The Irish standard., 1904-11-19
tence of the thinking men of Spain.
(From pages As, 46 and AL

tsy
! The piety of the Spanish wome1
does not prevent them from seeing
some things clearly enough with Their
bright eyes. One of the most bigoted
women in Spain recently said: 81 hes
itate to let my child go to confession
The priests ask young girls such in.
famous questions, that my cheeks burn
when l think of them, after all these
years" l stood one Christmas Eve
in the cold midnight wind, waiting for
the church doors to open for the night
mass, the famous misa del gallo. On
the steps beside me sat decent old
women with her two daughters. AT
last she rose and said: "Girls, it is no
use waiting any longer. The priests
won't leave their housekeepers this
cold night to save anybody's SOUL" In
! these two cases, taken from the two
extremes Of the Catholic society, there
was no disrespect for the church or
for religion. Both these women be-
lieved with a blind faith. But they
could not help seeing. how unclean
were the hands that dispensed the
bread Of life.
(From page 1922
The sacristan will show you also the
retable of the miraculous wafer, which
bled when trampled OH by Protestant
heels at Gorcum in 1926. This has al
ways been one of the chief treasures
of the Spanish crown. The devil
haunted idiot Charles II. made sort
Of idol of it, building it this superb
altar, consecrated Gin this miracle of
earth to the miracle of heaven" When
the atheist Frenchmen sacked the
Escorial and stripped it of silver and
gold, the pious monks thought most of
hiding this wonderful wafer, and when
the storm passed by the BOBBY Ferdi-
nand VII. restored it With much burn
ing of candles, swinging Of censers and
Ginning of bells. Worthless as it is,
it has done one good work in the world.
1t inspired the altar picture of Claudio
Coello, the last best work of the last
of the great school of Spanish painters.
1t is gratifying to reflect that it is
not the culture Of America that is
reflected in these abominable ISLANDERS
upon the religion and the womanhood
Of Spain. Mr.. Hay describes himself
as English, and his nationality is at
tested in the following excerpt, as full
of hatred for Ireland and Irishmen as
the others of Spaniards:
(From page 124.)
The Celt is here, lord of the land.
You can see these same faces at Don
nybrook Fair. These large-mouthed,
short-nosed, rosy-cheeked peasant girls
are called Dolores and Catalina, but
they might be called Bridget and Kath-
leen. These strapping fellows, with
long simian upper lips, with brown leg
gings and patched, mud-colored over
coats, who are leaping and swinging
their cudgels in that Pyrrhic round are
as good Tipperary boys as ever mobbed
an agent or pounded, twenty to one, a
landlord to death. The same unques-
tioning, fervent faith, the same super
fetal good nature, the same facility to
be amused, and at bottom the same
cowardly and cruel bloodthirst. What
is this mysterious law Of race which
is stronger than time, Or varying eli
mates, or changing institutions?
Which is cause, and which is effect,
race or religion?
Will the Catholic press be tame and
silent under the indecency Of continu-
ing the author of this foul outspew in
high office next to the president? We
hope not.