M. Dupont, in his letters, frequently promises his correspondents to recommend them to the prayers of the Nocturnal Adoration. We shall now make known the important place which this work holds in the life of the servant of God.

Established in Paris on the 6th of December, 1848, through the zeal of a recently converted Jew, the celebrated Father Hermann, the Nocturnal Adoration was commenced in Tours in February, 1849. Living as he did in the world, Mr. Dupont was eminently qualified by his fervent piety, his love for the Blessed Sacrament, and his intimate association with Father Hermann and other holy apostles of the Eucharist, for the foundation of this beautiful work. He embraced it at once and with delight, as a noble idea of expiation, “an idea cherished,” he said, “by many men in France, who behold widespread evils and who equally comprehend the necessity of expiation.”

But the idea was not entertained by others as readily as by himself. When he proposed to establish it in Tours, his friends regarded the project as rash, and were hopeless of success. As for Mr. Dupont, he did not lose confidence for an instant, and the undertaking prospered far beyond his hopes. Two months after its foundation he could write to a friend: “The beautiful thought of rendering homage to our Lord has been welcomed at Tours. The number of adorers now amounts to seventy-four, and we have the prospect of a great increase during the coming month. No words can express the happiness of these charming nights. The good work has brought us in communication with Christians full of fervor. His lordship himself is amazed at the rapidity with which the fire of devotion has spread from soul to soul.”

This success was due to the zeal and popularity of Mr. Dupont; his charity and kind attentions to his neighbor, had made him a general favorite: he was universally loved and venerated. By his exertions, Tours was the first city after Paris in which the Nocturnal Adoration was introduced, and its requirement fulfilled by men. As the idea in his mind was, primarily, that of reparation, the servant of God was desirous that the pious vigils should commence on “the three nights of the days of dissipation and scandal which precede Lent.” Mgr. Morlot, whose wisdom and prudent reserve were well known, received the new work with marked favor, and approved, without hesitation, the regulation presented to him by Mr. Dupont. It was intrinsically the same as that observed in Paris, modified, however, and adapted to the wants of the place.

The members were principally from the class of laborers and mechanics, at whose head were some members of the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, and a few men belonging to families of the highest social position. Each night of adoration was anticipated with pleasure as a feast, and it was not uncommon to hear workmen, at the conclusion of a day of hard labor, complain to the director of their division, that he had forgotten to notify them of their turn. A day laborer, living in the vicinity of Tours, walked two leagues to go and make his adoration, after which, he would return the two leagues on foot. The night was terminated by a mass, and, generally, those who remained in adoration approached the holy table; and not unfrequently, men were seen to amend their lives, that they might have the happiness of communicating once a month.

The order of exercises is given by Mr. Dupont in the following words: “We assemble, to the number of fourteen, at the feet of our Lord in the chapel of the Lazarite Fathers, who have also the kindness to allow us the use of a room, in which are placed a few camp-beds. There we converse together until the evening prayer, which is said before our Lady of Good Thoughts; there also, we take our repose before and after our hour of adoration. Charts, designating the hour which has fallen to each, facilitate the awakening of the members who are successively called during the night. How short those nights are! How short, particularly, is the hour which falls to us for adoration! Some pious books are placed near a lamp for the use of those, who desire the aid to their devotion. Very few take advantage of them. Some simply say their beads; the greater part kneel at the feet of our Lord, speak to Him, and listen to what he says to their hearts.

The latter find the hour extremely short. I have seen poor workmen, fatigued by the labor of the day, sleeping quietly, and I acknowledge that I rejoiced to have the honor of being near these friends of our Lord.”

All the expenses incurred in the necessary arrangements were met by Mr. Dupont. The “camp-beds,” as they were designated, consisted of two wooden supports, on which was placed a mattress, with a pillow and one or two blankets. As the work was commenced in winter, the room was heated by means of a stove, in which a fire was kept up all night. Mr. Dupont also sent a number of lamps. When the priests of the Mission proposed constructing a new chapel, Mr. Dupont conceived the idea of arranging a crypt, or subterranean chapel for the Adoration during the winter nights. He communicated his intention to the Superior, who consulted an architect, requesting him to draw up the plans. As, in order to carry out the project, it would be necessary to dig the foundation deeper, the expense would be increased by ten thousand francs. Mr. Dupont placed the requisite amount in the hands of the Superior, and the crypt, which is now seen under the chapel, was built.

