davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16

A. September night in the northern
part of Minnesota, has some charm
that cannot be described. The cold
pine-saddened mists from the lake
mingle with the sweet, warm smoke
from the fires on the distant prairie
land far to the west, and the stars
are NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. But the
town preferred to make her own
night, and made it, indeed, like a bold
night-blooming sunlower, - it's one
straight strong avenue blossomed
with all the might of its big electric
vitality, throwing the darkness into
ugly back-roads and up against the
pure sky. But the North Star kept
its watch NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
And before Mary Ellen reached
home that night, a solemn brightness
had changed her mood again. She
ran to her mother who was waiting
for the voters on the shadoWy porch.
and twining her arms around her
neck, the girl whispered very tender
ly in her mothers ear, You mustn't
be disappointed with Mary Ellen's
education, Mother dear; you are the
only n that can teach me things
by heart, and 1 am going to learn
loyalty and everything else | know
over again here with you"
--r- --Z
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16
ASK AND you SHALL RECEIVE

Ask and you shall receive" En-
couraged by this divine advice, Father
Joseph Gerenton, o. F. NJ, of Chefoo,
East Shantung, puts forth an humble
request-namely, that he may receive
assistance in erecting a couple of
suitable buildings near the small
chapel that the post now possesses.
At present there is no ~prebytery,
and the priest must eat. sleep, teach
school and hear confessions all with
in the space of the tiny house of wor-
ship. For the modest sum of two
hundred and fifty dollars he could
build a house for himself and a school
for the children.
Harvests nave been very poor for
the last few years, and the people are
suffering intensely for lack of proper
food. They did much toward building
their chapel, and cannot now be ex-
pected to give a penny toward sup
porting the mission. Therefore Father
Gerenton sends his plea overseas, and
lives in hope that it will be fayorably
received.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16
GOOD SUGGESTION FROM A
STUDENT.

A writer in Lumina, a magazine pub
EIished by the students of st. Ignatius
College, Cleveland, Ohio, contributes
an article on foreign missions called
Americas Opportunity" that contains
many good suggestions. He thinks
that students can help the cause in
their own way:
Everyone cannot be a foreign mis-
sionary and save souls by his own
direct efforts. Still, he can help indi-
rectly by giving spiritual and temporal
aid. Spiritual assistance any one,
even the poorest, can give; for it con-
sists simply in praying for, the success
of the missions. Surely, there is no
one so busy that he cannot take a few
minutes every day to say an Our
Father and a Hail Mary for them.
That is the very least n can do.
What a splendid opportunity is here
for Catholic college students to help
the missions with their prayers, and
at the same time gain merit for them
selves. College men who have every
facility for daily communion ought to
remember the missions. When they
approach the Holy Table in the morn
ing, let them offer their communion
that the burden of some poor mission
airy may that day be made lighter, that
he may be strengthened, encouraged
and fired with renewed zeal"
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16
PRACTICAL CHRISTMAS GIFTS.

Who does not like to be surprised
on Christmas morning? Is there one
among you who does not expect to be
surprised on that eventful day? Your
friends. and relatives will see to it
that you are not disappointed.
There will be some, we know, who
will be disappointed, nevertheless; if
some generous person does not come
forward with a donation to defray the
expense of a present. There are a
number of missionaries who would
like to see an altar, a sanctuary lamp,
a ciboria, a monstrance or a set of
stations of the cross in their little
church on Christmas day. Will their
dreams become realities? Fifty dol
lars is: the cost of a neat little white
altar; SIS is what it costs to put a
sanctuary lamp or a ciboria or a large
set of stations of the cross in some
poor church, and for a gift of $25
some little mission will receive a
beautiful monstrance. What are you
going to give to the missions for
Christmas?
A missionary from Minnesota wrote
to the Extension Society not long ago,
and asked if it were possible to secure
a ~Benediction Outfit for him. He
says: Il can honestly assure you |
am asking the set for a deserving con-
gregation. They are few in number;
n they are poor. But they are do
ing their best and l don't want to
overload them"
The Extension Society would like
to send this outfit to him for Christ
mas. Will you help us?
The outfit consists of the following
articles: Monstrance, which costs
$25; cope for SIS; a gift of $40 will
purchase a benediction veil and CEN
ser and boat, to complete the outfit
costs but 81. A gift of $50 will en-
able the Extension Society to send
this beautiful gift to the Minnesota
Missionary. It is best to do your
Christmas shopping early, so send
your gift today to the Catholic
Church Extension Society, $50 McCor.
mick Bldg; Chicago, Ill.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16
Continued from page 80
MARY ELLEN'S VOTE.

