VII.

Although Adalric’s aversion to Odile was lessened, and he showed her some

kindness at her arrival, he was far from feeling the same love for her as

for the rest of his children. He assigned her a retired part of the

castle, and gave her as a companion a holy maiden from Great Britain who

was vowed to the service of God. He never admitted her to his presence,

and only allowed her the portion of a servant for her subsistence. Our

saint, overlooking this unjust treatment, led at Hohenbourg a life as

simple and retired as at the Convent of Baume, often finding means, by

really depriving herself of the necessaries of life, of aiding the needy.

It was not long before her father awoke to better feelings. Crossing a

court of the castle, one day, he met Odile carrying a covered dish. Laying

aside his usual coldness, he said mildly: “Where are you going, my child?”

“My lord,” replied she, “I am going to cook a little oat‐meal for some

poor sick people.” These words, timidly uttered, touched the duke. He

looked tenderly at his daughter, whose love and sweetness were unchanged

by his treatment, and exclaimed, with tears in his eyes: “Be not

afflicted, my dearest child, at having hitherto led a life of privation.

It shall not be so hereafter.”

In fact, from that moment the relations of Odile and her father were

changed. He began to treat her with marked favor, as if to pay the long

arrear of paternal love; but she, who was not cast down by misfortune,

showed herself unelated by prosperity. Disdaining the pleasures now at her

command, she continued to devote her whole life to God. Her days and

nights were passed in prayer and good works. Her example produced such an

effect that it was imitated by the rest of the family. Her sister Roswinde

renounced the pleasures of the world to bear the cross of our Lord. The

manners of her father and brothers were softened, and they endeavored to

practise the Christian virtues. Even the servants of the castle began to

live devoutly. She gained all hearts. She was such a friend to the poor

and unfortunate that Hohenbourg soon became their refuge. “Our dear

saint,” for such is the name the old historians of Alsace give her, was

not satisfied with bestowing on them kind words. She gave them all the

money and clothing she possessed. She often endured hunger and refused

food that she might aid the sick still more. Every day she descended the

steep mountain‐path to seek those who were unable to reach the castle, and

encourage them with her pious counsels. Her zeal in their behalf was

unbounded. She performed the most revolting offices with her own hands.

The unhappy regarded her not only as a benefactress, but as a friend to

whom they could open their hearts and consciences. The duke and duchess

soon became so fond of her that if any one wished a special favor they

begged it through her. Adalric’s repentance for his past injustice

exceeded the anger he felt at her birth. He once thought his conduct

justifiable, now he acknowledged it was inexcusable, thus showing himself

superior to most men of his station, who are unwilling to allow they are

ever wrong. He actually commended Hugo for his disobedience, and tried to

atone by particular favors for his cruel treatment at the time of Odile’s

arrival.

But this serenity could not last forever. Our saint, who had endured her

father’s coldness so heroically, now began to grow weary of a life of

grandeur. She was depressed by the flattery of which she was the object.

Duties that were purely worldly absorbed part of the time she wished to

consecrate to God. In a word, she often sighed after the retirement of

Baume and the life she led there. She finally asked her father’s

permission to return to her aunt and end her days in penitential works. “I

am misunderstood here,” said she; “I am treated with a respect of which I

am not worthy. You do not know what I really am, and, if I remain here any

longer, I may even forget it myself.”

But the duke opposed her departure, telling her that by practising the

Christian virtues at court she could do more good than by leaving the

world for the austerities of Baume. Prayers and tears were of no avail;

Adalric’s resolution was not to be shaken. Odile, despairing of her

return, wrote a touching farewell letter to her old companions. Their

sorrow was tempered by remembering that she was under the special

protection of God, who doubtless wished to make use of her in extending

elsewhere the glory of his holy name. Full of veneration for her memory,

they put carefully away among the precious objects in their church a

violet‐colored veil, embroidered with gold and silk of different colors by

the daughter of the Duke of Alsace when she lived among them, an exile

from the house of her father.

To Be Concluded Next Month.

Fac‐Similes Of Irish National Manuscripts.

Few of our readers are probably aware that the English government, for the

last ten years, has been making fac‐similes of the most important national

MSS., for publication and sale, by the process of photo‐zincography. The

_Domesday Book_ was the first work taken in hand. This wonderful record,

without a peer in the world, is a general survey of the land of England,

ordered by William the Conqueror in the year of our Lord 1085. It is the

undisputed testimony of the relations existing at that period between the

landlords and their tenants; and it describes the state of society which

existed in England under the Anglo‐Saxon kings up to the conquest of the

kingdom by the Duke of Normandy. So successfully was the printing of the

fac‐similes of the _Domesday Book_ accomplished, and so acceptable to

historical students of every degree was its publication, that, in the

spring of 1864, the Lords of H. M. Treasury unanimously endorsed the

proposal by the late Master of the Rolls (Lord Romilly) that the same

process of photo‐zincography should be applied to the reproduction and

perpetuation of some of the “National Records.” Three volumes of English

manuscripts and three volumes of Scottish manuscripts have been followed

by the preparation for three volumes of Irish national MSS., which will

rank (says Mr. William Basevi Sanders, the Assistant Keeper of Her

Majesty’s Records, in his _Annual Report_, printed in the year 1873, on

the fac‐similes photo‐zincographed at the Ordnance Survey Office,

Southampton) among the first of the many valuable publications which Sir

Henry James (the military engineer officer in charge) has been the means

of laying before the public.

Let us look over Mr. Sanders’s description of the Irish MSS. He has

gathered his information from the best sources, having consulted and

freely used O’Donovan’s edition of the _Annals of the Four Masters_, the

accessible works of Dr. Petrie, Dr. Todd, Dr. Reeves, and Prof. Westwood,

and more particularly from the elaborate investigations of Prof. O’Curry,

published in his _Lectures on the MS. Materials of Ancient Irish History_.

