Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-03-02

At Home Among His People and in the
Pulpit.

baltimore correspondence of the New York Tribune.
Archbishop Gibbons, whom the cable an
Dounces as the coming American cardinal, is
a man of slender physique, low stature, and has
a pale, thin face lighted up by a pair of bright
blue eyes. lie is, perhaps, the least imposing
in appearance of all The members of the Ameri-
can Catholic hierarchy. In the matter of dress
the archbishop is rather careless, often appear
ing on the street in clothes that even an apollo
gist would acknowledge To be rusty. He has a
fondness for the oid-fashioned SLOUGH hat which
all the dignity of his rank cannot overcome
His manner of living is of the simplest kind.
His residence, on Charles street, near Mulberry,
is furnished with a simplicity bordering on
severity. His own rooms are the barest in the
house He is very fond of walking, sometimes
going SCOT the entire length of Charles street,
several miles, In his pedestrian tours. ne is
Usually accompanied by one of the young
priests at the cathedral.
IN private lite the archbishop is the kindliest
and most accessible of men. The bumblest of
tine cathedral parshioners can talk with him
in his library almost any day. His very APP
pearance invites confidence and affection, Ii is
So benevolent and fatherly. He looks more like
the gentle, bi9-hearted country clergymen OF
the DIR. Primrose type than prince of the Ro-
man Catholic church. 1t is said that he knows
personally every member of the Cathedral
parish and all the more prominent laymen in
the archdiocese He is fond of visiting his
flock. but ia doing so does not make any dis
tinctiOns in favor OF the wealthy. This was eS-
peciaIIy noticeable when he was bishop of Rich
InOnd. There Was not Il Catholic family in the
confederate capital that did not receive visits
from him during his residence there. He
had IL way OF dropping in at the most unseaSon-
able hOurS-JuSt as the houses of his parishion-
dustriOus housewife has blushed at the en-
trance of the bishop while she was bend
ing over the washtub, bnt his sammy
smile and genial talk soon removed all
feeling of uneasiness. The Catholic people
here cherish for him a deep personal love
aside from the esteem in which they mold him
s.r g.rlf taXr, -
being proud; has piety without asceticism and
executive ability without dominecring dis
position To his clergy he is more like an as
sociate than superior. Not one OF them mas
ever complained of any arbitrary conduct on
his part; although Catholic .preiates i'll this
country have absolute authority i'll the matters
OF appointments and removals.
As Il pulpit orator the archbishop is not what
the masses would call IA fine speaker that is
or violent gestures. nor does he deliver eiabo-
rate discourses adapted mainly TO the learned.
W henever he ascendS the pulpit ut the athe
drai the congregation IS sure to hear plain,
simple discourse OH some question of Catholic
dogma or practice, delivered in Il quiet CONVEX
sationai tone. occasionally rising into gentle
elo4uence. He rather plains 10 the ignorant
than discusses with the learned. He acquired
this mode OF preaching while Vicar Apostolic OF
North Carolina, during which time he Travelled
through the length and breadth sf the old
North State, eXpounding the doctrines OF his
faith TO ignorant white men and negroes amid
the pine trees OF that region. The modus Oper-
andI OF his preaching is as follows: FIRST, eX-
PLAN the matter i'll hand clearly and then APP
peal to the feelings. As u consequence, his sue
cess mas been OF a III SSonary Father than theO-
logical nature.
When he set about writing a book, he did not
compose theological work Tor students, but IL
pain, practical exposition of Catholic doctrines
entitled The Faitn ol Our Fathers" Any one
W no has read this little book must have been
struck with the style. Leaving aside the mat
ter, the style alone is enough To recommend it
10 all those vino believe that the brief wording
OF swift Is to be preferred to the sesquipedaiian
m inn fars ns,I, nxnr
any page oi the book and you will seldom Il
word of more than two sylables or that is
not OF high-SiXon origin. In fact, the book was
written for the MASSES; hence its wonderful sale
of Il hundred thousand copies in Il lew years is
not 10 be wondered at. Ii Is of the mos.
popular Catholic books ever published in the
English language.