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All othar original copiaa ara fllmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa- sion. and ending on tha last paga with a printad or illuatratad imprasslon. Tha last racordad f rama on aach microf icha shall contain tha symbol — ^> -:\^i4 We, by the mercy of God and the favor of the Holjr Apostolic See, ArchSishop and Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Quebec. To alltt^ JSoektiasties, to ike Bdigimkt Oammunitiea o/bothaexen, and to all the FaUhful of the taid Province^ Greeting and Bene' diction m Our Lord. k\ Assembled in council for the fifth time, in this 'Metropolitan Church of Quebec, under the eye of Mary Immaculate, we all tc^eth^r address ;^oa, Our Dearly Beloved Brethren, tl^iat.this our address^mfi^ produce in your heartsramoro, profound and more salutary iippres* si^i. Posted as sentinels on the walls of the holy «ity, which is the Chitreh of JesusrChrist, we fr^qnentlyhear in ^ur inmost hearts this word of the prophet : if ihou dosi not tpeah to wtm the wicked mein from hiatffoy rthat wieiedmtm thttUdie in hii wi^pti^, but •/ wilt require hi», blood at ihy hmd. Bntif thou tell the wi^l>^ wan, that he may be converted from- hi»:wiittf9, andjte be -not converted from his toay : he shall die in hie wi^'Uy : but thou hast delivered thy eoul. (£zecbieI,,XXXIlI, 8.) Ye&, lire want, according to the exptessiou of the prophet, to deliver our souls from the terrible judgment to which we would be expos^, if we failed in a duty at once important and /.2c?7^7 3 / rigorous, the duty /o take heed to the whole flock, whei'ehi the Holy Ghost Jiath pkued rt» bishops t^Acts, ^X. 28.), and wo ooiae to declare unto you alt the counsel 6/ God {AetBf'XX. 27.) '-■ But before putting you on your guard against many disorders wliich we have to point out, we desire, O. D. B. B|., to speak to you on so v(iral subjects worthy of your attention. - ! ,V ^ ' | ; • i [\il\ \> >/ r /; \ 1^ I. DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEABTS OF JESUS AND OF MARY AND TO ST. JOSEPH. We lively rejoice, O. D. B. B., to'see that thig threefold devotion makes every day new progress in our inidst. •• As the Heart of Jesus has been the sanctuary and thiefirst spring of his love for men, it is proper and supremely judt that it snould receive a special worship. Accordingly lias it beetv, in all ages, the object of the love, of the adoration and of the confidence of the disci- ples of Jesus-Christ. It is the focus and symbol of that te.p4er, com- passionate and generous, love which has performed such great things in our behalf, /or scitrcefor a just nimi iHll one die .but the love of God for us has broken forth by the death of JesuS' Christ, who hath justified us by his blood, when we xoere His enemies.- (Rom. V. 7.) In that divine heart has been formed the design of onr salvation ; that heart is the tabernacle of the netv alliance "whiah. has reconciled ; the earth to heaven ; it is the altar of incense and of holocaust, where the eternal Pontiff has offered, and continues to offer, /or a savour of sweetness, the Sacrifice of His death ; and on which burns the fire of a charity which shall never be quenched ; it i* the . taitle of gold, on which Jesus-Christ has prepared the divine food of his body to fee(i our souls ; it is that Saviour's fountain, from which we are invited to come and draw with joy the blessings of salvation., (Isaiah, XII. 3.) Accordingly, the servant of God,, the venerable Margai*et Mary, speaking of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, said these words 1 \ \ '^ which we rebeftrto ycta witK ooiiAdeuoo': "I know hot of anydeVntioA " mdre fitted to nii£e up tl iiofil,iti a ebort time, to the highest siinctkv, " and to fill it with the true gWe«tnei>6 attached to the servioo of Qod : " Yes, I coufidently ae^ert that if U. were known how pleasing to Je8u»* " Ohrikt'iii tliis devotion, hot-'a christian but would htoten to practiee ''it. i^ersons consecrated to God find tUei«in un infallible means to preserve, to incretee, and to recover, their fervor, when they have blessings " kinigs. Ah ! liow easily he dies who has been constantly devout to "the Heart of his Supreme Judge!" . ''^^ ; The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Mary is a most natural conse- quence of the dbvotion totheSacredHeartof Jesus. We must not scpa- ratcj in our love, tjtese