The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-03-03

shrove Tuesday by q magnificent procession
Of all the horned animals, poultry, birds, etc..
used by man as food /; while in the rear of
all this apetiziug and most enjoyable flesh,
followed . long, lank leviathan Of Q fsh which,
40 midnight sounded, swallowed up all that
was before him So rapidly did the maskers,
at the warning sound, throw aside their dis
guises that it really seemed as though the
huge Fish had eaten them up-for the mouth
opened in such q way that each one in the
procession entered it one side, then dohipg
the mask and costume, came ont Mt the other
in usual oitizen-dress. So that by the time
the last stroke of twelve sounded on the ear,
all signs of dissipation, all marks of world
illness, had ceased to exist.
How different is the spectacle presented in
our midst, how persistently the votaries Of
fashion cling to the last hour that precedes the
dawn cf Ash MISUNDERSTANDING in fact, too
often, from the ballroom to the Church, from
long night of vanity to q single moment Of
prayer and meditation-if indeed they can
say prayer with the memo ories of the dance,
&c, providing fast upon the mind-with the
recollecticns of the brilliant scenes passing
bafore their sight!
We quote from journal before Us, of one to
whom the experience of such 8 night brought
@ firm determination to avoid distractions
which lead the heart thus away from the
solemn suggestions proposed by Mother
Church.
1--WE left the ballroom at half past five O'Clock
A. NJ, and hurried to Church. I cannot des.
e.ibe The singularstate in which my mind was;
but everything appeared unreal and unnatural.
The enhancing music to which had listened
for 80 many hours, still rang in my ears, and
every person I saw seemed to be masquerader.
I felt like one moving in q dream, and my ef-
forts to fix my thoughts upon the services be-
fore me only bewildered my brain more and
more-Bot what shocked me most was that
when the priest turned round to give the ashes,
he too seemed to wear o mask Alas I fear
even the memento nori fell upon dull and un-
needing earsl -"
The prompt obedience of human being to
the wishes of tho Church-the divinely commits.
stoned teaoher-is ennoblipg to the whole
moral nature; for it is the triumph of the
spiritual part of man over the physical, the sub
lime assertion that he is ruled by reason and
not by pleasure, that he is conscious of high
er objsot than the mere qualification of his
senses.
1t is because the Church believes that man is
capable of this purer happiness, is apprecistive
of this truer enjoyment, that she calls him from
the whirlpool of vanity in which the world
seeks to epgulf him, and bids him kneel before
the altar to be told in solemn utterances that
he sis dust and unto dust he must return"
Who would dance all night on Shrove
Tuesday, when such words as these must fing
! upon the ears on Ash Wednesday morning; and
who would cling on to the wild dissipation
which stretches out to the grey dawn of the
peniteptial season, if he realized how fast the
days of life are slipping on towards the misty
! morning of Eternitys
The world strives by every means within its
power to make man forget that there is o to-
morrow. olive and be merry" is the cry with
| which she leads him away from the conte1pla-
ton of eternal truth; but she will never
| entirely accomplish her purpose as long 81 the
Church of God stands in the way. AZ long 70
| Catholicity exists, man will be reminded Of his
! duties and his destiny, and forced to remember
| is not dead. It is only crushed beneath the
| feet of Truth ; but were the Church to be swept
| away, it would soon rise mp conquering and
| triumphant. No more convincing proofs necd-
ed of its powerful struggles to regain the mas
| terry, than what 10 seen on the night Of ShrOvo
Tuesday and no better argument Of the
Church's unfailing watohfulness can be given
! than what we all witness around her altars on
Ash Wednesday morning.
The Memorial Celebration in Mobile.