davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
HOW EccLEsIAsTIcs KEEP THE
PEOPLES CONSCIENCE.

Some people imagine the Catholic |
religion consists in. some sort of SUI
perstitious half worship of the priests;
and that whatever the priests may
happen to say is always regarded as
the final word, says the s"Casket.'
The error is perhaps not unnatural
They see our deep regard for the
priests and not knowing the reason
of it, not having our view of the Sac
.raments and the Mass, they are driv
en- to invent or imagine a reason for
our reverence. But here is question
to put to people who make this criti-
cism. Say to them: Suppose you went
to the least educated man in Halifax
and told him that the Archbishop of
Halifax, the Chancellor of the Arch
diocese, the rectors of the three city
parishes, and half the other clergy,
had just Joined the Presbyterian
Church. And suppose he believed
you. Would it shake his faith in the
Catholic Church? If it were matter
fit to bet upon, how much would you
be inclined to risk on it's moving his
mind one inch away from the Cath
Ollie Faith? There, now, is a puzzle
for those who think that our religion
is mostly superstitious reverence
for the priests. You can carry it far
Their. All the Bishops in Canada, if
they left the Church, in body, could
carry only a small part of the laity
with fhoYf1 II moc ,anCcibla 10 do that
in such days as those of which. we
| have been recently telling, when COM
munications were slow, when nation
al jealOusies were strong, when it was
possible to deceive large bodies of
people for a long time as to facts,
and to persuade them that the rebels
were really in accord with the Church.
But it would not do today. The peo-
pie would at once want to know where
the Church stood; not where an
Archbishop, or a dozen Archbishops
stood, and under modern conditions
they would quickly find out The
news that an Archbishop and all his
clergy had left the Church would
bring bitter sorrow, cause fearful
prayers, bring sleepless nights. Some
/ people might make an excuse -aof it
i to stop hearing Mass, or to stop say
ing their prayers; in which case it
| would be safe to say they never cared
i to pray or to go to Mass anyhow But
faith in the Church would not change
i Scandal, of course, there would be
Some of weak faith might say that
Il religion could not mean much. But
| the bulk of the laity, if not too long
| deprived of Mass and the Sacramento
: would stand firm in the Faith The
humblest Catholic knows there is
more in the Church than personages;
more than its priests, bishops, OF
q Pope He knows all these are errine
!. men, and yet the Church is divine
q He knows that religion Isl system
mot a thing to be played with accord
q ing to the whims of individuals. Yol
might break his heart with your news
| You would not break his faith.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
- AxSloIIQNd>e@
JDOcTRINAL. s IITURGlCAL.\



fruit-bearing flowers, unlike any they
had ever seen, says the Bombay Ex-
aminer."
One day priest was preaching to
the Peruvians or aboriginal inhab-
itants amid the wild scenery of their
Passion Of Our Lord.
His eyes suddenly glanced at this
curious flower, which hung in fes-
toons from the trees overhead, and,
like st. Patrick with the Shamrock,
he saw with the eye of a saint a
vivid picture of the sad story of Cal
vary.
The rings of threads which sur
round the cup of the flower, and
which are notified with blue, Grim
son and white, suggested to his mind,
tutored by meditation, the Crown
of thorns stained with blood, the
five antlers on the stamens, repre-
sented the Five Wounds; the three
styles, the nails which fixed our
Blessed Lord to the Cross. Using
these to- illustrate his Sermon he
brought before the minds of these
wild savages the narrowing scene
of the Second Sorrowful Mystery of
the Passion.
So, without Bible or books did
this holy man instruct his converts
on the Passion; and to this, day our
beautiful creeping garden flower is
called "the Passion Flower In all
languages it bears the same name.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
JESUS OF THE SCARS.

tsa
He showed them His hands and
His side. st John, C. Xxx, V. 20.
If we have never sought we seek thee
now; .ssa~ffe
Thine eyes burn through the dark,
our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on
Thy brow,
We must have Thee, o Jesus of the
scars.
The heavens brighten us, they are too
calm;
In all the universe we have no place
Our wounds are hurting us; where is
the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy scars we claim
Thy Grace.
If when the doors are shut, Thou
draWest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side
of Thine;
We know today what wounds are,
have no fear
Show us Thy scars, we know the
cOuntersign.
The other gods were strong; but
Thou vast weak;
They rode, but Thou didn't stumble
~.4 toza throne; ~ &
But to our wounds only Gods wounds
can speak,
And not a. god has wounds, but
=, Thou alone.
-Edpard-Shillit0. in Topn Talk
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
A SAINT FOR THE WEEK
ST. BARBARA, VIRGIN, MARTYR.

