l.ii:i i '! I ; ' 1 :;!:■', 1.-: .1 !;•■ ' ■ , ! ! ■ I . I > t ' , ■ '. ■ ; 1 ■ . ^ , . ; \ : ' ; i;:;; ;!:!(:;;. i'i: ■i-i';;':i!! ■■:--il. u Columbia ^Bnititr^^itp mtlieCitpoflfnjgork THE LIBRARIES Bequest of Frederic Bancroft 1860-1945 THE LIFE MOST REV. M. J. SPALDING, D.D, ARCHBISHOP OF BALTIMORE. J. L. SPALDING, S.T.L " Romse nutriri mihi contigit atque doceri." Horace. CHRISTIAN PRESS ASSOCIATION PUBLISHING CO., New York AND SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. n* ^ rtT .cr ^ s PREFACE. RCHBISHOP SPALDING left his papers and letters to the Very Rev. I. T. Hecker, that he mieht make whatever use of them he should think proper. Those to whom the task of writing this life might have been entrusted, with the confident hope that it would be well performed, were not at leisure ; and I was chosen, less from the conviction that I was fitted for the work than from the belief that what I lacked in abilitv might in some measure be supplied by zeal and industry. Though to others this choice may be matter for regret, in my mind it will ever remain associated with the pleasant memories of the happy days which I spent in the society of the Fathers of the Congregation of St. Paul, whilst engaged in this work. iv Preface. Even to have failed is, possibly, not wholly without honor. Success in biographical writing-, under the most favorable circumstances, is rare. The difficulty is increased when the subject of biography is but recently dead. Time, the approver, which destroys false and fac- titious reputations, is alone able to bring out in all their worth and loveliness those which are founded in merit. Then, the surroundings of a man's life are like the frame to the picture and the light in which it is seen. Onlv^ time can give this setting and mellow down the liorht. No life with which we are perfectly familiar can be wholly beautiful. Omne ignotum pro magnified est, is the phrase of the Roman historian. It is this unknown that is wanting in biography which deals with the lives of men whom we have seen face to face and touched with our hands. The life of a priest, too, in ordinary times, is necessarily uneventful. There are no "battles, sieges, fortunes"; *'disas- Preface. v trous chances, moving accidents by flood and field, hair-breadth 'scapes i' th' imminent, deadly breach," to be told of; and thouQrh t> " The drj'ing up a single tear has more Of honest fame than shedding seas of gore," men now, as in ages past, will make heroes of the successful butchers of the race, whilst its benefactors are forgotten. "The inventor of a spinning-jenny," says Carlyle, "is pretty sure of his reward in his own day; but the writer of a true poem, like the apostle of a true reli- gion, is nearly as sure of the contrary." On the other hand, there are persons who will find matter for wholesome thought in the history of a man whose record is without stain, whose purposes were benevolent, and all of whose aims were to strengthen faith in those doctrines without which human nature has but a material and animal value, and life no sacredness. The sympathy which I could not but feel with the subject of m)' work I cannot look upon as an obstacle to its right performance. As sympathy is one of the chief agencies in developing the nobler and better qualities of human nature, it also gives the truest insight into character. vi Preface. What my partiality may have caused me to see in a light too favorable will receive a more correct color- ing" from the calmer judgment of my readers — At mihi 71U71C narraturo viia7n defuncti hominis, venia opus fuit. CONTENTS. PAca CHAPTER I. Ancestry — Parentage — Birth — Early Education, . . . .11 CHAPTER H. Professor at St. Mary's College — Enters the Seminary at Bards- town — Is Sent to Rome, .23 CHAPTER HI. Student Life in Rome, . . . 36 CHAPTER IV. X,ast Year in Rome — Public Defence of Theses for the Doctor's Cap .... 43 CHAPTER V. Ordained Priest — Returns Home — Is made Pastor of the Cathe- dral IN Bardstown — Professor in the Seminary — The " Mi- nerva," 61 CHAPTER VI. The " Catholic Advocate " — Religious Journalism — Efforts to Extend its Influence, 71 CHAPTER VII. President of St. Joseph's College — Pastor of St. Peter's Church, in Lexington — Diocese of Nashville, 83 CHAPTER VIII. Dr. Spalding is appointed Vicar General — The Louisville "League" — His Labors as a Lecturer and Preacher, . , 95 CHAPTER IX. Popular Objections to the Church — Dr. Spalding's Manner of Answering them, 106 S Co7itents. PAGE CHAPTER X. Appointed Bishop of Lengone, in Part. Infid., and Coadjutor of Bishop Flaget — Death of Bishop Flaget — State of the Dio- cese at the Time of Dr. Spalding's Consecration, . . . II& CHAPTER XL State of the Diocese, continued — Bishop Spalding's first Visi- tation — The Early Catholics of Kentucky, .... 131 CHAPTER Xn. Retreat of the Clergy — Building of the Cathedral in Louis- ville — Division of the Diocese — The First Plenary Council of Baltimore — Desire to secure the Services of a teaching Brotherhood, . . . 144 CHAPTER XHL Visit to Europe — The Xaverian Brothers — The American Col- lege at Luuvain, 15S CHAPTER XIV. Religion and Nationalism — The Know-Nothing Conspiracy — " Bloody Monday," 174 CHAPTER XV. The '" Miscellanea " — Controversy with Professor Morse, . . 188. CHAPTER XVL The Provincial Councils of Cincinnati — The Common-School System 260 CHAPTER XVH. Diocesan Affairs — Traits of Character — Correspondence with Archbishop Kenrick, 216 CHAPTER XVHL History of the Reformation — Views on the Duties of Ecclesi- astics in their Relations with the Siate — Episcopal Labors, 230 CHAPTER XLX. The Civil War and the Church in Kentucky — State of the Dio- cese of Louisville — Bishop Spalding is appointed to the See OF Baltimore 244 Contenis. 9 PAGE CHAPTER XX. Archbishop Spalding takes Possession of His New Charge — Sum- mary OF Important Facts in the History of the Archdiocese OF Baltimore, 257 CHAPTER XXI. Archbishop Spalding's First Works in the Diocese of Baltimore — The Syllabus — The Sixth Synod of Baltimore — Corre- spondence on Various Subjects, 269 CHAPTER XXII. The Suffering People of the South — The Diocese of Charles- ton — The Catholic Protectory — Sermon at the University of Notre Dame 285, CHAPTER XXIII. The Second Plenary Council of Baltimore, 298 CHAPTER XXIV. Second Plenary Council of Baltimore, continued— Appointment of Bishops— Parochial Rights— Catholic University, . . 310 CHAPTER XXV. The Pa^t, the Present, and the Future, 321 CHAPTER XXVI. The Emancipated Slaves— The Catholic Publication Society— The Centenary of the Martyrdom of St. Peter, . . . 337 CHAPTER XXVII. Travels in Europe — Ireland — Progress of the Church in the Archdiocese of Baltimore— The American College in Rome, 350 CHAPTER XXVIII. The Dangers that Threaten the Destruction of our Free Insti- tutions — The Remedy — The Craving for Sensuous Indul- gence, 362- CHAPTER XXIX. Death of the Very Rev. B. J. Spalding— Visit.-^tion of the Dio- cese—The Little Sisters of itie Poor— The Vatican Council, 374. lo Contents. PAGE CHAPTER XXX. The Vatican Council — The Postulatum of Archbishop Spalding — Letter to Bishop Dupanloup, 387 CHAPTER XXXI. The Definition of Papal Infallibility not only Opportune, but Necessary — Devotion of the American Church to the Holy See 404 CHAPTER XXXII. The Manner in which the Discussions of the Vatican Council WERE Conducted — The Infallibility of the Pope — Liberty and Liberalism — Tour in Switzerland 416 CHAPTER XXXIII. The Sacrilegious Invasion of Rome — Archbishop Spalding Re- turns Home — His Reception in Baltimore and Washington City — A Retrospect, 43° CHAPTER XXXIV. JLast Illness and Death of Archbishop Spalding, .... 449 Index, 461 Life of Archbishop Spalding. CHAPTER I. ANCESTRY.— PARENTAGE.— BIRTH. — EARLY EDUCATION. HE ancestors of Martin John Spalding belonged to the band of Catholic Pilgrims who, fleeing from religious persecution in England, founded the Maryland Colony in 1634, fourteen years after the landing of the Puritans at Plymouth. If the Spaldings were not among the two hundred families ■who came over with Lord Baltimore in 1634, they certainly arrived in Maryland very soon after the first settlement had been made. In a letter on this subject, written in 1871, Archbishop Spalding says : " It is certain that the Spaldings of Maryland were fully -established in St. Mary's County before the year 1650; for deeds and other papers of that date in their name are still found in Leonardtown ; though, if I mistake not, an acci- dent of fire destroyed some of the documents. I incline to think that they came some years before this date, proba- bly in the early commencement of the colony, very shortly after the arrival of the first ship of emigrants. ... I believe that the headquarters of the family in England, was Lincolnshire, where one of them at a very early period founded and gave his name to the great Abbey of Spalding, one of the thirteen great abbeys of England spared by Henry VIII., but confiscated under his son, Edward VI. I 12 Life of A7'chbishop Spalding. think, from my researches, and from whatever knowledge I may have in such matters, that the town of Spalding grew up' around and under the fostering influence of this abbe}\"* Archbishop Spalding's ancestors were not all of English origin ; for through his great-grandmother, Ellen O'Brian,. he received a tinge of Celtic blood, to which he was very fond of alluding. Ellen O'Brian was a woman of strong character and. of more than ordinary intelligence. She married Samuel * The town of Spalding existed already in the reign of Ethelbald, A.D. 716-757; for in Ethelbald's foundation-charter for the Monastery of Crow- land, its lands are said to extend in one direction " usque cedificid Spaldeling."^ The name is most probably of Anglo-Saxon origin. As a patronymic, the name has existed from an early period in English history, as the following citations will show : " Henry de Walpol sold lands by deed, sans date, to John de Spalding. (Burgess of Lenn), in Tyrington, and sealed, as by his deed appears, with a Fesse between two Chevrons, about 51 Henry HI." (a.d. 1267). — Collins Peerage, vol. v. p. 32. "West Hall Manor, Denver, Norfolk. In ninth of Edward H. (a.d. 1316)/ Peter de Spalding was Lord, and presented to the Meediet}' of St. Michael's of Denver as Lord of this Manor." — Bhmfield's History of the County of N'orfolk, England, vol. vii. p. 316. Blomfield also says : " Peter Spalding sold his part or Manor (haying enfranchised several villeins) to Sir John Howard, the elder," vol. ix. p. 87. In 1318, Sir Pierce Spalding commanded Berwick Castle, and delivered it up to the Earl of Murray. In Blomfield's Histoiy of the County of JVotfolk^ town of Brockdish, there is a description of the church: "In 1518, Henry Bakenham was buried in this church, as were many of the Spaldings^ Withes, Howards, Grices, Tendrings, and Lawrences, families of distinction in tliis town." The Maryland Spaldings were related to at least one branch of the Fenwicks, an old English Catholic family which came over with Lord Baltimore, and has given to the church in this country two bishops and several zealous priests. Mother Catherine Spalding, first mother of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, K3'., and foundress of the orphan asylum in Louisville, and Mother Hardey, Assistant-General ol the Order of the Sacred' Heart, whose mother was a Spalding, both belong to the Maryland branch of the family. A7icestry. 13 Abell, a Protestant, who was high-sheriff of St. Mary's County at a time when a Catholic could not hold office without taking the test oath, which was equivalent to renouncing his faith. He allowed his wife to bring up her daughters in her own faith, but strongly protested against any attempt to make Catholics of his sons. The Assembly- had, in 1704, passed a new law, entitled *' An act to prevent the increase of Popery in the province," which forbade bishops and priests to say Mass or exercise any of the functions of their ministry, and thus suppressed all public Catholic worship. Samuel Abell, therefore, had little opportunity to know whether or not his sons held the faith of their mother. He, of course, took it for granted that they would be too wise to unite themselves with a church which was persecuted and despised. When his oldest son, Philip, had grown to manhood, he took him to Leonardtown, to have him sworn in as deputy sheriff. What was his surprise when Philip refused downright to. take the oath, saying publicly before the whole court that it would choke him. However, there was no remedy. The blood of Ellen O'Brian was strong in the boy, and the father, finding that neither threats nor persuasion would move him from his set purpose, finally consented to let him have his way ; and he himself gradually lost his preju- dices, and on his death-bed sent for a priest, and died in communion with the church. Robert, another son of Samuel Abell, moved to Kentucky in 1788, and was a delegate to the convention which framed the State constitution, and the only Catholic in that body. As in those days log-cabins were the best hotels the com- monwealth could provide, Robert Abell, during the ses- sions of the convention, occupied the same room with Fe- lix Grundy, a well-known lawN'cr of Kentuck)^ and another delegate who had been a Presbyterian preacher. 14 Life of ArchbisJwp Spalding. Each member had the right to present to the conven- tion a draught of the constitution which he wished to see adopted, and those provisions which should meet with the approval of a majority of the members were to become a part of the law of the land. One day, the ex-preacher read to his two companions a clause which he had inserted in his draught, which ran as follows : " And be it further pro- vided, that no Papist or Roman Catholic shall hold any office of profit or trust in this commonwealth," Felix Grundy at once took his pen, and placed the following clause in the draught which he proposed to present to the conven- tion : " And be it also provided, that no broken-down Presbyterian preacher shall be eligible to any office in this commonwealth." The preacher was converted, and the constitution of Kentucky placed no restriction upon reli- gious liberty.