THE LATE ARCHBISHOP VAUGHAN.

Mataura Ensign, Volume VI, Issue 285, 31 August 1883, Page 3

THE LATE ARCHBISHOP VAUGHAN.

(From the ' Tablet.')

The news of the Archbishop of Sydney's death at Liverpool on the 18th inst. has been rec-ived everywhere throughout these colonies with unfeigned regret. By the Catholic community generally, we may say "without exaggeration, there h*s been uttered a wail of grief, and the feeling of personal bereavement prevails among them. All through these colonies they loved and were proud of Dr Vaughan they followed his movements, and hung upon his words, hailing in him a great captain and champion of tlieir cauße, — one worthy to lead in the Church of God, or if not worthy— for what man can be so . — than whom at least they knew none worthier. And now when it falls to our lot to record his death we have no fear of betraying an excessive sorrow, or of making an unbecoming lamentation—

'} Quls deiiderio sit puder aut modus lam cari capitis V

But what have we here to do with the plaint of a pagan writer ? So much that human nature is common to us all,. and that,, while we lament the great and noble prelate, we also grieve for the true and gracious man. Of what Dr Vaughan's career was during the ten, ali too short, years he had been among ua in these colonies, there is HttU need that we should speak. It haa been before our readers all along, and none of tliem will forget the many beautiful quotations we have given them in these columns taken from the addresses and other publications of His Grace, But, nevertheless, what could we say ot Dr Vaughan's career that would be too strong ? How should wo celebrate excessively his fearless combat for the little ones of his flock — the wisdom, grace, and learning of his pastorals — the scathing power of his denunciations — the copiousness, the ease and clearness with wbich the results of long aDd arduous research, of years of deep and patient study, came flowing from his lips ? How should we speak too highly of his devoted and unceasing labors, which, as now, alas, we know too well, were wearing out his life ? It was but the ] other day we heard with admiration of his presrcje-pciy aj; thajj great oereinony, roll of joy for his archdiocese, ' and of edification and.' 'sincere pleasure for us al'," t^e 'consecration of 1 St, Mary's Cathedral, and' who could have anticipated $at tte grand figure so full of dignity apd beauty- so" splendid as a BiliM4 sv H^ a ma k eVeitt * hen stood bii tlie brink of the grave and carried within him the seeds of death -—that th© Mass of requiem would be

sung so soon for him who was leading in the joyful singing of tho Te Deum ? The uncertainty, the deceitfulness of life is, indeed, the ever present truth above all others — the truth that is ho.ry wiih the age of the world yet ever new. We very deeply share, then, in the grief that His Grace's death has caused, and especially we desire to offer our most heart -felt condolences lo the flock who, &* it were, yesterday parted with their beloved father — stiil in the very prime of lift', and apparently full of health and of the promise of a long career, only to hear to-day that they must never hope to look upon his face again. But at the same time we should remind them, and never more fitly or hopefully, of the homely but pregnant old phrase — " Our loss is his gain." Tn the words of the ghuicus poet he himself was wont to quite, we may, indeed, now, most appropriately exclaim — "Oh quanta 6 1' überta, che si soffolce In quell' arche ricchissime, che fdro A seminar quaggiu buone bobolce !" Requiescat in Pace.