronage of the Child Jesus. He
made missionaries of them to bring back
their parents to the practice of their
duties.

PRAYBR IN COMMON.

Still he was not satisfied. What would
become of these little ones after he was
gone, and what was even now the fate of
millions of children throughout the
country for whose instruction no one
seemed to care ? The time was no more
when school was held for all comers in
the shadow of the monasteries that dotted
the land. The few schools that did exist,
were, for the greater part, mixed schools

886 A CHAMPION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN THE 17TH CENTURY.

with salaried teachers, who took but
little interest in their profession and ex-
cluded th.e poor unable to pay for admit-
tance. Our saint, having before his eyes
the marvellous results which the Univer-
sity of Pont-a-Mousson had achieved in
the short period since its foundation,
had conceived the bold resolve of doing
for the children of the common people
what the Jesuit Fathers were doing
chiefly for the nobility and the wealthier
classes. It was nothing less than to
give to the world separate schools for
the children of both sexes, where, with-
out distinction of fortune and social
condition, they would find gratuitous
instruction in all necessary branches of
human knowledge, and, above all, in the
science of the saints.

Holy men do not succeed in all their

THE HIGHER WISDOM.

enterprises, any more than ordinary mor-
tals. Fourier had gathered together a
select band of young men, who, he hoped,
would be the founders of his first school,
and perhaps the nucleus of a congrega-
tion of religious teachers. But they
left him almost immediately, and it was
only a hundred years after, that Lorraine
and France were to behold the ideal mas-
ters of popular education, the valiant
sons of Blessed John Baptist De la Salle,
the Christian Brothers. Fourier's voca-
tion lay elsewhere. Since his educa-
tional plan could not embrace the boys,
he is all the more eager to carry it out
in favor of the girls, who stood even
more in need of its benefits.

Providence had sent to him a soul
capable of sharing his lofty purpose,
and well suited to second him in its exe-
cution. Alix Le Clerc was this chosen
instrument, a young lady of remarkable
intellectual gifts, and desirous of devot-
ing herself to a life of perfection as soon
as the way should be pointed out to her.
She learned it from her director, the
Father of Mattaincourt. Retiring from
the world with four companions, she
prepared herself for her future vocation
by prayer, mortification and the exercise
of the most heroic virtues. We may not
linger to follow step by step the birth
and growth of the Congregation of the
Sisters of Notre Dame. Many were the
obstacles which it encountered. Re-
sources were wanting ; war and famine
were devastating the country ; the bold-
ness of the enterprise startled bishops
and clergy ; Rome herself hesitated be-
fore giving her authoritative approval
to the novel scheme of cloistered nuns
teaching day scholars. Had it not been
God's work, it would surely have per-
ished. As it was, it lived and prospered
in spite of difficulties- and opposition of
every kind. Fourier was its ever- ready
champion and protector. Nothing was
done without his counsel and direction.
He watched over the old foundations and
prepared the new. He conducted nego-
tiations with the court of Rome, with

A CHAMPION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN THE 17TH CENTURY. 887

p inces and bishops.
I e travelled hither and
t ither correcting,
g liding and encourag-
ii g, rejoicing with his
d ;ar daughters in their
si .ccesses, grieving
\\ ith them in their
n isfort u n e s . The
rules and constitutions
which he wrote tor
them are replete with
the zeal and charity of
an apostle and the
practical wisdom of a
legislator.

" The end and object
of the new congrega-
tion is the education,
free and gratuitous, ot
young girls." He in-
sists again and again
on the entire gratui-
tousness of the teach-
ing, ' ' that all may be
enabled to come, and
I no one to be ex-
cluded on account of her poverty. As
for the teachers, let God be their re-
ward ! ' ' The children are to be taught
the necessary branches of knowledge
and certain duties of household work ;

>ut virtue and piety are ever to hold the

irst and foremost place in their training.

' Take them innocent from the cradle, ' '

ie charges the Sisters, "and preserve

hem unstained through life. Instruct

hem carefully in the truths of the Catho-

c religion. Show them how to go to

onfession, how to say grace before and

fter meals. Tell them often that your

rincipal aim is to teach them to become

irtuous and holy and to gain heaven."
He lays down at length the qualities of
good teacher. He descends into many
minute details of class-management,

mulation, conditions of admission and

>romotion, not a few of which our more

nlightened age erroneously claims as

nventions of its own. From his heav-

nly home St. Peter Fourier looks

A FAMILIAR LESSON.

down to-day on his beloved congrega-
tion, faithful to his memory and to his
spirit. It possesses thirty flourishing
establishments in France and other
European states. In our own country
the Sisters of Notre Dame, who are tak-
ing so large a share in the education of
our Catholic children, acknowledge him
likewise as their father and lawgiver
and, under modified conditions, carry on
the grand work begun by Alix Le Clerc
and her companions.

Fourier, though not living in mon-
astic seclusion, had not ceased to be a
member of the order of Canons Regular
of St. Augustine. At the request of the
Bishop of Toul, he undertook the dim-
cult task of reviving among his brethren
in Lorraine the fervor of primitive ob-
servance from which the}7 had fallen.
He succeeded in gaining over to his pro-
ject of reform a small number of the old
religious. With these and several young
candidates, he founded a new novitiate

888

CHAMPION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN THE 17TH CENTURY.

which became the fountain head of a
new congregation worthy of its name
and of its founder. He was unanimously
elected Superior General of the reformed
Canons, and thus added fresh burdens to
his numberless other labors and cares.
Among these, special mention must be
made of his missionary excursions to
various parts of his own and neighbor-
ing dioceses. His reputation for zeal
and holiness caused him to be invited
where others had failed. Whole towns
and hamlets,
where heresy had
long reigned un-
checked, were
brought back
to the true
faith. Elsewhere
he removed pub-
lic scandals, con-
verted inveterate
sinners, or stirred
up lukewarm
Catholics to a
sense of their
duty. The ex-
ample of his
humble, chari-
table and morti-
fied life had even
more to do with
these happy re-
sults than his
preach ing and
exhortations. He
was everywhere
and in all things
the man of God,

the saint. St. Jane Frances de Chan-
tal said, after an interview with him :
" It is enough to look at him to be con-
vinced that he is a saint, even if you did
not know it before." And Cardinal
de Berulle told his priests that if they
wished to behold all the virtues at one
glance, they must go to Lorraine ; they
would find them all united in the Good
Father of Mattaincourt. Is it surprising
that supernatural power was given to
him, and that miracles accompanied his
every step ?

THEATRICALS WITH

The last years of Fourier's life were
saddened by the misfortunes which one
after another befell his native Lorraine.
First the Thirty Years' War burst upon
it with all its horrors, layiijg it waste
with fire and sword. Pestilence and
famine followed in its wake, the desola-
tion being such that, according to histo-
rians, nothing like it had been wit-
nessed since the siege of Jerusalem by
Titus. The saint loved his country with
a deep and loyal love. He now prays
anrl weeps fo'r
her with in-
creased earnest-
ness ; he prac-
tises and
preaches p e n -
ance; and, zeal-
ous emulator of
St. Vincent de
Paul, he comes
to the help of
the needy, assists
the sick and dy-
ing, consoles the
afflicted, gives
all he has, and
becomes a beggar
for the beggars.
Nor was the glory
of persecution to
be wanting.
Fourier had been
for many years
the trusted friend
and counsellor of
Duke Charles
IV., and had by
his advice helped to preserve the indepen-
dence of Lorraine against the ambitious
designs of Richelieu. The powerful
minister knew it and made every effort
to lay hands upon one who had frus-
trated his plans. Fourier became a fugi-
tive from place to place, until finally he
was compelled to leave the country alto-
gether, and to seek an asylum at Gray,
a small town in Franche-Comte. It is
from there that God called him to Ins
reward on December 9, 1640, at the age
of seventy -five years.

FATHER DAM I EN.

889

At the thought of God's judgments he
trembled for a moment, he who during
his long life had ever been faithful to
his motto : ' ' Omnibus prodesse, obesse
nemini : to be useful to all, to injure no
one"; who had loved his Maker with
his whole heart, and had suffered with
unalterable patience. But a deep joy,
foretaste of heaven, soon took the place
of his fears, and he expired with the
beautiful words on his lips which he had

been so fond of repeating during life :
' ' Habemus bonum Dominum et bonam
Dominant : we have a good Master and a
kind Lady." At the moment of his
death a globe of fire was seen to rise
from the house where he lay, and after
hovering in the air, to take the direction
of Lorraine and disappear in the distance,
as if the saint, on his way to heaven,
wished to say a last farewell to his coun-
try on earth for which he died in exile.

FATHER DAMIEN.

By E. B. E.

' DREAMED last night that I was clean once more-
Clean and upright, and straight as yonder palm
Which stands there as in mockery of me,
So scarred and bowed and crooked as I'm grown,

A mere offence and horror to the eye.

I would be healed again, if but to be

More pure and meet for commune with the Lord.

What thing am I to raise my glazed eyes

890 FATHER DAM I EN.

In prayer and supplication to my God ?

I've sought the heights to pray and be alone,

Mounting the way with labor and in pain,

To pray before the sun's retiring light,

And dwell in thought on heaven, whose glory far

Outshines the splendor of this radiance.

My God ! I would be clean if but for this :

To speak with Thee. But Thou wilt understand

That, marred and loathsome as my body is,

My heart is purer by comparison.

I meant no disrespect to the fair form

Thou gavest me at birth, by what I've done.

'Twas in thine honor, and for good of these

Poor outcast and neglected, suffering souls,

Who lived their lives in wretched infamy,

With no one having courage to attempt

To lead them nearer to Thy tenderness.

Be patient with them, O my dear, just God !

What sign of hope they hold is slipping fast,

And all my ebbing strength suffices not

To fill their hearts with courage that can wait.

These all were fair one time as white, new lambs,

Which now but rotten sheep, stray on these rocks

Of doubt, perplexity and black despair.

Hear me, O Lord ! for if Thou wilt not hear,

I perish ; and with me these trembling sheep

Fall also down immeasurable depths.

I would not leave them — that Thou knowest well ;

But if, at times, I cry to be released,

'Tis but the spirit wearying of the flesh,

Which is more burdensome than I can bear.

I marvel sometimes who will take my place

When thou seest fit to set me free at last.

We are forgotten here of all the world ;

Men dread to think of our infirmity.

Ah, if they only knew the human heart

Beats and breaks here as full of agony

As in the crowded streets and busy marts;

That beauty is as beautiful, and sin

As sinful, in this long-unthought-of isle —

They might, remembering, send out, to help

Some ministering angel strong and brave.

Yet, who would wonder if weak men should shrink

Before becoming such foul things as we,

Even to gain the loud, high praise of kings !

Who would, unhelped of God, face the dark nights

And know himself a creature like to me ?

My spirit faints — I reel and sink ! O Lord !
Ah, is the morning breaking ? Is my night
Of storm and anguish waning to its close ?

JEANNE D'ARC.

And may I hope and trust the end is come ?
Be merciful, my dear God ! Help me up !
I cannot longer bear my heavy cross.
Yet if it be Thy holy will, I'll rise
And go below where they are waiting me,
And labor till the weary day is done
Within Thy vineyard, and be sure at eve
The laborer's wages will be meted out,
And I find all the recompense above.
I wait Thine own good time, dear Lord.

Amen.

JEANNE D'ARC.

IN PARADISE.

891

By John A. Mooney, LL.D.
(Continued.']

SOLEMNLY, into the Place St. Ouen,
marched Jean d'Arc, the Maid's
brother, and Jean Bre"hal, with the
bishops, the archbishop, and a lengthy
procession of clerics, and of lay folk of
high and low degree. The sentence of
Rome's delegates, just pronounced in the
archiepiscopal palace, is now formally
promulgated. On that May day when a
noisy rabble gathered here, expecting
to see the brave and holy young girl
burned, a preacher abused her publicly.
Now, before a devout assembly, a
preacher honors the Maid — model of
Christian virtue as well as of Christian
patriotism.

From the palace to the old fish-market,
a like procession moved on the following
day, the eighth of July. Yonder stood
the pyre on which, horribly and cruelly,
Jeanne was smothered and burned. Most
equitably had the Papal court ordered
that a preacher should also glorify her
here ; for was it not on this spot that
Master Nicholas Midi used the shameful
words: "Jeanne has returned to her
errors and crimes, like a dog that returns
to its vomit"? The cross of expiation,
ceremoniously raised, gave the lie to
Nicholas Midi, for all time.

After the departure of the archbishop
and of the bishops, the townfolk, in
groups, listened eagerly to the reminis-
cences of those who had witnessed the
Maid's execution. On the faith of the
word of friar Isambard, who held up the
crucifix so that Jeanne might look upon
it while she had eyes to see, one of the
elder men related a notable story. As
you remember, when the fire raged, and
the Maid's sufferings were the most
harrowing, an English soldier threw a
fresh fagot into the blaze. ' ' Jesu ! ' ' cried
the dying Maid, just then. "Jesu!" It
was her final appeal to her loving friend.
Down fell the soldier, as if struck by
lightning. His fellows carried him off
senseless. In the afternoon of the same
day, penitent, he sought out the good
friar, Isambard, and to him the soldier
said that, believing the Maid to be as
wicked as his leaders reported, he had
sworn an oath to add a fagot to the pyre.
His unchristian oath he had kept, but
no sooner had the girl pronounced the
name of Jesus, than a white dove rose
from the flames and sped heavenward.
He saw the dove, and forthwith his
senses forsook him. To the friar he
wished to confess his sins. The white

892

JEANNE D'ARC

dove was the soul of the Maid, he
averred, and he would ever maintain
that she was a good and valiant woman.

Another group heard with new wonder
the story of Jean Thiessart's lament and
forebodings, as he left the market-place
after the burning of the Maid. The nar-
rative differed not at all from the one al-
ready recorded in these pages, except in a
detail, which, purposely omitting here-
tofore, I shall now make known. When
the secretary of the King of England
halted one and another, on that sad
day long ago, saying : ' ' We have burned
a saint, we are ruined, " he paused for a
moment only. Then he uttered a sen-
tence more startling than the first : "I
believe her soul is in the hand of God,
and I believe that all those who adhered
to her condemnation are damned."
Thus he spoke. Well may those who
now listen to Jean Thiessart's words turn
their eyes to heaven, with a feeling of
awe. And yet, remembering the saying
of the secretary of the King of England,
we should likewise remember that the
cross raised a moment ago on the spot
where the Maid's incorrupted body was
burned, is not merely a memorial of the
honest girl. Before it, we have been in-
vited by the Papal delegates to pray, not
for her soul alone, but also for the salva-
tion of all the other dead. The Church
is merciful, with the mercy of her
founder, the crucified Christ. Still, the
words of Jean Thiessart one can never
forget.

Thirteen days after the ceremonious
promulgation of the sentence of the
Apostolic judges in the market place at
Rouen, Paris witnessed a similar scene,
the Bishop of Coutances and Jean Brehal
leading the procession. Elsewhere in
the cities and towns, honors were paid to
the Maid's memory, and religious ser-
vices were performed in expiation of the
crime done against her person and her
fame. Not at Rouen alone was a cross
upreared ; and it pleases us to believe
the tradition that the stone cross which
still stands in the Forest of St. Germain,

near Poissy, wras a tribute from the gal-
lant Bastard of Orleans, who saw "the
finger of God " in all Jeanne's works.

" Maid of Orleans " is a name she has
long borne. When others neglected her,
the good people of the city she miracu-
lously freed from the enemies of France
did not prove ungrateful. Year after
year, ever since the deliverance of the
city in 1429, on each eighth of May, up
to the year 1793, clergy and people, bear-
ing lighted candles, made pious stations
along the route by which she led the
men-at-arms, in God's name, to victory
most glorious. On the morrow holy
Mass was offered up for the repose of the
souls of those who had died for their
country. A miracle-play ended the cele-
bration. After France had been united,
towards the close of the fifteenth cen-
tury, the eldest son of Pierre d' Arc,
Jeanne's elder brother, every year came
to Orleans to hold the first place in the
procession. Before him an acolyte bore
a great candle of white wax, on which
was painted a portrait of the Maid. The
revolutionaries of 1793 neither could nor
would recognize a patriotism inspired by
the God from whom Jeanne received a
mission to save France. During ten
years the people of Orleans dared not,
candle in hand, with hymn and prayer,
celebrate the eighth of May. It was Na-
poleon, who, petitioned by Mgr. Bernier,
bishop at the time, permitted the inhab-
itants of the city to renew the religious
ceremonies of the old days. Since May,
1803, with much pomp, Jeanne's marvel-
lous deed has been yearly commemorated.
On the evening of the seventh, the chief
magistrate of the city, accompanied by
civilians, carries the Maid's standard to
the cathedral. There the bishop, in full
pontificals, receives it, and, amid the
ringing of bells, the booming of cannon,
sounds of martial music, and the chant
of the Church, bears it to a place of
honor. After Mass, on the morning of
the eighth, a panegyric of Jeanne i
preached in the cathedral, and then a
devout procession files through the city

;o the site of the strong fortress the
Maid captured on the evening of the
seventh of May, 1429, — the fortress she
would not have captured had she not
forced the gates of Orleans against the
will of the royal Council and with slight
respect for the trusty nobleman whom
they had ordered to block the way of the

child of God. "

Even with Cauchon's example before
us, and with the recollection of the
king's long neglect, not to say ingrati-
tude, we shall find it hard to understand
how, little more than a century after the
judgment of the Papal court at Rouen,
Frenchmen could have shown enmity to
the benefactress of France. And yet it
is a fact that Frenchmen pretending to
be the truest of patriots because of their
profession of love for Christ, and be-
cause of their real hatred for His Church,
dishonored the memory of the heroine
that brought to Orleans "the best suc-
cor ever sent to knight or to city — the
succor of the King of Heaven. " Patri-
ots, no man will call them ; and still
less, Christians.

In 1567, the Huguenots captured Or-
leans. On the bridge connecting the
city with the left bank of the Loire, the
people of Orleans had, gratefully and
reverently, raised a monument to the
Maid, a hundred years earlier. The ar-
tistic value of this monument, we cannot
determine. It was of bronze, we know.
Never did a Huguenot conceive a me-
morial more patriotic or more Christian.
At the foot of a cross, from which, piti-
fully, Christ looked down, the Maid
knelt. Nigh to the bleeding body of
her Divine Son stood the Virgin Mother,
Mary, sorrowing. Facing Jeanne, knelt
the king of united France, Charles VII.
To civilized men, because of the por-

JEANNE D'ARC.

893

of our Redeemer and of the Maid of Or-
leans, they had no mercy. One and the
other they smashed. Three years later,
freed from the Huguenots, the good peo-
ple of Orleans mended the statue of the
King, and recast the statue of the Maid.
Modifying the group, they replaced the
Mater Dolorosa with a Pieta ; a seated
figure of the Mother bearing in her lap
the body of the dead Christ. Unmoved,
this monument stood for one hundred
and seventy-five years ; then, on ac-
count of the insecurity of the bridge, it
was transferred to the town hall, and
there it remained until 1771. From this
date until 1792, Jeanne's memorial was
the chief ornament of one of the public
places. In 1792, another set of bar-
barians,— sectaries, forsooth, of "Frater-
nity ' ' — dominated Orleans. They spared
neither Christ nor the Virgin nor Jeanne.
The monument was broken to pieces,
melted, and moulded into cannon. As
the Huguenots showed some considera-
tion for the King, so the revolutionaries
were polite to the saviour of France.
Officially they dubbed one of the can-
non : "Jeanne d'Arc, surnamed the
Maid of Orleans. "

The era of a barbarous " Fraternity "
having closed, a public subscription for
a statue of Jeanne was opened by the
authorities of Orleans, with the approval
of Napoleon. Though more than one
statue now testifies to the lasting grati-
tude of the citizens, Orleans possesses
no monument as becoming as that which
the Huguenots battered and shattered,
or that which the Revolution demol-
ished.

Like the monument at Orleans,
Jeanne's fame has experienced many
ups and downs. Notwithstanding the
publicity given to the sentence of the

traits of the king who had made France delegates of the Holy See; notwithstand-

and of the chaste and brave girl who
crowned him, — if for no other reason —
this monument should have appealed as
an historical record. Of the King, the
Huguenots were not wholly inconsider-
ate ; but upon the effigies of the Mother

ing the processions and the crosses; not-
withstanding the written records, there
were chroniclers and historians and po-
ets and play writers who continued to
defame the pious and valiant Maid.
The Burgundians, in France, the En-

894

JEANNE D'ARC.

glish, in their land, slighted her virtues
and denied her mission. She was pic-
tured as a sham warrior, a mere tool of
Charles VII., who manipulated her so
as to fool superstitious soldiers into
fighting for a desperate cause. Quickly
was the memory of her noble life and
marvellous deeds forgotten by men who
pretended to learning and to critical
powers. Slowly did even Frenchmen,
as a nation, learn what Jean Brehal and
the judges at Rouen had set down in
writing on the seventh of July, 1456.

Nor was it the English alone who,
scouting her mission, did not spare even
the reputation of the chaste Maid. Jean
d'Estive, of the foul tongue, left emula-
tors behind him. To Shakespeare one
could pardon what no honest man has
ever pardoned in the unpatriotic, trea-
cherous, mercenary and rotten "genius",
Voltaire. His infamous poem, not the
least of his infamies, even a "free-
thinker " of our day has denounced as
1 a most sacrilegious debauch. ' A
saint, however perfect, leaves at least
one enemy on earth, an enemy that
never dies, the debauchee, — true "devil's
advocate. ' '

Slowly, during the centuries, even in
France, did the literate class learn as
much about the Maid as the peasants of
Vaucouleurs and Chinon knew, I might
say, instinctively. The tradition of
Jeanne's holiness, of her brave deeds,
of her saving the country, had not been
lost by the simple people ; but it was
only in the nineteenth century that the
cultured acquired a full knowledge of
her amazing career, her lovable qualities,
and the villainous malice of which she
was the victim. Now, she is not only a
heroine of France, but also of the world;
admired, loved in every land, even in
England.

Except as a "child of God," charged
by Heaven with a providential mission,
the career of Jeanne is inexplicable.
The proof of her claims, as well as of
her acts, is so clear and abundant that
book-making infidels can cover their

discomfiture only by sentimental lauda-
tions of a girl, who must have honestly,
if unreasonably, cheated herself into be-
lieving that she was chosen by God to
do His work. Indeed, the problem that
confuses the infidel, worried so good a
Catholic as the English historian, Lin-
gard. Unintentionally, a modern French
painter has rendered the "worried
school " of historians properly ridicu-
lous by attempting to put on canvas a
Maid of Orleans who was neither sent
by God, nor, indeed, born into this
world. In the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, the work serves at least as a
painted criticism, if not an example of
high art.

When did Jeanne's mission end ? Not
a few argue that, having crowned
Charles at Rheims, she had fulfilled the
whole design of the King of Heaven.
Her capture and death are presented as
proofs of this argument. Jeanne her-
self held otherwise. She did not lay
down her arms, even when St. Catharine
and St. Margaret let her know that she
would fall into the hands of the enemy.
As boldly as ever, she fought. Her
death on the pyre, she did not foresee
until the very last. As late as the four-
teenth of March, 1431, she looked fora
deliverance from jail. "St. Catherine
has promised me aid," said Jeanne-
"Whether I shall be delivered from
prison, or whether, during the trial,
something will happen and I shall be
set free, I know not ; but I think it will
be one or the other." What follows is
worthy of reflection : ' ' My ' voices '
tell me that I shall be delivered by a
great victory; and they say to me : 'Ac-
cept everything with resignation ; do
not trouble about your martyrdom, you
will at length enter the Kingdom of
Paradise. ' My voices tell me this simply
and absolutely; it is infallibly true. By
' martyrdom, ' I understand the pain and
adversity I suffer in my prison. Whether
I shall suffer a greater one, I know noi ;
but I leave that to our Lord. "

On the pyre, Jeanne understood the

JEANNE D'ARC.

895

meaning of her "voices." "No,"
cried out, after joyously hailing St.
; [ichael, " No, my 'voices ' did not de-
<. ^ive me, my mission was from God.
J 2su ! Jesu ! ' ' That one should have
f mission to crown a king, is quite in-
telligible to some people. How much
g reater the mission to reach the King-
com of Paradise through martyrdom ! I
would not be understood as conferring
en Jeanne a title not conceded to her by
the Church. I use the word "martyr, "
as she used it, on the faith of her
"voices."

Jeanne did more than unite a king-
dom, or crown a king : she revived re-
ligion and Christian morality in France.
Her example was grander than even her
victories. Has the effect of that ex-
ample terminated ? No ; her mission
did not close at Rheims. It began,
truly, at the moment in which the
wicked, though not impenitent, soldier
saw the white dove spread its wings
above the flame and fly to a heavenly
home. The mission of a saint has no
ending. God's design men shall know
only as it is disclosed at the appointed
times.

Differing as to the extent of her mis-
sion, or even refusing to acknowledge its
supernatural character, none the less
have the critical, the doubting, the un-
believing, been compelled to admire the
chaste, the believing, the valorous girl,
who, murdered at nineteen, left a record
unique in modern times. One need be
neither a woman, nor young, and yet,
reading the true life of the Maid, join
her three playmates in saying : ' ' She
was so good and simple and sweet that I
love her. ' ' Soldiers to-day are inspired
by ' ' the divine love that was in her, ' ' as
were Jean de Metz and Bertrand de Pou-
Hgny, when they fought under her
glorious banner. And how many there
are who, though not men-at-arms, and
though they hear only a faint echo of
her voice, cannot help repeating with
Bertrand, that "for us she is a mes-
senger of God," and "a saint"; or,

with the chivalrous Bastard of Orleans,
that: "We believe Jeanne was sent by
God!"

Literature and art, soiled as they have
been by familiarity with the unclean,
owe much to the ideal of cleanness typi-
fied by Jeanne d' Arc — warrior, conqueror,
victim, virgin. All the arts have paid
homage to the Maid. Who shall say
that her mission does not include the
purification of ' ' culture, ' ' outside as
well as inside of France ! On the feast of
the Epiphany, Jeanne was born ; as if it
had been preordained that she, above
others, should help to shew forth the
virtues of the Master of the wise, as well
as the majesty of the King of Kings.

However slighted, misrepresented or
misunderstood elsewhere, the clergy and
people of Orleans, when they were free,
always cherished the Maid's memory, as
we have seen ; and always extolled her
great, good deeds. During this century,
the most eloquent orators, the most
illustrious among the hierarchy, have
vied one with another in celebrating,
exalting, blazoning, the fame of the
peasant girl of Arc. In the cathedral
pulpit, foreigners have joined with
Frenchmen in expiating the crime of
Cauchon and of his English accomplices.
From Orleans came the first formal
appeal to Rome, where Jeanne's wrongs
had been righted, to adjudicate her sanc-
tity, and to elevate to the altar the de-
spised and disgraced peasant who was
burned to ashes, — all except her heart, —
in the Rouen fish-market.

This appeal, initiated on May the
eighth, 1869, by the renowned Mgr.
Dupanloup, who then added dignity to
the See of Orleans, was supported by
twelve other members of the French
hierarchy. Pius IX., of happy memory,
graciously received their petition, and
authorized Mgr. Dupanloup to open a
judicial process, according to the regular
forms of the Church. * Owing to the

* For the details of the various processes and re-
quirements of the Church, preparatory to the canon-
ization of a saint, I beg to refer the reader to a most
instructive article in the MESSENGER for February.
1897, by F. Lamb, S.J,: "How Saints Are Made."

896

JEANNE D'ARC.

Franco-Prussian war, the "Process of
the Ordinary " was not begun until
1874. Two years later the records of
this preliminary inquiry were carried to
Rome by the Bishop of Orleans and
there committed to the Congregation of
Rites. After the death of the eminent
Dupanloup, his successor, Mgr. Coullie,
instituted a second Process of the Ordi-
nary, with the purpose of firmly estab-
lishing the heroism of the virtues prac-
tised by Jeanne. The official minutes of
the second investigation reached Rome
only in December, 1885. Three years
later, still another inquiry was pre-
scribed by the bishop, a complementary
process intended to discover whether
miracles had been performed through
the Maid's intercession, and, if so, to
authenticate them by indisputable evi-
dence. Meantime the Catholic world
had not been silent. From near and
far the Apostolic See was petitioned
to expedite the cause of the Maid ; no
less than fifteen cardinals, twenty-three
archbishops, one hundred and eighty-
three bishops, ten cathedral chapters
and eight generals of religious orders
uniting in this prayer.

The process of the Maid had at length
reached the stage at which the Congre-
gation of Rites could posit the question :
Is the cause of Jeanne d'Arc, as pre-
sented, in a condition allowing it to be
officially introduced into the court of
Rome ? All the documents were sub-
mitted to the Promoter of the Faith,
Mgr. Coprara, and his objections having
been duly answered by the advocates of
the cause, a printed copy of the whole
process was placed in the hands of each
member of the Congregation, early in
January, 1894. Following the custom,
at least forty days should have elapsed
before the cardinals voted on the ques-
tion : Should the commission of the in-
troduction of the cause be signed ? On
the answer to this question, much de-
pended. An affirmative, provided the
Holy Father confirmed it by his signa-
ture, would ' ' assure the world that the

fame of Jeanne d 'Arc's sanctity had been
judicially approved, and that henceforth
she might be saluted as Venerable. "

The mind of His Holiness, Leo XIII.,
was revealed by his action convoking
the Congregation of Rites in an extraor-
dinary session on the twenty-seventh of
January, 1894, long prior to the expiia-
tion of the customary forty days. The
report of the cause having been presented
by Cardinal Parocchi, a ballot was taken,
and by a unanimous vote the question
proposed was decided in the affirmative.
Forthwith a decree was drawn up by the
Prefect of the Congregation, Cardinal
Aloisi Masella, and signed by the Pope.

" Venerable Servant of God, " such is
the title conferred upon the Maid by the
act of the Congregation and of His Holi-
ness, as the decree of January, 1894,
specifies. The process for her beatifica-
tion was next in order. Progress has
since been made in this new cause. By
the law of the Church no public devotion
to one merely reputed a saint, is permis-
sible ; and in the course of the process in
Jeanne's case it was, therefore, necessary
that proof should be adduced de non
cultu, as it is technically termed. Dis-
cussing the preliminaries in the cause of
the Maid's beatification, on the fifth of
May, 1896, after listening to the report
presented by Cardinal Parocchi, the Con-
gregation of Rites determined that no
unauthorized public worship of Jeanne
precluded the Holy See from considering
the cause for her beatification. The next
step will be a new process, at Orleans, to
establish the fame of Jeanne's sanctity.
# . # * * •* * *

"Shed no tears for the Maid! The
children of her Lord, neither men nor
women, need weep for. Believe firmly
that the God of Heaven will aid her still.
He is the God of Majesty, and bears in
the palm of His hand the globe of the
world, from generation to generation."
Thus, when some grieved over Jeanne,
as we looked upon her while the flames
consumed her youthful body, I ventured
confidently, to speak. Had I no other

JEANNE D'ARC.

Statue at Jargeau.

897

HUH

JEANNE D'ARC.

ground i"! inv (onfidence, I should have

deluded oil the |i|oillisi- ..I Michael,

Margaret and < .iiii.mue, win,,, ..n.-i

thtee yeais ..I utj'.iiiK- Hi'-V lm;illy in-
., .1, ,1 Hi.,i sh< should sei Iv ..ni ih, I. in,.
,,l P.. in. e ,,ii. | her UK Kingdom " How
..I, .ill I. " .Ii' asked ol hei hr;iv< Illy

guides, " liow

h ill I, W ll o
a in o ti 1 v .1

peasant girl,

givejj order. to

mm ..I ;iinis ' "
Their ans\\ •«• i

was:

oi ( ,od, great-

I, called child,

V..H oeedi HIM .1

go ; < ><>'/ •("'//
///// von ! " The
piounse was not
lot .1 day Yon
have seen it
hold j-ood mi
lil Hi. \l .1 . .1
nil. I'd Pa I -i

dise ; you see it
hold good now,
n,. Ma.d being
... Paradise.

1 1' i saints
promised her
heaven ii sin-

bora hn " in. ii

I yidoill " with

resignation, and
Jeanne believed
Mum .1 1 i n

lallil.lc How

and whv s Ii <%

believed, let us

see Th. jndiM'S
.c.l.ed In I llus
(| ii e s t i o 11

" Since you, • yon , •. ' h.iv« lotctold
th:il yon shall nitn Paiadisr, do yon
hold it lot rntain lli.il you -.h.ill 1,«
:;;ivr«l. ami thai yon shall not IM- ilaiuiinl
in hi'llr1 Then lh<- Maid answrted
"I l)rh,\(- iniiily. just as my voices
hav<- s.iid In inc. (hat I shall !>c saved

MUIUNI|f.K'S I I' . \NN|. I- M>

iii.it i |.i< :.« i v. my virginity oi

l»od\- and soul. " Most . . it.imly H,r

i oi ., sainl ' < .0.1 waa with feannc

'I 'Arc, and ,li. VVas with C.od. The
aid I Ic wondioir.ly l.iyon d hci \\-ilh m
hatllc was not IIJS ()lll\- la\..i to the
"child ol< ',MI|, " noi wag il I In m, ,•. I not,-
wo 1 1 1 1\' \( 1 1 In i
I In- i. ||

< irleans, M-.I HH-

. oional ion o |"

I,' llellllS, ||0| t ||i

awakeniii}', of
!• tan. . , n.. i I hi-
i njir.l i« efl '• ii I
leird .it U'nii, II ,
lleilln-i p.itnot
r.in lloi ;;all.ui

try, alo n c ,

could have won

loi |i anin t IP

Ml, ol ' Yi ii

erable Servant

ol God " Vir-

tu., heiole VM

hie, oi.i.i i ii ed

this u 1 o i i o ii |

••II. I. loll I., I the

M aid oi Oi

leans . and n«>tie

receive a rei -MH

I .ins i

except t h o i e

whom (.0(1 ha.s
.n. 1. .1 constant

The e \ CC II
tloll.l tKllll.led

as he I oo I- e d
upon the Maid's

1,1, ,-din}'. In. Ht ,

not could the
wateis hide it

ins view

To day I see it. .1 . N.HI do, sis I"' did
The Seine has not hidden the heait Imin
OKI si;-hl I'll m il is and whole, mi
s. allied l.y the Ida/e ,,! I.IIIIIIIIK WOOd,
oil and sulphur. As we scan it »«• l( "
moves us, l>nt i.ithei reverence, nimv.!' ,!

with K">titude and with a jMiitlc |"\

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM-

899

Was the red, unblemished hrai i a sign? with the white dove, »the heroic, vir-

more than one bystander asked, before it ginal soul of Jeanne d'Arc, darting from

was flung, all bleeding, into the river, the hot flames at Rouen, swiftly sought

None dared answer then ; but now we and rapturously entered through the

may frankly and securely maintain that gates of Paradise,
the ruddy heart was a sign,— a sign that, THE K NI>.

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.
By John P. Ritter.

T was with
a sense of
anticipated
pleasu re
that Gerald
Fullerton

reached kidgeview one balmy afternoon
in early Spring, and looked around him
in bewilderment at the changes time had
wrought in the once homely village.
When he left it, a poor lad ten years be-
fore, to seek his fortune in the busy
world, it was a mere cluster of wooden
houses. Now it was a thriving town,
with paved streets and rows of handsome
brick buildings.

"It is not like coming back to the
old place, after all, "he mused, with a
momentary feeling of disappointment.
Then he reflected that if Ridgeview had
altered since the olden time, so had he
alt i -red. I le and the town had improved
together. At this thought he quickly
regained his spirits. Not that his im-
provement was in the least commensu-
rate with that of his native place — he
had risen to be a printer, nothing more ;
but to be master of a respectable trade at
which he could earn good wages was such
a marked advancement over his former
penniless condition as a boy, that, as he
thought of the difference now, he felt a
proud consciousness of achievement.

Leaving the railroad station, he
walked along the principal street of the
town, scanning the faces of those he met
in the hope of recognizing some friend

of former days, and living over again
the incidents of his boyhood with each
familiar landmark that he passed.
When he approached the spot where the
little frame schoolhouse used to stand,
and saw a great brick grammar school
occupying its site, a flood of tender
memories swept over him. How differ-
ent was this modern institution of learn-
ing, with its scores of trained teachers
and separate departments for the sexes,
from the primitive academy of his recol-
lections, where one irascible pedagogue
tyrannized over boys and girls together.

Gerald wondered what his dear com-
panions of those careless, happy days
were doing now. How many of them
were still living in Ridgeview? How
many had gone away to fight the battle
of life among strangers ? What had be-
come of ' ' Pigsey ' ' Martin , of " Stumpy ' '
Flynn, of "Pony" Vandenberg, of Alice
Brown, and of blue-eyed, golden-haired
little Dora Norris ? Dora had been the
sweetheart of his schoolboy days, and a
tender light came into his eyes as he
thought of her. What a proud little
creature she was, and yet how true and
warm was her heart ! He remembered
how they had been drawn together by
their poverty ; how she, the poorest girl
in the school, had extended a ready
.sympathy to the little, friendless orphan
boy — the jest and butt of the playground.

While engaged in these reflections he
came to a small frame building, with
peaked roof and dormer windows, thnt

900

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

stood in the centre of a garden. He
recognized it immediately as the old
hostelry of the former village, and that
it was still a house of public entertain-
ment was apparent from the signboard
bearing the inscription ' ' Ridgeview
Hotel," that hung over the entrance.
The house had a comfortable, homelike
appearance, and, as he had not yet fixed
upon a boarding place, he determined to
apply there for accommodations.

On entering the cozy office, a short,
thick-set young man with a countenance
expressive of honesty and good nature,
arose from a seat behind the desk and
gave him a hearty welcome. Gerald
uttered an exclamation of surprise, and,
extending his hand across the counter,
said, in tones of unfeigned delight :

" ' Stumpy', old boy, it does my heart
good to see you again. Come, don't
you know me ? ' '

The young man gazed at him for a
moment in blank astonishment; then
an expression of sudden recognition
illumined his features.

"Know you?" he cried, seizing his
outstretched hand in a vicelike grip.
" Of course I do. You're Gerald Fuller-
ton. But, my ! how you have changed
since the days when we attended old
Tommy Crashaw's school together ! You
must have struck it rich since you left
here, if appearances count for anything. "

' ' Yes, ' ' answered Gerald proudly, ' ' I
have struck it rich. I have mastered
an honorable trade, I have improved
my mind by study, I have saved money,
and have lived in a manner to preserve
my self-respect. ' '

"My! but wouldn't Father Paul be
pleased to hear you speak like that,"
rejoined "Stumpy" Flynn. "You
know you were always a favorite of his. ' '

"Oh, Father Paul knows all about
me," answered Gerald; "but between
you and me, ' Stumpy, ' I don't think he
would be at all pleased to hear me speak1
in such a boastful way." Then, in a
subdued tone, ' ' Of course you know
that whatever I have accomplished in
life I owe to him."

This was indeed true. At the death
of Gerald's parents, the benevolent
priest had taken the orphan boy under
his protection, and had seen that neither
his secular nor religious education was
neglected. When he had mastered the
elements of knowledge, Father Paul
had apprenticed him to a Catholic
printer and publisher in New York,
where he was surrounded by every
Christian influence, while learning a
trade that is too often associated with
vice. Moreover he had communicated
with him at frequent intervals during
his long absence, advising him as to his
conduct and directing his studies, and
the good seed thus sown had fallen
upon fertile ground.

Gentle and intelligent by nature,
Gerald had studiously cultivated his
spiritual graces and mental gifts, and
had dignified his vocation by the spirit
in which he pursued it. Hearing from
his employer the most glowing accounts
of the young man's character and
ability, Father Paul at last determined
to bring him back to Ridgeview at the
first opportunity, and place him where
he could exert a personal influence in
promoting his advancement. The chance
came when the Ridgeview Gazette was in
need of a new foreman for its composing
room. The priest secured the position
for his protege, and Gerald had arrived
in town, on the afternoon that intro-
duces him to the reader, with the inten-
tion of entering upon his duties on the
following day.

It was but natural that the two young
men, meeting after so long a separation,
should have many reminiscences to re-
call, and many questions to ask each
other. In a few words Gerald summed
up his uneventful life of the past ten
years, and then "Stumpy" Flynn re-
cited the story of his meteoric rise from
kitchen boy to hotel proprietor. The
conversation next turned to the histories
of their schoolday friends, and on this
subject "Stumpy " proved himself pos-
sessed of cyclopaedic information. He
told Gerald how " Pigsey " Martin had

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

9O1

first taken to drink and then taken him-
self off to parts unknown ; how " Pony "
Vandenberg, the brightest boy in Cra-
shaw's school, had failed to perform the
remarkable things expected of him, and
was content to pose as a man of fashion ;
how Alice Brown had married happily,
and how old Tommy Crashaw, the ped-
agogue, after maintaining for years the
cause of Protestantism against the argu-
ments of Father Paul, had, when dying,
summoned the priest to his bedside,
acknowledged his past stubbornness in
error, and meekly asked to be admitted
into the one true fold of Christ.

"And little Dora Norris, what of
her ? " asked Gerald anxiously.

' ' Hers is the most remarkable story of
all, ' ' answered ' ' Stumpy ' ' Flynn. ' ' You
know when she went to Crashaw 's
school her parents were as poor as poor
could be. You may remember her father
was a carpenter, and, as there was not
much doing in his trade hereabouts in
those days, he had hard work to pro-
vide for his family. But when the build-
ing boom struck Ridgeview, he had
more than he could do. He saved his
money and invested it in land. Then
he borrowed money and built on specu-
lation. Everything he touched turned
to gold, and he is now the richest man
in town. "

Gerald's eyes brightened.

' ' You cannot guess how pleased I am
to hear such good news of the Norrises, ' '
he said.

' ' You wouldn 't be if you knew how
their good fortune has spoiled them,"
rejoined ' ' Stumpy. " " Why, Jeremiah
Norris, who was once so humble in his
ways, is now set up so high that a duke
could be no higher. His wife is just as
bad, and as for young Miss Dora"

' ' Stumpy ' ' noticed a pained look on
his friend 's face and paused. He had been
on the point of expressing a very un-
favorable opinion of the young lady, but
fearing to hurt Gerald further, compro-
mised by adding :

"She is as beautiful as she is vain,
and as vain as she is beautiful. "

Gerald learned that he would be likely
to meet many of his former friends at a
fair that was being held in a large hall
near by to assist Father Paul in raising
money for the new church he contem-
plated building. So, after selecting the
room he was to occupy and dining at
the hotel, he started out, early in the
evening, first to pay a call of respect
upon his kind benefactor, and then to
visit the fair. Father Paul received him
as a father might a son he dearly loved.
Tears of joy coursed down the wrinkled
cheeks as he gazed fondly upon the frank,
handsome face of the young man, unsul-
lied by a single taint of vice, and thought
how manfully he had preserved his in-
nocence amid the innumerable tempta-
tions of the great city. They passed an
hour in the old priest's study, convers-
ing affectionately on the subjects nearest
to their hearts, and then started out to-
gether for the hall where the fair was in
progress.

It was a spacious, oblong apartment,
with a high ceiling and a stage at one
end. The walls were lined on both sides
by rows of wooden stalls, draped with
flags and colored muslin, and there was
a third row in the centre of the hall
similarly decorated. In every stall there
were a number of young girls, prettily
attired, waiting on the counters, and
the eagerness they displayed in solicit-
ing custom might have put the average
professional saleswoman to the blush.
Other young girls, with little books in
their hands, were going about here and
there among the people in the aisles,
offering chances for articles of furniture,
barrels of flour, and a variety of useful
things at sums within reach of the poor-
est person present.

" You will observe, " said Father Paul,
as he and Gerald made a circuit of the
hall, "that my congregation is com-
posed of hardworking people. I have
only one rich family in my parish — the
Norrises. So I have been very careful
to have nothing but useful things offered
for sale here. I want my parishioners
to get some equivalent for the money

902

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

they spend, and they certainly would
not if the counters were loaded with
pretty knickknacks and embroidered
trifles of needlework. "

He then conducted the young man
from stall to stall, introducing him to
the girls at the counters, and, incident-
ally, to many of the purchasers in the
aisles. After this he excused himself
on the plea of having business to trans-
act with the committee having charge
of the fair, and left him to amuse him-
self, as his inclination prompted. As he
had been led to expect, Gerald found
many of the friends of his boyhood in
the assemblage, and enjoyed himself
thoroughly in their companionship ; but
he could not altogether divest himself
of a sense of chagrin in not meeting
with Dora Norris, about whom he had
recently heard such strange reports. He
had almost reconciled himself to the
disappointment, when his attention was
aroused by a slight commotion near the
entrance to the hall. Turning to ascer-
tain the cause of it, he observed that a
young man and woman had just passed
through the door and were making their
way toward the stage.

The man was attired in a brown golf
suit, with cumbrous gray stockings
turned over at the tops, and laced tan
shoes. He carried a cap in one hand,
and a heavy, silver-studded cane and tan-
colored gloves in the other. A pair of
gold-rimmed eye-glasses enhanced the
supercilious expression of his aristo-
cratic countenance. He seemed strange-
ly out of place in such an humble assem-
blage.

The girl's apparel was even more in-
congruous. A white silk hood covered
her head, and a fur-trimmed opera cloak
of the same material and color was
thrown over her shoulders. She carried
herself with a very superior air, and the
little nods of recognition she gave to
acquaintances, as she swept along, were
so full of condescension that those who
received them would have much preferred
that she had passed them by unnoticed.

' ' An ' I knew her when she hadn 't a
shoe to her fut, ' ' remarked an old woman
at Gerald's elbow.

' ' Aye, but by the airs of her, you
would think she was born a queen, " re-
sponded another woman nearby.

Gerald waited to hear no more. There
was an indefinable something in the
girl's manner that seemed strangely
familiar to him, and he hastened after
her in the hope of catching a glimpse of
her features. His curiosity was re-
warded sooner than he expected, for, on
reaching a stall close to the stage, she
entered it, and, throwing off her hood
and cloak, took her place at the counter
to wait on customers.

Attired in an evening gown of light
blue silk that matched the color of her
large, expressive eyes, with costly jewels
sparkling in her golden hair, Gerald
could hardly credit his senses when he
recognized in this beautiful creature the
little Dora Norris whom he had known
and loved as a despised and shabby
child. The magic of this wondrous
transition from poverty to affluence be-
wildered him, and he felt as if he were
the witness to a fairy drama in which
Dora played the part of Cinderella and
the supercilious young man that of
Prince Charming.

He experienced a pang of jealousy as
he noticed the apparently intimate rela-
tions that existed between them, and at
the same time realized that his old love
for Dora as a child was renewed for her
as a woman with ten-fold ardor. So far
his attention had been completely ab-
sorbed in watching the girl, but now
that jealousy had entered into his feel-
ings, he devoted some part of his obser-
vation to her companion. Could it be
possible that he knew him also ? Yes ;
beneath the affected expression of dis-
dain that he wore as a mask to hide
whatever of the natural man was still
left in him, Gerald saw the brilliant
schoolboy ' ' Pony ' ' Vandenberg.

He forgot how the fastidious youth
had made him the butt of his scornful

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

903

ridicule in the days gone by, and re-
membered only that they had been boys
together, attending the same school,
struggling with the same difficult prob-
lems, and participating in the same
stimes. Carried away by a flood of
jweet recollections, he approached the
man, and, extending his hand
with the frank manner of one fully ex-
pecting a hearty response, exclaimed
impulsively :

"Why, ' Pony,' what a pleasure it is
to see you again after all these years ! ' '

The young
man drew him-
self up haugh-
tily, and survey-
ed Gerald from
head to f o o t ,
without deigning
to notice his out-
stretched hand.

' ' Are you ad-
dre s s i n g me,
sir ? " he asked
in frigid tones.
"Because if you
are, it would be
well for you to
note that my
name is Philip
Vandenb erg-
Philip to my in-
timate frie n d s ,
and Mr. Vanden-
berg to all
others. "

Gerald realized
instantly the mis-
take his outburst
of generous feel-
ing had led him
to commit. He
remembered that
Vandenberg be-
longed to a fam-
ily that prided
themsel v e s on
their ancest r y ;
that the circle in
which he moved

was far above his own* humble sphere.
He appreciated the marked difference in
their circumstances and was too sensible
to take offense at Vandenberg 's resent-
ment of a familiarity which, while
allowable between schoolboys, was cer-
tainly not admissible between self-
respecting men of widely separated sta-
tions in life. So he apologized for his
error without in the least compromising
his own dignity, and, in a very gracious
and respectful manner introduced him-
self to Vandenberg, at the same time

"SHE IS AS BEAUTIFUL AS SHE IS VAIN.

904

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

suggesting an amusing incident of the
past, as a theme well calculated to lead
to pleasant conversation.

But Philip Vandenberg, though a
gentleman by birth and education, was
at heart a snob, and met his courteous
advances with such a cold, disdainful
air that Gerald, hurt beyond expression
to be treated so by an old companion,
was glad to leave him to himself.

Dora Norris had been a silent listener
to their interview, as she was standing
quite near them, and Gerald fully ex-
pected that, knowing his identity, she
would come forward and give him a
cordial greeting. But she seemed to
take the cue for her behavior from Van-
denberg, and pretended she had not ob-
served him. This wounded him to the
quick. Yet it was possible the slight
might not have been intended, so he
determined to speak to her.

"Dora," he said gently, turning
toward the counter she was tending,
" don't you remember Gerald Fullerton,
your little schoolboy friend ? ' '

He addressed her thus familiarly be-
cause he felt that formality in her case
was uncalled for. Socially they were
equals ; they had been the dearest
friends in childhood, and the difference
that recently acquired wealth might
make between them he proudly ignored.
That the girl was susceptible to gentle
emotions was betrayed by the color that
mounted to her cheeks ; but, at a glance
from Vandenberg, she assumed a haugh-
ty air, and answered icily :

"Yes, Mr. Fullerton, I remember you
quite well."

Then^she turned from him and busied
herself in rearranging the articles on
her counter. Deeply mortified and
thrown into a state of confusion that
deprived him of his usual self-command,
Gerald blushed scarlet and stammered
back plaintively :

"I hardly expected such a cold re-
ception from you, Dora. We used to be
such'good friends, you know."

Dora shrugged her shoulders and con-

tracted her pretty brows slightly, as if
to intimate that any allusion to the past
was distasteful to her; then, looking
full in Gerald 's face, asked arrogantly :

"Has it never occurred to you, Mr.
Fullerton, that one may presume too
much upon his schoolday acquaintance-
ship?"

The question opened Gerald's eyes to
the gulf that was fixed between them.
In an instant he regained his composure ;
and, with a proud inclination of the
head and a courteous ' ' Good evening,
Miss Norris," he withdrew. Then the
words of ' ' Stumpy ' ' Flynn recurred to
him — ' ' She is as beautiful as she is vain,
and as vain as she is beautiful, " and he
tacitly acknowledged the justice of the
criticism.

As he had no longer a reason for re-
maining at the fair, he started to leave
the hall. At the door he met Father
Paul, who was also departing for home
and, as their way lay in the same direc-
tion, they walked along together.

"Well, Gerald, I hope you enjoyed
yourself to-night ? ' ' said the priest.

" Until just before I came away, yes, "
answered the young man moodily ;
' ' when I had a very disagreeable experi-
ence. ' '

Then, at the solicitation of his friend,
he told him unreservedly about his meet-
ing with Philip Vandenberg and Dora
Norris, concluding with the remark, " I
did not mind so much about young Van-
denberg's proud airs; but that Dora,
the dearest friend I had, should delib-
erately snub me in his presence has
embittered my return to Ridgeview far
more than I can express. "

' ' I remember, ' ' said Father Paul, mus-
ingly, ' ' that when you were a boy you
were very, very fond of Dora Norris. Are
you as much interested in her now ? "

Gerald intimated in an embarrassed
manner that he was.

4 ' In that case, ' ' said the priest, ' ' you
may rely upon me to help you all I
can. ' '

During the month that followed,

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM-

9O5

Gerald devoted himself assiduously to
the duties of his new position. At
Father Paul's suggestion, he undertook
considerable reporting for the Gazette,
apart from his work in the composing
room, and developed such a marked
aptitude for writing that his articles
added greatly to the tone of the paper.
Indeed, at this period of his life, he was
never idle. When he was not busy on
the Gazette, he applied himself to study.
He set himself the hardest tasks; for he
realized that if he allowed his mind
time to brood over his hopeless love for
Dora Norris, it would be fatal to the
accomplishment of his purposes.

In his walks about the town he had
several times met her, driving in the
stylish phaeton her father had given
her, and he had been surprised at the
pleasant smiles and bows she gave him,
as if to make atonement for her rude-
ness when they had met at the fair; but
he purposely avoided an interview with
her, because he had come to regard it as
a settled thing that she was to marry
Philip Vandenberg, despite the fact that
she was a Catholic and he a Protestant.
To be sure no engagement had been
announced between them; but he was so
constant in his attentions upon her, and
she received them with such open en-
couragement, that no one could doubt
the outcome of the affair.

One day Gerald dropped in at the
house of the Ridgeview Golf Club to
obtain notes of the game for the Gazette.
Philip Vandenberg and another young
idler of the town, dressed in their ever-
lasting golf suits, were lolling in arm-
chairs on the piazza, smoking cigarettes
and yawning between puffs. He saluted
them distantly and entered the club-
house to get the information he had
come for from the secretary. Then he
returned to ' the piazza and, taking a
chair near Vandenberg and his friend,
began to write in his note-book. While
so engaged he heard the clatter of hoofs
and the rattle of wheels on the graveled
road in front of the clubhouse, and,

raising his eyes, behejd Dora Norris
driving past in her phaeton. She
smiled and bowed very sweetly to the
two young men, and gave him a little
supplementary nod also. When she had
disappeared from view, his friend turned
to Vandenberg and asked:

" Is it true you intend marrying that
girl, Phil?"

' ' Why not ? ' ' answered Vandenberg,
apparently oblivious to the presence of
a third party. "She has quantities of
money, and, between ourselves, I am
heartily weary of playing the role of
gentleinan with empty pockets. It is
so convenient to be able to gratify all
one's tastes, you know. To be sure, the
little girl is rather vulgar at present,
and her parents are insufferably so ; but
then she will improve with a little
coaching, and, of course, I have no in-
tention of marrying her family. "

Gerald felt the angry blood rush to
his brain.

' ' But how about her religion ? ' ' asked
Vandenberg 's friend. " You know Cath-
olics are proverbially set in their be-
lief."

' ' You need not be alarmed on that
score," was the brutal reply. "You
can trust me to knock all that supersti-
tious nonsense out of her. "

Unable to control himself longer, Ger-
ald jumped to his feet and, confronting
Vandenberg, exclaimed in an outburst
of justifiable indignation :

" Philip Vandenberg, without intend-
ing to, I have overheard the remarks
you have just made. Heretofore I have
at least considered you a gentleman.
Now, I know you to be a low-minded
fellow, utterly unworthy to associate
with self-respecting men, much less
with innocent, confiding women."

Vandenberg sprang from his chair.
He had been drinking freely in the
course of the day, and was in no mood
to brook such a' strong rebuke.

' ' You miserable, contemptible eaves-
dropper ! " he cried, scarlet with rage.
"I'll teach you better than to intrude

908

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

spiritual guide upon whose wise counsel
she so relied was taken from her. Ill-
ness and physical sufferings were not
wanting even in these early years, nor
the interior trials with which God so
often perfects the souls of His elect.

An Encyclical of the Holy Father Leo
XII. drew attention to the dangers
that threatened the Church and France
through the careless and pleasure-loving
lives of the French people. Pauline had
studied most deeply the moral evils of
the day, and none, perhaps, desired
more earnestly than she to find a rem-
edy. She had sought years before to
unite pious hearts in offering the sacri-
fice of their prayers and austerities to
appease the justice of God. She had
later organized a little association for
the distribution of pious literature and
articles of devotion, and the necessity of
subdividing the members of this confra-
ternity in order to extend the work,
suggested to her the means of attaining
the general recitation of the Rosary,
that efficient remedy for the prevalent
evils.

While the Rosary is the most beauti-
ful and available means of spreading the
spirit of prayer, comparatively few could
be called upon for its regular recitation.
But Pauline conceived the happy idea of
dividing the fifteen mysteries among
fifteen people. And thus, under the
name of the Living Rosary, the beauti-
ful devotion of St. Dominic was pre-
sented under a 'new and available form
as a means of reparation for the evils of
the da}7. It included, also, an apostolate
for the spread of pious books and pic-
tures. The work began as had the
Propagation of the Faith among the
' ' Reparatrices " of the Heart of Jesus
and the poor girls of St. Vallier, and pa-
tience and perseverance overcame at last
the opposition and difficulties of all
kinds that, as Pauline says, "agitated
her frail bark for four years. " She had
to face the full force of the storm, but
the little mustard seed of this spiritual
work was to bear, like the former,

a wonderful harvest and extend its
branches in many lands.

The first blow came from the Domini-
can Friars, who censured Mile. Jaricot
for a dangerous innovation in changing
the form of the beautiful devotion that
was their heritage from their saintly
founder. When, however, they under-
stood her intentions more thoroughly,
they withdrew their opposition and affili-
ated the work of the Living Rosary to
their own. Jealousy and misunder-
standing, however, greeted Mile. Jaricot
from many quarters. Her motives were
misrepresented and her influence con-
tested, and it was even urged that frhe
had better withdraw from the direction
of the work and leave it to others.

It became necessary to appeal to Rome
for a decision. The Holy Pontiff praised
the devotion of the Living Rosary, and
blessed the labors of Mile. Jaricot as its
pious foundress.

It was recommended by Pontifical
letters and enriched with indulgences,
and the illustrious Cardinal Lambrusch-
ini was appointed the Protector of the
work. It was Pauline's idea not only
to organize the homage of continual
prayer, but to link together all Chris-
tian hearts in pious union and fraternal
charity, to aid each other in material and
spiritual needs ; and in this spirit she
established regular monthly meetings of
the Councillors of the work.

The devotion spread with marvellous
rapidity. Four years after its installa-
tion the Living Rosary claimed a rest-
ing place in many parts of the world,
in Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, England
and America. It reached, later, Greece,
Canada, and South America, and even
the shores of Africa, and its results to-
day may be estimated in connection
with the great work of our own day,
the Apostleship of Prayer. The Living
Rosary was canonically erected at Rome
by a Brief of January 27, 1832, and that
of February 2, of the same year.

On the death of her brother Phileas;
Pauline sought to continue his earnest

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

909

labors among the Sisters who were

iployed as nurses in the hospital of
the Hotel Dieu, where on account of the
disorders following upon the Revolu-
tion, they had little religious training,
and were exposed to many spiritual
dangers. She had herself long felt an
attraction to a life of religious calm and
seclusion, and yet it seemed to be com-
bated by a consuming zeal and ardent
desire to labor for souls in exterior
works.

One day, while seeking in pra}Ter the
solutions of these two opposing attrac-
tions, she thought within herself that
had God not chosen to make her a
woman she could have found their most
perfect combination in the Society of
Jesus. And, as she sighed over her own
feeble abilities, an interior voice replied
to her thought : "If you cannot enter
the Society of Jesus, why not form the
Society of Mary ' ' ? The design was
long considered in all submission to her
spiritual guides, and finally carried into
execution.

Her first thought had been to unite
several souls to aid her in carrying on
the business of the Living Rosary, and
other exterior works of charity that
were already a burden too great for her
feeble strength. The little community
did not term itself a religious order.
Pauline's intention was simply to form
a few souls in the most solid perfection,
ready for whatever work God should
place in their hands at any moment.
But their most heartfelt duty was that
of propitiation and prayer. She ob-
tained the favor of the reservation of
the Blessed Sacrament in their little
chapel, and her pious desires were not
satisfied until she had obtained permis-
sion to occupy day and night a room
adjoining the chapel with a window
opening into the sanctuary.

Their rule was a very simple one, and
their aim was to attain the interior
virtues that are the soul of the religious
life. But few souls responded as Pauline
desired to the aims of the ' ' Society of

Mary." The first subjects she had
selected from the Hotel Dieu were not
suitable, and later she was obliged to
allow them a separate house where they
could devote themselves to their original
occupation of caring for the sick. A
few chosen souls however, remained and
she purchased for their residence a
beautiful property with spacious grounds
on the heights of Fourviere, to which
she gave the name of Loretto.

Sinister warnings now broke upon the
calm of their religious seclusion. The
insurrection of July, 1831, was only
the prelude to more terrible uprisings.
Three times already had Mile. Jaricot
offered to God the sacrifice of her life
under its most awful aspect during
these days of alarm and disaster. She
tells of the fierce struggle of nature
against grace in the fears that assailed
her in those dark hours. Yet her will
remained supremely attached to God,
and she could not consent to fly from
the dangers that surrounded her while
she could pray and offer herself for the
salvation of souls. The rumors of a
fourth insurrection awoke the fears of
the Lyonnese, and the inhabitants of
Loretto were warned that it would be
well to seek a safer asylum before the
storm burst upon them. But Mile.
Jaricot was very ill. The complication
of physical ills from which she suffered
had reached a crisis, and she was in the
last extremity. Two days before, Ex-
treme Unction had been administered to
the invalid, and it was impossible to
remove her, as the least movement was
sufficient to bring on a violent crisis.

The insurrection became more alarm-
ing. Loretto was situated upon the
heights overlooking the city. Just out-
side its gates a road, screened by a stone
wall, afforded an excellent ambush for
the marauding troops. While the in-
mates of Loretto meditated flight, it was
already too late. The insurgents were
installed in their place- of vantage, and
the fire from the enemy and the return-
ing volleys of the defenders met, as one

91O

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

might say, over their very heads. The
household were assembled in the chapel
with several persons who had sought
shelter. The bed on which Pauline lay
in her state of almost imminent death,
was brought into the chapel, and at the
feet of the Divine Master they prayed
for protection for themselves, and the
mercy of God on the doomed city. The
bombardment of the soldiery and the
trembling walls of their beloved home
warned them that it was unsafe to re-
main, yet to fall into the hands of the
invaders would be still worse than the
death that was so near. Pauline would
not leave the Blessed Sacrament un-
guarded. The tabernacle was a portable
one, and with trembling hands it was
lifted and placed in the arms of the poor
invalid. Within the enclosure of Lo-
retto, where many antique remains of
Roman times were visible, there was a
subterranean grotto or passage, which,
no doubt, dated back to the times of the
early Christians. To reach this shelter
was the aim of the fugitives, but to
accomplish it was a terrible ordeal. To
take Pauline in her almost inanimate
condition was to expose her to immi-
nent danger of death. Yet it was she
who nerved them to the effort. " Let us
go, since Jesus is with us." was her re-
ply. So, forming a guard of honor, with
lighted candles they went out, bearing
in their midst the mattress upon which
their beloved invalid reposed, carrying,
like a second Clare, the Holy of Holies.
And thus protected, no doubt by the
watching angels of their Queen and
Mother, they traversed the gardens
slowly under a rain of shot and shell
that fell around them.

The subterranean passage was long
and narrow, and led to a reservoir.
Towards its centre a deeper excavation
or vault in the shape of a cross seemed
to have been made by Christian hands
in ages long gone by. In each of the
four arms of this cross one of her daugh-
ters found place, while the invalid's bed
occupied the centre. The strangers,

among whom was an actress who owed
her conversion to these terrible days,
remained near the entrance in the corri-
dor. Here it was the dreadful fate of
Mile. Jaricot and her companions to
dwell for four days and nights in a liv-
ing tomb, hearing the unceasing volleys
of artillery, the bursting shells rain
down upon their cherished home, fearing
every moment that their hiding-place
would be discovered. Hour by hour they
watched through the weary days and
nights, finding strength and courage in
the near presence of the Blessed Sacra-
ment which rested ever on the breast of
their Mother, and offering themselves to
God in unceasing prayer. And Jesus
gave them a consoling sign of His pro-
tection, and came, as one might say,
from His very seclusion, to console
them in their terrors. In moving the
Tabernacle they had heard a sound as it
the cover of the Ciborium were detached
and the Sacred Hosts in danger of being
separated. What should they do? To
open it without absolute necessity would
be an infraction of the laws of the
Church, and yet to omit it would sub-
ject the sacred Species to be broken or
scattered. Finally, after earnest prayer,
they determined to open the Tabernacle,
and found, as they had feared, that the
Ciborium was uncovered and several of
the Hosts had fallen out on the corporal.
Trembling with love and respect they
adored their Divine Lord, uncertain
what should be done, and with the aid of
the paten enveloped in the altar linens,
they succeeded in lifting one by one the
Hosts and replacing them with all rev-
erence. Terrified and fearful of their
right to such action, they were yet over-
powered with emotion at the thought of
their Eucharistic Lord confiding Himself
in so touching a manner to their care
and solicitude.

They had brought some little food with
them — bread and honey, and some fruit
— which, with water from the cistern,
sufficed for their need. On the third day
of their captivity the terrible sounds of

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

911

the conflict were succeeded by others,
and they heard the hurried tramp of feet
passing over their very heads. They
were overcome with new terrors, but
they hoped on, and, elevating the sacred
Tabernacle, prayed withTarms'extended
from time to time, for six whole hours.
Then came a feeling of peace, and a cer-
tainty that God had heard;their prayers,
and that the city was saved.

The next morning the sounds outside
ceased. Several found strength to leave
their retreat, and found that the insur-
gents had capitulated, and the danger
was over. Their dear home of Loretto
was still standing, and though pierced
with shot and shell, was unprofaned by
the marauders. Thither Pauline was re-
moved later, but while she still remained
in the vault a priest who had come by
some happy inspiration to the spot, re-
moved the Blessed Sacrament and gave
her in her subterranean retreat the
Bread of the Strong.

After these terrible days Mile. Jaricot
was still a great sufferer, and the phy-
sician who attended her could promise no
relief. With one of those absorbing
fancies that beset the dying she desired
to visit Rome and the shrine of St. Philo-
mena, the favorite saint of the Cure of
Ars. So arduous a journey in her dying
condition seemed an impossibility, but
her invincible will succeeded in accom-
plishing it.

A pretty incident of the journey must
be mentioned. While the little band of
travellers toiled up an Alpine road heavy
with deep snows she paused a moment in
the ascent to admire the blue skies and
the grandeur of the mountain scenery.
Suddenly a beautiful child appeared and,
smiling at Pauline, leaned on the win-
dow of the carriage, and threw into her a
lovely white rose. Whence came the
pretty messenger, and whence came the
rose, that surely never grew in those
fields of snow ? He had vanished as he
came, and the deep recesses of the moun-
tain heights gave no trace of his retreat.
Was it a mystic emblem of her own ap-

proaching visit to the Sovereign Pontiff
in the homage of the Living Rosary ?
Who knows ?

They reached Rome at last, and found
a warm welcome at the Convent of the
Sacred Heart at Trinita de' Monti, and a
tender friend in Rev. Mother Barat, the
venerable Foundress of the congregation.
Here, too, the Sovereign Pontiff came
twice to visit Mile. Jaricot, and left her,
sadly thinking he had seen his cherished
daughter for the last time. ' ' Non la ve-
dremmo piii, non retornara piu, ' ' he said.
He recommended her to the Cardinal
Lambruschini in these words : "I rec-
ommend to you my very dear daughter.
Give her every privilege and indulgence
possible." Cardinal Lambruschini was
to Pauline a lifelong friend, and never
ceased to protect her interests and to tes-
tify to the solidity of her virtues.

From Rome Pauline succeeded in
reaching Mugnano and the Shrine of St.
Philomena. Yet, while she felt the in-
undation of Divine Grace that flowed
from the gentle patroness of Italian fer-
vor, she hesitated to demand relief
from the sufferings God had laid upon
her so long. But the enthusiastic pil-
grims and inhabitants at the sight of the
poor invalid, carried day after day to the
shrine without relief, were somewhat in-
clined to rebel and reproach St. Philo-
mena. Indeed they were disposed, as
they say in French, to " Casser la tete
de La bonne sainte, ' ' and murmured audi-
bly their displeasure at her delay. And
at the moment when St. Philomena
seemed to have indeed forgotten her,
during a severe attack of her malady,
Mile. Jaricot felt a sudden deliverance
from all her physical ills and the return
of the strength of her youth. It was a
perfect cure, and some days later the
poor invalid over whom His Holiness had
sighed came in perfect health to visit
him and ask his blessing. He was very
gracious and was pleased to hear all the
details of her miraculous recovery. He
made her walk up and down the room
several times to prove her strength.

912

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

As Mile. Jaricot moved about at her ease
with all simplicity, thinking only to
please the Holy Father, the Master of
Ceremonies whispered to her that eti-
quette demanded that one should never
turn her back to the Pope. Gregory
XVI. smiled and said: "Nonsense,
never mind ; God has made greater ex-
ceptions in her favor." He gave her
many precious privileges and wished her
to remain a year in Rome that her cure
might be examined and put on record.

These were happy days, full of celes-
tial graces and the sympathy of saintly
friends. But they were the strengthen-
ing cordial of many bitter trials to come.
The return of health gave a new impetus
to the zeal of Mile. Jaricot, and she un-
dertook a project that had long been
near to her heart. The discontent and
unrest that pervaded the working classes
and resulted in so much evil, appealed
to her deeply, and she formed a vast
scheme for the establishment of a colony
of workmen and their families, where
their labor, ennobled and surrounded by
Christian influences, might prove a nu-
cleus of promise. In this design she
devoted the greater part of her fortune
to the purchase of a valuable property
near Apt and Marseilles, a little village
in itself, including the Church of Notre
Dame des Anges, numerous factories,
stores and houses for the workmen who
were needed to carry on the work of the
iron mines which the property enclosed.
Besides these resources, the neighboring
mountains furnished a great quantity of
clay and chemicals suitable for many
purposes, from the making of bricks to
that of the finest porcelain and crockery.
The property was most valuable and
quite capable of supporting the enter-
prise. Unfortunately, Mile. Jaricot, who
dreaded notoriety and publicity, resolved
to employ an agent to act for her interest
and in her name and to appear as the
real beneficiary. She found, as she
thought, in a family that she had be-
friended, a man who united all desirable
qualities and seemed universally es-

teemed. She put in his hands the whole
management of the revenues and the
funds for the purchase, and trusted him
fully. Alas ! for once her zeal overcame
her prudence. It was a fatal mistake.
Gustave P. was an adventurer of the
most dangerous type. By various arti-
fices he had won the confidence of those
whose aid was desirable, and by paying
the workmen in princely fashion he
gained them completely to add their
praises to the general chorus. Pauline
received the most encouraging letters
from her manager, and day by day he
evaded a settlement and postponed his
appearance. The funds she had placed
in his hands were dissipated, and the
estate itself seriously involved before
she awoke to the dreadful realization of
her mistake. And the whole accumula-
tion of debts and interest, of lawsuits
and complications reverted to Mile. Jari-
cot as the responsible head of the enter-
prise. The awakening was terrible.
She had sought to be forgotten of men
and to hide her generosity from public
admiration, but the Lord had chosen to
send her a deeper measure of annihila-
tion. She was not only laughed at and
harassed and censured, but the anger,
hatred, persecution and mean retaliation
of countless creditors fell upon her and
embittered her life to the very end. The
deepest drop in her cup of woe was the
suffering of the poor laborers who were
involved in her ruin. Poor souls, they,
at least, felt for her, and hid their own
distress from the benefactress whom
they had learned to love.

In the vain hope of saving the prop-
erty by carrying on the mines, she
hazarded the rest of her fortune, but it
was insufficient. Her life was spent in
useless efforts to repay the enormous
debts contracted in her name, by the
sacrifice of every comfort. She begged
assistance from the friends of her youth,
but they had forgotten Mile. Jaricot in
her days of misfortune. As a last resource
she resolved to resume her long-aban-
doned title of Foundress of the Propaga

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER.

913

tion of the Faith, and by the addition of
a small stipend to the regular revenues, a
sum could easily be realized sufficient to
pay the debts and carry out the beloved
enterprise. But her claims were now
contested in every direction, and though
many honored them by an affectionate
response, and though the Pope himself
authorized the proceeding with kindly
encouragement, the Council of the Propa-
gation of the Faith could not be com-
pletely won, so many were the jealous
incriminations, calumnies and insinua-
tions that seemed to follow her every-
where.

The rest of her life was spent in in-
terior and exterior suffering, in long
journeys with one faithful companion,
in the guise of poverty and the experi-
ence of all its hardships, that she might
gain a few cents more for her heartless
creditors. And more than one of the
friends who had professed undying affec-
tion in her days of prosperity, now met
her with frivolous excuses or turned her
almost from their doors. Yet in one of
these journeys a priest who had known
her in the height of her generous charity
and successful zeal, said to her : " Now
I see truly that you are one of God's
chosen souls, since He has given you a
share in His sufferings rather than His
triumphs." Oh, how bitter and how
terrible to nature were the daily trials
of these latter years, and how noble the
charity that conquered the rebellious
and met the deepest wrongs with for-
giveness and forgetfulness ! Her life
was drawing to a close, and pride was
conquered forever, and human desires
faded away as the leaves fall from the
trees in winter and unveil to our sight
the unclouded blue of heaven. Pauline
had promised to drink to the last drop
the chalice that God should give, and
she did so. She died in absolute pov-
erty, fearing to the end to lose the
shelter of her last days, the dear home
of lyoretto, already denuded of every
relic of better days, and even of the most
ordinary comforts of life. She was at-

tended by the two or three faithful com-
panions whose virtue had stood the test,
whose affection never faltered, and
whose after-lives were devoted to the
preservation of the sacred memories of
their beloved Mother. Her last illness
was long and painful, the slow wearing-
away of the fetters that held the longing
soul to earth. But now and then some
gleam of heavenly felicity would pierce
the clouds and strengthen the soul that
had ever sought to be one with the
Crucified, and to whose increasing prayer
had been granted perhaps the slow
martyrdom of life rather than the sudden
glory of a death for the Faith. Her last
words were for the Church, for France,
for the city of Lyons, and she cried
with all the ardor of her apostolic soul :
"Give me souls, O my God, give me
souls ! I thirst for their salvation ! ' ' She
half rose to leave her bed, and when the
gentle watcher asked her whither she
would go, she answered : "To Jesus, to
leave Him no more ! " A ray of sunlight
shone through the clouds, and, resting
on the bed of death, seemed to form an
aureole around the head of the faithful
virgin. " O Paradise !" she cried, "O
endless happiness, O incomprehensible
love!" And, a little later, "My life?
Oh, yes ! Fiat, Fiat !" And so her apos-
tolic soul passed to the other life amid
the shadows of her Calvary, leaving its
heritage of generous charity and far-
reaching zeal to be continued by other
hearts, and to link together the Old
World and the New in prolific action and
pious supplication.

Among those who gathered to pay the
last honors to her memory in the denuded
sanctuary of lyoretto was noticed a re-
ligious in an unfamiliar habit, whose
grateful tears revealed one of those silent
and secret acts of charity that filled
countless pages of Mile. Jaricot 's life. ' ' I
never saw her, " said the religious, "but
it was she to whom we owe the preserva-
tion of our convent in a time of financial
distress. ' ' It was but one of the countless
deeds of kindness that time brought to

914

AN APOSTLE OF PRAYER

light, but one instance of the daily help
given by Mile. Jaricot to the material and
spiritual needs of those about her. As
if God blessed at last her generous in-
tention, the property of Notre Dame des
Anges fell by a most Providential course
of circumstances in the hands of a gen-
tleman whose intelligent and charitable
disposition seem to promise the effectual
realization of Mile. Jaricot 's desires in re-
gard to the working class. If it was her
lot to suffer and to be despised, it was
hers also to claim among her friends
the Pontiffs of the Church, illustri-
ous Cardinals and saintly personages.
The Cure" of Ars knew her and valued
her friendship. Her gentle counsels were
sought by many great ones of the
Church, and many a grateful priest wrote
to thank her for the spiritual help,
though it came from a woman, that had
uplifted and strengthened him in days of
trials and weariness of soul. Some one
said to her, in reference to these coun-
sels, trying her humility, "You must be
very holy yourself, to be able to advise
God 's chosen ones. ' ' She answered with
a gentle smile : ' ' Are there no mile-
stones that indicate the road they cannot
travel? "

But who shall tell of the graces
wrought by her interior life of prayer
and generous sacrifice prolonged through
so many years, and tried by such appar-
ent desolation? God does not always
show us the fruit of these interior

labors ; but who shall estimate them ?
The self-sacrificing life of Mile. Jaricot,
her apostolic zeal, her earnest study of
the times, and her efforts to remedy their
moral evils, force upon us the fact that
there is outside the cloister a vast field
for zealous labor, and a need of apostolic
souls everywhere. How great a contrast
is her life to the aimless, unspiritual
lives that meet us on every side in this
century that we speak of with so much
pride as an era of enlightenment and
superexcellent endeavor ! The moral
evils that are fast coming upon us are so
insidious that we do not realize their
alarming portents, but they call for the
earnest consideration of intelligent
minds. The want of faith outside the
Church and the indifference and low
standard of perfection so apparent
within it, the growing materialism of the
age, and the endless thirst for amuse-
ment ! In these days of religious liberty,
when the grace of God is poured out
upon us in such munificent profusion,
when every gift of science and every in-
vention of popular convenience can min-
ister to our religious influence upon the
world around us, why is it that so few
choose for their talents the field that
would ennoble and honor their exercise
most of all ? Oh, truly one must hear
the words of our Lord resounding down
the ages, and never more sadly echoed
than in our own day : ' ' The harvest is
indeed great, but the laborers are few."

ST. ANTHONY IN ART.
By M. F. Nixon.

f N the great city of Lisbon, in the
A year 1195, there was born Ferdinand
Martin de Bulleons, son of very pious
people of high rank. His father was
descended from Godfrey de Bouillon,
famous in the Crusades, while his mother,
Donna Maria Tavera, traced her lineage
from a sovereign of the Asturias.

Born on the Feast of the Assumption,
in a house opposite to the cathedral
dedicated to the same Mystery, and bap-
tized in the cathedral, the little Portu-
guese boy had always an especial devo-
tion to the Blessed Vir-
gin. Brought up by
an uncle who was a
priest of great sanctity,
Ferdinand early showed
the piety of a saintly
nature. When he was
only fifteen he deter-
mined to give up the
world, retiring to a
monastery near Lisbon .
From there he was
transferred to Santa
Cruz, near Coimbra,
and there it was that
he met the Franciscan
friars whose influence
was to prove so strong
in his life. These friars were guests at
Coimbra on their way to preach to the
Moors in Africa. They were very holy
men, and Ferdinand was much impressed
with their sanctity and devotion. When
they met martyrdom at the hand of
Miramolin, the Moorish king, and their
relics were brought to Coimbra, the
young priest's desire for a more austere
life than that his order demanded was
aroused, and his wish to preach the Gos-
pel to the heathen led him to seek en-
trance into the Franciscan Order.

"I wish to be as poor as Our Lord,"
he said.

VAN DYCK.

' ' Go, then, if you will become a saint, ' '
said one of the Community, in sorrow
at losing so beloved a brother as the
young Portuguese.

"When you hear of my being one,
you will praise God," said Ferdinand
prophetically, and twelve years later
he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX.

Ferdinand took the Franciscan habit
in 1220, becoming Brother Anthony, and
living a retired life for some years.

His desire to go to Africa was ungrati-
fied because of his poor health, and
Italy was the scene of
his greatest labors, and
heresy the subject of
his life-work.

There were at that
time many heretical
doctrines springing up
in various provinces
and threatening to un-
dermine the blessed
unity of the Church ;
and the "silver
tongue ' ' of the young
Franciscan seemed to
strike a heavenly music
into the discord of
men's souls. Wherever
he spoke they listened
and wondered. With words of loving
exhortation he brought to penitence the
most wicked of men, and especially was
this true of the Paduans, for, whereas
the people of Padua had been noted for
turbulence and heresy, shortly after St.
Anthony's death Pope Gregory ad-
dressed to the city a Bull in which he
praised the piety and zeal of the people.
In the confessional an angel of pa-
tience and sweetness, St. Anthony's
questions were so pertinent, his insight
so almost inspired, that penitents came
to him from miles around, and even tho
most hardened bandits made restitution

915

916

ST ANTHONY IN ART

for their crimes at the Saint's com-
mands.

Miracles of the body, scarcely more
marvellous than those of the soul, were
vouchsafed to him by the grace of God,
and the sick were healed, the lame
walked, and the dead were restored to
life by the prayers of St. Anthony.
Such was his sweetness and humility,
however, that he always told the people
that it was their faith, and not his
merits, which had obtained the favor of
Heaven.

Only six-and-thirty when he died,
St. Anthony was singularly young-look-
ing, small and slight, with an olive

SAINT ANTHONY. (MTJRILLO.)

complexion, deep dark eyes and an ex-
pression of exquisite sweetness and pur-
ity. His piety by no means interfered
with his cheerfulness, for he was always
bright, and children and animals adored
him. Indeed, every one who came un-
der the sway of his gracious personal-
ity loved him devotedly.

Always a great sufferer, austere in his
life, untiring in his efforts for others,
he had a worn face, a slight, emaciated
frame ; but a wellnigh heavenly light
irradiated from his countenance.

St. Anthony is represented in art in
many ways, and frequently his surround-

ings in the pictures are indigenous to
the soil of Padua, of which he is the
patron saint. The people of this city
never tire of sounding his praises, and
miracles beyond telling testify to his
love for the Paduans.

It was in Padua, in the house of Tiso,
one of the Camposampieri, that the
Christ Child appeared to St. Anthony
in the lovely vision so often reproduced
in art, and in the same city was held
the famous interview with the tyrant
Ezzelino. This man was so impressed
with St. Anthony's words of rebuke for
his cruelties that he made no reply,
saying to his astonished courtiers,
haughty, unprinc i p 1 e d
man that he was, "I tell
you that while that friar
was speaking I saw his
face shining with such a
glory that it filled me
with awe and terror, and
I could only kneel at his
feet like a criminal."
This famous interview has
been made the subject of
a great picture by one of
the old masters. "I see
my God," said St. An-
thony, as he lay in a little
cell at Arcella, where
the Franciscan friars ten-
derly watched over the
dying man. Then, with
a smile of ineffable joy
upon his pallid face, he passed tranquilly
away, and his life of sweetness and
devotion to God closed June 13, 1231.

The Flower of the Annunciation given
to the stainless Virgin, St. Joseph's
flower for a blameless life, the lily, is
the symbol of spotlessness; and so great
was St. Anthony's purity that he is usu-
ally represented with a stalk of lilies.

The young saint has long been a
favorite subject with artists, and per-
haps the most noted of those who have
painted him is the Spaniard Murillo.

Bartolome Esteban Murillo was borii
in "gay Sevilla " in 1617, and, early

ST. ANTHONY IN ART.

917

showing a devotion to the pencil and
brush, he became a pupil of the great
Spanish painter, Juan del Castello.

Early in his career Murillo painted
religious pictures for exportation to
South America, and, owing to his swift-
ness and facility, he earned in this way
enough to go to Madrid, where Velas-
quez, his lifelong friend, procured for
him permission to study in the Royal
Academy. From this time on, Murillo 's
life was more successful than the lives
of men of genius often are. He married
happily, lived in prosperity and honor
at Seville, where he was made president
of the Academy and revered and loved
by his fellow-artists.

In personal appearance Maestro Mu-
rillo was very attractive, with long,
floating, dark hair crowning a high and
noble forehead, eyes dark and deep,
with the fire of genius burning within
them, and a thoughtful, though mobile
and kindly, expression.

Murillo 's favorite subjects were relig-
ious ones, and, after the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin and
his beloved "Ninos," he best loved to
portray St. Anthony of Padua.

The Sevillian School was an uncom-
mon one in many ways and especially
so from a moral point of view. The
painters were obliged to be pure in
morals and life ; any one detected in
using an improper expression was ex-
pelled from the Academy, and the
painter of an immoral picture was fined
heavily and imprisoned. Old chroni-
clers relate that the artists regarded
their work as entirely devotional ; that
they entered upon the painting with
prayer, some even with fasting and
scourging and other severe penances.

It is not to be wondered at, then,
that the sweet spirit and transcendent
genius of Murillo, fostered by such in-
fluences as these, felt closely allied to
the spotless Portuguese youth, to whom
race and clime, as well as faith and
allegiance, bound him.

Perhaps the best known of all Mu-

rillo's St. Anthony's, is the large can-
vas in the Berlin Museum. The back-
ground of the picture is indicated rather
than defined, and consists of a landscape
in Murillo 's best style, the vaporoso or
cloudy. The turquoise sky is filled with
cherubs, those ineffably lovely babies
which only Murillo could paint so per-
fectly, one little fellow holding a book, a
second with a lily branch, others in
charming attitudes, graceful and nat-
ural.

The central figures, however, are those
of the Saint in his friar's dark robe,
kneeling upon the ground, with the In-
fant Christ clasped close to his breast.
The child is a chubby, healthy baby,
very sweet and lovable, charming from,
its curly head to its little pink toes, and
its baby hand is raised to St. Anthony 's
face, patting it with perfect naturalness,
as would any mere human baby. It is
by no means a Child God, a Divinity in
human form. The Saint holds it close
in a rapture of love, but more as if it
were a dear, familiar friend than a won-
der of majesty come down from heaven.

In this picture Murillo has departed
from the accepted ideal of St. Anthony
taken from the old portraits, and made
him appear more robust than the frail,
ascetic young friar, worn with penance
and illness ; but the face has an expres-
sion of great sweetness.

Very different from this picture is the
equally famous one painted by Murillo
for the Seville Cathedral. It hangs in
the Baptistry, where a softly shaded
light falls upon the wonderful picture,
bringing out its exquisite tones in per-
fect loveliness. St. Anthony is repre-
sented kneeling upon the stone-flagged
floor of the chapel, and near by is the
simple table which holds his breviary
and some lilies. Through an open door-
way, with a graceful Mooresque arch,
the white walls of the convent may be
seen across a sunny corner of the court,
while the foreground is dark, throwing
into high relief the slender figure of the
Saint, kneeling with a-nis outstretched,

918

ST ANTHONY IN ART.

looking upward with a face full of an
awed expectancy. Above him, sur-
rounded by angels and cherubs, with
flowers and sunbeams, light and glory,
stands the Child God, His little arms
reaching out to the Saint who loved
Him so, every curve of his body, every
line of his face replete with dignity and
sweetness. He is a triumph of heartfelt
devotion and true genius.

ST. AUGUSTINE, ST. CATHAKINK, ST. ANTHONY.

(Signorella.)

It was of this picture that Antonio
Castello, nephew of Murillo's master,
said, "It is all over with Castello! Is
it possible that Murillo, my uncle's ser-
vile imitator, can be the author of all
this grace and beauty of coloring ? "

Murillo received ten thousand reals
(about five hundred dollars) for this pic-
ture— a large price in those days, al-

though seeming pitifully small as we
look at the almost priceless canvas.

In November, 1874, the figure of St.
Anthony was cut out of the foreground
and stolen by a worse than vandal, but
afterwards found in New York, and re-
turned to Seville, where it was carefully
replaced in the picture.

Murillo has painted many pictures of
St. Anthony, the one in the Seville Gal-
lery being often copied, and one in Mad-
rid being almost equally famous. His
work is always noted for a tenderness
and beauty of coloring. His flesh tints
are remarkably clear and soft, and in
his best style he is surpassed by few of
the best masters.

Another great Spaniard, somewhat
akin to "The Painter of Conceptions,"
as Murillo is often called, is Ribera, a
very different personality from the
charming Sevillian.

Jose Ribera was born at Jativa, near
Valencia, in 1588, and died in Naples in
1656. He was a pupil of Ribalta (founder
of the Valencian school) and studied in
Italy, copying Caravaggio and others
of the naturalist painters, himself a
painter of eclectic school,
" Taking his dicers, candle-lights and grins
From Caravaggio, and in holier groups
Combining Flemish flesh with martyrdom,
Knowing all tricks of style at thirty-one."
The best of Ribera 's work was done
in his later days, when he painted with
more originality. His knowledge of
anatomy was great, and many of his
paintings, especially those of the mar-
tyrdom of the saints, are horrible in the
intensity of suffering displayed. His
finest work is in the church of San Mar-
tino, in Venice, a lovely "Pieta," but
he is represented in nearly all the great
galleries of Europe.

His St. Anthony, in the Academy of
St. Ferdinand at Madrid, is one of the
finest examples of his best style. In a
dark, stone-flagged cell, with no furni-
ture save a rough table upon which lies
a missal, kneels the Saint in an attituue
of worship. The background is obscure,

ST. ANTHONY IN ART.

919

the shadows deep ; there is an air of
mystery very Ribera-like in the simple
picture. There are no lilies, no heav-
enly roses ; none of Murillo 's light and
and brightness. The only light in the
picture radiates from the figure of the
Christ Child which is poised above with

(indescribable grace, pointing heaven-
ward. The Saint kneels below, a dark
figure, but with a face of exquisite love-
liness— a boyish face of the purest Span-
ish type, fervent and exalted, with an
expression of mingled love, awe and
sweetness. There is little color in the
picture, but a wonderful blending of
quiet tones and an effect of great sim-
plicity and religious devotion in the
masterly handling of the shadowy and
mystic effects.

Ribera centres every thought upon
the Child Christ and St. Anthony's de-
votion to it, and it seems as if the Saint
were saying, or rather, thinking,

"Thou, like"1, a] cloud, my

soul,
Dost in thyself of beauty

naught possess ;
Devoid of light of heaven, a

vapor foul,
The veil of nothingness. ' '

Ribera has been called
' ' Lo Spagnoletto " ( " the
Little Spaniard " ), and is
highly esteemed by the
art critics. In looking at
his wonderfully d e v o -
tional pictures it seems
impossible that he could
have been the gay, ar-
tistic, careless fellow he
is said to have been, full
of youthful foibles and
follies, yet an artist to
his fingertips.

A century before the
gay Spanish cavalier
there lived in Florence,
where the Arno flows
along in purple loveliness
through the quaint city
of Romola,'r Luca* S i g -

norella, called ' ' Lo Cotfona ' ' from the
city of Cortona.

He was a gentle, kindly, simple soul
about whom little is known, loving art
for art's sake, painting because he could
not help it. His subjects were nearly
always religious ones, and his frescoes
were noted even at that day when the
art of frescoing was brought so nearly
to perfection.

He was one who struggled and toiled
through untold difficulties to attain per-
fection, yet he never wearied, and his
joy in his work was unbounded.
' ' The Ideal has discoveries which ask
No test, no faith, save that we joy in them,
A new-found continent with spreading lands
Where pleasure charters all, where virtue,

rank,
Use, right and truth have but one name,

Delight.

Thus Art's creations, when etherealized,
To least admixture of the grosser facts
Delight may stamp as highest. "

MADONNA AND CHILD AND ST. ANTHONY.

(Van Dyck. )

92O

ST. ANTHONY IN ART.

THB VISION.

(VonSchraudolph.)

Signorella was born and bred in the
loveliest region of all lovely Italy,
where green valleys stretch away to-
wards the mountains, and mighty ca-
thedral spires reach heavenward. There

' ' Pealing on high from the quaint convent

towers

Still ring the Catholic signals, summoning
To grave remembrance of the larger life
That bears our own, like perishable fruit,
Upon its heaven-wide branches. ' '

The simplicity of Nature came to the
painter from his early life among the
hills, and there is in his works a taste
and understanding rare even among the
men of his own school.

In the Museum at Berlin is the famous
picture of St. Anthony which Signorella
wrought with so much art and care.
The young saint is grouped with St.
Augustine, wise Father of the Church,
and lovely, gracious St. Catharine and
her figure is perhaps Signorella 's finest
piece of work. St. Anthony is kneeling

in a position of adoration, with folded
hands, and his dark eyes turned upward;
and though the face is not beautiful it is
wonderfully lifelike. The coloring of the
whole picture is a work of unquestioned
genius, and while it is strange to see St.
Anthony without his lilies or his beloved
Baby Christ, still the group is a fitting
one, for the ' ' Hammer of Heretics ' '
had much of the wisdom and learning of
the great doctor of the Church, and the
purity of St. Catharine; and the paint-
ing has an intense significance to the
genuine art-lover or the religious tem-
perament.

Very different from this is a picture in
theBrera, at Milan, where St. Anthony
kneels in loving adoration before the
Infant Christ held in the arms of His
Blessed Mother. The face of the Virgin
is one of the most lovely ever painted,
with a dignity, a graciousness, a tender
mother-love truly divine. Her floating
robes of sapphire hue conceal the form as
she clasps in her arms the Holy Child,
who reaches out His little hands lovingly
to His Saint. The figure of St. Anthony
is in shadow, and only the profile of his
face may be seen, but his expression is
one of angelic purity so perfect a reflex
of his character. The artist has entered
truly into the spirit of the scene. He
must have loved Our Blessed Mother to
have made her so lovely, and he must
have been capable of appreciating the
character of the Saint of Padua. It
seems as if the painter must have painted
lovingly and with devotion in each
stroke of the brush ; as if he must have
been one who had

" an eye

That winces at false work and loves the true,
With hand and arm that play upon the tool
As willingly as any singing bird
Sets him to sing his morning roundelay
Because he likes^to sing and likes the song."

Ivooking at the portrait of the author
of so much loveliness one ceases to won-
der at it, for it is the face of one with an
artist soul.

ST. ANTHONY IN ART-

921

Anthony Van Dyck was born in Ant- land went mad over Sir Anthony!"

in 1599, and, as his father was a One of the most perfect paintings of

jlass painter and his mother a well- St. Anthony now in existence is by

mown landscape artist, his taste for the Johann von Schiaudolph, a German of

irts was early fostered. He studied the Munich school. He has painted

under Van Balen and Rubens ; and a several pictures of the Saint, all with

critic of the day, writing to the Earl of the same attributes — a wonderful devo-

Arundel (a noted art patron) says, tion and religious feeling blended with

" Van Dyck lives with Rubens, and his finish and clever execution. In this,

works are beginning to be esteemed the best of his works, the Saint kneels

little less than those of the master. He before the infant Saviour, who stands

is a young man of one-and-twenty whose upon an open book, His tiny hands

parents are persons of considerable prop- outstretched to the Saint. The subject

erty, and it will be difficult to induce of the painting is much the same as a

him to remove. " M u r i 1 l.o or a

ried Marie Ruth- The little O u r

ven, grand- Lord is not a

daughter of Lord Gowrie, and, after mere chubby baby, but so divinely

an extremely successful life, the great loving in His condescension that one

painter died in 1641, leaving property could not wonder at the adoration of the

to the amount of twenty thousand Saint. Rays of light radiate from the

pounds, a rare occurrence for a painter. perfect little figure and reach to the face

In the twenty years after Van D) ck of the kneeling man, lighting it up in
left Rubens' studio, Sir Anthony had heavenly loveliness. St. Anthony's ex-
painted over a thousand pictures, among pression seems to say, " Can it be pos-
them portraits of nearly all the great sible that my God whom I have so loved
men of his time. condescends to come to me?" He has

He was a delightful person, with a one hand outstretched, the other laid

sprightly charm of manner, and a grace deprecatingly upon his breast. It is a

which made him a great favorite, and marvellous picture, and one to remember

so handsome a face that a contemporary always— a picture that lifts the soul

said, "No wonder the women of Eng- above the sordid realms of earth and

922

THE SAINTLY SISTER OF A SAINTLY BROTHER.

makes one long for purity and gentleness
and all the lovely virtues which St. An-
thony had; to " keep the thought of life,
like Mary, Virgin to a Virgin's heart."
Looking at such a picture, one seems to
hear

" Hints of heavenly voices,

Tone for silvery tone,
Move in rarer measures

Than to us are known,
Still wooing us to worlds

Beyond the shadowy zone."
Surely, this is the aim of art, to ele-
vate and uplift !
" Taste, beauty, what are they
But the soul's choice towards perfect bias

wrought
By finer balance of a fuller growth ? ' '

The Old Masters, dead for centuries,
live forever in the hearts of those who
love high thoughts and noble deeds,
and strong endeavor.

The artists who have painted St. An-
thony have left a perpetual legacy of
good, a sweet remembrancer of virtue,
for to see his pictures is to recall his
almost perfect life and to long for such
virtues as were his. Even such a wish
is an impulse to ward heaven, for whoever
shall discern true ends here

1 ' Shall grow pure enough to long for them,
Brave enough to strive for them,
And strong enough to reach them
Though the way be rough,"

THE SAINTLY SISTER OF A SAINTLY BROTHER.

Alarguerite Elizabeth de la Colombiere, Religious of the Visitation. Pages from the
Annals of the First Monastery of Annecy.

ABOUT the time the Venerable
Father de la Colombiere was
called to assist the humble Sister Mar-
garet Mary Alacoque, in her admirable
mission of making known the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, the subject of this little
sketch was given to her dear family.
She was a child of heavenly benedic-
tions— a chaste little dove, destined to
learn from her holy brother the clefts
of the rock in which she would, in time,
hide herself from the world and its
vanities.

God prepared for her in the members
of her own family the brightest models
of Christian perfection. Her father was
one of the most respectable citizens of
Vienne, in Dauphiny, and was greatly
esteemed for his personal character more
than for his worldly possessions. Her
eldest brother held the high position of
Master of Accounts in Grenoble, where
he edified all around him by his great
fidelity to all the teachings of our holy
Church ; in fact, he lived more as a
religious than a secular. Another

brother, in his zeal for the salvation of
souls, generously abandoned his coun-
try, crossed the ocean, and entered upon
a missionary life in Canada, where he
was rewarded with a holy and happy
death. We have but to speak of the
greatest of them all, the Venerable
Father de la Colombiere, so well known
by his apostolic labors and his long,
heroic fidelity in God's service, to which
he vowed himself by the observance of
the Rules and Constitutions of the
Society of Jesus. Our Lord, when speak-
ing to the blessed lover of His Sacred
Heart, designated him His servant, a
praise before which all others must pale,
and which is sufficient to render forever
precious the memory of Father de la Co-
lombiere. While in the world Marguerite
lived in great retirement and proved
herself worthy of her illustrious family.
Attracted from childhood to a religious
life, she made strenuous efforts for several
consecutive years to be admitted among
the Carmelite nuns. Having at last ob
tained a favorable answer, her only anxi-

THE SAINTLY SISTER OF A SAINTLY BROTHER.

