Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-03-10


usad in the debates of the Vatican
I Council. When Christianity was es-
! tabIished Rome was mistress OF the
civilized world Wherever the Roman
( standard was planted, there also spread
| the Roman tongue. just as the English
/ language is now dinused wherever the
/ the authority of Great Britain or OF
! the United States holds sway. The
/ Church adopted in her public worship
! the language that she found prevailing
among the people. And she has very
! wisely preserved il in her Liturgy, even
/ after il had ceased 10 be a vulgar
/ tongue. as a dead language is not sub
| iect to the gradual changes of meaning
which occur in living tongue. The
/ jewel of faith Is best preserved in the
| casket Of an unalterable language.
In like manner. we can easily per-
/ ceiye the utility, I might say the abso-
/ Lutte necessity. Of the Latin tongue IN
the deliberations Of the Council. Had
the Bishops no uniform medium 20 eX-
press their sentiments. the Council
would have derenerated into a Babel
I Of tongues. Public debate would have
been impraCticGble. even familiar con-
versatiOn during the intervals OF re-
cess between the speeches would have
I been impossible 20 a great many. FOR
the Bishops seats were arranged. not
bv nationality. but by seniority o. rank.
But thanks 20 the Latin language.
which an tut a few Orientals under
stood. each Bishop comprehended the
fiscourses almost as clearly as II they
had been spoken in his native tongue.
While the speeches Of an the Bishops
were Ineligible TO the hearers. - at
fantivc listener could usually detect 70
whlr family q nations the orator be
ionLe1 Ha could ten whether the
speaker was @ Spaniard. q FrenChman,
a1 Italian. q German, or a Prelate of
The Eng'ish-speaking world. almost as
readily as an Englishman can distin-
guish a SCotchman from CCckney. or
a Norkshireman. The pronunciation
or acCeutuatiOn Of certain words the
cultural sound or the soft cadence, was
the shibboleth that revealed the ma
tiOnality OF the speaker. Sometimes a
pleasant smile would play on the habit
uallv grave cOuntenanCe of an Italian
I Cardinal while listening TO the lam
guage Of Cicero uttered with infection
and pronunciation unfamiliar TO his
ears. The accomplished Bishop of
Geneva began a speech with graceful
apology for his French accent Ny
voice. Most Reverend Fathers, is
French. but my heart is Roman AL
I loQuCr vOs. Reyerendissimi Paues,
Calico sermOne. Sed Romano cOrde.
So much for the language. Let us
Inow look more closely at the men. |
think am not eXaggerating when ! say
that the Council Of the Vatican has
been eXcelled by few, if any, delibera-
tive assemblies, civil or ecclesiastical,
that have ever met. whether We con-
slider the maturity of years of its mem
bers. their learning, their experience
and piety. or the widespread influence
Of the DEGREES that they framed Tor
the spiritual and moral welfare OF the
Christian Republic.
The youngest Bishop in the Council
was thirty-six years old. Fully three
fourths of the Prelates ranged between
ffty-siX and ninety years. The great
majority. therefore. had grown gray in
the service Of their Divine Master
Several Fathers Of the Church, bent
with age. might be seen passing through
St. Peters Basilica TO the council
chamber every morning, leaning with
one hand on their STAFF. the other rest
ing on the shoulder Of their secretary.
One or two blind Bishops could be OBJ
served guided by their servants, as
they advanced 10 their posts with tot
tering steps. determined to aid the
Church in their declining years by the
wisdom of their counsel, as they had
consecrated 10 her their vigorous man
hood by their Apostolic iabOTs. Sew
eral PrelateS were so much enfeebled
bv wears and infrmitieS. and so eX-
hausted by travel, that they died mar
tvrs TO obedience and duty on their
way to their Council; several Others
expired in the city or while returning
10 their diOceses.
But to the gravity of years, the mem
bers of the Council generally united
profound and varied learning. From
their youth they had drunk at the foun-
tain of knowledge, and particularly at
that Of sacred science. There was not
single civilized language, scarcely even
a tribal dialect in vUsue among any
people or race. that was not understood
and spoken by some Prelate in that
assembly. Every Bishop was familiar
with at least two or three languages,
and some Of them were capable or
speaking from eight 10 twelve Inc
Primate of Hungary informed me that
he employed four different tongues in
the administration of his vast diocese
OF a million of souls corresponding IN
Latin with the clergy, and addressing
his mixed congregations in the Hun
garian. German and Slavonic Ian
g1isees. A Vicar Apostolic from China.
who sat next to ne, said that he was
obliged to use six different Chinese dla-
lects in his Vicariate.
Where else could be found a single
assembly capable NJ discOursing in all
languages under the sun? Was not
This spectacle suggestive of the Pen
tecostal miracle? And well might the
spectators exclaim Behold, are not
all these who speak Galileans COR. at
least. disciples Of the divine Galilean),
and how have we every one heard our
own tongue wherein we were born?
Parthians. Modes, and Elamites. and in
babitants Of NesOpOtamia, Judea, and
Cappadocia. Pontus. and Asia, Phrygia.
Pamphvlia. and Egypt. and strangers
of Rome. Proselytes. Cretes. and Ara
bians-we have heard them all speak
in our tongues the wonderful works OF
God
They were men, too, of worldwide
experience and close observation. Each
Bishop brought with him on intimate
knowledge of the history Of his coun-
try and of the religious, moral social
and political conditions of the people
among whom he lived. One could learn