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Vol. XIL—No. 4.
“en htt i ne re een et
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Philadetphia, Thursday, January 25, 1844.
ian
Whole Number 576
THE CATHOLIC HERALD
18 PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY
M IAN,
No. 61 North Second Street, Philadelphia.
Terms.—Two Dollars and Fifty Cents, if paid
advance, or Three Dollars, payable half yearly.
No paper discontinued until all arrearages are
settled.
All Communications, except from Agents or
Subscribers enclosing remittances, must be post
paid, and addressed ‘To the Editor of the Ca-
tholic Herald, Philadelphia, Pa.””
By permission of the Post-Master General, any
Post-Mastercan frank a letter containing a remit-
tance, fora Subscriber.
From the (London) Catholic Magazine.
ST. AGNES.*
“Ob, "Mary, conceived without sin, pray for me who
have recourse to thee.
Innocent lamb to Jesus de dear,
Fairest and purest, what dost thou here ?
Dost thou not dread the tiger's rage,
As it sullenly stalks its guarded cage?
Dost thou not hear the people’s cries?
Dost thou not see their vengeful eyes ?
Dost thou not know the hate they bear
To virgins pure, is in that glare :
And those cries that echo of death and shame,
Are for her who avows the Christian's name ?
Then, untrembling victim what dost thou here,
Mid thoseeries of horror and eyes of fear ?
“ I see the eyes that on me glare,
I hear the shouts that rend the air,’ ©
The thirsty steel, the tiger’s roar») 1
‘That asks another victim more. *-.*
‘The hate that binds me to this spot,"
Teel them all, but heed them not} “
“ Stranger Iwasa thivghilede child,
Scarce seven years had o'er me smiled, ,
When one who loved me true and well, .
Of Christian lore would often tell ;
And of that God by traitor sold,
» Unlike the godsin which men glory,
Whose lives such wickedness unfold,
Makes light the crimes of mortal story.
She said that for our sins He'd slept
An infant on Tis mother's breast,
That in a garden He had wept
Asweat of blood to make us blest.
“My name was dear to Him, she said,
The Lamb without a spot or stain ;
The Lamb that was to slaughter led,
! Who suffered, and did not complain.
She said, that for our sins and pride,
Upon a shameful cross Ile died!
She said. His Virgin Mother fair
Beneath it stood, and saw Him there
‘And then in matchless agony,
That Mother saw [lim bleed and die!”
“And canst thou wonder that I gave,
‘To Him who died my soul to save,
Its treasured love, and thatin vain
"The world did ask it back again?
‘And canst thou wonder that 1 bow
Me gladly to the headsman’s blow,
And that I would not change to day
‘The victi’s Place for Caesar's sway ?"”
“They tried to change me, or to move,
They tried to tempt to worldly love;
Vain love, that fiourished for an hour,
To give me tothe headsman’ 's power;
Unlike His love, who died to save,—
For bafled hopes it gives the grave !
“And blessed be that Saviour dear,
Who kept me in the hour of shame,
Who bade His Seraphime draw near,
“Po robe me in thei ings of flame ; ‘
ve S« Therdis atrad| hat at the martyrdom ot
'st Agnes. the blood cvshed forth as white as milk,
da miracolous attestution of her purity; fur the oth-
erincidents in these verses see Butler's Life of the
Saint, on the 2Ist of January.
And who, in mercy, cast a blight
Upon that hardened sinner’s sight,
Who dared an impious look to cast ’ 1
Upon His Virgin, pure and chaste.”
“Stranger, I was almost a child
Amid a host of hostile men,
More savage far, and far more wild,
Than lions in their tribute glen.
Yet in that dark and dreadful hour,
T felt a strange supernal power
Lift me above the trembling fear
That virgins feel when danger’s near,
To that which they hold first and best,—
The chastity by Jesus blest !
Bb cement Li diye
“They crowded round me, and they.tore ,
With impious hands the vest I wore ;
More dreadful far than wild beast cries,
Their horrid threats around me rise ;
When lo! around me sudden thrown
The living light of seraph wings; ‘
And He, my spirit's Spouse, comes down,
And blindness on my tyrants flings,
For none could gaze upon that light,
And see,—it was so wondrous bright,
“Long, long, I leaned upon His breast,
Drinking the chalice of the blest,
And only wakened from that trance
Of exquisite bliss to find me here,
Where tiger's roar and soldier’s lance,
‘Th’.arena fill with awe and fear...“
“Bat the Christian's soul i is raised abore
All but the hopes of immortal love; >
He trembles alone lest he should not die,
For he thirsts to drink of eternity !
And my breast is panting to meet the rage
Of the green-eyed tiger in yonder cage 5
And my blood is throbbing, and not in va
To pour itself forth to the ground like rain ;
And my sou) would make itself wings to flee, :=
My Saviour, my Spouse, and my God, to Theo.