923

was to find an opportunity of with-
rawing from a devoted father, whom she
lew to be opposed to her design. The
good old man kept such a watchful eye
upon the child of his heart that she saw
her attempts would prove useless. To
soften his opposition she determined to
select a less austere Order, and cast her
eyes upon the First Monastery of the Visi-
tation in Lyons. M. de la Colombiere was
too good a Christian to oppose the will of
God, and, seeing such strong persever-
ance in Marguerite, reluctantly gave his
consent to her departure, and allowed
her to follow what he believed to be a
divine call. She entered at once among
the Visitandines of Lyons. As may be
imagined, the wise counsels of her holy
brother followed Marguerite to her new
abode. Wishing to be her teacher in
the commencement of her religious
life, and to lay the foundation of her
spiritual edifice, he consequently sug-
gested a few maxims that he deemed of
service, among them the following :
Blind obedience ; submission of will
and judgment ; constant and fervent
prayer ; love of humiliations, and con-
tempt for self. He also desired her to
live in the monastery as one with eyes
to see not, ears to hear not, a tongue to
speak not, except for the praises of God
and under obedience. Such were his
earnest recommendations ; but as the
language of the saints has its own
peculiar unction and carries to the heart
its special conviction, we will give the
written words of Father de la Colom-
biere :

"Your happiness, my dear Sister,
will be proportioned to your detachment
of heart from creatures and created
things, and to your fervor in God's holy
service. I fear but one thing for you,
and that is, your natural love of retire-
ment, and horror for noise and tumult,
may form some part of your present
happiness ; if this be so, yours is a false
joy. It is the Cross that you should
love and seek in the state you have
embraced, and the true Cross, the one

that weighs heaviest upon nature and
contradicts your inclinations. I would
judge such crosses are not very difficult
to find in your present position, as in a
community there is always something
to oppose our humors and opinions. It
is necessary for us to be continually on
our guard if we wish to profit by such
occasions, and this requires great sub-
jection of the will ; if we act otherwise,
we shall not enjoy true peace of soul, or
that peace will not be of long duration.
I believe it well for you to read fre-
quently, and with application of mind,
the lives of the Saints of your Order, or
those of other religious who followed a
different rule, and who attained a high
degree of sanctity. I suppose those
who govern you will approve of this ; if
not, it will be better to remain idle than
do the least thing without their ap-
proval. Should they allow you to fol-
low my recommendations, you must
make the reading with all attention and
mark well the ways in which those holy
souls walked to arrive at the perfection
they acquired with the grace of God.
You will find they did very little that
you cannot do with the same grace. I
have one word more to say to you ; that
word is a very essential one, and I have
implored our Lord never to let it slip
from your mind or heart, for upon it de-
pends your lifelong happiness, your
eternal destiny. Remember, you have
entered into religion to save your soul,
your own individual soul, and to pre-
pare yourself to render an account of
that soul whenever it may be called
hence. This is your greatest, your only
affair. Your rules and vows are the
matter upon which you will be exam-
ined. Live, then, in such a manner as
to be ready to give your account at any
moment. Let your Sisters in Religion
act as they please ; you have nothing to
do with their actions. What a horrible
temptation, that of meddling with the
affairs of others ! Allow your Superiors
to govern and direct as they judge
proper ; why should you concern your-

924

THE SAINTLY SISTER OF A SAINTLY BROTHER-

self with them ? It will suffice for you
to know and understand what they re-
quire of you ; and whether it seems rea-
sonable or not, provided there is no evi-
dent sin, you must believe it is God
Himself who gives the command, and
you must obey. The very thing that
seems blameworthy to you may be the
very thing to which God has attached
your sanctification. A Superior may
govern badly, but God, who' governs
through her, cannot possibly do so ; His
works are always perfect. My dear Sis-
ter, let this be deeply impressed on your
mind, for if this principle is not well
established you will lose your time in
religion, where your entire life should
be spent in obedience. Now, our obedi-
ence is without merit when we do not
consider God in the person that governs
us, and it is certain God is not consid-
ered when we allow ourselves to judge,
examine, criticise or condemn the actions
of Superiors. When the Holy Spirit
dwells within our hearts He fills them
with an infantile simplicity, a childlike
confidence and love towards Superiors
that makes us find everything reason-
able and easy, or, if you prefer, He
causes us to recognize God in all things
and in all persons, especially those
whom He has appointed to hold His
place amongst us, even if they possess
but few of the virtues and qualities we
deem requisite for government. I write
you all this because you have entered
religion a little more advanced in years
than some others, and ma}' be tempted
to think yourself wiser on that account.
Should you be so tempted, remember
that we show our real wisdom by sub-
mission of will and judgment. A good
religious would obey a little child, duly
appointed, as readily as she would obey
her holy Founder were he still living, or
the Blessed Virgin, if she were to take
visible charge of the monastery. I also
recommend to you the practice of holy
poverty from the very beginning. What
a happiness to be able to say to Jesus
Christ : ' My Saviour, I love nothing

but You, and if I felt the least attach-
ment for one of the articles necessary for
daily use, I would cast it far away ; I
would not keep is for a moment, either
about my person or in my room. I de-
sire to love You only. ' "

The efforts made by our fervent Sister
to acquire the perfection of her holy
state were soon followed by an unex-
pected trial. Her aged father, whose
health had long been impaired, became
seriously ill ; the violence he imposed
on himself in allowing his child to fol-
low her vocation, had reduced him to
extremity. Marguerite was advised to
return home and perform the last filial
duties for one who seemed to have a
just claim to her attendance. Rev.
Father de la Colombiere, then in the
great College of Lyons, persuaded her
to make the sacrifice of her happiness,
and assured her of a readmittance into
the monastery in due time. The good
old man began to recover his health and
strength as soon as his daughter was
with him. In his illness he exacted a
promise that she would never leave him
again ; nevertheless, he felt some un-
easiness at keeping her in the world,
knowing her ardent desires. Subse-
quently, to her surprise, he told her she
might retire to a monastery if she would
select one nearer to him than Lyons,
and designated the Visitation of Con-
drieu. Marguerite hastened to enter
into the Ark of paternal choice, where
God awaited her. She was in her twenty-
fourth year and began anew her religious
career with great fervor. She made giant
strides in the ways of the perfect ; every
action was marked with the seal of mor-
tification, humility and charity, the true
foundation-stones of the spiritual life.
When she was clothed with the holy
habit, her saintly brother pronounced an
energetic discourse upon the advantages
of a religious life and the entire conse-
cration of oneself to God's service. He
was happy to see her united to our In-
stitute, which he knew so well from his
communications with many interior

THE SAINTLY SISTER OF A SAINTLY BROTHER.

925

jouls, especially our Blessed Sister Mar-
garet Mary Alacoque.

We can judge from a letter written to
ds sister just before her holy profession
low he wished her to be disposed for the
offering she was about to make of her-
self upon the altar of sacrifice. We ex-
tract the following : " You are very un-
fortunate, my dear Sister, if at this time
anything worries you, or if there is the
least disquietude in your mind or heart,
since I know of nothing that can pre-
vent your becoming a saint ; everything
around you contributes to it. Even
from our sins we can derive some profit.
They show us our weakness and inspire
us with a determination to amend ; they
make us renew our good resolutions and
serve to keep us humble. We must al-
ways try to regard every event as hap-
pening by the wise providence of God,
and view all things in the light of faith,
submitting our judgment and will in
perfect conformity to the Divine Will.
Thus, my Sister, you will live in peace
and contentment. Should sadness or
chagrin ever disturb you, be sure, I pray
you, to see if there is not some little
attachment to something or other, either
to life, health, convenience or personal
comfort, or it may be to some person or
object, which should have been cast
from your heart long since, or long ago
forgotten in your love of our dear Lord
alone. Whenever your heart is dis-
turbed or worried you may be certain it
proceeds from some immortified passion,'
the fruit of self-love, so hard to get rid
of. On such occasions cast yourself at
the foot of the crucifix and say to our
Lord : ' What, my Saviour, do I still de-
sire something besides You ? Are You
not sufficient for me, and should it not
suffice me to love but You when I know
I am singularly loved by You ? What
did I come to seek in religion but You ?
What does it matter how they speak of
me. or whether I am loved or despised,
sick or well, employed in this duty or
that, with these persons or those ? Pro-
vided I am with You and You are with
me, I am content. '

' ' They tell me you desire me to preach
at your profession. I fear that if your
desire is ardent, God, who loves you,
will not permit it. As to myself, I can-
not answer definitely, but, whatever I
may be told on the subject, I will abide
by, and I am persuaded you will be re-
signed to the decision and that you are
proof against greater difficulties than a
disappointment. A perfect act of indif-
ference will be of far more use to your
soul and render you more pleasing to
God than all I could say in many ser-
mons. You should desire nothing so
much, my Sister, as to have a heart freed
from all desires ; but this is not the work
of a day ; it requires time to arrive at
such a high point, and both of us must
labor diligently until we secure its pos-
session. If we succeed, we shall be am-
ply rewarded for our labor even in this
life.

"I recommend to you an exact and cou-
rageous observance of the least of your
Rules and a strict compliance with every
command and order of your Superiors.
There is nothing light or trifling when
there is question of God's service and
good pleasure, and certainly it is a very
great evil to displease Him in the small-
est degree.

' ' I read not long ago the life of a saintly
Religious who said, when dying, that he
had the consolation of never having vio-
lated any Rule of his Order or the least
command of his Superiors. For this, my
Sister, great vigilance and a strong de-
termination are required, and blessed is
the Religious, man or woman, who will
undertake such lifelong fidelity and per-
severe in it.

' ' Think of it, and see if you cannot lead
such a life ; it is what God deserves from
you and what you will wish to have done
at the moment of your death. There is
nothing impossible to grace, and a well-
disposed heart is not cast down by diffi-
culties."

Father de la Colombiere took special
care to instil into the heart of his beloved
sister sentiments of piety and fervor;
he continued his spiritual assistance un-

926

THE SAINTLY SISTER OF A SAINTLY BROTHER.

til his death. Even from his laborious
mission in London, he gave her words of
consolation, and his wise counsel was her
greatest support.

It was in the employments of the
Community, nearly all % of which she
filled at different epochs, that we re-
cognized the precious treasure our di-
vine Lord had given to our House ; she
was alert, gracious, obliging and chari-
table to every one without exception.
Animated with the two-fold spirit of
charity and penance, she led the way in
all that was laborious, without regard to
the fatigue and difficulty she was sure of
meeting. Always forgetful of self, it was
her delight to serve her sisters in relig-
ion and we were free in asking assistance
of her. She had a great attraction for
bodily macerations, but her respect for
the intentions of our holy Founder
caused her to sacrifice her desires for
whatever might be contrary to our holy
Rules ; she supplied by fervor and the
perfection of the interior spirit of our
Institute, what is permitted in more
austere Orders. She was so uniformly
exact in all that is prescribed, that we
often said of her : ' ' Her motto is to do
nothing more or less." To satisfy her
attraction for mortifications and humili-
ations, she reserved for herself whatever
was the most repulsive and disagreeable
to nature. So far from desiring praise
or notice, she sought to conceal her own
sentiments and ideas, and seemed to
think she had no right to advance her
own views.

On one occasion she expressed a de-
sire to see her holy brother, who must
have thought the wish too natural for
one aiming at high perfection, as his
letter about that time breathed some-
thing of reproof. " Believe me, my dear
Sister, my absence from you is not in-
jurious to your sanctification. You will
find our Lord always with you when
you seek Him sincerely, and when you
have Him, all the rest is useless. I
have frequently made one remark to
you and will repeat it whenever I find

occasion. Your Rules should hold the
place of all things and persons, and
when you will have learned to practise
them in all their details, exactly and
perfectly, you will have need of neither
Director nor direction. Consult those
Rules in your moments of fervor and
see what God demands of you through
them, which is nothing less than an
inviolable fidelity to His blessed will. If
we could but know the blessings Heaven
has in store for the observance of our
Rules, we would spare nothing to com-
ply with every iota they call for. I see
no prospect at present of my being able
to visit you at the time named in your
letter, and you know as well as I that
whatever benefit you might derive from
seeing me, the sacrifice we will make of
meeting, is a thousand times more valu-
able and useful to us than all the advan-
tages that could possibly accrue from
other sources. "

Our dear Sister Marguerite Elizabeth,
as a true lover and adorer of the Sacred
Heart, burned with the flames of its
love, and rendered continual homage to
it by a thousand ingenious practices ;
her desire was to inflame all hearts with
that holy love and make them ardently
devout to the Sacred Heart. It was
from the august mysteries of our holy
religion that she drew strength to tes-
tify her fidelity to her divine Spouse.
Ardent to profit by the Communions
permitted or prescribed, she was ever
ready for those obedience would grant
as a favor.

We can truly say this dear Sister
never lost her first fervor, and we be-
lieve she carried to the grave the spirit
that animated her first years in religion.
She never relaxed in her practices of
mortification, and her regularity was
inspiring ; she lost no occasion of giv-
ing to her Lord testimony of her love,
yet she was not singular in her inter-
course with the Community. According
to the expression of her holy brother,
she drew down divine favors by a con-
tinual application to refuse to self what-

THE SAINTLY SISTER OF A SAINTLY BROTHER.

927

«ver nature could take complacency in,
or desire under the most lawful pre-
texts. He admirably seconded all that
grace required of his sister for holy
despoliation and death to self, never
tolerated the least gratification to na-
ture. In one of his letters he said :
" You tell me that if I had time to see
or write to you oftener, you would be
better than you are. Perhaps you have
not well considered your having in your
solitude Him from whom all graces flow,
from whom all gifts, spiritual and tem-
poral, must come, and without whose
assistance no man or creature can be of
use to you ; neither I nor any other can
sanctify you. Examine this well and
make no reply, because no solid answer
can be given. It is our want of con-
fidence that prevents us from profiting
by the presence of our Lord. He is not
in our midst for nothing ; He wishes to
distribute His blessings freely, but we
are cold and have such little recourse to
Him that it is no wonder if He gives us
so small a portion of His lights and
graces, such as He communicates in
abundance to those who have recourse
to Him as to their Master and the source
of all good."

Our beloved Sister had so renounced
her own views, that it required obedi-
ence to make her give an opinion ; her
deference, docility and respect for Su-
periors increased with her years ; a sign
of their will was sufficient ; their word
was an oracle from which she never
deviated.

Love of holy poverty was also one of
her conspicuous virtues. She never con-
cerned herself about the little trifles
which often worry souls less elevated in
the spiritual life. God was her all ; she
never lost sight of Him, even in the
most distracting employments. Her
only care was to love Him.

To complete the purification of this
faithful soul, our Lord put her virtue to
a severe test. For about twenty years
previous to her death, she was afflicted
with partial blindness, and could

scarcely guide herself- but the chalice
was received from the hand of Him to
whom she had promised to refuse noth-
ing ; the sacrifice was consummated,
notwithstanding its bitterness, with
loving generosity. Unable to fill any
office or employment, she devoted her
time to prayer and meditation. There
was not an oratory in the Monastery to
which she did not make a daily visit.
Her fidelity to the regular exercises of
the Community was more than stimu-
lating ; she would have scrupled to omit
the least or to be absent from any with-
out permission, which in her long career
she seldom asked and never without
strict necessity.

Nothwithstanding the infirmities of
age, she never dispensed herself from
morning prayer, and always attended
Matins with the Community. At length
our edifying old Sister began to show
symptoms of decline ; we saw the hour
for departure approaching, and the well-
earned recompense near. The wall
separating the immortal soul from the
enjoyment of its beloved, was about to
crumble, and soon our dear one would
be freed from the trammels of earth.

She assisted at Compline one after-
noon as usual, and during it fell in a
fainting spell of long duration. When
consciousness was restored, she asked
for the last Sacraments, saying she
knew the supreme moment was at hand.
Her preparation for the last rites of the
Church was in keeping with the care she
had taken through life to lose no oppor-
tunity of receiving the Beloved of her
soul and of uniting herself closely with
Him. Her fidelity obtained the grace of
His visit at the last moment ; she re-
ceived Him with the ardor of a seraph
and, entirely occupied with the thought
of Him, bore with heroic patience the
seven days' fever and violent inflamma-
tion that conducted her to that blessed
rendezvous of all the lovers of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus. On February
eighth, seventeen hundred and thirty-
four, Sister Marguerite Elizabeth de la

i 1 £ GOD'S CHURCH.

Colombiere went to meet in heaven the the angels. She was eighty-four years

holy Tsouls to whom she had been united of age, had passed sixty years in the

in life, and to enjoy with them the Monastery of Condrieu, France, and

blessings and rewards of a life hidden was a professed religious of fifty-nine

with God, unknown to men, envied by years.

GOD'S CHURCH.

By Rev. C. W. Barraud, S.J.

Unto the end of ages on that rock

Where Christ, thy King, hath built thee shalt thou stand ;

One in thy teaching, one in every land ;
The fold where our good shepherd pens his flock.
And, though the silly world may flout and mock,

In thee alone salvation is — no hand

Can hurl thee from thy throne ; for not on sand
Hath the Lord reared thee 'gainst the tempest's shock.
O glorious house of God, how fair thou art

Amid the raging waters, and how blest
All they that dwell within thee ! Cedars bow

Their hoary heads ; the snow-clad mountain crest
Crumbles to dust ; only thyself art now

Unchanged, like God who made thee, and at rest.

IvO, a great mystery ! In thee alone

Salvation is. Thou art the way of life,

The one high road to heaven, the one wife
That bears Christ children ; and befoie His throne
Thou shalt lay claim to all, though now unknown

By many that should love thee ; though the strife

Of Discord and accursed Schism's knife
Have severed from thee hearts that are thine own.
They that are Christ's are thine, and all are thine

Who, in His blood once bathed, have never stepped
Over the threshold of His truth divine

By wilful error, or their sins have wept
With Magdalen ; and this shall be a sign

That on thy queenly bosom they have slept.

Yet men there are with eyes that do not see,

With ears that hear not, hearts so hard and cold

They will not understand ; while tongues of gold
Bear witness to the truth that lives in thee ;
Call thee the Saviour that hath set men free,

The One, the Holy, the Good Shepherd's Fold,

The Bride pf Christ, the unconquerable hold
Of faith on earth, Peter's eternal See.
God show them mercy that they heed thee not !

Alack ! the very nightingale may sing,
Nor from his tankard draw the drivelling sot.

God show them mercy, till the whole world ring
With thy sweet voice, O Church, and every spot

Of human earth its joyful echo bring.

GENERAL INTENTION, OCTOBER, 1897.

Approved and blessed by His Holiness, Leo XIII.
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN OUR SCHOOLS.

OUR HOIvY FATHER closes his late
Encyclical on Religious Teaching,
addressed to the Archbishops and
Bishops of Austria, Germany and Swit-
zerland, by a prayer. The prayer is to
"the Good and Great God, ' the Master
of Sciences, ' and to the Virgin, His
Mother, beseeching them through the
intercession of Peter Canisius, whose
learning deserved so well of all the
Church, to hear the petitions which the
Church makes for its own increase and
for the welfare of youth. ' '

The particular welfare of our young
Catholics, which the Holy Father has in
mind, is clearly their sound religious
education. In urging the present Gen-
eral Intention upon the piety of our As-
sociates we are but exhorting them to
unite in the above prayer of His Holi-
ness, and we feel that we can recom-
mend it to their notice in no better
terms than those which we shall quote
from his Encyclical.

Why should we be asked to pray for
religious instruction in our schools ? To
judge from the views lately expressed by
some of our Catholic writers and lectur-
ers, one would imagine that religious
teaching is so well and, in some schools,
so exclusively looked after, that we
should rather devote our labors, as well
as our prayers, to the improvement of
(289)

other departments of school work.
Usually, those who write and speak most
for the public are men and women whose
very occupations prevent them from
knowing what is done, and what is
needed by our schools and colleges ;
and this will explain why some of them
describe our schools as if they were made
up of catechism classes and our colleges
as petty seminaries. There is, unfortu-
nately, another class of Catholics who
think that the school room is no place
for religion ; that, at most, it is enough
to teach catechism in our primary
schools, but that nothing further is
needed in our colleges, that higher re-
ligious instruction is for priests, not for
laymen ; and there are still some who
approve of a historical or comparative
study of religion in our higher schools,
but yet disapprove of giving any time
to the personal religious training of the
pupils.

We might understand the difficulty
which these misguided Catholics make
about thorough religious teaching in
our schools, were we in the position of
teachers in our common or neutral
schools. Even they acknowledge the
need of some religious training for
pupils of every grade, but, compelled
as they are, for fear of inculcating any
denominational doctrine, to avoid all

929

930

GENERAL INTENTION.

(290)

positive religious instruction, they have
recourse to what they call moral instruc-
tion instead, forgetting that without re-
ligion there can be no such thing as
moral doctrine or practice.

It is to avoid this inconsistency that
Catholics establish and support their
own schools. With utter freedom to
have their own lower and higher institu-
tions of learning, and to devote as much
time and labor as they may to the
religious instruction of the pupils, with
a religious doctrine so well defined and
so efficacious in forming the mind and
heart of the young, nothing but perver-
sity can dispose them to limit the
amount of religious teaching in our
schools, and such perversity can be over-
come only by pra}'er.

Prayer is needed also even for those
who do not carp at the religious instruc-
tion given in our schools, that they may
properly understand the nature and ap-
preciate the value of such instruction.
The pastors who zealously build our
schools, and the teachers, whether lay
or religious, who labor devotedly at so
many disadvantages to maintain them,
show that they understand and appre-
ciate these full well ; but Catholic par-
ents, particularly those who never had
the blessings of a sound religious edu-
cation, need special light from heaven
to recognize its benefits, and special
strength to make the sacrifices necessary
to procure it for their children. Too
many of them think the catechism
lesson recited by rote quite enough for
any child, and many, alas ! esteem more
highly the social advantages, often
purely imaginary, held out elsewhere
than in our Catholic schools. How few
regard a sound religious training as the
one thing necessary, the beginning and
end of all education, the sum and crown
of all human studies ?

During the past few years Catholics in
this country have done a great deal to
show their appreciation of the religious
instruction given in our schools and
colleges. In spite of the hard times, and

of the perplexing controversies raised as
to the merits of a strictly Catholic edu-
cation, new schools and colleges have
been opened, the number of pupils has
increased, religious teachers have been
multiplied, and excellent lay teachers
have begun to devote themselves to the
work. A great many causes have con-
spired to produce and to accelerate this
movement in favor of schools whose
chief object it is to make religion the
basis of their training, and in view of
the difficulties thus far overcome with
the inadequate means at our disposal, it
is clear that prayer has been the prin-
cipal of these causes. After all, what
adverse influence could have seriously
impeded the movement in favor of
schools for the thorough religious train-
ing of our young Catholics, when so
many thousands of pastors, and our
great body of religious men and women,
along with their devoted lay associate
teachers, and, above all, the million of
young pupils themselves, together with
their faithful parents, were united daily
in prayer to save this one great means
of keeping alive and extending our holy
faith in this country ?

Not the least of the answers to this
powerful prayer has been the interest of
our Holy Father in behalf of sound re-
ligious instruction in our schools. Now
that his interest and our own zeal are
being so amply rewarded, we should be
disposed to consider his late Encyclical
to the hierarchy in Austria, Germany
and Switzerland, not merely as a com-
mendation for what has been done by us
in the past, but also as a guide for what
must be done in the future. It cannot
fail to inspire every Catholic with a
keener appreciation of the importance ot
sound instruction in Catholic doctrine,
and as this is the very thing we are to
pray for this month, we do not hesitate
to quote at length the words of His
Holiness. After exhorting educated
Catholics to be more active in turning
their learning to practical account fci
their church and commonwealth he adds :

(291)

GENERAL INTENTION.

931

" Now this activity may be exercised
chiefly in the education of youth, a mat-
ter of such importance as to demand
most of their energy and care. Where-
fore we earnestly exhort you, Venerable
Brethren, to be, before all, vigilant in
maintaining in your schools the integrity
of the faith, or in zealously restoring it,
if need be, as well in the schools founded
by your elders, as in those of more recent
origin and in the higher and academic
schools as well as in those of primary
grade. Let Catholics in your countries
all endeavor, above all things, to make
sure that in the instruction of youth the
rights of the Church and of parents be
kept inviolate. In this matter these
points must be specially looked after.
First, Catholics must have their own
schools, not mixed ones, especially for
young pupils, and the teachers chosen
must be of the best character and repute.
Very dangerous is the system of educa-
tion in which a corrupt religion or none
at all is taught, as we are constantly
witnessing in the schools known as com-
mon schools. No one should lightly
admit the notion that piety may without
harm be excluded from instruction. If
no period of life can be without its religi-
ous duty, whether in public or in private
affair^, much less can the age which is
inexperienced, impetuous and exposed
to so many corrupting allurements be
without this same duty. Hence, whoever
so frames a system of knowledge as to
leave out religion, corrupts the very
germs of beauty and virtue and raises up
a pest and a scourge for the human race
instead of a bulwark for the fatherland.
Take away God, and who can either keep
the young to their duty, or bring them
back when astray from the path of virtue
and rushing headlong into the pitfalls
of vice ?

"In the next place the young must be
taught religion not only at certain times,
but their whole training must be redo-
lent with sentiments of Christian piety.
If this be lacking, if this sacred spirit
does not penetrate and influence the

minds of masters and pupils, the benefits
of such teaching will be but slight, its
evil consequences often anything but
slight. Every branch of science has
its peculiar dangers, which can scarcely
be avoided by the young, unless some
divine restraint hold their minds and
spirits in check. Great care must be
had, therefore, not to treat as a secon-
dary matter what is first in importance,
the pursuit of justice and piety ; nor to
let youth be so bound up in things that
engage the senses as to relax the hold
of virtue ; nor, while teachers are work-
ing over the hard points of some diffi-
cult science and examining into syl-
lables and letters, to let them lose all
relish for true wisdom, which begins
with fear of the Lord, to the precepts of
which their way of life should be in all
things conformed. Let knowledge, thenr
go hand in hand with the cultivation of
soul ; let religion inform, control and
hold sway in every branch of science
whatsoever, with such majesty and sweet-
ness as to leave its inspiration in the
souls of the young.

' ' Since, on the other hand, it has al-
ways been the intention of the Church
that every department of knowledge
should contribute to the religious for-
mation of youth, it is necessary that
not only should this method of training
prevail and take precedence of every other
method, but also that no one be en-
trusted with such an important charge
who is not pronounced fitted for it by
the authoritative judgment of the
Church.

"It is not in primary schools only
that religion demands its rights. There
was a time when the laws of every
Academy, especially that of Paris, pro-
vided that all the studies should so lead
up to theology that no one would be
considered to have reached the summit
of knowledge, until he had won his
laurels in that science. Leo X., the
restorer of the Augustan age, and after
him other Pontiffs our Predecessors,
desired that the Roman Athenaeum and

932

CONSECRATION.

(292)

other universities, as they are called,
should be as impregnable citadels in
which, when unholy war should be
waged on our religion, young men
might be brought up under the guidance
and auspices of Christian wisdom. This
system of studies, which gave the first-
fruits to God and holy things, yielded
no slight fruit ; it insured this for cer-
tain, that young men thus formed
should be more steadfast in their duties.
This same good fortune will be yours, if
you labor strenuously that the rights of
religion be maintained in the schools
known as high schools, in gymnasiums,
lyceums and academies.

" May it never fall out that your very
best counsels come to nought or that your
labor be in vain for want of agreement of
minds and harmony of action. Of what
avail are the divided forces of good men

against the combined attacks of the
enemy ? Hence We earnestly exhort you
to put aside every unseasonable contro-
versy which can put your minds at vari-
ance, and unite with one voice in pro-
moting the welfare of the Church,
bringing your combined strength and
your united wills to bear on this one
thing, ' careful to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace.' '

We need add no more. It has never
before happened that we were fortunate
enough to have the Holy Father's own
recommendation of a General Intention,
although he has been designating them
for years. His words are simple enough
for all, and we should be obtaining the
full fruit of this General Intention if,
by our prayers, we could only attain to
some slight degree of the appreciation
which he sets upon religious instruction
in our schools.

CONSECRATION.

By M.

Speak not of separation, — let us pray
That God the tangled threads may so adjust

That I my hopes, my love, my life, may lay,
In resignation and in tender trust,
At His dear feet,— for Oh, I feel I must !

With aching heart and bitterest regret
For wasted years, I come, — I know 'tis late ;

But O, I feel there are some moments yet

Which I to Thee, dear Lord, may consecrate ; —
Reject me not, — my life, Oh, recreate !

Lord, none could love, save through Thy grace and will,
Our love is but a reflex of Thine own, —

For every contrite, sympathetic thrill
Conies to our hearts from Thine, and Thine alone, —
Make my love, Lord, for all my past atone.

My tender Saviour, bid me not depart,

For all my hopes are centred but in Thee ; —

O, draw me closer to Thy Sacred Heart,

Through sweet compassion and Thy love for me, —
Through sympathy for all I pray to be.

THE PRAYERS THAT SAVE.

By C. PI. Gallagher.

YT was six o'clock on a cold, raw even-
> ing in December. Business was
over for the day in the offices of Weston,
Davis & Co., and Mary Russell, the
little typewriter employed by the firm,
left the Equitable Building and started
on a rapid walk up Calvert Street. Her
right hand, which was hidden in the
pocket of her coat, clasped a rosary, and,
as she hurried along, her mind was filled
with thoughts of the morrow and the
happiness it would bring, for to-morrow
would be the First Friday of the month,
that holy, happy day, so full of joy and
peace. How dearly she loved it all ! — the
Communion of Reparation, made in the
solemn stillness of the early morning,
when the Divine Guest came to her in
love and mercy, filling her soul with
such a heavenly sweetness that at times
she felt as if her heart could not con-
tain its joy; at noon also, when she had
her hour off for luncheon, what happi-
ness it was to slip into the church (for
St. Ignatius' was not far from her office)
and spend a quarter of an hour before
the Blessed Sacrament, pouring out the
inmost thoughts of her heart to the
loving Heart of Jesus, and gaining such
comfort and peace as the world cannot
give ; then at night the devotions of the
League of the Sacred Heart, the prayers,
and best of all, Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament. Ah, how beautiful
it all was ! As she thought of it she
quickened her steps, for she wanted to
get to the church as soon as possible so
that she might have time to go to con-
fession before returning home to supper,
and also to think over the special inten-
tion for which she would offer her Com-
munion the following morning.

Just at that moment she came to a
brilliantly lighted saloon, and as she
was passing the door, a man approached

(293)

from the opposite direction with an un-
steady gait and an unmistakable air of
dissipation. As they met, he acciden-
tally brushed clumsily against her,
pushing her roughly out towards the
curbstone, and then disappeared behind
the swinging door of the saloon. Mary,
much alarmed, grasped her beads tighter
and hurried on, murmuring a prayer for
the poor creature, who was evidently a
slave of the demon of intemperance.
She soon reached the church, and, after
examining her conscience, was fortunate
enough to find her own confessor dis-
engaged.

Her confession ended, she knelt again
in the quiet church, and after saying her
penance her thoughts returned to the
encounter she had just experienced.
Suddenly, like a flash of lightning, the
inspiration came to her, "I will offer
my Communion to-morrow for that poor
soul; " and then, offering a short but
fervent prayer for the conversion of the
wretched wanderer, she left the church.

Friday was a cold, dreary day. A
heavy snow had fallen during the night,
and now, about four o'clock in the after-
noon, a biting wind blowing fiercely
over the frozen ground cut the faces of
the pedestrians like whips of fine steel
wires.

Arthur Bverson, the man who had so
frightened Mary Russell on the previous
night, was battling against the fierce
wind as he walked slowly up Calvert
Street. His shabby, dilapidated hat
was pulled low on his forehead, and his
threadbare coat was fastened together
over his chest as closely as the few re-
maining buttons would allow. He was
ragged, miserable, and disreputable, and
no one who met him would ever dream
that this forlorn object was a college
graduate, and had been in days gone by

933

934

THE PRAYERS THAT SAVE-

(294)

one of the most brilliant and popular
fellows in his class.

His was a sad story, but one, alas,
only too common. Coming into posses-
sion of a considerable fortune at the
death of his father a few years ago, he
at once decided to " see the world " and
enjoy himself to the utmost. A bright,
genial temperament, combined with his
ample means, soon attracted to him a
circle of congenial spirits, many of them
his recent college mates, and soon the
cup of pleasure was quaffed to its dregs.
Always generous and open-handed, his
purse was often called into requisition to
assist his friends out of their many dif-
ficulties, " debts of honor," etc., and
these demands, together with his own
lavish expenditures, soon wasted his in-
heritance, and at the end of three years
he was almost penniless.

With the loss of his money came
naturally the loss of his so-called friends,
and the practice of heavy drinking, which
he had at first taken up in a merely con-
vivial spirit, now became a fixed habit
which daily and hourly fastened itself
more firmly upon him. His downward
career was sure and rapid ; each month,
nay, each week, each day, found him
lower than the preceding one ; and, at
the time of our story, he had almost
reached the lowest stage of degradation.
For several days he had scarcely tasted
food, but had spent his last dollar (won
at the gambling table) in drink at the
saloon into which Mary Russell had
seen him going the night before.

And now, his money all gone, his
friends faithless, and his once magnifi-
cent constitution almost wrecked, Arthur
Everson was indeed a pitiable sight. A
deep depression had settled upon him,
and as he struggled along in the face of
the wintry gale, his mind was filled with
sad and bitter thoughts. His past seemed
to rise before his mental vision with a
painful clearness. He remembered as
though it were yesterday his graduation
day and the many honors it brought
him — the congratulations of the profes-

sors, the bright predictions of his friends,
his own high hopes and aims and reso-
lutions. Next came his father's death,
and the acquisition of (what was to him)
an ample fortune, bringing with it so
many possibilities of pleasures to be
tasted before the real burden of life
should be taken up. Then began a wild
and reckless career ; a career which, at
first, gave him a false and fictitious en-
joyment, but which in time palled upon
him. Still, he endeavored to get what
amusement he could out of it, but almost
before he was aware of it himself, his
money was squandered and his friends
gone. Disgusted with the world and
with himself, he resorted more and
more to strong drink, in which he vainly
strove to drown the thoughts of his folly
and wrong-doing.

At the present time Arthur Everson
had reached a state of desperate nervous
depression. As he walked along the
street with his head bent and his eyes
on the ground, his mind was filled with
gloomy, reckless thoughts. What was
left to make life even bearable to him ?
Disgraced and impoverished as he was,
was not death to be welcomed, nay,
courted, by such a miserable wretch as
he ? Well, it could not, should not, last
much longer. A doctor had warned him
a year ago that his heart was seriously
affected, and that unless he changed his
whole course of life, the end might come
at any moment. The end ! What did
that mean? Was it really the end?
Might it not be only the beginning of
suffering even greater than he was en-
during now ? For years he had neg-
lected every religious duty, putting from
him as far as possible every thought of
God, his own soul, and the necessary
consequences of sin. The voice of con-
science was stifled, and the man sank
deeper and deeper into the mire of his
evil habits. This afternoon, however,
the doctor's words haunted him, and
rang in his ears like a refrain — the end !
the end ! the end !
Just as he reached the corner of Cal

<295)

THE PRAYERS THAT SAVE.

935

vert and Madison streets, the wind
seemed to become almost a hurricane,
and in his weakened condition he was
unable to advance another step. Mut-
tering to himself, "I can't stand this, "
he instinctively turned to the nearest
refuge, the open door of St. Ignatius
Church, and before he had time to real-
ize what he was doing, he was standing
in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
He sank into a pew near the door, pant-
ing and breathless after his struggle
with the wind, but in a few moments
every thought of cold and storm had
vanished. Where was he, and what
was going on ? An intense stillness
reigned in the church, although many
worshippers were present, but all were
absorbed in their devotions. The altar
was brightly lighted ; in the air was a
faint, lingering perfume ; and in a niche
high above the tabernacle he saw a
golden monstrance around which clus-
tered countless burning candles.

For several moments Arthur Everson
gazed wonderingly ; but slowly there
stole over his bewildered mind recollec-
tions of his earlier days, his happy past,
of the college altar lighted and adorned
as this one was, and to do honor to the
same Guest ; of a long line of boys
kneeling at the railing to receive the
Bread of Angels ; and of one boy who
knelt in the chapel long after the others
had left, offering up his pure young heart
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He fell on
Ms knees and hid his face in his hands.

How long he knelt there he never re-
membered. Moments passed into hours,
the twilight deepened, the lights burned
more brightly in the gathering gloom,
and still that bowed figure remained
motionless. A mighty tempest raged
within him ; thoughts crowded thick
and fast upon him like the billows of a
great sea, flooding his inmost soul ; but
at last, just as the waves seemed closing
over him, he lifted his head with a
choking gasp, as though struggling for
breath, and his eyes rested on the mon-
strance.

In that glance the faith of his boy-
hood returned. Yes, there was the Good
Shepherd from whom he had strayed so
far, and yet who was calling him now
to return to the safe shelter of the fold ;
there was the Sacred Heart, wounded so
deeply by his sins and yet "burning
with love " for him. As he gazed, his
eyes filled with tears, tears of deep and
true contrition. Every earthly friend
had deserted him ; those to whom he
had shown the greatest kindness had
treated him with the basest ingratitude ;
and yet here was one Friend whom he
had neglected, scorned and grieved,
still waiting and watching for him,
drawing him back with love and tender-
ness. Arthur Everson bowed his head
on his folded arms and sobbed like a
child.

Kneeling in that far-away corner of
the church he was suddenly aroused from
his thoughts by a slight noise just be-
hind him, and on looking round he saw
a woman just leaving one of the confes-
sionals. Not waiting for a moment he
rose, left the pew, and presently was
kneeling beside a priest. There in that
solemn hour the man's very soul was
laid before God's minister, and when at
last the words of absolution fell from
the lips of the priest, the burden of years
rolled from the heart of Arthur Everson
and fell into the mighty abyss of God's
love and mercy.

When he lifted the little red curtain ot
the confessional and stepped out into the
church again, he could scarcely realize
that he was the same man who had en-
tered that church only a few short hours
ago. The grace of the Sacrament of
Penance was upon him, the sins of his
whole life had been washed away in the
precious blood of his Divine Redeemer,
and hope and courage filled his heart.
After kneeling again before the Blessed
Sacrament to offer his thanksgiving to
that dear Saviour who had guided his
footsteps that day in such a wonderful
manner, he turned to leave the church.

Just at the threshold a young girl

936

A MOUNTAIN FUNERAL.

(296)

who was entering dropped her rosary,
and Arthur Bverson involuntarily
stooped, picked it up, and handed it to
her. As she took it her eyes rested upon
him, and with a start she recognized the
man who had so frightened her on the
previous night, and for whose reforma-
tion she had offered her Communion
that morning. But, ah, what a change
had taken place in his expression ! Still
shabby and forlorn in appearance, there
was upon his face a look of one who had
gone through a great mental struggle,
but who had come out victorious.
Astonished and amazed, Mary Russell
could hardly believe the evidence of her

eyes ; but when she saw him, just before
leaving the church, turn one long,
earnest, grateful look towards the
Blessed Sacrament, she felt instinctively
that God had answered her prayer, and
had touched with His grace the soul of
the man before her.

During the beautiful service that fol-
lowed, Mary Russell's heart was filled
with a holy joy, and as the bell rang out
clearly at the solemn moment of Bene-
diction, she bowed her head low in the
presence of God, and joined her thanks-
giving with those of the angels over the
" one sinner doing penance. "

A MOUNTAIN FUNERAL.

By D. Gresham.

THE hot June sun beat down on the
vineyards, which, rising along the
slopes, dipping down into the gorge,
were hemmed in by the busy little brook
that danced through the valley. The
great heat had come ; the grapes hung
in rich clusters, with abundant promise
of the harvest. In the woods not a leaf
stirred, and far up among the mountains
a soft, filmy haze shrouded the peaks.
On the hill, almost hidden in the trees,
a Southern manor house rose above the
vineyards, shaded and sheltered from
the fierce glare. The open door looked
out on the rose garden, flaming and fra-
grant. From the cool hall ceiled in oak,
one entered the parlor, now the temporary
mission chapel. It is Sunday morning,
and the little congregation are gathered
for their weekly prayers and re-union.
The scene is worthy its setting — wild,
romantic North Carolina. The subdued
light falls on the altar set in the large bow-
window, the rustic mountain benches and
prie-dieus, made of rhododendron, the
stained floor softened and beautified by
delicate green walls, with a dado of pol-
ished pine. Through the half-open win-
dows behind the altar, the blue mountains

rise majestically, soft and dreamy, the
woods, cabins and vineyards lying drow-
sily at their feet.

The peace of the Sunday morning has
fallen on the mountain world, and only
the rising and falling of the prayers in
the little chapel disturb the solemn still-
ness. The congregation are almost all
strangers sent south to escape from the
severe northern winters. Far from a
priest or church, they meet on Sundays
to keep alive their faith and to be in
spirit with the Mass now being said
forty-two miles away. It is the bright-
est hour of all the week, and the mutual
joys and sorrows are discussed, and each
one feels the better for the sympathy al-
ways awaiting them. They are all
gathered on the wide piazza, after the de-
votions, when the old village doctor
comes up the drive. He is welcomed in
their midst, and hurriedly announces
the cause of his visit. He wants the
priest at once for one of his patients,
who is dying far up among the moun-
tains. It is a poor workman from New
England, who has battled bravely since
October with tuberculosis. He arrived
here friendless, and a kind Baptist wo-

man gave notice to the mission of his
wants. The priest went at once to see
him, at his next visit, and since then
he has been his unfailing help and stay,
spiritually and temporally.

Only nine days ago the invalid felt so
much better that he set off for Melrose,
one of the lesser peaks, and was to re-
main with some mountaineers for the
summer. The doctor, who had attended
him gratis all through the winter, was
sent for at dawn, but could scarcely find
the place or travel the rough roads, well
as he knew the mountains. He feared
the worst, and thought there was no
time to delay ; as Catholics were so par-
ticular about these matters, he wished
the Father to be notified in time. A
telegram was sent at once, the only con-
solation being that it was sure to find the
priest at home for his Sunday's work.
Any other day of the week he might be
away on one of his numerous missions
through the mountains. A man with a
parish one hundred and forty miles in
extent, is not often found by his own
fireside, or revelling among the Fathers
in his cosy study. Those are little luxu-
ries undreamed of in the busy, hard-
working life of a North Carolina mis-
sionary. By the early train next morn-
ing, Father M arrives, and, hearing

that he is none too soon, leaves at once
for the mountain, accompanied by Mr.
McK — — , a northern visitor who knows
something of the roads higher up. The
doctor warned them that the journey
would be an arduous one, that he had
left some pine boughs on the bye road
which would guide them to their obscure
destination. The sun bore down on them,
but the beauty of the summer day, the
bold, rugged scenes around them, were
balm to their weary souls. Mile after
mile they journeyed slowly upwards off
the main road, when they came on the
doctor's sign almost hidden in the under-
brush ; through the gap, across the
mountain ; then down, straight down,
until they came on a solitary cabin with-
out sign of life or habitation. They

A MOUNTAIN FUNERAL-

937

enter the yard and through the open
door, but not a sound anywhere. Two
unmade beds in a half-empty room
catch their eyes, and the Father says
with great anxiety : ' < He must be dead
and they are all away burying him ! "
Still pursuing his investigation Father
M goes into another room and ex-
claims : "God help him, poor fellow,
here he is." Lying helpless and suffer-
ing, flies covering his emaciated face,
too weak to fight them off, the dy-
ing man hears the well-known, pitying
tones, and looks up with a faint wel-
coming smile. "I knew you would
come to me, Father, " in a gasping sob,
and the weary eyes closed, satisfied now,
that no matter how far from home and
those who loved him, here was a friend
that was true to the last. The Sacra-
ments were solemnly administered while

Mr. McK went to seek the master

of the house. The family were in an
out-building at their mid-day meal, and
cordially welcomed the stranger to all
they had. He told them the Father had
come, and was then preparing the dying
man for the last long journey.

They talked kindly of the invalid, of
his patient ways, and their interest and
sorrow were sincere for the lonely man
who had come to them poor and friend-
less to die. Their conversation was in-
terrupted by the Father's entrance, to
summon them to the sick-room. Kneel-
ing in their midst the priest prayed
aloud for the grace of a happy death and
strength and courage for the final strug-
gle. Still and motionless the sick man
seemed to be already gone, when the
priest asked earnestly if he were re-
signed. Raising himself for the effort,
he said: "lam, Father; I want to go
now. "

The Father lingered long, loath to
leave the sufferer alone, but finally left
at sunset. . . . The chapel windows
were wide open to catch every breath of
air from the mountains ; the vineyards
and woods looked fresh and cool in the
early sunrise. The Mission Mass was

Q38

A MOUNTAIN FUNERAL.

(298)

over, and the Father preparing to catch
the first train for home, when a hasty
messenger arrived with news that the
sick man had gone home late last night
— the poor, weary spirit had flown back
to its Creator. Plans were instantly
changed ; everything must be left to
bury the dead. A Protestant lady kindly
offered her horses for the long drive
back to the cabin. The Father mounted
at once, fearing all would be over before
his arrival, as the mountaineers thought
him in Asheville, Mr. McK follow-
ing in the buckboard. It was high noon

when Father M crossed the gap and

rode down to the cabin ; a few men were
hanging round the door, who looked at
him curiously as he dismounted, tired,
hot and dusty. The good woman of the
house came forward with a rough wel-
come— "Put the crittur in the house
and I'll push hay through the cracks. "
The so-called stable was a railed-in affair,
through which the horse was to receive
his food and refreshment. The offer
seemed small, but the plaintive tones
were kindly, and the hospitality genu-
ine as an Arab's. The beast attended to,
she led the priest into the cabin and in-
vited him to dinner. ' ' All things to all
men," as is his wont, the good Father
sat down with the family. Then they
led him to the dead man, whom they had
laid out in his best clothes, as respect-
fully and reverently as if he were their
very own. The priest was much moved ;
it told so much for these people who
did not think of his seeing their efforts,
nor honesty. They might have buried
the stranger comnless and kept his be-
longings, worth something to them,
compared with their own meagreness.

They brought forth an old leather bag,
the dead man 's sole possessions — it was
almost empty, ' 'The Consoling Thoughts
of St. Francis de Sales " well thumbed
and worn, and a few odds and ends, all
of which the Father presented to them.
" And now, " the woman said anxiously,
" there ought to be a watch, for he had
a chain always about him that he loved

mighty well. I've done looked a right
smart for that 'ere watch, but can't find
it no how." "Let me see the chain "
the Father asked curiously, thinking it
was on a par with all the rest. Slowly
and solemnly the woman went into
another room, and came back with a pill-
box which she opened with great care,
holding it up to the Father. He stopped
for a second, looking down on the poor,
worn, blackened chain — it was the dead
man's rosary! Seeing the priest's ear-
nest look, the woman repeated with great
pathos, "He loved it mighty well."
Beautiful Irish faith — through all these
lonely months, far from all his own, the
Kerry skies, and the Kerry Reeks, the
exiled mother, and wife, and child in
New England ; sick, suffering and home-
less, a stranger in a strange country, his
rosary was his one comfort and com-
panion through the weary days, the long,
sleepless nights. The priest took it
lovingly, and then said, ' ' We will bury
it with him." "Yes," said the woman
again, "he loved it mighty well." To-
gether they went to the dead man lying
there so peacefully, the woman putting
the rosary on as if it were really a watch-
chain. The Father looked quietly on,
making no effort to explain, for with his
usual tact he knew there was not time
enough to make her comprehend. Mr.

McK arrived at this moment, glad

that he was in time, notwithstanding all
the delays on the rough road. The peo-
ple kept gathering for the funeral, though
whence they came it was difficult to dis-
cover, for not a house could be seen
through the mountain fastnesses. A
loud rumbling in the distance with
echoes of " whoa-hei " and they all
knew what was coming. Slowly up the
road came a team of oxen, bearing the
coffin ; the men brought it in the yard,
poor and plain, but their best, covered
in black alpaca and lined inside with
white cotton. They placed him in it,
the women hurriedly making a pillow,
and, when all was ready, the strange
procession started from the cabin. Mr.

A MOUNTAIN FUNERAL.

939

McK-

— rode on in front to lead the
way ; then the Father in thebuckboard,
as the dignitary ; next the ox-cart with
the coffin, finally the whole funeral cor-
tege on foot — women in sunbonnets,
with babies in arms ; little children who,
as they grew tired, were lifted up beside
the coffin ; stalwart mountaineers, rough

d ready, straight from the fields.

On they went, lumbering up the
steep, stony road ; the lash of the whip
and the ringing ' ' whoa-hei ' ' as the oxen
labored from side to side, alone broke the
stillness, the hot sun pouring unheeded
on the wild procession. Occasionally
the line would break, the women taking
the trail, their colored shawls showing
through the woods, and joining again
a quarter of a mile higher up. Mr. Mc-

K far on ahead would wait on the

heights, looking down on the ox-cart far
below, the children huddled beside the
coffin, the flapping sunbonnets, the
mountaineers, the priest in the buck-
board, with bent head, broiling in the
sunshine. Now he would tarry on the
hills, until they had joined him, again a
shrill mountain cry would summon him
in their midst, fearing he would wander
from the beaten path. At last at the end
of two hours, they had reached the top
of Melrose, and there, wild in its isola-
tion, lay the cemetery — an open field
looking down on one of the most beau-
tiful scenes in the country — gorge and
pass and wood and water, lights and
shadows, shut in by terraced forest trees,
glorious in the gay .southern sunshine.
A crowd of men with spades and hoes
were awaiting the arrival, leaving their
work to attend the funeral, and see for
the first time in their lives a — priest !
It was a strange gathering, such as the
Father had never met before under the
circumstances.

They looked at him suspiciously,
wonderingly ; in silence the oxen were
taken from the cart and tethered beneath
the trees. The coffin was gently lowered,
and the priest, looking earnestly at the
mountaineers, said : " Gentlemen, take

off your hats and let us jdin in prayer for
our departed friend. " He was obeyed at
once ; simple, clear and heartfelt was
the Father's supplication for the soul of
the dead Irishman, and no De Profundis
beneath the crumbling cloisters of the
old Irish churchyard, with the wailing
responses of his countrymen, could be
more touching or efficacious than the
' ' Our Father ' ' of these non-Catholic,
ignorant, but honest mountaineers of
North Carolina ! The Father rose and,
by the open grave, spoke of the beautiful
doctrine of the Communion of Saints.
They grouped themselves around him,
leaning on their spades, resting against
the ox- cart, standing with folded arms
before him in every attitude of earnest,
respectful attention. The valley lay in
shadow at their feet, the mountains shut
them in from the outside world. In his

simple, graphic diction Father M

thanked them first for their charity to a
stranger who had been with them but
nine days, and told them that their re-
ward would be great even here, certainly
hereafter. They had left their work in
the fields to bury the dead. He re-
minded them of Tobias, who, when the
children of Israel lay slain in the streets,
leaped up from his place at the table,
left his dinner and came fasting to the
body ; and, taking it up, he carried it
privately to his house that after the sun
was down he might bury it cautiously.
Now, this unselfish charity pleased the
Lord so, that he sent an angel from
heaven to bring Tobias out of tribula-
tion, and to tell him how pleasing his
actions were in the sight of God. Speak-
ing to him the angel said : "I am Ra-
phael, one of the seven who stand before
the throne of God. And when thou didst
leave thy dinner, and hide the dead in
thy house, and bury them by night, I
offered up thy prayer before the Lord. "
This shows us how our friends know in
heaven of our good deeds on earth.
There is a golden chain uniting us with
our dead ; they know us and are with us
in our pilgrimage through life. You all

940

ASSOCIATION OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD-

(300)

remember where it* says in the Scriptutes
that " There is more joy in heaven over
one sinner that doth penance than over
ninety-nine just who need not penance. ' '
Now, how can they rejoice in heaven
unless they know ? And then the Father,
carried away by his audience, and the
subject so dear to his soul — clean, up-
right, honest living — broke forth as if
inspired. Some were in tears, others
touched their neighbors as the preacher
struck a responsive chord, or scored a
point. And the winds of heaven blew
over that strange group, isolated, un-
couth, ignorant, as of old on the multi-
tudes who followed the Master up into
the mountains when He taught them the
new, wonderful lesson of the eight Beati-
tudes. Not a sound during that memo-
rable half hour, as the Father went on
and on, but the oxen champing among
the oak boughs. The mountaineers
looked more and more baffled, more and
more wondering. Was this — the priest
— whom they were taught to believe the
most vicious and cruel of men ? Was this
the religion of the "Scarlet Woman "?
When all was over they knelt again
with him in prayer and gathered round
him to take his hand in kindly fare-
well. When he came to his host the
priest asked if he had paid enough for
the expenses, and a warm response

came loud enough for all to hear :
''Enough, and more than enough."
With a last "God bless you all," the
young priest drove down to the moun-
tains, as the sun was sinking behind
their blue depths. The mountaineers dis-
persed, talking in their slow, solemn way
of the events of the day, and the new
light that had fallen upon them over the
grave of a poor exile. There he lay
sleeping his last long sleep on the
mountain-top, under alien skies, the
once bright, bare-footed lad who climbed
the rugged sides of Mangerton and
looked down on the picturesque lakes of
his own beautiful Killarney ; the hard-
worked laborer in a stifling manufactur-
ing town of the new world, the prosperity
dearly earned by consumption con-
tracted in the foul atmosphere so little
known to the Irish boy whose days had
been spent among the hills ; the little
all hoarded so carefully for the rainy day
all gone in the journey south ; the long,
tedious illness. In his life poor and
honest ; in his death a missionary. By
his grave men like himself, of the hills,
learned to know something of the old
Church, unchanged and unchanging in
her tender, foster ing care of her children,
never more beautiful than when shown
towards the poor, the lowly and the
exile.

ASSOCIATION OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD.

HOW IT WAS FORMED AND WHAT IT IS DOING.

A WORK of charity and zeal, closely
connected with the Propagation of
the Faith, for which our associates were
asked to pray during the month of July,
is the association of the Holy Childhood.
The origin of this association dates back
to the year 1843. A little before that
time, the hitherto dark and mysterious
Chinese empire had begun to be better
known to European travellers and mer-
chants. It was not long before scenes of
the grossest superstition and the most

inhuman cruelty were revealed, filling
all Christian hearts with horror and
pity. It was related how millions of
little children were every year cast forth
by their unnatural parents into the pub-
lic streets, or exposed along the banks of
rivers to perish miserably, whilst the
authorities, far from condemning and
punishing such practices, were counte-
nancing and defending them. ForemOvSt
among the generous hearts whose sym-
pathy and interest were aroused by these

ASSOCIATION OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD.

941

lies of almost incredible barbarity, was
[onseigneur de Forbin-Janson, Bishop of
fancy, in Lorraine. Political difficulties
lad driven him from his episcopal see ;
but, being a man of extraordinary zeal
and activity, he had turned his exile to
profit by founding and promoting vari-
ous works of charity and public useful-
ness. He had even crossed the ocean,
preached the faith in the United States,
and founded at his own expense a church
and parish for the French Catholics of
New York City. And now the ambition
of his declining years was to become the
apostle of the great empire of China,
and to rescue its little children from
temporal and eternal death.

Bishop de Forbin-Janson had the spirit
of a military commander, and the rest-
less energy of a conqueror. He wished to
establish a great and mighty work which
was to triumph over every obstacle,
without interfering, however, with other
charities or prospering at their expense.
To save the children of pagan China, he
saw no better way than to appeal to the
children of Catholic Europe. He was
going to unite them in a grand league of
prayer and almsgiving, and use their
weak efforts multiplied a millionfold for
the success of his enterprise. He lost no
time in carrying out his plan. With an
apostle's burning zeal he went from city
to city, from diocese to diocese, making
known his great work, and calling upon
the children to enroll themselves in his
army. His burning words inflamed all
hearts, as he pictured in graphic colors
scenes of helpless little ones thrown
forth and abandoned to die of starvation
and exposure, or, worse still, to be de-
voured by unclean animals without the
regenerating grace of Christian baptism.
He was eagerly listened to. He asked
so little from his young hearers, and for
a purpose so entirely within reach of
their intelligences. They were required
to say but one " Hail Mary " each day
to call down God's blessing on the work
and give an alms of but one cent a month
for the purchasing and baptizing of their

little brothers and sisiers in pagan
lands. Thousands begged to be en-
listed, and the association of the Holy
Childhood was founded.

It^was to be the helpmate of the Propa-
gation of the Faith , and labor side by side
w7ith it, for an end similar, it is true, yet
entirely distinct. What the Propagation
of the Faith could not have undertaken
except as a secondary matter, owing to
the scantiness of its resources, was made
the primary obj ect of the new association ,
the baptizing and saving of pagan chil-
dren. Its scope and essential features
were outlined by the founder himself
shortly before his death. " The work of
the Holy Childhood," he writes, "does
not depend for its resources on the asso-
ciates of the Propagation of the Faith.
It appeals to a different age, to different
feelings and conditions. It addresses it-
self to the hearts of children, presents to
them an object calculated to strike and
move them, and asks for a small share
of their little savings. Children are not
as a rule members of the Propagation of
the Faith ; but this is entirely their work,
well proportioned to their means and
their understanding. The prayers are
the shortest possible ; the alms, the least
that can be asked. The Holy Childhood
picks up the crumbs which would other-
wise be lost, and is enabled thereby to
save many souls."

Before his death in 1844, the zealous
founder had the joy of seeing his work sol-
idly established in as many as sixty-five
dioceses, both in France and other coun-
tries. Already in 1843 it had its central
council at Paris, presided over by Mon-
seigneur Affre, the martyr-bishop. It was
commended and encouraged by the su-
periors of several religious orders and
congregations devoted to the missions.
Among its associates were the sons of
kings and princes, as well as the orphans
assisted by public charity, the students
of fashionable boarding colleges, as well
as the pupils of humble country-schools.
After five months it was able to send its
first'contribution of 2 3 , ooo francs to Chi na.

94-2

ASSOCIATION OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD.

(302>

Bishop de Forbin-Janson died in 1844.
The prestige of his name and virtues
had done much to surround his work
with the success and popularity which
it had obtained. It was now to pass
through a short period of trial and
adversity, which threatened to annihi-
late it altogether. It found detractors
even among pious persons. They feared
its novelty or did not see any special
need for it, or thought it would injure
kindred works of charity. The cham-
pion of the H'oly Childhood at this
critical hour — or, as we may well style
him, its second founder — proved to be
the Abbe James, the confidential adviser
and friend of the deceased bishop. He
revived the waning enthusiasm of some
dioceses, reorganized the workings of
the association, insisted on its preserv-
ing its individuality, and was enabled in
1845 to collect 30,000 francs for the
abandoned heathen children. Since
that time the progress of the work of
the Holy Childhood has been rapid and
uninterrupted. It has spread not only
through every country of Europe, but
has taken solid root in Asia, Africa
and America. Not satisfied with benefit-
ing the poor outcasts of China, it has
extended its influence to India, and,
later on, to the dark continent of
Africa. It has collected since its insti-
tution more than twenty millions of dol-
lars, the annual income being now
between 600,000 and 700,000 dollars,
representing a membership of over three
million associates. Besides the purchas-
ing and baptizing of pagan children, it
is founding orphanages, schools, work-
shops and farms for the education and
civilization of the survivors. From
various reports published within recent
years, we gather that the Holy Child-
hood is at present subsidizing about 1 70
missions, supporting 800 orphanages,
3,500 schools, 500 workshops, 190 farms
and 1,500 dispensaries; it baptizes
yearly more than half a million children
and educates nearly 200,000. And these
results it achieves amid a thousand diffi-

culties and oppositions, and often in the
midst of persecution and martyrdom.

The Holy Childhood, we are happy to
say, flourishes in many dioceses of the
United States, and wins popularity as it
becomes better known. Its General
Director for the United States is the
Rev. J. Willms, C. S. Sp., residing at
Pittsburg, Pa., under whose editorship
an interesting monthly magazine The
Annals of the Holy Childhood is pub-
lished for the spread and promotion of
the work. May the Holy Childhood
soon find a welcome into every diocese
in the Union ! Such is the wish and
prayer of the MESSENGER.

Many an eloquent page has been writ-*
ten to glorify that noble army of 50,000
children, who, when the Christian ^rulers
of Europe would not heed the cry of dis-
tress coming from the Holy Land, took
the cross, girded the sword, and bravely
set out to rescue the sepulchre of Christ
from the hands of the infidels. We
admire their impetuous enthusiasm and
their chivalrous spirit ; we call them
heroes and martyrs, rash and misguided
though their enterprise may seem. If
they failed to conquer the foe as they had
fondly hoped, yet their efforts and the
sacrifice of their lives were not in vain.
' ' The children are awake while we are
buried in sleep ! ' ' exclaimed Pope Inno-
cent III., and kings and princes were
shamed into action, and, laying aside
domestic wars, banded together for the
sixth great crusade.

We are witnessing in our days a chil-
dren's crusade not unworthy of that of
the 1 3th century The Holy Childhood
has given to the Church an army, not of
50,000, but of 3 000,000 youthful sol-
diers, striving to redeem from the slavery
of Satan those for whom Christ has shed
His precious blood. They are stretch-
ing forth their tiny arms towards their
unfortunate brothers and sisters in
pagan lands, to share with them the
blessing of the true faith and the hope
of eternal happiness. They form au
association which is one of the fairest

SWEET CHILDHOOD.

943

>wers the Church on earth has produced,
of the brightest gems in her diadem.

rhile snatching others from death, they
are learning in their tender years the
practice of charity, the queen of virtues,
and of generosity and self-sacrifice.
They rise above the selfishness of their
age and are made sharers in the spread
of the Church of God, and in the salva-
tion and sanctification of souls. Truly
twice-blessed is the League of the Holy

Childhood, blessing them that give and
them that take !

"The little ones have asked for bread,
and there was no one to break it unto-
them, " mourned the prophet of old, and
behold ! other little ones have arisen,
and have distributed that bread; and
those that were perishing are fed, and
live, and swell the ranks of the Church
militant on earth, and of the Church
triumphant in heaven.

SWEET CHILDHOOD.
F. de S. Howie, S. J.

Good-bye, sweet childhood days, good-bye,
Fain would I keep you at my side
Till morning fair, but you must ride

Afar to-night ; good-bye, good-bye.

Good-bye, sweet childhood days, good-bye.
Though there did fall into thy years
Some drops of rain, still, 'mid those tears,

There beamed the sun of joy ; good-bye.

Good-bye, sweet childhood days, good-bye.
Scarce have we known to love, when you
In accents sweet must bid adieu —

Forevermore? Good-bye, good-bye.

Good-bye, sweet childhood days, good-bye.
Ah, we shall meet again : not here,
But where like children all appear

With Jesus in their midst ; good-bye.

EDITORIAL.

LEO XIII. ON CANISIUS.

THE Holy Father with his wonderful
tact in improving opportunities
has written a splendid letter on Catholic
education. The opportunity was the
tercentenary of B. Peter Canisius, S.J.,
famous for his labors in this great cause.
The letter is addressed to the Archbishops
and Bishops of Austria, Germany and
Switzerland, which countries were the
scene of the principal labors of the man-
of-God. His Holiness first remarks the
features of resemblance of our age to
that in which B. Canisius lived, in an
inordinate craving for innovation and an
outburst of ultra-liberal doctrines. What
was successful then in combating will
be useful now. A sound religious train-
ing was the great safeguard of the faith
then, it is the thing necessary now.
Canisius, the first German to enter the
Society of Jesus, then in its infancy,
and realizing the tactics of the enemy,
determined to wield against them
weapons from the armory of scientific
knowledge, and especially scholastic
philosophy so much dreaded by the
enemies of the faith, because so potent
to set forth Catholic truth in the clearest
light, and to lay bare the sophistries of
false teachers. The Pope then praises
the compendium of Catholic doctrine
and the two famous catechisms of B.
Canisius, who, he says, "was regarded
for three centuries as the teacher of the
Catholics of Germany, " and in popular
language, "to know one's Canisius"
and "to preserve Christian truth, " were
synonymous.

944

EDUCATED CATHOLIC LEADERS.

Leo XIII. next points out the neces-
sity, especially in our times, that Catho-
lic leaders should be thoroughly versed
in all kinds of secular knowledge which
will shed lustre on religion. The Church
has ever been the mother of scholars as
well as of martyrs and confessors,
and has preserved the literary treasures
of antiquity. But the learned are
to make their studies profitable to the
Christian commonwealth, and this
particularly by practical work in the
education of youth, not only in primary
but also in secondary or academic
schools. He exhorts the hierarchy to
see to this and to the restoring and up-
holding the rights of parents and of the
Church.

He then lays down certain principal
rules. ' ' In the first place, Catholics are
not, especially for children, to adopt
mixed schools, but should have their
own, and should select for them excel-
lent and well-approved teachers. Very
perilous is the education in which reli-
gion is either vitiated or non-existent,
and we see that in schools known as
mixed either of these alternatives is fre-
quently realized."

"In the second place, not only should
religion be taught to children at certain
hours, but all the rest of the instruction
should, as it were, exhale a perfume of
Christian piety. . . . Let, then, the
imparting of the various branches of
human knowledge be associated with
the culture of the soul. "

Of the teachers, Leo XIII. says : " No-

(304)

(305)

EDITORIAL

945

Dody should exercise such important
unctions without having been judged
fitted for them by the judgment of the
Church, and confirmed in their office by
religious authority."

THEOLOGY IN EDUCATION.

His Holiness calls attention to the
fact that "it is not only in the instruc-
tion of children that religion claims its
rights. ' ' He instances the old universi-
ties, especially that of Paris, which
judged no one worthy of the highest
scientific titles unless he had obtained a
degree in theology. "This system of
study, which accorded the first place to
God and sacred things, has produced no
meagre fruit. It insured, at least, that
the young thus brought up remained
more faithful to their duties. These
happy results will be renewed among
you, if you devote all your efforts to
seeing that in the schools known as sec-
ondary, in gymnasiums, lyceums and
academies, the rights of religion be
respected."

His Holiness prays that their efforts
may never encounter that obstacle which
renders vain the best intentions and
useless all exertions — dissension in pol-
icy and want of harmony in action.
"What," he asks, "can the divided
forces of the well-meaning effect against
the assault of their united enemies ? Of
what avail is the merit of individuals
if there be no common line of conduct ?
Wherefore, we earnestly exhort you to
put aside all untimely controversy and
all contentions of parties by which
division in men's minds is so easily
effected, so that all the faithful may
have but one voice in defence of the
Church, so that all may concentrate
their strength to direct it toward one
sole end, and all bring to the work the
same good will, 'careful to keep the
unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. ' ' '

A PROMOTER OF EDUCATION.

The Pope's letter recalls and invokes
the memory of Canisius, whom he styles
a very holy man, and presents his illus-

trious example as an incentive to stir
men to a love of wisdom which pos-
sessed him. "Those on whom divine
Providence has conferred the noble mis-
sion of instructing youth," are to re-
member ' ' that learning— as the ancients
used to say — when separated from right-
eousness deserves the name of 'cun-
ning ' rather than of wisdom, or better
still, if they meditate on the text 'all
men are vain with whom is not the
knowledge of God,' they will learn to
avail themselves of the weapons of sci-
ence, not so much for their private use,
as in the general interest. ' ' If they do
this, then "they may expect the same
fruit from their labors and efforts as
that once obtained by Peter Canisius in
his colleges and other educational estab-
lishments, namely, a youth that is do-
cile and of good habits, a youth that is
adorned with virtue, that detests the ex-
ample of the impious and finds equal
attraction in learning and virtue."

The Holy Father pays many beautiful
tributes in the course of the letter to
B. Canisius, "whose learning," he
says, "deserved so well of the Catholic
Church, "whom he characterizes as " a
brilliant leader," and, "after Boniface,
the Apostle of Germany." We have
not dwelt upon them because our readers
have already had his career fully dis-
played for their admiration, inspiration
and imitation in a preceding number.

THE LAMBETH CONFERENCE,

What will be the outcome of this
much-heralded meeting? The Encycli-
cal Letter goes forth under the names of
the Archbishop of Canterbury and the
Bishops of Gloucester and Winchester.
To whom is it addressed ? "To the
faithful in Christ Jesus, greeting."
Nothing can be more vague than this
address. For, what is the criterion of
faithfulness to Christ as understood by
them ? ' ' Moral conduct, ' ' they say, ' ' is
made by our Lord the test of the reality
of religious life. ' ' Hence, they first
touch on intemperance and impurity.

94-6

EDITORIAL.

(306)

The former is to be combated in a relig-
ious spirit as part of Christian devotion.
The latter is to be lessened by maintain-
ing the dignity and sanctity of marriage.
This sounds well ; but what value has it
when uttered by authorities of a church
which allows divorce and re-marriage ?
To meet the industrial problems, the
great principle of the Brotherhood of
Man is to be insisted on. They declare
that ' ' the critical study of the Bible by
competent scholars is essential to the
maintenance in the Church of a healthy
faith." They admit the danger of in-
quiry leading to infidelity, but say that
" the best safeguard against such a peril
lies in that deep reverence which never
fails to accompany real faith. " It would
seem that they propose as a safeguard
the very quality which some of the so-
called higher criticism undermines and
eventually destro3'S — reverence. It is a
strange admission, that healthy faith
depends upon the critical study of the
Bible by competent scholars. And who,
we might ask, are these competent
scholars, and what constitutes their
competency ? Doubtless some of the
German schools of critics would claim to
be competent scholars, but woe to the
faith depending essentially upon them
for maintenance.

SOME INCONSISTENCIES.

The Lambeth Encyclical pronounces
the Book of Common Prayer to be " next
to the Bible itself, the authoritative
standard of the doctrine of the Angli-
can Communion " ! They " hold that it
would be most dangerous to tamper
with its teaching, either by narrowing the
breadth of its comprehension or by dis-
turbing the balance of its doctrine. ' '
Yet these Rt. Rev. draughters of the
Encyclical are perfectly aware that this
' ' authoritative standard ' ' in Article
XXV. asserts that "There are two Sac-
raments ordained of Christ our Lord in
the Gospel, that is to say, Baptism and
the Supper of the Lord. Those five com-
monly called Sacraments .... are

not to be counted for Sacraments of
the Gospel. " In how many Anglican
churches, however, is the doctrine of the
seven Sacraments openly taught ! This,
it is true, is not " narrowing the breadth
of its comprehension, " but broadening
the narrowness of its non-comprehen-
sion. They affirm that "any mission
of modification which might have the
effect of practically denying an article
in one of the creeds, would be not only
dangerous, but a direct betrayal of the
faith. " Yet these same gentlemen pass
a resolution to request the Archbishop
of Canterbury to take such steps as may
be necessary for the retranslation of the
Athanasian Creed, evidentl}* with the
hope of ridding themselves of the dam-
natory clauses, or of toning them down
at least. This will be quite a grateful
task for Dr. Temple, who, as we have
before noticed, has no partiality for this
very orthodox and explicit statement of
faith.

ADOPTING THE PROTESTANT PRINCIPLE.

What has the Conference done ? It
has decided that the title of Archbishop
should attach to the rank of Metro-
politan. So the two Metropolitans of
Canada, the Bishops of Capetown, Cal-
cutta, Sydney and Jamaica are to be
dubbed Archbishops. Should not Can-
terbury become a world-wide Patri-
archate ? Nay, said the English colonial
and American Protestant Episcopalian
bishops, no pope for us, we admit no
power of jurisdiction in the Archbishop
of Canterbury. As one of the American
bishops writes : ' ' While the honorable
position of sitting in one of the oldest
sees of our whole communion, all other
chief bishops in Scotland, Ireland,
America, Australia, South Africa, every-
where, are his equals in their position
as chief bishops of churches or prov-
inces." Not only this, but "it has
been determined that hereafter, where
possible, [O saving clause], instead of
the oath of obedience to him which has
hitherto been taken by every bishop

EDITORIAL.

947

whom lie consecrated under the Queen 's
mandate [mark the words] for any of the
colonial sees of the Church of England,
the bishops should solemnly declare that
he would pay all ' due ho?tor and defer-
ence to the Archbishop of Canterbury
and would respect and maintain the
spiritual rights and privileges of the
Church of England and of all churches
in communion with her.' " So His
Grace has rather lost than gained, and,
in limiting his authority, Anglicanism
is true to its Protestant origin.

UNCATHOLIC IN SPIRIT.

The subject of brotherhoods and sis-
terhoods was treated, and much said and
done towards bringing them into a
closer and better defined relation to
bishops, and great encouragement was
given to the increase of deaconesses as
a recognized office in the Church. The
uncatholic trend of the Conference may
be discerned by these remarks of the
above quoted bishop. " I am very glad
to say that in the matter of the Reform
movements on the continent of Europe
and elsewhere, we have not only re-
newed our expressions of confidence
and sympathy with the Reformation in
Germany and Switzerland, but we have
also especially recognized the work in
Mexico by the formation of an auton-
omous Church organized upon the
primitive lines of administration, hav-
ing a liturgy and book of offices ap-
proved by the Presiding Bishop of the
Church in the United States and his
advisory committee, framed after the

primitive forms of worship. " A word
of encouragement was also spoken to
Brazil. The trumpet gives no uncertain
sound. No Anglo-Catholicism about
this, but pure and simple anti-Catholic
Protestantism, which encourages Prot-
estant Episcopalian missions to pervert
Catholics in purely Catholic countries
such as Mexico and Brazil. It is a
wonder that Spain got no word. It is
not surprising that they do not look
Romeward, nor that Rome should de-
nounce the pretensions of men openly
working to destroy Catholic unity by
their Protestant propagandism.

ABSURD HOPES OF UNION.

They would fain have the Orthodox
East recognize them, but they will wait
in vain, for the Orientals are orthodox
and will not consort with Anglicans
who have no standard of orthodoxy, for
it is absurd to talk about the creeds as
such, since every Anglican, cleric or
layman, has the supposed right of a
Protestant to sit in judgment upon them
and accept, reject and interpret as he sees
fit. As a memorial sent to the Lambeth
Conference by the Association for the
Promotion of the Unity of Christendom
notes : ' ' The unity of Christendom,
having been lost through pride, must
be regained through humility, ' ' and we
may say, the humility which prompts
every act of faith, submission to the
authority of God who reveals and to
the Church which teaches as His repre-
sentative.

The little town of Bagnorea, in Italy,
has erected a monument to St. Bonaven-
ture, its townsman and its greatest
glory. The saint is represented stand-
ing, dressed in his robes of Cardinal,
with head upraised and with his right
hand extended, while in his left he holds
a scroll bearing the compendium of his
teaching : In omnibus Deum videas et
laudes. (In all things see and praise
God.) The project of the monument
was a part of the jubilee proceedings,
and so Leo XIII. himself composed the
epitaph :

BONAVENTUR.E

EPISCOPO CARDINALI ALBANENSI
DOCTORI SERAPHICO

GIVES
TANTO VIRO GLORIANTES

EXTERNIQUE
UNANIMES IN ADMIRATIONS SAPIENTI.E

ET SANCTIMONY Ejus

AERE COLLATO DEDICAVERUNT

ANNO MDCCCLXXXXVII.

To Bonaventure, Cardinal Bishop of
Albani, the Seraphic Doctor, the Citizens
and Outsiders, proud of so great a man,
unanimous in admiration of his wisdom
and holiness, by their contributions have
dedicated this monument.

of St. Vincent De Paul, it was really
one in which the whole Church of Paris
should be interested.

The crown, which is about twenty-five
inches in circumference, is composed en-
tirely of pearls and diamonds.

The feast of St. Ann, July 26th, was
a day of special rejoicing in the Mother-
House of the Sisters of Charity at Paris.
The occasion was the crowning of the
statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous
Medal by His Eminence, Cardinal Rich-
ard, who also celebrated the recently
approved votive mass in honor of the
apparition of the miraculous medal.
Not content with these evidences of his
devotion to the medal, His Eminence
further issued a letter to his clergy, re-
minding them that, though at first
sight this ceremony might seem of the
nature of a family feast for the Sisters

948

About a year ago we called attention
to the great success achieved by the
Catholic colleges of Ireland in intellec-
tual competition with the richly en-
dowed Protestant institutions. Their
success this year has been still more
pronounced, as can be judged from the
following paragraph from the Dublin
Freeman 's Journal : ' ' The feature of the
results of the competition among the
students of the university is, as usual,
the complete and sweeping triiimph of
the unendowed Catholic colleges, and
the almost as complete collapse of the
well-endowed Queen 's Colleges at Gal-
way and Cork. University College once
more comes out victoriously first, even
in competition with the only successful
Queen's College, that in Belfast. Alike
in the number and the quality of the dis-
tinctions won, the Catholic college is far
ahead. It has gained 51 distinctions, as
compared with Belfast's 46, Galway's
18, and Cork's 6. Thirty-two of its dis-
tinctions are in the first class, while
only 16 of Belfast's, 8 of Galway's and i
of Cork's belong to that order. The
Catholic College has won first place in
both grades, and first place in no fewer
than nine subjects. . . . The tale of
Catholic successes is not confined to the
story of one great Catholic college. Thus
the colleges for the higher education of
Catholic girls, absolutely unassisted as
they are, now equal or surpass in effi-
ciency the two Queen 's Colleges in Gal-
way and Cork. St. Mary's University
College has won a total of 17 distinc-
tions, while Galway with its ten thou-
sand pounds a year has gained only 18
and Cork only 6. The rapid rise of this
institution is one of the most gratifying

(308)

(309)

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS-

949

educational achievements in Catholic
Ireland within recent years. Though
only in its infancy, it has already taken
its rank as one of the first educational
institutions in Ireland. It ties this year
with Alexandra College in the total of
its university distinctions, and is rapidly
gaining upon that other most successful
Protestant girls' college, the Victoria
College, Belfast. The Loretto College,
St. Stephen's Green, has also proved its
quality, gaining eleven distinctions and
the Hutchison Stewart Prize, or twice
as many honors as have been won by
the students of Queen's College, Cork. "

The glory and the splendor of Queen
Victoria's Diamond Jubilee have been re-
hearsed again and again in the public
press. We have read the long list of
knights recently created in acknowledg-
ment of eminence in either the civil or
military walks of life. But there has
been one little incident to which suffi-
cient prominence has not been given.
We refer to the conferring of the decora-
tion of the Red Cross on four Catholic
Sisters who had served as nurses during
the Crimean War. The eldest of these
sisters is now in her eighty-first year,
and the youngest in her sixty-ninth ;
and in the years intervening since the
closing of the last great struggle be-
tween Russia and England they had
been pursuing peacefully, without
thought of earthly reward, their work
of charity in the London hospitals.
Judge of their surprise and embarrass-
ment when the royal carriage came to
bring them to Windsor Castle. With
many expressions of affectionate esteem
the Queen welcomed them, and with her
own hands pinned on their breasts the
cross they had so nobly won.

A house has been recently opened at
Jerusalem by the Dominican Fathers for
the special study' of Holy Scripture.
The advantages to be derived from such
an institution are manifold. There, on
the very spot where so many events re-
corded both in the Old and in the New
Testament have taken place, young
priests selected by their bishops will be
gathered together for the courses of exe-
gesis, archaeolog}^ and languages of such
importance for the full understanding
of the sacred text. Archaeological excur-
sions will be made a half-day each week,
and longer excursions from time to time
during the year.

On June 29 the ChurcH of St. Louis, at
Berlin, raised tothenfcmory of the great
leader of the German Catholic Party,
Louis Windhorst, was solemnly blessed.
It has been built by the contributions of
his Catholic fellow-countrymen, and is a
fitting monument to the conqueror of
Bismarck and the Kulturkampf.

The Municipal Council of Chartres in
France has recently paid a graceful and
well-deserved tribute to the memory of
the late Cardinal Pie, Bishop of Poitiers,
by giving his name to the street wh.ere
he had lived as a priest from 1849 to 1880.

The following statistics proclaim the
splendid work the Christian Brothers are
doing. At the close of the year 1896
there were 14, 382 religious, i,456hotises,
1,833 schools, 7,699 classes, 322,513 day
scholars, and 28,412 boarders. The
schools are in the four quarters of the
globe. Naturally, by far the greatest
number of teachers and pupils are in
France, the country of their Blessed
Founder. There they have 235,149
scholars in 1,356 schools, taught by
10,235 Brothers. In the United States
there are 938 Brothers living in 89
houses, teaching 31,004 boys in no
schools.

The French Canadian Messenger for
September furnishes us with some inter-
esting details with regard to the new
Archbishop of Montreal, Mgr. Paul Bru-
chesi. All are uniting in saluting him
as the Bishop of the Sacred Heart. It
was on the feast of the Sacred Heart,
June 25th, that His Holiness signed the
bull creating him Archbishop, and the
official notice of his nomination to the
see of Montreal arrived just as Canon
Bruchesi was saying Mass at an altar of
the Sacred Heart. In answer to a tele-
gram of congratulation sent him by the
Cathedral Chapter of Montreal, the Arch-
bishop-elect wrote : ' ' It is the Sacred
Heart of Jesus that has done all."

Again, it was at the very moment
when Mgr. Bruchesi was getting ready
to say Mass at another altar of the
Sacred Heart that the bull was handed
him. Taking it, he placed it on the
altar upon which he celebrated, thus
putting under the protection of the
Heart of Jesus the work which that Di-
vine Heart had confided to his charge.

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

The Revised

Statutes.

Directors will re-
that we used to
call attention to this dis-
tinction by printing in our manuals and
various leaflets, that our Apostleship is
distinct from the Archconfraternity of the
Sacred Heart and the confraternity of the
Living Rosary. Now that our statutes
have been so framed as to make this
distinction clear there will be no further
need of emphasizing it in our various
prints. Directors, however, should be
careful to remind Promoters and Asso-
ciates that the revised statutes do not
make any change in our practice of the
Daily Decade, or Second Degree, as it is
called. On the contrary this practice is
urged upon us more earnestly than
before, and by the spirit of the new
statutes it may now be styled, accord-
ing to the Moderator General, the offer-
ing to our Lady, just as the offering of
the First Degree, the familiar morning
offering, is the offering to our Lord.

The revised statutes of
the Apostleship of Prayer
appear in the Acta Sanctce
Sedis for July, 1897. They are published
as we gave them in our February num-
ber. The editor makes no comment,
adding merely the note that this revi-
sion has been made with a view to show-
ing the distinction between the Apostle-
ship of Prayer and the Living Rosary.
Fortunately our Directors need no ex-
planations on this point, as we have
tried to keep this distinction promi-
nently before them from the time the
Apostleship had so well organized and
propagated the practice of the Living
Rosary, that this confraternity could live
and flourish by itself.

Directors will do well to
explain to the Promoters
and Associates that the re-
vised statutes do not modify in any way
the organization of the bands of the
Apostleship of prayer. When the Living
Rosary was connected with our work, it
was found very convenient to make each
band consist of fifteen, as that number
was strictly needed to form full Rosary
bands. For at least twelve years we
have been advising Directors to keep
about fifteen members in each band,
though in small centres, or, wherever
men had to fill the office of Promoter, we
suggested that eight or ten would be
enough to make a band. From the very
beginning of the work, the organization

league

Bands.

The Number
in a Band.

of bands of seven, ten, fifteen or thirty
has been adopted, as these numbers serve
for weejdy or monthly bands for the
Communion of Reparation as well as for
the practice of the Daily Decade. Hence
Directors may continue their bands as
now organized.

In France, the cradle
and home of the adminis-
tration of our League of
Prayer, each band consists of thirty and
this number adopts itself to every one of
our pious practices. Thus the thirty
members constitute a monthly band for
the perpetual Communion of Reparation,
and it can be divided easily to make the
weekly bands for this same practice.
Thirty also represents the number of
patron saints honored by us each month.
For every band of thirty, there are three
Promoters, one exercising a general
supervision over the entire number, and
the other two attending more particularly
to the members subdivided into bands of
fifteen ; or else, each of these Promoters
looks after a band of ten, and is always
ready to supply the place of either of the
other two in case of sickness or absence.
This would come to the same thing as
forming bands of ten, and our experience
is that this number can always be easily
obtained and attended to by every Pro-
moter.

We have often sug-

A Model for d t Qur Directors that

Directors. fe, -111

they should study the life

of Blessed Margaret Mary in order to
learn how to promote the practice of
prayer and devotion to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, the two great objects of our
League of Prayer. Her letters breathe
the spirit of prayer and of devotion.
Throughout her apostolate one great
fact stands out clearly, and it is one that
should encourage all of us. She was
the chosen instrument of a great devo-
tional movement brought about by
Christ through her humble services,
acting as she was without human re-
source, often in spite of opposition, mis-
understanding, seeming failures and
constant temptations to discourage-
ment. What a consolation it is to a
priest to feel that he has it in his power
to help his people to conceive a warm
personal love of Christ our Lord !
Blessed Margaret Mary is a model in
this, and the triumph of her life is a re-
assurance for all who attempt to follow
her example.

950

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

To PROMOTERS.

951

What is said of Blessed
"—r, -Margaret Mary as a model
for Directors of the Apos-
tleship of Prayer applies as well to Pro-
moters. In many cases Directors will
admit that it applies exclusively to Pro-
moters, who are bearing all the burden
of the work, simply because other duties
pre-occupy themselves. Her feast falls
in October, and Promoters should not let
the month pass without studying in her
life how they may advance the practice
of prayer and devotion to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, the two great objects of
her labors.

One trait in her life especially com-
mendable to Promoters, is her submis-
sion to her Directors, particularly to Ven.
de la Colombiere, the one appointed by
our Lord to guide her in receiving and
in making known the special revelations
of the Heart of Jesus. Directors of the
League discharge the very same office,
in a measure for their Promoters, and
their counsels should be taken with as
much docility as possible.

When Directors appoint a time for the
Promoters' meeting, Promoters should
relinquish everything else in order to
attend it faithfully and punctually.
Kven if the Director cannot always be
present at it, they can follow a regular
programme of exercises, such, for in-
stance, as the one given in the League
Devotions, page 195. They should
bring their reports and obtain their sup-
plies at the meetings, in order to spare
him the time and trouble of striving to
attend to them individually. They
should take the suggestions and act

upon them and in every way possible
co-operate with him in getting new
members, in organizing them into bands,
in inducing more and more to take up
the practice of the Daily Decade and the
Communion of Reparation, in multiply-
ing the attendance at the public services
— particularly at those held in honor of
the Sacred Heart, in training their asso-
ciates to pray for one another, to offer
up their good works for the intentions
of the League, and to thank God for
graces obtained.

Promoters should not be content with
getting new Associates. They' should
constantly aim at making new Pro-
moters. In a band of ten or fifteen
there must always be some who can
take up this office and fulfil it properly.
No one can know their fitness better
than their Promoter. Their services
will always be useful. No matter how
many people belong to the League, there
are always some who need to learn for
the first time what it is, and others who
need to be brought back to its practices.
If new Promoters can do nothing else
they can at least help those already at
work ; at times they will be needed as
substitutes ; or, they might take from
two bands of fifteen enough to make a
band of ten, and thus enable the Pro-
moters already active to give more time
and attention to those left under their
charge. This suggestion is particularly
timely, now that so many Centres are
looking forward to the Promoters' Recep-
tions, usually held in December and
January, for which it is high time to
train the candidates.

THE APOSTLESHIP AT HOME AND ABROAD.

PHILADELPHIA, PA., St. Gregory's
Centre. — At the close of our triduum on
the eve of the Feast of the Sacred Heart,
we held our first reception of Promoters.
One of the Fathers of the Central
Direction preached and awarded the
diplomas and crosses to 70 Promoters.
The League is doing much good through-
out the parish.

VANCOUVER, WASH., St. James' Cath-
edral Centre. — On the Feast of the As-
sumption we had the solemn reception
of 1 6 Promoters. Bishop O'Dea per-
formed the ceremony ^nd delivered a
very eloquent and appropriate sermon.

The other Promoters are very anxious to
get through their noviceship and receive
their diplomas and crosses. Our League
is increasing continually. In our last
meeting it became again my duty to
appoint three new Promoters, owing to
the many new members that the ladies
proposed for registration.

LE ROY, N. Y., Convent of Mercy.—
On the first Friday of August about
three hundred went to Holy Communion.
Two priests heard confessions until a very
late hour on Thursday night. There were
two Masses on Eriday morning, one at
half-past five o'clock, the other at eight,

952

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(312)

thus giving every one an opportunity to
satisfy their devotion to the Sacred
Heart. Very Rev. Dean Brougham
leaves nothing undone to make known
and loved the Sacred Heart to whom he
is most devoted. He is a most faithful
member himself, doing every little act
as simply as the most humble member,
showing by his example that he believes
what he preaches.

IRONTON, O., St. Lawrence's Centre.
—The Rev. J, H. Cotter writes :— " I in-
tended to give the crosses to 15 Pro-
moters in our meeting on the first Sun-
day of September. In September, also,
I will have a statue of the Sacred Heart
made by my sister, a sculptress, unveiled
by Bishop Watterson."

ROCHESTER, MINN. — The League in
this city are placing a very beautiful
statue of the Sacred Heart in St. John's
Church.

DAYTON, O., St. Elizabeth Hospital.
— The many spiritual advantages to this
hospital of having the League estab-
lished here, are very noticeable, espe-
cially in death -bed conversions.

A WORTHY INTENTION.

REV. DEAR SIR, —

The past summer I was able to secure
a number of new members for the
League. Many of them are anxious to
practise the third degree and to make
the " No vena of First Fridays, " but as
they are poor farmers and their families,
who live many miles from church, they
could not go to early Mass on a week-
day, even were Mass said in the nearest
church each first Friday. There is a
favor I am most anxious to obtain, and
last evening, when at the devotions in
honor of the Sacred Heart, the thought
came to me to promise, if I should ob-
tain what I desire by the first of Novem-
ber, to pay the travelling expenses of a
priest if arrangements could be made for
one to go nine successive months and
say Mass at one of the farms, so the
members, probably thirty, could make
the "nine Fridays."

In order to make the promise more
solemn, I send it to you, and beg you to
ask the prayers of all the members of
the League of the Sacred Heart.

A PROMOTER.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, JULY 5, 1897.

DEAR REV. FATHER. — This year the
feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and
that of Most Precious Blood, were cele-
brated with unusual pomp, splendor and
great fervor of devotion and true apos-
tolic spirit. On both the occasions the
Rev. Vicar and Diocesan Director cele-
brated the Mass. The music of the
Mass was beautifully rendered on the
harmonium by the chapel master, and
there were a good many communions.
The high altar was splendidly decorated.
Both the festivals were closed by solemn
benediction of the blessed Sacrament,
preceded by acts of reparation and con-
secration. On both the occasions the
Rev. Director preached the sermon, tak-
ing for his text St. Paul II. Cor. 12, 15.
" But I most gladly will spend and be
spent n^self for your souls, although lov-
ing you more, I be loved less. But be
it so."

There was a reception of a few mem-
bers and conferring of diplomas. There
was much devotion in the services. The
ceremonies were impressive and inspir-
ing. The month of the Most Precious
Blood is kept up here.

Thanks are offered to the Sacred Heart
for many favors granted the associates
of this centre. In two instances the
prayers of the League were effectual in
a most striking way — one, that of the
whole parish being free of plague, with
the exception of about eight persons ;
the second, on the feast of the Most Pre-
cious Blood. Mass, with communion of
reparation, was especially offered for rain.
Scarcity of rain caused fevers and inter-
fered with our plantation. Extraordinary
heat made people despair. In a good many
houses three or four persons were sick,
laid up with fever of a bad type, and in
such a fix the Catholics, all associates,
had recourse to me to have a procession
led out, carrying the image of Our Lady
of Mercy to her old ruined shrine, since
this year the feast was celebrated in the
church, on account of the plague. Dis-
tance and pilgrims flocking from far
were the causes of the feast not being
celebrated in the old shrine. I an-
swered the poor illiterate, that to-mor-
row, the 5th inst., is the Feast of the
Most Precious Blood (according to our
Calendar) and there will be Mass and
Communion of Reparation for rains,
and, after Mass, intercession of Our
Lady of Mercy. SS. Peter and Paul and
the miraculous St. Anthony were in-

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DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

953

yoked to plead before the throne of the
Sacred Heart to send abundant rains ;
and, in fact, the sky had turned like
brass, and the earth was as stone ; after
Mass downpour of rains continued at in-
tervals day and night. The congregation
was encouraged that their faith in the
Sacred Heart and Most Precious Blood,
was a sure guarantee that they would
have to-day abundant rains especially by
our offering the Mass and the Commun-
ion of Reparation. On Thursday and
Sunday preceding the Feast, public
prayers for rains and freedom from the
plague were said, besides the daily devo-
tions to the Sacred Heart. In Bombay
there was not a drop of rain on this day,
also in other parts, Many favors are
being granted the Associates in a mi-
raculous way, Mass in thanksgiving
being offered for a miraculous recovery,
for a successful operation and for other
favors, as communicated in ni}^ last. The
people here are really good. They cele
brate all the Feasts of the Sacred Heart
as great feasts. Oh, the beauty of the

Catholic faith in this isle of martyrs !
May the Sacred Heart protect us and our
work.

Yours very sincerely in SSnt. Conv.
Jesu,

M. F. PEREIRA,
Vicar S. Diocese, Director St. John the

Baptist's, Thana, India.

OBITUARY.

Mary E. Early, St. Alphonsus' Centre,
New York City ; John Burns, St. An-
thony of Padua's Centre, Philadelphia,
Pa. ; Mary Theresa Mclntee and Lewis
Kiltz, Immaculate Conception Centre,
Milwaukee, Wis. ; Rev. George Keller,
South Farrington, Polk Co., Wis. ;
Aloysius George Crowe, Chicago, 111.
brother of Rev. J. W. Crowe, Jackson-
ville, 111., Rev. D. L. Crowe, Utica, 111.,
Rev. J. B. Crowe, Chicago, 111., and
Sister Camilla of the Sisters of St. Joseph,
Chicago ; Mrs. Margaret Walter, Church
of our Lady of Good Counsel, New Or-
leans ; Col. Elmer Otis, U.S.A., San
Diego, Cal.

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

TOTAL NUMBER OF THANKSGIVINGS FOR LAST MONTH, 119,418.
' ' In all th ings give thanks . " (I . Thes . , v, 1 8) .

Special Thanksgiving. — "A Promoter
had long wished to become a religious,
but was greatly opposed by a brother.
She promised publication and a novena
to the Sacred Heart for the souls in pur-
gatory, and her brother immediately be-
came reconciled to her entering the con-
vent. "

' ' Recovery from a serious attack of the
jaundice. After fearful sufferings for six
months, when all medical treatment had
failed and I had made up my mind that
an operation would have to be per-
formed, I had recourse to the Sacred
Heart. In a moment of great agony I
placed the Badge on the seat of pain and
promised, if the trouble was removed, to
have two Masses said for the souls in
purgatory and to say daily the ' Thirty
Days' Prayer ' in honor of Our Blessed
Lady for two months, besides having
the recovery published in the MESSEN-
GER. The very next day the trouble
was entirely removed, and from that
day to this, nearly a year, I have never
had a return of the pain. "

"A young girl of eighteen had a
miraculous escape from drowning. In
company with her brother and a friend
of his she went for a sail on the Hudson
River. The boat capsized off Fort Lee,
N. J. A steam yacht went to the rescue.
The captain says he saw only one man
in the water, and when they were about
to reach him he sank The boat hook
was thrown into the water, but instead
of bringing him to the surface, it caught
in- the clothing of this young girl, who,
they thought, was dead. With the help
of a physician consciousness returned
and she is quite well. The other two
were drowned. Although a very gay
young girl, her devotion to the Sacred
Heart and League Practices have been
a source of edification for the past few
years."

4 ' For more than ten years I suffered
from a disease that became chronic and
from which I could get no relief. I
made a novena for the Feast of the
Sacred Heart, at the same time using
the Badge on the afflicted part and
promising publication. The cure was

954

granted on the Feast of the Sacred
Heart."

" Out of a situation at a time when I
could ill afford to be idle, I placed a
petition in the Intention box, with a
small offering, promising that, if my
prayer was granted, I would publish it
in the MESSENGER. Within two or
three days I received word from an un-
expected source that a place was vacant.
I applied for and got it. It turned out
to be a far better place than the one I
had previously filled, and my health has
been much benefitted, thanks to the
prayers of the Holy League. ' '

Spiritual Favors. — Conversion on his
death-bed of a man who had not prac-
tised his religion in fifty years: a novena
to the Sacred Heart was made and the
Badge worn ; return to his religion of
an apostate Catholic, after a promise to
make the novena of the Nine First Fri-
days ; conversion of a young man after
ten years ' neglect ; of another who had
not received the Sacraments in seven
years, and of a brother from a life of
indifference ; other conversions after
years of intemperance and neglect of
religious duties, including one special
conversion, and the conversion of a
lapsed Catholic woman, who, after
prayer by the League, was married by
a priest and made her Easter duty ; the
edifying death of two persons.

Temporal Favors. — Reconciliation of
many friends long estranged ; the fa-
vorable settlement of a lawsuit, giving
means for education ; many successful
lawsuits and many lawsuits averted;
many cases of relief in financial embar-
rassment, the recovery of lost money, and
success in business and examinations ;
return of a father to his family after
thirty years of neglect ; employment
obtained for many ; positions retained
in business stagnation ; a successful re-
treat and a successful operation for ap-
pendicitis ; restoration to health of a
boy afflicted with nervous trouble and
heart disease ; also cure of a child 's sore
head ; of a child afflicted with rheuma-
tism in the limbs and of children vari-

(3H)

THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

955

ously afflicted ; recovery of a sister from
typhoid fever ; of a man at the point of
death from a hemorrhage ; cure of a long-
standing case of dyspepsia and another
of eczema after novenas to the Sacred
Heart ; also cure of a missionary from a
severe illness ; protection in storms ;
the cure of threatened consumption after
a Mass and promise of publication ; re-
covery of a little girl from lung trouble,
after a novena and promise of publica-
tion : though the doctors had given
her up an immediate improvement
was noticed, the lung that was affected
being now in a perfectly healthy condi-
tion ; also recovery of two children
from scarlet fever and kidney disease ;
employment obtained for a brother after
novenas by two sisters and mother in
honor of the Sacred Heart, the Precious
Blood, the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph;
cure of a father from a very serious brain
trouble, causing complete collapse of
mental powers; colds cured; tenants ob-
tained for rooms and a house long va-
cant; a lawsuit obviated, another won
after promise of publication ; a third
lawsuit won unexpectedly after promise
of a Mass for the holy souls in honor of
St. Anthony; cure of a lady from viru-
lent typhoid fever after applying the
medal of the Holy Child of Prague ;
restoration to health after a novena of
First Fridays to the Sacred Heart and
saying the Thirty Days' Prayer to our
Lady; recovery of young nephew who
had been given up by the doctor after
a Mass was offered, a novena made and
publication promised ; restoration of do-
mestic peace ; financial help received
from unexpected sources; recovery of
a woman threatened with insanity ;
complete recovery, after promise of pub-
lication, of a sister who had been de-
spaired of by the doctors; many cases of
rheumatism cured; threatened diphthe-
ria averted and child cured; a great tem-
poral favor obtained through St. Joseph
and St. Anthony of Padua after promise
of publication ; the successful sale of
property; a Protestant examining board
decided a much coveted prize in favor
of a Catholic .competing against fifty
Protestants; a bookkeeper having lost

his position in a bank, through financial
stress, sought employment in vain,
until a Sister of Mercy suggested a no-
vena to the Sacred Heart, the miracu-
lous Infant of Prague and St. Anthony,
when he was immediately appointed
teller at an advanced salary in another
bank ; many positions retained under
adverse circumstances; the permanent
cure of heart trouble where medical
skill had failed, publication having been
promised; cure of a broken arm in a
twelve year old child, who, the doctors
said, would be a cripple, after novena to
St. Francis Xavier, Our Lady of Good
Counsel, and promise of publication.

