The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-08-10
Switzerland.

lFrom Correspondent London Tablet, July lal
A very sad scene and one very ill-calculated
| to give foreigners visiting Switzerland ia.
vorable notion of our manners and education
as not only Republican, but also civilized and
| decent. has occurred on board one of the
Cantons. On Tuesday, the 9Th of July, the
last day of the choral festival at Lucerne, q
| number of singers from Zurich and Bale were
going by water to Fluelen. On its return, the
| sengers, and at Tells platz received on board
Mgr Lachat, the venerated and persecuted
Bishop of Bale. His lordship was accompa-
MED by three ecclesiastics, and scarcely had
he taken his place in the vessel when he was
rudely accosted by two of the singers, who
| used expressions of an offensive character to-
wards him. The two blaokguards finding that
their behavior had no effect on the bishon
who made no reply but preserved his calm and
dignity, sat down beside him and kept on
talking in q loud tone of voice SO as to draw
the attention OF the other persons on deck to
the Bishop. The rest of the singers soon took
up the joke and to the number of 300 crowd
ed round Mgr. Lachat. A scene took place NOT
unlike that in the hall of Caiphas with all its
good Bishop speeches similar to those of the
jews to our Saviour. The persons from Bale
aud Zurich played their part quite naturally
one might have fancied oneself in Judea.
Most of the demonstrators had bottles ont
of which they were quaffing large bumpers of
wine. One Of them filed q glass, and an
preaching the Bishop offered it to him with
feigned polteness: To have done SO was quite
in accordance with Swiss customs ; the Bishop
therefore, with much condensation, and not
seeing the intent, was about to accept it but
when he put out his hand, the man rudeIy
drew back the glass, uttering at the same time
the grossest abuse.
The scandal went on increasing. Hoping to
put stop to it, the Bishop left the deck and
descended into the saloon of the vessel, but the
rabble followed him thither and continued
their mockings and insults. His lordship then
determined to leave the vessel, and did so at
the next stoppage, at the station of Becken-
ried. This took the mobbers by surprise, and
the 300 determined not to let their victim es-
cape without additional sutferings So thew
vented their demoniac rage in yells and Kisses
against the meek and holy Bishop as he quit
far as to fling empty bottles as an accompani-
ment to their curses and hootings.
such things are scarcely credible, and yet
they are strictly true had the narrative
from respectable eyewitness, q man who
does not share our venefation for the Catholic
Bishop, but who nevertheless does not conceal
his Indignation at such things being done in
It is then unfortunately a fact which remains
on record-thst, in July 1873, at a choral fes
tival at the city Of Luoerne. in a Catholic city
each other in giving their countrymen a splen
did reception, which had decorated and illu-
Tinated its streets and squares and quays and
pade every exertion to give them a brilliant
welcome, and had succeeded in doing soft ia
a fact that q band of DULLES, 300 in number
haillng from Bale and from Zurich treated the
Bishop of that city and Canton of Lucerne,
Just as the Jews treated our Saviour in the
Hall of Caiphas it is fact to go down to
postelity that this disgraceful scene was enact.
ed against prelate who is banished from his
diocese and driven from his episcopal rest
dence and that it occurred on board of a YES
sci in which the Bishop and his suite had paid
their passage. and had n right to common pro-
lection, and to the same safety as was enioyed
by the 300 insulting aggressors, who if they
can boast of being natives of Bale and Zurich
are not on that account authorized to behave
like blackguards when away from home.
The scene took place the borders of the
lake OF Lucerne (the fourth Canton) under
the shadow of the Federal flag of Switzar-
land, that hoated proudly over the steamboa
and without any person, either the captain or
any OF the passengers interfering to put stop
TO the outrage! !t took place on the very day
when the men of Lucerne celebrate the ami !
versary of the battle of Sempach, and thank
the God of armies for having granted them
that victory by which the Swiss nationality |
purchased by the blood of the men Of IIncerne |
and OF the heroes of the Catholic Little
Oantons," on the anniversary of the death of |
" lnkelried, by the sacrifice of whose life the |
But alas, since then times have woefullv
changed and such an occurrence can only be
explained by the progress of Generalization.
! ne eVll comes down from high quarters men
their country, as they did in the good old
IL mes. What they look after now -a-tlays is big
subsidies, paid by the Swiss Treasury to the
russian Exchequer-smiles of encouragement
rom bismarck, and the approval of the hiph
and mighty German Emperor. The presi.
dents of the Swiss Confederation, when not
o9sled about their duties as the supple yassaIs
III ~ Dismarck In pefseeRting Swiss Catholics, or
sIseWhere, for in driving Bishops from Their
no objection to fiesoand