DR.

THE COLUMBIAN READING UNION.

R. CHARLES G. HERBERMANN, editor-in-chief of the new Catholic Encyclopedia, has received from many prominent ecclesiastics warm letters of commendation for the work. Cardinal Gibbons writes as follows:

I have heard with great pleasure the proposal to publish a Catholic encyclopedia. The need of such a work has long been recognized. For Englishspeaking Catholics especially it is necessary to have the concise and authentic statements regarding the Church which the encyclopedia will give. And I am convinced that non-Catholics also will welcome a publication in which the doctrine, practice, and history of the Church are clearly set forth. The character and ability of the scholars who have undertaken this work guarantee its success. I shall look forward to the appearance of the first volume, and meantime I shall gladly commend the Catholic Encyclopedia to our clergy and people.

From his Grace Archbishop Farley Dr. Herbermann has received the following letter:

Your arrangements for publishing the Catholic Encyclopedia fulfil a desire which I have cherished for over twenty years. The work is planned on the broadest possibie lines. With a board of editors and numerous contributors thoroughly representative of the best scholarship in every part of the world, the encyclopedia will be eminently Catholic in scope and spirit.

It augurs well for the interests of religion in English-speaking countries that we are to have a work which will be an end to much useless and oftentimes painful controversy, and be a source of valuable information for all serious readers, non-Catholic as well as Catholic.

You are fortunate in having a business organization in which the public can have entire confidence. You may rely upon me always for whatever assistance I can give in this enterprise.

While wishing you and the editors associated with you godspeed in the work, I think I can predict that you will meet with so much encouragement and co-operation on every side that your success is already assured.

Outside the domain of faith and morals, there are many questions open for discussion among Catholics. Certain historical events may be distorted by the personal bias of the writer, or by racial antipathies. On both sides of controverted points Catholics have been known to exaggerate and misrepresent other Catholics of good standing and most loyal to the faith.

To illustrate the Catholic idea as to how history should be written and taught, Bishop O'Dwyer, of Limerick, re-told this story in the course of his evidence before the Royal Commission on University Education in Ireland:

As to history I might give the Commission a story that goes the rounds; whether it is true or not, it expresses our view on the matter. It is said that the very learned Father Pastor, who was writing a history of the Popes,

obtained access to the secret archives of the Vatican for the purpose of studying unpublished papers, and he asked Pope Leo XIII. as to how he should deal with certain inconvenient incidents in some of these documents. The Pope said: Simply tell the truth; write the history; tell the truth. I verily believe that there are some Catholic men now who, if they were writing the Gospels, would leave out the denial of St. Peter in the interests of the Papacy. Well, for my part, Bishop O'Dwyer continued, and speaking for my brother bishops, if we had a professor of history we should never dream of asking him to falsify his own judgment, to suppress the facts of history; we would ask him to teach his history truthfully and honestly as he found it.

If history were taught and written everywhere and always in this Catholic spirit, there would be a great deal less bitter controversy and bigotry in relation at least to the historical aspect of religion.

The trustees of Adelphi College, Brooklyn, N. Y., have considered the objections presented against Professor Emerton's History of Medieval Europe, and rightly decided to reject it as an unreliable text-book. Out of five hundred and ninety-two pages, a Catholic critic found sixteen glaring errors within three pages-542, 543, 544, of which this is a specimen:

At the age of puberty he (the child) was received into the full membership of the Christian community of potential sinners by the act of Confirmation, whereby his sinlessness for the moment was established.-Emerton, page 544.

The recent death of General Lew Wallace, at Crawfordsville, Ind., has given opportunity for discussion of his career as an author. His books, The Boyhood of Christ and The Prince of India, were properly censured for many doctrinal and historical errors. His best known book, Ben Hur, is a fine specimen of narrative writing, though containing allusions to the divinity of Christ not approved by orthodox teaching. A story often told, which was never denied by Wallace, was that he had a conversation with Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll one day on a train, and during the talk Ingersoll advised him to do some thinking on the question of religious belief. Ben Hur was the result. It is stated that General Wallace wrote only by laborious study and painstaking toil. He was his own best critic, and scrutinized every line before he let it appear in his final copy. His habit was to write the rough draft of his ideas on a slate, so that erasures could be made easily, then to transfer the writing with a soft pencil to paper, and finally, when all was to his satisfaction, to copy the book in ink with the precision of a clerk. When Ben Hur was sent to Harper's it was beautifully executed in purple ink, every line of exact length, every page of writing almost identical in the number of words with an ordinary printed page. This was the book that the publishing house hesitated for a time about accepting, fearing that it might not prove a financial success. It is said that Ben Hur has been translated into every impor. tant tongue in the world.

