The Catholic bulletin. [volume], October 14, 1911, Image 6

About The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995

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AFRICAN CABINS.
The flat and arid country known as
Bugwe, South Nyanza, is thickly
dotted with little villages of from ten
to fifty cabins. The reason that the
settlements are not larger lies in the
native manner of farming. If there
is not a banana plantation in the
neighborhood, every family must have
a plot of ground for the cultivation of
sorgho, and here families are large, as
a rule.
Every Bugwe likes to he master of
the land surrounding his cabin. He
does not care to have near neighbors,
and the few neighbors that he has
must be people with whom he can get
along.
He erects his hut in the middle of
an inclosed space screened by a hedge
of reeds. In one corner of this yard
is the stable or shed that shelters the
larger domestic animals the sheep
and goats are housed at night under
the same roof as the family.
A second corner of the inclosure is
assigned to the little structures dedi
cated to the manes of the family
ancestors. In a third corner is the
poultry house and granary. The pali
sade that surrounds the inclosure is
strong and forms an excellent protec
tion against robbers. The family hut
is cylindrical in form surmounted by
a conical roof, and surrounded by a
circular veranda which is protected
by a screen of sugar cane stalks.
This veranda is divided into several
rooms. One is the sleeping-room of
the young jnen of the household, in
another their sisters live. A third is
reserved for guests. In a fourth, the
mother and daughters hull the sorgho.
The interior of the cabin itself is
divided into two rooms, one being the
sleeping-room of the parents and
young children. The other is occupied
by the sheep and the goats. A por
tion of the sorgho is stored just be
neath the roof, and the rats, ac
cordingly, soon take up their quarters
with the family.
CHAPEL BUILDING IN AFRICA.
In reply to those who ask if a chapel
will serve the purpose of bringing in
natives to the Church we may refer
this piece for their reading. A priest
is the whole thing, of course, but after
him comes the church, it matters not
how rude an affair it may be. When
it is not possible to erect a permanent
edifice the missionaries resort to the
best makeshift they can build, but not
always with good results, as far as the
building is concerned. There are many
places in Africa where the chapel is
replaced every five years. The
climate and the insects of the country
rapidly destroy the native building.
A Jesuit Father of the Rhodesia dis-^
trict says that he enjoyed the new
chapel just four weeks:
"We enjoyed the luxury of our new
chapel just four weeks. Very heavy
rains had fallen since the Epiphany.
Owing probably to some defect, the
foundation subsided, and early in the
night of the 21st the eastern gable
wall collapsed. Fortunately no damage
was done to the furniture inside, and
though it was raining hard, we man
aged to transport the altar and
everything else back to the former
hut. The weather being propitious,
we are rebuilding the part which fell
in, and hope before long to see our
poor chapel restored. It must serve
us until we are able to erect a solid
and permanent building."
VALUt OF THE CRUCIFIX
COREA.
MISSION
IN
Now that Japan has annexed Corea
there is great danger that the old
lines of demarcation will soon be
wiped out. Of course the Coreans
have a deep-rooted hatred of the wily
conqueror, but the latter is not both
ering much about that end of it. The
transition was made without any
bloodshed and no fuab practically of
any kind. The only change that has
been made as far as the missions are
concerhed is that many of the Chris
tians have moved away, some of them
towards the borders. Six little Chris
tian villages were established during
the past two years and while the
humble chapes are not much to look
at they are serving the excellent pur
pose of keeping the Christians to
gether. There are about twenty-eight
hundred Christians on the borders and
700 serious catechumens. In the win
ter the missions are connected hy
waterways which are frozen over,
thus giving access to places not easy
of approach for the missionary.
The devotion of the Christians to
their Catholic emblems, their cruci
fixes and medals is very edifying and
has been the means of attracting
many to inquire about the faith. Per
haps this has come from the Russians,
whose love especially for the Mother
of God is well known. It is interest
ing to notice this practical love- of the
Russians for Christian emblems.
