The Irish standard., 1889-01-05
Considered Lacking and Drawback
to the Best Interests of
s OatholicltF.

t.
ings for that ''swest chality's" sake
without which she teaches us it is i'm.
possible to please God. Catholics are
all sheep OF one fold, kneeling side by
side in the church whose spire points
to the heaven for which they are striv-
ing; then why not with clasped hands
responsive hearts, and that "fe}low-
feeling which makes us SO wondrous
kind Z" But even among Catholics OF
the same social standing there seems
to be a great lack Of congeniality, and
there is certainly very little sociability.
once heard man remark after at
tending 3 reception, ''L never saw SO
many Catholics outside church in my
life bef0re;" and OIL another occasion a
Catholic woman said, "Oh, ] hardly
ever see a Catholic, except on Sun.
daye!'' which fact seemed rather a
source OF pleasure to her. Is it any
wonder therefore. that there are 80
MANY mixed marriages, so many rene
gades from the faith ? The Catholic
girls associates are mostly all Protes-
tants-~what is more likely than that
the man she marries should be one ?
Many OF these marriages are fruitful in
misery; bet let 1ls take the best Of them
where the man is honorable and I'M
prejudiced. They arc married by O.
priest, though not at the foot of the
altar Of God; the husband meyer inter
teres with his wife in'religjous matters;
the children are baptized Catholics and
their religious training left to their
mother. The girls will probably grow
up good practical Catholics. But boys
after they reach a certain age need a
strong hand to control and guide thesa.
They also take great pride in being
like papa" aud papa does not go to
confession or Mass on Sundays. They
soon see that it is no great sin in pa.
pas eyes it they fail in these things
either. They are sure of thrashing it
they play truant from school; but it is
only mamma who will scold, imam
ma will be grleved if they Iniss Mass ou
Sunday. Perhaps they do not like to
grieve mamma, but then papa is man
and knows sc much more thar a woman,
and he doesn't think it such a terrible
thing. Thus it begins, and the mother
watches with anguished eyes the grad
nal neglect OF all religious observance
until in The end the straying sheep slips
altogether from the fold.
Take another view of the case-where
q Catholic man marries a Protestant
woman. She may also consent to her
children being baptized and brought
mp Catholics, but it is rare thing for
the Catholic children Of a Protestant
mother to perseyere or be otherwise
than lukewarm. When very young
they naturally look to her for sympathy
: in all that concerns them, and that fer
which she has only cold liberation or
is utterly unable to understand or have
any sympathy which must necessarily
chill and puzzle the child. He may
have kind teachers and wise guides out
6ANc, DOA WIZ CaA o<seAO eA10 RA<1kO Va q
mother, what teachings are ever as
sacred, as cherished, as those learned
at a mothers kneep The children of 3
Protestant mother may not always
abandon her faith, but they grow up
careless or lukewarm. Their religion
i seems to be barrier between their
hearts and their mothers, and is not
unfrequently resented as such. The
true meaning OF marriage is unity, but
how can two persons be united when
their sous are divided, when all that is
most sacred to the one finds neither sym
pathynor reverence from the other, while
their children, who should bind them
together, enly widen the breach. Many
women flatter themselves that they will
make converts Of their husbands after
marriage, but if they cannot do 80
when, in the eyes of the lover, they are
near perfection There is but slim chance
Of their dong so when the lover has be-
come the husband. They will ind that
!. the pleasure the lover evinced in even
accompanying them to church has be-
asTys33ss S IL