The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-06-26
MISCELLANY.

In Church an a Bohemian Tillaae.-On
Sunday mornings the bell of tho parish
church called every one to mass and the
peasants, young and old, trooped in from
women came, leaning on their staffs, carry
ing their beads and their prayer books d
Hideous, wrinkled, old creatures, with
enormous goitres; and little children sol
fresh and lovely that we looked on theml
and marvelled how it were possible forl
such fair young things ever to become sucbl
old women. The beauty of these peasant
lives ls very short. Past their first youth |
hard labor and sun and storm soon changel
the soft pink skin into parchment, and
The church was little, old, and odd and
the priest was suited to his church "a little
wrinkled, old man, with a crooked shout ]
der and o queer voice. The church bell
mad been cracked for many year; the dis
NAL old organ had confirmed asthma; and
wells of shambling execution. The children
sang IN harsh strong tones, and the bakers
daughter, tai, handsome girl, led the
CHOIR, and on week days carried huge
basket on her back full of bread OF -four,
and served the customers at the shop.
The walls of the church were adorned with
wreaths of dusty artificial flowers, with
bows of riband attached; they were once
OF different cOlors, but time and dust had
reduced them to about the same hue WEI
sat on high wooden benches, and looked att
the altar, painted red, blue, and brown
with dingy paper bouquets of faded colors
under glass shades, and more dusty wreaths.
Bot the wonders of the sanctuary were two|
old green lanthorns standing up high on redI
sticks, and helplessly inclining toward oneI
another one having a cross surrounding
it, which its companion must have lost
years ago. They had perhaps been used
TO light the sanctuary in some early time.
. Ihe priest had not TO complain of absen- +
tees. The women and the men, the boysI
and the girls, crowded the church even toI
well-behaved. All the women and girls
wore handkerchiefs of varied and bright
colors on their heads, and clean apr0nsE
over their print gowns. Each woman car
rled her handkerchief carefully wrapped
Ground her treasured prayer book, and held
1e Well IN sight as she marched in and out.
Dickens "AH the Year Found"
;, P1aI JoRes.-A recent number of All the
Year Found, in a sketch entitled "PaulI
Jones righted,n says: " Our old conceptiop
of Paul Jones as q bearded rufian, with q
pistol in each hand, and four more in his
belt, striking an attitude on flaming quar-
ter deck, must, we fear, be thrown into the 3
dust-beap, to which 30 many other histori- :
cal bogies are daily being consigned. By
recent American writers, Paul Jones, whom
We English have long since branded as a
mere nischievOus pirate, ranks as o great
@u1 SuSOessiul naval commander, patriot,
and hero, Bayard indeed, without fear
and without reproach. The interesting
letters and documents on this subject, col
lected some years ago by-Col. Sherburne,
then Registrar of the Navy Department in
Washington, go far to prove that Paul
Jones was - much more honest, a much
more intellectual, aud much more impor- s.
tant person, than we have hitherto eivepH
him credit for being" This estimate oil
Paul Jones is not new to Americans, aud 81
the long account of Joness exploits which
the article contains we are eli familiar with;
possibly not 80, however, with the follow.
ing amusing incident: " About this time
Pant JUttes went round to the Firth OF
Forth, and suddenly made his appearance
OH the slang town of Kirkcaldy,' to tn,
horror OF tile Fiieshire people, who looked
nPOn him as devOuriBg sea- monster.
Hiiie the people crow ded the shore, watch vi