The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-29
IN A RAILWAY SMOKER.
Pathetic Incident That Relieved
Journey.
From the Brooklyn Times.

N Journey.
From the Brooklyn Times.
The Observer, seated in the smoker,
was getting rather bored by what ap-
peared to be an interminable argument
between two Westerners concerning
the police situation in New York. where
they had never been, and had again
1'turned his attention to the beauties of
the Lehigh valley, when one of the dis
| putants said:
Now. it is the Catholic influence;
| the Catholic"
| But ne got no further. The quiet man
in the far corner waiting for chance
to break in and end the argument,
said:
Pardon me for iriterrupting. but that
word Catholic brings back to me visit
made a few days ago to a little town
| in kenosha county, Wisconsin. They
have no police situation to worry them
there, and in fact not much of any
thing to worry ABOUT. 1t is the tghtest
little Catholic town in the country and
the quaintest, besides. Let me tell you
something about it,"
The quiet mans manner was charm
ing. The Westerners, after a hopeless
attempt to renew their argument, set
| tied back, relighted their cigars of du-
bious origin, and listened. The OBJ
| server kept his gaze turned toward the
| mountains, but inclined his ear to the
gentle tones Of the new speaker. Any
thing is better than to hear two per-
sons discuss something neither knows
| anything about.
THE place is New Munster" said the
speaker. Il don't know whether you
| gentlemen have travelled abroad and
seen any of the old villages along the
Rhine, and even If you have, don't
suppose that you have seen anything
like this place, which is an Old World
village of seventy-five years ago trans
planted to the New World. New Mum
ster is German to the bankbone, and
| German customs rule and German ira
ditions survive. The younger folk have
| moved away, some to Milwaukee, some
to Chicago, more have gone to take up
farms and life in the farther West. So
that mainly only the older people re-
| main, and the influence of the younger
generations is nominal or. not at all.
| The village lis luckily removed from
within its gates. People do not move
to Munster. They move away, and
they die. More move away, for the
older generations die hard. They are
sturdy stock, having worked hard and
dissipated none; but occasionally there
is a solemn procession to the cemetery
on the hillside and another old settler
is gone. The first settler came to this
place in 1885. He and his friends and
neighbors from over In Germany were
Catholics, and with the first returns
from the land enough was contributed
to build a log chuEch, and every man
in the place contributed his mite in
money and ia muscle. The church is
not there now. 1t was torn down a
quarter of century ago, and more
modern house of God erected: but /
wish that little church still lived. How
ever the old simple customs live, and
the pure Catholic faith survives"
One Of the Westerners started to talk.
He looked as though he were about to
resume. his interrupted argument, but
there was something silencing about
the manner of the speaker who finally
resumed, with a faraway sort of a
smile:
why, do you know they even wear
wooden shoes there, and there is a
factory that makes nothing but wood
en- shoes. OF course everybody does
not wear the wooden shoe. The young
er people do not generally take to them,
and especially those few who have
been to Chicago and returned to visit,
or maybe make happy the few dying
days of the old fouks. But many peo-
pie tramp about with the wooden foot
covering, and they have never worn
anything else. Their clothes are in
keeping with their shoes, and so is
their simple faith in God and in the
Christ. 1 don't suppose many of them
have heard Of altruism, but they prac-
tice II.
You should be there on Corpus Chris
ii Sunday. Every one among the VII
layers dresses in robes of white, and
the priest and his flock bear the bless
ed sacrament through the streets in
the ancient way. Some call 1t making
the way of the cross. Shrines are built
along the road, and the people stop
and worship at them. Little children in
angels robes scatter flowers before the
procession. Every spring the priest
leads the people across the fields, bless
ing the fields and praying to the AL
mighty for bountiful crops. Perhaps in
no other place in this country is the
old custom of erecting shrines still ad-
hered to.
II have helped to build those shrines.
have followed the father across the
fields. have worn the wooden shoes;
but that was many years ago. Day
before yesterday l went with a funeral
procession to the cemetery on the hill
side. / helped to lay. my father at
rest beside my mother. They were good
people, and they are with God. May
Munster lying within the ranges of a
dozen little hills never be disturbed,
and may none but wooden shoes tra-
verse the cemetery on the hillside. For
myself, shall probably sleep in CAL
vary, with my family, although / am
not a Catholic my parents were. You
will pardon me for breaking in, but l
was lonesome and / wanted to talk
about the things which are lovely to
me. You were very patient, gentle
men," $3.50.
The Westerners looked at their
watches, saluted respectfully, threw
away their cigars and went back to
the dining car. The Observer still
gazed at the mountains, but their tops
were lost in a mist which did not en-
velop them.