USA > Maryland > Biographical sketches of distinguished Marylanders > Part 8
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THE MOST REVEREND JOHN CARROLL.
He built the chapel of Saint John's, in Montgomery county, Maryland, a portion of which still stands as an evidence of his early labors. The rear of the building is the only portion standing from early days. Yet, not- withstanding the modern additions and repairs, the names and associations clustering about this sacred edi- fice render it dear to the Maryland heart. Ranked around the walls of this ancient chapel, like sentinels, lie those "who have gone before in the sign of peace." Among other graves is that of Bishop Carroll's mother. Upon the old tombstone is the following inscription : "Eleanor Carroll, relict of Daniel Carroll, died 3d of February, 1796, aged 92." His father is also said to be buried in the same place, with others of the Carroll family.
Although the works of Father John Carroll had made his name as a shining light amongst his fellow-men, yet in his great wisdom his heart remained always humble. He was not, however, destined to continue in the more secluded walks of Life. In the year 1789, a general meeting of the Roman Catholic clergy of the United States was held in Baltimore city, at which it was de- cided to petition the Roman Pontiff to appoint a Bishop to the See in Baltimore. The Reverend John Carroll was unanimously named as the candidate to the high office. The following letters, published in Mr. Brent's " Life of Bishop Carroll," relate to the selection and election of a Bishop to the Baltimore See :
In 1789 Father John Carroll writes to his friend, the Reverend Charles Plowden :
"I received, only about the middle of last month, Cardinal Antonelli's letter, dated in July last, by which he informs me that his holiness has granted our request for an ordinary bishop, the See to be fixed by ourselves, and the choice to be made by the officiating clergymen.
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THE MOST REVEREND JOHN CARROLL.
The matter will be gone on immediately, and God, I trust, will direct to a good choice. This confidence is my comfort ; otherwise I should be full of apprehensions of the choice falling where it would be fatal indced."
Very fully was his desire realized, yet not perhaps according 'to his expectations. In the spring of the same year he wrote as follows:
"Communicating freely with you, as I do, you would not forgive me, were I to omit informing you that a grant had been made to all our officiating clergy to choose one of their body as bishop; and it is left to our determination whether he shall be an ordinary, taking his title from some town of our appointment, or a titular bishop, by which, I understand, a bishop constituted over a country, without the designation of any particu- lar see. Our brethren chose to have an ordinary bishop, and named Baltimore to be the bishop's title, this being the principal town of Maryland, and that State being the oldest and still the most numerous residence of our religion in America. So far all was right. We then proceeded to the election, the event of which was such as deprives me of all expectation of rest or pleasure henceforward, and fills me with terror, with respect to eternity. I am so stunned with the issue of this busi- ness, that I truly hate the hearing or mention of it, and therefore will say only, that since my brethren, whom in this case I consider as the interpreters of the Divine Will, say I must obey, I will even do it, if, by obeying, I shall sacrifice henceforth every moment of peace and satisfaction. I most earnestly commend myself to your prayers and those of my other friends."
In 1:90 Father Carroll went to England to be conse- crated as " Bishop of Baltimore." In reply to an invi- tation from his friend, Thomas Weld, Esq., of England, to be consecrated at his residence, he writes : " I cannot.
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sufficiently acknowledge the most obliging and honora- ble testimony of Mr. Weld's regard; you will be pleased to express, with all that warmth which you can com- municate to your expressions, my deep sense of his gen- erous politeness.
" My inclination certainly leads me to accept of an offer not only so flattering, but which will afford me an op- portunity of seeing some of those friends whom I shall ever honor and love. But I cannot yet determine what I shall do. I still flatter myself that Divine Providence will provide some worthier subject to be its instrument in founding a church in America."