Favors Through the Badge and Pro-
moter's Cross. — Cure of a very sore foot,
the Promoter's Cross having been ap-
plied ; relief from violent pain by apply-
ing the Badge ; cure of severe pain in the
back ; cure from sting of a bee, the Cross
having been applied ; recovery of three
children upon application of the Badge
and Promoter's Cross and promise of
publication ; the instant cure of a sore
wrist on application of the Badge ; "a
dear friend had a serious operation per-
formed and wore my Promoter's Cross ;
she is now well, thanks to the Sacred
Heart ; ' ' cure of a severe case of grippe,
the Badge having been applied ; cure of
a sore arm.

"During the past Spring a little girl
who was afflicted with St. Vitus' dance
was brought to Holy Cross College. St.
Ignatius ' water and a Sacred Heart Badge
were recommended. Publication, if cured,
was promised. Thanks to the Sacred
Heart, the child is now well. The same
treatment brought about a cure in the
case of a young boy who, also, was suf-
fering from the same cause. "

Spiritual and temporal favors ob-
tained through our Lady under various
invocations, St. Joseph, the Angels,
St. Anne, St. Ignatius, St. Francis
Xavier, St. Edward, St. Expeditus, St.
Blase, St. Francis of Assisi, St. An-
thony, St. Bridget, Ven. de la Colombi-
ere. Bishop Neumann and the Holy
Souls.

CONSIDERABLE criticism has been
evoked by an article by Edmund
Gosse in the August number of
the North American Review. He treats
' ' Ten Years of English Literature, ' ' and
seems to see a decadence in literary
taste. He is not surprised at this, be-
cause, as he says, " There have always
been bursts of genius, followed by pauses
or drops into mediocrity, ' ' but he sees
"a more unusual phenomenon in the
literary developments of these last ten
years in England than would be caused
by the mere fluctuation of talent. " He
then analyzes the decade and finds that
' ' it has been a period of the removal of
landmarks," such as Tennyson, Brown-
ing, Newman, Jowett, Tyndall, Huxley,
Kinglake, Froude, Matthew Arnold,
William Morris, Pater, Freeman, Church,
Lightfoot. According to him, "there
are surviving in England at the present
time only two aged writers whose ap-
pearance on a public occasion could ex-
cite universal enthusiasm. Only two ;
for Mr. Gladstone does not solely or even
considerably owe his prestige, as Mr. Rus-
kin and Mr. Herbert Spencer do, to the
exercise of the pen. ' ' He remarks ' ' the
enormous extension of literary activity,
by no means symptomatic of creative
and intellectual force, ' ' but rather due
to the extreme lucrativeness for the suc-
cessful writer. But he notes with regret
' ' the cessation of activity in the higher
branches of literature, " while "fiction
has flourished to an extremely dispro-
portionate degree. " The novel, he says,
"is manufactured to amuse without a
demand for mental effort, and to be
thrown away. " In his opinion, "there
is no dignity or value in a story apart
from the skill with which the author
tells it, while a work of history or
philosophy or science, if it exists at all,
has a basal value upon which any graces
of the writer are superimposed. " He is
not surprised to find novels ' ' abounding
in an age indifferent to equipment, and
rebellious to the intellectual hierarchy,
for this is work which demands no

956

training and bows to no tradition. " He
does not deny the excellence of many of
the novels published during these ten
years and their singularly various or-
der. ' ' The realistic, the antiquarian,
the social-didactic, the supernatural, the
military, and the idyllic schools have all
flourished."

He considers that ' ' the extreme vogue
for the prose story has drawn into its
vortex many talents which had no origi-
nal tendency in that direction, " and he
instances, among others, Stevenson,
' ' manifestly born to be an essayist, and
perhaps a philosopher." He is "acutely
alarmed to see the finer talents being
drawn from the arduous exercises to
which nature intended to devote them to
the facile fields of fiction. The result of
all this is that, to an extent which ought
to occasion all serious observers no little
alarm, the great reading public is rapidly
becoming unable to assimilate any ideas
at all ; and to appreciate impressions it
requires to have them presented to it in
the form of a story. ' ' He admits that
' ' specialists push the subdivision of ob-
servations about facts to an even more
extreme nicety ; but they only address
other specialists. The rest of the world
prefers to take its information and its
excitement from two sources of enter-
tainment, the newspaper and the novel. "
And now comes the proposition that has
provoked criticism. He says that " it is
almost certain that if Modern Painters,
or The Grammar of Assent, or even The
History of Civilization had been pub-
lished within the last ten years, it would
have scarcely attracted any attention at
all, outside a narrow circle. It is more
than probable that Buckle and Newman,
if not Mr. Ruskin, would have resigned
themselves to the inevitable, and have
tried to present their views and convic-
tions in the form of tales. " He is borne
out in this by the fact of Newman's
Loss and Gain. He attributes this phe-
nomenon to the over- attention paid to
the body, so that ' ' the elements of edu-
cation have come to reduce themselves

317)

THE READER.

957

more and more into a sort of disciplined
athleticism, in which the mind is not
indeed entirely neglected, but is made to
take a very inferior position to the
limbs. " He is speaking of the English,
but it seems to be quite as applicable on
this side of the water — witness the many
pages of newspapers devoted to a chroni-
cle of sports, to say nothing of special
magazines and papers solely for this pur-
pose. As Mr. Gosse well remarks : "If
you spend the day in violent strain of the
muscles in the open air, it is absolutely
impossible to work your brain at night,
and it would be hurtful to you if you
were to try to do so, ' ' but a novel will act
like a sleeping draught. He deprecates,
and we think justly, the way in which
" the athletic ideal has pushed all others
to the wall within the last few years, ' ' and
"that hundreds of thousands of persons
should be encouraged by their educated
leaders in the press to consider a cham-
pion billiard-player a more exalted per-
sonage than a great statesman or a great
scholar. ' ' Though disquieted and alarmed
at the turn which taste has taken during
these last ten years, he is far from sup-
posing it to constitute a lasting danger.
" It is easy to have too much intellectual
strenuousness. A sedative is what we
wanted, not a stimulant ; rest for the
brain, and not the stress of mental gym-
nastics." So he concludes by disclaim-
ing that he is a scoffer or a satirist, but
claiming that the ten years since 1887
seem to him to have been marked in
England, so far as literature is con-
cerned, by an extraordinary removal of
the great traditional figures which gave
their tone to thought ; by an excessive
and unwieldy preponderance of one class
of book — and that, the class least amen-
able to criticism — namely, the novel ;
and by a growth of combined athleticism
and commercialism highly unfavorable
to art and letters.

We agree in the main with the view
of Mr. Gosse, but we can readily under-
stand why the editors of newspapers
and publishers of novels and story mag-
zines would be unfavorably disposed
towards him.

•* #• *

In the Notes and Comments of the
North American Review for August
there is an excellent paper by Miss
Charlotte W. Porter on "The Oppor-
tunity of the Girls' Private School."
If we" mistake not, Miss Porter is the
principal of a famous school at Farm-
ington, Conn., and, if this surmise be

true, she is well qualified to treat the
matter. What she says' of the private
school, with few changes, is true of
Sisters' academies. She contrasts the
nineteenth century girl and the eigh-
teenth century maiden, admitting that
they are extreme types, and inclining
in her judgment to the latter type,
which she thus describes : ' ' The eigh-
teenth century maiden was the product
of rigid discipline, hardships, self de-
nial, much introspection and a stern
devotion to duty. ' ' Of course such train-
ing produced model wives and mothers.
The girl of to-day grows up under
changed conditions ' ' which have ad-
mitted no check upon the spirit of in-
dependence ; and the result is seen in
every class, in the enfeebled sense of the
virtue of obedience and the necessity of
discipline, in the unrestraint of expres-
sion, and the readiness to question and to
resent the exercise of authority. ' ' This
is the statement of " a recent writer,"
which Miss Porter endorses. She sig-
nalizes a lack of discipline in the family,
and a want of reverence for parents and
even for God Himself. As she well
remarks "the growth of a spirit of
license is invariably followed by a de-
cline in the sense of duty. " She asks :
' ' Why is it that in all departments of
work, from the kitchen to Congress, it
is so next to impossible to find faithful
service? Is it not because our people
have ceased to ask themselves what
they ought to do, and ask only what
they wish to do ? The least work with
the smallest effort, and the largest pay
and most liberty — that seems to be the
ideal." "Twin-brother of this decline
in the sense of duty is the desire to avoid
everything that is hard." This, she
maintains, holds good of men and women
in every stage of life. With the avoid-
ance of what is hard goes an excessive
devotion to pleasure. These are alarm-
ing tendencies ; we cannot deny their
existence. Much depends upon the train-
ing of the girl who is one day to be
wife and mother. Miss Porter thinks
that the private or pay school can do
much to stem the tide, but only " by in-
sisting upon obedience to its regula-
tions, promptness and regularity in
the performance of duty, thoroughness
in everything undertaken, concentrated
study, clear thinking, definite ex-
pression ; realizing that a slipshod per-
formance of school work means later a
slipshod performance of life's work.
. It can help girls to self-control .

958

BOOK NOTICES.

(318)

first, by making them obedient and in-
dustrious ; second, by impressing upon
them that every slight physical discom-
fort is not sufficient cause for discon-
tinuing work', and that tears over trifles
are a sign either of disease or of un-
womanly childishness ; and, finally, by
teaching them to subordinate the lower
to the higher. ' ' She would stop all
eating between meals, and restrict the
use of candy; she would banish every
pleasure that unfits for the performance
of duty, and would make social amuse-
ments only a relaxation from work — a
re-creation for renewed eifort. But the
school is not merely to restrain: it is to
insist upon honest intellectual work
and good reading, and excite a love for
the best in nature, literature and art.
Better than this, it can teach its girls
the sacredness of duty, the joy of self-
sacrifice, the happiness of unselfish
friendship, the love of God.
To accomplish all this, however, re-

quires teachers of no ordinary stamp.
Miss Porter grasps this and puts the
requisition forcibly. "What does the
work demand of the teacher ? Absolute
consecration — a consecration that shall
continually inspire to new acquisitions
of mind and character ; that shall en-
noble drudgery ; that shall hesitate at
nothing that can help her girls ; that
shall be brave enough to speak the un-
pleasant truth, to impose the disagree-
able restriction, if the good of one soul
committed to her demands it. It calls
for a consecration that shall make the
teacher willing to be disliked and mis-
represented, to sow in tears with but
little prospect of reaping in joy, to give
with no thought of receiving in return. "
Well may religious teachers apply
this admirable description of a model
teacher to themselves and see if they
are up to its standard; if they are, then
shall the nineteenth century girl be one
for whom we need not blush.

BOOK NOTICES.

Brother Azarias. By Rev. John Tal-
bot Smith, LL. D. New York : William
H. Young & Co. 1897. Pages 280.
Price $1.50.

This is the life of the well-known edu-
cator and literary man told in a very
interesting way. It cannot fail to do
much good, recounting, as it does, the
life work of the most prominent of the
Sons of Blessed J. B. de la Salle in this
country, and showing him to be a de-
voted religious man as well as a leader
in the work of education. It is strange,
however, that the author should describe
Brother Azarias as a monk, and so char-
acterize him throughout the book, for
the Brothers of the Christian schools are
not monks, as the Church understands
the term. But, although it is not, as the
sub-title puts it, "The Life Story of an
American Monk," it is the life story of
an excellent religious man and devoted
Christian Brother, and will be welcomed
not only by those who knew him, but by
those who will first make his acquaint-
ance through this book.

The Romance of a Jesuit Mission. By
M. Bourchier Sanford. New York : The
Baker & Taylor Co. i2mo., cloth.
Pages 292. Price $1.25.

The scene of this story is laid for the
most part at Port Sainte Marie, the cen-
tral station of the Missions to the Huron

Indians. The time is the middle of the
seventeenth century, and the celebrated
missionaries Fathers Brebeuf, Bressani,
Gamier and their companions play pro-
minent parts. The author, a Protestant,
does not fail in the appreciation of the
sublime courage and devotion of these
noblemen, but unfortunately makes the
plot hinge upon a love episode which
Catholic instinct at once brands as un-
true. It is a pity, for the descriptions
are extremely graphic and the style re-
markably pleasing.

How a Protestant Became a Catholic.
Published by the Christian Press Associ-
ation. 1897. Pages 39.

An itinerary of the road traversed in
passing from Anglicanism to the fold of
the true Church. The writer was led to
her change of faith mainly by the study
of Protestant historians, and her quota-
tions from them should be of great ser-
vice in helping others to reach the light.

Short Life of the Venerable Servant
of God, John Nepomucene Neumann,
C. SS. R., Bishop of Philadelphia. By
Very Rev. J. J. Magnier, C. SS. R., St.
Louis, Mo. : B. Herder. 1897. Pages
99. Price 40 cents.

It should be a duty of love and loyalty
for all American Catholics to make them-
selves acquainted with the life and labors
of this saintly Bishop of Philadelphia.

RECENT AGGREGATIONS AND PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

959

he sketch furnished by Father Magnier,
as announced by its title, is indeed short,
but still sufficient to give us a fair insight
into the holiness of this model mission-
ary and bishop. We cannot say that we
are pleased with the make-up of the
book as to binding and the headings of
paragraphs — it looks to us too much like
a primer of literature, or history intended
for school use. However, this we sup-
pose is due to its low price, or in pursu-
ance of the author's design of presenting
a story told in the most simple style.

The Christian Child. Published by
the Sisters of Mercy, Manchester, N. H.
Price 5 cents.

This is a text-book of etiquette for
children, neatly and attractively printed.
If introduced into schools, it would go
far towards rounding off the education
of our children and to imparting a charm
and kindness of manner of more value
than even correctness in spelling and a
mastery of "the rule of three. " We
would be glad to see the book given a
wide circulation.

RECENT AGGREGATIONS

The following Local Centres have received Diplomas of Aggregation, August i to 31, 1897.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Date.

Covington

Jellico, Tenn
Livermore, Iowa
Deer Lodge, Mont. . .
Slater, Mo
Louisville, Ky
Coronado Beach, Cal.
Rye, N. Y
Jackson, Cal
Atlantic Highlands, N. J. .
Highlands, N. J. . . .

St Boniface's

Church

Aug. 16
Aug. 16
Aug. 9
Aug. 16
Aug. 16
Aug. 16
Aug. 19
Aug. 26
Aug. i
Aug. i
Aug. 31

Sacred Heart "
St. Mary's Academy
St. Joseph's Church
Holy Cross "
Sacred Heart "
St. Benedict's Home
St. Patrick's ... . . Church
St. Agnes' ....
Our Lady of Perpetual Help '
Sacred Heart School

Helena
Kansas City, Mo
Louisville ... ...
Monterey and Los Angeles
New York
Sacramento
Trenton

Owatonna, Minn

Aggregations, n : churches, 8; academy, i ; school, i ; institution, i.

PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

Diplomas issued from August i to 31, 1897.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

N umber

Baltimore
Brooklyn

Buffalo ........

Woodstock, Md
Brooklyn N Y

Woodstock

. . . .College 8
Maria Church 20
. . . . 9
. . i

Sacred Heart of Jesus and
St. Francis de Sales' . .

East Buffalo, N. Y. '.
Chicago, 111
Cincinnati Ohio

St Agatha's . .

. . . Academy i

Cincinnati

Cleveland ......
Columbus

Good Shepherd

. . . . Convent n

Cleveland, " . .
Toledo "

St. Lawrence

. . . . Church 3
. . College 4

St John's

. . . . Hospital 2

Ursuline Sacred Heart . .

.... Convent i

Ironton "

St. Lawrence

. . . . Church 15

Dubuque

Farley, la
Chilton.Wis
Portage, " . . . .
Livingston, Mont. . . .
Leavenworth, Kans
New Haven, Ky. .'•...
Marquette, Mich
Janesville, Wis
Mobile Ala

Presentation
St. Augustine's
Immaculate Conception .
St. Marv's
Immaculate Conception .

.... Convent i
. . . . Church 8
. . . . 5
. . . . i
. Pro-Cathedral i
Church 18

Green Bay

Helena ..'.'.'. • '• :
Leavenworth
Louisville
Marquette
Milwaukee
Mobile

Cathedral i

St. Mary's
St. Joseph's
St. Bernard's
St. James'

.... Church 3
. . . . " 6
.... Academy 6
.... Cathedral 2
.... Church i
.... Convent 22
.... Church 3

'. '. '. '. Hospital i
. . Pro-Cathedral 2
.... Academy 4

Nashville

Nashville, Tenn
Vancouver, Wash
Newark, N. J
Batavia, N. Y
New York City
Piermont, N. Y
Omaha, Nebr

Newark . .
New York

Omaha
Oregon City
Portland
St. Louis

Savannah
Springfield
Syracuse
Vincennes

Wilmington . . . . .

St. John's
Mercy
Sacred Heart of Jesus . .
St. John's
St. Joseph's
Immaculate Conception .

Portland, Ore
Deering, Me
St. Louis, Mo

Macon, Ga
Pittsfield, Mass
Syracuse, N. Y

St! Francis Xavier's . . .
St. Joseph's
St. Patrick's
St. Stanislaus'
St. Joseph's
St. Lucy's
St. Augustine's
St. Rose's
Visitation

.... Church 5
.-..." 5

. . 12

. . Novitiate i
. . Church 7

• • ," 3

. . Academy 2
. . Convent 2

Leopold, Ind
Vincennes, Ind

Receptions, 38. Total number of Diplomas, 206.

CALENDAR OF INTENTIONS, OCTOBER, 1897.

THK MORNING OFFERING.

O Jesus, through the immaculate heart of Mary, I offer Thee the prayers, works, and sufferings of this
day for all the intentions of Thy divine Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and in par-
ticular for Religious Instruction in Our Schools, for the intentions of the Apostleship throughout the
world, and for these particular intentions recommended by the American Associates.

F.
S.

First Friday.— St. Remy, Bp. (Apost. of the
Franks, 533) — ist D., A.C.
Holy Guardian Angels.

Hold fast the faith.
Honor the angels.

119,418 thanksgivings.
64,677 in affliction.

17th after Pentecost.— Most Holy Rosary.

Say the beads.

52,427 sick, infirm.

8
9

r.
w.

Th.

St. Francis of Assisi, F. (O.S.F., 1226).— Pr.
SS. Placidus and Comp., MM. (541).
St. Bruno, F. (Carthusians, 1101).
St. Mark, P. (336).— St. Justina, V.M. (I.
Century).— H.H.
St. Bridget, W. (1373).— B.I.
SS. Denis and Comp., MM. (117).— St. Louis
Bertrand (O.P., 1581).

Spirit of charity.
Reparation.
Detachment.
Fortitude.

Honor the Passion.
Confidence in God.

75,489 dead Associates.
45,006 League Centres.
I5,37l Directors.
39,328 Promoters.

158,603 departed.
117,719 perseverance.

18th after Pentecost-Maternity B.V.M.—

St. Francis Borgia (S.J., 1572).

Filial love for Mary.

324,505 young persons.

14
15

M.
T.

Th.
F.
S.

St. Kenny, Ab. (598).
BB. Camillus and Comp., S.J., MM. (1622).
St. Wilfrid, Bp. (709).
St. Edward the Confessor, K. (1066).
St. Callistus I., P.M., (22).— H.H.
St. Teresa, V. (Carmelite, 1582).— Pr.
St. Gall (Ab. 614).— St. Colman, Bp. (550).

Perseverance.
Avoid slight faults.

Love purity.
Respect authority.
Loyalty to Christ.
Pray for Missions.

60,165 First Communions.
82,960 parents.

97,960 families.
64,449 reconciliations.
115,429 work, means.
161,269 clergy.

19th after Pentecost— Purity B. v. M.— B.

Margaret Mary, V. (1690).— C.R.

Honor the S. Heart.

130,429 religious.

18
19

20
21

M.
7.

W.
Th.

F.
S.

St. Luke, Evangelist (Physician, 90).
St. Peter of Alcantara (O.S.F., 1562).
St. John Cantius, Parish Priest (1473).
SS. Ursula and Comp., VV. MM. (383).—
St. Hilarion, Ab. (372).— H.H.
St. Mary Salome.
The Most Holy Redeemer.

Read the Gospel.
Spirit of penance.
Prudence.
Christian courage.

Respect the innocent.
Pray for sinners.

138,592 seminarists, novices.
62,351 vocations.
40,121 parishes.
59,110 schools.

49,583 superiors.
54,044 missions, retreats.

20th after Pentecost— St. Raphael, Arch-
angel.

Trust in the angels.

37,535 societies, works.

11
11

29
30

M.
T.

W.
Th.
F.
S.

SS. Chrysanthus and Daria, MM. (284).
Holy Relics.— St. Evaristus, P.M. (109).
Vigil.— St. Elesbaan, K. (523).
SS. Simon and Jude, App.— A.I..B.M., H.H.
Yen. Bede, D. (735)-
Vigil. — St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, Lay
Brother (S.J., 1617). ;g.

Prudence.
Respect holy relics.
Despise the world.
Firm hope.
Fidelity in trifles.
Spirit of prayer.

128,660 conversions.
610,099 sinners.
1 14,604 intemperate.
97,148 spiritual favors.
92,529 temporal favors.
172,762 special, various.

21st after Pentecost— St. siricius, Bp. (398).

Honor bishops.

MESSENGER readers.

PLENARY INDULGENCES: Ap. — Apostleship. (D.*=Degrees, Pr.=Promoiers, C. R.=*Communion of Repara-
tion, TcL.1Z.=*Holy Hour); A. £.=Arcfaonfraternity ; S.=Sodatity ;• B. M.=5o«a Mors ; A. I.=Apostolic
Indulgence; A. ^.^Apostleship of Study ; S. S.=St. John Berchmans1 Sanctuary Society ; K.\.=Bridgettine
Indulgence.

TREASURY OF GOOD WORKS.
Offerings for the Intentions recommended to the Sacred Heart.

100 days' Indulgence for every action offered for the Intentions of the League.

NO. TIMES. NO. TIMES.

1. Acts of Charity 148,681 11. Masses heard 174,724

2. Beads 354,438 12. Mortifications 141,105

3. Way of the Cross 95,582 13. Works of Mercy 100,955

4. Holy Communions 78,121 14. Works of Zeal

78,121 14. Works of Zeal 275,567

5. Spiritual Communions 240,057 15. Prayers 6,964,045

6. Examens of Conscience 173,202 16. Kindly Conversation 46,583

17. Sufferings, Afflictions

Bxamens of Conscience 173,

Hours of Labor 534,562

101,874
218,110

8. Hours of Silence igS.S^ 18. Self-conquest.

9. Pious Reading 86,389 19. Visits to B. Sacrament

10. Masses read 15,003 20. Various Good Works

Special Thanksgivings, 1,978; Total, 10,239,857.
Intentions or Good Works put in the box, or giren on lists to Promoters before their meeting on or
before the last Sunday, are sent by Directors to be recommended in our Calendar, MESSENGER, in our
Mawes here, at the General Direction in Toulouse, and Lourdes.

960

(320)

SAINT STANISLAS RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION.

(Guido Francisci.)

THE MESSENGER

AGRED HEART OF JESUS

XXXII.

NOVEMBER, 1897.

No. ii.

HAINAN.

By Rev. William Hornsby, SJ.

OUR best thanks are due to the non-
Catholic contributor to the April
number of the Dublin Review for his
fairly correct and appreciative account
of the lives and the work of Catholic
missionaries in China. In the last para-
graph of his artiole he disposes of the
mission of Hainan in two or three lines.
Mr. Parker was himself, as British Con-
sul, a resident of Hoihow, the chief port
of Hainan, and his summary account of
the Catholic mission in the island, how-
ever far from consoling, is for the pres-
ent, it must be confessed, only too true.
But the mission of Hainan was not
always at such a low ebb of prosperity,
nor, please God, will it long remain so.
From its earliest foundation the mission
has never been free from persecutions,
more or less severe. The history of the
mission in the present century has been
particularly sad ; and its actual condition
having little to relieve the gloom, there
would be no reason for calling attention
to this distant portion of the Lord's
vineyard, were it not for the well-founded
hopes of a brighter future. The actual
superior of the mission, the Rev. Sebas-
tian d'OliveiraXavier, a young mission-
ary of zeal and enterprise, has kindly
furnished an account of the mission,

giving a sketch of its history in the
present century and of its actual condi-
tion. His relation will be given at
length, after a few words of introduction
concerning the island itself and the early
history of the mission.

Hainan, though far away in an obscure
corner of the China Sea, is large enough
to be easily picked up even on a general
map of Asia. It is just south of China,
separated from a promontory of the main-
land by a narrow strait, and it forms the
eastern boundary of the Gulf of Tonkin.
It is an island of little less than half the
size of Ireland, but its population of
2,500,000 is, perhaps, proportionately
larger. It was occupied by the Chinese
about a century before our era, and has
ever since been governed as an integral
part of the Celestial Empire.

The inhabitants of the island are
chiefly Chinese, originally from the
neighboring province of Canton, but the
Chinese settlement of Hainan dates so
far back that the language has become
an entirely different dialect and almost
unintelligible to a Cantonese. In the
interior of the island the remnants of the
aboriginal tribes still exist, leading their
wild forest life and not subjected to
Chinese rule. They have no racial affin-

963

964

HAINAN.

ORPHAN ASYLUM IN HAINAN.

ities with the Chinese, but seem to be
allied with certain other aboriginal
tribes still to be found in parts of south-
ern China. They are a wild but timid
race, and though from time to time they
have, perhaps under provocation, made
desultory attacks upon the Chinese
islanders, still they manifest none of
that savage and sanguinary spirit which
characterizes the natives of other Pacific
islands. They are almost inaccessible
in their woody homes among the moun-
tains, and no missionary, Catholic or
Protestant, has ever worked among them.

Hainan, lying below the twentieth
parallel of latitude, enjoys the luxuriant
vegetation of the tropics, and it is noted
as the only place in China where the
cocoanut grows. Its commerce was
deemed of such importance that Hoihow,
its principal port, was opened by treaty
to foreign commerce in 1876. Its prin-
cipal exports are scented woods, spices,
rattan, birds' nests and sugarcane, and it
enjoys almost daily steam communica-
tion with the ports of China and Tonkin.
The first mention of Hainan that I heard
in the Far East, was on the voyage be-
tween Yokohama and Hong Kong, when
a resident of the latter colony recom-
mended our island as an excellent place
for the exciting diversion of tiger hunt-
ing.

The missionary history of the island

the first

has been of the most varied,
and does not lack elements
of special interest. It dates
back to the end of the last
Chinese dynasty, to 1632,
thirteen years before the
Tartars, who now rule China,
had placed their chief on the
dragon throne. The first
missionaries were sent there
at the request of a native of
the island, a person of dis-
tinguished rank, by the name
of Paul Wong, the son of
the mandarin who intro-
duced into the court of
Pekin Father Matthew Ricci,
missionary to China in the
sixteenth century. Paul was converted
at Pekin, and, when returning home from
the capital, he stopped at Macao to
visit the superior of the Jesuits and
ask for missionaries to evangelize his
native island. Father Peter Marquez,
who had just been driven from Japan
by the severity of the persecution, was
chosen for this enterprise. He was
one of two brothers, natives of Macao,
who both entered the Society of Jesus
in that colony and became mission-
aries in Japan. Their father was a
Portuguese merchant, and their mother
a Japanese lady of a distinguished
family, converted to Christianity by the
early missionaries. Father Francis
Marquez suffered martyrdom in his
mission together with four companions ;
Father Peter, after his short mission to
Hainan, returned to Japan, where he
was tortured for the faith, and escaped
with his life, only to meet his death at
the hands of pirates.

Father Marquez remained at Hainan a
little over two years, when he was re-
placed by Father Benedict Mattos, a
younger missionary more familiar with
the Chinese language. Father Mattos,
destined to be regarded as the founder of
the mission of Hainan, entered the
island in 1635. He was a zealous young
missionary, in his thirty-fifth year, and

HAINAN.

965

lie devoted himself ardently to the culti-
vation of the field entrusted to him.
The details of his work and the methods
employed have not been handed down,
but it is known that in the course of the
first year he administered as many as
335 baptisms ; the number is not small,
in view of the difficulties experienced in
the conversion of the Chinese, particu-
larly during the first years of a mission
in a new place. After five years of a
zealous and successful ministry he was
forced to withdraw from the island, in
the face of a violent agitation, excited
against him by the bonzes of a popular
pagoda, whose superstitions and false-
hoods he had vigorously attacked. An
excellent native catechist, whom he left
behind to attend to the interests of the
mission and instruct and console the
neophytes, was poisoned by the bonzes
soon after the Father's departure.

In 1643, after an interval of one or
two years, Father Mattos was back in his
mission, working as zealously and as
successfully as ever. He established
four principal stations in different towns,
with the headquarters and central
church at Kiung-chow, the capital. Of
the latter establishment the Rev. Father,
quoted below, says that ' ' not even the
ruins are left. An arch in honor of the
Emperor has been raised on the site."
Father Mattos was joined by other
Fathers from Macao, as the
mission developed, but the
disturbances caused by the
Tartar conquest of China in
1644 were felt even in that
remote portion of the empire,
and several Fathers had to
seek safety at Macao. How-
ever, notwithstanding such
adversities, at his death, in
1651, Father Mattos left in
Hainan an organized mis-
sion with several chapels and
schools and about 3,000
neophytes.

The little Christianity of
Hainan has never enjoyed a

sufficiently long period of peace to
develop naturally anS grow into a
flourishing mission. It has been con-
tinually harassed by persecutions of
one kind or another, as will appear from
the following sketch of its history in the
present century, kindly furnished by the
present superior of the mission. "At
the beginning of this century, " writes
the Rev. Father d'Oliveira Xavier, "the
Christians who remained, or rather who
escaped from the fury of the continued
persecutions, instigated now by the man-
darins and now by the pagan population,
went to Macao to ask the Bishop to send
them a priest for the administration of
the sacraments. These Christians were
the descendants of the old neophytes,
who had taken refuge in the interior of
the island, to be free from persecution.
The Bishop of Macao sent them a Chi-
nese missionary, who at first did not re-
side in Hainan, but used to go there be-
fore Lent and return to Macao after Pente-
cost. The first visit of this Chinese
priest was in 1810, as was to be seen on
a stone tablet erected in the chapel of
Dangpo ; at present, however, nothing
remains of the tablet, as everything was
destroyed in the persecution of 1884.
When the number of Christians had in-
creased, some Chinese priests began to
reside in Hainan ; they constructed some
chapels and opened several schools.

ORPHAN ASYLUM IN HAINAN.

966

HAINAN.

Among these Fathers two, distinguished
for their zeal, were natives of Hainan ;
in the native village of one of them, we
still have not a few good Christians. It
is less than a month ago that I went
there to celebrate the feast of Pentecost.
Things went on thus under the direction
of the Chinese priests, until this mission
was handed over, in 1850, to the French
Fathers of the Paris Congregation of
Foreign Missions, who remained until
1876."

It may not be out of place to insert
here a short passage from the narrative
of the British Consul, who visited Hai-
nan in a semi-official capacity, when the
mission was in the hands of the French
congregation : "I found the Rev. Michel
Chazot, " he writes, " in a small one-
roomed cottage by the side of a farm.
He was preparing a larger room, attached
to the farm-house, for a chapel. The
Christians were scattered about the
country at long distances apart, the
priest told me, and were now much
diminished in numbers. His district
was the western half of the north of the
island, while the eastern half was under
the control of a second French mission-
ary. The two met only once every three
months. . . . After the suppression of
the Jesuits the Christians were for a
long time deprived of missionaries.
Towards the end of the eighteenth cen-
tury the Bishop of Macao sent some
Chinese priests. In 1849 these priests
were replaced by French missionaries,
the first of whom was so badly beaten by
the people that he died of his wounds.
... I stayed the night with the worthy
priest and partook of his humble fare.
Humble it was, indeed, and great must
be the faith that impels a man to desert
the comforts of civilized life for such a
state of wretchedness ! "

To return to the interrupted letter of
the Rev. Father Superior : ' ' When they
[the French priests] withdrew from Hai-
nan there were, according to a report
drawn up by them, 838 Christians in
Hainan, scattered throughout the whole

island. Upon the departure of the
French Fathers the Portuguese [of Ma-
cao] took possession of the mission
again, and in their hands it still re-
mains. The Portuguese continued the
missionary work, according to the meth-
ods of their predecessors, when a perse-
cution broke out, such as had never
been known in Hainan." (The immedi-
ate cause of this persecution was the war
with France and the rumors that the
French were about to occupy the Island.)
"Chapels, residences, schools and other
houses of the mission, as well as the
homes of the Christians, were pillaged
and destroyed. The stolen property could
not be recovered but at the price of an
ignominious submission to the con-
ditions of the persecutors. Many Chris-
tians fled to Macao, Hong Kong and
Canton, and those who remained apos-
tatized."

"But," some one may ask, "were
there none to die for their faith ? " The
question finds a prompt answer in the
fact that the alternatives were apostasy
or exile, not apostasy or death. Not
daring to go the full length of taking
their victims' lives, the persecutors con-
tented themselves with making it im-
possible for such as refused to apostatize
to remain in the island. That there
should have been so many apostates
must have been disheartening for the
missionaries, but may be accounted for
by the inadequacy of the small number
of missionaries to maintain the scattered
neophytes in the firm spirit of faith,
capable of withstanding a trial.

"These unfortunate apostates, " con-
tinues the Rev. Father Superior, ' ' are still
Christians at heart, and I am certain
that they would return to the bosom of
the Church if it were possible to restore
the chapels and the rest, but as I, like
my predecessors, have not the means for
that, nothing can be done. If some help
for this mission could be obtained from
America, God, I am sure, would repay
the charity with interest. The mission
has at present about three hundred

HAINAN.

967

Christians, not counting the numerous
apostates.

" Notwithstanding the present de-
pressed state of the mission, I am certain
that it will return to some of its former
vigor, when the Sisters of Charity come
to Hainan, which will not be long de-
layed, as everything is prepared and
nothing is wanting but their presence.
The house, which is to serve as their

over, there are more than fifteen chil-
dren of European Catholic families in
Hoihow who stand much in need of re-
ligious education. In a word, the Sis-
ters are indispensable.

' ' As you desire some information about
the Presbyterian mission here, I send you
what I know, which is little or nothing.
They have only one mission in the
interior, and what they do there I don't

A CHINESE SILK-SPINNER, HAINAN.

residence and as orphan asylum, was
built last year, as you are aware, and a
photograph of it is in your possession.
The coming of the Sisters will certainly
be one of the best means of raising the
state of the mission. They will not be
at a loss for something to do, for so
many are the children exposed, princi-
pally in Hoihow and Kiung-chow, that it
excites commiseration and pity to hear
what people say on this subject. More-

know. In Hoihow they have a hospital
where, for a few coppers, the sick are
received and cared for. Some of the
ministers go about the markets selling
Bibles ; thus, for each Bible sold they
count a conversion. They are thirty in
number, counting them all, ministers,
male and female, and children (ministros,
ministras e ministrinhos)." It may be
added that an English resident of the
island, giving an account of Hainan,

968

HAINAN.

says significantly, with regard to mis-
sions, that he could not ascertain how
many converts the Protestants had,
though the Catholic missionaries had
given him the number of their Christians.

There are at present only three Catho-
lic missionaries in the island for the
population of 2,500,000. The superior,
whom we have been quoting, has, to aid
him, a Chinese priest from Canton, and
a Portuguese just arrived from Europe.

So much for the actual state of the
mission ; one word more about its pros-
pects. About
seven years
ago the late
Bishop of
Macao, hav-
ing no relig-
ious orders
in his dio-
cese, and
finding it
difficult t o
supply ade-
quately the
several mis-
sions under
his jurisdic-
tion, invited
the Fathers
of the Soci-
ety of Jesus
to assist him
and his
clergy in
their m i s -

sionary labors. The invitation was ac-
cepted by the superiors of the Society in
Portugal, and the Jesuit Mission at
Macao was immediately founded. Up
to the present all the efforts of the new-
ly founded mission have been confined
to Macao itself, and more particularly
to the diocesan seminary, which was im-
mediately entrusted to the Fathers. But
when once the mission is fully estab-
lished, and can count upon its yearly
contingent of new associates from Portu-
gal and elsewhere, Hainan will have its
regular supply of missionaries, and it

WHEELBARROW USED BY MISSIONARIES IN HAINAN.

may be hoped that, with God's blessing,
not only the apostates may be brought
back to the fold, but that numbers of
others, who have never known the truth,
may find the hour of their enlighten-
ment.

A population of 2, 500,000 in a rich and
settled land is not to be despised. If we
think of the heroic sacrifices and the
large amount of missionary funds lav-
ished upon little tribes of a few thou-
sand unlettered savages, doomed perhaps
to extinction, or at least without any
possible fu-
ture influ-
ence as a
race, will not
a settled and
industrious
populat ion,
already up in
the millions
and so far
from extinc-
tion that it
can har d 1 y
find place for
its overflow,
be deemed
worthy of
efforts at
least as great,
and of no
less generous
sacrifices and
alms ? The
soul of a sav-
age, it is true, is as precious as any
other soul, and savage tribes must
have their heroic missionaries. But
there is a good old principle : the more
extended the good, the more divine ; and
it can hardly be questioned that mis-
sionary work among an intelligent and
thriving population, with some future be-
fore it, will be more far-reaching in its
results than the same amount of labor
among unfortunate tribes, which, if not
doomed to disappear to-morrow, will cer-
tainly never exert any influence outside
of their torrid wildernesses or icy plains.

THE FIRST PASTOR OF PENNSTOWN.

By S. Trainer Smith.

PENNSTOWN is not beautiful. A
dusty, smoke-begrimed, raw-look-
ing manufacturers' paradise, it swelters
in the sun of summer and shrivels in the
blasts of winter. It has no fine build-
ings. It has no library, it has no theatre,
and even the homes of its successful
manufacturers are mean and shabby or
mean and tawdry.

But Pennstown is old — a veritable
grandmother among the cities of the
New World — and in its youth it was
beautiful. Lying low in the angle of the
swift-flowing river with the sleepy creek
that wound its slow way to its mouth
through a green-hilled country, the old
Quaker town, even then, basked in the
glow of genial prosperity. Long, low
houses of quiet hues, each under shelter-
ing arms of its own forest trees, each
girdled by its own quaint gardens, stood
back from the streets. Out of their
tiny upper windows the inmates looked
across lush, green meadows to the shim-
mering boundaries of river and creek,
and watched the traffic of the little
wooden wharves — easy-going traffic with
the opposite shore — and more distant
neighbors up and down the river. The
King's Highway wandered through the
town's heart, and there were dim and
prim old taverns to which the coaches,
north and south, brought the interests of
the outer world and the topics of the
times. Now and then travellers stopped
there for the quiet night, and the coun-
try people of the outlying farms came in
for refreshment or for business. But
such visitors were not frequent. The
Friends were social and family-loving,
whether rich or poor, and it was under
their overhanging eaves and around their
great fire-places that the traveller and
the neighbor gathered, when in town, for
rest and warmth and interchange of ad-

venture and opinion. There was no lack
of eager life and pleasant ease in the
daily routine of Pennstown 's strictly ful-
filled duties then. Under the Quaker
regime, all its days were days of pleas-
antness and all its nights were peace.

Yet are these later — and uglier — days
of Pennstown more blessed than the first.
For they had not known the Reverend
Arthur Kevin, and Pennstown as he left
it.

He came to it half a century ago, a
young, bright, eager Catholic priest, on
fire with holy love and mad — as men say
— with zeal for the salvation of souls.
He came unknown and unheralded, for
there were no Catholics in Pennstown
proper ; rather, a shuddering fear of the
name. But the Friends are truly a peace-
loving people, and the Friendly element
was strongest.

His arrival once made known, it re-
quired neither discussion nor remon-
strance, but simply endurance as a neces-
sary evil, never spoken of, never exactly
tolerated, but silently ignored. Since
Friend Guthrie needs must open his
quarries and Friend Denise had builded
his great factory, workmen and work-
women for both must come to them and
bring their religion with them. That
was all there was of it.

So, no one helping and no one hinder-
ing, in Pennstown he came. In his love
and his eagerness, in his madness and
his zeal, the young priest was alone.
Day after day, week after week, month
after month, year after year, he wrought
steadily among the quarrymen and the
mill-hands. He went out literally to his
people in the hedges and the by-ways,
far up the wild glens hidden in the richly
cultivated farmlands, where the rocks
were rent and the stone ribs of the earth
shattered by the rough toil of the first,

969

970

THE FIRST PASTOR OF PENNSTOWN.

and where the whirr of the spindles and
fluff and grime of the spinning made
hideous earth's quiet and freshness for
the last. In sickness, in trouble, in wild
anger and fierce despair, he was with
them far oftener than in joy or thanks-
giving. He begged for them, he prayed
for them, he gave his all to them, and
offered his very life for them. No man
made note of it. Growing older, thinner,
grayer of face and head among them
with each day, Pennstown still passed
him unheeded, less antagonistic at heart,
but no less rigid in their outward dis-
approval.

For Pennstown had its own churches,
in addition to the square stone meeting-
house where the Friends gathered every
"First Day." The Episcopalians had
an old stone church, to which Queen
Anne had sent greetings and a silver
communion service, long, long ago, and
its congregation carried itself with a
staid and stately dignity that befits a
queen's acknowledged fellow-worship-
pers, even when the queenly rule has
become a discarded shadow to them. In
very different spirit from the churchmen
of to-day, the good people of St. Mar-
tin's— so called for the donor of the
ground on which the church was built a
hundred years before — met the Catholic
priest and passed by on the other side.
The Presbyterians were newcomers
themselves, and everybody knows the
Presbyterian opinion of Catholics fifty
years ago. Ah, well-a-day for the Rev-
erend Arthur Kevin !

But, begging and praying and daily
offering his all for them, he saw light at
last. First, it fell .upon a lot of rising
ground on the outskirts of the town ;
then upon a small, plain church, very
white of paint and very flat of roof,
whose cross-crowned gable faced the
.country by-road and the lovely sweep of
meadow, beyond which lay the deepest
curve of the ever-curving creek, and the
glory of the sunsets. As finishing touch
to the church, there was a tiny priest's
liouse, with the narrowest bit of porch

before its narrow door, and the Reverend
Arthur Kevin had his own home. Penns-
town observed it, but no one in Pennstown
welcomed him to it, and no one asked
welcome of him. No one in Pennstown
ever crossed the threshold of the church
to learn more of it than its outside told,
or than dropped in sonorous music from
its exquisite bell, the sweetest that ever
hung in country belfry.

It was thus for thirty years. Who
can tell what those years were to the
Reverend Arthur Kevin ! God alone
knows. God alone, friend, consoler, con-
fidant and comforter, for the brave soul
sought no other. Thirty years without
change. Thirty years among a town
full of men and women, who lived as
though he "was not."

Then Pennstown awoke to find itself
changed.

There had been the war — but it was
not that.

There had been such an influx of
strangers and capital, energy and reck-
lessness as had carried the whole popu-
lation into new ventures and turned the
quiet old Quaker head of it — but it was
none of these.

The change was in its mind and its
manners towards the Catholic priest.

No one knew whence it started or who
sent the wave onward and upward. But
when it broke on the shore of public
opinion, it carried Father Kevin far into
the hearts of the townsmen he had never
known. Noiselessly, wordlessly it al-
most seemed, it began to go about that
he was a man of ability, a man of power,
a man of worth, a man of wonderful
purity of life, of wonderful, unspeakably
wonderful, charity and patience and
long-suffering. That was it and all of
it. A blameless life had wrought ' ' its
perfect work. ' '

He was ' ' Father ' ' Kevin now, at once
and forever with every one. Everywhere
and by every one, good words were
spoken of him, and the desire to show
him kindness was in every house. The
thirty years were counted up to him as

THE FIRST PASTOR OF PENNSTOWN.

971

honors now. The kindness overflowed
upon his people, and, Pennstown's pros-
perity still keeping a golden glimmer of
its old-time ways, this kindness glinted
in unexpected places and lit up many a
lonely corner. Some knowledge of the
life of Catholics and of its standby and
support crept in unheeded, and was un-
consciously welcomed where the fear of
Catholic doctrine was strongest, because
most ignorant and unreasonable. In
other quarters, that knowledge walked
in boldly and with majesty.

' ' Thirty years at my very door with-
out a sin laid to his account ! " said the
worst man of all Pennstown's " old peo-
ple " — not a Friend, but a man of the
world and a man of war, General Porter
Anderson — ' 'By Jove ! ' ' — they used such
exclamations in his young days, princi-
pally, it seems, because those who did
not use them, thought they were wicked.
" I could not have believed it, if I had
not seen it. That man's religion is
real. I'll make a friend of him."

He did. The General was no longer
1 ' strong and hearty, "as he used to re-
spond to every inquiry, and it was not
long before he sent for the priest, as — in
old Pennstown — one sick neighbor sends
for another. Courtesy it was beautiful
to see, graciousness that honored as it
was meant to honor, warm, true liking
and trust grew out of the meeting, and
the one influence for good, of his long
and masterly life, came to the General
through the priest's " life at his gates. "

Father Kevin throve in the sunshine
that came so late. But his beautiful,
hidden life was secured to him. It was
" second nature, " now, and he took into
its calm retreat all the happiness that
earth could give.

Now Pennstown thronged with Catho-
lics. Spreading right and left, and up
and down, crowded out of all beauty of
peace and plenty, dirty, noisy, busy, the
heart of it all was a Catholic heart, un-
selfish, hopeful and patient, the warm,
Irish heart that moves the worker's
hands. The little old church was not

large enough. Father Kevin alone was
not enough. There came an assistant,
then two assistants. A new parish was
started and a new church hastily built
on the other side of the creek. A new
priest came to it and brought with him
an assistant. Soon, stately and beautiful
churches swept away the very remem-
brance of the first little church on the
rising ground that faced the sunset, and
of the second temporary church of the
new parish. New priests' houses were
beside them, perfect in every appoint-
ment and abounding in hospitality.
Wonderful things are done in Pennstown
to this day, and a visitor, returning to it
after an absence, would not know it for
the same place. A stranger would not
care for it. But to one who knew it long
ago, to one who knows the life of Father
Kevin during those thirty years, the
very stones of the street cry out of him.
What an echo fills and swells with the
Angelus dropping musically from the
bell of the little old church, swinging
high and free in the splendid belfry of
the new St. Michael's! The real good
that has come to Pennstown, the good
that has gone forth from it, both had
their small beginnings when the Rever-
end Arthur Kevin came, young, eager,
zealous, and yet patient, to wear his life
out in its service.

For he wore himself out. With his
acceptance and his due honor came the
end of earth. The burden he had borne
so long in silence — the burden of his
Master's sorrow, the cloud of his lonely
battling with the sins that are that sor-
row— had rested heavily upon him, more
heavily than he or any one knew. In
the lightening of his labors, in the con-
fidence that the work was indeed his
Lord's and safe in His care, came his re-
lease.

He did not die in Pennstown. Every
one had been tender with him, full of
reverence that never wearied, and he was
taken away for rest and change. He
found both, far sooner than they thought.
But they brought him home to bury him.

972

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

What a funeral it was ! From the very
centre of his heroic labors, from the foot
of the stately altar he had reared, from
the walls into which he had built his
prayers, his hopes and his substance, he
was borne to his grave by all that was
best and most honored among ' ' his
fellow-townsmen." Protestant and Cath-
olic, Episcopalian and Quaker, they
were one in heartfelt sorrow, in every
sympathy, on that day. Those who were
not Catholic asked "the privilege" of
bearing his beloved body to its long
rest, and in every way possible showed
that the request was no mere form. The
Reverend Arthur Kevin had become to
them the holy Father Kevin of blameless
life.

The busy world goes past him in his
blessed grave. But it does not forget
him. All Pennstown knows, and tells
with ever-new pride to the newcomers,
that its first Catholic priest lived nearly

forty years among them, and no man
could charge him with a sin. It has
been told so often that it will pass into
the story of the future, as a very corner-
stone of Pennstown 's faith in man's
faithfulness to God.

When the record of the past lies open
before the Eternal Future, how many,
many times shall its Angel point to
such a story (a true story) as has here
been simply told ! Not alone to the mis-
sionary, according to the strictest sense
of the word, belongs the bloodless cross
and the painless cross of martyrdom. In
silence, in loneliness, in soul-racking
yearnings over the sinners of the world,
lives such as this are wearing out day by
day, building their very hearts' strength
into the foundations of our Lord's king-
dom, and pouring out their all upon His
altars and for His sake with the Rever-
end Arthur Kevin in Pennstown 's
churches.

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.
By John P. Ritter.

HE inhabi-
tants of
small towns
take more
interest i n
religion
than those
of large
cities. I n
small towns
religion enters more largely into the
social life of the inhabitants than is
possible in great cities. Each denomi-
national church is the centre of a circle,
more or less separated from the others
by religious differences, but all combin-
ing in a common opposition to Catholics.
It is observable that the rich and well-
to-do people in such communities are
generally Protestants, while the wage-

(Concluded.)

earners and very poor are content with
the ancient faith. Ridgeview was no
exception to this rule. Its inhabitants
might have been divided into three dis-
tinct groups, according to the churches
they attended. Those who prided them-
selves upon their exclusiveness were,
for the most part, Episcopalians and
Presbyterians. There was a second
group made up of Methodists, Baptists
and the members of other religious de-
nominations ; while beneath all were
the Catholics, forming, as it were, the
foundation of the social fabric.

When Jeremiah Norris had made his
fortune, he began to entertain the ambi-
tion of mingling with the very best
people in the town. With this idea in
view he erected a costly mansion and en-
tered upon an ostentatious manner of

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

973

living, that displayed his deficiencies
in a glaring light and laid him open to
the ridicule of the very persons he
wished most to impress with his gran-
deur. He gave extravagant entertain-
ments, to which he was very particular
to invite none but the foremost families
— thus incurring the displeasure of the
old friends of his humbler days — and
employed his money in many other ways
to accomplish the end he sought. But
it is doubtful that, with all his wealth,
he would have succeeded in scaling the
charmed walls that surrounded Ridge-
view's exclusive circle without the as-
sistance of Dora.

Besides being very beautiful, the girl
was naturally refined; and, as she was
the richest heiress in the town, people
were disposed to forgive her many de-
ficiencies of breeding and to accept her
as she was. They were more amused
than displeased at her arrogance, and
admired her ambition to elevate herself
above the station she was born to, and
become one of themselves. Designing
mothers, having sons to settle in life, re-
garded her with particular favor, and so
it happened that she was invited to the
best houses, and her parents were ac-
cepted also on her account. On her part
the girl 's head was turned by the atten-
tions bestowed upon her by such superior
people, and in her vanity she failed to
see that she was not courted for herself,
but for her money.

Now, Father Paul was one of those
priests who take a paternal interest in
the affairs of every one of their parish-
ioners. He had known the Norrises in-
timately in the days of their poverty,
and was fully sensible of the change
that riches had wrought in their hearts.
It pained him to observe how sedulously
they courted the society of Protestants,
to the exclusion of their former Catholic
friends, and he had more than once seri-
ously entertained the thought of openly
warning them against the consequences
which were likely to follow from their
pride. Fearing, however, that such a re-

buke, though kindly given, might do more
harm than good, he had- held his peace.
But now it seemed his clear duty to in-
terfere ; for it was obvious to him, as to
every one else, that Dora Norris, a Catho-
lic, was deeply interested in Philip Van-
denberg, a Protestant, and that her par-
ents regarded the probable match with
favor.

Deeply versed in the perversities and
sophistries of human nature, Father
Paul knew full well that, if he should
enter a vehement protest to the union,
the proud girl would be sure to disregard
it. He knew that Dora's heart was as
warm and true as of old, but that she
was charmed by the glare and glitter
of fashionable life and the pleasures —
new to her, and consequently fascinat-
ing— of gratified pride and ambition.
Moreover, he rightly surmised that her
vanity was more involved than her
heart in her affair with Philip Vanden-
berg, and that, girl-like, she was daz-
zled by his apparent refinement of man-
ners and elegance of dress. Nor had he
forgotten his promise to Gerald — that he
would help him in his love for Dora to
the extent of his ability. He believed
that she could easily be brought to re-
turn the young man's affection, if cer-
tain harmless concessions were made to
her vanity and her eyes were opened to
his real worth. Certainly it was impos-
sible that she should altogether have for-
gotten the gentle boy playmate of her
girlhood. So he devised a cunning
stratagem — a little social drama in
which the characters should all uncon-
sciously act out their destinies in ac-
cordance with their natures.

In one of the handsomest houses in
Ridgeview lived an old lady who had
formerly been very prominent in New
York society. She was aristocratic and
wealthy, and, though she did not now
mingle much in society, was, on ac-
count of her past prestige, universally
looked up to as an oracle on all nice
questions of social etiquette and observ-
ance. Father Paul had recently ad-

974

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

mitted her into the Church, and a warm
friendship existed between them, so
that he had no hesitancy in asking her
assistance in his present design. He
broached the subject to her one evening
during a call.

"Mrs. de Birmingham, " he began, "I
have often spoken to you about a young
man in whose advancement I take the
greatest interest. Until yesterday he
was a poor printer ; but this morning he
was installed as the editor and part pro-
prietor of the Ridgeview Gazette. He
has risen to the position through his
own ability and industry. He has a
noble character and is a gentleman. It
is time he received the social recogni-
tion he deserves. Will you assist me in
obtaining it for him ? "

' ' Why, what can I do, Father Paul ? ' '
faltered the old lady.

4 ' You can become his patroness. You
can throw open your house and give a
great reception in his honor. You can
introduce him to the best people in
Ridgeview, and, thus endorsed by you,
his position will be assured."

" And do you advise me to enter again
into the vanities of life ? " asked Mrs. de
Birmingham, regarding the priest with
surprise.

"Social functions are not necessarily
vanities, Madam," replied Father Paul
smiling. " If given in the right spirit
and with proper motives they may sub-
serve the very best purposes. "

" Very well, then, " said the old lady,
"I will do as you ask."

' ' But I have not explained the kind
of reception you are to give, " continued
the priest, still smiling. "You are to
invite both grand and humble people —
rich and poor alike — the friends whom
Gerald Fullerton is to make for the
future, as well as those with whom he
has associated in the past ; for in mak-
ing new connections I would not have
him forget the old "

"In that case," broke in Mrs. de
Birmingham, "you will have to send
out the invitations yourself, as I would
not know whom to invite. "

' ' We can make out the list together, ' '
said Father Paul.

It was decided that the reception
should be given a week from the night
of this conference, and that those who
were invited should be especially re-
quested not to wear evening dress. This
was done out of consideration for the
poor guests, so that they would not
appear at a disadvantage ; and, to pre-
vent any of these humble people from
remaining away through diffidence,
Father Paul went among them in person
and exacted promises from them to
attend the gathering. He had no fear
that any of the rich would stay at home,
for he knew that they would put aside
all other engagements to accept the
hospitality of such a notable woman as
Mrs. de Birmingham.

In the meantime the young editor, in
whose honor the reception was to be
given, was undergoing one of the hard-
est trials that he had ever been called
upon to bear. He was treated with con-
tempt by the woman who had every rea-
son to accord him the greatest respect.
On several occasions, since his quarrel
with Philip Vandenberg, he had met
Dora Norris, and each time she had not
attempted to conceal her scorn, as she
passed him by with averted face. Once
he had met her in Vandenberg 's com-
pany, and the latter gave him such a
mocking, exultant glance that Gerald
was no longer puzzled to account for the
girl's strange conduct. That look in-
formed him as plainly as words that
Vandenberg had told her of their quarrel,
and had presented his part in it in the
most unfavorable light. To bear this
grievous wrong in silence required all
his patience and fortitude. It deprived
him of all capacity for enjoyment ; so
that even when Father Paul, in pursu-
ance of his design to advance him in
life, obtained for him the appointment of
editor of the Gazette, with a part interest
in the paper — a promotion which, under
other circumstances, would have filled
him with delight — he experienced no
pleasurable emotions.

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

975

At last the evening of the reception

rived. Mrs. de Birmingham, elegantly
but plainly attired, stood near the man-
telpiece in her front drawing-room, smil-
ing affably and greeting her guests with
a pleasant word as they passed before
her, and by her side stood Gerald Fuller-
ton — the hero of the occasion. He
looked remarkably handsome in a dark
cloth suit that fitted his athletic form to
perfection, and bore himself with such
a modest dignity that the impression he
made upon the exclusive people of
Ridgeview was decidedly favorable. But
he treated them with a courteous reserve
that was in marked contrast to the cor-
dial manner he displayed toward the
poorer guests. It was evident that he
wished it to be understood that the lat-
ter were his friends, and that no high
associations he might enter into would
ever wean him from them.

Father Paul, who had been one of the
first guests to arrive, and was now
standing opposite the hostess and her
protege, was quick to observe this, and
it gave him the keenest pleasure. " The
boy is good and true," he thought.
" Even if suddenly exalted to the high-
est rank he would never be a snob."
Then he looked around him anxiously, to
see if all the actors in the little drama
he had arranged had yet arrived.

Gerald was there, of course, and, bend-
ing over a chair in earnest conversation
with his mother, stood Philip Vanden-
berg ; but none of the Norrises were in
evidence. Half an hour passed away,
and still they did not come. Father
Paul began to grow anxious, for with-
out their presence at the reception his
stratagem would fail.

Mrs. de Birmingham and Gerald had
left their position in the front drawing-
room and were going about from group
to group among the guests, when Jere-
miah Norris and his wife, accompanied
by their daughter Dora, at last made
their appearance. They had purposely
delayed their coming in order to make
their entrance the more effective, and,

despite the request in their invitation,
were in full evening dress. Never did
man look more awkward than Jeremiah
Norris in swallowtail and pumps, and
never did woman appear more vulgar
than Mrs. Jeremiah Norris, in trailing
green silk gown and diamonds. They
swept into the apartment with a lofty
condescension in their manner, as if the
whole assemblage had been anxiously
awaiting their arrival.

Behind them glided Dora, her face suf-
fused with blushes, trying to conceal, as
best she could, the annoyance she felt at
her parents 'lack of breeding. She, too,
was attired in evening dress, but in the
best of taste ; and she looked so very
charming that it was easy to forgive her
for disregarding the hostess's request.

Mrs. de Birmingham left the group
where she was conversing, and advanced
quickly to greet the newcomers.

"lam so glad you have come," she
said with a pleasant smile. "I had
almost abandoned the idea of seeing you
here to-night. ' '

"We wouldn't slight you that way,
ma'am, " said Jeremiah grandly.

"No, indeed, we wouldn't, Mrs. de
Birmingham, " chimed in his better half.
They seemed utterly unconscious of the
incongruity of their costumes. Not so
Dora. Advancing toward her hostess,
she dropped a pretty little curtsy and
said with a sweet smile :

" You will pardon our dress, Mrs. de
Birmingham, I am sure. You see, we
did not quite understand your request. "

"Don't mention it, child," said the
old lady kindly. ' ' My request must
certainly have seemed a strange one;
but if you will look around you, you will
understand why I made it. You see,
many of my guests to-night are ordinary
people, and of course I had to consider
their feelings. "

Dora cast her eyes over the assemblage,
and was surprised at what she saw. The
company had separated into two distinct
groups — one occupying the front draw-
ing room, the other the rear. In the

976

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM,

first group were the wealthy and aristo-
cratic acquaintances she had recently
made ; in the second the poor and
humble friends of less fortunate days.
The first group was composed of the
Protestants of Ridgeview ; the second
of the Catholics.

If it had been Father Paul's intention,
in bringing these two widely separated
social classes together, to create a closer
relationship between them, his scheme
had most signally failed ; for the aristo-
crats of Ridgeview held themselves coldly
aloof from the common people ; while the
latter, with the honorable pride inherent
in the respectable poor, had no desire to
push themselves forward. But the good
priest had entertained no such idea. He
had brought these people together to in-
fluence the actions of the principals in
his drama, and that they should not
mingle was part of his stratagem.

Dora's first impulse was to turn
haughtily away from the group of Cath-
olics and devote her attention exclusively
to her high-bred Protestant friends ; but
she saw so many of the companions of
her girlhood in the former group — friends
once very dear to her, but whom she had
of late slighted and neglected — that she
forgot for the time her vanity and obeyed
the dictates of her truer nature.

1 ' Did you ever see the likes of Dora ? ' '
said Jeremiah Norris to his spouse, when
he saw his proud daughter pass into the
rear drawing-room and extend a cordial
greeting to her friends of former days.
"To pass by all these grand folks, to
hobnob with the scum ! ' '

" She's forgot her station quite," an-
swered his wife, with an airy toss of the
head. ' ' But we '11 not disgrace ourselves,
Jerry, by noticing those people. I wonder
how they came here, anyway."

"It's clean beyond me, Jennie," re-
plied Jeremiah ; then, in an annoyed tone
of voice, " If I 'd known the likes of such
would be here, I wouldn't have come."

In truth this very grand couple were
placed in a most embarrassing position
by the presence of their old associates,

and openly displayed the vulgarity of
their minds by snubbing them without
ceremony. Their conduct vastly amused
their aristocratic acquaintances, who
contributed to their annoyance, in the
many spiteful little ways known only to
persons who profess fine breeding.

If Dora's conduct was displeasing to
her parents, it was highly gratifying to
Father Paul. " I was right in my cal-
culations, " he said to himself, as he saw
her sitting on a sofa in the rear drawing-
room, affectionately holding the hands
of a modest little seamstress who sat by
her side. " The girl's heart is true, de-
spite her vanity. We will now see how
her high-bred lover likes her to consort
openly with these poor Catholics, in the
presence of his proud and lofty Protes-
tant friends."

As Father Paul expected, Philip Van-
denberg was greatly put out by Dora's
apparent preference for such very com-
mon people, and he resolved to speak to
her about it at the first opportunity.
When that time came he took her aside
and began as follows :

"Don't you think, Miss Norris, that
it is rather beneath your dignity to mix
so familiarly with such low-bred per-
sons ? "

Dora's eyes flashed indignation.
"And don't you think, Mr. Vanden-
berg, that it is rather presumptuous in
you to question my conduct ? ' ' she an-
swered. Then, in a tone of exquisite
sarcasm, " But I forgive you, as you are
probably unaware that those low-bred
persons are my co-religionists."

Vandenberg was dumbfounded. Never
before had the girl answered him with so
much spirit. She had rather looked up
to him as an oracle, whose word on all
matters of fashion, taste and deport-
ment was final. He did not know that,
in her meeting with the little seamstress,
she had just renewed one of the sweetest
relationships of her girlhood, and that
she was too generous to listen silently to
any adverse criticism of her friend. So,
in order to punish her for her temerity,

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

977

he assumed the air of lofty superiority

which had heretofore been so effective

with her, and replied in a tone of im-
pudent commiseration :

" I am very sorry to see a bright girl

like you, Miss Norris, wedded so closely

to Catholic superstition."
He could not have

made a more fatal

mistake. With all

her vanity Dora had

the liveliest faith in

her religion. It was

the first time that

Vandenberg had
ever ventured to
speak of it in this
contemptuous man-
ner ; and now the
arrogance of his tone
was a revelation to
her. Was it possible
that an alliance with
this man would
mean a complete
translation from her
old associations into
a new sphere ? That,
in marrying this
Protestant, she must
undergo the daily
humiliation of hear-
ing her religion re-
ferred to with dis-
respect and scorn ?
Her proud spirit re-
belled at such a
thought. Turning
to Vandenberg dis-
dainfully, she said :
"You are a true
Protestant, Mr.
Vandenberg. You
venture to speak ot

things of which you are profoundly
ignorant. Will you conduct me to Mrs.
de Birmingham, please ? I nave some-
thing ^important to say to her. ' '

The hostess was conversing with
Father Paul in a corner of the front
drawing-room.

" And now, Madam," he was saying,
' ' that I have explained to you the situ-
ation to the best of my ability, I leave it
to your tact to bring these two young
people together again. Remember that
they were the dearest friends in child-
hood ; that a quarrel, the cause of which

O GKRALD,'

' SHE CRIED, "WILL YOU FORGIVE ME?"

is a mystery, has occurred between
them, and that at present they are not
on speaking terms. But here comes the
young lady herself, so allow me to with-
draw. ' '

As he was moving away Mrs. de Bir-
mingham said to him in an undertone :

978

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

' ' You may rely upon me to make them
friends before the evening is over."
Then she turned to Dora, who was ap-
proaching on the arm of Philip Vanden-
berg.

"Now, my dear child, I want to have
a long talk with you, ' ' she said with her
sweetest smile. ' ' I want to have you
for a few minutes all to myself. I know
you will excuse her, Mr. Vandenberg ;
you see so much of her at other times,
you know."

This cordial greeting relieved Dora of
an embarrassment. She had asked to
be conducted to her hostess, ostensibly
to communicate something of importance
to her, when in reality her only idea in
making the request was to administer a
deserved rebuke to Vandenberg. The
old lady conducted her to an ante-room
on the opposite side of the hall, where
they could be alone, and, drawing her
down on a sofa by her side, commenced
the conversation, as follows :

' ' My dear child, you know I do not go
out very much in society now, and there-
fore am not very well posted on social
happenings. But I have heard to-night
that you are likely to marry Mr. Van-
denberg. Is it true, dear ? ' '

4 ' He has never asked me to, ' ' an-
swered Dora, blushing."

" Well, dear, I was only going to say
that, if your friendship does end in mar-
riage, be careful to have it understood
beforehand that you are to be free to
enjoy your beautiful religion. Never
let anything come between you and that,
child. No ! I am sure you won't. Nor
will you allow your children to be
brought up other than Catholics ; but, "
she ran on garrulously, ' ' if you have
ever entertained the remotest idea of
making a convert of your husband after
marriage, abandon it at once. Men are
rarely, if ever, converted by their wives.
I know whereof I speak, child. I was
a Catholic at heart years and years ago,
and would have been baptized into the
Church, had my husband let me ; but,
whenever I suggested the idea, he would

go on most terribly. Why, he even
threatened to divorce me, if I took such
a step. And so I was obliged to wait
until he died, before I could obey the
dictates of my conscience. So really,
dear, for your own sake, I am very sorry
that Mr. Vandenberg was not born a
Catholic."

' ' I have not married him as yet, ' ' in-
terposed Dora with an amused laugh.

"Not yet, but then you will, you
know," rejoined Mrs. de Birmingham
confidently. "And now, having had
my say, " she went on, "I want you to
remain here, like a good girl, until I re-
turn to present you with a very agree-
able surprise. ' '

With these words the artful old lady
went off in search of Gerald Fullerton.
She found him talking earnestly to
Dora's little friend, the seamstress, and
bore him off in triumph to the ante-
room.

" Miss Norris, allow me to introduce
to you Mr. Gerald Fullerton, the ac-
complished new editor of the Ridgeview
Gazette."

She presented him to Dora as if the
two had never met before, and then, ex-
cusing herself, hastily withdrew.

Gerald, with the innate delicacy that
was a part of his character, determined
not to take advantage of their peculiar
situation, but to relieve Dora of her
embarrassment at once.

' ' I trust you will believe, Miss Norris,
that this meeting is not the result of an
attempt on my part to force myself
upon you, ' ' he said in subdued, respect-
ful tones ; "for you have made me
aware of late that my presence is ex-
ceedingly obnoxious to you. But, before
parting, permit me to assure you of my
sincerest friendship and good wishes."

He was about to go away, when
Dora, overcome by an emotion which
she could not explain, asked him to
remain.

"Since we have met again in this
unlooked-for manner, ' ' she began coldly,
" it is just as well that we should under-

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

979

stand each other fully. Pray, be seated. ' '

She pointed to a chair near the sofa
she occupied, and continued :

"You no doubt consider me vain, and
I admit that I am ; but vanity has had
nothing to do with my refusing to
recognize you of late. I would cut any
man, Mr. Fullerton, no matter how dear
a friend he might have been, who could
be so mean and base as to make me the
subject of envious gossip. Do you
understand ? ' '

' ' That you believe me capable of
speaking of you disrespectfully, yes, "
answered Gerald, with an effort to appear
composed.

' ' Disrespectfully ? No, that is too
mild a word — shamefully, basely, Mr.
Fullerton ! ' ' she exclaimed with pas-
sionate scorn ; then, as if struggling to
suppress a tender memory, she added in
a tone of infinite regret, "O Gerald,
how greatly you have changed from the
gentle boy I used to know ! ' '

At the sound of his name, uttered
with so much feeling by those dear lips,
Gerald's self-command completely left
him.

" Changed ! How have I changed ? "
he cried impulsively, ' ' Who dares to
charge me with doing you a wrong ? ' '

Dora looked into his face intently, as
if to read his inmost thoughts, and
answered slowly :

"The man who struck you for the
words you uttered."

At the same instant Philip Vanden-
berg appeared in the doorway. He
glanced suspiciously from one to the
other and frowned darkly. Then, totally
ignoring Gerald, he advanced to Dora,
and said in hard, constrained tones :

" May I have a few words with you,
MissNorris? "

The girl excused herself to Gerald,
and went off on his arm ; but she had
not failed to notice the great difference
in the behavior of the two men, as they
stood confronting each other. Gerald
had never once taken his eyes off Van-
denberg from the moment he entered the

room. There was an heroic expression
on his noble countenance, and a com-
pelling power in his glance, that con-
trasted forcibly with the uneasy look and
downcast eyes of Vandenberg. When
they were alone together the latter turned
to her, and said sneeringly :

"I suppose that low fellow has been
giving you his version of our alterca-
tion."

There was something in his tone and
manner that aroused Dora's suspicions.
1 ' Has this man been deceiving me ? " she
thought. No sooner had this idea en-
tered her mind than it took complete
possession of her, and she determined to
probe the matter to the bottom.

In the meantime the following conver-
sation was taking place in the hall be-
tween Mrs. de Birmingham and Father
Paul:

" Well, " began the latter, "have you
succeeded in bringing our two young
friends together ? ' '

"Yes, and under such circumstances
that they could not avoid speaking if
they would. I contrived to leave them
alone in each other's company."

' ' Admirable ! ' ' exclaimed Father Paul
delightedly. ' ' They will now be friends
again."

' ' What makes you so sure of that ? ' '
asked the old lady.

"My knowledge of their natures,"
was the confident reply. "But did you
find out if the girl is really engaged to
marry Vandenberg ? ' '

' ' She is not as yet, ' ' replied Mrs. de
Birmingham.

"Then, depend upon it, she never will
be," said Father Paul with a beaming
countenance. "I believe she realizes
now her true position. She has seen the
wide gulf that lies between her old associ-
ations and her new, and it is my opinion
that she will prefer to marry the honest
Catholic, who loves her for herself, to
the haughty Protestant, who only wants
her for her money. "

' ' If her vanity will permit her, " paid
the old lady laconically.

980

FATHER PAUL'S STRATAGEM.

"You seem to forget, Madam," an-
swered the priest with decision, "that
Gerald Fullerton, as editor and part
owner of a prosperous journal, the
friend of so notable a lady as yourself, is
a very different man, in the opinion of
society, to Gerald Fullerton, the strug-
gling printer, whose loftiest friend was
humble Father Paul. "

On parting from Vandenberg, Dora
sought out "Stumpy" Flynn, whom
she had seen earlier in the evening
among the humbler guests in the rear
drawing-room.

' ' I would like to have a few words
with you alone, if you will grant me the
favor, ' ' she said in her sweetest manner.

" I am at your service, Miss, " replied
" Stumpy, " blushing with confusion.

She conducted him to the ante-room,
where she had before met Gerald, and
took a seat beside him.

"Mr. Flynn," she began earnestly,
"I know that you and Mr. Fullerton are
very dear friends. Do you know the
cause of his quarrel with Mr. Vanden-
berg? "

"I know all about it," answered
"Stumpy," "although Gerald never
opened his mouth on the subject. "

"Would you mind telling me what
you know ? "

"I'd rather not, Miss," was the
stammering answer.

"I understand your reluctance," re-
joined the girl artfully. "You do not
wish to say a word against your friend.
Then Mr. Vandenberg 's version of the
affair must be the true one. ' '

' ' Why, what does he say about it ? ' »
asked Gerald's friend, now all curiosity
on the latter 's behalf.

1 ' That Mr. Fullerton spoke of me in
a scandalous manner, and that he chas-
tised him for his insolence. "

" If ' Pony ' Vandenberg says that, he
lies ! ' ' cried ' ' Stumpy, ' ' forgetting good
manners in his indignation. "Why,
he couldn 't lick one side of Gerald Ful-
lerton. You have only to look at the
two men to know that. "

Then he told her the whole story 01
the affair as it had actually happened,
and as it had been related to him by an
employee of the Golf Club, who boarded
at his hotel. It appeared that this man
had been standing within sight and
hearing of the quarrel, in a front room
of the club-house opening on the piazza,
and had been very much chagrined that
Gerald had not resented Vandenberg 's
blow.

' ' But he didn 't do it, Miss, for your
sake," concluded "Stumpy" Flynn
apologetically. ' ' He said he didn 't want
the name of an innocent girl made the
subject of talk through any act of his."

Dora remained for some time buried
in thought. It was evident from the
flush on her cheeks and the heaving of
her bosom that she was greatly agitated.
Presently she raised her head proudly
and said in a low, firm voice :

' ' I have a duty to perform before leav-
ing here to-night. Mr. Flynn, will you
be so kind as to inform Mr. Fullerton
and Mr. Vandenberg that I am waiting
here to see them ? ' '

"Stumpy " departed to do her bid-
ding, inwardly reproaching himself for
having revealed what he knew.

Vandenberg was the first to answer
her summons. He entered the room
with a smile, but became grave and un-
easy the moment he looked at her face,
which was now as white and fixed as
marble.

" So, Philip Vandenberg," she began,
flashing ineffable scorn from her eyes,
' ' you would elevate me to your own
proud level by forcing me to abandon
my family and religion. We are
vulgar ; we are Catholics ; we are not
your social equals, I admit, for my
eyes were opened to the way in which
you and your highborn associates regard
us, from the moment I entered this house
to-night. In the presence of our
humble friends I realized the truth that
we are but plain folks, who are tolerated
solely for our money. But, " she added,
drawing herself up grandly, "we at

ST. WINEFRIDE.

981

least possess the honorable pride that
scorns deceit and lying."

While she was speaking Gerald entered
the room, and, at sight of him, her man-
ner quickly changed. The blood returned
to her cheeks, her eyes softened and her
countenance took on a tender, pleading

Epression.
"O Gerald," she cried, "will you
•give me the many wicked wrongs I
ve done you ? ' '

She turned to him and gave him both
her hands, drooping her head to conceal
the tears that gathered in her eyes. "I
have been blinded by my vanity, Gerald,
but I see all clearly now. I said that
you had changed, when the change was
in myself; but you, who are so noble,
will forgive and forget all, won't you ? "
In all his life Gerald had never known
a more exquisitely happy moment.

"I have nothing to forgive you,
Dora, " he said gently. "You had not
changed, but were deceived."

" Yes, deceived, basely deceived ! " she
cried. Then, as if the words recalled to
her the grievous wrong she had suf-
fered, she suddenly resumed her haughty
bearing and turned to address herself
again to Vandenberg ; but he had stealth-
ily withdrawn from the scene. And
in his place stood another, older man,
attired in clerical garments, glancing
first at her and then at Gerald with eyes
that danced with joy.

"So you are friends again at last, " he
said in tones that betrayed the deepest
satisfaction ; and, without waiting for
| a reply, Father Paul hurried away to
communicate to Mrs. de Birmingham the
success of his stratagem.

SAINT WINEFRIDE.
By Rev. C. W. Barraud, SJ.

LESSED Saint Winefride, at thy fair shrine
Still to this hard-hearted people of thine

God His ineffable mercy unveils,
Healing the halt and the blind and the dumb,
All who for love of Saint Winefride come,

Gentle Saint Winefride, Flower of Wales.

Glorious Alban, first fruit of our seed,
Cuthbert and Dunstan and Wilfrid and Bede,

Thomas, our martyr, who fought the good fight,
Edward, our King, and a thousand saints more,
Plead for poor England, but not as of yore

Showing their splendor ; for Oh ! it is night.

What a dear joy, then, O Maiden, is thine,
Chosen by God in our darkness to shine,
Chosen to comfort, to soothe, to uplift !

982

ST. WINEFRIDE.

As, when the merle hath forgotten his song,

Through the wild winter, so dreary, so long,

Pipeth the robin upon the snowdrift.

ST. WINBFRIDE'S SHRINK, HOLYWELL. WALES.

Taller the lily and sweeter the rose,
Brighter full many a flower that blows
In the glad summer-time ; yet we

love best
That little blossom that taketh its

birth

From the cold heart of the snow-
covered earth,

Emblem of love with deep sorrow
oppressed.

Emblem of hope in a joy that shall be,
Emblem of maidenhood, emblem of

thee,
Maiden and martyr ! Then bid us

arise.
Winter is passing, and spring near at

hand,
Bringing the sun, the warm sun to

our land,

Leaves to the forest and light to the
skies.

Winefride ! Winefride, gentle and

kind!
Heal the dull ears and the eyes that

are blind.

If, as thy fountain, thy love never
fails,

Flood the whole land with thy mercies, and show
God is not far from us e'en in our woe.

Winefride ! Winefride ! Flower of Wales !

DUCHESS AND NUN.

MARIA FEXICIA ORSINI.

ByJ. M. Cave.

44 X*T^HE life, the sorrows, and the
A virtues of the very high and
illustrious princess, Maria Felicia Or-
sini, wife and widow of Duke Henry II.
de Montmorency, Religious of the Mon-
astery of the Visitation (third house of
the order), at Moulins on the Allier,
France. ' '

Under the above title, Mgr. Fliche,
domestic prelate to His Holiness Leo
XIII., Canon of Troyes, etc., has admi-
rably told the story of the Duchess de
Montmorency. We borrow freely from
his fascinating pages.

History holds dear great names and
great deeds ; when found united in the
same person, the name and the deed
and the person seem blended into one,
and stand forever, clearly outlined, a
symbol and a sign for man's instruc-
tion, and for a warning to him, will he
but profit by it. ' ' Jolle lege, ' ' take and
read, and when read, let us hope, dear
reader, that one more name may be
added to your list of heroines, in the
subject of this sketch.

Maria Felicia dei Orsini belonged to
a long-famous race. To go back to her
great-grandfather only,Geronimo Orsini,
Prince of Bracciano, in the States of the
Church, no name in history, among all
the great names of his day, surpassed
his for courage and virtue. Remark
well the latter title, "Virtue." "If the
former be dear to man, the latter is dear
to both God and man. "

This Geronimo, Prince of Bracciano,
was the son of Giovanni Giordano
Orsini, and Maria, daughter of King
Ferdinand of Arragon. The history of
the elder Orsinis has been written by
the Prior of Juvigny, who tells us that
the prince was placed, while yet young,

at the head of a company of Pontifical
guards, under Leo X. (1513) ; that he
served in the imperial army with great
distinction, and notably, in the expedi-
tion against the Turks.

By his wife, Frances Sforza of the
ducal house of Milan, he left two chil-
dren : Felicia, married to Maria Antonio
Colonna, and Paul, one of the heroes of
Lepanto, who, like his ancestors, bore
the title of Prince of Bracciano. Pope
Paul IV. made him commander-in-chief
of his infantry. He won the favor of
all men by his goodness of heart and
his courage. His wife was Elizabeth
de Medici, daughter of the Grand-Duke
of Tuscany, aunt of Marie de Medici,
wife of Henry IV. and grandmother of
the greatest of all French kings, Louis
XIV.

Virgineo Orsini was one of his sons ;
to him was transmitted the name and
princedom of Bracciano. His other son
took holy orders and became a Cardinal
and prince of the Church. Virgineo
showed himself worthy of the great names
he bore. General and commander of
the Florentine galleys in the expedition
against the Turks, he destroyed
their fleet off Chios, and had the
honor of delivering five or six thou-
sand Christians there enchained. Pope
Sixtus V. gave him the hand of his
niece in marriage. From this union
sprang seven sons and three daughters.
The two elder sons became successively
Princes of Bracciano. The third, Don
Carlo, met a martyr's death while war-
ring against the Saracens. The fourth
died young. The fifth became a Cardi-
nal, while the two youngest entered
religious orders, one becoming a Car-
melite, the other a Jesuit.

983

984

DUCHESS AND NUN.

Of the three daughters the eldest, Thomas
Isabel, married Caesar Gonzaga ; Ca- Schools,

Aquinas, the Angel of the
the illustrious Cardinal St.

milla, the second, became the wife of a Charles Borromeo, St. Aloysius Gonzaga,
prince of the house of Borghese, while and, finally, Blessed Margaret Orsini, a
the third is our glorious heroine, Maria Carmelite. It is only justice to our hero-
Felicia, "one of that race of valiant ine thus to set forth the claims and titles
women whose names fill the pages of of her race.

Church history ; the Melanies, the Mar-
cellas, the Theresas, down to Mile.
Legras, Madame de Chantal and Louise
of France. ' ' The list is far from ending
here. Let us add to it the name of her
who, at the court of Louis XIII., was
called, both by king and courtiers, the
" wise." To have
gained such a
name at that age,
and especially at
that brilliant and
giddy court, re-
quired almost su-
pernatural gifts,
as we shall see.
She is said to
have resembled
perfectly her il-
lustrious ances-
tor, Virgineo
Orsini. She pos-
sessed all the ele-
vation of mind,
all the dignity of
deportment and
all the goodness
of heart that made
her sire so dear to
all who knewhim .

MOTHER MARY FELICE,
HENRIETTE DE MONTMORENCY.

At Rome, November u, 1600, on
the Feast of the generous St. Martin,
whom she was to resemble by her im-
mense charities, Maria Felicia Orsini
was born. She was baptized a few days
later at St. Peter's in the Vatican.
Queen Marie of France was her god-
mother. The
Queen was repre-
sented on this
occasion by the
Duchess of Man-
tua. The little
one was named
1 ' Maria ' ' for her
godmother and
aunt, and ' ' Feli-
cia ' ' for her ma-
ternal uncle, Pope
Sixtus V. (Felix
Perretti).

From her cradle
Maria Felicia
showed wonder-
ful traits of char-
a c t e r. The ex-
pression is hack-
neyed, but, did
space permit, it
would indeed be

Of all the branches of the Orsini easy to show that this is no empty form of
family that of the Dukes of Bracciano words when applied to this remarkable
was the most eminent. It could count child. Goodness of heart, exquisite sen-
no less than fourteen imperial electors, sibility, grace inexpressible, grew with
three popes, forty cardinals, three mar- her growth. They seemed to spring nat-
shals, a great number of bishops, patri- urally, rather than to be infused — to be
archs, generals, senators and prefects of gifts, rather than acquirements. When
Rome, all princes, counts and dukes, barely five years of age, little Maria
Nay, more : it possesses four martyrs Felicia and her two sisters were placed
who shed their blood generously for the with the Benedictine nuns at Florence,
faith in heathen countries. It is directly in the convent founded by their uncle,
allied with other great saints, among the grand-duke, for the noble maidens
whom shine in the first rank St. Benedict of the country. Her perfect candor, her
and his sister, St. Scholastica, St. constant submission and angelic mod-

DUCHESS AND NUN.

985

esty, caused her to be remarked, even at
that tender age, as a living example of
the most Pure Virgin in the temple at
Jerusalem. From her birth she had
been dedicated to the Virgin. Her obedi-
ence was perfect and instantaneous.
Not an instant beyond the allotted time
would she give for recreation. At the
first sound of the bell she would spring
up and say to her sisters : ' ' Come, let us
rejoice the good God by quick and pleas-
ant obedience ! ' '

She had so great a love of truth
that she could not bear the least devia-
tion from it, even in jest. She would
not listen to imaginary stories or phan-
tastic tales, and once was known to
throw a beautifully bound book into the
fire, when told that it was a work of
fiction. She had the habit of asking,
"Is it true ? " of everything told her ;
"if not," she would add, "please do
not let me hear it."

The most serious fault she could re-
call was once having taken a little fruit
while in her father's garden, and hidden
it from her attendants. The trouble of
hiding it was so great that at last she
threw it away in disgust, and never
again attempted the least concealment.

While still at the convent Maria
Felicia lost her mother. Her tender
young heart was inconsolable. Her tears
were only checked when the good relig-
ious showed her a picture, in which the
artist had depicted the joys of heaven.
"Your dear mother is now with that
happy band, rejoicing with the saints,"
they told her, ' ' do not make her regret
her happiness, or fill her paradise with
sighs and tears. " The affectionate child
at once controlled her grief, and was
consoled by the thought of her mother's
happiness.

Her young life knew great physical
suffering. The most painful remedies
had to be used for a partial paralysis of
her limbs, that followed upon a serious
illness. She was gentle and patient
under the greatest torture. She called
her bed ' ' the good and dear Cross of her

Master and Saviour, ' ' and profited^by the
long interval in which ' she lay helpless
on ' ' that good and dear Cross ' ' to give
to her sisters and companions, and to
all who visited her, the most admirable
example of self-forgetfulness, renuncia-
tion, resignation and patience.

When able to leave it and to take exer-
cise she began to study with the greatest
ardor. Childishness and childish amuse-
ments were forever put away by little
Maria Felicia at the early age of nine
years, and to such a degree that the
religious of the Convent conceived a
curious sentiment for their charge. See-
ing her so reserved in speech, so discreet,
so pious in her conduct, they would even
tell her their secret thoughts, and en-
treat her to recommend them ' ' to the
Holy Spirit that lived in her heart."
With the utmost simplicity the child ac-
quitted herself of the task, and was never
known to fail in keeping her promises
to them inviolable. These religious
often took her into the choir with them,
there to chant part of the great office,
that her pure voice, like a winged arrow,
might help them to pierce heaven with
their invocations.

As the time of her first Communion
approached, Maria Felicia wished to
practise certain acts of corporal austerity
and penance, in order " to be humbled
and suffering before being united, by
mystical union, with the adorable body
of Jesus Christ. " But this ardor had to
be moderated on account of her health,
the wise Superior substituting works
of mercy and abnegation, in which the
pious child found consolation, and in
which she was to excel all her life
through. While yet a baby in the arms
of her nurse, it was her joy to reach out
her hand to the poor, and, when her
little purse was empty, she would look at
her nurse with pleading eyes, mutely
asking her to give her more and more.
The sight of distress always brought
tears to her eyes, and the resolu-
tion Maria Felicia formed at the time
of her first Communion was "to

986

DUCHESS AND NUN.

succor, generously and abundantly, the
poor and the unfortunate."

She was ambitious to give her life to
God in religion, but the example of her
eldest sister, who entered the Bene-
dictine Order as novice and soon with-
drew, made her prudent. She gave her
heart to wisdom and prudence in her
youth, and in her age she reaped a rich
reward. Her favorite verse of the Psalms
was, " My God, direct me in Thy truth,
teach me Thyself to do Thy will, for
Thou art my God."

Hardly had Maria Felicia entered her
fourteenth year when the Queen of
France, Marie de Medici, sent for her.
This was a great blow to her father,
who loved her more tenderly than any
of his other children. When told that a
matrimonial alliance was proposed for
her by her aunt, the Queen of France,
and accepted by her father, she quietly
submitted. She afterwards said: "I
did not hesitate to wish what my father
wished; he was, for me, the image of
God, and, as I had neither sought nor de-
sired the position that was offered me, I
gave myself up, hoping that the Saviour,
to whom I wished to belong without re-
serve, would not suffer that a different
manner of life should be given me from
that for which He had destined me from
all eternity."

But the celestial seed of holy desires
for a religious life was only buried deep.
It would yet spring up resplendent in
flowers and fragrance, though after
many storms and contradictions.

The husband chosen by Marie de
Medici for her young relative was the
brilliant Henry II., Duke of Mont-
morency, one of the greatest and most
accomplished nobles of his day. ' ' First
Christians and first Barons of France "
is the proud title of the house of Mont-
morency. Illustrious, and fruitful in
great men, for ages and ages, no scion
of the line surpassed young Henry II.
The branch to which he belonged (there
are several branches of the old Mont-
morency tree), sprang from William,

Lord of Montmorency, Ecouen and Chan-
tilly. His grandfather was the cele-
brated Constable Anne, so familiar to us
through the part he played in the Anglo-
French wars during the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries.

Henry II. had only one sister, Char-
lotte Marguerite, married March 3, 1609,
to the Prince de Conde". Henry II. was
born in 1595. " Great souls make their
appearance, like the sun at its rising,
with great splendor," says one of his
biographers ; thus the youth of Henry
de Montmorency showed forth what he
was to be, a dauntless soldier. Henry IV.
ever called him by the name of son, con-
fided to him the greatest charges of
state, made him, at the age of eighteen,
Governor of Languedoc, at the death of
the Constable, his father. And all this
and much more of honor, heaped upon
his young head, was little or nothing in
exchange for that valiant sword, that
invincible courage, that military genius
that gave to king and crown such tro-
phies in the way of conquered cities and
provinces.

The brilliant life of Duke Henry is
too well known to dwell upon it here.
It is the history of France at that day,
for his is the most brilliant and remark-
able figure in it. Let us look at him as
he advances to meet his bride, escorted
by a hundred young nobles, the most
distinguished of Languedoc, all, like
himself, splendidly mounted on richly
caparisoned steeds.

Marie de Medici herself leads forward
the maiden she has chosen for him and
presents her with these words : ' ' Here
is my cousin, and, I believe our choice
will not displease you. You are agree-
able and handsome. She is not less so.
You will be proud of her. I give her to
you, as uniting in herself the merits
and perfections of many. ' '

The Queen knew of whom she spoke.
From the grand-ducal court of Tuscany
she had learned perfectly the character of
the child-bride — how the whole court
dreaded the arrival of the vessel that

:HESS AND NUN.

987

to bear away their favorite, for
[aria Felicia had drawn all hearts to
herself during the days, all too short, of
her sojourn there. Her father could not
bear the parting-, and was forced to with-
draw from the festivities consequent
upon the betrothal of his daughter.

In a letter written by him at this time,
in speaking of the portrait painted for
Duke Henry of his future bride, the
Prince said :

1 ' I would not have permitted the ar-
tist to add anything to nature, had he
wished to embellish or correct it, but, if
it were a question of sending a true like-
ness of my daughter's mind, I would
have it made without fault, for I never
knew one in her."

The marriage by proxy took place in
the grand ducal palace at Florence,
Francis Orsini, Marquis of Traisnel,
having been chosen by the queen to
marry the princess by proxy. Maria
Felicia was overwhelmed with costly
gifts. That of her aunt, the Grand
Duchess, surprised them all, for it
was the testimony of her affection
for the admirable young princess. We
shall learn the fate of these wedding
gifts later.

In December, 1614, Maria Felicia em-
barked for France. On landing in
Provence, her first visit was to the grot
of Mary Magdalen, " to demand of the
illustrious penitent how to love our
Saviour as she had loved Him," and at
the same time to love in, and for God, the
spouse chosen for her.

The Constable de Montmorency, Gov-
ernor of Languedoc, had hastened to
meet his daughter-in-law at Avignon.
The venerable old prince was prodigal in
his expressions of joy and welcome. He
was indeed proud of the honor con-
ferred upon his house, by the Queen hav-
ing chosen his son to be the husband of
her niece, a tie which was to unite his
family still more closely with the royal
family of France. He travelled several
days in company with the princess and
her splendid suite of nobles and dames

of high degree. " My son, " said he to
the Marquis of Traisnel, "is to be the
most favored spouse in all the kingdom. ' '
Well might he be captivated by the sweet
dignity, the rare penetration and modest
bearing of this fair child who gives him
already the name of father.

Marie de Medici, on beholding her
young relative, repeated the same words
as the old Constable, ' ' who had blessed
God for the blessing sent to his old
age." The exquisite gentleness, pre-
cocious intelligence, humble simplicity
and delicate sensibility in one so young
held him as by a charm . He was never
weary of listening to her. Louis XIII.,
then thirteen years of age, led the young
princess into the embrasure of a win-
dow which had been arranged expressly
for them, that, unperceived, they might
behold the arrival of the young duke and
his escort.

The nuptial feast was held the same
day in the palace of the Louvre. All
Paris was stirred by this great marriage.
The Queen wished to keep Maria Felicia
with herself. To a great lord who con-
gratulated her on the possession of so
charming a niece she replied: "It is
true, I have the pleasure of loving in
Maria Felicia much virtue ; where can
one find more dignity, wisdom and
modesty ? ' '

Perfect happiness seemed the natural
consequence of such a union, yet these
joys will give place to mourning and to
pain beyond words to tell. Let us once
more quote the words of a grave
historian in regard to the young
Duchess of Montmorency, so that, when
sorrow comes and ploughs deep furrows
in her heart, we may know of what soil
it was composed, and that, when the
recompense of sorrow comes, we may
know something of the heart of the
woman who places the nun's veil upon
her too-early whitened tresses.

' ' Heaven had given to the Princess
Maria Felicia Orsini a very noble heart
which never stooped to love anything
that was not noble and worthy of her ;

988

DUCHESS AND NUN.

a heart generous enough to forget
her dearest interests for the advantage
and the good of those she loved; a
heart pure as crystal, incapable of
being led by evil, or by any guilty im-
pression of the senses ; a tender heart,
that caused her to compassionate like a
mother the least pain confided to her,
or that came beneath her notice ; and
finally, a faithful heart, incapable of
comprehending either inconstancy in
friendship, or regret for having formed
it. " It is said that she loved her young
husband with the utmost power of
earthly love, and never loved but him.
The glory and the happiness of that
husband was her continual study.

The vain amusements of the court and
the world left her indifferent. The
Bishop of Saint-Pons, who had known
her at the Louvre, said, on finding her
the superior of the Convent of Moulins,
that he had never known any one to
love so nobly and so purely, and that,
had not the object of that love been
visible before one's eyes, it would have
been easy to believe that it was not a
mortal being who was loved so perfectly.
"One may wonder today," said the
prelate, "that God permitted her to
enter the marriage state, were it not
that He wished to give to women of the
world this great model of chaste and
admirable earthly affection. And there-
fore is it, that God has taken His
servant from the world, that He alone
may be loved, with that unique and
holy love, that in His supreme law He
exacts of us. "

Another prelate, at the same time, said
of Mme. de Montmorency : "Provi-
dence, having destined this illustrious
soul to be the example of many others,
willed that she should know the dangers
of the world even in a life, the wisest
and best regulated that can be known,
for the instruction of those who do not
fear those obstacles and temptations
therein found, and who permit them-
selves to be carried away by them, as
'veil as to show her invincible patience

in prodigious reverses of fortune, for
the edification of those who suffer lesser
ones." In a word, God caused all things
to work together for good for the prin-
cess whom He had called to such emi-
nent sanctity in a religious life.

It would not be easy to-day to follow,
even in fancy, the royal progress of the
young duchess, when called to go to her
lord in Languedoc, the governorship of
which had fallen to him on his father's
death.

Cosmo Orsini accompanied his sister,
and was thrilled with admiration at the
manner in which she received the
homage rendered to her at every step of
the journey. Let it be remembered that
Languedoc was one of the greatest prov-
inces of France, containing no less than
twenty -three bishoprics. Toulouse was
the chief city. At Montpellier the duke
awaited his wife. She knew how dear
he was to the people of the province, by
virtue of his courage, and, loving him
ardently, she loved all who loved him ;
it cost her no effort, therefore, to return
with interest the cordial greetings
lavished upon her.

She won all hearts by her demeanor
and her generosity. At one place she
was welcomed by the gift of ten thou-
sand pounds, which sum she at once
handed over for works of charity. The
people thronged about her at every step
of her path, and for one and all she
had a gracious word and deed to bind
them to her. Her fame had preceded
her. From the giddy circle of the court
with its fascinations, she had come un-
scathed by the least whisper of its im-
pure breath. It was well known that
her presence, from the hour of her arrival,
had been an effectual check to license, in
any form whatsoever.

" Sh ! sh ! here comes Mme. de Mont-
morency" was enough to arrest all light
speaking.

What was remarkable in this was,
that she preserved herself and yet
offended no one. Her manners were *
model for the most accomplished. " Be

DUCHESS AND NUN.

989

raceful as the Duchess de Montmo-
mcy, ' ' was so often repeated that she be-
came the mirror, as it were, of all that
sras perfect in manner, dress and bear-
ing. Even to our own day it is said, as
the highest commendation, "with all
the grace of a Princess Orsini. "

In spite of all this Maria Felicia had
been kept unspotted from the world.
' ' But that was not enough to fit her for
heaven, " says her venerable biographer.
At the end of her almost royal progress
from Paris to I^anguedoc, crosses many,
and each one heavier than the last,
awaited her.

The first was the dangerous illness of
the duke. An epidemic suddenly broke
out with great violence, spread through
the centre of France with great rapidity
and made fearful havoc among the sol-
diery. The duke, ever careless of himself
when his soldiers were suffering, was
soon stricken down. Before she had an
hour of repose after her fatiguing jour-
ney, she hastened to him.

