^ 
 
 ■ * * * * * most aeveaend 
 
 :N LANCASTER 
 
 PAIiIjTNCt 
 
 JL JL JlL ft I I • JL JL ^ VJ 
 
 -r BIShOp Of PEORIA 
 
 ***** by Rev. JL JL COSGROVE 
 
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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/mostreverendjohnOOcosg 
 
Dedicated to the Most Reverend John B. Franz, S.T.D., Bishop of Peoria 
 and to the Bishops, Priests and Faithful who have done so much to enlarge the 
 Kingdom of God on earth. 
 
Most Reverend John Lancaster Spalding 
 
******** most Revepen6 
 
 JOHN LANCASTER 
 
 SPALDING 
 
 f IRSt BIShop Of PEORIA 
 
 *********** by Rev. J. J. COSGROVE 
 
 Nihil obstat: Very Rev. Msgr. R. G. Peters, S.T.L., Censor Deputatus 
 Imprimatur:* Joannes B. Franz, S.T.D., Episcopus Peoriensis 
 Die 21 Januarii I960. 
 
 w<\ysic>e 
 pRess 
 
 Copyright, I960 by J. J. Cosgrove 
 
 Printed in the United States of America 
 The Wayside Press, Inc. 
 Wayside Publishing Division 
 1501 West Washington Road 
 Mendota, Illinois 
 
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 ®. Genealogy © 
 
 The Spalding family is a very old and distinguished one. Many of its 
 members were prominent both in the Old World and in the New. The Lancas- 
 ter family, from which the mother of Archbishop John Lancaster Spalding 
 descended, is also a very ancient one and traces its origin back to Edward III. 
 The paternal ancestors of John Lancaster Spalding belong to those who 
 rled religious persecution in England and founded the Spalding family in Mary- 
 land. On this subject. Archbishop Martin John Spalding, uncle of John Lan- 
 caster Spalding, wrote, in 1871: 
 
 "It is certain that the Spaldings of Maryland were fully established in 
 St. Mary's County before the year 1650; for deeds and other papers of 
 that date in their name are still found in Leonardtown; though, if I 
 mistake not, an accident of fire destroyed some of the documents. I 
 incline to think that they came some years before this date, probably 
 in the early commencement of the colony, very shortly after the ar- 
 rival of the first ship of immigrants. ... I believe that the headquar- 
 ters of the family in England was Lincolnshire, where one of them 
 at a very early period founded and gave his name to the great Abbey 
 of Spalding, one of the thirteen great abbeys of England spared by 
 Henry VIII, but confiscated under his son, Edward VI. I think, from 
 my researches, and from whatever knowledge I may have in such 
 matters, that the town of Spalding grew up around and under the 
 fostering influence of this abbey." 
 The genealogy of the Lancaster family is as follows: 
 1st ... Edward III 
 2nd . . . John of Gaunt 
 3rd . . . Joan Beaufort m Ralph Neville 
 4th . . . Edward Neville 
 
5th 
 
 6th 
 
 7th 
 
 8th 
 
 9th 
 
 10th 
 
 11th 
 
 12th 
 
 13th 
 
 14th 
 
 15th 
 
 16th 
 
 17 th 
 
 George Neville 
 
 George Neville m Mary Stafford 
 
 Ursalla Neville m Warhan St. Leger 
 
 Agnes St. Leger m Thomas Digges 
 
 Sir Dudley Digges 
 
 Governor Edward Digges 
 
 Dep. Gov. Col. William Digges 
 
 Ann Digges m Henry Darnall 
 
 Ann Darnall m Joseph Bradford 
 
 Ellinor Bradford m Ralph Lancaster 
 
 John Lancaster m Catherine Miles 
 
 Mary Jane Lancaster m Richard Madison Spalding 
 
 John Lancaster Spalding, Bishop of Peoria 
 
 Both the Spalding and the Lancaster families were famous in the pioneer 
 life of Kentucky. Benedict Spalding, paternal great-grandfather of Archbishop 
 John Lancaster Spalding, settled in Kentucky in 1790 and established the 
 Spalding family in that state. John Lancaster came to this area in 1788 and 
 founded his family there. 
 
 8 
 
toilet© 
 
 /W 
 
 
 Chronology g| 
 
 :©:.@.©@®:©.©.©^:o© 
 
 1840 
 1856 
 1857 
 1859 
 1863 
 1864 
 1865 
 1866 
 
 1872 
 
 1873 
 1877 
 1902 
 
 1904 
 1905 
 
 1908 
 
 1913 
 1915 
 1916 
 
 Born (June 2) at Lebanon, Kentucky. 
 
 Graduated, St. Mary's College, St. Mary's, Kentucky. 
 
 Attended Mt. St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland. 
 
 Graduated, Mt. St. Mary's College of the West, Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 
 Ordained, Louvain, Belgium. 
 
 Studied at Belgian College, Rome, Italy. 
 
 Appointed Assistant Pastor, Cathedral, Louisville, Kentucky. 
 
 Established St. Augustine's Colored Parish, Louisville, Kentucky. 
 
 Appointed Theologian to Archbishop Norbert Blanchet of Oregon in 
 
 the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore. 
 
 Selected as one of three to address the members of the Second Plenary 
 
 Council of Baltimore. 
 
 Wrote the Biography of his uncle, Martin John Spalding, Archbishop 
 
 of Baltimore, Maryland. 
 
 Assistant Pastor, St. Michael's Church, New York City. 
 
 Consecrated First Bishop of Peoria (May 1). 
 
 Celebrated his Episcopal Jubilee (May 1). 
 
 Received Degree LL.D. from American College, Louvain, Belgium. 
 
 Received Degree LL.D. from Columbia University, New York City. 
 
 Appointed member of the Anthracite Coal Commission by President 
 
 Theodore Roosevelt (October 16). 
 
 Received LL.D. from Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
 Stricken with paralysis. 
 
 Resigned as Bishop of Peoria. 
 
 Appointed Titular Archbishop of Scythopolis by Pope Saint Pius X. 
 
 Lived in retirement at 740 North Glen Oak Avenue, Peoria, Illinois. 
 
 Celebrated Golden Sacerdotal Jubilee (November 24). 
 
 Celebrated Diamond Birthday (June 2). 
 
 Died (August 25). 
 
10 
 
en 
 
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 •^* 1 '' 
 
 '©' Introduction 
 
 ■©-»t©u©-ifr©4f©-»K©-»f©- 
 
 &> 
 
 I should like to gratefully acknowledge the help which I have received in 
 the preparation of this book. I am profoundly grateful to all for their coopera- 
 tion. 
 
 This is not a definitive life of John Lancaster Spalding. It has seemed best 
 at times to quote extensively from his writings or from articles that have ap- 
 peared about him, particularly in the field of education, social thought, and in 
 regard to marriage and the family. This is the best way to understand his views 
 and to know something about him in his relationship to the men and events of 
 his time. To paraphrase his words might detract from their force and color 
 and might not sufficiently reveal the orthodoxy of his views. 
 
 As students and researchers know, Archbishop Spalding's papers and cor- 
 respondence have been almost completely destroyed. It has been said that the 
 destruction of these letters and papers might have been influenced by the Biog- 
 raphy of Cardinal Manning by Purcell, in which appeared letters and corre- 
 spondence, the untimely publication of which Cardinal Vaughan called "almost 
 a crime." In the reaction to this Biography, the correspondence of many high- 
 ranking ecclesiastics in this country was destroyed. 
 
 It is the prayerful wish of the author that this work may give a better under- 
 standing of the Archbishop and of the times in which he lived. 
 
 Archbishop Spalding as an orator, an educator, and an author was out- 
 standing in his day. There is a timeliness about his writings which makes them 
 applicable even today. Men of his type have given help to the Church in her 
 struggle against the errors which have afflicted human society throughout the 
 ages. 
 
 Archbishop Spalding was active in a time when his thought and effort 
 meant much to the Church — when She was coming of age in this country. 
 
 /. /. Cosgrove 
 Lnulberg Road . 
 L.i Salle. Illinois 
 
12 
 
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 Chapter I 
 
 
 !&©®®@®<SL©®®® 
 
 John Lancaster Spalding is referred to both as Bishop and as Archbishop. 
 From the time of his consecration in 1877 until his resignation in 1908, he 
 was known as Bishop of Peoria. When he resigned his See in 1908, Pope St. 
 Pius X named him Titular Archbishop of Scythopolis. Whence comes the title 
 of Archbishop by which he is known today. 
 
 The private papers and correspondence of John Lancaster Spalding have 
 been, in large part, destroyed. Although his books are out of print, they may 
 be found in public libraries and sometimes in private collections. Material for 
 a biography must come mostly from his writings, from articles by him or about 
 him, and from newspaper accounts of his activities. From these materials, it is 
 possible to learn something about the man, the times in which he lived, and his 
 great contribution to the thought of his day. 
 
 Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes has said, "Life is action and passion. I 
 think it is required of a man that he should share the action and passion of 
 his time at peril of being judged not to have lived." Archbishop Spalding shared 
 in the action and passion of his time. He was active in a day when many 
 questions agitated human society. Supported by the teachings of his Church and 
 the principles of his Government, he was always articulate. Men knew where 
 he stood on the burning questions of the day. Passions have since cooled and 
 we have a better perspective. Today Archbishop Spalding stands out as a cham- 
 pion of Catholic education and a leader in social thought. 
 
 It has been said that he was "a great Bishop in a small city." It would 
 seem that undue emphasis has been placed on the fact that he lived in a 
 comparatively small city and that he ruled a Diocese rural in character. In 
 Thoughts and Theories, he says, "The greatest Educator who has appeared on 
 earth instructed and informed His disciples while He walked along lonely 
 country roads, or while He sat by the well, or on the hillside, or while He 
 
 13 
 
stood in the bow of a fisherman's boat." Research shows that he was considered 
 for the Sees of Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Newark. 
 At a meeting of the Hierarchy to complete the arrangements for the founding 
 of the Catholic University, the Archbishops of Baltimore, Boston, New York, 
 and Philadelphia were appointed members of a special committee to select the 
 first Rector. John Lancaster Spalding was University trained and his name 
 carried great national prestige, both among Catholics and non-Catholics. 
 Spalding was the first choice of the committee, but he declined the appoint- 
 ment. At one time an Archiepiscopal See became vacant. It was rumored 
 that he was to be appointed to it. To which he replied, "I would not leave 
 Peoria. I have been here twenty-three years. This has been my home. Here are 
 my friends. Here I have done my work and here I want to remain." He wrote 
 to Cardinal Simeoni, Prefect of the Propaganda in Rome, that he did not wish 
 to leave Peoria under any consideration. 
 
 Archbishop Spalding at no time was ambitious for preferment. He did 
 not have a lust for power. Someone has said that no one can be safely trusted 
 with power except a man who doesn't want it. He had a work to do, not only 
 in the Diocese of Peoria, but throughout the nation; and never did any per- 
 sonal ambition interfere with the chief task that he felt he was called on to 
 perform. Hilaire Belloc, in his Life of Wolsey, says that, "he was ridden with 
 a purely personal ambition." He defined ambition in this connection as, "the 
 putting of oneself before one's chief task." Spalding said himself in Glimpses 
 of Truth, "Think not of thyself, but of the work God has given thee to do; 
 not of happiness, but of right doing; not of what others shall say, but of 
 what duty commands"; and in Things of the Mind he said, "To look for 
 praise or place is to work in the spirit of a hireling." 
 
 Peoria was his kind of diocese. The administrative problems of his See 
 were not so complex that he did not find time for his masterful orations 
 and scholarly writings, which were an inspiration to his diocese and to the 
 nation. Moreover, there were parts of his diocese which were places of incom- 
 parable beauty and rich in history. The bluffs along the Illinois River at Peoria, 
 Ottawa, and La Salle afford a view hardly equaled on the continent. The 
 Illinois prairie of his day presented a beauty somewhat akin to the grandeur 
 of the Painted Desert and offered a scene which we who saw it can never 
 forget. Dr. Albert W. Herre, now ninety years of age and living in retirement 
 in Santa Cruz, California, at one time lived in Illinois. Here he was a news- 
 paper man, a high school teacher, and assistant superintendent of schools 
 in Springfield from 1890 to 1900. He has written:. 
 
 "One of the most marvelous sights of my whole life, unsurpassed 
 in my travels in nearly all parts of the world, was that of 
 the prairie in the Spring. Unfading are my memories of that waving, 
 rippling sea of lavendar when the wild sweet william, a species of 
 phlox two to three feet in height, was in full bloom. It stretched 
 far away in the distance, farther than the eye could see. 
 
 "As the sea of phlox faded it was succeeded by another mar- 
 velous flower bed of nature's planting, and this in turn by others 
 until mid-summer was reached. Then the great coarse perennials 
 
 14 
 
belonging to the compositae dominated, and instead of a single mass 
 of color, there was a vast garden of purple cone flowers, black-eyed 
 susans, rosin weeds, blazing stars, asters, golden rods and others. "' 
 The Diocese of Peoria is rich in history. Much of the earliest recorded 
 history of the Catholic Church in Illinois centers around that area which is 
 now the Diocese of Peoria. When Archbishop Spalding preached at the dedi- 
 cation of St. Bede College at Peru, he s-iid: 
 
 ". . . Along this valley passed the early explorers and discoverers, 
 who seemed already to foresee that the rivers which make an 
 open highway between the lakes and the gulf, were destined by 
 Providence to help to bring about a union of hearts and minds among 
 
 Starved Rock, known in days of colonization as the Rock of St. Louis and Fort St. Louis 
 
 tesy ( I u.ik" Historical Society 
 
 millions of men. who should have but one law as they adore but one 
 God. In the plain which lies beneath us the Holy Sacrifice was offered 
 and the gospel was preached when the colonists of New England 
 were still engaged in fierce conflicts with the Indians, when feuds 
 
 'Reprinted with permission of the University of Illinois Press. 
 
 15 
 
and revolts were threatening the existence of the struggling settle- 
 ments of Virginia and Maryland, when Manhattan Island (which 
 the Dutch had bought from the natives for twenty-four dollars) did 
 not contain a population of fifteen hundred souls. From the College 
 windows 'Starved Rock' looms before us, overlooking the valley 
 where stood the original Kaskaskia when Father Marquette, the dis- 
 coverer of the Mississippi, established the mission of the Immaculate 
 Conception, and on Holy Thursday, in the year 1675, in the presence 
 of two thousand warriors and countless women and children, said 
 the first Mass ever celebrated in Illinois." 
 
 Father Jacques Marquette 
 
 Courtesy Chicago Historical Society 
 
 16 
 
John Lancaster Spalding was recognized by his contemporaries, and this 
 is a tribute to his greatness. 
 
 "Few Bishops had so great an influence on the life of the people 
 outside of religion and outside of the Catholic denomination as had 
 Bishop Spalding." - Pope St. Pius X. 
 
 "One of the very best men to be found in the entire country." - 
 Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States. 
 
 "In the long roll of great men, priests and prelates of our country - 
 from Bishop Carroll's day to our own, I have no fear in placing 
 Archbishop Spalding as the one Catholic who has best understood 
 
 the American mind." - John J. Glennon, Archbishop of St. Louis. 
 "Descendant of a house honored among two peoples; Christian, 
 priest and prelate; man of letters, orator and patriotic citizen." - 
 Citation upon conferring honorary degree LL.D., Columbia Uni- 
 versity. 
 
 "All serious and earnest minded thinkers engaged in solving the 
 problems of education have received help from the personal 
 counsels or from the educational writing of the Bishop of Peoria. 
 He is the most beloved of American educational leaders." - Wm. 
 T. Harris, LJnited States Commissioner of Education. 
 
 "All great works have their inception in the brain of some great 
 thinker. God gave us such a brain, such a man in Bishop Spalding. 
 With his wonderful intuitionary power, he took in all the meaning 
 of the present and the future of the Church in America. If the 
 Catholic University is today an accomplished fact, we are indebted 
 for its existence in our generation, in no small measure, to the 
 persuasive eloquence and the convincing arguments of the Bishop 
 of Peoria." - James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore. 
 A Retrospect of 50 Years. 
 
 Reverend Thomas T. McAvoy, C. S. C, of the History Department of the 
 University of Notre Dame, wrote in Bishop John Lancaster Spalding and 
 the Catholic Minority: 
 
 "Roman Catholicism in the United States has produced able leaders 
 among its clergy and laymen during the first decades of the twentieth 
 century, but most of them seem to lack the lustre and verve of 
 the Catholic leaders during the waning decades of the nineteenth 
 century. The lay leadership which produced John Gilmary Shea, 
 William J. Onahan, Henry F. Brownson, Patrick V. Hickey and 
 Henry Spaunhorst had strong backing from such clergymen as James 
 Cardinal Gibbons, John Ireland, John J. Keane, Bernard McQuade, 
 and Michael A. Corrigan. But the intellectual leader of American 
 Catholicism during the late nineteenth century was John Lancaster 
 Spalding, Bishop of Peoria, and the twentieth century Catholicism 
 has not produced his counterpart." 
 
 17 
 
President Nicholas Murray Butler of Columbia University, shortly after 
 
 the death of Bishop Spalding, wrote: 
 
 "The late Bishop Spalding of Peoria was a very dear and a very 
 close friend of mine. I visited him several times at his home in 
 Peoria and had the great honor as President of Columbia University 
 of conferring upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws at 
 the Commencement of 1902. I greatly admired Bishop Spalding's 
 religious nature, spirit and influence, his eloquence in the pulpit and 
 on the platform, as well as the beauty of his literary style whether 
 in prose or in verse. . . . For many years we saw as much of each 
 other as circumstances and our duties in different parts of the 
 country would permit. "- 
 The following editorial appeared in the Peoria Transcript, August 25, 
 
 1920, four years after Archbishop Spalding's death: 
 
 "Four years ago today closed the earthly career of Archbishop John 
 Lancaster Spalding, for many years one of Peoria's most valued 
 citizens. It is as a citizen and not as a churchman that Peoria must 
 remember this great man. While his work was most worthy in and 
 for the great church he served, he impressed the city most by his 
 thought and effort as a man. 
 
 "Peoria will remember him always as Bishop Spalding for in that 
 office he served during most of the active life he spent here. This 
 morning Requiem High Mass is being sung in St. Mary's Cathedral 
 for him and the building in which the people meet is one of the 
 temporal monuments to his vision and energy. Churches and schools 
 throughout the city and the whole of central Illinois were built 
 through his untiring leadership, but these are not needed to 
 perpetuate his memory. The lives he touched and the ideals he 
 clothed with life; the inspiration to noble endeaver that he put into 
 the thinking of his time are the things which make his name a 
 precious thing. 
 
 "Bishop Spalding was a man of letters. His writings will endure, 
 but it was as a citizen he was a constant inspiration. He lived truth. 
 He believed in service. He hated sham and noise. He was modest but 
 not timid. A fight never daunted the good Bishop and often he took 
 up the struggle with his neighbors because he was the champion of 
 the best things. 
 
 "As a patriotic American citizen he had no superior. His family had 
 been American-born for seven generations. They were of the Old 
 South and the Archbishop loved to tell his friends how dearly his 
 people had paid for their liberty. They believed this country offered 
 to every individual the right to think and worship for himself. The 
 Spaldings, because of their ability and loyalty, were long recog- 
 nized in the political life of Kentucky, their native state. An uncle 
 
 2 Reprinted with permission from The Catholic Historical Reiieu . July, 1942. 
 
 18 
 
of the Archbishop was so much trusted by his party that the members 
 wanted to make him their candidate for governor. A delegation 
 waited on him to say that there was one thing in the way. He was a 
 Roman Catholic and prejudice was strong in those days. They suggest- 
 ed that, in view of the splendid political career that was almost 
 certain, he might be willing to let go his church. This elder Spalding 
 answered: 'Gentlemen, the Constitution grants me the right to 
 worship as I please. I have cast in my lot with the people of the 
 Roman Catholic faith. If that disqualifies me for public office, I 
 shall never occupy public office. I propose to stand for and enjoy the 
 right of religious liberty as long as I live. The governorship is not so 
 important to me as my freedom.' 
 
 "It was many times suggested, during the life of John Lancaster 
 Spalding, that he might have had advancement if he had given up 
 a bit of his independence and followed his superiors a little more 
 trustingly. But that was not in the Spalding thought. 
 "So he stood, an heroic figure in pioneer days in this State. He was 
 of hardy stuff. He did an enormous work. He was trusted with 
 great commissions and never failed those who sought help from 
 him. He was a noble type of Christian statesman." 
 Over four hundred years ago, Reginald Pole wrote of St. John Fisher, 
 
 Bishop of Rochester in England; and his words offer an analogy of the life 
 
 of John Lancaster Spalding: 
 
 What other have you, or have you had for centuries, to compare 
 with Rochester in holiness, in learning, in prudence, and in episcopal 
 zeal ? You may be, indeed, proud of him, for, were you to search 
 through all the nations of Christendom in our days, you would not 
 easily find one who was such a model of episcopal virtues. If you 
 doubt this, consult your merchants who have traveled in many lands; 
 consult your ambassadors; and let them tell you whether they have 
 anywhere heard of any bishop who has such a love of his flock as 
 never to leave the care of it, ever feeding it by word and example; 
 against whose life not even a rash word could be spoken; one who 
 was conspicuous not only for holiness and learning, but for love 
 of country?" 
 
 19 
 
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 Facsimile of Baptismal Certificate of John Lancanster Spalding 
 
 Courtesy St. Augustine's Church, Lebanon, Ky. 
 
 20 
 
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 Chapter II 
 
 .©©©©.©©©®®s>:@ 
 
 John Lancaster Spalding was born in Lebanon, Kentucky, June 2, 1840. 
 He was baptized in St. Augustine's Church, Lebanon, June 19, 1840. The 
 Baptismal Register of St. Augustine's Church shows the entry on the opposite 
 page. 
 
 His father and mother at this time lived near the location of the present 
 Lebanon High School. When he was a few months old, his parents built a 
 home at the bend of Cartwright's Creek, north of Lebanon, and called it 
 "Evergreen Bend." This house still stands in excellent condition. 
 
 The other members of the family were: Richard C, born September 26, 
 1841; Anna Catherine, born May 21, 1843; Leonard H., born February 11, 
 1845; Henrietta, born January 10, 1847; Mary Ellen, born August 13, 1849; 
 Benedict, born October 18, 1851, who died November 28, 1887, when he was 
 Rector of St. Mary's Cathedral, Peoria; he is buried in Lebanon, Kentucky; 
 Anna E., born November 2, 1853; Martin C, born November 22, 1856. 
 
 The mother of John Lancaster Spalding was well-educated, having 
 graduated from Loretto Academy in the Class of 1837. The Academy was 
 located near her home. She taught the Archbishop; and he never attended any 
 school until he reached the age of twelve, except for a short time when he 
 attended the classes of Mr. Maurice Doody in Lebanon, Kentucky. 
 
 Below we quote from an article which appeared in Loretto Magazine 
 in the year 1907. It relates some facts concerning the mother of Archbishop 
 Spalding, and describes her early years in her girlhood home. 
 
 "Mary Jane Lancaster, the subject of this sketch, who has the 
 distinction of being Loretto's first graduate, was born May 25, 
 1816, at "Viney Level,' her father's home, situated two and one- 
 half miles from Loretto Convent. She was the youngest of twelve 
 
 21 
 
Henrietta Spalding, who became a 
 member of the Order of the Sacred 
 Heart In October, 1872 
 
 Rev. Benedict Spalding II., Brother 
 of Most Rev. J. L. Spalding 
 
 23 
 
Mary Jane Lancaster Spalding 
 Mother of John Lancaster Spalding 
 
 24 
 
children born to John Lancaster and Catherine Miles, and at an 
 early age was sent to school at Loretto, founded only a few years 
 before that time, then small in its beginnings and crude in its com- 
 forts. It stands today a proud and lasting monument to the untiring 
 industry, self-sacrificing devotion, and unconquerable zeal of those 
 ever valiant religious women, who have ever been the crown and 
 glory of the Catholic Church. 
 
 "Very soon the teachers learned that Mary Jane was far more than 
 an ordinary child, for she quickly manifested a versatility of intellect 
 remarkable for one of her age, but which grew with years and made 
 her sought throughout a life of eighty years. This gifted child was 
 educated at a time when advantages were scarce and opportunities 
 rare, before the great march of educational progress had penetrated 
 the dense forests and tangled woods of Kentucky; before the day 
 when higher education of teachers made them capable of emulating 
 and training the ambitious minds of their pupils to the heights and 
 depths of learning and research. 
 
 There were line teachers at Loretto for that day and time, who 
 possessed nature's gift of imparting the knowledge they had to 
 give; and Mary Jane often compared favorably the ability of these 
 cherished ones with those of a later day and greater reputation. 
 Certainly these teachers built a foundation for her, solid and lasting, 
 and gave an impetus to self-improvement and cultivation which 
 ended only with her life, and which made her an attractive and 
 shining light amid any surroundings. 
 
 Viney Level, Home of Mary Jane Lancaster 
 
 1 Fi •• i tit • Francis P. Clark, Louisville, k;.'\ 
 
 25 
 
"The house (the John Lancaster home) was rarely free from guests, 
 and among them were numbered the best talent and culture of this 
 part of the state. Viney Level,' John Lancaster's home, was the 
 special home also for the priests ot those early days, Father Stephen 
 T. Badin coming once every month to offer the Holy Sacrifice and 
 dispense the Sacraments to those struggling Catholics around, who 
 had no other church wherein to worship. The great and saintly 
 Bishop B. J. Flaget loved to seek this beautiful home, so quiet and 
 restful, and he often passed several days there. Mary Jane was his 
 good-child, and he felt the keenest interest for her spiritual welfare. 
 "Her first great sorrow came on April 24, 1838, when she lost her 
 dear father, John Lancaster, than whom she thought there was none 
 greater. 
 
 "On July 22, 1839, Mary Jane was married to Mr. Richard M. 
 Spalding, a man in every way worthy of her, whose superior attain- 
 ments had already singled him out as one of Kentucky's most promis- 
 ing and gifted sons. 
 
 "They first lived in Lebanon, a mere village at the time, and 
 Richard Spalding became a merchant; but, the calling not agreeable 
 to him, they bought and removed to a farm two miles distant from the 
 little town, on which they lived and died, and which was ever to them 
 the dearest spot in the world. 
 
 "They had nine children, all of whom grew to manhood and 
 womanhood, except one cherished little son, Martin John, who died 
 at the age of seven and one half years. John Lancaster, the present 
 great and illustrious Bishop of Peoria, was the eldest child; and had 
 no other blessing, happiness, gift, and honor been bestowed upon 
 Mary Jane and Richard Spalding than this one, the title of greatness 
 would have been theirs. 
 
 "With singularly gifted minds and congenial tastes, emulating 
 each other in the God-given duties of life, it is not surprising that 
 their life was an example of contentment and happiness worthy of 
 imitation. Mary Jane Lancaster Spalding was a leader and whoever 
 was thrown with her felt the force of her character. During life she 
 met many noted personages, always leaving with them an impression 
 of her remarkable strength of mind and varied knowledge; and, while 
 she shone with the gifted and great, her remarkable power of adapta- 
 tion enabled her to feel perfectly at home in circumstances and com- 
 panies most dissimilar. She had a most cordial greeting for all who 
 came, and so gracious and kind was her bearing that she made all 
 feel, as she really did herself, they had conferred a real favor on her 
 by their visit." 
 
 Richard M. Spalding, the father of Archbishop Spalding, died October 14, 
 1883. His passing left a void in the home that remained unfilled. The Louisville 
 Record of October 20, 1883, gives the following resume of his life: 
 
 26 
 
"Hon. R. M. Spalding, one of the oldest and most prominent 
 citizens of Marion County, died at his residence two miles north or 
 the town (Lebanon) about midnight Monday night, October 14, after 
 an illness of ten days. His malady was asthma, complicated with gen- 
 eral dropsy. 
 
 "Mr. Richard M. Spalding was born in Marion County, on the 
 Rolling Fork, near Calvary, in June, 1808, and was consequently in 
 the 76th year of his life. He was one of the earliest pupils of St. 
 Mary's College in Marion County and afterwards studied at St. 
 Joseph's College, Baidstown, in which institution, after his gradua- 
 tion, he held a professorship for some years. 
 
 "In 1867 Mr. Spalding was elected to represent Marion County 
 in the Lower House of the Kentucky General Assembly, and was re- 
 elected in 1869. He made a most excellent and efficient member, 
 and his praise was in the mouths of all who served with him. In the 
 Democratic State Convention at Frankfort in the year 1871, though 
 he had made no canvass, he received a highly complimentary vote for 
 the office of Governor. Upon the organization of the National Bank 
 of Lebanon in 1869, he was elected its President, and continued in 
 that position until his death, discharging all its duties with the utmost 
 promptness and fidelity. 
 
 "Mr. Spalding belonged to a family that has attained wide and 
 well-deserved celebrity. The late Martin J. Spalding, Archbishop of 
 Baltimore, was one of his brothers; the Rt. Rev. John Lancaster 
 Spalding and his brother Rev. B. J. Spalding of the Diocese of Peoria 
 are his sons. 
 
 "Judge L. A. Spalding, County Judge of this County, is an older 
 and Joseph Spalding of this vicinity a younger brother. Many others 
 of the name have filled honorable positions in the church, the state, 
 and in the society and business world. 
 
 "Mr. Spalding was a man of scholarly attainments and a wide 
 range of information. He was endowed with a judgment of unusual 
 soundness and accuracy; and his views upon any subject concerning 
 which he cared to express an opinion were always weighty and almost 
 invariably correct. His personal character was pure and his integrity 
 everywhere recognized as of the highest order. He was held in the 
 highest esteem by everybody at home and by all who knew him 
 abroad; and the news of his death will carry a pang to many a heart." 
 
 In the fall of 1852 Spalding entered St. Mary's College at St. Mary's, 
 Kentucky, where he was a student for the next five years. According to the 
 College records, in his fifth year there (1856-1857) he received first prize in 
 Religion, Rhetoric, Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, English Composition, Latin, 
 and French. The records also show that he won distinction in Astronomy, 
 Algebra III, and Music. 
 
 27 
 
On the 22nd of August in the year 1857 John Lancaster Spalding entered 
 Mount St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland. While there, he wrote his 
 mother: 
 
 "As to my education I think I might say that I am learning very 
 fast. My mind is developing itself. And what before I saw confusedly 
 are now becoming clear as the crystal light of day. I am studying hard. 
 That is what I live on. Man's mental powers were not given to lie 
 dormant and with God's grace if I have any, they shall be cultivated." 
 On December 2, he wrote to her again: 
 
 "Everything in College too is proceeding steadily without any 
 interuption. Our President is now in the East begging I think for the 
 new church which is now being built. A good many improvements 
 are being made about College. There is a splendid stone building just 
 finished which contains a dormitory, refectory and some private 
 rooms. We will move into this at Christmas. Also the College will 
 then for the first time be illumined with gas." 
 
 In this same letter, Spalding asked for permission to go home for Christ- 
 mas, for he wrote: 
 
 "I have enquired about the Lancasters of St. Mary's County, and 
 am told that the name of the old man is Charles Lancaster and his 
 postoffice is Newport St. Mary's County. But I don't think it would 
 exactly suit for me to spend my vacations down there. The connection 
 is to remote (if there is any at all) to render it proper that I should go 
 there without knowing any of them. As to where I shall spend my 
 vacation I will leave that entirely to Father and yourself. I think, if 
 you conclude to send me here another year, it will be better to spend 
 it either at home or at College, just as you may choose. My expenses 
 home and back again will be S 1 5 dollars more than they would be 
 were I to remain here. Christmas will soon be here and this will be 
 the first one of my life spent away from home. Home what a charm 
 has even the very word!" 
 
 Spalding entered Mount St. Mary's College of the West in Cincinnati 
 September 1, 1858, to continue his studies. Archbishop Purcell of Cincinnati 
 founded this college in 1856. The records of the college show: 
 
 "Most of the professors were graduates of the College at Em- 
 mitsburg, and the course of studies, discipline and rules, introduced 
 by the sainted founders of that distinguished school were adopted, 
 with such improvements as the times required, by Mount St. Mary's 
 of the West." 
 
 September 15, 1858, the College commemorated its second anniversary. 
 Spalding was chosen to speak for the students, which indicates that even then 
 his ability as a speaker was recognized. He was one of six young men who were 
 awarded the degree A. B. at the Commencement June 30, 1859. He was the 
 valedictorian of his class and gave the oration on the "Spirit of English Litera- 
 ture." The faculty had met that year on June 25, and Spalding was given honors 
 in rhetoric. 
 
 After his graduation, prior to his departure to continue his studies in 
 Europe, Spalding spent a short time with his parents and relatives in Kentucky. 
 
 28 
 
The area of Kentucky where John Lancaster Spalding was born and raised 
 is rich in history and tradition and is one of the most beautiful sections of the 
 country. One is impressed, m visiting this section, by the fact that so many 
 famous people have come from this part of Kentucky. To mention only a few 
 — it was the home of Archbishop Martin John Spalding of Baltimore and of 
 John Lancaster Spalding; Abraham Lincoln was born only a few miles from the 
 birthplace of John Lancaster Spalding; Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd, 
 was born and raised in Lexington; Henry Clay, one of our most famous sena- 
 tors, lived at Lexington, and his home, Ashland, still stands; Carter Harrison I, 
 the martyred mayor of Chicago, was born and spent his early years in Lexing- 
 ton. One cannot but be impressed by the number of illustrious people who were 
 born in or who lived in this part of Kentucky. 
 
 The ancestral homes of both the Spalding and the Lancaster families 
 were located in a district of great importance in the ecclesiastical history of 
 the country. Pope Pius VII, on April 8, 1808, named Baltimore a Metropolitan 
 See with four suffragan bishoprics: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and what 
 was then considered the west, Bardstown, Kentucky. The Diocese of Bardstown 
 included the territory which is now the Diocese of Peoria. It was the cradle of 
 Catholicity in what was then known as the west. 
 
 The town of Bardstown has retained much of its charm, in spite of the 
 inroads of commerce and industry. On the outskirts of Bardstown, on the way 
 to Lebanon, is "My Old Kentucky Home," about which Stephen Collins Foster 
 
 St. Joseph's Cathedral, Bardstown. 
 Kentucky, as it is today 
 
 T* 
 
 29 
 
wrote his celebrated ballad. St. Joseph's Cathedral dedicated in 1819, was the 
 first cathedral west of the Alleghenies and was the Cathedral of the Diocese of 
 Bardstown. 
 
 The Church nowhere had more obedient or more devoted children than 
 were the Catholics of the Bardstown area. When they settled in Kentucky, they 
 very often chose less productive places because a church or chapel had been 
 built there. John Lancaster Spalding, in writing of the life of his uncle, spoke 
 of the people in this area: "They were not deterred from the practice of their 
 religion by trifles. Men and women would ride ten or fifteen miles over the 
 roughest roads to hear Mass, and would remain fasting till twelve or one 
 o'clock to be able to receive Holy Communion. Their reverence for the priestly 
 character was unbounded. There were no schisms, no disputes with trustees, no 
 contentions about church property, no rebellions of congregations against their 
 priests or bishop. Never did a father receive truer love in the bosom of his own 
 family than that which was given to Bishop Flaget, yea, and to Bishop David 
 and to Father Nerincks and to Father Badin, by the Catholic people of Ken- 
 tucky." Archbishop Martin John Spalding wrote of these people: "They had 
 fewer luxuries, but were, withal, perhaps happier than their more fastidious 
 descendants. Hospitality was not then an empty name. Every log cabin was 
 freely thrown open to all who chose to share in the best cheer its inmates could 
 afford. The early settlers of Kentucky were bound together by the strong ties 
 of common hardships and dangers, to say nothing of other bonds of union, and 
 they clung together with great tenacity. On the slightest alarm of Indian inva- 
 sion they made common cause, and flew to the rescue. There was less selfishness 
 and more generous chivalry, less bickering and more cordial charity, then than 
 now, notwithstanding all our boasted refinement." Archbishop Carroll of 
 Baltimore said of the early Catholic settlers in Kentucky that they were 
 generally good and that some of them were of outstanding virtue. 
 
 "... the West was a challenge to the Church. In spite of its 
 crudity, its raw newness, and its blatant vigor, the land beyond the 
 mountains evoked the heroism latent in many a cultured European. 
 Prince Demetrius Gallitzin, gentle Simon Brute, gallant Gabriel 
 Richard, and the rest bore hardships that would have killed lesser 
 men, and persisted to wrest a Christian kingdom from the wilderness. 
 Frail women like Elizabeth Seton and Catherine Spalding went to the 
 fringes of the back country and beyond to care for the sick and to 
 educate children. The frontier generated a vitality of its own. Before 
 Archbishop Carroll died (1815) Bardstown was already planning 
 her own cathedral, and numerous chapels raised their simpler crosses 
 to the western skies. The Church in the United States was only begin- 
 ning her gigantic work." 3 
 
 3 From John Carroll of Baltimore, by Melville. Reprinted with permission of Charles Scribner's 
 Sons. 
 
 30 
 
c 
 
 
 Chapter III S§ 
 
 , ©^&a&a.te?te?K^ 
 
 After Spalding's graduation from Mount St. Mary's of the West, he went 
 to Europe for his training in Theology. He was a student for the Diocese of 
 Louisville, over which his uncle, Martin John Spalding, presided. The American 
 College at the University of Louvain opened in March of 1857. This College 
 owes its existence to a great extent to Archbishop Martin John Spalding. To 
 this institution he sent his nephew. 
 
