Such is the setting you must recall as you mount' the broad-stepped approach to Macao's Sao Paolo. It is a sacred way and you are approaching an arch of triumpk—the Capitol of the Mfissions of the East is before you speaks at once of a glory that is gone. of the spirit that' inspired what was best in the great age of a great nation, And it is not perhaps, without significance that tke ruins of Sao Paolo should be ever present to the eyes of the citizen of Macao as he dreams of fan empire that has vanished and secks for the causes of its dis-
Appearance, The church was built in 1602"Ia honour of the Virgin Mother. The facade and the steps were added in 1640 through the labour of Japanese Christians, driven from their homes by persecution, and it 1835 the whole building was des troyed by fire leaving only the facade and the approach of granite steps. Even in its rains, the churek ix a testimony to the prosperity of that town "of 2,000 hearths and little less than "40,000 Christian souls, each family: having 20 persons, the Portuguese there being in very easy: circumstances with plenty of servitors and having constantly 8,000 soldiers in garrison for the defence of 30 important a place."
Church aiid College Let the Fr. Cardim introduce church amd the college that stood to the right as one mounts the steps; "the college of the Society of Jesus at Malo, ie built on a high and ordinarily keeps 60 per-has the standing of an Unty: all the selenees from ummer to Sacred Theology included are taught there and the degree of doctor is there conferred tupan the fit; our church is fair indeed and very spacious, having with other ornaments certain bronze tatuiee of our Saints on ite facade and. moreover, the statues of the Virgin of Virgins and of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul likewise of bronze: the citizens attend in remarkable numbers and many of the Fathers are constantly employed in hearing confessions, in preaching and other functions." "In the "Batalhas" he tells us of the alms collected and distributed and of the private retreats made in the college by many citizens. Tt was fan active life and the poor ruin rmiust feel lonely: now."
The Facade a Sermon in Stone The facade reminds me of the engraved frontispieces.of the period. full of architectural design and symbolism with broad Latin lettering of the title of the book. Here the content is just a great sermon the vital story of the Inthe great part whick Mary played in it This was no empty nor lightly won praise, In 1640, for instance, Macao had sent a noble embassy led by some of its most distinguish-citizens, to. Japan and 61 Portuguese or Chinese members of had been put to death; the survivors, testified how punctiliously Roderic Sanches de Pardoz had assured: himself by a thrice put question that they were surely dying for the faith of Jesus Christ. They got free of their bods in order to scourge themselves with the ropes in prison, Macao celebrated the news of their death, not with mourning but—as was fitting for the death of martyrs—with the Few facades tell their tale so clearly—but few centuries been so systematic in their theology fas the sth and few have been £0 finished in the logical and rhetorical utterance of their theology. If we could live into all the associations of this majestic ruin, the streets, the harbour, the sea at Macao would he peopled for na with' visions of ardent. heroic men and their ships bearing the name of the Great Captain to the people that were sitting in darkness and the shadow death; the view from Sao Paolo, would widen into Eternity, for men who lived within that college walls often bore the slashes of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.