The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-06-01

Archbishop Ireland, yet at the time Of
his appointment and conservation the
right man in the right place. Thorough
ly familiar with the wants and needs OF
his diocese, he did his work WELL and
when the history of the Catholic church
of Minnesota is written the foundation
and substructure will be found to be the
work of Rev Lucien Galthier Rev. Au-
gustus Ravoux and Ri. Rev. Bishop Gre
tin. knew Bishop Cretin well, and if
he and Father Ravoux weakened my
faith in my earlier education, no one
ought to be priced.
1t may not be amiss to say that while
I met Bishop Cretin on the day of his
first arrival in St. Paul to speak of an
incident which led to more intimate
acquaintance. Some months before the
bishop came to St. Paul q young man
with wife and child-he almost in the
last stages of Observation-Disclosures to-
believe that no one ever died in Mime
sofa, except with old age. He perhaps
was mistaken. He rented of the writer,
who was in charge of the building, two
rooms in the old Jackson house, at the
corner of St. Charles and Second streets.
He paid his first months rent, S. The
second, the third and the fourth became
due, unpaid. The owner Of the building
either wanted some rent or possession of
the rooms. I gave the young man notice
to that effect. A day or two after who
should drop into my Office on Third street
but the bishop. Calling me by name
'You have tenant by the name Of Mr.
- in the log building on the bluff;
he is behind in his rent; want to pay
it. How much? Eighteen dollars;' lay
ing down upon my little pine table $l8
in gold, saying: THE sick and poor
must be taken care of and as long as he
is your tenant send the bill for rent to
me- That to me seemed to be something
more than creed; dogmas of church. It
was doing unto others as you would have
them do unto you. From that day until
the day of his death, which occurred on
the 22d day ofFebruary ,1857-Washing-
toms birthday met him often. ! am
satisfied the bishop felt kindly toward
me, although he may have thought
was a young reprobate hardly worth saw
ing. Yet if he had insurance for the
church of conveyance, 1 was the one that
had to do it,
Some time ago I spent a year in Cara
cas-, the capital of the republic OF Vene
zuela, republic which has recently CIV
ell what is said to be a veritable conces
sion on paper to some of our citizens,
a Catholic city, city which at that time
had a population Of some 10000 people,
with % churches, all Catholic. The Ca
thedral of Caracas--ours in comparison
is like little country church at the
r. IoI hi 1c
dence OF the wealth and growth of the
Catholic church of more than two CEN
turtles. In it were no pews; each COM
municant or visitor seated him or her
self on the floor; the rich and the poor
were treated alike. The presidents wife
may have seated herself on the right of
the altar. Next to her may have been
some poor peOn. Then to the left and
right, about in the same order that our
government numbers the sections OF land
in its survey, the church is filed.
Up to 1S48 there was no such thing as
burial in Venezuela. 1t was all crenla-
ton. In that year by an act Of congress,
burials were permitted, and now it is
only the wealthy that can avail them
selves Of the law, as there could be TIC
costly monuments TO mark the last rest
ing place OF the dead III some beautiful
cemetery. The church adopted the plan
of placing marble slabs upon the floor Of
their great cathedral, upon which was
cut in brief the history and services of
all the archbshops, bishops and priests
who had been prominent in doing the
work of the church. The cathedral is
open all the time, to Jew as well as Cen
tile. On the floor Of the cathedral i'll a
measure, can be read the History Of the
Catholic church from a period prior to
the discovery Of America by Columbus
down to the present time.
This cannot be done in st. Paul, for we
have to have carpeted aisles and cush
toned pews-sugar-coating our religion
as we do our pills-where the ember
ship can recline with ease, or sleep
soundly during the service. Yet that
new cathedral I trust will be one of the
grand buildings which will in the near
future be erected.
Some years ago q banker in the city Of
ST. Paul died. He had been a patriot
during the war, liberal in his advances
to the city when her bonds were rated at
seventy-five cents on the dollar, never
permitting business man to go by the
board if liberal discounts would save
him from wreck. The announcement of
MS 0edLQ SCdTCleO LIl6 peOP!e OIL lHe E1Ly ),
business men wondered what would be-
come of them, what of the city, yet today
mention his name at some social gather
ing or public reception and the inquiry
will be made as to who he was and what
he did for the city. So with Bishop Gre
tin. He is forgotten, and with some OF
my Catholic friends, every now and then
have to tell the story Of his life. In the
new cathedral not ON the floor, but on
the walls, in the inches and recesses, /
want told the story of their love and de-
votion to their master. Of such men as
Galthier, Ravoux and Cretin, later on
such men as Grace and ireland, and
other generations after the present has
passed away, will have some other bust
or statue to place beside the historical
figures of the men who made Minnesota.
In another article | will write what
know about that grand old man, the Rt.
Rev Bishop Grace, and of the boy said
goodbye to on the levee in 1852, as he left
for Franco with Bishop Cretin, since
priest. bishop and archbishop, and were
it not for the Italian syndicate, cardinal,
and then, What-John Ireland?
Fashions Newest Fancies.
Opals cut round like pearls are the
present craze among gems.