Bishop Mutel, accompanied by a na
tive Corean, wanted to cross the
border into Russian territory. Coreans
have not the right to pass the borders
without a license, which costs nine
roubles, which license must be re
newed every year. When the Bishop
and his aide reached the official in
reply to his demand for the ticket,
the Christian Corean simply showed
his crucifix and immediately was
passed through with the remark, "He
is, ..a Christian." Needless to. statue
the crucifix is in great demand.6**
MISSIONARY OF THE CR083 IN
SOUTH AMERICA.
(Contributed by a Convert)
How sbon the devoted itilssffm
arians in their lonely outposts pass
out of human remembrance! It would
be a pious practice now and then to
sit down in the quiet House of God
and endeavor to call to mind any per
sonal experiences we may have had
in our travels, or readings of real
missionaries—and pray for them.
Our beloved missionaries richly de
serve our prayers and now and then
a letter or magazine or picture or
better still some pecuniary help. Let
them feel that they are not forgotten
on earth. There is one name ever
coming to mind, of a holy priest who
has a remarkable devotion to the
Most Holy Crucifix—Father Visorlot.
Somewhere down in South America
in a lonely mountain mission station
he is toiling among his beloved In
dians, unless perchance his Saviour
has called him to his reward. Some
years agb a traveler came -up to this
priest in his lonely mountain home.
Seldom did the good priest have an
opportunity to see a white man's face
and rarely did even a letter come to
cheer his uneventful existence. The
traveler was astonished to find so de
voted a missionary in such a dreary
section, and he- asked the good Fa
ther if he did not feel lonely, and if
he did not consider that his life was
being wasted in such a remote and un
congenial place, to whom the holy
man replied in these inspired words:
"My son, if I can hold this Cru
cifix before the face of a single dy
ing Indian, it will repay me for my
life's work!"
Such words as these, deserve to be
written in letters of gold and dis
tributed to earth's remotest clime.
A SUPERSTITION IN AFRICA.
It is heartrending, writes Father
Kyne from the west coast of Africa,
to see the power which Satan sways
in this land were the name of Our
Beloved Lord and His Blessed Moth
er are not known. Everything is God,
but God Himself. The religion of
these people consists not in adoring
God, but in propitiating the evil spir
its. Their idea of God is that He is
essentially good and as such cannot
hurt anybody but the evil spirits are
always around, ready to inflict pain
unless sacrifice is offered to them.
A curious superstition is that of
crocodile worship. The river is in
fested with crocodiles—the people
hold them in veneration, and woe be
tide the man who would dare to in
jure them. The boatman never "neg
lects to throw his offering into the
river and to pour forth a fervent
prayer. In a native village in Cape
Mount, some years ago, the people
gave his regular meals to an old
crocodile, who, being more acute than
his brethren, did not wait in the lake
for his offerings, but came out on
dry land daily and proceeded towards
the village, where he was cordially
feceived, and thus with remarkable
disinterestedness, took the larger
part of the offerings for himself, leav
ing as little as possibe for his com
panions, who had not been as intelli
gent as he.
But let us hope that the days of
Satan and the crocodiles are at an
end their doom is being sealed. The
Blood of the Lamb is. daily offered
several time* the names of Jesus and
Mary are pronounced by the lips of
children, whom Jesus loved so much
on earth and whose innocent and sim
ple petitions He cannot but hear the
regenerating waters of baptism have
already opened the gates of Heaven
to little angels who will become the
intercessors for their race, and the
Cross stands majestically on high
over the river where crocodiles held
sway till now, seeming to say to all
who pass, as of old to Constantine,
"In Hoc signo vinces." Yes, with this
sign shall we conquer the old enemy
of mankind with this sign shall we
bring the light of life to these be
nighted people, who sleep in the
darkness and the shallow of death.
This shall be the sign which we shall
imprint on the forehead of the new
born babe, to cast the lustre of inno
cence around his infancy, to confirm
his youth, to sustain his manhood, to
console his old age and to accom
pany him with unshaken confidence
before the throne of God.
(Coatinued from page
3.)
WHAT A MOTHER'S MEMORY DID
FOR A BLACK MAN
think of my mother, my poor, dear
mammy, hunting for me, her lost boy,
her only boy, never to see me again
He stopped, overcome.
bid
fingers into my mouth, bending all my
joints, trying my eyes, my teeth, my
hearing.
