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Show FATHER MALONE'S EUROPEAN LETTER, (Editorial Correspondence.) London, England, July 15. 1900. I left Faris last Monday morning, arriving ar-riving in London the same evening. Truly I was not sorry to leave Paris. Althourh architecturally It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, there were so many other uninviting situations that I left it with a feeling of satisfaction and relief. If Max O'Rcll found much to amuse him in America, the American will find much to disgust him in Trance. Of course, allowance must be made for the difference in the customs and manners of the people, but from the customs, good Lord, deliver me, while the manners man-ners would sicken one with their ceremonious cere-monious unction. The grand boule-j boule-j vards of Paris, the Mecca of French- men, which furnish them with peren nial delight, make an American shiver as he contemplates their unsanitary condition, not to speak of the lack of moral sanity everywhere obvious. I am quite sure there is no health commissioner in Paris, for if the conditions con-ditions which prevail on the swell boulevards bou-levards of that city were to obtrude themselves for a moment in Denver, Dr. Carlin would have the entire police po-lice force out on an emergency call. But, as I have said, Paris is a city, magnificent in its buildings of every character. It teems with monuments !of deepest interest. In it may be found that which will satisfy every mind. The specialist, the student, the scientist, the artist ,the tourist, all will find much to please and edify them in the gay French capital. All these things that are pelaaing an agreeable we may admire, but withoua impropriety we may mildly condemn customs and habits that do not seem to be the result of civilization. Socially my stay in Paris was delightful, delight-ful, and I must make grateful acknowledgement acknowl-edgement of the many acts'of courtesy from National Commissioner and Mrs. Thomas F. Walsh, who have been untiring un-tiring in their efforts to make the visit of Americans, particularly Coloradoans, pleasant In every way. The presence of all the national commissioners com-missioners in Paris has had a decidedly I good effect, for they have done much to smooth over the many rough places which Mr. Peck left behind him. President McKinley made a happy Pholce of all the national commisslon- - . v ers, for they, one and all, are tactful, ourteous and agreeable and endowed with practical common sense. They have assuredly done much to soften the harsh feeling which was so generally manifested against the paid commissioners commis-sioners of the United States.' There seems to be no disposition to finish the Vincennes portion of the exhibition, ex-hibition, which is not. worth the time consumed in a visit. The American railways have no display dis-play to speak of, one American engine being all that I noticed. Many Americans express disappointment disappoint-ment at the absence of a first-class American railway train, such as the Pullman company might turn out. 1 1 shared this opinion also until I visited the Trans-Siberian train on exhibition in the Trocadero section, and which is destined to make the regular run from Moscow to Pekin. The magnificence of this ordinary train surpasses anything any-thing that I have ever dreamed of in railroad travel. It is as far ahead of the best Pullman trains running in America as the latter is superior to our ordinary day coaches. The train was made at St. Denis, near Paris, and reflects the highest credit on French mechanical skill. The Pullman com-nanv com-nanv was wise in not entering the lists with the St. Denis firm. This is the only train, however, that I have seen In Europe that is worthy of notice. The French trains are abominable, the German but little better, and the Entdish about the same. They make no pretense whatever for ordinary conveniences con-veniences for travelers, and look upon them as, I suppose, they do cattle. The rates of fare are excessive, and they certainlv furnish, in some European countries at least, a forceful argument I in favor of private as against government govern-ment ownershiD. But. then, it is not fair to compare anything here with things in America, for we seem to be in' an advanced age in the United States insofar as the comforts of civilization are concerned. One cannot stir here without meeting some old monument, to which we may we'll apply the words which Macauley wrote of the little chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula in London Tower, wherein repose, or have reposed, the remains of Sir Thomas More and other victims of royal perfidy: "In truth there is no sadder spot on earth than this little cemetery. Death is there associated, not, as in Westminster West-minster Abbey and St. Paul's, with genius and virtue, with public veneration venera-tion and with imperishable renown; not. as