The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-12-20
Mexico.

There is party in Mexico, (which his
name is Daves,) a most persistent cores
pendent who furnishes one of our religious
contemporaries with some queer stuff. We
have seen q recent letter of his in which he
narrates quite seriously the following ep-
isode. He says that in passing through
church at or near the Capital city he saw
several ladies kneeling in prayer before the
| image of Saint. The sincere man adds
in astonishment: "Seemingly without in
terruptiug their devotion, the rich and the
poor were coming aud going to the font,
passing directly between them and the
object Of their rorship." Hortid impolite-
ness! These Mexicaus must be very bar
barians. There can be bat one excuse for
| them, which is that they did not believe
the image to be the real object of worship
for the ladies. These poor benghted
Romanists jmagined that the prayers OF
the ladies were directed to the Saint him
self, and that there was no danger of pass
ing between them and Heaven. However,
Mr.. Dawes is preacher and he ought to
know best.
This ecclesiastical Bohemian further
gives expression to his disapproval of the
| "religious training of a man who will rob
you by force, and then, without repentance
or reformation, obtain forgiveness at the
hands of the Church for a moneyed consid
Grafton" He thinks there must be some
thing radically wrong" IN this. How mod
crate There is slight flaw, however, in
the chain of thought. Rev. Dawes forgets
to say how he ascertaiped the facts. They
may be SO apparent ont there as not to be
worth proving; for US, a little information
on that point would not be out of place.
How does lie know the penitents don't re-
pent, How does lie know that they obtain
forgiveness for moneyed confederation
| Trere are seyeEa, little outside considera
tions that make MS somewhat skeptical.
For instance, the Catholic CateeLism to
which we have been accustomed, teaches,
frat, that there can be no forgiveness with
ont repentance, aud secondly, that the
sale of spiritual gift is smony. Still we
will not be bigoted. In Mexico they may
have different doctrine in their catechsms,
and simons may not be crime there.
Dawes knows,
A third recnl!arity of Brother Dawes Is
his astonishaient that Catholicity should
be making such marvellous progress in the
United States, which he admits, and be at
the same time dying out in old Catholic
countries like Mexico, which he asserts.
We suggest to the Rev. correspondent that
this latter impression may be about on a
par with his ideas of prayer to Saints and
The Sacrament Of Penance, The malice o.
Ia political clique, the intrigues of Free
Masonry, the machina:icns of l'f le's
the transient trim mph of hlasphemy and sac
rilege in high places, mnst not he mistaken
for popular manifestation of feeling. Thu
politicians are not the people. NJ. xico i
not distin guished for the high order of it
Christianity or for the purity Of its Catho
lie practices, bn+, such rs it is, we can se'
no evidence, even in BIO, DIVES letters
that the Faith has @aned one iota in it
y hold upon the people of that misgoverne
country,
His statement as to tho United States
however, we admit.
society St. Vincelt de Paul