for its theme the condition of the Dutch Franciscan province. It was signed by a Dutch friar, who declared that he was incarcerated (and had been for some years) by his colleagues because he would not keep silence: he had written the pamphlet in his room of detention and managed to have it conveyed to friends in the outer world. He declared that the province was deeply corrupted: that asceticism was almost unknown, and a gross sensualism pervaded their ranks—even mentioning isolated cases of friars being brought home to the monastery by the undignified aid of police-stretchers, 'theologically drunk.' He further declared that the superiors of the monasteries bribed their provincial to overlook the state of things, and that the province secured tranquillity by sending large sums of money to the Roman authorities for their new international college. The pamphlet was clearly not the composition of an insane person, and none of our friars called its accuracy into question. Again, therefore, we meet the same unfavourable moral and intellectual features, much more accentuated than even in the Irish province.
The other branches of the order I only know by conversation with isolated members. The American provinces, North and South, especially those of the United States, present many similar features to the provinces described. The German provinces seem to be slightly better—a little more industrious and studious, as might be expected—on the whole not differing
