Immaculata Academy - Lilium Convallium Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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regim- LILIUM CONVALLIUM 37 to find entrance to his soul, but Senor Mernilo, glancing again at the sweet picture, realized che compassion and power with God of our Lady of Guadalupe. He no longer thought about his position but only longed for God's forgive- ness and our Lady's friendship. For a while a bitter conflict took place within him, but at length he decided to see a priest immediately to make his peace with God. He would then send in his resignation of office. A wholly changed husband greeted Senora Mernilo a few hours later. He showed her more love and affection than usual and a happy smile played around his lips. The gentle lady's sweet face lighted up and her joy over his con- version was boundless, although she wept when she heard of the ruin of the convent. Suddenly, little Marie Peruza, expecting to find Senora alone, burst into the room. She stepped back in consternation when she saw Senor Mernilo, but he entreated her to come ing he had something to tell her. At the story of his return to God, the child was full of joy, because her earnest prayers had been answered completely. Then her face saddened and she said sorrowfully, I have something to tell you, too. Mother just told me that she is not my real mother. She said that she found me after a train wreck when I was two years old, and that no one has ever inquired for me. The childish voice broke on the last words and after a moment she continued sadly, Now I have no name, nor home, nor parents. The lady I call mother, told me, too, that I would have to go to an orphan's home because they are getting too poor. Senor Mernilo and his wife glanced at each other with wet, shining eyes, for now they saw the road to perfect happiness. They both loved this child as a daughter and now she could become their own little Angele. A few days later, the adoption papers having been secured, Marie came to live with her new parents. She wore for the first time a shiny gold locket. Wlien Senora Mernilo saw the locket, she almost fainted. My dear, where did you get that locket? The lady I lived with cold me that I had it on when she found mef' replied the surprised child. As his wife was almost overcome, Senor Mernilo opened it with trembling fingers. Yes, there were the pictures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and our Lady of Guadalupe, just as they themselves had placed them almost ten years ago. As they were speechless with joy, it was some time before the child understood that she had found her real parents. A rose- shaped birthmark just above the girl's elbow confirmed the fact. As they sank to their knees in thanksgiving, Senor Mernilo murmured with intense feeling: I feel that the loving kindness that our good God has shown in restoring to us our little Angele, great as it is, is but a shadow of what he has reserved for us in eternity. Never again shall I lightly throw away my heavenly birthrightf' A few days later the ideally happy family moved to the United States, after having richly recompensed the people who had taken care of Angele. Keeping only enough money to afford themselves a small income, they gave the rest of their fortune to the Church in Mexico. Senor Mernilo's only aim in life now was to show his hearty gratitude to God for His exceptional favors by an exemplary Christian life. -ADELINE VANDERBECK, 'z6.

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36 LILIUM CONVALLIUM and forget what I just said. Some clay I'll tell you the story of a sweet little girl who was deprived of life and happinessf' The little girl, not quite understanding what kind of story he meant and seeing that she could do nothing, sadly left the office. She had grown to like this austere man and to love his wife very dearly, because they were most kind to her, whereas at home she received little affection. Marie visited them a short time almost every day, but today, after the disturbing scene at school, she had conceived the idea of stopping to see Senor Mernilo at his office to enlist his opposition to the persecutors. She was indeed surprised at his atti- tude, for she had not suspected that a lady like Senora Mernilo, who received Holy Communion daily, could have an anti-Catholic husband. Well, she said to herself confidently, Pm going to pray to our Blessed Mother for him. Our Lady of Guadalupe will surely convert him. As soon as Marie had left, Senor Mernilo arose and paced back and forth. Thoughts of their treasured little daughter, so suddenly snatched from them, filled his mind. Senora had borne their loss nobly and he knew she had loved the baby more than herself. She had become a better Catholic, while he had turned his back upon God for political power. XY'ho was the happier? He had to admit that she was more contented than he. He was surprised to find the wall of indifference to God thus crumbling in his heart after the eight years he had been trying to build it. He clenched his hands and shook himself as if to throw off some burden. What! am I going to think next of going back to the Church and losing my position? he muttered. Indeed not! Even as he said this many straight arrows of love and entreaty, sent up by his devoted wife and a little ten-year-old child, pierced the loving heart of Mary on his behalf. One day Mernilo was instructed to raid a large convent and destroy every- thing