Hearts which the Divine Wisdom has so uitima> tely connected together. HoW happy Ave shall be to consider the won- derful bands of unipn formed between the Heart of the most perfect of sons and the Heart of the most perfect of mothers ! Undodbt6dly out j>oor intellect cannot peiietrate the abyss of their mutual love ; but our affection should, with complacency, conteiUplatowJidt may inflarafe it With' the holiest ardors. , . '•" ; Let us therefore go to the Heart of Jtsus through the Heart of Mary, and we shall find the mercv tliat forgives, the light that ilhimi- nates, the grace in fine withot-t. Avhich we are nothing, but with which we can do all thiti^s in^ Hififi '.V') stfengtkeneth ut (Pnilip. IV. 13). ; To excite in us this ^devotion to^ the Sacred Hearts of Jesu6 and Mary, we propose to you «B.a model- tlie Blessed. SAJascph; In effect, how can we oiiait peaking tp yon here-ot^him,' wlio was npptointed by God Himf«e4f th© most fa{(h/uLffiiarduiiy. and.ihe imst'tojeU^fiful prtt^i tect6¥ of thti lucfitnate Word ?: Gloryrnkd toefiUkskallhe in Im housed: and hMjitsiweremaitieikfor. «ae>'fl»ctej;er.(P8. CXI.:3.). Lejfc us there- fore, honor hilu w^idm Jesus lias vouchsafed to honor dUring life, to console at the hour'-'6f dealTi,'-rt'hd to croWh with glory, richer and ju^tic* during eternity. L^4i prot^tion of this Divine Heart. You will find, at the end ortnis pastord kttor, what we have decreed to this j>arpose. We confidently, trust that yon will haiiten to comply therewith, and that this holy and salutary devotion "shall produce every where fruits of benediction. ■'-"^ m A H. THE ACTUAL STATE OF ISE CHUBCB. ■ 'r-^^t .... ... ( .. -. ■»■.< We read, in the eighth chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, that the Apostles, secaog the t^pestttireatening tokigulph the boat on board of which they^were together with Jesus, awaked their Divine Master, sayioc to Him : Lottl,tvder8 sre despoiled ; virgins eonsecrated'to God are driven ^ni their peeeelMre^ci^ idisk ^e ahuvdMsaie Aot given o^ to the deepeilefi, the^ are deprived of the^VMMurplBS whieh' the vrnty of the f«dUi^l had eoBtribttt«d' towards Uie splendor of the divinb worship, Wnd die support of its ministferSi 3%« instltkitionstif charii^ itaVe 11(1^ eiMMped 1liefi>a{M^ |av«d«xs, who idal^end^Tdr to fill up, with the spoila efthc sanctuary, the abyss wliioh iniquity haw (lug heneath their feet. . . .^ a •»r;r..- ■< Let us thank divine Providence, O. D. B. fi., for having raised up, in our daya.and spared so long, the courageous PoQtilT who governs the Church. Humanly speaking, should notall appear for ever lost? On which side soever we turn our eyes, we see nought but causes of sadness and despondency. But the immortal Pius IX, confiding in the assistance promised to the Churchy does not cease to raise his voice againstaU iniquitiesand against allerrors. Without this fNithfulguardjan of justice and of right, without this fJEiithful defender of truth, without this impartial and intrepid judge of nations and individuals, no doubt that £urope would, to day, be plunged into darkness more profound than that which of old afflicted the land of Egypt, and the world would be the witness and the victim of social catastrophes the moet appalling. Let us earnestly beseech Qod to lengthen tne days of our Pontiff, that, with his own eyes, he may see the triumph of the great and holy cause for which he has so vigorously fought. . Let us remember that religion alone is the 8afe-&;uard of society ; that, without religion; notliing is decure, nothing is durable. Let us learn a fearful lesson from the evil, which have befallen such countries a^ have cut themselves off from truth, from justice, from order, from authority. On this depends our happiness here and herea^er. ,;i rttit ■ . ■■,■■■ ' . --u t smU knC III. SiKfii :,' 4v •• THE COUNCIL OF THE VATICAN. . .' ■ / .....,■,.; . 