His zeal in the cause of Adoration, made of this pious layman an eloquent preacher and an irresistible apostle. He visited his friends, sought the young men of his acquaintance, solicited their attendance, and inspired them with his faith and spirit of reparation. He engaged recruits from all ranks of society; from among workmen and soldiers, as well as from those occupying the highest positions, and from the midst of the most honorable families. He profited by a trial, a sudden affliction, to induce a father or a son to pass an hour in Adoration. He invited strangers in the city, persons unknown to him, chance visitors, to make the hour’s prayer. His conversation in the room of their assemblies delighted all who were present. He amused, edified, and instructed them by turns; speaking without restraint, and with so much simplicity, unction, and fervor, that his hearers were inflamed with divine love and disposed to make any sacrifice for God. He had always some pleasant anecdote or consoling incident to relate; the members gathered around him, and became so absorbed in conversation that, at the end of the hour, it was necessary to remind them it was time to go to the chapel.

One of the priests of the Mission sometimes went to the hall, took his part in the conversation, and informed the members that, after prayers, he would be at the service of those who wished to confess. Mr. Dupont would immediately add the weight of his remarks to the proposition of the priest, saying a few words: “You hear the kind offer of the Father, the opportunity is favorable; let us take advantage of it.” He would give the example of going to confession, and there were few who resisted the proffered grace. He never absented himself from these assemblies. He himself distributed to each the hour of his prayer, as a general, when in face of the enemy, places the sentinels for the night, for the defense of the camp. He considered the nocturnal adorer before the Blessed Sacrament, as a soldier on guard, in the service of the Church, and for the salvation of souls. He was always on hand to supply the places of those who might not be punctual to the allotted hour. If he perceived that an inconvenient or disagreeable hour had fallen to the lot of an associate, who appeared chagrined, he would say gently: “I can arrange for you, this hour suits me, I will take it.” He often continued in adoration for several hours in succession. He remained during the entire time immovable, recollected, his whole attitude so expressive of faith and love, that he appeared seraphic to those who saw him. One of the associates usually said aloud the night prayers. Mr. Dupont reserved to himself, as president of the work, the reading of the offering, and his earnest manner made a deep impression upon his auditors. “I never heard him pronounce the formula,” says a missionary, “without being moved to tears.”

He was the soul of the work, and to his zeal must be attributed the number and fervor of the first associates. He employed a holy ingenuity, to render the meetings agreeable to them, and to procure them a pleasant surprise. If there was to be adoration in the evening of a day, on which a friend or a stranger of distinction visited him, he would induce him to defer his departure and accompany him to the chapel, to pass an hour before the Blessed Sacrament. In like manner, he secured the attendance of celebrated religious, and of priests illustrious by their eloquence or virtues. It was thus the associates had several opportunities of hearing Fathers Eymard, Hermann, Chaignon, and many others. Through his influence and personal relations, he engaged in the work officers of the highest rank in the army, such as Colonel de Cotte, Commandant Taconnet and Captain Capdecoum. In assigning places, he dexterously made such arrangements as would convey a lesson to the eye and touch the heart. For instance, on one occasion during the prayer and the first hour of adoration, the associates noticed Captain Capdecoum in full uniform kneeling on a prie-Dieu at the left; on the right, a young ecclesiastic; and between them on the uncovered flag-stones, Father Hermann in the habit of a bare-footed Carmelite.

When the national guards were organized after the revolution of 1848, Mr. Dupont mounted guard as the rest, and profited by the occasion to make proselytes. The guards, when relieved from duty, have been seen accompanying him to pass the remainder of the night at the Adoration, Many persons remember having seen Mgr. d’Outremont, when he was attorney for the prefecture, making his adoration in the uniform of a national guard. The zealous president also secured the attendance of young men, medical and law students, clerks and railroad employees. Among the last were some, whose duties left them but one night in the week free, and that, they would pass at the Adoration. A fireman, for instance, went regularly every week, and, after assisting at the mass of 4 o’clock, he would say the rosary until it was time to resume his daily toil. We are told, likewise, of the heroic courage of a country school master, who, providing himself with a piece of bread and a gourd, was accustomed to set off at the close of school, and walk three leagues. He arrived in time for his hour of adoration, passed the remainder of the night on a camp-bed, and, after assisting at mass, he walked home, where his pupils always found him awaiting them for the morning class. For many years he imposed this sacrifice upon himself both in winter and summer, without regard to the weather.

