The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-05-03

4
lduodecimo. YOU'VE another" replies Abb
Maynard, IN two volumes octave. This indie
fatigable Able has gone over the thousand vol
lnnes or which ce1ftain the yet uuwritter
story II V0ltaire's life, and has gathered from
them every incident and every sentence the
cold Selatisn or quotation of which would make
is, at once, the truest aud the falsest upon Vol
taire ever written; most Of the facts which ha
chooses to give are stated witha certain exact
neAs h.t most Of that in Voltai.a's career which
made IL worth while to relate those facts at all
Il not mentioned. It is evident, nevertheless,
that the Able is a. honest as hesis patient; he
merely eannst see anything in Kaltaire except
interesting - another evidence that our Roman
Catholic brethren are becoming militant again,
and do not mean to be hit without striking out
from the shoulder at their assailant.
BY q curious chance, it happened that the
same steamer which brought these two thick
volumes from France, brought also LIE <Vrai
Volta;re. of NJ. Pompery, also published in 1867,
master of mockery: L. That he was the most
extraordinary of men; and, 2. That he was the
cOmsnm mate Christian Of all times! Both of these
works came to me in the same brown paf per par
Gel. Both were published in the same Paris, in
the same year; both We're written by French
men for Frenchmen. Such 81 creature is man
when le shuts mp in party that mind of his
which was meant to range free over the whole !!
OF these two works. that of the Able is by far
the most able and thorough; and he does not
fail to urge homo to the Paris of this moment
that the virtuous people of France are still
those who go to mass and confess their sins.
All! that is tiie-tfiffiettft- urgumpnt to answer!
AS the authoritative eNpounder of the universe
the mission of the Church may, indeed, be
nearly accomplished; but as an organization
for the incubation of virtue, the best part of
its career is only just how beginning.
Persons who are SO unfortunate as to be
obliged to travel much in public vehicles and
religious tracts offeredthem by q Gellow-sHfierer
who drawsa bundle of them from his pocket,
and hands them around: 1t has, perhaps, oc-
CURED to others besides myself, what a powerful
meaas Of doing good this might he if the tracts
were written 81 just the right way. OF, lust the
right subjects, by truly enlightened and sym
dersd, besides myself, that such an obvious and
easy way OF spreading abroad good knowledge,
good principles, and good feeling should be 20
long neglected by persons capable Of using it
with effect. I hope yet to see our omnibnses
Uttered with tracts written by such persons as
Mr.. EmeIson, DR.. Holmes, Mr.. Lowell, Mr.. Nor
ton, M. Curtis, DR.. Bellows, Horace Greeley,
DR.. Chaplin, Mr.. Mayo, Mr.. Higginson, Mrs.
stowe, Gail Hamilton, Mr.. Bsecher, Goodwin
Smith, Charles Dickens, and all the other good
fellows Of either sex who love their species, and
hay, wise OF friendly word to say to them 1t
deal better than they ever did before.
Our Roman Catholic brethren have at length
awake to the power of the four-paged tract,
and they are using it with increasing frequency
and skill. This movement mitigates the hor-
rors of city travel; for the Catholic tracts, be-
sides containing much information little known
to us Protestants, are written in lively strain,
often in the form of dialogue. 1t is not I, bad
thing, about halfway down town, to have po-
litely put into your hands a sprghtly little
piece, upon "What my Uncle said about the
Pope"
One day, in the Central Park, we sat down
on a nice shady seat, and Uncle George took
ont a newspaper to read. AS his eye glanced
down the columns he suddenly gave grunt,
and hit the ground very sharply with his cane.
Got the CONT, uncle? said /.
mo, my dear, it's nothing but the old Pope
again,
am sorry to say he's o bad man, my DEAR
replied Uncle George, looking at me over his
"'Why don't the police take him UP, then,
and try himr asked.
So Because there are many people who be-
lieve him to be a good man. answered my uncle;
and as for trying him, Fred, there's been plenty
of that, If You only understood it; but the
oftener he is brought into court, the fewer wit
nesses you can get to appear against him, and
he always manages to come off " not guilty"
uncleP inquired. "A dozen now, shouldn't
wonderr
AGA dozenv exclaimed the old gentleman;
see here;' and he commenced drawing figures
on the graveled walk with his cane. There
said he, pointing to the sum he had marked on
the ground, what do You make of thatT
There's o. said ], and naught. and an
8, and six more naughts. Why, uncle, that's
trO hundred and eight miliiOnsr
"'That's about it, my DEAR"
It is much more amusing to read such n
sprightly performance this than to sit oppo-
site six pairs of eyes, occupied only in the EN-
barrassing task of not catching" any of them.
Useful knowledge, too, is acquired 1t is agree
able to know the exact figures about anything.
There is tract upon ARTICLE III of the Popu-
lar Creed" which is, "All men cannot believe
alike There is also one upon Article of the
same creed: at is matter of no Importance
what believes, if he be only sincere"
There Is another entitled "What shall do to
he saved This is dialogue, and the main
question is thus answered:
" Earnest iaqui'cr.-Will YOU be kind enough
to tell me what practical answer is given in the
Catholic Church to Catholics themselves who
ask the question, What shall / do to be saved!
Cdfhotic.-A Catholic is usually baptized in
infancy, and is thereby invested with the
privileges OF a Christian. AS be grows older,