The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-08-24
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THE WAYS OF THE LORD.

Second, that Faith itself, which seems
to me sublime. Third, the wonderful
amount of good done by the Catholic
Church through the instrumentality of
its charitable religious orders. Fourth,
the sincere and unaffected piety of it's
members. Father, have almost come
to the conclusion that when men and
women, and little children, allow moth
ing to stand between them and the
practise of what they conceive to be
their religious duties-neither cold nor
heat, nor rain, nor poverty, nor in
trinity, the Faith that so inspires
them must needs be Divine"
You are we'll on your way" said
the priest with another encouraging
smile.
Il hope So" replied the stranger.
And there is something else. When
| enter a Catholic church and my eyes
take in the many and apparently in
congruous elements of the worshipers,
people of all nations, tribes and
languages, fustian and broad-cloth,
velvet and calico, sQualor and dainti-
ness, side by side; when see, as
have seen, poor, illiterate old Irish
or German or Italian woman telling
her beads in front of the altar in close
companionship with the very latest
product of beauty and culture; when
glance around the church, as did to-
night, and observe an Indian woman
with a shawl over her head kneeling
in the same pew with delicately
nurtured American girl-Father, when
all this is before the eyes, how can I,
lieving that if Jesus Christ was the
Son of God, and founded a Church
which was to be the cradle of Chris
tianity, and it's preservation through
all times, that it must be the Church
which calls itself and has every right
to do so, One Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic?"
You are almost there, my friend"
said the priest, laying his hand on the
visitors knee. Now" he continued,
tell me something about yourself be-
fore we go any further
many vicissitudes," was the reply. Il
have had trials, reverses, temptations,
disappointments innumerable. But
that was in times past; for many
years now I have been what the world
calls prosperous. I am older, per-
haps, than you would think, Father"
How old, may I ask?'' inquired the
priest.
IT am sixty-fve.'
you do not look it."
And you, Father"
Just past fifty"
MAY you have many years ahead
of you for the instruction of your
flock. I am delighted with your
methods"
Thank you," rejoined Father Har-
vey, simply.
"You always give one something to
take away"
Thank you once more" said the
priest. II should be glad if all my
hearers thought the same. I would
feel, then, that I was accomplishing
something"
you may be sure of it., rejoined
the visitor. "You asked me to tell
you something of myself, Father. I
shall be glad to do So My father left
me a comfortable fortune. My mother
had died earlier. I was an only child.
Never having been put to any regular
employment, and being only twenty at
the time of my fathers death, l soon
lost my head. l thought my resources
infinite, and was led astray for some
time by the kind of companions who
fatten on a mans weakness and later
kick aside his corpse. | speculated,
also, and finally lost everything. Not
having been trained to business there
was nothing I could do we'll, little that
l could do at all. l wrote good hand,
but knew nothing of bookkeeping. l
became by turns a clerk, travelling
salesman, reporter, a curbstone
broker and finally an actor. While
pursuing this last vocation I had a fit
of sickness which left me high and
dry for the shores of adversely" And
here he paused The face of the priest
had an interested look. II had
not a penny in my pocket" he con-
tinued, land, as last resource, wrote
to an old friend of my father in Bal
timore. asking him to give me a place
ON his sugar plantation in the West
Indies. - allowed fortnight in which
to receive an answer to my letter, and,
failing that, was as firmly resolved
to commit suicide OF the end of that
time as l am tonight determined to
become a Catholic. Day succeeded
day, till at last the morning came on
which I had resolved to carry out my
suicidal design No letter! I went to
my room, put my things in order-that
is, packed my few articles OF, cloth
ing in shabby valise, burned some
letters and papers, and taking bottle
of laudanum from my pocket I pre-
Dared TO nut an end to myself But at