This famous Saint is better known
by the miraculous protection she has
at all times. shown to her devout eli
ents than by the story of her life,
which is obscured by various legends.
The exact date of her death, whether
in the third or fourth century. is dis
puted but the main facts and pecu-
liar features Of her martyrdom have
a lesson for us which is often needed.
They illustrate our Lords sayings,
that He came not to send peace on
earth, but sword; to set a man at
variance with his father, and that a
man's enemies should be they Of his
own household. Barbara was brought
up a heather. A tyrannical father,
Dioscorus, had kept her jealously Sc
rcluded in lonely tower which he had
built for the purpose Here, in her
forced solitude, she gave herself to
prayer and study in search of Divine
truth. God rewarded her with the gift
of faith. She then contrived to re-
ceive instruction and baptism. by
stealth from a Christian priest. Dios-
corus, on discovering his daughters
conversion, was beside himself with
rage. He himself denounced her be-
fore the civil tribunal Several times
was Barbara horribly tortured, and as
often did God miraculously heal her
wounds. At last she was beheaded,
her own father, merciless to the last,
acting as her eXecutioner God, show
ever, speedily punished her execu-
toner. While her soul was being
borne by angels to paradise, a flash of
lightning struck Dioscorus, and he was
hurried before the judgment-seat of
God
st. Barbara may be said to be the
patroneSs of a good death, by obtain
ing for her clients the blessing of
the Sacraments at that last hour. On
this account, although a woman, she
is often represented in art with a
chalice and the Sacred Host in her
hand. ST. Stanislas Kostka was 4com-
municated by angels through invok-
ing her name; and Suries tells story
of a young man in Holland who, in
1448, awoke suddenly at night to find
himself enveloped in flames. In an ag-
ony of mind and body, he called upon
| ST. Barbara; she appeared in answer
to his prayer, threw her. mantle round
| the scorched youth, and kept life and
strength within him till he had re-
ing, when he TRANQUILITY expired.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
AT THE GATE.

Three spirits came to Peters gate
Their earthly records to relate.
81 was efficient" said the first,
Il cared not how abhorred and cursed,
Through what black ways of heart and
soul
1t mattered to make my goal"
81 was deficient" said the next,
81 never solved the problems veXed,
/ had no might to stay the wrong,
BY weakness / betrayed the strong"
Il was sufficient" said the third,
% sought not to be seen nor heard
My power broke oppression's thrall
And gave protection to the SMALL" g
Three spirits came to Peters gate,
One entrance gained-the others waits
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
Mass of Our Lady.

Again we find mention of a sum of
money paid ito the cleric and choris-
tiers who daily sing the Mass of Our
Lady in the chapel called 'Sa1Ve' in
the Cathedral of Salisbury" this be-
ing done according to the ordinance
and foundation of a former bishop
of the diocese, named Richard Pore.
At Glastonbury, in 1922, eight
priests were chosen to sing the
Blessed Virgins Mass daily with
melodious chant And, according to
the bequest of a certain Bishop of
London, Eustace de Fauconbrigge,
six clerks and one Mass priest
were ordered to be selected to be
present at the celebration Of the same
Sacrifice in st. PauTs.i Even a
goodly number of the parochial
churches possessed their Lady altar.
Old wills and requests mention sums
for the support of the .4TSt. Mary
priest" ss5s
Richard Beauchamp, Earl of War.
wick (1437), zone of the bravest
knights and greatest warriors in the
age of chivalry,' desired that his
body should be buried in the col1egi-
ate church of Our Lady of Warwick
where" he says, Il will that there
be made chapel of Our Lady, we'll
fair and goodly built" and "that
there be said every day during the
world, in the aforesaid chapel, three
Masses, whereof one every day OF
Our Lady, Gods Mother, with note
as the ordinal of Salisbury doth as
sign
Devotion of King Henry v.
King Henry v was noted fol
knightly devotion to the Blessed
Virgin. "This most Christian Prince
writes the chronicler Fabyan, there
ii. e., in the monastery of West
minster) ordained for him to be sung
three Masses every day in the week
while the world Iasteth.'' 1t is ar
interesting proof of an earthly
monarch's flial love for the Queen Of
Heaven that one, of these three daily
Masses was always said in honor Of
some mystery of Our. Lady's life
such as the Assumption, Visitation
Publication, and the like
Such examples as those giver
above are more than sufficient evi
dence of the important place as
signed to ''The Lady Mass" by oul
Catholic forefathers
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
A KNOWING SAINT.