 Spalding entered Louvain in 1859. From 1859 until July of 1864 he was 
 in residence there, where he pursued his study of Theology, as well as other 
 courses in the University proper. The college historian later wrote, "If ever an 
 alumnus merited well of the college, it was he." 
 
 July 7, 1862, the degree S. T. B. was conferred upon him by the University 
 of Louvain. He was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Sterckx at Mechlin 
 December 19, 1863- He spent the rest of the academic year in finishing his 
 studies for the degree S. T. L., which he received July 11, 1864. 
 
 While a student at Louvain, Spalding kept a diary. Every day he wrote 
 something in this journal. Following are five facsimile pages. This diary of 
 John Lancaster Spalding is reproduced verbatim and each entry appears as it 
 did in the original. 
 
 Spalding at this time was only a little oi . jr twenty-three years of age, and 
 he asked his uncle's permission to spend the next year or more in Rome pur- 
 suing further his studies. This permission was granted, and he left Louvain in 
 July of 1864 to continue his studies in Rome. A great friendship had grown up 
 
John Lancaster Spalding as a student at Louvain University 
 
 32 
 

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 33 
 
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 34 
 

 
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 35 
 
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 36 
 

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 From the diary of John Lancaster Spalding while a student at Louvain (Facsimile copy) 
 
 37 
 
between him and Father De Neve, the Rector of the American College at 
 Louvain; and, on his way to Rome, Spalding wrote him the following letters: 
 
 "Freiburg, July 18th, 1864 
 "I arrived in Freiburg after a safe and pleasant journey. I stayed 
 all night in Trier where I said Mass in the Cathedral, after having in- 
 curred the suspicion of being suspended. I passed the next night in 
 Heidelberg, famous for its University. This is certainly one of the 
 most beautifully situated towns I have ever seen. The greater part 
 of the population is Catholic. The Unversity, however, is entirely 
 Protestant and rationalistic. ... I have already spoken with Stolz and 
 Alzog, and also assisted at their lectures. I will be able to follow the 
 courses nearly a month still. I spoke about an hour with Stolz. He is 
 very kind and the only thing Stolz about him is his name. He offered 
 me his books and gave me permission to take the books of the Univer- 
 sity library. He also invited me to come from time to time in order to 
 take a walk with him. He is a holy man and has much zeal. Alzog 
 was equally kind. . . . The priests are good and exemplary; the people 
 devout, the churches that I have seen, clean and kept in order. Thus 
 far it has been my lot to find people better than I expected. I am will- 
 ing to assert that there is no Catholic nation which would not gain 
 by being better known. If I wished to be tedious, I could tell you 
 things in which the priests of Baden please me more than those of 
 Belgium. I have never found kinder, more warm hearted people. They 
 have the politeness of the heart. If they be proud, their pride is at 
 least not haughty. . . ." 
 
 "Venice, September 10th, 1864 
 
 "I spoke with a good many Protestants on my way in Ger- 
 many and Switzerland. Protestantism is not dead amongst the peo- 
 ple at least. I think that the greater part of the peasants and the 
 poorer classes really believe in their religion. If you ask them 
 what they believe, they cannot tell you their dogmas. God and His 
 mercy, our Savior and His sufferings, is about the sume of their 
 religion. They hold this piously, live honestly, at least seemingly, 
 and go to church on Sunday where the preacher preaches only to 
 edify and seems to avoid all doctrinal instruction. Be honest, pious, 
 says he, but scarcely ever believe: this or that. As a general thing 
 there is no bitterness of feeling between Catholics and Protestants, 
 and this seems to be carefully avoided by the ministers of Protes- 
 tantism, and also by Catholic priests. I fear even too much avoided, 
 so that they do not insist enough on the special dogmas of Catho- 
 licity, do not inculcate enough that it alone is true and all others 
 false. . . . 
 
 "I have not yet spoken with a Protestant who hated the Catho- 
 lic Church or condemned it as being guilty of idolatry. They seem 
 
 38 
 
to consider us as their brothers, and are willing to open the gates of 
 heaven to us if only we do not shut them out. We all serve the 
 same God, say they, and seem tacitly to conclude, therefore have 
 all the same religion. It is morally impossible to convert such Prot- 
 estants, and I am firmly convinced that Protestantism will continue 
 to exist among the masses as it does now, until some great social 
 revolution change entirely the present face of affairs in Europe. I 
 will let your political correspondents designate the time of the oc- 
 currence of this great catastrophe. Man since his fall, it seems, is 
 naturally a slave and crouches before him who has power. In Ger- 
 many especially there is among the people an immense reverence 
 for the prince, and this has as its consequence sometimes servile 
 obedience. It is not rare to find in Germany two villages side by 
 side, one Catholic, the other Protestant. Why? Because here the 
 prince remained Catholic, there he joined the Reformation. At 
 least this is true as regards the Protestant part. The Reformation 
 was introduced by the State, is still upheld by the State, and will 
 exist as long as it is thus upheld. And these Protestant States will 
 uphold it until they are overthrown by revolution, or a series of 
 revolutions. I am not, however, a revolutionist. . . ." 
 
 Spalding attended lectures in Rome and received the degree D.D. be- 
 fore his departure for America in 1865. An insight into his student life in 
 Europe can be gained from some of the letters which he wrote to his mother 
 and father and to his uncle, Martin John Spalding, who was transferred by 
 Pope Pius IX to the Archdiocese of Baltimore June 11, 1864. 4 
 
 These letters were written a hundred years ago. They are a literal 
 reproduction. Allowance, therefore, should be made for the difference in 
 colloquial speech and spelling. 
 
 "American College, Louvain 
 
 "April 2, 1861 
 
 "To Right Reverend Martin J. Spalding 
 
 Bishop of Louisville 
 
 "Dear Uncle. 
 
 "We are now in the Easter vacations. I am remaining at Col- 
 lege. I had several oportunities to go out to spend my vacation 
 but I preferred to remain here at home. There five or six of us 
 here. We spend the time very agreeably. Sometimes we visit some 
 old cure for a day. At other times we amuse ourselves walking 
 through the country listening at the larks singing the praises of 
 
 "These letters are in the archives of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and were obtained by Rev. 
 John T. Ellis. They appeared in an article written by him for the Catholic Historical Review of 
 January, 1944. These letters are reproduced with the permission of the Catholic Historical Review. 
 
 39 
 
God. Then we visit an American who is sick. Now however he is 
 getting well. For the rest of the time we perform our spiritual ex- 
 ercises and study a little. My health is very good and I am content. 
 I could not ask God for anything more in this world; except that 
 I might serve Him better. I do not hear from home so often now, 
 but the same God watches over them as me: and so it is well. I 
 have just written a letter to brother Richard telling him that I ex- 
 pect him here next year. It is certain that if we try we can have 
 American priests enough for our diocese and if our priests seeking 
 only the glory of God and seeking that earnestly, trained rightly 
 the hearts and minds of our boys, we would immediately have stu- 
 dents enough and good ones. It would be impious to say that God 
 does not give us vocations. One zealous man full of holy Enthu- 
 siasm seeking nothing but the glory of God and loving nothing 
 else but that glory could have a noble, pious and powerful army of 
 priests in our diocese in less than ten years; not he but the grace of 
 God with him. St. Jerome says 'one man can reform a whole na- 
 tion' and one man can convert a whole nation. History gives us a 
 thousand such examples. I do not believe that this is the foolish 
 enthusiasm of a boy who takes his dreams for realities. St. Ignatius 
 with the grace of God saved Christianity and planted the faith 
 even to the farthest ends of the earth. St. Francis Sales converted 
 72,000 of the most obstinate heretics; St. Charles Boromeo re- 
 formed the clergy of the whole world by reforming his own. No, 
 enthusiasm can never be foolish or extravigant so long as it seek 
 the greater glory of God and trusts in His power, not in its own 
 meekness. Christ Jesus hath said 'credenti omnia possibilia sunt' 
 and the history of Christianity has confirmed its truth. I do not 
 judge any living man; but I can not believe that we do as much as 
 we could for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls. 
 The same God is with us Who conquered nations for the Apostles 
 and the great missionaries. Deeds, not words convert the hearts of 
 men. Mr. Russell and Mr. Wiseman go now. I expect much from 
 them. May God bless their labours. 
 
 "Human learning is good to obtain respect for our religion in 
 the eyes of the world; but the souls it has converted oh! how few 
 they are! Our religion is supernatural and only those actions which 
 proceed from supernatural motives are efficient for the good of 
 religion. 
 
 "That is all very well; but there is a difference between talk- 
 ing and acting. I only reply 'credenti omnia sunt possibilia' and to 
 him who believes and trusts in God that common place saying, 
 good for weak irresolute men, is simply absurd. I hope all my 
 brothers with the grace of God will be priests and I hope we will 
 soon have enough priests and good ones; but if not may the holy 
 will of God be done. There will come a day when all things will be 
 right and every creature will acknowledge the omnipotent good- 
 ness of God and He alone will be praised from eternity to eternity. 
 
 40 
 
"My Dear Uncle pray for me that I be meek and humble; lit- 
 tle in my own eyes. I do pray for you, for I know you have many 
 difficulties; more than I can imagine but God will be with you et 
 'apud Deum non erit impossibile omne verbum.' Give my love to 
 Uncle Ben and all the priests, especially to Father O'Brien and 
 Father Lavialle. 
 
 "I remain your devoted nephew. 
 
 "J. L. Spalding 
 
 "P. S. I have the "Revue catholique de Louvain' from the year 46 
 to 59 I think. One or two of the years are not complete. If it could 
 be of any use to you I will send it by father Russell. You can tell 
 me in your next letter. 
 
 J. L. S." 
 
 "Am. Coll. Louvain. Jan. 1st. 186} 
 
 "To Right Reverend Martin J. Spalding 
 "Bishop of Louisville 
 
 "My Dear Uncle. 
 
 "As it is some time since I wrote to you and also a considerable 
 while since I received a letter from you perhaps it would not be amiss 
 to reestablish a line of communication. So I begin this first day of 
 1863 by wishing you a happy new year. I do not consider it at all un- 
 likely that the present year be one of joy and blessing for you for I 
 think that with St. Paul and every true priest of the Lord Jesus, you 
 can truly say 'in omni tribulatione superabundo gaudio.' Certainly it 
 is most probable that you will have tribulations and afflictions in 
 abundance; for whatever afflicts your country and your people afflicts 
 you also. Yet it is also certain that to the priest of God afflictions are 
 what the battle is to the fiery steed, they augment his strength and 
 mettle. I was just on the point of entering upon an elaborate warlike 
 comparison but I desist, for I think that battles and battlesteeds wars 
 and warriors are too real and commonplace in America to be any 
 longer poetical. However to me war has always the mystery and the 
 charm of poetry for I consider it as a divine conclusion as yet un- 
 known; and this uncertainty excites within me a sentiment of longing, 
 a hope and this is always poetical, for that alone is poetry which 
 awakens the sentiment of the Beautiful, the longing after it and the 
 firm undying hope of once arriving at its full possession. You would 
 almost say I am German, I am so mysteriously and deeply philosophi- 
 cal. I am like many others who carried away by the charm of saying 
 
 41 
 
something nice, do not say what they wish to say and what they 
 should say. 
 
 "Great assuredly are the miseries and sufferings of our country 
 and her children. Yet in this very suffering I find a motive of consola- 
 tion. For suffering when borne with a right mind brings a twofold 
 blessing; it purifies and enobles. The world is filled with crimes, but 
 because it is filled with lamentations and cries with misery and woe, it 
 becomes like unto the Lord Jesus Who has mercy upon it and it is 
 purified. Suffering ennobles, it gives the boy the virility of youth, and 
 the youth the maturity of manhood; and to man if it be great it gives 
 the streenth and power of the hero or the saint. Socrates was greater 
 in death than in life, and Caesar had risen too high not to rise still 
 higher by falling by a great misfortune. In a word there is a secret 
 mysterious power in suffering which is the source of all that is great 
 and noble. Do you think the Spouse of Christ would have ever become 
 so fair so great so divinely beautiful, had she not seen her children 
 in every age and clime pouring out their lifeblood that the Mother 
 might be made great by the sufferings and sorrows of her children. 
 It is not I who say all this but Donoso Cortes the greatest statesman 
 that has lived in this century. But why this dispute about originality? 
 It was God that gave it to him and to me through him. All comes 
 from God. What difference is it whether mediately or immediately. 
 
 "I am a dreamer and there is nothing practical in me. This is 
 equivalent to absolute nullity with every one who thinks and acts like 
 an AngloSaxon. The only reality for an Anglosaxon is the reality of 
 interest and interest itself would be unreal unless embodied in gold 
 and beef. 
 
 "I do not like to speak of myself but since I have begun I will 
 finish. I am excentric and become more so every day. I change with the 
 wind and the weather and the time of the day. And who could say 
 how often the wind and the weather change within the space of 24 
 hours in Belgium ? Now clear, now cloudy, now calm and now windy 
 now warm now cold. And then that heavy moist atmosphere that sink- 
 ing through the pores of my body weighs like an incubus upon my 
 soul. I am like a nervous music box and the wind the sunshine and the 
 rain play upon me. Now joyous now sad now full of life and now 
 half dead. 
 
 "I have the rhumatism and it is by this that I am turned to a 
 harsh, a sweet, a joyous or a melancholy strain. 
 
 "Had I written this letter yesterday probably it would not contain 
 a word of what is in it now and were I to write it tomorrow more than 
 likely it would be entirely different from the one of yesterday. I am a 
 man of circumstance ruled by the whim and the fit of the moment. I 
 do not know what you will think of my letter, but I know that it is an 
 
 42 
 
image of myself, a child of its father. And yet I am not as bad as I 
 say I am precisely because I am what I say I am. I think I hear you ex- 
 claim, behold! what philosophy is worth! he who but a moment ago 
 was reasoning so charmingly about the beauty and delightfulness of 
 suffering; is now repining because the wind and the rain jerk a little 
 harshly on his nerves. No. I do not repime, I ask nothing. I say now 
 as I have ever said. I am happy and hope ever to be so in this world. 
 But it is often a melancholy happiness for there is a sweet melancholy 
 as there is a bitter joy. I can understand the invocation of Milton 
 'Come Thou Godess sage and holy, Come divinest Melancholy.' And 
 who does not know that the sweetest songs are those that tell of 
 saddest thoughts? Autumn with its falling leaves has more music to 
 my soul than spring with its living roses. 
 
 "I stop my tune in order to take up that of other men. The 
 Bishop of Boston was here a few weeks ago. He sends his compli- 
 ments to you and Uncle Ben. Father Stonestreet of Georgetown Col- 
 lege paid us a visit the other day. He also sends you his compliments. 
 He told us much news about the war and of the good that was being 
 done by the Sisters of Charity among the soldiers. Last year I only 
 received one letter from home I think. I do not write any more be- 
 cause it is useless I suppose. If the opportunity presents itself give 
 them all my best love. Since I read no more English authors I forget 
 the good old AngloSaxon tongue. I write it badly and spell it worse, 
 but I have taken a firm resolve to learn better if God gives me 
 strength. Give my love to Uncle Ben and also to Uncle Mat. Lan- 
 caster, for although I scarcely know him yet he is my uncle and a 
 priest and therefore I love him. I remain your affectionate and obedi- 
 ent nephew. 
 
 "J. L. Spalding" 
 
 "Louvain, Jan. 26th/63 
 
 "To Right Reverend Martin J. Spalding 
 "Bishop of Louisville 
 
 "My Dear Uncle. 
 
 "As F. Deneve is writing to you I will also add a few words 
 in order to thank you for the most gravious new year gift which 
 you have been so kind as to send me. I thank you also for your 
 photograph which I think resembles you very much. I will certain- 
 ly never be sufficiently grateful for all the kindness which you have 
 ever shown me; but I think that all you ask of me is that I love you 
 and pray for you and be obedient to you. To do this is the desire of my 
 
 43 
 
heart and my firm intention. I am very glad that you are about to 
 send us two new students. We will receive them as brothers and 
 they will immediately be at home. I wrote to yourself and F. Rus- 
 sell about three weeks ago. I hope you received the letter for I sent 
 a 'Photograph' in it to F. Russell. 
 
 "I received the photographs of Father and Mother. When you 
 see them thank them fore me and give my love to them and to all 
 my brothers and sisters; to Uncle Ben, Father Russell and all my 
 acquaintances. 
 
 "I remain your affectionate nephew. 
 
 "J. L. Spalding" 
 
 "Louvain, May 3rd 1864 
 
 "Dear Father and Mother. 
 
 "You letters arrived at an interval of only one or two days. I 
 am always glad to receive news from America and it is more 
 especially welcome when it comes from home, from those whom I 
 love with an undying affection. I would have answered your let- 
 ters immediately, but my examinations were just at hand and I re- 
 membered that you yourselves had always at least practically 
 taught me this fundamental maxim: business before pleasure. I 
 have already passed two examinations, yesterday and today, next 
 week I will still have to undergo a public trial of what I know, but I 
 am so fatigued that I do not feel like studying to day so I have con- 
 cluded to write to my dear Father and Mother. 
 
 "I received a letter from Len not long ago stating to my great 
 joy that he had entirely recovered. About a month ago I received 
 also a letter from Uncle Martin in which he approved of the plan 
 which I had suggested to him as to how I am to pass the coming 
 scholastic year. I will leave Louvain about the middle of July for 
 Germany where I will remain three or four months. Thence I will 
 pass over into Italy and go down to Rome where I will stay until 
 next summer. I will not be able to give you my address in Germany 
 so you may continue to direct your letters here to the college 
 whence they will be sent to me there. 
 
 "I was of course glad to hear that Uncle Martin had been ap- 
 pointed to the Archbishopric of Baltimore because I hope and be- 
 lieve that it will be for the greater honor and glory of God. I sup- 
 pose his successor in Ky. will soon be known. Whoever he may be, 
 for us at least, he will not be Uncle Martin, but though we lose 
 I hope others will gain and we should have charity for all men. 
 
 44 
 
"Mother's letter arrived only on the 26th of April conse- 
 quently just two days too late for the anniversary of grandfather 
 Lancaster but I will nevertheless say a mass for him and also an- 
 other on the anniversary of grandmother L. I pray every day in the 
 mass for all my relatives and friends both living and dead. 
 
 "I will see if Mother keeps her promise about my receiving 
 a letter every month, but even though she should not hold it I 
 thank her nevertheless for having made it for it shows at least a 
 good will. 
 
 "Give my best love to all by brothers and sisters, relations 
 and friends also to the servants. My health is very good. Believe 
 me dear Father and Mother. Your ever affectionate son. 
 
 "J. L. Spalding" 
 
 "Freiburg. Baden. July 24th. 1864 
 
 "Dear Father and Mother. 
 
 "It is now nearly two weeks since I left Louvain. I started 
 immediately after receiving the degree of Licentiate. I sent you my 
 theses which I suppose you have already received. I am now settled 
 down for a month or two in Freiburg, a beautiful little city of 
 about 17,000 inhabitants situated three or four leagues from the 
 Rhine. It is surrounded by mountains covered with vineyards, ex- 
 cept on one side where stretches out a delightful valley through 
 which flows a little river that empties into the Rhine. I have never 
 seen a nicer cleaner town. There are rivulets of most limpid water 
 flowing through nearly all the streets. In the center of the town is 
 situated one of the finest gothic Cathedrals in the world. I wish you 
 could assist at solemn high mass in one of these old gothic church- 
 es of Germany and hear the religious manly music of the Ger- 
 mans. I have never heard any thing that had such power to move 
 the soul, to speak of Heaven, of God. There is also a celebrated 
 university here — which is the principal reason why I came to this 
 part of Germany. There are several professors here who have an 
 European reputation, among others Alzog and Stolz. I am already 
 acquainted with them. They are very kind and as are all really learned 
 men without pretentions or pedantry. The lectures are all given in 
 German; this suits me very well for it affords me a better opportunity 
 of acquiring a more perfect knowledge of this language. After leav- 
 ing here which will probably be towards the end of August I will go 
 either to Switzerland or to Munich, as yet I am undecided as to which 
 of these two I will choose. Here in Southern Germany one can live 
 well and with little money. I have taken a room with a private family. 
 
 45 
 
The room is large, well furnished with sofa, cushioned chairs, etc. For 
 this I pay about four dollars a month. Here I also take breakfast. For 
 dinner and supper I go to a kind of hotel. In all I do not spend half 
 a dollar a day, and yet live better according to my taste than I could 
 for $2 in the U. S. I can have pure wine for ten cents a bottle. 
 
 "There are some of the strangest costumes here in the world. 
 The peasant women of the 'Black Forest' come to church with beaver 
 hats of about a foot and a half in height. They are yellow and I think 
 made of pasteboard, but for the rest are beavers except they are a 
 little higher. Their hair is platted into one string which floats down 
 the back. Others have something on the head which looks like two 
 black horns. I give this as a specimen. If I wished to tell all I would 
 have to write a book. The people are kind and warmhearted. I met 
 an Englishman here who says he is acquainted with some of the Lan- 
 caster of Philadelphia. I do not know if those Lancasters be relations 
 of ours. They are catholics he says. One of them married an englis- 
 man and died in England. Received a letter from Louvain the other 
 day in which they told me that Uncle Martin is to be installed the 
 15th of Aug. and that Uncle Ben is administrator of Louisville. 
 
 "I hear scarcely any thing about the war down here. The Ger- 
 mans are not a people for news. So long as they can sit down quietly 
 with pipe and glass of bier they do not trouble themselves about what 
 other people are doing. I never hear them speak even of their own 
 war with Denmark. I received a letter from Len before I left Louvain. 
 He says he is entirely well again. I am also very well. I would add an- 
 other letter for Kate, but I am afraid it would make the packet too 
 heavy so that you would have to pay double. I will write to her be- 
 fore long. Give her my best love and tell her I thank her for her 
 kind letter. 
 
 "The next time I write I hope I will be able to say more. I might 
 tell you many things that I have seen and heard but you are too much 
 occupied with the war and the situation of the country to take pleas- 
 ure in the narration of sightseeings and journeyings. It will not be 
 long I hope, my dear Father and Mother, before I will be able to 
 speak to you by word of mouth and then I will tell you all I have seen 
 and heard. 
 
 "Give my best love to all my brothers and sisters, friends and 
 relations. 
 
 "Believe me dear Father and Mother. 
 
 "Your ever devoted son. 
 
 "J. L. Spalding." 
 
 46 
 
"Venice Sept. 19th, 1864 
 
 "To Most Reverend Martin J. Spalding 
 Archbishop of Baltimore 
 "Dear Uncle. 
 
 "I received yesterday your letter of the 15th of Aug. I do not 
 think I wrote to you from Germany. I had heard that you were going 
 to Baltimore and I thought I would wait until you would be settled 
 down in your new home. I remained in Germany only about five 
 weeks and then passed through Switzerland into Italy over the Splii- 
 gen. I passed the greater part of the time at Freiburg where I heard 
 the lectures of the professors of the University during three weeks. I 
 made the acquaintance of Alzog and Stolz who were very kind to me. 
 I think I have passed my time well and learned a great deal that will 
 be useful to me. I like the Germans. I have always found them kind 
 and hospitable especially the priests. They are not at all aristocratic 
 but are essentially men of the people more so probably than the 
 priests of any other nation. The German clergy has made great prog- 
 ress within the last few years. The episcopal body stands high 
 morally and scientifically and is introducing as fast as possible the dis- 
 ciplinary ordinations of the Council of Trent regarding the education 
 and life of priests. On the Rhein and in Westphalia the German 
 clergy is as good I think as that of any other nation. In Baden there 
 is an immense (next word illegible) since twenty years. About that 
 time two professors of the University of Freiburg apostatised and 
 Josephism was still alive to a certain extent among the clergy. This 
 has all disappeared, thanks no doubt in a great degree to the zeal and 
 courage of the Venerable Archbishop of Freiburg, who is still active 
 and full of vigor although he be ninety two years old. 
 
 "Prof Stolz told me that some twenty or thirty years ago the gen- 
 eral feeling among Catholics there was that the pope was to them a 
 person almost as foreign as the Grand Turc. But this has also changed 
 and Baden now contributes largely to the support of the Holy Father. 
 There is in Germany as almost every where in Europe a certain class 
 of people that is infidel; and this class is politically the most powerful 
 there as everywhere. Even in Belgium those who believe do not rule. 
 This class has most everywhere in its hands the money and intelli- 
 gence of the age. The press in Europe is rationalistic. The Universities 
 with a few exceptions are rationalistic. In Germany even in the Catho- 
 lic Universities the lay professors have often no religion. The natural 
 consequence of this is that the greater part of those who receive an 
 university education do so at the expense of their religion and in 
 Europe all who wish to become lawyers, doctors, notaries, apothe- 
 caries etc. must study at the University. This great apostasy from God 
 and deification of the human mind is certainly the logical consequence 
 of Protestant principles; in fact every heresy is protestant, protesta- 
 tion against God, protestation against his church. This protestation 
 
 47 
 
exists now to a certain extent in Europe as well among Catholics as 
 among Protestants. But if we let these money makers and railroad 
 builders, newspaper writers and leaders alone and go back to the hu- 
 man race, the people, things look different here in Europe. The peo- 
 ple in Europe in catholic countries as far as my experience extends is 
 catholic and loves its religion. I am told that in France even among 
 the people infidelity has spread considerably. I have been in several 
 protestant countries of Germany and there also I think the people 
 believe. In northern Germany they say infidelity exists to a great ex- 
 tent among the lower class of protestants. I think it is false to say that 
 Protestantism is dead. Scientifically it is certainly dead. But in the 
 hearts of many it still lives and will live until some great and uni- 
 versal revolution take place here in Europe. The people must have a 
 religion, it will never be philosophic or rationalistic. Now in many 
 countries it has protestantism and it is nearly impossible for it in the 
 actual circumstances to receive another religion, consequently it holds 
 to Protestantism. In Europe the peasantry is conscious of its ignorance 
 and does not reason as it does with us, consequently the Catholic mis- 
 sionary has no means of getting at protestants here. Individual con- 
 versions will take place but they do not change the general face of 
 affairs. The state here in Europe is omnipotent even there where the 
 socalled liberal constitutional governments exist. Now in Protestant 
 countries the State protects Protestantism and this is the source of its 
 life. Protestantism arose through political influence and still lives be- 
 cause upheld by political power. If Europe were politically revolution- 
 ized I think it would easily become catholic. The old hatred of the 
 Pope has gradually died out and if an opportunity were given the 
 great reconciliation might easily be brought about. But those who rule 
 fear Rome and try to keep the Pope as far away as possible. 
 
 "I suppose you are already tired of these speculations so I will 
 try to change the subject. It would be useless to describe to you my 
 journey and the sights I have seen for I think you have passed over 
 nearly the same ground. I am now living under the Austrian govern- 
 ment. I think Austria is the most truly catholic government that now 
 exists. I hope Venice will remain Austrian until the apostate priests, 
 petty lawyers and lowbred freemasons will have played out their 
 game in Turin. I saw their work in Milan and know what they are. 
 One is free enough here if he only attend to his business and let the 
 government alone. All this cry and hurrah about nationality and free- 
 dom is only the work of some worthless men who wish to rise in the 
 world and are too weak and ignorant to do so by honest means. And 
 even if there were tyranny it is better to be tyrannised over by one 
 man than by the vulgar crowd and the world must always bear one of 
 these two yokes. 
 
 "In practice men are about as free under one government as 
 under another. One man may be a tyrant and so may the people. I 
 attach little importance to this or that form of government. All de- 
 
 48 
 
pends on the men who exercise the power. There have been excesses 
 committed under every form of govrnment, greater and more revolu- 
 tionary probably under popular than under any other. 
 
 "I am already two weeks in Venice. I will leave I think in about 
 eight days for Padua, Ferrara, Bologna, Florence and then Rome 
 where I will arrive in the beginning of October. I have the permission 
 to enter the Belgian College, so I think I will take advantage of it. 
 The pension is 920 frs which is very high. But as I have made advan- 
 tages there I suppose it will be better to disregard one or two hundred 
 frs more. I am travelling now for more than two months and I have 
 spent only about four hundred frs in all. I have nearly 2500 frs left, 
 with which I hope I will be able to come through. As to my coming 
 to Baltimore I am willing to do any thing that you desire me, dear 
 Uncle. I will never be able to repay you for all you have done for me 
 but I will try to do all that I can. Then I leave it entirely to you as to 
 whether I am to go to Baltimore or to Louisville. It is not place or 
 circumstance that can makes us happy. Happiness dwells within the 
 soul which in itself can be heaven or a hell. For the rest I think I 
 would be but a poor secretary, but as to this also I let you judge. You 
 can direct your next letter to Rome. Pray for me my dear Uncle. 
 
 "Your affectionate nephew. 
 
 "J. L. Spalding" 
 
 "Belgian College, Rome. Nov. 15th/64 
 
 "To Most Reverend Martin J. Spalding 
 Archbishop of Baltimore 
 
 "My dear Uncle. 
 
 "I arrived in Rome in the beginning of Oct. but I thought it 
 better not to write until the schools opened so that I might be 
 better able to give you an account of my position and occupation 
 here. I went to see the Rev. Dr. Smith who told me that from a 
 letter which you wrote him he thought your intention was that I 
 should study Canon law. Consequently I have resolved to devote 
 my time exclusively to that branch of sacred science. I have already 
 seen a good deal of Canon Law at Louvain where it is undoubtedly 
 better and more profoundly taught than here in Rome. So I will 
 repeat privately what I have already studied. Besides this I heare 
 two professors of the Sapienza. Moreover I will assist at the dis- 
 cussions of the Congregation of the Council of Trent and also from 
 time to time treat some case presented to the Congregation for 
 decision. I intend also to assist at the sessions of the different 
 
 49 
 
Academies here in Rome. Then I hope to pass my time usefully 
 which is all that I desire. 
 
 "I have spoken with Card. Barnabo. He told me that the name 
 of Uncle Ben was the first on the list of the persons presented for 
 the Diocese of Louisville. He did not know however whether or not 
 he would be appointed Bishop. I would not have gone to see Card 
 Barnabo had Father DeNeve not given me some business to attend 
 to on account of which 1 had to speak to him. I have been to the Am. 
 Coll. several times. I spent a week at the country home of the Coll. 
 out at Frascati. Dr. McCloskey and all of them were very kind to 
 me. During the year however I will not go to see them often be- 
 cause it takes time et with their system of camerata it is not very 
 convenient. I have seen the Holy Father several times. He seems to 
 be enjoying perfect health. I will have an audience this week I think. 
 I have not yet been to see the Rector of the Irish College. I will go 
 before long. Dr. McClosky told me that you had been dangerously 
 sick but that you had almost entirely recovered again. I hope this 
 letter will find you entirely well. 
 
 "Mother wrote to me some time ago announcing the death of 
 my little brother Martin. It is sad to loose those we love; but I 
 hope and believe that God in his mercy has taken my little brother 
 to Himself so soon ne malitia mutaret intellectum ejus (Wisdom, 4, 
 11). His death is also a grace which our Father in Heaven confers 
 upon us who are left behind for it makes us feel that we have not 
 hear a lasting dwelling and consequently that we must seek one 
 which is to come. Dying friends are pioneers on the road to heaven 
 making the route easier for those who must come after them. I am 
 more resigned to die now than I would be if my two brothers were 
 still living and therefore I consider their deaths a grace which God 
 has given me. I am however willing to live and to work until my 
 time shall come. I am not discouraged but feel a greater desire to 
 do something for the glory of God than I ever did. My brothers 
 were born to die and I have reason to believe that they died well, 
 consequently I do not see why I should be discouraged. Discour- 
 agement anyhow is good for nothing so that even if I did feel like 
 being discouraged I see that there is nothing to be gained by it. The 
 victory is mine if I only fight until the end and I believe that neither 
 death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things 
 present nor things future will ever be able to seperate us from the 
 love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
 
 "The martyrs of Gorcem and several others will be canonised 
 at Pentecost. I think my health will be better here than in Belgium. 
 I wrote to you from Venice telling you that I was willing to do 
 whatever you might think best as to the diocese to which I am 
 to be sent. I supposed you received the letter. 
 
 50 
 
Pray for me my dear Uncle. 
 
 "address Collegio Belgico via del Quirinale. 
 
 "Your affectionate nephew, 
 
 "J. L. Spalding' 
 
 "Belgian Coll. Rome 
 "Jan 5th 65 
 
 "To Most Reverend Martin J. Spalding 
 Archbishop of Baltimore 
 
 "Dear Uncle 
 
 "I received a few days ago your letter of December. I was happy 
 to learn that you had entirely recovered from your illness. I went 
 to see Card Barnabo yesterday and handed him your letter. He says 
 he will speak to the Pope about the affair. I suppose there will be 
 no difficulty in obtaining my incorporation into the diocese of 
 Baltimore. Card. Barnabo will probably answer your letter himself. 
 The Bishop of Louisville will probably be appointed this month. 
 Barnabo said that the information required had already arrived so 
 that he would be appointed as soon as possible. I will let you know 
 as soon as I receive the news. Dr Smith sends you his respects. He 
 has been very kind to me. I went with him to the Catacombs of St. 
 Calixtus and he explained every thing very well. He has a good 
 and warm heart as have most Irishmen. 
 
 "I saw one of your old professors the other day, Father Theiner. 
 I suppose you have not forgotten him. He still remembers your- 
 self, Uncle Ben and Uncle M. Lancaster. He is one of the most 
 learned men in Europe. He is at present editing some of the Vatican 
 manuscripts. He sends you his kindest regards. I sang Mass down 
 at the American Coll. last Sunday. I go down to see them from time 
 to time. They are all very kind and I think the College is conducted 
 in an excellent spirit. Most of the students however seem to be in 
 delicate health. 
 
 "I had an audience of the Pope some time ago. He sends you 
 his compliments or his benediction, I do now know which. He is in 
 excellent health and is still strong and vigorous. I suppose you have 
 received his Encyclical letter proclaiming a jubilee for 1865. The 
 Propositions annexed make a good deal of noise here in Europe 
 from the fact that many find in them a condemnation of the Catholic 
 liberal school of Politics of which Montalembert is the leader in 
 France and whose principles are generally admitted by the Catholic 
 
 51 
 
members of Congress in Belgium. This school however is not con- 
 demned, at least if we consider it only as a practical system applicable 
 to Belgium, France and the greater part of civilised countries at 
 the present day. In the U. S. this school is the only practical school 
 in this age and probably for ages to come. I believe however that our 
 American principles are fundamentally false as is the general 
 tendancy of Modern Society. But the present state of Society is a 
 fact which we can not get rid of and consequently we must accept 
 it and try to make the best out of it. 
 
 "Even when a school boy I never had much faith in what the 
 spirit of the age calls Liberty and now I have less than then. Liberty 
 is only one of the many means which crafty and strong men make 
 use of to tyrannise over the people. The people is the most gullible 
 animal on earth and where it is King fools inevitably rule. Paucis 
 vivitur humanum genus. The human race had always lived for only 
 a few men and in this respect things have not changed in the nine- 
 teenth century. The people labors, sweats and dies in order to 
 satisfy the lust and pride of a few worthless men who themselves 
 are slaves. I am not a socialist. But when I see tyrants and con- 
 stitutional fools and liars seeking to tear religion from the hearts 
 of the people, of those who labor and are poor, under pretext of 
 making them free, I wish we had an age of faith and strength like 
 that of Gregory VII and a friend of the people to anathematise those 
 base tyrants and to send them crouching from the face of an out- 
 raged world. Here in Europe I know those men who talk of Liberty 
 of progress of the Sovereignty of the people and of accomplished 
 facts and I abhor them and their principles. When I look over to 
 our own country I see that those same principles have ruined it, torn 
 it asunder and made us exiles and beggars in our own homes. It 
 is because the people is King and Rebellion a right that the American 
 people is to day a King without crown or Kingdom and a nation 
 without any right except that of Selfmurder. 
 
 "The war may be carried on very badly but I believe that the 
 North is right in principle and especially I am for her because 
 every shot fired is a protestation against the right of Rebellion, the 
 omnipotence of the people and the deification of the vulgar many. 
 This is more than enough about politics. A priest however is neces- 
 sarily deeply interested in every thing that is closely connected with 
 the welfare of the human race. Politics in general is only the art by 
 which knaves and thieves impose upon the people and dip their 
 hands in the blood of nations. 
 
