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Vol. VIXL.—No. 18.
THE CATHOLIC HERALD
18 PUBLISHED EVERY! THURSDAY BY
M. FITHIAN, -
No. 61 North Second Street, Philadelphia.
Terms.—Three Dollars per annum, payable half yearly
#4 advance. Five Dollars will be received for 2 copies, or
copy for two years. All arrearages must be settled prior to
ordering a paper to be discontinued... All Communications,
except from Agents, or Subscribers enclosing remittances,
must be post paid, and addressed “To the Editor of the
Catholic Herald, Philadelphia, Pa.”
‘Poctry.
From the Churchman. 5
MATIN, BELLS.
Awake up my glory: awake lute and harp: I myself will awake
sight early — Psalter.
“Le
‘The Sun is up betimes,
And the dappled East is blushing,
And the bonny matin-chimes,
«°° °~"" ‘They are gushing—Christian—gushing!
They are tolling in the tower, ’
For another day begun ;
And to hail the rising hour
Of a brighter, brighter Sun!
Rise—Christian—rise!
“For a sunshine brighter far
Is breaking o’er thine eyes,
*- \Phan the bonny morning-star!
Me,
The Jark is in the sky,
And his morning-note is pouring:
, He hath a wing to fly,
"So he’s soaring—Christian—soaring!
\ His nest is on the ground,’
But only in the night;
2+ Pew he tv Tost = ~
And the highest heaven's height! ’
Hark—Christian—hark,
At heaven-gate he sings!
Oh be thou like the lark,
With thy soaring spirit-wings!
mi
The bonny matin-bells, a
In their watch-tower they are swinging;
For the day is o'er the dells,
‘And they're singing—Christian—singing!
They have caught the morning beam
Through their ivied turret’s wreath,
And they know the windows gleam,
And the chancel-rails beneath:
" Go—Chnstian—go,
For the altar hath a glare,
And the snowy vestinents glow,
Of the presbyter at prayer!
: Iv.
‘There is morning-incense flung
From the child-like'lily flowers ;
«And their fragrant censor swung,
» Make it ours—Christian—ours!
‘And hark, our mother’s hymn,
And the organ peals we love!
_-t 26 “¢Phey sound like cherubim
ye ~~ ‘At their early Jauds above!
“ Pray—Christian—pray,
ue ‘At the bonny peep of dawn,
‘ Fre the dew-drop and the spray
‘That christen it, are gone!
5
N ee
. THE DYING CHRISTIAN.
8G * Spirit—leave thy house of clay!
~ Lingering dust—resign thy breath!
Spirit—cast thy chains away! .
Dust—be thou dissolved in death!”
Thus thy Guardian Angel spoke .
‘Ashe watched thy dying bed,
‘As the bones of life he broke,
© And the ransomed captive fled.
Philadelphia, Thursday, April 30,
oP Aghre eta
| ble objections against
“ Prisoner, long detained below,
Prisoner, now with freedom blest,
Welcome from a world of woe!
Welcome to a Jand of rest!”
Thus thy Guardicn Angel sang,
As he bore thy soul on high,
While with Hallelujah’s rang,
All the region of the sky!
Grave! the guardian of our dust,
Grave! the treasury of the skies,
Every atone of thy trust,
Rests in hope again to rise—
Hark! the judgment-trampet calls,
“Soul, rebuild thy house of clay—
Immortality thy walls,
And Eternity thy day!” Montcomeny.
THEATRICAL AMUSEMENTS,
In an admirable work, which we are delighted to find is
about being re-printed in our city, there is a most interest-
ing and convincing chapter on the above subject. We regret
exceedingly that ourlimits forbid the possibility of giving the
whole, because it is all instructive. We. shall, however,
give the following, as an extract from the x1x. chapter of
the “Rules of a Christian Life,” about being re-published
by Eugene Cummiskey, South Sixth Street. In the com-
mencement of the chapter, the Rev. Author establishes from
Scripture, from the testimony of the Fathers, and from the
language of Pagan philosophers, and heathen legislators,
the opposition of Theatrical Amusement to the sanctity of
the christian character, or even to the mere morality of the
well regulated members of Society. He takes up and refutes
the flimsey reasonings of its adyocates, and after quoting the
oman adage, ‘Quisquis inscenam prodierit, ait prator infames
1 : wake :
eee sete pent Sere
“caguty, ang £ think unanswer:
the stage, and supposing that
there may be some few privileged individuals, who te-
ceive no injury from frequenting it; there is an argu-
ment which has always made a deep impression upon
me, and which will perhaps appear entitled to a serious
consideration. We read in the Holy Scriptures that
God gave ‘to every one a commandment respecting his
neighbour ;’—that ‘ we ought to love him as ourselves,
and never do to him what we should. be sorry. woul
be done unto us.’—Ecel. xvii, 12; Matt. vii. 12. And
therefore, as anatural consequence, if we be animated
with the sentiments which these maxims ‘imply, we
cannot take any pleasure in seeing him do actions,
which we know to be extremely injurious to his spirit-
ual welfare, and may ultimately expose him to eternal
damnation. Now, can those, who, by their: presence
as wellas by their money, authorize and» encourage
theatrical amusements, flatter themselves that they ful-
fil the precept of loving their neighbour as themselves ?
