The Irish standard., 1891-06-06

Il Tsf
! depth Of fifty three metres. the water Of
which, declared to be practically mex.
Ihaustible, rises naturally to within
! thirty, two metres Of the ground. and is
[ thence raised by machinery to the sur
face. A second well has also been dug
in order to provide auxiliary resources.
The Pioneers will therefore be trained
| IN the methods Of baharian culture, as
we'll as in the use Of arms. while the
neighborhood Of the illimltable tracts Of
the desert will enable them to acquire
the more savage accomplishments Of
camel riding and hunting as there prac.
tised. A certain number Of resident
fathers and brothers of the All gerian
missionaries will organize these works,
and give spiritual guidance to the es-
tablishment. The house, occupying an
area of SEVENTY metres by ten, with the
kitchens and offices IN outbuildin gs,
has the ground floor solidlY built Of
stone instead Of the sun dried mud
bricks generally used by the Arabs.
The opening ceremony, in which Cardi-
nal Lavigerie was assisted by the bishop
of Constantine, was attended BY many
African priests and missionaries, as we'll
as by a number of Europeans, and a still
greater crowd of natives. All the
buildings and installations were solemly
blessed by the cardinal and twelve
novices received the habit from his
hands. At their head is the Vicomte
Gui de Bressac, whose resolution to
leave the world is ascribed to grief for
the loss Of his fiance,, through her un-
timely death Of consumption. As he
was brilliant figure in the fashionable
life OF Paris, we'll known as a sports
man, and distinguished in all brilliant
accomplishments, his adoption of re-
ligious vocation has caused a great sem
sation. and has been the subject of won
dering comment in the press. His life
aud that of his comrades will be assimi-
leted as much as possible to that OF the
numads among whom they will live.
their table being as frugal, aud their
appointments in the way Of furniture
almost as rude as theirs. They have
also adopted the veil. which is the Pc
culiar distinctive Of the Touaregs, and
whose color, white or black, marks
their tribal division into two sections.
Fastened like half-mask over the face
below the eyes, and almost meeting the
cowi of the burnos above, it forms a
valuable protection against the dust
and glare of, the scortchlng waste.
The foundation of the institution at
M'salla IS intended to be preliminary to
it's extention as its increase in means
and numbers permits. For the next
station the oasis of Oaargal, remote
out post in the desert, has been decided
On. and the re-occupatlon OLA post
among the Chambas, by whom the AL
gerian missionaries were assasinateti
some years ago, is also proposed. The
tolls and hardsh1ps to be encountered
by the neophvtes were dwelt upon as
follows by Cardinal Lavigerie in his
opening address; although I cannot
think of addressing You-a regular
speech. should reproach myself did
not praise you both in the name of re
ligion and of France for your heroic
self f-abnegation. Heroism indeed YOU
will require to brave all dangers stimuli
taneously. In no part Of the world are
greater obstacles accumulated from the
scorching heat OF the sun, the steB1lity
Of the soil, from savage barbarism and
from the horrors Of secular system Of
slavery. You. however, will assuredlY
not avail yourselves Of force, either for
assault or cong such a mission Is
reserved, in the regions of the Sahara,
to the French army. whose place it will
be. after having suppressed piracy half
a century ago in the regions Of the
Mediterranean. and abolished slavery
in Algiers. to repulse the savage hordes
which advance to the gates OF our do
minions with the threat Of fiinRin9 US
into the sea. = The mission Of the plo-
neers, despite their armed character, is
pre-eminently 8 pacific one, but theirs
are surroundings among which it is un-
questio ionablY true that peacecan only De
assured by being prepared for war.
They are bound bY no monastic vows.
but are pledged to the Order for q term
Of years. renewable at will. The
Touaregs. among whom their labors
will lie. have hitherto proved irreclaln1-
able. and their irfecon reliable hostility Is
the obstacle TO the construction of the
trans-S -Saharian railway, now again in
contemp plation. The attempt to subdne
their savagery BY contact with RELIGIOUS
zeal and self-abnegation Is an interest
ing experiment. even from . political
and social point OF view, especially a.
the vast region of which they are the |
sole inhabitants has now been placed un-
der the exclusive pro otector8te eof Francs
IttI must puzzle the angels g under-I
stand what some men mean by their
talk in prayer lneetinRs. when they see