St. Viator College Newspaper, 1903-02

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LEO XIII.

I · GER of -v i clom · eternal song, Barel \ ith thy harp of truth, tirrino- the hearL of the wean· thronoTo beat with pul e of youth, To thee our prai heaven-illumined Pope.

Dringing Go 1' me ~ age of faith and hope.

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EnYoy of heaven, defender of right, Ju ' tice and mercy thy mail. hampion of souls in the quest of light, 1 ation their gu,ardian hail.

To thee. mild conqueror, mankind's acclaim. ''Pontiff of Peace,'' thy immortal name Shepherd of Christ's univeL o.l fold, Bearing th staff of prayer ; Guiding the faithful through duty's wold ; Loving mankind, thy care.

Today humanity sends to thee Tribute of 1 ve for thy Jubilec.

vV L

~ LEAR r .

BYRON IN SPAIN. ( Child e Harold , Canto I.) YRO N'S judgment or Spaniards is unjustly severe. That there is some foundation in fact for some of the vices ascrib ed to th em we are ready to admit. But we neither adr!1it t ha t th e Spaniard s are addicted to all the vices that Byron ac<. uses th em of, nor do we admit th em guilty of those into which th ey have fall en , in th e excess ive d1easure that the English poet fan cies them to b e g uilt y. In hi s description of Spanish traits , B.y r on Hies into extr emes, just as he does in h i's treatment of various o th er s ubj ect s. It is quite unfair to make it appear that uncleanli:Jess, for in stan ce, is a characteri stic or distindiv.e feature of the Spanis h peopl e. By ron does not hes itate to apply the most contemptuous epith et s t o th e Spaniards, describing them as filthy , unkept, unwas h ed, swarmin g in dinginess and poverty. 路 He could have m et mor e loat h eso m e s ights of filthine ss and could have seen mo r e deplorable cases of poverty in certain quarters of London.

(S . 17) . He call s th em poor, paltry slaves, yet " born midst nobl es t scen es," and wonders why nature wastes her Elysian grandcur on s u ch m en . ( S. r8). He says of the idle shepherds that they a r e as proud as th e nobl es t duke. (S. 33) . . Byron must like to pile on as many accusations as a r e within reach when he makes the S paniards in gene ral both low and cringing slaves and , at the same time, makes th e peasants proud as the most arrogant grandees.

T his appa r ent co ntradictio n is amusing.

Spaniards ar e further cr edited with beit1g the veriest slaves of treac hery, a "Kingl ess people fo r a nerveless state," where traitors Houris h and treachery is rife, a bloodthirsty, cruel atid revengeful tace of men , among w hom murder prowls unrestrained. ''Ye, w ho wo uld m or e of Spain and Spaniards kno\V, Go r ead w hat e'er is writ of bloodiest strife: \ t\T hat'e r ke en ve ngean ce urged on foreig'n foe Can act, is acting there against !nan's life. " Here, again, it is ce rtain that this clark picture 'is overdrawn, just for eff ect . Spaniards make war a hell and so do other nations.

International law justifi es many acts which appear 路 atrocious. In our own day we have h eard Spain condemned for tolerating Weyler 's po licy of concen tration . Yet now 1 upon sec(")ncl th<?u&路ht 1 evcrn . '路 -

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rnerican admit that thi policy wa, jn ~ tifiable, according to the law of war. Perhap we feel v ulnerable on account of certain recent doing of our oldier in the Philippines. The sympathetic nglo- a~ on have not been uch paragon of tenderne and mercy toward the Iri h, the Indians and other whom they have converted int irreconcilable enemies. It is not true that Spain heads the li t in matters of cru elt y. Byron writes a ringing stanza in acco rding h er the palm, but this stanza, as well as many oth ers, is nothing but a v ulgar cal umn y, s t in rhyme.

Byron charges the Spaniards with being bad Sabbath keepers~ whereas the Londoners are prayerful on that clay. Spaniards make ~路 unda y the jubilee of man-by attending bull fights in the afternoo n. Engli hm en attend church in the mornino路 and take a ride in the afternoon . Spaniards all attend mass in the morning and spend part of the afternoon in w itn e sing a bull fight. There is nothing particularly sanctify ing or scandalous about eith er kind of recreatiOn , that i , riding or seeing a spectacle even on Sunday. It then remains much 路a matter of individua l or national ta te, as to w hich sort of lawful amu ement people w ill indulge in on that clay.

Spaniards prefer bull fight s and that i all. It seems as hard for a non-Catholic Englishman to understand the , unny, joyo usness of the Catholi c Sunday in Latin co untri es as it is for him to und erstand the truth and beauty of Catho li c devotions anywhere.

It may be a ca e of P harasaical scandal, but Byron finds the Spaniards too gay on Sundays, and clubs them saint adorers for saying their rosary. It is hard to b-elieve t hat Byron, w ho was an intelligent man, did not know t h e J1ature of the devotion paid to the Ble sed Virgin by Cath olics, and that this devotion is not adoration but veneration. But Byron is little concerned about the truth. He must indulge in horse play and h e doe . Of Cadiz (on Sundays) he ay : "Soon as the matin bell proclaimeth nine The aint adorers so und the rosary; M uch i the Virgin tea eel to shrive them free (Well do I ween the only V irgi n there) From crime a numerous as her beadsmen b e, Then to th e crowded circu forth they fare; Youno-, old, high, low, at one the a me diversions share.路'

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"Tease" is a . contemptuous word. It is al so ill-路f ittin g for adorer s to tease th e on e w hom they adore. uvVe11 do I ween th e only Virgm th ere," is a malicious ins ult flung- in the face of a whole city; that lin e and the next carry the direct accusation that these worshipful inhabitants of Cadiz wer e all lib e rtin es and criminals of th e deepest dye. It wo uld be just as unkind and not more tru e to say that in ce rtain places in England and elsew h ere virgin s wer e few after Byron had visited them ..

A sort of innate gallantry has always led m en to exa lt th e 路 bravery displayed by women in momentous national conflicts . J oan of A r c, th e Wome n of Limerick, l\1ollie Pitch er and oth ers have teen th e theme of o rator and poet. Byron admires the h eroi sm of th e maid of Saragoza, w ho "o'er the yet warm dead stalks 路 with Minerva's step w h er e l\1:ars might quake t o tr ead." The four or fi ve stanzas that celebrate the exp loits of thi s h er oin e are, p erhap s, th e b est in sp ired and most happil y exec ut ed of the entir e fir st canto.

Yet is th er e notic eable a lack of grandeur of rn otives in th e deeds of thi s clark-eyed, long-hair ed and sylph-li ke yo ung woman 路of Saragoza . . S h e fight s, says Byron, to appease th e ghost of her s lain lover, t o aven ge the leader 's fall. These are th e in spirations of her cou rage, and as these are p ersonal motives th ey do not entitle this h eroine to rank among those whose co urage was fired by mor e unselfis h , m ote patriotic, mor e unive rsal and elevat ed motiv es .

Byron is partial to the plastic beauty of Spanish women, to which h e devot es many stan zas to tel!_ u s th ey are formed for all the witching arts of love; h e t ells u s of "soft chins," " lips whose kisses pout t o leave their n est," of "glances wildly beautiful. " Nor Eng12.nd's wan and lang uid . dames, nor th e houries of Turkish harems can compar e with Spanis h women's beauty, which "even a cynic must avow. " Th e beauty of Spanish women makes Spain a Mo-, ham edan paradis e, says Byron , and in saying- this he seems to have exhaust ed all the re sot1rces of his ge niu s in hi s attempt to exalt the fairne ss and loveliness of Spain's ~ark-glancing daughters. Occurring in th e course of this description of Spanish women we find the words, " noble mind " and "angelically kind. " Yet it is . these sam e high-minded wom en w ho engage in what Byron calls riotous sport, interspersed with m onkis h devotions. It- is these sa me angelically kind females w ho cart v iew without shrinking nor affecting to mou rn , th e fr es hly t orn entrails of th e fore st monarch, gored in th e

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.sports of the arena. People who have seen Spain and witnessed a bull fight will agree that the poet gives a graphic and very animated account of that lively conflict.

1 . Throughout this first canto, it is remarkable that the expression is always a great deal better than the thought or the sentiment.

Dyroi1 is here more happ y in th e desc ription of scenery than he is just in the appreciation of character. He is extravagant alike in decrying th e men of Spain and in praising the beauty of its women. vVe like to think that he exaggerates his own faults. According to Taine's judgment, it is characteristic of Byron to know no mealstHe and to act like a bull in a china shop.

