m

YALE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

lanlteo States aatboltc tifstorlcal Society.
flNonograpb Sertee— 1I1f.
THREE-QUARTERS OF A CENTURY
(1807 TO 1882) :
a Kctrosipcct*
WRITTEN FROM DOCUMENTS AND MEMORY IN 1882
AND THE FOLLOWING YEARS.
BY THE LATE
Eev. AUGUSTUS .T. THEBAUD, S.J.

Vol. III.
FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BT
THE UNITED STATES CATHOLIC
HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
1904.

^^ y. ^'/L^ /^/.

Tanlte&J Statea CatboUc Ibistorlcal Socfetg. :
/IBonograpb Series— IflF.
FORTY YEARS

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
(1839-1885.)

BY THB LATE
Rev. AUGUSTUS J. THEBAUD, S.J.
WITH A BIOGKAPHICAI, SKETCH BT
Rev. THOMAS J. CAMPBELL, S.J.
EDITED BY
CHARLES GEORGE HERBERMANN, Ph.D., LL.D.

NEW YOR^K:
PUBLISHED BT
THE UNITED STATES CATHOLIC
HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
1904.

Copyright, 1904,
by|
THE UNITED STATES CATHOLIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

PREFACE.

European publicists of many nations and of various
callings in life, princes, statesmen, novelists, financiers,
even ladies, have given us their impressions of the United
States, its institutions, and its people. In presenting to
the members of the Catholic Historical Society the pres
ent volume, we offer to them the judgment of a French
Jesuit Father. Our volume has, therefore, the merit of
novelty. It offers us the conclusions of a man who, in
stead of looking on the world from the inside, observes
it from the retirement of the cloister, whose standard
of opinion is not that of success and experience, but
rather that of principle and right. Not that Father
Thebaudwas a dreamer and a theorist; his own pages,
as well as Father Campbell's testimony, prove the
contrary. He was an open-minded gentleman, in
terested in all that interests the cultured man — science,
art, pohtics, literature, commerce. His book suggests
the picture of a man of sympathy for his fellow men,
especially for the humble and the suffering; of one who
appreciates justice, fairness, kindness, charity, where-
ever he meets them. While, like all his brethren, a
doughty, militant champion of Mother Church, he
recognizes without stint, wherever he sees them, the

4 PREFACE.
merits and virtues of those who are not of the one fold
and imder the one shepherd. The present volume
is also distinguished from preceding records of opinion
on the United States by the fact that its judgments
are not based on the experience of a few weeks or
months. When Father Thebaud wrote these pages
he had resided among us for upwards of forty-three
years. In sending forth this new contribution of the Catholic
Historical Society the editor desires to express his
cordial thanks first and foremost to the Very Reverend
Provincial of the Society of Jesus, Father Thomas J.
Gannon, for consenting to the publication of Father
Thebaud's work by our Society. To Rev. Samuel F.
Frisbee we are grateful for his kind offices in bringing
about this result. Father Thebaud's work consists
of three volumes. The first deals with his recollections
of France, the land of his birth, where he received his
education and spent the first three decades of his hfe;
the second recites his impressions of Italy, where hi.s
stay was not long, but where he had unusual oppor
tunities of observing the social, political, and eccle
siastical forces at work. The third volmiie tells his
impressions of the United States, ^^'e ha^•e been led
to publish this volume first of all, because of its closer
relation to the immediate work of our Societj^, antJ
because of its greater interest to our members. We
hope, however, before long to publish Vols. I and II,
and can assure our readers beforehand that they will
prove valuable and interesting contributions to liistorical
knowledge. It may be remarked here that in pre
paring the book for the press the editor has omitted

PREFACE. 5
only matter not of a historical character, such as dis
sertations on science, philology, philosophy, theology,
and literature.
The editor also offers his acknowledgments to the
gentlemen who have aided him in securing the portraits
and illustrations which adorn our volume. Among
these we place first His Excellency the Apostolic Dele
gate to Cuba, the Most Rev. Placide Louis Chapelle,
D.D., for his kindness in furnishing us the copy of
Archbishop Blanc's portrait. To Archbishops Ireland
and Keane we are indebted for their assistance in
procuring the portrait of Bishop Loras. To Bishop
Burke of Albany we express our gratitude for the
photograph of St. Joseph's Church, Troy. To Rev.
J. J. Conway, S.J., of the St. Louis University, and to
the Historical Society of St. Louis we owe the excellent
portrait of Bishop Rosati; to Rev. James H. McGean
we return thanks for the portrait of the Rev. Dr. John
Power. The various prints of St. John's College,
Fordham, were kindly placed at our disposal by the
President of St. John's, Father George Pettit, and
that of the College of St. Francis Xavier was furnished
by Father David W. Hearn, the courteous President
of that institution of learning.

CONTENTS.

PASE
Preface  3
Father Thebaud. By Rev. Thomas J. Campbell, 8. J  9
CHAPTER I. Preliminary  13
II. From Havre to Kentucky. — The Southwestern States in
1838-1846  22
III. The People in the Country and in the Cities  60
IV. Religious Condition of the United States during the
First Half of this Century  161
V. The Exodus from Ireland after 1846 and its Influence on
the Position of Catholics in the United States  211
VI. Catholicity in the United States from 1850 to the Present
Day  281
VII. Schools and CoUeges in the United States  302
7

FATHER THEBAUD.
BY
REV. THOMAS J. CAMPBELL, S.J.

Father Thebaud's " Three Quarters of a Century "
cannot fail to be of great interest to the student of
history. His accurate and detailed description of the
conditions that prevailed in the part of France in which
he lived immediately after the Revolution, though
necessarily restricted in its purview, is nevertheless a
valuable historical document. That portion of Father
Thebaud's " Retrospect," though of course written first,
has been reserved until after the publication of the
writer's views of our own country as he saw it seventy
or eighty years ago.
In these posthumous pages the personal note is never
wanting, for Father Thebaud was a very positive man,
though not in the least vain or conceited. He was a
quick and eager observer, and his eagerness made him
ready to maintain his view of a disputed question with
out, however, being contentious or disputatious, but
only for the sake of sifting the matter thoroughly. The
confidence with which he addresses his readers springs
from an implied assurance of mutual friendship and not
from any desire to patronize. His assiduity in investi
gating everything from the habits of insects to great
natural phenomena, his life-long custom of studying and

10 FATHER THMAUD.
recording individual peculiarities, domestic customs, and
national traits, have resulted in furnishing us with num
bers of conclusion^ which, if not always correct (though
they commonly are), go far to make a perfect photo
graph of the writer himself. It is an excellent example
of what the French are fond of assuring us to be the
case: le style c'est I'homme. He was a man of ex
quisitely tender sensibility, of lofty motives, of large
and generous views, and though of an apparently com
bative nature, it was rather because his nerves were
tingling with every human interest and not because
his mind was narrow or intolerant. After a battle
royal on any subject Father Thebaud never harbored
ill will. Though of humble extraction, he was a high-
souled French gentleman — a short pudgy man in his
old age, who would stop in the midst of Broadway
to discuss a point of history or theology or science or
literature, quite careless of how eloquent he became or
who was listening; he was a churchman in the highest
sense of the word, who lived only for the extension of
Christ's kingdom, and even in his old age he gave evi
dence of as great a delicacy of conscience as a young
girl. His life was very laborious, and it is enough to
refer to his Irish Race, Gentilism, The Church and the
Moral World, etc., and his many contributions to Month
lies and Quarterlies, all of which, it must be remembered,
were elaborated during the times of incessant work as a
teacher, a Superior, or a parish priest, to show how unin-
termitting his labors were until the end of his life. Sin
gularly enough, he wrote a novel entitled Louisa Kirk-
bride, but his dearest friends are agreed that he had not
the slightest ability for that kind of literature, and his
little book called Twit Twats, an allegory describing the

FATHER THEBAUD. 11
Irish race in America, will add nothing to his fame,
though it is a side light on his personality. The memoirs
which the Records and Sketches now undertake to pub
lish are so voluminous that it will be impossible to do
more than glean from them. The amount of work which
they imply, and the evident delight which Father The
baud had in chronicling everything of interest and
making a study of it, furnish a hint to future historians
of the way to work. The old scholar kept at his desk
to the last; a short walk or a visit to some venerable
ecclesiastical friend like Father Clowry or Father Nicot
was all the recreation he sought. Though belonging
to St. Francis Xavier's, he came to Fordham in what
proved to be his last sickness, and thus ended his days
almost as it were accidentally in the same house which
he entered when he came from Kentucky in 1846. He
died in the old stone central building called the Rose
Hill Mansion.
Chronologically his life may be summed up as follows :
He was born in Nantes in 1807. At the usual age he
entered the seminary of his native place and was or
dained a secular priest. In 1835 he went to Rome and
was admitted to the Society of Jesus, and we find him
studying theology in the Roman College in 1837. He
is in Paris in 1838, and in the following year professor
in St. Mary's College, Kentucky. For the six following
years he taught chemistry there, and in 1846 was made
Rector, only to leave it when St. Mary's was relinquished
and become Rector in Fordham August 15, 1846, in
which year we find him also Superior of the diocesan
seminary. Father Larkin succeeded him in 1851, and
he resumed the teaching of sciences under the new
Rector for the years 1851-52. He was then sent to

12 FA THER -JH^BA UD.
Troy, where he remained as Superior at St. Joseph's
Church till 1860, when he again returned to Fordham
as Rector. It was then that the seminary portion of
the college, a piece of about eight acres, passed into the
hands of the fathers, the purchase-price being $45,000,
the other section having been transferred when the So
ciety first took possession in 1846 for $40,000. The entire
tract stretching to the Bronx River had been purchased
originally through Andrew Carrigan for $29,750, August
29, 1839. It was at the beginning of Father Thebaud's
second term in Fordham that the diocesan seminary
was removed to Troy. He returned to Troy again in
1863, where he remained till 1869, when he was trans
ferred to Montreal, where he remained a year, and then
we find him filling the unusual post of pastor in the
secular parish of St. Joseph's, Hudson City, N. J., evi
dently supplying for a temporary vacancy there. He is
in Troy again from 1873 to 1874, then in Fordham for a
year, and finally in St. Francis Xavier's, where he spent
the rest of his days. He died at Fordham, as we have
said above. Having gone there when he felt his last
illness upon him, he breathed his last on Dec. 17, 1885.
The present writer, who as a scholastic was a frequent
companion of the venerable man, had the prixilege of
assisting at his death-bed and giving him the last sacra
ments. His remains lie in the little cemetery of the
college.

FOETT TEAES IN THE UNITED STATES
OF AMEEICA.

CHAPTER I.
PRELIMINARY.
If in 1830 any one had told me that I should spend
the greatest part of my life in the United States of
North America, I would not have believed him. Still
in my youth several things happened which might be
called presentiments of my lot. At the age of twenty
I knew nothing of the United States except that
they existed. About the same time, I often read his
tories and memoirs' of the French Revolution. These
books being written from the royalist point of view,
I imagined that Lafayette and the other French officers
who took part in the Revolution of 1776 had imbibed
in this country and from its statesmen and warriors
the principles of disorder which prevailed afterwards
in France. Joseph de Maistre, whom I greatly admired,
and with perfect justice, had foretold that this Republic
would scarcely reach its centennial: Les Etats-Unis!
c'est un enfant au maillot; laissez le atteindre sa centieme
annee. 13

14 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.'
Nevertheless there was something in me which said
that all this might not be true. Whenever— which
seldom happened — news from the United States, reached
me through the French papers, I found that their con
duct was not very blamable; and they were not sub
ject to the control of the mob. But nothing ever told
me that I would in a few years go to the shores of
North America, never to return to France.
I remember two circumstances connected with the
United States which made some impression on me.
The first happened a short time after the Revolution
of 1830. I went one day, in the spring of 1832 1 think,
to dine with one of my friends, the cut6 of Verton.
This is a large village distant five or six miles from
Nantes. At that time those who did not like to walk
took a rowboat that started daily from the confluence of
the Sevres with the Loire, near a long wooden bridge
called le Pont Rousseau. On any fine day the saU on
the river is delightful owing to the beauty of the land
scape along both banks of the stream, and the pic
turesque farmhouses and rural cottages which line it all
the way to Verton.
I had taken with me as a companion a friend, M.
Martineau, whom I had known as a student at the
Petit S6minaire, and who played the comet-a-piston
well. When we arrived at the boat we found several
persons waiting for the moment of departure. Two
of them only need be mentioned. One was a gentle
man who had just returned a short time before from
a protracted tour through the United States, and the
other a lady who resided habitually in New Orleans,
but had come to France on a visit to her relatives.

PRELIMINARY. 15
As soon as we started, the conversation became
general, as is always the case in France on such pleasant
occasions. There is no ceremony, no need of intro
duction; the first who is ready to speak begins, and
the others follow. But when the gentleman who had
travelled in the United States inquired of the com
pany if it would be agreeable to them to hear some
thing about that country, every other voice was hushed,
and the silence was broken only by the even tone of
the narrative, and the strokes of the oars in the hands
of the boatmen. I have seldom seen an audience
more attentive. It would be impossible for me to
repeat the narrative after an interval of more than
fifty years. But two things struck me most forcibly:
the description he gave us of the quiet and peace which
prevailed everywhere in this country, without any
standing army and scarcely any police, and the spirit
of enterprise that had astonished him in so young a
nation, on a continent just emerging from a state of
nature. He had seen on all the rivers numerous steam
boats, whilst in France there were then very few and
those of an inconsiderable size. He had travelled
many miles on railroads constructed on the Atlantic
seaboard, whilst in France they were just building one
from Paris to Versailles. He spoke also of the immense
territory which belonged to the Americans and would
for a long time give occupation and very remunerative
labor to millions of men; he compared the free citizens
of America with the populations of Europe scarcely able
to breathe in the confined space allotted to them.
I could scarcely believe what I then heard, and later
in the forenoon I found an occasion to have a private

16 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
talk with the gentleman. I was dressed as a clergy
man and he could not be surprised at the questions I
wished to address him. They concerned the religion
of the Americans. I knew that the great majority
were Protestants; I knew also, chiefly from reading
the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, that there
were some Catholics, though few at that time, enjoying
liberty of worship and liberty of teaching. I had
already read some letters of Bishop Flaget from Ken
tucky. But I wished to test the accuracy of this gentle
man on the subjects of which he had spoken, by inquir
ing about matters of which he had said nothing, but
with which I was somewhat acquainted. I soon found
out that I could rely on him. He knew there were
few Cathohcs in the country, but they were perfectly
free and contented with their situation. He had seen
Bishop Dubois in New York, who chiefly complained
to him of the scarcity of priests, whilst the zeal of many
missionaries could find an immense field of labor there.
A faint idea passed through my mind that God might
prepare the way for me to take a share in this spiritual
harvest. But it soon evaporated and did not leave a
lasting impression.
The lady from New Orleans, meanwhile, had expressed
her total dissent from the views of the gentleman who
had enchanted me. After he had finished, she at first
said nothing, probably not wishing to interfere with
the pleasure the company had felt. But the speaker
asked her a question with a view, no doubt, of corrobo
rating his narrative by her testimony. "Do you not
think, madam," said he, " that what I said is true? "
"It may be," she replied; "but, to be candid, I greatly

PRELIMINARY. 17
prefer France to the United States. The soldiers,
whom, in fact, we seldom see in New Orleans, do not
displease me in Nantes. I admire their bearing, can
stand very well the noise of their drums; and they
never interfere with me in any way. As to enterprise
there is, I think, a mistake in the way you expressed it.
There is certainly a great deal of it in New Orleans.
The levee is always covered with bales of cotton, hogs
heads of sugar, and packages of tobacco. In this coun
try enterprise is different, but no less extraordinary.
See the jewelry, the articles of virtu, the costly mirrors
and clocks, the fabrics of silk and laces, the delicate
work of milliners and dressmakers, and a thousand
other objects of refined taste. This is work scarcely
known in the United States, for which they have to
pay miUions every year. By balancing accounts we
may be quits. But there is here a kind of beauty and
enchantment which Frenchmen enjoy every day, and
the United States have not."
Then she began to expatiate on the delightful land
scape then in view, the green meadows, the flowery
hedges, the well-trimmed trees and groves, the well-
fed cattle and the flocks of sheep. Above all she
admired the little shepherds and shepherdesses who
took care of them. She appeared to think there was
no class of people on earth so happy as they. One of
the boatmen interrupted her, and said rather gruffly
that if she thought so she had better inquire of the
shepherds and hear a different tale.
This set us all laughing. The lady herself appeared
to enjoy it, and in order to put an end to the conver
sation she said that to assure the victory to her cause

18 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
nothing was wanting except a little music, and that in
case the young gentleman who had with him a musical
instrument gave them an air, every one would swear
that there was no country like France, and she would
have the best of her antagonist. M. Martineau of
course could not refuse, and gave us a very tender
melody, perfectly in accord with the repose of nature
and the stiUness of the scene.
He had just finished when we landed at Verton;
there is no need of adding that we found a good
dinner on the table of monsieur le cur€, who had been
waiting for us more than haff an hour. I think it was
on that occasion that I saw in his garden a beautiful
statue of the Blessed Virgin with the following lines
in the sweet style of St. Francis de Sales:
" Si I'amour de Marie
Dans ton coeur est grav^.
En passant ne t'oublie
De lui dire im Ave."
The speech of the lady had not changed my opinion
of the gentleman's truthfulness.
Several years later the United States were again
brought to my attention and in a more forcible maimer.
Tliis time I had a real presentiment that before long I
might be destined by a kind Providence to hve there.
The incident happened, I think, on mv last visit
to the Bishop of Nantes, before leaving for Italy. It
must have been at the end of September or at the
beginning of October, 1835. After the last comph-
ments had been paid on both sides, and when I was
kneeling to receive the blessing of the Bishop, Mgr.
de Gu^rines asked me to stand up again: he had for-

PRELIMINARY. 19
gotten something. Mgr. Flaget, the Bishop of Bards-
town, was then in his house. I knew that he was in
Nantes; the sudden recovery of MademoiseUe de Monti,
for whom he had prayed when her death was moment
arily expected, had produced a deep sensation in the
city. I was dehghted at the thought of seeing him;
Bishop de Gu^rines had a special object in view. He
had heard from M. de Courson, his vicar-general, that
my chief reason for entering the Society of Jesus was
to devote myseff to foreign missions, without encounter
ing so many dangers as beset the path of those who are
not attached to a strict religious order. He knew also
that Mgr. Flaget was a missionary bishop, and was, I
think, traveUing at that time in behaff of the Associa
tion for the Propagation of the Faith. It was, there
fore, with surprise mingled with a strong anticipation
of the future that I heard Mgr. de Gu^rines say to the
Apostle of Kentucky: "Monseigneur, here is a young
clergyman who leaves my diocese to become a Jesuit:
Who knows if he will not be sent to you? In case he is
so sent, I beg of you to receive him weU. He has my
fuU consent for joining the Society of Jesus." At that
moment the thought of going to the United States
struck me much more forcibly than on the occasion
of my trip to Verton.
I had read several years before, when I was a student
of theology, the letters of Bishop Flaget to the Directors
of the Association for the Propagation of the Faith, and
I stiU remember vividly perusing one of them in which
he described the daily labors of a missionary in Ken
tucky. The churches, he said, were often built in the
woods, and on Sundays the priest, who sometimes

20 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
lived at a distance, had to go there on horseback, as
weU as the congregation. He gave a humorous descrip
tion of the groups of men white and black, and par
ticularly of the women. Sometimes a mother in the
saddle had a httle girl on her lap and a little boy behind
her, "without counting the chUd she herseff bore at the
time." I have stiU present before my imagination
the pleasant spot in our seminary's vUla where I read
this letter of the Bishop on a day of rest, probably in
1827. The good Bishop, on hearing what Mgr. de Gu^rines
had said, exclaimed: "Indeed I have some Jesuit
fathers in my own diocese, and the more of these mis
sionaries we have, the more good we shaU be able to do."
And addressing me he added: "Come, my dear friend,
as soon as you can. I am sure the father who is at
the head of your community in Kentucky wiU receive
you with as much pleasure as I wiU." I think I have
reason to say that this was more than a presentiment
of the future.
How, at the end of my novitiate, my request to be
sent to foreign missions was accepted by our Father
General; how, without expressing any wish for some
particular part of the world, I was selected to go to
New Orleans and labor with Father Soler in that city;
how, after a year spent in Paris, F. Guid^e, then pro
vincial of France, told me that, the mission of New
Orleans having been lately given to the newly formed
province of Lyons, instead of going to the mouth of
the Mississippi I would go to the banks of the Ohio,
and become a citizen of Kentucky — how aU this was
arranged by the kind providence of God need not be

PRELIMINARY. 21
recounted here, because this is not an autobiography.
I speak in these volumes not of m}'^self, but of what I
saw and thought; and so I must begin to give my
experience of the United States of North America.

CHAPTER II.
FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY— THE SOUTHWESTERN
STATES IN 1838-1846.
Befgee entering on this vast subject, it is proper to
relate how I reached Kentucky with my companions,
and what impression my first view of the western
continent made upon me. The country was then very
different from what it now is, and its developments
must be shown graduaUy, in order to give a more correct
idea to the reader.
Acnissthe A few words on my passage across the Atlantic wiU
not be out of place, because it was not as easy to reach
the western continent then, as it is at the present day.
We had engaged berths in the cabin of the Utica, a ship
of the line of packets running between Havre and New
York. There were as yet no steamers on the ocean;
the first of them was to start from England the foUow
ing year. On the 22d day of October, 1838, the wind,
which had been contrary for several weeks, became
sufficiently favorable, and a French pilot took us out of
the port of Havre. But before we were fairly launched
on the Straits of Dover the weather had already changed,
and it was after three stormy days that we came out of
the Channel. We reached the harbor of New York
on the 18th of December, after fifty-eight days of
22

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 23
squalls and gales, relieved here and there by a week
or two of delightful weather in the neighborhood of
the Azores. I counted and registered, in a memo
randum-book which I stiU keep, twenty-four stormy
days, some of the tempests being truly appaUing; and
our exceUent and gentlemanly captain, Mr. Pell, who
had his wife and children on board, said he had not
experienced such bad weather during the last twenty
years. I could relate many incidents which might be
interesting in a book of travel, but which would be out
of place here. At last we were near Long Island, almost
in view of Sandy Hook, and the continent discovered
by Columbus lay before our eyes.
On the morning of the 18th of December the sun
arose imusually bright and radiant. The wind was
still sharp and cold, but it was evident that it would
soon moderate. To our left the sandy shore of New
Jersey stretched in a long line until it disappeared
in the south. On the right lay New England with
numerous indentations; here and there hills rose clad
with deciduous trees and firs. There was at first sight
nothing grand in the spectacle; there were no mountains
in the background, not even hills near the coast. We
saw a rich plain shining under the rays of the sun.
StiU there was something akin to grandeur all around :
in the sea with its strong surf, advancing majesticaUy
as if for the purpose of embracing the shore, and then
rising to display its sparkling foam rich with the colors
of the rainbow, and finaUy retiring with a low murmur
in token of respect for the great continent locked in,
as it were, between the two greatest oceans of the worid,
the Atlantic and the Pacific.

24 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
We were impressed by the fleets of vessels coursing
rapidly around us, all conscious of the neighborhood
of one of the greatest marts of commerce. Many were
sailing towards New York with the rapidity of the
wind, bringing within their huUs the productions of
the world, their decks covered with the crews in their
best attire, preparing to cast the anchors and to landj
Others, as numerous, were leaving the shores of America,
rich with the cargoes they had shipped, and directing
their course towards all the points of the compgiss.
We were impressed by the sky, which had scattered
all its clouds, and hung over us a canopy of spotless
blue. What a splendor in the American heaven when
its azure is caressed by soft breezes! That vast expanse
in which the sun alone runs its majestic course is the
grandest emblem of infinity. But this sublime spec
tacle impresses the imagination more vividly in the new
continent than in the old. In America the phenom
ena of the heavens are always on a grand scale; the
tempests are terrific, the rainfaUs savage, the thunder
storms appaUing, the cold biting, the heat enervating.
On the other hand, the azure of the sky is incomparable,
the softness of the breeze balmy as nowhere else, the
vault of heaven resplendent, the depth of the firmament
boundless. Hence Chateaubriand has depicted in im
perishable colors the supreme beauty of its summer
nights, the splendor of its sunsets, and particularly
the majesty of the heavens both in the early morning
and at the decline of day.
But besides all these grand manifestations of nature,
which produced in me the deepest emotions on the
occasion of my first view of the new continent, its his-

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 25
tory, though I knew it but imperfectly, invested it
perhaps with stiU greater interest, because it involved
the struggles of two powerful European nations for
two hundred years. England and France had fought
two centuries for supremacy in this part of the world.
France had lost the game, but not her honor, and
England had taken possession of a vast continent.
How greatly changed would have been the result, if she
had kept it ! What a boundless power she would have
acquired, having under her dominion India and North
America! She lost her American prize; but this loss
gave birth to a new nation more energetic and enter
prising than her proud mother country. A Christian,
a priest, a religious, could not but remember with
sadness that by the defeat of the French the Church
lost the control she had aheady acquired over the
numerous aboriginal tribes whose fortunes invested with
a halo of poetry this mournful story of the French
and English wars. But I had heard that the Church
was free in this mighty republic. If Protestantism was
deeply rooted in the land, it was no longer a persecut
ing power, and Catholic activity would, I hoped,
exert once more its usual efforts with its wonted
success. How much more gladly would I have set my
foot on those shores, had I foreseen the spectacle I
was destined to witness a few years later, which it wiU
be my unaUoyed pleasure to describe! As it was, I
have always considered the 18th of December, 1838,
as a day of thanksgiving and joy, because on that
day I landed at the foot of Rector Street, North
River, New York.
After crossing the bar at Sandy Hook, our ship, now

26 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
no longer tossed over the ocean's waves, sailed slowly
and gently on the calm bosom of the bay. We could
not be detained at quarantine, as we had a clean biU
of health from Havre, and not a single case of sickness
during the voyage. It was only when I landed that I
thought of a ship's surgeon. There had not been even
an apothecary on board — at least I never heard of him.
I was a httle surprised that the captain did not receive
any reproof from the quarantine authorities for this
neglect. But he was weU known to aU those gentlemen,
and they did not address to him even the semblance
of a reproof.
He had taken a great fancy to me during the voyage,
because I had been engaged at Paris in scientific studies
and he was very fond of science. His choice hbrary —
which he placed entirely at my disposal — contained
the best and last works on chemistry, geology, astron
omy, etc. Captain PeU, therefore, always on deck
during the day of our arrival, often came to me, and
had the kindness to point out the chief points of inter
est in the splendid panorama of the shore on both sides.
It is from him I heard for the first time of the place
caUed "The Narrows," and also of Fort Lafayette and
Fort Hamilton. Staten Island, from what he told me,
was at that time a great place of resort in smnmer.
He made me remark particularly the viUage of New
Brighton, which was then, it seems, a great bathing
place for the New-Yorkers. Those were innocent times,
and a great change has taken place since that day.
At last we came to the point where the Hudson and
the East River meet. The name of Castle Garden was
not mentioned to me, and we left none of our deck

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 27
passengers there. But entering the East River, the
ship stopped in the middle of the stream for haff
an hour, to give time to the custom-house officers to
fulfil their duties. Our trunks were duly left to us on
declaring they contained nothing dutiable. Mean
while, before taking our departure. Captain Pell, to
conclude his seff-imposed duty of cicerone, pointed
out to me the two cities in full view from that point.
"Here," he said, "to the left is New York, containing
300,000 inhabitants; and to the right you see Brooklyn,
with 25,000 more!" This was the population of the
cities according to the last census. The figures appear
so smaU now that they naturally produce a smile.
When we landed, we found the streets of NewiVew
York covered with more than a foot of snow. The
winter had been extremely severe for more than a
month. When the pilot came to take charge of our
ship, about a hundred miles from the city, he brought
with him large bundles of newspapers, which occupied
the leisure time of the cabin passengers during the
last two days of our voyage. The burden of all was
cold, cold, cold. The Hudson was frozen over as far
down as the Harlem River. The bay was fuU of float
ing ice. The Ohio, according to our reports, was a
bridge of ice from its source to its mouth. All the
lakes of the north were ice-bound, and travel was well-
nigh interrupted in a great part of the country.
Having spent three days in New York, we left for
Philadelphia, where we intended to stop until the day
after Christmas. The only means of prompt commu
nication between the two great cities was the Amboy
and Camden Railroad, a primitive construction. From

28 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
the South Ferry landing near Castle Garden a kind of
steam ferry-boat took us around Staten Island to
Amboy, where we found the train ready to start for
Camden. There were about a thousand passengers
with us. I had never seen such a crowd of travel
lers.
From At Philadelphia we were received most kindly by Father
g^io ig Barbalin, who was in charge of St. Joseph's Church. The
keniwihy. 26th of December we left for the West. The line of rail
road running in that direction did not go farther than
Lancaster, Pa. From there, stages alone were available.
The trip across the AUeghanies from Harrisburg to
Pittsburg presented us with the flrst view of American
nature in its wild state, and I would have been highly
interested, had it not been for the intense cold, which
continued as fierce as when we landed. Every hom
er two, when we met with a farmhouse on the border
of the road, we came down from our vehicle to warm
ourselves, for we were freezing in our almost open con
veyance. Two incidents only remain in my memory
worthy of mention. At Ebensburg, a viUage where
we took dinner, the people of the hotel, who saw from
our dress that we were Catholic priests, made one of
us say grace for their daily boarders. Tliey were
not Catholics, but they aU appeared to feel profound
veneration for a Catholic clergyman who lived in the
neighborhood. They caUed him Prince GaUitzin. I
was not aware that there was in Pennsylvania a mem
ber of that illustrious Russian family.
Two of our fellow passengers struck me greatly on
account of the story connected with them. They were
a young married couple, farmers in lUinois; the wife

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 29
had in her arms an infant scarcely six months old. At
the beginning of December they had gone all the way
from lUinois to Philadelphia to spend Christmas in
that city, because the family of the young mother
lived there. They were now returning home in
spite of this inclement season. They would reach
home, we learned, a week after we should arrive in
St. Mary's, and we could not get there before the middle
of January. This surprised me so that I thought there
was a mistake, and that they had some other reason
ior their voyage than a simple family visit. But my
informant assured me there was no other. This inci
dent appeared to me a refutation of the opinion pre
vailing abroad, that there is scarcely any family feeling
in the United States.
When we arrived at Pittsburg a great change took
place in the weather. The cold suddenly moderated,
and rain began to pour in torrents. The next news
papers we procured told us it was the same throughout
the whole coimtry, at least east of the Mississippi River.
The Ohio suddenly burst its bonds, and the ice floated
down the stream in immense cakes. A day or two
after the river was safe for steamboats, and several
were announced as ready to start. I would willingly
have engaged passage on one of them, which would
have considerably shortened our trip. But my com
panion had heard so much of daily explosions on the
western rivers that he would not consent to risk his
life, as he said. The truth was that steamboat explo
sions, particularly in the West, were very common at
that time. It was calculated by newspaper writers
that on the Mississippi and its tributaries one took

30 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
place every day of the year, on an average; yes, 365
during the year. The captains were reckless and often
raced one against the other; the boilers were poorly
constructed and the boats ran under high pressure of
steam; the passengers — at least the men — ^laughed at
danger and encouraged the rashness of the captains.
I could not, consequently, despise the fears of my com
panion, and we made up our mind to continue on our
road as we had begun ; that is to say, to travel by stage
until we reached home.
We went, therefore, by post from Pittsburg to Wheel
ing in Virginia, where we crossed the Ohio River, and
entered the State of Ohio by what was then caUed the
great national road. As long as we foUowed it — i.e., as
far as ChiUicothe — the turnpike was exceUent; and
though the flood of rain continued, we could travel
rapidly, as the road was always kept in good repair.
But when we left the national road at ChiUicothe,
to go south towards Kentucky, aU comfort was gone,
and we were in a sea of troubles. First, we were always
behind time — on one occasion as much as five hours —
so that when we reached the next relay the driver who
had waited so long for us was in a rage — a thing, how
ever, which does not happen so often in the United
States as it does in Europe. In the second place,
though the cold had abated, and there was no need of
warming our feet, the pouring rain could not be excluded
from the interior of the stage, and we were soon wet
through, without the possibility of changing our gar
ments. Thirdly, the roads, even between cities, were
so imperfectly built and graded that occasionaUy the
bed itself was obstructed by huge stones and stumps

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 31
of trees. Once our vehicle was actuaUy overset, and
ten times at least there was great danger of it. No
one, however, grumbled against those inconveniences,
because, as regards the torrents of rain, every one in
the country expects great discomforts from meteoro
logical variations, and, as regards the bad roads, the
country was too young to be weU provided with easy
means of travel.
At MaysviUe, where we again crossed the Ohio to
enter Kentucky, we stopped a couple of days to recruit;
but as there was no Catholic church in the place, we
could not satisfy our devotion by saying Mass. Such
was the dearth of churches and clergymen at that time
that we could have this consolation only once after we
left Pittsburg. This was at WheeUng in Virginia.
Mr. Whelan, the young clergyman who was pastor
and became afterwards bishop of that city, received us
with great kindness, and offered us the hospitality of
his house, which we wiUingly accepted for the time of
our stay, that is, from early morning tiU the afternoon.
Throughout Kentucky, from MaysviUe to Lebanon,
we found the roads as bad as they were in Ohio, with
the exception of forty miles, I think, from Lexington
to NicholasviUe, where the turnpike was good. But
this is the richest part of the State, of which, however,
we could not see any evidence, owing to the dreariness
of winter and the rain which continued to faU. The
farther we went the more abominable was the road.
On the morning of the day which was to be the last of
our trip, the driver told us that we would reach Lebanon
ate in the afternoon. When night arrived we were
stiU nine miles away. It was so dark, and the mud

32 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
everywhere was so deep, that we preferred to spend
the night in a farmhouse. It was the house of a quiet
German family, who accommodated us with a com
fortable room and clean beds; so that we were quite
refreshed the following mormng. But to finish the last
nine miles required the whole forenoon. We arrived
at Lebanon just at dinner-time. The parish priest, the
excellent Mr. Abel, who had no house of his own, but
was boarding in the best hotel of the place, gave
us a place near him at the head of the table ; and early
in the afternoon horses were procured to finish the last
five miles of our journey. The night foUowing we slept
in the midst of our brethren.
Having left Philadelphia on the 26th of December,
we arrived at Lebanon on the 15th of January. We
had stopped at several places on the way, remaining
one, two, or three days in each, for the sake of rest and
inquiry; but I calculated, at that time that we had
been actually in the stage eleven days of twenty-four
hours. Whenever we could we traveUed at night as
well as during the day.
Everywhere we found the disposition of the people
excellent. All our fellow traveUers were extremely
obliging to us because we were strangers. They knew
that we were Catholic clergymen, but they acted as if
this was precisely a reason for showing us more defer
ence and respect. There were among them two j'oung
men, the agents of a mercantile firm in LouisviUe, who
were returning home, after having made then- winter
purchases in the East. They were our companions all
the way from Wheeling to MaysviUe. We were in
debted to them for many acts of kindness whenever we

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 33
had need of them on the road or in the hotels. The
name of one was Campbell; I have forgotten that of
the other.
Wherever we stopped for our meals or for the night,
the same kind attention was exhibited by the servants
and the landlords. No advantage was taken of our
ignorance of the customs of the country or of the value
¦of money, except on one occasion. But this occasion
was a proof of the general honesty prevailing every
where. This incident happened, I think, at Harris
burg. To pay for our supper — we were four — ^I gave
& ten-dollar bill. In the change which was returned
a five-dollar note was handed to me. The following
day at dinner I presented this note for our payment,
and it was declared to be bad; it went round the
table, and all said it was such a poor counterfeit
that no one but a stranger from a foreign country
would have received it. There was with us an
agent of the stage line, Mr. McNulty, who became
indignant that such a trick should have been played
on gentlemen from foreign lands. He begged of me to
leave him the bill and to tell him where I got it. He
would see the fellow punished and obhge him to return
the money. I gave him my address in Kentucky,
though I scarcely expected he would succeed; but I
was interested in seeing how the matter would turn out.
Sure enough two weeks later the money came in an
envelope directed to me at St. Mary's.
Facts of this kind indicate a sound moral tone in a
country; and this was at that time universal. The
exceptions were so rare that they confirmed the rule.
This universal honesty produced a tone of security

34 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
which every one felt on aU occasions. StiU there was
not only no standing army, but no police anywhere.
Honesty in the people, however, is far better than the
fear of pohcemen or of soldiers, and the United States
were then a most remarkable example of it.
Ai St.^ YfQ liad finally reached the place of our destination.
'"^*' The extent and chief features of the country in
which I was destined to spend the first nine years
of my stay on the American continent need but a
few words of explanation. What are here caUed the
Southwestern States are those which he on both sides
of the Mississippi from the mouth of the Ohio to the
Gulf of Mexico. Two remarkable facts struck me at
once. The first was an apparently unbroken forest covering
the whole expanse of the country. From the large rivers
alive with stately steamboats, schooners, and simple
rafts, or from the few turnpikes and primitive roads
which furnished the only means of communication
between hamlets and farmhouses, nothing could be
seen but woods scarcely relieved by a few fields of Indian
corn, tobacco, and cotton. This was especiaUy the case
on the Mississippi, whose banks were stiU as wild as
when first seen by Europeans. If Marquette and
La SaUe had come back and paddled their canoes along
the banks of the mighty stream in Tennessee or Arkansas,
they might have recognized the former scenes of their
hardy enterprises. The only difference between then
and now could be perceived in Louisiana. In 1840, on
both banks of the Mississippi, the palatial mansions of
planters, foUowing each other without interruption,
formed one of the finest streets to be seen in the world.

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 35
I could not imagine a more splendid panorama than these
banks for some sixty miles. But, with this exception,
the whole southwest of this country was a wildemess
almost unchanged since the time of creation.
The second fact which struck every one with wonder
was the almost total occupation of this vast country by
actual settlers. The number of acres still unsold and
offered for sale by the govemment was on the whole
insignificant. The farms, in point of fact, touched
each other almost everywhere, though the eye of the
simple traveller could not perceive it. This was a truly
wonderful achievement in so short a time, and it was a
sign of the enterprise which animated the whole
people. The reader has seen that on landing we encoun- •'l^«fe<»«*
tered a spell of severe cold, and that while traveUing we
suffered from pouring rains. On the very day of
our arrival at Lebanon there was another change,
more remarkable than the formef. It was the usher
ing in of most delightful weather which lasted until
the summer came three or four months later. Every
one said that it was unusual; and during the eight years
I spent in Kentucky I never saw the like again. StiU
it certainly belonged to the climate of Kentucky; and
if the meteorological conditions which brought it on in
1839 were present every year — and this must be admitted
as possible if not probable — the climate of Kentucky
would be the most delightful winter climate that can be
conceived. 'm
Every day the sky was pure. Scarcely any clouds
ever appeared; and the effulgence of the sun, its rays
as bright as they were mild, geive to the surrounding

36 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
woods and fields the appearance of a garden barren
of leaves and flowers.
There was a slight frost every night from the 15th
of January to the 3d of March — I noted the day it
ended. After March 3d I never perceived the slight
est appearance of hoar-frost.
As I had no other occupation than to learn English,
I could dispose of my days as I wished, and was aUowed
to adopt the time-table best suited to my taste. After
morning devotions and breakfast, I remained in my
room reading or writing English until nine or ten. At
that time the frost outside had invariably disappeared;
the ground was sufficiently dry, and I transferred my
study-room to the woods. I had found back of the
college, beyond the playground of the boys, a cosey
place just suited to my purposes. It was at the end of
a small apple-orchard, beyond the fence which divided
it from an adjoining field. A slight declivity of the hiU
brought me down to a kind of hollow, at the foot of a
black-walnut tree, skirted around with a carpet of
lichens and mosses, whilst a few sprouts of watercresses
floated on a diminutive stream of clear water which
hubbled up from the bottom of this natural weU. This
certainly was its appearance at that time of the year.
In summer it was almost entirely dry. As there had
been a good deal of snow a few weeks before, the
well, as I have called it, was brimful of water, and the
stream ran along the edge of the hiU in the form of a
rivulet whose soft murmuring on its pebble bed was
quite audible in moments of complete silence. Craw
fishes had ensconced themselves on the bank along the
hiUside. Numerous holes were the proof of it. I took

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 37
good care not to disturb them in their inoffensive oper
ations. The first time I looked on this delightful httle
scene, I asked myself whither this stream of water di
rected its course; and a moment's reflection flUed me
with wonder that a small crustacean like the crawfish
could by its means reach the mouth of the Mississippi.
In a corner of the fence near this spot I selected an
angle making a kind of bower. There were some
creepers and lichens embroidering the rails of the fence;
a small-cedar tree rose above the top ; and with a single
board which I fastened to the fence, I had found a niche
worthy of a better saint than I am.
I went there with a few books every day from ten
to twelve. The air was so soft that though I often
carried an overcoat with me, I seldom put it on. Dur
ing those two hours the boys never came on their play
ground, so that I enjoyed the most perfect silence, such
as the solitudes of America alone afford. I mean silence
with respect to men and the affairs of men. As to the
birds of the air, their song was far better than a concert,
when not worse. In the southern part of Kentucky
there are several large tribes of winged songsters who
remain the whole winter in the woods or even in the
fields. I have caught "yellowbirds" — the goldfinch
of America — at the beginning of January; they came
in troops to feed on the still green leaves of beets and
parsnips in our garden. Tomtits were still numerous
in the hedges and bushes. The song of the wren was
often heard on bright days. The bluebirds — the robin
redbreast of this continent — were always in the neigh
borhood of our houses toward the middle of February.
But at the beginning of this year — 1839 — nature was

38 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
far more remarkable than I ever saw it afterwards, on
account of the continuance of moderate weather, I sup
pose. From my bower back of the orchard I heard
every day all the birds mentioned above, besides many
others. There were, for instance, the numerous famUies
of woodpeckers large and smaU, of briUiant colors and
sturdy bearing, who never leave Kentucky in winter,
but were that year especially heard everywhere in the
woods. Their coarse cries and their pecking on the
bark of trees were not pleasant when you were in the
midst of them; but at a distance I liked to hear them,
as tokens of the many friends around me. As to the
turtle-doves, the woods were full of them in the middle
of February. Their cooing, so soft and soothing to the
ear, would have put me to sleep, had I not been so busy
reading and thinking. I never thought before that
these affectionate birds could be found together in such
numbers. They live in couples, and never are gregari
ous. But every tree seemed to have its pair; and the
effect produced on the imagination by their coomg
was exactly as if they had been living in troops.
To feed such multitudes, insects were required; and
indeed they were already swarming aU around me. I
could have studied entomology to advantage if I had
been so inclined. It was lucky, however, that none of
the insect tormentors were as yet hatched and thriving.
There were no mosquitoes, no ticks, no ants; but on the
other hand there were no butterflies, which are never
numerous in Kentucky even in summer, because butter
flies are seldom met with in woods, and woods at that
time covered the whole country. But I saw around
me many creeping things of which I did not know the

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 39
names, and on which I did not bestow any attention,
because they all appeared to flee from me and did not
annoy me. The only thought I bestowed on them was
to thank God that He had prepared such abundant
provender for the birds.
Such is a short description of the three first months I
spent in Kentucky. The spring and summer came on
graduaUy, without great storms, which are usual there in
April. The heat during the summer months was more
tolerable than I have ever felt it since. As I began
directly to keep a short diary in which I set down the
most remarkable natural phenomena, I perceive from
my notes that there were, that year, from January to
December only thirty-five thunder-storms, of which
three or four were severe. This is a small number
compared to the number of storms in the years which
foUowed. In fact if the climate of 1839 had continued
ever after, Kentucky would be, on the whole, a pleasant
place to live in ; and I am now persuaded of the contrary.
The beginning of this year was so different from
what is usual that everybody in the house was con
stantly expecting squaUs, snow, biting winds from the
north, skating for the boys, etc., which never came.
So that after a while I began to taunt the old habitues
of the place with the imaginary accuracy of their former
experience. -.j
There was particularly the gardener, Brother Ledore,
a Breton like myself, who during the months of January
and February and a good part of March occupied him
self with little jobs in the house, and never appeared
in the garden. I ventured to ask him when he was going
to prepare his beds for early vegetables. I found him

40 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
convinced that it was ridiculous to do so, because
"early vegetables" could not be procured in Kentucky
owing to the uncertain, variable, unaccountable char
acter of the spring. He was, no doubt, greatly mis
taken, and a few glass-covered beds would have practi
cally sufficed to solve the problem, as they did the
following year at my suggestion. But the good
brother had convinced the most sensible men of the
' house that his method was the best, and it procured
us greens, as they were called, toward the end of June,
when we had fresh vegetables on our table for the first
time. Consulting my documents, I perceive that it was on
the 17th of March, on St. Patrick's day, that Brother
Ledor6 began to work with the spade in his garden. He
had been looking all the time for the coming of winter
weather — for he was not, it seems, satisfied with the
cold they had suffered in December before my arrival.
Meanwhile the whole country was in the fuU tide of
spring. Most of the migrating birds had returned from
the South. They were all building their nests, some
of them having already a brood of young ones; the
daffodils and hyacinths of our garden, the triUiums,
ranunculuses, dandelions of our fields, were spreading
their leaves and opening their blossoms. Our gardener
alone was behind time ; he had for his excuse the experi
ence of previous years. In truth, this year was an ex
ceptional one, which could not be taken into account
in appreciating the climate of the country. It is time
The to describe its normal character, and to examine its
K^wky. action on nature, animals, and men.
In estimating it I will not rely on statistics con-

'A 2
a I
•— ' CO
. 00
O QJ
s s
9 ;2

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 41
tained in books published in this country or abroad.
Not because I think they are all unreliable. Excellent
books on the subject have been published under the
auspices of the American government and of the Smith
sonian Institution. But I give here my personal experi
ence, and do not intend to write a book with the help of
other books which might be perhaps much more accu
rate than mine. It is not from memory only that I
retail my experience. I took notes, though not so
copiously as I would wish. I have even studied the
subject somewhat scientifically, if I may use so big a
word as this. During five years, whilst residing in
Kentucky, I was a faithful correspondent of Mr. Espy,
who toward 1840 established in Washington a private
weather bureau. I sent him monthly my personal
observation of the thermometer, barometer, and hygrom
eter, taken three times a day. Thus in my study of
climate I do not depend on the acuteness or dulness of
my senses, nor on the daily observations I always
made on the meteorological effects produced on plants,
animals, and men. But I could often correct with the
help of good instruments the mistakes which might
result from the imagination or the inaccuracy of the
senses. Another preliminary observation is also required
here with respect to the extent of that personal experi
ence on which I chiefly rely. I speak here of the
climate in the Southwestern states. In my observa
tions I was, it is true, chiefly confined to Kentucky,
which was then considered a Southwestem state. But
I had occasion to see a great deal more of the country.
I travelled extensively on the Mississippi River from

42 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Minnesota to New Orleans; and on both sides of the river
I could study the peculiarities of several of the Southwest-
em states. Besides this, aU my communications were
then with Southwestem people; aU the periodicals I
read were concerned with events occurring in the same
parts of the United States. To this extent, and no
more, is the sketch which I now begin to be trusted.
Finally, the west for us extends only to the Rocky
Mountains. The Pacific slope is out of our scope.
The usual division of the year into spring, summer,
autumn, and winter is the best practicaUy that can be
adopted, though the seasons here are far less marked
than, for instance, in western Europe. Not many
degrees south of New Orleans there are only two sea
sons, the rainy and the dry; and though the six months
of rain are called the winter, they are reaUy the summer
and vice versa.
This peculiarity is already noticeable in Kentucky, and
much more so in Louisiana. The winter continues often
to rule in the middle of the spring; and summer always
begins to be felt before spring is over. There is, there
fore, much less regularity than in Europe and the
atmospheric changes are much more frequent. 'The
agricultural operations are, therefore, often interfered
with; and the labor of man is not so great a factor in
the extraordinary productiveness of the soU, as is the
amount of rain and heat, which are in fact the great
sources of vegetation.
Winter. Let US begin with winter. The previous sketch
of the weather we had in January, 1838, must be
altogether set aside, because simUar January weather
does not occur more than once in fifty years. StiU

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 43
before I arrived, it had been very cold in December, and
this was generaUy the case. Most often the Christmas,
holidays were very unpleasant on account of the great
quantity of snow on the groimd, and of the very imper
fect means taken to keep the houses comfortable inside.
Autumn continued generally until December; but
from the beginning of this month severe weather might
be expected. I remember that the second day of
December, 1843, was painfully cold. It had been settled
that I should go on that day to Lebanon, to declare my
intention to become an American citizen. I started on
horseback between nine and ten in the forenoon. There
had been a fierce storm the previous day, so that there
were two feet of snow on the ground. Though I was
warmly clad, I had forgotten to put on leggins; soon
the cold became so intense that I was afraid my feet
would freeze. I stopped at the first farmhouse I met,
and wrapped hay around my legs. But in spite of this
precaution I had to stop several times to warm myseff
before I reached Lebanon.
I cannot better describe the winter than by saying
that it was a succession of alternate periods of cold
and heat, each of about two weeks' duration; the cold
being severe and the heat sometimes almost oppressive.
In October, 1845, Father Boulanger, then Visitor in our
Mission, received a letter from Bishop Hughes, calling
him to New York to make arrangements with him for
the transfer of St. John's College to us. He started
for the East in the afternoon of November llth —
I have kept the date in my notes. It was the end of
autumn, and the weather had been, as usual at that
season, beautiful throughout. But on that day the

44 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
heat was so great that we were all dressed as in summer;
and after dinner we sat in the shade of the house, instead
of walking exposed to the sunhght in the garden.
Father Boulanger remarked that "he did not beheve
there was any winter in Kentucky; it must be the
same as in Algeria," and we were in fact in the latitude
of Algiers. This he maintained with great determina
tion, in spite of our experience, and he was evidently
fully convinced.
After his departure the weather continued fine until
the latter part of the month. Then there was the
usual change at the beginning of December. Father
Boulanger came back on the llth of this month — just
thirty days after his departure. The cold, which had
increased considerably during the last week, was intense,
and we were in fuU winter. The poor Father, who had
travelled in the stage the whole of that morning, was
all but frozen and shivered from head to foot. I was
the first to receive him, and when I opened the door,
the first thing he said was: " Quel froid noir! " — " What
grim cold!" Henceforth he acknowledged winter was
possible in our neighborhood.
I remember another example in point. It was in
January, toward the middle of the month; I cannot
recaU the year. We had had splendid weather during
a fortnight; at last it became reaUy hot. We aU wore
summer clothing; and at night I could not keep on any
covering but a sheet. At last a thunder-storm of great
severity burst out. The wind, the rain, the frequent
claps of thunder would have been right and proper in
July. This tempestuous blast lasted more than an
hour. Then the thunder ceased; but the wind and the

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 45
rain continued. Directly there was a perceptible change
of temperature, and I was obliged to close the shutters
tight against the cold air and to spread on my bed a
double blanket. Then I slept until the morning. One
¦of the boys' dormitories was on the floor above my
head, and the lads soon came down to go to the wash
room, which was just outside of the house. I was
astounded by the extraordinary noise they made in
going out. As soon as sufficiently dressed I left my
room to ascertain the cause. Then a strange spectacle
struck my eyes. To leave the house and go to the
wash-room there was a stoop of four or five steps. At
the end of the storm the rain had turned into snow and
hail; the steps consequently were covered with solid
ice; the boys, who did not expect it, and could not see
because in opening the door the light had been extin
guished, fell one upon another — except a few more
steady than the rest, and these were crawling on the
ground and on a large heap of snow which had drifted
into an angle of the house. Fortimately nobody was
hurt, and it ended in a huge fit of laughter and a kind
of hurrah. The poor boys nevertheless were shaking
with cold, after having been in a high perspiration a
couple of hours before.
Strange to say, this instabUity of the weather, which
greatly annoyed me and persuaded me at last that it
was very injurious to health, was precisely the reason
alleged by all Kentuckians for admiring their climate.
They said that when the weather was bad it did not
continue long, and a pleasant time soon succeeded.
After a residence of eight years and a haff in Kentucky
I came to the conclusion that the winter, spring, and

46 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
summer were detestable, but the three months of
autumn were delightful.
In the periods of what was caUed fine weather the
heat seldom continued at night. In general the ther
mometer fell considerably after sunset. As already
stated, during five years monthly reports were sent by
me to Mr. Espy at Washington of the observations
taken three times a day on the thermometer, barometer,
and hygrometer. After a while it became remarkable
that during these fins spells — to use a New England
expression — the range of the thermometer was extraor
dinary. After looking carefuUy over many records, I
drew the conclusion that there was often a difference of
forty degrees (Fahrenheit) between midday and midnight.
I leave it to the reader to imagine what effect it must
have produced on the human frame, chiefly on the
skin and the nerves. A number of chronic diseases
must have been the consequence. They came on unper-
ceived, but on this very account they took hold of the
victim more tenaciously. But everybody smUed and
laughed when I spoke of it. " Was not the weather aU
that could be desired? "
Before we describe the Kentuckian spring we must
say a few words on the effects produced by winter on
nature, on animals, and on man. The effect of great
cold and snow on nature is most beneficial. It kills
miUions of grubs and insects which would injure plants
and useful vegetables. It cleanses of heterogeneous
matter the bark of trees, and renders it more fit for its
summer functions. It loosens the soU and decom
poses the leaves which had faUen the previous autumn.
The carbonic acid which is not needed, as m summer,

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 47
for the breathing of the trees during the night, must
be assimilated in the wood itseff, of which it forms
an important part. FinaUy, the snow, which seldom
remains long on the ground, but soon melts and pene
trates it, contains a very appreciable quantity of
ammonia, a powerful fertilizer, and is perhaps one of
the great causes which exempts the husbandman in
the South from the trouble and expense of manuring
his fields.
As to the animals, a distinction must be made between
wild beasts and birds on one side and domesticated
cattle and fowls on the other. The first are few,
because the industrious farmers of the United States
have already destroyed nearly aU the beasts of
the forest and the venomous reptiles so common for
merly. There are no more bears, jaguars, wildcats,
few wolves and foxes. The pigs have literaUy eaten
up the poisonous serpents, particularly the rattle
snakes, which are found only in desert places. But
it seems that formerly the climate, even in winter,
was extremely favorable to the multiplication of those
animals, as it is stiU to that of less injurious beasts,
such as the raccoon, opossum, squirrel, etc. As to the
various families of the squirrel kind, the deadly war
waged constantly against them by farmers' sons and
city boys has not even diminished their number. The
preservation of so many interesting species of the
animal ' kingdom is due chiefly to the abundant food
they flnd everywhere in the forests, and to the thick
fur with which nature has provided them during win
ter. As to the birds, what has been said sufficiently
attests that they fall under the same riile.

48 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
^ Domestic animals, owing probably to the poor care
taken of them by man in these vast regions of the
Southwest, fare very differently. The farmers every
where entertain the wrong opinion that the winter
climate is sufficiently mild to leave their cattle exposed
night and day to the atmosphere. At most they give
them sparingly some additional fodder. Sheep and
cows and oxen ramble moumfuUy through the woods
or in the wasted fields in quest of the nutriment which
is refused them at the stable. They naturaUy diminish
in flesh, but go barely through the winter. When
the spring comes and fresh grass appears, they devour
it greedily, and many of them burst, as it were. I have
seen a great number of our cattle and lambs perish in
this way. Meanwhile during the whole winter the
cows gave so little mUk that thirty of them could
scarcely furnish a cup to each of us for our breakfast.
That the failure of domestic cattle is due to the cause
just aUeged was proved at our coUege in a striking
way. A good man by the name of MuUen, lately landed
from Ireland, accustomed to cattle, could not bear to
witness the hard treatment of our animals. He spoke so
eloquently to our superior that he induced him to buUd a
shed with a roof, though open aU around. He also ob
tained permission to give these poor animals warm food
three times a day, aUowing them to graze the remainder of
the time. The result was that we had a plentfful supply
¦of milk; our calves were soon fat and heavy in weight;
the lambs, aUowed also to sleep under a roof and to
enjoy a better meal at night, prospered and throve
splendidly. Better stiU, when the spring came none
•of our cattle and sheep perished as formerly. It can-

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 49
not be concluded from this, however, that when treated
properly domestic animals do not suffer from the climate.
That they are deeply affected by it is easily shown. In
this country, particularly in the South, domesticated
animals, chiefly horses and cows, are far more subdued
and tame than in Europe. Who has ever heard in
Kentucky of a cow striking or attempting to strike
with her horns the man who feeds and takes care of
her? But this is very common on the other side of the
Atlantic. As to those who are strangers to these
animals, it would be very imprudent in Italy to go near
them. They have to be kept in strict enclosures; and
when led on the public highway, rows of strong posts
are planted along the road for the passers-by. This
difference of deportment must come from the difference
of climate, and shows that in North America some
animals are injuriously affected by the temperature.
And it must be so, since the best domesticated animal
of aU, namely, man himself, is undoubtedly severely
injured physicaUy and moraUy by the climate of the
South and West.
I speak here only of the descendants of Europeans
in Kentucky. Among the whites the great majority
were natives; few immigrants cast their lot in the
South at that time. It is of the natives that I speak,
because the climate had produced its full effect on them.
In Kentucky the whites formed, as it were, a
class apart and different from those of all other States.
A great number of men were remarkable for their size,
good looks, apparent physical strength, moral courage,
and their great good sense. It seemed that the climate
had not iU-treated them; they were splendid speci-

50 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
mens of manhood, many of them giants in stature ; one of
them, living in Louisville in my time, was eight feet high.
StiU there is no doubt that the clunate deeply affected
them in winter. They appeared to be constantly feel
ing cold, and required excessively heated rooms to
feel comfortable. In the College of St. Mary's, in the
study haU, which contained just one hundred boys
seated at their desks, an enormous stove fifteen feet
long and three feet high was constantly fiUed, even in
moderate weather, with four or five logs of the length
of the stove. These logs were blazing aU the time, and
new ones were thrown in as soon as combustion had
consumed those inside. When evening came and
candles were lighted, they positively melted down in
their sockets from the heat of the room. Duty obhged
me several times to occupy the desk of the study-
keeper. My head soon ached as in summer, and the
blood-vessels throbbed, ready to burst. Unable to bear
it, I was invariably obliged, after five or ten minutes,
to withdraw from my chair, go near the door, and open
it a little on the sly in order to breathe, or rather not
to be suffocated. To raise the sashes of the windows
on such occasions would have excited a rebeUion among
the boys, and they would probably have instantly left
the room, previous to leaving the coUege.
There is no exaggeration in this description. Does
it not prove that the cold acted most injuriously on
these boys? Strong confirmation of my opinion is
found in the fact that at the same time they were
constantly drinking water which was always kept in a
comer of the room in a capacious jug.
On the warm winter days that have been described

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 51
above, the stove in the study-haU was not kept red-hot,
as was the case when the candles melted down. But
even on those fine days there was always a good fire
in the stove, and the windows were kept closed, except
on very rare occasions. I was greatly surprised, just
after my arrival (when I took such a delight in establish
ing my quarters in the woods during a great part of the
forenoon), to see two negroes belonging to the college
chopping wood every day from morning to night only
to supply the study-haU and the classrooms with fuel.
Fortunately we had not to buy coal; it would have
been an enormous expense. We had more than four
hundred acres of woods, and we drew from them hber-
aUy in winter.
This overheating of the rooms must have been the
principal cause of the maladies which prevailed among
the boys in winter. The number of our boarders rarely
exceeded a hundred; stiU the infirmary was always
fuU during that season. Besides acute diseases of the
throat or the lungs there was always a great display of
mumps, which I had rarely seen in Nantes when at
coUege. Measles and scarlet fever were also common,
though diphtheria was not. It must be said, however,
that the mortality, though great on the whole, was far
from being as large as might have been feared. After
our coUege had existed a little more than twelve years
there were four or five boys buried in our graveyard;
some had died at their homes. Among us a single
member of our community had died — poor Father
Maguire, who was carried off by cholera in 1832.
The Kentuckians are outwardly a splendid race.
TaU and well proportioned; remarkably handsome

52 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
and stately in manners; sociable and affable in daily
intercourse; talented and apt to become good scholars
when educated. Their physical frames, however, are
better in appearance than in solidity; they easily faU
sick, and this interferes with their education; in the
midst of their studies they aspire to start in life; they
must receive their degree of A.B. after three years of
classical studies, including the elements of grammar.
Hence they seldom accomplish anything, and most of
them die young. I remarked with surprise, when I
arrived, that few Kentuckians had white hair, and few
of them bore the venerable appearance of dignified
old men. But of course there were exceptions. The
Rev. Mr. Abel was one of these admirable specimens
of Kentucky humanity. To aU physical advantages
he added sociability and talent of a high order, and
he reached ahnost the last limit of human longevity.
I wiU by and by speak of him at greater length.
Spring. A conversation I had with the same Rev. Mr. Abel
expresses most correctly what I thought of the
spring in the Southwest. We were talking of the
weather in this country, and I was pleased to see how
weU his opinion agreed with mine, whilst nearly aU
other Americans of my acquaintance held entirely
different views. "When I was a boy — a student at
coUege," he said, "I was, and I am stiU, a great
admirer of Enghsh poetry. But I was puzzled by the
description of the spring in Thompson's 'Seasons.'
Though I saw in Kentucky a few days that gave a slight
idea of it, the whole composition was perfect nonsense,
and I imagined it was aU derived from the imagination
of the writer. But when, after my ordination, I went

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 53
to France, where I spent several very pleasant months
in the spring and summer, I found Thompson most
exact in his descriptions, and most perfect in his render
ing of the sweet emotions produced by the softness of
May especiaUy. Sir," he added at the end, "we have
no spring in this country."
The nearest approach to it I saw, during the nine
springs I spent in Kentucky, was at the end of the
three months of winter that I described above as having
taken place the year of my arrival. The month of March,
1839, was a fair reproduction of the month of May we
usually had in France. It struck me on this occasion;
I never had the pleasure of enjoying it a second time.
The spring was usually an exact reproduction of the
winter, except that there was habitually neither snow
nor ice, but in place of it pouring rain, such as I never
had any conception of before. This began sometimes
in March, but commonly in April; and with the rain
the thunder was often terrific. However, there were
occasionally strange freaks of meteorology connected
with these natural disturbances which were quite inter
esting. I must relate one of these. In 1842, I think —
at any rate the year that the great comet astonished
everybody in March, particularly the astronomers —
the weather was very cold in Kentucky and in all the
Western and Southern States. We had snow on the
ground the whole time — a thing very unusual — and
there was not the least sign of vegetation. This con
tinued during the first week of April; but on the 7th of
that month there was a remarkable change. The wind
suddenly tumed to the south, and brought us for several
days pouring rain and fearful thunder. But this ended

54 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
on the llth with a singular and unexpected phenomenon.
AU the peach-trees, which are very numerous in Ken
tucky and yield excellent fruit, suddenly opened their
beautiful blossoms. Four or five days of this warm
weather had sufficed to bring the trees to bloom. But,
more remarkable stiU, all these peach-trees swarmed
with humming-birds — at least this was so in our garden.
A few days before no birds from the South had yet
arrived, not even the bluebird, which is generaUy the
earliest to come. But the humming-birds, always
among the last, were already with us, and not, as usual,
in pairs, but in troops as ff they were gregarious animals.
They swarmed like bees, and like bees also they fluttered
around the open buds of the peach-trees. The only
explanation of this was that the warm wind from the
South had brought them hastily on its wings, and find
ing only one kind of trees ready to furnish them food,
they crowded around them and forgot for a moment
that they were not naturaUy gregarious.
One of the most usual and unpleasant features of
spring was the terrible lightning and thunder it brought.
Here is an example. At the beginning of June, 1844—
I do not remember the exact day — Rev. Mr. Martin
Spalding, not yet a bishop, had come to celebrate with
us the anniversary of the death of Mr. B5Tne, the
founder of our college, who had been carried off by
cholera in the first days of June, 1832. During the
forenoon the reverend gentleman preached at High
Mass the panegyric of the deceased; the rain was
already pouring and the thunder roarmg. But these
were only premonitory symptoms. There was a short
luU about dinner-time, and we thought the afternoon

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 55
would be fine and cool as usual on such occasions. We
were mistaken. Before the end of the meal the clouds
gathered over our heads from every point of the com
pass, and it grew ahnost as dark as night.
Our recreation — so we called it — after dinner brought
us an experience that I never shall forget as long as I
live. Dreadful claps foUowed each other so rapidly
that it sounded like an explosion of the heaviest
artiUery, and the blinding flashes of lightning tumed
the night into day. We knew that a stroke might at
any instant kUl many of us; still we appeared uncon
cerned, out of human respect, I suppose. As to myself,
I was far from being lively in conversation; but after a
prayer I thought I might trust in a strong and long
lightning-rod I had placed on the top of the buUding.
The gold and platinum point together with the chain
had been sent from Paris, and all the conditions for
safety had been carefuUy attended to. After the storm
the point was found blunted; we could not, however,
teU how many times it had conducted the fluid safely
to the ground.
StiU we could form a good idea of the enormous
quantity of electricity that passed from the clouds
to the ground. We had withdrawn for our recreation
to a long corridor whose door at the end was left open
by chance. From this place I could see the eastern
side of the little chapel where Mass had been said. It
was not more than twenty-five feet in height, and on
the top there was a peaked roof covered with shingles.
The water on the roof looked like a sheet, and in the
absence of gutters, which had not been thought necessary,
the water ran at the same angle as the roof itself until

66 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
it reached the ground. I thought that one might have
walked under the water along the walls of the chapel
without being as much as touched by the rain. WhUe
I was looking, the electric flash struck the chapel,
though it was much lower than the surrounding buUd
ings. The entire mass of falling water was tumed into
a compact sheet of flame. I leave it to the reader to
judge of the quantity of fluid there was, and to say how
many Leyden jars would have been wanted to contain it.
Summer. When did summer begin in Kentucky? It would
be difficult to answer the question. OccasionaUy
we had a touch of it in April; always a fuU experi
ence of it in May. As has already been said, we
reaUy had no spring; but often a sudden change from
the blasts of winter to the oppressive heat of summer,
at night as weU as during the day. As soon as May
began I used only a sheet at night, and at times I dis
carded even this in June. I remember when I came
in 1846 to Fordham, how pleasant it was to sleep under
a blanket in June. I said then that I was haff-way
back to my native country.
In the months of July and August no one could walk
out of the house except with an umbreUa or under the
thick shade of the trees.
I know that this oppressive heat is denied by many
Southerners, who boast that the thermometer never
rises in the South as high as it occasionaUy does in the
North, particularly in New York and Boston. They
say that in these cities the range of the thermometer
sometimes exceeds a hundred degrees Fahrenheit, whilst
in Florida the highest is ninety-five degi-ees. This is
true, but they forget that the ninety-five of the South

FROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 57
remain constant during five months and more. In the
North, on the contrary, after a few hot days the mer
cury faUs to seventy or seventy-five, and this makes
an immense difference for the human body. The
exhaustion and debility consequent upon a high tem
perature remaining without change during so long a
time, necessarily engender the indolence and sloth so
often remarked in people hving imder the tropics. The
inhabitants of those bahny regions, as they are caUed,
can never reach the high degree of industry and civil
ization attained in more northern climes.
The months of July and August I have said were
the hottest, and the hottest days extended from the
middle of July to the middle of August. We were
then practically living under the sky of the tropics,
and I seldom ventured to go out during the day. As
this heat lasted but a month, the custom was never
adopted by the Kentuckians of imitating the Central
Americans, who rest in their hammocks during the
day and spend the night in the streets or, when there
is moonlight, in the fields. But it was worse at night
than in Rio Janeiro or Panama, where they say there
is generally a refreshing breeze after sunset. With us
the air was still and the atmosphere on fire. I remem
ber vividly what I felt, in the latter part of July or at
the besinning of August, when after supper we went
to take our recreation in the garden. The sun was then
sinkine imder the horizon, or had already set. It was
more pleasant to walk bareheaded; stiU the firmament,
clear at that time, weighed, as it were, on the crown of
the head, as if it had been the vault of an oven. No
coolness could be expected until late in the night.

