The Irish standard., 1895-06-29
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4 sS BssS FIRST.
s.as Ia answer to tie question Who is the
greatest lawyer you have known?" the
distinguished F. R. Coudert writes in
the New York World:
\ 4 "If you will kindly tell me what you
mean by 'lawyer,'I may answer you
more readily and easily than without
such an explanation. could name sew
eral men who answer this superlative
description But the qualities that
make up great lawyer are SO diverse
that the question might be objected to as
vague and indefinite.
"Charles O'Connor was the greatest
lawyer that my generation has known,
In one sense of the word. He was thor
ougnly imbued and saturated with the
law, its principles and its philosophy. He
exuded law learning as some men are
said to radiate goodness. II the law
had been an inf1ammable substance he
might have sDeen expected to perish in a
blaze of spontaneous combustion, the
material being furnished from the es-
sence of numberless tones which he had
lperused and Fdigested. h.
"The reports, text books, treatises,
briefs, essays on the subject of the law
.,.y.a ,h ho bod ;,oilo+od would IN +1,oir
original form have heated the baths Of
sesne modern cities as long as the baths
OF Alexandria were kept In operation by
the volumes that a ruthless barbarian
5conqueror turned into fuel. To build up
q clean cut, technical case was as much
an object of love to him as the erection
of q temple would have been to an arch
itect Of old Athens. Logic, was his con-
stant companion and friend. Rhetoric
he looked on with suspicion, and If at
times he did allow himself to be drawn
fession it was only short-lived truan-
cy. He did show in these brief mo
ments Of infdelity to his stern-browed
mistress that he might enter the lists
with the best sophists of them all and
gather. laurels with them on the slopes
of Hymettus or Parnassus. But he soon
tired Of the flowers that he picked and
flung them aside, as though weaving gar
lands were beneath his dignity.
'To put in palmer prose, he sometimes
gave me the impression that he was
,refgning his fancy, lest it carry him
away. 1t was disappointment, and
longed to see him lose his self-control
and give free field to his imagination,
and touch of the spur to the poetical
side Of his genius. But he never yielded
wholly to the temptation. He rode back
IN, season to the beaten track and Crap
pied with court and, jury on the prosate
ground OF hard, practical sense and pro-
sale demonstration. - :
In speaking Of Father Ravoux always
say Father, although know the church
has conferred other titles upon him than
those Of parish priest but speak Of him
as knew him years ago. Just as do of
Alexander Ramsey--with me it is always
governor, although in the years that have
gone by he has been United States sena
tor. secretary of war, titles perhaps more
honorable than that Of governor Of from
tier state.
Bishop Grace. was a southerner by
birth, who had spent many years OF his
life among Southerners and loved and
war Of the rebellion had no more devoted
friend. In every movement in St. Paul
for the raising Of troops or money he was
o1r RryanH fh front ranl1
F The bishop was worth more than a
,regimapt of soldiers in molding public
sentiment and public opinion In certain
lines and directions, and know whereof
i speak. AS a citizen he was always
public spirited. Everything which tend
ed to the betterment and growth Of St.
Paul met his hearty cooperation. II a
street was to be graded or paved, a sewer
built, or sidewalk laid, il the people
wanted it .he insisted upon having 1t
done. The church, as lie would say, il
It cannot pay, must'get up and cut That
was bis theory and practice.
But he did more than this He tore
down the high board fences and stone
walls which had surrounded and enclos-
ed. the, church for centuries, and insisted
that the highways in the American re-
public were broad enough for all to walk
upon-Ca Catholic, Protestant, Jew and
entile-without regard to creeds or dog
mas, and in every good work. whether
under the gas lights of the cathedral or
some Methodist or Presbyterian church,
he was there to aid and assist. More
than that, the bishop had at the cathe-
3dral bright, brainy. learned and active
young priest, in fact; a protege Of the
bishop. One afternoon in May, 1875, a
telegram was handed to him saying:
'ssRev. John Ireland appointed to the see
OF Omaha, :, etc. The bishop thought
perhaps that the young priest ought not
to be transferred to another diocese. Mus
ing awhile, without authority, within "a
hours he was on his way to Rome. He
had not asked permission, but he went.
a Reaching Rome, he sought a confer
ence with Pope Plus TX. The bishop
had q thought--so have THAT he knew
about as much about the wants Of the
Catholic churchsin the Northern wilds Of
America. as the sovereign pontiff. A
new edict was issued, revoking former
decree, and the Rev. John, Ireland was
appointed coadjutor with the right of
euccession to the see of st. Paul. The
bishop having accomplished the purpose
iDf Ills visit, returned to st. Paul in July.
iS76. The Sunday following he deliv-
Bfed discourse in the cathedral. OF
which I want to make mention in some
thltilre paper 5 s34itB