* i





PRESENTATION

OF

A Bronze Bust

OF

3<>0n tfyQSetffg

*

TO THE

Catholic University
OF AMERICA.

Washington, D. C.

A. D. 1892.

BOSTON:

Printed by Cashman, Keating & Co.
611 Washington Street.

1892.



Deacfdffted



^resentatton of tlje ©’Itietllp HBust

to tl)

t

Catholic tantoersitp.

The unveiling of the bronze bust of

John Boyle O’Reilly, presented to the

Catholic University of America, by some

of the clergy and laity of Boston, took

place Feb. 4, 1892.

The delegation that made the presenta-

tion consisted of Very Rev. W. Byrne,

V. G., Rev. A. J. Teeling, Thos. B. Fitz,

President of the Catholic Union of Boston,

James Jeffrey Roche, Editor of The

Boston Pilot
,
Hon. John R. Murphy, A.

Shuman, and E. A. Moseley. Accompany-

ing the delegation were Congressmen

O’Neil and Hoar; Philip Jackson, James

F. Mullen, J. L. Kelley, and other friends

of John Boyle O’Reilly.

The ceremony was held in the chief

lecture hall of the University before a

large audience.



4 THE O'REILLY BUST.

The bust was afterwards placed in an

alcove in the library.

The platform was occupied by the Rt.

Rev. Rector, Bishop Keane, Vice Rector

Rev. P. J. Garrigan, and the members of

the delegation who made addresses.

Among the audience were Very Rev.

J. B. Hogan, SS., D. D., President of

the Divinity College, and many of the pro-

fessors of the University.

After Samuel Kitson, the sculptor, had

withdrawn the veil from his work, Very

Rev. W. Byrne presented it to the Univer-

sity in the following address

:

Rt. Rev. Rector

:

—
In the name of the representatives of

the friends of John Boyle O’Reilly here

present, and in behalf of his friends every-

where, I present through you to the

Catholic University this bust of him

whom we all esteemed as a man, and loved

as a brother.

Assured that you will accept it and

give it a suitable place in this institution,

we thank you in advance for this most



THE O'REILLY BUST. 5

distinguished honor conferred on John

Boyle O’Reilly, the poet, patriot and

orator.

The bust is the gift of a few of those,

who having been admitted to the inner

sanctum of his friendship, had most reason

to admire him in life and who gladly avail

themselves of all occasions of honoring

him in death. And truly he was deserv-

ing of high honor as a man, apart from

his poetic genius and literary ability.

His was that sterling manhood that

always acted nobly and did nothing

merely for praise, and never needlessly

wounded the feelings of others.

His soul was too high to stoop to aught

ignoble. His spirit was such that while

he gave to every man his due, he would

not brook insult to self or country, religion

or humanity.

His presence in America was a mutual

benefit
;

it helped him and it helped us.

The bracing air of American freedom

toned up his mental fibre and gave him

clearer and juster views of the duties as

well as the rights of man. The way in



6 THE O'BEILLY BUST

.

which liberty and law go hand in hand in

this country confirmed his belief in repub-

lican forms of government. His exile, a

seeming calamity, proved a triple blessing,

a blessing to himself, to Ireland, and to

America. I am persuaded that he did

greater service to Ireland and to Irishmen

everywhere by his life and action in

America than he could have done at home.

It is eminently fitting that this Univer-

sity, devoted to the uplifting of the race

to the highest ideal of humanity by the

influences of religion, the cultivation of

the intellect and the pursuit of knowledge,

should give a cordial welcome and an

honored place to the sculptured likeness

of one who devoted his whole life to the

same ends. John Boyle O’Reilly, the poet

of the inauguration of this institution, is

happily and fittingly among the first to be

rewarded by this high recognition.

This placing of his portrait here, in

enduring bronze, is the greatest service

that could be done to his memory. If his

fame were not otherwise destined to be

perpetual, this memorial of him in an



THE O'REILL Y BUST. 7

institution that will live as long as civili-

zation endures on this continent, would

infallibly secure its permanency.