58 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
When we went to our rooms, I remained praying or
reading until twelve o'clock, aU the time bathed in
perspiration, and contending with armies of insects.
After midnight, when the hghts were put out, the
insects ceased crawling or flying, and we could stretch
ourselves on our beds and enjoy a few hours of repose,
with windows and doors open.
This heat must have a very debilitating effect on
man; still the negroes seemed to enjoy it hugely.
They did not find the weather hot enough. Every
evening in July and August, as weU as at any other
time, as soon as they came back from the fields they
started a roaring fire in the stove of their cabin, and
one of them taking a fiddle, they danced around, appar
ently insensible of the fatigue of the day. During the
nine years of my stay in Kentucky I have heard that
nocturnal music every summer. But no human being
of any other race could remain unaffected by the ex
cesses of the temperature.
Autumn. The three months of September, October, and
November are always delightful in the Southwest.
Occasionally there is light rain or a thunder-storm,
but it is always of short duration, and the soft
est atmosphere and the most equable and pleasant
temperature prevail in general night and day. The
Indian summer, as it is called, east of the AUeghanies,
though balmy and charming as far as it goes, lasts only
a part of November. In Kentucky there is often a
light hoar-frost in the morning before sunrise; the first
rays, of the sun turn it into dew without ever rendering
the walks muddy or slippery.
Farmers can work with spirit in the fields; artisans

IFROM HAVRE TO KENTUCKY. 59
find it a pleasure to be busy; and if it lasted longer
no one could complain of the western climate. Indus
try could flourish better than in the north; and the
human frame would not be so subject as it is to sick
ness and chronic diseases. Indolence, finaUy, not only
mental, but also physical, would not paralyze all
human effort.

CHAPTER III.
THE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES.
Therural On my arrival in St. Mary's I was thrown into the
K*"^ midst of the rural population of Kentucky, which does
not differ much from that of the rest of the South,
with the exception of Louisiana.
These people were a compound of simphcity and
shrewdness. The first made them occasionaUy the
victims of sharpers; the second lessened the danger
whenever their best interests were concerned. You
could, in general, enter their cottages at aU times of the
day. When the men were not present, the good wife
and her daughters received you with much simphcity
and good nature. They were in fact always fond of a
long talk, and if the visitor could bring them some
news he was always welcome. Fear, suspicion, dis
trust, were unknown to them, owing to the total absence
of crime, nay, of misconduct in the country. Social
intercourse in the United States, North and South, is
usually cheerful, gay, nay, jovial. This was then espe
ciaUy true in the Southwest. This, I have no doubt,
was especially due to the negroes, who are, like children,
fond of a joke, and often carry their good temper to a
kind of boisterous hilarity. Now, the farmers in the
60

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 61
Southwestern States were not great planters like
those of Louisiana (who never had any direct deahngs
with their field-laborers, but left them to the manage
ment of an overseer). The agriculturists of Kentucky,
in particular, had few slaves, often at most eight or
ten. They were their own overseers, lived constantly
with their negroes, and being obliged to humor them
in order to make them work better, soon acquired the
pleasant habit of joviahty. There was thus among
them an amiable simplicity that dehghted me when
ever I was with them.
I thought at first that this was confined to the Catho
lic farmers whom I chiefly met; but after I became
acquainted with some of our neighbors, who were
Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, etc., I perceived
my mistake, and saw that mirth did not displease the
descendants of the stem old Puritans. It was, more
over, known to everybody that the Rev. Mr. Stephen
Badin, the first Catholic priest who resided and labored
in those parts, had been and continued in my time to be
a great favorite with all kinds of people, even those
not of his faith, on account of his fondness for joking, in
which he excelled. Some of his repartees had become
so popular that I am sure if a small volume of his inno
cent facetise had been published, it would have been
found in nearly all the best houses of Marion County.
There was something very primitive and conse
quently pleasant in the social state of these good people.
I wondered how different they were from the best gifted
peasants of my native country. In another part of
this work I have described the simple manners of the
farmers in the neighborhood of Nantes; and the picture

62 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
was far from being of a depressing character. I men
tioned that the peasants of France had to labor very
hard in order to live. This estabhshed a great differ
ence between them and the farmers of America, who
were owners of the soil and had men enough at their
service to save them from hard work. Seated on their
horses (for it would have been considered a disgrace to
use their feet in passing from their house to their fields),
they merely directed the labor of their workmen, and
did not even need to put their hand to the plough or
break the soil with the spade. StUl there was the
same genuine simplicity and unaffected naturalness
in the Kentucky farmer and the Norman peasant. In
both there was scarcely any real seffishness, that ahnost
universal bane of human society; and though both
farmers in America and peasants in France, looked
sharply to their interest and that of their famUies, both
nevertheless hstened to the caUs of charity. Even
the Presbyterians, who readily suspected imposture,
showed themselves unaffectedly hberal as soon as there
was proof of real distress.
Frerwh At that time I often reflected on those two interesting
Kentucky and large classes of men, the American farmers and
^5^* the French peasants— the first more enhghtened than
pared. the second, because they aU could read and write, and
also because the political and municipal constitution
of their States allowed them to take part in the affairs
of the country at large, and particularly in the con
cerns of their district or viUage. The peasants of France,
on the contrary, not only seldom knew how to read,
but when they did, it was scarcely of any use to them for
their temporal concerns, since there were no newspapers

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 63
published there which were accessible to them. They
could not take part in any pubhc election, as few of
them paid a sufficient amount of taxes. They could
not even vote on questions of the greatest importance
to them, such as the making or repairing of roads, the
keeping of their church in decent order, the spread of
instruction by primary schools, etc., etc. AU this was
managed for them either by the prefect of the depart
ment or by the mayor of the town, both appointed by
the ministers at Paris. The immense advantages
enjoyed by the farmers of America did not, however,
create in them an undue ambition, and they remained
as simple and good-natured as the French peasants,
though much more joUy.
Farmers in America and peasants in Europe cannot
help being shrewd. AU have probably often been
the victims of sharpers. Having often remarked
the shrewdness of French peasants, evidenced in a
kind of dogged opposition to everything proposed
to them and affecting their interests, I was curious
to know whether farmers in America gave any sign
of the same disposition. The European peasants seem
to be morally at war with aU superior classes, as ff
aware that in the struggle for existence their own
chance is but smaU. Thus in general they do not
answer any proposal made to them, or if they do, it is
only by sneering. After this aU eloquence is lost upon
them, and they continue firm in their determination
to be mute.
With the farmers of Kentucky the case is somewhat
different. They are more amenable to reason because
they have faith in their own shrewdness; and their

64 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
way of acting was at first very amusing to me. As an
example I wiU relate a httle incident of which I was a
witness soon after my arrival. Mr. WiUiam T. Mudd
was a friend of ours, formerly the overseer on our farm.
But he had lately married, and estabhshed himseff
as a storekeeper. With a little capital he had pro
cured merchandise of every description such as a farmer
or rural housekeeper needs, and built his warehouse in
the woods, a mile from our coUege, at a place where
several roads meet.
One day I purposed to purchase from him a few
things I needed for a smaU greenhouse and some hot
beds intended to furnish us with early vegetables. We
started on horseback and took the road to his store.
Soon we perceived a man on horseback going in the
opposite direction and consequently towards us; but
when he came near he stopped; my companion, who
was eying him sharply, stopped likewise, and I foUowed
suit. Silence ensued for a minute and a haff, when
the stranger inquired, "Are you Mr. Mudd, the store
keeper? " Again silence, followed by the answer, " I am,
sir." I began to be afraid of a quarrel. But no; after
another period of suspense, longer than the first two, came
the very reassuring question, "Do you seU seeds for
the farm and the garden?" I thought the answer
would come directly; but this would have been unusual
and contrary to all the rules of traffic ; we had to wait
to learn that Mr. Mudd had an abundance of seeds of
all sorts both for the farm and the garden. There is no
need of giving the remainder of the dialogue. The con
clusion was that the farmer had no time to go back to
the store with us. He said he would meet Mr. Mudd

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES- 65
there the following day, and hoped he would find what
he needed. AU the answers, evidently, could have
directly foUowed the questions without any fear of
deception on either side. But it was a principle held
by aU that a shrewd man must never, in money trans
actions, be too hasty in answering. The same men,
when once acquainted with each other, and speaking
of anything in which money was not concerned, would
have shown themselves as prompt in their dialogue
as a frisky Frenchman or a gesticulating Italian. They
even knew how to be witty and fuU of fun with their
friends, and did not appear to care if some of their
expressions went further than prudence dictated. "But
it was altogether different when they were driving a
bargain with each other. They took pride in showing
their shrewdness and convincing other people of the
impossibihty of taking them in and making fools of
them. In this there was little difference between the
Kentucky farmers and the Yankees, though the Yankees
were despised in the South.
Under a rough exterior the Kentuckian was good-
natured and warm-hearted whenever he met with
true objects of charity — a thing very unusual in that
happy country. There were scarcely any poor people
in the rural districts of Kentucky; and I was greatly
struck with wonder when I heard, shortly after my
arrival, that in the poorhouse of Marion County there
were only four or five old people whom the county
had to support, because they had neither relatives nor
friends; two of them were old free negroes.
In some sense the colored people might be caUed The negro
"poor," and they were in fact the only true repre- «t«;%.

66 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
sentatives in America of the peasant class in Europe.
But their "poverty" was of a different nature; they
suffered neither from hunger nor thirst, they were suffi
ciently well clad in winter, and in their cabins, as was
said, they always had a roaring fire after retuming
from work. But their "poverty" was of a moral
kind, and therefore far worse than material want.
They were forbidden by the laws of the South
to learn reading and writing, to derive any benefit
from their labor unless their masters aUowed them
to carry on a trade and keep as their own the money
they received over and above the yearly amount due
according to mutual agreement. In strict theory
they could not hold property, being altogether deprived
of civil and human rights. Hence they were even
forbidden to marry, and any clergyman or magistrate
who married them was liable to be prosecuted and
punished. Finally, punishment was always present
before their eyes, and they knew that any serious
breach of discipline would be crueUy visited on their
shoulders by the whip of the overseer.
This was a hard lot; and the question recurs. Could
the slavemasters be called "good-natured and chari
table" toward their unfortunate human chattels? I
think that in the main they were, at least in the form
of slavery I saw in operation in the Southwest.
I readily admit that the laws were barbarous, un
worthy of a Christian people, and that in particular
the statutes concerning the marriage of negroes were
openly opposed to the law of God, and reduced the
majority of the slaves to a life of concubinage. It
went so far that there were in the South shameless

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 67
speculators who purchased young slaves — male and
female — and took them to some remote and lonely
districts, on land they had previously purchased, for
the purpose of breeding, as if the poor creatures had
been cattle. This was disgraceful and horrible.
But the immense majority of slaveowners never
were guilty of such detestable practices, and to this I
can bear personal testimony. Mrs. Harriet Beecher
Stowe exasperated the North against the South, and
helped to promote the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861
by the exaggerated pictures of oppression and tyranny
contained in her .Uncle Tom's Cabin. It may be true —
and I suppose it is — that all the facts she so power
fully depicts actually happened; and to call for a
reformation of these abuses was just and reasonable.
But no reader of her book, if he has never lived in the
South, can pretend to a correct acquaintance with the
country as it was. It is an ex parte statement leaving
unportrayed countless facts opposed to those she pre
sents, and leading to a very different conclusion. In
regard to the marriage laws in particular — because
they were the most odious of all — ^it is true that some
planters took advantage of them to dispose of the
wretched offspring of their slaves as their caprice or
interest dictated. But no Catholic planter could do
so, because the Church was firm in maintaining the
purity of wedlock. The laws might prescribe a heavy
fine against a priest pronouncing the nuptial blessing
on slaves. But everybody knew that on large plan
tations the Sacrament of Matrimony was often admin
istered to the negroes with the fuU consent of their
masters, and I have never heard that any Catholic

68 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
clergyman was caUed to account for it. The state
authorities were aware that the Cathohc Church would
never consent to obey the state laws on this subject,
and they wisely refrained from enforcing them. Many
non-Cathohc planters also aUowed their negroes to
marry, and were not molested. AU Christians in fact
did so, for the same reason. Although Protestants
do not believe marriage to be a sacrament, they were,
particularly at that time, strongly in favor of its indis-
solubihty, and would have considered it a departure
from Christian principles to favor concubinage.
The laws enacted against the teaching of the slave
population were also far from being strictly enforced.
In my trip to Louisiana, in 1842, I was highly pleased
to see that in general Catholic planters openly afforded
to their slaves the moral and religious training required
by the Church. In the houses I visited along the
Mississippi River, near New Orleans, the young daugh
ters of slaveowners took a pride in teaching these poor
blacks their catechism, and preparing them for their
first communion; and those children who were found
more talented were taught to read their catechism and
their prayer-book as an easier means of practising
their religion. The law was evidently ignored; for
those who could read the catechism could easily, in
course of time, acquire other learning.
FinaUy, it is not unlikely that there were in the
South some men hke Miss Stowe's Legrees; but they
must have been few, for two obvious reasons. First, such
men would have been despised and socially avoided
by aU the other planters in the neighborhood; and
secondly, no one could see in the negro race any signs

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 69
of the frightful treatment and degradation described
in Uncle Tom's Cabin, which would have been the
inevitable result. They were everywhere healthy,
well formed, and, what is better still, jolly and fuU of
fun. They evidently were not often subjected to the
tyranny described by Mrs. Stowe.
These statements are made primarily of Cathohc
planters. Unfortunately there were few Catholics in
the South, except in Louisiana. I have said that
"good nature and charitable feehng" extended beyond
the precincts of our Holy Mother Church; I will give
at least some proof of it. There was in Tennessee, on
the borders of Kentucky, a planter who had among
his slaves a Cathohc family composed of the father,
Basil, his wife, and five or six children. Basil and
his wife practised their religion as well as they could
in the absence of priest and church; but they felt
themselves incompetent to instruct their family; they
foresaw that their poor children would lose their faith.
They applied to their master to see if something could
not be done to prevent this. The gentleman farmer
was a kind-hearted man, as were nearly all the non-
Catholics of his class; but having himself no rehgion,
he did not see very clearly the need of taking so much
trouble for what he considered a moral impossibility.
"Where can I find a priest for you, Basil?" he said.
" Do you know any in the neighborhood? " "There are
some," the negro answered, "in a coUege in Kentucky,
not very far from this place." On explaining the
matter, it was found that he meant our college of St.
Mary, distant a little more than a hundred miles.
"But," replied the farmer, "this is another State; I

70 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
will have to obtain the passage of a biU in our legis
lature, and of another in that of Kentucky. I don't
speak of the loss of your labor which wiU faU upon me,
because I can hire you to that college; but it may be
they wiU not want your services."
Poor Basil saw there were difficulties he had not
suspected, and burst into tears. His wife, who was
with him, also wept, and joined her supphcations to
those of her husband. The good master was touched
to the heart, and said that he would try the means
suggested, but could not answer for his success. He
had, therefore, first of all to look for some pohtical
friend to introduce a biU in the legislature of Tennessee
granting him permission to send a whole family out of
the State — a thing forbidden by the laws. Then, what
was still more difficult, he had to obtain from the legis
lature of Kentucky permission to introduce the same
family into that State.
Having succeeded in both objects, he paid us a ^dsit,
and related the story to Father W. S. Murphj^, then
president of the coUege. Even in case it had been a
loss for us we could not in conscience have refused to
receive them. It was only a question of conditions.
"Father," said the good man to our president, "I
don't intend to be hard on you. I was not aware that
there was such an establishment in this part of the
country ; I had heard only of Bardsto-mi CoUege.
Take the family for nothing; I know j^ou mU treat
them well. When the boys and girls know their rehgion
and have all received the sacrament, then I shaU re
claim them, not before." So it was done; and- it would
have been a pleasure for any one mth a heart to hear

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 71
the gratitude the old couple expressed toward their
kind master when he left us and returned to Tennessee.
Their simplicity of manners, their almost patriarchal
views of society, in spite of the prevailing slavery, and
their innate attachment to some form of religion dis
posed the people to charitable exertions whenever the
case presented itself. They did not need to go out of
their immediate neighborhood to do this. In Kentucky
in particular, where farmers had few slaves but were
constantly in contact with them, they must have been
often touched by sympathy. They called them ser
vants much oftener than slaves; and though for the
sake of due subordination they did not admit them to
the family table, they were careful that they should
want nothing, not only when sick, but in good health as
weU. As to the white race in the Southwest, there was Charity.
scarcely any occasion for the practice of charity. The
few poor people born in the country were sufficiently
well provided for. European immigrants went to the
South in very small numbers, because they did not wish
to compete with the slaves and be put on a level with
them in public estimation. In large cities a few poor
immigrants could be found who were invariably cared
for. This was the case everywhere in the United
States, North, South, West, and East. To the honor
of the country it must be said that there is no land in
the world where the poor are more generously cared for.
The Southwestern people were hard-working and
active, but not industrious to the same extent as
their fellow citizens of the East. Activity was a
necessitv for all the colonists of the United States.

72 FORTY YEARS INITHE-UNITEDZSTATES.
A continent to subdue, forests to cut down, roads to
construct, viUages and towns to build, agriculture to
undertake and develop on a virgin or rather wild soil,
these tasks left not a moment of rest to these hardy
pioneers. Fifty years before I landed in America,
Kentucky was a dense forest from the Mississippi in
the west to Virginia and Pennsylvania in the east.
Everybody had constantly to use the axe and feU
trees. This was not left to the negroes, but aU, mas
ters and servants, even boys and women, could be seen
handling the axe, and vying with each other in the
rapidity and effectiveness of their blows. At coUege,
boys in my time did not often cut down a big tree,
which in my opinion is an herculean labor; but as
soon as the monster of the forest lay prostrate on the
ground it was delightful to witness how skilfuUy and
quickly they lopped off its branches, and divided the
trunk into logs of equal length, preparatory to sphtting
them, and making rails for fences or pens. Can there
be a better means of developing the muscles and of
giving strength to the body? Those boys had no need
of gymnasiums. They carried the gymnasium in their
frames; their bones were the timber, and their muscles
were the ropes.
Toil of the Labor was equaUy required to tiU or rather to break
farmers. ^^^^ ground when the trees had disappeared. The
stumps and roots stiU remained deeply embedded in
the soil. They often took fifteen or twenty years to
rot; and the use of the plough during aU that time
was not easy, owing to the intricate web of roots branch
ing in aU directions. Ploughs had to be constructed
of extraordinary strength and size, and it was an evi-

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 73
dent euphemism to speak of "handhng the plough"
when the effort required not only the "hand " but the
whole muscular system.
All the other farm work required the same toil from
the farmers, and of them it could be said at all times
that "they ate their bread in the sweat of their brow."
Still they never complained of the difficulty of their
task, but took it for granted that whatever was neces
sary was good for them, and "the Lord ought ever to
be blessed for it " ; they were always penetrated with
a deep religious spirit which supported them in their
labors. Unfortunately, though they nobly accomplished their
painful task, they knew little of expedients which would
have rendered it more fruitful and considerably in
creased their comfort. Agriculture in the Southwest
was then simply traditional; they did what their
fathers had done, and were not often minded to
introduce the new scientific method supplied by
chemistry and mineralogy. They had a few notions
of rotation of crops and of draining; they had not
advanced far enough to employ artificial and mineral
manures, and to use machinery to lessen labor. In
the papers they read, some of these modern processes
were occasionally alluded to, but it seemed to them
time and money lost to adopt them, since with their
old routine their crops were sufficiently abundant and
remunerative. The richness of their soil blinded them
so that they did not see the immense advantages to be
derived from the discoveries of modem scientists; and
they thought it sufficient to transmit to their children
the antiquated methods of their ancestors. If they had

74 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
not had heat and rain constantly altemating in summer,
if long droughts had oftener visited them, they would
have been often reduced to want, owing to their lack
of intelligence.
The West at this moment (1883) is being largely
developed by the introduction of machinery, and by
improved methods of culture. But in 1840 the whole
country was in a primitive state, just emerging from
a first attempt at civilization. Farther south than
Kentucky, however, the farms — or plantations, as they
were called — being larger and in the possession of
wealthier owners, were conducted on improved prin
ciples, and often presented a far better appearance.
The centre of the State of Kentucky, the rich blue-
grass region around Lexington and Frankfort, was an
exception to this want of thrift visible everywhere else.
Farmers' In the dwellings of the farmers and their immediate
we mgs. gu^roundings the eye was shocked by positive idleness
and negligence. All around the house, or rather cabin,
the trees had often been unmercifuUy cut do\Mi and
rooted out. No shrub, no flowering bush was aUowed
to grow under the eye of the mistress of the house.
Instead of a lawn, or even of a vegetable-garden, several
large enclosures had been built one around the other.
In my opinion, the object of these fences was to
exclude from the farmer's dweUing the cattle, sheep,
and hogs that were aUowed to ramble at large in the
neighboring forests and woods. The animals cer
tainly had the best of the bargain; their lodging was
far preferable to that of their masters and lords. They
had the green woods for a covering, and the dead leaves
for a resting-place.

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 75
But it is interesting to examine in detail the houses
of families which often owned hundreds and thousands
of acres of the most fertile land. They were most fre
quently log cabins. Few of them were at that time
frame houses. In our immediate neighborhood it was
very rare to stumble upon a brick dwelling. In the
centre of the unpretending edifice, a few steps led to a
sufficiently large empty room, uncarpeted and badly
daubed with coarse paint. A few wooden chairs in
dicated that it was meant for a parlor. On one side
of this room were the inner apartments of the family,
bedrooms, closets, etc.; on the other, the dining-room,
and finaUy the kitchen. There were outbuildings to
keep fire-wood, flour, and provisions. AU the elements
of comfort could have been found there, had there been
the least appearance of taste; but the very sight of
aU these apartments was the best proof of its total
want. The walls of a log cabin or of a frame dweUing need
a great deal of attention to exclude the cold air in winter,
and the rain in a heavy storm. But no attention what
ever was paid to these requisites in Kentucky, and at
Christmas-time, when huge pieces of hickory or dog
wood were blazing in the chimney and you were seated
in front, your face, hands, and shins were roasted,
whilst behind a sharp breeze froze your very bones.
This was remarked every winter, and the master of the
house promised that a remedy should be provided the
following summer. But these good intentions were
never carried out. In summer, in consequence of the
wretched system of ventilation in use everywhere, the
heat in the houses was excessive. The only way to

76 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
open the windows was to raise both sashes upwards,
the best means of keeping the warm air in the apart
ments and preventing the cool breeze |from entering.
The universal custom of cutting down all trees around
the building and never planting any for shade seems
not to have struck any of them as a most stupid
contrivance. They imagined, I suppose, that it was
useless to look for a greater degree of coolness in
the air than they got by stretching themselves on
the floor with only a pair of trousers and a shirt on
their bodies. AU they obtained was an abundant per
spiration that weakened them and increased their
indolence.
Educa- But what chiefly excited my wonder was the fact
^farmers, ^hat many of them had a smattering of hterature.
I found in their wretched dweUings sometimes the
works of Shakspere, Johnson, or Goldsmith; occasion
ally an illustrated Bible or the Arabian Nights Tales;
never to my knowledge modem poets and traveUers.
In this they showed their good sense. But the beauti
ful descriptions of nature they often perused (if they
ever opened these treasures of truth or fancy) did not
seem to make them reflect on the personal disadvan
tages which they must have felt every day of their
lives. The Catholics among them had not only the
Bible, but their prayer-books, and the explanation of
the truths of rehgion in the forcible style of Chal-
loner, or the leamed Lives of the Saints by Alban
Butler, which they certainly often read. StiU the
Cathohcs were not farther advanced than the Protes
tants in material civilization. They blindly followed
the examples and customs of their forefathers, an

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 77
their houses, inside and outside, were the exact copies
of the sad architecture and landscape-gardening already
described. They were clothed in homespun, and fed mainly on
bacon and com bread. A few fowl, seen near their
cabins, indicated that they had fresh eggs and some
times spring chickens on their table. Of vegetables
I seldom saw any, except potatoes and cabbage. These
details afford a new proof of their want of intelligence.
By training one of their negroes as a vegetable and
fruit gardener their fare might have been preferable
to that of many lords and noblemen.
; I have just spoken of negroes, and have a word io^l^°f^^^
, ...... negroes.
say on the way they hved m their wretched quarters.
Their huts, crowded in the worst comer of the farm, do
not deserve a description after that of the master's
cabin. There were in those diminutive hovels bunks —
to use an American expression — Alarge enough to stretch
their hmbs on a straw mattress, and the red heat of a
stove was in aU seasons required for the circulation of
African blood. If their food was coarser than that of
their masters, at least it was always abundant, and
they never could complain of going to bed with an
empty stomach. Always cheerful in their misery, I
never saw tyranny exercised over them. When they
wished to enjoy themselves at night, it was easy for
them to escape to the woods and have a supper of their
own at the expense of their owner, who winked at it,
provided it did not happen too often and they were
ready the foUowing morning to go to their work. With
a httle more inteUigence how happy would the family
of a Kentucky fanner have been with his ten or twelve

vatism.

78 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
servants strongly attached to him and in general per
fectly satisfied with their lot!
Conser- Characteristic of the rural population in the South
west was their strong conservatism and their in
violable attachment to the constitution of their
country. The same was true of the whole population
of the United States, but a traveller newly landed
from Europe could not but be struck by it in the midst
of the people I am describing. Although the consti
tution of the United States, as it was finally framed
with the consent of all the States, was hable to amend
ments — and it was necessary it should be so — stiU the
people did not like changes, and they were firmly deter
mined that after their Revolution was finished by
their victory over England, no one should speak of
revolution again.
It has been supposed by many European pubhcists
that they had, by separating from England, given
the first great example of rebeUion against constituted
authority, and opened the era of constant pohtical
changes which has since disorganized Europe and
spread the seeds of instabihty and insurrection. But
this is incorrect; and the two great parties which have
divided the United States and alternately struggled
for supremacy since the estabhshment of the Repubhc
have equaUy resisted any doctrine tending to revolu
tionary principles.
Each of the thirteen primitive colonies had adopted
constitutions evidently patterned on that of England,
and the Parliament of the mother country had origi
naUy sanctioned them. One of the clearest axioms of
the BiU of Rights declared that no one should be taxed

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 79
without his consent, and consent was granted or re
fused by the representatives of the people. The Ameri
can colonies had not received the power of sending
representatives to England; they strongly insisted that
they would not be a free people if they could be arbi
trarily taxed, that is, without their expressed or imphed
assent. Great Britain would not hsten to them, and
sent soldiers to enforce taxes imposed by acts of Parha
ment in which the colonies had not concurred. Hence
the origin of the war, and justice evidently was on the
side of the Colonies. The Revolution, consequently,
was an act of seff-defence and nothing more. And as
soon as victory crowned the attempt, the colonies
wisely declared that the Revolution was at an end, and
that the new govemment, once settled, should have aU
the authority formerly possessed by the mother country,
and that any one rising against it should be accounted
a rebel and treated accordingly.
To render the passage from one govemment to the
other more easy and less hable to excite discontent, the
new constitution was ahnost a reproduction of the old
colonial ones. It did not violently destroy aU previous
laws and institutions as was done in revolutionary France,
with a view to building up a new edifice from the founda
tion to the roof. One or two important changes were
made ; for the king was substituted a president, and suf
frage was made universal instead of hmited. Everything
else, the social institutions in particular, remained what
they were. So that there was no interruption whatever
in the flow of civil hfe, and the days of the new repub
licans were exactly hke those of the former colonists.
State rights were preserved under a federal organization.

80 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Everything was calculated to inspire the people with
conservative principles, but especiaUy the peace and
well-being which followed the establishment of the
Republic, and forged the strongest bond of attachment
between the citizens and the new form of govemment.
No revolutionary principles were advocated by any
one in the United States. The farmers in our neigh
borhood particularly, nearly aU Democrats and strong
State-rights men, many being as radical as John C. Cal
houn of South Carohna, were nevertheless ardent advo
cates of republican govemment, such as it existed.
The United States was a federation, and a federation
they wished it to remain. State rights in their opinion
were a consequence of this; and seff-govemment having
been from the beginning of colonial times the universal
custom of the country, they wished that the country
should continue to be what it had always been, with
out internal commotion and radical change.
On one occasion only was there apparently danger
of Americans advocating empty dreams, such as are
cherished by factions existing in Europe. It was on
the arrival of Kossuth in 1847. Kossuth was not only
a leader of democracy in Hungary, but one of the
strongest exponents of European revolution. AU classes
in this country received him with the highest honors.
He was welcomed in all the cities through which he
passed. Addresses were presented to him by grave
ma^strates, high officials, eloquent speakers, renowned
politicians, acknowledging his services in the cause of
liberty against what was caUed despotism. He was
given to understand that this country would espouse
his cause, and give its support to the most advanced

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 81
European revolutionists. The expressions used in
many of the speeches dehvered on those occasions
made on me a very painful impression. It appeared
as if the good sense of the Americans was deserting
them. A friend, bom in this country of American
parents, to whom I was opening my mind on the sub
ject and expressing my fears that the best men of the
nation were losing their heads, calmed my fears. " Wait
a bit," he answered me, "and you will see a. change with
respect to Mr. Kossuth. I am inclined to believe that
in a httle more than six months he wiU depart from the
country, leaving but few friends behind him." And
so it happened. I never could have foreseen it so clearly
as my friend did. The American people may mo
mentarily give way to emotional excitement; in the
long run it is guided by good sense.
The farmers of Kentucky being persuaded that the
American system of govemment was the best in the
universe, there could not but be a strong spirit of con
servatism among them. Cherishing and admiring, as
they did, aU their national institutions, they depre
cated any essential change, and the mere idea of a new
revolution would have excited their horror. This aver
sion to change went even further than the pohtical and
civil order. They were eminently a traditional people,
sincerely attached to their customs and habits. The
rest of the Sunday, the presence at church, the thanks
giving service in November, the joyous corn-husking
in autunm, family visitings in winter, etc., had for
them an almost sacred character. Had not their ances
tors been violently separated from the Church by the
Reformation, they would have insisted on keeping all

82 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
the glorious festivals of the middle ages, not excluding
pilgrimages and devotion to the Virgin Mary and the
saints. This was manifest among the Cathohcs, who,
having been for a long time deprived by the penal laws
of aU exterior practices of rehgion, never failed in their
houses to recite their prayers in common at night, to
abstain from labor on aU the festivals stiU kept by the
Church, to faithfully observe the precepts of abstinence
and fasts, to remember the times prescribed by rehgion
either for the joys of Christmas or for the sorrowful
remembrance of Our Lord's Passion and death in Lent.
The religious feehngs which centuries of persecution
could not wrest from their hearts were now openly
entertained, and inflamed as it were, by their natural
fondness for every custom consecrated by tradition.
This was universal in the rural districts.
This traditional sentiment markedly contributed to
the people's happiness. The stabihty and security
that resulted from it were constant sources of con
tentment and peace of mind. "^Tiilst the European
nations, towards the middle of this century, were grop
ing their way in the dark, dissatisfied with their rulers
and with their social system and pohtical institutions,
the rural class of the United States thought that no
change would better their condition. They were per
fectly satisfied with what they possessed, and they would
have opposed by force of arms, if necessarj', any attempt
at revolution. Happy the nation thus satisfied with
its lot ! Woe to the people following the ignis fatuus of
imaginary delusions!
Religion. The people of the Southwest, and indeed of the
whole country, were a rehgious people in their way.

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 83
The Reformation had divided them into a multitude
of sects warring with each other, but all were united
against the Cathohc Church. It was not their fault;
they had inherited this prejudice from their ancestors.
I once spoke of this to a Methodist minister, who seemed
to be strongly impressed by the idea. This happened
in Troy, and the Methodist minister was the pastor of
a smaU congregation whose church was nearly adjacent
to our own church of St. Joseph. As he was one day
walking behind me on the sidewalk, he overtook me
and said bluntly, he wanted to ask me what I thought
of Luther and Calvin. "They were," I answered, "two
of the greatest miscreants that ever lived " "Why so? "
he inquired. "Do not think," I rephed, "that I
intend to speak of their doctrine; I merely aUude to
what they have done to you and to me." He appeared
quite surprised, and evidently could not fathom my
meaning. I therefore explained it at some length.
" If it had not been for Luther and Calvin," said I, " it
is very likely that the division they brought into Chris
tendom would never have taken place, or at least would
not have assumed the radical character it has at this
moment. The abuses that really existed in the Church
would have been reformed without any violent disrup
tion, and the unity of the Church would have been pre
served. Suppose that this had been the case, and that
for some reason or other your little church had been
built near the one I occupy, just as they now are. How
different would have been our relations! I, thanks be
to God, never abuse you and your people in my pulpit,
and I am sure that you act as prudently as I do. Never
theless it is a fact that your people never come to my

84 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
church, and few of my own congregation ever enter
yours. Both congregations feel that it is their duty to
keep separate, and each of them think that the other is
radically wrong.
" Had Luther's schism not taken place there might exist
some shght difference between us. For instance, the
pastor of your church might belong to the secular
clergy, and the pastor of mine to some religious order.
Each church would then have had a character of its
own, weU known to the people and appreciated by them.
StiU both would have belonged to the same great organi
zation going back in time to the first apostles of
Christ. It would have been for me a pleasant duty
to invite you whenever there would have been some
thing extraordinary among us, as, for instance, a mission;
and you would have reciprocated when there would
have been among you a revival. Helping each other
in the temple of God, we both would have had a right
to sit, the same day, at each other's table; and the
same privilege would have been also ours whenever we
thought proper to call on each other at dinner or supper.
Every Sunday the sick or dead of your congregation
would have been recommended to the prayers of the
faithful at my altar, and the same would have taken
place in your church. The same pleasant intercourse
of the pastors would have existed among the members
of the congregations; and what is now never seen,
visits, invitations, little presents, etc., would have con
stantly passed from one to the other.
" This picture of happiness could be indefinitely en
larged, but these few words suffice to show some of the
benefits (!) we owe to Martin Luther and John Calvin."

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 85
My friend was greatly impressed. He evidently
never had reflected on the baneful effects of heresy and
schism. When I left him, he asked me if he might
have another interview with me. I cordially invited
him to come to see me, but he never did so.
This complete rupture not only of aU Protestant sects
from the Cathohc Church, but also of the sects from one
another, seriously interfered with the rehgious relations
of the people, as the taste for controversy, which had
prevailed since the Reformation, was beginning to
wane. People thought it better never to speak of
rehgion, except with those they knew to be their co
religionists. Accordingly religion, because it did not
occupy the thoughts of men, grew feebler in its hold on
them. This was the first step which led to indifference ;
stiU the people in country places preserved at that time
a deep sense of religious duty, even outside of the
Catholic Church. They occasionally felt strongly the
importance of saving their souls; and every autumn
the Methodist camp-meetings were thronged with
anxious people ardently listening to the earnest appeals
of their preachers.
Owing probably to an abatement of the contro
versial spirit, it happened now and then that Catholic
priests were invited to appear on the platforms of
camp-meetings, or even on Sundays in the pulpits of
Protestant clergymen. Rev. Mr. Abel was a favorite
preacher on such occasions, and he used to relate with
gusto how once, on the borders of Tennessee, he addressed
an immense concourse of Methodists in the woods, after
having divested himself of his coat, waistcoat, and
cravat on account of the heat. The women were first

86 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
abashed, but took it weU after awhile. Father Badin
also, finding himself on a Sunday in a viUage where
there was no Catholic Church, went, on invitation, into
a Methodist pulpit, with two of the brethren at his side,
and commenced his sermon by saying that "their
attention on this day was especiaUy required, because
they would have the privilege of hearing, not a hcensed
preacher, but a man commissioned by the true Church
to preach the only true doctrine." It was a remark
able proof of the hberahty of those good people that
they did not obhge him to come down from the pulpit
before he began to preach his true doctrine.
Yes, they were sincerely religious in their way. The
doctrines of Tom Paine and Robert IngersoU had not
yet penetrated into the rural districts, and whoever
would have blasphemed the divine Author of the
Christian religion would have been stopped at once.
But this was true only of the rural population, because
in large cities Paine had many admirers. I was going
to forget the most interesting instance that ever came
to my knowledge of the "liberahty" of Protestants.
Father Petit had built a church in the hamlet of Raj--
wick, a few miles west of St. Mary's, Marion County,
Ky.; and the best part of his ministry consisted in
visiting the Cathohc families scattered in the country
around, as far as Grayson County. It was a wild dis
trict, almost entirely occupied by farmhouses in the
midst of forests, with no roads and consequently no
inns. A good lady who hved on the borders of Gray
son County took pity on the poor ministers of the
Gospel who had to travel in that wildemess going after
their scattered flocks. She was a -vsadow and hved

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 87
alone with a few negro servants and laborers. Her
house was nicely kept and much more comfortable than
farmhouses generally were. She had naturaUy several
rooms unoccupied since the death of her husband and
the settlement of her grown-up children. She kept one
of these rooms for any stray clergyman who might
happen towards evening to be in her neighborhood.
The first time Father Petit visited that part of the
country he heard of this, and was told that, though the
lady was a Protestant, she would not thrust him out
of doors. And so it happened. As soon as the lady
heard there was a Catholic clergyman with his horse
waiting at the door, a negro was sent to take the animal
to the stable with the injunction to treat it well; and
the reverend traveller was taken to his room to divest
himself of his leggins and duster, and to place in safety
his saddle-bags stocked well with everything he required
for the administration of the sacraments. But he was
soon enveloped in the Old Testament perfume which
everywhere pervaded the room assigned to him. For
it was an exact copy of the apartment described in the
Fourth Book of Kings (chapter four). The lady had
evidently consulted her Bible to furnish it just as the
" Sunamite woman " furnished a place for Ehseus, " the
holy man of God." She had made for him "a httle
chamber, and put a httle bed in it for him, and a table,
and a stool, and a candlestick, that when he came he
might abide there." Was it not charming and dehghtful?
When Father Petit had given a glance at these ar
rangements he went down to the rural parlor, and found
the good widow waiting for him, after giving orders for
supper. It was but proper that the priest should in-

88 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
form his kind hostess of his character and standing in
the Church. On coming he had already announced
that he was a Cathohc clergyman, to prevent aU mis
understandings. He now presented himseff as the
pastor of the Catholic Church in Rayvnck. The lady had
never seen it, though she had heard a great deal of it.
The architects — there were two, namely, the boss mason
and the boss carpenter — had conceived the ambitious
idea of making it a copy of St. Peter's at Rome. In
truth it was only large enough to accommodate a con
gregation of five hundred people. But at that time it
was usual in the West to give great names to httle
things. I have seen Cairo at the mouth of the Ohio,
whose whole population came to dine in the huU of an
old steamboat moored in the river — the only hotel of the
place. I have seen Paris and Versailles in Kentucky,
very unhke the same cities in France. I have seen
Rome on the Mohawk River, whose Catholic pastor, the
Rev. Mr. Beecham, was caUed the Pope of Rome. So
the church of Father Petit at Raywick was supposed
to be the copy of St. Peter's on the "\'^atican HUl. The
lady had heard much of that splendid edifice in brick,
and could not but have a great idea of its pastor. As
Father Petit was a very winning man and alway:-
cheerful in conversation, the good -^^adow took a great
fancy to him during the quiet chat thej'^ had during
supper and afterwards on the veranda outside of the
room. No need of adding that when the traveUer left the
house the foUowing morning, he was heartily invited to
return whenever chance brought him to the neighbor
hood.

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 89
As to the Cathohc farmers in Kentucky, nearly all of Kentucky
them were the descendants of the Marylanders who at "' ''^^'
the end of last century flocked in great numbers to
Kentucky after its separation from Virginia. I have
told elsewhere how Mgr. Flaget, appointed bishop for
the new country, selected Bardstown, then a small ham
let, as his future see. His motive for so doing was the
cheapness of land in that central district of the State.
The land on the Ohio or along the Kentucky River, the
soil being much more fertile, brought a much higher
price. The good Bishop did not reflect that, though this
higher price might have incommoded the settlers at the
beginning of their tenure, the high productiveness of
the land would have secured them far greater com
fort afterwards and a stronger probabihty of rising in
the social scale. But the price the Bishop would have
had to pay for his own establishment immediately
frightened him, and he went to live as a hermit in Nelson
County, a very unpromising district. The Catholic
immigrants followed him in order to enjoy the bless
ings of religion — a proof of strong religious feeling.
They were the descendants of Catholics who had
chosen Maryland as a refuge against the barbarous
laws of the mother country. Bishop Carroll, who
remained in Baltimore, gave them his blessing when
they departed from under his wings, and as he had been
the chief instrument in the appointment of Bishop
Flaget, these good men naturally thought that it was
their duty to go whithersoever their pastor should go.
Many of these earliest immigrants were still alive
when I arrived in this country. I have often visited
xhem in their homes, and been the happy witness of

90 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
their virtues. It was impossible not to be struck with
their simple and unaffected manners. It would have
been difficult to find a single one of their houses in
which prayers were not recited in common every even
ing. On Sundays aU those who could leave the house
went to church; and it was a pleasure to see around
the sacred edifice, often in the woods or at some cross
roads, hundreds of horses tied to the trees or to a fence,
whilst the riders, men and women, were devoutly hearing
Mass or hstening to the sermon. I have often witnessed
the scene at St. Charles a few miles from our coUege.
The negroes went with their masters; for, in general,
Cathohc masters had Cathohc negroes, who were often
bom, baptized, and prepared for communion on their
plantations. If, at the time of the emancipation of the
slaves by Lincoln, there had been in the South priests
enough to take care of the colored population, there
would be at this moment a large number of parishes
mainly composed of colored people. Unfortunately
the decree of emancipation came too sudderUj*; no
body was prepared for such a sweeping measure; and
it is now difficult to gather the scattered sheep who took
to their heels as soon as they heard they were free.
It is needless to add that there were no readers of
Tom Paine among the Catholics of the Southwest ; and
I doubt whether there are now among them any agnos
tics doubting the existence of God and the certainty of
future rewards and punishments. I know from report
that their children mostly continue faitMul to the
Church of their baptism. I am sure that tliey are more
clever and consult their comfort more than their fathers
did in my time. But the Church not only does not

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 91
oppose this kind of "modem civihzation" but, on the
contrary, encourages it, as well as education and every
branch of sound culture.
A study of the city population is a more difficult The peo-
task than our previous inquiry. The sketch herein ^^^ J" ' *
attempted refers to a time already passed. The cities
of North America forty years ago were very different
from what they are now. However, it must not be
imagined that they are altogether changed, and that
to simplicity and virtue has succeeded debasement and
corruption. There are stiU in this great nation evi
dences of high moral worth; and the day, I hope, is
far distant when the dissolution of society shall have
rendered its death imminent. This is my weU-settled
opinion. Lastly, my object is not to confine myseff here to large
cities, such as New York or Philadelphia. In the United
States the diffusion of comfort, of knowledge, of cul
ture, is so great that smaller cities and towns do not
differ so much from the great cities as elsewhere. The
rapid increase of communication, coupled with the
fondness of Americans for travelling, tend to give to
all parts of the country a sameness truly astonishing
to a stranger. There are in fact no capitals, no provinces
in this country. Any burgher of Albany can consider
himself on a level with the wealthiest merchant in New
York. The difference between city and farming popu
lation consists principally in this, that the rural dis
tricts are altogether devoted to agriculture, whilst in
all cities, large or small, the usual concerns are com
merce, industry, speculation on a large scale, besides the
practice of the leamed professions, and for a small num-

92 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
ber a hfe of ease in the midst of plenty. Men of various
classes are found in all important viUages and in many
scarcely known towns in Massachusetts, Connecticut,
Pennsylvania, in fact in all the States of the Union.
They aU present some, at least, of the features so well
known in the most renowned capitals and emporiums
of the New World. In short, great and small cities are
alike in many points. A foreigner wiU soon remark
this peculiarity, and wiU find in it a notable contrast
to the condition of Europe, where hfe in the capital
differs so greatly from that of the provinces.
We shall first consider the position of American cities
and their growth. A stranger will at once admire the
situations chosen by Americans for their towns, and
praise their foresight in almost every particular. Can
any spots be found better adapted to the wants of a
metropolis than the sites of New York, Boston, PhUa
delphia, Chicago, Cincinnati, or St. Louis? Of a smaUer
population, yet embracing the same classes of wealthy
and cultured people, the cities of Albany, Ne-n^ort,
Providence, Hartford, in the East; of Pittsburg, Louis
ville, Buffalo, Detroit, etc., strike us, because of the
adaptation of their sites to the purposes of commerce
and industry.
Sometimes, of course, the selection of these sites was
not due to foresight, but to a lucky combination of
chances. The pioneers, happening to strike a spot that
pleased them, laid out a viUage, and began to build it.
Its rapid growth or its standstill character would
depend on circumstances which could scarcely be fore
seen. After success had been achieved, the original
projectors might be unduly praised for anticipating

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 93
advantages which did not enter into their calculations.
It even sometimes happened that after selecting a spot
they saw after awhile that they were mistaken, and
their bright anticipations tumed to utter failure. This
took place, it is said, at Frederick in Maryland, which
has remained a village though the originators of the
plan had forecast for their project a most briUiant
future. The city of Chicago, on the other hand, after
a most unfavorable beginning (so that in 1840, long
after the original sale of lots, it contained only 4479
inhabitants), has reached in 1880 the number of 503,185
inhabitants, and is destined to rise stiU higher in popu
lation and wealth.
The Portuguese, Spaniards, Frenchmen, and Enghsh
men who undertook to colonize America had received
from the Church the principles of a high culture wliich
they took with them to the new continent. Finding al
most no obstacle to their schemes from the few wander
ing tribes they met in the woods — Mexico and Peru are
the only exceptions — they began to build cities pro
tected by fortresses at aU points which they thought
advantageous for the objects they had in view. Thus
the Portuguese built Bahia, Rio Janeiro, and other towns
on the coast of Brazil; the Spaniards not only gave a
new shape to the cities of Mexico, Cuzco, and others
previously built by the native Americans, but they
covered the new continent with cities and towns of
their own, such as Buenos Ayres, Lima, Bogota, Habana,
etc. The French built Quebec and Montreal, New Or
leans and St. Louis; lastly the Enghsh promoted the
growth of New York founded by the Dutch, and im
pressed the seal of their peculiar civihzation on Boston,

94 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other cities. The best
spots were often selected, and aU the modem apphances
in use among Christians in the Old World were intro
duced on the virgin soil of this continent.
The disco^'erers and colonizers of America gave the
names of their native countries — New Spain (Mexico),
New France (Canada), New England (the Red Indian's
former home). The new cities and towns on the banks
of the St. Lawrence, the Hudson, the Ohio, the Missis
sippi, often received the names of European cities, and
were built on a plan adapted to the needs of men en
riched with the treasures of progressing science and
accustomed to the refinements of modem taste.
Thoughts like these occurred to me when I landed in
New York. The population of the city amounted to only
300,000, and there were very few pubhc buildings re
markable for their size or beauty. New York to-day
(1884) has more than quadrupled its population, and
made astounding progress in refinement and magnifi
cence. I had left Paris two months before ; and I cannot
say I found Paris again at the mouth of the Hudson
River. The first time I traveUed along Broadway from
Bowling Green to Prince Street — I purposely walked aU
the way, to take a better look at this new city — I almost
imagined I was again strolhng along the Rus St. Horwre
or the Chauss^e d'Antin. The houses, it is true, were
then of a very inferior type, seldom rising higher than
three stories, with brick fronts, and ahnost mean-look
ing windows. No trace of real architecture appeared;
as to art in any shape, you might as weU have looked
for it in the suburbs of Guimper-Corentin in Brittany.
But on entering any store, whether on the ground-

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 95
floor or higher up, you soon began to perceive that
New York was already a great emporium, in com
munication with the whole world, where you could
flnd at short notice any goods, however costly, even
articles of virtu, such as you had thought only Lon
don or Paris could procure. You would have been con-
flrmed in your opinion, if after a stroU along Broad
way, you had gone to inspect the wharves either on
the East or the North River. No doubt you would
have been struck with the ugliness of the wooden piers,
but for several miles on both sides you would have
admired the stately or graceful barks and ships lately
arrived from the farthest ends of the globe.
What struck me most in Broadway was the multitude
of men, all hurriedly walking, seldom talking together,
and apparently buried in thought. It was worse than
on the trottoirs of Paris; yet you were forcibly reminded
of them. The great difference, however, was that in
Paris you saw in the streets as many women as men;
and in New York, at ten o'clock in the morning, men
alone appeared to be ahve and doing. I afterwards
leamed that the ladies seldom went out before the after
noon, and many of them supplied themselves in other,
less crowded streets where they found more leisure
for bargaining and talking. The almost total absence
of talk, even in the shops, was also a remarkable feature.
A rapid inspection on the part of the purchaser, a few
words exchanged with the salesman, and the bargain
was concluded; money was paid to a third person, and
the purchaser went out as rapidly as he had come in.
This at first amused me greatly; but on remarking that
there were no ladies on those occasions (the custom of

96 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
having saleswomen behind the counter not having
as yet reached New York), I concluded that it was but
natural; at any rate there was a great economy of time.
A jewelry y[j-_ Brewster was a young Enghshman, one of my
Maiden feUow passengers on the Utica, who had invited me to
^"®* visit his store in Maiden Lane, if I found a moment's
leisure during my stay in New York. During our
voyage he had imparted to me some of his knowl
edge on the way of conducting business in the New
World. He preferred America to England, he said,
because, though you were occasionaUy exposed to
greater losses in deahng with Americans, stiU the amount
of transactions was so far above the usual run of trade
in England that the profits in the end were consider
ably above what could be expected in the old country.
This I heard from him on the ship, and it tickled my
curiosity; so I went one fine afternoon to visit his store.
Maiden Lane was — and it stiU is — one of the most
active commercial thoroughfares in the city of New
York. That part of Broadway and the adjacent
streets which lies south of City HaU was at that time
exclusively devoted to the wholesale trade. A peep
at Maiden Lane, consequently, would give me a fair
idea of the importance of New York. To this place,
a little spot about two miles square, come once or twice
a year the retail merchants and jobbers from every
part of the United States to fiU their stores with goods
freshly arrived from Europe or Asia. They mostly
preferred New York to Boston or Philadelphia. At
that time the area of the United States territory to
which the trade of New York extended was far less con
siderable than it is now. StUl it already passed the

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 97
Mississippi in the West. The means of transporta
tion were abeady numerous and safe, though there were
then no railroads except along the Atlantic seaboard.
In Maiden Lane, therefore, I could judge of the goods
in demand in the backwoods of Kentucky and the
prairies of lUinois and Iowa. Mr. Brewster dealt chiefly
in costly articles — British gold and silver articles and
French jewelry. Had I gone farther south along Broad
way directly after visiting him, and entered some of the
stores in Beaver and Front streets, I should undoubtedly
have seen large bales of bulky merchandise with direc
tions to a number of Western or Southern States. The
packages that Mr. Brewster could show me were much
smaller and of a totally different character; still many
of them bore the proof that he had customers in the
same localities.
His establishment consisted of three large rooms, one
for his English, the second for his French goods; the
third was for his accountants and clerks. His own
private cabinet was a very smaU apartment from which
his eyes ranged over the whole of his little kingdom.
He evidently was a provider for the refined enjoyment
of the upper classes in this country; though his rooms
were not crowded, still there was a number of pur
chasers inspecting his samples, and conversing in a low
voice with some of his salesmen. He was heartily glad
to see me, and I sincerely reciprocated the compliment.
A number of glass-covered show-cases ffiled a great
part of the rooms; it was easy to see at once the char
acter of the merchandise. The rich material, grace
ful forms, perfection of detaU, everything indicated
exceUent taste and admirable finish. I was amazed.

98 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
"WeU, Mr. Brewster," I said, "it seems that the words
of Talleyrand were not true, or at least are not in this
century." This alluded to a conversation we had on
the ship, when I related to him the saying of TaUeyrand
of which he had never heard, namely, that les Am6rir
cains sont de fiers cochons et des cochons fiers. He
smiled and replied that "the celebrated diplomatist had
evidently never associated with the educated classes
of Americans." "But," said I, "are these classes
numerous? " "At least they handsomely support me,"
he replied, "as well as many other merchants of my
class in New York."
I inquired more particularly how great was the num
ber of those for whose gratification he kept his store
open, and from which parts of the country he received
orders and money. I learned that the greatest num
ber of demands came from the Eastern and the South-
em States. Few from great cities, such as Boston,
Philadelphia, Baltimore. There were importers of the
same articles in those great centres of commerce. But
towns of a moderate size, sometimes even mere vU-
lages, contributed the greatest number of purchasers,
after the New-Yorkers, who, of course, were his best
customers. During the last decade his correspondence
with the West and the South had considerably increased.
In Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, even lUinois, there
was a fair prospect. But it was chiefly from the South
that the increase came. The rich planters of Virginia,
Tennessee, and Louisiana were far ahead of the New-
Englanders in point of taste ; and in many little towns
of those States there were retail merchants who had
lately opened accounts with him.

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 99
This conversation was of great interest to me; it first
suggested to me the thought — which has grown into a
.conviction — that there are no provinces and no capitals
in this country; and that the same degree of culture is
graduaUy extending over the whole of North America.
One of the most remarkable features of the United ^™"'*^ "/
cities.
States was the rapid growth of its cities. Even when I
landed, this growth was wonderful. New York, which
in 1790 contained only 33,000 souls, had reached the
number of more than 300,000 in 1838. Brooklyn, in
the same period of time, had grown from 1600 to 25,000
— more than 1500 per cent. New York, from 1790 to
1880, the year of the last census — a period of ninety
years — has multiplied the number of its inhabitants
nearly sixty-five times. Unfortunately, I did not in
quire what the population of other cities was. But the
growth of many of them was almost equaUy remarkable.
Chicago, for instance, a city of only 4500 inhabitants
in 1840, at the last census (1880) counted a popula
tion of more than 500,000 — 111 times as large as in
1840. These two instances certainly are abnormal;
few cities in the United States have increased as
rapidly as Chicago and New York. Still for the great
majority of them the progress in population has been
extraordinary; and the towns that have remained sta
tionary are few in number and considered of no account.
Since the CivU War (1861-1865) the Western cities have
grown in a most wonderful manner, and the States of
Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas are now dotted
with numerous centres of population whose names
were unknown twenty years ago.
I  We wUl now glance for a moment at the character

100 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
of the population of American cities, the various classes
of citizens and their relations to one another.
There have been both in the North and the South of
this country symptoms of aristocratic aspirations, or
rather there has been a feeling among certain sections
of the people that they are superior to others. The
descendants of the Puritans of New England, and
those of the Knickerbockers in New York, have always
prided themselves more or less on their descent.
In the South the Cavaliers were never confined to
Virginia. As long as slavery subsisted the great
planters of the South formed a class apart, with aris
tocratic tendencies.
At this time in the United States there is no danger
of the rise of an aristocracy of blood; but there is a
moneyed aristocracy actuaUy in existence, and it is one
of the great dangers of the Republic. It was coming to
the surface when I landed on these shores in 1838; but
since that time it has assumed astounding proportions.
Inventive The North-American is naturally prone to specula
tion. When this is confined to the devising of new inven
tions for the purpose of making mone}', it cannot but
be beneficial in the main to the nation. It cheapens
labor, increases comfort, stimulates industry, prevents
idleness or mere routine, and gives to the workman a
certain moral tone, of a low degree, no doubt, yet pref
erable to the rough manners of the unthinking, mechani
cal laborer. In 1838 this kind of speculation was
aheady remarkable in this country. It extended to all
classes of people. The number of inventions was great,
and the Patent Office in Washington astonished me when
I first saw it. But even those who did not apply for a

genius.