* Alethia Abell, the sister of Robert, and the daughter of Ellen O'Brian, was the grandmother of Martin Spalding. His grandfather, Benedict Spalding, brought out a colony of Catholics from St. Mary's County in Maryland, in 1790, and settled in Central Kentucky, in the valley of a small river called the Rolling Fork. No Catholics are known to have emigrated to Kentucky before 1775. In that year,. William Coomes, with his family and Dr. Hart, both Catho- lics, settled in Harrod's Station, which was then, with the exception of one or two small forts, the only place in the " Dark and Bloody Ground " where a white man could call his scalp his own. The first Catholic colony which came out to Kentucky was that which accompanied the Haydons and Lancasters in 1785. This colony settled in and around Bardstown, which then became and for many years re- mained the centre of Catholicity in the State. The chief * This incident was related to a son of Robert Abell by Felix Grandj himself. Pareiitaoe. i £ "ii causes which determined the CathoHcs of Maryland to seek what was then the " far West " were the hope of finding a more healthy climate and a soil which would better remu- nerate them for their toil. The report made by the pioneer colony awakened a greater desire in those who remained behind to emigrate, and other colonies came out in 1786, 1787, and 1788. The Archbishop's grandfather, as I have stated, removed to Kentucky in 1790. He had married Alethia Abell in Maryland. God blessed them, with six sons and six daughters, all of whom grew up to be men and women, married, and, with a single exception, lived to be- quite old. Their descendants constitute to-day one of the most numerous families in Kentucky. Richard Spalding, the eldest son of Benedict, was the father of the Archbishop. He was born in St. Mary's County, Maryland, and came to Kentucky with his father He w^as thrice married, and by these unions became the father of twenty-one children. He was a man of fine senso, of great industry and perseverance, and, in spite of his nu- merous family, to which he gave the best education it was possible to obtain in Kentucky in that day, he became wealthy. The Archbishop's mother was Henrietta Hamilton, who was also born in Maryland, having come out to Kentucky with her father, Leonard Hamilton, in 1791, when still a mere child. When Father Badin arrived, in 1794, he estimated the Catholic population of the State at three hundred families. Among the first stations which he attended for the purpose of saying Mass and administering the sacrament was the one on the Rolling Fork, near where Archbishop Spalding's grandfather and father were then living. A little later, in 1797, Father Fournier, another French priest, who had come to the assistance of Father Badin, bought a hundred 1 6 Life of Archbishop Spalding. acres of ground in this neighborhood, and built there a log- cabin, of which he took possession in 1798. Holy Mary's Convent of Lorettine Nuns now stands on this spot. Kentucky was in that day covered with dense forests and tangled woods. There was scarcely a place in its whole territory that might be dignified with the name of village, and the only roads were the almost untrodden paths of the forest, on either side of which lines of blazed trees showed the traveller the route from point to point. The forests were filled with a luxuriant undergrowth, thickly interspersed with cane and briers, which the inter- twining wild pea-vine wove into an almost impenetrable net-work ; so that, in certain parts, the only way of getting from place to place was to follow the paths worn by the migrating buffalo and other wild beasts. The Indian still hunted on the " Dark and Bloody Ground," or prowled about the new settlements, ready to attack them whenever an opportunity was offered. It has been stated on good authority that, from 1783 to 1790, fifteen hundred persons were killed or made captive by the Indians in Kentucky, or in migrating thither.* In 1794, the Indians appeared on the Rolling Fork, and killed a Catholic by the name of Buckman. This produced a panic in the little settlement which caused many Catholics to move for a time to Bardstown, where the population was more dense. But Benedict Spalding remained at home, and the Indians disappeared without committing further outrage. The early emigrants to Kentucky had to endure all the hardships incident to pioneer life. Even the ordinary com- forts were not to be had in the wilderness in which they had taken up their abode, and they not unfrequently suf- fered the want of the most indispensable necessaries. To * Judge Jones, of Kentucky, states this in a letter written to Secretary Knox, July 7, 1790. Parentage. 1 7 obtain salt, they had to go to the Licks, travelling often many miles through a country infested by savages. They dwelt in rudely constructed log-cabins, the windows of which were without glass, whilst the floors were of dirt, or, in the better sort of dwellings, of rough-hewn boards. After the clothing which they had brought from Virginia and Maryland became unfit for use, the men, for the most part, wore buckskin and the women homespun gowns. The furniture of the cabins was of an equally simple kind. Stools did the office of chairs, the tables were made of rough boards, whilst wooden vessels served instead of plates and china-ware. A tin cup was an article of luxury. The chase supplied abundance of food. All kinds of game abounded, and, when the hunter had his rifle and a goodly supply of ammunition, he was rich as a prince. This was the school in which was trained the Kentucky rifleman, whose aim on the battle-field was certain death. The game was plainly dressed and served up on wooden platters, and, with corn-bread and hominy, it made a feast which the keen appetite of honest labor and free-heartedness thought good enough for kings. " Vivitur parvo bene, cui paternum Splendet in mensa tenui salinum Xec leves somnos timor aut cupido Sordidus aufert." " Such was the simple manner of life," said Archbishop Spalding, " of our ' Pilgrim Fathers.' They had fewer luxuries, but were, withal, perhaps happier than their more fastidious descendants. Hospitality was not then an empty name. Every log-cabin was freely thrown open to all who chose to share in the best cheer its inmates could afford. The early settlers of Kentucky were bound together by the strong ties of common hardships and dangers, to say 1 8 Life of Ai'chbishop Spalding. nothing of other bonds of union, and they clung together with great tenacity. On the shghtest alarm of Indian in- vasion, they made common cause, and flew to the rescue^ There was less selfishness and more generous chivalry, less bickering and more cordial charity, then than now, not- withstanding all our boasted refinement." * Old men love to praise the bygone age, when they were boys, by a sweet reversion to childhood, forgetting the evil' and remembering only the good of the morning of life : and all find a certain pleasure in carping at the present by contrasting it with the seeming more perfect past. But making allowance for this proneness of our nature, there was doubtless in the society of those early days in Ken- tucky rare beauty and goodness. The men were brave and honest, the women were pure and gentle ; and these virtues sat so naturally upon them that they seemed unconscious of them, as not contemplating a contrary state. They sometimes lent money without note or witness, and this implicit trust to what is best in human nature was rarely ever betrayed. They were truly hospitable, they were kind-hearted, and they loved liberty in the highest sense of the word. This state of primitive republican society had not yet disappeared at the time of the birth of Martin John Spald- ing, which took place on the 23d of May, 18 10. He was born on the Rolling Fork, in sight of the farm on which his grandfather had settled upon his arrival in Kentucky twenty years before this date. He was baptized by Fa- ther Nerincks, of whose apostohcal life and labors he was destined to become the historian. He was a frail, delicate child, and so subject to frequent attacks of sickness that it was not thought he could long survive. His mother, who- * Sketches of Kentucky, p. 33. Birth. 19 was noted for the purity and gentleness of her character, and whom he very much resembled, both in feature and disposition, manifested, probably on account of his weak and suffering condition, greater tenderness for him than for her other children. She always called him her little bishop. He had the great misfortune to lose her when but five or six years old. After her death, he was confided to the care of his oldest sister, who was still a mere girl. She was assisted in the performance of her responsible duties by the wise counsel of her grandmother, Alethia Spalding, the daughter of Samuel Abell and Ellen O'Brian. Alethia Spalding was remarkable both for great beauty and for great holiness. Even Protestants thought her a saint ; and Father Badin, who knew her well, used to say» after her death, that she was certainly in heaven. In those days, when Mass was said at the different stations', only once a month, or at most once in two weeks, she was- in the habit, whenever the priest was absent from Holy •Mary's, of going on horseback a distance of six or eight miles to Lebanon, to assist at the holy sacrifice there. On these occasions, she always took one of her grandchildren, frequently Martin, behind her on her little gray mare ; and she never failed to sanctify the journey by reciting the rosary with her little travelling companion. Of the seven children of Richard Spalding who had the example of her virtues so constantly before their eyes, two- became priests, and two took the veil in the Convent of Loretto. Bishop Carroll wrote of the early Catholic colonists of Kentucky that they were in general good, and that some of them were eminent in virtue. Their religious character was certainly earnest and pro- found. They were not puritanical, which Catholics, I be- lieve, never are ; but their faith was strong and healthful,. 20 Life of Archbishop Spalding. and their attachment to Cathohc truth unwavering. As an instance of this, I may state that, towards the close of the last century, when it seemed impossible to get priests to remain in Kentucky, many of the Catholic colonists deter- mined to remove to Missouri, induced by the offer of the Spanish governor to secure them the opportunity of comply- ing with their religious obligations. A committee had been appointed, and had gone to St. Louis to confer with the governor, when Bishop Carroll finally succeeded in sending a priest to Kentucky, which led to the abandonment of the project of removing the colony to Missouri. Their solici- tude to preserve the faith of their children was equally great, evidences of which may be seen in the Catholic schools and colleges which they founded and supported, -and in the care with which they avoided mixed marriages. Of the twelve children of Benedict Spalding, all of whom married, not one, in the first instance, married a Protestant. Their opposition to intermarrying with Protestant fami- lies led them not unfrequently to approve of the marriage of blood relations, as the lesser of two evils. Their objec- tion to mixed marriages did not proceed from any unfriendly feeling towards Protestants, which did not exist, but from the conviction that difference of faith in the father and mother could not but have a bad effect upon the religious character of the children. Martin Spalding was sent to school, when about eight -years old, to a Mr. Merrywether, whose college was a log- cabin in the backwoods near the Rolling Fork. His earliest intellectual feat was learning the multiplica- tion-table in a single day when but eight years old. He was even then as remarkable for the sweetness of his dispo- sition as for the quickness of his mind. He made his first communion when only ten years old, which is worthy of cremark when we consider that he had never been to a Early Education. 21 Catholic school, and had but on rare occasions received in- struction from a priest. The )'ear in which he made his first communion, 1820, was the one in which the first Catholic college was founded in Kentucky. This was St. Joseph's College, at Bards- town. The year following, the Rev. William Byrne opened St. Mary's College, near Lebanon, and among the very first students who entered that institution were Martin Spalding and his two older brothers. The founding of St. Mary's College is an instance of what energy and zeal may enable God's priest to accomplish. When the project first pre- sented itself to Father Byrne's mind, he had neither men nor money, and without these it was not thought possible to establish a college. But he was a man to whom nothing that was right seemed impossible. " Viam aut inveniam aut faciam," was his motto, and his faith in God and in the power of labor gave him strength to triumph over difficul- ties which would have appalled weaker and less believ- ing men. He bought a farm, on which stood an old stone- distillery. To pay for this, he asked contributions from the Catholics of the country, and since they had but little money, he took produce or whatever they were able to give, which, with great delay and difficulty, he converted, into cash. The next step was to transform the old distillery into an academy of learning. He himself put his hand to the work, and became carpenter or mason as circumstances demanded. When everything was in readiness, he offered to furnish education in return for wheat, corn, and bacon. This plan,, which was perfectly adapted to the wants of the commu- nity, could not fail of success. When at length, in the early spring of 1821, the anxiously expected day for the opening of St. Mary's Seminary arrived, it was filled to overflowing. 