The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-08-14

1886, he was called by the Sovereign, Pontlff Leo
XIII, to the Senate of Cardinals and invested with
the insignia and robes of a Prince of the Church
Since that time he has become, in sense,
national character. His exceptional ability, unas-
suming manner and comprehensive grasp of the
details of great issues of our time, have secured
for him not only the love and admiration OF his
own people but have won the respect and reverence
of American citizens everywhere.
The Cardinal has reached position OF emil
nence in the Catholic Church of America which ne
is never likely to lose. Whether we consider the
width and depth of his erudition, the urbanlty OF
his address, or the comprehensiveness of his theo
logical views, we must pronounce him to be the
type of the model ecclesiastic and one whose con-
duct may be safely initiated by his successors IN
the venerable See of Baltimore. The exalted char
acter of his Eminence, the splendor and variety
of his achievements his brilliant abilities his rea
tionShip with many of the first men OF MS
country and age, and his Identification with the
hopes and aspirations of the American people will
for all time fit his place in American history.
Withal the Cardinal is one of the most genial
and lovable of men, and whether the platform.
on the street in the pulpit in his hospitable
home, he is ever the kindly, sympathetic The
amount of work that he attends to is amazing and,
how, amid the multifarious affairs of his exalted
office, he has been able to write books and ndite
articles for newspapers and magazines surpasses our
understanding His Faith of Our Fathers has
reached a circulation of 100000, while his Christ
ian Heritage" and his Ambassador of Christ" have
already passed through many editions In all his
writings observe due sense of proportion and
a proper idea of Christian decorum, and respect
for the opinions of others which suggest synpa
thetie and tactful mind.
Hc is more than ever in demand for great oc
casons; his public charges and sermons are widely
read and commented upon as tending to steadiness
and security amid the storms of political and eco
nomic questions which, at times, visit our country
The personality of this charming prelate is
of the greatest in the religious history of America
1t is indeed scarcely too much to say that taking
Cardinal Gibbons for all in all, there is no nobler
industrious figure in the ecclesiastical
mails of the republic His is soul on fire with love
of God and devotion at home in the halls of the
vatican, the reception rooms of the White House
and she homes of the wage-earners of Baltimore:
and every work to which he sets his hand there is
no turning aside till it is accomplished His life
IS characterized by answering devotion TO principle
tireless energy and unaffected simplicity of man
ner. He stands in that fierce light which beats
upon throne" and his personality is seen to be
LUMINOSITY clean and bright. When his end comes.
therefore, it will not be his own flock alone that
will mourn, but a responsive throb of sympathetic
grief will go forth from the great heart of the
American people. 1t will be felt that great leader
has fallen in Israel and that Maryland and all Amer
lea will be the poorer by his coronation in another
world