Buthark! they call, and I inust away’;
The headsman waits, and I must not stay ; }
Oh, blest be the sword, and blest be the dooms {
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eaten
ee
Yes, Father in Heaven—I come! 1 come !” *
One radiant glance she upward threw,
And then to meet the summons flew,
A sudden shout, an outery wild,
Arose to greet the Martyr child;
And when the headsman put aside
The glory of her golden hair,
He wept that death should have a bride
So very child-like, and so fair.
Bat hand and aim were good and troe,
And nothing of his wembling knew ;
The blood she wished to pour like rain,
Came white as milk from ev'ry vein, >» »
And thus before all men confest »
The favorite virtue of her breast, .
While her soul had winged it, like the dove,
To seek the Spouse of its early love !
M.C. A.
. Feast of the Nativity of the B. V. Mary.
From the Buston Pilot. |
FOREIGN TRAVELS.
FLORENCE.
The following conversation with an Ameri-
can artist, will serve to illustrate the prejudice
of our countrymen against the Catholic faith,
and will explain the remarkable fact that a re-
sidence in Catholic countries does not always
remove it. “It was the next morning after our
visit to the Baboli gardens that I went alune
to see the church of the Annunciation, a mag-
nificentand richly decorated temple, and one
of the most celebrated in Tuscany. It is all
inerusted with highly polished marble, and
gilded stuccos. “The paintings and frescos
are very numerous, and done by masters.
After having examined the church sufficiently,
I retired to the’ beautiful open vestibule that
conducts to it, there to await the arrival of
my friend, who had engaged 10 meet me, and
to feast at my, leisure upon the frescos that
adorn it. “Jlere I found an artist who, was co
pying the paintings. Tle accosied me in En:
glish, ‘and I soon found that he was from the
United States. We immediately entered into
conversation, and he informed me, among
other things, that the monks* to whom the
adjoining monastery belong, had given him
permission tospend one month among them,
sketching from their choicest paintings. But,
added he, 1 do not copy for the subject, for |
neither know nor care what it is, but solely
for the faces, some of which are very fine, and
for the grouping. _ But, said 1, if you were in-
formed of the events which these pictures are
intended 10 commemorate, and of the charac-,
ters and histories of the persons represented,
would it not aid you in appreciating their mer-
its, and, as it were, inspire your own
in imitating them? Not at all, he replied, for
I regard all those stories and legends as so
many lies—and all the monks as a set of ras-
cals!\- This was using rather plain language
for a young artist, in the heart of Italy, and
and on the very premises of the monks them-
selves. But I could notattribute it to a desire
to wound the feelings of his obliging benefac-
tors, for there were none present to hear, and
3
a.
“Jif there had been, they would not probably
have wnderstood;—neither could I attribute it
to a spirit of highs minded, fearless American
independence, for he believed me to be a Protes-
fant, like himself, and much pleased with the
pungency of his remark, he ceased from his
work, and awaited my approbation. For one
little moment the old Adam writhed within
me, and I could have charged him, face to face,
with deliberate, known, and insolent falsehood.
But this passed away like a flash—and I look-
ed up fora moment at the beautiful fresco
from which he was sketching, and which re.
presented a group of monks eupporting a ven-
erable old priest, who lad just descended from
the altar after having concluded his Mass, and
, | Was dying in their arms, and 1 said,—As to
the monks, if those be portraits, there must
have been some holy ones in that company,
Better, no doubt, replied he, crustily, in those
days, than any we see now-a-days; the pre-
sent. monks are a miserable, worthless set.
Are you personally acquainted with any of
them? T asked. No, I never had the slightest
acquaintance with any one,. neither; do
sire to have any, I regret that very much, 1
answered, confining myself to the first part of
his reply, for had you been, I am sure that
you would entertain a very different opinion
with regard to them, For my part, 1 have
had the good fortune to.be acquainted with
many of them, both in France and Italy, and
am happy to be able to inform you, thatl have
found among thew persons gentlemanly, learn-
ed und pious, and that I believe them as a bo-
dy, to excel in piety, and in the practice of
every Christian virtue, It may be so, he re-
plied with an incredulous shrug; the only ones
I have ever spoken with are those in this
monastery. And have you, then, found these
of a character to confirm your unfavorable
judgment of the whole body, or is it in couse-
quence of their treatment of you, that you
just now pronounced all monks ** a set of ras-
cals! h,no! no! he instantly answered,
as though shocked at such an inference. On
the contrary, I have been most agreeably sur
prised at their piety and intelligence, and in
particular, at their kindness‘and urbanity to-
ward myself, whom they know to be a Pro-
testant. Thad just ‘time to congratulate him
upon having fallen into such excellent hands,
and to express my pleasure that le should have
made 60 candid, though involuntary, an avow-
al of it, when my frend ‘arrived, and 1 was
compelled to hid the artist a good morning.