In the Magnificent, some time ago,
Miriam j. Murray in an interesting
article on "The Children of Saint"
est. Jane Frances de Chantal,
Foundress of the Order of the Visi-
ion), gave us this little human
touch of the great st. Francis de
Sales: /.
There was a great friendship be-
tween the family of st. Jane Fran
ces, especially between her daughter
FRANCHISE and the gentle Bishop.
FRANCHISE dearly loved fine clothes;
she was not at all of the mind of
her friend, st. Francis, who laugh
ingly told her that he only got things
when he had to have them-not even
once a year He had no objection,
however, to seeing her decked out in
her finery, for on one memorable oc-
casion when her mother had refused
her ruff in the fashion of the day
she wrote to st. Francis, begging
him to persuade her mother to let
her have it. st. Francis honored her
request at once and joined with her
in the campaign to soften the OBJ
durate maternal heart. i think the
child would ybe SO pleased to have
those laces and stand-up ruffles,' he
wrote to Madame de Chantal; you
see, know something about these
things. Let, her have fine ruff for
high days and holidays-with lace on
Il, too. 1t cannot be helped; girls
must be little fine FRANCHISE got
her ruff Saints are not so sterr
and rigorous as they are sometimes
pictured.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
SACRIFICE.

If not to have what surely should be
mine
BY right of strongest feelings of the
soul;
If forced to hold and ever to confine,
Within the narrow compass of con-
troll
The warmest impulse of heart,
whose strength
Can not be gagged by standard, or
device
For measurement of common breadth
or length
Is, to my mind, deep-rooted sacri-
fee!
To stand aside, and see what others
grasp,
With effort, none, their ardor to
withstand;
And, what l long for 1 can never
clasp,
Nor ever hope to hold within my
hand;
To miss the joys that should life
adorn;
To find that ev'ry sweet has bitter
price;
To bear the heart-seal of a cruel
thorn;
H9this be not-then what is sacri
flee?
Amadeus. O. s. F.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
A TRIPLE TRUTH.

Over the triple doorway of the Ca
thedral of Milan there are three in
scriptions spanning the splendid
arches. Over one is carved beauti-
full wreath of roses and underneath
is the legend ssAll that pleases is
but for moment. Over the other
is sculptured a cross and these are
the words beneath, All that troubles
US is hut for a moment. But I'M
derneath the great central entrance,
in the main aisle, is the Inscription,
"That only is important which is
eternal" 5ss8
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
THE GUARDIAN ANGEL.
An angel close beside thee,
o little child

An angel close beside thee,
o little child
An angel clothed in trailing light,
An angel with face too bright
Perchance not SO for thee
For us to see;
Yet undefled,
O little child!
An angel close beside thee,
% little child
An angel from thy heavenly home,
To guard thee Hest thou haplySroam,
Or go astray
In life's strange, devious way,
Lost in the wild,
O little child!
An angel near to whisper
In accents mild,
When other voices seek to win,
And lead thee little child, to sin.
Turn not aside: 81
Obey thy heavenly guide,
Pass unbeguiled
Dear little child!
A pure bright angel given
For all thy life.
Oh, do not veil his beauteous face!
Lose not thy pure baptismal grace
His mission done
At setting of life's sun,
Glad will he De
If he may see
Thee, victor, in the. strife.
|. e. MeYYplDe1fher.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
ILLUSTRATED HIS SERMON.

When the Spaniards discovered
South America they saw among
other plants new to them climbing
shrub having from two to three
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-08
"ST. MARY'S MASS" OF ANCIENT
ORIGIN.

