Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847
by T. W. Allies · English · Gutenberg #47722 · 737,187 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847
Author: T. W. Allies
Release date: December 20, 2014 [eBook #47722]
Most recently updated: October 24, 2024
Language: English
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Transcriber's note:
The Table of Contents lists the main topics addressed in
each page of the introduction, of the journals and letters,
and of the conclusion. Minor modifications have been made
to clarify its structure.
The work is followed by summaries of "new works in
miscellaneous and general literature" from the same
publisher. This has been separately printed and paginated,
and is preceded by its own index.
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
Small capitals have been converted to full capitals.
JOURNAL IN FRANCE IN 1845 AND 1848, WITH LETTERS FROM ITALY IN 1847,
Of Things and Persons Concerning the Church and Education.
by
THOMAS WILLIAM ALLIES, M.A.
Rector of Launton, Oxon.
London:
Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans,
Paternoster-Row.
1849.
London:
Spottiswoodes and Shaw,
New-street-Square.
TO
OUR SPIRITUAL MOTHER, THE CHURCH IN ENGLAND,
IN THE HOPE
THAT ALL HOLY EXAMPLES MAY PROVOKE US TO LOVE AND TO GOOD WORKS.
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION.
PAGE
Introduction 1
Separation and its Evils 2
Mutual Misconceptions 3
Difference in Facts not Principles 4
Position of Church in France 5
General Infidelity 6
Missionary Congregations 7
Educational Establishments 8
Spirit of this Journal 9
JOURNAL IN 1845.
Petit Séminaire at Ivetot 10
Discipline of the House 11
Catechising 12
Refectory 13
Day's Employment 14
Churches of Rome and England 15
Caudebec 16
Church of Caudebec 17
Jumiêges; S. Georges de Boscherville 18
Rouen 19
Curé of the Cathedral 20
Frères des Ecoles Chrétiennes 21
High Mass at Cathedral 22
Notre Dame de bon Secours 23
Ex Voto Tablets 24
Cultus of Blessed Virgin 25
Schools in the Aitre de S. Maclou 26
Dames de l'Adoration du S. Sacrement 27
Mantes: Church of Notre Dame 28
Paris 28
Sœurs de la Charité 28
Séminaire de S. Sulpice 29
Employment of their Day 30
Studies 32
Rules of Life 32
Rule in "Retreats" 34
"Appels" passed through by Candidates 36
Fasts and Jours Maigres 36
Professors have no Salaries 37
Chapel of Garde-Malades 38
S. Denis Restored 38
Parish of S. Sulpice 39
Bishop Luscombe's Chapel 40
M. De Fresne: Number of Christians in Paris 41
Day of the Sisters of Charity 42
Distinction between Primacy and Supremacy of Rome 43
M. Théodore Ratisbonne 44
Cultus of the Blessed Virgin 44
Conversion of M. Alphonse Ratisbonne 45
M. Martin Noirlieu 48
Parish of S. Jacques 49
Dinner at Bishop Luscombe's 50
Mr. Parkes 50
Controversy on the Holy Eucharist 51
S. Sulpice: Grands et Petits Séminaires 52
Studies at S. Sulpice 53
Authorities as to the Dogma of the Roman Church 54
Jesuits: Dames de l'Assomption 55
Their Rules and Objects 56
Value of the Real Presence 57
M. Poileau's School 58
Conversation with M. Galais 59
S. Thomas: Suarez 60
M. D'Alzon: French Preaching 61
L'Abbé Migne's Establishment 61
Conférence de S. Vincent de Paul 62
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin 63
Chapelle Expiatoire 63
Scene at Church of S. Marguerite 64
Discussion on Miracles 64
Refutation of common Infidel Arguments 65
Miracles no certain Proof of the Truth 67
Why there may be none now 67
Anecdote 68
Sermon: giving of Prizes 69
Montmartre: its Calvaire 70
Unauthorised Inscription 70
Church 71
Views of Paris and London 71
M. Galais 71
Conversation with Supérieur of S. Sulpice 72
Le Père Lacordaire: conversation 72
Tiers Ordre of S. Dominic 73
University 73
The Anglican Movement 73
Invincible Ignorance alone excuses not joining the Church 74
Danger of Corruption in the Will 75
Dom Guéranger 77
Anglican Orders 77
Addresses to the Blessed Virgin in Eastern Liturgies 78
Carmelite Nuns 78
Frères des Ecoles Chrétiennes 79
Penitentiary: Contrasts of Paris 80
Notre Dame de Lorette: La Madeleine 81
L'Abbé Ratisbonne 82
Culte of the Blessed Virgin 82
Prayers for the Dead 83
Pantheon 85
Toulouse: Conversation 85
Hotel de Cluny 86
Séminaire d'Issy 87
Maison des Carmes 87
Assemblé Générale de S. Vincent de Paul 88
Sermon on his Fête 90
Position of Royal Family 91
Reims: Cathedral 92
Church of S. Remi 95
Séminaire 96
Practice of Confession 97
Laon: its Site and Cathedral the Type of that of Reims 98
S. Quentin: Church 100
Mass for the Dead 101
Peronne: Amiens 102
Cathedral 103
Grounds of its superior Beauty to other Churches 104
Comparative Proportions 106
General Impression of the Church in France 107
Journey to Abbeville 108
Conversation with Fellow-Traveller 109
British Chapel at Boulogne 110
Home 111
LETTERS FROM FRANCE AND ITALY, 1847.
Change of Religious Condition since Revolution of 1830 112
State of Workmen in Paris 113
Progress of the Church 114
Les Missions Etrangères 115
Sœurs de la Charité 116
Genoa: Père Jourdain 117
Barefooted Carmelites 118
Ospitaletto 118
Pammatone: Albergo dei Poveri 119
The Ascetic and Monastic Life 120
Dress of the Women: Churches 121
Milan: Visit to Manzoni 122
State of the Clergy and Church 123
Rosmini's Philosophy 123
Duomo 124
Perpetual religious Service 126
Visit to l'Addolorata and l'Estatica 127
Previous Account of Maria Domenica Lazzari 128
Cavalese: Approach to Capriana 130
Cottage of Domenica 130
Her State (Thursday) on entering it 131
Her altered Condition (Friday) 132
Conversation with her 133
Points of her Case 134
Neumarkt: Caldaro 136
History of Maria Mörl 136
Visit to her 137
Impression made by these Cases 139
Second Account of Visit to l'Addolorata and l'Estatica 140
Avignon; Genoa; Milan 141
The Duomo; S. Charles Borromeo 142
Desenzano; Riva; Trent 143
Capriana: History of Domenica 144
Her state at the Visit 145
Conversation 146
Points of her Case 147
View of her Case 148
Maria Mörl, l'Estatica 149
Position of Trent 150
Third Account of Visit to l'Addolorata and l'Estatica 150
Interview with Bishop of Trent 151
Road to Neumarkt 152
Cavalese and Capriana 152
State of l'Addolorata 153
Dates respecting her Case 154
Her State on Friday 155
Impression of her Case 156
Her apparent State of Mind 157
Visit to l'Estatica 158
Verona; Venice 159
The Pozzi and Piombi 160
Ducal Palace and S. Mark's 161
Catholic and Uncatholic Worship 162
Grand Canal 163
Impressions of Venice 164
Scene on Grand Canal 165
Skill of Gondoliers 167
S. Giovanni e Paolo: Religious Worship at Venice 168
Milan; Duomo: Feast of the Assumption 169
Early Communion 170
JOURNAL OF 1848.
Church of Graville 172
Ivetot: Addresses to Confirmans 173
Life of the Priests here 174
The Archbishop: Confirmation 175
Address of Archbishop 176
The Confirmation 176
Verses on a Tutor's Mishap 178
Fécamp: Abbey Church 179
Notre Dame de Salut 180
Rouen 180
Carmelite Nunnery 181
Archevêché 182
Labour of the Confessional 183
Notre Dame de bon Secours 184
Dinner with the Archbishop 185
High Mass in Cathedral 186
Roman Catholic Worship 187
The Incarnation applied to Daily Life 188
Seminary of M. L'Abbé Lambert 189
Value of Celibacy in conducting Education 190
Notre Dame de Mantes 192
Paris 193
L'Abbé Ratisbonne 193
Aspect of Paris 194
Bishop of Langres 195
Missionary Life in China 196
Père de Ravignan 197
Les Missions Etrangères: Salle des Martyrs 198
M. Voisin: Religion of the Chinese 199
M. Galais: View about the last Revolution 200
New Archbishop of Paris 201
Conversation with Père de Ravignan 202
Supérieur Général des Pères Lazaristes 203
Foundation and Objects of this Institution 204
Their Missions: Greek Church 205
Miraculous Cure of a Novice of the Sisters of Charity 206
Conversation with this Novice 208
Société de la Rue Picpus 210
Its Founder and Objects 211
Benediction at M. L'Abbé Ratisbonne's Chapel 214
Conversation: Story of an Apparition 215
Another Apparition, to M. Ratisbonne 217
Conversation with M. Gondon 218
Interview with Bishop of Amatha 219
Society of the Maristes 219
Missions in Oceania 220
Hôpital Necker 222
Institution des Aveugles 223
Les Enfans Trouvés 225
Conversation with le Père de Ravignan 227
Liberalism in the National Assembly 228
The Roman Primacy 228
Distribution of Prizes at petit Séminaire 229
Les Dames de Bon Secours 232
M. de Montalembert: his Reception 232
Opinion of the State of England 233
Anecdote of General Bédeau 234
S. Germain des Prés 234
Modern Martyrs in China 235
Gerente's Painted Glass 236
Mr. A. Coppinger: State of France 237
The last Revolution 238
M. Defresne: Conversation 238
Religion at Ecole Polytechnique 239
M. des Billiers: Prospects of France 240
Conversation with M. Gondon 241
Benediction at the House of the Sisters of Charity 242
Unpublished Letters of S. Vincent de Paul 243
M. des Billiers: Anecdote of a Legitimist 244
Sermon at S. Roch 245
Service of l'Archiconfrèrie du très Saint Cœur de Marie,
at Notre Dame des Victoires 248
Address of l'Abbé des Genettes 249
Père de Ravignan-- 250
M. des Billiers: the Claim of Universal Jurisdiction 251
M. Gabet: State of Thibet 251
Discovery of Grand Lama 254
Religiousness of the Eastern Mind 255
Cure of Blindness before the Shrine of S. Vincent de Paul 256
Mr. Coppinger: Conversation 257
Le Père Lacordaire: the Primacy 258
Government of the Papacy 259
Value of Oral Tradition 260
Una Fides: Unum Corpus 262
Separation inexcusable 264
M. Defresne 264
Cure of Blindness 265
M. Bonnetty 266
M. l'Abbé Pététot 266
Effects of last Revolution 266
His Visit to l'Addolorata and l'Estatica 267
Reception at Comte Montalembert's 270
M. Galais: Miracles in the Church 271
The Jesuits 272
Principles of the Representants 272
Infidelity of the Masses 273
The Law of Continence 274
Le Père Lacordaire in the Assembly 276
The National Assembly 277
Père de Ravignan: State of the Church in France and Italy 278
The Fewness of the Saved 279
The Papal Primacy 280
Bossuet's Gallicanism 281
La Madeleine: Address of M. Pététot 282
Dress of the Clergy 283
Dinner at M. de Noirlieu's 284
The late Archbishop 284
Catholicism and Protestantism in France 285
Oppression of the Church 286
Funeral Oration on the Archbishop 286
His Character and Sacrifice of Self 287
Couvent des Oiseaux 289
Value of the Vie de Communauté in the Work of Education 290
Les Dames du Sacré Cœur 292
Maison des Carmes 293
Reminiscences of this House 294
Its Connection with the late Archbishop 295
Prizes given to the Blind 296
Dames de la Visitation 296
Importance of _Vocation_ 298
Subject of the Blessed Virgin's Intercession 299
It is involved in the Communion of Saints 300
Œuvre de S. Nicolas 301
Its Object and Rules 302
Instruction given 304
Work of the Sisters of Charity in it 304
Superintendence of the Brethren 305
Rewards: Recreations 306
Its Founder, M. de Bervanger 307
Work of the Celibate 308
Anglican and Roman Catholic Education 309
Sœurs de la Charité 310
Their Superior's Pastoral Letter 311
Account of the Two Cures before the Shrine of S. Vincent 311
Surgeon's Attestation 312
Detailed Relation of the Cure of the Sister Marie Javelle 315
Detailed Relation of the Cure of Céleste l'Allemand 320
Observations on these Cures by the Superior General 324
Orleans: Bourges 326
Cathedral of S. Stephen 326
Seminaire: Conversation with Superior 328
Amiens 330
CONCLUSION.
Prominence and Power of the Doctrine of the Real Presence 331
Its Relation to the Priesthood and Monastic Orders 333
Its Connection with the Doctrine of the Intercession of
Saints 334
And with the System of Confession 336
Importance of this System 337
And of the Doctrine of the Forgiveness of Sins 338
The Church of Rome a Church in Action 339
The Want of Signs and Symbols among us a real practical
Deficiency 340
Use of the Latin Language in Services of the Church 342
Reservation of the Cup 344
Preaching without Book 345
Aspect of the French Church 346
Its Bishops and Priests 347
The Daily Sacrifice 348
The Cure of Souls 349
Theory and Fact 350
Education of the Priesthood by the S. Sulpiciens 350
Importance of an uniform Type and Discipline 351
Want of this and of a dogmatic Standard among Ourselves 352
Appointment of Bishops 353
Preparation of Missionaries 354
The whole Roman Communion 356
1. Its Extent 357
2. Its Doctrine, uniform and systematic 361
3. Its Internal Discipline 363
4. Its Vital Principle 364
5. Its Generative Power 365
Conclusion 366
APPENDIX.
Tableaux des Devoirs d'un Seminariste 368
INDEX. 383
INTRODUCTION.
Of the vast number of English men and English women who have travelled
on the Continent in late years, comparatively few, I imagine, have
deemed it worth their while to give much thought and attention to the
action of the Church in the countries they have visited. Doubtless all
have entered the material fabrics of Roman Catholic worship, but
generally it has been to treat them as public monuments, rather than
as "the house of prayer for all nations." But how many of those
travellers who enjoy leisure and independence have made it their study
to understand those manifold institutions for the education of the
clergy or the laity, for the consolation of the suffering, for the
instruction of the poor and outcast, or for the advancement of the
interior life, by which the Church christianises the world, and lays
hold of the heart of humanity? I am not now expressing an opinion
whether the whole Roman system be true or false, pure or corrupt; I am
looking at it simply as a _fact_. And in this view, perhaps, there is
no object on the face of the earth so worthy of contemplation by the
thoughtful mind as the Roman Church. As an English Churchman, I do not
think it truthful, honest, christian, or safe, to shut my eyes to such
a _fact_ existing in the world. It seems to me that one ought to
endeavour to understand it. Those who strive to rekindle ancient
animosities, those who take not the trouble to understand doctrines as
taught by their professors, but wilfully misconceive and mis-state
them; those even who rest contented in a state of separation, do they
not sin against Him, who in the days of His humiliation prayed to His
Father, "that they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I
in Thee, that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe
that Thou hast sent Me." Do they in the least realise the fact that
the Church of England considers the Church of Rome to be quite as
truly a part of the Church Catholic as she is herself?
Thus it is that between the two communions there has grown up a
prodigious ignorance of each other's true state. I have found well
informed Roman Catholic ecclesiastics ignorant that we possess a
ritual, use fixed prayers, have a regular hierarchy; while scarcely
any one is aware that we have a form of absolution as categorical as
their own, and one which presupposes special confession. They
are in the habit of taking for granted that we have no succession,
besides asserting that our orders are invalid through defect of the
formularies. The present Pope, conversing lately with an English
clergyman, seriously inquired of him, whether we administered, what,
in condescension to the supposed feelings of his auditor, he termed
"la cena," once a year; and whether we passed the cup from hand to
hand? Two notions, I imagine, which must have given him the poorest
impression of the Anglican communion which a Roman Catholic could
have. And in conversing with theologians, they ordinarily direct
themselves against merely Protestant feelings and arguments, such as
touch the Lutherans and Calvinists abroad, or dissenters here, but
which have nothing to do with English Churchmen.
But Roman Catholic ignorance of us is, I think, almost exceeded by our
ignorance of them.
Would that I could be in any degree instrumental to the removal of a
prejudice, or the clearing up of a misconception. My means of
observation have not been large, my time very limited; but I have seen
enough to be convinced, that those who hate and denounce the Roman
Church most violently, do not hate and denounce her more than she
would that thing which they suppose to be the Roman Church.
If both sides knew each other well, if all had been done which
could be done for a reconciliation, and the present state of enmity
and opposition still subsisted, it would indeed be a grievous prospect
for the future; but when ignorance and misapprehensions make up so
much of the difference between the Churches, are we not to hope for
better things? Is not Providence teaching us, by what is taking place
on both sides, that the Church of God in all lands must unite against
the common foe? Is He not removing on both sides the impediments to
that union?
Moreover, an English Churchman conversing with a Roman Catholic will
find, in proportion as both are earnest-minded, that they have
generally the same friends and the same enemies, the same likings and
the same antipathies, which, if the great heathen philosopher be
correct, is a strong proof of an inward identity.[1] Very rarely
indeed will they differ in _principle_, though sometimes in _facts_;
the inward character will be the same in both.
The only merit of the following journal, if it have any, is the
attempt to see things as they are in the Roman Catholic system; to put
off all preconceived prejudices, not condemning that which is contrary
to what one is accustomed to meet, but endeavouring to understand the
principle on which it rests. It is nearly restricted to France,
but perhaps that country is for more than one reason the most
interesting part of the Roman Catholic communion at present. There the
divorce, which all the governments of Christendom are now enacting on
the Church, has been accomplished with the most harshness, contumely,
and tyranny. The ample estates surrendered by the French clergy, in
noble reliance on the generosity of their country, have been taken
possession of by the state, which, admitting that the vast majority of
its people are Catholic at least in profession, has recompensed this
surrender by a grant to the clergy, yearly repeated, not a dotation
once for all, and that in amount so unspeakably mean and inadequate,
that every Frenchman of honour and feeling must blush for his country
as he thinks upon it. The immense majority of curés throughout France
receive from the state a stipend of 32_l._ a year, in larger
populations this is extended to 48_l._, in the largest of all to
60_l._ Moreover, in France the state has done or is doing, what in
England it will also do if it can; it sets up in every parish a
schoolmaster without a creed, to teach children all kinds of useful
knowledge, from which only a definite creed is excluded, and to be an
antagonist to the clergyman in his proper sphere. Then the existing
generation of Frenchmen has been brought up since the tide of
infidelity swept over their land; in too many cases they are not
only infidels in present practice, but even their childish thoughts
and associations were not Christian. The full harvest of the terrible
convulsion of 1789 is being reaped--alas, it is far from being yet
gathered in! Infidelity not only stalks openly through the land, but
bears open sway in it. There is nothing on which all those with whom I
spoke were more agreed than that "le respect humain" was against the
Church and against religion. What a fact is this alone, whereby to
estimate the state of a country. If "hypocrisy be the homage which
vice pays to virtue," where stands that country whose public opinion
requires no hypocrisy in the open profession of unbelief? For these
and other reasons, then, I conceive that the Church of God is best
seen in France working by her own intrinsic powers, not only unaided
by the world, but most cruelly afflicted by it, and so externally
oppressed and degraded, that nothing but the irrepressible life of the
Gospel could penetrate and leaven society under such conditions. God
grant that such a state of things be not preparing in England--and if
it be, God grant likewise that the Church, in the day of her need, may
have servants and handmaidens, priests, teachers, and sisters of
charity, as disinterested, laborious, patient, and zealous, as He has
raised up for her in France. This further may be said, that, if France
as a nation be ever brought afresh under the yoke of her Saviour,
no condition of human society need be despaired of; nor the
capacity of the Church of Christ to overcome any amount of obstacles
doubted.
