The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-06
CArDINAL GIBBON-
Personal characteristics OF me Head
- the Catholic Church in the United
G+atCS.

- the Catholic Church in the United
states
From the Neao York sun.
n.,rr1roRE. June 2-CarCmal Gibbons,
innate OF the Roman Catholic church
~ +to limited States, leads vecy quiet and
n u life. His elevation to the car
.;n.,eta has not changed him in tire least.
~. looms in the archiepiscopal residence on
rlorles avenue are fitted up with almost
.t,erl simplicity He enjoys the distinc-
pian Of being the youngest of the cardinals.
IT, is NOT q young man in the strict sense of
- -vord. for he has already passed his 50th
,.:1.b5av but he is young in comparison
w hi, venerable colleagues in the college
nj eardnals
.Lo soles OF his feet to the crown of his
tno Ia lie was born in Baltimore July 23,
Zoo within a stones throw of the place
1vbore he now resides. lie was ordained
a "a 1861. In 1868 he was appointed
1.!,sr APOSTOLIC of North Carolina. Four
var; iater lie was installed Bishop Of Rich
..nd In 1877 he was made Coadjutor
'1robhishOp Of Baltimore assuming on the
~ 5do+b Of Archbishop Bay!ey the full Arch
S,bonric On June % of last year the red
o,, was conferred upon him.
7, personal appearance the cardinal is
slender and delicate. Els features are clear
crt and his kindly manners make friends
,yherever lie goes. AS writer he ranks
,'arr high. No one who has ever resd the
,Taith Of Our Fathers" can help being
.hormed with his style. The book is made
en- nrincipally of sermons delivered while
~ Missionary tours in North Carolina, and.
T. is said has met with a larger circulation
!ban any other similar Catholic work ever
nrbisbed. More than 100000 copies have
. been sold.
Wbile Cardinal Gibbons was priest in
the small paris of Elkridge, near Balti-
more. smallpox broke out in the village,
and all the people who were able deserted
the town. One old negro, who was on the
,ont of death, was left by his friends and
Family with. neither food nor medicine.
Father Gibbons fastened to the dying mans
bedside, where he remained until the last.
No one else could be procured to carry the
corrso to the grave, and Father Gibbons
acted as undertaken as well as minister.
Having obtained a coffin, he placed the
hodv in it. in some way or other dragged
IL to the grave, performed the last rites of
the church, and buried It,
There is another incident in the life of the
cardinal which he rarely touches upon, but
Il has frequently been told in Baltimore
and never uBultO. w nus DlSuOD Ol IllSl-
mond he was defendant in a suit relating to
some church property. When he was called
10 the stand the plaintiffs lawyer, after a
number of vain endeavors to involve the
witness in contradictions, questioned the
bishops right to the title of bishop of Rich
mond. The defendants lawyer objected to
this as irrelevant, but the bishop said that
ii allowed half an hour to obtain papers he
would answer the question. This was
allowed The bishop left the court room,
and in twenty minutes returned with
document, which he proceeded to read with
great sOlemnity, all the more solemn as
tie paper was written in Latin. The
plaintiffs lawyer pretended to take notes
ndustriously bowling his head once in a
while, as ii in acquiescence, and seemed
perfectly convinced at the end. When the
reading was finished he announced that the
papal bulls Just read were entirely satisfac-
tory, at the same time apologizing for his
expressed doubts. The next day it leaked
out that the bishop, unable to find the
papal bulls at his residence, had brought to
court and had read Latin essay on Pope
Leo the Great, written by one of his eccle-
siasical students, and forwarded by the
president of the college as a specimen of the
young mans skill in Latin composition.
The Cardinal adapts himself to all classes
and conditions of men. He can sympathize
with the woes of his poorest and most un-
educated parishioner with Just as much
sincerity as ne discusses art and literature
with men who stand at the head of both.
The Cardinal was one of the prominent
figures at the recent constitutional centen-
NAL IN Philadelphia. A reception was given
in his honor by the Catholic club. The
Cardinal there met the President of the
United States and nearly every member of
his cabinet the Oranarol Of ba or, Il 1,
admiral of the navy, the governors of at
least thirteen states with their respective
Stalls, and score Of other national, state,
and local celebrities, together with
any number of archbishops, bishops
and priests. He had an appropriate
word for every one. He talked war
with Gen. Sheridan and war ships with
Admiral Luce. He surprised Secretary
bayard with his knowledge of foreign
affairs, and showed Gov. Beaver that he was
well up on everything relating to William
Penn and Pennsylvania. During the evening
the cardinal was thrown into contact with a
group OF reporters. Here he appeared at
ais very best. He possesses an insight into
journalism which very few persons outside
OF the profession have. His particular
knowledge of the local papers was what
pleased most of all. He knew the names of
.ne prcprletors Of nearly all the papers, and
III an oH-nand manner referred to the
political opinions of each and the kind of
people they catered to.
Speaking of the cardinal, a word con-
GGeeIrning this red cap is in order. Innocent
~, at the council of Lyons in 1915, con-
Ierred on the cardinals the distinction of
tlat RED cap. The special meaning of the
zap Is that the pope places it on the head,
!ne seat OF the brain, to warn the cardinal
.at he must give learned aud loyal counsel
Il" the government of the church, while the
color signifies that the wearer must be
prepared to shed the last drop of blood
t ;s.ler than betray his trust. The cap
snow snow one OF ceremony only and serves but
."lce, once when the cardinal receives it in
eoo..siiSt9ory, and next when it rests on his
va.a1taiq1e at his obsequies 1t is then sus-
Piaed from the ceiling of the chapel or
S asle Of the church where he is buried. The
s ..x IS round, with low crown and a wide,
SiI oilm, from the inside of which hang
uiyeen silk tasses.
IL, me cardinals health is comparatively
~ ~ at the present time, and it is under
~ Dyu Chat he contemplates writing another
n Opfyri -