At the door of the sick-room she was
met by her uncle, the Marquis de Portes,
with the gravest news : the duke was
dying. At the same time the Marquis
tried to place in her hands the last will
and testament of her husband, which
had just been confided to him for that
purpose.

The Duchess put it aside. ' ' He will
not die ! " she exclaimed, " Heaven will
not take him from me now ! ' '

She made her way to the bedside of
the sufferer, who lay unconscious, and
there knelt and prayed for hours.

Her supplications were heard, though
it might have been for her happiness had
she not thwarted the designs of Provi-
dence by her ardent petitions.

On this and on two or three other oc-
casions the duke declared that his life
had been spared in answer to his wife's
prayers.

" What an example was given to the
world in that day ! " cries Mgr. Fliche-
"One of the sweetest women, remark-
able even among the brilliant women of

the court of Henry IV. t with extreme
youth and no previous knowledge of life,
unites the greatest tact, the greatest dis-
cretion, the greatest prudence in word
and deed, with the greatest love of God,
love of the poor and suffering, love of
her husband, which nothing can shake.
Frequently separated from him by the
exigencies of their high position, he in
command of the Catholic army, she be-
side the queen, the admirable Maria
Felicia Orsini never sought, or desired,
or could have enjoyed a moment's hap-
piness without the support of her re-
ligion, which filled all her life and heart
that was not given to the duke. Some
called her cold, and so she was to the
gallantries and flatteries of that giddy
circle, which made wreck of so many
lives in those days, by making light of
everything. ' '

And yet the young duchess shared in
all the pomp and pageantry of the court.
It was part of her duty. No great lady,
says the court gossip of the time (we still
quote Mgr. Fliche) was dressed with
anything like the taste and richness of
this princess. Everything that came in
contact with her person was of the
richest and daintiest. From Arabia and
the far East the most exquisite perfumes
were brought, at great cost, for her
especial use, as well as the rarest jewels
and the richest stuffs of cloth of gold
and silver, wrought with embroideries
of rare dyes and set with gems of every
hue.

What could be too good for the young
wife of the great Constable of France,
the commander-in-chief of all her mili-
tary forces by sea and land, and she her-
self the daughter of a long line of war-
riors, great by virtue of their faith and
their courage? Nothing, assuredly!
Therefore, nothing was wanting to make
Maria Felicia, not only the peer of any
lady of the court of Marie de Medici,
but her superior in all things. And yet,
notwithstanding their intrinsic value,
which must have been very great indeed,
all these things are worth mentioning

990

DUCHESS AND NUN.

only because, when the day of trial
comes, we shall see her lay them all
down, willingly and unsolicited, at the
foot of the altar. And those hands of
hers, so beautiful as to have caused her
to wear gloves constantly to hide their
perfect beauty, will accept, nay will con-
sider as a favor, permission to perform
the humblest employment. There is
a black-robed figure stooping low in
the convent garden at Moulins. See !
another black-robed figure, broom in
hand, sweeps the walks, and piles in
little heaps the masses of rotten roots,
dead leaves and the cleanings of the
flower-beds. Bird and bee and slimy
insects have been among them and con-
tributed to make the debris anything
but inviting. Yet that figure, so humbly
stooping, carries away pile after pile in
her ungloved hands, and in the kitchen
the same hands perform the humblest,
most menial services, take delight in the
labor, yet meekly acquiesce when the
command conies to use the little strength
left for other, though not less holy, uses.

That was indeed an evil day for the
brave Montmorency when his beloved
friend, his almost brother, came to the
Castle of Pezenas to beg his aid.

"Friendship betrayed the duke that
day." For its whole length the two
men were closeted together. The duchess
was ill in bed, yet something told her
that Gaston d 'Orleans had come on no
innocent errand, and she insisted upon
being dressed, and aided to the room
where the conference was being held.
The king's brother would have drawn
her into the plot, too, but she would not
hear of it.

" If I had any power, my lord, thou
shouldst not speak thus," she cried,
' ' and I pray the duke, my husband, to
have nothing to do with the business. ' '

Had the duke or his tempter listened
to these words, the former had not laid
his noble head upon the block, or the
latter shed useless tears of remorse
above his bier. But this was one of
those startling lessons that stir the whole

world for a time, and then are, alas !
forgotten. Others have since shared the
same fate, but none nobler than Henri
de Montmorency.

Maria Felicia had known some very
happy days. If, as the scandal of the
day would have it, the duke would have
chosen another bride, he was not long
in finding out the worth of the one
chosen for him by his sovereign. He
gave her right speedily his confidence,
then his affection, which, if stinted at
first, soon increased until she became
to him as the apple of his eye. For her
alone he grieved, when, sorely wounded,
they bore him prisoner from the fatal
field of Castelnaudary. For her were
his last thoughts and prayers, as well as
his regrets for not having taken her ad-
vice.

Political history says she was ambi-
tious. " Maria Felicia, of the ambitious
house of Orsini, " it calls her — but a
truer history, founded upon surer knowl-
edge (that of her spiritual directors),
shows us that, if she was ambitious, it
was for God, a lawful and laudable am-
bition, in which neither plot nor deceit
had any part. The proof of this is the
fact that she never lost the affection of
the queen, her aunt, or of her successor,
Anne of Austria, and, when the blind-
ness and the fury of passion had cleared
away after the duke's death, the queen
dowager and the young king and queen
strove to make her amends for the fear-
ful injustice she had suffered.

The king himself came to Moulins
to see her, to mourn with her, ' ' for he
had truly loved his cousin Montmor-
ency. And not he, but Richelieu, had
been inexorable, and would not allow
him to interpose to save the life of the
hero of a hundred well-fought fields. "

It was not easy for Maria Felicia to
listen to all this. But, from the foot of
the scaffold, Pere Arnoux, the duke's
confessor, had brought her a solemn
message, to which she had not turned a
deaf ear. He charged his beloved Feli-
cia ' ' to pardon all, freely and fully. ' ' So,

DUCHESS AND NUN.

991

for love of that precious memory, she let
ler heart be pierced through and through,
/hen the Cardinal came in person to
pay her homage in her cloister. " She
spoke gently and charitably, " say the
witnesses of that meeting, ' • to the man
who had sent her husband to that terri-
ble death." Perhaps, because she had
idolized him, she was forced to pay so
fearful a price for her days of happiness.

The life of Maria Felicia, as religious
and finally as superior of the Visitation
of Moulins, is one of those admirable
biographies that make us proud of
human nature. To abridge it is almost
a sin. What sort of a religious she
became, is told by the eloquent fact that
St. Jane Frances de Chantal left her
the heritage of her heart. Her sisters
in religion tell us "that she inherited
all their mother's virtues and sanctity,
and it was but just that to her should
be given this priceless treasure. ' '

Long before she had left the world her
life and her virtues had aroused love and
admiration in the heart of the found-
ress of the Visitation. When the king
refused to let her go and comfort the
widowed duchess, in her overwhelming
bereavement, Mme. de Chantal sent
her her own greatest earthly treasure —
the portrait of her father in Christ — St.
Francis de Sales, that had been painted
expressly for herself. What feelings
this precious gift awakened in the heart
of the recipient may be imagined. "To
despoil herself of this for me ! ' ' cried
Maria Felicia, as she pressed her lips
over and over again to the portrait and
the precious letter of sympathy that
accompanied it.

It became the great happiness of her
life, after that time of sorrow, when her
heart had become, as it were, absorbed in
the divine Heart of our Lord, to spend
herself and her wealth in the cause of
the canonization of the Prince Bishop
of Geneva, now her father in Christ.
Nowhere were the rejoicings in honor of
the event one-half so imposing as at
Moulins, thanks to the boundless gener-

osity of Madame de Mpntmorency and
her family.

***** * *

After years of effort the widowed
duchess, at length, received permission
to have the remains of the duke trans-
ferred to Moulins. At her own cost a
chapel had been built in which to place
them.

A few words in reference to the duke's
last days may not be superfluous here.
From the fatal field of Castelnaudary he
was conveyed, grievously wounded, a
prisoner to the castle of Lectoure,
thence to Toulouse to stand his trial.
Condemned after a brief examination, he
made no complaint, no appeal. Sus-
tained to the last by Pere Arnoux, S.J.,
he had the courage to mount the scaf-
fold with a firm step, and there, on his
knees asking a last blessing from his con-
fessor, with the words, " Sweet Saviour,
receive my soul, " upon his lips, he laid
his noble head upon the block. He had
not once pleaded for his life, or made
the least effort to palliate his fault.
"Tell the king I die his very humble
servant, ' ' was the only message he had
sent to Louis XIII.

The greatest efforts had been made to
save him by the Pope's nuncio, by his
sister, the Princess de Conde", the Dukes
de Chevreuse and Epernon, the Cardinal
Lavalette ; but in vain had these peti-
tioners knelt weeping before the king ;
he could do nothing, and the Cardinal
(Richelieu) was inexorable, as the king
assured the unhappy duchess over and
over again. In the square within the
court-yard of the capitol or Hotel de
Ville of Toulouse, at the foot of the
statue of Henri IV., his godfather and
cousin, the execution took place. It is
to this day sorrowfully interesting, and
the headsman's axe is still shown to
the traveller. When the axe fell a roar
of fury arose from the multitude outside
the barriers. In an instant they were
forced, and the crowd rushed to the foot
of the scaffold to gather up the blood of
the beloved victim .

992

DUCHESS AND NUN.

The body was quickly borne away by
the clergy and placed in the Abbey of
St. Sernin. The whole city put on
mourning, and all lyanguedoc was about
to rise to avenge its beloved chief.
Between the sentence and the execution
no time had elapsed, so that nothing had
been done to prevent the consummation
of the cruel deed. The people were
taken by surprise ; they expected to see
the duke come forth from the tribunal
free, when the sound of his death-knell
rang forth, which explains the mad rush
they made to the place of execution.

The monks of St. Sernin had offended
king and court and Parliament by the
unparalleled honor they had shown to
the duke's memory, in giving his body
sepulchre within this chapel. They were,
therefore, most unwilling to give up their
treasure, even at the king's command.

A second and more peremptory com-
mand of the king, however, decided them
to lose no further time, and the duke's
remains were transported with great
pomp and ceremony from Toulouse to
Moulins.

The duchess wished to avoid all dis-
play. Her sufferings were renewed at
this time, and she would fain have hid-
den herself and her wrongs in the shades
of the convent. The people would not
have it so. All that was noble in the
land arose, as by one accord, to form an
escort of honor, even to the doors of the
beautiful chapel prepared to receive the
dust of Duke Henri. That chapel and
the magnificent tomb, still very care-
fully preserved for its historical and
artistical value, now belong to the state.
The convent was appropriated by the
revolutionary government, and is now the
Ivyceum. No one travelling from Paris
and Lourdes to Paray-le-Monial should
miss visiting the ancient tomb and the
new Monastery of the Visitation, for the
sake of the memorie they evoke.

The life of the highest and holiest of
those chosen souls called to found re-
ligious houses, that should resist the
powers of evil for long generations,

was not more perfect than that of Maria
Felicia Orsini.

St. Jane Frances de Chantal found her
' ' another self. ' ' Her spiritual directors
have left us the full story of her humble
life, as the world's history has left us
the story of her courtly days. In both
she was perfect. How precious is the
record of such a life !

In her retirement she was not forgot-
ten, as the convent records show. Here
are a few notes from them :

"Sister Marie Henriette is visited a
second time by the King and Queen of
France."

"The Cardinal Orsini visits his sister,
the widowed Duchess de Montmorency,
now Sister Marie Henriette of the Order
of the Visitation. "

' ' The venerable founder of St. Sulpice,
Monsieur Olier, has twice visited Mou-
lins to pay his respects to Sister M.
Henriette. ' ' Nothing in her disturbs
the work of the Holy Ghost, " said he to
the Mother Superior. ' '

' ' Queen Christina of Sweden visits
Mme. de Montmorency in her convent."

' ' Henrietta Maria of England (Queen
of Charles I.) visits the widowed Duchess
in her retirement. ' '

And so the list goes on.

* * •£ •* * * *

All her life Sister Marie Henriette con-
tinued her early practices of piety. She
fasted every Saturday in honor of the
Immaculate Conception . By her manner
of life she made familiar the famous sen-
tence of St. Catharine of Genoa : " Let
Jesus be in your heart, eternity in your
mind, the world beneath your feet, the
will of God in all your actions, and His
love shining in you above all things
else." June 5, 1666, the same mortu-
ary pall that had covered the bier of the
good duke and that had been held over
her when she made her religious vows
was placed upon her coffin. This coffin
was enclosed in one of lead and de-
posited beside that of her husband,
beneath the costly monument she had
erected to his memory.

THE VEN. LEONARD LESSIUS, S.J.
By G. /. Dillon.

A PROCESS of canonization, which such an occasion. Small boys love nick-
was interrupted by the suppres- names and they called Leonard "the
sion of the Society of Jesus and the little prophet. "

French Revolution, has been reopened, His industry and application were un-
to the satisfaction of the Belgian bishops, tiring. At table he would place an open
professors, and people. As everything book beside his plate, and, if you had
foretells a speedy and favorable ending, entered that home on a long winter eve-
we present to the readers of the MES- ning, you would have found him, not

among the merry
children that
were grouped
around the cosy
fireside, but apart,
conning his au-
thors and occa-
sionally trying to
warm his chilled
hands at the
flame of the one
poor candle that
was allotted him.

a short

account of the life
and virtues of this
servant of God.

Leonard Leys,
better known
under his Latin-
ized name of Les-
sius, was born at
the little village
of Brecht, near
Antwerp, in Bel-
gium, on the first
day of October,
1554-

His parents
died when he was
five years old, and
he was received
into the home of
his paternal
uncle, who cared
for him with a
tenderness equal
to that which he

FATHER LEONARD LE6S1US, S.J

displayed towards his own children. Al-
though the lad was of a joyous, lively
disposition, he was fonder of study and
prayer than of play. He gradually
acquired considerable influence with his
playmates. They respected him for his
piety and candor, and at his approach
they would often interrupt their games
and gather round him to listen to his ex-
planations of the catechism. Seventy
years later one of them used to repeat a
prayer he had learned from Lessius on

H is family
planned to make
him a merchant,
but at the age of
thirteen he won a
scho larship in
Louvain Univer-
sity, which was
then the rival of
Paris for the title
of first university
of the world.
Lessius remained four years at the
university. The first two years were
devoted to the study of literature, the
remainder to philosophy. He was only
seventeen years old when he was grad-
uated at the head of his class.

In our age and country we find it
difficult to realize the importance of this
achievement; but at Louvain, in the
sixteenth century, the " Primus, "as he
was called, stood on the threshold of a
most brilliant career. The different

993

994-

THE VEN. LEONARD LESSIUS, S.J.

THE OLD JESUIT COLLEGE, LOUVAIN.

professors vied with one another to
attract him to their lectures, and if he
upheld his high standing during the
post-graduate studies, the highest offices
in the state or university were at his
command.

But the call of a greater teacher sounded
in the heart of Lessius. It showed him
the vanity of every earthly honor ; it
bade him say farewell to that bright
prospect, and to devote himself body and
soul to the service of God in the Society
of Jesus.

The Jesuits had been established in
Louvain some fifteen years, and had
made a deep impression on its studious
youth. Bellarmine, the great theo-
logian, to refute whom a professor's
chair was founded at Oxford, and an-
other, two years later, at Cambridge,
had been sent by St. Francis Borgia to
combat heresy by his preaching. He
spoke in Latin, and so great was the
fame of this young scholastic (for at that
time he was not yet ordained) that
heretics came to hear him from Belgium,
Holland and England : ' ' many of
whom," adds the old Latin chronicle,
' ' returned home converts to the true
faith."

Lessius was assiduous in his attend-
ance at these sermons. Yet his deter-
mination to enter the Society was per-

haps less due to the influence of Bellar-
mine than to the impression produced
upon him by the modest demeanor of a
lay brother named Bertrand Cornells,
who fulfilled the duty of porter at the
college. This, Lessius himself testified
a few days before his death.

Whilst considering his vocation Leo-
nard applied himself to the study of
divinity under the famous Baius, whom
we shall meet again in the course of this
narrative.

He was not quite eighteen years of
age when he entered the Society, whose
black robe he donned on July 16, 1572,
the day Bellarmine took his last vows.
He spent the two years of noviceship,
as the novices now spend it, learning
the Institute of the Society and study-
ing the life of Christ and of the saints.
The novitiate at Louvain was poor, and
he often suffered actual want ; but what
did this matter to one eager to share the
poverty of Him who was born in a
stable at Bethlehem ? It was his joy to
eat the food that had been refused by
the college boarders, and many of his
former fellow students at the university
were so much edified by his holy life
that they followed him to the Society.
Alas ! they were not permitted to remain
together long, for those were troublous
times.

THE YEN. LEONARD LESSIUS, S.J.

995

The Netherlands were in the throes
of civil-religious warfare. William the
Silent, Prince of Orange, was advancing
on Louvain at the head of an army
mostly composed of Calvin ists, who
claimed it as their right to murder
priests and to destroy churches and
monasteries. Thus, two months before,
the martyrs of Gorcum had been put to
death, because they would not deny the
supremacy of the Pope and the real
presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacra-
ment. The Prince of Orange had
captured Mechlin, and defenceless Lou-
vain was certain to fall into his hands.

The Superiors of the Society, knowing
the fate that awaited them, determined
to leave the city. As Lessius was still
a novice, he was given the option of
returning to his home. He refused the
offer, and, with another Jesuit, set out
on foot for St. Omers, where the Society
had a college. He pronounced his re-
ligious vows June 24, 1574, and a few
days later, although he had
not yet completed his twen-
tieth year, he was appointed
to the chair of philosophy, in
Douay.

Then, as now, writers, who
had but a superficial knowl-
edge of the Society, objected
to the practice of placing
young men in the most im-
portant professorships of col-
leges and universities. The
objection, however specious
it may appear at first sight,
is not well founded. Lessius
received from his pupils a
most enthusiastic reception,
and it was his good fortune
to number among them
Robert Southwell, the future
poet, priest and martyr.

Four peaceful years ran
their course, and again the
storm lowered. The Northern
heretics hated the Jesuits and
feared their influence upon
the youth of the land. The

College of Douay was considered to be a
stronghold of the Society, and it was
marked out for destruction. It was sur-
rounded on the night of October 6 by a
turbulent mob. They demanded the
surrender of the arms and English gold,
which, they asserted, were in the vaults.
They attempted to burn the building,
and torches were already applied to the
doors and windows, when the troops ap-
peared and dispersed the rioters. The
soldiers remained several days to guard
the college. As it seemed that peace
was restored, the guard was withdrawn.
The mob, which only awaited this event,
quickly reassembled, surged into the city
hall, and forced the council to sign a
decree which ordered every Jesuit to
leave Douay by four o'clock in the eve-
ning.

The pupils were driven from the class-
rooms, and Lessius set out in company
with some of his fellow-religious ; but
whither to direct their steps, they did

AND GARDEN OF THE THEOLOGIANS, LOUVAIN.

996

THE VEN. LEONARD LESSIUS, S.J.

INTERIOR OF THE PRESENT CHURCH.

not know. One evening, worn out by a
long day's journey, penniless and foot-
sore, they arrived at a poor inn. They
were given shelter, but it was of the
meanest kind. I/essius threw himself
upon a wretched mattress and was soon
in a profound sleep. Unfortunately, on
the preceding night, this bed had been
occupied by a soldier afflicted with a
loathsome and contagious disease. At
midnight Lessius awoke from a troubled
dream. A cold perspiration covered his
entire body. Alas ! he had awakened
too late ! The poison had already en-
tered his system. Medicine was of no
avail ; the horrible disease clung to its
unfortunate victim and made his life
one long and ceaseless torment, until,
forty-five years later, death came to
his relief. But Lessius was never heard
to utter a complaint. A few weeks later
he was back in the chair of philosophy
at Douay, but ah ! what a different man !
Condemned by his sufferings to a
sedentary life, he applied himself with
increased ardor to his many studies.

His general method of study was
as follows : he attentively read the
author's exposition, and after he
had extracted its pith and marrow,
he darkened the room, by lowering
the Venetian blinds, and asked of
himself a strict account of what he
had read. He went over the argu-
ments given by the author in favor
of the thesis, and the objections
urged against it. These he care-
fully weighed, and then pondered
over any thoughts on the subject
that his own mind might suggest.
He would next let in the light of
day and write out the whole sub-
ject in his own way, and then,
opening the book, he compared
the two. It is no wonder that pro-
fessors and doctors submitted to
his decision the difficulties they
encountered in canon and civil
law. He was an adept in the
Hebrew tongue, and one of the
foremost mathematicians of his
day. His intimate acquaintance with
Greek was acknowledged by all — a mat-
ter of prime importance, as their great
proficiency in that language was one
of the chief causes of the high stand-
ing attained by the Jesuits among the
learned men of Europe.

There was something characteristic in
the way he had studied Greek. One day
he happened to hear two of his fellow-
scholastics conversing in that language,
and, impressed by their familiarity with
what was to him almost unknown, he
applied himself diligently to its acqui-
sition.

He shortened his hours of rest, to
lengthen those of study ; he learnt by
heart long passages, and his memory
was so tenacious that, after the lapse of
half a century, he could repeat them
word for word.

After two months of study he was able
to translate Aristotle at sight, and dur-
ing the dinner hour he used to occupy
himself by turning into Greek the book
which was being read in the refectory.

THE YEN. LEONARD LESSIUS, S.J.

997

When he was ordained to the priest-
hood on Easter Day, 1580, and sent to
Rome to perfect his theological knowl-
edge tinder the great Suarez, the fame of
his science and piety had preceded him
in the Eternal City.

Lessius remained two years in Rome,
and during the latter part of his stay
taught theology in the English College.
He renewed his early friendship with
Bellarmine, whom he had known at Lou-
vain, and by Bellarmine and Suarez was
introduced to many members of the
Sacred College, among others to the Car-
dinal Maffei Barbarini, afterwards Pope
Urban VII. Later on we shall see the
impression made on the Cardinal by the
learned and humble religious.

In 1585 we find him again at Louvain,
lecturing on theology to the scholastics
of the Society. When, at the age of
thirty-one, Lessius mounted for the first
time the steps of the pulpit, which is
Still used at Louvain and known
under his name, he may be said to
have begun his life work ; that
work which has placed him
amongst our foremost writers.
There, also, he continued to
practise those solid virtues which,
as we hope, will soon cause him to
be inscribed among the canonized
Saints of God.

Those were glorious days for
theologians. The great questions
of grace and predestination were
the subject of ardent discussion,
and the controversy, which ori-
ginated in Salamanca, had reached
Louvain. Some theses of Lessius,
published in 1586, seemed to his
opponents at variance with the
doctrine of St. Thomas. Baius, for-
merly a professor of Lessius, had
an investigating committee ap-
pointed, and thirty-seven proposi-
tions contained in the theses were
condemned. The University of
Douay reiterated the condemna-

Sales, in a letter still extant, compli-
mented the author upon his learning and
subscribed to his doctrine on grace and
predestination. The great Pontiff, Sixtus
the Fifth, a man who favored no school,
but judged every question on its own
merits, declared that the doctrine in
the theses was sound — " sanse doctrinse
articuli. ' ' This solemn vindication raised
Lessius' doctrine in the esteem of all.

As his books issued one after another
from the press, they were received with
the greatest enthusiasm. Some twenty-
five in number, they are full of pure and
solid doctrine. Depth of thought is
joined with all the charms of style. His
works are clear, touching and full of in-
terest. Some have been translated into
English, French, Dutch and German,
some into Polish and Hungarian, and a
few into Chinese and Arabic. The charm
of his ascetical works is to be ascribed
to his deep study of John Van Ruys-

tion. Lessius, however, calmly
faced the storm. St. Francis de

CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, NOW ST.
MICHAEL'S CHURCH, WHERE LESSIUS WAS RE-BURIED.

998

THE YEN. LEONARD LESSIUS, S.J.

broeck, from whom also Thomas a
Kempis drew inspiration.

But we are considering the virtues of
Lessius rather than his learning, as it is
to them we look for his canonization.
It was remarked that, although he was
the most learned, he was also the most
humble man in Belgium. The Apostle
says that learning puffeth up, yet hu-
mility is never brought into such clear
relief as when it has learning for its
background. Justly may we admire the
humility of this servant of God, for at
the time when he
was called the
' ' Oracle of the
Low Countries, "
when he was con-
sulted by doctors
and bishops, nay,
even by the reign-
ing Pontiff, he
shunned, as far as
possible, all pub-
lic attention.

Indeed, it never
seemed to Lessius
that he was a
learned man. He
frequently com-
pared what he
knew to the
whole sum of
erudition ac-
quired by the
human race, and
his own science
seemed by com-
parison a grain

of sand on the seashore, or a drop of
water falling into the ocean. At other
times he would consider the intuitive
and almost boundless knowledge of the
angels, and behold his own shrinking
into significance by contrast.

He would never publish a book until
he was commanded by his superiors.
He thought he could draw instruction
from the answers of his pupils in the
lecture hall, and a word of praise, even
from his religious brethren, caused him

ST. IGNATIUS' CORRIDOR, LOU VAIN

acute suffering. A poet wrote some
verses in his honor — the same, we be-
lieve, that are prefixed to the Plantin
edition of his works. " My dear friend, "
he said, "could you not find some one
worth praising? Take St. Ignatius or
St. Francis Xavier : they are great men,
but I am of no account." A publisher,
who wished to form a gallery of distin-
guished writers, ordered an artist to paint
the portrait of Lessius. On the refusal
of the latter to sit, a Father tried to in-
duce him to consent. ' ' Now, there was
your friend,
Justus Lipsius —
he allowed his
portrait to be
painted. "

"Yes," said
Lessius, "but
had he then
known, as he does
at present, how
much glory is
gained in heaven
for the least act
of humility, he
would never have
given his con-
sent. I am sorry,
my dear Father,
but I cannot
grant your re-
quest. ' '

Humility is
always accom-
panied by char-
ity, by kindness ;
and this virtue,

which warms and cheers the atmosphere
of home, has as bright and joyous an
effect in religion. He gave to his suffer-
ing brethren the delicacies which were
sent him in time of sickness. One day
a secular clergyman of the city came to
consult him, but retired at the end of
their interview, seemingly unconsoled.
Next day, before Mass, Lessius sought
him out. "My dear friend," he ex-
claimed, "you were unhappy last eve-
ning when you left me, and this thought

THE YEN. LEONARD LESSIUS, S.J.

has caused me to pass a sleepless and
wretched night." Then for an hour he
continued to pour upon that afflicted
soul the oil and wine of the good
Samaritan. The poor of the city held
his name in benediction. He pleaded
their cause with the rich, and it was his
delight to distribute to them what re-
mained of the dinner provided for the
community. Truly he might say : " I
wept for him that was afflicted, and my
soul had compassion on the poor."
(Job xxx, 25.)
But the vir-
tue which
shone most
brightly in
L e s s i u s was
his patience in
suf f erin g .
From the very
beginning o f
his religious
career he had
asked God for
suffering, and
had offered up
his body and
soul as a holo-
caust. His de-
s i r e was
granted. We
have seen how,
from his twen-
ty-second
year, a hor-
rible disease
had settled
down upon
and vitiated
his whole system
impaired and his stomach almost en-
tirely refused its functions. He could
neither sit nor stand without pain, and,
for forty years, even to recline on a couch
was the cause of continual torture. Yet
his constant cry was : ' ' More suffering. ' '
In the year 1615 he started for Rome,
to attend a General Congregation of his
Order. At Lucerne, in Switzerland, the
carriage was overturned and his leg

HEART OF ST. JOHN BERCHMANS, LOUVAIN

his vital organs were

broken. He thanked God for it, and
accepted it as a relic of the'Cross. When
he reached Loretto and was carried into
the ' ' Santa Casa, ' ' his prayer was not
that he should be cured, but that he
might suffer more and more. After his
return to Belgium he was summoned to
Brussels. On the road he experienced a
pain more excruciating than any he had
ever before suffered. It was a new dis-
order added to those that already dis-
tressed him, and it lasted without inter-
ruption for the space of four years. Les-
sius, however,
still continued
to exclaim:
"Who am I,

0 Lord, that I
should be
honored to par-
take of the
bitterness o f
the cross ! ' '

Tot hese
bodily pains,
greater than
which no man
ever suffered,
add his mental
sorrows. What
were his feel-

1 ngs when
doctrines were
imputed to
him which he
had not
taught, when
his efforts in
behalf of re-
ligion served

only to unite his enemies to crush him
and the Society to which he belonged,
when his works were condemned as
heretical by bishops and doctors of that
Church whose advancement was the aim
of his every thought, word and action ?

In truth, Lessius suffered much, yet
never complained, but turned every pain
and sorrow into an occasion of merit and
greater glory in heaven.

What, then, were the motives with

1000

THE YEN. LEONARD LESSIUS, S.<7.

which he nourished his patience in suf-
ering ? For to suffer is the common lot,
and the suffering of many is lifelong.
To these souls his motives may be a
solace and a stay. His first source of
consolation was trust in God, an idea
that appears in every page of his devout
considerations on God's Providence.
Again, the fixed thought that God would
reward him for every suffering was ever
in his mind, so that eventually, almost
without conscious effort, he would find
himsel f repeating such psalms as : " The
mercies of the Lord I will sing forever ' '
(Ps. Ixxxii), "Blessed be the Lord my
God, who teacheth my hands to fight,
and my fingers to war " (Ps. cxliii). He
also renewed his strength in the remem-
brance of our Lord's Passion. When
still a child he had read a Flemish book

entitled "The Little Passion." This
work, which is highly prized even in
our century, deeply impressed the young
Lessius. Now, in the days of his own
suffering, he divided the Passion accord-
ing to the canonical hours ; this precious
little work, which he called the « ' Horo-
logium Passionis, " was translated into
French, a few years ago, by the Due d'

TOMB OK LKSSius ON THE SANCTUARY STEPS

CHURCH OF THE SOCIETY, LOUVAIN.

Lessius was a priest of the Most High,
and his greatest consolation was the
celebration of the Divine Sacrifice. ' ' I
can never complain," he said, "as long
as I am not denied this heavenly bread. "
Yet the half hour spent in saying Mass
was a time of the greatest physical suf-
fering. Sometimes the strain would
cause his wounds to open, sometimes
the acute pain would make great tears
roll down his cheek, and
at other times he would
return, half fainting,
to the sacristy. But he
never interrupted the
Divine Sacrifice.

He celebrated his Golden
Jubilee of religious life'on
June 23, 1622. Poems and
congratulatory letters
poured in from all the
towns and cities of Europe,
grateful tokens of the af-
fection in which he was
held by pupils and friends.
But the wish ' ' ad multos
annos " was not to be
realized. His health was
completely shattered. To-
wards the close of the
same year the heart of
St. John Berchmans was
brought to Louvain from
Rome. A novena was
made and while his
brethren prayed to their
saintly brother in heaven
for the preservation ot
Lessius' strength, he him-
self asked one only favor :
a speedy passing. It was

LA RABINA

1OO1

easy for him to die. In his youth he had
quitted home and friends. Pleasure and
riches he had never possessed. Light
was the only enjoyment that was his,
and he closed his eyes to it, at the age of
sixty-nine, on the ijth of January, 1623,
the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
falling on that day.

Seventeen years after, when his body,
already precious in the eyes of the
faithful and an object of great ven-
eration, was removed to the altar of the
church, the brain was found in a state
of perfect preservation. A lady from
Lille, afflicted with an incurable cancer,
was touched with the relics and instantly
recovered. The old Jesuit church was
torn down and the new one, called the
Immaculate Conception — now St. Mi-
chael's— was completed in 1666. The
body of Lessius was again placed be-
neath the altar. During the French
Revolution, the church became a "temple
of reason," and the bones of Lessius
were hidden in the crypt.

When the Society arose to a new life,
another generation had grown up, but
they searched in vain for the body of
Lessius. In 1890, there was accidentally
discovered, in the Bollandist's Library, a

paper by means of which the body could
be recovered. With this paper two
scholastics descended into the crypt of
the Church of the Immaculate Concep-
tion. The body was found, identified,
and removed to the present Jesuit
Church and placed in the sanctuary, on
March 15, 1892.

Almost immediately after the death of
Lessius, the process of canonization of
the servant of God had begun. The
circumstances of twenty-eight miracles
were presented to the Bishops of Bel-
gium, duly attested and certified. No
difficulty was apprehended.

Four years after the death of Lessius,
Cardinal Maffei Barbarini became Sov-
ereign Pontiff under the name of Urban
VIII. He rendered the following trib-
ute to the humble religious : "I knew
Lessius very well, I may say familiarly.
I appreciated fully his learning, but
admired ever so much more his humility
and solid virtue. No doubt he is a great
saint in heaven."

But the suppression of the Society and
the French Revolution caused an inter-
ruption of the process. It is now once
more being actively pushed forward,
with every prospect of a favorable result.

LA RABINA; OR, WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

By Padre Luis Coloma.
Translated from the Spanish by P. J. Whitty.

EADER, I do not quite understand
it, but perhaps you may be able to
unravel it when I tell you the story and
give you all its details.

The events to be narrated occurred
about the year 18 — , a time when the
Society of Jesus was menaced by one of
those bitter persecutions which seem to
have been bequeathed to it, as an inheri-
tance, by its illustrious founder, St. Ig-
natius— a man, who, we may remark,
would, by virtue of his admirable clear-
sightedness and prudence, have un-

doubtedly attained the highest dignities
of the state had not God, as a reward
for his singular holiness, called him to a
higher and a holier sphere.

The illustrious son of Guipuscoa well
understood that nothing is more preju-
dicial to the moral energies of man than
worldly prosperity and ease ; and that,
on the other hand, there is nothing
more useful for the development of these
energies than persecution and adversity.
He was aware that the soldier's zest for
the battle was only too likely to decline,

1002

LA RABINA.

when times of peace reigned and his
rusting sword was idly laid aside.

And here in this connection we may
mention a tradition which has been
handed down among the sons of Igna-
tius, and which seems credible enough.
Father Ribadaneira once came upon the
saint at a time when he was gayer and
brighter than usual. He inquired the
cause. "Rejoice with me, Pedro," re-
plied Ignatius, "for to-day has been
granted me what I have long prayed for
with tears : that the blessing of perse-
cution may never be wanting to the
Society ! ' '

How faithfully this promise of the
Lord to His servant has been fulfilled
the centuries have proved, and still con-
tinue to prove.

Though it is a considerable number of
years since the events I am going to
narrate took place, yet my memory of
them is as fresh and as vivid as if they
happened but yesterday.

The catastrophe of Sedan was approach-
ing ; Bismarck had enkindled a spark in
Spain which was soon to cause a confla-
gration in France ; Napoleon had thrown
down the gauntlet alongside those two
harbingers of death, the chassepot and
the mitrailleuse ; Wilhelm had taken it
up and answered back the cry : ' ' To
battle, then, let it be so !"

And 7 — well, it was a certain morning
in March ; and, while beset by feelings
of great indignation against the above-
mentioned gentlemen for throwing
Europe into such turmoil and confusion,
I was arranging my couch with, what I
considered, very admirable nicety and
skill ; vying in the operation with the
brilliant genius of the mysterious Von
Moltke himself, who was then studiously
arranging the plan of battle that was to
bring him to Sedan — a consummation,
by the way, as astounding as that
formerly achieved at Sadowa.

At this particular period I was the
proud possessor of a gorgeous coverlet
of Spanish chintz, one side of which
was snowlike in its whiteness, while

the other was variegated by a profusion
of magnificent panels, in which were
wrought all shades of red color, ranging
from cayenne pepper to the sunburst.
Adorning these panels were to be seen
magnificent bulbs, bearing not a very
distant resemblance to tomatoes — du-
bious roses suggesting to one's imagi-
nation sections of slaughtered water-
melons, and fascinating flocks of the
most impossible-looking cranes and the
most preposterous ducks and ducklings.
I am happy to say that these last were
most kind and considerate creatures, for
they never once thought of disturbing
my slumbers, by gabbling in any of
those primitive, defunct languages
known before the times of the Pharaohs ;
or by any of those philosophical rapraps,
which Andersen puts into the mouths of
his web-footed heroes. No doubt Wil-
helm slept profoundly at Ems, and Bis-
marck at Friedrichsruh, and Napoleon
at the Tuileries, but not one of them all
enjoyed such peace in his dreams, as I
amid my mild and silent aquatic birds of
chintz.

Ah ! no fears had I of earthly ill ; no
vain ambitions disturbed my soul's re-
pose ; but, calmly ready for all that
Heaven might arrange, I was, on this
particular morning in March, dutifully
engaged in manipulating my many-
colored coverlet ; an operation on which
I was bestowing as much punctilious
solicitude, as if the then-endangered
equilibrium of Europe depended upon
each tiniest wrinkle (which might possi-
bly be overlooked, to the regrettable de-
triment of palmiped feet and very much
elongated shanks) ; when lo ! the servant
most unseasonably knocks, and tells me
I am wanted in the parlor ; a visitor de-
sires to see me.

Who could be in need of me at this
preposterously early hour? Some early-
rising devotee, perhaps.

The parlor was wide, spacious, and
abnormally long ; its windows were
high and narrow ; and the faint light
that came through them on this dark

LA RABINA-

1003

pla

and dismal morning seemed to fill the
lace with gloom and mystery.

On entering I discerned an aged female

ted on a sofa in a distant corner.
While giving vent to sighs and groans
she rocked to and fro, like a pendulum,
and" kept her arms extended towards a
picture that hung on the wall in front of
her, as if she were appealing for aid to
some saint represented by it. Our poor
old friend could not, in the dim and
insufficient light, detect that the picture
was but a figure of an honest water-dog
gravely seated on his haunches.

I could not help laughing, unkind as
my laughter was. The woman heard
me, and knew at once that she was not
alone. As if seized by some sudden and
uncontrollable alarm, she sprang from
her seat, and, crossing herself, uttered
some cry of prayer ; and then, recogniz-
ing me, darted towards me like an arrow.
At a glance I saw that the woman before
me was far from being a type of female
grace and loveliness; she was, on the con-
trary, singularly ugly and repulsive, her
eyes being particularly awry and goggle.

Agitated and trembling, she clasped
her hands before her, and cried out in
tones of alarm and terror : " O Father,
Father, the devil has appeared to my
mistress. "

Dear reader, has it ever occured to you
on some solemn and serious occasion
to have been set upon by a fit of un-
seasonable laughter which no biting of
the lips could stay, no saddening reflec-
tion restrain, no cruel arm-pinching
subdue — laughter which you knew in
your heart was vulgar, hurtful, heartless ;
but which, nevertheless, you must per-
force permit to find a vent in an outburst
of boisterous mirth ? Such, alas ! was my
unhappy plight, when so strangely and
ridiculously addressed by this strange
and ridiculous old woman. It was cruel,
I know, to mock her trouble by laugh-
ter, boisterous and reckless as the laugh-
ter of a boy.

She was evidently much perplexed to
see me laugh, as much indeed as if she

had seen a statue laugh. . Perchance she
had a preconceived idea that risible capa-
bilities were not amongst the endowments
of such a specimen of humanity as a
Jesuit. Twice I strove to curb my mirth,
and twice it burst forth anew ; till at
length I was restrained by her falling tears
and her cry, again repeated :

"Yes, Father, yes, the Evil One has
appeared to her ; or, maybe, it was not
he, but some poor soul in trouble. . . .
Come then, quickly ; come and see my
mistress; she has sent me for you. 'V,.
" But who is your mistress ? "
"Dona Adela."
" Dona Adela what ?"
Here she gave a name which is to be
found on the genealogical trees of certain
illustrious families, but which I did not
then recall as such, hearing it connected
with the Dona Adela.

" I am not acquainted with the lady, "
I said.

' ' Oh yes, you do know her, Father ;

Dona Adela de " and, with a certain

hesitation, she added in a sort of whisper:
' ' La Rabina. ' '
' ' La Rabina ! ' '

On the instant all my inclination for
laughter vanished as if by enchantment ;
for it now seemed to me not at all im-
possible but that his dusky majesty
might have put in an appearance to the
lady in question ; there were remote
probabilities even that he might have
come to claim her as his own — such un-
canny things did the tongue of gossip
say about her. The strangest part of
the business appeared to be that La
Rabina should have expressed a desire
to see a Jesuit Father.

"And do you say that La Rab —
that the Dona Adela wishes me to visit
her?"

" Yes, Father, it was for this she sent
me to you ; come, and be sure to fetch
some holy water with you. "

' ' But what is it ? What has hap-
pened?" I inquired, endeavoring to
elicit some fact that might throw light
upon a subject which now, in spite of

1004

LA RABINA.

its absurdity, was beginning to have an
interest for me, seeing the mysterious
name of La Rabina so intimately con-
nected with it.

The old lady, raising her hands to her
head and receding a pace or two, com-
menced to roll her eyes about in a vludi-
crous and terrified manner. I thought
within myself, what could possibly be
coming ? Was she going to give me a
mysterious answer like that given by
the witches in Macbeth : "A thing
without a name "?

Bracing up her courage, but still under
the influence of her terror, she gasped
out: "It was something awful, some-
thing horrible, Father; though I can't
say what it was. I was dusting some
clothes in the bedroom, and the lady
was in the library, writing, when quite
suddenly there was a noise as of glasses
tumbling and crashing. I looked, and
there was the lady, as white as a corpse
and standing speechless and rigid, as
Tigid as a statue. Oh ! I was frightened
;to death. Then at once she shrieked :
1 There ! here ! My sister ! Concha !
Concha ! ' In my mortal terror I
jumped upon a chair, as if I had beheld
a thousand horrible rats swarming into
the room. " And, as if in truth she did
See the dreaded rat-plague coming (to
her certainly the most dreadful of all
mortal things), she started wailing and
weeping and wringing her hands around
the room.

' ' But, Madame, ' ' said I, endeavoring
to recall her to herself, ' ' what reason
had the lady for calling on her sister's
name ? ' '

' ' Oh ! do you know, Father, her
sister is dead this day six months, six
exactly; the sister it was who appeared
to her surely; or if not the sister, then
it must have been the devil, yes, the
devil, no one else ; for her sister was a
saint; Senora Concha, Father, Sefiora
Concha was a saint. ' '

' ' But what did the lady say about the
matter ? Did she tell you anything ? ' '

' ' Tell me anything ! Why, she wasn 't

able to catch her breath ; and I was
screaming and screaming ; and she was
frozen with fright, until, oh ! the floor
began to go round and round, and every-
thing seemed to be turned topsy-turvy,
and a body 's head began to be giddy and
dizzy and to go bobbing around the cor-
ners of the room as if it was a cork.
And then the servants came ; and every-
body came — but that lady is something
wonderful ! and I don 't say it because
she is my mistress and I have been with
her these twenty years ; but she is won-
derful ; there is a courage, a something
about her, not about any other woman
in the world. The moment she saw the
people coming she became calm and per-
fectly self-possessed, and, turning to me,
said : ' Go, bring me a Catholic priest. '
I went first to the parish presbytery;
but the priest there was saying Mass,
with organ and all, praise be to God ;
but little Juanito Ordonez, the lad from
the wax-chandler's, told me there was a
lot of priests over at the Jesuits ; and
that's the reason why I came for you,
Father ; that's why I came here. "

At this point the old lady became
once more mightily vociferous in her
wailings and lamentations.

Having reflected for a moment, I
thought I could detect something of
moment behind this grotesque and in-
coherent story. One tangible fact, at
all events, there was, which appeared to
me even more extraordinary than the
apparition of the Bvil One, or the re-
appearance on earth of a departed soul ;
and this was that La Rabina should
have thought of soliciting the aid of a
minister of religion. Before coming to
any definite conclusion, however, I was
desirous to know for certain if such
were the case ; so I inquired of the
affrighted messenger :

' ' But are you quite sure that the lady
ordered you to come and bring a priest ? "

1 ' Oh ! yes, Father, yes ; with her own
very lips she ordered me. By this, if
the earth were to open and swallow rr.e
up, she did"; and suiting the action to

LA RABINA.

1005

ie word, she caught hold of one of her
irs, and tugged and tugged most un-
lercifully at it — an ear, by the way,
gifted with most inconceivable elasticity,
and bearing, as to color, a close resem-
blance to a piece of very ancient parch-
ment.

I no longer hesitated, but immediately
got ready to follow this aged Ariadne,
my guide, through the labyrinthine
ways before me. Not desiring the honor
of her immediate companionship, I told
her to move on in front of me. She did
so, setting out at a sort of shambling
trot; meantime, turning her head and
her looks now to the right and now to
the left, after the fashion of the weird
character described by Hoffman, who,
missing his shadow, kept perpetually
glancing behind to see if it were follow-
ing him, by this means gaining the ad-
vantage of colliding with street- corners,
floundering into mud-holes, and tum-
bling over dogs.

Whilst we were traversing the several
streets that led to the residence of La
Rabina, I was engaged in reviewing in
my mind such things as were current
among the people concerning the life of
this lady. I had never had any ac-
quaintance with her, and indeed, so
great was the seclusion in which she
lived, in the populous city around her,
that few were privileged with any inti-
macy whatever with her.

However, one personal incident I now
recalled as having reference to La Ra-
bina. I was returning one evening with
a gentleman from the well-known hos-
pital situated in the suburbs of the city,
when I noticed on the road leading to
some adjacent fruit-gardens a carriage
of antique appearance, with emblazoned
panels, saffron -colored upholsterings,
and drawn by a pair of very sedate-look-
ing mules. Sunk in the cushions of the
back seat, a dark shadow was reclining,
while an aged duenna, extremely un-
handsome, but neatly clad, was seated
near the window.

My companion, who yet lives, though

aged and invalided, gav« me to under-
stand that the shadow was La Rabina,
and the window ' ' beauty ' ' was her at-
tendant, or rather, as he banteringly
said, her familiar devil.

Putting my remembrances in train, I
came to the conclusion that this attendant
devil and the phantom now trotting on
before me as my guide, were one and the
same. The many pious gesticulations I
had seen her make, and the evident de-
votion with which she had recommended
herself to the water-dog in the reception
room, were to me a source of much
mental ease and comfort, for I felt that,
if she at any time could have been desig-
nated a devil, she was now at least a
penitent one, somewhat after the fashion
of Abdiel-Abbadona, whom Klopstock
saw in his dream.

Dona Adelade , or, to call her by

the sobriquet by which she was known
throughout the city, "La Rabina,"
should be at that time about seventy
years of age. Her father who, though a
younger son of a noble house, was very
wealthy (a circumstance not very usual
with the young scions of nobility), had
figured at the court of Madrid at the
same time as Argiielles, Quintano and
Toreno. When the reaction of 1823
came about, he had to leave Spain and
migrate to Paris. And here it was that
the young Adela received her education.

Her long term of residence in Paris
took in that epoch in which the genius
and depraved taste of Europe produced,
in the way of literature, so many ro-
mances remarkable for heroines with
pale faces, and heroes with dangling
locks in the style of the Merovingian
king. She was in Paris when "The
Brothers ' ' of Victor Hugo was the rage ;
and when the second series of revolu-
lutionists were pleased to settle accounts
with the usurper Louis Philippe, much
in the same style as one is tempted to
employ when dealing with a lackey who
obstructs him in the passage. Admirable
progress of the Parisians ! — to get rid of
a king in 1793 it was necessary to guillo-

1006

LA RABINA.

tine him ; to cause his royal exit in 1848,
all that was required was to pummel him
with a broom.

At this latter period there shone in
the literary firmament two luminaries
of the first magnitude, who were inti-
mate friends of Dona Adela ; one was
known as "La Muse de la Patrie, " Del-
phine Gay, later, Mme. de Girardin ; the
other was the Baroness de Dudevant,
already celebrated, unfortunately, under
the title of " George Sand. "

A certain fondness for literary pursuits,
which these ladies possessed in common,
cemented and enhanced the friendship
between them ; and it was no unusual
thing to see the three together at the liter-
ary gatherings and in the most fashion-
able circles of the then worldly and vol-
uptuous society of Paris, from this cir-
cumstance gaining for themselves, at
least among their admirers, the flattering
title of ' ' The Three Graces. " It is said
that Jeronimo Paturot took his inspiration
from this trio of muses, when he described
the three poetesses who, in the halls of
the imaginative Princess of Filibustoskoi,
extemporized in the style of Corinna on
the Capitol ; the first of them being at-
tired in Grecian fashion ; the second, in
the garb and accoutrements of the middle
ages ; and the third, in top-boots and
pantaloons. I do not know how far in
all these Jeronimo adhered to truth ; but
I do know that the friendship between
Adela and George Sand was most sincere
and intimate. Many years later I had
in my hand a copy of "La Mare au
Diable ' ' which the celebrated French
novelist presented to her friend with the
brief, expre?sivp, though somewhat peda-
gogic inscription :

AI/TERI EGO ;
GEORGE S.

No one could ever understand how it
was that La Rabina had forsaken the gay
life of the city, fifteen years prior to these
events, and should have shut herself up
within the decaying mansion of her an-
cestors, having no other companion than
her elder sister, who was a sea-captain's

widow and then stone-blind — a simple
and excellent woman who spent much of
her time in knitting and in recounting
all sorts of wonderful stories, in connec-
tion with her voyages with her husband
to various parts of South America. This
was the Senora Concha, who, as Dona
Adela 's servant said, had died six months
before.

La Rabina did not receive visitors,
and she never left the retirement of her
house, excepting for an occasional car-
riage-drive into the country to breathe
its purer air. During this long period
she had never approached the sacra-
ments, nor had she been known to enter
a place of worship, and on the first and
only occasion on which the parish priest
had gone to visit her, she had cour-
teously, indeed, but firmly, refused to
see him.

The public, with that marvellous in-
stinct by which it gauges character and
fathoms the mysterious, had dubbed her
"La Rabina"; being moved to bestow
this sobriquet upon her, no doubt, by
her evident contempt for religion and
her fame as a literary character.

There was a rumor current among the
cultured classes that she was engaged in
writing a work, the subject of which
was the "Freedom and Emancipation
of Woman "; an event which, when
realized among the sex, was to revo-
lutionize the world. Whether such was
the case I cannot say ; but of this I am
aware, that when the first great conven-
tion of women was held at New York in
1867, for the purpose of demanding uni-
versal female suffrage, one of the most
prominent amongst the foreign ladies
who espoused the cause, and one of the
first adhesions, which this feminine com-
mittee with masculine pretensions re-
ceived, was that of La Rabina. I re-
member seeing her name among the list
of members drawn up by a certain North
American periodical, published in the
city of Boston.

While I was turning these various
things over in my mind, I also recalled

LA RABINA.

1007

ie fact that La Rabina had never been
larried ; and that, notwithstanding the
srhirl of dissipation in which she had
the singularity of her manners,
md her absolute rejection of all relig-
ious ideas, the breath of scandal had
never on any occasion cast an aspersion
on her honor. This was a strange and
singular anomaly, taking into account
the manner in which vices usually
course ; for roses do not spring from
onion- stalks, neither will you see lilies
blooming from the roots of radishes. In
trying to discover an explanation for
what seemed such a mystifying paradox,
I came at first to the conclusion that she
must have been one of those Lucretias
who seem to possess the safeguard of
their virtue in the ugliness and deform-
ity of their features ; but in this I admit,
as I afterwards discovered, I was en-
tirely in error.

At length we came in sight of the
house, supposed to have been visited by
the Prince of Darkness ; and here I must
again declare myself subject to another
mortal infirmity. I might well at this
moment have expected great coolness
and calm and courage of myself, for in
my past career I had gone through many
difficult and trying circumstances ; yet
on my first sight of the solemn-looking
old mansion, certain feelings came upon
me, akin to those which an indolent
schoolboy experiences, when he is about
to present himself for a difficult exami-
nation, or to those of an untried and
unskilful orator, when he is about to
make an address before some dignified
personages.

The house before me displayed a coat-
of-arms above the entrance; on one's
entering, a large tiled hall presented
itself, having on either side some stone
stairs that led to various apartments,
and at the further end a massive door of
well-carved oak. This latter seemed to
open of its own accord, the moment we
entered, Passing through, we crossed a
court-yard of very imposing appearance,
ascended a flight of broad marble stairs,

and then proceeded along an extensive
gallery, which, besides being devoid of
furniture and adornment, seemed to be
dingy and neglected, as if the place had
been for some time quite untenanted.

Silence reigned; not a living thing
was anywhere to be seen, save three
coal-black cats, which, seated on the
topmost stair-step, fixed their round
eyes upon me in a settled glare, but im-
mediately on our coming close to them
simultaneously arose, arched their necks,
elevated their tails as if in welcome,
and then scampered off, waking the
echoes with their mournful mews I
thought of the witches in Macbeth and
asked myself could the mew-mewing of
these ebony pussies be, by any process,
interpreted as being identical in mean-
ing with the Witches ' refrain : ' ' Double,
double, toil and trouble ; fire burn, and
cauldron bubble " !

At the end of the gallery there hung
a crimson screen, which my attendant
drew aside, and, grimacing queerly at
me, though now her tears were dried,
said to me with genuine politeness :
"Enter, please, Father, enter; I shall
give word at once to Madame. ' '

Inside the screen the scene was changed .
I found myself within a small, regular
apartment, in every respect typical of a
Parisian lady's boudoir of the time of
the Directorate. One thing only was
wanting to complete the delusion, viz.,
a Merveilleuse ensconced on the Roman
lounger (an elaborate piece of furniture
of beautifully worked mahogany and
bronze). A great lady, however, there
was, hanging framed on one of the walls.
The charmingly colored picture before
me represented her as somewhere be-
tween thirty and forty years of age. I
recognized the distinguished individual
at once ; a hand different from that of the
artist, had written around the bust the
well-known saying, attributed to Manon
Phlipon (Mme. Roland), when, on as-
cending the scaffold, she beheld the
statue of liberty in the distance : " Lib-
erty ! how many are the crimes com-

1008

LA RABIN A.

mitted in thy name! " A beautifully
sounding" phrase! thought I. What a
pity it did not occur to the mind of the
fair Republican , before it became her own
fate to die by the guillotine !

Opposite this portrait was another of
more recent date, and of somewhat in-
ferior merit. It was that of a pale-
featured young man, with lofty brows
and dark-flowing locks, in a tight fit-
ting dress- coat, and a prodigious neck-
cloth that reached as high as his ears.
It represented Victor Hugo as writer of
romances

There was a third portrait occupying
a conspicuous position, which was a
perfect work of art, and might have
been from the brush of David, in his
palmiest days. In this there were two
figures, one a lady robed in white and
reclining on a mossy bank within a
garden. She held in her hand a book
from which she seemed to be reading or
rather declaiming. There was but one
word visible ; it was on the title-page :
"Lelie."

' ' Lelie, " thought I — the novel, which
Chateaubriand, who, despite his poetical
mysticism, was certainly not very scru-
pulous, would not dare to read alone,
which is the most pernicious of all the
works of George Sand, a writer whose
pen, unhappily, has diffused abroad such
a vast amount of poisonous literature.

At the feet of the French novelist (for
she was the individual in the picture)
lay a young man of graceful appearance,
reclining his head against her knee ; he
was smoking a meditative pipe and
seemed to be listening with profound at-
tention to the reader.

I could not make out for certain who
this person might be, for it was not pos-
sible to discern, in the comely features of
that apparent boy, a resemblance to those
of La Rabina of seventy years, whom
now I was about to meet face to face for
the first time.

A low, narrow door, which was com-
pletely disguised by the olive-colored
papering on the walls, unexpectedly

opened, and my Ariadne appeared, wear-
ing the same troubled aspect as before,
and said: "Enter, Father, Madame is
ready to receive you "

I passed into the lady's room, but was
taken quite by surprise on beholding La
Rabina, for she was not at all the cari-
cature I had imagined her to be : shriv-
elled, decrepit, and "black enough to
sweat ink," as Louis XIV. used to say
of Madam oiselle Scuderi, a famous writer
of his time. Far from this, she still
showed traces of a haughty beauty,
which eclipsed even that of Delphine
Gay, and would be but dishonored by a
comparison with the vulgar presence
and excessively prominent cheek-bones
of the third of the Graces, Mme. Sand.

I found the lady seated in a ponder-
ous arm-chair, richly upholstered in
flesh-colored satin, and close to a glow-
ing fire ; and I noticed that, although the
season was mild, and she herself was
enveloped in an old-fashioned cashmere
shawl, yet a sort of nervous trembling
would seize upon her frame at times.

On my presenting myself, she rose
from her seat, with some difficulty,
however, and, when she had assumed
her full height, I could not but admire
that erect and imposing figure, which
the weight of seventy years had not in
the least been able to curve.

Her hair, now completely silvered,
was arranged en bandeaux, as fashion-
able folks in the forties would put it ;
(the locks forming a smooth band ; that,
covering the forehead, reached almost to
the eye-brows, and then descended to
cover the ears). The whiteness of the
glossy hair contrasted strongly with the
bronze of her complexion and the jet-
blackness of her eye -brows ; these last
being features that gave to her an ex-
pression of energy bordering on fierce-
ness.

1 ' I regret the inconvenience I have
caused you, Father," she said, "but
that servant of mine blundered in the
discharge of my message, and sum-
moned you instead of the parish-priest. "

LA RABIN A.

1009

These few words were spoken in the
most musical of voices. Never did I
hear tones so sonorously sweet, or so
charming to the ear. It occurred to me
that the Sirens of old must have had
voices like to this. Sweet, however, as
her accents were, and courteous as was
her manner of addressing me, yet my
admiration for her did not make me for-
get that I might be intruding, so I re-
plied, meantime making a movement as
if I were about to leave :

"Oh, no inconvenience whatever,
Madame ; but if there has been a
mistake "

' ' No, no, ' ' she exclaimed eagerly,
"remain, I beseech you. Things are
just as well so, if not better. You can
give me counsel as well as another ; I
want a doubt solved for me. ' '

We then sat down, and for a moment
there was an embarrassing silence, such
as generally occurs before entering on a
subject which promises to be perplexing.

I was the first to break it by remark-
ing : " Your servant just now informed
me that both she and you have been
affrighted greatly by something that
occurred this morning."

"Affrighted? " said she.

And she glanced at me in feigned sur-
prise, as though she would appear not
to understand the word ; yet the poor old
lady was, meantime, visibly trembling.

"Affrighted? No," she continued
slowly, " surprised, confused, undoubt-
edly. I would never have believed it.
When in Paris I knew Allan Kardec
well, and often in our conversations he
used to speak to me of spirits and super-
natural things ; but I used to make
sport of all his foolish fictions, and
yet "

Ah, we are beginning to make way, I
thought, as I listened. This visitation
from the other world, whatever it be,
has gone some way to transform this
incredulous soul into a believer in the
world of spirits ; so, folding my arms
beneath my cloak, I set myself to listen
patiently to see what would be the end.

Proceeding, after a moment, she said :
" I do not know if you are aware that,
six months ago, I had the misfortune to
lose my only sister ?"

I nodded, to give her to understand
that I had heard so.

"She was an excellent woman, quite
harmless, but very "

I thought she was going to say super-
stitious, and looked her steadily in the
face.

"Devout, and rather much wanting
in mental gifts. By her will her hus-
band's nephew becomes her heir, and
she has named me as her executrix ;
she has likewise empowered me to use
my discretion as to the number of
Masses to be celebrated for her soul."
(here La Rabina gave a faint smile).
' ' To this latter affair I paid little atten-
tion, and here, I confess, I was wrong,
for though our opinions differed very
much, yet I should have respected hers.
Viewing things in this light, I wrote
some fifteen days ago to the parish
priest, requesting him to celebrate a
Mass daily for my deceased sister until
further notice.

" This morning, having arisen early, as
is my custom, I set about writing to the
parish priest to notify him that from to-
day the Masses should cease. ' '

At this point of her story she seemed
to become embarrassed, and, as if suffer-
ing from excessive warmth, she cast
aside the rich cashmere in which she
was enveloped.

"I had finished the letter, a short
one, in the adjacent room, which is the
library ; it needed only my signature ;
this I was about to affix, when a very
strange and unpleasant sensation came
upon me. I felt that I was not alone ;
that my departed sister was with me,
close to me, behind me, to my right.
Having remembered that people are
sometimes visited by tremors like this
in the darkness, I at once mastered my
weakness, and subscribed my name to
the letter, without once turning- my
head. However, as soon as I had laid

1010

LA RABINA.

down my pen, without being able to
prevent myself, I turned round — and
here is the marvellous, the mysterious
part of the affair, Father ; the part I am
so desirous to solve, but am unable."

Here she leaned forward in her seat,
her body trembling as if it were under
the action of a magnetic current, and
she went on in a low tone, seeming as if
she were in fear of the very sound of her
voice :

" I cannot explain it, Father, but this
is certain, quite certain ; there does not
exist a shadow of a doubt. Close to my
side, touching the very chair on which I
sat, I saw something which I cannot de-
fine, for to see it was in itself a prodigy,
and to describe it would be another.
But the sight of it was as clear before
my eyes as the sight of you at this
moment. It was an indescribable thing,
like a column of smoke rolling among
clouds. There was form without mat-
ter, without color ; speech without
voice. And in the midst there was a
presence, a something which I was con-
vinced was my sister ; a pair of eyes, her
eyes ; the same sad look, sad to such a
degree that it seemed as if she wanted to
ask for, crave for something, while mean-
time scalding, igneous tears were cours-
ing down' her cheeks. Immediately I
rose, and so hastily that my chair, com-
ing in contact with some crystal vases,
broke them to pieces. The mysterious
phantom, then spreading itself out until
it reached the table, touched with its ex-
tremity my letter, and erased the signa-
ture. ' '

A smothered groan came from La Rabi-
na ; she fell back, as if exhausted in her
chair, and, gathering her cashmere
around her shoulders, trembled both from
chill and terror. As for me, I could not
shake off my amazement at hearing this
singular story ; and felt, I confess, like
La Rabin a a' considerable fear.

" But might not the vchole be an illu-
sion ? " I asked. ' ' Perhaps it was your-
self erased the signature, on your aris-
ing so abruptly from the table. May it

not be that the fringe of your shawl or
the sleeve of your dress has had some-
thing to do with the matter? "

' ' No, no, no ! " she exclaimed. ' ' I had
not on the shawl at the time ; and as for
the sleeves, how could they ? Look at
them! "

And extending her arms, she showed
me the close-fitting sleeves of her gray-
silk morning-gown, with her cuffs of
whitest lace, on which there was not the
faintest trace of ink-stain.

"This is what awes and terrifies me, "
she added, no longer trying to conceal
the fear she felt. ' ' This is what I want
to understand. Is it a thing possible,
think you, that the spirit of a departed
person should come back to this world
again, to forbid the cutting-off of suf-
frages offered up in its behalf? "

"Yes, Madame," I answered unhesi-
tatingly; " I believe it to be possible;
but I do not think it probable. I believe
it possible, because all things are in the
power of God ; and if you admit that
God exists, you cannot deny His attri-
butes ; and if you cannot deny His attri-
butes, neither can you maintain that He
may not and does not exercise them. I
do not think it probable, because God
seldom employs supernatural means
to bring about His ends ; He is content
to do so by means that are natural ;
which, however, are sometimes in men's
minds confounded with the supernatural.
Now tell me, Madame, do you ever suffer
from insomnia ; last night did you sleep
well? "

' ' For seven successive hours, as sound-
ly as if I were but a girl of fifteen. "

"Were you greatly affected by, did
you receive any considerable si ock from
your sister's death ? "

" No, indeed, sir; my sister was a
simple, plain, rather uneducated woman ;
she and I had no sympathies in com-
mon. When her death occurred I was
very little affected by it ; and six months
later I should necessarily be still less
affected by it. "

"But when you set about writing that

LA RABINA.

1O11

tter had you, or did you not feel, re-

orse for not carrying out the wishes of

ur deceased sister ? ' '

' ' Remorse ! ' ' she cried, sitting up
uite erect in her chair. ' ' None whatever.
What I did feel was, chagrin for expend-
ing in Masses money which had much
better been given to the poor, or — pitched
out of the window. "

It would be impossible to describe the
tone of acrid conviction, and the species
of satanic rage, with which she flung
out the last few words of this sentence.

My feelings were somewhat shocked at
hearing her express herself in such terms ;
however, I quietly remarked : ' ' But at
least you were thinking of your sister ;
you experienced some regret at not hav-
ing done as she desired. "

"No, sir; such thoughts were not at
all in my mind. I had just despatched
a letter to Paris, a very important letter;
and was so entirely preoccupied with the
contents of it, that I was betrayed into
no less than three mistakes in the four
short lines I penned to the parish priest.
Even when writing these lines I scarcely
mentally connected them with my
sister. ' '

"But if the illusion cannot be attri-
buted to any of the causes we have men-
tioned, then it must be in some way the
result of physical phenomena. Does the
light come directly into this apartment ?
Could there be an optical illusion, a
reflection of some kind ? "

" I cannot think so ; but even if there
were such, how could any effect produced
by reflection have the result of effacing a
signature from a letter ? See, sir ; the
letter is here yet; examine it yourself;
examine it carefully, and see if it will
throw any light on the mystery. "

And here La Rabina assumed an erect
and haughty mien, as she meant to defy
me. The tables were turned : / was
now the unbelieving one, while she was
the advocate of the supernatural, and was
endeavoring to convince me accordingly.

" But you, " said I, "have you exam-
ined the letter ? "

' ' No, sir ; I have not had sufficient
courage to look at it. "

I was about to say that I dared not
do so either ; however, I arose and led
the way to the door of the library, where
we both stood still for a moment, having
such feelings as ants must have when
they gaze up in wonderment and awe at
the gigantic Sphinx.

The library was a small but elegant
apartment, furnished in accordance with
the unchanging tastes of its owner, who
still clung to the ideas and fashions of
her youth.

On the table in the centre lay a
writing-desk inlaid with mother-of-
pearl, and on the desk a single sheet of
note-paper, on which a few lines were
written, and beneath the lines a long,
narrow, horizontal stain.

La Rabina stepped forward and took
the paper in her hand tremulously, as if
she were taking hold of a serpent, and
handed it to me. The signature was in
truth erased. I made a careful and ex-
haustive examination of the entire
letter, both sides, turning it this way
and that in the light.

Ah ! La Rabina was right ; the long,
narrow stain at the bottom was not an
ink-stain ; it was not the result of the
signature being brushed by the shawl or
being rubbed by the sleeve— it bore the
appearance of a dull, brown mark,
making the paper like leather ; a mark
identical in color and crispness with the
scorched impression which the contact
with some burning substance leaves
upon smooth, white paper.

I glanced at La Rabina ; she was pale as
death and leaning against the door-frame.
As for me, I felt a cold chill steal over
me, and the paper trembled in my hands.

We returned from the library and had
a long conversation together. Verily,
that woman, Dona Adela, seemed to me
to be some grand fallen spirit ; and one,
too, who retained most amazing intel-
lectual gifts.

***** * *

Three years later, when in a foreign

1012

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES-

country, the post brought me a mourn-
ing note, which informed me that Doiia

Adela de — — had died at on

the twenty-fourth of April, 18 — , having
previously received the Sacraments of
the Catholic Church. No mention was
made in the note of relatives or friends ;
it was her spiritual director only who
had issued invitations to the obsequies.
I hastened to recommend the soul of
the deceased lady to the Almighty ; but

I confess it was not my charity alone
that urged me to offer prayers on her
behalf. Thrice the following night I
awoke from my slumbers, but did not
venture to look, lest I should in the
darkness behold those two sad, sad
eyes looking, as if piteously asking,
imploring, craving for something; and
those burning tears coursing down those
cheeks so indistinct and changed — a
picture of smoke rolling among clouds.

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES.
By the late Rev. George O' Council , SJ.

A MELANCHOLY interest attaches
to the chronicles of the old Fran-
ciscan Padres in New Mexico. Wherever
the traveller goes to-day, whether to the
rock-towns of Zurii and Acoma, the fer-
tile valley of Taos or the vine-grown
plains about Isleta, the missions they
founded and the churches they built still
confront him. Colossal structures the
churches are, rising up like huge and
solemn giants over the adobe homes
around them. First landmarks seen
across the flat landscape, they appear,
like the holy Faith they betoken, to
defy the ravages of time and to remain as
everlasting monuments of a zeal and
self-sacrifice unrivalled in all the world.
The missions over which they preside
were consecrated with the blood of their
builders. Martyr footprints are every-
where. Scarcely a pueblo can be named
which has not its story of some Padre
cruelly slaughtered by the flock he had
come to save.

To-day, however, not one Franciscan
remains in New Mexico, in the land
which his brethren bought for Christ
at so dear a price. The Order of Saint
Francis did well their work in exploring,
building up and holding through dark
and discouraging days, till a newer dawn
should break. Then death and persecu-
tion thinned their ranks, and one by
one they disappeared till, less than half

a century ago, their brown habit and
sandalled feet ceased to be known in the
land. Many a printed tome would be
needed to do them justice in their long
and patient labors, but to-day we can
only glance through their chronicles
and record a few of the greater names
that adorn their pages. This much at
least the student of Church history must
know, if he would form a fair idea of
how the Faith was planted and nour-
ished in New Mexico for its first three
centuries.

AN EPOCH WITHOUT A BISHOP.

It is a pleasure to dwell upon the fact
that a priest, burning with zeal to en-
kindle that fire which Christ came to
cast upon the earth, was the first to
throw open New Mexico to European
faith and civilization. The name of the
Franciscan friar, Mark of Nice, is a
household word in the territory. His-
torians have long since discarded the
theory that the honor was due to Cabeza
de Vaca. That brave and pious soldier,
one of the ill-starred expedition of Nar-
vaez that met with so disastrous an end
in Florida in 1528, wandered with a few
companions for eight years in untold
sufferings over Louisiana and Texas,
but turned south to Culiacan, in Old
Mexico, before reaching the limits of

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES.

1O13

ur territory. One of his party it was,
Estevanico the negro, whom Father
Mark afterwards employed as his van-
guard on his journey to Cibola or Zuiii.
When Father Mark came back from
Cibola, to seek the assistance of Coro-
nado in exploring the new land more
completely, Old Mexico, it must be re-
membered, was still comparatively new.
Hernando Cortes was still carrying on
his conquest there. The Aztecs were

y no means wholly subdued. Hence
also the Church organization was crude,

full powers of parish priests, not for the
savages alone, but equally for all white
people who might locate within their
district. The missionary field of New
Mexico had been assigned to the Fran-
ciscan Province of El Santo Evangelic,
and the ever-needed royal permission to
enter on the work had been obtained by
Father Mark through the viceroy, Men-
doza.

The coming to New Spain of this first
viceroy, Don Antonio de Mendoza, in
1535, was partly the result of an appeal

A ZUNI PUEBLO RESTORED.

and the limits of episcopal authority
were very vaguely defined. Few bish-
ops were then in the country, and of
these none seem to have laid any claim
to the region beyond the Rio Grande.

In this uncertain state of affairs, it is
quite probable that Father Mark and his
immediate successors governed them-
selves by the bull Exponi nobis of St.
PiusV., which had be'en published in
1567. Where a bishop could not as yet
locate any secular priests of his own dio-
cese, this bull granted to religious who
were in charge of the mission there, the

made to the King by Bishop Zumarraga
and his clergy of Mexico. The audiencia,
or royal court, which had been estab-
lished in that country in 1528, had be-
come so tyrannical under Nuno de Guz-
man that the clergy declared they could
accomplish no good, either for whites or
for Indians, and that they could not
even protect themselves against persecu-
tion. The extent of the tyranny can be
imagined from the pious artifice which
the Bishop had to employ in order to
send his petition safely to Spain. It
was secreted in the hollow of a wooden

1014

A CHRONICLE OF THE

figure which he pretended to send home,
as a specimen of native handicraft. In
another sketch, we hope to speak more
at length of the work of this enlight-
ened prelate.

Mendoza was a man of noble birth and
of the loftiest integrity. Austere and
abstemious as a monk, he executed his
office with the most unflinching honesty
and wisdom. In ecclesiastical matters
he was scrupulous to consult with the
prelates of the country. All the earlier
divisions of dioceses, the building of
churches, schools and hospitals, and the
expeditions of the missionaries were
conducted under his personal supervis-
ion. The mission interests suffered
greatly when the Emperor Charles V.
found it necessary, in 1550, to use his
talents in allaying the distractions
which then beset Peru.

After the return of Coronado, in 1542,
from his bitter undeceiving in pursuing
the phantom gold of the seven cities of
Cibola and the equally enchanting, but
delusive, land of Quivira, the great Mix-
ton rebellion of the savages of Nueva
Galicia prevented the Mexican from con-
tinuing his explorations immediately.
The route which he took was, also, con-
sidered much too circuitous and expen-
sive. Instead of first crossing west
almost to the Gulf of California, and
then north and northeast over the des-
erts of Arizona, a line directly north was
thought much more feasible. A breach
of forty years thus occurs in the history
of the territory, till another Mendoza
became viceroy of New Spain. This was
Don Lorenzo Suarez de Mendoza, Count
of La Corufia. From him, in 1581,
Brother Rodriguez (or Ruiz) obtained a
license for himself and his priestly com-
panions, Fathers Santa Maria and Lopez,
to open active missionary work amongst
the New Mexican pueblos.

These three holy men were, therefore,
the first real missionaries on the soil of
New Mexico. Alas, that they were to
achieve little more than to water it with
their blood, though indeed that blood

became the seed of a mighty Church,
strong in many other martyrdoms aiwfc
in the saving from heathenism of count-
less thousands !* The Fathers who ac-
companied Espejo in 1582, and Castano,
in 1591, were unable to start new
missions. Their commanders were en-
gaged purely in a work of exploration,
and the latter, it will be remembered,
had undertaken an unauthorized contra
bando expedition.

Every Spanish explorer felt bound to
have at least one priest in his company.
A hundred blessings followed the spirit
of faith which prompted this rule, but
none so evidently as the saving of the
Indian races with whom they came in
contact. It was only where the authori-
ties turned against the priest and de-
spised his counsel, as in California, that
the blight of extermination fell upon the
Indian. In Mexico, he learned all the
ways of civilization and grew into power
side by side with the sons of his con-
queror, and to-day shares with the white
man the highest posts in civil, military,
and ecclesiastical life. So in New Mexico,
the poor Padre was always protesting,
pleading, commanding, threatening in
behalf of his neophyte, until now we
find the Pueblo Indians just as numerous
as when they first heard the crack of a
Spanish rifle and first beheld a Spanish
colony take up the land near their
ancient villages.

How different a story greets us in
New England, where Spanish atrocities
are a favorite theme of orator and scribe !
"The Rev. Samuel Peters, of London,"
says a recent writer in the Providence
Journal, "in his history of the colony,
published in 1781, noted that the Eng-
lish colonists had been industrious in
spreading the Gospel in the howling
wilderness of North America. Upward
of 180,000 Indians, at least, have been
slaughtered in Massachusetts Bay and

*See " In the I^and of Pretty Soon," in the MES-
SENGER for February, 1895. For a more detailed ac-
count of their labors, see also the Pilgrim for Febru-
ary, 1890.

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES.

1015

mnecticut to make way for the Protes-
religion, and, upon a moderate com-
mtation for the rest of the colonies on
continent and in the West Indies,
icarly 2,000,000 savages have been dis-
missed from an unpleasant world for the
honor of the Protestant religion and
English liberty ! "

II.

E CUSTODIOS OP ST. FRANCIS AND
THE DIOCESE OF GUADALAJARA.

The first trace of episcopal authority
in New Mexico appears in 1596. The
excitement aroused by the accounts of

reached the Rio Grande and really be-
gan its work.

The Bishop of Guadalajara had mean-
time found, in 1596, that New Mexico
lay within the limits of his lately erected
diocese, and accordingly he claimed its
jurisdiction. It would have been simply
impossible, however, that he should
supply the vast and distant region with
secular priests and maintain any regular
communication with them. The thou-
sands of miles that lay between were in
many places only a horrible desert of
sand or lava, and where the country was
arable and picturesque it was infested

SAN JUAN DE LOS CABALLEROS, NEW MEXICO.

Castano's long and adventuresome ex-
cursion into the far north, as well as by
the indefinite rumors concerning a second
but much later, contraband expedition,
tinder Humana, had resulted in a per-
fect siege of applications to the viceroy,
Don lyuis de Velasco, for permission to
lead a colony of permanent settlement
into the territory. The viceroy selected
Don Juan de Onate as the worthiest of
these applicants, and confirmed his con-
tract about October 15, 1595. A hundred
vexatious delays were caused by Ve-
lasco's successor, Gaspar de Zufiiga, the
Count of Monterey, and it was not until
April 20, 1598, that the expedition

by the murderous Conchos and other
savages. A strong military escort was
always in demand for travellers, and the
expense of reaching the settlements,
when not borne by the Crown, was enor-
mous. The Bishop, therefore, gladly
committed the territory to the veteran
missionaries of St. Francis. Thus their
padre custos became at once superior of
his order there, vicar- general of the
Bishop, and ecclesiastical judge ; and,
in later years, according to Dr. Shea, by
virtue of the privilege granted by Popes
Leo X. and Adrian VI., he also exer-
cised the power of administering Con-
firmation.

1O16

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES-

The first custodio to wield this general
authority over New Mexico was Father
Alonzo Martinez. The first distribution
of the friars amongst the pueblos was
made by him at San Juan de Los Cabal-
leros on September 9, 1598. Would that
we had now the time and skill to fully por-
tray the beauty and heroism of this go-
ing forth of the missionaries ! The area
of the field assigned to each one, the
number of widely scattered pueblos to
which he was to minister, was alone
appalling. Poorly provisioned and un-
attended, they started away joyously for
a tramp of hundreds of miles, over a new
and desert country and through hostile
tribes, to live alone among strange peo-
ple, not knowing the moment when the
demon whose power they sought to sub-
vert would urge these people to put them
to a cruel death ! Not a single human
or earthly attraction can be imagined to
sully the perfect purity of their devotion.
The love of God is the only motive capa-
ble of exciting such a sacrifice.

The efforts of these holy pioneers were
so speedily crowned with success that,
in March of the following year, Ofiate
persuaded Father Martinez to return to
Mexico for a new supply of missionaries.
The appeal was gladly responded to, but
Father Martinez himself was detained
by his superiors for other labors in
Mexico and his place as custodio supplied
by Father Juan de Escalona.

A petition to allow that other religious
orders should share the work with the
Franciscans was made to the King in
1600 by a brother of Ofiate, but the peti-
tion was very wisely unheeded. The
Franciscans were equal to the task. By
their extraordinary labors, they had
erected eleven truly colossal churches
of stone or adobe, and had converted
more than fourteen thousand natives in
less than twenty years.

Hard days were the lot of Father
Escalona. Bad management on the part
of Ofiate had reduced many of the
pueblos to the verge of starvation, and
soon the greater number of the priests

and settlers had been obliged to fly from
New Mexico to seek the very means of
subsistence. It even seemed for a while
as if the custodio himself would be
obliged to follow them. Their numer-
ous complaints, however, were well re-
ceived in Mexico and seem to have
averted the worst part of the calamity.
Ofiate was severely reprimanded by the
Viceroy, and a new arrival of priests
and settlers well-provisioned brought
new life to the threatened territory.
With the new arrivals came Father
Francis Bscobar as custodio, and Father
Escalofia retired to the pueblo of Santo
Domingo, where, after a long and singu-
larly successful career in the salvation
of souls, he died in 1607.

The first extensive exploration of
Arizona was made at this time by
Ofiate. Father Escobar accompanied
him. They visited first the six towns
of the Zufii province, so fraught with
memories of the disappointment of
Father Mark and of Coronado, and then
pushed their way, the friars always on
foot, past the five towns of the Moquis,
the most isolated and stubborn of the
Pueblos. Crossing the present Colo-
rado Chiquito, thirty miles further west,
they entered a country largely clad with
pine forests and, otherwise, exceedingly
fertile. The natives here had a pretty
custom of wearing small crosses pendant
from the hair over their foreheads, hav-
ing been taught, they said, the value of
this saving sign by a strange white man
who had once visited them, doubtless
some Jesuit from the missions of Sonora.
The explorers called them the Cruzados.
Striking shortly afterwards what is now
named the Bill Williams Fork, they
continued along its banks south till
they reached the great Rio Colorado, in
the land of the Mojave Indians. Thence
they directed their steps past the Rio
Gila until they halted at the head of the
Gulf of California. A large island here
formed the waters into a magnificent
bay, on whose surface Ofiate reported
that a thousand ships could ride at

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES.

1017

A PUEBLO VIEW

anchor. The explorer took possession
of the country for the Crown of Spain,
and, assigning the spiritual care of the
inhabitants to the Franciscans, returned
again to New Mexico. Ten different
languages were spoken amongst the
various savages whom they encountered
on their home journey, and with all of
them, the pious chronicler tells us,
Father Escobar was familiar.

With the founding of Santa Fe in
1607, Father Alonzo Peinado came from
Mexico with new recruits, and replaced
Father Escobar as custodio, to be himself
replaced in 1614 by Father Estevan
Perea. The remains of the martyr
priest Juan Lopez were discovered by
the latter Father in the same year, lying
still in the grave where Brother Rodri-
guez had reverently buried them thirty-
three years before. They were disin-
terred with every show of respect, in
spite of the evil weather which pre-
vailed, and placed in a coffin and borne
in solemn procession to the church at
the pueblo of Sandia. They repose
there to this day, and many a story is
told of miracles attributed to the prayers
of the martyr.

The peaceful life of the missions was
often disturbed in these days by con-
troversies between the civil and ecclesi-
astical authorities. In every instance,
the Padres were complaining of injustice
done their neophytes. Whether their
zeal in this regard ever carried them too
far, as their enemies retorted, it is im-
possible to say at this late date, but at
all events little seems to have resulted
from the controversies, except that both
parties were impartially admonished by
the audiencia in Mexico.

III.

THE CUSTODIOS AND THE DIOCESE OF
DURANGO.

The diocese of Guadalajara had now
become too populous to be administered
by a single bishop, and accordingly, in
1620, the upper portion was erected into
the separate see of Guadiana or Du-
rango. New Mexico remained within
this diocese as late as 1850, when, hav-
ing passed into the hands of the United
States, it was included in the new see
then erected at Santa Fe. The first
Bishop of Durango was confronted with
the same difficulties of administration

1O18

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES.

NEW MEXICAN CHURCH OF THE SEVENTEENTH
CENTURY.

as his predecessors of Guadalajara, and
begged the Franciscan Padres to con-
tinue in all their rights and privileges
as before.

Two names appear in our chronicle at
this period which deserve more than a
passing mention.

The great first historian of the mis-
sions, Father Geronimo de Zarate Sal-
meron, spent some eight years amongst
the Pueblos, from 1618 to 1626, and was
famous for the eloquence of his dis-
courses in the native languages and for
the number of his converts. He labored
especially amongst the people of the
Jemes region, converting six thousand
of them and writing a doctrina, or cate-
chism, in their language. He also
worked at Cia and Sandia, and, on one
occasion, so great was the respect which
the natives bore him, he induced the
rebel warriors of the rock-town of Acoma
to lay aside their arms and sue for peace.
With a view to overcome certain diffi-
culties in the way of establishing new
entradas among other tribes, and to se-
cure fresh recruits to assist him, Father
Salmeron returned to Mexico in 1 626 and
published his famous Relaciones, the best

account written of the spiritual and ma-
terial progress and opportunities of New
Mexico and the surrounding countries,
from their first exploration till the
author's own time. It was afterwards
considerably improved and supplemented
by the Jesuit Father Niel, a missionary
of Chihuahua from 1697 to 1710.

No less illustrious is the name of
Father Alonzo Benavides. The Provin-
cial chapter of the Franciscans of Mexico
in 1621 formed all the missions of New
Mexico into one grand ' ' custodia de la
conversion, " under the patronage of St.
Paul, and appointed Father Benavides
its first custodian. The term custodio
was used, however, quite as freely in
former years as the more correct one of
comisario. The viceroy, Don Diego de
Mendoza, Marquis of Galves, authorized
the Father to take twenty-six Francis-
cans with him, their expenses being
borne by the Crown ; and in 1627, as
death had been busy in their ranks, per-
mission was given to add thirty more to
the number. It was no life of ease to
which the valiant friars were called, and
yet as fast as one fell by the way, a dozen
more were eager to take his place.

The first church in Santa Fe was built
by Father Benavides about the year 1622.
He also it was who established the mis-
sion among the Jumanas, a people of
five towns and ten thousand inhabitants
dwelling near the southern Rio Grande,
celebrated as having been first instructed
in the faith by the miraculous visits of
the Poor Clare nun, Maria de Agreda.*
He founded altogether no less than ten
convents and missions. On his return
to Spain he was of much service to New
Mexico by the memorials he addressed
to Philip IV., and his talents and virtues
recommended him so highly to the Pope
that he was afterwards created Arch-
bishop of Goa, in the East Indies. In
his memorial of 1630, he states that
ninety thousand natives had already
been converted, and were attended from

*See " New Mexico and the City of Holy Faith,"
in the MESSENGER for December, 1896.

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES.

1019

twenty-five mission houses by fifty friars.

At this time, the comisario-general of
the Order petitioned the king to erect a
separate bishopric for New Mexico, as
there was now no clergyman there
authorized to administer Confirmation,
while the population was rapidly increas-
ing. A bishop, he said, could be sup-
ported by tithes, which the Indians and
whites always paid very liberally. A
little later, the Pope was solicited to em-
power some friar with authority to con-
firm, until a bishop should be appointed.
It was probably this latter petition which
brought about the privileges to which
Dr. Shea alludes, as already quoted, but
nothing was effected regarding the bish-
opric. An effort was also made in 1645,
in the general chapter of the Order at
Toledo, to have New Mexico erected
into a separate province, independent of
that of El Santo Evangelic, in Mexico,
but this effort met with a similar failure.

So much confusion now confronts us
in the documents of the period that we
cannot attempt to name all the successors
of Father Benavides. One cause of this
confusion is undoubtedly the sacking of
the convents during the rebellion of
Pope, but another, which occurred in

recent years, was an older from one of
the Franciscan superiors, that all impor-
tant historical documents be gathered
from the mission houses in New Mexico
and forwarded to the central house, in
Spain. It is probably intended that
these be published at some future day,
but till then our chronicle must be un-
satisfactory in many particulars.

We do know, however, that the office
of custodio was held in 1629 by Father
Thomas Man so, who afterward became
Bishop of Nicaragua, and that one of
his companions in New Mexico was
Father Juan de la Torre, who, later on,
succeeded him as bishop. Other sacred
names which survive the confusion are
those of the martyrs, Martin Arvide and
Francis Letrado, killed near Zufii in
1632 ; the famous church-builder, Francis
Acebedo, whose monuments survived
him at Abo, Tenabo and Tabira ; the
miracle-worker, Francis Porras, whom
the Moquis poisoned in 1633 ; the saintly
Geronimo de la Liana, of Quarac, whose
sacred remains are still venerated in the
cathedral of Santa Fe, together with
those of Father Ascensio de Zarate, who
labored at Picuries, the most savage of
the Pueblos ; Garcia de San Francisco,

A PUEBLO EXTERIOR, NEW MEXICO.

IO2O

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES.

who founded Socorro, and Antonio de Ar-
teaga, the founder of Senecu. This epoch,
too, is marked with a number of quarrels
between the governors and the clergy,
while, in several brief rebellions of the
Indians, more than one of the Padres
was slain through hatred for the Faith.
The Indian restlessness was meantime
being fomented in various ways by the
medicine men and others, who clung
tenaciously to their immoral cachina
dances and the pagan mysteries of their

PUEBLO WOMEN.

estufa pits. The imprudence of the gov-
ernors often assisted them, as was espe-
cially true of Don Diego de Penalosa.
This rash governor went so far as to
arrest and imprison the padre custodio,
Alonso de Posadas, who had dared to
withstand his insolence and tyranny.
The evil effect of his conduct cannot be
overestimated, though he was punished
severely by the home government. He
was compelled to do public penance in
the city of Mexico, marching bareheaded
through the streets and carrying a lighted
green candle in his hand. He afterwards

traitorously endeavored in London and
Paris to organize an armed expedition
against the Spanish colonies, but failed
miserably. This is the same Penalosa,
the forger, who wrote such a long and
baseless account of a wonderful expedi-
tion he had made to Quivira, the falsity
of which has been proved only quite re-
cently.

Father Posadas, who had been on the
missions for ten years before becoming
custodio, is well known to students of
New Mexican history by the exhaustive
report he wrote of the territory and
neighborhood in 1686. His name some-
times appears by mistake as Paredes.
The ignominy with which he was treated
by the governor certainly had its part in
fanning the flames of rebellion. It has
been the infallible consequence in every
government that, where its officers have
shown disrespect toward the Church and
its clergy, the effect has reacted dis-
astrously upon themselves. Once weaken
the authority of religion in the hearts of
the people, and they soon come to despise
all authority. During the custodianship
of Father Francis de Ayeta, in 1675, the
Indians went so far as to slay several of
the Padres, and their friends made the
direst threats against Governor Trevino
to force him to release the guilty parties.

The notorious Pope was one of the
prisoners on this occasion. He escaped
in some way, and thereafter did not rest
till he had precipitated the rebellion and
massacres of 1680. At the outbreak of
this rebellion, Father Juan Bernal was
custodio. He was warned of the plot by
some friendly Tanos, but seems to have
made no effort to escape. He and Father
Domingo de Vera met death bravely at
their post of duty in Galisteo. As we
have already described the rebellion in
a preceding sketch, we need only add
that twenty of his fellow friars met a
martyr's death at the same time.
IV.

FROM POPE'S REBELLION TO THE CLOSE
OF THE CHRONICLE.

In the first attempt at the recon-

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES.

1021

quest of New Mexico, Father Ayeta re-
turned with Governor Otermin as pro-
curator-general of the province, but dur-
ing the subsequent years, till Vargas
had completed the work of subjugation,
Father Nicholas Lopez was custodio of
the mission. This zealous and scholarly
Franciscan sought to atone for the loss
of the missions in the north by estab-
lishing others in the south, but these
were successful in only one instance.
Where the Rio Conchos from the south
joins the Rio Grande, the Indians soon
drove the Padres from the mission with
the greatest cruelty, and shockingly
profaned everything connected with the
Church. Among the Tanos, they de-
stroyed the church and murdered the
pastor, Father Beltran, while at Socorro
they attempted to kill Father Guerra
and then fled. They also apostatized
and fled from the mission among the
Sumas. Among the Jumanas, on the
other hand, Father Lopez was eminently
successful. He learned their language
thoroughly. He preached in it fluently,
and prepared a dictionary of it, and ac-
quired great influence among the people
and the neighboring tribes of Texas.

While the reconquest of New Mexico
by Vargas was yet incomplete, the Fran-
ciscans of the College of Santa Cruz

SNAKE DANCE OF THE MOQUIS

de Queretaro applied for the mission, but
were refused. Meantime, Father Sal-
vador de San Antonio was appointed
custodio, but it was only under his suc-
cessor, Father Francis Vargas, that the
second general distribution of friars
among the pueblos was made, toward
the close of 1694. Father Juan Alvarez
held the office in 1705, and after him
appears the energetic Juan de la Peiia.
This Father refounded the abandoned
pueblo of Isleta, and is distinguished for
his effective opposition to the pagan rites
of the estufa and to the scalp dancers. He
also defended his neophytes against the
exactions of the governor, and obtained
an order from the Viceroy forbidding
the employment of the Indians without
just payment.

Another warm defender of the Indians
was Father Juan de Tagle, the successor
of De la Pefia. Governor Mogollon had
sought to deprive them of firearms, and
forbade them to paint their bodies or
wear caps of skin, thus, as he claimed,
to resemble the savage tribes and dis-
guise themselves for the commission of
crime. Father de Tagle answered that
to take away their guns would greatly
incense the pueblos, and would deprive
them of a means of protection as well
as a great help in hunting. Painting
the body was only a
Pueblo 's idea of per-
s o n a 1 adornment,
and he was never
known to resort to it
as a disguise. The
only objection to it
could be made when
practised in connec-
tion with supersti-
tious rites, but, even
then, not summary
laws, but the mild
persuasion of Chris-
tian teaching should
abolish the abuse.
The Governor was
not convinced, and
took the firearms

1022

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES.

from all except a few whom he con-
sidered highly trustworthy. We cannot
discover what his decision was with
regard to the painting.

In 1716, we find the new custodio,
Father Antonio Camargo, accompany-
ing Govenor Felix Martinez on his un-
successful campaign against the rebel-
lious and deceitful Moquis of Arizona ;
and, in 1719, Father Juan Pino acted as
chaplain for Governor Valverde's equally
fruitless expedition, through the present
Kansas and Colorado, against the Utes
and Comanches.

The last Franciscan to exercise a
general ecclesiastical authority in New
Mexico, was Father
Juan de la Cruz, the
successor of Camar-
go. He was one of
the members of the
famous junta or
meeting held at San-
ta Fe, in 1722, by
the visitador - g e n-
eral, Captain Busto,
to investigate the
affairs of the prov-
ince. One of the re-
ports of the junta
was in reply to the
query why New
Mexico was not
better settled and
more pros p e r o u s,
to which they an-
swered that the colonists were always
poor and hard to secure, and continu-
ally threatened by the savage Indians,
but that the establishment of several
military stations at important centres,
and government aid in farming, stock-
raising and mining would soon improve
matters. No action seems to have been
taken on their report, and the same com-
plaints are heard again fifty years after-
wards.

It is at this time that we find the first
active part taken in the administration
of the territory by the Bishop of Du-
rango. Father de la Cruz had acted as

ecclesiastical judge, like all the preced-
ing custodies, but in 1725 Bishop Crespo
found considerable fault with him and
his successor, Father Andres Varo, and
appointed to the office the secular
priest, Don Santiago Roybal.

With the accession of Bishop Crespo,
the chronicle of the Franciscan Padres
is so interwoven with that of the Bishops
that a separate history is almost impos-
sible. We cannot close our sketch,
however, without at least a brief review
of their final labors in the territory.

A mission was founded among the
Jicarilla Apaches, ten miles or so from
Taos, while Father Jose Guerrero was

A PUKBLO INTERIOR.

custodio, and flourished for a time under
Father Mirabal, until it was deliberately
broken up by Governor Mendoza. This
officer also thwarted the Padres in their
attempt to bring back all the Tigua
refugees, who during Pope's rebellion had
fled to the Moqui towns, and, instead of
a thousand whom they might have re-
claimed with his assistance, they could
secure only some four hundred and fifty.
Even these they had to scatter among
the different missions, instead of rein-
stating them in their former pueblos.

While Father Gabriel Hoyuela was
custodio in 1747, Father Miguel Men-

A CHRONICLE OF THE PADRES.

1023

chero made what is probably the last
tour of a visitador through the missions.
Coming from El Paso with a large party
of soldiers, settlers and friendly Indians,
he avoided the desert Jornada del Muerto
(the Dead Man's Journey), and went
west as far as the upper Gila River. He
then travelled north through the timber-
belt and over the plain of San Augus-
tin till he reached Acoma, and thus ex-
plored an entirely new region. Father
Menchero's attempt to settle five or six
hundred Navajos in the Acoma region,
in 1750, met with failure; and the raids
of the Utes, Comanches and Apaches
now became so frequent and murderous
as to render almost all missionary work
dangerous and fruitless.

There were twenty-two Padres in the
territory at this time, but with troubles
from the savages, the white settlers, the
civil and even the ecclesiastical author-
ities, their lot was daily growing more
unenviable. Fathers Bscalante, Domin-
guez and Garces made a number of long
and perilous expeditions in various
directions, in the interest of the Moquis
and for other missionary objects, but
with little or no result. Shortly after-
wards, famine and pestilence fell upon
the Moquis and upon the pueblos at
home. In a long report made in 1776
on the growing dangers which threaten
New Mexico, Colonel Bolilla insists that
large bodies of troops at every central lo-
cation are an imperative necessity to save
it from the savages, who, he says, have
now no longer any fear of the Spaniards
and have become experts in the use of
horses and firearms. He had also his
cruel word for the Padres, in urging that
all their missions be secularized.

Secular priests were first introduced
into the territory in 1801 by Bishop
Olivares, and canonical parishes were
duly erected. By 1808, we find that
twenty-two Franciscan Padres still re-
mained, but of these only five lived in

pueblos which were altogether inhabited
by Indians . They came from the College
of San Fernando in Mexico. That un-
happy country, however, was suffering in
various ways because of troubles in the
mother-country, Spain; and New Mexico
showed the result in a visible decline of
religious spirit. Matters were not im-
proved by the revolutions which accom-
panied the rise and fall of Iturbide, the
short-lived Emperor of Mexico. An
effort to avert the accumulating evils
was made by Father Sebastian Alvarez,
one of the last custodies, who sought
to establish at Santa Fe the college for
religious which had been decreed some
years before by the Spanish Cortes.
Thus, he hoped, the supply of Francis-
can missionaries would be maintained,
but the day of his Order seemed over.
He could not succeed, and, in 1826,
Bishop Castaniza's ecclesiastical repre-
sentative, Don Augustin de San Vin-
cente, increased the number of secular
priests in the territory. The Mexican
republic passed its infamous " Expulsion
Law " in 1828, driving from the country
all natives of Spain. Only two of the
Spanish Padres were able to avoid the
law, Fathers Albino and Castro, two
aged missionaries, who were forced to pay
five hundred dollars each for the privi-
lege of remaining.

The few Mexican Franciscans who
still lingered in the territory worked
zealously, but, for the greater part, as
parish-priests amongst the white people.
Their last custodio, Father Mariano de
Jesus Lopez, was also the last of the
genuine missionaries, being conspicuous
for his labors amongst the Zunis in
1847 ; but the Order in Mexico was
itself too much persecuted to supply
any longer the places of the sick and
the dead, and at the coming of Arch-
bishop Lamy in 1850 not a single Fran-
ciscan was left in New Mexico. The
chronicle of the Padres was ended.

AMENDMENT.

By Eamon Hayes.

I took a treasure from the Master's hand-
Purer than snow — more excellent than gold-
Swearing my trust inviolate to hold,

And seek its temple in a distant land.

Proud of my strength, I sought the sunny path
Where silken snares caress unwary feet,
Where luscious melody and perfumes sweet

Enchantment weave about the aftermath.

Pleasure grew eloquent of its sweet thrall ;

Languorous zephyrs hung upon my kiss ;

And dulcet voices whispered of the bliss
They only taste, who laugh at Duty's call.

