St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-25

-e late laureate Tennyson in q way TO
make even saint proud. The teaching
of the tender-hearted Assisian Is
summed up and expressed in the last
line of the following poem by the late
John Boyle O'Rellly.
''What is the real goodf
asked in musing.
Order. said the law court;
knowledge, said the schooli
Truth, said the wise man;
Pleasure, said the fool;
Love. said the maiden;
Beauty. said the page;
Freedom, said The dreamer;
Home. said the sa ge;
Fame, said the soldier;
Equity, The seer;
Spoke my heart full sadly:
The answer is not here. ---
1hen within my bosom
Softly this l heard:
Each heart holds the secret;
Kindness is the word
Some refresh their spirituality by
reading chapter from the Bible, that
grand OLD volume of which CARLYLE SAYS
in all the world there is no such book
beside, for the cottage window or the
stateSman's closet. The poets instance
or the orators pattern. or the help OF
man or the inspiration of a race.
But the most popular book among the
clergy is 1.-The Imitation of Christ"
usually attributed to Thomas n. Kempis.
Whether the book was written by
Kempis or by Gerson is matter of mere
literary curiosity. 1t is classic in its
order, and holds the same place in the
spiritual life which Shakespeare does
in the literary world. The burden of
Its teaching is the vanity of vanities"
of the Scripture, the vanity of yani-
ties' of MaIlock's sis Life Worth Liv-
ing?' the vanity of yanities' of Thack-
eray's Vanity Fair"
A Wounded Soldier.
Not long ago cardinal had the pleas.
ure or the pain of reading obituary
editorials about himself. l have heard
of man who listened to his own funeral
Grafton. Equally strange is what oc-
Cured during the retreat In reference
to the Rev. Joseph Cotton. who lost
his legs on the plains of Pembipa nearly
half a century ago. 1t is the custom to
have some edifylng book read in the
refeetory whilst the clergy dine or sup.
The book selected for the occasion to
which l refer was one presented by
John Sweetman, NJ. P, to the Most
Rev. Archbishop Ireland. 1t Is Life
of Mgr. de Mazenod. founder of the
Oblate fathers who have done such
marvellous missionary work in Canada,
Labrador, the Red river regions, Sas-
katchewan, the borders OF the Great
Slave and Great Bear lakes. the Mac
kenZie country and the very confines of
the Arctic ocean. Father Cotton. at
present tie respected pastor of Little
Canada, had to listen to an account of the
awful accident which befel him in the
distant past, as read from the book |
have mentioned. Let me quote a few
sentences:
ION the Sd of November he Gather
Goffon) was Overtaken by violent
storm, alone In the midst of great
prairie. where he could find no shelter.
the snow in thick clouds from the
ground. Father Goffon's clothes, which
were still wet from the previous day,
became one mas of ice. He still strug-
gled forward till the close of the day.
His general sufferings were 80 great
that he did not perceive that both his
feet had become frozen. His horse
could carry him 10 further; he had to
alight. 1t was then discovered that he
could no longer use his feet At the
side of his poor horse he sank down Iii
the snow. There he lay for five long
nights and four days. His horse died of
hunger and fatigue. To save his own
life from death by starvation he deter
mined to eat some morsels from the
dead body of his horse. On the morn
ing OF the 9Th of November he was dis
covered IN this frlghtful situation"
AS the reader gave out the foregoing
lines in richly dramatic tones entirely
suitable to the occasion, the shaggy eye
brows and unkempt hair of the gallant
old soldier of The cross gnook with tho
emotion aroused in him by the men,
cries of the past. Oh! these glorious
sons of sunny France, rich with til
warm blood of the enthusiastic Celt,
richer with a civilization that dates
back to the twilight of history, richest
OF all in possessing a form Of Chris
tlanity which was great ard respected
before the Saxon set foot III Britain,
when Greclan eloGuence still fourished
at Antioch, when Idols were still Wor-
shipped in the temple of Mecca.
Personnel of the Retreat.
The list of the clergy present at last
years retreat. as compared with that of
those who joined In the devotions of
last week, shows that the grim reaper
has not been over busy with them dur
Ing the past twelve months. Only two
have been taken from the ranks:
small number when one thinks Of the
many whom death has claimed on
previous years. The following is a full
list Of the ecclesiastics who made their
retreat at st. Thomas seminary last
week:
Most Rev. Archbishop Ireland, Most
Rev. Archbishop Grace, Rev. Fathers j.
Andre, & Azure, j. +. Busch, +. x.