The Irish standard., 1911-09-16
A SKETCH OF THE
VAUGHN FAMILY
Father Vaughn's Coming Visit to
America Recalls his Remarka-
BILE Family History.
Mother of the Vaughn's a Woman of
Wonderful Piety and Devotion
to Holy Church.
To her Great Joy Eleven of her
Fourteen Children Entered the
Religious State.

In recent special cable to the Chi
cayo Tribune, II. p. O'Connor refers
t" the coming visit of Father Bernard
Vaughn to America and gives an in
tcrcsting sketch of that remarkable
family. He writes:
1t is reported in some papers, I do
not know with how much truth, that
Father Bernard Vaughn is to pay an
other visit soon to your country. Many
of your readers doubtless know the
eminent preacher by face and by per-
sonal intercourse with him, for he is
a man whose acquaintances are as the
sands of the sea: and all know him by
lis rcpute. But l doubt whether many
people, outside the members OF their
own family and perhaps their asso-
ciates in religion, have ever under
stood the Vaughn family. 1t is a re-
n"irknhlc family in many ways; and
i"t merely in it's surviving members
OF today. but also in its whole history.
Welsh by origin, the family has
lived for generations in one of the bor-
dor English counties that march with
the Welsh frontier. IL was always a
stern, resolute and uncompromising
race. 1t never changed it's creed, even
in the centuries when all the forces Of
the state were arrayed against ltsmEe~ 4.
llgion and when adhesion to its faith
involved risk of lfo and loss OF prop
crty. Comfortable, rather than rich,
squires. rather than nristocrats, the
Naughns belong to that small gentry
that rivals the bigger houses in pride
of birth and in purity of ancestry.
TIER characteristics are to be found
in the surviving members of that fam
lily.
IlIvcn under the habit of the regular
Clergyman as under the magnificent
robes of the prelate, the Vaughn spirit
is there, proud, aloof. intense and
stern in conviction. and English in
every sense Of the word in energy, in
the adventurous impulse which has
made their country the greatest Of
colOniZcrS and the empire builders,
and also in the racial and family pride
which is part of the heritage Of all
their race One should add to these
qualities another which is very dis
tinctly English, although it is not al
ways recognized by those who are not
English. namely, Il certain mysticism
or cmotionalism.
A Virtuous Mother.
The father of the present race Of
Vaughn was Il soldier His whole
character is stern and indeed is rather
like that of a dour Scotch puritan Of
the days Of the fight between prelacy
and the presbytery than an English
Roman Catholic. He regarded his life
AS Il mere passing and empty phase
of an eternal existence; he was STERN
er to himself even than to anybody
else; and when he lay dying. he re-
joiced that he was suffering pains-it
meant to him some atonement for
| WIiiLcVcI IIdIllle5 Le Idu SIlOWu Ill
life and as part of the price sinful
man had to pay for eternal bliss in
another world
The mother of the Vaughns was an
even more remarkable figure. Born a
Protestant she became Catholic more
Catholic than the Catholics them
selves. She spent hours daily in the
private chapel of the old ancestral
home. And early in her married life
she formed wish which was destined
to be the most potent indeed, might
call it the omnipotent influence in
shaping the lives of their children. 1T
was d favorite saying of hers" wrote
Cardinal Vaughns biographer, that
she had received all from God and so
must be ready to give everything back
to Him." To what utter extremity this
wish was carried out. this history Of
her children proves.
She had altogether fourteen children,
nine sons and five daughters. One of
the sons died in infancy, six of the
nine sons became priests and all five
! daughters became nuns.
Cardinal Most Remarkable Figure.
The most remarkable of these sons
was Cardinal Vaughn. knew him well