'A The celebration of an oecumenical council is always an event of the highest importance. The Bishops pf the entire, world, assemble^ together with their visible head, judidally represent the whoi:le church,; they can more easily apply a remedy to the evils which afflict hei;, because they are more intimately acquainted with the nature tlurvot*. Nothing can better show.forth the admirable perpetuity of the uutlntr lie faith uid the perfect unity, of it^ idoctrine an4 of its hierarchy, uo;^ ** e ^vlth8tiUllling the diversity uf place, of clime, of tongue, of customs uiiil ot'tiuie. Therefore, when not otherwise pi evented, the supreme Pontiftis, U) whom uloue it belong:! to uouvoke, and preside over, Uiose augutit uHscrablies, did not fail to call together the bishops of the whole world. Pius IX, in spite of obstacles apparently insurmountable, han convoked a general council which met, on the eighth of December, 1869, at the tomb of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, in the Vatican Basilica, the largest and richest temple in the world. To the monstrous errors which are the most destructive to Focietv, the Holy Council has opposed the light of revealed doctiine, contumed in Scripture and in Tradition. Rash men, puffed up with the pride of empty science, dared to affirm that, anart from matter, nothing exists, that there is but one and the same suDstance or essence of Ood and of things finite ; that created things are but an emanation of the divinti substance ; that God is a Being Universal and Undefin- ed. The Ch roll, through the Holy Council, has branded these jvberrations of pantheism and materialism, by upholding the doctrine of one God, the independent Creator of all thingci visible and invisi- ble ; a Being distinct from created matter which He drew forth from nothing ; a Being eternal, intelligent, immense, incomprehensible, infinite in every perfection, and who governs the universe by His almighty and merciful Providence. Others, disrejjarding the powers of reason, taught that God can- not be known, with certainty, by the natural light of human reason, through created things. The Holy Council has anathematized those who deny man this noble privilege. Certain philosophers, f&lling into the opposite extreme, would have fain discarded revelation, proclaiming the independence of human reason, rejecting divine faith, denying the existence of mira- cles, or At least the possibility of discerning their divine origin, garbling the Holy Scriptures, or explaining the word of God accpr-- vith the Apostle, keeping in memory thai we have not ceased, with tears to admonish every one of you. And now we commend you to God and to the word of His grace, who is able to build up the edifice of your sanctification, and to give you an inheri- tance among all the sanctified. (Acts XX, 28-33 ) Let us give our full adhesion to the decrees of the Vatican Council, let us keep ourselves closely attached to the Apostolic See, to the supreme Pontiff, heir to the prerogatives of the Apostle Peter ; by that mean?, Ave shall remain firm and immoveable in the true faith. There alone is found the infallible authority legitimately instituted by Jesus-Christ to direct men in the way of truth. Jesus-Clirist having given to His Church and to those whom He appointed to govern her all power in things relating to salvation, it would be an error to imagine that the decisions and definitions of the Supreme Pontiffs and of the Councils require the consent of the civil authorities to bind the faithful. It would likewise be an error to believe that the promulgation of such decisions and definitions by a bishop in his diocese be necessary to bind the faithful entrusted to his care. As soon as it is certainly knoAvn that they have been decreed by competent authority, and jn'omulgated at Home according to the holy canons, every catholic is bound to submit to them with mind and heart. Therefore, 0. D. B. B., if we this day briefly lay before you the principal decisions of the Holy Council of the Vatican, it is, above all, tp protest of our respect and submission to those oracles of the Holy Oliost, arid to engage you ever to consider them as luminaries intend- ed to direct your course. MM INFALLIBILITY OF THE SOVEKEIGN PONTIFF. We deem it useful to devote a special article to one of the various points defined by the Council of the Vatican : we mean the infallibi- lity of the Sovereign Pontiif. " It is a dogma divinely revealed, say the Fathers of the Council, " that the Eoman Pontift', when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when " in discharge of the office of Pastor and Doctor of all Christiann, by *' virtue of his supreme Ajtcstolic authority, he defines a doctrine re- *' garding faith or morals to be held by the Universal Church, by the " divine assistance promised to him in Blessed Peter, is possessed of " that infallibilitv with which the Divine Redeemer willed that His " Church should be endowed for defining doctrine regarding faith or "morals: and that therefore such definitions of the Roman Pontiif " are irreformable of themselves, and not from the consent of tlie " Church." That this dogmatical definition may be well understood, it is to be observed : . 