I steeped my soul in unbelievers ' wine :
I courted sin and boasted of its scars :
I, that should lift my brow among the stars,

Rivalled the baseness of the carnal swine.

Prone upon earth disconsolate I lay :

I heard the jackal chuckling in his den :
A vulture stared with sodden eye, and then

Flew for his mate exultantly away.

Couldst Thou forget how wickedly I warred
Against Thy bounty and Thy tenderness !
The Name it is a privilage to bless

That I forswore ; couldst Thou forgive, O Lord ?

Yea ; for as sunbeams on a wintry mist,

Upon my hopeless spirit shone Thy grace ;
And dew from heaven cooled the fevered face,

Shamefully conscious of a broken tryst.

I gained my feet as from a drunken sleep ;

The vapors melted from my haggard eyes ;

And lo ! the silent splendor of the skies
Revealed the weary harvest I should reap.

I broke the idols I had deified ;

I tore the strings of Passion's mocking lyre ;

And, kneeling with a purified desire,
Humbly entreated Thee to be my guide.

So black the mire I wrapped about my soul,
As white the garb of penitence I wear !
So deep my fall thro' dark, abysmal air,

As high my flight to where the planets roll !

1024

GENERAL INTENTION, NOVEMBER, 1897.

Approved and blessed by His Holiness, Leo XIII,
SOULS IN THEIR AGONY.

f N the month of November our thoughts
A tend naturally to a remembrance
of the faithful departed, but the Holy
Father, by selecting, for the General In-
tention, souls in their agony, bids us
direct our attention to help those who
are in the very act of departing out of
this life, that they maybe in the number
of the elect.

The hour of death is the crucial mo-
ment of existence, that on which hangs
our eternal lot No one will deny its
importance, but many give no heed to it
while in the enjoyment of health. Many
unwisely relegate to it their preparation
for eternity. To all, wise and unwise,
it is a dread moment, full of suspense,
for the soul is leaving its earthly taber-
nacle, to go forth alone on a journey, of
which it knows but little.

In order to impress upon the minds of
her children the need of assistance at
that awful moment, the Church teaches
them in the prayer, second only to Our
Lord's own, to beg our Blessed Lady to
pray for them at the hour of death, when
her powerful intei cession will be such a
consolation. Then, above all other times,
we entreat her to show herself a Mother,
and to plead and intercede for us, her
sinful children.

So important does the Church con-
sider a preparation for death, that she
has approved and enriched with indul-

(321)

gences a confraternitj^ whose express
object is to prepare its members for a
happy death ; hence, its title of Bona
Mors. It encourages its members to
cultivate devotion to Our Lord dying
upon the Cross, and to His sorrowful
Mother. It incites them to make use of
the means of grace frequently, by ap-
proaching the Sacraments of Penance
and the Holy Eucharist at stated times,
by assisting often at Mass, by acts of
mortification and works of mercy, es-
pecially in visiting the sick and seeing
that they receive the Last Sacraments, if
in danger of death. Thus do faithful
members of the Bona Mors, in health,
provide for a happy death for themselves
and for their neighbors. Would that it
were more generally known and estab-
lished !

But every Associate of the Apostleship
of Prayer offers daily his prayers, works
and sufferings for all the intentions of
the Sacred Heart. Surely, in the first
rank of those intentions is the eternal
happiness of souls in their agony. For
them, then, and particularly this month,
pray, work and suffer. Yes, suffer. For
how much suffering goes to waste in
this world that might be turned into
merit ! The suffering may be physical or
mental, it may come from within or
without, it may be inflicted by others
or by self. Let it not go to waste ; use

1025

1026

GENERAL INTENTION.

(322)

it for the salvation and perfection of
souls.

This idea is embodied in the ' ' Apostle-
ship of Suffering, " originated by Father
John Lyonnard, S.J., in a very beautiful
treatise under this title, which he be-
queathed to the League as being but a
phase of the Apostleship of Prayer. In
it he shows the apostolic power of suffer-
ing, and the advantages of sickness and
infirmity, if borne with patience and
resignation, in union with the passion
and death of Christ. "St. Paul," he
says, ' ' gives to all of us this encourage-
ment, when he teaches that all our pains
and sufferings are but so many sufferings
of Jesus Christ. ' For as the sufferings of
Christ abound in us, so also by Christ
doth our comfort abound. ' " (II. Cor. i. 5.)
He explains this "by the close union
between Christ and ourselves, as between
the head and members of the same body.
Hence, the sufferings of the members
are the sufferings of the head. When
the foot is trodden on, the mouth, in the
name of the whole head, cries out for
pain ; yet it is not the head, but the foot,
which has been trampled on." He in-
stances how Christ did not say to Saul :
' ' Why dost thou persecute My dis-
ciples ? ' ' but he says : ' 'Why persecutest
thou Me? " He quotes St. Ambrose, who
suggests another reason : ' ' When we
suffer for the love of Jesus Christ we
make our sufferings His, by the offering
which we make of them to Him, while
we endure them. Again they are His,
because it is He who sends them to us.
Through the designs of His divine and
infinitely merciful Providence they come
upon us."

A further reason is that we could
not endure our infirmities and maladies
and death-agony in a Christian way, ex-
cept by His aid and through the grace of
the Holy Ghost, whom He sends down
upon us. It is He who mingles with
our sufferings that supernatural element
which gives them their great price, with-
out which they would be useless and of
no worth. Truly, we join to this our

own personal cooperation ; but we are
capable of this very personal coopera-
tion, only through the help of His grace.
Finally, Jesus Christ looks upon our
sufferings as His, because they are what
is left over of His own sufferings. This
is St. Paul's "filling up," final completion
' ' of the sufferings of Christ. ' '

Such are some of the reasons of the
apostolic power of suffering. We may
look upon it as a talent confided to us
by God, to be used in His service and for
His interests. How many wrap it in a
napkin and say of the Lord who gives it
to them ' ' He is a hard Master, ' ' and He,
in turn, has to rebuke them as "un-
profitable servants." Let us avoid the
risk of incurring such an awful judg-
ment, by making use of the talent com-
mitted to us. Souls are languishing in
the darkness of error, multitudes are
daily departing this life. Shall we let
them go to the " exterior darkness, "
when, by offering in their behalf our
prayers, works and sufferings, we may
win them the light of faith, of grace and
of glory ?

How immense is the reward; for "he
who causeth a sinner to be converted
from the error of his way, shall save
his soul from death, and shall cover a
multitude of sins. " What an incentive
to apostolic activity on our part ! What
an honor accorded to us : we can by our
poor efforts save souls, and add courtiers
to the multitude who now praise God in
heaven.

We may not, it is true, know here how
many owe their salvation to our inter-
cession, but the record is faithfully kept
in the Book of Life. Even now it hap-
pens at times that some one will say to
us : " How grateful I am for what you
have done for me ! " In surprise, we ask :
' ' Why, what have I ever done for you ?
I am not conscious that I have done any-
thing at all. " It may be that you do not
even recall ever having seen the person
or spoken to him. Yet he claims that
you have been instrumental, it may be,
in his conversion. He has stored up

GENERAL INTENTION.

some casual word which made an im-
pression, quite unperceived by the

1O27

speaker. As for the influence of books
for good or ill, it is incalculable. So,
too, prayer has a power measurable only
by those who enjoy the vision of God,
and see its effects in the graces granted.

Speech, writings, personal example all

are limited, for they are material, and
need material contact. But prayer has,
as it were, no limitations. It can pene-
trate all barriers, can travel over all
space, from one end of the earth to the
other, to the prison-house of purgatory,
to the gates of heaven, which open to
its appeal. In hell alone it finds no
answering echo.

Shall we not do our utmost to keep
souls from falling into those awful
depths ? Let us consider, then, the
various states in which souls may be at
the hour of their departing from their
bodies. Look at that soul created by
God, and for Himself, with the capacity
to know and love Him, with the ability
to serve Him, and thus reach its last
end. It may be that this soul, through
no fault of its own, has never known
God, except in the dimmest glimmering
of a child of nature, say in the African
jungle. Some idea it had of a supreme
being, but mixed up with a confusion of
minor deities, none of them beneficent or
lovable, but rather malevolent and ter-
rible, who needed constant propitiation.
A faint inkling of right and wrong was
there, the traces of the law of nature.
Never had it known the story of its
Saviour, and of the forgiveness of sin,
and the other means of grace. It had
lived as an unregenerated heathen, and
is about to depart this life. Of ordinary
means of grace it has been destitute.
Shall God in His goodness supply the
extraordinary ? Are you the one whom
He delegates to act for Him ? If you
implore a special grace for that poor soul
in its agony, in the African jungle,
specifying, perhaps, only the fact that it
is there in that condition, will not the
grace be granted, and will it not be re-

corded, by the recording angel, as due to
your intercession ? Conversion is not a
matter of time. It takes but an instant.
God vouchsafes to enlighten the mind to
see the truth, and moves the will to ac-
cept it ; the poor dying savage cooper-
ates with grace, says : " I believe, " and
his soul goes forth to meet his God, who
is his Saviour. Bystanders know it not.
They treat him as a pagan, perform over
the lifeless body their horrible rites, but
the soul is saved, and your prayer won
for it the saving grace.

Put for the supposed heathen in Africa
a similar one in any country, and the
effect may be the same. But instead of
one who has never had the opportunity
to know the truth, let us imagine one
who has been brought up a nominal
Christian, but not a Catholic. He has been
taught some of the articles of the faith,
though mingled with errors. He has a
fair knowledge of what is expected of
him, as one who is to give an account of
himself, to a Judge who cannot be de-
ceived. He is careless, however, and
does not live up to the light that has
been given him. Death approaches; as
he has lived, so will he die. No
Catholic influence has been brought to
bear on him in life, and in death he is
destitute of supernatural helps. Shall
a grace be granted him at that supreme
moment ? In the twinkling of an eye
he can see and embrace the truth. Wha
will obtain that grace for him ? You.
But you do not know him, you say. No>
need of knowing him. His may be the
soul that is most in need. This will
stand for his name on God's list. Offer
up your prayers, works and sufferings of
the day for him. He may owe the sal-
vation of his soul to you. It is never
known to the world, but the angels and
saints rejoice over this sinner saved from
the jaws of hell.

Here is a poor Catholic dying; rela-
tions and friends are far away. He is
among strangers, and, worst of all, they
are not of his faith. Who will think of
procuring for him the consolation of the

1028

GENERAL INTENTION.

(324)

Last Sacraments ? Not having them in
their sect they do not realize their im-
portance. He has been careless, per-
haps— so careless that he hardly dares
ask for a priest. Besides, whom shall
he ask ? Will not such a request preju-
dice those around him against him?
Oh, if a priest would only come to him !
But he dare not ask, and in the hos-
pital in which he is lying, no priest may
come, unless he be asked for by the pa-
tient. The devil whispers : ' ' Be prudent,
don't ask; you will not be treated well if
you do. At least, don 't be in a hurry
about it. There is plenty of time yet ;
wait awhile, you may get better. ' ' The
poor sick man is too weak to argue with
the clever and wily adversary. He de-
lays asking. He is so weak that he
does not dare to court opposition, per-
haps ill-will. Will no one help this poor
soul in its agony ? No human aid is at
hand. The ordinary channel of grace is
the sacraments, but the power of God is
not shackled. He will visit that poor,
lonely soul in its mortal struggle. It is
the soul that will be first to leave the
body, after that fervent appeal of yours
for mercy for it. You, unbeknown, are
its benefactor, and its gratitude for all
eternity will be for you, though you do
not know it.

Here is a Catholic dying, who has
been fairly practical during life. He
is one of that great class which keeps
within the bounds prescribed by the
Church. His life has been, it is true,
full of imperfections. His ideal has not
been very lofty. The height of his
religious ambition was to keep the com-
mandments. An occasional fall has
varied the even tenor of his ways, but,
by the grace of God, he arose and went
on again. He is taken ill ; the sickness
is unto death. He faces it manfully.
In one sense he is not afraid, though
death has its terrors for all, in spite of
disclaimers to the contrary. He receives
the sacraments with composure and de-
cency, if not exactly with fervor. Is he
ready now to die ? Has he made, and is

he making, use of his sufferings as a
means of merit? Does he try to turn
his thoughts from things of earth to
those of heaven ? Do those who care
for him suggest holy thoughts and as-
pirations ? Do they read to him selec-
tions from the Gospel, the "Imitation of
Christ, "and other consoling books of
piety ? Do they offer to say the litanies
and other prayers out loud for him?
How many neglect these means of real
consolation and spiritual advancement
to the sick ! They foolishly fear to make
such suggestions, lest they alarm the
patient and reveal to him his real state
of approaching death. Of course, pru-
dence is to be used, but Christian, not
worldly, prudence. The sick-room is a
fertile field for apostolic work — do they
produce the harvest that they should?
The soul of that man may be saved, but
how much we might have advanced it in
holiness, and thus have made it fitter
for heaven, and shortened its stay in
purgatory !

Deaths there are truly precious in the
sight of God. One comes to mind of a
man stricken in the prime of life with
wasting consumption. At the time he
was not a Catholic, although his wife
and son were of the true faith. He was
remarkably successful in business, and
had everything that would naturally
make the world attractive. Although
not religiously inclined, he was ex-
tremely interested in and generous to
works of charity, and the Little Sisters
of the Poor and Sisters in charge of
orphans found in him a most kindly and
liberal benefactor. As in many another
case, sickness proved the greatest bless-
ing to him. Forced by his failing health
to abstain from business, he had leisure
to reflect on his higher interests. Doubt-
less the prayers of the poor and the
orphan, and of the good Sisters, were
winning for him extraordinary graces.
He did not turn a deaf ear to the voice of
Christ, Who had long been knocking at
the door of his heart. He was received
into the Church, made his First Com-

(325)

IN THE SERVICE OF THE KING.

1O29

T?,

union with sentiments of great piety.
For nearly a year he lingered, giving
much edification to all who saw him.
Two months before he died he sent for
his partner, settled all his affairs, made
his will, and said that thenceforth he

person. When the end drew near — it
was the feast of our Lord's Ascension
into Heaven — his voice failed, but he
nodded good-bye to all ; then, raising
his eyes to heaven, as if he saw some
one, he bowed his head as though in

wished to hear nothing more about the answer, and, looking up, never lowered

business of the firm in which he was so
largely interested. Newspapers and
light literature he banished from his
)tn, as unseemly distractions from his

reparation for death, which he faced
Like a soldie'r, fearlessly and unflinch-

igly. " I am surprised," he said, " at
the strength of my faith. I feel so
happy at the thought that I am a
Catholic." When the time came to
anoint him, instead of shrinking from
it, as indicating the approach of death,
he at once acceded, and when he had
been anointed he said : "I have never
been happier in my life. " Yet he had
had everything to make life desirable
and pleasant. Whenever Holy Com-
munion was brought to him he would
say to the priest: "How strong this
makes me ! ' ' Perfect resignation to the
will of God was often expressed by him:
"I am willing to live if God sees fit to
grant me life ; I am willing to die if He
wills me to die. ' ' In the peace which
this conformity to the will of God be-
gets, he could patiently endure the suf-
ferings and calmly make arrangements

his eyes again. His request, "that I
may die a happy death, " was answered.
This was truly what the apostle calls
"dying in the Lord." His works fol-
lowed him, yes, with the prayers of
thousands of innocent children, found-
lings and orphans, and of the aged poor
under the sheltering care of the Little
Sisters, two hundred of whom had
offered up their Holy Communion for
their dying benefactor.

If we once realize the value of souls in
the sight of God ; if we once grasp the
fact that " God, our Saviour, will have all
men to be saved, and to come to the knowl-
edge of the truth /" if we once apprehend
the part that God expects us to play in
the salvation of souls ; then will we gird
ourselves manfully for the work ; then
will we make use of every opportunity
to win grace for others ; then will we
offer with all our hearts our prayers,
works and sufferings for the living and
the dead, but especially for those poor
souls in the throes of their mortal agony.
It is estimated that every minute a soul
passes from this life to the next ; let us

for his own funeral, as of that of a third apply our apostolic efforts to save them.

IN THE SERVICE OF THE KING.

By T. M. Joyce.

AXIMILIAN OLIER was reading,
for the third time since morning,
the letter he had received from his
son. Having finished it, he folded it
carefully, and replaced it within the wide,
square envelope, which bore stamped
evidence of having travelled through
many lands and over many seas, to reach
its destination in the quiet village in
Northern Minnesota.

He took down from a rack over the
mantelpiece an old carved pipe which he
used upon rare occasions, and, settling
himself in his deep leather armchair,
prepared to enjoy a quiet smoke.

The ruddy glow of the logs burning in
the huge hearth illuminated the stern
features of the old man, softened the
lines upon his brown, furrowed cheeks,
and, with saucy freedom, flashed glitter-

1030

IN THE SERVICE OF THE KING-

(326)

ing streaks and patches of gold upon his
thin gray hair. Little stars gleamed
on the teacups and saucers, that were
daintily exhibited upon the old oak side-
board behind him, and the surface of the
long black panels shone with a glossy
polish in the broad firelight.

Maximilian 's thoughts dwelt upon the
subject nearest to his heart — the success
and brilliant career of his son, who was
at present making an extensive tour in
Europe, having completed a long course
of studies in one of the finest colleges in
Rome. Maximilian wished it had been
some other city. Rome he had always
connected with religion, and he had
enough of that long ago. He hoped
Antoine would have none of it, his hand-
some, talented son, the very thought of
whom filled his heart with proud love and
esteem.

Years ago he had planned out a rose-
strewn path for his boy — a broad, wind-
ing pathway which led through long,
glistening avenues of wealth to the
portals of honor and fame. For Antoine
had descended from noble ancestry,
Maximilian's father having seen much
service in the Austrian army; while, on
his mother's side, his great-grandfather,
as a member of the Imperial Guard of
France, had joined in the last cheer and
salute ever given by the famous Old
Guard, and which was the last the
Emperor ever received.

Antoine had visited the field of Water-
loo, and his mother cried over the written
account of the feeling he experienced on
that occasion.

While the letters, which crossed the
broad water and were received in the
quiet home, expressed contentment,
praise of the beauty of the world, and
often contained sketches of travel, they
lacked the brilliancy and ambition of
purpose which the father wished to see
developed in his son, and which he
looked for in vain.

After much consideration, a lengthy
letter was despatched to Antoine, in
which Maximilian divulged his cher-

ished hope, that he might live to see his
son admired and courted among the no-
bility, and far above the common rank
of men. It was possible for one who
had for his credentials wealth, birth
and education to gain admittance into
the most exclusive circles, and it was
his earnest wish that Antoine should
take advantage of these, that the world
might hear of him and of his talents.

The tardy response had at length ar-
rived and fulfilled the father's most
extravagant desire. His heart swelled
with pride, as he puffed wreaths of smoke
into the air and dwelt upon the con-
tents of the letter which lay on the
table beside him. His most exalted
hopes were realized ; it told him that
Antoine had been entertained by most
distinguished personages, at various as-
semblies, and among men of great learn-
ing. He also stated he had good reason
to believe he was looked upon with favor
by the king, for he had been informed
by one of His Majesty's highest digni-
taries that he would soon have the honor
of being formally received into the royal
court.

Maximilian looked far out upon the
broad, fertile acres stretching away to
the shimmering blue lake in the dis-
tance, and a longing, which had daily in-
creased during a decade of years, that he
might once more look upon his son, took
strong possession of him and would not
be thrown off. Heretofore, the thought
of leaving the old home had always
intervened and checked the ardor of his
desire. The homely brick house with
the avenue of pines leading up to it, the
heavy, panelled doors with the words
' ' Salve, Salve ! ' ' inscribed in deep scroll-
work over the archway and which no
one but Antoine had ever translated ;
the wide veranda overlooking the lake ;
the observatory from which a grand view
of the Red River of the North, in all its
broad windings, was plainly visible ; the
trout pond at the foot of the hill ; the
spacious stables— all held varied attrac-
tions for Maximilian, and, he had brought

)elieve, would show the need
of his presence. Yet, while he reflected
in the deepening- twilight, quietly enjoy-
ing the outlook and his pipe, he decided
to overcome all trifling obstacles and
undertake the journey, that he might
witness the progress of the courtly hon-
ors that were being heaped upon his
Antoine's curly head.

When presently the shadows in the
room became longer and the streams and
flashes of light grew fainter and less
discernible, his thoughts reverted to an-
other channel, and he found himself con-
trasting his dead son with the happy
living one His mind was flooded with
the memory of a time long past, when
Antoine was a child, and upon one dark
December evening, amid the raging of a
furious storm, the lifeless body of his
wayward son was borne beneath the
conspicuous, mocking inscription of the
panelled doorway, and into the brilliantly
lighted hall, which, in preparation for his
arrival, was decked in all the festive
glory of the season.

Loud were the lamentations of the
household on that night of gloom, when
joy was changed to mourning ; but the
bitter cup was filled when the intelli-
gence was received from the parish
priest, that the dead son, on account of
his negligence in religious matters, and
the manner of his death, must be refused
admittance into the church.

This was a sad blow to the stern father,
whose religious instruction to his sons
had been chiefly in regard to the fear of
God. He had then imposed a law upon
his household to the effect that he would
allow no member, servants included,
ever to attend service in the Catholic
Church.

Notwithstanding this severe injunc-
tion, however, a tall, angular woman,
veiled in black, might frequently be
seen kneeling in the rear of St An-
thony's convent, and Masses were regu-
larly offered for the repose of the soul of
her wayward son.

The ambition of the father then was

IN THE SERVICE OF THE KING.

1O31

centred in the absent Antoine. For him
the earth bloomed bright and fair ; for
him the golden harvest yielded wealth
abundant; for him the hillsides were
alive with roaming cattle.

' ' The day of reckoning has come, " he
said to his wife, "and found Antoine
advancing to meet it."

' 'Thanks be to God for His blessings, ' '
exclaimed the fond mother, piously.

" Thanks to His Majesty, the King,
whom Antoine serves, ' ' was the irrever-
ent rejoinder.

* * * * * * *

Three months later found Maximilian
newly arrived, and alone in the Eternal
City.

Having dined in a fashionable hotel
on the Corso, he prepared himself for
the long drive to the abode of his son.
He dwelt with pleasure upon the antici-
pated meeting, and the joyful surprise
the news of his coming would bring to
Antoine. He bowed respectfully to the
porter whom he passed in the wide court,
and touched his broad-brimmed hat to
the polite waiter, who responded with
alacrity by placing his hand on his
heart, and bending his body in an acute
angle.

The father of a son like Antoine could
afford to be affable with the world. Filled
with happiness at the triumphs he was
soon to share, an idea suddenly occurred
to him that possibly Antoine would look
upon the work-people with a disdain
becoming a distinguished person like
himself ; and before the feeling was well
formed, the love of his fellow-men began
to waver and to die, as, with some con-
fusion, he regretted having bestowed so
much amiability promiscuously, and at
once checked the lively air a bell-boy
whistled, while carrying a heavy satchel
up the stairs, by frowning at him.

At the Palazzo Venezia a poorly clad
woman bewailed her sad lot and begged
for alms in the name of St. Anthony. The
sound of the name alone he understood,
and he knew she was asking for alms.
A fashionable carriage was approaching,

1032

IN THE SERVICE OF THE KINO.

(328)

and he stood aside until it passed him
in a cloud of dust. The face of a woman,
rouged and whitened, stared condescend-
ingly upon him from the velvet cush-
ions, and a flash of jewels sparkled
through the network of lace upon her
bodice. Maximilian experienced an odd
sensation in the thought that possibly
Antoine had a wife, who was like this
woman.

Many carriages following in the direc-
tion of the first, he dropped a few coins
in the poor woman's hand and passed
quickly out of the road. He did not
understand her pious invocations to the
"miracle-loving-saint," to guard him
wherever he went, and if he did, he
would have had no faith in them.

A few moments later he was being
driven to the home of his son, the great
Antoine on whom the king had bestowed
such choice favors. He fumbled within
a side-pocket and found a card on which
his name was largely written, for he
had spent a whole day in reading an old
copy of Chesterfield, and was prepared
to receive the greeting of the courtly
company, and to conduct himself with
easy grace in the presence of royalty.

The cab drew up before two high, iron
gates that were deeply set at the inward
curve of the stone wall. He alighted
and rang the bell. The massive pile
of buildings arose imposingly among
the tall swaying trees, and against the
clear depths of the sky. The sight of
the abode of his son exceeded Maxi-
milian's fondest hope, and caused a
flame of pride to swell within his heart.
He straightened himself, caught his
heavy, gold watch chain between his
finger and thumb and coughed affectedly,
for beneath the low, waving branches a
figure was slowly approaching. The
gates swung noiselessly open.

"Is my son, Mr. Antoine Olier at
home ?" asked the visitor loudly.

"He is, " came the quiet response, " I
will conduct you to one who will bring
you to him."

The man placed his hand on something

which flashed in the gathering dark-
ness from beneath the heavy folds of his
cloak, and Maximilian thought it to be a
sword. He smiled with satisfaction, as
he realized how perfectly Antoine had
anticipated his desire, and how well he
had carried out his plans.

When he ascended the broad staircase,
a second attendant received him and led
him to a quiet apartment, where he bade
him remain until his son should join
him.

The silence of the dim room became
oppressive, after the first quarter of an
hour had passed. All manner of ex-
cuses formed and presented themselves,
as to his son's delay in coming to greet
him

He was possibly receiving other guests.
in the presence of the king, or he might
be, at that very moment, in audience with
His Majesty and could not be inter-
rupted

Slowly, however, turning things over
in his mind, with a pain of most bitter
anguish, the thought came to him, crov» d-
ing out all others, that his son had no
welcome for him. He had raised him
by his toil and labor, cheerfully raised
him to that exalted po iiion, and this
was the result. The minutes seemed to
be years, as he sat in the dim room wait-
ing, still waiting for the greeting he had
crossed the continent and thf ocean to
receive For this hr had left his humble
roof, his patient wife, the homely little
village — all divided irom him now by
thousands of miles — and the responsive
word was grudged by Antoine's lips.
The father's heart was wounded to the
core. All the love which he had lav-
ished upon his son seemed wasted.

His roujih hands, coming in contact
with the smooth black cloth of his coat,
caused him an uneasy sensation, and he
felt his linen collar to be very unccm-
fortable. A hopeless misery was upon
him ; he found himself unable to cope
with circumstances.

Presently the door opened and out of
the deepening glo< m a figure moved

IN THE SERVICE OF THE KING.

1033

towards him, and a calm, gentle voice ex-
claimed : ' ' Father, dear father ! ' ' and
an affectionate embrace followed. There
was no hauteur or coldness in the tones
or manner of his son, only tenderness
and love.

Maximilian could not bring himself
to speak, so great and sudden a change
had wrought itself within him, until he
heard the anxious appeal, " Father, dear,
have you no word for me ? ' '

His poor brain seemed sadly confused,
and he leaned forward to clasp his son's
hand, and thus make sure of his pres-
ence.

In a moment, then, all his pride and
self-consciousness returned, in conse-
quence of his grasp having accidentally
closed over the shining metal which pro-
truded above the broad belt worn by An-
toine. His voice being fully restored to
him, he asked, "Were you with His Ma-
jesty, my son, that you kept me waiting
so long ? "

' ' You have guessed rightly the cause
of my tardiness," was the quiet re-
sponse ; "I have been before His august
presence with an urgent petition, which,
even since your arrival, required im-
mediate attention."

" May I know the nature of such an
important request ? ' '

" Yes, father, it was that peace be re-
stored between Him and one whose love
is very dear to me."

' ' And did your appeal find favor with
His Majesty, my son ? "

" I do not know, father, but we leave
all things to Him and His superior judg-
ment. We are His subjects, you know,
and it is our duty not to question His de-
cisions. "

"Ah, my Antoine, " exclaimed the
father, wisely, "you have much yet to
learn. The wisest of Kings are often
misled by their own ambition."

"Hush, father, there are loyal hearts
about us, ' ' interposed Antoine softly,
and with ready skill turned the conver-
sation by many inquiries for the loving
mother, far away in the quiet home.

A sound outside, however, and a noise,
as of many treading feet, aroused them
both.

' ' The King will now receive us ; " an-
nounced Antoine, ' ' father, come with
me."

From the dim, wide hall they entered
a court which . led into a well-lighted
apartment, and whence a flood of light
issued.

They stood aside until a body of men
attired in long dark cloaks, with the
metal Maximilian loved to see glisten-
ing at their belts, filed slowly past them.

" His Majesty's guard, I have no
doubt, " whispered the father with much
deference. Notwithstanding Maximil-
ian 's failing sight, he plainly discerned
an air of recollection in the men, in the
anticipation of an event which had come
to be their daily duty, and the knowledge
surprised him not a little.

From within a deep archway strains
of low music broke forth, and soon in-
creased in intensity, until the very re-
cesses of the court were filled with the
sad, sweet strains. There were voices
too — exquisite, vibrating voices — and
Maximilian was strangely conscious of
having listened to the same music in
times gone by.

The sounds ceased, and deep quiet
reigned again, except for the peal of a
silvery bell.

Addressing his father, Antoine 's for-
mer subdued manner disappeared, and
he stood with his cloak thrown back
from his shoulders, his head proudly
erect, and his large eyes shining.
"Father," he exclaimed, clasping the
metal at his belt, " we go before our be-
loved King. Him alone I serve, and no
other king in heaven or earth."

The words of his son hurt Maximilian
somewhat, perhaps for the reason that
Antoine 's evident lack of faith he felt to
be his own fault. The thought jarred
discordantly within him. His poor
heart was sadly wounded.

1 < Father, behold our King ! ' ' Maxi-
milian advanced beneath the arch, and

1034

ZIONISM.

(330)

within a hall brilliant with dazzling
lights.

A large body was assembled and every
knee was bent and every head bowed
down.

Upon a throne of purest marble where
hangings of the finest silk, quivering in
the radiant brightness, were looped with
ropes of gold, Maximilian recognized
the King.

Falling upon his knees in sudden hu-

mility before his Royal Majesty, he be-
sought Him with tears of submission to
reckon him among His followers.

Antoine's petition was granted.

A few moments later the men arose
and marched in single file towards the
entrance. Maximilian again beheld the
glistening metal at each belt, — the
image of the Crucified.

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
was over.

ZIONISM.

The recent Zionist Congress held at
Basel, Switzerland, has brought to public
attention the subject represented by this
title. What is Zionism ? Dr. Emil Reich,
in the August number of The Nineteenth
Century, states ' ' that it is a term admit-
ting of more interpretations than one,"
for there is " Zionism political, religious
and trading. " Of the last we need not
speak, for Zionists political and religious
"look down with contempt upon the
votaries of trading Zionism, ' ' and we can
follow their example. Let us remark
that Judaism has a dual character, na-
tional and religious, really inseparable,
but capable of different emphasis. The
religious Zionists, or "Lovers of Zion,"
as they style themselves, emphasize the
religious character of Judaism and love
Palestine as its true home. They do not
mean to go back, however, to the Holy
Land in a body, or at any given time,
but gradually, and without giving any
unnecessary offence in public. The
political Zionists, on the other hand,
emphasize the national character of Ju-
daism, some, indeed, to such an extent
as to leave it out of the question. They
contend that, since the present social
condition of Jews is becoming more and
more insufferable on account of the
spread of anti-Semitism, the Jews should
leave Europe and found a state of their
own, preferably in Palestine, but if neces-
sary anywhere else. The leaders of the

latter class are Dr. Theodore Herzl and
Dr. Max Nordau, at whose instigation
the Basel Congress assembled.

The religious Zionists have been con-
tent with introducing colonists, quietly
and without noise, into parts of Pales-
tine. They hope by slow but continuous
colonization to reconquer the land of
their fathers. At present their agricul-
tural colonies do not pay, and personal
safety is at a discount. The former
difficulty is obviated by the liberality of
their wealthy sympathizers, especially
the Rothschilds. The work of the poli-
tical Zionist has been one of open propa-
ganda for the establishment of a new
Jewish state proper, whose constitution,
laws and institutions have already been
sketched by Dr. Herzl. He proposes to
weld the heterogeneous mass of Russian,
Polish, French, German, Spanish and
other Jews into one homogeneous com-
munity of citizens, enthusiastic for one
and the same grand ideal. Palestine is
to be the country ; Jerusalem, the ancient
Zion, is to be the capital. He is sanguine
that this can be effected, because "the
finances of Turkey are in a shattered con-
dition, " and he thinks the Sultan would
not withstand the tempting offer of an
annual tribute and a loan. On these
conditions, he thinks that the Jews
would be granted the right of settlement
and the autonomous government of Pal-
estine.

$31)

ZIONISM.

1035

The foundation on which the political
;ionists build their scheme for a Jewish
state seems to us to be of sand. It is
the supposition that the condition of
Jews throughout Europe is at present
intolerable. Dr. Herzl represents them
as victims of anti-Semitism, as objects
of sympathy. To us they seem to be
rather the oppressors than the oppressed.
Their bankers are said to hold the bal-
ance of power in Europe, as they hold
all the national debts. They are getting
control of the public press, perhaps now-
adays the greatest source of power. By
foreclosing mortgages and skilful invest-
ments they possess a vast amount of
real estate. On commerce they have a
firm grasp. In politics they play a
prominent part wherever they are. A
comparative handful of them, for in-
stance, in France run in their own inter-
est that paradoxical republic. As Prof.
Abram S. Isaacs, in the August number
of the North American Review, well puts
it : "In losing Palestine, the Jew gained
the universe. He was denationalized to
become an international and cosmopoli-
tan. The Orient was only one phase of
his history." Such being the case,
we admit, it is not likely that the Jew is
going to surrender the universe to resume
Palestine, nor forego being international
and cosmopolitan to become a national
Jew ; however instant Dr. Herzl and Dr.
Nordau may be on the matter, the Jew
knows a good thing when he sees it, and
the universe is good enough for him.

All Judaism turned on the notion of
the Messiah. Until Christ came there
was no question of any but a personal
one, King Messiah. Witness not only
the prophecies, but even the pseudo-
christs who gained more or less hold
over the people. The rejection of Christ,
however, necessitated new explanations.
To deny that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled
the prophecies of course was urged in
the first place. Messiah had not yet
come, they said, but they still expected
him. From time to time a pretender
arose and gained some followers to his

cause. Now it is becoming prevalent
to deny the notion of a personal Mes-
siah. A rabbi lately declared that the
female race, perhaps meaning the New
Woman, was Messiah. There is no need
of returning to Judea to meet this Mes-
siah, whose kingdom is becoming world-
wide.

Dr. Emil Reich, in the article before
alluded to, takes another view, and holds
that the Hebrew nation is Messiah, for
he says :

' ' Between the individual Jew and God
stood, as mediator and as Saviour, the
people of Israel. Forgiveness and par-
don, atonement and salvation, could
come to the individual only through the
forgiveness and salvation bestowed by
God upon the people as a whole. This
is the fundamental belief, the one in-
eradicable creed, that made and makes
the distinctive feature of Judaism. The
Messiah," he says, "whose type the
prophets and later seers were elaborat-
ing, did not touch on that basal concep-
tion of the nation of the Jews being the
mediator between the individual Jew and
God."

"The Messiah is, at best, an agent of
God, in the interest of the Jewish nation ;
not of this or that Jew. He who believes
in that mediatorship of the Jewish na-
tion is a Jew. He who does not believe
in it is no Jew, and if all his ancestors
were 'Semites.'" Later on, he makes
this contrast : ' ' Both Jew and Christian
rest their dearest hopes in one surpass-
ing Personality mediating between them
and God. The personality of the Jew is
one particular nation, clearly differenti-
ated from all other nations. The per-
sonality of the Christians is that of
Jesus, the Saviour, than whom no indi-
vidual has ever been endowed with
richer elements of religious inspiration. ' '
We do notknow whether these definitions
will be generally received by his fellow-
religionists, but it is at least instructive
to learn his theory of the Messiah, how-
ever untrue it may be.

Dr. Reich prophesies that both brands

1O36

THE JUST MAN'S DEATH.

(332)

of Zionism will come to naught : for the
religious Zionists, by suppressing the
national element in Judaism, place them-
selves in an altogether false position,
and will achieve nothing ; while the
political Zionists, of the school of Herzl
and Nordau, by suppressing the re-
ligious element, will accomplish still less
than their opponents. He brands Zion-
ism as ' ' cowardice, ' ' and says there is
only one alternative : " either Jews re-
main the old orthodox kind, contemned
and contemning, or they get social recog-
nition as real citizens of their several
countries by honest, staunch fighting
for it." He is careful, though, to
explain that the fighting he advocates is
not actual bloodshed. We do not appre-
hend much danger in the line of blood-
shed by fighting. They have other and
very effective ways of letting blood.
What Dr. Reich does mean is "unre-
lenting opposition to one's enemies,
and readiness to sacrifice comfort and
ease to ideals temporarily unprofitable.
' ' This, ' ' according to him, ' ' is what the
Jews ought to do ; this is what, especially
on the Continent, they, as a body, do not
do; and it is for this wretched cowardice of
theirs that they have called upon them-
selves, and rightly so, the contempt of
the world. " We cannot agree with this
explanation. Instead of cowardice and
willingness to be crushed, we see, rather,

boldness and determination to crush.
Social recognition, it is true, is about
the one thing they have not achieved.
For the failure they are responsible.
That the fault is with themselves is
proved by the fact that the tendency
nowadays is for the better class of Jew to
be rather ashamed of his race, and his
religion is fast losing hold on those who
are "liberally" educated. The very
rabbis are becoming rationalistic, and
ethical culture is the subject of their
discourses. Temple, priesthood, sacrifice
have passed away long centuries ago ;
the vSynagogue and the rabbi are unable
to fill the void. Even the distinctive
dietary laws are falling into desuetude.
The wall of separation of the Jew from
Gentile is crumbling. Has Judaism a
future ? Prof. Isaacs says it has, but
" not in a rehabilitated Jewish state,
with Jerusalem its capital, ' ' but " in the
permeating of mankind by the spirit of
Judaism," and this spirit he declares to
be : " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself. " " When the nations shall have
reached the heights of perfect brother-
hood " (when, Oh when, we ask, will
that be?) "Judaism's future will have
dawned." Alas, for Judaism 's hope of
dawning if it depend upon the hour of
the nations reaching the height of per-
fect brotherhood. The true religion does
not wait, but acts.

THE JUST MAN'S DEATH.
By Rev. Michael Watson, SJ.

As when in those bleak months that own the sway
Of rugged Winter, monarch stern and hoar,
A toil-spent traveller cometh to a door
That opes into a lighted mansion gay,

And findeth friends that press his hand and say :
" O welcome, welcome ! we have goodly store
Of comforts ; rest, thy dreary toil is o'er —
Abide thou here for one long, pleasant day ' ' :

So, at thy death, supreme and solemn hour

Of life's great journey, all gcod deeds of thine
Shall come, ambassadors from realms divine,

And, clad in splendid raiment, shall, with dower
Of blessing, cheer thy soul, for they have power
To bid thee rest and drink of Heaven's new wine.

EDITORIAL.

CATHOLIC CONGRESSES.

r< ATHOLIC CONGRESSES are the
^ order of the day, and, both in their
number and the enthusiasm that marked
their sessions, we have full proof of the
good they are effecting. Besides the
Catholic Scientific Congress at Fribourg,
there were the Eucharistic Congress at
Venice, from August 8th to i2th; the an-
nual meeting of the Catholics of Ger-
many at Landshut, beginning August
2Qth; the Congress of Italian Catholics
at Milan during the first week of Septem-
ber, and, last in point of time though not
in importance, the forty-second annual
Convention of the German Catholic Cen-
tral Verein opened at Columbus, Ohio,
on September igth. Both the Italian con-
gresses were honored by the presence of
upwards of thirty bishops, while that in
our own country was addressed by Bish-
ops Watterson, Horstmann, Messmer
and Rademacher. What the purpose of
these gatherings is has been thus clearly
set forth by His Eminence, Cardinal
Ferrari, Archbishop of Milan, in his
opening address to the Congress held in
that city. "The mission of the Church
is the restoration of society, and to ac-
complish that mission she has need of
liberty in sanctifying, and consequently
in inspiring, the family, the school, the
State, the laws and institutions. This
is no usurpation, but the exercise of a
right conferred upon her by Christ, the
source and depositary of all authority.
If Christ does not reign over the world,
heresy and paganism will, and corrup-

life. Consequently freedom in the edu-
cation of the young, and liberty and
independence for the Sovereign Pontiff,
are of strict necessity. . . . These
congresses aim at practical results.
From them have sprung the rural loan
fund banks, trade-unions, co-operative
societies, free schools for the poor, chari-
table institutions, the Catholic press.
Out of them also have arisen the admi-
rable organization of provincial, diocesan
and parochial committees, so especially
favored by the Holy Father, and which
are considered by him as the links that
may unite Catholics in an association
for universal well-being. "

ABOLITION OF THE CATHOLIC INDIAN
BUREAU.

After twenty-three years of usefulness,
the Catholic Bureau of Indian Missions,
at Washington, has been abolished.
Why ? Because the Indian Missions have
no further use for it ? No, but because
the Government, which some Catholics
are perpetually lauding to the skies for
its fairness and justness, has yielded to
fanatical pressure, and will no longer
give any contracts to religious schools.
Were this last really true, we might not
complain, but true it is not; for the
schools which are henceforth to be under
Government control are , we may say, dis-
tinctively Protestant. The teachers are
taken from the sectarian ranks, and not
a few are missionary ministers and their
wives. It is but the final stroke of the
Grant policy which distributed, against
their will, thirty Catholic tribes, aggre-

tion must, then, prevail in every order of gating about 80,000 Indians, among vari-

(333)

1037

1O38

EDITORIAL.

(334)

ous sects, leaving only eight to their
former Catholic missionaries. At first the
sectaries were willing to take a part; now
they want the whole, although pretend-
ing to get nothing. Salaried positions
are very attractive, hence the eagerness
of politicians to provide for their needy
followers, at the expense of the Govern-
ment. Compare these hireling teachers
with the noble men and women who give
their services for the love of God and the
good of souls ! What will be the results?
What the attempts have already augured.
There was no fault to be found with the
Catholic schools, except that they were
Catholic. On the contrary, Protestant
champions, like Senator Vest, have again
and again made the Senate Chamber ring
with the unstinted praise of the Catholic
work, and with contempt for that of the
sects, but their voices were drowned by
the incessant din of jealous bigotry.
Henceforth the whole burden of educat-
ing Catholic Indians must fall on Catho-
lics. They, doubtless, will take up the
burden, just as they patiently bear it all
over the country where all are supposed
to have equal rights.

A CENTRAL SEMINARY.

An important step in ecclesiastical
education has been taken by the open-
ing of St. Mary's College, Oscott, as a
great central seminary for Southern
England. Oscott has long been famous
as an educational institution, but under
the sole direction of the Bishop of Birm-
ingham, in whose diocese it stands. The
question had long been under discussion,
whether it were advisable for each bishop
to have his own diocesan seminary, or
whether it were not more advantageous
to have one or two, to which the students
of the various dioceses should be sent.

The difficulties besetting the first
plan were many and great : the necessity
of providing suitable buildings, and a
suitable staff of professors. The latter
was a serious matter, as it entailed the
depleting of parishes of the most tal-
ented and learned priests to fill the

various chairs in the diocesan seminary.
The expenses would be very great in ac-
quiring property, erecting buildings,
and supporting the teaching body as
well as the students. Whereas, by a
coalition, the expenses would be reduced
to a minimum, one body of professors,
who would be selected from a greater
choice, and, consequently, would be abler
men, would serve instead of many differ-
ent -faculties. But how about jurisdic-
tion ? Would not the bishop, in whose
diocese the proposed Central Seminary
would lie, have undue influence ? More-
over, would it not be better for each
bishop to have his own subjects directly
under his own eye, and, as it were, un-
der his own personal formation ? All
these matters were duly discussed by
the bishops of Southern England. The
happy conclusion is a Central Seminary
at Oscott. The diocese of Birmingham
supplies the buildings and the equip-
ment for the seminary, while six other
dioceses, Westminster, Newport, Clif-
ton, Portsmouth, Northampton and the
Welsh Vicariate have contributed be-
tween them the capital to be invested to
produce an income of ,£1,000 a year,
which is considered sufficient for the
maintenance of the teaching staff. Be-
sides this, each bishop will pay for his
own subjects.

A board composed of the seven inter-
ested bishops, the president of which is
the Archbishop of Westminster, has the
supreme government of the college. It
appoints the rector and the professors,
and regulates all matters connected with
the studies- and discipline. The board
has expressed its entire satisfaction with
the past working of St. Mary's by the
reappointment of the entire teaching
staff, and the selection of Mgr. Parkinson
as Rector, to succeed the Bishop of Birm-
ingham, who had held this position for
eight years, and who has implicit confi-
dence in his successor and former col-
league.

The curriculum is entirely ecclesiasti-
cal, being devoted to philosophy, the-

(335)

EDITORIAL.

1039

ology, church history, Scripture, liturgy
and so forth. It covers a space of six
years and a half, and is expected to fit the
clergy to meet the difficult and varied
demands of the day. There are at pres-
ent seventy-four students in residence.

What Oscott will be for Southern Eng-
land, Ushaw has been for the North, re-
ceiving, as it does, ecclesiastical students
from the dioceses of Liverpool, Hexham,
Middlesborough, Leeds, Salford and
Shrewsbury. The dioceses which are
not yet in either of these combinations
are South wark, Nottingham and Ports-
mouth. Liverpool, besides supplying a
large number of students for Ushaw, has
its own seminary at Upholland. Ushaw
differs from Oscott in that it takes
students not studying for the priest-
hood. Some of the advantages of cen-
tral seminaries for groups of dioceses
have already been mentioned. To some
minds the economy in expenditure, both
in building and maintaining one instead
of several, will appeal. The same may
be said of the saving for other offices
those who would have to teach in the
various seminaries, and the having one
strong staff of professors in their stead.
Perhaps, however, not the least advan-
tage is the broadening of minds by con-
tact with the many students in one cen-
tral seminary, which force would be
wholly wanting in smaller theological
schools of a score, or so, of candidates
from the same diocese. The whole body
of the clergy would be more united by
j becoming personally acquainted, as fel-
low theologians. Emulation in studies
j would be enkindled, which must be
lacking in a handful of men. Nothing
has so deadening an effect on professors
as a small audience. Idiosyncrasies of
bishops would not be inflicted upon their
(perforce submissive candidates, and a
iniformity and breadth of training would
imparted under the guidance, how-
iver, of the governing episcopal board.

)th bishops, then, and their subjects
|ire to be congratulated upon this im-

>rtant move in ecclesiastical education.

BEWARE OF CONFOUNDING 'AUGUSTINES.

Apparently the Protestants of England
are not supposed to be well versed in
Church history. For, anent the recent
thirteenth centenary of the Landing of
St. Augustine, London papers, like the
Daily News and the Pall Mall Gazette,
take care to warn their readers against
supposing that the Augustine in ques-
tion was the Bishop of Hippo. As the
latter died in 430, and he of Canterbury
in 607, there would not seem to be any
great danger of confusion. The better
to safeguard the English people against
so dangerous an error, it is wisely sug-
gested that "the real St. Augustine,"
as the Daily News styles him, should
retain this name, while the founder of
the See of Canterbury and apostle of
England should have his name short-
ened into "Austin. " This is one of the
outcomes of the great Catholic celebra-
tion at Ebbs Fleet. A more important
point to which to call the attention of the
English Protestants would be the exact
identity of faith, as well as of name, of
the two sainted Augustines. Unfortu-
nately the faith of Augustine of Canter-
bury has suffered, at their hands, the pro-
posed treatment of his name.

THE HISTORIC PARALLEL AT EBBS FLEET.

Cardinal Vaughan, in his address at
Ramsgate, drew in masterly lines the
parallel between the scene at Ebbs Fleet
in 597 and 1897. Put Leo XIII. for
Gregory I.; contrast the jurisdiction now
over the old and new worlds for the
restricted jurisdiction over the then
known world. Compare the Apostolic
desires of Leo XIII. and of Gregory I.
for the conversion of England. As the
pagan Anglo-Saxons had all but exter-
minated the Catholic Church in Britain
by a persecution lasting a century and a
half, so had the English Protestants, by
a like persecution, for three centuries
attempted to sweep the Catholic Church
out of the land. For St. Augustine,
Archbishop of Canterbury, put the holder
of the See of Westminster. His mission,

1042

THE BOY SAVERS.

(338)

or merely "good." Thus, for instance,
if any one would gather boys for the
promotion of their amusements almost
exclusively — with only desultory and
chance attention to their spiritual needs
— we would make bold to suggest organ-
ized devotional exercises, to be added
to the programme. On the other hand,
where there would be question of col-
lecting the select few for religious
exercises only, we should not hesitate
to advocate the addition of natural at-
tractions, as encouraging a much larger
number of lads to avail themselves of
the spiritual advantages already pro-
vided.

Naturally enough, these pages will
insist on the importance of the work —
on the importance of securing the boys
of the present, in order to have gained in
advance the men of the future — the
Doming leaders of families and commun-
ities— on the importance of taking
young men, not fruitlessly when they are
already old in their ways, but in their real
and pliable mental youth. After all, is
not our very troublesome parochial
* ' young man ' ' question in reality a
* ' boy ' ' question ? And is it not true
that every reason justifying the present
outlay of time, energy and money in
efforts to organize the former, demands,
with far greater weight, the organization
of the latter ?

Perhaps some one will truly observe
that the importance of gathering boys is
clearly evident and needs no argument.
Be it so. On this point it will not be so
much our purpose to argue as to remind,
and with the hope that, through our
reminders, this work of importance may
sometimes be favored with practical
attention, where at present it receives

only a silent, inactive and barren recog-
nition.

It is clear that the burden of our task
will consist in dealing with the feasi-
bility of religious organizations for boys.
From the standpoint of practicability
the work certainly needs substantial
support, more than can be had by mere
reminders of its merit. It is beset
with real and apparent difficulties,
which, even to willing minds, are most
discouraging. Indeed, it is only by the
existence of such difficulties that we
can well explain a comparative neglect
of boys in their teens, which stands in
such marked contrast with their recog-
nized moral and social value.

Notwithstanding all this, the boy
apostolate will become bright with
promise, if its graver difficulties, as we
confidently hope, can be shown to be
such in appearance, rather than in re-
ality. This task will be gladly essayed
by the suggestion of tried methods and
expedients already successfully em-
ployed against these same difficulties,
by those who have been actively en-
gaged in the care of boys. By this
means we hope to reveal to themselves
many hidden ' ' boy savers, ' ' who, with
the very best qualifications of heart and
head, have failed to perceive that, in
this undertaking, as in others, "Where
there is a will there's a way. "

Such is our self-imposed task — con-
ceived for the benefit of the young so
dear to the Sacred Heart, but planned in
vain unless supported by prayer. There-
fore, we beg for it a remembrance from
each and every reader, for : " Neither he
that planteth is anything, nor he that
watereth, but God that giveth the in-
crease." — I. Cor. iii. 7.

In the passing away of R. H. Hut-
t6n, editor of The Spectator, the pub-
lic at large has lost an eminent liter-
ary man. To Catholics he is a loss,
for, as Wilfred Ward says in the Tab-
let, he ' ' did very much to get rid of the
old ' no-popery ' prejudices which long
had so paralyzing an influence on
English Catholics. Ever since 1864,
when his strong words aroused the pub-
lic to an enthusiastic acceptance of New-
man 's Apologia, he has repeatedly said
the word in season for the ' Papists ' of
England, and been to them a friend in
need. He has rightly ascribed the great
change of public feeling in their regard,
mainly to the influence of Cardinal New-
man. But it needed a certain relation
between Newman and the public for the
creation of that influence. When in 1851
Newman lectured on the Position of
English Catholics, the press did its best
to boycott him. It may be open to ques-
tion whether Newman would ever have
completely emerged from the cloud, which
stood between him and the English pub-
lic after the events of 1845, had it not
been for the outspoken and independent
admiration of The Spectator. ' ' Although
Mr. Hutton was strongly drawn towards
many features in Catholic belief, and
had many intimate friends among Cath-
olics, he never could see his way to
embracing the faith.

The dedication of the tower and the
blessing of the four bells of the basilica
of the Yen. Jeanne d'Arc at Domremy,
took place August 26. The spire is
remarkable for its beauty, and its gilded
copper ornaments produce a beautiful
effect. At the top eight angels hold a
crown. The tower is equally effective
with its ceiling enriched with mosaics.
The crypt is frescoed with military sub-
jects.

the following table of statistics of her
continual growth, compiled by German
Protestants, who are not likely to have
given her any more than is her due.
Century Century

I 500,000 XI 70,000,000

II 2,000,000 XII 80,000,000

III 5,000,000 XIII 85,000,000

IV 10,000,000 XIV 90,000,000

V 15,000,000 XV 100,000,000

VI 20,000,000 XVI 125,000,000

VII 25,000,000 XVII 185,000,000

VIII 30,000,000 XVIII 250,000,000

IX 40,000,000 XIX 280,000,000

X 56,000,000

At first sight we expected to see a great
falling-off in the XVI century epoch of
the awful apostasy; but on the contrary,
we perceive a great increase. How
account for this fact ? By the extraor-
dinary impulse given to missionary
effort, by the discoveries of the great
explorers, and the conversion of savages
and infidels in the Indies.

In every Catholic church in England
the thirteenth centenary of the landing
of St. Augustine was celebrated on Sun-
day, September 12, the Feast of the Holy
name of Mary. Commemorations of St.
Gregory and of St. Augustine were made
in the Mass, and the Te Deum was sung.
On Tuesday, September 14, the Cardinal-
Archbishop pontificated at Ebbs Fleet, in
presence of Cardinal Perraud and all the
bishops of England. The Rt. Rev. J. C.
Hedley, O.S.B., Bishop of Newport,
preached the sermon, attended by forty
Benedictine monks in imitation of St.
Augustine, O.S.B., and the forty breth-
ren of his order who accompanied him
when he met St. Ethelbert, King of
Kent. The monks chanted their ancient
anthem and Litany as described by Ven-
erable Bede.

The promise of Christ to be with His
Church, and that the gates of hell shall
not prevail against her, is verified by

(339)

The cause of a saintly Visitandine,
Mother Marie de Sales Chappuis, has
been introduced. She was superior of
the Visitation Monastery at Troyes,

i°43

1044

INTERESTS OF \HE HEART OF JESUS.

(340)

France, where she died in the odor of
sanctity, October i, 1875. She was re-
markable for her apostolic spirit. The
Congregation of Rites, at a meeting held
June 27 last, recommended the introduc-
tion of the cause, and Leo XIII has
signed the order for it, thus declaring her
Venerable.

Very beautiful must have been the
closing of the Eucharistic Congress held
last August in Venice. It was a proces-
sion of the Blessed Sacrament which was
carried by Cardinal Svampa under a
canopy borne by members of patrician
families. Three cardinals, thirty bishops
and archbishops, the clergy, regular and
secular, and all the members of the Con-
gress took part. A banquet was given
to five hundred of the poor of the city at
the expense of the Congress.

A well-deserved honor has been con-
ferred upon Mr. James Britten, the hon-
orary secretary of the Catholic Truth
Society, in recognition of his labors in
the cause for the last thirteen years.
The Holy Father has made him a Knight
of St Gregory. He was invested with
the insignia by Cardinal Vaughan, at
Ramsgate, during the conference held
there in memory of the thirteenth cen-
tenary of the landing of St. Augustine.

The miraculous cure wrought at Pom-
peii, October 17, 1896, through the inter-
cession of B. Margaret Mary, has been
accepted as authentic by the Congrega-
tion of Rites. Consequently, but one
more miracle is needed before the Church
will place the name of the Apostle of the
Sacred Heart on the catalogue of the
saints. This is the earnest wish of the
Holy Father.

A remarkable example of fulfilling
that most difficult command, to love one 's
enemies, has been given lately by Mme.
Canovas del Castillo, at the funeral of her
murdered husband. Addressing the Duke
de Soto-Mayor, she said aloud : "I
wish the representative of the Queen
Regent to take notice, in presence of you
all, that I pardon the assassin of my
husband It is the greatest sacrifice I
can make for the good of his soul, and I
do it because I know his greatness of
heart."

of 932 prizes awarded by the Board of
Education, 727, or 78 per cent, of the
whole, were carried off by Catholic boys,
whilst the girls from convent schools
took 60 out of 130 exhibitions. This has
been done in spite of the disadvantages
under which Catholics in Ireland still
suffer in the matter of University educa-
tion.

Cardinal Richard, Archbishop of Paris,
has appointed a commission, to prepare
for the introduction of the cause of the
martyrs of the French Revolution. The
first steps have been taken with regard
to the Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne,
executed in Paris during the Reign of
Terror. The next cases will be those of
the bishops and priests massacred, Sep-
tember 2, 1792, in the Carmelite Church,
Paris.

A service held some weeks ago in the
church of St. Julien-le-Pauvre, in Paris,
gives an idea of the universality of the
Church. It was in memoriam of the late
Mgr. Youssef, Patriarch of Antioch,
Jerusalem and the East, who died in
Damascus last July. Cardinal Richard
and Mgr. Clari, the Nuncio Apostolic,
occupied thrones in the sanctuary.
There were also present Mgr. Dubs, a
Maronite Bishop, Mgr. Berlious, vicar
of the Maronite Patriarch, Mgr. Decmac,
vicar of the Syrian Patriarch, the Abbe"
Nourdizien, an Armenian priest, the
Abbe Tolstoi, and many others anxious
to pay their resp* cts to the deceased pre-
late who had so successfully carried out
the wishes of Leo XIII. concerning the
reunion of Oriental churches.

In the Summer Irish Intermediate Ex-
aminations, the Catholic students have
distinguished themselves. Out of a total

Among the numerous miracles report-
ed during the recent jubilee pilgrimages
to Lourdes is one of a nun of the Order of
Notre Dame de Bon Secours. Sceur Lazare
had been stone-deaf for thirty-five years,
the result of falling into a river when
on an errand of mercy. She went to
Lourdes, not on her own account, but as
companion to a lady and her invalid
daughter. After assisting her patient in
the bath, August 27, she was induced to
try one for her deafness. Whilst in the
w^ater she cried out for the pain in her
head, but as she was leaving to go to
the Grotto, she suddenly heard the
voice of a priest preaching there. She
has been examined by several doc-
tors, and one thus concluded his re-
port : "The patient's age, and the long

(341)

DIRECTOR'S RESIEW.

104-5

persistence of her affection, quite pre-
clude the possibility of a natural cure. ' '

Leo XIII., by brief, has forged a
new weapon for the subjugation of
England. He has erected an Arch-
confraternity of Prayers and Good
Works for the return of Great Britain to
the unity of the Faith. He has placed it
under the patronage of the most sorrow-
ful Mother, St. Joseph, St. Peter and St.
Augustine. The seat of the Archcon-
fraternity will be at St. Sulpice, in Paris,
and its chief director will be the Supe-
ior-General of the Sulpicians. M. Olier,
the founder of the Society of St. Sulpice,
was much interested in the conversion of
England, and the Holy Father refers to
him in his brief, as well as to St. Paul of
the Cross and his noble son, Father Ig-
natius Spencer, and to Cardinal Wise-
man, as to those who, during their lives,

did so much to promote the Apostolate of
Prayer for England. Leo Xyi. desires
by this means ' ' to concentrate upon
the Island of Britain the prayers of
Christendom. The Church in France
was in great sympathy with the efforts
of St. Gregory for the conversion of
England. The first missioners spent
nearly a year in Gaul, with St. Syag-
rius, Bishop of Autun, for their coun-
sellor, friend and host. At the hands of
St. Virgilius, Bishop of Aries, St. Au-
gustine received episcopal consecration.
The friendliest relations always existed
between the Church in France and the
Church in England, and these countries
were ever mutual asylums when perse-
cution enforced exile. Already united
prayer, under the patronage of the
Blessed Virgin, has accomplished won-
ders in the return of the English to the
unity of the Faith. The movement will
re' -"ve a fresh impulse by the establish-
ment of this new archconfraternity.

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

In answer to our appeal

gestions for the Handbook
of the Apostleship of Prayer, which we
are now revising to meet the few changes
called for by the statutes, we have re-
cei ved several letters, for which we are
very grateful, and which will aid us
greatly in making the Handbook more
useful than ever. It is not yet too late
to send us more suggestions, and we
shall gladly receive them, even if they do
no more than confirm us in thinking
that certain points of our own observa-
tion should be introduced into this new
edition.

At the request of the

Diocesan Directors. Director General of the

Apostleship of Prayer we have lately ad-
dressed to the Archbishops and Bishops
of the United States a copy of the new
statutes, calling attention to the clause
requiring the appointment of Diocesan
Directors for our Association. Some of
these appointments have been made al-
ready. and we hope to print the complete
list of them in our next number.

The importance of the

charge of Diocesan Direct-
importance. ors ^m be readily seen by

the motive given for their appointment,
in a letter written by the Director Gen-

eral. He says: "In every diocese in
which the Apostleship is established
there should be a Diocesan Director to
represent episcopal authority and to
manifest publicly in behalf of the Asso-
ciation its Catholic character ; to extend
the invitation made by the Church to all
the faithful to take part in it, and to
show its union with Rome by its sub-
mission to the hierarchy. The Bishop
designates this Director; the Director
General gives him his faculties. To de-
rive from this canonical organization the
greatest possible good, it is necessary to
seek out in each diocese the ecclesiastic,
whether secular or religious, who will
best look after the interests of the work. ' '
As our Local Direc-
tors know, this clause
in our statutes is not
a new one. It was contained in the
statutes issued in 1879, and in coun-
tries where our League was regularly
established, such as in France, Portugal
and Spain, each diocese has had its Di-
rector for the work since that time.
Even in our own country we have had
some few Diocesan Directors, though
they have not been very active. We
trust that the newly appointed Directors
will inspire a new life into our Associa-
tion wherever this be needed, and do all

The Clause

an Old One

1O46

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(342)

Annual

they can to promote the work where it .
is already flourishing. This is why we
earnestly recommend these appointments
to the prayers of every member.

We are going to call on
our Local Directors for
accounts of their League
Centres during the past year. The
League Director for November will con-
tain an offer to print these records and
incorporate them in special editions of
our annual Almanac, for Centres that will
order a number of this publication. The

Reports.

Against
Bogus Agents.

same periodical will give a programme
of the topics which should be treated in
such a report.

Once more, though it
seems we cannot repeat
our warning too often,
Directors should caution Promoters and
Associates not to receive anyone as agent
or collector for the MESSENGER, or for
any other publication connected with
our work, who cannot show a letter
bearing our seal and signature, giving
authority to act as our agent.

To PROMOTERS.

Our Promoters will re-

1897 Intentions. , , , .

member that among our
General Intentions this past year were
two events, which have, in answer to
our prayers, been attended with all the
blessings that were looked for from
them — the Thirteenth Centenary of the
Landing of St. Augustin in England,
and the Tercentenary of the death of
B. Peter Canisius.

From private letters we learn that a
great deal has been done to advance the
cause of beatification of Ven. de la Co-
lombi£re, another of our Intentions of the
past year. The gratifying reports coming
from all sides about our schools and
colleges justify our b.elief that our
prayers for the Intention of October have
helped to this result.

Promoters must not for-

The Holy

get the holy souls in No-
vember. It has been our
pious custom to increase the Treasury
of Good Works this month, so as to mul-
tiply our offerings in their behalf. Let
this be done again this year quietly, but
steadily. It is a splendid way of help-
ing them, and no matter how we may
feel about writing down our good deeds,
we need not mistrust our motives when
doing so for their sake. If, at any time,
we can act out of the purest motive of
charity, it is when praying for them ; so
let those who have a morbid dread of
indulging vanity, when they record that
they have performed the extraordinary
good act of saying a.nAngelus, reassure
themselves by reporting it in love for
the suffering souls.

We have been saying
F«r conversions, extra- prayers for the con-
version of our country,
and recommending the conversion of in-
dividual friends and relatives by name.

The Missionary for September has quite
a long list of conversions which have
been made in different places during the
past few months. This ought to encour-
age us to keep praying and to pray with
greater fervor, the more so that it is
well known that the priests who make
most converts say least about the num-
ber, and that one of the advices usually
given to converts to our religion is not
to draw public attention to the fact of
their conversion, any more than the out-
ward observances of the Church require.

Two things we recom-
to be* mend strongly to every
Remembered. Promoter at this time.
One is, good Promoters will not make it
a point to multiply the number of Asso-
ciates in their bands so much as to train
some of them to act as Promoters them-
selves ; another is, that our League
never prospers when Promoters strive to
build it up by sudden and spasmodic
outbursts of enthusiasm, or, when they
try to make it exclude every other
church organization. It must help every
other pious Association and not hinder
any ; it thrives best when it works, like
its Master, quietly, gently, but with per-
severance.

Every month we receive
from the Post Office letters
5' addressed to Associates by
Promoters who resort to this method oi
distributing Decade Leaflets, without
having in every instance the correct ad-
dress. We have just received one from
the Dead Letter Office, postmarked Chi-
cago, August 16, 1:30 A.M., and ad-
dressed to Miss A. M. Mahon, 38 Loomis
Street, City. It contains three certifi-
cates of admission, as well as Decade
Leaflets, and this is why we call atten-
tion to it. A return notice on the corner

Correct

J43)

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

104-7

>f the envelope would bring these letters,
rfien not delivered, back to their writers.

to Things
of Interest.

Two things should in-
terest our Promoters at
this time. One is the lat-
est Encyclical of Our Holy Father on
the Rosary ; the other, the decision

lately adopted in regard to the division
of the hour of adoration practised by
members of the Association of Perpetual
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and
the Work for Poor Churches. This
decision is announced in the last number
of the Annals of the Tabernacle Society
of Philadelphia.

THE APOSTLESHIP AT HOME; AND ABROAD.

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., Sacred Heart
Centre. — "Our Centre is in a most
nourishing condition ; the Promoters are
most zealous, the number of members is
daily increasing and crowds of people
approach the Sacraments every suc-
ceeding First Friday. A Triduum was
preached by the Redemptorist Mission-
ary, Rev. Father O 'Shea, in preparation
for the Feast of the Sacred Heart in
June. At its close three hundred new
members were received, and more than
forty Promoters given diplomas."

BAT A VIA, N. Y., Convent of Mercy. —
The work credited to Le Roy, N. Y.,
in our last issue should have been cred-
ited to this earnest and devout Centre.
The Promoters' Reception on the First
Friday of September was a memorable
ceremony. The church was crowded
and the ceremonies very impressive and
solemn. There were over three hun-
dred Communions at th£ two morning
Masses, two priests having heard Con-
fessions until a late hour the previous
evening. At the reception the cere-
monial in the Hand Book was fully
carried out — first a hymn to the Sacred
Heart, a sermon, then the blessing and
distribution of crosses and diplomas,
after which the Act of Consecration was
read by one of the Promoters, Benedic-
tion closing the evening. Twenty-one
new Promoters edified the congregation
by professing their desire to promote
devotion to the Sacred Heart. Very
Rev. Dean Brougham, himself a devoted
member, is untiring in his zeal in get-
ting every member of his congregation
enrolled in the League.

TAUNTON, MASS., St. Mary's Centre.
—The Rev. James Coyle writes : "The
League, thank God, is flourishing in St.
Mary's and the Promoters are all I could
wish."

CHICAGO, ILL., St. Joseph's Home and
Bphpheta School for the Deaf.— Our
school for deaf-mutes was assisted won-
derfully last year through the devotion

to the Sacred Heart and the practices of
the League. The children were simply
transformed, thanks to the Sacred Heart.

WASHINGTON, D. C., St. Aloysius'
Centre.— We had our September meeting
of Promoters on Sunday, 26th, and a
very encouraging meeting it was. There
were 170 Promoters present, men and
women. We sometimes find it hard to
keep track of the addresses of our Pro-
moters, as they migrate occasionally like
birds, and expect us to get their new
addresses by revelation. Here was a
chance of being sure of 170, anyway. So
we passed slips of paper around and lead
pencils bought and sharpened expressl}7
for the occasion. Each Promoter wrote
name and residence legibly. We are
safe now till the next migration. It was
suggested to the Promoters that the only
way to be in touch with the Holy League
was to read, every month, the MESSEN-
GER OF THE SACRED HEART. Men are
very materially aided in their various
lines of business by subscribing to and
reading reviews which give reports about
articles of trade from all parts of the
world, such as the Book Exchange, the
Furniture and Trade Review, etc., etc.
Shall the children of light, who profess
to spread the Kingdom of the Christ,
have less zeal to read about the interests
of the Sacred Heart ? It had been stated
that some could not afford two dollars a
year to subscribe for the MESSENGER. It
was suggested that they should not
patronize, so often, the street railways,
but rather exercise their limbs by healthy
walking. Ten cents a day saved would
amount to $36.50 a year — enough to pay
for eighteen subscriptions to the MES-
SENGER.

Another pilgrimage to Rome and the
Holy Land is announced for this winter.
It is being organized by Mr. and Mrs.
Francis H. Throop, of Seventy- fourth
Street, Brooklyn, who have so success-
fully organized and managed the Ameri-
can pilgrimages to Rome and Lourdes

1048

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

(344)

during the past five years, and the pil-
grimages that left here last Winter for
the Holy Land.

This year's pilgrimage will sail from
New York about the first of February,
by the North German Lloyd steamer
" Aller, " which has been specially char-
tered for the entire journey of 13,000
miles and over two months' time from
New York back to New York, visiting
Gibraltar, Malaga, Grenada and the Al-
hambra in Spain, Algiers in Africa, Al-
exandria and Cairo in Egypt, the Island
of Malta, Jerusalem and the places of
sacred interest in the vicinity (two weeks
being spent in the Holy Land, various
places along the Syrian coast, Smyrna)
and stopping at Constantinople, Athens,
Naples and Rome, where a week or more
is spent, with arrangements for an audi-
ence with the Holy Father ; those who
may desire can remain longer for Easter
at St. Peter's.

An altar will be erected on board the
ship and the Holy Sacrifice offered daily.
A programme giving full particulars has
been prepared, and can be had on appli-
cation to Mr. Throop, at in Broadway,
New York.

OBITUARY.

Mrs. Emma Stuart and Mrs. E. L.

Johnson, Immaculate Conception Centre,
New Orleans, La.; John Hanly, St.
John the Baptist's Centre, West Ridge,
Iowa; Mrs. Ellen Monroe, St. Patrick's
Centre, Iowa ; M. J. Howard, Ann Arbor,
Mich.; Mrs. Ida B. Lee, St. Francis
Xavier's Centre, St. Louis, Mo.; Miss
Coghlan, St. Felix's Centre, Wabash,
Minn. Of Miss Coghlan her pastor
writes : ' ' The last few years she de-
voted almost exclusively to the pro-
motion of the League of the Sacred
Heart. I shall find it very difficult
to manage the work as successfully
as she did. She was the very soul of
the League in the parish, and in pri-
vate life she was exemplary — a religious
in the world. ' '

Rev. Daniel Murray of St. Vincent's
parish, Mobile, Ala., died on September
24th, of yellow fever. Father Murray, who
was only thirty years old, was a native
of Middletown, County Cork, Ireland.
After studying with the Jesuits at Mun-
gret College, Limerick, he finished his
theology at the American College, Rome,
arriving at Mobile in 1893. The Sunday
before his death he preached at St. Vin-
cent's, warning the congregation to be
ready for the last summons, and that
very afternoon he fell a victim to the
epidemic. — R. I. P.

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

TOTAL NUMBER OF THANKSGIVINGS FOR LAST MONTH, 7,826,648.
In all things give thanks." (I. Thes., v. 18.)

Special Thanksgiving. — A lady was
afflicted with a growth in her nose, which
increased so rapidly that two physicians
decided the only remedy was to remove
the obstruction by an operation. She
begged her friends to postpone the opera-
tion, and commenced a novena through
the intercession of St. Anthony. A
candle was lighted every day for thirteen
days, and the growth has entirely dis-
appeared— miraculously, the doctors say.

' ' A widow whose property is all mort-
gaged and who was unable to get suitable
employment, a year ago promised to
publish in the MESSENGER favors re-
ceived. She made the nine first Fridays,
and just before the close of the novena
she obtained suitable work, and has
heard that the mortgage proceedings
have been stayed for^he present. "

A local Director writes : ' ' The most

wonderful miracle effected during the
past month in this Local centre, through
the merciful intervention of the sweet
Sacred Heart, is this : A lady, between
fifty and sixty years, who had been mar-
ried outside of the Church, very young,
to an unbaptized person, has been recon-
ciled to God and His Church and made
her first Holy Communion. "

' ' A young lady had been desirous for
a year or two back of becoming a Catho-
lic. Conviction of the truth of the faith
had done its work, and she was thor-
oughly dissatisfied with the Anglicanism
in which she had been brought up, and
correspondingly desirous of leaving its
darkness for the light of the Church.
What made her case more difficult than
many was that she was a confirmed in-
valid, and surrounded by those who were
known to be so hostile to anything Cath-

(345)

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

1040

olic, that opposition to her design was
naturally expected to be of the bitterest
order. However, thanks to the grace of
the Sacred Heart, obtained principally
through the prayers of some members of
the League, everything has come out
happily. Her relatives have even ex-
pressed a certain amount of satisfaction
that the ministrations of the Church have
restored to her a contentment to which
she had long been a stranger. As she
is bedridden and rapidly nearing her end,
they have gone so far as to invite a priest
to say Mass at their home for her benefit. ' '
' ' My sister, a violent religious mono-
maniac, had been confined in an insane
asylum, where her case was considered
hopeless. She was recommended to the
prayers of the League, and shortly after-
wards gave unmistakable signs of being
cured, by writing me a most lucid letter,
in which she said she had been able to
attend Mass the Sunday before, and hoped
to receive Holy Communion the follow-
ing Sunday — thanks to the mercy of the
Sacred Heart. ' '

A girl who had long wished to become
a Catholic, but was bitterly opposed by
her family, was received into the Church
while visiting her cousin, a Catholic, and
led a most exemplary life among her
Protestant friends, though she was so re-
moved from all Catholic surroundings
that she was specially dispensed, by her
pastor, from going to Mass on Sundays
in wet or very warm weather. Taken
suddenly ill in July last, it seemed impos-
sible for her to have .the priest before
death ; but her faith in the Sacred Heart
was strong, and a young curate, four
miles away, had a sudden impulse at mid-
night to visit the sick girl, although he
had not been told the case was urgent.
He walked to her home, and arrived just
in time to administer the last rites of the
Church before she died. The priest at-
tributes his miraculous visit to the Sacred
Heart, of which the dead girl was an
ardent client, her great prayer since her
conversion having been that she might
not die without the last sacraments.

A woman who had lost considerable
money through the failure of the bank
in which she had deposited it, had re-
course to the Sacred Heart during the
impending litigation. Her claim was
executed on the first Friday of May,
went through the Brooklyn courts on the
first Friday of June, was signed by the
judge on the first Friday of July, and the
money was refunded the next Saturday.

A man, who had been recreant to his
religion for sixteen years, refused to see
a priest in his last illness. A friend pre-
vailed upon him, as a personal favor, to
make the Morning Offering every day
for a week. The sick man did so, and,
at the end of the week, asked for the
priest, was reconciled to the Church,
and died an edifying death.

From Pendleton, Oregon, comes the
following : ' ' We wish to offer thanks to
the Sacred Heart. A child, having
fallen into a well, twenty feet deep, with
seven feet of water in it, was saved by
supernatural strength given to a man
who was in a helpless condition at the
time. Two religious were present and
promised to publish thanks in the MES-
SENGER, if the child was saved.

Spiritual Favors. — A priest returns
thanks for the great favor of having had
his parents present at his ordination ; a
lady, who had not been to the sacraments
in twenty-five years, was induced to
wear a Badge by a member of the League :
on the first Friday of August, she re-
turned to her religious duty, and re-
ceived Holy Communion ; an entire
family of eleven Protestants received
into the Church ; a young lady, anxious
to enter a convent, was confronted with
difficulties that seemed to render her
vocation impossible : after promising
two Masses and publication, all obsta-
cles were removed, and she entered on
the day she had appointed ; return to
his religious duty of a brother, after
five years' indifference ; a mother who,
to the knowledge of her family, had
never practised her religion, was afflicted
with a mortal illness : the daughters
appealed to the Sacred Heart, and she
had the happiness of receiving Holy
Viaticum ; return to a devout life of a
grandfather who had been intemperate
for twenty-three years : the favor was
obtained through a Badge which his lit-
tle granddaughter induced him to wear,
and to his practice of every day reciting
the Litany of Loretto, when he had
given up all other Catholic practices :
shortly after putting on the Badge, he
made a mission, and is now an exemplary
Catholic ; another man, addicted to
drink for forty years, has returned to a
life of temperance ; ' ' thanks are re-
turned for peace and a right understand-
ing between certain persons, where seri-
ous unhappiness might have resulted :
the favor was received after Holy Mass
had been offered and publication prom-
ised. "

1O5O

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

(346 }•

Temporal Favors. — The mother of a
family that needed her care was confined
to her bed for six months, with what
was, apparently, an incurable disease :
in May she promised the Sacred Heart
to have Mass said every month, for a
year, for the Holy Souls, as also to
have the favor published : she is now
out of bed and rapidly improving,
though still suffering from heart trouble
and spinal disease ; after a novena to
the Sacred Heart, and promise of publi-
cation, a young lady was cured of a sore
that threatened to develop into cancer ;
a mother suffering from heart disease
noticeably improved after prayer by her
daughter; the recovery of a lady who
was dangerously ill ; also of two chil-
dren from diphtheria; a young lady,
who had grown so weak from long ill-
ness that she could not speak, was
restored to health, after thirty-one mem-
bers of the League had offered Commun-
ions for her on the first Friday in June ;
recovery of a Sister who had suffered for
three months from swollen limbs, after a
novena and promise of publication ; a
daughter-in-law, threatened with in-
sanity, was cured after promise of publi-
cation and nine Masses for the Holy
Souls ; a Sister of St. Dominic, threat-
ened with total blindness, according to
physicians, had her sight restored after
a novena and promise of publication ;
also recovery of a woman who had been
given up for death, and of a mother seri-
ously ill with fever ; after a novena to
St. Anthony, a four-year-old boy was
cured of an affliction of the eyes, which
threatened to disfigure him for life ; also
cure, after promise of publication, of a
severe cold that threatened to develop
into consumption ; many other cures of
colds, headaches, grippe, pneumonia,
catarrh, skin disease and diphtheria ;
preservation from illness during an epi-
demic in a Dakota school, and the im-
munity of three persons from diphtheria
when their household was afflicted with
it ; recovery of a lost child, after prom-
ise of a Mass and publication ; also re-
covery, after prayer, of two valuable
horses that had gone astray in a Louisi-
ana forest ; threatened loss of money
averted, after Our Lady of Prompt Succor
and Saint Anthony had been invoked ;
payment, after St. Anthony had been in-
voked and publication promised, of a sum
of money ong due and much needed ; a
woman, who wanted to borrow money to
meet an urgent obligation, appealed in
vain to banks, trusts, and loan associa-

tions, though her security was good :
after a novena to the Sacred Heart help
came unexpectedly ; the successful sale
of property ; two successful church fairs ;
a delicate boy and lax Catholic had de-
cided to go to Klondyke : his sister, fear-
ing alike for hi» physical and spiritual
health, prayed to Our Lady of the Sacred
Heart, St. Joseph, St. Anthony and the
boy's patron, St. Thomas Aquinas:
after all human opposition had failed to
dissuade him, he relinquished the project
suddenly and voluntarily ; a great favor,
on which a person's future happiness
depended, miraculously granted after
human means had failed and recourse
was had to prayer ; many successful ex-
aminations ; many reconciliations of es-
tranged friends ; three persons out of em-
ployment for two years secured good
positions after novenas and promised
publication ; many other positions ob-
tained.

Favors Through the Badge and Promo-
ter's Cross. — A Promoter's mother had
suffered intensely for several days from
an inflamed and swollen eye, and had
tried various remedies in vain : publi-
cation was promised and the Badge
applied, the pain becoming even more
violent for awhile, after which she sank
into a peaceful sleep : she awoke in
about an hour completely cured, and,
though she is seventy-four years old,
her eye looks better than it has looked
for years ; cure of a contagious disease
through the Badge and invocation of
the Infant Jesus of Prague.

"I was about to take a long journey
with a little child in my care, when
I was seized with a sudden illness :
the journey was inevitable, and the hour
for my train fast approaching: The
severity of the attack increased, and all
remedies failed. As a recent convert
from the Episcopalian body, I am
troubled with some lingering skepticism
as to Catholic practices for obtaining
temporal favors. In my extremity, how-
ever, like St. Peter, I cried, ' Save, Lord !
or I perish ! ' There remained but two
hours before my train left, and the
spasms of pain increased. I resolved to
put on the Badge and to offer three Our
Fathers in honor of the Sacred Heart,
with the petition that I might recover
sufficiently to accomplish the journey.
From that time the remedies began to be
effectual — not suddenly, but very per-
ceptibly until the cab came for me.
journey was made in no discomfort anu
with less than usual fatigue. My faith

/ WAITED, LORD, FOR THEE.

1O51

h; s been stimulated, and I send this
bi ef account of an otherwise trivial cir-
c\ mstance, in the hope that other con-
vt rts, trained as I was to scoff at such
' {• uperstitions, ' may be encouraged ; ' '
ci re, after application of Badge and Pro-
m )ter's Cross, of a painful swelling of
the hand of three months' standing;
cure, after applying the Badge, of aper-
scn violently ill with fever and suffer-
ing from severe pain in the back ; cure,
ate prayer to the Sacred Heart, our
Lady, St. Joseph and St. Anthony, to-
gether with application of the Badge,
of a mother on the point of insanity
from chronic insomnia and headache ;
a person about to undertake a journey
was delayed by a sudden and severe ill-

I ness, but was relieved sufficiently to
make the trip after wearing the Badge ;

' relief from a painful cancer by apply-
ing the Badge ; also relief from tooth-

ache ; a baby, taken sick in July and
growing steadily worse for some days,
was given up by the doctors, but
some members of the League began a
novena to the Sacred Heart, applied the
Badge and Promoter's Cross, promised
publieation and administered Lourdes
water : the little one passed the crisis
safely as the novena was being finished ;
another child, violently ill with convul-
sions and despaired of by the doctors,
was cured by applying the Badge and
Promoter's Cross ; also cure by applying
the Cross, of a little boy suffering from
toothache.

Spiritual and Temporal Favors ob-
tained through Our Lady under various
titles, St. Joseph, St. Anne, St. An-
thony, St. Thomas, St. Francis Xavier,
St. Expeditus, St. Eulogius, Blessed
Rita, Ven. de la Colombiere and the
Martyrs of Auriesville.

I WAITED, LORD, FOR THEE.

By J. A. Mullen, S.J.

My heart was light, my spirits gay,

I waited, Lord, for Thee ;
And nearer, nearer, came the day,
And though with fervent heart I pray,
Thou hear'st me not, Thou bidst me stay,

And wait awhile for Thee.

My prayers I blended with the rest,

Who waited then for Thee.
Thou calledst me not to be Thy guest,
My worth by deeds Thou wouldest test,
Thy will to me was manifest,

I waited, Lord, for Thee.

Dost Thou not say, now knock, now seek.

And I will come to thee ?
I came, I knocked— Thou didst not speak :
Again refused, my soul grew weak,
And all around is cold and bleak,

While waiting, Lord, for Thee.

Thy loving voice again I hear,

Still waiting, Lord, for Thee.
Thy joyful welcome without fear,
Oh pass me not, nor fail to cheer
The heart of one to Thee so dear,

That patient waits for Thee.

•RIE-READER-

IS THERE UNDUE DISCRIMINATION
AGAINST CATHOLIC AUTHORS?

A timely and fair criticism appeared
lately in the Boston Pilot on the proposi-
tion of Dr. Thomas O 'Hagan to establish
a ' ' Catholic Authors ' Club. ' ' It was not
the proposal to have such an association
that is criticized (for there can be no ob-
jection to Catholics of literary pursuits
banding together), but the motive as-
signed for its creation is certainly open
to discussion. It was this, "that the
fact of being a Roman Catholic exposes
an American author to unfair treat-
ment." The Illustrated American de-
nies this, and says : " If a Roman Cath-
olic author writes good literature, those
who care for good literature read him.
Besides these readers, this fortunate au-
thor gets a host of other readers who read
him because he is a Roman Catholic."

We agree with this assertion in the
main. There may be some writers who
have never received the recognition that
perhaps they deserve, but this befalls
Protestants quite as well, nor can we
always account for the public verdict.
Why Dion and the Sibyls should be com-
paratively unknown, while Ben Hur has
a world-wide reputation, cannot be ac-
counted for by the fact that Miles Gerald
Keon was a Catholic and Lew Wallace a
Protestant. Indeed it has been said that
Ben Hur was coldly received in the
beginning. Many a book owes its pop-
ularity to successful advertising and
favorable notices — booming we call it
nowadays. Be that as it may, we hold
that Catholics can have a hearing, or
rather a reading, if they write what is
readable; otherwise, Catholic or no Cath-
olic, they have no claim, nor just cause
of complaint.

Again, if an article is obtrusively
Catholic it cannot be expected to gain
admittance into distinctively Protestant
publications, any more than a Protes-
tant one of the same stamp would be
received by Catholic editors. The Pilot
makes the following good points, say-
ing: "The real grievance, of which Dr.
O 'Hagan as a writer and other Catholics

IOS2

as readers have a right to complain, lies
in the fact that secular publications so
often forget to be secular. They give
columns of room to distinctly Protestant
matter, while rejecting anything Cath-
olic as sectarian. " It refers as a parallel
to the Protestant and Masonic ceremo-
nies quite common at public functions,
though an outcry would be raised by
these people were a priest to officiate on
such occasions in his vestments. Ma-
jority in numbers does not justify the
way in which even the non-religious
press reflects Protestant opinion, while
appealing for support to people of every
creed. Speaking of Catholics buying
papers which treat their faith disparag-
ingly, it remarks : " It is so easy to get
insulted without paying a cent for it,
that it is sheer extravagance to buy
what can be had for nothing." It con-
siders " Dr. O 'Hagan 's chief complaint
well taken against compilers of so-called
manuals of American literature, in which
Catholic writers are treated with very
scant courtesy or none at all. One of
them gives just a single line to the work
of Catholic authors, and others less
grudgingly recognize the part of Catho-
licity in American letters."

In our opinion, the less fuss Catholics
make about want of recognition because
of their faith the better. In the world
of letters let them produce what is really
worthy of public attention, and they will
command it, without any undue dis-
crimination. Nicholas Wiseman was a
Catholic, yea, a Roman Cardinal: do his
Fabiola and other writings lack readers?
John Henry Newman was a Catholic,
yea, a Roman Cardinal: do his works lie
uncalled for on the booksellers' shelves?
Henry Edward Manning was a Catholic,
yea, a Roman Cardinal : were the prod-
ucts of his pen unacceptable ? James
Gibbons is a Catholic, yea, a Roman
Cardinal: are his writings unpopular?
If, then, Catholics of the deepest red, the
Pope's own scarlet counsellors, can get a
strong hold on the reading public, let
not the want of success of pretentious
but unmeritorious writers be attributed
to their Catholicism.

(348)

It would seem that Catholics in Eng-
and are open to the same or similar
bsurd treatment as their American
lirethren at the hands of reporters of
( hurch functions. The London Times,
lor instance, in describing the Mass
t elebrated by Cardinal Vaughan at Ebbs
Meet, records that "the consecration
j.nd elevation, a particularly solemn and
< triking portion of the service, was (sic)

BOOK NOTICES.

1053

take a share. With this in mind he
probably took for granted that the two
Cardinals must certainly participate.
"Administer the sacramental kiss"
is truly a novel way of describing the
pax or kiss of peace. For variety, per-
haps, he called Cardinal Perraud, at
times, ' ' Dr. ' ' Perraud. As the editor of
the Weekly Register remarked in this
connection, " it reminded him of a query

performed by Cardinal Perraud, who later of an Anglican rector in Rome, who

on administered the sacramental kiss."
Doubtless the good reporter was accus-
tomed to Mosaic performance of Angli-
can Protestant services in which all the
most distinguished bishops or ministers

lately roamed about St. Peter's asking
if ' Dr. Pecci ' were to be seen at any of
the Lord 's Tables. ' ' The average Ameri-
can reporter of Catholic services is quite
on a par with his English confrere.

BOOK NOTICES.

The Eucharistic Christ. By Rev. A.
Tesniere. New York: Benziger Brothers.
1897. Pages 187. I2tno. Price $1.00.
This is an excellent English transla-
tion, by Mrs. Anne R. Bennett - Glad-
stone, of the French work by Father
Tesniere, priest of the Congregation of
the' Blessed Sacrament. It is not in
the form of a treatise, but of ' ' Reflec-
tions and Considerations on the Blessed
Sacrament ' ' ; and it is intended pri-
marily for use by those who make the
hour of adoration, although it will be
profitable for those who have not this
practice. There is an admirable preface
>y Rev. D. J. McMahon, D.D., the Gen-
eral Director for the United States of the
Apostolic Union of Secular Priests. This
)ook is calculated to promote devotion
:o our Lord in the Holy Eucharist.

True Politeness. By the Abbe" Francis
Demore. Translated from the French
>y a Visitandine of Baltimore. New
York : Benziger Brothers. 1897. Pages
203. i6mo. Price 60 cents.

This is " a little treatise addressed to
religious," and made up of short con-
ierences given by the Abb£ , who was the
spiritual director of the Poor Clares of
Marseilles. The counsels it contains,
lowever, would be useful for every mem-
ber of society, mutatis mutandis. The
translation is well done.

By Branscome Hirer. By Marion Ames
Taggart. New York: Benziger Brothers.
1897. Pages 165. i6mo. Price 50
cents.

We congratulate the authoress on this,
her latest production. The boys and
girls are true to life, and consequently

interesting. It suggests excellent points
to its young readers for imitation.

The Lamp of the Sanctuary. By Car-
dinal Wiseman. New York : Benziger
Brothers. 1897. Pages 97. i6mo. Price
25 cents.

This beautiful little tale, in the at-
tractive form of the new edition, will be
welcomed by all admirers of the great
Cardinal's writings.

The Old Faith and the New Woman.
By Rev. George Tyrrell, S.J. League
Tract XL 317 Willings Alley, Phila-
delphia, Pa. Price 5 cents.

The League Centre of St. Joseph's
Church, Philadelphia, deserves our grati-
tude for publishing in pamphlet form
Father Tyrrell's paper in the July
American Catholic Quarterly Review. It
is by far the best thing written on this
much-discussed question. After clearly
explaining the Church's attitude with
regard to all new movements, Father
Tyrrell goes on to point out how false is
the charge that the Church has stood in
the way of the higher education of
women. But she must not be educated
out of her proper sphere in life, or given
that perfect equality with man advocated
by J. S. Mill and other rationalistic
writers. The low price at which the
pamphlet is sold should insure for it a
wide circulation.

Bone Kules or Skeleton of English
Grammar. By Rev. John B. Tabb. Ben-
ziger Brothers, New York. Pages 109.
Price, 50 cents.

Under this somewhat odd but expres-
sive title, the poet-priest, Father Tabb,
has presented us an excellent outline of

1054

BOOK NOTICES.

(350)

English grammar. It embodies his many
years of experience as a teacher of the
lower college classes, and should prove
of great assistance to those engaged in
like duties. As a text-book, it is marked
by clearness, simplicity, apt illustrations,
and the avoidance of the many newly-
invented technical terms which have
served to introduce confusion into the
study of the grammar of our language.

Tales of Good Fortune. Vol. I. A
orn Grandee. By Rev. Thomas Jeffer-
on Jenkins. Akron, Ohio : D. H.
McBride & Co. Price 25 cents.

Father Jenkins has wrought a good
work in bringing out an adaptation of
Canon Schmid's far-famed tales for chil-
dren. The present volume is the first of
a proposed series of six books, and its
neatly-printed pages and attractive bind-
ing should catch the eye and through
it the mind and heart of the young read-
ers for whom it is intended.

History of the Catholic Religion in the
Sandwich Islands. 1829 to 1840.

Now that it appears a settled fact that
Hawaii is to be annexed to the United
States, this sketch of its missions pos-
sesses special interest. The book is a
reprint of a " Supplement to the Sand-
wich Island Mirror, Containing an Ac-
count of the Persecution of Catholics at
the Sandwich Islands." Unfortunately
the new publishers do not give their
name or address, and so our notice will
add nothing toward making its details
of Protestant intolerance better known.

The Life of Saint Roch, Patron of the
Sick. Translated from the French by
the Sisters of Mercy, Worcester, Mass.
Price 10 cents.

In France and Italy no saint is better
known or more generally invoked in
time of sickness, and especially of
plague, than St. Roch. We are told
that this is the first edition of his life in
English. It will help to spread devo-
tion to him in this country, and at the
same time to aid the Orphan Asylum in
Worcester, for whose benefit the book is
being sold.

Examination Bulletin No. 13, June,
1897. College-Entrance English. Uni-
versity of the State of New York.

What must strike every reader of this
pains-taking compilation of Professor
Jones, is the want of anything like a I
system in the teaching of English in
our so-called great colleges. As pointed
out by the Literature Inspector of the
University of the State of New York,
the methods of study suggested by the
various colleges are fundamentally dif-
ferent. We cannot say that the present
work does much towards solving the
difficulty or to remove ' ' the one defect
of English teaching in our schools, its
unrelatedness, its disjointedness, its
vagueness of aim, its uncertainty of
method."

BOOKS RECEIVED.

Twenty-first Year Book of the New
York State Reformatory, for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 1896. With
illustrations, and anthropometric tables.
Elmira, N. Y. 1897.

FROM BENZIGER BROTHERS: NEW YORK.

The Illustrated Prayer-Book for Chil-
dren— Price 35 cents.

The Little Path to Hearen. Price 20
cents to $1.60, according to binding.

RECENT AGGREGATIONS AND PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS.

The following Local Centres-have received Diplomas of Aggregation, September i to 30, 1897.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Date.

Boston
Brooklyn
Brownsville

West Roxbury, Boston, Mass.
Brooklyn, N. Y
Laredo, Texas

St. Teresa's "
St. John the Evangelist's "
St. Augustine's ....

Sep. 22
Sen. 26

Charleston
'Cleveland

Florence, S. C
Clyde O

St. Anthony's Churc.

Sep. 8

Galion O

New Berlin, O. .

St! Paul's .

Sep 8

Duluth
Grand Rapids
Green Bay

Pine City, Minn
Harbor Springs, Mich. . .
t'ulaski, Wis

St. Mary's
Holy Childhood of Jesus .
Assumption "

Sep. 13
Sep. 30
Sep. 8

* ' 4l . .

Hofa Park, Wis

St. Stanislaus "

Sep 8

Harrisburg

Lewistown, Pa

Sacred Heart . ' '

Sep 30

Hartford

West New Haven, Conn. . .

St. Laurence's .... '••

Sep. 28

Leavenworth
Monterey and Los Angeles

Holy Cross, Kans
Castroville, Cal
Ottawa 111

Holy Cross
O. L. of Refuge

Sep. 28
Sep. 8

St. Louis

^t. Louis Mo

Holy Angels . . ' *

Sep! 28

Scranton

Scranton Pa

Sep 8

Scranton • . . .

William sport Pa

Aggregations, 21 : cathedral, r ; churches, 20.

Diplomas issued from September i to 30 (inclusive), 1897.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Number.

Albany . .

West Albany N Y

Church i

Boston Mass

Canton, "

" Catholic Deaf Mute
St. John's

Mission 3
. Church 6

St John's

" 3

Brooklyn

Roxbury, Boston, Mass . .
Brooklyn, N. Y (Flatbush).

St. Joseph's
Holy Cross
St. Charles Borromeo's

" 2
" I
" I

Brownsville
Buffalo

Charleston
Cincinnati

San Patricio, Tex
Buffalo, N. Y

Charleston, S. C
Cincinnati, Ohio
Kenton, Ohio
Napoleon Oh o

St. John's
St. Patrick's
Holy Angel's
St. Mary's
St. Patrick's
St. Peter's
Immaculate Conception . .
St Augustine's . . .

Home i
. Church i

" 21

. School 25
Church 7
Cathedral
. Church i

" 2

Covington . ...
Dallas

Norwalk, Ohio
Newport, Ky

St. Mary's . . .
Immaculate Conception . .
St Xavier's

8
Academy i

Fort Wayne

Notre Dame, Ind . ...
Galveston Tex

Notre Dame
St. Mary's

. University i
Cathedral i

Green Bay
Hartford

Portage, Wis .

Immaculate Couception . .

SI Mary's ...

. Church i
Church 5

New Haven, Conn
New London, Conn

St. Patrick's
St. Mary's Star of the Sea .

. Convent i
. Church 4

Leavenworth ....

Hanover, Kans. . . .
Palmer, Kans.
St. Mary's, Kans

St. John the Baptist's . . .
St. Louis'
St. Mary's

3
3
College i

•«.•*.

Manchester N H

Milwaukee

Highland, Wis
Watertown, Wis

St. John Nepomucene's . .
St. Bernard's

. Church 2

Monterey and Los An-
geles
Nesqually
New York

Fresno, Cal
Vancouver, Wash
Brewster NY

St. John the Baptist's . . .
St. James'
St. Lawrence O'Toole's . .

. Cathedral 2
. Church 4

Mt. Florence, Peekskill
N Y

Good Shepherd

. Convent 3

Ogdensburg . .
Oregon City
Philadelphia

New York City, N.Y. . .

Cherubusco, N. Y
Gervais, Ore . .
Falls of Schuylkill, Phila.

Our Lady of Good Counsel .
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel . .
Sacred Heart
St. Ignatius Loyola's ....
St. Philomena's
SS. Gervase and Protase's .

. Church 2
" i
" i

'. " 5

" 10
" !

Providence

Philadelphia, Pa
Taunton, Mass.

St. Anthony of Padua . . .
St. Mary's

" 2
. " 56

St. Cloud

Rices, BentonCo., Minn. . .

Immaculate Conception . .

" 4
Monastery i

St. Louis

Arcadia, Mo
St lyOuis Mo . .

Ursuline
St. Francis Xavier's . .

. Convent i
. Church 3

St Paul

St. Joseph's
Visitation
St. Joseph's

. Convent 2
. Church 2

Immaculate Conception . .

