plicity and beauty. It is made up of art which well repay the attention of several kinds of stone and decorated the traveller. with ornamental work, which becomes A host of memories clusters in and finer and more delicate approaching the about the Cathedral of Notre Dame. summit. Charles V said it should be On the spot where it now stands many preserved under glass; while the first a time knelt Godfrey of Bouillon and Napoleon, with the same appreciation of asked God to help him in his heroic its beauty, and regretful no doubt that purposes. We can well conceive that, he could not carry it off to France, kneeling before its altars and in the compared it to Mechlin lace. When shadows of its many arches, the painter one beholds it tapering up arch above Rubens followed the Sacrifice of the arch, not in solid masonry, but pierced Mass and pictured in his mind the with innumerable openings through awful reality it commemorates till, in which the clear blue sky is seen through the ardor and intensity of his soul, he the Gothic net-work of its minarets and went "forth to reproduce upon the spandrils, the most enthusiastic words canvas the closing scenes of man's reof praise do not seem extravagant. demption. There, too, at the foot of the The top of this tower is reached by a altar, the Bollandists sought that light stairway of over six hundred steps, and, and inspiration which shines out upon the eminence once gained, the beholder the pages of their writings, and which commands an extensive survey of the has given to the world that great monusurrounding country. Within the ment of literature, the Acta Sanctorum. tower there is a chime of ninety-nine Opposite the cathedral, in the square, bells controlled by a finger-board, stands the railing designed by Quintin which, under the touch of the skilful Matsys, the blacksmith and painter of master, sends a sweet harmony out Antwerp. upon the air. An ingenious mechan- The Cathedral of Antwerp has passism similar to that of cylinder organs ed through many vicissitudes. moves the hammer that strikes the and religious wars, invasions and revbells, and so a hymn or popular air olutions have surged around it, at times announces the hour and the divisions of destroying many of its treasures and the hour. threatening it, with total destruction. The interior of the cathedral was Beneath the shadow of its cross to-day once profusely embellished with rich all is not peace. Belgium is Catholic ornaments and precious treasures, but at heart, but the movements warring the wars and the last revolution de- all through Europe against the Church spoiled it of many of these. Three of God have not spared her people. great masterpieces of Rubens remain, There is a pestilent so-called Liberal however, to attract the lovers of art party in Belgium, only awaiting the -the Descent from the Cross, the opportunity to sack and destroy Raising of the Cross, and the Assump-churches and cathedrals, as did their tion of the Blessed Virgin. There are barbaric compeers centuries ago. But also some quaint carvings of Verbrug- let us trust that from this majestic pile gen's, and some later productions in this devoted to our Lady, there goes forth

Civil

an influence of strength and inspiration place to gird up the soul to meet which enters the hearts of the children the emergencies of the hour than in of the Church, and nerves them to face a glorious old cathedral, full of the unflinchingly the assaults of their ene- ennobling traditions of the past, breath

mies. No better rampart against the ing holy inspiration and hope for the advancing columns of unbelief than the future.

House of Prayer. No more fitting

ALFRED YOUNG.

WASHING UP AND WASHING DOWN.

Thus to a king, one day, who all the time was grumbling

His subjects would not mend (himself meanwhile not humbling),
Said his chief counsellor and fool, when asked by him,
What made him look to-day so gloomy and so grim-
Said he The cause is this: I bade the maid who washes,
Scrub down the palace steps with water and with ashes.

The stupid jade, instead of doing as I told her,

Washed up the steps, not down, for which I had to scold her;
For on the lower step, her senses might have taught her,
Would run from those above a flood of dirty water.

And so I said to her, Your labor is in vain :

You have to mop each step over and o'er again!
I said it several times (my words were vain as air),
Beginning from below you'll never clean one stair.
I say again, If thou wouldst make the steps all shine,
Scour downward from the top. O King, begin with thine!

THE NOBLE NATURE.

It is not growing like a tree

In bulk doth make Man better be;

Or standing long an oak, three hundred year,
To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere:
A lily of a day

Is fairer far in May,

Although it fall and die that night—
It was the plant and flower of Light.
In small proportions we just beauties see;
And in short measures life may perfect be.

BEN JONSON.

AMERICAN SAINTS.

The canonized saints or beatified servants 8. Blessed Peter de Zuniga, of the of God who lived or labored in America, Order of St. Augustine, Mexican; martyred in Japan, Aug. 17, 1622.

2. Saint Louis Bertrand, of the Order of St. Dominic; born at Valen- 12 and 13. Blessed Bartholomew cia, in Spain, January 1, 1526. He Gutierrez and Blessed Francis of Jesus, labored for several years in New of the Order of St. Francis; martyred Granada and Venezuela. Sept. 3, 1432. The former a Mexican, the second a missionary in Mexico. Beatified in 1867.