While we, who are admirers of his

genius, character and deeds, are confident

that John Boyle O’Reilly, in his poems

and his patriotic services in two hemi-

spheres, has built unto himself a monument

more enduring than bronze, we wisely, I

think, seek to make assurance doubly sure

by linking his name with this ever-abiding

fountain of knowledge and promoter of

the fine arts. This is surely the place to

keep green the memory of illustrious men

who have, or shall have, distinguished

themselves in the cause of religion, patriot-

ism, and education, or who achieve

greatness in the walks of science, art,

literature and progress.

Let us now turn to the bust itself. It

is the work of Samuel Kitson, sculptor, of

Boston, who has added to his previous

reputation by the success he has achieved in

this. We predicted that this bust of John
Boyle O’Reilly would be followed by a long

line of effigies of men who have rendered



8 THE O’REILLY BUST.

conspicuous service to religion and country

by advancing the cause of higher educa-

tion among us. We understand that our
anticipations are in part about to be imme-

diately realized, inasmuch as his Eminence

Cardinal Gibbons, the most illustrious

patron of the University, has been induced

to give Mr. Kitson opportunities of model-

ling a bust of himself which, if successful,

we hope will soon grace these halls of

learning.

As to the bust of John Boyle O’Reilly,

to-day unveiled, we, who knew him, pro-

nounce it a true likeness of the man and

the poet. To those who did not know

him personally, it may seem that it is an

ideal head of a poet, the conception of a

sculptor thoroughly imbued with the spirit

of Greek and Roman art. Many things

about it, no doubt, contribute to this idea.

The uplifted pose of the noble head, the

far-off gaze of the seer, the heavenward

glance of one who awaits his inspiration

from on high, the pensive air of the origi-

nal thinker, the gentle mein of a bard of

Erin in his calmer moods, the faint sugges-



THE O'BEILLY BUST. 9

tion of a smile that seems to welcome the

coming thought, the glow of rapt medita-

tion that suffuses the countenance, “the

poet’s eye in fine frenzy rolling,” all plainly

visible in this portrait bust, are the features

that in fancy we associate with the person-

ality of the poet.

In this seemingly ideal head we have

the real likeness of John Boyle O’Reilly

:

nor is this resemblance one whit obscured

by the ideal grace that every true artist

infuses into his work. It is, therefore,

what it ought to be, at once a faithful

portrait and work of art, and I take this

public occasion to congratulate the artist

on the happy blending of these two essen-

tials which he has achieved in this instance

as in many others, notably in that of the

poet Longfellow. Nevertheless, even in

this perfect work many things will seem to

be missing to those, who, knowing O’Reilly

intimately, had ample opportunities of tak-

ing the full measure of the man, and ob-

serving his many-sided genius and noble

qualities. They compare it with the image

of their friend as he lives in their memory,



10 THE O'REILL Y B US T.

and find that it falls short of the original.

That is because their image includes the

soul of the man as well as its earthly tene-

ment. And as that soul never fully showed

itself in any single expression of the fea-

tures of the living man, so it is impossible

that it should be bodied forth in full through

the inert material at the disposal of the

artist. None but God can infuse a soul

into dead matter. Hence there is only

faintly, if at all, set forth in this bronze

effigy some of the most sterling qualities

of the man, and those for which he was

most beloved.

Not moulded bronze, sculptured marble,

or painted canvas, and hardly even the

more plastic medium of human speech, can

adequately render the high spirit of the

patriot, the chivalrous purpose of human-

ity’s friend, or the heroic temper of this

knight of liberty. Only personal and inti-

mate acquaintance could reveal the noble

aspirations of the poet, the sympathetic

heart of him who embraced in his love all

grades of human kind, the devoted self-

surrender of the Christian, the tender and



THE O’REILLY BUST. 11

true love of husband and father for wife

and children.

On this occasion, in this place and pres-

ence, it is with O’Reilly as a poet and man

of letters that I have chiefly to deal. And

under this head what can I say of him that

has not already been better said by others ?

It would be vain for me to attempt to

improve on the words of our illustrious

Cardinal in his introduction to the “ Life

of John Boyle O’Reilly,” by James Jeffrey

Roche.