children the grand was~tefulness of the
United States. You must do it for
the sake Of principle, Mary Ellen.
These people who are for giving the
children a few years Of extravaganza
need Mr.. Nelson's far vision into the
FUTURE"
"I1l not be twenty-one for any
man. was Mary Ellen's laughing re-
ply. But she saw herself, neverthe-
less, being overruled, her preiudices
disregarded. With her mother and
aunt, she was really on her way to
the polls, feeling all the time that she
must have entered q second childhood
to allow herself to be led by the hand
towards that which she had come to
hate.
But I'll not tell my age to anybody,
not to anybody. I'll not vote'-was
the perverse talk that went on in her
heart. And mingled with the per-
verse talk, the words of her prophet
came to Mary Ellen's mind, which
was all serious now. Never had she
dreamed that the sacred words would
serve such an occasion.-to support
her wayWardness, but this they
surely did. AT times the whole world
seems to be in conspiracy to impor-
tune you with emphatic tribes.
F-rEsEEt.fF 4HZG
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16
CATHOLIclTY AND PROTESTANT
lsM-A CONTRAST.

An organ of the Reformed or Cal
whistle Church in Holland, the Her
out" (Herald) makes this striking
commentary on the contrast between
Catholicism and Professionalism in the
wal of the European nations:
The Roman Church as a Church
is out of and above the controversy
which divides the feelings and in
spires the war-like polemics of our
members. Whatsoever represents the
great unit of Catholicity, whether in
the Papacy or in the Roman Episco-
pate of all nations, is in spirit and
utterance aloof from this divergence
of personal views.
LAS a World Church she stands
above it all, and holds her members
firmly united. She is spiritual enough
to life all her members out of even
this worst of temporal antogonisms:
her unity has not suffered any lesion.
The Pope speaks words of peace to all
nations, and not a few observers look
to him to be the final mediator of
peace.
Whilst the war has broken asun-
der all ties of social life, as well as
those of science and arts, the Roman
Church, and she alone, has preserved
her international unity absolutely in
tact; she has just given a brilliant
proof of the solidarity of her organic
life.
I'm contrast consider how Social
ism, one of whose essential dogmas
is the international solidarity of the
worlds ~toilers, has been shattered to
pieces by the war, whilst not a stone
of the Roman world-arch has been in
the least degree loosened. On the bit
terest battlefields Catholics of the
warning races have mutually aided
one another in imparting and bestow-
ing the comforts of their common
faith; whether wounded or not they
felt not the least survival of war-like
passion in presence of their Church's
call for mutual charity.
Consider, too, that the Pope was
able to assemble the Cardinals of the
various warning peoples around his
throne in the very capital of one OF
| the belligerent nations to hold confer
ence with him upon the prospects OF
peace. In presence of this spectacle
we Protestants can show very little
| of this spirit of human brotherhood"
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16
A MAGIC LANTERN, PLEASE.

There are many ways of furthering
the apostolate. A very effective one is
the use of the magic lantern. In
China the natives call this instrument
the European theatre" and have had
their knowledge of the world much
~broadened by the wonderful sights it
presents.
Father August Andre, a Jesuit mis-
sionary in the Trichinopoly diocese,
India, has marvellous success in
gathering reluctant little ones about
him by this form of entertainment.
He usually presents Bible stories or
pictures that point a moral. The
truths of religion thus brought home
to the native mind leave a deep i'm
preston.
AS yet he possesses only one magic
lantern, and he now asks that help be
given him to buy two or three more
for priests in the country missions.
inexpensive ones will do, of the old
style, and they should not cost very
much in these days of the omni-
present moving picture. Offerings
VIII be Immediately forwarded to
Father Andre.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16
Citation for Hearing WIN.