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 101
patent and never intended to become inventors, showed
an extraordinary aptitude for getting over little diffi
culties which would have appeared insurmountable to
a Frenchman or an Italian. An incident of my journey
from the East to the West in December, 1838, and Janu
ary, 1839, will iUustrate this. In Ohio, owing to the
bad roads, we were far behind the stage time, and on
one occasion we started on our route five hours late.
The new driver had lost his temper because he was
obliged to wait so long; finally when he was ready,
he started his horses at a gallop. Soon the darkness
of the night came on, and I remarked that there was no
light in the lanterns, the glass of one of them being
broken. I confess I felt some fear for our safety. But
the driver was a Yankee, and he knew what he was
about. He stopped at the first farmhouse we came to,
and after a few words with the housewife he told us that
we could take our supper there, and in twenty minutes
we should start again. His temper had evidently cooled
down, and I thought I could safely call his attention
to the want of glass in the lanterns. "I know it," he
answered, and without a word more he went to one of
the windows of the room, and taking from his waist
coat pocket a glazier's diamond he cut out what he
needed. A few minutes afterwards the damage was
repaired, and we were again on our way.
I am sure this could never have happened among my
countrymen; and many similar facts that I witnessed
deeply impressed me with the practical turn of mind of
the American pioneer. The Comte de Paris, when
attached to the Army of the Potomac during the seces
sion war, wondered at the aptitude of American private

102 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
soldiers for everything requiring skiU and invention,
wherever an unforeseen difficulty occurred.
American But American enterprise did not stop here. Wealthy
prise. men had concluded that the best investment for their
money consisted in forming companies on the Atlantic
seaboard, for the purpose of rendering the West more
accessible and developing its resources. The Erie
Canal had been dug and was in fuU operation when I
arrived. A line of railway from Boston to Washing
ton connected the North with the South, and at aU
important points along the line branches were being
constructed with the intention of ultimately reaching
the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. On aU the streams
of importance along the ocean and in the interior of
the country steamboats floated, to enrich by com
merce , the newly founded cities. I do not speak of
manufactures, of which I took no heed at the time. I
wiU later have an occasion to speak of them when my
stay in Troy is mentioned.
All these vast enterprises could not but be extremely
useful to the country. The formation, however, of so
many wealthy companies necessitated a great exten
sion in the operations of exchange. Shares and stocks
of every description began to pass from hand to hand.
The comparatively small number of men who had set
on foot the companies were not satisfied with receiving
their dividends; they speculated also on the rise or faU
of shares ; and many people who could not or would not
contribute to the original capital began also to feel a deep
interest in what was soon caUed "gambling in stocks."
The "bulls" and "bears" were soon contending for
their respective "margins" in WaU Street, New York.

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 103
To facilitate these operations a new Exchange build
ing was necessary, the one in use being in fact a dis
grace to New York. They were constructing it when
I landed, and I admired the immense blocks of white
marble with which the ground was strewn, and chiefly
the stately columns, some of which were already in
place. The same edifice is stiU used to-day; and I
was then far from foreseeing the deplorable scenes which
would one day take place in it, particularly on the
great occasion of Black Friday.
The greatest works undertaken in 1838 were cheap
and simple. The boats on the Erie Canal were drawn
by horses, and the smaU bridges over it were shabby
wooden structures. The railroad stations were wooden
shells. The public roads (except a few), being neither
paved nor macadamized, were streams of mire in win
ter, and beds of dust the remainder of the year. The
steamboats alone were of elegant construction, and
struck the eyes of a newly landed European with ad
miration. But in spite of deficiencies the object in view was
attained, and the transportation of persons and goods
was more rapid and less costly than in any part of
Europe. The study of the economical question (which differs
a great deal in America from what it is in Europe with
its sects of anarchists, socialists, and communists) must
be deferred a while, because it was scarcely alive when
I landed, and could not attract my attention. There
was noticeable, however, even then, for those initiated
into the knowledge of social questions, a weU-marked
leaning toward an excess of speculation; since Brownson

104 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
opposed it with all his might several years before he
became a Cathohc (1844). He abeady considered the
United States as the most advanced nation after Great
Britain in the pursuit of commerce and industry on
a large scale, fully saw the danger of it, and wished to
bring back the people to their former fondness for agri
culture and private industry. It was a task above his
power. In point of fact the demoniac love of gain, the
immoderate desire of becoming rich at once and with
out delay, were abeady becoming the predominant
passion of a large class of men; and there was no know
ing where it would stop, as soon as many gigantic enter
prises which soon after occupied the thoughts of the
public would be planned and forthwith executed. Of
this anon; I am not here supposed to know more than
I did at my arrival into the country.
Neatness. What Struck me most in 1839 (and I have since leamed
that aU inteUigent foreigners on landing experience
the same feeling of surprise and curiosity) was the
exterior appearance of neatness and comfort visible
everywhere in the streets and public squares. No
really poor people, no tattered garments could be seen
anywhere. The aspect of large cities has changed
since, owing particularly to the armies of poor immi
grants who have arrived. There is still, however, a
great deal of the former neatness in dress and habits;
but at that time there was scarcely a blemish in the
picture. I admired particularly the white linen of
the butchers and milk-venders coming from the
suburbs of the city every morning during the week.
All were shaved clean, and the custom of wearing

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 105
thick beards or whiskers had not yet made its ap
pearance. Undoubtedly outward appearances were favorable.
But were the social conditions equally sound? On this
point I wiU state what I remarked at the time, and how
it compared with what I knew of Europe.
In the first place, in spite of the apparent unifomiity, AriMo-
I knew, and soon saw, that there were very distinct eZemenis.
classes in this country, as everjrwhere else on earth.
The principle of equality before the law was to a great
degree carried out, but of social equality there was
little evidence. If feudalism did not exist in the
United States, at least the division of society into the
rich and the poor, the cultured and the uncultured,
was recognized everywhere; and the first picture placed
before the eyes of all was that of two opposite social
streams separated by a profound and impassable chasm,
so that their waters could not meet. This was appar
ent chiefly in the cities. What was the chief cause
of this divergence? Blood, talent, or money? The
three entered into it; but in 1839 it was difficult to
say which predominated. Blood at first sight had
no place in the Republic. Public opinion was against
titles, and all citizens were forbidden to receive dis
tinctions from foreign sovereigns. Still all along the
Atlantic coast there was an aristocracy of birth. In
New England it comprised the descendants, real or
pretended, of the Pljrmouth pilgrims. In the State
of New York it embraced the Knickerbockers, as they
were called, i.e., the posterity of the Dutch settlers of
New Amsterdam and Fort Orange. In the South, from
Maryland to Georgia, it consisted of the descendants of

106 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
the Cavaliers, more prominent in Virginia, but more or
less scattered over many hundreds of miles along the
ocean. A few words about the aristocracies of talent and of
money. The former was based either on achievements
in the army or on superior insight in politics and supe
rior powers of eloquence; it was never of any conse
quence. The people at the bottom were opposed to
aristocratic ideas and favored neither a military caste
nor a class composed of fine talkers and phrase-makers.
The monej'^ed aristocracy was just beginning to rise
when I landed, and therefore needs no lengthy discus
sion.
Simplic- From my arrival I remarked in the people some-
Iminners. thing of a patriarchal disposition, which at that time
was apparent almost universaUy in the most humble as
well as in the highest ranks of society. In foreign books
of travel, chiefly English, the Americans have often
been abused and ridiculed for what was caUed their
coarseness and boorishness. But I remarked that the
incidents criticised by these travellers touched chiefly
a few exterior peculiarities. The Americans smoked
so as to be offensive to ladies, they chewed tobacco,
and the consequence of both habits was rendered
more offensive by the scanty use of the handkerchief.
In conversation they gave each other ridiculous titles:
captain, colonel, doctor, etc. ; questioned people about
their names, occupation, place of origin, etc. All these
defects and many more have been cast up to them
ad nav,seam ; and we all know what consequences
TaUeyrand drew from these incongruities. In reading
the book of Mrs. TroUope, published a short time

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 107
before my arrival, I occasionally smiled, because there
was often real wit in her remarks. But after all, said
I, this does not affect the national character. Are
the Americans ready to oblige, charitable toward the
poor, moral, and just in their dealings? These are
questions of importance, and Mrs. TroUope did not
touch upon them. When I examined these questions
and remembered many facts which had come to my
knowledge I was forced to respect highly this great
people. One of the chief traits that I admired was their natu
ral inclination to oblige; I perceived later on that this
often took the form of relieving the distressed. They
often subjected themselves to great inconvenience and
expense in case of accidents, then very frequent on
steamboats, railroads, canal-boats and in stages. When
cases of extreme poverty — very rare at that time —
came to their knowledge, they applied themselves with
diligence to its immediate relief, and gave the best
advice to prevent its recurrence. They generously
contributed to the support of asylums and to the
establishment of new charitable institutions. What
are the few blemishes mentioned above compared to
these admirable qualities of heart and mind?
Their simphcity of manners was very remarkable also
in other respects, and it was almost universal. There
was occasionally roughness in its exhibition, because
exterior refinement was confined to the small circle of
the educated. But the eye of a critical observer could
detect it on many occasions when it would not have
been perceived by a superficial looker-on. They were
simple and unaffected in their conversation, though

108 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
their expressions were sometimes not very grammatical.
They showed this simphcity especially in foUowing
nature in their general habits and ways of hfe. Early
risers, they seldom prolonged their evening relaxation
beyond a reasonable limit; and this was a voucher for
their morality. They avoided extravagance of dress;
it was only on rare occasions that they indulged in
costly finery and carried a part of their fortune on
their backs. Few of them ' had carriages, and when
etiquette required a carriage they sent to the nearest
livery stable. It is needless to add that you never
saw in New York that endless procession of splendid
coaches which now every afternoon meets the eye on
Fifth Avenue. Broadway, at that time the great thor
oughfare, was filled with stages; and I have often, from
the window of an omnibus, counted stage after stage
between the steeple of Trinity and that of Grace
Church. The same simplicity was remarkable at great dinners.
French and Italian cooking had scarcely begun to pene
trate into the wealthiest houses; and it would have
been preposterous to look for restaurants with a Parisian
bill of fare. Bleecker Street was then the fashionable
resort of the aristocracy in New York, and this suffi-
cientljr emphasizes what is here meant by simplicity.
I never heard at that time that a dinner could last five
hours; and this in fact was impossible when the best
families were served b, I'anglaise with only excellent
roast beef and spring chicken for meat, and sherry or
port for drink ; some West India fruit or peaches ended
the meal. The gardeners had not yet introduced into
the country the numerous varieties of pears, grapes.

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 109
strawberries, and nuts which now detain the guest for
half an hour before sipping his coffee and drinking the
last petit verre.
In a word, there was no extravagance of any kxnd;Morality.\
and what is better stiU, there were many signs of a
healthy morality. The doctrine of "free love," which
was first broached about that time by some male
and female phalansterians, found few disciples among
the fair sex in America; and even the study of art, for
which some Massachusetts dilettanti in Boston strove
at the same time to create a taste in this country, met
with strong opposition on account of the nude, which
the modesty of the women could not bear. Powers's
" Greek Slave, " admired in Florence by aU classes of
people, appeared shocking to a great number of Ameri
cans, who positively refused to go to see it when it was
first exhibited in this country.
The moral sense of the community was everywhere
remarkable, but since that time there has been a great
decline, though there are still among us precious relics
of those halcyon days. What part the Knickerbockers
of New York had in this almost Arcadian simplicity
would be a difficult question to answer. The same sim
plicity and morality characterized the other Americans.
The Puritans of New England, the Cavaliers of Vir
ginia, even the Creoles of Louisiana, were equaUy simple
and moral; and it was natural that it should be so,
since they all came from Christian races which had
been trained by the great Mother of mankind — the
Catholic Church. Still there was more harshness in the
New-Englanders, more extravagance among the Vir
ginians and Carohnians, more fickleness and levity

110 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
among the French of the South, than among the Knick
erbockers of New York.
There is no doubt in my opinion that the Dutch of
New Amsterdam and Fort Orange were very influential
in forming the character of the people in the Middle
and Northern States of the Union. If those who came
flrst were rough, uncouth, and uneducated, at the end
of their sway many families among them had proved
their nobility by their deeds, and formed a singularly
remarkable race among those that flourished fifty years
ago.
The New New-Englandism is not confined to the six New
element England States. Wherever zeal for education, and
in Troy. Emerson's peculiar transcendental philosophy pre
vail, the New England race exists in its essential ele
ments. It can be studied to better advantage in the
towns which have been founded by men from New
England than in the parent country. Troy is one of
them, and I have had a fuU opportunity of observing
the character of its inhabitants during a residence of
nearly twenty years. The number of men belonging
to the New England aristocracy was very limited.
Some New-Englanders of Troy were not entitled to the
name. Others claimed to be descendants of the Pil
grims of the Mayflower.
The village of Troy was incorporated by State acts
passed April 2, 1801, and AprU 9, 1805; and the city
charter was granted April 12, 1816. Though the first
house built there belonged to a Knickerbocker family
by the name of Vanderheyden, in my time the men of
Dutch origin were not numerous; the most respect
able famihes of the city were originaUy New-Englanders

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. Ill
from Massachusetts and Vermont, and I must say that
the chief among them could not be caUed Puritans.
They were, most of them, Episcopalians, some were
Puseyites or High Churchmen who disclaimed the name
of Protestants and called themselves Cathohcs. Still
Ritualism was not yet born.
The Episcopalians, when I arrived, formed three influ
ential congregations— St. Paul's, St. John's, and Holy
Cross. The last, though the least numerous, was the
most remarkable for its High Church tenets, which came
very near to those of the Catholic Church. Rev. Mr.
Ireland Tucker was their pastor, and it would have been
difficult to find in England or this country a more learned
and exemplary churchman. The Episcopalians of Troy
and also of Lansingburg, adjoining it, were always very
friendly to Catholics, and in the difficulties I experi
enced during the Know-nothing excitement of 1857, I
always found my chief support among them, and in
spite of the madness of the hour they continued to
possess great influence on account of their social stand
ing and wealth. They, at least, could not be caUed
foreigners, as the Cathohcs were called, and if America
must belong to the Americans, as was then proclaimed,
they had a right to claim a share of it, particularly in
Troy, which they had so much contributed to found.
But their social standing must occupy us for a mo
ment. They were New-Englanders, and they were at
the head of the city in point of refinement, education,
and wealth. They were found in banks, manufacturing
establishments, and great commercial houses. At home
their life was distinguished by true refinement of man
ners and weU-bred simplicity. Whenever I met any of

112 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
them I imagined I was again among the Knickerbocker
famUies I had known in New York. In both cases very
little was heard of politics, in which they took httle
interest; but often travel and foreign countries were
the subjects of conversation. I instinctively felt that
I was in aristocratic circles. StiU they were New-Eng
landers, and consequently there was what I would call
a kind of aristocracy in New England.
In Troy there was a very respectable body of New
England Presbyterians, whom I wiU not accuse of carry
ing their intolerance as far as their ancestors had done.
Three or four congregations, under their pastors, formed,
as it were, the aristocracy of the city. The wealthiest
among them were manufacturers, bankers, speculators,
and wholesale merchants. Though they were not as
refined in manners as the Episcopalians, especiaUy the
Puseyites, they were far prouder and formed a httle
circle of their own. Some few among them were tak
ing their first steps in the humanizing process so re
markable among sects in the present century.
But most of these gentlemen and ladies were com
pletely under the sway of the pastor of the First Presby
terian Church of Troy, the Rev. Mr. Beman. Charity
does not oblige me to conceal his name, since he openly
gloried in his intolerance. It is sufficient to say that
he was a fair representative of the old Massachusetts
Puritans described by Brownson. It was a curious
peculiarity of his to vent his bile once a year, on
Thanksgiving day. Though he seldom announced be
forehand the subject of his sermon, aU Trojans knew
that it would be a concoction of the coarsest abuse of
the Pope, the papists, the foreigners in general, and the

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PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 113
Irish in particular. I have always admired the patience
of the sons of Erin who did not go to hear his diatribes,
but read a summary of his ribaldry in some daily paper.
They numbered at least ten thousand in Troy, and the
city police consisted of a few constables. Though uned
ucated and unacquainted with the "code of honor," the
Irish had brawny arms, and could deftly handle heavy
pieces of iron. StiU they never went in a body to his
house to protest against his abuse; nor did they so
much as express dislike or scom when they met him
in the streets.
This man certainly was a cause of strife in the city.
The great majority of Protestants dishked him on this
account; but as they abstained from speaking pointedly
to him or of him, they had not the power of putting a
stop to his abuse. The people of whom Mr. Beman
was pastor could have compelled him to speak more
becomingly; but they evidently were pleased with
him, and he expressed what they all felt inwardly.
I had once an occasion to judge of Beman's total
want of Christian feeling.
The winter of 1857 was extremely severe and, the
workingmen having been for a long time without work,
there was great distress in many families. The citi
zens had generously contributed to the relief of the
poor — Americans never neglect to do so — but the needs
seemed to increase in proportion to their charity. Some
thoughtful people suggested that a great deal of good
might result from a public meeting of aU the pastors
of churches in Troy, for the purpose of coming to some
arrangement about a joint appeal for aid, the pastors
acting in behaff of their congregations. I was there,

114 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
of course. At first everything went on admirably.
The ministers who spoke understood charity as irre
spective of denominations. The coUections in the
parishes would go to make a common fund, and a com
mittee composed of pastors and laymen would dis
tribute the proceeds. I admired the remarks of the
Unitarian minister — Mr. Pullman, I think — and of one
of the Episcopalian clergymen, who now is, I beheve,
an Episcopalian bishop. Mr. Beman was also pres
ent. He rose, began by saying that the Presbyteri
ans had no poor people, and consequently would give
their money without any return. They had thus a
right to impose conditions, and he would state them.
Before doing so he would briefly examine the general
question of charity. Is he charitable who gives of his
means for the support of idleness, of drunkenness, of
every vile practice and vice? Has an impostor any
claim to relief because he is clothed in rags and the den
of his family is filthy? After a long declamation against
poverty under the name of imposture, he launched into
a maze of other questions. "Who among you can
say that this is not true? Who can find any exagger
ation in my words? Who among j'ou has not often
met with these impostors? Who? Who? "
I grew indignant, and imagined I saw before me an
evil spirit declaiming against the poverty of Christ.
Unable at last to stand it, I — without even rising in my
seat — ejaculated the simple and short word /. Every
body knew me, and a deep silence ensued. Beman
turned proudly toward the president of the meeting,
called for his protection against the distm-ber who had
dared to interrupt him, and practicaUy asked for my

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 115
expulsion from the haU. The president — a layman —
who probably shared my opinion, did not appear wiU
ing to comply, nor even to ask an apology from me. I
remained calm in my seat, with my eyes on Mr. Beman,
waiting for further developments. Nobody seemed to
know what to do next, when Mr. PuUman, the Unitarian
minister, stood up and in a clear voice addressed Mr.
Beman a few words, soothing but at the same time
firm and true. "There had been," he said, "no inter
ruption at aU, but only a quiet answer to questions
evidently addressed to everybody in the house." He
begged of Mr. Beman to continue speaking, and come
to the conditions he had promised to state to the meet
ing for his cooperation in the present undertaking.
FinaUy, raising the thin veil with which Beman had
enveloped his words, Mr. Pullman directly attacked the
question of the Irish. I cannot now repeat even the
substance of his speech; but I must say that I seldom,
if ever, in my life heard or read a better answer to the
reproaches usuaUy directed against them. What he
said particularly of the Irish girls, "whom," he said,
"aU knew in Troy, and whose services scarcely any
one could dispense with," moved me to tears; and I
need not say that at the end of the meeting I went to
Mr. PuUman to express my gratitude in behaff of my
people ; and we both shook hands heartily in the pres
ence of the whole assemblage.
The conditions imposed by Mr. Beman for his cooper
ation consisted in this: no one should be reheved
unless he stated his place of nativity, the denomination
to which he belonged, his moral character attested by
proper vouchers, etc. It was evident that the man who

116 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
should submit to this ordeal would feel degraded, and
only men unworthy of relief would answer this humili
ating interrogatory. StiU Mr. Beman insisted on it ; and
in consequence the meeting broke up without any resiUt.
That the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in
Troy was backed by the great majority of his denom
ination was proved soon after in a most curious manner.
The story deserves to be recorded.
There was a certain number of Presbyterians in the
city who disliked the harshness of Beman, and one of
the Calvinist ministers — Robinson by name, I think —
openly agreed with them, and spoke kindly of Cathohcs,
even of Irish Catholics. An enterprising and wealthy
wool-merchant — Mr. Kerr — of the same persuasion,
thought he could please himseff and his friends by a
speculation that certainly was perfectly aUowable under
the circumstances. He purchased three lots in a fash
ionable part of the city, on one side of Washington
Square, and built a brick church, large enough to suit
his purposes. This done. Rev. Mr. Robinson — I am
not sure of the name — was duly appointed minister by
a newly formed congregation; and the relative forces
of the strait-laced elect of God and of the more hberal
adherents of Calvin could now be duly ascertained. It
soon became evident that the liberals were far inferior
to the intolerants. The wool-merchant had been greatly
mistaken in his calculations. His speculation com
pletely failed, and when I left Troy in 1873 there was
every prospect of a total coUapse. I have not since
inquired what became of the church, of the congrega
tion, and of the minister, though I certainly wished
them well.

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 117
Many Presbyterians in Troy were rich, great manu
facturers, bankers, merchants. Did they show a true
Christian spirit in their relations with their humble
employes? In my limited experience I rarely ever saw
any example of it. I wiU set down one. There were
in my parish several large manufacturing establish
ments. One of them was carried on by a wealthy
Scotch Presbyterian family. Nearly all their servants
were Catholics; most of the men they employed as
laborers or artisans were likewise my parishioners.
They were not interfered with in the practice of their
religion, and I never heard of any attempt to make
Presbyterians of them. On one occasion an old Scotch
sailor who worked in the miU having applied to me for
instruction, the lady of the big house, who frequently
relieved his distress because she was a Scotchwoman,
not only did nothing to prevent him from becoming a
Catholic, but actuaUy gave orders to a tailor for a com
plete suit of new clothes to be used by him on the day of
his baptism.
The head of the same great manufacturing estab
lishment, the son of the lady of whom I just spoke,
having built a church for his family, saw with pleasure
the gentlemen employed by him attend this church on
Sundays with their families; but he would never con
sent to give a seat to any low Irishman or colored laborer,
with the exception of his own negro servants.
But apart from religion what were the relations £,„.
between employers and employes? They were strictly /''°J«'"s
a matter of business, of wages and work, i or ever-y pioyes
day's labor I wiU pay you so much, and this done we''" •''™^'
are quits. Should you fall sick, it is your affair, even

118 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
in case you have given me satisfaction for years. Nay,
more: should you be incapacitated in working for me,
without any fault of yours or of mine, I owe you noth
ing, and it is not to me you have to apply for relief, but
to your personal friends ; I am not one of them.
Whenever any of my poor parishioners feU sick or
met with an accident, if they had not previously been
able to lay by something for a "rainy day " — which was
indeed seldom the case — they were forced to apply to
their fellow workmen, who never failed to respond, and
I did not hear that the rich factory owner ever headed
the list of subscribers.
One of my neighbors and parishioners, by the name
of McCormick, was a carpenter who had been employed
for a great number of years in a prosperous factory. He
had a wife and five or six small chUdren to support;
and by dint of great industry and economy he had
succeeded not only in keeping them conffortable, but
also in buying and paying for a lot of ground with a neat
frame house in which he dwelt.
On one occasion, during winter, a large buUding
which served as a storehouse for iron that had not
yet been delivered, was found to have a leaky roof.
McCormick was ordered to stop the leak. He knew
the building and was aware that he should find it a
hard job; but a closer examination convinced him that
it would also be extremely dangerous. The snow had
partially thawed on the roof, and a new speU of cold
had covered the slanting roof with a thick sheet of ice.
There were no gutters to prevent the workman, in
case of an accident, from faUing into Wynant's KiU, a
stream mnning fifty feet below. McCormick ascer-

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 119
tained that he would have to work on that side of the
building. He communicated this information to the
superintendent, and asked for help to build a scaf
folding which he thought absolutely necessary. Help
could not be given him, and there was no time to con
struct a scaffolding, because the roof had to be repaired
before the end of the day.
He nailed a board on the very top of the roof, and
sat down upon it. He had first to clear away the ice
and ascertain the spot to be repaired. On bending for
ward he suddenly glided down from his seat, and saw
with dismay that he was on the ice, and too far down
to catch the board on which he had rested.
It was a dreadful moment. The slight inclination
of the roof prevented a rapid descent. StiU, in spite of
all his efforts to stop his descent, he perceived that a
terrible fall could not be avoided. When he arrived at
the edge of the roof he endeavored to hold on to it,
but the smoothness of the ice prevented. Just then,
after recommending himself to God, he remembered
having heard that the only way to escape under such
circumstances was to jump with the feet foremost. He
made the required movement, and a few seconds after
wards his heels struck the ground, and he lay pros
trate at the bottom of the ravine.
McCormick had not lost his consciousness. Men from
the mill were soon around him. They transported
him on a hand-barrow to his house, not far distant.
Surgeons, to the great surprise of all, found no bone
was broken; there Was no exterior injury, but the
lower limbs appeared paralyzed.
McCormick had severely sprained both legs; he could

120 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
not walk and leave his house for fifteen months after
the accident. Still it was a great blessing for his family
that he was not kUled outright. Had this been the
case, the family would have been reduced to penury
until the boys should have grown up and worked
to help their mother. At the time this happened
there was only a boy of fifteen — the oldest — who
could earn a few dollars a week when the miU was in
operation. From McCormick I heard that no inquiry ever came
from the big house about his condition and that of his
family; no part of his wages was continued during his
compulsory idleness.
This was the course of things whenever an accident
happened. I vividly remember the cruel death of three
young Irishmen lately landed. One of them was ordered
to transport in an iron wagon a load of red-hot embers
from the mill and throw it into an angle of the building.
Two others were to help him. Snow had faUen during
the night, and they were not warned against the danger
of pouring out burning fire on the snow. They were
supposed to know it. The sudden expansion of the
vapor from the snow enveloped the poor boys, half-clad
as they were. Their bodies were fearfully scalded and
burned ; and worse still, they all swallowed some of the
steam. One of them died the same day. The others soon
after followed him. As usual a coUection was taken up
among the workmen for the bereaved families, and the
employers did nothing. Had I taken the trouble to
record all similar accidents I could furnish many more
examples of brutal insensibility, so little in accord with
the American character.

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 121
The position of the wealthier class in Louisiana I will^"'*^®^".™" ana ans-
lUustrate by recounting a trip I made down the Missis- tocracy. ,i
sippi in 1842. I was amazed when we reached Bayou
Sara, where the most gorgeous scene met our eyes.
From the upper deck of our steamboat a long perspec
tive of princely mansions on both sides of the river sud
denly' appeared as if evoked by the wand of an Oriental
magician. Each of them rose a palace embosomed in
the green foliage of the shore. It was the latter part of
April, the end of spring in Louisiana. Hundreds of
mocking-birds and other songsters filled the balmy air
with harmony; and the mighty stream, not yet swollen
to overflowing by the melting of the snow at the head
of the Missouri, was nevertheless almost even with the
levee, which ran along the shore like a ribbon colored
by the light of the midday sun.
What an enchanting sight! It looked a majestic
thoroughfare of palaces built in a paradise of forest
scenery. For though each house belonged to a whole
plantation, and occupied only the centre of a large
enclosure, they were all so roomy and so vast that any
slanting view of them from the river made them appear
contiguous, hke the houses of a street. But what city
in the whole universe could offer to the eye so noble a
view? The magnificent avenues of New York, Philadelphia,
and Washington dwindle almost into insignificance
alongside a highway almost sixty miles long, bordered
by stately palaces arrayed in a double line along the
banks of the ever-rushing waters of the Mississippi.
The houses themselves, of course, were not of granite
nor of marble. Most of them were simply frame build-

122 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
ings. But from the distance at which I stood I could
not perceive the nature of the material; and had they
been built of metal or of porphyry, they could not have
produced a more powerful impression on the imagina
tion of the beholder.
Alas! aU this is now gone. In 1862, just twenty
years after I enjoyed the spectacle, the owners them
selves set most of these mansions on fire, that they might
not faU into the hands of Farragut, who was coming
up with his fleet after the capture of New Orleans.
It is now important to know who were these " owners,"
for they were what might be caUed the Creole aris
tocracy of Louisiana.
A short time before 1842, our college of St.' Mary's,
Marion County, Ky., had become know-n to a certain
number of Creole families in New Orleans, and in conse
quence some of their children had been entrusted to
our care. I called upon the parents of these boys as
soon as the business that brought me to Louisiana
allowed me to do so. They all had either a house or at
least an office in the city; but some of them spent the
night with their families on the plantations they owned
out of town.
They invited me to spend a day or two in the
country with them, and nothing could please me better.
I had arranged everything at home so that I could
enjoy a fortnight's vacation. This would enable me to
learn a great deal of Louisiana, and to acquire some in
formation on the state of religion and morals among
the Creoles. It happened that one of the gentlemen I
visited was the owner of a large estate on the Mississippi
River, three miles north of New Orleans. His house in

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 123
fact was one of those I had so much admired in com
ing down. The narrative of the pleasant day I spent
there wiU suffice to give an idea of the Creole planters,
because nearly aU the Catholic houses of the neighbor
hood were the duplicates of the one I saw. I will call
the gentleman Z.
Early on the day appointed he came himself to the
bishop's house in a carriage drawn by two spirited
horses, and in less than haff an hour we were at the
door of his residence. Everything appeared most
delightful. It was one of the first days of May, the
season when in Louisiana nature fully develops her
beauties; the brightest summer day of my native
country cannot give an idea of it. The deep green of
the foliage, the fragrance of innumerable blossoms, the
song of birds, the rapid flight of briUiant insects, the
exuberance of life in the entire animal and vegetable
kingdoms, produced on the human senses a sort of
fascination I had never before experienced.
The passage from the open air to the inside of the
house was a new source of surprise and gratification.
To the dazzling light of the sun succeeded the subdued
twilight of darkened apartments. No direct ray of
the sun was allowed to enter, though a soft breeze
played about us. Now I perceived that piazzas ran
around the four sides of the house to the very top, and
were all closed in by window-blinds. This simple
arrangement gave to all the rooms, parlors, and haUs
the cool atmosphere of shaded groves or thick forests.
At least it was so in May. The furniture was in good
taste, and consequently not showy. But I must speak
at length of the inmates.

124 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
They were Mr. Z. and his wife, two young ladies, their
daughters, and a couple of little boys younger than the
one who had been sent to our coUege for his education.
The gentleman himself had been brought up by the
Sulpitians of Baltimore, of whom he kept a grateful
remembrance. He would probably have sent his sons
to them, had it not been easier and less costly for
him to confide them to us at a distance of only four
days from his house by way of the splendid Mississippi
steamers. I did not inquire where Mrs. Z. had been
educated, but from her deeply religious feelings I was
sure that she had been long within the waUs of a con
vent. It was probably at Nazareth near Bardstown.
The two young ladies were fresh from St. Michael's, a
celebrated school of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart, in
the centre of Louisiana, a short distance north of New
Orleans. Thus I found myself in a truly Christian house, such
as I had seen so often on the banks of the Loire or in
the solitudes of Brittany.
Culture Everything in the house was French, but French of
Creoles *^^ S^ofi ^ort. The language, the traditions, the table,
the very amusements after meals, took me back to my
native country. Everybody, of course, could speak
English; yet there was no need of it. All the servants
and laborers — colored people — knew scarcely anj- lan
guage but French; and from morning to night, in the
parlor or the kitchen, there was no need of speaking
English. The only difference I remarked between this excel
lent family and those of the same social rank in France
was that the conversation in Louisiana did not pre-

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 125
suppose the same knowledge of literature and art as in
the old country. In Louisiana the educated Creoles
spoke good French, much better than was spoken in
Canada; but the Canadians knew much more of French
history, literature, art, and science than the Louisi-
anians. The Canadians were inferior only in their
pronunciation, which was that of the peasantry in
France; and they kept it under the plea that it was
the pronunciation of well-brought-up Frenchmen in
the seventeenth century. Apart from this, their col
leges imparted a higher degree of sound knowledge
than the educational establishments patronized by
the French in the United States, who seemed, on ac
count of their superior command of the French, to be
of higher social rank than those of Canada. At least
this is my judgment.
I am sure there were books in Mr. Z's house. Still
no mention was made of the library; and in the con
versation not a word was said of the latest productions
of French literature. It was a blessing for that excel
lent family, for the novels of George Sand and Eugene
Sue, of Alexandre Dumas pIre, and of others, were not
wholesome intellectual food for the pure-minded and
the Christian. But there were at the same time — 1842 —
good writers and speakers in France; a truly Catholic
school of talented men was endeavoring to rescue the
country from the cesspool of impurity and unbelief into
which the mass was plunged; there were Ozanam,
Lacordaire, Montalembert, Louis Veuillot and his
friends, aU at that time united like brothers, and
united under great bishops, such as Parisis of Langres
and Berthaud of Tulle. Not a word of aU this was said

126 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
at the table of the respectable and Christian family I
was visiting. An effort was evidently necessary on the
part of Cathohc instructors and journalists to bring
the Creoles to a higher inteUectual level.
A beginning in this direction was then being made in
New Orleans by Mr. N. Perch6, to whom I paid a flying
visit at the Ursuline convent of which he was chaplain.
He had abeady, I think, started his Propagateur Catho-
lique, a weekly paper destined to do a great deal of
good. He was soon after to organize his Societe de
la Morale Chr^tienne, a religious association of young
men, composed at flrst of only flfty persons, among
whom the best was for a long time young Lombard,
a pupil of our college of St. Mary. These beginnings
were very humble, but they were the harbingers of
better days for Louisiana. The zealous, pious, and
devoted bishop, Mgr. Blanc,* with whom I had spent a
* Most Rev. Anthony Blanc, fourth bishop (1835) and first
archbishop (1850) of New Orleans, was a native of Sury in the
south of France (1792). Shortly after his ordination in 1816, he
was induced by Bishop Du Bourg to go as a missionary to Louis
iana. He proved a zealous and energetic priest, laboring first at
Vincennes in Indiana and later in Louisiana, where he became
Bishop De NeckSre's Vicar-General. He succeeded the bishop after
his decease. The diocese of New Orleans was at this time the scene
of much turmoU and disorder. Part of the French Creole element
was distinguished neither for its morality nor for loyalty to the
Church. The trustees of the cathedral of St. Louis, at the head
of which was a leading free-mason, managed its affairs so scan
dalously that from 1842 to 1844 it was left without pastors. Again
and again the contest between the trustees and the bishop was
carried into the ci-vil courts, which generaUy decided for the
bishop. Mgr. Blanc was sturdily supported by the English-speak
ing Catholics, who, though poor and without influence, built sev
eral churches and hospitals and loyally supported their chief pastor.

c^-^/^gg . 5.. ^ -^^ ^V^

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 127
whole week, had already effected immense good among
his clergy and people. Always calm, of a sweet dispo
sition, he knew how to check disorders such as had been
frequent in the diocese before him. He did so with much
prudence and charity ; and the simplicity, nay, abstemi
ousness of his life conciliated for him the esteem and
veneration of aU. He hved in an old building that had
been the Ursuline convent before the nuns transferred
their quarters to a far better part of the city, and his
pastoral labors were spent chiefly among the excellent
free colored people. All I saw of him inspired me with
the most profound veneration for his character and
his virtues. Such I found the city of New Orleans,
whilst it was generally considered as a sink of perversity
and corruption.
Vigorous and active, the bishop animated his flock to new exer
tions, encouraged the sisterhoods, founded a coUege, established
a seminary, and aU this though his diocese was repeatedly
ravaged by the yellow fever and once by the cholera. Wisely and
sturdily he pushed the organization of his diocese. In 1844, after
finally defeating the trustees in the courts, he solemnly took pos
session of his cathedral. The later years of Bishop Blanc's ad
ministration (1853 ff.) were disturbed by the Know-nothing move
ment, which was abetted by a part of the Creole Catholics, and
which for a time held sway in New Orleans. In spite of these
troubles and in spite of the renewed ravages of the yeUow-fever
plague, which carried off many priests and Sisters of Charity, the
Church of New Orleans grew apace under the strong leadership of
the untiring archbishop, churches multiplied, schools and acad
emies sprang up, institutions of charity were founded, and, above
all, order and discipline were at last restored. Archbishop Blanc
may be said to have died in the saddle. On June 17, 1860, he
confirmed 174 persons at ThibaudeauxvUle ; on the 20th he died
at New Orleans.
We return our sincere thanks to His Grace Archbishop ChapeUe
for courteously furnishing us a copy of Archbishop Blanc's portrait
in Archbishop's House at New Orleans.

128 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
I have very little to say of Madame Z., except that
she spoke very good French, with great animation, was
an excellent manager, to judge from the table and from
the neatness of the apartments, and was very exact in
inspiring her children with feelings of religion and
piety. I saw her only during dinner and for about an
hour afterwards in the parlor.
At that time the only female religious in the city
were the Ursuhnes, and some young Sisters belonging
to a new order of which I forget the name. To reach
the female part of his flock the bishop placed his chief
reliance on the superior of this new congregation — a
little woman of great activity, entirely devoted to her
work, and intimately known to all the Catholic ladies
of New Orleans. Mrs. Z., from what I saw and heard,
was a frequent visitor of both the Ursulines and the
inmates of this new house, and cooperated with these
ladies. In the United States more good has perhaps
been done by the religious communities of women than
by the clergy itself. They are more in contact with
the people; are esteemed and loved by aU classes of
citizens, not excepting the Protestants and the civU
magistrates; and their active practice of Christian
charity among the poor and the ignorant wins to them
the hearts even of the indifferent and the prejudiced.
After the lady of the house, her two daughters — the
oldest of her children — struck me by their modesty and
excellent breeding. They had completed their educa
tion in St. Michael's convent. I found them very busy
preparing for their first communion and confirmation
the little negro boys and girls living on the estate, who
were waiting with impatience for the great day when

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 129
the bishop had promised to come to the parish church
where the ceremony was to take place.
I heard from Mrs. Z. that her daughters were extremely
busy in consequence of this great occasion. In ordinary
times they taught catechism only twice a week to the
adult people — negroes and mulattoes — working on the
plantation. Finally I saw rambling in the rooms, and occasionally
coming to me to have a talk, two boys who were not
old enough to go to college. They were the youngest
children of Mrs. Z. They were accompanied every
where by three or four little negroes of their own age,
who played with them or helped them when required.
Mr. Z asked me if I preferred to stay in the house or Negroes
to inspect the farm outside. I chose the latter, because ''" •^''""*"
^ _ ' ana.
Mr. Z could then direct the overseer, while I would have
an opportunity to see the^negroes at work. What I had
already witnessed in the house convinced me that the
lot of the negroes, so far as their comfort was concerned,
was preferable to that of most peasants in France. But
aU the opponents of slavery declared that the treatment
of house-servants in the South could not be regarded
as a test of the treatment of the blacks in general. An
investigation of the life of the field-hands was the only
means to form a correct opinion of the treatment to
which the slaves were subjected. Slavery in Kentucky,
I was told, was not so oppressive, because in that State
the plantations were smaUer. Each farmer owned only
a few slaves, conversed with them more frequently,
and became more sympathetic with them. I was not
a little surprised when I found myseff in the midst of a
crowd of black laborers, and witnessed the joy the sud-

130 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
den|presence of the master produced among them. Mr.
Z. was a humane man, and the negroes in his eyes
were not merely useful animals, but human beings like
himself, endowed with natural rights which it was crim
inal to trample under foot. I am sure that the majority
of planters in Louisiana shared these opinions and
treated their slaves with humanity. There were excep
tions, but these were few; t3Tannical masters were de
spised by the men of their class, and stood alone in the
midst of polite society.
The reader must not infer that I was a partisan of
this institution, or shared the infatuation of the slave
holders who declared that slavery was the basis of a
superior civilization. I could not agree with them,
knowing that slavery, as legaUy established in the South,
was opposed to the divine law, and no true Christian
could avail himself of the tyrannical rights conferred
on him by the civil law. Religion, however, does not
impose upon me the duty of falsely accusing good men
of excesses of which they were not guilty. Fair-handed
justice required of me to stand by the truth, and acknowl
edge in many planters men of honor, integrity, and
Christian feehngs.
I found in conversation that Mr. Z. shared aU my
opinions on the subject of slavery. He plainly told me
that he disliked it, and had done his best to get rid of his
slaves, but had found it impossible. Experience, he
said, had taught him that white labor in the fields, in
spite of what people might say, was not practicable,
at least in Louisiana. On three different occasions he
had tried to employ German emigrants — there were
then very few Irish in the South — and had to give up

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 131
his intention. He had, three different times, engaged
on trial a dozen or so of young Germans, to whom he
offered the most liberal conditions: high wages, a part
of the fields where negroes would not work with them,
and exemption from labor during the hottest part of
the day. They all, he said, appeared delighted, and
assured him they would remain with him as long as he
wished. But after two or three weeks of trial they aU
gave up in despair, saying they could not stand it.
I know that many people in the North think differ
ently; and it seems that there are spots in Georgia
and Texas where white labor is possible in the fields.
AU agree that in factories, in which the workmen are
not exposed to the direct rays of the sun, Europeans
can stand the heat everywhere in the South. But Mr.
Z. was convinced that outside labor, particularly during
the months of July, August, and September, was an
absolute impossibility for white workmen in the part of
Louisiana where he lived, as well as in [many other
places south of North Carolina.
The quasi-aristocratic classes just passed in review, iyomo-
whether in the North or in the South, scarcely threw a^V^*^
shade of variety over the most homogeneous nation that people.
the world has ever seen. The Comte de Paris was un
doubtedly mistaken when he suggested as its cause the
universal "spread of the Anglo-Saxon race" on the
continent of North America. He was correct enough in
asserting that there was in the New World a people
remarkable for its homogeneity and simplicity of char
acter. This was eminently true forty years ago, before
the middle of this century. Emigrants from all nations
had arrived and settled in the United States, and no

132 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
modification had taken place in the character of its
inhabitants. They were stiU what they had been since
the time of their emancipation from Great Britain.
All the foreign travellers who visited this coimtry
and wrote their impressions made the same remark.
They had found the same language, customs, ideas,
manners, prevalent along the Atlantic seaboard as in
the valley of the Mississippi; around the great lakes of
the Northwest and in the vast and rich plains of the
South. From the beginning the nation had also been re
markable for its morality and good sense; it continued
to be so in spite of new arrivals from aU the points
of the compass. The people were not exclusively an
"Anglo-Saxon race," but they formed the great Ameri
can nation, wonderfuUy assimUating every foreign ele
ment and covering this great continent with the efforts
of their genius and the proofs of their moral rectitude.
My personal observations on the subject of this uni
formity and morality have been numerous and I think
interesting.
Racial There certainly were great obstacles to the forma-
o/™e^ tion of a homogeneous American people owing to their
l.'^z?"" difference of origin. The French, owing to their occu
pation of Canada and of Louisiana, had deeply pene
trated into the new republic. Our sketch of Louisiana
and its Creoles has furnished the proof of it for the
South. In the North, though Canada had refused to
embrace the cause of the Enghsh colonies against the
mother country, and though the American Confeder
acy would probably not now consent to receive Canada
in the Union, stiff all along our northern and western
borders there have always been numerous Canadian

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 133
colonies. In aU the New England States, particularly
in Vermont, as well as in New York and Ohio, there are
numerous villages and smaU towns fiUed almost exclu
sively by French Canadians. More than half the
Catholics of the diocese of Burlington, for instance,
were born on the northern side of the St. Lawrence.
In the West, the southern shores of the Great Lakes,
incorporated into the Union from the very beginning,
are full of Canadians by birth as by origin. The whole
western bank of the Mississippi, including the States
not only of Louisiana, but of Arkansas, Missouri,
Iowa, and Miimesota, was settled by the French and
caUed by them Louisiana. St. Louis belonged to it
and was a French town; many viUages in that part of
the country were originaUy French settlements.
There were several other nationalities which con
tributed to diversify the people of the United States.
The New England States had been colonized by Eng
lish Puritans and other religionists of the Calvinist
school. They were the only true source of the subse
quent spread of the Anglo-Saxon race on the new con
tinent. No doubt they exerted a great influence on
the formation of the national character in the North
outside of New England, though the State of New
York never adopted the blue laws of Connecticut. Since
the overthrow of the Dutch colony the population was
essentially English, and has remained so in the main
till our own day. The dty of New York alone has
in recent times adopted customs of a cosmopolitan
character; not only owing to the great number of
Europeans residing in it, but perhaps chiefly on account
of being chosen as a place of permanent residence by

134 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Americans from aU other States, particularly from the
West and South. Whoever has accumulated a large
fortune anywhere in the country generaUy prefers to
enjoy it at the mouth of the Hudson River, in the trae
metropolis of the Union.
The Anglo-Saxon race has taken deep root in the
States of Pennsylvania and Ohio, though a great part
of the rural districts of Pennsylvania has been settled
and is still inhabited by a dense German population;
in Ohio the French in the north and the Scandinavians
in the west offer examples of remarkable variety in
their social customs.
The Scandinavians at this moment are invading the
Westem States in great numbers ; but their arrival in the
East dates from an earlier epoch. Gustavus Adolphus,
at the beginning of the seventeenth century, thought
of sending colonies abroad, as was then the custom in
aU European states, and he selected that part of the
American seaboard which had not yet been colonized
by the English or the Dutch. Between the settle
ment of New England and New Amsterdam in the
North and that of Virginia and the Carolinas in the
South the large district now occupied by the States of
New Jersey and Delaware with the westem part of
Pennsylvania had been unaccountably forgotten by
earlier colonists. The great statesman Oxenstiern,
who as chief minister of state ruled over Sweden after
the death of Gustavus Adolphus, did not fail to carry
out the project of his former master. In 1638 he sent
two ships with orders to occupy both banks of the Del
aware River from its mouth as far north as they found
the country occupied only by native tribes. The Swedes

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 135
destined to form this settlement found no opposition,
and began to enter into friendly relations with the
Indians. A Lutheran minister had been sent with
them, and "to the honor of that nation it must be said
that they showed for the conversion of the Indians, as
they understood it, more zeal than the Calvinists of
the Netherlands, or the Puritans, Quakers, and Epis
copalians of England." *
During the eighteenth century a great number of
Irishmen and Scotchmen emigrated to North America
from the north of Ireland and Scotland. In the biog
raphy of Samuel Johnson by BosweU mention is made
of this remarkable fact. The writer naturally depre
cated it as likely to depopulate his native country, and
he attributed it to the exactions of the lairds. This
emigration comprised Catholic Highlanders and Pres
byterian Scots from the Lowlands. The former went
chiefly to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the adja
cent islands, where their descendants to this time re
main fervent Catholics. As to the Irish, both Catholics
and Protestants emigrated in great numbers, chiefly
from the northern province of Ulster. The majority
of these emigrants settled in the interior of the middle
and southern part of what has since become the United
States, and many of them took an honorable share
in the American Revolution. The Protestants among
them, being Presbyterians, met with their coreligionists
everywhere in the new country, and could not but
coalesce with the settlers abeady there. But the Catho
lics, persecuted at home, found penal laws enacted
against them in aU the colonies. No priests could ac-
* J. G. Shea, History of ttie Catholic Church in the United States.

136 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
company them, except perhaps by stealth, on their jour
ney to the New World, and they met with no priests in
their new country. They could not practise or teach
their religion except in the family circle; and nearly aU
the help they had to transmit their faith to theb children
consisted in some prayer-books and a few controversial
works written by English or Irish divines. Fortunately,
these works were solid and fuU of instruction; and
many of the newly arrived Catholics, knowing them
ahnost by heart, could answer aU the objections of the
Protestants and argue against their errors.
Under these circumstances it is wonderful and yet
readily understood, how these persecuted famUies pre
served their faith for so long a time, and that their
descendants (when I arrived in Kentucky) remembered
at least that "they ought to be Cathohcs." I need
only refer to the story of Judge Wilkinson, who in a
few days found at Yazoo City in Mississippi more than
a hundred families who joined with him in a petition to
the Bishop of Natchez "that he might send them a
priest, whom they promised to support besides building
a church and paying aU the expenses of public worship."
Still these men belonged to the fourth generation since
the first Catholic settlers had come. AU these people
were ardent Americans, firmly attached to the govem
ment of the Repubhc, and altogether imdistinguishable
from the rest of the population.
In the Irish people who came to this country last cen
tury we notice an element differing from and, owing to
their strong Celtic characteristics, altogether opposed to
the Puritans in New England, the English in New York
and elsewhere, the Lutherans in New Sweden on the

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 137
Delaware, the Quakers of Pennsylvania, as well as the
Cavaliers in the South.
It cannot be expected that immigrants wiU at once
adopt the ideas, customs, habits, of their new home.
Most of them will continue to cherish their birthplace.
But in the United States the second generation boast
of being Americans, and often become more American
than the Americans themselves in their admiration of
and sincere attachment to the govemment and social
institutions of their new country. Because nearly
everybody favored the equality of aU citizens before
the law, and was well satisfied with the liberal naturali
zation laws, superiority pf race over race, which has so
far obtained in ancient and modem times, soon vanished ;
the consequences were the union and fusion of immi
grants and natives, and the general homogeneity of the
people. The uniformity of the language in the United States
first attracts attention. Many European languages, it
is true, were spoken for a time in some parts of the
United States. Still wherever travellers went, they
found the same Anglo-American idiom spoken, and
spoken by aU those born in the country. Differing
from the , English mother tongue by some peculiarities
caUed Americanisms, the language was remarkable for
its grammatical accuracy and clearness of diction.
The most wonderful characteristic of this language
was its ubiquity. The traveller never met with dialects
as in the mother country. There was no peasant class
with its jargon, no degraded element in the large cities
using a barbarous gibberish uninteUigible to all but
themselves. No doubt the housebreakers and other

138 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
criminals had their slang, but this was not to be taken
into account.
The uniformly simple manners of the people were
equaUy remarkable. In 1840 there certainly was a
marked difference between the educated and the un
educated classes in the United States, as likewise be
tween the inhabitants of large cities and those of the
rural districts. But aU were distinguished by a calm
and subdued tone which could not but strike a newly
arrived European.
In colonial times it must have been quite different.
The Puritans of the New England States, it is weU
known, were much more stiff and self-conceited than
the Cavaliers of the South; there was much less sim
plicity of character in the North. In fact each colony
had a physiognomy of its own. Theb assimilation
took place after the War of Independence. It is impor
tant to consider in what it consisted, and what must
have been its cause. What were its causes?
It was due in the first place to the fact that there
was no constraint in social intercourse. AU appeared to
be on a footing of perfect equality. The wealthy man
in public places — stages, inns, and political meetings —
did not impose his opinions on citizens less favored by
fortune. If they differed, they were ready to assign
the reasons of their belief; and in case they did not
come to an agreement, each of them respected the
other's opinion. This I call a striking proof of sim
plicity of manners. This equality, for instance, could
not then exist in England. Society there was too much
divided into coteries, and too exclusive. In the time of
Samuel Johnson, BosweU tells us that if noblemen

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 139
unknown to each other were waiting in a minister's
antechamber, they could not engage in conversation.
Johnson bluntly called this "an outrage on the rights
of humanity." The Americans had got over this punc
tiliousness, and they talked together freely wherever
they met in public.
In the second place their simplicity resulted from
setting aside many of the forms of a fulsome politeness
which exists in many European countries. No doubt
this at times made uneducated people in the United
States appear rude in their language, though they did
not intend to be rude. But aU who had received an
ordinary education — the mass of the nation — spoke cor
rectly and unaffectedly, and their manners were char
acterized by sufficiently good breeding. There was often
a peculiarity which affected a recently landed foreigner
somewhat unpleasantly. This was a kind of joviality,
and, what was still worse, a pompous way which bor
dered on the ridiculous, and led Mrs. TroUope in her
book on "The Domestic Life of the Americans" to
make merry over their pompous manners, and especi
ally over their addressing one another as captain, doc
tor, judge, etc. But this was simply a kind of humor
in which they innocently indulged.
Finally, a stranger could, at that time, nowhere per
ceive any extravagance in living, nor any ostentatious
display of wealth in the best American families. The
country has changed a great deal in that respect,
and its primitive simplicity seems now to be for
gotten. These characteristics met the traveller wherever he
went, at least as far as the Mississippi River. The

140 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
people everywhere were evidently cast in the same
social mould.
The English colonies which formed our Repubhc
were of varied origin. The Puritans of New England,
the Dutch and English of New York, the Quakers and
Germans of Pennsylvania, the Catholics of Maryland,
the Stuart Cavaliers of Virginia, the first settlers of the
Carolinas and of Georgia, included many shades of the
Teutonic, Celtic, and Scandinavian characters.
It seems to me that the chief cause of this wonderful
blessing of unification — for it was an inestimable bless
ing — was the War of Independence itself.
During the twelve years of intense agitation which
followed England's attempt to tax the colonies, the
colonists naturally forgot their differences and felt the
identity of their grievances and interests.
Besides the usual Sunday rest — at that time universal
throughout the country — there were only two national or
legal holidays, namely, Washington's Birthday, the 22d
of February, and the 4th of July, the anniversary of the
Declaration of Independence. Thanksgiving day, in
November, was still confined to New England ; in olden
times it was called by the Puritans a day of fasting,
humiliation, and prayer. Both February 22d and July
4th were celebrated with more display and greater
unanimity than is now the case. In 1876, being the
centenary year of the nation's birth, the 4th of July
fully equaUed any celebration that had before taken
place ; but since then the observance of the festival has
lost a great deal of its former spirited character. I am
sorry to say that the 22d of February is not now solem
nized as I saw it directly after my landing in 1839.

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES 141
I was then a member of a community composed independ-
ahnost exclusively of Frenchmen. A few only of the at St.
junior members were either Irish or bom in this country, ^"^'f
But aU the pupils of our coUege and the members of
our Catholic congregation were Americans. They were
left to celebrate the day as they wished. I must say
that we — the French — attached very little importance
to it. We had aU read cursorily the history of the
American Revolution by the Italian Botta, and some
thing of the Iffe of Washington in the periodicals of
the country and in a queer Latin production from the
pen of an enthusiastic American scholar who had evi
dently not studied Latin in Oxford nor in Cambridge.
But though none of us — ^members of the faculty of St.
Mary's College, Kentucky — not even Father Murphy,
who was more of an Englishman than an Irishman or
American — directed the youthful speakers who gave
a sample of their talent and their American spirit on
that great day, there was no danger of its being a failure.
Our boys were, nearly aU of them, the chUdren of men
liAring when Washington was either at the head of the
American troops or in the presidential chair. They
were nearly aU children of farmers who spent the long
evenings of winter with their friends or family by going
over aU they had witnessed in " those days which tried
men's souls." History being a tradition as well as a
written record of facts, it may be asserted that a great
part of American history was composed around the
blazing hickory or dogwood fire buming in those happy
farmhouses. Consequently aU the faculty of St. Mary's CoUege
had to do was to furnish the material of a good dinner,

142 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
and, marshalling the negro servants imder the orders
of a couple of white carpenters, to see that a capacious
stage should be erected in the shades of a neighboring
grove, large enough to receive the whole population of
the surrounding country. The boys were expected not
only to prepare the speeches, dramatic pieces, and songs,
but even to furnish the music from their seff-trained
band. I remember that during more than a month
before the 22d of February, recreation-time was employed
by the boys in blowing their instruments and rehearsing
the melodious tunes of "Yankee Doodle" or "The
Star-Spangled Banner."
On the 4th of July, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, the
weather, though very hot as usual in July, being tem
pered by a good storm that had raged during the night,
the boys marched to the grove, led by the St. Mary's
Cadets. This was a troop of juvenUes clad in homespun, with
coats and breeches of the same pattern, so that they
looked lUie young soldiers going to the annual muster.
Instead of rifles they held in their hands a kind of wooden
spear that they used instead of muskets; sometimes
holding them upright at their right side, then going
through the show of loading and pointing against an
imaginary foe. After performing these feats of valor
they marched to the sound of the drum, keeping their
arms carelessly on the shoulder, or holding them hori-
zontaUy behind their back, with their hands stretched
crosswise on both sides.
These mUitary evolutions were watched by a great
number of our neighbors, who had come in buggies or
on horseback with theb wives and chUdren. Others

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 143
were coming in troops and hitched their horses to the
lower branches of the trees. It was a picturesque
spectacle, like a camping-ground of gypsies. The grove
was soon entirely fiUed by the multitude, who stretched
themselves at random on the ground, many of them
refusing to sit on the benches prepared for them, which
they AviUingly left to the enjoyment of the ladies.
The exercises of the day, which soon began, consisted
first of the reading of the Declaration of Independence.
I wiU not lavish fulsome praises on young men who had
commenced their classical studies only two or three years
before. But truth compels me to say that they read
weU. It is known that many Kentuckians are renowned
throughout the country as public speakers. One thing
struck me, the distinctness of their utterance. Newly
arrived in the country, I could scarcely understand a
word of what was said in private conversation. But
when they spoke from a public stage, and addressed
themselves to hundreds and thousands of people, there
was no great difficulty even for a foreigner to follow the
drift of their speech. Having read the Declaration of
Independence several times as an exercise in English,
I understood nearly every word of it. But it must be
said that it was delivered by one of the best elocutionists
of the college. He was, if I mistake not, a converted
Methodist, bearing the strange name of Vineyard, who
had come to our college a short time before in order to
become a Catholic.
I remarked that a great number of joUy negroes, who
had come with their masters and mistresses, stood on
the extreme limits of the assemblage and attentively
listened to the reading. I could not distinguish on their

144 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
faces the effect produced on them when the words of
Thomas Jefferson were read declaring that man has
inalienable rights, and among them life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. But it is very probable that they
drew no conclusions from those words as to their own
rights. They appeared to be very happy, and when
called on to bring refreshments to their masters they
were not too closely watched nor prevented from taking
their share of them.
After the prehminary reading there were three speeches
delivered in succession; the first was on the youth of
Washington, the second on his heroic conduct in the
war against England; the last was a short address on his
admirable statesmanship, first during the arduous dis
cussions on the Constitution, and secondly in his admin
istration of the govemment during his presidency, and
his firm refusal to accept a third term. In treating of
the youth of Washington, and particularly of his two
expeditions against the French on the Ohio, I was some
what surprised by the assertions of the young orator.
He declared that the French, on both occasions, were
not a match for the colonial troops, and that both occa
sions were for Washington, at least, undoubted victories.
But Washington Irving had not yet written his biogra
phy of the great American commander. He has proved
that George Washington was defeated both times;
but no blame should be attached to him, on account of
the inferiority of his forces and means. The second was
a crushing defeat, but the calamity could be ascribed
only to Braddock, who would surely have conquered and
taken possession of Fort Duquesne if he had foUowed
the repeated advice of Washington. I did not at that

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES- 145
time know that part of American history well enough to
correct the mistakes of the young speaker. And after
aU, on such a day we cannot censure a college boy for
some exaggeration. In France I often heard eloquent
declamations praising my native country for deeds which
it would have been better to leave in the dark.
As to the two other speeches, they deserved great
credit for the praises they bestowed on the man who was
"first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of
his countrymen." I could not resist the thought,
Happy is the people which, at the beginning of its career,
had a leader not only so blameless, but in every point
so perfect, as far as human frailty wiU permit!
To conclude the description of the first Washington's
Birthday I witnessed in North America, on the 22d
February, 1839, it is sufficient to add that after the
speeches there was a dramatic performance of which
I have not the least recollection. The fact was that^
this play being of the lively and jolly kind usual on such
days, I did not understand a word of it. Still I laughed,
because everybody did so. At the conclusion of the
programme, the St. Mary's Cadets took back their line
of march to the college, and a few minutes after we were
aU taking our dinner in the midst of the most uproarious
mirth. That Washington's simple manners and disinterested
abnegation was not lost on his countrymen is clearly
proved. A few incidents of which I was the witness
are not out of place here. In our College of St. Mary's,
Kentucky, half of the boys belonged to Protestant
families, some of them the best in the Southwest. We
had the children of Govemor Clarke of Keotucky, and

146 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
of Governor Pope of Arkansas. Several Southern sena
tors at Washington and members of Congress confided
to us the education of their sons; and from Frankfort
and Lexington several rich planters of central Kentucky
were our friends and patrons. Not a single one of these
boys showed any aristocratic pretensions. They aU
were fond of country life; and on our large farm of
600 acres they delighted in showing their dexterity
in handling the axe, as weU as their appreciation of good
husbandry, when they saw the com rising to the height
of fifteen or eighteen feet, and our buUocks, cows, and
horses, so fat and sleek, grazing or drawing the plough.
Most of these boys were destined to be farmers and
planters, and they considered this occupation as one of
the most honorable on earth. Had not this noble pur
suit been actively carried on by most of the Founders
of the Republic and Framers of the Constitution,
Washington being only one among many?
At that time I remarked with pleasure that the
majority of representatives, either in State legislatures
or in Congress, were large landowners, and most of them,
when at home, practised husbandry, which they consid
ered the best source of revenue. The salaries attached
to political or civil offices were low; the President of the
Repubhc not receiving more than $25,000 yearly, and
each of his ministers or secretaries being satisfied, I
think, with $5,000. The members of Congress did not
think of enriching themselves by seUing their vQtes to
rich bankers or powerful corporations. Hence patri
otic views, i.e., the good of the country, prompted the
candidates to accept the mandates of legislators or
executive officers. It is needless to say that the private

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 147
life of those public men was most correct and blame
less; and the simplicity of manners so remarkable in
Washington was also the noblest characteristic in
their families.
I remember still the visit I paid to Senator Jones of Senator
Wisconsin in 1842, when, in the company of Father of Wis-
Deluynes I made a trip along the Upper Mississippi, as <='""'¦""
far as Dubuque in Iowa. Dr. O'Brien, a Catholic
physician of Dubuque, was intimately acquainted with
the senator, and proposed to take us in his buggy to his
princely estate, near Sinsinawa Mound, on the eastern
side of the Mississippi, eighteen miles from the river.
It was a very warm day in August; the road ran through
a rich prairie full of harvesters and wagoners. At that
time the States of Wisconsin and lUinois were for the
production of wheat what Minnesota and Dakota have
become since. Dingy frame houses, called inns, invited
us to stop every few miles ; but I confess that after the
first glass of liquor the heat of the day and the thirst
induced me to swaUow, I drank only lemonade, for
making which ice and lump sugar could be easily pro
cured. At last we reached the mansion, about three or four
o'clock in the afternoon, and, owing to the introduction
of Dr. O'Brien, Mrs. Jones, who was alone in the house
with her servants and children, received us with the
greatest courtesy. In a few minutes the dust had been
swept from our clothes, cool drinks had aUayed our
thirst, and her pleasant conversation had succeeded
the dull talk of the road. She was bom in Montreal, I
think, of a Canadian family, and had been educated in
the renowned Convent of the Congregation near that

148 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
city. She was, accordingly, delighted to talk French
with us; and we soon knew from her that her maiden
name was Gr^goire, that she was a Catholic much
attached to her religion, and was bringing up her chil
dren in her own faith with the fuU consent of the senator.
Just then that gentleman was inspecting and direct
ing the work of his farm-hands at some distance from
the house. The lady, as soon as we arrived, had
despatched a man to let her husband know of our com
ing; and in due time he presented himseff just as he
was, and shook our hands heartily with great simphcity
of manners and the true breeding of a man of the world.
As soon as he knew that our object in visiting him
was particularly to become acquainted with the chief
details of a large rural estate, he ordered refreshments,
and after a short time he sat down at table with us;
then we all left together for the fields.
I do not exactly remember the extent of his farm;
but I am sure it exceeded a thousand acres of arable
land. For it was located in a prairie district; there
were no forests in the neighborhood ; a few trees could
be seen here and there. The whole landscape consisted
of an unbounded wheat-field, with the noble Sinsinawa
Mound rising in the centre. Much larger farms are
now cultivated with improved machinery aU over the
States of Minnesota and Dakota; but no one at that
time imagined such a thing possible.
The senator, who during the sessions of Congress
gave his vote on the most important questions regard
ing the welfare of forty miUions of freemen, was on that
day (August, 1842) a simple husbandman, and directed
the work of hundreds of laborers. He made us remark

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 149
the size of the ears of corn, and the plumpness of the
berries. He did not turn his grain into flour, but sold it
for the Eastern market. He said that it would be diffi
cult to find anywhere in the world a superior, nay, an
equal quality of meal; in fact this began to be acknowl
edged in Europe at that time. "The time wiU soon
come" he said, "when this teeming part of our con
tinent, from the Great Lakes to the Pacific slope, will
feed the starving populations of the old hemisphere."
His prediction is now (1884) fuffiUed to the letter.
StiU a great part of the vast plains of which he spoke,
has not yet been brought under cultivation.
He made us remark, besides, that the soil was im
mensely productive, while it covered almost inex-
haustive mines of coal and lead underneath. In general,
a country rich in minerals, and chiefly in metals, is poor
on the surface; but here there was immense wealth on
the surface and deep within its bowels. The lead-mines
of Galena and Dubuque, only a few miles from his
estate, proved that he could not be mistaken, and he
had ascertained it by the pits and shafts he had dug for
procuring water. Thus metaUurgy could become for
him a great source of wealth; but he was not one of
those insatiable men who aspire indefinitely to increase
their worldly possessions, at the expense of rest and
tranquiUity. He was satisfied with agriculture, from
which he derived a large revenue, and was sure to leave
more than a competency to his children.
Senator Jones was at that time one of many in the
United States. Refined and educated, they might
lead a hfe of leisure, but preferred to give a great part
of their days to labor and industry. They copied the

150 FORTY. YE ARS IN ^ THE UNITED STATES.
Washingtonian pattern, and continued to be, hke their
great prototype, an honor to the nation.
I had seen in France a different sort of aristocracy,
for which I always entertained a great deal of respect
and veneration, even though since then I have preferred
the American.
As soon as I understood what was going on around
me, the most surprising fact that I noticed was the uni
form employment of time in the work of the day for
men of aU conditions, and the uniform simphcity of man
ners both in the city and the country. To this I might
add equal uniformity in dress, food, and drink, and in
the deep respect shown for religion, and above aU for
the Sunday rest; in the customs prevaihng in their festi
vals, burials, weddings, etc. The same uniformity was
noticeable even in the hotels and inns, in pubhc con
veyances, stages, steamboats, as weU as in the homes of
aU citizens. And this uniformity extended over an ex
tent of country as large as a European empbe. As
feudalism was expiring in Europe when the American
colonists left the Old World, and as feudal customs had
been the main cause of the abuses they complained of,
they started on a new departure for a voyage of dis
covery in legislation. As the foundation of theb sys
tem they established the great principles of Liberty,
Equality, and Fraternity, understood in the proper
sense. It was one of the chief causes of their homo
geneity. Still their scheme would have completely
failed, had it not been founded on morahty.
The In 1840 Americans were practically unanimous in
^'^^ their support of Christiamty. The teachings of Tom
people. Paine, at the end of the last century and the begin-

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 15l
ning of this, had passed away. I stiU remember the
last meeting in New York of his admirers, who for a
long time had met every year, on his birthday, to pro
claim the advent of the "Age of Reason." They ad
journed sine die, because the sect, reduced to twenty or
thirty members, had no hope. of obtaining recruits to
replenish its ranks. I think this took place in 1848,
the very year when all the thrones of Europe were
trembling, and popular hcense under the name of hberty
was lustily shouting under the windows of royal and
imperial palaces. America did not share in the delu
sion. '
0. A. Brownson, in his " Convert," has given a long hst
of infidel sects which, at that epoch, infested Europe and
tried to obtain a footing in this country. But he has
also registered the fact of their total failure here.
The fierce opposition to Cathohcism of all the Chris
tian sects then flourishing in the United States ren
dered their moral principles less firm and more liable
to misinterpretation than they would have been if
they had been obedient children of the Great Mother
of modem nations. The Catholic Church alone pro
fesses to be infaUible in morals as weU as in dogma;
all the leaders of Protestantism deny the gift of inerrancy
to the church as weU as to the State. Thus among
Protestants the door to moral errors was open after
faith had been weakened by the general denial of
ecclesiastical authority.
Nevertheless the strong moral restraints imposed on
Christians as long as they remained under the guidance
of the true Church could not be shaken off by Protes
tantism, except after many years of wandering in uncer-

152 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
tainty and doubt. Hence the morality of the sects in
the United States, at least, was stiff essentiaUy Christian;
and in 1840 strangers saw at once that this was not a
pagan nation, nor yet a people composed maiiUy of
indifferentists.
Ubiquity This was manifest firstly in the number of churches
churches. ^^^ Christian schools erected everywhere. Steeples,
in many instances surmounted by the sign of the cross,
met the eye in nearly every street; the smaUest viUages
counted generaUy four or five; nay, sometimes you
were surprised by a church in the midst of forests, a
central point having been chosen for the farmers' famUies
scattered around. They were mostly modest edffices
without pretension to architectural beauty. StUl they
had cost money — the total amount must have been enor
mous; and Americans were not the men to throw away
their money; so they must have believed in rehgion.
The schools also were Christian schools. In 1840
no one had yet spoken of non-sectarian schools. They
were aU denominational, though this expression was
not used. Each sect — except a few insignificant ones
like the Unitarians — having so far preserved at least
the essentials of Christianity, the belief in one God and
three Persons, the dogmas of the Incarnation and
Redemption through Christ, that of the indweUing of
the Holy Ghost through grace, and finaUy the behef in
a hereafter, in an eternity of happiness or punishment
in heaven or in hell, — aU this being a solemn fact through
out the country, the schools where rehgion was always
taught to children were Christian schools. This great
source of pure morality, therefore, existed in the United
States.

