The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-10-26
PAPAL NOBILITY
OF AMERICA
New York Herald \

| SPoi mat ner husband is to be
mace a prince of the Church. II has
been whispered in high Church circles
III New York and in Rome that for the
irst time in years the red hat Of car
uludl would be bestowed upon a man
Vi lne World-and an American.
me TINS report may be groundless.
tIle Tact has come to light that during
Lhe last few years what may possibly
De termed Papal nobility has been
created in the United States. Theo-
| retlcallY Pope Plus TX was a friend of
the United States and an adnirar NJ tho
Church in this country. but NOT mill
| me reign of Leo XIII and of the pres-
elt Pontiff has there been any acknowI-
eQGment of the high standing of +be
Church in this country other than the
creation of two cardinals in a hundred
| years. - - iiuii' 9u
Nobility lies not in heritage alone.
put IN the deeds of the living genera
1L4u, was one Of the epigrams of Leo
ALL IakIng this for his maxim, he
pl@cec the ancient titles of Rome upon
men and women whose lives distin-
sulsled them among the good-doers. of
eIe generation Plus Y has followed
ms poilcy. During the four years of his
reign he has created an unprecedented
number of mobiles in recognition of both
scientific achievement and philanthropic
work
While Pope Plus has accepted the
precedent set by Leo XIII. which ac-
corded to Cardinal Gibbons the distinc-
| ton of being The American CARDINAL
and has intfmated that during the life
OF his eminence no other prelate will he
given the red hat, he has in every other
way possible elevated the standing Of
the American Church.
Honors Thrust II1o, LIZ
The raising of Mrs Ryan TO the
Cathohc nobility was expected by
many prelates in this country during
Pope Leo's administration. Decora-
lions and privileges were accorded tn
her' but the rank of countess was held
In this country only by Miss Annie
Leary- Mrs. Ryan, the builder of
churches and hospitals and schools. the
story of whose remarkable life was re-
Gently told in the Herald, never has
sought any recognition for her deeds.
While 1T is known that she gives away
Sl,OOO,OOO year for charitable purnoses
little is known Of her philanthropy. She
mas built more churches and schools in
the United States than any other one
person in the entire world. The num-
Der of these gifts alone exceeds thirty
and there is hardly a Catholic church
or institution in the eastern states or
In the southwestern section to which
she has not lent material aid
In placing the title of Countess Ida"
upon Mrs. Ryan Pope Plus is said to
have remarked that it was not alone
for the cathedrals and churches and
public institutions with which Mrs
Ryan has enriches the Church i'm this
country that she has been made
member Of the Vatican nobility. but
more especially because of the daily
Christian life she leads. Few religious
orders require from their nuns more of
abstinence and labor and prayer than
Mrs. Ryan gives every day of her life.
She begins her morning by attending
mass, and from that time until she re-
tires at night her mind and her hands
are ever busy in some good work. She
is lover of working men and women
and her munif1cence has done much to
relieve the burdens of hundreds i'm New
York and in the far west. where she
has materially aided destitute consump-
tives. She gave to Virginia its cathe-
dral at Richmond, which cose 81 OO0, 000
Countess Annie Leary.
The only other papaI countess in the
United States is the Countess Annie
Leary, whose title was given by Pope
Leo XIII and expired at the pontiff's
death. One of the first acts of Pope
Plus administration was to renew the
Countess Leary'S title with that of
some other temporary nobility. Coun-
tess Leary received the title because of
her extensive work for the welfare of |
working girls and emigrants.
Years ago, when she was a very
young girl. before the emigration bu- |
reau was as well organized as it is now, |
and prior to the time when State street |
ii11pd with GRO
girls, terrible stories Of the snares and |
which were laid in the way
of young girls coming as strangers to
this land reached the ears of Miss |
Leary She was Mortified at such con-
ditions and determined to try to find !
a remedy for the evil. She possessed an |
ample fortune and she resolved to |
share ii with her less fortunate sisters |
She gave freely toward the support and
Of the Irish Emigrants' |
Home, at No. Z State street, and also
aided the German and Italian homes
around Castle Garden, where are
housed that steady stream of friendless
girls coming to these shores to seek an
honest living. But even those homes
where the girls were taken on their ar
rival here did not solve the problem
Places of employment were found for |
them, and yet too often they went out
into a world they so little understood,
unlearned of the ways of the world, I'M
fitted to cope with the conditions n
friendless working girl has to meet
Many of those girls were of simple faith
and trusting natures, and the stories
which reached the ears of the clergy
and those interested in the question ne
cessitated some action.
Countess Leary learned some Of these
facts from her own servant girls. She
became interested, made Investigations
and then resolved upon line of action.
She was the mind and often the means
Of establishing working girls clubs and
homes, there being a regular network
Of them throughout the east and lower
west sides. She has devoted most of
her life to this work giving her per-
sonal attention and encouragement to
these institutions She goes among the
girls and hears their stories, their little
problems and their great troubles. Any
heart oppressed finds sympa-
thy and encouragement from Countess
Leary. Her heart has big place in it
for all wage earning women.
Countess Leary is stanch American,
and realizing that the future of the
state lies in the children of today, she
spends much of her time and her wealth
Tor the boys and girls of the poor She
las established boys clubs and gym
frlc OH he