The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-01-05

rule of ceiibacy is relaxed, It must be il
press, and where the bishops are not free
the discipline. r
CHOW know tina. the Government of
Portugal and the Government in some parts
OF Italy and Sicily, have kept the Bishops
SO tight that they could do next to nothing
with the clergy, and if ever the Bishop
i0una priest that needed to be corrected,
the government was sure to take part with
the priest against the Bishop. 1t was the
same IN tho Summaries when the Church
students were brought mp, the Bishops,
conldn't have their own way. In fact this
intidei party that has mostly got its finger
into every pie, was doing all they could to
cripple the Church and destroy it, and thew
avow that they wish to do so, and one way
they've tried is to bring it into contempt
with the people. l know this has been tho
case In some of the South American Col.
onies as we'll, and suspect this is at the
root OF any scandals there may be amongst
the clergy, and of great many reports of
scandals that never bad any foundation.
"'1t's human, bad corrupted human ma.
ture', not to believe another ia better than
oneself, and try to bring him down to our
own levels in the opinion of others. We
uon't ike reprOof; example is more cut
TIM than prccept; and to bad, immoral
man who is n Catholic, there is nothin',
take it, he feels more personally offensive
than the sight of a priesthood preaching
always by word and example the very vir-
rues he don't want to practice, and has got
to disbelieve-and this all the more if his
religion tells him that he ought to go and
CONFESS his sins to the very men lie hates
and despises. A Protestant, if his minister
takes the liberty to pull him up, may turn
on his heel .and go OFT to another chapel I;
IL II Ill
is true; or else it's gigantic imposture, and
there's no religion true at all; and if he's
bad Catholic and does not like to 20 to con.
tession. he often tried to pursuade himself
that the whole system is lie, and the
priests from first to last are a set of hypo-
critics and impostors. All this I've seen
score of times with foreign Catholics,
Italians in particular, out in the States and
here in Italy, and to my mind this is quite
enough to account for all the stories cir
cnlated by this class of men against the
Catholic priesthood. OF course, some of
the stories about bad priests are true, such
as will happen from time to time; but de-
pend on it the one true note is copied in q
thousand counterfeits."
"Bravo, Van" said 7, "you fought oar
battles bravely and well, with only the the
oiogy of common sense"
AS fitting sequel to the above, and as
showing how thoroughly married
clergy" can do the work of its Master, we
copy the following interesting sketch from
one of our Protestant exchanges, the Home
Adcocate, of Jefferson, Texas, which we
happened to be glancing over a few min
utes after reading Vans unanswerable ar
guments. Whilst reading it we could not
help regretting the incompleteness of the
history of the Apostles, which forgot to
tell us of their vain endeavors to find gen.
teel looking houses With "grassy yards" OF
their tender solicitude for the better half,
etc. For instance, what q beautiful picture
Peter or Paul would have presented had. he
been obliged, upon reaching Rome, to run
around hunting up good lodgings for q
dedicate wife, and "only five" little ones,
one of these sick baby" and perhaps
having to give up the comparatively unim-
portant mission upon which he was sent, of
saving myriads of souls, because the only
house he could procure had "no chimney"
And these are the men who pretend that
they were sent to preach and teach all
nations these are the successors of the
twelve to whom was given the commission
80 To preach the kingdom of God, taking
nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor
scrip, nor bread, nor money, neither have
two coats y!
Itinerant Life
1t sometimes happens that after confer
ence it is convenient for preacher to visit
his new circuit, before returning home
for the purpose of procuring residence for
his family. Well, he travels over his new
field of labor, and doubtless meets with a