“ Few men,” says his Eminence, “ have

felt more powerfully the divine afflatus of

poesy
;
few natures have been so gifted to

give it worthy expression. As strong as

it was delicate and tender, as sympathetic

and tearful as it was bold, his soul was a

harp of truest tone, which felt the touch

of the ideal everywhere, and spontane-

ously breathed responsive music, joyous or

mournful, vehement or soft.”

Mayor Hart, at the memorial meeting in

Boston, said of him : “ People who do not

confide easily, confided in him, because he
/

truly believed in what he sang in the most



12 THE O'REILL Y BUST.

splendid of all his poems, that read at

Plymouth,— 4 The People May be Trusted
with Their Own.’

”

Said Benjamin F. Butler, on the same

occasion : 44 Of his genius as a poet, draw-

ing from the very heart of inspiration, all

who have read his poems know. That he

was a natural orator in a very high degree,

is easily expressed by saying that he was

an educated Irishman. It came to him by

inheritance. As an historian, no more

eloquent words glowing with true fervor,

can be found on any page.”

“I remember hearing him once,” said

T. Wentworth Higginson, 44 when in the

Papyrus Club he read a poem entitled,

4 Love’s Secret,’ verses so exquisite in tone,

touching with such pathetic poetry the

very heart and core of the deepest tie that

binds man to woman, that there is many

a poet of America and England, who

might well give all his fame if the author-

ship of these verses could be transferred

to him.”

President Capen, of Tufts College, thus

spoke of him at that same meeting : 44 As



THE O'REILLY BUST. 13

I stood looking upon this scene,” (one of

moonlight on the sea) “ I thought of our

lamented friend. His faculties always

flashed out light that glistened like rubies,

revealing and defending the truth at once.

His brilliancy of mind illuminated every

subject, and reminded one of strength as

fathomless and restless as the sea, and

there was in him so much of true humanity

that we could not come into his presence

without being affected as by a tonic.”

Col. Chas. H. Taylor said: “It seems to

me, however, that in a large and broad

sense, of all that group, John Boyle

O’Reilly made the most conspicuous and

gratifying success, especially from a jour-

nalistic and literary point of view.”

“You mourn the journalist,” said Hon.

P. A. Collins
;
“ you mourn the orator and

the poet, the patriot of two peoples, the

strong, tender, true and knightly character.

I mourn with you, and I also mourn—
alone.”

Edwin J. Walker, the colored orator,

said : “ With his pen John Boyle O’Reilly

sent through the columns of the Pilot,



14 THE O'REILLY BUST.

words in our behalf that were truly Chris-

tian. He did more
;
he mounted the pub-

lic platform and boldly denounced the

persecutors of our race.”

On another occasion, at a memorial ser-

vice in Worcester, Rev. Thomas J. Conaty

said of O’Reilly : “ He was passionately

fond of liberty, because he believed it to

be a gift of God to men, and his voice and

pen made earth ring with his denunciations

of wrong wherever found.”

Said Bishop Healy, preaching at his

month’s mind in the Cathedral of Boston :

“ The straightforward, the manly, the long-

suffering but unconquered spirit
;
such was

our friend, John Boyle O’Reilly.”

Edward C. Whipple calls his occasional

poems, “ very tender, fanciful, earnest and

individual, winning us by their inherent

force of grace and melody.” Jas. Jeffrey

Roche, in his biography, says of his narra-

tive poems, such as “ The Amber Whale,”

“ The Dukite Snake,” and “ The Monster

Diamond : ” “ They were picturesque, dra-

matic, virile, and achieved their only pur-



THE O'REILLY BUST. 15

pose, that of telling a strong story in direct,

forcible fashion.”

Justin McCarthy’s words are also well

worth quoting, though not specially relat-

ing to his literary merits : “ He is one of

the brightest ornaments of the Irish race

in America. He lives in exile for the

service of his country. He has enriched

its national literature with exquisite prose

and yet more exquisite verse. He renders

daily service to the national cause.”

Governor Long, introducing O’Reilly at

Plymouth, said of him : “ He is a genuine

New England Pilgrim, and to the pilgrim’s

love of truth he adds a certain ecstacy of

the imagination and a musical note like

that of a bird singing in the woods.”