 "You have probably heard also that the Philosophy of Louvain 
 has been condemned. This however is entirely false. None of the 
 doctrines of Louvain have been condemned. Prof. Ubaghs must 
 change some of his propositions because ambiguous and susceptible 
 
 52 
 
of a false meaning if interpreted by party spirit, but the real 
 doctrines of Louvain are not condemned and never will be, al- 
 though as you know I suppose there be a strong party in Belgium 
 itself which has serious doubts as to the orthodoxy of the Louvain 
 teaching. There is nothing so sad as this prurient eagerness for find- 
 ing heresy in every Catholic writer of talent and original thought who 
 does not happen to think on every point as our own little selves. 
 Besides being the source of divisions and disputes among Catholics 
 which it would be better to avoid especially in our age, this passion 
 for heresy-finding often weakens the energy and deadens the efforts 
 of the best and noblest writers and champions of the Catholic 
 cause. Probably one of the reasons why Brownson fell into so many 
 errors was that there was no ignorant and self-conceited newspaper 
 writer in the U. S. who did not take upon himself to denounce him 
 to the world as a heretic. The Catholics of the U. S. have more need 
 of being tolerant and charitable to one another than those of any 
 other country for there the Church is composed of men of all 
 nations and each one has his own national tinge of thought and 
 feeling. But unfortunately we like most republican and liberty-lovers 
 are the most intolerant people on the face of the earth. Our religious 
 tolerance is no merit of ours for in the first place it is a national 
 necessity and in the second most of us are tolerant of all religions 
 because indifferent to all. In politics everyone must think as his 
 party or if he dare be independent and tell the Truth, he is left 
 without hearers or readers. There is no country in the world where 
 public opinion is so intolerant of whatever does not flatter its own 
 passions and prejudices as in the U. S. This is one reason why no 
 great genius or hero has arisen in the present national crisis to 
 save the country. In order to do something one must belong to a 
 party and serve his party not his country; for party means littleness, 
 egotism, self. 
 
 "But I suppose, dear Uncle, that I had better stop here for all 
 these speculations will not edify you or assure you that I am 
 endeavoring to follow your very good counsel of being practical and 
 letting the theoretical alone, for life is real, life is earnest, and man's 
 vocation here on earth is to do and not to speculate, to act and not 
 to theorise. This is more especially the vocation of every American for 
 we do not believe in ideas, and knowledge for us is a good only 
 in as much as it is commutable with dollars and cents. An American 
 is worth only as much as he has and this makes me think of how r 
 little I am worth and brings me to another subject. I have only 1600 
 frs. I have paid my pension for six months, that is until April. I 
 pay here in the Bel. Coll. 920 frs a year. I think if you have no 
 objection I will start for America immediately after Easter. In this 
 case, I expect I can manage to get home with my 1600. I would like 
 however to buy a few clothes and some books. If you think the times 
 are too hard I do not care much about it and will try to get home 
 without troubling you for any more money. If you could conveniently 
 
 53 
 
send me some I might be able to pay you back some day or other 
 should I ever become more practical in the U. S. I would ask 
 Father for some but I do not like to do it because the times are so 
 hard and he has suffered so much from the war. Do not put yourself 
 to any trouble, dear Uncle, for the essential is to get back to 
 America and I think my finances will bring me that far any how. 
 If you think it would be better to stay longer here in Rome I am 
 willing to do so. Write and let me know. 
 
 "I received a letter from home the other day and Mother tells 
 me that all are well. I have seen in the Papers that you preached at 
 the consecration of the Cathedral of Phil. The Bishop of Charleston 
 is still here also the Bish. of Montreal. A plot against the life of the 
 Pope was discovered here in Rome a week or two ago and the other 
 day another against the government was detected. I think that 
 Europe and even the Italian Revolution are convinced that Rome 
 will and must belong to the Pope. Others think otherwise, time 
 will prove who is right. Write soon and tell me when you think I 
 had better start home. I must pass by Louvain for I left all my books 
 there. 
 
 "I enclose a letter for F. Russell. Please send it to him when 
 you have an opportunity. Pray for me, my dear Uncle and believe 
 me your ever affectionate nephew. 
 
 "J. L. Spalding" 
 
 "Belgian Collegio, Rome 
 "March 13th 65 
 
 "To Most Reverend Martin J. Spalding 
 "Archbishop of Baltimore 
 
 "Dear Uncle. 
 
 "I have received your letters together with those for Cardinals 
 Barnabo, Quaglia and Antonelli. Card. Barnabo thinks that it is 
 better to wait until your successor in the diocese of Louisville be 
 appointed before asking the Holy Father to incorporate me into the 
 diocese of Baltimore. Sede vacante nihil innovandum. The Bishops 
 of Louisville, Albany and Nashville will certainly be appointed 
 before Easter, at least so says Card. Barnabo. 
 
 "Card. Antenelli was very kind. He thanks you for your letter 
 and says that he will himself write to you on certain points concerning 
 which you demand instructions. I have made inquiries concerning the 
 provincial councils of France and Italy. Dr. Smith says that none 
 
 54 
 
of them can be obtained at the Propaganda. I since spoke to the 
 Auditor of the Congregation of the Council of Trent, with whom 
 I am well acquainted and he has procured me copies of several 
 French and Italian Councils and will probably be able to find still 
 some others for me. Some very important councils have been held 
 in Germany within the last few years. I will try to get copies of 
 those of Cologne and Vienna. That of Cologne is remarkably 
 interesting. I sent you last summer a copy of the last Edition of 
 DeHerdt. I hope you received it. 
 
 "There is little news here in Rome. The Holy Father continues 
 to enjoy excellent health. They say that he has worked two miracles 
 lately. One of them is the miraculous cure of the Princess Odescalchi 
 which took place here in Rome some two or three weeks ago. There 
 is no doubt as to the fact of her having been cured in a wonderful 
 manner and I believe the general opinion is that it is a miracle. The 
 Venerable Berchmans a Jesuit novice of the Archdiocese of Mechlin 
 is to be beatified in May. I assisted last November at the beatifica- 
 tion of Canisius the great Jesuit apostle of Germany. The martyrs 
 of Gorcem in Holland are to be canonised this year, but the exact 
 date is not yet known, probably in November. The French troops 
 still remain quietly here in Rome. The Holy Father I hear, has no 
 intention of forming an army and all admit that it is the wiser 
 plan. He has still some four or five hundred Zouaves, most of them 
 Belgians but he will not increase the number. They are nearly all 
 out at Frascati. The Carnival was brilliant and no revolutionary 
 demonstration took place. The King and Queen of Naples took 
 a balcony on the Corso and threw confetti and bouquets at a 
 terrible rate. They say that a consistory will be held before Easter 
 but that no cardinal will be created. 
 
 "There is a rumor that the Emperor of Austria and the King 
 of Prussia have written to the Pope assuring him of their protection 
 in case of need. I scarcely believe this but I have no doubt that if 
 France allows the pope to be robbed of what he still has, an 
 alliance of the three great northern powers will reinstate him 
 in his possessions. They say also that England is trying to get 
 around on the side of the Pope. I hear that over in America you 
 have discovered a great papal conspiracy for the recognition of the 
 South. This is good news for newspaper writers. Bishop Lynch is 
 still here in Rome and I suppose he himself does not know when he 
 will leave. He did think for a time of running the blocade but it 
 seems that blocade-running is knocked in the head. I think the 
 South is nearly exhausted and the sooner she dies the better for all 
 since there is no other way of finishing this war. I certainly grieve 
 over the miseries of our country, but I perfer any thing to disunion. 
 But I stop here lest I should begin to speculate. McClellan is here 
 in Rome. There are a good many Americans here at present both 
 Northerners and Southerners. They do not associate however, but 
 
 55 
 
the Yankees remain together and so do the rebels. 
 
 "We have had a very wet damp winter this year and here in 
 Rome there is no way of making fire and the consequence of this is 
 that I am visited by all kind of ruhmatic pains and indeed I have 
 not been very well for the last month but now I think I am getting 
 all right again. We do not have too much food nor that of the best 
 quality here in the Belgian College and I need a great deal of 
 substantial matter in order to keep me going. Dr. Smith has been 
 dangerously sick but has now recovered again. You have doubtless 
 heard the rumors about Card. Andrea. He has written a pastoral 
 letter for his diocese which they say is pretty sensible. I hope he will 
 have sense and prudence enough to behave himself a little better 
 for the future. Some here seem to think that he is a little cracked but 
 this is a way of getting over difficulties which I do not like. 
 
 "I will leave immediately after Easter and be in Baltimore 
 about the middle of May if nothing prevent. Pray for me, my dear 
 Uncle, and believe 
 
 "Me your devoted nephew 
 
 "J. L. Spalding 
 
 "P. S. Your pastoral has not yet arrived. Some one told me that he 
 had seen the first part of it in the German paper of Baltimore. Since 
 writing this I have received the copies of your pastoral." 
 
 56 
 
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 y : S 
 
 S 5 
 
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 B Chapter IV 1 
 
 ^SHKHp 
 
 Spalding returned to Kentucky in the summer of 1865 and to the diocese 
 with which his family had been so long and so honorably connected. His 
 native state had passed through the tragedy of the Civil War, and great 
 changes had taken place. Shortly before his arrival, the armies had dispersed. 
 During this long and fatricidal struggle, Kentucky had been once more a "dark 
 and bloody battleground" of the opposing armies. St. Mary's College had 
 closed at the beginning of the war. Partisanship was rampant; people were 
 poor. Their property had been destroyed, and they had little left with which 
 to begin life anew. 
 
 June 11, 1864, Bishop Martin John Spalding had been transferred to the 
 Archbishopric of Baltimore by Pope Pius IX. His brother, Rev. Dr. 
 Benedict Spalding, was appointed Administrator of the Diocese of Louisville. 
 He assigned his nephew to the Cathedral. For sixteen years Bishop Martin 
 John Spalding was Coadjutor and active Bishop of the Diocese of Louisville. 
 During that time, the Catholic population of Kentucky had increased. In 
 1848 there were thirty thousand Catholics in the state. In 1864, although 
 eastern Kentucky had been made a diocese with a See at Covington, the 
 Diocese of Louisville had seventy thousand Catholics, which was more than 
 twice the number in the entire state in 1848. In that year (1848) there were 
 only forty-three Catholic churches in the whole state of Kentucky. In 1864 
 there were eighty-five in the Diocese of Louisville alone. Five new churches 
 had been erected in Louisville, including the Cathedral. The seating capacity of 
 the Cathedral was greater than that of all the Catholic churches in the city 
 sixteen years before. 
 
 57 
 
John Lancaster Spalding as a young priest in 1865, Louisville* 
 
 Courtesy of Nazareth Academy, Lebanon, Kentucky 
 
 ♦Nazareth Academy occupied a very important part in the life of that part of Kentucky. 
 President Lincoln was born near the location of the Academy. During the Civil War 
 he issued this military order to the Commanding Officer of the Northern Armies in 
 that part of the State: Let no depredation be committed upon the property or posses- 
 sions of the "Sisters of Charity" at Nazareth Academy, near Bardstown, Ky. 
 Jan. 17, 1865 A. Lincoln 
 
 58 
 
Because of Father Spalding's close attention to things ecclesiastical Bishop 
 Peter J. Lavialle, who had become the third Bishop of the Louisville Diocese, 
 made him his Secretary and Chancellor. His ability was recognized beyond the 
 confines of his diocese when he was chosen shortly after his return from Europe 
 by Archbishop Norbert Blanchet, of Portland, Oregon, to be his Theologian at 
 the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1866. He was then only twenty-six 
 years old and was the youngest participating member in the Council. Another 
 distinction came to him there when he was named one of the preachers. The 
 others were Reverend Isaac Hecker, founder of the Paulists, and Reverend P. 
 J. Ryan, afterwards Archbishop of Philadelphia. 
 
 In Louisville he was busy with parish work and was always a close stu- 
 dent. Usually he devoted seven hours a day to study and allowed nothing to 
 interfere with it except the duties of his office. He was very fond of children, 
 and it is known in Louisville that he frequently visited the homes of the poor 
 and gave what relief he could. 
 
 John Lancaster Spalding was always a zealous priest. Writing to his uncle, 
 Archbishop Martin John Spalding of Baltimore, on June 21, 1869, he says: 
 "... The Bishop has authorized me to build a Church for the 
 Catholic Negroes of Louisville. I am at present engaged in collecting 
 funds for that purpose in our diocese. I expect to start East about 
 5th of July. The Bishop promised to give me letters of introduction 
 and recommendation to New York. Very Rev. Father Carter has 
 promised to assist me in Philadelphia, and I am sure that you, my 
 dear Uncle, will do whatever you can for me. Uncle Ben promised 
 to give me a donation whenever I should commence to build a 
 Church for the Negroes. He, indeed, at one time offered me the 
 ground to build on — but owing to circumstances the work was 
 deferred. I think that you might give me a thousand dollars from 
 Uncle Ben's estate for this most noteworthy object of charity which 
 you have so often recommended by word and example. I am very 
 glad to devote myself to the poor Negroes for many reasons. In the 
 first place it will prevent me from becoming involved in any diocesan 
 trouble by giving me a field of labor altogether disconnected from 
 the general march of things. In the second place it is a labor that no 
 one will envy me and which nevertheless is really pleasing to me. 
 Then, I am finally persuaded that it is the duty of the Church in this 
 country to make greater efforts than have been made for the conver- 
 sion of the Negroes, not for their sake alone but for the general 
 welfare of the Church and the nation." 
 
 In 1870 he resigned his position at the Cathedral and as Chancellor of 
 the Diocese to devote his time exclusively to the organization of Louisville's 
 first Negro parish, St. Augustine's, which within a few years he had on a sound 
 basis. Today, after all these years, his efforts are still obtaining results; and 
 this parish is one of the most flourishing in Louisville. Forty years later he 
 was present for the laying of the cornerstone of the present St. Augustine's 
 
 59 
 
Original St. Augustine Church, Louisville, Kentucky, built by Father Spalding in 1869 
 
 Church. Many of his old parishioners were present; and he recalled their 
 names, much to their delight. Below is a picture of Bishop Spalding at this 
 cornerstone-laying ceremony, taken on the porch of the Rectory. 
 
 Archbishop Martin John Spalding of Baltimore died February 7, 1872. 
 He left his papers and correspondence to Father Isaac T. Hecker, C. S. P., to 
 be used in writing his life. Father Hecker was unable at this time, because of 
 the press of duty, to write the biography; and he invited the Archbishop's 
 nephew, John Lancaster Spalding, to come to New York to write this book. 
 Spalding acceded to the wishes of Father Hecker and went to New York to 
 do this work. Also behind this move was a disagreement with Bishop McClos- 
 key of Louisville, who thought that the Spaldings had too much influence 
 in the diocese. Spalding enjoyed the hospitality of the Paulists and remained 
 with them until he published his book in 1873. The only part that he took in 
 the activities of the parish was to deliver a sermon on special occasions. 
 
 Orestes A. Brownson said of this work: 
 
 "It proves the author an accomplished literary man, a deep, 
 earnest thinker, a learned and enlightened theologian, and a de- 
 
 60 
 
Archbishop John L. Spalding on steps of St. Augustine's Rectory on the occasion of the 
 cornerstone-laying of the present church 
 
 voted priest. . . The author shows a breadth of view, a depth of re- 
 flection, a knowledge of the moral and spiritual wants of modern 
 society, of the dangers of the country and the real issue of the hour, 
 that promise the country an author of the first order, and to the 
 church a distinguished servant." 
 
 After Spalding finished his uncle's biography, he did not return to 
 Kentucky, but remained in New York as assistant to Father Arthur J. Don- 
 nelly at St. Michael's Church. He continued his work there until his consecra- 
 tion as Bishop of Peoria May 1, 1877. 
 
 61 
 
62 
 
BBBM©B"®BW@1I 
 
 Sly. 
 
 Chapter V 
 
 H 
 
 ■^ A, « »V4^- «X±^« »>i^4 » 
 
 When the United States won the War of Independence, the Holy See 
 placed this country under a Prefecture Apostolic July 9, 1784. John Carroll 
 was named Prefect Apostolic, with residence at Baltimore, and was later 
 appointed Bishop in 1789. The Catholic religion made great progress in this 
 country, and in 1808 Pope Pius VII named Baltimore a Metropolitan See with 
 four suffragan bishoprics — Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Bardstown. 
 The Diocese of Bardstown included the territory out of which were 
 formed the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, 
 Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. Benedict Joseph Flaget, who had formerly 
 been pastor at Vincennes, Indiana, by appointment of Bishop Carroll of Bal- 
 timore, was appointed first Bishop of Bardstown; but he was not consecrated 
 until November 4, 1810, in St. Patrick's Church, Falls Point, Maryland. He 
 did not arrive in Bardstown until June 8, 1811. It is interesting to note that on 
 Bishop Flaget's first journey to the west as a missionary in the Vincennes, 
 Indiana, area, he had a letter of introduction from General (Mad Anthony) 
 Wayne to General George Rogers Clark, who met him at Louisville and con- 
 ducted him to Vincennes. 
 
 The spiritual jurisdiction was transferred from Bishop Carroll; and the 
 affairs of the Church in this section were now under the direction and super- 
 vision of Bishop Flaget of Bardstown. Archbishop Carroll wrote: 
 
 "Bishop Flaget of Bardstown, Kentucky, entered on a field well 
 prepared for his coming by the zealous clergymen who preceded him, 
 and great is his encouragement there. The English Dominicans, who 
 came some years ago, are settled in that country, have built a convent, 
 large church, college, and have many novices. Besides four priests 
 
 63 
 
Archbishop Carroll 
 
 Bishop Flaget 
 
 $U 
 
 L 
 
 Bishop Rosati Bishop Brute 
 
 Early Bishops of the Illinois country. Most Reverend John Carroll, Archbishop of 
 Baltimore; Right Reverend Benedict Joseph Flaget, Bishop of Bardstown; Right Rev- 
 erend Joseph Rosati, Bishop of St. Louis; Right Reverend Simon William Gabriel 
 Brute, Bishop of Vincennes 
 
of that order, the Bishop found and carried thither five other zealous 
 
 labourers, in building a seminary, etc." 8 
 
 Bishop Flaget was cordially received by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. 
 Many non-Catholics joined the Catholics in the erection of the Cathedral at 
 Bardstown, the first Cathedral of the West. The cornerstone was laid July 
 16, 1816, and the church was consecrated April 8, 1819. A week after the 
 consecration of the Cathedral, Bishop Flaget officiated at the first Episcopal 
 Consecration west of the Alleghenies — Bishop John David was consecrated 
 as an Auxiliary. June 20, 1834, Bishop Flaget consecrated another Auxiliary, 
 whose name was Guy Ignatius Chabrat. Bishop David died in 1841, and Bishop 
 Chabrat resigned in 1847. Bishop Flaget died February 11, 1850, after a reign 
 of nearly forty years as the first Bishop of the first Diocese west of the Alle- 
 ghenies. 
 
 Bishop Flaget had charge over Illinois until the erection of the See of 
 St. Louis. On May 20, 1827, Pope Leo XII appointed the Reverend Joseph 
 Rosati as the first Bishop of St. Louis. By agreement with the Bishop of Bards- 
 town, he administered the western part of Illinois and the northern district, 
 particularly Chicago. During the administration of Bishop Rosati, the Rev- 
 erend John Mary Iranaeus Saint Cyr organized St. Mary's Parish in Chicago 
 in 1833. This was the first Catholic church in Chicago. 
 
 First Catholic church building in Chicago, St. Mary's Church, Lake Street west of State, 
 erected in 1833 
 
 (Courtesy Chicago Historical Society) 
 
 i John Carroll of Baltimore, by Melville. Reprinted with permission of Charles Scribner's Sons. 
 
 65 
 
St. Mary's Cathedral, Chicago, erected 1843 at Wabash and Madison 
 
 Courtesy Chicago Historical Society 
 
 66 
 
The Diocese of Vincennes was erected in 1834. The Reverend Simon 
 William Gabriel Brute was appointed the first Bishop and had charge of In- 
 diana, with delegated authority over the eastern section of Illinois. Bishop 
 Brute was consecrated on the 28th of October, 1834, by the Right Reverend 
 Benedict Joseph Flaget, assisted by Bishops Rosati and Purcell. 
 
 Chicago was erected as a See November 28, 1843. The Right Reverend 
 William Quarter was appointed the first Bishop, and the administration of the 
 affairs of the Church in Illinois passed from the authority of Bishop Rosati 
 and Bishop Brute. 
 
 In 1872 Bishop Foley of Chicago asked the Holy See to divide his diocese. 
 The territory had increased very much in population; and, because Chicago was 
 so far north, he saw that he could no longer look after so vast an area. This 
 request was granted; and, by Papal Brief dated February 12, 1875, the Diocese 
 of Peoria was erected; but it did not begin its active existence until John Lan- 
 caster Spalding took over the See May 22, 1877. 
 
 On the 12th of February, 1875, Father Michael Hurley was appointed first 
 Bishop of Peoria but declined the appointment. More than passing notice 
 should be given to this exemplary priest. He was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 
 1826. He studied theology in Dublin and came to this country as a young priest. 
 Illinois was the scene of his labors. He had various assignments covering a 
 large part of Illinois. For awhile he was pastor of St. Mary's in Peoria; and 
 later, in 1868, organized St. Patrick's in Peoria and remained pastor there until 
 his death December 11, 1892. He was the first Vicar General of the Diocese 
 under John Lancaster Spalding. 
 
 Father Hurley seemed to be the logical selection for the new See since he 
 knew more about the affairs of the Church in this territory than almost anyone 
 else. He was used to the hard life of a missionary; but, in his humility, he felt 
 that the exalted office was not for him. He wrote the Propaganda in 1875 de- 
 clining the position and returned the Bulls of his appointment. The letter did 
 not reach Rome but was lost in a shipwreck off the coast of France. It was not 
 until 1876 that Pope Pius IX appointed John Lancaster Spalding, then assistant 
 at St. Michael's Church in New York, as the first Bishop of Peoria. 
 
 We may learn something of the esteem in which Father Hurley was held 
 by Bishop, priests, and people by the following account of the funeral ob- 
 sequies, which appeared in a Peoria newspaper on the occasion of Father Hur- 
 ley's funeral. 
 
 AT REST 
 
 Impressive Funeral Ceremonies Held Over 
 
 the Late Father Hurley at St. Patrick's 
 
 Church — An Eloquent Address by 
 
 Bishop Spalding. 
 
 "The remains of Father Hurley were taken to St. Patrick's 
 
 Church Monday afternoon by an escort of the Knights of Father 
 
 Mathew. The body lay in state all the day and evening and the church 
 
 67 
 
was visited by many. Guard and watch was kept during the night. The 
 morning dawned wet, cold and forbidding. As the morning light came 
 into the church it beheld it dressed for the funeral rites. Both the out- 
 side and interior of the church throughout were arrayed in mourning. 
 The parsonage and St. Patrick's School were also draped in mourning. 
 By 8 o'clock the people commenced to come to the funeral, and before 
 9 o'clock the vast temple was crowded to its utmost capacity with 
 those who had come to pay the last tribute of respect to the revered 
 and honored dead. The casket bore upon its lid this inscription: 'Rev. 
 M. Hurley, V. G., Died December 11, 1892. Aged 66 years.' Upon it 
 were some choice and lovely flowers, and about it had been arranged 
 by loving hands here and there others, emblems of beauty and hope. 
 
 "At 9 o'clock, the hour appointed for the services, the clergy ap- 
 peared within the sacristy. They were a goodly and large company. 
 Forty priests were present to assist in laying their brother to rest. All 
 of them were warm friends of the deceased and knew and loved him 
 well. 
 
 "The services were begun by the chanting of the Office for the 
 Dead.' 
 
 "High Requiem Mass was then celebrated. Bishop Ryan, of Al- 
 ton, was the celebrant; deacon of honor, Father Touhy of Lincoln; 
 sub-deacon, Father Powers of Spring Valley. 
 
 "At the close of the Mass Bishop Spalding delivered a most elo- 
 quent, touching and powerful address. It was a tribute worthy of the 
 occasion and the man. He commenced by alluding to the great loss of 
 the parish, the diocese and the clergy. He spoke with feeling of the 
 virtues of the departed and his tones were touched with deep earnest- 
 ness and feeling. At times the orator was visibly affected and ever and 
 anon a deep wave of responsive feeling swept over the vast multi- 
 tude. The deep, rich tones of the speaker penetrated throughout the 
 vast church and were heard distinctly on the outskirts of the multi- 
 tude. He paid a beautiful tribute to the warm heart and open hand of 
 the dead prelate. He gave often but not openly and never spoke of his 
 many deeds of charity. He was reported wealthy but his generosity 
 had been such that his earthly estate was but moderate. He spoke elo- 
 quently of his character as priest, scholar, citizen and friend, in all of 
 which relations he was truly eminent. The address throughout was a 
 tender and eloquent tribute to the virtues of the departed and from 
 the beauty of his life was drawn a lesson of emulation to effort on the 
 part of all to cherish the inner life and to seek the better way. 
 
 "After the address the procession was formed. These societies 
 were in attendance and thus marched: Knights of Father Mathew, 
 Temperance Society, then the Knights of St. George and the St. Joseph 
 Benevolent Society. 
 
 "The honorary pall bearers were Fathers McGovern, Mackin, 
 Keating, Rotter, Weldon and Reinbold. The pall bearers appointed 
 
 68 
 
for the parish were C. Spellman, John Gorman, William Langton, 
 J. R. Murphy, J. R. Whalen and P. Carty. 
 
 "The funeral train was very long. First came the societies on foot 
 as above mentioned preceded by Spencer's band. The societies were 
 followed by hundreds of carriages. The procession moved in a heavy 
 rain. It first passed around the church block thus: down McBean to 
 Charlton, up Charlton to Johnson, then there was a counter-march to 
 Saratoga, down Saratoga past school, residence and church, thence 
 moved on down Cedar to Adams, down Adams to Main. Then the 
 societies opened ranks and permitted the hearse and carriages to pass 
 through, all standing with uncovered heads. The funeral train having 
 passed through the societies, disbanded there on account of the in- 
 clemency of the weather. The procession moved on up Main to High, 
 down High to Moss, thence to St. Mary's Cemetery. All along the line 
 of the procession a multitude stood in the pouring rain viewing the 
 funeral train, and thus paying silent respect to the honored dead. 
 
 "At the cemetery there was a brief service. Bishop Spalding pro- 
 nounced the last blessing. Silent prayers were said by those present, 
 and then all disbanded and left the dead to rest in hope of light, 
 beauty and joy, though the rain was falling on the new made grave." 
 
 AN ELOQUENT TRIBUTE 
 
 Bishop Spalding's Estimate of the Reverend 
 
 Father Michael Hurley. 
 
 "Bishop Spalding's oration over the remains of the Rev. Father 
 
 Hurley was one of the most eloquent tributes that ever fell on the 
 
 ears of mourners. Here is a summary and to those who knew Father 
 
 Hurley in life it will be as a pen picture of him who has gone. 
 
 I will not attempt to pronounce a formal eulogy over the re- 
 mains of Father Hurley. He would not wish it. He was averse to all 
 flattery or praise. If I seem to eulogize him, the reason is plain, for to 
 speak the truth of Father Hurley is but to praise him, 'I have fought 
 a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept my faith.' These 
 are the words he utters to us now gathered about what's mortal of 
 him. However, I may say that in every respect he was a fortunate 
 man. He was fortunate in the external conditions of life. Born in a 
 country where faith is pure, manners simple, and all virtues honored, 
 he grew up in an atmosphere of God. When he reached the beginning 
 of manhood he realized that his native country, though good, and 
 where he had been born and raised, still was not a pleasant place to 
 live. It was oppressed, wronged and impoverished, and all the ave- 
 nues to the highest human endowments were closed. He went forth, 
 and it was fortunate that he came to the land of the free where good 
 
 69 
 
will prevails, where a man is appreciated for what he is, not where 
 he was born, not for his religious belief, but for himself, his God-like 
 spirit. It is fortunate that he came to this country, and fortunate that 
 he came to the central west, the heart of the country, and cast his lot 
 with the people who will mould the American and form that kind of 
 man, and that character which shall be known to the world as an 
 American. Here in the midst of all peoples from the ends of the earth, 
 from all languages and customs this heterogeneous mass comes the 
 American. 
 
 "He was fortunate in becoming a priest, and locating here, 
 where the Catholic Church has grown so vigorously. When he was or- 
 dained there were not more than 30,000 to 40,000 Catholics in the 
 State of Illinois. There were few churches and few priests. The Catho- 
 lics were not organized, all was chaos, there were adverse opinions, 
 and elements hard to associate and harmonize. On every hand there 
 was disaster after disaster, trouble after trouble and defeat after de- 
 feat. Father Hurley began at St. Mary's Church when it had been 
 scarcely dedicated. It had been organized but the year before. At that 
 time it was thought the church was large enough to last for a century, 
 and he cast his lot in this vineyard. He lived to see that church over- 
 come scandal and delusion, and become one of the first to see 700,- 
 000 Catholics in the State, the priesthood scattered throughout the 
 State, not in the cities alone, but in the villages and farm houses. He 
 was indeed fortunate in outward indications. It is a strengthening 
 consolation, and encouragement to see our country prosper. To live in 
 a country like the west, where man rises from generation to genera- 
 tion to higher attainments, to higher manhood. It is a pleasure and 
 comfort to live for God and Jesus Christ when we see a breathing in- 
 to the souls of men of faith, good will, peace, joy and happiness, a 
 bringing about of the things God and noble men desire to see. 
 As for Father Hurley, concerning his private life in his native coun- 
 try, and in his adopted land, what can we say? You know, my fathers 
 and brothers, that he did not live who was more simple, plain, sen- 
 sible and truthful than Father Hurley. His whole character was built 
 on truthfulness, directness, honesty and sincerity. As a man he was 
 of the first quality. He was a real man, not the semblance of a man. 
 There was no mask; he pretended nothing that he was not; he used 
 no indirect means to gain an end, but walked before God. This kind 
 of a man makes us certain of one another, and we can live the better 
 with each other. He was a good friend, a good neighbor and a good 
 citizen. A man might well have him for a friend. He made no heroic 
 effort to be your friend, but he was true and attempted no personal 
 ends through your friendship. He was a good citizen, for he was 
 obedient in all things. He hardly ever spoke of patriotism of country, 
 but he lived like a patriot and was a patriot. 
 
 "As a priest he brought into the priesthood all these qualities as 
 a man. You cannot engraft a priest on a corrupt, lying character. 
 
 70 
 
Wherever he has lived the Catholic Church made progress. He had a 
 perfect faith, an old-fashioned faith, and was satisfied that he 
 worked for the Catholic Church, for God and Jesus Christ. As a priest 
 he had no ill-will toward anyone, man or woman. He believed in 
 peace and harmony. Few congregations loved its pastor more than 
 this one loved Father Hurley. He was not a man to be popular. He 
 was not an orator, and resorted to none of the arts and artifices to 
 become popular. He simply went his ways straight on. 
 
 "As Vicar General, and as one in authority, he did much in 
 bringing the priests into harmony. Much of the good will, harmony, 
 sense and willingness among the priests is due to Father Hurley. The 
 giving of authority is to help man, but it is not always a pleasant task. 
 It must sometimes be severe, but Father Hurley knew not this side. He 
 was always going straight and thought others would do likewise. He 
 was a blameless man, as white and unstained as the white flowers on 
 his casket, and carried his soul to the judgment seat. He was a con- 
 tented man and did not complain. Father Hurley liked Peoria. He 
 loved the city, liked the people. He was respected out of the church. 
 Protestants were glad to have him here, and he was glad to be here. 
 
 "Today we bury what is mortal of one of the best of God's men. 
 That is nothing to him. The highest testimony as we gather around 
 the mortal remains is that we can say nothing bad of him. When a 
 good man dies a universe dies. No one can be found to exactly take 
 his place. When a real man dies part of us goes out. So long as the 
 Catholic Church rears up such men as Father Hurley we can say that 
 we have outlived the age. In the gloom and rain we bear out the 
 body, but the soul is in the sunshine of God." 
 
 71 
 
72 
 
a s 
 
 35 K 
 
 :0 
 
 ®: Chapter VI j® 
 
 ®®m©m'®:®:®:®:®:®. 
 
 After Spalding wrote the life of his uncie, he did not return to Kentucky 
 but was appointed assistant pastor of St. Michael's Chruch in New York. It 
 was here that he developed into a public speaker and a preacher of great re- 
 nown. He concentrated largely on perfecting this talent. His sermons became 
 popular. The church was filled when it was announced that he was to preach. 
 This naturally brought him to the attention of his superiors; and, in 1876, he 
 was appointed to the newly-erected Diocese of Peoria in Illinois. 
 
 His consecration took place in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York on 
 Tuesday, May 1, 1877. Below is the account of the consecration as it appeared 
 in the New York Freeman's Journal Saturday, May 12, 1877:'"' 
 
 CONSECRATION 
 
 OF 
 
 RT. REV. JOHN LANCASTER SPALDING, D.D., 
 
 BISHOP OF PEORIA, ILL. 
 
 "Rt. Rev. John Lancaster Spalding, D.D., late of St. Michael's 
 Church in this city, and nephew to the Most Rev. Martin John Spald- 
 ing, D.D., late Archbishop of Baltimore, was raised to the sublime 
 dignity of the Episcopate, on Tuesday, May 1st, in St. Patrick's 
 Cathedral, in this city, by His Eminence Cardinal McCloskey, Arch- 
 bishop of New York. Dr. Spalding is the first Prelate consecrated by 
 the first American Cardinal, or by any Cardinal in America. He was 
 
 'By Courtesy of the I'nited States Library of Congress 
 
 73 
 
born in Lebanon, Kentucky, on June 2d, 1840, and was ordained, as 
 before stated, (cum dispensatione in aetate) December 19, 1863, and 
 was preconized Bishop of the new See of Peoria, 111., by His Holiness 
 Pope Pius IX, at the Consistory held November 27, 1876. 
 
 "The ceremonies of the Consecration were performed with all 
 the solemnity prescribed by the Roman Pontifical, and were attended 
 by a large concourse of Prelates, Priests and people. 
 
 "Shortly after 10 o'clock, the procession entered the Pro-Cathe- 
 dral in the following order: 
 
 "Rev. John A. Hurley, of St. Michael's, New York, as As- 
 sistant Master of Ceremonies. 
 Acolytes. Cross Bearer. Acolytes. 
 
 Sanctuary Boys in Cassock and Cotta. 
 The Rev. Clergy in Cassock and Surplice. 
 The Bearers of the Offerings. 
 Rev. J. M. Farley, Master of Ceremonies, and his Assist- 
 ant, Rev. W. C. Hogan. 
 Mgr. Silas E. Chatard, President of the American College 
 in Rome, and Mgr. Robert Seton, Pastor of St. 
 Joseph's Church, Jersey City. 
 Rt. Rev. James A. Healy, D.D., Bishop of Portland, Me., 
 and Rt. Rev. Ramon Maria Moreno y Castaneda, 
 Vicar Apostolic of Lower California. 
 Rt. Rev. M. A. Corrigan, D.D., Bishop of Newark, and 
 Rt. Rev. Joseph Dwenger, D.D., C.PP.S., Bishop of 
 
 Fort Wayne. 
 Rt. Rev. Thomas A. Becker, D.D., Bishop of Wilming- 
 ton, and Rt. Rev. J. F. Shanahan, D.D., Bishop 
 of Harrisburg. 
 Rt. Rev. Silvester H. Rosecrans, D.D., Bishop of Colum- 
 bus, and Rt. Rev. John J. Conroy, D.D., Bishop 
 of Albany. 
 Rt. Rev. P. N. Lynch, D.D., Bishop of Charleston, and 
 
 Rt. Rev. John Loughlin, D.D., Bishop of Brooklyn. 
 Rt. Rev. John Lancaster Spalding, D.D., Bishop-elect of 
 Peoria, with his two Assistant Bishops, Rt. Rev. Dr. 
 Gibbons, and Rt. Rev. Dr. Foley, Bishop of 
 Richmond and Chicago, respectively. 
 His Eminence Cardinal McCloskey and his attendants. 
 "The ceremonies commenced immediately with a Solemn Pontifi- 
 cal Mass, celebrated by the Consecrator, Cardinal McCloskey, 
 attended by Very Rev. Wm. Quin, V. G., as Assistant Priest; Rev. 
 Arthur J. Donnelly, of St. Michael's, N. Y., and Rev. M. Hurley, of 
 Peoria, as Deacons of Honor; Rev. Thos. J. Ducey, of St. Michael's, 
 
 74 
 
N. Y. as Deacon of the Mass, and Rev. B. J. Spalding, of Louisville, 
 Ky., (brother of the Bishop-elect) as Subdeacon. Over one hundred 
 priests also participated in the ceremonies. 
 
 The form of Consecration of a Bishop is now so well known 
 as to render its repetition unnecessary." 
 
 The May 19, 1877, issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper carried this wood 
 engraving picturing the consecration of Bishop Spalding in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New 
 York, on May I. 1877 
 
 Courtesy Peoria Register 
 
 The sermon was preached by the Right Reverend Bishop Silvester Rose- 
 crans of Columbus, Ohio. At the conclusion of his sermon, Bishop Rosecrans 
 said: 
 
 "In conclusion, let me say to the young chosen one who today 
 has received the episcopal consecration, who goes forth on the same 
 mission and with about the same resources as that undertaken by the 
 
 75 
 
Bishop John Lancaster Spalding at time of his consecration in New York, May 1, 1877. 
 