1° The cause of this infallibilitS' is the assistance of the Holy Ghost, promised in Blessed Peter, to whom Jesus-Christ has said : Thou art Feier ; atifl upon this rock I will build iinj Church, and ijio fjate^ of hell shall never prevail arjaimt it ; and I will yive (jive to thee the kei/s of the kinydoiii of heapen^ and whafsoe. er thou^halt bind upon . earth, it shall be bound also in heaven : and whatsoever thou shall loose upon eurth, it sluill be loosed also in heaven. (Mat. XVI. 18...) Simon, Simon, behold /!^itan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat, but' I have praifed for thee that thy faith fail not ; and thou being once converted^ confirm thy brethren. (Luke XXII. 31.). A Church which was-to last u^til the consummation of ages, Jasus could not foiuid on a» man whose life wa.s imturally limited; ever sliall there be in the Church, souls whose faith will need to be enlightened and strenghtenetl ; the // .^ rf" I 12 f)romise of Jesus-Christ cannot therefore be confined to Blessed Peter, )ut must extend to his successors until the end of ages. This privilege is a gift from God granted, not in favor of him who receives it, but in favor of the souls redeemed by the blood of Jesus-Christ. It is a gift from God, and the existence thereof cannot be disputed under the plea that man is subject to error, to ignorance, to passions, to prejudices ; for the grace of God is more powerful than all human weakness, and to deny the infallibility of the Koman PontiflF would be te shake the very inspiration of the Holy Scriptures themselves ; for infallibility is less than inspiration, and if the former be regarded as impossible and absurd, tlie inspiration of the authors who wrote the Sacred Books must be strictlv denied. 2° It is to be observed, secondly, that the object of this privilege is all doctrine regarding/ faith or morals ; which means, O. I). B. B., that Our Lord, infinitely wise and merciful, has vouchsafed to give us, in the Roman Pontiff", a guide whose voice can never lead the Holy Church astray, in all that regards the faith of her children, or the conduct they should follow to reach heaven. 6^06? hath delivered the irorld to the consideration of men (Eccle. III. 11.) ; in sciences, in arts, in the thousand various affairs which occupy the human mind, men are frequently deceived, but because their error does not jeopardize their eternity, God leaves to time and to the patient research of the human reason, the care to redress that which deviates from the truth : but the moment an error might endanger the supernatural truth of faith or the sacred laws of morality. He has vouchsafed to all men a -afeguard at once all-powerful and infallible. ? 3° Observe, thirdly, O. D. B. B., the manner in which this privilege is practised. The Pope is not infallible in all things, but only in that which regards /a?7A or morals: and even then he is infollible only when he speaks as " Pastor and Doctor of all christians, and defines, hy virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, a doctrine rcffarding. faith or morals to be held by the Universal Church. .. „; ;., • . ' , ' . • Such is, O. D. B. B,, the great privilege of infallibility which we tind attributed by Holy Scriptures and tradition to the Roman Pontiff". \ W&^uMnas^ss^iiiMt^i mumm MM 18 Ever and every where, this privilege has been acknowledged^ and, when solemnly defining it, the holy Council of the Vatican has but reechoed the constant and universal teaching of the Church. The authority, doctrinal as well as disciplinary, of the Roman Pontiflf has always been exercised without any serious contestation. From East to West, men have applied to his tribunal for a final decision in litigated questions regarding faith, morals and discipline. The Holy Fathers, when speaking of the Pope, use words which convey the meaning of this prerogative. They style him the Head of the Universal Church, Pastor of pastors, Vicar of Jesus- Christ, the (jonfimier of the faith of christians, support of the Church, pillar of the faith, unshaken, foundation of the Christian Church, Supreme Judge of controversies. Priest