The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-09-12
Father Newman Celebrating
MRaH

NJ. D. Conway in Cincinnati Commercial.
l have just been near two m lies away
and before 7 in the morning, 10 attend
mass. 1t was through desire 10 look
upon the face Of John Henry Newman
Three ladies, who were also DESTROYS Of
seeing him, went with me, and we found
the famous father Just beginning to ceIe,
brate mass with the assistance Of two
neophytes. In the spacious Gothic chapel
Of the Oratory there was but one auditor
n young girl OF some 10 summers meekly
kneeling all alone. Beside her the mosI
learned Catholic in the world had for his
audience four professionals. The altar al
which he otliciRted was at u corner Of the
building, There was only one candle
aud that had been lit simply to enable
him to read. On the upper wall, above
his head, was large crucifx, and beneath
It-on level with his face-an oil pict-
ure Of St.: Veronica about to place the
handkerchief on the face OF Jesus. The
famous man, far away in hia corner, with
his silver head bent, and his voice muir.
muring on swiftly in a monOtonous fem.
mime tone, presented a picture NOT
likely to attract or impress many 10
the enterprising city. It was indeed a
painful visit TO the ladies. One Of them,
u church.Woman, threw herself on her
knees with her back turned TO the altar
and she said she found herself unable to
endure the sight. Another, when she
came out, declared with burning facet
that she felt overwhelmed with shame
that man Of such intellect would per-
form such hoCus.pocus. found 1t diff.
cult TO persuade the church.woman that
her trouble was illogical, or the others
that it was far nobler siEht We had wit.
messed than il we had seen Dr.. Newman
IN the house Of Lords, where he would
have been if he had not preferred veracity
10 self.
Father Newman is a man Of strange
visnge. His forehead seems extremely
low (partly from the way his impaired
hair falls over ~; the top Of his head
seems lattened; the mouth bears an ex.
preston Of unconscious pain; the chin is
large and juts out; the noseis very prom
inent like that Of Wellington. When
the features are iore.shoflened, in the
front view, and the clear, luminous eyes
bent downward or nearly closed US
prayers are uttered, the face has the ap.
pearance Of that OF an extremely aged
woman, and one nearly inbecile. An.
other turn, bringing halt stde.face, aa
open eye, an appraised head, and the effect
is one that seems to call upon an Angelo
10 portray. There was at another part
OF the wall the picture Of an old saint
with clasped hands, a saint-Fraucis
dAssisi, perhaps-in ecstacy. Just al.
ter looking at that my eyes turned to
Father Newman, whose head was halyed
by tho candle beyond it, and he seemed
TO be the successor OF all the saints who
lived in days when saints could be real.
AT s o'clock the aged man gathered in
his arms the books and other articles,
quite load, and with falteriag tread on
the altar steps passed out 10 his myster-
ious, but certainly, hard, labors. tits
but too plain that Father Newman Is
feeble, more so than can DO accounted for
by his years. l have been told by per.
son in the neighborhood that The other
priests at the oratory have several times
had TO interfere in order to check ascetic
tendencies in the interest Of his health;
and l heard also that lately they have
persuaded him to give up 70 others the
office OF waiting at table, an occupation
which the brethren fulfil in turn. DR..
Newman, it was said, yielded reluctantly
to their entreaties. He breaches in the
oratory pretty regularly on Sunday NOR.
ni!ngs, but they who goto hear him out
OF curiosity, or in expectation Of grand
discourse, are invariably disappointed.
Some acquaintance Of mine who went
to hear him last Easter Sunday told me
that the discourse was such as might have
been addressed to children not yet in
their teens. It amounted only to asking
them II they would not be very much
surprised il person whose funeral they
had attended was to meet them alive and
we'll. Amer saying in various ways that
they would certainly be very much sur
prsed he related the story Of the resus.
recIiOn In the language Of the Testament
and so ended. II. -.