"One man bid $150, but I was sold
at last for $225, and was delivered
over to this buyer. I was now a slave!
I did not dare resist, but went pas
sively wherever I was told.
"How lonely I was, living in the
silent country with three hundred
slaves, toiling from dawn to dark.
How I watched them, their strange
ways, their poor cabins, their wild
stories and their religion! How dif
ferent from Baltimore! And, oh, how
I pined for my poor mother! I never
saw her again!
Almost the first thing that happened
was a dispute about me.
"The family I was sold to Was half
Methodist and half Baptist, the father
holding to the Methodists and the i
mother to the Baptists.
"They argued hot and strong with
each other to possess me for their re
ligion. They quoted the Bible—lots of
it. The bigger children laughed, but
took neither side. But I was a bold
little darkey, and I waited for a lull
in the dispute, I waited my chance,
for my dear mother's words came
ringing into my head, and at last there
was a moment's quiet.
"I mostered up all my courage and
stood up in my bare feet and my little
shirt and pants, my hands in my
pocketholes, and called out: "The
Methodists and Baptists are both
nasty. I am a Roman Catholic, that's
what I am! It's God's only true re
ligion
"When I got through, and before
they got over their surprise I thought
I had better say it over again, because
it didn't sound loud enough the first
time, so I planted my feet firmly and
fairly yelled out my good mammy's
words. And, suh, I felt them dee
down in my heart, and I would hav
said them if those people killed me, as
indeed I thought they would! Not at
all, suh. First, they stared, and glared
at me, but I stared back. Then, two
of the big girls giggled, and then thW
children laughed, and after a while
the old folks laughed, and there was a
shout all around, and then they made
me tell them all I knew. I said my
prayers three times over during my
story. I told them how I was stolen,
and about my poor mother, and I
think my mistress was kind-hearted,
for she said: 'You poor little nigger,
no one shall touch you!' I never had
any real trouble after that day about
religion. The people were good enough
to me—but I had hard work, and I
often just hankered after my mother,
and never forgot my prayers. When
they wanted me to go to Camp Meet
ing I said 'No' so fierce that they let
me alone. You see, Father, it was my
mother's word! She had stamped them
on my heart, and although I knew not
one thing about Catholics I knew she
was right, and anything different was
wrong. So I stuck to my mother!
THE CATHOLIC BULLETIN, OCTOBER M, 1911.
When I was grown up took up with
a fine girl, but she was so savage a
Baptist that I quit her. I never saw
a Catholic, never heard of any in
r^ach. I have been a working man all
my life, and always poor. After the
war I was free and worked on a
lighter in a little cotton port, and got
chance of working my passage, to
Baltimore. My whole heart was set
on getting' to Baltimore and finding
my mother!
I got here a week ago, Father, and
I began to hunt for my mother, but"
(and here his voice broke and his big
chest heaved, he couldn't go on for
a few moments,) "everything„ is
changed. I couldn't find anything as
I remembered them in the docks, the
streets or the alleys. I found an old
aunty who remembered my name
when I told her and she took me by
the two hands and looked up into my
face while she cried: 'You!!? Jeffer
son Stewart! You? Yes, indeedy, I
members youh pooh mother, my
child, mother broke her heart and
died, when she couldn't find you! She
pined and pined, and when "the priest
came to her poor bed an gib her de
Blessed Saviour I was there, an' she
turned to me and says: 'Rachel, if
ever you meet my pooh boy on this
earth, tell him his mother watches
him day and night'—and then that
night she died! I don't' know where
they buried her, for it was war times
and such things was done in a hurry.'
"It was a hard blow, Father, a hard
blow! I could only bow my head and
take it—but then I thought I must get
to the church my mother loved and be
a good Catholic—for that's all I can
do to please her, and Father, I had a
lot of trouble finding this church, it
is much changed, but here I am, and
when I saw you out there in that box
I wanted to speak to you, and ask you
to help me be a good Catholic like my
mother, so that I. can see her some
day in heaven. Will yoa help me,
Father?"