STATE OF MINNESOTA, COUNTY or
Ramsey IS. In Probate Court.
In the Matter of Proving the Alleged
Last Will and Testament of Elizabeth
The State of Minnesota to All Whom
1t May Concern:
Whereas, Mary L. O'Brien of the civ
Of st. Pau and State of Minnesota. has
County Of Ramsey, an instrument IN
writing ~purporting to be the Last viii
and Testament of Elizabeth O'Rrian-
late Of Ramsey County, Minnesota. de-
cedent ana MED herewith her petition
to said Probate Court, praying that the
said instrument may be proved and al
mitted to probate and that Letters Tes-
taemntary. be granted thereon to her.
the said Mary +. O'Brien.
S-!It Is Ordered, That said petitfon hn
heard and that all persons interested IN
said matter be cited and reauired n
appear before this Court on1Wednesdav.
the Ord day of January, 19I7,r4atI i0
said matter can Be heard. al me prs a.
bate Court Rooms. in the Court House
IN the City Of st. Paul, in said County
and show cause, II any they have, why
said petition should not be granted and
said VIII admitted to probate ana thar
this citation be served by the puh4icas
ton thereof in The Catholic RnIiaffn
accordipg to law, n by mailing a
before said day of hearing, to each If
the heirs, devisees, 1egatees of said de-
cedent whose names and addresses are
known and appear from the files Of this
court.
Witness the Judge of said Court. this
9Th day of December. A. d. 1915 = 49,
(Seal of Probate Court)
E.. w. BAZILLE.
Attest: F. W. Gosewisch.
Clerk of Probate.
OBrien, Young q Stone, Attys.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16
PUBLIC AND CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

With regard to the Catholic School
it is a pleasure to find the Catholic
standpoint approved by q Protestant
minister. The following paragraphs,
clipped from the Los Angeles Tribune,
are the statements of Rev. James A.
Francis of the First Baptist Church
of Los Angeles: &
There are; three places where the
youth of our country may receive
their religious education, the public
school, the home and the Sunday
: school.
LAS to the first, it is well known
that religious Instruction IS pretty
thoroughly ruled out of the public
school right across this country.
True, wherever there is a teacher
whose life is radiant with light ana
thrilling with moral power, he or she
cannot but exert an influence; yet,
religious education, wisely or unWlse-
w. is excluded from the public school.
Il come now to the home. Here
il is a case not of exclusion, but Oh
neglect. l speak not, of course, OF all.
There are no statistics to show O
MANY homes there are where the
great things which nourished the very
life of the soul are carefully taught;
hut we do know that there are mil
lions of homes not of the slums,
either. where the whole matter is
simply ignored.
1--WE have left Is a last resort the
s Sunday school. What of it? Is 1t a
real school, in any sense that a
thorough-going educator would recog-
: nize and respect9t Alas! Here we
fall down again so sadly.
There are notable exceptions, but
there re~.multitudes of schools that
can hardly be called schools at all.
If YOU sent your boy to day school
and he studied arithmetic for five
wears and then did not know any more
about it than the average boy knows
about religion after he has been TO
Sunday school, not five years but fit.
teen, you would conclude either that
he was below par mentally or that
the school was q m~ake-believe.
THE idea that most any kind of a
wellintentioned young man or more
often girl is fit to teach the greatest
subject in the world is unspeakable
folly. There are signs of great prom
Use on the horizon, but for the boy
- or girl now half grown the prospect
speaking broadly, is not very bright
Between a public school with doors
closed to religious teaching, a home
where stupid neglect is the rule, and
a haphazard, slipshod Sunday school
where does the boy or girl come in
for a chance?
II do not wonder that Il Roman
Catholic friends stick to the p%arochia
school. Were l a Catholic | would
too. Our first duty is to call things
by their right names, to stop sancti
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
NOTES..

Do your Christmas shopping for the
missions early. Begin now to gather
a few gifts-or, rather, the price OF
them-together. Everything is need
ed in the missions, from a handful
of rice to a chapel. Send your offer
ings to the Society for the Propaga.
ton of the Faith, S43 Lexington Ave.
N. Y, and the most appropriate use
will be made of them.
News does not travel very fast in
the northern ATTITUDES. About once
a year the Bulletin reaches FIR. Charlie,
vols, who lives in a spot where the
thermometer gets~down to Sc degrees
below zero. He received in n batch
all the messages from the outer world
containing news of the great Euro.
pean war that had then been going
on twelve months. Needless to say,
he experieced a shock. But war or nc
war, he must still seek out the Eski
NOS and try to plant the faith among
them.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16
SWEET BELLS OUT OF TUNE.

