The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-09-18

tomfoolery of Mr. Johnston and his follow
ers did not bring with it the lamentable
consequences which it caused in Derry.
Recent Martyrdoms.
It would seem to be one of the Church's
special prerogatives hardly ever to lose
nalized her progress at any period of her
history. Each age has its special glorIes,
which never entirely pass away. There
have been ages specially marked by per-
secution; but when is the Church not suf-
fering somewhere or somehow Another
is distinctly the age of school learning; but
when has learning been altogether uncul-
tivated7 In another age the Church stands
forth remarkably as the assertor OF Justice
and mercy before the great ones OF the
earth; but she is always ready to do this,
and does it according to existing exigen-
cies and opportunities. So too of ascetl-
cism, miracles, missionary effort and the
rest. They are more conspicuous at GER
tain periods, but never quite disappear.
To mention only one more OF the Church's
| glories; crowns of martyrdom would seem
| to have been then most plentiful and most
! ilustrious when they were most needed
| that is, in the first period OF Christianity;
| butt would be conspicuously untrue to as
sert that any subsequentageh has been WIN
out its martyrs. We know that IN the times
of the Protestant revolt Catholic blood How
| ed like water. So it did too during the CEN
fury following in Britain, in Ireland, and
on the Continent of Europe. But even of
| the Middle Age, when the Church obtained
it's greatest power and splendor; of this
| age too we may say that it had its martyrs.
What Catholic can forget the great names
| of St. Thomas of Canterbury, and ST.
John Nepomuc, to mention no others
Coming down to the nineteenth century,
this era of enlightment and civilization, of
humanity and progress, are there no mar
tyrs now Let the name of Poland answer
for Europe, if we would not awaken bitter
memories by recalling the deeds but too
| well known to have been done even in
Rome itself during a disastrous period that
has not yet passed from our recollection.
Unless we were grossly misinformed it was
during the brief reign of the goddess Trium-
virate that the soil of the IS Alma Urbs"
was once again moistened with the bloc d
of priests.
Yes, it is still possible for heroic souls to
gain the martyrs crown. The thing is no
dream of the visionary, it is stern reality,
a fact of actual and contemporary occur
renee. Only it is not in Europe to-day, but
in the far East, that Christians surrender
themselves voluntarily and joyfully to the
tortures and death inflicted by fierce Pa
gans in their rage and hatred against the
Cross. Year after year, as all our readers
} know men are trained in Catholic colleges
for the Foreign Missions, with the express
object of risking their lives in spreading the
faith amongst the heather peoples of China
Proper, of CocMn-China, of Japan, of the
Corea and elsewhere.-tThese brave ano
holy souls go forth in their simple faith
3 hoping success in their great enterprise
by their preaching and holy lives, but
but much more by their holy and heroic
deaths.
g Scarcely has q single year passed dur
9 ing the present century in which man.
u martyrdoms have not been chronlcied IL
G one or more of the countries we hav'
Q named. The fact is familiar to those wh'
It give attention to the "Annals of the Pro
G pagation of the Faith" 1t is a great and
It glorious fact for Catholicism; though tn
It details are narrowing, if considered merel.
i from q point of human view. Sac atur a.
IS astra! Thus it is that mortals gain heave
g by the surest and shortest road. Thus
Is too, by the Divine aid, do the Church
cohorts, not by fighting, but by suffering
, conquer the nations to Christ; thus q
,. y they establish in the earth the way 9
20 salvation for the millions yet unborn.
~ This very week we have an account 9
N the massacre ut TienTsin in China, l
- which the French missionaries and Sis
u tiers of Mercy suffered martyrdom.,
y In Japan persecution, which had neve
= wholly ceased, has lately been renewe
~ with great severity. Death is again dc
- nounced against Christians; and Ava, on
- of the Japanese islands, seems given owe
70 to the tender mercies of native Cromwell
20 who is perpetrating to indiscriminate massa
;s cres. Fourteen hundred of the inhabitant
y, have already been slaughtered, and thl
amiable idolater announces his resolutlo
20 of exterminating the whole population
- his island.
70 In the French reports of the foreign mis-
,. sions we find letter written by one of tn
lie missionaries at Kouang-Si, a district ths
v has already been fruitful in martyrdom
>. by name, Mr.. Foucard, who gives an az
% count of new one in which the incident
n are remarkable. AS usual, these holy me
10 not only practice heroic virtue themselve
q bat inspire their converts also with burnin
l. desire of suffering for the cause of Christ
q We give striking instance, A cathechi
e named Yang, was subjected to a sort {
v lynch law. The authorities did not SAM
i ton the thing directly, but they certainl
= did not exert themselves to prevent it.
q printed paper was circulated by a sort I
v Chinese Reformation Society. The docr
$ ment was artfully drawn up and filled wit
- falsehoods, cleyerly adapted to intiame T,
e gan animosity agains the Christians
e said, "Since the foreigners have appeare
e in our beautiful country, we have been
n flicted with innumerable calamltles, an
e other things to the same purpose IL enoe
d by calling on all good Chinese to extermii