OCR Text |
Show -; 4 . . A NEW BARTIMEUS. A few days ago that unfortunate lady, the Marquise des Monstiers-Mcrinville (the secret of"-whose of"-whose sudden declaration is still unexplained), dc-e-lared that she left the faith because her eyes hael been opened by living in Europe. Strange to relate, re-late, another person living in Europe had his eyes opened about the same time. La Croix, tho vigorous vigor-ous Catholic daily of Paris, in its issue of Nov. 21, published a startling letter from Henry Schaffer, a French Protestant publicist, who, several years since, distinguished himself as the founder of the "Union of Christian Churches." but later wrote many violent articles against the religious orders. In his letter, dated Rome, Oct. 25,-M. Schaffer says in part: ' ; ' . "After much stuely and praj-cr I have renounced Protestantism with its sects and divisions that war incessantly against the Church One and Apostolic. . I have here beheld the ineffaceable cyifbyioes of mC-, mC-, tiejuity, the monuments to Catholic dogmas, notably those furnished by the Catacombs, aud hasten tu at tach myself intimately to the church founded hy Christ. I regret that as a Protestant conft-rcneier I have written much in defense of a bad cause, and as a conscientious journalist I retract formally aJl my articles in the Protestant and anti-clerical press, especially in my campaign against the religious re-ligious asseeiations." This is a free translation, but it proves that even Protestants of that very France in which, the Marquise has lived, have also had their eyes opened. For years Schaffer was famous in French Protestant Protes-tant circles, but he has found light in Rome even in the Catacombs. Odd, is it not. that the Marquise professed, to have lost the light in Rome? Perhaps, Per-haps, indeed, she did not take trouble to trace the steps of Christ through Roma Sortrrnanea. May He yet touch her eyes and murmur "He thou opened" as of old with Bartimcus the blind. Ne w i . World. |