Now, in this canto where he speaks of Spain, the land of chivalry and roman ce, one could wish that Byron had been more in sympathy with his subj ect and that in stead of immortalizing th e physical beauty of A ndalusian wo m en and the Amazonian courage of Spanish maidens, that in stead of magnifying those traits · of th e Spaniards which make them appear a race of bloodthirsty desperadoes, ve_ngeful cut-thro at s and fini shed libertines, one could wish that he had allowed him self to be in sp ired by what is really grand and gloriotts in the history of that nation. \!Vhat beautiful things he could have said of the simpli city, the co urteou s urbanity, the religious fidelity of the Spaniards, of the glories of Ferdinand, of I sa·bella , of Louis de L eon, of the learn ing and sa nctity of St. Theresa _a nd the literary emin ence of Lope de Vega and Calderon. All th ese s ubjects his muse ignores; or rath er his English prejudice preventeel him from being wrought upon by them.

Ever sin ce the unfortunate rupture b etween Henry VIII. and Catharin e of Arragon, his virtuou s queen, th er e has been no sym pathy, but positive hatred, between E ng land and Spain. Spain is Catholic, England is Prote stant. Modern E nglish •history and fiction and eve n poetry, have conspired to vi lify Spain. Our own writers, as \i\Tashin gton Irving, Low ell, P r escott have b ee n fairer. A nd :·ecently , Ch as. Lummi s, in hi s "Spanish Pioneers in America," is 1 r emarkabl y just, though not a Catho lic.

Co rn eill e, in the "Cid," has i 1~ : mortalized that great Spanish h ero, Roderigo Diaz, the unconquerable conqueror. It is for these reasons that we are constrained to make these strictures on this part of the poem, and, while we admire its many poetic touch es, we are obliged to qualify our praise of this can to of Childe Harold.

R.

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AN IRISH SOLDIER'S VISION. ELON GI NG t o a fa mily r emark a ble for devoti on to 1ts native is la nd , I was r aised wit h all t h e martia l instinct s of m y race, and m y in ten se h at e for m y country's foes indu ced m e to seek an earl y military car eer. A t th e fir st n ews of w ar b etwe en 路the Transvaal and E n g la nd , I h eartil y esp ouse d th e cau se of th e young republic and goin g to South A fri ca I cast m y fortun es with the gallant littl e nati on . ]\/[an y yo uthful Iri s h lads accompani ed me, and we h op ed that our exampl e w ould aro use our fri ends at home t o stri ke again for lib erty. W hat a g lori ou s nation Erin would b e, thought I , w ith h er hos t of intrepid soldiers, h er poets, her marty rs and h er lea rn ed saints.

Aft er off erin g m y se rv ices t o Pr esid ent K r euger , I was ap pointed as on e of his body g uard ; but, di sting uis h ed as my position was, it did n ot s uit m e. I w ant ed active ser vice, wh ere I could make m y country's foe jig t o th e mus ic of Iri sh bullets . In accordance with my wish es, I w as must er ed into a co mpany leaving that night for Spion Ko p. Aft er a lon g , t edi ou s mar ch, ch eerfull y made, we reached Spion K op in tim e to b eco m e acquaint ed with our companions and t o know th e nature of our s urroundings. There was plenty of ammunition in th e fort; but sm all as our for ce of men was, arms were at a premium. D urin g th e night th e English arrived and pitched camp a short di st a n ce from th e kop. 1\!Iorning broke and reveal ed their powerful army drawn up in line of battle. Such a force, so effective ly equipp ed, was enoug h to di scourage resistance; but our pos ition was almost impregnable and, b es t of all, we had men behind our guns.

Action b egan early. A bOLlt 6 o'clock a flank movement was seen on th e left wing of the English , and shortly after the entire army was in motion . Their b att eri es w ere. th e first to open fire and then, und er cove r of th e g un s, th e infantry made a wild clash for the steep incline. They m et with a ravaging enfilade from the guns on the K Gp and their diminish ed ranks hastily r etr eat ed to a safe di stance. A third assault s how ed th em that further attempts to storm th e Kop w ould b e useless, and whil e th eir troop s wer e reorganizing the batteries k ept up a constant fir e, without doing any damage.

Dead and dying could b e' seen ly ing all along the incline ; some

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partl hidden by the rock , while other were fully expo eel to w. ( n Engli h olclier almo t reached our walls, when h e fell. H e had -everal t ut round of ammunition about him and at hi ide lay a new rifl , that . eemed to be an excellent Ma user. Durincr the battl , my rifle had become clogged and heated and, without a moment' reflection on the danger attached to my design, I scaled tH e ' all, took the rifle and ammunition from the dead soldier and was iJack on the wa ll s again , when a bullet found a lodging place in my shoulder. Stunned by the shot, I fell to the g round and two of my comrades ca rried me to a corner of the fort that er ved as a temporary ho pital. The pain in my shoulder became intense and left me in a state of emi-conscio usness. I thought the battle had begun again and was ragi ng wit h redoubled fury. Vo lumes of smoke seemed to arise from the angry cannons and circle above my head.

Then the thought of dyi n g so far from my native land took possession of me and I uttered a fervent prayer to ee my country's g lory befor e I died. Immediately the smoke chan ged into luminous clouds and there iss ued from them a procession that he ld me spell bound . First came a g roup of thirty-two virgins (*), crowneel with wreaths of delicate gr ee n, a nd clad in robes as pure as the ete rnal Alpine snows. Then appea red a boat (**) rigged ou t in gorgeous plendor,floating on buoyant waves that rivaled the heaven's ethereal blu e. Halos shone brightly around the heads ( ***) of tho e on board the boat. Then the sweet strains of m usic heralded a throng of men who fing ered silver harps as gently as an evening zephyr stirs th e s umm er' s leaves. Imm ediately after t hem came a va t multitude of mounted troopers (* ***), wi th clanking swo rd and neighing steeds, and guarding a gold en chariot, in -v hich was seated a maiden (*****) of angelic beauty, draped in the graceful folds of a light green robe, upon w hi ch wer e delicately embroidered many a score of tiny golden harps. Her h ead was adorneel with a crown of deep g reen trefoil and on her breast shone a g路olclen cross, all glittering with rubies. In h er h and she held a *Co unties of Ireland. **The Bark of Peter. ';'** ri _h Saints.

****Soldiers of Erin. ****i'Hibernia.

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A t thi s signal , m esee med , all th e int er estin g per so nages who formed h er cortege pressed loving ly aro und h er and intently listened t o th e words which fell from he r lips : "Most pot ent, grav e and r ev ~ erend s eignors," sh e said , ''stout defenders of State and build~ r s of th e Church , it has pl eas ed gra cious P rovidenc e t o bring t o an en d our centuries of v exation. Be we fir st g r at eful t o Him from whom co m e all good gifts. 'Tis H e has im part ed t o us co nstancy and fo rt itud e through all our trials. 'Tis H e has ins pired our stat esm en, the fer vid eloqu en ce w hi ch , t ogether with th e app eals of other nat ions, has won for us that s~. lo n g wis h ed for autonomy whi ch rrow we have r egained. No longe r s hall w e feel th e oppressor's man y w rongs. N o mor e s hall o ut~ children n eed exile th em selves t o find b read. No ! B ut g o we t o till our fi elds, t o build our fact ori es . to r econstruct our ruin ed palaces, church es a nd mo nasteries. L et sc hools a g ain fl ouri sh a n d let thi s isle of o urs, w hi ch has eve r fondly k ept burning the flam e of s a cr ed truth, again b ecome a great se minary of emin ent sc hola r s a nd zealous ap ostles. And bear we eve r in mind that w h a t has m a de us an obj ect of a dmiration b efore th e eyes of th e w orld in 路 t h e several centuri es now closing has bee n o ur un sw ervin g fidellt y to our r elig iou s faith. This faith t each es us t o fo r g ive injuries . If we pri ze it so hi g hl y for ourselves, we should d ee m that sam e faith the sur es t pled ge that would seal in ete rnal fri en ds hip all th e nati ons of t h e wo rld. O h , how , inst ead of ent ertaining r ese nt m ent t owards our form er oppresso rs, we should yearn for the ir r eturn t o thi s sw eet faith , t he inspirer of th eir own tru est g lo ri es ! \ N' ith what horror I r ecall how that sist er nation w as v iolently t orn fr om t he boso m of th e m other Church! and how, hap less orpha n , it has eve r s inc e grop ed its way through a labyr 路:n th of errors ! vV hat a pity t o hav e seen so r ecen t ly th e unnatural so ns of " th e eldes t daughter of th e church " dish ono ring their mother a nd p ersec uting th at ver y institution which has left th e stamp of ' ns ins piration upo n th e nobl est and m ost g loriou s works of thi s Christian nation ! L et th e a ges hav e t aught u s a lesson ! B.e it our chi ef g lory t o stand forth as th e mod el Cath olic nation of th e mo dern a ge. In th e r eali zati on of thi s aim let all our effort s b:e unit ed: for thi s th e king will rul e; fo r thi s th e wise w ill ena.ct laws; ior thi s the brave soldiery around u s w ill l~eep ca r eful v ig ila nc e and m aintain right ord er everyw h er e. 'Thus and onl;r th\1 5 w ill th e

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fondest dreams of our greatest patriots ever be realized and shall \iV e ·fulfill the destiny which Providence has ass ig ned us."