1t is Father Francis Rudiferia, of
Tibiao, P. l., who wants a new church
bell for his church, the present one
being cracked and unable to summon
the far-away Catholics to their Sunday
Outs. Nor is this demand by way of
being a luxury.
"A bell" says the Father, means a
good deal in a country where there
are no watches or clocks, and where
the people seek, any excuse in order
not to come to Mass. | have now
four broken church-bells, and they
make a noise, when rung, that serves
for nothing but to muse the Aglipay-
ans. Can I not find a friend who
will be willing to buy a new bell, or
to pay for the recasting of n of the
old ones?"
1t seems a pity to muse the Aglipay-
ans instead of im%pressing them.
Why not send the price of a sweet
toned bell to this earnest apostle?
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16
EUROPEAN PRIESTS in SNAKE.
RIDDEN INDIA.

The European missionary has many
demands made on his courage during
the first months of his stay in India.
Though he has nothing to fear from
the natives, he has much to dread
from the jungle denizens, most terri
flying of which are the serpents. A
Benedictine priest sent to Ceylon
writes about the country as follows:
Il realized that l was near the
jungle the first time l heard the howls
of numerous jackals which made me
culver with something like fear.
Every night about ten o'clock when
the packSscatters and again at three
whensit gathers together, the animals
give shrill yells, much like the whoop
of Indians.
but what l feared most, of course,
was the snakes. There is a tradition
among the missionaries that St.
Xavier obtained from God the spes
cial favor that missionaries might
ever be immune from the deadly eff.
fects of snake bites; and, as a matter
of fact, there is not a single record
to the contrary. This is certainly a
great privilege when we consider that
about thirty thousand people annually
lose their lives in India in this way.
But yet | was never tempted to be-
come too intimate with them. My
dread of them at first was almost an
obsession. / looked for them under
chairs, table, bed, and many times it
was no useless search either.
THE different varieties are almost
without number. Everybody knows
the cobra, SO charmed with music;
the terrible 'Polangar' Indian viper)
attacking " ~unprovoked; the green
snake twisted around the trunk of a
tree ready to spring at it's victims
eyes; and, worst of all, the 'Miminna,'
the smallest but most deadly of vipers,
which after biting runs swiftly away
SO its victims corpse will not fall on
it, as the Indians say.
Once. my companion on retiring
began to unfold the blanket on his
bed when, to his infinite horror, he
found a 'Miminna' lying among it's
folds. He had had no difficulty in kin
ing it, but thinking it wiser to look
for other undesirable bed-fellows,
found a second Miminna!' / can give
you my word that he, for several
nights, did not have any desire to
Sleep"
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16

Friend, client, child, sickness, fear,
want, charity, all knock at once at
thy closet door and say, Come out
unto us.-Do not SPIN thy sour do
not at all descend; Keep thy state
They were standing in the vast
golden primary-room of the new
school,. The yellow September sun.
light came through many broad, low
| windows, set the canaries singing in
their brass cages, and lit up the soft
gold Of the little tables and chairs
and cashmere-yellow walls. Mary
trast between the infantine adorn.
ments and instruments of baby work
and play that characterized the room.
| and the old ~sun-browned faces of the
men of the soil and mine who sat
around, each bent on some little
business connected with the election
There were the men to whom she
must confess her age. How she long
ed to be just old enough to sit in one
of those little chairs and count out
red straws on a yellow table. 1t all
looked SO funny to her that she was
beginning to laugh again when a brisk
hurry-up sort of man stepped yer to
her and said, Its your turn, Miss
Bell, and I have your name on this
card" The audacity of taking her
this way by force made Mary Ellen
Immediately freeze with determined
scorn. The golden luster. of her eyes
was completely dead. They were like
two stubborn bits of hard coal that
will not burn, and herlsmile meant
nothing pleasant.
Thank you,' she said, But there is
some mistake. l don't intend to vote;
I only came along with mother. It's
against my principles to vote for a
man about whom | know nothing and
wish never to know anything" This
last speech was directed towards her
mother, but all at once Mary Ellen
became aware that it had reached
home some place else, and that there
was but face in the room, and
that face was fixed intently on her.
The gaze of a mar sitting in front of
a window made her feel uncomfortably
ashamed of her ilI-tempered words,
and the next minute, in defiance, she
wanted to laugh and say them all over
again.
The man of whom she wished to
remain ignorant, whom she was sup
posed to champion, she knew from
that look and the expression in her
mothers face, was no other than the
member sitting in the September radi-
ance of the broad window. The sill
against which he leaned was filled
with pink geraniums and paper dolls.
A white wooley lambkin looked over
his shoulder, and a naughty grinning
kewpie made eyes at Mary Ellen
through the soft Iemon-colored hair
of the member. His eyes were almost
~colorless, but from their deep setting
reflected strength if not light. A fore
head as white as. a baby's was in
strong contrast with the rest of his
face, which was darkened and red
dened by the summers tan. The
mouth, Mary Ellen thought was the
most peculiar she had ever seen. 1t
was a large bow. The dropping ends
did not seem to fall but to be tied
down among a number of little Wrin.
kles in such way that you we're left
wondering what would happen tosthe
mans face If he should try to open
his mouth. Perhaps Mary Ellen did
not care to see, for she became very
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16

