The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-10-17
THE MeRNMG SUNDAY OCTOBER H.

direct manner. Of its objects and character,
and to bespeak your sympathy and oo-opera-
The frss and. indeed, the only principal OBJ
ject Of our organization is, by Catholic in:
anences, to check intemperance in the use OF
For etching to
selves worthy of being objects of associations,
but which, in our economy, hold the relation
rather of means to the primary end.
But let our actual object be first clearly I'M
derstood. We must not be regarded as soci-
ETY. of reformed drunkards. We rely far more
on the prevention than on the Of SO fear
full q malady as that which we combat. Dur
grand object is to influence those social habits
which lead to intemperance. We desire to
give respectability and power to known re-
Putation for abstinence, and, by contrast, to
throw q shadow of distrust, popular sense
of danger, over and around that freedom OF
indulgence which is SO fruitful aad SO fatal q
effect good not only by raising up some who
have fallen, and by drawing aside many who
walk securely, as they think, amid PREACHER
ous quicksands, but by eventually reaching
point of strength and Importance where our
Influence will make itself felt outside of our
immediate organization. The visible exls-
tence of virtue always tends to cheek the pub
lie exhibition of it's correlative vice, and
powerful, widely extended, active temperance
corporation will necessarily modify the man-
ners, and even the morals, of the whole COM
munity in which it exists.
Bnt let MS call your attention to the means
by which we propose successfully to compass
lutions and high aspirations. 1t is easy to
start eft enthusiastically with schemes of self
amendment or projects of philanthropy, but
to keep on is the trouble. Perseverance is the
reef on which summer excursions all get
wrecked. How, then, shall our undertaking
prove an exception Only by the aid of Him
| who made all the seasous-winter as we'll as
| summer-who made the rocks and reefs, and
| knows all about them. By His aid alone can
| tempests and distractions be safely met and
triumphantly overcome. For perseverance we
Y 10 Trpnr1 Itrrsn yHnkh tr,dx a1a
| We therefore imperatively require that every
member shall be Catholic, and practical
Catholic. He must make his Easter commu-
making this regulation it is not intended that
| only they shall be admitted members who
have been in the habit of complying with their
| Easter duties. No matter how negligent q
! Catholic has been in that respect, he may be
received as q member, if otherwise acceptable,
but this is only in the hope that he will,
| through the Influences of his new associations,
be brought back to his long negleeted practices
| of religious obligation. For the future of his
membership, however, he is as absolutely
bound as any other member by this rule.
The strictly Catholic character of the work
is further seen in its entire subordination to
ecclesiastical authority. Each society has as
its spiritual director a priest of the parish
the power of an absolute veto in all matters
of discipline and morals ; and, as much as pos.
sible, all meetings are held in his presence. If
any further assurance of the entirely Catholic
character of our association were required, it
would be found in the unmistakable sanction
of the clergy always accorded us and visibly
manifested on this occasion, and especially in
the emphatic endorsement of his Lordship, the
Right Rev. Bishop Elder, of Natchez, this
night SO eloquently given to us. His Lordship'l
earnest advocacy of our cause can leave NO
doubt on the mind of any Catholic to its
acceptability to the Church, both in its object
and Its means.
to keep alive and active the interest of mem
bers in the working Of the society by lectures
and discourses, either in public or in churches
lent feature in our rules in isvor Of sick mem
beers and families of those deceased. Our con
nection with the General Union of Americs
the facilities it may give to tt ose going from
{ homo. certificate Of good standing is 81
once a letter of introduction and of recon-
r mendation to one hundred thousand Other
=" found scattered throughout
memperH " w -.
every portion Of this great country.
, Fellow Catholcsi In closing this sketch =.
. our organization, permit us to aPpeH, TO 70,
. for your moral support and ct la:.st q tacit CO
3 operation. We do not EXPECT every body t.
Join US actively. There q about our mr. dertakipi
certain element of missionary seal, a certaii
: aggressig eness of reform for which it is no
every body that feels vocation. That spiri
o is given to some and not to others. But thos
J., others can at least praise the work aud pra
q for its success.
!. Particularly of the female sex do we expec
, this moral cooperation. They not invite
g those stray sheep that ought to be within til
l. fold. They can extol the principle of tots
ii abstinence, praise it's votaries, strengthen il
o faltering soldiers aud dishearten it's enemie
J, | with all that irresistible tact which in th
Q days of Mother Eve they were wont to abus
IT but which nowadays they know we'll ho'
to use.
/ Who are more interested in our movemer
: than the womeni drunkard ruins no othe
i. man than himself, but be drags down with bill
" often mother and sisters, generally a vii
l. and those whom she holds more dear than lii
}. her children. 1t is upon the women an
> children of a community that fall the heaviet
s. penalties of mans intemperance. 1t is more (
n save them from the horrors of want an
b misery, than the reckless man himself, that til
/. sympathetic hand of compassion is held out.
o By their prayers they can do all. To the
i. prayers We appeal. The noble Association
}, Prayer for the Repression of Intemperance j
i Honor of the Thirst of Christ on the Cross
O composed of women. Its career in Ireland an
}. England, where it numbers nearly one millio
q members, has been marked with counties
4 evidences of success and we commend il
!. membership to those of orr lady friends VIII
wish to be our allies.
: Bishop Elder then gave his blessing to tn