Divine Providence did select its most worthy subject to found the Church in America, and in the summer of that year Father Carroll sailed for the shores of the old world. He was consecrated on Sunday, the 15th day of August, the Feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God, in the Chapel of Lulworth Castle. The act of consecration was performed during the ceremony of High Mass, by the Right Reverend Charles Walmsley, Bishop of Rama, Senior Vicar Apostolic of the Catholic Church in the Kingdom of Great Britain. An eloquent address was delivered by Father Charles Plowden, of the Society of Jesus. Mr. Brent says, in writing of Mr. Weld on this occasion : "The munificence of that gentleman omitted no circumstance which could possi- bly add dignity to so venerable a ceremony. The two prelates were attended by their respective assistant priest and acolytes, according to the rubric of the Roman pontifical. The richness of their vestments, the music of the choir, the multitude of the wax-lights, and the ornaments of the altar, concurred to increase the splen- dor of the solemnity, which made a lasting impression upon every beholder."
Lulworth is a castle on the coast of Dorsetshire, and.
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THE MOST REVEREND JOHN CARROLL.
is supposed to be built on the site of a castle mentioned by historians as standing in 1146. It is built princi- pally from material taken from the ruins of Bindon Abbey. The foundation was laid in 1588, and the building was completed in 1641, at which time it was purchased by the family of Weld. The east front is faced with Chilmark stone, and the landing-place was uamed the Cloisters, because it was paved with the stones from the cloisters of Bindon Abbey. The chapel is a short distance from the castle, and was erected by Mr. Weld, who was afterward created a Cardinal. It is built in the form of a circle, "increased by four sec- tions of a circle so as to form a cross;" it is dedicated to the Virgin Mother of God. The account given by that recorder of beautiful antiquities, John Timbs, is full of interest regarding the castle and its owners.
On the 13th of September, 1790, Bishop Carroll wrote from London to a friend, in reply to an invitation to re- visit the home of Mr. Weld:
"I am sorry, very sorry indeed, to inform you that I cannot, without the greatest inconvenience, revisit Lul- worth, and present once more my respectful thanks to the worthy master and mistress of the castle. . I have balanced long in my mind, the opposite considerations of further sojournment in England, and immediate re- turn to America; and I think, after all deliberation, that my duty calls me to return immediately to my diocese, and give the example of residence in it; for, in general, bishops are so ready to admit pretexts for ex- empting themselves from that obligation, that I think myself bound to give them no encouragement by my example, even on a plausible pretense.
I cannot resolve on this without great pain of mind.
Long shall I retain the im- pression made on me at Lulworth Castle by the good-
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ness, the charity, the loveliness of every branch of that most respectable family ; and I am sure my heart will be full of the gratefullest emotions when I shall sail abreast of the castle. They will accompany me to America, and will be soothed, though revived afresh, ' whenever I shall have the comfort of a letter from you."
In October of 1790, he sailed from Gravesend, arriving at Baltimore on the 7th of December. Bishop Madison, of Virginia, who had accompanied him on the voyage to England, for the purpose of being consecrated bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Old Dominion, returned with him to America. They long continued in friendly intercourse after this companionship upon the rough waves of the Atlantic.
Bishop Carroll thus writes to a friend in England, after arriving in America :
" At my arrival, as my friends in Baltimore got notice of the ship being in the bay, I was met by a large body of Catholics and others at the landing and conducted to our house. On the following Sunday you may believe the concourse of all sorts of people to our church was very great, though the day proved unfavorable. Five of my brethren were with me. They, with the trustees or wardens of the church, received me, vested in my ponti- ficals, at the door, and walked into the church proces- sionally ; after the Asperges, and whilst the Te Deum was singing, I was conducted to the foot of the altar, and, after it was finished, to the pontifical seat or throne, where I received the obeisance of the clergy and some of the laity, in behalf of the rest, they approaching to kiss the episcopal ring." "After remaining a few days in Baltimore," continues Mr. Brent, "he hastened to the residence of his mother, to testify toward her , those sentiments of love and veneration which charac- terized so strongly his intercourse with her."
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THE MOST REVEREND JOHN CARROLL.
Through the instrumentality of Bishop Carroll, whilst in England, arrangements were entered into with the Reverend Mr. Nagot, a director of the Ecclesiastic Sem- inary of St. Sulpice, in Paris, for establishing a similar institution in this country. The political troubles of France having arrived at a most unhappy state about . this period, the Sulpicians were forced to withdraw from that country, which, through the assistance of the United States Minister, Gouverneur Morris, Esq., they accom- plished in peace. They were allowed to transfer a por- tion of their funds and property to America. Purchas- ing a house and several acres of land near the city of Baltimore, the Sulpicians in 1791, under the immediate direction of Monsieur Nagot, their former director, established a seminary, which was elevated to the dig- nity of a university by an Act of the Maryland Legisla- ture, in January, 1805.