 76 
 
apostles, that henceforth he must be alone in the world. His duties, 
 his position, will necessarily make him without any one to lean 
 upon; but all will expect to lean upon him. I congratulate both the 
 Church and him on his accession to the episcopacy, but in how dif- 
 ferent a sense! The Church — that is, our brethren of the episcopacy 
 and of the clergy — have one in him, coming, as he does, from gens 
 a sacerdotas — a family of priests — who have supported the fabric 
 of our religion in this country and will maintain its honor, not only 
 among Catholics, but will defend it also among those who are not 
 Catholics. We look, therefore, upon him as a gem, literally, in the 
 crown of the Church in America. Our Lord invites him by this con- 
 versation to a closer relationship in His holy family; for truly, when 
 the gold cross is hung around his neck, then the heavy cross of 
 sorrow, disappointment and responsibility will also be hung on his 
 heart. He is to wear the crown of thorns, and it will press more 
 sharply around his brows than if he had never been promoted to 
 this high dignity. Still, as I stand here, and the memories of his boy- 
 hood, and of my fresh manhood in the priestly life cluster around 
 me, I can see, better than I could then, reason why we should both 
 feel consoled; for the time is so short it seems but yesterday when 
 we were together at the college — and yet years and years have 
 flown away. So it will be years hence; and when at our dying day 
 we shall look back again and remember where we met, the time then 
 also will seem as if it were but a day — and it is but a day. Oh, my 
 brethren, let us so conduct ourselves that, in looking back upon this 
 dream of our lives, we may never have occasion to regret, but, on 
 the contrary, have occasion to look forward with hope and confidence 
 to Him who is the reward of all good." 7 
 
 The National Democrat of Peoria describes the arrival of Bishop Spald- 
 ing in Peoria and his installation in its issue of Wednesday, May 23, 1877: 
 
 BISHOP SPALDING 
 
 His Arrival in Peoria the Occa- 
 sion of a Grand Demonstration. 
 
 He is Met at La Salle By Thirty 
 Prominent Catholics of Peoria. 
 
 And is tendered a Reception at 
 the Academy Last Evening. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 77 
 
The Excursion to La Salle 
 
 "With a cool air and very little dust, a combination that made 
 travelling altogether delightful, and with a cloudy sky, which 
 threatened rain that fortunately did not fall, a company of about 
 thirty prominent Catholics of Peoria left the city yesterday morning 
 at 9:10 o'clock via the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad to 
 meet the Right Reverend John Lancaster Spalding, the First Bishop 
 of Peoria, on his coming to the seat of his See, and of accompanying 
 him hither. Among the party were Rev. Bernard Baak, Pastor of St. 
 Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Hon. M. C. Quinn, Hon. L. 
 Harmon, Dr. Joseph Studer, Messrs. M. Henebery, F. C. Misner, 
 Simon Treffeger, Charles Burke, John Gorman, Fred Lammers, 
 John Ryan, Daniel Higgins, Bernard Cramer, P. A. Cramer, P. 
 Delehanty, N. Bergan, Peter Carty, Peter Coffee, T. J. Duggas, Chas. 
 Hollahan, Edward O'Brien, John J. Graham, Charles Richards, John 
 Dolan, J. R. Murphy, William Murphy, J. Wooster, Jacob Hadock, 
 P. Bartle. 
 
 "At Henry, Father Von Schweider, of that City, joined the party. 
 They enjoyed the privacy of a special car, of which Mr. N. Bergan 
 was chosen conductor. 
 
 "After leaving Peoria, the party was called to order, and on 
 motion, Mr. L. Harmon was chosen chairman of the delegation. 
 
 "It had been the original intention to go only as far as Bureau 
 Junction, but it was afterwards decided to go to La Salle, as there 
 was plenty of time to do so. 
 
 "After a pleasant ride, which all seemed to enjoy, the party 
 arrived at La Salle at 12 o'clock, and went to the Harrison House, 
 where they did full justice to an excellent dinner. An hour re- 
 maining before the arrival of the train containing the Bishop and his 
 party was passed in walking about the deserted town and viewing 
 its dingy, dilapidated buildings, marked by an air of neglected antiq- 
 uity.There is one notable exception, and that is the Catholic Church, 
 which is a very fine large building. 
 
 "The train, containing the Bishop and party, arrived at La 
 Salle from Chicago at 2:10 P.M. The special car containing the 
 Peoria delegation was attached to the train, which then moved on. 
 Soon after starting, Bishop Spalding escorted by Mr. Harmon, 
 entered the car. His entry was the signal for all the delegates to 
 rise and take off their hats. The Bishop then walked slowly down the 
 aisle and each one was presented to him in turn by Mr. Harmon. 
 To each he extended his right hand, which they took in theirs and 
 kissed. For each he had a pleasant smile and word, and 
 he seemed right well pleased to see the representation that had come 
 to welcome him to his See. He then was given a seat in the centre 
 of the car, where he conversed with those present on the way to 
 
 78 
 
Peoria. He was accompanied from Chicago by Bishop Foley, of 
 Chicago, whose See formerly included the See of Peoria, and Father 
 Reardon and Rev. Dr. McMullen, both of Chicago, and also by 
 Rev. John A. Fanning of Fairbury. 
 
 The Demonstration in Peoria 
 
 "The party arrived at the depot in Peoria at 5 o'clock in the 
 afternoon. Never before in the history of the City was there such a 
 crowd gathered around a depot to welcome any personage or party. 
 A sea of upturned eyes, anxious to catch a glimpse of the new 
 Bishop, surrounded the train on all sides. They surged in a dense 
 mass of men, women and children, on the platform of the depot, on 
 Water Street, and on Liberty Street as far up as Adams, and along 
 the line of procession from the depot to St. Mary's Church the 
 streets were lined with spectators. 
 
 "It was with much difficulty that a passage through the crowd 
 was made for the Bishop and his party to their carriages. Bishop 
 Spalding and Bishop Foley took seats in an open carriage together. 
 When all arrangements had been completed the procession moved. 
 It was the longest and most imposing procession ever gotten up by 
 the Catholics or Irish Americans. Every society turned out in larger 
 numbers than ever before. 
 
 "The procession moved up Liberty Street to Adams, up Adams 
 to Main, up Main to Jefferson, and up Jefferson to St. Mary's Church, 
 corner of Eaton and Jefferson Streets. 
 
 "Here Bishop Spalding and party entered the church, followed 
 by the procession and accompanying people, who soon packed the 
 church to its utmost capacity, and many were unable to obtain 
 admittance. Bishop Foley, of Chicago, made a brief address, in which 
 he referred to his former connection with what is now the See of 
 Peoria, and introduced his successor to that See, Bishop Spalding, 
 who also made an address, expressing his thanks for the reception 
 that had been tendered him by the people, and concluded by pro- 
 nouncing a benediction upon them. 
 
 The Reception 
 
 "In the evening Bishop Spalding held a reception in the study hall of 
 the Academy of the Sisters of St. Joseph, corner of Madison and Eaton 
 Streets. . . . Mr. Harmon presided and introduced Rev. John A. Fanning of 
 Fairbury, who, in behalf of the clergy of the Diocese, welcomed the Bishop in 
 the following words: 
 
 Right Rev. Lord: As your old friend and fellow-student and 
 now one of the oldest priests in your Diocese, I bid you welcome to 
 
 79 
 
the See of Peoria. You are no stranger to me. Neither are you a 
 stranger to the priests of your Diocese, nor even to the laity. Your 
 career in our common Alma Mater is known to all of us for its 
 brilliancy. Your subsequent triumphs as a writer and preacher and 
 lecturer not only in the Archdiocese of New York and in the Diocese 
 of Louisville but throughout the whole East is a matter of public 
 history. We are not concerned that you may feel appalled at the 
 great undertaking of building up a new See. Still I assure you that 
 in your endeavor you will have the consideration and hearty cooper- 
 ation of your clergy. Some of your subjects have grown old in the 
 ministry. They pledge you the support which their gray hairs warrant 
 them capable of giving. We who are more youthful guarantee the 
 assistance which the healthy bodies and the warm hearts which 
 manhood's prime ever generously affords. 
 
 'Yourself a western man, your heart must beat in unison with 
 ours. You have toiled in the field as we have toiled. You must 
 build up as your illustrious uncle has built up. Since I have mentioned 
 his name, let me say that if you fail to add new lustre to your great 
 name the fault will not be that of your faithful subjects. 
 
 'Go forth, then, young Prelate. The Church has enriched you 
 with the fullness of spiritual benediction. We will look to you that 
 you wield the staff with merciful severity in correcting vice and 
 fostering virtue; by soothing, rather than irritating. The token which 
 you now wear on your finger is an emblem of your fidelity to the 
 Church, and such as yours is, ours will be. We know that the mitre 
 will actively possess the power which it signifies with the honor of 
 both testaments. Like another Moses, you will appear terrible to the 
 foes of truth. Your hands in consecration were encompassed as were 
 Jacob's, and we hope in consequence that you will not handle your 
 priests without gloves. In fine, Right Rev. Bishop, we predict a 
 mighty future for your Diocese, which is the garden of the Garden 
 State. While the laity will labor to bring forth the earthly fruits, we, 
 with you at our head, will labor to bring forth the spiritual fruits, 
 knowing, as we do, that the fertility of the bosom of the faithful 
 is not unsurpassed by the fertility of the soul which they cultivate. 
 We trust moreover that you will live long to transplant the roses 
 which you will cause to blow into a heavenly garden, where wither- 
 ing and death are things unknown.' 
 
 "Hon. M. C. Quinn was then introduced and spoke substantially as 
 follows: 
 
 'Rt. Rev. Bishop Spalding: In behalf of the laity of your 
 new Diocese, I have the honor to offer a few words expressive of 
 their sentiments towards you. 
 
 'During the last two years we expected — from day to day — 
 that a new Diocese would be created and this City selected as the 
 
 80 
 
seat of government; and when our expectations were realized, and a 
 distinguished clergyman of this City was named for the position, 
 now so worthily filled by yourself, we were pleased beyond expres- 
 sion. 
 
 'Your consecration as the First Bishop of Peoria has created a 
 new era in the religious history of this place, and has filled our 
 breasts with sentiments of pleasure. It may be said that our people 
 would be pleased, no matter who was appointed. Possibly so, but 
 their pleasure would not be so great as to know that the appointee 
 was a Spalding, for throughout the great northwest — aye, through- 
 out the country — the name of Spalding, among all intelligent 
 Catholics, is a household word. 
 
 'Earnestly, truthfully, heartily, we welcome you to your new 
 home. You are to us no stranger. For years we have been brought 
 near together, thought to thought, through your writings, which 
 have stirred our hearts and convinced our judgments. 
 
 'Coming to us from a family that has so long borne the cross 
 and fought the battles of the Holy Church, with pen and tongue — 
 coming, too, from glorious old Kentucky — we bid you welcome. 
 
 'You shall have our confidence, our respect, our love! You shall 
 find a place in our hearts — for our purpose is to make you so much 
 at home that you shall in truth be at home. We hope that you will 
 confide in us, make known to us your wants and desires, and we 
 shall cheerfully come to your aid. 
 
 In all your cares, sorrows, and sufferings come to us, and we 
 will take upon our own hands the burdens and within our breasts 
 the sorrow. Young in years, robust in body, matured in intellect, 
 the prospect is cheering that there are many years of usefulness in 
 store for you among us as our Bishop. 
 
 In conclusion I bid you, in behalf of the laity of Peoria, irre- 
 spective of creed, a hearty welcome and express the hope that it may 
 be a long time before we or those who follow us are called upon 
 to receive the second bishop.' 
 
 "In reply to the remarks of these two gentlemen, Bishop Spald- 
 ing spoke very modestly and appropriately. The encomiums and com- 
 pliments that had been pressed upon him, although sincerely meant 
 and honestly spoken, yet had no foundation in truth, as he knew 
 he had not a claim upon their confidence and respect. Yet he felt 
 as one of them, for it is such a noble and glorious thing to be a 
 Catholic that wherever one goes he does not feel a stranger, and he 
 did not feel a stranger here. He had left associations and friends that 
 were near and dear to him to come here, but he knew that he would 
 soon forget the sacrifice, if sacrifice it was, among the people here, for 
 it is not a sacrifice to serve in a cause that is highest and noblest. He 
 felt a pleasure that would be perennial that he had been received in a 
 manner so Catholic and so generous, and if he should ever prove un- 
 worthy of the trust committed to him in his efforts to build up the 
 
 81 
 
Church, it would not be from his own free consent. He came to them 
 under auspicious circumstances, and he felt grateful to them, and he 
 was honored and strengthened by the expressions of sympathy and 
 good will. 
 
 "Those who desired then stepped forward and were introduced 
 to Bishop Spalding." 
 
 St. Mary's Cathedral, Peoria, Illinois, at the time of John Lancaster Spalding's installation 
 
 Courtesy Peoria Register 
 
 82 
 
©©©©©©©©©©©.' 
 
 TV 
 
 © 
 
 ;©: Chapter VII § 
 
 ©©©© .©:.©.©: © © © :©: 
 
 The territory of the Diocese of Peoria includes some eighteen thousand 
 square miles in central and north-central Illinois. The original Diocese of 
 Peoria, when John Lancaster Spalding was appointed in 1877, covered less 
 territory. La Salle, Rock Island, Bureau, and Putnam Counties were added to 
 the Peoria Diocese in 1880 during the inter-regnum after the death of Bishop 
 Foley of Chicago. The Diocese of Peoria in 1877 included the following 
 counties: Mercer, Henderson, Warren, Hancock, McDonough, Schuyler, 
 Henry, Knox, Fulton, Stark, Peoria, Mason, Marshall, Woodford, Tazewell, 
 Logan, Livingston, McLean, DeWitt, Piatt, Champaign, and Vermilion. 
 
 Within these confines, Bishop Spalding's work was so outstanding that 
 it was noticed by all. Churches, schools, and charitable institutions came into 
 existence; parishes were made strong; scattered communities were united into 
 parishes; a representative priesthood was formed — and all of this accom- 
 plished in such a kind and skillful manner that it was said at the time of his 
 Jubilee in 1902 that not once in those twenty-five years had an appeal been 
 made against his judgment. 
 
 It is not necessary to mention at length the increase in population in 
 his diocese during his administration, the growth of institutions, the material 
 progress — and there were wonderful accomplishments along these lines. 
 Mention can properly be made here of the erection of St. Mary's Cathedral. 
 This was dedicated May 15, 1889, and was a memorable event in the ecclesiasti- 
 cal history of Peoria. Assisting Bishop Spalding at the dedication were Arch- 
 bishops Feehan of Chicago and Ireland of St. Paul; Bishops Ryan of Alton, 
 Janssens of Belleville, and Cosgrove of Davenport. A masterly sermon was 
 
 83 
 
Archbishop John L. Spalding shortly after his consecration as Bishop of Peoria 
 
 preached by Archbishop Hennessey of Dubuque. Nearly all the priests of the 
 diocese were present, and the church was filled to its capacity. 
 
 Archbishop Spalding built at his own expense Spalding Institute, equipped 
 it, and gave it to the Diocese. This was a model high school for boys. 
 Archbishop Spalding had revenue from his lectures and writings; and he 
 built and equipped this high school and made it his personal gift. It opened 
 its doors at the beginning of the school year in 1901. It continues to flourish 
 under the direction of the Viatorian Fathers. 
 
 84 
 
St. Mary's Cathedral, Peoria, Illinois. Dedicated May 15, 1889 
 
 Courtesy Pevriit Register 
 
 85 
 
Spalding Institute, Peoria, Illinois 
 
 Courtesy Peoria Register 
 
 Archbishop Ryan of Philadelphia said that Archbishop Spalding had the 
 best-administered diocese in the country. It has been said that his diocese was 
 the least-governed and the best-governed. His immediate successor said that 
 he found the diocese in splendid condition and that Archbishop Spalding 
 gave an excellent administration. John Lancaster Spalding felt that the priests 
 and people of his diocese had the general laws of the Church to guide them and 
 seldom needed new rules to govern their conduct. All that was required from 
 
 86 
 
him was direction and supervision. Diocesan laws and regulations were re- 
 duced to a minimum, as far as was consistent with good order in his diocese 
 and with the salvation of souls. He has said, in Socialism and Labor and Other 
 Arguments, "The tendency of good government is to make government un- 
 necessary." He taught his people by example as well as by precept. At a dio- 
 cesan synod, he said, "If a pastor is not a Bishop in his own parish, it is his 
 own fault." 
 
 Bishop Spalding's concern was not alone the building of the physical and 
 the material, but rather in the building of the spiritual kingdom in the souls of 
 men. He taught his people by word and deed how to live in the love and fear 
 of God. He put something in their hearts that has never died. It lives today in 
 their children and in their children's children, and so it shall be for generations 
 yet unborn. Anticipating the wishes of the Third Plenary Council by several 
 years, he issued the following Pastoral Letter to be read in all the churches to 
 the faithful of the diocese: 
 
 "Peoria, February 18, 1882 
 
 "Rev. and Dear Sir: 
 
 "I herewith send you the diocesan regulations for Lent, and I 
 avail myself of this opportunity to say a few words to you on a sub- 
 ject of vital importance to the purity and progress of the faith. The 
 relations of the Church to conjugal and domestic society are essential 
 and intimate, and whenever Catholics are permitted to lose sight of 
 this truth, religious zeal and practical piety decay. 'All paternity,' 
 says St. Paul, in heaven and on earth, derives its name from God'; 
 and hence marriage, in its essence, its ends and its authority, as well 
 as from the fact of its institution, is sacred and of divine origin, and 
 in the religion of Christ, it is besides, a sacrament; the symbol of His 
 union with the Church and the means of conveying special graces to 
 those whom it binds in purity and love; and so to the family itself, 
 which is thereby grounded on faith and reverence, on chastity and 
 obedience. If the presence of Christ, at the home fireside, is not recog- 
 nized and confessed, the spirit of Christian faith and filial piety dies 
 out of the family; the sanctuary of God is profaned; and irreverence 
 and religious indifference take possession of the hearts of the young. 
 The urgent need of Catholic schools we all recognize; but if the fam- 
 ily is suffered to lose its religious character, it were folly to think that 
 any system of schools can prevent the loss of faith and the ruin of 
 souls. The first and most indispensable school, that which is the 
 basis of all others, which lays the foundation of character, which 
 moulds the heart, which gives to the mind its original turn, to the im- 
 agination its primal and ineffaceable tinge, is the family; and if it is 
 secular, or pagan, or religiously divided, or indifferent, what hope 
 can there be of saving its children to the Church? We hold it as a 
 principle that those who wish to enter the priesthood should try them- 
 selves and be tried through a long course of years, lest they unworth- 
 
 87 
 
ily or rashly assume a ministry in which they shall have to answer to 
 Jesus Christ for the souls of men, redeemed by His blood; but the 
 All-Wise and Just Judge will not first or chiefly hold the priest ac- 
 countable; He will demand the soul of the child first of all from the 
 father and mother, through whom it was brought into the world; and 
 if they shall have been careless in this matter, they shall be accounted 
 worse than infidels. When we look around us, it is impossible to be- 
 lieve that Catholics realize this truth; so thoughtlessly, so frivolously, 
 so recklessly, do they take upon themselves the greatest of all respon- 
 sibilities. Too often, like unbelievers, like men without God, they pro- 
 ceed as though they were wholly free in this matter, to follow their 
 whims and fancies, without any regard to the divine law or the com- 
 mandments of the Church. Their present passion is their only guide; 
 and in too many instances a life of misery, and a death of modified 
 despair, is the penalty. They speculate in marriage, as though it were 
 a commercial business, and think that the best which offers the great- 
 est reward in money or position; and the mothers and the fathers are 
 too generally the teachers of this wisdom of the world and the devil. 
 Of the existence of such evils there is no more lamentable or frequent 
 example than the custom, for so it has grown to be with us, of inter- 
 marrying with those who have no faith or a different religion from 
 ours. Such marriages are, in their very nature, un-Christian and 
 wrong; and have so been regarded by the Church in all ages; and if 
 a sort of forced consent is given, it is as a mother sees her daughter 
 marry one who she knows will break her heart, but yields in despair 
 of offering effective opposition. 
 
 "How can people who disagree concerning interests which are 
 eternal, absolute, of infinite moment, and nearest to the most sensi- 
 tive and central nature of the soul, be truly united in anything? 
 
 'With the holy,' says St. Ambrose, 'thou shalt be holy, and 
 with the perverse thou shalt be perverted. If this be true in other 
 things, with how much greater force does it not apply to marriage? 
 * * * * Disagreeing in faith, they cannot believe, they cannot hope, 
 that He, whom they do not worship together, will impart His grace 
 to their marriage. Reason teaches this; but examples give more strik- 
 ing proofs of its truth. Often does the seductive influence of woman 
 circumvent even strong men, and make them fall from their religion. 
 And for this reason ought you to hold your affection under admoni- 
 tion and guard against error. The first thing therefore to be sought in 
 marriage is religion.' 
 
 "St. Augustine enforces the same truth in the following words: 
 'These unhappy people, believing in Christ, take their food at home 
 in common, but the table of Christ they cannot have in common. 
 Must we not weep when we behold husband and wife vowing to each 
 other in Christ to have their bodies faithfully united, while they tear 
 and rend the body of Christ through attachment to different com- 
 munions? Great is the scandal, great, too, the devil's triumph, great 
 the ruin of souls.' St. Ambrose, with Benedict XIV, and other 
 
 88 
 
Popes, calls such marriages sacrilegious; and hence when the priest 
 assists at these unions, he stands outside the Church, in a profane 
 place, and as though with averted countenance. There is no Mass, no 
 blessing, no sacred rite, but the bare legal attestation that the Church 
 has ceased to protest, since her voice would fall upon ears that are 
 deaf. Promises, indeed, are always made, and often in good faith, but 
 they cannot be kept,, and exceptions to the rule are rare accidents. 
 They promise to bring up their children in the Catholic faith, but 
 how is this possible, when in the atmosphere of home, in that silent 
 and unnoticed way in which the young acquire their opinions and be- 
 liefs, the child absorbs contradictory and incompatible principles of 
 religion? His mother prays, his father curses; his mother goes to 
 church, his father goes to the saloon; his mother confesses her sins, 
 his father is content for such business is not hidden from him. What 
 must be the final outcome of such opposite influences? Indifference 
 and no religion. Or if the husband and wife do not live in peace and 
 love, the children will range themselves on opposite sides, and faith, 
 which should be the bond of unity becomes the nurse of discord. The 
 home of a Catholic should be a Catholic home, a sanctuary of religion, 
 made beautiful and holy by religious observances; by night and morn- 
 ing prayers in common; by blessing and thanksgiving before and 
 after meals; by the presence of the crucifix and images of the 
 Blessed Virgin and the Saints; by special devotions in sacred seasons, 
 as in Lent and the month of May, and by the unnoticed symbols of 
 reverence and love that clothe the family circle as with an atmosphere 
 of heaven. But where there is one, who, though in silence, would look 
 coldly and askant at all this, such unfolding of the flowers of piety, 
 which are so fair and beautiful to infant minds, is checked in the bud 
 and blighted, and holy reverence which is found in all great minds 
 and loving hearts, loses its best nurture. The greatest evil, then, in 
 this marriage of people, who as regards their soul's faith, stand on 
 opposite sides of an abyss which neither is likely ever to pass over, is 
 not in the fact that in such marriage there can be no perfect union of 
 heart, no complete sympathy, no entire revelation of each to each, and 
 consequently not that peace and contentment which such union ought 
 to bring; but it is found in this other fact, that in such wedlock deep 
 religion and earnest piety are impossible, while the children of the 
 religiously divided families, almost inevitably grow up in indiffer- 
 ence; and sooner or later fall away from the faith altogether. The 
 individuals, and even families,' says Bishop Ullathorne, writing of 
 England, 'that have fallen from the Church through mixed marriages, 
 amount to numbers incredible to those who have not examined the 
 question thoroughly; and the number of Catholics bound at this mo- 
 ment in mixed marriages, who live in a hard and bitter conflict for 
 the exercise of their religion, for that of their children, and in certain 
 cases for the soundness of their moral life, could they with all the 
 facts, be known, would deter any thoughtful Catholic from contract- 
 ing a mixed marriage.' These words, I am persuaded, apply with 
 
 89 
 
equal truth and force to our own country; and I exhort you, there- 
 fore, Reverend and dear Sir, by the love you bear for the souls of the 
 people committed to your charge, to spare no labor to impress on 
 their minds and consciences the evils and dangers of such marriages. 
 'All know,' says Gregory XVI, 'what the Catholic Church has always 
 felt about these marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics; that 
 she has always reprobated them because of the disgraceful com- 
 munion in divine things, the peril of perversion impending over the 
 Catholic, and the perverse training of the children.' And Clement 
 XI declares that the Church 'abhors these marriages.' A bishop has 
 no power to grant dispensations of this kind, except for reasons al- 
 together just and grave; but the only reason which and by far the 
 greater number of cases can be truly and honestly alleged, is that an 
 engagement exists between the parties, and they are bent upon marry- 
 ing. This is plainly a mock reason, the putting forward one's sin as 
 a claim to indulgence and privilege; and there can be little cause for 
 surprise that God's blessing does not rest upon unions which are 
 formed in willful disregard of His holy law. With the request that 
 you either read this circular to your congregation, or explain the sub- 
 ject to them yourself, I am 
 
 "Very truly yours, 
 "J. L. Spalding, 
 Bishop of Peoria" 
 
 The above Pastoral Letter is self-explanatory and is an example of Archbi- 
 shop Spalding's solicitude for the spiritual welfare of his people. There follows 
 below another letter, which is further illustration of his concern for their well 
 being. This letter deals with the subject of Catholic education. 
 
 "Peoria, Nov. 15, 1903 
 "Reverend and Dear Sir: 
 
 "In obedience to the wish and directions of Pope Pius X, the 
 visible head of the Church, a collection for the Catholic University 
 will be taken up in all parishes and missions of his diocese on the first 
 Sunday of Advent, November 20. It has never been my good fortune 
 to order a collection with so much satisfaction as this, for I believe 
 and am certain that the most vitally important Catholic institution in 
 America is our University, and I am persuaded that it can never right- 
 ly prosper until the mind and heart and conscience of the whole Cath- 
 olic people become actively interested in its welfare. A great church, 
 making its way in the midst of a strong, eager and advancing people, 
 must be inspired, guided and defended by men whose religious faith 
 and moral earnestness are illumined and invigorated by the best 
 knowledge and the highest intellectual culture, and to have such men 
 we must create a center where our students, who are most richly en- 
 dowed and most earnestly bent on improving their talents, may 
 
 90 
 
gather and be brought into vital contact with enlightened minds and 
 with one another. Such a center of spiritual power every true univer- 
 sity is, and such an one our own shall more and more become. The 
 work it has done in the brief time of its existence is greater than any- 
 one recognizes. The fact of its creation was an attestation that Amer- 
 ican Catholics would no longer content themselves with increase in 
 numbers. If we are to render the noblest service to our country we 
 must get the best education, and to remain indifferent while our fel- 
 low-citizens who are not Catholics think no sacrifice too great when 
 there is a question of founding and developing institutions of higher 
 learning, would be to confess ourselves inferior and unworthy. To 
 know the priests and people of the diocese of Peoria is to be certain 
 of their readiness to cooperate in every right and noble cause and I 
 am confident that their contribution on this occasion will be no in- 
 adequate expression of their generous nature and of their intelligent 
 appreciation of the indispensable need of a great and richly endowed 
 American Catholic University. You will, Reverend and dear Sir, 
 read this circular to your people at all the masses on next Sunday, 
 and elaborate what I have suggested, and on the following Sunday 
 you will take up the collection, which I trust will be no mean evidence 
 of our loving obedience to the Vicar of Christ and of our deep and 
 abiding interest in the cause of Catholic education. 
 
 "Faithfully yours, 
 "J. L. Spalding, 
 Bishop of Peoria" 
 
 In the administration of his Diocese and in the direction of his people, 
 Archbishop Spalding felt that the spiritual should predominate; that it 
 would remain if other things passed away. Osborn, in his work on The 
 Middle Ages, expresses this thought. After describing the material and 
 physical accomplishments of the Middle Ages, he said: ". . . our modern 
 conception of the Christian virtues, for example, as applied in conduct and 
 still so applicable, is beyond all doubt an everlasting heirloom bequeathed 
 to all mankind from the Middle Ages. The Great Cathedrals whose frozen 
 music' expresses the aspirations and inspirations of the faithful, the Sunnna 
 of St. Thomas Aquinas, who justified his faith in terms of Aristotelian reason- 
 ing, Dante's Divine Comedy — which is the most stupendous picture of 
 man's Hereafter ever drawn by man's unconquerable mind — all these mighty 
 and momentous achievements may pass into dust and oblivion, but there will 
 still remain the temple of the Christian virtues built in the heart of man." 
 
 The Episcopal Jubilee of the Right Reverend John Lancaster Spalding 
 was observed on May 1, 1902. The Peoria Journal of that date reported the 
 event: 
 
 "The exercises began with a grand procession of the local and 
 visiting clergy from Spalding Institute to St. Mary's Cathedral at 9:45 
 this morning, followed by the celebration of Solemn Pontifical High 
 Mass by Bishop Spalding at the Cathedral and the jubilee sermon, 
 
 91 
 
preached by Cardinal Gibbons. *** Bishop Spalding entered the 
 Cathedral, whose splendid proportions are an eloquent tribute to 
 some of the work the Bishop has accomplished in his twenty-five 
 years here, attended by three priests of the Diocese. * * * * At the 
 last came Cardinal Gibbons, robed in the brilliant scarlet of his 
 office, his refined and intellectual face a benediction in itself. * * 
 * * After the singing of the Gospel, Cardinal Gibbons was escort- 
 ed to the pulpit by two of the priests, where he read the Gospel of 
 the day before beginning his eloquent address. The Cardinal's voice 
 is not a strong one, but the beauty and clearness of his tone made 
 every word distinct to the very limits of the walls." 
 At the conclusion of his sermon Cardinal Gibbons said: 
 
 "I beg to congratulate you, Right Reverend Bishop, on the 
 double festivity we are celebrating today — the Consecration of this 
 Cathedral Church, and the Silver Jubilee of your own Consecration 
 as first Bishop of the See of Peoria. It was my good fortune to be 
 present at your Episcopal Consecration five and twenty years ago, 
 to this very day, and it was my privilege to be one of the assistant 
 consecrators on that occasion. 
 
 "I have watched your career as Chief Pastor of this Diocese with 
 profound interest and gratification, not only on account of my 
 personal friendship for yourself, but also because of my filial 
 affection for your venerable uncle, the illustrious Archbishop Spald- 
 ing of Baltimore, whom I loved and revered as my father in God. 
 
 "The splendid talents with which God has endowed you have 
 been employed not only in instructing the faithful of your own 
 Diocese, but also in enlightening your fellow citizens throughout 
 the land. Your zeal for God's Church has been made manifest by 
 the steady growth of religion here, during the last twenty-five 
 years. Churches and clergy, institutions erected in the cause of educa- 
 tion, of religion and humanity, have unceasingly multiplied during 
 your administration. When I survey the field and see what has been 
 accomplished in a quarter of a century; when I consider the thou- 
 sands of families coming to our shores from various parts of 
 Europe, and settling in this fruitful State of Illinois; when I con- 
 template the thousands of their children growing up at their sides, 
 and assimilated into one homogeneous body, inheriting the faith 
 of their fathers; when I behold their representatives assembled 
 before me in such large numbers, may not such a spectacle vividly 
 recall to my mind the Prophet's words, and may I not exclaim with 
 him in joyous accents: 'Arise, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy 
 light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. The 
 Gentiles shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brightness of thy 
 rising. Lift up thine eyes round about and see. All these are gathered 
 together, they are come to thee. Thy sons shall come from afar, and 
 thy daughters shall rise up at thy side. Then shalt thou see and 
 abound, and thy heart shall wonder and be enlarged, when the 
 
 92 
 
multitude of the sea shall be converted to thee, the strength of the 
 Gentiles shall come to thee.' 
 
 "You have been ably seconded by a loyal and devoted clergy, 
 upon whom you have impressed the character of your own zeal 
 and activity. Above all, you have been cheered and sustained by the 
 generous aid and cooperation of a pious and enlightened laity, 
 without whose support a Bishop can accomplish little or nothing. 
 An edifying and instructed laity is the glory and ornament of the 
 Church of God. 
 
 When the bishop, the clergy, and you, beloved brethren of the 
 laity, are united in the cause of God and humanity, you are in- 
 vincible. There is no such word as fail. You are an impregnable 
 phalanx. You form a triple cord that cannot be broken. You 
 constitute a triple alliance, more formidable than the triple alliance 
 of Germany, Austria and Italy, because yours is an alliance not 
 sustained by armed hosts, military prowess, and the material sword, 
 but an alliance upheld by the cohesive and enduring power of divine 
 love. 
 
 "And why, my brethren, should you not cooperate with your 
 Bishop and clergy? Have you not the same God and Father in 
 Heaven ? W ere you not all redeemed by the blood of the same Blessed 
 Savior? Are you not all sanctified by the same Spirit? There are 
 diversities of graces,' says the Apostle, but the same Spirit. There 
 are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord. There are diver- 
 sities of operations, but the same God who worketh all in all.' You 
 are in the same bark of Peter, tossed about by the same storms of 
 life, and steering towards the same eternal shores, prospective citizens 
 of the same heavenly kingdom. 
 
 "And surely there is no country on the face of this earth where 
 you can worship God according to the dictates of your conscience 
 with more freedom than in these United States, where there is 
 liberty without license, and authority without despotism. In 1870, 
 when returning from the Vatican Council, Archbishop Spalding and 
 myself were guests of a Bishop in Savoy. The Bishop resided in a 
 splendid palace, and a sentinel was pacing in front of his residence, 
 stationed there by the government as a guard of honor. I congratu- 
 lated the Bishop on his magnificent appointments, and the distinc- 
 tion that was paid to him. The Bishop shook his head, and replied 
 to me: 'All is not gold that glitters; I cannot build even a sacristy 
 without the permission of the government.' 
 
 "Thank God, no military satrap can stand between you and your 
 Bishop. Here the government holds over you the aegis of its pro- 
 tection without interfering with you in the exercise of your sacred 
 functions. 
 
 "May the happy conditions of things now existing among us 
 always continue, when the Bishops and clergy will have direct rela- 
 tions with the people, when prelates and priests will bestow on 
 their spiritual children their apostolic labors, their tender solicitude 
 
 93 
 
and fatherly affection, and pour out their heart's blood, if necessary, 
 and when they will receive in return the free will offerings, the devo- 
 tion and affection of a grateful people. 
 
 "Be loyal to your country and to your religion. No citizen of 
 the United States should be a drone in the social hive. No citizen 
 should be an indifferent spectator of the social, political, and econom- 
 ic events occurring around him. 
 
 "As we are protected by the strong arm of the government, 
 so should we all unite in sustaining the burden of the common- 
 wealth. Above all, take an abiding and a vital personal interest in 
 the welfare ot your holy religion. Let the language of the psalmist 
 be your inspiring watchword on this solemn occasion: If I forget 
 thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten. Let my tongue 
 cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I make 
 not Jerusalem the beginning of my joy.' 
 
 Among the distinguished visitors were His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, 
 of Baltimore; Archbishop Ireland, of St. Paul; Archbishop Keane, of Du- 
 buque; Archbishop Kain, of St. Louis; Archbishop Riordan, of San Francisco, 
 Bishops Gabriels, of Ogdensburg, N. Y.; McQuaid, of Rochester, N. Y.; 
 Byrne, of Nashville, Tenn.; Foley, of Detroit, Mich.; Messmer, of Green 
 Bay, Wis.; Shanley, of Fargo, S. D.; Cotter, of Winona, Minn.; Scannell, 
 of Omaha, Neb.; Burke, of St. Joseph, Mo.; Dunne, of Dallas, Tex.; Cosgrove, 
 of Davenport, la.; Glennon, of Kansas City, Mo.; Muldoon, of Chicago; 
 Ryan, of Alton; Janssen, of Belleville; Moeller, of Columbus; Conaty, of 
 Washington, D. C. ; Rt. Rev. Innocent Wolf, Abbott of St. Benedict's Abbey, 
 Atchison, Kans.; Rt. Rev. Monsignor Legris, of St. Viateur's College, Kan- 
 kakee, 111.; Rt. Rev. Monsignor J. B. Murray, President of St. Mary's Seminary, 
 Cincinnati, Ohio; Very Rev. J. Z. Zahm, Provincial of the Order of the Holy 
 Cross, Notre Dame, Ind.; Very Rev. M. J. Marsile, President of St. Viateur's 
 College, Kankakee, 111.; Rev. Joseph H. McMahon and Rev. M. A. Cunnion, 
 of New York City; Rev. Father P. Gavin, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of 
 Baltimore, who accompanied Cardinal Gibbons. 
 
