The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-02-06
Presents to the Pope.

Mr.. j. +. Mcguire NJ. p, has written long
letter. the Cork Examiner from Rome, with
reference to the Gcumenical Council. The
letter concludes as follows:
- In connection with the Council it may not
be out of place to refer to some of the presents
on the part of the DONORS either of assisting
him to meet the extraordinary expenses to
which it has given rise. or of sustaining him
against his enemes-the enemies Oforder and
religion. / would place before ali-thOu Oh not
few were princely in their rnunifcence-the
heart offering of an Irish apple woman in New
York, who contided to the care of an admirable
Irish priest Of that city the amazing sum of
one hundred dollars as her tribute to the Holy
Father. The very mention of the amount and
the condition of the donor convey more than
the most elaborate description could suggest of
self denial and levotedness. 1t is of itself q
poem of beauty and holiness. In the spirit
animating this poor woman, and inspiring tins
offering, lies the secret of that strength which
enables the Church to battle the worst attempts
of her assailants.
The Bishop of Grass Valley, diocese partly
in the State of California and partly in that of
Nevada, has brought with him many interest
ing offerings from his flock, not generally very
great in value, but ncstimable, when judged
by the feeling which they represent. These
consist of the purest gold and the purest silver
-the gold as it is found in the streams, washed
into roundness by the action of the water; or
as it is taken from some special rich vein, fan
tastic in shape and form. We read, in our
story books, of fairy money being turned into
leaves, bnt the good Bishop O'Connor has
brought with him leaves turned into gold. One
of these is as as skiltnlly wrought by the hand
of Nature as it conld be by the cunning work
man of the Piazza iii Spagna; the main stem,
and in fact all the rcticulations, are perfect.
This single specimen would offer Il most sug-
gcstive study to the Eeologist. The Bishop has
with him number of silver inSots of different
sizes and value, ranging from two to fifty dol
lars. One of the latter value, in the shape of
small brick, is the gift of the wife of an
Irish Orangcman, given with the full sanction
of her husband, who admres the character of
Plus IN, and respects the Catholic faith
through his exemplary Irish Wife
But the most startling present of all is Il
block of the purest silver perhaps ever cast of
the enormous weight of $50 pounds 1t
strained to the utmost the strength of the six
or eight soldiers who bore it into the chamber
of the Vatican in which it presented by
it's donor to the Holy Father. Its excessive
purity may be best described by stating that
the proportion of alloy to pure silver IS as = to
999-that is to say, two measures in the thou
sand. 1t bears an inscrintion somewhat to this
effect: Presented by Denis J. Oliver, his wife
and children. rs an ohation of Catholic afec-
ton to the Holy Father Plus IN" Its value is
El0O0. And who is this Denis j. Oliver, who
presents to the Pope the largest block of pure
silver ever cast into single mould !! He is OF
the same country as the apple woman of New
York, and the Orangenlan: of Cafifornia-thc
same that has given to the Council of the
Vatican so large proportion ct its Fathers
the same that has carried the faith to every
region of the earth. Mr.. Oliver is an Irishman
from Galway, who quilted his country a lad
of seventeen, and, after working hard at
business in New York, was induced like thou-
sands of compatrots in America, to try the
new region opened up to hope and energy.
Coming to San Francisco, then poor and
small place, he remained i'll it while Others
toiled and sicKcned or died in search for gold
and after twenty years of honorable industry,
Lfhs successful lrishman retired from business
in the full vigor of his manhood and the first
use he makes of his well earned wealth is to
lay this muniiicent Offering at the feet of the
Supreme Pontit1.
Mrs Moore, the widow of the late member
for Tipperary, presented his Holiness with an
offering similar in value to that broug ht with
great cost and no small difficulty 10y Mr..
Oliver, a distance of fully eight Thousand miles
from Rome.