The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-21
A RANDOM CONVERSATION.
Record Made by Father Bessonies in Thirty
Years Experience at st. Johns.

AJournal reporter knocked at the door of the
study Of Father Bessonies the we'll known priest
of st. Johns parish, yesterday. ''Come in" was
cheerily roared back in answer to the knock
''come i'm that has welcomed reporters for
nearly thirty years. The good father was
seated with his toes turned up to comfortable
fre-long may it be before they turn up to the
daisies-and he was contemplating an aged vol
ume with feelings in which joy and sadness were
strangely mingled.
"Ths book" said Father Bessonies," contains
some statistics concerning my work as priest of
this parish. The record begins November /,
1857. Between that date and the first day of
January. 1886. have baptized 6545 persons.
Perhaps 500 of these were adults and the re-
mainder children. Over six full regiments Of
children"
The reporter suggested with such record it
was quite appropriate to calf him father. The
priest continued: During that same period
have buried from st. Johns Church 2,669 per-
sons, and have married at the church 1916 per-
sons There is total of 10, 100 persons to
whom have ministered in this church at bap-
tism, marriage or DEATH and to many Of these
have minstered in all three.
~" couub ID HOW SJ6dully decreasing ltS Q6UG.
Eight years ago this church owed $40 O0O now
she ows about $21, 600. The Christmas collection
at this church for the orphans amounted to $500.
while during the year 1885 the collections for all
purposes Gn IN st Johns have amounted to $l2,
GOO. Besides paying off much of our debt
during the past eight years we have made many
repairs, and this winter we put in furnaces
Bishop Chatard objected to having boiler put
would seem, judging by the frightful accident
that took place recently, the explosion of the
boiler at the church at Fit. Wayne. By the way,
the bishop will return from Savannah about the
Attn OF February, coming home by way of Balti
more. He had singular experience in the
sunny South. He wrote me that the tnermome
ter was ten degrees above zero, that is, twenty
two below the freezing point, and that he had
frosted the ends of his fingers.
There is talk of hard times in Indianapolis.
How can that be2 The streets do not show it.
lp the afternoons, when the matinees at the va
rious places of amusement dismiss their
audiences, notice great throngs Of people COM
ing from those places, crowding the sidewalks,
Now, it costs money to go to such places and
that people do go. and go in such numbers,
seems to me to disprove the cry of hard times.
Surely, people must have the necessities first,
and that they do go shows there cannot be much
want. Another thing: it costs money to hire
carriages. Now, notice that funerals are as
well attended as ever. Long lines of buggies
and carriages follow the dead to the grave. Ger
tainly times cannot be hard.
There is one thing l wish the preachers of
this city, and all who believe in morality would
take in hand to put down. The large pictures
that are posted on dead walls and billboards, to
advertise the shows that come to the different
places Of amusement here, are, many of them,
outrageously indecent. 1t is all very we'll to
teach morality to children in the Sunday
schools, but, when they come upon the streets,
these pictures corrupt their young minds and
undo the good work I believe there is a city
ordinance against such things If there is, it
oJv1tr ctr,.1l h. 49, e. 49, hi
posters. or whoever is responsible for these pol
luting pictures, ought to be punished"