The first of these MSS., both in point of age and on account of the

remarkable history that attaches to it, is the volume known as _Domhnach

Airgid_, or _Silver Shrine_. This is a volume of the Gospels—perhaps the

oldest in the world—of the Vth century, and traditionally believed to have

been the private book of devotion of S. Patrick himself, and to have been

given by him to S. Mac Carthainn when he placed him over the See of

Clogher. The legend in which this curious story is narrated appears in the

_Tripartite Life of S. Patrick_, and O’Curry in his lectures gives the

following literal translation of it:

“S. Patrick, having gone into the territory of Ui Cremthainn, founded many

churches there. As he was on his way from the North, and coming to the

place now called Clochar, he was carried over a stream by his strong man,

Bishop Mac Carthainn, who, while bearing the saint, groaned aloud,

exclaiming ‘Uch! uch!’

“ ‘Upon my good word,’ said the saint, ‘it was not usual with you to speak

that word.’

“ ‘I am now old and infirm,’ said Bishop Mac Carthainn, ‘and all my early

companions on the mission you have set down in their respective churches,

while I am still on my travels.’

“ ‘Found you a church, then,’ said the saint, ‘that shall not be too near

for us for familiarity, nor too far from us for intercourse.’

“And the saint then left Bishop Mac Carthainn at Clochar, and bestowed on

him the Domhnach Airgid, which had been given to him from heaven when he

was on the sea coming from Erinn.”

The shrine which held this relic is composed of three distinct covers, of

different dates—of wood, of copper plated with silver, and the most modern

of silver plated with gold, richly ornamented with figures of the Saviour,

the Blessed Virgin, and saints, and with representations of animals, and

traceries, among which is a mounted figure, sword in hand, and displaying

with minute accuracy all the dress and accoutrements of an Irish noble of

the XIVth century.

The MS. itself is in such a state from age and damp as to make inspection

of its contents impossible, the leaves being all stuck together, and the

whole of about the consistency and appearance of a piece of brick. The

portions of which facsimiles will be given present a good example of the

better parts of it. It was originally the property of the monastery of

Clones, and was procured in the county Monaghan by Mr. George Smith, from

whom it was purchased for £300 (say $1,500) by Lord Rossmore, who

presented it to the Royal Irish Academy, where it remains at present.

The next MS. is as curious—the _Cathach_, or _Book of Battles_—a copy of

the Psalms, supposed to have been written by S. Columba. It consists of

fifty‐eight leaves of vellum, and appears to be perfect from the xxxist to

the cvith Psalm, all prior to which are gone, and is enclosed in a

handsome shrine. Why it was called the _Book of Battles_ is told by

O’Curry, from the _Life of S. Columba_, by Magnus O’Dohmnaill. S. Columba,

when on a visit to S. Finnen of Drom Finn, being very anxious to have a

copy of S. Finnen’s Book of the Psalms, made one surreptitiously by

borrowing the book, and copying it in the church after every one else had

left. S. Finnen had notice of this underhand proceeding of his brother

saint from one of his pupils, and accordingly, as soon as the copy was

finished, demanded possession of it. S. Columba refusing to comply with

this demand, the matter was referred to Diarmaid Mac Ferghusa Cerrbheaill,

King of Erinn, who pronounced against him in a judgment which to this day

remains a proverb in Ireland—_Le gach bóin a boinin_ (“To every cow its

calf”), and so, by analogy, “to every book its copy.” This adverse

judgment, closely followed by the accidental death of the son of

Diarmaid’s chief steward while engaged in a game of hurling with the son

of the King of Connaught—at that time a hostage at Tara—who was torn from

S. Columba’s arms, into which he had thrown himself for sanctuary, and put

to death, so enraged the saint that he stirred up his relatives in

Tirconnel and Tyrone to revenge the insult, and a bloody battle was fought

in Connaught, which ended in the rout of the king’s army: and this was how

the book obtained its name.

For thirteen hundred years the book was preserved as an heirloom by the

O’Donnells, having been handed down by S. Columba himself, who belonged to

that clan. It is now preserved in the Royal Irish Academy. Four pages have

been selected for copying, containing severally the first twelve verses of

Psalm lxxx., the last three of lxxxix., and the first seven of xc., the

whole of xciv., and the first eleven of xcv. The condition in which these

pages remain is wonderful, and reflects great honor upon the family who

have for so many ages and through so many national troubles and

disturbances preserved this relic with sacred care.

The next is the _Book of Durrow_, or _Gospels of S. Columba_, a volume

containing 248 leaves of vellum, written in columns by the hand of S.

Columba himself, as asserted in the following inscription on the fly‐leaf:

“Liber autem hic scriptus est a manu ipsius B. Columbkille per spatium 12

dierum anno 500”; and again, “Rogo beatitudinem tuam, sancte presbiter

Patrici, ut quicunque, hunc libellum manu tenuerit, meminerit Columbæ

scriptoris, qui hoc scripsi ipsemet evangelium per xii. dierum spatium

gratiâ Domini nostri.” This last inscription is quoted by Dr. Petrie as

conclusive evidence of the date of the volume, which is considered by Dr.

Reeves to be either as old as S. Columba’s day, or nearly so (a somewhat

curious hypothesis if the volume were written by S. Columba).

Until its presentation to Trinity College by Dr. Jones, Bishop of Meath,

this book was kept at Durrow, in King’s County, the monastery and church

of which were founded by S. Columba about the year 550, where the

tradition of its having belonged to their patron saint was preserved and

believed in by the monks. It was originally enclosed in a silver‐mounted

_cuhmdach_, or shrine, made for it by order of Flann, King of Ireland, who

reigned from 879 to 916, which was lost, as Mr. Westwood conjectures, in

1007, when the volume was stolen.