Mr. Dupont particularly appreciated, in this association, the practice of frequent communion. “Nothing touches me more,” he writes, “than to see men who had neglected their religious duties, now rendering homage to God and joining the band of adorers of the holy Eucharist.” His own ingenious zeal principally brought about this happy result. In his propagandism, he did not always apply to fervent Christians; he frequently aimed at enticing persons who neglected the sacraments, and by his charitable exertions, he would succeed in persuading them, first, to enroll themselves among the associates of the Adoration, and finally, to approach confession and holy communion. Sometimes, the return to a Christian life was effected in so singular and extraordinary a manner, that it was impossible not to acknowledge in it a powerful and peculiar grace. The father of a family, who had for a long time abandoned every religious practice, ardently desired to obtain the cure of an invalid son. “Come and pass the night with me,” said Mr. Dupont, “we will pray together in union with all the associates.” He agreed to the proposal, was present at the prayers, and made his hour of adoration. In the morning during the mass, seeing the associates approach the railing to receive holy communion, he supposed that he, also, was obliged to communicate; this he did, to the great surprise of one of the members who knew his previous neglect of his duties. On leaving the chapel, he questioned the man, who acknowledged that he had not been to confession, and he inquired, with simplicity, if he had done wrong, and how he should repair the fault. The pious associate was embarrassed, supposing the act to be a frightful sacrilege: grieved and anxious, he hastened to refer the matter to Mr. Dupont who saw, at once, that the man had acted through an ignorance, unfortunately too common at that time. Convinced of his good faith, far from being disturbed by the communion he had received, Mr. Dupont rejoiced at it, saying playfully that Satan had been caught in his own snares. “Take him to a confessor,” he added, “and you will see that all is right.” The man confessed with humility and contrition, and ever after led a Christian life. Mr. Dupont admired, in this instance, the conduct of God over the soul, considering in it a particular grace granted to the practices of the Nocturnal Adoration.

He refers frequently in his letters to the importance of enlisting youth in the work. “You cannot imagine,” he writes to a brother member, “the consolation we have in the young men. It seems to me, that in acquiring the habit of frequent confession and communion, they are fortifying themselves to resist the dangers which will surround them in the world.” In another letter he mentions a beautiful circumstance: “We number,” he says, “among the associates three poor young men who never fail to make their hour of adoration, and who are obliged to walk three, four and five leagues in order to come and adore our Lord. How their fervor shames those who have means of transportation at their disposal! Oh! if the rich would, or, I should say, could comprehend all the fruit to be derived from our dear work!”

He gives another charming example: “I hope R—— is well. (He speaks of a young soldier whom he recommended to a friend.) It is wonderful to see him resist the great corruption which infects barracks. God will reward him for his zeal. He travelled all last night, and did not lie down this morning. At nine o’clock he was at my house. I told him that one of his comrades had been begging of our Lord his restoration to health. ‘Who is it?’ he asked, even before I could finish the sentence, ‘I will take him to-night to the Adoration.’ Regardless of his previous fatigue, he passed the night there in company with his comrade, who suddenly experienced a great improvement in his condition; I think we shall have him, also, as an associate.”

Officers of high grade in the army, when passing through Tours, would delay their journey one night in order to spend it with Mr. Dupont at the Adoration. Some would come from Paris, or from still more distant cities, to take their station before the Blessed Sacrament. Among these, the brave General de Cotte deserves a particular notice. He was in garrison at Tours when he was Colonel of Dragoons, and Mr. Dupont paid particular attention to him. These two servants of God became united in a firm friendship and they met frequently. The Colonel familiarly called his friend “General.” By way of a courteous and pleasing jest, he took a fancy one day to render him publicly the honors due the title.

It was New Year’s morning, 1850. Great was the astonishment of the inhabitants of Saint-Etienne street on hearing a flourish of trumpets, which they immediately recognized as the brilliant music of the Dragoons, so celebrated throughout the city. The windows were crowded; people ran out in the streets. The musicians stopped before Mr. Dupont’s door. Mr. Dupont himself, hearing the unusual serenade, inquired what it meant. The leader of the band replied that it was “in honor of the General.” “But there is no General in this neighborhood.” “The order was given,” answered the leader, “and I have made no mistake; we are at No. 8, before the house of the General . . . Dupont.” Mr. Dupont laughed heartily and said: “It is a trick played me by de Cotte.” He amused himself during the day by repeating the trick to his visitors who, in turn, complimented him playfully upon having so rapidly risen to the grade of “General.” After Colonel de Cotte left Tours, he kept up a correspondence with Mr. Dupont, and occasionally went to pass a night with him in the Chapel of the Lazarists.

