The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-12
= CARDINAL At HOME.
Daily Life and Personality OF the Hess
OF the Catholic Church in America.

!
+ o. the Catholic Church IN America.
Fr0z TIE Ess YorE s4a-
BALTIMORE, Sept s.-Cardinal Gibbo-a
T IL one Of the simplest Of man in private life
casting oEf with lis gorgeous robes Of oHics
( tie somewhat stately air of uomuogs
haut=ur used in performing tie public func.
[ tons Of the church The cardinal Iyzs 8,
E 40 North Carries strest The house is wei
, wltnin the co1f1es Of the fashionable or,.r.
ter 81 the town. and fronts On Balrirnnsr.i.
Elfta avenue. TIE sxell hotel Of TIE tovrr
the gorgeous town house Of Robert Ciarrztr
and the Maryland and University clubs
are all located within q half doza1
squares OF the place The house itzsif
l. plain but massive threaStory S+-urt
ure. built u big blocks Of pearl gray mar.
be, and with the excepti-n Of a mode-a
bow winGo =, which projects from tie -
ond-story fron,. directly over the sr~eet
door, Is wholly without architectural gjcrn-
meat- Inc house stands little back from
tie street, ana Is approached by q broad
Il ghr Of steep stone steps At either si6A
Of tne bu-ldi 5 t1e3e IS a broad ua-ch ~
emerald turf, when Is carefully excluded
from pubic gaze by high brick wall that
completely surrounds the cardinals res
dence- Directly in the rear of the b0r,Sa
towers the massive walls OF the famous ca
tnedral, which fronts on badly paved sliA
street.
Cardinal Gibbons is easily approached
dis reception room Is about twenty fe4.
square with high ceiling and side walls.
painted IN dark tints. The floor is limo
cent OF either carpet or rug, and, aside from,
haif-slze painting Of the Virgin Marv1
the walls are barren. There is a tirne-y6rn
cross OF marble on the plain shelf above
the FIRE place and another one on the osk
center table. The cardinal greets a visitor
with cordial smile and a harty grasn of
the hand. At first blush he apu.eaTs ~ -
rather ordinary little man. The pallor
Of health on the snoothly-shaven faca
contrasts well with the sombre black huAs
Of MS raiment. His figure is slight and
apparently delicate. He is rather under tha |
average b ght, and save for the head of jro7- |
gray nair would impress one as decidedly |
youthful in appearance, His clothing Is |
black q clerical cut The only insignia Of TanJr
Is the deep red silk cravat that encirc,es his |
slender neck. There Is really nothing az |
traOrdinary in his appearance, save for a i
marvellous mblance 10 another Of
Maryland's noted sons, Arthur German. A
the cardinal engages in conversation tba |
maanerlsrus and tricks Of voice and action
make him and tie senator counterparts OF
eaca other German has way Of looking
straight from the unfathomable depths ~ |
steel gray eyes, and 50 has the cardinal.
Both have the knack OF being genial to the
outsider, who, after a half hours talk with
either of them, comes away well pleased
with their courtesy, but absolutely unable
70 remember a single valuable point in the
conversation. Like the senator, the cardinal
never refuses TO be interviewed, but as vet
no newspaper man has TIED him down 10
bold and positive statement on any i'm
pOrtant topic.
The cardinal devotes the greater part of
his time to the duties Of his calling The
half dozen priests who live in the same
house with him grav=ly affirm that he is as
aScetic as the la,e Cardinal Glibert of
Paris In the seciuslon Of his bedroom he
daily observes all the penances OF asceti-
clsrn. This room is poorly furnished The
floor IS of oaken plank covered with
threadbare rug in the center. 4 common
washsJand, an aged bureau, and couple of
straight-backed cane boJtomed chairs com
plete the furniture. At ) o'clock every
celebrates mass, sometimes at the
central altar of the cathedral,
but more often at his private altar
in one Of the upper rooms of the archiepis-
copal residence. Walking is his favorite
and almost his only recreation. He is an
indafatigable pedestrian. When he is not
sitting in the reception room he is walking
up aud down the narrow brick pavementin
the rear OF the house and under the friendly
shadow Of the cathedral wall. 1t is here
that his daily office is performed. When
cOnTerslng with visitors, the cardinals
tavorlte position IS leaning back in the COM
Portable embrace of an easy chair, with feet
crossed and arms folded.
The cardinal is a familiar figure on Balti-
more streets. He IS fond of taking long
walks through the suburbs of the town with
one Of his priests. As 3 rule, however, he
is generally accom- Tanisd by a younger
member Of his housvhold. The priests are
not overload of a tsa-miIs tramp, even with
a prelate for a companion. The cardinal is
always dressed on the street in a black
Prince Albert coat, pair of baggy trou-
sers, a hat which NAV have known better
days, and MS small, well-shaped feet are en-
cased in the broad-toed, low-lipDed shoes
worn by professional pedestrians
AS usual thing the cardinal spends the
heated months OF summer at St. Charles
college, sixteen miles from Baltimore,
where he received his early education. This
summer, however, the cardinal has devoted
to tours Of inspection, and has visited Boston
and the south. He is now in the far west.