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Show "t- -4- - -J- I BUTTE. t FATHER DE SIERE HOME. : Returns After Several Months Spent In Europe. (Butte Miner. June 24.) Two children near the portal of the confessional, two Sister of Charity in silent adoration before the altar, and a priest whose rapturous gaze rested upon, every object in St. Patrick's church as if all were the creations of a moment's time this was -what a Miner reporter saw yesterday afternoon after-noon about 5 o'clock. The actions of the priest easily suggested the stt-an-ger who saw St. Patrick's for the first time, for he inspected its interior from every point of vantage, a radiant smile meanwhile illuminating his whole countenance. But the priest was no stranger. He was Father De Siere, the head pastor himself, who had only a few hours before arrived from his travels on the other end of the globe. Nothing remarkable had taken place. no change 111 the beauty of shrine or the tint of the ceiling since his departure depart-ure last fall. Yet from his manner of inspection one would imagine the good priest still gazing in esctacies upon the marvelous creations of the cathedral cathe-dral of Milan or the more familiar objects in the churches of Belgium, his native iana. ii.!tner that, or the emotion emo-tion was inspired by the vision of home-like objects, which human love always magnifies. St. Patrick's church is Father De Siere's home. Father De Siere had a few moments for the reporter, although fatigued with his journey hither by rail. His travels over Europe were more extensive exten-sive than Bishop Brandel's, although these two were together much of the time. He did not visit Lourdes, but did go to another miraculous shrine in Flanders. He had a substitut;'! in the Lourdes pilgrimage. Father De Siere witnessed the Passion Pas-sion play at Oberammergau and he was so much impressed with the representation represen-tation that he intends to deliver a lecture lec-ture upon it some time in the near future. fu-ture. So far from promoting blasphemy blas-phemy or in any manner detracting from piety, Father De Siere says, if it is properly staged and correctly acted, its effect upon human emotions are the same as that produced by the tender-est tender-est passages of the emotional drama in our secular literature; and even infidels in-fidels who come to scoff went awav edified. Father De Siere noted many signs of prosperity in the old world since he ien Europe as a young man. xnis was. particularly observable in Holland and Belgium. France and Germany. Ireland Ire-land was much happier than it was twenty years ago. In fact, no place did the priest observe signs of decay except in Italy, though the people did not appear particularly dejected. The Chinese problem had not assumed as-sumed an acute stage when Father De Siere left Europe, but the sentiment of all peoples favored the infliction of punishment upon the Boxers. The Boer war had not lost its edge, and oddly enough. Father De Siere found the educational masses of the continent blaming the United States for its continuance. con-tinuance. "They put up a very ingen-ius ingen-ius but withal a very good argument," argu-ment," said Father De Siere. "I got into conversation with a German scholar schol-ar one day, and he turned upon the Boer war bv the British and mir n-a-r, war upon the Filipinos. 'The United States did a great thing for humanity by whipping Spain and liberating the Cubans,' said this savant, 'although Europe generally favored Spain. But your great country lost its prestige among us when it made war upon the 1 Filipinos. And for what end is it warring?. war-ring?. Precisely for' the same object which prompts England to make war upon the Boers gold, gold, gold. Only Britain obtains it in the Rand while you Americans seek it through commercial com-mercial exploitation. America is the only country that could step In to save the Dutch republics, were it not that the conquests of England and the conquests con-quests of the u i Stistes &re r alike as to hiiie no difference.' And tpi3 va-f vi t-v-. De Siere, "was thrown in my face even in England. "Although I did not visit Spain, yet I talked with Spaniards," said Father De Siere. "Since Spain got her whipping whip-ping and lost her colonies, there seems to be a revival of home industry there, and an era of commercial prosperity has set in. This is owing to the withdrawal with-drawal of Spanish capital from the colonies and utilizing it in Jhe mother country." |