" 10

. . . .
Wheeling

San Jos6 "
Wheeling, W. Va

St. Joseph's
St. Joseph's

" i
. Cathedral 3

Total Number of Receptions, 51-.

(350

Totnl Number of Diplomas issued, 251.
1055

CALENDAR OF INTENTIONS, NOVEMBER, 1897.

THE MORNING OFFERING.

O Jesus, through the immaculate heart of Mary, I offer Thee the prayers, works, and sufferings of this
day for all the intentions of Thy divine Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and in par-
ticular for Souls in Their Agony, for the intentions of the Apostleship throughout the world, and for
these particular intentions recommended by the American Associates.

4
5

M.
T.

Th.
F.

All Saints.— A.C., A. I., B.M.
All Sjuls.— St. Victorinus, Bp. M. (303).
— A.C.
St. Winifred, V.M. (1050). -St. Malachy, Bp.
(1148)
St. Charles Borromeo, Bp. (1584). — H.H.
First Friday.— SS. Zachary and Elizabeth.—
ist. D., A.C.
St. Leonard, Hermit (575).

Honor the saints.
Help the holy souls.

Patience in trials.

Pray for seminarians
Union in family.

Recollection.

252,003 thanksgivings.
67,192 in affliction.

72,405 sick, infirm.

81,095 dead Associates.
43,341 League Centres.

18,832 Directors.

22d after PenteCOSt.— B. Anthony Baldi-
nucci (S.J. 171?)-

Generosity.

42,145 Promoters.

8
9

Th.

Octave of All Saints. — Four Brothers
Crowned, MM. (304).
Dedication of the L/ateran Basilica (324). —
St. Theodore, M. (304).
St. Andrew Avellino (Theatine, 1608).
St. Martin, Bp. (Tours, 400). — St. Mennas,
M. (303).— Pr., H.H.
St. Martin I., P.M. (655).
St. Didacus (1463).

Thinkoften of heaven.
Respect God's house.
Filial confidence.

Self-sacrifice.
Morning offering.
Pray for schismatics.

312,230 departed.
165,431 perseverance.
224,729 young persons.

76,727 First Communions.
89,620 parents.
81 ,686 families

23d after PenteCOSt.— St. Stanislas Kostka
(S J., 1580)— Nov. 13 for S.J.

Union with God.

54,395 reconciliations.

17
18
19

M.
T.

W.
Th.
F.
S.

St. Gertrude, V.— Ab. (O.S.B., 130!).
St. Josaphat (Bp. M. (1623).— St. Edmund,
Bp. (1240).
St. Gregory, Wonder-Worker, Bp. (270).—
St. Hugh, Bp (1200).
Dedication of Basilicas of SS. Peter and
Paul (Rome, 1626).— H H.
St. Elizabeth, W.Q. (Hungary, 1234).— St.
Pontian, M. (235).— Pr.
St. Felix de Valois, F. (Trinitarians, 1212).

Peace of heart.
Confidence in God.

Spirit of faith.
Zeal for God's house.
Charity for the poor.
Honor the Trinity.

102,982 work, means.
91,717 clergy.

166,706 religious.
49,215 seminarists, novices.
58,820 vocations.
47,463 parishes.

24th after PenteCOSt— Presentation B V.M.
-C.R.

Self-oblation.

55,805 schools.

M.
T.

Th.
F.

St. Cecilia, V.M. (230).
St. Clement I., P.M. (100).— St. Felicitas, M.
(150)
St. John of the Cross (O.C., 1591).— St. Chry-
sogonus, M. (304).
St. Catharine, V.M. (310).— H.H.
St. Sylvester, Ab. (1267).— St. Peter of Alex-
andria, Bp. M. (310).
Patronage, B. V.M.— (3d S. Nov. ) St. James
Intercisus, M. (Persia, 421).

Angelic purity.
Despise the world.

Patience in suffering.

Spirit of wisdom.
Zeal for God's glory.

All for Jesus.

55,124 superiors.
28,383 missions, retreats.

39,551 societies, works.

377,881 conversions, sinners.
178,943 intemperate.

150,834 spiritual favors.

1st Of Advent.-St. Sosthenes (Disciple,
Corinth I. Century).

Kindliness

93,826 temporal favors.

29
30

St. Saturninus, B. (650).
St. Andrew, Ap. (62).— A. I., B.M.

Zeal for conversion.
Pray for Scotland.

111,904 special, various.
MESSENGER readers.

PLENARY INDULGENCES: Ap. — Apostleship. (T).=Degrees, Pr.= Promoters, C. R.=Communwn of Repara-
tion, H.H.=7/0/>' Hour); A. £.<—Archconfraternity; S. ^Sodality ; B. M.=£ona Mors ; A. I.^Apostolic
Indulgence; A. §.=Apostlcship of Study ; S. S.=St. John Berchmans"1 Sanctuary Society; "&.\.=Bridgettine
Indulgence.

TREASURY OF GOOD WORKS.
Offerings for the Intentions recommended to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

ioo days' Indulgence for every action offered for the Intentions of the League.

Acts of Charity

NO. TIMES.
141,327

ii.

Masses heard

NO. TIMES.

. . . 159,034

3-
4.

Beads
Way of the Cross
Holy Communions

399,814
66,361

252,933

12.
13-

Mortifications
Works of Mercy
Works of Zeal

149,555
106,264
631,742

Spiritual Communions . . ...

Tfi"

Prayers
Kindly Conversation

3,841,767
. . 76,763

Hours of Labor. . .

549 462

17.

Sufferings Afflictions

. . . 107,828

Hours of Silence

206,792
118 078

18.

Self-conquest

94,638
272,856

10.

Masses read

20.

Various Good Works

164,901

Special Thanksgivings, 1,574; Total, 7,826,648.
Intentions or Good Works put in the box, or given on lists to Promoters before their meeting on or
before the last Sunday, are sent by Directors to be recommended in our Calendar, MESSENGER, in our

Masses here, at the General Direction in Toulouse, and gourdes.
1056

(352)

MARY'S J EWELS.

By Rev. John B. Tabb.
IVE deep for pearls, as did the Messenger

Who learned in earth's humility to know
A gem that Heaven itself, apart from her,

Had not in all its treasury to show.

BLESSED MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE
OF THE VISITATION.

THE MESSENGER

SAGRED HEART OF JESUS

VOL. xxxn.

DECEMBER, 1897.

No. 12.

IN THE AUSTRIAN TYROL.

CORTINA D'AMPEGGO.

By E. McAuliffe.

WE had heard from some English
ladies, whom we had met in our
travels, the most enticing accounts of a
summer resort in the Austrian Tyrol :
a valley of verdure near the highest
Alpine peaks, and a people of primitive
simplicity. At the close of a very warm
Spring we determined to seek out this
delightful spot ; but inquiries as to its
whereabouts elicited nothing ; we had
omitted to get the exact directions ; we
knew not how to reach it. We called at
Cook's office — they knew nothing about
it, it was not on any of their charts ; we
called on our Consul — he had never
heard of it ; we could not find it in our
(hitherto) infallible guide-book, and
began to think it must be

" The lost Atlantis of our dreams,"
when, one day, we found in a book-store
a little, unpretending-looking Austrian
guide-book. We searched through it
eagerly, and, behold ! here were all the
points we required. From Innsbruck to
Toblach by train. From Toblach a drive
of four hours through the most en-
chanting scenery in Europe brings you to

Cortina, in the Ampeggo valley. The
road lies in a defile, which narrows as
you proceed, until you reach an open
space surrounded on all sides with the
singularly beautiful Dolomites. Con-
spicuous among them is Mount Popena,
Mount Cristallo, the Drei Zinnen, the
Cadinspitze and the Rorthwand. We
pass the beautiful lake, Diirrensee, whose
waters are of an emerald green, and
where the snowy mass of Mount Cristallo
is reflected in absolute perfection.
Schluderbach is just a resting place, to
stop and digest the exquisite surround-
ings. From Schluderbach it is a charm-
ing walk to Cortina, every step dis-
closing new beauties. As we draw nearer
our destination we see the grand peaks
ofPelmo, of Autelao, and of Anrapis,
and, sleeping in the sunshine at their
feet, the valley of repose.

The village consists of one long street.
The principal object is the church, with
its tall bell-tower. A mountain stream,
dignified with the name of river, the
Roite, foams and frets its way through
the centre of the valley ; the green banks

T059

1O6O

IN THE AUSTRIAN TYROL.

sloping upward on either side are all
dotted with picturesque, many-gabled
chalets ; higher up a deep fringe of pines
skirts the base of the mountains, whose
summits seem to pierce the clouds.
Although not yet patronized by tourists
in general, Cortina is well known to the
best class of Germans, and much fre-
quented by members of the Alpine Club,
all of whom belong to the nobility.
There is a train every day goes from
Toblach to Vienna. When we arrived, it
was the middle of July ; the four hotels
which the village boasts were full, and
lodging out their guests in the houses
of the peasants. Our quarters were in a
small house opposite our hotel, the home
of a most interesting family, consisting
of four daughters and two sons, besides
the parents. Religious emblems met
our view on every side ; in every room
little shrines with lamps burning, on
every face the peace of God shining.

The men of the family we did not see ;
they were offon the distant Alps, herding
cattle. Pasturage is so scarce that the
shepherds spend the short Summer sea-
son going from Alp to Alp, until the
cattle have consumed every square inch

of herbage, by which time the Winter has
set in and they return to their homes.
Besides herding cattle, the Tyroleans
make a livelihood by acting as guides to
tourists, and also as hunters. Deer are
found here, as well as many other kinds
of game. The Alpine guides and hunters
look very picturesque, with their tall,
pointed hats, wreathed with wild flowers,
the former carrying a coil of stout rope
over his shoulder and a strong axe in his
belt.

All the field work, as well as the
domestic, is done by the women and
girls ; they take in the hay, they stack
it in the barns ; the dry season is so
short they have to accomplish much
while it lasts. They do not talk here
about the "rights of women;" they
know the ' ' duties of women. ' ' They do
whatever the hand finds to do, unre-
piningly, unquestioningly. Their in-
dustry is beyond all praise. During the
long Winter of nearly ten months they
occupy themselves in making lace. Very
fine and beautiful lace, called in our
market "antique lace," and sold at a
high price, but it can be bought here for
anything one offers. All the guest-cham-

LAKE DUKRKNSKE, WITH MONT CRISTALLO IN BACKGROUND.

1061

IN THE AUSTRIAN TYROL

bers in the cottages are adorned with
this exquisite fabric. There is no class
but the peasant class, no baronial res-
idence, no castle ; all the grandeur is
Nature's. The older women are sun-
browned and toil-worn, the younger
beautiful in their native costumes, but
quite unconscious of their own beauty,
innocent and pious, like the young
Rebecca leading her father's flocks to
the fountain. It was late in the after-
noon when we reached Cortina. We re-
called the words of Dante :

" Now was the hour that wakens fond desire
In men at sea, and melts their thoughtful

heart,

Who in the morn have bid sweet friends fare-
well.

And pilgrim newly on his road, with love
Thrills if he hear the vesper bell from far,
That seems to mourn for the expiring day. "

The mass-bells are ringing at five o'clock
in the morning. The whole population
goes to Mass every day, the greater num-
ber at that early hour. At every Mass,
at the elevation of the Sacred Host, the
church-bell rings, so that any who are
kept away by illness or other causes may
assist in spirit and intention at the holy

sacrifice. These people are truly pious.
Untainted as yet by heresy, the Tyrol is
the most Catholic region in the world.
Here, when the priest bears the Viaticum
to the sick, it is not done secretly ; he
carries it openly through the street, fol-
lowed by a crowd of devout worshippers.
A canopy is held above his head, and,
when the sound of the little bell is heard
which an acolyte rings in advance, every
one comes to the door of his house to
kneel in adoration while the Majesty of
Heaven passes. For the moment, all
business is suspended ; if you were in a
store, the person waiting on you would
drop his goods and hasten to perform his
act of homage. I have seen the servants
of the principal hotel running to the door
in a crowd, to prostrate themselves o i
such an occasion. Another beautiful
custom prevails here, which I have not
seen elsewhere. When a dying person
is in the last agony, the church-bell
rings a solemn peal, which gives notice,
and at once the whole village unites in
prayer for the passing soul. They stand
at the doors of their houses and shops,
praying devoutly as long as the bell is
ringing. We live here in an atmosphere

1062

IN THE AUSTRIAN TYROL.

of holiness ; the extreme purity of the
air in these lofty regions is a fit emblem
of the lives of the inhabitants. One is
near heaven, in a double sense, physi-
cally and spiritually.

Before the High Mass on Sundays,
the priest gives four benedictions from
four altars, one on each side of the
church, to bless the fields on every
side. After Vespers, the young men who
come down to the village for Sunday, play
their games of ball, etc., in the square
outside the church, the priest looking
on approvingly, while placidly smoking
his long German pipe.

When we arrived in July the rose-
trees were putting forth their first little
tender buds ; in the last week of August
the snow was lying on the near hills.
For any one in search of a sensation,
snowballing in August is a genuine
one. Mountain climbing is the prin-
cipal amusement of the place. Parties
go out on long expeditions (there are
no bandits here), and each one boasts
of the number of high peaks he has
achieved. We wished to stay a little
longer ; the immense stoves were lighted,
softening the temperature indoors, but
in the first week of September the cold,
outdoors, became unendurable, and we
had to seek a milder climate on the
southern slopes of the Tyrol.

We left Cortina in the stage at
eight in the morning, wrapped up in
heavy cloaks and furs. The morning
was clear and bright, the pine-trees,
under their mantle of snow, exh aled sweet
odors ; we passed through Schluderbach
and took our last look at " Cristallo, "
forever mirrored in the emerald waters of
the lovely ' ' Diirrensee. " By the time
we reached Toblach, after a drive of four
hours, our wraps had been discarded,
and were piled up on the seat beside us
nearly as high as our heads. We were
quite out of the cold region and had
found Summer again.

From Toblach we took the train to
Botzen, a beautiful little town, and, after
Innsbruck, the most important in the

Tyrol. Meran, where Mary Howitt passed
some years of her life, is not far from
Botzen. The situation of the town is
charming: on a cultivated plain, with the
giant mountains standing around and
guarding it from Winter blasts. All the
way from the station to the principal
square the path is bordered with the
public gardens (Anlageri) ; these gardens
make a most beautiful feature in every
German town. The Pfarrkirche (parish
church) is on the grand square or Platz,
a very beautiful edifice ; with its bell-
tower and roof covered with glittering
tiles, it looks like a gem "on the green
enamel of the plain. " One of the Arch-
dukes has a magnificent residence here
and is much beloved by the people, as
indeed are all the imperial family, I might
say, adored. On entering Austria after
a prolonged stay in Italy, the first thing
that strikes a stranger is the absence of
poverty. Every one seems to be well
off and comfortably dressed ; no rags,
no bare feet offend the eye ; beggars are
rare. A general well-to-do appearance
prevails in every Austrian town, so that
it is not without reason the people love
their Emperor. In Italy the poverty is
so widespread that the highest nobles
gladly seize any opportunity of renting
a suite of rooms in their palaces ; while
in Austria, on the contrary, such a thing
would not be thought of. No private
family would, on any consideration, ad-
mit a stranger into their house.

Before leaving Botzen I must describe
a funeral which affected us very much.
One evening, the melody of psalms sung
by many voices was wafted in from
a little quiet street at the rear of our
hotel. On looking out, we perceived
several benches outside a poor-looking
house, and a number of men and women
singing the office for the dead. We
made some inquiries and were told that
the child of a poor laundress was dead,
and as the house was not large enough to
hold all the sympathizing friends, they
seated them outside, where they joined in
the devotions being carried on inside.

THE AUSTRIAN TYROL.

1063

Needless to say, we were at once interest-
ed, and watched the progress of the cere-
monies. When the singing ceased, pray-
ers were commenced, and thus alternated
until a late hour, when the members
quitely dispersed, leaving a few silent
watchers for the night. There was no
chatting or conversation of any kind, no
levity, none of the heartless insensibility
so evident at funerals elsewhere. Our
advanced civilization might well take a
lesson from these people, whose enlight-
enment is from a purer source. Next

world as the poet did, when from the
heights of heaven he

• • . . " Saw this globe
So pitiful of semblance, that perforce
It moved my smiles : and him in truth I hold
For wisest, who esteems it least : whose

thoughts
Elsewhere are fixed, him worthiest call and

best."

On leaving Botzen we decided to go
to Trent, a spot of such interest to all
Catholics. Our road lay through a coun-
trv of surpassing loveliness, still de-

SCHLUDEKBACH.

morning the funeral left the house,
the little casket borne on the shoul-
ders of friends, the parish priest and the
entire Chapter of Canons walking in
procession. A child of the Archduke's
could not have received more honor ; it
was a striking example of the equality of
all in God's Church. She was no longer
a child of the meanest subject :

" To the height of the sinless angels

The little one had grown."

While dwelling in these Catholic

lands where the highest morality is the

rule, where religion is the basis of every

action, one feels toward the rest of the

scending the fertile slopes. The distant
snowy peaks still in view, the wide-
spreading, vine covered plains, dotted
here and there by a castle or monastery ;
a little river bubbling and foaming over
its stony bed accompanied us all the
way. As we neared Trent we passed
through the famous porphyry gorge.
The railroad at this place is cut through
a rock of red porphyry. On either side,
the crimson wall, draped with delicate
green vines, towers high above our
heads ; the bed of the river is full of
broken stones, which through the water
look redder still. We had a great de-

1064

IN THE AUSTRIAN TYROL.

sire to gather some of the precious
specimens, but we were in the train, and
had to leave the porphyry as well as
many other delightful things behind.

Trent is a small but beautiful town,
like Botzen on a fertile plain at the foot
of the mountains, but with richer vege-
tation, as the situation is more exposed
to the sun. The grapes in Trent were
the largest we had ever seen ; they
looked like the pictured grapes brought
by the twelve spies from the "Promised
Land." There are some beautiful
churches here, the cathedral dating from
the fifteenth century, and the church
of Santa Maria Maggiore from the six-
teenth. In the latter was held the great
Council from A. D. 1545 to 1563. We
lingered for hours in the grand Hall
of the Council, examining the many ob-
jects of interest, especially the portraits
of the distinguished men who had com-
posed it.

There is a ruined castle not far from
Trent, the castle of Lizzana, where Dante
found an asylum in A.D. 1304, when he
was banished from Florence. It was
destroyed in 1439 by the Venetians.
There are charming excursions and
drives, which make a stay in Trent very
agreeable ; among others, to the ruins
of a monastery said to have belonged to
the Templars. We were here on the
feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Vir-
gin, and were edified to see the manner
in which it was celebrated — all business
suspended, banks and public offices
closed, a veritable Sabbath.

There is a very beautiful little town
called Riva on the northern extremity
of the Lake of Garda. It is really in
Austria, although situated on an Italian
lake. Having a southern exposure, it is
a favorite Winter resort, and we deter-
mined to explore it. A journey of four
or five hours by train brought us to
Mori, a small station where the railroad
terminated. From thence by stage
to Riva. Where the waters of the lake
wash the shore there is a deep border of
gardens ; there, under the shade of fine
old trees, one can spend hours watching
the ever- varying beauty of the lake. The
Catholic spirit of the place is felt at
once, when we see on the principal
square the statue of the Patron Saint,
St. John Nepomucene. Riva has a grand
cathedral, and, as the town is small, one
can have the privilege of attending at
all the church services without being
prevented by distance or weather. At
one point, on the lake of Garda, three
dioceses meet : those of Trent, Verona,
and Brescia ; Dante alludes to it thus :
' ' A lake there lies, at foot of that proud Alps
That o'er the Tyrol locks Germania in,
Its name Benacus,* which a thousand rills,
Methinks, and more, water between the vale
Camonica and Garda and the height
Of Apennine remote. There is a spot
At midway of that lake, where he who bears
Of Trent's flock the pastoral staff, with him
Of Brescia, and the Veronese, might each,
Passing that way, his benediction give."

*The lake of Garda was called Benacus in the
time of Dante.

SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER.

By Rev. Michael Watson, SJ.

For Love, his queen, his gallant deeds were done :

For Love, he stood firm and unblenched beside

Dread mounts aflame with pent-up lava tide,
And braved hordes fiercer than the savage Hun.
In storms his look was calm, as if the sun

'Mid laughing waves cast gold with kingly pride ;

And when his glory thrilled the whole world wide,
O lowly heart ! he fled the praise he won.
To sloth or selfish greed he was no slave :

Love's low, sweet voice and tender smile he knew ;

And in the path she traced, he ran, he flew.

Fear had no need to menace with sharp rod.
Why scorned he death by fire and sword and wave ?

— He loved his fellow-men, he loved his God.

The sunshine glittered on the fretting sea ;
The tide crept o'er a ribbed waste of sand ;
And breathless hung the air above the strand,

Where Xavier, Christ-like in extremity,

Lay dying slow : a piteous sight was he !

His burning brow by no cool wind was fanned,
And to his wan, dry lips no brother's hand

Gave soothing draughts in love and sympathy.

Abandoned, left to die upon the stones,
He saw relentless Death's fast-thickening gloom
Enwrap him round ; drops, chill as icy spume
Of Arctic seas, bedewed his face, and moans

Surged from his heaving breast. Gape wide, dark Tomb,
And give him swift surcease of pangs and groans.

Man, great in life, but greater in thy death !

Thy captive spirit longs from earth to soar ;
Slow, faint, and still more faint, thy failing breath

Sobs like the wave that laps upon the shore.
Anon, there comes a blest and peaceful calm,

That, as a fresh, dew-laden breeze from heaven,
Steals gently o'er thy soul and brings sweet balm :

Lo ! now thy bright eye flashes like the levin,
Thy shrunk cheeks flush, and thy wet, pallid brow,

With splendor touched, is lifted to the sky —
Thy glory's dawn, O Saint, is breaking now !

Out from thy full heart leaps th' impassioned cry :
In Thee, Almightly Lord, Pve hoped in Thee : ^

O Love, O Joy, Thou 'rt mine eternally ! ' '

1065

THE MOTHER OF A FAMOUS PRIEST.

By L. W. Reilly.

AMIIylAR as a household
word throughout Italy
is the name of Don
Bosco. He was a priest
of Turin who devoted
the years of his man-
hood, from 1840 to 1888,
to the care of neglected
children, and who for
their sakes,with Divine
Providence as his banker, opened refuges,
built schools, established workshops and
published books. For them, too, he
founded the Salesian Society — which
consists of an institute of priests for
the training of boys and a congregation
of Sisters for the education of girls —
which has spread his work throughout
Europe and America.

John Bosco was once a poor boy him-
self, a peasant, ignorant, with no pros-
pects beyond a life of rude labor in his
native Becchi, on the east slope of the
Alps. His father died when he was two
years old. His mother, left a widow at
nineteen, with a stepson and two boys
of her own to rear, had a fierce struggle
to make a living on the mountain home-
stead left her by her husband. She
toiled and stinted herself, to give her
youngest an education that would open
to him the gates of the sanctuary.

As soon as Don Bosco was ordained,
he began his apostolate among the
waifs, the orphans, and the offspring of
careless or vicious parents in Turin.
He had not yet finished his theological
studies, when he commenced to bring
them in off the streets, to teach them
their catechism, to hunt employment for
them, to beg clothing for them, to con-
duct a night-school for them. On Sun-
days he assembled them in some street,
marched them to church, celebrated
Mass for them, preached them an in-

1066

struction, and then walked with them
into the country, where they spent the
day together.

The boys swarmed around him. They
were attracted by his magnetic love for
them. They brought to him others like
themselves. At the end of two years,
they numbered three hundred.

When the Archbishop of Turin de-
signed to send Don Bosco to assist in a
parish, the latter was docility itself, but
he asked : ' ' What will become of my
poor boys ? ' ' Their evident need of him
prevailed. He was made almoner of a
hospital, with permission to give part of
his time to his wild flock, and to use
one of his two rooms in the institution
as a chapel for their accommodation.
But they were so noisy, so rough, and
so mischievous, that at the end of six
months the hospital closed its doors
against them. Then their pastor got
permission for them to meet on Sundays
in the courtyard and vestibule of St.
Peter's Church in Turin, but from there
they were driven by the civil authorities,
on complaint of the neighbors. Next,
as it was Summer, they had no rendez-
vous, but used to meet in a different
place every Sunday, and have a picnic
pilgrimage to some sanctuary in the
suburbs. When Winter came, however,
three rooms were rented for their use.
But the cold weather was hardly over
when the landlord served notice on Don
Bosco to get out, for "his vagabonds
were a nuisance." Next he hired an
open field for them in the Valdocco
quarter ; but from it, too, they were
shortly dispossessed, for they were "too
much of a rabble ' ' for its owner. Finally,
the use of a shed and a large lot was ob-
tained on a long lease from a man
named Pinardi ; there to-day stands the
mother-house of the Salesian founda-

THE MOTHER OF A FAMOUS PRIEST.

1067

dations — an immense asylum, with
schools, church, workshops, dormitories
and other buildings.

Under the strain of his labors and
anxieties, Don Bosco's health broke
down, and his. doctor in Turin sent him
home to die. But the mountain air re-
vived him, and was not his mother the
best of nurses for him ?

Margaret Bosco was a notable woman .
She was resolute, energetic, high-mind-
ed, and full of faith. Although she
could neither read nor write, she was
quick in wit and retentive in memory ;
brought up among rude folk, she was by
nature gentle and considerate ; fated to
be a drudge, she made use of celestial
motives to uplift herself in spirit from
her sordid state. Religion molded her
character, defined her principles, ele-
vated her sentiments, filled her mind
with beautiful images and flooded her
rough pathway with the glory of immor-
tal hope.

When the parish priest of Murialdo
told her that her little John had in him
the making of a priest, her Catholic
soul felt a thrill of bliss. Thencefor-
ward no work was too hard, no economy
too close. A dish of polenta was a feast,
when with it came a vision of her bairn
at the altar, holding up in his anointed
hands the Holy Host ! So she sent him
to school and kept him there at a great
cost.

While John was still at college, he
thought of joining a religious order.
He mentioned this project to his pastor,
and the latter told his mother about
it, adding that he had dissuaded the
yonth from it, on the ground that she
might yet need help from him. At once
she set out for the school to see her son.
After greeting him, she asked :

"Our pastor tells me that you are
thinking of becoming a friar ; is it so? "

He hesitated a moment.

" Is it so ? " she repeated.

" Yes, mother," he answered, " and I
hope you'll not oppose me."

" Oppose you ? Not I. I have always

earned my own living and, so long as
these two hands can work, I will be
dependent on nobody. Let nothing that
has been said to you of my possible
need of your help keep you from follow-
ing your vocation. Think only of your
own salvation and the good of souls.
Do you imagine that I have hoped to see
you a priest in order to live off you?
God forbid ! If you are called by Him
to be a friar, let nothing stand in your
way ! "

Could he help being valiant with such
a mother ?

As soon as Don Bosco found himself
convalescent he worried about his boys
in Turin. But now came a new anxiety.
He knew that he would have to give up
either them or his position as almoner.
If he resigned the latter, with it would
go his room, his board and his salary.
If he abandoned the boys — but that was
not to be thought of. For shelter he
could board off a corner of the Pinardi
shed, and for food — Oh, that would come
somehow. But who would take care of
him ? He had no apartment for a house-
keeper, no means to pay her wages, and
the Valdocco quarter had such a hard
name that a respectable woman would not
like to live there alone ; yet, on the other
hand, he needed just such help. He laid
the difficulty before his mother, and dif-
fidently asked her if she would go to live
with him in the city.
" Me ! " she exclaimed.
" Yes ; you, mother, if you can bear to
make the sacrifice. "

"What! Leave Becchi, the moun-
tains, our church, the vineyard, the
neighbors, this home, and Joseph's chil-
dren ! Why, John, how can you ask
it? "

Before he could utter a word, off she
bustled to her own room. The sudden-
ness of the proposition had set her mind
in a whirl. She couldn't think. Now
down on her knees she went. "Lord,
what shall I do ? " she prayed ; ' ' show
me Thy will. ' ' Quickly she went over
the pros and cons. Soon she reached a

1068

THE MOTHER OF A FAMOUS PRIEST.

decision. Back she hurried to John. " I
will go with you ; " she said , "Joseph
and his children do not need me — you
and your boys do. ' '

Her son Joseph expostulated, his wife
echoed his entreaties, his children wept
their protest — but they could not shake
her resolution, She was needed in
Turin, there she would go.

Don Bosco and his mother set off on
foot, he carrying a bundle of books, she,
a basket of clothes. Thirteen miles lay
between their hamlet and their destina-
tion. When they reached the town they
met Don Vola. The latter, after being
introduced to Dame Margaret and con-
gratulating John on his return of health,
inquired :

4 ' Where do you come from ? ' '

"From Becchi, near Murialdo. "

' ' But not on foot ? ' '

" Yes, on foot, for a good reason."

' ' And what is that ? ' '

' ' We haven 't a cent. ' '

' ' Where are you going ? ' '

" To Pinardi's. "

" Have you hired any rooms ? "

" No, not yet ; I don't know that any
of his are vacant ; but the shed is a nice
shelter, and perhaps we'll build an addi-
tion to it. ' '

' ' And about furniture and provi-
sions?"

"My friend," replied Don Bosco
jocosely, "you ask too many ques-
tions. We expect to get everything we
need from Divine Providence, which is
rich. "

"Well, well," cried Don Vola, "you
have no rooms, no beds, no food, no one
expects you, and no money ! May God
be with you ! May I- -hold — forgive me
— I have something which you will do
me a favor to accept — it is of no use to
me — take this and sell it. "

' ' What, your watch ! ' '

( ( Yes, I don 't need it at all . I 'd offer
you money, except for the same reason
that you walked — my pocket is empty.
However, sell the watch for whatever it
will bring. And now, as your good

mother looks tired, I'll say — good bye."
And off he hurried.

When mother and son reached Pin-
ardi's, they found that he had two fur-
nished rooms for rent, in his dwelling
near the shed that was Don Bosco 's
Oratory for his boys. These they hired.
In them they kept house for many a day.

To live on the alms of the charitable is
sometimes precarious. Don Bosco and
his mother occasionally had a vacant
larder. He sold his portion of the vine-
yard, Joseph sent some cartloads of wood
and sacks of potatoes, and Dame Mar-
garet disposed of her bridal outfit. Her
best dress was made into a vestment,
her linens into altar-cloths and surplices,
her gold chain went to ornament the
tabernacle, and the rest was sold. Once
she told a friend :

" I had tears in my eyes when I
looked at them for the last time, before
sending them away or breaking them
up ; but, perceiving my weakness, I
said : ' Go, dear souvenirs of my parents
and my husband, you cannot end better
than for the relief of poor children or the
use of God and His priest. ' And having
made this offering I experienced a sense
of deep peace, and then I wished that I
had many trousseaux to give up in the
same way. "

Great was the change for Donna Bosco
from the quiet, the cool sweetness and
the frugal comfort of Becchi to the
squalor of the Valdocco neighborhood,
the cramped living in a tenement, and
the noise of a thousand boys. Only once
in ten years did she utter a complaint;
then she was wrought up in nervousness
by a thousand vexations, and she said to
her son :

"I cannot stay here any longer. The
children are incorrigible. One in run-
ning upsets my table with all my wash-
ing still damp upon it ; another tears his
clothes so often as to make one think he
did it on purpose ; they all shout until
my head aches. I am tired of them. Let
me go back to Becchi. "

Don Bosco did not answer her in words.

THE MOTHER OF A FAMOUS PRIEST.

1069

He only pointed to a crucifix on the
wall. It was for His sake that they were
both working. Margaret understood.
Her fretful look gave way. ' ' You are
right, John, ' ' she said, ' ' you are right. ' '

Her labors soon increased, for Don
Bosco began to take in homeless boys
and to give them bed and board, in more
rooms rented from Pinardi. The first of
these guests was received in 1847. The
next year their number was thirty. Soon
it was a hundred. Dame Margaret
worked for them like a mother — cooked
for many, washed their garments,
patched, darned and sewed for them,
nursed the sick among them, and
planned for them as for a large family,
without rest or reward.

Her lips were always praying, even
when her mind had to take thought of
her tasks. Many a day, in the midst of
her work for the boys, she had a dozen
things to attend to at one time, and
would be reciting the rosary, as well as
she could, while about them. To one of
the lads she would say : ' ' Get a knife
and begin to peel the potatoes." Then
she would commence to say the beads,
and when she had reached the first ' ' Our
Father," let us say, would go on some-
what like this: "who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy name " — "John get
some wood " — "Thy kingdom come "—
"Take that off the stove" — " Thy "—
"There, the wind's blown down the

clothes ; go, James and Dominic, quick
and put the line up again "—"Thy will
be done on earth as " — "Ah ! little one,
your trousers are torn again ; will you
never quit playing marbles on your
knees?" — "it is in Heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread ' ' — " You, Peter,
go see if Don Bosco has returned ; he
works too hard, dear man ; however, I
must not scandalize you by my thought-
less words, dear children, no one works
too hard when it is for God" — "and
forgive us our trespasses as we " — " Go,
there is the bell."

So scrupulous was she not to take any
of the portion of the poor that even on
feast-days she would not depart from
her habit of eating only the very coarsest
fare; no extra dish would she touch,
even after cooking it for the boys ; and
as for the clothing, while it was neat in
its cleanness, it was so shabby from long
use that Don Bosco often told her that
the poor were better dressed than she.

When Dame Margaret died, in 1856,
there were one hundred and fifty board-
ers and about fifteen hundred other boys
belonging to the three establishments of
the Salesian Oratory then in Turin.
They all loved her as a mother and had
all experienced multiplied proofs of her
maternal solicitude for them.

She instructed many to justice ; who
can doubt that she will shine like a star
for all eternity ?

THE ORIGIN AND RISE OF THE KNIGHT HOSPITALLERS.

ByJ. Arthur Floyd.

FROM the time of Constantine's con-
version to the early years of the
seventh century, the Holy Land reposed
under the protecting rule of the Chris-
tian Emperors of Constantinople, and
pilgrims found there a peace to which
Europe had been a stranger during the
irruption of the Goths, the Huns, the
Vandals, and the breaking up of the
Western Empire.

In 637 Jerusalem fell into the hands of
the followers of Mahomet; thencefor-
ward the right to practise the Christian
religion had to be purchased by the pay-
ment of tribute. At times its adherents
were tolerated, then came periods of
fierce persecution when the courage of
the Christians ' ' in the midst of torments
only added to the hatred of their tor-
mentors; the prayers, even, which they

1070

THE ORIGIN AND RISE OF THE KNIGHT HOSPITALLERS.

addressed to Jesus Christ to put an end
to their evils, were considered as a re-
volt, and punished as the most guilty
treasons. " At last came the preaching
of Peter the Hermit, followed by the
Council of Clermont, and it needed but
the voice of Pope Urban II. to unite the
chivalry of Europe in a crusade for the
recovery of the holy places and the protec-
tion of pilgrims. With irresistible courage
the Crusaders cut their way through the
Mussulman armies in Asia Minor, drove
them from their strongholds in Palestine,
and finally replanted the Cross on the
towers of Jerusalem.

Duringall these vicissitudes, the stream
of pilgrims had continued to flow into
the East, increasing in volume as, one
after another, the nations of Europe
rose out of the wreck of the Roman Em-
pire, and were added to the conquests of
the Church. To trace that stream to its
origin we must go back to the times of
the Apostles. "From the date of the
ascension " — so we read in the third or
fourth century letters of Paula and Eu-
stochium — " a continuous stream of pil-
grims had resorted to the holy places. ' '

It was as a pilgrim that St. Alexander,
in the year 212, set out for Jerusalem, of
which city he was afterwards conse-
crated bishop ; and that, a century after-
wards, St. Helena followed in his foot-
steps. A few years later the great St.
Jerome took up the palmer's staff, and,
in company with his friend, St. Eusebius,
set out for the East. ' ' Having performed
their devotions in the spots sanctified by
the presence of Christ, ' ' they settled in
Bethlehem, and there founded a monas-
tery, ' ' which was soon filled with reli-
gious men disposed to follow the rule
established by St. Jerome himself. But
the crowds of pilgrims becoming daily
more considerable, and not knowing how
to feed and lodge them, the two friends
were obliged to return to Italy, to sell
the property they had there, which they
destined for these pious purposes. With
the money thus raised they founded in
Bethlehem a hospital for pilgrims, and

there the two friends died, and were laid
to rest near the stable within which our
Lord was born. ' ' England, too, contrib-
uted to the number of pilgrims ; from
her shores St. Arculphus set out for the
East, and the account of his pilgrimage
— arranged by the great Adamnan in
690 — is still extant in the publications
of Mabillon.

Still later on, when Palestine had
passed under the yoke of the Saracens,
the political influence and renown of the
Emperor Charlemagne obtained for the
Christians a respite from persecution
and the payment of tribute, and his
friendly relations with the enlightened
Kaliph Haroun-al-Raschid enabled him
to found in the Holy City a hospital,
consisting of twelve hostelries and a
library, for the benefit of Latin pilgrims.

To shelter and protect pilgrims was
one of the objects for which the cele-
brated hospice and monastery, founded
in 962 by St. Bernard of Mentone, was
erected on the highest part of the road
leading over the Great St. Bernard moun-
tain. Other hospices, solely for the use
of pilgrims, were to be found on the
borders of Hungary, and, later on, in
Asia Minor. Before the close of the
eleventh century they had been estab-
lished in many parts of Europe on the
roads leading to the East, ' ' on the banks
of rivers, upon the heights of mountains,
in the midst of cities, and in desert
places," and those unable to visit the
Holy Places contributed instead their
alms toward the maintenance of these
institutions.

Such hospices were, therefore, by no
means unheard of when, toward the
middle of the eleventh century, certain
merchants of the Italian city of Amalfi
had their attention drawn to the suffer-
ings of many of the pilgrims in the Holy
Land. At the time of which we speak,
these merchants — in common with those
of Venice and Genoa — had commercial in-
terests in Palestine which brought them
into direct contact with the palmers.
Their hearts were filled with compassion

TH1

THE ORIGIN AND RISE OF THE KNIGHT HOSPITALLERS.

1071

for those they were constantly meeting
on the roadside and in the Holy City,
whose means had been exhausted by the
expenses of the journey, or who had
been the victims of Mussulman extortion,
or the prey of robbers. Then, as now,
wealth was a very potent factor in the
affairs of the world : it could tone down
the fanaticism of the disciples of Ma-
homet, and bend them to an obsequious
tolerance of the adherents of a detested
creed. Hard, indeed, was the lot of the
penniless pilgrims ; footsore, hungry,
and without a shelter, they sank beneath
the ill usage to which they were sub-
jected, and many died within sight of
the holy places they had come to vener-
ate, but which the ruthless Mussulmans
would not allow them to visit. Doubt-
less the hospices already founded in Eu-
rope were known by report to the mer-
chants of Amain — perhaps may have
been visited by them in person — whilst
their close connection with Jerusalem
must have placed them in possession of
the history ot the similar establishments
once existing in the Holy City, and of
the good work they had accomplished.
When, therefore, their charity moved
them to take active steps to relieve the
distress and suffering of the poorer
pilgrims, we may well suppose that their
knowledge of these earlier hospices —
founded with the same object that they
had in view — may have influenced them
in their decision to found and endow a
hospital and a community of nurses, for
the benefit of Latin pilgrims.

With the consent of the Kaliph — he
was not the man to say no to the mer-
chants, when he found them willing to
pay for what they wanted — the work was
commenced, about the year 1048, on a
site close to the Holy Sepulchre. Hos-
pitals for the reception of pilgrims of
both sexes, and a monastery, were built.
Attached to them, a Latin church was
raised in honor of our Lady, and dedi-
cated under the title of St. Mary ad
I Latinos. Here the brethren of the Hos-
pital commenced their noble work, and,

centuries before an ambulance corps had
ever been thought of, these good men
were to be seen bringing in the wounded
and the sick from highways and streets,
and carrying on within the bosom of
the Catholic Church a work which the
present age looks upon as peculiarly its
own.

Such was the origin of the community
which, sixty years later, developed into
the military order of the Knight Hos-
pitallers of St. John of Jerusalem. The
establishment of an armed force, bound
together by monastic vows, and having
for its object the defence of the Church
and her children, was, however, no part
of the original plan of the merchants of
Amalfi. They could, indeed, have had
no premonition of the heroic part the
Hospitallers would play when, side by
side with the Templars, they fought for
the Faith with a singleness of purpose,
and a dauntless courage, which gained
the two orders the proud distinction of
being the mainstay of the Latin King-
dom of Jerusalem. And when, ages
after the Templars had succumbed to a
hard, and, seemingly, unmerited fate,
the Hospitallers in Rhodes and in Malta
stemmed the flood of Ottoman invasion,
and thus repaid the charity which had
brought the order into existence, by sav-
ing the descendants of its founders and
their Italian fatherland from the horrors
of Mohammedan servitude.

Up to the beginning of the eleventh
century, ' ' the expenses of the hospital
were defrayed chiefly by alms annually
collected in Italy by the benevolent foun-
ders, and all Latin pilgrims were shel-
tered and relieved without distinction of
nation or condition. Those whom rob-
bers had plundered were reclothed; those
whom disease had debilitated were tend-
ed with skill and tenderness ; and those
who died were buried with Christian
rites." Within the Xenodochia, as the
hospital was called, the Mahometan,
too, found a ready welcome whenever
distress or disease led him to seek a
shelter therein, and it is not too much

1072

THE ORIGIN AND RISE OF THE KNIGHT HOSPITALLERS.

SHOWING THE MANTLE OF THE KXIGHT HOSPITALLERS.

to say that thousands of pilgrims found
their way back to their homes, who, but
for the nursing and assistance of the
Hospitallers, would have perished un-
heeded and unknown.

During those earlier years, up to 1 1 18,
these ' ' Servants of the Poor of Christ, ' '
— to use a title by which the Hospitallers
were known — seemed to have confined
themselves to the special work of the
institution placed under their care.
Their willing presence in the midst of a
population intensely hostile to Chris-
tianity is evidence of no mean courage.
This was even more conspicuously seen,
when they remained to discharge their
duties at the time when the horrors
related by Peter the Hermit, and the
exhortations of Pope Urban, had launched

the army of the first
crusade on its vic-
torious course ; and
when the reduction,
one after another,
of Nicea, Tarsus,
Antioch and Edessa,
had announced the
near approach of the
Crusaders to the
Holy City, and filled
the rulers and people
of Syria with an ex-
asperation that en-
dangered the lives of
all Christians within
their power.

On July 15, 1099,
the Crusaders under
Godfrey de Bouillon
recovered Jerusalem,
after it had been
under Mussulman
bondage for 460
years. At the be-
ginning of the siege,
the hospital was
under the direction
of its rector, Peter
Gerard. Undaunted
by the perils of his
surroundings, he

remained in the city, and was thrown
into prison, although his devotion to
the poor and suffering had won the
esteem even of his persecutors. He
was liberated by the Crusaders, and,
soon after, Duke Godfrey visited the
hospital and found it filled with wounded
soldiers "who loudly extolled the hu-
mane attention that had been bestowed
on them."

In Godfrey, so we are told, the bravery
and virtues of a hero were united to the
simplicity of a cenobite ; his devotion
was sincere and disinterested. Earlier
in life he had waged war on the Holy
See in the interest of the Emperor. ' ' He
afterwards repented of having embraced
a party which victory itself could not
make triumphant, and which the greater

THE ORIGIN AND RISE OF THE KNIGHT

HOSPITALLERS.

1O73

part of Christendom
considered sacrile-
gious." As a penance
for his offence, "he
made a vow to go to
Jerusalem, not as a
simple pilgrim, but as
a liberator. ' ' He joined
in the first crusade,
and, as its leader, ful-
filled his vow to the
very letter. He was
unable to stay the car-
nage with which, in the
intoxication of victory,
the Crusaders sullied
their triumph, though,
to his honor be it re-
membered, he abstained
from any participation
in it. His vow accom-
plished, he walked
barefooted and without
arms to pay his devo-
tions in the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre.
This act of piety stayed
the fury of the Crusa-
ders, and recalled those
lessons of mercy and
forgiveness taught,
more than a thousand

CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE, NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND.

years before, by One whose footsteps had The work carried on by Abbot Geiard

hallowed the very ground on which they and his brother Hospitallers at once

stood. Motives of policy and self-pre- secured the sympathy of Duke Godfrey,

servation may have suggested the neces- As a token of his favor he endowed the

sity of crushing the Moslem garrison order with the lordship of Montboise in

beyond hope of recovery ; certainly the Brabant, together with all its dependen-

ideas of justice prevalent in those un- cies.

settled ages must not be tested by the soon

Others followed his example, and
the Brethren found themselves

standards of modern times, though, even owners of lands and possessions in all
on that score, the history of Cromwell's parts of Europe, and before the middle
exploits in Ireland and the testimony of of the thirteenth century they are said
the native races of Africa and America,
might suggest a prudent reserve.
Animated with regret for their short-
comings, the knights and soldiers threw
aside their blood stained trappings, and,

to have held nineteen thousand manors
in different parts of Christendom. With
part of the endowments they were en-
abled to build a noble church in Jerusa-
lem in honor of St. John the Baptist,

headed by the clergy, followed the ex- the tutelar saint of the order. At about
ample of Godfrey, and marched in peni- the same time subordinate hospitals —
tence to the tomb of the Redeemer. or commanderies as they came to be

1O74-

THE ORIGIN AND RISE OF THE KNIGHT HOSPITALLERS.

called— were established at St. Gilles at
the mouth of the Rhone, at Messina in
Sicily, at Taranto in Italy, and at other
seaports ; they increased in number till
they were to be found in all parts of
Europe. These commanderies "were
the palmer's special asylums — the places
where he found guides and convoys, and
heard of ships and caravans to carry
him to his destination."

The noble, self sacrificing labors of the
Hospitallers inflamed many of the Cru-
saders with a desire to share their mer-
itorious work. Temporal objects and
love of romantic adventures may have
been among the minor motives which
had led many of those Crusaders to
take the cross, but only deep-seated
devotion to their Faith could have sunk
all national animosities and united them
to carry on a crusade for the deliv-
erance of the holy places and the de-
fence of the Church. For them the life
beyond the grave was something more
than a theory ; it was a very real fact ;
and this consideration led them to look
on the joys of earth of little importance,
when compared with the rewards to be
gained in heaven by a life devoted to
the sick and poor in the wards of St.
John's. There these heroes took up a
task for which they could have had no
previous training. They washed the
feet of the weary, tended the sick, and
dressed their wounds with gentle care,
and, when all human skill proved un-
availing, they brought in the chaplains
of the order, and, the last sacraments
having been administered, they watched
on by the bedside till death ended the
vigil, and freed them for the service
of still other sufferers.

Amongst the knights engaged in the
crusade was Raymond du Puy. He had
been wounded by thepaynims, and, after
being nursed by the Hospitallers, he
joined the order. He was a valiant gen-
tleman, of commanding ability and great
moral pre-eminence, who, from his youth
upwards, had been associated with the
court of his sovereign and the chivalry

of his native Dauphiny. At the death
of Abbot Gerard, in 1118, he was ap-
pointed to the government of the order,
and first took the title of ' ' Master. ' ' The
Mussulmans still occupied many of the
strongholds and fastnesses in Palestine,
and they, as well as the Saracen peas-
antry of the country, infested the roads,
robbed and killed the Christian pilgrims
whenever chance placed them at their
mercy, and carried hostile expeditions
up to the very walls of Jerusalem. Not
only this, but the very existence of the
kingdom was threatened by Turkoman
armies on the frontier. This state of
affairs led Raymond to form the (< project
of combining the duties of the monk
with those of a soldier, by giving a mar-
tial constitution to the establishment,
which should bind the Brotherhood to
defend the holy places, and to wage a
perpetual crusade against the enemies of
Christ." He divided the order into
three classes : Knights, exclusively men
of noble birth ; priests, to serve in the
camp and in the hospitals and churches ;
and serving brethren, who followed the
knights to war and attended in hospi-
tal, but did not serve in any menial
capacity. Later on — in the year 1130 —
when the order had increased and spread
far and wide throughout Europe, it was
divided into seven languages: Provence,
Auvergne, France, Italy, Arragon, Ger-
many and England. To Arragon was
subsequently added Castile and Portugal.
At its first institution the Hospital of
St. John had been a secular establish-
ment, under the spiritual direction of
Benedictine chaplains, but Abbot Ger-
ard, actuated " by a desire of attaining
greater perfection, " induced the brothers
to renounce the world and "dedicate
themselves at the altar as servants of the
poor of Christ. ' ' The order was recog-
nized by Pope Paschal II , confirmed by
him in the right of electing its own su-
perior ; freed from the payment of tithes,
and placed, with all its possessions,
under the protection of the Holy See and
St. Peter. Freedom of election seems

THE ORIGIN AND RISE OF THE KNIGHT HOSPITALLERS. 1O75

ialso to have been exercised in the ap-
pointment of the Grand Priors through-
out Europe, although the military status
of the order might appear to demand
the selection only of such provincial su-
periors as were acceptable to the national
secular authorities. On one occasion Ed-
ward IV. of England , oblivious of the fact
that the Hospital-
lers were monks as
well as soldiers,
required the breth-
ren in London to
elect a lay kins-
man of his own
as superior of the
Hospital of St.
John, Cler ken well ;
they refused to do
so, and, instead,
made a choice of
their own.

The rule adopted
under Raymond
du Puy was ex-
ceedingly severe :
all the brothers,
knights and serv-
ing brethren, as
well as clerks,
" were required to
take the three vows
of poverty, chas-
tity and o b e d i -
ence. " Abstinence
was to be kept on
all Wednesdays
and Fridays, and
from Septuagesi-
ma to Easter; all
faults were sternly
punished, grave
sins visited by expulsion, and any
brother found so unworthy as to flee in
battle from the enemies of the Cross
was publicly stripped of the white cross
and habit of the order. A part of their
income was declared exigible for the
defence of the Holy Land, and the hire
of soldiers for that purpose. It was
also a rule of the community to remain

neutral in all wars between Christian
nations, and to take up arms in defence
of the Catholic Faith.

Thus, " from the bosom of an hospital
consecrated to the service of pilgrims
and the poor, issued heroes armed against
the infidels — the humanity and bravery
of the Knights of St. John were equally

INTERIOR — CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE,
LITTLE MAPLESTEAD, ESSEX.

conspicuous. Whilst some grew old in
the offices of hospitality, others went
forth to combat with the enemies of their
faith . . . Retired from the world,
they had no other country but Jerusa-
lem, no other family but that of Jesus
Christ. Wealth, evils, and dangers were
all in common amongst them ; one will,
one spirit, directed all their actions and

1O76

THE ORIGIN AND RISE OF THE KNIGHT HOSPITALLERS.

all their thoughts ; all were united in
one house, which appeared to be inhab-
ited but by one man. They lived in
great austerity, and the severer their
discipline became, the stronger appeared
the bonds by which it enchained their
hearts and wills. Arms formed their
only decoration ; precious ornaments
were never seen in their houses or
churches, but lances, bucklers, swords
and standards taken from the infidels
abounded. ' At the cry of battle, ' says
St. Bernard, ' they armed themselves
with faith within and with steel with-
out ; they feared neither the number nor
the fury of the barbarians ; they were
proud to conquer, happy to die for
Jesus Christ, and believed that every
victory came from God.' "

The military friars were in every re-
spect worthy of the praises of the great
Cistercian saint. In the sequel to the
disastrous battle of Tiberias their cour-
age and constancy in their faith were
alike conspicuous. In that battle the
military orders had taken part with
their numbers greatly reduced by losses
sustained in the defence of Acre. The
King of Jerusalem and many of his
knights were taken prisoners by Sala-
din, and Gamier, Grand Master of the
Hospitallers, was about the only person
of distinction who managed to escape ;
covered with wounds he cut his way
through to Ascalon and there died.
Saladin regarded the Hospitallers and
Templars as the bulwark of the Chris-
tian power in the East ; he knew they
would accept no terms which would per-
mit of his rule in the Holy Land, and
would fight till their last breath rather
than see the Holy Places again defiled
by Mahometan rites. The king and the
other prisoners he treated with kind-
ness, but departed from his usual mag-
nanimity in his treatment of the breth-
ren of the military orders. On the day
following the battle, they were brought
into his presence and offered the choice
between death and submission to the
faith of the False Prophet. Not one of

the noble band hesitated in his choice ;
firmly and bravely they refused to apos-
tatize. The Saracen scimitars did their
work, and the white cross on the shoul-
ders of the Hospitallers, crimsoned
with their life's blood, told of a Faith
stronger than the terrors of death.

Saladin 's character appears in a better
light in his treatment of those of the
Hospitallers who were resident in Jeru-
salem at the time of the surrenderor the
city in 1187. At that time he found a
number of wounded and sick in the
Hospital of St. John, and was so much
struck with the benevolent care of the
few remaining brethren, that he allowed
them to stay on till they had completed
the cure of all entrusted to their care.

Affiliated to the order of the Hospi-
tallers was a sisterhood, known as the
Nun Hospitallers of St. John. They
remained in Jerusalem till the final sur-
render of the city, and then, with the
consent of the Grand Master, they re-
turned to Europe. Many of them found
refuge in a house of the order, founded
by Queen Sancha of Arragon, at Six-
emre, near Saragossa, where, says a
monastic writer, "these pious ladies
passed the remainder of their lives in
watering with tears the memory of the
heroes belonging to their order, who
had perished in hot battle against the
paynim foe, and in invoking victory on
the Christian banner wherever it should
be unfurled in the same holy stiife. "

Of another of the Nun Hospitallers—
the blessed Sister Ubaldina of Pisa— we
are told by a Protestant writer : ' ' She
was the mother of the poor, the restorer
of the sick, the comforter of the stricken-
hearted ; and, in short, that there was
no kind of misery for which she had not
a remedy or consolation. Those moments
she could spare from her duties of mercy,
were spent before the crucifix, and in
continual meditation on death ; and so
cruelly did she mortify her body, that
her biographers do not scruple to assign
her, on that account, equal glory with
the knights, her brethren, who suffered

THE ORIGIN AND RISE OF THE KNIGHT HOSPITALLERS.

1O77

martyrdom in captivity, and on the field
of battle."

The site of the Hospital of St. John
was indeed holy ground. Directly op-
posite lay the Holy Sepulchre, over
which a sumptuously decorated church
had been built, and consecrated in 336.
The present church is, however, more
recent, and is largely the work of the
Crusaders themselves. "The rotunda of
the sepulchre is the principal part of the
milding. It has a dome 65 feet in dia-

Sepulchre : the Temple Criurch, London,
erected by the Knight Templars in the
twelfth century, and the Churches of the
Holy Sepulchre at Cambridge, North-
ampton, and Little Maplestead in Essex.
The three last named are said to have
been connected with the Hospitalleis,
the distinguishing feature in all being a
rotunda similar to the one which en-
closes the Holy Sepulchre. Of the Maple-
stead Church, Professor T. G. Bonney
writes : ' ' The ground plan suggests that

CHURCH OF THE HOLY bKPULCHKE, LITTLE MAPLKsTEAD, ES.SEX.

meter, open at the top like the Pantheon
at Rome, and beautifully decorated with
mosaics. In the centre of the rotunda,
immediately beneath the dome, is the
Holy Sepulchre." There too, set on
marble, is placed the stone which the
angel rolled away, and on which he
sat when, early on the first Easter
morn, the two Marys came and found
that our Lord had indeed triumphed
over death.

Four churches still exist in England
built as copies of the Church of the Holy

a very early type of church was adopted
as a pattern, so that probably this struc-
ture reproduces more nearly than any of
the others the original church of the
Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem." It was
attached to a commandery of the Hospi-
tallers, founded in the parish by Juliana
de Burgo in 1185, and was provided with
a chancel to the east, ending in an apse.
The rotunda forms a nave, and consists
of a peristvle of six piers, each formed
by three shafts in a cluster, supporting
gothic arches, and throwing out other

1078

THE ORIGIN AND RISE OF THE KNIGHT HOSPITALLERS.

Desmoulins, Grand
Master of the Hospi-
tallers, was at that time
engaged on an embassy
from the rulers of Pal-
estine to the court of
Henry II . C a m d e n
tells us it was ' ' a beau-
tiful church, with a
tower carried up to
such a height as to
be a singular ornament
to the city." Neither
the beauty of the build-
ing, nor England's in-
debtedness for the pro-
tection afforded by the
Hospitallers to many
generations of English
pilgrims, could save it
from the sacrilegious
hands of the Reformers.
Pursuant to an order
of Parliament of Ed-
ward VI., says Stowe,
"the church, for the
most part, to wit, the
body and side aisles,
with the great bell
tower (a curious piece of
workmanship, graven ,
arches to the side walls. It is said to gilt, and enamelled, to the great beau-
have had the privilege of sanctuary. tifying of the city, and passing all others

A commandery, founded about the that I have seen), was undermined and
year 1209 at Banbury in Oxfordshire, is blown up with gunpowder; the stone
of special interest, since the ruins of the whereof was employed in building the
hospital have been purchased and are Lord Protector's house in the Strand."
now occupied by the Sceurs Hospitalieres The chancel of the church was spared,
of Chartres, a teaching order which has and now forms part of Clerkenwell parish
charge of the Catholic schools in the church. The fine old Priory gateway is
town. An interesting account of this also still in existence, bearing on its
commandery has been written by Father face the arms of Sir Thomas Dowcra,
Bowden in his " Hospitaller Knights of Lord Prior of the English Hospitallers

CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE, CAMBRIDGE.

St. John of Jerusalem."

The principal house of the order in
England was the Priory of St. John,

in 1501.

Fifty years after the visit of Heraclius,
the Christian forces in the East had been

Clerkenwell, London, founded in the greatly reduced in a war with the Sultan

same year noo, by John Briset and his of Aleppo, and the Grand Master of the

wife. The Priory Church was con- Hospitallers had been obliged to call out

secrated in 1185 by Heraclius, Patriarch large reinforcements from the European

of Jerusalem, who, accompanied by Roger commanderies. Theodric, Prior of St.

ONE SHALL BE TAKEN.

1079

John's, Clerkenwell, at once responded
to this appeal, and set out with three
hundred of his knights, and a large force
of stipendiaries. With the banner of St.
John unfurled before them, they passed
over London Bridge, saluting, "with
hood in hand, the crowds who con-
gregated to see them depart, recom-
mending themselves and their cause, at
the same time, to the prayers of the
people."

In the year 1312 the order of Templars
was suppressed, not that they were con-
victed of the charges laid against them,
but "as a matter of expediency." A
Papal mandate directed that the posses-
sions of the suppressed order should be
made over to the Hospitallers, but it is
said that they actually received only
about a twentieth of the whole. This
took place in the time of Edward II.,
who was a staunch supporter of the

maligned Templars. In a parliament of
his reign the Papal mandate was brought
up for ratification, when, with that
obedience to the Holy See so character-
istic of England in Catholic days, the
transfer was ratified by the common con-
sent of both clergy and laity.

It is as the defenders of Christendom
that the fame of the Knight Hospitallers
has been handed down to posterity, and
such achievements as the defence of
Acre, of Rhodes, and of Malta, and the
victories gained over the Moors in Spain,
and over the Tartars in Hungary, have
obscured the humbler, but no less mer-
itorious, work ever carried on in their
hospitals. The object for which the order
had been founded by the merchants of
Amalfi was never lost sight of, and the
Knight Hospitallers of St. John of Jeru-
salem ever remained the ' ' Servants of
the Poor of Christ. ' '

ONE SHALL BE TAKEN.

By Rev. David Bearne, S.J.
I.

All the theology we knew

Was that we might not play on Sundays."

—Calvtrly.

THE general verdict was that there
was a pair of 'em ; but there were
a few right-minded people in Pyneton
who distinguished. "If only you could
separate Arthur from Dick, " said some,
1 ' Arthur would be right en ough . " " It 's
that Dick ; he's as full of mischief as an
egg's full of meat." "Not a farthing
cake to choose between 'em," others
declared, "one's as bad as t'other."
"Specially Dick, though," somebody
was sure to add. But the village shoe-
maker, who was an oracle, and always
listened to as such, delivered his verdict
in the selfsame terms as often as the
two boys were under discussion, which
was not seldom :

' ' If you was to say to me : ' William
Wall, you've got to have either a mon-

key or a snake in your house, ' I'd say,
' Well, if I must have one or t'other, I'll
take the monkey, if -'tis all the same to
you.' '

The majority agreed with the shoe-
maker, but the minority said he was
prejudiced in Dick's favor, in that the
younger boy wore out two pairs of shoes
to his brother's one. Old William ad-
mitted the latter fact, but stoutly denied
that he was prejudiced on account of it.

" As a matter of fact, " he said, "the
making of Dick's boots prevented his
sleeping o' nights, for every time the
lad came to be measured he brought a
message from his father to the effect
that the new articles must be stronger
and better than the former ones, which
had worn very badly indeed. ' ' William

1080

ONE SHALL BE TAKEN.

declared that he always used the best
and thickest leather, and that, as for the
soles and heels, there wasn't a lad in
the parish who carried such a weight of
nails and iron plates as Dick Johnson.

It will be seen, therefore, that there
was some difference of opinion as to the
respective merits of Arthur and Dick.
Let the reader judge of them : my busi-
ness is to describe them as they really
were.

Talk of separating two brothers, how
can it be done when the boys live in the
same house, go to the same school, and
play the same games together day by
day ? But Arthur and Dick were so
much to one another that, I am sorry to
say it, they had a stand-up fight on
every possible occasion. An old inhabi-
tant of the village once told me that he
had never seen them together when they
were not fighting, except once. On that
occasion they were wrestling. The con-
tests, however, were only of that half-in-
fun, half-in earnest order, indulged in
by young puppies and juvenile animals
in general.

Dick was fourteen and Arthur fifteen ;
both were strong as colts, and as mis-
chievous as monkeys. Their father was
a doctor, and their home in a quaint
little country town (more village than
town) in the West of England. The}'
belonged to a family of eleven — eight
sisters and three brothers. One brother,
the eldest of the family, was grown up ;
then came a sister of sixteen, Arthur
and D;ck being senior to the remaining
seven little sisters. A large family, and
a merry one, though not too well-to-do.
" Poor Mrs. Johnson ! " was the invari-
able way in which the doctor's wife was
referred to, not because of her ill health,
but on account of her incessant labors,
and the burden of such a big family.

"All those children, and only one
maid to help her! " the good ladies of
Pyneton used to say. " Poor thing ! she
is certainly wearing herself out. "

Hard-working, sweet-tempered, pa-

tient and devoted, Mrs. Johnson cer-
tainly was. Had she, think you, an
opinion on the respective merits of
Arthur and Dick? Of course she had,
more than an opinion indeed : the mother
knew her boys. She did not discuss them
very much with others, but when they
were attacked, she impartially defended
them both. Yet the good lady knew
very well which of the two she was more
concerned to defend. Arthur was by far
the cleverer lad. He was seldom out of
mischief, yet he scarcely ever found him-
self in a scrape. His father, a terribly
stern disciplinarian, who scorned to use
a less formidable instrument of punish
mentthan a long, lithe riding-whip, had
already decided that Arthur was a born-
lawyer, and had resolved that his son
should enter that profession. Light of
limb, and quick of speed, Arthur could
often either place himself beyond the
reach of danger, or, if caught red-handed,
could plead so eloquently in his own
favor, that in nine cases out of ten he
escaped all punishment. Dick, on the
other hand, although more brave and
daring than the other, would blunder
terribly when he found himself in a
tight place. As for special pleading, he
could not have practised it to save his
life.

His ideas of right and wrong were as
crude as those of Protestant bo}'S in gen-
eral. " Nearly all the theology he knew
was that he must not play on Sundays. "
I say nearly, because there was one other
great principle he had mastered, that of
honesty of speech. Whatever he might
say when interrogated, and with the
whip hanging over him, he would never
deliberately and knowingly tell a lie.
Taken unawares, he had told many, but
he had never consciously set to work to
concoct an untrue story, and his mother,
at least, was perfectly certain he never
would. You see his mother knew him.
It was one of her secret troubles that she
only knew Arthur in a negative way, that
is, she knew that she did not know him .

ONE SHALL BE TAKEN.

1081

II.

' More men hath laughter driven from the right
Than terror clad with fire."

In order to relieve the tedium of a
playless Sunday, Arthur and Dick were
wont to take long afternoon walks, and
pay visits to their schoolfellows. On a
certain Sunday evening they were return-
ing from a farm-house in a neigboring
village, a matter of two and a half miles
from home. They had had an enjoyable
tea and chat with the farmer's sons, who
were their chums, and went every day to
the old grammar school at Pyneton. The
condition upon which Dr. Johnson al-
lowed this Sunday visiting was that his
sons should be back in good time for the
evening service.

On the present occasion they were a
little late, and a fight was out of the
question ; but as they seemed to be under
the necessity of having a contest of some
sort, they were racing across the field,
each trying to be first at a particular
stile. It was a close run, but Arthur
reached the stile first, and vaulted it.

" Hullo ! what's this ? " exclaimed the
•elder, stooping down just as Dick cleared
the stile.

"A sermon ! by all that's glorious !"
Dick ejaculated, as he picked up from
the grass a manuscript on blue paper
swathed in a silken cover.

' ' What a spiffing joke ! ' ' Arthur whis-
pered. "You remember that Tomkins
said Mr. Spencer preached at their church
this afternoon ? ' ' (Mr. Spencer was the
-curate of Pyneton, and the Vicar was
away from home.) "I'll bet anything
it dropped out of his pocket as he got
over the stile. I wonder if he was going
to use it again this evening?" Dick,
heedless of time and everything else,
threw himself on the ground in a rapture
of laughter. It was several minutes
before he could speak intelligibly.
' ' Best-fun-I-ever-heard-of, ' ' he sputtered
at length.

A third person might have found it
difficult to see where the fun came in.
To both the boys, however, the humor

of the situation was great. In all proba-
bility they had in their possession the
sermon which the distant chime of the
bells was at that moment calling them
to hear.

"Get up!" whispered the ever-cau-
tious Arthur, ' ' there is somebody coming.
Put the thing in your pocket, Dick. "

' ' Won 't go in , " said the younger boy,
as he tried to squeeze the sermon into an
inner pocket. " It 's too big. " " Well ,
put it against your waistcoat, and button
up your jacket. No, goosey, don't let it
stick out at the top ! Any fool could see
what you've got. "

The coming ' ' somebody ' ' was quite a
quarter of a mile off, but Arthur was
determined to be on the safe side. The
boys started off at a gentle trot. They
had a mile and a half to travel, and both
were anxious not to be very late. Their
conversation became very spasmodic.
But somehow or other the nearer they
got to Pyneton the less funny the busi-
ness seemed to become — to Dick at least.
' « Wonder if he really wants this ser-
mon to-night," Dick said, as they pulled
up for a moment to take breath.

"Well, if he does, you are not going
to be such a flat as to give it to him, are
you ? Just think — we shall be out three-
quarters of an hour sooner, if he hasn 't
got all that stuff to read."

"But if he finds out that he's lost it,
he'll get another one," Dick returned.

" But he won't find out till he gets in
the pulpit : you see if he does. That's
just the fun of the thing. "

They were now within sight of the
church, and, to Dick, the affair had be-
gun to look— well, not at all comical.

" Look here, Arthur, I shall hand the
thing to Richards as we are going in."
Richards was the beadle.

" You ass ! " ejaculated Arthur. It is
certain that if it had not been Sunday,
and if they had not been approaching
the church, the two would have fought
it out in their customary manner. The
bells had already ceased.

As they passed into the churchyard,

1082

ONE SHALL BE TAKEN.

Arthur saw that Dick's hand was upon
the sermon ; he saw also a troubled
look on Dick's face — yet a look of deter-
mination. Dick was going to spoil
sport.

" You frightened little kid / " It was
the most powerful shot in Arthur's
locker : the elder had seldom known it
to fail.

" Frightened, am I? " asked Dick, in
a whisper, as they passed into the porch.
'• Oh, all right ! I'll show you whether
I am frightened or not ! ' '

The boys entered the church. Rich-
ards was standing just within, but they
marched past him, straight to the family
pew.

Arthur's anticipation had been a cor-
rect one. The Rev. Mr. Spencer reached
the pulpit before he discovered his loss.
He was not a nervous man on ordinary
occasions, but as he slowly realized the
situation, his courage partially forsook
him. The choir had already reached the
last verse of the hymn. What was he to
do ? To get another sermon was out of
the question. His lodgings were half a
mile away. To explain his difficulty to
the congregation, and dismiss them,
would be a confession of incapacity that
he did not feel called upon to make.

Dick was glad he was not standing
opposite to his mother in that great
square pew. He was by her side, so she
could not see the vivid crimson of his
cheeks; but his heart thumped so might-
ily— thumped against that unfortunate
sermon, too — he was fearful lest she
should hear that. Unhappily he was
standing with his face to the preacher.
One glance, and only one, had he dared
to cast upon the pulpit. That one look
completed his feeling of meanness and
wretchedness. For a moment there oc-
curred to him the wild thought of march-
ing straight up to the pulpit with the
sermon in his hand.

The next moment, however, he felt
almost sick with terror at the bare
notion of such a thing. If only he
could catch the eye of Richards ! But

then he knew— everybody knew — that
when Richards had closed the pulpit
door, he always went out to refresh him-
self, perhaps by reading the inscriptions
on the tombstones.

Mr. Spencer had been so kind to him
always : this was the thought that hurt
Dick. One glance at the pulpit had re-
vealed to the boy the young preacher's
confusion and bewilderment. The fun
was nowhere at all. Arthur was stand-
ing with his back to the preacher, sing-
ing the last verse of the hymn in the
clearest of treble voices and with his
eyes fixed upon the book.

A great deal may happen during the
singing of a stanza of eight lines. To
Dick it seemed as though the hymn
would never end. To the preacher it
was as though the people were hurrying
it to its close in order to enjoy his con-
fusion ; yet in that short space of time
Mr. Spencer had recovered his nerve,
had recalled the text of his lost discourse
and resolved to preach an extemporary
sermon — for the first time in his career.

A moment's pause as the singing
ceased, then in a voice quite unlike his
ordinary tone the words rang through
the church : ' ' Whosoever sins ye remit,
they are remitted unto them, and whosoever
sins ye retain, they are retained.'"

It was a sermon the people of Pyneton
never forgot and never forgave. The
period I am writing of is the late sixties,
and at that time open advocacy of con-
fession in the Church of England was
not common ; it is not too common in
these days, though it is by no means
unknown, and it is probably much more
frequently preached than practised.

Mr. Spencer's hearers were shocked.
To preach without a manuscript was
startling enough, but to enforce the doc-
trine of auricular confession and priestly
absolution was to their mind the action
of a traitor. Long before the curate
reached the middle of his discourse, four
or five families had left the building;
but of this the preacher was scarcely
conscious. He knew, however, that

ONE SHALL BE TAKEN.

1083

he was saying differed very much
what he had written and lost.
Again and again he had sat far into the
night, studying how such an unpalatable
doctrine as that of Confession might be
prudently preached to a congregation so
avowedly puritanical. For preach it he
had felt that he must, and resolved that
he would. And to-night he was preach-
ing it in all its naked simplicity, and
with burning earnestness. It occurred
to him that perhaps Almighty God had
willed the loss of the MS. for His own
purposes. The curate had felt that
there was a lack of plain speech, and
therefore a want of honesty, in the writ-
ten discourse. In it, the true Catholic
doctrine was only hinted at, and the
actual practice of confession scarcely
suggested. He had, in fact, taken the
greatest possible pains not to give of-
fence to his hearers, not to shock or
startle them. He soon realized that his
extemporary sermon had created a paro-
chial panic.

III.

" Does the morning light
Scatter this wan suffusion o'er thy brow,
This faint blue lustre under both thine eyes? "
— W. S.Landor.

Sunday evening was generally a very
happy time for Dick. His mother was
always at church then. In the morning
she could rarely attend, for her one maid
was unequal to the cooking of dinner,
and then the dressing and sending
off of so large a family was in itself a
heavy task. But in the evening she
was free, and, from the time he was four
years old, Dick had always sat ' ' next to
mother." These were the days when
Protestants had all but lost the art of
kneeling at prayer, but Mrs. Johnson
had imbibed Tractarian principles in her
childhood, and many High Church cus-
toms still clung to her. So Dick, re-
solved "to do whatever mother did,"
knelt during the prayers, and bowed
whenever the Holy Name was men-
tioned in the lessons. During the ser-
mon he would sit as close to her as he

could, and would allow his rough little
red hand to remain in hers until the
end. Sometimes, indeed, when the ser-
mon was long, and the weather sultry,
his head would pillow itself upon his
mother's shoulder, and he would sleep
peacefully until the pressure of her hand
awoke him ; generally, however, he
made some effort to follow the sermon,
because his mother wished him to do so.
Arthur might sneer as much as he
pleased at Dick 's little demonstrations
of affection for his mother ; in any mat-
ter connected with her the younger boy
could not be moved — except to a fight
with his elder brother on the first possi-
ble occasion.

But to-night, although Dick had often
enough suffered remorse (and something
else) for his misdeeds, he endured the
most agonizing sermon-time he had
ever experienced. The entire discourse
seemed to the boy one long act of de-
nunciation of himself. Mr. Spencer's
manner was quite changed. Instead
of the quiet and placid reading of a
carefully written paper, there was a
fierce and heated harangue. And that
he himself was the object of it, Dick
never doubted. Confession ! — that was
what Mr. Spencer was every moment
demanding of the unlawful possessor of
his sermon. Dick had a conscience, and
on this night it certainly made a coward
of him. The curate knew that Dick
and Arthur had been to the Tomkinses
that afternoon ; he would also guess
that the boys were the first to follow
him over the meadows that led to Pyne-
ton. And what tended to confirm Dick in
the assurance that he was found out was
the fact that the preacher cast frequent
glances at the Johnsons' family pew.

But what alarmed Dick most of all
was the fact I mentioned above, viz., the
exit of several people long before the
sermon was finished. To the lad's heated
imagination this meant nothing less
than the summoning of the village po-
liceman for his arrest. The slightest
movement among the congregation terri-

1084

ONE SHALL BE TAKEN.

fied him. It was fortunate, indeed, that
Mrs. Johnson was so absorbed in the
sermon. Mr. Spencer knew she was the
one listener who would understand and
appreciate what he was saying, and I
may say at once that this was the rea-
son of his constantly turning to the
Johnsons' pew. Both the matter and
the manner of the curate's utterance were
giving her so much pleasure that she
scarcely noticed Dick 's unusual restless-
ness. He was suffering all kinds of
horrors by anticipation — horrors that
only an imaginative boy can suffer. He
saw in fancy the slow and steady march
of the policeman down the nave ; he
saw the opening of the pew-door and
the officer's entry ; he heard the demand
to deliver up Mr. Spencer's property ;
he felt the cold steel of the handcuffs
upon his wrists ; he saw himself taken
up the centre of the church in face of Mr.
Spencer, in the face of the whole con-
gregation, in the face of his mother.
It was the last imagination that hurt
him most. Giving pain to his mother —
this it was that always drew the tears
from Dick's eyes. His father's anger
was a terrible thing enough, and its con-
sequences were not soon to be forgotten ;
but whenever Dick was in trouble, the
knowledge that his mother was in deeper
trouble still was the bitterest part of his
punishment.

The lad was partially relieved when
the sermon came to an end. How glad
he was that the night was dark, and
how hard he strove to talk to his mother
on the way home !

"You look very feverish, my dear,"
said Mrs. Johnson to Dick as, after super-
intending the laying of supper, she
entered the drawing-room where the
elder children were sitting after their
return from church.

"I — I don't feel very well, mother;
may I go to bed ? " Dick asked, with a
catch in his voice, as he felt his mother's
hands encircling his cheeks.

" But, my darling, you must have
some supper."

" No, thank you, mother, I don't want
any to-night. I had such a good tea."

Mrs. Johnson smiled. She knew how
more than hospitable the Tomkinses
were. Perhaps Dick wanted a little
medicine. As she kissed him she re-
solved to visit his bedroom earlier than
usual.

Usually Dick and Sound Slumber
were the closest of friends ; to-night the
lad did not close his eyes. An hour or
so later, Arthur came to his bed in the
same little room. Beneath the bed-
clothes Dick 's hand clutched Mr. Spen-
cer's sermon, but not as firmly as re-
morse was clutching the soul of the
sleepless boy.

"What are you going to do about
that sermon, Dick ? " asked Arthur, as
he saw his brother lying awake.

"What can we do? " pleaded Dick,
almost with a moan.

' ' Oh come now, don 't say we, ' ' re-
joined Arthur; "I haven't got the
beastly sermon."

" You found it, " Dick replied hotly.

"You picked it up, though. You
took it, 'Twas you that hid it away and
kept it all the mortal time Spencer was
trying to hammer a sermon out of his
own head. Don 't lug me into the busi-
ness, please."

Dick had anticipated all this : this
was Arthur ' ' all over. ' ' There would
have been a furious fight but for fear of
troubling the mother, or bringing the
father upstairs.

("With one's jacket on, that riding-
whip hurts horribly; but laid on over a
nightgown it's just beastly," Dick had
remarked on one occasion.)

Arthur got into bed, and was asleep
in no time. Half an hour later a gentle
step on the stair made Dick 's heart beat
very fast. Yet how he had longed for
the coming of his mother !

"What's the matter, dear, you are
crying? " asked Mrs. Johnson, as she
bent over him.

For several minutes Dick could only
sob. His mother sat down close to the

ONE SHALL BE TAKEN.

1O85

bed, and took her son's hand. She
knew that with a little patience on her
part, Dick's trouble would soon be
poured out. Some fresh scrape, she
thought, or perhaps he had had a
frightening dream. She put her hand
on his forehead ; it was certainly very
hot.

"I am not ill, mother — not a bit ill,
but I've done something very bad,"
Dick sobbed at length. Then he asked,
" Has father come in ? "

"No, Dicky; he won't be home till
late. But what is this bad thing, my
dear?"

" It's — it's — at least I think it's sacri-
lege. ' '

' ' Sacrilege ! " ej aculated the mother in
a horrified whisper. " My darling, you've
been dreaming. ' '

' ' Haven 't slept a wink, mother.
And " — Dick pulled out something from
below the bedclothes — " look at this ! "
Dick saw that his mother was startled
as she opened the MS. and realized what
it was. For her sake he hastened to
explain.

' ' But you didn 't intend to keep it,
dear?" asked Mrs. Johnson when Dick
had finished his confession.

"No — at least not for always. But
you see, mother, I ought to have given
it to Richards, and then everything
would have been all right, only —
" Only what, dear?"
Dick was silent.

"Of course Arthur was with you?"
asked the mother, a light dawning upon
her as she spoke.

1 ' I picked it up, mother, and I had it
under my jacket all the time I was in
church. Oh, mother, do you really think
it's sacrilege ? "

Mrs. Johnson did not know what to
reply. She had a vague idea that sacri-
lege meant breaking into a church and
stealing something therefrom ; but then
came another thought— " Was not the
taking of any sacred thing sacrilege?
And was not a sermon a pre-eminently
sacred thing ? ' '

It was a bitterly painful night both
for mother and son, the more painful
because both were in doubt as to the real
nature of the act. For a whole hour Mrs.
Johnson sat by her son's bedside trying
to soothe and console him, but with only
partial success. One thing, the mother
saw, must certainly be done. Dick must
take the earliest opportunity of seeing
Mr. Spencer. Dick acquiesced, of course,
but the thought of the terrible interview
did not tend to produce sound and re-
freshing sleep, and the morning found
him heavy-eyed and heavy-hearted.

IV.

.... "I hold thai man to be but a coward-
slave

Who bears the plague-spot about him, and, knowing
it, shrinks or fears

To brand it out, though the burning knife should
hiss in the heart's hot tears."— Owen Meredith.

A wretched day indeed, and one that
would have been laden with other pains
and penalties, if his good-natured master
had not noticed the boy's heavy eyes and
the many symptoms of "something
wrong " in his pupil's condition. Never
too brilliant in class, to-day Dick floun-
dered hopelessly in every subject ; but
the master readily allowed the lad's
very truthful plea of sickness, and at
three o'clock, to the latter 's lasting
gratitude, actually suggested that he
should go home.

Flying at first in the direction of Mr.
Spencer's lodgings, Dick slackened pace
considerably when he came within sight
of the house. The awful thought came
into his mind that the curate might
refuse to listen to any explanation, and
that once he (Dick) was within the house,
Mr. Spencer would immediately send for
the. policeman. Again he saw himself
handcuffed, and marched down through
the village to the lock-up. The mere
thought of it almost made his heart
stand still. On the way to school that
morning, Arthur (who, as the reader will
remember, was going to be a lawyer),
had given it as his opinion that the
business was certainly a felony, and
very probably sacrilege, and had quoted

1086

ONE SHALL BE TAKEN.

cases, real or fictitious, in support of his
testimony. So engrossed was Dick in
these gloomy thoughts that he did not
notice a footstep behind him, until his
shoulder was playfully tapped with a
walking-stick, and a cheery voice called
out: "Not running away, are you,
Dick? "

The doubly embarrassed boy turned
round and confronted Mr. Spencer ! For-
tunately the curate did not wait for a re-
ply. " I have just been paying a series
of most disappointing visits," he said,
as he shook hands with Dick. "Every-
body out, you know. Well, I don't
blame them, do you, fine afternoon like
this ! Are you going far, Dick ? ' '

" I — I — I — was going to see you, sir, "
said the boy in a trembling voice.

It was clear to the keen-sighted curate
that something was wrong, but he re-
plied briskly : ' < Well now, that is kind
of you, and just as I was beginning
to feel lonely and out of sorts ; really, I
am in luck, after all. Won't you leave
your satchel in the hall ? ' '

" No, thank you, sir, " said Dick.
The sermon was in the satchel.
' ' Oh, but I am not going to let you go
in a hurry, I can tell you, ' ' said the cu-
rate, at the same time relieving the boy of
the satchel. ' ' Let it hang there. It will
be quite safe, you know. I am expecting
Captain Parkinson in a few minutes —
you know he is an old schoolfellow of
mine— and you must stop and have tea
with us. We shall make quite a little
party."

Now Captain Parkinson, home on
leave, was a local hero. The young sol-
dier had been out to Abyssinia. Dick
began to hope that the coming of .the
Captain might interfere with the sending
for the policeman. At the same time the
boy reflected that, as the curate expected
a guest, the sooner the sermon business
was over, the better. At length, after sev-
eral attempts in the short pauses of Mr.
Spencer's chat, Dick stammered out :

"Please, sir, I came — to — to — bring
your sermon. "

"You found my sermon !" ejaculated
the curate. "Well, really, I am the most
fortunate man in the world. There was
I last night in the pulpit minus my MS.
and so compelled — compelled, Dick —
to preach extempore — a thing I should
never have done if I hadn't been forced
to do it — an opportunity for which I shall
be forever grateful. For, don't you see,
Dick, what one has done once, one can
do again. I thought the loss of my MS.
a very small price to pay for such an
advantage, and now you come to tell me
that I have lost nothing." Mr. Spencer
rubbed his hands with much satisfaction.
Dick, though still a little frightened, felt
encouraged to proceed . He told the whole
story without once mentioning Arthur's
name. Little by little the curate saw the
reason of the boy 's trouble. He saw also
Dick's sincere sorrow.

' ' My dear lad, you were a goose to
distress yourself about the thing. I'm
pretty sure if you hadn't come in after
the service began, you would have
brought the sermon to me in the vestry,
— wouldn 't you, now ? ' '

' ' I don 't know, sir, ' ' was Dick 's reply,
and the curate's laugh was a hearty one.
" Well, Dick, we'll say the temptation
to have a little fun was too strong for
you — shall we? At any rate you've
confessed, and I can see you are really
sorry. I forgive you with all my heart.
Let us say no more about it. "

"May I fetch the sermon, sir?" said
Dick, rising with alacrity. "It's in my
satchel."

"Thank you, if you will. I'm glad
not to have lost the case ; it was made
for me by my mother. ' '

Dick was by no means given to the
shedding of tears. During the last eigh-
teen hours he had cried more than at any
period of his life since the age of baby-
hood, and now he spent a suspiciously
long time in the hall fumbling with his
satchel. When he returned to the sitting-
room, Mr. Spencer saw plentiful traces
of joyful tears.

"We won't mention this to a soul —

ONE SHALL BE TAKEN.

1087

will we, Dick ? ' ' asked the curate, as lie
placed the sermon in a drawer. " We'll
keep this little matter to ourselves. It's
my own fault, really. If I hadn't been
late in returning to Pyneton I should not
have been obliged to run, and if I hadn't
been running, I shouldn't have jumped
that stile; and if I hadn't jumped the
stile, I shouldn't have dropped the ser-
mon out of my coat-tail pocket. And if
I hadn't dropped it, you couldn't have
ickedit up. You see, Dick, it all follows
naturally as the house that Jack
built."

Dick could not help feeling that there
was one item in the business that the
curate persisted in overlooking, viz.,
the retention of the sermon. But, apart
from this, there was a question that the
boy was longing to ask, and to have
answered.

' ' If you please, sir, " Dick began very
nervously, " would you kindly tell me if
I have committed — sacrilege ? ' '

Mr. Spencer threw himself back in his
chair and laughed for three minutes and
a half by the clock on the mantelpiece.
Long before he had finished, Dick was
laughing, too — certainly for the first
time that day. When they had both re-
covered, and the curate had given Dick
a fairly correct definition of sacrilege,
the lad rose and asked : "Might I just
run home and tell my mother, sir ? You
see, she thought it might be sacrilege,
and so she's — well, sir, she's unhappy
about it. ' '

Mr. Spencer rose and looked out of the
window. He was not laughing now.

"Do you tell your mother everything,
Dick?" he asked, after a moment's
silence.

' ' Yes, sir. ' '

11 If you always do that, my lad, you'll
be very safe and very happy. Perhaps
it won't take you long to run home,"
the curate continued after a pause. ' ' But
please give my compliments to your
mother, and say I particularly wish you
to come back to tea. ' '

Dick was too full of joy to say any-

thing, but he caught Mr*. Spencer's hand
between his hard little fists, and gave it
a squeeze that the curate felt for several
minutes. An instant later the quiet
little street was filled with the noise of
Dick's heavy iron-shod boots as he
raced home laden with joyful news for
"mother."

"Happy lad, and happy mother!"
the curate said to himself as he turned to
his writing table with a smile and a sigh.
•****•***

' ' He is a brick, and no mistake, ' ' Dick
said to Arthur that night as they reached
their bedroom . • ' You were j ust out of it
this time. Most spiffing evening I
ever spent ! Such a- tea ! Every blessed
thing you could think of! And Cap-
tain Parkinson telling the most rattling
stories of the war. "

"Well," replied Arthur sneeringly,
"I'd advise you to go in for sermon-
stealing as a profession. It seems ta
pay."

" Oh say whatever you like, Arthur ; t
can stand it. I'm jolly happy, I tell you,
and I hope you are the same. ' '

When the mother visited her son that
night, her kiss was pressed upon a sleep-
ing face and laughing lips.

" They, too, receive each one his Day,

But their wise heart knows many things
Beyond the sating of desire
Above the dignity of kings."

— Bliss Carman.

But that extemporary sermon cost Mr.
Spencer his curacy. On the very day of
the Vicar's return a deputation of parish-
ioners appeared at the vicarage to pro-
test against the curate's open advocacy
of Confession.

Called upon for an explanation, Mr.
Spencer's only care was to defend him-
self from the charge of having taken ad-
vantage of his senior's absence. Find-
ing himself without a written sermon
he had preached what was in his heart,
and he could not honestly retract a sin-
gle word. "In that case," said the
Vicar, ' ' I must ask you to seek another

1O88

THE CURE OF LOURDES.

appointment." Mr. Spencer bowed, re-
turned to his lodgings, and wrote off
at once to a High Church friend for ad-
vice and assistance.

Fortunately for Dick's peace of mind,
and that of his mother, it was some
weeks before the curate left, although
the Vicar would not allow him to enter
the pulpit again. It was long after Mr.
Spencer had gone that Dick began to
realize how much he himself had had to
do, unwittingly, of course, with the
curate's departure.

In the meantime Mr. Spencer's views
were undergoing a change. The High
Church friend, a parson like himself, to
whom he had applied for advice, was
on the eve of being received into the
Catholic Church. Three months after-
wards Mr. Spencer followed him.
# # #• * -x- # *

Six years later, in the presbytery of a

big London church, a priest was en-
gaged in the instruction of a young
man, a medical student, who was soon
to have the happiness of becoming a
member of Christ's Church. "You
know, of course, my dear Dick, you can
make your first confession to any priest
you care to choose, ' ' Father Spencer
was saying.

"My dear Father, didn't I make my
first confession to you when I was a boy
of fourteen ? You couldn't give me sac-
ramental absolution, then, could you?
But I do hope you will not refuse it to
me the day after to-morrow. ' '

Dick is now a flourishing M.D., and
one of the most earnest Promoters of
the Apostleship of Prayer I ever met.

' ' I have reason to be, ' ' he said to me
one day. ' ' Wasn 't it through the Apos-
tleship that I obtained the conversion
of my darling mother ? ' '

THE CURE OF LOURDES.
By f. M. Cave.

WHO that has visited Lourdes dur-
ing the first two decades of its
years of fame, or read M. Henri Las-
serre's interesting book on this shrine of
Mary, but is acquainted with its tall,
handsome, genial cure, Mgr. Peyramale ?
His figure is, perhaps, more familiar,
more closely associated with the spot
than even that of Bernadette herself,
and, indeed, it was due chiefly to his
efforts that the child's account of the
marvellous apparition obtained credence.
From the first she found in her parish
priest a zealous champion and prudent
counsellor, and when, in obedience to
our Lady's behests, a chapel was begun
amid the rocks of Massabielle, it was
only fitting that the foundation stone
should be placed by the Abbe" Peyramale.
Henceforth, Lourdes becomes ' ' the scene
of the most miraculous manifestations
in the supernatural order, and the
centre of a religious movement, the

most remarkable of the age." From
the time of the apparition the Cure" of
Lourdes is known to all the world, and
it were needless to narrate the story of
his life from that period. Rather let us
turn to his earlier years, his boyhood,
his first labors as a country priest and
army chaplain. They will reveal to us
a most charming personality, ever
patient, ever cheerful ; an untiring la-
borer in the vineyard of the Master, and
of a charity towards the poor so self-
forgetting that it would seem to the
worldly-minded sheer folly and a tempt-
ing of Providence. A priest, in a word,
fashioned after the pattern set by St.
Francis Regis or the Cure d'Ars. There
are many such in these little mountain
villages of France, and, while their
simple manners and homely experiences
may sometimes provoke a smile, we
have much to gain from the study of
their lives.

THE CURE OF LOURDES.

Marie Dominique Peyramale was born
at Momeres, January 9, 1811. He was
an active child, vivacious, loving and
generous, but with such an admixture
of roughness and tenderness, innocent
mischief and simple piety in his charac-
ter, that his good mother was always
prepared to find her boy doing something
or other out of the beaten path. Two
such extraordinary actions are narrated
of his early years, and furnish a fore-
cast of what was afterwards to be his
characteristic virtue.

At the beginning of a rainy Autumn,
Mme. Peyramale had brought home a
pair of fine sabots, and had left them in
the dining-room, while she went out to
attend to some business. On returning,
she met a poor old woman miserably
dressed, but shod with splendid new
sabots. Little Marie Dominique, his
eyes radiant with happiness, was stand-
ing in the doorway watching the retreat-
ing form of the peasant. The mother
understood it all. " You little rogue,"
she exclaimed, "how dared you give
away my new shoes to this woman ? ' '

"Mamma," was the child's answer,
given in all simplicity, ' ' she is poorer
than you."

The second of these unlooked-for inci-
dents took place when he was about ten
years old. It was a Winter of extreme
severity, and one day, as he was running
about the house, he came face to face
with a boy of his own age, clad in rags,
and shivering with cold. "Stop
there! " he cried. "Each one must
have his turn. Change clothes : you
will be warm and I cold." The poor
child thus accosted, stood motionless
with surprise, till our future Abbe seized
him roughly by the collar, pulled off his
coat and other garments, and in a
trice the two boys stood transformed.
The method was that of a highwayman,
but the act was one that brought tears
of joy to the eyes of his mother, when
Marie Dominique came home to give
an explanation of his changed appear-
ance.

1O89

But all this time there had been grow-
ing up in the boy's mind and heart a
great desire of entering the seminary.
He met only with encouragement from
his good Catholic parents, and their cup
of happiness was filled to overflowing
when, after a most successful course of
studies, he was raised to the priesthood in
1 835 . His first charge was that of Vicar
of Vic-en-Bigorre, and two years later
in the parish of St. John, at Tarbes.
But it was as Cure of Aubarede that he
had fullest scope for the display of his
zeal and charity.

Aubarede was situated amid rough
and steep roads, where foot-travelling at
times was well-nigh an impossibility.
A present of a horse from his father, Dr.
Peyramale, removed a difficulty in reach-
ing his scattered flock. "Now, "said
the Abbe\ ' ' in all my expeditions, I
shall be between heaven and earth. It
is the true position of a priest. "

But there were other difficulties not so
easily removed. Chief among these was
a custom of long standing among the
men of the parish, to fulfil to the letter
the Church's command of hearing Mass
on Sundays, but at the first remote prep-
arations for the sermon, to adjourn in
a body to the neighboring square to talk
over their business affairs. The sermon
over, they would return and hear Mass
to the end, with edifying devotion and
attention. It is hard to see how such a
custom could have arisen — perhaps in a
disagreement with a former pastor —
but at any rate, the first Sunday after
his installation, when the Abbe" Peyra-
male ascended his pulpit, he had before
him only women.

The new Cure bided his time, and the
following Sunday, just as the usual ex-
odus began, his powerful voice, speaking
with all the force of priestly authority,
arrested the movement towards the door.
4 ' Men of Aubarede, ' ' he cried, ' ' don 't go
out ! I am here to-day to speak to you,
and not to your wives. Let no man
leave his chair. You will soon be free.
What do you talk of on that square out

1090

THE CURE OF LOURDES.

there ? Of your business, your fields,
your crops ? Now it is precisely of your
fields and crops that I would speak to
you. " After this exordium, he went on
to point out to them that just as their
fields needed both sun and rain to render
them fruitful, so, too, their souls required
not only the vivifying sun of the Holy
Mass, but the rain and dew of the
divine word to give fruit and increase to
the graces received into the soil of their
hearts. It is needless to say that there-
after there was no leaving the church at
the end of the Gospel.

Working on Sunday was another evil
that had taken root in the parish, and
the young Cure did not rest until he
had eradicated it. The people still tell
how he would mount his church steeple
to see if any one was working in the
fields around. Once he espied in the
distance a reaper loading his cart with
sheaves, and he was not long in hasten-
ing to the scene of the offence. There
was no excuse. The weather was clear,
not a sign of a storm ; and, to make
matters worse, the guilty party was a
rich farmer. ' ' Where are you going ? ' '
shouted the Cure, as he approached his
Sunday-breaking parishioner.

"You see, Monsieur le Cure, " he stam-
mered, "I am carrying away these
sheaves."

"To-day ! Sunday ! "

" But, Monsieur le Cure, there are cases
where it is permitted to work on Sun-
day."

"Assuredly, ' ' was the answer ; " in an
urgent case and with permission of your
pastor. Now I bring you permission,
and the case is so urgent that I am going
to help you."

The farmer stood in open-eyed amaze-
ment, at a loss to understand his pastor's
meaning. " Oh, certainly, there is ur-
gency," continued the Cure, as he
mounted the waggon, " and as for me, I
have no scruple in working with you on
Sunday, to restoreorder, "and,ashespoke,
he began with vigorous arms to throw
back into the field sheaf after sheaf.

The farmer was repentant. "Pardon
me, Monsieur le Cure, " he said, "and
permit me to repair my fault. "

"My child," said the Cure gravely,
"you must repay the Lord for what you
have cheated Him of. There is near your
house a family in extreme poverty. Give
them one of these sheaves. "

" Father, I will give them four. "

If these incidents convey an idea of
the Abbe Peyramale's vigor in stamping
out abuses, we must remember that char-
ity and meekness, rather than severity,
were his characteristic traits.

Shortly after his arrival in the parish,
a father of a family came to tell him of
his financial troubles, and to ask his ad-
vice. The debt was large, and the Abbe's
pocketbook empty. After some moments '
reflection : ' ' The only advice I can give
you, " he said, opening at the same time
the door of an adjoining closet, "is to
take that bridle you see hanging on the
nail."

The poor man was astonished, and be-
gan to think his pastor had chosen a
strange time for joking.

"And then," continued the Abbe,
' ' you will put that bridle on the horse
you see in the field below. You will
then lead that horse to the fair at Tarbes,
which takes place to-day. You will sell
him, and the money you receive will
save you from your creditors. "

"But," interposed the man, "that
horse "

4 ' The horse is mine and I give it to
you."

"Ah, Monsieur le Cure, what can I
ever do for you ? ' '

"You can do much, my friend. "

"What?"

' ' Keep absolute silence, and never
speak of this. If you do, I shall claim
the money and send the sheriff after
you." It was unfortunate that shortly
afterwards Dr. Peyramale came to
visit his son, and, quite naturally, con-
versation turned on the horse he had
presented him. "He goes very well,':
said the Cure. " The other day he went

THE CURE OF LOURDES.

1091

to Tarbes on a stretch, without losing
breath."

"But why is he not now in the
stable?"

"Impossible to keep him in the
stable."

" But I don't see him in the field
either. ' '

Silence, and a vain effort to change
the subject of conversation proved un-
availing.

" O you prodigal son, " exclaimed the
old doctor, "I
bet you have
sold him and
spent the
money. "

' ' There are
extenuating
circumstances,
Father. I've
kept the sad-
dle."

A second,
third an d
fourth horse
came as gifts
from the char-
itable father,
only to go the
wa y of the
first, and with
the last went
also the ex-
tenuating cir-
cumsta nee —
the saddle.
' ' What does it
matter, ' ' was
the Cure 's
laughing reply
to the expos-
tulations of his family. "On the road
to heaven one goes faster afoot than on
horseback. ' '

In 1851, the Bishop of Tarbes appointed
the Abbe Peyramale chaplain of the mili-
tary hospital of that city. The change
caused general mourning at Aubarede.
The entire population in tears accom-
panied their pastor to the limits of the couragement.