 Besides these visiting dignitaries there were present some three hundred 
 priests from this and the surrounding states. 
 
 Archbishop John Ireland of St. Paul preached in the evening; and, in 
 conclusion, he said: 
 
 "Right Reverend Bishop Spalding, I speak not to praise or 
 flatter you; praise or flattery you would not allow. I speak for the 
 honor of our common priesthood, for the edification of the children 
 of the Church. 
 
 "I am entitled to speak. Over many years our friendship has been 
 extended. It has been such that I know you well — as few others 
 could have known you. Often we have met in converse; often soul 
 was poured into soul, and heart revealed to heart. Your manner of 
 life, your priestly and episcopal works have been constantly before 
 my eyes. Tonight I speak aloud what have been always the convic- 
 tion of my mind — you have been the true priest, the true bishop. 
 
 94 
 
"Twenty-five years in the episcopate, twelve or more years 
 previously spent in the priesthood — without stain or blemish — this, 
 my brethren, is what we praise today; this is what we are proud to 
 extol. Your Bishop's Priesthood is a Saintly Priesthood. It is pre- 
 eminently, too, a learned Priesthood. In an unusual degree has 
 knowledge adorned his brow; in an unusual degree he has been 
 willing and able to defend God's Church with eloquent tongue and 
 polished pen. The whole priestly body in America is grateful to 
 Bishop Spalding for the intellectual glory which his talents and his 
 assiduity in making them bear fruit have cast upon it. And has not 
 his priesthood been marked by exemplary zeal ? The first Bishop 
 of the Diocese of Peoria, he offers it today to the Church of America 
 a model Diocese, a Diocese rich in institutions of learning and of 
 charity, rich in the virtues of its clergy, rich in the treasures of faith 
 and of devotion that characterize its laity. And far beyond the limits 
 of his own Diocese, throughout the whole land, wherever work was 
 to be done for God or for humanity, Bishop Spalding has gone forth 
 with powerful word and act to serve the cause of truth and virtue. 
 The whole Church of America owes to Bishop Spalding a singular 
 debt of gratitude; and to pay this debt bishops and priests have 
 congregated today in Peoria from all parts, even the most remote, 
 of the continent. 
 
 "And who, as much as the Bishop of Peoria, has worked to 
 endow America with a worthy priesthood ? The Catholic University is 
 the pride, as it is the hope, of the American Church. And the Catholic 
 University was born of his intelligent understanding of the needs 
 of the times and his zeal in meeting those needs. He is the founder 
 of the University, and since its beginnings he has been its vigilant 
 guardian and its sturdy defender. As it grows in strength and use- 
 fulness, so will the glory of the name of Bishop Spalding and the 
 debt of gratitude which America owes to him. 
 
 "Bishop Spalding, ad multos annos. The Silver Jubilee of your 
 Episcopate finds you in the prime of manhood, rich in physical 
 health, rich in the freshness of matured thought and zeal. Many com- 
 ing years be with us; for many coming years labor for us. The jubilee 
 celebration is the morning of a new career, more illustrious and more 
 fruitful than that which closes. We are sure you will respond dili- 
 gently and energetically to the opportunities that open before you. 
 Hence I rejoice this evening; hence the priests and the laity of the 
 Diocese of Peoria rejoice with me; hence priests and Catholic people 
 of all America rejoice with us and pray to heaven with us — ad 
 multos annos." 
 
 Following the Pontifical High Mass, a banquet was held for the visiting 
 prelates and clergy. The following is a list of speakers and their toasts: 
 
 1. "Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII" — Cardinal Gibbons. 
 
 2. "Our Country" — Archbishop Patrick W. Riordan of San Francisco. 
 
 95 
 
3. "The Church In Our Country" — Archbishop John J. Keane of Dubuque. 
 
 4. "Our Diocese" — Reverend Dean Thomas S. Keating of Ottawa. 
 
 5. "A Tribute From The German Element" — Reverend Dean Herman Greve 
 
 of Peoria. 
 
 6. "Greetings to Our Jubilarian" — Dean Thomas Mackin of Rock Island. 
 
 7. "Our Jubilee Day" — The Very Reverend Francis J. O'Reilly, Rector of St. 
 
 Mary's Cathedral and Chancellor of Peoria Diocese. 
 
 8. "Congratulations From Home" — The Very Reverend J. A. Hogarty, 
 
 Lebanon, Kentucky. 
 
 9. "Response" — Right Reverend J. L. Spalding, Bishop of Peoria. 
 
 The gathering at the banquet was very much impressed by the words of 
 The Very Reverend J. A. Hogarty and his committee, speaking on behalf of 
 St. Augustine's Parish, Lebanon, Kentucky, the native parish of Bishop Spald- 
 ing. They brought with them resolutions, congratulations, and good will, 
 which follow: 
 
 "Right Reverend Bishop Spalding: 
 
 "On this, the Silver Jubilee of your consecration as Bishop, when 
 so many princes and prelates of the Church have assembled to pro- 
 claim the achievements of twenty-five years of arduous labors, and 
 by their appreciation of the glorious work already accomplished to 
 inspire your heart with new courage for the yet greater work before 
 you, may we hope that an humble tribute from your childhood's home 
 will not be wholly unwelcome? 
 
 "Amid the plaudits of the hierarchy, of those who have shared 
 with you the labor and the honors that are due to long and eminently 
 successful careers as worthy successors of the Apostles, the congrega- 
 tion of St. Augustine's in Lebanon, Ky., can only hope that a heartfelt 
 greeting from the friends and companions of your childhood, who 
 have sympathized with your every effort, and rejoiced at every succes- 
 sive triumph of your zeal and of your genius, will be acceptable as an 
 assurance that, in our case, the prophet is not without honor in his 
 own country. 
 
 "When thrilled with joyous pride at each recurring evidence of 
 your zeal and eminent abilities, and of the recognition so fully accord- 
 ed them throughout the Christian world, we have at all times claimed 
 you as our own — the product of our own Kentucky home, toward 
 which, we feel assured, your heart ever turns, in such moments of 
 leisure as may be permitted, from the engrossing labors of your 
 busy life. 
 
 "There are the friends and companions of your youth; in the 
 veins of many of whom the life blood flows from the same common 
 source; who, with you, are descendants of those hardy pioneers of 
 St. Mary's County of Catholic Maryland, and who recall, with affec- 
 tionate detail, your youthful trials and triumphs, the friendships of 
 boyhood's days, and the intimate associations of budding manhood. 
 
 96 
 
They proudly dwell upon the fact that there, amid the beautiful 
 scenery and in the bracing air of that favored land, within sound of 
 the bells of St. Augustine's, the faculties of your youthful mind 
 expanded, and the aspirations of your heart were directed and en- 
 nobled by the glorious traditions of a Nerincks, a Badin, a Fournier, 
 an Abell and other zealous priests, whose devoted labors yet bear 
 abundant fruit in the lives of our people, long after they have been 
 called to their reward. 
 
 "When, as a young man, you left the scenes of your boyhood 
 to procure the thorough equipment then obtainable only in Europe, 
 you had already given such evidence of strength and symmetry of 
 development that the congregation of St. Augustine's had bright 
 anticipations of a brilliant and useful career, and their prayers attend- 
 ed you on your journey. 
 
 "When you returned to your native state, an anointed priest 
 of God, an ambassador of Christ, filled with holy zeal, endowed with 
 untiring energy, with mind matured and exquisitely trained for the 
 work that was before you, we knew that the fruition of our hopes 
 could not be long delayed, that your efforts would compel, un- 
 sought, the admiration and applause of the world. We knew that 
 your capacity for useful and effective work would grow with the 
 expanding opportunities for its exercise, and that the field of your in- 
 fluence would correspondingly increase. 
 
 "Onward and upward has ever been your motto, and with that 
 boundless energy that is characteristic in your race and country, with 
 an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and a capacity for unremitting 
 labor, that, if not genius, is its inseparable companion, you have ac- 
 complished results that are the wonder and admiration of America 
 and of Europe, and have added glory and renown to the cause of the 
 Church. 
 
 "We leave to others the task of recounting those deeds; they are 
 part of history; from your building of the first church for colored 
 Catholics in the city of Louisville, yet standing as a monument to your 
 priestly zeal, to the successful foundation of the great Catholic Uni- 
 versity of America. But in that history, we feel special pride, and 
 claim the privilege of presenting this testimonial of our affectionate 
 esteem, with the assurance that, as heretofore, our prayers will ascend 
 to the throne of the Most High that you may long be spared for yet 
 greater triumphs in His service, for His greater glory, and that of His 
 Holy Church throughout the world." 
 
 "V. Rev. J. A. Hogarty, 
 Hon. J. P. Thompson, 
 Hon. H. W. Rives, 
 Committee on Behalf of 
 Congregation." 
 
 97 
 
98 
 
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 As a speaker and a writer, when he was at the peak of his greatness, 
 Bishop Spalding was almost without an equal. Monsignor John A. Ryan has 
 said, "Bishop Spalding was undoubtedly the greatest literary artist in the 
 entire history of the American Hierarchy. " s Theodore Maynard said that Spald- 
 ing was the greatest Catholic publicist since Brownson. He gave to every parish 
 in his diocese, whether large or small, the best he had. His sermons were always 
 carefully thought out, no matter where he spoke. In his mind, the people in the 
 smallest parish in his diocese deserved at least the same consideration as what 
 some might consider a more important gathering in the largest city in the na- 
 tion. Many times he confirmed and preached in the parish church in the morn- 
 ing and remained over and gave a lecture at night, the financial proceeds of 
 which he donated to the parish. Some of his greatest sermons and orations do 
 not appear in print. It was his custom to attend the priests' retreat at St. Bede 
 College, Peru, Illinois. There, at the close of the retreat, he gave a conference. 
 An old and learned priest of the diocese, now long since gone, has said, 
 "Though I have heard many of his sermons and lectures, he was at his best in 
 talking to his priests. Then it was that he rose to the very heights, and all his 
 vast erudition and golden eloquence were given to us." Another learned priest 
 who knew him has said, "It was an intellectual and spiritual treat to hear his 
 eloquent sermons. His voice was rich, melodious, and sonorous, and he used it 
 as an organist uses the varied and beautiful tones of his instrument. I remember 
 how the people of all faiths were wont to flock to the High Mass at the 
 Cathedral on Sunday, at which he was accustomed to preach." 
 
 One need only to look at the many organizations which called upon him 
 
 'Social Doctrine in Action by Rt. Rev. Msgr. John A. Ryan, 1941. Reprinted with permission of 
 Harper and Brothers 
 
 99 
 
to speak to recognize his standing as an orator. There is scarcely an edition of 
 the New World (Chicago) at the turn of the century which does not announce 
 a sermon, an address, or a lecture by him. He delivered an address at the Con- 
 vocation of the University of Chicago in 1899. He addressed the Teachers' 
 Convention at Columbus, Ohio. He delivered an address before the National 
 Educational Association, Detroit, Michigan, July 9, 1901, on "Progress in 
 Education." 
 
 Bishop Spalding was selected by President Roosevelt as a member of the 
 Anthracite Coal Strike Commission on October 16, 1902. The Commissioners 
 met with the President on the 24th of October. The following Sunday Bishop 
 Spalding gave a sermon at the High Mass at St. Patrick's Church in Washing- 
 ton. Many distinguished people were present, including Elihu B. Root, Secretary 
 of State. A reporter for the Boston Herald said, "He preached an eloquent 
 sermon on the Gospel of the day." On November 1 he gave the sermon at 
 High Mass at St. Peter's Cathedral, Scranton, Pennsylvania. The members of 
 the Coal Commission attended in a body. The New York Sun reported: 
 
 ". . . There was a great crush at St. Peter's Cathedral where Bish- 
 op Spalding was announced to speak. It was the first opportunity that 
 many in the city had of seeing the members of the Commission and 
 they turned out by the hundreds, men of all denominations, many 
 from the cities and towns up and down the valley. It was another indi- 
 cation of the intense interest that the people are taking in the doings 
 of the Commission. The Commissioners occupied front seats and 
 were evidently much pleased with the eloquence, force, and theme of 
 the Bishop. There was a great gathering of priests in the sanctuary, 
 including Bishop Hoban of the Scranton Diocese . . . The text of the 
 sermon was the tenth verse of the thirteenth chapter of St. Paul's 
 Epistle to the Romans: 'The love of our neighbor worketh no evil. 
 Love therefore is the fulfilling of the law.' The application of the 
 sermon to the task before the Strike Commission was so plain that 
 everyone understood." 
 
 January 11 Bishop Spalding preached in the Cathedral of Philadelphia; 
 and, as the Public Ledger And The Philadelphia Times of January 21, 1903, 
 reported, it was to a "congregation that would have required twice the capacity 
 of the edifice, as immense as it is, to seat." In New York City in February, he 
 spoke to a capacity gathering in Carnegie Hall, Archbishop John M. Farley 
 (later Cardinal Farley) presiding. 
 
 Two of his addresses attracted national and even international attention. One 
 was his address at the mass meeting following the assassination of President 
 William McKinley; the other was the address delivered at the memorial meet- 
 ing for John P. Altgeld, Illinois' great governor. 
 
 100 
 
The following message from the special Washington correspondent of 
 the Peoria Journal will give an idea as to the stature of Bishop Spalding in 
 these days: 
 
 Peoria Ecclesiast Accorded A Hearty Welcome At The National Capital. 
 
 Many Hear Him Speak. 
 
 Diplomats and Other Distinguished People in Audience 
 
 Reception In His Honor. 
 
 "Washington, D. C. Whenever Bishop Spalding, of Peoria, 
 comes to Washington he is received with a cordiality that reveals an 
 ever increasing circle of warm friends and ardent admirers. This time 
 he was seemingly the victim of bad weather, yet a large and brilliant 
 audience took the special train to the Catholic University last week 
 when he gave the opening lecture of the winter course. Again Satur- 
 day, at the reception given him by Mrs. Z. B. Vance, wife of the late 
 Senator Vance, his admirers gave him quite an ovation. 
 
 "Yesterday he lectured on the 'Higher Education of Woman' 
 in the auditorium of Columbian College; and again the rain of that 
 particularly disheartening variety for which Washington is famous, 
 did its utmost to distract attention. Still the hall was crowded with 
 some twelve hundred of highly intellectual people, including a goodly 
 sprinkling of university students, members of the diplomatic corps 
 and other prominent persons. 
 
 "The stage had been specially set with the finest procurable 
 palms until there seemed scarce room for half dozen notables sur- 
 rounding Cardinal Gibbons and Monsignor Martinelli, Apostolic 
 Delegate to the United States." 
 
 Many tributes have been paid the literary genius of Bishop Spalding. 
 Reverend Patrick J. Carroll said of him in the Ave Maria in August of 1931: 
 
 "At the end of the last century and at the beginning of this, he 
 was not less than a figure. Archbishop Spalding was to his generation 
 a high call to the quieter forms of education. Books, seclusion, the 
 joy of growing in mental life, in imaginative reach, in the love of a 
 seclusion which the tumults of market and exchange do not disturb 
 — all this found reiterated preachment in his books." 
 
 A splendid literary appreciation of John Lancaster Spalding has been 
 written by Sara K. Diethelm, entitled "An Aphoristic Essayist." This critical 
 essay appeared in America January 21, 1928. It is repeated here because I know 
 of nothing that offers a greater appreciation of the literary skill and accom- 
 
 101 
 
plishments of Archbishop Spalding; and also because it shows the difference 
 between Archbishop Spalding and Emerson, with whom he has so often been 
 compared: 
 
 "A contemporary bishop of scholarly attainments recently 
 remarked that only a republic like America and a religion like Cath- 
 olicism could have produced essays like Archbishop Spalding's. 
 American Catholic literature is still in the making, because the nation 
 is young. Thus it is incumbent upon the Church to cherish her literary 
 resources. A literature that boasts of a towering genius like the Arch- 
 bishop of Peoria is rich beyond measure, for this distinguished prelate 
 ranks as one of America's most polished artists of the pen. 
 
 "From time to time comparisons have been attempted between 
 Emerson and Spalding, for the latter possessed in a marked degree 
 the aphoristic tendencies of the Concord Sage. We might be tempted 
 to study them as types representing different schools of thought, but 
 the line of divergence would be too great. Both were thinkers who 
 had probed deep into the root of educational ideals, yet while we 
 must credit the New England reformer with clearness of vision, still 
 his vision was shadowed by the lack of the supernatural, whereas 
 Spalding's thought was clarified by his adherence to the basic prin- 
 ciples of religion, hence his pronouncements upon burning questions 
 of the hour were less misty. There are times when Emerson's cold and 
 calculating philosophical utterances are devoid of the mellowness of 
 the spiritual sense that was so deep-seated in the mind of the Arch- 
 bishop. Emerson was bound up in evolving a scheme of transcendent 
 culture from all the laboratories of human knowledge which had 
 garnered the wisdom of ages, which when he had 'remoulded them 
 nearer to his heart's desire' he gave to the world. He has attracted 
 thousands upon thousands of readers by his lofty and concrete 
 thoughts; — on the other hand do the writings of Archbishop Spald- 
 ing attract thousands? And if not, why not? He too made varied 
 ventures into devious fields of learning. He studied both Pagan and 
 Christian literatures, and was a profound student of contrasting 
 schools of philosophy, as well as of the arts and sciences. Despite the 
 fact that his episcopal duties were arduous, for he was noted as a 
 great ecclesiastic and an able administrator, yet his life was so well 
 ordered that he became what the poet Milton so aptly defined as 'an 
 interpreter and relater of the best and sagest things' among his own 
 citizens. The keynote of his own endeavours in the field of education 
 might well be summed up in one of his outstanding aphorisms, The 
 wise and the good are they who grow old accumulating a fund of 
 knowledge.' 
 
 "It is related of this distinguished prelate that when a young 
 student at Louvain it was a habit of his to jot down in his journal a 
 thought each day. Thus at an early age, he learned the value of 
 treasuring keystones of fancy, and there is no doubt but that some 
 
 102 
 
of the flawless jewels of wisdom which illuminate his essays had birth 
 in these immature reflections that were later put on the anvil and 
 polished until they shone with a brilliancy that might have done 
 credit to a Bacon. For example, If thou are censured, examine thy 
 conscience; if praised, believe it flattery.' Or is it a Kempis of which 
 this pithy bit of wisdom savors? For we are told that the Archbishop 
 was never without a copy of The Imitation.' 
 
 "Archbishop Spalding's books, some dozen in number, are so in- 
 terrelated, that it is well-nigh impossible to single out any one volume 
 that will more admirably express his message than another. In his 
 'Essays Educational' he reveals himself not merely as a polished and 
 forceful writer, but as a scholar and philosopher, possessing unique 
 graces of diction, and a style at once poetic and profound. Intellectual 
 sincerity was one of his dominant traits, and a deepseated reverence 
 for truth governed his every utterance, for, he averred, It is the func- 
 tion of education to make the intellect the center of truth.' These 
 educational essays put this gifted dignitary of the Church on the plane 
 of Carlyle, Matthew Arnold, and other noted thinkers, yet all the 
 resemblances to other master minds than his own are merely external, 
 for Archbishop Spalding above all else possessed a distinctive and an 
 original style of writing. 
 
 "Still another volume, 'Education and the Higher Life' is teeming 
 with aphoristic and epigrammatic reflections which follow each other 
 in rapid succession. Each chapter is full of 'thoughts that breathe 
 and words that burn,' linked together with rhetorical elegance, 
 neither ornate, nor florid, nor grandiose, but aflame with the peren- 
 nial beauty of a colorful jewel, yet withal chaste in their simplicity. 
 At rare moments they become piquant, and pulsate with an esprit 
 that makes them fairly scintillate, and always they culminate in well- 
 rounded periods. 
 
 "In Things of the Mind,' Archbishop Spalding essays to suggest 
 rules for a more normal human existence with an avoidance of any- 
 thing akin to morbidity, or the pessimism which might result from 
 the pursuit of purely material interests. Education, he assures his 
 readers, is not just the instilling of laws and methods, but the insistent 
 effort of the mind and soul to seek higher things, and he deplores 
 the condition of people who live in fine houses and have common 
 thoughts, who possess costly libraries and cheap culture; for,' he 
 continues, culture is a solace.' Those who read this stimulating essay 
 may come to realize that if their eyes should cease to function they 
 will find no small measure of comfort in the knowledge they have 
 garnered through the years, for it will enable them to fill their minds 
 with pleasing pictures of memory, or to flee on the wings of fancy 
 to historic places which they have visited in Bookland. 
 
 "In Religion and Art' the sordid side of life is attacked. If a 
 man is losing sight of the moral ideal, these two forces, says the 
 
 103 
 
Archbishop, will bring it near and brighten it: 'If a man is tempted 
 to abandon all holy aspirations because his sphere of activity is small, 
 they sound in his ears the heavenly lesson that every life has an 
 infinite and eternal side to it.' 'Impossible,' he continues, 'for any 
 child of God to do a merely transitory work.' The holy prelate tersely 
 and exquisitely defines art as the expression of ideal beauty. He says, 
 'It does not copy but creates; never rests in the seen but is transcend- 
 ental; looks beyond, through nature, up to God.' Art disenchants, 
 he tells us, which he considers a great merit, because, 'it teaches how 
 little of what might be is,' and that it is only when we look at art 
 through the purifying and chastening light of time that we become 
 fully cognizant of its inflluence upon the history of mankind. Accord- 
 ing to the Archbishop, the movement which brought European tradi- 
 tions to their present condition received its first impetus from 'art 
 held in the hands of religion.' They are indissolubly linked, and the 
 study of the classic orators, poets and artists, he contends, imbued 
 Christianity with a love of artistic ideals which 'the Hebraizing 
 spirit of the Reformation weakened, but could not annihilate.' 
 
 "When we are deeply moved, prose no longer satisfies, thinks 
 the Archbishop. His thoughts on poetry and music as distinct forms 
 of art are inspirational and fire the imagination with their impassion- 
 ed eloquence. He advises a study of poetry for self-culture, asserting 
 that 'the best reading is that which most profoundly stimulates 
 thought, which brings our minds into conscious communion with the 
 mind of the author,' hence the best forms of poetry should be culti- 
 vated, particularly the poetry of the Bible, and the Psalms of David, 
 'than which no more sublime and touching lyrics have been com- 
 posed.' Poetry passes naturally into music and as a form of art 'is 
 the food of the soul in all its most exalted moods. Song is the 
 voice of prayer, which is the breathing of the soul in God's presence.' 
 
 "All through this distinguished prelate's essays, there is the 
 same excellence of composition, the same conformity of poetic 
 diction, the same careful mode of expression, the identical loftiness 
 of purpose. He was not merely an idealist who wrote for art's sake 
 alone; he wrote because golden words of wisdom were ever surging 
 through his fertile and contemplative mind, and he felt the urge to 
 minister to men's minds as well as to their immortal souls, to make 
 them realize that 'what man has produced within himself tran- 
 scends, directs and controls that which is born in him, and that the 
 love of the best is twin-born with the soul.' 
 
 "Archbishop Spalding never wrote carelessly, hence was never 
 betrayed into offending through a lack of artistry. Like his southern 
 contemporary, Father Tabb, he was a master of that difficult art of 
 restraint which is a marked measure of power and a forcible example 
 of art concealing art. His books are 'pressed down and running over' 
 with striking aphorisms, and each page manifests an abiding love 
 
 104 
 
for Christ. His writings arc of the enduring type that will stand the 
 test of time. 
 
 'Few bishops,' said the sainted Pius X, 'had so great an 
 influence on the life of the people even outside of religion, and out- 
 side of the Catholic Communion as had Archbishop Spalding.' In his 
 own diocese of Peoria he was loved and revered as a genuine first 
 citizen, indeed he was honored as a national figure in the country 
 of which he was so loyal a patriot, and his presence ever adorned 
 the Church which he loved so well and served so faithfully." 
 
 105 
 
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 Tel fal Fol fol f el f ol f ©1 f ©1 f ©3 M L© 
 
 John Lancaster Spalding opened the winter lecture season at the Catholic 
 University of America in January of 1899. He was introduced by William T. 
 Harris, then United States Commissioner of Education. Commissioner Harris, 
 in his introduction, said: 
 
 "All serious and earnest minded thinkers engaged in solving 
 the problems of education . . . have received help from the personal 
 counsels or from the educational writings of the Bishop of Peoria. He 
 is the most beloved of American educational leaders. . . . He teaches 
 us that all physical aptitudes and all activities of man that have for 
 an end mere creature comfort, mere bodily well-being, must yield 
 place before the education of the immortal soul in knowing and will- 
 ing and loving, and that it is man's moral nature that is made in the 
 image of God.'* 
 
 On the occasion of Archbishop Spalding's Golden Sacerdotal Jubilee, 
 Archbishop John J. Glennon of St. Louis said: 
 
 "I need not recount for you what Archbishop Spalding has done 
 in the cause of Christian education. How he has sought to unify and 
 strengthen the parochial school system, to bring it from the narrow 
 confines of race or language to the broad platform of Christian teach- 
 ing; how a national exposition gave an opportunity for his genius, 
 with the result that America was made to realize that there were 
 millions who believed in, and were prepared to defend the plat- 
 form of Christian education." 
 
 Merle Curti in his book The Social Ideas of American Educators has called 
 Bishop Spalding the leading Catholic educator between the Civil War and 
 the First World War. 
 
 107 
 
Francis de Hovre said, "Spalding was prelate, sociologist, poet, thinker, 
 but he remains above all a herald in the field of Catholic pedagogy in America." 
 
 Bishop Spalding publicly pronounced his belief in the parochial school 
 educational system. In 1892, with a view to the Catholic Educational Exhibit, 
 of which he was President, at the approaching Columbian Exposition in Chi- 
 ago, he wrote this letter: 
 
 'Whatever we wish to see introduced into the life of a na- 
 tion,' says William von Humboldt, 'must first be introduced into its 
 schools.' Now, what Catholics wish to see introduced into the nation- 
 al life, first of all, is true religious faith and practice. Religion is 
 God's presence in the soul, it is the revelation of life's goodness; 
 it is the fountain of hope and joy; it is the impulse to a noble activity 
 in which we are conscious that failure itself means success. In happy 
 days, it is light and perfume; and when the waters of life are bitter 
 it draws them heavenward, and again they are sweet. Through it the 
 sense of duty — duty to ourselves, to others and to God — is awak- 
 ened; and the caring for duty is the vital principle in the creation of 
 character. Hence to introduce true religious faith and practice into 
 the national life is to introduce that which is more important than 
 material prosperity or intellectual activity; for religion is not merely 
 the manifestation of our kinship with God, of the divine and im- 
 perishable nature of the soul; it is the only air in which morality 
 thrives, in which virtue becomes fervent, and goodness kindles with 
 beauty's glow. Conduct rests upon a firm basis only when we believe 
 in the infinite and godlike nature of the good; in a universe of moral 
 ends in which the right is also forever the best. 
 
 "No school, therefore, is good which attempts to educate the 
 body, or the mind, or the conscience without the aid of religion, 
 for man is not a patchword of parts, but a something whole and 
 organic, which springs from God, and which can be developed into 
 harmonious completeness only through vital union with the Author 
 and End of its being. 
 
 "Hence the church does not and cannot consent to the exclusion 
 of religion from any educational process. As we live and move and 
 have our being in God, the moral and intellectual atmosphere we 
 breathe should be fragrant with the aroma of religious faith; and 
 the inspiration of goodness and duty, which comes chiefly in early 
 years, and is imparted with most power by a voice made persuasive 
 by an open and enlightened mind, should be received in the school- 
 room as well as in the home and in the house of worship. To forbid 
 the teacher who holds the child's attention during those years when 
 aspiration is purest, when conscience speaks most clearly, when 
 reverence is most natural, when belief in the heroic and godlike 
 is most spontaneous, to appeal to his pupil's religious nature, and 
 thereby to strive to awaken in them a keener sense of the divine, a 
 more living consciousness of the sacredness and worth of life, is 
 
 108 
 
to repress in him precisely that form of activity which is most salutary 
 and most helpful from an educational point of view. What is educa- 
 tion worth if the spiritual side of our nature be permitted to lie 
 dormant? if the sense of modesty and purity, of single-mindedness 
 and reverence, of faithfulness and diligence, of obedience and love, 
 be not called forth? What kind of education can be given by the 
 teacher who may not speak of the evil of sin, of the harm wrought 
 by vanity, jealously, envy, cowardice, hatred, and vulgarity of 
 thought and word? If he be forbidden to enter the inner life of man, 
 how shall his soul ever be brought into contact with the souls of his 
 pupils? He becomes a machine, and his living personality, in which 
 consists his power to educate, is condemned to inaction. 
 
 "When our common school system was finally organized as ex- 
 clusively secular, nothing was left for Catholics to do but to build 
 and maintain schools of their own, in which the will, the heart, and 
 the conscience, as well as the intellect, should be educated. If 
 Catholic children have a right to a Catholic education it follows that 
 the duty devolves upon Catholics to provide the means whereby it 
 may be received; and the Catholics of the United States have accepted 
 the task thus imposed with a spirit of generous self-sacrifice which is 
 above all praise. They have built three thousand and five hundred 
 parochial schools, in which seven hundred thousand Catholic chil- 
 dren now receive a Christian education. They have also established 
 and maintained a large number of universities, seminaries, colleges, 
 academies, reformatories, and asylums, in which religious influence 
 is made to interpenetrate all the processes of nurture and training. The 
 development of this Catholic educational system is carried on from 
 year to year with increasing zeal and energy. The beginnings were 
 difficult; progress is now comparatively easy. What has been done 
 shows us not only what we have still to do, but gives confidence that 
 we shall be able to do it. The people take an interest in the work 
 not less earnest than that of the bishops and priests, while the teach- 
 ing orders make almost superhuman efforts to meet the ever-growing 
 demands for their services. The indispensable need of religious 
 schools, which thirty or forty years ago was proclaimed by but a 
 few, is now conceded by all Catholics. The utterances of Pius IX, 
 and Leo XIII on this subject have no uncertain sound; and the 
 bishops of the Catholic world, in pastorals and in councils, have 
 raised their voices, in unison with that of the visible head of the 
 church, to proclaim the vital importance, whether from a religious 
 or a social point of view, of thoroughly Christian schools. They 
 declare that a purely secular education is a bad education, that if 
 our civilization is to remain Christian, our schools must recognize 
 the principles of Christianity. In the third Baltimore Council, held 
 in 1884, the zeal of the American hierarchy in the cause of Catholic 
 education glowed with greater warmth than in any previous assem- 
 blage of our bishops. The eighty prelates gathered in this national 
 
 109 
 
council decree that a parochial school shall exist close to every 
 Catholic Church, and that no ordinary difficulties shall be considered 
 as an excuse for its non-existence. A pastor's serious neglect to 
 build a school is declared to be sufficient cause for his removal; and 
 they affirm that it is a bishop's duty to provide schools which shall 
 be Catholic, not in name alone, but which shall be thoroughly effi- 
 cient. As a means to this end, they would have the pastor consider 
 himself the principal of his school. He should watch over it and 
 make it the object of his special care and devotion. To equip 
 priests more fully for this office, the bishops urge that a course of 
 pedagogics be made part of the curriculum of theological seminaries. 
 
 "Our school system is an organic part of our ecclesiastical 
 constitution. It rests upon principles as wide as human nature, as 
 immortal as Truth. We cannot if we would, we would not if we 
 could, recede from the stand we have taken. We hold that the 
 common school system is radically defective, though we have no 
 disposition to interfere with those to whom it commends itself. We 
 concede to others, as we demand for ourselves, religious and educa- 
 tional freedom. Our convictions on this point are unalterable; and 
 since here there is question of vital, temporal and eternal interests, 
 there can be no compromise which conflicts with the principle of 
 religious education." 9 
 
 The Catholic Educational Exhibit was a great success. Up to that time, 
 many looked upon the parochial school system as more or less of an experi- 
 ment; and they were somewhat skeptical of its permanency. We now accept 
 our parochial school system with great pride and satisfaction as an established 
 institution. Up to that time, its progress and its scope and the solid foundations 
 upon which it was based were not so generally recognized as they are today. 
 Following the Exhibit, a final report of 330 pages gave credit to the various 
 dioceses of the country, to the clergy, teaching orders of men and women, 
 institutions, and lay teachers. Brother Maurelian, Secretary and Manager, after 
 settling all affairs, presented to Bishop Spalding, President of the Catholic 
 Educational Exhibit, a "Final Report." The report is the history of the 
 Catholic Educational Exhibit from its inception at the meeting of the Hier- 
 archy at Boston July, 1890, until its conclusion in July, 1894. This "Final 
 Report" is valuable as a work of reference in regard to Catholic education. 
 Bishop Spalding, in acknowledging the report, wrote the following letter: 
 
 "My Dear Brother Maurelian: 
 
 "Your final report, made to me, as President of the Catholic 
 Educational Exhibit at the World's Columbian Exposition, is evidence 
 of the intelligence and earnestness with which this enterprise has 
 been undertaken and brought to end. Of your zeal and unflagging 
 interest in the work, the success of which depended in so large a 
 measure upon you, I need not speak. To have done well is enough, is 
 
 "Courtesy Chicago Historical Society 
 
 110 
 
more than praise. The ends for which the exhibit was made have 
 been attained. It was made possible by the generous cooperation of 
 those who are engaged or interested in Catholic education, in what- 
 ever part of the country, and had it done nothing more than show 
 how united these willing workers are, the gain would not be small. 
 In presenting the results of their labors to the world, in so far as 
 this is possible in an Exposition, they proved their confidence in the 
 worth of what they are doing and their desire to submit its value to 
 the test of enlightened criticism. Not to know our educational work, 
 our system and methods, is henceforth inexcusable. No one now, 
 who respects himself will affirm that our parish schools are inferior 
 to the public schools, or that our teachers, in appealing to the heart, 
 the conscience and the imagination, lose sight of the importance of 
 quickening and training the mental faculties. In the Catholic Direc- 
 tory for 1894, 768,498 pupils are reported as attending our parochial 
 schools, and the number is rapidly increasing. When we consider that 
 our school system is a work of conscience, which involves a very large 
 expenditure of money and labor, it may be held to be, from a moral 
 standpoint, the most important fact in our national life. For various 
 reasons it is worthy the attention of enlightened and patriotic minds. 
 It is the only elementary education in the United States which holds 
 to the traditional belief that the morals of a people can be rightly 
 nourished and sustained only by religious faith. Whether a purely 
 secular system of education will not prove fatal to religious faith 
 is as yet a matter of doubt, it being in no way doubtful that the 
 basis of popular government is popular virtue. What Catholics 
 then are thus doing deserves consideration, though it be looked at 
 as an experiment or as a survival of what is destined soon to pass 
 away. Indeed, the best people in America, if the case be presented 
 simply as it is here presented, feel an interest akin to sympathy in 
 Catholic schools, and our position is really altogether plain and 
 simple. We believe that religion is an essential element of human 
 life, and therefore of human education, and we establish and main- 
 tain schools in which we strive to put this belief into practice. 
 
 "We do this as a matter of conscience and without ulterior 
 views. In this country, at least, Catholics claim and exercise a large 
 freedom of opinion, and hence we are not surprised to find among 
 them men who have plans and schemes for the overcoming of what- 
 ever difficulties; but the church is not responsible for their views 
 and does not commit itself to them. If here and there a compromise 
 has been proposed with the purpose of getting support from the 
 public moneys, or agitation for a system of denominational schools 
 has been recommended, this has been done by individuals, who have 
 never succeeded in gaining a numerous following. The church has 
 contented itself with urging the establishment and support of parish 
 schools. Double taxation for education is, of course, a grievance; 
 but the Catholics of the United States believe in free schools for all, 
 
 111 
 
and since the religious condition of the country is such that denomi- 
 nationalism could not be introduced into the State schools without 
 risk of ruin, they are willing to bear the burden of a double school 
 tax; and, with few exceptions, they have no desire to introduce this 
 question into politics. What they have been doing with constantly 
 increasing success, they are content to continue to do — to build 
 and maintain their own schools. 
 
 "Among the good results springing from the Catholic Exhibit, 
 not the least, is the impression we have received of the extent and effi- 
 ciency of our parish school system. We thence derive new zeal and 
 confidence. The revelation of what we have done becomes a promise 
 and a prophecy of what we shall do. We feel the work is great 
 enough and holy enough to command our best efforts. We resolve 
 to concentrate them upon the upbuilding of a system of more effec- 
 tive religious education, persuaded, that we thus most surely promote 
 the interests both of the Church and the State. This is our task, and 
 anything that might divert us from fulfilling it, is to be put aside as 
 evil. We love our religion and our country well enough to be glad 
 to make sacrifices for both. 
 
