The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-03-16

The following interesting article on
the conversion to Catholicity of Dr.
Levi Silliman Ives, the Protestant
Episcopal bishop of North Carolina,
recently appeared in 1.-THE TRUTH" Il
little magazine devoted to giving ex-
plantations of Catholic doctrine. 1t
was written in reply to Il letter from Il
Protestant correspondent who wrote
from Ashevillc, N. c., and said:
My Dear Sir: l have read some
Roman works, and among other things
l have noted that they hold Bishop
Ives, the former Episcopal bishop OF
North Carolina, as one of their great
converts. Now, sir, l do not wish to
seem discourtcous, nor do l wish to
say anything against Bishop Ives or
anyone else But have always heard
that ut the time Bishop Ives went
over to the Roman church his mind
had become weakened. and that he
afterwards recantcd and died in the
communion of the Episcopal church.
I have seen his rccantation spoken of
in some book, which can not now
put my hand on. But If these are
the facts of the case l think you will
agree. reverend sir, that il is villain
Gus in these apologists for Rome to
drag in the name of Bishop Ives to
help them out. Very truly yours,
An Episcopalian.
Answcr-Wc agree with our CORE
Spondent that IL these are the facts
Of the case "it is villaino,ls" in Catho-
lie writer's to knowingly urge the name
OF Ives as a help to Catholic truth
not only "villainous," but a supcrfu-
Gus "villainy," if our correspondent
wishes to so designate it, for there are
hundreds and thousands of converts
names Which could bc used just as
effectively to "hclp OUT the Catholic
church as the name of DR.. Ives. Con-
vcrts to the Catholic church. especially
from Episcopalinnism, are so numcr-
ous and of such Il high and distin-
guisllcd character that tire name Of
any one is not much of "help out"
or n drawback. There is also this re-
markable fact about converts to
Rome"-wc usually get from Episco-
palianism or Professionalism among the
best men they havc-mcn OF the high
est and most religious character, who
embrace Catholic faith in spite Of
every obstacle and sacrifice; men who
have nothing to gain and everything
to lose by becoming Catholics, and
who come to us solely from love of
truth, whereas those who leave the
| Catholic church do SO under the oppO-
site circumstances. The knOwlcdge OF
this once caused a certain Episcopalinn
to remark: "You get our best men,
and we get your trash" But to "thc
facts" and in these we are quite sure
that our correspondent will find the
"villainy" on tire other side.
Most Of our readers will ask: Who
was this Bishop Ives? and we answer:
He was the Episcopal bishop OF North
Carolina fifty years ago, a man who
for thirty years, up to the time Of his
entering the Catholic church in 1852,
was held in the highest esteem and
kove by the Epscopalians. He it
was who gave to the Episcopal church
in North Carolina whatever high
church tendency it posscsses-a char
nctcr which it has never lost. He It
was who attempted to found the
quasi-moDastic institution of Vale
Crucis in the mountains of North
Carolina-an attempt which has
brought some especial notice to his
name in certain quarters Under the
influence Of the Oxford movement
headed by Newman and Puscy, which
has brought so many Episcopal minis
ters into the Catholic church and
which sixty years ago was in the heat
Of it's inception, Bishop Ives, with n
number Of others, began the serious
study and propagation Of Catholic be-
lief and practice of the first ages of
the church, actuatcd by pure motive
of finding out Catholic truth and car
rying it out. AS many Of these inves-
tigatcd it became apparent to them in
the course of time that they could no
longer remain honestly in the Episco-
pal church, that they must either ell
ter the Catholic church or, as they had
called 1t, the Roman church-Or be
damned. Amongst this number was
Bishop Ives. The influences, however,
that surrounded him and bore upon
] him against such step were tremcn-