As might have been expected, they did not see everything at once. There was a splendid group of statues, representing the Virgin Mary learning to read at the feet of her mother, and before these statues both priest and people had often prayed. Chiniquy longed to remove them, with the pictures and crosses which hung on the walls of the chapel, but was afraid to do it too quickly. One Sunday, however, after preaching from the text, "Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image," he remained behind to pray, and, looking up at the images, he said, "My good ladies, you must come down from that high position. God Almighty alone is worshipped here now. Your reign has come to an end." A thin, strong, silken cord secured them on their pedestals. He cut the cord, and, as he expected, the very next Sunday, when the people knelt to pray, the images gave a couple of jerks, and then fell down, and were smashed to fragments on the floor, the people laughing, and saying to one another, "How foolish to pray to these idols to protect us, when they cannot take care of themselves!" The other images, crosses, and pictures were soon cleared away. The most of the people soon learned to reject purgatory, but some still clung to their old belief, and Chiniquy would not too suddenly disturb it. When "All Souls' Day" came round, and collections were usually made for those in purgatory, two boxes were provided--a white one to receive contributions for the widows and the fatherless children, and a black one for offerings for the dead. But those who put money into the black one were asked kindly to say how their gifts could be conveyed to their dead friends, as in every case he had yet heard of, the priests had kept them for their own bread and butter. A general smile followed that announcement, and thirty-five dollars were put into the white box for the living, and nothing at all into the black one for the dead. So, one by one, all the false doctrines of Rome were renounced, and a few months after, six thousand were banded together under the name of "Christian Catholics." Rome, however, would not thus easily lose so many of its children, and another bishop thought he would try to win them back again. He appointed a day to visit them, with a number of priests, and found a strong, large platform prepared for his reception, and a great number of people assembled together to see and hear. As he approached, the American flag was hoisted over the chapel, and the people shouted, "Hurrah for the flag of the free and the brave!" This alarmed the priestly visitors, but Chiniquy hastened to assure them that they would not be injured, but they, on the contrary, would be received in the most courteous way.