The example of such men necessarily exerted a great influence. The salutary impression made upon the associates prepared them for the accomplishment of the most heroic sacrifices. We should not, therefore, be surprised that miraculous favors were the recompense. The following was the first of the kind obtained. Mr. Redon, Superior of the Priests of the Mission, was in want of four thousand francs to assist a worthy man who was greatly embarrassed in his affairs. He mentioned the case to Mr. Dupont, who said to him: “We shall meet this evening for the Adoration. We will enter your intention upon our register, and to-morrow, I hope you will have the money.” His hope was realized. Mr. Redon, the following morning, said the mass of the associates at 4 o’clock, and then took the stage which was to meet the cars to Orleans. It was a cold morning in winter, and enveloped in his cloak he, as well as the four passengers who occupied the stage with him, drove on in silence. As the day dawned and it became lighter, he noticed that one of the travelers looked at him fixedly; it proved to be an old friend, who, at last recognizing him, exclaimed: “I believe, you are Mr. Redon.” At the first relay his friend asked him to alight for a few minutes, and, taking him aside, said: “I am doubly happy to meet you, because, in addition to the pleasure of seeing you after a separation of so many years, you can do me a service. When my attention was attracted to you, I was revolving in my mind how I should dispose of a sum of money which I promised to employ in charity, if I succeeded in an undertaking. God blessed my work, and now I must fulfil my promise. You have so many good works on hand; suppose you take the money; you would know so much better than I how to apply it advantageously.” The amount he gave him was exactly four thousand francs, just the sum Mr. Redon needed to relieve the embarrassment of the poor man. On his return to Tours, he informed the associates of the miraculous favor he had obtained. This was the first grace marked on the register with the sign of a cross; and, thenceforth, Mr. Dupont adopted the custom of designating by this sign the spiritual or temporal favors obtained by the prayers of the members.

Mgr. d’Outremont relates the following occurrence which he himself witnessed: “One of the associates had had his thumb terribly crushed, and the intense suffering had deprived him of sleep for several days and nights. The time came for us to kneel before our Lord exposed for adoration. The wounded man, who knew his fellow-members were praying for him, repeatedly said to his wife during the evening: ‘Have confidence; the associates are praying for me.’  His faith was rewarded. About midnight he uttered an exclamation which startled his wife, as she feared he was worse. What was her delight and surprise to find him free from pain! ‘I do not suffer now,’ he said to her. After a short and fervent thanksgiving to our Lord and His Blessed Mother, he fell asleep and rested quietly the remainder of the night. From that time his wound healed rapidly, and the goodness of God so mercifully displayed increased our confidence and faith.”

The evil spirit could not behold, unmoved, these triumphs of grace. We shall have occasion to mention some of his efforts to avenge himself on the servant of God, by whom, however, his malice was recognized and his snares discovered. A fire had been kindled, as usual, one very cold evening before the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The stove smoked in a most unaccountable manner, nor could they keep the fire lighted. Puffs of wind, blowing without any apparent cause, lifted even the ashes from the hearth. Mr. Dupont enters: “Oh! Oh!” he said with a significant gesture, “it is the old boy. He is playing us an ugly trick. We will kneel down and recite a Pater and Ave, and then Vade retro Satanas” They did as he requested, and, immediately, the smoke disappeared, the fire commenced to burn and gave no more trouble during the night.

There was a probability, at one time, that the property adjoining the chapel of the Lazarists might be purchased by a certain party, who proposed devoting the building to purposes which would prove an extreme annoyance to the community. The Fathers informed Mr, Dupont of what they had heard; he was alarmed on account of the Nocturnal Adoration. But his faith soon restored his equanimity; making the circuit of the wall, he threw some medals of St. Benedict within the enclosure. He also requested the Superior to allow him to examine the adjacent premises from the interior of his house. They conducted him to the sacristy, in which was a window directly opposite the building. He opened it and succeeded in throwing a medal to the very spot he wished to reach. “Well done!” he said, laughing heartily; “you may be at peace now; ‘the old man’ (the name he gave Satan) will have another occupation than tormenting you.” His words were verified. The project which had alarmed the Lazarists was abandoned; they attributed the change of plans to the faith of their holy friend. The house became, ultimately, the property of a religious community.

True charity is not limited in its zeal for the good of others; it dilates and strives to unite souls. Such was the character of Mr. Dupont’s charity. Tours soon became too small a theatre for the exercise of his ardor in the cause of the Adoration. He undertook to establish it elsewhere, regarding the men assembled during the night in prayer before the altar as an army ranged in battle, wrestling with divine justice. “How true it is,” he exclaims, “that the work of Reparation belongs exclusively to men! Who are the leaders of the conspiracy of earth against Heaven? By whom was lying philosophy invented? Who have taken upon themselves to propagate it? What would have become of civilization, if woman, for the past century, had not continued in prayer? Would not lire from Heaven have destroyed men and beasts, cities and villages? It is then time that men, who by a merciful Providence have been saved from the philosophical deluge, should unite in an effort for the faith. Since the day is devoted to temporal affairs, let us give the night to our good God, and let us become the friends and allies of Jesus, by rendering him the homage which is his due. Oh! if I were free to travel through the country, I would go from door to door appealing to men of good will, who are ready to open their hearts to our Lord at the first call of His grace.” He actually practiced this at Tours, but his zeal extended far beyond the city in which he resided. “I have sent letters,” he says, “to, at least, thirty different places. It is evident that the good God, like the father of the prodigal, is awaiting our repentance in order to pardon us. Let us, then, throw ourselves at His feet, and, as we are as poor as was the prodigal when he returned from his wanderings, let us offer, with our poverty, the infinite merits of our Lord.”

