The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-01-16
Who Loss than Fifty Years Ago Founded the
Paulist Order, the Work of Which
is Well Known.
He Was Reared Protestant and in Earlv
Life Received Military Training
at West Point.

lhe lolloWing account OF the life
and work of the late Father George
Deshon by Father A. P. Doyle, editor
of the Catholic world. appeared in
recent issue OF the New York Daily
News:
The death OF the Rev. George De-
shon, superior general of the Paulist
Fathers, closes one Of the most inter-
csting chapters of church history in
the United States. He was the last
OF that famous body OF men who con-
stituted the charter members Of the
organization known as the Paulst
Fathers. Fathers Hccker, Hewitt,
Baker and Walwortt, together with
Deshon, made tip the quintet. They
were all men Of striking personality
and of remarkable individuality.
Walworth, son OF the chancellor Of
New York state of that name, was
a preacher OF rare power. Baker was
most charming and lovablc cl,arac-
ter, with a peculiar attractivcness and
charm OF manner that impressed every
one he met. No one met him but to
praise him: none knew him but to love
him. Hewitt was a man of profound
scholarship student and thcolog-
ian. Descended from old Calvinistic
stock he inherited many OF it's char
acteristics, though his spirit was mel
lowed by a kindly heart.
While Hccker was an idcalist in the
best sense Of the word he was truth
seeker and original thinker. or Ger
man Methodist origin, he started as a
rcformcr in the Workingmans party
with Rrownson, later on associating
himself with Hawthorne and Curtis
and Ripley at Brook Farm. was known
as Earnest. the Seeker" he was a
man of large ideas and broad views
and of truth-loving temperament
that could not be satisfied with tho
chaff of the wild vagarics and half
hearted attempts at social reform in
| the carly half Of the nineteenth CEN
fury. He left them all behind and cn-
tered the Catholic church. where he
found complete satisfaction in her
fundamental philosophy and the best
system of reform in her theology.
The youngest of this group OF men
was Dcshon, practical man OF af-
fairs. hard-hcadcd and logical, OF a
mathematical and sentimental turn Of
mind, a lover of austerity and frugal
ity. and yet profoundly religious
spirit.
All these men came by different
roads to the Catholic Church, and
without any previous arrangement,
found themselves thrown together in
religious community that offered to
them the highest ideals of sanctifcd
manhood, with the best opportunities
for cultivating the higher life.
When the old ship Of Professionalism
began to show signs of unscaworthi-
ness about the middle OF the nine
tccntl century the best spirits left it
and sought refuge in the bark of
Peter The Tractarian movement in
England brought to the Church such
men as Newman and Manning and
Ward and a host Of others. 1t had its
effects in this country, and Baker and
| Hewitt and Ives and Wadhams and
Walwortl, and many others were car
ricd along by it into the Church. But
outside Of the Tractarian movement.
there were other converts from the
Evangelical bodies and even from Ra-
tionalism. From the latter came
11ecker and Brownson. However, the
providence of God cast five of these
earnest spirits into the Redemptorist
community. There they learned the
principles of the religious life, and
there they p1ighted their vows of
obedience and poverty and chastity,
and there they consccrated their en-
crgies to the uplifting of their fellow
men, and in it all they found the ST.
premc JOY OF simple, chaste and holy
living.
Many years went by and their
voices we're heard in every corner of
tfie country from Quebec to Na,,