PEOPLE IN THEiCOUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 153
jIn the second place public opinion was openly in Sunday
favor of religious practice, and of a moral life among a^e.
the citizens. It is sufficient to mention here the uni
versal observance of the Sunday, and the sacredness of
the marriage tie. In aU the States and territories the
laws enforced absolute rest and the most decent behavior
on the first day of the week; but public opinion was so
decided that the practice of it would have been uni
versal if there had been no state laws enforcing it.
Puritanism even had not then entbely disappeared.
The Catholic Church has never exacted so strict an
observance of the Sunday as was then customary in aU
the States of the Union. When we took charge of the
College of St. Mary's the rigor of the religious code on
this point was unknown to us, because we were aU
Frenchmen; accordingly when the service in the church
had been performed, we aUowed some boys to practise on
musical instruments out of doors, while some of the
other pupils were permitted to take a rifle and hunt
squirrels and rabbits in the woods. As there were
no farmhouses in our neighborhood, and nobody could
hear what was going on, we heard of no strictures for
some time. But several of our own parishioners who
came every Sunday to the church of St. Charles, dis
tant two miles from the coUege, became aware at last
that there was both music and gun-practice on our
grounds. One of them, a member of the grand jury of
the county, came to inform our worthy president that
" unless both breaches of the law were instantly discon
tinued, he would be bound by his oath to denoimce us
at the next meeting of the grand jury."
These remarks regard only the exterior observ-

154 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
ance of the Sunday. As to the necessity of going to
church, the laws in vigor did not impose any obliga
tion on the citizens, as was formerly the case, I think,
in Connecticut; but public opinion was not favorable
to a total disregard of this holy precept, and any family
whose members were never seen at meeting would not
have enjoyed a good reputation among their neighbors.
Though it be needless to give any description of the
absolute stiUness prevailing aU over the country on
Sunday, stiU a few words wiU not be amiss. It is
doubtful whether the same hushed solemnity had ever
before prevailed among the most devoted Christian
nations. Trade was totaUy suspended, and artisans
completely rested from their labors. AU stores and
shops were closed except dispensaries and pharmacies;
the noise of wagons and carts was unheard on the
granite pavements; the only soimd was that of the bells
caUing people to prayer; a few carriages only ap
peared in the deserted streets. In New York a stroU
in the lower part of the city (for instance, in Duane,
Beaver, and Front streets) offered one of the most
remarkable spectacles a stranger could witness. AU the
wholesale establishments, fuU of life during the week,
became spectres rising in solitary grandeur. Not only
the counting-rooms, on a level with the sidewalk, were
closed and bolted, presenting only a front of hard iron
shutters; but aU the windows of the upper stories, to
the very roof, were also hermeticaUy closed, as if the
whole buildings had been suddenly abandoned, never
to be opened again. The streets in that part of the
city were as completely deserted as are now those of
Thebes and Memphis in the country of the Pharaos.

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 155
A few steps farther, along the wharves and piers, it was
stiU more awful and weird ; the dingy stores on one side
and the stately ships and barks on the other looked like
two long rows of phantoms scarcely kept alive by the
presence of a few sailors perched here and there on the
top of masts or at the end of the spars. Yet a few hours
before, in the afternoon of Saturday, no district of New
York had presented such an appearance of life, bustle,
and confusion. Was not the idea of Sunday, that is,
of Christ, of God, of religion itself, powerful and para
mount among that multitude of human beings which
formed the busy population of the great commercial
metropolis? And so it was in all other large cities of the
United States.
But in the viUages, in the fields, in the woods, even,
the tranquillity and repose was, if possible, stiU more
striking. Only the light of the sun, the briUiant drops
of dew, the flight and songs of birds, gave life to the
landscape. Never was a husbandman seen sowing,
reaping, or harvesting on Sunday. The horses and
bullocks were free from the heavy weight of the yoke;
the cows and sheep, safely parked in weU-enclosed pas
tures, were allowed to graze without a shepherd or a
shepherdess. Scarcely did the girls take time to fill
their milk-pails in the fields and carry them to the dairy.
The simple-minded farmer would have feared a com
plete failure of his crops, if he had dared to disobey the
third commandment. Inside of the houses peace and
quiet reigned supreme; the boys were restrained from
boisterous games on that day, and the girls, on retum
ing from church with the family, abstained from their
usual rambles in the neighborhood.

156 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
_^God from the heights of heaven saw the miUions of
people newly settled in the Westem Hemisphere, bent
on worshipping Him as the tradition of their forefathers
had taught them to do. If the voice of the true Church
was not heard among them, it was not their fault; their
ancestors had been deceived by pretended reformers.
They at least intended to obey God who had spoken in
the Old Law; and the heart of the Creator was moved
by their prayers, and showered His temporal blessings
over them.
But their obedience to God was not confined to one
of His precepts. It has been said that the schools of
the country were stiU Christian; and aU the children of
the land were faithfuUy taught to commit to memory
the text of the decalogue, and they were commanded
to show it in their daily life. This is the best, nay, the
only way to practise morality; and when the sacred
text is explained by the apostolic teaching preserved
in Catholicism, the highest degree of holiness can be
attained in this world. To this obedience to God's
commandments must be ascribed the purity of morals
which then prevailed in the United States, and power
fuUy contributed to knit together in the same uniformity
of conduct the various elements which composed this
great nation.
I do not, of course, pretend that there was no sin.
The Americans, like aU other men, have inherited from
the first Adam the moral stain caused by his disobe
dience. Many of them, even at that time, had never
been baptized, and consequently were unregenerated.
Human passions too often made them swerve from
the right path; and they were liable to evil habits — the

PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 157
greatest curse of mankind. Not only the eye of God
followed the reckless career of wicked men among
them, in order to punish them at the proper moment,
but human justice had from the beginning of the
colonies published a stem code of retribution against
evil deeds. There were in the country criminal courts,
jails, scaffolds, and hangmen.
StiU it must in justice be said that crime had not
made the strides so remarkable in our day. The Ameri
cans were then a moral nation. All inteUigent foreign
ers who came to study the people and the country, and
were not swayed by prejudices of birth or caste, openly
proclaimed it.
There was one fact in particular, universal and strik- Sacred-
ing, which redounded to the honor of the nation. This marriage.
was the sacredness of matrimony, though Protestants
have never recognized matrimony as a sacrament.
Divorce, allowed on certain conditions by the civil laws,
was seldom heard of. True, several philosophical
sects, lately introduced into the country, already fore
boded the license which prevails to-day; and Brown
son has spoken of this at length in his "Convert." But
the evil had not yet penetrated into the mass of the
nation. Women, so far preserved pure, beloved by
their husbands and reverenced by their children —
though the boys were often a sufficiently turbulent set —
were satisfied with their honorable position in society,
and the control they enjoyed over the management of
the house. Few indeed were tempted to claim equality
of rights with the head of the family. In their judg
ment, to meddle with politics, to play a part in com
mercial or speculative concerns, to engage in the serious

158 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
business of a profession, was not their province; they
smiled at those of their own sex who felt aggrieved by
being left in charge of the laundry and kitchen, or
forced to confine themselves to insignificant conversa
tions in the parlor.
On the part of the men unfaithfulness to theb marital
obligations may not have been infrequent in large
cities; but at least it remained a profound secret even
there, and guilt never paraded itseff unblushingly. In
the country the universal stabihty of marriage was a
strong proof of domestic purity.
Probably for this reason, and also on account of the
prevailing regularity of life, families were in general
blessed with numerous children. In the middle class
this was universal, and in the upper ranks of society
there were occasionaUy remarkable examples of it. I
still remember the unseemly levity of some Parisian
papers in which were described the unsuccessful rambles
of a certain Minister of the United States in France,
who could not find a decent lodging because he had
brought with him his ten children with their mother.
The chronicler in his feuilleton humorously described
the amazement of aU those who had apartments to let,
when they heard that His Excellency the Minister of the
United States had a complete army of boys and girls —
a thing unheard of in the kingdom of France. There
was, of course, a flat refusal everywhere, on account of
the impossibility of keeping apartments in good repair
with so many rough and boisterous youngsters. The
article in the papers concluded by saying: "At the last
news the unfortunate representative of the Washing
ton government was still walking through the streets

f"" PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN THE CITIES. 159
of Paris with his ten olive-branches suspended around
his neck and arms."
The writer may have been guilty of some exaggera
tion in his humorous sketch; but it was a fact, honor
able to the people of this country, that in the upper
ranks of society many families were very numerous,
and did not fear the extinction of their names. As to
the middle or inferior classes, you could see every day
the sidewalks in front of their humble dweUings crowded
with troops of little ones enjoying themselves in the
cool of the evening, or seated and chatting on the stoops
of the houses.
In rural districts matters stood still better. In the
farmer's eyes his wealth did not consist only in the
number of his acres and of his cattle and flocks.
His growing boys were a great help to him, and if
he was rich enough to give them aU the benefit of
a complete education, he saw in anticipation his name
honored far and wide, and the most honorable political
and civil offices in the possession of some of his
progeny. In concluding these reflections on the morality of the
people in the United States at the time of my arrival,
it will not be useless further to insist on the cause of
this purity of life. It may be considered a repetition of
what has already been said ; but there are truths which
it is not a fault to repeat, in order to impress them
the better on the mind. The conviction wiU become
stronger that pure morals, in order to strengthen the
wiU by subduing the passions, must not be reduced to
an unwritten code, such as individual conscience teaches
us,|but that the publication of that code by a higher

160 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
power, as Moses received it in the decalogue, wiU much
more powerfully impress aU classes of society, and
furnish a necessary guide to the uninstructed and the
ignorant.

CHAPTER rV.
RELIGIOUS CONDITION OF THE UNITED STATES
DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THIS CENTURY.
At the beginning of this century the sects were even ^^ °l
more numerous in the United States than they -werecorUro-
in England, because, besides those of the mother coun- ''*"^"
try, which always found some adherents here, the in
ventive American mind enriched the long catalogue of
sects by the addition of others peculiarly American. I
have had occasion, in my own experience, to become
acquainted with several erratic geniuses, and this wiU
enable me to describe some religious eccentricities
worthy, I think, of being recorded.
At my arrival in 1838 I may say that the era of con
troversy was over; the controversy between the Rev.
John Hughes of Philadelphia — afterwards Archbishop
Hughes — with a Presbyterian minister by the name of
Breckenridge was one of its last manifestations; the
contest of Mgr. PurceU, Bishop of Cincinnati, with
Alexander Campbell, the founder of the CampbeUites,
had already taken place, and I have not heard that any
controversy of importance has taken place since.
The number of Christian sects had constantly in
creased, but suddenly there came a lull in that fecundity.
The reason of this halt was the conviction on the part
of Protestants that the Refonned chip-ches were in a,
16;

162 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
state of decomposition. This must be seen somewhat
in detail.
There was not a dogma or practice of Christianity,
as it had been understood in fonner ages, that had not
been controverted by some bold disputant with the
Bible in his hand. Nay, the Bible itseff was said to be
a mere human book and could not be a rule of faith. In
its stead principles of ultra-criticism had been invented
and boldly laid down by advanced thinkers, who denied
any objective value to whatever was supernatural.
Miracles and prophecies were a priori false; their dis
cussion would be futile.
In England there was dismay, because the conser
vative character of the people made them shrink from
these conclusions. They have since got over that fear,
and agnosticism is the religion of many Enghshmen.
In this country the struggle came later; for it would
be a delusion to think that the principle of Protestant
ism worked ahke and apace in all countries where the
error had spread. Bahnes has proved in his "Protest
antism and Catholicity compared" (chapter ix) that
open infidelity, or at least indifferentism, penetrated
very early among the Protestant sects of Europe; and
aU admit that this indifferentism was almost universal
on the Eastern Continent by the middle of the seven
teenth century. In North America, however, attach
ment to the former sjmibols of faith continued to be
strong until our own day. TUl the middle of this cen
tury, Protestants in the United States pei-severed in
their profession of Christianity according to their old
formularies. Brownson, it is true, in his "Convert"
speaks of sects introduced into this country from Europe,

BELIGIOUS CONDITION. 163
when he was stiU quite a young man, in which aU super
natural truths were denied. But it is clear from his
narrative that this fatal symptom was confined to
isolated places, mainly in New England. Everywhere
else to deny the inspiration of the Bible and the super
natural character of miracles and prophecies, such as
they are narrated in the Old and the New Testament,
would have been considered heresy, and open infidelity
leading to atheism. For pure deism was then justly
esteemed a practical denial of the essential attributes
of the Triune God. This Christian spirit was stiU
prevalent aU over the country when I landed.
But plain symptoms of an imminent change were
already visible to an inteUigent observer. A small
book which fell into my hands struck me as extremely
signfficant in a country which was the home of strict
Protestantism. It was the republication in North
America of a compendious history of all Christian sects ;
it had gone through fifteen editions in England. It had
been written by "John Evans, LL.D."; most prob
ably the same John Evans mentioned in some biographi
cal dictionaries as an Oxford man who afterwards
founded a celebrated educational establishment at Bris
tol. The American editor considerably enlarged the
book, "with the addition," he said, "of the most re
cent statistics relating to religious sects in the United
States." But it is the object aimed at by the Enghsh author,
as weU as by the American editor, which must attract
our attention. In the preface to the edition of 1853 it
was said:
"The condition of religious parties at the present

164 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
moment is deeply interesting. AU sects seem to be
examining their principles, and the spirit of theological
investigation was never more active. Rehgion caimot
possibly suffer by the canvassing of its truths; and
enlightened views alone are likely to be of permanent
duration."
Protes- The only " activity " in Protestantism mentioned by
tokrant the editor of Evans' book was caUed by him " a canvass-
anMher ^'"^ °^ rehgious truths," and the word was perfectly
appropriate. It means, according to Webster's Dic
tionary, " discussing, examining, sifting, seeking." The
idea of "advocating " is not included in it. As long as
Protestant divines "advocated" the truths of Chris
tianity there were serious controversies between Prot
estants of various denominations, or between Prot
estants and infidels. But controversy was slowly dying
out; and now canvassing alone remained.
This soon naturaUy brought on moderation tn con
troversy; a thing altogether commendable, and unknown
before. For if the object of controversy is to find the
truth, nothing is so much opposed to it as altercations,
chicanery, and squabbles; and if the disputants think
that wit is the best means of silencing their adversaries,
it is impossible to settle the points under discussion in
an inteUigent and satisfactory manner.
Ominous The pacific temper of the champions of conflicting
religious views, therefore, held out a hope that truth
might come to her own. But soon it appeared among
Protestants that moderation went too far, since the very
foundations of faith were sacrificed by indifferentism.
If each individual is his own judge in rehgious ques
tions, and if the interpretation of Scripture is alto-

ence

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 165
gether left to the private judgment of the individual, it
is manifest that the opinions of aU must be respected,
because they may be true; and consequently no one
can declare them false. And because there is no Chris
tian dogma which had not been controverted by some
religionist or other, the conclusion was irresistible that
aU must admit to fellowship, and recognize as their
brethren in the faith, any one pretending that he is
a Christian, though he may not share in any of the
dogmatic opinions entertained by the others. This I
caU the open disorganization and dissolution of Chris
tianity. But Dr. Evans and his editor in America
thought that in advocating this feeling of universal
brotherhood "their sole object was truth and charity."
They were puUing down the " separation-waUs " which
before divided Christians, so that "men could shake
hands, and exchange words of fellowship, and recognize
in one another's faces the features of brethren."
These feehngs began to prevail among Protestant
sects in North America toward the middle of this cen
tury; and I had frequent opportunities of ascertain
ing it in the Southwest. They caUed it a catholic
spirit. It showed itseff, first, in a frequent interchange
of pulpits or in the strange custom of several clergjmien
preaching at the same time, though they belonged to
very different creeds. I do not know exactly when
this custom began to be adopted in Kentucky, but it
was already common when I arrived in the country. It
is indeed difficult to imagine how such an idea had
become not only possible, but usual, at the very end of
a period when controversies had been remarkable for
their acrimony and rudeness. A sort of courtesy had

166 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
suddenly been introduced into social intercourse be
tween disputants, so as to induce a Presbyterian or
Methodist preacher to invite an Episcopalian minister
or even an uncompromising Catholic priest to walk up
with him to his pulpit on a Sunday and address a con
gregation whoUy unused to the tenets of the visitor.
It is not easy to judge what effect this misceUaneous
preaching had on strictly sectarian congregations. Of
course great moderation was expected by both ministers
and people from the visiting clergyman who appeared
almost unexpectedly before them. We know, how
ever, that Father Badin, once at least, far from edified a
certain congregation by his moderation. But usuaUy
there was on both sides courtesy and sobriety of expres
sion. The preachers who exceUed in pleasing people
totaUy at variance with them were said to be distin
guished by a catholic spirit and tone. The word catho
lic was constantly used in that sense, with commenda
tion, in the religious periodicals of the various sects.
Later on the word unsectarian was substituted for
cathohc. The union of clergymen representing confficting
creeds in common public services soon became fre
quent, and mightily contributed to batter down the
"separation-walls " mentioned above. An example may
not be altogether uninteresting. Professor Henry of
Washington had then a great reputation as a literary
man of the first rank, whose erudition was almost
encyclopsedic. He was an Episcopalian minister of
sound repute, and belonged, I think, to the High Church
party in America. Dr. Osborn, a man of very different
religious views (being a Unitarian minister, and pastor

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 167
of a congregation whose church was then located in
Broadway, New York, near Eighth Street), invited him,
at the request of many respectable gentlemen, to deliver
a lecture on "Universities" in his church on a Sunday
evening. Dr. Forbes, at that time a Cathohc convert,
induced me to go with him and hear the lecture. We
placed ourselves among the audience, and declined to
sit on the platform.
The platform was literaUy ffiled with three rows of
gentlemen, among whom several laymen of note could
be distinguished ; but the immense majority were clergy
men of aU denominations. No Catholic priest, how
ever, had taken a seat among them.
On the motion of Dr. Osborn, a president was ap
pointed — a layman, if I mistake not. The first act of
the chairman to my surprise was to ask Dr. Osbom
to open the meeting with prayer. Instantly all the
gentlemen on the platform stood up to join in worship
with the Unitarian pastor, and not a single minister
among them, even the most strait-laced, hesitated to
participate in the ministrations of a man who was a
Socinian, whatever his respectability might be. I con
fess I was shocked, but felt highly gratified that, being
among the audience, which aU the while remained seated,
I was not exposed to the temptation of sacrificing
consistency, in order not to appear boorish. But the
nonchalance with which aU these Christian preachers
of the Gospel joined in prayer, under the guidance of a
man who believed neither in the Trinity nor in the di
vinity of Christ, would have appeared to me amusing,
had it not been so significant. There is no need of
adding that at the end of the lecture Dr. Osbom was

168 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
again called upon to bestow his benediction on the
whole assemblage.
Exchange But the time soon came when this strange com-
of 'oultyits ' mingling of creeds took the stiU more offensive form of
exchanging pulpits.
During the time of ardent controversies far greater
rehgious activity prevailed among Protestants than
when the time of canvassing arrived, in spite of what
Dr. Evans or his American editor said. It was during
the controversial period that so many churches were
built. This building process continued even afterwards
in large and rich cities, where wealthy people took pride
in erecting costly temples to show their sesthetic taste.
It was after all mainly an architectural mania. But
in little towns and villages, aU over the country, as long
as the zeal of each partictUar creed burned axdently
enough to make an open profession of its sectarian
tenets, edifices arose without number, each of them
devoted to a special set of opinions. In a hamlet of a
dozen or two of houses you might see several unpre
tending buildings, distinguished only by their spires,
which to people acquainted with American traditions
sufficiently indicated the denomination to which it
belonged. Presbyterian was very unlike Episcopalian
taste; and both greatly differed from the Baptist,
Methodist, Quaker, or Unitarian fashions. The people
of the viUage had done their best to show in their buUd
ings the diversity of their religious opinions; and though
those meeting-houses, as they were called, were far from
being costly, the builders being in general few in num
ber and not overloaded with cash, must have seriously
inconvenienced themselves by buying lots on credit.

RELIGIOUS CONDITION.^ 169
and contracting debts by employing so many car
penters and masons.
All difficulties, however, were surmounted by their
earnestness in the service of God, or by their zeal for
their peculiar views of honoring Him. But as soon as
moderation was introduced into controversies, and the
high " separation-waUs " which divided the sects had
been laid low by the canvassing and discussing of Chris
tian truths, the number of worshippers sadly diminished
in the rural districts, and many ministers, unable to live
with their families, were constrained to look for other
quarters, and wait for " caUs " from other congregations.
The evil spread so rapidly, and so many churches
were closed in country viUages, that the discharged
clergymen soon perceived with dismay that they would
have to wait an unreasonable time before they should
receive the much-wished-for caUs so easy to procure
a few years before. Towards 1860 I was shown, in the
northern part of the State of New York, a number of
rural churches which had not been opened for a year or
more. This was a sad position for many zealous preach
ers of God's word.
They accordingly consulted together as to the best
remedies for the evil. An expedient was at last sug
gested and acted upon, which furnished clear proof
that Protestantism was in a critical state. This was
the exchanging of pulpits among ministers who thought
of "extending the hand of feUowship to each other
over the prostrate separation-waUs, and recognize in
one another's faces the features of brothers."
Suppose that in a hamlet there were four meeting
houses — an Episcopalian, a Presbyterian, a Baptist, and

170 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
a Methodist church — aU of them dying slowly or giving
signs of but a sickly life. We wiU exclude the Episco-
pahans from the discussion. At that very time the
Tractarians in England, and their admirers in America,
were doing wonders in showing that they were Catholics;
and even those among them who were somewhat
frightened by the boldness of a Pusey, of a Newman, of
an Oakley, or of a Kemble, felt from the patristic doc
trines discussed by these great men that the Anglican
and the American Episcopahan belonged to a highly
respectable body of Christians; and they would in
general have scouted the idea of extending the " hand
of feUowship " to mere dissenters. So that there were
indeed very few cases of Episcopalians exchanging pul
pits with other preachers.
But it was not the same with other sects. AU of them
were crying out that the Puseyites and their disciples
were going to Rome ; as to themselves, they would always
uphold the Protestant cause. In regard to exchanging
pulpits what serious difficulty could they have? If, for
instance, the Presbyterian made arrangements with the
Baptist minister — even in case the first was psedobap-
tist, which was not always the case — ^he could have no
serious objection to his people hearing explained the
texts from Scripture in favor of confining the "ordi
nance" of baptism to adult persons. It was only a
"canvassing" of Christian truths, and the only effect
produced would be simply a wide extension given to
the spirit of charity and toleration. A blessed result
indeed! Nor could the Presbyterian minister have any
objection to inviting a Methodist exhorter to come and
address his people. It was weU known that the We s

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 171
leyan sect attached little importance to dogma, and
insisted only on moral reform and a change of heart,
a doctrine dear to aU the disciples of Luther and
Calvin. But it may be asked, why did they attach so much
importance to this exchange of pulpits? Did they
expect it to fill their churches again? Suppose that a
reverend disciple of Knox should address a Baptist con
gregation; would this congregation on that account
become larger, better disposed to the support of the
clergy, and more religiously inclined than it had been
before ? To a reflecting mind the ' ' expedient " would not
seem very promising. StiU there was a side of the
question which made it hopeful. Not only the curiosity
to hear a strange speaker would momentarily, at least,
increase the audience; but the very attempt to con
solidate the sects, and give them, according to Dr.
Evans, a sort of universality, would prove of immense
benefit in applying a salutary remedy to the greatest
evil of the Reformation, namely, the want of unity.
The hostility of the sects toward each other had nearly
ruined the cause. They must now labor for union if
they wished to avoid destruction. It was at about the
same time that the " Evangelical AUiance " was started,
having chiefly that object in view.
At the moment when this was taking place, no friend
of the Reformed churches would have dared to speak
even in a whisper of the "failure of Protestantism." It
was later that this awful truth was proclaimed from
one of the Protestant pulpits of New York, and afterward
discussed, reasserted, or denied in many other pulpits
and in clerical reviews. In 1840, or thereabouts, all

172 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
stiU firmly believed that Protestantism was sound at the
core, and would shake off the temporary paralysis that
afflicted it. Now, in the rural districts, it seemed that
the measures proposed by some of the leaders would be
beneficial for the purpose intended, and that canvassing
the truths of Christianity was the best way after all.
Accordingly the motion was carried in many places,
and religious edifices that had been closed for a longer
or shorter period of time were opened again, swept,
dusted, and in some instances refreshed with a new coat
of paint. Hope revived in the heart of many, but,
alas ! it was a delusive hope ; Protestantism was enter
ing the period not so much of decline, but of dissolution.
Before long even Protestant preachers declared that the
Reformation had been "a failure."
The truth soon became apparent. The discussions
heard everywhere from ministers of adverse sects
brought on, as a first result, a new spirit of toler
ation; but with it the conviction they had previously
entertained of their tenets, disappeared; and theb
faith itseff was swaUowed up. A Presbyterian, for
instance, had been a firm believer in a mysterious
and supernatural revelation, because he thought that
Calvin and Knox had explained the mystery by their
views on total depravity, on the imputable righteous
ness of Christ, on the eternal decrees of predestination,
etc. As soon as he began to entertain doubts of these
dogmas his former belief in revelation vanished, and
he became prepared to accept the solution given by
rationalists to all the questions respecting the human
soul. Since he was now solemnly admonished to foUow
his private judgment, that is, his individual reason, in

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 173
his choice of dogmas, logic and impartiality led him to
accept reason as his only guide.
Just then rationalism received a new and attractive
form in the systems of evolution and agnosticism, which
rapidly invaded England, and was popularized in this
country by a multitude of review articles, pamphlets,
discussions on anthropology, pre-history, etc. Owing
to the uniformity prevailing everywhere in the United
States, as previously explained, all these attacks on
Christian faith soon reached the most distant parts
even of the rural districts; and the multitude, bewil
dered by the loud assertions of the new rationalists, was
at last prepared to listen to the abuse of Robert Inger
soU, who at the present day revives the wild attacks of
Tom Paine against the Bible.
Protestantism appeared far from moribund in New
York, Boston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New
Orleans, St. Louis, etc. The closing of churches and
the dwindling away of congregations, so remarkable in
villages and hamlets, had not apparently affected the
great centres of population. Quite the contrary. No
one had ever witnessed such triumphant prosperity in
the outward looks of Protestantism. Magnificent tem
ples were building in the most fashionable quarters
of aU great cities. Whenever an old church was aban
doned the papers took good care to announce that the
only reason of the change was the necessity of providing
better and more roomy accommodations for the fast-
increasing congregations. The people who worshipped
in the former edifice — often a rickety old frame build
ing — had aU grown rich and their families had removed
far up-town to some aristocratic neighborhood. They

174 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
were quite ready to open their purse, and to contribute
liberaUy to raise a temple to God worthy of their patri
cian condition. They wished, moreover, to hear the
truths of Christianity in a form adapted to the high
culture of the present age. Art must now be allied to
religion in aU its forms — architecture, sculpture, music;
above all. Christian eloquence and the scientific treat
ment of religious questions. A first list of subscriptions
sent round among the members made it manifest that,
whatever might be the expense, there would be no
heavy debt at the end. Should the edffice itseff, with
its interior ornamentation, cost anything short of a
miUion, it would soon be paid. A large choir led by one
of the best organists in the city; an eloquent preacher,
sure of due appreciation from a most refined audience ;
everything that art and religion combined could fur
nish in this polished century, could easily be defrayed
by the simple premiums on the pew-rent alone. That
there was no delusion in these tempting anticipations
was amply proved by the erection and liberal support
of many costly churches in New York and Brooklyn
alone. The erection of so many expensive structures
in those cities seemed to prove irresistibly that Prot
estantism was very prosperous. Still in the midst of
this astounding prosperity the Rev. Mr. Bellows, I think,
emphatically declared before a gaping audience that
"Protestantism was a failure!"
Even the Episcopal Church, the last to give way,
showed signs of decay. The ministers belonging to the
Low Church party became restive in their disciphne.
The episcopal authority was at times openly set at
defiance; and a separation was avoided only because

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 175
the bishops did not dare to enforce the rules and to
reprove their bold eccentricities in doctrine and con
duct. The former Tractarians on the other side were
changed into ritualists, imitating the ceremonies of the
Catholic Church, apparently with the intention of vex
ing their bishops even more than the Low Churchmen
did. Among the bishops there was no uniformity
either of dogma or of discipline.
This unpromising state of affairs continued, -without Effects of
causing disunion, until the Civil War of 1861; then the^^^^''"'
Protestant churches in the North and South, owing to
the political coiffusion which had spread everywhere,
became widely disunited and disorganized. The clergy
men of the two sections could no longer meet together
amicably; and it is not a matter of wonder that the
former union, weak as it had been, gave way in many
places, particularly in the border States, in which minis
ters of the same church were often profoundly divided
on political questions. It was remarked at this time
that the Catholic Church alone did not show any symp
toms of this universal dissension.
Then several Episcopalian bishops declared themselves
independent, and carried away with them a number of
inferior clergymen. One of those prelates went so far
as to consecrate as bishops a couple of his dependent
clergy, and there was a prospect of an open schism in
the sect which had been until then the most compact,
conservative, and respected denomination in the
United States. It is needless to mention the state of
bewilderment consequent upon these quarrels, among
the pious and estimable ladies and gentlemen bom
in Episcopahanism, and accustomed from infancy

176 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
to regard their church as a branch of the Catholic
religion. This meagre sketch can scarcely give an idea of the
decay of the Protestant sects in the United States,
just at the moment when open infidehty, under the
names of agnosticism, positivism, and evolutionism,
threatened to swaUow up aU former beliefs and
convictions, and to leave men a prey to their pas
sions, refusing to recognize any master on earth or in
heaven.
Continued The Constitution of the United States prohibited the
Uon^of^' establishment of a National Church, and left all citizens
Catholics, f j-ee to foUow their religious convictions, and to organize
themselves as they wished. The Catholic Church, then
an insignificant body of about 25,000 souls, profited
by this law. The see of Baltimore was instituted by
Pius VIL, and John Carroll became its first bishop.
George Washington, replying to a deputation of promi
nent Catholics, directly after the conclusion of the
peace with England, had declared that the citizens
belonging to the Church of Rome had been remarkable
for their patriotism during the war, shedding their
blood on the field of battle, and contributing hberaUy
of their means for the success of their country's cause.
He was sure, he added, that they would continue, in
time of peace, observers of the law and promoters of
the common prosperity in the various avocations of
private and public life.
Liberality The new States, foUowing the lead of Congress, in-
govem- Scribed freedom of worship on their constitutions, and,
ment. ig] except in New Hampshire and Rhode Island, aU the
disabilities and penal laws which previously kept the

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 177
Cathohcs under the ban were removed, to the gratifi
cation of all good citizens.
When the federal govemment was asked to allow a
Catholic hierarchy in the United States, not only no
obstacle was put in its way, but owing to the good
offices of Franklin, then Minister of the United States
in France, all the wishes of the Court of Rome as regards
the communication of the Holy See with the American
bishops were at once gratified. The Roman Pontiff
expressed his admiration of the ways of divine Provi
dence in opening a large continent in the New World
to the mild sway of the Church, at the very moment
when all the states of Europe, Cathohc as well as
Protestant, were bent on opposing Catholicity, nay,
of destroying it root and branch.
But if in the higher spheres of government and in
official life there was shown a generous liberality toward
the Mother Church, the Protestant sects in general
remained as bitter as they had been in their hostil
ity against "Romanism or Papistry." Their universal
principles of toleration, even toward the middle of this
century, did not allow them to proffer the hand of
fellowship to the superstitious Romanists. The old
prejudices continued to maintain their hold on the
majority of the American Protestants, and prevented
the closing up of the religious chasm.
I will briefly state the causes of these prejudices p^y-
against Catholicity and Catholics. The imputation of "'^'^^^*,
° •' '^ against
priestcraft, that is to say, hypocrisy and cunning on the Catholics.
part of the Catholics, and chiefly of their leaders, was
deeply impressed by the clergy on the Protestant mind
in England, it seems, as well as in the United States;

178 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
and this was the chief explanation they gave not only
of the preservation but of the extension of the Cath
olic Church in spite of the initial victories gained by
Protestantism. The axiom that the Catholics were
a cunning set, that their priests were plotters and
rogues, became a solemn decree of ostracism against
the most inoffensive children of the Roman Church.
Brownson records that the Presbyterian ministers
always solemnly warned their flocks against having
any social, political, or even commercial intercourse
with papists. Nay, more: though they professed to
believe that their own theological system was superior
to any other, particularly to the superstitious tomfool
ery of papism, still they forbade them to buy, possess,
or read any Catholic books.
The most galling consequence of this dark view of
Catholicism was the constant state of social wrangling
among near neighbors, or rather the total disregard of
one another which it produced. In Marion County,
Kentucky, where I lived, the Catholic farmers were
nearly as numerous as the Protestants; among these
last the Presbyterians predominated. I never heard
that a Catholic family could presume to visit a Cal
vinist neighbor, much less ask his good offices in a time
of difficulty. They scarcely nodded to each other
when they met on the public road. AU social ties were
broken by this absurd fear of popish plots. It stood to
reason — this was the usual expression — that a disciple
of Calvin or Knox should not receive into his house a
priest-ridden papist whose dark designs could never be
known. My visits were strictly confined to the Catholic families

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 179
of the neighborhood, where I always found myself at
home. Still an occasion occurred which demonstrated
the impossibility of obtaining a trifling act of kindness
from one of our Protestant neighbors. Dr. Boisliniere
of St. Louis, who came to spend a few days with us at
the college, proposed to me one day to go in his buggy
to pay a visit to the Dominicans of St. Rose, thirteen
miles distant. I accepted with pleasure, as I had
never been there before, and had often promised to go.
It was in summer, and we started early in the after
noon with the prospect of beautiful though warm
weather. But in Kentucky, thunder-storms rise
rapidly, and the faU of rain is sometimes tropical.
Such a storm overtook us when we were just half-way
to St. Rose's. A stream which we had to cross had
become an impetuous torrent, and in fording it, the
gear which connected our vehicle with our horse, broke
suddenly, and we found ourselves at the mercy of the
infuriated elements.
There was, fortunately, a farmhouse quite near, and
we felt sure of a welcome, as a piece of rope was all we
wanted. But as soon as I gave my name and my office
of professor at the coUege, we were told to go in a pour
ing rain to the next house, which was that of a Catholic
farmer nearly haff a mile distant!
Under the circumstances the only thing which could
be of any service to us was a ready wit and a sharp
reply, which in the United States are always an " open-
sesame " which unbar the closed door. Father Badin
was a master in that useful science; and though I think
I have abeady mentioned one of his tricks, it may not
be superfluous to make mention of another. Having

180 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
one day lost his horse, which feU under him and died on
the road, he took his saddle-bags on his arm and, leaving
the carcass to its fate, walked to the nearest inn. There
was in the barroom a numerous assemblage, among
them a Presbyterian minister well known for his broad
humor. As soon as the priest appeared the Calvinist
preacher went to him. "I hope," he said, "that before
your horse died, you had time to anoint him." " Uiffor-
tunately I could not anoint him," replied Father Badin,
"because the scoundrel tumed Presbyterian." This
repartee put everybody on his side; and he procured
without any expense whatever he needed for the re
mainder of his journey.
There seemed to be no cure for this first prejudice.
Protestants saw in the most inoffensive circumstances
proofs of the cunning and hypocrisy of the "papists."
A glance, a random word without special meaning,
conduct different from that of others, were directly
taken as demonstrations of the duplicity imputed. And
it must be confessed with Dr. Newman in his Apologia
that this imputation, which in the eyes of Protestants
became a kind of note of the Church, was so "indeed
truly, because the presence of powerful enemies, and
the sense of their own weakness, had sometimes tempted
Christians [Catholics] to the abuse, instead of the use, of
Christian wisdom, to be wise without being harmless;
but only partly, nay, for the most part, not truly, but
slanderously, and merely because the world called their
wisdom craft, when it was found to be a match for
its own numbers and power."
When I landed, there were comparatively few disa
bilities weighing on the children of the Mother Church.

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 181
In theory they had aU the rights of citizens; they enjoyed
by right aU the social and political privileges granted
to citizens by the Constitution. But during more than
two hundred years they had been, hke the Cathohcs in
Great Britain and Ireland, oppressed by iniquitous penal
laws in nearly all the colonies which became afterwards
States of the Union. During this long time of ostra
cism they were often reduced to resort to shifts in order
to practise their religion, educate their children, in fact
to foUow the dictates of their conscience — the most
sacred right of man. If, in order to secure these ines
timable advantages, they were compeUed to use discre
tion in their language, prudence in their conduct, secrecy
in the midst of spies, who could accuse them of cunning
and hypocrisy? They only exercised the right of seff-
defence. The Catholics did not ask for reprisals; they
asked only that the rehgious freedom granted to aU
citizens should be awarded to them also, not only in
theory, but in fact.
But in 1838 it was a glaring fact that Catholics were
excluded from all, or nearly all, public offices; that
aU public institutions — prisons, hospitals, poorhouses,
academies for military and naval officers, etc., were in
the hands of Protestants, and no Catholic could fully
enjoy his religious rights in them. The time had not
arrived even for claiming those rights. Proofs with
out number could be quoted here. Who could be
surprised under these circumstances that the Catholics
brooded over their wrongs, and were dissatisfied with
the partiality shown to Protestants? Perhaps their
enemies would have been better pleased if the " papists "
had clenched their fists and gnashed their teeth at the

182 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
numerous acts of injustice done to them. They never
did so. They were cowed by a tyranny which had
lasted more than two centuries; and on this account,
perhaps, they were thought to be a cunning, hypocritical
set of priest-ridden fanatics. The Puritans were cer
tainly persuaded of this, and it was an axiom never
to be erased from their vade mecum.
Prejudice Has this prejudice, so obvious fifty years ago, en-
a P^^*''" • J; jj.giy vanished at this moment? There is now no
doubt a far greater number of hberal Protestants who
profess to be friendly to Catholics, hold intercourse with
them and with their priests, and seem to be ready to
render any service in their power. Puritan prejudices
are derided by them, and they appear to be in favor of
the largest and most unqualified toleration. Cathohc
clergymen do not fail to profit by this change, and bless
the days in which we live, so different from the past.
StiU I have heard from acute observers that Cathohcs
can never be sure that these professions of friendship
are sincere ; and sometimes it happens that after prom
ising theb help and good offices men find some flimsy
pretext for withholding their cooperation. In a pre
vious chapter I have given the result of my own expe
rience. Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, in aU their
branches, I have generaUy found as prejudiced agamst
us as their Puritan ancestors have ever been. There is
scarcely any difference between the ministers of those
sects and their people. There is always among them
a lurking fear of Cathohcs, and for many of them
"papists" are worse than pagans. If there are any
exceptions, they are so few and insignificant that they
do not deserve to be mentioned.

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 183
It is only among High Church Episcopalians — min
isters and people — that a kind feeling towards us seems
really to exist; and during the whole time of my
ministry I have often been under great obligations to
them, fuUy persuaded that they were sincere friends. It
was before Ritualism arose, and when Tractarianism
was prevalent among them. As to Low Church Episco
palians, they had, I thought, few prejudices against us,
yet would have spumed the idea of having any dealings
with us.
In general, the idea that Protestant laymen have
of Catholic priests is of a forbidding nature. The
system of supernaturalism pervading the Church is to
them inexplicable. The supernatural truths kept by
Protestantism are so few, and so httle thought of in
social life, that they consider their own ministers
simply as well-brought-up gentlemen fiUing the office of
preachers, not daring to trouble the conscience of their
flock. A well-brought-up and cultured layman con
siders his pastor as a pleasant companion standing on
the same level with himseff and able to discuss literary,
social, and political matters with him. In the pulpit
the clergyman must not touch political subjects, except
in a very general way, because public opinion is against
it, but every topic connected with history, science, art,
and religion (so far as its social aspect is concerned)
is a proper and interesting subject of discussion. The
sacred character of the clergyman has totally dis
appeared. How deeply this prejudice was ingrained in the Judge
Protestant mind appears from the history of manygo^_ ^^
conversions. Judge Wilkinson of Kentucky had mar-

184 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
ried a Catholic lady of Bardstown, and was seriously
thinking of becoming a Cathohc. But many difficulties
arising from the prejudices now under consideration
weighed on his mind. He came to pay us a visit at St.
Mary's, and remained three or four days. I had been in
correctly informed that he had actuaUy joined the Church.
I was not, therefore, surprised, in a long conversation
I had with him in our garden, to hear him speak
almost enthusiasticaUy of the happiness the human
mind and heart felt when resting on the bosom of the
true Church. AU the problems of Iffe were at once
explained; faith had opened the door which reason
alone could not unlock; the Christian rehgion, so
poorly supported by the sects, stood up in its native
grandeur, and commanded the respect and the love of
the happy convert, etc., etc. I was, of course, dehghted,
and I confined myseff to saying occasionaUy a word
or two in confirmation of the sentiments which issued
so naturaUy from his lips. At the end of the conver
sation I expressed the pleasure I felt in receiving the
confirmation of what I had been told, though infor-
maUy, of his accession to our ranks. To this he simply
answered that I was mistaken, "he had not the happi
ness of being a Catholic." This was a mystery that I
could not explain; and I was so much taken by sur
prise that I did not caU on him to enhghten me; so we
separated. The cat came out of the bag just a year later. He
came again; but this time his object was to go through
a week's retreat, at the end of which he was baptized,
and from that day forward he always remained an ex
emplary Cathohc, firmly attached to his rehgion. He

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 185
died without having experienced a moment's doubt
with regard to our holy faith. But what were his feel
ings when he spoke to me on the occasion of his first
visit? He told me that he did not believe what he had said to
me in favor of Catholicity the first time. Having strange
and rather dark notions of the real character of Catholic
priests, and not knowing me intimately as he did a few
others, he thought it better not to raise any question.
There would be between us both no controversy and no
fear of the least discourtesy in our conversation. He
said that at that time he had not the least idea of em
bracing the religion of his wife. AU the prejudices of his
Protestant education were then as strong as before ; and,
as usual among sectarians, he did not believe that the
Cathohc Church could be right. His eyes were opened
in a manner which he could not himseff describe. Hav
ing read many Catholic books before, he could rehearse
the arguments brought forward by the writers. But
there was a formidable obstacle which prevented him
from deriving real benefit from his knowledge. This
was a deep mistrust of the Church herself and her min
isters. He could not think they were sincere. He
could not say how that want of confidence had gradu
aUy disappeared. He no longer experienced the least
uneasiness from it. The Church, on the contrary, was
in his eyes undoubtedly the interpreter of God's will,
and he felt an intense pleasure in throwing himseff into
her arms.
How could this change be explained? From cold
arguments offered to him by Christian apologists with
out forcing his assent, he had, in a few months, passed

186 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
to a state of security he had never anticipated. His
mind was made up ; his heart entirely captivated by the
beauty of Christ's Bride, his imagination entranced by
the splendor of his new faith. This evidently was the
work of God Himseff; and in his opinion God had been
induced to pour on him this effusion of His grace by the
prayers of his Catholic friends, particularly of his wife
and of his innocent children.
I have had frequent occasions to remark the same
psychological process in the conversion of Protestants
in the United States. After most Adolent opposition
to the Church on account of theb prejudices, when
they were fully persuaded that truth could not be found
in her teachings, nor morality in her precepts, there was
at first a vague desire of further knowing her tenets,
often with the view of hating and despising her more
than ever. They were obliged, however, to coiffess that
things were not as they had imagined them to be. But
even when their mind began to be convinced, theb heart
remained as firm as ever in its opposition; and invari
ably at the happy moment when they were at last
brought to the feet of the Spouse of Christ, they could
not explain their conversion except as a free gfft from
Heaven of which secondary causes had oiUy been blind
instruments. That Protestants are for the most part persuaded
that truth cannot be found in the teaching of the Church,
nor morality in her precepts, is an ahnost universal fact.
The young men who formed a glorious cluster of ardent
Christians around Bishop Ives in North Carolina, and
caUed themselves Santa Crucians, were converted to his
sect, the High Church Episcopahans, from Methodism,

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 187
Presbyterianism, and Low Churchism, by his reputa
tion for virtue and talent. Not a single one of them,
before going to him, thought of examining the claims of
the Cathohc Church. This was told me by Mr. Donald
McLes, who became at last a Catholic clergyman.
Subsequently, Mr. Shaw of Boston, who from a Con-
gregationalist or Unitarian became a Cathohc and died
a novice in the Society of Jesus, assured me that he had
the same experience. Happening to feel dissatisfied
with his own creed, he did not at first think that Catho
licity deserved a moment's attention. He was brought
to think of her only by what he saw in the city of Rome
when he visited it for pleasure and information.
The second indictment which used to be made against charge of
the Church by Protestants in 1838 and after is that of^"??'-
superstition. The worship of the Blessed Virgin and of
the saints, the veneration paid to relics and holy images,
the custom of pious pilgrimages to certain shrines, the
prescribed days of fast and abstinence, the doctrine of
indulgences, and the power of absolution from sins
granted to approved clergymen, etc., etc., were in the
eyes of Protestants so many absurd superstitions, if not
open acts of idolatry.
Catholic controversy has, hundreds of times, explained
these doctrines and practices, and proved that none of
them is opposed to faith or reason.
The third charge made against the Catholics and their Catholic
Church was that they have always opposed the reading ^^^7^^^
of the Bible ; that even now no importance is attached -S*^.
by Catholics to the perusal of the Old or New Testament
for the formation of character and the development of
the inner Christian hfe. These and kindred charges

188 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
were firmly believed by aU the sects at the time of my
landing, and contributed greatly to increase the oppo
sition against us. The tables, however, are now tumed,
and Cathohcs are the most earnest believers in the
authenticity and inspiration of the Bible.
Bigotry in We often heard the outcry that the Cathohc Church
the Troy
poor- stemly forbids Catholics to publish the Bible or any
house. pg^j.^. qJ j|. y,{ifiQy^t comments. I wiU relate an occurrence
which took place during the Know-nothing excitement
in 1857, I think.
I was then in Troy, and, the poorhouse of Rensselaer
County being in our parish of St. Joseph's, I had obtained
permission in 1852 to occupy a room once a fortnight,
in which I heard confessions and said Mass for the Catho
lic inmates. The year foUowing I was aUowed by the
keeper to send every Sunday afternoon two young girls,
the daughters of Michael O'Grady, whose farm was con
tiguous to the poorhouse, to take charge of teaching
catechism to the Catholic children and prepare them
for their first conununion.
Everything went on admirably weU with great har
mony, and much good was done, until the Know-noth
ing storm swept over the country, and threatened the
disfranchisement of Catholic citizens. Fortunately
the three superintendents — Democrats — who had been
previously elected for three or four years, could not be
removed. One of them, by the name of Gregory, how
ever, was as hostile to Cathohcs as any Know-nothing
could be. The two others were good men, one of them
particularly, Sidney Smith, a High Church Episcopa
lian of Lansingburg. A new keeper, however, was
appointed, who seemed leagued with Gregory to vex us.

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 189
Shortly after, the Methodists obtained from the
Board of Supervisors a sum of fifty doUars to buy moral
and instructive books for the children of the poorhouse;
and these moral and instructive books consisted of
abusive tracts against the Cathohc religion, and were
illustrated with insulting woodcuts. Protestant Tes
taments and prayer-books completed the collection. I
had instructed the Misses O'Grady how to act in the
circumstances; I had told them, if any attack against
us was openly made in these pamphlets, to obtain some
of them from the Catholic children and bring them
to me. Not suspecting that New Testaments would
also be distributed, I had said nothing of them; and
unfortunately several were brought to me together
with the Methodist tracts. I told the young ladies to
take back these Testaments to the poorhouse the
following Sunday, and tell the keeper that it was a mis
take. But when they were going to do so, the keeper,
without listening to them, shut the door in their faces,
caUed them thieves, and forbade them ever to return to
the place.
My duty was to see to the matter personally. I went
as soon as possible to the office of the Poorhouse
superintendents, and found there Mr. Gregory alone.
I had not then full knowledge of his malignity, and
thought that, being a Democrat, he would show some
respect for his party, and some fear of those who had
elected him. AU my people had voted for him at the
last election. But I perceived my mistake very soon,
and leaving him in his office I went straightway to
Lansingburg, and found Mr. Sidney Smith at his place
of business. He had not yet heard anything of what

190 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
had happened the previous Sunday. After I told him,
he exclaimed that the taking of the New Testaments
might become a serious affair without his interfer
ence. The present keeper, though apparently a Know-
nothing, was under great obligations to him, and the
matter, he thought, would be soon settled. He called
directly for his buggy, and soon we were going together
to the field of battle.
On the way he explained to me what he would do.
Mr. Bolton, the keeper, would consent to receive
back the New Testaments which were the cause of the
difficulty. (No mention would be made of the tracts,
which I needed to show how the Board of Supervi
sors had been imposed upon in voting away public
money to buy these sheets containing such bitter at
tacks on the inoffensive Catholics.) The Misses O'Grady
would continue to teach catechism in the Poorhouse.
I would make a list of Catholic New Testaments,
prayer-books, etc., which I would procure and hand
over to Mr. Sidney Smith — who would pay for them —
and they would be given to Mr. Bolton for distribution
among the Catholic children by the hands of the Misses
O'Grady. There would thus be a perfect reconcihation
between all parties.
To carry out this programme appeared to me scarcely
possible in the midst of the prevailing Know-nothing
excitement. In Albany, at that time, the Catholic priest
who had charge of the Albany County poorhouse had
been forbidden to enter the estabhshment, without any
cause whatsoever. Mgr. McCloskey — then bishop of
Albany — through the influence of many friends had ob
tained that, at least, in case of the serious sickness of the

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 191
inmates a Catholic clergyman should be caUed to admin
ister the sacraments in articulo mortis. StiU my friend
Mr. Smith told me everything would be done, as he
announced it to me. And so it came to pass, after a
slight resistance on the part of Mr. Bolton. I did not
think proper to inquire of Mr. Smith what were the obli
gations under which this gentleman was to him. But I
am sure there was nothing dishonorable in the services
rendered by my friend of Lansingburg. He was a per
fect gentleman and a Christian.
In the course of our conversation in the buggy, Mr.
Smith asked me: "How is it. Father, that you at
tach such importance to excluding from the hands of
your flock our version of the New Testament? I know
our King James version almost by heart, and I have
read several times your New Testament. To tell you
the truth, I cannot see any difference between them,
except that our own is written in better style."
"My dear sir," I replied, "I have two answers to give
to your objection. The first, that wiU not be perhaps
altogether obvious to you, is this: Though you are an
excellent Christian and an habitual reader of Holy Scrip
ture, I am sure that you do not consider yourseff a
theologian and a philologist. There may be — and there
are — differences between both texts which may not
strike you as important, though a theologian may very
well be of a different opinion." Then I called his atten
tion to a pamphlet written a short time before by Bishop
O'Connor of Pittsburg on that question, and promised
to send him a copy. " It is true," I added, " that you
may reply by saying that if some of those differences
9,re of importance in the eyes of Cathohc theologians.

