The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-08-19
TEE POISONING OF THE SPRINGS.
messenger of the Sacred Hearth

| AnO chlvatry that TINS law came 70 De m aue
Yet, even among the pagans of old, it was
| wells, aud out of the limpid, living waters
make a sink of death. Weremepher from
our Greek history, how dreadful a suspi-
cion of cowardliness and meanuess the
| Spartans incurred, when, on their inv aiding
| the country of Athens, Il great plague or
epidemic seized the Atheniaps. The w"ri
went abroad that the Spartaps had poison
| ed the wells. However unfounded the sus-
| picion was, il were surely such a charge
| ss might inspire the perpetrators them
selves with horror. Eucsmped upon the
| heights, and contemplating the devoted
city from a distance, the enemy be held day
after day thous ards upon thousands of
dead, young, and old, the harmless infant,
the innocent Sirgin.-the careworn matron,
the strong man, carried forth without the
walls, and buried all alike 10 heaps of car
rion.
Now, such a dastsrdly piece of strategy
is forbidden by the laws of man, because
1t is against the law OF Gud, which says
that thou shalt not kill the innocent.
Modern times would no doubt ascribe this
humanity and clemency to it's own proper
civilization. But modern times are SO far
wrong, that instead of making such law,
they do not even observe it when made.
They kill the innocent Wholesale, by poi
sonlng, not springs of water, but the springe
of life. Marriage is vitiated by being mix
ed; education, by being irrelleious; poll
tics, by being liberal reading, or our use
of the press, by being Iicentioas
With regard to politics, we have no no.
tion of entering on that subject. 1t is like
vast aea which any ope may embark
upon. Lawyers tell US that the high seas
cannot be appropriated. Any body has a
right TO embark there. The small boy
may Venture out in his small boat with as
much right as a man DIVA Therefore it
q. a q hat
and coming rators do so rejoice IN launch
Ing out on politics. Because whatever
they say, it is about as likely to be right
as what any one else says. TIE sea ls wide
enough for sil. Aud for that very reason
we will keep clear of it among ourselves,
as Lot being conducive to utility OF edif
cation. We shall ouly lay down this def
mite truth, that the liberal principles which
float so loosely about, aud have free
passport wherever they choose TO hail for
or hail from, are the very poisoning of ma
tional life, snd will bring a moral plague
with them again and again, as they have
done often euough before this.
AS to marriages which are mixed, they
vitlate in the very source the lite of the
future family. The Church has no nuptial
blessing for such a union. She has no raw
iehing chant, which sings of the espousals
between Jesus Christ and His Church, be-
tween the EterDal Word and humanity.
She has no gorgeous vestmeuts to display,
DO torches to light, no select youth or rev.
erend clergy to honor By their presence the
union of a Catholic with person cut off
from the Church of God. For how can she |
rejoice when, at sach marriage, the words
of the Holy Spirit ring in ter ears "Who-
soever loves tie danger shall perish in it,"
Accordingly, she empowers ter minister
only to bless privately and aside, without
solemnity or chant, the ring which marks
union made uuder such forebodlngs.
nd n ha 1roa mot nY fsAta
Let US consult the experience of any sin.
gle person, who has looked abont him and
taken note of mixed marriages. One eucb
person, who has glanced around in Eo pro
fessioual capacity, but as a mere observer,
finds in the extent Of his acquaintance
some
THIRTY NINE MIXED MARRIAGES.
Now, in the case of only nine of them have
the children issuing from these unions come
to be brought up as Catholics. 1n two or
three others, after being reared as Protes-
tants or infdels, some of the eff spring
have been recovered by the grace of God,
and are converts in one other they are
nominal Catholics aud nothing more. But
in all the rest of the families there is only
a long record of Protestdnts, infdels, "noth-
ing," 'gone to the dsRs" Thls is a piece
of experience obtained outside of any pro-
fessioual capacity.
If we turn to priests and pastors, who
have profeesedly to deal with marriages
and the issue of them, one such person of
experience informs us that in a email un-
fortunate congregation of the Midland
States there are fifty seven mixed mar
riages. OF course, parties SO contracting
do not always remain at variance 10 point
of religion one or the other, husband or
wife, compromises and comes over. Six
persons have come over to the faith as the
happy result of all those fifty seven unions;
while 10 less than twenty two have gone
over and lost the faith Decides Others who
are doubtful yet which way they will turn.
Come TO the children. Their numbers are
considerable. But only fifty four are be.
ing brought up IL the faith, while one hun
dred and thirty seven have been !ost to 1t,
thirty-one Others remaining yet doubt
ful. OF all these children many have by
this time engaged 10 marriage themselves.
1t ls interesting to observe the kind OF
unions contracted. The curee of the pa
rents has descended to at least the frst gen
GRAFTON, for only four Catholic marriages