22 Life of AixhbisJiop Spalding. Father Byrne was president, disciplinarian, prefect, trea- surer, and professor. The seminary soon became known for its strict discipline and the moral and literary advancement of its pupils, and, in consequence, it grew in public favor. Father Byrne had paid his debts, and had nearly com- pleted another building for the accommodation of a greater number of students, when, during his absence in Louisville, the college was consumed by fire. " We well remember," says Archbishop Spalding, in his Sketches of Kentucky, " the sadness which sat upon his brow when the next day he rode into the enclosure and beheld the smouldering ruins of what had cost him years •of anxious toil. Yet the suddenness of the shock did not unnerve him — it gave him new energy. In a few short imonths, St. Mary's Seminary rose from its ashes fresher and more beautiful than before." A second time St. Mary's was burned to the ground, and again Father Byrne rebuilt it, and finally succeeded in plac- ing it on a firm and enduring foundation. In his difficul- ties. Father Byrne found a warm friend in Richard Spalding, the father of the Archbishop, who was very desirous of pro- curing for his children a good education. He offered to give Father Byrne one hundred acres of ground, and other- wise to assist him, if he would remove the college to Holy Mary's ; but Bishop Flaget did not think it advisable to change the location. CHAPTER 11. PROFESSOR AT ST. MARY'S COLLEGE — ENTERS THE SEMI- NARY AT BARDSTOWN — IS SENT TO ROME. ARTIN SPALDING was Father Byrne's favorite pupil. When the college was destroyed by fire, Martin did not return home with his brothers, but continued his studies with Father Byrne, and, upon the reopening of the school, he was made profes- sor of mathematics, though he was but fourteen years old. He was at this time a slender, delicate boy, soft and gentle as a girl, and to a remarkably bright and quick mind added a disposition so sweet that no one could help loving him. He soon became quite famous as professor of mathematics, and Father Byrne was persuaded that no problem could be proposed to him which he would not be able to solve. He made this boast to the county surveyor, who, in reply, said that he thought he could give Martin a question in survey- ing which would puzzle him. Father Byrne desired that the proficiency of his youthful professor should be put to the test, and the problem was accordingly proposed. Mar- tin asked for time to consider it, and in a short while re- turned with the answer. A certain Mr. Dougherty, who was at this time professor of mathematics in St. Joseph's College, had great contempt for the reputation of the boy-professor of St. Mary's, and he boasted that he would put him to shame. With this view, he went to the next examination at St. Mary's, and proposed questions to the class of mathematics which he was confident not even the professor would be able to 24 Life of Archbishop Spalding. solve. But Martin each time came to the rescue of his stu- dents, and triumphantly explained every difficulty. Father B}'rne had unbounded admiration for Martin's talents, and, whenever he spoke of him, he grew eloquent in extolling his high endowments. The great highway be- tween Louisville and Nashville in those days passed within two or three miles of St. Mary's College, and such was, as I have heard from the lips of the oldest living priest in Kentucky, the reputation which Martin had gained, that travellers sometimes went out of their way to see this won- derful boy-professor. His friends feared lest the flattery and attention which he received might spoil him ; and that he came out of this ordeal unscathed is perhaps one of the greatest proofs of the thorough worth and genuine strength of his character. Success and applause could not destroy in him that child- like simplicity which continued through life to be one of his greatest charms. When he left Kentucky, at the age of twenty, to go to Rome, there was probably no one in the State who was superior to him in the knowledge of mathematics ; and, though he never after paid any attention to this science, he never ceased to be ready at accounts, and quick to under- stand problems in which mathematical calculations were involved. As a student at St. Mary's, he was noted for his application and his eager desire to learn. He never allowed others to assist him in solving the difficulties which presented themselves, but wished to be indebted to his own industry alone for his triumph over them. He was also, as I have said, distinguished for his gentle and loving disposi- tion. In a game of foot-ball, Martin had unintentionally done something which provoked a boy much larger than himself to insult him and to threaten to strike him. One of his cousins who happened to be standing near interfered. Enters the Seininary at Bardstown. 25 and was on the point of punishing the boy, when Martin at once stopped him, saying that he was able to take care of himself, and that he could not upon any account consent to be the occasion of angry words or blows. The person who related this little incident to me added that the noble and Christian bearing of Martin Spalding at that time had made an impression upon him which the lapse of many years had not effaced. He remained five years at St. Mary's, and graduated with great honor in 1826. Though but sixteen years old, he had already resolved to consecrate his life to the service of God in the priesthood. He spent the summer vacations at home, and at their close he entered the seminary at Bardstown as a student of theology. The year in which he began the study of theology is one which is still associated with the happiest memories in the minds of some of the older Catholics of Kentucky. It was the year of grace, the year of the great Jubilee, which, pro- mulgated by Leo XH. in 1825, was preached in Kentucky only in 1826. The entire Catholic population of Kentucky seems to have been awakened to new life and fervor during this holy season. The priests who were engaged in preach- ing this Jubilee drew up a full account of the fruits of their labors, which they transmitted to the Association of the Propagation of the Faith, in France. " During the week of the Jubilee," these eye-witnesses relate, " all temporal affairs seemed to be forgotten, and only those of the soul were attended to. As the greater part of the Catholics came from a distance of eight, ten, or twelve miles, they remamed during the whole day in the church, without leaving it even for a moment, except to take a frugal repast on the grass or in the neighboring wood. Not only did the laborers and farmers, who constituted the ma- 26 Life of A^xhbishop Spalding. jority of the Catholics, give these beautiful examples of religious fervor, but persons of every condition — merchants, physicians, magistrates, legislators — showed themselves equally eager to profit by the graces of heaven. Human respect, so powerful under other circumstances, had given place to more noble sentiments, and all seemed eager to ■give open and public evidence of their strong attachment to a religion which was the only source of their consolation .and their happiness. Such was the edifying spectacle which Kentucky presented during those days of benediction. Perhaps the fruits of the Jubilee were more abundant here than in any other part of the Christian world, if we take into account the small number of Catholics in this diocese." This was the first time that the Catholics of the great West had been called upon to unite with their brethren through- out Christendom in the solemn prayer of the Jubilee, and the novelty of the exercises had doubtless something to do with the readiness with which they responded to the voice of the Holy Father ; but, apart from this, we cannot but recognize in their fervor and zeal evidences of great religious earnestness and of true piety. The heart of the venerable Bishop Flaget was touched by the devotion and good-will of his people. " With what pleasure," he wrote, " have I entered upon this apostolic career ! If the consolations which I now feel, go on increasing, they will afford me happiness enough for this life." The Diocesan Seminary, in Kentucky, was established at St. Thomas's almost immediately after the arrival of Bishop Flaget and Father David ; but when the new cathedral was consecrated in 1819, it was removed to Bardstown, the Bishop wishing, as far as possible, to live among his semi- narians as a father in his family. The Sunday following the -dedication of the cathedral, Father David received the Enters the Se^Jiinary at Bardstown. 27 episcopal consecration at the hands of Bishop Flaget, and became his coadjutor. The two bishops had rooms in the seminary ; they ate at the same table with the seminarians, and took part in all the exercises of the community. The day after the opening of the new seminary, Bishop Flaget wrote : " This day will form an epoch in the history of the church in Kentucky ; for I dare hope that from this house will go forth priests who will sustain and propagate the faith." And a few years later, when this hope had been in part fulfilled, he added : " Many priests have already been reared in the seminary, and their piety and talents would distinguish them even in Europe. Some of them are •excellent preachers and very good controversialists." When Martin Spalding entered the seminary, in 1826, he found there a body of men equal to any in the church of the United States to-day. First of all, there was Bishop Flaget, who, though not remarkable for theological ability, was a model bishop, and the type of a true missionary. He had a heart as tender as a woman's, and a character so perfectly formed after the model given by his divine Master that he himself was a living example of all that the young Levites who were gathered at his feet were to aspire to. The master, he was as the servant ; the bishop, he was in garb and bearing as his humblest priest. When he spoke to them, he could, without mockery, bid them be self-denying, poverty-lov- ing, humble, lowly in their walk ; for such he was. The children of his apostolic love grew up to be the crown and honor of his old age, and the pride of the church of Ken- tucky. Then there was Bishop David, less expansive and less demonstrative of affection than Bishop Flaget, but a man of the soundest judgment and of great learning, and, above all, a thorough disciplinarian. Francis Patrick Kenrick was 28 Life of Archbishop Spalding. also there, fresh from the Propaganda, already then the most learned theologian, as he was destined afterwards to become the brightest ornament of the American Church. For him Martin Spalding at once conceived the highest admiration, which soon ripened into a friendship which during many succeeding years remained unshaken, until,, when his early friend had been removed to a better world, he was destined to succeed him as the head of the first and oldest see of the United States. There, too, was Father Reynolds, afterwards the successor of Bishop England in the see of Charleston — a man of pro- found thought, and an orator. The Rev. George Elder, the founder and first President of St. Joseph's College, whose character was as lovely and gentle as his mind was cultivated and refined, completes the group of remarkable men whom Martin Spalding found at Bardstown in 1826. At that time, the seminary was connected with St. Joseph's College, and the seminarians were required to teach and perform other duties in the college. Archbishop Spalding, in his Life of Bishop Flaget, says that this state of things had its advantages, but that they were probably more than counterbalanced by the inconveniences neces- sarily attendant upon such a system. The vocations of some of the seminarians were shaken by this intimate con- tact with youths of the world, while scarcely a candidate for the ministry was obtained from among those who were educated in the college. This, of course, greatly distressed Bishop Flaget, who made use of every means to correct the evil, and finally established at St. Thomas's a preparatory seminary for young men who gave indication of a vocation to the ecclesiastical state. Martin Spalding remained in Bardstown four years, divid- ing his time between the study of philosophy and theology Is sent to Rome. 29 and the duties of a professor in the college. He soon proved that he possessed an aptitude for theology and lan- guages scarcely less remarkable than that which he had shown for mathematics whilst teaching at St. Mary's. His talents and exemplary conduct won for him such favor in the eyes of Bishop Flaget that, at the end of four years, he determined to send him to Rome to complete his theo- logical studies in the Urban College. After the high privilege of a vocation to the priesthood, Martin Spalding deemed it the most fortunate circumstance in his life that he was permitted to finish his theological education in the Holy City, where he drank in all the sacred doctrines and traditions of the Christian religion at their fountain-head. His eagerness to go to Rome was in- creased by his admiration of Dr. Kenrick, who had studied there; and his conversation, and the glowing pictures which he drew of the advantages offered in the Eternal City to the aspirant to theological science, helped to influence Bishop Flaget to send the young Kentuckian to the Propa- ganda. The clergy of the diocese of Bardstown were not, how- ever, of one opinion concerning the advantages of a Roman education. Some held that the habits of thought and action which young Americans would be likely to acquire during a course of studies in Rome would not be such as to fit them in the best manner for fulfilling with success the duties of missionaries in the backwoods of Kentucky. From this opinion, as we shall hereafter see from his letters written from Rome, Martin Spalding wholly dissented. He set out on his journey to Rome, in company with James Lancaster, in April, 1830. A few days after his arrival in Baltimore, he wrote the following letter to his father : 30 Life of Archbishop Spalding. " Dear Father: " Your parental solicitude makes you anxious, I am sure, to hear from a son whom you so tenderly love. When I left you, dear father, I did not expect to go to Baltimore ;. but in Louisville we met with Colonel Brent, a former mem- ber of Congress from Louisiana, who was on his way tO' Washington City, and who informed us that it would be safer for us to accompany him thither, as we might other- wise find difficulty in obtaining our passports. We alsO' learned from him that Commodore Porter had been recently appointed Minister to Algiers, and was expected in a short time to sail out to the Mediterranean in a vessel belonging to the navy, in which we, in all probability, would be able to obtain passage by applying