192 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
they cannot endanger the faith and morals of an ordinary
reader. This may be partly trae; stiU the Church is
so earnest in her endeavor to safeguard her children
that she wiU put into their hands only a pure and unex
ceptionable text. The second answer, I am sure, will
settle the matter for you as weU as for me.
"AU sects among the Reformers insist on pubhshing
their Bibles without any notes and comments; and they
find fault with the Catholic Church for forbidding the
printing of the sacred books without notes and com
ments on the passages whose meaning is not clear to
ordinary readers. I am sure that you wUl concede to
Cathohcs the right of thinking that the Bible is not
always so clear as to require no notes or comments."
Mr. Smith interrupted me, and said with emphasis:
"You are right, Father; the reading of the Bible with
out any explanation is likely to breed fanaticism, and
has done so more than once. I reiterate my promise
to you that your children in the Poorhouse shaU have
the Catholic Testaments you are to procure in my name."
This dark cloud of prejudice was the greatest obstacle
to the conversion of Protestants. It is even surprising
that under the circumstances any of them saw the errors
of their sects and found refuge in the bosom of the
Mother Church. But those who did so confessed that
at first they thought it impossible to try. When they
began to study religious questions it seemed to them
an act of foUy to become a Cathohc. No wonder that
their toleration did not embrace the Catholics.
Growth The prejudices enumerated in the previous section stiU
Catholic held sway toward the middle of this century. Until
iodij. j^ggo or thereabouts, the Catholic Church was scarcely

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 193
visible in the midst of the sects whose meeting-houses
hteraUy fiUed the cities, towns, viUages, and hamlets of
the country. The reader still remembers the description
of the few Catholic churches which my companion and
I met with during our long journey from Philadelphia
to Lebanon in Kentucky. We could say our Mass con
veniently only at Pittsburg and Wheeling. It would
have required better information than we possessed to
discover the few Dominican chapels then existing in
Ohio, or the parochial churches of Frankfort and Lex
ington in Kentucky.
The Catholics being so few, did not dare to raise their
heads. Under the shield of the Constitution they could
freely build churches, open schools, found asylums,
hospitals of their own, etc. But they needed few of
these establishments. The innumerable free schools
were all denominational and consequently closed to
their children. The public hospitals, poorhouses,
asylums of aU sorts, were in the hands of Protestants, or
if they were state or county establishments everything
was under Protestant rule. In a great number of poor
houses, even, no priest could show himseff and admin
ister the sacraments to the dying Catholics. The
reader has not forgotten what happened to Father Du
Banquet the first time he presented himself at the West
chester County poorhouse, a few miles from Fordham.
A much longer list of such abuses could be given; these
few words must suffice here.
Even in those parts of Kentucky where many Catho
hcs from Maryland had settled at the beginning of this
century, and where the names of Bishops Flaget and
David, Fathers Badin, Nerinckx^ AbeU, Reynolds, etc,

194 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
were justly held in veneration by the population, the
great majority of Protestants would have no intercourse
with papists. The reader stiU remembers what hap
pened to Dr. BoislinSre and myself at the door of a
Presbyterian farmer's house during a storm. That
most interesting book caUed "The Centenary of Catho
licity in Kentucky," by Hon. Benjamin J. Webb, con
tains an anecdote very like my own concerning Father
AbeU, who, being first admitted by a fanner during a
storm, was about to be tumed adrift when his priestly
character became known. But he was a Kentuckian
bom and could act with more energy than I; so he
forced the rustic to give him supper and a bed. That
story is characteristic and gives an idea of the position
of Catholics, even in the best portions of the country.
Growth of A more liberal spirit began about that time to per-
^arZng%e'^^^ the Upper classes. The same thing is trae of the
cultivated, officers of the army and navy. They were perfect
gentlemen, many of whom had seen foreign countries,
and respected the Catholic religion on account of what
they had seen abroad.
About the year 1850 the few Catholic cadets at West
Point were not molested on account of theb religion,
either by the professors or by the Protestant students.
They were aUowed on Sundays to go to Cold Spring,
across the Hudson, the only place tn the neighborhood
possessing a Catholic church. Father ViUani, from
Piedmont, Italy, was the pastor, and having occasion to
see me frequently in New York he told me many in
teresting stories about the gentlemen of the Mihtary
Academy who always received him with the utmost
courtesy. One of the professors, it is true, was a Catho-

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 195
lie; but he was not the only one to show his kind feel
ings toward Father ViUani. This was the gentleman
who became afterwards General Rosecrans, and whose
brother graduated at Fordham CoUege and became
bishop of Columbus, Ohio. General Rosecrans was, I
think, the first of many officers of high grade to return
to the Church. At present there is a respectable num
ber of Catholic generals and superior officers in the
United States army.
It was at Fordham that the brother of General Rose
crans, who had become a Catholic before he entered St.
John's CoUege, thought of consecrating himseff to God in
the priesthood. I had many conversations with him
which changed my ideas about the probability of finding
a sufficient number of vocations for the ecclesiastical
state in the United States. I reaUy thought it would
be extremely difficult to find almost any young Ameri
cans who would think of taking such a step. Nay,
Rev. Dr. C. C. Pise had persuaded me that it would be
hard, if not impossible, to form in this country an Amerir-
can Catholic Church, since the parish of St. Peter's, the
oldest in New York, was still entirely composed of Irish
men from Ireland. None of those who had been bap
tized in that church since its establishment at the end of
the last century were members in 1846. This I was told
at the time by Dr. Pise. Yet to-day not only do many
parishes contain a large proportion of American-bom
families, but there is in them no lack of vocations for
the ecclesiastical state. This is a new and a strong proof
that before 1850 the Catholic Church had a feeble exist
ence in the United States. But about that time there
was an observable change which has since gone pn in-'

196 FORTY YEARS} IN THE UNITED STATES.
creasing wonderfuUy; and it was tn the cultivated classes
of society that a kind feeling toward Catholicity first
showed itseff.
It is, therefore, not surprising that in the American
navy the same favorable S5maptoms appeared. I first
heard of it from Bishop Hughes — ^he was not yet Arch
bishop. During one of my visits to him I found him hi
great glee. He had just returned from Washington, and
told me a remarkable story which I have not read in
any of his biographies.
I cannot state the exact time of the occurrence, as I
do not find anything tn my notes relating to it; but it is
strongly imprinted on my memory, and it surely hap
pened under one of the Democratic administrations,
probably that of Mr. Polk. The time, consequently,
agrees weU with the change observed in the army.
The Secretary of the Navy had caUed the Bishop to
the seat of government to offer to Cathohc clergymen
a chaplaincy in the fleet. UntU that time aU the
chaplains tn the army and navy had been Protestants,
mostly Episcopahans; and I think that this has con
tinued to be the case untU the present time. The
Secretary observed at first that the majority of the
sailors were Roman Catholics, and the navy officers
had no objection — ^far from it — to see theb Irish tars
gratffied by giving them Catholic chaplains. The
Bishop was assured that the officers would assist at
the divine service on Sundays with their men, and exact
from the sailors a proper respect for their chaplains.
These reverend gentlemen would have the rank and the
pay granted to the Episcopahan chaplains, and mess
with the officers, etc.

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 197
The Bishop was surprised ; he had not expected such
a proposal. He did not tell me aU that passed in his
thoughts, but his answer to the Secretary remains stiU
vividly in my memory, though I cannot vouch for the
words. After having thanked the administration and
particularly the Secretary for their liberality towards
the Roman Church, he said in substance that he was
sorry to say the Catholic hierarchy of the United States
might not find it feasible to accept the proposal at that
time. He would have to take their advice before
giving a final answer. On account of the dearth of
priests and other important reasons he thought that
the majority of his brethren in the episcopate would
take the same view as he did himseff.
"But, Mr. Secretary," the Bishop closed his answer,
" if this country should be at war with a foreign nation,
and battles should be expected to take place on sea, if
our hne-of-battle ships must meet a British seventy-four,
making it likely that the deck of our ships will be strewn
with the bodies of our wounded sailors, we shaU give to
the govemment aU the chaplains they want, and wiU con
sider it a great honor." The Bishop told me that the
Secretary expressed his admiration of those senti
ments. This story shows the change in the feelings of the
higher classes to Catholics which took place at that
time. Twenty years before such a meeting between a
Secretary of the Navy and a Catholic bishop could
hardly have taken place. In case the President of the
United States or his secretaries had wished to make such
appointments, the naval officers would have opposed it,
and it could not have been carried into execution.

198 FORTYi YEARS IN THE} UNITED STATES.
RespecH Another incident which happened about the same
triests^" *'™® ^^^ ^ powerful confirmation of this view. I occa-
by naval sionally visited Rev. Mr. Bacon, pastor of the Church
officer. ^^ ^j^^ Assumption in Brooklyn, who died since then as
Bishop of Portland, Maine. It was a beautiful fore
noon in the spring. He proposed to me to visit the
Navy Yard, which I had never seen, and which was with
in the precincts of his parish. On the way he told me
what had taken place there two weeks before. In the
middle of the night he was caUed to attend a Catholic
sailor. An accident had just happened, and two men,
a Catholic and a Methodist, had been seriously injured;
both the priest and the Methodist minister were dbectly
caUed. The priest. Father Bacon, was the first to
arrive, and was received, as had always been the cus
tom, without any ceremony. The receiving ship was, I
think, the old frigate Constitution. From the boat
Father Bacon was hoisted up to the deck of the ship,
which was in the middle of the stream, and taken di
rectly to the bunk of the poor Irish saUor. As the
man was in danger of death, the priest's task kept him
busy considerably more than half an hour, and at the
end he prepared to go home. A sailor whom he found
at the door told him the Commodore wished to see him,
and he was conducted to his room. I have forgotten
the name of the gentleman — perhaps it was Commo
dore Meade; he certainly was a captain in the navy,
and he had the title of Commodore as commander of
a frigate, I think. He begged Father Bacon to be
seated, and began to apologize for the unceremonious
way in which he had been admitted. He said that as
soon as the accident happened he had sent a messenger

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 199
for both clergymen, but he had given order on board
the ship to receive the Cathohc priest with marked
attention. He did not explain the nature of that atten
tion; but he added that his order had been mistaken
and the attention was bestowed on the Methodist min
ister. He wished to repair that mistake, and, as it could
not be done when the night was so far advanced, he
hoped the Rev. Mr. Bacon would soon find an occasion
to visit the ship, either alone or with some friends, dur
ing the daytime. He would then show how he appre
ciated the character of a Catholic clergyman, though
he was not himself a Catholic. "Now we are going to
see," added my friend, "what he wiU do to redeem his
pledge." We soon arrived, and Father Bacon, after sending
his card, expected instant admittance. But we were
requested to wait for a signal which would soon be
given. It was evident there would be some ceremony.
From the shore, in fact, we saw a troop of marines filing
on one side, sailors on the other; a band of music directly
struck up a lively march. When we reached the top of
the ladder the Commodore was there ready to welcome
us. After a hearty shake of the hand he placed him
seff between both of us, and proceeded to show us every
interesting part of the frigate. Having never studied
the phraseology of maritime affairs, ship-tackle, and
the like, I cannot speak of them as expertly as Fenimore
Cooper, Captain Marryat, or other novelists whose life
was spent on the ocean. We were shown at first, I
think, the vast room extending the whole length of the
ship directly under the main deck. There must have
been at least twelve big guns on each side, with the

200 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
proper amount of baUs, ramrods, etc. I know that at
present aU this belongs to the past, and the Chinese
alone stiU use them. But at that time artiUery had
not progressed as much as is the case now. After the
fighting field of the ship we visited its hospital, kitchen,
refectory, and various haUs. The Constitution was an
old sailing-ship, and there was no steam-engine on board.
What chiefly interested us were the honors paid to both
of us as Catholic clergymen. The marines had presented
arms when we landed on the main deck; the saUors
were all at their posts below or in the rigging; the
band went through its usual list of patriotic airs and
martial tunes.
At last aU this display came to an end, and the Com
modore took us to his apartments, where some wine and
cakes waited for us. We drank his health, and he
returned the compliment; and after a pohte conversa
tion of twenty minutes we withdrew. He accom
panied us to the deck, where the band was stiU play
ing; finaUy a lively favorite tune was struck up and
continued until we had reached the Brooklyn shore.
Such had been, until that day, the humble social stand
ing of Catholic clergymen that both Mr. Bacon and my
seff considered this pleasant little affair as a sort of
triumph for our holy rehgion. At the present tune
(1884) a great deal more of ceremonious honor is almost
usual. As examples of this may be cited the honors
lately paid to Archbishop Ryan, both when he left
St. Louis, where he had been coadjutor to the Most Rev.
Archbishop Kenrick, and when he arrived in PhUadel
phia to take possession of his new see. It is evident
that the members of our hierarchy now attract the

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 201
attention and enjoy the respect of all classes of people,
even of non-Catholics. This happy change began to be
remarked toward the middle of this century, as I have
stated. But for a long time it was not apparent among
the commoner class of Protestant officials, and our
ministry among the poor in public hospitals, asylums,
houses of refuge, etc., has continued to this day to be
hindered on many occasions by these persons.
The cause of this change, I have said, was the increas
ing number of Catholics in the United States.
Prior to this century a great number of Protestants,
chiefly non-conformists, had emigrated to North America
from England, Scotland, and the North of Ireland. A
few HoUanders had come with them, and altogether
they formed the mass of the population. Members of
the Established Church of England had settled particu
larly in the colony of NewYork after its conquest by the
English, also in Virginia.
Many Catholics likewise left the British Isles on ac
count of the barbarous penal laws under which they
groaned in their native country. The noble enterprise
of the Maryland pilgrims under Lord Baltimore, in the
seventeenth century, is weU known, and would have
brought a great number of Catholics from Great Britain,
if the freedom of worship which they were the first to
proclaim on the new continent, had not been shortly
after denied to them by their Protestant feUow colonists.
Soon penal laws against "papists, Jesuits, etc.," were
enacted in aU the colonies; but as it was easier to escape
from these enactments here than in the mother coun
try, a number of Catholic emigrants arrived during
the eighteenth century, and settled particularly in

202 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Maryland and Pennsylvania, to avoid the persecution
carried on by the Puritans of the North. Had these
poor English and Irish emigrants been able to bring
priests with them, there is no doubt that at the end of
the Revolutionary War the Cathohc Church would have
begun a career of prosperity in all the States of the
Union, as it did in Maryland, Kentucky, and soon after
in Louisiana and the whole West and North along the
former French possessions.
Uiffortunately aU the Colonies, as far south as the
Guff of Mexico, being ahnost totaUy deprived of priests,
our holy religion could with difficulty be transmitted
from fathers to sons; and after a few generations the
sad spectacle was witnessed of many famihes with
Catholic names either practising no religion at aU or
going to the meeting-houses of their neighbors. This is
now a very common occurrence in most of the Southern
States, and the Catholic dioceses estabhshed in that part
of the country scarcely grow in numbers.
Toward the middle of this century Cathohc emigra
tion began to flow in an uninterrupted stream, particu
larly in the Northern and Westem States. Wherever
negro slavery prevailed the Irish rarely set theb foot;
this was the chief cause which prevented the growth of
the Church in the South.
The prejudices that prevented the Cathohcs from en
joying all the rights of citizenship have been examined.
We shaU now consider how, owing to their rapid in
crease, these prejudices began to subside. It has been
seen that the higher classes of Americans were the first
to treat Catholics with fairness.
Between the end of 1838, when I landed, and the mid-

RELIGIOUS ^CONDITION. 203
die of 1846, when I came to New York, there was already
a remarkable change. Wherever I observed the increase
of Catholics, the erection of new churches, asylums,
coUeges, institutions of every sort, I was struck with
the growing respect accorded both to the newcomers
and to the old settlers.
Before I left the West the progress made in the States Progress
of Kentucky, Missouri, and Louisiana was steady and°|.^^"*^'
most remarkable. These three States, it is trae, had the South-
had this advantage over the other Southern States,
that comparatively many Catholics had, from the
start, settled there, and that they had enjoyed the pres
ence among them of a sufficiently numerous and excel
lent clergy. Looking at Kentucky in the first place,
according to the computation of Father Badin, three
hundred Cathohc families had come — in 1787, I think —
down the Ohio as far as the faUs near the present city
of LouisviUe. They continued coming throughout the
remainder of the eighteenth and during the first quarter
of the nineteenth century. Bishop Flaget induced many
French priests to come to his help, and after a few years
a still greater number of young Americans of his flock
felt a vocation to the ecclesiastical state. They could
easily attend to the religious wants of the population.
In Louisiana this was done by French priests, and
in my time the clergy of the diocese of New Orleans
under the benignant and strict rule of the pious Bishop
Blanc was irreproachable in morals and active in duty.
The French Creoles of the State retained their Cathol
icism and took a prominent part in the affabs of the
State. Missouri, farther north, formerly a part of
Louisiana, received both from France and from Canada

204 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Catholic settlers and French ecclesiastics that gave to
that State a Roman Catholic appearance; so that the
city of St. Louis was then caUed the metropohs of Roman
Cathohcism in North America. Baltimore and New
York scarcely competed with it.
The progress made in those three States in the eight
or nine years I remained in the West was striking indeed.
The number of churches and religious institutions had
been constantly increasing; and two very efficient
religious congregations of nuns had been founded from
purely native elements — that of Loretto and that of
Nazareth. Their offshoots are now spread aU over the
South and the West.
But, most remarkable of aU, a steady flow of immi
grants from Europe came down the Ohio ; so that Louis
viUe was destined to be a very large and important city.
This was a great contrast to other Southern States,
which received a scarcely perceptible amount of new
comers, owing, as was said, to negro slavery. Yet
Kentucky was also a slave State. Before I left the West
the number of Catholics coming from abroad and setthng
in and around LouisviUe was so great that Rome con
sented to the removal of the episcopal see from Bards
town to the fast growing emporium on the banks of the
Ohio. In Louisiana, Missouri, and Kentucky there were
thus large areas where the Catholic Church abeady
flourished and attracted the attention and respect of
the various Protestant denominations surrounding
them, though prejudice and estrangement were stiU
common, as was seen, in the lower classes of society. In
the other Southern States, the Cathohcs being few in

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 205
numbers and unknown to their fellow citizens of other
creeds, hostility to the Roman Church was stiU ahnost
universal on both banks of the Mississippi. Neverthe
less among the best educated and wealthy Americans
of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee a more favor
able disposition already appeared, which became con
spicuous during the Civil War of 1861 and the foUowing
years. An anecdote iUustrative of that disposition wiU relieve -^Kfeerai
the monotony of these general considerations. On sippi
retuming from Louisiana to LouisviUe tn 1842, I took P'""'^'"-
my passage on the Memphis, one of the most splendid
steamboats running between the two cities Among the
passengers there was a gentleman planter, distinguished
by his refined manners. He had with him a dehcate girl
much younger than he was, accompanied by a colored
maid. I remarked that he often looked at me in a
strange way when I was walking on deck. On the
second day of our trip, I think, seeing me seated alone on
a lounge, he came to take a seat near me. He addressed
me without ceremony, asking if I were not a Cathohc
clergyman. On my answering in the affirmative, he ex
pressed his satisfaction because he thought I could an
swer some questions of great interest to him. He told
me that the young girl I had seen with him was his wife.
He had married her, though she was penniless, not only on
account of her beauty, but chiefly for the sterhng qualities
of her mmd and heart. He himself lived in the interior
of the State of Mississippi, where he was the owner of a
large estate. Around him lived many rich families, and
they formed together a most pleasant society of friends.
But he had remarked that, his dear wife having received

206 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
no education and being altogether ignorant of everything
which usually forms the theme of conversation among
educated people, felt unhappy, and he sympathized
with her. He had, therefore, obtained her consent to
take her North to some educational estabhshment where
she would spend a couple of years, or longer if necessary,
and come back with a knowledge of music, geography,
history, and English literature. He had his reasons for
not placing her in a Protestant boarding-school, though
a Protestant himself; but wished to confide her to the
care of some nuns in Kentucky, of whom He had heard
a great deal. They were the Sisters of Nazareth. What
he wanted to ask me was what I thought of the proba
bility of her reception in that house, on account of
her being a married lady.
This extraordinary confidence on the part of a refined
gentleman to an unknown priest may appear strange.
Further conversation explained the matter to my satis
faction. The gentleman was extremely afraid of being
shown the door as soon as he mentioned his plan in the
convent. He imagined the nuns would be shocked at
the idea of receiving into their house a married young
lady in the midst of so many maidens. But I quieted
him by teUing him that the only thing which could shock
the nuns would be to hear improper language from his
wife, and I was sure this could not be expected and
feared. I added that I knew very little of the sisters of Naza
reth; but if there was anything in their rules forbid
ding them to receive a married lady within their walls,
they would teU him so with all possible courtesy, and
certainly not show him the door. Should this happen,

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 207
though I thought it very unlikely, there was another
convent — that of the Loretto nuns — where he could
apply without fear of being refused. He would only
have to drop me a word to St. Mary's College, and I
would accompany him to the convent. Proper direc
tions were left with him. But as he never wrote to me
afterwards, I am sure that his wife was received at
Nazareth. This little affair gave me an opportunity of becoming
acquainted with the dispositions of the higher class of
Mississippians toward the Cathohc Church. From the
second day of our trip tiff our arrival at LouisviUe we
had frequent conversations on the steamboat's deck.
One of my first questions was this, "How could you
apply to me, knowing that I was a Catholic clergyman,
with such straightforwardness and simplicity? You
at least do not share the fears entertained by the great
majority of the people toward Cathohcs, but particu
larly toward the Roman clergy. Are there many men
in Mississippi as tolerant as you are? And how can you
trast the dearest being you have on earth to the care of
nuns in a convent? Is there no body in your State
ready, on the spread of a false rumor, to bum monaste-
teries and drive out their female inmates, as the Bos-
tonians not long ago drove out the Ursulines of Mount
Benedict? "
He told me that, in general, the men of his class,
though nearly all of them were Protestants, did not
entertain any prejudice against Catholics and their
rehgion. They had frequent commercial dealings with
the French Creoles of Louisiana, who were all Catholics,
and they found in them honesty and gentlemanhness"

208 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
He and his friend had a profound respect for the clergy
of Louisiana, of whom they heard a great deal. The
few Cathohc institutions, particularly the educational
establishments for boys and girls existing in or near
New Orleans, were in good repute among Mississippians.
Of late years they had taken a great liking for the Sisters
of Nazareth near Bardstown. AU the girls who had
abeady graduated in that convent and had returned
home felt a deep attachment for their former mistresses,
and spoke warmly of the good treatment they had
received there. There was particularly a Sister EUen
O'ConneU whom aU admired and loved. This was the
chief reason why he wished his young wife to be admitted
as a pupil in that convent. The name of convent was
no longer a bugbear for him and his friends in the
South, especiaUy in Mississippi. They aU had heard
with disgust of the burning of Mount Benedict near
Boston, a few years before. But Southern gentlemen
did not belong to the Yankee race, and they left it to
the children of the Puritans to show their hatred for
what is respectable and traly Christian. I quote his
exact words, because I must leave him the respon
sibihty for them. It is weU known that the name of
Yankee was despised in the South until the day of the
great Civil War, 1861.
Popu- "¦ The favorable impression made bv everything con-
ICLT'it'U of *
priests, nected with the Catholic Church in the South extended
even farther down in the social scale than the class espe
cially mentioned here. Father De Luynes * used to re-
* Father Charles Hippolyte De Luynes was born in Paris in 1S05,
of Irish parents. His father was the Mr. Lewines mentioned in
the Memoirs of Wolf Tone and the Diary of Thomas Addis Emmet

RELIGIOUS CONDITION. 209
late a humorous anecdote concerning the captains of the
steamboats on the Lower Mississippi. He had once gone
from LouisviUe to New Orleans, and found himseff in
the midst of a nmnber of Presbyterian ministers who
were hastening to an ecclesiastical convention con
voked tn the latter city. Their conduct and pretensions
were so obstreperous as to dispose aU the people on
board against them, but particularly the captain. The
old sea-dog — so he caUed himself — could not restrain
himseff at last, and in the midst of many cabin pas
sengers he exclaimed: "It is always so when there
are dominies on board. Except the Cathohc priest,
as the ambassador of the United Irishmen of 1798 to the French
govemment. Mr. Lewines altered his name, because the EngUsh
authorities would not transmit letters addressed to him, an at
tainted man. Napoleon bestowed on him the prefix De for im
provements made by him in the manufacture of sUk. Young
De Lujmes was brought up at the University of France, where
he was the fellow student of Drouin de I'Huys, Lacordaire, and
other men of note. His theological studies were made at St.
Sulpice. After his ordination by Archbishop De Quelen in 1830,
Bishop Frayssinous, the Minister of Public Worship and Instruction,
promised Tiim his powerful aid to secure advancement; but the
young priest had other views. He felt he was called to be a simple
missionary priest. Therefore, after a visit to his mother in
Dublin, he started for the United States (1831), and was received
with open arms by Bishop Flaget, then of Bardstown. Appointed
to a chair in the Bishop's seminary, he was at the same time active
as journalist and missionary. His missionary excursions often
took him from one to two hundred miles from home. Among the
many friends he made in Kentucky were Fathers Badin and Ner-
inckx. Archbishop Spalding and Bishop Reynolds. After working
ardently under Bishop Flaget for some ten years. Father De Luynes
determined to become a Jesuit. Accordingly we find him at
St. Mary's CoUege a successful professor and admired orator until
1846, when he came East with the rest of the Kentucky fathers.
In New York his life was for the most part spent in the ministry,

210 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
whom I respect, I would not ^ve a  for aU the
others." When I went to New Orleans in 1842, the boat stopped
in the middle of the river, hi front of St. Michael's
Convent — an Academy of the Sacred Heart — ^below
Natchez. There was a passenger coming from the shore,
and aU stood up on deck to find out who it was. It was
the chaplain of the convent. As soon as the boat came
near and the man could be recognized, there was a
universal exclamation, " It is Father Ladavifere ! " What
a heartfelt pleasure it was for me to see how he was
received ! The captain was the first to shake hands with
hira; the gentleman who shared my state-room gave up
his bed as soon as he heard that Father Ladaviire was
my friend.
and as a pastor he was beloved and respected not only at the
church of St. Francis Xavier in New York, where he long resided,
but also at St. Paul's, Brooklyn, and in Utica. In 1851-3 he paid
a visit to Mexico, where he received generous contributions for
the new college of St. Francis Xavier. After the death of Bishop
Reynolds in 1855 he was appointed bishop of Charleston. On
learning of his appointment, before the arrival of the buUs he left
New York and went to South America. Father De Luynes spoke
the Spanish language with the same elegance as French and English,
and was highly respected by the bishops of Mexico and Peru.
After the appointment of Bishop Lynch, Father De Lujrnes re
turned to New York, where he worked in the parish of St. Francis
Xavier and among the resident and visiting Spaniards and Spanish
Americans. In 1876 his health began to fail, and he died Jan. 20,
1878. His elder brother, Laurent, who was chief of a division in
the French Ministry of Public Instruction, where M. Guizot at
one time served under him, survived him for several years. M.
Laurent De Luynes' son was Professor of Chemistry in the Sorbonne.

CHAPTER V.
THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846 AND ITS
INFLUENCE ON THB POSITION OF CATHOLICS IN
THE UNITED STATES.
From 1800 to 1846 the emigration from Ireland to
Canada and the United States constantly increased
owing to the wretched "tenure of land," which left the
tenant at the mercy of the absentee landlord, so that
the improvements made by the farmer on his little plot
of ground brought him only an increase of rent and left
him even poorer than before. The only means of saving
his family from want and famine was to exUe himseff
and profit by the advantages offered to the agricultur
ists in the foreign countries newly colonized, particu
larly in the United States.
There was, consequently, nothing surprising tn the
fact that a large number of Irishmen, chiefly Catholics,
crossed the Atlantic every spring, and established
themselves tn the Northern States of the Union. The
English policy, at that time, was to drain Ireland of its
inhabitants, and destroy the race if possible. The
London Times often gloated over the prospect of a
renovated Protestant Ireland. Accordingly, from 1815
to 1845 the wave of emigration rose fast, and went on
sweUing in volume and widening in extent from year
to year. In the " Irish Race " I have given some details :
211

212 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
"Midway between the two extreme points of this period
of time, that is to say, about 1830, this emigration
amounted to between twenty-five to thirty thousand
every year. Mr. C. de Beaumont, the French pubhcist,
who at the same epoch could not see how two mUhons
of people were to be transported at once, did not reflect
that m the twenty years succeeding that in which he
wrote — 1829 — more than three mUlions and a half would
actuaUy be shipped from the island,"
This increase of Cathohcs I witnessed from the day
of my landing in 1838. The effect produced aU over
the country was very great, though it was nothing
compared with the consequences of the exodus which
foUowed. It is to be remarked here that at the same
time there was also a German emigration destined in
course of time to take gigantic proportions. But it
was then smaU and few people paid attention to it,
except in great centres, such as New York and PhUa
delphia. The Hudson River and the Erie Canal began
to carry a great number of Irish people towards the
North and West; and this accelerated the building of
raiboads, which so far had been confined to the Atlantic
seaboard. New churches began to be built for the
purpose of accommodating the immigrants not only m
Philadelphia and New York, but in the AUeghanies as
far as Pittsburg and, starting from New York City,
along both banks of the Hudson, and up the Mohawk
as far as Lake Ontario.
Along the Ohio, the immigration was soon felt as far
as LouisviUe. The number of Irish Cathohcs who set
tled in that important city from 1830 to 1840 was so
considerable that the see of the diocese was transferred

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 213
in 1841 from Bardstown to LouisviUe. Thereafter the
arrival of these immigrants was often to decide the
question of the location of bishoprics'and archbishoprics
aU over the Union.
The great tide of Irish emigration which reached the
American shores shortly after 1846 was caused by the
potato famine of that year.
Every ship that could be chartered — ^good, bad, and The skip-
indifferent — was engaged in transporting emigrants, otoojm?
They were aU slow sailing-vessels. British legislation*'^^"""*"
had left the care of the passengers to the mercy
of the transportation companies. Through neglect of
ventilation, want of sufficient room, eatable food, and
cleanliness, the worst forms of typhus soon appeared.
"On the Sth of May, 1846, at the arrival of the Urania
from Cork, several hundred immigrants, a large propor
tion of them sick and dying of the ship-fever, were put
into quarantine at Grosse Isle, thirty miles below Quebec.
This was the first of the plague-stricken ships from Ire
land which that year sailed up the St. Lawrence. But
before the first week in June as many as eighty-four
ships of various tonnage were driven in by the easterly
winds. Of aU those vessels there was not one free from
the taint of malignant typhus, the offspring of famine
and of the foul ship-hole." *
Quebec was not the only place where this spectacle
was offered to the public gaze. Many of the plague ships,
leaving Quebec, sailed up to Montreal, and the same
scenes of woe were enatfted at the " Pointe St. Charles."
There an enormous boulder raised on the shore testifies
* Maguire's "Irish in America."

214 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
to this day, and wiU continue to testify for ages, to the
thousands of human bodies buried in the enormous pit
over which the boulder was erected.
Besides Canada, the harbors of Boston, New York,
Philadelphia, etc., had to be protected by severe quar
antine laws against the plague which threatened the
whole continent.
At Fordham, near New York, where I then resided,
we were thunderstruck by the news which came from
Canada. The College of St. Mary's, Bleury Street,
Montreal, was not yet in full operation; nor was our
small house in Quebec as yet opened. StiU two of our
Fordham fathers who had been sent to give missions
in Lower Canada could be used to help the newly
arrived immigrants. These were Fathers Du Ranquet
and Ferard, who could speak Enghsh. During the whole
summer of 1847 we heard from them shocking details of
the frightful scenes enacted at Grosse Isle and Pointe
St. Charles.
Then another letter came addressed to Father Bou
langer, our Superior, by Father Feltx Martin, Superior
of our house in Montreal. Several ships had already
unloaded their human cargoes of dying Irishmen at
Pointe St. Charles. Hospitals had been hastUy con
structed at the expense of the city, and heroic physicians
were already at work. Of all the priests in Montreal
there were only two Sulpitians who could understand
and speak English. Some few others, in that extremity,
relying on the kindness of Mother Church to her for
saken children, were already in the midst of them,
satisfied with some signs of repentance, and consoling
them with the blessing of sacramental graces. In aU

St. John's College, Fordham, during Father Thebaud's First Term as President, 1846-185]

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 215
there were about five or six priests. Father Du Ran
quet being the only Jesuit. Father Martin said in his
letter that he could and would send immediately two
of his own fathers who were able to understand and
speak English; but he trusted that two others would
come from Fordham.
The letter was given to me to read by Father Bou
langer; and I promised him that in a few hours two
men of good wiU would be found in the community,
ready to go probably to die among the plague-stricken
people. These were Fathers Du Merle and Michael
Driscol. I caUed them to my room and asked them
whether they were wiUing to start immediately on this
errand. It was my duty to place before their eyes the
dangers they were going to encounter, the probabUity
of never coming back. They both stopped me, saying
that they knew everything as weU as I did. They con
sidered it a great honor to have been chosen for such a
mission; it would be a great gain for them in case they
caught the infection and died of it. They prayed that
their departure should be immediate. Word having
been sent to the brother in charge of the wardrobe
before my conversation with them, a few hours after
wards they were on their way North.
Father Du Ranquet,* as was seen, had been at work
before Fathers Du Merle and Driscol arrived. He was
* Father Henry Du Ranquet, the scion of a noble French family,
was bom at Chalons, Dec. 18, 1809. His father was chosen a
deputy to the French legislature after the return of Louis XVIIL,
but the policy of the govemment, which sacrificed religion to
politics, so disgusted him that he resigned in 1815, after sitting for
a few months only. Of M. Du Ranquet's six sons, five took orders:
three, Louis — the founder of the Madura mission — Charles and Vic-

216 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
in fact the first of aU Montreal priests to be on the
ground. As soon as the news of the arrival of the
first ship was known in that city, the Bishop — ^Mgr.
Bourget — went to see Father Martin, and Father Du
Ranquet was directly placed at his disposal. They went
together to Pointe St. Charles, where the Bishop left
the Jesuit father. The foUowing is an abstract of the
description of the celebrated sheds I received from him:
The There were twenty sheds built of rough boards on the
Montreal, banks of the St. Lawrence. It was in the evening that
Father Du Ranquet first entered one of them. No beds
nor even bunks had been provided for the first night; the
sick, the dying, nay, some abeady dead, were stretched
on the ground in paraUel rows. There was just room
enough to pass between the rows. When he appeared
tor, went to Madura. The hardships of their apostolic work short
ened their lives, two, Charles and Victor, dying of cholera. The two
younger sons entered the Society of Jesus, and both went on the
American mission. Dominic spent his Ufe among the Canadian
Indians and reached a venerable old age. Henry, the subject of
this sketch, after studying at St. Acheul, BUIo, and Clermont,
entered the Seminary of Clermont, intending to become a secular
priest; here he studied theology for two years. But he felt the
call to missionary work, and was received iuto the Jesuit novitiate.
where, however, he did not long remain. His health failed. He
left for Italy, where he matriculated at the Jesuit College at Milan;
he afterwards studied theology at the Roman College of the Society.
All this time he yearned to rejoin the Society of Jesus, and on
Sept. 3, 1836, he was readmitted and sent to New Orleans. Having
completed his noviceship at Grand Coteau, La., he spent the
next nineteen years teaching in Louisiana, New York, and Mon
treal. While teaching at St. Francis Xa^'ier's in the fifties he was
called to prepare some [criminals for death. This was the beginning
of a novel apostleship, which for upwards of twenty-five years made
this descendant of the French nobility the servant of the scum
of the great American metropolis. During all this time few men

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 217
at the door of a shed he told the people aloud that he
was going to give them absolution, and said a few words
to prepare them for it. After reciting the act of con
trition, he went from one to the other, and to those
he met in a really dangerous state he gave Extreme
Unction. There was no question of confession that
night; this had been decided by the Bishop.
The good father had no time to think of what he saw;
yet it was a shocking sight, such as has been seldom
seen in human history. In each shed there must have
been more than seventy persons, all down with the
frightful disease, aU more or less conscious of their
danger, aU stiU fuU of the remembrance of the disaster
which had compelled them to flee from the only spot
they loved on earth. They felt they were strangers in
a strange land. They did not see about them the faces
were hanged in the Tombs without receiving the consolations of
religion from Father Du Ranquet. In 1864 he made his head
quarters on Blackwell's Island, whence he was sent to Hart's
Island in 1871. The gentleness, sympathy, devotion, and earnest
ness of this good man impressed equaUy the criminals and the
authorities high and low, Protestants and Catholics. For full twenty-
five years Father Du Ranquet toiled and toiled with enthusiasm
in this, to most men, repulsive mission, converting sinners, securing
for the Catholic poor their rights, and yet earning golden opinions
from non-Catholics. During a great part of this time the devoted
apostle was suffering physical martyrdom. At times he was
hardly able to walk; indeed he was threatened with the loss of
one leg, owing to the ravages of caries. But the good old man
escaped amputation as he escaped cholera, typhus, and other in
fections. At last, when ahnost eighty years had whitened his
head and exhausted his vitality, his superiors released the sturdy
warrior of Christ from active duty among the criminals. Two or
three years he spent in retirement, but not in inactivity. On
Deo. 30, 1891, he was called to rest, revered and regretted by all
who knew him.

218 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
of their former neighbors in their native viUage, who
would have rashed to their help had a severe sickness
struck them in dear Ireland. Nay, most of them
knew not where to find the members of their own
families. They had started together, and many of them
had in their flight been separated from each other,
never to meet again. Look at their faces, look at the
torn rags which cover their nakedness, look at the rough
ground on which their limbs cannot find repose.
The only man who sympathizes with them is the
priest. They expected him when they reached the
shore. But is the one who comes to them the orUy con
soler whom Montreal can send? Montreal! the Cathohc
city, renowned beyond the sea for her churches, hos
pitals, and convents!
Meanwhile the sohtary apostle passed from the first
shed to the second, to the third, to the tenth, to the
fifteenth. He came out of the last — the twentieth —
after three o'clock in the morning, having begun his
painful ramble just at dusk the previous evening.
The municipal authorities of Montreal made haste
to complete the improvised quarantine of the plague-
stricken. But even after these preparations were
finished, the comforts of the miserable patients were
not much greater, and the inconveniences of the mis
sionary were as great as on the first night. After a few
days Father Du Ranquet was not alone ; several zealous
clergymen of Montreal shared his labors, and the two
Fordham Fathers I have previously mentioned — ^Fathers
Du Merle and Driscol — arrived from New York. I wiU
speak of them later on.
With the increase of spiritual help for the poor sick

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 219
immigrants there was a corresponding increase of physi
cians and nurses, though the last were never in sufficient
number, and the patients remained often whole nights
without any one to aid them. As to the priests, in their
holy ministrations the new arrangements gave them
more trouble than when the patients were stretched on
the ground. The priests were not now satisfied with
anointing them in the most simple form; they had to
hear the confessions of many. Now, instead of a single
bed for each, wooden bunks had been roughly hewn,
so as to contain two patients; there were no mattresses,
but only straw under them, and the sides of the bunks
being mostly higher than the bodies of the patients, the
poor confessor had a great deal of trouble in listening or
speaking to one without being heard by the other. He
had in general to place his mouth at the ear of the peni
tent or reciprocaUy; and beside the repugnance natu
raUy felt for physical contact in such a disease, the
danger of infection was considerably increased. It is
surprising that of all the clergymen who most wiUingly
consented to expose their life in these circumstances,
only fifteen or sixteen actuaUy died. Father Du Merle
was the only one of our fathers who was carried away
by the plague.
On some occasions the natural disgust experienced by
the heroic missionaries was stiU more intense, and re
quired indeed the heroic courage which the Christian re
ligion alone can inspire. It sometimes happened that one
of the two patients assigned to the same bunk had died
since the last visit of the nurse, and the corpse remained
in aU its frightful rigidity. Father Du Ranquet said
that this was for him the most trying situation. Not

220 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
even a sheet had been thrown over the dead body;
nothing could be done except to avert the eyes or turn
the back to it, if that was possible.
Hence, the same father said, it was a great rehef for
him to be caUed to attend the sick people in the open air.
Often the sheds were fuU; stiU new patients constantly
arrived. Fortunately it was summer weather, and the
newcomers were accommodated near the banks of the
St. La'wrence either on the bare ground with a blanket
over them, or on a straw mattress spread carelessly in
the shade of a tree. 0! then it was a pleasure to cheer
up the disconsolate, to encourage the dispirited, to
"pour wine and oil" into the wounds of the stranger.
Another advantage attended this open-air ministry:
there was no fear of vermin, one of the greatest plagues
of the sheds. After a few weeks of service these wooden
structures contained colonies of bugs in every cranny;
the -wretched furniture inside — the wool, the cotton, the
wood — was black -with them; double the number of
nurses and servants would not have sufficed to keep
this monstrous hospital clean. It is a fact averred by
Father Du Ranquet that every time he left the sheds for
a few hours and went to our house in Montreal — ^he con
trived to do it nearly every day — ^he had to take off all
his clothing and linen and plunge into a bath.
It is time to speak of the two fathers whom I de
spatched from Fordham on the receipt of the letter sent
by Father Martin in May, 1847. Father Du Merle was
a Frenchman, of a noble family in Normandy. The
simplicity and urbanity of his manners would not sug
gest to a stranger that he belonged to the proud Nor
man race. He had come to the United States at the

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 221
request of Bishop Brut6 of Vincennes, and attended
during several years to a parish La that diocese. But
becoming acquainted with our fathers he had entered our
Kentucky novitiate, and m 1846 had come -with us to
Fordham. Father Driscol was an Irishman, as his name indicates.
By birth, feehngs, and previous sufferings he was a
brother to those he was going to assist. He had come
to this country a simple mechanic, and was laboring as
a stone-mason at the buildings of the Sisters of Nazareth
near Bardstown, when, meeting with Father De Luynes,
he was happy to hear that, not being yet too old for
beginning his classical studies, he could become a priest
by joining our community in Kentucky. He therefore
became one of our Kentucky novices. As soon as his
studies in theology — of the most elementary kind — were
finished, he was ordained, and I found him delighted
with the prospect of beginning his labors among his
countrymen, at the cost of his life if necessary.
Father Du Ranquet had been a week or two occupied
in the sheds at Pointe St. Charles when Fathers Du
Merle and Driscol joined him; and the three together
gave themselves up with courage to the painful Iffe
imposed on them by their ministry. There is no need
of adding that one Sulpitian at least. Father ConnoUy,
and several secular priests labored with the same zeal
in the midst of a constantly increasing crowd of sick
and dying people. For infected vessels were steadily
coming to Montreal, as weU as to Quebec.
Early in the faU Father Du Ranquet was caUed back
to Fordham, to teach in the coUege. His two com
panions with Father Ferard, who joined them, remained

222 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
in Canada, where they spent several years in the sheds
at Pointe St. Charles, and in Griffintown, always busy
in the midst of the plague-stricken, and meeting aU the
time with the same spectacle of misery and woe.
Griffintown is a suburb of Montreal, nearly on the
banks of the St. Lawrence and contiguous to Pointe St.
Charles; it is hable to be overflowed every spring at the
breaking of the ice in the great river. During the
years which preceded the "exodus," from 1815 to 1846,
it had been in great part settled by Irish immigrants.
The Sulpitians, who then had the whole city of Montreal
under their charge, built for them the Church of St. Anne
and took charge of theb souls. When I visited them in
1869 there were many thousands of them, hving tn a
wretched state of poverty, though the shocking scenes
of 1847 had long before disappeared.
As the sheds were ahnost in contact -with that suburb,
and probably many Griffintown inhabitants had rela
tives among those who suffered and died along the river
shore, the terrible ship-fever soon invaded theb pre
cincts, and the missionaries, abeady overwhelmed by
their previous labors, had often to walk from the sheds
to the viUage. Father Du Ranquet, who was caUed
back to Fordham in August, 1847, after four months oiUy
of gigantic toU, stiU remembers vividly — 1884 — the
numerous visits he paid to the unfortunate inhabitants
of Griffintown. But it is chiefly after he left that
Fathers Driscol, Du Merle, and Ferard visited that hot
bed of the plague, which was even worse than the first
field of their labors. The sheds by that time had taken
a less forbidding aspect. The number of nurses had
been considerably increased; the floors were ahnost

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 223
clean; there were among the physicians some very skil
ful men; the sheets and the blankets were often changed
and kept tidy. But the houses — shaU we caU them so ? —
of the inhabitants of Griffintown were a reproduction of
the Irish huts in Connaught. The Irishwomen of the
lower class, it is weU known, form two distinct species,
having absolutely nothing in common. Some of them
cannot be equaUed by any other women except the
French in motherly attention. Spotless cleanliness,
sweet smiles and words, devotedness to duty, every
thing which entitles women to the name of angels, be
long above aU to many Irishwomen. But the others?
Let us not speak of them. However exceUent their
heart may be, they have not the first notion of the
simplest housekeeping. Everything breaks under theb
hands; you see nothing in their rooms but dUapidated
furniture, tattered linen and clothing, broken plates and
jugs, etc. Whatever is not besmeared with filth is over
laid with dust. It is useless to continue this description.
Whoever has seen it once cannot possibly forget it.
It was in such receptacles of unsightliness that the
priest was introduced at the end of a rickety staircase.
Fortunately, the axiom prevailing tn England that clean
liness is next to godliness does not hold good among
the Irish. Often indeed the most ugly and unclean
homestead is the place where the commandments of God
are best kept; and if the eyes of God's ministers are
shocked by the squahd exterior, the soul at least is pure,
and his ministry concerns the soul only.
But what an excess of labor did not this awkward
fact occasion to the overworked missionary! He was
himseff compeUed to attend to aU the details of such a

224 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
sick-room, preparatory to a decent administration of
the sacraments. When his sacred office was fulfiUed,
charity obhged him to reheve the wretched family he
was visiting, either by distributing money he had
abeady received from benevolent friends, or by making
new personal applications to the weU-inclined among
his acquaintances.
This state of things continued several years tn Griffin
town; and because the emigration from Ireland con
stantly increased in number during more than a decade,
it was, as it were, a renewal of the fable of Sisyphus.
There were always newcomers; and the huge rock was
constantly roUed to the top of the mountain, only to
roll down again.
But at the same time a great purpose was served.
The city of Montreal, which before 1846 counted scarcely
10,000 Irish people, numbered 40,000 of them m 1869
when I resided there and could obtain personal infor
mation. The Church of England people and the dis
senters were no more the only Enghsh-speaking people
residing tn the city. Should the French population
disappear in course of time, ff not iu Canada, at least tn
Montreal, the Catholic Church would claim the city as
her own. The same process was taking place, at the
same time, aU over Canada and the United States.
Our specific object here is to show how, by this in
crease in numbers and influence, the Cathohcs gradu
aUy obtained many rights as citizens which they could
never have obtained otherwise.
Fathers Du Merle, Driscol, and Ferard, after a while,
spent more of their time among the Griffintown folks
than in the sheds. The gentlemen of St. Sulpice, who

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 225
had abeady built the handsome Church of St. Anne,
gave the missionaries food and lodging, and attended
to aU their wants, besides helping the victims of the
disease and the impoverished families of the immigrants.
The Irish have to a high degree the noble virtue of
gratitude — ^low-minded and seffish people have not.
The first parish established among them could not fail
to flourish as soon as the people found means of living.
Soon other parishes started up in the neighborhood,
and the whole district of Griffintown became a happy
Christian community. This transformation was impos
sible in Ireland, after so many centuries of misrule,
unless England adopted a totaUy different policy, of
which there was then no prospect.
Here we wiU dismiss the story of the emigrant people
in Canada. We shaU add only a word about the subse
quent life of the missionaries. Both Fathers Driscol
and Ferard escaped the dangers to which they were
exposed during several years of labor. Father Du
Merle sunk under it, and carried to his grave the admira
tion and deep regret of the entire people of Montreal.
Twenty years later there was not a single Irishman
in that city with whom I conversed who did not speak
of the good man in terms of the highest praise. AU had
stories of him to teU which they had treasured in their
heart, stories that would bring tears to the eyes of the
most caUous.
It has been previously seen that from 1820, when Growth of
Bishop Connolly labored with his priests along the Erie uy in the
Canal, then in construction, down to 1846, the beginning ^"f***
of the exodus, the Irish emigration constantly increased,
and churches were erected along the Mohawk, the Ohio,

226 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
and elsewhere, wherever a sufficient number of the immi
grants settled permanently. At the same time not a
few Catholic Germans began to colonize the West. The
stream of Catholic Marylanders which as early as the
end of last century poured into Kentucky and the
neighboring States, continued to flow during the first
quarter of this century, and established a powerful centre
of Catholicity along the Mississippi and its affiuents.
The congregations they formed were essentiaUy American
parishes. Their first spiritual leaders were French or
Belgian; but God inspired a number of native young
men with the disinterested wish of becoming the apostles
of their countrymen; and the early annals of the Church
in Kentucky contain the revered names of Archbishop
M. Spalding, Bishops MUes, Reynolds, and McGUl, be
sides a numerous array of devoted clergymen such as
Abel, Clark, Elder, EUiot, Aud, etc.
Later on Ireland and Germany came, to give a greater
impetus to the increase of Catholicity. Cincinnati and
Covington became haff-German cities, and the Irish
immigrants along the Ohio became so prominent in
Kentucky that the see was changed from Bardstown to
LouisviUe. It is now time to describe the effect of the exodus
from Ireland in the Northern States of the Union. As
was seen, the first emigrant ships landed at Quebec and
soon after at Montreal. But the number of the famine-
and-plague-stricken people was so great that other har
bors were needed to receive the thousands who were fly
ing from instant death. From 1839 more Irishmen had
gone directly to New York than to Quebec. Of course
vessels loaded with sick and dying Irish emigrants also

THE EXODUS FROM IRELANDf AFTER 1846. 227
entered the harbors of New York, Boston, Philadelphia,
and Baltimore.
The New York quarantine at that time was near New The
Brighton, on the shore of Staten Island; it is there thcgj^^g^
first cargoes of iiffected Irish immigrants were dis-''™™*- ,
OTQifttS at
charged. The prospect was far less discouraging than at New
Quebec and Montreal. The numerous immigrants who ^'^^•
had arrived since the year 1839 had been properly cared
for by the authorities of New York, and, as has just been
stated, there was a quarantine for infectious diseases in
fuU operation. The great inconvenience was the rapidly
increasing number of immigrants for whom there was
not sufficient room in the buildings previously erected.
The inhabitants of Staten Island could not bear the
idea of having the plague among them, and the example
of Griffintown in Montreal justified their fears. Soon,
therefore, a sandy island, farther down in the bay, just
north of Sandy Hook, was chosen for a new quarantine,
and since that time an immense establishment has
arisen, furnished with all the appliances modern civili
zation requires. Consequently after a few months of
embarrassment — ^nothing comparable, however, to the
dreaded sheds of Canada — the temporal weU-being of the
newcomers was sufficiently provided for. Meanwhile
the Commissioners of Emigration were established to
take charge even of those among the immigrants who
were exempt from contagious Ulness. A large island,
caUed Ward's Island, was purchased and appropriated
for the noble purpose of helping those who arrived short
of means, but able and -willing to contribute by their
work to the development of theb new country. There
is scarcely in the whole world anything comparable to

228 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
the beautiful group of islands, large and smaU, with
which the arm of the sea caUed the East River is dotted
m its whole length for the good of humanity, of the
poor, the friendless, and the stranger.
At the same time the Cathohcs, who arrived in
immense numbers, found priests ready to attend to the
sick and dying among them. At Quebec and Montreal
only a few clergymen could understand and speak
English, so that we had to send the few whom we could
spare from Fordham. But those who practised the holy
ministry in Staten Island, Long Island, and the territory
watered by the streams running through the States of
New York and New Jersey were Irishmen or the sons
of Irishmen, with a few American converts among
them. They were not so numerous as they are at
present — 1884 — and each of them was fuUy occupied
in the parish assigned to him. Nevertheless the time
was gone by when from New York to Canada only
one priest officiated at Albany, and two, I think, at
Utica. There was a sufficient number of priests not
only in New York City, but likewise in Brooklyn, Jersey
City, Newark, and Staten Island. Zeal for the good of
their former countrymen and feUow Cathohcs burned
in their hearts. There was, accordingly, no difficulty
whatever for the bishops of New York and PhUadel
phia to find men ready "to work in the -vineyard of
the Lord," even at the cost of sickness and death.
It was truly a heavy task. For while the civil authori
ties spared no exertion for the temporal rehef of the poor
of Christ, the ministers of God were bound to "spend
themselves" for the good of their souls. Had we the
statistics of the immigrants admitted into the plague

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 229
hospitals, it would be easy to judge of the labor required
of their pastors. But since no record of that army of
disconsolate people exists, the best thing is to look at
the statistics of emigration. These have been faithfuUy
kept both in England and in this country. Though
many of the newcomers were not detained at quaran
tine except for a few days, the percentage of serious
illness and death was comparatively great. Moreover,
these statistics -will help us to form an idea of the sud
den increase of Catholicity all over the northern half
of the Union. This increase in about a decade of years
multiplied the Cathohc churches in the proportion of
ten or fifteen to one. We take this interesting enumera
tion from the second edition of Appleton's Cyclopedia
(art. Emigration), a most reliable statement of the case.
The foUo-wing is the total number of Irishmen who ar
rived in the United States in the years indicated under
neath: In 1846  51,752
In 1847  105,536
In 1848  112,934
In 1849  157,398
In 1850  164,004
In 1851  221,213
In 1852  159,548
In 1853  162,649
In 1854  105,931
From 1820 to 1873 the total of arrivals from Ireland
to the United States amounted to 2,907,565. I can
not state what was the exact proportion New York re
ceived. It cannot have been less than one-haff of the

230 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
entire number. The harbors of Boston, Philadelphia,
Baltimore, and New Orleans received, each of them,
only a fraction of the New York amount.
The reader can now judge of the work undertaken
by the heroic priests who rushed to the plague-stricken
quarantine as soon as they heard of the calamity. They
knew the air they were breathing was abeady pestilen
tial, and that, in spite of the apparently clean walls,
floors, and beds, death was lurking even tn the bright
sunbeams. If there was nothing to shock the senses,
as was the case in Canada, the poison was the same,
and several of them were to pay the penalty of theb
zeal. The only difficulty in their eyes consisted in the
number of those who demanded theb care. They
could not give to each of them the time to which every
dying Christian is entitled. Nothing, however, was left
undone that the Church prescribes on those solemn
occasions. No application was made to us for help. The priests
of the neighborhood sufficed for the work; they knew
we had sent to Canada those of us that could be spared;
and ha-ving just taken charge of an important coUege,
it was clear that we should begin -with an efficient staff.
In consequence our knowledge of the doings at quar
antine was only from hearsay. I have even forgotten
the number of the zealous priests who died. The only
thing clear in my recoUection is that a certain gentleman,
the brother of the Rev. Mark Murphy of Staten Island,
was one of those who shared in the glory of the martyrs
by becoming a victim of his charity. There were then
three priests of that name in the diocese of New York;
the eldest one was the Rev. Mark Murphy, just men-

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 231
tioned, the only Orientahst in the diocese, who left
his valuable Arabic and Syriac hbrary to St. John's
CoUege; a younger brother, who afterwards entered our
Society, in which he died later; and the youngest of them,
of whom we have just recorded the blessed end, which was
then scarcely remarked in the midst of the numerous
•victims of typhus who were every day carried to their
graves. The respectability and influence of men in the United If^^ °f.
States are gauged by their wealth. Very few Irishmen m/?wence.
have, even to this day, reached that universal goal of
ambition. But the respectability and influence of
bodies of men are the result mainly of their numbers
and united action. Until emigration from Ireland
poured in a steady and large stream. Irishmen, and
thereforfe Catholics, were too few to become a potent
factor in the politics of the country, especiaUy as
they had no competent leaders. In general they
joined the Democratic party; but the most influential
Democrats were often bitter anti-Cathohcs. I had
often occasion to see it, not in the higher ranks of poli
ticians, because I knew very few of them; but among
the ordinary -wire puUers, of whom I knew a consid
erable number, particularly in Troy. One of the most
noted among them was a Methodist by the name of
Gregory. This man played his game so weU that
whenever he was a candidate for office he was sure
to receive the votes of aU the Irishmen in his ward,
though he was at bottom one of the most thorough
haters of the Irish and their religion I ever knew. Kidnap-
I became fully aware of this when the Know-nothing ^^'J^"/^^,
faction became aU-powerful in 1854; but long before.children.

232 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
the surly maimers of Mr. Gregory, who was then one of
the three superintendents of the poorhouse, made me
suspect that he was not the great friend of Irishmen he
always appeared to be at election times, and I soon had
an occasion to test it, and to appreciate how far the
influence of Irishmen in politics extended. Among the
Irish families whom the famine year had scattered all
over the United States, one of the best I ever knew was
taken from Castle Garden at New York to the poor
house at Troy. Their name was Delany. The father
and mother already suffered from the first symptoms of
the ship-fever, and soon the father feU iU and died. A
week after him the mother succumbed, and aU her
anxiety before she died regarded her three children — a
boy and two gbls, who, she had reason to fear, would
fall into the hands of Protestants. I promised her I
would take care of them, jand she then chose me
for their guardian. I immediately looked for some
good people of the parish to adopt the young orphans.
It took a fuU week to arrange this business, and directly
after I went to the poorhouse to take the chUdren
away. To my great surprise I heard from the keeper
that they were no longer in the house, and that Mr.
Gregory alone would be able to teU me what had become
of them. Running to Gregory's office, I presented my
claim to him; but he would not hsten to my title of
guardian, which unfortunately was only verbal, and
cooUy said that the children were in good hands, and I
should not have them.
Bursting with indignation, I ran to the most influ
ential among my people in the world of pohtics, and
was astonished to perceive that they were truly infatu-

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 233
ated in favor of Gregory, because they believed he was
a good Democratic leader and the party prospered in
Troy under his direction. They promised me, how
ever, that they would see him and get the children from
his clutches. But I entertained no hope of their success.
I understood the true position of the Irish in the world
of pohtics. They were simply the tools of the leaders,
many of whom were their greatest enemies. No one then
spoke of the Catholic vote, because it had no power; and
at that time they could not hope to see their rights
fairly recognized until they were able by their numbers
to elect men to office, who would do justice to Catholics.
The end of the story, nevertheless, proved that the
case was not altogether hopeless. Among those to
whom I had spoken I found a couple of zealous men,
who after a fuU month of inquiry found at last some
clue to the mystery of this abduction. The oldest girl
had got sick in the Protestant family to whom she was
consigned, and a few days later I learned that she also
had died. The little boy had been sent West, and no
one ever discovered what became of him. But the
second httle girl, only three or four years old, was sent
back to the poorhouse by those who had received her
from Gregory. As soon as this was ascertained, I ran,
not to his office, but to his house — it was late in the
afternoon. I had made up my mind to get at least the
little girl. The woman who opened the door was his
wife, who received me politely enough and took me to
the parlor. She there told me that Mr. Gregory was
sick in bed. The day was already far advanced. I pro
tested that I meant not to give him annoyance, but
that I desired only a short conversation with him. Mr.

