The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-09-07
Morning Star and Catholic messenger:
lew ORLEANS. SUNDAY sEf11MhEh =. Ie.~
The Iridium at Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort SMITH, Aug. 2s, 1873.

Fort SMITH, Aug. 2S, 1873
Hditor Morning Star:
WIFI tho thermometer OF % in the shade
ana of the hottest days of the season-iti Ia not
..Ss to be ont Of doors, and inside 1t IL not
,,ooa for soul or body to be idle; perhaps
1o,a from Fort Smith might while away
ls.y hour and keep the devil from the door.
That word will be principally on the Tri-
auum. Where shall begin, or when shall
ends Yet, for the printers sake, wish to DO
brief As soon as the people of Fort Smith
fully understood the nature and character OF
She privileged Iridium, they at once COM
1snced to read tho prescribed Litany OF tho
Saints, and to add to the Litsny their own
private prayers for the intention OF the Holy
Father. They needed no further e1hortation.
They all fclt the time for united prayer had
come. 1t was what thoy instinctively felt was
needed from them. Oh! how they prayed Tor
tho aged prisoner of the Vatican! Morning
after morning the confessional was thronged,
besides the appointed times Tho whole con-
gregation--the old, the youpg-the people
from the town and from all tho country places
around-all, all with one heart and ono soul
and one spirit, 1ocked to the Iridium. Easter
was renewed. / firmly believe that all this
ed the Holy Sacraments during the late Tri-
dunn. 1t was really very edifying. In this
our day, in this wonderful ago of ours, it was
= sublime sight to SEQ such o manifestation of
our holy faith and such q proof of our holy
religion.
On ordinary occasions the lamps of faith ap-
peared to be "ertingauntur." But it is not 80.
Like tho small flame of tho sanctuary lamp,
which rises and falls like dying pulse, flick
cring up and down, emblematic of our lives,
which even now wastes and waues--so the
fame of true faith, now fliokering, now dying,
is still inextinguishably alive and burning. 1t
cannot be quenched. On some great feast day
we ourselves experience the truth of this re-
mark. And on great festivities of Mother
Church. needed betimes to give expression to
bhe invisible faith her children carry within
The sanctuary Of their souls, We perceive how
erroneous would DO our Judgment if we con-
cluded the presence or absence of the living
faith Of oar people by external signs. For
there is hidden mine and rich fund of solid
piety buried in the hearts of the faithful.
They are really moro pious than they them
selves are generally aware of. Hypocrisy is
not their distinctive ain.
Oh! how truly natural is the instinct that
Prompts US to pray! When danger is immi-
nsnt, we fall at once upon our knees to pray.
This is, true of the most hardened sinner.
And when we see our Holy Father in imminent
danger, SO prolonged and so fearful, why not
fall upon our knees and do violence to Heaven
by our united prayersf Perhaps it was tho
good Gods intention to rekindle among His
children the pickering, dying spirit of prayer.
Perhaps it was to make the nations who forgot
God cry out once more in helplessness and
humble childlike prayer, "Abba- Father" God
only knows. One thing is certain, the Tri-
dunn told its own tale-it spoke its own bless
ings. May our holy Father live to eutone
last and final De prct"ndis over the tomb of all
his enemies-the enemies of God and man.
n SMITH.