at Washington. Since our arrival here, John Rowan has been very active in his efforts to obtain this favor for us, and Major Barry has likewise taken an interest in the matter. Li Washington, we were hospitably entertained by the Rev. Mr. Mathews; and,, after visiting the public buildings, we left for Baltimore in the company of the Rev. Mr. Hughes, of Philadelphia. I conclude, dear father, by giving expression to my love for you, and my gratitude for the great regard which you have ever shown for my true welfare. I trust that your hope in me will be realized, and that I shall become a zealous, priest, and one eminently useful to the church. Do you, dear father, continue to comply with all your religious, duties, especially that of bringing up your family in the love and fear of God." On the following day, the first of May, he wrote to his- old professor, Dr. Kenrick, who had just been appointed to- the see of Philadelphia : •' Right Reverend and Dear Friend: " The style of my address is expressive at once of your pro^ Is sent to Rome. 31 motion and of my sincere affection for you. You have doubt- less ere this heard of your appointment to the Bishopric of Philadelphia, since you have probably received the bulls sent you by the Archbishop of Baltimore. I congratulate the church upon your elevation, and hope that you will receive the burden cheerfully, though I perfectly understand how ungrateful to you the intelligence of your promotion must have proved. What a sacrifice for the good Bishop of Ken- tucky ! Your appointment has excited great interest in Bal- timore and Washington. All speak of it as an era in the his- tory of the American Church. I have had the good fortune to meet with the Rev. Mr. Hughes. I handed him your letter, tO' which I am indebted for the kind manner in which he received me. He is a gentleman of the most polite and engaging man- ners, blending the amiable modesty and reserve of the priest with the easy deportment of the man of the world. He has,. I think, a brilliant future before him. He introduced us to the professors of the seminary and college in Baltimore. In his company, I have been very pleasantly occupied in view- ing the various objects of interest here. We ascended together the monument erected by Catholic Maryland to the memory of Washington, from which we had a fine view of the city and its picturesque surroundings. I have alsO' visited the charitable institutions of Baltimore, which do honor to the generosity and benevolence of the Catholics of Maryland, as also to the devoted zeal of the Sisters of Charity, who are so nobly employed in ministering to the suffering members of Christ. The Rev. Mr. Elder has introduced me to some relations here whose acquaintance has given me great pleasure. ** All seem anxious to be informed of every particular con- cerning the church in Kentucky. They wish especially to hear how the Rev. Mr. Abell stands as a preacher. Here in Baltimore he is considered an orator not unworthy of his 32 Life of Archbishop Spalding. native backwoods. I dined with the Archbishop at his invitation, and was received with great kindness. He has some pamphlets for Dr. Wiseman, of the English College in Rome, and he promises to give us letters of introduction to him. The Archbishop expects that you will be consecrated in Bardstown by Bishop Flaget. He asked me how the priests in Kentucky wore their hair, intending, as I per- ceived, to give a hint to the Rev. Mr. . He also asked me whether the Bishop of Bardstown approved of coats with straight collars like ours. When I replied in the affirmative, he informed me that in Maryland this is the distinctive mark of Methodist preachers. James Lancaster was actually mis- taken for one of these gentlemen on his way from Wash- ington to Baltimore ; whilst I was probably indebted to my youthful appearance for my escape from a like suspicion. The Rev. Mr. Pise, whose acquaintance I have made, is a very active young man, who is thought to possess great talent. He hopes that you will become a regular contribu- tor to the Metropolitan, now that you are to be so near the Rome of America." Although these letters of our young Kentuckian, who had for the first time left his native woods, are not in themselves remarkable, they are yet not without interest, since they give us an insight into his character, and show the bent of his youthful thoughts and aspirations. His mind is eager for knowledge, and he has a keen eye for whatever has a bear- ing upon the all-absorbing object of his devotion — the church of God, to the service of which he has consecrated his life. The aspiring hopes of the young heart, untaught by disenchanting experience, and uncurbed by adversity, belong to him, but they all concentre in the church ; and when visions of the future present themselves to his mind, and he beholds himself such as he hopes to be in after- Is se ^ /.•• tiome. 2>Z years, the ideal present to his imagination is that of the "zealous and useful priest." He proves himself not a bad judge of character when he predicts a brilliant future for the Rev. Mr. Hughes, who was as yet unknown to fame. He and his companion remained in Baltimore two weeks, anxiously waiting for Commodore Porter to sail, until at length, growing weary of delay, they determined to embark in a vessel bound for Gibraltar, which was to sail from Bal- timore on the I2th of May. On the eve of his departure, Martin wrote to Father Byrne, whom, of all his teachers and early associates, he most loved : "■ Kind Guardian of my Youth : " I write to you from the scene of your former trials and labors. To-morrow we shall commit ourselves to the mercy of the waves and the protection of Heaven, and, after having passed through the purgatory of sea-sickness, we may get our sea-legs, and become, for aught we know, trusty sailors. The captain of the ship on which we are to sail is a Catholic and a gentleman of good standing here in Baltimore, of which he is a resident. We have been very kindly treated during our stay here. The Rev. Mr. Elder has shown us great attention. In manner he reminds me of yourself. Among other privileges, we have had the pleasure of seeing the venerable patriot, Charles Carroll, the last of our Revo- lutionary heroes. Though ninety-three years of age, he is quite vigorous and remarkably cheerful. He is still able, he says, to mount his horse and ride six or seven miles without great fatigue. " It is a source of gratification to us to have received the good-will and benediction of the venerable patriot just on the eve of leaving our native land. I have seen some of your old friends in Baltimore. The Rev. Mr. Tessier is as '»4 Life of Archbishop Spalding. mild and modest as when you knew him. He talks through his nose, laughs merrily, eats heartily, and is as innocent as a child. I went to confession to him, and I am much pleased with his character. The Rev. Mr. Damphoux is always the same eccentric, excellent person. " When I view my present situation and the advantages which appear in every way to be offered to me for the com- pletion of my education, I naturally recur in thought to him who, under Providence, has been the cause of all my suc- cess, and the first link in the chain of my improvement. Believe me, then, dear father, when I say that I shall ever remain, with sincerest love, your devoted son." Martin Spalding had completed his twentieth year two days before he set sail for Europe. Nearly half of his life had been passed at college or in the seminary, and his great application had somewhat weakened his naturally feeble constitution. This, however, did not at all discourage him ; he was still eager for work, and seemed never to doubt that God would give him strength to complete his education,, and to become, as he expressed it, a zealous priest, and one eminently useful to the church. In person, he was slender, something above the average height, with a countenance which, for regularity of feature, softness of outline, and perfect purity of expression, might have passed for that of a beautiful girl. His character, too, was singularly affec- tionate and gentle ; his whole nature frank and confiding^ unsuspicious of evil, because he himself was innocent. He had never, I think, felt even the shadow of a senti- mental attachment, but carried from the backwoods of the far West to the shrines of the apostles a virgin heart un- tainted by even the breath of passion. He had all the enthusiastic love of country which be- longed to the young Americans of that day, when the purity Is sent to Rome. 35 • of republican manners had not been corrupted by the evil influences of wealth and luxury. To be an American citizen was, in his mind, the highest honor after that of being a Roman Catholic. He looked upon Charles Carroll, as we have seen, with a reverence akin to religion, because in him he beheld one of that band of patriots who, as he had been taught to believe, had risked everything in a cause only less sacred than that of Christ. But the dream of his soul was the church of God, the spouse of Christ, who is all fair, without spot or wrinkle; who, though old, is ever young; and to this, his first love, he never in after-life proved untrue. CHAPTER III. STUDENT LIFE IN ROME. lARTIN SPALDING arrived in Cadiz on the 20th of June, 1830, after a voyage in which the mono- tony of sea-travel was not broken by any inci- dent worth recording. After waiting two weeks in Cadiz, he found a ship bound for Marseilles. He took passage on this vessel, which, he wrote, was laden with the relics of all the bull-fights that had taken place in Spain within the last ten years. Sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar, he beheld the opposing coasts of Europe and Africa. The favoring breeze filled the canvas, and the travellers expected to be in Marseilles within four or five days. But the winds fell asleep, and the ship was becalmed off the coast of Spain for nearly a month. When Martin and his companion at length arrived in Marseilles, they embarked with as little delay as possible for Leghorn. But fortune was again adverse, and they were eight days in crossing the Mediterranean. From Leg- horn they proceeded to Florence, and, after visiting the churches and art-galleries of the Tuscan capital, continued their journey through Sienna, where they stopped to ad- mire the cathedral, and finally, in company with a. Roman gentleman and his lady and two ferocious dogs, they arrived safely in the Eternal City on the 7th of August, just four months from the time they left home. We can hardly realize that a trip to Europe forty years ago could have been attended with so many delays and difficulties. •' If travel have delights," Martin wrote, shortly after he Student Life in Ro?ne. Z7 reached Rome, " which compensate for its many vexations and disappointments, I certainly have not experienced them." But steam has revolutionized the world, and brought us eight times nearer the central city of Catholic faith than our fathers were. The vacations were just beginning when Martin arrived in Rome, and he therefore went at once to the summer-house of the Propaganda, near Tivoli — one of the most delightful and picturesque spots in Italy. Here he applied himself to the study of Italian, and by the end of vacation he was able to speak it without much difficulty. In November, he returned to Rome, and entered upon the routine of Propaganda life. The students of this insti- tution are divided into companies or camerate, the members of one camerata being allowed no communication with those of another. In the camerata in which the young Kentuckian was placed, there were two Irishmen, two Germans, two Dutch- men, two Constantinopolitans, a Scotchman, a Dalmatian, an Albanian, and a Bulgarian. His studies were divided into four classes. In the morn- ing, he had church history and moral theology ; in the after- noon, Hebrew and dogma. " How full are my days," he wrote, when he had got thoroughly to work, " and how rapidly they pass! It is impossible to describe my happiness here in the Propaganda, The kind indulgence of my superiors, the cheerfulness and freedom encouraged in the students, the brilliant examples of piety and learning which I behold around me, the almost maternal care with which I am provided with whatever my health may require, the admirable facilities offered for the cultivation of heart and mind, all conduce to render me per- fectly happy, and to make me for ever grateful to those who ;^S Life of ArckbishOj^ Spalding. have helped to procure me such blessings. My heahi. . tiv- deed, was not good for a while, the fatigue of travel having" proved injurious to me ; but God permitted me to be thus tried only to purify my intention, and tv'^ cause me to give myself wholly into his sacred keeping, I have made the act of entire self-abandonment, and my health is rapidly im- proving. I have every confidence that I shall be able to complete my studies, and to prepare myself to be of use to the church, to the service of whose altar I have been called, and to promote whose interests is the chief desire of my heart. Dear brother, let us unite in this glorious work. The vineyard is large, and the laborers are few." A few months after his arrival in Rome, he received the following letter from Bishop Flaget, in which we perceive both the great piety and the affectionate character of that '.venerable man : •" My Dear Son : " How I envy the happiness which you enjoyed when you entered into the Holy City ! " Oh ! what delight for me had I been in your company when you were presented to the Cardinal- Prefect, to the Rector and Professors of the college, and were received with such kindness ! Many a time have I expressed my wish to visit the Limina Apostolorum, but my entreaties have proved vain. My lot is cast ; Europe is not to be seen by me again ; I am wedded to Kentucky. Here I must live ; here I must die. The holy will of God be done. I submit to it with joy, since, by coming to Kentucky, I have been the occasion of your visiting the Holy City, where I hope you will drink in greater learning and piety than I could have ever acquired. The details you gave us in your letter of your fellow-students, of their different nationalities, manners, and colors, and yet all united in the same faith and in the Student Life