The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-12-17

w men the French assembly ordered
public prayers for the Precipitation of the
from her calamities, and for a blessing on
the deliberations, Of her rulers, we well
coined the act as symptom of the revival
of o national religious conscientiousncss,
and what is more, of the courage to ex-
press it. What the Assembly of France
did then, her chief magistrates have done
now. "Contrariwise," in the opinion of the
Steele, "to what one might have hoped, -
the opening of the Courts of Justice has
has been preceded, according to the an
Gent usage, by a Mass of the Holy Spirits
in the Sainte Chapelle. And when M. Du-
after Mass the first sitting of the Court of
Appeal, the First President, nj. Gilardin,
addressed to the Court TIE following re-
markable words 81 wish, gentlemen, pub
licly to congratulate the Keeper of the Seals
for having restored to us, in conformity with
the ancient traditions. our Mass of the
Holy Spirit. He las given US back pray
er, which is for me, and for all of us, the
indispensable preparation for the discharge
of our functions. He has saved us from
those political alterations which would
avoid invoking the name of God, there,
where more than anywhere else, God should
be most present, in the administration of
justice, that is, in the most sacred act of
human societies. We are sincerely grate-
full to the Keeper of the Seals. If he
wishes, as everybody knows lie does. to
obtain independents judges, he will have
found them, better than by any other
means, by looking for them amongst those
who believe, who draw from their belief
their strength, and who, after having knelt
in humility at the foot of the altar, ascend
with all the prouder dignity the steps
which lead to the judgment seats" 1t is
encouraging for the future of France, says
the London Tablet, from which, we copy tile
fora linz fkoA 81, cl~
ments OF her great public functioDaries.
In the opening address delivered by the
Procureur-General, M. Renouard, in the
Supreme Court of Cessation, he gave a
frightful catalogue of the losses sustained
by the fire in the Paais de Justice.
Among them were magnificent collections
of theological works from the Augustin;
the Sorbonne. the Abbey of St. Victor
Thirty thousand volumes of the library of
the Court of Cessation persisted. The en-
tire library of the late M. Dupin, 1000 vol
umes, with annotations by himself, and in
Vulnerable original documents, was de-
scribed as "another irreparable ioss.n The
entire official residence of the Magistrates
of the Court, with all it's furniture, its
manuscripts, busts, paintings, was devour-
ed by the flames. All the archives of the
Court were lost. 1--WE begin now,n said
the Procureur General, 'from the month
of April, 1871" These "enormous lossesn
we'll called "heartrepding," consisting of
eleven divisions: "What an extent of
trouble is here involved" he. exclaimed,
s'for private interests, what difficult prob
lens for Justice to solve, what losses for
science! If one atom of intelligence existed
who are criminal enough to approve of
them, or stupid enough to excuse Them
what remorse ought to be awakened by the
mere reading of such a list as the above"