The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-04-13


mentations with which he is followed to
the grave, some wise precautions by
which, at the end of the hundred years,
not only skull and bones, but teeth, toe
nails heart, shreds of garments, nails of
his coffin, etc, shall be in good state
OF preservation, for they will all be in
demand.
Then, at the end of the hundred years,
the files of the Visitor and all his other
published writings having been examined
to see that they are all orthodox, he is
canonized as a saint and Doctor, his
bones are dug up, and, along with all
the precious little morsels have referred
to above, are deposited in glass case in
the splendid Cathedral in New York, in
which he last officiated, there to consti-
tute one of the curiosities to the sight
of which tourists and strangers are ad-
mitted on the payment of a small fee to
the sacristan. This is the first step, and
the second in process of time follows.
Inasmuch as he was Bishop of Richmond
and Archbishop of Baltimore, the Cathe-
dral churches in each of these cities lay
claim to part at least of the relics.
There is great dispute. The Pope has
to be called in to settle it. A division is
ordered, Richmond gets few teeth,
toe-nail or two, and piece of the coffin.
Baltimore, being much larger gets seve-
raj of the larger bones, while a nail or
two and few strands of hair go to the
church of which he was Parish Priest
before his elevation to the Episcopacy.
The third step follows century or two
later. Baltimore, having grown to be
great commercial rival of New York, feels
that she is entitled to the skull of the
saint which is considered the most hon
orable part Unable to get it, little
pious fraud is resorted to, and a skull is
manufactured to order and placed in the
case with the relics The jealousy of the
New Workers is excited. A quarrel
arises. The Pope is called in and decides
that the Baltimore skull is the genuine
one. A few years later, his successor is
appealed to, and decides for the New
York SKULL and so each party is happy,
tor has not each one the decision of an
infallible Pontiff in favor of its own relic!
Our readers who are not familiar with
the history of relics and relic-worship,
may think all this mere burlesque, but
let them read any authentic treatise ON
the subject of relics from the one written
by John Calvin in 1901 until the present
time, and he will find that what / have
sketched as possible in the future of the
editor of the Catholic Visitor, is what
has happened over and over again in re-
ference to those whom the Roman Catho-
lie Church has canonized as saints. Since
the days of Constantine, who introduced
the Ubiquitous traffic in relics, graves
have been ravaged, skeletons torn apart
and sold-spurious relics manufactured
IN vast quantities, skulls and bones of
favorite saints duplicated and multiplied
to the full extent of the credulity of the
victims of imposture Angilbert of Cen
tule, A. D. 8l4, claimed to have the
blood, hairs, and garments of John the
Baptist, the bones of his father Zacharias.
hairs of the blessed Virgin, shreds of her
cloak and undergarments, drops of her
breast milk, &C., (Scriptum s.. Angiib,
IA, 49, At Corbie, at the same time, the
same articles were claimed to be in DOS
session, together with hair from the beard
of Noah, the blood and hair of our Lord.
part of the. umbilical cord of the manger,
the cross, the napkin in the tomb, &C.,
&c. (Acta Bened. ": /: 375, 376.) AS
w oHO AIOlJ COdO IudG was without
seam, there were no less than taoe7,tv-fve
different ones in Europe at the same
time, each claiming to be the original and
genuine one, and each having high eccle-
siastical authority to support its claim.
In single church in Rome at the present
time, as we learn from M. Hobart Sew
mour-the church of Santa Croce, the
catalogue of relics which is hung up for
public inspection near the chancel en-
braces the following among'other articles:
Three pieces of the true cross, the title
over it with the writing in Hebrew, Greek,
and Latin; two thorns from the crown of
thorns; the cord with which Jesus was
bound; the sponge which contained the
gall and NORWOOD; part of the vail and
hair OF. the Virgin; vial full of the blood
of Christ vial full of the milk of Mary;
some earth from Calvary saturated with
the blood of Christ some of the mama
which fell in the wilderness; tooth of
st. Peter; part Of the head of John the
Baptist" &C., &c.
In the church of st. Praxede, SAYS the
same author, is catalogue carved in
marble, near the altar, where all can
read it, embracing, among other things,
tooth of st. Peter and one of st. Paul.
the chemise of the blessed Virgin. the
swaddling clothes of our Lord his pirdle