The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1889-12-28
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|: does not also prompt Us TO think well Of
our feiiO men, TO put the best con-
struction upon those acts and words Of
theirs which we know and also to dis.
believe anything which we hear Of
them which is discreditable to them
which we do not know. then I take it
we have not the Christian Charity of
which I write. None but the Nazarene.
H,mself, knew how many brave hearts
were and are broken by caiumnv and
| foul detraction, none knew better than
He, that it were better to take the life
Of fellow being than steal away his
character, steal away from him the love
and respect Of those who are the near
est to him, perhaps. Y hypocrites, "
He often said to the Jews, II read your
hearts, @
We are associated not that we may
only give our pittance to Gods poor,
but that we may all learn to be charita-
BILE to one another. that we may IL truth
and il fact recognize the universal
brotherhood of mankind.
1t is related by the sam author to
whom have referred that at one time
Saint Vincent De Paul was accused by
magistrate, who shared his room, of
8 ealing large sum of money, and was
even charged with this disgracefnl sin
before number of distinguished per-
sous Under. this notifying accusation
the serenity Of Vincent never failed
him. his only reply being, ''God knows
the truth" He bore this SANDER for
six years, when the true thief was taken
up at Bordeaux for another crime,
and, to quiet his own conscience and to
clear the Innocent Vincent, he sent for
the magistrate and owned his crime.
| The magistrate, ashamed of his Insult
! ing treatment Of Vincent, begged in
the most humble and contrite manner
his forgiveness. 1t was thus that st.
Vincent tried to copy his Divine Mas
tel, who bore in silence the malignant
accusations Of the Jews.
The following is told of him as also
illustrating his character. I'm France,
! the gallev-slaves were men condemned
to the most severe labor. in the most
loathsome prisons, cut off from hope
and from their fellow men. To these
prisons he gained Ambulance not only
to relieve some of their dreadful suffer-
ing, but to nelp them in aiming merit
| by them, so that all their punishment
should be in this world. He was met
| by these poor creatures with curses and
blasphemles; but he did not shrink, he
did not despair. Jesus died for them
and therefore Vincent loved them.
| Yes loved them. He did not pretend
to love them. but really and actually
loved them with the same love that
Jesus felt for sinners. Loving them, he
tried to gain their love. With sweet
words, and gentle winning wavs. he
went among them. He kissed their
| chains, he embraced them; he listened
! to all their complaints; he used prayers,
aud entreaties. to those VINO hau the
care OF them, TO deal more kindly, more
forbearlngly with them. These gentle
| looks. words and actions at length over
came them. He had pierced, with the
arrow of sanity sweetness, the hard
habit of sin. They learned to weep
like children, to pray, to do penance.
Their life OF terrible punishment was
now one Of humble expiation, and the
sting and the bitterness were gone
But he did still more, Seeing one day
a man sadder than usual even among
these unhappy galley-slaves, he asked
the cause of his detection. The poor
man replied, that by his imprisonment
good wife and several little ones were
thrown ON the charity of the world, and
he groaned, not for his own sufferlngs,
but for theirs The '3ender heart Ct
Vincent was touched; the courageous,
self forgetful heart was nerved for the
sacrifice. He actually took the place
Of this unhappy man, with the consent
OF the taller, and lived, for months, the
life of galley-s|avs until he was dis
covered by his friends. and against his
will forciuly released. The marks of
the chains never lett his ankles, and
1.-The CALLING of those dreadful irons gave
him pain to the end of his life."
But l take it the Lord did not intend
that to one man alone should be given
the key to. everlasting salvation. To
every man that is born is given this
instinct which in thu absence of un-
toward conditions would lead him on
ward in the true wav. It is only when
the influence of the world and its at
fractions deadens this natural feeling
among the great maj ,rity that He per-
mits one man like st. Vincent Do Paul
or an Ozanum to call forth the masses by