Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1864-01-05
DnATH OF ARoHnrsHoP HuoHrs.

DEATH OF ARoHBrsHoP HUoHEs.
Archbishsp Hughes died At his residence In
Madison avenue, on Sunday evening. He was
born In IDS, In the north OF ireland, whence
his father, small farmer, emigrated 10 this
country in 1917. Young Hughes was fret
placed With a florist to learn gardening, but
not liking this business, soon entei ed the
theological seminary at Mount Sc. Mary's,
Emmettburg, Maryland, where he acted for
several years a. a teacher. In 1898 he was
ordained priest, and appointed TO q parish In
Philadelphia, and remained In that city till
1881, when he was designated BY the Pope ss
an assistant TO Bishop Dubols, OF New York,
then old and lnhrm.
In January, 1888, Bishop Hughes was couse-
Grated, and almost Immediately took active
charge Of his important diocese, his venerable
superior suffering under repeated paralytic
attacks, which confined him to his house; on
the death Of the old prelate, In 1919, Bishop
Hughes, OF course, succeeded him. He had
previously been appointed administrator Of the
diocese; had visited Europe 10 obtain pecunlary
aid for 1t; had established and opened 81. Johns
College, Fordham; had taken a prominent
part In the movement against our common
school system as applied to the Catholics, and
was, in fact, already the representative man Of
his church. In ls49 he held the first diocesan
synod In New York. In 1S4s he again went to
Europe TO procure the services Of some Jesuit
teachers.
In 1850 the diocese Of New York, Including
those counties In this State south Of ~ degrees
and part of New Jersey, was raised 10 the
dignity Of an Archieplscopal See, and Bishop
| Hughes again went 10 Europe 10 receive the
pallium from the hands OF the Pope. In 1854
he again visited Rome to be present at the on.
cial promulgatlon Of the dogma Of the Immacu-
late Conception, and returning, interested him
self In the project OF building n cathedral In
this city worthy Of the place and diocese and
In August, 1855, he laid the cornerstone Of the
structure on the Fifth avenue, which, however,
has as yet reached but little above the founda-
ton walls.
The next visit of the Bishop to Europe wa.
on political rather than an ecclesiastical er.
rand; for, as is generally understood with the
sanction OF our Government. If not at Its re-
quest, be went abroad with Mr.. ThurlOw. Weed
to endeayor, by his personal influence and rep
resehtatlons, to advance the cause Of the North.
This is, however, not the only political remi-
niscence Of the life Of the late Archbishop. In
| lS46 President Polk offered him a special mis-
| sion to Mexico, which he declined to accept;
and during every Administration since Mr..
Polk's Archbishop Hughes has counted among
his political and personal friends many of the
leading men In official positions at Washington.
| As the leaderof powerful church he possessed
immense influence, which he generally welded
in true faith and loyalty for the benefit Of his
| adopted country.
The only exception to this was during the
| riots Of last summer, when, In his notorious
address to "the men called rioters " owing to
either mistaken apprehension of the clrcum-
| stances Of the times, or a feebleuess OF mental
/ energy, probably engendered by long illness,
his influence, which should have been used in
favor Of peace and order, seemed msdirected.
| These events are so recent that the reader will
| easily recollect them for himself; and while at
kthe time the course of the Archbishop was
| strongly criticised In these columns, we
.lsI.
actions OF tue late prelate. We believe that
his address to the rioters from the balcony of
his residence was his last appearance In public
life.
| Archbishop Hughes, while a man Of educa-
tion and taste, was noted as a controversialist
| rather than as a scholar and theologian. As
/ long ago as 1880 he accepted challenge from
Rev. John Breckinridge to discuss the ques-
\ tlon, "Is the Protestant religion the religion of
| Christ pa discussion which was renewed in
| 1854 on q not dissimilaT question. In 1910, on
| the Common School question, the Archbishop
wrote largely, often defending himself through
| the press, and never shrinking from the nume-
rous discussions to which his action in this un-
popular question led.
In 1855 he had another exciting discussion
with Mr. Erastus Brooks, then State Senator
a discussion carried on in the newspapers (with
considerable acrimony on both sldes) and re-
lating Co the disposition OF certain church prop
critics in Buffalo, vested in Bishop Hughes per-
sonally, an arrangement which was alleged an
i contrary to the law Of the State Legislature
vesting the titles to all church properties In
trustees. As usual In such cases, both cOntro-
versialistH claimed the victory; and though the
| friends of Mr.. Brooks maintained the superior
ity Of his arguments, the Bishop on his side
considered his own so conclusive that he pub
lished the entire correspondence In a volume,
with an Introduction reviewing the trustee
system.
Archbishop Hughes was in no respect an
Episcopal recuse. He was an experienced
man of the world, a worker of great perseyer-
auce and energy, and prelate OF undoubted
ambition and ability. To him the Roman
Catholic diocese of New York owes very much
of Its temporal prosperityj and with that phase
OF It's career, rather than In Its purely eccle.
siastical annals. will the late Archbishop be
remembered. He was, perhaps, the very man
needed for the position; for his shrewdness and
good practical sense, rather than an abstract
odOr OF sanctity, was what the Roman Catholic
Church in America required.
A personal friend Of the Pope, q supposed
candidate for the Cardinals hat, the recognized
leader Of his church on this continent, and a
man OF ability ii not Of genius, his death will
be regretted by a wide circle of friends, both in
this country and Europe, and will be heard of
even in the Vatican with no ordinary interest.
HsO York EVeHing Post.