Having concluded her speech amid the enthus iastic app lause of her audi-ence, she handed h er sceptre to a m ost dignified eld erl}r personage, upon whose head she al so placed h er own trefoil crown.

The entire assembly then broke forth in g rat eful song, the first words of which were "Te D eum. " As the last ec hoes of this glorious chant died away, the maid en gave th e lead er of the troopers a :banner, alike in color and ornament unto th e robe in which 's he was Yested. " Hibernia, forever !" shouted the soldiers in thunderous acclaim. So loud was t.he cry that it woke me· from my dream.

M. ]. B., '04.

MORAL VALUE OF THE PURGATORIO. (O ration Delivered Befor e the Oratory Society.)

OTHING can be more powerful to aro use man fr om o ut t h e dan ge rous somnolence of despondency, nothing w ill quicker induce him to rise from the torpor of indifference than th e [tSsnranc e of his ability to attain better things . Man must not only be made to r ealize th e ab ysmal depths of mora l darkness into which _he can sink by his ill doings, but he must also be to ld of the infinit e possibilities for moral good h e possesses within himself; he must be told of th e man y and glorious moral conq uests whic h are within his easy r each , he must have whispered into his ear the sweet and inspiring accents of hope that will set his soul ab laze with irresistable desire t o soar to the loftiest summits of moral exce llence . .Surely he must b e a callous and incorrigibl e votary of wicked ness, w ho, utterly blind to a ll moral improv em ent, shuts out from his so ul th e beamy rays of hope, whose light and genia l warmth are -ce1~ta in to r evive the life of virtu e within, were th ey but a llowed to enter. It is not surprising, then , that we justly proclaim him a g r eat moral teacher, who not only strik es salutary fear into our so uls by putting before our eyes in flamin g pictures the enormity .Qf sin and the terribl e suffering it entails, by burning into our souls with words of fire t h e awful threats of Divine Justice,but who gives W' hop~ by s howing l-l§ t h e open ?-rms of God's forgiving mercy, bl

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If th er e is one thing i"l').'.O r e than a not her wo rthy of notice in thi s pa rt of the Divine Comedy, it is that it is a g r eat h y mn of hop e ; and w ho g ives us hope, uplifts us morally. H ope is the archimedean leve r of the mora l wo rld. Yo u may ask how, by w hat m ean s, do es the poe t cau se us t o rise from out th e mir e of s in and mak e us confident ly b eli eve that we m ay one clay dwell in th e realms of God's elect? In several way , as admirable and b eautifully spiritual as t hey are powerfu l a nd effi cacious. Ce rt a inly for emost among th em is p raye r. It mu st be evid en t to the most s up erficial obs erve r , that Dante throug hout the who le of th e P urgatorio is continually ins istin g on the efficacy of prayer and exhorting u s to its u se. In th e third ca n to, when o ur poet a nd his gu ide have arrive d at the foot of the m o untain of Purgatory, th ey b eho ld a troop of sp irits coming to路w a rd s th em , fr om w hom they learn the easie.s t as cent. M anfr ed, l~ing of N apl es, is a m ong these s had es, and hav ing asked Dante to inform hi s daughter Cos tan za of the m ann er in which h e had died , proceeds thu s : ((Tru e it is That s uch one as in co ntumacy die s Against the Holy C hurch , though he r epents, M ust wander thirty fold for a ll th e tim e In his pres urnption past ; if s uch d ec r ee Be not b y praye r s of goo d m en shorter made. " In th e eighth canto, Dante, b y an excell ently sustain e d all et;o ry, s hows u s the power of prayer t o co m bat sin s uccessfu ll y and c! rive away t emptatio ns th e moment th ey appear. :-\ sc ending th e mountain of Purgatory, h e is condu ct e d to a hi g h erninence by Sordello, th e 1\/[antuan. beneath, r esplend ent

From thi s place th ey behold a s miling valley w i't h natural beaut:y 1 bed ecked with- many

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t1owers, r edolent of sweet fragrances and vibrating with the strains c·f the Salve Regii1a chanted by the sp irit s. Into this re cess of id eal lov eliness, where · the joys of anticipation reigned s uprem e, there s ubtly crept a serpent, unnotic ed by all save the two Guarcli;::, n Angels of thi s ble ssed r etreat. The se rpent, hearing the air cut L•y the ve~cl ant plumes of the celestial guards who approached it , immediately fled. The introduction of this eve nt into the poem would be to no purpose were there no moral meaning attached to it, Lut there is and from s uch a v iew-point we must consider it. This pleasant va le with its myriad colored flowers, with its fragrant ·odo rs and chanting sp irits, is sym bollical of the so ul in the stat e of g race , at peace with God and trying to become more perfect. The evil se rp ent, unnnoti ced in his approach, sym bolizes temptation, ever present t emptation . The angel guards, who so easily put the se rpent to flight , are smybolical of God's grace, by which we can s uccessfully r esist temptation and w hi ch is obtained through all powerful prayer. l\1 ust he not be a moral coward , th e ugliest typ e of moral ree1·eancy, who up on being attacked even by th e arch-en, emy of his so ul , s urr ende rs at once and un cond itionally, when le- . f,;·ions of grace-bearing angels ar e within easy calling, and ready to enlist in his ca use all the spiritual force s of heaven?

It is not only in Ante-Purgatory that we find our poet dwelling Gn the effectiveness of prayer, but even in Purgator y itself, where the salvation of th e spirits has reall y begun. Having entered at the gate, he is much pleased to hear th e s uppliant voices of the spirits join in r epeatin g aloud th e L ord ' Prayer." · :'0, Thou A lmighty Father, who dost make The h eavens Thy dw elling, not in bounds confined, But that with love in t ense r there Thou view est Thy primal efflu ence; hallow ed by Thy name Join, each created being, to extol Thy might, for worthy humble st thanks and prais e Is T h y bles sed spirit . May Th y kir1gdom 's peace Come unto us , for we, unless it. come, With all our striving thith er, tend in vain.

As, of their will, the ange ls unto Thee Tender me et sacrifi ce, circling Thy throne With loud hosannas; so, of theirs b e done

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By saintly m en on earth. Grant us this pay O ur daily m ann a, without which h e roam s Throug-h thi s r oug-h desert r etrog-rade, who most T oils t o advance his st ep s. As we to each Pard on th e evil clon e u s, pardon Thou Benig-n , and of our m erit take no count.

'Gainst th e old adver sary prove Thou not O ur v irtu e easil y subdu ed. B ut fr ee F r om his incitem ents and defeat hi s wil es.

This last petition , cleares t Lord, is mad e Not for ourselves, sin ce that w er e n eedl ess now, Bu t for th eir sakes w h o aft er us remain ." 路 I mi g-ht g-o on , m y fri ends, r ecalling- in stan ce after instance in whi ch Dante mak es clear th e n ec essity and pow er of prayer to combat sin and obtain the g-races of w hi ch w e stand in n eed. Bt1t they <.1re far too num erou s t o be r eco unt ed in the course of this address .

Th ey occur in alm os t eve ry canto, and eve ry read er of the Purg-ato. r io n ot onl y cannot fai"l t o r emark tiie m , but also must admit th eir expressiven ess .and for ce.

Besides mani festin g- t o us th e advantag-es of invoking- God t o admini st er t o our spiritu a l wants, and strong-ly urg-ing- u s to do so, Dante impresses up on our minds th e fact that it is ex tremely difficult, not t o say impossibl e, t o w ork out our salvation without the aiel afford ed by th e r eception of th e sacraments .

As leep and dr eamin g- he is carri ed up the mountain by Lucia 8.ncl find s himself, t og-eth er w ith Virg-il, two hours after sunset, at th e entran ce of P urg-ato ry, w h er e an ang-el keep s g-uard.

"Th e low est st a ir was marbl e whit e, so s mooth A nd polish ed, th at ther ein m y mirro r ed form D istin ct I saw. T h e n ext of hu e more clark T han sabl est g-r ain , a r oug-h and s ing-eel blo ck, Cr acked len g-thw ise and a cr oss . Th e third that lay M assy a~C?Yt:' _路seem ed porphy r y , that flam ed Recl as th e life blood spouting- fro m a ve in.

O n this Go d's an g-el either foot s ustained Upon t he thres hhoicl seat ed, whi ch app eared a rock of diamond .

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Up the tri11al steps my leader cheerily drew me.

'Ask,' said he, 'with humble heart that h e unbar the bolt. ' Piously at his holy feet devolved I ca$t me, praying him for pity's sake That he would open to me Then of that hallowed gate. He thrust the door, Exclaiming, 'Enter, but thi s warning hear l He forth again departs who looks behind .' " This door through which our poet must pass to enter Purgatory, r ep r esents th e sacrament of petiance. The white marble step is symbollical of sinc erity, th e clark, cracked block of stone, of a co ntrite heart, th e blood-reel on e symbolizes love toward God. The diamond threshhold signifi es the ~so lid foundation on which th e church rests. N ow, as the salvation of the spirits really b egin s \vhen they have entered the door 9f Purgatory, so, too) to obtain c ur own salvation we must purify our so uls by fr equently rec eiving th e sacraments of the church, apd especially must we appear at t he tribunal of Penance, of w hi ch t]1e door to P ur gatory is so express ly significant.

