The sun., 1892-02-07

4
this question:: what is the use Of your Join.
ing the Catholic Church, Can't yoa get along
without hanging to her skirts?'' Eccker
thouebt that Thorcau must have divulged
hts intention TO Enerson for the latter
tried his best to got mo o,it Of The notion.
lie invited ME to tea with him. and he
Kept leading up TO the snbicct and leading
away from II. Tho noxt day he asked me TO
drive over with him to the Shakers some NJ.
teen miles We stayed over night. and all tho
way there and back he was fishing for my rea-
sons with the plain purpose OF dissuadng me.
Then Aloott and he arranged matters 40 that
they cornored me In q sort Of interview. and
Alcott frankly developed tho subject. finally
| said. Mr. Aloott. 1 deny your induisitorlal
right In this matter and so they let Il drop.
One day. however. was walking along the
road and Emerson Joined me. Presently lie
said: Mr.. Hecker I suppose 1t was
tho art, the architecture. and 80 on.
in the Catholic Church which led you
to herr No. snid I. but 1t was
what caused all that" Father Hecker added
that years later. during the war. no went to
Concord to lecture and wanted Emerson to help
him to get hall The request was refused.
"Alcott promised that he would but he did not,
and think that Emerson dissuaded him. Yet.
although Emerson was absent. Alcott was
~,
and We had little talk together. None OF
those men is comfortable in conversation,
with an intelligent Catholic. He avoided my
square look. and actually kept turning to avoid
my eyes, until he had quite turned around.
Such men. confronted with definite convic-
tlons. are exceedingly i'll at ease They fee! in
subsection to you. They cannot bear the stead
fast glance ofa man Of fixed principles any moro
than q dog can the look Of his master. Like
a dog they turn away their heads and show
signs OF uncasiness" Father Hecker seems
to have been rather more attached to Ripley
than to any other member OF the Tran scenden-
tai group He says that Ripley was q great
man. a wonderful man. But he was a COM
plete failure. loved HIM dearly. and he knew
it. And he loved me: know we'll he did.
When came back q Redemptorist from Eu-
rope went to sec him at the Tribune office.
He asked me: Can you do all that any
Catholic priest can do| Yes Then
I will send for you when I am draw
ing toward my end" Father Hecker
goes on to declare his belief that IL one
could have gone to Ripley any time in his later
years and said: You will never more return
to the society OF men." and persuaded him
that 1t Was true. he would have said at once:
Send for Father Hecker or some other
Catholic priest" Heckcr was persuaded that
only the fear OF facing his friends hindered
George Ripley from becoming Catholic. He
sent for me when taken down by his last i'll
ness but his message was not delivered. As
soon as heard that he was i'll hastened to
his bedside. but his mind was gone and I
could DC ncshirs for him.
Not finding any solution OF his spiritual difn-
culues at either Brook Farm or Fruitlands.
ward tho homo from which he had departed
nearly year before. 1t is a noteworthy fact,
revealed by his diary. that he not only main
tanned his abstcmious habits after his return.
but increased their rigor. For n robust man.
working hard in d bakery for many hours out
OF the twenty -four. and deprived o; all the re-
laxations, literary. conversational. and musi-
cal. to which he had been for many
months accustomed. his choice OF diet
was certainly extraordinary. II find"
ho records. that l can live on very
simple diet-grains. fruits. and nuts. have
Just begun to cat the latter: drink pure water.
SO far have had wheat ground and made
into unleavened bread. but as soon as we get
in new lot shall try It in the grain" He
had evidently at this time become a convert
to the principle which in after years no re-
peated in the form Of a maxim Of the Tran
scendentaiistt. A gross feeder will never DO
a central tkah8st.'"A .hule later in the diary
we come upon tho following reasons for not
eating animal food. to wit: 1T does not feed
the spirit: it stimulates tho propensi-
ties: it is taking animal life wh,n the
other kingdoms offer sufficient AID bet
ter increment Aud again: Slaughter
strengthens tho lower instincts: animal
food Is the chief cause OF the slavery OF
the kitchen: 1t generates in the body the dis
eases animals are subject to. and encour-
ages IN man their bestiality: its odor is Of
fansive. and its appearance unRsthetic."
Ii was vivid recollection OF these early
efforts after ascetic perfection which prompted
the following self-arpreciation made by Father
Heckertw two years before his death. He had
been speaking Of some OF his youthful expert
ments E ascetlcism. and ended with a laugh
and the ejaculation. Thank God. He led mo
into the Catholic Church. II it hadnt been
for that should have been one Of the worst
cranks in the world
1t was at Concord. Mass. whittier he had
gone to study Greek and Latin with George P.
Bradford. that Hecker received letter from
Orestes BrowIson which put an end to his
spiritual indecision. The very next day he
went into Boston to see Bishop Fenwick AID
Put himself under instruction. II was ar
ranged that he should 30 to tho Holy Cross
College at Worcester. and after becoming ac.
quainted with practical religious life In that
| place no was to return to New York
| and there be united to the Roman Catholic
| Church. 1t is hard now to understand why
Bishop Fitzpatrick. the coadjutor and sue.
cesRor OF Bishop Fenwick. should have been
rrcd!sposHd to % ds:rustful attitude toward
converts like Hecker and Brown son. in whom
American t-aitS OF character were very con-
| spicuous. One for3cts tina: a period had ar
| rive;. in American history when liberty itself
seemed but feeble sapling which strong
| wind OF blgotry might root out and cast away.
! the chronicle Of Bishop Fitzpat rick's cpisco-
| pate presenting a record OF converts invaded
under forms OF la e and Of both converts and
| churches sacked and burned by Native
| American" mobs who we're assured OF i'm
! munty from punishment We arc told that
| in iieckcr's interview with Bishop Fitzpatrick
| the latte. tried to get NE started on uues-
| tions oi modern theology. such as he sus-
J pected might be unsound on. For example.
| tho rights Of property l refused to speak
| nv spntimonts on them | said had No