Of course the institutions mentioned in this journal are but samples
of a multitude. None will feel more than the writer its great
incompleteness. Still this is a field of observation which has been
little worked; so that the mere partial breaking of its surface may
produce fruit.
It may be as well to put together here the five congregations in
France mentioned in different places of the journal, which are engaged
in missionary work. They are "la Congregation des Prêtres de la Mission,"
or, "les Pères Lazaristes," Rue de Sèvres, 95.; the "Séminaire des
Missions Etrangères," Rue du Bac, 120.; the "Congrégation des Sacrés
Cœurs" (Séminaire de Picpus), Rue Picpus, 9.; the Jesuits, and the
Maristes. The "Congrégation du Saint Esprit," for forming priests for
the colonies, Rue des Postes, 26., I did not visit. These, with the
"Congrégation de la Miséricorde," form all the French missionary
establishments. I think no one can give even a transient look at the
course of life pursued by the St. Sulpiciens for the education of the
clergy, without admiration of the astonishing care of the interior
life taken by them, and the pains they are at to ascertain the due
vocation for so special a work.
The chief establishments of the Church for education are the grands
séminaires in each diocese, for preparation for holy orders; and the
petits séminaires, both under the direction of the bishops, the latter
receiving boys for all sorts of professions. In these two classes of
establishments alone, as a general rule, is strict attention paid to
the religious training of the pupils. The royal colleges, which extend
all over France, have been by all described to me as in the most
corrupt moral condition, and as suffering their professors to instil
systematic infidelity into their pupils. Of course the vast majority
of the youth of the country is educated in these colleges. The result
is seen in their lives. For the female sex, the chief congregations
devoted to education are "Les Dames du Sacré Cœur," in Paris, Rue
de Varennes; "Les Dames de Notre Dame" (couvent des Oiseaux, Rue de
Sèvres); "Les Dames de la Visitation." Each has a great number of
houses through France and elsewhere. For the poorer classes, "Les
Frères de la Doctrine Chrétienne," and the various sisters of charity,
are of incalculable benefit: they are very numerous, and widely
spread. Their disinterested and loving labours would be the greatest
of blessings to our parish priests, engaged in conflict with a hard
practical heathenism on the one side, and on the other, with various
forms of dissent, the essence of which may be said to consist in a
complete negation of the Church's office in the scheme of
redemption, and, generally, of all objective belief beyond the
sacrifice of our Lord for the sins of men, and the operation of the
Holy Spirit.
It will be seen throughout, that I do not consider non-appreciation of
the good in the Roman Catholic faith and practice a necessary
ingredient of the English Churchman's character. I am quite convinced
that the reunion of the English Church with the Church of Rome would
be an incalculable blessing to the whole Church of God, and to the
whole human race. Whoever made the separation, we need not despair of
such a reunion; the right accomplishment of which good persons, on
both sides, may earnestly hope and pray for.
[1] Arist. Rhet., lib. 2. 4.
JOURNAL.--1845.
_Tuesday, June 24._--Reached Southampton from Oxford in good time,
and left by the packet at 10 P.M. We passed the experimental fleet
off Portsmouth, had a very fair passage, and were at the mouth of
Havre about ten: but for two hours we could not enter; the swell was
considerable. At Havre, took our places to Ivetot, which we reached
about half-past-nine. The country rich but uninteresting.
_Ivetot, June 26. 1845. Thursday._--We called on M. Labbé a little
before ten, and were with him till half-past-three. His brother is
Supérieur of the Petit Séminaire, in which are 225 youths. The whole
payment, on an average, is 360 francs per annum for board and
instruction; some paying as little as 200 francs, some as much as 500,
but no difference whatever is made between them. The children are
evidently on the most affectionate terms with the masters. "There are
twelve priests, a deacon and sub-deacon, and three clerks in minor
orders."--_M._[2] They attend confession once a month, and it
is very rare that they fail in this: this is the rule of the house;
but should any avoid it much longer, his confessor would not speak to
him authoritatively at all, or send for him, but rather take an
opportunity of referring incidentally to his absence. This hardly ever
fails. "They generally thank him for doing so, the reason being
something about which they were unable to get themselves to break the
ice."--_M._ They live entirely with their pupils; sleeping, eating,
playing, teaching: in the centre of a large dormitory, with beds on
both sides, was a bed, nowise distinguished from the rest save that it
had a chair beside it; here the Supérieur sleeps. His salary is 1000
francs a year; that of the others about 600. They said, laughing, that
it was hardly what a servant in England would receive. The Supérieur
has a very pleasing and paternal aspect. We heard him catechise the
children in the chapel for some time; their answers were good. Several
were on the sacraments, and the reply to them definite and
precise:--'Which is the most indispensable sacrament?' 'Baptism.' 'How
many sorts of baptism are there?' 'The baptism of water, of blood, and
of desire.' 'Can any sacrament be administered by other than a
priest?' 'Yes, baptism in case of necessity.' 'Can any other?' 'None,
Sir.' 'What conditions are necessary to receive the sacrament of
Penance?' 'Five.' 'Are there any of those more indispensable than
others?' 'Yes, fervent sorrow for sin past, and a resolution not to
offend God by sinning any more.' 'If a priest conferred absolution on
a person who gave no outward sign of penitence, from his state of
sickness, would it benefit him?' 'If he was able to make interior
actions of the soul, it would; not otherwise.' ('The Church,' said M.
Labbé in explanation, 'would prefer bestowing a sacrament _often_
inutilement, to denying it once where it might benefit.') 'Which are
the three chief Christian graces?' 'Faith, Hope, and Charity.' 'Which
is the most perfect?' 'Charity.' 'Why?' 'Because it presupposes the
other two' (I think); and, again, 'because it will last for ever.'
'Will Faith last for ever?' 'Non, Monsieur.' 'Why?' 'Parceque, quand
nous verrons Dieu, nous n'aurons pas besoin de le croire.' 'Will you
see God?' 'Oui, avec nos propres yeux.' 'You have just received
confirmation; what does it make him who receives it?' 'Un parfait
Chrétien.' 'Etes-vous donc un parfait Chrétien?' With hesitation,
'Oui, Monsieur.' 'Etes-vous un Chrétien parfait?' 'Non, Monsieur.'
'Quelle est la différence?' 'Un parfait Chrétien est celui qui a tous
les moyens pour parvenir au salut--un Chrétien parfait est celui
qui est sans péché' 'En y-a-t'il?' 'Non, Monsieur' (with hesitation).
'Non, mon enfant, il n'y en a pas.'
"The chapel is a pretty and simple building of the early decorated
character, designed by Père Robert, who was formerly an engineer. The
windows and buttresses are in excellent taste; and the ceiling, though
of sham stone, is so well done that I doubted whether it were not
real, though a look at the buttresses, after seeing the interior,
would convince one of the contrary. There is a subterraneous chapel,
or rather a crypt which will be one, which I like particularly. Père
Robert showed us his design for ornamenting the east end of the
chapel, which is in excellent taste."--_M._
We dined with them at twelve "in the refectory. There was a crucifix
at one side, in the middle of the long room; and before it stood the
Supérieur while we said grace."--_M._; and we supped with them at
seven, in the midst of 180 boys. Absolute silence was kept, and a
youth at a tribune in the middle read first a verse or two of the
Gospels, and then some of 'Daniel's History of France.' Nothing could
be more simple than their dress; the masters were distributed at
intervals down the tables. The school was to educate laymen and
ecclesiastics together, and they showed with pride a young man who had
become priest out of their house, just twelve years after his
first communion. This is generally in the twelfth year, but earlier or
later according to the state of the individual. They take their first
communion after special confession, and _before_ confirmation; we
narrowly escaped seeing this sacrament conferred by the archbishop,
who had only left two days before. Confession begins at seven
according to _rule_, but generally before that age _in fact_.
At 5 a.m. They rise. Half an hour to get ready.
5½ to 6¼. In chapel; prayers and mass.
6¼ to 8. Study in silence, in school-room.
8 to 8¼. Breakfast, with reading Lives of Saints.
8¼ to 8½. Recreation.
8½ to 10½. Class. Vivâ voce lecture.
10½ to 12. Study.
12 to 12½. Dinner, with reading.
12½ to 1½. Recreation.
1½ to 3. Study.
3 to 4½. Class.
4½ to 5. Recreation.
5 to 7¼. Study.
7¼ to 7¾. Lecture Spirituelle, and Evening Prayers; the time at
which the Supérieur took notice of anything which
had occurred, gave advice, &c.
7¾ to 8¼. Supper.
8¼ to 8¾. Recreation. Then a minute or two of prayers in chapel,
and bed.
Study commences always with the hymn beginning "Veni Sancte Spiritus,"
the collect for Pentecost, and "Ave Maria." One half holiday,
Thursday. "Afterwards we walked in their little garden and play
ground. It being Thursday, the boys went out to walk with some of the
clerks. Some, however, remained about the premises, doing some
of the painting, &c. that was required. Much of the work has been done
by them. They carried all the bricks and mortar while the chapel was
building, &c. &c. They seem to be quite a family."--_M._
We talked on many subjects respecting the Churches of Rome and
England. In their opinion we are utterly heretical and dead. But M.
Pierre Labbé, who was chief spokesman, and a very clever talker,
admitted, that in case of invincible ignorance, that is, where the
person was, with all his endeavours, unable to see that the Church of
Rome was the only true Church, (supposing we had the succession, which
he more than doubted,) such person might receive the grace of the
sacraments. And this he also applied to the Eastern and Russian
Churches. He said, if things should ever come to a large, or anything
like a national, accession from England to the Roman Catholic faith,
the question of Anglican orders must be settled, and the Pope "se
gratterait la tête" what to do.
The point we remarked in this school was the intimate terms on which
the masters appeared to be with the boys; it was not only that their
presence during lesson time served to keep order, but that their
influence was everywhere at all times. Confession, doubtless, is the
root of this. Thus the Supérieur at catechism gave, as rewards, small
pictures, which each boy receiving kissed him on the cheek.
There was the greatest hilarity and cheerfulness, mingled with
respect, in presence of the master. We left these good people with
great admiration of their zeal, and appreciation of their kindness to
us.[3] M. Robert would take us on our way to Caudebec on Friday
morning. He conducted us in a cab belonging to the house, for the
homeliness of which he apologised. We passed a rich and occasionally
diversified corn country to Caudebec, over one of Henri Quatre's
battle-fields; there were no signs of it now. I asked him if Louis
Philippe had brought about a revolution, or only slipped in to prevent
a republic: he replied, "Quand on jette une pierre par la fénêtre, il
faut bien qu'elle tombe."
_Rouen, June 28. Saturday._--The church of Caudebec is of great
beauty, of the 15th century, covered in every part with rich
sculpture, especially the western façade, which the Calvinists greatly
injured. I went over every part of it with the curé, and up the tower,
which is terminated by a curious flêche, something like Strasburgh,
formed into crowns, marvellously rich. The height about 180 feet. The
view from the top is very striking. The great defect of the interior
is that the east end has two windows instead of three, or one,
at the apse; the nave is very narrow. There was over the jubé, now
removed, a rood with Adam at the bottom of it receiving the Blood in a
cup, representing the fallen humanity restored by our Lord. A north
and south aisle without transept. Caudebec is in a very pretty
situation, within the cleft of the hills, with the river flowing at
its feet; on each side rises the wooded amphitheatre formed by the
banks of the Seine: there is a plain on the other side of the river;
it might serve for the site of a great city. The church is equal to a
small cathedral.
The curé has a pleasant presbytère to the north; he treated us with
the greatest kindness. The government allows 1000 francs yearly to the
restoration of the church; so it goes on bit by bit. There is a
remarkable pendant in the Lady Chapel, said to be fourteen feet long:
the curé assured me that he had ascertained it was not supported by
anything. There is in the chapel to the south a sepulchre with
exceedingly rich canopy, and a gigantic figure of Christ, "by which a
woman seemed to be praying with great devotion. I can fancy it a great
help to meditation."--_M._
We set out in an indifferent cabriolet for Rouen by Jumiêges, and St.
Georges de Boscherville; a fine road in parts. Jumiêges is a mournful
ruin, the nave with its western towers and the arch to the east
standing still; the latter of gigantic proportions, the arch being at
least eighty feet high, is grievously cracked, and may fall any day.
To the east of this little remains; it has been almost entirely
carried away, being the most beautiful part of the church, of early or
decorated character. To the south are the walls of an elegant
decorated chapel of St. Peter; the ruins are covered with brushwood or
trees, the arches daily threatening to fall. The garden has a very
fine view of the high banks of the Seine; there is a pleasant
wilderness. M. Caumont has made himself a very picturesque residence
of the old gateway and adjoining buildings. The western façade, with
its two towers of equal height and nearly similar form, is very simple
but grand. I mounted rather more than 200 steps to the top of the
northern: unluckily it had been raining, and there was no sun. It
commands the high banks of the Seine for a considerable distance.
St. Georges de Boscherville is indeed a most stately and majestic
Norman church, bearing its burden of nearly 800 years as if it had
been built yesterday. Its west front, with two stories of three
windows, each over a fine recessed door, and turrets of singular
beauty and later style, is very imposing. There is a massive central
tower with a high spire of Norman, slated, I suppose near 200 feet
high. The interior offers all the simple and solemn grandeur of which
that style is capable; the one idea is perfectly carried out
from top to bottom, as in St. Ouen the Decorated, so here the Norman.
I should imagine it to be a perfect model of the style.
We got into Rouen not till after dark Friday night; went to the Hotel
de Normandie; not a nice house, dreadfully noisy, being in the street
where the two diligences, by the most wondrous evolutions, contrive to
worm themselves through the lanes of Rouen into their dens.
_Saturday, June 28._--After breakfast M. set off with our letter to
the curé of the cathedral, to whom M. Labbé had recommended us. He was
going away in the afternoon, but asked us to dine at twelve; this is
one of the few fast days in the year out of Lent, and we only agreed
to go on condition that he should change nothing of his usual fare. He
gave us potage maigre, fish, omelette. He was going to leave Rouen in
the afternoon for a few days, so we left very early; and we much
regretted this, for I have heard that he enjoys a very high reputation
as confessor and spiritual guide.
"It being a fasting vigil with them, they dine without meat at twelve,
and are allowed to take a snack in the evening, not a full meal. He
asked questions about the course of studies at Oxford, and whether
there was not in England an inclination 'to imitate their ceremonies.'
I told him I hoped the tendency was something more than that,
&c. &c. We asked him about philosophy in the French Church. He said
they used chiefly that of Aristotle, and that one could only find
particular branches well worked out. They were much occupied in
fighting Cousin. He and his four vicaires have a parish of 15,000
souls to look after. They have also many confessions to receive from
other parishes; but for the Easter communion every one is expected to
go to his own parish priest, or at least to communicate at his own
church. He says Rouen is rather a religious place. I did not ask him
the proportion of communicants, for fear I should seem to be inquiring
for criticism. He was obliged to leave us soon after dinner, but sent
us on to one of his vicaires, who took us to the house of the Frères
des Ecoles Chrétiennes, and introduced us to one of them, who showed
us the chapel, dormitory, &c. The founder of the order, the Père de la
Salle, is buried behind the altar. There are seats for the brethren,
and there is a room or gallery looking in at the west end for the
boys, who only enter the chapel on Sundays and saints days for the
Salut du St. Sacrement. They use this gallery for their morning and
evening prayers, which, I believe, are those at the end of the
Catechism. The brethren are laymen, but they have two aumoniers who
say mass in their chapel twice a day. They have not the breviary
services to say, being occupied all day with their schools, but
they hear mass, use the rosary, attend the salut, &c. There are
thirty-nine brethren, and they have a normal school, _i.e._ a
training school, of forty young men. They do not admit them under
seventeen. Their course is about three years. They prepare them for
'l'instruction primaire' of the superior kind, that is, extending to a
little history, chemistry, and the like, (and some of them learning
also modern languages,) but not comprising Latin or Greek.
Twenty-seven of the brethren, however, are occupied in schools about
the town, in which, if I understood right, there are as many as 2500
children. We could not see the cabinets of mineralogy, &c. or the
chemical laboratory. There were two or three little organs for music
lessons. The dormitories had separate cells, with a passage along the
line of them. One of the brethren sleeps in each dormitory, and stays
up till all are gone to bed, to be sure that good order is kept. They
are licensed by the university, and some of the scholars are supported
or helped by the government."--_M._
_Yesterday, June 29. Sunday, St. Peter's day._--We went to high mass
in the cathedral at ten, but though we had looked out the service as
well as we could, and were just on the outside of the higher gate of
the choir, we could not in general follow; only at the Gospel and the
Creed we regained our footing. Certainly the words of the
service, incomparably beautiful as they are, must be in the main lost.
We could not, even by observing the gestures, with the book before us,
follow them; the priest's voice is hardly ever heard. A poor woman
beside me chaunted through the Nicene Creed in Latin, and at vespers
at St. Ouen many female voices were doing the same with the Psalms.
The really edifying thing is the devotion of the people, who look upon
it as a sacrifice, and do not seem to require that perpetual
stimulating of the _understanding_ as among us. For there was no
sermon either at the cathedral or St. Ouen, save after the Gospel a
very short address, as it seemed, in the nave, but nobody moved from
the choir. This service lasted an hour and a half; then we had our own
service in private. We next went to the Musée d'Antiquités, where
there is a small series of stained glass windows, some very good. We
had a fine view of Rouen, north of the Boulevard. At 3 o'clock vespers
at St. Ouen, chanting of Psalms, followed by the exposition of the H.
Sacrament. A good many people, chiefly women. They took part
generally. Here again some Psalms we could find in the Paroissien, and
others not. This too lasted an hour and a half; the singing was very
good, and the organ came in with great effect. The whole tone of this
service, as simply devotional and thanksgiving, without instruction or
exhortation, struck us much. After this, dinner at five at the
table d'hôte. We have frequent occasion to think with approbation of
the Emperor of Russia's edict, "It is forbidden to wear a beard after
the manner of ourang outangs, Jews, and Frenchmen." After dinner we
walked to the top of St. Catherine's, and enjoyed the beautiful view
over Rouen, and also went on to Notre Dame de bon Secours. This is a
new church, of the style of the 13th century, of extraordinary purity
and grace; the eastern end already finished, and full of stained glass
windows. It has ten bays, and three windows in the apse. It quite
surpasses any modern church I have seen in beauty. All the vaulting,
both of nave and aisles, is in stone or brick. It has many
ex-votos,--plain slabs let into the wall: I copied some.
J'ai prié
la Sainte Vierge,
et elle a guéri ma fille.
1837.
Gage de ma reconnaissance.
J'ai prié la Sainte Vierge,
et elle m'a exaucée,
en protégeant ma fille.