Miss Conway, in her “ Watchwords from

John Boyle O’Reilly,” well says : “ He is

greatest, not in his poems for his native

land, though his 4 Exile of the Gael ’ is the

noblest tribute the English language has

ever paid her
;
not in his poems for Amer-

ica, in the best of which only Whittier

and Lowell surpassed him
;
but in the

poems which overleap nation and race



16 THE O’REILLY BUST.

barriers like ‘ Crispus Attucks
,

5

or com-

memorate a hero of humanity like ‘Wen-

dell Phillips .
5 55

Of this latter poem George

W. Cable said to him : “ This poem will

always shoot above your usual work like

the great spire in the cathedral town .
55

R. H. Stoddard has no hesitation in say-

ing : “ That his ‘ Songs of the Southern

Seas
,

5

not to speak of his later poems,

indicate true genius.”

Such is the consensus of opinion which

I fain would substitute for any estimate of

my own of O’Reilly as a poet. You per-

ceive that these are the opinions of men

whose judgment is worthy of the highest

respect.

This chaplet of roses, gathered from

divers fields, I twine for thy brow, O poet

of patriotism and humanity. With it I

crown thee, immortal bard, as with a

rosary of love. Let it ever encircle thy

brow as the halo of thy fame. The tear-

drops that glisten on its leaves like the

fresh dew of the morning, are the tribute

of a heart that grieves for thy untimely

death, which was to all of us an irreparable



THE O'REILLY BUST. 17

loss. His name and fame we will ever

cherish, and hand down his example as an

inheritance to our successors.

In his ode entitled, “ From the Heights,”

and read at the opening of this University,

he teaches the noteworthy lesson that it is

only the profound study of the highest

themes that clarifies the intellect so that

it can see truth in its integrity
;
and that

this vision of truth in all its relations,

broad and clear as that gained from moun-

tain heights, is the handmaid of wisdom.

5

Tis thus that “ spirit-pilots leap from

mountain top to star; aye, higher still,

from star to God !
”

James Jeffrey Roche then read a poem

of Manuel M. Flores.

THE POET.

Behold the poet
!
give him light and liberty and

room to range at large.

Let the horizon’s hounds expand for him—
Freedom and grandeur are his birthright

:

His genius is his only inspiration.

He dreams of laurel crowns of victory,

Fame, and the beautiful; sole objects of his love.



18 THE O’BEILLY BUST.

The chaste fervor of a mother’s kiss in child-

hood’s days

Was sweet and soothing on his pale hut ardent

brow,

And filled his mind with images and dreams

Drawn from celestial realms—
The morning’s dawn, the brilliant noonday sun,

The solemn hush of night’s mysterious hour,

The stars of God, the zephyr sighing in the sway-

ing palms,

The gloaming and the silence

Speak to his soul of happiness and love.

The woods majestic murmuring in the breeze

Are vocal all with thoughts for him.

On the distant shore of glittering sand the winds

and waves

Intone for him their solemn litany of prayer.

Bathed in the light of day he lifts his head aloft,

His eyes aglow with rapture, and his heart aflame,

Yearning to tell the world

His message and the feelings of his heart.

The Muse bestows upon his hand a harp of

melody

Attuned to sing the high conceptions of his soul.

He loved as poets love, and sang the bliss of

loving

:

But love disturbed the placid tenor of his mind.

O love! art thou indeed the crucifixion of the

heart ?

Then came the hour of sorrow :

But even from grief and suffering the poet draws

Themes fraught with lessons to mankind.

From deepest gloom light flashes forth.

The poet’s guerdon is the noble heart.



THE O'REILLY BUST. 19

Humanity entire quick pulses in the depths of

his poetic soul—
He is humanity’s articulate voice.

His faith, his hope is in mankind and liberty.

For them he suffers and for them he mourns,

To them he pays, in melancholy mood, the tribute

even of despair.

Martyred at length in their behalf, he mounts to

heaven.

Thus does the poet tread the path of life

:

The peace of perfect happiness is not for him.

Yet when disowned by fortune and forgot by

men,

His pallid brow, beneath his laurel crown,

Anointed is with heaven’s own kiss.

Naught recks he of the passing joys of earth

;

Riches and fickle pleasures he contemns

.

