Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-02
THE COMING CARDINAL.
At Home, Among His People. and in the
Pulpit.
From the New YORK Tribune.

From the Sso York Tribune.
BALTIMORE, Feb. 27.-Archbishop Gibbons,
the coming American Cardinal, is a man Of
slender physique, low stature, and has pale,
thin face lighted up by pair OF bright blue
eyes. iIe l., perhaps. tho least imposing in
appearance Of all the members Of the Ameri-
can Catholic hierarchy. In the matter or
dress the Archbishop il rather careless, often
appearing on the streets in clothes that even
an Hpologist would acknoW ledge 70 he rusty.
he has fondneSs for the old fashioned .iouch
nat which all the dignity of his rank cannot
overcome. His manner Of living is OF the
Simplest KIND. His residence, in Charles
street, near Mulberry. is furnished with
simplicity bordering on severity His own
rooms are the barest in the house. He Is very
fond Of walking sometimes going on foot the
entire length of Charles street-seveTal miles.
In his pedestrian tours he is usually accOmpa-
NED by one OF the young priests At the Cathe-
dral.
In private lifo the Archbishop is the kind
Hest and most accessible of men. The hum
olest OF the Cath dral pArishioners can talk
with him in his library almost any
day His very appearance invites confidence
ana Hnection-itis 80 benevolent and faith
erly. He looks more like the gentle. big
hearted country clergy man of the DR.. Prim-
rose type than prince OF the Roman Catho-
lie Church. 1t is said that he knows person
ally every member of the Cathedral parish
ana all the more prominent laymen in the
archdiocese. He Is fond OF visiting his flock
tlonsln favor OF the wealthy. This was es-
pecially NOTICEABLE while he was Bishop of
hlchmond: There was not Catholic family
In the Confederate .capital that did not re-
celve visits from him during his resi-
dence there. He had way OF drop
ping nat the most unreasonable hour
just As the houses of his parlshiOners came
IN the way OF his walks. Many an ind strious
housewife has blushed at the entrance of the
Bishop while she was bending over the wash
tuh, but his sunny smile and genial talk room
removed all feeling Of uneasness. The Ca no.
lie people here cherish for him deep personal
love a ide from the esteem in which they
hold him as their Archbishop. He Is learned,
WITHOUT being proud; mas piety without as
cetlclsm. and executive ability without
domineering disposition. To his clergy he is
more like an associate than q superior. Not
one OF them has ever complained OF any arbi-
trary conduct on his part, although Catholic
preiates In this country have absolute au-
thority in the matter Of appointments and
removals. 30
AS a pulpit orator the Archbishop is not
what the masses would call "a fine speaker"
that is to say. he does not deal in sensational
matters or violent gestures, nor does he de-
llfer elaborate discourses adapted n ainly for
the learned. Whenever he ascends the pulpit
at the Cathedral, the congregation is sure to
near plain, simple discourse on some uues-
ton OF Catholic dogma or practice, delivered
In quiet conversational tone, occasionally
rising into gentle eloquence. He rather ex-
plains TO the ignorant than discusses with the
learned. he acquired this mode of preach
ing while Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina,
during which time he travelled through the
len4th and breadth of the Old North State,
eXpOunding the doctrines of his faith to ig-
norant white men and negroes amid the pine
trees OF that region. The modus operandi Of
his preaching is as follows: First, explain
the matter in hand clearly and then appeal to
the feeings. AS a consequence, his success
has been as missionary rather than theolOg-
ical nature.
When he set about writing a book. he did
not compose a theological work for students,
but plain, practical exposition of Catholic
doctrines entitled 1.-THE Faith of Our Faith
ers." Any one who has read this little book
must have been struck with the Style Leav-
ing aside the matter. the style alone is enough
to recommend it to all those who believe that
the brief wording of Swift. to be preferred to
the sesqulpedalian phraseology of JOhnsonian
writers: Look over any page OF the book and
you will seldom see word of more than two
syllables nor one that i5nOt OF high Saxon ORR
gin. In iact the book was written for the
masses: hence its wonderful sale of 100, 0QO
copies in few years Is not to be wondered at
1t ls one of the most popular Catholic books
ever published in the English Language.