234 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Gregory consented to receive me on these conditions.
I am sure from what immediately foUowed that the
exertions I had made among the Irish politicians of the
Ninth Ward in Troy had excited his fears and procured
me some respect in his estimation. On entering his
room I found that he was reaUy sick and tn bed, and
taking a chair I began to speak in a low tone, as the
case required, and conflned myself to asking him to -write
a short note to the keeper of the poorhouse dbecting
him to place at my disposal little Annie Delany. This
was coming to the point too soon, and some discussion
naturaUy ensued, in which I declared that unless this
were done I would the foUowing day make an affidavit
before a magistrate in Troy to the effect that the mother
of the little girl had made me her guardian. In that
case I would put the name of the little boy -with that of
his sister, and this affida-vit would be printed in aU the
papers of the city whose columns were then open to me.
This threat did not prove effective; Mr. Gregory still
demurred on the pretext that he was too sick to -write
anything. "You are not, sir," I replied; "and to make
you exert yourself I wiU add that, besides the affidavit
and the noise it -wiU create in Troy, I wiU next Sunday
give you another blow. As this is not in my eyes a
matter of politics, but of rehgious persecution, I shaU
denounce you from my pulpit as a hater of Cathohcity;
hitherto the Irish have constantly supported you and
given you a large majority in the Ninth Ward."
This was sufficient. He caUed his -wife, paper and
ink were brought, and I dictated the order, which was
taken the following day to the poorhouse by Mr. M.
Clancy, who adopted the httle girl, having no children

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 235
of his own. Annie Delany is stiU hving and is a Sister
of St. Joseph in Missouri. Subsequent events pre
vented me from attempting the rescue of the little boy.
Gregory's iUness became more serious and protracted
than I thought it would be. The Know-nothing excite
ment began soon after, and the Democratic party ap
peared powerless. Gregory^ after his recovery, pre
ferred to rely on the dark lantern rather than on the
Irish voters. He has since died, praised by nearly all
the papers of Troy for his sagacity and ability. Some
of them even greatly praised his intense piety.
Meanwhile the exodus was in full swing, and many Cause 0/
Protestant Americans were struck -with terror at the jj^ggt^^y^
sight of the change it was destined to bring about. Their
deep-seated prejudices were envenomed by barefaced
calumnies which many firmly believed. The burning
of the Ursuline convent at Mount Benedict near Boston
in 1834; the excesses of the native mob in Philadelphia
in 1844; the universal conspiracy of Know-nothingism
in 1854-55, extending from the north in Maine to the
south in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and to the west
in Kentucky, were signs of the deep hatred entertained
by a great number of Americans against popery. Mr.
John G. Shea in his "Catholic Church in the United
States" attributes aU those outbreaks of fanaticism to
the prejudices which Protestant ministers constantly
revived in their books, sermons, and at public meetings
convened for this purpose. At the beginning this was
doubtless the case, and the Ursuline convent near Bos
ton was burned in consequence of calumnies spread by
Puritan fanatics. Mr. Shea names a number of pubh-
cations in which the -writers pretended to unveil the

236 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
horrible crimes perpetrated in Cathohc rehgious houses.
The celebrated pamphlet caUed "Awful Disclosures" by
Maria Monk was only one of them. The rage enkindled
in the heart of the mob by these denunciations must
have been terrible, since it entirely overcame the natural
kindness felt by all Americans for females and chUdren.
The poor nuns were obliged to flee, haff-naked, in the
darkness of the night, -with the little girls they were
educating. And what is more significant stUl, the inhabi
tants of Boston did not resent the outrage as a stain
on their honor, and, though some of them felt ashamed,
the destruction of property was never made good by
restitution. Though Dr. Shea is at least in part correct, yet the
Know-nothing movement of 1854^55 was also influenced
by other motives, especially by the increase of immigra
tion and the changes which this increase portended and
was abeady working out.
The naturalization laws were extremely liberal, and,
thank God, they have been so maintained to this day.
Any white male person coming from any part of the world
and landing on these shores could declare, before a court
of law, his intention of becoming a citizen by renouncing
his previous allegiance. Five years after his landing
and two years after his declaration, his appearance
before a court, accompanied by a respectable citizen
to testify that his conduct had been irreproachable,
entitled him to a certfficate of citizenship. He then
enjoyed all the rights of citizenship. He could not only
vote for aU candidates, including the President, but was
himself eligible for any office except the Presidency.
For a long time immigration had been slow. Foreign-

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 237
ers were needed for the development of the stiU wild coun
try. Foreigners were accordingly welcome. Their influ
ence in politics up to 1847 was scarcely felt. But when the
Americans perceived that they were being overwhelmed
by a flood, that in New York alone the newcomers were
counted by more than a thousand a day, that the great
majority of them was composed of Irish Catholics, and
that when landed their fbst thought was to become
citizens and take out their naturalization papers, matters
looked very serious. Reflecting men saw the enor
mous social, political, and religious change that would
be the consequence of this new kind of invasion. The
narrow Protestants, who were stiU very powerful, feared
the plague of popery, and their prejudices revived and
became more intense than before. These people im
agined that Protestantism would soon be persecuted;
they even believed that the Pope of Rome would
organize a vast army in his o-wn states and send it
across the Atlantic to reduce the inhabitants of the
United States to a worse than negro slavery.
Mr. John G. Shea looks upon these as the only causes Fear that
of the outbreak of Nativism called Know-nothmgism. ^™™^^JJ^
I think this is an inadequate -view of the case. From my change
own observation I am convinced that there was then in power^
this country a large number of Americans, chiefly in the
South, who were but lukewarm Protestants and had
too much good sense to be frightened by the bugbear
of the Pope and his armies. They thought that the
naturalization laws had been imprudently dra-wn, and
as they saw that Congress would not enter into their
-views and propose the amendment of the Constitution
according to their desires, they clamored for a change

238 EORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
in order to bring it about. It was for this object mainly
that the secret society of "Native Americans" was
founded. In 1844 I was in Kentucky, and saw little of the
world, of which I heard orUy through the newspapers.
However, I sometimes travelled in the interior of Ken
tucky, and though I spoke English but poorly, I could
foUow a conversation. In the height of the Native ex
citement I went to Bardstown, where I spent the night
at the best hotel of the place, in order to take the stage
the foUowing forenoon for Louis-viUe. After breakfast,
being ready to start, I took a seat on the veranda in
front of the hotel, where I found haff a dozen gentle
men talking together. They were real gentlemen. In
my early rambles in the West, particularly on Missis
sippi steamboats, if I ever found any ruffians who
offended my ideas of propriety, they were exceptions.
Even they gained on being known, and when I could
converse with them and understand theb uncouth dia
lect I was often struck by theb good sense and good
nature. It was only when they were made furious
by dispute, and their honor, as 'they understood it,
was touched, that they drew revolvers or bo-wie-
knives. I have never seen those murderous instru
ments in their hands; but I am sure they have been
used more than once on the Lower Mississippi and its
affluents. At aU events the men I met at Bardstown were gentle
men and carried on their conversation as is usual in
polite society. They did not appear displeased when I,
a foreigner, took a seat near them, though they were
speaking of foreigners; and from my dress and what

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 239
they had probably heard in the hotel they knew I was a
priest. The theme of their conversation was the news that had
just been received from Philadelphia. Two Catholic
churches had been sacked and burned; a good many
people had been maimed and murdered in the street,
and to aUay the storm General CadwaUader had to call
out the mUitia and use cannon against the insurgents.
Listening to what was said, I found there were two
opinions among the speakers. The majority approved
opposition to foreigners, but not -violence. AU of them
were indignant that churches of any kind should be
burned, and people should be shot in the streets; but
most of them wished that a change should be made in
the naturalization laws. One only stood out for the
Constitution such as it was, and did not hke the idea of
any amendments. This gentleman, who spoke beauti
fully, argued against all the others; but there was not
the shadow of a threat against him. His argument was
that the naturalization laws had worked weU for the
country, and that to the influx of immigrants was chiefly
due its prosperity. The forms opposition to foreigners
had lately taken ought to be opposed by the South, he
said. To burn churches for political ends was not the
way to promote the good of the country. After develop
ing these ideas he came to a peroration which strack me
and seemed to obtain the assent of aU, since no one re
plied. From the platform where this conversation was
taking place could be seen through the foliage the Catho
lic coUege of Bardstown and a comer of the bishop's
residence, then caUed the White House. The speaker
pointed it out, and said, in words which have remained

240 FORTY YEARS IN THE .UNITED STATES.
ever since in my memory: "Who among us would
listen to firebrands in-viting us to burn those buUdings,
and to injure in the least the venerable Bishop Flaget,
whom we aU revere? He and his companions re
nounced France to adopt our Constitution and laws.
We all -witness the good they have done in this to-wn
and the surrounding country. The young men whom
they are educating are born Americans and -wiU con
tinue Americans aU their lives. What has been done
here by foreigners has taken place tn aU the States of
the Union. Is it to punish them for their good deeds
that the naturalization laws ought to be repealed, and
the rights guaranteed to them -mthdrawn? "
From this incident and many other httle facts of which
I was -witness I concluded, and have ever since beheved,
that fanaticism was not for the whole country the chief
root of Nativism in 1844. In the South and in many
parts of the North Nati-vist excesses were opposed on
political and social grounds. StiU a large number of
Southerners were opposed to the naturahzation la-ws.
Their reasons were very different from the motives which
acted in the North, and I shaU state the -view I have
always taken of it.
Explana- In both the North and the South, Americans were
^Natwism. st^uck by the immense number of relatively poor immi
grants who directly on landing complied with the con
ditions required for acquiring the rights of citizenship,
and became citizens after five years. In the North a
great preponderance was given to the Democratic party,
-with which the newcomers generaUy affihated. This
could not please the Wbigs, as the party opposed to
the Democrats was then caUed; but a great number

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 241
even of Democrats were afraid that their party, falhng
into the hands of ignorant foreigners, would be domi
nated by demagogues; and this was a very legitimate
apprehension. Besides, many Whigs and Democrats were
stUl ardent Protestants, and labored under the prejudices
against Catholics which the last two or three centuries
had fostered. There was accordingly nothing surpris
ing in the fact that a strong Native party should arise
in which many would not scruple to carry their oppo
sition to foreigners as far as to destroy property and
even hfe.
In the South also there was strong opposition to
the admission to citizenship of the crowd that was pour
ing into the country, but for very different reasons.
This European flood poured into the North only; very
little of it reached the South, not only on account of the
hot climate, but chiefly on account of the negro slaves,
¦with whom the newcomers were unwiUing to labor in
common. The Southerners, therefore, saw that the
North would soon acquire a great preponderance
politicaUy. So far congressmen and senators of both
sections of the country had been nearly balanced in the
counsels of the nation; nay, the South had until that time
preserved a sort of moral preeminence owing to the
original leadership of Virginia and South Carolina in
pubhc affairs. Thenceforth the North would prevaU,
and nobody knew what would be the consequence for
the proud Southerners. The antagonism of the North
and South had reached fever-heat; Senator Benton of
Missouri had lately described it with accuracy and force
in his "Twenty Years in the Senate." Even then civil
war seemed scarcely avoidable. If it broke out, would

242 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
the South be able to avoid subjection and the Ihumiha-
tion^'^f civil' and social! intferiority?,' Ther.only -vfa^^ef-^
preventing it'was toehaflge-the naturali3atiDn.la-ws, and
the sodnter it was done-' the' better. /....-.... ,-.--»..<.' '-.ij-j.^
To'thiS'Consider-atioBrWas added tiie superiority .ot.th6.-i
North iii industry. 'and 'manufacturesjOTOng-. to tJiegreatf;
number -of skiUed and. unskilled woiiingmen; who '.were.;
every ' day landing in .tiie.Northera harbors. The South . i
had-Qnly agriculture to depend -upon, and it remained- to
be seen hoW' l9ng..King Cotton iXBOuld. rale , the country .o-
Thus Nati-vism flourished south of Dixie's hne as.weU,as ,-
in New England and Pennsylvania; and there was no
pait of the countrysafe fear fordgners,. especiaUy forthose
coming from. Ireland... It must he ^aid, . howeyerT th^f ;
thp.. Protestant- fenaticisnL.described.scaxcely.jexteijded ,
to-the South. . I Jnr/that. part of,,the,cciunfcry,,the#wibe]r:
of Cathohc, churches did not. increase as, jn thei rNprth.- •
The number ,of.,,Catholijes.contiiiueid, to be.rvery.^m^,,,
and they. were, inoffensive. in, the, eyes. jQf /all, I. Hence tl?ie.„
excesses. - of , Nati-vism. in f 1844, ^eje fiogfined-to Ph^lay-
delphia;. and .whilst,. the later. o.u,tibreaks., of K^qwnothTr/
ingism in the,., fifties,, disgraced the. States of,Mau;ie,„^
Newi York,, New 4 Jersey, EeJW^lviaiwa andQhio, inJihe,,,
Southern :States and .cities .t)here,, was, neither. blpo4§he4-,.
nor incendiarism,, except, at, LouisviUe in Kentucky;, and.
this was .the only spot; in the ^o,ij:th where a^.lftrge imnu-,
gration. of f[rishmen.,had taken, .pia,Qp. ,—
-Ifi my Jsnowledge of Nativipm m 1844 -vf9.s cf^para,-.,
tively limitedj.I .knew 3., great 4eal mqre of KnowvAptl^- f
ingism in.l854rT55.;'.; and, I proceed ,tG .detail. gopK^jiJiing,.
of. my experience at that time. , J, had -witnessed .ijhe),
arrival ta , .New. ' York, i of . , jnawy JIu,i^gari^, , Qera^a^i, „

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 243
Itahan, and French revolutionists, who, after 1848, re
paired to thje United States'as.a:,land-of refuge.- Gavazzi-..
aild -Kossuth, Jas weUv' a&--the -fanatical Orangemeawha....
acknowledged no country but their lodges in Ireland,.v
were not considered as foreigners by the heads«oL,the
NatiVist'faetioni;; on the .xoiitr^ryj -they wea-e-zW^omed
ta-tbisedtintryc .<I was astounded to see Gavazzi treated*-^
as.'a hero; but I did/not thtnk! there -was. any JdangeF-.
that^ he Ivould^. ine•^^lcate hisr fury -into sober-minded ,>
Ainerieans. The/Case of Kossuth was-,.-wide]yudifferenti.-..
I-waS'present when. he made. his. triumftoLjentry into...
New York.. "Some/ of .tiie "most r.prqminent men in the-
country, .had- gonftA down the-^bay to comphment^ him.,,
b^ore-hed^-nded. 'J -read-. the: speeches^ delivered. in his.:
honbr >'by:«ome ;of the.jmost honored 'citizens of this,..
RepiUblicj'i.jThey-ahnest TKent-so,farT,as ito.pramise.\himi-.
th|,t:thi^iO0untry wouldiSend. ihim. backx to, .Hungary- to:; .
subdue the tyrants wh<i.ha(|:defeatied,him»,.^; His recep^.,
tion in NewYork wasthat of a prince, qrirather of aking.
I witnessedvthewlkole.affairin Broadway: j, /Only a few
re^ments turned .out.T But.5the hne of orrriages.AUed ,.
wtthifiliely .dressed , people. v©xtended severaJL^miles. ,^j„ ... „
jUntU thatday I hadhadagreat id€a.,of.'the good sense,v.
off [Americans. . The; i^eeches/ delivered ,®n greatrocca-; r
sions wCTe. often- hoiabastic,; Jaut,. the . oratorical .display, i
ended im^nsible resQlatiQns.T I have^always found that,-
the Americaps(are/B|toutiy opposed ibo-KEeYolution., ,.,Jn;a
this-:case,, on, the contrary, there rseemed to , .he ¦¦•at com^ '•
plete change. I did aioti know what to think* and ,was,,,
afraid that it could not-but.poctend calamity; . v,, , ,...< -
A--few days after -I. met the Iley..Dr> Ecspbestr-I regu
larly saw |him once; a week- at [that timehrandiJ couldnr

move. ment

244 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES,
not refrain from expressmg my fears. He laughed, and
said that in twelve months Kossuth would be a dead
coon, and nobody would care for him. So in fact it
tumed out.
^^ MeanwhUe aU the anti-popery men of the country
nothing were in a fever of excitement. Mr. J. GUmary Shea has
described this paroxysm of madness in his "Cathohc
Church in the United States" (page 521, foU.). He
says: "Sunday after Sunday Parsons, a fanatical
preacher, surrounded by an armed band, thundered
away against the Pope and the Church. Orr, a mad
man who assumed the name of the Angel Gabriel, . . .
next foUowed the same course. Ere long preaching
in the open air became the order of the day tn the
principal cities of the United States; and although the
Catholics bore these insults without complaint, they
did not, -withal, escape being frequently the -victims of
passions excited by their enemies."
He then describes the march of the scourge. The
first symptoms in New York appeared at the end of 1853 ;
a letter published by Bishop Hughes momentarily
cahned the excitement. From July, 1854, a series of
outrages took place in Manchester and Dorchester, New
Hampshire; at Bath, in the State of Maine; at EUsworth,
in the same State, where Father Bapst was tarred and
feathered; at Newark, N. J., m September, 1854; at
WUliamsburg (Brooklyn) in November; finaUy, at St.
Louis, Missouri, after the November elections of 1854,
and at LouisviUe on August 6, 1855.
The reader wiU remark that except in the two last-
named cities the mob displayed its -wrath only tn the
North; after aU, St. Louis and LouisviUe belonged as

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 245
much to the North as to the South. However, in May,
1855, Father Nashon, a Jesuit, was grossly insulted and
beaten near Mobile, Alabama, i.e., in the far South.
But this may happen anywhere at any time; it is an
exception which proves the rule.
Protestant ministers were conspicuous as leaders or Intolerant
at least promoters of the mob. Mr. Shea makes scarcely igfe!^'*"
any mention of the press. A long list of political news
papers could be given whose editors made themselves
the advocates of violence against the Catholics. One
of them has been lately (November, 1884) conspicuously
before the public; Mr. Blaine has suffered in his political
prospects by having been the chief editor of the Ken
nebec (Maine) Journal. But there was a paper, of
which nobody speaks at this time, whose influence
appeared to be very great, and whoS^e aim was certainly
to inflame the mob against Catholics, particularly the
Jesuits. This was the notorious Ned Buntline's Own.
The founder and editor of that sheet was Edward Jud
son, who took Buntline for his nom de plume. Mr. John
Bigelow, later on, was a publicist -with similar delusions.
Both failed egregiously; but there was a time when
even clear-headed men foresaw real danger to the Church
from this contemptible quarter.
It was a young man, an undergraduate in Fordham
CoUege by the name of Maurice Daly, who caUed my
attention to these journalistic bigots. Poor Maurice! he
was a boy of talent, feeling a strong inclination for poli
tics and journalism. No sooner had he obtained his
degree than he associated himseff with Denman, the
editor of the Truth Teller, and began to scribble to some
purpose. It then appeared probable that he would sue-

246 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
I'Ceed'in -giving- to that bid-paper -a n(5w'lease" of' life.
''Buir death Struck, hiin after he had -h^n -scarcely -two
'-'years at his' task. 'His"M8t request showed his attadh.-
ment to his Alma Mater;- fof; m- aeoordaijbe with a pro
vision in his -wiU, his -remains rest in our coUege ,^ave-
,'..,',,, "yard;--- -¦' '''¦ '••¦-"' ^ '--' - .- ..'.'/•-...-.. ,.,.. .-.-i
r'-'"0n'e day,- theref'ore,"he -brought m6 a number of AT^d
"'Bimtline's 'Oiwn. -*'Ybu must 'subsmbe'to' this papery"
"dfe said,''"or'-buy-it every-^dayin NewYorki ---Ybu haye
here 'an ardent enemy,*and' it-Is proper you should know
*..what ds: intended ff or -you;-" -Of coUrse' I procured the
'pa^er; foi: three -rnonths,. 'and 4odced- at it every-day.
•Judson' had'^been an-ardfet "'NaUvist" in ilS44^'and
•-¦sincel'bhe Know-nothing'' ^xcitemetitvhad begun, he: had
"ferden'tly advocated ^the p-latformof this new sect.--. The
'/Amerieans,' however,- > 'were not.io;be moved. by. 'U^ere
Tari!tiilg5'likethe'Frene'h^.en'and-the Itahans.''of our age.
Mr. «'ni am' glad,- in- faetj '-to say 'that a-' considerable 1 num-
Greeky. '^^ of"'impartial writers -tried theip-best to pre-^nt.the
vdtffusion erf ¦ 'cahinlny , ¦ and- the --Catholic press , was , not
'albne-'in 'defabding- religionf. . Mr-.- Shea- mentions oOiUy
"the Tribune -of Ne-^ "York, in; which ,Horac&..Greeley,
always a fair man, thought -it his >duty^ in the /inidst, of
burning churches, to -say -J. "It is worthy of. remark
•that' while five OF'S&'CathdUc ehiur(^es-in this -country
'.have- beeri destroyed and ruined by-an excit^ populaoe,
not a> single Protestant church.oan ,be poin-ted/out-that
'Oatholies have e-ven thought' of attacking.'.' . k. »,. ....
"i Mr.' Greeley even ex-tended his. fairness tq the. Jesuit
•Order.' -Having- advanced-- in- thev TribMn*, some opin
ions in whidh; he ->6&d6rsed aoeusationS derived- irom
Pascal's Letters, I, with the cooperation of other

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 247
-falihfers, -wrote a long arti'cle in whi'ch the calumny was
' 'iefutfed. 'I brought it- to his'office without- even'securing
ah' introduction:'' He received ine with great politeness,
-! teadniypaperyi and said that 1 'had' a right to be heard,
ahd; that he Would. publish 'my answer -with pleasure.
He asked me what signature I wished to use ; and when
I replied that I thought my o-wn name -with m^ 'title
¦'of President ttf St.' John^s ' College vras the' most ^proper
• feigilattbe','-he'gaid thatwas" also'- his'opinion; My article
*'appeaTed'the'folltfwing day without a word of criticism.
"¦•' i mu^t here- say' aword-bnthe' Know-nothing pro- -'^"p!"-
- nothttiQ
-^graiAtnfe agaiil&t foreigners: 'If thd ravings of the Knbw- pro-
' 'nothing jOurnahsts had been endorsed by the heads - of ^'¦""*'"*-
''the 'pai-ty; CathOli-CS would have been reduced to slaveiy.
"But fortunately the ' Kfiow-nothing leaders had more
" 'sense than"the einettiies ofthe Jes'uits had- ever shown
'•in'Europe. '"-''¦¦-¦•¦• • ¦-¦ ¦.¦...'.,. .'.!.¦, ..¦;•,,,'.
'"'Having r'easonto Belfe-v-ethat'they'wouldsoon be in
power, they met in convention i'n Philadelphia' in 1855,
and after a serious discussion they 'publi^ed- their pro-
¦tgraitime; ¦' Of -aU ^the 'articles it 'dohtai'ned', only- two —
''the VIII th and Xlth^-had^teferen'ce to th^- grand Object
"of the 'party; ' the tteatlnent' of '-foreigners: Strange' to
say, they did not even speak of a changeiti the'na,turali-
zation laws. They did not wish to frighten' the'conser-
-''vati-\fe' Aifterickns;-' a!hd' they" thought' 'their measures
tvetuld "be carried easily, as feoon as' ihey Ishould be mas
ters 'of Congress 'arid'of 'a majority 'of' the'State legisla-
¦'tttffeS. ¦" ''-""¦.¦"¦¦ ¦! ¦ -  ..;....-.:; -...:. t...,
" " By -Article VTII they dewlared""Resistan'ce' to ¦ the
':a^ressi-^^^ '' policy' ahd' icorfuptirig''teiideiicies "of ? the
Roman Catholic Church in our country, by the advance-

248 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
ment to all pohtical stations — executive, legislative,
judicial, or diplomatic — of those only who do not hold
civil aUegiance, directly or indirectly, to any foreign
power, whether ecclesiastical or ci-vil, and who are Ameri
cans by birth, education, and training; thus fuffiUing
the maxim, ' Americans only shaU govern America,' etc.,
etc." Article XI proclaimed "The education of the youth
of our country in schools pro-vided by the States, which
schools shall be common to all, -without distinction of
creed or party, and free from any influence or direction
of a denominational or partisan character. And inas
much as Christianity, by the constitution of nearly aU
the States, by the decisions of the most eminent judicial
authorities, and by the consent of the people of America,
is considered an element of our political system, and as
the Holy Bible is at once the source of authority and the
depository and fountain of all ci-vil and rehgious freedom,
we oppose every attempt to exclude it from the schools
thus established in the States."
The substance of these two articles consisted, first, in
excluding Roman Catholics from pubhc offices of any
kind; secondly, in obliging aU chUdren born tn this
country to receive their education in schools using the
Protestant Bible.
It has just been stated that at the time of theb con
vention in Philadelphia the new party expected soon
to be in power and sweep the country North and South;
yet the Democrats, who had administered the govem
ment for a long time, were stiU in possession, Mr. Pierce
having been elected President in 1852. What reason
had the Know-nothings for expecting success in the next

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 249
presidential elections? Their chief reason was that the
Whig party was at that time breaking down, and every
body expected that at the next presidential elections it
would exist no more. As the Know-nothings, who
caUed themselves the American party, were ready to
replace it; as, moreover, the South, a great part of which
had belonged to the Democratic party, was enrolling
under the Know-nothing banner, and as many Demo
crats tn the North would do the same through hatred
of Catholicity, it appeared likely that the victory of the
new party would be complete, and that it would begin
a revolutionary period, in which several articles of the
Constitution would be radically modified.
This opinion became general after the State elections
of 1854. The highest State officers elected — governors,
members of Congress, mayors of cities — belonged mostly
to the new American party. If I remember right. New
York City itseff, in spite of its large Irish population,
chose a Know-nothing mayor, many aldermen, etc.
The new governor — a Mr. UUman, quite unknown
before — took possession of the executive mansion at
Albany as govemor of the State.
In the city of Troy, where I was then residing, all
public officers except a few aldermen and constables
belonged to the new party. This was a phenomenal
change; for with its large manufacturing population
the city had for a very long time been Democratic, even
when the county was "Whig.
When the new mayor of Troy took possession of his
office, and he delivered his inaugural address, he said,
among other things, that " the people who had elected
them expected changes conformable to the doctrines

250 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
- >0f the Amerifcan party iwhich' had beemiadopted ,by the
¦American -nation.. Their -victory could -not reniaui
'ineffectual; and' they .must carry it out in -the city-<of
••-Troy;"' This -wasthe substance of what he said.-'.-f .-.
:»- -jHappening togo the/following .day: to the Commercial
a'Bank/; where, I' generally deposited' 'my'.;money, and
-whose -officers were .aU. my personal' friend&r^noie'.'of
¦ them, 'Of-ioourse;) belonged to the dark4ahtem party-=^I
0 spoke /of- -the .'speech' of the new-mayor, and asked the
-igemtlemen whether any of them, were acquainted -with
j-thel ideas" of/, ournewxivil magistrate, so- that I might
know from them what I might expect, being a foreign-
born citizen and a; Catholic into the-baTgain;;' they
- laughed :igood4iiiimoredly; and MT;'-Leach,' the- cashier
f of. the 'bank, said; that he was^sure the nfe-w nfeyot did
'not know 'any more -than we ourselves 'What -were the
.'measures pitomised-with such solenmity.'- "I-suspectfed
as much," I'-remarked.; "the new 'party- is a venomous
-JHaushroomi grown up in a night, and 'destined to die the
jnexiti.day.-: it cannot kill anyof ib-."'. They aU- said
they agreed -with me. ;¦: - . - -j.- >x -¦-.•¦' -¦
It was not to be expected, however,- that there would
-be 'HO aimoyances for Catholic priests,. Catholic schools,
! etcii:" r have'related elsewhere.thetrouble I experienced
at' the: poorhouse-/ and how the difficulty was overcome
-'by. the: .g;oodi 'Offices- 'of Mr. :Sidney Smitti, the exceUent
Episcopalian of Lansingburg.. ' In-Albanyj at the same
time, there were simUar difficulties, as I ''have stated
.-'b'eforej- ,-J. ¦':!.. •¦, ¦r.r- :¦. ¦"¦ . ..;. ,, . ,... ,-,,'
'> ¦:! could tFelate.:many other petty vexations of 'the
.-same -nature, particularly in the Department of- Charities
in the city of New York. At that time, I think, these

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 251
....establi^Mnenibsiwere ,unxieii'.the,-;,chaEge. 0l-/;^ten:',go,vem-
-vors." ..One lof; them^a. certain Mr: Didierrtdistinguished
^'.himseff by his(aeal in smashing aU the fiamiture.Jaelomg-
fidtig to^i the altar; at'. which. thlei' Catiiolie inmates -wor-
shipped/Xjiod pn.Sundaiys.; ,,'BuJt those onlfrages,tbecaii!iiie
jJcnown tofmeionlyiby.ihearsayii.i j, , ';,yi:.j,. i i as.f:''J
i'i. Personally I-had nothing^to fear,ifrom.iKno#-nothingi''air)i€ss
'.attacks. nL-was s.urrounded by,ian:army,bf,'ilrishmen,jg;j„'^^_
!-m0Stly/;from . Tipperary, and ( aU,, the :.Know-^iQthi'ngs:.of Francis.
\Ttoj «ombinedlwouldnot have .dared to attaek^imein
jBay fortress. .-jBut ibiwas pairticutariyiaimoyingito -read
4every;dayin some ofthe'Troy papers,the..absuiid cahim-
^laiesinvented 'against) us-iniorder to: imflanie-the.ipassions
of the-mob.; .I;thought.there/:wasgaod,sense;enDUgh,in
ithe.Gifcy toistopthis abuse and iprevent?gr^ter mischief.
.^TheiJIrpijr Tames,, founded ;in 1849 by. Mr. John Francis
has> an. -independent -orgain, had abeady aoquired^av great
.freputation. for, ability,' and isoundrmews: i,Mr.i, Francis
i had- startqd -without capital and without suppar.fcja daily
¦paper,: which required inoeesaht, .labor;, arid in. 1853^^4,
.when I, .-first became acquainited -with .him,,.ithei;3?ro2/
.ri?7ijes;;was..oneiof thei.best edited papers, iny, ther State
north of, NewtYo3jk^.!,..It,..w.as,ineither a iDenaocraticnor
i a ,Whig. paper.; yet. there were- of ten, 'excellent political
articles, besides news, toisatisfy alL'tiatstes:;orMr. Francis
never attacked anything respectablfi ; ^n. thei contrary,
he^ vmdextookuthe;. defience of. .whatever s was lattacked
"-withojit cause;... il had. remarked an his paperr.seve):al
^^ppessions indicating, oppositioji to. the' new pa5ty>. •;
-crjt was spnaetirne in the.-epring of ;1855 that I^jKiade ftp
imyfinind t0,.p^y,binj a fopwalMsit;' until* thati day Lhad
gone to his office only for some trifling business, such as

252 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
printing tickets for a concert, etc. I had always found
him extremely busy, and we could exchange only a few
words. I thought the best time to find htm at leisure
was at four or five o'clock in the afternoon, when his
daily issue was out. Though I had a great idea of his
incessant acti-vity, I did not reaUy know the whole truth.
"When I reached his office, I found there only a young
man who knew me by sight and knew that my -visit
would not be tiresome to Mr. Francis. He directed me
to go to the typesetting room, at the top of the stairs,
the last door in front. I imagined that I would find
the gentleman in the midst of his compositors, gi-ving
them their tasks for the foUo-wing day. My surprise
was great when Mr. Francis came himseff to open the
door in slippers, shirt-sleeves, as it was nearly summer,
and with a paper cap on his head. The only person in
the room with him was his -wife, who was setting type
for the foUo-wing day. Mr. Francis was not satisfied
¦with editing his paper; he went to the composing-room
with his -wife in what he caUed, I suppose, his leisure
moments. And he had done this for several years.
Soon after, however, he gave up this drudgery; his
paper was well patronized, money came in abundance,
and he could pay for aU the assistance he needed. This
perseverance at the beginning I caU truly heroic, and I
highly honored Mr. Francis for it.
From the door he led me to a high stool — ^there were
no other seats in the room. "Mrs. Francis, I suppose,"
he said, " can remain at her task? " " I should be sorry,"
I rephed, "to disturb her," and with a bow in her direc
tion I sat do-wn. My only object, I said, was to ask him
whether he would pubhsh some papers that I intended

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 263
to write on the subject of Know-nothingism. I had
remarked with pleasure, I said, that he did not belong
to the party, and perhaps he would not object to pub
lishing some reflections by "a Catholic clergyman in
Troy." They would be merely apologetic, and if they
gave rise to any controversy, I would take charge of it;
Mr. Francis need not fear that it would degenerate
into abuse and bUhngsgate. I knew the usual tone of
the Troy Times, and highly approved of it. Besides,
he hhnseff would have the control of what I would -write,
in case there were anything in it not compatible -with
his sense of propriety.
"It is a godsend," replied Francis. "The idea
has abeady come to me several times to -write some
thing on the subject editoriaUy. But as the matter is
somewhat connected -with religion, I did not dare to
launch into it. It -wiU come much better from ' a Catho
hc clergyman in Troy.' Write on, write on; my paper
is open to you."
For a month an article of mine appeared every
week. The only alterations made by the editor con
sisted in touching up the style here and there, as I
begged him to do. I did not discuss the pohtical
bearings of the party, which did not belong to my
pro-vince, though it might not be difficult to prove that
the platform lately adopted in Philadelphia was alto
gether anti-American in tendency. I limited my efforts
to showing that the ridiculous fears of foreigners excited
by the papers of the party were mere nursery tales
unworthy of sensible men.
One of the remarks of the Troy Whig — an organ of
the Know-nothings — ^had impressed many weak-minded

254 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
citizens. There were then ten thousand Catholics in
Tec^ it said, .white' fifty years 'before' there iwere scarcely
a-doaen. .:I took 'good care not to (correct 'this piece of-'
statisticsr and to tell feim /there; were iin. fact vtwm,ty4wo''
thousand; .'butl ga'velapleasambtum to the affair. Sup« J'
pose/ rsaid:I-,c thajt- there, afe ten trhousaind Catholics- in '
TrOy;'jwhich is'^more -tha'n one'foufth of' the city-pOpu-' '
lafciononcIfjthoBe'foreigners, now adopted oitizeBSi'werfe'i
soKobstinaterin :thieir-;'plan of substituting' i themselves'
fojRiiie 'riatives-^s ;they -wEre^isaid to be, "they -might',''
-witiiaut .'c'on'traveniiQ'g the'iexistingj laws; >ha-ve obtained-'
at least some offices proportionate -to their- -number.
One-fourth of the offices of the city should, therefore,
be^'inr their hands/'and nobody 'would 'have a right to
comjdain'ji But'^what'was.the true state'of tiie-'Case?'
Here-lTenumerated'by nanlie; all) ibhe Cathohcs who hsd-
been elected to office^ it was'theiBuost amusingcoUectioni -
Theyi consisted-; o£;one super-visor ofrthb county, three
aldermen of the city, and perhaps haff a dozen :con-^
stables. "Trojans," I said in conclusion," "it jis-'f or
suefea'pttiful'Tesultithat your->c||uiet is disturbed, your
former hanmonyis broken up, arid the material interests "
of 'i the cityoare .'endangered!'.' -) .; 'ii <¦'•. .-i -i
The rioi;ir "papers 'il '-wrote for the Times sufficed- to^'
put anoend-:rto- thercfoofish taUo of an'editor or t-wo.'who''
had..tht!«Ight^JpIbpef :to advocate -the persecution of i'
"foreigners.'!)' .^he faction j' however; which had. forthe"
momiient nndted' the avhole (Sou.'th and -a great ipsrt-'of:)
the-: North-'in-j the) project of i passing laws'-h^stife'to- -
the Church and subversive of-the 'dJonstit'Ution. could
not, of course, be beaten off by nay. httle; articlesi •, Had
the-.idefence mi soimd American ^jrinciples been under-

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 255
taken simultaneously in aU the States of the Union, it
is.'doubtful whetheiTitiieigosd -sense of^the.natio»j(Wouldi,-
have: been awakened as, sooa, aaid- whether the collapse' )
of ithiSTdehision iwould.have^-taken. place as-%s!tlddealyfas,-;
it actually did, to- the i surprise.of friends ,andi -fees:, ^ .
-fAt the.presidential, eleetion/iai 1856 the.'Bemocratsj (
in.^ite of the iKnow-nothing>ed:plogiOn of 18545,-^elected');
thfiir./;catididatfe,:.Mr. BuiChanai!i,:-.agairi8t(; Lionel Fre--;
mont, the (Choice 'of the<i-Repubheansj,iiaj,.-iiew..ipaa?tyj;.
opposed to slavery, which succeeded the "Whigs.-; A third)
party had lately been formed in the Southy in 'lavorr 0f
exteijding^^avery.toithe Territories,! and-hadfnominated
Mitod FUihnore, - f or. theiri. candidate-:^ Buchanan-,-,rer. -
ceived:jl74 elec,t0.ral,-9-Dtes,'Fremaatiill4,i Fillmore Qn}y::;
8^hQ¥e of -thfe Maryland. i-Buchanani received the-ViOteg-
of , all ;the -other-: slave,-iStatea,';,besides; those of fiveiie^e >
States;.. Freiaaont- those -off tiae eleven remaining-- feee; I
States.fi. There was no Ipngerany question' of, theiKnowT."
nothjpg [party., .What, i was>the ohief.jcause ,«f , -thia f
unexpected revolution of'- opinion)? : iicuti-,' :¦,.;' ,;.-,:-„
y,or a,long tim,e.a,strugglfi-,had.JDeen gehigrion.betwega, ¦
the partisans and opponents of slavery. The .wholeln
South was unanimous in favor of slavery; in the North
a good- part.-: (^-, the. Democrats Nfaa-^iinclinedtto/SUppKjft
the Sovith-, in-order toprevent; a ^disraptionjof the JJxam- r;
For.-.severah-years, when there r was a meeibing of: DesftOr-..
crates you.cQuld/see.the Union devtoe^-ariound-ithepplatp*--
fornijfyoujcouldhear the appeals-Of;,the;speakCT:'tn fmm.t
of .the: .Union, .fn -m.- --jh I " ¦ ;.-" '-.i -.-¦'-, ."i .'-l.r,'. -li i
In the: inidst) of*- this ),a^tati0n-,n some a^ti-Catholifl-:!
fanatics, in, the/Nwth,- and a great number of- politaci^^?- •?
inthe-SjQuthyithought.they could' turairaside tilie; danger n;

256 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
of disraption by caUtng the attention of the nation to
the supposed designs of foreigners and papists on this
country. They succeeded in raising an outcry which
a few months before nobody would have dreamed of.
The antislavery cry remained ahnost dormant for
several years. If the delusion had lasted a few years
longer, laws would have been passed which would have
indefinitely retarded the growth of the Cathohc Church.
It would certainly have stopped immediately the flow
of immigration.
Fortunately, when the time arrived for the election of
a new President of the Republic, men opened theb eyes,
and saw they were going to stultffy themselves by hsten
ing to the mad shouts of a few fanatics and of a greater
number of Southern schemers. The country as before
di-vided itseff into two large parties, the time-honored
Democracy and a new party caUed the Repubhcans.
The great Know-nothing faction, so powerful the year
before, had dwindled down to the few votes of Mary
land. The election of 1856 was the death-blow of the
Know-nothing party, because it identified itseff with
slavery. The permanent downfaU of the enemies of the Church
in the United States resulted from an outbreak of men's
passions in another direction. The four years of Mr.
Buchanan's administration were the prelude of the
terrible Ci-vil War, under the Presidency of Abraham
Lincoln, elected in 1860. The history of the fearful
struggle is well known; and though the loss of hfe and
property was truly appaUing, the emancipation of the
slaves proved ultimately favorable to the South as weU as
to the North; the bravery and mihtary virtues displayed

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 257
on both sides; the prominence given to the true patri
otism of the Catholics on both sides; the gradual reunion
of the two sections of the nation, henceforth working
. together for the prosperity of the Union, have perhaps
more than compensated for the horrors of that fratri
cidal war.
Since then opposition to Catholicity has almost ceased,
the former prejudices have almost vanished. In the
political struggle for the Presidency in November of this
year — 188'4 — ^both parties have entered into a sort of
competition for the votes of the Catholics; and a Prot
estant minister ha-ving cast a slur on Catholicism by
associating Romanism -with Rum and Rebellion, both
parties rebuked him.
I have hitherto spoken of the Irish immigration The
only, and this assumed such gigantic proportions after ^^"^_
1846 that it would have sufficed solidly to establish the tion.
Catholic Church in the United States, and to secure to
her children most of their rights. But a steady stream of
Gel-man colonists had, as early as 1820, flowed towards
the United States. A goodly number, of them, however,
were Protestants or infidels. It has been seen that after
the failure of the revolutionist schemes in Europe (1848)
many freethinkers made the United States their home.
Catholic Germans also arrived in great numbers.
Many of them went straight to the West, and settled in
the States of Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, etc. ; whilst many
remained in the great cities of the East, New York,
Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Baltimore. As early as 1842
I was struck by the prominence the Germans had at
tained in the Catholic population of Cincinnati. It was
the first time I visited the city, and I was surprised when

258 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
I found that the German churches outnumbered the
Irish. Bishop Purcell, who honored me -with his hos
pitality, wished to give me an occasion of witnessing the
fervor of the German congregations. He had made the
Rev. Mr. Ferneding, a most worthy clergyman, kno-wn for
his eloquence, his vicar-general for the German Catho
lics. It was agreed that I should sing late Mass in order
to have a genuine view of these colonists from the Father
land. The church, a very large one, in the best style of
modem architecture, was crowded to its utmost capa
city by a flock remarkable for their earnestness. They
came to pray, and showed it by their devout demeanor.
A good organ directed their chant, as they were accus
tomed to congregational singing. I imagined I was
again in Europe. The Germans were not confined to
the northern bank of the Ohio. Covington in Kentucky
was mainly peopled by them. "When that city was
made a new see, a few years after. Rev. Father Carroll,
a native-born American of Irish parents, was appointed
the first bishop, and before long the awkwardness of his
position became evident. However, he was a very pru
dent man, and managed to administer his diocese so
as to offend nobody. But at his death the Propaganda,
better informed than before, procured the appointment
of a German bishop, Right Rev. A. M. Toebbe.
I'-^The presence of so many German Cathohcs in southern
Ohio and northern Kentucky struck me at the time; the
Irish exodus, which came soon after, prevented my pay
ing much attention to it. Had I remained in the West,
and travelled in Indiana and Wisconsin, I should have
found myself in the midst of thickly settled colonies
newly arrived from Germain'.

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 259
"When in 1846 our Kentucky colony came East to
settle in the suburbs of New York City, I noticed that
great numbers of European immigrants had come since
my landing in 1838. The French and Spanish-speaking
population had increased considerably, and the Irish
exiles were beginning to pour in. But the Germans,
who had scarcely been spoken of before, were the theme
of conversation aU over the city.
The Catholics, who now composed the great majority
of the new arrivals, settled in greater numbers in that
part of the city extending from the Bowery to the East
River. First and Second Avenues and Avenues A, B,
C, and D swarmed -with them. In this district the Rev.
John Raffeiner, a native of the Tyrol, had begun to work
as early as 1833, and built the Church of St. Nicholas on
Second Street near Avenue A. He left it in the hands of
German Capuchins, whom we found in possession of it in
1846, and went to build other German churches, namely,
St. John's in New York, Holy Trinity in Boston, Holy
Trinity in WiUiamsburg, and a fourth church at Maco-
pin, N. J.
Among the Lutheran ministers who then arrived on Mr. M.
these shores was Mr. Maximilian Oertel, a graduate of^^'^^-
the University of Erlangen, who was scandalized by the
loose notions of American Lutherans, and became a
staunch Catholic. He was the first to found a Catholic
German paper in the United States; and his example
was foUowed by many Catholic publicists among his
countrjonen. Catholics do not appreciate sufficiently
the services rendered to the Church by German popular
writers who have spread among their fellow Catholics
the knowledge and love of their religion.

260 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Catholic This movement was in full swing when we came to live
in New IU New York. Bishop Hughes, being aware of its impor-
'York. tance, called to his diocese some of the German Redemp-
torists who were building the Church of the Most Holy
Redeemer in East Third Street, a few blocks from St.
Nicholas, when we took possession of our coUege at
Fordham. There was no fear of friction between
Redemptorists and Franciscans, because there was
work enough for the two orders. It is owing to these
two churches, chiefly to the former, that this part
of New York has become ahnost altogether German.
A rapid walk through the district will show it. The
signs painted over the stores, the commodities sold in
them, the language you hear, the dancing on the side
walks, the cut of their clothes and the stuff they are
made of, everything suggests Germany.
If you waUc in those streets on a Sunday, you are
impressed with the solemnity of the day of rest; aU
the stores are closed, and the church-beUs are caUing
the faithful to prayer; the churches to which aU appear
to go are those of the Holy Redeemer and of St. Nicho
las. Should you enter, you will find the inmates to be
German Catholics.
Father Rumpler was then the rector of the Church
of the Holy Redeemer; I soon became acquainted
with him. Father Pottgeisser, one of the Jesuit exiles
from Prussia in 1848, came to live with us at Fordham,
and often went to help Father Rumpler and his brethren.
The Tractarian movement in England, under the lead
of Pusey, Ne-wman, Allies, etc., had extended to this
country. Abeady several Episcopalian ministers with
Bishop Ives of North Carolina had been received into

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 261
the Church. In the Episcopahan Seminary in New York
several young men professed Tractarian views. Bishop
Onderdonk, though personally inclined to Puseyism, as
it was called, was forced by the Low Church party to
investigate affairs at the seminary, and several of the
students were removed or retired. One of them applied
to Father Rumpler for ad-vice, and as a consequence
others did so. Four, I think, applied to be received
into the Redemptorist Congregation. After their no-vi
tiate in Belgium, they returned to this country, and
formed a part of the community in Third Street.
The Redemptorists thereafter began to give missions
both in English and German, and their labors became
nearly overwhelming. Many, however, said that their
object in coming to this country — which was to evan
gelize the Germans — ^might suffer from what seemed
to be so promising an extension of their work. The
pro-vidence of God found a solution of the difficulty.
The English-speaking congregation of St. Paul the
Apostle was founded, and the Redemptorists continued
to be, as before, the most efficient guides of the German
Catholics. The Redemptorists had opened a house in Baltimore
long before their New York house was founded. It was
to the Baltimore Superior, Father Alexander, that
Bishop Hughes applied in 1842 when he thought of pro
curing their services for the Germans of his diocese.
Father Rumpler in fact belonged to the community
of St. Alphonsus in Baltimore when he was sent to New
York. The Baltimore house had already given proof
of its efficiency and shown its ability to direct the Ger
man congregations. I spent a happy day with the

262 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Redemptorists in Baltimore in November, 1849, on my
return from Georgeto-wn, and witnessed -with edification
the good order of their pious community, and their pub
lic services in their Church of St. Alphonsus, then one of
the finest in the city.
This same church has this year — 1884 — ^been the
scene of imposing ceremonies, and has afforded strong
proof of the importance of the German element of the
Church in the United States. During the Plenary
Council which is to terminate next Sunday, December
7th, sermons were preached every day in English by
archbishops and bishops. But the Germans, many of
whom scarcely understood English, were also to have
their speakers. Every day, therefore. Bishops of the
Westem States, whose dioceses are largely composed
of German congregations, appeared in St. Alphonsus'
Church, and spoke in their native language to the
numerous Germans of the city and the neighborhood.
The first Provincial Council of Baltimore had met in
Church, the year 1829. With the Archbishop of Baltimore, the
Most Rev. James "Whitfield, there were present the
Bishops of Bardsto-wn, Charleston, Cincinnati, St. Louis
(who was also administrator of New Orleans), and Bos
ton. The Very Rev. Wm. Matthews was administrator
of Philadelphia; the Bishops of Mobile and NewYork
were in Europe; and Bishop Da-vid, coadjutor of Bards
to-wn, who had been named his procurator by Bishop
Dubois of New York, could not go on account of his
health. Undoubtedly the Church had made great progress
since Bishop Carroll was appointed to the see of Balti
more on August 15, 1790; at that time the CathoUcs

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 263
in the United States numbered only 40,000. In 1829
the Cathohcs had increased to the number of 500,000,
the population of the Repubhc being estimated at
12,000,000. Immigration from Europe had contributed
very little to this result, since imnugration became im
portant only in 1830.
At the opening of the Second CouncU of Baltimore in
1834, Mr. J. GUmary Shea says in the American Catholic
Quarterly Review (July, 1884), "a church was erected at
Burhngton, the first in Vermont, and New Hampshire
had a second one at Dover; while a priest exploring the
new town of Milwaukee found twenty Catholics as the
nucleus of a congregation." The absence of Catholics
was remarked at the time all over the West ; immigra
tion had not yet reached it.
"When the Third Council of Baltimore was convened
in 1836 new sees were erected at Dubuque, Nash-ville,
and Natchez; and (says Mr. Shea) " the next year (1837)
two priests, sent from the St. Lawrence at the request of
Bishop Provencher, said Mass for the first time in Ore
gon." It was the year after I landed in America. I
can now- give my own experience.
I have described the state of the Church in Kentucky,
which was then one of the strongest centres of
Catholicity in the United States. Florida had been
acquired at the beginning of this century by the United
States from Spain, and Louisiana from France. Florida
brought only a small accession of Catholics, but the
Creoles of Louisiana formed a valuable addition to
the Church in the United States. The first titular
American bishop, the Right Rev. Leo De Neck^re,
consecrated in 1829, died in 1833. Before him there

264 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
had been two Spanish bishops besides the Right Rev.
Bishops Dubourg and Rosati. The moral and religi
ous state was indeed deplorable, since Bishop Dubourg
could not take possession of his see; he therefore,
established it at St. Louis, then a village, as did also
Bishop Rosati after him. This disorder lasted until
St. Louis was made an episcopal see, when Father De
Neck^re was placed at the head of the New Orleans
diocese. He is on this account caUed the first American
bishop of New Orleans by Mr. Shea.
I knew Bishop De Neck^re's successor, the Right
Rev. A. Blanc, personaUy, and I have abeady spoken of
my visit to his diocese in 1842. All his priests at that
time were French; the Irish immigration began only
later. Bishop Blanc made New Orleans the best
organized, diocese of the Union after that of Baltimore.
The territory called Louisiana comprised the whole
country west of the Mississippi, as far as the Pacific
Ocean. South of Kentucky the diocese of Nash-viUe included
then the whole State of Tennessee. I twice conversed
with the Right Rev. Dr. MUes, the first bishop of Nash
viUe. The number of Catholics was scarcely 1500 in
1842. The prospect of gro-wth was far from hopeful.
In the faculty of St. Mary's College, Marion County, Ky.,
to which I belonged, there was talk for a time of open
ing a college at Nashville; but a closer inspection of the
subject prevented us from undertaking it. The only
Catholic church in the chief city of Tennessee was the
cathedral, which had a few hundred worshippers.
"What we learned from the bishop satisfied us that
the time for opening a coUege at NashviUe had not

^r^^j^ui- J^. ^ ^Ae^tJ^

AFTER A PAINTIIMS IN THE COLLECTION
DF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY DF ST.LOUIS.

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 265
arrived. Memphis, on the Mississippi, was a more
promising spot; but the Dominicans had been placed
in charge of the Catholics there, and the greater number
of them were Germans. It was likely that German
immigration would predominate there. We preferred
to turn our eyes northwards, and opened a school at
Louisville. On the right bank of the Mississippi, particularly in
the State of Missouri, at the time of my visit — 18'42 — the
prospect was much brighter. Bishop Rosati was then
bishop of St. Louis. I became acquainted with him at
St. Mary's College when he came to -visit us with Bishop
Flaget. His diocese comprised, besides the State of
Missouri, the whole of Arkansas and two-thirds of
Illinois. Towards the west it extended indefinitely and
embraced in theory the whole country to the Pacific
Ocean. No bishop had yet been appointed for Oregon.
At the beginning of this century the state of religion
in Missouri was far from hopeful. St. Louis contained
only 4000 inhabitants, who had not yet availed them
selves of their city's admirable situation. The Catho
hcs were then French or Spaniards; and, "with the ex
ception of fifteen or twenty small towns inhabited by
early settlers from France or Spain, this vast region was
a -wilderness, the hunting-grounds of the savage Indians,
and the undisputed domain of wild beasts." *
The moral and social state of Missouri, however, was
more encouraging than that of the country farther
south. Bishop Dubourg and after him Bishop Rosati,
though they bore the title of Bishops of New Orleans,
I* Lives of American Bishops. Rosati.

266 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
would not live in that city, and resided at St. Louis
before it was made an episcopal see.
When Father Rosati, then a priest of the "Mission"
(a Lazarist), reached Missouri in October, 1817, St.
Mary's of the Barrens was chosen as the permanent
residence of the "missionaries," and this was the spot
first sanctified by the labors of Rosati, Timon, Odtn, De
Andreis, Tornatore, and many others. This house be
came the nursery of priests not only for the members of
the " Congregation of the Mission," but also for the secu
lar clergy of the West. The Jesuits soon after arrived
to take charge of the classical education of young men
belonging to Catholic families. From their first settle
ment at Florissant, where they opened a no-vitiate, they
found their way to St. Louis. The coUege pre-viously
opened by Bishop Dubourg was placed tn theb hands
and became the "University" so weU known in after-
times. Besides those important establishments the holy
bishop had churches built wherever the number of
Catholics permitted it. Nor did he forget to buUd a
cathedral, second only to that of Baltimore in the East.
The cathedral of Cincinnati was then only designed, and
those of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, looked more
like parish churches than like seats of bishops.
In 1842, the year of my visit. Bishop Rosati was m
Europe. He died in Rome the year following. I then
saw for the first time his coadjutor, the Right Rev. Peter
Richard Kenrick, still alive, thank God, who has seen
his flock grow wonderfully during his long episcopate.
But even at that time St. Louis had received the name of
Rome of the West. In 1842, from Cairo up to St. Louis,

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 267
both banks of the stream were overshadowed by thick
forests. At that time I saw there a scene which I shall
never forget. Running with a velocity of seven miles
an hour, the irresistible current in the spring flooded the
country for miles on both sides, uprooting trees by fifties
or hundreds at a time, violently throwing them on sand
banks, and causing the formation of islands or promon
tories. It was a frightful picture of devastation which
kept me for hours on the upper deck of the steamer, look
ing with intense interest on the wild scene. Suddenly a
large expanse of land was seen to the left, bare of trees
and covered -with buildings of every description, among
which rose the spires of many churches, most of them
surmounted by the cross. Thirty years before a few
hundred families from Canada or Mexico lived there in
the midst of the primitive forests. Now it was a large
American city, with splendid streets, bazars, and banks,
but chiefly churches. The Catholic cathedral was the
finest monument the city contained, and the Jesuits had
just finished the Church of St. Francis Xavier and the
coUege which bore the name of St. Louis University. The
gentlemen of the Mission (Lazarists) governed the theo
logical seminary of the diocese, and gave missions all
over its extent. Numerous sisterhoods were placed at
the head of the female schools and of hospitals. A
medical establishment had been founded by a wealthy
Catholic of the city (Mr. MuUamphy), and Christian
Brothers had charge of the parochial schools.
All this change was evidently due to two bishops,
one French, Dubourg, the other Italian, Rosati. The
former being in Rome in 1815, proposed to Father De
Andreis, a Lazarist of the Roman province, to accom-

268 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
pany him, and devote himseff to the distant mission of
Louisiana ; De Andreis recognized in that caU the voice
of God, and suggested the idea of taking with him Father
Rosati of the same order and province. The two Laza
rists started together, and after a long and tempestuous
passage reached Baltimore. Meanwhile Bishop Du
bourg, who had made Pope Pius VII. consent to the
establishment of his see at St. Louis instead of at New
Orleans, remained some time in France to find men and
means for his new diocese. He returned on the Cara-
vane, a French ship of war, with five priests and twenty-
six young men. They arrived at Annapohs on July 1,
1817; and the two Lazarists reached Baltimore the
26th of the same month. There is no need of detaUtng
the hardships and dangers they met on theb way through
Pennsylvania and down the Ohio and the Mississippi.
De Andreis and Rosati, accompanied by Bishop Flaget,
rode on horseback across Indiana and Hhnois, until
they arrived , some of them on October 17, 1817, the
others on January 5, 1818.
"What did they find on reaching St. Louis? Bishop
Dubourg could perceive scarcely any improvement in
the city he had formerly inhabited. The -wretched
residence he had occupied was in ruins. "\^Tien Fathers
De Andreis and Rosati arrived -with Bishop Flaget, the
only bed in the house was of course assigned to the
venerable bishop of Kentucky, whilst the two Lazarist
missionaries slept upon buffalo-robes on the floor. The
only Catholics in the city and in the whole country
belonging to the future diocese of St. Louis were those
whom Bishop Dubourg had left behind him when he
went to Europe.

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 269
In Italy Bishop Rosati with his friend De Andreis
had worked in country missions within the Papal States.
It was hard work, which, however, could give them no
idea of what they might expect in this countiy. "Where-
ever they went in Italy they found well-established par
ishes with pastors ready to receive them in their houses;
they found schools for children, hospitals for the sick,
rehgious of various orders to help them. The first thing
they had to do in America was to create parishes, schools,
asylums for the sick, the aged, the orphans. The reader
now understands what I mean when I say that "they
made the country." The task before them was for
midable. But the two Lazarists were no ordinary men.
With learning they united abundant prudence and in
domitable energy, as well as the true apostolic spirit.
They were destined to give a new impulse to the good
work in St. Louis.
Dr. Dubourg, always on the move, soon departed,
lea-ving De Andreis and Rosati to begin their operations.
The two Lazarists selected St. Mary's of the Barrens,
eighty miles from St. Louis, as their first home. It
was composed of several log cabins. The largest of
them, a one-story building, was their university; it con
tained four rooms — one for the theological department,
another for philosophy and literature, and two others
were tailor and shoemaker shops. A second log cabin
became the refectory and dormitory; the third and last
remained unfinished until 1834, when it was used for
servants. Father Rosati had been made Superior. Not satis
fied with this and the Professorship of Logic and Theol
ogy, he began to work for the people, and built a church

270 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
in the neighborhood, which he dedicated in 1820, two
years after his arrival. The same year Father De An
dreis died, and left Father Rosati alone. He had, how
ever, five or six clergymen whom Bishop Dubourg had
brought with him, and among the twenty-five young
men who studied under himself at the Barrens he soon
found new missionaries. There is no need of describing
the hardships of this life, well known to aU those who
exercised the ministry in the West fifty years ago. The
constitution of the good man was strong. "When I
knew him in 1840 he already wore on his sweet face the
first marks of premature age. I have seldom in my hfe
looked on a countenance so winning and attractive; and
aU hearts being wedded to him by the strongest affection,
his own zeal was easily communicated to his colaborers.
Not only no scandal, no disturbance of any kind ever
troubled the diocese during his life; but the clergy both
secular and regular gave the example of aU Christian
virtues. St. Mary's of the Barrens has been justly
called the "fruitful mother of priests and bishops in
the Southwest."
The Catholic people, too, increased wonderfuUy. The
population was no longer composed of a few thousand
Frenchmen and Spaniards. New parishes were spring
ing up everywhere; schools, asylums, houses of refuge
clustered around many of the new churches, and the
blessings of civUization followed those of religion.
The beneficent influence of Catholicity -will appear
-with equal clearness from the labors of Bishop Loras *
* The Rt. Rev. John Mathias Loras was born at Lyon on Aug. 30,
1792. His father -was a flourishing merchant there, highly respected,
so that liis fellow citizens chose him a member of the Council in 1793.

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 271
in Iowa. Of this new State it can be said that it was,
hke Missouri, largely made by bishops and monks, and
by Irish and German immigrants. The greatest impulse
was given to that immigration by Bishop Loras himseff.
This prelate was born in Lyons in 1792, and was
brought to this country in 1829 by Bishop Portier of
Mobile. After seven years spent in the missions of Ala
bama, under the guidance of the bishop — a truly apostolic
man like Dubourg and Rosati — he was appointed flrst
bishop of Dubuque in Iowa in 1837. I cannot speak

This was shortly after the execution of Louis XVL, which led to
an uprising (1793) of the city of Lyons against the terrorist govem
ment. But the rising was soon crushed, and M. Loras with his two
brothers and two sisters fell into the hands of the Republicans*
whose chiefs at Lyons were Collot d'Herbois and Couthon, two of
the most cruel monsters produced by the French Revolution.
M. Loras' fate was soon decided; he was condemned to death.
Mme. Loras (n^e Michalet), accompanied by her eleven children,
the youngest, the future bishop, in the arms of his nurse, threw
herself at Couthon's feet and implored mercy. But in vain. M.
Loras, his brothers and sisters, and twelve other members of the
Loras family were guillotined and their property confiscated.
Mme. Loras, an energetic lady, brought up her orphaned family
with the aid of one of her husband's clerks, M. Talion, who after
wards married the eldest daughter. The Rev. Louis de CaUly, a
nephew of the Bishop, in his "Memoirs of Bishop Loras," gives a
touching picture of the family life of the Loras and the Tallons.
The result proved the value of Christian home education. Two
of the Loras boys became Trappists, while Mathias devoted himself
to the American missions. Of the Talion family five members
dedicated themselves to the service of religion. Mathias Loras
was the fellow student under the Abb6 BaUey of the celebrated
Cure d'Ars; the friendship which grew up between the two boys
lasted through life. Of his theological education there appears to
be no detailed account. He was ordained priest in 1817 at Lyons,
probably by Mgr. Simon. Shortly after his ordination he was
appointed head of the petit seminaire at Meximieux, and in 1824

272 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
here of Bishop Portier, because I never saw him and
never set my foot on the soil of Alabama and Florida.
At the arrival of Bishop Loras in Dubuque "his
diocese was a vast region unknown to him. I'be unfin
ished church of St. Raphael at Dubuque was the only
Catholic church in the Territory, and the Rev. Samuel
Mazzuchelli, its pastor, the only Catholic priest." *
Before proceeding to his diocese, however. Bishop Loras
had gone to France, and brought back with htm two
priests and four seminarians. These gentlemen were
destined to be the apostles of the vast region extending
from Iowa and Minnesota on the Mississippi to the Rocky
Mountains in the east^ — the -wild domain of the Sioux and
advanced to the position of Superior at Largentifere. He proved a
successful educator, but he was not satisfied. He longed to be a
missionary. So, after working for ten years in these seminaries,
he resigned and joined a society for home missions, to prepare
himself for the American missions. In 1829 Mgr. Portier, bishop
of Mobile, came to France to enlist volunteers for his diocese;
the Abb6 Loras was one of his first recruits. The new missionary
reached Mobile Jan. 6, 1830. He was forth-with appointed
Bishop Portier's -vicar-general, rector of his cathedral (30 ft. in
length by 20 ft. -wide), and president of the seminary and college
at Spring HiU, besides being entrusted with the care of several
small stations several miles away. Energy and efficiency charac
terized his work, and his success was so marked that in 1837 the
Third Council of Baltimore proposed liim to Rome for the newly
established see of Dubuque. -When he reached his diocese he
found that his clergy consisted of one priest, the Rev. Samuel
MazzucheUi, and that he had one half-completed church. Father
Thebaud has so graphically painted for us Bishop Loras' wise and
energetic administration that we need only add that, though his
diocese had been di-vided in 1851, yet shortly after his death (1860)
its Catholic population is stated to have been nearly 60,000. Bishop
Loras died on February 20, 1858. He had once said Mass in
his unfinished cathedral.
* Clarke, Lives of Deceased American Bishops.