iii Rome. 39 reception of the same sacraments, were both entertaining and edifying. Yet we would have been glad to see what manner of countenance you put on when you sat by those black brothel s of yours. My dear Martin was truly witty when he related how they administered a second baptism to him in the gardens of the Holy Father. His Eminence Cardinal Cappellari has written most favorably of you. For God's sake, my dear son, do not frustrate the high expecta- tions of this venerable man and of your old Bishop, who has always loved you like an affectionate father. No doubt, in sending you to Rome, I had your own good in view ; but I must confess, as I said to you before your departure, that the honor of our holy religion in Kentucky was the first object I had in contemplation in procuring for you the extraordinary advantages which you now enjoy. Study, then, my dearly beloved child, but study at the foot of the crucifix, having nothing in view but the glory of God, the sanctification and instruction of those who will one day be committed to your care, and your own perfection. Be punctual in the observance of your rules ; obey your supe- riors as you would obey Jesus Christ; be obliging and con- descending in your intercourse with your fellow-students ; suffer not the mean vice of jealousy to enter your heart ; bear with the failings of others as they have to bear with yours; respect national prejudices, customs, and usages, and do not quarrel with any one who does not entertain for your native land the high ideas which have been instilled into your heart from infancy ; be more ready to praise than to blame ; bear with jokes, and take up daily your cross, and follow in the company of our blessed Saviour." In a letter to his sister, who was a Lorettine nun, and who had made enquiry concerning the religious orders in Rome, he says: " Nearly all the orders of the church are 40 Life of ArchbisJiop Spalding, represented in Rome. The convents of women are very numerous. The Rector, however, tells me that there is no order of Lorettine nuns either in Rome or in Italy. We never see the nuns, as they are all cloistered ; but we see the friars every day, who are also quite numerous, and, in general, very exemplary. There are gray friars, and white friars, and black friars : bearded friars, and shaven friars, and hooded friars ; lean friars and fat friars ; barefoot friars, and' shod friars, and slippered friars ; clean friars, and dirty friars, and begging friars — but you must really excuse me ; I can- not tell you of them all." And then, with that naivete which always characterized him, he adds : " Understand me, my dear sister, I do not make this short litany to ridi- cule the monks, but to make you laugh. I esteem and venerate the friars. They are very exemplary, give the perfect example of the contempt of worldly goods, " having their conversation in heaven," and they form, at the same time, a most useful body of reserve, which the church calls to her aid in case of need, as there are among them not only most pious but also most learned men." The brief term of twenty months, during which Pius VIII. sat in the chair of Peter, was drawing to its close when Martin Spalding arrived in Rome. He refers to the death of this Pope in one of his letters : " The death of our Sovereign Pontiff, Pius VIII. , has awakened universal sorrow in the Catholic world. This ami- able guardian of the church expired on the 30th of Novem- ber, after an illness of nearly two weeks. He was greatly esteemed for the gentle qualities which, together with his name, he seems to have inherited from his illustrious pre- decessor, Pius VII., whom he sought to imitate. Among other incidents illustrative of his kindness of heart, the con- version of an English officer is spoken of, who had solicited an audience, expecting to verify in the person of the Pope alt Siude?it Life in Rome. 41 that he had heard of the man of sin. But he was received with such gentleness and cordiality that his mind and heart were completely changed, and, prostrating himself at the feet of his Holiness, he declared his intention to embrace the Catholic faith. The body was embalmed, and then,, clothed in pontifical robes, with mozetta and stole, cap of red and white soutane, it was exposed for two days in the chapel of the Quirinal, where it was visited by immense crowds of people. I also had the sad privilege of behold- ing the mortal remains of the Father of the faithful. " In the interval between his death and burial, the car- dinals, bishops, and prelates of Rome wore mourning, and the soldiers carried their arms reversed. On the 2d of December, the body was borne to St. Peter's with military pomp and full attendance of the cardinals and princes of Rome in carriages. Here it was again exposed for two days in the Sixtine Chapel, and again visited by vast crowds. Finally, on the 6th of December, after all the ceremonies had been performed, the body was placed in a wooden- case, enclosed in one of iron, which was surrounded by a third of lead, and was then deposited in the place destined for the temporary reception of the mortal remains of the Pontiff till the death of his successor." The confident hopes with which Martin had entered upon his studies in Rome soon proved delusive. His health, instead of improving, continued to decline, and in a short time he was brought to the very brink of the grave. In this condition, he dictated a letter to his faithful companion, James Lancaster, in which he informed his relations and friends of his death, told them that he had died happy, and that they should rejoice rather than grieve that he had gone to a better world. This letter was sent to Kentucky, and for more than a week it was supposed that Martin was dead. When the report arrived. Bishop Flaget was sick at 42 Life of Ai'chbisJiop Spalding. Loretto. He immediately grew worse, and gave way to uncontrollable grief. He kept in his hands a rosary which Martin had chained for him, and repeatedly kissed it and bedewed it with his tears. He, however, consoled himself with the thought that Martin had served God from the days of his youth, and was now certainly in heaven. But God, whose minister he was to be, brought him back from the jaws of death. As soon as he had partially recovered, he wrote the following letter to his father : " Beloved Father : " You had, I suppose, given up all hope of ever hearing again from your son. Having been unwell the greater part of the time since my arrival in Rome, as you already know, I was taken ill with cholera-morbus on the 5th of Jan- uary. The disease continued without abatement for fifteen days, bringing me to the point of death, and causing all to despair of my life. In the letter which I then wrote to the Bishop by the hands of my good companion, I exhorted you to lay aside all solicitude for me, told you that I had died happy, and desired you to wipe away the tears which the news of my death might occasion. Yes, dear father, thanks to God and to the principles of his holy religion which your parental love had taken care to have instilled into my mind from my earliest infancy, I was happy and filled even with the sweetest joy when told that my hour had come, that the prison of my wretched body was to be broken, and that my soul was destined soon to be with her Heavenly Father for all eternity. No language can paint the peace and happiness of mind which I enjoyed during the month in which I was confined to my bed. I suffered, it is true, but religion rendered my sufferings SM^eet, and the more I was weakened by disease, the more, thanks be to God ! to whom alone all the glory must be given, was I Studejii Life in Rome. 43 filled with joy at the appearance of the near approach of death. Dear father, fear not for me ; I shall be happy, for I have given myself without reserve to God and his holy ■church. I may again see you if it be the holy will of God, and, if it be not his will, I gladly make the sacrifice of that which would be most agreeable to my heart, trusting to see in heaven for all eternity him whom I was not allowed to behold asain on earth. Let us endeavor to meet in that blessed abode, where nothing can separate us. Even should I not be permitted to finish my studies here, you will have no reason to regret having sent me, as I shall have seen ■enough of the religion and glory of this holy city amply to compensate for the expenses you have incurred in sending me to Rome. The Holy Father, Gregory XVI., recently visited our college, and, when I was presented to him, he enquired particularly concerning my health ; and, when I answered that I was fast recovering, he expressed the wish that I might soon be restored to perfect health." There is something singularly touching in this gentle thoushtfulness of the visible head of a church whose children number two hundred million souls, with regard to a simple young man, a stranger from the wild woods of America, whose only merit was that he was a Catholic, and had devoted his life to the service of God in the church. " I know not," says Cardinal Wiseman, " how a dignitary of any other religion, though holding no royal power and majesty, would receive a body of youths about to devote themselves to the service of his creed, or whether he would think it worth while to admit them at all to an interview. But to Rome there flock from every region of earth aspirants to the ecclesiastical state, in boyhood and well- nigh in childhood, speaking as many languages as are attri- buted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost ; and yet, 44 Life of Archbishop Spalding. perhaps, hardly one fails to come into personal contact with him towards whom from infancy he has looked up as the most exalted person in the world. Soon after his arrival, he receives an early blessing on his future career, accompanied often with a few kind words, unfailingly with a benign look. That brief moment is an epoch in life, perhaps a starting- point for success. For the general attachment that united him with millions to the head of his church, there is estab- lished a personal bond, an individual connection. It is no- longer awe and distant reverence, but an affection as distinct in character as that to one intimately related. And this relation is strengthened in the youthful mind at every suc- ceeding year of his course. He knows that every professor Avhose lectures he hears has been directly and immediately appointed, after careful selection, by the Pope himself; that every class-book which he reads has received the same supreme sanction ; he feels himself almost under the direct tuition of the Holy See; however pure and sparkling the rills at which others may drink, he puts his lips to the very rock which a divine wand has struck, and he sucks in its waters as they gush forth living." * Shortly after his arrival in Rome, Martin Spalding ob- tained from the Cardinal-Prefect, through the mediation of the Rector, a place in the Propaganda for his brother Benedict, who was still studying and teaching in the semi- nary at Bardstown. He at once wrote to Bishop Flaget, and begged him to allow his brother to come and join him in Rome. To this the Bishop himself did not object, but some of his advisers hesitated to give their consent. They seemed to think that theology could be learned as well in Bardstown as in Rome, and that they understood better than their Italian brothers what practical training was necessary to form successful missionaries for Kentucky.. • Recollections of the Four Last Popes, p. 29. Student Life in Rome. 45 These objections were communicated to Martin, who, in reply, wrote a long letter, in which he set forth the special advantages of a Roman education. " In the past," he asks, " what nation has not felt the influence of religion issuing from the centre of Christian unity, and guided by the august head of the Christian hierarchy ? And in her train have followed science and the arts of civilization. The Eternal City still wields an influence in the world not less powerful, certainly more glorious, than that which once belonged to the iron sceptre of her imperial rulers. The Pope is the immediate supe- rior of the Propaganda, which, according to the expression of a cardinal who frequently honors us with his presence, may be rightly called the seminary of Christendom. Here, under the same roof, are assembled young men from all parts of the world. Here we behold the rare spectacle of thirteen distinct nationalities united in the bonds of charity. How advantageous must not such an assemblage prove to the ecclesiastical student who, whilst having before his eyes a striking proof of the catholicity of his faith, is at the same time thereby enabled to gain an accurate knowledge of the state of the church in the various parts of the world? The young men who come here usually possess more than ordinary talent, and, in the collision of opinion or in the ardor of dispute, genius is awakened. A laudable freedom in proposing difficulties is encouraged in the classes, in which the language adopted by the church in her ritual is in constant use. Premiums are annually distributed to those who have signalized themselves, and this year the Holy Father himself presided over these exercises. If we consider our spiritual advantages, they are not less evident. All our superiors are most exemplary. No one more amiable than our Rector ; no one more fatherly than our Confessor ; no more perfect models of virtue than all our 46 Life of Archbishop Spalding. professors. In fact, the Roman clergy in general are a most learned and religious body of men. How can we visit the shrines of the martyrs or the Limina Apostolorum without feeling a glow of the sacred flame which burned in their bosoms — without resolving to imitate their virtues in order to be able to emulate their usefulness? " As for the difference of the two countries in manners and customs, I, for my part, can see no good reason why the roughness of a Kentucky backwoodsman should not receive a touch of European polish ; or how, if he should acquire something of the piety, politeness, and the gravitas condita comitate which are characteristic of the Roman clergy, he should thereby be rendered less apt to become a useful missionary. In my own case, I am sure that my attachment to the