The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-10-15
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u AMERICAN ARCHBISHOPS.


AMERICAN AIscHBIsHoPs
Ability to Build up Diocese More Potent
than Eloquencei in Gaining Mitre.
Says the New York Sun: The remark
has been made frequently that the clergy
OF the Roman Catholic Church are, as q
rule, inferior N the matter of eloquence,
to the ministers of Protestant denomina-
tons, and it has been suggested that the
cause Of the inferiorlty is that the ad-
vancenent of priests seldom or never de-
ponds on their orato,ial abilities, while
ministers are usual y promoted accord
ing to the qualities they display in the
pulpit. Whether this is fact or not, it
is certain that the men who have reached
the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the
United States are not generally distin-
guished for their eloquence. Tney have
been selected for bishoprics on account
OF their learning, their piety, their bust
ness ability; but it has seldom happened
that an eloquent priest, without some
very strong recommendation other than
his eloquence, has become prelate. In
fact. the priest who makes his mark in
the pulpit is more likely t. stay in the
priestly order than one who has devoted
his best energies to building up new par
ishes and pa ing off deb6s,
Archbishop Corrigan, the gentle pre-
late under whom the great archdiocese
of New York has grown SO rapidly, is not
an crater. He is an extremely pleasant
talker, but no one has ever heard him in
dulge in flights of eloquence. He talks
in conversational style, as spiritual
father to his spiritual children; and
while he always interests his hearers, he
does not thrill them, and makes no effort
to do So Ills great learning, his reli.
gious fervor, and the executive ability
which he showed as priest aud later as
Bishop of Newark, made him Cardinal
McCloskey's successor
| Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore, Pri-
mate of the American Catholic Church,
has never been described as an eloquent
preacher. Like Archbishop Corrigan he
is a pleasant, fatherly talker, and, like
him, he has managed his archdiocese
with signal success. His winning per-
sonality has had much to do with his
advancement. He is regarded as the
ablest diplomatist in the hierarchy. He
is as orthodox as the Pope, yet his liber-
atty Of opinion in matters not relating
strictly to dogma has done much to re-
move prejudice against the Roman Catho
Ole Church in his archdiocese and
| throughout the country. 1t is said that
he has made his clergy a model for the
whole Church in the matter Of harmony
and united effort in any direction of en-
deavor suggested by him. The Cardinal
was never noted for learning at college,
as priest in Virginia, as Vicar-Apos-
tolic in North Carolina, as Bishop of
Richmond, or as Archbishop of Balti~
more; but he was always distinguished
for his power to attract men and mould
their minds to his way Of thinking. And
he did it, too, without the gift of elo-
quence.
| Archbishop Williams of Boston does
notfgure conspicuously in the pulpit, and
never did He is an able business man.
has an attractive personality, and is an
| example in piety He has not needed
eloquence to make the archdiocese of
Boston one of the most prosperous in
the country.
| Archbishop Janssens Of New Orleans
is poor orator, but an able prelate. AS
Vicar General of the Richmond diocese
he showed remarkable business talent,
and was made Bishop of Natchez Later
he was elevated to the archbishopric of
New Orleans. He is the handsomest OF
the Archbishops and has all the quail
ties which make up popular society
man, in the best sense of that term.
| Archbishop Elder of Cincinnati sell
dom appears in the pulpit. He is, per-
| uCLDSs bLlC lcoCU OAo4uOGc PiO0S1OA liz UAC
hierarchy. He generally reads from
manuscripts practice very rare in the
Catholic Church. Bus ness ability won
for him the pallium, He was Bishop Of
Natchez when Archbishop Purcell of
Cincinnati died leaving his archdiocese
overwhelmed with debt. It was a diff
cult task to find man able and willing
to undertake the work of removing this
burden, but finally Bishop Elder was
chosen. He has been eminently success
! fnl in his work, though he has had to de-
vote more of his time to books and &C.
counts than to his regular episcopal lu-
ties.
The venerable Archbishop Kenrick of
st. Louis. the oldest prelate in the Amer
lean Church, did not reach hie present
dignity by efforts in the pulpit. He is
good speaker, but not eloquent. Yet he
founded and built up one of the great