The portions selected for copying are pages 12b, 14a 118a, and 173a. The

first contains the prayer of the writer above quoted, under which is also

written, “Ora pro me, frater mi; Dominus tecum sit”; the second is the

first page of S. Matthew’s Gospel, the third the first page of S. Luke’s

Gospel, and the fourth the concluding page of the same Gospel, at the

bottom of which is written, “+ Miserere Domine Naemani + filii Neth +”

names which O’Curry states had not been identified at the time of his

lectures, though the surname seems to be very like that of the scribe

after whom another of the MSS. contained in this volume is called—_Mac

Nathi_.

The next MS. in order is the famous _Book of Kells_, a copy of the

Gospels, also traditionally ascribed to S. Columba—a tradition doubted by

some, but which Dr. Todd saw no reason to mistrust, as the book is

undoubtedly a MS. of that age. About the same time as that when the _Book

of Durrow_ was sacrilegiously deprived of its shrine, the _Book of Kells_

was also stolen out of the church from which it takes its name. The

circumstance is thus narrated in the _Four Masters_: “The age of Christ

1006.... The great Gospel of Colum Cille was stolen at night from the

Western _Erdomh_ [sacristy] of the great church of Ceandrrus. This was the

principal relic of the Western World on account of its singular cover, and

it was found after twenty nights and two months, its gold having been

stolen off it, and a sod over it.”

It continued in the possession of the Church of Kells till the time of

Archbishop Usher, after whose death it was granted with the rest of that

prelate’s library, in which it was then found, by King Charles II., to the

university of Dublin, and has been preserved in the library of Trinity

College ever since.

Of the pages chosen for copying, 6b, 7a, and 27a are entries concerning

lands, believed to be the only existing specimens, of pre‐Anglo and Norman

date, of deeds written in the Irish language. They are written in a rude,

rough hand, that looks unsightly in contrast with the character of the

contents of the volume proper. 34a is the beginning of S. Matthew’s

Gospel, and is entirely filled with the initial of “Liber generationis.”

123a, 124a, and 126b contain S. Matthew’s story of the crucifixion, 124a

being all taken up by the words, “Tunc crucifixerant Christum et duos

latrones,” written in a very singular fashion, and enclosed in a framework

profusely decorated. 200b contains a portion of the genealogy in the third

chapter of S. John, and 19b displays a collection of fantastic symbols,

with a very handsome capital Z, and the first two syllables of Zacharias

embellished with spirited figures of a dog pursuing a wolf.

It is impossible to exaggerate the elaborate ornamentation of this

remarkable volume, or the quaintness of the grotesque subjects introduced

into it. The gigantic initial letter, which is given as an example in this

volume, is filled in with an almost incredible interlacing of extravagant

impossibilities: Serpentine figures with human heads; intertwined sketches

of men spotted like leopards in attitude of earnest conversation; rats

sitting on the backs of cats, who are holding other rats by the tails, the

rats being engaged in eating a cake; human figures with impossible

combinations of their own and other creature’s limbs; strange shapes of

birds and fishes, geometrical designs and intricate arabesque traceries,

all woven together in the wildest dreamlike way, and having an effect that

charms the eye, and fills the mind with amazement at the fancy that

designed and the hand that executed them.

The next is another copy of the Gospels, known as the _Book of Dimma Mac

Nathi_, made, it is said, at the express desire of S. Cronan of Roscrea,

who died in the beginning of the VIIth century. The drawings in this book

are very rude, and the writing of some parts of it difficult to read,

though the scribe Dimma is supposed to have belonged to a family of

saints, one of whom, at any rate, was greatly distinguished as a penman.

It was purchased from Sir William Betham, its original place of deposit

having been the Abbey of Roscrea, and is now in the library of Trinity

College, Dublin.

Four pages have been chosen for copying. The first contains portions of

chapters 27 and 28 of S. Matthew’s Gospel, and has this note at the foot:

“Finit. Oroit do Dimma rodscrib pro Deo et benedictione” (“A prayer for

Dimma, who has written for God, and a benediction”). Between the 49th and

50th verses of the 27th chapter there is this other verse, the substance

of which only appears in the Gospel of S. John: “Alius vero, acceptâ

lanceâ pupugit latus ejus et exivit aqua et sanguis.” Here, however, the

piercing is made to take place before the death. The second is the

illuminated page preceding S. John. In it is depicted a bird, probably

intended for that saint’s symbol, an eagle, carrying a book in its talons,

surrounded by a border of arabesque design. The last two pages contain the

first thirty‐eight verses of the 1st chapter of S. John, the first written

along the full breadth of the page and with a handsome initial “In,” the

second written in columns.

The next MS. is another copy of the Gospels, known as the _Book of

Moling_, and supposed to have been written about the year 690 by S.

Moling, Bishop of Ferns. It was presented to Trinity College, Dublin, by a

member of the family of Kavanagh, by whom it had been preserved for many

generations in its metal _cumhdach_, or covering.

Four pages have been selected. The first is a figure of one of the

Evangelists, with a book in his left hand, and a pen, which he is dipping

into an ink‐horn, in his right. The second contains the 18th chapter of S.

Matthew, from the 8th verse to the 27th; the third, from the 27th verse to

the 16th verse of the 19th chapter of S. Matthew; and the fourth, the

concluding verses of the last chapter of S. John.

