River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1872-10-25

thus far delayed owing to the noa-ex-
pulsion of the Jesuits.
In her religion Mrs. Merriman is a
devoted Christian and sincere advo-
cate of reform in the Church of which
she is now a member. She was former
ly Presbyterian, and was connected
with Rev. Henry Ward Beecher's
church in Brooklyn. When she went
abroad she became deyout Roman
Catholic, and, as is we'll known, pos
sessed great influence over the mind
and, it would now appear, the heart
also--of Pere Hyacinthe. She por-
trayed to him the abuses of the Catho-
lie Church, and has been a most ardent
worker in the cause of church reform
In her family relations she is most
afiectionate. Her husband died a num-
Der of years ago, and she has had sole
charge of her son, youth of eighteen.
She also had one daughter, who died
when a little girl.
| Perhaps better idea of Mrs. Merri-
mans thoughts and life work, as well
as of her noble character, can be OBJ
tanned from the following extracts from
private letters addressed to very dear
friend in this city than in any other
way. The first is dated Rome, July
20, 1871:
But the great work of Catholic reform is be-
/ gum Dollinger is the head and Hyacinthe is
the heart Of it? There is no hope IN France
our dear Pere stands alone for truth aud con-
science. italy will join in the movement soon,
] AND EnpOAp autirQ and Of nr Apooring
| But / did not think my predictions could
come quite so soon. | told YOU, however, 1t
must come to blood and If the Government is
/ lot very firm you will see great trouble. The
/ head of Romanism is crushed in Rome, but the
!" tail OF nc serpent Is among you,p and will
hive . till the sun goes down. after the table.
! But do sl things in charity. Blame not the
! lay Catholics; they are slayes--consclest ious
slaves-and the priests are more slaves than
/ they. Even the Bishops are powerless. Rome
rules absolutely in spiritual things. | shall
/ remain at my post, whers mysterious Provi-
denee has placed me; there is so much work
! to do in this great harvest field, and so few to
/ do 1t. There are some great and glorious
souls here. waiting the day of deliverance, but
| they must wait in silence and in secret, for a
| sentinel stands at every door and every key
/ hole Rome is politically free, but spiritually
more in bondage than ever. except those ~
| few who can brave the fury OF the Vatican
/ and the POpe's accommodations. Ny work
1 strikes at the root OF some of the direst evils,
/ first OF which is the power of the priests over
wOmenl You can have no idea of this. They
/ rule family, church and state in this way to a
/ great extent. There are so few liberal Catho-
lies that have means in Italy that | can expect
nothing only what the Government does, and
that is OF the greatest importance. They give
me Their protection. If | were Protestant
they could not help me. and if were ultra
/ mOutaup they WOuld not
The next is dated from Munich, De-
tober |, 1871:
| Night before last / was honored by having
DOlllnger and Hyacinthe spend the evening
with me, also Dean and Lady Augusta Stan
ley. You know the Dean is the largest-minded
man in the church of Ebgland-Catholc, ac-
cording to your heart and mine. Dolllnger is
sublime IL his unequalled erudition aud hon
esty-Hyacinthe in his broad Christian charity
and conscience. They are the two leading
/ spirits of this great Catholic reform move
ment. But there are workers also, men of
/ lesser light, but of power. Pere Hyacinthe
was the pr ophet who foresaw aud gave the
alarm-Dolllnger is the rock against which III
/ tranontsnism has been turned back. This
vEt here to Munich has been full of profit to
me, bat | long for Rome aud for the grea.
work there.
That Mrs. Merriam was true pat
riot, ana fully alive to the interests of
her own country, may be seen from the
following words from letter written
by her from Paris, August II, 1870:
! Never until now, in the midst Of this dark
ness, corruption, and hOpelessness, have | so
realized the inostimable happiness of being a
citizen ofa free country. God bless our land,
and make it better!