Need I tell you my answer? My
heart went out to that child-hearted,
big, black man! I saw the grace of
God had come to him through that
poor old hard-working mother. Her
teachings, her influence had guarded
his life, and shaped his pathway to
me, and I gave him all I could of in
struction and assistance day after day
until I left him, a true, fervent, prac
tical Catholic! Where he is now I
know not, but I firmly believe that his
life is one that his mother in heaven
is not ashamed of.
The pathos in that negro's voice
would have put to shame the tender
est, deepest feeling expressed by
cultivated white man, and I too felt
my heart swell in sympathy, for
knew he was telling a true^ simple
fact. He went on:
"Soon everything was quiet, and
we, two, poor little darkies, put our
arms around each other and wept our
selves asleep. When it was daylight
we were taken on deck, given some
thing to eat and found ourselves
sweeping out to the ocean.
"We were taken to Charleston and Courtesy is the crowning grace of
there sold at auction to different culture, the badge of the perfect gen
planters. I remember my purchaser tleman, the fragrance of the flower of
before he
for me thrusting his womanhood
Oh, Christian mothers of the pres
ent generation, do you thus impress
piety and faith on your children?
Learn a lesson from this lowly
negro mother and her stalwart son.—
W. Alexander in The Missionary.
PRENDERGAST BROS.
PLUMBING, HEATING
AND TINNING
20 East Sixth Street
TIIOS. DAVIS SON&
HEATING and PLUMBING
(•N-
Both PhoBM 155 W«at Third St
A. T. I1ALL
DRUGGIST
Everything In the Drag Line
SODA WATER, CIGARS AID SUNDRIES
Fifth and St, Peter Sts,
John H. Hoffman
BUILDER
and General Contractor
188-190 FORBES AVENUB
Cor. W. Seventh. Street
Office Phone: Tri-St ate 3870
Residence Phone: Tri-State 4914
ST. PAUL. MINN.
Gasey Pure Milk Co.
CLARIFIED
A N
PASTEURIZED
Bottled Milk a Specialty
All our herds that we re»
ceive
omr
Milk from have
had the tuberculosis test.
Steamship Tickets
to and from Europe at
L0WESTJ8ATES
Fire Insurance
REAL ESTATE and LOANS
Geo. W. Stenger
23 East Sixth Street
CHARLES T. HELLER
Prescription Druggist
TWO STORES
484 486 WabuKt Street, Shubert Building-.
St. Peter and Tenth Streets# Willard Hotel
J. H. D0N6HUE
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
660 Gilfiilan Block, ST. PAUL, MINN.
P. J. SCHOLLERT
INCORPORATED
Painter and Decorator
FLNE PAPER-HANGINGS
BOTH PHONES 1285
494-496 ST. PETER STREET
Corner Exchange
ST.PAUL. MINNESOTA
Announcement
Dr. G. P. Foot e
THE
DENTIST
Has opened a branch office on Day
ton's Bluff over the Dayton's Blaff
State Bank, comer of E. 7th and
Reaney Sts.
Office Hours: 8:30 to 11:30
Down Town Office:
305
N«W!M
Bldg, East 5th and Minnmota
Office Hours: 12:30 to 430
F. A. MA RON
leal Estate and insurance
BROKER. NOTARY PUBLIC
Examiner of Abstracts. Wills sad other legal
documents carefully executed.
PROBATING OF ESTATES K SPECIALTY
518 New York Life Bldg. ST. PAUL, MINN.
THE
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
Cor, Fourth and flinnesota Streets
UNITED STATES DEPOSITORY
CRAWFORD LIVINGSTON
Capitalist
THOMAS A. MARLOW
President National Bank of Montana,
CAPITAL, $1,000,000 SURPLUS, $1,000,000
OPFICERS
E. H. BAILY, President W. A. MILLER, Vice President
E. N. SAUNDERS, Vice President
F. A. NIENHAUSER, Cashier O. M. NELSON, Assistant Cashier
I E O S
JAMES J. HILL, Great Northern Railway. Co.
HOWARD ELLIOTT. President Northern Pacific Railway.