Elbœuf le 3 Oct., 1838.
A. G.
A la T. S. Vierge,
le 7 Août, 1821,
Aux pieds de cet autel
J'ai obtenu la guérison
d'une maladie de 20 ans.
A. B.
Ex. voto.
Une maladie cruelle
menaçant des jours précieux,
nous avons prié Marie
dans ce temple,
et Dieu
a rendu M. Motte, Curé
de la Cathédrale de Rouen,
à ses élèves
et à ses nombreux amis.
8bre, 1824.
There is a very beautiful tower surmounted by a pretty spire. The
church stands on the edge of the hill, near 400 feet above the Seine.
_June 30. Monday._--M. and I went over St. Ouen inside and outside
to-day. The more I see of this church the more I am struck with its
singular grace and beauty, and the mode in which prodigious strength
is veiled. Within, it appears of unequalled lightness, while without,
the eye may discern the enormous counterbalancing weight of buttress
and flying arch, which enabled the architect to rear the centre,
pierced as it is with windows, to such a height. The disposition of
the whole choir and eastern end internally is especially graceful; for
instance, the view sitting behind the high altar facing the Lady
Chapel. We attended a low mass in the Lady Chapel. After dinner
M. P. Labbé unexpectedly came in, and talked a couple of hours. He
endeavoured to explain to us the idea with which the Roman Catholics
regard the Blessed Virgin, the occasion of which was my reading to him
the ex-votos cited above. The communion of saints, as a practical
doctrine, has had so little power among us, and assumes so very
important a place in Roman theology, that we seem to be unable to
understand each other on this point. And thus what is the most natural
feeling of his heart to a pious mind in the Roman Communion wears the
appearance of idolatry to a pious mind in the Anglican. "We talked
with him on the system of particular devotions. He said it was carried
to excess by some trying to exalt one practice, another another; but
that a good confessor would keep it very much in check, by recommending
people not to charge themselves with fresh observances."--_M._
_Tuesday, July 1._--I assisted at M. Labbé's mass in the Lady Chapel
of the cathedral, and was able to follow him pretty well; but almost
the whole Canon is pronounced secretly. At present, certainly, I
cannot help regretting that one cannot _hear_ and follow words so very
grand and touching. He breakfasted with us, and then took us to boys'
and girls' schools in the old _aitre_ (_atrium_) of S. Maclou, "round
which was a cloister ornamented with figures of the Dance of Death.
The rooms round it are now used for schools for the poor of S. Maclou.
One of the Frères des Ecoles Chrétiennes showed us his class, who
answered M. Labbé pretty well on the catechism. One of them then wrote
on a black board at his dictation: 'J'espère, mes chèrs enfans, que
vous vous montrerez, toute la vie, dignes des soins que les bons
frères ont pris de vous;' which sentence they were made to discuss
grammatically. Some of them were puzzled by the place held in the
sentence by 'toute la vie,' and it was some time before they made out
that it was governed by 'pendant' understood, and held the place of an
adverb. They showed us some maps they had drawn, which were neat
enough. Their manner to their teacher was very pleasing. We then went
on to the girls' school, which is very numerous, and kept in the same
set of buildings, chiefly up-stairs, by some réligieuses who are not
of any regularly established congregation, but are under a vow, and
are recognised and encouraged by the Church. Some of them were at
work, others reading. We could not judge of them further than that
they seemed to be in good order, and that it was pleasant to see them
taken care of by persons devoted to the work simply for charity. We
went on, through some narrow and dirty streets, to the Hôpital
Général, where they take in all manner of sick people. It is a
government institution, but is under the care of certain sisters, who
are devoted to that work. I believe they have not any very strict rule
besides. We saw the Supérieure, and a good many of the others; and the
sick people seemed to be kept very clean and comfortable. There is an
altar in each infirmary ward, but they have not the little marks of
religion at each bed's head, which one would find if the thing were
wholly in the hands of the Church."--_M._ He then took us to a convent
of Benedictine Ladies de l'Adoration du S. Sacrament. The peculiarity
of their rule is, that day and night there is always some one in
adoration of the Holy Sacrament. Their night office is from half-past
one to three. They eat maigre all the year. "They have only two hours
in the day when they are allowed to speak, except upon matters of
strict necessity."--_M._ The Supérieure spoke with us from behind a
double grating, which was besides veiled; at M. Labbé's request she
withdrew the veil, that we might see her costume; but her face was
entirely covered, though doubtless she could see us, herself unseen.
The whole dress was black. "She spoke very quietly and simply. The
congregation was instituted after a time when many altars had been
profaned, to make a kind of reparation for the insults that had been
committed against our Lord through His blessed sacrament."--_M._ In
the schools and the infirmary, I was struck by the prodigious
advantage of their being entrusted to professed religious persons. In
the evening we went round the cathedral: it is in every respect
_inside_ inferior to S. Ouen, and not particularly graceful; but
outside its northern and southern fronts are not to be surpassed for
beauty and elegance of design, while its western one will be of great
grandeur and exceeding richness when completed; walked once more round
S. Ouen with fresh admiration.
_Wednesday, July 2._--At twelve we started by railway for Paris;
stopped at Mantes four hours: went over Notre Dame; much delighted as
in 1843. The west front up to the gallery one of the most elegant I
know. They are building the last stage of the northern tower. Reached
Paris at 8 o'clock: got a "modeste appartement" at the Hôtel d'Espagne.
_Thursday, July 3._--We called on Miss Young at l'Abbaye aux Bois,
and sat talking some time. She gave us an introduction to a sœur de
la charité, by whom we were partly taken and partly shown over their
large establishment in the Rue du Bac. The chapel is neat, and has a
series of nice pictures: this is pointed out as the place where the
Blessed Virgin appeared to one of the sisters or a novice; her image
at the appearance is represented on the miraculous medal: it was
before the picture over the altar on the right hand. The name of the
sister is kept secret, and will be so till she is dead; but the
other circumstances have been disclosed by the priest who received her
confession, M. Aladel, one of the Pères Lazaristes, who direct the
Sisters of S. Vincent de Paul. They have 300 sisters, who are
dispersed hence all over France, and continually replenished; they are
erecting a very handsome building, which will accommodate 300 novices.
The vows are not perpetual, but for terms of years; but it is rare
that any who have once taken them fail to renew them. Went to
Toulouse--curious bookshop; he has sometimes 100,000 volumes in his
possession. M. found Justinianus there. Notre Dame outside struck me
very much; its west front only wants lofty spires on its towers to be
perfect. The interior, with all its spaciousness, is deficient in
grace, and after S. Ouen we felt quite discontented with it.
S. Germain des Près is a fine church, especially the choir and
apse--Norman work. In the evening we saw M. Bonnetty, and had some
talk with him. We were running about nine hours to-day.
_Friday, July 4._--Went to breakfast with Miss Young, and had a long
talk with l'Abbé Carron, formerly secretary to the archbishop. He was
very polite and cordial, and offered us every thing in his power. From
him we obtained an account of the day's occupations in the Séminaire
de S. Sulpice, which I took down from his mouth as follows,
incorporating with it some further information given me by M. Galais,
professor of canon law therein:--
5 a.m. They rise; recite the "Angelus" (angelic salutation).
5 to 5½. Dress, come down stairs; the most pious go for two or
three minutes before the Holy Sacrament.
5½ to 6½. Vocal prayer for ten minutes, and then prayer for the
rest of the hour, each by himself, kneeling, without
support.
The Professor says his prayer aloud, in order to
teach the pupils, on his knees, in the hall.
6½ to 7. Mass; those who have communicated attend another mass
for returning thanks, which may last to 7¾. The
rest mount to their rooms.
7. Reading of Holy Scripture in private.
8 to 8¼. Breakfast,--dry bread, wine, and water; nothing else
allowed, save that in case of necessity milk or soup
is sometimes given. Each reads in private.
8¼ to 9½. Preparation of theological lesson in their rooms.
9½ to 10½. Lesson in theology. Morale.
10½ to 10¾. Visit to the Holy Sacrament.
10¾ to 11¾. Deacons have a lesson in theology; the rest a singing
lesson for half an hour, and then go up to their
rooms.
11¾ to 12. Private examination of conscience. During seven
minutes, meditation, kneeling, on some fact of the
New Testament; and for the next seven, Tronson read.
12 to 12½. Dinner. For three minutes a chapter of the Old
Testament read aloud, then the life of a saint, or
ecclesiastical history. They end with the Roman
Martyrology for the morrow. Then a visit to the Holy
Sacrament for a minute: recitation of the Angelus.
Dinner consists of a little soup; one dish of
meat, potatoes, or "legumes." For dessert, an apple,
or such like. Drink, wine and water.
12½ to 1¾. Recreation. At 12¾ talking is allowed for the first
time in the day. Letters are delivered. The
Professors are bound by their rule to take their
recreations with their pupils: they make a great
point of this.
1¾. Recitation of the "Chapelet;" sixty-three Paters and
Aves.
2 to 3½. Private study in their rooms. From 2 to 3½, class of
ecclesiastical singing four times a-week. From 2 to
5¼ adoration of the Holy Sacrament by each person
for half-an-hour.
3½ to 4½. Theological class. Dogma.
4½ to 4¾. Visit to the Holy Sacrament.
5¼ or 5½. According to the season, bell for all in holy orders
to say their breviary. Time for conferences.
6½ to 7. "Glose,"--spiritual reading by the Superior.
7 to 7½. Supper. One dish of meat, "legumes," salad, wine and
water. Reading at all meals. Talking never allowed
but at the Archbishop's visit once a-year. A chapter
of the New Testament read; a verse of the "Imitation
of Jesus Christ."
7½. They go before the Holy Sacrament; recite the Angelus.
7½ to 8½. Recreation.
8½ to 8¾. Evening Prayers; litanies, vocal, with private
examination of conscience. Mount straight to their
rooms, or go first before the Holy Sacrament. The
Superior remains in his place: each, in passing
beside him, accuses himself of any outward faults
committed during the day against the rules.
9 to 9¼. Bed time; at 9¼ to be in bed. Each has a room to
himself; a table, a bed, a candlestick, and
fire-place. A priest sleeps in each corridore.
SPECIAL LECTURES.
Hebrew; two courses.
Moral Theology; a great course. Young men admitted who have already
studied the elementary course--about forty or fifty.
Canon Law; a special course.
From Easter to the vacation they are instructed in the duties of a
pastor in great detail.
Private study of the Holy Scriptures by each half an hour a day.
At three o'clock on Sundays, at S. Sulpice, the young men exercise
themselves in catechising, except from Easter to the vacation.
Before the first communion there is catechising at S. Sulpice for two
months thrice a-week, (not by the pupils).
OBSERVATIONS.
There is much sickness: (the building has not gardens or sufficient
space for recreation attached to it).
Not time enough for study.
The vacation is from Aug. 15. to Oct. 1.
The cassock is always worn.
They confess themselves every week, ordinarily in the morning during
the meditation. They choose their own confessor among the masters, who
are at present twelve, but the number is not fixed. As to communicating,
they are free; but are exhorted to do it _often_. Often is all the
Sundays and festivals. Some communicate besides two, three, four,
five, times a week, especially as the time of their ordination
draws near. The priests every day. After the communion twenty minutes
"action de grâces." On entering the seminary a general confession of
the whole past life is made. At the commencement of each year, after
the vacation, in October, a confession of the year is made. At the
beginning of each month there is a retreat for one day, ordinarily the
first Sunday. _Direction_ is twice a month. It is intercourse between
each young man and his director for the purpose of making known his
inward state. There is a general _retreat_ after the vacation for
eight days; in this no visits allowed; no letters received; no going
out into the city. There are recreations, but the rest of the day is
consecrated to prayer, to confession, and to sermons. Each has his own
rule (règlement particulier), which he draws up in concert with his
confessor.
The day, the hour, and the mode of using the following exercises, to
be determined on with the director.
Private examination of oneself.
Confession.
Holy Communion.
Direction.
The monthly retreat.
La Monition.[4]
Any special reading.
Accessory studies.
What has been determined on by the director, relatively to the
preceding exercises, is to be written in the "règlement particulier"
of each.
The main resolution necessary to insure the fruits of the seminary is
fidelity to the "règlement," and especially to silence at the
prescribed times, and to the holy employment of one's time.
The virtues to be studied are, collectedness, the thought of the
presence of God, modesty and good example, charity and humility,
religion and fervour in the exercises of piety.
The order of exercises for a day in the annual _retreat_ is as
follows:--
5 a.m. Rise; preparation for prayer; short visit to the Most
Holy Sacrament.
5½. Prayer.
6½. Messe de communauté.
7. Preparation for general confession, or for that of the
annual review, and especially for that of the time
spent in the vacation.
8. Breakfast.
8¼. Petites heures.
8¾. Reading, or "direction."
9¼. Visit to the Holy Sacrament.
9½. "Entretien."
10½. "Délassement," during which there may be either
reading or "direction."
11. Writing of one's resolutions, and then reading the
prescribed chapters of Holy Scripture.
11¾. Private examination.
12. Dinner, followed by the Angelus, and recreation.
1¾. Vespers and Compline; recollecting of oneself, to
examine how one has done the morning's exercises.
2¼. Reading, with meditation, of the chapters of the
Imitation.
3¼. Visit to the Holy Sacrament.
3½. "Entretien."
4½. Matines and Lauds; writing of resolutions. Then
"délassement," as in morning at 10½.
6. Recitation of "chapelet," meditated.
6½. A spiritual lecture.
7. Supper, followed by the Angelus, and recreation.
8½. Prayer; examination of conscience.
9. Bed; making preparation for (the morning's) prayer.
The following means are recommended for profiting by the "retreat."
1. From its commencement have your "Règlement particulier" approved by
your Director; agree with him on the employment of your time, on the
subject of your reading, on the manner of preparing your confession.
2. Read the chapter of the Holy Scripture and of the Imitation marked
in the "Manual of Piety," and never omit this reading.
3. Observe silence carefully, save at the time of recreation, and if
you are obliged to speak, ask leave to do so.
4. Do not read or write any letter.
5. If you experience dryness, disgust, repugnance, discouraging
thoughts, as generally happens in retreats, communicate them
immediately to your Director, and follow his advice, as the most
assured means of overcoming temptations.
6. If you have already made a general confession at the Seminary,
employ the time after mass till breakfast in examining yourself on the
manner in which you have done your actions in the Seminary the past
year, how you have combated your defects and your ruling passion, and
how you have practised the virtues which you proposed to acquire.
7. Study especially inward recollectedness, confidence in our Lord,
and in the Most Holy Virgin, serious and deep examination of your
conscience, and a great desire "de faire un bon Séminaire."
8. After the Retreat tell your Director your feelings and resolutions,
and busy yourself immediately with drawing up your "règlement
particulier."
There are, moreover, retreats for eight days before each ordination.
Exposition of the pontifical is given. Before the ordination of any
individual is decided on, there are two "appels" to be gone through;
1st, that of outward conduct; 2d, that of inward conduct, decided by
all the masters in common. If these are passed there is a third
examination of himself and his fitness for the ministry to be gone
through by the pupil in private. Fourthly, if he is thoroughly
persuaded of his vocation, his confessor finally decides whether he
shall be accepted for the ministry or rejected. The ordinary payment
made by each pupil is 700 francs a year, but this, in case of
necessity, or of promising persons, especially when recommended by
bishops, is reduced to 400.
In Lent one meal and one collation (a half meal) are allowed: the
first at mid-day. Meat is permitted on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and
Thursdays, by the archbishop's "mandement." Fridays and Saturdays are
maigre days through the year, but not fasts. The other fasts of the
year are very few, the greater number having been abolished by the
Concordat. They are Christmas Eve, Whitsun Eve, St. Peter's Eve,
the vigils of the Assumption and All Saints.
M. Gaduel told me that the good professors of S. Sulpice receive no
salary whatever. They live, he said, as children in a father's house,
provided with everything they want, but they are not given money. If
one has need of a coat, he asks for it, and has it. Should they be
taken ill, and be unable to continue their functions, they will be
supported and tenderly provided for all their days. They take no vows,
and can leave when they please; and they retain whatever private
property they may possess. Those who have none receive 100 francs a
year for their charities; for you know, he said, they cannot go into
the city without a sou. Thus their life is entirely detached from the
cares of this world, from the desire of wealth, and all that attaches
to it. Yet is it, from its sedentariness and severely abstract
pursuits, as well as from the continued pressure on the heart and
conscience, a trying life. Health, I imagine, is only maintained by
the weekly relaxation of Wednesday, and the annual vacation of two
months in August and September.
We talked on many other subjects with M. l'Abbé Carron. He was very
desirous to explain the honour paid to the Blessed Virgin Mary. One
and all reject with horror anything like adoration being offered
to her, or that she is anything more than the most favoured _channel_
of grace.
At two we went to M. Bonnetty, who took us to the house of the
Benedictines, then in Rue Notre Dame des Champs, where we saw the Abbé
Guéranger, a very pleasing person. Talked of editions of the Fathers,
the labours of the Benedictines, the movement in England. He struck me
as very mild and charitable. In the library M. de Montalembert was
sitting writing. We did not know who it was at the time.
On the opposite side of the street, through a private door, we entered
into a most beautiful little chapel just erected in the style of the
thirteenth century. It belongs to some religious garde-malades,
connected with the sisters of charity, who were saying their office as
we came in. The architecture is exceedingly rich: all the windows of
painted glass. I have never seen anything so exquisite as this chapel.
The apse was richly painted and decorated. Afterwards we set off for
S. Denis, but gave it up. Looked into S. Eustache, an imposing church
of the _renaissance_, very lofty and spacious. Also S. Germain
l'Auxerrois, which is interesting. It has been restored since the
riots, and is being filled with painted glass.
_Saturday, July 5._--Set off for S. Denis: the abbey has been
wonderfully restored since I was there, and is now exceedingly
imposing and interesting. The aisles round the choir have been most
richly painted and decorated, the central roof not yet. All the
windows are of stained glass, forming a complete sketch of French
history, wherein Dagobert and S. Louis, Napoleon, Louis XVIII. and
Louis Philippe, strangely figure. The tombs of François I. and Louis
XII. are very beautiful. The western front resembles Mantes in
character; very beautiful; pinnacles of the spire curious and most
pleasing. We went to drink tea with Miss Young, her mother, a French
lady, and an Irish priest, M. Macarthy, who assists at S. Sulpice. He
said the seats there were let to a woman for 35,500 francs per annum.
