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Show ! MONTREAL ARCHBISHOP i - , j Asks His Flock to Stay Away From j j Theatre Where Bernhardt Plays. ! Archbishop Brucliesf. of Montreal, I Canada, jr. view of the appearance in 'that city of Sarah Bernhardt, created a sensation at high mas? in Stt.. James cathedral "by declaring, that plays produced pro-duced in the French theatres' - there' were imported from a center where Christian marriage was-, mocked at. "This sad education." the archbisaop' declared, "has been gradually going on. and a certain actress, whose name j I would not pronounce, repeated only i a few months ago the ignoble scenes I which it had been her custom to pro- j duce elsewhere. We have no need of I .such literature and of such plays in this Catholic city. Dining the present week (referring to Bernhardt'? coming) com-ing) one theatre Jn particular will attract at-tract large crowds and I deeply regret the. programme decided upon." He concluded by asking fathers and mothers to stay away and preserve the honor of their families' and promote the salvation of their children's souls, j . A Pointer for Parents. The obligation, lying- on parents of not giving bad example to their young children is of the -strictest nature, says the pastoral letter which nas been issued is-sued by the plenary council of, Australia; Austra-lia; and those who fail in this matter should reflect on the awful warning of Our Lord, who said of all who cause children to sin: "But .he that shall scandalize one of these little one that believe in He. it '.cere betterifor him that , a stone should be hanged abou; his neck and that he. should be drowned in the -depths-of the sea." (St. Matthew Mat-thew xviii., 6.) How many children learn from the example of their own parents habits of sinful language, of ungovernable anger, of neglect of the sacred duties of religion; and although these same parents may salve their consciences by frequently exhorting their children to duty and virtue, they cannot expect to escape the anger of God. who is jealous of the virtue of the little ones He has entrusted to their care. . .. Priests' Average Life. j It was said in these columns last week that during the past decade the diocese of Hartford had lost by death thirty-seven priests," and that of these thirty-seven the average life on the mission was fifteen years. The figures should have read 24.13 years. Less than a quarter of a century ago the life of a priest on the Connecticut mission averaged only nine years. The change in favor of longevity amounts to something some-thing like a phenomenon. What with long drives, poor railroad facilities and poor roads the clergv of the latter half of the last century found themselves erst upon hard times. Xow all is changed, and the most careful clerical training will not be counted out of place in those who are. in all proail-ity, proail-ity, to spend from twenty-five to fifty year? as laborers, in the vineyard. Catholic Transcript. ' Taking an Oath. A correspondent wants to know .-what we think of a disreputable creature, who happens to ' have . been born of Catholic parents, and who excuses himself for false swearing on tho ground that he was sworn on a Protestant-Bible. ... Possibly there-are some, people ignorant enough to suppose that the kissing of a-Bible is necessary to the taking of an oath, -but' they are very " much mistaken. No Bible is j needed Catholic or Protestant. If one is used it is to invest the act with greater solemnity. If a man deliber-:. ntely sign?) a paper containing the words "I swear," he takes an oath; if he lifts his har.d and solemnly says "I swear," he takes an oath; whether the name of God is actually mentioned or not, it is understood to be invoked in witness of the truth. But if a man does not mean to take an oath, he dot f not take one. whether it be in oonver- Isation-or in a court of law. There is j this difference, .however. In conversa- 1 I tion, we often jurigeby a man's man-; man-; ner that, though he uses the , language j of swearing, he does not really mean to make hints-elf responsible for an oath: in a court of law we have no reason to suspect anything of the kind and the man who goes through the solemn form of taking an oath without really intending to take it, commits an abuse of the Divine Name equal in guiit to the sin of perjury. A ntigonish Casket. Chinese Catholics in New York. Archbishop Farley of Xew York has made, application to Rome for a priest able -to . speak the Chinese language who will look after the spiritual welfare wel-fare of .the Catholic Chinese of the me-, i tropolis. His grace considers this mis-! mis-! sion field among the Mongolians an im-i im-i porlant one. Tt is but a year ago that ; five Chinese merchants of Chinatown were baptized on the same . afternoon I at the Paulists' church. They received their instructions in the teachings of the church, from the Paulists through an interpreter. There are many such waiting an opportunity to become con-i con-i verts, and there is no doubt that the. ! proposed mission will prove successful. ! . The Catholic Paper. . j The Catholic who is really in earnest earn-est ought to take serious,' things seri- ously. He ought -certainly to flee from the dangers of immoral literature. The lessons of the Catholic home or the Catholic , school will have a certain in-; in-; Huenoe. but that influence w ill count for little in the' abs;-uce. of a -militant ' Catholic press. The tone of current literature is at the best not bright. It 's.true the -lnagaain!!? cannot- afford to i break the traditions of silcr.ee concern- j irvg certain aspect;' of life. But its j voice is not cast for the bert things, i lis influence is sometimes poisonous. I positively bad.- At the best .it i.-i rarely j gofd: hence it is especially necessary that the effects of the vile and fetid deluge of, "nte.a.ture" should, be diverted di-verted by good literature. That is the reason that you should see that a Catholic paper of a good literary tone is kept' is: your home. Boston Repub- |