MASS IN A SHANTY.
There was great bustle and preparation in the valley of R---- Creek, on
Ascension Thursday. Hired men were up at _three_ o'clock that morning to
do "chores," and hired girls were busy the night before in arranging the
household, so that the female _bosses_ of the several farm-houses would
be able to find all things in order. Many and violent also were the
arguments that passed between Catholic servants and their heretical
masters and mistresses, on one hand to ignore, and on the other to
assert, the right to worship according to one's conscience. Yes, to
their shame be it told, the Protestant sects in America, as they do in
all countries where they have sway or are tolerated, practically deny
that article of the federal constitution that guarantees the right to
every citizen to worship God according to the dictates of conscience or
individual judgment. With the word _liberty_ ever on their lips, like
the lion's skin on the ass, to deceive, the sects, great and small, from
the Church of England down, down, down to the Mormons or
Transcendentalists, through the grades of Presbyterian, Methodist,
Baptist, all play the tyrant in their own way. All act the despot, and
would exercise spiritual tyranny, if in their power. For proof of this,
the history of the "Blue Laws" in the land of the Pilgrims is only to be
consulted on this side of the Atlantic; and at the other side, modern as
well as by-gone records show, that, wherever Protestantism had the
power, _there_ the few were oppressed by the many. Every sovereign, from
Elizabeth down to Victoria, acted the tyrant over the Catholics; and in
Sweden, Denmark, Prussia, and the Protestant Swiss cantons, persecution
is now a part of the laws of these several states. Persecution is not
sanctioned by the laws of the United States, if we except the
prescriptive code of New Hampshire, which comes under that genus; but if
it be not legalized, we are not to thank Protestantism for that.
Wherever it has sway in the family, in the town council, or the
assembly, there the cloven foot of intolerance and persecution is seen
from under the sanctimonious gown it puts on. Indeed, although the
compulsion of the conscience is not enforced by State laws, it is
attempted, as far as practicable, where its effects are more galling,
and its existence more intolerable,--namely, in the family at home, or
in the camp or barrack abroad. Catholic servants are not only denied the
right to attend their duties in many families, but actually forced to
hear the disgusting ranting or ludicrous prayer of any impostor who may
take on himself the office of preacher. And Catholic soldiers are
punished by fine and severe corporal chastisements for refusing to
attend the service of an heretical chaplain. And no senator, zealous
for liberty, raises his voice on behalf of the Catholic soldier, and of
the Catholic servant girl, while they are exposed to a persecution such
as no Catholic government, king, or despot ever attempted to force on
the consciences of their dissenting subjects, not even Queen Mary, of
England, excepted; for the so-called persecution by Catholic princes has
never been to compel men to adopt a new religion. Protestants in Europe
and here attempt to compel the adoption of their false tenets by those
who are neither desirous nor willing to adopt them, and who already
profess a true religion. This is what makes a vast difference between
the persecution your "Madiai" suffer, and this ten times worse
persecution which many an otherwise honest and kind-hearted American
farmer allows to take place in his family. The Day of Judgment alone
will reveal to light what trials, crosses, and real persecution Catholic
servant men and women have to endure in remote and country places from
the bigotry, hypocrisy, and cruelty of ignorant, unfeeling farmers and
their wives, goaded on, no doubt, and urged, by low, base, and brutal
parsons, who have scarcely enough to eat, and who envy the priest the
comparative independence which the liberality and true Catholic charity
of his flock enable him to maintain.
By these remarks I am not to be understood as saying that good-nature,
justice, and even generosity, do not govern the conduct of the American
people. I am aware of their kindness, hospitality, and philanthropy; but
these fine traits of character are obscured, perverted, and rendered
abortive, whenever the demon of sectarian influence touches them with
her black rod. And, like the Jews, while they are persecuting the Holy
One of God in his humble members, they think they are doing a service to
God. Such is the effect of the poison, in the shape of religious
instruction, infused into the minds of this noble people by the lying
and ignorant teachers that they allow to instruct them. The American
people are generally so busy, so intent in making a fortune or a
livelihood, that they have not time, as they cannot have the
inclination, to pay much attention to religious training. Hence it is in
the science of the soul and salvation, as in that of medical science,
the number of impostors and quacks is infinite.
The following dialogue between an Irish Catholic servant and her
_evangelical_ mistress will serve faintly to illustrate what is the
weekly, if not daily, recurrence in tens of thousands of families all
over this "free country":
"You can't go, that's the amount of it, Anne," said Mrs. Warren to an
Irish Catholic servant maid of hers, who heard of the priest's being at
the shanties on this morning.