in our humblest churches and churchyards, with everything that is most endearing in social and domestic charities: but with whatever is dark est in human nature and in human destiny, with the savage triumph of Implacable enemies,' with the inconsistency, inconsist-ency, the intrratitude. the cowardice of friends; with all the miseries of fallen greatness and of blighted fame." Thank God. we have no such monu- j ments in America; nothing to mark either the death of liberty or its undue un-due restriction. May God grant that the United States of America shall never become anything but a home of freedom. And Thou, O God. of whom we hold Our countrs- and our freedom fair, Within Thy tender love enfold This land, for all Thy people care. Teach us that only they are free Who walk obedient to Thy will. And slaves are they who follow ill, Which is the foe of liberty. Lift up our hearts above our fortunes high, Let not the good we have make us forget I The better things that in Thy heaven Ke; Keep still, amid the fever and the fret Of all this eager life, our thoughts on Thee The hope, the strength, the God of all the free. As for me, I prefer youthful, vigorous America to Europe, with its age of centuries. cen-turies. In it there are no such monuments monu-ments like those of Colorado, that lift their heads up to the very throne of God and down whose sides sweep the life-giving zephyrs of heaven. And now what shall I say of London? Well, it is tremendous, overpowering and oppressive. An idea of the size of London may be appreciated better when it is said that there are in the city more Irish than in Dublin, more Jews than in Palestine, more Scotchmen Scotch-men than in Aberdeen, and more Catholics Cath-olics than in Rome. The census of 1S91 gave London the population of 5,633,332, which, during the past nine years -has undoubtedly augmented, so that at the present time it is probably well over the 6,000,000 mark. Here are all grades of humanity. human-ity. Royalty abounds, and so does poverty pov-erty in its most repellant aspect. Here, indeed, more than elsewhere in the world is opportunity afforded to study the condition of- the submerged tenth and the causes which keep them down. Between the dates of my lectures here it is my intention to devote much time to the study of conditions in the east part of London, where humanity in its most hideous form predominates. Some idea of this may be had from the fact that there are in London all the time over 150,000 destitute paupers. This morning I was present at St. George's Cathedral, Southwork, and had the pleasure of listening to one of the best sermons that it has ever been my good fortune to hear. The preacher wa sthe Rev. B. W. Maturin. Fafher Maturin Is not a polished orator, such, for instance, as the Archbishop of Philadelphia, Phil-adelphia, but I do not think that Archbishop Arch-bishop Ryan, In his best days, had the faculty of driving truth home so forcefully force-fully as Father Maturin did this morning. morn-ing. It was altogether one of the finest sermons that I have ever heard. He made me feel as I have often felt when listening to Bishop Spalding. I do not know whether there are other equally gifted speakers in the Archdiocese of Westminster, but if there are the Catholics Cath-olics of Westminster are singularly fortunate. for-tunate. At the present time there Is a large Denver colony in London. During the last few days I met the following: Mr. and Mrs. Varian, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Ballantine, Mrs. Christie, Miss Malone, Miss Simonds, Mrs. Mendenhall, Mrs. Donaldson, Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. Laferty and Miss Laferty, Mrs. J. H. Fesler, Professor Hermans and Mrs. Hermans, Mrs. Hollady, Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Page, Miss McCleary, Miss Johonson, Mr. and Mrs. Orson Adams, jr., and Miss I. B. Poulson of Grand Junction. Mr. Ballantine, Bal-lantine, Mr. Adams and myself started out the other day to find Dr. O'Connor, but the search was fruitless, and we have decided that the genial surgeon of the Denver & Rio Grande is "lost in London." While looking for Dr. O'Connor we met M. C. S. Morey Snd his son. on their way to Scotland to play "golf." That golf must be a strangely fascinating game. Any of the readers of the Intermoun tain Catholic will remember Mr. Charles B. Flynn, formerly of Denver and Cripple Crip-ple Creek. Mr. Flynn is the present managing director of the Avine mines of Mexico, and has taken a residence in London. Mr. Peter Fredrick arrived in London Lon-don a day or two ago from Germany. With him are Mr. and Mrs. George Stien and a party of friends. I hone to take a run over to Dublin this week for a few days, if the dates of my first ands econd lectures allow. Later, when I have finished my work here I expect to make an extended trip through Ireland, to which I am looking forward with great pleasure. THOMAS H. MALONE. I |