ABOUT PRECIOUS STONES.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 140, 7 January 1876, Page 7

ABOUT PRECIOUS STONES.

4~* To the Editor of the New Zealand Tablet.

Sir, — For some time back I have been thinking of writing to you on the subject of the present letter, but I could scarcely muster up the moral courage to embody my ideas in words or commit them to paper, lest I may be laughed at for my rashness or pitied for my temerity. However, I felt that if I were to speak out at all on the subject there could be no more fitting nor appropriate time for doing so than on the holy festival of Christmas. You will readily agree with me that there are great numbers everywhere, members of every community and of every congregation, who possess gems and precious stones of more or less value, some of which ai*e almost always hidden away in drawers and dark comers — wasting their brightness, as it were — while others are uselessly shining from breast-pins, or glittering on fingers that would look quite as well without them, while in some places not a single gem is to be seen around the Monstrance on the Altar at Benediction, nor on the Tabernacle where our blessed Lord is pleased to reside amongst us. I often wonder why lelieving Catholics do not more frequently make any offering towards the embellishment of our alters. Men, whose drawing-rooms are decorated with rich and costly ornaments, for the mosfc part useless, will coolly answer, if they aye spoken to on the .subject, that they cannot afford to contribute towards such a purpose. The absurdity of this is manifest, and bears prima facie evidence of their want of venerition for the most blessed Sacrament. The object, then, of this letter is to pi'opose that in every place throughout the colony — or throughout the world, if may be — where the people are sufficiently wealthy, or sufficiently numerous for the pui*pose, collections and offerings be made by all of gems and valuable stones, and ornaments appropi % iate for the adornment and decoration of the Holy Tabernacle and Monstrance; and that those who are not possessed of gems, or who, having them, do not wish to part with them, subscribe an equivalent in money, to be devoted to this purpose. lam sure that there are few Catholics who would not prefer seeing even the richest diamond that Golconda ever yielded shining over the dooi'way of that holy house of Nazareth than idly glittering in his own casket. 1 think that I have said enough now to willing hearts. If the subject be worth consideration it will be very easy to develop it and to give it form and shape. A few zealous good men in every town, and the matter would soon become an fait accompli. I am yours, <JLc, Rathkealensis. P.S. — As a sequal to the above letter, I may add that I have also been thinking for some time back to write to you in order to propose that a subscription list be opened m the Tablet, to which I have no doubt many of your readers would gladly contribute, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of printing little indulgenced and other prayers, &c, on small fly-leaves, fit for prayer books, and distributing them occasionally with the different issues of the Tabldt. This would certainly be a new feature in your paper, and I am sure would be a very welcome and acceptable one to most of your readers. As a something to begin upon, I enclose you in this letter five shillings worth of postage stamps. However, the project may not at all meet your views, and in that case I have only to apologise, and remain, &c, R. I Christmas, Christchurch. [The suggestion of the pofetcript is hardly practicable, nor is it quite necessary to act on it, as there have been prayer books published lately which .supply everything desired by our correspondent. — Ed. N. Z. Tablkt. j