 "Another result of the exhibit is a better acquaintance of Cath- 
 olic teachers with one another, and with the various methods of our 
 schools. The bringing together the work of the different orders and 
 of numberless individuals has been an object lesson of real value. 
 Our labor and expense would not have been in vain had we done 
 nothing else than give to the members of our religious teaching or- 
 ders a unique opportunity to study the work of the Catholic Schools. 
 Nothing in the World's Fair appeared to me more beautiful or more 
 inspiring than the groups of Catholic Sisters, to be seen at all times, 
 in the booths of the exhibit, wholly intent upon learning whatever 
 there was to be learned. From that little space a spirit of enthusiasm, 
 a desire for excellence, has been carried throughout the land, into the 
 schoolrooms of a thousand cities and towns. Many a one who, in 
 some remote village, felt lonely and half discouraged in what seemed 
 to be unavailing work, became conscious of belonging to a great 
 army of men and women who bring strength to souls and light to 
 minds. The whole country, in fact, is indebted to us; for the zealous 
 and energetic efforts of the managers of the Catholic Exhibit had not 
 a little to do with the appropriation of the large sums of money and 
 the allotment of the great space devoted to educational matters at 
 the Columbian Exposition. Your report, my dear Brother, is a fitting 
 memorial of a noble and fruitful work. 
 
 "Affectionately and sincerely yours, 
 
 J. L. Spalding, Bishop of Peoria. 
 President of the Catholic Educational Exhibit." 10 
 "Peoria, July 19, 1894. 
 
 "ibid. 
 
 112 
 
When it was realized that the public schools of the United States were 
 to furnish a purely secular education, the Catholic Hierarchy had no alterna- 
 tive but to establish a system of parochial schools independent of state support. 
 Despite the fact that there was great difficulty, particularly in the beginning 
 of this work, the results accomplished soon became apparent. In those days, 
 Catholics for the most part were in moderate circumstances; and it meant a 
 great financial sacrifice to build, equip, and maintain these schools. Yet, this 
 burden was cheerfully borne. In addition to this increased burden, it was neces- 
 sary to face the Protestant opposition to the parochial school. In those days, 
 this opposition was found to a great extent in the American Protective Asso- 
 ciation, known as the A. P. A. 
 
 In 1889, the obnoxious Edwards Law was enacted in the State of Illinois. 
 The Edwards Act was passed by both the Republican and Democratic members 
 of the General Assembly and took its name from Richard Edwards, who was 
 then State Superintendent of Public Instruction. It passed the House 106 to 3 
 and the Senate 42 to 0; so both political parties were involved. Many men who 
 voted in favor of the issue did not seem to realize the full significance of the 
 Act. When the Edwards Law finally became known, it was seen that it gave 
 excessive power over parochial schools to a local school board; and that it did 
 not make provision for a uniform enforcement. The Edwards Law revoked 
 the existing statute regarding compulsory education and specified: 
 
 "That every person having under his control a child between 
 the ages of seven and fourteen years, shall annually cause such child 
 to attend for at least sixteen weeks, at least eight weeks of which at- 
 tendance shall be consecutive, some public day school in the city, 
 town or district, in which he resides, which time shall commence with 
 the beginning of the first term of the school year, or as soon there- 
 after as due notice shall be served upon the person having such con- 
 trol, of his duty under this act." 
 
 Previously the law permitted parents to educate their children in "some 
 public or private school." This new lavv restricted attendance to the public 
 school. An exception was provided for: 
 
 "But if the person so neglecting shall show to the satisfaction of 
 the board of education or of directors that such child has attended 
 for a like period of time, a private day school, approved by the board 
 of education or directors of the city, town or district in which such 
 child resides, or that instruction has otherwise been given for a like 
 period of time to such child in the branches commonly taught in the 
 public school . . ." 
 and added that no penalty would be incurred. 
 
 However, this required a private school to show that it was a fit institu- 
 tion, and the judge was the public school board. At times, however, this also 
 affected the public school. Many districts in the State of Illinois had a large 
 number of foreign born. A public school board of one of the counties in the 
 state with a large German population was brought to court for conducting some 
 
 113 
 
classes in the German language. The Supreme Court of the state handed down 
 the decision that the main courses were taught in English, and said: 
 
 "Nothing contained in the bill shows the school is not an Eng- 
 lish school, in which the common medium of instruction is the Eng- 
 lish language. The mere fact, the German language is one of the 
 branches of study prescribed, does not change its character as an 
 English school." 11 
 
 In 1892 the Catholic bishops of Illinois wrote a pastoral letter con- 
 cerning education in general and the Edwards Law in particular. This letter 
 was signed by Patrick A. Feehan, Archbishop of Chicago; John Lancaster 
 Spalding, Bishop of Peoria; James Ryan, Bishop of Alton; and John Janssen, 
 Bishop of Belleville. In this letter it was stated that parents had the right to 
 give their children a Christian education. To quote: 
 
 "In our country those who believe that Education is essentially 
 religious, seem at present, to be a minority; but we are persuaded 
 that all Christians, who have seriously meditated on the subject, 
 know that we and those, who in this agree with us, are right. The 
 arguments of our opponents are arguments of expediency; but when 
 there is a question of the highest human interests, what is true and 
 right is also the most expedient. 
 
 "... When we consider what we have done and are doing to 
 educate our Catholic children, while we also contribute to the sup- 
 port of the public schools, it seems inexplicable to us that the Legis- 
 lature of Illinois should have enacted what is known as the Edwards 
 Law: an insidious and unjust law, which, under pretext of zeal for 
 popular education, is really a violation of our most sacred rights, as 
 men and citizens. Freedom of worship implies and involves freedom 
 of education. If the State may dicate to us what kind of school we 
 shall have, it may make it a penal offense not to frequent the church 
 it may select. We denounce this law as a violation of our constitu- 
 tional rights, and hold that those who favor it are unworthy of the 
 support of enlightened and fair-minded voters. Let us use all right 
 and honorable means to have it repealed, and let the designing and 
 bigoted be taught that the West is not a field in which their labors 
 will bear fruit." 
 
 In the election of 1892 John P. Altgeld was chosen Governor of Illinois, 
 and the Democrats won both houses of the General Assembly in the state. 
 The new General Assembly repealed the Edwards Law and passed new legis- 
 lation minus the objectionable features. The new law read: 
 
 "That every person having control of any child between the 
 ages of seven and fourteen years, shall annually cause such child to 
 attend for at least sixteen weeks, twelve weeks of which attendance 
 shall be consecutive, some public or private day school." 
 
 "Powell v. Board of Education, 91 111. 375 (1881). 
 
 114 
 
The matter of the right to educate a child was confused in IS91 by a 
 letter written by the Reverend Thomas Bouquillon, a professor at the Catholic 
 University, who argued that the education of the child belonged simultaneously 
 to the parents, the state, and the church. However, he granted a special pri- 
 ority to the parents. Many disagreed with him, for they felt that he gave to 
 the state rights which it did not possess. Bishop Spalding was not directly 
 involved in the controversy, but he exercised vast influence in establishing the 
 proper relationship between the family, church, and school in matters edu- 
 cational. He stated that Catholics had no desire to see the public school dis- 
 continued; but he held, with Archbishop Ireland, that the church schools 
 should receive state support. To him, there could be no complete education 
 without religion, which would establish in the mind of man his proper re- 
 lationship toward God. In all Archbishop Spalding's educational writings — 
 and he was a prolific writer on education — he emphasizes the importance of 
 God's place in the life of man. 
 
 The matter of religious education was not definitely settled nationally 
 until the Supreme Court of the United States decided in 1924 that parents 
 had the right to put their children in church schools. 
 
 Archbishop Spalding himself has said in Socialism and Labor and Other 
 Arguments: 
 
 "The State has taken control of education, and is thereby weak- 
 ening one of the most essential and vital social forces — the sense 
 of responsibility in parents. It has, in consequence, been led to ex- 
 clude religious instruction from the process of education; has, in- 
 deed, abandoned the work of education, and contented itself with 
 some sort of mental training which sharpens the intellect but leaves 
 the moral nature untouched and unraised. As a result, the young lose 
 reverence, lose the power of discerning what is high and noble, and 
 are only a more enlightened sort of barbarians. Had the State con- 
 fined itself to encouraging and assisting the religious denominations 
 to found and maintain schools, and to giving aid to private educa- 
 tional enterprises, it would have acted in harmony with our theory 
 of government, and we should be today a worthier, more religious 
 and not less enlightened people; while, from an economic point of 
 view, education would have been made vastly cheaper." 
 
 There is a timeliness about the writings of Archbishop Spalding. His 
 teachings are applicable today. In our own time, we have seen the State mag- 
 nified until it has attempted in some areas of the world the complete domina- 
 tion of man and all his activities. There has been an attempt on the part of a 
 few people who claim to personify the State to regiment human society. No- 
 where has this domination been more clearly seen than in the field of educa- 
 tion, where the State has assumed entire control, in violation of Archbishop 
 Spalding's thought that education belonged also to the church and the home. 
 As he considered education, it was the function of the family, the church, and 
 the state. While he took no part in the violent controversy which arose from 
 the letter of Rev. Thomas Bouquillon, he did much to harmonize the inter- 
 relationship of these three institutions. 
 
 115 
 
According to Spalding, education begins in the home, which prepares 
 the child for the church and the state. He emphasizes the importance of the 
 home in the training of a child. With him, the home is the first and indis- 
 pensable school. It permeates the heart, gives the mind "its original turn," 
 and "its primal and ineffaceable tinge." Speaking at the Convocation of the 
 University of Chicago in 1899, Spalding said that less educated parents with 
 common sense and a love of truth and justice have a "more profound and 
 lasting educational influence on the child than any that may be exercised by 
 the Doctors of the Universities." He also says that the state and the church 
 prepare the child for life in society and for the eternal life with God. The 
 part of the school is not to be obscured in stressing the mutual obligation of 
 the other institutions as participators in the work. There should be a balance 
 of duties so that one institution will not invade the territory of the others and 
 assume powers which it does not possess. The school makes a very substantial 
 contribution to the well-being of society and the child. In Religion and Art 
 and Other Essays Archbishop Spalding says: 
 
 "By education, however, all the world means that which may 
 be had in schools, and there is a fund of truth in the popular accep- 
 tation of the word; for without schools neither the family, nor civil 
 society, nor the State, nor the Church can prosper or rightly exercise 
 its power and influence. The school grows out of the alphabet, which 
 enables man to make and preserve a record of his thoughts and deeds. 
 Its first and most obvious purpose is to give the pupil a mastery of 
 the alphabet, to teach him to read and write, and so to open for him 
 the storehouse of knowledge, to make it possible that he acquaint 
 himself with the history of the globe on \vhich he lives and of the 
 race to which he belongs, that he become familiar with the ideas that 
 underlie all human institutions. In giving the pupil possession of all 
 the conventionalities and technicalities, which are the instruments of 
 the mind invented and perfected by the labors of mankind through 
 all the ages, the school renders him inestimable service. It makes it 
 easy for him to escape from the narrowness and isolation in which he 
 was born and has lived, into a world where the concerns and con- 
 quests of the race enter into his individual consciousness to enlarge 
 and exalt his whole being. If he rightly use what the school provides 
 him with, he can render the knowledge and wisdom of all the ages 
 tributary to his own perfection; he can become the companion of 
 sages and saints; philosophers and poets will speak and sing to him. 
 Nature will reveal to him her secrets; and little by little he shall make 
 his own the truth and beauty which are the substance of all things, 
 and so he shall be lifted above sordid desires and envy and hate, and 
 whatever else hampers and hinders right human life." 
 
 John Lancaster Spalding, in an address delivered before the National 
 Educational Association, Detroit, Michigan, July 9, 1901, gave a summary of 
 the origins of our education: 
 
 "To sketch the history of the progress of education from the fall 
 
 116 
 
of the Roman Empire and the decay of pagan learning down to the 
 present time would require a much larger canvas than is offered to 
 one who makes an address. As a result of the ruin wrought by the 
 barbarians, whose inroads and depredations continued through cen- 
 turies, what had been the civilized world sank into deep ignorance 
 and confusion. For a long period learning, banished from the con- 
 tinent of Europe, found an asylum chiefly in Ireland, in the schools 
 of the monks, whence it slowly spread to Scotland and Northern 
 England. When on the continent of Europe, at the end of the eighth 
 century, Charles the Great began to foster education, he was forced 
 to appeal for assistance to the religious teachers of the British Isles. 
 In fact, the first revival of learning in mediaeval Europe may be said 
 to have been due to the influence of Irish monks. They carried their 
 knowledge and discipline even to Iceland. Later on they were fol- 
 lowed by their Anglo-Saxon brethren, under the lead of men like 
 Egbert, Wilfrid, Willibrord and Boniface. In 782 Alcuin, an Anglo- 
 Saxon, who finally became Bishop of Tours, was placed by Charles 
 at the head of the Palace School' at Aix-la-Chapelle, the principal 
 residence of the Emperor; and he and his pupils became the first 
 teachers of Germany. It was true revival of education; though, on 
 account of the difficulties of the times and the lack of books, little 
 progress was made. The impulse thus given continued to be felt all 
 through the disorders which followed the dismemberment of the 
 Empire of Charles and the fierce conflicts with the invading Norse- 
 men and the fanatical Mohammedans. In the eleventh and twelfth 
 centuries St. Anselm and St. Bernard, Roscellin and Abelard, Peter 
 the Lombard, Arnold of Brescia, and John of Salisbury, rendered im- 
 portant service to the cause of enlightenment. The Muslims founded 
 universities at Cordova, Toledo, and Seville about the beginning of 
 the twelfth century, but these did not flourish more than a hundred 
 years; while the Christian schools which had grown up around the 
 cathedrals and monasteries in various parts of Europe began to de- 
 velop new life and to enlarge the scope of their teaching so as to 
 embrace theology, law, arts, and medicine. They also admitted to 
 their classes and lecture halls students from every part of the world. 
 
 "From 1200 to 1400 the number of these universities increased 
 to about forty, and their students were counted by the thousand. 
 'Thus,' says Davidson, "in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries edu- 
 cation rose in many European states to a height which it had not 
 attained since the days of Seneca and Quintilian. This showed itself 
 in many ways, but above all in a sudden outburst of philosophy, art, 
 and literature. To these centuries belong Albertus Magnus and Roger 
 Bacon, Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventura, Cimabue, Giotto, and the 
 cathedral builders, Dante and Petrarch, Chaucer and Gower, the 
 minnesanger of Germany and the trouveres and troubadours of 
 France. Scholasticism,' he continues, 'saved Europe from moral 
 suicide, ignorance, and fleshliness.' " 
 
 117 
 
Archbishop Spalding had a large part in the decisions of the Third Plenary 
 Council of Baltimore in 1884. Within the Council and outside, Bishop Spalding 
 sought to emphasize the importance of training Catholic teachers. Methods of 
 instruction were important; but, to him, they were secondary to the develop- 
 ment of character. With the establishment of the Sisters' College at the Catholic 
 University of America, which was due to a considerable extent to his effort, 
 one of his most treasured ideas was realized. 
 
 On June 30, 1881, at the Silver Jubilee of St. Francis Seminary in Mil- 
 waukee, Bishop Spalding advocated what he had suggested before — his 
 idea of a Catholic University for the higher education of priests. The Bishop's 
 sermon at the Jubilee Mass of St. Francis Seminary planted an idea and aroused 
 interest in an institution of higher learning beyond the seminary. In 1884, in his 
 sermon before the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, he again spoke on the 
 subject: 
 
 "Let there be then an American Catholic University, where our 
 young men, in the atmosphere of faith and purity, of high thinking 
 and plain living, shall become more intimately conscious of the truth 
 of their religion and of the genius of their country; where they shall 
 learn the repose and dignity which belong to their ancient Catholic 
 descent, and yet not lose the fire which glows in the blood of a new 
 people; to which from every part of the land our eyes may turn for 
 guidance and encouragement, seeking light and self-confidence from 
 men in whom intellectual power is not separate from moral purpose, 
 who look to God and His universe from bending knees of prayer. . . . 
 
 "While we look, therefore, to the founding of a true university, 
 we will begin, as the university of Paris began in the twelfth century, 
 and as the present university of Louvain began fifty years ago, with 
 a national school of Philosophy and Theology, which will form the 
 central faculty of a complete educational organism. Around this, the 
 other faculties will take their places, in due course of time; and so 
 the beginning which we make will grow, until like the seed planted 
 in the earth, it shall wear the bloomy crown of its own development." 
 
 In his Recollections of a Happy Life published in 1924, Maurice Francis 
 Egan, former U. S. Minister to Denmark, said, "The Catholic University of 
 America had been founded for the higher education of priests. The Bishop of 
 Peoria, John Lancaster Spalding, was responsible for its creation, and his 
 speech outlining the needs and methods of the University is a masterpiece that 
 ought not to be forgotten by educators. It stands very near to that other master- 
 piece, Newman's Idea of a University." 
 
 118 
 
.©: 
 
 f-0 
 
 ©; Chapter X ® 
 
 0:0M®M0M®.&M&. 
 
 John Lancaster Spalding delivered the address at the Altgeld Memorial 
 Meeting in Chicago April 20, 1902. John P. Altgeld was a great governor of 
 Illinois and deserves more than passing notice. He was ahead of his time and 
 was an outstanding public figure in his day. Carter Harrison II, five times mayor 
 of Chicago and frequently an opponent of Governor Altgeld in political mat- 
 ters, said in his Autobiography, Stormy Years. "He passed away leaving a 
 void that has never been rilled, a mighty intellect and in most respects a great 
 soul. In many respects Altgeld's was the finest mind I have ever encountered." '- 
 
 Altgeld was not ambitious for political office. He knew that in politics 
 a man must frequently sacrifice his convictions for the sake of expediency. As 
 Bishop Spalding says in Socialism and Labor and Other Arguments, "Politi- 
 cians work through majorities, whereas minorities shape the higher destinies of 
 nations; and it is all important that we should learn that a man is not neces- 
 sarily visionary, or weak in mind, because he does not run with the crowd." 
 Clarence Darrow said, "Great reform movements are never led by politicians 
 and office-holders, they come from the common people, and it is only when the 
 tide rises so high as to sweep away the old evils that the politician supports the 
 cause to save his miserable and petty life. When John P. Altgeld died, the poor 
 and weak and defenseless lost their truest friend. . . . He was a sentinel who 
 never slept, who always gave the cry regardless of the invincible numbers in 
 which the enemy approached. ... It is left for us who knew him, who loved 
 him ... to fight for the principles dear to him, to uphold as best we can the 
 great cause of human liberty for which he lived and died." 
 
 ,: Fr<>m Stormy >':./>>: The Autobiography of Cartel H. Harrison, Copyright 193^. used by spe- 
 ci.il permission of the publishers. The Bobbs-Merrill Company. Inc. 
 
 119 
 
Archbishop Spalding's address at the Altgeld Memorial Meeting was a 
 masterly oration and attracted nationwide attention. It was evidence of great 
 courage on the part of Spalding because Altgeld had become unpopular in 
 Illinois and was misrepresented by the press when he pardoned three men 
 who had been unjustly sentenced to life imprisonment. So aroused had the 
 people become that it was hardly respectable to be associated in any way 
 with Governor Altgeld or his name. Archbishop Spalding, regardless of public 
 opinion, gave this address because he felt that Governor Altgeld was a 
 sincere, courageous, and able man who had been misrepresented. John Lan- 
 caster Spalding, in writing the life of his uncle. Archbishop Martin John 
 Spalding, says, "Men now, as in ages passed, will make heroes of the success- 
 ful butchers of the race, while its benefactors are forgotten." It is regrettable 
 that this is true. As Brand Whitlock says in his life of Abraham Lincoln, "The 
 world has often stoned its prophets." Probably no man in modern times has 
 been more honored than Napoleon Bonaparte. Yet he has said, "Such a man as 
 I does not care a snap of the fingers for the lives of a million men!" 
 
 "It shows that the Bishop had not been misled by the cruel propaganda 
 which stigmatized Altgeld 'anarchist' because as Governor of Illinois his 
 sense of justice and unswerving courage had moved him to pardon the three 
 anarchists who had been unjustly sentenced to life imprisonment for alleged 
 complicity in the 'Haymarket Massacre." One of Bishop Spalding's commenda- 
 tions of Altgeld in this address could be applied to his own attitude toward 
 the vilifications of the great Governor by a plutocratic and hireling press: 
 'His eye was everywhere, and saw everywhere, through shams and shows into 
 the heart of things.' Bishop Spalding's comprehensive acquaintance with the 
 fundamental facts of our industrial practices, persons and institutions, enabled 
 him to see through the aura of 'respectability' surrounding these and to 
 perceive a great deal of the underlying plutocratic maneuvering and social 
 injustice. . . . Bishop Spalding's own opinion of this address was briefly but 
 strikingly expressed at a reception tendered him by the faculty and students 
 of the St. Paul Seminary in the year 1904. When one of the participants 
 announced that his contribution would be a reading of the panegyric on Alt- 
 geld, Archbishop Ireland made an exclamation of surprise and dissent. 
 Bishop Spalding promptly and vigorously retorted: 'The best thing I ever 
 wrote!' Seated only a few feet distant, I easily overheard this characteristic 
 interchange." 13 
 
 When it was suggested to Governor Altgeld that he should consider the 
 political implications of his act he said, "As for our party, that must stand 
 or fall by its principles and its policy. As for myself, no man has the right 
 to allow his ambition to stand in the way of the performance of a simple act of 
 justice." A friend said to Governor Altgeld. "I am afraid that it will end your 
 political career, but still I cannot help but urge you to pardon all three of 
 the men and I hope you will do so." Altgeld, annoyed at the suggestion that 
 political considerations might enter his decision, said, "If I decide they are 
 
 "Rt. Rev. Ms^r. John A. Ryan. Social Doctrine in Action. 19-11. Reprinted with permission of 
 Harper and Brothers. 
 
 120 
 
innocent. I will pardon them if I never hold office another day." This ex- 
 emplifies what Archbishop Spalding has said in Things of the Mind'. "The 
 best men have no price; they can be bought neither with hope of reward nor 
 fear of punishment, purchased neither with money, nor place, nor with 
 pleasure." 
 
 In opening the address at the Altgeld Memorial Meeting, Archbishop 
 Spalding said: 
 
 "The disinterested sympathy which we feel for genuine men is 
 a testimony to our own worth, for it proves our faith in character as 
 the paramount good, the solid foundation of man's likeness to God." 
 In the same address he said: 
 
 "They may have lived in poverty, in feeble health, in prison; 
 they may have suffered calumny and persecution; they may have died 
 as malefactors; but if in them there was a divine something, an utter 
 devotion to any vital truth or principle, a sacred and disinterested 
 enthusiasm for some good cause, an unwavering and unwearying pur- 
 suit of ends which are forever right, their memory is safe. The clouds 
 shall break away and the light which guided them shall shine for 
 thousands; and even their enemies shall learn to admire and be 
 grateful." 
 
 "To be drawn to a genuine man it is not necessary that without 
 reserve we accept his opinions or approve all his actions. All that 
 is required is faith in his intelligence, his honesty, his courage, his 
 good will, his disinterestedness. It is better to be wrong, inspired by 
 the sense and love of right than to be right, impelled by motives of 
 policy and the worship of vulgar success." 
 
 Further on in the address he spoke of Altgeld in words which might be 
 applied to the Archbishop himself: 
 
 "His eye was everywhere, and saw everywhere, through shams 
 and shows into the heart of things. He had a fine scorn of mere 
 wealth, title, and position, and would have taken delight in a beggar 
 who might have had power to make him wiser or better. He abhorred 
 cant, pretense, hypocrisy, and lies. He would not have flattered a 
 king for his crown, nor a plutocrat for all his gold. If a cause was 
 just it commended itself to him all the more because it was un- 
 popular. Like all genuine men, he was modest and without conceit. 
 No honors and no office could rob him of his plain and simple 
 manners." 
 
 In this memorial address John Lancaster Spalding referred to Altgeld's 
 ability as a public speaker: 
 
 "The public-speaking which has politics and business for its 
 subject is useful and important, but Fame blows not her trumpet 
 above the heads of those who do this work. They are talkers, not 
 orators; fortunate if they talk logically, forcibly, to the point, while 
 
 121 
 
they keep themselves free from slang and other offense against the 
 laws of speech. But he who would utter memorable things in perfect 
 form must dwell in higher regions where gleams the light of ideal 
 aims and ends; must think no labor too great, no self-denial too 
 hard, if it help him to become a master. Like the mighty Grecian, 
 he must love solitude, be willing, if need be, to dwell in caves by the 
 resounding shores of the loud ocean; must take for his companions 
 the immortal minds who have left record of themselves in books. 
 He must abstain, train himself like an athlete, and accustom himself 
 to all exercises that invigorate and sharpen the intellect or harden and 
 supple the body. He must stand aloof from the crowds and despise 
 the applause of the vulgar and the notoriety which is within the reach 
 of criminals and prizefighters. He must be wholly serious and sincere 
 and keep his conscience pure, though he have not bread to eat. Great 
 manhood alone can make great oratory possible. Above all, the orator 
 must be a lover of truth and justice. His sympathies must go forth 
 to the toilers who do the world's work and are God's children. 
 Wherever there is oppression and wrong, he must be ready in the 
 name of the Lord to defend and make good. 
 
 "... With all his heart he loved truth and hated lies; loved 
 justice and hated iniquity. As he was capable of giving his life for 
 what he held to be right, so had he infinite power of scorn for trick- 
 sters and spoilsmen, for palterers and beggars of the approval of 
 men. He knew the blessedness of being hated and calumniated for 
 fidelity to conscience. The best men are made great by the obstacles 
 they surmount, by the enemies they withstand. Nearly all our 
 speakers tread the paths of dalliance, hold their ears to the ground 
 to catch the murmur of the crowd, make brave shots at safe objects, 
 apologize if by chance they utter the naked truth; but here was one 
 for whom right and wrong are parted by eternal laws, for whom 
 compromise is treason, and connivance apostasy from God and the 
 soul. Pallid, feeble in body, over-worked, and overwrought by the 
 intensity of his own nature and too eager mind, he faced corruption 
 and a hostile opinion begotten of the spirit of Mammonites and time- 
 servers with the heroic courage of confessors and martyrs. He knew 
 better than anyone that throughout America and Europe his name 
 was associated with doctrines and practices which he abhorred, that 
 he was a safe mark for the conscienceless fling of every hireling of the 
 press, that to be his friend was to incur suspicion of not being re- 
 spectable, but he faltered not; and though fallen on evil days and 
 slandered by evil tongues, though overtaken by poverty and sneered 
 at by the idolators of success, he continued to confront with dauntless 
 courage all the fosterers of lies and corruption, all the contrivers of 
 oppression and wrong, all the apologists of conquest and in- 
 humanity." 
 
 Archbishop Spalding closed this address with these words: 
 
 "Here, then, let me close, while I salute, with admiration, 
 
 122 
 
respect, and reverence the memory of a genuine and heroic man — 
 the truest servant of the people and the most disinterested politician 
 whom Illinois has known since Lincoln died. " 
 
 Dexter Perkins, in his Life of Charles Evans Hughes says, "The major 
 problem of politics is the problem of a just balance between conservatism and 
 liberalism." The term conservative does not necessarily mean reaction; and the 
 word humanitarian is not necessarily identified with radicalism. It would seem 
 better to call Governor Altgeld a humanitarian rather than a liberal. In recent 
 years, the term liberal has assumed an adverse meaning in the minds of many. 
 They think that in many cases it is a cloak for demagoguery. They feel, with 
 William Graham Sumner, that, "Most of their schemes consist in this — A 
 and B put their heads together to decide what C shall be made to do for D." 
 Sumner said, in discussing a certain visionary, that he "went on the premise 
 that everybody ought to be happy, and that, if anybody is not so, those who 
 stand near him are under obligations to make him so." 
 
 Archbishop Spalding was very active in the Irish Colonization Association, 
 of which he was President during the years 1879 to 1892. Mr. William J. 
 Onahan, Secretary of the organization from its inception to its dissolution, 
 wrote of Spaldmg"s activities in its behalf: 
 
 "From the beginning Bishop Spalding was the life and soul of 
 the Colonization Association. His boundless energy, his unflagging 
 enthusiasm, and his inspiring eloquence aroused sympathy and excit- 
 ed interest in the work East and West. He pleaded for it in lectures; 
 he wrote and published an interesting volume on the subject of 
 colonization, and he took a practical part and interest in the organ- 
 ization of the Association. This was thirty years ago; it is now ancient 
 history, and people in this strenuous age and life quickly forget." 
 
 When we think of Bishop Spalding's work in this matter we first think 
 of his efforts in the interests of Irish immigration. But, in reality, his concern 
 included all nationalities. At the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884 
 he espoused the cause of the Italians. The original draft of the Council was 
 entitled "Of Italian Immigration" and mentioned the many activities of the 
 bishops in regard to immigration from Italy. The heated discussion which 
 arose from the consideration of this chapter led to the change in its name to 
 one of more general significance, "Of Colonists and Immigrants." 
 
 The Bishop of Fort Wayne, Indiana, suggested the original designation 
 of this chapter of the Schema. Archbishop Corrigan, with the support of 
 Cardinal McCloskcy of New York, the Bishops of Brooklyn, Newark, and 
 Bishop McQuade of Rochester, urged that the entire chapter be excluded. 
 Bishop Spalding supported the cause of the Italians. According to the report, 
 "The Bishop of Peoria thought that the condition of the Italian was not 
 hopeless, and, therefore, recommended the retention of the chapter. He advised 
 that they be settled in colonies, where they might buy farms and cultivate 
 them." The chapter was retained; and the Italians were not specified by name, 
 
 123 
 
but priests who understood the language were asked to labor among them. 
 
 Spalding's championship of the Italian cause had other beneficial results. 
 Not only was assistance given to Italians; but the Council recommended that 
 other societies, dealing with the Germans and the Irish, be organized to 
 assist the immigrants to the United States. 
 
 The human interest of Bishop Spalding included all the races. In 1880, 
 when there was grave agitation against the Chinese laborer, he wrote: 
 
 "There is certainly no excuse for any of our own people 
 (Catholics) who may be connected with this mob-agitation against the 
 Chinese. If they cannot compete with them in the labor market they 
 could go upon the land and attain to a position which is not within 
 the reach of a hired servant; and they should remember that we our- 
 selves have so often been the victims of lawlessness that no circum- 
 stances should ever have power to make us believe in mob-violence 
 as a remedy for any evil." 
 
 He expressed his full approval of the emancipation of the slave. He 
 recognized that the situation of the Negro was a serious religious and social 
 problem. He wrote: 
 
 "It is important, too, that more serious efforts should be made 
 to bring the negro population of this country under Catholic influ- 
 ence; and this can never be done until we fully realize that this is a 
 work which must be taken in hand by the bishops and priests of the 
 United States. To expect any great results from the labors of mis- 
 sionaries sent out by foreign seminaries is to ignore the essential 
 conditions of the problem with which we have to deal." 
 
 Spalding wrote much on the social question and made a large contribu- 
 tion to the welfare of the laboring man. The human race, in its long effort 
 to liberate man from the tyrannical principle of the "Divine Right of Kings," 
 and the rights of special privilege and entrenched power, has had help from 
 many in breaking the shackles of thralldom. So many people have had a part 
 in the development and growth of this great fund of moral strength that it 
 would be unwise even to offer a conjecture as to just how many brought about 
 the present improved position of the masses of the world. However, it is safe 
 to assert that among these should be included the names of those who have 
 given their vast influence and the prestige of their high office to the cause of 
 the laboring man. Four men stand out as the great champions of labor. 
 
 First of all, there was Leo XIII, in his encyclical Rerum Novarum, which 
 many have called the "Magna Carta" of labor. In this encyclical Leo XIII 
 said: 
 
 "Assuredly, a question as formidable as this requires the atten- 
 tion and effort of others as well, namely, the heads of the state, 
 employers and the rich, and finally, those in whose behalf efforts are 
 being made, the workers themselves. Yet without hesitation We 
 affirm that if the Church is disregarded, human striving will be in 
 vain. Manifestly, it is the Church which draws from the Gospel the 
 
 124 
 
teachings through which the struggle can be composed entirely or, 
 after its bitterness is removed, can certainly become more tempered. 
 
 "But it must not be supposed that the Church so concentrates 
 her energies on caring for souls as to overlook the things which per- 
 tain to mortal and earthly life. As regards the nonowning workers 
 specifically, she desires and strives that they rise from their most 
 wretched state and enjoy better conditions." 
 
 There was Cardinal Manning in England, Cardinal Gibbons and Arch- 
 bishop Spalding in the United States. 
 
 Cardinal Manning wrote to Gladstone December 21, 1872: 
 
 "I remember your saying to me many years ago that the next 
 conflict would be between the masters and the workmen. I had been so 
 much out of England than that I did not know how far this reached. 
 I found last week that even my Irish hodmen are organized. 
 . . . My belief is that some energetic and sympathetic act on the part 
 of Government would avert great dangers. Could not a Royal Com- 
 mission be issued to take the evidence of men who are now appealing 
 to public opinion for help?" 
 
 In a later letter, he said: 
 
 "As to the agricultural affair, the Bishop of Peterborough was 
 as bad as the Bishop of Gloucester. How is it they do not know 
 the day of their visitation? . . . Why cannot you do these things 
 for the labourer? Prohibit the labour of children under a certain 
 age. Compel payment of wages in money. Regulate the number of 
 dwellings according to the population of parishes. Establish tri- 
 bunals of arbitration in counties for questions between labour and 
 land." 
 
 Manning expressed his love for the people when he said, "I love Christ 
 and so learned to love the people for whom he died." 
 
 The organization of the Knights of Labor was the forerunner of the 
 American Federation of Labor. They were under the able leadership of 
 Terrence V. Powderly. whose title was Master General Workman. One of the 
 objections to the Knights of Labor from the standpoint of the Church was the 
 secret oath. At a meeting of the Archbishops and Bishops of the United States, 
 Powderly explained the requirements of the oath. After his explanation, only 
 two of the twelve Archbishops and three of the sixty-three Bishops present 
 were in favor of condemnation. 
 
 In 1887 when Archbishop Gibbons of Baltimore went to Rome to receive 
 the Cardinal's hat, he presented the cause of organized labor to the Holy 
 See. Prior to his departure, he consulted both President Cleveland and Ter- 
 rence V. Powderly. After his presentation of the case in Rome, the Knights 
 of Labor were not condemned. Through his influence, thus was saved what 
 later became the American Federation of Labor, a large organization con- 
 taining a considerable number of the workers of the United States. Cardinal 
 
 125 
 
Gibbons in this and in many other activities in his long and eventful career 
 championed the cause of the toiling masses of the country. 
 
 Archbishop Spalding says in Socialism and Labor and Other Arguments, 
 "The interests of the workingman are primary; the interests of capital are 
 secondary." All should pursue the same end in society. 
 
 "The end of society is not to secure to all men the highest 
 possible amount of physical comfort and sensual enjoyment, but to 
 give to all men the best possible opportunities of developing their 
 physical, intellectual, moral, and aesthetic endowments; and this is 
 done by stimulating individual energy, and by leaving the highest 
 prizes to be won by effort and struggle. Paternal government is, no 
 doubt, best for children and slaves, but the nobler races have pre- 
 ferred freedom even to the tenderest care." 
 
 The basic social thought of Archbishop Spalding was his advocacy of 
 balanced rights and duties between capital or management and labor. In this 
 he thought that we could find a solution to the social problems of the nation. 
 In his appraisal of the industrial problem of employer and employee, he felt 
 that there was little hope between these two groups as long as good will was 
 missing. Laws and reforms could not quiet the conflict, for its causes were 
 as wide and as deep as human nature. And, as Abraham Lincoln said, "You 
 cannot repeal human nature." 
 
 It is for the benefit of both capital and labor that we adopt an 
 economic system in the hope of establishing an atmosphere of tolerance, 
 fairness, and kindliness. If the warfare were to continue, according to the 
 Archbishop, "however the balance may turn in the varying conflicts, the final 
 result can only be the ruin of both, involving that of the general prosperity 
 and of the happiness of millions." Spalding has emphasized the importance 
 of the public in industrial dispute. This has come to have increasing attention, 
 especially in recent years. 
 
 "Heartless employers and lawless laborers may work serious 
 harm to capital and labor, as well as to the general welfare; but they 
 cannot control or dominate the country, and if their exactions and 
 violences create an intolerable situation, the American people will 
 find a way to assert their independence of both. Our life is too 
 large, too free, too firmly founded on principles of justice and 
 humanity, to fall a prey to the victims of greed or to the victims 
 of folly." 14 
 
 In confirmation of his theory, we may quote here the words of Pius XI 
 in Quadragesima Anno: 
 
 ". . . the twofold character, that is individual and social, both 
 of capital or ownership and of work or labor must be given due and 
 rightful weight. Relations of one to the other must be made to con- 
 form to the laws of strictest justice — commutative justice, as it is 
 
 'Spalding. Religion and Art and Other Essays. 
 
 126 
 
called, with the support, however, of Christian charity." 
 
 In the social philosophy of Archbishop Spalding the fundamental cause 
 of our ills exists not so much in social, political, or in economic matters but 
 in human nature itself. To counteract self-interest and the other sins common 
 to mankind, he advocates a higher standard in personal living. All efforts at 
 reform will lack permanency unless Christian principles are made the com- 
 pelling influence in the home, in government, in industry, and in commerce. 
 All society must be influenced by Christian principles. The Archbishop him- 
 self says, "If things are to be made right, we ourselves must be changed." 
 