pertaining to religion. He hesitated a while but finally determined to cast all scruples aside. Had he not been anxious for just such a chance to show his loyalty to Mexico? He accordingly ordered a band of soldiers to fulfill the command to the letter. These men, eager for plunder, arrived at the convent long before Mernilo expected. Consequently, by the time he arrived, broken statues and wrecked altars covered che once shining floors. The sight of the ruins touched his heart and he quickly dismissed the men before they could see his emotion. Pshaw! I'm getting as soft-hearted as a woman, he muttered. He hurried through the building to see that the orders had been carried out, while he steeled his heart against his finer feelings. When he came to the once beautiful chapel, he found a desolate spot indeed. The stained glass windows were knocked out, the altars were broken, and the stations were shattered almost to dust. He started in haste from this place which held so many reproaches for him and almost burst the stony covering of his heart. He reached the door, when, glancing down, he stepped back in fright. His face turned ashen gray and his breath came in gasps. Memories of happy days in God's love flooded his mind. But these memories were not the cause of his agitation. He was gazing at a totally undamaged picture of our Lady of Guadalupe, left unnoticed behind a pile of ruins. He recalled his mother's great love of our Lady under this title and his own promise to her when she was dying, that he would always cherish the devotion. This picture was the exact reproduction of the one that his mother had hung at the head of his bed and of the life-size one which adorned the old home parlor. Before it the family had gathered for evening prayers and before it he had poured forth many childish troubles. Little Angele had also been consecrated to our Lady of Guadalupe. At each new remembrance a sword of remorse pierced his heart. Then despair tried

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38 LILIUM CONVALLIUM A Midsummer N ight is Dream: An Appreciation Shakespeare's comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, is perhaps the most original of his dramas. Most of his plots are taken from other stories, but this plot is his own. In creating the fairies, he was, no doubt, influenced by his knowledge of fairy folk-lore, the other characters he drew from classical tradition. But in no other story are these widely different characters brought together. The structure of this play leads critics to believe it was written for some private celebration, most probably for the wedding of some nobleman, and was not written to be produced on the public stage. The ridiculous, if some- times incredulous, actions of the characters do not detract from the drama but make the story much more humorous. Besides the main plot, the complicated love affairs of the Athenian youths, there is also the minor plot, the quarrel of the fairy king and queen. The first act introduces us to one group of characters and tells us what the play will be about. The words of Theseus give us the keynote, mirth, and tells us the play will be merry and light. Stir up the Athenian youth to merrimentsg Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth: Turn melancholy forth to funerals, The pale companion is not for our pomp. Four days intervene until the Duke's wedding and until this event we are to pleasantly dream away the time. How pleasantly Shakespeare lets us dream away the time! A fairy song and dance, a joke played by mischievous Puck, or a ridiculous situation of a leading character keep us continually amused. The action is very swift. The author fairly rushes us through the scenes of action and leaves us almost breathless at the end. The flight of Hermia and Lysander into the forest starts the rising action. Rapidly Shakespeare brings all the other characters together in that forest, and how expertly he does it! Sometimes he uses almost impossible means to gain his end, but he does it so skillfully that we do not notice the improbability of the actions of the characters. The real genius of the dramatist can only be appreciated when we look at the variety of unlike characters he brought together in this drama. An Athenian nobleman, an Amazonian queen, two pairs of Athenian lovers, a group of clownish artisans, the classical Pyramus and Thisbe, and the king and queen of a fairyland in India attended by a jester native of England, all take part in this play. As we look back over the widely different groups, does it not seem impossible that they could be brought together in the credible scenes of this one action? But Shakespeare does bring them together and in such a way that their very difference forms a delightful variety and contrast. Shakespeare at the very opening of the drama introduces us to the leading characters, Hermia, Helena, Lysander and Demetrius. In the second act he introduces the minor characters: Oberon, Titania, Puck, and the artisans. Puck is the most important of the minor characters, the one who causes the plot complications. The characters in this play are not so striking as in other Shakespearean dramas. The plot is developed more by comic situations than by the action of any particular character. The characters do not stand out as any particular type, but could be anyone in general. There is not so much outstanding character portrayal, but rather a detailed description of comic situations.