Bishop Carroll, taking an extended view of intellectual culture as well as that pertaining to the soul, gave every aid in his power toward the advancement of education throughout the country. Through his zeal, which is well worthy of imitation, he opened many a passage to the wonderful fountains of knowledge.
In writing to the editors of the Columbian Magazine, he said : "I purchase and read your magazine, when convenient, because I wish well to every undertaking for the advancement of useful knowledge amongst my countrymen. But I am sorry to find that some of your correspondents endeavor to render your work the vehicle of disingenuity, and to taint it with the poison of reli- gious rancor. They care not, it seems, how much they misrepresent facts and doctrines, provided they can bring disrepute on the party, which they have devoted to contempt. . One of them sends you a fabricated history of Cardinal Tusloue, who
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THE MOST REVEREND JOHN CARROLL.
never existed, and which you inserted in a former mag- azine; this history he enriched with inflammatory com- ments; but he had neither justice nor candour enough to undeceive your readers by informing them that the whole was a malicious fable. I must waive ceremony so far, as to remind you, that you come in yourself for a share of this blame. For having published so false a relation, it became you to correct your mistake, after you found that it was contradicted in the foreign prints, which suggested the first lines of invention to your im- proving correspondent.
Thanks to the genuine spirit of Christianity, the United States have banished intolerance from their systems of government, and many of them have done the justice to every denomination of Christians, which ought to be done to them in all, of placing them on the same foot- ing of citizenship, and conferring an equal right of par- ticipation in national privileges. Freedom and indepen - dence, acquired by the united efforts, and cemented with the mingled blood of Protestant and Catholic fellow-citizens, should be equally enjoyed by all. The Jersey State was the first which, in forming her new constitution, gave the unjust example of reserving to Protestants alone the prerogatives of government and legislation. At that very time the American army swarmed with Roman Catholic soldiers, and the world would have held them justified had they withdrawn themselves from the defence of a State which treated them with so much cruelty and injustice, and which they then actually covered from the depredations of the British army."
Among his writings the journal kept by the Reverend Mr. Carroll, while traveling with the Hon. Mr. Stour- ton, is of a most interesting nature, referring particularly to Alsace and Lorraine, whose beautiful names have become doubly historic.
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THE MOST REVEREND JOHN CARROLL.
A correspondence of some length was carried on be- tween the Bishop of Baltimore, who was also the recog- nized bishop of the thirteen original States, and a writer who signed himself " Liberal," in the public prints. This correspondence opened by an attack on the part of "Liberal" upon the church and its most distinguished representative in America.
These letters served only to gain a greater degree of admiration and respect for John, Bishop of Baltimore, rather than, as his enemies seemed to hope, humiliation and reproach. Not long after this, he sent to the Pres- ident of the United States an eloquent appeal in behalf of his fellow-countrymen of the Roman faith. To this paper were attached the names of John Carroll, in behalf of the clergy, and those of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, Daniel Carroll, Thomas Fitzsimmons and Dominick Lynch, on the part of the laity.
In the address to the President, the following occurs : "In war you shield them from the ravages of armed hostility ; in peace you establish public tranquility by the justice and moderation, not less than by the vigor, of your government. By example, as well as by vigi- lance, you extend the influence of laws on the manners of our fellow-citizens. You encourage respect for re- ligion, and inculcate, by words and actions, that princi- ple on which the welfare of nations so much depends, that a superintending Providence governs the events of the world, and watches over the conduct of men." The reply to this address was dictated by that magnanimity of soul that gave Washington his fame. Having re- ceived from a tribe of Indians in the north, a petition, asking that clergymen be sent to their aid, Archbishop Carroll sent to Europe for two French priests to act as missionaries, who responded with holy zeal to the call. On the 22nd of February, 1800, Archbishop Carroll, in
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response to an invitation from the Congress, delivered an address upon the character and life of General Washington, the departed hero. The discourse was given in Saint Peter's Church, in Baltimore city.