In the Purgatorio Dante uses means to make th e so ul abhor 8in and practice virtue, other than insisting on the efficacy of pray er and th e sacraments. One of th e most striking of th ese is th e manner in w hich h e d esc rib es th e awful sufferings that are to . be end ur ed ere the ugly scars of sinfuln ess are effaced from the so ul.

Hut trying as is this process of purification, th e hop eful spirits sub mit t o it with continual acclamations of God's infinite m ercy. On the other hand h e admirabl y puts befor e our eyes the inherent exce ll ence and beauty of virtu e in uch a way that we cannot refrain from loving it. A dmitted at th e gate of Purgatory, ou r poet and hi s g uid e ascend the rock by a wi ndin g path and come to an open spac e that extends around th e m ountain. On the side fronting t hem, w hi ch is made of white marbl e, th ey behold many artistic engravin gs, exqui sit ely beautiful , r eprese nting examples of humility. O h , wh at an eloquent and so ul-stirrin g pl ea for the practice of this Christ --like virtue, so nobl e, so sweet , so lovab le, have we when Dante, r eferrin g t o th e An nun ciation , imaged on the wall , proceeds thus :

'Fhe -Viatorian.

"Th e angel (who came clown on earth With tidin gs of the peace so many yea rs 路 vVept for in vain , that oped th e h eavenl y gates From their long interdi ct), befo r e m e seem ed, In a swee t ac t , so sc ultured to the life, He seemed no s ilent image. One had sworn He had said, "Hail !" for sh e was imaged th er e By whom the key did op en to God's love.

A nd in h er act so sen sibly impressed That word, 'Be hold the hand-maid of th e L ord,' As figure sealed on wax."

O r , again , when, hav ing just b eh eld th e fearful punishment visited on those expiating th e si n of prid e, Dant e gives us this sage adVJSe:

"Christian s and proud. Oh, poor and wr etch ed ones That, feebl e in the mind 's eye, lean your tru st U pon un staicl p erverseness . Know ye not That we are worms, yet made at last to form The winged insect, imped with angel plumes, That t o heaven's justice unobstructed soar s? vVhy buoy ye up aloft your unfl edged so uls?

Abortive then and shapeless ye remain, Like the untim ely embryon of a worm ."

Humility has been well called the mother and guardian of chastity, and if Dante so forc efully urges u s to practice the former, the foundation of every virtue, not less solicitou s and powerful is he in his appeal, exhorting us to be chaste, modest, and continent. rfhis is evident from the fact that he vividly describes the punishm.ent of the incontin ent to consist in being purged of their sin by fi ery flam es, excrutiating in th e awful agony which they cause the licentious s pirits. Mo reove r , are we not forced to hold chastity in the highest es t ee m and avoid every occasion of indecency after reading Dante's eloquent denunciation of_ the immodesty of the women of Florence, a r e buk ~ th e more striking b ecau se it is a natural c ut burst of his great so ul:

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"The tract most barberous of Sardinia's Isle Hath dames more chaste and modester by far Than that where I left my widow. Oh, sweet brother, vVhat wouldst thou have me say?- A time to come Stands full within my view, to which this Hour shall not be counted of an ancient date, When from the pulpit shall be loudly warned The unblushing dames of Florence, lest they bear U nkerchiefed bosoms to the common gaze. vVhat savage women hath the world ere seen, vVhat Saracens for whom their needed Scourge of spiritual or other discipline , To force them walk with covering on their limbs.

But did they see, the shameless ones, what heaven vVafts on swift wings towards 'them while I speak Their mouths were oped for howling; they shall tast e Of sorrow (unless foresight c_heat me here), Or ere the cheek of him be; 2'ic>;~thed with down, \Vho is now rocked with lullqby asleep." ,,:-

In the Purgatorio, Dante not only encourages us to the practice of virtue by a consideration of the excellence and beauty of hulmmility and chastity, both so perfectly exe mplified in the Blessed Virgin, but he teaches us to love and practice all the principal virtues, abhor and dread their contrary v ices and thus work out our ete rnal salvation. He teaches us th e great truth that all spiritual cleansing entails suffering; that if we would be restored to spiritual health we must submit to the purifying ope rations of those heavenl y surgeons whose angel wings will efface from our souls the unsightly blots of our sinfuln ess . He teaches us that prayer and penitential exercises will win pardon, that they fill the soul with joy and heavenly aspiration, that they make it grow forth the wings of holy ciesire, up on which it will waft its airy flight to the starry spheres.

He in sp ires us with holy courage in the midst of conflicts by giving us the assurance of ever present divine assistance. J\1en are assaileel, the divinest institutions, the chur ch and the State are assailed by the passions and the vices and the allied infernal hosts, but God's Pr路o vidence is ever watchful , as Dante shows in his P urgatorio, and especially in his sp lendid description of th e final triumph

The 路viatorian. c f the church over the ambition and cupidity of men , 'and the nares oi the devil. The church is God's full charged battery for spititual regeneration. How can one li e supin e in moral inaction when all the great voices of mankind, all th e voices of heaven and the divjn- . est institutions of ea r t h are inviti n g him to most glorious moral conq u ests? 路 My friends, in reading the history of thi s world of ours, we learn that there have been mighty conquerors the standards of w hose legions, never trailed in the dust of defeat, have always be.en kissed by the breeze of victo ry; we learn that there have been powerful orators, who, by the force and magnificence of their eloqu enc e, have h eld thousand s spell-bound and have fr eq uently det ermin ed the policy of nati ons; we learn that there have been . sculptors and painters the matchless excellence of whose masterpieces has imm orta li zed their names; yet not withstanding such splendid p hys ical and intell ectual triu (11p h s, a man may not be truly f,Teat and admirable, especially fn!:> tn the Christian point of view.

He, alone, is a g r eat man, deserving of sincerest admiration, who makes his fellow men better, happi er and more virtuous, who, with his eye .fi x~d on the beacon light of truth , lifts the aspirations of man into th e r ealm s of supr eme goodness and spiritual beauty, where h e is forced to forget the gross material things of earth that continually dra g him down and clown to lower and ever lower planes. In m y address this eve niti.g I have endeavored to show that Dante does uplift u s morally, by making us hop e th?-t if we avoid si n and practice v irtu e, seek th e aid afforded by prayer and 路 the saclaments, hold in highest est ee m all that is noble and pure and spiritual and sacr ed, we may one clay meet in the courts of heaven with those saints and v irgins whose happy lot is to " follow the Lamb w hithersoever He goeth."

W. J. IviAHER, '04.

tI

IN ERIN'S ISLE. /

IN Erin's isle, Where laugh and smile Are nature's beauteous grace s ; There would I dw ell , In vale ot dell, And lose care's heavy traces. \

That isle so green Can e'er be seen, In sunshine blessed revealin g Fair virgin mounts And gem-lit founts To heaven' s love appealing. ~t

Its murmuring rills \ lV oo verdant hills With serenade of ripple; And send their spray White on their way To bless th e Shamrock triple.

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What wonder, then, That saintly 路men Should in this isle be dw ellin g, Since beauty rar e, So plenteous ther e, I s sad n ess e'er dispelling ..

M.

J.

B., 'o4.

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The Viatorian.

P u blish ed m onthl y by t h e studen ts.

Ed ited b y the students of St. V iate ur 's Uoll eg-e, Bourbonnais GrONe, Ill. A ll cor r esponden ce must b e add r essed: T HE VI ATORIAN. B ou r bonnais, Ill. S ubscription price , o ne doll ar' per year, payable in aovanee.

E nte r ed a t t h e Bou r bonna is P . 0 . as second class mat ter.

BOARD OF EDITORS. J . LYNN, R . R I CHER, S. SULLIVAN,

P . J . D UFAUL'l', J . DRENNAN,

W. J . CLEAIW W . MAHE R .

EDITORIAL. \ Ve call th e att ention of our r ead er s t o th e a cco unt o f t h e o per etta, S t. Columkill , w hi ch is g ive n in t his iss ue of Th e V ia to rian.

A p a rt fr om th e gen era l int er es t w hic h th e a rti sti c m erits of su ch plays as t his and th e ope ra , S t . Patri ck, m ust a r ou se , th er e is t h e pa rti cul a r pl easure a nd satisfaction w hi ch th ey mu st b eget in th e hea rts of th ose w l1() look up On th e hi st ory of Ireland as th e h1 st ory of th eir ances t o r s. It is ce rt a inly as g r a tify ing as it is unu sual, for t he love r s of Irelan d an d h er nobl e ca us e, t o see h er saints and heroes perso nat ed, as th ey trul y wer e, as exam ples of v irtu e and valor , as men of r efin em ent a nd cultur e, of nobl e and generous impu lse .