of God, to whom all must obey, under pain of falling into schism and heresy. And again, they say : the Church of Rome, governed by the Pope, -is the ark of Noah out of which there is no salvation, because she is heiress to the solidity which Peter held from Christ. This whole doctrine is summed up in one celebrated word : Peter speaks through his successors : in his successors also he is the unsha- ken foundation of the Church of Jesus-Christ, he his the infallible confirmer of his brethren, the universal pastor, the perpetual doctor of the children of the Church, the guide enlightened by the Holy Ghost, whose voice cannot lead us astray. Eternal thanks ba therefore rendered to God, Who has vouchsafed to grant us perfect security in the way of salvation. Let U3,0. D. B. B., show ourselves worthy of this blessing, by listening, with docility and respect, to the teaching.^ of our infallible pastor and doctor. V. /A V EDUCATION. After having discoursed with you on these grave subjects which concern the Church in general, we must speak to you on various sub- jects which regard more especially this our province. / ■IP M . ■ The educationi of! youtU is a sul^fict so impontoot that w», cactnot omit meatioDing it to you. yQU are not ignorant, 0.,!p. 3< ^m o^ th^ gceat infli^euce Gd;^c^i- tionliae upon the souls and l^earts oi'ch|Idr«% !^ is the tpi^idatVPi^ upoa wliich the edifice of the whole life niu^t be builii. It is op. i^ good or bad directiou that depends the future Qf indivlduaiii, of &miUi», of society and of religion, Tlie responsibility o^ parents is therefor^ very great before God and men ; on this tfeeij temporal aijji etei;nal happiness essentially depend. Obligation of good example, which is the first and most profitable of all lessons. Obligation to clioose good school-masters or school-mistresses, who, while continuing the work begun, in thefiimily, by the salutary example of virtuous parents, shall complete it by the blessings of an instruction appropriate to the means and position of every one. Obligation, consequently, for catholic parents to confide their chil- dren but to catholic institutions, where tlie faith and morals of their tender offspring may be safe-guarded by religion. And do observe, O. D. B. B., that you must avoid, with equal care, the schools openly adverse to religion and those where no mention is made of the same ; for the latter system leads directly to indifference, which is one of the most fatal snares ever laid by hell, in our age, to damn souls. This is the system against which our Catholic brethren of New-Brunswick j^ave so strongly protested ; a godless system which their fellow subjects wish to impose upon them : let us help them, O. D. B. B., by our prayer? and by the influence we may be able to bring to bear, that the rights of religion, the rights of paternity and the rights of true liberty of conscience, may be respected. And we shall profit by this occasion to say a word of a great catholic institution, which is the glory of the city of Quebec. We have seen with ^rief the Laval University e^tposed to most grave ac- cusatioue.m jjpintof do^Jtrine. JBy reqyj^t ojttl^j? diwjctcwB gft^j^is institution, we haye (km^pdpd of tasm ^;^phnaflop§, oft m^ J^flftJl- tant and fundamental points of catholic teaching, and it is our joy here \ mmtntim u |)cA)lioly tode«kii% l^at iiheir afiiswdre have appeared to us altogether Midsfliotory.wlitli ^espeet to orUiodoxy «nd to tUehr Axed detorminataoin to submit, in «n tifiii^ to the decieionB of ^le Holy 8ee. Wkliottt refemog to ^epwit, we ordain tfaat^ in future, any one having coiraoi- entious groondgmboMptaintagainst this ca&eHcIn8titutioD,orany other, shall not appeal to the inoompetent tribunal of public opinion, throngh puldic prints, but iio those whom the holy laws of the catholic hieitnv chy have appointed the judges and guardians of faith. We are not, we catholics, so strong that we may, without danger, render our sepa- rated hrethren the witnesses of our intestine divisions ; and besides charity, whiteh must Unite together the members of the great catholic family, prescribes rules Which we cannot violate without offending God. VI. ELECTIONS. Already, O. D. B. B., by the decrees of the preeeeding Councils, and in many circJillar and pastoral letters, we have warned you against the numerous disorders too frequently occasioned by the elections. We here say, with profound