Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-14
TOPICS OF THE HOUR
Carefully Selected for Sunday Readers.
Japanese Catholics.

JdpuueSt OutnOliCos
 The total Catholic population of Japan is 50,00O among 4O,000,000 inhabitants. The Rome correspondent of the Balii- more Sun writes: "A certain num- Der of old Catholics has been found in Japan who had preserved their faith from generation to generation from the seventeenth century. This is how they were discoVered: Some twenty years ago the Abbe Petitjean, who has since become a bish- op, was praying in his church at Naga- saki, when some Japanese women en- tered the sanctuary stealthily ana toio him that they belonged to the same re- ligion that he did. He qustfoned them and they told him then that for more than 300 years (when Saint francis Xavier converted their ancestors, tnou- sands of their countrymen had heid 10 the Catholic faith in spite ot persecu- tions, baptizing one another, awaiting the day when priests should come 10 take the place of those who had been martyred. The information given hlrn enabled Abbe Petitjean to find out m the district of Nagasaki these grand children of Christians. nearly all "f whom have returned 10 the ltomah church. It is believed that in other dis trictS of Japan, too, many descendants of Catholics have remained faithful to the old traditions, without daring to make themselves known, so terrified are they by the recollection Of the perseeu- tion of which their fathers were VictiinS' Thus at kasanaWa, certain laInlneS have secret religion. which they will not reveal, and which Is called the Budu- hism of the Cross. These families are said to have preserved, since the tune or Saint Francis Xavier, monotheistic De- lief. now mingled with Buddhistic super at ha fiald is immense the nary est ripe, but the means to reap are scanty and the laborers few
 Reformers are too apt, while dreaming of the millennium, to do nothing to i'm prove the condition of public affairs AS Mir Charles J. Bonaparte says: iney are disposed to remain idle, while they explain how nothing of the kind could happen if only their favorite panacea for all existing or conceivable evils had been or were now applied. This may be cu- mulative voting, or minority represehla- tion or direct legislation, or female sut- frage, or prohibition, or the single tax, or any one of the many more schemes 10 usher in the millennium. Whatever the scheme may be, the beauties visible to the eye of faith in the more or less ois- tant day of it's practical acceptance Tn no wise help us to deal with the scoundrel who wonder winks and leers at us while he pockets that salary we pay. He must
  age, and if welwait until he-and his Klnd have voluntarily made their own pros perity and continued existence 1mpossi- ble we shall wait long and very much 10 his and their satisfaction. But IT, lettihg JJtopia take care of itSelf dealing with present duty, which, of surety, needs and deserves our full strength, we by the voice of honor and conscience W1thln us and do what we know ought to De oohe now and here, that which seemd impos- xxaIl tn indeed. will surely come to pass if we but try, and try without ceasing, to bring 1t. As we strive to gain a better government we shall come to deserve one ana when we deserve this we shall nave IL; rree, , dom is not the birthright of slumberers. The right way to do is to go to the prl- maries so as to get the right sort Of can didates to vote for at every election, ana to influence as many acquaintances as possible in favor of good government through trustworthy officials
 Mailing Lie
 The New York Independent naiis lie which has been travelling over the coun- try. propelled by anti-Catholic hate. document has been prepared showing that 72 per centum of all the deserters in the war were Irish. The document pur- ported to be from statistics furnished by rectly from the United States pension or flee, and to have the indorsement or the New | OTk sun. IS cullOl VI thS 1AfN~ pendent wrote to the war department ana received the following reply: NO com bilation has ever been made from which any reliable statement can be made reh- live to the number Of deSerterS during c late war. The number Of soldiers or aty given nativity in service during the &.,r is not known, nor is 1t possible to make even an approximately correct E. atement of the number or percentage or iIeserters belonging to any particular na- itionality." The New York Sun likewise denied that it had indorsed these figures, which, as the Independent says. strips the statement of the last vestige of au- thority, and shows that 1t is a lie made out of the solid. But lie will continue to travel even after it is nailed. Yet the Catholics may rest assured that persecu- ton which Is founded on misrepresenta- lion and falsehood will, in the long run, meet the fate of all lies.-Christian Reg ister
 Celtic Manuscripts
 Celtic scholars and lovers of ancient Irish literature will be glad to know that the Astor library has recently added to its shelves the largest collection of Gel tic manuscripts in America, and facsim- land, faithfully copied at enormous ex- pense from the original in Ireland, France and Germany.
 So carefully and artistically has the work of making the facsimiles been car ried out that the smallest stains and marks of time upon the original books have been reproduced together with the brilliant coloring and wonderous pen work of the ancient scribes,so that one who has seen the originals will derive pleasure from turning the leaves of the facsimiles in the Astor library. The old est manuscript in the collection is magnificent Evangelistarium, written with liquid gold on purple vellum. It is not only of almost unrivalled beauty, but not less remarkable for its great age. xln4a fa6 lAA