The General had a fine home in Crawfordsville, Ind., an old fashioned rambling house with acres of ground. His library was in a beautiful stone building in the rear. In the library hangs a portrait in oil of the Sultan Abdul Hamid, painted by the General. It was produced from secret sketches

made by Wallace while Minister to Turkey, though the Mohammedans regard such a thing as a sacrilege.

Thousands of Indiana people made annual pilgrimages to Crawfordsville. Whenever possible General Wallace shook hands with every one. In 1852 he married Susan Elston, of a well-known Hoosier family of pioneers.

Miss Josephine Lewis, a devoted worker for the Columbian Reading Union in past years, was invited by the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences to give an account of her recent trip to Mexico, which is here condensed:

The first impression in landing at Vera Cruz is of the wonderful atmospheric brilliancy, color and light drown everything else. The turquoise sky, the blue and green water, the glowing flowers, light-toned buildings, all give a curious feeling of a sudden transposition from a low-toned harmony to one in the upper keys. There, to one who paints the natives with dark skins and white or colored loose garments, are models that one wants at once to put into a picture. Our men in black clothes are contrasted with black men in white clothes. And those animated bronze beings, who came out in quaint little boats to take us ashore, give one an unearthly feeling, as if some statues with sinewy, lithe figures, began to move around us.

Vera Cruz is an Oriental city, both buildings and people proclaim the fact. As we go into the interior of Mexico one sees, beyond the marvelous mountain ranges, plains with narrow winding lanes outlined by high walls of dried mud. And as we look at the novel scene, a man in native costume comes dashing down on his prancing horse, the silver trimmings flashing in the light, and it seems impossible that we are really in this picturesque country. We feel like the little old lady in Mother Goose, who says if this be I, as I think it be, I have a little dog at home and he'll know me.

The native women of the poorer class move shyly about, covered to the eyes with the long blue scarf, or rebosa, the men in wide-rimmed hats and gay serape. They glance respectfully at the Americans. We see an Indian woman moving along with the tall earthen jar on her head in the old biblical fashion. Now we see a group of black-haired Indian girls washing some clothes on the flat stones at the edge of a stream and spreading the pieces on a cactus plant to dry. Again we see a town with narrow cobble-paved streets, swept with dust-pan and brush, the open market place, the sparkling fountain falling into carved basins, all blend in one picturesque harmony that sets the nerves tingling with delight.

And the courtesy of the people is charming, because the Americans are loud in their praise of the lovely flowers. At Cordova a Mexican on the train at once bought the finest boquet of camelias and presented it with a deep bow to the stranger who was for once speechless with surprise and pleaThese bouquets are swung from the bundle racks overhead, and give sweetness for the long journey from Vera Cruz to Mexico City. As the train swings along, and the paintable quality of it all gives perfect delight, we begin to think of the history of art in the old land.

sure.

Miss Lewis closed her talk with a charming description of the Cathedral and Churches of Mexico, relating a number of the pretty legends that are

handed down from the old Spanish days. Then over one hundred views were shown.

The Aquinas Reading Circle, of Mobile, observed its eighth anniversary with a "Shakespeare evening," and an interesting programme was rendered as follows:

Overture, Salutation, orchestra; Vocal solo, Miss M. M. McGettrick.

Casket scene from "The Merchant of Venice." Cast: Bassanio, Joseph A. Diemer; Lorenzo, T. P. Norville; Gratiano, William Airey; Salarino, Edward Hickey; Nerissa, Miss Mary McCafferty; Portia, Miss Pansy Ravier. Vocal solo, William O. Daly; Piano solo, Miss Marietta Green; Vocal solo, Miss Anita Herpin.

Court scene from "The Merchant of Venice." Cast: Shylock, Joseph A. Diemer; Duke of Venice, John Goodman; Antonio, John McAleer; Bassanio, T. P. Norville; Gratiano, William Airey; Salarino, E. Hickey; Nerissa, Miss May McCafferty; Portia, Miss Teresa McAleer.

