The San Francisco call., 1909-03-21

have many proofs that critics who de-
clare the negroes of this country to be
incapable of practicing our holy re-
ligion are grayely mistaken. The An
nails OF the Propagation of the Faith
and the pages of Catholic Missions are
filled with examples of the fidelity of
poor black neophytes to christianity.
and innumerable other instances have
Eeyer been recorded"
After giving a beautiful example
which came under his own observation,
he continues: How can any one say
the negroes cf this country are in
capable OF arpfcC ating the beauty of
chris tian sftnctity or Of practicing he
roic virtue? Many there are in civil
lied lands who consider these poor
blacks deficient In mentality.
OF these poor negroes may we not
truly say: Many things that are hid
den from the wise and learned have
been revealed to these little (humble)
children of the church,
Catholic Missions" reminds us that
the Catholics in America should be
deeply interested in the Society for the
propagation of the Faith, because it
originated in a desire to assist the in
fant church of the United States in
response to a. pressing appeal Of Mgr.
Dubourg. bishop of New Orleans.
Sir Robert Hart. who has returned
from his long official sojourn in China,
SAYS of Catholic missions: Their or
ganization as a society is far ahead
of any other and they are second to
none in zeal and self-interest per-
sonaly One strong point in their
arrangement is in the fact that there
is never a break in continuity, while
there is perfect union in teaching and
practice and practical sympathy with
their people in both the life of this
world. and the preparation for eternity.
The Catholics were the first in the
field, and they are the most widely
spread and they have the largest num-
Der .of followers
And Mr.. Stead who, of course. like
Sir Robert Hart is mont Catholic, in
his volume on The Pope in the New
Era pays this tribute to Catholic
missionaries: Not less. and sometimes
more, than the missionaries of other
ereeds they are the devoted servants
of man. What the early
church did for the barbarians of
Europe the church today is doing for
the barbarians of Asia. of Africa and
of Polynesia. To teach letters, to in
culcate industry, to war against war TO
suppress the slave trade to diffuse the
arts, to introduce all that differentiates
man from beast-these are social serv-
ices to be welcomed with gratitude
and enthusiasm, even il those who rem
der these services be vowed to 1bedi-
ence to the pope of Rome or the gen
eral of the Jesuits.'
The skull of Pope St. Lucius t252-
254, A. d., which until lately was
kept at the Museum of Northern An
tiquities at Copenhagen. has recently
been handed over to Bishop Won Euch
vicar apostolic of Denmark, with the
consent of the Danish minister OF
education The only condition attached
to the possession of the relic by the
bishop was that it should be kept, al
least for the present. in the Catholic
church of st. Ansgar at Copenhagen.
The Congregation of the Holy Fam
lily and the Oblate Sisters of Provi-
dence are two orders for colored nuns
existing in the United States. The
Oblates have their mother house IN
Baltimore. They conduct orphanages
in Baltimore, st. Louis. Leavenwortl
and Havana. The Sisters of the HoI1
Family conduct establishments in the
dioceses of New Orleans, Galveston anc
Little Rock. Each order number.
about 90 members