The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-05-03
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Some Of the contributions were touching
and offered to give his kst drop Of blood.
A widow gave Sl0 in gold perhaps the
only piece she had. Tie altar-boys made
| up about 45-6t. LOFTS Cor. Ereeman's
Journal.
! The sentiment in favor of maintaining
the liberty and Independence of the Holy
See is on the increase in various parts of
the Union.
The necessity of assisting the Visible
Head Of our Church, in the present exhausted
condition of his treasury, induced by extra
ordinary war expenses in repelling the law
less invasion Of the States of the Church
by the Garibaldian freebooters and cut
threats, is generally admitted. =
In Europe, the people enthusiastically
vie with each other in the iberality OF their
contributions; but, as usual, the humber
and poorer classes are more generous and
unstinted, proportionnte to their limited
means, in their contributions to the ea,,se
Of the Pope. - s'."''i s'7
1t is an interesting fact, in the history of
the grand Cathedral Churches of Europe,
that those gorgeous and imposing structn,ns--
which. SITTER the lapae of centuries, still at
tract the admiratdon Of the Maveter, were
erected ine the ages Of faith, by means of
penny considerations of the mass Of the pop
ulation. These superb specimens of the
noble Gothic architecture are practical evil
dences of the piety and genius, the faith,
and generosity of the so-called dark ages;
and in their beautiful symbolism and reli-
gious expression, they are far superior in
good taste and Christian sentiment to many
of those nondescript, mongrel mixtures of
Grecian and Roman architecture, which
loom up, in some localities, in expensive
ungsiniiness, even as Catholic parish
churches.
In the erection of churches and other
charitable institutions, the experience of
the clergy will bear us out in the assertion
that the railway and farm laborers, or the
factory operatives, are the most generous;
they do not hesitate when called upon for
aid to any pious or worthy object, and they
do not stop to estimate what percentage
their contributions would realize if judi
ciously invested in some joint stock ven
ture or operation.
The most practical and brilliant results
have been accomplished by the system of
numerously and widely extended penny or
small contributions.
! The attention of the traveller in the
Western and Northern States of the Union
(where the Catholic population is chiefly of
the laboring or mechanical class) is attracted
to the beautiful, and often picturesque village
churches, mostly in the Gothic style, which
dot the country, with their stained glass
windows and tasteful marble affairs, the
work of the poor working man and humble
factory girl, directed by the good sense,
zeal, and cultivated taste of tliei. parish
priests.
What noble example of genuine charity
we have in the above mentioned contribu-
ton of the "poor Irish boy" of $50 in
gold, and the last drop of his blood" if
necessary, to defend the temporal right of
the Pope to the possession of his Capital
City, and of the more modest poor widows
gift of so to the same object!
These, with the gift of the New Orleans
and Jackson Railroad train boy, are shining
examples of the noble generosity and chiv-
alric instincts of our "poor Catholic" ope-
ratives What an incentive to the gentry
the professional men, the merchants, and
tradesmen, the Catholic millionaires, with
theirincomes of thousands-to do their duty,
and contribute, in accordance with their
means, to the most righteous temporal cause
in the world, the freedom and independence
from all foreign control of the Pope, the
Chief Bishop of Christ's Church
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