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 273
Ojibway tribes. At first Bishop Loras seemed to have
forgotten the religious congregations — at least of men;
he had Sisters soon enough. But before long Trap
pists and Benedictines made the wildemess flourish; and
he chose for his coadjutor and successor Father Clement
Smyth, the Abbot of New Melleray, the founder of the
Cistercians beyond the Mississippi.
Bishop Loras had taken possession of his see on April
29, 1839, and I -visited him with Father De Luynes during
the summer of 1842; we had the honor of receiving his
hospitality during a whole week. On our way up we
had stopped at Davenport, then a rising town on the
Upper Mississippi, and we had paid a visit there to the
Rev. A. Pelamourges, one of the two clergymen the
bishop had brought from France. The enterprising
priest had abeady built a church; nay, more, he had
purchased a large plot of ground destined in course of
time to be in the very centre of the city, and embracing an
area several blocks in extent. From him we leamed that
Bishop Loras had made it his policy in temporal mat
ters to purchase as much land as he could wherever he
built a church or an educational institution. His suc
cessors, if not he himself, would find it to their advan
tage when the price of land should have increased
twenty or fifty fold. He carried out this policy in
Dubuque, where before his death he became the owner
of real estate extending ten miles along the Mississippi
River. Before reaching Dubuque we discovered that the
bishop had abeady at least one community of Sisters
founded by a clergjonan lately received into his diocese,
the Rev. T. C. Donaghoe. Our steamer having stopped

274 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
for a short time at a viUage or little town whose
name has escaped my memory, the ubiquitous Irish
man ran towards us as soon as he saw by the cut
of our coats that we must be Soggarih aroons. He evi
dently wanted to communicate important news. As
soon as he could speak in his excitement, after ha-ving
ascertained that he was right in his conjectures, he
begged of us, when we reached the bishop's house, to
let him know that Mr. Donaghoe had left the place for
Europe the day before, and that there would be no Mass
there the following Sunday unless the bishop sent an
other priest. This was puzzling indeed, but we did not
fail to report it to the good bishop, who smiled — though
he appeared a little vexed — and explained the matter
to us by saying that Mr. Donaghoe was an exceUent
man and a most zealous priest; but he was at the head
of a community of Sisters, and had probably gone either
to Ireland or to Rome for some purpose of his own. " He
would, however, have done well," he added, "had he
written me a note, and not been content to convey the
news to me by one of his countrymen."
We were not many hours under the roof of the good
bishop before we found out that his time was weU occu
pied. What -with all his improvements at Dubuque,
cathedral, schools, convents, etc. ; -with the buUding of
churches throughout his extensive diocese; with the
appointment of priests as soon as he could catch them
or ordain them, the twenty-four hours of each day
must have been well employed.
Still this did not suffice. The first time we ate dinner
with him we became acquainted with a middle-aged
clergyman, by the name of Joseph CVetin, whom he had

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 275
brought from Lyons with Mr. Pelamourges, and who
was the whole chapter of the Dubuque cathedral. At
the beginning of the dinner I imagined that the zealous
bishop would speak of his lonesome situation, of which
we already had an inkling. But no; we were told that
Mr. Cretin was going to start in a few days for the North,
and establish his headquarters at Prairie du Chien. The
object was to revive the Indian missions, interrupted
since the travels of Father Hennepin in the seventeenth
century, and to evangelize the Canadian voyageurs who
came there for the fur trade. This was the object of
the bishop, who remained alone in his cathedral to secure
the salvation of these souls perishing in the northern
-wildemess. But God extended his loving projects.
The final aim was the foundation of a new diocese —
that of St. Paul, Minnesota — of which Mr. Cretin was
destined to be the first bishop. The new State and the
new church were to throw Iowa and its church almost
into the shade.
Nothing of this was said at table. It was not sus
pected even by Bishop Loras, who had gone a few months
before to Prairie du Chien, and had heard of the numer
ous Indian tribes roaming in the -wilderness of the North
west. They had nearly forgotten the doctrines of
Christianity preached to their ancestors by the Recol-
lets and Jesuits two hundred years before. StiU they
were clamoring for black robes as if they had been aban
doned only the day before. Bishop Loras directly
made up his mind to carry out this mighty undertaking,
and Mr. Cretin, being the only missionary he could dis
pose of, was at the time of our stay at Dubuque closeted
with him the greater part of two or three days. We

276 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
saw him depart with the zeal and disinterestedness of
an apostle. The work of this missionary forms a remark
able chapter in the story of the spread of Cathohcity
near the head-waters of the Mississippi.
Plan I must now speak of the Bishop's second great design.
Catholics -His mind was already engrossed by it during the week
^ '^ Father De Luynes and I spent under his roof. Although
his plans took a much larger extension afterwards, he
had abeady matured the chief detail. After Mr. Cre
tin's departure this scheme was the chief subject of
conversation at table. This was the plan of attract
ing European immigrants to the vast plains beyond the
Mississippi. The exodus from Ireland, which was to take place
four or five years later, was not then dreamed of.
StiU every week saw a great number of Irish immi
grants landing on the Atlantic coast, chiefly at
New York. The Germans also came in constantly in
creasing numbers. So far most of them had remained
in the East. The intention of Bishop Loras was to
draw them to the Great Lakes, and what was then
called the Far West, and particularly to settle them
on farms as agriculturists. Just now bishops and priests
are working hard to prevent Cathohc immigrants from
settling in the manufacturing centres of the Atlantic
seaboard, where their children are in great danger of
losing their faith. Bishop Ireland of St. Paul, par
ticularly, has made himself famous by his advocacy of
this measure; and his success has been the chief cause
of the spread of rehgion in the West, once a great prairie,
now covered by cities and -villages.
This plan first germinated in the mind of Bishop

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER 1846. 277
Loras. I heard him outline it when seated at his table;
and I need not say that I immediately became a strong
partisan of his -views.
The plan succeeded fairly weU. As Bishop Loras
welcomed every Cathohc who came, he soon multiphed
his congregations, and he found priests to take charge
of them. He did not exclude from his plans the Indians
of the West. Having despatched Father Cretin to the
North, he sent Father Ravoux to the West around
Bembina and Council Bluffs "to evangehze the lowas,
Sioux, Mandans, Blackfeet, Cheyennes, Gros Ventres,
and Pa-wnees."
In Mr. Clarke's hfe of Bishop Loras we read: "In
1855 the Cathohc population of Iowa increased 150 per
centum a single year. The churches and stations pro-
-vided for their accommodation increased in the same
time nearly 100 per centum. . . . He commenced his
episcopacy in 1837 -with one church, one priest, and the
only Cathohc population reported, that of Dubuque,
300. . . . The year of his death, the diocese of Du
buque alone — St. Paul had been separated from it —
possessed 107 priests, 102 churches and stations, and a
Cathohc population of 55,000! "
Bishop Loras' admirable plan of Cathohc immigration,
which succeeded in his diocese under his management,
was a failure when we consider the whole West. As I
witnessed the chief causes of the failure, I may say a
word on the subject. The correspondence of Bishop Loras
-with the Eastern bishops and transportation houses, -with
many indi-vidual immigrants, and the countries they
came from had attracted attention to his plans. Many
Cathohcs doubted their -wisdom, particularly in New

278 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
York and Philadelphia. Their success depended mainly
on the priests. But the thoughts of the clergy were
taken up -with the care of the multitudes that landed in
their locahties. In 1846-47 hospitals were to be -visited,
orphan asylums enlarged, churches built, schools organ
ized, etc. "Who had time to think of colonizing the
Far West?
Besides, several influential bishops in the East did
not favor the plan. We are scarcely able, they said,
to pro-vide for this multitude of unfortunate outcasts;
if they are to be sent West to prevent their being cor
rupted in our large cities, -will the Westem bishops be
able to take care of them? The West has so few priests,
so few churches, that the great majority of these immi
grants will be spiritually abandoned and left without
the sacraments; their children -will become the prey of
proselytizers. This view was strongly urged by the
bishop of New York.
A society was formed in the New York diocese to
promote emigration to the West. The Rev. John
Kelly, pastor of St. Peter's Church in Jersey City, ac
cepted the presidency of this orgainzation. The assist
ant of Rev. Mr. J. KeUy, the Rev. Mr. Coyle, went
West for the purpose of estabhshing communications
between the West and the East. But after several years
of fruitless exertion he came back completely disheart
ened, and died soon after his return. ^
Bishopi I can say only a few words of the permanent estab-
Cretin.^ hshment of the Cathohc Church in Minnesota.
After his first -visit to the Indians and Canadians hv
ing around Prairie du Chien and the Falls of St. Anthony,
the'^Rev. Mr. Cretin returned to Dubuque, where he

THE EXODUS FROM IRELAND AFTER I846. 279
acted as vicar-general to Bishop Loras until 1851. He
was then appointed bishop of St. Paul, proceeded straight
to France and was consecrated by the bishop of Belley,
his former diocesan. He then apphed for help to his
old friends and acquaintances. With six priests and
some money he went back to St. Paul in the summer
of the same year, 1851. St. Paul. was then a smaU
¦viUage, as St. Louis had been before the arrival of
Bishop Rosati. Its Cathohc population consisted of a
few hundred Indians, haff-breeds, and Canadians.
Soon, however, the exertions of Bishop Loras for the
success of his colonization scheme brought to the
country large numbers of Irish Cathohcs. The aims
of the missionaries, who at fbst thought ahnost exclu
sively of evangehzing the red men, were extended so as
to embrace men of all nations, particularly those from
Erin. In the five years of the episcopate of Bishop Cretin,
who died, exhausted by his labors, in February, 1857,
churches and schools were built, congregations, asylums,
hospitals, etc., were founded. His success was astound
ing when the slender means at his disposal are taken
into consideration.
North of the Ohio, Bishop S. G. Brut6 (appointed Bw/iop
and consecrated Bishop of Vincennes, Indiana, in 1834) '^'""'^•
found his new diocese, which embraced the whole of
Indiana and half of Ilhnois, nearly as destitute of priests
and churches as Dubourg and Rosati had found Mis
souri, and Cretin Miimesota. My acquaintance -with
Bishop Brute was extremely hmited. I saw him only
once at Rome, whither he went soon after his conse
cration, in 1836-37. My only conversation with him

280 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STAIES.
consisted in asking and recei-ving his blessing. He died
the year I reached Kentucky, in 1839. He had abeady
procured twenty priests for his diocese, and begun the
restoration of the old church at Vincennes, which he
made his cathedral. Besides, he erected other churches
where they were most needed. Bishop Brute powerfuUy
contributed to the development and extension of Vin
cennes. I have related the estabhshment of Cathohcity in
the Western States until about 1850. The removal of
our Kentucky mission to New York having taken place
in 1846, I -will now portray the rapid development of
the Church in the East, where I have since resided.

CHAPTER VI.
CATHOLICITY IN THE UNITED STATES FROM 1850 TO
THE PRESENT DAY.
The di-vision of the United States into the pro-vinces
of Baltimore, New York, and Cincinnati in the East and
North; of New Orleans and St. Louis in the West and
South; of San Francisco and Oregon on the Pacific Coast,
took place in 1850, after the Seventh Council of Balti
more, held in the preceding year. Thenceforth each
pro-vince would hold its own Councils and regulate the
disciphne -within its precincts. The affairs of the
Church in the nation would be discussed in plenary
or national assembhes, of which the archbishop of
Baltimore would be the head, though he was not in
vested -with the title of Primate. He was to be Apos
tolic Delegate, however, and represent the Pope in dis
cussions and in the resulting decrees.
"When we arrived at New York in 1846 we became
acquainted -with several gentlemen who had labored
to create officially and unofficially the means of pro
tecting the immigrants who were pouring in in a
mighty flood. Two of them, Messrs. Andrew Carrigan
and John E. Devlin, had taken a great interest
in Fordham CoUege from its first opening four years
before. I frequently visited them. Mr. Devlin, at the
281

282 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
time of our coming in May, was very busy procuring
the incorporation of the college ; and I remember that
the first time I saw Mr. Carrigan he had just returned
from Albany, where the last steps for the creation of
the Ward's Island Commission to safeguard the immi
grants had been agreed upon. People were just then
beginning to talk of the prospect of famine in Ireland;
the year foUo-wing the exodus began.
Bishop Hughes afterwards gave to our Society the
spiritual charge of all the islands purchased for chari
table and corrective purposes by the city in the East
River; he placed secular priests in the hospital at
Quarantine. The next object of his solicitude was to
build churches, schools, and asylums in sufficient number
for the accommodation of the newcomers; and the
number of these establishments founded by him enables
us to judge how greatly the Catholic Church increased,
and how much popular prejudices diminished, o-wing
to his activity. I wiU examine in brief the mighty
influence wielded by Archbishop Hughes while the
Church of the United States from a missionary insti
tution was becoming a normally organized branch of
the Catholic Church.
Arch- Among the distinguished prelates who governed the
^Hughes. Church in America the Most Rev. John Hughes, Arch
bishop of New York, was one of the most conspicuous.
Having had many opportunities of intimately knowing
him and appreciating him thoroughly, I observed how
he applied all the powers of his great mind and aU the
tenderness of his noble heart to the temporal and spir
itual relief of his unfortunate countrjTiien who were
thrown on our shores.

CATHOLICITY FROM 1850 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 283
Almost the only quality claimed for Archbishop
Hughes by his greatest admirers and criticised by his
enemies was his aggressiveness. This aggressiveness
could not but strike everybody; he belonged essentially
to the Church Mihtant, and from the beginning of his
public career to the last day of his life he -was engaged in
the most ardent advocacy of what he considered the
good of the Church and of the people. But in my
opinion there was a side of his character which has been
little remarked, and which was nevertheless a most impor
tant element for a just appreciation of his personality.
This was his extraordinary prudence. Nobody seemed
to notice it; but I had so many occasions to observe it
that I came to consider it one of his marked character
istics, and the one to which he owed most of his successes.
Had he been without it, his constant warfare would have
often terminated in inglorious defeat and in the loss of his
prestige, which grew greater and greater as he advanced
in life. He had inherited his prudence from his ances
tors, at least from his father. I read in the " Life of the
Most Rev. John Hughes," by Mr. R. H. Clarke: "The
father — Patrick Hughes — was better educated than
most men of his class, and was a peaceable and prudent
citizen amidst the factious and often lawless proceed
ings and excitements of his day." Mr. Clarke speaks
of the end of last century, and of the end of the rebel-
hon of the "United Irishmen."
Young John Hughes showed the same prudence in
the steps he took to gain admission into the Seminary
of Mount St. Mary's, Emmittsburg. In spite of delays
and disappointments, he never despaired, never made
a false step. He was rewarded by the esteem of his

284 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
superiors, particularly of the Rev. Mr. Dubois, then
president of the college.
After his ordination, October 15, 1826, and a few
months spent on the mission at Bedford, Pa., he was
called to Philadelphia, and began his briUiant career at
a time when there was strong opposition to Bishop
ConneU. The unfortunate Father Hogan was in fuU
swing. Mr. Hughes of course supported the bishop's
authority. He took care, however, to avoid being tn
the trouble caused by the impulsiveness of Mgr. Con
neU. Even in controversies with Protestant clergymen
of various sects, which obtained for him a great repu
tation, he always wrote and spoke in accordance A\'ith
the rules prescribed by charity and good breeding; so
that he was elected a member of the Wistar Club of
Philadelphia, an association mainly of Protestant gentle
men for social purposes. During his stay at PhUa
delphia he won the esteem of aU, and was alwaj^s the
candidate of his brother clergymen for a bishopric. He
mainly owed this to his invariable prudence and amenity.
In 1837, when he was consecrated bishop and made
coadjutor to the Right Rev. Dr. Dubois, he found him
self in a very unpleasant situation; and I have always
been con-vinced that his extreme prudence alone enabled
him to overcome the difficulties that for many years
beset him. No biographer of Archbishop Hughes has
ever told us what I am going to say. StiU it was per
fectly well known to a great number of clergjmien and
even of laymen about 1846, when we arrived from the
West. In case this is ever printed, the editor must
examine whether it can be done without injury lo any
one. I personally think that even at this time there

CATHOLICITY FROM 1850 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 285
would be no great harm done, but T leave it to the
decision of future superiors. Of its truth there can be
no doubt.
The Very Rev. Dr. Power,* for a long time Vicar- Sew. Dr.
General of Bishop Dubois, had most deservedly obtained
* The Rev. Dr. John Power was a native of Rosscarbury in Ire
land, where he was born June 19, 1792. He received his education
at Maynooth. After his ordination he was appointed professor in
the diocesan seminary of Cork, and afterwards curate of Youghal.
The congregation of St. Peter's in New York, being without pastor
in 1819, induced the young priest to accept its rectorship. Imme
diately after his arrival (1819) he developed great activity in every
direction. He was not only a good theologian, but a man of great
eloquence, which was ever at the service of his bishop, of his fellow
clergymen, and of the Catholics in every part of his diocese. He was
active as an author also, having translated part of the Royaiunont
Bible, compiled the Layman's Directory, the precursor of the later
Catholic Almanacs, and written the True Piety, one of the first, if
not the first Catholic prayer-book published in America. By
his sympathy and aid he had a share in the establishment of The
TruthieUer, the first Catholic weekly in New York. -When in
February, 1825, Bishop Connolly died. Dr. Power in the six years
of his stay in the diocese had given such clear proof of learning,
eloquence, and executive ability that he was appointed -vicar-
general and administrator of the diocese tUl the appointment of
Bishop Du Bois in October, 1826. Dr. Power soon gained the con
fidence of the new prelate; he accompanied Dr. Du Bois during his
visitation of the diocese in 1828, and together with the Rev. Felix
Varela administered its govemment during the bishop's absence in
Europe (1829-31). Shortly after Dr. Du Bois returned the two -vicars-
general entered into a controversy with Rev. Dr. Brownlee, a Cal-
-vinist, and successfully defended the Church against his attacks.
Subsequently, finding old St. Peter's inadequate to the wants
of his congregation, he buUt the new St. Peter's Church. At its
dedication the coadjutor. Bishop Hughes, officiated. The reader has
gathered from Fr. Thebaud's pages how popular Dr. Power was with
the clergy of the diocese and how eager they were to have him for
their bishop. No doubt these facts were well known to Bishop
Hughes; still so great was his confidence in the veteran vicar-

286 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
the esteem, nay, the admiration of aU classes of citizens,
but particularly of all Catholics, and he was e-vidently
the choice of the clergy of New York for the high posi
tion of coadjutor. The noble character of Dr. Power
acquits him of all improper ambition. I am sure that he
felt very glad when he saw that the mitre had been
bestowed on another. Bishop Hughes himself was
fully con-vinced of this, and knew that he had no better
friend in New York than the Very Rev. Vicar-General.
On his first -^dsit to Rome hi 1839-40 he appointed Dr.
Power administrator of the diocese during his absence.
No bishop would do this, if he had the least doubt about
the fitness or loyalty of the person he intended to appoint
his substitute. Dr. Power showed, by the way he ad
ministered the diocese when he had fuU control of it,
that the confidence of Bishop Hughes was not mis
placed.
general of Dr. Du Bois that he continued him in the position, and
left the diocese in his and Dr. "Varela's care when he left for Europe
after Bishop Du Bois' death in 1839. After the return of Bishop
Hughes, Dr. Power was continued in the position of vicar-generaJ
to his death. Besides the esteem of his bishop, he enjoyed the
universal love and respect of the Catholic clergy and laity. To
non-Catholics also he was favorably known as a gentleman, a
scholar, and an orator. For thirty-two years he was the idol
of his flock at St. Peter's. He died April 19, 1849, after a long
iUness. Nearly three thousand persons -visited St. Peter's to look
for a last time at their beloved pastor's features, and Bishop Hughes
preached a glo-wing eulogy at his obsequies.
The -vicar-general's brother, Dr. Power, was a well known prac
titioner in New York. His descendants are represented in the
families of Gebhard and Neilson.
To Rev. James H. McGean we return our thanks for his per
mission to copy the fine engraving of which we present to our
readers an excellent photogra-vure.

CATHOLICITY FROM 1850 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 287
But at this very time the clergy of New York, par- Oppo-
ticularly of the city, were loudest in their discontent ^^^^p"
about the choice which had been made. They haAHugh^s
heard and approved of the great things achieved in
Philadelphia by the Rev. Mr. Hughes. But why was he
sent to New York, when some see might have been
found for him in Pennsylvania, and the man they had
always admired in New York for his eloquence, zeal, and
ability, a man known to and loved by aU classes of
citizens, might -with so much profit for religion have
been placed at their head?
I have heard that when Bishop Hughes was conse
crated in 1837 there were very few clergymen, if any,
except Dr. Powers himseff who did not harbor these
feehngs. I know personally that in 1846 one-half of
the Cathohc pastors were stiff openly arrayed in oppo
sition to their bishop.
The prudence of Bishop Hughes was apparent in the Trustee-
way he met opposition. After the opposition of his**"*"
clergy came that of some lay people. They were
strongly attached to the system of trusteeship adopted
by the Cathohcs from that long prevaihng in all
Protestant congregations. A law estabhshing this sys
tem had been passed in the State legislature, and when
the new bishop arrived he found it in -vigor in all the
churches of the diocese. Not only the temporahties of
every parish were in the hands of the trustees, but they
claimed to control the nomination of their pastors.
Bishop Dubois' last years were embittered by the pro
ceedings of the trustees of his own cathedral. Bishop
Hughes had witnessed the same evil in Philadelphia. In
New York, being himself the bishop, he felt it his duty to

288 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
put do-wn the system and do away with it. But it took
a long time before he crushed it. The law was against
him and in favor of the trustees, and he had to use a
great deal of prudence before he obtained his end. But
at last, having convoked a meeting of the cathedral
congregation, they passed a resolution forbidding the
trustees to interfere with the rights of the head of the
diocese as estabhshed by Cathohc doctrine and cus
tom. The trustees who signed this resolution were
kept in oflice; the others were obhged to resign and
gave way to other trustees. Later on the change was
made in St. Peter's by the authority of the bishop, who
deposed the existing board of trustees, and brought tn a
new board. I was then in New York, and I heard one
of the best la-wyers of New York — ^Mr. Glover, a Catho
hc — declare that this was altogether against the law,
and that the bishop would repent of it. "Why!" he
said, "the legislature could confiscate the whole prop
erty of the Cathohc Church tn New York. Bishop
Hughes is not above the law, and he -will feel it by and
by." Bishop Hughes never was prosecuted for this
bold move. The legislature did not punish an act
which had the approbation of the Cathohcs, the true
owners of the property. But how great was the pru
dence and sagacity the great bishop showed by waiting
until he was sure of ha-ving the whole body of his spb-
itual children ready to obey him !
This characteristic quahty of superior minds appeared
in all the measures undertaken by him in behalf of the
Cathohc cause. At this time controversies were frequent
among Protestant sects, and the ministers of the Epis
copal, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist denom-

CATHOLICITY FROM 1850 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 289
inations appeared to be the only Christians in the land.
Would they condescend to enter the hsts with Cathohc
bishops or priests? They carried their condescension
no farther than in their own discussions to throw in a
word of abuse on "papistry" here and there. Bishop
England, it is true, had begun the work of enhghten-
ment before this in North and South Carohna, and many
Protestant converts were the fruit of his labors. But
although he had founded the Charleston Catholic Mis
cellany to propagate the truth, and the few Cathohc
papers pubhshed elsewhere reproduced many of his
gentlemanly and forcible attacks on Protestantism,
what sectarians read a single page marked with the
"papist stigma"? The Cathohc body was small, insig
nificant. It was proper to sound the trumpet, and
wake up an echo that had been dormant until this time.
Cathohc immigration was pouring in, though the great
exodus had not yet commenced. It was highly proper
that the newcomers should be welcomed, and learn on
landing that the Holy Church for which they had so
long suffered in Europe was beginning her days of
triumph in America. Bishop Hughes was the first to
do it on an extensive scale. But with what prudence
and caution! Following the example of Bishop Eng
land, if he spoke plainly and openly, he never resorted
to abuse; he was always courteous in whatever he said
or -wrote. Thus he treated controverted points with
Dr. BedeU, an Episcopal minister of Philadelphia; with
Dr. Delancey, whose organ was the Church Register;
with several others of less renown. But the controversy
which made him famous was his written and oral dis-
cusaon with Rev. John Breckenridge, the great Pres-

290 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
byterian champion, who had challenged him to a debate,
and whom he answered in a masterly maimer. But,
always pradent and circumspect, he accepted only on
condition that he was not to remain on the defence, but
would be allowed to attack whenever the opportunity
should present itseff. He did it most effectively; from
this time forward the unprovoked attacks on the Church
have in great measure ceased, chiefly owing to the
resistance and the triumphs of those two illustrious
defenders of the faith. Bishops England and Hughes.
His long discussions against the "Pubhc School
Society"; his fbm opposition to Nati-vism and Know-
nothingism, as well as to the spread of revolutionary
doctrines at the time of the arrival of Louis Kossuth;
his acceptance of a quasi-pohtical mission to Europe
when the Ci-vil War broke out, exemphfy the same
prudence and sagacity. Though many men in the
South were scandahzed, and several eminent members
of the hierarchy complained of htm at Rome, the Pope
and the Propaganda did not blame him after his reasons
were heard. His great object, he said, was to give to
Catholic prelates in this country a consultative voice in
pubhc affairs; and he certainly succeeded, since Presi
dents, secretaries of state, governors, and pubhcists re
quested him to serve his country, and they consented to
aU the conditions he imposed to save his ecclesiastical
character and his conscientious principles of conduct.
What I admired in him at that time was his sim
phcity in the midst of all his honors. I never remarked
any change in him when he came back from Washing
ton or Albany, and I met him either in his house at the
old Cathedral, or in the cottage of his sister, Mrs. Rod-

CATHOLICITY FROM 1850 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 291
rigue, at Fordham. He was ever the same affectionate
and pleasant companion, ready to enjoy a laugh and to
relate an anecdote.
I remember that when we came from Kentucky in
1846 the number of Catholic churches in New York
City was about double what it was when I landed in
1838. The increase was at the rate of a little more than
one church a year. The increase in schools, orphan
asylums, etc., was not so great, because in most cases
the enlargement of existing institutions sufficed. The
growth had been uniform, normal, and healthy. The
people had scarcely felt the expense and had contributed
gladly. But now more than a thousand Catholic inuni-
grants landed every day. The Irish, moreover, for the
most part remained in the city. At most they sailed
up the Hudson as far as Albany and Troy. A few
years later I found a number of them employed in the
iron foundries of the last-mentioned city. But few
migrated from New York to Connecticut or Massa
chusetts. The body of those who so greatly affected
the character of the New England States landed at
Boston and Portland.
New York City had to entertain her guests and pro
vide for them. This duty devolved mainly on the Most
Rev. Archbishop.
In 1852 Archbishop Hughes, speaking on the progress
of religion since he took charge of the diocese, declared
that the number of churches had increased from seven
to twenty-two since his arrival in New York. He saw
he could not fumish sufl[icient places of worship for the
crowds that were daily arriving. He therefore pro
posed to unite aU the faithful of the city in an organi-

292 FORTY YEARS IN THE '^UNITED STATES.
zation to defray the cost of buUding new churches. He
called it an "AuxiUary Church BuUding Association."
The plan was well received and worked well for a short
time. But in the end it failed; the archbishop could
never persuade one congregation to help another for any
length of time. He had failed in this in 1841 when he
proposed the formation of a " Church Debt Association,"
in order to relieve the existing churches which the
trustee system had loaded with debts. He was not
more successful in 1843, when he proposed to the capi
talists of Belgium his Emprunt Catholique de New York.
The only resource left was under divine Pro-vidence
to combine his o-wn efforts -with those of his priests, who
were by this time devoted to him and to the Church. I
feared at the time that the valiant archbishop might
succumb under so enormous a load. But, strange to
say, everything after a while worked like a charm.
How the money came I could never understand; but
the work on the new buildings never stopped until they
were completed.
MeanwhUe the archbishop had no time to think of
debts. Besides his usual duties of visitation, confbma-
tion, correspondence, he had now almost weekly to dedi
cate a new church or lay the comer-stone of another, or to
bless graveyards, etc. Mr. J. R. G. Hassard in his " Lffe
of Archbishop Hughes " remarks that " on occasions of
this sort he generaUy preached. Sometimes he per
formed dedication services in two different parishes,
with the addition of a sermon on the same Sundayl
"Wherever he went he must officiate, preach, and receive
a throng of admirers."
When the Church of the Immaculate Conception was

CATHOLICITY FROM 1850 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 293
consecrated on May 15, 1858, it was announced that
this was the ninety-ninth church erected and dedicated
in the diocese while under the guidance of Archbishop
Hughes. Simultaneously with this important work, the estab
lishment of Catholic schools and the foundation of
religious and charitable institutions went on apace; and
everybody wondered how one man could manage so
many enterprises at once. The Brothers of the Chris
tian Schools were introduced into the diocese from their
mother house in Paris; the boys' parish schools were to
be placed under their direction, after proper arrange
ments made -with the pastors. The Sisters of Charity of
Mother Seton, after the departure for Emmittsburg of
those who preferred to be annexed to the French Filles
de la Charit6 de St. Vincent de Paul, were to continue to
teach the Catholic girls. Thus Catholic families would
be enabled to have their chUdren brought up under re
hgious protection.
An institution to help Irish servant girls was the
device of the archbishop himself. For their relief
Sisters of Mercy — a new religious congregation founded
in Ireland by Catharine McAuley — were brought from
Dublin and opened a house in Houston Street, where
these friendless wanderers were charitably received
untU a situation could be found for them.
The growth of Catholicity was witnessed not only in
New York, but also in the New England States, in Penn
sylvania, in Ohio, and even in Kentucky and Louisiana.
The other Southern States did not share in the advantages
of this immigration. Though the large cities received the
greatest part of this gain in population, towns and viUages

294 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
began also to see their Catholic population swell in a
marked manner. Churches were built and priests sta
tioned in many places which before were -without them,
"By 1859 the 1081 priests and 1070 churches of 1850
had more than doubled, ha-ving risen to 2108 clergjTnen
ministering in 2334 temples of the li-ving God." This
was the increase of nine years only.
When the Civil War of 1861 broke out Protestant
prejudices were gradually giving way to a better state
of feeling. They were not dead, and occasionally they
broke out again with a sort of fury. The determination
of the Cathohcs not to send their children to the pubhc
schools, and their occasional claim of a part of the public
money for their own denominational schools — which had
increased to the number of 2500 in the whole country —
irritated the numerous partisans of the State schools.
They charged that it was the intention of Cathohcs to
make "papists" of their chUdren, and they protested
that no money should ever be given them for this
purpose. About the same time the government became anti-
Catholic. The broken-down "Whig party had just given
place to the Republican party. The leaders of the
latter were soon in dread of the Catholics, a large
majority of whom had always supported the Demo
crats. They used their influence to injure the
Church. The annexation of Texas, which had taken
place a few years before, and that of California gave
to the new President almost absolute control over
the new Territories. The population of Texas, of
New Mexico, Arizona, etc., was Mexican and con
sequently Catholic. The Washington govemment

CATHOLICITY FROM 1850 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 295
placed over these simple and religious people as gov
ernors, agents, judges, etc., Protestant bigots or infidel
cynics, "selected," says Mr. J. G. Shea, "apparently for
their coarse and brutal hostility to everything Catho
lic." The same policy was adopted for the numerous
Indians living on the frontiers. Still at that tin;ie the
Catholic population was already estimated by the best
judges at two and a half millions.
There is no doubt that the Church suffered from the
Civil War equally -with the whole country. The immigra
tion from Europe was checked for a while. Many Catho
lic families suffered losses on the battle-fields; property
was destroyed; well-to-do people were impoverished;
the building of churches, of schools, of asylums — except
orphan asj^ums — was either interrupted or delayed;
Catholic colleges were closed or tumed into hospitals.
But the attitude of the Catholic body more than com
pensated for all these evils.
At the very beginning of the sectional struggle John
C. Calhoun of South Carolina called the attention of the
whole country to a remarkable fact which, in his opinion,
did the greatest honor to the Catholic Church. He
showed in a masterly pamphlet that the division of the
country was complete and irretrievable. Not only
were there two governments, two armies, in fact two
nations, contending for supremacy, if not existence.
Even religion was profoundly divided. AU the sects
were broken asunder; the Southern Episcopalians,
Presbyterians, Methodists, refused to acknowledge as
their brethren the members of the same denominations
in the North. The Catholics alone remained united;
and the bishops in the Southem part of the country

296 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
gave faculties in their dioceses to Northern clergymen
who happened to come South. The laymen of the
Church accepted the ministrations of both, according to
circumstances of place or time. Religion to them was
above the strife of parties. The great Southem states
man expressed his admiration of this conduct.
Loyalty But the attitude of the Catholic body was likely to
Catholics, produce a still deeper impression on the mass of the
people. In the North (of which alone I can speak from
personal knowledge) they largely refused to submit to
the draft, because this measure, adopted by the govem
ment after some hesitation, was an innovation. Until
that time voluntary enlistment had been the rule; and
at first Irish regiments had been organized -with a great
display of patriotism. This had scarcely been expected,
because the Irish- American belonged ahnost entirely to
the Democratic party, and this party was said to be
opposed to the war and even to lean strongly to the side
of rebellion.
In 1861 the Catholics, though they were Democrats,
stood firm for the Union and against secession. They
did not treat their enemies as rebels, nor shoot them
when they were taken prisoners. The most clamorous
Republicans who advocated this enormity soon per
ceived that the American people were noj; on their side
but on that of the Irish- Americans; the war was carried
on in a civilized manner, as between beUigerents. This
fact must have made a deep impression on aU right-
minded citizens.
There were Cathohc chaplams on both sides. Tlie
Rev. Mr. Ryan— -known as the Poet-priest of the South —
animated his friends the Confederates with his stirring

CATHOLICITY FROM 1860 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 297
songs; in the North the Cathohc chaplains could obtain
from the military authorities anything they asked for.
Instead of being disliked and disturbed as formerly,
they were treated with honor; and occasionally gov
ernment vessels were placed at their disposal when they
-wished to consult their bishops or attend to their o-wn
spiritual welfare. A complete revolution was taking
place in the public opinion of the country.
This change was even more marked in the popular
estimate of the religious orders. I mean the commu
nities of Brothers and Sisters throughout the country.
The former prejudices against convents, monasteries,
ascetics of every denomination, gave way because of the
charitable work to which they devoted themselves. At
a time when these institutions were proscribed nearly
all over Europe, the Ignited States offered them a
refuge. The female congregations, particularly, were
respected by all classes of people. There was now no
fear that their houses should be burned over their heads.
They often obtained favors from their State and city
governments. Their parochial schools, it is trae, did
not receive any share of the public money, o-wing to the
unjust legislation of the past. But their industrial,
charitable, and academic establishments, when they
called on the public for support, received from legisla
tive and municipal authorities generous appropriations,
without which they could often not have subsisted.
These kind feehngs increased in strength as theTlie
Ci-vil War of 1861 progressed. AU the resources of the war.
both parties were called into requisition. Clergymen
and rehgious were not required to bear arms; but they
came either as chaplains or nurses. The Americans

298 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
were especially struck with the heroism of the women.
The female sex in the United States is known to be
highly respected. In their ambulance service for the
battle-field the Americans had organized squads of
men nurses; men only were thought able to bear the
hardships of the war. They were aware that in the
Crimean War an Enghsh lady. Miss Nightingale, had
devoted herself to the hospital ser-vice. But she was
considered an exception. Few Americans knew that
Miss Nightingale could have done nothing had she
not been helped by French Sisters of Charity; and
they were totally unaware that Napoleon I. first
employed the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul on the
battle-field. In fact he re-estabhshed the order for that
purpose; all rehgious orders had been destroyed by
the French Revolution.
Whether the Washington government first apphed to
the Mother Superior at Emmittsburg for Sisters to nurse
the wounded or whether the Sisters volunteered their
ser-vices, I do not know. But these excellent ladies
acted as nurses in all the armies North and South, and
they soon became the favorites of the soldiers and
the officers. At the end of the war reports w^ere -written
to the federal government from the various armies full
of the highest expressions of respect and gratitude.
These reports are now in the national archives. It is
since that time that the female rehgious of all orders
have acquired their present respected position. Let me
quote an instance of the respect in which they are
held. There was then in Troy an Enghsh physician. Dr.
Thorne, known to everybody in the city. The Irish

CATHOLICITY FROM 1850 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 299
hked him, though he despised them; I often met him
at the bedside of my poor parishioners. He belonged
to the extreme atheistic and materiahstic school, and
went so far in his expression of his opinions as not to
scrapie to propound them in presence of the simple
women and good Christian men of my parish. On
two or three occasions I thought it my duty to speak
to him privately on the subject, and to remonstrate
on the impropriety of such language in the presence
of these people. He confessed that I was right because
I was a Cathohc priest and could not -view the subject
in the same hght that he did. I never thought of
tr5dng to convert him, though some good ladies of
my acquaintance, whom he often visited, imagined
that it was not impossible, and they hoped to bring
him round before he died. Unfortunately I was in
this case a better prophet than they were. The poor
man died of apoplexy, and continued in his unbehef to
the last moment.
But he had also continued his endeavors to inoculate
others -with his atheism and materialism, though I do
not think he had any notable success. He beheved
that the whole system either in the Cathohc Church
or in the Protestant sects was a mass of absurdities
and superstitions.
In France or in Germany infidels regard everything
connected with Christianity as odious; not only is
this rehgion contemptible and absurd, but it becomes
hateful and detestable to them.
But Dr. Thorne had not this feeling. He never
ridiculed the exterior rites or signs of rehgion, and he
sincerely admired the self-sacrifice of its ministers.

300 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
He was especially enthusiastic in his admiration of
the devotedness of the female rehgious, whom he knew
well, because, being called to their bedside when they
were sick, he was acquainted -with convents and the
unselfish hfe of their inmates. He made no distinction
between the various orders. Dr. Thome spoke in
the highest terms of aU the Sisters, black, white, or
gray; and in this he did not differ from the mass of
the American people. On one occasion he confessed
to me that if all Christians practised charity — or benev
olence, as he called it — ^he would sincerely regret his
want of faith, for he did not think there was anything
more worthy of respect than the rehgious orders of
the Cathohc Church.
Catholi- One word more about the rapid increase of the
Cathohc people during the period under consideration.
The number of the faithful in 1830 was reported to be
five hundred thousand, a great advance on the Cathohc
population at the beginning of this century. In 1844
it amounted to more than a milhon. Six years later, in
1850, it had increased to two milhons and a haff, a won
derful fact due principally to the enormous immigra
tion which followed the famine in Ireland during
1846-47. From 1850 to 1859 the number of priests
and churches more than doubled, and indicating that
the population had again doubled.
To conclude these statistics, when the Thbd Plenary
Council of Baltimore met in November of this year
(1884) there were at the head of the American Church
a cardinal, eleven other archbishops, fifty-eight bishop?,
and six mitred abbots; the number of regular and
secular priests amounted to more than seven thousand

asm m

CATHOLICITY FROM 1850 TO THE PRESENT DAY. 301
It is said that the last census of the United States, not
yet pubhshed, wiU show that the Catholics throughout
the Union amount to nine milhons and a haff.
Of this large number, scarcely two miUions were for
eign-born. More than seven milhons, consequently,
were American citizens and enjoyed all the privileges
conferred by birthright. Because of their former dis
abilities Catholics had very seldom been elected to
prominent offices. They were represented by a few
aldermen, inferior judges, members of assembly, super-
¦visors, etc. A Catholic had been chosen in 1882 for
mayor of New York; but though his party carried the
other city offices by majorities of forty or fifty thou
sand Mr. Grace's election was secured by a plurality of
two thousand only. Until then it was believed that
the Catholic vote could be neglected. But in 1884 the
gathering of more than seven hundred archbishops and
bishops, theologians, heads of religious houses, and
other Church dignitaries for the celebration of the
Third Plenary CouncU of Baltimore, showed the numeri
cal strength of the Church. Politicians and statesmen
began to speak of the importance of securing the Cathohc
vote, as they caUed it. „ - ,

CHAPTER VI.
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES.
Common When I landed in the United States, public instruc-
schools. . . 1, .
tion — especially pnmary teaching — was almost alto
gether in the hands of Protestants. With the exception
of a few day-schools for girls, directed by Sisters, in
important cities or towns, there were scarcely any ele
mentary schools for Catholics in the whole country.
Catholic parents had no means of educating theb chUdren
except by sending them to schools most dangerous to
their faith. The children could not leam their rehgion
except in church on Sundays, and the instruction they
received from their Sunday-school teachers was often
contradicted by what they heard or leamed during the
week. Catholic schools for boys under Brothers were
almost unknown. The public schools were then far
more objectionable than they are to-day. The old
histories, geographies, even arithmetics and readers,
books saturated with prejudice, were used every
where. New ones did not discontinue the abuse of the
Church, nay, occasionally they repeated it with greater
bitterness. The Catholics had been so long trodden do-wn by
their foes that they dared not complain; and the only
remedy for the evU was the strong faith of the parents,
many of whom knew their religion so weU that they
302

The College of St. Francis Xavier, West 15th Street, New York.
Father Thebaud's Residence, 1869-1885.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 303
could refute the objections of Protestants and defend
their Church. "What they saw and heard at home often
led boys to glory in their faith; and the Catholics of
to-day are the outcome of former persecution.
To my personal remembrance, it is only since 1850,
or thereabouts, that the Protestant school commit
tees in places saw that their books required expurga
tion. The popular voice of the Catholics became
not only louder, but imperative, as it were; to-day it
would be difficult to find in books used in non-
Catholic schools any remains of former intolerance and
bigotry. However, there have always been other objections to
the use by Catholics of the public schools; measures
lately adopted or to be adopted by the hierarchy re
quire parochial schools to be attached to every Cath
olic church in the country.
The chief objection to non-Catholic schools is based
on the e-vils of intercourse between Catholic and non-
Catholic boys. Among the latter there is now but
httle religious feeling. The indifference of Protestant
parents, chiefly of the fathers, cannot but react on their
offspring, and almost closes their hearts to the influ
ence of religion. Hence the children attach no impor
tance to the great questions of the soul, and long before
they reach manhood they are bent upon enjoying only
this life and its pleasures.
In their Catholic feUow students their non-Catholic
companions often see simpletons losing a part of their
time in exercises of devotion, which they contemn.
American boys are usually considerate enough not to
ridicule the religion of their playmates, and their parents

304 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED_ STATES.
would not suffer them to do so. But the bearing of
these young sceptics of twelve or fifteen cannot but
produce a harnaful effect on the faith of their com
panions. That this view is correct is proved at the time for the
first communion of Catholic children. The pupUs of
the parochial schools give satisfaction to the priest both
by their piety and their knowledge of their religion.
The Catholic children who have been sent to the public
schools have never leamed catechism in their classes.
Many of them have not come to Sunday-school in spite
of many warnings on the part of the pastor. A month
or two before the day assigned for the first communion
they appear at last with a dejected look, as if they came
to a very distasteful task. In spite of aU efforts they
leam only the most necessary part of Christian doctrine;
it is evident from the first that they will soon forget what
they have learned -with so much repugnance, and that
they wUl remain ignorant all their life of what religion
teaches and prescribes.
My experience in Troy during fifteen or twentj' years
has con-vinced me that intercourse between Catholic
and non-Catholic boys at school is most injurious to the
spiritual welfare of our children. "What I have seen
in other parishes has confbmed me in this opinion. It
is a pity that this is the case; for it is not good for
American Catholics to be sociaUy strangere to people
of other creeds. It would be far preferable for all to
associate as far as possible. But the care of the soul
requires the sacrifice of all minor objects. Hence the
American bishops are now agreed as to the necessity
of bringing up our children in Catholic schools.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 305
An almost universal consequence of intercourse
between Cathohc and non-Catholic boys is the unwill
ingness of the Catholic boys to hear Mass on Sunday.
The Protestant nations of Europe and America are
praised for their faithful abstinence from manual work
and commercial transactions on the Sabbath. In
doing so they show good sense and religious feeling.
But they feel themselves under no strict obhgation to
attend at church every Sunday. Formerly, it is true,
in the States of Connecticut and Massachusetts a citi
zen who did not appear in his pew on the Sabbath
would have been suspected of not being "orthodox,"
and would have brought on himself and his famUy the
censure of the minister.
But this is changed now. The Protestant churches
are thinly attended on Sundays, except when an impor
tant lecture has been announced by the minister, or
some renowned preacher is to hold forth on a popular
topic. Non-Cathohc boys at fourteen often neglect to
go to church on Sunday, and the Lord's day is passed
in excursions or in fishing or boating parties. Their
young Cathohc companions are naturally tempted to
do likewise. The Catholic parents who send their chil
dren to the pubhc schools are often far from rigorous
in requiring their children to observe the precept of
hearing Sunday Mass. In our churches those pews are
oftenest unoccupied which have been rented to people
wavering in their faith because of habitual association
with persons of another creed.
It is a pity, I repeat again, that such is the case.
It is to be hoped that this country -will not be divided
into two classes hardly associating with each other, as

306 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
is the case unfortunately in France at the present time.
But there is scarcely any danger of this, because when
aU the needed parochial schools have been pro-vided
the faith of Cathohc youth will be sufficiently safe
guarded, and their intercourse -with Protestants in
pohtics, commerce, etc., will no longer be a danger to
their rehgion. This is abeady true of those American
Catholics who have received a college education. If
some of these — as was sometimes the case a few years
back — appear lukewarm in the practice of their rehgion
and weak in their faith, an increasing number are now
steadfast and practical Catholics. With a good post
graduate course in our colleges all danger to theb faith
-wiU be warded off, and we shall have men of influence
in the country, who -will be the proper ad-visers and
leaders of their coreligionists.
When all our children of the humbler classes, par
ticularly the boys, are properly educated in parochial
schools, then the peril of associating -with people of
other creeds or of no creeds will cease, or at least be
minimized.
Public Let us see what kind of instruction is received in
the public schools. I say "instruction" ad-visedly,
because education, properly so called, is not their
object. Decent behavior in class is all that is re
quired of the pubhc-school boys. The formation of
character, the fostering of -virtuous habits, the repres
sion of -vice by awakening the conscience; in fine, the
gradual development of the moral man, which is the best
part of education, is regarded of secondary importance
in the common schools. This duty is left to the parents,
who, whether they are able to do so or not, have had

school in
struction.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 307
it imposed on them by God as a strict obhgation.
Those parents who cannot fulfil this duty, owing to
their own want of knowledge, have to choose teachers
of morals for their offspring, and the state has no right
to interpose obstacles. But the teachers in the state
schools are not expected to impart to their pupils such
moral training as we speak of here. What kind of in
struction do they give?
If we hsten to many friends of the pubhc schools,
no higher instruction is needed to make the people of
the United States a great nation. So far do they carry
this error that many of our legislators honestly think
that the state is not interested in fostering any in
struction higher than the primary. There was a
time when yearly appropriations of money were granted
in Albany to the colleges in which classical instruction
was given; and the faculty of St. John's College,
Fordham, to my knowledge t-wice received a grant of
six thousand dollars. The principle on which this
was done was that though the colleges are independent
of state control, still they contribute to the welfare
of the commonwealth by the superior instruction they
give; without it our country could not compete with
European states — -without it our professions would be
uncultured, and the higher government ofiices filled by
men lacking in suitable preparation.
Still the New York legislature refused to grant
the appropriations to the colleges of the state on the
plea that the instruction given in the common schools
was the only training needful to the commonwealth.
Some speakers added that the instruction given in the
classical colleges was good only for the aristocracy.

308 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
which it was not the policy of the Repubhc to encour
age. Let the gentlemen who wished to have their boys
receive a coUege education pay for it.
This happened about 1850, and since then no college
has received a penny from l^he state.
I remember that about this time, or a httle before,
I had several conversations with Professor Rosecrans —
now General Rosecrans. He was then professor at
the West Point Academy, and his younger brother
had come to take his degrees with us. Though the
action of the Albany statesmen had not yet taken place,
I knew what were their opinions on higher education.
One day I mentioned the matter to Mr. Rosecrans.
"I wonder," he rephed, "that you are surprised at it.
Do you not know that our own academy at West
Point finds great difficulty every year to obtain the
paltry sums that are needed for the support of
the institution most necessary to the country?
What could the government do if it were closed?
Not only should we have no capable officers in the
army, but there would not be any science of engineer
ing in the United States; and -without engineering
what could be done for the improvement of the
country? The nation would remain forever in an
unfledged state. To our disgrace we should remain
dwarfs in the presence of the European giants." I
replied that I had heard or read something of the
discussions in Congress about the West Point appro
priations, but I thought that they were only the talk
of fools such as are found everywhere. I imagined
that the great majority of congressmen felt the neces
sity of being generous to so important an institution

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 309
as West Point. Mr. Rosecrans rephed that I took
too charitable a -view of the pohtical gathering at
Washington. When he had spoken of West Point
being in danger of being closed, he had expressed him
self figuratively. But the detaUs of those discussions
in Congress every year showed unmistakably that the
Mihtary Academy was not in good odor -with many
of our lawgivers. They found it too aristocratic;
and urgent needs were often neglected by them.
The same system of primary instruction is not
followed in all the states of the Union. The constitu
tion of the country and our principles of self-govern
ment do not allow the federal government to interfere
in pubhc education. Nay, originally each state left
teaching entirely to indi-vidual enterprise. Even at
this day the colleges which impart secondary educa
tion are free to follow their own methods. The State
of New York has a "Board of the Regents of the Uni
versity," authorized by the legislature to correspond
-with the colleges, assist at their examinations and
exhibitions, and to grant charters to new colleges.
The charter of St. Francis Xa-vier's (College in New York
did not come from the legislature as did that of Ford
ham, but from the Regents of the University. Still these
gentlemen have never imposed their ideas of pedagogy
on the faculties of the colleges, even of those who re
ceived their charters from them.
On one occasion at the yearly meeting of the con
vocation at Albany, where two of the Regents presided
over the deputies sent by the various colleges, they
made an attempt to carry a measure which would have
given them some real power.

310 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNI f ED STATES.
The proposition of the Regents was couched in terms
of great moderation and seemed to be entbely harmless.
But the effect was " tremendous." Deputy after deputy
rose, and in pohte terms, certainly, but very pointedly,
they all declared themselves adverse to the proposition,
and each of them declared that his college would never
consent to such a regulation.
The speeches became at last so caustic that the two
Regents who presided left their seats and stood at the
end of the haU near the door. They did not return
tiU the "-vial of wrath" had been entirely poured out
by the speakers, and when they addressed the
meeting again they said that from what they had
heard they were con-vinced there had been a mistake
on the part of the gentlemen who represented the
colleges. At first the same liberty was aUowed to the managers
of primary schools. Consequently there was not among
them any strict uniformity. In the South, before the
Ci-vil War of 1861, the colored people were excluded from
the pri-vileges of instruction (so that it was penal to
teach them to read). The primary schools which
existed were left to the mercy of good-natured but
ignorant teachers. The rich planters — ^who formed an
aristocracy — ^would not send their children to be educa
ted in the same rooms with those of the poor whites.
They had private tutors in their splendid mansions
until the boys and girls could be sent to coUege or to
the convent. Evidently primary education could not
flourish there.
It is, therefore, in the North that the pubhc schools
took theb rise. New England was their birthplace, and

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 311
the teachers at first were mostly from the New England
States. The Bostonians from early days had their renowned
college of Harvard at Cambridge. But in course of
time it became too expensive for ordinary students.
Only the rich could give a college education to their
children, and elementary schools were founded. "When
theb original creed, founded on the strictest Cal-vinism,
gave way to dreamy thoughts on rehgion, most of the
churches were turned into Congregationahst or Uni
tarian meeting-houses. To the strict dogmas of Cal-
-vinist orthodoxy succeeded the broad tenets of Armin
ianism, socinianism, followed by agnosticism and
practical atheism. The majority, however, were sen
sible men, and they understood that morahty — the
foundation of states — cannot rest on total unbehef.
The population increasing rapidly, chiefly from immi
gration, they were frightened by the prospect of a
numerous lower class to whom universal suffrage would
give great pohtical power. As rehgion, di-vided up into
countless sects and despised by the superior class of
citizens, could no longer be rehed upon to regulate the
conduct of artisans and mechanics, they looked to
instruction as the best means of maintaining pubhc
order. This led to the organization of the modern
pubhc schools in the United States. Systems were
de-vised; programmes were laid down; books were
printed in which the morality of the decalogue was
still inculcated, not as coming from Moses on Sinai,
but as written by Nature in the heart of man.
Itis very remarkable that the expurgation of the old
text books, of which I spoke above, began in the New

312 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
England States. Not only every trace of the old Puri
tanism was carefully erased, but many points in history,
geography, and science which might give offence to
Cathohcs were suppressed, and the teachers were not
encouraged to insult the religion of Irish parents. They
thought, I suppose, that superstition would soon give
way before enhghtenment.
That I do not exaggerate -will appear from the
following fact. The Right Rev. John B. Fitzpatrick,
third bishop of Boston, was one of the most remark
able prelates that labored for the Church of God in this
country. Learned, far-seeing, he was weU acquainted
with the institutions, tendencies, idiosyncrasies of New
England. Born and bred in Boston, he could judge of
the position, dangers, as well as advantages common to
the Cathohcs from their surroundings. Ardently de
voted to the Church, he would never have yielded one
iota of her rights, and he was ever ready to fight her bat
tles when occasion required. Yet it is well known to all
those who knew him that he thought that there was no
great danger for the children of Cathohcs ff they fre
quented the pubhc schools in New England. He had
himseff received his primary education in one of them;
and though he acknowledged that Cathohc parochial
schools were better, stiff he thought that as long as we
could not have one of them in each parish we might
avail ourselves of the help offered us by the state. He
did not share in the exaggerated zeal of some bishops
who ordered their priests to refuse absolution to all
parents that sent their children to the pubhc schools.
A few prelates went so far in their ardor as to make this

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 313
a reserved case; but they saw their error before long
and withdrew their hasty orders.
The public schools of New England, particularly of Elemen-
Massachusetts and Connecticut, became the greatf^l^^'
model, adopted in the other states, East and West. -^e^
They were of three degrees — primary schools, grammar
schools, and high schools. The programme was entic
ing, and when drawn up it appeared sure of success and
destined to be profitable to the nation.
Children of six or seven years were admitted into
the primary schools. They were taught the elements
of reading, writing, and arithmetic. OccasionaUy they
received there the first instruction in geography. The
methods were excellent; the books, particularly the
readers, were well adapted to their age; and the conse
quence was that in all the Northern States the young
Americans could spell and read with the same emphasis
and the same attention to punctuation. Their writing
was neat and accurate. The best models, all of the
same kind, were placed before their eyes. Thus the
uniformity so remarkable everywhere in this Republic
was cultivated even in the elements of instruction.
It -will not be useless to compare the American French
method with the method adopted in my native country *^'"^.""
when I was a child. At that time — 1810 — the primary struction.
schools were exactly those of the ancien regime. Read
ing was not confined to the modern idiom — the French —
and to the material characters or types of our age.
We were taught to read Latin as soon as French; and
when I was seven, old sheets of parchment were put
in my hands written several centuries before, contain
ing deeds of conveyance, and decisions of courts of

314 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
law, in the obsolete characters of the thirteenth or
fourteenth century. This was more scientific than any
thing found in the modem primary schools of America,
and probably was due to the fact that no chUdren
studied the first elements but those who were destined
to follow a leamed profession. But in 1810 very
few boys who went to school in France could aspbe
to the higher studies. Learning how to read Lathi or
the intricate manuscripts of four hundred years ago
was useless. The greatest misfortune, however, was
that, the attention of the children being divided, they
seldom knew how to read their own language weU.
The same was the case with penmanship. They were
bound to know and -write at least four different char
acters or letters, namely, the common French, the Eng
lish, 6crire h I'Anglaise, the Gothic or German of three
hundred years ago, and finaUy la ronde. The result
was that they seldom wrote well. The methods also
were very imperfect; the children were not taught
how to hold the pen and form their letters unfformly;
they were allowed to follow the best way they could
the model placed before their eyes. I remember that
when I began to -write — at four years of age — I was
kept six months spoihng paper with only bars and
circles — des batons et des o. StiU I never bound myseff
to one manner of writing those simple characters.
These were the chief defects of the system. I would
not, however, condemn it altogether; there were in it
features which proved of great use afterwards, when the
time came for classical studies. First, our taste for
reading was formed beyond what was the case -with
the pupils of the American primary schools. Th

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 315
books in this country are all modern and confine the
reading of the boys to the subjects of the day. In France
a multitude of literary works belonging to many ages
and many nations are found in all the old houses. The
child who feels inclined to read is gratified to an ex
traordinary extent outside of the schoolroom. At home,
besides books of devotion I early perused with a-yidity
the History of Brittany, by Dom Lobineau, from the
colonization of the country by the Britons of Wales
to the annexation of the dukedom to France, when
Anne de Bretagne married Louis XII. The wars with
England particularly made of me a frantic patriot.
"Who among us did not know that reno-wned "Combat
des Trente," when Beaumanoir, dying of thirst on
the battle-field, was told by his companion to drink
of his own blood which was pouring from his wounds?
There were also to be found in our o-wn house the
Chronicles of Froissart, in the original French of the fif
teenth century, which my study of old parchment manu
scripts at school enabled me to understand at least in
the main. "Les Mille et une Nuits, " translated from
the Arabic language into French by GaUand; the
Bible history -with fine engravings, called "La Bible de
Royaumont"; the description of fairyland in the
"Contes de Perrault," gave great variety to my private
studies, besides the Fables of Lafontaine and the
T^l^maque of Fenelon, which I confess I could never
go through. I do not know how among aU these trea^
sures I also found at home the Encomion Morias, yes,
L'Eloge de la Folic, by Erasmus, of which I could
not read more than twenty pages. It disgusted me
when I found that it was fuU of abuse of the monks

316 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
whose houses had been desecrated a few years before
in my native city by monsters whom I had been taught
to abhor.
In a circle of houses near my own, where I was always
welcome when I was allowed by my mother to go there,
I found other books which gave far greater expansion
to my ideas. I was seven years old when a good
granny put in my hand the tale of Psyche and Cupid,
translated into old French from the Latin of Apuleius.
I could not, of course, understand the beautfful aUe-
gory, which was also unknown to the old woman
who lent me the book. But the splendid description
of the mysterious palace, the strange command given
by God to poor Psyche, the ardent desbes of the
enchanted woman who at last betrays herseff and
remains desolate, fascinated me even at that early
age, so that I never forgot the story.
The same venerable lady gave me a French trans
lation in prose of Paradise Lost. "Whenever I re
turned a book I was always asked what I thought of
it, and I remember my infantine criticism of MUton's
masterpiece. My opinion was given on the supposi
tion that it was a true history, and that everything
had happened exactly as it was related. "The begin
ning is right," I said, "and the creation of the world
and the sin of Adam and Eve are exactly reproduced
as I read them in the Bible of Royaumont. But there
are many things of which I have strong doubts, and
some even that I cannot believe at all. The rebeUion
of the angels in heaven, for instance, and the way they
fought are absurd. I have always heard that angels
are pure spirits; how could they be cut into pieces by

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 317
a cannon-ball, and the two parts unite again, as the
writer says in his book? There is besides that purga
tory of fools in the moon to which he sends monks and
papists -with their rosaries and scapulars. I do not
know who are the papists — at that age I was perfectly
ignorant of it — but I know the monks from the fine
churches they had here in Nantes which have been
pulled do-wn and burned. Was the -writer a Jacobin?"
That was my unsophisticated opinion of Milton at
that time.
It would go beyond my scope to state in detail the
full number of books that fell into my hands before I
was ten years old. I would have to speak of Klop-
stock's Messias, the primitive noels and baUads of
Marseilles, in which I read with wonder the history of
St. Mary Magdalen in her cave of la Ste. Baume, the
ramblings and martyrdom under Trajan of St. Eus-
tachius with his wife and children, and an indefinite
number of stories of crusaders who related their fights
with Saracens and Turks.
That a child should cram his memory with so many
fables was not the best means of making a practical
man of him, nor a utilitarian always exact in his cal
culations, strong in arithmetic and the rule of three.
But it was a fair introduction to a protracted study
of the ancient poets and historians, running through
fully seven years consecrated mainly to the literature
of Greece and Rome; then the severe realms of logic,
philosophy, and the sciences were at last reached to
complete the formation of the mind.
The grammar schools became the chief instrument of Grammar
popular instruction, especially in Massachusetts. It was

318 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
intended that as far as possible aU citizens should reach
the degree of knowledge imparted in the grammar schools
of the state. By this means it was supposed that the
mass of the people would become imbued -with moral
ideas calculated to lead them safely in the path of duty.
Though religion was not totaUy discarded, and the
Bible was read and prayers were said before class, still
no religious formulary was taught, no programme of
religious study was laid out, and in the examinations
not a word was said of it. All that was required of the
citizens was peace, good order, and obedience to the
laws; [this they thought was secured by a unfform grade
of instruction bestowed on aU alike, gi-ving compactness
to the moral feelings, and better fitted, in their opinion,
than the voice of jarring sects to open the way to uni
versal contentment to secure the agreement of all in fol
lowing the same road of natural righteousness. It is cer
tain that it has introduced into the country greater social
uniformity than can be seen in any European state.
The time occupied in going through the curriculum
of primary and grammar schools is in general eight
years. In the grammar classes the chief study is the
English language, with history, geography, and arith
metic. As a kind of embroidery over the whole,
music, French, grammar, drawing, and natural phi
losophy are sometimes taught to the pupUs who -wish it.
But of course at that age — from ten to sixteen — the
study of those additional branches cannot be thorough
and exhaustive. It cannot be expected that on finishing
the school course they will be able to speak any modern
language but their own, or that they will be proficient
in natural philosophy and science.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 319
The chief aim of these schools is to make the pupils
know, and -write, and speak their language well. As
in the primary schools, the methods they follow are
excellent, the books placed in their hands are the
best that can be procured. A book as soon as it is
adopted by a number of schools brings large profits
to author and publisher. Consequently there is warm
competition among pedagogical writers to produce
the best text-books. In the school committees that
have the choice of books for the schools under their
care, there are usually men of sense who know how
to make a good selection, and when the teacher,
urged on by the prospect of a large salary, wishes
to give a proof of his ability — which is generally the
case — the result must be satisfactory to the friends
of popular education. It would be unjust to refuse to
acknowledge the efficiency of the system as far as this
goes. The same must be said of the study of history,
geography, elementary mathematics, etc. The mate
rial part of popular instruction is admirably carried
out. Only those boys and girls who are naturally dull
show little improvement, as is the case everywhere.
This explains why the mass of Americans belonging
to the lower classes speak their language correctly and
can -write accurately for ordinary purposes. It is one of
the features which strike an intelligent foreigner who
lands on these shores. Nowhere in Europe is this seen.
In my youth I found it to be the case in a few large cen
tres of population in France, such as Paris, Lyons, etc.
Everywhere else the language of the people, even in
cities, was full of provincialisms and barbarisms. Yet
there was a great number of primary schools in the

320 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
country. But grammar was very poorly taught o-wing
to the fact, already mentioned above, that for several
centuries all education in France was a preparation for
the study of the classics. No French grammar, that I
remember, was put in my hands when I was a chUd. I
never perused any book on the French language except
the primer or spelling-book. A Latin grammar was
given to me when I was ten years old. The idioms of
French were taught me simultaneously -with the Latin
syntax of Lhomdnd ; and it was only after I had studied
Latin three years that I began to be instructed in the
"participes frangais" and the irregular verbs, prepo
sitions, etc.
Nevertheless the study of the French language was
carried on afterwards with better results than those
obtained for English in the public schools of this coun
try. But these were due chiefiy to translating from
the Greek and Latin. In writing our "versions," as
they were called, we were required to render the sense
of the ancient authors into idiomatic French. I re
member what pains I took to render the meaning of
Cornelius Nepos, Caesar, Lucian, and Xenophon into
such French as would be pronounced to be the lan
guage of good society. This is the best way of ac
quiring a thorough knowledge of a li-ving tongue. The
American way of instruction is not that which -will
produce a large class of good -writers.
After the study of the vemacular, which was justly
considered the most important, history, geography, and
mathematics were, and are still, the branches most in
sisted upon. Of coui-se, as is usual with all nations, the
history and geography of the country itself is thor-

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 321
oughly taught. And this is the more necessary in the
United States because, owing to immigration, foreigners
arrived in crowds. If this teaching were neglected, after
a while the mass of the nation would be ignorant of the
origin and life of the republic which has so generously
granted them the rights of citizenship. It is necessary to
make Americans of them, and to create in their breasts
a deep interest, nay, a love for their new country. The
children of the immigrants must be moved by feelings
of patriotism, other-wise there will never be concord
among the old and new citizens. The geography of
the United States is also most important, not only on
account of the travelling propensity of the people and
their inability to remain long in the same spot, but also
because the whole political system requires an exact
knowledge of states, districts, and counties.
The class books of history and geography deserve the
same commendation as the grammars.
Of the other branches of study pursued in the gram
mar schools, music, modern languages, etc., there is
no need of speaking here, because they practically
amount to almost nothing. The boys and girls who
go through the grammar schools only seldom need
them in hfe. They soon forget what they have learned.
Both in the primary and the grammar schools there
are excellent features which I have commended as
extremely useful to the state; though these schools
are to a certain extent injurious to the faith of the
Cathohc chUdren, particularly on account of their
association with Protestant boys and girls. I have
praised those studies through which a correct knowl
edge and pronunciation of the EngUsh language is

322 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
acquired and spread throughout the land. By this
means the uniformity so remarkable in this nation is
, fostered.
High Of the high schools, on the other hand, it is difficult
to understand the object. To form a right estimate of
their value requires more knowledge of them than I
have. "What I have seen of them in the State of New
York was not of a nature to excite my admiration.
Before entering the high schools, the pupils must
have studied the primary and grammar branches for
about eight years. The majority stop here, and they
are wise. It is, therefore, a small minority who enter
the high schools, into which they are received after a
thorough examination. Here the programme is of an
almost encyclopedic nature; since, in the language of
Appleton's Cyclopedia (second edition), "the course of
instruction occupies from three to five years, and em
braces generally the ancient and modern languages,
the higher mathematics, philosophy, etc."
But this programme is far more comprehensive than
any course of studies pursued in the best colleges of
the Union. It is identical -with the programme of
European universities; of course in those great centres
of enhghtenment the student never undertakes to go
through all the courses of the university programme,
but is satisfied -with a few adapted to the objects he
has in -view for his future hfe.
Normal The normal schools, which have a much more practi
cal object than the so-called high schools (since they
are intended to form teachers), are scarcely alive, and
certainly have never been prosperous. In the State
of New York, at least, they are languishing, and excite

schools.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 323
the ambition of young people only in towns or third-
rate cities, never in hamlets or large cities. The
laws which govern the administration of the state
schools do not obhge the superintendents, examiners,
and administrators to select teachers among the gradu
ates of high or normal schools — a sufficient proof that
their usefulness is not thought very great, since the
heads of the system often choose the teachers of the
lower classes from those who never went higher than
the grammar classes.
There is a class of educational estabhshments which
does not enter into the scheme which has just been
commented upon; I mean the academies for boys and
seminaries for girls.
These acadenues are private undertakings carried on
as speculations by enterprising men, who devote their
life to "preparing boys for college." In the colleges
the elementary knowledge of the classics, mathematics,
phUosophy, etc., is presupposed, and candidates are
not admitted except after examination in these branches.
The preparation for this examination is the object of
the academies. The .students learn Enghsh, Latin,
and Greek grammar; read easy ancient authors, and
go through the elements of geometry, algebra, and
conic sections or analytical geometry. The celebrated
academy attached to Columbia CoUege, under the
direction of Dr. Anthon, was the most popular of these
institutions. Colleges and universities (so called) in the United Coifeges
States are private corporations over which the state "^JPy
has no control, though they receive their charters
from the state. The legislature of the State of New

324 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
York, it is trae, has estabhshed "the Board of Regents
of the University," who are empowered to "-visit"
the colleges, and be present at the examinations and
annual commencements. The presidents and faculties
of colleges receive them with courtesy when they come,
but they would not allow the Regents to interfere in
their curricula, their disciphne, and their financial
concerns. The Regents annually receive from the
colleges a report on their course of instruction and a
statement of the amount of their property, revenue,
etc. The Board of Regents in New York can also
grant charters. Still the Regents leave the autonomy
of the coUeges in the hands of their president and
faculty. I have said that most colleges send an annual
report to the Regents, because I think that Columbia
College in the city of New York has never conde
scended to forward such a report, by way of protest
against this attempt of the state to interfere -with
superior instruction in the state.
The federal government at Washington is stiU more
careful to stand aloof in the matter of pubhc instruc
tion. They leave even the municipal govermnent of
the District of Columbia free to organize its primary,
grammar, and high schools. For a long time there was
no federal official to look after coUeges and universities.
But lately a Bureau of Education has been attached
to the Department of the Interior, I think. This is a
bureau of statistics only. It was iraportant for the
federal government at least to be informed of the care
taken of higher education in the various states; this is
. . the only object of the Washin.gton bureau.
ties. The first question to be briefly examined is: Are

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 325
there any universities in this country? I once listened
to a lecture by Professor Henry, held in New York, in
which he discussed this question. He first spoke of the
universities of Cambridge and Oxford in England, and
he showed that there is an immense difference between
those venerable institutions and the best universities
here, namely. Harvard University and Yale. "When
ever the learned old lecturer made some pointed reflec
tion on the inferiority of our universities, there was
universal applause among the audience, which was evi
dently composed in the main of the purely English
element of the great city. But the reasons Professor
Henry gave, certainly were convincing. In this country
very few persons understand the immense difference be
tween a university and a college. The gentlemen who
compose the legislatures of the various states are so com
pletely ignorant on this point that often when they grant
a charter to a new college they give to the institution
the power of granting all the degrees granted by the
highest and most complete universities in Europe.
I was struck by this absurdity when I learned, on my
first arrival in Kentucky, that the wretched little college
confided by the bishop to our care might grant every
year to some of our hopeful students or to respectable
gentlemen of the country the high-sounding degrees of
Ph.D., LL.D., D.S.T. (Doctor Sacrse Theologiae), or
even in a more humble way the degree of Dr. Mus.,
though none of us knew how to sing or play on any instru
ment. Nay, the legislature often granted the title of
university to an establishment scarcely worthy of being
called college. From Appleton's Cyclopedia (second
edition), art. "United States," we leam that in 1881

326 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
there were in the United States 343 educational insti
tutions classified as colleges and universities; and in
the art. "College" of the same Cyclopedia 72 of these
are called universities. It is in all conscience ludicrous
enough. In the long but deceptive list of institutions in which
the highest education is supposed to be given there are
two only which in general opinion are real universities.
Harvard 'and Yale. Are they universities in the sense
that is attached to the word in Europe? They catalogue
tn their registers faculties of Letters, of Law, of Medi
cine, of Divinity. But the same is trae of many of the
72 universities to which that title has been granted by
charter. Every one admits that for the great majority
of them it is a mere pretence. Harvard and Yale
themselves do not require for admission into their
freshman class anything like the requirements of Euro
pean universities. When a young man presents him
self to the Board of Examiners at Cambridge or at Yale
he need have pursued only a course in any respectable
academy or grammar school, and come prepared for the
usual studies carried on in aU the colleges of the Union.
This is a tacit admission that their rule is not different
from that of other colleges. The advantages the stu
dents expect to find there are a more aristocratic class of
companions, a larger library, perhaps more experienced
teachers in the ordinary branches, and undoubtedly
more flashy lecturers on what is called " modem science "
— a very problematic way of understanding education.
During the last few years Harvard has shortened
the old classical course, in order to give more time to
the lectures of which I have just spoken. Many intelii-

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 327
gent educators consider this step as little likely to aid
the development of the student's mind. If this policy
is persevered in, the United States may expect a lowering
of intellectual training and acquirements in the educated
classes, and a corresponding degeneration of its literature.
More than three hundred non-Catholic "colleges and Religion
universities" present from the point of view of rehgion*"'^'' ^^
a medley in which it would be difficult to flnd any system,
good, bad, or indifferent. As each religious denomina
tion naturally wishes to possess some colleges of its
o-wn, there are (outside of the Catholic colleges) Episco
palian, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Unitarian,
etc., colleges. Not that each one contains only pupils
belonging to its denomination. They do not exclude
from their classes students of any religion or of no
religion whatever. They profess to leave them all free
to think and do as they like in point of creed. If they
do not put catechisms into their hands, at least they do
not take away from them the devotional books given to
them by their mothers. Religion is never treated as
something of no value or contemptible; and I am sure
that even in the schools which do not belong to any
denomination there are some services or prayers, on
Sundays and at night, to remind the students that they
have a Master in heaven. I have never heard of an
agnostic college.
Yet the spectacle offered to the view in this country
is a sad one. A nation so fond of uniformity in every
thing else, even in dress, meals, lodging, daily hfe, and
moral habits, appears hopelessly divided on the most
important point of man's welfare in this world and the
next.