He had friends and correspondents whom he inflamed with his own zeal and ardor for the work of the Adoration. They consulted him, confided to him their difficulties; he answered all, entering into details with regard to arrangements, in a manner wholly foreign to his natural disposition; but where the Nocturnal Adoration was concerned, he gave his time as readily as his money. When there was question of organizing this cherished work in adjacent cities or dioceses, he did not hesitate to go in company with some of the members from Tours, and unite in adoration with the associates of the place, cheerfully rendering them every service in his power, animating their zeal by his presence and example. At other times, he would induce some pious souls to pass a night of adoration with him, that they might understand how the Adoration was conducted at Tours.

The following incident related by himself, is an evidence of the manner in which he took advantage of the slightest event to attain his end. He was going to the baths of Neris, which had been ordered him by the physician as a remedy for gout. But nowhere did he lose sight of his dear Adoration. “On my way to this place,” he writes, “a circumstance occurred, of which I could not, at the time, appreciate the effect. On the arrival of the train at Bourges, I engaged a place in the stage to Neris. I paid for my ticket, checked my baggage, and then went to a hotel to await the hour of its departure. I was in the yard of the hotel on the watch for the vehicle, which was a little behind time. I had entered into conversation with a soldier, when the stage stopped, took in three passengers who were quite near me, and drove off, without my being notified. I ran after it, but was informed that there was no vacant seat. There I was at six o’clock in the evening, detained at Bourges for twenty-four hours. The following morning, I called upon the Superior of the Jesuit Fathers. We talked of the Adoration. He showed me a lovely chapel which had just been constructed for the Fathers when in retreat. He offered it for the Adoration. We visited, together, several good Christians and spoke to them of the devotion: they would reflect upon it. And lo! the Father writes me: ‘The work meets with favor, and we shall, ere long, be able to commence: we have placed our chapel at the disposal of the gentlemen. Come, and pass a day with us when you leave Neris.’” Thus, even when travelling, this lover of the Eucharist neglected no opportunity to advance the glory of God; he viewed in the most trifling event a design of Providence, which he forwarded with peace of soul and a tranquil confidence of success.

Mr. Dupont was concerned in nearly all the foundations of this work which were undertaken in various places. But he concealed, as far as possible, any part he had personally taken in their establishment. He preferred to act through the mediation of others. Sometimes he made use of officers of rank in the army. At Bayonne, for example, he called upon Mr. Rousset-Pomaret, Commandant of the Engineer Corps; at Brest, he was indebted to Mr. Cuers, a Captain in the Navy. He had correspondents at Marseilles, at Aix, and Toulon; he took advantage of the departure of a travelling agent from Tours for Spain, to introduce the Nocturnal Adoration beyond the Pyrenees.

It would be impossible to express the affection he bore that work. The holy man had thrown into it his whole soul. He never failed to celebrate the anniversary of its foundation at Tours, when the associates would pass three nights consecutively in adoration; his zeal on those occasions was excited to additional exertion, and his heart was filled with an inexpressible delight. “This evening,” he writes to a friend, “we shall be kneeling, at the same time, at the feet of Jesus. What a happiness! It is the anniversary of our establishment in 1849. Yesterday evening eight members presented themselves to supply the places of any who might, possibly, be absent; but all who were notified had responded to the call.” In another letter addressed to a priest, he suddenly interrupts himself and says: “Apropos, let me tell you that we shall, as usual, celebrate, this year, the anniversary of our birth at Tours, and we shall pass in adoration and reparation, the three nights previous to Ash Wednesday, which are generally devoted to dissipation. May God grant great graces to those who are recommended to the prayers of the pious associates!”

The feast of the Blessed Sacrament furnished him also with the opportunity of manifesting his zeal for the Adoration. “I am happy to tell you,” he writes, “that several of our associates have requested permission to pass Thursday night of the Octave of Corpus Christi in adoration. That is, moreover, the night upon which our Lord showed his heart to the Venerable Margaret Mary, and opened to us that new source of graces destined to secure the triumph of the Church in these latter days.”

The nights of adoration were his relaxation from the occupations of the day. In 1858, in the midst of the great fatigue resulting from the visits made to the Holy Face, he wrote: “For several days my work has multiplied in every manner. It is an inundation which is forever on the increase. Poor nature regrets to see her own weakness and insufficiency. Fortunately, I can have recourse to the Adoration; it offers a happy rest at the feet of the good Master.”

