The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1879-01-19
WHAT 4 JEALOUS LAYM4N CAN DO
FOR THE CHURCH.
THE VATICAN LIBRARY
N. Y. CORES pcndept clncinnat! rs!egr

| lt - gratifying tn know, by recent
| circular of the Jealous and enterprising
| Mr.. Hickey, that his experiment in issuing
a series OF valuable hooks az the cheapest
rates is not failure. Mr.. Hickey's name
shall hold place of honor III the Library
history of the Catholic Church ia the
United States. He is the founder Of the
| Catholic Reuie,o, which have read with
both great pleasure aud much profit from
the start-a journal always men ioned with
praise and never with fault fading. 1t
| enjoys the confidence of the hierarchy, of
| the clergy, and of the laity, not ouly in
this country but also abroad.
When witness the effort of such man,
animated by true zeal, temperate in style,
and yet Incorporating in thought and
expression, 80 ably defending our Faith,
so prndently and skillfully attacking its
enemies, and the weapon he employs in
the warfare so noble and so unerrIng, |
trnly wish that q number of insignificant.
vacilatiog sheets would sink into that
| nonenity out of which they have been IN
| fortunately drawn, or into winch the eel
fshness, egotism and inaptitude of their
conductors will ultimately doom them.
Then necessity would take the place of
choice, and compel Catholics to encourage
| that portion only of the Catholic press
| which has a claim TO their patronage. As
1t Is, real merit ia crowded out, aud the
purest sources OF Instruction and edifcs-
ton are checked by ephemeral prod
Yet there Ia a remedy to this evil. But it
has been published SO many times and the
advice has been disregarded that we
give up the task as almost hopeless. Yet,
let it be rejected. Once more to the great
shame of those whom the remark hits, is
II not true that the daily pabuum of many
| au intellect that should feed on the choicest
| food. and should impart that healthy food
er og0icio to others, feast only on the n. Y.
| Herald at the east, and the Chicago Times
at the Westf Alas that they should nm-
| triri in crOceis but
| 1t ie not for his establishing the Catholic
RecielV, alone, that we Catholics are in
oebteo to Mr.. P. Y. Hickey. He has rem
dered another great, aye, inlmense service
| to the cause which should be dearest to the
| hearts Of Catholic parents aud Catholic
| pastoTs-he has provided remedy to the
greatest aud most iusldious evil which
threatens tho very life of Faith in the
| hearts IF oar children. No exaggeration
in the words. For, of all the evils which
encompass the rising generation is there
any more dangerous, more ineidioue, more
ovcrw lining than that of a cheap, wicked,
immoral, satanic Press? My experience
among Catholic homes extends over many
years. have made 1t a point, speciality,
to ind out what kind of readin is foetered.
On one occasion / visited one hundred
families for purpose. In those families
found sixty four in which boys and girls
were growing up, and found that with the
exception of a torn and worn out prayer
book, there was no Catholic Bible, NO
Catholic work, no Catholic paper, but in
t almost every one of them found secular
papers, Of that stamp against which ever
| Protestant ministers and conscientious
7 publicists have raised their voices. This
! is fact. Sixty four families in one Aun
| dred AS for the rest, with the exception
of eleuen, who subscribed to Catholic
, papers, had Bibles and some STANDARD
= Catholic works, none of them took 6
} Catholic paper regularly, or had a regular
: stock of good Catholic books, and only
8 received an occasional paper, and borrowed
b books from their Deighbors Tbie is one o.
= my experiences. Almost all lived in com
D Portable homes, and were not poor.
Now on the face of these facts the enter
4 prise of Mr.. Hickey is one in regard tc
> which anyone who has the power and thu
). authority cannot be Indifferent. 1t is
{ plain CAGE. Eighty-nine Catholic families
: are to be provided with good reading. Lee
c us place before them eighty nine goo
e works. They will coat the average of on
1 dollar apiece, and they could not afford it
1 Let us believe that such is the case.
6 Mr.. Hickey comes forward and lay
70 before these eighty. nine families, tire
: hundred copies of the very best STANDARD
] Catholic books, which can be got for 25 apl
y Is and 10 cents piece, thanks to pecu
= liar happy way of his own of managing thu
8 business.
Il NOW bhS lou u hLouu 10 pldc0u bB6luS
9 every church door in the country, and oil
: it put the volumes of the Vatican Library
o aud tell the Ipeople to invest their dime
9 in any one of those books, and for bette
: inducement tell them for one Sunday tn
i penny collection will be dispensed with
: provided they will invest their mite OF
J., that wave. My word for it, the penny col
i lection will not be any the less for it an
# the effect of the departure will soon b
t felt, healthier taste for reading will b
:, engendered, bad, poisonous reading will b
8 prescribed, and an ambition will be raiset
Q in every family to have their own library
g and they will vie with one another VIII
. will have tho most and the best.
Y Notwithstanding the opposition that ma
= be offered, the fact remains incontroverti
A iolr ho,