anxious to take her mother and Aunt
diversion caused by her speech, the.
many good citizens using their priVi-
lege quite busily put an end to the
recreation, and the three slipped out.
Mary Ellen smiled and glowed with
relief as to her dark eyes, linked her
arms in her mothers and Aunt Min
MES, and in spite Of their mental dis
turbance, led them both off to her old
haunts in the pine grove. There un-
der the trees that held their heads as
far up to heaven almost as one could
see, and above the low waters of
the lake that stretched off farther in
the distant sunset than n could see,
they sat enjoying Mary Ellen's rap
lures over her beloved freedom. The
girl had her head resting in her
mothers lap; her hair loosened by
the wind, flew up against the mothers
breast with a caressing touch which
entirely won back the mother to her
%baby-girl. And, as of old, she picked
out the golden threads which the sun
always kissed into Mary Ellen's hair.
When, they came home, Mary El1en's
conduct at the election was treated
lightly as the WayWardness of a lit
tie child. Father was told, and he
laughed a good deal at Mary Ellen's
plea for freedom at the polls. But
after, dinner, when the short Septem-
Der day was going into its warm dark
evening, father put on his coat and
said, Daughter, l want you to come
with me. We're going to the polls"
Mary Ellen gave a quick glance into
her fathers clear gray eyes. They
were calm and Indifferent as though
looking at something done and set
tied long ago. Mary Ellen then
weighed the meaning of that name,
daughter" She felt before its court
of-justice sound like a child of four,
with four guilt-laden years brought to
account. She forgot the ignominy of
being t~wenty-one, forgot her formulas
for freedom, forgot everything except
where her hat was at that particular
daughter-moment!
Their way to the school was a queer
back and forth way to Mary Ellen.
Half the time, she was shrinking
dreadfully back with shame and dis.
may. Would she be- able to smile
her defiance zinto the faces Of those
if they laughed at her reappear-
ance? And how could she voteIfor
that man with the sour tied-down
mouth? And if she didn't, no one
would know,-but then, what about
loyalty?? And the tall man by her
side heard a. soft little laugh coming
over the brim of her hat. For Mary
Ellen thought it was certainly very
funny that. it had taken her only a
day to learn a political party and be
to it. And then she went
straight on. She could smile and be
nightly proud that she was going
with her big beloved Dad to the polls.
1t surely is a blessing to be twenty
when you are with your father.
But the heroic smile was not
needed. The shift of men had been
changed, and even the tied-down
mouth. man was not there. But the
pink geraniums were and the paper
foTlss and the keWnie grinped at her
as through mist of temoncoiered
hair And Mr. Nelson got Mary
Ellenss vote! 5sa
.L -
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16

flying stupidity and clarifying ineffi-
cheney, and then to go to work and
cure what's durable.
"Dr. Eliot was nee asked, Don't
we spend too much on religion?' He
replied, That depends. If religion is
a little optional side-show we GER
tainly do. But if. as some of us
think, it is the most important thing
of all, then We don't spend half
enough"