The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-09-04

crucifixes are Of solid silver and are
chained to their marble altars. Muc:,
of the wood work is mahogany, and
it's carving, by the great masters is
beyond price. The cost of ST. Peters
20 years ago had already reached the
sum of fifty millions of dollars. It
costs $4,000 year to take care Of
it. There is a good sized colony O:
Workmen living in small houses on
the roof and constantly making re-
pairs. 1t has 30 affairs, 20 on the sides,
one main altar and the grand MASTER
piece altar by Bernini over the tomb
Of st. Peter. This last is high above
the floor and covered with highly
wrought canopy Of wrought silver
and gold, supported IS feet in the air,
on four richly gilded spiral pillars
made of metal taken from the Pam
theon, or pagan temple of all the gods
of Rome.
On the table Of this solid marble
altar none but Peters SUCCESSORS cele-
brate the Holy Mysteries, and then
with his face to the people. Imme-
diately in front of this great altar ia
the large square opening in the main
! floor, which exposes to view the bronze
plate glass casing of the shrine Of ST.
Peter below. A richly wrought balus-
! thrno HI jrl, t.
opening, and on it are 50 immense solid
bronze sanctuary lamps, burning night
and day the oil that gave it's name
to the fateful Garden of Olives, where
Peter drew a sword one awful night
in defense of his arrested Master.
Unless destroyed by some great
earthquake or by the perverted hearts
and hands of envious infidelity, this
triumphal master temple Of the world
will stand pre-eminent and inimitablc
till the uttermost limit of finite mu-
teriars power of endurance, or live to
abdicate its supremacy in favor #
"the eternal tabernacle not made by
hands,"
st. Peters. stands today, practically
n as it. has stood for. tttsasaast 800 years
over the remains Of hfm whose nam.
, it bears, the largest, the most i'm.
posing, the most costly, and perhaps
. the most beautiful temple ever erect
ed by men to the honor and service
Of any god, true or false.
1t will never be duplicated. The
true religion will need no copy an:
! none other can make it. The com.
, bined heresies, isms and idolatries o
mankind are not, have never been
enough Of "the zeal of the House o.
God" to copy even its vestibule. The
Catholic church will never need sucl
, another Basilica. she is building every
, day, as she always has. still grandc
temples of the Holy Ghost in thu
hearts of her faithful millions Today
. to save her children from the prevail
ing epidemic of infldelity and immor
ality, she is building schools an.
churches, not cathedrals. And she WI,
win again, as she always has, 70
"behold He is with her all days. ever
to the consummation of the world"
OF the twelve catacombs we visitc'
but one-that of st. Callistus on tn
!, famous Appian Way. With lightc
. tapers and barred heads we descende
the slope for some fifteen feet, tro
lightly upon the holy ground, read tn
Latin and Greek inscriptions on 4h
broken marble slabs, knelt at tn
tombs Of those men, women and chi,
dren who died from sixteen to nine
teen hundred years ago for Chris
and thanked God for the faith the
bequeathed US. One of nom Catho
:. lie party that followed US nippantl
alluded to the fun he was having
Poor Protestantism! How sadly
has beggared its children and robbie
them Of the Christian sense.
A.,kA