MGR. PEYRAMALE

parish, and to this day they point out
with pious reverence, to their children
and grandchildren, a vine planted by the
Cure's own hand, and a large, wide-
branched tree, under which he was wont
to sit and read his breviary.

The Abbe Peyramale was possessed of
every qualification for his new position.
His tall stature, his martial bearing, his
straightforwardness, his rough goodness
at once attracted the soldiers, while his
gift of repartee and incomparable pow-
ers as a racon-
teur were al-
ways sure to
gather around
him an atten-
tive band of
listeners.
Here, he
thought, is my
life-work : but
Pro v i d e n c e
had orda i n e d
otherwise. A
small, obscure
parish in the
Hautes Pyre-
nees had be-
come vacant,
and at the
comm a n d o f
his bishop, on
January i,
1855, the Abbe
Peyramale be-
came the Cur£
of Lourdes.

Not many
months had
passed before
he had become

thoroughly acquainted with every nook
and corner of his new parish. The poor
soon learned the way to his ever-open
door, and no one went away empty-
handed. For the afflicted he had con-
solation ; for the tempted, useful coun-
sel ; for the sick, the care of a father—
for all, sympathy and words of en-
Wardrobe and pantry

1O92

THE CURE OF LOURDES.

held nothing long against his charity.
His cassocks were worn threadbare, and
his shoes often broken and patched.
When kind friends would make him a
present of a new cassock or pair of
shoes, or bribe his housekeeper to sub-
stitute them during the night for his
old ones, it was not long before the
cassock had been transformed into a
coat and vest for some peasant, and the
shoes found their way to some needy
workman.

One day some one presented him with
a dozen shirts. They were placed on
the table, while the housekeeper went to
dust the wardrobe preparatory to putting
them in it. On her return, there were
only ten shirts — a poor person had
passed by.

"But there were twelve a minute
ago, " she exclaimed in her surprise.

' ' It was a mistake, ' ' replied the Cur£.
"I have reduced them to the decimal
system. It is more in conformity with
the laws."

The next morning, however, he did
not fear to violate the law by reducing
the ten to nine, eight, and finally to
three. This was too much for the
patience of the housekeeper, and she
only desisted from her anger when the
Cure" laughingly remarked, " Numero
Deus impart gaudet " (God likes odd
numbers best). The Latin frightened
her into silence. She thought it a Scrip-
tural text.

The stories of the good Abbe 's chari-
ties are legion, and it would be impos-
sible to narrate them all. One or two,
however, cannot be passed over, if it
were only to show the ingenuous charac-
ter of his almsgiving. One Winter day,
after a season of fasting had just ended,
he returned home with a ravenous appe-
tite. On his way to his room, he stopped
at the kitchen to see if dinner was
ready. " In a minute, " said the cook.
' ' lyook at that magnificent capon there
on the dripping-pan. It will serve you for

four meals. Madame D has made

you a splendid present. Just wait till I

run to the fountain for a pitcher of fresh
water and you shall be served. "

While she was away to the fountain, a
woman wretchedly clad appeared at the
threshold of the open door. ' ' My hus-
band and I are starving, Monsieur le
Cure, " she said, "and our children are
without bread. ' '

The Cure had discovered a piece of
silver in his pocket, and he gave it to
her with words of encouragement. A
loaf and his bottle of wine was the next
gift, and then, as she was going off full
of gratitude, he called her back. ' 'Here, ' '
he said, ' ' the fast is over and you must
have your meat-day, ' ' and, taking the
capon from the dish, he rolled it in a
newspaper. ' ' Put this in your apron,
and get away as quickly as you can . ' '

"Not that way, " he cried, hurriedly,
as he saw her take the direction of the
fountain. ' ' You will meet the enemy. "

The next instant ' ' the enemy ' ' en-
tered, and put her pitcher of water on
the table.

" Come, serve your dinner, " cried the
Cure". Loud exclamations of anger and
surprise greeted his request. ' ' The
capon, the capon, where is the capon?
The cat has carried it off ! "

"Well, well, we will make a feast-
day on cheese, " said the Cure, with diffi-
culty keeping from laughing. At that
moment the suspected cat appeared on
the scene. Broom in hand the irate
housekeeper charged on it, but the sight
of innocence in peril forced an avowal
from the lips of the Cure" . ' ' Stop ! It
is I who have given it away. Serve the
cheese."

"A priest should always give," he
was wont often to repeat. "When he
has money, he gives to the poor. When
he has none, he gives to the rich. " He
called ' ' giving to the rich ' ' furnishing
them an opportunity to help the poor.
"The unfortunate represent for me, " he
would say "Him who alone is Master,
and Him we are here to serve. ' '

If the Abbe Peyramale was the sotil
of charity, he was none the less the

THE CURE OF LOURDES.

model of
active , in-
trepid zeal. It
was sweetness
in strength,
the tenderness
of a mother,
and the cour-
age of an apos-
tle. . He was
the hero of
sev e r a 1 r e -
markable ad-
ventures about
which the
people love

TARBES- ENTRANCE; TO THE VILLAGE.

1093

After he had
pro ceed e d
some distance,
he thought he
heard a noise
as of footsteps
lightly follow-
ing. He turn-
ed, and there,
some twenty
feet away,
glared the
famished eyes
ofanenormous
wolf. He
pushed ahead,

) speak, as they gather around their looking back from time to time, only
hearths on the long Winter nights. to find the animal following at the

About two or three years after his ar- same fixed distance. If he stopped,
rival in Lourdes, he was invited to be the wolf stopped. When he resumed
present at the erection of a Way of the his march, the wolf moved forward also.
Cross, in a parish high up in the moun- But lo, a second wolf has joined the com-
pany, and two leagues remain yet to
be traversed. He turns and swings his
pastoral staff in vigorous menace. The
wolves neither advance nor recede. And

tains. It was the month of February.
He started with one of his assistant
priests. They were to take supper with
the pastor of the mountain parish, and

return home by moonlight. But while the procession of priest and wolves re-
at table, the snow began to fall heavily,
till, at the time determined on for return-
ing, an immense white shroud covered
mountains, gorges and valleys. Over-
head the sky was clear, the stars bril-
liant, and the moon shining in full
splendor, but one could scarcely appre-

sumes its march. However, they were
now within a half-mile of the town and
everything seemed to promise escape,
when a third wolf appeared on the scene,
and by his presence encouraged the
other two to advance within ten feet
of the Cure\ He must now have re-

ciate such beauty in the freezing air of a course to strategy, would he save his

Winter night. "You cannot think of
starting, ' ' said the host. ' ' The snow is
over your shoes. " "It would certainly
be impossible to recognize the roads, ' '
assented the timid curate.
- "Remain, then," cried the Abbe.
"As for me, I have my sick to visit,
and I must return. The mountains
know me and I know them. I have the

life. Facing the enemy, he began to
walk backwards, unceasingly swinging
his iron-tipped cane. One false step or
an obstacle in the way, and the three
would have been upon him. In this
wise, the village of Lourdes was entered.
One of the inhabitants, happening to
leave his house, witnessed the strange
sight. ' ' What is this ? To the res-

feet of a mountaineer, and my pastoral cue ! " shouts the terrified man.

" It is nothing, " replied the impertur-
bable Cure". "These friends insisted
upon keeping me company. Now that
they have brought me to my den, they
will return to their parsonage. "

At the noise of opening windows and

staff will bear me up. ' ' His pastoral staff
was a long, curved stick, which he had
used as a cane ever since his days as
military chaplain at Tarbes. And, with-
out heeding further the remonstrances
of the two priests, he started on his way.

1094

THE CURE OF LOURDES.

the sight of so many lanterns, the wolves
took flight. " If they had gone all the
way with him," said one of the parish-
ioners, ' ' he would have made honest folk
of them. No one can resist him. ' '

One other anecdote illustrates alike
his charity and Herculean strength.
There was in Lourdes a man noted for
his unbelief and avowed opposition to
all religion. Now, it happened one day
as he was leading his team along a
muddy road, the horse slipped, and the
unfortunate man fell under the wheels
of his heavily loaded wagon, which
sank deeper and deeper into the mire.
In vain he strove to extricate himself
from the murderous vise that pinned
him to the ground. By chance, the
Abbe" Peyramale was passing by, and
was quick to understand the danger.
' ' Make an act of contrition, ' ' he shouted
as he ran forward, " and I will give you
absolution."

The Abbe 's next step was to throw him-
self under the waggon, and, by an almost
superhuman ef-
fort, to raise the
enormous weight
long enough for
the unfortunate
man to crawl out.
He had, happily,
suffered only a
few bruises, and
when, in his grat-
itude, he turned
to thank his de-
liverer, he was
met with a ' ' Now
that you are
safely out of this
scrape, I must
get back to
Lourdes."

Next morning,
the rescued man
came knocking at
his pastor's door.
"Father, ' ' he
said, ' ' I have
another load, that

THE PAKISH CHURCH AT LOURDES.

is crushing me."

" I suspected it," the Cure replied.
1 ' I come to ask you to deliver me from
it."

"Most willingly."

In the confessional, a few minutes
later, the words of absolution were pro-
nounced over the humble penitent, and
another lost sheep had been re-admitted
to the fold.

It would take volumes to tell of the
good priest's adventures, whether in
quest of souls, or in his attempt to pur-
sue unobserved his exercise of charity.
It was midnight, and two friends, return-
ing from dining out, noticed a tall figure
gliding along mysteriously close to the
houses of the Place Marcadal. On his
back was a large bundle. Suspecting
robbery, they cried out ' ' Who goes
there ? ' ' No answer. The rman began
to walk faster, and then to run. Not
wanting in courage, they followed after.
The chase was a hot one, and, finding
that they could not overtake him, they
pretended to give
up the pursuit
and turned into
an alley hard by.
The next moment
they were face to
face with the sup-
posed thief, but
what was their
surprise ! It was
the Cur € of
Lourdes, and his
bundle was a
mattress he was
carrying to a
sick parishioner;
No robber caught
in the act was
ever more con-
fused than the
Abbe Peyramale
in being thus
discovered in his
work of charity.

Such was the
Cure of Lourdes

EARLY DAYS AT ANNECY.

1O95

in the days before the Apparition made

of him a historic character, and we can

well believe that, had not Mary's honor ity towards our fellow-men

required otherwise, he would have been is a household word

content to have remained unknown

his little mountain parish.

of the Nativity of our Lady, Sept. 8,

1887, he passed away from life, well pre-

pared to meet that judgment which our
Lord has told us will turn on our char-

His name
in every gourdes

in family, and the exquisite marble tomb
On the feast to his memory is dear to every lover of
our Lady of Massabielle.

EARLY DAYS AT ANNECY.

By E. Lummis.

HERE linger ever in the
story of the founding
of the Order of the
Visitation, and the
marked vocations and
heroic sacrifices of its
earliest novices, a
charm so potent and
an interest so ten-
der that neither fiction nor history,
nor saintly annals of bygone days, re-
call with such lingering interest any
prettier tale, or more enduring impres-
sion.

Perhaps it was the wonderful way in
which God called together His chosen
ones from places so distant and scenes
so diverse, as Bougeaud expresses it,
" like varied and beautiful flowers grow-
ing on the mountain heights, or in the
lowliness of the valleys, or by the sunny
wayside, waiting the hour when, culled
by one hand, they shall bloom together
in some crystal vase. "

And yet, beyond the romantic circum-
stances and the divine spirit that ideal-
ized these first beginnings, I loved the
two saints whose united holiness was
their inspiration, St. Francis and St.
Frances, brother and sister saints !
There is something in the human char-
acter of their sanctity, if we may so ex-
press it, that moves one to the very
depths. They did not dwell upon seraphic
heights, as St. Francis of Assisi and St.
Clare, nor did they stand aloof from
mankind in cloistered solitude and pen-

ance. They knew how to abound, as
well as to suffer want, and, in the words
of St. Francis himself, "it is more dif-
ficult to abound " than to suffer depriva-
tion. They descended into the depths of
every human feeling and every human
woe, and rose thence to heights of
Christlike charity. They trod the glit-
tering maze of worldly delights, and
met and parried the insidious arts of
courtly insincerity, and the stainless-
ness of their sanctity shone but with
added glory. They clothed piety and
virtue with so winning a grace that the
young and the rich and the beautiful of
this world cast its glories under foot, to
enroll themselves under the standard of
poverty, chastity and obedience.

Who could resist the sweetness of St.
Francis of Sales, rising to close the door
of the convent parlor during a private
interview, and returning with a gentle
smile without having done it, just be-
cause he had not the heart to shut out
the eager faces of the crowd of little
boarders who were gazing surreptitiously
at the saintly Bishop of Geneva !

And what more beautiful picture of
Christian heroism could one have than
that of St. Jeanne de Chantal going to
God across the living body of her son,
yet pausing to remind one, who chid
her tears as an evidence of weakness,
"that after all, she was a mother, " and
that a mother's love was God -given !
The story of these two lives, so grace-
fully intertwined, each lending to the

1096

EARLY DAYS AT ANNECY.

other the qualities that made the
perfect whole, is too familiar for re-
countal ; and yet one can retrace with
loving hand the ancient portraits, deep-
ening here and there a faded color and
reviving some fugitive expression. The
vision of St. de Chantal, attending to
the multitudinous affairs of eighty-six
Convents of the Visitation in her old
age, hailed by admiring crowds as a
saint, and reigning a queen and mother
over so many spiritual daughters, is
less beautiful, perhaps, than that of the
young baroness, gracing her high sta-
tion with every virtue, rising above the
moral atmosphere of a luxurious age,
and raising the tone of the society
around her by unswerving devotion to
the highest aims and the most perfect
accomplishment of her duties as wife
and mother. God's ways are not our
ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts.
Who would have seen in the brilliant
young matron who graced the halls of
the castle of Bourbilly, the future Mother
Superior of one of the grandest religious
orders that ever glorified the Church ?
There was no shadow of conventual au-
sterity in the young wife, who knew well
her duty to her husband, and who re-
proached herself that, in the gaieties and
social distractions that welcomed his
home-coming, she had neglected a little
the religious exercises that filled the
days of his absence. No, she is not
a religious, whose heart only lends
itself to the alien scenes of earth,
and sighs ever for those of heaven.
She is the strong and valiant woman
who can administer the estates of her
husband in wisdom and equity; his help-
mate indeed, whose love is so strong and
whose holiness so winning, that he has
no happiness but by her side, and finds in
her the realization of every earthly
aspiration. The servants must follow
her example and attend at Mass and
morning prayers, for who could be a
laggard, when the young mistress rose
before the lark for her orisons ?

She charmed the world by her brilliant

wit and attractive manners, and sanctified
it by the fervor of her devotion. If the
fashions of the time were corrupt, she
did not follow, but led them to higher
things. If the hunt were called for the
early dawn upon some festival of obliga-
tion, a priest was ready a half hour
before to say Mass in the chapel of the
castle, and it was impossible for the
hunters to omit attendance at it. If
some party of pleasure were spoken of,
she entered into it with all the ardor
of her nature and with all delicacy, and,
seemingly by chance, contrived that it
should not take place upon a Sunday.
On Sunday, too, if many guests filled
the castle and there was every excuse for
an early Mass in the chapel, Madame
la Baronne will set the example of attend-
ing divine service in the parish church,
and her guests must needs follow her, for
she said "it is good to pray with the
people. ' ' The poor love her, for her
charity has fed and clothed them, has
ministered to their dying, and buried
their dead. She has taken their troubles
to heart, and prayed and wept over them.
She has comforted their sorrows and
reconciled them to God. In the time
of famine her bounty has sustained them,
and God has blessed it with miraculous
abundance. If they impose upon her
goodness and come again and again for a
second and third portion, she cannot
even then refuse. ' ' How often have I not
been a pensioner on the bounty of the
good God, and His mercy was never
refused to me ! ' ' And so their importu-
nities is covered by the mantle of her
charity.

It was the custom in those days to rise
late, to dress three or four times, to spend
the days in idle visits, and the nights in
play. Mme. de Chantal had too noble
a soul to be satisfied with a life so empty.
She has her spiritual exercises, her visits
to the poor. She embroiders vestments
and altar linens, she instructs her ser-
vants, and yet she knows how to com-
bine all these occupations with her duties
to society. In the evenings her parlors

EARLY DAYS AT ANNECY.

1097

are filled with the neighboring nobility,
and she can even lay aside for her hus-
band's sake the chosen simplicity of her
dress, to assume the ornaments that
become her station. She sets an ex-
ample, however, even in this amid the
luxury and extravagance that had ruined
so many homes. And, from old portraits
>f beautiful women of her day, whose
lames and titles have gone down into
the dust, and whose jewels and frills and
ices, patches and powdered hair, illus-
trate only the vanity of their time, one
turns with relief to that of the young
Jaronne de Chantal, who wears her
simple robes with a Christian refinement
md true womanliness that lend to her
more enduring charm. If grace
strengthened her to lead a life so
)pposed to the spirit of her time, it was
lot because she could not feel the
strength of human ties and human re-
luirements.

Mme. de Chantal mourned the untimely
death of her young husband with a pas-
sion and intensity that almost shook the
foundations of her confidence in God. It
was long before the storm was calmed.
To Francis Borgia, praying for the re-
covery of his dying wife, God reveals
that it were better that his prayer were
not granted, and had it not been so, the
Society of Jesus would have lost one of
its future glories and the world perhaps
a saint. But to Mme. de Chantal there
is vouchsafed no such consoling message.
The veil that hides the future is not yet
lifted. She must bear this terrible grief
in its full intensity and trust God
blindly. The Baron de Chantal was ac-
cidentally shot by his friend, while
hunting in the domains of the castle. It
is long years before St. Jane Frances
can bring herself to meet the one whose
careless hand had made her a widow,
and the very entreaties of St. Francis
de Sales are needed to strengthen her to
this victory over human nature. Long
years must still elapse before God calls
her to the magnificent vocation which
has lain hidden and unsuspected in her

inmost heart — long years full of maternal
duties to her little family— full, too, of
interior or exterior trials and humilia-
tions of her inmost soul. But she is
loved and honored everywhere. The
poor flock around her and kiss the hem
of her garment, and the ladies of high
degree are won by the beauty of her
virtue, and through her gentle exhorta-
tions renounce the vanities of the time to
follow the unchanging fashion of Chris-
tian virtue.

A religious of the Visitation tells how
her mother, then a young bride, return-
ing from one of these conferences, took
out her earrings and trod them under
foot to vanquish the temptation forever,
and of the jewels they contained had a
cross made which she wore always as a
souvenir and a reminder, and which she
showed to her daughter years afterward,
as the result of her first interview with
Mme. de Chantal. One might remark
that of all the practices which were con-
temned on these occasions — the earrings
have alone gone out of fashion. The
moment came at last, when, after long
consideration and many wise delays,
Jane Frances knew that God called
her to enter the religious state. He
called her by the voice of the saintly
guide and director that He had marked
out for her by the very seal of revela-
tion. He called her in spite of every
natural tie. She is a daughter, but she
must sacrifice the filial duties that are so
dear and seem so necessary. She is a
mother, but she must immolate her
Isaac to the Lord. His will is un-
doubted, and therefore He will provide
for those she leaves behind. She must
go to Him, even though she knows not
whither He calls. Let us follow His
chosen superior to the feet of the spiri-
tual guide who holds the secret of her
fate, and learn how little of human
choice enters into the lives of such
saintly founders, how fully self has gone
out and grace has entered in.

St. Francis sees before him the
soul upon whom God has lavished so

1098

EARLY DAYS AT ANNECY.

many graces, and whom he has guided
to such heights of perfect virtue, the
foundation stone of the stately edifice
that shall rise in its beauty and lead so
many in the paths of the just. It was
the day after the Feast of Pentecost.
After Mass he sent for his penitent.
" My child, " said he, " I have made up
my mind what to do with you. " ' ' And
I, Monseigneur, am ready to follow your
advice." She knelt at his feet, to hear
the will of God. ' ' Well, then, ' ' said he,
"it would be best to enter the Poor
Clares." "I am ready," she replied.
"No," he said, "you are not strong
enough ; the life of a hospital sister at
Beaune would suit better. " " Whatever
you wish. " "It is not what I wish —
you must be a Carmelite. " " Very
well. " He tried her in many waj s, and
then said, "It is not any one of these
things that God wishes. " And then he
put before her the plan of the Visitation
Order which had long been revealed to
him in secret. At these words St. de
Chantal felt a sudden interior corre-
spondence that she had not felt at the
other propositions, though ready to
obey them. A deep peace and consola-
tion filled her inmost soul.

She saw a thousand difficulties, but felt
assured that God would remove them.
She was the idol of her aged father, and
her children were yet young. How was
she to leave them to face the trials and
dangers of the world ? Yet no sooner
was her resolution taken than the way
was made clear. She won her father's
consent, but it cost him a terrible sacri-
fice. An aspirant appeared for the hand
of her eldest daughter, Marie Aimee,
in the person of the young Baron de
Thorens, brother to St. Francis de Sales.
The youngest daughter, Fran9oise, was
to follow her into the Convent and re-
side as a boarder, while Celse-Benigne,
her only son, her delight and her tor-
ment at once, was confided to the Presi-
dent Fremyot, his grandfather, and to
the care of a wise and virtuous ecclesi-
astic, who conducted the education of

the brilliant and impetuous youth. And
so the difficulties disappeared, and, bitter
though the parting was to the mother's
heart, she could not but intone the
" Nunc Dimittis " when the moment of
terrible anguish was past. She had still
much to do, in arranging every detail for
the protection of her children's fortunes,
having resigned her estates to them.
And so, by the path of these varied
trials, St. de Chantal came to guide the
vast spiritual family that was to be hers,
enriched by the experience of every state
of life, in order that she might be a help
and guide to others, and compassionate
their trials and temptations in having
suffered more than they. And as she
had known all that this world can give
of beauty and wealth and honor and
station, of affection and cherished family
ties, she renounced them all in the prime
of life to pass on to the detachment, the
poverty, the humble silence of the clois-
ter, and to prove that the dearest, the
loveliest, the most legitimate enjoy-
ments of this world fade into dust
before the supremer happiness of loving
God, and immolating self to Him.

Mme. de Chantal was not to stand
alone in the path to which God had
called her. There soon gathered to the
little house of La Galerie, at Annecy,
where the first essays of the new order
were to be undertaken, many chosen
souls whose lot had been seemingly as
strange as hers. Who does not recall
the story of Mile. Favre, daughter of the
President of the Parliament of Savoy ?
Mile. Favre was rich and of distinguished
family, very talented, and admired, among
other things, for her exquisite grace in
dancing. A ball was given for her, and
at the first sound of the violins, the
Governor led her out to dance, while the
applause of the assembly greeted her
advent. Crowned with the roses of suc-
cess, while admiration greeted her on
every side, a deep sadness filled her
heart, and the arrow of divine grace had
found its mark. "Poor Favre, " she said
to herself, " thou hast trod thy measure,

EARLY DAYS AT ANNECY

1O99

and what is thy reward ? What remains
to thee but the hollow echoes of human
praise ? They will say, « this young lady
has danced well,' and that is all thy
recompense." And, overcome with the
thought of the springtime of life wasted
in frivolity, and of the terrors of death
ind judgment hiding among the roses,
she left the ballroom with the will to
msecrate herself to God forever.
Mile. deBrechardreachedthe Visitation
)y a different train of circumstances,
[ers was an early novitiate of strange
ind terrible trials that detached her com-
jletely from terrestrial hopes, to rest in
le solitary study of the Crucified, and to
ive in the world in the practice of the
Everest penance Fain would she have
entered a cloister, but the laxity of the
only religious houses it had been her lot
to meet with filled her with dread, and
bound her to her state of solitary perfec-
:ion. One night she had a curious dream,
;hich consoled, though it did not en-
lighten, her. She saw a magnificent par-
lor, and an altar richly adorned, before
which stood a religious clad in a habit that
seemed new in the church, who, among
>ther ceremonies, sounded a horn such
as was used in the chase, and drew from
it a strange and entrancing melody. She
advanced to Mile, de Brechard and said :
" Wilt thoubeoneof us?" "With all
my heart ' ' was the reply. The religious
then gave her a branch of flowers, and,
sounding the mystical horn once more,
called around a numerous train of other
young girls. Long afterward, when
Mile, de Brechard had entered in vain
the doors of the Poor Clares and the
Ursulines, she met St. Francis de Sales,
who revealed God's will to her, and
recognized with delight in St. de Chantal
the religious of her dream. She was one
of the most illustrious of the early com-
panions of the saint, and excelled in all
the most solid virtues. After death,
her body remained incorrupt for several
years, and the process of her canoniza-
tion was begun with that of Mme. de
Chantal.

The quaint and toucning history of
Anne Jacqueline Coste, too long to touch
upon here, marked another chosen soul
in humbler walks of life. But since
the nobility were in one way or another
the chief cause of the evils that fell upon
France in these times, so God seemed to
call upon the nobility to redeem them
by heroic virtue and sacrifice. Another
young lady of high birth, the pride of the
soirees and fetes that attended the ad-
vent of the French Ambassador to Ger-
many, Marie Peronne du Chatel, young,
beautiful, rich, and excelling in every
graceful art of poetry and music, whose
conversation was a delight, and whose
grace was the charm of the fetes she at-
tended, wept with ennui amid these gay
scenes, and left them, to sigh over the
emptiness of a heart that sorrowed most
deeply when she sought to satisfy it with
worldly delights. Ardent soul that she
was, all shining with the silks and jew-
els of the ballroom, she cried, "Marie
Peronne, thou wilt never be satisfied
until thou art in a convent ! ' ' Yet grace
won not so easy a victory. An earthly
love set itself to contend as rival
with the heavenly. She had met at
court one who was in every way worthy
of her, and one moment she would sigh
after the chaste delights of the spouses
of the Heavenly Bridegroom, to mourn
the next over her weakness in breaking
the bonds of earth. Grace slowly con-
quered. She renounced, one by one, the
arts she loved, and which were to revive
in later days, to charm the cloister. The
dance, the ball, followed, but these were
costly sacrifices. Sometimes when the
sound of the violins penetrated to her
boudoir, the ardor of her love for earthly
pleasure returned, and she fled for refuge
to the pages of a little book where all the
world was represented as dancing to the
one cadence of death, and by this tragic
image she overcame the longings of a
youthful heart. Seeking in vain some
religious order that would content her,
she met with delight, and found peace at
last in the company of Mme. de Chantal.

1100

EARLY DAYS AT ANNECY.

One could linger long over these
charming soul histories, the wonderful
revelations, the providential circum-
stances that marked the path of the
Spirit of God that moveth whithersoever
He willeth, and that brought together
these noble ladies from distant countries
and through mysterious ways to the
order for which they were destined and
where their virtue was to shine, to the
glory of their time. These wonderful
vocations cluster about every one of the
many houses of the order, but it is at
Annecy that we must remain.

To understand the Order of the Visita-
tion and why it attracted such universal
attention, one must consider the times in
which it was founded, their needs and
difficulties. In our day popular affection
is, perhaps, too much wedded to exterior
works of charity. The active orders of
religious women appeal to all, because
there is an ever-present field of corporal
and spiritual misery that requires im-
mediate action. These needs are seen
and the remedy welcomed, and the
casual observer fails to penetrate to
deeper and more interior miseries, since,
as in the time of Our Lord, the terrible
maladies of the body are still but a
figure and outward symbol of greater
moral evils. The contemplative and
penitential orders are less understood,
for we are an active people, and do not
dwell ordinarily upon the deeper possi-
bilities of the spiritual life. Yet the
Scripture says that the whole world is
made desolate because the spirit of
prayer has gone out from among the
people. How long will the torrent re-
fresh and irrigate the sandy plain, if it
be not fed by the streams that trickle
down from the secluded mountain dells ?
In the earlier centuries, when Catholic
life was deeper and more abiding, it
is curious to notice how entirely popular
opinion was the other way. The monas-
tic orders alone represented the religious
life, and any infringement upon the ac-
cepted state of things was very tardily
received.

The first intention of St. Francis de
Sales in the Order of the Visitation was
an approach to the active life of our Sis-
ters of Charity, but public opinion was
so strong against the removal of en-
closure for nuns that he was obliged to
submit, and it remained for St. Vincent
de Paul to complete and carry out his
overtures in this direction.

These reactions came slowly, and so,
perhaps, it will be but slowly, too, that
the life of prayer shall develop in our
midst, the life that has given us a St.
Teresa and a Catharine of Sienna. But
in the seventeenth century it was other-
wise, and while many feminine hearts
strove against the jewelled fetters of
worldly pleasure, to enter religion meant
in those days the most rigid seclusion,
entirest poverty and severest penance,
and called for physical health and moral
endurance. One had to be a Carmelite,
or Poor Clare, or remain in a world where
there was little chance of extraordinary
virtue, if one could not hide it under the
silks and satins of courtly etiquette.
It was St. Francis de Sales, moving in
the atmosphere of courtly society, who
saw the need and applied the remedy.
The doors of the Visitation opened wide
to the delicate, the weak, and even the
aged. The rule required no long fasts,
no appalling penances, but aimed at a
more interior spirituality and severer
mortification in the continual renunci-
ation of the will itself. The succession
of exercises, ever varying and never
prolonged, left to nature no enduring re-
pose, and the sweetness and charity
with which the neighbor was received,
left nothing to be desired, since even
St. Francis could not obtain, as he
wished, that the religious should leave
their cloister to visit the sick. The
spirit was the union of sweetness and
strength, of all-embracing charity that
met the wants of all in God and made
itself all things to all men, and the pur-
suit of the solid interior virtues that left
nothing to self. In it obedience is so
marked that, at a thoughtless command

EARLY DAYS AT ANNECY.

nor

from an ecclesiastical superior, who
wished to try her virtue, a daughter of
the Visitation could put her hand into
a consuming fire, to withdraw it un-
harmed, and a devotion to the spirit of
ie rules so absolute that another, when
xrced by civil authority into the courts

settle a legacy for the Order — a course
leprecated by St. Francis de Sales — re-
lounced all claims and chose the bitter
poverty that was the alternative, saying
that, even under compulsion, a course
opposed to the spirit of her rule would
have resulted in her death. It is this de-
votion to the spirit of a religious order
that sinks its foundations into the solid
rock of enduring time, and raises its
shining towers to the heavens, that
makes its undying greatness, and forges
the true steel in the depths of the fire.

It was this that made the Order of the
Visitation reap such wonderful fruits,
and won for it an appreciation so ready,
that when Mme. de Brechard was called
upon to leave Moulins to found a new
house of the Order, the whole town rose
up in rebellion. The Mayor and officials
publicly forbade her removal, and con-
fined the donor of the new foundation a
prisoner in her own castle, lest the dear
Mother, whose virtue had won the town,
should be taken away from them. And
they were obliged to submit. It was
again the virtuous fame of St. de Chan-
tal's daughters that drew such a besieg-
ing army of devotees to the convent
doors on the occasion of a new founda-
tion, that it was impossible to sup-
ply the needs of the religious or to get
near them, and they were in danger of
starving, had it not occurred to some one
to let their provisions down through the
roof.

The enclosing of the convent at
Annecy was a great event, and St. de
Chantal and her first religious took their
vows in the presence of a vast assembly of
the nobility and of many distinguished
ecclesiastics. And when night fell
upon the little house of La Galerie, and
the last lingering footsteps died away,

the closing door that shut out forever
the gay world where they had shone as
stars, shut in three peaceful hearts that
embraced each other in transports of joy
that God had brought them into the
liberty of the children of God.

St. de Chantal had resigned her for-
tune to her children, and, perhaps im-
prudently, had neglected to provide for
the maintenance of her new establish-
ment, and God sent them an early trial.
The very morrow of their enclosure they
tasted the bitterness of poverty. There
was nothing to eat in the house, and,
having waited hour after hour in vain
for some kind hand to supply their wants,
Anne Jacqueline Coste borrowed a little
milk from a neighbor, and with a hand-
ful of herbs from the garden, made soup
for the zealous novices. But scarcely
were they gathered in the refectory, be-
fore a bountiful provision arrived, and
they determined to trust to Providence
more entirely still in future. These
early days, abounding in consolation,
were full of sacrifices too, for St. Francis
would have his ' ' doves " as he called
them, fly very high, and would spare
them no mortifications. He gave this
counsel to Me"re de Brechard, one ter-
rible morning in January, when he met
her walking along the corridor and try-
ing to warm her nearly frozen hands by
wrapping them in a piece of old cloth :
" Sister, " said the relentless Master of
Novices, "do you use a muff? I do not,
and I suffer as much as you do."

The gentle saint often came to the lit-
tle house of La Galerie to form the virtue
of these chosen souls that had been
drawn to him in the warp of God. There
is nothing sweeter than his familiar
talks with his spiritual daughters, sit-
ing among them on the terrace, or seeking
shelter in the corridor during a thunder
storm, where, as we are told, however
terrible the play of the elements, his
gentle equanimity was not disturbed.
His simple counsels to them enter into
every detail of their lives. Because one
highborn lady cannot overcome her re-

1102

EARLY DAYS AT ANNECY.

pugnance to the earthen bowls and
pewter spoons used in the refectory, and
the want of sugar, he respects her delicate
breeding and makes a concession in re-
gard to the bowls and even the silver
spoons, but omits the sugar. His dis-
course is so spiritual, so sweet, so witty,
that one never sees the saint so well as
in these glimpses from the interior of
the cloister. Some one asks, perhaps
idly, ' ' if one is bound to obey a Superior
who commands something against the
law of God." ''Surely not, my chil-
dren," he replies. "If your Superior
should say, ' Go down into the garden
and gather some flowers, and to descend
more quickly, throw yourself out of the
window, ' one must answer with all re-
spect, ' Certainly, dear Mother, but with
your permission, I will go down by the
stairs.'" He objects to being so fre-
quently alluded to as " Saint, ' ' and
thinks that ' ' feint ' ' (sham) would be
a more appropriate word — that is, more
natural, in French. What is more ex-
quisite than the episode of the lay Sister
when St. Francis had just cured St. de
Chantal of a terrible illness, by sending
for and applying the relics of St. Blaise ?
The admiring Sister could not refrain
from murmuring a little too loudly.
' ' Why should Monseigneur send so far
for relics of a saint of the fourth century,
when he could have cured Madame quite
as well without them ? ' ' The Bishop
of Geneva blushed, and his eyes filled
with tears at the implied tribute to his
sanctity. He reprimanded the Sister
severely, and bade her make amends
to the saint in question for her irrever-
ence, by fasting strictly upon the vigil
of his feast.

The maternal cares of Mme. de Chan-
tal did not leave her at the convent
doors. Her children were followed with
earnest solicitude from the cradle to the
gates of heaven. She had taught her
daughters in their earliest years to follow
a rule of life, to make their meditation
daily, to visit the poor, and to avoid the
snares of vanity, which St. Francis is

for once so ungracious as to observe, ' ' is
born with womankind." The smiling
faces of these little ones gleam like sun-
beams in and out of the graver corre-
spondence of the two saints. Because
Marie Aimee is destined for the world,
they agree that more special care must
be given to her religious education and
spiritual training. These early cares
are well rewarded. Marie Aimee comes
to the convent at Annecy, to remain,
during her husband's absence, and here
is broken to her the tragic news of
his early death. A widow, while
scarcely more than a child, and dying
from some sudden mishap attendant
upon the birth of her son, who lives only
for baptism, Marie Aime'e asks of her
Mother as a last favor to be given the
habit of the Order. An hour later, in
the presence of St. Francis, she makes
the vows of profession, and dies like a
saint, at nineteen. Celse-Benigne is a
sort of thorn in the flesh, but he is hap-
pily married at last, and makes an hon-
orable end on the battlefield. Fran9oise,
the youngest daughter, lives in the con-
vent until her marriage, shares the vigils
of the nuns, distracts them a little with
her birds and squirrels, and proves the
truth of that little saying about vanity,
with all her pious surroundings. The
gray portals of the Visitation frame no
lovelier picture than Fran9oise at six-
teen, sallying forth to some fete, in all
the bravery of youthful fancy, with
fluttering ribbons and curls, and a dress
that is not quite in keeping for a
daughter of St. de Chantal. On the
very threshold, as in all her conscious
prettiness she goes out, she meets
St. Francis de Sales coming in. He
smiles at her discomfiture and says :
"I am not so displeased as you imagine.
The attire is a little worldly, it is true,
but the blush comes from heaven," and
he helped her to conceal the errant curls
under her bonnet and gently suggested
some improvement in the " toute-en-
semble."

Frangoise married early an honorable,

EARLY DAYS AT ANNECY.

1103

rich and religious man — the Comte de
Toulougeon, and there is no page of the
wise counsels of St. de Chantal more
wise and more worth preservation than
her advice to her daughter upon her
marriage. She urges her to be sensible
enough to estimate the alluring trifles
of dress and rings and jewels and the
thousand details of a wedding trousseau
at their real value, and look beyond to
nobler and higher aims. When fortune
smiles most upon Fran9oise, her loving
mother prays and trembles most; she
watches, she warns, she entreats. She
welcomes her to her maternal arms when
sorrow comes, and in the end makes of
the worldly daughter one of the most
distinguished, pious and Christian wo-
men of her century. But the worldly
life of our saint is ended, however one
may be tempted to linger over its holy
memories. The cloistered shades have
closed about her, and it is no longer the
children of an earthly marriage that
claim her care, but the chosen virgins
who call her ' ' Mother ' ' and who are
multiplied as the sands of the sea.

When St. Francis de Sales died, and
his body, reposing in death, was laid
before the grille of the Convent at An-
necy, it was covered, in lieu of a pall,
with a veil of white silk, like to that
which, amid incense and lights and
flowers, envelopes the priest who carries
the Blessed Sacrament.

And when, in her turn, fifty years after
her death, the mortal remains of St.
Jeanne Frances de Chantal were honored
with a public ceremonial in the same

convent chapel, the walls were draped
with purest white, as for a festival, and
adorned with garlands of flowers. So
does the glory of God's blessed ones
shine through the dark gates of our
mortality, and the canticles of Mother
Church ring out in rapturous accord
with those of the angels, to celebrate
the entrance into eternal life of those
who lived unto God.

Where, now, are they who blamed
the piety of the Baron ne de Chantal as
extravagant and unnecessary, when she
cared for the leper and the fever-stricken,
and filled her palatial halls with the
poor and the outcast ? Where are they
who censured her for leaving the duties
of her state when the love of God lifted
her to heights above them ? Her name
has lived through the ages, and her mor-
tal remains are raised upon the altars of
the Church. Oh, let us rather pray that
God may daily increase among us the
number of those holy ones who have
chosen the « ' folly of the Cross, ' ' for the
story of their lives bids us rejoice that
our human nature is capable of such
sacrifices, and that divine love in these
our mortal hearts may soar so high.
We look upon the saints of God as mas-
terpieces of divine art, marvellous stat-
ues set up in the spiritual temple of the
Church for us to admire and wonder at.
And yet, alas, would that we might
never forget the lesson ! the principal
end and aim of the Church in their can-
onization is to propose their virtues
for our imitation.

ECHOES FROM PARAY.

THERE is a special providence sur-
rounding certain places on this
globe of ours. They are the true centres
of the world, where God's action is ex-
ercised in a more intense degree and a
more manifest manner. They have been
chosen in the eternal designs to be the
theatre of the grandest works of the
Most High. The generations of men
have been multiplied, and they are borne
hither and thither like irregular waves ;
revolutions have passed us by like the
sea in its wrath ; these privileged heights
always rise above the troubled surface.
The appointed hour arrives when God,
in an unknown corner of the world,
works a divine deed and its influence
makes itself felt the whole earth over.

The little city of Paray-le-Monial has
become, as it were, the capital of Chris-
tian souls, since the time when the
Sacred Heart there vouchsafed its won-
derful revelations. This cannot be de-
nied, for everywhere that Catholics are
to be found, there also the devotion to
the Sacred Heart has been established, so
that it seems to be at the present day
the mainstay of the Church. However,
God does not work hastily or without
design. He has prepared His ways in
accordance with a most perfect plan,
whose outlines are to be discerned even
amid the obscurity which envelopes the
history of this shrine. As our illustrious
Pontiff, Leo XIII., wrote to Cardinal
Perraud, Paray is "the city well-beloved
of Heaven, ccelo gratissimum oppidum "
(Brief for the Coronation of Our Lady of
Romay).

Yes, nothing is more evident than
this to reflecting minds. At all times,
we note that, in accord with the order
followed ' ' in all the operations of grace "
(Bossuet, Fourth Sermon on the Annun-
ciation), the reign of the Virgin Mary
has prepared, in these sacred places, the
reign of the Heart of Jesus, which is

1104

thus made known to us. And now has
come to pass the event for which some
three years ago we expressed our ardent
desire : the ancient statue of Our Lady of
Romay has received the honors of a Pon-
tifical crowning. This triumph is a
sweet pledge for the future, and it
should be of interest to all the clients of
the Sacred Heart. Paray-le-Monial once
more witnesses an immense gathering
of the pious faithful, but this time it is
Mary whom they salute and honor.
Time has dispersed the shades that en-
folded the designs of God. The Blessed
Virgin, we cannot doubt, has here served
to introduce to us her Divine Son. Long
years were needed to dispose minds
and hearts and to level the way. The
road was, in a great measure, concealed
from view ; but it is Mary who has traced
it back to its starting point, and who,
let us hope, will guide us to its end.
Intoning the hymn of praise and glory
to Jesus, our Eucharistic King, she will
be able to repeat in the name of the
Church of which she is the Queen : " In-
tende, prospere precede et REGNA! "
(Ps. xliv, 5).

We can distinguish three stages in
the history of Paray, and at each of
them the Holy Virgin has her deter-
mined position and work. There was the
preparation for "God's mysteries,"
which seems to date back to the first
days of Christianity. It is beyond dis-
pute that this quiet little city was in
existence long before the advent of the
monks. When the pious Count Lambert
of Chalon founded in 973, together with
his saintly friend, Mayeul of Cluny, the
celebrated priory of Val d'Or, this town
was already constituted with its regular
officials and communal privileges. A
very ancient temple — templum antiquissi-
mum — stood upon the hill now occupied
by the present cemetery. There, Maiy
was honored from the earliest times,

ECHOES FROM PAR AY.

1105

since the church was consecrated to the
Mother of God. We have given else-
where our reasons for believing that the
Statue of Rom ay was the object of special
devotion on the part of the first Chris-
tians of this noble Aeduan territory.

It is true that the religious of Cluny
little by little attracted the inhabitants
to the neighborhood of their cloister and
basilica. But the Virgin always remains
the sovereign mistress of these parts.
All their sanctuaries were dedicated to
her. But the unhappy time arrives when
Protestantism engulfs the future city of
the Sacred Heart. They were the Jebu-
sites who made a momentary incursion
into the modern Jerusalem. The fact is
too clear to admit discussion, but the
the rest of its history is all to the praise
of God and Paray-le-Monial. That is
enough for us. Its old-time defenders
had become insufficient, by reason of their
fewness or for want of character. But
Providence raised up new combatants to
bring them assistance. In 1617 the
Fathers of the Society of Jesus were
called to this privileged field of battle,
and the people did them the inestimable
honor, during these days of peril, of plac-
ing in their charge the Statue of Romay,
as the Palladium of the city. But its
providential place had been determined
in the ancient sanctuary of Val d'Or.
Hither it was carried back ' ' by means
to-day unknown, " says Canon Cucherat,
who discredits the legend of its miracu-
lous transportation. At all events, the
Madonna multiplied on all sides her
wonders and conversions. In 1426 the
Monastery of the Visitation was founded
at Paray. It is in this holy asylum, or
rather, in this chosen dwelling of the
Daughters of Mary, that the reign of the
Sacred Heart was to be proclaimed. To
carry out this great work the reserve
troops had to be grouped around their
Sovereign.

And now the era of divine manifesta-
tions is about to open. The great his-
toric period of Paray begins. Margaret
Mary, the humble daughter of the Charo-

NOTRE DAME DE ROMAY.

lais, is chosen to co-operate in the Sav-
iour's designs. When quite young she
seemed doomed to an early death. "A
vow is made to the Blessed Virgin, with
the promise that, if she were cured, she
would one day become one of her daugh-
ters. No sooner is the vow made than
she finds herself perfectly restored, and
under the special protection of her holy
Mediatrix, who so became the mistress
of her heart that, regarding it as if it
were her own, she directs it as if it had
been entirely dedicated to her, teaching
it to do the will of her Son. ' ' (Contemp. ,

1,38.

We know how the Blessed was attracted
to the Convent of "dear Paray, " " hav-
ing no other reason to give for her voca-
tion, save that she wished to be the child
of the Blessed Virgin." Later on, the
Mother of God herself introduced her
to Jesus. "Behold," she said, "Him
who comes to teach you what you are to
do. " From that time the Divine Master

1106

ECHOES FROM PARAY.

speaks in all openness to His servant ;
He makes known to her the immense
love of that heart for men ; He asks
her to procure the establishment of His
sacred kingdom over the face of the
earth. Still, as she had begun, so Mary
closes the cycle of these wonderful reve-
lations. In the celebrated apparition of
July 2. 1688, she herself distributes their
functions to the principal servants of
this kingdom.

But the task is a difficult one, and the
struggle will be terrible. For nearly
two hundred years, the echoes of Paray
were smothered by the varied sectaries.
Then silence comes, and the era of tri-
umph begins. Margaret Alacoque, the
modest daughter of the Blessed Mary,
is elevated to the altars in 1864. This
little town becomes henceforth the cen-
tre of modern piety. The never-to-be-
forgotten pilgrimages of 1873-75 are a
proof of the reign of the Sacred Heart.
All that is wanting is that which all
Catholics are looking forward to, and for
which the Roman Pontiff has expressed
the warmest desire and firmest hope.
We can readily believe the moment is
not far distant, since the Mother of God
enters once more upon the scene, by the
crowning of her venerable Statue of
Romay. Her triumph would be incom-
plete, were it not the prelude of that
which she has been preparing for many
centuries back. On occasions of these
festivities, an authoritative voice has
said : "There would be here a new and
touching application of the design of
Providence, in virtue of which it has
pleased God to give to the world His
only Son by the ministry of Mary. "

(Cardinal Perraud, Commission for the
Crowning of Our Lady of Romay.)

FESTIVITIES ATTENDANT ON THE CROWN-
ING OF OUR LADY OF ROMAY.

Paray-le-Monial has resumed the as-
pect of her most glorious days. The
whole population has come together for
the triumph of her who has exercised
there " during centuries her sweet, ma-
ternal sovereignty " (Cardinal Perraud,

ibid). One would say that Mary has
resumed her old-time, undisputed sway
over the hearts of the people of Paray.
Has it not been proven a thousand times
that the unchanging goodness of the
Mother of God attracts those whom the
justice of her Son Jesus would affright ?
Not a few who showed themselves in-
different under other circumstances,
have given proof of their confidence
and devotion to Our Lady of Romay.
Rich and poor alike have taken part in
these festivities. But the poor have
entered into them with perhaps more
simple piety and greater earnestness.
The suburbs and streets where they re-
side were certainly not the poorest in
point of decoration. With what zeal
and at what cost of labor did these good
people adorn their humble dwellings
and raise their triumphal arches to their
' ' bonne Dame ! ' ' Ah, it is because they
deeply love their protectress in evil days,
her who has preserved them from ca-
lamities and plagues, who, above all, has
preserved them in their Catholic faith,
who, more than once, has raised to life
their still-born children to receive bap-
tism and have heaven opened to them,
who has bestowed on them her saintly
Margaret Mary and the heart of the
"Good God." At this touching spec-
tacle, several American pilgrims wept
with joy at the sight of this revival of
French faith, the true faith of Christian
France.

The Festivities began on Sunday,
August i , by a procession to the sanc-
tuary of Romay, to carry to the Basilica
of the Sacred Heart the venerated statue.
It is in this vast enclosure, built by the
monks, and so full of memories of the
past, that the crowning of the Virgin
will take place on Thursday, while we
await the time when, under this roof
eight centuries old, the future reign of
Jesus in the Eucharist will be pro-
claimed.

Most of the inhabitants of Paray and
a good number of strangers took part in
the solemn entry of Our Lady into her

1 ' dear city. ' ' If, on account of the crowd ,

order was not all that was to be desired,

all hearts, however, were beating in

unison. We had the joy of having join

in this ceremony forty men, our fervent

delegates or officers of the congregation

of workingmen of Montceau-les-Mines.

They had all gone to Communion, in the

morning, in the Chapel of the Visitation,

and they were happy in wearing on

their breast Mary 's insignia,

and in mingling their manly

voices with the prayers and

hymns of the rest of the

faithful. Under the large

plane trees of the avenue,

which should henceforth

bear the name of the Avenue-

de Romay, we chant to the

well-known air of "Pity, My

God," which so often, if

times gone by, had resounded

in this arcade of foliage.

this modest and simple re

frain, the while our thoughts

were dwelling on the past
and future :

" Bonne Madone
Chere a Paray,
Re?ois cette couronne,

O Vierge de Romay !"
Once enthroned in the
basilica of the Sacred Heart,
the " good Madonna" should
pay a visit to the different
streets and chapels of Paray.
This was the plan wisely
determined upon by the
archpriest, and, despite diffi-
culties, the programme was
carried out during the four
days that preceded the coro-
nation. We shall not at-
tempt to describe the nu-
merous manifestations of
devotion on the part of the
people. Pious women and
noble ladies respectfully bless
themselves as the Virgin
passes by ; mothers present
to her their children; poor in-

ECHOES FROM PARAY.

11O7

valid* drag themselves with pain along
the line of march. Monday the pro-
cession stopped at the ancient Chapel of
St. Roch, adjoining the railroad station.
It is remarkable that Providence should
have wished to have the patron of pious
travellers placed at a spot where so
many pilgrims enter. The station
master and his many employees were
there to meet us. Honor to these cou-

NOTRE DAME DE ROMAY.

I1O8

ECHOES FROM PARAY.

rageous men who were not ashamed to
show their faith !

Tuesday, we had the consolation of
receiving Our Lady of Romay into
the house which bears the name, and
shelters the precious remains, of the
Yen. Father de la Colombiere. The Rev.
Father Superior gave beautiful expres-
sion to the hopes which these festivities,
in honor of the Madonna of Romay, in-
spired. After Mary, will soon be glori-
fied the Apostle of the Sacred Heart, who
was also the Apostle of Mary in this
city. The garden of the Visitation Con-
vent, so rich in souvenirs of the divine
manifestation, is opened on Wednesday
to a dense crowd, and the venerated
statue is borne through every part of
it. "How touching it all is," said the
people ; but on arriving shortly after-
wards at the Church of the Cenacle,
decorated with exquisite taste, all, the
rude and the educated alike, broke out
spontaneously into the exclamation
" How beautiful it is ! "

The great day of the crowning has
arrived. The weather is superb. Large
numbers have come from the neighbor-
ing parishes of the Brionnais and the
Charolais, where Our Lady of Romay
is well known. Strangers were unhap-
pily too few, and the men were present
in only small numbers. However, the
annual pilgrimage from Moulins, which
had been postponed from June to Au-
gust for this ceremony, formed a com-
pact body. Their worthy bishop is at
the head of his people, with the choir-
master of the cathedral to enhance the
feast by his singers. Mgr. Lelong, the
pious and courageous Bishop of Nevers,
celebrated Pontifical Mass at ten o'clock
upon a platform arranged in the garden
attached to the basilica. The number
present was estimated at about ten thou-
sand persons. His eminence, Cardinal
Perraud, occupied his throne. Around
him were ranged Mgr. Dubourg of Mou-
lins, Mgr. Philippe, the Salesian titular
Bishop of Lari, Mgr. Pavie, Roman
prelate, whose name calls to mind the

French in Africa, and a host of canons,
priests and religious.

After the Gospel, the Rev. Vicar-Gen-
eral Gauthey delivers the sermon. He
takes the place of Canon Planus, who
had become suddenly indisposed. The
preacher skillfully connects his subject
with the age which had preceded the es-
tablishment of the monks at Paray.
' ' From the earliest times Mary has
been constituted, by a wonderful provi-
dence, the queen and mistress of these
parts. . . . Our Lady of Romay has
prepared the way, and has raised up
apostles of the Sacred Heart. . . . She
has not ceased, and she will never cease,
to be the protectress of this city, of this
province, of France and of the world. "
The Pontifical Mass ended, the Brief of
Coronation was read both in French and
Latin. His Eminence, Cardinal Per-
raud, who had received the Apostolic
mandate to crown Our Lady of Romay
in the name of the Pope and by his au-
thority, then advanced with great dig-
nity and majesty a few steps, and placed
upon the august heads of Jesus and
Mary the rich crowns which had been
prepared. This was the most solemn
moment of the feast. Applause and
acclamations broke forth, whilst the
bells of the old Cluniac basilica re-
sounded far and wide. The hymn of
thanksgiving is then intoned: "73?
Deum laudamus. . . . Tu ad liberan-
dum suscepturus hominem, non horruisti
Virginis uterum."

At the close of this happy day,
the triumphant Madonna was carried
back to the humble sanctuary of Val
d'Or, on the shoulders of representatives
of the nobility of Paray-le-Monial, who
had begged to be allowed this honor.
But before the crowd dispersed, the Car-
dinal of Autun knelt before the pre-
cious statue, and repeated the following
prayer, so often recited during the pro-
cession :

' ' O Our Lady of Romay, who have
been invoked for so many centuries in
this blessed place of Paray, to obtain

the removal of public calamities, the cure
of sickness, and the resurrection of children
dead without baptism, behold us at your
feet on occasion of your solemn crown-
ing, begging you to preserve us from all
dangers of soul and body. Amen."

These festivities have been most con-
soling for those who assisted at them,
on account of the evidence of faith they
afforded. At a distance they will bring
joy to all friends of the Sacred Heart, to
whom the Virgin of Romay will hence-
forth be better known and better loved.

ANNIS.

11O9

May God be always praised and Mary
glorified ! The prayers and the efforts of
those who have taken the initiative in
this crowning or who have made of it a
success, have received their just reward.
The Eucharistic Congress which was
opened at Paray-le-Monial, September
20, will be the proper and worthy com-
plement of these solemnities, if, after the
triumph of Our Lady of Romay, it is
given us to witness the full exaltation
of the reign of Jesus in the Sacrament of
the Altar.

ANNIS.

By Harold Dijon.

T WAS a long, broad room on one of
the upper floors of a business house on
one of the principal streets of Boston. A
system of low Chinese screens partitioned
the room, making of it two apartments,
and a portiere bearing the legend office
screened off a third section of what pur-
ported to be an ' ' Educational College. ' '
Great placards proclaimed it to be such,
and lesser placards boasted that all grad-
uates of the ' ' College ' ' were provided
with "situations at from $25 to $100 per
week." In spite of the facilities and
unexampled inducements offered to stu-
dents, the "College" did not seem to
flourish.

On this bleak January morning, one
corner of one side of the screen, near
an impoverished fire, was occupied by a
group of listless women, shivering under
fur capes, and munching stealthily their
noonday lunch. These were the teachers.
A distinctly masculine cough proceeding
from behind the portiere denoted the
presence of the ( ' College President. ' ' On
the other side of the screen, seated before
a much-battered typewriter, was a wo-
man of about thirty, a pupil of this end-
of-the-century scheme for making a
fortune.

She was a woman whose countenance

was not without beauty, and you might
have called her pleasant- faced, had it not
been for her long-drawn mouth and the
marks care had freely set in lines that
sunk her cheeks and hollowed her eyes.
Her hands almost viciously worked the
typewriter on which she was practising,
and she was about to push the machine
from her in despair of accomplishing
aught of good by means of its battered
keys, when the door of the "College "
opened and a lady attired in silks and
blue-fox furs sailed across the room to
where she sat.

"My name is Mrs. Duplex-Cynar, "
said the lady, and looked "Who are
you ? ' '

And in response to the look, the woman
said, "My name is Annis Dunmore. "
Perhaps there was an unnecessary asser-
tive stress laid on the pronoun of posses-
sion.

"Well," said Mrs. Duplex-Cynar,
loosening her blue-fox boa and putting
up her lorgnette, " I want a typewriter,
and an advertisement outside says they
can be gotten here. ' '

Annis Dunmore stared at Mrs. Duplex-
Cynar, too startled to speak. Six months
ago she had paid her tuition in advance
to the proprietor of the "Educational

1110

ANNIS.

College, " and up to this moment there week. " That would be almost fifty cents

had been no application for the services an hour," she said, "and you can get

of any one of the pupils. Recovering very good piano lessons for that, I'm

herself, she said : •' I beg pardon, but I told, and typewriting should not be more

am a typewriter." than piano."

Mrs. Duplex-Cynar did not appear to Five dollars a week was not a fortune,

be astonished at this announcement, and but then the hours of labor were not

merely asked what might her charges long. Annis pondered; and while she

pondered, a vision of
an almost exhausted
purse presented itself
to her mental gaze, and
behind it loomed the
figure of a landlady
prone to exact her
dues " invariably in ad-
vance." The vision was
so vivid that she quite
gasped out her acqui-
escence to the terms,
saying: "Certainly,
madam ; I 'm obliged
to you for engaging
me — any hours you say
between breakfast and
dinner ; would the
morning suit best ? ' '
Mrs. Duplex-Cynar
rose from her chair,
shook out her skirts,
fondled her furs, and
said in a drawl, as-
sumed to conceal her
satisfaction at having
made a bargain, "I
have said any hours
you please, and perhaps
the morning would be
best, say ten to-morrow
to begin with," and
then, aft era little fum-
bling for her card-case
laid a dainty card on

be. "I want some one for two hours a the battered typewriting machine.

day, any time between breakfast and

dinner. I breakfast at nine, " she said,

parenthetically.

Annis hesitated ; she really did not

know what her charges should be, and,

taking advantage of her hesitation, Mrs.

" LAWRENCE ! " SHE WHISPERED ; " LAWRENCE !

Mrs. Duplex-Cynar belonged to a class
of Catholics, happily-^not large, that
has been evoked by the age that hur-
ries without conscience to a golden goal.

Born with the honest cognomen of
Dooley, baptized holily,:FAnn, she mar-

Duplex-Cynar suggested five dollars a ried, when but a girl, Timothy Siner, a

small dealer in provisions. One child,
a boy, was the fruit of this marriage.
The provision dealer prospered apace
into a commission merchant of wealth,
and lucky speculations, not untainted,
made Timothy Siner a millionaire and
the occupant of a mansion on Beacon
Street.

Some time before this the wife had
recourse to one of the self-appointed
heralds that flourish on the vanity of
nc-w-rich Americans, and honest Dooley
became Duplex ; Siner, Cynar ; and a
hyphen connected them, while Ann was
transmogrified into Annette. Need it be
said that the Faith sat lightly on the
brains and hearts of the couple?

ANNIS.

llll

ents had any predilection for such an
institution, but that the college in ques-
tion was high in the esteem of the
mother's fashionable Protestant friends.
And, by way of parenthesis, let it be said
that intelligent Protestants are often
more willing to acknowledge the superi-
ority of our institutions of learning than
are our often too -modest Catholics them-
selves.

The boy's religion was indelibly
fixed in his mind and heart by his pro-
fessors, but two years of the frivolity of
his mother's house put to sleep the holy
counsels he had once listened to with
eagerness and delight, and, at the time
of the opening of this story he was, to all

Timothy early in life had joined one of outward appearance, such a child as one

the secret societies, which, while not at
that time under the ban of the Church,
was barred by her spirit. Regular in
his attendance at all lodge meetings, he
seldom, if ever, found time for Mass. On
one occasion he fell ill unto death, and
a priest was sent for, but before the min-
ister of peace reached the house there
was a change for the better in Timothy 's
poor body, and he did not confess. It
was then, to use a highly poetic meta-
phor of the Irish peasantry, that

could expect of such a mother. She was
proud of him, for he was a brilliant
youth, not the less so that he was, as
she strongly suspected, addicted to vice.
But then, as she might have said, "the
vices of Lawrence were those of the
elite."

And what of Annis Dunmore ? She
was the daughter of a " true-blue ' ' Cal-
vinistic minister of an antiquated New
England town. Brought up in rigid
seclusion, innocent of the ways of the

Timothy " slapped the door of heaven world, pure hearted and pure-minded,

the death of her father left her, as her
neighbors expressed it, "to shift for
herself." The congregation made her
up a little purse, the town authorities
would have placed her as a teacher in
the school -house, but there was no va-

took to frequenting a fashionable Epis- cancy, and she drifted to Boston. There

copal chapel of the highest order, and on she was caught by the alluring adver-
tisement of the " Educational College, "
and sank the greater portion of her purse
into a six-months' tuition in the arts
of bookkeeping and typewriting, when

John's Church and our own church ; and she entered upon her duties in the man-
I went in comoanv with sion of Mrs. Duplex-Cynar. She found

in his face." For, about two years be-
fore his widow presented herself to
Annis Dunmore, he died unconscious
and without the sacraments.

Ann's religion may be briefly ex-
pressed in one episode of her life. She

being questioned by her parish priest
concerning the scandal she gave, she
replied : "Indeed, Father, not a mortal
bit of difference do I see between St.

then, Father, I went in company

the elite of the city." This was long them more

before the period of the Beacon Street given reason to anticipate

mansion, and at a time when Ann was

just about to blossom into Annette.

arduous than she had been

Mrs. Duplex-Cynar was the secretary
of a woman's society for "Psychical

Fortunately, the boy had been educated Culture, " and a portion of the work of
in a Catholic college. Not that his par- Annis was to typewrite and amend ex-

1112

ANNIS.

tensively that lady's speeches to be
delivered to the society. Annis did not
mind the typewriting, but she inwardly
rebelled against the amending of the
speeches. She was not paid for such
work, and soul-culture, as understood by
Mrs. Duplex-Cynar's society, she knew
nothing about. She stated the last-
mentioned fact to her employer, and by
her she was referred to the library.
' ' You can get all sorts of ideas from
my late husband's library;" said the
widow, " it is immense."

Annis found it to be a large library,
if not immense, and among the collec-
tion of books were many Catholic
works, for it was one of the boasts of
Timothy Siner that he was broad-
minded enough to admit any and all
volumes of a Catholic nature to the
shelves of his book-room. From many
of these books Annis culled many a
flower planted by Catholic saints and
sages, and scattered their seeds broad-
cast among the verbiage of Mrs. Du-
plex-Cynar's utterances. This she did
innocently, not knowing what she did,
and if the seed fell elsewhere on barren
ground (for its signification was much
above the comprehension of Mrs. Du-
plex-Cynar and her companions, who
therefore voted it sublimely beautiful), it
fructified in the more intelligent mind
and purer heart of Annis. And it bore
her material good, for Mrs. Duplex-
Cynar's speeches became circumscrib-
edly famous, and, afraid of losing her
amanuensis, after a gentle hint from
Annis, she doubled the wages of her
scribe.

One thing above all others attracted
Annis in her researches among the
Catholic books — the doctrine of the
Real Presence of our L,ord in the Blessed
Sacrament. It did not by any means
repel the then rigidly Calvinistic woman.
It was entirely new to her, and she
thought it the most beautiful thing she
had ever heard of, so beautiful that it
appeared to her that the mind of man
could never have imagined it. She

meditated over it till at last her medita-
tions forced themselves into speech.

" I beg pardon," she said one day to
Mrs. Duplex-Cynar, "but you are a
Catholic, are you not? "

"Of course I am, but not the least
bigoted, " replied that lady. "Why do
you ask ? ' '

Annis blushed, but New England rigid
truth compelled her to speak out. "I
was thinking about one of the beliefs of
Romanists ; you believe that Christ is
really present, soul, body, and divinity
in your churches," she said, uncon-
sciously quoting words she had read.

' ' Of course, all Catholics are bound
to believe that; it is a fundamental,"
said Mrs. Duplex-Cynar.

"Do you believe He is so present in
St. John's Chapel, " persisted New Eng-
land truth.

"Of course I don't," responded Mrs.
Duplex-Cynar.

"You go there so often, I thought you
must, " said Annis.

"I don't see why; the congregation
is so nice and refined, there are no poor
people there, and then Father Smith is
so exquisite a gentleman, not that he is
a Father in our sense, though a father
he is as his family can testify," said
Mrs. Duplex-Cynar, who could at times
laugh at her ritualistic friends.

Annis looked dreamily out of the
window, and then, as one speaking in a
trance, she said: " If I believed what
you believe, I don't think I could go
anywhere to church, but to the one
where He was, and I'd want to be there
all the time." Then, starting up very
erect in her chair, she exclaimed, with a
touch of asperity, "And I don't think
I'd speak disparagingly of the poor, for
if they are where He is, they must be
His chosen companions. And," she
continued, with a sweetness that was
inexpressibly sweet in her, it being so
rare, " and that is just like what is stated
in His Blessed Book, the poor you have
always with you, and the common peo-
ple heard Him gladly."

ANNIS.

1113

Mrs. Duplex-Cynar jumped up from
her chair and left the room, too indig-
nant to reply. To be berated by an
ignorant Protestant ! she thought. Her
indignation may be measured by the
.(to her mind) unaccustomed epithet ap-
plied to a Protestant, and Annis would
Tiave been dismissed from her post with-
out ceremony, had it not been for the
thought of the lectures. She was too
important just then.

A week or so after this, on a Saturday
ifternoon, Annis was returning home,
when she paused before a Catholic
church. She had never been inside one
in her life, and now an overpowering
mriosity to see the inside of a temple
,There so many believed Him to be, im-
pelled her to ascend the well-worn stone
steps of the church. The interior was
not artistic, but Annis had no eyes for
the crude paintings on the walls, or for
the tawdry side-altars. A dim light
mrning before a shadowed sanctuary
attracted her attention, and drew her up
the darkening aisle to the altar-rails, as
the loadstone draws the needle. There
she knelt down by an old woman telling
her beads, and, covering her face with
icr hands, she found it suffused with
tears. She was never able to explain her
sensations at that moment. She felt
happy, she did not know why, and she
felt consoled, though it had been with
no thought of seeking consolation that
she had entered the church.

Little by little these feelings passed
away, and, returning to herself, she knelt
erect and gazed about her. What now
attracted her attention, were what ap-
peared to her to be cupboards, into which
the people went, stayed awhile, and
then came out to kneel down to pray.
Could she have made a mistake ? she
thought. Was it in the cupboards that
they believed Him to be ? He was there
too, Annis — in another way ; you were
not yet to know how. She turned to the
•old woman at her side and whispered,
" Why do they go into the cupboards ?"

" You poor soul, " exclaimed the old

woman in a hushed voi<?e ; " aren't you
a Catholic ? Why, it's confession, to be
sure, miss."

Confession ! Annis had heard of that.
Very rigid was her rising to her feet,
and very rigid was her bearing as she
passed out of the church, though she did
allow herself to give another furtive
look at the ' ' cupboards ' ' before passing
into the outer twilight.

It was some time after this that Annis
allowed her curiosity to seek further
into the mysteries of the Catholic faith.
She did not again approach Mrs Duplex-
Cynar on the subject. Her next appeal
was made to Lawrence, who was then
much at home, and in disgrace, not
without reason, with his mother. And
here a word of explanation concerning
his father's will must be made. Timo-
thy Siner had in one sense made a
wise will. Thoroughly aware of the
profligacy of his son, he had left all
of his estate to his widow without re-
striction, thereby making Lawrence de-
pendent on his mother. She had been
over-generous to the boy, but in spite of
this, bills of great size for his unpaid
extravagances began to pour in on her.
Finally, there came to her knowledge
disgraceful facts concerning a gambling
debt, the nonpayment of which meant
Lawrence's expulsion from his club, an
ultra-fashionable one. The mother did
not wish to pay this debt ; to do so
would cripple her income ; neither did
she wish her son's expulsion from the
club, and while she debated in her mind
what to do, Lawrence was much at
home.

His enforced seclusion had thrown
him into the company of Annis, and the
two became warm friends. She was not
without an inkling of his true character.
In all his communications with her he
was the polished gentleman. To the
jaded youth she was charming in her
old-maidish ways, the utter innocence
and frankness of her nature. One after-
noon, when she had put on her hat and
cloak, preparatory to leaving for her

1114

ANNIS.

boarding-house, she suddenly turned to
Lawrence, who reclined in a lazy atti-
tude in a great armchair, and said, at
the same time seating herself firmly on
the edge of a sofa, her rigidly clasped
hands resting on her lap : ' ' Mr. Law-
rence, what do you Catholics mean by
going to confession ? "

" Bless my soul, Miss Dunmore, " ex-
claimed Lawrence, swinging himself for-
ward and letting his laced fingers drop
between his knees, ' ' what a bomb-shell
sort of way to come at a fellow with
your theological questions — and I assure
you I 'm no theologian. ' '

' ' But does not every Catholic know —
don't you know ? " queried Annis.

' ' I suppose so, ' ' said Lawrence lazily ;
' ' but why do you want to know ? ' '
" Because I do, " she answered.
"A feminine reason," laughed Law-
rence, "and what sort of a masculine
answer shall mine be ? "

' ' Tell me all about it, " retorted Annis.
"Well," said Lawrence, an amused
smile playing over his handsome but
dissipated face, ' ' when one is very
wicked, committed sins of all sorts, and
is generally out of joint, and he repents
and is sorry, he goes to some priest,
confesses it all ' ' (his face now became
grave, remembering his boyish days),
"and the priest pronounces forgiveness
over him, and then, if he has been truly
sorry, were he to die he would not be
lost." Here he interrupted himself,
continuing after a moment gravely :
"The truth is, Miss Dunmore, con-
fession is a very sacred subject ; you
should seek for information from some
one better than myself. "

"You can tell me, " Annis persisted,
1 ' and I want to know. Then only very
wicked persons go to confession ; do you
go to confession ? ' '

"Thank you," answered Lawrence,
"and as for the wicked persons, I fear
that it is those who need it least, who
go the oftenest to confession. "

Annis thought for a moment, and then
said brightly : "I can understand that,

for the oftener they go to confession the
less likely they are to be backsliders ;
and, now tell me all about it, if you have
been taught."

It was awkward work for Lawrence,
but he had been well taught, and he did
succeed in giving Annis a comprehen-
sion of that which was to her the bug-
bear of Catholicity. It took some time
to do this, and it was late in the after-
noon, an afternoon so far advanced into
the Spring that Mrs. Duplex- Cynar was
preparing to flit away to Lenox, when
he had fully satisfied his interrogator.
She was meditatively walking to the
door of the room, perhaps preparing a
final question, when the sound of a bell,
rung at regular intervals, came in
through an open window.

" I hear that bell every day ; I wonder
what it can be for, " she said.

"That is the Angelus, over at the
convent, ' ' said Lawrence.

"The Angelus?"

' ' Yes ; ' Blest be the hour, ' " he said,
quoting Byron, and proceeded to explain
the Catholic custom, forestalling her
questioning.

"It is all very beautiful, " she said,
holding out her hand and giving his a
thankful, almost motherly clasp. "But,"
she added, " you Catholics do not seem
to appreciate it. ' '

*******

The time had arrived for Mrs. Duplex-
Cynar to depart on her Summer rambles,
and still she had come to no conclusion
concerning the payment of her son's
debt. He was now having a great many
bad half-hours. Repeated messages
came to him from the club, threatening
him with disgrace and exposure. Finally
there was a stormy interview with his
mother, which ended in her declaring
that she would not pay his debt ; that
she had been a good, indulgent mother
to him, and that every one knew it ; and
that his disgrace would not be reflected
on her. At first he would not believe in
her refusal. He knew that she had that
day received from the bank a large sum

ANNIS.

1115

of money that was now locked up in her
desk. At first he pleaded, then he
threatened, then his reproaches scarcely
fell short of a curse.

Seated in an alcove partitioned off with
curtains, Annis, spending her last hours
in t lie house preparing a speech for Mrs.
Duplex-Cynar's appearance at the last of
the season 's functions of the ' ' Psychical
Culture Society, " heard the whole of a
scene that better befitted a tavern than
a would-be gentlewoman 's mansion. She
heard it all, inwardly praying for
Lawrence, and, unable to bear it longer,
was about to leave the room when a
banged door announced the departure of
Mrs. Duplex- Cynar, and then she heard
Lawrence fling himself heavily into a
chair.

All of the prayers of Annis were
Catholic prayers. For a long time she
had gone to daily Mass, having found
out that there was such a service. It was
her daily half-hour of rapturous happi-
ness. "I will go unto the altar of my
God, " were not mere words to her. She
went there body and soul, heart and
mind. Never was the approach of a
loved friend waited more anxiously than
Annis waited the descent of the Lord
Almighty in the sweetness of His glory
and majesty, from His throne above to
the waiting hands of His expectant
priest. In such moments she walked
with Him in the fields of Palestine,
followed Him up the cruel hill where
degradation was to be made the sign of
earth's greatest honors, without the
signature of which the consecration of
kings was 10 be naught. All of the
mystery of that dearest, tenderest life
ever spent on earth had become real to
her. For the first time she realized that
the heart of her Lord beat for love of her.
Her gloomy Calvinistic creed, with its
dire threatenings and its doctrine of
despair, had faded away, and, lonely
wanderer no more, she felt that she
rejoiced in the possession of a Friend.
And yet no thought had come to her to
openly enter the fold through whose

gates she peered, not knowing that there
were joys still hidden from her soul.

While workingout her own conversion,
she had been working out the conversion
of one who needed it more than she did.
She talked often with Lawrence, confid-
ing to him somewhat of all she felt at
Mass, not understanding that what
would be always novel to her whose
heart was pure, had become to him com-
monplace, even tedious. "You do not
know how beautiful it is ; come some
morning with me, "she pleaded, fancy-
ing that perhaps in the church she fre-
quented, Mass was more glorious than
in the churches to which he had been
used to go. .On several occasions he
had knelt by her side, awed by the rap-
ture that lit up and freshened her some-
what withered face. But after Mass,
when her happiness sought for sym-
pathy from him, it troubled her to find
him so phlegmatic. She could not,
could not, understand why he should be
unmoved — he, a born Catholic.

She had finished the speech for Mrs.
Duplex-Cynar ; it was late, and she
wanted to say a word to Lawrence before
leaving the house for the Summer. Ad-
vancing to the curtain of the alcove,
Annis was about to speak, when she
caught sight of him.

The afternoon air was deathly still ;
there was not a sound save the slight
jingle of a bunch of keys in Lawrence's
hand. His back was turned to her as he
stood before his mother's desk, but in a
mirror that hung against the wall she
saw that his face was pallid. His hand
trembled as he raised the bunch of keys
to insert one in the lock of the desk, and
the keys jingled again, their jingle like
that of a chain. The key in the lock
turned with a click, and just at that
moment the regular beat of the Angelus
bell was borne into the room, unnaturally
loud in the stillness of the evening.

Lawrence leant heavily against the
desk, his hand grasping hard its lid for
support.

"We are all sinners, we are all sin-

1116

ANTHONY KOHLMANN.

ners ! ' ' cried Annis to herself. She ran
across the room and caught him by the
arm.

' ' Lawrence, ' ' she whispered, ' ' Law-
rence ! ' '

He gazed stupidly at her, then, push-
ing her aside, he exclaimed: "Don't
touch me ; you surely understand what
I am."

" Never mind, never mind, Law-
rence," she said, " get your hat, I want
you to come with me, " and as she spoke
her hands were busy with her shawl and
bonnet.

" Come with you ; where shall I go
with you ? ' '

" You must, you must," she cried in
an anxious whisper.

" But whereto? "

"To confession, Lawrence, and I am
going, too. ' '

"To confession ! " and his hands fell
in hopeless expostulation. "To-day ! ""

"Why not to-day ! " she cried under
her breath. ' ' Will not a priest listen
on all days ? ' '

Seeing that he did not move, she her-
self went in search of his hat, and, find-
ing it, brought it to him.

"Come," she said, and taking his
hand in hers, she led him from the
room, and into the street, borne along
by the power of a woman's will to do
right.

* *******

Some hours later a penitent man knelt
before the altar of a church. And in a
confessional knelt a woman telling the
priest that she was a sinner, and asking
to be told how to tell her sins.

"We are all sinners." Yes. But
Annis never sinned against the light.

THE REVEREND ANTHONY KOHLMANN, SJ.

By Rev. D. A. Merrick, SJ.

AMONG the names of priests who
labored in the early days of our
Republic among the Catholics of Amer-
ica, that of Father Kohlmann should not
be forgotten.

Anthony Kohlmann was born on the
thirteenth of July, 1771, at Kaysersberg,
a small place near Colmar, in Alsace.
He studied theology at Fribourg, in
Switzerland, in the College founded by
B. Peter Canisius, and joined the
Fathers of the Sacred Heart in 1796, im-
mediately after his ordination as priest.
The Fathers of the Sacred Heart, after-
wards united with the Fathers of the
Faith, were a society of young men
organized in view of the hoped-for res-
toration of the suppressed Society of
Jesus, of which they desired to become
members.

Father Kohlmann soon had an oppor-
tunity of making known his zeal. The
little town of Hagenbrunn in Austria
was attacked by the plague. Kohlmann

was sent to the assistance of the poor
people. So hard did he work that he was
taken himself with the disease, and very
nearly died. From Austria he proceeded
to Italy. This was at the close of the
last century. All Europe was at war.
At Padua Father Kohlmann and his
companions found several military hos-
pitals filled with men of every nation-
ality, far from their homes, wounded,
suffering from typhus and other virulent
disorders, piled upon and infecting one
another, without any of the alleviations
of more modern times, and, worse than
all, without spiritual succor, of which
many of them, alas ! stood in the great-
est need. Here was an opportunity for
apostolic work. The Fathers buckled to,
at first begging their own food from
door to door. This was a loss of time,
and sometimes they did not receive a
crust of bread. Then they accepted a
trifling compensation, which afterwards
took the form of one meal a day. From

ANTHONY KOHLMANN.

1117

the foul-heated air of one hospital these was the work of Father Kohlmann as
earnest men hurried out in the cold to vicar-general. For thirteen years he
^distant one^ there for^ hours to remained in this city, pastor of its only

church, old St. Peter's, and administra-
tor of the whole diocese. One probable
cause of this long interregnum, between
the appointment of the first and second
this work, nearly all the Catholic bishops of New York, was the prolonged

hear confessions in the midst of filth and
vermin which deprived them of their
sleep at night. Their reward was that,
during the two years spent by them in

soldiers were prepared for death, and
many hundreds of Protestants converted,
Father Kohlmann baptizing forty within
less than two months.

Leaving Italy, Father Kohlmann
visited Bavaria, Prussia, England, and
finally settled at Amsterdam, in Hol-
land, where he became Superior of the
College, and remained there till 1805.

captivity of Pope Pius VII. in France.
On his restoration to his pontifical see*
a new bishop was named, and Father
Kohlmann was relieved of his responsi-
bilities.

In the meantime several very interest-
ing events had taken place. Father
Kohlmann 's only assistant at first was
the Rev. J. B. Fen wick, S.J., afterwards

In the year 1801, Pius VII. approved of second Bishop of Boston. A singular
and authorized the existence of the So-
ciety of Jesus in the Empire of Russia.
On the twenty-first of June, 1805, An-
thony Kohlmann was received as a
novice in the city of Duneburg. Before
the close of his novitiate he was sent as
a missionary to the United States of
America.

The Jesuits in America, forty years
after the suppression of the Society, had
been received back in a body and affil-
iated to the Society in Russia. Father
Kohlmann began work immediately in
Philadelphia and Baltimore, with "re-
sults " which were "most consoling,"
says John Gilmary Shea, "for Father
Kohlmann was a man pre-eminent in

thing which happened to them both was
their ineffectual visit to Tom Paine on
his death-bed, in the hope of doing
something for his soul. This visit, fre-
quently criticized, was undertaken, as
priests ' visits frequently are undertaken,
to satisfy the urgent entreaty of a fer-
vent convert. Father Kohlmann esti-
mated his Catholic population, when he
came to New York, at fourteen thousand
souls, principally Irish, of course. With
Father Fen wick he began to work hard,
preaching in English, French and Ger-
man every Sunday, trying to stir up the
people to repentance and piety. But he
did not stop there. On the eighth of
June, 1809, on a large plot of ground

theological learning, and in the pulpit purchased by the trustees of St. Peter's

making truth clear to the most limited
intelligence, in words which reached the
heart while they instructed the mind."
Bishop Concanen, the first appointed
bishop of New York, died in Italy before
sailing from that country to his new see.
Very prudently, on his consecration in
1808, he had authorized Archbishop Car-
roll to name a vicar-general, with power
of administration in his diocese during
his absence. "To this position, " says
Shea, "Archbishop Carroll appointed
the great theologian and missionary,
Father Anthony Kohlmann." The or-
ganization of the diocese of New York

Church, between Broadway and the
Bowery road, was laid the corner-stone
of a new Catholic church, the future
Cathedral of St. Patrick. Let it be re-
membered that it was this Jesuit priest
from Alsace who placed the future arch-
diocese of New York under the patri-
archal care of St. Patrick. This step,
however, was taken reluctantly by the
people and only in obedience to the re-
sistless influence of Father Kohlmann.
"They objected," said Father John
McElroy.a contemporary witness, ' ' first,
that it was too far out of town ; secondly,
that it was too large ; thirdly, that they

1118

ANTHONY KOHLMANN.

would never pay for it." But Father
Kohlmann was a man of faith, and he
went ahead.

Next to the building of the house of
God itself, the first thing in the mind of
a good priest is the care of his children.
On the very spot now occupied by the
new Cathedral of St. Patrick was opened
the New York Literary Institution, under
the care of the Rev. J. B. Fen wick, S.J.,
where many sons of the first Protestant
as well as Catholic families of the State
received their education. If I am not
mistaken, this building was transported
to the northeast corner of Madison
Avenue on Fiftieth Street, and served,
till its destruction, as rectory to the
Church of St. John the Evangelist. So
much for the boys. For the girls of his
parish or diocese, whichever you may
choose to call it, Father Kohlmann ob-
tained, through a Jesuit Father in Ire-
land, some Ursuline nuns from the Black-
rock Convent near Cork, and opened
both an academy and a school for poorer
children. Finally, another project of
this zealous pastor was the erection of
an orphan asylum. Surely here was
enterprising work enough for two
priests, especially when we consider
that one of them was also obliged to
visit Albany and other outlying parts of
their immense territory.

But the most extraordinary thing
which happened to Father Kohlmann
during his stay in New York was his
danger of being thrown into prison for
refusing to reveal the secret of the Con-
fessional. It came from the common
case of restitution of stolen goods. A
man and his wife were on trial for re-
ceiving the stolen property, and Father
Kohlmann was subpoenaed as a witness
against them, because he had made
restitution in the name of some un-
known penitent. Father Kohlmann ex-
plained that he could not reveal the
secret of the Confessional, and, after an
eloquent appeal in his behalf by Wil-
liam Sampson, a Protestant and distin-
guished Irish refugee, De Witt Clinton,

the presiding judge, decided in his favor.
An account of the whole affair was
printed by Sampson, together with a
treatise on the Sacrament of Penance by
Father Kohlmann, which gave rise to
considerable controversy.

I may add here that this was not the
only publication by Father Kohlmann
in America. Several years later he pub-
lished his work on Unitarianism, one of
the very ablest controversial books, per-
haps, that ever was written.

In 1815 a new bishop was finally
chosen for the diocese of New York,
and, considerably to the displeasure of
Archbishop Carroll, Father Kohlmann
was withdrawn by his superior from
the city. After filling for some time the
posts of master of novices, president of
Georgetown College and superior of the
Maryland Mission, he was placed in
charge of the new residence and school
in Washington.

On the tenth of March, 1824, took
place the celebrated cure of Mrs. Mat-
tingly, the first miracle obtained in this
country by Prince Hohenlohe. Father
Kohlmann, who was the lady's pastor
at the time, urged her to begin the
novena which terminated so happily
and created so great a sensation in the
United States, and Mrs. Mattingly de-
clared that she attributed her cure as
much to Father Kohlmann 's faith as to
anything else. On the eve of this
miraculous event, her brother told Father
Kohlmann he did not believe his sister
could receive Communion the next
morning. "On the contrary," replied
Father Kohlman, "on account of her
extremity her cure will be made all
the more striking. " Mrs. Mattingly, as
is well known, recovered instant health
at the moment of receiving the Sacred
Host.

In this same year Father Kohlmann
left America. He was called to Rome,
to teach theology in the Roman College,
just given back to the Society of Jesus by
Pope Leo XII. What greater testimony
could be shown, of the esteem enter-

ANTHONY KOHLMANN.

1119

tained for this missionary, beginning
already to age, and who had spent the
best eighteen years of his life in our
then-distant country ? After five years'
teaching, Father Kohlmann was retired
to the Professed house in Rome, where
he spent the rest of his days, devoting
his time with great success to works of
the ministry. To him was due, among
other remarkable conversions, the return
to the practice of his religion of the
learned Father Theiner, afterwards a
member of the Oratory of St. Philip and
librarian of the Vatican. Strange to
say, in spite of this, this able man be-
came later a bitter enemy of the Society
of Jesus. But it was from the fact of
Father Kohlmann 's being employed by
the Holy Father in the important func-
tion of consulter of several of the Roman
congregations that he was enabled to
render a great service to sinners, and
with an account of this transaction this
notice will be completed.

When the Mother Euphrasia Pelletier
came to Rome to obtain recognition of
her new institute of the Good Shepherd
for the reform of fallen girls and women,
the one useful friend she found there,
after Cardinal Odescalchi, who died
a Jesuit, was Father Kohlmann. The
Good Shepherd order is nothing but a
branch of the Sisterhood founded in the
fifteenth century by Father Eudes.
Mother Euphrasia desired to form her
convent of Angers into a mother-house,
with other houses dependent on it and on
herself as general superior. The outcry
against her was great. Mother Euphrasia
wrote a letter in her defence and in ex-
planation of her conduct. Father Kohl-
mann was secretary of the Congregation
of Bishops and Regulars when the letter
was read before the assembled cardinals.
Father Kohlmann took it up, read it,
laid it on the table, reflected a moment,
placed his hand on the letter, and said :
"The truth is here." His opinion was
unanimously adopted by the Congrega-
tion, and a decree establishing the
general superiorship was drawn up and
signed in January, 1835.

Father Kohlmann did not confine him-
self to this act of friendship. He wrote
several letters to the Mother and gave
her exceedingly prudent advice. "I
cannot tell you, ' ' he says, ' ' how taken I
am with the grand idea with which God
has inspired your soul to spread, so far as
it depends on you, this great work to all
parts of the world . . . this beautiful
work which seems to me destined to
give so much glory to God, and to
snatch so many souls from hell.

' ' The Mother Superior, assisted by her
counsellors, ought to be perfectly free in
the government of her order, and the dis-
posal of her subjects. Believe me, that,
for religious orders which wish to spread,
there is no better superior than the
Sovereign Pontiff, and that, under the
immediate jurisdiction and protection of
the Holy See, they prosper most. The
Ladies of the Sacred Heart placed them-
selves under the immediate jurisdiction
of the Holy See, and they have reason
to congratulate themselves for it. "

Mother Euphrasia had reason to thank
the good Father for this advice. When the
decree of approval of the Congregation
was read to the Holy Father, on coming to
the passage where permission is given
to the Superior to found different houses,
Father Kohlmann, rising, asked permis-
sion to speak. "That sentence," he
said, " appears to me to be incomplete ;
the words should be added : In the whole
universe." "Father Kohlmann," ex-
claimed Cardinal Odescalchi, smiling,
"you wish to make this Sisterhood a
second Society of Jesus." To which
Kohlmann replied, scripturally, "You
have said it." Father Kohlmann cer-
tainly did wish that, like the Society of
Jesus, the Sisters, depending immedi-
ately on the Holy See itself, should be
free to do all the good they could where-
ever there were souls to be lost or
saved.

This was Father Kohlmann 's last
great service to religion Under both
Leo XII. and Gregory XVI. it was
rumored that he would certainly be ele-
vated to the Cardinalitial dignity, and

112O A LEGEND OF THE CYCLAMEN.

certainly things looked like it. But his and it was said that "it did people good

humility was spared that trial. On the only to look at him." Finotti calls him

loth of April of the following year, "good and dear Father Kohlmann."

1836, after three days' illness, he ex- Father McElroy spoke of him in terms

pired, at the age of sixty-five, worn out of the highest admiration. " His mem-

by work, not years. He was more than ory is in benediction," says Father

an able or learned man ; he was holy, Guidee. It ought to be.

A LEGEND OF THE CYCLAMEN.

By M. F. Nixon.

It grew upon a solitary hill,

Brave, modest, little flower,
Beneath the glowing eastern sky, yet still

Content in sun or shower ;
Waiting the future with a tranquil heart,
Growing in quiet sturdiness apart.

Its comrades blossomed gaily day by day,

Within that lonely spot,
And, plucked by careless hand and borne away,

Pitied her quiet lot.

But Cyclamen, though not so gay as they,
In fragile beauty flourished every day.

At last, there came a time when all the world

Seemed wrapped in deepest dread ;
The Spirit of the Night her wings unfurled

Upon the flower's head ;

And Cyclamen's pure blossoms, sweet and white,
Within the darkness trembled at the sight.

A cross was lifted on the lonely hill —

She hardly dared to see
The rude hands nailing with a wicked skill

Upon the awful tree

His form replete with majesty, while Death
Hung o'er His pallid brow with icy breath.

Longing to comfort Him, she would not hide

Her tear-stained face, and lo ! —
Ah ! fearful sight — from out His riven side

She saw the life-blood flow.
One drop fell on the flower's stainless breast,
Finding within her pitying heart a rest.

Within the flower, white until that day,

She bears the crimson stain —
Symbol of sorrow — for the poets say :

' ' The Cyclamen 's for pain. ' '

Ah ! Christ ! by suffering make us pure, that we
Fit chalice for Thy Sacred Blood may be !

GENERAL INTENTION, DECEMBER, 1897.

Approved and blessed by His Holiness, Leo XIII.
PARISH WORKS.

E importance of this Intention
will commend itself to the strenu-
ms efforts of our Associates. We may
consider a parish in a twofold light, in
its material and its spiritual aspect. Of
course there can be no doubt of the su-
perior importance of the latter, yet, too
often, undue attention is devoted to the
former. Nor is this surprising, for what
appeals to the senses, and is external
and, as it were, tangible, attracts more
powerfully than what is internal and
does not come so directly under obser-
vation. Hence it is that the corporal
works of mercy find so many more
persons interested in them than in the
spiritual works, although these have for
direct object the good of souls, whereas
those only affect souls indirectly through
the good done to the body.

Of the material works of the parish
we need say but little. Under this head
we class the church edifice, the presby-
tery, and the school building. The
necessity of these speaks for itself. The
first two every parish must have, and
the last every parish should have, ac-
cording to the mind of the Church,
whenever circumstances render it pos-
sible ; for it is conceivable that the place
should be too small, and consequently
the number of children likewise too
small, to warrant the expense of a sep-
arate building and teaching staff. But

(353)

wherever the number of children and
the means of the parents warrant it, of
course there should be the parochial
school.

This naturally leads us to speak at
once of the training of the young, as the
most important of parish works, for on
this depends the future not only of the
parish, but of the Church at large.
Where there is a well-organized paro-
chial school, the matter is comparatively
easy, especially when the teachers are
Brothers and Sisters, who certainly
never neglect the spiritual training of
their charges. But there will always be
those children who do not attend the
school provided for them by their pastor,
and for which non-attendance the poor
children themselves cannot be held re-
sponsible, and, therefore, should not be
made to suffer. It can hardly be ex-
pected that parents, who disregard the
expressed wish of Church authorities in
this regard, should take any very active
interest in the spiritual nurture of their
children, although we admit that such
exceptions do exist. But we are speak-
ing of those who come under the rule,
not the exception. Something must be
done to supply such an all-important
defect — a Sunday school attempts to do
so. We say attempts, for we are con-
vinced that it is only an attempt, and
not a success. The most sanguine mind

II2I

1122

GENERAL INTENTION.

(354)

could hardly hope that the instruction
given in one hour a week could effect
what would result from the constant
training in religion, imparted not only
in the set lesson in catechism, but in
the whole tone of the school.

Taking circumstances as they are,
and not as we would wish them to be,
the Sunday school seems to be a neces-
sity. How is it to be conducted ? Bvi-
dently, the pastor must be in .control,
not merely in name, but in fact. His
interest must be not only in selecting
teachers, but in training them. We are
supposing the case in which the teachers
are not religious, with special vocation
to teach, but are volunteers from the
congregation. Their good will cannot
be doubted, for the fact of their offering
their services, and that gratuitously, is
ample proof. Good will is an excellent
quality in a teacher, but by no means
an all-sufficient one.

With the best will in the world one
cannot teach what one does not know.
Oh, but they have the text-book to fol-
low. Yes, but teaching does not consist
in hearing a lesson recited. It implies
the imparting of knowledge, which of
course presupposes the knowledge to be
imparted, and also the ability to impart
it, which is quite another thing. This
last is a gift, but can also be acquired.
So there should be a class for the teach-
ers themselves, conducted either by the
pastor or one of his assistants. But will
not the teachers resent this as a reflec-
tion upon them ? If they are sensi-
ble they will appreciate it, and if not,
their services had better be dispensed
with. No one considers the normal
school or college as a reflection on their
previous education, but looks upon it as a
necessary preparation for teaching secu-
lar branches. Why should not this hold
good for the imparting of religious in-
struction ? This will entail a certain
amount of labor for the priest in charge,
but the immense gain for souls will
counterbalance the output of time and
study in the zealous pastor's estimation.

Instead of Sunday school being merely
the place where lessons learned by rote
are recited almost mechanically, it be-
comes a scene of interest to all, where
the prize is not awarded to the one who
has the best memory, but to the one who
understands the matter the best. This
is to be discovered by questions not in
the words set down in the book ; so that
the young people may get accustomed to
use their brains, and will not eventually
be nonplussed when an outsider will ask
for information, which they may possibly
know, but can only give when asked in
the words of the book. Of course, unless
the teacher is thoroughly conversant
with the matter, he cannot put it before
his class in various ways and in different
lights. If he is not interested himself
sufficiently to prepare it, and think over
and study up examples and anecdotes
to illustrate it, he is little likely to get
his scholars interested. A thing to
guard against is never to ridicule the an-
swers elicited. They may be absurd in
themselves, but they are not intended to
be, and a little ingenuity on the part of
the teacher, a quiet putting into the
mouth of the answerer the right response,
or insinuating that he meant the right
thing, will prevent the hurting of sensi-
tive feelings, and very few persons, young
or old, are not sensitive. Make the
great truths of religion interesting to
children, and when they return home
after class, they will repeat what they
have heard, and thus refresh the memo-
ries of their parents, acting in this way
often as apostles.

How long is the catechetical course of
instruction to be continued ? Until after
the time of First Communion ? How
many children consider this great act
their graduation from catechism ! They
have been confirmed, and have finished
their religious education ! And what do
they know about religion? Only the
most elementary notions. Yet with
these they are expected to go forth into
the world, where they will meet witli
persons of all sorts of creeds, and of no

(355)

GENERAL INTENTION.

1123

creed at all. How are they fitted to cope
with such adversaries ? How can they
answer difficulties and discern sophis-
tries ? They have faith, yes, but they
should be able to defend it and give an
intelligent and intelligible reason for
the faith that is in them. How many a
itholic has fallen away, ashamed of
tis religion, because of his inability to
mswer the difficulties proposed to him,
which a thorough catechetical course
rould have enabled him to dispose of
satisfactorily, and perhaps to the con-
vincing of the proposer. We cannot, then,
too earnestly insist upon the importance
not only of primary catechism classes,
but of the secondary, and even higher
classes of perseverance, as they are
called. Is it not strange that people
should be so anxious for the higher sec-
ular education, and be so apathetic about
the higher religious culture; for there
can be no comparison in their impor-
tance. The one affects this life, but the
other affects both this and the next. An
admirable way of instructing the whole
congregation, is to substitute, for the
perennial explanation of the Gospel of
the Sunday, a series of instructions on
the chief points of Christian doctrine.
Experience continually proves how much
it is needed by the older members of
the parish, who can be reached only in
this way. Where it has been done, it
has proved most welcome to the people,
as well as fruitful. Before leaving this
point, let us remark the advisability of
the priest in charge of the Sunday
school knowing his young flock person-
ally, and this not merely for their own
sake, but as a means of reaching the
parents. There is no surer way to win
the confidence and respect of the heads
of families, than by showing, personal
interest in their children. Thus the
whole family is gained.

As we are treating the question of

associations for young people in a special

department, we shall not touch on it here.

Another important parish work is that

of societies for the various classes. Of

course, when the League- is well estab-
lished and run as it should be, we might
say that it in itself would be sufficient.
It has an apostolic power not found in
other associations, and, being so simple
in its requirements, it is within easy
reach of all. Besides, it has a unifying
power in the family and in the parish.
It unites all the members in common
prayer, in devotion to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, in the duty of helping others by
the sanctifying of the daily life with its
works and its sufferings, and tends to
bring all, like members of one great
family, to the altar to receive Holy Com-
munion. Although so complete in itself,
it does not antagonize, but rather helps
along any other societies that may be
established, such as the Sodality of the
Blessed Virgin. This, too, has the ad-
vantage of being adaptable to various
classes and ages. It is a great thing for
a person to feel that age places no bar to
the sodalist. The child has dedicated
his young life to his Blessed Mother in
the division of her Sodality, under the
invocation of the Holy Angels. As he
grows older, is he to leave her ranks be-
cause of his years ? Certainly not, he
does but pass from one division of her
army to another, by being promoted to
that under the patronage of St. Aloysius.
I/ater on, when he marries, he still re-
mains true to his Heavenly Patroness in
the married men's Sodality. So, in the
Blessed Virgin 's Sodality, with its vari-
ous divisions adapted to the different
stages of life, boys and girls can start
under her holy patronage and remain
her faithful clients all their lives. More-
over, wherever they go, they can usually
find a branch of this worldwide society
of Mary, and can feel at home among its
members, their own fellow-members ; for
they bear with them letters patent of
their membership. The advantage of
such an association over unconnected
societies for different classes is evident.
You do not have to say to a young man
who had been a member of the Angel 's

1124

GENERAL INTENTION.

