The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-22 00:00:00

THE CONGRESS AT MALINES

(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.

MALINES, AUG. 20.
There are a good many things worth noting in a
Congress like the present besides what actually
takes place in the hall of the meetings. For the
gathering of three thousand strangers in such a
town as Malines somewhat disturbs its wonted
Flemish placidity. It is a fine old, town, and a
clean one too; but its accommodation is restricted,
and on the frst days nearly the whole of those who
had come up to take their tickets of admission had
to disperse through the cluster of neighbouring
towns, such as Brussels, Ghent, Louvain, Antwerp,
Sc. I put up with two companions at an hotel
in Brussels; but we have now progressed, as wel.l
as congressed ; and, thanks to a Malines acquaint-
ance, we are settled in the city itself in a genuine
Flemish inn, where the meals at the table d'hUte,
round which cluster a whole band of congressmen,
form delightful re'amons of men of all countries,
considerably amused at the process of being done
Flemish.
We arrived in Malines yesterday morning in time
for the first morning seance, which from 10 to half-
past 12 consisted of the group of five meetings of
the sections-on religious works, works of charity,
Christian art, Christian education, the press, &c.
I walked into the hall of the fifth section, t'. e. 7 the
press, which had been also the day before my point
of attraction, But, as compared with the anima-
tion of the first day, it was very quietly going on
under the presidency of the veteran of the Catholic
press in Belgium, M. Armand Neut. The question
treated was that of petitioning for the reform of the
state of the law which prevents the right of asso-
ciation, granted by the 20th article of the Belgian
Constitution, from having its full force. Some op-
posed any move in that direction as being too gene-
ral, and affecting commercial interests rather than
religious ones; but in the end it was resolved on,
as the best means of securing by supporting gene-
ral righis those of religious communities and other
property for religious purposes from the vexatious
and wasting interference of Government officials.
It was also resolved, after a very short discussion,
to form a central committee in Belgium to keep up
an international correspondence with committees in
other countries for all matters relating to the
works which occupy the attention of the Congress.
At three o'clock in the afternoon the members met
in general assembly in the great hall of the Petit
Seminaire, the Minister of State, Count de Theux,
taking the chair as vice-president. The two Car-
dinal Archbishops of Malines and of Westminster,
and the various bishops and prelates, were present.
The proceedings began by a report on the Pius Verein,
or Society of Pius IX., which ever since 1848 has
organised annual congresses of Catholics in various
towns of Germany, so as to be the model of the
society now constituting
itself in Belgium. The
report was read in French by Here Linden, secre-
tary of the German Pius Verein, and described the
progress made year after year by the society, and
its drawing to its meetings, first the Swiss, who
begun in 1837 to hold a congress of their own
and, finally, the Belgians, who are now doing the
same.
The President of the S'viss Pius Verein, Count
Sherer, then came forward, and truly electrified the
assembly by a kind of poem-speech, hailing the
Congress iu the name of the 127 sections of the
Swiss Verein, and giving expression by way of
salutation to three truths, as he said by way of tele-
grams. " lire are brothers," he exclaimed, " because,
thethough
samee w e
Mother,have n not
thet the Famecat h
lfatherland,Catholic
Church,
and we
we have
want to be united— Vobentts.'" He then announced
neoend
that the sixth meeting of the Swiss Verein would
the
ee
26th
hce
andduri2n7gth followingthineet.,et
the
Monastery
at Eisledein. He spoke of the possibility,
therefore, of some of the persons present contri-
buting still more to cement Catholic union for good
works by their presence et Eisledein, and alluded to
wtheerdpow,,eirmpoef Cssihaltehlicnoast association aesxmeeapktinine•
tthhee
instance of opposition to evil and wrong, when the
head and front of Catholicity uttered the Non
Possunzus. As for the children of the Church their
union led to the second telegram of the Swiss
Verein—.Possunzus! Taking then the illustration of
surroundinghi his
own
small
ntcountry,rWhich waters all the great
uethe overflowing of its
rivers, the Blaine, the Rhoae, and the Ticino, because
the virgin waters of its glaciers are not stationary.
c e
s b 1
He spoke of the Catholic family, the most ancient
its agitation to water all na-
tions u
wr oipt
he ,
tahse awb leet
ebrys f
by summing up his three
Possumus ! Fiat ! Amer." This was the model
addressoi yof that
L o day.uva A report on the Catholic
University
was read in a very low tone
v ers
to f
by one of its youngest professors, a M. Desfosses ;
and from a rather long statement, not very distinct,
we were enabled, however, to gather the interesting
facts that, during its 30 years of existence, the pre-
sent university had educated 18,262 students, while
its Anglo-American college during a few years'
existence, has sent forth from its walls 23 mis
sionary priests.

A young avocat, of the name of Verspeyen, then
addressed the meeting on the St. Peter's pence orga-
nisation, and described in a most interesting
and eloquent manner the progress of that
organisation, and its success not only in Bel-
gium, but in Poland, Ireland, and Italy itself.
He told, with great effect, the story of the
Polish peasaat who came on foot from his
village to Rome to console the Holy Father, as he
naively sa'd, and bring him the Peter's Pence of
his neighbours " in twenty-five new florins," which
the Piedmontese robbed him of; " but they cannot
rob you of our hearts, Holy Father !" added he ;
and the Pope blessed in him the people of Poland,
and his blessing will bear its fruit. Alluding next
to Ireland, the speaker told of the £B,OOO gathered
in one day in Dublin for the Holy Father, and of the
blood of its children having been shed for him at
Spoleto, Perugia, Ancona, and Castelfidardo. He
called also attention to the immense sum and con-
tributions of jewels gathered in Turin by the exer-
tions of the editor of the Arznonia, and ho proposed
that the
iChoandg rwesesllsdheosuelrdved of
proclaim that
i cannot
follow eAbbate
t
follow the young orator further than to say that he
delighted his audience by describing the religious
spirit which animates the youth of Belgium, as
proved by the numbers which went forth to defend
the cause of the Pope, and who are still engaged
in his service.
The Vise o
his nt edse Mr
report
thonen rtehaed,
part of inathe
second mono-
tonouste
sectiontone,
of the Congress, on chari-
table
works and the freedom of making be-
quests for the suppor~ of such works. The
general meeting was suspended at about a
quarter past five, and resumed its proceedings at a
quarter past six as a public meeting, at which
ladies And other persons paying g coutribu-