The entertainment was under the stage direction and management of Joseph A. Diemer.

The officers of the Circle are: President, Mrs. M. E. Henry-Ruffin; Vice-President, Mrs. Lee N. Ward; Secretary, Miss Jensina Ebeltoft; Treasurer, Mrs. May Le-Baron; Musical Director, Miss Frances S. Parker.

Miss Mary Boyle O'Reilly gave a very interesting talk to the members of the Young Women's Catholic Union, of Charlestown, Mass.; her subject, a most appropriate one, "Meanings we miss from the Gospel Story," was the result of a close study of the Gospels in connection with her impressions of the country of Palestine and the manners and customs of the people.

Beginning with a charming portrayal of the lilies of the field, which, to her surprise, were found to be large, gorgeous red flowers with purple hearts, she referred to all the familiar incidents in the life of our Lord, throwing new light upon many of them. The reference to the high estimation in which the carpenter's trade was held, the picture of the Boy Jesus, with his seamless robe of royal hue, in the Temple, the interpretation of the entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and of the Crucifixion between two malefactorswere all made more real from Miss O'Reilly's familiarity with the Holy Land and its customs.

Connected with the Union is a Reading Circle, which presented a programme on Longfellow's life and character, and some of his short poems were read and discussed, including the sweet Catholic poem, "The Legend Beautiful."

Another meeting was devoted to history, the programme including papers on Columbus; Isabella the Catholic; the novel, Mercedes of Castile, a tale of the days of Columbus; and readings from Irving of the discovery of America and the first landing of Columbus.

The twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Chicago Press Club was celebrated with a banquet in the clubrooms. In after dinner speeches

statesmen and authors of national reputation, invited guests and newspaper men, praised the power and influence of the American press in the highest terms. The principal speakers of the evening were Colonel George Harvey, of New York, and Governor Albert E. Cummins, of Iowa. Two hundred and forty members of the club, with their guests, were present. Homer J. Carr, President, was toastmaster. Colonel Harvey, in responding to the toast, The Freedom of the Press, depicted this wonderfully high standard of excellence:

There is no press in the world comparable to that of America in freedom from influence, political or social, from venality, from contamination of any kind whatsoever. In France, a newspaper's opinions are a matter of francs; in England, too often of titles: in Germany, Austria, and Spain, of imperial favor; in Russia, of absolute censorship. In America, thanks to the traditions of the past, the fundamental integrity of the press cannot be impugned. It is faultful, but it is free. We have our sadly exaggerated headlines on week days, and our monstrosities on Sundays; we have amazing productions of no less amazing art; we have columns and columns of crime, and pages and pages of waste. Finally, not least, at any rate, in numbers, we have our red and white papers, sometimes referred to as yellow journals.

Personally, I should be of the last to defend or make apology for this latest manifestation of commercialism, misdirected ambition, and false doctrines in the American press. But, however seriously we may regret and resent the ebullition, we cannot ignore the irresistable conclusion that this particular channel, and this alone, affords a vent for unexpressed beliefs and suspicions which can be dissipated only by the clear rays of reason following any form of expression.

As contrasted with our own country, Russia to-day stands forth a vivid example of the effect of suppressed opinion. Discontent would better burn than smoulder. The continuous hissing of offensive gases escaping is not pleasant, but it is preferable to the otherwise inevitable explosion. Yet more important, more vital to the permanance of a government of a whole people by themselves, is absolute freedom of expression. Upon that all depends. Restrict it, or create the impression in suspicious minds that it is being restricted, and you sow the wind.

With this general dictum few if any would have the hardihood to disagree. But it is often, and I regret to say often truly, urged that liberty is subverted to license. Freedom of speech, freedom of publicity, yes; all admit the wisdom and necessity of preserving both. But how frequently is added, especially by men in public office, a vigorous declamation against unfair criticism, and how almost daily is uttered, sometimes a violent and unwarranted, sometimes a dignified and justifiable, protest against invasion of privacy, encroachment upon personal rights, and like offenses.

Only those behind the curtain of the editorial sanctum can fully appreciate the proportion of insincerity contained in the virtuous avowals of shy and retiring, though weak and human beings of both sexes. In nine cases out of ten, the most vociferous protest may be attributed safely to self-sufficiency, snobbishness, or a guilty conscience. There is so little of malice in American newspapers as to be unworthy of notice, but it is unquestionably