The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-16
AMERICAS NEW CARDINAL.
His Personal Appearance, Habits, Pulpit
Style and Literary Ability.


Baltimore Letter.
Archbishop Gibbons the coming cardinal, is a
man of slender physique low stature and has a
pale. thin face, lighted up by pair Of bright
blue eyes. He is. perhaps, the least imposing in
appearance of all the members of the American
Catholic hierarchy. Indeed, If it were not for
the purple rabbi extending down from his collar
he would be taken for the humblest of priests
In this respect he differs from the rest of the
Catholic bishops, who are, with one or two ex-
ceptions. of commanding person. In the
matter of dress, the Archbishop is rather care
less often appearing on the street in clothes that
even an apologist would acknowledge to be
rusty. He has fcndness for the oldfashioned
SLOUGH hat, which all the dignity of his rank can
not overcome His manner of living is of the
simplest kind His residence on Charles street
is furnished with simplicity bordering on Sc
verify. His own rooms are the largest in the
house He is very fond of walking, sometimes
going on foot the entire length of Charles street
several miles In his pedestrian tours he is
usually accompanied by one of the young priests
of the Cathedral
In private life he is the kindliest and most ac-
cessible of men. The humbiest of the Cathedral
Pensioners can talk with him in his library
whenever he is at home His very expression
lent and fatherly. Indeed, he looks more like
the gentle large hearted country preacher of the
DIR. Primrose type than prince of the Roman
Catholic Church 1t is said that he knows per-
every
parish well as all the more prominent laymen
of the archdiocese He is fond of visiting his
flock, and in doing makes distinction in
favor of the wealthy. This was especially no.
ticeable while he was Bishop of Richmond. There
was not Catholic family in the confederate cap
tiss that lid not receive visits from him during
his residence there. He had way of dropping
in at the most unreasonable hours-just as the
houses of his flock came in the way of his walk.
Many an industrious housewife there has blushed
OF Q,,fra nf fha xUf,yI chov
bending over the washtub, but his sunny smile
and genial talk soon banished all feelings of I'M
easinesS.
The Catholic people here cherish for him
deep personal love aside from the esteem in
which they hold Elm as their archbishop He is
learned without being proud. has piety without
asceticism and executive ability without a DOM
ineering disposition. To his clergy he is more
like associate than a superior. Not one of
them has ever complained of any arbitrary con-
duct on his part, although Catholic prelates in
this country have absolute power in the matter
of appointments and removals
AS a pulpit orator the Archbishop is not
what the masses woUl3 call "a fine speaker"
that is TO say, he does not indulge in sensational
matter or violent gestures, nor does he deliver
elaborate discourses subjects adapted chiefly
for the learned. Whenever he ascends the pull
pit at the Cathedral. the congregation is sure to
hear plain, simple talk some question of
dogma or Catholic practice delivered in a quiet,
eloquence He rather explains to the ignorant
than discusses with the learned. He acquired
this mode of preaching while vicar of
North Carolina during which time no
travelled through the length and breadth of the
old North State, expounding the doctrines of his
faith to the ignorant white men and negroes
amongst the pines of that region. The modus
operandi of his preaching is as follows: First.
explain the matter in hand clearly, and then ap-
peal to the feelings. His success, as conse
quence, has been of missionary, rather than
theological nature.
When he set about writing book he did not
compose theological work for students, but
plain, practical exposition of Catholic doctrines
called The Faith of Our Fathers" Any one
who has read the little book must have been
struck by its style. Leaving aside the matter,
the style alone is enough to recommend it to
those who believe that the monosyllabic and dis
syllable phraseoiogy of Swift is to be preferred
to the sequipedalian wording of Johnsonian
writer's. Look at any page of Archbishop Glib
bons's work. and you will seldom see word of
more than two syllables. or one that is not
Anglo-Saxon. In fact. the book was written for
the masses. not for the learned; hence its won
derful sale of hundred thousand copies in few
years is not to be wondered at. 1t is the most
popular Catholic book ever published in the En-
glish language.