‘The abose is butone among many facts, that
convince me uf how little value sre oftentimes
the opinions and judgments of even very sen-
sible men; particularly on questiovs obscured
by the bigotry and prejudices of their own
minds.’ Here ‘is a gentleman of agreeable
manners, an artist, well educated, and, I can
believe, of sincerity and good faith,” who has
formgd an opinion of a considerable’ body of
men 4 the Catholic ehurch, mavy of whom
are distinguished for their learning and piety,
and eminent for their good works; and that
opinion is, that they area company of hypo-
crites ant scoundrels, and their, pious legends
a tissue of falsehoods. ‘This gendeman will
return to the United States; he wiil carry his
opinions with him. "Those opinions will have
the more weight, that he has resided abroad
in Catholic countries, and seen into the i inte-
rior of eonvents, assuciated * with he Wonks
thenselves, and, in one w ordy | had” P
—
* The order of Serviies,
the best means of obtaining information,
They will, most undoubtedly, be adopted, end
pass current in the circle in which he moves,,
be it great ‘or small; and each individual of
that circle will form snother centre whence to
give them anew impulse, of course garnished
and exaggerated in their progress—and all
the members of these different circles willlive
and dig in the firm belief of one of theblackest
falsehoods ever invented by Satan,—to wit,
that monks as a body are scoundrels and liars.
From similar origin, equally trivial, at least,
have arisen'the host of ‘prejudices, and, the
mass of ignorance that pervert the judgment
and oppress the understanding, and corrupt
the hearts of ‘our countrymen, on the subject,
of the Catholic religion. But for one moment
let us analyze the opinion of this gentleman—
let us discover, if we can, on what ground it,
really rests, and we may thence judge what
weight in general to attach to the opinions of,
those ‘who ‘differ from us’ in faith, however,
yell informed soever they may profces to be.
nd first, was their opinion founded ona pees
sonal acquaintance with ‘the. individuals thus:
openly denounced? Oh,not at all, He had,
never hada personal acquaintance with an in-
dividuaf of the whole body, | Had he then re-
ceived from them rudeness or insult? Oh,
no, on the contrary, the only ones with whom:
he bad ever had the least intercouree had treat-,
ed him with great kindness and courtesy—had.
thrown‘open to him “their choicest galleries,
and with Christian urbanity had invited. him
ty make himeelf at home among them ‘for a
month, little imagining that they were cherish.
ing an irreconcilable foe, utterly unable to ap-
preciate the attentions they proffered him. I
may ‘assért’ with equal confidence, that hie.
opinion was not the result of a studious inves-,
ligation’of the subject, or of information ob:
tained from pious and learned members of the
Catholig ghurch; for, as he himself avowed,,
he hadynever, to his knowledge, opened a,
Cai atholig book of any kind, ot conversed with,
a Cathog?'on thé subject. “It iss then, 1 am
constrained to believe, simply because they,
are Catholics, that he condemns the monks,
and brands them as knaves and liars, , Unhap-
ply, the young men of our country are imbu-
ed with such prejudices against the Catholic
faith, that without the least knowledge of its
principle: feel a pride in contemning™
and wiiying ie From their very infancy, the,
idea is rubbed into their minds by the untiring,
zeal of parents and Sunday School Teachers,
that the Cathelic church is the strong-hold of.
the Devil, and the monks his emissaries, Im-
pressed with such ideas, then, everything that
is Catholic is bad; everything that is anti-
Catholic is'good. | Probiiy is forgotten, arg
ment is rejected, manly principle Uisregardeds,
itis no longer asked are such pergons honesty,
or respectable, or prous—but are they Catho
lics 2 and the jadgment favorable, or not,
formed ‘accordingly. Sectarianism, however,
multiplied,’and however abhorrent to’ reason,
and Seriptute, i is regarded with indifference ;,
infidelity is tolerated ;, Mahometanism is re-
spected; but Catholicism—thatis, the religion
of nearly all Christendom, the religion that has,
planted the’ standard of the cross. in every”
Christian land, and to which its enemies are,
indebied for the very name of Christian—Ca-
tholicism is vilified and hunted, with all the,
fury ond Perseverance of the most inreconcils
ble hate. But, after all, we should not suffer,
ourselves to be betrayed” into feelings or ex-
pressions of anger, much less_ of reciprocal
hatred, towaids those of, our brethren who.
have ‘the misfortune ta be edueated mi such,
cruel and unjust sentiments toward
blind opposition to the truth, this ‘induration’
of the better feelings of ‘their nature, should,
the loss will be theirs Tather than ¢ ourgs unless.
it be that we fail in, making sufficient efforts,
for their conversion: ‘In aspirit, then, far site,
ferent from ‘that of the’ Pharieee,, ‘Tet us th nk
God thar we are not as" they, a fin
spirit! of the Saviour of men, off ,
ample of forgiveness ‘and of charity, ,
But to retra to dur: artist. Of ail pers
on the earth's face’ to ‘be jaundiced’ by these
upmanly prejudices, ,on d suppose an
arlist would be the fa “atholits is hey
indebted for every aid aud ap ce necessary;
to his success—nay, more, for the wery, life;
and nerve of his art. “The very "moment bet
is fred with an emulation to excel in painting’
or insculpture he leaves home’ and country =!
he flies to Catholic regions, he studies and.
ry
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