"Why so, ma'am?" said Anne. "All the girls of the country around are
allowed to go; but I never get a Sunday or holy day to myself. It is too
bad."
"Why don't you come with us to our meeting, where all the decent folks
go, and none of your Irish are present?"
"Many decent folks go to 'Old Harry!'" cried Anne, in anger. "Is that
the reason I must go too?"
"Anne, your obstinacy in refusing to join our family worship has made me
resolve not to let you go to hear the old priest. And your refusal to
attend to the sermon of our preacher, Mr. Scullion, has also displeased
me much. I mean to punish you according."
"Why should I go hear the old sinner's stuff," said Anne, "when your own
sons laugh at him and say he is a fool? Besides, I am told he is ever
abusing the Catholics, and I heartily despise his nonsensical, lying
cant."
"Well, Anne, I am determined to punish you for it," calmly replied the
mistress. "So you can't see the priest to-day. That settles it."
"I beg your pardon, ma'am; the priest I will see, please God, let what
will happen."
"You must leave this house, then."
"Small loss, madam. America is wide, thank God!" answered Anne.
"Don't you know Mr. Scullion is a brother of mine?"
"I don't care, ma'am, if he was your father. I know he is ignorant or
malicious, either one or the other, or maybe both, or he would not speak
of the Catholic Church as he does. Oh, dear," she cried, bursting into
tears of anger, "what a 'free country' it is! The Protestants in Ireland
were decent. They came, attended by the peelers, to their tenants,
telling them they must conform to the will of the landlord, or quit
their homes; but here ye say all religions are equal, and yet ye try to
compel us to go to listen to low, ignorant preachers, who know they are
lying about the Church of Christ. Ye want us to change the religion of
St. Patrick and of the martyrs for such ridiculous churches as ye have
here. Oh, dear! oh, dear!" said the poor girl, as she contrasted her
present situation with what it was when she was at home at her father's,
where she heard Mass daily, and knew not what it was to suffer
persecution for conscience' sake.
While scenes such as we have here described were taking place in the
farmers' houses, and such scenes are not occasional nor unusual, all was
busy preparation at the shanties. The largest shanty in the "patch" was
cleared of all sorts of lumber. Forms, chairs, tables, pots, flour and
beef barrels, molasses casks, and other necessary stores were all put
outside doors. The walls, if so we can call them, of the shanty, were
then hung round with newspapers, white linen tablecloths, and other
choice tapestry, while a good large shawl, spread in front of the altar,
served as a carpet on which his reverence was to kneel and stand while
officiating. Green boughs were cut in a neighboring wood lot and planted
around the entrance by the men, while around the altar and over it were
wreaths of wild flowers and blossoms, gathered by the little girls of
the "patch" in the adjacent meadows, in order to prepare a decent place
for the holy Mass. At an early hour the priest made his appearance, and
was very much pleased to see the transformation which the piety of
these poor, hard-working people wrought in the appearance of the humble
shanty. For fifteen miles along the line the crowds were gathering, and
the works were suspended for the day. The overseers and contractors, to
do them justice, had no objection to this occasional interruption of
their profits. At all events, they knew it was a holy day; and even
they, with all their irresponsible control over their men, had ample
proof that, even in the wild deserts and savage woods of America, the
Irish Catholic "remembers" the Sabbaths and festivals of his God or his
Church.
Long before the hour of Mass, the shanty was crowded, and many were the
comments and remarks made on the physical powers and other external
accomplishments of the new priest.
Some remarked that his reverence,--God bless him!--need not be afraid of
travelling alone through these lonesome glens, for it would require "a
good man to handle him; that it would."
"That's thrue," said another; "he would be able to 'settle bread' on a
half-dozen Yankees any day; that is, provided they did not use any
weapon but the arm that God gave 'em."
"But you know," said a third, "these Yankees always carry a _rewolwer_
or two in their pockets, the treacherous rogues. Look how they killed
that Irish peddler, and robbed him, and fired six shots into Michael
Gasty's house the other night, and he in bed quietly sleeping."
This and other such narratives and comments were the order of the day
outside the door, only where those who were careless or not preparing
for their duties were congregated. Inside, a large crowd of women and
rough-fisted men gathered around the door of the temporary confessional,
and it was near noon before the priest ascended the temporary altar to
offer up the "victim of peace" for the assembled sons of toil. Upon his
reverence asking if there was anybody to answer or serve Mass, several
presented themselves; but he accepted the services of Paul, because he
had been accustomed from his childhood to wait round the altar, and he
was the most intelligent of those who offered to assist the priest while
celebrating.