_The Book of Armagh_ has also been selected. This volume, a transcript of

one still older, supposed to have been the holograph of S. Patrick, was

ascribed by Sir W. Betham to Bishop Aedh of Stetty, whose death is

recorded in the _Four Masters_ in 698; and O’Curry conceived it to be as

old as 724, but Mr. Graves seems to have proved that it was written by the

scribe Ferdomnach in 807. It is a small quarto volume, consisting of 221

leaves of vellum, and containing an extract from the _Tripartite Life of

S. Patrick_, annotations on that saint’s life by Tirechan and others, his

confession or epistle to the Irish, the Epistle of S. Jerome to Pope

Damasus, the ten Eusebian canons, an explanation of Hebrew names used in

the Gospels, with various prefaces and arguments, the four Gospels and

remaining books of the New Testament, the life of S. Martin of Tours by

Sulpicius, with two epistles by Sulpicius and Severus, and concludes with

a prayer. It belonged to the Church of Armagh, being, as Prof. Westwood

relates, held in such veneration that the family of Mac Mayre held lands

from the See of Armagh by the tenure of its safe keeping; and in 1846 it

was presented to Trinity College, Dublin, by the Rev. Francis Brownlow,

into whose family it had passed in the XVIIth century.

Six pages have been selected, the first three of which contain the extract

from the _Tripartite Life of S. Patrick_. On the first column of page 18b

is the following account of a miracle performed by S. Patrick: “Sechnall

went afterwards to rebuke Patrick on account of a chariot he had. Then

Patrick sent the chariot to Sechnall without a charioteer in it, but it

was an angel that directed it. Sechnall sent it, when it had stopped three

nights there with him, to Manchan, and it remained three nights with him.

He sent it to Fiacc. Fiacc rejected it. After that where they went to was

round the church three times, when the angel said, ‘It is to you they have

been given from Patrick when he came to know your disease.’ ” The miracle

as here related is, as O’Curry very truly observes, not quite

intelligible, but the key to it is to be found in the _Tripartite Life_,

from which it had probably been taken. The story there is that once, when

Sechnall was at Armagh, he remarked that two chariot horses which he saw

there would be a fitting gift to Bishop Fiacc. Patrick was not at home at

the time, but as soon as he returned and heard this he had the horses

harnessed to a chariot, and sent them off, without a coach‐man, to Fiacc

at Stetty, where they arrived safely. The reason of S. Patrick making him

this present was to enable him to go to his cave on the hill of Drom

Coblai, where he used to repair on Shrove Saturday with five loaves, and

remain till Easter Saturday; and because “chafers had gnawed his legs so

that death was near him.”

Then come _The Gospels of Maelbride Mac Durnan_, Archbishop of Armagh from

885 to 927, a small and beautifully‐written copy of the Gospels, made

apparently by the same scribe, Ferdomnach, who wrote the _Book of Armagh_,

and at about the same period. The initial page of each Gospel is very

gracefully illuminated, and to each is prefixed a page bearing the figure

of its writer, surrounded by a border of delicate tracery. The pages

selected are the first four, comprising the “Liber generationis” and the

inscription in capitals, the face of folio 5 being the beginning of S.

Matthew’s narrative; the dorse of folio 65, which contains his account of

the scourging and mocking, and at the foot this note by the scribe: _Mór

assársa for Coimdid nime agus talman_ (“Great this violence upon the God

of heaven and earth”); the dorse of folio 69, containing the following

letter, written in Saxon, is probably the earliest known contemporary copy

of a petition for restitution of temporalities to an English bishop:

“Wulfstan, Archbishop, greets Cnut his Lord and Aelfgyfe the Queen humbly,

and I make known to you two, liege, that we have done as the certificate

came to us from you with regard to the Bishop Aethelnoth, that we have now

consecrated him. Now pray I for God’s love, and in the name of all God’s

saints, that ye will have respect to God and to the holy order. That he

may be admitted to the possessions that others before him were: namely,

Dunstan the good and many another: that he may be likewise admitted to

rights and honors. In which case it shall be for both of you meritorious

before God, and eke honorable before the world.”

At the end of S. Matthew’s Gospel there is, in addition to Archbishop

Wulfstan’s (of York) letter, this memorandum in Latin: “Cnud, King of the

Angles, has given to Christ’s Church an arm of S. Bartholomew the Apostle,

with the great pall and the golden crown of his head; and the port of

Sandwich and all issues of the water of the same from either side of the

river; so that a ship floating in the stream when the water shall be high,

at the distance of the cast of a very small hatchet from the shore, the

droits of the ship are to be received by the servants of Christ’s Church.

And no man whatsoever has custom in the same port except the monks of

Christ’s Church. Theirs also is the ferry over the port, and the boats and

toll of boats and of all ships which come to Sandwich from Peperness as

far as Northmouth. If, however, anything be found on the high sea, being

brought to Sandwich, Christ’s Church shall take half, and the remaining

part shall rest with the finders.”

The volume is preserved in the library of Lambeth Palace, but it is a

singular fact that it finds no place either in the catalogue of that

library published in 1812, or in the catalogue of the library of Corpus

Christi College, Cambridge, where Archbishop Parker’s collection of MSS.

is preserved.

To Be Concluded Next Month.

Congress Of The Catholic Germans At Mayence.

On the 16th and 17th days of June the Second Congress of the Catholic

Germans assembled at Mayence. This congress must be distinguished from the

regular annual congress of all the Catholic societies of Germany. The

constitution of the latter was formed during the stormy times of 1848. It

treats only upon religious questions, and excludes on principle the

discussion of politics during its deliberations; whereas the Congress of

Catholic Germans, which held its first session two years ago, has for its

object, according to its statutes, the defence of the liberty and the

rights of the Catholic Church, and the maintenance of Christian principles

in all the spheres of public life by all moral and lawful means,

especially by the use of constitutionally‐recognized and guaranteed civil

rights; and it therefore desires to be considered a political

organization. It is already in operation throughout Germany, in Prussia

particularly. Its sessions are held in Mayence—in that city which, owing

to its advantageous position in Middle Germany, opposite the confluence of

the river Mayence with the Rhine, was chosen by the Romans as a boundary,

and by S. Boniface as the central point for the Christianization of the

Teutons. It is true that “Golden Mayence,” the special and true daughter

of the Roman Church (_Aurea Moguntia sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ specialis vera

filia_), as the inscription reads upon the old city seal, has, since the

beginning of this century, fallen greatly from its former splendor. In it

once resided an archbishop, who was the legate of the apostolic chair for

Germany, and metropolitan over twenty‐four bishoprics, which extended from

Brandenburg to Chur in Switzerland, and from Metz to Prague and Olmütz,

and which comprised the largest part of the old German empire; so that

next to the Pope he was called the greatest prince of the church (_Post

Papam secundus_, says Marianus Scotus (+ 1086) in his _Chron. Aet. VI._,

ad a. 750), and in his temporal position as elector and hereditary

chancellor of the empire ranked next to the emperor, and was called the

Prince of princes (Moguntius post imperatorem princeps est principum—_Vita

Arnoldi_). Mayence is now only a provincial city belonging to little

Hessia, and the boundaries of its bishopric are inconsiderable.

