The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-03-16
The Episcopal Bishop of North Carolina Who Joined the
Catholic Church Fifty Years Ago.
Interesting Facts in the Life of the Noted Preate
Related by Himself in Letter.
The Report Of His Recanting and Dying Epscopaian
is Destitute of Any Foundation.

| dous. He held the highest position Of
trust and was the respected, loved, and
trusted leader In an organization
whose very position and whose every
tradition was one Of hostility to the
Catholic church and whose champion
he was. In that organization. too, he
was esteemed and loved as few men
have ever been. There all tho affec-
tons of his heart had been centered
and knitted in for numbers of years
by the tcndcrcst and deepest of ties.
! There were the veins and arteries Of
all his social life. 10 become Cath
Ollie Bishop Ives had to break all this.
lie had to so over, so to speak, to the
cncmy's camp and become Il private
Soldicr-a laymnn. lie had to break
almost every social tie and relation
and so amongst strangers at Il time Of
life when this was peculiarly hard to
'lo-amongst strangers and men who
must have been uncongcnial to him
in everything save religious truth. And
Ives hcsitatcd. He himself relates Ills
weakness in that work of his called
''rrials Of a Mind" II work all Epis-
copnlians, especially those OF North
Carolina, ought to read; how, borne
down by the influences surrounding
him and the prospects without. he
tried to close his eyes to the truth
and hush his conscience and cry to
himself peace where there was no
peace; how God in His mercy spared
him still and gave him the eXtraord-
nary grace OF finally, in spite of his
hesitation and weakness, of breaking
every bond and of entering that
church which was built upon the rock
and against which the gates of hell
could not prevail. But his "going over
to Rome" was Il sore blow to his Epis-
copnlian friends, especially those in
North Carolina. Many of them never
forgavc him; some of them have not
| forgiven him to this day.
Nario,lsly they explained his step.
, Some privately accused him OF knav-
cry ana trcachcry. His every action
was discussed and the most trivial cir
cunstnnccs exaggerated and made to
wear an air of deception, as was the
case with Newman Others could ac-
count for it only by "softening of the
brain'-hs mind was affected and
weakened" This account seems to
have reached our correspondent. 1t is
so nrlfnhly silly that we wonder how
rational men could urge it. Ives was
an idiot; therefore he became Il Cntho-
lie. 1t invariably brings Il smile
when mentioned to the cOuntcnancc Of
all, even non Catholics, who hear it.
| IT Ives were an idiot we would ask
our nOnCathOlic friends to send us
some more idiots or weak minded men
like him. We like idiots of that kind.
DO those who make the assertion
know anything of the life of Ives
after he became n Catholic?
DR. Ives, after he became a Catholic,
wrote the account OF his conversion
the work mentioned above, entitled
'"I'lc Trials Of a Mind" Il book which
is said to have had circulation Of
100000, a tremendous circulation for
the time in which it was printcd-the
| SOS. Dare those who have read that
| book call DIR. Ives n weak-minded man
or an idiot? DIR. Ives founded after he
| became Il Catholic q great protcctory
| In New York-a protectory which to-
| day shelters and cares for several
! thousand destitute children. Dare
those who see that work and know
the energy Of mind and will which it
must have called forth, assert that
] DR.. Ives was Il man Of weakened,
idiotic mind? Truly do we pray God
to send us some more "idiots" of the
stamp of Levi Silliman Ives, Episcopal
bishop OF North Carolina. We are not
surprised that our correspondent has
always heard" it. 1t is often told in
North Carolina. But we are under the
! impression that those who tried to
force the delusion upon themselves
and fondly hug 1t to their bosom
s'i iup"io">'y opeyeu III tlllS paftlcuHf
the Scriptural Injunction: "Tell it not
in Gath, whisper it not upon the walls
| of Ascalon." 1t were well for them If
| they did SO.
And now, before speaking Of DR..
Ives "rccanting" and "dying in the
communion of the Episcopal church,
which are surely falsehoods manu-
factured mot by our correspondent,
hOwever) out Of the whole CLOTH we
will quote some passages from his
work, "The Trials Of Mind" which
brings out to some extent the CONVEX