The Catholic bulletin., 1916-07-29


High Mass on Sunday, or on some 9th
er solemn occasion, required to wear
a stole; and, If so, what color should
the stole be?
The stole is a long, narrow vest
ment, the center of which the priest
puts upon his neck and during Mass
he crosses the ends of it before his
breast At other times when it is
worn by the priest the ends OF the
stole hang straight. 1t signifies the
priestly dignity and authority and is
symbolic also of the virtues that
should distinguish the one clothed
with the stole. 1t is generally richly
ornamented and thus indicates the fu-
ture glory of the one who shall have
proven himself a faithful minister OF
God
The stole is worn by the priest dur
ing Mass, the administration of the
sacraments, blessing of articles, when
carrying the Blessed Sacrament from
one place to another and when recelV-
ing Holy Communion either during
Mass or outside of Mass. It may be
worn also by the priest when preach
ing, where this is sanctioned by Gus
tom of very long standing. The stole
that the preacher wears should CORE
spond in color to the festival of the
day, even on All Souls Day. During
funeral sermon however, neither
surplice nor stole should be worn. Our
authority for these statements is VA
pelhorst (11-5), who refers to recent
DEGREES of the Sacred Congregation of
Rites.
Regarding education in Mexico,
what is the system of schools there?
1t is generally supposed that Mexico
is a country of just two classes, the
rich and the poor; that the poor have
no education, that luxury being only
for the upper class. Does Mexico
want her poor uneducated, for fear of
their knowing too much? Does the
Church work in connection with the
government in keeping the poems
ignorant; or has Mexico competent
school system, that is working for the
good of the common people? The
country is in confusion now, of course;
but what were the educational op-
portunities before the revolution?
Mexico being a supposedly Catholic
country, her degeneracy is blamed on
her religion. These questions are be-
ing constantly put to Catholics, and we
would like to know the actual facts.
There is a great deal of illiteracy
and of downright ignorance among the
people of the lower class in Mexico.
Yes, there are two widely separated
classes in Mexico; but the division is
not made on the line of wealth, for
there are a great many in the upper
class who are far from rich. The
illiteracy is easily accounted for. Dur
ing the past hundred years, with the
exception of the terms of Diaz's presi-
dency, Mexico has been torn by revolu-
tions. Conditions similar to those that
exist now obtained prior to DiaZ. In
the fifty-four years preceding his first
Inauguration there were fifty-two pres
idents, one emperor and one regent in
revolutions, not the ballot box, were
the passport to the seat of authority.
During this incessant turmoil, which
was accompanied by endless con-
fiscations of property, it is clear that
little could be done for the material
and intellectual advancement Of our
southern neighbors. During this un-
happy era the Church did what it
could; but it's means were limited
The bandits in the high places
General This and General That, robbed
the churches with the same regularity
that they robbed each other. By one
sweep, under Juarez, all of the ma
terial possessions of the Church and
of its religious orders were conf1scated
by the government. That included the
school buildings, as well as churches
hospitals, asylums, monastic homes
and pastoral residences. Moreover
religious orders, including the teach
ing Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods
were by law forbidden to continue as
religious communities. They cannot
even now own property in Mexico
During the administration of Diaz
trusting in the tacit approval of that
benevolent dictator, the religious
undertook to erect schools once more
The present revolutionaries have con
fiscated the educational properties
anew and have prosecuted the re
ligious, men and women, with fiendish
oruoltv DaUilc dirnof from ho1I could
not have acted worse than Carranza
Villa and Company. Where Sisters
and Brothers had academies and col
leges and charged tuition, they ex
pended their incomes upon the free
schooling of the children of the lower
class The latter far exceeded in mum
Der the former.
Before the banishment of Diaz the
richer dioceses of Mexico could boast
of parochial school in almost every
parish, while the number of secondary
schools were surprisingly large. Thus
Guadalajara counted four seminaries
one academy, twenty-five little col
leges" for boys and thirty for girls
Yucatan, a poor diocese, had four col
leges, one industrial school and thirty
two primary schools. Another pool
diocese, that of SaltiIlo in the northern
desert, had $500 pupils in its college:
and academies alone. The mountain
Diocese of Michoacan. besides it's pri
mary schools, had two seminaries ant
ten colleges. 1t had eight hospitals
also. The wonder is, not how little thC