The Irish standard., 1888-06-16
Z, CARDINAL GIBBONS.
Personal characteristics Of the Head Of the
Catholic Church in the United States,

Personal characteristics of the Head of the
Catholic Church in the United States.
BALTIMORE, June 9-Cardinal Glib
bons, the Primate of the Roman Cath !
olic Churc in the United States, leads a
very quiet and uneventful life. His
elevation TO the Cardinalate has not
changed him in the least. His rooms in
the archiepiscopal residence on Charles
avenue are fitted up with almost painful
simplicity. He enjoys the distinction of
being the youngest Of the Cardinals.
He is not young man in the strict
sense of the word, for he has already
passed his tiftieth birthday, but he is
young in comparison with his venerable
colleagues in the College of Cardinals.
Cardinal Gibbons is an American from
the soles Of his feet to the crown Of his
head. He was born in Baltimore July
%, 1884, within stones throw Of the
place where he now resides. He was
ordained June 80, 1861. In 1868 he was
appointed Vicar Apostolic Of North
Carolina. Four years later he was in
stalled Bishop of Richmond. In 1877
be was made Coadjutor Archbishop OF
Baltimore, assuming on the death OF
Archbishop Bayley the full Archbishop
ric. On June 20 Of last year the red cap
was conferred upon him.
In personal appearance the Cardinal
is slender and delicate. His features
are clear cut, and his kindly manners
make friends wherever he goes. As a
writer he ranks very high. No one who
has ever read the "Faith Of Our Fathers"
can help beng charmed with his style.
The book is made up principally Of SER
mons delivered while on missionary
tonrs in North Carolina, and, it is said,
hos met with larger circulation than
any other similar Catholic work ever
published. More than 100000 copies
have been sold.
While Cardinal Gibbons was priest
in the small parish of Elkridge. near
Baltimore, smallpox broke out in the
village. and all the people who were able
deserted the town. One old negro, who
was ON the point Of death, was LETT 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 ono else
could be procured to carry The CORPSE to
the grave, and Father Gibbons acted as
undertaken as we'll as minister. Having
obtained coffin, he placed the body in
it, in some way or other dragged it to
the grave, performed last rites Of the
Church and buried it,
There is another incident in the life of |
the Cardinal which he rarely touches
upon, bat it has frequently been told in
Baltimore and never denied. While
Bishop Of Richmond he was defendant
in suit relating to some Church prop !
erty. When he was called to the stand
the plaintiffs lawyer, after number Of
vain endeavors to involve the witness in !
contradictions, questioned the Bishops |
right to the title Of Bishop Of Richmond.
Tie defendants lawyer objected to this
as irrelevant, but the Bishop said that if
allowed half an hour to obtain papers he
would answer the question. This was
allowed. The Bishop left the court room,
nnd III twenty minutes returned with
document which he proceeded to read
with great solemnijy, all the more solemn
rs the paper was written in Latin. The
plaintiffs lawyer pretended to take notes
industriously, bowling his head once in
while, as il in acqriescence, and
seemed perfectly convinced at the end.
When the reading was finished be an-
nounced that the Papal bulls just read
were entirely satisfactory, 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 read Latin essay Oh Pope
Leo the Great, written by one of his
ecclesiastical students and forwarded by
The President of the college as spec
linen of the young mans skill in Latin
The Cardinal adapts himself to all !
classes and conditions of men. He can
synpathize with the woes Of his poorest
aud most unedncated pa1ishioner with
Just as much sincerity as he discusses
art and literature with men who stand
1T the head of both. The Cardinal was
one OF the prominent figures at the re-
cent Constitutional centennial in Phila-
aelphia. A reception was given in his
honor by the Catholic Club. The Car
dual there met the President of the
United States and nearly every member
of his Cabinet, the General Of the Army