The chief duty of a Catholic is not to go to mass, but to confess and
receive absolution. Before marriage every one is compelled to confess,
but they do not necessarily receive absolution. This priest's
conversation gave one a notion that to common minds the confessional
would often be as it were wiping off an old debt, and beginning a new
score. "He said there were about 14,000 or 15,000 communicants at
Easter in that parish out of a population of 50,000. He seemed to
think many might be people who would fall back again into grievous
faults, but nearly all at the time had good intentions. I rather
thought he made too little a matter of the probability of many falling
back: but I may have been mistaken. He said, however, that
S. Sulpice was not a measure of Paris, being the most pious parish in
the city. He said also, that there was very little temptation to
hypocrisy, religion being rather at a discount in public opinion. I
should hope from this and other accounts, that there was a very
considerable leaven of true piety in this place, bad as it is."--_M._
_Sunday, July 6._--The heat excessive. We went to Bishop Luscombe's
chapel: many staid to the Holy Communion. "There was a discontented
French priest there, who, I fear, is going to set up for himself. I
had a little talk with the Bishop between services. He has, if I am
not mistaken, a totally false view of the position of the French
Church. He thinks it is falling to pieces, as a man might think Oriel
was coming down, if he did not know there was a live Provost and
Fellows inside to repair it when necessary. The discontented go to him
and tell him their tale, as the college weapons might fall on the head
of any one in quad; and of course they do their best to make him think
that all is as rotten as they are. The Roman Catholic clergy, I
believe, do not know much of him, or he of them, and he is shut out
from the sight of what is best among them."--_M._
At five dined with M. Bonnetty. We found there two priests, one of
whom, M. D'Alzon, was going to preach at Notre Dame des Victoires that
evening for the archiconfrèrie du sacré Cœur de Marie. He seemed an
able man, was vicaire general of Nismes, a person of property, who was
bent on taking orders. He could not understand how we could preach
with a book before us; said no one would listen in France. The other
priest, M. Jacquemet, was a very pleasing modest person. We adjourned
to the garden of the missions étrangères; met there M. Drach, who had
been chief rabbin. He has written a book on the harmony of the
Synagogue and the Church; seemed to think he could settle the
difficulty concerning the day of the Passover by Jewish traditions.
M. Bonnetty took us to Mrs. Ryon's in the Place belle Chasse. The heat
excessive.
_Monday, July 7._--We called on M. Defresne; much struck by his
conversation. He said all that was best in religion was at Paris: out
of a million of inhabitants there were 300,000 going to mass, and
50,000 _practising_ Christians; this was the kernel of religion in
the country, the pure gold. He justified the shops being left open by
the government on Sunday, for the people generally being without
belief, it would be an act of sheer tyranny to shut them. Louis
Philippe was now employing against the Jesuits the same arbitrary
power he had used to expel l'Abbé Châtel. On religious matters he did
not seem to understand how an instructed person could remain
with good faith out of the Roman Church. The Puseyites, he seemed to
think, did not belong to the Establishment. M. Defresne speaks with
remarkable energy; we both wished to have another talk with him.
Thence we went to the Pères Lazaristes; M. Aladel received us, gave us
the rules of the sisters of charity. Their chief work being the relief
of the sick, &c. they have no office, properly so called, and their
hours are subject to variation. They rise, winter and summer, at 4 to
4½; 4½ to 5½ meditation, prayer, a subject for meditation given the
evening before; 5½ hear mass--this is the ordinary time, but it
varies: for instance, they would attend the church in their immediate
neighbourhood at whatever hour it might be. Every day spiritual
reading,--the Chaplet: it lasts a long half hour; has many special
prayers added by their founder, which cannot be seen. In the evening a
second meditation for half an hour, always before six o'clock. Vocal
prayers before bed time, at half-past eight. Subject of meditation
given. These exercises of piety are never given up, as in cases of
extreme sickness the sister attending waits till the others have done,
and is then relieved by them. They do not go out after nightfall.
Dinner at half-past eleven. Supper at six. Their duties are,
1. visiting the sick; 2. attending hospitals; 3. dressing the sick at
their own house; 4. keeping schools at their own house. Each
school belongs to a sister, who is generally the same; one takes care
of the linen, another of the kitchen, and so on. M. Aladel then
attacked us on matters of controversy; could not conceive persons of
intelligence and good faith remaining out of the pale of the Roman
Church. Indeed, this is universally the _first_ thing with them--to
be in communion with Rome. Without unity they can conceive no
holiness, nor self-devotion, nor even sincerity. We said we admitted
the primacy of Rome, but not an absolute power; and referred back to
the times of the early Patriarchs, as St. Athanasius. His reply was,
that the Pope allowed them to institute their own Bishops, and where
this permission was not openly expressed it was implied; a mode of
assumption which soon puts an end to all difficulties. The Greeks and
Russians were schismatics, but far nearer than we. To him, as to every
other Roman Catholic with whom we conversed, the English Church is
simply a mass of heresy and schism. We regretted the controversial
language of this conversation. Called on M. Labbé, and had a friendly
talk with him. He describes the actual state of the Colleges of the
University as horrible in point of morality. He is now, at forty-five,
sitting down to the study of Greek, to pass his degree of M.A. at the
University, in order that he may be privileged to teach under it. At
Lady Elgin's in the evening, whither M. Bonnetty conducted us,
we found a lively party in the garden. The chief conversation was on
magnetising, there being a young man of great powers that way present,
but he declined giving us any specimen of his power: he said it took
too much out of him, and sometimes bestowed on him the maladies he
relieved others from. Thus, he succeeded in transferring a lady's
headache to himself. The heat very great to-day.
_Tuesday, July 8._--We called on M. Théodore Ratisbonne, a man of
about forty-two, with striking Jewish physiognomy, gentle and pleasing
in manner. I was very much struck with his conversation. We said we
came to learn as much as we could of Catholic institutions. 'As for
Protestantism,' said he, 'I believe it has produced good fathers of
families, good morals, kindly social feelings, and so on; but as for
perfect devotion of the heart to God, it seems to me quite barren. But
the soul should not walk, she should fly.' On the worship of the
Blessed Virgin, so called, he said, 'Place yourself in the presence of
Jesus Christ, for He is ever present, He is always the same. You would
see beside Him the Blessed Virgin and the Apostles. You would throw
yourself at his feet; but having done so, would you have no thought
for His mother? Would you turn your back upon her? Would that be a way
of gaining His favour? Or, place yourself at the foot of the
Cross, remember His last words, and how can any Christian have other
than filial feelings towards her? But there is not a child of the
poorest Catholic peasant who would for an instant confound the
reverence paid to the mother of his Lord with the worship due only to
God. C'est une horreur. Elle est une simple créature, une fille
d'Adam, notre sœur; mais elle a réçu la grace d'être mère de Dieu.
Moi, je baise un tableau de ma mère, de mes sœurs, de mes amis; et
je ne baiserais pas celui de la Sainte Vierge? Je fléchis le genou
devant les rois de la terre; je ne le fléchirais pas devant elle?' He
took up a book by a Protestant minister, I think of Geneva, and read
to us with great indignation the account he had made up of a Roman
priest's sermon on the Blessed Virgin--the _adoring_ her, and so on.
He said the Protestant remarks on that subject were full of bad faith,
and were in the highest degree shocking to Catholics. I asked him
about his brother's conversion: he said, over and above the printed
account which I had seen, 'My brother, two hours after his conversion,
was seen by Cardinal Mezzofanti, who was ready to throw himself on his
knees in adoration to God. Nothing was known of my brother at Rome,
and at first great apprehensions were entertained as to what his
character might turn out to be. He had never read two pages of the
Bible, never received any religious instruction whatever, was
altogether of a light and superficial character. The Blessed Virgin
appeared to him as close as I am to you; she made a motion to him that
he should remain quiet under the divine influence. On rising out of
his ecstacy he had received intuitively the knowledge of the Christian
faith. He came and lived three months with me; I never talked with him
as to what he should do; I carefully abstained from exercising any
influence over him. I had, indeed, great apprehensions of him, as to
what his future life would be. At the end of that time I said to him,
I am going to offer mass for you, to know what your future vocation
will be. He replied, without the slightest hesitation or emotion, I am
in no doubt about that. Two courses are open to me: one is to become
a priest and live here with you; we should be two brothers
together,--that would be, indeed, a delightful life: the other is to
enter the Company of Jesus. I do not know what that is, but I shall
become a Jesuit. I was very much astonished. As tu bien réflechi, je
lui dis?--Je n'y ai pas réflechi, mais la S. Vierge me l'a dit.--Alors
je me tus, je ne dis plus une parole. He knew so little what the
Jesuits were; he had so great an apprehension what would happen to
him, that when he left me he agreed that, if he was unhappy, he would
put a certain mark in his letter for me to come and see him. I went
after a time to see him: I found him engaged in cleaning the
dirtiest parts of the house. They had put him on the severest trials
to test his resolution; he surmounted them all, and now, since he has
been three years among them, he has never had even l'ombre de peine.
_I believe that he has more than once received a repetition of the
grace he had at Rome_, but I have never asked him on the subject. His
vocation has been marked out by the Blessed Virgin for the conversion
of the Jews. My uncle is worth from six to seven millions of francs:
he has disinherited my brother, who has renounced every thing. He
built a small church near here: before going into the order of the
Jesuits he distributed all his property to the poor, as is their
custom; previous to his conversion he had never had vision or anything
of the kind.'
M. Ratisbonne, seeing we were greatly interested in all he said,
warmed in his manner, and before parting he gave each of us a small
book; mine is a Catechism. I told him how much I had liked his life of
S. Bernard. 'Ah,' he said, 'you have had the patience to read that.' I
begged him to allow me to call on him again before leaving. We then
went to Miss Young's, where I wrote down as much as I could remember
of our conversation, which had greatly moved me. Thence M. Carron took
us to several booksellers; we also called on M. Galais at the
Séminaire S. Sulpice, and delivered our letter; as he had a
class shortly after, we proposed coming again on Thursday. We then
adjourned to the church a short time, to various libraries, and did
not get home till late.
_Wednesday, July 9._--Called on M. Martin Noirlieu, Curé of St.
Jacques; we found him very affable, and desirous to oblige. Talked
about the state of things in England, and said we were most desirous
to see things as they were, and to get rid of all prejudice. I said
the _culte_ of the Blessed Virgin was that which stood most in our
way; and remarked, how in their litanies to her, after a simple
address to the different persons of the Holy Trinity, there followed a
reiterated invocation of her under many various titles, throwing, as
it were, into the shade the Godhead. He excused this, because in those
litanies her intercession was especially requested, and spoke of other
litanies to Jesus, &c. He also said the Church was in no way committed
to those popular devotions of the Archiconfrèrie, &c. He, for example,
had had nothing to do with them at all; but lately he had had occasion
to preach severely against the idea of any virtue being supposed to
reside in images themselves. He strongly recommended Bossuet's
Exposition, as being a faithful account of the Church's doctrines.
There was strict unity as to dogma, but within that limit there were a
vast number of things which might or might not be true. He has been
curé since 1836; about 300 communicants every Sunday in his
parish, which has 15,000 people. Among them are many Jansenists. At
Easter rather less than half the people communicate; he excused there
not being more by their having _severe_ notions on the subject. Spoke
favourably of his people. Walked with us to S. Etienne; a strange
mixture of Gothic and Renaissance, with some fine features; the tomb
of S. Geneviève, which he said was of the fourth century. Thence to
S. Gervais, a fine church of the latest Gothic, the Lady Chapel of
which has been most beautifully restored and decorated; there are five
painted windows, and four very interesting frescoes by Delorme, of
incidents in her life. The whole church is to be done after the same
manner. The government, too, are going to spend 80,000_l_. in
thoroughly restoring Notre Dame: all the windows are to be of painted
glass. There is a curious pendent crown, wrought in stone, in the roof
of this chapel. M. Noirlieu invited us to be at a "conférence," which
he would hold with some of his parishioners on Saturday, who assisted
him in the instruction of the poor. He left us, and we went to see la
Sainte Chapelle, but were disappointed, as a ticket from the architect
is necessary. Here, too, scaffolding is up, and restoration in full
progress. We then mounted the towers of Notre Dame, and enjoyed for
some time that noble view of the stateliest of modern cities. I
never felt more admiration of this magnificent city than on this
visit: one is ever painfully contrasting the meanness of our public
buildings, and the wretched appearance of our brick houses in London,
with the noble quais and palaces of Paris. These towers themselves are
of wonderful solidity, and evidently built for spires; in truth, they
ought to be double their present height. Here is, however, a great
want of towers and spires in this view, such as there must once have
been at Paris. We took a peep also at the great bell,--an immense
creature. At five o'clock we went to dine with Bishop Luscombe: found
him in his picture gallery, which he took great delight in showing us.
We met here a Mr. Parkes, an American clergyman, who was elected
Bishop of Alabama two years ago, but declined on the score of health.
He is an interesting person. I had a long conversation with him on the
state of the Church in England, America, and France. He, too, has a
strong notion of Roman corruption, but is quite ignorant of their
practice and services, having never read even the Mass. I endeavoured
to persuade him, on the ground of the Church's decided voice, that the
validity of baptism did not depend on the administrator; but he
seemed to think there was equal authority for the doctrine of
Transubstantiation. I said, as to that there were really only two
Ideas on the doctrine of the Holy Eucharist: the one was a real
true objective presence of our Lord's Body and Blood; and the other no
presence at all, but an impression produced by faith on the
individual,--a commemoration, or what not. If we agreed, as we did,
with the Church of Rome in the former view, it was better not to fight
about the mode in which she has stated it, her real intent being to
force a shuffling and evasive party to accept or reject the truth
distinctly. The Church of England, rejecting the Roman definition, has
not herself fenced the truth on the Protestant side, which may make us
more forbearing as to condemning the Roman mode of statement, being,
as we are, entirely of accord with her as to the real truth, which
lies at the bottom of the controversy--the Christian's highest and
inconceivable blessing. He thought that high and low in the Church of
England could not long go on together, and heartily wished we might
get rid of state interference and control at any cost. 'Meet in
convocation,' said he, 'and if you are turned out of doors, adjourn to
the street; suffer anything and everything, but do not let the state
control you.' We walked home with Mr. Parkes: he seems a most sincere
and candid person.
_Thursday, July 10._--M. Galais took us over the Séminaire de
S. Sulpice. There is nothing remarkable in the building. The pupils
are rather more than 200: their appearance is very devout; they seem
of low rank in life generally, and this is no doubt the case,
but with exceptions; for instance, we heard today of the son of M.
Ségur, who is there. Each pupil has a small room to himself, which
opens on the corridor; it has a bed, table, little stove, and hardly
anything more, with a crucifix and little statue of the Blessed
Virgin, belonging to the house. They make their own beds: they are not
allowed to enter each other's rooms at all, but, if they wish to speak
to one another, the stranger stands in the passage, and the occupant
at his door. The whole is under the inspection of the archbishop, who
has a chamber here, but does not often come. There are twelve masters.
The state of instruction as regards the Church is as follows in France
generally. In each diocese there is one or more petits séminaires,
which are for children, not only such as are to be ecclesiastics, but
laymen also. These are the only schools in which morals and religion
are made a primary consideration; and, therefore, though they have
nothing to do with the university, and are excluded from all
privileges, they are sought after by the sounder part of the
community. To these succeeds, for ecclesiastics alone, the grand
séminaire for each diocese; this of S. Sulpice is the most eminent in
France. The studies are for five years; two in philosophy, three in
theology. They are thus arranged, as we took them down from the
lips of M. Galais.
PHILOSOPHY (FIRST YEAR).
Logic, Psychology,--morning.
Arithmetic, Geometry, beginning of Algebra,--evening.
SECOND YEAR.
Théodicée } morning.
Morale }
Geology }
Physics } evening.
Astronomy }
Chemistry }
Sometimes, perhaps in half the dioceses of France, these two years of
philosophy are contracted to one. The three years of theology are thus
arranged:--
FIRST YEAR.
Morale. Le traité de actibus humanis.
" de legibus.
" de peccatis.
" de decalogo.
Dogme. " de vera religione.
" de vera ecclesia.
" de locis theologicis.
SECOND YEAR.
Morale. De jure et justitia.
De contractibus.
Dogme. De Trinitate.
De Incarnatione.
De gratia.
THIRD YEAR.
Morale. De sacramento pœnitentiæ. (Under this head would fall the
whole direction for the guidance of souls.)
De matrimonio.
De censuris et irregularitatibus.
Dogme. De sacramentis in genere.
De baptismo.
De confirmatione.
De Eucharistia.
De ordine. (There is also a special course on this.)
De extrema unctione.
A course of Holy Scripture twice a-week, exclusive of private study
of it.
Authors used:--
Bailly, 8 vols.
Bouvier, Institutiones Theologicæ.
Carrière, De Jure, et Justitia, &c.
Tronson, Forma Cleri.
These three years of theology are sometimes expanded to four.
For the dogma of the Roman Church, M. Galais said, the canons of the
Council of Trent, with the acts of the councils generally, were the
only _authentic_ or _symbolic_ sources; next to this comes
catechismus ad parochos. Bossuet's Exposition is regarded as quite a
standard book; likewise Moëhler's Symbolism. He recommended strongly,
for the interior life, "Louis de Grenada," "Rodriguez," "S. François
de Sales;" spoke highly of Olier's life.
We were greatly pleased with M. Galais' courtesy. He took us also over
the library, which is very good indeed; beginning with a complete
collection of the Fathers, through the schoolmen, down to modern
times: it was arranged chronologically. "He pointed out to us
'Tronson's Forma Cleri' as giving the best idea of their whole
discipline."--_M._ At M. Bonnetty's we found M. l'Abbé d'Alzon, who
kindly took us to the convent of the Dames de l'Assomption, Rue des
Postes. In passing, we looked into the chapel of the Jesuits, in their
house at Paris, which has made such a noise. They are about 20 here,
and in all France 210: and these few, but picked and valiant men, fill
with dread the hosts of the freethinkers and infidels in France; they
know not how to meet them but with persecution. We were greatly
interested indeed with the Dames de l'Assomption. We saw the
Supérieure and a sister, which latter was English. We had a long
conversation, in which she explained the object of their society,
lately founded--to communicate a Christian education to the children
of the higher ranks, especially of the aristocratie de l'argent, who
of all ranks in France are most alienated from religion. The
Supérieure spoke with much feeling and intelligence, and with that
beauty and distinctness of expression which makes the French language
so pleasing in a female mouth. She said they had been much
struck, in their experience, with the mass of knowledge and
accomplishments which existed out of the Church and the sphere of her
influence, or rather in antagonism to her. Beside the usual vows of
chastity, poverty, and obedience, they took a fourth--to extend the
kingdom of the Saviour to the utmost of their power; and the best
means to do this, they thought, was to lay hold of the education of
the higher ranks, and impress on it a religious character. 'This could
only be done,' she said, 'by a religious congregation; for how can
those who live in the world, and seek after its prizes, form their
pupils to the contempt of the world? How can those who work for riches
themselves teach others to live above them? How, especially, can the
children of the rich be strongly impressed with Christian truth save
by those who themselves bear the cross?' 'Religious orders,' she said,
'are like branches which, one after the other, spring out of a tree;
the trunk itself lasts on, but the branches, it may be, after a time
drop off, and give place to others. We do not desire that our order
should last when it ceases to be useful, and therefore we have
strictly provided that it should possess no funds after the
acquisition of the house and garden, which is necessary for our
existence: all that we allow is, that any sister may have a pension
for life--but this is not necessary; if we find any one of suitable
disposition and acquirements, we should be happy to admit her
without any. Besides this we receive payments from our pupils: we
think it more Christian to work for our living; nor would our pupils
be in a comfortable position if they did not pay us.' These sisters
recite _all_ the offices of the Breviary in Latin, but not during the
night, but anticipating them: they rise at five, go to bed at ten;
they attend Mass daily, and have an hour of meditation every morning,
and half-an-hour in the evening. 'But,' said M. D'Alzon, 'you know
that, wherever there are religious orders, there must be one secret
source of strength--intimate union with the Saviour.' 'You mean,' I
said, 'that which springs from the Real Presence.' They all agreed;
and the Supérieure continued--'We could never sustain this life, were
it not for the thought that we were spouses of Christ--that is the one
thought which is the centre of our life.' I said, 'I am sure there are
thousands of young persons in England who would enter into religious
orders if we had them.' She agreed, and said, 'they must not be purely
active, but largely contemplative; there was something pensive and
melancholy in the English female character, which shrunk back from a
purely active life such as that of the Sisters of Charity.' They were
astonished and much gratified when I read to them the Absolution in
the Service of the Sick, which pronounces absolution, by virtue
of the priestly office, _categorically_, not declaratively: they
agreed that it was perfectly Catholic. The demeanour of these
ladies--the four that I saw--struck me exceedingly: it was gentle,
perfectly that of ladies, yet intellectual: like that of those who
felt they had a noble mission, and had courage to execute it. Their
dress also is very becoming--a dark robe with a white hood, and white
cross on the centre of the breast. All their servants take the same
vows, eat at the same table; the only difference being, that they are
less intelligent and accomplished.
