The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-20
nrONsTGNOR QUINN.


The Facts About Farewell Dinner Which
Caused a Great Deal of Talk.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK, June 19-It is not exactly a
scandal in the higher circles of the Catholic
priesthood and their lay friends but it is never
theless the subject of .the weeks iveliest dis
cussion by them. Luridly glowing accounts
are current of the farewell dinner to Monsignor
Quinn, vicar-generaI of the Archdiocese of New
York, given by score of the foremost mem
bers of the Catholic laity 1t was pictured as
feast of meats and drinks fit only for the gods
or the pampered paates of middle age pontiffs.
Each plate, it was said cost $780, and belmont
CO catered. Of course at that figure, it was the
costlest meal, outside of miilionaire's palace,
that even Delmonico had served. For even in
this hot bed of luxury. $25 plate had been the
top-notch price. The plain truth is that the
dinner. instead of being the most costly of
its kind ever given in New York, was
little better than q cold smack, and ut
terly unworthy of the really great man whom
it was intended to compliment The cost of it
only by the widest fight of imagination could
have reached S. plate Monsgnor Quinn, for
a quarter of a century, has been big, strong,
rugged figure in the affairs of this metropolitan
diocese has maintained the highest state of dis
cipline amongst the clergy, secular and clois
tered under mis- command and has been the
very right hand of the three prelates who have
reigGed in his time. In public, on occasions of
pomp and ceremony, he sat at the foot of the
throne; in private he was the unquestioned pow
er behind it. Therefore there is good deal of
indignation, all the more intense because it IS
suppressed among the clergy. on account of
what they regard as rather shabby treatment by
a lot of laymen who have been greatly benefited,
even in worldly sense by the prominence Civ
en- to them by Monsignor Quinn's friendship.
AS soon as Mgr Quinn came to the conclusion,
about month ago, that his failing health re-
quired change of air and scene, a score so of
these laymen, with flourish of trumpets, set
about preparing for what they announced as
glorious testimonial. The priests of the diocese
would much rather have had the matter left in
their more capable hands. They knew that they
had only to say few quiet words among the
rank and file of the Catholics of each parish to
secure golden harvest Even simple curate,
whose health fails after he has been attached to
parish for few years, finds his grateful and
loving Pensioners not only ready to wish him
Godspeed ina journey abroad, but to press into
bis hand purse filled to bursting But the lay
men insisted upon running the testimonial their
way. going around for weeks with subscription
lists. Only twenty of the wealthy laymen, who
count their annual income by tens of thousands,
were found willing to subscribe 500 apiece
linen the managers OfuereQ the ulnn6F TO Dc
served in the Vicar generals residence, one of
the twin marble palaces on the terrace at the
rear of ST. Patrick's Cathedral and prudeuty
deducted its cost in advance from the fund of
s., 600 They also took the precaution to prepay
the Vicar-generars passage to Ireland. Then
they felt that they were standing on solid ground
and couldn't be let down unexpectedly into any
sub-cear of expenditure
The fateful evening came, and tha banquet
was spread in the simply furnished dining room
oN lcp Nba1o
white chokers The archbishop and Monslgnor
Quinn wore purple silk, red silk, buttoned and
edged cassocks and mantillas and purple velvet
leviettas, the household attire Of the archbish-
ops state. Monsignori wear the princely purple
because, being domestic prelates of the Holy See,
they rank as bishops unassigned to dioceses
The priests were habited in plain
black sontares. A part of Father La
mel's famous cathedral boy choir, in
lace abs and purple sontares, were stationed in
the adjoining drawing room to regale the diners
with their sweet chant. After the dinner had
been disposed of John e. Devlin turned on the
taps of post-prandial glorifcation. AS the guest
of the evening was vicar. and his destination
on the other side of the ocean was Bray, the
healthful seaport where he was born, no one
with half an eye to the possibilities of afterdin
ner oratory could fail to refer to him as the
Vicar of Bray" Mr.. Devlin presented to Mgr
Quinn the balance of the testimonial left over
after the farseeing deductions, about ST. 500
On the following afternoon, in the sacristy of st
Patrick's Cathedral, few of the leading priests
of the diocese, whose slender incomes could bear
no possible comparison with the goodly revenues
of the canny laymen who scraped together 81, 500
and presented it so ostentatiously, met, and
Father Henry A. Brann complimented Mgr.
Quinn in their behalf. Then Father Healy, of
ST. Demands Church, put into the Vicar-gen
erals hand purse containing $4,000. Mgr.
Quinn sailed on the steamship Arizona next day,
his state broom overfowing with the floral gifts
of tho priests of the diocese. At this writing
he is comfortably settled in his chidhoods home.
He will probably remain abroad for several
years.