The tome of history will have, perchance, for him

One glorious page inscribed with characters of

bronze

That envious fate herself cannot efface.

Leave him his dreams, his hopes, his aspirations

high;

Toward the ideal ever be his flight.

The glory of his dreamland dieth not

.

Spirit sublime, that for the infinite yearns,

Thou art far from this dull earth,

Being near to God.



ilBtsijop Beane’s duress.

In the name of the directors of the

Catholic University of America, I gladly

accept the bust of John Boyle O’Reilly,

presented by the worthy representatives of

the clergy and laity of New England. In

the name of the directors, I welcome the

bust to a lasting place in these halls.

John Boyle O’Reilly was with us on the

day of the inauguration of this institution,

and one of the most charming features of

the day was his poem, “ On the Heights.”

Sorry are we that his presence has left us

forevermore
;
but gladly do we thank the

genius which has been able to catch the

spirit of the man and place his likeness in

enduring bronze.

John Boyle O’Reilly comes here to join

a goodly company. There are here memo-

rials of great and good men with whom it

is an honor to be associated.

He finds a portrait of Pope Leo XIII.,



THE O'REILL Y BUST. 21

and a statue of the Holy Father, but re-

cently set up.

He finds a portrait of Pope Pius IX.,

who, in approving the decrees of the

Second Plenary Council of Baltimore,

which advocated the establishment of a

University, might well be deemed the

precursor of this institution.

He finds memorials of Orestes A.

Brownson, the greatest philosophic genius

America has produced, together with por-

traits of the first and present American

Cardinal, and of Cardinals Manning, New-

man, and Wiseman.

O’Reilly finds himself in good company,

and ten thousand times welcome is he in

such a goodly assemblage. The artist has

succeeded in embodying in this face the

shadowing forth of many of the qualities

which the Very Reverend Vicar-General

has just enumerated as belonging to him.

But I see in it the embodiment of one

quality which more profoundly interests

me than any of the others, because it more

intimately concerns the purpose for which

this University has been established.



22 THE O'REILLY BUST-

This is the face of a true poet, of a true

artist, because it is the face of a mau who

sees united the true, the beautiful, and the

good, and loves them thus united. God

has implanted in every human heart a love

of the beautiful. It is an emanation from

Himself; it is an interior impulse meant

to point us up to Him who is beauty infi-

nite. Because He is beauty infinite He is

infinitely capable of satiating all the as-

spirations and capabilities of all human

hearts. But He who is the infinitely beau-

tiful is also the infinitely true and the infi-

nitely good
;
and the love of the beautiful

is a blessing to him who possesses it only

in as far as it is united with the love of the

true and the love of the good. He whose

heart is filled with such a love as this, and

who, rising into the regions of the true,

the beautiful, and the good, is endowed

with the power of telling others what

there he sees and hears and feels, is a

poet, is an artist. He is a man specially

gifted by the Creator, endowed with a

faculty which not only elevates himself,

but is meant to be a means of elevation to



THE O'REILLY RUST. 23

all who come under his influence, feel the

touch of his genius, and be uplifted by his

power.

But if the love of the beautiful goes

astray from the love of the true and of

the good, then it becomes a false and

counterfeit love, and the beauty to which

it clings is a false, a counterfeit, a meretri-

cious, a deceitful, and a pernicious beauty.

That heart is on fire, not with love but

with passion, and if it is endowed with the

power of expression, it sets other hearts

on fire with unholy and pernicious flames.

Whoever knew O’Reilly well, knew that

he loved the beautiful with all the tender-

ness and all the intensity of his nature

;

but all might equally know that his love

of the beautiful was ever chastened, tem-

pered, controlled, and elevated by his

knowledge and love of the true and the

good.

His love "of the beautiful he inherited

from the Celtic race to which he belonged

;

but that Celtic race is also blessed with

the inheritance of the true faith, and with

a love for it not matched in all the world



24 THE 'O’REILLY BUST.

beside. Therefore was he the man that

we knew him to be. Nature and grace

cooperated to make him a true poet
;
to

make his poetical genius a blessing to him

and a benefit to his generation.

