The Irish standard., 1891-05-09
! REMARKABLE PRELATE.
A Sketch Of Cardinal Lavigerie, His
Youth and Early Labors in
Algeria.
THE OPPOSITION OF NAPOLEON III.
how the Arabs Learned to Love and
Respect this Wonderful
Man.


Man.
Stephen w. Wilby furnishes the
Catholic Mirror with the following
interesting sketch of Cardinal Layi-
gerie:
Of late years perhaps nc name has
been 50 prominently conspicuous III the
ewes OF the world as that of Cardinal
LavIgerie.. This remarkable man was
born in the little town of Esprit. France,
on October 81. 1926. From his earliest
youth he showed kindly disposition, a
love for study and decided vocation
for the priesthood. In the course of
time he entered the seminary of St.
Sulpice, Paris. where he acquitted him
self with honor. giving at all times
proof of his superior intellectual abil-
ities and foFeshadowing the future
greatness ne was to attain. He was
ordained priest and began Immediately
his great work for the regeneration OF
humanity. His qualities of mind and
of heart were such as to attract wide
attention. "A new honor was to be
meted out to him in appreciation of his
noble ambition. He was made bishop
on March Is. 1853. At this period his
life work begaa to slowly develop itself
before his eyes. He saw, as il in a
uiQ1nn onotbnx fold oF In Inor oSLo,. 4k,o,.
the one he occupied. He wished to
sacrifice himself in the work of
uplifting his fellow man. He saw IN
northern Africa a field that elected the
warmast responses Of his heart. Pope
Plus TX, seeing the vast amount of
good such an enthusiastic spirit could
accomplish, appointed him archbishop
of Algiers on March 2T. 1867, The good
archbishop soon set out for his new
diocese 1t was immense in area,
populated by mixed races. and thor
ougly imbued With the fanatical hatred
of Christianlfs, which is nowhere of
such malignant form as in the Barbary
states. There, amid the ruins Of an
cient cathedrals. amid ths memories OF
Augustine, CyDrian and the glorious
fathers OF the early church. there amid
innumerable difficulties aud obstacles,
without priests, without money, with
out everything but spiritual support
and a burning hope, stood the ener-
getic archbishop. An ordinary man
would have given up all hope without
even trying to overcome what seemed
impossibl,4ties. The AIgerine popuIa-
tion have not yet taken kindly to the
French rule; they were crafty, sus-
picious, treacherOus ana full of the
deepest resentment.
To make matters worse. the French
government framed a policy that was
supposed. under mistaken idea, TO
better conciliste the good will OF the
Arabs. This. as after events proved,
was disastrous piece of diplomacy.
The gist of this policy is contained in
the we'll known phrase of Napoleon Ill:
!. Algeria IS not a colony, properly
speaking, but an Arab kingdom AS
result of this doctrine. a Chinese
barrier was at once erected between
CatholicitY and Islamism. Every effort
that tended TO substitute French Gus
toms or the Catholic religion was at
once considered as crime. This new
regime was exacted to such an extent
that the administration even went SO
far as TO order the Sisters OF Charity to
remove the crosses from the wards of
the hospitals these signs might not
wound the suseeptibilitles of the Invalid
Arabs" As result, the work of
spreading the faith was brought to a
standstlll.
The archbishop fought the existing
measure with tooth and nail. His
powerful arguments. his biting invec-
tive, his appeal for justice-''f for such
justice as is allowed in Turkey =
found their way not only to the ears OF
the government but to the world.
With bis intuitive perception he saw
the utter weakness of the governments
position. He wrote: After 100 years
there will not be native but that will
be a Musselman; there will not be a
Musselman but that will be an enemy
of France The truth of this state
ment was indeed verified in part during
the Franco Prussian war. when the
natives, taking advantage of the state
of France. rose up in arms against her.
Encumbered by these obstacles, the
case seemed hopeless. Providence, as
if to clear the wav Of all barriers. sent
terrible Destilence all over the colony.
With it came q frightful famine. Men,
women and children fell in thousands.
There was no food in all the land. The
spectacle was such as human eyes care