The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1870-07-03
TAMMAHY's VIEWS OF CIVILIZATION.

In the legend of St. Tammany, left the
assembly of visitors, who hadlistened so
attentively to his quaint homily, loath to
retire and return to the cypress-girt city,
as if spelled by some mysterious power,
pOndering over what he had uttered in his
inspired wisdom. Nor did they take leave,
the same day, of the old Sage, and retrace
their steps towards the noisy haunts of
busy men. But the hunters loaded their
guns and went into the woods, the fisher
men prepared and cast their nets, others
scattered about in search of fruits, and the
priests celebrated Mass under the blue
canopy and amidst the wild scenery dis
played around their rOugh-made altar. y
Oh, what a profusion of rare game, fine
fish and luscious fruits was soon brought
and served, and what rich repast was
relished on the green grass, checkered with
many -colored flowers.
When they had INDUCED their appetite
and slaked their thirst, they arose and
gathered again round the old philosopher,
who understood what they meant, and,
with sweet gravity, thus began his second
homily:
"Men of the city, Iperceive that you all
seem astOnished at the kind of life I have
chosen, and been leading thess many years,
SO many years, indeed, that my head is
gray, and my limbs bent down; but listen
to the voice OF an old dweller of the desert,
of one whose words are not those of bland
worlds; no! they are the unstudied ex-
preston of heartfelt truth and love, of
broad and deep philanthropy. You wonder
that am here, and wonder that you are
nOt-that you have lived 80 long, pent up
in the narrow city. Yes,- have often
wondered how, sing 30 near the country.
God made the country, aud man made
the rOwn-how you could remain immured
and imprisoned in the slate rooted houses
of many stories, where the crowded popu-
lation, heaviDg like great, fermenting
mass, can hardly breathe or move at ease,
but Is ever restless and dreaming of some
sort of change, never satisfied with their
actual fate, which is, after all, the least
enviable that maybe imagined out of hell.
Men of the city, you Call the nomadic
SONS of the forest barbarOus, savage and
stupid; tell you that they are kind heart.
ed, uusOphisticated, noble and proud, in-
telligent aud loving they are civilized, as
most of their white iufatuate brothers are
not. l have lived long with them, studied
their domestic manners, shared their unre
strained butorderly freedom, aud 1 do say,
TO their praise and to the shame of others,
that they are the true Americans, the
primitive offspring of this New World,
which liz their own aud native land, and
the heroic missionaries who have known
aud loved them, as do, have lett glorious
records of that unfortunate and doomed
race of heroes, fast recedIug, the SO
called civilization advances with grasping
cruelty.
Let us not be deceived. We know of
ourselves, from glimpses Cod las once or
twice given us III life, what incredIUie pos
sibiiItles of wickeduesS we have i'll uur
souls. Civilization Increases these p0ssi-
uilILies. Education niul Liplies and mag
nlfies our powers of Stunning. Refinement
adds u fresh -Inalignity.s Men would thus
bec"Ine more dIabUiIcaily aud unmixedIy
bad, until at last earth would be u he'll un
this side of tho grave. There would also,