S uch are th e p erso na ges of th e two plays . m ention ed. \Ve may say in passin g that wh en oth er s imitate th e exampl e of F ather M arsil e . <•n cl r em ov e th e du st fr om th e pages of th eir Irish hist ory th ey will fi nd hidd en th er e th e tru e t y p es of Irela nd 's ge nerou s so ns and virt uous dau g ht ers- ty p es w hi ch n eed but t o be prese nt ed once up on t h e stage t o convin ce intelligent theate r goer s that those v ile and v ul gar caricatur es of t h e Irish , those stage Iri shm en that at~ e so oft en m et with , are ri o less off ens ive t o t h e characters whi ch th ey wis h t o r eprese nt (o r , bett er , mis r eprese nt ) than th ey ar e ins ultin g to any intellige nt a udi en ce. T he b es t w ay to banish th e stage Iri shman is t o sub stitut e in hi s st ead th e r eal Iri s hm a n.

A ll seek happin 5lss, but few know wh er e to find it. O ft en it is ~o u ght wh er e it is least to b e found. A. life of e a s~ and indolence seem s t o many t o be a paradise of bliss se r ene. S carc ely, howeve r , do th ey ent er into thi s · abod e w hi ch th e fancy p eoples vvith so .~

The VViatorian. many interesting characters, wh en they discover that it is a veritable "fool's paradise. " _In s uch uncongenial company, a reasonable h eing can find nothing but discontent and misery. Elsewhere he has to seek the object of his quest ; but whither shall he direct his step s that h~ may be successful? The fact is, we must produce our cwn happiness as we go on through life ; no other one can ri1anpfacture it for us. If we would have happin ess at all, we must find it in wo rk- work which has for its object the betterment of ourselves and our fellowman. We are never retarded in our advancement 1n life, in our .attainment of that which shall make us happy, nor is cur ¡portion of blessedness diminished by the cheerful, helping hand w hich we extend to those who are weaker and less fortunate than (1m-selves.

l\!f uch of the disco ntent and real unhappiness of life is caused Ly th e tendency of man towards extr em es . With so me it is . all work; with others, all play. Yet expe ri ence t each es us that a judicio us combination of these two, work and play, contributes much to our present happin ess . That lab or which allows no time for th e r es Jt, ancl r ec reation which nature demand s, defeats its own purpose .

O n the other hand , play which is entered into as a bu siness b ee omes in r eality the hardest work of all. We mu st tak e our play w ith our labor, or else go without it. When we look forward to r ecr eation, then is when we need it m os t. P lay is th e spice of labor, hence it mu st n ot be taken in large closes.

There can be no inter est in life for him who does not tak e an activ e part in th e struggl e. If we wish t o accompli sh anything last..:. . ing, if we desire to play our part s uccessfull y, if we are anxious t o make the world bett er because we hav e liv ed in it-in a word, if we are n ot co nt ent with playing th e role of incapables, of m er e imbecil es , we must have so m e fixed aim t owa rd s which all our desires, all o ur energ ies, all our effort s must b e dir ect ed. L et yo ur purpose in life be high and n oble ; let th e m ea ns which yo u use for its attainment be proportionate and hon est; then yo u cann ot fail in life and w h en yo u reach the terminu s of this earthl y pilgrimage yo u can, wi thout shame or fear, loo k back up on the past and say: "I have done 'my s hare to make me ~ 11 that God and nature i, nt ~nck d 1 ~ 11ou ld be." â&#x20AC;˘

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OPERETTA, "ST. COLUMKILL.''

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OET', priest, musician, patriot, scholar and apostle- sucb

was Columkill, the Celtic saint, whose beautiful life is here made the subject of another charming musical drama by the gifted Father Marsile. This is not the author's first attempt. In the last decade he presented "The Young Martyrs," "The Young Crusaders," and "St. Patrick," which last obtained the highest commendation of the late lamented Archbishop Feehan, and was enacted in Chicago last year with such gratifying success.

Not only, as Dr. Talbot Smith says , is there no reason why. religious themes should not be treated dramatically, but there is eve ry reason why they should be presented by competent dramatists. If we take into account the success :which greets such plays ctS ''Mary of lVI agdala" and "Everyman ," we would fain declare that we are at the beginning of a healthy revival of the old Miracle and Morality plays. May the good work go on. The atteri1pt to treat such subjects on the part of playwrights and the hearty welcome accorded the plays by the public can be hailed as a healthy s ign of the times, as a condition most favorable for the elevatio41 of the stage, for the aesthetic and moral improvements of the masses.

The fine literary and dramatic sense of the author of St. Columkill is known not only from the operettas we have already mentioned , but also from his finished dramas in French verse, such as, "Les Fils de Cladomir;'' and "Levis," which have been received with en1·husiastic applause.

The Play.

Act I.-In Durrow Monastery.

The scene opens with the chorusing and dancing of boys at play in the monastic school, over which Columldll presided in the sixth century. Columkill appears upon the scene and, after a short conversation with his oldest pupil, Baithan, . is visited by an angel and three Virtues. These heavenly apparitions are calculated to strengthen Columkill for future trials. Thereafter the coming of Diarmid is announced. The king is greeted amid festaJ song and dancing of children. In the king's company is Abbot Finian, who accuses Columkill of having secretly, during the hour of night, rnade a copy of his psalter· without permission. Finian claims this cop/'· 'I'he lovy of boo'ks was thG predominant passion of Colum-

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kill. The king condemns Columkill an ~l orders him to give over th e copy, which Columkill does, qut J.ll{der vehement protest. Scarcely has the king left with his train, w~1en it1 rushes a child, in breathless excitement and pale with dismay. He has fl ed to Columkill's ri1onastery for safety from the wrath of King Diarmid. This child, while at play with the son bf one,of Diarmid's friends , accidentally killed his playmate while fenGirig; and hearing of the evil intentions of the king, fled to Colttmkill for protection. Soon the king- re-enters the monastery and kills the guiltless boy in the arms of Columkill. With this dramatic scene ends the fir st act.

Act II.-In O'Niall's Palace., In the second act are seen the results of the indignation of Columkill~ over the inju stice of K ing Diarmicl against whom th e abbot has marshalled the forces· of Kings O'Niall and O'Donn~ll. The scene presents a vast asse·mfb~C!-ge of. kings, soldiers, monks,·. b~u~ds and children in the exultation of vict?ry. Diarmid, who had been taken captive, is set free thrdti gh the ·appeals .of his so n , Baithan, the disciple of Columkill. A l ~st grand chorus of grateful song r esounds through the palace., hf,t lls of O'N iall. Then Bishop Finnian appears upon the scene, lbearing a sentence of excomm unication against Columkill for having bee n the cause of so m l,:!Ch bloodshed. Columkill is stripped of his abbatial mitre, rod and ring and is "left alone, as though a leper-a cursed man ! He submits to his humiliation; in s.ong he prays for courage. During his, momentary absence from the scene, children ent er and in graceful speech and · song ·invoke heaven's aid for their kind master. Columkill returns, soon followed by St. Brendan, who tell s the bishop that he has seen most extraordinary sigt).S sb ·)wing that Co lumkill was dest in ed to vv'Drk the conversion of an entire people. Thereupon, the bishop restores to him all the i1isignia of his dignity. B ut to atone for his fault, Columkill asks for a penance and accepts the penalty of leaving Ireland forev er. He bids farewell to his beloved native land . his "cradle rocked by th e ocean." ' Act IlL-Monastery of Iona.

If Columkill was a lover of books, h e was a sti ll more ardent iover of Ireland; and from the barren rocks of Iona, on th e Scottish coast, waft his plaintive sighs towards Erin's green shores. Here he receives a visit from the Irish bard, Machonna, in em bracing who.m he exclaims: "Why, there is a perfume of Erin's woods, of

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h er flowe rs in your h a ir, in yo ur g arm ents !" Th e bard g ives Columkill a g r een sprig of trefoil , w hich th e abb ot precious ly tr easur es. K ing A idan co m es t o th e m onast er y to r eceive hi s crow n fro m th e hand s of Columkill , w ho has convert ed his p eopl e. This king was th e fir st kin g of th e Wes t who was crow n ed by a p!路elat e uf th e Church. ~rh e ston e on whi ch h e kn elt to r eceive his crown is now in W estmin s t er A bb ey, formin g part of th e r egal chair up on vvhi ch kings of E ng land r eceive th eir crown. A ft er. th e joyo us ceremonies of coronati on , th e king proposes meas ur es for th e suppr ess ion of th e bardic ord er, w hose m emb ers had b eco m e excessive ly large and whose so ngs oft en we r e b ou g ht by th e hi g hes t bidd er.

Columkill pleads for the maintenan ce of the ord er, speakin g w ith enthusiasm of the elevating and r efining influence of music and poetry. Aidan yi elds. All bard s prese nt place a harp on th e step s o f the throne , children enwreath it with flower s. A ll bow to th e barp, embl em of Ireland. This b eautiful a poth eosis of t h e harp end s w ith gleeful song and danc e. The play ends with Columkill's proph eti c v ision of Irel.a nd 's unswe rv in g fid elity to he r r eligion.

