The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-09-28
AN ACTIVE LIFE

WERE EVER APPLIED TO GREAT
PROBLEMS - cHuRcHMAN AND
| PATRIOT.
The career of Archbishop John Ire
land has been marked with a continu-
GUS chain of activities, ever in behalf
of Church and country.
Elsewhere in this issue we have
sketched the chief points of his active
life. His dynamic energy made him
ever a champion of truth and justice
wheresoever they were assailed I'm
like the great English Cardinal, he
could truthfully say, / have served
both my God and my country
The keen intellect of Americas
great prelate led him to look ever for
| ward and to foresee the eventualities
of the future. Years ago his discern
ing vision pictured with graphic vivid
ness the dangers that one day might
confront both Church and State in this
country When the famous Cahen-
| sly movement was inaugurated,
Archbishop Ireland shuddered at the
| future possibilities of this un-Ameri-
| can trend. He saw at once that ap-
probation Of such a system would be
tantamount to establishing a State
within a State, and possibly, Church
within a Church. How correct his
forecast was may be judged from the
conditions in America today. Had
| the Cahensly movement succeeded
then, there is not the slightest doubt
but that the Church in the United
States at this moment would be looked
upon as an ally, or at least a friend,
of the nation which now opposes us
| in arms. At the same time Arch
bishop Ireland felt that the isolation
| of peoples of Germanic origin scat
tered throughout the country would
from the center of both American
ideals and religious authority in this
country.
In some respects there are many
points of conduct between the char
| acters of Archbishop Ireland and of
| Cardinal Wiseman of England The
great English prelate through years
| of residence in Rome, had imbibed a
deep knowledge and appreciation of
Church history. He went to England
in perilous times when the Catholic
Church was scoffed at and ridiculed
by all classes, and by persons of high
and low estate. Cardinal Wiseman
realized that in order to show the
Protestants of England that Cath
Ole could be good churehman and
at the same time an intelligent and
| loyal Englishman, it would be neces-
sary to come in touch with the people
at large. For this reason the English
Cardinal appeared most frequently
upon the public platform, and took an
active and interested part in the in
tellectual as we'll as the civic life OF
England. In the same way Archbishop
Ireland felt that his co-religionists
were not properly understood by Their
fellow citizens. Using his glorious
Civil War record as proof of past serv
ice, the great prelate travelled through
out the country lecturing before vast
audiences everywhere. His magnifi
cent physique and powerful voice, to
gether with keen intellect, lOgica
mind and vast store of secular anC
, religious knowledge altogether form
ed a splendid setting for his wonderful
powers of oratory.
It is said that the truly great leader
understands perfectly the psycholog!
of the crowd Of no other man could
this more truly be said than of Arch
bishop Ireland His mere presenc,
before an audience was ever the sigma
for tremendous outbursts of applause
The fire of his eloquence kindled sim
liar feelings in the audience, with tn,
| result that he carried his hearer
along with the impetuosity Of a noun
, tain torrent.
Like all great orators he was a mas
! ter of diction. Whether speaking il
English or in French his choice o
: words and flow of language were re
: markable. Gifted with a most tena
? cious memory, he is known on occa
SloH W Nave WIlIIeA OUT ieuSIH
! discourse and. a few minutes after
wards to have delivered the same dis
: course word for word.
The incisiyeness of his logic an
the force of his eloquence invariabl
carried down every barrier of oppos
: ton that placed itself in his path A
h the same time the great prelate wa
o in an eminent sense child Of the oil
!. school The refining touch Of hi
e manner bore testimony to close col
d tact with the best French models. H
/. was ever a lover Of France and of tn
h French, and he copied in himself til
], best traits Of that noble people,