Many beautiful things have been
said and written on every subject
connected with the Blessed Mother
OF God; and yet, as month by month
her feasts draw near, Mary's privi-
leges and Mary's prerogatives, her
joys and her sorrows, her watchful
love for struggling, suffering human
ity, and-if we be worthy children of,
the Church-the urgent, personal de-
sire of each and every one of US to.
increase, however inadequately, her
honor-these considerations are so
constantly present to the mind that
brief account of what, in medieval
times, was known as the Mary
Mass may prove acceptable to many
readers. This votive Mass, it is
scarcely necessary to state, was one
in which Our Lady was specially.
commemorated, her intercessions i'm
| plored, and thanksgiving made for
her singular graces and privileges.
The familiar title Our Lady, by the
| way, is much more ancient than some
writer's would have us believe. The
| Deed of Caenwulf,' A. D. S21, like
other charters signed by kings and
bishops of the ninth century, speaks
of the Blessed Virgin as Del Genitrix,
DONNA nostra. The Anglo-N ormans
called her Notre Dame Ste. Marie;
the Anglo-Saxons, IRE Lavedi; the
English, Our Lady st. Mary. Indeed,
throughout all the writings of earlier
| times we meet constant references
| to 'sour dear Lady st. Mary" and to
"our most sweet Lady st. Mary"
The Mary Bell.
T. The familiar sound of the Mary
] Bell-this Mass was usually said al
an early hour-echoing across the
field and forest, ringing out from vii
lage steeple, monastery tower, OF
| stately cathedral, proclaimed the
dawn of another new day-a day be
gun by nearly all the faithful before
the ALTAR there being few indeed al
that time who failed to assist eacf
morning at the Adorable Sacrifice
while. many attended also the even
d ing Office when their work was done
81 .Abbey-churches, cathedrals, colleges
: all WED with zone another in the
& solemnity withsWhich they celebrated
this particular Mass. We read of ONT
Hugh de Pourte who left certain
sum of money, to be paid yearly, il
order that a taper, of three pounds
& weight, might burn daily before ou
! Blessed Lady's altar while her Mas
was being offered, and during ever
. procession held in her honor.
At St. Adams, in the splendid ali
bey-church, a bell of exquisite tone
called by Mary's name, was ordere,
to be rung three times, to give motto
to the faithful that they might com
I and be. present during the Mass, a
8 which six monks were appointed t
s participate daily with all due cere
. mony.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-08
Mexico Goes "Wet"
In New Constitution

Queretaro, Mexico, Jan. 8.-There
seems little possibility that a clause
providing for prohibition in Mexico
will be included in the new constitu-
ton, according to delegates to the
constitutional congress-. The advisa-
bility of prohibiting the sale Of intoxi-
cants and prohibiting gambling was
considered in connection with Article
which declares that no person shall
be hindered in following any profess
offend against the laws of society.
The article, however, was reported
from committee without specific men
ton of prohibition and passed as re-
ported by the congress.
The delegates to the congress are
confident for the most part that the
body will complete it's labors we'll
within the time specified in the de-
cree Of General Carranza which pro-
vides that the new constitution must
be completed by February 1. The
delegates declare that alth ough there
are over one\hundred and thirty ar
ticles in the draft of the new constitu.
ton, there are many to which there is
will be speedy.
Although the call has not formally
been issued it is known that the cleo
ton for president probably will be
called for the first Sunday in March
and that the successful candidate will
assume office April l.,
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-08
POOR
LAND CONTAINS
FORTUNE IN OIL
Property Bridgeport Man
Bought for Song Produces
John DIS Favorite Liquid

Patrick W. Murray, travelling sales
man of Bridgeport, widely known
throughout Connecticut, has the laugh
with some other land investors today
upon a coterie of land statesmen in
Oklahoma.
From what appeared to be moth
ing Murray and others have some
thing in the way of oil gushers, to
the great chagrin of persons who sold
land for a mere song, in the east.
The story of Murray's good fortune,
confirmed at his home in this city, is
being told at the Elks' club, of which
Murray is a member, as follows
A group of real estate men located
In Tulsa, Okla, grabbed a section of
land near that city, cut it up into
strips and proceeded to sell it as oil
we'll land to eastern buyers.
Murray was included among others
who foresaw through the prospectuses
vast fortune. He invested consid-
cradle sum in several acres of the
land. First reports of purchasers OF
adjoining land indicated that the
chances for oil were very slim, wells
giving but a slight flow, almost too
small for operation.
Disheartened at his purchase, Muir
ray was about to sell the holdings
cheaply when an oil we'll tshooter"
proposed a test of the land on min
imum percentage basis. Murray
agreed to the proposition. The first
we'll shot produced a steady flow of
more than barrel per minute with no
.diminution since. Two other wells
opened on the property are said to
have produced equal results.
With the sudden change in the evil
ent value of the property western
land spectators attempted to buy
back that which they had sold in the
east. They have been only partly
successful, word of the Tulsa "gush-
ers" having been widely published in
news dispatches.
With western crude oil bringing
about 81 per barrel at the wells, the
door. Of fortune has opened to Muir
ray.
Patrick w. Murray, who lives with
his family at 1910 East Main street, is
a broth er-inlaw of Lawrence w. Gill,
of this city, whose sister Elizabeth : he
some years ago
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-08
.BELC|ANS WON'T
Give AN inch TO
TEUT0N INVADERS
Determined to Hold Re
mainder of Territory
Against All Odds.

