The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-07-02

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year in advance. MACSHANE.
L0RETTo "A correspondent of the ST
! Louis Guardian gives the following quaint
! and racy letter from Loretto-written, it is
| presumed, by a clerical visitor. We give
| the letter entire. The picture drawn of the
! good Gallitzin, we'll as his present success
sor, is fine and life-lke: while the citizens
will pardon little baainage on the subject
of the rail road. Loretto has as much en-
terprise-as much public spirit-as any vii
laSe we know of.
EoRETTo, CAMBRIA Co, "a
June 10, 1868.
DEAR CLEMENTS In my travels since left
the Valley OF the Mississippi, have had occa
sion, and | may add, the pleasure of visiting
the little out-ol-the way quaint old town of Lo
retto, and my pleasant experience in it only
saves to convince me of the truth of the old
adage, that cone half of the world does not
know how the other half Ives This place
Is situated the summit of the Allegheny
Mountains, four and half miles from Che
Pennsylvania Central Railroad-ao high up
above the world around it, that the political
miasma that foams and boils below does not
seem to affect its citizens in the least, divert
them from the even tenor of their mOnotonous
lives
The town of Loretto consists of about five
hundred inhA Abitants, and what is most remark
able about it, and which makes it an exception
to all other settlements i'll America, is, that it
is entirely Catholic. The pure bracing air you
breathe is a Catholic atmosphere. The coun-
Try around for miles is also inhabited cxclu-
sIyely by Catholics. The congregation num-
bers about FIVE hundred families, making it the
largest in the diocese outside the city of Pitts
burg. II is under the pastoral charge of the
Rev. Father Reynolds, who, owing to his long
In ba mir isfp rrb oIu
cation and sound practical judgment, was most
JudlclOuSly selected by the former Bishop OF
Pittsburg (Dr. O'Connor) to take charge OF this
pleasant but la6Orious mission.
On entering the town the first thing that
strikes the eye is the large brick church that
"tops the neighboring hill" Next to il is the
Convent of st. Aloysius, conducted by the good
Sisters of Mercy. This institution has been
but lately finished. The Sisters have about
seventy boarders and large day school. 4
mo e beautiful locality for a college or convent
than LOrett0 could not be found.
Next to the convent on the right YOU see the
old frame church which used beiore the
brick one was built This was built bv the
sanity Prince Gallitzin. 4 little to the right
of this again you see lille stone church amidst
green trees, shrubbery and decay ed tombsfones,
raising its modest little lichen. covered, cross
crowned spIre to heaven. This was the first
church which Father Ga!litzin built some forty
years ago. when good mothers had no need to
draw on their fertile imaGinations to frighteu
their unruly youngsters into unmeritOrious obe-
diencc by the threats that "the wolves or the
great big bears would catch them" Their fond
hearts were too fearful of the reality to permit
them TO play with such tools in the lonely wild
ernesS-for when with motheIly foudness they
gaZed into their little eyes, they feaI ed that
such threats might prsye prophecies-aEd thus
i'll charity for those good mothers whose bones
are mouldering il The graveyard beyond. we
hoy NOT ,tI - tb..- a -.
liant fiction of wolves and bears which makes
the modern young IerrObatc tremble in his
brass toed DO is.
1t was with feelings of reverential awe arising
from an rndehniteness of what might meet my
view, that / entered this Chapel. When inside
l imagined that if the breeze would blow aside
the faded curtain of the confessional, l would
see the old man sittiHg there. | kuet before
that little altar with feeling | had never felt
before. On leaving, l observed q faded pla-
card tucked to board which was nailed to the
door post. 1t contained the rules to be observed
by these entering the chapel. While it showed
the zeal Of the Priest for the house of God, it
also shadow ed forth the sturdy. determined Ra
ture OF the sanity old Russian Prince | trans
cribe 1t for the benefit of your readers, hoping
that they will remember it when entering our
Catholic churches III the West. 1t runs thus
NOTICE.
1. Scrapo tho dirt off your shoes on the iron |
scrapers provided for that purpose.
Z Do not spit on the floor OF the chapel
.: 10 not put your hats or caps on the chapel |
A. De not rub against the papered walls of /
the chapel
;. Do not put your heels on the wash boards !
o. After coming in ut the passage door, shut /
the door after you.
DEMETaIUs A. GALL1rzrx.
Parish Priest of St. Mi -hael's, LorettO |
This Is plain Ango Saxon, and might with |
good results be posted on every church door in /
the land. The man who wrote that and signed /
his official name to it not to be trifled with |
Across little green valley about n half mile |
from the old church stands the Franciscan
Monastery, which, like the convent, is an es- /
tablishment Of late years. Connected with this
monastery Is Il boarding school attended by 10 |
Dr 6O scholars The Reverend Father Brown
s the president of this institution.
All these churches and institutions are built
1n land donated to the diocese by Rev. Father
failitgin at his death, which occurred twenty
eight or thirty years sgo.
Thus we find, in n secluded srot on the Allie
5heny Mountains, the Andora of a merica-
1ere the pastor is the priest, the lawyer, the
uoSe and jury, and may add, the exccutioner,
or his oral inhlctions are more dreaded shan
he bastiles of which our poets and orators
make SO much use. All quarrels, family or
'therBise-all disputes about debts or boundary
lnes-are brought to him, and beyond his de-
ision there is no appeal. A quarrel is gener-
NY settled by good, sound, old fashioned
'rthodox lecture to BOTH parties Accounts
re adjusted by reference to the chalk marks
'ehnd the kitchen door and boundary lines are
marked out and determined by the ferule of
vs. cane. A case Of litigation came up lately
nat perPlexed the good paster not little. One
II hls-parishoners brought suit against the rail
DAD company for damages. The complaint
would have preferred summoning the company
MO the presense of the pastor, but fearing, and
10 dou6t with reason, that the defendants would
'ieao coram non judice, he plunged headong
nto tho vortex of the law. Tt was this piece
u wrecklessness that made the good pastor sigh
or the temporal welfare of his unfortunate
'arishorer. Now l cannot find fault with the
abroad company forn accepting the adiadi-
'atlen OF Father Reynolds and pleading 'fcorarp
ION Judice" on the grounds that he would be
'reJudlced in favor Of his own people, for the
lumblest one amongst them is as dear 10 HIM
IS the pupil of his eye. AS well might you
,iuck the highest feather in his cap as lay yonr
ingei on the least of them.
Hence this important suit is now grinding on,
md the impeachment of the President and the