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THE American people have a practical exemplification to-day of the truth of the proverb that "history repeats itself." The circumstances and accidental surroundings may be different, the essence is alike. Change the nineteenth for the twelfth century, the Returning Boards and bulldozers of Louisiana for the princes of Europe and their servile counsellors, the prize of to-day, viz., the presidency of the United States, for the far greater prize of the twelfth century, the papal chair, and it will be understood in a moment why we meet in history with so many instances of attempts at schism, and the appearance of anti-popes, “counted in" by regal influences.

Nothing but the divine protection could have saved the Church, and secured the succession of her pontiffs for eighteen stormtossed centuries. The most careful provisions of the founders of our republic, to secure a free choice, have been obliged to be supplemented at the end of the first century, and nearly twenty years ago the choice of a President was the excuse for a secession, and the result was a bloody war.

The same little game may be played again. Already there are rumors that "the Catholic powers, in view of the death of the Pope, will exercise their rights." What rights? And who are the Catholic powers? The Catholic people exist everywhere; but we know of no Catholic government that can be trusted. Is it Italy who retains Rome, or Austria, or Spain, or Portugal, or Belgium, or France? all of which States have Catholic rulers to-day, but may be in a condition of revolution to-morrow. We opine that the cardinals will care but little, in their choice of a new pope, for the opinion of these Catholic powers.

Now that there is so much said about Russia and the Greek Church, which exists in that empire, the following particulars of its doctrine and discipline may be of interest: The Greek Church believes in the Divine presence in the Eucharist. It denies the authority of the Pope. It rejects purgatory, but admits of praying for the dead; and forbids all kinds of carved images, but permits paintings. It denies auricular confession to be a divine command, but practices confession attended with absolution, and sometimes penance. It admits the seven sacraments, but baptism is performed by the immersion of the body three times in water, and the communion of both kinds is practiced with leavened bread, and the wine is mixed with water. The anointing of the body is allowed to all sick persons as a means of restoring them to health, and purifying them from their sins. The secular clergy are permitted to marry but once, and

only a virgin; laymen are allowed to marry only three times. The Greek, like the Catholic Church, accepts tradition as well as the Bible, but differs from the Catholic Church in maintaining that the Holy Ghost proceeds only from the Father, and not also from the Son.

To vote or not to vote is the question among Italian Catholics, and it is one which is generally decided in the negative. The pious think that to vote for parliamentary members would be to recognize the usurpation of Victor Emanuel, and they therefore leave all the voting to be done by the radicals. But in case of the death of Pope Pius IX (which heaven long prevent) the case might be altered, and the twenty million of Catholics in Italy might take it into their heads to vote, and then it would be found that the anti-Catholic zealots had not their own way altogether. Italy is Catholic notwithstanding all the sins of her governing classes, and will always be so.

THE exact provisions of the Compromise Electoral Bill are as follows: Where there is only one set of returns from any State, such vote shall be counted in due form unless rejected by the concurrence of both houses of Congress.

Where there are two or more sets of returns from a State, and the Houses disagree as to which should be counted, then all points of law connected with the case are

to be submitted to a Board of Arbitration constituted in the following manner: Five Senators to be appointed by the President of the Senate; five Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; and four Judges of the Supreme Court, who shall select a fifth Judge to complete the tribunal. The decisions of the Board are to be final unless rejected by concurrent vote of the two houses.

The members of the Commission are:

Judge Bradley, Judge Clifford, Judge Field, Judge Miller, Judge Strong, Senator Bayard, Senator Edmunds, Senator Frelinghuysen, Senator Morton, Senator Thurman, Representative Abbott, Representative Garfield, Representative Hoar, Representative Hunton, Representative Payne.

Of these, nine, Judges Bradley, Field, Miller, and Strong, Senators Edmunds, Frelinghuysen, and Morton, and Representatives Garfield and Hoar are Republicans, and the other six are Democrats.

HARD times in the coal regions of Pennsylvania, where thousands of miners are out of work, and others working for a pittance; hard times in New York, Baltimore, Phila

ous,

delphia, and other great cities, where a vacant situation attracts hundreds of applicants; hard times in business circles, where collections are difficult, and where bad debts abound; hard times in the Southern States, overburdened with taxation, badly governed, and divided in opinions on questions in which race problems are involved; hard times generally. And yet the country is spaciand possesses millions of untilled acres, waiting for the axe and the plough. Let Catholics take advantage of the times, and organize colonies, who may leave the teeming cities and the barren mountains, and go to the fertile lands which await them in Texas, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, etc. Let the wealthy unloose their pocket-books, and the moderate contribute according to their means, and aid to save the poor from misery by transplanting them from places where labor is superabundant to where it is needed.

FIRST the church, then the school, then the pastoral residence; this is what we see is nearly the universal rule in organizing a parish in America. First the church, because without a permanent, nay, a beautiful structure in which to worship God a congregation does not feel satisfied, and the requirements of worship are not fulfilled. Then a good, efficient Catholic school, for it is in vain to show the evils of the public school system without providing good Catholic schools. Parents will send their children to a public school, as the least of two evils, if there is not a good Catholic school, and sometimes when there is. Third, the pastoral residence, and thus save rents, and preserve the health and secure the comfort of the priest, who has given up family ties and the hopes of acquiring wealth, and lives only to minister to religion. If every parish in this country had all three of these requisites it would be a great benefit, and progress would be certain.