Nevertheless, in the present combat for the liberty of the church, it

occupies, and has for years occupied, an important place by reason of a

succession of great men, Bishop Von Ketteler at the head, and it cannot be

doubted that the city will in future be of great importance to the

Catholic interests of Germany.

The _centrum_ of the Catholic party in Mayence is the Casino zum

Frankfurter‐hof (Casino of the court of Frankfort), whose spacious and

imposing hall has not its equal in the city. In former times this hall was

used when a blow was to be struck at the interest of the Catholic Church;

but things are changed, and the Frankfurter‐hof is now the stronghold in

which the defenders of the Catholic Church meet together. Not until the

use of this hall was acquired, owing to the determined efforts of Falk

III., the people’s champion, so well known throughout all Germany, did the

Catholic party in Mayence begin to feel its own importance. For the past

twenty years its members have appeared regularly at every election upon

the battle‐field, to be as regularly defeated; but they were finally

successful in securing Canon Dr. Moufang as their deputy at the last

election for the _Reichstag_.

In the above‐named hall the Congress of Catholic Germans held its late

sessions. It was appropriately decorated for the occasion. In a prominent

place, surrounded by beautiful flowers, was seen the bust of our Holy

Father, Pius IX. Above, in golden letters, were written the words, “For

God and Fatherland,” and over this the sign of redemption with the

inscription, “In this sign thou shalt conquer.” Upon the pillars of the

hall were placed the coats‐of‐arms of the different bishoprics of Germany.

The crape hanging over those of the Archbishops of Cologne and Posen and

Gnesen, and that of the Bishop of Treves, was emblematic of the grief

which fills the heart of every Catholic when he remembers the three

venerable prelates who, forcibly removed from their episcopal sees, now

testify in prison to the divinity of Christianity and the inalienable

right of the church to that liberty in matters of faith and religion left

her by her Founder. The evening before the opening of the Congress many

members of the society met from all parts of Germany to greet one another.

Even the United States was represented in the person of the learned F.

Hecker. A superficial glance was enough to convince any one that the

nobility in particular desired by their presence to show their love and

affection for our persecuted mother, the church. For years the majority of

the Catholic nobles of Westphalia and the Rhine have been animated with a

deep religious feeling. The best names among the aristocracy are generally

found at the head of the numerous appeals in behalf of religion; and in

their own homes (a fact which is of great importance) these nobles do not

strive to emulate by outward splendor those “capitalists” whose lives are

spent in acquiring riches, but they rather seek to uphold the honor of

their names by the simplicity of their mode of life, in their daily

actions, by educating their children as Catholics should, and instilling

into them principles of honesty, morality, and every Christian virtue. It

makes a lasting impression upon whomsoever is admitted to familiar

intercourse with any of these noble families to see all the members of the

household devoutly assembled in the private chapel of the mansion, for the

adornment of whose altars no expense has been spared, there to attend the

Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; and in the evening to behold the father of the

family, by ringing a bell, again summons them into the chapel for evening

prayer and examen of conscience, at which the chaplain, but oftener the

head of the house, be he old or young, performs the duty of reading the

prayers. Fathers and mothers should imitate the example of these noblemen,

and when priests, on account of their faith, are imprisoned or exiled,

they themselves should take the place of the priests in their own homes.

Then will the zeal of priests grow stronger and Catholic faith take deeper

root. Would to God that we could see the same state of things in many

castles in Middle Germany, in Silesia, Bavaria, and in Brisgau (Baden), as

is now seen in Westphalia and on the Rhine!

But let us return, after this digression, to our Congress in the

Frankfurter‐hof. Its president, Baron von Loë, representative in the

_Reichstag_, who last year with manly courage defended the organization

against intrigues of all kinds, was received with universal applause when

he ascended the rostrum and opened Congress with the salutation, “Praise

be to Jesus Christ!” In a few but convincing words he explained why,

despite the serious aspect of the times, they had met in “Golden Mayence,”

where liberty of speech is yet permitted. (A short time ago a meeting at

Treves was dissolved because Herr Majunke, a representative in the

_Reichstag_, had said in the course of his remarks that Bismarck was only

mortal, and while lying upon his sick‐bed suffered as much as any beggar

who lies ill in his hut. Another meeting was broken up by the Prussian

police because the speaker had announced his intention of discoursing upon

one particular theme. Who knows what terrible things the police understood

by the word “theme”?) Then followed a long succession of congratulations

which the guests, coming from all parts of Germany, had personally to

offer. As space does not permit us to give a lengthened sketch of all

these speeches, we must content ourselves with simply giving the title of

the address and the name of the speaker.