1

THE FOOL OF LABOUDIE.

a useful

Some people are all hand, and some scarcely any heart. It is the union of all heart. The first do, and the others hand and heart, with a head to guide feel. The one is always at work- both, which makes a man laboring, creating, producing; the member of society. other spends his life in deploring the Ernest Delavigne was the oldest miseries of humanity, its sufferings, its child of a widow. His father had been wrongs; but there he stops. The a superior farmer of considerable propsame in private life: a man of hand sup- erty, and had died, leaving the land ports his family, gives them good beef to his wife and son. But Ernest, though and mutton, dresses them well, and fond of the country, aspired to be someproves that he loves them by making thing better than the peasantry around them happy; the man of heart feels him. He lived in a locality where intensely if they are sick, has tears for ignorance prevailed over knowledge, the slightest ill that happens, deplores where bad roads and impenetrable bogs their want of luxuries and necessaries, retarded the progress of civilization, sits by his chimney-corner and talks, and where the people were in that but does nothing; proving, after all, happy state of ignorance which prethat he loves but himself. He is the vailed over most parts of Europe some most amiable man in the world, a gene- two hundred years ago; where agriculral favorite in society, and, outwardly, ture caused twice the labor and gave an affectionate father and husband; half the returns which it afforded to but his children are half-starved, and the more enlightened, and where few his wife goes about in an old gown, but the clergy ever yet attempted to which the man of hand's wife would penetrate the crust of barbarism which give away to some beggar, to whom it generally prevailed. Ernest had been would be useful and welcome. Not educated at a town-school, and, when that we object to heart-far from it. a young man, completed his education A man cannot have too much feeling at a provincial college. Though acif he allies with it the head to conceive quiring all the general knowledge which and the hand to execute. A man was conveyed by the professors, he dewholly without heart is a monster; voted himself particularly to chemisand the great defect of Napoleon's try, as applied to agriculture, and to character was, that, with a mighty the formation of new aratorial instruhead and stupendous hand, he had ments. He returned home at twenty

one, full of magnificent projects. He good society, that the intervals of time would effect a revolution in the land, between his studies might be well spent. he would open a course of lectures, he Ernest accepted gladly, and at once would teach them the advantage of the began the study of his new profession. new instruments of draining, of ma- It suited his character, his feeling for nuring; and, above all, he would effect a suffering humanity, to be the healer of complete alteration in the dwellings- the sick; and the prospect of associatclose, dirty, unwholesome, and comfort- ing as a student with the upper classes

less now. Admirable and praiseworthy notion was that of Ernest Delavigne. We shall see how he carried it

out.

Ernest had, as he thought, a very plain way before him. He set up as a lecturer, with the honest design of instructing his less intelligent neighbors. Unfortunately, however, nobody went to his lecures, and all his solicitations met with a polite but peremptory rebuff. The people, in fact, liked their own way best, and would believe nothing to the contrary on mere hearsay.

He was generally spoken of as a fool for his pretensions-the "Fool of Laboudie."

of society was pleasant and agreeable. He went to public lectures, he read hard, and in the evenings he visited one or two salons, which were freely opened to him on the recommendation of M. Benoit.

He found this way of passing his time vastly agreeable. He liked the conversation of ladies, for they, as he abstained from politics, sympathized with his views, approved of his humanitarian principles, and proved always an attentive audience. One evening he was speaking of his old and favorite topic-the introduction of agricultural improvements into the country, when a young girl joined in the debate.

The manner in which Ernest was "O, monsieur," she cried warmly, treated at length induced him to abandon "I am happy to meet with some one all attempts at reformation, and he betook of my way of thinking. I lived in a himself to Paris, a somewhat wiser man. country district which is very much beExperience had cooled his ardor for im-hind the age, and I am deeply anxious proving mankind. Arrived in Paris, to see these improvements adopted. " he took up his lodging in the Quartier Ernest was delighted, and after a Latin, and went to see M. Benoit, a few minutes he addressed his whole connotary in high repute with the old ar-versation to Mademoiselle Louise de istocracy, who confided to him the Redonte. He found her, to his astonmanagement of their pecuniary affairs, ishment, learned in all farming details, with a confidence and security which though a year younger than himself; spoke volumes for his honesty and hon- aware of more improvements in maorable character. He received M. chinery than he had ever known of, Ernest kindly, listened to what he had and deeply conversant with all that to say patiently, and then gave him was necessary to the comfort and welladvice. He approved of his selecting being of both men and animals employmedicine as a profession, and promised, ed in agriculture. Before the end of if it pleased him, to introduce him into the evening Ernest was in love. A