In the evening we went for a short time into the gardens of the
Tuileries; I had never before seen the orange trees out there, and the
gay and cheerful spirit of the scene struck me, so much more brilliant
than the aspect of our parks.
_Friday, July 11._--M. was poorly with a headache, so I went alone to
M. Galais at the Séminaire, who sent a young priest with me to M.
Poileau's school, about a mile to the south-west of Paris. There are
more than 300 pupils there; it is the largest establishment of the
kind not in connection with the university. I saw the chapel, which
was very neatly arranged, and the infirmerie, in which was a priest;
there were several beds ranged in alcoves on each side, and some sick
boys in them; a relation had come to see one, and one who seemed by
her dress to be a sister of charity, another. The boys sleep in
dormitories, ranged much in the same manner; it so happened that the
head of the establishment and the next person to him were both away,
and the rooms being locked we did not go into them. We saw a class
preparing for their first communion. The rule of the house is that
they confess constantly, but communion is left open. The boys pay
40_l_. a year each, and the masters receive the same sum, besides
board and lodging. The house was encompassed with gardens, and an
exercising ground, with poles, &c. for the boys; their ages run from 7
to 18 or 19: sometimes the conscription finds them there. My conductor
had been drawn for the conscription, and had to pay 1800 francs for a
remplaçant. He said about forty were drawn yearly on a city of 7000 or
8000; he was the eighty-first or so, but there were so many of those
who drew before him incapacitated from one cause or other, that he and
several beyond him came into the forty eligible. On returning I went
to M. Galais again, as he had invited me, and he talked to me near two
hours and a half. I thought him very well instructed and clear-headed;
he gave me a sketch of the disputes of the Thomists and Molinists on
Grace; and the system of Suarez on the subject, the science absolue,
science moyenne, and science probable of God. The Church holds the two
extreme points; on the one hand the absolute necessity of the grace of
God anticipating, as well as capacitating, every human movement,
on the other hand, the free concurrence of the human will, but she
does not attempt to define, as matter of faith, the mode of their
coexistence. He seemed to think Suarez, next to St. Thomas, was the
greatest of theological minds. Once, in a dispute with a Dominican,
the latter produced a sentence of St. Augustine which told strongly
against Suarez; he kept silence, but when his turn came to reply, he
said, 'That sentence is not in St. Augustine;' the other repeated that
it was. 'It is not,' returned Suarez; 'I know St. Augustine by heart,
and that sentence does not occur in his writings.' They searched, but
were unable to find it anywhere. That evening his conscience smote
Suarez for having said publicly, though with truth, that he knew St.
Augustine by heart, and he confessed himself on account of it. On the
subject of the Holy Eucharist, I inquired whether the Church would
require more than that after the words of consecration the Body and
Blood of our Lord were really and truly present, independent of the
faith of the individual: he said, 'Yes; she would require a belief
that the bread was destroyed, (détruit,) that its substance was
changed, and its appearance, or accidents, only remained, to meet our
senses. There were many opinions _how_ this took place, but none of
them were _de fide_, provided the thing was believed.' M. Galais gave
me much more information respecting the seminary, which I put
opposite the former remarks thereon. It seems to me that no greater
care can be taken to form the inward mind to the duties of the
sacerdotal office, and to exclude all who have not a genuine vocation.
Nothing can exceed the kindness of M. Galais in giving information. In
the evening we went to St. Severin, to hear M. D'Alzon preach: we lost
our way, and were late, and so at too great a distance to hear him
well. He spoke on the Real Presence, the junction of the Divinity with
the Humanity, and the blessings thence flowing forth, rather with
passion and feeling than with deep reflection. His incessant action
contrasts strongly with our quiet manner. I can well imagine that
reading his sermon would be quite insupportable to him, as well as to
the people. At the same time such sermons as Newman's would be lost on
them. I cannot but think that speaking from the pulpit without book
ought to form part of our education.
_Saturday, July 12._--M. D'Alzon took us over M. l'Abbé Migne's great
printing establishment. It contains 175 workmen, and everything is
done therein; binding, stereotyping, as well as printing, and selling
besides. He produces a very large octavo volume in double columns,
Latin for five francs, and Greek and Latin for eight francs: the
former he is about to raise to six francs. His patrology is to contain
200 such volumes of Latin authors, and 100 of Greek: 46 are come
out. The cheapness is wonderful, and necessary for the small incomes
of those who would chiefly want such books, and the execution fair. M.
Migne is a priest, and acts not from a desire to gain, but to assist
the clergy. However, the Archbishop has forbidden him to say Mass at
present.
We looked into the Louvre for an hour to-day, and enjoyed the glimpse
of the pictures: the first time we have so indulged ourselves.
In the evening went to M. Noirlieu, who introduced us into a
conférence de S. Vincent de Paul. About 40 young men present, of the
rank and age of students, who meet weekly; they each take about a
couple of families to visit and assist. This sort of thing exists in
33 parishes in Paris. Here there are about 50 members, in S. Sulpice
120. It is a visiting society, but under better rule than ours; and it
was pleasing to see, as being formed out of exactly that part of
society which is generally most alienated from such works. They gave
us a copy of their rules. "The abbé himself had less to do with it
than I had expected, but I believe he has an instruction in his church
on Sunday evening, especially for the workmen whose families are thus
visited. They conclude the meeting with short prayers, in which, by
the bye, there occurs an invocation of the Blessed Virgin, which all
repeat aloud, and which I did not like to repeat with them, being the
one I mentioned, some time ago, as not being fully approved at
Rome. These things are a puzzle to me. I can blink them for a time,
but when I come into close contact, I feel them again, and wonder much
how they can agree, not with infallibility, but with the wisdom which
I feel otherwise fully disposed to allow to the Church of Rome. This
particular case is _in favour_ of Rome. But then Rome allows and
sanctions what must almost necessarily involve things to which I
cannot reconcile myself. The system of devotion to the Blessed Virgin,
as it now stands, wants some foundation beyond all they tell me of
when I ask them to give an account of it. Perhaps, in their own mind,
they consider that the mind of the Church expressed in her perpetual
practice is the real ground; but for the Church being so minded I am
sure they do not assign sufficient grounds. If such grounds there are,
they must be found in mediæval revelation; at least, I can hardly
conceive mere development going so far with any authority."--_M._
_Sunday, July 13._--Went to Bishop Luscombe's service. He preached.
In our return, we looked into the Chapelle Expiatore--one certainly of
the most touching spots of Paris. Under the statues of Louis XVI. and
Marie Antoinette respectively are inscribed their last words--golden
words indeed--which can hardly be read, especially on the spot
where their bodies rested for twenty-one years, without tears. In the
evening we went to the Ecole des Frères Chrétiens, 6. Rue du Fleurus,
and were conducted by some of the brethren to the most extraordinary
scene we have witnessed in France. It was a meeting held in the parish
church of S. Marguerite, to give prizes to the assiduous members of
the society of S. Francois Xavier, which is composed of artizans, who
attend periodically to be instructed. After Vespers and Compline,
Monseigneur the Archbishop of Chalcedoine was introduced, under whom
the séance was held. The curé then briefly stated the course of
proceedings, and presently commenced a dispute between M. l'Abbé
Massard, prêtre directeur, and M. l'Abbé Croze, on the subject whether
there were or were not miracles; the former maintaining the negative,
the latter the affirmative. The usual philosophical objections were
put by l'Abbé Massard, very fairly and with great vivacity, and were
answered by l'Abbé Croze with vivacity still greater and superior
ingenuity. Constant approbation and laughter attended both question
and answer, there being a large number of women outside the barrier in
the aisles, the workmen members occupying the nave, and all seemed to
relish to the utmost the nature of the colloquy. It was, indeed,
extremely well imagined to convey to minds of that class a ready
answer to specious philosophical objections against the truth of
religion; and, though no doubt previously arranged by the two
disputants, had all the air of being poured forth with extreme
volubility on the spur of the moment. To give a notion of the
thing:--"M. Massard proposed the subject of Miracles; and on being
asked, What about miracles? said, he should dispute against them.
L'Abbé Croze asked him what he meant by miracles. M. Massard began,
personating an eager and hasty infidel, with a rough account of them.
'I don't mean to give a philosophical definition; I mean what every
body means--an extraordinary thing, such as one never saw--in fact, an
impossible thing.' L'Abbé Croze complained that this was too vague,
and gave his own definition--'an act surpassing human power, and out
of the ordinary course of nature, and which consequently must be
referred to some supernatural power.' L'Abbé Massard then made a
speech of some length about the impossibility of miracles, and the
absurdity of some that were found in history, and concluded by denying
all. M. Croze made him begin to repeat his arguments one by one,
saying, he would then serve him as Horatius did the Curiatii. M.
Massard said, in repetition, 'God cannot work a miracle, for it would
be a disorder; it would be against his own laws,' &c. L'Abbé Croze
said, 'he could not see why He, who makes the sun rise every day,
might not stop it one day, as the maker of a watch can stop the
watch. A miracle is no exertion of force in the Almighty, no more than
for one who walks to stop walking an instant,' &c. M. Massard changed
his ground, and"--_M._--urged Hume's argument, that even if a miracle
were acted before our eyes, we could have no proofs that it was a
miracle equal in force to the antecedent improbability that a miracle
would be done. M. Croze pulled this to pieces, to the great amusement
of the auditory. 'What,' said he, 'can anything be more ridiculous
than to tell me that proofs are wanted, when a miracle is done before
my eyes? If I see a man whom I well know in the last stage of
sickness, witness afterwards his death and burial, and, a year or two
after that, that man reappears before my eyes, do I want any proof of
the miracle? If I meet an ass in the street and say to him, Ass,
speak, philosophise; and he forthwith opens his mouth and argues, do I
want any proof that it is a miracle? If I meet an ox going along, and
I say, Ox, fly; and he flies, do I want proof of the miracle? If one
evening all the women in Paris were to become dumb, and could not
speak'--here a burst of laughter broke from all parts of the church,
and it was some time before the orator triumphant could proceed. "M.
Massard said, 'Well, but there have been sorcerers and magicians who
performed miracles; Moses was met by sorcerers who did the same
miracles that he did.' Croze--'Not the same: they imitated one or two,
but then failed.' He went on with an eloquent apostrophe to Moses,
ending with an allusion to the final plague; and then he went on
further to illustrate the difference between divine and diabolical
miracles, by the history of St. Peter and Simon Magus. M. Massard
said, 'But if any one were to work as many miracles by the power of
the devil as are recorded in Holy Scripture, must we then believe
him?' M. Croze--'No; we have been told that Antichrist will work
miracles at the end of the world; but we are assured that God has
wrought them in proof of His religion, and He cannot have deceived us.
Therefore we may safely reject any pretended revelation that is
contrary to what we have received.'"--_M._
The last question was, 'You have well proved that there can be, and
have been, miracles, but now I wish to put an objection to you, which
I think you will find it very hard to answer. How is it that God works
no miracles now?' M. Croze rejoins, 'Is that your great difficulty?
There are fifty answers I might give you. As, for instance, that God
does not choose to work them now, and certainly we have no right to
ask His reasons; or, that now His religion is established, it has no
need of the confirmation of miracles. These and numberless other
answers might be given, but I prefer showing you, that it is not
at all desirable miracles should be worked. Two medical charlatans
once went into a town, and, in order to get themselves practice,
instead of putting out that they had specific remedies for the gout,
or the liver, or the digestion, or what not, they declared, on that
day three weeks, they would go in broad daylight into the cemetery and
raise to life any whom they were asked to raise, however long he had
been dead. The bait took; their house in the mean time was besieged
with patients, for it was naturally supposed that they, who could
raise the dead, could cure the living. In the mean time, as the day
approached, the more timid said to the other, 'What shall we do, for
if we do not raise the dead man we shall certainly be stoned.' 'Don't
be afraid,' said the other, 'I know mankind better than that;' and,
indeed, the next day a middle-aged man came to them, and offered them
a considerable sum if they would go away without raising the dead.
'Ah! Messieurs,' said he, 'j'avais une si méchante femme.' Another
burst of laughter throughout the church. 'I had such a shrew of a
wife. God in his goodness has been pleased to relieve me of her; if
she should be the one you pitch upon, I should be a lost man.'
Presently came two young men, and said, 'Ah! Messieurs, an old man
died the other day and left us a great fortune: if you raise him up, I
am afraid we shall be lost men, for he will certainly take it from us
again.' Not long after came the magistrates, who had reason to
fear lest a certain person, who was now quietly out of the way, should
return to life and trouble them. And they besought and authorised our
charlatans to leave the city before the appointed day. So you see it
would be a very undesirable thing to have the power to work miracles.
So I might answer you; but I, for my part, believe there have been
miracles in modern times.' Here he cited some, which I did not catch.
Such was the nature of this conférence between M. Massard and M.
Croze, which latter had a countenance remarkable for finesse and
subtilty and comic humour. Profaneness to the church was supposed to
be guarded against by stretching a curtain before the altar at some
little distance.
This was followed by an energetic and rhetorical sermon from L'Abbé
Frappaz, on the love of Christ, and on faith, hope, and charity, which
was listened to with great attention, and applauded more than once.
"After this they sang 'Monstra te esse matrem' to a lively hopping
air."--_M._
Then came a long distribution of prizes, in books and pictures, to the
most attentive members, which were delivered to each by the Archbishop
of Chalcedoine, while at intervals the choir struck out verses of a
hymn in honour of St. Francis Xavier, which was echoed through the
church. In the mean time the curtain had been withdrawn, and the altar
brilliantly lighted up for a salut pontificalement célébré.
This, however, we did not stay for, as it was already past ten.
_Monday, July 14._--We went up to Montmartre, having a letter for the
curé; but we found that he had moved to Charenton, behind Père la
Chaise. Round the church there is a small garden, with the Stations,
which terminate on the north side in a Calvary; there are the three
crosses, and figures as large as life, on a little rocky eminence;
beneath is the sepulchre, with a recess for the body, a window and two
doors: on the south side a small chapel of Notre Dame des Sept
Douleurs, in which she is represented with Christ in her arms.
Underneath is the following inscription, which we copied as a specimen
of expressions, such as, though unauthorised by the Roman Church, are
continually found in and about churches, and do much harm:--
"Ne sortez pas du Calvaire sans invoquer Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs.
Elle pleine de grace, le soutien des malheureux, la consolation des
affligés, le refuge des pécheurs, et des opprimés.
"Elle vient du mont Valérien; elle opère des grands prodiges,
adressons nous à elle avec confiance; elle nous sera propice, et nous
consolera dans nos peines. Priez pour nous, Mère de Dieu, qui avons
recours à vous."
We showed this to M. Galais in the evening: he censured it, declared
it was contrary to the rule, which required that no such thing should
be set up without the authority of the Bishop, and said he would
have it made known to the Archbishop of Paris.
The church is very old, plain and ugly outside; its apse misappropriated
into a telegraph station; inside it is a little better: Norman in
style. The chief interest about it to us was that here St. Ignatius de
Loyola made his first profession.
We enjoyed the prospect of Paris from the hill below; but that of
London is, I think, finer; for this _general_ view wants grievously
the towers and spires of the middle ages: in that vast expanse there
are but few buildings which soar above the common range. Notre Dame,
S. Jacques de la Boucherie, The Pantheon, Les Invalides, and one or
two others, seem as nothing in that great city.
We visited M. Galais again this afternoon, as he was going out to
their maison de campagne, for his retreat of eight days, to-morrow. He
was reciting his Breviary when we entered his chamber; he begged
permission to continue, then knelt down for the Lord's Prayer, and
after that talked with us above an hour. He also took us to the
Supérieur. I told him we were desirous to learn all we could of their
discipline. He said the seminaries had been originally established
with a view to cultivate the interior life, and as places of religious
recueillement,--the young men going to the Sorbonne for instruction.
All this had been put a stop to at the Revolution; and now, the
university being under the direction of infidels, they were obliged to
make their seminaries serve for instruction as well as for works of
piety. They wished to have a chair of Ecclesiastical History. He
inquired about the state of Christian philosophy at Oxford, and said
they looked for something to be done on that subject, where the stress
of the battle with infidelity now lies. He also asked whether as
careful a guard was kept over young men preparing for orders as with
them: on which point we were ashamed to answer. M. Galais invited us
to their maison de campagne, and we agreed to go on Saturday.
_Tuesday, July 15._--We ventured to call on the Père Lacordaire, and
were richly rewarded for our boldness, inasmuch as we had more than an
hour's very animated talk with him. Behold a veritable monk, a St.
Bernard as it were, returned again in the vigour of manhood; in his
white Dominican dress he looked the very beau idéal of the Church's
warrior, armed at all points for the encounter with heresy, and
walking serene and fearless amid the troubles of life and the shock of
falling systems. A fresh and rosy countenance, a keen dark eye, and
most animated expression, contributed to form one of the most striking
figures I have ever beheld. I thought it was worth coming to Paris to
see him. Perhaps the knowledge that he was a most eloquent preacher
had something to do with this feeling. "I asked him about the
Tiers Ordre de S. Dominic. He said that it was under no vow, but they
might add to their profession the vow of celibacy (chastity they call
it always), or that of obedience, or both. The rule, as modified by
authoritative dispensations, may be observed with tolerable ease by
persons living in society. Father Lacordaire himself, as superior of
the Dominicans in France, has received from Rome certain dispensations
for those who may embrace the third order; and there are already some
fifty of them, if I remember right, in Paris."--_M._
We talked about the Anglican movement. He spoke also of the miserable
state of the University in France; that, instead of being local, it
was extended every where, and so had no body, no coherence. Its
professors were bandied about, from one end of France to the other, at
the pleasure of the government. He said they were engaged in a great
contest for the liberty of the religious orders: that was nearly won:
it would certainly arrive. Protestantism showed its deadness by
producing no monastic institutions: there was no sign more convincing
to his mind than this. If we had a true spring of life among us, how
could we have failed to put forth what is so undeniably accordant with
the spirit of the cross? After we had talked some time, I said, 'I
should like to put a question to you. Suppose a person of intelligence,
of perfect good faith, who is ready to make any sacrifice for religion,
who uses all possible means to attain to the truth; suppose such a
person, firmly convinced that the English Church is a branch of the
Catholic Church; though unhappily separated from the Roman Church;
would you condemn him--that is, put him out of the pale of salvation?'