The following extracts, taken therefrom, must suffice as an example :
" When the death of men distinguished by superior talents, high endowments, and eminent services to their country, demands the expression of public mourning and grief, their loss is accompanied, generally, with this mitigation, that however grievous and painful, it is not irreparable ; and that the void caused by their mortality will, perhaps, be filled up by others, uniting equal abili- ties with the same zeal and watchfulness for the general welfare. Hope then wipes off the tears with which sorrow bedews the grave of departed worth. But on the present occasion, no such consolation can be admin- istered ; for he, whose expectations are most sanguine, dares not promise again to his country the union of so many splendid and useful virtues as adorned that illus- trious man, whose memory excites our grateful and ten- der sensibility, and to whose tomb the homage of his country is to be solemnly offered on this day. Whether we consult our own experience, by bringing into com- parison with Washington any of our contemporaries, most eminent for their talents, virtues and services, or whether we search through the pages of history, to dis- cover in them a character of equal fame, justice and truth will acknowledge that he stands supereminent and unrivaled in the annals of mankind, and that no one before him, acting in such a variety of new and ardnous situations, bore with him to the grave a reputation as clear from lawless ambition, and as undefiled by injus- tice or oppression : a reputation neither depressed by indolence, nor weakened by irresolution, nor shadowed
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THE MOST REVEREND JOHN CARROLL.
by those imperfections, which seemed to be the essential appendages of human nature, till Providence exhibited in Washington this extraordinary phenomenon. What language can be equal to the excellence of such a char- acter ? Pardon, O, departed spirit of the first of heroes! if, with the cold accents of an exhausted imagination, I likewise dare attempt to celebrate thy name, whilst so many sons of genius, ar- dent in youthful vigor, delineate in glowing colors the vivid features of thy mind, and the glorious deeds of thy virtuous life. With unequal steps, I venture on the same career, not seeking to add lustre to the fame of Washington, or perpetuate his memory to future times ; for he is already enshrined in the records of immortal- ity ; but humbly hoping that a recital of his services will open to our countrymen the road to true honor, and kindle in their breasts the warmth of generous emulation and real patriotism.
Modest as he was eminent in valor and wisdom, he con- templated with mingled emotions of self-diffidence and generous resolution, the important stake placed in his hands; the subjection or independence, the vassalage or freedom of an immense territory, destined to be the habitation of countless millions. When, therefore, in obedience to the voice of his country, he placed himself at the head of her army, the expressions of his depend- ence on Providence should never be forgotten. Claim- ing no personal merit, apprehensive of injuring the public interest through some misconduct; yet trusting to the justice of his cause, and conscious of the purity of his motives, he called upon his fellow-citizens to re- member that he depended for success, not on his own military skill, but on the God of battles, to whom he made his solemn appeal. .
"Tender of the blood of his fellow-soldiers, and
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THE MOST REVEREND JOHN CARROLL.
never exposing their lives without cause or prospect of advantage, humanity was as dear to him as victory, as his enemies that fell into his power always experienced.
" When a decree of retaliation became necessary to re- strain their licentious excesses, with what delicacy, without the least abatement of fortitude, did he save the life of the victim, devoted to atone for the cruelty that had been committed on an American officer! Not, however, till he had compelled the opposing general to restrain and disavow outrages, that aggravate so much the necessary evils of war. The
last act of his supreme magistracy was to inculcate, in most impressive language, on his countrymen, or rather on his dearest children, this, his deliberate and solemn advice, to bear incessantly in their minds that nations and individuals are under the moral government of an infinitely wise and jast Providence, that the foundations of their happiness are morality and religion, and their union amongst themselves their rock of safety; that to venerate their Constitution and its laws is to insure their liberty."
Archbishop Carroll laid the corner-stone of the Cathedral at Baltimore on the 7th day of July, 1806. In the month of June, 1876, the Cathedral being com- pleted and its debt removed, it was consecrated by Arch- bishop James Roosevelt Bayley, of Baltimore.
The architect of the building was B. H. Latrobe, Esq., of Baltimore, a gentleman of culture and talents of a rare order.