It sometimes happened, however, that fatigue overpowered him, and he fell asleep during his holy vigil. He acknowledges this weakness in the following simple and ingenuous terms: “I fell asleep one night during my adoration in the chapel of the Mission, so weak is poor human nature! On awakening, I perceived that my companion for the hour was asleep also. He was a poor laborer, wearied by his day’s work, who was to commence another day of hard labor almost as soon as he would leave the chapel. I had not the courage to disturb his repose, being convinced, moreover, that his sleep was a more meritorious prayer than my watch. Confused and humiliated, I exclaimed: ‘My God, my God! Behold what manner of guard is before Thee!’ Ashamed of my weakness, I imposed on myself, as a penance, not to take snuff during the remainder of the time that I was to pass in adoration. With increasing confusion I exclaimed again: ‘My God, my God! How well Thou art guarded!’”

The above incident was related by a friend of Mr. Dupont, who had it from his own lips. It depicts to the life the charming simplicity of this devoted servant of the Eucharist. Humble himself, and full of charitable tenderness towards others, he considered that our Lord was more honored by a filial and respectful familiarity than by scruples and disturbance of mind.

He ardently wished that perpetual adoration could be, at once, established everywhere. “When shall we see our Lord honored day and night in every parish throughout the Catholic world? Will it not be after the triumph which is to exalt the Church, and when the power of our Lord will have destroyed the impious league which now persecutes truth? I love to cherish the hope.” At another time he would say: “What means shall we employ, to bring back to the Church those who have strayed from the right path? We may reply boldly to this question: The prayer of those who pray, and prayer in common, such as was so fruitful of benedictions in the first days of the Church. Assuredly, the best manner of prayer is to unite in one same thought at the feet of our Lord, to adore him, to make reparation, and to expose to him our necessities. Oh! what happiness would be in store for the present generation, if that idea could be realized throughout France!”

The Nocturnal Adoration, which continually occupied Mr. Dupont’s thoughts, became the occasion of his forming many holy friendships which we may, not unaptly, call “his Eucharistic friendships.” Of this number, we shall speak of Fathers Hermann, Eymard, de Cuers, and Captain Marceau.

Father Hermann, who became a bare-footed Carmelite under the name of Augustine Mary of the Blessed Sacrament, had preached in the Cathedral of Tours in 1853. Mr. Dupont availed himself of his presence at Tours to interest him in the Adoration, and a close friendship, which circumstances tended to strengthen, sprang up between these two servants of God. The Rev. Father had promised to come to Tours, to baptize an infant for which his sister, Mme. Raunheim, was to be the godmother, and Mr. Dupont, the godfather. The child was the daughter of a mutual friend, Mr. Rosemberg, formerly a Jew, and like the celebrated religious, a recent convert, and like him, also an eminent artist. The Bishop of Carcassonne, Mgr. de la Bouillerie, was aware of the arrangements which had been made for the baptism, and, as he intended about that time to visit his brother at Angers, he decided to stop at Tours and pass the night there, in order to complete the remainder of the journey in company with Father Hermann. Father Eymard, at that time occupied with the foundation of the order of Priests of the Blessed Sacrament, was also at Tours, and as a friend, had asked hospitality of Mr. Dupont. The devout servant of the Eucharist considered the occasion a most favorable one for bringing about a meeting between these three friends of God; he pleasantly called it “a little Eucharistic congress.” The conversation turned principally upon the Nocturnal Adoration and the best means of propagating it. Mgr. de la Bouillerie, who was acquainted with Mr. Dupont only by the reputation of his sanctity, was much pleased with his conversation, and listened with great interest to the account of many cures which had been obtained before the Holy Face. The remark having been made by one of the party, that the Holy Face performed miracles: “Oh! yes, certainly,” said Mgr. de la Bouillerie appropriately and wittily, “in our days, the Holy Face performs miracles; not the Holy Face of Angers, nor of Paris, but the one at Tours, the one in this house, the Holy Face of Mr. Dupont,” insinuating that he attributed the miraculous favors obtained rather to the prayers of his host, than to the picture itself. The expression of the learned and pious prelate, which only echoed the sentiment of the public, was interpreted as he intended it, to the great confusion of the servant of God.

The ceremonies of the baptism were performed in the Church of the Ursulines. The next morning Mr. Dupont, as godfather, invited to breakfast all the members of the family, Mgr. de la Bouillerie, Father Hermann, and Father Eymard. When it was time for the Bishop of Carcassonne to leave, in order to meet the train going to Angers, Mr. Dupont proposed to his guests to accompany Monseigneur and Father Hermann to Port-Boulet, the fourth station. His proposition being gladly acceded to, he conducted his guests to the depot, engaged a special car at his own expense, and was thus enabled to converse, a few hours longer, with a sort of heavenly joy upon the inexhaustible subject so dear to his heart.

