The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-10-04
Tho Anniversary Of sedan.
IFrom che Berlin aerusnia /

Ano hnmvexSafy VI oooNn. -
IFrom the Berlin aeruania
The German people is devided into three
parties on the question whether the 2nd NJ
September should be considered by Ger.
many as q national festival. One portion
of the nation will follow the call OF the
Liberal organs, and intends, consequently to
eat, drink, and be merry on the cominr
anniversary Of the battle of Sedan. An.
other portion will be Indifferent to the
spectacle, and the 2od of September win be
just like any other day.-A third portion.
finally, declares frankly and clearly that IL
has not the least desire to celebrate ma,
tional festival on that day. The Bishop of
Mayence, in few brief and vigorous
words, has recited to his clergy, and to the
whole world, the reason which prevent us
Catholics from taking part in the projected
celebration. Let those who have taste,
money, and time to lose in feasting and
carousiDg do SO, but they will be alone in
their performance. Let them not count on
our participation the Catholic third of the
German nation will stand apart. Rejoice!
In sooth we have good reasons for doing
so. Rejoice, when our brothers, our teach.
"ers, cur friends, the fathers of the Society
of Jesus, are being expelled from the from
tiers! Rejoice, when our brothers and
sisters of the teaching orders are being
chased from their schools! Rejoice, when
our money serves to pay Bishop belonging
to sect Of modified Protestantism! Rejoice,
when our bishops and priests are being i'm
prisoned or bauished-when the ceremonies
of our worship are preveuted-when the
management of Church property is given
over to strange hands! Rejoice, when our
congregations are dissolved, when our
meetings are closed, when 1t is sought to
impute the most monstrous completely to
the best of usl And We are expected to
seat ourselves at these feasts, beside those
who have declared a war of determination
against our Church-to swell the ranks of
those to whom passionate orators will thur
der invectives against Catholic Germans
No! the slave must not be asked to laugh
under the stripes of his master. Doubt
less, four years ago our army won brill
liant victory but where are the fruits of
that victory, and what is the price of the
blood which our brothers shed on the bat
Empire which may perhaps later become
for the German people q happy and fecund
institution, but which, up to the present,
has brought us few blessings. The general
peace of Europe has never rested on
basis SO fragile as since the victories now
about to be celebrated. Military charges
and the military spirit have increased to
frightful proportions, and Germany sees
herself condemned by General Won Moltke
to remain armed to the teeth for the next
fifty years. And in the interiorf The
enemies of the Empire are astir everywhere.
ine lanes ana tne foles cia' III Tue natiou-
ality of which they have been despoiled.
In Bavaria. great part of the nation re-
CARDS the Empire with well grounded dis
trust in the Catholic provinces of Prussia,
the cries aud lamentations of the people are
becoming every day more sonorous. The
provinces annexed in 1866 submit impa-
tiently to the new yoke which weighs on
them. In sooth the moment is
we'll chosen for general rejoicing Alas
it is not q national festival that Germany
should celebrate, but day of general ex-
piation and prayer. For the part of the
humble penitent becomes Us better than
that of the vain gPharisee who thinks call
edsto thank God that he is not as other
men are.