The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1868-07-19
NAPIER, AucT1oNEER.

no attempt 10 compound for his pet iniqui-
ties by damning iniquities for which he has
no mind. On the contrary, after exhaustlng
his excellent knowledge Of profane language
at the expense of his neighbor, he cooily
proceeds to 60 and do likewise; and the
humor of it is, that he can never by the Sc
verest course of augmentation be made 10
see that what is vice in an American or
virtue in an Englishman. We recognize this
intellectual strabismus without any inten-
ton of finding fault with it. We might as
fitly censure the Ethiopian for his skin or
the leopard for his spots. We might as well
reproach the victim of color-blindness be-
cause he cannot distinguish red from green.
Nature is nature after all and in contem-
plating the natural Briton we may some
times wonder and sometimes laugh, Dut 10
suffer ourselves to get angry would be quite
a waste of emotion. Such phenomena sno4,o
be calmly recognized and philosophically
discussed.
AS an illustration of our opening remark,
we may cite the recent proceedings OF the
British commander at Magdala, in conquered
Abyssinia. When the first Napoleon made
prize of the art-treasures of Italy, anG
stripped the affairs of her churches to adorn
the Partisan galleries, he was denounced by
England as no better than burglar, and
upon his fall, pictures and statues were ali
sent again acrost the Alps; at which spec
tacle Mr.. Bull was moved to tender tears,
while lie offered prizes for poems worthy to
celebrate so rare an example of retrlDutlve
justice. Those who have read with admlra-
ton the verses of Mrs. Felicia Hemans upon
this subject, for which she received either
medal or some money, will wonder whether
any prize poems will be written upon the
lootingn of Magdala. Plundering in
Rome or in Venice is, no doubt, different
thing from plundering i'll Abyssinia, and the
general commanding probably viewed the
z accumulated heap of loot" without, COM
junction, for he refused to have anything
whatever to say to the heirs, executors,
or administrators of departed King
Theodore, but put up the personal property
of that monarch for sale by auction, and
distributed the cash receipts among his
men-the whole amounting, as we are in
formed, to about f50OO. We read the ac-
| counts which have reached us OF tins re-
markable vendue with considerable equanl.
1 nifty until VIC came to the sale OF several
drums and silver shields, arms and suits OF
armor, are, no doubt, proper plunder; and
| the personal property of the king whether
cups or crosses, all come within the rule
that to the victors belong the spoils. 1t
would have been well if the rapaclty OF the
conguerors had stopped here. But consider
| ing that the advance of British arms should
also be the advance of civilization, 1t IS
little odd to find the British soldiers carry
| ing OFT the Abyssinian libraries. Many
|
ent of the Times, shave been looted" There
must have been u rich prize OF Mss, anu
| these have been taken, we are told, ny the
british Museum, s'at q ya1uaeIOn.~ H must
be remembered that these manuscripts are
| held by the Abyssinians in religious venera-
| ton, and that they are in fact the ancient
and authentic chronicles and Testimonies OF
their faith The robbery is, therefore, much
more scandalous than if an invader OF Eng
land should carry Oft the Bodie!an Library
| - :, 1,o oh vlSit f.
and rob that sacred fame of its Bibles anu
PRAYER books. 1t is peculiar way Oh re
generating one of the Oldest churches IN ti,e
world thus to despoil it of the venerable
monuments Of it's faith ana aitaough I. sns
, public records by the British army at w ASH
inpton in the last war, it must be ADMITTED
that the vandalism upon that occasion
= lacked the rare flavor of sacrilege: But tn
8 deed has been done; the stolen lefary at WI.
. and, as the Times sagaciously remarks
". " 1sthough the text cannot interest many, tn
q attached pictures will repay visit to tn
n Museum"
Il But in dealing, with conquered peIPl
- the conquerers did not confine themselve
= to the seizure of sacred libraries. we hav
10 ~ hardly the patience to write it, but anon
~ the articles of "loot" are mentioned "th
a crosses, the sale of which will make til
"a most valuable addition 20 the sum to b
~ ~ divided" To these were added the chalice
Ss % and censers taken from the very affairs, an
ef the alabaster block upon which the sacrs
% % ment was habitua1ly consecrated! AS thes
'o blocks " only brought few shilling
~ apiece it might have been just as we'll
n. leave them in the churches. The story
~, -, the spoliation has quite the interest of
he chapter in Gibbon, although we belle,
to that, upon most occasions, the barbarian
~ spared the church utensils and the comm'
M MON tables. No wonder the purchasers
av cups and chalices and censers, stolen fro
Ia the temples of God and sold by auction
vs W, Magdala, were cautioned to " conceal the
va in going down the country, as the Abyss
". mans might not relish the display of sacrt