When speaking of Father Hermann, he said: “Let us hope that Father Augustine will augment the ardor of the flame already enkindled in the family of adorers, and that some sparks may ascend from our hearts to the throne of God, to implore the divine mercy for unbelievers.” He saw, even at that time (1851), in the Nocturnal Adoration, a means of “combating the philosophical gangrene,” a plank of safety “in the midst of the tempest which threatened the foundation of civil and political society.”

Father Eymard, also, was on terms of intimacy with Mr. Dupont. He was frequently at Tours, called thither either to preach the triduums and retreats in the parish of St. Julien, or for different religious communities. The servant of God considered it an honor to give him hospitality; he loved to converse with him and hear him preach; he admired the unction, simplicity and tenderness of his discourses; he venerated him as a saint, and was happy when he could engage him to speak at the Adoration.

The Holy Face seemed to smile upon this intercourse. Father Eymard suffered from palpitation of of the heart: “He went to see Mr. Dupont, and after having been anointed with the oil which burns before the holy picture, he was completely cured.” We have read the certificate, in which he himself asserts his cure, and in which he adds: “May the grace of God and His holy love make my heart palpitate, and consume it for his glory: I have no other desire.”

This incident in the life of Father Eymard is worthy of remark. The miraculous favor for which he expresses his gratitude, was granted him at the period, when this ardent adorer of the Blessed Eucharist, after having been a Marist for seventeen years, urged by the desire of establishing the institute of the Priests of the Blessed Sacrament, had resolved to follow this second vocation, being fully persuaded that it came from God. To carry out his designs, he needed strength and health; they were restored to him at Mr. Dupont’s by the oil of the Holy Face. The pious founder was then free to abandon his heart to the demands of his Eucharistic love.

Father de Cuers, the successor of Father Eymard, is, perhaps, of all the laymen of his acquaintance, the one to whom Mr. Dupont expressed most fully his sentiments in regard to the Eucharist and the work of the Adoration. We may judge the character of the relations which existed between these two fervent Catholics, by the numerous letters which he wrote to Mr. de Cuers before he abandoned the world, to embrace the sacerdotal and religious state, and whilst he was still an officer in the navy. Zeal for the extension of the Nocturnal Adoration was their animating principle, and it daily augmented the friendship which united them.

Captain de Cuers, when he was about to bid adieu to the world, urged his friend to resolve to do the same, and place himself under a religious rule, in order the more perfectly to adore Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Mr. Dupont replied to him on the 31st of March, 1854: “I wish, my very dear friend, that I could have the happiness of uniting with you and other friends of Jesus, when the opportunity may offer, of extending more generally the work of the Nocturnal Adoration. If I were at liberty to act, I would not delay visiting you for that intention, since the hearts to which you allude are in the country where you live. But, for the present, I am more tied than ever to the soil which gives me hospitality, and where I live, like the patriarchs, under a tent. But crowds flock to this tent to venerate the Holy Face, and to receive extraordinary favors …….. I shall be more happy when it will be granted me, at least, to receive the body of our Lord from your hands whilst serving your mass, if you will allow me that honor. I pray my guardian angel to procure for me this double favor.”

Captain Marceau was, also, drawn to the pious layman of Tours by a kind of instinctive attraction. Their first interview occurred at a restaurant in Nantes; it is full of interest, and depicts in lively colors these two beautiful souls, and the secret of their strong friendship. Captain Marceau, in the uniform of a naval officer, was seated at table in one of the restaurants of the city, when a traveler, in the dress of a civilian, of modest, but dignified bearing, entered the apartment, approached the Captain, saluted him, and introduced himself as Mr. Dupont. Captain Marceau, who knew him only by reputation, arose, embraced him, and pushing aside his plate, commenced to speak with him of God, of the happiness which is enjoyed in His service, and of the devotion due from men to the interests of His glory. One hour, two, three hours pass; the two friends were listened to with curiosity and astonishment: human respect exercised a great influence at that period; few men were found who dared to acknowledge their faith publicly. Guests came and went, and still their pious conversation continued, until at last, they were notified that the restaurant was about to be closed for the night. Neither had noticed the flight of time; they had been perfectly oblivions of every thing around them. The recent convert had enjoyed with the pilgrim of Tours one of those charming moments which made him say: “How happy I am when I have the opportunity of spending hours in talking of the good God!”