institutions of m.y own country has been increased by my absence from it, and I feel confident that no American can travel in Europe without being more thoroughly convinced that the United States, in natural and civil advantages, is inferior to no country in the world. Is there not something in the constant conversation of persons ' of so many different nations and dispositions which tends to give an acquaintance with human nature, and to impart that spirit of accommodation and conciliation which may dispose us to become all things to all men, after the example of the model of missionaries? Is there not also something in the absence from parents and friends which tends to purif}^ the affections and to ennoble the motives of action? What I have written, my dear brother, has been prompted by the purest love of religion, and I am sure that the gentlemen of Bardstown are not more ardent in the sacred cause than myself. If they wish to send you to Rome, come cheer- fully, persuaded that it is the will of God ; if not, it is better for you to remain in Bardstown. God speaks by the mouth of those whom he has placed over us. If you Student Life in Rome. 47 come, make an entire sacrifice of yourself to God previous to your departure. Bring nothing with you but good health, a cheerful and brave heart, and a will prepared to yield obedience to whatever may be enjoined." This letter seems to have produced the intended effect, since, shortly after its reception, Benedict Spalding set oat to join his brother in the Eternal City. By the beginning of his second year in the Propaganda, Martin had entirely regained his health. He again took up his studies with renewed earnestness, and at the close of the year received the first premiums in all his classes, in consequence of which he was decorated with the gold medal. He even began to grow stout about this time, which caused Bishop David to give him certain hygienic admonitions. " I must tell you," he writes, " that I am not pleased to hear that you are growing fleshy. This corpu- lence alarms me, and causes me to fear that you do not conform to my prescription, which you praise greatly in one of your letters. I have sometimes told those who enquire after my health that I can not but be well, since I always carry my physician with me ; and, upon their asking who that physician is, I answer that it is hunger. The vene'rable Charles Carroll, when asked what means he employed to preserve his health in such perfect condition, replied that he always left the table hungry." CHAPTER IV. : AST YEAR IN ROME — PUBLIC DEFENCE OF THESES FOR THE doctor's cap. HE Rector of the Propaganda during the four years which Martin Spalding passed there was Count Reisach, who was afterwards made Arch- bishop of Munich, and who died a cardinal of the Roman Church just before the assembling of the Vatican Council. He was one of the gentlest of men, and his warm- hearted frankness of manner soon won the confidence and affection of his young American pupil. Dr. CuUen, the present Cardinal-Archbishop of Dublin, taught him Scrip- ture. His spiritual director and confessor was Father Vincent Pallotti, one of the most saintly men of his age. " The good odor of his virtues," wrote Archbishop Spalding of Father Pallotti nearly forty years after he had left the Propaganda, " still sweetens my memory, and clusters like a halo around my heart." Mezzofanti was also a frequent visitor at the Propaganda at this time. " In appearance," Martin says in one of his letters, " he is not remarkable, but, as a linguist, he is the prodigy of the age. He speaks thirty languages with ease and fluency, understands forty, and can learn a new one in a few days. It is quite an ordinary occurrence, when he is here in the Propaganda, to hear him speak in seven or eight different tongues almost in the same breath. He has read all our best English authors, and frequently recites long pas- sages from our poets. Within the last few weeks, he has learned the Congo language, which he is now engaged in Last Year in Rojue. 49 teaching to some missionaries who are to be sent to evan- gelize the savages of that country." He was, here in the Propaganda, for the first time thrown into contact with the fathers of the Society of Jesus ; and the evidences which he beheld of their great learning and virtue soon won his enthusiastic admiration. " They are," he writes, " the brightest ornaments of the clergy, as they are, in my opinion, the most noble, the most learned, and the most useful auxiliary corps which the church has ever been able to summon to her assistance." From his correspondence, we perceive that his mind was dwelUng with unusual interest already then upon the rela- tion of the church to European civilization — a subject which he afterwards labored with such earnestness to develop and elucidate. In one of his letters, he sketches a plan for a history of Italian literature, which, starting from the causes that led to the neglect of letters after the fall of the Roman Empire, should describe- the religious, social, and political conditions which brought about their partial revival in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. He would then show how, in tlie fifteenth century, Italy became the centre of intellectual activity — the focus whence the rest of Europe received its light. The whole investigation should prove that Europe owes its religion, its laws, its arts and sciences, to Italy, who is indebted for this pre-eminence to the bene- ficent influence of the church, and, above all, to the fact that Rome had been the home of the Vicar of Christ. Although this plan is imperfect, it nevertheless shows a pre- dilection for those studies which regard the historical and practical side of the church's action upon society, which to the end of his life continued to have a special charm for him. In the spring of 1834. while Martin Spalding was still a student in the Propaganda, Bishop England arrived in Rome to give an account of his mission to the republic 50 Life of Archbishop Spalding. of Hayti. He had left the Eternal City about a year be- fore, with power of apostolic legate to settle the affairs of the church in that island, and he now returned to make a report of what he had seen and done. Although his efforts had been but partially successful, still he had attended to the business upon which he had been sent with a despatch and energy that excited the admiration of the officials of the Roman Court, who are proverbially slow and deliberate in all affairs of importance. His arrival in Rome was preceded by the rumor that, as a reward for his many and signal services to the cause of religion, he was to receive the cardinal's hat. The Dublin Evening Post had first given currency to this report, which was copied by the journals of Paris ; and when Bishop England passed through France on his way to Rome, he was everywhere congratu- lated by the French bishops upon his elevation to the Ro- man purple. The rumor, like others of more recent date concerning the appointment of an American cardinal, proved to be without foundation ; but the fact that it was so gene- rally" believed to be true shows the high opinion which the Catholics of Europe had formed of Bishop England's talents- and labors in the cause of the church. The American stu- dents in the Propaganda were, of course, proud of Dr. Eng- land, and enthusiastic admirers of his genius as a v/riter and speaker. Their letters of this date are filled with the praises of this wonderful man, whom the Italian cardinals called it vescovo a vapore — the steam-bishop ; meaning probably some- thing similar to what Sydney Smith sought to express whea he called Webster a steam-engine in breeches. It was during this visit of Bishop England to Rome that Martin Spalding, having completed the full course of stu- dies as prescribed in the Propaganda, made a public defence of two hundred and fifty-six propositions, chosen from uni- versal theology, church history, and canon law. Defence of Theses for the Doctors Cap. 5 r It is seldom that a candidate for the doctorate defends so large a number of theses embracing so wide a range of subjects. Martin Spalding was the first American student in Rome to whom this honor was granted, and since his time but one or two Americans have received the doctor's cap after a defence of propositions chosen from universal theology, Scripture, and canon law. Bishop England was present when the young Kentuckian stood up to make good his two hundred and fifty-six propositions against any and every foe who might see fit to enter the lists against him ; and 'from his graphic pen we have an interesting account of the closing scenes in Martin Spalding's student life. The defence of the grand thesis is by no means a mere ceremony of formality and display. Only the best students are selected, and they enter the field in fear, not knowing whether victory or defeat awaits them. " There is a formidable Jesuit here," wrote Bishop Eng- land, " who is a professor of dogmatic theology at the Ro- man College, who has lately swept, in a comparatively short encounter, half a dozen of these youthful aspirants from the field of fame ; and their teachers were neither insen- sible nor inactive on and after the encounter. The effects of this carnage are not yet at an end ; gauntlet after gaunt- let is flung down, and the judges of such feats are in con- tinual requisition. On the present occasion, John Martin- Spalding, a Kentuckian, and the senior student of the United States of North America, a pupil of the Urban College, published a respectful and manly Latin address to the Congregation of Cardinals presiding over the affairs of the Propaganda, in which, after wishing their eminences happiness and health, he informs them of what he considers the blessings diffused by their institution, for which they deserve thanks • and. as he has finished the usual course of 52 Life of Archbishop Spalding. :Studies, he has determined to express pubHcly his gratitude by sustaining his theses, expressing the doctrines which he ■shall endeavor to teach in those distant regions to which he is about to return. For this purpose, he will appear, God willing, in the morning, in the great hall of the college, when and where it shall be lawful for any one who thinks proper to controvert what he undertakes to defend ; and, in the afternoon, he will appear in the college chapel, where three select champions will successively make their assaults, after which he will be ready to meet any other that may be dis- posed to try his strength. Then follows a list of two hun- dred and fifty-six propositions which he undertakes to de- fend. They are taken from the several treatises of theology and canon law. Copies were sent to the other colleges, and special invitations were given to several individuals whose attendance was particularly desirable. About half-past eight o'clock on Thursday morning (July 17, 1834), I arrived at the gate of the college, on the pavement in front of which was a profuse scattering of sweet-smelling green leaves ; the bay and myrtle predominated ; the gate itself was open, and this fragrant path marked the way to the interior. " The strewing continued up the great staircase, along the open gallery of the first floor, to the great door leading to the principal corridor, along this passage to the gate of the principal hall. This room, about eighty feet in length, by perhaps forty wide and twenty in height, has its walls deco- rated with paintings of students of this college who had borne testimony to the faith under the inflictions of the deadly pain by which they were in remote regions mart}'red for their discharge of duty; thus exhibiting to the }-outh who are therein educated the constancy which the church expects from them under similar circumstances. At the further extremity, opposite the door, was a carpeted plat- form, elevated two steps; upon this the young Kentncki.m Defence of Theses for tJie Doctors Cap. 53 was seated, with a small table before him, having also seated b\- him on one side his professor of theology, a Roman, and on tlio other his professor of law, a Bavarian count, who i.s a priest and rector of the college. The renowned scholar,. Angelo Mai, presided, being seated on )'our right as you; entered the hall, near this platform. A range of chairs- extended on either side, leaving a passage of about ten feet wide in the centre. These chairs were intended for cardinals, bishops, or other prelates and professors who might arrive ; ranges of benches parallel to these on each side, behind, were pretty generally thronged by students of that or other col- leges, and by strangers. No cardinal was present in the forenoon ; the Bishop of Charleston was the only prelate of the episcopal order ; but several others of various grades, secular and regular, amongst whom were the rectors and professors of several colleges, occupied most of the chairs, " The first argument had been concluded when I arrived - it was conducted by an Italian secular priest, whose name I could not learn. The second was made by a Dominican friar,, a man of very great talent and ingenuity; he had also nearly concluded. An Infirmarian, or Crutched friar, conducted the third with considerable spirit and ability. Next suc- ceeded an Irishman, a student of the Roman Seminary, who did argue most lustily against the real presence and the sacri- fice of the Mass. The next was a German Jesuit, well known in the United States, Father Kohlman, who for nearly half ani hour argued eloquently against the primacy of the Holy See- He was followed by Signor Rosa, one of the minutanti and a professor of theology, who argued against the power of remitting all sins in the sacrament of penance. Dr. Wise- man, Rector of the English College, next argued for the figu- rative meaning of the words of our Saviour in the institu- tion of die eucharist, introducing various analogies from. Per.sian, Arabic, and other Asiatic writers, some of which 54 I^^f^ of Archbishop Spalding, are pompously brought forward in the preface to ponderous tomes of polyglots by an Oxford doctor of modern celebrity. The celebrated Monsignor Mezzofanti then followed up with considerable subtlety and acuteness, when the great bell announced midday. " The young American had now been upwards