The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-19 00:00:00

The countryf l
observedk folks
parishwere,collectionst that course,th
put re
ol
af
curate called him, gave more in charity than the
m
praise,a
amount
un t and
of
oftena l
i theThe curate was afraid that this generous conduct
would win the hearts of the people towards this
Protestant, and by degrees alienate them from the
Holy Catholic Church. He undertook, therefore,
to prove from the pulpit that all the heretics, Cal-
vanists, and Lutherans are condemned to everlast-
ing flames. But he well knew that none of his ar-
guments would be so powerful with his parishioners
isheretic,
loudt
ic, in his
together. a s
he
as the liberality of the foreigner; be determined,
therefore, to change his course, and root out the
evil at once. In order to fulfil his purpose, he de-
termined to convert the Seotchman to the Mother
Church. He sought, therefore, opportunities of in-
tercourse, and did not hesitate to warn him of his
danger, and earnestly besought him to eater that
Church, out of which there is said to be no salvation.
The foreigner, from one cause or another, was a long
time before he took up the subject. At last, as they
were walking one day in his garden, by the side of
the river, our cure resumed the usual topic, and was
agreeably surprised to hear him, on this occasion,
answer, with a friendlly smile—
" Very well, my dear friend, let me hear then, a
little about your religion, that I may rightly under-

stand it. Stay ; let us sit down here," added he,
pointing to a beautiful green bank, " and talk to-
gether. It is still early ; the sun is rising ; all is
peaceful ; we have nothing to fear from interruption.
Tell me, then, according to the Roman Catholic and
Apostolic Church, what must I do to be saved ?"
The Cure—First of all, you must be baptized.
Milord—And how much will it cost to be bap-
tized ?

The Cure—lt depends upon the generosity of the
godfather. The fixed price, however, is 45 sous.
Milord—Very well. But once baptized, what
must be done then ?
The Cure—As soon as the child attains the
proper age he must be admitted to the first com-
munion.
Milord—And how much does it cost to make the
first communion ?
The Cure—lt will depend on your generosity; and—
Allilord—lt is, of course, nothing to me ; but I
merely ask, what is the sum usually paid by your
young villagers ?
The Cure—Alas! sometimes only a wax candle,
scarcely three francs and ten sous.
Milord—Very well : forty-five sous to be bap-
tizA, three francs and ten sous for the first commu-
nion. Go on. What must be done next, in order to
ba saved ?
The Cure—You must fast during the vigils in
Ember weeks; take no meat on Fridays and Satur-

days, and during Lent.
Milord—Bat 1 must tell you that we English are
great eaters, especially of animal food; so that it
would be to me a very painful matter to fast and live
upon broth. And my health—
The Cure—OS! sooner than your health should
suffer, we can dispense with fists, Sm. I can give
you the recent example of the Pope, who, to reward
a faithful Catholic who bad given him a tiara worth
6,000 francs, accorded to him on parchment, grants
signed, sealed, and delivered, exempting him and his
descendants from fasts so long as the world lasts.
Milord-1 do not question it ; but I have no tiara
to bestow. I ask you, then, what is ordinarily given
to procure exemption during Lent ?

The Cure—A. crown of sra francs.
Milord—And, for the fifty-two Fridays and Satur,
days, at the same rate?
The Cure—Of course.

Milord—lt amounts, then, to about fifteen francs
per annum, besides the six francsfor Lent : amounting
altogether to twenty-one francs.
The Cure—Yea forget the fasts.
Milord—You are right. We must add ten francs
more to be excused from the fasts, and Lent ; that
makes thirty-one francs. Let us see : forty-five sous
for the baptism, three francs ten sous for communion.
Thirty-one francs for fasts, maigre, r Proceed.
What more does your Church require ?
The Cure—To attend mass every Sunday.
Milford—And what does it cost to be properly ac-
commodated at the mass ?

The Cure—You can hire a comfortable seat in the
choir for fifteen francs, or the verger can give you a
chair every Sunday morning for one sous, except on
the principal feast days, and then she would expect
two or three sous.
Milord—That is fair. On these days the people
are more eager to be at church • it is, therefore, right
to facilitate their admission by raising the price of
the seats. Therefore we will say one sous each Sun-
day, which is fifty-two by the year. I reckon ten
sous for chairs at the special feasts; this amounts to
three francs two sous yearly. What more is wanted ?
The Cure—You must confess once a year at least.
I will give you absolution for your bins, and you
will only have to make up the penance imposed ; for
instance, to repeat fifty Paternosters and fifty Ave
Merles.
Milord—But if, by chance, I forgot to repeat my
Ave Marias and Paternosters, and, after a number
of these admissions, it became impossible to fetch up
the arrears, then I could not expect to be saved?
The Cure —Ah ! but you would have recourse to
the indulgence-box to do away with such sins.
Milord—And what is put into the box for indul-
gences ?
The Cure—Money.
Milord—But how much ?
The Cure—We do not know what is given by
each worshipper, but we find there some gold, some
silver, many nence, and more farthings.
llfilord—Very well. I should adopt the middle
course ; and so I will set down twelve francs for my
fines. But as it regards these boxes, I have observed
several in your church ; and I should like to under-
stand what is put into them ?
The Cure—Money.
Milord—What is the purpose of the one against
the first pillar to the left ?
The Cure—Money for the repairs of the church.
.Milord—And the box to the right ?
The Cure—Money for permission to have butter
and milk during Lent.
Milord—And what have you in the box facing the
pulpit ?
The Cure—Money for the small seminary.
.41ilord—And what in the other ?
The Cure—Money for the Holy Chapel of the
Virgin.
Milord—And in the other ?
The Cure—Money for public worship.
Milord—lt is very well explained. Bat, to pro-
ceed : what else must be done ?
The Cure—On the bed of death a good Catholic
must receive extreme unction.
.Milord—And what is the fee for that ?
The Cure—Nothing.
Milord—How, nothicg ! Hardly possible ?
The Cure—Why, you see, when a man receives
extreme unction he is not far from death, and then
comes the interment.
Milord—Ah ! I understand. It is all paid together.
How much, then, does the whole funeral cost ?
The Cure—Oh! it is impossible to give you a
precise answer. It depends on the number of priests
who are wanted. These are twenty francs each.
Then, if the large cross is borne at the head of the
procession, it is fifteen francs more. If the one in
gold is required, it is fifty. With the Swiss, twenty-
five more. We have also funeral palls, coarser or
finer, more or less rich, and therefore more or less
expensive. You may also have the old people from
the almshouses, and the young girls from the orphan
asylum ; the order of white or black penitents,
whichever you please. You may estimate burial
costs from fifteen francs to a thousand crowns.
lfilord—l thank you for all your information,but
I The C merely
ure— want
Ver to k
ynow
well . the
You ordina
coulry
d eut do withodu.
expense. t
one priest, two ecclesiastics, and one e cross.
dAccor24
ing to this arrangement you way
b
francs. burie for
Milord—And, with all these costs, I should be
sure of Paradise ?
The Cure—No; but in all probability you will go
to purgatory. Bat, if so, you have not
Milord—To purgatory !
saved me, for you cannot come to deliver me from
thence.
The Cure—In that you are mistaken. You have
only to leave orders by your will that masses shall be
repeated for you, so that you may be taken from pur-
gatory to Paradise.
Milord—I understand. And how much does a
may:; for the dead cost?
The Cure—Thirty sous.
Milord—And how many masses will b 3 wanted ?
The Cure—l cannot exactly tell; but the more
masses you appoint the greater chance there is cl a
speedy deliverance froth this place of torment.
Milord—l see. As the money for the =sees is