'Monsieur,' said he, 'there is only one thing which can excuse a
person for not belonging to the Church, and that is invincible
ignorance. You know in certain cases even the heathen may be saved.
But such a person cannot be in invincible ignorance; for there are
only three things by which a man can be prevented from seeing the
truth: either the truth in itself must be of insufficient power to
convince him; or there must be a defect of understanding; or a
corruption of will. But the first is out of the question. The truth of
itself must always be sufficient: to suppose otherwise would be to
censure God. Either then there must be a defect of understanding, but
in the cases of the leaders of the Anglican movement, that is out of
the question, because they are men of great powers of mind, of great
distinction; there remains only then the corruption of the will,
which, indeed, is often so subtle, that men are unconscious of its
influence. Nevertheless, in the sight of God it is the will which in
such cases leads astray, and then such men are condemned, and cannot
plead invincible ignorance--when indeed you come to the individual, I
will not attempt to judge: it is written, "nolite judicare," for it is
utterly impossible for any human being to know the inward state of
another. But I only say of the class that such persons cannot plead
invincible ignorance--for the truth itself, as I have said, cannot be
insufficient; and their intellectual powers are such, that in these
also there can be no impediment; consequently the obstacle must be in
the will, however unconscious the individual may be of it. A thousand
considerations of family, of fortune, of habit, and what not, surround
a man, and insensibly warp him, but he is still under condemnation,
for it is his own will that is corrupt. If I were to go into a public
square in Paris and raise three men from the dead, would all that saw
it believe?' 'Certainly not,' I said. 'Why then is that? There is some
secret obstacle in their will.' We tried in vain to make him
understand that a person might be conscientiously convinced, after the
most patient study, that the Church of England was part of the true
Church, but in vain. It was plainly an idea that he could not and
would not receive.
I put the case of the Greek and Russian Churches. He exempted the poor
and illiterate from censure, but in the case of the instructed he said
it must be the spirit of schism which secretly turned them away from
the truth. I said there were bishops and monks and multitudes of
persons of a devoted and severe life on their side, who failed to see
the claims of the Roman See. 'Ah,' he said, 'it has always been so; in
our Saviour's time they ascribed his miracles to Beelzebub; how was it
that they who saw Lazarus raised from the dead went and informed the
chief priests of it?' In short, so complete a conviction of the truth
of the whole Roman system possessed his mind, that he was utterly
unable to conceive a person of ability and sincerity coming to any
other conclusion. We only put the case hypothetically, but he would
not admit it even so; he said, it is morally and metaphysically
impossible.
"I said, 'I wish I could show you the interior of a mind like that of
----. Born and educated in Anglicanism, he has given great attention
to religious truth, and in particular to the points in question. He
has no desire but to be in the Catholic Church and to labour for it,
but he believes that the Church of England is a branch of it,
unhappily separated for a time by peculiar circumstances from the
rest; and now in a state of appeal. In remaining where he is, he
believes he is doing his duty. What do you think of such a case?' He
said, 'I cannot judge of individuals,' but, &c. over again. He spoke
as if he did not know much of England. I said to him, 'the question
after all is one of fact: there are facts in England with which you
are not acquainted.'"--_M._
He did not seem acquainted with the peculiarities of our position. He
spoke with great energy and ability. I can fancy what his force in the
pulpit must be.
We went to M. D'Alzon, who conducted us to Dom Guéranger; he received
us with great kindness. The Pope has just erected a bishopric at
Perth, in New South Wales, and one of his élèves is going out there;
he suddenly resolved upon it three weeks ago, and seems quite in high
spirits at the thought of it. There are now one Roman Catholic
archbishopric and three bishoprics there,--Sydney, Hobartown,
Adelaide, and Perth. They said Dr. Flaget, Bishop of Bardstown, had
been sent out with his pontifical and a paper mitre; 'as for his
cross,' said Dom Guéranger, 'he could cut that out of a tree.' We put
nearly the same question to him as to the Père Lacordaire, but he was
more indulgent in his answer. He said, provided such a person was
strictly sincere, and used every means to discover the truth, he must
be judged to belong to the soul of the Church, though he was separated
from its body, and would be saved. He said our formularies for the
consecration of bishops and priests were deficient, so that, granting
the succession even, it would be more than doubtful whether they were
true bishops and priests; but being pressed he admitted that the Roman
Church had never yet been called upon to decide the point, and
that in fact it was not decided, though there was a general opinion
among them about it. When I told him that Coleridge had collected
50,000_l._ for St. Augustine's, and what was the object of it, he was
much astonished. 'If you English were restored to the Church,' he
said, 'you would evangelise the world; Spaniards and Portuguese,
Italians and French, must yield to you, with the resources you
command.' Talking of liturgies, he remarked spontaneously, how those
of the East were full of addresses to the Blessed Virgin: half or a
third of every page was devoted to her. They went before the Roman
Church in that respect. When the Council of Ephesus gave her the title
of 'Mother of God,' there were public rejoicings throughout the city
in consequence. He did not seem to like admitting that the prayers of
St. Ephrem to the Blessed Virgin were not authentic; said it was his
style. (Morris tells me the style of his Syriac works is very
different from that of his Greek, and the matter much deeper.) At
parting he expressed a wish, that if we came to Paris again, we would
come and see him. We took a look at the beautiful chapel of the
Sœurs Garde-Malades, with fresh admiration of it. We had expressed
a wish to M. D'Alzon to see some sackcloth and instruments of
penitence; so he took us to a house of Carmelite nuns of St. Therèse,
near the Luxembourg: one of them conversed behind the grille and
curtain, which was quite impervious to the sight on both sides. It is
part of their special duty to pray for the conversion of Protestants.
These Carmelites discipline themselves every Friday. The sister showed
us some of their instruments of discipline; corporal austerities,
however, by all that we could learn, are not common, nor are they
generally allowed by confessors, partly that the health of few will
allow of them; partly, there is a danger of pride thence arising.
_Wednesday, July 16._--M. D'Alzon came and breakfasted with us, and
afterwards took us to the establishment of the Frères Chrétiens, Rue
du Faubourg St. Martin, 165., where the Supérieur Général, Frère
Philippe, received us. There was little to see in the house, as they
expected the Strasburg railway would come through them and drive them
away. He said the number of brethren altogether was 4000; of pupils
under them, adult and children, 198,000: they increase yearly. They
were almost dispersed at the first revolution, but returned again
through Cardinal Fesch, who found four of the brethren, who had taken
refuge at Lyons, and brought them to Paris. Frère Philippe is very
plain and homely: his picture, by Horace Vernet, has made a great
sensation here.
M. D'Alzon then took me to a house of priests in the Rue de la
Planche. I had a long talk with two of them. The first was a
confessor to a penitentiary, in which eighty women are received at the
cost of the city of Paris. His account of their penitence was
touching. It is rare that any leave them without being thoroughly
changed, provided they stay long enough. But the picture which he gave
of the depravity general in Paris on this head was frightful. It is a
wonderful spectacle, the close contact into which the most sublime
self-devotion and the most abandoned sensuality are brought in this
great city; on the one hand, consider the daily prayers and
mortifications, and works of charity of those Carmelites, who are ever
engaged in interceding for the conversion of sinners; of those nuns of
the Adoration, who are ever contemplating the most wonderful of
mysteries; of those Ladies of the Assumption, who dedicate the talents
and accomplishments God has given them, under the vows of poverty,
obedience, and chastity, to the direct furtherance of his kingdom; of
those solitary and homeless priests--without father and without
mother, without ties of family or worldly possessions, truly after the
order of Melchisedec--who are ever offering the most holy Sacrifice,
and building up the mystical body: on the other hand, think of that
gulph of libertinage and selfishness, which is ever swallowing fresh
victims--hearts young and unsuspicious, warm and confiding--polluting
body and soul with the dregs of uncleanness, and hurrying them
away too often into the presence of the Judge. No tale of misery ever
told in fiction surpasses that which is daily enacting in Paris again
and again. Amid such things we live, and truly we have need both to
pray ourselves, and to call upon all spirits of the just made perfect
to intercede for us and for our brethren. And yet it is the same flesh
and blood--the same body, soul, and spirit--the same _man_, which is
thus fearfully working for the devil, or thus heroically fighting for
God. O mystery of the grace of God and of the human will, which is
past finding out!
In the evening we visited, for a short time, the church of Notre Dame
de Lorette, which is sumptuously decorated inside with paintings all
over; it has a double row of pillars each side. The subjects seem
chosen with great judgment, and the legends are more truly Catholic
than one often sees. The expense of this church must have been
enormous. We also looked into La Madeleine--very beautiful indeed it
is, and as grand as the Grecian style can be, but it furnishes one
with the best proof that such is not the proper style for a church.
_Thursday; July 17._--We looked into La Madeleine again, at the Messe
du midi. Its sumptuousness is astonishing. If, however, it were not
safer to admire than to criticise in such cases, one might observe how
vast a space is lost in the walls and arrangements of the
interior, the breadth which strikes the eye being only fifty feet,
while the real breadth of the side walls is at least eighty. Its
architecture seems the inversion of that of St. Ouen or Amiens,
inasmuch as it makes the least effect out of the greatest means, while
the other makes the greatest effect out of the least means; all seems
aerial and heaven-pointing in the one style; while the other seems
unable, with its vast bulk, to rise from the earth, and perpetually
crosses the eye with its horizontal lines--faithful images both of the
religions they represent.
We found l'Abbé Ratisbonne at home, and had a long talk with him. I
mentioned to him the objectionable words addressed to the Blessed
Virgin, which I had seen at Montmartre and in the little book; he made
the usual excuse that such things are not done by authority, and also
that the French language was weak, and so, in expressing heavenly
affections, it might so happen that they used words which, in
strictness of speech, were too strong, but the conventional use of
which formed their exculpation. Thus it was common to say of a very
fine picture, 'quel _adorable_ tableau,' and so the word
'infiniment;' but these applied to the Blessed Virgin in strictness of
speech become objectionable. Much therefore must be allowed to the
weakness and indistinctness of human language, on the one hand,
and to the fervour of filial love longing to pour itself forth, on the
other. 'We are children of God,' he said; 'we speak to him as
children, not as wise men; we ask the indulgence given to infants.'
And so again, as respects the Blessed Virgin. He said he had been
converted from Judaism at twenty-three, had seen much of Protestants
before that time, but their prayers and their whole style of thinking
had disgusted him; he had never been at all drawn to them. He had been
a priest ten years, and was now forty-two. We had much talk on the
Anglo-Roman controversy. I said, we thought ourselves Catholics
already, that we had been born and bred in the English Church, which
was to us the portal of that great building of the Catholic Church. He
approved of that metaphor, which served to give him a better notion of
our position than anything else we said, though, like every other
Roman Catholic, he could not admit for a moment that we were in the
Church. He said, a Protestant minister, an optician, had expressed to
him his belief in the efficacy of prayers for the dead, which appeared
to him under this image: it was as if a number of figures were thrown
into the shade, out of the sun's rays; while between them and the sun
are other figures who enjoy his full light: these, like certain
glasses, reflect that light upon the figures in the shade. Thus it is
that the prayers of the blessed especially succour the faithful
dead. He had often used this image in sermons. I pressed him with the
existence of the Greek Church, on the one hand, and the acknowledged
developement of Papal power, on the other; but no Roman Catholic ever
hesitates to excommunicate individual or church which is not _de
facto_ united to the Roman See; unity with them is indeed a first
principle--a sublime and true belief in itself, though perhaps certain
facts may modify the application of it. He said he had thought
continually of us since our visit, and had the greatest esteem for us,
that he had prayed for us daily, as he did for England; that fair
England, if she could be again, as she once was, the Island of
Saints--what a means for the conversion of others! At our parting, he
begged our prayers for himself. I said, if I came again to Paris, I
should hope to be allowed to see him again. Our conversation was so
disjointed that I can remember but little of it, but it turned on the
_offences_ which alienated us from them. He denied repeatedly the
thought of adoring the Blessed Virgin. He had moved his lodgings to
the Rue du Regard, 14., in order to overlook a house and garden
opposite, in which were lodged a female community of converts from
Judaism, over whom he watched. The Supérieure was with him when we
came. He spoke of our silence as to the Blessed Virgin and all saints;
that we made a wall of separation between them and us, whereas
the whole Church was one, vividly affected with the joys and sorrows
of its several members. M. tried to show that, in the present state of
things, silence might conceal very deep and reverential feelings. He
seemed not to think this satisfactory, and in truth it applies only
partially.
We went to the Pantheon; its interior has the coldness and deadness
which naturally belongs to the tombs of those who die without the
Christian's hope. It looks exactly what it is,--the shrine of human
ambition--a vast coffin holding a skeleton. If it were made a church
hereafter, as surely it must be, it might be made to equal the
Madeleine in magnificence. We mounted and enjoyed the fine view: there
is a triple dome,--sufficiently bungling, I think.
We called in at Toulouse's, and while there he discovered that I was
not a Roman Catholic; whereupon he began to persuade me, with the most
affectionate solicitude, that I was in a self-evidently wrong
position. He asked how I justified the schism. 'I don't understand,'
he said, 'how you could be Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman one day, and
wake the next and find yourselves Catholic, Apostolic, and not Roman.'
I answered that we had indubitably the ancient succession; that the
evil passions of men on the one hand, and the extravagant claims of
the Papacy on the other, had caused the separation, which I
deplored. But still I hoped, that, though in an anomalous state, we
had what was strictly necessary to the essence of a Church. I
mentioned, too, the position of the whole Eastern Church. I showed him
the dangerous and extravagant language used towards the Blessed Virgin
in the Psaltery of St. Bonaventure: he could not answer that, and
reserved it to show to a priest; but he maintained that the work was
St. Bonaventure's. I said, 'All that St. Gregory the Great, who sent
St. Augustine into England, claimed for himself; all that St. Leo
demanded, or that St. Athanasius and St. Basil granted to the Holy
See, I am ready to give.' He finished with expressions of kind concern
for us.
_Friday, July 18._--Went to M. Bonnetty, who, with M. D'Alzon, took
us to the Hôtel de Cluny: it is full of curious objects of the Middle
Ages. I remarked one exquisite bit of glass--a pretty chapel--the
remains of the Roman baths. There was something in the air of to-day
which inspired me with such lassitude that I could hardly drag myself
about, so we did very little. After dinner we looked into La Madeleine
and went on to Bishop Luscombe's, where we took tea.
_Saturday, July 19._--A little better to-day. At La Madeleine during
part of a Low Mass; my admiration for this building increases greatly;
it produces much the same effect as St. Peter's, deceiving the
eye by its great proportions. We spent a couple of hours in the
boundless galleries of the Louvre. The long gallery contains few
pictures that I should much desire to possess: save in the last
compartment, and the first room, and none certainly interest me more
than that great picture of the battle of Eylau. Thence we went to M.
L'Abbé Gaduel, 1. Rue Madame, who took us to the Maison de Campagne of
S. Sulpice, at Issy. It is an old royal chateau, much dilapidated, for
the good seminarists do not pretend to much comfort in their house; it
would seem as if they intended their discipline to serve as a
winnowing fan for all light and worldly spirits. They have, however,
spacious gardens behind. We were shown a summer house in which Bossuet
and Fénélon held a long conference on the subject in dispute between
them, and agreed on statements together, which are put up in the room,
though the interest of the latter is much gone by in the totally
different state of things at present. Eighty young men study
philosophy here. We saw and talked some little time with M. Faillon,
the Supérieur, a man of learning. M. Galais was out, and we only met
him returning on his way from Paris on foot. Coming home we went into
the Maison des Carmes, now in repair. M. Gaduel took us into the
passage out of which the priests, after stating to the authority the
act of their death, were led forward down three steps into the
garden, at the bottom of which the assassins fell upon them and
murdered them. No spot in Paris touched me more than this. There is
what appears to be the marks of a bloody hand in the passage still;
but there is no other record of that ruthless deed. The church has
nothing remarkable about it: but what devoted heroism on the one side,
and what infernal madness on the other, have this house and garden
witnessed! How many martyrs here won their crown. Truly it is holy
ground, and the blood there shed is yielding a rich harvest of
Christian grace in the Church which has sprung up out of its ashes
with the strength of a young eagle. In the evening we went to the
assemblée générale of S. Vincent de Paul, 2. Rue neuve Notre Dame,
under the patronage of the Archbishop of Chalcedoine. The president
gave in a long speech an account of their doings; but he was old, had
lost his teeth, and dropped his voice, so that we lost very much of it.
"The beginning of his speech was about S. Vincent de Paul himself. The
society had just come into possession of some relics of him, and
especially a letter in his own handwriting, containing some counsels
of charity. For some reason or other he was not able to produce the
letter this evening; I should have liked to hear it, for his words are
worth gathering up. He also said that he had been to see his
birth-place; and that the house he was born in had been removed stone
by stone, and a chapel put in its place. The village had lost its old
name, and taken his; an old oak, known in his history, where he kept
pigs for his father, was still alive, and came out in leaf before the
other trees. The president cautioned them against any departure from
their rules; against admitting members who were only 'braves hommes,'
without being religious; against attempting to bring in secondary
motives to induce the members of any 'conférence' to work; against
reserving their money for their own districts, instead of putting it
into the common fund of the conférence: against a slight and lazy way
of visiting the poor, a 'visite de corridor,' as he called it, instead
of a 'visite assise.' He said they ought to sit down and talk
familiarly, and take the little dirty children by the hand, &c. &c.
Finally, a good many of them being students, he gave them some advice
about young students recommended to them from the country, especially
to take care that they were sent straight to them, and not left first
to get into bad company. He described how some friend in one of the
provinces sends you a note by some youth whom he describes as a 'petit
ange,' and who, after six weeks' residence in Paris, comes and brings
you his note, his eye already tarnished, his manner bold and loose,
'un ange déchu.'"--_M._
There were present full two hundred, chiefly young men, in a little
amphitheatre. It was commenced and ended with prayer, which claimed
the intercession of S. Vincent. This is his fête day. They mentioned
four branch societies established at Manchester, Liverpool, Dublin,
and Edinburgh.
_Sunday, July 20._--I gave up the attempt to go to Bishop Luscombe's
Chapel, as there was no communion. Heard High Mass at La Madeleine.
The music very good, and the dresses splendid; not more than an hour.
At two o'clock went to Vespers there: there was chanting of Psalms, an
hour, and then a long sermon, more than an hour, on the virtues of
S. Vincent de Paul. The preacher used a great deal of action, and gave
me the idea of having very much got up his discourse, which was
confirmed by seeing him in the evening at Notre Dame des Victoires,
where we heard the commencement of the same sermon, but did not stop.
The subject of it seems to have been a very great and good man; the
sermon was a sort of abstract, I believe, of the Saint's life by the
Bishop of Rodez. There was a passionate address to the Saint in the
middle, with eyes uplifted to heaven. A great many people, chiefly
women; many ladies,--but I do not think it was a favourite preacher.
We gave up the conférence of S. Francis Xavier at S. Sulpice, having
so much to do to-morrow, though much to our regret; but late hours
and great exertions here have tried us both, and we shall be
very glad of a change.
We walked through the Tuileries just before dark; a great multitude of
citizens.