Let us not disguise nor palliate the truth, however un-
pleasant and severe it may be.’ The good morals of
women can only be safe and secure in a retired and do-
mestic life. ‘The peaceable carés ofa family, and house-
hold concerns, are their portion; the dignity of their
sex consists in modesty. Bashfulness and decency are
inseparable, and indicative of purity of heart, and when
they seek to attract the eyes of men, they.expose them-
selves to be suspected of not attaching a great value to
that amiable virtue. - Ifthe timidreserve and modesty
of the female sex are not only natural, but -also social
virtues, itis highly important for the good of society,
that they should be carefully cultivated and maintained;
and a woman who disdains to do it, sins against good
morals. « ‘There is nospectacle in the world so interest-
ing, so respectable, so delightful, as that of a mother
surrounded by her children, directing with cheerfulness
the occupations of her servants, procuring with unwea-
ried attention to her husband all the comforts of a do-
mestic life; in short, governing her family with mild-
ness, wisdom, and prudence. - It is in the performance
of these domestic duties that she shows herself with the
amiable and commanding dignity of her sex, and, if we
may be allowed, on so grave a subject, to hazard an
lease
idea which might appear too worldly, that beauty shares,
1840,
Whole Number 382:
in some sense, the honours and homages offered to vir-
tue, when it is united to it. But, let. us rather say
with the wise man, ,‘ Favour is deceitful, and beauty is
vain: the woman that feareth the Lord shall be praised;
her children will rise up, and call her blessed; her hus-
band, and he will praise her} and her works will praise
her in the gates.”’—Prov, xxxi. 28, 29,30, 31... 04.)
After these reflections, I shall ask, how a. state. of
life, the sole object and. occupation of which is to
show oneself in the eyes of a gazing crowd, and, what
is still worse, for the sake of money, can be reconciled
with the character of modest and virtuous women, and
with the imprescriptible rules of decency and sound
morals? How difficult must it be, if not quite . impos-
sible, that a young woman in the bloom of life, who, in
order to perform her part to her own honour and to the
satisfaction of the public, is compelled to lay aside all *
reserve, and personate the most tender and violent pas-
sions, should never be tempted to’ gratify . desires
which she does her utmost to inspire. In spite of the
greatest precautions, an honest and sincerely virtuous
woman, when exposed to danger, finds sometimes that
itis not an easy thing to preserve her heart free and
disengaged; and those audacious ‘and rash young per-,
sons, without any other education but a system of co-
quetry, any other occupation but to learn the art of per-
forming to the life the part of, lovers, surrounded by a
crowd of bold and immoral men, in ihe midst of the
most seducing accents of love and pleasure, will resist,
the infl ftheir age and p ities, the di f
they hear, the occasions of every moment,"and the rich
offers, which are too often made them,.in order to .se-
juce them from the paths of innocence “and virtue !;
Where is the man, provided he has the least knowledge’.
of human frailty, who» will ever believe it?. In vain:
vice strives to hide its deformity under fair appearances,
itis always visible in the copntenatce of the vicious
Theboldness of a woman ié an ardégesign of hershame.
we think of innocence, when deceticy itself is: totally;
extinguished? - I shall not scrutinize, here the secrets;
of hearts, nor affirm that, without exception, all actors }
and actresses are destitute of morals; no—I shall’ not ;
pronounce such a general sentence. . lam ready to adopt ;
the most favourable supposition ; but, can we esteem’,
as honourable and, without danger a‘state of life, in
which a chaste woman is a wonder, and which, unless :
by a miracle, we cannot help despising, and UySse also .
who embrace it. Moreover,.is there a virtuous. and‘
Christian father or mother, ‘who. would. suffer their:
daughters to show themselves in company dressed as ;
the actresses are on the stage? Would they allow and
courses which are held there?,. Would they not be
shocked if they were gazed at with such. indecent fa- .
miliarity and boldness, as cannot be prevented in a,
playhouse ?, Would they,not be covered with shame, :
ifthey saw them obliged to bear the insults, to which’,
those unfortunate women are daily exposed, from aca- ,
pricious and often unjust audience?’ Where is the man
of worth, who will seek for himself or his son a wife
among actresses ?. And are not such connexions, when
by chance or ‘by some particular circumstances con-..
tracted, always looked upon with a suspicious eye, yery |
seldom approved of, and never proposed as examples ;.
to be imitated ? vy att Foul ward fis I
In the relations of social.life, a man and a woman, -!
whose continual study would be to counterfeit them-'!
selves for money, displaying alternately the most oppo-*'
site sentiments: at one time the most generous, noble,»
and pure dispositions; and at another, the most shock- !
ing, vile, and even criminal propensities and actions,’
would be held in the utmost contempt, and their ac-
quaintance shunned, as a disgrace. | Yet, by an unac+
countable inconsistency, this is admired and applauded *
on the stsge.: ‘For, what is‘the profession of, and'in: {
what does the excellence of a comedian consist?’ Isit
not to appear in the afternoon quite a different man from!
what he was in the morning? and, for the sake of mo- ’
}
he would very often be very sary to be thought really *
animated witht ‘The biographers of your celebrated ;
Garrick say, that no actor ever more thoroughly adopt-
and if sh¢ be.WSd-much loss Bi HlneCAbesh ing. Ais her
ney, to’exhibit feelings contrary to his own, andwhich | _
encourage them to listen with complacency to the dis- {~~
Te