Archbishop Carroll, it will be remembered, was one of the delegates chosen to visit the people of Canada dur- ing the Revolutionary period. Among the movers for the good of the public, his name was always prominent. It is found on the records of the old Board of Visitors to Saint John's College, at Annapolis, with those of other distinguished men of the times.
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THE MOST REVEREND JOIIN CARROLL.
Archbishop Carroll was a true patriot. Closely linked with a love of God was his love of country. The purest patriotism is blended with religion; its fire purges the motive from the taint of earthly ambition that seeks an utterly selfish glory.
He was a friend to the poor in word and deed, giving them, to the fullest extent of his means, his surest help.
He was, as are ever the truly great, unostentatious. The following passage from one of the contemporary papers thus refers to the Archbishop immediately after his death :
" The character of Archbishop Carroll seemed indeed to be filled up with wonderful care. He viewed the manners of different nations, saw the courts of kings and the meetings of philosophers, and added the liber- ality of a true philosopher and the accomplishments of a gentleman to the apostolic dignity of his calling. Temptation drew forth the purity of his virtue, and like Shadrach, he walked erect in the flames. He early marked the rise of the baneful meteor of French Philosophy; but he gathered his spiritual children under his wings, and protected them in security. He was permitted to witness a great revival of religion, and, in the abundant prosperity of his particular church, to reap the harvest of his toil and labor of his life."
He died on Sunday, the 3d of December, 1815, at his residence in Baltimore. He was in the eightieth year of his age, with clear and calm intellectual faculties. In response to his expressed desire, he was placed upon the floor, that he might die in a more humble posture, and thus render his last inevitable sacrifice as accepta- ble as possible in the eyes of his Creator. A circum- stance which has often been told of, evinced his rare perception and peacefulness at the approach of death :
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A discussion having arisen as to the proper ceremonies, and the religious observances attending the decease of an Archbishop, the book containing the necessary forms was discovered to be in the chamber of the dying pre- late. Some one quietly entered the room for the pur- pose of removing the book. Without turning his head, the Archbishop spoke, saying that he knew what was needed, and directed attention to the shelf where the volume rested. He guarded jealously all Church honors, whose glory reverte to God. Before departing, he re- quested to have read to him the beautiful psalm of David, " Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy !" To him who had only offered sacrifice to God, we must believe that "according to the multi- tude " of "tender mercies," much love was shown in Heaven.
A full and very interesting account of the life and labors of Archbishop Carroll is given by Richard H. Clarke, in the volume entitled "The Lives of the De- ceased Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States of America."
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WHEN SOFT STARS.
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W HEN soft stars are peeping Through the pure azure sky, And southern gales sweeping Their warm breathings by. Like sweet music pealing Far o'er the blue sea, There comes o'er me stealing Sweet memories of thee.
The bright rose, when faded, Flings forth o'er its tomb Its velvet leaves laded With silent perfume; Thus round me will hover, In grief, or in glee, Till life's dream be over, Sweet memories of thee.
As a sweet lute, that lingers In silence alone, Unswept by light fingers, Scarce murmurs a tone, My young heart resembled That lute, light and free, 'Till o'er its chords trembled Those memories of thee. AMELIA B. WELBY.
CHARLES WILSON PEALE, ARTIST.
T HE Reverend Charles Peale, of Edith Weston, in the county of Rutland, England, was an Episcopal clergyman. He died at Stamford, Lincolnshire, in the year 1724. His son, Charles Peale, had been educated for the English min- istry, but preferred coming to America. He settled in Maryland and married Margaret Triggs; and after the birth of their first child, they removed from Queen Anne to Chestertown, in Kent county, in the same State. Here he became the master of the county school, receiv- ing day and boarding scholars. Surveying was taught by Mr. Peale, as well as the classics. Following the bent of his father, he occasionally occupied the pulpit. Among existing relics of the past is a letter-book of Charles Peale; the incidents noted on its pages date from 1745 to 1747. In a bold, manly hand, he addresses his "sister and only relation:" "On St. George's day, the 23d of April last, I had a most charming boy born to me, whom my friends, particularly Mr. Sterling, would, for the honor of our English patron, oblige me to call St. George; and my thanks be to God, Charles grows apace, but is just such another dirty, wading sloven, as I can remember myself to have been at his age and older." We may judge from this that the baby
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