Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-16

Creighton has cost a respectable humble
Of millions (~francs).
Edward and John. sons Of a poor irish.
man. were these Americans who grew rich
with the country. They are counted among
the eminent pioneers OF the west. From
stock raising. trading. banking and con.
sttuctiou of the first telegraph lines across
the spaces. still uninhahited In places. from
the east to California. they drew the re-
sources Of which they consecrated so large
a share to the education Of their fellow
citizens. Edward. tho older. perhaps the
greater. ih any case the more simple
hearted, lived from $50 TIN 1874. The sec.
ond, John, died In February. 1907. lie had
received the titles Of colonel, Of Chevalier
Of Saint Gregory, Of Roman count, and
was one of those who created the begin
ings OF the packing business.
The church Of Omaha Is not as imposing
as Creighton university. AS In many do
ceses. the bishop lives in the residence
section, while his offices are downtown,
The vicar general, MonsignOr Colaneri, who
lives with the bishop, passes his time at
this office. Having come as a young man
from Italy, he has kept from his own land
a national aptitude for ecclesiastical gov
nmen and to this he adds the activity
and adrlotness which characterizes the
Americans. The diocese has it's Importance;
founded In 1885, It has now $50 churches.
The Catholic population, according to the
old census Of 1900, was rs, IT'S: now it must
be around $1,000. one interesting fact, true
also In most of the other dioceses, is that
thanks be to God, to the great honor and
advantage of the Catholic church., the
births considerably exceed the deaths. The
figures for 1907 are 3,OO6 baptlsms to 1911
funerals.
The Episcopal residence is a small, neat
frame house, not distinguished in any way
from its ~neighbors, situated on a quiet
street. 1t has no fence, but is surrounded
by a green lawn, restful to look upon, with
several trees. Simple, good, studious and
grave, Mgr. scanned with ascetic face, his
love of retirement recalls our austere
bishop, Mgr. Dupont Of Loges, Cardinal
Perrand or Cardinal Ruhird.' But let US
picture to ourselves If possible one of our
venerable prelj ties not hesitating after
lunch to install himself at his doorway,
in full view of passersby, with a cigar in
his mouthi in short, a cathedral window
saint in a rocking chair.
Everyone, however-and why not a-flnds
this %naturali even the squirrels who skip
from their tree to take bread or nuts
from his and. DO beasts and men be-
come less savage in America than in the
old world?
How l did appreciate these days Of hos
pltable repose after the busy, agitated
weeks in Chicago. l didn't sleep all the
time, however, and the quiet bishop had
me visit, as we'll as the university and the
offices of the diocese, the Sacred Heart
convent, where / found the sisters of I'M
usual intellect. and the work of the Good
Shepherd, which is the admiration of Cath
olics, and many other interesting places
and buildings, l saw where the corner
stone of the cathedral dedicated to Saint
Cecilia was to be placed. With it's grand
and harmonious dimensions, with its mag
~nificent double tower, 1t will probably con-
stitute the most beautiful building in the
city.
New cathedrals! This is perhaps the
most interesting and absorbing of all SUBJ
jects to Catholic Americans. 1t seemed
as though every state in the union had
either one or more Of them which was GO
ing to be consecrated, was being built or
for which they had begun to raise funds.
Just from memory / recall them in Rich
mond, Va; in Newark, N. j.; in Covington,
KY; in Dallas, Tex. in Pittsburg, Pa; in
Helena, in Seattle, in st. Louis, in Salt
Lake City, in Boise, in Omaha and st.
Paul. While in other Catholic countries
they remain powerless to preserve the ca
thedrals built by their fathers centuries
ago, or even to keep their property, their
American brothers are building up new
ones everywhere, and see them, or rather
make them, spring up under warm rays of
energy and liberty like flowers under a
generous sun of April or May.