The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-04-27
LETTER FROM ROME.
AUDIENCES.

ways enjoying excellent henith, CONTINUES
to give official and other audiences. iwo
receDtions of families aud individuals, have
taken place this week. On Sunday the
women of the parishes Of S. Peter, S. Spirito,
S. Martha, and S. Maria, TRANSPORTING,
headed by their respective parish priests
and the president of the "Circolo" or Guild
of 8. Martha, to which they all belong, were
received in the Sala Ducale. 500 poor
women of the labouring classes, including
small shopkeepers in bye-street, ah clean
and tidy, and many in the picturesque cos.
tune now so rapidly dying out, presented
themselves to ask for the Apostolic benc-
diction for themselves and families pre-
vioue to AN eight days. Retreat as pre-
partition for their Easter Communion. Tbs
Retreat is to be given 10y the Passionist
Fathers in Holy Week. The Holy Father
addressed to them short discourse, en-.
couragipg them to presevere IN the use OF
the Sacraments, in patience under the az
ficulties of their condition, so much agra
waited by existing circumstances, tne ~
creased cost of all the Eeccssarles OF lie,
and other hardships, aud terminating
discourse full Of good sense, beneVoience,
and affection, gave to them and their nue.
bands and families the Benedic:ien they
sought for. On Tuesday the lnhaoitantS
of the large parish of Sta. Maria Masgiore
had an audience They brought with them
as an offering to His Holiness remarkably
fine copy OF tho Madonna veEerated in
that Basilica. The artist is Francis de Rho
den, the first pupil of Overlook. An ad-
dress was read by the parish priest IN the
name of the assembled Pensioners, TO
which the Holy Father graciously replied,
pointing out the difference between the
period when faith inspired the erection
Of that magnificent editlce and the present
time, which is one, generally speaking, OF
destruction. Ho alluded to the danger
(which indeed is manifest to all who go up
the Esquiline IIilD thai the making Of new
streets-not ono of which will give better
access to tho church-mny end In the ser
ious damage, and even partial destruction
of ono of the most magnificent editices in
Rome, the deep cutting by the side of the
church having placed the foundations in
great peril. He trusted, however, that the
sacred edifice might be preserved from the
danger that was 80 imminent, and that the
Holy Mother in whose honor the church had
been originally built under such extraor-
binary circumstances (the snow in August,
hence the title, Sta. Maria ad Nives), would
continue to watch over it whilst the work
that had no foundation but impiety, that
was accompanied by the blasphemies of the
low tolerated by the great, by the exclu-
sion of all that related 10 the spiritual and
by a seeking only after the material, must
in the end inevitably perish. His Holiness
concluded by giving to all present the us
ual bencdction.
FATHER sECCHi's LECTURES.
One of the events of tho past week bias
been n course of two lectures by the cele-
DRAFTED Father SccclIi, in the great hall of
the Cancclleria. The proceeds were to be
devoted to the poor hoy-attiZans of the
city, who have been collected together un-
der the auspices of the Society for Promot-
ing Good Works. Notwithstanding the
high price of the tickets, fifteen francs, tho
room was well TILED The illustrious as
tronomer was greeted with great applause
as he entered. He spoke in French, MS
the language best known to the audience,
and commenced by an apology for any
short comings in that language, an apology
which the French reporters say WAS totally
unnecessary, since lie spoke with perfect
hgency and correctness. The first lecture
was on Saturday last on the Sun. can
not give you detailed account of it as it
lasted nearly three hours. 1t embraced
all the recent discoveries which have made
Father Secchi's name famous in all coun-
tries, and was illustrated with series of
the most beautiful experiments and illus |
rations showing how, by means of the |
spectroscope, the presence of various min |
erals was detected. The spots, the pro-
tuberances, the eruptions, were all dis
cussed at some lenght and with singular
distinctness and perspcuity and the au-
dience separated with unanimous express
sions of delight at the instruction they had
received. On Monday the Rev. Father
concluded his remarks on tho Sun, and pro-
ceeded to the planets, comets, and fixed |
stars. In examining these remote bodies
too the spectroscope and electric light play
ed an important part. The Rev. Father
spoke of the stars that are apparently white
tbut in reality blue), of those that are,red,
and others that arc yellow, and showed |
that these rays depend much on the min
erals contained in those distant orbs For
the greater part of the experimental illus
traticns the room was darkened, and the |
objects represented projected on white
cloth. Towards the/en of his lecture
Father Secchi spoke of the great aid, in |
money and otherwise, and the unceasing
encouragement lie had received from the |
Pope, whose intelligent interest in the pro-
gress of science was only surpassed by his |
zeal for the promotion ofthe glory of God
and~at the conclusion the following words
wereseen in brilliant light ut the end of
the room -
TO IN PM
SOILS INsTAR'
INTER sIDEHA'
MICANTI'
rLURIMos' Amos
To Plus IN, Supreme Pontif1, shining as
) sun among the stars, many years y This