The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-09-15

gle ray Of encouragement penetrated thu
gloom Of the situation, this was the pros
pectlve extension oil the railroad through
Virginia to the Ohio river. AT that time
the building Of railroad was In one sGnst
an apostolic work.
With intelligence, courage, and q gen
erous devotion to his holy cause as his
principal resources, Bishop Whelan resol
we'd 10 commence the building Of hit
cathedral. lie purchased two. OF what werC
then the most elegant lots and dwelling
houses In the city one for q convenI
school, the other for q site for the intendet
cathedral. Soon large force Of work.
men were engaged in tearing down TIT
shriver house, excavatipg the foundation
and collecting building material upon thC
ground. Such sudden activity, never be
fore witnessed among them, astonished
the citizens. The foundation was soo1
ready for the laying ofthe corner stone
which took place on q Sunday afternoon
The entire population assembled 10 wit
ness the ceremony, "n.
The bishop himself placed the stone
and the most Rev. Archbishop Of Gin.
cinnati, from the top Of a pile Of bricks,
preached q strong sermon. That GER
emony came wildly back to my recol-
lection on the day Of the bishops burial.
The venerable Archbishop ascending the
pulpit 10 preach the funeral sermon re-
called every circumstance. 1t seemed as
though the personages Of the first act
were once more brought to view, before
the curtain fell for ever on the closing
scene.
The great pile Of the cathedral contin.
ued going up nearer and nearer TO COM
pletlon; II was alive with workmen; no
suspension Of work occurred; mechanics
and laborers never were left unpaid.
How the means were got to commence
and complete this costly edihce was d
secret Of the bishops. He had the heart
10 face financial difficulties and the inge-
nuity to solve them. Doubtless It would
bes subject Of no small wonder 10 many
tinsnCler were he TO hear q detailed &C.
count oil the way in which the prelate
contrived 10 procure means for his many
undertakings; how he established his al.
most unlimited credit, frequently doubled
the sums which he hazarded In schemes,
and lastly, how he conducted tho system
Of banking through which the money Of
his own Catholic parishOners., deposited
with him on good security brought them
prompt and reasonable interest at the
same time that 1t served for constructing
the churches and educational establish
ments which they needed. "ff q
| By the time the new cathedral was
ready for divine worship, there were two
priest to attend to the EDglish-speaking
and German portions of the congregation,
six seminarlsts teaching large school Of
boys in the cathedral basement, and q
community OF Sisters Of the Visitation
carrying on an academy in the house
bought for the purpose. These improve
ments were crowded into the period Of
three years. r..rr. -.... ...,.-
Ishau not proceed any further with the
enumeration Of improvements that sprung
up In rapid succession under the magic
wand Of the bishops activity; the proper
place to treat oil them is in the biography
Of their great originator or in history Of
his diocese. have mentioned these be-
giniDgs to give you an idea Of the ire
slstable force that lay in him, a force that
never tagged to the end. ;. lllIll,a
But while he was thus turning in an
actual whirlpool Of temporal business,
like true pastor, he never forgot the
spiritual needs Of his people. BE preach
ed, heard confessions, attended sick calls
and catechised the children. As often az
the great festivals Of the year came round
he spared no pains that they might be eel.
ebrsted with solemnity. For many years
he superin tended in person and did in a
great measure with his own hands the
decorating OF the church and altar,
More than once during my stay In his
house as q seminsrist, saw him on
Christmas eve, after having sat hours In
the confessional, moving about above the
high altar arranging ornaments when al.
ready the clock had struck two OF the
morning; at the same time he was to Of.
ticiate at the high Mass and fast until b
late hour Of the day. Many persons will
recolect with fondness years hence when
they too will DO near the bourn which
the bishop has passed, the beautiful pro.
cessions round the aisles Of the cathedral
on grand festivals, and amid the scene re.
produced by their Imagination they will
not fail 10 recall more distinctly than all
the rest, the bishops atrikingly venerable
form advancing solemnlyl beneath the
canopy and bearing the d. Sacrament.
They will remember how deeply they felt
that an appearance OF such unearthly
majesty could belong only to q true priest
otthe Most High God, 4 .l.rr N uyft
II he appeared eminently the bishop,
when 10 the midst OF his cler-
gymann and seminarIsts he celebrst-
ed the solemn offices Of the
church In his cathedral, he appeared also
the true apostle when he traVersed the
mountains and iOrded the streams oil
West Virginia, administering confirmation
to the Catholics, preaching in churches,
court houses and meeting houses, and In
spring with courage the lonely priests
lwhose lot was cast in the wilderness.
Distance, badness oil roads, inclemency Of
weather only heightened his courage.
Hardship and danger he seemed to relish
as the principal charm d his office. On
one occasion-he was already on the
shadowy activity Of life-during a tour
Of visitation through the diocese, he iell
severely sick at the hotel in this town. A
charitable family had him brought 10
their house and nursed him with stender.
ness Of which he often spoke with graft
tude. Before he was well enough TO take
any but reclining position in his buggy,
and hardly able 10 guide the horse, he set
out alone on journey oil hundred and
twenty five miles, from here 10 the Old
Sweet Springs, over perhaps the dreariest
road in the State. On another occasion
he rode on horseback from here to IVES
ton, one hundred and forty miles, and the
last twenty miles he travelled fasting on q
Sunday morning, expecting to I'll an ap.
pointment to say mass and preach Tor
that congregation. 0lthe good old bishop
Il might well be said: Beautiful on the
mountains are the footsteps oil those that
preach peace" .N .4a.. L4gaz. .
The duties ofhis office were never re-