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Show 'UNDER WHAJ FLAG?" If there should be any d'ibts in the minds of our Xon-Catholie readers and subscribers touching the merits of the annoyingt controversy between Church and State in France, or in any part of Latin Lat-in Europe, the source from which the attack is made and the class of men behind the attack ought to settle to a finality their djucertainty. It is now outside the pale of discussion that the party in possession of the treasury benches in the French Assembly and Senate are professed free thinkers and enemies of the Christian religion. This war is a crusade against monks and nuns, against Archbishops, Arch-bishops, Bishops and priests only in so far as they stand for the perpetuity and permanency of Christianity. Chris-tianity. Let them abandon their Christian faith and cut loose from the Supreme Head on earth of the Church, and adopt and teach the principles of free-thought, and they may retain possession of the churches, monasteries and convents, and the more immoral they become the lessnotice will be taken of . them. It is to the everlasting credit of the French Hierarchy and clergy that to a man they have remained loyal to their religious convictions convic-tions and have unanimously rejected the degrading overtures of peace offered them by an infidel parliament. par-liament. "The legislator," said M. Thiers, at Cannes, thirty-seven years ago. "who tries to make a religion of Atheism is a madman who eventually must ruin the country he misleads by bis -fanaticism." Who are those who compose the army now laying siege to the" citadels of Divine faith 2 There is not a thug, a harlot, a thief, a debauched student stu-dent of the schools and universities, nor an atheist, athe-ist, deist, anarchist or radical socialist that has not already enrolled himself or herself as a private or non-commissioned officer in the sacrilegious ranks of this army now attacking Christianity. Nor may anyone deny it, for the fact is patent. Look, now, upon this picture: A few years ago that blasphemous tragedy, the "Passion Play." was staged in the Theatre Fran-caise, Fran-caise, Paris. The part of our Divine Lord was taken by an actor of notoriously loose morals, and that of His Blessed Mother by n woman whose name for a certainty will never have a place on any ntw Litany of the Saints. The theatre was crowded. When Pilate stood on the balcony he rested his hand on the shoulder of our Lord, who had been scourged and now wore the crown of thorns and the purple garment of derision. "Which will you have of the, two to be released unto you, Christ or Barahhas?" A shout came down from the gallery and up from the pit, ."Ba-rabbas!" ."Ba-rabbas!" "What shall I do then with Jesus that is called Christ ?" And once4 again the multitude in the theatre cried out, "Let him be crucified!" And look on this : Fathers Schaeffler, Dorie and Bonard. after a few months' labor in Corea which was truly called the "Mother of Martyrs" by reason of the cruelty of its people were crowned with martyrdom martyr-dom in 1862. The night before his martyrdom Pere Bonard thus wrote to hip friends: "This is the last lette'r I shall write to you. The i solemn hour has struck. Farewell! I make ap pointmont with all of you who remember and lov me to meet me iu heaven. I hope in the mercy ot Jesus and I have a firm confidence that lie lun pardoned me my innumerable sins. I offer with ell my heart, my blood and my life for the love n'" my dear Master, and for those beloved souls whom I would have served so willingly to the best of my power. I beseech you to remember me before thr Lord; be sure that as I have told you before, if II. has mercy on my soul. I will not forget you for ever." Tomorrow. Saturday, the Feast of St. Philip and St. James, is the day appointed for my sacrifice. sacri-fice. God's will be done. Blessed be God! I die happy. I bid farewell to all in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. "Yinctus in Christo. the vigil of my death April :;o, lN2." When the news of His martyrdom came to his home, a Te Detim was sung in the parish church in the presence of the Bishop and people of Si llilaire. After mass his brother came forward and in the name of his father and mother thanked tin-Bishop tin-Bishop for his charity and for the honor shown t.. his martyred brother, saying: "When he left ;u we sacrificed him for God; but we did not knov how soon and how complete the sacrifice was be." "It now remains for us to hunt .lesus Christ our of the Government of France." M. I'riand. cabinet cabi-net minister. "I offer with all my heart my blood and nr. life for the love of my Master." Pore Bonard, martyred missionary of Corea and priest of tin-Catholic tin-Catholic Church. "Under what flag. Polonius i" |