The Irish standard., 1891-05-02
4 BROADMINDED PRELA+E,
A Remarkable Episode in the Episco.
pate of the late Bishop
Gilmour.

Gilmour.
la BISHOP VERSUS A BIGOT
Editor Oowles Of the Cleveland Leader ant
1 His Vllufcation Of the Catholic
i Church.
The April Sundays of ninteen years
ago saw some very notable additions
made to the ranks of the Catholic epis.
copate in this country. No less than
FIVE American priests were then raised
to hierarchical honors, three Of them
receiving consecration ON the same day,
though at different places. to-wit, Right
Rev. L. j. Ryan. then made coadjutor
of St. Louis; Right Rev, Joseph Owen
ger, consecrated ordinary Of Fort
Wayne; Right Rev. Richard Gllmour,
installed administrator OF Cleveland;
while Bishop McNeirney, on the fol-
LOVING Sunday, the third one Of the
month. was consecrated cOadjutOr OF
Albany, and Right Rev. Thomas F..
Hendrickson was. on the 28th, annoint-
ed the first preiate Of Providence.
Bishop Wadhams, the present venera-
ble diocesan Of Ogdensburg was also
nominated about the same time as the
foregoing prelates, but he DELAYED his
consecration until tile first Sunday.
Four years ago the coming summer
the first break in this notable group of
hierarehs was made when DR.. Hen
dricken. the beloved bishop of Frovi-
dence, was called to the reward Of h1s
long and arduous toll. Now q second
vacancy has been created by the recent
death of Bishop Gilmour: and these
Two deceased prelates will be long
mourned by the sees over which they
presided. Before becoming a bishop,
| in fact, before ho had commenced his
priestly labors here in America, DIR.
Hendricken was made acquainted with
the bitter religious prejndices which,
thirty and forty years ago, were SO viz
ulent and belligerent in certain locali-
ties. He came very near losing his life,
through the bigotry of the captain Of
| the vessel that brought him to this
country, because of his persistence in
attending to a dying steerage passen-
ger; and during his missionary DAYS in
the Naugatuck valley, down in Con-
necticut, he often encountered Protest.
ant prejudice In One form or another.
! Strange as it may seem, however. Bish-
op Hendricken afterwards succeeded in
making his warmest friends and ad-
mirers a number of of Protestant
preachers. One Of his most frequent
visitors. when he was pastor at Water
bury, was the Eplscopalian minister Of
! that town. and. during his episcopal
career in Providence. another minister
Of the same denomination, who had
charge of church in village outlying
Providence, became, through his inr
nuence. convert to Catholicity.
l.
Cleveland diocese, between whom and
DR.. Hendricken there existed the
warmest sy naathy during their life.
times, had his own experience with
Protestant bigots. A convert himself
from Calvanisln, DR.. Gllnour was in a
position TO understand better than q
| Catholic prelate the sentiments
with which even the best disposed Pro.
| testant sometimes regards unfavorably
! the Catholic church; he could also make
due allowance for larger prejudices,
but his charity and forbearance were
often taxed to the utmost bv the con-
duct of one individual in his episcopal
city, who, holding position that en-.
able him to make his tolerance public,
never lost an opportunity of defaming
the Catholic church, misrepresenting
it's teachings and reviling Its prelacy
and priesthood. Bishop Gilmour him
self was often personally attacked by
this zealot; and. while the good prelate
cared little for such assaults, we'll
knowing, as he did. that they could not
injure him in the slightest degree with
sensible men, the position he held COM
PEELED him to defend himself from the
more scandalous attacks and to con-
vict his assailant of falsehoOd and big
oted malice.
The individual here referred to was
Mr.. Edwin Cowles. the editor of the
Cleveland Leader. a paper that became
notorious through the length and
breadth of the land for it's bitter, shame
less and untruthful misrepresentation
of everything and all things connected
in the remotest manner with the Cath
olic church. Every issue of the paper
for months and years, teemed with
anti Catholic literature. Its exchanges.
foreign and domestic. were scanned
eagerly for items and narratives derog-
atory to Catholicitv, and these were