THE arguments against the parade on St. Patrick's Day are as follows: First, the hard times and the expense of these displays are dwelt upon; then it is said that they only bring into prominence such persons who, caring nothing either for Ireland or for the Catholic faith, seek to impress the general public with the idea that they are influential leaders of the Irish element in America. It is also said that in some locations they provoke animosity and rioting. It is forcibly argued that the money spent on parades would be far better expended in schools or hospitals. The bad weather generally prevailing on March 17th

is also dwelt upon, and the sickness and colds often following parades is spoken of. Such are the arguments adduced against the parade, yet we suppose that there will be as many parades this year as ever.

THE formation of Catholic colonies is, we rejoice to see, exciting more attention. Bishop Ireland's colony, in Minnesota, is doing well, and we hear preparations are making to form similar colonies in Texas and other portions of the Southern States. The advantages of Catholic colonies are numerous. If they had been started forty years ago we would not now have to mourn the loss to the Church of many persons, whose parents, isolated from any priest or any Catholic influences, suffered them to grow up with little, if any, Catholic training, and gradually to forget their Irish or Catholic lineage, and be absorbed into the general mass of the non-Catholic population around them.

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NEW PUBLICATIONS.

OUT OF SWEET SOLITUDE. BY Eleanor C. Donnelly. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co.

The first edition of Miss Donnelly's book of poems was so often reviewed in Catholic publications throughout the United States, that it seems superfluous to do aught but call attention to a second edition. Unfortunately, however, books of poetry and fiction very seldom meet with the thorough attention they deserve from Catholic magazines and papers; they are "reviewed" hastily, and we fear that the publisher's name on the title-page has often more to do with the "critic's " conclusion than the merits of the author; and it has been the fate of the authoress of the book before us to

meet with unreasoning admiration, self-complacent detraction, or utter indifference, from writers of her own faith. Except in one instance, we have seen no article that could be called a critique of the book from Catholic sources. In literary circles Miss Donnelly's poems have been accused of a lack of culture, while in other circles, not literary, the intense devotion which characterizes them obscures all faults. If we judge them by the light of their arrangement in this book, we must admit that there is some truth in the first accusation, for the poems are certainly uneven, and near the perfect art of such gems as "The Bronze Berenice," "Legend of the Robes," "The Two Guests," "Gualberto's Victory," "Unseen, yet Seen," we find some verses of little value poetically, and others disfigured by that lapse of taste which is as bad as the putting of metal on metal in heraldry-a mosaic of French and English words, always well chosen, but always detracting from the good effect of the poem. We need only point out as an example, the fauteuil in that charming lyric, "The Poet's Little Rival." And this is a wilful fault against art, arising from the fact that the poetess is too easily satisfied with a rhythm or a rhyme; having found the good, it often happens that she fails to look for the best. She has proved herself capable of such perfect work that we will accept nothing but her best. She has intense devotion, pure imagination, fancy; but it must be admitted that her poems would at times be improved, if her poetic impulses were disciplined by a more thorough devotion to an art of which she is the inspired priestess. If the form of her inspiration is not always up to the highest standard, the inspiration is given unsoiled from God; and, it may be

argued, it is better to sacrifice art to true sentiment, than true sentiment to art. Eleanor C. Donnelly has proved that she should do neither; and Catholics have a right to ask for a collection of her poems comprising the best-a collection which will satisfy the cultured and elevate the taste of the uncultured. She has suffered most from her friends; the injudicious comparisons made between her and Longfellow serving to enhance the merit of neither. She possesses sufficient genius to stand alone among the poets; and if she prefers to give her life to religion and the poor, rather than to religion and poetic fame, let us, at least, have an opportunity of judg ing her by her best. In her Out of Sweet Solitude, we have a casket of exquisite gems, with here and there, few and far between, a flawed stone. The great success of her first venture from solitude should be a guarantee that the public would eagerly receive a second.

THE LIFE OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, THE PRINCE CONSORT. By Theodore Martin. With Portraits. Volume II. New York: D. Appleton & Co.

The second volume of the life of Prince Albert comprises a very interesting period in the history of Europe, extending from 1845 to February, 1854. It was a period of agitation among the people, and of intrigues between the rulers of almost every part of Europe. England could not avoid being affected by both. The relation of Prince Albert to Queen Victoria, as her husband and consort, was a delicate and difficult one. Under the constitution and laws of England he had no political power or status. He was not legally recognized as a counsellor or adviser of the Queen, and even his presence at the meetings of the Queen with her ministers, her constitutional advisers, was

on a number of occasions resented and severely animadverted on by the public press as officious and illegal intermeddling.

The course pursued by Prince Albert under these circumstances is well brought out in this volume, chiefly by means of copious extracts from letters of Prince Albert and of the Queen.

The domestic life and relations of the Queen and her consort are frequently touched upon and clearly brought to view; and, we may add, they present a marked contrast in their virtuous happiness and peacefulness to those which history has recorded of many, if not most of the sovereigns of Europe.

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January 1, 1876.-We are pleased with the success of the CATHOLIC RECORD, and feel assured that it will continue to deserve the patronage of the Catholic public. JAMES FREDERICK, Arch-bishop of Philadelphia.

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