 Archbishop Spalding had the opportunity to apply his social teaching 
 when he was made a member of the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission by 
 President Theodore Roosevelt in October of 1902.'"' This strike involved one 
 hundred fifty thousand anthracite coal miners in Pennsylvania. The center of 
 the strike was in the area of Wilkes-Barre. John Mitchell, Spring Valley, 
 Illinois, was the President of the United Mine Workers of America. He 
 called a temporary strike on May 12 following the failure of the Industrial 
 Department of the Civic Federation. This Federation was organized to pre- 
 vent strikes through collective bargaining. Mark Hanna of Cleveland, Ohio, 
 was Chairman of the Industrial Department of the Civic Federation. Prior to 
 calling the temporary strike, Mitchell, in a message to the operators, made an 
 attempt to procure a peaceful settlement by proposing that the matter be con- 
 sidered by a committee of five to be selected by the Civic Federation. He sug- 
 gested that power be given this committee to arbitrate between the operators 
 and the miners. Should this fail, he suggested an alternative — that the matter 
 be referred to a committee of three, two ecclesiastics and a third member to be 
 selected by them. He also suggested that the operators and miners accept as 
 binding the decision of the arbitrators. Both proposals were rejected by the op- 
 erators; and the workers, at convention on May 15, voted a continuation of the 
 strike. 
 
 This strike continued for five months and placed the eastern part of the 
 nation in great peril. There was a sufficient amount of bituminous coal, but 
 the furnaces in most of the eastern homes could use only anthracite, so that it 
 was a necessity. Joseph Bucklin Bishop, biographer of Theodore Roosevelt, 
 said, "That virtually all the people (in the East) did believe in October, 1902, 
 that anthracite was a necessity both to their comfort and their health is not to 
 be questioned." 1 ' 1 
 
 Demands for a settlement were made to President Roosevelt. The oper- 
 ators united in their resolve to oppose any compromise. The President found 
 himself in a difficult situation. He had no authority in the Constitution to act 
 directly. Only when there was disorder in the region, would he be justified, as 
 
 ''In the preparation of this section of the hook dealing with Archbishop Spalding's work on the 
 Coal Commission in 1902 and with his social thought. I wish to express indebtedness to Sister Mary 
 Evangela Henthorne. B.V.M.. and to Sister Agnes Claire Schroll, O.S.B.. M.A. 
 
 '"Joseph Bucklin Bishop. Issues of .1 New Epoch, The Coal Strike. Panama, Philippine* and 
 Cuhj (New York, 1904). 
 
 127 
 
Commander in Chief of the Army, sending federal troops into the area to re- 
 store order. The operators sought to starve the miners into submission. This 
 was ineffective, according to John Mitchell, as they were "getting abundant 
 supplies from their fellow workmen all over the country." He also says, "The 
 funds of the union were increasing at a rapid rate, and the amount of money 
 on hand was greater than at any time in the previous history of the organiza- 
 tion." 
 
 President Roosevelt had no constitutional right to intervene directly, but 
 he felt that he should use the moral influence of his office to settle the strike 
 before winter. Accordingly, he invited representatives of the operators and the 
 miners to meet with him at the White House October 3, 1902. At this meeting 
 he emphasized the seriousness of the situation and their responsibility to the 
 country. They were granted a recess until afternoon so that they could consider 
 his words and discuss his proposals. Mitchell acknowledged the gravity of the 
 situation and the need for arbitration. The meeting has been described by Presi- 
 dent Roosevelt in a letter which he sent to Mark Hanna dated October 3, 1902: 
 
 "At the meeting today the operators assumed a fairly hopeless 
 attitude. None of them appeared to such advantage as Mitchell, 
 whom most of them denounced with such violence and rancor that 
 I felt he did very well to keep his temper. Between times they insulted 
 me for not preserving order. . . . You have probably seen my state- 
 ment and Mitchell's proposition. I regarded the latter as eminently 
 fair and reasonable. . . . But the operators declined to accede to the 
 proposition or to make any proposition that amounted to anything 
 in return; and as I say I must now think very seriously of what the 
 next move shall be. A coal famine in the winter is an ugly thing, and 
 I fear we shall see terrible suffering and grave disaster." 
 
 Public feeling was high, and there was general alarm. The newspapers 
 of the day expressed indignation against the outcome of the meeting of the 
 operators and the miners before the President. At the time of the meeting 
 with the President, the operators evidently were unaware of public opinion. 
 Now they realized the increasing ill will toward them. Afraid of further de- 
 lay, J. Pierpont Morgan went to Washington October 13 to talk the matter 
 over with the President. In this interview, he offered in the name of the oper- 
 ators to accept the recommendations of a commission of five men who would 
 arbitrate the dispute. These men were to be appointed by the President. John 
 Mitchell and the other labor leaders consented to arbitration, not so much be- 
 cause of the strike — which already seemingly had been won — but rather to 
 have the principle of arbitration firmly established in employer and employee 
 relationships. 
 
 Secretary Root wrote to President Roosevelt and gave the principal facts 
 in regard to the choice of commissioners: 
 
 "I went to New York and spent the better part of a day with 
 Mr. J. P. Morgan on his yacht 'Corsair,' and during this interview 
 we drafted an agreement of arbitration for a commission to be ap- 
 pointed by you. Mr. Morgan got the signature of the operators to this 
 
 128 
 
paper with a single modification. The modfication required that the 
 arbitrators appointed by you should belong to certain specified classes 
 — an army engineer, a business man familiar with the coal business, 
 a Judge of the locality, a sociologist, etc., etc. When this paper was 
 presented to the miners they in turn wished for some modification of 
 the proposal, and it appeared that they would be satisfied to enter 
 into the agreement if Bishop Spalding could be added to the list of 
 arbitrators, and Mr. Clark could be appointed to the place which 
 called for a sociologist. As the operators' signatures had been ob- 
 tained by Mr. Morgan, in order to ascertain whether the operators 
 would assent to these appointments I telegraphed for some members 
 of Mr. Morgan's firm to come to Washington, and Mr. Bacon and 
 Mr. Perkins came, and upon learning the situation they opened tele- 
 phonic communication with the representatives of the operators in 
 New York, and secured their assent to the appointment of Bishop 
 Spalding and Mr. Clark." 
 
 On October 21, 1902, Archbishop Spalding, together with the other mem- 
 bers of the Commission, received the following letter from President Roose- 
 velt: 
 
 "To the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission: 
 
 "Gentlemen: At the request both of the operators and of the 
 miners, I have appointed you a Commission to inquire into, consider, 
 and pass upon the questions in controversy in connection with the 
 strike in the anthracite region, and the causes out of which the contro- 
 versy arose. By the action you recommend, which the parties in in- 
 terest have in advance consented to abide by, you will endeavor to 
 establish the relations between the employers and the wage workers 
 in the anthracite fields on a just and permanent basis, and, as far as 
 possible, to do away with any causes for the recurrence of such diffi- 
 culties as those which you have been called in to settle. I submit to 
 you herewith the published statement of the operators, following 
 which I named you as members of the Commission. 17 
 
 Theodore Roosevelt" 
 
 John Mitchell and the other labor leaders called a meeting of the mine 
 workers as soon as the operators consented to the appointment of Archbishop 
 Spalding and the labor representative to the Commission of Arbitration. The 
 men returned to work October 23, and the former wage scale prevailed until 
 the Commission was ready to make its recommendations. John Mitchell, the 
 President of the United Mine Workers of America, thought that the plan for 
 the satisfactory settlement of labor disputes was the greatest achievement of 
 the Commission. Mitchell said, "While disclaiming the wish to compel the 
 recognition of the United Mine Workers of America, the Commission in actual 
 
 ^Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress. 
 
 129 
 
practice made that recognition inevitable and immediate." 
 
 From that time until 1920, all disagreements between operators and miners 
 were settled within the framework of the recommendations of the Anthracite 
 Commission of 1902. This cooperation between the miners and the operators 
 was of great value to the United States during the crucial period of the First 
 World War. 
 
 An issue of The Outlook in 1916 had an editorial on the work of Arch- 
 bishop Spalding on the Anthracite Coal Commission in 1902. This publication, 
 while no longer in existence, was in its day an outstanding magazine of opin- 
 ion. In this editorial Archbishop Spalding is credited with effecting a spirit of 
 mutual cooperation between the operators and the miners. It stated that through 
 the efforts and personality of Archbishop Spalding a compromise was effected 
 which prevented further distress and suffering. Archbishop Spalding was 
 chosen by President Roosevelt because of "his interest in all labor questions 
 and his special knowledge of such subjects, and also because of the great power 
 and influence of his name among those miners who were of his faith. His name, 
 however, has influence not only with the laborer, the poor, or the downtrodden, 
 who hold first claim upon the friendship of the Bishop, but also with those who 
 were not of his faith for his appointment was accepted as an eminently desir- 
 able one by the public at large, and the parties to the dispute welcomed it 
 without exception." 18 
 
 Something of Bishop Spalding's standing in the nation can be learned 
 from a letter of Theodore Roosevelt: 
 
 "Oyster Bay, November 20, 1911 
 "Dear Abbott: 
 
 "In the first place let me thank you for your very kind and in- 
 teresting letter. I did not write that article in The Outlook (Nov. 
 11, 1911, 606-608, re. appointment of cardinals) but to you do not in 
 the least mind saying that I am substantially in agreement with it. 
 What you say about Spalding and Keane is true. They could not now 
 be made cardinals; I think the meaning of the writer, however, was 
 that men of their stamp should be made cardinals. I do not mind 
 writing you confidentially and not to be quoted, and what I am about 
 to write is of course quite private and I would not be willing to have 
 shown by you excepting to people whom you trust and who would not 
 misunderstand me. I very sincerely wish well to the Catholic Chruch. 
 There are very few Protestant clergymen with whom I have been able 
 to work as I have been able to work with a number of parish priests, 
 because they seem to me to possess the union of high purpose and of 
 practical power to do good which is essential if we are to get real 
 achievement. There are also only a limited number of Protestant 
 clergymen, men like Bishop Brooke and Bishop Brent, for instance, 
 for whom I have the same feeling as I have for Bishops Spalding 
 
 The Outlook, CXIV (Sept. 6. 1916). 
 
 130 
 
and Keane, as my dear Abbott, I have for you. I do not know whether 
 you will like being included with the two Protestant bishops I men- 
 tion, but I know you will not mind the feeling in me which makes me 
 wish to include you. It is because I recognize in you, in Bishops 
 Spalding and Keane, and in them, the same combination of serene 
 and lofty spirituality, of broad-minded charity and of sincere desire 
 to do good — a combination which ensures from me a very high and 
 affectionate regard." 1 " 
 
 n The LetUn of Theodore Roof ei ell. Library of Congress. 
 
 131 
 
132 
 
£? KSJ <&> <SJ W t&> KSJ *& *&> ^ *£ 
 
 T 1 
 
 © Chapter XI ©: 
 
 On January 6, 1905, Archbishop Spalding suffered a stroke of paralysis 
 from which he never fully recovered. The Archbishop said Mass as usual in the 
 Cathedral January 6, 1905. Afterwards, he told Father O'Reilly, Rector, that 
 he felt unwell and thought that he had another attack of neuralgia, from which 
 he suffered; but he did not think that it amounted to much. He went to his 
 study and remained there until noon, when he went to luncheon as usual and 
 returned to his study immediately afterwards. During the afternoon, Miss 
 Bridget Wall, his housekeeper, found him on the floor in a semi-conscious con- 
 dition and unable to speak. The attack was wholly unexpected. 
 
 His brother, Dr. Spalding, and his nephew, Dr. Slevin, were summoned; 
 an 1 they pronounced it a stroke of paralysis which left his left arm and his left 
 side useless. Dr. Spalding, Dr. Slevin, and Father O'Reilly remained at his bed- 
 side constantly to be ready to give what relief they could. 
 
 The news was carried rapidly throughout the country, and messages began 
 to pour in. Newspaper articles appeared in the press throughout the nation. 
 Several hundred messages came in the first day. The following is an article 
 which appeared in the New World at that time: 
 
 Bishop Spalding stricken with apoplexy; condition serious,' 
 so read the sad words sent alonq guiding wires throughout our land; 
 evoking sorrow and sympathy wherever they sped. Such the message 
 from an unclouded sky upon the city of Peoria, upon our Diocese on 
 Friday evening, January 6, filling loving souls with fear and dread 
 and wringing from non-Catholic as well as Catholic hearts the fervent 
 prayers that it was not true. . . . Everything known to medical science 
 
 133 
 
was immediately done, and the anxious watchers were rewarded by 
 seeing, within a short time, a return of consciousness and a marked 
 improvement in the Bishop's condition. The doctors were continually 
 at his bedside and their daily reports are very encouraging. Dr. Spal- 
 ding now holds out hope that unless some unforeseen complication 
 arises, the Bishop will completely recover. That this may be so, that 
 the Almighty God may in His Infinite Goodness spare him, to his 
 people, to his diocese, to the Church in America, for many years is the 
 prayer sincere and fervent that ascends from innumerable souls. 
 
 "That our Bishop, by his noble Christian life and his inspiring 
 writing has created an influence that is world-wide, that his loving 
 sympathy, charming personality, and unselfish patriotism endeared 
 him to the American people was most notably evidenced when the 
 news of his serious affliction became widely known. From every part 
 of our country, from men high in affairs of Church and State came 
 telegrams of condolence, of sympathy, and of inquiry. Among the 
 first was a message from President Roosevelt expressing great sorrow 
 and wishing to be informed of the Bishop's possible recovery. Mes- 
 sages were also received from Cardinal Gibbons and from Arch- 
 bishops Ireland, Keane, and Riordan; and John Mitchell, President 
 of the United Mine Workers Association (with whom Spalding had 
 worked during the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902 and who was so 
 impressed by the Bishop's sense of justice that he asked Spalding to 
 instruct him and receive him into the Church), the presidents of Yale, 
 Princeton, Columbia, and other non-Catholic Universities; while let- 
 ters of, sympathy poured in from all sides, each breathing a fervent 
 hope that the attack would not be fraught with serious results; that 
 health again be restored to him, 'who for years has stood prophet- 
 like apart, reminding all men of the noble purpose of life.' " 
 His condition improved; and, on April 4, in the company of his brother, 
 Dr. L. H. Spalding, two of his sisters, a nurse, Father D. J. Riordan of Chicago, 
 and Mrs. Kate Spalding of Lebanon, Kentucky, in the private car of President 
 E. W. Armstrong of the T. P. and W. Railway, Spalding left for Hot Springs, 
 Arkansas, to recuperate. In May, news reached Peoria that he was able to take 
 short walks and showed a general improvement in his condition. He returned to 
 Peoria in the middle of October and was taken to St. Francis Hospital. Before 
 long, he returned to the Cathedral; and, with the help of a cane, was able to 
 take care of the more important work in his Diocese. 
 
 He later went to Sacred Heart Sanitarium in Milwaukee for treatment. 
 While there, he gave the following interview to the press (The Catholic Citi- 
 zen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 4, 1906) , 20 
 
 "Reports sent out to the effect that Bishop John Lancaster 
 Spalding of Peoria, Illinois, who is undergoing treatment at the 
 Sacred Heart Sanitarium, Milwaukee, has suffered a second and third 
 stroke of paralysis and that his general health was much worse are 
 wholly unfounded, as just the opposite is the fact. The distinguished 
 
 ""Courtesy of Francis P. Clark, Louisville, Kentucky. 
 
 134 
 
Illinois Prelate has not only had no recurrence of the paralysis, but 
 is improving in health, recovering his strength, and gaining in flesh. 
 When a press representative called on Bishop Spalding last 
 Friday afternoon he was undergoing his daily treatment. In walking 
 it is painfully apparent that the left side of his body is partially 
 lifeless. He does not, however, require the services of an attendant 
 in his short walks, but leans heavily on a cane. 
 
 ' 'I am very glad to be in Milwaukee, and I know I am being 
 much benefited in health and strength' said Bishop Spalding, enunci- 
 ating even* word distinctly and precisely. The last time I was here 
 was when I spoke before the Teachers Convention, which by the way, 
 was the last lecture I delivered. I was stricken with partial paralysis 
 upon my return home. I hope and pray that my physician's prediction 
 that in a year I shall be completely restored to health comes true, as 
 there is much that I desire to do in this world. An Auxiliary Bishop 
 has been assigned me; yet, notwithstanding my severe illness, I have 
 attended to the administration of my Diocese, which comprises twenty- 
 eight of the best agricultural counties in the State of Illinois. I have 
 been connected with this Diocese for so long a time — twenty-eight 
 years — and enjoyed such a wide acquaintance among the people that 
 my own wish is to be permitted to remain its head until I am called 
 hence. My loyalty to the Diocese was thoroughly demonstrated when 
 I several times declined another See. 
 
 ' Oh yes, I read the day's news of the world. The adjustment 
 of the impending coal strike last spring on the conditions formulated 
 by the Anthracite Strike Commission appointed by President Roose- 
 velt, of which I was a member, gratified me much. We labored long 
 and arduously before adopting a report, which as the world knows, 
 was acceptable alike to the operators and the miners. There existed 
 many grievous abuses, and perhaps do yet in a few isolated instances; 
 but conditions obtaining in the anthracite regions today are vastly 
 better than before the memorable coal strike of four years ago. 
 
 ' I had never met President Roosevelt before he made me a 
 member of the Commission, but I have since become intimately ac- 
 quainted with him. For our President I entertain the very highest re- 
 spect. His integrity of mind and heart is apparent to anyone coming 
 in contact with his extraordinary personality. From my conversations 
 with him I have become thoroughly convinced that President Roose- 
 velt strives to accord to every man in this country a square deal, as he 
 terms it, be he rich or poor.' " 
 Spalding found, however, that the responsibility of his office was too great 
 
 a strain on his health; and in September of 1908 he wrote the following letter 
 
 to his priests: 
 
 "I have been ill for three and a half years, and foreseeing that 
 many more years may elapse before I could hope to resume active 
 duty in the diocese of Peoria, I have, after due consideration, re- 
 solved to tender my resignation to Pope Pius X. I am now in my sixty- 
 ninth year and continue to suffer from paralysis. 
 
 135 
 
"For thirty-one years I have served as Bishop of Peoria. In that 
 time I have witnessed the rapid and prosperous growth of the Catholic 
 Church in the Middle West; and, now that I am unable to assist ac- 
 tively in the continuation of its growth, I believe that it is better I 
 should retire and that some more active prelate be placed in charge. 
 "If the Holy Father grants my request, I will devote the re- 
 mainder of my life to literary work." 21 
 
 "The announcement of this resignation," says The Catholic Times, the 
 great Catholic newspaper of England, "is received with lively regret by the 
 Protestants as well as by the Catholics of the United States. Dr. Spalding is 
 one of those who have earned for the Catholic Church in America the high 
 esteem in which it is held by all classes of citizens, not excepting the President. 
 . . . He has the gift of oratory, and few of his compatriots have done as much 
 as he to raise the American working classes." 
 
 It took humility and courage for him to resign. In the Biography of his 
 uncle he wrote of Bishop Flaget of Louisville: 
 
 "Even the noblest and most Christian souls not unfrequently 
 find great difficulty in realizing that the time has come when they 
 should retire from the responsibility of office, in order henceforth 
 to lead the life of prayer 'hidden with Christ in God.' We cling with 
 such tenacity to power and the thought of our own importance, that 
 when increasing years and infirmities warn us, to use the expression 
 of Bishop Flaget, of our approaching nullity, we fret and worry, and 
 are loath to confess, even to ourselves, that for us God's providence 
 has sounded the signal of retreat from the active duties of life. Even 
 they who have labored most zealously in the cause of religion are 
 sometimes exposed to this temptation, allowing the evening of lives, 
 which should be devoted to repose and contemplation, to be dis- 
 turbed by anxious restlessness. To my mind, not the least of the many 
 proofs of the exalted virtue of Bishop Flaget is found in the cheer- 
 ful readiness with which he resigned the whole administration of 
 the diocese which he had created into the hands of his beloved son in 
 Christ. After the consecration of Bishop Spalding (Martin John 
 Spalding), he at once withdrew into the solitude of his own heart, 
 and dwelt henceforth in undisturbed communion with God." 
 The Holy Father accepted his resignation and nominated him as Titular 
 Archbishop of Scythopolis. At the time of this appointment, the official publi- 
 cation of the Peoria Chamber of Commerce printed the following: 
 
 "This man can never be anything but Bishop Spalding to Peoria. 
 It matters little that the head of the great Church he so faithfully 
 served honored him with that title of Archbishop. It means no dis- 
 respect that Peoria cannot say the new word. It is only another sign 
 of the enduring place he has in the hearts of the people of Peoria. 
 "Through all the years he was doing his great work, he builded 
 so strong that nothing can tear down the memory of the man or the 
 name by which, through it all, he was known. He is and always will 
 be Peoria's Bishop Spalding." 
 
 "The New World, Sept., 1908. 
 
 136 
 
Home on North Glen Oak Avenue, Peoria, to which Archbishop Spalding retired 
 
 The Archbishop built a home on North Glen Oak Avenue, Peoria; and 
 there he retired to spend his remaining years. During this period he frequently 
 visited his boyhood home in Lebanon, Kentucky. This enabled him to escape 
 the severe winters of the north, and he would always come back refreshed. 
 
 During his retirement and illness he had many callers and many ex- 
 pressions of sympathy came from high and low throughout the nation. Among 
 his visitors were Theodore Roosevelt and William Jennings Bryan. On Sep- 
 tember 10, 1908, William Jennings Bryan called on him. Bryan left the Na- 
 tional Hotel at 2:00 P. M. accompanied by Mayor O'Connor, Jacob Snell- 
 backer, and Frank Quinn. Arrangements had been made previously at Mr. 
 Byran*s request. They had met some years before. For nearly two hours 
 they had a very pleasant visit. They reminisced about other days, and they re- 
 called humorously the visit that they had once had in the East with an elderly 
 lady who insisted that she was related to both of them. 
 
 After his retirement, an event occurred which is worthy of mention here. 
 This was his Golden Sacerdotal Jubilee November 24, 1913. At the Mass at 
 St. Mary's Cathedral the sermon was delivered by Archbishop John J. Glennon 
 (later Cardinal Glennon), of St. Louis. It was climaxed by a banquet in the 
 evening in the old Coliseum, long since destroyed by fire. The banquet hall was 
 filled to capacity. The papers of this day attach great importance to the banquet 
 because it was a tribute from his old neighbors and friends. The orchestra 
 played throughout the banquet, in the course of which Mr. Charles Burdick 
 sant; "My Old Kentucky Home." It is interesting to know that "My Old Ken- 
 tucky Home" is close-by the ancestral homes of the Spaldings and the Lan- 
 caster. The huge assemblage joined in the chorus. This was their way to ex- 
 press their feeling for Archbishop Spalding and his beloved Kentucky. William 
 Burke was general chairman of the Jubilee. The toastmaster at the banquet was 
 
 137 
 
the Very Rev. Francis J. O'Reilly, formerly Chancellor of the Diocese and form- 
 erly Rector of St. Mary's Cathedral. The speakers at the banquet were the Right 
 Rev. P. J. Muldoon, Bishop of Rockford; Lieutenant-Governor McDermott, of 
 Kentucky; Right Rev. Thomas J. Shahan, Rector of the Catholic University; and 
 the Honorable John S. Leahy, of St. Louis. 
 
 It is difficult to know much about these years of retirement except what 
 we read in newspaper articles about him. There is hardly anyone now alive who 
 knew him during this period. One of the few now living who knew him during 
 his retirement is the Reverend John A. O'Brien, Ph.D., author and educator of 
 the University of Notre Dame. Dr. O'Brien has made the following statement: 
 "I had a cousin, Miss Bridget Wall, a gracious and kind lady, 
 who spent most of her life as the housekeeper to Archbishop John 
 Lancaster Spalding. In visiting her, while home on vacation from the 
 seminary in the summers particularly of 1914 and 1915, I was priv- 
 ileged to have visits also with the Archbishop, who was then living in 
 retirement in his beautiful home on North Glen Oak Avenue. 
 
 "The Archbishop would escort me to the veranda in the rear, 
 which overlooked the city, the Illinois River and the green countryside 
 beyond. The Archbishop was a thin frail man of short stature, weigh- 
 ing probably less than a hundred pounds. With his high forehead and 
 large piercing eyes, he seemed to be the very incarnation of sheer 
 intellect. 
 
 "Though ill health had crippled his body, his mind was still 
 clear; and he spoke stirringly of the great future of the Catholic 
 Church in this country. The ripe product of European university train- 
 ing, the Archbishop was eager to kindle enthusiasm for higher 
 education, culture, and things of the mind among the people of the 
 New World. He stressed the importance of familiarizing oneself with 
 the great works of philosophy, literature, and education, and making 
 them serve to enlarge the horizons of the present. 
 
 "Largely responsible for the establishment of the Catholic Uni- 
 versity of America, the Archbishop still echoed the notes he had 
 sounded so frequently in his addresses to the Catholic educators of 
 our country. 
 
 "I remember particularly the Archbishop's pointing out that a 
 priest should never rest content with the knowledge he has acquired 
 in the seminary, but should continue after his ordination to grow in 
 knowledge and culture, and keep ever alive his interest in things of 
 the mind. As he spoke so simply and yet so beautifully of the glory 
 of the life of the intellect, I found myself strangely stirred. 
 
 "I knew how well he had put these words into practice and how 
 he had exemplified the highest culture and learning in his scholarly 
 discourses, which earned for him the reputation of being one of the 
 greatest orators of the America of his day. 
 
 "At the end of our little visits his devoted friend, Mr. Louis 
 Vachon, would come to help the Archbishop back to his room. It 
 was probably as a result of listening to the Archbishop and reading 
 his great books that some thirty years later I was moved to place, on 
 
 138 
 
the opening page of a volume, Catholics and Scholarship, which I 
 edited, the words of the Archbishop which sounded the keynote of the 
 whole volume. They were spoken when he was making his memorable 
 plea to the American hierarchy for the establishment of the Catholic 
 University of America. 
 
 Let there be,' he said, 'an American Catholic University, 
 where our young men, in the atmosphere of faith and purity and high 
 thinking and plain living, shall become more intimately conscious of 
 the truth of their religion and the genius of their comity, where they 
 shall learn the repose and dignity which belong to ancient descent 
 and yet not lose the fire which glows in the blood of new people.' ' 
 Another one who saw him in retirement and wrote about him was the 
 famous French author and educator, Abbe Felix Klein. In America of Tomor- 
 row he writes: 
 
 "Peoria and Mgr. Spalding, a little city and a great bishop,' 
 as I called them formerly, for which neither of them bore me any 
 grudge, had left me with such pleasant memories that I could not 
 entertain the idea of not seeing them both again. Besides, my visit 
 could easily be worked on with Chicago as my base, a mere matter 
 of three hundred miles going and returning. How was it that, four 
 years ago, I was so depressed at leaving this Illinois shore, and 
 thought it so much too far from the banks of the Seine? It was easy 
 formerly to count such distance an obstacle. 
 
 "What, as will readily be believed, was far more agreeable than 
 renewing my investigations of the town institutions, was running in 
 a motor car all around the evirons. Motoring is the sport of the after- 
 noon; the mornings are given to driving the Bishop in his carriage. 
 Smitten three years ago with hemiplegia, he is no longer able to ride 
 on horseback or to drive, and it is his devoted sister who takes him 
 out driving each day. At first I feel unworthy to replace her, but 
 thanks to the great good sense of Kitty, the old hired mare, my fears 
 soon evaporate, and at the end of the first hour even my feeling of 
 responsibility does not prevent my talking quietly with my very good 
 friend. 
 
 "But it is especially in the evening, in the covered gallery that 
 since his illness he has added to the little presbytery, that I enjoy 
 talking with him of the great interests of the Church and of questions 
 of eternity. I will not repeat his philosophy, a resume of which is 
 given elsewhere, nor the broad, simple, and confiding views he has 
 formed of the designs of God and the future of the world; but I 
 cannot refrain from saying how greatly suffering has added to the 
 perfection of this great nature. Three years for such a thinker being 
 hardly able to write or study! 
 
 "In this tired body, the spirit, thanks be to God, has not remained 
 captive; it has risen higher and higher in the regions of light and 
 love; with no less of strength, it has grown in gentleness; having 
 ruled formerly by brilliancy and vigor, it is now dominated by sweet- 
 
 139 
 
ness and tenderness. The Bishop extols the beauties of suffering, as 
 St. Francis of Assisi sang the virtues of his lady Poverty: 
 
 ' 'One should love pain,' said he, 'as well as the other gifts of 
 God, and as the best one. It is the greatest of teachers. We really 
 learn only by experience. Joy is an experience too, but only a super- 
 ficial one; it is suffering that reaches to the depths of one's nature.' 
 'Yes, Father,' I replied, 'but tell me what, in especial, it has 
 taught you, and what benefits you have derived from it.' 
 
 ' 'It seems to me this is its lesson,' he replied. 'The present world 
 is great and beautiful to those who understand it rightly; but pain 
 and suffering, by preventing us from delighting in it unreservedly, 
 make us aspire after something better; and higher aspirations are 
 the mainspring of life, development, and advancement.' 
 
 " 'This something better, shall we attain to it?' 
 'We are going to God! What more can I say?' 
 
 "I felt as though I were on a high mountain-peak beside a guide 
 explaining the immense horizons, leading me to guess at glimpses 
 beyond the boundary of vision into the Promised Land. Nor has 
 Providence too severely treated one who has all his life confided in 
 God. He is surrounded by affection and devotion. Not to speak of 
 those at a distance, who live in his thoughts and pray with him, he 
 has near him at Peoria, one of his sisters and his doctor-brother, who 
 see him each day; his faithful Auxiliary-Bishop (Rt. Rev. P. J. 
 O'Reilly), and all his clergy, who are so proud of him; and notably, 
 in his house, this little house that sheds so pure a light on the world, 
 the four priests who form the staff of the cathedral and the diocesan 
 administration, and at their head the pastor and chancellor (Very 
 Rev. Francis J. O'Reilly), a modest, active, and intelligent collabora- 
 tor. Nor would I forget the young and devoted Canadian who is 
 reader and secretary (Louis Vachon), nor Bridget, who has done 
 thirty years of perfect work, Bridget forever smiling and, what is still 
 rarer in such a case, always retiring and shy. Happy man, who can 
 make himself so admired of the great and so loved by the humble! 
 
 "Admired and loved, I could see, by all the inhabitants of Peoria, 
 Protestants as well as Catholics. The last evening of my stay I was 
 invited to dine at the Country Club, which towers sheer above the 
 Illinois at that most picturesque spot where the river, before entering 
 the city, spreads out into a lake dotted with islands and shut in by 
 wooded hills. Each of the two hundred members of the club enjoys, in 
 this spacious and charming country house, all the privileges of owner- 
 ship of this magnificent property, with neither too great an expendi- 
 ture, nor much distance to travel. Here he can indulge in his favorite 
 sports and pastimes, spend a few restful days, and entertain his 
 friends. It is the country place within the means of everyone, the 
 country place minus its cares, its preoccupations, disillusions, and ex- 
 penses. Judging by the family whose guests we are, and by the friends 
 they invite to meet us, Peoria is not inferior in graciousness, culture, 
 nor even elegance, to cities twenty times older than itself; and the 
 
 140 
 
squaws of Illinois have progressed somewhat since La Salle and his 
 companions saw them threateningly brandish their tomahawks! I can 
 even discuss the courses of the Sorbonne with my neighbor, who has 
 conscientiously followed them. Professor at Smith College, Massa- 
 chusetts, she undertakes to get together an audience of six hundred 
 girls if I will give a lecture there in French, and I accept the invitation. 
 I derive a great deal of pleasure in seeing the members of this de- 
 lightful social circle surrounding the Bishop with the same affection- 
 ate respect as was offered him by the nuns of the Good Shepherd and 
 their wards, by the sick of the hospitals, and by the school children. 
 The priest, and above all the Bishop, should be all things to all men; 
 w ith the poor fishers of Galilee or in the house of Bethany, Jesus was 
 always the Christ." 
 
 Archbishop Spalding had in this retirement the opportunity for con- 
 templation and for life with God. He says in Opportunity and Other Essays. 
 "The best moments are those in which we stay within ourselves, alone with 
 God." Here was a man who had reached the very pinnacle of fame. His 
 renown as an orator and an author had gone abroad throughout the world. 
 He could survey the accomplishments of a useful life spent in the service of 
 his Church, his nation, and his fellowman; and now he was alone with God 
 and with a profound contemplation in his soul. He could have said, with 
 St. Teresa of Avila: 
 
 "Let nothing disturb thee; 
 
 Let nothing affright thee. 
 
 He who has God 
 
 Wants for nothing. 
 
 God alone is enough." 
 
 Pere Vallee, the Dominican, has insisted on the necessity of calm, of 
 the life of faith, of silent communion with the Guest hidden in the depths of 
 the soul. 
 
 Hilaire Belloc has reverently expressed this thought when he wrote of his 
 visit to the Cathedral of Terragona in Spain: 
 
 "They who built it desired a place wherein the soul of man 
 should enter at once into a profound contemplation, and be wholly 
 cut off from the consideration of external things. They desired to put 
 over and around the soul of man, roofing him and guarding him all 
 about, a mystery of silence and of immensity. Certainly they achieved 
 what they desired. I could imagine some man, over-experienced in the 
 noisy unmeaning of the world — its ambitions bought at ten times 
 their worth, and lost in a moment, its futile, torturing friction, and 
 its fruitless, wasted fevers of energy — coming many hundred 
 miles to find this place again, and to rest." 
 
 His was the peace that came in his retirement from a complete surrender 
 to God and His Holy Will; a deep serenity which was not completely incon- 
 sistent with some measure of anxiety and suffering; a supernatural fixity; a 
 participation in the love of God. 
 
 141 
 
142 
 
:©.®@®®®®<®@®®' 
 
 °3 '® 
 
 B Chapter XII B. 
 
 ©.©©®®©®®.@.@©» 
 
 For the last illness and death and burial of Archbishop Spalding the 
 writer has had to depend on the newspaper articles of the time. The Peoria 
 Journal of Saturday, August 26, 1916, has the following article on his last 
 illness: 
 
 LAST ILLNESS 
 
 The Archbishop's last illness dates back twelve years, in fact, 
 though practically it may be said to extend only through the latter 
 part of the recent hot spells. Up to the last three or four days of this 
 extreme weather, according to Dr. J. E. Huber, physician to his Rev- 
 erence, there had been little effect of the weather noticeable upon his 
 distinguished patient; but with the extremely high humidity of those 
 few days, the Archbishop lost his appetite, failed in his powers of 
 mastication, and wasted away so rapidly that his aged constitution, 
 wrecked by paralysis as it was, could not withstand the strain. 
 
 "Twelve years ago his Reverence suffered a stroke of paralysis 
 that rendered his left side almost useless. His arm and his face were 
 affected, along with his body and lower limb; and for a considerable 
 time he was thought to be near the end. He rallied, however, and 
 after innumerable treatments taken at the hands of many physicians, 
 osteopaths, and masseurs, was able to get about with the aid of a cane 
 and enjoy somewhat his former pursuits. 
 
 "His frequent visits to his boyhood home in Lebanon, Ky., 
 enabled him to escape the severe weather of the northern winters 
 and he always came back with a new lease on life. 
 
 143 
 
"Two years ago he became afflicted with a senile itch which 
 greatly bothered him more than a year, and for which there seemed 
 no cure. It was this condition which caused the Archbishop to call in 
 Dr. Huber, an expert Bacteriologist and Laboratorian. The latter took 
 hold of the case at a time when his Reverence was unable to sleep 
 because of the itching and succeeded in effecting a cure in a short 
 time. 
 
 'His last illness was wholly traceable to the humidity and heat 
 of the latter part of the summer,' said Dr. Huber to a Journal re- 
 porter. 'He was just simply wasted away, his vital organs were worn 
 out. He did not suffer a single ache or pain, and his passing was as 
 peaceful as any human could expect.' 
 
 Peoria Journal, Saturday, August 26, 1916 
 
 Archbishop Dead 
 
 "News of the death of Archbishop Spalding spread quickly. By 
 telephone, through newspaper extras, and by word of mouth the 
 tragic story flew over the city. Neighbors told it to each other, one 
 relative sent word to another, and even strangers stopped each other 
 on the streets to tell the news. 
 
 "Up on Madison Street in the vicinity of St. Mary's Cathedral 
 all was quiet Friday afternoon. Men went about their work as usual 
 and housewives, their daily duties ended, were enjoying a brief rest 
 on the porches. 
 
 "Presently the big bell in the Cathedral tower struck. People 
 wondered. Then it struck again, a slow, mournful note. In the con- 
 vent nearby black-garbed sisters listened, surmised the message, 
 stopped in their duties and with bowed head offered silent prayer 
 for the repose of the soul of the dead prelate. 
 
