People

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 20, 15 May 1902, Page 10

People

Archbishop Murphy, of Hobart, was one of the clergyjmen who officiated^ at the biurial of the Irish Liberator, Daniel O'Oonnell, lucre than half a century agp. Professor Huxley relates in hisi Moigraphy that he and his friend 1 , Priofessor Tyndall, applied together. for two vacant professorships in) Toronto University, Canada, but both were rejected. They were comparatively yo,u«n,'g men at the time, "but what a chance Canada missed! The ' Laetare ' Medal, with which the University of Notre Dame, In-» diana, aninjulally honors some distingiuisheid American, goes this year to Dr. John Benjamin Murphy, of Chicago, who has achieved fame in his profession. The late Dr. v Jojhn Gilmary Shea, the historian, receirved the first medal in 1883, and the distinction was gijven last, year to the Hon. W. Bourke Cockran. Tho sad news conies from Newark, N. J.„ that Dr. Thorads! Dun,ni Erigrlish is ly ng dangerously ill at his homo in that city. Dr. English is of Jrish Qjuaker descent and was one of the earliest members of the Am-ericaJn-Irish Historical Society. He is an LL.D. as well as an M.D., and also a lawyer of many years' practice. Moreover he is one of the oldest living American authors. He has served in the New Jersey as- . semtrty and twice in the National Congress. Fifty-mine years ago tho whole English-speaking world was captured by his touching ballad of ' Ben Bolt,' which Dv Maurier, 50 years afterwards, revived in his novel ' Trilby,' as ' an olid English ballald.' It was English only in its author's name. The commamding influence which Mr. Blake has obtained in Parliament (says the ' Ivish Weekly ') has already been demonstrated by his! selection as one of the deputy-chair-men of the Housq, an office which is, of course, purely honorary ;, b,ut on the discussion on the London Water Bill another proof of it was supplied. He was commenting on the constitutional innovation of introducing a Bill simultaneously in •the two houses 1 , and was proceeding to quote from the minutes of the House of Lords, when the Speaker intimated that to do so would be contrary to the practice ofl the House of Coinin'ons. Mr. Blake quietly replied that the course he was purpursuiing' was perfectly regular, and that although he was unable to qiuoto it at the moment, he knew that authorities to that effect woußd be found in May's ' Parliamentary Practice.' Mr. Gully remembered that he was an abler constitutional lawyer than himself, and, to the surprise of all, he resumed his seat and allowed Mr. Blake to proceed. Mr. Blake was subsequently seen to go up to the Speaker's chair and hand to the occupant the volume containing, the authorities on which, he relied. Now that the Holy Father willl not die to provide copy for the foreign journalists in Rome they have turned their talents to retailingi stories illustrating his confidence in his own longevity. Here are two which may bo true, but are probably not :— Some eighteen months) ago, a young journalist who had come to Rome secured the privilege of being presented to the Pope. Leo XIII. inquired, ' Are you a Catholic ? <'< ' Your Holiness, I am not,' replied the journalist. 'Then,' q,ueried the Pope, ' what may it be that attracts you to the Eternal City ? ' The journalist bljurted out, ' I am here to prepare for tho Conclave.' The Rope's features! fell; but after a moment's musing, a smile came over his face as he remarked, '\Then y>ou may take a long holiday, for there's to be- no Conclave for a gao'd tume to come.' A French

bishoip was in Rome, some eight years Uaqk, on his visit ' aid! liminfctA'' On taking leave of tihe Pope, hie said sadly, ' GHioly Father ! I fear greatly that this is my last farewell ;, for at your great age I can hardly hope to see you more.' ' And when do you hope to -come to us again ? ' asked the Pope. ' Alas, Holy Father,' replied the prelate, ' it may not be till seven whole years are past.' If so God spare yaur> llife, my brotiher,' rejoined Leo gravely, ' to> come back in seven years time you will find me here ! ' Only, a few weeks ago the bishop camo again. ' M.A.P.' makes public tihe following incident in the life of the late Cardinal Ciasca,, O.S.A. :— '■' The death of Cardinal Ciasca, who died recently, recalls a very pleasing anecdoto of Pope Leo. Cardinal Ciasca was a singularly brusque, angular, and a,ustere prelate. Tliis was due, perhaps, to the fact that he was.' origin-ally a friar of the Auig ; ustihia(n Order, and it was as pmcunatorgeneral of the latter that he first attracted the attention of the present Pontiff by his economy an/d integrnty. One day when the Pope was receiving Cardinal Ciasca he saifd he was particularly glad to see him, as he wished to make arrangements with, him forf tihe settlement of a d<ebt which he felt that he oweid to the Aiiigustinian Order. The general' was totally at a loss to understand what was meant, until Leo XIII explained that when, at the beginning, of the nineteenth century, the first) Napoleon, after his conquest of Italy had ordered the sale of all monastic property, the Pecci family had taken advantage of the fact to purchase the Augustiniian monastery at Carpwieto. The Pope added :'" My father often spoke about restoring, this property to the Ortter from which it had been taken by Napoleon, but the circumstances were noft then favorable for any such step' But I think that the moment has now come to fluJfil his wishes and to pay the debt of the family." 'Ajid thereupon he not merely hlanded to tho procuratorigeneral of the Aug-us-tinians the title deeds of the property in question, but likewise a sum of 100,0,00 francs, to be employed in restoring the monastery! for the purposes i,.c >.i originally intended. Some time later* Father Ciasca requested an auuiex...<j of the Pope, and returned lo him a sum of 60,000 francs, informing him that the repairs and the necessary alterations had been executed far more cheaply than anticipated. delighted Leo XIII., for he had been accustomed throutrno it his long, reign to fund more often than not that the origiual estimates had been inadequate and that he was geme-< rally called upfon to pay more than he intended. After that! he saw Father Ciasca often, appointed Him Secretary General of the Propaganda an<d titular Archbishop. Aa such the Pope entrusted him with the distribution of his own particular alms and charities. He became a kind of lord high almoner ati tho Vatican. In course of time the Archbishop was raised to the rank of Cardinal, and his death has been a severe blow to the aged Pontiff.'