This th em e, th en , th e life of St. Columkill , is in itself poetical and easil y lends itself t o dram ati c treatment . B ut th e play, as ~: taged by St. Viateur 's stud ents, has musical features no less attractive than its literary m erit s a r e ce rtain and its r elig ious t on es m ost cl ear. Th e entir e action is acco ni. pani ed \vith ch01:al mhsic a nd trippin g dan ce; spirited solos a nd dramati c duets an d t rios ar e a rtfully interspe rsed--th e w hole play b eing thu s a feast of poetry d. nd of r elig io n , of th e his trio ni c a nd musical arts. A judiciou s admi x ture of Irish airs, selec t ed chi efl y from M oor 's m elodies, giv es th e op er etta a deli cately Irish musical flavor. Th e music of th e dan ces and of many of th e songs is drawn from -appropriately exlJressive passa ges of mu sical co mp ositio ns of high m erit , lik e Lucia <1e Lammermoo r, F au st , M ig non , M aritana, Daughter of th e R egiment, L 'Esclavage A fri cain , et c., et c. Th e music for th e murd er sce'n e in Act I, co nsistin g of solo, du et and trio , is an entir ely original compositi on of R ev. L. A. Go ul et te, C. S. V .

Synopsis of P lay .

Act I. Colum kill c~ ncl emn ed by K ing Diarmid t o r estore t o A bb ot F innian th e cor,y of th e Psalter. K ing Diarmid kill s K ierna'n , son of K ing O ' N iall , w ho has fl ed t o Co lumkill for prot ection.

Act I I. Ma rti al r ejoicin gs of unit ed f or ces of K in gs O'N iall a:nd

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O 'Donnell , who have defeated King Diarmid. Col umkill receives sentence of excommuni cati on for his pa rti cipation in so much bloodsh ed . A nnoun cemen t of hi s life work as the apost le of the P icts.

His di g nities ar e r est ored. He r esolves to leave Ir eland forever.

Act III. A fter many ye ars of A postolic labors among th e P ict s, Columkill, with mu ch solemnity, crow ns th ei r king, A id au . He pleads for the maintenance of the bardi c ord er. Apo th eos is of th e harp. Columki ll invokes bl essings on Scotlan d and Ireland.

The cast of characters is as follows : St. Columkill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . l\ll r. D. Feely Diarmid, King of Tara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... l\1r. A. L 'Ecuye r Baithan (son of Diarmicl a,nd disciple of St. Columkill ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1\1 r. J . l\ll onohan A idan , King of Caledonia . . . ..... 路 ................. lVI r. J. Car ey King O'Donn ell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... M r. T. Cosgrove King O 'N iall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... .. . 1\T r. J. Casey Kieran, son of O'N iall ..... .. . . ..... . ...... ... ~ . ]\!fast er A. B irren J<innian, A bbot . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... l\i r. J\II . Cott er l\lfachonna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... ': . . . . .... . . .. l\1r. \ 1\f. Cleary B ishop , Angel, V irtu es, Ba rd s, Soldi ers, Co urti ers, :Monks and Children.

Personal Notes Anent Actors.

The title rol e w ill b e sustain ed by M r. D. Feeley, of Chicago, ' N hose ri ch , stron g and flexible t enor vo ice路 is we ll adapted for th e interpretation of the vari ety and str engt h of the feelings and th e elevation of th e sentim ents which St. Columkill gives expression to. l\!f r. Feeley's well known ability as a singer a nd as an actor, his brilliant success in St. Patri ck's ope ra last yea r , both h er e a nd in Chi cago, give promi se of th e artistic so rt of ent ertainm ent he is abl e t o furnish.

M r. A . L ' Ecuyer, of Kan kakee, w ho shone as St. Patr ick last year , w ill play th e part of King Diarmid. His very effecti ve bariton e vo ice and his strong stage action qualify hi m excellently for this role.

M ast er A lb ert Birren, of Chicago, another of last yea r' s stars, w ill take th e part of the son of O'N ia ll. His pure, childi sh alto voice is excell ently suited to his path eti c part.

Master J ohn Monah an, of Chicago, whose bird-like tones 路 so

The路 Viatorian. cap tivated the h earts of all these last two years, is now developing~ a sweet t enor voice, w hi ch w ill be h eard with fin e eff ect in the sympathetic role of Baithan, the disciple of Columkill.

Mas t er . G. Ester brook, of L eads, r. Dakota, w ill mingle t h e clear, sweet not es of hi s soprano vo ice w ith others already mentioneel, and thus enhance th e musical featur es of th e Operetta.

The r ole of Mac honna, the chief bard, is in the practised ha nd s of Mr. W. Cleary, of Momence, Ill. W ith a bariton e vo ice of tmswerv ing justness . M r. Clear y will r end er well th e seve ral ancient Gae lic lays which hi s rol e calls for.

A master of th e player's art, M r.. l\II. Cotter, of Quincy, IlL , w ill make the role of Finnian a strikin g, a remarkable role.

In regal rob es and crown, M r. J. Ca r ey, of Chi cago, looks eve ry inch a king, and his artful and dignified imp ersonation of A idan 111akes one feel as though h e we re ind eed in the presence of royalty.

The victorious King O'Donn ell , w ho r eceives from the hand s d Columkill th e famous Psalter, to be carried in battl e as "th e tighter," and t o be ever preserved as a precious heirloom in his fam il y, will be imp erso nat ed by Mr. T. Cosgrove, of Sen eca, Ill. , w hose manly vo ice and hist ri onic ability ens ur e th e perfect r endition of this kingly rol e.

Some thirty o r forty yod ng boys in th e r ole of .sc hool childr en, c r pages, troop up on th e scen e in attractive costum e and g rac eful dance and gleeful son g, mingling th e ingenu ous vivacity of their y ea rs and the tun eful sweetness of their voices with th e thou g htful manliness and solemn ton es of kings, sc holars, churchm en. Mos t c,f these yo un g cho ri ste rs a nd dancers are bright Chi cago boys.

Patronage.

Last yea r 's pe rforman ce of St. Patrick 's opera at th e Illin ois theater, Chicago, was a . ver itable alumni feast . Never sin ce the al umni banquet g ive n in honor of Rt. Rev. B ishop lVI:cGavick, D. D ., was s uch a large numb er of old students of St. Viateur's seen gathe r ed together in Chicago. The word, "St. Patrick's Opera," ~: e nt out by the daily press, so und ed like a rallying call for all th e son s of St. V iateur's, who assisted en masse at the play g iven by their younger brothers th e 17th-of March. As the performance was thoroughly enj oyed by that large and distinguish ed a udience, as it was considered one of the )TIOSt hi ghl y literary and perfectly

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'the Viatoriart. ~t rtistlc entertairiments given in Chicago on Ireland's national clay,

and as the present musical drama is not inferior to St. Patri ck's opera, eith er in point of cast, or of literary and musical merits, there JS every reason to hope 'that th e young act or s will be g r eet ecl by a large audience and that th ey will su cceed in furni shing entertain- 路 ment of a high order.

The gratifying success w hich attend ed th e first effort of t h e students in their rendition of St. Patrick's opera last year was clu e in a large measure to the kind ser vices of Rev. T. McDevitt, of St. Columkill's church, 0 路1icago, and t o th e enthusiastic patronage of a large number of distingui shed Catholi c ladi es . These sam e generc. us and very efficient helpe rs are preparing a wa rm welcome for St. Columkill's operetta this year. M r s. J. Daclie and M rs. F .

Moody are ;=tt present pr eparing a list of patronesses w hich will be published as soon as it is fini sh ed. We hea rtil y t hank these kind iadi es for all their good offices.

St. Columkill 's operetta ~ ill b e given in Power' s theater, Chi cago, March 17, at 2 p. m. It will be played her e at the coll ege, 1'11arch I 5, at 8 p . m.

Objects.

The presentation of this play can but r es ult, on th e one hand , in offering pleasing and elevatin g entertainm ent ; it can but produce a healthy enthusiasm for a country w hose name is h eld in ven eration by all her son s, and increase their love for the great personages w ho laid th e fourtclations of h er g rand eur ; on th e other hand, the preparation and executi on of such a elrama is for the stud ents themselves a trainin g in the dramatic and musical art s. The playing of th e students in a large center li ke Chicago, m oreove r, affo rd s 6.n excellent opportunity for those happy reunions of form er st udent s, which h elp to cement the bonds of fellowship between th e alumni and th e 路aCtual stud ents. The fu rth er object of t he representation of St. Colum ki ll , both here and in Chicago, w ill be to realize such funds as 路wi ll enab le the institution to install and to adorn w ith statu es the three bea ut ifu l marble altars which have been recently donated to the coll ege chapel by genero us friends. VV e tak e . this opportunity to thank very heartil y all th e lib eral friends w ho have aided us heretofor~ , and those who are actuall y using t heir many talents to insure the success of o u~ purposes.