(356>

division. "Won't you join the Young
Men's Aloysius Society?" for he virtu-
ally belongs to it already, and has natu-
rally graduated into it by the passing of
the years. Besides, has he not. when a
boy, made his act of consecration, pledg-
ing himself to the perpetual service of
our Lady ? A transfer, then, from one
division to another, should be a matter
of course, as well as of honor for his
plighted word. Thus the Sodality, like
the League, can embrace all the members
of a family. In this connection, we
must mention the Rosary Society, so de-
servedly widespread and so simple in its
requirements. It finds favor under the
other aspects of the Living and the Per-
petual Rosary, which last two are, of
course, quite distinct. We can only
allude to the confraternities of the Scap-
ular, the Holy Family, and the Third
orders of St. Francis and St. Dominic.
The association commonly called the
Bona Mors from its object — that of so
living as to die a happy death — is worthy
of notice. It is not restricted in mem-
bership, but admits persons of all classes
and ages.

We cannot pass over in silence the
Holy Name Society, which we have
noticed in an editorial. It admits only
men, and consequently is not so efficient
as a unifying force in a parish, although
its value is undoubted. We cannot,
however, help deprecating the misappre-
hension which is quite common, that the
Apostleship of Prayer is intended for
women, and the Holy Name Society for
men. Surely any one who grasps the
end of the League as an apostolic work
will never fall into this evident error.
As the ends of the two are quite distinct,
there is, and can be, no opposition be-
tween them ; but men are certainly
called to do their share in advancing the
Kingdom of God, not only in their own
souls, but in those of others.

What shall we say of societies for
bettering the condition of the poor,
preeminent among which is the brother-
hood of St. Vincent de Paul ? It mseds

no praise from us, for its praise is deser-
vedly in the mouths of all, even of non-
Catholics. But it must be kept in mind
that every good man is not qualified to
act as a member of a Conference. Other
requisites there are besides goodness,
and an essential one is tact, for it aims
at assisting the deserving poor without
hurting their feeling or treating them as-
paupers. It is evident, then, that kind-
ness and delicacy of heart are required,
as well as a discerning spirit that, with-
out being suspicious, can detect fraud.

The women of the parish can be great
aids to the Conference by forming aux-
iliary societies to give employment to
the poor, to provide clothing, and, like
the circles of the Queen 's Daughters in
the West, to form classes in which young
girls are taught how to cut, fit, sew and
make garments, trim hats, cook, wash
and make themselves generally useful.
As an encouragement, in some places the
young people are presented with the
articles which they have wholly or in
part made. Those who have leisure and
the taste for it can do visiting among the
poor in their homes, or in public institu-
tions, where an active propaganda against
the faith is constantly being carried on.

It is sufficient to mention the sanctu-
ary, altar or tabernacle societies, as they
are variously called. Their necessity
and importance are obvious. What a
privilege it should be held to be, to con-
tribute to the decency, beauty and glory
of the sanctuary and of divine worship,
either in alms or in work. Not the
least of parish works, evidently, is the
visitation of the sick. We shall con-
sider it only from the view of those
visited. Catholics should always have in
readiness the things necessary for such a
contingency. This is the case in pious
families who have an altar, however
simple it may be, if only a table with a
clean white cloth, on which are candle-
sticks, with blessed candles, a crucifix,
holy water bottle, and perhaps some
ornaments. They can never be taken
unawares, and have always in readiness

(357)

FATHER DOMINIC.

1125

a place whereon to lay the Blessed Sac-
rament. Unfortunately, many a family
sends in haste for the priest, and when
he comes with his Eucharistic L,ord,
nothing has been prepared : no light, no
holy water, no table, no communion
cloth. What a reception for our I/>rd !
Everything in disorder and too often un-
:leanly. If the room be taken as an in-
lex of the preparedness of the soul, to
whom the Divine Visitor is coming, no

wonder the priest is sad at heart. Every
Catholic family, then, should live in
readiness for such a visit, for who can
tell when the hour will be ? It does not
require any real expense, but it does in-
dicate the spirit of faith. Our readers
will see the extreme importance of this
month's Intention, and will, accord-
ingly, offer for it with earnestness their
prayers, works and sufferings in union
with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

FATHER DOMINIC.
By P. J. Coleman.

4 4 f* OD takes the intention for the

^-J deed. He searches our hearts

and judges us by what he finds therein. "

It was the message of comfort, the
gospel of sweet assurance he had taught
his people for forty years. They needed
this consolation. It was all that was left
them — their faith in a benign Providence.

They were a poor people, a people of
long memories and proud tradition, rich
only in the love of God. There was a
time when their Catholic fathers had
lorded it over the^hills and valleys of the
West. They could point with pride to
the crumbling keeps and ivied abbeys
they had planted deep in the kind-
ly Irish earth — deep as the faith, whereof
vaulted isle and cross-crowned turret
were but the visible manifestation. But
their fortunes, like their castles, had
long been in ruin, and an alien aristocracy
of Cromwell's creation had supplanted
their ancient chiefs. Yet the faith,
thank God, was left them, immutable as
their hills, vivid and green as the ivy
of Ireland ; like the ivy fondly clinging
to their fallen sanctuaries.

They had but just emerged from the
grinding mills of the Penal Code. Old men
still lived among them who remembered
Ninety-eight ; older yet who had seen the
flight of the Wild Geese, when Continen-
tal battlefields were ringing with the
prowess of Ireland's Catholic exiles.
Theirs was a legacy of loss and sorrow ;

but in their darkest days, in good repute
or ill, God had left them their priests.
Many priests they had had ; many were
in holy memory amongst them ; but never
a one like Father Dominic. Many trib-
ulations they had endured, but never a
one like this of "Black Forty -seven."
Want they had known and hunger, but
their blackest fasts had been feasts
compared to this bitter, bitter famine.
In their own terrible image ' ' they were
dying like sheep " — dying daily of star-
vation in hut and hovel. But faith
robbed death of its terrors, and Father
Dominic with words of hope pointed the
trembling souls heavenward : sent them
forth on the road to eternity strength-
ened with the Holy Viaticum.

It was a dark night, and the old priest
was tired — tired in body and soul, weary
with years and sore in spirit for his peo-
ple's afflictions. It had been snowing
all day. The stars were out, and hill and
hollow were clothed in immaculate puri-
ty. Here and there, under the hedges
and in the ditches, the snow had drifted
into fantastic heaps. A brisk wind
swept the hills, powdering man and
beast with a searching crystal, fine as
dust. All that week the priest had been
in the saddle, making his rounds from
sheeling to sheeling. All that day,
since early dawn, he had been among
the glens, and now he was tired— so
tired— as he rode back to Belmoy.

1126

FATHER DOMINIC.

(358)

Long and faithfully had he served the
Lord ; well had he loved his people,
loved them in joy and in grief. They
were a good people, a faithful, pure,
affectionate people, repaying love with
love — a people to serve, aye, if need be,
to die for. But why had the Lord visited
them thus heavily ? What had they
done to merit this chastisement ? Had
they not for Him lost land and liberty
and life? Had they not poured out
their blood upon His altars in defence of
His word ? Had they not for Him become
a byword among the peoples of the
earth ? Did not the nations clap their
hands at them, hissing and wagging
their heads, and saying, "Is this the
city of perfect beauty, the joy of all the
earth."

"O Lord!" he groaned, the tears
trickling down his face, "if it be possi-
ble let this chalice pass away. The chil-
dren and the sucklings faint away in the
streets of the city. They said to their
mothers : Where is corn and wine ?
when they fainted away as the wounded
in the streets of the city ; when they
breathed out their souls in the bosoms of
their mothers ! ' '

No wonder he was tired — tired unto
death — sick and sore in heart and spirit
for the destruction of his people.

Rory, too, was tired — Rory, the old
horse that had been the faithful compan-
ion of his ministry all these years.
There was a beautiful sympathy between
man and beast. The poor brute's lot
might have been cast in happier places,
places with no weary midnight calls
from warm stable and soft bed of straw,
in bitter Winter sleet and rain. But in
its own lowly way the poor brute was
doing the work of the Lord — the divine
work of comfort and consolation to the
sick and the dying. Happier places he
might have had, but kinder master never.
Whip or spur had never tortured his sen-
sitive flanks ; nothing more cruel than
coaxing voice and patting hand and
terms of tender endearment.

The old horse knew the glens by heart.

Not a road or a boreen, a ford or a tog her,
but he could find in the gloom of the
darkest night. Well it was for the
priest he had so faithful, so tried a com-
rade ; for presently, as he rode along,
his head bobbing on his breast from
sleep that he bravely tried to combat,
his hand relaxed its hold, the reins slack-
ened on Rory's neck, and the old man
was fast asleep in the saddle. With
wondrous instinct, lest he might awaken
his master, Rory dropped from a trot to
a walk and jogged on quietly in the
dark, until presently he halted at a
well-known door and whinnied long and
loud to arouse Father Dominic.

"So we're home at last, Rory," mur-
mured the old man, rubbing his eyes and
scrambling to his feet. " Home at last,
my boy, after our long day. Bless you
for a good old horse ! What should I do
without you ? ' '

And for eloquent answer Rory put his
nose into the priest's hand.

' ' Come now, boy, "went on the priest,
lighting the lantern which lay ready
to hand at his door, and leading Rory
over the cobbled yard to the stable. " A
bite to eat won 't hurt either of us ; and
then, my boy, to bed. Ah, Rory avic>
like your old master you don 't get much
of the bed these times, and you're tired,
no doubt — tired like me. Well, well,
Rory, there'll be rest for us some time,
boy. The night cometh on wherein no

man can labor ; and then . Good

night, my boy ; you've earned your oats,
and there's an extra armful of straw
to keep you snug and warm. "

And, having replenished the manger
and littered the stall, Father Dominic
took the lantern, hasped the stable-
door and stumbled across the yard to his
cottage.

It was a long, thatched house of one
story, whitewashed and covered with
ivy to the chimneys. A hall in the cen-
tre divided it into two parts, one sacred
to Maurya, the priest's old housekeeper,
who had grown gray in his service ; the
other given up to Father Dominic's sleep-

359)

FATHER DOMINIC.

1127

ing room and the study that held his
books and writing desk. Maurya had
considerately left the teapot simmering
by the hob, and a cup and saucer on the
kitchen table.

With heavy eyelids, blinking much at
the light, the old man set the lantern on
the table, tottered feebly to the hearth,
poured out a cup of tea, munched a
crumb of bread, and then, while the cup
was yet poised in his hand, fell face for-
ward on the table, sound asleep.

It seemed but a second to the priest,
till he was conscious of a prolonged
knocking on the door. Like one in a
dream he heard the insistent rat-a-tat-
tat, and, from a stern and long disci-
plined sense of duty, was promptly
awake and on his feet.

"Who's there?" he called, going to
the door and fumbling for the bolt.

" Me, Father Dominic, " came the an-
swer from without. "Me, Meehul Dowd.
For God's sake come as quick as ever
you can. Brigid is in her agony and
wants you badly. ' '

"Poor Meehul ! " he moaned. "And
you've walked all the way, three miles
in the snow ? But go, Meehul ; don 't
wait for me, and I'll be after you at
once. "

"God bless yer reverence; it's you
that's the friend of the poor in their
need. What would we do at all without
you ? May the heavens be yer bed this
blessed night."

And Meehul strode off, his heart break-
ing for the wife he had left dying in
Glen More.

" Quousgue, Domine?" groaned the
priest. " Quousque ?" But even as he
turned from the door, he tottered on his
feet, swayed a moment unsteadily, and
then sank, limp and unconscious, to the
floor. There he lay, utterly exhausted,
body and will completely conquered by
overpowering sleep.

Presently he was awake again, rub-
bing his eyes, the rat-a-tat-tat of the
iron knocker dinning in his ears.

1 ' O God, be merciful to me, a sinner ! ' '

he sobbed, as his conscience reproached
him for a grave dereliction of duty.
" Miserere met, secundum magnam miseri-
cordiam tuam. For the spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is weak."

"For God's sake, Father, come at
once, " called the voice outside. " She's
goin' fast, an' you haven't a minute to
lose. ' '

"Ah, Meehul, my poor fellow," he
called, "forgive an old man, as I hope
God will forgive me. Run ahead, my
poor boy, run ahead. Don 't wait for me.
I '11 be with Brigid as fast as Rory can
carry me."

How tired he was to-night ! Never be-
fore had he felt like this. His eyelids
seemed weighted with lead, and his feet
dragged heavily over the ground. But
presently, lantern in hand, he was sad-
dling Rory in the stable — poor, faithful
old Rory, that rose from his straw with
a whinny of welcome at the well-known
voice.

He had drawn the bridle over the
horse's head, adjusted the girth, and was
looking to the stirrups, when he fell in
the straw — fell under Rory 's feet — once
more overcome by the exceeding weari-
ness that had been accumulating for a
week of sleepless nights and toilsome
days. Ay, the spirit indeed was willing,
but the flesh was weak. Nature had at
last capitulated. The virile will had
succumbed.

But, at length, with imperative rest
came strength, and anon he opened his
eyes in the first faint glimmer of dawn.
Rory was standing over him, nosing his
shoulder affectionately, his breath warm
in the old man's hair. Then, again
came conscience, stinging him with
keen reproof ; and now, with every sense
alert, feebly gaining his feet, he led Rory
from the stable, got to saddle and was
off at a gallop over the snow-muffled
road to Glen More.

With a burning sense of shame he
dismounted at Meehul's cabin, feeling at
his pocket for the holy oils of Extreme
Unction. They were safe with his stole

1128

SAD DAYS FOR THE REPUBLIC OF THE SACRED HEART.

(360)

and breviary, where they had lain for
a week, save when he had replenished
the oil and cotton.

A low sobbing came from within the
house, the sobbing of a man made deso-
late. He knocked at the door and Mee-
hul opened it, red-eyed from weeping,
his voice stifled with tears.

" Ah, then, it's welcome ye are again,
Father Dominic," he said," "welcome
an 'welcome. But you can't do any more
than you have done for my poor girl —
God resht her sowl ! It's kind ye wor
to come an ' give her the happy death. ' '

"Am I, then, too late, Meehul?"
whispered the priest, sympathetically
wringing the poor man's hand and
gazing at the face of his young wife,
white and calm in death.

"Late is it, Father? Sure I don't
undherstand ye. Ye '11 pardon me, I
know. Sure I hardly know what I'm
savin'. It's ramblin' I am, maybe. She
was all I had in the world — my poor lit-
tle Brigideen Bawn," he said, kissing
her cold lips. "But you worn't late,
Father avic. Didn 't you come an hour
ago and anoint her, jusht afther I wint
for you the second time ? Didn 't I go to
the door mesel' and let you in, whin
you knocked ? And didn 't ye take the
light out of my two eyes, ye wor that
bright an' shinin' an' transfigured, for
all the world, " he said, crossing himself
reverently, "as if an angel from heaven
came in yer place. And my poor little
girl lyin' there — oh, vo, vo! — so cowld
an ' still, smiled when she saw you comin ',
an' all the little cabin was shinin' like

the sun from the glory of yer face as ye
stood be the bed, for all it was dark
night — yes, Father, the dark, dark
night for me. ' '

And, kneeling by the bed, the poor
fellow hid his tears on his dead wife's
heart, calling her tenderest names of love
in the tender Gaelic tongue.

' ' 'Meehul, ' she whispered to me, afther
yer reverence had anointed her an ' given
her the Holy Communion, 'Meehul,'
she said very solemn-like, ' it's an angel
that came, an' not Father Dominic at
all. The poor man is tired an' God sent
His angel in his place.' But sure the
poor cratureen was ravin ' and I knew it
was yoursel', Father — yoursel' and no
other. But I couldn't help noticin' when
you wint away that ye left no thracks in
the snow ; not the sign of a thrack. An'
all down the Glen I could follow ye
by the light that went with ye. The
hillside glistened where ye passed, and
the snow on the pines sparkled like
diamonds, and all the Glen was one blaze
of light, for all the world as if the
sun was shinin'. But priests are not like
other men, so they're not ; and what
wondher if the glory o' God goes with
them to light their way by night ? "

Then was the priest mute with awe,
and he left the house, glorifying God,
who had sent His angel in his place.
And within him was born a voice, whis-
pering to him the message of comfort he
himself had preached and taught for
forty years. And the voice said "Be not
disturbed. God takes the intention for
the deed."

SAD DAYS FOR THE REPUBLIC OF THE
SACRED HEART.

THE two following letters, received
from correspondents in Ecuador,
throw much light on the religious perse-
cution now being carried on in the State
once dedicated by the heroic Garcia
Moreno to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

LA CONCEPCION,
FIFO, August 30, 1897.
REV. AND DEAR FATHER :

The short account of affairs in Ecua-
dor published in the August MESSENGER,
suggested to me the idea of sending you

(361)

SAD DAYS FOR THE REPUBLIC OF THE SACRED HEART.

1129

some circumstantial details with regard
to the actual condition of our holy reli-
gion in this republic. The persecution
directed against the clergy is not an
open one, as you might imagine ; it con-
sists rather in a series of petty annoy-
ances, sometimes rising to brutality,
connived at by the government, but not
the result of official orders. For in-
stance, the separation of Church and
State proposed in the last National As-
sembly was voted down, and Catholic in-
struction in the public schools remains
obligatory. The official attendance of
the Government at certain religious
ceremonies, as established by Garcia
Moreno, is still kept up, and so you
would see, during these last two years,
General Alfaro, our President, and his
whole cabinet assisting at the services
in the Cathedral on Palm Sunday, Holy
Thursday and Good Friday ; at the Jesuit
Church for the Feast of Blessed Mari-
anne, the Lily of Quito, or taking part
in the Corpus Christi procession in honor
of the Blessed Sacrament. Very good,
you say. But listen, I beg you, to
the following facts — facts of which, in
some cases, I have been an eye-witness —
and then judge whether, underneath all
this outward respect for religion and
its ministers, there does not lurk a
spirit of irreligion and persecution.

September, 1 895 . At the very accession
of the Radicals to power, the Archbish-
op's palace was attacked by night, His
Grace maltreated, and the type belong-
ing to the clerical organ thrown into the
fire. Following close on this was the pro-
hibition to publish Catholic papers,
while Radical and obscene journals were
all6wed full liberty, not only in circula-
tion, but in repeating the vilest calum-
nies against the clergy and all religious
orders.

May, 1896. A Masonic Lodge was pub-
licly opened at Quito. The soldiers are
no longer obliged to go to Mass in a
body. Attendance or non-attendance
is made to depend on the will of their
officers.

September, 1896. On some trivial
pretext, all the schools taught by the
Christian Brothers weie closed.

December, 1896. The Indian Mission
of Napo taken away from the Jesuits,
and the Indian schools left without a
single priest.

May, 1897. The Capuchin Fathers of
Ibarra and the Salesians of Quito vio-
lently expelled and driven into exile.
Similar action was proposed against the
Jesuits, but the storm of opposition
aroused among the noble ladies of Quito
deterred the Government from taking
the step. It was in this same month
that the Jesuit Rector of the National
College of- Riobamba was inhumanly
killed, and all the professors thrown
into prison o"n a charge of conspiracy.
Add to all this the murder in Quito of
Victor Vivar, a prominent Catholic
writer, and of Father Maldonado, in the
Autumn of 1896 ; the fact that all gov-
ernment aid has been withdrawn from
the teaching orders of nuns, and the
growing practice of quartering troops in
monasteries, and you can see, dear
Father, what restlessness and insecurity
prevail throughout the whole Republic.
I have said nothing of the dreadful pro-
fanations of the Blessed Sacrament ;
how the officers of the Radical army
have taken consecrated hosts and trod-
den them under foot. All the bishops
of the country had tridua and proces-
sions of reparation during the month of
June in their respective dioceses.

I am, dear Rev. Father,
Yours in the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
H. P. M.

The killing of the Rector of the Col-
lege of Riobamba alluded to in the fore-
going, and the events that led up to
and followed it, are set forth at length
in the subjoined letter. Father Moscoso
was only 51 years of age, of great ex-
ecutive ability and of rare holiness, and,
what should gain our prayers and sym-
pathy, the Diocesan Director of the
Apostleship of Prayer.

1130

SAD DAYS FOR THE REPUBLIC OF THE SACRED HEART.

(362)

NATIONAL, COLLEGE,
RIOBAMBA, June 19, 1897.
MY DEAR FATHER :

I/et me give you a short account of late
happenings in Riobamba, the more so,
as I have learned from the columns of a
New York newspaper, which chanced to
reach me here, that those awful Jesuits
have taken up arms against the rightful
Government, to perish red-handed in
their act of rebellion. The true state of
the case is as follows :

There are in Ecuador two parties con-
tending for the mastery : the Radicals,
open Atheists, who aim at overturning
the old Constitution, established by
Garcia Moreno, and the Conservatives,
or Catholics, whose purpose it is to pre-
serve our holy religion in all its pristine
vigor and splendor. In the beginning
our city of Riobamba was inclined to
favor the cause of the Radicals, but, un-
deceived by the impiety of the party
leaders, the inhabitants went to take
their rightful place in the ranks of the
Conservatives. Hence, a bloody conflict
between the two parties, resulting in
victory for the Conservatives.

In all these disturbances the Jesuits
took no part, either by word or deed.
Nevertheless, they were accused of being
the ringleaders in a conspiracy against
the Government, and on May 2d our
college was seized by the military, and
all the Jesuits living in it thrown into
prison. No cause was assigned, but it
was clear that it was to punish our zeal
for religion and our efforts in behalf of
Christian education.

It was the first intention of our ene-
mies to drive us into exile, but popular
indignation ran so high that it was not
deemed advisable to put the project into
execution. We were accordingly re-
leased from confinement, with the excep-
tion of four Fathers, who, as they had
been the regular preachers at our church,
were judged especially guilty, although
no proof could be adduced that either in
public or in private they had spoken on
political topics.

Our release was the occasion of a grand
ovation, and, although our Father Rector
did all in his power to prevent this dem-
onstration of esteem, his efforts were
unavailing, and, as he had expected and
had forewarned our friends, it was fol-
lowed by fresh scenes of violence on the
part of the Radicals. Patience, thought
the Conservatives, had now ceased to be
a virtue, and a general uprising against
the Government, was set on foot. Un-
fortunately for us, the insurgents,
against our will and without our consent,
took possession of our college, as a
stronghold wherefrom to fire down upon
their enemies.

The battle raged long and furious.
The Conservatives, however, were de-
feated, and the infuriated Radicals,
breaking down the doors of the church
and college, rushed into the hallway,
breathing threats of direst vengeance.
"Death to all, " was the order given to
the soldiery. They broke into the church,
and there, at the very altar, whither they
had fled for refuge, the unhappy Con-
servatives were stricken down. They
had hoped to be treated as prisoners of
war, but their hope had been in vain.
With cries of " Down with the Jesuits, "
they hurried on in search of the members
of the Community. Prostrate on the
floor of the Domestic Chapel they were
imploring the divine assistance against
impending death, while a few of the
other Fathers were kneeling in prayer in
their rooms. Among these was the
Rector, Father Eniil Moscoso, who was
engaged in saying his beads, when a
shot in the forehead laid him low, and a
dozen other bullets fired in rapid suc-
cession brought him the blessing of
death. Everything of value in his
room was immediately seized, and then,
to cover up their unwarranted crime,
they took the corpse and put it seated
upright in a chair, placed a gun in the
right hand and filled his cassock pockets
with bullets, to convey the impression
that the Jesuit Rector had fallen while
resisting lawful authority.

(363)

SAD DAYS FOR THE REPUBLIC OF THE SACRED HEART.

From room to room the Radicals went,
dealing blows and kicks to all they
met, and leading them away to prison
bound with ropes through the public
streets. Father Buendia received a slight
wound in the head from the drawn
sword of one of the officers, who thus
reviled him : ' ' Oh, you wicked race of
Jesuits ! You are our worst enemy.
How dare you teach the existence of
God and Christ and hell, when all these
things are downright falsehoods ? If
there is a God, let Him take you out
of our hands. If there is a hell, send
me to its lowest depths. "

Here, then, was the cause of our being
persecuted — we were preaching the Gos-
pel of Christ. Would that we were
given the credit of suffering for Christ's
name ! But no, that very day it was
given out in the public prints that all
the Jesuits had been found fighting in
the ranks of the rebels, that each of
them had been armed with a gun, and
that leading them on was their Father
Rector, now dead. The same report was
forwarded to President Alfaro, who at
once published a decree banishing all
the members of the Society, even those
who were residing at Quito and at the
House of Studies in Pifo.

What shall I say of the horrible sac-
rileges that were committed immediately
after our removal ? The door of the
tabernacle was violently broken open.
The sacred particles were scattered upon
the ground and trodden under foot, or
torn by their teeth and then spat out.
One rode his horse madly up and down
the aisles and in the sanctuary. Some
seated themselves upon the altar and vom-
ited forth the vilest blasphemies. Others
put on the sacred vestments, and in
mockery went through the ceremonies of
holy Mass. Others, again, arrayed them-
selves in our Jesuit habits, and made
sport in imitating the administration of
the other sacraments. Revolting as are
the scenes, I regret to say that they have
been enacted not only in Ecuador, but

in other parts of South America as well.
I pass over in silence the wholesale
robbery of all our personal property.
Not a stitch of bedclothes remained for
us on our return. The body of our dead
Rector was treated with every possible
indignity, and then, without religious
service, thrown into a common grave
with the others who had been killed in
the fight. Our Bishop was driven into
exile, and would that we had been
allowed to follow so illustrious a prelate !
Owing to the remonstrance of leading
citizens and the intervention of the gov-
ernment of the Republic of Colombia,
we were soon after set at liberty by the
President, till such time as our guilt
should be clearly proven by our accusers.
This, of course, they will not be able to
do. This is the present condition of
affairs. What will happen next God
alone knows.

One remark I must make in closing.
The authors of these crimes are a few
unscrupulous individuals who at present
have the reins of power in their hands.
The great mass of the people are well
affected towards religion and the Society,
and the kindness shown us during our
imprisonment by many of the noblest
ladies can never be forgotten. They
visited us daily, bringing us food and
clothing, happy, as they said, to wait
upon the martyrs of Christ, so that we
could repeat of ourselves the words of
the Apostle : " Tamquam nihil habentes
et omnia possidentes, ' ' as having nothing,
and yet possessing all things. On our
part, God in His goodness vouchsafed to
fill us with many consolations. Our in-
nocence became evident to all, and the
cheerfulness, even the joy, with which
we bore our unjust persecution, has been
a source of honor to the Society and of
edification to the people.

Begging you to remember us in your
prayers, I am, dear Reverend Father,
Yours in Christ,
V. M. G. B., SJ.

EDITORIAL.

STATISTICS HONOR IRELAND.

ALTHOUGH figures may sometimes
be made to lie, those given offici-
ally by|the Registrar- General may be
taken as correct, particularly as no favor
usually falls to the lot of Ireland. The
latestgofficial report of vital statistics of
that country is most favorable to her. It
proves that, so far as improvidence is
shown by early marriages, Ireland has a
much better record than England or
Scotland. Judging of literacy by the
signing of the marriage register, the
progress is steady. In 1861 only 61 in
every hundred men, and 50 in every
hundred women signed their own names;
in 1886 the percentage had risen to 76
for men, and 74 for women ; while in 1896
the numbers stood 83 and 85 respec-
tively. In the birth statistics the pro-
portion of illegitimate birth is again
exceedingly small, and the Protestant
parts of the country once more compare
unfavorably with the Catholic. If the
ratio of illegitimacy is taken as a test of
morality, then Ireland is, except Greece,
the most moral country in Europe. It
is consoling to have this praise come
from the public report of a Crown offi-
cial.

A REFLECTION FOR THE JUBILEE YEAR.

In sharp contrast to the prosperity of
other lands under the British Govern-
ment is the present state of Ireland.
According to the annual report of the
local Government board, in 1876, with
an estimated population of more than
5,000,000, there were 43,652 indoor
paupers a day. In 1896 with a popula-

1132

tion diminished by over 700,000, the
number relieved daily in work -houses
reaches 40,320. The report states that
for the year ending 1896-7, the daily
average number relieved amounted to
one in every 47 of the population, as
estimated by the Registrar -General. The
end of 1896 and the beginning of the
present year saw a great increase in the
total number of work-house inmates.
The abnormal number living upon the
poor rates is accounted for in the report,
by the agricultural depression. This
augurs badly for 1898.

RECENT EBULLITIONS OF PROTESTANT
MALIGNITY.

The undesired and undesirable noto-
riety recently forced upon a very modest
and retiring young girl who, using
her inalienable right of choosing her
state of life, chose that of a clois-
tered nun, has brought to light the deep
and bitter hatred of that holy state which
still exists among many Protestants.

Some over-sanguine Catholics would
fain persuade us to believe that the
whole American people is ripe for con-
version, and is holding out its hands and
lifting up its voice to beg us to impart to
it the truth, and so enlighten its dark-
ness. The darkness which enshrouds it
in religious matters we sorrowfully
admit : of the yearning for enlighten-
ment we are not by any means convinced.
The mother of the young novice in ques-
tion has been the recipient of letters
so mendacious, ribald, vile, that we
blush that such people as the writers ex-
ist, much more that they should dare to

(364)

(365)

EDITORIAL.

1133

call themselves Christian. Unfortunately
the writers write professedly as followers
of Christ, and use the stock cant phrases.
Some of the letters were consigned at
once to the flames, lest their very pres-
ence in the house might pollute it. All
were characterized by the same devilish
insinuations ; many added assertion to
innuendo against those who consecrate
their lives wholly to God, serving Him
in poverty, obedience and chastity, fore-
going all the pleasures of this world
with the sole hope of one day following
the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.

Sad it is to think that these pure souls
should be the target for the envenomed
arrows of gross calumny, but in this
they only suffer as their Master Himself
did. For did not the Protestants of His
day accuse Him of gluttony, of wine-
bibbing, of having a devil ! All we can
do for the culumniators is to pray that
God may give them a new heart.

CURRENT IGNORANCE OF CATHOLIC
AFFAIRS.

A striking instance of the dense igno-
rance in regard to Catholics on the part
of the great Protestant public has lately
been arfforded in the matter of the Holy
Name Society. The New York Herald,
which claims to be not merely in touch
with all that is going on, but even to be
in the lead, has made the startling dis-
covery that the Catholics of Brooklyn
have begun a novel crusade against pro-
fanity by organizing Holy Name Socie-
ties. Just think of it ! the far-sighted
Herald turned his gaze upon Brooklyn
and made this discovery. Of course
every one knows that far-sighted people
are apt to overlook objects that are near,
and so the discoverer, naturally enough,
overlooked his own city altogether, as
being, perhaps, too close for his range
of vision.

The next step after his Transpontine
discovery was to interview all the prom-
inent New York ministers of all the
Protestant sects, and to get from each
his view on this new crusade. These
learned gentlemen, to a man apparent-

ly, were equally unaware that any such
organization was in existence in their
own city, and were impressed by the
novelty. Some thought that it might
be wise to follow the lead of their Roman
brethren. Some, of course, could not
resist a sneer at the evident need of ref-
ormation among Romanists. Some were
candid enough to admit that profanity
was not exclusively Romish. But all,
like the discoverer of the Brooklyn
movement, were not ashamed to;; admit
their never having heard before'of such a
thing as the Hoty Name Society, al-
though it has branches in almost all
the Catholic churches in New York. This
may arise from the fact^that[we[donot ad-
vertise the meetings of our religious so-
cieties in the daily papers, after the man-
ner of the Protestants. However, bet-
ter late than never ; and the knowledge
of the work of this excellent organiza-
tion may stimulate our separated breth-
ren to imitate it, since they are prone to
imitation. It would be unjust, though,
to the Holy Name Society to give the
impression that its aim is limited to the
extinction of profanity. Its object is to
help men to live up to their religion,
and as powerful furtherances of this are
the monthly meeting, with its practical
instruction, the daily prayers, the stated
times for Holy Communion, and the
moral support that comes from union.
The misapprehension that it is intended
only for the profane is often offered as a
reason for refusing to join its ranks.
We hope that the unsought- for promi-
nence which^the press has given the Holy
Name Society will bring it many new
recruits, as well as stimulate those who
are already members to uphold its
honor.

RELIGIOUSJ HUMBUG.

Two precious instances have been
afforded by M. Felix Faure, President of
the French Republic, during his recent
visit to Russia. He visited the tomb of
the late Tsar Alexander III., and laid
upon it an olive branch in gold work.
This work of art is enclosed in an ebony

1134

EDITORIAL.

(366)

casket lined with white velvet. On the
cover is a richly engraved golden plate
bearing the monogram of the Tsar, with
an imperial crown, and crowns of oak
and of laurel. Around these crowns runs
a ribbon with this inscription: Manet
ultima coelo (the last and greatest (crown)
awaits in heaven).

This expresses a truly Christian senti-
ment, and the whole idea is well con-
ceived and executed, but how inconsist-
ent in M. Faure to pass himself off for
a. Christian in schismatical Russia, and
to act like a freethinker in Catholic
France! The other instance evidences
even more his hypocrisy.

The ancient city of Novgorod presented
to M. Faure an image of the Holy Vir-
gin of Znamenia. In reply to the ad-
dress of the deputation, he said, in
receiving the image, that this sign of
religious union with the Russians was
particularly precious to him, and "that
this symbol of prayer will always have
its place of honor, and that in moments
of his soul's emotion, towards it will he
turn his eyes and will find there strength
and support." Very fine words, indeed,
and creditable to a practical Catholic,
but consummate humbug in the mouth
of one who holds the reins of government
and allows the Church to be outraged in
her most sacred rights. It was remarked
in M. Faure 's progress through France
that he never assisted at Mass, and, in
order to prevent the possibility of being
obliged to do so, on account of his office,
he would make his entrance into a city
on Sunday afternoon. But actions are
quite different from diplomatic words
expressive of religious sentiments, which,
coming from him, are pure humbug.

THE NOTTINGHAM CHURCH CONGRESS.

One never expects any assembly of
Anglican clergymen to decide anything
of importance in their Church matters,
so of course one is not disappointed at
the result of the latest Church congress.
It presents as usual the spectacle of men
of all sorts of Church views all claiming
to represent the Church, whatever that

may mean. As a Protestant paper
remarked : ' ' The talk about the Church
as a definite body of ecclesiastics, having
authority over doctrine and ritual, and
asking for the complete submission of
the laity to its decisions, is still a new
thing in England. We have got used
to it in the progress of ritualism during
the last forty years, and the clergy, at
least, talk as if there was something in
it. But it is a myth, a dream, an ab-
straction. The Church of England is
not the clergy but the whole body of
the faithful. Its ritual is prescribed for
it by a body of laymen, sitting in two
houses, in the most powerful of which
no clergyman can sit till he has re-
nounced his orders. It has no authority
over doctrine, and cannot deny the Com-
munion to any person of cleanly life
who seeks it at the hand of one of its
clergy." It characterized as unreal the
talk indulged in at Nottingham, and
said that "it is heard with tolerance.
It pleases the clergy, and does not hurt
the laity; but if any attempt were made
to bring it down from the seventh heaven
of invention into the practical life of
the English people we should soon be in
the throes of a new reformation." We
may here add a few words from an out-
and-out Protestant champion, Rev. R.
C. Fillingham, whom we have before
quoted. He writes to the editor of The
Tablet : "The fact is, sir, loyal members
of the Protestant establishment and
honest men are weary of seeing a num-
ber of persons trying to make our Com-
munion sail under false colors. For my
part, it is my indignation at this which
makes me speak out. I am a state offi-
cial— I am no sacrificing priest, and I
am not going to pretend to be. My
Church is a department of the state —
state-created and state -governed, and I
will not be silent, when some of its
numbers pretend that it is a teaching
communion in the same sense that the
Catholic Church is . . . Parliament
alone is an ultimate authority in doc-
trine and ritual."

(367)

THE BOY SAVERS.

1135

HARD BILL TO FILL.

The following seems almost too good
to be true. A Scottish magnate, belong-
ing to the Episcopal Church, wanted a
clergyman to take charge of a church on
his estate. A Perthshire newspaper
publishes the bill which the candidate
must fill. "The Rector must belong to
a good county family, if possible ; must
have a good and handsome appearance ;
be of a very peaceable disposition, and
avoid any appearance of superciliousness
to the Presbyterian clergy, who are the
Established Kirk. He must not dress
or look like a Roman Catholic priest.

He must keep his accounts with
exactness. His wife must be a lady of
good family. She must be a very sensible
woman, and avoid female quarrels, and
be prepared to show great deference and
humbleness of mind toother ladies. The
congregation are of a Broad Church

school, and no novelties in vestments,
incense, turning his back on the con-
gregation, or any imitation of a Popish
conventicle can be allowed. Sermons,
fifteen minutes on ordinary every-day
morals ; service simple, of sixty to
seventy minutes. He should be a good
musician, and good at Church music —
not Gregorian. Practically, the congre-
gation who pay are old county families,
very conservative. The farmers are all
Presbyterians. In Summer we have
many visitors, but as a rule they do not
give money to the church funds, and we
really don't want them. There are some
poor — most humbugs — who come to get
money. " Certainly this platform is plain
enough, but somewhat hard to fill. It
is bad enough for a minister to have to
meet the requirements himself, without
having to qualify for his wife as well.

THE BOY SAVERS.

WE enter upon a serial study of
boys' religious organizations.
Let us begin at the beginning by asking
at what age should members be received
into such societies ? The more common
practice shows that boys are generally
considered eligible by the fact of their
First Communion, though in our own
country and time it is usually made by
children twelve, eleven and even ten
years of age.

Consciously under some disadvantage
by a departure from the more ordinary
usage, we shall nevertheless suggest that
the First Communion — holiest of actions
though it be — constitutes a very defec-
tive criterion for admission. In our
opinion it will be most profitably re-
placed by the method of receiving be-
ginners at a fixed age (not less than thir-
teen years) attained in appearance, if not
in fact.

In the religious organization of youth-
ful male humanity, age differences create

a very serious problem. An early sub-
ject of embarrassment is furnished by
lads who, with the incipient manly dig-
nity of some fifteen years, begin to cast
glances askance at their younger associ-
ates, and with little loss of time an-
nounce their unwillingness to have fur-
ther connection with a society ' ' filled up
with >&*Vfr. "

The complainants, when once fairly
committed to this view, can hardly be
held to their first allegiance. As every-
body knows, slight age differences suffice
in boyish intercourse to establish divid-
ing lines quite as absolute as those
drawn in adult society by sharp contrasts
of education, wealth and social standing.
Hence, where admission is granted to
early First Communicants, the brown-
headed, smooth-faced elders must per-
force subject the fairer-haired, rosier
cheeked junior increase to a bright-eyed
but sensitive watch : maintaining the
while a rapidly decreasing show of toler-

1136

THE BOY SAVERS.

(3«8)

ation, which tells how quickly the meas-
ure of honorable endurance is being filled.
Finally, at the decisive moment in which
patience begins to lose caste with the
virtues, the injured veterans, assuming
a dignified air of noblesse oblige, arise,
wrap themselves in the gray of a severe,
quite unapproachable seniority, and
forthwith depart.

A premature exodus of this descrip-
tion is, of course, most deplorable. The
purpose of a boys' society cannot be
well secured unless in members retained,
until at seventeen or eighteen years of
age they have really begun to be young
men. It is precisely during the transi-
tion from boyhood to manhood that spiri-
tual friends and organizations need to be
most active, since this is the critical
period, during which the powers of evil
battle most fiercely for permanent con-
trol of the youthful heart. Justly con-
cerned at a general and most inoppor-
tune withdrawal from the junior ranks,
those in control usually endeavor to pro-
vide for the deserters, by securing for
them admission into the young men's
organization. Wherever the boys are
cultivated, a society for young men is
sure to exist ; hence the above well-in-
tended and putatively remedial efforts
are quite feasible in the mere perform-
ance, though most unhappy in the out-
come.

It will soon be found that many lads
half-way in their teens steadily decline
all invitations to ascend higher, simply
because their piety and good will are in-
sufficient for even the gentle shock of
transition from one society to another.
With the best of management they
might have been induced to make a pro-
longed stay as tolerable, and even
very faithful, members of the junior
body, but in quitting its ranks they have
withdrawn themselves finally and for-
ever from all devotional society life.

Nor is consolatory gain to be had from
the fact that the great majority of young-
sters are only too eager to be enrolled
with young men. When given free reins

in this matter they, by their comparative
youth, only create in the second organiz-
ation and for their elders, the very abom-
ination that has driven themselves from
the pale of the junior society. Young
men will not, and morally speaking can-
not, connect themselves with a society
involving fellow-membership with mere
boys : for this reason alone there need
be no surprise that as a class they often
repudiate the society called theirs by a
misnomer, and chiefly made up of lads
half-way through their teens.

No wonder that those in charge are
discouraged by the resulting condition
of affairs. The boys' society fails to
hold boys when most wanted ; the young
men's society, practically speaking,
attracts no young men at all. Hence
the problem mentioned above is serious
and perplexing. Arrangements are re-
quired by which boys, during their most
critical years, will be retained in the
younger body with attentions suited to
their special needs, rather than be given
receiving license to push themselves into
the older organization, at the sacrifice of
its natural and intended members, the
young men.

We unhesitatingly suggest that imme-
diate improvement in the situation will
be noted wherever, as a criterion of ad-
mission, the early First Communion is
replaced by an age limit as above. The
dear little ones coming fresh from the
altar — their innocent faces resplendent
with piety and good will — give joy,
doubtless, to the angels, but, as a class,
they are very far from inspiring a spirit
of appreciative companionship in fellow
mortals a little older than themselves. A
contrary experience will show that lads
apparently thirteen years old, whilst very
possibly in less favor before heaven are,
according to earthly juvenile standards,
sufficiently near to the heroic mark to
loiter with impunity in the shadow of
the dignity of masculine humanity sep-
arated from the cradle by fifteen, seven-
teen or even eighteen annual removes.

We have other reasons favoring a suit-

369) DONUM DEI. 1IST

able age limit for membership, but rest can be efficient for the good work in

with the contention now made that the view.

exclusion of at least such lads as are Perhaps sympathetic voices are raised
apparently under thirteen is necessary, in in behalf of many poor little First Corn-
order that boys, until they cease to be municants unable to pass for the required
boys, may be held in their own society ; age and, therefore, under this proposed
and necessary again as a condition sine system " left out in the cold." We shall
qud non for the maintenance of an endeavor to show in a future article that
equilibrium between junior and senior there need be no real sadness in their
organizations, without which neither temporary lot.

DONUM DEI.

By C. Nugent.

What hath God given ? Length of days,—
Or dark, or golden in His light, —

To walk His ways, to sing His praise,
Until the eternal morning bright

Shall dawn, and I before His throne

Must stand and render Him His own.

What hath God given me ? My place,
My task none other can fulfil ;

And for my helping sends His grace,
And bids me ever work His will.

For lighter toil I may not plead,

His love will give me strength at need.

What hath God given ? A cross to bear—
For me He bore it long ago ;

The crown of thorns He chose to wear
For me, He bore our human woe ;

And this my joy— that He should deign

To love me, bid me share His pain.

What hath God giv'n ? He draws me near,
He wills that I should be His friend,

My heart lies hushed in holy fear,
My weakness cannot comprehend

His goodness ; still I strive to gain

The prize He calls me to attain.

And day by day my Lord hath given
Himself in His Blest Sacrament

To be my life ; He leaves His heaven,
To be my guest He is content.

O Gift supreme ! that Love divine

Should visit this poor heart of mine.

AN INDIAN BURIAL IN ROME.

By Rev. Dennis J. Driscoll.

N the Spring of the year 1890 the
" Wild West Show, " conducted by
the well-known scout Col. Wm. F. Cody,
or as he is better known to Americans,
" Buffalo Bill," came to Rome, to show
the inhabitants of the Eternal City some
of the features of wild life in the far
West. They encamped on a large plain
to the northwest of the city, almost
below the Vatican palace and under the
very eyes of the Holy Father himself.
This plain was known to the ancient
Romans as the Campus Martius or Field
of Mars, and has always been used for
military tactics Great concern was shown
by the Romans on the arrival of the
Americans, and during their stay of a few
weeks, the performances were attended
by large crowds, the vast auditorium
being filled at every performance — for the
Italian naturally takes the highest in-
terest in such exhibitions, particularly
if they be novel.

One of the first acts of the man-
agement on their arrival was one of
courtesy to their American fellow-
citizens studying for the priesthood in
the North American College. An invi-
tation was sent to the students to attend
the first performance, which was to be
given in a few days. This invitation
could not be accepted and acted upon
without permission of the Propaganda,
so the Acting- Rector, Dr. Rooker, applied
for the necessary permission from the
Cardinal Prefect of the Propaganda, the
late Cardinal Simeoni. His Eminence
was a little reluctant at first to grant the
desired favor, but when he learned the
nature of the exhibition, he readily
granted it. The students accordingly
attended the first performance in a body,
about sixty-five in all. Before it began,
all repaired to the tent of Col. Cody and
were welcomed by him in true American
fashion. "You are all Americans, rep-
resentative Americans, so come any
time and make yourselves at home. Go

1138

wherever you please, and remember that
everything we have is yours." The
students later took advantage of this
invitation, and went to the camp more
than once, visiting the different tents,
especially those of the Indians. It was
on one of these occasions that Col. Cody
approached Dr. Rooker and told him
that one of his Indians had died the
night before of heart disease, and that
he probably was a Catholic, as some
articles had been found on his breast
such as only Catholics use. On exami-
nation, these articles proved to be a
Badge of the Sacred Heart and some
religious certificates signed by Catholic
missionaries, showing that the bearer,
Black Ink, or William Ring, was a
Catholic. The Colonel further intimated
that he would be very much pleased to
have Black Ink receive Christian burial
with the Catholic service. This was
gladly assented to, and arrangements
were made for the funeral. The College
Master of Ceremonies was determined
that nothing should be wanting, as far
as he was concerned, to give the deceased
Indian fitting burial.

The funeral took place the next
morning. Seven of the students,
with Rev. Dr. Farrelly, of Nash-
ville, who was to officiate, and Dr.
Rooker, went to the camp at the ap-
pointed time, only to learn that the
health authorities had come during the
night and transferred the body to the
city morgue to await the action of the
Coroner, it being one of their rules that
an inquest be held in all cases of sudden
death. The authorities were not satis-
fied with the declaration of the Indian
doctor, that the man had died of heart
disease ; they wished to make sure of it
themselves before granting a permit for
burial. The party from the college, on
learning this, held a hasty consultation
with Col. Cody, and it was decided that
the service should take place in the

(370)

(371)

GOD'S MEETEST PRAISE.

1139

morgue. Carriages were called, and the
funeral party, made up of the students
and a few of the Indians with an inter-
preter, drove to the house of the dead.
One of the Indians of the party was a
brother of the deceased. A curious
spectacle, indeed, did this procession
present, and a picturesque one, the In-
dians in their blankets and feathers,
sitting in the same carriages with
the students in their clerical garb,
and passers-by gazed in mute as-
tonishment at such a novel sight.
After a short drive the morgue was
reached and all were ushered into the
chamber where the dead Indian lay. On
a slab in the centre of the room they had
placed him. The blanket with which he
was completely covered was removed, and
what a sight was revealed ! Many have
written of the beauty and the majesty of
the well-known statue, "The Dying
Gladiator," poems have been written
about it; but to my mind it never equalled
the beauty or the majesty of this dead
Indian. A young man, below the age of
thirty, tall of stature, well proportioned,
handsome of feature, there he lay as
one in peaceful sleep. The impression
this sight left on my mind is one

that shall never leave, it, and I am
sure I can say the same for my com-
panions.

After a short preparation the service
was begun, Dr. Farrelly officiating, and
all joining in the beautiful chant of the
Church. After the service Dr. Farrelly,
through the interpreter, addressed a few
words of consolation to the Indians,
telling them of the One Great Spirit
with whom there is no distinction of red
man or white man and of His heavenly
Home where all are equal, all children ol
the same Father. The body was then
placed in a coffin, and beautiful cut flow-
ers were spread all over the dead Indian's
form by his own brother before the lid
was placed in position. The coffin was
placed in the hearse which was in readi-
ness, and the Indians accompanied the
body to the cemetery, while the students
returned to the college deeply impressed,
having witnessed, perhaps, the rarest
sight of their lives. And so it was that
this poor Indian, by the help of the
Sacred Heart, had the honor of receiving
Catholic burial, and of being placed at
rest in Rome, the City of the Martyrs,
among the remains of saints and heroes
of Holy Church.

GOD'S MEETEST PRAISE.
By Rev. William J. Ennis, SJ.

Along the leavings of the waves of night

The big, broad sun pours forth its wealth of gold
And wakes a world to ecstasy. The cold

Gray mists glide wraithlike past the hills, now bright

With radiant vesture. Earth's great heart is light
With melody ; while over mere and wold
Her amorous lips a hymn of praise unfold

To God, the giver of her new-born might.

No conscious song is this. Man's heart alone
Can hold a song most worthy of this gift— -
The homage of his heart. His lips repay

God 's love with love. Earth 's beauties round him si
Are broken lights of Him, which guide and
His yearning soul to heaven's undying day.

The Bucharistic Congress, held at
Paray-le-Monial towards the close of
September, unanimously approved a
resolution calling upon the French
people to hasten, by every effort in their
power, the completion of the national
basilica of the Sacred Heart at Mont-
martre. It expresses an earnest wish
to have it ready for solemn inauguration
at the beginning of the twentieth cen-
tury. The congress likewise exhorts all
true Catholics to labor and pray unceas-
ingly, to the effect that France may soon
be officially consecrated to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus

In the February number of the Pil-
grim of Our Lady of Martyrs we gave a
brief account of the extraordinary cure
of Sister Brsilia Cella, a nun of the insti-
tute of St. Dorothea, obtained through
the intercession of Blessed Margaret
Mary, in the Church of the Rosary at
Pompeii. This miracle wras discussed
and examined by the Sacred Congrega-
tion of Rites in its session of May 3.
The mere fact of its being brought before
that high tribunal would have been
an excellent proof of its importance for
the cause of Blessed Margaret Mary.
But from other indications also we are
enabled to conclude that the result of
the examination has been entirely favor-
able, and that another miracle like this is
all that the Church is waiting for now, in
order to grant the solemn honors of can-
onization to the beloved spouse of the
Sacred Heart. For the purpose of ob-
taining such another miracle a novena
and special prayers have been offered up
at Paray-le-Monial, concluding on Octo-
ber 17, feast of Blessed Margaret Mary.

Our Holy Father the Pope has, on
June i, enriched with an indulgence of
300 days the Act of Consecration to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is the first
that was composed by Blessed Margaret
Mary and which she recommended to her

1140

friends as being especially dear to Our
Lord. It begins : I, N. N., give and con-
secrate to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, .... and may be
found on page 91 of the "League De-
votions."

The priests of many provinces of
France have, with the approbation and
encouragement of their bishops, organ-
ized diocesan leagues of defence, which
are proving a great help to them in the
troublous times through which the
Church in that country is now passing.
The object of such leagues is to protect
the honor of the diocesan clergy against
the unjust attacks of the press, and
against defamation and slander from
other sources, whether directed against
individuals or against the whole body.
They also stand by the priests in all
prosecutions in which the sacred ministry
is involved, and look after their interests
in other ways.

The Municipal Council of Marseilles
some time ago decreed the laicization of
the hospitals. They have now good rea-
son to regret their proceedings, if indeed
regret can be felt by such people. The
cost of maintaining 85 hospital sisters a
year was only 17,250 francs. The lay
nurses, who replace the Sisters of Char-
ity, will cost 49,360. no small difference
for the tax- payers, especially when the
budget for hospitals is already in deficit
of 119,000 francs. One of the worthy
councillors suggested, as a means of
economy, to suppress the salaries of the
four chaplains.

The Apostolic process of the Beatifica-
tion of the Ven. Servant of God, John
Nepomucene Neumann, former Bishop
of Philadelphia, is to be taken up again.
Archbishop Ryan has received notice to
that effect by a rescript from the Sacred
Congregation of Rites. The Rev. Joseph
Wissel. C.SS.R., has been appointed
Postulator of the cause for America.

(37^)

(373)

INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS.

1141

Leo XIII. continues to give proof of
his paternal interest in his oriental chil-
dren. In order to increase in Rome the
means for developing the various ele-
ments of the Eastern Church, a new
college has lately been opened for Ruth-
enian students. The Emperor of Aus-
tria is its most munificent benefactor.
The Jesuits will have charge of it.
They, in consequence, have relinquished
the direction of the Greek College in
Rome to the French Augustinians of the
Assumption. Hitherto in this college,
besides Greeks and Melchites, there
were Ruthenians, Roumanians and Bul-
garians. For the present the two last
will be transferred to the Propaganda.

Every one knows how severe the laws
of the Church against usury used to be.
To defend the poor against the extortion
of usurers, a Franciscan friar, Fra Bar-
naba, in the fifteenth century, preached
in Perugia against usury, and advocated
the founding of charitable lending-
houses. Pope Leo X. favored it and
issued a bull. The first monte di pieta
was opened in Rome in 1539. St. Charles
Borromeo drew up the original statutes
and was its protector. Another Francis-
can, Fra Bernadino da Feltre, was the
most zealous propagator of the work.
They are widespread in Europe. We do
not know of any Catholic ones existing
in the United States. A Protestant one
was started in New York City a few
years ago.

A return to Catholic customs in Eng-
land is shown in what transpired at
Folkestone on the Feast of the Nativity
of our Blessed Lady. On that day in olden
times the inhabitants of the town were
called together to the cross in the church-
yard for the annual election of the Mayor.
Of course, the cross had been destroyed
by the Vandal reformers of the sixteenth
century, and on the steps where once it
stood was a sundial. The sum of $1,500
was subscribed to restore the cross, and
at a special service in the parish church
the Protestant Bishop of Dover preached
a sermon, and then proceeded to the
graveyard to dedicate the cross. The
Mayor and Corporation of Folkestone
and some thirty Anglican clergymen
from various parts of Kent were present.

altar of the Folkestone Anglican Church
on the saint's day, and* after a special
service the congregation passed by them,
making reverences. The vicar declares
that this is not "adoration" of the
relics.

The solemn inauguration of the new
Archcon fraternity of Prayer and Good
Works for the Return of England to
the Faith, recently founded by Leo XIII.,
will take place on Sunday, October 17,
at St. Sulpice in Paris, as the direction of
it has been confided to the Superior-
General of the Sulpicians. The Cardi-
nal Archbishop of Westminster and the
Bishop of Southwark will be present, on
their return from Aries, where they were
attending the solemn triduum in honor
of SS. Virgilius, Gregory the Great and
Augustine.

Another instance is furnished by the
same town. St. Eanswithe's relics were
publicly exposed, we are told, on the

For the purpose of procuring the
greater glory of the most Holy Sacra-
ment by making it possible for a larger
number of persons, especially business
men, to enroll themselves in the Asso-
ciation of Perpetual Adoration, thus
'forming a select band of adorers entirely
devoted to the interests and worship of
the Blessed Sacrament ; and above all,
in order to maintain that union of pray-
ers with the work and alms for poor
churches, which is the distinctive char-
acteristic of the Arch-Association, the
Superior General, Mme. de Meeus, peti-
tioned Leo XIII. to grant that persons
who cannot spend a whole hour in ador-
ation at one time each month, may be
permitted to spend two half hours at
different times, without losing any of
the indulgences granted by the Holy
See to the Arch-Association of Perpet-
ual Adoration and Work for Poor
Churches. The Holy Father graciously
granted the petition.

An interesting ceremony took place in
Cork, Sunday, September i2th, when a
portion of the remains of Blessed Thad-
deus McCarthy, who was Bishop of Cork
and Cloyne in the fifteenth century,
were trar slated from the Cathedral of
Ivrea. Italy, to his own diocese. They
were enshrined in a golden casket and
deposited in the Cathedral of Cork.

St. John's Church, Oswego, is one of
the best League centres in the country.

1142

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(374)

It numbers 95 Promoters and 1532 As-
sociates. Other departments of church
work are in keeping with this, and we
note, especially, the first annual report
of St. John's Library.

The Library opened October 9, 1896,
with 572 books ; 345 were added during
the year, and more than 60 more will be
in readiness for circulation, after the re-
opening, making the number of volumes
nearly 1,000. It closed for the vacation
and the necessary repairs to the books,
on June 30, 1897. In that period, of
less than nine months, the circulation
amounted to over 7,000 books, and, as
was intended, its patrons included not
only children, but also many of the
older members of the congregation.

In the past year free membership to
the Library was restricted to the Sun-
day School and to the societies that gave
material aid in its establishment. This
year, to accomplish a wider good, the
Library will be entirely free to all mem-
bers of the parish

The Library is open to the public
Monday, Tuesday and Friday evenings
from 7 : 30 to 10 : oo; Wednesday and
Saturday afternoons.

Adults may draw books any time the
Library is open. Children are not al-
lowed evenings. Boys, Wednesday after-
noons from 4 : oo to 6 : oo. Girls, Satur-
day afternoons from 3 : oo to 5 : oo.

If!

1896 Month.

October...

.. 16

744

284

November

914

33 *

December

94 1

258

1897 January . .

860

300

February .
March. ...

.. 17
23

735

872

241
3M

April . .

620

May

547

182

Tune...

ICO

i So 6684 362 2334 58 39 12

* No account kept. Total circulation, including
reference books, 7,104.

The evident success is due to the zeal
of the pastor and his assistant and to the
cooperation of members of the parish
who have caught the enthusiasm of their
spiritual guides.

The members of the Apostleship of
Prayer, who are patrons of the Library,
find there an intention box, special
bulletin board and supplies. To the
League the Library is indebted for a
generous donation, which paid for the
necessary rebinding of books and pur-
chase of more than thirty new ones.

It is interesting to note that the circu-
lation of this parochial library, with its
modest number of books, exceeded that
of the Oswego Public Library.

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

The Diocesan

Directors.

AS .We

ceive answers from all

the dioceses regarding the
appointment of Diocesan Directors, we
deem it advisable to withhold the names
of those who are already appointed until
next month. It is very desirable that
the new arrangements, by which the
Diocesan Directors will transmit the
faculties to Local Directors for establish-
ing and conducting the centres of the
Apostleship, should be introduced as
much as possible into all the dioceses at
one and the same time. We cannot ex-
plain here the difficulty and the con-
fusion it would create to have to deal
directly with the Local Directors in some
dioceses, and at the same time indirectly
through the Diocesan Directors in others.
By next month we hope the appoint-

ments will have been completed, and
then all will proceed orderly and well.

The MESSENGER
in 1897.

It is gratifying, in the
review of the past }rear,
to have to report not only
that the MESSENGER has held its own,
but that it has gained a slight increase
in its list of subscribers. This is a fac-
tor, in the work of the League that we
always watch with the greatest solici-
tude. Interest in the MESSENGER and
its Supplement is the test of active
and intelligent zeal on the part of Direc-
tors, Promoters and Associates. It was
by the foundation of the Messengers of
the Sacred Heart that the League first
became a world wide and thoroughly
Catholic organization, and we know but
too well that where Directors and Pro-

(375)

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

1143

moters fail to follow its instructions the
association languishes and soon must be
entirely reorganized or given up entirely.

Efforts and

Results.

If we were to enumerate
some of the means we
have taken to extend our
circulation during the past year, and
then admit that the results have not
corresponded with our efforts, we fear
some of our readers would consider us
poor business managers to admit thus
candidly what looks like a failure on our
part. Still, if they could know who is
to blame for the failure, they would ad-
mire our persistence in leaving untried
no possible means of increasing the
number of readers of good Catholic
literature, and of helping by our peri-
odicals to perfect the spirit of true mem-
bers of our Apostleship. We are not
going to blame anyone, but we cannot
help remarking that a number of people
imagine that money given to support a
good Catholic periodical or newspaper is
so much abstracted from other pious
enterprises, as if the agent for a Catho-
lic magazine were making what might
be termed a rival "block collection."
The money spent on good Catholic read-
ing never yet lessened the amounts con-
tributed for other devotional purposes,
whether of the parish itself or of any of its
works. A lack of proper pious reading
will explain in many cases why Catho-
lics are so indifferent and so slow to
respond to the most insistent appeals of
their pastors.

We shall have no cause
for complaint against our
regular subscribers if they
respond as promptly as they have been
doing the past few years to the notices

they will receive with this number, of
the expiration of their subscriptions for
1897. Owing to the disorder and im-
mense expense it occasioned to carry
subscribers on our lists until they should
notify us to drop their names, we felt
obliged to adopt the system which is
now followed by all the best magazines,
and require a formal notice of renewal
from each subscriber. With this rule
we have reduced complaints and ex-
penses to a minimum, and our subscrib-
ers have in many cases thanked us
expressly for adhering to the rule. Now
and then it may happen that a subscriber
of many years standing may not re-
spond promptly to our notification, and
thus miss a number or two ; but that is a
matter that can be easily made up, and
no one can feel hurt if, in handling lists
of thousands of names, we cannot pos-
sibly show special consideration to those
toward whom we cherish the most grate-
ful sentimen-ts.

Plea for
Prompt Renewals.

Plea for New

Subscribers.

The more subscribers
the better the MESSENGER.
Even without formulating
this rule, our readers are aware that it
has been followed by us from the A ery
beginning. Hence, readers who get
new subscribers really benefit them-
selves, as well as the newly obtained
readers. The January MESSENGER will
prove this to be true, as we have already
projected some improvements for next
year. That we have been true to this
same promise during the past year is
clear from the index of the MESSENGER
for 1897, published with this number
and sent to every subscriber, so as to be
bound with the numbers of the current
year in the handsome volume a bound
MESSENGER makes.

WITH PROMOTERS.

The First Friday of De-
. cember is Saint Francis

December Feasts.

the great patron of the Apostleship of
Prayer. It was founded on his day, and
a more appropriate feast could not have
been chosen, as prayer and apostolic zeal
were his great virtues. In some Centres
the members make the No vena of Grace
in his honor, as published in our League
Devotions and special leaflets. Although
it is properly assigned for the feast of
his canonization, March 12, it is also
appropriate and effective when made
prior to his feast.

The entire month is the month of the
Holy Infancy. Begun in Advent, or
with the season of expectation of the
King, it closes with the joyous festivi-
ties that accompany His birth of the
Virgin Mother. After His great feast in
importance comes her own, that of her
Immaculate Conception, the day chosen
by so many of our Local Directors for re-
ceiving Promoters solemnly and confer-
ring on them the Cross and Diploma, in
sign and in reward of the special service
and allegiance they promise to the King
desired of nations.

Does any Promoter wish to help Asso-

1144

DIRECTOR'S REVIEW.

(376)

elates in a way that will be strictly in
accordance with the spirit of the feasts
we keep in December? Or, do those
who are already Associates wish to have
a ready .means of inducing others to
unite with themselves in the practices
they perform daily with a view to ad-
vancing the kingdom of Christ ? There
is a means at hand, and, simple as it may
seem, we invite them to try it. You
may give out Christmas gifts, and cards

often very beautiful in the design and
sentiments expressed, but often any-
thing else than Christmas cards — why
not offer your friend a January MESSEN-
GER, which will be our Christmas greet-
ing ? Or, why not distribute a few of
the Almanacs for 1898, which tell all
one needs to know about our work, and
explain it in story, picture and verse in
a way that is as agreeable as it is edi-
fying ?

THE APOSTLESHIP AT HOME AND ABROAD.

In Italy the members of the Apostle-
ship of Prayer are throwing themselves
with praiseworthy zeal into the work of
securing a better observance of Sundays
and Holydays, and their efforts are being
crowned with success. The practical
character of the campaign conducted
against the desecration of these days is
best seen in the resolutions adopted by
the League of Roman Ladies. They are,
i, not to patronize those shopkeepers
who habitually keep open on feast days;
2d, not to give orders at such short
notice, especially to tailors, dressmak-
ers and milliners, that they will be
obliged to work on these days; 3d, to
have it expressly understood that the
work ordered is not to be done on a feast
day; 4th, to refuse to receive goods deliv-
ered, except in case of necessity, and,
finally, to employ no one who is accus-
tomed to desecrate them.

These resolutions implied the confes-
sion that masters and customers are as
much to blame as servants and shop-
keepers in this matter, but the confes-
sion was bravely made and the axe ap-
plied to the root of the evil.

Speaking of this movement for a bet-
ter observance of Sundays and Holy-
days, it is not confined to Italy, but has
already taken a firm hold in Belgium
and other countries. An international
Congress to further it was held in Brus-
sels on July 7, 8, 9.

The French -Canadian Messenger fur-
nishes us with an interesting account of
the greeting extended to Mgr. Bruchesi,
the new Archbishop of Montreal, by the
members of the Apostleship of Prayer.
It took place on September 26 in the
Cathedral, and His Grace, replying to
addresses made him both in French and
English, expressed his satisfaction at
meeting so man}' devout clients of the

Sacred Heart gathered together to greet
their bishop, who had been chosen by
that same Divine Heart.

WASHINGTON, D. C. — ST. ALOYSIUS'
CENTRE. — Itwasthought that the League
might do more for the men. Some, how-
ever, feared that the men would not
respond. They seemed to be always
crowded out by the women, and it some-
times looked as though they would be
crowded out of heaven in the same way.

The Third Friday meeting, October
15, Feast of St. Teresa, was set apart for
the men, and called "The Men's League
Night." The women, however, were
tolerated, lest, perchance, only empty
benches should be the audience.

Did the men come ? Well, I should
say so. Four hundred and fifty strong,
they marched up the middle aisle, taking
everything by storm. The women re-
treated gracefully to the side aisles and
the confession boxes, and the men
prayed, and stood up and sang the
League hymns and then listened to the
sermon. It was said to them that they
must not think they had been entrapped
into an association in which no attend-
ance at meetings was required, and then
suddenly had had a meeting sprung on
them. No ; they could still be good
members of the League and never attend
a meeting. They had been simply asked
to give one hour a month, every third
Friday night, to the Sacred Heart.
"Could you not watch one hour with
me. " They had answered by their pres-
ence in such numbers, that they could
watch one hour a month with our Lord,
and that they would. We have got the
men; the next thing is to keep them.
Shall we ? " Si poles credere, omnia pos~
sibilia sunt credenti. ' '

COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS, WOR-
CESTER, MASS. — " The daily Communion
of Reparation was begun by the Junior

(377)

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

1145

Class. The Seniors agreed to the change
in order for a very good reason. When
the first section of the Juniors shall have
finished, the Seniors will fall in line.
Fervent Promoters can claim the credit
of this edifying work. On the First Fri-
day of October the Seniors decorated the
Shrine of the Sacred Heart. Let us
thank God."

LAS VEGAS, NEW MEXICO. — Church of
the Immaculate Conception. — The Rev.
T. P. O'Keefe writes: "It gives me
great pleasure to inform you of the con-
stant growth in our midst of the League
of the Sacred Heart and of the remark-
able good resultant therefrom. "

NEW ORLEANS, LA.— St. Alphonsus'
Centre.— "We have about forty new
Promoters undergoing their six-months'
probation. Our First Friday devotion,
with Exposition throughout the day and
sermon and Benediction in the evening,
is crowned with wonderful success, and
our eight confessors can hardly meet the
demands of the eager throng anxious
to approach the Holy Table the First
Friday of every month. "

OBITUARY.

Maria Cummings, St. Francis Xavier's
Centre, New York City; Michael Regan,
and Mary Mulcahy, St. Mary's Centre,
Norwalk, Conn.

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED,

TOTAL NUMBER OF THANKSGIVINGS FOR LAST MONTH, 432,843.
" hi all things give thanks.1" (I. Thes., v. 18.)

Special Thanksgiving. — "Dear Sacred
Heart : I am thirteen years old and I
was suffering with hip trouble, and
through prayer and the placing of the
Badge I have been restored to health."

"My little niece, a child of eight
years, was stricken with pneumonia.
The doctor was in attendance for nine
days and gave but little hope of recov-
ery. We had the priest to come and
bless the child with the relics of St.
Anthony and St. Anne, promising publi-
cation if she were cured. Her recovery
followed immediately."

"Conversion of a bad Catholic, who
for twenty years had not practised her re-
ligion ; also the conversion of her son,
whom she had brought up without any
religious training whatever. A friend
induced her to join the League and make
the Morning Offering, and at the same
time her friend prayed fervently to St.
Francis of Assisi and St. Anthony, to
obtain that God would touch her heart.
On August i, when the Church com-
memorates St. Peter in Chains, she
begged of our Lord that, as He had
broken the chains of St. Peter, so He
would loosen the chains of sin that
bound this poor woman. Immediately
after, the woman changed. She had her
son instructed and together they received
the sacraments. "

"I promised a Thanksgiving in the
MESSENGER and a novena of Masses if
my petition was granted. Thanks to the

Sacred Heart my pra% er has been heard.
A young man has decided his vocation
and changed his life, having entered
a college in preparation for the priest-
hood. I now beg for him the grace of
holy perseverance. ' '

' ' A short time ago I asked the prayers
of the League for a young man who was
terribly tempted to commit suicide, and I
promised publication, in case the prayers
of the Associates were heard in his
behalf. I am happy to say the poor
man has been freed from these terrible
assaults of the devil and says he never
felt happier in his life. ' '

' ' I wish to thank the Sacred Heart
and our Lad}' of Lourdes for the recovery
of my husband from a second attack of
aneurism of the heart. When he would
get terrible coughing fits I would give
him a teaspoonful of the holy water
and it would relieve him instantly. I
promised a Mass for the souls in purga-
tory if he recovered. "

" I suffered for two years with a
pain in my left limb, that at times en-
dangered my life, and I was given up as
incurable by doctors. I made a novena
to the Sacred Heart, and the pain is
completely gone. I had promised pub-
lication."

A lady, when sick in the hospital and
almost given up by doctors and friends,
promised, if she would recover, publica-
tion, and a Mass of Thanksgiving.
Through a novena to the Infant Jesus of

1146

IN THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES OBTAINED.

(378)

Prague, St. Joseph and the Blessed
Mother and St. Anthony, she was re-
stored to a large family who were de-
pending on her.

Spiritual Favors. — Conversion to the
faith of a Protestant man, who had been
recommended to the prayers of the
League for more than a year ; return to
his faith and happy death of a brother
who had been remiss for years ; also
return to the Sacraments of another
brother; conversion to the faith of a
very dear friend ; conversion of a father
from a life of intemperance ; two people
return thanks for help and grace in the
choice of vocations ; conversion of a
husband to a religious life, after several
years' indifference ; the unexpected con-
version and edifying death of a young
man, after a novena had been made for
him and publication promised.

Temporal Favors. — Cure of a sister
suffering from a severe swelling in the
stomach, so that for weeks she had not
been able to retain food : Our Lady of
Perpetual Help and St. Anthony were
invoked ; cure, after prayer, of sore eyes
threatening blindness ; a mother cured
of fainting soells ; also a niece of what
threatened to develop into consump-
tion ; a son cured of diphtheria, which
threatened loss of speech ! ' ' One of my
boys was very sick with diphtheria
away from home, but the physician who
attended to him managed to keep him
and wait on him in his boarding-house
without giving any alarm, and, thanks
be to God, got him well soon, and I
want to thank our dear Lord for the
great blessing!" cure of a brother
threatened with appendicitis and con-
sequent operation, after publication and a
Mass for the Holy Souls were promised ;
recovery, after promise of Mass for the
Holy Souls, of a young lady from malarial
fever; recovery of another lady from a sud-
den, mysterious and dangerous illness ;
cure of a sore finger that prevented sleep ;
reconciliation of friends long estranged ;
success in business and teaching ; con-
trol and discipline of unruly pupils ;
also the quieting of a high temper and
peace in a family ; successful examina-
tions for teachers' certificates passed by
Sisters of St. Benedict ; many other suc-
cessful examinations ; the successful
sale of property, after publication and
a Mass for the Holy Souls were prom-
ised ; money obtained from unexpected
sources in financial emergency ; two

years' back salary recovered; the sav-
ings of the past ten years preserved to a
woman, on the threatened liquidation of
a Building and Loan Association of
which she was a member ; employment
obtained by two persons after two no-
venas to the Sacred Heart and St.
Anthony; "one week after placing a
petition for work in the Intention Box I
secured employment, after having been
idle for months;" a husband secured
immediate employment, after his wife
had promised publication and Mass for
the souls in purgatory ; many others se-
cured employment after long or short
terms of idleness, generally after Masses
had been promised or novenas made ;
unexpected success of a church picnic ;
protection from the flooded Mississippi
by a submerged levee, which needed
constant patrolling night and day : the
adjacent parishioners prayed to the Sa-
cred Heart for protection.

Favors Through the Badge and Pro-
moter's Cross. — The almost instanta-
neous cure of a dangerous sore and, in
two other instances, of violent pains,
upon the application of the Badge ; re-
covery from a threatened attack of diph-
theria on applying the Badge ; recovery,
after applying the Badge, of a woman
whose feet broke.out with such painful
and long-standing sores that rest was
impossible : a novena was made to St.
Anthony of Padua ; "I fell in the street
and hurt both my hands and knees ;
one hand was hurt so badly as to
threaten lock-jaw : my injuries, how-
ever, were cured by the use of holy
water, the scapulars, the relics of St.
Jane de Chantal, St. Francis de Sales,
and the Badge ; grace to overcome a
violent temptation, by wearing the
Badge ; a Promoter returns thanks for
the cure of an abscess which was form-
ing on the eye : the doctors had decided
to operate, but a Badge was applied and
promise of publication was made : in
two days the eye was as well as ever ; for
many weeks an infant was very ill, his
parents had given up all hopes of his
recovery, a Badge of the Sacred Heart
was attached to the clothing of the babe,
with a promise of some prayers and a
notice in the MESSENGER : immediately
the child became better and is now grow-
ing strong after an illness of three
months; relief of violent toothache and
neuralgia after application of the Badge ;
also from what threatened to be a serious
attack of nervous and heart trouble.

THE-READER

POISONED HISTORIES.

Among the books lately placed on the
Roman Index as proscribed is a French
work by MM. Aulard and Debidou, en-
titled I'Histoire de France a V usage des
lycees et colleges. M. Aulard was ap-
pointed professor in the Sorbonne, by the
Municipal Council, to teach history ac-
cording to their views — in other words,
to panegyrize the Revolution. M. Debi-
dou, rector of the university, has always
been remarkable for his hatred of the
Church, an instance of which he gave
not long ago in a materialistic discourse
against the mission of Jeanne d'Arc.
We can imagine what the tone of their
combined work on France must be, and
what will be the effect on the minds of
the students who frequent the State
lyceums and colleges. No more potent
agent of evil exists than a lying histori-
cal work. The very fact of its claiming
to be history imposes on the credulous
the conviction that its statements must
be correct. For, as they say, how would
the author dare to publish falsities as
historical facts ? Thus the minds of the
young are prejudiced against the very
things of which they should have been
most proud had they been taught aright.
We are not wanting in instances of simi-
lar dastardly attempts on this side of the
water to poison the minds of students
of history.

ANENT TRANSLATORS.

As the old saying goes, to be a poet,
one must be born one. This is not true
precisely of translators, but still there
are certain requisites which all should
possess. The dictionary defines a trans-
lator to be an interpreter of another's
language. This implies a knowledge of
two languages. If it is only a conversa-
tion to be rendered, it is not so difficult,
for then colloquial language is used, but
even this is not so easy, as it supposes
an acquaintance with the current expres-
sions of the day. And one who knows
classical book French, for instance, will

(379)

find it quite hard to read the everyday
newspaper style of the daily journals,
into which slang enters so largely.
When there is question of translating an
author, then the task is considerably
hardened. It implies on the part of the
translator not merely an exact knowledge
of the author's language but also a
large command of his own, the ability to
compose, and a style. Moreover, if the
work in hand is theological, the trans-
lator must be familiar with the termi-
nology, else heretical statements might
easily be made.

It is evident, then, that it is not so
easy a thing to be a translator, and that
a great deal more than a smattering of a
language and the pressing need to make
money are required. We say this be-
cause so many excellent people resort to
translating without the necessary quali-
fications. They have never, perhaps, in
their lives, or at least since their school
days, practiced English composition —
that is to say, expressed their own ideas r
now they undertake, without practice,
to express the ideas of others. Ah. but
they plead, we don't have to think in
translating, because we simply are con-
cerned with other people's thoughts.
This shows that they have not grasped
the definition of translation, since they
have, according to it, to interpret the
thoughts of the author. To do this I
have to master his meaning and give an
equivalent in my own words, which cer-
tainly demands thought on my part,
power of expression and style. As to
style, they reply, we try to keep the
author's style, and, therefore, it is better
for us not to have one of our own.
they only knew it, a fine French style is
not such in English, as the languages
differ in genius, and we very much fear
that the translators in question would
resort to what they would call a literal
translation, which is usually a sure sign
of incompetency. For example, Jean
Jacques etait grand buveurd'eau de vie-—-
"John Jacques was a great drm

U47

114-8

THE READER.

(38O)

the water of life," a decidedly spiritual
version of the statement in point. Such
follies as this may seem impossible, yet
we have met them quite often, and not
in "English as she is spoke." So, to
would-be translators, we say in all kind-
ness : First learn to compose in English,
get a large vocabulary and a style.
Master thoroughly the other language in
its peculiar constructions and idioms.
Practise translation for a couple of
years, and then, perhaps, begin to
think of offering your products for pub-
lication.

We give verbatim from the Bookman
the contents of a postal card which hails
from Messina, and which affords us a
novel view of English as she is mis-
understood by an Italian professor :

Messina, (Dated as the post-timbre)

After the death of Mr. Filippo Serafini, I
have undertaken the Direction of the
" Archivio giuridico," the most ancient
Italian Review, which I have intitulated by
the name of its illustrious Founder.

The scientific way shall remain unalter-
ated ; I only will task to give a larger
developpment to the bibliographic party.

I therefore address myself to Mrs. the
authors and editors, who may send to me
their works and inform me of the lately
published.

Each work diretly sent to the Direction
shall be mentioned in the party of the
Review to which it is due (Bibliographic
Bulletin, Annonces of latest publications,
Notices, Varieties}. In proportion to the
price of several works, a particular annonce-
reclame shall be made of it.

Works edited by delivery shall be men-
tionned on the coverture, with indication of
the last numero and of relative price.

ENRICO SERAFINI,
Prof. ord. di diritto nella R. Universita.

IMPROVING CATHOUC PAPERS.

Some of our Catholic exchanges have
been emphasizing the need of a Catholic
daily newspaper, now that the editor of
the New York morning paper which
used to be impartial to Catholics on oc-
casion has passed away. One Catholic
editor reminds them very sensibly that
they should try first to have a good
Catholic weekly. To judge by the com-
plaints repeatedly made by many of our
Catholic editors, before trying to es-
tablish a first-class Catholic journal,
whether weekly or daily, a more hearty
support should be given to those already
published. They may not, as yet, be
all that can be desired, but the proper
support will help to make them better,

and their editors, for the most part, are
as capable as they are anxious to im-
prove them. Nor are the Catholic
weeklies, as a rule, so inferior as they
are sometimes pronounced by the very
people whose encouragement and sub-
scriptions might go far to make them
what they should be. They may not
give all the latest news, but rarely do
they issue a number which does not con-
tain something worth reading and keep-
ing for serious reference and which cannot
be found elsewhere. Thus, not to enumer-
ate other valuable things, within the last
few weeks, our Catholic papers have
published widely Archbishop Corrigan's
circular letter on "Loyalty ; " the letter
of Bishop Maes on the part of the Catho-
lic laity, in converting heretics and un-
believers ; a private letter of the late
Bishop Lemmens of Vancouver, dated
British Honduras, and written a short
time before his death. True, we rarely
find, in our Catholic journals, leaders or
editorial paragraphs such as the London
Tablet or the Liverpool Catholic Times
give weekly to their readers. On the
contrary, we must sometimes deplore the
levity with which principles and criti-
cisms are set forth, that are anything
but orthodox and Catholic. Still, this is
not a common fault in our Catholic edi-
tors, and is no doubt due, in most in-
stances, to the haste with which they
must prepare each new issue, and to a
lack of means to employ the proper as-
sistants, rather than to their own igno-
rance or incompetency.

* * *

In view of the fiftieth anniversary of
the Whitman massacre, which falls on
November 27 and 28 of this year, our
readers will do well to review the version
of that event as given in the MESSENGER
for April, 1894.

Since Father Gerard has laid forever
the ghost of the Gunpowder Plot, there
should be no more anniversaries of Guy
Fawkes day, unless, indeed, the nation
which has been so punctual in keeping
it should now see fit to make reparation
for its annual tribute to a calumny by
keeping one day each year in honest
self-condemnation of its own bigotry,
and in just indignation at its ba.se de-
ceivers. Father Gerard's final pamphlet
in the controversy will soon appear,
and it will make very satisfactory read-
ing, we are told, for all whose truthful
instincts made them disbelieve the whole
story.

BOOK NOTICES.

From Benziger Brothers, New York,
Cincinnati, Chicago, we have received
the following books :

Illustrated Explanation of the Com-
mandments. 336 pages, i6mo, cloth,
75 cents.

This is a thorough exposition of the
precepts of God and of the Church, with
practices, examples, anecdotes and illus-
trations. It is an adaptation from the
original of Rev. H. Rolfus, D.D., by the
eminent Redemptorist, V. Rev. Ferreol
Girardey.

Mission Book for the Married. 321110,
cloth, 50 cents.

Mission Book for the Single. 32mo,
cloth, 50 cents.

Both these excellent manuals are the
work of V. Rev. Father Girardey, C.SS.
R. , who had already published a simi-
lar book for boys and girls.

The " Mission Book for the Married "
contains practical matter, especially
addressed to the married of both sexes,
and contains chapters on the Catholic
husband and father, on the Catholic wife
and mother, on the duties of parents,
followed by an examination of conscience
for the married.

The "Mission Book for the Single"
treats of the duties of the Catholic
young man and the Catholic young wo-
man ; of the excellence of the virtue of
purity and of virginity ; gives directions
how to find out and follow one's voca-
tion, and concludes with a brief and
thorough treatise on matrimony.

Both books, besides these special in-
structions and prayers, contain all the
prayers found in ordinary prayer-books.

Mission Book of the Redemptorist
Fathers. 32mo, cloth, 50 cents.

This is an entirely new edition of the
well-known prayer-book, drawn chiefly
from the work of St. Alphonsus Liguori.
It is intended to keep alive the remem-
brance and fruits of the mission, and so
contains, in condensed form, all that has
been preached during that time of grace.
It has also many devotions, pious exer-
cises and indulgenced prayers.

Our Favorite \ovenas. Oblong, 241110,
cloth, 60 cents.

In this admirable little book, Very
Rev. Dean Lings has given a com-
panion volume to "Our Favorite

(38i)

Devotions." It fills a long-felt want,
by supplying novenas for the chief feasts
of our Lord, of the Blessed Virgin, and
a great number of the most popular
saints. To make it complete, devotions
for the communion, confession, as well
as vespers for Sunday have been added.

The Little Child of Mary. Price 30
cents.

A manual of instructions and pray-
ers, adapted to preserve the fruits of
First Communion.

All the above prayer books can be had
in finer bindings.

From Fr. Pustet & Co., New York and
Cincinnati, we have received :

Sermons and Moral Discourses. By
Rev. Francis X. McGowan O.S.A. 2
volumes. Pages respectively 621 and
654. Price $3 for the two volumes.

In the first volume Father McGowan
provides sermons for all the Sundays of
the year on the important truths of the
Gospel. In the second, he gives forty-
eight sermons for the holydays and
feasts, with discourses for particular de-
votions and a short retreat for a young
men's sodality.

Father McGowan modestly claims no
originality and only partly authorship,
for he vstates that they are edited and
partly written by him. His part has
been well done and we doubt not that
his work will prove both instructive and
useful.

From the Laconic Publishing Co , 123
Liberty Street, New York, we have a
pamphlet :

How to See the Point and Place It, or
Punctuation Without Rules of Gram mar.
By mail, 20 cents.

This booklet of forty pages teaches by
example how to punctuate, without mem-
orizing rules and exceptions.

The Month of the Sacred Heart. Trans-
lated and adapted from the writings of
the Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque of
the Order of Visitation. By Rev. F. X.
McGowan, O.S.A. Philadelphia: John
Joseph McVey. 32mo, cloth extra; net,
50 cents.

A most useful book for all who would
become possessed of the true spirit of
devotion to the Sacred Heart. There is
scarce a practice of piety now associated

1149

1150

BOOK NOTICES.

(382)

with this devotion that is not touched
on by Blessed Margaret Mary herself in
her writings, and the Reverend Com-
piler has given us an excellent compen-
dium of all she has left us on this subject.

The Pioneer Catholic Church of the
State of New York. By the Rev. John F.
Mullany, LL.D., Syracuse, N. Y.

This souvenir volume of the Silver Ju-
bilee of St. John's Church, Syracuse, N.
Y., is of more than local interest. It is a
brief history of the early Catholic mis-
sions and missionaries in Central New
York, from the year 1654. The facts it
narrates are closely connected with the
lives of the martyrs of Auriesville, and
this alone, apart from other reasons,
should obtain for it a welcome from
many of our readers.

Saint Wilfrid, Archbishop of York.

By A. Streeter, with an Introductory
Essay by the Rev. Luke Rivington,
D.D. Price sixpence.

This is another of the invaluable pub-
lications of the Catholic Truth Society
of London. Its appearance is most op-
portune at a time when so much atten-
tion is naturally directed to the early
days of Christianity in England by the
celebration at Ebbs Fleet. Dr. Riving-
ton's essay on the place of Wilfrid in
English history serves to give addi-
tional value to Mr. Streeter's interesting
sketch.

Catholic Home Annual, 1898. New

York : Benziger Bros. Price 25 cents.

Catholic Home Annual for 1898. i5th
year. Price 25 cents. From Benziger
Brothers.

Its interesting contributions from
prominent Catholic writers and its num-
ber and variety of good illustrations
should secure a large sale for this excel-
lent Catholic almanac. The style is
popular and well suited for family read-
ing.

Our Boys' and Girls' Annual, 1898.

Price 5 cents. An almanac and calen-
dar for children is a new departure, but
one that has been successfully under-
taken by the firm of Benziger Bros. Its

low price should bring it into the hands
of all the little ones. Both the reading
matter and illustrations are excellent.

The Holy Eucharist and the Holy
Souls. Translated from the French by
Miss E. Lummis. New York : The Ca-
thedral Library Association.

A most appropriate little manual of
meditation for this month of November.
It is specially prepared for those who
practise the devotion of the Perpetual
Adoration, and there could be no better
way of passing an hour before the Blessed
Sacrament at this time of the year than
by reading meditatively its pages.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

Souvenir of the Silver Jubilee Pilgrim-
age of St. John's Church, Utica, N. Y.,
to the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs,
Auriesville. N. Y., Sunday, August 22,
1897.

Theologian Naturalis Institutiones in
Compendium Redactte, et Tyronum Usui
Accommodate a Sac. Bernardo M. Shu-
lik, Sacrse Theologise Doctore, ac Piae
Societatis " Sedes Sapientise " De Pro-
paganda Catholica Instructione in Amer-
ica Praeside. — Senis, Ex Officina Ar-
chiep. Edit. S. Bernardini, A. D.
MDCCCXCVII.

Dr. White on the Warfare of Science
and Theology. By the Rev. Thomas
Hughes, S.J. League Tract XII. 317
Willings Alley, Philadelphia, Pa. Price
10 cents.

FROM THE CATHOUC TRUTH SOCIETY.

Wayside Tales, Third Series. By Lady
Herbert. Paper, three or four tales in
each volume, one penny; cloth, contain-
ing fifteen tales, one shilling.

It is enough to say that these tales
are from the pen of Lady Herbert to
recommend them to our readers. Sf
of them are of more than usual interne,
while all are edifying and point a moral.

Our Angel Guardian, By Rev. H.
Schomberg Kerr, S.J. Price one penny.

A "wee " book in size, but full of in-
struction for young and old.

RECENT AGGREGATIONS AND PROMOTERS' RECEPTIONS

The following Local Centres have received Diplomas of Aggregation, October i to 31, 1897.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

l>nle.

Albany
Boston

Coeymans, N. Y
Boston, Mass
Cambridge, Mass
Danvers, Mass
Buffalo, N Y.

St. Patrick's . .
St. Peter's

Church
Cathedral

Oct. 18
0 t. 6
Oct. 27
Oct. 13
Oct. r8
Oct. 6
Oct. 13
Oct. 6
Oct. 16
Oct. 19
Oct. 7
oct. 8
. Oct. 94
Oct. 24
Oct. 16
Oct. 7
Oct. I
Oct. 8
Oct. 9
Oct. 2
Oct. 19
Oct. 24

St. Peter's ...
Annunciation

Bennington Centre, N. Y .

Sacred Heart . . .
Mt. St. Mary's . .
St Louis'

. Church
Seminary
. Church

Convent
. Church

'. College
Church

Louisville Col

Cedar Falls, la
Dubois, Pa
South Norwalk, Conn. . . .
Louisville, Ky
Gethsemane, Ky
Michigamme, Mich
New York, N. Y

Portland, Ore

St. Patrick's

jjrie

Hartford

St. Joseph's
Holy Name
Gethsemane
Nativity

»l

Marquette
New York

St Martin's

. School
. Academy
. College
. Church

Oregon City
Pittsbursj

St. Anthony's
Holy Names
St. Francis .
Immaculate Conception .
St. Mary's
S' Aloysius'

Sacramento

Sutter Creek. Cal
Northampton Mas-*. . . .
Olivia, Minn
Kaston, Md

St P; ul .

Wilmington

SS. Peter and Paul's . . .

Aggregations 22 : c -urches, 15, ; cathedral, i ; coll. ges, 3 ; convent, i ; schools, 2
Diplomas issued from October i to 31 (inclusive), 1897.

Diocese.

Place.

Local Centre.

Number.

Baltimore

Boston
Brooklyn

St. Inigo's Manor, Md .
Woodstock, Md
East Boston, Mass
Huntington, N. Y
Refugio, Tex
Jamestown, N. Y.
Chicago, 111. . . .

Cincinnati, Ohio

Kenton. Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Clyde, Ohio
Fort Worth, Tex
Texarkana, Tex. ......
Poutiac, Mich
Ridgway. Pa
Saginaw W. S. MicK . . .
Stevens Point, Wis ....
Dentonvil'e, Kans

St. Ignatius' Church
Woodstock College
Assumption Church
St. Patrick's
Our Lady of Refuge
Convent of Mercy Convent
Holy Trinity Church
Sacred Heart
St. Vincent de Paul's
Notre Dame Academy
St. Peter's «. athedral
Immaculate Concep ion . . .Church
St. Vincent s
St. Mary's
St. Patrick's
Sacred Heart
St Vincent de Paul s
St. Leo Magnus'
SS. Peter and Paui's
St. Stephen's
St Benedict's . . .
Sacred Heart
St. Mary's
St Mary's (Christian Brothers) School
St. Joseph's Church
St. James' Cathedral
St. Mary s Church
Holy Cross
St. Michael's Monastery
Immaculate Conception . Church

85
i

5
7
ii

i
i

2
2
12
6

8
14

I
i
i
6

4
3
13

15
18

ii
3

333-

Buffalo

Cincinnati ......

Cleveland
Dallas ..".'!!'!'

Detroit . .
Erie . ...

Grand Rapids
Green Bay . . .
Leavenworth ....

Manchester
Mobile
Nesqually
Newark

Purcell, Kans
Dover, N. H
Mobile, Ala. . ....
Vancouver, Wash. . . .
Elizabeth, N. J
Harrison, N. J. . . .
West Hoboken, N. J
Lake Charles, La. . .
\Tt. Vernon, N. Y
New York City, N.Y. . .

Antwerp, NY
Astoria, Ore
Teskelwa ( Sheffield) 111. . .
Philadelphia, Pa

West Chester. Pa
Butler, Pa
Herman, Pa. ... . . •
Pittsburg, Pa

New Orleans . .
New York

Sacred Heart of Jesus' ....
St. Cecilia's
St. Ignatius Loyola's
St. Patrick's Cathedral
St Michael's Church
Holy Names' Convent
St. Patrick's Church
SS Peter and Paul's Cathedral
S'. Peter's Church
Immaculate Heart £?nve{
St. Paul's Church
St Fidel is' College
St' Mary's Convent of Mercy Convent
St! Joseph's Academy
Holy Rosary r*fc««*
sacred Heart Church

Ogdensburg
Oregon City
Peoria
Philadelphia

Pittsburg ....'...

Portland
Sacramento
St. Louis

St. Paul .' .' .' .'
San Francisco ....

Scranton

•
Syracuse

Tucson ........

Woodland, Cal
Festus, Mo. ... • • •
St. Charles, Mo
Minneapolis, Minn. . .
Oakland, Cal
San Francisco. Cal
S'Hiita Rosa, Cal
Dunmore, Pa. ...
Wilkes-Barre, Pa
Baldwinsville. N. Y
Favetteville, N. Y
Flagstaff, Ariz

Holy Rosary
St. Patrick's
Holy Names'
Ursuline ...
St. Mary's of Mt. Carmel . .
Holv Saviour
St. Mary s
Immaculate Conception . . .
Nativity

Convent
Academy
Church

Total number of Diplomas issued
Total number of Receptions, 57. T

CALENDAR OF INTENTIONS, DECEMBER, 1897.

THB MORNING OFFERING.

O Jesus, through the immaculate heart of Mary, I offer Thee the prayers, works, and sufferings of this
day for all the intentions of Thy divine Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and in par-
ticular for Parish "Works, for the intentions of the Apostleship throughout the world, and for these
particular intentions recommended by the American Associates.

IV.

BB. Edmund Campion, S J., and Comp.MM.

Virtue of justice.

432,843 thanksgivings.

Th.

St. Bibiana.V.M. (363).— H.H.

Fortitude.

154,097 in affliction.

First Friday.— St. Francis Xavier (sj.,

Pray for the Indies.

237,299 sick, infirm.

1552).— ist. D., A.C.

St. Peter Chrysologus, Bp.D. (450).

Despise worldliness.

61,438 dead Associates.

2d of Advent.-st. Sabbas, Ab. (531).

Temperance.

138,662 League Centres.

St. Nicholas, Bp. (324).

Respect children.

49,886 Directors.

Vigil— St. Ambrose, Bp.D. (Milan, 397).

Crush human respect.

72,971 Promoters.

Immaculate Conception. — (Of. Precept).—

Love of purity.

209,232 departed.

ist D., A.I., A.C..S., B.M

Th.

St. Leocadia, V.M. (304).— H.H.

Holy fear.

261,676 perseverance.

Holy House of Loretto (1204).— St. Melchi-

Love the God-Man.

383,501 young persons.

ades, P. (314).

St. Damasus, P. (384).

Zeal for the Church.

120,391 First Communions.

3d Of Advent. — Our Lady of Guadalupe

Love of Mary.

134,521 parents.

(Mexico, 1531).

*3~

St. Lucy, V.M. (363).— Pr.

Humility.

144,509 families.

St. Spiridion, Bp. (347).

Pity sinners.

194,048 reconciliations.

Ember Day. — Oct. of Immaculate Concep-

Reparation.

1 63, 705 work, means.

tion.— St. Christina, V. (200). ;g£

Th.

St. Eusebius, Bp.M. (370).— H.H.

Pray for bishops.

168,632 clergy.

Ember Day. — St. Lazarus, Bp. (Raised to

Rise from falls.

245,632 religious.

life by Christ). ;<>

Ember Day.— Expectation B.V.M. ^

Hope.

127,428 seminarists, novices.

4th Of Advent.— St. N.emesion, M. (253).—

Love the Eucharist.

98,410 vocations

C.R

St. Eugene, Priest, M. (362).

Pray for priests.

251,947 parishes.

St. Thomas, Ap.— A.I., B.M.

Pray for infidels.

130,759 schools.

St. Flavian, M. (362).

Spirit of faith.

114,346 superiors.

Th.

St. Victoria, V.M. (253).— H.H.

Trust in God.

125,220 missions, retreats.

Vigil. — Christmas Eve. — SS. Irmine and

Prepare for Christ.

168,584 societies, works.

Adele, W. (740). *»

Christmas.— Nativity of Our Lord.— of

Renewal of spirit.

160,522 conversions.

precept.— A. I., A.C., S., B.M.

Within Octave Of Christmas.-St. Stephen, Pray for enemies.

148,490 sinners.

First Martyr (35).

St. John (101) — Pr., A.I., A.C., B.M.

Love the Sacred Heart. 147,964 intemperate.

Holy Innocents, MM.

Pray for the little ones

148 319 spiritual favors.

St. Thomas a Becket, Bp.M (1170).

Zeal for the right.

237,935 temporal favors.

Th.

St. Sabinus, M. (301).— H.H.

Generosity.

243,792 special, various.

St. Sylvester I., P. (335).

Gratitude.

MESSENGER readers.

PLENARY INDULGENCES: Ap. — Apostleship. (D.=Degrees, Pr.=Promoters, C. ~Bi.= Communion of Repara-
tion, H.H.=//o/y Hour); A. £..= A rchcon fraternity ; &=Sodality; B. M.=£ona Mors ; A. \.=Apostolic
Indulgence; A. S.— Apostleship of Study ; S. S. ==.$/. John Berchmans'1 Sanctuary Society; 'R.'i.=Bridgettine
Indulgence.

TREASURY OF GOOD WORKS.
Offerings for the Intentions recommended to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

100 days'1 Indulgence for every action offered for the Intentions of the League.

NO. TIMES.

Beads . . . . .

843 069

Way of the Cross

98 364

4-
5-
6.

Hofy Communions
Spiritual Communions
Exa mens of Conscience
Hours of Labor
Hours of Silence . .

121,055
301,556

2«I,200
497.043
282 267

17-
18

Pious Reading . .

10.

Masses read .

2I.6d.2

NO. TIMES.
239,486
281,593
164,545
297,800

. 2,034,168
391 361

Masses heard

Mortifications

Works of Mercy

Works of Zeal

Prayers

Kindly Conversation . .... .

Sufferings, Afflictions 134,108

Self-conquest 157,408

Visits to B. Sacrament 178,016

Various Good Works 407,717

Special Thanksgivings, 1.333; Total, 6,276,584.
Intentions or Good Works put in the box, or given on lists to Promoters before their meeting; on or
before the last Sunday, are sent by Directors to be recommended in our Calendar^ MESSENGER, in our
Masses here, at the General Direction in Toulouse, and Lourdes.

1152

(384)

BX 801 .M55 1897 SMC

The Messenger.
AIP-2703 (mcab)

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