He once gave me his own impression of
* the character of beauty. “ Beauty,” he

said, “ must be not only as charming, but

also as dignified and chaste as a Greek

statue. The violent and the passionate

are unworthy of her and would disfigure

her.” This he said concerning style
;
but

it was his estimate of beauty in all its

aspects. And how well it agrees with

the consummate ideal of perfect beauty,

accompanied with perfect truth and perfect

goodness, it is not necessary for me to

show.

The dissemination of a spirit like this is

one of the chief objects of the Catholic

University of America. Human genius

has, to a great extent, gone astray. It is

sad to see how they that are naturally the

most nobly gifted are, in the great major-

ity of cases, intent upon the pursuit of the

useful or of the beautiful, but without



THE O'EEILLY "BUST. 25

regard for the true and the good, nay,

perhaps in despair of ever attaining unto

them.

To yield to such a despair would he,

indeed, desolation to mankind. To be thus

led astray from the true and the good

would, indeed, be the moral death of our

humanity. To lead the world, not in

paths of moral death and of despair, but

in paths of light and peace, of harmony

and beauty and prosperity, is the purpose

of an institution like this. And this great

purpose it will accomplish just in as far as

it develops to the utmost the highest human

capabilities, and draws them into the safe

and blessed and beneficent paths in which

the true, the beautiful, and the good are

combined. This is blessedness in eternity,

this is peace and joy and prosperity and

true welfare here below.

Men may question whether O’Reilly can

be placed in the front rank of poets
;
but

no one can deny that, better perhaps than

any man thus far known in American lit-

erature, he typifies that union of the true

the beautiful and the good in human



26 THE O'REILLY BUST.

genius, which alone can be the safe guide

of our future. Therefore do we welcome

him here
;
therefore are we glad to have

this, his effigy, placed before the eyes of

our students. Like his poem, “ On the

Heights,” it will point them upwards from

earth to the stars, and from the stars to

God. Those up-turned eyes will ever be

to them an inspiration and a lesson, point-

ing to Him in whom alone are fully

embodied, the true, the beautiful, and the

good.

Mr. T. B. Fitz then thanked the bishop

for accepting the statue and said

:

“Your Grace— In response to your
kind action and generous words in accept-

ing this bust of our universally beloved

and distinguished countryman, John Boyle

O’Reilly, and honoring it with the signal

privilege of being the first model repre-

senting the Catholic laity to occupy a

place within the sacred precincts of this

great university, permit our committee to

offer you, in the name of our common



THE O'REILL Y BUST. 27

people, irrespective of race, creed or color,

our heartfelt thanks, and the testimony of

a lasting gratitude, which finds its truest

inspiration in the inseparable link which

so sacredly connects the memory of him

who is honored with your official action in

thus honoring it.

“Nor£,re we unmindful of the signifi-

cance and consequent responsibility which

you undoubtedly recognize in the accept-

ance.

“ By it you permitted this great insti-

tution of learning and piety to pass its

verdict of worthiness and imprint its seal

of approbation upon the life and character

of him who is represented in this unpre-

tentious model of bronze.

“We may well say what form of com-
pliment is like unto this

!

“ The jewel, however, is worthy of its

setting, and while we duly appreciate the

sacred environments which hallow this

memorial, we know that your Grace was

conscious of the appropriateness of placing

it here.

“ In this feature not only the present but



28 THE O'EEILLY BUST.

future generations will recognize the force

and grace of the compliment you have

seen fit to confer on Mr. O’Reilly’s mem-

ory; and as he by daily intercourse with

those who knew him but to love him, by

his writings, his speech and his ever living

example, was a constant .inspiration, so

may these qualities, as typified by this me-

morial, be a fruitfuT^ource of inspiration

to the many, who, in future years, will

seek guidance and training of this institu-

tion for holy and noble ends.”

Dr. Byrne then announced that an in-

timate friend of O’Reilly would say a few

words and called upon Mr. A. Shuman of

Boston.

Mr. Shuman took the platform and said

:

I

“John Boyle O’Reilly was very dear to

me, not only for his simple and affectionate

nature, that radiated sunshine over the

every-day pathway, but for his noble and

lasting qualities of head and heart, whose

influences live to-day in the thoughts of

the people.