 Priests Hear of Death 
 
 "Priests nearby hurried to the parochial residence to confirm the 
 fear they felt. Then, they too, offered silent prayer for the soul of the 
 Archbishop. 
 
 "The bell tolled on. 
 
 "The telephones in St. Mary's residence began to ring. Priests 
 hurried to answer them. Always the anxious inquiry was: 
 
 ' 'Why is the bell tolling?' 
 
 "And always came the simple answer: 
 
 " 'The Archbishop is dead.' 
 
 "Out on the streets men stopped their work. The tolling of the 
 bell late in the afternoon was unusual. Something more than ordinary 
 must have happened. One man asked another. All made inquiry and 
 soon the answer came. 
 
 " 'The Archbishop is dead.' 
 
 144 
 
Gathered in Little Groups 
 
 \\ omen, startled by the tolling of the bell, left their porches. 
 They went to the sidewalk and gathered in little groups. Few could 
 understand what the ringing of the bell meant. They asked each 
 other: 
 
 \\ hat has happened?' 
 And then, after a little, the answer came: 
 'The Archbishop is dead.' 
 "Even little children in the streets, in the yards, and in the park 
 paused in their play and wondering, listened to the tolling of the 
 bell. Then, wide-eyed and awesome, they scampered home to tell their 
 mothers that the big bell in the Cathedral was ringing and there 
 wasn't any funeral.' Quietly and reverently their mothers explained 
 to them: 
 
 The Archbishop is dead.' 
 
 Whole City Mourns 
 
 "And down in the business section, in the manufacturing dis- 
 trict and among the shops and railroads the news spread. Men gath- 
 ered by threes and fours to discuss it. To many of them the dead 
 Church Dignitary was a personal friend, to others an acquaintance, 
 and all knew him. Men, seeing these little groups, hurried up to in- 
 quire what was wrong and were told: 
 
 ' The Archbishop is dead.' 
 
 "And so the news spread all over the city. It went fast and soon 
 everyone knew, they knew that the man who had given the best of 
 his life to Peoria was dead, that he had loved this city above all other 
 cities, and Catholic and non-Catholic alike loved him for it and 
 mourned. 
 "The Archbishop is dead." 
 
 Peoria Journal, Saturday, August 26, 1916 
 
 ARCHBISHOP SPALDING DIES 
 FUNERAL SERVICES TUESDAY 
 
 Noted Prelate Passes Away Quietly 
 Friday Afternoon — Nation Sorrows. 
 
 Dies at Age of 76 
 
 "Quietly and simply as he had lived, Archbishop John Lancaster 
 Spalding, churchman, author, sociologist, educator, philanthropist, 
 world-famed prelate, and humble follower of his Master, died Friday 
 afternoon, August 25, at 3:45 o'clock at his residence, 740 North 
 Glen Oak Avenue, Peoria, Illinois. 
 
 145 
 
"The venerable Archbishop had attained the age of 76 years. 
 He was forced to take to his bed ten days ago on account of the 
 extreme heat. He had gradually grown weaker until he closed his 
 eyes in the quiet sleep of death Friday afternoon. Members of his 
 immediate family, Mrs. Kate Spalding and Mrs. N. H. Putnam 
 of Lebanon, Ky., the boyhood home of the prelate; a niece, Mrs. John 
 Robb of Peoria; and brother priests Fathers M. P. Sammon, J. H. 
 Fennen, and R. P. McGuire were at his bedside. 
 
 His Passing Peaceful 
 
 "Dr. J. H. Huber says of his death, He did not suffer. His 
 passing was as peaceful as any human being could expect.' 
 
 "Other relatives in Peoria besides those who were at the bed- 
 side are Mrs. L. H. Spalding and Mrs. Frank T. Slevin, her two sons, 
 Spalding and Eugene Slevin, and F. D. Slevin, a brother-in-law. 
 
 "The body of the late prelate will be at the Archiepiscopal 
 residence, 740 North Glen Oak, until late Sunday afternoon. Then it 
 will be removed to St. Mary's Cathedral at Madison and Green 
 Streets, there to lie in state until the funeral, which is set for Tues- 
 day forenoon, August 29, at 10 o'clock. 
 
 "Solemn Pontifical Requiem Mass will be celebrated by the 
 Right Reverend Bishop Edmund M. Dunne. There will be a children's 
 Mass sung at 9 o'clock Monday morning. 
 
 Deacons for the Mass 
 
 "Deacons of honor at the Tuesday Mass are to be the Very 
 Reverend D. J. Riordan, Consultor of the Chicago Diocese, and the 
 Very Reverend E. J. Spalding, Vicar General of Alton, 111. Others 
 participating in the service will be the Very Reverend F. J. O'Reilly, 
 R.D.P.R.; and a nephew of the late prelate, the Rev. Martin Spald- 
 ing, of Bloomington (now Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, 
 Monmouth, 111.). 
 
 Peoria Journal, Saturday, August 26, 1916 
 
 Corpse Rests in Private Chapel 
 
 Body of Archbishop Lies in State 
 
 at Home in Little Room 
 
 Just Off His Library 
 
 Scene of His Prayers 
 
 "The body of the illustrious Peoria Prelate lies in state Sat- 
 urday and Sunday in the little room used by Archbishop Spalding 
 during his lifetime as a private chapel. The room, ten feet by twelve, 
 
 146 
 
is at the northeast corner of the Archiepiscopal residence. It is 
 entered by a door from the prelate's library and sitting room. The 
 chapel is devoid of ornament except a copy of Raphael's Madonna 
 with the infant St. John and the Christ; a portrait of the Most 
 Reverend M. J. Spalding, former Archbishop of Baltimore and uncle 
 of the famous Peorian; a marble cross bearing in bas relief the 
 thorn-crowned head of the Savior; a memorial of the Prelate's 
 brother, Rev. B. L. Spalding; and a framed copy of an appreciation 
 from the City of Peoria presented him on the occasion of his Golden 
 Jubilee. 
 
 "The body will lie on a pall of black facing a large candelabra 
 and crucifix in the east windows. One other frame is on the north 
 wall, bearing a hand-painted copy of verses inscribed by the students 
 of St. Mary's Academy, Notre Dame, Indiana. 
 
 Here the prelate prayed and meditated. The room, in its 
 unostentatious elegance, speaks its message of scholarly wisdom 
 and saint-like serenity that were distinguishing characteristics of the 
 revered author, orator, and ecclesiast. 
 
 His Only Regret 
 
 "On a small table in the combined library and sitting room 
 still rest two black morocco leather covered books. They are small, 
 and the pages are thumbed and creased with almost constant use. 
 One is the New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 
 The other is a copy of Saint Thomas A Kempis' Imitation of Christ. 
 
 "Almost the only regret expressed by the Archbishop prior to 
 his death was his inability to make a visit to his childhood home in 
 Lebanon, Kentucky. 
 
 ' I'm a good traveler, ' he said. 
 
 Yes, ' said his physician, Dr. J. E. Huber, but you are too 
 weak to stand a long trip.' 
 
 Well,' responded the Prelate, it doesn't really make much 
 difference where a man dies, after all. 
 
 Peoria journal, Monday, August 28, 1916 
 Children Pa) High Tribute To Spalding 
 Three Thousand Assemble at Cathedral 
 to Honor Memory of Dead Prelate 
 
 Mass Celebrated 
 
 ' Out of the mouths of children thou hast perfected praise. ' 
 "Three thousand children of Peoria met at nine o'clock Monday 
 morning in beautiful St. Mary's Cathedral to honor the memory of 
 
 147 
 
their friend and benefactor, the venerated and saintly Archbishop 
 John L. Spalding. Fifteen hundred children from Peoria's eight 
 parochial schools, led by their instructors, met at Spalding Institute 
 and St. Mary's School two blocks from the Cathedral and marched 
 in solemn processional to the edifice to hear the Solemn High Requiem 
 Mass celebrated by Reverend Father Martin J. Spalding of Bloom- 
 ington. Father J. J. Burke officiated as Deacon of the Mass, Father 
 T. E. Madden as Subdeacon, and Chancellor E. J. Schuetz acted as 
 Master of Ceremonies. 
 
 "Long before nine o'clock, the hour set for the solemn memorial 
 service, older persons, fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grand- 
 mothers entered the doors of the Cathedral to do reverence to the 
 deceased Prelate's memory, pray for his soul, and drop the silent 
 tribute of tears for the friend they mourned. 
 
 "Then came also the children who for various reasons could 
 not march in procession with their little comrades. 
 
 "Two girls of tender age passed through the swinging doors, 
 up the center aisle to the casket which rested before the high altar. 
 There they knelt in prayer. Then rising, they made obeisance, and 
 sought seats at the rear of the church. 
 
 Symbol of Grief 
 
 "Over the big doors of the Cathedral, between the cross-tipped 
 twin spires fronting the eastern sun, was draped a heavy black silk 
 banner, silent symbol of Peoria's grief. Up to this door came the long 
 line of children, the line broken at intervals by small companies of 
 black-robed women and grave faced men, silent, reverential, impres- 
 sive. 
 
 "Pausing at the font inside the big doors to bless themselves, 
 the children passed up the three aisles of the church to find pews, 
 there to kneel for a moment before they seated themselves. 
 
 "Then came the surpliced choir boys, the youthful altar servi- 
 tors, and the members of the clergy who were to officiate at the 
 service. 
 
 "Throughout the entire ceremonial, beautiful and impressive 
 as the solemn ritual always is, the silent homage of the vast host of 
 children, whose tear-ringed eyelids bespoke their sense of personal 
 loss, seemed to permeate each portion of the vast structure, from the 
 grey stone floor to the fluted ceiling. It seemed to ascend like a paean 
 of praise to the God and Father of the great man whom the children 
 of Peoria mourn." 
 
 148 
 
Peoria Journal, Saturday, August 26, 1916 
 
 Gov. E. F. Dunne Pays Tribute To Memory 
 
 "Springfield, 111., Aug. 26. — Editor, Journal: I am much 
 grieved to hear of the death of Archbishop Spalding. In common with 
 thousands of my fellow citizens, I have always had an intense admira- 
 tion for him, not only as an ecclesiastic but as a citizen of the Re- 
 public. His sympathies, public utterances, and public writings on 
 civic matters have ever and always sounded true in their advocacy of 
 popular rights. His sterling democracy has endeared him to all who 
 believe in the rule of the people. His labors for education and re- 
 ligion have accomplished wonders in Peoria and throughout the land. 
 Love of God and love of Country have always manifested them- 
 selves in what he has said and written. In his death the State loses a 
 great and respected citizen. 
 
 Edward F. Dunne, Governor." 
 
 Peoria Journal. Monday, August 28, 1916 
 
 Bishop Shahan Pays Highest Tribute To Late Archbishop 
 
 "Bishop Shahan, Rector of the Catholic University of America 
 at Washington, D. C, and in the founding of which the late Arch- 
 bishop John L. Spalding was largely instrumental, pays the follow- 
 ing high tribute to his memory: 
 
 "To Henry M. Pindell, Publisher, Peoria Journal: 
 
 "In Archbishop John Lancaster Spalding the Catholic Church 
 in the United States loses one of its great leaders and the American 
 nation a most patriotic son. In this great man, intellect, education, 
 office experience, and opportunity combined to lend him a rare au- 
 thority over the minds and hearts of a multitude of disciples and 
 admirers. We shall long regret the administrator, orator, poet, 
 philosopher, and the perfect man of letters whose writings brought 
 pleasure, consolation, and guidance to a countless multitude. Shall 
 we mourn the prophet of education, his large vision and solid grasp 
 of its significance particularly for those who are called to be the 
 leaders of their brethren in the world's greatest commonwealth and in 
 times for which history no longer offers a parallel? Thirty years ago 
 he called into being and helped to establish the Catholic University of 
 America. This child of his heart now joins with his people, state, and 
 nation in farewell and prayer over the grave of one who added fresh 
 lustre to an honored name, and whose memory will be held in bene- 
 diction as long as wisdom, patriotism, and love and zeal flourish on 
 American soil. 
 
 Bishop Shahan" 
 149 
 
Peoria journal, Tuesday, August 29, 1916 
 Message From Cardinal Gibbons 
 
 "Spring Lake, N. J. 
 
 "Right Rev. Bishop Dunne: 
 
 "I regret impossibility to attend funeral. Accept for the family 
 and yourself my condolence on Archbishop's death. 
 
 J. Cardinal Gibbons" 
 
 The following tribute appeared in the Record, Louisville, Kentucky, at 
 this time: 
 
 "An intellect of the first magnitude has passed to the eternal 
 Beyond. It was, in truth, a massive intellect, a penetrating intellect, 
 a profound intellect. It was as a great searchlight ever casting its 
 rays athwart things temporal and eternal. Its earthly light is now 
 extinguished. It shone resplendently for two generations. It illumined 
 the world; it honored the Church; it glorified God; it guided and 
 refreshed and rejoiced fellow intellectuals and souls innumerable. It 
 instructed the world unto justice, and its light shall never pale. That 
 intellect, peerless among the peerless, was John Lancaster Spalding, 
 Priest and Bishop of the Church. We would dearly love to write 
 here of this luminary of the Church and State, of this great high 
 priest, who in his days so pleased God; but circumstances, for the 
 present, deter us. Archbishop Spalding was no mere acquaintance of 
 ours. We knew him, and loved him, and hung upon every word 
 from the very first years of his sacred Priesthood. In his first priestly 
 days, as also in subsequent years, he was to us our dear 'Father 
 Lane' To the Catholic of Louisville he was the idolized 'Father 
 Lane' No pulpit in Kentucky was filled without him; every pulpit 
 longed for him. It was 'Father Lane' here and 'Father Lane' every- 
 where on the lips and in the hearts of the people of our city. In the an- 
 nals of our national College at Louvain, Belgium, are recorded these 
 lines: 
 
 'The year I860 . . . gave to the students their first college 
 song. A beautiful and soul-stirring song it was, a song that warmed 
 the levitic hearts to greater love of their college home, increased 
 their enthusiasm for the glorious labors that awaited them in the 
 noblest of vocations, and moved them to a holy emulation in prepar- 
 ing for their missions beyond the western seas. The youthful 
 poet who wrote the beautiful stanzas some fifty years ago has since 
 won — I will not say a national — but a world-wide fame as a writer, 
 lecturer, and sociologist. He is the chief pastor of a large, prosperous, 
 and admirably organized diocese of which he himself laid the 
 foundation, which he built up and brought to its present state of 
 excellence; a diocese (Peoria) which will remain a perennial me- 
 morial to his apostolic zeal and heaven-blessed labors in the cause 
 
 150 
 
of God's Church. He is one of the most brilliant ornaments and most 
 conspicuous members of the American Hierarchy; and his counsels 
 are sought outside as well as inside the Church. 
 
 The noblest and highest of causes which have engaged men's 
 minds in our day have hailed him a champion and a leader. Religion, 
 higher education, the workingman's weal, justice to all classes of 
 the Republic, have found him by turns in the battle in their defense 
 and in the promotion of their interests. If ever an alumnus merited 
 well of the College (Louvain), it was he — the Rt. Rev. John Lan- 
 caster Spalding, Bishop of Peoria.' 
 
 In the same issue of the Record appeared an interview with Isaac Palmer 
 Caldwell, who commented on the life of Archbishop Spalding: 
 
 "That he was a scholar of wide reading and attainment, a 
 pulpiteer of power, possessed of literary gift, and was a successful 
 administrator and Bishop is known throughout this land. Above and 
 beyond all this, however, was what we call for lack of a better word, 
 personality. Charm does not express it. Magnetism is not the qual- 
 ity. He frequently repelled as well as attracted. Wherever he went, 
 wherever he spoke, whether in the church devoted to negroes or at 
 the most cultivated of dinner parties, Bishop Spalding was a marked 
 man. Many years ago Archbishop Spalding conducted at our 
 Cathedral of the Assumption the funeral of a lady who was a 
 devoted Catholic and his personal friend. He drew a picture of this 
 lady as a woman of society, as a wife and mother, and then as a 
 devoted Catholic. He declared that if you met her in society you 
 would have thought her surely a society leader; if you met her in her 
 home, you would regard her as a perfect wife and mother; if in the 
 Church, as a woman whose life had been given to works of charity 
 and devotion. By the same token, if you talked of literature with 
 Bishop Spalding, you would have thought him a man whose life had 
 been devoted to letters; if you met him at the dinner table, you would 
 have deemed him a widely traveled man of the world; if you heard 
 him from the pulpit, you were certain that you were listening to a 
 soldier of the cross. And, mark you, in all these forms the man 
 was perfectly sincere and peculiarly himself — John Lancaster 
 Spalding. We do not have to turn to the brilliant Thomas Babington 
 Macauley and his traveller from New Zealand sitting on a broken 
 pier of London's Bridge and sketching the ruins of St. Paul's to 
 remind us that the Catholic Church will be here as long as there is a 
 human soul to save; but, stretching as far as the Church may in the 
 future, it is not likely that the womb of time shall bring forth an- 
 other figure the counterpart of Archbishop Spalding. 
 
 "Not beyond criticism, yet was he unique. Not perhaps supreme 
 in any department, yet take him all for all, we shall not look upon 
 his like again." 
 
 151 
 
Peoria Journal, Tuesday, August 29, 1916 
 Peoria Pays Last Tribute To Archbishop 
 Great Throng Fills St. Mary's Cathedral 
 As Requiem Mass Is Celebrated 
 
 Street Is Crowded 
 
 "Peoria has paid final tribute to Archbishop John Lancaster 
 Spalding, and there remains only the memory of the glory of the 
 deeds he accomplished in life. 
 
 "Reverently and with bowed heads and sorrowing hearts a 
 great multitude filled St. Mary's Cathedral Tuesday morning during 
 the Requiem High Mass, heard the life of the dead Prelate eulogized 
 by Archbishop Mundelein of Chicago, and then followed the body 
 to its resting place in St. Mary's Cemetery. 
 
 "Archbishops, bishops, priests, nuns, and brothers, members 
 of Catholic societies, city and county officials, representatives of 
 civic organizations, and laymen from all walks of life made up the 
 big throng which filled the Cathedral when the solemn service began 
 at 10 o'clock. 
 
 "The sanctuary of the great church was draped in mourning, 
 and the body of Archbishop Spalding, clad in all the splendid robes 
 of his high office, lay in a purple casket at the head of the center 
 aisle just outside the altar rail. A black crucifix, bearing a silver 
 figure of the Savior, was in the folded hands of the dead Prelate. 
 
 Many Masses Celebrated 
 
 "Prior to the funeral service, priests at each of the two side 
 altars offered continual masses for the repose of the late Prelate's 
 soul, beginning their services at an early hour. 
 
 "Worshipers came and went to the Cathedral while four guards 
 of honor from the Knights of Columbus kept constant watch over the 
 casket in front of the high altar. 
 
 "As early as 8 o'clock Tuesday forenoon these Peoria mourners 
 were filing in a steady stream in and out of the Cathedral, stopping 
 there to do silent reverence to the great man whom all Peoria hon- 
 ored. 
 
 Relatives First to Arrive 
 
 "At 9:30 o'clock members of the Archbishop's household left 
 Spalding Institute and, passing through two lines of members of 
 Catholic societies of Peoria, proceeded to the Cathedral. Knights of 
 Columbus, Knights of St. John, members of the various Catholic be- 
 nevolent societies — St. Joseph, St. Boniface, and others — the 
 Catholic Order of Foresters, and the Federation of Catholic Societies 
 formed these lines through which the immediate family, the church 
 dignitaries, and visiting clergy, with the active and honorary pall- 
 bearers, proceeded from Spalding Institute to the Cathedral. 
 
 152 
 
"At 9:45 o'clock the procession of over 500 visiting members of 
 the Catholic priesthood with members of the clergy in Peoria, passed 
 from the Institute to the Cathedral, where they were headed by the Rt. 
 Rev. Edmund M. Dunne, Bishop of the Peoria Diocese, visiting arch- 
 bishops, and other members of the hierarchy and officers of the Sol- 
 emn Pontifical Requiem High Mass to be celebrated at the Cathedral. 
 
 "This procession of ecclesiastic splendor was followed in turn by 
 members of the various Catholic orders and the members of the differ- 
 ent Peoria parishes and visitors. 
 
 "County and City officials attended in a body and were given 
 seats in the body of the church. The various clubs and institutions of 
 Peoria were all represented. The Cathedral was far too small to con- 
 tain the immense crowd which assembled to do honor to the renowned 
 Peoria Prelate and the vast throng overflowed far out into the street. 
 
 "The Solemn Pontifical Requiem High Mass was sung by Bishop 
 Dunne as Celebrant. The Most Reverend George W. Mundelein, 
 Archbishop of Chicago and Metropolitan of the Province, delivered 
 the funeral oration. The Very Reverend D. J. Riordan of Chicago 
 officiated as Deacon, and the Very Reverend E. J. Spalding, Vicar 
 General of Alton, 111., as Subdeacon of the Mass. 
 
 "The Reverend E. J. Schuetz of St. Mary's Cathedral was Master 
 of Ceremonies. 
 
 Absolution Administered 
 
 "Following the celebration of the Mass and the oration by Arch- 
 bishop Mundelein, absolution was administered. 
 
 "The choir for the solemn service was composed of the clergy of 
 the Peoria Diocese, who chanted the Gregorian Mass of the Roman 
 Gradual. Rev. Dr. Cummings of Urbana, III., led the Choir and 
 presided at the organ during the service. 
 
 "The solemn service in the Cathedral ended at noon, and the 
 nave of the large structure was emptied. The active pallbearers rose 
 and took the casket of the Archbishop, followed by the honorary pall- 
 bearers, to the waiting hearse. Knights of Columbus of the Fourth 
 Degree formed a guard of honor at the entrance to the Cathedral. 
 
 "The active pallbearers were T. J. Duane, Joseph Durkin, Frank 
 J. Quinn, T. J. Merkel, Frank Cahill, C. H. Misner, John F. Henne- 
 berry, and William Burke. 
 
 "The honorary pallbearers were Samuel Woolner, William C. 
 White, Henry M. Pindell, Charles Cremer, E. N. Woodruff, T. N. 
 Gorman, Robert Clarke, Dr. C. U. Collins, Valentine Jobst, Jr., C. E. 
 Barbour, A. W. Beasley, Michael Chapman, Dr. J. E. Huber, S. Pat- 
 terson Prowse, and Dr. Charles D. Thomas. 
 
 153 
 
"The Dignitaries of the Church and the Priesthood filed out to 
 waiting carriages. The family of the deceased Prelate followed. The 
 huge throng that had stood about the Cathedral grounds since 7 
 o'clock continued to fill the street. Nearby porches and lawns were 
 covered with the people who wished to pay honor to the noted Peo- 
 rian and who could not get inside the big Cathedral. 
 
 Many Carriages In Line 
 
 "The hearse followed by a carriage bearing Bishops Dunne and 
 Althoff, Archbishops Mundelein, Keane, and Glennon was followed 
 by the immediate relatives of Archbishop Spalding and the various 
 Catholic and non-Catholic societies which had come to do honor to 
 the Prelate's memory. These in turn were followed by nearly a hun- 
 dred carriages bearing members of the clergy, sisters of various or- 
 ders, and Peorians from all walks of life. 
 
 "The long procession passed from the Cathedral down Madison 
 Avenue to Hamilton Boulevard, thence to Crescent, to Main, to High, 
 to Moss Avenue, to Barker, to Western, and from Western to St. 
 Mary's Cemetery, where interment was to be made. 
 
 "At Glendale and Hamilton Streets the Catholic orders leading 
 the procession opened ranks to let those following through and then 
 boarded streetcars for the place of interment. 
 
 Services at Cemetery 
 
 "Bishop, Very Reverend Edmund M. Dunne, officiated at the 
 cemetery, where the solemn ritual service of the church was adminis- 
 tered and the remains of the Archbishop were temporarily interred 
 in 'The Heart,' a heart-shaped plot of ground used exclusively for the 
 burial of priests and nuns. Here the body of Archbishop Spalding 
 will remain until the completion of the 'Spalding Memorial' chapel 
 planned by the Prelate some years before his death. 
 
 "Thousands lined the route of the funeral procession, which 
 extended for blocks. A throng was gathered at the Cemetery to wit- 
 ness the commitment of the remains to the earth. Fifty Peoria police, 
 in full dress, guarded the five blocks of Madison Avenue leading to 
 the Cathedral. 
 
 "Flags in the city were half-masted, and there was a hush about 
 the entire business portion of Peoria that spoke mutely of the respect 
 and reverence of the City for her most illustrious son." 
 The following eulogy was delivered by Archbishop Mundelein of Chicago 
 (later Cardinal Mundelein) at the obsequies: 
 
 ' And all the people of Israel bewailed him with great lamenta- 
 tion, and they mourned him for many days.' — 1 Mac. 
 
 "On last Friday evening, just as the sun was sinking, just as the 
 day was dying, John Lancaster Spalding, First Bishop of Peoria, 
 closed his eyes; the angel of death snapped off his thread of life and 
 
 154 
 
his immortal soul went before its Maker to render the account of a 
 stewardship of seventy-six years of life, of half a century in the priest- 
 hood, and of an episcopate of two score years. Today you have come 
 to say a last farewell, to whisper a prayer for him whose voice from 
 this pulpit so often thrilled you and fanned to brighter flame your 
 love for God and for country; and I have come here this morning, the 
 Metropolitan of this Province, to bury a Bishop of Illinois, to bury 
 him. hardly to praise him. For I will not preach his panegyric. There 
 
 ~m 
 
 11 ' ■ 
 
 ■^ 
 
 Spalding Mausoleum. St. Mary's Cemetery. Peoria. Illinois 
 
 155 
 
is no need. In your souls, memory itself is chanting the epic of this 
 noble Prelate's life. I will just help you gather a few flowers in the 
 garden of his life, that we may lay them as an humble tribute in the 
 still, purple-gloved hands, before the coffin lid shuts out forever the 
 face and form of one who for so long a time was a beloved figure in 
 your midst. Nor will I tarry long, for again, this is not a eulogy, just a 
 simple little tribute to him who was a militant churchman, a patriotic 
 citizen, a famous educator, a powerful preacher, and one of the great- 
 est essayists our country has produced. 
 
 "I will not speak of the simple facts in his history — the time and 
 place of his birth, his ordination, his consecration; nor will I mention 
 the positions that he filled, the missions he attended, the books 
 he wrote; neither will I dwell upon the honors that came to him in 
 the Church, from his country, from his priests and people. After all, 
 you who are here today have known him well. Some of you were his 
 spiritual children, some his devoted, loyal priests, all his steadfast, 
 loving friends. To you, all these things are well known. It may be 
 that some gifted pen, inspired by a loving soul, may some day leave 
 to posterity the history of this wonderful life, so rich with material 
 for thought, for sermon and for edification, that I wander bewildered 
 in trying to choose what I can crowd into so short a review of an inter- 
 esting career. 
 
 "There seem to stand out in his public life three brilliant char- 
 acteristics in which Bishop Spalding was almost without a peer among 
 the prelates of his time. First and above all, as a writer he stood and 
 he stands foremost among the Bishops of this country; in fact, to find 
 his superior we must go back to the men of old, like St. Augustine, St. 
 Athanasius, St. Thomas of Aquin, St. Bede. I do not think that even 
 the great English Catholic writers, Newman and Manning, can equal 
 him in beauty of diction clothing brilliancy of thought, while it is 
 acknowledged on all sides that as an essayist the Catholic Church in 
 the United States has not produced his equal, neither among the 
 clergy nor among her people. So, too, as an orator. We have had great 
 preachers in the Church in the years that are gone, and some of them 
 still live, like a Keane of Dubuque, and an Ireland of St. Paul; but 
 they themselves would be the first to admit that the highest place 
 belongs by right to Bishop Spalding. Perhaps some of you now recall, 
 how, when engrossed in some favorite subject — a sermon on the 
 necessity of religious education or an oration on the love of country 
 — he would soar to lofty' heights of oratory, carrying you breathless 
 with him and leaving your soul deeply moved and long inspired by 
 his brilliant appeal. 
 
 "Yet he did not build the power of his plea simply on his 
 mastery of the language; he was gifted with an extraordinarily keen 
 judgment and an analytical mind that lent an edge like a scimitar- 
 blade to the arguments he would muster, all of them faultlessly 
 arrayed in virile language. And as a result, the argument he put for- 
 • ward in defense of his subject — whether it was the doctrines of the 
 
 156 
 
Church against the taunts of an atheist, the rights of the laboring man 
 righting for an honest wage, or the very life of the Republican govern- 
 ment against the assaults of anarchistic teachings — become irresisti- 
 bly convincing. It must not be forgotten that the results he achieved 
 were due even more to his hard work, his constant study, his unremit- 
 ting application to his task, than to his natural talents. Take almost 
 any one of the sentences in his writings, take any period in his 
 fervent appeals, and you will not find an ounce of useless matter, not 
 an unnecessary word. Every sentence is pared down and polished 
 like a finished statuette which has just left the chisel of a careful 
 sculptor. I have heard a critic who appreciated his writings sum up 
 the merits of his works in these words: At all times and in all his 
 writings, he was interesting, he was instructive, he was timely, he was 
 true." 
 
 "And now we come to one of the two subjects dearest to his 
 heart. We can say without exaggeration that he was the peerless cham- 
 pion of religious education, as he was its fearless defender. Again 
 and again, kindly, patiently, yet forcefully, he took up weapons in 
 its defense, never in his contest forgetting the qualifications of a 
 Christian gentleman. He never made the mistake of decrying or 
 denying the good points of a secular education, but with strong, 
 logical arguments he indicated its shortcomings and inadequacies. 
 He believed that the training given in the State schools and secular 
 universities did, by its very superiority, if you will, and the erudition 
 of its teachers, bring the intellect to a high order of excellence, 
 while it left untouched the will, the very controlling power of every 
 action; the heart, the seat of all emotion; the soul, the superior part 
 of our being — and that it was thus more likely to leave disaster and 
 misfortune in its wake. With even greater zeal he labored for higher 
 Catholic education. Those who heard his masterly effort at the Third 
 Council of Baltimore, nearly thirty years ago, have never forgotten 
 his eloquent plea for a national Catholic University. Indeed, the estab- 
 lishment at Washington of that institution of learning, of which we 
 are so proud today, is due to a great extent to his efforts; for he did 
 not content himself with mere words, but it was due to him that the 
 funds were procured with which the first of its buildings was erected. 
 
 "And the other — it is rather refreshing in these days, when 
 \\c- are so often accused by the vicious and the ignorant of lack of 
 patriotism and of a divided allegiance, to point to the example of this 
 leader in thought and in action — with him love of country amounted 
 to a passion. Descended from the cavaliers who came to these shores 
 with Lord Baltimore and who first gave to this country freedom of 
 conscience, he loved his native land with an ardor that was surpassed 
 only by his love of God. 'Love of God and devotion to country' was 
 the maxim he set for his life. And if the scriptural adage 'out of the 
 abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh' is true, then we must 
 judge that rarely did a statesman who made her laws or a soldier who 
 defended her flag love our country as much as did Bishop Spalding. 
 
 157 
 
"When I come to his personal character and his private life, 
 I need only leave its description to you. You, his priests, will not 
 soon forget him. You had labored with him for many years. You were 
 proud of him, your Bishop, for you knew it gave you a distinction to 
 be known as his priests. And yet notwithstanding the fact that he 
 held so high a place in the world's esteem, to you he was always 
 approachable. You may have been only an humble country pastor 
 in a little Illinois village, yet this courtly gentleman, this famous 
 orator, this well-known writer, was to you always a father, always 
 your Bishop, always your friend. Some of you, now grown gray in the 
 service, remember how kind he was when, as young priests, you first 
 called to see him, and how much at home he made you feel. And 
 when there came an hour of worry, a time of depression, the moment 
 when you needed counsel, such as comes to nearly every priest, and 
 you went to him, you went away with a lighter heart, feeling that 
 to the obedience and reverence you had given to him in your ordina- 
 tion, you now added a full measure of filial love, of sacerdotal affec- 
 tion, of implicit confidence. 
 
 "He was ever generous to his people and their needs in his 
 charities. There are in this city institutions of learning and charity 
 that are largely his own personal gifts. These are the things we may 
 see with our eyes and grasp with our hands. And those who knew 
 him well know that there were other instances, numerous, but un- 
 known to all but God and His recording angel, in which he helped 
 works of religion and charity or relieved the distress of individuals. 
 Personally, you remember him always as a gentleman, polished, cul- 
 tured, kind. After all, blood will tell, and he was sprung from 
 generations of gentlemen, and had inherited the best of their tradi- 
 tions. While he could be equally at home with rich and poor, great 
 and lowly, learned and ignorant, yet he could ever meet the best of 
 them all on an absolutely equal basis. 
 
 "I shall not dwell further on his many other lovable qualities, 
 on his sense of fairness in dealing with his priests and people, on 
 his unswerving loyalty to his friends, on his conscientious adherence 
 to duty. Let me pass to the evening hours of his life. It was ten years 
 ago that illness crippled him and the palsy numbed his faculties. Deep 
 down in his heart he realized that the end of a useful career as a 
 public man had come. 
 
 "He made his preparations to lay down the heavy cross of the 
 episcopate, and within three years he transferred the burden to young- 
 er and stronger shoulders than his own. But eternity was approaching 
 — he did not know how soon the final summons might come, and for 
 that he wanted to prepare. And so he withdrew from public life, 
 where for so long he had been an active figure; he gave up the 
 guidance of the Church of which he had been so fond; he went into 
 retirement to pray and to prepare. It took courage to do that. It is 
 difficult for any of us to admit that we are no longer able or fitted for 
 
 158 
 
the task of a great office, that disease or decay have impaired our 
 usefulness, that we are becoming less a help and more a hindrance. 
 It took humility to do that. It must have been a shock to a man so 
 proud, so able, so prominent, to see himself like the giant oak felled 
 by the lightning, and realize that the day of his power, of his labor, 
 of his activity was ending. It took piety to do that. Realizing the 
 weight of the responsibility he had borne so long, and not minimizing 
 the shortcomings of his life, he knew that the time that remained was 
 all too short to prepare for the judgment that took place on last Friday 
 afternoon. 
 
 We have come from far and from near, and we are gathered, 
 John Lancaster Spalding, about the lifeless clay that once housed your 
 great spirit. We have come to take a last look at you whom we had 
 known, revered, and loved in life. Now we lay you to rest like the 
 great bishops of old, clothed in the vestments of your high office, 
 with your mitre on your brow and your crozier by your side. We 
 mourn you, even as the children of Israel mourned the Machabee, for 
 you too were a leader in Israel. Your people mourn you today, for 
 they loved you, their first Bishop, who labored so zealously for them, 
 who was ever so good to them, whom they treasured, whom they 
 revered, of whom they were so proud. Your clergy are here today with 
 heavy hearts and tear-dimmed eyes, for they loved you, they revered 
 you, they were grateful to you for many things. 
 
 "The older priests present, who had labored with you, remem- 
 ber today how kind you were to them; the younger ones, the newly- 
 commissioned captains in Christ's army, hold your image enshrined, 
 for you were the idol of their boyhood days. Your successor in the 
 high office asked only that he might offer up this last sacrifice of 
 propitiation for your eternal repose, in grateful appreciation of the 
 many courtesies, the unfailing kindness, the loyal cooperation, which, 
 like an elder brother, you have given him in the seven years of his 
 episcopal office. This city, and its people, irrespective of creed or 
 position, mourns today the loss of its first citizen, the courtly, cul- 
 tured, southern gentleman, who helped to promote its welfare, add 
 to its renown, contribute to the happiness of its inhabitants. If it 
 seems strange that this last tribute should be paid to you by one who 
 but a few months ago came to you, a stranger from the distant east, 
 is it not really fitting that this should be so? For it but shows that 
 you belonged not to this City, this Diocese, this State alone; all of us 
 throughout the length and breadth of the land claimed you as our 
 own; millions of us in the Faith were proud of you, and when the 
 preacher of today was only a tiny boy, it was impressed on his memory 
 that one of the greatest prelates of America's Church was Bishop 
 Spalding of Peoria. 
 
 "You need no monument at our hands, for your monument, the 
 work of your fingers and the children of your brain, more lasting than 
 granite or bronze, rest on the bookshelves of every priest of the land, 
 
 159 
 
and find a welcome place in every library of the country. You need no 
 eulogy from our lips. Deep in the hearts of all of your priests is 
 written the record of many kindly deeds, of countless fatherly words, 
 of unnumbered generous acts of assistance in time of stress, in hours 
 of worry, in moments of trial. But you do perhaps need our prayers, 
 and that is the offering we place upon your coffin today — the promise 
 of a constant remembrance in our prayers, at Mass, in the reception of 
 the Sacraments, so that, if after the battle is over, some of the dust 
 of the conflict still dims the brightness of your soul in the keen 
 vision of the Almighty Judge, our prayers may wipe it away and make 
 you acceptable to the Master whom you served, and assure you that 
 welcome in our Father's mansion for which you have sighed and 
 waited and prayed." 
 
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