this article was published at all-a few days after it was put in type-the Ring lawyer, Mr. David Dudley Field, had made several visits to our office, and invited us to his residence for the avowed purpose of buying this journal, or a part of it if we should be unwilling to sell the whole.

It is, also, well known that on the very day it was published Mayor Hall issued a sort of a proclamation against it, in the Herald, alleging that we were actuated by spite and malice; that Sweeny and his colleagues were above reproachall high-minded, honorable men. This proclamation was published as an advertisement in several papers, at the expense of the tax-payers; partly to convince the credulous how innocent the Ring was, and partly to stimulate the zeal of its organs, so that they might throw as much dirt at us as possible.*

While thus assailed by the hired organs of the Ringwhile receiving letters of sympathy from all parts of the country, as well as from New York, not only from subscribers and patrons, but from numbers whom we had never known before while we could not observe the slightest distinction of sect or party in those letters, we find three communications among the pile forming exceptions to the most gratifying general rule it has ever been our privilege to examine. One proves

* It is but justice to say that instead of taking any part against us, the Herald, sometimes accused of being friendly to the Ring, allowed us to dispose fully in its columns of the Doge-like, base proceeding of Hall, and show the public how disinterested and truthful was his defence of Sweeny. If the World joined the mob of hirelings that abused us, day after day, for doing our duty, the fact escaped our observation; indeed, we are pretty sure that its principal editor had a higher sense of justice and of shame, than to act a part so like that of the pot-house bully, or the Thug. As for the Times, its vigorous and well-directed blows fell daily with crushing weight both on the figure-head champion and his "high-minded" colleagues.

Were we to publish the briefest extracts from the kind, friendly letters of distinguished men and women, including the greatest and best in the United States, we could fill an octavo volume with expressions of the most generous sympathy. But we have never done anything of the kind. Even our enemies, including those who abuse us in bad English, need have no fear that we will publish their private letters against their will. We leave the contrary course to dishonest politicians having no regard for the decencies of life, but

to be from a Rev. Father of St. Xavier's College, New York; another from a Rev. Sister of the Sacred Heart Academy, Manhattanville, and the third from a Rev. Mother of the Sisters of Charity Academy, Mount St. Vincent. The three were not written the same day, or by the same hand; but they breathed exactly the same spirit—not the spirit of St. Xavier or St. John, but the spirit of the good fathers who now pretend to represent those saints. The good father orders us to stop the Review, the good mother gives us exactly the same order, and the good sister orders us to stop printing the Sacred Heart prospectus.

Nothing could be more unjust, or, indeed, more absurd than to regard these three letters as an index of Catholic feeling in regard to our battle with the Ring. We shall never forget that on the very day upon which we received, from the Academy of the Sacred Heart, the letter alluded to, we received another from the Academy of the Visitation, at Georgetown, D. C. But what a contrast do the two nuns present to each other! While one withdraws a prospectus which we had in

capable of any baseness which they think may aid them in concealing their dishonesty. As for publishing, for any purpose whatever, letters written to us in that frank, friendly confidence, in which one gentleman or lady writes to another, not dreaming that that confidence will be violated, we trust we shall never be capable of such infamy.

Even from California, we had several such letters. From citizens of San Francisco, as well as those of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and St. Louis, we had invitations to draw on them for money, in the event of our needing any, to maintain our rights as a public journalist, well aware as they were of the character of the gang whose enmity we had incurred, and who were then all powerful, having control of all the government machinery necessary to persecute and oppress. As an instance of the generosity thus evinced by subscribers in all parts of the country, we may be permitted to mention the noble offer of Mr. William Hayes, a distinguished member of the San Francisco bar, to place at our disposal any amount we might require. Had we the greediness or the avarice of some of the pious sympathizers with the Ring an opportunity was thus presented to us of filling our coffers; but not one dollar have we asked or accepted from any one on any such condition or for any such purpose. We mention this gentleman because it does him additional honor to show that neither the distance of thousands of miles, nor his being himself a leading, zealous, active democrat, could render him blind to the character and motives of those who so foully assailed us.

serted for half price, on the representation that the academy was poor, the other sends us a list of subscribers, including the daughters of leading men, jurists, physicians, army officers, etc., in various parts of the country, accompanied with a cashier's check on a New York bank. Soon after we have the honor and the gratification of receiving a similar letter from St. Mary's Academy, Notre Dame, Ind., conducted by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. And by none have we been treated more kindly than by the Sisters of Mount de Chantal Academy, near Wheeling, Va., both before and after our grappling with the Ring. Nor have we to go so far even as Georgetown for instances of kindness and generosity-most agreeable evidences of appreciation of our humble labors in behalf of education on the part of the female Catholic orders engaged in teaching. Until we attacked the Ring, and were abused by its organs, we had no knowledge of the academy conducted by the Sisters of the Visitation, so near us as Brooklyn; and the first information we receive of it is in the form of a most complimentary, kind letter from its superioress, enclosing the subscription of her academy, and expressing a wish that we may be able to furnish all the back numbers.

There is not one of these four institutions whose principal teachers are not vastly better qualified, by education and talent, and much more refined ladies, than those of the Sacred Heart Academy. As for Georgetown Academy of the Visitation, it is as much superior to the Manhattan Academy of the Sacred Heart* as Georgetown College is to St.