“ I am more than glad to be with you



THE O'REILLY BUST. 29

all to do him honor. He was, indeed, a

patriot ip the fullest sense of the word,

and his poetical nature gave him that sensi-

tive insight into the woes and wants of the

people that has made his name immortal

and his memory ever green.

“ Death, loving a shining mark, took

him from our midst in the fulness of his

vigor and usefulness. His death smote

the hearts of the people with a sudden

-sense of loss, and resounded throughout

the land and beyond the sea with the sad-

dest and most mournful cadence.

“ I enjoyed the close and familiar friend-

ship of O’Reilly for twenty years, and

never ceased to admire and esteem him

for his cheerful disposition, the ardent

warmth of his personality, and for his

fealty to his friends.

“He was a rare bit of humanity, and

was supremely human in his character.

In his friendships and his love of justice

all men were alike to him.

“ He was an enthusiastic lover of his

native land, and was essentially in touch

with all mankind; and while true to his



30 THE O'REILLY BUST.

faith and his religion, his broad views and

great heart allowed no distinction of race

and creed to warp his impulses.

“ It was all these things indeed, so noble

and so grand, that endeared him to me. I

have passed many a delightful hour in his

company, elevated and inspired by his

eloquence and treasures of thought.

“ He will rank upon glory’s page c as

more than soldier and just less than sage,’

and this imperishable bronze that we dedi-

cate to-day will continue to teach the

lesson that c he who once lived is always

alive, we hearken and always hear.’
”

After the ceremonies the Boston guests

were served with refreshments, and were

then escorted over the building by the

Vice-Rector, Rev. P. J. Garrigan.

The friends of the poet are charmed

with the work of Mr. Kitson. Mr. Mose-

ley, who was one of the most intimate

friends of the poet-editor, declared the

likeness to be almost startling in its fidelity

to nature.

The bust represents the hero poet in



THE O'REILLY BUST. 31

conventional garb, with a low collar and

flowing necktie, such as he generally wore.

The head is turned somewhat to one side,

and the eyes are looking up, the pose of

the head bringing out to perfection the

nervous, animated look, for which O’Reilly

was famous.

The bust stands on a pedestal of Ten-

nessee marble, which is also the work of

Mr. Kitson, and on the base of the bust

is a quill pen entwined with shamrock.

The members of the Boston comfnittee

stopped at Baltimore on their way home

and called on Cardinal Gibbons. They

sought to induce him to preside at a meet-

ing of the Boyle O’Reilly memorial fund,

to be held at such time as might best suit

his convenience. They were graciously

received by His Eminence, but failed to

secure a definite promise.



^ubsrobtrs to rtit <©’UctUp llSust.

Archbishop Williams, Bishops O'Beilly.

Healy, McMahon, Harkins, Bradley, and

Brady; Very Bevs. William Byrne, D. D.,

James Hughes, Y. G., Mgr. Strain, Mgr.

Thos. Griffin, Bevs. A. J. Teeling, C. J.

Biordan, Luigi Paroli, W. J. McCombe,

J. J. Frawley, C. S S. B., M. O’Brien,

B. Xeagle, P. McCabe, M. Gilligan, John

H. Duggan, M. Mahon, D. O’Callaghan,

P. F. Boyle, B. T. Walsh, M. Flatley,

H. P. Smith, James McGlew, J. W. Cor-

coran, M. Moran, D. J. O’Farrell, P. X.

Xopper, S. J., H. B. O’Donnell, Jos. F.

Mohan, C. T. McGrath, James Coyle, P. B.

Murphy, M. Bonan, P. J. Daly, J. W.

McMahon, Yery Bev. J. B. Hogan and Pro-

fessors of the University. Messrs. T. B.

Fitz, John B. Murphy, James Jeffrey Boche,

Dr. James A. McDonald, Bernard Foley,

Dominic Toy, Edward Beardon, P. J. Flatley,

A. Shuman, Harry McGlenen, James S.

Murphy, Martin Pay, M. J. Weller, M.

Kelly, M. D., W. Doogue, Thos. Ackland,

and Miss Katherine Conway.