D. C. SHEPARD, Capitalist.
H. E. THOMPSON, Capitalist.
E. N. SAUNDERS, Vice-P. (Pres. Northwestern FCfel Co.)
LOUIS W. HILL, President Great Northern Railway Co.
F. P. SHEPARD, Capitalist.
E. H. CUTLER, Noyes Bros. & Cutler, Wholesale Druggists
CHAS. W. AMES, West Publishing Company.
J. M. HANNAFORD
Vfc»President Northern Pacific Ry. C«.
GEORGE H. PRINCE
Vice-President
3%
BEN BAER,P»«.
CHAS. H. P. SMITH
BEN BAER
C. C. EMERSON
E. H. BAILEY, President.
THEO. A SCHULZE, Foot, Schulze fc Co., Wholesale Boots A Shoes
CHAS. W. GORDON, Gordon St Ferguson, Wholesale Furs, Hats,Ac.
W. A. MILLER, Vice-President.
HAYDN S. COLE, Vice-President Northwestern Trust Co.
WATSON P. DAVIDSON, Capitalist.
We solicit the accounts of banks, corporations, firms and individuals,
and give prompt and careful attention to all business entrusted to us.
The
Merchants National Bank
OF ST. PAUL, MINN.
UNITED STATES DEPOSITORY
CAPITAL $1.000,000.00 SURPLUS $800,000.00
KENNETH CLARK, President GEO. H. PRINCE, Vice-President
H. W. PARKER, Cashier H. VAN VLECK, Asst. Cashier
R. C. LILLY, Asst. Cashier
DIRECTORS:
KENNETH CLARK
President
W. B. PARSONS
Vice-President Western Elevator Co., Winona
Minn.
LOUIS W. HILL
President Great Northern Ry. Co.
AMBROSE GUITERMAN
GuitermanBros.,
Wholesale Men's Furnishings
Capital National Bank, §™S^nkBidg.
303 JACKSON ST.
JAMES H. SKINNER
Lanpher, Skinner & Co., Wholesale Hats*
Caps, Gloves, etc.
E. N. SAUNDERS
President Northwestern Fuel Co.
V. M. WATKINS
Trustee Wilder Estate
CHARLES P. NOYES
Noyes Bros. & Cutler, Wholesale Drugs
L. P. ORDWAY
General Manager Crane & Ordway Co. Ry.,
Mill and Plumbers Supplies
FRANK B. KELLOGG
Davis. Kellogg & Severance, Attorneys
CHARLES H. BIGELOW
President St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co.
Interest Paid on Time Deposits
JOHN R. MITCHELL, Pres. WM. B. GEERY, Vice-Pres. JAS. L. MITCHELL, Cashier
EDWARD H. MILLER, Ass't Cashier GEORGE M. BRACK, Ass't Cashier.
The Capital National Bank
IS THE BANK equipped to handle all classes of business.
Checking accounts of corporations, firms and individuals
solicited, and will receive every favor and courtesy con
sistent with conservative banking.
Oar Savings Department Pays interest at the rate of 3% per an
This department is equipped in every way to handle your
savings account. Separate Department for ladies
Northern Savings Bank
AMERICAN NATIONAL BANK BUILDING
Cor. Fifth and Cedar Streets
ST. PAUL, MINN.
We offer yon the facilities of this Institution for savinos accoonts
OFFICERS:
HAROLD THORSON, Vice-Pres.
TRUSTEES:
OTTO BREMBR
JAS H. WE»D
We Pay 3£% Interest On Deposits
LUTHER S. CUSHING
REALR ESTATE BROKER, MORTGAGE LOANS
FIRE INSURANCE
CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF PROPERTY
ENDICOTT-ROSSKT STRSCT BUILDING ST. PAUL. MINN.
HARRT H. FLETCHER WILLIAM M. STEPHENSON
FLETCHER & STEPHENSON
FIRE INSURANCE
Corner Fifth and Robert Streets
ST. PAUL
L. H. ICKLBR, CaaMer
HAROLD THORSON
C. J. PEEPLES
L. H. ICKLBR
Ut
rl/.V
ST. PAUL, MINN.