Dr. Evels of Bonn spoke concerning the latest cultivated plant, which

grows only in Germany, and there sporadically, notwithstanding the most

careful attention from high quarters—that is, Old Catholicism. With this

exception, no dangers threaten the Catholic Church in Germany. Count

Bassenheim was the bearer of greetings from the Bishop of Basel, who asked

the prayers of the members for the persecuted friends of religion in

Switzerland. Baron Stillfried of Vienna assured the Congress that the

Catholics of Austria were united, and expected the salvation of Austria

only from intimate union with the church. Dr. Lingens of Aix‐la‐Chapelle

invited all present to attend the exposition of relics in the venerable

electoral city of the old German emperors, which exposition takes place

this year, and not again until 1881. Baron von Frankenstein of Bavaria

spoke on the state of affairs in his country, declaring his belief that

they would soon change for the better. Count Kageneck of Freiburg in Baden

looked confidently forward to a happy future, relying upon the just rights

of the Catholics and upon the powerful protection of God. Count Bissingen

of Würtemberg (Swabia) asserted that the fable of the Catholics hating the

empire finds no believers among the honest people of Swabia. Herr Baudri

of Cologne, the brother of the coadjutor‐bishop, an old, faithful warrior,

proclaimed in words of burning eloquence the earnestness with which the

enemies of the Catholic Church publicly declare that the destruction of

the church is the order of the day, and he denounced the corruption of

public opinion by the state, and the manner in which it subsidized the

press by means of the funds stolen from the church. He thanked divine

Providence for giving Germany such a united episcopate, and the present

affliction of the church only demonstrated the fact that not only in

Germany, but through the whole world, Catholics form only one family.

While our enemies, he continued, raise on high the torch of discord, which

has so frequently brought our fatherland to the verge of ruin, our

Congress should use every effort to build a new great and united Germany

upon the foundations of a Christianity similar to that upon which old

Germany became great and powerful. Herr Stroebel of Charlottenburg made

the next speech, and he was followed by the Rev. F. Altheimer, Curate of

Amorbach in Odenwald, Hellwich of Deidesheim in Palatine, Herr Wiese,

merchant of Werden, Baron von Schorlemer of Overhagen, Herr Busch,

contractor of Neuss, and finally by the junior editor of the _Germania_,

Herr Cremer of Berlin.

While the hall reverberated to the hearty cheers of the members, letters

and telegrams were constantly arriving from the interior and from foreign

countries, thus making perfect the picture of Catholic unity presented by

this assembly. Despatches from Austria were especially numerous, showing

thereby that in that country also the Catholics are keeping watch in the

struggle that has begun. The old imperial city of Vienna gladdened our

hearts with two telegrams. In the one the Prince von Fürstenberg salutes

us in the name of the Catholic societies of Vienna; in the other the

president of the Catholic people’s associations of Lower Austria sends his

best wishes that “the heroic battle which Germany’s bishops, priests, and

laymen wage with such sublime courage may find its end in a speedy victory

for the holy cause of the church,” and adds the assurance: “We Catholics

of Austria are firmly determined, confiding in God’s protection, to offer

the same resistance if the same attacks are made upon the church.” Six

telegrams from “green Styria” reached us, four of which were sent by the

Catholics of Grätz, and two by the Catholic societies of Marburg and

Wildon. “They desire to oppress you and us,” telegraphed Senator Karlon of

Grätz, “but we will yet be the victors; for Christ lives, Christ reigns,

Christ commands, and Christ will triumph.” To these were added a telegram

from the Catholic Society of Klagenfurth in Carinthia, and two others from

ever‐faithful Tyrol, from the society in Botzen, which numbers more than

3,000 members, and from the society of Innsbrück. The president of the

last society, Julius von Riccabona, sent us the following characteristic

Tyrolese wish: “As the snow melts on the high mountain beneath the rays of

the sun, so also may the intrigues against our holy church disappear

before the power of truth.” Charles Count of Schoenbrunn and George Prince

of Lobkowitz expressed in telegrams their respect, sympathy, and good

wishes, while from far‐distant Hungary the Catholic Political Society of

Presburg sent assurances of their love and affection. From Munich,

Bavaria, came telegrams, from the diocesan clergy of Eichstaedt, from the

Centrum member Lang of Kelheim, and from the society of Catholic men in

Wasserburg on the Inn. From Noerdlingen the society of Catholic men in

Riesa, numbering over 1,400 members, writes among other things: “We feel

in our hearts the afflictions which the Catholics of Prussia endure; we

pray for the bishops, priests, and laity who are imprisoned on account of

their religious convictions; we approve of the conduct and praise the

fidelity of our Catholic brethren; yes, we are edified by their unity in

faith and by their firmness, and we congratulate them on their

perseverance and courage, which, because it comes from God, will conquer

the world.... We shall never consent to give to Cæsar the things that

belong to God; if it should be demanded of us, we shall obey God rather

than man, and imitate the example of the Prussian Catholics.” From the

south came greetings from the society of men in Constance and from the

president of the Helvetian Pius Society, Count M. Scherer‐Bouard of

Lucerne, and finally from Hunfeld, Viersen, München‐Gladbach, Bochum,

Luedinghausen, Kluesedoerpen, Prussia, two from the city of Hanover, one

from the northern missionaries of New Münster in Holstein, and the last

from remote Dantzic. Among other despatches, there is worthy of special

mention the telegram of Prince Salvati, in the name of the Congress of the

Catholic Societies of Italy, which met at Venice, and the following from

London: “The Catholic Union of Great Britain extends to you a brother’s

hand to encourage you in the struggle with the evil spirit, and at the

same time it deplores the death of your champion, Malinckrodt. (Signed)

Duke of Norfolk, President of the Catholic Union of Great Britain.”