The substance of the priest's discourse was, that they should not forget
that it was God's will that the holy sacrifice should be offered in
"every place, from the rising to the setting of the sun," and that
probably they were made the instruments which he made use of for the
_literal_ fulfilment of that famous prophecy; for if they were not here
employed on these public works, probably the holy sacrifice would not
be, for years and years to come, offered up in such places as this. That
they should all regard themselves as missionaries engaged in God's
service to spread the knowledge of the true religion in this virgin soil
among a people who had lost the true mode of God's worship, though a
generous and successful race of men. That they should guard against
drunkenness and faction fights, for these crimes brought their proper
punishment both here and hereafter; and that they should, by pure morals
and fidelity to their religion, rather than by controversy or
disputation, make a favorable impression on, and confute the errors of,
those opponents of their faith among whom their lot was cast. In fine,
that they should lose no opportunity of receiving the sacraments, for,
without their use, salvation was very difficult, if not absolutely
impossible. Let them not regret the loss of this day, or think it too
much to dedicate it to God's service: that was the chief end for which
they were created. When population was small, and a livelihood easily
obtained, and men had to work but little, God had appointed one day in
the week to rest and service. Now, when the cares, distractions, and
labors of life had increased a thousandfold, it seemed not too much if,
instead of one day, two or more days were devoted to rest and worship.
And if the Church had her way unrestricted, she, by her festivals and
holy days, would do a great deal towards alleviating the present
hardships of labor, and men would be taught to be content with a
competency, and employers would treat their men with kindness and
justice combined.
"You, poor fellows, have to work hard, frequently for years, without
having a chance to frequent the sacraments. Thank God, then, and be
grateful for this opportunity, and spend this day as becometh
Christians. You are exposed to dangers from accidents, and frequently
from the influence of evil-advising men. In Religion and her resources
alone you can find the only safeguard against the effects of the former,
and the best security against the wiles of your enemies: keep the
commandments, and hear the Church."
On this day no less than ninety-five received, and the effects of this
one visit even were felt by the overseers and employers of these men for
months to come. Even Anne Council, the girl whom we introduced as
disputing with her ignorant mistress about "the freedom of
worship,"--and which dispute was then decided in Anne's favor by the
interference of the boss, who remonstrated with his wife on her
imprudence in resolving to discharge her maid in the midst of their
hurry, while there was no chance of having her place supplied,--even
Anne, brought to a better sense by the advice of the priest administered
in confession, when she came home asked her saucy mistress's pardon for
speaking back to her this morning.
"I forgive you, Anne," she said; "though I am sure there is not a _lady_
in the hollow that would put up with your impudence but myself."
"I know I am hot," answered Anne, smothering her anger at this second
provocation in being called _impudent_. "The priest told us to be
obedient to those even who are not amiable nor kind; to serve them for
God's sake, as a punishment for our sins."
"Now," said Mr. Warren to his wife, "you see Anne has rather improved by
her visit to the priest, which you thought to prevent. Were you and I to
be _at her_ for six months, we could not get her to acknowledge as much
as she now has. The fact is, I am certain those much-abused priests are
far ahead of our dominies in knowledge of religion and human nature. It
is impossible otherwise to account for the influence they exercise over
the ungovernable Irish race, and over those millions whom they instruct
and rule."
"It's all priestcraft," said his wife.
"I don't know, Sarah, what craft it is, but I wish our ministers learned
a little of the same craft; for they are fast losing all influence over
the minds of the people, and especially over that of the youth. That we
can all see."
"That's because people are daily getting worse," said this female
philosopher.
"Worse! Then whose fault is it that they are? What have we ministers
for, but to prevent this state of things? There are six of them in the
small village of S----, and it can't be beat in the Union for blacklegs
and rowdies. Would we have so many wild, irreligious young men, and
women, too, if, instead of six preachers, we had six Catholic priests? I
would like to see one of your young ones show such signs of a superior
mind and training, such manliness and fortitude, as that Irish Catholic
lad, Paul, down at Prying's. They have had all the ministers within
fifty miles of you to convert him, but they could no more move him than
they could Mount Antoine. In fact, he beat them all to pieces in
Scripture and argument. Take no more pains about religion, wife," said
the honest Yankee; "let Anne alone. I won't have her disturbed any more
on the subject. If there be any religion on earth, those very people
have it whom you want to bring round to the exact pattern of your
favorite minister's manner of doubting. It's ridiculous, wife," said
he, rising, and calling his men to the fields; "it's ridiculous to try
to convert these Catholics, who appear to have some religion, to the
countless systems of NO RELIGION that are so numerous on all
sides around us. I say it's ridiculous," said he, departing.