_Monday, July 21._--We were occupied all the morning in packing up
and calling on MM. D'Alzon, Bonnetty, and Noirlieu--the latter out. We
left Paris a quarter past six, on a very fine pleasant evening. Having
the two first places in the malle poste, we enjoyed the drive very
much as long as it was light--we reached Reims in eleven hours, a
quarter after five, without much fatigue. I slept at intervals, and
when I awoke admired the brilliant moonlight, Venus, and Jupiter,
through one or two forests, or at least woods, which we passed. The
road generally very flat, with these exceptions. Our companion was a
gentlemanly Frenchman, with whom I had much conversation. He seemed to
be much attached to the present Royal Family, whom he spoke of as
acquainted with them, and maintained that the King was a religious
man--that he heard Mass daily; the Queen was a model of piety. He
thought their dynasty would stand; and not the least, because they
would never submit to be exiles; they would either keep the throne, or
die for it. The great mistake of Charles X. was quitting France; if
you go away everyone is against you; if you stay, a party is sure to
rally round you. He seemed to think the issue might have been
different had Charles X. remained. But there was no chance of a
restoration now; the great mass of the country was satisfied. He spoke
well of the Duc de Nemours, still more highly of the Duc d'Orléans,
and said the Comte de Paris was a very promising boy. He regretted the
want of an _hereditary_ peerage in France, and the little
independence that body possessed in consequence. I remarked the
smallness of fortunes: that 60,000 francs a year were thought a good
fortune for a peer. He said not fifty peers of France possessed that;
many could not keep their carriage. Spoke of the clergy as not high
enough in point of acquirements--he did not say their discipline or
piety was defective, but that they were not a match in information,
ability, and powers of mind, for those opposed to them. Wished the
higher classes would send their sons into orders,--a Royal Prince, for
instance, would be a good example. The tax on land in France is nearly
one-fifth of the _produce_; very heavy; 200_l._ a year in land a
deputy's qualification. Soon after getting to our inn, which was right
opposite the west front of the Cathedral, we attended a Low Mass, and
at eight o'clock a chanted Mass: it was a Mass for the dead. The
outside of Reims is all that can be conceived of beauty, grandeur,
unity of conception, delicacy and boldness of execution; and this,
though the one great design of the architect has not been
completed, for the four towers of the transepts have had no spires
since the great fire of 1491; and the western towers are also without
theirs, and so end incompletely, the eye positively requiring them.
The design of these towers is very singular; and the skill with which
a strength sufficient to support spires 400 feet high is veiled, so as
to make the towers appear quite pierced and open, seems to me one of
the greatest marvels of architecture. The prototype exists in the four
towers of Laon, which have the same design in embryo; but this is so
enriched, expanded, and beautified by the architect of Reims, as to
become his own work in point of originality, and certainly in grace
and boldness not to be surpassed. The superiority of the western
front, even over that of Amiens, is very marked--indeed, I think it
perfect; and the whole of the rest of the outside of the church
reaches nearly the same degree. No words can convey any notion of it.
The north-west tower was half covered with scaffolding; for here, as
every where, great reparations are going on. To the interior I do not
give _quite_ so much praise, though it is still of exceeding
grandeur, simplicity, and beauty: perhaps, were _all_ its windows
like those of the clerestory, the effect might equal or surpass that
of Chartres. The west end is, I think, the finest which I know,
bearing in mind Amiens and St. Ouen; in addition to a rose window of
exceeding brilliancy, and colouring inexpressible, which, forty
feet in diameter, crowns the top, there is a smaller one over the
doorway, answering to the deep recess of that matchless portal
outside. This is a feature of great beauty, though the glass is far
from equalling that of the upper rose. There is happily no organ here,
but at the end of the north transept, where it has not quite so much
to spoil. The transept is inferior to the rest of the church in style.
It was restored after the great fire in 1491; and this part of the
church, with the whole of the choir and arrangements of the eastern
chapels, struck me as decidedly inferior to Amiens. There is not,
indeed, generally the same impression of vastness and wondrous height
produced on the mind. The pillars are cylinders with four columns at
the corners, like Amiens, very simple and severe; but the strength is
not quite enough veiled. We went all round the galleries inside and
outside, up the centre belfry, which rises ninety-two steps over the
top of the vaulting, with an interval of about ten feet besides. It is
a forest of wood, and had once a spire of wood, which since the fire
has not been restored; this and the six towers have been covered
'provisoirement en ardoises,' as the guide told us, 'mais ce
provisoirement a duré long temps;' indeed, from 1491 to our time,
without much chance of being improved. We went up the great towers,
and could hardly admire enough the delicacy and boldness of the
four corner turrets in open work. The present towers are 240 or 250
feet high; they would, I think, equal or surpass Strasburg and
Antwerp, had they spires. The immense quantity of sculpture all over
this exterior cannot be conceived, nor the ingenuity with which it is
made to serve for decoration. A day is far too short a time to carry
off the impression of it. The mind is fatigued and exhausted during
many a visit, and is not at ease till it has sufficiently mastered the
whole, in order to fix itself for admiration and contemplation on some
particular part. It would be a week's good work to see it, and it
should be visited once a year by all those who talk of the darkness of
the Middle Ages, and the greatness of the nineteenth century, which is
sorely taxed to keep in repair what they constructed, and has not
sufficient piety to restore a part where the architect's design has
been left incomplete. Such parts remain, like the window of Aladdin's
palace, to show that a materialising philosophy, with all its improved
physical powers, remains at immeasurable distance behind the efforts
of faith and piety. M. Cousin should be sent to study truth on his
knees in Notre Dame of Amiens, or of Reims.
In the midst of seeing the cathedral we walked to St. Remi, a mile,
taking the ramparts. They offer a good view of the cathedral, and one
of the country round, like Wiltshire, but backed by fine hills
to the south; but in this open country, and along all that line of
hills, the famous vine of champagne flourishes. St. Remi is an immense
church, 350 feet long, besides the Lady Chapel: Norman, with pointed
arches; the choir with its stained windows very good; seven in the
apse. The tomb of St. Remi was under repair; it is between the high
altar and the east end; so the statues of the twelve peers were ranged
six on one side and six on the other side of the great altar _pro
tempore_. This church is a very grand and fine one, and, except in the
presence of the cathedral, would take a day to see. Its west front has
been strangely tampered with, but reminds one still, especially the
turrets, of St. Georges de Boscherville; but this is greatly the more
spacious church of the two.
We spent all the day in going about, passing through the internal
galleries of the cathedral; the curve in the nave is very perceptible.
The roof was poorly painted for the sacre of Charles X. with white
fleurs de lis on a blue ground; it is very massive in its vaulting,
the pitch, perhaps, not perfectly agreeable to the eye.
We had a letter from M. D'Alzon to the Archbishop, but he had left
Reims a day or two before; we had another from M. Gaduel to the
Supérieur of the Séminaire, which _M._ took in the afternoon. About 8
o'clock we both went there, and had some talk with him and the
professors, one of whom, M. Lassaigne, gave us a translation of
Gioberti against Cousin, and recommended me Le Prêtre Juge et Medicin
dans le Tribunal de la Penitence, which I got. I gathered from their
discourse that confession is the great chain which holds together the
whole Christian life; it is practised weekly by the pupils: communion
is entirely free. A great many priests of the neighbourhood confess
still to the supérieur (M. Aubry), their old teacher: forty he said. I
asked them if they could conceive a Christian life maintained without
confession: they said, hardly; that it was involved in our Lord's
words, "whose sins ye do retain," &c., which power could only be
exercised upon each individual case, after knowledge of the facts,
such as of course can only be obtained by auricular confession. I
alleged to the Supérieur the strong expressions often used to the
Virgin Mary, instancing "les satisfactions infinies du Fils de Dieu et
de sa Mère:" he condemned them and _this_. I spoke of St.
Bonaventure's Psalter; he did not seem acquainted with it, and
regretted that I did not stay till the morrow, when he would have gone
over it with me, and weighed the words. But at last he said, St.
Bonaventure is not the Church, though he is a saint and doctor of it.
They were very kind and cordial, and I should have liked to see more
of them.
_Wednesday, July 23._--At 5 o'clock the bell of the cathedral sounded
long and loud over our heads, leaving no excuse for those who chose to
slumber on. I got up, and found two places by the diligence for Laon.
M. was in a great hurry, so I exercised a piece of self-denial and
woke him, and we hurried off. It was, indeed, with great regret I
departed from under the shadow of that noble church, feeling that I
left so much of its beauty undiscerned, or rather so few of its forms
impressed on the mind. We were four hours and a half reaching Laon,
from 6 to 10½, in the intérieur; two fat women and a child made it
latterly very uncomfortable. The country flat for some way, then hills
and fine prospects. But the position of Laon is very remarkable
indeed, a triangular hill rising out of a great plain: in short,
another Enna, though not so lofty. The resemblance is very marked
indeed, and presented itself to me again and again. Near to one corner
of the triangle rises the cathedral, with its four lofty towers, two
at the west end, and one at each end of the transept; there are the
beginnings of two others, and all six were intended to have had spires
as lofty as themselves; the south-west had one, which was taken down.
Their present height is, the S.W. 220 feet each, (French,) the N. and
S. 235. They are very striking, but want their crown of spires, and
are in the most splendid situation for such a building which I
ever saw. The view is accordingly very extensive, to the north flat,
but to the south terminated by fine hills. We viewed these towers in a
great number of positions, on the promenades, and from another corner
of the triangle, to the south. The church within is very stately;
early English, 400 feet long, and quite uniform in style, or at least
with only here and there a decorated window, as in the S. transept.
The curve of the roof is very beautiful; after Reims it struck us as
low, though at least 80 feet high. The west front is fine, though the
portals require more work to conceal their vast depth. I could not but
greatly admire the skill of the architect of Reims, who had evidently
studied and adopted the towers and western front of this church, which
is said in its time (1130) to have been the finest in France, and yet
has produced a work incomparably more beautiful, and quite original.
Laon has a double triforium, making four stages in its interior.
We walked about here a great deal. The situation is one of the finest
I have ever seen; it inspires a sort of elevation in the mind. Beyond
the church a caserne is building, and a fort already made--a bad
exchange for the tower of Louis d'Outremer. The church of St. Martin
is very disappointing inside, being very low. As the diligence was
full for the night, we hired a cab, to take us to St. Quentin. It took
us from 5½ to 11½, stopping half an hour at La Fère. Road
generally flat, and very bad indeed, having no pavé to La Fère. We saw
a village church or two, Norman in style. Our conveyance was one of
the most uncomfortable I ever experienced; besides that we were
overwhelmed with bags and coats. Our driver served at eighteen in one
of Napoleon's battles, and had carried off a token in a sabre cut on
the cheek; it was the battle of Fleury, where, he said, "L'Empereur
était trahi." So the French guide-book says of the battle of Crecy:
"Les Français perdirent 30,000 par la faute du Comte d'Alençon."
_Thursday, July 24._--We are at l'Hôtel du Cygne: comfortable enough.
The church is of first-rate beauty; the nave, from its great height
and purity of style, even more striking than that of Reims _inside_;
and so the transept: but the choir and many parts of the church have
swerved from the perpendicular, and are braced with iron,--a sad
drawback. The architect has raised his central building, with extreme
boldness, to an enormous height; but he has not thrown strength and
breadth enough into his aisles to resist the pressure. The windows
throughout of geometric tracery, remarkably beautiful; and the pillars
of the nave spring from the ground to the roof without capital at the
lower arches, and are of great beauty, an advance certainly on Reims,
and in one respect on Amiens, in that they are not merely cylinders,
with columns at the four corners, but have two colonnettes
introduced again between these, which produces an effect of great
lightness. Beautiful end of north transept, a decorated window below,
an open triforium of eight lights, and a vast decorated window
terminating in a great rosace above--stained glass. The apse of seven
windows, with most brilliant stained glass, beginning from a second
transept of great beauty, making a double cross, the southern part
flamboyant. I think the nave of this church, and the apse and
arrangements of its chapels might be profitably studied as an almost
perfect specimen; it may compete with Amiens and St. Ouen, and
undoubtedly surpasses Reims. Height, 128 English feet; vaulting of
roof very beautiful. We went in at 11 o'clock, and found preparations
for a funeral of some importance: presently all the choir was filled
with well dressed persons; and the body being deposited under a
catafalque, surrounded with burning tapers, in the centre of the nave
and transept, mass was chanted. The black velvet chasuble, and the
copes and other robes to match, like all the dresses of the Roman
clergy, are very handsome. We went into the upper part of the choir,
but I could not avoid noticing with what indifference most of the
attendants on the funeral treated the holiest rite of the Church; they
were, no doubt, unbelievers; and some ragged boys close beside me were
a serious annoyance, incessantly spitting, laughing, and talking.
The west end of this church has been barbarized in the style of
1681, most ugly to behold; it seems to have been intended to have two
towers, but no part of them at present exists. We went through the roof
of the church, and caught a view from the strange-looking steeple which
rises over the croisée. The country round is not remarkable--flat, and
in parts wooded. Rest of the day spent in writing. Found some common
prints of details in the life of the Holy Family which pleased us.
_Friday, July 25._--At 6 o'clock we started by the diligence to
Amiens by Peronne--had the coupé with an English woman, who got in a
few miles on the road. The country not remarkable--some hills and a
fertile succession of corn-fields. Reached Peronne a little before
nine, and breakfasted there. Several fortifications and drawbridges
both entering and going, but they did not seem kept up with much care.
The Church, de la Renaissance, not remarkable. The rest of the road to
Amiens a fine broad country, with occasional hills, of average beauty.
No view of Amiens cathedral but from the last hill, a few miles off,
and then it looked small, I suppose from the vastness of the plain in
which it stands. We did not reach Amiens, a distance of only 82
kiloms. from St. Quentin, till after three o'clock. At the last stage
some young seminarists got out of the rotonde, and were met by their
mother and sisters, as it seemed: they were apparently peasants,
very humbly clad, and of the most ordinary demeanour. I saw what
education had done for the young men (who had not received the
tonsure): even the retired life and poor salary of a country curé
would be a great elevation in the scale of society to them. I would
not mention this invidiously, but the lot of the French Curé de
Campagne has sometimes appeared to me so painful, that it was a relief
to see its bright side even in a material point of view.
I went to my old quarters at the Hôtel de France, and we were shown
into the same room I had occupied two years before. We got a light
dinner and set off to the cathedral. The first sight of its west front
was almost painful after that of Reims, there being certainly a
confusion and want of harmony in its parts; while the southern tower
being left twenty feet lower than the northern combines to spoil the
effect. But I was no sooner in the interior than a full sense of its
prodigious superiority to every other building we had seen established
itself on my mind; and the impression my first visit two years ago
made was more than repeated. Only St. Ouen may enter at all into
competition; but the vast proportions of Amiens, combined with the
great purity of its style, more than counterbalance the, if any,
superior grace and lightness of the other. In the evening we walked
out to the west, in the hope of catching a good view of the
cathedral, but we could not find the right place. Amiens has nothing
else remarkable which fell under our observation.
_Saturday, July 26._--After breakfast we went to the cathedral, and
passed over all the galleries inside and outside, and the roofs. The
best external view from the building itself is on the north tower; the
arcs boutants of the choir and the whole arrangement are much more
striking than those of the nave. The guide, a very intelligent man,
assured us there was no danger apprehended within or without to any
part of the building. As far as M. and I could judge, we thought it
would last as easily for the next 500 years as it had gone through the
last. The view through the eight compartments of the upper chamber of
the central clocher is pretty; it seems to fit into so many frames the
city and the vast plain in which it stands. We saw the towers of
Corbie. In the inside I noticed four particulars of its great
superiority, over and above the unequalled proportions of the whole.
1st, The triforium and its windows, especially of the choir; these
windows commence on the east side of the transept. In the rest there
are arches, which have been filled up with masonry from the beginning.
I think this triforium superior to that of St. Ouen, chiefly from the
geometric character of its forms; whereas those of St. Ouen approach
to the perpendicular. Each bay has six divisions, save the five
of the apse, which have four.
2nd, The windows of the clerestory, all of pure geometric tracery. I
measured one on the south side of the nave, nineteen feet three inches
wide, clear light.
3rd, The north transept end. A rosace above, of most brilliant glass,
thirty-six feet in diameter; open gallery of fifteen divisions.
4th, The whole arrangement of the aisles round the choir. There are
open chapels north and south, extending the whole four bays of the
choir, which give great lightness to it; while the seven arches of the
apse correspond to as many chapels. The Lady Chapel is beautiful,
though not so much developed as that of St. Ouen.
By the advice of the guide we went down to the river, immediately to
the north of the cathedral; from the other side of which, by a little
tree in front of a house painted green, is, perhaps, the best external
view of the whole mass from east to west. Even here, however, almost
all the windows of the aisles are covered by houses; on another branch
of the river, a little further north, rather more of these is
discovered. The near view from the extreme corner of the bishop's
garden is good; and the corresponding one to the south-east, as far
back as the street will allow, rather better. This gives the beauty of
the east end. But no complete view of this wonderful building
outside can be obtained, from the closeness of the houses; and that
which would be the grandest ornament of the finest city in the world
cannot even be seen in its full proportions.
The vaulting of Amiens is 140 feet (English) high; the ridge of the
roof outside reaches to nigh 200. Its internal and external galleries
must be traversed before the spectator can estimate the enormous pile
of masonry which that fabric contains. It can only be matched, I
think, by Milan. Amiens is only 442 feet in length, including the Lady
Chapel. In this also the French architects have shown great skill, for
an excess in this respect would have diminished the great effect
produced by their stupendous height. York or Canterbury would be
dwarfed beside Amiens, though the former exceeds it by 82 feet, and
the latter by 88 feet in length. But the height of the vaulting of
Canterbury nave is 80 feet, of York 99, of Amiens 140. It is a sad
result of a visit to the French cathedrals, that the Englishman must
be content to recognise ever after the immense inferiority of his own
in the one characteristic feature of Christian architecture,
elevation. A noble race of men they must have been, and not of the
tiger-monkey kind, who had hearts to conceive and hands to execute
such works as these. Overflowing with inward life must the Church have
been, who could impress such a character on her sons. Here,
indeed, may the Churchman feel, "He built His sanctuary like high
palaces; like the earth which He hath established for ever." Those
were the ages of faith, hope, and love; it would be well if the life
which glowed in those mediæval bosoms manifested itself by works in
ours.
