Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-05-24
FsTHER HGLVEH.
THE FAMOUS NEW YORK PRIEST NOW
IN SACRAMENTO.
Travelling Toward the Sea-Shore in Search
of Rest and Health-He Talks
Freely to a Reporter.

was about 10 arrive by the 6:25 overland
train last evening. RECORD. UNION re.
porter went to the depot in the hope of Sc
curing a brief interview with him. DR.
McGlynn was met there by his brother,
Frank McGlynn of San Francisco. The
doctor was accompanied by his niece, who
IS en- route 10 her home al the bay, after a
visit to New York. The party entered the
Golden Eagle omnibus, and learning that
that they would spend the night in the
city, the reporter requested the favor of an
interview at the hotel at later hour, which
the doctor very graciously granted.
Shortly after O'Clock the reporter called
at the hotel, but found DR.. McGlynn, his
brother and niece about TO go out to enjoy
| the fresh air, as the night was rather warm
| within doors. a ride to Oak Park was
| proposed, and the party boarded one of the
j. street cars and rode to the end of the line
and back.
Frank McGlynn and his niece occupied
! one seat, and the doctor invited his guest
! into the seat with him. that the reporter
might hear what he had 10 say.
DR.. McGlynn is a man of massive frame
and somewhat portly His bearing is that
| of man who has confidence in himself.
u
would be selected from a crowd of thou
| sand men as one of broad views and
cultured mind. He said he had come TO
| the coast for the benefit of his health.
| which lately had been greatly impaired.
He was going to visit his relatives in San
| Francisco for a while and see what
| change of climate might do for him. Pos.
sibly during his stay he might deliver a
lew lectures.
There have been great many fittings
published concerning your recent troubles
with the authorities of the Catholic
Church, doctor, remarked the interviewer,
by way of opening the subject, "and peo.
pie out this way would be interested in
knowing if all that has been said is tIue?"
oh, no doubt" he replied, there have
been many things said in the press that
were eEaggeragion."
We'll, is it true that you once said in an
address in New York, that you hoped 10
see the day when the Pope would march
down Broadway dressed in citizen clothes
and with plug hat on his head?"
The doctor laughed and replied st is
partly true, but | only introduced the re-
mark parenthetically in my address to
illustrate an idea. Practically, l can see
no reason why the Pope might not, with
perfect propriety, do just that thing
Then the doctor opened up his wonderful
storehouse of ideas and proceeded 10 I'M
bosom himself. He is one of the most fin.
ent speakers ever listened 10, and his choice
OF words such as only the thorough scholar
employs IN giving expression to his ideas.
Without giving his companion an oppor-
tunlty TO get in more than an occasional
remark or query, he went on and told the
story OF his trouble with the Church au-
thorities, from its inception, and this led
him into discussion of the principles of
the Single.tax theory, which he explained
infinitely.
1t was impossible to make even an ecca-
sional note of what the doctor said. and the
reporter could only sit and listen to the ell
oquent address (for it was nothing Less,
which occupied all the time consumed BY
the ride out and back. Without attempt
ing to quote the gentleman in exact terms,
brief outline will be given of his expla-
nation of the situation as regards his rela.
tons with the Church, of whose doctrines
he was once popular expounder.
II wish II understood" said he, THAT l
am just as much Catholic and a priest as
ever was. | never took issue with the
doctrine of the church, have simply
condemned some of the restrictions which
lis officials have imposed upon its mem
bers. have criticised, and l do criticise.
those hide-bound ideas that are the out
growth of centuries of stagnation within
the church. l was educated in Rome, and
| spent years there, and l know WHEREOF |
speak. The Pope and the hundreds of
church officials and ecclesiastics who sur
round him know nothing of the march of
modern ideas, and they never will until
they break the shell within which they
and their predecessors have so long i'm
prisoned themselves and come out in the
sunlight of the present and familiarize
themselves with the wants of the people.
The Pope. said he, lis too much en-
crossed with his intriguing with foreign
potentates for the preservation of his tenn
poral power to do that for his people which
the principles of his religion would enable
him to accomplish. The people over
which he dominates are tired of his meth
DDS, and would hail with delight the com
ing of the day when they might feel free
| to act like those of America. This is ali
| the result of the Larrow. minded policy
| which the Popes have pursued, and cannot
| be charged to the religion which they rep
| resent. There is no reason, as before
stated, why the Pope should not throw off
| some of the purple and fine feathers with
| which he is fettered, dismiss the courtiers
| and guards and codeon of satellites: that
| surround him, and come out among the
people and be one of them.
when / was ordained / recorded vow
to 60 forth and preach the religion of our
church; did not sell my independence,
| however. l returned to New York young.
ambitious to do good, and full of hope. |
built up a parish of which any priest
might be proud. l did not confine nv
efforts to Sunday preaching, but l labored
on every day with my flock, and st.
Stephens Church was crowded every day
in the week. You know it should be the
aim of the priest to bring as many as posi-
BILE into close relations with the
church, and l was kept busy day
and night in the confessional and
in administering the sacrament of COM
munion. Then there began to be mutter-
| ings heard. They said / was too free with
the sacramenis and did noi,sufficiently ap-
| preciate their value, and those higher in
authority began to pull the strings on me.
There was jealousy behind all this. But l
kept on in my way. believed that it was
the true mission of the priest to preach
| and practice religion, to visit the poor, to
advise and counsel with those who were
going astray from the fold-in short, to cor
rect evil in every shape, and make men
and women BETTER
Then the doctor went on to tell how it
distressed him to see so much want, and
misery, and sin on all hands; how the
people fiocked TO him for money to keep
them from starving, to employ doctors for
them, to pay their rents, and to bury their
dead; and he began to try and reason out
some cause for all this misery while, on
the other hand, some people had plenty
and to spare. His study of the situation
convinced him that there was some
thing at fault in the system which
upheld private ownership in land,
and he SAVIOR thought he saw
at least partial remedy in the single-tax
theory promulgated by Henry George. He
said he was opposed to communism and
anarchy, in all its forms. but he believed
there was way by which most of the
want and misery of the country could be
removed if the people could only see 10 the
bottom of 1t. He started his Anti-Poverty
Society," and was happy To say II was do;ns,