From the very beginning of their acquaintance, these two souls were united together, like those of David and Jonathan, by a fraternal and unalterable friendship. They kept up an uninterrupted correspondence, and, as Mr. Dupont was engaged upon the composition of the “Year of Mary,” he called upon the Captain to obtain for him information concerning certain sanctuaries, situated in seaports which he could not himself visit. Capt. Marceau entered into his design with pious ardor and made the necessary inquiries.

When Mr. Dupont was devoting his attention to the work for the reparation of blasphemy, he proposed to his friend to unite with him in the effort to indemnify our Lord for the many outrages committed against His adorable name. Capt. Marceau warmly welcomed the proposition. “I am too happy,” he said, “to make this act of faith, and to aid, if it be in my power, in the reparation of a disorder in which I took part for so long a time.” Not satisfied with repeating the Sit nomen Domini benedictum every time he heard an oath, the Captain urged all persons over whom he had any influence, to repeat frequently this invocation. He became an apostle of the devotion of reparation, persuading as many as possible to join the association, and showed himself so zealous for the honor of God, that he succeeded in completely banishing from his ship the utterance of oaths and blasphemies.

Marceau felt that he needed a friend who would animate him to the practice of virtue, and fortify him in his good resolutions. Such a friend, he found in Mr. Dupont The letters of the holy man vivified his faith, and afforded him so much consolation and light that he begged for them with a kind of persistency: “I need,” he said, “your good letters to animate and sustain me. One of my friends, whom you saw at Neris, says that you have an inclination to asceticism, which would terrify some persons. As for myself, I require your aid to correct the natural defects which were fostered by my education. It is, therefore, a happiness to me to find in your letters those details that teach me the religion of the heart, which I should not have without your aid.”

Mr. Dupont having called him, “Sir,” instead of, “friend,” he complains to him of it. “Your letter with its heading of ‘Sir,’ startled me. I used this address to you, because it corresponded to the sentiments of respectful affection which I bear you; but permit me to claim the continuation of your friendship, your salutary advice and your fervent prayers.”

Acceding to his wishes, Mr. Dupont spared him neither charitable reproofs, nor incentives to zeal. He particularly advised him to devote himself to the work of the Nocturnal Adoration, and he inflamed that ardent and generous soul with some sparks of the sacred fire which burned in his own soul for the Eucharist. Marceau derived from devotion to this august Sacrament the strength to over come himself, and to gain the victory over others. His friends said to him on one occasion: “We do not know how you manage: your crew are always contented and happy, no matter how hard may be the work you command, and our sailors, on the contrary, complain, are ill-humored and passionate; we find it impossible to control them.” “Gentlemen,” said Marceau, “I will tell you my secret; whenever I see that my men are discontented, I pass an hour or two before the Blessed Sacrament, offering the prayer for them, and after that, all goes on wonderfully well.”

Mr. Dupont interested himself actively in the plan of the Captain to convey missionaries to Oceanica. He aided, pecuniarily, one of the party, and when he discovered, just as the vessel was about to weigh anchor from Saint-Nazaire, that a religious destined for America had not means to pay his passage, he immediately obtained it for him.

A premature death deprived him of this friend, and he had not even the consolation of assisting at his last moments. “He died,” he said, “from convulsions accompanied by a vomiting which exhaled a fetid odor.” He relates, in regard to the corpse of his friend, two striking circumstances. “When I went to see the body of my departed friend, I kissed him on the forehead; but, ashamed of yielding to the feeling of repugnance occasioned by what I had been told of the odor accompanying the vomiting, I applied my lips to his half-open mouth, and I declare positively that I perceived nothing in the least offensive. I called the attention of those present, to the fact, and all agreed with me: at the same time, we could but admire the expression of happiness imprinted upon the features which had been beautified by death. After thirty hours had passed, there was no change, no odor. One of the eyes had opened, and a new charm was added to the lovely countenance.” Ten days afterwards, the body was to be removed to its final resting-place. In order to prevent inconvenience to the assistants from the bad odor which naturally would be exhaled, the precaution had been taken of sprinkling the grave with quantities of chloride of lime. On the removal of the coffin, there was found in it an opening, sufficiently large to permit the shroud to be seen; it was fresh and untarnished. Mr. Dupont and one of the ecclesiastics approached the coffin, and examined the opening; they affirm that they perceived no disagreeable odor. They were both struck by the circumstance, and Mr. Dupont said, ironically: “It was worth while to take great precautions.” He was confirmed in the opinion he entertained of the eminent virtues of the dear deceased, and of the happiness he was enjoying in Heaven. The affection of these two fervent laymen will remain for those who know them, the type of true and faithful friendship, such as is depicted in the Holy Scriptures, and such as exists only in hearts animated by the love of God.