St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-22
CITIZEN AND PRIEST.

the past week was the celebration in
Baltimore last Wednesday of the
twenty-fifth anniversary of Cardinal
Gibbons accession to the episcopacy.
Never, probably, in the history of the
Catholic church in this country have
such honors been paid to an ecclesiastic,
and by those who have watched the
development of the genius of Cardinal
Gibbons the concession will be made
that great honors were never more de-
servedly bestowed or more modeStly
worn.
1t is significant sign of the times.
and more significant tribute to the
spirit of republican liberty, that these
honors were not confined to the men,
bers of Cardinal Gibbons communion.
While the church ceremonies were
strictly confined to believers in the dog
mas of the Catholic faith, communicates
of other churches and citizens of exalted
character of no settled faith contributed
to swell the chorus of praise in honor of
good citizen and blameleSS man,
whose life from earliest youth has been
devoted to good works; who. while
holding steadfastly aloft the banner of
his church, has yet neglected no oc-
casion to draw closer and ever closer
those stronger bonds that unite man.
kind into one universal brotherhood,
with God as the common father.
Cardinal Gibbons represents a faith
transplanted from the old world of
Europe and the dying East. The Catho-
lie church bears upon its bosom the
scars Of thousand battles, fought dur
ing its nearly 1000 years of life. What
ever weakness, or even wickedness, its
priests and bishops and popes may be
accused of, the conscientious stude of
history, whatever may be his theologi-
cal leanings, will concede that this Or
ganiZatlon has retained and protected
the spiritual ark of the covenant. In
its primitive history it showed the
Judaic ritualists how the spirit of re-
ligiOn might be lost in the barren letter
of the law; and. carrying human love
and human helpfulness hidden in its
bosom, it took its departure from Pales-
tine that it might fructify the fields of
the Gentiles with the dews of Nazareth.
1t carried the same spirit into the cata-
combs of old Rome. where the early
apostles preached, amid darkness and
death, the lesson of the cross-the for
giveness of enemies. 1t stood beside
the martyr in the arena, surrounded by
fierce beasts, thirsting for Christian
blood, and gazed upon by fiercer men
and women, while these reviled ones
murmured the prayer of Calvary
s.Eathar fnrnivn than for fhaxy In
not what they do"
Segregated from society by the law of
celibacy, the spouseless priest and monk
of the dark ages took to wife the
worlds priceless legacy of literature,
and preserved to bless and adorn all
future ages the poetry and philosophy
or pagan Greece. Even in this period
of religious and political decadence-of
universal war and rapiue-its priest
hood in secret fed the sacred lamp OF
spiritual light and kept alive the flame
that illumineS and brightens the civil
lization of today.
Thus much as historical tribute to
the church of which Cardinal Gibbons is
the head and representative in the great
republic today. The historical diverse
of this picture has in this generation
been too often exposed to the ridicule
of the mob with small learning. to the
malice of the few who study to find
food for hatred. In his entire history
Cardinal Gibbons has been genuinely
American. The sympathies of his great
he art have forever gone out toward
those who have striyen to make govern
ment ''of the people, by the people, for
the people" potent actuality. History
has pictured how the unholy alliance
between the spiritual forces of the
church and the material power of the
state has produced discOrd, envy,
jealousy, eliminating in tyranny, blood
shed and war. Largely through the iu-
huence of this great prelate, the church
IN America, standing without the aid of
special legislative statutes to sustain
| and defend it, is demonstrating how
real power comes to the church, as it
comes to the individual, by doing justice,
loving mercy and uphoIding truth.
No American of intelligence needs to
| be Informed as to the personal character
| of James Gibbons the man. Character,
| like the oak. is plant of slow growth !;
| but how substantial and how useful to
| the world does that character become
when it has grown in good works and
| high endeavor through the storm and
sunshine of two generations. Such is
the character of this great churchman.
American, republican, democratic, lib
erty-loviDg, tolerant, broad, charita-
BILE; caring more for righteousness than
for dogma, and yet knowing and teach
ing the beauties of the inner meaning of
all church doctrine. he stands as the
modern type of the good pastor, the
modest priest, the intellectual ecclesi-
astic, the model citizen, tbs excellent
neighbor, the cordial friend.
1t will be we'll for the church in
America il the race of It's priests in the
development of the great republic
shall be patterned after the model of
Cardinal James Gibbons, archbishop of
| Baltimore.
AS ABLE and clear headed aman as is
| Senator Gray, he has been led by his in