~X CHANGErS.

It woul d appear that th e most se nsitive part in th e entire or ga ni sm of a coll ege jo urnal is its exc hange column, and for thi s r eason w h en it is found to be laboring und e.r so me' disease th e Exma1i. who und ert akes to perform th e ope ration should .u se great t.::entle 7 r-;ess, so that: 'I'· "What's amiss · · May b e g~ntly h eard : When we debate O t,n- triv ial differ ence loud, we do cor'n mit M urd er in · healing wounds."

I t is gratifying t'o see that many of our exc hanges for Januarv .· .

I . .. ' • have, devoted a few of th eir pages to ' a theme which has occupied . t the· attention of th e greatest minds of all past ages and ' 'v hich to nhnues to y ield food for r efl ection to the highest thinkers of ~t1t~ ' own :i ' clays- edu ca ti on . Some have mad e this the subject of thei.r editorial column , others of lengthy essays; all ev idetitly animated with . the sam e nobl e aim: to arouse in the minds o.f s tudents se riou s reflections on the impo rtan ce of th e work to be clone while at colreg·e, the dignity of that work and the countless benefit s that ar e to b e deri ved from doing it well. This is sur ely the most commendable . effo rt that any college journal can make, since it happens that wh en st ud ents th em selv es are thoroughly impressed with the value and r.ecess ity of acquiring a good education, the fir st great victory has b ee n gain ed and th e teacher . in .hi s class roon-, has found that more than half hi s work is already accomplished. ~,

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''The Va lue of Education in a Nation's :Qevelopment" is th e title of an excellent essay in "The N iagara Index;" for J anu~r y. The ;;.utho r , in ord er to show the benign influence which eclucatid~1 has always .exe rci sed over indiv iduals and nations, very aptly brings before our eyes th e age of Pericles, which owes its brilliancy to the r,':'m arkable growth of education that then existed, and remarks that it is to hi s personal effort s to promote learning that this great man (Pe ricl es) owes hi s undying fam e. Again, .he points . out the fa ct that when th e R oman Empire was falling to pieces through di scord c.nd cor rupti on, A u gw~ tu s' Caesar had .recourse-and not without the cl~sired effect-to this' all-powerful r emedy.

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But where the writer. strikes a high not e and one which must necessarily find an echo in the heart of every true lover of education , is where he says: "To make its influence properly felt and its principles worthy of admiration , education must be guided by religion. " This idea of education being guided · by i·eligion has, unhappily, niet with much opposition in these United States of lat e years, but th~ opposing party are beginning to' learn by sad experi ence that the education which is not guided by religion; the ed ucation in which so und principles of morality and religious training enter not as essential elements, is not an education in the proper sens e of the word, but a flimsy imitation , a counterfeit and a men<i ce to the Republic.

A lthough the greater part of th e literary matter in "St. Mar y 's ~e ntinel" is intended for th e love rs of fiction , yet it is not without it s pages for the lovers of th_e old classics. Th e student who is ·plodding his weary way'' through Homer and Virgil will doubtless find much solace in reading the essay entitled · "The Advantages Derived From th e Study of the Clas ics. ·· The exchang e column oi this journal is ably handl ed.

Whi le we admire the enthu siasm di sp layed by the author of an essay entitled " Laboratory lVIet hocls and Work in a Liberal Eel. ncation ," which appears in th e "Co lle ge Review,'' and most r eadily 8 dmit that the laboratory method is, in its sphere, a most excell ent v; ay of acquiring knowledge; yet we think th e writer is somewhat absolute when he says that this method "m t.tst pervade the whole work of the institution. ' ' This method may certainly b e used with the most beneficial re s ults in th e natural and exact scien ces and also in the low es t form of psychology, nam ely, th at which deals with se nsational consciousnes ; but ce rtainl y no form of quantitative measurement can be applied to rational psychology which treats of t h e affections, volitions and other inttdlectual processes. This method , th erefo r e, must be confined to that which is material; hence when it is applied to that which is purely spiritua l it is certainly carried beyond its sp her e. That knowledge whose object is . material s ur ely does not con stitute the whole work of an institutiOn; this is but a part of its work. The institution who e entire ~fforts ~re spent in teachin~ its p upils how to m e. asur~ and divicl el

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to build up and analyze, to the exclusion of all higher knowledge is not fulfilling its mission as an educator. There are God-given powers in the mind of every student, that enable it to soar as well as to clive and through these powers it can rise to h eights where it would be ras h to attempt to bridl e it with the methods which it must follow h er e below. This essay embodies other ideas with which we do not agree, but as we look up on them as the result of an over active imagination , we prefer to pass them over. \TV e are glad to see such subjects treated in our exchanges.

J. A. LYNN.

A ROYAL SON AND MOTHER. (By the Baroness Pauline Vo n - Hugel.) "

Among the many and interesting biographies which adorn the 1; st of Catholic literatur e, there has appeared of late an addition which well deserves the attention of all those who desire to become ramiliar with the life and deeds of heroic and self-sacrificing men. ~ n this little vo lume the reader will find a splendid example of th e evangelical counsel, "Go sell all that yo u possess, distribute it to the poor, and follow me." 路 This book narrates what certainly deserves to be transmitted to posterity: the affection a mother bears to her child , and how the child s hould strive to live up to the advice and dictates of a good parent. It r elates in an instructive way the s truggles of the moth er against the evil effect s of her own early irreligious ed u catio n and of the ceaseless effo rts to train her princely so n in the perfect ways of Christian truth. That her .noble labor was not spen t in vain is s hown by the life of her son, which the book relates. Abandoning the prospects of a bright career in his own 路co untry, flingin g aside all worldly honors, Prince Gallitzin chooses to become a missionary in America. The monument and chap el recently erected to his mem ory in Loretto, Penn., will serve 'o perpetuate the fame of his zeal in the work of the priestly ministry. We cheerfully recom m end this interesting volume of Christian literature to all our readers. It can .be purchased at the mo_derate pric~ of 75 cents fn;m1 th~ Avry Maria Press, Notre Dame, Ind. '

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PERSONALS. Very Re : . . , \.. Corcoran, C. S . V., who ha been confined to his b d for everal weeks with a Se\ ere attack Of pneumonia, is, we are happy to tate, convale cent.

Rev . M. J. Marsile, C. S. V. , as i ted at the dedication of t.

Patrick' church, E canaba, Mich. , on Sunday, the 15th inst. The ceremony was performed by the Rt. Rev. Bi hop Eis , of Niarquette. ~ 1ost Rev . Archbishop Ireland, of St. Paul, preached the 路ermon. While in Escanaba, the reverend pre ident visited the parents of ten of our students from that city .

Rev. H. Durkin, Rantoul, Ill., pent a few hour with his friend at th e colleo-e one day la t week.

Rev . P. Beaudoin, C. S. .. for th e pa t two week ha been co nfined to hi room with a painful atta ck of rh eumatis m. Hi lifelong friend and confrere , Rev . Bro. lVIartel, w ho shared with , him th e trial and trouble of pioneer clay , i now at hi s beds ide oothing our beloved patriarch in hi s illnes . W e hop e that thi, may prove but a pa ing indi sposition and that our genial friend and reve red father may o n be rn ving about in our mid ~ t once more.

Rev. Bro: Quirk is r eplacing R ev. B oudr ea u in th e prefe ctship , of the junior department. Th e latter i a t pre ent enj oying a r e t , w hich , w e hope, will oon r e tore him to perfect h ealth.

We learn . from th e Ro ck I sland rg us for F ebruary 13, th at . at th e r eorganization of th e Ro ck I sland Bar s ociation, 1r. J. F .

Murphy , an alumnus of S t. V iat eur 's , was elected sec retary of that asEociation. W e congratulate M r. Murph y on the honor conf rr ecl up on him by the m emb ers of his profession.

M r. D. Fe ely and l\!Ir. J. K an g ley have return ed to th e college. aft er an absenc e of several we eks , occas ioned by s ickn ess. Doth , we ar e happ y to stat e, have r ecov~ r e d sufficientl y to res \tm e th eir theoloo路i q d studi S,

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In t h e ea rl y pa rt of th e present mont h we enjoyed th e very pleasant vis it of one of o ur fo rm er professors, Rev. T. McCo rmick, w ho, at pr-ese nt, is pastor of St. Edwa rd 's church , Chi cago.

Rev. J. ]. Cr ega n , C. S. V., dir ector of tl~ e Holy N ame School, Chi cago, r ecently assisted R ev. T. Dugas, C. S . V., Beaverville, Ill. Befor e r eturning to th e city, Fath er Cregan call ed on his fri ends at the co ll ege . A ll we re pl eased t o m eet their ge nial frincl and to learn of th e flouri s hing condition of th e sc hoo l w hi ch is und er his â&#x20AC;˘:: ha rge.