328 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
St.Mary's As centres of learning and sources of culture there is
cottege. a great difference between college and coUege. In 1840
or thereabouts they were far less advanced in the West
than in the East. I soon became well acquainted with
our college of St. Mary's, Kentucky. St. Mary's * was a
* St. Mary's CoUege, Marion County, Kentucky, -svas founded in
1821 by the Rev. "WiUiam Byrne, a native of Ireland (b. 1780).
Father Byrne, though not remarkable as a scholar, was a good
disciplinarian and organizer, and a man of unboimded energy.
He opened his school in an abandoned stiU; he was the president
of the institution, its chief disciplinarian, and universal professor.
He worked so earnestly and successfuUy that he soon planned a
more suitable edifice. He himself worked at its construction.
Once or t-svice his coUege was reduced to ashes, but this only injected
new -vigor into the undaunted president. -When in 1831 the
Jesuits came to Bardstown, the Rev. Mr. Byrne tumed over his
college to them; the Jesuit fathers, however, insisted that the
founder should remain at the head of the institution tUl his death.
This occurred in 1833, when a cholera epidemic -visited Kentucky.
The Rev. Mr. Byrne, though far from robust, insisted upon attend
ing to the sick, caught the infection and became its victim. Father
ChazeUe was then appointed president of St. Mary's, and proved
Mr. Byrne's worthy successor, equaUy energetic, equaUy devoted,
and equaUy successful. He it was who expanded the course and
enlarged the buUdings. He also wrote the dramas mentioned in
one of Father Th6baud's early chapters. The boys of St. Mary's
at first were mostly the chUdren of the Cathohc farmers of Marion
County. Among the earliest scholars was Martin J. Spalding, after
wards archbishop of Baltimore. Under the Jesuit fathers the
number of students increased steadily, and the coUege soon drew
its patrons not only from the neighborhood, but from the entire
State of Kentucky and from the southwestern states in general.
Often more than one-haU of the boys were Protestants, who, though,
as Father Thebaud teUs us, only one or two of them became Cathohcs,
nevertheless brought away from coUege an affectionate remem
brance of their old professor. Father "Walter H. HUl, S.J., who
attended St. Mary's from 1834 to about 1840, has furnished us -with
a Ust of some of the students who attended St. Mary's in his day.
Among them were the sons of Governors Clark, Pope, and Shelby;

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 329
college in no way inferior to the non-Catholic coUeges in
the West in point of learning and culture. We always
WiUiam Garrard of Garrard County; Dr. Edmund GiUespie of
Pittsburg, a near relative of Secretary James G. Blaine; Judge
Newman of Kentucky; the poet O'Hara; Pierce Grace, brother of
Archbishop Grace; Thomas Churchill; some of the Breckenridges;
Hon. Zach. Montgomery, Assistant Attorney-General, and his
chief, Attorney-General Augustus H. Garland, of Mr. Cleveland's
first cabinet; besides a long list of distinguished clergymen. It
is interesting to leam that Mr. Garland, though not a Catholic,
sent his boy to Georgetown University. Nor need we wonder
at the attachment of these men to their old professors. The
present -writer knew many of the members of old St. Mary's
after they came to the East, and was struck by their intellectual
power, their scholarship, their solid -virtue, and their distinguished
bearing. They were aU good instances of that ahnost extinct
species, the gentleman of the old school. Among them Father
Hill mentions Father -WUliam Stark Murphy, later president of
St. John's, Fordham, a man of great executive power and an
English scholar of very high attainments; Father Larkin, whose
scholarship ranged from Latin and Greek grammar (he wrote a
very original work on Greek grammar) to the highest fiights of
theology; Father Charles Hippolyte De Luynes, a courtly man,
of comely and impressive appearance, a correct and powerful
orator, a leamed exegete, and a deep and original thinker; Father
Michael Driscol, whose warm sympathetic heart never lacked
eloquent words and never failed to reach the hearts of his hearers,
in spite of his humble descent one of nature's noblemen; Father
Thomas Legouais, whose boy-like proportions was fuU of magnetism
for the American boy; Father Mignard, the very type of the kind,
virtuous, pious, convinced, earnest, simple, dignified French priest
of olden days; Father Simon Fouchfi, the most amiable and gentle
of teachers and scholars; lastly. Father Thebaud himself, a man
with his eyes open to aU that was good and noble, enthusiastic for
aU that was charitable, zealovis for God, the Church, and his order;
a convinced American, who was a warm admirer of the great work
of Washington and his friends, and of the people of the United States,
and yet not blind to their weaknesses ; a good theologian and phUos
opher, a lover of natiu:e, a student of science, a historical scholar
and a poet. These men at St. Mary's together with Fathers Chazelle

330 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
had as many Protestant as Catholic boys under our
charge, and the Protestant families along the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers would not have confided their children
and Lada-vi6re and others worked -with zeal, energy, and inteUigence
in bringing up the boys of Kentucky and the Southwest from
1831 to 1846; under their direction the institution grew in the
number of its students (which reached some 150), in the size and
attractiveness of the coUege buUdings, in the character of its outfit,
in the perfection of its work. It is hard to conceive how aU
this was possible when we leam that the tuition fees under the
first president did not exceed six dollars per session (quarter?), and
that they cannot have been much greater in Jesuit times. At the
same time the boys, Shelbys and Clarks, future judges, governors,
and attorney-generals, readily agreed to give one day weekly to
farming, hewing of wood, etc., besides taking charge of snuffing
the taUow candles which after sundown lit up the study-halls. The
play-time was given not only to sport, but also to the cultivation
of the sesthetic muses, the practice of the band, whose artistic ren
dering of "Yankee Doodle" and "HaU Columbia'' inflamed the
Catholic neighbors with patriotic ardor, and the performance of
Father ChazeUe's dramas of " Hawk Eye " and " Benedict Arnold,"
the mysterious beauties of which remained a sealed book to Father
Thebaud because of his imperfect knowledge of English. Place
in this frame as a setting the picture of one himdred and fifty or two
hundred sturdy Kentuckian youths, struggling away morning, noon,
and night to master the difficulties of the classics, mathematics, and
English, spurred on by their teachers, most of whom would have been
ornaments to the best faculty at that time in the United States, and
we enjoy a sight that the United States -wiU probably never see again.
Space forbids our entering into further details; suffice it to say
that Father ChazeUe was succeeded as president by Fathers Murphy
and Thdbaud under whom the Jesuit exodus to St. John's, Ford
ham, took place.
In 1847 St. Mary passed into the hands of the secular clergy,
who maintained its prosperity. In 1871 the Fathers of the Resxu--
rection, an Italian congregation, took charge of the coUege and have
since zealously and -vigorously worked for its expansion. In 1893
St. Joseph's CoUege of Bardstown, an institution founded in 1819,
was consolidated with St. Mary's, which has thus become the
only coUege of the diocese of Louis-viUe. Long may it flourish!

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 331
to us if we had been inferior in point of teaching. "What
did I find in St. Mary's when I arrived there at the begin
ning of 1839? On account of the absence of all state
supervision, the faculty of every college was the only
ruling power kno-wn in its constitution. They were the
only ones authorized to prescribe rules for the disciphne
of the house, the admission or expulsion of students, the
order of the day, and the division of time. Above all
they were absolute masters over the course of studies,
the methods to be followed under the direction of the
teachers, the English, Latin, and Greek authors that
were to be studied, and the length of time required
for graduation. The members of the faculty of St.
Mary's were nearly aU French and had brought -with
them their French notions of a thorough study of gram
mar and a long training in Latin themes, i.e., in trans
lating from English into Latin. They were shocked at
first by the impossibility of carrying out this programme,
but when I arrived they had already adapted them
selves to the exigencies of the place. As they were igno
rant of the curriculum usually followed in the Protes
tant colleges, that is to say, of the previous academical
course required for admission and of the four years'
course preparatory to graduation, they found themselves
obliged to look to their next neighbor for a practical
solution of the problem. This neighbor was the Catho
hc college of Bardsto-wn, twenty miles distant from
them. On ijiquiring about it they were surprised to
hear that their custom was to receive all boys who pre
sented themselves, classify them as well as possible,
keep them as long as they could, and grant them their
degree when they refused to stay.

332 FORTY±YEARS IN THE .UNITED STATES.
This statement astonished our fathers. They saw
the necessity of forgetting all their French notions
and their own ratio studiorum. After settling on the
best plan according to their views, they found that
they could not make their course of studies longer than
three years. Even those students who had not been
at an academy insisted on completing their course in
three years. When I left in 1846 it had been a solemn
fact that none of our graduates had spent more than
three years in the coUege. StUl the programme of
studies printed in our prospectus was sufficiently long
and fair; but it was understood that this should be
carried out when possible.
The reader may ask what kind of scholars came out
of our hands; and as it is a fair question, it must be
fairly answered. The reader may be surprised to hear
that our scholars came pretty well up to the common
standard of the country; nay, more: the education of
those Kentuckians produced results tn after-life, of
which, compared -with the results of European educa
tion, this country need not be ashamed.
It must be said that not only the Kentuckians but
the Americans in general are precocious, practical in
their -views, and used to look straight before them, and
to strike in the right direction on all occasions. There
is no reason to fear that in any contest with Europeans
they will be second best. "Wherever they now appear
in Europe they are received as the peers of the best
society. How could this be if those among them who
have received all the education available in their schools
have given so little time to the ancient culture, to the
great authors who for nearly two thousand years have

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 333
been the pattem offered to educated people? "What I
witnessed in our college of St. Mary's in Kentucky may
give a very probable answer to this question.
Of course the boys could not become great scholars.
Most of them came to us without the least knowledge
of the elements of Latin and Greek. As they did not
intend to stay more than three years, and they were
then to receive their degree of A.B., the last year was
entirely consecrated to the study of Logic, Ontology,
Natural Philosophy or Physics, and to complete their
course of mathematics as far as Trigonometry. Some
study of Homer in Greek and Virgil in Latin could
scarcely be considered as the cro-wning of classic studies.
They had only two years to go through Latin and Greek
grammar and Latin and Greek literature. Everybody
will understand that they could scarcely be called
scholars in any sense of the term. All they could do
was to translate into literal English the ordinary
authors of Rome and Greece, such as Caesar's Com
mentaries, the Epistles of Cicero, and the Eclogues
of "Virgil, Xenophon's Anabasis, and Lucian's Dia
logues. As to writing or speaking Latin, it was alto
gether out of the question. Among the many funny
translations I remember one which made me laugh
heartily. The English sentence, "The earth swaUows
water" was turned into the following Latin: Terra
hirundit aguam.
As I have said, St. Mary's College was on a par -with all
the Westem colleges. In the East the case was some
what different. Education in America was not as far
advanced as in Europe. Wealthy parents often sent
their children to England. How is it that the boy

334 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
who must be content with the instruction afforded
by American colleges, were able to hold their own with
the educated classes of Europe?
In English-spe,aking countries the test of education
is the correct use of the English language; in coun
tries where English is not understood there are always
some educated Englishmen who secure for Americans
admission to good society. By their manners they
can show that they deserve it; and they never, or very
seldom, appear inferior to the people among whom
they travel or with whom they trade. The proof of it
is that Americans are everjrwhere received with open
arms, and find friends in Paris as weU as in London, at
Constantinople as well as at Cairo. This they owe
chiefly to their English education at home.
I was struck by the ardor of aU our boys in St. Mary's
to acquire a thorough knowledge of their mother tongue.
I was thirty-two years of age when I reached the place,
and I thought the best means to learn to speak English
was to begin -with the first elements of the language.
For six months I went regularly to the lowest Eng
lish class. The teacher was an American — a Mr.
Conden — who made a profession of teaching and did
not intend to become a priest, much less a religious
of our order. He was a pompous man who kept his
class in perfect order, though he never used harsher
means to enforce discipline than speech-making, in
which he was grand; I truly admired him. He was
thoroughly posted in the elementary branches which
he had to teach. The books used by his pupils were a
primer, a speller, a reader, and an elementary grammar
containing the declensions of nouns, adjectives, and

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 335
pronouns, and the conjugation of verbs regular and
irregular. At that time there were not so many text
books as at present. The text-book of grammar used
by our boys were the weU-known compilations of
Lindley Murray.
I could not but wonder at the attention given by
these little boys to the earnest lessons of Mr. Conden.
He was most strict in speUing, and admirably taught
his pupils to divide the syUables of each word. When
they came to read a whole sentence, he made them find
out where the accent naturally fell and what the punc
tuation required of them in reading. I had never been
put under such a training when I leamed the elements
of my native language in France. If I read well, as I
thought I did, it was rather the result of training my ear
in conversation than of any teaching by my instructors.
In my Kentucky class a great deal of attention was
also given to the prepositions and verbs, as these parts
of speech play so important a part in the English
tongue. In France we paid scarcely any attention to
them. This class of little boys was not, of course, a part of
the triennial curriculum of the college. Nothing but
Enghsh was taught in it. The few detaUs I have given
regard only the morning exercises. In the afternoon
the class studied arithmetic and the geography and
history of the United States. Though I never ap
peared among them after dinner, I soon knew that
these branches received the same attention from both
teacher and pupils. There is no doubt in my mind
that American boys attach a much greater importance
to the acquisition of knowledge than most of the French

336 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
lads do. I never found in America lazy fellows such
as you find everywhere in French schools and colleges.
In the collegiate course the chief attention seemed to
be given to the study of Latin. Greek and Enghsh
was ahnost on a level with them, especially if you con
sidered the short time given to Enghsh hterature.
However, you soon perceived that in the eyes of the
boys Enghsh composition and style, a proper enuncia
tion, and in general the art of oratory, were of para
mount importance in their judgment. These points
were especially attended to by the master of elocution
appointed by the faculty. It is true, in our Kentucky
college there was no proper course of elocution. But
there were several occasions in the year when speeches
were made and dehvered before the students and even
before strangers: Washington's Birthday; the 4th of
July; the commencement or exhibition day, about
the middle of the same month; finaUy extraordinary
occasions. The preparation for these displays secured
to our boys serious training both in composition and
dehvery. The speakers went out with the Enghsh
teacher appointed to this work, and in one of the groves
on our farm they practised the elocution which had
already been taught them in their classes. The boys
attached a great deal more importance to this branch
of their studies than to the reading or explanation of
the Latin or Greek classics, to which they gave but
httle time. AU our Western boys wanted to shine as
orators. In their estimation, no one in the whole world
was superior to the great Henry Clay or to John C. Cal
houn. If they thought they could not aspire to so high
a place, they wished at least to shine in their native

College, and Chdbch^of St. Fbancis Xavieb, WesTj^16tii
¦ . _ ¦ ^ Street, New Yokk.^'
Father Thebaud's Residence, 1869-lbSO.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 337
county among those who knew them and whom they
knew. As American boys are nearly always talented,
it was surprising to a Frenchman hke me to see what
progress they made and how well they succeeded, though
their knowledge of the classics was so hniited.
It is true they eagerly studied the English classics,
who had formed their style on that of the ancients.
They all read with earnestness the masterpieces of old
England. Shakespeare was in their hands, and some
thing of S-wift, and Pope, and Gray, and Goldsmith, and
T. Moore. The great Enghsh authors are more eagerly
perused in North America than in England. Far more
copies of the Enghsh classics are sold on this side ofthe
Atlantic than on the other. Our boys partook of this
wholesome taste; and during their recreation-days
many spent a good part of their time in poring over
the acknowledged models of British hterature. But
they often preferred to poetry the great patterns of
eloquence who have rendered iUustrious the Parhament
and the bar of Great Britain and Ireland. It was be
cause of the interest they took in reading the noble
speeches of Edmund Burke, of Grattan, of Lord Chat
ham, and others, that I myself devoted some of my time
to the same study; and though my chief inchnation has
always been toward pulpit eloquence, and though the
Protestant preachers of England cannot compete with
our Bossuets, Bourdaloues, and Massillons, stiU in
pohtical and forensic oratory I felt obhged to concede
that France has nothing better to offer to the student of
eloquence than England.
In the selection of books to form their taste, no one
could object to the preference they gave to American

338 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
-writers. Patriotism is a praiseworthy -virtue; and all
nations prefer their own authors. In the case of our
American boys it must be said that they had no con
temptible models in Washington Ir-ving, Bancroft,
Prescott, Bryant, among hterati and historians; in
Henry Clay, Calhoun, and Daniel Webster, who were
giants among parhamentary speakers. Moreover, these
models spoke of things better adapted to the pecuhar
circumstances of the American youth than English
writers could do. Their own authors often discussed
matters connected with their history, their pohtical and
social -views, which they could not find in books written
on the other side of the Atlantic.
A most remarkable feature of our Kentucky coUege
was the small attraction novels had for our boys. Occa
sionally some well-kno-wn tale of Walter Scott or of
Cooper was found in their hands. The " Pickwick
Papers" of Dickens had already been published, and
everybody made it a point to read it. The sea tales of
Captain Marryat would perhaps have been favorites, ff the
author had not poured out his abuse on the North Ameri
can Yankees. But the reading of these novels scarcely
interfered with that of the masterpieces of Enghsh and
American hterature best calculated to form the taste of
the students, and to give to their memory and their mind
wholesome information and instruction. There was
another book which at that time all devoured with
avidity — ^"The Clockmaker," by Judge Hahburton of
Hahfax. It was not exactly a novel, but rather a picture
of Yankee character and language. Nobody can now
imagine the effect it produced on the Americans; it
led them to study purity of language, and pointed out

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 339
to them the danger they were in of adopting a ridicu
lous jargon, which was at that time spreading from the
New England States all over the country. Mrs. Trol-
lope abused the Americans by reproducing their pro-
-vinciaUsms, which she represented as the language of the
country; she also contributed powerfully to warn the
Americans against that danger. But in the book of
Judge Hahburton there was perfect good nature and
not the least tinge of abuse or caricature. He made
his Yankee speak exactly as the common classes of
society spoke in New England; and on reading "The
Clockmaker" it was impossible not to smile at the
absurdity of the jargon, and to feel the importance of
avoiding the least approximation to it in conversation.
"The Clockmaker" is a masterpiece, one of the most
remarkable books that were ever pubhshed in North
America. It is surprising indeed that there has never
been a second edition of it; but the first and only one
that appeared sufficed to confer an immense benefit on
the United States. I have said that at present there is
in this country more uniformity of speech and writing
than in any other land where the Anglo-Saxon pre
dominates. In my opinion this was due to two causes:
first, the uniformity of instruction in the pubhc schools;
and secondly, the salutary warning the Americans re
ceived from the author of "The Clockmaker."
In describing the course of studies in our Kentucky
college of St. Mary's, I gave a description of the course
of college instruction in the Western and Southern
States. As we sometimes received students from non-
Cathohc colleges, and half at least of our pupils were
Protestants who had received their elementary instruc-

340 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
tion in Protestant institutions, we could hardly be mis
taken in forming this estimate.
Eastern When we arrived in New York we found ourselves in
ges. ^ different atmosphere. St. John's College, Fordham,
had been founded by Bishop Hughes on the model of
that of Emmittsburg; Georgetown had endeavored to
foUow the Enghsh classical schools; the College of St.
Mary's in Baltimore had adopted in the main the French
secondary-school instruction. There was no unfformity
in the Cathohc coUeges of the East.
Harvard. Even Harvard and Yale were not true universities;
they were colleges, though of a superior order. Har
vard, called at first Newetowne, was founded tn 1636,
four or five years after the landing of the Pilgrims.
The school being removed in 1639 to another place, the
village where it was now estabhshed was called Cam
bridge, in honor of the Enghsh university of that name,
in which some of the American founders had taken their
degrees. The name of Harvard was given to the new
institution in honor of the Rev. John Harvard, who by
his -wiU left £700 as an endowment. Thus Harvard
began very humbly, and the faculty did not presume
to aspire to a name higher than that of college.
But since that time its external progress has been
wonderful. Owing to the number of its students, many
belonging to rich famihes, and the generous legacies,
bequests, and gifts made to it by many men of note,
most of them its graduates. Harvard College has
grown so as to leave all other educational institutions
of the country far behind. The divines, lavs^yers,
statesmen, and scientists who have begun within its
precincts a hfe of honorable study, and reached even

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 341
European fame by their intellectual and patriotic labors,
we cannot enumerate here.
For a long time the friends of Harvard have worked
toward securing for it a place among the great univer
sities of the world.
As has been seen, the students are not required to pass
a much more serious examination for admission than
those of other colleges ; and the course is completed in
four years, exactly as in other colleges. This defines
the real status of Harvard.
To correct this inJerior educational grade two meas
ures have been adopted. The first is the multiphcation
of courses of study. Thus there are classes of Anglo-
Saxon and modern Enghsh, Hebrew and Sanskrit,
modern Greek, German, French, etc. There are also
advanced courses of physical science, chemistry, and
astronomy, etc. Our purpose is not to disparage any
of these attempts at imitating the highest studies of
European universities. Harvard by its wealth, by its
precious collections of books, by its scientific apparatus
of the latest and most costly kind, and by the high
remuneration given to the ablest professors of special
branches, is rendering an inestimable ser-vice to the
nation. It is the first step taken toward the estab
hshment of a university strictly so caUed. But as
these special studies are not in the least connected
-with the curriculum of the college, and are mere means
which attract students to become speciahsts, it is
e-vident that these courses do not as yet constitute it
a university. It is only if postgraduate courses should
replace the undergraduate course that a real university
would be constituted.

342 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
As if four years were too long a time for a complete
general education, considerable time is given at Harvard
to athletics, i.e., to boat-races and to baseball. From
Cambridge has also come the proposal to shorten con
siderably the study of the classics, and introduce
pohtical economy, science, and modern tongues, as a
means of mental disciphne and of general education.
If these innovations should be adopted in our colleges,
there would soon be an end of the highest training of
men's minds.
The second step taken by Harvard to become a
university was the organization of courses of di-vinity,
law, and medicine as part of the college programme.
Because universities have always had faculties of
theology, medicine, and law, forming with the faculty
of art the four great branches of universal study, it was
thought the object intended would thus be attained.
"When those faculties are once in fuU and successful
operation no one will refuse to Harvard the proud title
of university.
Visits to A few words now about Yale. In 1848 aU the Jesuit
and Yale, colleges of northern Italy were closed; even the Roman
college was taken from them. The professors were
driven to other lands. Among the crowd of exiles
the great astronomer De "Vice landed at New York.
He took up his quarters at Fordham, and ex
pressed the desire of -visiting Yale and Harvard. He
had obtained from Father Arago at Paris letters to
Professor Silhman at Yale and to the professor of
astronomy at Harvard. I was glad to have the oppor
tunity of -visiting those institutions as Father De Vice's
interpreter. We went first to Yale, and found Pro-

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 343
fessor Silhman. The old editor of Sillimun's Review
was not of a very communicative disposition; but the
name of De Vice acted as a charm, and after a short
conversation he proposed to take us to see the college.
After a -visit of an hour and a half I had a fair idea of
Yale College. I have read reports on the curriculum of
this college, and nearly every year went through the
record of the exercises at the "commencement." These
take up more than a week, and I doubt whether there is a
college on earth so rich in public exercises fin d'anrde, as
a Frenchman would say. Of course this wealth of pub
lic declamations does not constitute a university. Yale
deserves this title even less than Harvard.
From New Haven I went with Father De "Vico to
Boston, and we took oUr lodgings with the Right Rev.
J. B. Fitzpatrick, the excellent bishop of that city.
The object of Father De "Vico in -visiting Boston was
to talk with the Harvard professor of astronomy, with
whom he had been in regular correspondence; I have
forgotten his name. That gentleman was absent; of
all the heads of departments no one was then at Har
vard except the president, who was no other than the
Hon. Edward Everett, at that time one of the best
known men of the country. The bishop of course
went with us to Cambridge, and as soon as Mr. Everett
heard that the Right Rev. J. B. Fitzpatrick had come
with Father De "Vico he came to the parlor and offered
to show us everything of importance at Harvard. He
had often heard of the Roman astronomer, and was
only sorry that the professor of astronomy was absent,
but he would do his best to replace him, and we might
also see the assistant professor, who was then in charge

344 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
of the observatory. The bishop was of course to be
the interpreter between Mr. Everett and Father De
"Vico. On the way from Boston to Cambridge I had
had time to explain to the bishop the questions that
interested us. "Monseigneur," said I, "the chief topic
of the conversation will no doubt be scientific, per
taining to the stars. I am of no account on the present
occasion. But as Father De "Vico is interested also in
the general course of instruction in an American col
lege, I am sure that he -wUl not object to what I pro
pose." The Italian father exclaimed at once that he
would be delighted to leam what I proposed from so
sure a source as the president of Harvard.
We rambled through the coUege for about three hours.
In the observatory we were received -with the greatest
empressement by the young gentleman who had charge of
it in the absence of the professor. He had with him two
or three young men who studied under his direction. A
great many things were said of the comets described
by Father De Vico, after whom a new comet discovered
by him had been named.
Bishop Fitzpatrick asked many questions about the
course of study, in which he said Father De Vico took
the greatest interest. The reader, therefore, sees that
I have drawn my information to -write the sketch I
have given of the programme of instruction at Harvard
not only from reports and hearsay.
It is needless to say that Harvard was Yale's model.
For admission into the freshman class they required
about the same elementary knowledge of the Latin and
Greek classics, and of mathematics; there is a four
years' course required for the degree of A.B. The

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 345
studies which followed were at the option of the stu
dent, and directed to a professional career. They
had no connection with the college course. The facul
ties of theology, law, medicine, science, and art, which
are open to the students as higher branches of study,
form a separate course, at the end of which the degrees
of bachelor, master, and doctor, in each faculty, are
granted. In all official programmes this is kept hon
estly in view. Yale is never called anything but a
college; and it is only when degrees are granted at
the end of the professional studies that the faculty of
the college assumes the character of a university.
The reader -will understand that in saying what I have
said of Harvard and Yale I do not intend to disparage
two of the best institutions of the country. They do
honor to the land, and they have done much to spread
trae culture over the North American continent. A
great nation cannot do without institutions of this
kind; and we Catholics must look eagerly for the time
when we shall have our own universities as generously
endowed and supported as the rich educational insti
tutions in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The two great colleges of New Jersey and New York,
Princeton and Columbia, follow nearly the same course
of studies as other American colleges; the four collegi
ate — called at Princeton academic — classes form the
basis of instruction. At the end of the course the degree
of bachelor of arts is conferred on successful students.
Columbia seems to me to have a great advantage over
Princeton from the fact that there has always been
connected with it a grammar school in which the pupils
are prepared for college, while at Princeton the pupils

346 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
are received from every quarter, and the coUege course
must feel the confusion resulting from so many differing
feeders. Besides, Columbia has for a long time had
at the head of its grammar school the celebrated Dr.
Anthon, an excellent classical scholar who has pub
lished many editions of the Latin and Greek classics
with notes from European sources. Thus Columbia
has conservative methods of teaching calculated to
develop the mind according to received principles of
pedagogy. During the last fifteen or twenty years
Princeton has had the advantage to have as president
the well-known educator and author. Dr. McCosh, who
labors to spread in this country the true maxims of
metaphysics as the groundwork of philosophy. Thus
in these two seats of learning, which have never claimed
a higher rank than that of colleges, a generation of
young men is formed from whom the country may
hope bright intellectual results. The large sums -with
which both have been endowed by their founders,
their state authorities, and by rich friends, are far from
being wasted, since sound higher instruction is im
parted to a class of citizens whom no nation can do
without in the race for superiority. Unfortunately both
Princeton and Columbia have lately been invaded by
the mania for innovation.
The other non-Catholic colleges need not attract our
attention. The two which have been last spoken of are
after Harvard and Yale the most prominent coUeges
in the United States. The so-called college we had in
St. Mary's, Ky., of which I spoke at some length, fairly
represented the ordinary non-Catholic colleges in the
West and South. St. Mary's could scarcely be called a

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 347
grammar school, and no higher rank can be awarded
to the majority of Western and Southern coUeges even
at this time. We proceed, therefore, to the considera
tion of Catholic colleges. So far they have scarcely
held their own, and Protestants in general have scarcely
noticed their humble existence ; yet in my opinion they
are destined to hold a high place in the future world
of intellect in the United States.
Previous to the American Revolution the Catholics CcrfftoKc
in the English colonies along the Atlantic labored
under grave disabilities and were subjected to penal
laws nearly as vexatious as those in the mother country.
One of their greatest grievances was that they could have
no schools of their own. Had they opened any college
or even primary school, these would have been instantly
closed and the teachers punished. But as soon as
Bishop Carroll was consecrated in 1790 he attended
to the educational needs of the growing generation
of his fiock. Georgeto-wn College, which had been
planned in 1788, was founded in 1791. A year or two
after some French Sulpitians — Rev. Mr. Nagot at
their head — driven away by the Revolution in
France, landed at Baltimore and soon opened a theo
logical seminary and a coUege near the cathedral of
the bishop.
The former Jesuit Fathers of the Maryland mission,
who had continued to form a kind of community after
the suppression of their society in 1773, undertook to
carry on the coUege of Georgetown. The newly arrived
Sulpitians were placed by Bishop CarroU at the head of
his theological seminary at Baltimore; they also opened
a college for boys. The Sulpitians even thought that

348 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
an institution destined to educate the youth not only
of one city but of the whole country was a necessity,
and the College of Emmittsburg was founded for that
purpose. The new colleges not being endowed, their only
means of maintenance were the fees of the students.
Consequently all candidates — from ten to twenty —
were welcomed, and a curriculum had to be adopted
embracing almost the entire course of primary and
high schools, together with the classical education
necessary for honestly granting the degree of bache
lor. When I reached this country the few Catholic
colleges then existing were conducted on this absurd
basis. The reader will perceive at once the extraordinary
number of teachers required in such an institution, each
teacher having but a few pupils. A fact stated in the
early history of Harvard and Yale is interesting, as it
strikingly illustrates the difference between them and
our colleges. The presidents of those seats of learning
actually undertook to teach all the classes with the help
of two or three assistants.
The reader knows what immense sums the non-
Catholic institutions have received from the state or
from wealthy benefactors. It is a sad fact that the
Catholic colleges have received almost nothing even for
their first establishment. If some of them are not now
overwhelmed with debt, it is due to the strict economy
practised in them.
I come now to the programme of studies at George
to-wn and Emmittsburg, such as it was when I became
first acquainted with those places.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 349
I became acquainted with the scheme of studies at Stodies in
Georgetown in 1846. We had just come from Kentucky <^f "
to Fordham, N. Y., and found the college of St. John in
such a state of confusion, as regards the curriculum, that
we thought of radical alterations; but before making any
change it was proper to inquire how our fathers in the
District of Columbia were proceeding in their system
of teaching. Rev. F. Blenkinsop, then Prefect of
Studies at Georgeto-wn, gave me all possible informa
tion on the subject, and Georgetown became the model
we adopted in St. John's the year following. The
programme at Georgetown was still about the same as
it had been from the beginning of the institution under
the direction of Archbishop Carroll, Father Molineux,
and others. It was based on the plan of the English
grammar schools. This was the best that could be done
under the circumstances. We changed some of the
names in the branches of the programme, keeping, how
ever, the substance. For instance, the class of humanities
at Georgeto-wn was called by us the class of belles lettres,
in consequence of some stupid remarks of Mrs. TroUope,
who in her celebrated satire on Americans had heartily
laughed at the idea of the Jesuits pretending to
"humanize" the boors of the United States.
There have been many improvements since that
time; but in 1846 all the Catholic colleges in the United
States contented themselves with teaching the elements
of a classi cal course. In the East the curriculum covered
five or six years, and consequently the Eastern colleges
had greatly the advantage over our college in Kentucky.
I do not remember whether they had already sup
pressed the commercial course in Georgetown; but it

350 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
was stiU a feature in most of our institutions. In
speaking of the highest non-Catholic colleges we have
deplored the introduction of scientific courses as likely
to throw into the shade the all-important classical
studies. But the commercial course, as it was caUed,
in our colleges was far worse. The students leamed
little of science, and acquired only the most primary
instruction in the ordinary English branches with a
course of commercial arithmetic and bookkeeping. This
ugly feature of our institutions has, thank God, dis
appeared almost everywhere.
The great difficulty for us was to find teachers well
groimded in the ancient classics and desirous of devoting
their hfe to teaching. Both conditions were found
nowhere among us. The first could scarcely be said to
exist in this country. Even in the old non-Cathohc
institutions whose means were so abundant and which
could so easily afford to give large salaries to their
professors and teachers, the dearth of competent instruc
tors was everywhere felt. There were, moreover, no
good editions of the classics. In Cathohc schools
Professor Anthon's pubhcations were universaUy
adopted; but the teachers, many of whom had not
received a thorough training in those studies, were not
competent to turn them to the best advantage.
This deficiency of Cathohc instructors was so great
that in aU colleges except those of our Society the
professors of the lower classes, and even occasionally
of the collegiate course, were seminarians who at the
same time followed a theological course for the purpose
of preparing for ordination. How could they do both
weU? In the Jesuit colleges, though this was not so

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 351
glaring a feature, because it is altogether opposed to
our constitutions, still often the superiors thought that
necessity compelled them to leave our constitutions
inoperative on account of the small number of our
novices and juniors.
Moreover, neither in the colleges directed by Sulpi
tians or secular priests, nor in those controlled by the
Jesuits, could there be found men wilhng to devote
their whole fives to teaching. The need of priests in
parishes and missions was in fact so imperious that
candidates for the priesthood looked to parochial and
missionary work as the paramount object of their hves.
The same condition had existed in France after the
Revolution. All ecclesiastical estabhshments having
been destroyed by this awful tempest, and most of the
clergymen ha-ving died either on the scaffold or in exile,
the main object kept in -view for the restoration of the
Church was the speedy ordination of parish priests;
classical studies were thrown in the background, and
both teachers and pupils were satisfied -with the sim
plest training in ancient or modern literature.
Besides their theological seminary and day school in
Baltimore, the Sulpitians, it has been said, founded
the celebrated college at Emmittsburg for the Cathohc
youth of the United States.
I have never visited Emmittsburg; but on our arrival
at Fordham we found St. John's under a system of
teaching different from anything I have seen else
where. We were told that the order of the day and
the division of classes were the exact reproduction of
the system followed at Emmittsburg. Bishop Hughes,
the founder of the institution, and the Rev. Mr. Hurley,

352 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
then its president, had been educated at Emmittsburg,
which had already given many bishops to the country.
I can scarcely beheve that Bishop Dubois, who was
the founder of the great Maryland college, had been
instrumental in giving to it an organization similar to
that we found in -vigor at Fordham. Nothing certainly
that Bishop Dubois had seen in France could give him
the idea of such a system. But whether originating
-with him or introduced after he left Emmittsburg, the
system of studies in 1846 was and had been for many
years what we saw in operation at Fordham when we
arrived. An almost encyclopedic system of instruction was tn
vogue, beginning -with the lowest grade of the primary
schools; rising afterwards to the branches of what is
called a commercial course; passing on to the elementary
grammar classes for Latin and Greek; next embracing
a so-called course of Latin, Greek, and English hter
ature, -with the usual branches of mathematics; finally
devoting the last year of collegiate hfe to philosophy,
higher mathematics, evidences of rehgion, etc.
Each of the classes was given to a professor or teacher.
The students when admitted to college were examined,
and to each of them a number of classes were given to
foUow, adapted to his former degree of instruction, age,
capacity, etc.
This seemed to be very -wise and even scientific. But
the first consequence was that every pupil had three,
four, or five different teachers. There was no one in
the college to whom he could look as the special director
of his studies. There was not between pupil and
teacher that close acquaintance which gives to schoosl

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 353
of secondary instruction their most precious advan
tages. Such a system as I am now explaining is proper
in universities when the student has received a good
pre-vious training by which his mind has been fuUy
developed, so that he can study by himself, helped
only by what he hears in class. It cannot suffice for
the first training of the mind.
A second inconvenience of this system, most fatal to
the disciphne of the coUege, was the multiphcity of classes
given to different professors. Each class lasted only
three-quarters of an hour. After every period of forty-
five minutes the bell rang, and all the students who had
classes assigned to them at that time came out of the
study-room, crossing each other in the yards in all direc
tions; the study-room was never empty, and the pre
fects of disciphne could scarcely ascertain whether the
students took the road to their classes or were playing
truant- From the first day that we took charge of the coUege
all complained of this confusion, which, in spite of the
best efforts, could not be remedied; and uiffortunately
what the disciphne lost in strictness and efficiency the
teaching far from supphed in the training of the mind,
or even the acquirement of knowledge. We felt great
comfort in adopting the programme of studies and the
order of the day foUowed at Georgetown.
We now come to the steps which have been taken since
1846 to obtain in our colleges a higher degree of instruc
tion than was possible at the beginning of that time.
My observations wiU refer particularly to the colleges
of our Society, with which I am best acquainted.
We have a httle book called the "Ratio Studiorum,"

354 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
which from the beginning of our Society has directed
our course of instruction, both in the houses in which
the young men of our Society are formed and in the col
leges open to outside pupils. It is e-vident that when the
normal institutions in which our professors and teachers
are trained are -wisely and effectively conducted, the
classes in our coUeges for young men from the outside
must be above the average, nay, can almost reach per
fection on account of the thorough training of the teach
ing body.
This "Ratio Studiorum" is not a dead letter, good
for Europe three hundred years ago, but now super
annuated and behind the age in which we live. It
has kept progressing; and many of our General Con
gregations have modified it, taken some things away,
and added others according to the circumstances of the
time and the rational fluctuation of thought. Noth
ing essential in the requirements of study has been
thrown away or allowed to lapse ; but when the suppres
sion of some ancient branch or the addition of a new
subject was required by the exigencies of the times,
after due consideration the change was made, and a
new edition of the "Ratio Studiorum" was issued.
At the beginning of this century the course of studies
in all the Cathohc colleges of the LTnited States was
so elementary and weak that the prescriptions of our
rules of instruction could be applied but imperfectly.
Moreover, the number of novices was so smaU that what
we call the Juniorate and Scholasticate were often re
duced to a few persons who went rapidly through an
unsatisfactory curriculum.
But in course of time things changed for the better.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 355
After the foundation of Woodstock College, when the
Juniorate in Frederick — that is to say, the school for
Jesuit students of the classics and of rhetoric — and the
Scholasticate at Woodstock for the study of philosophy
and theology — comprised large classes of students, a new
era began to da-wn, and a great improvement in the
instruction of our college students followed.
At the same time the higher classes of our colleges
increased considerably. The number of graduates
became larger every year; alumni associations were
organized, and their members were soon counted
by hundreds. This was the time to think of post
graduate classes and to prepare a programme of higher
studies. The Catholics might offer to their fellow
citizens a new class of men unkno-wn before, i.e., an
array of thoroughly educated gentlemen, on a level in
culture with the most refined classes of society. On
comparing the students who now come out of our insti
tutions with those to whom we gave the degree of bache
lor forty years ago, a judge will wonder at the change.
Among the few graduates of those days there were
always men of talent who did honor to their alma
mater. But nothing better qualifies the usual literary
work of the majority of those students at Commence
ments than the word dulness. The ideas were com
monplace, the style colorless, the expressions meretri
cious and extravagant. There was no scholarship, no
real acquaintance with literature. Still the crowds of
people who came to -witness and to hear appeared well
satisfied with those exhibitions, as they were called,
and returned home with admiration for the progress
made by these young men. These feelings were not

356 FORTY YEARS Iti THE UNITED STATES.
altogether baseless. There was a great advance on the
past. To-day when a Commencement takes place the
young men who are graduated show that they have
indeed drunk at the true source of taste and truth.
Their knowledge of Latin, Greek, and English litera
ture is not an affair of memory only, but has passed
into their blood. They are able to discuss and criticise
the new works that appear and the old ones that are
still read. Philosophical and literary discussions are
famUiar to them ; they are men of education. Of course
all have not progressed equally; but all can show by
their bearing and language that they belong to the
refined classes.
Progress All the Catholic colleges in the United States were
our col- not so backward in early days as that of St. Mary's
in Kentucky. Other colleges in the West were un
doubtedly better; particularly those of St. Louis, of
St. Mary's at the Barrens, and of Cincinnati. StiU
even to this day the Western colleges have not pro
gressed so much as those of the East. The institutions
now existing at St. Louis, Mo., at Notre Dame, Ind.,
at Chicago, 111., and at San Francisco, Cal., find great
difficulty in obtaining students for their upper classes;
so that the number of their graduates is even now
relatively small. "Wherever this is the case the studies
cannot be called flourishing; the largest number of
professors and teachers are employed in giving lessons
to little boys or underbred young men unfit for a full
academical course; the great object of a classical educa
tion — the forming of the mind — is missed; and real
mental culture cannot be obtained.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 3S7
To witness progress in education we must therefore
go to the East, along the Atlantic seaboard — to Boston,
Worcester, New York, Baltimore, and Washington.
A short account has been given of the foundation of
Georgeto-wn, of the Sulpitian seminary and college at
Baltimore, and of Mount St. Mary's at Emmittsburg.
But great obstacles confronted those who directed the
new Catholic coUeges in the United States. Few com
petent teachers were to be found, because there were
no academic traditions among American Cathohcs. In
France, after 1789, the interruption of academic tradi
tions had lasted only fifteen years, yet this had sufficed
to make a blank of past traditions, so that the new
teachers had to create them anew.
At the beginning of this century the faculties, as they
were called, of all our colleges were in a painful position.
Men taught there who did not and in fact could not
know how to teach, because the Catholics had not been
allowed for two centuries to open a school or occupy a
chair in the English colonies.
Hence the lessons given at that time in our colleges
were similar to those given to me in France: very poor
grammar; slovenly translations from the Latin; worse
themes or translations from English into Latin; incom
petent professors on account of the breaking do-wn of
old traditions and methods; the study of history,
geography, and mathematics either entirely neglected
or reduced to the mere elements; the teachers them
selves divided in their pursuits, giving part of their
time to teaching, part to philosophy or theology. Such
was the dearth of instructors that at the beginning the

358 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
Sulpitian college at Baltimore often lent to Georgetown
CoUege some of its best teachers.*
The dearth of teachers could be supplied only from
abroad. The Jesuits, Sulpitians, Lazarists, Christian
Brothers, and other religious who had opened coUeges
and academies had come from various nations, and
consequently had no uniformity in their methods. The
books used in Protestant institutions, misrepresenting
more or less Catholic views and doctrines, could not be
put into the hands of their pupils. New elements of
history, geography, natural science, etc., had to be
-written. The first attempts in this line were far from
satisfactory. The results of Catholic educational insti
tutions appeared puny and — ^let us say the word —
mean, compared with the work of the Protestant
colleges. In truth, in the United States the Church encoun
tered obstacles far greater than those she met in France.
I refer to the class of pupils she was given to educate.
Class of Though the course of studies, as we have seen, had
been organized on a most humble scale, the material
means at hand for the conduct of the college were so
scanty that comparatively heavy debts were inevitably

* It is but fair to remark that these colleges, while undoubtedly far
inferior to those of to-day, did noble work. Many of the instructors,
while by no means learned specialists, were men of great ability,
with attainments suflBcient to meet all the wants of the classrooms,
and natural teachers. Men like Archbishops Spalding and Hughes,
like Bishops Dubois and Brutg, were powerful stays of the colleges
where they taught. Nor were these institutions wanting In initia
tive and the spirit of progress. The modern languages, especially
Prench, were made a regular part of their curriculum, when the best
non-Catholic colleges were without modern language courses.

students.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. 359
incurred. The payment of the interest and the current
expenses could not be provided without a large number
of students. The number of Catholics in the country
being small, ahnost all applicants were admitted. The
collegiate classes were very small. The fees of their
students could not support the college; the number of
graduates at the end of the course seldom exceeded four.
Accordingly the grammar classes were embraced in the
college programme, besides an altogether anomalous
course — the commercial course — which was a mere pre
tence and did not deserve the name of inteUectual cul
ture. With all these excrescences, the Catholic coUeges
could hardly live without calling to their aid the non-
Catholic element of the population. Most Cathohc
colleges announced that non-Catholic boys would be
admitted, and that though, for the sake of good order,
they would assist at the religious exercises of the insti
tution, no attempt would be made to interfere with
their religious convictions.
A strange result followed these announcements. A Protestant
comparatively large number of applications came from^^J^
Protestant families. At least this was often the case coUeges.
in the South and West. In our poor college of St.
Mary's in Kentucky we never had less than one-haff
of our pupils belonging, as was said, to the Protestant
faith. The same was true in the coUege of St. Joseph's
at Bardstown, nay, even in Emmittsburg and Balti
more. I have it from the Rev. Father Jeremiah O'Con
nor that, being professor of Rhetoric in Loyola College,
Baltimore, aU his boys— ten in number— were Prot
estants; one of them at the end of the year carried the
medal for religious instruction.

360 FORTY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES.
As to the number of conversions among them, it
was everywhere extremely small. During a residence
of nine years in St. Mary's CoUege, Kentucky, I wit
nessed the ceremony of receiving young men into the
Church but twice; yet we never had less than fifty or
sixty Protestant boys in the house. On inquiry I find
that this was also the case in many other Catholic
colleges. The non-Catholic young men who, during
more than half a century, have received a part of their
education in our colleges have no doubt powerfully con
tributed to the removal of Protestant prejudice. In
the East, in the New England States, in New York,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, etc., there are now many con
verts who form a bright addition to the true Church.
But most of them have been added to our ranks by the
labors of missionaries, devoted parish priests, and
earnest -writers on religious subjects. Few have come
fifom our colleges; and there is no likelihood of a change
in this regard.

M^

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Vv-

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k'^ikudj^

Father Thebaud's Grave in the College Cemeteky
AT Foedham.

INDEX.

Abel, Rev. Mr., 32, 52, 85, 194
Anthon, Dr. Charles, 323, 346
Bacon, Bishop, 199
Badin, Rev. Stephen, 61, 86
Barbalin, Father, 28
Basil the slave. Story of, 69 ff.
Bellows, Rev. Mr., 174
Beman, Rev. Mr., 112
Bible, Catholic proscription of,
187 ff.
Bigelow, John, 245
Blaine, Mr. J. G., 245
Blanc, Most Rev. Anthony,
126 f., 264
Boulanger, Father, 43
Breckenridge, Rev. Mr., 161
Brewster, Mr., the jeweler, 96
Brothers of the Christian Schools,
293
Brut6, Bishop, 279
Byrne, Rev. William, 54
Calhoun, John C, 295
Campbell, Rev. Alexander, 161
Capuchins, 259
Carrigan, Andrew, 281 f .
Carroll, Bishop, 258, 347
Catholic population, 263, 300 f .
Chaplaincy in the Na-vy offered
to Cathohc, 196
Christianity accepted through
out the U. S., 150 ff.
Ci-vil War, effect on Protestant
denominations, 175
Climate of Kentucky, The, 40 ff.;
effects on animals, 48, 49; on
man, 49 ff.

Colleges, 323 f .
Columbia College, 324, 345 f.
Comte de Paris on the homoge
neity of the American people,
131
Conden, Mr., 334 f.
Controversies ended, 169
Conversions in Cathohc colleges,
359
Courtesy to CathoUc priests, 32
Creoles, Culture of, 125 ff.
Cretm, Bishop, 274 f ., 278 ff.
Daly, Maurice, 245 f .
De Andreis, Father, 266 ff.
Delany children, Abduction of
the, 231 ff.
De Luynes, Father Charles Hip
polyte, 147, 208 ff., 273
De Neckdre, Bishop, 263
De Vico, Father, 343 ff.
DevUn, John E., 281 f.
Donaghoe, Rev. J. C, 273
Driscol, Rev. Michael, 215,
220 f ., 225
Dubois, Bishop, 16
Dubourg, Bishop, 264, 267 f .
Duke, Mr., 251
Du Merle, Father, 215 f., 220,
225
Du Ranquet, Rev. Henry, 215 ff.,
222
Employers and employes at
Troy, 117 ff.
English element in the TJ. S.,
133 f.
Episcopalians, 170

361

362

INDEX.

Espy, Mr., his weather bureau,
41, 46
Everett, Edward, 343
Exchange of pulpits, 165 ff.
Family feeling in the United
States, 28, 29
F&ard, Father, 221, 225
Ferneding, Rev. Mr., 258
Fitzpatrick, Bishop, of Boston,
312 343 f.
Flaget, Bishop, 19, 89, 240, 265,
26-3
Forbes, Rev. Dr., 243 f .
Fourth of July at St. Mary's Col
lege, 141 ff.
Francis, John -W., 251 ff.
Franciscans, 260
French elements in the U. S.,
132 f.
GaUitzin, Prince, 28
Gavazzi, 243
Georgeto-wn CoUege, 347 ff.
Grace, WiUiam R., 301
Grammar schools, 317 ff.
Greeley, Horace, 246 f .
Gregory of Troy, Mr., 188 ff.,
231 ff.
Grifiinto-wn, 222
Growth of American cities, 99
Hahburton, Judge, 338 f .
Harvard University, 326, 340 f.,
343 f.
Homogeneity of the American
people, 131 ff.
Honesty, American, 33
Hughes, Archbishop, 43, 161,
196, 278, 282 ff.
Immigration between 1815-45,
211 f.; in 1846-8, 229
Indifference in reUgion, 164 ff.
Intolerance in the Troy Poor
house, 188 ff.; in the Albany
Poorhouse, 190
Inventive genius of Americans,
100
(reland. Archbishop, 276
I ish In the U. S., 135 f.

Ives, Bishop, 186 f ., 260
Jones, Senator, of Wisconsin,
147 f.
Judson, Edward, 245
KeUy, Rev. John, 278
Kenrick, Most Rev. Peter Rich
ard, 266
Kentucky CathoUcs, 89
Kentucky farmers, compared
with Norman peasants, 62 f.;
shrewdness of, 63 ff.; their
toil, 72; dwellings, 74; their
education, 76; their conser
vatism, 78
Knickerbockers, The, 109 ff.
Know-nothingism, 236 f.; pro
gramme of, 247; faU of, 255 ff.
Kossuth, 243
Language, The American, 137 f.
Lazarists, The, 236 f.
Ledore, Brother, 39 f.
LiberaUty of the govermnent to
CathoUcs, 177
Loras, Bishop, 270 ff.
Louisiana planters, 121 ff.
Marriage, Sacredness of, 157 f.
MazzudieUi, Rev. Samuel, 272
McCloskey, Cardinal, 190
McCosh, Rev. Dr., 346
McGiU, Bishop, 226
McLeod, Rev. Donald, 187
Miles, Bishop, 226, 264
Mihtary officers, LiberaUty of,
194
Montreal, The EngUsh language
at, 214; growth of, 224
Morals of the American people,
110 ff., 150 ff.
MortaUty at St. Mary's CoUege,
51
Mt. St. Mary's CoUege, 348 f.,
351 f.
MuUamp^, Mr., 267
Murphy, Rev. Mark, 230 f.
Nagot, Rev. Mr., 347
Nati-vism, Ekplanation of, 240

INDEX.

363

Nazareth, Sisters of, 208
" Ned BuntUne's 0-vm," 245
Negroes, effects of heat on, 58;
jo-viality of, 61 ; effect of this
on Kentucky farmers, 61; in
Kentucky, 65 ff.; their mode
of life, 78 ; instructed by Creole
ladies, 129; in Louisiana, 129;
on Fourth of July, 143 f .
New Brighton, 26
New England element in Troy,
110 ff.
New York in 1838, 94 ff.
O'Brien, Dr., of Dubuque, 147
O'Connor, Bishop, 191
Odin, Bishop, 266
Oertel, Maximilian, 259
Onderdonk, Bishop, 261
Orr (the Angel Gabriel), 244
Ostracism of CathoUcs, 178
Paine, Tom, 86
Parsons, Rev. Mr., 244
PauUst Fathers, 261
Pelamourges, Rev. A., 273
Pell, Capt., 23, 26, 27
Perch6, Rev. N., 126
Petit, Father, 86 f .
Pise, Rev. Dr. C. C, 195
Power, Rev. Dr. John, 285 ff.
Priestcraft, 177 ff.
Princeton CoUege, 345
Propagateur CathoUque, Le, 126
Proselytism, 232 ff.
Protestantism, FaUure of, 25 f .
PurceU, Archbishop, 161, 258
Raffeiner, Rev. John, 259
Railroads in France and the
United States, 15
Ravoux, Father, 277
Redemptorists, 260 ff.
Regents of the University of
' New York, 309 f
Rejmolds, Bishop, 226
Rodrigue, Mrs., 290 f .
Rosati, Bishop, 264 ff.
Rosecrans, Bishop, 195
Rosecrans, General, 195, 308 f .
Rumpler, Father, 260
Ryan, Archbishop, 200

Scandina-vian element in the
U. S., 134 f.
Schools, Elementary, in the U. S.,
313 ff.; in France, 313 ff.
Scotch element in the U. S., 135_
Ship-fever among the immi-
mants, 213 ff.
Siffiman, Benjamin, 342 f .
Simphcity of manners in the
U. S., 138 f.
Sisters of Charity, 293, 296 f .
Sisters of Mercy, 293
Slavery in Tennessee, 69 ff.
Smith, Mr. Sidney, 188 ff.
Spalding, Archbishop. 54, 226
Steamboat explosions, 29, 30
St. John's College, Fordham, 43,
281 f ., 340, 351 f .
St. Louis, 265 ff.; University of,
266
St. Mary's CoUege, Marion Co.,
Kentucky, 141 ff., 328, 334
Storms in Kentucky, 54, 55
Sulpitians, 220, 347, 351
Sunday observance, 153 ff.
Superstition charged against
CathoUcs, 187
Thome, Dr., 298 ff.
Timon, Bishop, 266
Toebbe, Bishop, 258
Tractarian movement, 260
TroUope, Mrs., 139, 339, 349
Troy,N. Y., 110 ff.; intolerance
in Poorhouse, 188
Trusteeism, 287 f .
Tucker, Rev. Ireland, 111
Universities, 323 ff.
Ursulines in New Orleans, 128
"Villani, Father, 194
Washington and the CathoUcs,
176
-Whelan, Bishop, 31
White labor in Louisiana, 130 f.
¦SVUd animals. Destruction of, 47
WiUimson, Judge, 136, 183
Yale University, 326, 342

UNITED STATES CATHOLIC HISTOEICAL
SOCIETY.
Honorary President.
Most Eev. John M. Faelet, D.D.
President.
Charles Geoege Heebeemann, Ph.D., LL.D.
Vice-President.
Pateick Faerbllt.
Treasurer.
Marcus J. McLaughlin.
Recording Secretary.
John E. Oahalan, A.M.
Correspondvng Secretary.
Joseph H. Faegis, A.M.
Libra/riam.
Eev. Joseph H. McMahon, Ph.D.
Trustees.
Et.Eev.Mge. Jos.F.MooneTjY.G. Hon.John D.Ceimmins.
Eev. James H. McGean. Henet Hbide.
Eev. Jos. F. Delanet, D.D. Hugh Kelly.
James S. Coleman.
Covm,cillors.
Eev. Wm. Livingston. Hon. Edward B. Amend.
Hon. James A. O'Goeman. Eev. M. J. Considine.
Edward J. MgGuiee, A.M. William F. Claee.
Editing Committee.
Charles George Heebeemann, Ph.D., LL.D.
Eev. Joseph F. Delanet, D.D.
Thomas F. Meehan, A.M.

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