The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-12-24
FOUND
IN THE
SNOW
CHAPTER I.

"Gloria Dec" pealed the Christmas chimes
| from the Church of st. MAry-ou-the. Quay
" Gloria Dec =" sang the wild winter wind ne II
| bowed the heads of the tall trees and dashed
| the waves into foamy anger. 1t was Christmas
| eve, and every sound in nature seemed to Join
in the glorious carol sung by the angels go long
| ago.
| A Christmas eve such as in these latter days
| one does not often eee-one of the olden time,
| when the snow lay white and thick upon the
| ground, rooted the houses and fringed the
trees; when the frost had been busily At work,
and made rows of ghttering. shining iciclep,
that spsrkled In the moonlight like bright
diamonds. A Christmas-eve suoh ~ poets sing
Of and artists love 60 paint-golden stars
| light falling on the white snow, and making
| beautiful, fantastic shadows there, and, over
ALL the mighty winters wind ainging tho carol
| that never grows old.
CIeveden is q busy little town on the coast
| To nighS its streets ere crowded. People are
hurrying through the Christmas snow to the
gay shops, whose windows present euch q
! tempting array.
| little later on, and the bells of st. Mary-on-
| tbe-Qnay change tbeir time. They had been
| ringing out Gloria Dec !" until at times they
music. Two bells chimed now, and they said
plainly bells can speak, Penite." Lights
began to stream through the church windows,
and the people hurried there. It wanted only
ten minutes to the mystic hour of twelve.
Dear reader, let as leave the cold snowy
street, and go with the crowd of worshipers
into the church.
All, it seems like another world when you
enter there, leaving the noise, the frost, and
the snow behind AS the door opens, there
comes to you warm, sweet fragrance, min
gied perfume of incense aud Christmas ever
green's. Great wresths of laurel, ard holly,
with its shining, red berries, are twiped round
the stately pillars; huge branches of fir, with
the dark green laurestinas, are placed over the
pictures and the doors. Over the altar 10 the
Christmas legend that will last while Christmas
does" Gloria in ercelsis Deo" The altar 10
resplendeht with itB white wax tapers and
Christmas flowers The large stained glass
window above 1t represents in gorgeous 81 d
most beangiful colors the CHIEF mysteries in
the life Of our Lord. The golden lamp of the
sanctuary burns brightly. In the Ladye chapel
at the side of the church is the crib, aod there
every one, IS they enter the church, first goes
The sweet story where poetry and religion
meet is told there one can almost fancy the
scene to be real, as it was eighteen hundred
years ego, on that star-lit winters night, when
Christ our Lore" was born. On o rude bed of
straw lies the holy Child" His sweet,
smiling face full of love, yet wearing that
shadow of the crosse to come which in life never
loft him. The little hands, wherein, "a yet,
there is no cruel mark of the nails that tor
tnred Him. are stretched out as though lie
would fain embrace each loving heart that
bends before Him. Leaning over HIM, with
such sorro wful mingIiug of ecstatic joy and
motherly pride is our sweet Lady; her blue
ID ntle IS thrown half across . head of this
little Glib. She is gazing AT that sweet Babe
With D world OF yearnIpS love in her sweet
face. The dear and holy 81. Joseph stands
near, looking with infinite love and devotion |
at the Child III the maoger. 1t is 60 real and
life-lke that ono half expects to hear the
angels sing, aud TO see the star shining in the |
sky as IL Did so long ago.
The clock chimes Twelve, and, with a peal of
music from the organ, the midnight Mass |
begins. There is a soft, molodious kyrie that
seems to plead for mercy, the mercy That was
never moIe clearly shown than on this night.
There is a loud, txutsnt, Gloria and one might
fancy that angels joined the beautiful words,
" et in terra par hOmiHibUs Va solemn, stirring
CTedO, that sounds like " call to arms" from
the glorious old faith. Then, all then, as the
incense floats like a silver mist, the sweet, old
ddeste is sung, 1t would not seem like Christ
mas without it, every note has 80 rich and dear
o train of memories. What have we not
loved, feared, and suffered since we first heard
it years ago! There Is q thought of the dead
father who loved it +; 81 the gentle mother, now
the evening cleaning when she talked about
the Babe Of Bethlehem. The soft, sweet,
melody reaches the depths of every
heart. Men may be proud and cold, bat there
is not one who can hear unmoved the beautiful
1d0TemuS DODliHubt.
the incense seems to grow more fragrant, and
the ltghta to shine more brightly, the solemn
Mass proceeds. Alb, surely the nearest glimpse
We have of heaven is this beautiful midnight
Mass! 1t is ended at last, and the white robed
lcoIytes precedo the ministers Of the sanctuary {
g they leave the altar one by one the tspers {
ire extiBguisbed, the golden light Of the
anotnary lamp falls upon the Christmas ever {
yresns, the lights from the little CRIB show {
hat many = WeTshipsr still llnRerB there. One 6
y one they slowIy depart. Last Of all, 9
rounR girl, clad 10 the deepest mourning, '
non fnss GBltlirg. tender Bhho. She thRawn
Itef fte tt5rE eare set era ei1staee9 ~