grief, that this terrible evil, far from abating, seems, ^on the contrary, to be on the increase. The men called to govern the state are not less concerned than your pastors : they have enacted new laws to check these disorders, which threaten to shake civil society to its very foundations ; we come, in our tiirn; to propo^ to yoiu, nottiew laws, visldom-ha8 established as theess^dal bases of all societies ; rules so ti^satccj thlit, without them, civil society can have neither peace nor tmiOHriiy, as the perpetual a^t^ti^is, to wnioh certain nations in lEuropc «f e 'sL pirey, abuiwlalitly jwove. Gud,is ifae^Lio^ of nat^ns as well as of indiyidualB : fie t^tll judge all with iAifteatible justice. God is the Lord of those who govern, as well as of those who are goVembd : and He «ha11 «dil to a Htrictaccouht the public ami private} conduet'ofall. WM 'I IC God is the Lord of the candidate and of the electors : and He Bhall put the one and the others on their trial. Why do not the candidates pledge themselves mutually to give neither money nor liqtiors, to gain their election ? Priyate interest is, on this head, in perfect harmony with the civil and also the divine laws, to commend thiS' means of stopping many disordere. Among the electors, there are enough of honest men to force the candidates to follow this line of conduct. That a candidate may escape the divine vengeance, sound princi- ples and good intentions are not sufficient ; he must also necessarily employ unexceptionable means to secure his election. Violence is an outrage upon the liberty of his fellow subject ; calumny and detraction are reproved by morality ; coiruption dishonors him who sells his vote, as well as him who buys it ; intemperance degrades man even to the level of the brute ; perjury is, under all circumstances, a heinous crime. Alas ! O. D. B. B., is it not true that, in election times, men believe they are allowed to say and to do any thing, to secure the end they have in view ! Wo to that man by whom the scandal cometh, says Jesus-Christ (Mat. XVIII. 7.) If the Lord holds in abomination the least scandal, what must we think of him who, to secure his election, spreads scandal from one end of a county to the other, by intemperance, calumny or detraction, violence, corruption and perjury ? We hesitate not to say, O. D. B. B., that they are the most guilty who lead their fellow-men into temptation. They are guilty who sell their vote, but far greater criminals are they who buy it. They are guilty who get drunk ; but are they not greater criminals who supply the intoxica- ting liquors ? Perjurers offer a terrible insult to the divine Majesty ; what must we think of the instigators to perjury ? W^o to him who, for a piece of silver, or something viler still, sells his conscience, and dares, in the face of heaven and earth, to swear against truth, and outrage religion, > > ^ \.:%, mmm 17 Several instances, which are recorded in the history of imtiunn, show us what God thinks of perjury. In 1845, a man, indicted for robbery, swore that he was not guilty : A few days later, he fell dead, struck by lightninff, in the midst of his children who were spared. Elsewhere, a man IS struck dead on the market place, whilst, to sell his goods dearer, he swears falsely. In England, a woman swore she had paid for what she had bought ; .she fell dead instantly, and, during the inquest, the magistrates found in her hand the small piece of money for which she took the false oath. A monument has been erected, on the spot, to perpetuate the memory of the crime and of its exemplary punishment. These temporal chastisements, however fearful they miy b3, are yet nothing compared to the eternal and horrid torments, which the divine justice reserves in hell for impenitent perjurers, and such as induce their fellow-men to perpetrate this enormity. Keligion and public weal, with one accord, demand that the can- didates, who seek the su£Prages of their fellow-citizens, strictly bind themselves to respect the divine and human laws. Their conscience and their honor, as well as the future of religion and country, are at stake. In vain do we exhort the electors to avoid all disorders, if they be led into temptation by the very men who aspire to the formidable charge of enacting laws, for the good of society. Give car, says the Wise Man (Chap. WI.), you that rule the people, consider that power is given you by the