* A slight illustration of this may not be uninteresting. On the principle of judging the tree by its fruit, let us compare the Sacred Heart Academy with St. Mary's Academy. Few Eastern people would expect to find a modest female institution in Indiana equal to a very pretentious one in the suburbs of New York. Some three years since, while travelling in the West, we availed ourselves of a kind invitation to visit St. Mary's, with which we had been honored some time previously by one of its most accomplished teachers. It so happened that it was during vacation, The sisters expressed their regret that we did not come at a time when we could hear the recitations. As it was, however, they were determined that we should have some opportunity of judging whether St. Mary's was anything the less competent, as a seminary for the education of young ladies. for being situated in the "Hoosier State." Accordingly, the good lady who invited us conducts us to a

Xavier's, New York, or St. John's, Fordham.

The cause

is this: the Georgetown Academy, as well as the Manhattanville Academy, is under the influence of the Jesuits; but the Georgetown Jesuits and the New York Jesuits are very different from each other, both as educators and men.

Our readers are aware that this is not the first time we have pointed out this distinction; we did so more than seven years ago. Not only have we contrasted Georgetown College with our New York Jesuit colleges, on several occasions, indicating the immense superiority of the former, but we have also contrasted the influences exercised by those institutions, and the fruits of those influences. We have intimated that there is no Tammany Ring at Georgetown; no large, wealthy, commercial city which those who can secure the Irish vote may plunder-in a word, no municipal thieves who think they can rob the more easily in future if they show, by

room in which one of the sisters shows us some fine specimens of needlework done by the students. In another room another sister shows us several essays written by the young ladies, whose names are affixed to them. Passing along the corridor we are conducted to another room in which there is an Italian lady, to whom we are introduced, and who performs several exquisite pieces on the piano, concluding by singing, to her own accompaniment, with one of the sweetest, tenderest voices we have ever heard, the noble Stabat Mater. We forget now whether it was a Spanish or French sister who honored us in a similar manner, performing several gems on the guitar. Thus we were introduced in turn to American, English, Irish, French, Italian, and German ladies. each of whom treated us with some mark of courtesy. Finally the good superioress insisted on our dining at the Academy, in company with the chaplain of the institution. Then, having visited Georgetown Academy, while the students were present, we had the honor of being treated to one of the most delightful amateur concerts we have ever heard. One young lady performs on the piano, and sings; another on the guitar; another on the harp; another sings most sweetly a beautiful solo, etc. We did not wonder at finding even such charming evidences of superior culture at an institution so famous as Georgetown Academy; but we confess we were quite astonished at what we saw and heard so far to the West as St. Mary's, Notre Dame.

Now what of the Sacred Heart Academy? Some will say, perhaps, “You are too great a sinner to be let inside the door there!" Not so, however. We have been shown more there than at either Notre Dame or Georgetown; but there was a great difference in kind. It is true, that at the Sacred Heart we have not been shown any essays written by the students; any guitars or

sending their sons and daughters to the fathers and sisters, or by presenting them large donations from their stolen wealth, how friendly they are to the Catholic church.

We think that when all these circumstances are considered, it will be admitted that we had no right to be surprised at the striking contrast presented by the letters which we received from Manhattanville, St. Vincent's, and Georgetown; nay, it will be admitted that even if we had not been previously aware of the high character of St. Mary's Academy, Notre Dame, we had a right to expect more real culture, as well as more genuine Christian principle from that institution, removed as it is, in its charming solitude from all corrupting influences, than from the academies of Manhattanville and St. Vincent-especially from the pet of such statesmen, lawgivers, and moralists as Peter B. Sweeny, A.

harps or other elegant instruments; nor have we been permitted to hear any recitations, or any music, either instrumental or vocal. But at that institution we have been shown, and more than once, the young ladies' bed-rooms, their beds, and their dresses ! We have been shown even the infirmary, as well as Madam Hardie's parrots and her rosaries. Thus, we may have been shown fine needlework at the Sacred Heart, but if so it was on the young ladies' beds or on their night dresses. We do not pretend to think that there was any serious impropriety on the part of the nuns of the Sacred Heart in showing what good laundresses, seamstresses, and floor-moppers there are about Manhattanville, but we think it would have been somewhat better, and a little more discreet to have shown some of the young ladies' essays, translations, drawings, text-books, etc. Nothing, however, of the latter kind— nothing intellectual--has ever been shown us at that institution. We once criticised Vassar College; but in doing so we had nothing but good to say of the lady professors. These ladies, like the sisters of Georgetown and Notre Dame, thought it more suitable to show us their students' class-rooms than their bed-rooms, and they thought it more suitable to conduct us to the dining-room than to the infirmary. It may be asked, then, if the accomplished fair professors of Vassar treated us kindly (as they certainly did) why did we criticise that institution? Our reply is that we did so in accord ance with the principle of Voltaire, who truly says, that there are ladies capable of governing kingdoms and empires, but the misfortune is that those very ladies will allow themselves to be governed by men who have not understanding enough to govern a dozen pullets. Perhaps the ladies of the Sacred Heart ought to be excused on the same ground, for when anything of the kind is intimated to Madam Hardie, she says nothing, but shakes her head knowingly, and laughs piously!