The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-08-25
WHY ENGLAND HoNoRED
GREAT IRISH CATHOLIC.

In reviewing the career of the late 81
Charles Russell lord chief justice of Eng
land, the question naturally arises, VIII
did England break the precedent of owe
300 years by choosing this Catholic 70
so high an office?
He was not only a Catholic, but al
Irishman; nay, an Irish home ruler, an,
he had but few years before vindicateC
the leader of the Irish Nationalist
Charles Stewart Parnell, at the expense
of the London Times, the living voice o
English Toryism
In the expose of the Times forgerie:
he was the defender not only of the per
secuted Irish leader. but of Ireland; anC
by his irrefutable proof of the infamy Of
the tactics of the enemies of her cause
| set that cause on its eminence of merit
and dignity in the whole worlds sight.
Gold could not buy, nor place nor title
tempt this matchless. fearless, incorrupt-
! ible antagonist; and it was Just because
! he had shown himself in this character,
albeit his vindication of the Irish leader
and Ireland involved so much of shame
10 herself, that England wisely chose
him for the highest place in her judiciary.
England no longer let's racial or re-
ligious Drejudices stand in the way of
her larger interests, so Lord Russell
might cherish his Irish NatiOnalism and
his Catholic faith as openly and fervently
as he would. so that his splendid legal
abilities We're devoted to the profit and
honor of the empire.
During his time in office, something
over six years when death claimed him,
he instituted many much-needed reforms,
his greatest distinction being in the APP
plication of the principles of common
sense to the management and settlement
of cases. He brought about the institu
ton of the new court for commercial
cases; and the better arrangement of the
vacation and assize business of the judges
of the appeal court, soon to go into effect
is also due to his efforts
No decision of his was ever reversed
and his courage and justice We're en-
Dhasized anew in his action in the case
of DR.. Jameson, the leader of the raid on
He served as one of the British arbi-
traitors in the decision of the Venezuelan
boundary question, though this was out
side of his regular functions
How grounded he was in the eternal
principles of truth and equity. how broad
and deep in his knowledge of men and
nations, how keen and correct in his fore
sight, was shown in his great address on
international Arbitration before the
American Bar association just four years
ago.
Tory England, grooming like a Phari- |
see of old. under her self-assumed |
White Mans Burden" in South Africa: |
and Imoerialist America, with her SINH
arly fallaciOus necessity" for Benevo-
ent Assimilation in the Philippines were
lad sights for the fading eyes of this
great advocate of international Justice
md honorable peace.
The career of Sir Charles Russell has
many lessons-the most striking of them
icing, perhaps, the wisdom, even for this
world, of courage and fidelity to pr3nci-
lie
Any man can better afford to stay life
ong in obscurity or forfeit a hard-won
Worldly honor, than to bear remorse of
Conscience and the sting of self-contempt
or wealth and station wickedly attained
r meanly kept.
But the man of genius and force of char
cter, after his probation, can generally
ct the prizes of life on his own terms.
lie need not risk the painful alternative
professional or social extinction, in his
hotce of rectitude at the cost of imme-
late worldly gain, for he can cut a. new
aannel for his abilities; his gifts shine
efore men and make his faith in God and ;
!:aself magnetic
The man of genius does not always
now the day of his strength and oppor-
nifty, hence the sad-and even from the I
orldly point of view-unnecessary sacr1-
'es, such as the poets of ''She Lost Lead {
" or 'Ichabod'' deplore. 5
Young Charles Russell. in his modest ?
'yhood home in the north of ireland. q
'uld not yet feel his own strength. nor g
Tesee one of the highest offices in the :
irish empire as the visible crown of = !,
e OF less than the allotted seventy
airs. a
Doubtless his 0roudest boast was that h
s family had a record of 600 wears in I
at region, and for the latter half of this d
lg term, has kept the faith at heavy -
st. Doubtless the iron in his blood came 9
1m those martyr-sDirited ancestors. :,
ley We're priestly as we'll as a royal -
ople, with the missionary spirit of Ire u
Id golden age in them. p
-ord Russells uncle, president of May II
9th college from 1857 to 1885, was the 81
Ief instrument of Cardinal Newman's ii
aversion. h,
4ord Russell's brother is a Jesuit priest, re
has been great factor in the Irish -
erarS revival. All his sisters became oo
tiers of Mercy, and one of them was W
pioneer of her order on our own Pa w
c coast. p
ord Russells religious faith had to find "
his own especial career manifestation ei
erent, but equally. sincere and striking. &.
ere must have been times in his early
RS of struggle-for he was not born to A
tune, and he married for Iove-when he
lied that proud and open Irish Catho-
ty was not even the high way, much 49,,
the lightning express train to speedy
cess. But he never minimized either on
set God and his soul in the highest ur
;e' While he worked strongly and 49,
ndidly at his profession for all the NV
erlal gain he could honorably COM at
ms powers matured and he could
&c MS own terms with fortune, his fine Z
lstlan honor made him an innovator to che
extent OF giving up his splendid pri- me
piaclice' because he felt it would p;,
from the sole and singular attention
should give to his work as attorney OF
eFal- The emoluments of that office a
scarcely half those of his private =,
,tice. shl
'aln his probity met its reward in the 7
eased confidence of his fellowmen and Ar,
call to go up higher.
greater man than this great man OF
m we write has gone down to poster Ter.
IS the wisest, brightest, meanest of T
kind" But of Lord Russell it can he
beyond even his magnificent intellec-
achievements was his character sue up
and that his services to his fellow tiet
had their pndIlri,nrr