Lord, and strength by the Most-High, who will exu' mine your works, and search out your thoughts ; because, being minis' ters of His Kingdom, you have not judged rightly, nor kept the law of justice, nor walked according to the will of Cfod. Therefore horribly and speedily will He appear to you : for a most severe judgment shall be for them (hat bear rule. In vain shall our legislators enact laws concerning elections, if they be the first to violate them. We therefore call upon all good men to labor all together to stop an evil, which threatens to cast our dear and common country into a / .if!f 18 bottomless abyss, and to tlamn, for a whole eternity, a multitude ol Bouls redeemed by the pr^ciovis blood of our Divine Saviour. The nurpiber of thpsQ who s^ccr^ly wish to secyjre the hapjpiness of our country and the respect of the holy laws of religion, is still large enough to force nil candidates absolutely to respect the divine and human laws, in the means they should talce to gain their elections. ^1 VII. EMlfiKATION, LUXURY, INTEMPEKANCE. The other evil, which afflipts our country, is the emigration of its children. Who can tell the dangers to which they expose themselves, who go away from the paternal roof. To repeat the heart-rend'ng accounts given by some who return would be long and woful. How many hearts, formed with care by religious parents, have by degrees become cold iu the foreign atmosphere. How many catholics have become the victims of religious indiiference, when they have not fallen into the still more frightful abyss of heresy and formal apostacy ! How many Canadian families, who have emigrated, no longer even think of having their children baptized ; deprived of regenerating grace, those children grow, live and die, the slaves of the devil ! tJndoubtedly, O. D. B. B., we do not assert that all who emigrate become a prey to these dreadful evils ; but since the danger is so imminent) and its consequences so terrible, should not prudence induce you to avoid it at the price of every sacrifice. If we neglected to raise our voice to point it out to you, would we not justly merit a reproach from you ? Fathers and mothers, so deeply and so sincerely attached to your religion, will you then allow your beloved children to leave for ti strange land, where their faith, their morals, their health, their life even is exposed to a multitude of dangers ! And when the Lord, on the day of judgment, shall demand of each one a rigorous account of his works, what shall you answer if, through your fault, your children and your children's children become the victims of heresy, of impiety, of religious indifference. A X mmmmma We know, O. D. B. B., that what entices so many to a strange laud is the hope to become rich, to enjoy more comforts, ahd tb undure less hardship. In the first place, were this consideration certain, it ought not to prevail over your eternal interests ; for, says Jesus-Christ, Wnat doth it profit a man to gain the whole world, if he lose hia own «oul f (Matt. X Yl. 26 ) In the second place, this hope is not auflSciently well founded to exonerate you from imprudence, or rather from blindness, in so important a concern for we fear not to appeal to experience, and to assert that, for a few families who pros- per, there are hundreds and thousands who are more wretched^ than if they had remained in their native land ; wretched in a temporal point of vieW; since they suffer want in the midst of strangers who, after having taken advantage of them, regard them with cold indifie*. rence ; wreitched especially in the eye of faith, for too frequently , they are deprived of the consolations of religion, and exposed to become the victims of heresy, or cf an indifference more deadly still. If our Canadian families sincerely and efficaciously wish, they can, without the least danger, easily find here What they go and seek, in an exile both laborious and dangerous. It is since an unbounded luxury has overrun our country parishes, that this emigration has attained such alarming proportions. !^xcessi>^e debts are contracted to procure extravagants toilets, furniture toocoS|tly for the means at disposal, to entertain friends, to^ appear in public Avith magaificeftt equipage ; in a word, ...' :> • .^IT !•, - ! ■'■ .^•■»rrt»-.' Jh;— i t/ :^ ■ ■•'^ k-'i* i) :Hi:t}t;V" ', '':-!iii C.-A. Coi,let, Priest., • • ' Secretary of the Arch idioeese. t'" (■ ' . i . .1 . (