The greatest interest was shown when the mammoth address from the United

States was exhibited. It contained upon a roll of paper one thousand feet

long 30,000 signatures of Catholic men whose own or whose fathers’ cradle

had rested upon German soil. (A few days after this address was again

exposed in the great hall, and the endless roll of paper was drawn from

the table of the president up to the glass cupola, and from there letting

it fall down again upon the president’s table, it was taken up for the

second time to the chandelier, and from thence to the roof.) The fearless

expressions contained in this document, which, thanks to “our freedom of

speech,” could not be dwelt upon at length, and the grandeur of this

manifestation, showed the imprint of the youthful and vigorous mind of men

who glory in being citizens of the greatest republic in the world—the

United States. Not long ago we finished a great war in a great manner. It

was then the pride of Germans to be German. Since then, however, the

little banners of religious narrow‐mindedness have been everywhere

unfurled, and the so‐called liberal party has sacrificed not only its

principles, but the most important articles of the Prussian

constitution—the idea of a great Germany and peace and liberty. With the

exception of a huge military power, everything has dwindled away. The men

who won renown in 1870 and 1871 are no longer heard of. The men of the

_Centrum_ are our real consolation, for by their prudent and fearless

defence of truth, liberty, and justice they have obtained great merit and

are entitled to enduring praise.

To place their labors under the protection of God, the Catholic Congress

of Germany assembled early on the morning of June 16 in the venerable

Cathedral of Mayence, where they assisted at the Holy Sacrifice of the

Mass, and received holy communion from the hands of the Rt. Rev. Bishop

Herr von Ketteler.

The devotion of these men, gathered from all parts of Germany, was greatly

increased by the music, which was executed in a most masterly manner by

the cathedral choir, who gave selections from the following composers:

Vechi, Aichinger, Orlando Lasso, Palestrina, Croce, Vittoria, and Piadana.

In the session which was held with closed doors the president first spoke

of the sadness which filled the hearts of all the Catholics of Germany on

account of the untimely death of Herman von Malinckrodt, deputy to the

_Reichstag_. The memory of this wonderful man, like a mourning accord,

seemed to permeate all the transactions, whether in writing or in words,

and made itself felt even in the banquet‐hall. We shall not, however,

dwell any longer upon this theme, as we intend to give a short sketch of

the life of this faithful champion of the church.

Of the business transacted in the private session we shall make brief

mention. That which, as a general rule, is _last_ thought of in all great

Catholic undertakings, was in this instance the _first_ to receive

attention—we mean the finances. In this regard, however, the Congress is

deserving of no reproach, as it attached too little instead of too much

importance to money—a prince seemingly so insignificant, but yet one who

rules the world. The Catholic Congress, organized as it is throughout

Germany, stands in need of certain pecuniary means, which want will be

felt in future even more than now. For this reason every member is obliged

to give six _Silbergroschen_ (about fifteen cents). It must, however, be

understood that the collection of this money is not made without some

difficulty, since the organization is only in its infancy, and the number

of members constantly increasing.

We learn from the report of Herr Racke, High Treasurer of Darmstadt, owing

to whose self‐sacrificing labors the finances of our Union are in a very

prosperous condition, that the collections of last year amounted to 17,883

thalers, 14,000 of which were put out on interest, including 7,000 loaned

to different Catholic newspapers. Another question came up regarding the

existence of the Union. According to the law of Prussia in reference to

societies, a political society cannot act as a union or central society,

nor form branches depending upon the union; on the other hand, however, it

is lawful for one society to exist over all Germany, and it can have its

affairs conducted by authorized agents. Our union was from the very

beginning most anxious to correspond with this law. Notwithstanding this,

however, the Prussian authorities have pretended to discover the existence

of local branches, in consequence of which many of them have been

suppressed. The reason for this proceeding, which called into question the

existence of the Union itself, was Section 10 of the statutes, which has

reference to meetings held in different parts of the empire. To avoid

further vexations, this paragraph was stricken out, and at the same time

it was expressly said that Mayence was to be the headquarters of the

Union, and that there the annual general meetings were to take place.

Herr Racke, merchant of Mayence, and secretary of the Union, who had taken

upon his youthful and strong shoulders the principal burden of the

pecuniary affairs of the Union, then introduced a series of propositions,

for the examination of which three committees were appointed, viz., one

upon the social question of the day, another upon science, and a third on

the influence of the press; and finally he submitted certain rules of

proceeding.

The short address to the bishops assembled in Fulda, which was received

with enthusiasm, and which was now read, deserves a place in this

periodical. It is as follows:

“RIGHT REV. BISHOPS.

“In a momentous time like the present the Catholics of Germany

assembled at Mayence respectfully desire to show their gratitude

and admiration for the right reverend bishops of the fatherland,

who have defended the rights and liberties of our Holy Catholic

Church with such calm and fearless dignity; but, alas! our words

of sympathy cannot reach several of the prelates, except through

prison doors. In proportion as the distress of the church

increases, the more do we feel ourselves bound in conscience to

declare before Germany and the whole world that no power upon

earth shall separate us from our dear bishops, appointed by

Almighty God, and that no power of man can force us to recognize

other pastors than those who are in communion with the Holy See,

and who are recognized as true pastors by the successor of Peter,

the chief pastor of the church.

“Our dearly‐beloved bishops have become shining examples of

apostolic courage as our leaders in these days of combat; and as

true children of the church we will follow them, and leave the

consequences to Almighty God.

“The hand of God rests heavily upon us, and the end of our

sufferings is concealed from the eyes of man. But we also know

that this trial will be of benefit to us; we thank God that he

deigns to allow us to combat and to suffer for his holy cause and

for the liberty of his church.

“ ‘Through the cross to the light’ were the words spoken in the

last _Reichstag_ by that heroic warrior for whom all Catholic

Germans pray, and who died in the defence of truth and right. It

shall be our device also: ‘Through the cross to the light!’

“With these sentiments we ask your episcopal blessing, and with

the most profound veneration we subscribe our selves

“The most obedient servants and sons of our revered German

bishops.”