R ev. R. ]. P ratt, one of our former students, was on e of our r ece nt VISitors. F ath er Pratt is past or at \ iVabash , Incl. During his vis it h e celebrat ed th e comm unity mass in the coll ege chap el.

Rev. T. lVIc D evi tt, Chi cago, paid a brief but pleasa nt vis it t o the coll ege r ece ntly.

Rev. M. L et elli er is t emporaril y r ep lac ing R ev. D. L. Crowe, Kewanee, Ill. , w h o, up on th e adv ice of his ph ys icia n , has gon e So uth in th e inte r est of hi s health.

R ev. C. Fo urni er o ffi ciated as celebrant at the solemn fun eral mass for th e r epose of th e soul of Mr. P. Sweeny, at St. V iator's church , Chi cago.

R ev. ' ] . L~marr e, Notre Dame Church, Chi cago, is at present '.-isiting his brother and oth er fri ends in Longu ewil , C anada, his na' ive town. \ iV e wish our fri end a very pleasant trip. ' 'Th e co ntract has be en g ive n for thr ee b eaut iful marble altars to Gav in & S h erm an, Chi cago. T hese alta rs have been gen erou sly donat ed to th e coll ege by kind fri ends , who do not w ish their nam es to be ].;: nown. The wo rk of erecting these altars in the chap el w ill be co mpl et ed for Easter. Needl ess t o say, we are und er a debt of eve rl asting g r atitud e to our genero us b enefact<D rs. ;

l\t'[ r. . J. McCa rthy, of th e theo logical depar t m ent , has been :forced by illn e ¡. t o take a f~w weeh;' rest, T h e last r eport from

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The Viatoriart. our fri end is m ost en courag ing, so mu ch so that we exp ect th e pl eas ure of seein g him in our midst , hal e and hearty, in a few cl ays.

Last week ) at the M ate rnity Church , Bo urbonn a is, we re celebrated th e doubl e nuptial s of t w o of our form er stud ents, M r. -N arcisse l\!l arcotte and M r. A rthur Cyri er t o th e t w o l\lli sses B rai s, of Bourb onnais. We ext end t o th e happ y co up les our sincere fe licitati ons.

O n e of our disting uish ed v1S1tors of th e past m onth w as P rofesso r D 'Arnall e, wh o cam e to spend a S unday w ith l\/[ ast er C. Ost ,wh ose g uardian h e is. During th e afternoon h e entertain ed th e stu dents with a son g r ecitaL A mong oth er selecti ons h e r encl er ecl, ~ ' O mni po t e n ce ' ' a nd "Se renade," b y Schub ert ; "T ora edore," fr om Ca r m en, and 11 P rologu e," from Pagliacci.

A m ong those w ho visit ed stud ents durin g th e past month we noti ced th e following : Mess rs. L evy, Burke, O'B ri en , Gund er lack , Campion , V/ a lsh , Turk, R osseau, B arrett, Foley, Robinso n, Mo rg an , O' H ern and Wi ll iam s, all fr om Chicago; J\1r. Ber ge ron, Escanaba, M ich .; l\tf r. and M r s. B urhs, of Calum et , M ich.; l\/[ r . F ly nn, Earl Park, Incl. ; Mr s. Doh erty, 1\/[r s. Kot ze nb erg and J\1 r s. Ru ssell , · of Chicago.

The numb er of stud ents is co ntinuall y incr eas ing. During th e past month seven n ew stud ents w er e enroll ed. T he M inim depart·· m ent now numb ers seventy-s ix, th e larges t numb er eve r r egist er ed in th at departm ent. Th e lates t arriv als ar e M ast ers G. B arr ett , A .

L owinthal and J. R oa ch, Chicago; M ast ers Carl and A lb ert T ench , fron1 th e City of Mexico, and 1\/[ r. J. B~ r g in .

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M r. Jam es· Hay den , w hose studi es last year wer e interrupt ed by sickn ess, has r eturn ed t o r es um e hi s co t.~rse in th e classics. We ar e g lad that his h ealth permits him to enter into his stt.rdi es w ith th e sam e en ergeti c spirit w hich anim at ed him before hi s illn ess.

E.XAMINATIONS. The result of the semi-annual examinations which took p lace at the beginning of February, is most encouragin g for the st ud ents and their teachers. This searching test made it evident that <l; large majority of the students had diligently prepared, both r etpotely and proximately, for this trying ordeal. Each student had to appear before the board of examiners to be questioned in the various branches which he had studied during the past five months. To expedite the long and tedious work which this method of examining entailed, the prefect of studies, Rev. W. J. Bergin, C. S. V., .cli路vided the board of examiners into four groups, two for th e classical . department, one for the commercial and one for the minim department. The students of the advanced clfi.ssics were exam in ed by Rev. Father Bergin, who was assisted by Professors M. Cotter, J. l\![cCarthy, T. Cosgrove, W. Surprenant. The other classical students were examined by Rev. Brothers Q:'l\'iahoney, Kirley, Breen, Quirk and Professor McMullen. The commercial students were exa mined by Rev. Bro. Raymond , who was assisted by Rev. Brothers Lynch , Dube, Girard, - Leduc and Professor Martin. The examiners for the minim department were Rev. Brother St. Aubin , president of the board; Rev. Brothers Vigneault, Beauchene, Hazen and Professors Fitzgerald, Egan, Lynn. The Rev. President, Father Marsile, also took an active part in the exa11)-inations, dividing his attention between the different co urses. The number of stu dents who received excellent notes can be judged from the fo llowing roll of honor: The Conway medal , for an average of 97 and upwards , in the classical course, equall y deserved by J. Drennan, S. Morgan, H. Butler and G. Daviault, was drawn by J. Drennan.

The classical excellence medal, for a note between 95 and 97, was equally deserved by J. Cooke, W. McKenria, J. Munday, I--<'.

M iller, L. O'Connors ariel F. Wa lsh-drawn by L. O'Connors.

The fir st class ical medal , for a note between 93 and 95, was equally deserved by C. Conway, J. H_ickey, J. Hogan, F . Mu nsch, E. Phelan-drawn by J. Hickey.

The second classical medal, for a note between 90 and 93, was equally deserved by' H. Darche, J. Finnegan, C. Katzenberg, A. L'Ecuyer, W. Moran, J. O'Loughnane, R. \1\,Teurst-clrawn by C.

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The Guilfoyle E n gli sh Comp osition m edal, for a n ote of 95 and up wards, was· -eq ually d eserve d by H. B utl er , J. Cook e, J. D r ennan.

J. Hickey, W. l\l[oran , F. lVfiil er, R . \ N eurst, F. \ N alsh- clraw n by _1. Cooke.

Th e comm ercial exceil en ce m edal , for a note of 95 and upwa rd s 1vas wo n by Jo eph Daily w ith a not e of 95· The first commercial m edal , for a no te betw ee n 93 and 95, was e qually d ese rved by 1\II. L evy, H. T estin-clrawn by H . Test in . · The second co mm er cia l meda l, for a note between 90 and 93 · w as equall y d ese rve d by C. Foley, R . M udd , E . Perron , A . Bisaillon , E. Car ey, J. Cronin , Jas . Daily-draw n b y Jas. Daily.

The condu ct medal , for a note of 95 and upwa rd s, in th e seni or department, was drawn by J. l\tl un day; in th e junior departm ent , drawn by H. Butler.

In th e minim d epartm ent , th e . fir st excell enc e m edal was won

by F . Westerfield , w ith a not e of 95, and th e second excell ence medal was won by J. Ke lly w ith a not e of 94· T he condu ct m edal was equall y dese rve d by T. Harriso n and E . Foley-drawn by T .

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ATHL~TiCS.

If the attention that the students give to indoor, handball, bow.,. ling, billiards and pool is indicative of a desire to acquire ti1e physical cultur e part of an ed u cation, then we may conclude that th e great 路majority of the boys believe in the saying, "lVIens sa na in corpore sano," and w ill be we ll able in after years to point with pride to a good head on strong; broad should ers.

A representative indoor team from among the seniors has been c.rganizecl by 1\/[r. Frank Holland, who also acts in the capac ity of uanager and captain. To elate th e team has played about eight games and has been victor ious every tim e. They will undoubt ed ly w in the county champion ship if they keep up their present exce llent playing. 1\/[uch cr edit is clue to Capt. Holland, who has willin g ly s hould er ed all the responsibilities of the indoor team, and has lead the boys to victor y in eve ry game. He and his team-mates dese rve the s upp ort of the stud ent body.

The bowling alleys are always occupied and many interesting and close games may be 路seen iii that part of the gymnasium. The St. Joe people seem to be able t o beat all who dare oppose them.

The st udy hall and third co rridor boys will tell you that.

So great is the int er est which many of th e students take in handball , that it is eve n difficult to get a choose. The click of the ivories is ever heard under the balcony of the gyn1. 路 The baseball squad practices eve ry conge afternoon and their untiring efforts to improve in our national game,justify us in saying that we w ill have a first class team next spring. The schedule is nearly comp lete and includ es som e big games.

1\/[ . J. W.