of four hours sharply engaged in scholastic disputation, in the Latin lan- guage, with men of various nations and of no ordinary cali- bre, and had not failed or hesitated in a single answer. " To a stranger, the style of this mode of disputation is alto- gether a novelty. You are carried back by the introduction of the argument to all the pompous style of ancient heraldry and regulated courtesy of disputation. The disputant gen- erally ^commences by a high-wrought compliment to the institution, its various officers, to the particular professor of the science against which he is to make his assault, to the genius and erudition of the defender ; then speaks of his own defeats, how reluctant he is to couch a lance against so powerful an opponent ; but if he makes a pass or two, it is not in the vain hope of victory, for which there is no chance, but that, taught by the prowess he will elicit, he may im- prove. He then commences his attack, and presses on gen- erally with great vigor. " The defendant, in turn, professes the high estimation in which he holds his opponent, introducing in his description an enumeration of the offices he has held, the honors he has obtained, and the great qualities for which he is remarkable. Then he briefly recapitulates the argument, dissects it, and takes its separate parts for successive examination, and, after having thus disposed of it, he says he is inclined to think it not so strong as at first supposed. " There was a recess for rest, dinner, and preparation for the afternoon. But on this occasion the assembly was more solemn. The disposition of the church was similar to that Defejicc of The^ses for the Doctor s Cap. • 5 5 of the hall. The dresses were, for cardinals, bishops, and other prelates, what are called robes of the second class — the cardinals in red, the bishops in purple, and such of the other prelates as were entitled to it in the same color. The .cardinals, of whom only seven were present, sat on very rich chairs on the right side of the chapel. Three chosen dispu- tants occupied the first places on the opposite side ; then the bishops and other dignitaries. The Swiss Guard formed at the door and lined the passage. The exercises began with an exceedingly ingenious argument against the primacy of St. Peter, made with great tact and skill by the prelate Raffaelle Fornari, Canonist of the*Penitentiaria, former Pro- fessor of Theology in the Propaganda, and a man of the very first ability. This lasted nearly three-quarters of an hour. The second was on the subject of Grace, by Father Perrone, a Jesuit, Professor of Dogmatic Theology in the Roman Col- lege. This is a man of the most profound research and great logical powers, with an admirable memory. This engagement lasted half an hour. Nearly as long again was occupied in an argument against the divine character of Christianity by Father Modena, Assistant to the Master of the Sacred Palace, and a Dominican friar. " The cardinals rose and shook hands with the Kentuckian, who was carried away by his fellow-students in triumph." * We shall now for a moment turn our attention to eccle- siastical affairs in Kentucky during the time that Martin Spalding was in Rome. Bishop Flaget, who was of an extremely sensitive disposi- tion, which caused him to suffer greatly from disappointments and afflictions, had several times during the quarter of a century in which he had so successfully labored in Kentucky desired to be relieved of the responsibilities and cares of the * Bishop England's Works, vol. iv. p. 131. 56r Life of Archbishcp Spalding, episcopal office, thinking, in his great humility, that he was unable to bear so weighty a burden. After repeated solicitations, he at length succeeded, in 1832, in obtaining from the Holy See the acceptance of his- .resignation, and the appointment of Bishop David to the see of Bardstown, with Dr. Chabrat as coadjutor. The intelligence of these changes, which was received during the absence of Bishop Flaget from the diocese, pro- duced very general and great dissatisfaction both among the clergy and the laity of Kentucky. Bishop David protested against his unexpected promotion, and the whole diocese was filled with grief at tlie loss of Bishop Flaget, who was loved and revered by all as a father. Bishop Flaget, when the news of the excitement in Ken- tucky reached him, was in St. Louis. He perceived the necessity of returning at once to his old diocese, and per- suaded Bishop Rosati to accompany him, in order to assist in averting the storm which seemed to be brewing. They found, upon their arrival, that the report of the general dis- content among both priests and people had not been ex- aggerated. The new state of things had been brought about so unexpectedly that the bishops seemed doubtful what course to take. Bishop David was resolute in his nolo epis- copari. Bishop Flaget was convinced that age and infirmity rendered it impossible that he should again assume the duties of the episcopal office ; and all seemed to feel that Dr. Chabrat would not be acceptable either to the priests or people of Kentucky. Something, however, had to be done, and the bishops, after having considered all the bear- ings of the case, finally determined to petition the Holy See to accept the resignation of Bishop David, and to dis- pose at will of Bishop Flaget and Dr. Chabrat. The following spring, an answer to the petition was re- ceived from the Holy Father, in which he accepted the Defence of Theses for the Doctor s Cap. 5 7 resiLJiiation of Bishop David, and reinstated Bishop Flaget as Bishop of Bardstown. Nothing was said concerning the appointment of Dr. Chabrat. Thus Bishop Flaget's efforts to get relief from the cares of his office resulted, for the time at least, in depriving him of a coadjutor and throwing the undi\ided burden back upon his own shoulders. In his sensitive state of mind, this was very distressing ; and he was unable to find peace or rest until he finally suc- ceeded in obtaining from Rome the appointment of Dr. Chabrat as his coadjutor. The bulls arrived on the 29th of June, 1834, and, in precisel}- a month from the day of their reception, Dr. Chabrat was consecrated Bishop of Bolina, in partilnis iufidclium, and Coadjutor of the Bishop of Bardstown. Bishop Chabrat, though an excellent priest and a most worthy gentleman, was never a favorite with the priests and Catholic people of Kentucky, many of whom were opposed to his appointment. It is to this feeling that certain remarks of Bishop Flaget, in the following letter to Martin Spalding, refer. The letter is dated the 17th of May, 1834: " Dear Martin : " The peace and the mercy of God be with you ! I must pay you my compliments for having raised yourself above his Eminence the Cardinal- Prefect. In his last letter, he promised that, ineunte vere, you should start for your dio- cese ; but it appears that his eminence had not consulted you, as, according to Benedict's letter, you will not leave Rome before next August, after having completed your studies and made a public defence of theses. The holy will of God be done! If this delay turn to your improve- ment and the good of the church, as I hope it will, I am content ; for I have no other aim than* the glory of God and the honor of the church. Be sure that a larije field -58 Life of Archbishop Spalding. awaits you in Kentucky, and, let your learning, piety, and zeal be never so eminent, we will give you abundant oppor- tunity of putting them to use. Your modesty in asserting that, after four years of great application to study, you have scarcely learned the catechism of divinity pleases me very much. You have said nothing that is not true, but to have sufficient candor to acknowledge it is praiseworthy. What must you think of my dear Kentucky missionaries, who have been ordained after three years of theology, having, whilst studying, to teach daily several hours in the -college ? When you and my dear James return, we will establish the seminary on a better basis, I hope. If you :succeed well in your public examinations, and praises are bestowed upon you, receive them, my dear Martin, with gratitude, but immediately refer them to God. It is better to have moderate talents with humility than to have emi- nent gifts with pride and vanity. Let me say, en passant, -that my young Propagandist has favored those who opposed the Rev. M. Chabrat's appointment. This, my dear child, is imprudent, to say the least, and calculated to wound my feelings. Yet I forgive you from the bottom of my heart, ■on account of your want of experience of the ways of the world, having been all your life a stranger to its malice and wickedness. When you visit the Limina Apostolorum, beg all the apostles to obtain strength for me in my trials, which are many and sometimes almost intolerable." The reply to this letter of Bishop Flaget was written by Martin Spalding, now the Rev. Dr. Scalding, on the eve of setting out on his journey home : "■ Rt. Rev. Father in Christ : " I should have«answered your letter long since, but my occupations during the few weeks which preceded my de- Defe7ice of Theses for the Doctor s Cap. 59 parture from Rome crowded upon me with such pressure that I could not find even a moment's time to devote to my good old father in Christ. After my public disputation, I entered into a retreat which lasted two weeks, to prepare myself for the reception of holy orders. I was ordained sub-deacon on the 3d, deacon on the loth, and priest on the 13th of August, by a special dispensation of the Holy Fa- ther, which I asked myself, and on the 15th I started on my journey homeward. From the hurry in which I received Jioly orders, and my haste in leaving Rome after my ordi- nation, you may conclude that my delay here has not been ■voluntary, or because of my having raised myself above his Eminence Cardinal Pedicini, as you seem to think. No, ■beloved father, the will of my superiors alone, whom I am bound to obey, caused me to delay so long to return to you ; though, strictly speaking, I have not delayed at all, since the course of theology in the Propaganda is of four years, and, even counting my first year here, in which sickness prevented me from studying, I have been in Rome but four years. However, I have simply been obedient to the ex- press will of my superiors, to whom, if fault there be, the fault must be imputed. " Dear father, never have I passed any time of my life in such perfect happiness as the two weeks which I spent in retreat previous to my ordination ; nor have I ever enjoyed before the peace and tranquillity which dwell in my soul since I am a priest. I feel as if I were in a new world. I have dedicated myself wholly, entirely, and permanently to God in the priesthood. By the help of his holy grace, I hope to persevere in my present dispositions to the close of my life, and thus to be able to do something for his honor and glory on the missions of Kentucky. " Be assured, dear father, that you shall have no difficulty with me as regards reverence, submission, and obedience to 6o Life of ArchbisJiop Spalding, my bishop, whomsoever God may choose or has chosen tO' •\ppoint I liave not learned insubordination and disobedi- ence within the walls of the Propaganda. I have always es- teemed and loved the Rev. Mr. Chabrat, and my reverence for him will be increased if he is made bishop. In short, I promise that, with the grace of God, I shall ever be obedient to any and all lawfully constituted authority ; this promise I made at my ordination, and I hope never to violate it. A few days previous to my departure, I went to say farewell tO' the Holy Father, upon which occasion I presented him with, a handsomely bound copy of my theses. He seemed pleased, received me with the greatest kindness, and sends- through me a thousand blessings to you and your whole diocese. "If God bless my homeward journey, I shall have many- things to tell you when the great joy of seeing you again: will be given me." CHAPTER V. ORDAINED PRIEST — RETURNS HOME — IS MADE PASTOR OF THE CATHEDRAL IN BARDSTOWN — PROFESSOR IN THE SEMINARY — THE " MINERVA." HE four years which Martin Spalding passed in Rome under the shadow of the Vatican certainly had a most marked and beneficial in- fluence upon his life. The very surroundings of the place taught him lessons which cannot be learned from books. Wherever he might turn, monuments of Christian faith and Christian heroism spoke to him of the glories of the indefectible church. The tombs of the martyrs ; their bones ; the very ground which they had watered with their blood, in testimony of Christ ; the sacred corridors of the Catacombs, where even now one can almost hear the echoes of the footfalls of those generations of Christian heroes who alone, without human aid, strong only in their faith in God and the purity of their lives, stood up and battled for truth and freedom of conscience with the masters of the world, until at last their persecutors came and knelt at the foot of the cross, converted by the very blood they had shed ; the temples of religion, whose material structure even lifts up the soul to God, and bows it down in adoration ; all the arts, which here have been led captive in the train of religion, and brought each to add a jewel to her immortal crown ; the wonderful and inspiring ceremonies of the churcli, which in Rome alone are seen in all their beauty and perfection — all 62 Life of Archbishop Spalding. this could not but have a beneficent and elevating in- fluence upon the uncorrupted and generous nature of this- young American. A new world was here revealed to him^ and his soul glowed with a love and enthusiasm which it had not hitherto known. From his letters we have seen how, from the first moment, his heart went out in love to the church in Rome, " whose faith is spoken of in the whole world," even as a child leaps into the arms of its mother.. Upon no subject was he more entertaining or did he speak more gladly than upon that of Rome ; and even with regard to those Roman manners and customs which, to an American, appear odd, he never suffered himself to indulge in censure or harsh criticism. In Rome, too, he was thrown, in relations more or less- intimate, with men of the first ability and the greatest learning. When he arrived. Cardinal Cappellari, afterwards Gregory XVI. — a man of considerable literary attainments and of great knowledge — was the Cardinal-Prefect of the Propaganda, and, as we have seen, he received the young American with paternal kindness, and never ceased to encourage him to go manfully forward in the way upon which he had entered. Count Reisach, a German nobleman — the most amiable of men, who to high birth, exalted position, and great learning added the charm and simplicity of manner which Christian virtue alone can give — was his immediate superior,, being Rector of the Propaganda.