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ST. PHILOMENA’8 MESSENGER

Fate haa plaoed on us the (luty of dofend-ing bhe honour of Poland We aro happy fchat God has given ua strength to ful fil that duty to the laat drop of our blood. Though roofa are collapsing over our heads, though our ehurchos and sacred altara aro falling ono a^ftcr another, though tłiousands of our women and childrcn havo boen slain, w"' shall fight on under the aign of the cros9. Wo know that our sacrifioe will not be ia vain We know that our b'ood will woigh in the soale of yictory over shameloss violonce '*

New Marriage Law* in French Equitorial

and French West Africa.—Romę — V dftcreo reocnbly sigu^d by the Presidenb of tho Frenoh Republio regulat<*8 tho marriage of native womon in tho French Colonies in Eąuatorial and Woat Africa. The new law is a further step Łowards raising ii'.itivo womon from tho status of chattels of the family into whioh they hayo boen married. The fir<t of tho bhree arbicles of the law rulcs that girls under fourteon ycars of ago, aud boya under sixtoeu may not contract marriage. The second re-gulation States that the consont of both parties is indispensablo for tho validity of the marriage. Tho law also establish-e8 that a widów may refu9e to fol Iow bhe custom which attributes ber to another member of tho family of hor deceased husbam}.

Local cu8toms in Africa havo hib-horfco placed women in a posibion libtle betber than that of boasfc of burden or 8lave8. Young girls aro ofton promiecd in marriage in their infancy, even at birth. They are seldom consulted as to thoir desires but most oimply follow the wishos of their parents, who decide whom and wh^n tho.y will marry. The lot of tho widów is cvon worse, perhap3. Upon Łhedoabh of hor husbi.nl shc is not free to d > as sho plcasos; to ro-marry or to romvin single acoording bo her owq will.

She ani hor childron form a part of his estate and go to hor husband^łs heir.

The new legislatora is ono whioh mis3ionaric9 liave beon urging for many yoar3. Ammg Christian nativo8 its rul-iugs hivo beon followod evor sinoe tho arrivil of bha inissiouaries. Tts euforco-raent rernovps another greab diiTiculty that irapedol the work of conversioa aimng tho ntbivos.

Japanese Christian Art.—Romę.—Ono of the most disiinobiye foabures aboub Japanese art is bhe facb that ib ia erninea* tly subjeotive. The Japanese painter aims not so much at creabing an exaob oopy of a ra iterial object aa a permanent record of the effecb it produces on his mind. Hence the dalicabe, poetical naturę of Japanese painting which pro* vidos suoh a strilciag oontrast to tho crude realism of much of bhe rajdem art of tho commorcializod West.

This characberistio has greatly facili-tatod Ihe doyolopmont in Japan of the nascent Christian Bohool of sacred art, ably reprosenbed by suoh skilful paintors as Lukę Hasogaye, Oko.yama Shunkio, Takahiro Toda and Madame Koaeki.

On his recrat visi* to Rmno Arch-bishop Paul Marella, Apo3to!ic Delegato in Tokyo, brought with him from Japan a couple of modern Japaaeso paintings that well illustrate this point.

In one of thege Madame Koseki ha9 depictod a Japanese Christian lady of days gone by on the eve of her mirty r-dom kneeling before a crucifix in tho act of writing her will. Tuere is nothing griin about bhe manner in whioh the artist has conceived this poigDanb scene. On tho contrary the wholo composition roflects a wonderful spirib of poaceful sorenity. The other picturo, from the brush of the well-known Japanese artist Shuho Yarnada. represents Our Lady of Lourdes. It was painfced for a lady who wanted a picturo in the form of a kako-