Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-11-07

tismal rite administered to newly
infant -. ~ 2s*
Along the side ais1es, also, are many
confessionals. Some bore the name Of
the priest there officiating, with the
further announcement, in a few instan-
ces, that the confessions there could be
made in English. e ee&
At the entry of the sanctuary, rest
ing on one of the right hand columns,
is sculptured figure, in pure white
marble, of the Blessed Virgin, on
marble pedestal. From its neck hangs
a small gold cross. In 1872 the cure Of
this church, while in Rome, asked the
Pope Gt was Plus IX.) for some mo-
mento to put i'll this church in Montreal.
The Pope gave him this marble figure,
and with it the small gold cross that
hung around its neck; a cross that was
often worn by Plus TX. himself. Here
it now hangs to- day in this great church
in the western world.
Nobody can adequately imagine OF
realize, without seeing it, the ornate
lofty, and grand effect of all
this beautiful interior architecture,
with its wealth of bright colors
shown in clustered column, res
plendent sanctuary, and tower
ing alter, and in the lofty groined arches,
making maze Of ornamental lines, far
up above the people in the pews. One
feels, before analyzing the effect OF the
great altar, its cleaning towers reach
ing to the very ceiling, aid splendid in
their blazonry of gold, and their script
ural figures and groups, the gilded gal:
leries for the priests and alter boys, the
special galleries for the nuns, and the
alter lamps, swung from the far ceiling,
and their lights (kept ever burning,
year after year) seem to be gently and
slowly moving, with an almost imper-
ceptible motion and pendulum effect.
It is all one great blaze Of rich but har-
nonious colors, gold predominatlng.
The oriel sky windows, Illuminated IN
beautiful designs and colors, are very
rich and effective; while the mazes Of
pointed and gilded arches, springing
far above nave and galleries, take the
eye captive and involuntarily.
Here people are coming and going
from dawn to night-some kneeling at
particular shrines in various parts OF the
great interior, others silently saying
their prayers in the pews. The noise
Of the carpenters at work, with hammer
and saw, among some OF the central
pews makes no interruption of the de-
votions. Men and women silently come
in, kneel an instant on one knee, tow
ard the great altar with its figures and
groups of the crucifixion and the crown
ing Of the virgin, enter pew, remain
some time in silent devotion, go out Of
the pew, again bend the knee afterward
and silently depart. Recently funeral
mass and two other masses were gong
ON at different parts of this great
interior at the same time in the
early m orning hour. At one time there
were wedding, funeral, and the regu-
lar morning service, Alleging on stimuli
taneously, and so far as any confusion
was concerned, they were as free from
it as they would have been performed
in three widely separated part Of the
city. The church was built to seat ten
Thousand people and half as many
more could be got IN by using tie
aisles. The act Of worship is performed
almost publicly as the work in the
streets, and seemingly with as little re-
gard to the lockers on. Such is the
case in all the great Catholic churches
Of Europe, but Montreal seems to illus
trate the custom more conspicuously
than al other city Of the new world.