The Irish standard., 1914-05-16
SENATOR
''' BECOMES
-''"I CONVERT.


ator Lorimer. taken from the Cath
Ollie Messenger Of Davenport, Iowa.
will be Of interest to the readers Of
the Irish Standard.
William Lorimer. former U. s.
senator. president Of the La Sale
STREET National bank, and for years
one Of the most priminent politicians
in the state Of Illinois. was received
into the Catholic church by the Very
Rev. Xavier Sutton. G. p. in the
servite chapel on Sheridan road. Chi
cago. last Saturday and made his
first Communion the day following.
Only his wife and the members Of
his family were present when he
made his profession Of faith and was
conditionally baptised-conditional
baptism being required unless the
prcselyte or someone who was pres
emit at his lay baptism. remembers
that the Sacrament was administered
in the form prescribed by the Catho-
lie church.
The prominence Of Mr.. Lorimer in
public life and the fact that he is
the son Of = Presbyterian minister.
make his conversion q matter Of pub
lie interest.
II hoped that when I became q
Catholic nothing might be written or
said about it. There are 30 many
conversions every day. including
men and women far more prominent
than I am. and I trusted that my re-
ligious convictions. at least. would
be left to me alone" said Mr.. Lori
mer in his office in La Sale street.
Spent Years in Research.
For more than fifteen years I
have read every book on the subject
of controversial theology that could
get." he continued. II felt. at last.
that the only thing for me to do was
to become q Catholic because Of my
honest convictions. I have travelled
over the same route that many 9TH
ers have gone. I did not want to
join the Catholic church. but I felt
compelled to investigate. and the
deeper my research the more set
tied my convictions became. So I
am a Catholic in spite Of myself.
Son of Presbyterian Minister.
II was born in Scotland. the son
Of a Presbyterian minister. and .
very strick Presbyterian, too. I
went to Sunday school until I was
20 years old. and all the time I heard
nothing but condemnation Of the
Catholic Church. grew to hate it
and to fear it. It was my hatred Of
it that led to my conversion. for I
argued with myself: How can q
thing so evil as they say the Catholic
church is continue to exist? How can
an institution the deeds of which
are said to be so vile and self-seek-
ing continue to cumber the earth?' I
began my inquiry as an enemy. I
entered the lists as champion Of
the Protestant cause. I found that
the church was not evil, but good. I
discovered that there was nothing to
protest against. and I became con-
WINGED that when one starts out 20
find truth in religion one will come
at last to the Catholic church, no
matter how strong ones prejudice
may be.
Followed Cardinal Newman.
"Year after year read all the
books I could get. studies the life
of Cardinal Newman. devoured his
'Apologia. and found out how he
struggled for two years after he left
the Church Of England before he
finally did the thing he hoped not to
do and became a.Catholic. read
Of the conversion of Cardinal Man
ming and many others. And then of
course I had the example always be-
fore my eyes of my wife and child
rem. who were Catholics and attend
ed strictly to their religious duties.
Believes in the Historicity of Christ.
II began my investigation at the
beginning. If Caesar lived, If Nero
lived, then Christ must have lived.
They are all historical characters
and the fact that they lived Is we'll
established. The arguments that
some advance that Christ was an
imposter were successfully refuted
for me by the fact that He went to
the cross. II He had been an i'm
poster He might have said so. and
His enemies would gladly have set
Him free and laughed His followers
to scorn. But He died. II He was
made as some say He was then how
was it that Of all the minds Of His
day His was the brightest and clear
est and the philosophy He taught
was the most profound and lasting
of all the doctrines of that age or
anyother? Me
$50, admitting Christianity to be a
vital truth, found that the church
has been the conservator of truth
for centuries. and that when the
storms came and beat against 1t, the
church stood like q rock. while 9TH
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