* Monsignor Mai, afterwards Cardinal, the inventor and restorer of the palimpsests, who, at the age of thirty-seven, had made more additions to the stock of ancient learning * " You majr depend upon it," said Coleridge, "religion is, in its essence, the most gentlemanly thing in the world. It will alone gentilize, if unmixed with cant ; and I know nothing else that will, «/(?«^. Certainly not the army, which is thought to be the grand embellisher of manners." Rct7ir7is Home. d'^ than a century had done before him, was Secretary of the Propaganda, which gave the young student opportunity of frequently seeing and hearing this wonderful man, to whom, after his return to the United States, he sometimes wrote. Occasionally, too, he was permitted to converse with or, at least, to hear famous men who were not immediately connected with the Propaganda. The pontificate of Gregory XVI. was remarkably fruitful of such men. Thus Martin Spalding was made acquainted with Mezzofanti, Wiseman,. Theiner, Palma, Perrone, and others of scarcely less note. Nothiner awakens the mind of the student like the contact of higher and more perfectly developed intellects; and, in the present instance, the illustrious examples of so many men who, by their brilliant talents and great learning, were doing or had already done so much for the honor and glory of the church filled him with a noble ambition ta emulate in the new world their great achievements in the old. He also brought with him from the Eternal City, as- he states in his letter to Bishop Flaget, the spirit of obe- dience to all lawful authority, and, I may add, a special love and veneration for the visible head of the church, with- out which Catholic obedience, in the true sense, is not possi- ble. His firm hope had proven to be well founded — God had permitted him to finish his studies and to become a priest, and now, at the age of twenty-four, with a mind well stored and a heart all aglow with zeal, he was prepared to return to his native land to enter upon his life work. On the 29th of August, 1834, he sailed from Leghorn for New York, where he landed on the 26th of October. " I remember," said Archbishop McCloskey, referring to this^ " the day and date full well, because I myself was then just on the eve of departure for that holy city from which he came ; and it was during the few days of his sojourn in New York that I first made his acquaintance, which soon ripened 64 Life of Archbishop Spalduig. into a friendship that grew and strengthened until the last day of his life." On his way home, he passed through Philadelphia to visit his old friend and professor, Bishop Kenrick, who, when he set out on his journey to Rome four years before, was still a professor in the seminary at Bardstown. In the cathedral of Philadelphia he preached his first sermon in America. He touched the soil of his native State at Louisville, where he remained a few days to take note of the progress which the church was making in this already at that time the most important city in Kentucky. Mother Catherine Spalding, the first Mother-Superioress of the Sisters of Charity in Kentucky, and the foundress of the St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum in Louisville, had just begun this noble work, which, in the providence of God, was to be the means of saving so many helpless children from ruin in this world and in eternity. He, of course, visited the asylum. The first orphan whom Mother Catherine ever received, who is now distinguished alike for cultivation of mind and for a life devoted to deeds of charity, has described that visit to me : " I shall never for- get (these are her words) the rosy, beaming, almost boyish face, so full of intelligence, so perfectly spiritual in its whole expression, as it appeared in the poor school-room of the orphans. A word of introduction from the beloved mother, a tender blessing, and in a moment the accomplished scho- lar and the eloquent priest was sitting in the midst of thirty little girls, the oldest of whom was not twelve, relating his adventures in the old world, telling anecdotes of college life, giving graphic pictures of famous scenes and objects of interest in Europe. So entertaining was the narrator, so lifelike yet simple his delineations, that his hearers, as many an audience afterwards, under the charms of his elo- quence, lost the sense of the passage of time." Trivial in Returns Home. 65 itself, this little circumstance is worthy of record, as illustrat- ing one of the most marked features in the character of Archbishop Spalding, which was his great love of children, and the wonderful power which he possessed of winning their attention and sympathy. When an old man, broken by many cares and many labors, increasing infirmity forewarned him of the near approach of death, he requested that the orphan children for whom he had provided a home might follow what of him was mortal to the grave. It had been Bishop Flaget's intention, it appears, to make Dr. Spalding president of the seminary and college in Bardstown. He had for several years desired to establish in his own diocese a college modelled after that of the Pro- paganda, in which he would be able to train up a band of efficient missionaries for the great West ; and he relied upon his Roman students to assist him in carrying out this plan. But when Dr. Spalding arrived in Kentucky, the Rev. Mr. Chabrat had been made coadjutor, and Bishop Flaget was preparing for a journey to Europe, which in all proba- bility would cause him to be absent from his diocese for several years. In this state of affairs, Dr. Spalding was unwilling to take charge of the seminary, and he was there- fore made pastor of the cathedral. St. Joseph's College was at this time managed by a Board of Trustees, under the presidency of the Bishop as moderator. Dr. Spalding was at once elected a member of this Board, and also accepted the professorship of philosophy in the seminary. The Pro- paganda bound its students by solemn promise to write to the Cardinal-Prefect once in every two years a full account of their labors and success in the missions. Dr. Spalding was scrupulously faithful to this obligation up to the time when he was released from it by his appointment as Coadjutor of 66 Life of 'Archbishop Spalding. Bishop Flaget ; and from these letters to the Propaganda, copies of most of which I have been able to procure, we have a reliable account of his labors on the missions frorrt 1834 to 1848. St. Joseph's Cathedral was built by Bishop Flaget, and dedicated to the service of God in 18 19. It was, at that time and for many years after, the finest church in the West, The congregation was, with one exception, the largest in the diocese. Four stations, at which Mass was said^ were attached to it, and received monthly visits from the pastor. The whole number of souls committed to the pastoral care of Dr. Spalding was about fifteen hundred. Of these, he says, in one of his letters to the Propaganda,, nearly eight hundred approached the sacraments monthly. On Sundays, he sang Mass and preached in the cathedral, and during the week visited one or other of the stations, where he also preached and administered the sacraments. He seems to have labored with remarkable success ; for, besides the large number of monthly communicants referred to, he occasionally in his letters makes mention of the con- version of Protestants. In two years, he received into the church not less than fifty converts, which was certainly a very considerable number in so small a place as Bardstown. He devoted much of his time to instructing the young^ and ignorant, especially the negroes, of whom there was a large number in his congregation. The tone of his letters at this time shows with what earnestness and healthful zest he had entered upon hiS' apostolical labors. He is not impatient, he is not too eager, but he finds rest only in work ; and the more he does, the more he feels the need of doing. Much had been done, but much more remained to be done. The condition of pro- gress is that, as we advance, the still greater effort must we make to go yet further. Pastor at Bards town. ' 67 He is wholly absorbed in his vocation, and all the currents of his life are tributary to his soul's high purpose. He preaches, he hears confessions, he visits the sick, he teaches the ignorant, and, when he has nothing else to do, he flies back to his dear books, the ever-welcome companions of his vacant hours. He had but one kind of duty, but one love, but one spouse to whom he had plighted the troth of his soul ; his life was undivided, and he was happy. They who think a wifeless man unblcst know naught of the life of the soul in itself and in God. There is a manner of life so high, so cer- tain of its course, so perfectly harmonious with the deepest cravings and highest instincts of the heart, that the soul which has tasted of its delights asks for no other blessed- ness here on earth. It does not crave ; it could not bean closer contact with flesh and blood. The world has not, I believe, a body of men who are: more contented, better satisfied with their lot in life and the: work which they are doing, than the priests of the Catholic- Church, Shortly after Dr. Spalding's return home, the faculty of St. Joseph's, of which he was a member, began the publica- tion of the first Catholic periodical ever issued in Kentucky^ under the title of the St. JosepJis College Minerva. The Minerva was a monthly magazine, and, though under the control of Catholics, it was rather literary than religious. in its character. Dr. Spalding was its leading contributor, and made,, through its columns, his first appearance as an essayist and reviewer. He wrote for it a series of papers, in which he reviewed a jfourttal of Travels in Southern Europe ; and also an essay on tlie Study of History. In a paper entitled TliougJits on Man, he introduces a student, who, after having travelled 68 ' Life of Archbishop Spalding. over Europe, seeks the mountains of Switzerland to indulge his love of soHtude and meditation in presence of the sub- limest scenes in nature. Where Sovran Blanc, the monarch of mountains, raises his bald and awful head from out the silent sea of pines, he sits him down and communes with the world around him, and from the created rises to the Creator ; and then, turning his thoughts back upon his own soul, he argues, from its infinite longings and aspirations, its immortality. A few passages from this essay will serve as examples of Dr. Spalding's style in his earliest literary efforts: " Thus situated, he viewed and examined all the beauty and grandeur which nature spread before him. He con- templated the earth, with its mountains, and valleys, and varied landscapes. His mind ranged among the multitudi- nous departments and branches of the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms, catching glimpses of the principal beauties of each, and feasting upon the general order and symmetry of the great whole. He then endeavored, by the light of reason, to reduce the phenomena of nature to their proper causes, and was delighted to find that these and all that falls under man's observation consti- tute one splendid and united aggregate, without the slightest break of harmony or the least dissonance of parts. Even those objects which, viewed separately, seemed out of place, tended, when considered in relation to the whole, to increase the general symmetry. Having in spirit traversed the varied beauties of earth, he turned his enraptured gaze to heaven. His unchained thought travelled through those boundless regions of ether, studded with worlds, and, under the luminous guidance of Astronomy, explored, as far as man's contracted span will permit, the various relations and several beauties of those brilliant orbs that roll above us. Yet notwithstanding the vastness and immeasurable gran- The "•Minei'va'' 69 deur of the universe ; notwithstandiiii^ the great multiplicity and variety of its parts, what order, what harmony, what unity ! Not a single stone is misplaced in the splendid edifice ; not a flaw in the noble vase. The unity of the work argues intelligence and design in the artist. Such symmetry could not be the result of blind chance — a name to which no reality corresponds. Who, enquired he, fitted together with so masterly a hand the various parts of the universe ? "What hand behind the scene, What arm almighty, put these wheeling globes In motioa, and wound up the vast machine? Who rounded in his palm these spacious orbs? Who bowled them flaming through the dark profound, Numerous as glittering gems of morning dew, • .•• ..•• And set the bosom of old night on fire? Who marshals this bright host, enrols their names, Appoints their posts, their marches, and returns, Punctual at stated periods? Who disbands These veteran troops, their final duty done — If e'er disbanded?" Having concluded that " earth, with her thousand voices, calls on God," he asks himself what are his own relations to this Infinite Being. The soul craves for happiness ; its desires, like an inverted cone, expand without limit ; pos- session never satisfies it ; in the highest state, it seeks a still higher; it swallows up time, and feels the worthless- ness of whatever ceases to be ; it shrinks back on itself, and startles at the thought of destruction. 'to' 'Tis the divinity that stirs within us; 'Tis Heaven itself that points out an hereafter And inimates eternity to man." 70 Life of ArchbisJiop S paid in or. In the mountains of Switzerland, the young tra' .^'^• meets with a sage who, disgusted with the work' !i?/ sought solitude, that undisturbed he might commur/. with God and nature. He had passed through the ev citing scenes of the French Revolution, the Consulate, .'r.