The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-10-13
WHY I'VE RESPECT THE DEAD.

" III " Il mgr EC4 he D6dD.
Rev. Father Maher D. D., in Cleveland Universe.
1t was prophesied long ago that Protestant
ls n would end in 1nfdelity and Materialsm.
The history of our country presents O conclu-
sive proof of this tendency. The words of
Holy Writ are applied, and it, personsges
mentioned with d coarse license rat wonld
have shocked ne public q few years ego The
most pronounced atheists end scCtfsIs of all
revelation are Rs popular as any "preacher.'
Bob Ingersoll can draw" fully as we'll as
Moody AID Sankey.
Among the manifestations we have lately
had of this disregard of religion is the plum
derlng of the graveyard However, every
other vestige of belief in q future life will be
deao will be looked upon with ind ference
Even the most rude races. that show scarcely
any sign of religious belief, have buried with
solemn rites the bodies of the dead and care
OF the Indian mounds that lie scattered over
the whole extent of the United Statssf The
civilized Psgans of Rome, Greece and the East
have recorded in their litersture and almot
as endurably in their monuments, their respect
for the lifeless body. Every body has heard of
the Egg ptian cities of the dead, and of the Way
from the long line of temple liz 9 monuments
that rise along it for miles and miles across
the dreary Campsgna.
We can easily understand all this. There is
an ihtmsts connection between mans
thoughts and feelings, between mind aud
sense. We cannot hold in our hands relic
without thinking Of him to whom it belonged,
and having, as our knowledg ge of the person
may suggest, veneration, horror or indiffer-
ence.
Internal worship without any external ac-
cord is easily proved an impos sibiity. We
cannot raise our thoughts t. God and pray TO
him while our eyes and ears are reminding us
OF every thing else. Even our Saviour, when
he wished to pray, withdrew alone into the
we go to place which by what it presents to
the senses reminds us of Him. Where nature
does not supply a symbolism as in the case of
revealed religion, it is necessary to institut,
one. Iphdelity is simply an aversion of the
sensual man from what he does not
teel-"The animal man psrceives rot the
things that are of God" We must school the
| senses into subordination and harmony With
belief if " wish to preserve it.
We may easily infer from this that we should
find in the history of the Jewish race before
Christ and in the history of the Church, in,
structive examples as To religious rites and
ceremonies. 1t will be quite to the point >
recall something of what we may learn from
Scripture concerning the burial of the dead.
The explicit teaching of the Resurrection of
the body may be expected to have had clear
influence on the burial usage of the Jews and
Christians. We are told with minuteness of
the care which Abraham, 30 much commended
by st. Paul for his faith, used in procuring
burying place for his family. When jacob
wss upon his death. bed, after speaking of the
destinies of the families of his twelve children.
He charged them saying am now going to
r.
fathers in the double cave, which is in the
field of Epbron the Hethite, over against
Msmbre in the land of Chauaan, which Abra-
ham bought together with the field of Ephron
the Hethite, for o possession to bury in. There
they buried him, and Sarah his wife: there
was Isaac buried with Rebecca his wife: there
Tobias commended by an angel of God, because
he went, at the risk of his life, to bury the
bodies of his unfortunate departed brethren.
The tender care used with regard to the body
W q 10 In don fha
custom Of the Jews, as st John expressly states
10 the Catholic Church great care has been
taken from the beginning 10 burying the dead.
Every little particular from the bearing ont of
the house to the lowering in the grave has
been made the matter of a rule ''No Chris
tt1n, we are told in the Ritual, Hwho has died
in the communion of the faithful, should be
buried outside of church or q cemrtery pro-
perly blessed but if necessity compel differ
ent course for time let care be taken to have
the body borne to q sacred place as soon as
possible" And again another rubrio tells us
The sacred ceremonies and rites which, ao-
cording to most ancient trRditiou and the di
rections of the Supreme Pontiffs, our holy
Mother the Catholic Church uses in the obse-
quies of her children. parish priests sh ould OBJ
serve and by use retain true my stsries of re-
ligiop, and signs Of Christian piety and most
wholeso me s1ffeages of the faithful departed"
The prayer prescribed for blessing the grave |
is: 20 God, by whose mercy the souls Of the
faithful repose, deign to bless this tomb, and
place thy holy angel guardian over it and alb
solve the souls of those wnose bodies are here
buried, from all bonds of sin, that in Thee |
they may ever rejoice with thy sain's"
Our very nature, therefore, the traditions of |
the bumau race the example of the Pstriarchs |
and of our Fathers in the Faith, and the rules
of the Church tell Us what We must do with !
our dead, and whatever may be the needs of
medical science they must be met through |
some accord with religion.
The United States now make all rails used
here, whereas up to 1875 the importation of
them was enormous The following table.
which gives the miles of railroad constructed
in the Uuited States during tie years named,