With the Belgian Army, Belgium,
Jan. S-The pride Of the Belgian
troops in holding back the Germans
from further encroachment on Bel
gian soil\ is observable Immediately
as one enters the sector occupied by
King Albert's troops. Determination
to prevent any advance by the Ger
mans and the will to push back the
invaders when the time is ripe are
evident everywhere.
The Associated Press correspondent
has visited the Belgian advanced lines
at a point between Dixmude and Boz
einghe, where, for the moment, there
is still fighting. Water under foot,
thick mists making the atmosphere
heavy and preventing observation,
and cold rain falling in a continuous
penetrating downpour make action
almost impossible.
Out in the front lines, after a long
tramp over board walks across sod
den fields and irrigation channels,
the correspondent saw the Belgian
soldiers keeping their constant vigil,
clothed ! in heavy wooden coverings
and oilcloth raincoats and high rubber
boots. Here and there a sentinel
stood looking out over the mile or SO
Of water covering the space between
the Belgian and the German lines,
dimly visible in the distance. No
barbed wire entanglements are posi-
BILE here; their place is taken by sea-
water, which, by the cutting of dykes
has been permitted to flow where it
wills, although it renders the land
uncultivable for 20 years.
". H. ~ riff
shot, fired from one side or the other
when a guard imagines some move
ment in the opposing lines, was dulled
by the heavy air, and sometimes near
but generally far off, was heard the
roar of an aerial torpedo.
1t is impossible at any point of the
Belgian front to excavate a trench,
for each spadeful of earth taken out
is at once replaced by a hole full Of
water In place of trenches the only
way to form a protective line for the
infantry occupying the front lines is
to construct shelters of sand-filled
canvas sacks and this has been de-
veloTd into an art by. the Belgian
troopers: For four days at a stretch
the same men remain without relief
at the front under these distressing
conditions, but there is no complaint
for the men are mostly hardy peas
ants or laboring men who have had
to combat the Belgian climate all
their lives. Hardsh1ps which for
troops from other and drier districts
would prove insupportable, are borne
by them with scheerfulness.
King Albert, who lives near the
actual fighting line, pays an. almost
daily visit to some part Of the front.
The Queen, too, remains on Belgian
soil, and when not engaged on hos
pita1 work is often seen walking along
among the soldiers when they are en-
joying a short respite from active SER
vice.
Everywhere there are evidences of
Americas aid to the Belgian wounded
and to refugees from the interior who
insist on remaining on. the small por-
ton of Belgian soil still left to them.
American ambulances are often seen
along the routes
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-08

school in Honeyspot road. Mr.. Cooper
mas been selected as the architect for
that building also.
Thomas Wilmore of Bridgeport will
be the speaker at the monthly meeting
of the Mems club of the Congrega-
tional church this evening in the par
ish house. His subject will be Some
where in Europe" Mr.. Wi1lnore has
Just returned from Europe and will
tell many interesting stories of his ex-
periences in the war zone.
The Stratford High school basket
ball five were defeated by the New
Milford, aggregation Saturday after
noon by the score Of % to 10.
The local High school will play the
Staples High of Westport, Tuesday
evening, Jan. 8, at the Stratford audi
toriun
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-08
STRATF0RD
Especial to The Farmer.)

Stratford, Jan. S.-The monthly re-
port Of the Stratford town court for
December shows that IL cases were
tried before Judge Howard w. Curtis.
OF these, IL were for breach Of the
peace; two, non-support; one, theft;
one, incorrigibility and one with at
tempt to kill The amount OF money
turned in to Town Treasurer Walter
S. Curtis was $35.43.
At the meeting of the town school
committee held last week, Franklin L.
Cooper, architect, informed the mem-
bers that work was already COM
menced on the building Of the four
roo addition to the Franklin school,
Barnum terrace. The work is being
done by the H. Wales Lines Co. Of
Meriden. Plans were also discussed
for the building of the new nine-room