"_Amiens. Feast of St. James, 1845._--I do not intend to say much
about things in general, but as you have touched on them, I do say a
few words. I am, I may say, fully convinced that neither the worship
of saints, nor the use of images, nor the withholding of the cup, at
all affect the life of the Roman Church. What I have seen has led me
to reflect bitterly on Mr. Bowdler's '_Quid Romæ faciam?_' The answer
is, all that you try in vain to do in England. For, in sober truth, he
has only told us that what exists there in _practice_ exists with us
in _theory_. However, I agree with him that it is our duty to put it
in practice at home. But, how to get ecclesiastics to live in
primitive brotherhood and in primitive poverty? How to bring people to
confession? How to induce candidates for holy orders to submit to
education? How to get the opportunity of restoring the daily
sacrifice? How to warm our churches with devotion, so that people may
come in, and be cheered and helped in their prayers, &c.? These are
questions to which he has supplied no answer, and the answer is
not easy. It requires every allowance for the reserved and retiring
character of the English to hope that we are not, even in comparison
with the French, a fallen people. Still, were it not for _one_ person
who thinks otherwise, I should view our failings calmly, as a mere
hindrance to be surmounted, and even take easily the painful
separation there is between us and so much that I must admire,
considering it as the result of an over-technical system on the one
side, and an unformed one on the other--a result that would vanish as
the one grew in life and the other in consistency."--_M._
We determined to leave this evening, that we might secure an early
passage from Boulogne on Monday morning. So at half-past-five we took
the diligence to Abbeville. It is an unusually pleasant drive thither,
partly by the river side, well wooded, a good road, and occasionally
diversified. We even went by one country house which had a fine flower
garden and lawn, and might have passed for English. It was so
unusually neat and nicely kept, that I inquired if it was a private
house. We had the coupé with a French gentleman, with whom I had
considerable talk. He was a fair representant of the tone of mind
produced by the first revolution; spoke with enthusiasm of the
military and naval establishments of France, the accomplishments
required of all officers, the preference given to pure merit,
the equality which subsisted in all the relations of Frenchmen;
contrasted his own country in these respects with ours. He claimed the
full possession of liberty, which I denied to them; but I fully
admitted the passion for equality and the existence of it. I observed
that, by their law of inheritance, they had destroyed all equilibrium
in the state, all power but the central power of the government, which
was continually increasing. He spoke with passionate fondness of the
late Duke of Orleans, that he had a marvellous gift of speaking,
attached every body to him, was exceedingly brave and able every way.
I asked if he thought Louis Philippe had contrived the revolution. He
said he could not acquit him as to that. The whole of his family were
patterns to France, whereas, he said, the Duke de Berri was a beast,
an animal. He seemed to think there would be attempts on Louis
Philippe's death, but they would not succeed; the country generally
was well satisfied with his rule. He defended the system of passports
as admirable, but when at Abbeville his own was kept some time being
deciphered he waxed impatient. He defended the conscription too, and
abused the construction of our army; nothing but the firmness of the
English character produced good soldiers out of such materials. He
seemed to think all property in England descended to the eldest son,
and abused our horrible aristocracy. I said the old Saxon blood
loved an aristocracy and would always have it.
We reached Abbeville just after dark, got some coffee, and rested a
few hours at the Hotel d'Angleterre. At half-past-two the diligence
from Paris took us up, and landed us at Boulogne between nine and ten.
A fine rich country all along, but with nothing remarkable, except
perhaps the site of Montreuil, a brow something like Windsor.
_Sunday, July 27._--Went to the British Chapel, in the Rue du
Temple--a miserable meeting-house begalleried all round, with one
pulpit for the prayers and another for the sermon, flanking a table in
the midst. The reading and the preaching quite in correspondence.
Indeed the sermon, which was without book, was one of the most
extraordinary productions I ever heard: its tone may be imagined, from
the speaker calling our Lord "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords--and
Emperor of Emperors." "What was half an hour to speak of immortal
things to an immortal soul!" The chapel was very full of well-dressed
people, whose demeanour was as little religious as can be conceived;
but they were bidden to beware of the superstition of the Roman
Church, and of the seductions to the animal nature which it afforded.
Later we walked into the upper town, and, after dinner, along the
sands, and over the cliffs home. But the view of Boulogne on
every side is dreary and wretched; and I should never stay there an
hour longer than was necessary. We were at l'Hôtel de l'Europe--civil
people, and excellent table d'hôte.
_Monday, July 28._--At six this morning we left Boulogne, and crossed
to Folkstone in two hours and five minutes; a very fast vessel. We
breakfasted at the hotel near the beach, got through the custom house
rather quickly, were ready for the half-past-nine train, and in London
shortly after one o'clock. M. and I called on E. Hawkins and Acland,
and then went down to Eton, and I home to Launton.
[2] The observations between inverted commas, and ended with the
letter _M._, are taken, by permission, from the journal of my
fellow-traveller, the Rev. C. Marriott.
[3] It should be mentioned that the two brothers Labbé set up this
school some twenty years ago, without any resources, and have
maintained it ever since, living upon Providence, gradually building
accommodations for their scholars, a chapel, &c.
[4] "La monition consiste à faire connaître à celui, qui nous a
chargés de lui rendre cet office de charité, ses imperfections et ses
défauts extérieurs contraires aux vertus Chrétiennes et ecclésiastiques."
LETTERS FROM FRANCE AND ITALY.--1847.
Hotel Windsor, Rue de Rivoli,
7th July, 1847.
MY DEAR ----.
* * * The weather for the last three or four days has been melting. We
have had plenty to do, and have been well occupied, instructed, and
pleased. Last evening we dined with M. Defresne, a very clever, able,
and energetic talker. He is a great friend of the old Royal Family,
and calls Louis Philippe the greatest scoundrel under the sun. We met
l'Abbé Pététot, curé of St. Louis d'Antin, one of the parishes of
Paris, with 18,000 inhabitants; he has eight curates, besides
occasional assistance. They give the most astonishing account of the
change which has taken place in France in the last fifteen years in
religious matters. Formerly a young man dared not confess that he was
a Christian, or show himself in a church; now the bitter sarcasm and
ridicule with which all religious subjects were treated have passed
away; earnestness has laid hold of the mind of the nation, and
even those who are not Christians appear to be searching for the
truth, and treat Christianity as a reality, and conviction with
respect. Even now, _not one young man in a hundred is a Christian_. I
asked l'Abbé Pététot particularly, if he felt sure of this proportion,
and he confirmed it. Out of the thirty-two millions of French, they
reckon two millions who are really Christians, practising confession;
many of the others send for a priest in their last illness, confess,
and receive the sacraments; but M. Defresne thought this very
unsatisfactory, as we should. They are making great exertions to
christianise the class of workmen, the great majority of whom are not
even nominally believers. You may judge of their life by the fact that
they live with many different women in common, sometimes after a time
selecting one of these, and confining themselves to her, but without
legitimate marriage. The Church has gained about 15,000 of this class
out of a hundred thousand in Paris, and worked a great reformation. At
St. Sulpice they have every other Sunday a meeting of these, called
conférences, at which they are addressed by different persons, clergy
or lay, on religious, moral, or instructive subjects. We went to the
meeting on Sunday night, and were much pleased with what we saw and
heard. Their minds are laid hold of and interested; by drawing
together they get a sense of union and the force of numbers, and
are encouraged by each other's progress; they see their superiors in
knowledge and station exerting themselves for their improvement.
L'Abbé Pététot told us he had preached _eighty_ times last Lent,
seven times in one day. This is entirely without note. Their labour
must be very great. His manner of speaking is very pleasing, and I
think the priests generally speak with great propriety, and with an
abundance and arrangement of matter which is not common with us. We
have just returned from a visit to M. Martin Noirlieu, once
sub-preceptor of the Duke de Bordeaux, and now a curé at Paris. He has
been in England, and speaks favourably of us. He thinks there is much
good and real religion in the people of England, though very
defective, and though the Church is suffering under many abuses. He
said they computed that the Bishop of London received as much as all
the French Bishops put together. The state of things here is totally
different from what it is with us. There is no state religion, no
temptation whatever to pretend to be a Christian if you are not. The
consequence is, that there is little hypocrisy; infidelity is openly
professed by a great number. On the other hand, the believers are so
from real conviction, and generally after a personal conversion; there
are comparatively few hereditary Christians.
The Church is gradually gaining, but much more in the higher
than in the lower ranks. There are 800 priests in Paris; they want 400
more: before the great Revolution there were 5000.
On Monday we were taken to see the house of the Priests for foreign
Missions. They count many martyrs in late times in China, &c. There
are the bones of several in their museum; Chinese pictures of the mode
in which they were tortured, expressed to the life with a frightful
reality. The mother of one of these martyrs is living now, and had
sent to her the original picture of her son's martyrdom, drawn by
Christians in China. There is a long frame of wood, which they were
forced to carry round the neck, and which prevented them from taking
any rest. Young men are regularly trained here for missionary work;
their disposition and talents attentively considered; above all their
vocation, and without this is very decided, they are not allowed to
attempt so perilous a task. Indeed, where the reverse of honour, or
ease, or wealth, or leisure, or anything that delights the natural
man, is all that they can expect in this life, they are not likely to
have any hypocritical aspirants for the work of a missionary. As for
sending out a man with a wife and children to convert the heathen, the
idea would appear to them too ridiculous. Near adjoining to these we
saw the central establishment of the Sœurs de Charité; they have
six hundred sisters here, many novices. They count about 6000
all over the world, and are increasing rapidly. They were entirely put
down at the great Revolution, so that this is all since 1801. They
renew their vows annually; there are instances, though very rare, of
sisters retiring. Every sister passes one week of the year in what is
called a _retreat_; that is, a complete self-examination and inquiry
into the past year, progress made in things spiritual, &c. This is
likewise the case with every monk, nun, or priest. These _retreats_
are productive of great effects.
_July 8._--We dine to-day with M. Defresne again, to meet M. Martin
Noirlieu.
We have had l'Abbé Labbé here three hours this morning. We are going a
round with l'Abbé Carron at two. We have the dinner in the evening, so
do pretty well.
Yours sincerely,
T. W. ALLIES.
Genoa, July 20, 1847.
MY DEAR ----.
* * * The last six days we have spent, as well as the heat would allow
us, in enjoying the different views which this most superb city
presents. My companions, who have both seen Constantinople, seem to
reckon it only inferior to that. To begin with the beginning: we
presented on Wednesday our letter to the Père Jourdain, a Jesuit; and
no sooner was it delivered, than, without reading it, or any sort of
preface, except W's reply in the affirmative to the question whether
he was a Catholic, he began a most furious attack on us as rebels
outside of the Church, Protestants, and what not. It so happened,
however, that the points he took were just those which I had most at
command; so he did not get much by his assault, was obliged to beat a
retreat several times, and finally left us all three convinced that
reasoning was not his forte, and that at least in his case the Jesuits
were not employing gentle insinuation as a means of converting, He
has, however, never renewed the battle since, but been very obliging,
and given us every assistance in his power. Among the sights he
directed us to was St. Anne's, a house of barefooted Carmelites, on
the back of the hills some few hundred feet aloft, commanding the most
delicious views of the city, the bay, the sea, and the mountains
round. A straggling and precipitous garden was covered with vines
festooned on trellis work, through which one caught the blue sky, and
water, and towers and domes brought out against them with full effect.
Then, after seeing the long, cool corridors inside, each of which had
a window opening on this gorgeous scene, and the little chamber of
each brother, furnished with a poor bed, some little pictures, a
crucifix, and the most necessary furniture; and on hearing the quiet
tenor of every day's life, the only fear was, whether there was enough
of the cross in it. But doubtless the being under obedience, the
having every day's work portioned out for one, supplies all that is
wanted; and however calm it seemed, every chamber, as it had the
figure of the Crucified, so it was conscious of the secret cross borne
by its occupant. They are occupied in instruction, and have a school
of novices. Genoa is particularly rich in charitable foundations; her
merchant princes cannot be accused of neglecting the poor and
suffering, nor of so assisting them as to show that they thought
poverty a crime and an offence. We have seen three great buildings
which have moved our admiration in this way. The Ospitaletto contains
444 sick men and women: it is served by six Capucins and fifteen
sisters of charity. Mass is said every day at half-past-five and six
o'clock, at altars so placed in the different wards that every person
can see. They are confessed by the Capucins, and communicate
every fortnight. All Genoese are received freely here, others pay a
small sum. Again, the hospital called Pammatone, endowed by various
noble Genoese, can receive 1000 sick; it had more this last winter. It
is served by eighteen Capucins and thirty-four sisters. We saw here,
in a shrine over the altar, the body of St. Catherine of Genoa, who
died in 1510, after serving thirty-two years as a sister here. It is
apparently solid and quite uncorrupt. The other great building, which
we saw yesterday, is the Albergo dei Poveri--a poor house in fact, but
as unlike an English poor house, as poverty in the person of the
Blessed Virgin and our Lord is unlike poverty as treated by a board of
guardians, and kept alive on the smallest pittance they can devise. It
is a most magnificent building, with four huge courts, the chapel in
the centre, of which the altar is commanded on one side by a great
chamber for the men, and on the other side by one for the women; while
in front it is open to the public, and behind to an infirmary for the
sick.
In all these buildings what most pleases one is the bringing home the
entire offices, hopes, and consolations of religion to every
individual soul. I do not see how this can be done without sisters of
charity, and the system of confession. Everything I see impresses on
me more and more our own need of a complete renovation and
restoration, if we would rise as a communion to be a reality and not a
sham. Yesterday we visited the Fieschine, an institution for educating
orphan girls, of which it now holds 187. They are taught reading and
writing and work of all kinds, the most beautiful embroidery,
artificial flowers, &c. It was founded by the Count Fieschi, and is in
the patronage of his family, directed by a chaplain, and a superior,
with the rules of a convent, but without any vows, as a great many
marry out of it. The full recognition of the ascetic and monastic
life, as a Christian state, and the highest in its kind, is of
incalculable importance. For want of this, all our great institutions,
whether for the maintenance of learning, or the direction of youth, or
the care of the sick, fail just where they ought to be strong; they
have no _authority_; the world, its views, and principles, and
measures, rule in them as in ordinary life; and the reason why is,
that the very life which alone is above the world, its wants, and its
measures, is excluded and condemned. We have men, we have minds, we
have money; but how are we to get back principles which we have in
practice given up? The under-valuing celibacy, the not possessing
religious orders, seems a system of christianity without the cross.
_July 21._--We go on to Milan by the courier to-day, and I shall post
this letter on our arrival there to-morrow, after that to
Venice, which is my farthest point. I shall return through Basle, to
which place write me a line as soon as you receive this. The heat here
is overwhelming,--there is no getting cool, even at night. Instead of
a bonnet, all women here, ladies and commonalty, wear a muslin shawl,
which is pinned on the top of the head, and descends down behind to
the waist: it is most pleasing and graceful. They are, besides, often
good looking, and have a natural breeding and look of blood about them
which seems quite extinct in France. The majority of the women over
the men in the churches here is as great as in France. The buildings
themselves are full of various marbles, painting and gilding,
sometimes to excess, but often the effect is very beautiful. The music
is much too theatrical for my taste. Several masses going on at once
in a church strike one as strange, and for devotion, at least
habitually, I prefer the Low Mass which one can follow without
difficulty, and which is of a moderate length, to the accompaniment
with music, which distracts. Their evening service, when they have
any, is the Benediction, or exposition of the Holy Sacrament. The
Jesuits here seem to have plenty to do; the professed house is
supported by charity alone. When we go to visit Père Jourdain, he
seats us on his bed, for chairs he has not for company: I believe they
may not possess anything as private property, not even a souvenir of
friends. There is a reality about that order at least which
ensures respect.
* * * * *
Yours very sincerely,
T. W. ALLIES.
Milan, July 23. 1847.
MY DEAR ----.
We took our letter to Manzoni last night, and found him sitting, after
dinner, with Madame. Considering that he lives very retired, we may
think ourselves three fortunate birds of passage to have had an hour's
conversation with the author of the Promessi Sposi. He is from 60 to
65 years of age, with greyish hair and a pleasing kind look. He spoke
of James Hope and Gladstone; with great warmth of the latter, saying
it was a satisfaction to speak with such a man. Newman he regretted
not having seen as he passed through, being then in the country. I
mentioned his great reputation with us. "He has the same here," he
said. I inquired if he could tell us anything about the Estatica and
Addolorata, who are not far from Trent, and whom we wish to see. He
replied that one person of his acquaintance who had seen the
Addolorata was profoundly struck, and quite convinced of the reality
of her state. On further conversation, it turned out that this person
was no other than his wife's son by a former marriage, who was
at this moment gone on a second visit to the Addolorata with a
physician, for the purpose of taking an accurate account of her state.
He is to return on Monday, and then we hope to hear his report. I
asked if the clergy here were learned; he said there were learned men
among them, but the Church was held in a state of most oppressive
thraldom by the government; the bishops cannot hold a visitation, nor
communicate with Rome, without permission, nor punish a parish priest
without the sentence of a tribunal directed by laymen. This thraldom
dates from the emperor Joseph II. What seemed most to interest
Manzoni, and on which he spoke at length, was the philosophical system
of his friend Rosmini; a complete system, according to his account, of
great originality, thoroughly opposed to the _sensuous_ philosophy of
modern times, and preparing the mind for the faith. He made all error
to consist in the _will_, not in the _mind_; and was a most
inexorable logician, carrying out every principle, and never leaving a
fact in abeyance. Manzoni seemed thoroughly interested in Rosmini, and
expects great results from his works, of which there are already
fifteen vols. published, which have begun to make an impression. He
got more and more animated as our visit went on. I found his Italian
clear and easy to understand; nor did he address us at all in French,
which his lady (a second wife) seemed to prefer. He spoke with
compassion of the miserably infidel state of France, and quite
admitted my remark that a great change seemed to be passing over the
mind of men everywhere, and that they were in the process of being won
back to the faith, as in the last century they were falling from it.
The Church was the best friend of all governments, for they must be
bad indeed for the clergy not to support them; and yet their position
was one of jealousy towards the Church. As we bowed ourselves out of
the room, he came forward cordially and said "Shake hands," the only
words not Italian which he had spoken; and so we left him much
gratified, and with the prospect of another visit on Monday. We were
several hours in the cathedral yesterday; and at five this morning
mounted to see the early morning view outside. The view, when clear,
is most wondrous, embracing the range of Alps for a couple of hundred
miles. This morning it was only partially open, just to the north, but
still very fine. Shelley's lines on the Euganean Hills are most
thoroughly Italian, and render the scene, so far as words can:--
"Beneath is spread, like a green sea,
The waveless plain of Lombardy,
Bounded by the vaporous air,
Islanded by cities fair;
Underneath day's azure eyes,
Ocean's nursling, Venice, lies," &c.
As for describing the building inside or out, it is utterly vain to
attempt it. Suffice it to say, that the greatest of all Gothic
cathedrals must be allowed to be a beautiful bastard, full of
inconsistencies and irregularities, and even serious faults, yet so
grand and profoundly religious, that one gives up all criticism in
disgust. As we walked on the marble roof this morning, and watched
that multitude of aerial pinnacles so clearly defined against the cool
blue sky, I thought it would be as utterly beyond Walter Scott or
Victor Hugo, or any other master of human language, as it was beyond
me, to convey to one who never saw it any idea of this building. Human
language, then, being an instrument confessedly so poor and weak, what
extreme folly it is to rest upon it in religious mysteries; to think
that we can penetrate into realities by its aid, when we cannot even
describe the objects of sense. If Milan cathedral be indescribable, it
would be strange indeed if words could exhibit the mystery of the
Trinity. We must wait for intuition before we approach eternal things;
that is, we must be beyond the bounds of time ere we can comprehend
what does not exist in time. Prayers may be said to be always going
on, at least during the day, here; as we entered, a Mass was already
proceeding: there is a succession of them from dawn till noon. I
confess I prefer one daily celebration, at which all who are
disposed, especially clergy, should assist, not merely as reverencing
the mystery, (which, however, is far and far beyond our manner of
neglecting it,) but as partaking of it. On the other hand, this mode
sets forth a continual worship; the building itself seems a perpetual
offering made to God; by day and night it pleads the Passion of His
Son and the graces of His saints. I do not know whether this mute
intercession is most striking when it is crowded with worshippers, or
when, as we saw it at eight last night, two
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