At one o’clock a banquet was held in the same great hall, at which 300

members of the Union were present, among whom was the Rt. Rev. Bishop

Ketteler of Mayence. It was he who proposed the first toast to the Holy

Father, which was received with enthusiasm, as it was the twenty‐eighth

anniversary of his appointment to the chair of Peter. The speaker reviewed

the long series of years of combat between light and darkness, and in the

increasing enthusiasm and affection of the Catholic people for Pius IX.,

the representative of unity, appointed by Almighty God, he saw an increase

of the unity which the church, like an impregnable fortress in the midst

of combats, exhibits, while the world threatens to split asunder. Baron

von Frankenstein proposed, as the second toast, the Grand Duke of Hessia

and all the German princes belonging to the Union, and made a few remarks

appropriate to the occasion.

The president, Baron von Loë, proposed the health of the leaders given us

by Almighty God, the Rt. Rev. Bishops of Germany, under whose guidance we

some years ago saved the thrones from the whirl of revolution, and under

whose direction we now hope to conquer the revolution which is preached by

the government. Among the other toasts given, we will only mention that of

the Rt. Rev. Bishop of Mayence, who paid a high tribute of praise to the

men of the _Centrum_ who had in Berlin defended with such courage and

skill the cause of truth, justice, and liberty. After the banquet the

different committees of the Union entered upon the discussion of the

proposed resolutions, while the presiding officers of the Congress

consulted upon the drawing up of these resolutions.

The same resolutions formed also the theme for the speakers in the public

evening sessions, to which such a great number of persons were attracted

that the hall of the Frankfurter‐hof, large as it is, was not sufficient

to contain all.

The first speaker, Baron von Wendt of Westphalia, passed in review the

public events that had transpired in Europe for the last year, and he

demonstrated in a convincing manner that hostility to the church had

everywhere appeared simultaneously, and was therefore the result of

preconcerted action. The explanation of this fact the speaker found in the

activity of modern liberalism, which had determined upon the complete

denial of Christianity, and which boldly avows that by adhering to the

principles of what its advocates are pleased to call humanity all those

inestimable blessings would be obtained which the Saviour has left us in

his sublime teachings upon the obligations and morality of a Christian

life. Like the work of redemption, so also would the church become

superfluous, and the state, to which liberalism gives the preference over

everything else, would then enter upon its inheritance, and, as in the

days of the pagan Cæsars, assert its ascendency even over the spirit.

Herr Cremer, the editor of a Berlin journal, next proceeded to point out

the imperfections to be found in the constitution of the German Empire,

which gave security only to material interests and military power, while

there was not an article which had reference to the moral problem of state

life and the fundamental rights of civil liberty. In the course of his

speech he with much humor and sarcasm drew attention to the fatal avowal

of Bismarck in regard to his own policy. When the question was proposed in

the _Reichstag_ as to whether Catholics had forfeited their rights to

citizenship and were dangerous to the state, the prince answered in the

affirmative. This “yes,” remarked the speaker, “was the most absolute

condemnation of his own policy which could have ever been pronounced by

any one; for no state was ever so powerful that it could dispense even for

a time with the co‐operation of one‐third of its inhabitants. This policy

must be changed, for nine millions of Catholics could not be forced to

emigrate or be declared outlaws like helots. This policy was in every

respect to be rejected as rotten and false, even if it did rest upon the

shoulders of this modern Atlas.” The vigor and readiness of expression

displayed by the youthful speaker caused him to be warmly applauded.

The V. Rev. Dr. Monfang, deputy to the _Reichstag_, delivered an admirable

speech upon the present state of society. The great change, he argued,

took place in the beginning of our century, and he attributed it to the

following causes: First, the French Revolution, which overturned the laws

of commerce and labor without regulating them anew; second, the wonderful

use to which machinery can be put, particularly by the application of

steam‐power, which, in union with the development of capital, directed

industry into entirely new channels; third, the exemption from taxation

brought about by the increase and facility of the means of commerce, which

keeps a certain class of labor in constant demand, and in a measure takes

it from the business men and the farmers; and, fourth, most especially to

that pseudo‐liberalism whose national economy regulates the relations

between employers and employed, between rich and poor, not in accordance

with true Christian principles, but according to the dictates of egotism.

The social question, the orator declared, resolves itself into this: that

a man, to be really happy, needs but three things—that is, a competency, a

respectable position in society, and inward peace of soul. After applying

this true remark to the condition of the working‐men, the speaker finally

passed to the solution of the social question, and said that as this

problem affects all the relations of human life, a general co‐operation

was necessary for its explication. The laborer himself must co‐operate as

well as the family, the parish, the state, the church. Without religion,

without prudent legislation for the protection of labor, without Christian

marriages among the laborers, without public spirit and united effort, it

is not possible to avert the evils which every day threaten the laboring

class more and more.

Herr Racke, the indefatigable secretary of the Union, spoke upon the

difficult subject of passive resistance to laws which are in direct

opposition to conscience. He adduced particularly from the best authors

upon state rights the evidence that the state has no right to demand from

its citizens absolute obedience to all its laws and regulations. Laws

which are in opposition to conscience, morality, and religion, be they

ever so formally enacted, are not laws in the sight of God, but are in

defiance of those of all law‐givers, of the only absolute Lord who is

above all states, all rulers, and all men, and from whose authority alone

even the state laws derive their power and obligation. The animated speech

of Herr Racke was also loudly applauded.

At the request of the president the Rt. Rev. Bishop of Mayence gave the

episcopal blessing, whereupon the public session was adjourned. The second

day also began with prayer, a High Mass of Requiem being sung for all the

members of the Union who had died during the last year. Then in a private

session followed the discussion and approval of resolutions. The

resolutions proposed by the officers of the Congress, and received by all

with acclamation, surpassed in importance all others which had yet passed.

We give them, therefore, a prominent place; they are a sign that the

Catholics of Germany have not lost their courage as yet, and they deserve

to be published verbatim. They are as follows:

The Second Congress of the Catholic Germans declares: