7?
 
 AND LETTERS 
 
 \( \K\ VAN Hi I AER 
 

 
 
 XX?
 
 LIFE AND LETTERS 
 
 OF 
 
 Priest of the Society of Jesus 
 
 HV TIIK 
 
 REV. EDWARD P. SPILLANE, SJ. 
 
 D H'llloN, UKM-KH AM) KM.AIII.KH 
 
 I III. \\1I.KK A I'KKSS 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 1912
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1912, 
 
 BY THE 
 AMERICA PRESS
 
 To THE MEN 
 FOLLOWERS, PENITENTS AND FRIENDS 
 
 OF A NOBLE PRIEST 
 
 \Viio SPENT HIS LIFE 
 
 I\ PROMOTING THEIR SPIRITUAL WELFARE 
 
 THIS TRIBUTE 
 To THEIR FAITHFUL "FATHER VAN" 
 
 is 
 RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED.
 
 ttibtl Qbstat : 
 REMIGIUS LAFORT, S.T.L. 
 
 Censor Deputatus. 
 
 Imprimatur: 
 
 JOANNES M. FARLEY 
 
 Archieplscopus Neo-Eboraccnsis. 
 
 N-.0-F.BORACI, 
 
 die 4 Octohris, 1908.
 
 INTRODUCTION TO SECOND EDITION 
 
 THE present edition of this book does not differ mate- 
 rially from the first. Attention, however, may be 
 called to the development of that portion which treats of 
 Father Van Rensselaer's public life. When the "Life and 
 Letters" was first published it was felt that a fuller presen- 
 tation of Father Van Rensselaer's career in the priesthood 
 was desirable, a desideratum which kindly criticism has 
 also pointed out. This deficiency, it is hoped, has now been 
 made up. It is obvious that to gather details covering so 
 wide a field and so many activities requires time, to say 
 nothing of opportunity. The interval since his death has 
 supplied the time, and opportunity has been sought indus- 
 triously. Moreover, four years have given the necessary 
 l>erspective, enabling one to sift what was well authenticated 
 and characteristic from what had undergone a process of 
 development and consequent exaggeration in going the 
 rounds of charitable gossip. The crcscit cundo of the poet 
 plays strange freaks with truth as well as with falsehood. 
 Nothing has been accepted which has not been obtained at 
 first hand. The chapter on the Novitiate has been supple- 
 mented by a precious letter from one of his fellow novices. 
 This and a letter addressed from the Scholasticate to a 
 relative who had joined a religious Sisterhood, are the only 
 additions to the story of this |>eri(xl. The chapter on the 
 Tertianship has been re-written; so, too, his excursions into 
 the field of literature as a member of The Messenger staff. 
 As to the rest, a chapter has been inserted giving the letters 
 to his mother separately, with a word or two about the 
 
 v
 
 INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION 
 
 character of one who was not only so dear to him, but with 
 whom he preserved unbroken intercourse during the latter 
 years of her life. Several new chapters are devoted to the 
 recital of incidents which enable us to see the faithful priest 
 in the general work of the ministry, while his dealings with 
 the policemen and firemen, which consumed a large portion 
 of his time, are practically now told for the first time. The 
 story of the Xavier Club has likewise been expanded and 
 an omission supplied respecting his work in the hospitals. 
 These additions and details set in clearer outline the features 
 of his priestly career which were only roughly sketched 
 l>e fore. 
 
 Perhaps it may not be deemed out of place here to ac- 
 knowledge the grateful appreciation with which this memoir 
 of Father Van Rensselaer has been received. Many have 
 found in it a help in their efforts towards a higher spiritual 
 life, many too, an inspiration to follow unreservedly whither 
 grace leads. 
 
 The writer expresses the hope that those who have seen 
 the faithful portrayal of Father Van Rensselaer in his own 
 letters will derive new pleasure from the picture of the 
 priest in action as exhibited in the narratives of. those who 
 had the rare privilege of knowing him in the ministry. 
 
 VI
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 A WORD of explanation as to the sources from which 
 this life of Father Van Rensselaer has been drawn 
 may not be amiss. 
 
 The story of the early history of the patroons is found in 
 the Miigucine of American History, in an exhaustive paper 
 on "The Van Rensselaer Manor," contributed by the editor, 
 Martha J. Lamb. Further details have been gleaned from 
 a carefully written article which appeared some years ago 
 in the columns of the New York Sun. 
 
 'Hie story of Father Van Rensselaer's conversion is told 
 in an autobiographical sketch found among his papers after 
 his death. This sketch is particularly valuable as revealing 
 the inner workings of his soul, his habits of thought and 
 temperament, the motives actuating his conduct, the long 
 and arduous search for the truth, and the happiness with 
 which his soul was filled when he found himself at last, as 
 he says, "over the wall, and safe in the bosom of the One 
 True Church." 
 
 It must not be forgotten, however, that the sketch was 
 written a quarter of a century after most of the events re- 
 corded therein. It is unquestionably a faithful account of 
 what happened at that time so far as memory served him. 
 Due allowance, therefore, should be made for the disturbed 
 condition of a mind at a period when it was going through 
 most harrowing experiences; "for," to quote Cardinal 
 Newman, "who can know himself, and the subtle influences 
 which act upon him? and who can recollect, at the distance 
 of twenty-five years, all that he once knew about his 
 
 vii
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 thoughts and his deeds, and that, during a portion of his 
 life, when even at the time his observation, whether of him- 
 self or of the external world, was less than before or after, 
 by very reason of the perplexity and dismay which weighed 
 upon him, when, though it would be most unthankful to 
 imply that he had not all-sufficient light amid his darkness, 
 yet a darkness it emphatically was?"* 
 
 The autobiographical sketch was originally written in the 
 first person and was reproduced verbatim in the pages of 
 The Messenger. As incorporated in this life, the form 
 has been somewhat changed. Facts have been separated 
 from opinions, the narration of events detached from the 
 discussion of religion, in the belief that the logical processes 
 which led to Father Van Rensselaer's conversion would 
 stand out in bolder relief, and the sketch be more in keeping 
 with the requirements of a biography. So the first person 
 has been retained, as a rule, only when he describes his 
 mental attitude. The letters from Oxford were an unex- 
 pected find. Father Van Rensselaer up to the day of his 
 death never suspected their existence. The friend to whom 
 they were written thought they had been destroyed and dis- 
 covered them only after a repeated and prolonged search. 
 They will be found in almost every particular remarkably 
 corroborative of the later narrative, and give very interest- 
 ing information on the daily life of a student and the char- 
 acter of the Dons at the University of Oxford. The por- 
 traits given of Dr. Liddon and Dr. King will be appre- 
 ciated by those who are at all interested in the more recent 
 history of Oxford. After the withdrawal of Newman from 
 the classic halls of the University and from the historic pul 
 
 *Apologia, N. Y., 1865, p. 134. 
 
 viii
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 pit of St. Mary's, Oxford might well be termed a Gty of 
 Confusion, and these letters, though covering only the short 
 period of a single year, give a very fair insight into the 
 topsy-turvy condition of affairs prevailing there a genera- 
 tion later. In editing them, much had to be omitted, as it 
 was of a character too personal for publication. Attention 
 may well be called to the marvellous contrast prevailing be- 
 tween the letters from Oxford and those written after 
 Father Van Rensselaer was received into the Church and 
 enrolled among the members of the Society of Jesus. The 
 same man speaks in both, but in the earlier ones he is har- 
 assed by doubt and misgivings, in the later his mind and 
 heart are both at rest and in the possession of perfect peace. 
 The biographer has only a word to add. His work in 
 piecing together the narrative has been a work of love. 
 During twenty-eight years he knew Father Van Rensselaer 
 intimately, and was associated with him as a student of 
 philosophy and theology, as a professor in college, as a 
 priest in the ministry. The reminiscences covering that 
 period are for the most part personal, and on that account, 
 it is hoped, will the better fill out the portrait of his friend, 
 which is outlined in the autobiographical sketch and in the 
 letters which appear in the volume. The writer makes 
 grateful acknowledgment to the sister of Father Van Rens- 
 selaer, in religion Sister Dolores, for invaluable assistance 
 by furnishing letters and biographical data; to Father 
 l-'rancis Mackall of Midland, Maryland, for the Oxford let- 
 ters, and to Father Wynne and Father Campbell of The 
 Messenger staff. 
 
 EDWARD P. SPILLANE, S.J. 
 
 IX
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION . . . . vii 
 INTRODUCTORY ... ix 
 
 CHAPTER PACE 
 
 I ANCESTRY AND FAMILY LIFE . 1 
 
 II BOYHOOD AND EARLY LIFE 12 
 
 III GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, NEW 
 
 YORK 17 
 
 IV GERMANY AND OXFORD 24 
 
 V LETTERS FROM OXFORD 37 
 
 VI LETTERS FROM OXFORD (Continued) . . 84 
 
 VII ANGLICAN DEACON . 122 
 
 VIII His CONVERSION . . ...... 129 
 
 IX A CATHOLIC 142 
 
 X THE JESUIT NOVICE . ... . . . 152 
 
 XI LETTERS TO His MOTHER 1G4 
 
 XII WOODSTOCK COLLEGE .191 
 
 XIII THE CLASS ROOM ........ 218 
 
 XIV ORDAINED A PRIEST .228 
 
 XV BEGINS His MINISTRY -'!: 
 
 XVI THE TERTIANSHIP . ... . . . -'.">' 
 
 XVII MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART . . . 2G1 
 
 XVIII THE XAVIER CLUB . 270 
 
 XIX WORKS OF ZEAL .278 
 
 XX IN THE MINISTRY 285 
 
 XXI ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSION . . . . . 298 
 
 XXII VARIOUS SOCIETIES THE POLICE . . . 302 
 
 XXIII WITH THE FIRE LADDIES 309 
 
 XXIV LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH 321
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 FACING PAGE 
 
 HENRY VAN RENSSELAER, SJ .... Frontispiece 
 
 COL. HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 8 
 
 HENRY VAN RENSSELAER IN BOYHOOD .... 14 
 
 HENRY VAN RENSSELAER AT OXFORD .... 60 
 
 IFFLEY CHURCH, OXFORD 88 
 
 CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL, OXFORD . . . . 112 
 
 REV. JOHN PRENDERGAST, SJ 150 
 
 JESUIT NOVITIATE, ROEHAMPTON, FN<.I..\NI> . . in.s 
 ELIZABETH RAY KING, MOTHER OF RKV. HI.NKY 
 
 VAN RENSSELAER 180 
 
 CHURCH OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER, NEW YORK CITY 252 
 
 LITTLE ONES OF NAZARETH DAY NI'RSERY 270 
 
 XI
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 ANCESTRY AND FAMILY. 
 
 THE name of Van Rensselaer has always been a familiar 
 one in the history of the Empire State. The family 
 representatives bore the ancient Dutch title of Patroon, and 
 in the days of English ascendancy in America that of Lord 
 of the Manor. Their titles fell into disuse during the RJCVO- 
 lution, but their vast holdings in land remained until the 
 middle of the nineteenth century, and their family and social 
 distinction down to the present day. 
 
 The founder of the family in America was Kilian Van 
 Rensselaer. He was born in 1595, and was a descendant of 
 a long line of worthy citizens of Amsterdam. The manor 
 from which the family took its name is still called Rensse- 
 laer, and is situated about three miles southeast of Nykerk 
 in Holland. It was originally an estate the possession of 
 which conferred nobility. 
 
 Kilian Van Rensselaer took an active part in the forma- 
 tion of the Dutch West India Company, furnishing the cor- 
 poration with ships of his own and more than once advanc- 
 ing money to save its credit. He also sent an agent to trade 
 with the Indians for land on the west side of the Hudson 
 River from twelve miles south of Albany to Smacks Island, 
 "stretching two days into the interior," and eventually ef- 
 fected the purchase of all the land on the east side of the 
 river, lx>th north and south of Fort Orange, and "far into 
 the wilderness." This great feudal demesne, which com- 
 prised the present counties of Albany, Columbia and Rens- 
 
 1
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 selaer, received the name of Rensselaerswyck. The estate 
 was forty-eight miles long and twenty-four miles wide, 
 while the Hudson divided it into two equal parts. It could 
 not have been situated more advantageously, as the waters 
 of the Hudson connected with the Atlantic and, through the 
 Mohawk, with the great waterways of the North and West. 
 
 Van Ransselaer established his manor house at the con- 
 fluence of the two rivers, a position which, at a time when 
 the knowledge of the geography of America scarcely ex- 
 tended beyond its coastline, might have been justly looked 
 upon as the key to the whole continent. Upon the territory 
 once forming this great estate have since sprung up thriving 
 towns and villages, and cities like Albany, Troy, Rensselaer 
 and Schenectady. 
 
 Kilian Van Rensselaer sent over sturdy settlers with their 
 families, servants and household goods. His colony grew 
 and prospered, the soil was tilled, comfortable houses were 
 built, schools and churches founded, and order and method 
 established everywhere. He died in 1644. Strange to say, 
 there is no record of his ever having visited America. 
 
 It would make interesting reading to follow the fortunes 
 of the successive patroons who ruled over Rensselaerswyck. 
 Few of them there were who did not leave an impression on 
 the political, social or military history of their time. 
 
 Jan Baptist Van Rensselaer, the third patroon, was a half 
 brother of his predecessor, Johannes. The latter had once 
 or twice visited his great possessions in New York, but he, 
 too. for the most part resided in Holland. In 1658 Jan 
 Baptist also returned to Holland, where he ended his days. 
 
 Conspicuous in the family was .a clergyman, the Rev. 
 Nicholaus Van Rensselaer, the eighth child of the first pa- 
 troon and brother of the second. He had been licensed by 
 
 2
 
 ANCESTRY AND FAMILY 
 
 Charles I to preach in the Dutch Church at Westminster, 
 and, recommended by James, Duke of York, he came ro 
 New York to fill one of the Dutch pulpits in the Province. 
 The dominie died in Albany, and his widow married Rob- 
 ert Livingston, the founder of the Livingston family in 
 America. 
 
 Jeremias, the next director of Rensselaerswyck, and 
 brother to Jan Baptist, was deservedly popular for his 
 prudent management of affairs during sixteen years. He 
 acquired great influence among the Indians and won the 
 respect of the French in Canada. His correspondence, 
 which is still extant, evinces no little native talent as well as 
 enormous industry. His autograph is remarkable for its 
 l>eauty and is one of the most characteristic to be found in 
 the records of the century. He was president of the Land- 
 tag, or Diet, which five months before the surrender of the 
 province to the English had been summoned to New York 
 to discuss the affairs of the colony. When the English came 
 into possession of New York, he declined to cede to the new 
 government the town of Albany, which he claimed as a part 
 of Rensselaerswyck. After portracted negotiation, Gov- 
 ernor Dongan in person visited the patroon, and obtained 
 from him a formal concession of his feudal right over the 
 miniature capital of the future State, along with sixteen 
 miles of territory extending into the country westward. In 
 the following year, 1686, Albany was incorporated as a 
 city. 
 
 Jeremias' wife was a daughter of Oloff Stevenson Van 
 Courtlandt, the first of the family of that name in New 
 York ; their daughter. Maria Van Rensselaer, married Peter 
 Schuyler. the first Mayor of Albany. 
 
 Stephen Van Rensselaer IH. he last of the patroons, and
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 perhaps the most distinguished in that long line of dis- 
 tinguished men, was destined to bridge the chasm which 
 existed between two opposite political systems. Born in 
 1764, the subject of a King and the scion of a feudal aris- 
 tocracy, with immense inherited estates and chartered baro- 
 nial rights, he favored from the first the new political sys- 
 tem in America, and was one of the staunchest upholders of 
 popular sovereignty. His father having died, he was edu- 
 cated by his grandfather, Philip Livingston, who was one of 
 the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In due 
 course he was graduated from Harvard with high honors. 
 Before he was of age, he married Margaret, the daughter of 
 General Philip Schuyler, thus transmitting to his posterity 
 the blood of five of the great Colonial families, Schuyler, 
 Livingston, Van Courtlandt, Ten Broek, and Van Rensse- 
 laer. After his graduation, he kept up his studies and per- 
 sonally managed his large estates. In the period succeeding 
 the Revolutionary War, no man in the State carried with 
 him greater personal influence. He was a friend of Wash- 
 ington, and was successively a member of the Assembly and 
 of the State Senate, as well as twice Lieutenant Governor of 
 the State, when John Jay was Governor. In the war of 
 1812, when Governor Tompkins summoned the State Mili- 
 tia into immediate service, Van Rensselaer was appointed to 
 take chief command ; nor did he hesitate to leave his lux- 
 urious home and march to the frontier with the utmost dis- 
 patch. Among his officers were many of his kinsmen, 
 notably Colonel Solomon Van Rensselaer, who was wound- 
 ed at the battle of Queenstown Heights. 
 
 After the war Stephen Van Rensselaer entered heart and 
 soul into every project which he considered advantageous 
 to the State. He declared his willingness to construct, at 
 
 4
 
 ANCESTRY AND FAMILY 
 
 his own expense, the whole of the Erie Canal, so confident 
 was he of the feasibility of the enterprise. He was a mem- 
 ber of Congress from 1822 to 18^t>, and cast the deciding 
 vote in the election of John Quincy Adams to the Presi- 
 dency of the Republic. Dining all these years he was Re- 
 gent of the University of the State, and subsequently be- 
 came its Chancellor. 
 
 His wife dying, he married again, his second wife being 
 Cornelia Paterson, daughter of Judge William Paterson, 
 of the Supreme Court, who had also been Governor of New 
 Jersey and one of its first two Senators. 
 
 In 1824 he established, and in 1826 incorporated, the first 
 scientific school in the New World, and he defrayed fully 
 one-half its current expenses. His own words, which he 
 put in the charter, show how far he was ahead of the times : 
 "A school to qualify teachers to instruct in the application 
 of experimental chemistry, philosophy and natural history, 
 to agriculture, domestic economy and to the arts and manu- 
 factures." This school, now known as the Rensselaer Poly- 
 technic Institute of Troy, will always be a memorial to the 
 philanthropy, far-sightedness, and statesmanship of its 
 founder. In 1825, Yale conferred upon him the degree of 
 LL.D. 
 
 Stephen Van Rensselaer III left twelve children, three by 
 his first and nine by his second wife. Of these, Stephen 
 Van Rensselaer IV, usually referred to as the Young Pa- 
 troon, was the eldest. To him had descended the bulk of the 
 great Van Rensselaer estate or plantation, and by him, 
 through i>olitical causes, it was dissipated forever. Al- 
 though his father was legally the last of the patroons, yet 
 the people of his time, by common consent, gave him that 
 title, and as such he will go down to history. 
 
 5
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 The father of the future Rev. Henry Van Rensselaer was 
 General Henry Van Rensselaer, brother of Stephen IV, and 
 fifth son of Stephen III. He, too, holds a distinguished 
 place in the civil and military history of his time. A grad- 
 uate of West Point in 1827, he served later as lieutenant in 
 the United States Army. In 1841 he was sent to Congress, 
 and during the Civil War he held the rank of Colonel while 
 Chief of Staff to General Scott, upon whose retirement, in 
 November, 1861, he was made Inspector General of the 
 United States Army. He died of typhoid fever just before 
 the close of the war. The following sketch appeared in a 
 New York paper shortly after his death : 
 
 "Colonel Henry Van Rensselaer, Inspector General of 
 the United States Army, died on Wednesday, March 23d, 
 of. typhoid fever, at Cincinnati, where he was stationed. 
 
 "Colonel Van Rensselaer was graduated from the Mili- 
 tary Academy at West Point in 1831, having passed through 
 the four years' discipline of that school without incurring a 
 single demerit. This fact indicates the character of the 
 man an ever-present sense of duty, which would not per- 
 mit the neglect of an obligation once assumed. Though 
 young when entering the Academy, he formed and held res- 
 olutely to the purpose of complying in all respects, as far 
 as possible, with its requirements. The writer dwells the 
 more upon this rare trait of character, for that he had a son 
 at the Military Academy at the time, whose good fortune it 
 was to become the room-mate of Colonel Van Rensselaer, 
 and who there acquired from his example that love of order, 
 that diligence of application, that fidelity to the most mi- 
 nute as well as the more important details of duty, which go 
 so far to make up the character of a useful and trustworthy 
 
 6
 
 ANCESTRY AND FAMILY 
 
 man, whether soldier or citizen. Mr. Van Rensselaer did 
 not remain long in the Army, and having married in 1833 a 
 daughter of Hon. J. A. King, of Jamaica, L. I., he went to 
 take possession of a patrimonial landed estate in St. Law- 
 rence County, where he spent many years in the active pur- 
 suits of agriculture, and dispensing a liberal and elegant 
 hospitality. 
 
 "In 1841 he was elected a member of the House of Repre- 
 sentatives from his district, and served with his accustomed 
 punctuality and diligence through the three sessions of the 
 27th Congress. Political life, however, had few attractions 
 for him, and he returned willingly to his home and his ac- 
 customed occupations. 
 
 "For some years past, however, and as his family grew 
 up, Mr. Van Rensselaer had been an inhabitant of this city, 
 where the outbreak of the Rebellion found him in quiet and 
 retired private life. But when the Rebel cannon against 
 Fort Sumter aroused our Northern blood and national fidel- 
 ity, true to his early training as a soldier, and to his instincts 
 as a patriot, he at once wrote to General Scott, then in com- 
 mand of our forces, to ask for an opportunity, as a soldier 
 educated by the Nation, to strike a blow for the national 
 cause. The General immediately sent for him to Washing- 
 ton, took him into his military family, and with the rank of 
 Brigadier-General, made him chief of his staff. 
 
 "Of this position he faithfully and intelligently discharged 
 the duties until the relinquishment by General Scott, under 
 the pressure of physical infirmities, of his high command. 
 Upon the recommendation of his general, however, the 
 commission of inspector-general in the Regular Army, with 
 the rank of colonel, was at once conferred by the Presi- 
 dent upon Colonel Van Rensselaer. In the duties of that 
 
 7
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 post he has ever since been assiduously engaged, and to them 
 he, in fact, yielded up his life refusing, though laboring 
 under illness, to ask for a furlough while the official calls 
 upon him were urgent. 
 
 "The insidious disease made rapid progress. Informed of 
 his serious illness yet not apprehending imminent danger, 
 his wife and daughter hurried to Cincinnati, but only had 
 the consolation of ministering by his dying bed. 
 
 "He was aware of his approaching death, and prepared 
 for it as a Christian soldier. In his last delirious moments 
 his mind still ran upon his public duties upon the condition 
 of the troops upon the progress of the war and he died 
 in the cause of his country, an earnest and unblemished 
 soldier." 
 
 A summary of his life and services, in Father Van Rens- 
 selaer's handwriting, is preserved among the family papers. 
 It reads like a page taken from the records of the Military 
 Academy at West Point. 
 
 U. S. MILITARY ACADEMY. 
 
 NUMBER CLASS RANK 
 
 G48. Born N. Y. Henry Van Rensselaer. Ap'd N. Y. 20 
 Military History. Cadet at the U. S. Military Academy, 
 from July 1, 1827, to July 1, 1831, when he was gradu- 
 ated and promoted in the Army to 
 
 Bvt. Second Lieut., 5th Infantry, July 1. ls:',l. On 
 leave of absence July 1, 1831, to Jan. 27, ls:;:J. 
 
 Resigned Jan. 27, 1832. 
 
 Civil History. Farmer, near Ogdcnsburg, X. Y., 1 s -". I -:..".. 
 Aide-de-Camp with the rank of Colonel to Governor 
 Seward, of New York, 1839-40. 
 
 8
 
 LUl.. 4iENK\ VAN RENSSELAER
 
 ANCESTRY AND FAMILY 
 
 Member uf the U. S. House of Representatives, from 
 the State of New York, 1841-4 
 
 1 'resilient of the American Mineral Company of the 
 Tort Henry Iron Ore Company and of the Consolidated 
 Franklinite Company, 1855 - 
 
 Militar\ History. Served during the Rebellion of the Se- 
 ceding States, IN;I-;-| : as Volunteer Aide-de-Camp, with 
 the rank of Colonel, April 2l> to Aug. 5, 1861, and as 
 Regular Aide-de-Camp, Aug. 5, 1801, to Nov. 1, 18(51. 
 
 (Col. Staff Aide-de-Camp to the General-in-Chief, 
 Aug. 5, 1861.) 
 
 Bvt. Lieut., General Scott, General-in-Chief, at the ' 
 Headquarters of the Army, Washington, D. C. ; on leave 
 of absence and awaiting orders, Nov. 12. 
 
 (Colonel Staff Inspector General. Xov. 1:.', 1861.) 
 
 1861, to Mar. 20, 1862 as I nspector . General, 1st 
 Army Corps. 
 
 Mar. 20 to Apl. 4, 1862 Department of the Rappa- 
 hannock. 
 
 . Apl. 4, to Aug. 12, 18U2 :id Army Corps, Aug. 12 to 
 Sept. 6, 1862, and Department of the Ohio, Sept. 17, 
 
 2, to Mar. 23, 1864. 
 
 Died Mar. 23, 1864, at Cincinnati. O. Aged 54. 
 
 Among the family treasures is an autograph letter ad- 
 dressed by General Scott on his retirement from the Army 
 to his Chief of Staff. It reads as follov. 
 
 "Adieu, my dear Colonel Van Rensselaer. No general 
 has ever had greater cause to be proud of his staff than I 
 have had in you and my other dear friends. Colonels Town- 
 send, Hamilton, Cullen and Wright all dear friends. 
 
 "Nov. 9, 1861. WINTIKI.I) Scon." 
 
 e
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 If he was beholden to his father for his name, and for the 
 prestige which, even in America, despite the open profession 
 of democracy, attaches to descent from one of the great 
 Colonial families, Father Van Rensselaer was under still 
 greater indebtedness to his mother, Elizabeth King Van 
 Rensselaer, for the kindly traits which were so character- 
 istic of him from his earliest years, and which became more 
 manifest in his apostolic work as a priest when he was 
 brought into contact with the poverty-stricken and the un- 
 fortunate. 
 
 The founder of the King family in America, John King, 
 came from Kent, England, and settled in Boston in 1700. 
 Later the family moved to Scarborough, Maine, where Fa- 
 ther Van Rensselaer's great grandfather, Rufus King, was 
 born in 1755. Graduating from Harvard in 1777, he studied 
 law and was admitted to the bar in 1784. He was elected to 
 the Continental Congress and took a prominent part in the 
 convention which in 1787 framed the Constitution of the 
 United States . While in New York he married Mary Alsop, 
 the only daughter of a prominent New York merchant, and 
 for his wife's sake determined to live near her father. 
 
 He became a Senator of the United States in 1789, the 
 first Senator elected from the State of New York, was re- 
 elected in 1795, and in the following year was by President 
 Washington appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to Great 
 Britain. 
 
 Besides the distinction of being three times elected to the 
 Senate of the United States, and being twice appointed as 
 Minister to England, he was at various times the candidate 
 of his party for the Governorship of New York, as well 
 as for the Vice-Presidency and Presidency of the Nation ; 
 and although he failed of election to these high offices he 
 
 10
 
 \\( I STRV \\1> FAMILY 
 
 was always regarded as one of the ablest statesmen and 
 diplomats of his time. Even his political opponents had 
 Mich respect for his moral worth and integrity that they 
 made him their candidate for the Senatorial dignity, when 
 his own party could not have effected his election. 
 
 John Alsop King, eldest son of Rufus, and grandfather 
 of Henry Van Rensselaer, was a native of New York City, 
 where he was born in 1788. During his youth he accom- 
 panied his father to England when the latter was Minister 
 to the Court of St. James, and while there attended school 
 at Harrow. Among his schoolmates were his brother 
 Charles, afterwards president of Columbia College, New 
 York, Lord Byron, Sir Robert Peel and other men of prom- 
 inence. * 
 
 1 le held the rank of Lieutenant during the war of 1812, 
 and in 1825 was Secretary of Legation at London under 
 his father. He was several times elected to the State Legis- 
 lature, was a member of Congress in 1849-51, and Governor 
 of the State in At the expiration of his term, he 
 
 returned to his home, in the village of Jamaica, Long Island, 
 where he died July 8, 1867, in his 80th year. John Alsop 
 King filled these many official positions with credit to him- 
 self and honor to his country, and during his long career 
 never failed to present to his fellow citizens, alike in his 
 public and private life, a rare example of benevolence and 
 manlv virtue. 
 
 11
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 BOYHOOD ~AND EARLY LIFE. 
 
 HENRY VAN RENSSELAER, the future Jesuit, 
 youngest but one of ten children, was born at Wood- 
 ford, near Ogdensburg, October 21, 1851. His mother, 
 Elizabeth Ray King, was the daughter of the Governor 
 King mentioned in the last chapter. His father, General 
 Van Rensselaer, was the fifth son of the last patroon, 
 Stephen III, who by his will divided the vast estate among 
 his children, bequeathing to the eldest, Stephen IV, the 
 manor on the Albany side of the Hudson, and to the fifth 
 the wild lands in St. Lawrence County on the river of that 
 name. 
 
 In this remote domain were valuable farm lands in the 
 townships of Lisbon, Canton, etc., and the county seat, 
 Woodford, which was on high ground overlooking the 
 river. There was a large old-fashioned garden, with green- 
 houses, graperies and an extensive farm . The old colonial 
 house had been enlarged shortly before Henry's birth, and 
 a billiard room and a ballroom were added for the entertain- 
 ment of summer guests and of the townspeople, who were 
 always welcome visitors to the Van Rensselaer homestead. 
 It was an ideal home, and above all a Christian home, where 
 each day was opened with family prayers, and Sunday was 
 honored with the strictest observance. Mrs. Van Rensse- 
 laer was the Lady Bountiful of the neighborhood, ever 
 ready to listen to and relieve the wants of the poor. Indeed, 
 during her entire life, even when it was no longer in her 
 
 12
 
 BOYHOOD AND EARLY LIFE 
 
 power to give generously, she never permitted a poor person 
 to be sent unaided from her door. This tender love for 
 God's poor, inherited from her, was a most striking trait in 
 the character of her Jesuit son. 
 
 Mrs. Van Rensselaer's responsibility in rearing her large 
 family was lightened by the devoted assistance of a nurse 
 who entered her service in 1843 and remained a valued 
 member of the household until her death in 1809. Monica 
 Chapman was an Englishwoman of great native refinement. 
 A devout Catholic, she never, by any attempt to influence 
 the faith of her children, betrayed the perfect trust reposed 
 in her by her Protestant mistress. She held each in her 
 arms when they were presented for baptism in the Protestant 
 Episcopal church, and was faithful in seeing that they re- 
 cited morning and evening the little prayers taught them by 
 their mother. In after years, when he had found the true 
 faith and was enrolled as a member of the Society of Jesus, 
 Father Van Rensselaer. in conversation with intimate 
 friends, would frequently speak of Monica, her piety, her 
 devout recital of the Rosary and the religious influence 
 she exercised, albeit unwittingly, in the family. He had no 
 hesitation in ascribing to her prayers and to her example 
 the special grace which led him eventually to seek refuge in 
 the true fold. 
 
 When the family moved to New York City. Monica be- 
 came a member of St. Francis Xavier's parish, where, forty- 
 four years later, her Requiem Mass was sung by the one of 
 her charges who had been most dear to her, and for whose 
 conversion many Masses and prayers had lx?cn offered in 
 that church. Before giving the absolution. Father Van 
 Rensselaer paid a touching tribute to the virtue ind fidelity 
 nf his beloved nurse. 
 
 13
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 When he was four years old, the family came to New 
 York City to pass the winter months. Shortly after their 
 departure from Wood ford their country home was de- 
 stroyed by fire, and was never rebuilt. His childhood was 
 uneventful, except that in addition to the usual diseases of 
 children, he had an attack of scarlet fever which threatened 
 his life and left him of a rather nervous temperament and 
 delicate constitution. 
 
 When he was twelve years old his father died. To this 
 calamity were added serious financial reverses owing to mis- 
 management or dishonesty on the part of a trusted agent, 
 and it became incumbent upon the boys of the family to 
 provide for their own temporal welfare as well as for that 
 of those dependent upon them. Henry had received his 
 early education at the Charlier Institute, and entered Colum- 
 bia College in 1867 ; he did not remain to graduate, but 
 took a clerical position in the Bank of Commerce in I860. 
 
 He was of a religious turn of mind, and from his tender- 
 est years felt an attraction for church services. 
 
 "As a boy," he says, "I attended Grace Church, then, 
 as now, very fashionable. But in those days it was of the 
 extremely Low Church type. The service was dull, except 
 for the singing by a celebrated quartet. The minister, ar- 
 rayed in black silk gown and Geneva bands, preached, in 
 an almost unintelligible voice, ponderous and somnolent ser- 
 mons, duly read from a manuscript. In my teens I longed 
 for a more active part in the service, and was attracted 
 to the Church of the Holy Communion, founded by Dr. 
 Muhlenberg. where there was a choir of men and boys to 
 lead the singing, in which the whole congregation took part. 
 It had, in consequence, the name of being "High." but there- 
 was not much advance in doctrine. True, there was an early 
 
 14
 
 o 
 o 
 
 o oooo ( 
 
 HENRY VAN RENSSFLAKR IN BOYHOOD
 
 BOYHOOD AND EARLY LIFE 
 
 Communion service, but it was rather for convenience than 
 for high teaching. However, I was on the rise and began 
 the practice of bowing the head at the Gloria Patri, and then 
 of kneeling in the Nicene Creed at the Incarnatus. I re- 
 member distinctly that those who did so were publicly re- 
 buked on Christmas morning by Dr. Muhlenberg for bow- 
 ing at the doxology, and we were bidden not to bend like 
 bulrushes, but to hold our heads erect. My first notice of 
 candles on an altar was in this church. They were used 
 tor light at the early morning celebration, and once a year, 
 on the feast of the Epiphany, at the evening missionary 
 service, there were thirty-nine candles lighted in honor 
 of the thirty-nine articles of religion, which the Ritualists 
 slightingly called the forty stripes save one mentioned by 
 St. Paul. In this church I was confirmed, and of it I was 
 a member for over ten years. Then I began to feel the 
 need of something more Catholic. The doctrines preached 
 in Trinity parish, especially at Trinity Church and Trinity 
 Chapel, were in those days considered high. The rector, 
 at that time a celibate, was an advocate of celibacy and 
 virginity. The music was from Catholic sources, and 
 masses by celebrated composers were adapted to the Com- 
 munion service. Great stress was laid on the teaching of 
 the undivided Church and of the four Ecumenical Councils. 
 
 "The first ritualistic church in New York was St. Alban's. 
 The naming of it was significant. It was meant to insinu- 
 ate the continuity with the ancient British Church, of which 
 St. Alban was the first martyr. Moreover its namesake in 
 Ix>ndon had been the leader in ritualism and the storm- 
 centre of opposition of the officials of the State Church. 
 
 "St. Alban's on this side of the water was an exact imita- 
 tion of a Catholic church. The minister dubbed himself 
 
 15
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 'father' and donned the habiliments of a priest. It was a 
 novelty, and sightseers frequented the services. The Church 
 of St. Mary the Virgin was the next to follow suit, and 
 offered all the attractions of Rome without being Roman. 
 St. Ignatius' was the next in the field, with rival novelties 
 from Rome. These were all full-blown ritualistic churches. 
 There were others tending upward an unintentional tribute 
 to the true church, any tendency to which is truly described 
 as becoming high. 
 
 "But ritualism had as yet no charm for me, and I recall 
 my disgust at a visit to the Oratory of the Blessed Sacra- 
 ment, which had been opened by an English clergyman of 
 the advanced type, who later became a convert and a priest. 
 Nor had St. Alban's any attractive power, and attendance 
 at one service sufficed for me; neither could I abide St. 
 Mary the Virgin's." 
 
 1C
 
 CHAITKK III. 
 GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, NEW YORK. 
 
 IT had always been the wish of his family that Henry 
 should be a clergyman, but, as we have said, the family 
 circumstances had to be considered. So, on leaving college, 
 he went into business. This was not his calling, though he 
 persevered in it for several years. After this, however, he 
 announced his intention of going to the seminary. It was in 
 the autumn of 1873 that he took up his residence in one of 
 the old granite buildings in the grounds of the General 
 Theological Seminary at Chelsea Square. Here he found a 
 wide divergence of views and practices among the pro- 
 fessors and students alike. The following is his account of 
 the conditions then existing in the seminary: 
 
 "There were at that time seventy seminarians, and, I 
 think, six professors. Both professors and seminarians rep- 
 resented every shade of belief tolerated by that most elastic 
 of sects. The dean, who was professor of Ecclesiastical 
 History, passed for a very advanced churchman. The pro- 
 fessor of Dogmatic Theology was high and dry. The pro- 
 fessor of New Testament Exegesis was safely high. The 
 professor of Hebrew hobnobbed with Ritualists. The pro- 
 r of Canon Law was a moderate churchman of the dry 
 type, while the professor of Pastoral Theology was an old- 
 fashioned low churchman, dry as dust. Could a more com- 
 posite set of churchmen be imagined? A truly 'happy 
 family' collection." 
 
 The seminarians presented the same pleasing variety of 
 
 17
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 religious opinions. No two agreed exactly, and why should 
 they agree when their instructors set the example of dis- 
 agreeing? After all, was it not the logical Protestant posi- 
 tion, the exercise of the claimed inherent right of private 
 judgment? Naturally he was at once called upon to declare 
 his own views; and he was ranked among the very high 
 churchmen. "But," he says, "I could not go all the lengths 
 to which a few went. Excessive bowing of the head, 
 crooking of the knees, and signs of the cross, extravagant in 
 size, seemed to me too conspicuous. The ultra-high church- 
 men affected the wearing of a clerical vest with neither open- 
 ing nor buttons down the front, which was yclept the 'mark 
 of the Beast,' and was supposed to be intensely Roman. 
 Strange to say, no 'Roman' priest was ever known to wear 
 a waistcoat so constructed. Another very Romanizing sign 
 was to pronounce amen, 'ahmen,' though such a pronuncia- 
 tion is unknown to the real Roman except in Latin." 
 
 He narrates with some detail the daily life in the Semi- 
 nary : 
 
 "As I had a rather large room with two smaller ones off 
 it, I took one of the smaller rooms for an oratory. The 
 other small one was a bedroom and the large one a study. 
 The oratory was simplicity itself, for its furniture was a 
 prie-dieu before a statuette of the Good Shepherd, on either 
 side of which was a candlestick, holding candles to be lighted 
 for devotions. To this oratory a few choice spirits resorted 
 occasionally after class and at night. I had not yet ad- 
 vanced sufficiently to have a crucifix. 
 
 "The students took their meals in common, and I shall 
 never forget the day when, at dinner, the news was circu- 
 lated that the rector of Trinity Church, the advocate and 
 model of celibacy, was engaeed to be married. And what 
 
 18
 
 GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
 made it worse was that the lady was a Presbyterian! 
 Imagine the shock to the admirers of celibacy ! It was said 
 that a religious congregation of women, of which he had 
 been the confessor and a great friend, had, in their indigna- 
 tion, turned his portrait with its face to the wall. The idol 
 was found to be only flesh and blood. The effect of the de- 
 fection of the leader was diverse. Some students changed 
 fheir minds like him, and declared that they had given up 
 the intention of being celibates. Others said. 'I told you so' ; 
 while still others, of whom I was one, remained faithful to 
 their conviction that the unmarried clergyman, having no 
 family to divide his attention, could give an undivided 
 service to God and the flock committed to his care. Per- 
 haps, with a view of encouraging matrimony among the 
 seminarians, there were soirees at the dean's house, where 
 susceptible and unwary youths might lose their hearts, and 
 where, in fact, the fate of several was thus settled in favor 
 of the married state." 
 
 If so much latitude in doctrine is allowed to the various 
 divisions that make up the Episcopalian body without im- 
 periling their orthodoxy, it will be interesting to know 
 what question! are asked and what answers must be given 
 that a student may acquit himself with credit l>efore an ex- 
 amining board. Van Rensselaer lets the cat out of the bag. 
 
 "Examinations were a curious thing- at the seminary. 
 The examiners adapted themselves marvelously to the ex- 
 amined. Every candidate's grade of churchmanship was 
 pretty well known to the examiners, who dexterously put 
 questions suitable to the religious convictions of those ex- 
 amined. No matter how unorthodox a man might be, the 
 very obliging examiners were careful to avoid the crucial 
 questions and to elicit only statements that would not shock
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 the broad sensibilities of the examining board and students 
 present." 
 
 One of the events of seminary life he recalls was the oc- 
 casional visits of a Cowley Father from Boston to hear con- 
 fessions, and Van Rensselaer was one of the confessed. 
 The acquaintance thus made with the mysterious visitor, 
 who came in cassock, cloak and broad hat, had an impor- 
 tant influence on his after life. 
 
 Though a pronounced high churchman himself, his- par- 
 ticular friends were taken from all grades of churchman- 
 ship. "One of them was really a Rationalist, but a charm- 
 ing man. One, now a bishop, was low church, while an- 
 other, also a bishop, was broad. Two others were very 
 high, while still another was evangelical." Yet withal, in 
 spite of theological differences of opinion, they were very 
 good friends. 
 
 During the summer vacation in his first year he made a 
 trip to Europe, which tended to broaden his views consid- 
 erably. "According to the theory generally accepted by 
 us," he says, "it was positively wrong for Anglicans to at- 
 tend 'Roman' services in English-speaking countries, so in 
 England I visited only churches of the Established Religion. 
 As this rule did not hold for the continent, I felt no com- 
 punction in going to the celebrated Catholic churches, al- 
 though I was particular in being present at service in the 
 American chapels, however bald and cold that service was, 
 and baldness and coldness were the prevalent qualities." 
 
 Although only a seminarian, he had very decided ideas 
 about the propriety of clergymen going to the opera and 
 theatre, and as he had assumed the clerical collar, he con- 
 sidered himself a cleric. His principle in this regard was 
 put to a severe test at Munich. A monster Wagner festival 
 
 20
 
 GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
 was being held, and he loved music. His inclination was 
 in favor of going, he was urged by fellow-travelers to go, 
 but he made the sacrifice and did not go. In Paris he had 
 met several of the seminarians who were "doing" the sights, 
 as they told him they had just been "doing" London. He 
 expostulated. They defended themselves on the plea of 
 gaining experience for future use in the ministry. "Pitch," 
 he said, "would leave its mark, and what was unbecoming 
 in New York could not be becoming in Paris and London. 
 They went their way, and I went mine." 
 
 He could not help contrasting the cathedrals, still sacred 
 to Catholic worship on the continent, with those shorn of 
 their ancient glory in England and Scotland. "Notre Dame 
 of Paris and the Dom of Cologne," he writes, "were in- 
 stinct with devotion, and the most inspiring music I ever 
 heard was that of a vast congregation at Mass one Sunday 
 in the Cologne Cathedral. My blood boiled at the desecra- 
 tion of the historic Cathedral at Basle and its tenure by 
 Calvinists, just as it had boiled in poor St. Giles' in Edin- 
 burgh, divided in two for two Protestant sects Presby- 
 terian and Episcopalian." 
 
 The extensive trip through Europe enabled him to culti- 
 vate his taste for the fine arts by studying the world's mas- 
 terpieces stored in the great museums and galleries. He 
 journeyed all the way to Dresden solely to gaze upon 
 Raphael's chef-d'oeuvre, the Sistine Madonna, and he felt 
 that, even had there been no other treasures of art in that 
 wonderful collection, it was well worth the journey. What 
 impressed him in all the great collections was the prepon- 
 derance of subjects taken from the lives of Christ, His 
 mother, and the saints. "What a superb testimony," he 
 mused, "to the faith of the Catholic world before the great 
 
 21
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 revolt of the sixteenth century, which cast a blight for so 
 long on Christian art, from which it has only in the last 
 century partially recovered!" 
 
 In spite of warnings not to venture further south in Italy 
 than Venice and Florence in early September, he decided 
 to risk it. He made a hurried trip to Rome, and even to 
 Naples. "Mul turn in parvo," he says, "would describe the 
 amount of sightseeing I accomplished in a minimum of 
 time. I realized that it was dangerous to rush about d 
 I'americaine, but then it might be my only chance, though 
 I did not neglect to throw a coin in the famous fountain of 
 Trevi, which is supposed to insure a return to the Eternal 
 City, which in my case proved true. I recall perfectly one 
 night, when I had that day dared Providence by going from 
 the heat of the streets to the chill of buildings for hours, 
 that I felt in danger of the fever, and for the first time 
 made the sign of the cross with a prayer for safety. With 
 that start the holy sign of our salvation became a familiar 
 action. I can honestly say, however, that I had not the 
 least attraction to Catholicism, as such, at that time. But 
 undoubtedly the leaven was working. I know that I was 
 disgusted with a cicerone who, to ingratiate himself, spoke 
 slightingly of his religion." 
 
 "The motive of my European trip," he admits, "was 
 rather artistic than religious, and so the art galleries claimed 
 my chief attention, though, as I have already said, the 
 world's most famous pictures portray the great mysteries of 
 our faith and insensibly awaken our religious emotions." 
 
 While at Florence he had failed to visit the convent of 
 San Marco, where Fra Angelico had exercised his matchless 
 art in limning on the walls of the cells those ethereal spirits 
 of another world in their ministry to the Incarnate Word 
 
 22
 
 GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
 and His mother. He resolved at Naples to make good this 
 omission, and returned to Florence via Leghorn and Pisa 
 on a flying visit. He considered himself well repaid by the 
 sight of the angelic Brother's exquisite productions. 
 
 He was much annoyed at Turin to find the banks closed 
 on a weekday that was not on the Protestant Episcopal cal- 
 endar as a feast-day. It was the 8th of September, the 
 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a holy day of 
 obligation at that time in Italy. His funds were low, and 
 he had expected to draw on his letter of credit at the bank. 
 His time was very limited, as he had to return to America 
 towards the end of the month. Fortunately there were at 
 the hotel some very genial English officers, returning from 
 India, who, on hearing of his plight, volunteered to advance 
 him, though he was a perfect stranger to them, all the 
 money he needed. When he reached London he failed to 
 meet these true friends in need, but acquitted himself of his 
 obligation to them. 
 
 All good things come to an end, and so did the trip to 
 Europe. Seminary life was resumed. Henry's ideas had 
 broadened, but he was not conscious of any trend Rome- 
 ward. The second year was uneventful. "The various 
 professors," he says, "still taught their varied doctrines, 
 and the students still drew their own conclusions. The 
 professor of ecclesiastical history enlightened us on St. 
 Patrick's Day with a lengthy disquisition to prove that St. 
 Patrick, besides being a gentleman, was a Protestant and 
 an Anglican!"
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 GERMANY AND OXFORD. 
 
 AT the close of the second year, our young seminarian 
 grew tired of the very prosaic life at the seminary 
 and resolved to spend the third year of preparation for holy 
 orders in the university city of Oxford. For this he had to 
 obtain leave from the bishop, the Right Rev. Horatio Pot- 
 ter. Although he was an old personal friend of the Van 
 Rensselaer family, he did not favor the project, but for lack 
 of authority could not forbid it. Henry speaks amusingly 
 of his visit to the bishop on this occasion, though it ended 
 rather awkwardly for the visitor. "The bishop," he says, 
 "was extremely tall, very thin and rather severe looking. 
 According to my advanced schooling, the correct thing on 
 taking leave of your bishop was to kneel and ask his bless- 
 ing, since there was no ring to kiss. The bishop lived in an 
 English basement house, and he received me on the second 
 floor. My leave-taking was at the head of the staircase, 
 and I narrowly escaped being helped down the flight when 
 I knelt for the blessing. I then and there resolved to choose 
 a safe place before again asking an episcopal blessing." 
 
 Henry carried out his intention and sailed in June, 1875, 
 for Europe. One of his fellow-students, who had formed 
 the same plan as himself, preceded him by a couple of weeks. 
 Their rendezvous was to be in Hanover, where they were 
 to study German during the vacation. 
 
 "My landing in Holland, the country of my forefathers, 
 will never be forgotten. It is usual to uncover one's head 
 
 24
 
 GERMANY AND OXFORD 
 
 in token of respect. In this instance I was spared the act, 
 as shortly before landing at Rotterdam my only hat dis- 
 appeared from the cabin table, on which I had confidingly 
 placed it. Perhaps it was taken as an American curio. The 
 result was extremely embarrassing to me and entirely 
 marred my first impression of the land of my forefathers. 
 So disheartened was I, that I took the first train to Han- 
 over, where my friend awaited me. 
 
 He had secured board and lodging in the family of an 
 ex-Hanoverian major, who, in consequence, was a cordial 
 hater of the usurping king of Prussia and a most loyal ad- 
 herent of the old blind ex-king. The household consisted 
 of the major, his wife and daughter, a forward damsel of 
 sixteen. "We were really overpowered with their constant 
 attention. And the German cooking! No disputing about 
 tastes! We made progress in learning German, but at what 
 costs ! We were always en famillc. We could not stir out 
 of doors unless accompanied, usually by the three. We had 
 to resort to artifices. Sunday we declared exempt from 
 company, as we had religious scruples on the subject. Then 
 we discovered that there were two concert gardens, both 
 high-grade. They recommended the Odeon and accom- 
 panied us there. In an unwary moment they disclosed the 
 fact that the rival Tivoli was the resort of the hated Prus- 
 sian garrison officers, and consequently was tabooed by all 
 loyal Hanoverians. This threw the extra weight in the scale 
 of Tivoli. We decided that the music at Tivoli was superior, 
 and we forsook the Odeon and were freed from the com- 
 pany of the family on those evenings at least. The good- 
 natured, motherly, fat Frau Majorin Candau got us a terri- 
 ble scolding from the Herr Major for once, in our simplic- 
 ity, speaking of her to him as the Majorin without prefixing 
 
 25
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Fran. I was a great lover of flowering plants. She had 
 placed some flower-pots on our window-sill. Now the win- 
 dow was in the third story, and, though in Germany, it 
 was a French window. One day, when the wind was high, 
 we went out for a walk and left the window open. When 
 we returned, our reception was frigid in the extreme. The 
 chill was caused by the blowing down of a flower-pot, for 
 which we were held guilty. When it occurred, shortly after, 
 a second time, our guilt was so evident, and our malice so 
 prepense, that for a while they would not speak to us. We 
 went out and bought a beautiful china jardiniere with lovely 
 growing flowers. The peace-offering was accepted with 
 profuse expressions of admiration for the gift and astonish- 
 ment at our extravagance. However, we were tired of the 
 uncertain temper of the toothless major, whose toothsome 
 Hamburger steak was sometimes surreptitiously taken by us 
 at table, instead of the tougher meat served on the same 
 dish. We were tired of the pert Fraulein Mollie; tired even 
 of the kind-hearted, but oppressive Majorin; but above all, 
 tired of the irascible major. We decided that a trip to Ber- 
 lin, Dresden, the Saxon Switzerland, Baden-Baden and 
 other places of interest would be preferable to a longer so- 
 journ in Hanover the dullest of dull towns, although its 
 inhabitants claim the purest pronunciation of German." 
 
 The summer on the Continent helped to moderate the de- 
 cidedly puritanical views Van Rensselaer had entertained on 
 the subject of Sunday observance. He had been brought 
 up in the most rigid manner. As a child no toys, no play- 
 things, no games, and no secular story books or music were 
 ever allowed. The day was devoted to church-going, cate- 
 chism, learning texts and chapters of the Bible, reading 
 goody-goody books and singing hymns. It would have 
 
 26
 
 GERMANY AND OXFORD 
 
 teen considered an awful breach to sing a ballad or read a 
 novel, however standard it might be. Amusements of all 
 kinds were prohibited. Baseball or sports of athletic nature 
 were under the ban. "Imagine," he says, "what a con- 
 trast to all this a 'Continental' Sunday is! I was not con- 
 verted to the latter, but an impression was made less an- 
 tipathetic." 
 
 It so happened that during his stay in Germany the last 
 of the conferences at Bonn on the Rhine was about to be 
 held. It was a chance, and he embraced it. We cannot help 
 being grateful for the interesting though brief account given 
 by the observant American: 
 
 "There were present representatives of the Church of 
 England, the Protestant Episcopal Church, the Lutherans, 
 Old Catholics and Greeks a motley collection. The lan- 
 guage at the morning session was German ; in the afternoon 
 English was spoken. Dr. Dollinger, leader of the so-called 
 Old-Catholic schism, was the chief speaker. The supposed 
 machinations of the Jesuits seemed to be his pidcc-de-rcsis- 
 tatice, and on this he harped! The Greeks, though repre- 
 sented, held themselves aloof, and would not join in any 
 religious exercise with the others. Of course, they soon 
 discovered that many fundamental doctrines held by them 
 were rejected by the Protestants. The result was what 
 might have been predicted nothing. One novel bit of in- 
 formation was furnished by the Anglican Bishop of Gib- 
 raltar. He informed us that he had jurisdiction over all 
 southern Europe, and that, consequently, Rome was in his 
 rather extensive diocese. Was Pius IX his suffragan? He 
 did not vouchsafe to tell us who had granted him juris- 
 diction. Did southern Europe belong to the Province of 
 Canterbury? How about the time-honored triple branch 
 
 27
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 theory? But we must not look for consistency in such 
 difficult questions." 
 
 For all that, Henry in a letter written at the time, and 
 with the impression still vivid in his mind, declared that 
 "Dr. Dollinger's closing address, in which he traced the 
 rise and growth of the Papacy, was better than a course of 
 lectures." 
 
 While at Bonn he made the acquaintance of the celebrated 
 English preacher, Canon Liddon, of St. Paul's Cathedral, 
 London, who was present at the conference. This was 
 really fortunate, for it provided him with a friend to intro- 
 duce him to the Dons at Oxford, of which university Dr. 
 Liddon was a professor. 
 
 To Oxford, then, he went in the fall of 1875, his friend 
 and fellow-student from the General Theological Seminary 
 accompanying him. As they intended to spend only a year 
 there, they thought it useless to attach themselves to any 
 of the colleges, so they were what is known as unattached, 
 or students-at-large, "a very suitable condition," he ob- 
 serves, "for young Americans." 
 
 They had charming rooms in a little house on the Iffley 
 Road, in front of which was the broad, level stretch of 
 Christ Church Meadows. The Convent of the Cowley 
 Fathers, as they are commonly called, was quite near. 
 Thither Van Rensselaer went every morning and evening, 
 mingled with the "Fathers," and was much impressed by 
 their austerity. Indeed, it is surprising that he was not 
 at this time formally received into their community. 
 
 The Cowley Fathers are not unknown in America. They 
 have at least two churches in the United States, the "Old" 
 Advent in Boston and St. Clement's in Philadelphia, As 
 Van Rensselaer saw so much of them at Oxford, a short 
 
 28
 
 GERMANY* AND OXFORD 
 
 account of this community from his pen, with characteristic 
 comments, may be of interest : 
 
 "The Convent of the Cowley Fathers was founded by 
 x Father Benson, who \vas a fellow of Christ Church, I be- 
 lieve, and an Anglican minister. He was a man of large 
 fortune, which he spent in building the monastery, in sup- 
 porting the brethren, and in charitable works. Personally 
 he was unprepossessing, carried his head always on one side, 
 was i -ually unkempt and untidy. He was certainly pious 
 in his own way, and self-sacrificing. He preached with 
 great earnestness, but in a very nasal tone. The title of 
 the community was Society of St. John Evangelist, and the 
 Fathers were consequently S.S.J.E., not unlike the Jesuits, 
 who are S. J. Moreover, they followed the exact rule of the 
 Society of Jesus, but in an exaggerated way, and wore in 
 different material the dress usually worn by the Jesuits in 
 Europe: a cassock with girdle, a long cloak and broad- 
 brimmed hat. They made themselves very conspicuous by 
 appearing in public streets, in railway cars and on steam- 
 ships, in full costume, to the astonishment of most behold- 
 ers. As I have already hinted, they recite daily the Brevi- 
 ary, but in English. The Jesuits make an annual eight-day 
 retreat, and twice in their religious lives a thirty-day retreat 
 preparatory to their first and last vows. Their imitators, 
 like most imitators, overdo the originals by prescribing a 
 yearly retreat of thirty days. In other matters the same 
 spirit of exaggeration manifests itself. Although only a 
 score or so in number, they scour the world, preaching, 
 giving retreats and hearing confessions. From whom 
 they get this universal mission and jurisdiction is so pro- 
 found a mystery that not even they themselves pretend 
 to give a solution. Tn fact, these two matters, mission and 
 
 29
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 jurisdiction, are quietly ignored. If any explanation is in- 
 sisted upon, these powers are claimed to be received in 
 ordination. Now, supposing that Anglican Orders were 
 valid, which we do not admit, they would only confer the 
 powers of the priesthood radically, and for their exercise 
 the further power of mission and jurisdiction are required. 
 We might give an example from the army and navy. A 
 man may receive the appointment of a captaincy. The 
 appointing gives the rank, but the exercise of the duty 
 requires the further designation of the regiment and the 
 company. Furthermore, a captain assigned to a company 
 in one regiment may not lawfully exercise authority as 
 captain of a company in another. So a priest requires, be- 
 sides the powers received in the sacrament of Holy Orders, 
 faculties from his ordinary, the bishop of the diocese, for 
 the exercise of those powers. The priest is appointed over 
 a certain parish or mission by his bishop, and over it lie 
 has jurisdiction, but he may not rove around outside of his 
 own limits and perform priestly acts. 
 
 "So strict is the discipline of the Church that a priest in 
 good standing in his own diocese, for instance, New York, 
 could not pass over the ferry to New Jersey or Long Island 
 and exercise his ministry without the permission and appro- 
 bation of the Bishop of Newark or of Brooklyn. For uni- 
 versal ministry there must be a universal mission and juris- 
 diction, which belongs to the Apostolic See alone. Hence in 
 the Catholic Church the Pope exercises this universal au- 
 thority over the whole flock of Christ, and designates, or at 
 least approves, the erection of dioceses, of vicariates apos- 
 tolic and their incumbents. Compare the perfect order and 
 discipline in the Church with the go-as-you-please methods 
 among Protestant ministers.'' 
 
 30
 
 GERMANY AND OXFORD 
 
 While at the University of Oxford, Van Rensselaer's re- 
 lations with some of the noted men there were of the 
 friendliest kind. Chief among these were Canon Liddon 
 and Dr. King, late Bishop of Lincoln. 
 
 "Cannon Liddon," he says, "gave very profoundly crit- 
 ical views on the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans. His 
 exegesis of the Greek was admirable, though extremely 
 technical. But it was an education in the art of studying 
 the original text." 
 
 The canon was undoubtedly one of the ablest of the 
 passing generation of Anglican Churchmen, and a worthy 
 successor of the giants of the Oxford movement. Most of 
 his sermons have been published and show great erudition, 
 particularly in Catholic theology. With him Van Rensse- 
 laer was on terms of easy familiarity, which was the occa- 
 sion in later life of many pleasant reminiscences. The great 
 man impressed him deeply and no doubt had a marked 
 influence in shaping his career. He speaks of him always 
 with respect, and at times with a glow of enthusiastic ad- 
 miration. Thus he tells us : 
 
 "I used to see a great deal of Canon Liddon. It is 
 strange how small incidents leave their impression. One 
 day I was invited to lunch with him. To my horror the 
 only dish provided was one of sweetbreads. Now I had 
 never been able to school myself to eat them, as I had a 
 repulsion for liver, kidneys and things of that ilk. I could 
 not disgrace my breeding by refusing the only dish, so I 
 conquered my antipathy then and there. He had proposed 
 a long walk in the country for that day. I kept the appoint- 
 ment, although walking seemed out of the question, as it 
 had poured down rain for several days, and the lowlands 
 of Oxford were flooded. I never for a moment imagined 
 
 31
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 the possibility of a walk under such conditions. But the 
 Doctor remarked casually that he supposed I was prepared 
 for the walk. 'Do you intend to go?' I asked. 'Certainly,' 
 said he, 'I always carry out my plans. Will you go?' Was 
 an Englishman to challenge an American and find him 
 wanting? 
 
 " 'Of course I shall go,' I replied, determined not to be 
 outdone, though in my mind thinking it perfect folly. So 
 the walk was taken, if it could be called a walk. It was 
 rather a wade, and in several places we had to use rowboats 
 as extemporized ferries where the roads were flooded. It 
 was a life lesson for me to learn from this successful lec- 
 turer and preacher the determination that overcomes all 
 obstacles. Many pleasant and instructive rambles were 
 taken in the company of that great man. I attended some 
 of his Advent sermons under the dome of St. Paul's, where 
 about five thousand persons assembled to hear him, as he 
 ranked foremost among the preachers of the Establishment. 
 He read his sermons, but so skilfully that one scarcely 
 realized it. He had, however, an unpleasant habit of throw- 
 ing up his head continually, as if to give greater resonance 
 to his voice. And he made such efforts to be heard that, 
 he told me, he was exhausted for three days after. He 
 was very popular among the students, and was reputed to 
 be the spiritual adviser of many of them." 
 
 There was an attempt on Van Rensselaer's part to be- 
 come enrolled as a member of Dr. Pusey's class, but he met 
 with discomfiture. He records the incident as follows : 
 
 *'I rather plumed myself on my knowledge of Hebrew 
 at that time, as I had studied it two years in the General 
 Theological Seminary. So I paid a visit to Dr. Pusey, who 
 enveloped me completely in a wet blanket. He inquired if 
 
 32
 
 GERMANY AND OXFORD 
 
 I were conversant with Aramaic, Chaldaic, Syriac, Arabic, 
 and I do not recall how many other oriental tongues. On 
 my answering 1 in a very crestfallen way that they were all 
 unknown to me, he said that his lectures on Daniel would 
 l>e quite useless, as they presupposed such knowledge. No- 
 ticing my drooping spirits, he added encouragingly that I 
 might acquire a sufficient acquaintance with them in two 
 years to profit by his class, and that then I might attend. 
 He little appreciated the spirit of rush that animates Ameri- 
 cans. I was not altogether sorry, as I was not at all drawn 
 to the great leader of the Oxford movement. He was not 
 prepossessing in appearance or manner, and I wondered 
 wherein his influence lay. Nor was I changed in my judg- 
 ment when I afterwards heard him preach at St. Mary's, 
 the University Church, in all the glory of a doctor's scarlet 
 gown." 
 
 Another eminent Oxford Don whose kindness of heart 
 always appealed to Van Rensselaer was Dr. King, the pres- 
 ent Anglican Bishop of Lincoln. Contrasting him with 
 Dr. Pusey, he says : 
 
 "A very different type of man was Dr. King. Canon of 
 Christ Church and Regius Professor of Pastoral Theology. 
 He lived in Christ Church quadrangle with his mother, a 
 deaj old lady, and they formed the most charming couple. 
 The canon was gentleness and considerateness personified. 
 He was not a learned man, but was well read, and had a 
 heart overflowing with sympathy. He lectured familiarly 
 on Liturgies, and endeavored to show that the Book of 
 Common Prayer was in full accord with the primitive litur- 
 gies. He appeared, however, to best advantage when he 
 gathered a select few of the theological students in a little 
 oratory he had arranged in the quadrangle. Thither we 
 
 33
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 resorted at night to hear a simple talk from his heart on the 
 work of the ministry. He advised the leaving open of the 
 clergyman's house-door at night, in order that poor Nico- 
 demuses, fearful of being seen by day, might seek counsel 
 unseen at night. The advice of the good canon might be 
 suitable in paradise, but rather risky in our state of civiliza- 
 tion. We were great friends, and I used to go early morn- 
 ings to assist him in a sort of mass which was celebrated 
 in the quaintest little mediaeval Gothic chapel, attached to 
 an old convent then used by the Anglican Sisters of St. 
 John Baptist as a reformatory for girls. Dr. King would 
 array himself in colored silken vestments, and, at a very 
 Catholic-looking altar, with my assistance, perform what 
 was called a celebration of the Eucharist. In the early 
 morning he was very 'high,' but at noon in the cathedral 
 he was quite Mow,' wore the old-fashioned surplice down 
 to the heels, and took the northward position at the com- 
 munion table, of which the chief ornaments were two huge 
 brass alms-basins stood up on edge. I never could exactly 
 account for this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde conduct of the 
 canon. But he was otherwise so good and lovable." 
 
 The inconsistencies in religious worship at Oxford did 
 not escape Van Rensselaer's notice and they had a share, no 
 doubt, in undermining whatever belief he had in the An- 
 glican position. As he observes in his narrative : 
 
 "Many a pre-Reformation custom has survived the 
 change of religion, although they have become in most in- 
 stances meaningless; for instance, the bidding prayers in the 
 various chapels and in the university church for deceased 
 founders and benefactors. Under the Protestant regime 
 they are senseless, for the Established Church legislated Pur- 
 gatory out of existence, and therefore she does not pray for
 
 GERMANY AND OXFORD 
 
 the departed, for what would be the use? If they are in 
 heaven or hell, they cannot be benefited by prayers. So the 
 prayers are omitted, and only the names read out, probably 
 for a perpetual memory of those whose benefactions have 
 gone so far astray from the intention of the pious donors, 
 and who, if they could return to life, would most certainly 
 not recognize as their beneficiaries those who protest against 
 the articles of the old faith so dear to their hearts. One 
 cannot help being impressed by this act at every turn in the 
 old university town. On all sides are the superb monuments 
 of the ancient faith of England, proofs of the love of the 
 founders for that faith, and of their desire to have it pre- 
 served and strengthened by a broad education. Many of the 
 establishments were originally monastic. In other cases the 
 professors were clerics, or if not, were at least celibates. 
 Strangely enough, this last obligation holds to-day in some 
 of the colleges, in which the fellows forfeit their fellowship 
 upon marriage. 
 
 "One of the most striking cases in Oxford of the over- 
 turning of the intentions of the founders is that of All 
 Souls' College. It was founded in the fourteenth century 
 as a chantry for, I think, twenty fellows, whose duty was 
 to offer Mass and pray for the souls of those who fell in 
 the battles of Crecy and Agincourt. The present holders of 
 the revenues are simply men of letters, like the late Max 
 Miiller, who are not obliged to believe anything and cer- 
 tainly cannot, if they would, do anything for the souls of 
 those for whose sake the ample foundation was made. 
 While we were in Oxford, some repairs l>cing necessary in 
 the chapel of that college, a superbly carved marble reredos 
 was discovered. This the iconoclastic reformers of the six- 
 teenth century had seriouslv damaged, and had destroyed 
 
 35
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 the statues that once stood in the rich, Gothic, canopied 
 niches. Not satisfied with partial destruction, they had plas- 
 tered up the whole reredos so that it seemed only a plain 
 wall. This was a common occurrence in England, and the 
 substitute for the crucifix was the royal coat-of-arms, the 
 lion and the dragon rampant, typical indeed of those who 
 had banished the Lamb of God from His dwelling-place in 
 the tabernacle of the altar." 
 
 As the Christmas vacation covered several weeks, Van 
 Rensselaer proposed spending the time in a pilgrimage to 
 the Holy Land, and made all the necessary arrangements. 
 In an unlucky moment he informed the Cowley Fathers of 
 his intention and they entreated him to forego it, on the 
 plea that to pass the time in a sort of retreat in their house 
 would be for his greater spiritual advantage, and a better 
 preparation for the reception of holy orders. He allowed 
 himself to be persuaded and abandoned the projected trip, 
 and so lost his only chance of visiting the sacred places of 
 Palestine. "I have always borne a grudge," he says, "to 
 those who deprived me of this golden opportunity." The 
 holidays were spent in great part in religious exercises in 
 the private chapel of the "monastery." These began at 5 
 o'clock in the morning with the recital of the Divine Office, 
 the Breviary in English. Then came a meditation and 
 mass (?). The whole day was well filled with pious read- 
 ing, meditation and reciting of the Office. He even took 
 his meals with the community, and "very frugal ones they 
 were and not over-appetizing." 
 
 36
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD. 
 
 DURING his stay at Oxford, Van Rensselaer wrote once 
 a week with great fidelity to an intimate friend in 
 America, who had been a fellow-student with him at the 
 General Theological Seminary, and to whom he refers in 
 the autobiographical sketch as having been received with 
 him into the Catholic Church. 
 
 These letters, with proper omissions, are given here in 
 the order in which they were written. Besides throwing 
 light on his own narrative, which was put together a gen- 
 eration later, they are descriptive of interesting phases of 
 his religious life and its development. 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "October 10, 1875. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . Wednesday we took a trip into the country. 
 It was a perfect day, clear as i>ossib!e and delightfully cool. 
 NYe started off at eight o'clock for Warwick, as we were 
 anxious to see the famous castle. The exterior is very im- 
 posing, and the grounds beautiful, the Avon flowing through 
 them. I was rather disgusted with the interior. Such a 
 chapel! they certainly could not say: 'We have an altar.' 
 And no ornament of any kind ! We were led through several 
 rooms where there was nothing unique or interesting except 
 
 3M 
 I
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 one or two pictures. One of Sir Philip Sidney, an original 
 of Raphael, a Madonna and Child, with saints, among them 
 your patron, St. Francis of Assisi, and a lovely face he had, 
 too. I should like you to have seen it. We were also fortu- 
 nate enough to have the privilege of seeing the bed in which 
 her gracious majesty, Queen Anne, passed the night; also 
 her travelling trunk. It was rather a bore, as we have seen 
 so much of that sort of thing, but an Englishwoman who 
 was also being led around, seemed much impressed; evi- 
 dently she was green at it. I disgusted the major-domo by 
 asking him if any one lived in the castle, being ignorant that 
 there was still an 'Head' of Warwick. We rather enjoyed 
 going up on the old walls, and up the tower, but the best 
 thing was an old woman at the gate who had a small room 
 full of mementos of Guy, 'Head' of Warwick, who lived 
 about 900, and was a giant, being, as she said, 7 feet 11 
 inches, or, as she added for our instruction, 8 feet lacking 
 one inch. There was a huge iron porringer belonging to the 
 said 'Hearl,' which had been used at the last 'Head's' 
 majority for a punch bowl. She said 'hit 'olds one 'undred 
 gallons of brandy, one 'undred gallons of rum, one 'undred 
 pounds of sugar, fifty gallons of water, hand horanges, hand 
 lemons hin proportion.' The manner of jerking this out 
 was the most absurd thing, and just think, on the eventful 
 day this bowl was filled three times with punch. We nearly 
 exploded with laughter at her manner and tried to beat a 
 hasty retreat, but she begged us to wait for we hadn't had 
 the best thing yet, whereupon she seized an iron flesh hook 
 and beat upon the porringer to show us that it was not 
 cracked, till we thought our tympanums were, and so rushed 
 out. Next we went in a carriage to Kenilworth, five miles 
 off, having been enticed by a most 'insinuating' driver. 
 
 38
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 . . . On the way we stopped at a place which he said 
 we must see; we tried to refuse, but he said, 'You misses a 
 treat if you misses that,' and appeared so sorrowful that to 
 please him we went over the house, which was nine hundred 
 years old, but nothing remarkable about it except some hid- 
 eous pictures by a young gentleman of the family who, 
 either in despair at his attempts, or from the melancholy at 
 beholding them, deceased at the early age of twenty-two. 
 Some of his subjects were Shylock, Lady Macbeth, and the 
 Cave of Despair, representing two wretches starving to 
 death. Can you imagine a more unhealthy brain ? 
 
 "At length we reached Kenilworth, which is entirely in 
 ruins, picturesque but, to me, who had only an indistinct re- 
 membrance of Amy Robsart and the Earl of Leicester, not 
 particularly interesting. . . . Now we wanted to pro- 
 ceed to Stratford-on-Avon, and again the 'insinuating' 
 coachy 'insinuated' himself and carriage, picturing to us 
 the delights of driving in the country, the roads being, he 
 said, as straight and level as a skittle ground. So, as it 
 was pleasant, again we yielded, thereby spending some more 
 money needlessly. We drove eight miles more and were 
 landed on Charlecote Park, still in the Lucy family, and we 
 walked across the Park where Shakespeare had l>een arrested 
 for poaching, and which was full of such lovely deer, and 
 then we were to walk about two miles and so reach Strat- 
 ford, at least so said our 'insinuating' coachman, but alas, 
 he was a fraud, or at least bad at figures, for he should have 
 multiplied two by two, and then would have been nearer the 
 truth, for we walked and walked; at last, however, we 
 reached our point, the church. The medallion did not seem 
 to me at all like any picture of Will I had ever seen, and in- 
 stead of being white, is painted mi natnrcl. The church is 
 
 30
 
 LIFE OF H'ENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 now in Catholic hands, I am thankful to say.* We were 
 intensely disappointed in Stratford itself, expecting a pretty 
 little village and finding a commonplace town of ten thou- 
 sand inhabitants. The old house had just been furbished up 
 and looked very spick and span. We got back to Oxford 
 at 9 P. M., after a very pleasant day's excursion. 
 
 "We had a treat to-day. Dr. Pusey preached this morn- 
 ing at the Cathedral. He is not nearly so ugly as his pic- 
 ture makes him. He is short and thick-set, rather stooping, 
 bending under his weight of years and cares ; he is seventy- 
 five. As he preached,- the sunlight streamed round his head, 
 giving the appearance of a glory, and being raised above us, 
 we did not see the skull-cap; he is a dear old man, with such 
 a sweet expression and intellectual. He preached on prayer; 
 a beautiful sermon, so simple and yet so true. 
 
 "I am reading ahead, but I have a wretched memory. 
 I don't see how any one who has read Pusey on the Real 
 Presence in the Church of England, 'and the Fathers, can 
 help being convinced, unless he be possessed of invincible 
 ignorance. I suppose the lectures will begin next week; the 
 term is quite short, only a little more than six weeks. Won't 
 it be delightful to go to the Holy Land or Italy? 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 *Throughout these letters the word Catholic is invariably used 
 for Anglican. 
 
 40
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "October 17, 1875. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . Speaking about Absolution, I did not remem- 
 ber, if I ever knew, that our Protestant Episcopal Church 
 had left out that very useful little rubric in the Visitation 
 Office about urging to a special confession, as also the 
 direct form of Absolution . It was brought to my attention 
 by Dr. King's saying that he made great capital of it in 
 his lectures on the prayer book, whereupon I looked it up, 
 and alas, our dear P. E. C. had omitted it. I have not had 
 a chance to hear what remedy he can suggest consistent 
 with the rubrics; for in the Visitation of Prisoners we are 
 told to use the form of Absolution in the Communion Office. 
 I will see the dear soul to-morrow morning after Celebra- 
 tion at the Sisters' little chapel, where I go every Monday. 
 He is the most sympathetic and safe counsellor one could 
 desire; he has been exceedingly polite, and invited me to 
 dinner on Wednesday. . . . 
 
 "Oxford is full now ; all the graduates and fellows have 
 returned. I must say I am disappointed in their appearance; 
 they have not the style that elegant Americans possess so 
 eminently. We had a very excellent sermon this morning 
 at St. Mary the Virgin, before the University. It was by 
 the Dean of Rochester, Dr. Scott. Strange to say, his co- 
 lexicographer, Liddell, also discoursed this morning at the 
 Cathedral. The service consisted of enumerating all the 
 tilings for which one ought to l>e thankful and pray, a whole 
 Catalogue of the founders of Colleges, concluding with the 
 Lord's prayer, said by Dr. Scott, solo. The first was the 
 'bidding prayer,' so that the whole service consisted of the 
 
 41
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Lord's prayer and the Sermon, a beautiful one on To me 
 to die,' etc., and very spiritual. He has a sweet voice and 
 excellent delivery. For early celebration we went as usual 
 to St. Cross. . . . Father Benson is always preaching 
 on the same subject, the Eucharist, and one gets rather 
 weary of hearing the same thing. This afternoon I went to 
 the children's service at St. Barnabas', and was as much 
 pleased as ever; lots of young men. This week is the 
 dedication festival, and Dr. King preaches there to-morrow 
 night. 
 
 "This week the lectures begin ; Liddon three times a week, 
 Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 11 to 12. I be- 
 lieve he also has a Bible class Sunday evenings. Dr. King's 
 are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, from 11 to 12. Dr. 
 Bright, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 12 to 1, on 
 the Extracts in Eusebius. As I have been reading West- 
 cott on the Canon, I see the great importance of Eusebius 
 and his testimony for establishing the authenticity of the 
 Canonical Books, and so I am going to the lectures. He also 
 lectures on the Canons of Chalcedon on Tuesdays at 12. 
 Dr. Pusey lectures Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 9, 
 on the Psalms after the 50th. I am in a quandary what to 
 do. I fear he is too far advanced in Hebrew for me, but I 
 should like to hear him occasionally, on the 51st for in- 
 stance. The poor Evangelists [Father Benson's Order] 
 have to write Hebrew prose compositions. . . . It is 
 very hard to keep up to my good resolutions; sometimes I 
 am almost discouraged, but am still struggling on. Of 
 course one always finds it hard to break old habits, and then 
 sometimes one's companions are a little aggravating. On; 
 pro nobis. There has been a Priests' Retreat here, seventy 
 of them; it looked exactly like a large brotherhood as they 
 
 42
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 passed here daily on their way to the church, all in their 
 cassocks, a great many in priests' cloaks, sonic few with 
 short Roman Catholic capes and birettas. Is the Catholic 
 movement a failure, think you? All four of the Bishop's 
 chaplains were present, and last week Father Benson gave 
 a Retreat at the Bishop's Palace. Would that our Bishops 
 would show themselves indeed Fathers in God! Speaking 
 of them, I hear Father Horatio (Potter) spoke highly hi 
 Convention of my dear Sisters' German work. I regret 
 to say that I have been suffering from rheumatism, owing 
 to the. damp weather and cold church of the Evangelist 
 Fathers. I hope it will not be serious as my family would 
 say it was a judgment on my coming here in spite of the 
 Bishop. 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "October 24, 1875. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . This has been a week of weeks for me, since 
 I have now made Dr. Liddon's acquaintance. Tuesday 
 was the day for registering names for his lectures, so I 
 went to his rooms. I mentioned my name to him, saying I 
 had met him at Bonn, whereui>on he appeared to remem- 
 l>er me and said we must know each other, that he would 
 be very busy for a day or two, but would I come and 
 breakfast with him on Saturday? As you may readily 
 imagine I did not decline. . . . Was it not a very kind 
 and encouraging reception? He lectured twice last week, 
 and very interestingly. The room is perfectly quiet; no 
 
 43
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 one dreams of speaking or asking questions. He is now 
 on the 'seventh chapter of Romans. He gave me an analysis 
 of the preceding chapters, and I got him to write my name 
 on it, as coming from him. 
 
 "It is very awkward getting from one lecture-room to 
 another, for Dr. Liddon lectures in the Clarendon Building, 
 quite a distance from Christ Church, and we have to run 
 and even then come in late. It is very unpleasant, as we 
 are rather marked by being the only students not wearing 
 caps and gowns. Apparently the same men do not go 
 to Dr. Liddon's and Dr. Bright's lectures, which are on 
 the same day. We go, however, and what is more, intend 
 going. 
 
 "We were most favorably impressed by Dr. Bright. He 
 is extremely interesting, has a very brisk and vivacious style 
 and is full of humor. His subject is, 'The Fragments in 
 Eusebius' History.' Last time it was upon the missionary 
 labors, martyrdom, etc., of St. Thomas, St. Andrew, and 
 the question of St. Peter's stay in Rome. I found it quite 
 delightful, particularly as I have been reading about the 
 testimonies of the Fathers, in Westcott. Dr. Bright, al- 
 though intensely Catholic and poetical, attaches the proper 
 value to apocryphal legends, as beautiful, sometimes, but 
 not of course of historical importance. He lectures on Tues- 
 days on the Canons of Chalcedon, so that we shall have 
 Canon Law. 
 
 "Thursday was my birthday, and I have now attained the 
 venerable age of twenty-four, and am beginning to feel the 
 weight of years. I celebrated the event by going to London 
 to stay with an aunt and cousin who had just arrived from 
 home, and it was a pleasure to see them. My mother sent 
 me over by them a beautiful pair of sleeve buttons, black 
 
 44
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD , 
 
 onyx, with my monogram engraved in white; no gold set- 
 ting showing; they are exquisite, but too handsome for poor 
 'Brother Heinrich.' I went to a nice celebration at All 
 Saints, Margaret Street. I was only a day and a night in 
 London and then gladly returned to Oxford, although I 
 had a very pleasant visit. 
 
 "I am sure you are anxious to hear about my breakfast 
 with Dr. Liddon. It took place in a little cosy room open- 
 ing into his large library. We were tete-a-tete. For love 
 of him I ate sweetbreads. I think first we had fish, and he 
 had to retire with a bone in his throat. Then came what he 
 did not speak of by name, but I fear, were what I never 
 could eat before, sweetbreads ; but you would rather hear of 
 him. Well, he is rather short, but not noticeably so; his 
 head quite large, his complexion dark, his eyes dark, ex- 
 pressive and beautiful; his eyebrows nearly meet, his nose 
 rather large and aquiline, his mouth quite large, his teeth 
 white and regular without being handsome, his chin decided, 
 his hair grayish and worn rather short, and small ul tramon- 
 tanes; his manner of speaking earnest, his laugh simple and 
 hearty, his clothes not well cut, as if he did not trouble about 
 them. He is rather quiet, so that I had to do most of the 
 talking. These men never make one feel out of ease or pal- 
 pably ignorant ; anything they tell you they tell it as if very 
 likely you knew it already. We talked chiefly about travel- 
 ing and the Conference. The Cathedral service at ten gave 
 me warning when to make my exit. T said to him that he 
 must let me walk with him sometimes (it is the custom 
 here), and he said at once, 'When shall it be? A bird in the 
 hand, etc. Will you come to-day at two and walk?' Of 
 course I gladly .accepted, being delighted to think that I had 
 not tared him, and that he could stand any more of my so- 
 
 45
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 ciety the same day. At two I presented myself. The weather 
 was showery, and the walking- shockingly muddy ; the whole 
 neighborhood is flooded, roads, fields, etc. I thought very 
 likely the Doctor would not venture out, being delicate, but 
 he never omits his walks, so off we started to see the progress 
 of the floods. Having begun, nothing would stop him, so 
 we walked in water up to our ankles, and in one place we 
 had actually to get into a punt to go from one part of the 
 road to the other; but he stuck to his purpose, although he 
 was very polite and offered frequently to turn back if I 
 wanted, but naturally where he could go, I was going too. 
 and though it rained hard he minded it not a bit. He said 
 he hated to be balked. Truly it was a grand sermon for me. 
 who am too ready to turn back and give up. I think I shan't 
 forget the lesson. We were gone three hours. He ex- 
 pressed great sorrow at having been the means of getting 
 me such a wetting, and hoped we should have a pleasanter 
 day the next time, which would be soon. 
 
 "Liddon never preaches here, and is not going to have 
 his Bible class now; perhaps he may next term. You 
 asked about his way of pronouncing. It does not strike 
 me as being decidedly broad or flat, but I think inclined 
 rather towards the latter. He has also rather a pretty 
 stutter. 
 
 "On St. Luke's Day, in the evening, we went to St. Bar- 
 nabas'. Tt was the week of Dedication Festival, and al- 
 though a week day, a large congregation was present. The 
 service was very nice, with incense at the Magnificat and 
 during the procession. Canon King preached a beautiful 
 sermon on 'Only Luke is with me,' deducing from it the 
 lesson of finishing one's friendships. St. Luke having urrit- 
 tcn fu'o books for the perfecting of one friend, also from 
 
 46
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 his constancy to St. Paul through thick and thin, he dilated 
 on the little trouble we were willing to take for our friends. 
 It came with great force. He alluded most affectingly to 
 the late Bishop Forbes. Dr. Liddon told me the last time 
 he had walked in the fields in which we were walking had 
 been with Bishop Forbes. 
 
 "Dr. King preached to-day at the Cathedral on the 
 Golden Rule as usual, excellent. Dr. Liddon has not cut 
 him out at all in my affections. This afternoon we heard 
 Mr. Curteis at St. Mary the Virgin; a very interesting 
 sermon on Christ, the image of the invisible God, dealing 
 with all the philosophic and scientific attempts of the day to 
 find out God by the human intellect, and the utter futility 
 of it. He is the author, you know, of 'Dissent and Church 
 of England/ He is quite young and has a very good face 
 and voice. I have abandoned the idea of attending Dr. 
 Pusey's lectures. Liddon says the old Doctor devotes him- 
 self chiefly to the text, and to refuting objections which he 
 takes for granted every one knows. I have bought Keil 
 and Delitzsch and will study by myself. . . . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORO. 
 
 "November 7, 1875. 
 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . It is very refreshing to hear of a good class at 
 the Seminary, and also that my friends arc getting on well. 
 I have really so much to write that I don't know where to 
 begin ; and so, as is often the way, I shall probably end by 
 
 47
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 forgetting the half that I would say. I heard an interest- 
 ing sermon last Sunday at the University Church, by Mr. 
 Ffoulkes, on the evidences of Christianity. He brought for- 
 ward a new one, the fact that all the records of antiquity, 
 classics, history, everything were due to Christian care. If. 
 then, the classical authors are accepted as genuine and who 
 doubts them? then, as certainly, must the writings of the 
 Evangelists and Apostles receive the same treatment at the 
 hands of the critics. It seemed like sound reasoning, and 
 the persons to whom I have spoken about it consider it so. 
 
 "... A great feature of the lecture room is the 
 perfect quiet that reigns there; no one thinks of speak- 
 ing either to the lecturer or to his neighbor. There does 
 not seem to be much sociability among the men ; as a 
 rule, they do not know each other ; of course I am speaking 
 about University lectures, and not the college ones. Per- 
 haps, too, the Theologs are more sober in their deport- 
 ment, but I have never seen anything but the most dignified 
 behavior in the streets or elsewhere. I did not expect to 
 find so young a set of men ; to be sure, at the schools one 
 sees older men who are studying for their degrees, but the 
 generality are not older than the men at our colleges. The 
 Divinity students, with whom I am most thrown, would 
 compare favorably, I think, with our seminarians, though 
 there are some scrubby looking fellows one, who exasper- 
 ates me by going regularly to Dr. Liddon's lectures, and as 
 regularly reading books on Physical Geography, etc., all the 
 time. I suppose he goes merely to have his name down as 
 keeping so many terms. 
 
 "Dr. Bright continues to interest me very much, and as 
 for Dr. King, he is perfect. There is not a single thing 
 about him that T could wish changed ; his lectures are very 
 
 48
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 interesting, and he has a splendid way of stating good Cath- 
 olic doctrine, so that people cannot take alarm or offense; 
 not that he minces matters or is in the least underhand. 
 He gives a meditation on some point of the priestly life 
 every Friday evening, in a little oratory he has arranged 
 with a prie-dieu and a large picture of The Light of the 
 World. He has a little organ also and wears a surplice 
 and stole. He opens with a hymn and prayer and closes in 
 like manner; then he sits down between whiles, looking like 
 the dear saint he is, and talks, oh so beautifully about the 
 true priest's life. There are about fifty or sixty men who 
 attend. It is entirely a labor of love, as, of course, it does 
 not belong to the University course. Think of exerting 
 such an influence on so many men! None but a devoted, 
 unselfish man would do it, for of course it takes time, and 
 he has a great many demands upon him. He never refuses 
 to see anybody, however busy he may be, but gives a few 
 minutes to every one. 
 
 "I hear there is a kind of conspiracy against the splendid 
 Christ Church quartette, to try to break it up; at least it 
 seems so. Dr. Liddon is spoken of as Bishop of Brechin. 
 and Dr. King as Bishop of Bombay. . Would it not be out- 
 rageous to take them away from the place where they wield 
 so much power? I hope these are only unfounded rumors, 
 or that, at any rate, they will not accept. Surely a State 
 appointment could not be twisted into a call from above, 
 so as to necessitate an acceptance. 
 
 "Have I ever abused the Cowley Fathers in my letters 
 to you? If so, I retract; they are high in favor. I have 
 just come back from Even-song at their church ; it was 
 crowded. I noticed some "of our fellow theologs there, 
 which augurs well. They have been keeping up a kind of 
 
 I 1 .'
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 i dedication festival ever since the 18th of October, and 
 have a procession with cross and banners around the church 
 every Sunday evening. The Father preached a good ser- 
 mon, too. 
 
 "This morning I went to St. Barnabas'. They have an 
 attractive service there always, and the singing is grand in 
 its heartiness. They sing in unison, and use Gregorian 
 tones. The vicar preached a sermon demonstrating from the 
 Bible, especially from Revelations, the propriety of using 
 incense. It was good enough, but rather trivial. They gave 
 an illustration of the use of it which of course suited me 
 very well. I saw lots of theologs there. 
 
 "I am struggling on and up, I hope. It is wonderful 
 how, as the spiritual life deepens, one appreciates the beauty 
 and use of things before unappreciated. Now, as one draws 
 closer to the head, one learns the truth and meaning of the 
 Communion of Saints, and realizes that one must make 
 mention of those who have finished their course in faith and 
 hat the Blessed Saints have an interest in him as one of 
 the elect whose consummation they are praying for and 
 anxiously expecting. 
 
 "The epistle to Philemon was \ jad this morning as a 
 second lesson. I immediately thought of you, for surely it 
 expresses our relationship; it was the coming to learn how 
 to serve the Lord that threw us together; surely that same 
 Blessed Lord will ever protect and cement the purest of all 
 friendships one begun, continued, and I trust it may be 
 ended in Him. . .. . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 50
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "November 14, 1875. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 " . . . I have not so very much to tell you this week, 
 still what little there is you shall have. I thought I ought 
 to have another walk with Canon Liddon, so I stopped to 
 speak to him before the lecture and asked him whether he 
 was not going to give me another walk. He received me 
 very kindly, and said he would that very day, Monday, so 
 I went after him at lunch time, and then we started off. It 
 was a lovely day, and we went up to the hills. He talks so 
 pleasantly and kindly that one feels at perfect ease with 
 him at least I do. I asked him what he thought about 
 taking vows of celibacy. We had quite a long talk about it. 
 He seems to think it perfectly right to do so, of course, after 
 very serious consideration. He naturally favors the single 
 state, although not disparaging marriage before ordination, 
 a canon of the undivided church, as you know, forbidding 
 marriage of priests. I thought Mr. Olmsted believed in 
 the Church and the faith, which he used to emphasize, but 
 when bishops set the example what can be expected ? It is 
 horrid about Bishop Hare. I would rather die at my post, 
 and so would Liddon. He expressed himself so, apropos 
 of Bishop Roger. 
 
 "I consulted my angelic Dr. King on the same subject 
 some time ago. He is a celibate himself, you know, but has 
 never actually taken any vow, I understood him to say. 
 He does not disapprove of them, but said that circumstances, 
 temptations and temperaments would decide as to their ne- 
 cessity. He advised me to consult Mr. Carter, but, as I told 
 him, I considered his advice as good as any one's; in fact. 
 
 51
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 better, inasmuch as he is a practiser of all that he preaches. 
 I have quite decided upon the step, the time only is uncer- 
 tain. If I had gone to the Holy Land at Christmas time, 
 as I had thought of doing, I think I should have taken the 
 vow at the Holy Sepulchre or one of the sacred places; but 
 now that I have nearly come to the conclusion that it would 
 be more profitable to stay here quietly and study, I shall 
 have to settle upon another time and place. But, to return 
 to the Canon. 
 
 "We had a very pleasant walk. We talked at some length 
 on the connection of the right belief in the Incarnation and 
 the Eucharist. He is always willing to talk on any subject 
 I introduce. 
 
 "Well, as you know, he invited me to dinner. I went ex- 
 pecting one or two persons, but found a large party, twelve 
 in all. They have an awkward way here of not introducing 
 people, so I thought it would have been very stupid, but it 
 proved otherwise. Our places were not arranged, but I 
 foolishly sat myself clown at the end of the table from 
 Liddon, but was next to Mr. Dodgson, the author of 'Alice 
 in Wonderland.' . He was exceedingly agreeable and amus- 
 ing. Another of the party was Gladstone's youngest son, a 
 refined, handsome fellow. I had a little conversation with 
 him, and altogether we had a very enjoyable time. 
 
 "You cannot conceive how delightful it is to have some 
 one to whom you can go for advice, such as my angelic 
 Dr. King, though he is not my confessor. I was getting 
 a little disheartened at the amount of work I ought to be 
 doing, and the reality. He is always sympathetic and en- 
 couraging. I told him my great defect, the inability to 
 analyze, so the dear soul, entering into my difficulty, took a 
 sermon and analyzed it for me, and said I must write him 
 
 52
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 an analysis of a sermon every week and he would criticize 
 it ; also he would try to systematize my studies more for 
 me. Isn't he one among ten thousand ? Would that we had 
 such men at home ! We had a pleasant Friday evening with 
 him and discussed the subject of Conducting services. As 
 he does everything well himself, he is fitted to teach others. 
 He is very impartial, giving occasionally a warning to the 
 advanced as to the tendency of slurring over the pro- 
 anaphoral service in this particular instance. He is not in 
 the least afraid of speaking Catholic truth, but at the same 
 time he does it so as not to offend. There were more pres- 
 ent than last week ; in fact, the oratory was crowded. 
 
 "I went to the Sisters' little chapel this morning and 
 served for Liddon. He is a beautiful celebrant; every word 
 seems to come from his heart, and he looks so well in the 
 vestments. I had asked his permission to serve the other 
 day, but was not altogether sure he liked it, so I said, after 
 the service, that I hoped he did not mind having a server. 
 He replied, 'Oh, no, it is a great delight to have you,' and 
 called me 'dear friend,' and said we must have another walk 
 soon. At the second service I heard Father Benson, and 
 this afternoon Jowett. What a varied experience in one 
 day. Liddon, Benson, Jowett ! The latter is anything but 
 attractive: a great, round, fat face, with hooked nose and 
 retreating mouth. He wears a very low cut waistcoat, white 
 choker and black gown. It is rather a good thing that he 
 does not affect clerical attire. His sermon was long and 
 utterly commonplace, nothing unorthodox really, but only 
 a low conception. It was on the 'Temple of the Holy 
 Ghost, which temple ye are.' He began with a long ac- 
 count of Solomon's and the second temple, which every one 
 might have known, then the temple of Nature, then our 
 
 53
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 souls. There was not a single original thought or expres- 
 sion, and on such a subject, too! . 
 
 "The chapel of Balliol is handsome; the service, with its 
 very old double Anglican chants, reminded me of the semi- 
 nary. The prayers were said apparently for another con- 
 gregation, for those present never made them theirs by 
 responding. It is the only service I have been to in England 
 where, in place of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, they 
 have sung the Cantate Domino and the Deus Misereatur. 
 The change betrays the Master's hand of Jowett, who prob- 
 ably is unable to appreciate the Hymns of the Incarnation. 
 Such a cold service I do not wish to attend again.' . 
 I am getting on very well, and feel that I am making prog- 
 ress in the art of meditating and in meditation, and I 
 realize as I never could before the great dogmas of our re- 
 ligion. 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "November 21, 1875. 
 "MY DEAR FRANCIS : 
 
 " . . . It is delightful to me to study this .year like 
 a responsible being, and not to be forced to recite verbatim 
 what any received text-book contains. ... I wish you 
 could drop into some of Dr. King's lectures; the last was 
 on Liturgies, some of which he deduced from the writings 
 of Tertullian, Cyprian and Augustine. I was astonished 
 to find them so exactly like, in most respects, our present 
 advanced forms. It is splendid to have all these points 
 forced upon the attention of men who could never dream of 
 reading them for themselves, for when given by such men,
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 in such a way, they are bound to make an impression. 
 And, strange to say, no one is offended. We had a beau- 
 tiful meditation on the Eternal Word before the Incarna- 
 tion; the next two are to be upon the Word Incarnate and 
 on earth ; and then on Him, now in glory. 
 
 "I went to the Sisters' this morning to serv Liddon; he 
 is such a reverent celebrant, though nothing of a ritualist. 
 He called me 'dear friend' again. Is it not strange to be 
 writing about Canon Liddon in such a way? 
 
 "I had to break off here and go to my dinner at Pem- 
 broke. I had a charming time. It was in the large hall, 
 but the men have small tables and kind of mess or club 
 arrangement. . . . Well, after a pleasant dinner we ad- 
 journed to St. Barnabas', which, as usual, was crowded. 
 The sermon was remarkable. It was an attack on Rome, 
 owing to the opening by that communion of a new church 
 here as a kind of proselyting establishment. The building 
 was intended for a Roman Catholic College, of which New- 
 man was to have been the head, but it was squelched, and 
 so they had the building on their hands. They have re- 
 sorted to the expedient of starting a church, although they 
 have no people here to fill it. Mr. Noel, the preacher, was 
 exceedingly violent, and begged no one to be present at the 
 opening of what he would not call a church, by a schismat- 
 ical Bishop for the express purpose of poaching. Every one 
 who went would be guilty of the sin of schism. I did think 
 of going, as I wanted to hear Manning, but I think it would 
 be wrong, and so shall resist. . . . 
 
 "I may go to see Father Corbet of the Fathers of the 
 Holy Ghost, also some of the Sisterhoods and London 
 churches, and, if possible, some retreat. I have traveled 
 much already, and have no excuse for being on the move
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 for change of scene. I am perfectly well, so health is no 
 plea. It is good for me, who have everything so propitious, 
 to begin and make a little sacrifice. I am afraid sometimes 
 when I think that 'to whom much is given from him,' etc., 
 etc. . . . 
 
 God grant that we may work together some day as 
 Brothers. Concentration is strength, and Religious Orders 
 are a standing reminder to a worldly age that true Christian 
 self-abnegation is not a thing of the past nor antagonistic 
 to culture. . . . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 "Advent Sunday, November 28, 1875. 
 
 "My DEAR FRANCIS : 
 
 " . . . There has been great excitement in Oxford 
 about the opening of the Roman Catholic clui.pel, as they 
 call it. They place it on a footing with dissenting meeting- 
 houses, and so will not call it church. Well, of course, 
 all good Catholics stayed away, the Confraternity of the 
 Blessed Sacrament and the Brotherhood of the Holy Trin- 
 ity of Oxford and Cambridge enjoining it, and the Warden 
 of Keble and other colleges speaking very strongly against 
 it. You cannot conceive how very intensely they feel about 
 it, calling it schism and every other ugly name. Undoubt- 
 edly Roman Catholics stand on a very different footing 
 here, and with us. 
 
 "I dined at Keble last Monday. It was quite imposing, 
 as there are one hundred and twenty students; they all rose 
 as the Dons passed by, my humble self among them. Rev. 
 
 56
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 Mr. Mylnc, my entertainer, is a very agreeable and genial 
 man. 
 
 "Dr. King has been lecturing on the part of Hooker we 
 studied last year and has made it exceedingly interesting. 
 I can hardly believe it to be the same as what we had to 
 recite to Dr. liuel. Dr. King throws love into every dogma, 
 and life at the same time. I am quite encouraged at my 
 ability to understand the Greek and Latin quotations from 
 the Fathers. 
 
 "We had a most beautiful meditation on Friday on the 
 Word Incarnate on earth, and Head of the Church Militant. 
 The room was full to overflowing. Dr. King inspires every 
 listener, and he has the most wonderful faculty of bringing 
 out of well-worn incidents in the Bible new and unthought 
 of lessons. Speaking of the demoniac in the country of 
 the Gadarencs, he said there was a road made dangerous by 
 the attacks of this man possessed, 'so that no one dared to 
 go by that way.' That was the very road Our Lord chose. 
 So must His priests choose the ways where they may be 
 insulted, may be injured bodily; and they must make efforts 
 to reclaim the men. Everything he says is so perfectly 
 simple, yet so true, and so full of holy love. His own life is 
 a sermon which every one may read and copy. . . . 
 
 "Did I speak of Young, whom I met at Leary's? Well, 
 he is a most fascinating little man, very attractive looking 
 and very charming in conversation. He very politely in- 
 vited me to breakfast with him at Pembroke. There were 
 eight fellows there, and it was exceedingly pleasant. It 
 gave me an idea how beautiful college life here must be. 
 Is it not funny to be entertained by people who don't know 
 your name or mention theirs when they give the invitation? 
 We came to the conclusion that one of the most effective 
 
 57
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 missionaries was a church store where there was an attrac- 
 tive window and enticing little books lying about in people's 
 way, the store being in the immediate neighborhood of the 
 church, if possible, where people would be obliged to pass 
 it going to the services. The talk began by speaking of a 
 most enticing and gorgeous shop opened here in connection 
 with the so-called Roman Schism. 
 
 "Dr. Pusey preached this morning to a large congrega- 
 tion at the Cathedral, a beautiful sermon on 'Consider your 
 ways.' They are going to 'restore' the University Church, 
 St. Mary the Virgin, here. It is rather a pity, I think. It 
 will, of course, improve the appearance of the church from 
 an artistic point of view, but it will destroy its distinctive- 
 ness. The undergraduates' gallery will be pulled down, 
 and the present arrangement, by which the pulpit is made 
 the central point, around which are arranged the seats for 
 the different grades of scholarship D.D., M.A., B.A. 
 altered. If you want to see it as in the days when New- 
 man and others entranced the University, you must come 
 over very soon. I don't know when they begin operations ; 
 perhaps it may be deferred, as Burgon, who is Vicar, and 
 very instrumental in the change, has been made Dean of 
 Chichester. ... I think perhaps I may run up to Lon- 
 don for Sunday to hear Liddon in St. Paul's. . . . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "CHARING CROSS HOTEL, LONDON, 
 
 December 5, 1875. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS : 
 
 "Here I am in London for the purpose of hearing Lid- 
 don, and I was more than satisfied this afternoon by his 
 
 58
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 sermon. We went an hour and a quarter before the time, 
 and got to St. Paul's just as the doors were opened, and so 
 succeeded in getting excellent seats. In a few minutes the 
 whole choir and the space under the dome were packed. 
 There must have been several thousand people, I should 
 think. Well, we had Even-song very well sung, without 
 any accompaniment, and then the sermon from the epistle 
 for the day. 'Whatsoever things were written/ etc. The 
 Bible was the theme, and grandly handled; his delivery 
 was splendid, he was very distinct and very impressive. 
 The sermon was written, but very flovvingly delivered. He 
 has a way of throwing up his head, as if to give out the 
 words with greater distinctness and emphasis ; he used very 
 few gestures, but those were very effective; the use of the 
 hands varied, sometimes using only the forefinger, at others 
 the whole outspread. His a's are not broad. His face 
 looked very handsome; he seemed much excited and was 
 very hot. He stayed up in the pulpit and sang the hymn 
 very heartily, and then gave the benediction. I was exceed- 
 ingly interested and, fearing to be disappointed, was the 
 more delighted. It lasted forty-five minutes, but seemed 
 short. He is one of the very few preachers whose sermons 
 I could wish to be longer; but I must travel backwards in 
 my account. 
 
 "I went to early celebration at All Saints, and, feeling 
 quite at home there, enjoyed it very much. I then went to 
 Mass at St. Anselm's Roman Catholic Church, to hear 
 Manning. I cannot say I feel altogether easy about going 
 to Roman Catholic Churches in England, for they are schis- 
 matic here. Still, I went The service was very good : they 
 had a male quartette choir; the treble boy had a lovely 
 voice, and so had the tenor, who sang a beautiful Ave 
 
 58
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Maria. Well, his Eminence preached. I had a splendid 
 seat in the gallery, directly opposite to him. He looks very 
 old and is exceedingly thin. He wore a violet soutane, 
 lace alb, violet cape, and kept his scarlet biretta on all the 
 time, only touching it when he remembered to do so at the 
 Sacred Name. His text was, 'We must all appear before 
 the judgment seat of Christ,' etc. Strange to say, he never 
 mentioned purgatory, but said the hour of death would be 
 the hour of our judgment. He said one thing I didn't quite 
 understand in speaking of our relationship to Our Lord. 
 He spoke of our having the same Eternal Father, and then 
 added, the same Immaculate Mother, and concluded by 
 begging every one to say a 'Hail Mary' for those who at 
 that moment might be going to meet their Judge. Other- 
 wise, it was exactly what any one of our priests might have 
 preached. Of course, he preached without notes and with- 
 out hesitation. -It was very solemn and impressive, com- 
 ing from such an old man. The church was not a large 
 one, the congregation a poor-looking lot, very few nice 
 people. On the stairs was a mite box inscribed 'For Masses 
 for the souls in Purgatory.' It was singular the Cardinal 
 should not have mentioned purgatory at all, wasn't it? 
 
 "Last Sunday night we went to Segur's rooms in Exeter 
 College to Compline. There were about twenty or thirty 
 men there, all Catholics, but a different set. They were all 
 very manly fellows, quite old, many of them great boating 
 men. It is so pleasant to see such men taking a lively 
 interest in the church. A great many were candidates for 
 Orders. They all belong to some church society and have 
 Compline Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 60
 
 IIKNKY VAN UKNSSKLAKK AT OXFORD
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 December 13, 1875. 
 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS : 
 
 " . . . I left London on Monday, at which time Bar- 
 tholomew expected to sail during- the week for home. 
 What was my surprise to get a telegram from him the same 
 evening, saying that he had changed his plans and was 
 going to the East, and asking me to accompany him, but I 
 declined. It was a little tempting, for I wanted to go to 
 the Holy Land, but I had made up my mind that one ought 
 to practise a little self-denial and not do everything one 
 wishes. Besides, I have a great deal to learn yet, so I was 
 firm, and telegraphed back, 'No.' Fancy me, if you can, so 
 resolute. I, who last Spring needed so much bolstering. 
 My whole life is so completely changed by being here I can 
 really feel now that I am alive ; before I was merely pass- 
 ively existing; before I did not know what it was to think; 
 now my faculties are being developed. Father Benson 
 gave me a shake mentally and set me vibrating, and Dr. 
 King has kept me going so steadily that I hope to be so 
 regulated when I leave them that I shall be able to keep up 
 to the mark. 
 
 "The Dr. gave us a beautiful meditation on the Vision 
 of Isaiah, sixth chapter. The meetings are over for the 
 nonce. Next term he will give a course in self-examination, 
 and in Lent on the Seven Deadly Sins. The dear soul has 
 to preach ten sermons this week, so you can see in what 
 demand he is. It is a delight to hear him treat any dogma : 
 he does it so reverently and lovingly and tenderly that one 
 learns to appreciate what the Faith is. It makes me sad to 
 think of the way the same great subjects are treated at the 
 
 61
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 G. T. S. ; wrangling, bitterness, narrowness ; love and rev- 
 erence entirely eliminated. 
 
 "I am trying to keep Advent Season very carefully. I 
 get up every morning at five, and go to Lauds at the 
 Fathers' at six, followed by Prime and a celebration, and 
 then we adjourn to the church for matins. I return home 
 to breakfast at eight. During the day I read and take a 
 walk. I keep all the canonical hours and am quite frugal 
 in my fare. I find it very satisfactory. My meditations are 
 improving, and altogether I am quite encouraged in my 
 efforts for a deeper and more spiritual life. Although so 
 entirely alone, I do not feel at all lonely, but am very happy. 
 I am beginning to realize what it is to have one's life hid 
 with Christ, and to feel that He is indeed the Life. Any-* 
 thing that holds us back from Him must be gladly thrown 
 away, cheerfully given up. 
 
 "I have been reading a French book of the Abbe Per- 
 reyve, 'Meditations snr les Saints Ordres.' My spirit is 
 stirred that all Roman Catholic priests should count it all 
 joy to give up for Christ, and speak of that entire 'abandon' 
 and 'detachemcnt,' while the great mass of Anglican Catho- 
 lics, not at all advanced, should be content to mix up the 
 service of God and the world. Oh, what selfishness, what 
 a low view of the priestly life! Let us give ourselves in- 
 deed to Him ; not any half offering, which cannot be accept- 
 able to Him. . . . 
 
 "December 14. 
 
 " . . . We had a fine sermon on the day of Interces- 
 sion, from Dr. King, at the University Church. Although 
 a week-night, the church was crowded. The dear man has 
 great power. Last week he gave a splendid lecture on the 
 Eucharist, proving from the Fathers a real objective pres- 
 
 62
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 ence. I am sorry to say that we shall miss his last lecture 
 to-morrow. His Friday meditation was beautiful. It was 
 on the lessons to be learnt from Our Lord's life now in 
 Heaven, as Intercessor. One point was, when priests grow 
 too old to preach and do active work, they ought not to 
 think they have nothing 1 more to do; let them rejoice that 
 young men should do their former active duties, leaving to 
 them more time at the altar for their flock, and living a 
 more hidden life with God. But I can't begin to do justice 
 to the theme. The lecture was, as usual, very well at- 
 tended. . . . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "December 19. 1875. 
 "My DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . This last week has gone very uneventfully, 
 and the time seems to go very quickly. I do not seem to 
 accomplish very much reading, but I certainly am begin- 
 ning to grasp theology. I am very much interested in Wil- 
 berforce on the Incarnation. I like the tone; it is so rever- 
 ential. I am getting to understand what the Incarnation 
 really is. I think too many people believe in it as a thing 
 of the past. I am sure that I, for my part, never until very 
 lately began to realize it. I enjoy Forbes on the Creed 
 and Articles, too, exceedingly. I go through Browne, as a 
 matter of duty, first, always feeling f^rotcstant to his state- 
 ment, and then fall back on Forbes for support. I am try- 
 ing to get a general idea of Ecclesiastical History, but find 
 it very confusing, particularly the early and middle cen-
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 turies; yet it is so very necessary when one appeals to an- 
 tiquity to be able to give, as it were, chapter and verse. 
 
 "I am becoming quite ascetic, more so than Mrs. Al- 
 clridge, my good landlady, thinks good for me, and I have 
 taken her advice and moderated a little. My diet was the 
 point in question, as I was confining myself pretty much to 
 vegetable food. I really think it is good for one's mind; 
 at least I found it so. Mrs. A. says I have been living too 
 low, and that it is very wrong to do so in this climate, 
 where one requires animal food and some kind of drink. I 
 am rather convinced that there is some truth in it. She 
 scared me by telling me that I should have boils and all 
 kinds of troubles if I were not careful, so verbum sap. I 
 have reformed a little as to food, but not as to drink. I 
 must say, though, it does destroy one's spirituality a little, 
 at least mine, but I am an odd case. I have been successful 
 in waking up at the right time this last week, at about five, 
 so that I have been able to go every morning to Lauds at 
 six at the Mission House, staying through Prime and Cele- 
 bration. I find it all a great help ; then Matins at 7 :30 and 
 breakfast at 8. I am so monkish that I even read through 
 mealtime Baring-Gould's Lives of the Saints. I hope I am 
 imbibing some of the martyr spirit. I was much struck by 
 a passage where he is speaking about the monks in Egypt, 
 and the effect they had in advancing, or at least in keeping 
 alive, the spirit of Christianity. Contrasting it with the 
 spirit of the present age, its unbelief, skepticism, Arianism 
 and infidelity, he says, 'Such an age as this seems one meet 
 for the revival of the hermit life as a witness for the truth 
 and a protest against luxury. This, and this only, as far as 
 we can judge, will meet the great want of the day. It is not 
 preaching that will recover the multitude lapsed into re- 
 
 64
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 ligious indifference ; it must be the example of men, believ- 
 ing with such fiery faith that they sacrifice everything the 
 world holds precious for the sake of the truth, that Jesus 
 Christ, the everlasting God, came into the flesh.' 
 
 "This is a long quotation to give you, but it almost ex- 
 actly expresses my feelings on the subject. The more I see, 
 the more absurd it seems to me for men to preach what 
 they do not try or pretend to carry out. Take any of our 
 clergy. In what are their lives better than those of unbe- 
 lievers? What self-denial are they willing to practise? Ab- 
 solutely none in reality, although perhaps much in their talk 
 and sermons. As to the hermit part, I would alter that a 
 little. An example of a self-denying priest in a parish 
 would undoubtedly have an immense influence for good, 
 and it is astonishing how in small things example tells. I 
 often remember an incident in Dr. Dix's former life: the 
 warden of Bellevue Hospital, a plain Roman Catholic, went 
 to see him on business, a Friday, at dinner time. He was 
 shown into the dining-room, and was at once impressed 
 with the frugality of the meal, only a little fish. 'Why, 
 Dr. Dix,' he said afterwards, 'must be a real Catholic.' 
 
 "Now, in reading about .these Saints I don't mean Dr. 
 Dix, but to return one is struck by their being in most 
 cases men and women of no great or especial talents ; and 
 I find great comfort in the thought that no one is too small 
 or insignificant to be able to witness to the truth. Some 
 day, may God grant that I may, however feebly, do it ; but 
 'I' union c'est la force.' Could we not band ourselves to- 
 gether, living witnesses to a worldly generation, that the 
 Christian spirit of self-denial and renunciation is not dead? 
 At least we could try. I believe that I have a decided voca- 
 tion, but shall take no steps for the present ; only try and 
 
 65
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 cultivate the spirit as much as possible. Don't think the 
 Fathers have been influencing me. I have never spoken a 
 word to them on the subject. I fully believe it is the call 
 of a Higher Power; I feel it in all I do, wherever I go; 
 nothing that is not connected with the higher life seems to 
 have any interest for me. 
 
 "I went to the Ordination Day at the Cathedral; there 
 were about twenty candidates priests and deacons. Dr. 
 King asked me to lunch with him to meet Bishop Mac- 
 karness and his chaplains. The Bishop's wife was there! 
 She is very pleasant. Altogether it was a very interesting 
 lunch. Dr. Bright was very lively and amusing. My Doc- 
 tor charming as usual; isn't he good to think of me when 
 he believes it would be well for me to meet people? The 
 Bishop ordained seated ; it is much more dignified than do- 
 ing it in a bunch. I do not regret at all my decision to stay 
 here, for I am very happy. I have just finished Bossuel 
 and his contemporaries. I had the greatest admiration for 
 him at the outset, but I must say I was exceedingly disap- 
 pointed in him. It is sad to read of his end and his treat- 
 ment of Fenelon. Have you read it? He had great long- 
 ings for reunion and would have bitterly opposed infallibil- 
 ity, etc. . . . With best wishes for the New Year, the 
 year of so much importance to us. . . . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY," 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 "St. Stephen's Day, December 26, 1875. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 " . . . You ought to be here to look after me, for 
 I am in a very dangerous state. The Cowley Fathers quite 
 
 06
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 look upon me as one of themselves. What if I should be? 
 I really think I have quite, if not altogether, a vocation for 
 the religious life; whether as developed at Cowley or not 
 remains to be seen. I have been there a great deal lately, 
 and enjoy keeping the canonical hours. I don't know if I 
 had better keep on going or not, but I shall consult Dr. 
 King as soon as he comes back. Perhaps it would be as 
 well to try myself a little. There is no intention on my part 
 of doing anything rash, so don't be alarmed. I shouldn't 
 think of joining or doing anything definite before I am 
 thirty years old. The Fathers I like very well. I took tea 
 there and went to vespers yesterday, but I declined dining, 
 as I should have to write an account of my Christmas dinner 
 to my mother ; nor have I mentioned the dangerous proxim- 
 ity to the Mission House; it would worry or alarm her 
 needlessly. I passed a very happy Christmas, though I 
 missed the midnight Mass. 
 
 "I went to High Celebration at St. Barnabas', and heard a 
 very good sermon given by the curate, extempore, but very 
 fluent and to the point. I much prefer him to the vicar. I 
 had dinner solus: then, as I said before, had Vespers and 
 tea at the Fathers, and went to Even-song at their church, 
 where Father Benson preached an excellent sermon. I 
 could scarcely realize it was Christmas Day, for it was like 
 spring a mild, pleasant day and then so many services 
 and so well attended. The evening service was crowded. 
 Imagine it in our churches on Christmas! Why, everyone 
 would be gorging himself at dinner! 
 
 "I went this afternoon to the Sisters with Father Pres- 
 cott and read the lessons; it reminded me of last winter. 
 The Father preached a little sermon. The chapel was very 
 prettily decorated. Tt is so hard to believe that I am myself
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 at all, everything is so strange. I am unnatural, I suppose, 
 but quite happy here ; of course I should like to be at home. 
 And now if I thought you would answer any questions, I 
 would ask you what you think of my case. Would you 
 avoid the Fathers until the danger be passed, or not? Father 
 Prescott seemed to insinuate to-night that it was a matter- 
 of-course that I should join the Society. I need not say it 
 is nothing of the kind; in fact, I have no desire to join an 
 English Society. I think it would be much better to be 
 trained in the United States if one is to be trained. My old 
 tormentor, the Irish-American clergyman, has turned up 
 again, but I have not had much to say to him; besides I 
 am much more settled now than when he bothered me be- 
 fore. He is certainly most unfortunate hasn't a cent of 
 money and nothing to do. 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "January 12, 187fi. 
 "MY DEAR FRANCIS : 
 
 ". . . It was delightful to hear that you had daily 
 Celebration. How much you are gaining! . . . How 
 primitive you are with your alb, but I did not know any- 
 body but the celebrant wore the amice. I must tell you what 
 I did on Epiphany went with Father Maturin* to the 
 nunnery and served him and acted as thurifer. I was 
 dreadfully scared, as you know I have hardly ever served 
 
 * Father Basil William Maturin, one time a Cowley Father, was re- 
 ceived into the Church by Father Pope, S.J., at Beaumont, in 1897, and 
 was ordained by Cardinal Vaughan in 1898. 
 
 68
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 and did not know anything about the use of incense, at least 
 very little. I have seen it used at St. Barnabas' twice, but 
 not expecting to be thurifer myself, did not remark it espe- 
 cially. I got through very well, however. I swung the< 
 censer all through the Prayer of Consecration I suppose 
 you would call it the Canon of the Mass. I am exceedingly 
 fond of incense and think it most beautiful and appropriate. 
 I can scarcely write as I have chilblains, and my hands are 
 much swollen, but I hope you can read this. I had to wear 
 the most absurdly short cotta with deep lace. I am afraid 
 I am decidedly elephantine in my movements, but console 
 myself by thinking that even they have a certain amount of 
 grace I mean dignity. 
 
 "This week the Mission is in full force. And such a 
 Mission! I would you were here with me. It began on 
 Saturday by a service at the Cathedral which wa's crowded ; 
 the Bishop addressed the missioners in an episcopal style, 
 with a little twaddle; still, as he had encouraged and invited 
 them to come, knowing that the majority would assuredly 
 do everything Catholicly, one easily overlooked any expres- 
 sion for the sake of the deed, and after all he really said 
 nothing disagreeable. 
 
 "On Sunday I went, morning and evening, to St. Barna- 
 bas', where Mr. Randall of Clinton, a celebrity, and Mr. 
 Coles, were the priests. Mr. Randall is quite an old man, 
 over sixty I should say ; he is the preacher. He gave a rous- 
 ing sermon on the text, 'Friend, wherefore art thou come?' 
 and it was very thrilling. In the evening he was still more 
 impressive. He has a very grave, thin face, and looks as if 
 he had fasted often; he has a good deal of gesture. He 
 spoke most openly of confession, and gave an instance of a 
 lady being saved from despair by a priest, which priest, at 
 
 69
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 the end, he declared himself to be. No sooner is the sermon 
 over than Mr. Coles mounts the pulpit to instruct. He is of 
 an entirely different style, younger and stout; he is a great 
 friend of Dr. King and has imitated him in his ways. I 
 met him several months ago at the Doctor's house. Well, 
 Mr. Randall has roused the people tremendously ; then Mr. 
 Coles proceeds to soothe them by his teaching; he is very 
 calm and gentle and simple. He explained the first part of 
 the Creed. At the door are stationed two other priests who 
 hand everybody a tract and speak to those who they think 
 require it. 
 
 "On Monday Dr. King told me I ought to hear Walsham 
 House, who was to preach, so I obediently went, but was 
 not much edified, fbr it was at St. Mary the Virgin, which 
 is high and dry exceedingly. It was not in the least like a 
 mission, but only a Prot. parody. The sermon in itself was 
 excellent, but there was nothing to follow it up; still it is a 
 good sign when such churches are willing to join in the 
 movement instead of protesting. 
 
 "Last night I went to St. Thomas the Martyr (Catholic), 
 where a Mr. Ponsonby and the dear Dr. King are mis- 
 sioners. Oh, such a crowd of such people I never saw 
 tefore. The church is in the worst part of Oxford, near 
 the railroad and the canal. The men were there in smock 
 frocks, with torn coats, and rags, and black hands and faces. 
 The women with babies, and such poor, wretched people ; it 
 did one's heart good to see them in such a place. Mr. P. 
 preached very well, really eloquent at times, and very lively, 
 and the hymns, oh, the Methodistical tunes they sang! 
 After the sermon Dr. King instructed about Confession. 
 You should have heard him! It was the boldest, most 
 courageous thing in him to do, for, just think of his posi- 
 
 70
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 tion, and in Oxford, too! Confession is one of his hobbies, 
 lie was grand! He proved it most clearly out of the Bible 
 and prayer-book their prayer-book is much better than 
 ours and the people were most attentive. I talked with 
 the Doctor after the service, and he said he enjoyed work- 
 ing among such people think of it he, the most refined, 
 sensitive, gentle nature. It was delightful to hear him talk 
 in such a way. You should have seen the assistant priests 
 in their cassocks and birettas, talking to the people, going 
 into the streets and bringing them in. 
 
 "The whole city is given up to the mission. All the 
 shops are closed early every evening to give the people a 
 chance to attend. We in the United States could never have 
 such advantages, and then the clergy here can speak so 
 much more authoritatively, particularly when the Bishop 
 has sanctioned it. They are undoubtedly doing a grand 
 work, but just think for a moment of such a thing at home! 
 Where would the priests come from? These missionaries 
 are all secular, but they are very spiritual men as well as 
 pretty thoroughly grounded in doctrine, though there is a 
 good deal of machinery to work. But all in good time. 
 First the seed but how about the seed when such men as 
 you say that we can't l>e ordained in the Church? 
 
 "Your idea of a Brotherhood of love at Ilolxiken is very 
 engaging. I am very much interested in the Oratory and 
 have been reading the life of Henri Perreyve, who revived 
 the Oratory in France. He is a most lovely character. 
 Couldn't we do something of the kind ? The Bishop would 
 never allow me to leave New York at present, I fear. I 
 hope he won't be disagreeable to me. ... I had a 
 letter from - - to-day from Pisa; he is on his way home 
 to rescue me from the Evangelist Fathers, as my letter to 
 
 71
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 him alarmed him for my safety. He is very Protestant 
 since being at Rome alas, who isn't? It is a pity though 
 for him, but he ought to have the sense to see beauty in the 
 use of what is detestable when abused. 
 
 "As to vows, I have done nothing yet, for I had a cor- 
 respondence with Mr. Carter of Clewer, but found it im- 
 possible to arrive at any conclusion by letters, so I expect 
 to see him. They all say he is very, very cautious, and ad- 
 vises taking vows for a time as a probation. Be careful, 
 then ; do nothing rash, although it seems absurd for us who 
 have thought of it so much and so long to talk about being 
 rash and doing things in a hurry. Still, you are so young, 
 but guard your name as much as possible from gossip. One 
 can't be too careful ; it is so horrid for those devoted to the 
 Lord to be talked about. . . . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "January 23, 1876. 
 "My DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 "... I don't remember exactly where I left off in 
 my account of the mission. Did I speak of St. Frides- 
 wide? Well, it was too ultra to suit me. They were so 
 very Catholic that they forgot their dignity and became 
 mere Methodist ranters. The sermon was not so bad, but 
 the instruction which took up the same subject was terrible 
 to me. It was on the Crucifixion. The missioner imagined 
 and invented all kinds of horrible jests and sarcasms said 
 by the Roman soldiery, and drew the most revolting picture 
 of Our Lord's appearance. It was sickening. I disliked 
 
 72
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 the man's looks, too; he had long red hair and beard and 
 wore a cassock with a short cape and silver cross in front. 
 Now you know, I like a cassock and certainly a cross, but 
 then there are different ways of wearing them. After the 
 instruction the missioners went up and down the aisle 
 making extempore prayers and ejaculations, in which Our 
 Lord's name was, to my mind, most irreverently used, with- 
 out any qualifying epithet. It struck me as being very 
 forced. To cap the climax, the Irishman, my constant at- 
 tendant, whose clerical clothes were concealed by his over- 
 coat, was attacked by one of the priests, and inquiries made 
 as to the state of his soul, and whether he received the mes- 
 sage, but he didn't disclose his clerical character. I was 
 utterly disgusted. It only shows that the step between the 
 sublime and the ridiculous must be carefully attended to. 
 
 "It was very much the same thing at SS. Philip and 
 James', only everything was done in the most dignified way 
 possible. The Canon, who is Principal of Cuddleston, was 
 the missioner. He is an excellent preacher and drew well. 
 The church is free, and the congregation would correspond 
 to Trinity Chapel, with a sprinkling of poor people. He 
 preached a fine sermon on religious presumption, which im- 
 pressed me very strongly. He handled Confession most 
 ably, introducing the subject in the most plausible way. 
 Perhaps he left too much of a loop-hole for people to escape. 
 
 "Last Sunday afternoon there was an address for men, 
 and the church, a large one, was well filled. The address 
 was excellent, proving that religion was not in the least an- 
 tagonistic to everyday life. He has a very manly and honest 
 way of putting things that is very effective. In the evening, 
 after the sermon, the assistant missioner made a few re- 
 marks and then read about self-examination on the Com- 
 
 73
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 . 
 
 mandments, the idea being that a man's sins would be 
 brought prominently forward, and he would be led to see 
 the need of confession; the Canon meanwhile going about 
 among the kneeling congregation and speaking as he saw 
 fit. It was really the same thing as at St. Frideswide's, but 
 the difference in the manner of doing things was very 
 marked. I ought to say that I hear that the mission at 
 St. Frideswide's has been successful, though it was a com- 
 moner congregation to be sure. 
 
 "There was a Mr. Boddington at St. Cross who was 
 really splendid ; he gave excellent addresses to men and had 
 a wonderful flow of language. I heard him on non-com- 
 municating attendance. It was capital. 
 
 "At St. Barnabas' the mission has been so successful 
 that they have kept it up all the week to follow up the im- 
 pression they had made. Certainly Mr. Randall is the most 
 striking speaker I ever listened to. Last Sunday the sermon 
 on Hell was terrific, and yet not at all sensational, but only 
 fearfully real and earnest. He has a great power in telling 
 incidents, is very dramatic, without l>eing stagy, is old and 
 venerable looking, and his voice thrills you through and 
 through. I would sit there trembling. It' has made a won- 
 derful impression on me. The very fact of seeing so many 
 men at such a glorious work inspires me. What a wondrous 
 power has been given to the priests here through retreats! 
 
 "I have been reading some of Newman's University ser- 
 mons with great pleasure. What a splendid one that is on 
 Responsibility. I have been very much interested in the 
 life of Abbe Henri Perreyve, the favorite of Lacordaire, 
 and a lovely character, a man of great ability, who came 
 to an early grave through an utter disregard of his life. 
 I am learning a lesson of the proper use of one's strength 
 
 74
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 'ad majorem Dei gloriam.' Pere Gratry, who writes the 
 book, speaks very plainly about the way Perreyve, who was 
 the apple of his eye, overdid things, thus depriving the 
 Church of a wondrous power. He was especially great 
 with children. . . . 
 
 "Yours affectionately; 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "January 30, 1876. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . Speaking about Confession, I am convinced 
 that multitudes of young men would be saved had they such 
 a safeguard. . . . Last Sunday night the mission at 
 St. Barnabas' ended. The church was thronged, the service 
 grand, and they sang High Kven-song. Do you know what 
 that is? Perhaps not, so I will tell you. The priest wears a 
 cope and biretta and says the service in the Sanctuary at 
 one side of the altar, and incenses it. Mr. Randall preached 
 a very fine sermon on St. Mary Magdalen. He is certainly 
 a most striking preacher, and by no means minces matters. 
 It was very good for the undergrads to hear. At the end 
 of the service they sang Te Deum for the successful mis- 
 sion. It was grand. Mr. Noel was at the altar in his cope, 
 a very handsome embroidered white one. The censer was 
 kept swinging and the processional Cross was held facing 
 the altar, with acolytes bearing candles on each side, and 
 others carrying large handsome banners, with faces toward 
 the altar. The Te Deum was plain-song, and all the large 
 congregation joined in most heartily. The effect was splen- 
 did. At the conclusion the procession marched round the 
 church, singing 'Crown Him with many Crowns.' 
 
 75
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "On Monday I dined at Dr. King's to meet Mr. Randall 
 and Mr. Coles, the two missioners. I had a charming time. 
 They told many interesting anecdotes and reminiscences 
 about Manning and Newman and Wilberforce. Mr. Ran- 
 dall is very entertaining indeed, and so is Mr. Coles. He 
 very kindly asked me to come and stay with him and see a 
 country parish. Very likely I shall go after Easter, 
 D. V. . . . 
 
 "College men here do not mix even among themselves 
 without a formal introduction. You see them sitting day by 
 day in the lecture rooms and never speaking or making each 
 other's acquaintance. You are on no account to imagine 
 that I have not had a delightful and exceedingly profitable 
 time at Oxford. I have kept pretty steadily at work, tried 
 to cultivate the inner life, and have not cared much for 
 external things at all. The friends I have made I have not 
 followed up, simply because I did not care to waste time or 
 distract myself. Undoubtedly I could have made many more 
 had I cared to. I was very much pleased, on going to Canon 
 Liddon's, to find that he remembered me perfectly and 
 asked if I had gone to the East as I had planned. It was 
 quite a thing to be remembered by one who sees so many. 
 He made some very kind remarks about seeing me 
 often. . . . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "February 6, 1876. 
 "MY DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . . I have received a most charming letter from 
 my Bishop in answer to mine. He wrote the day after re- 
 
 76
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 ceiving 'my welcome note,' expressing his pleasure at all the 
 kindnesses I was being shown. He particularly commends 
 me 'to his dear and honored friend, Dr. Pusey.' He en- 
 closes me his blessing and calls me 'his dear friend,' and 
 concludes 'most affectionately.' He likewise sends me the 
 most flattering commendatory letter, which could never 
 possibly be shown to any one. He says, moreover, he had 
 intended to give it to me before I left, but had not the op- 
 portunity, and somehow his delicacy prevented his sending 
 it through my mother. Imagine my feelings on hearing of 
 such magnanimity. I was quite overcome, I assure you. 
 I have had many prickings of conscience on the subject of 
 my behavior to him. I really did not deserve much kind- 
 ness or politeness at his hands, for however he treated me. 
 that was no excuse for me. It has taken a great load off my 
 mind. All things work together for good; it must come 
 out right; I have great faith. Is it not wonderful how 
 everything seems to be coming about just as I have longed 
 for but scarcely dared to hope? . . . 
 
 "To go to Cowley would ruin my life, although I have, 
 I am sure, the most distinct call to the religious life, but 
 not exactly in that place. You are perfectly right about 
 doing what we are best fitted for certainly mission preach- 
 ing would not be my forte. What I long to do is some quiet, 
 unobtrusive work, much prayer, intercession, meditation, 
 with especial attention to be given to men and the f>oor.* 
 I am reading 'L'Oratoire' ; if you read French well enough 
 to care for it. I will gladly send you a copy. I quote a 
 little paragraph: 'Tel est done 1'esprit de 1'Oratoire: pour 
 but. In par feet ion du sacerdoce; pour t>rinelpe et pour nwycn 
 
 * A remarkable foreshadowing of his future work as a Jesuit priest. 
 
 77
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 la charite; rien par vceu, tout par amour, rien de profane 
 et de seculier, tout par rapport a Jesus Christ, a 1'eglise 
 et ati sacerdoce.' I think that probably the 'Priestly Life' 
 is in great part taken from this book, which gives an ac- 
 count of the Oratory of S. Philip Neri, de Berulle and the 
 one of the present century in France, under Henri de Per- 
 reyve. How glorious is the idea! What if we could do 
 some little work for Him in this way! His strength is 
 made perfect in weakness; let us try and begin now by 
 making it a perpetual subject of prayer, and that He will 
 raise up some one who will be the Superior General. I 
 dared not mention what was occupying so much of my 
 thought to Dr. King, for fear I might seem presumptuous. 
 To my great joy he told me a plan he had for something 
 of the same kind. He had bought a house which will hold 
 about twelve men to be a sort of training school for mis- 
 sionaries. Mr. Moberly, the Bishop's son, is to be the head ; 
 Dr. King, I suppose the director. Well, the dear man 
 asked me to stay another year. Now you will think me 
 crazy, but I am going to decline; perhaps he would not 
 really want me; at any rate, he suggested it, i. e., said he 
 did want me, so then I told him about my aspirations, and 
 he said he thought them not at all presumptuous and not by 
 any means impracticable. I have not had a chance to say 
 much more to him on the subject. Wouldn't it be a good 
 plan, if you agree to it, to get him to help us to draw up a 
 few simple rules to start with? He has a great deal of 
 judgment and is good so true and sympathetic. The rea- 
 son why T cannot stay is that I cannot put off the priest- 
 hood for a moment. The sooner one of us can offer up the 
 all-prevailing sacrifice the sooner must our plans begin to 
 be realized. So don't, I beg you, write asking me to stay. 
 
 78
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 I no longer think of Avenue C except, perhaps, as the be- 
 ginning of my career; it is no longer the centre of my 
 priestly life. How wonderful it all seems! too good almost 
 to be possible. Let the Society of the Holy Cross (do you 
 like the name?) be the subject of our intention especially 
 once a week, Monday, when I go to the Sisters' chapel : 
 and when Dr. King celebrates, I will ask him to remember 
 it. Have you still Daily Celebration? Have T led you to 
 suppose that T have broken in any way with the Fathers? 
 I have not, and hope to go to the house in Lent for Lauds. 
 Father Benson gave us an excellent sermon this morning on 
 the Gospel. He is decidedly above the congregation, though 
 all his teaching seems to lead towards perfection. The 
 lectures are all going on now. T enjoy Liddon's more this 
 term than last. I am reading, with great pleasure, his 
 Hamptons. Haven't T made an advance? T can hear him 
 in fancy speaking each word, and I can bring before me 
 every tone of his voice and look, and it adds wonderful in- 
 terest to the reading. 
 
 "Dr. Bright is interesting in his treatment of the Tgna- 
 tian Epistles. Dr. King is glorious on the Ordinal. This 
 set of his lectures does not belong to the school, and is 
 quite voluntary, yet not only his room is crowded, but the 
 adjoining one likewise. He has been treating the separa- 
 tion of the Levite and Aaronic priesthood, the use of media, 
 and that not any and everybody may be a priest, but that 
 there is need of a distinct call. He is splendid. His medi- 
 tations have begun, his little chapel filled to overflowing, 
 and men standing all through. T^nst Friday his lecture was 
 on self-examination, and very excellent it was. He dis- 
 cussed the different ways of meditating; the purgative, the 
 illuminative, and the unitivc. and then, after dilating to 
 
 79
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 some extent upon each of them, said, 'No doubt some of 
 you will think it is mere medievalism/ and then he spoke 
 about St. Clement of Alexandria's works, and especially 
 the Paidagogos who is Christ, showing that St. Clement 
 taught in that early age on exactly the same plan as the later 
 saints. He then analyzed Wesley's rules of self-examina- 
 tion, thus combining to suit and not to offend any class of 
 thinkers. He is wonderfully happy in his handling of such 
 subjects. 
 
 "I have just come in from service at the Evangelist 
 Fathers' Church. Father Benson preached on 'Oh, taste 
 and see.' You can imagine it was a pretty high sermon, 
 much too high for the understanding of the people, I fear. 
 I enjoyed it very much, although it was rather long. You 
 ask about the chanting; it is hard to say whether it is fast or 
 slow ; rather fast, I should say, pausing slightly at the com- 
 mas, and not dwelling much on any one note. The accom- 
 paniment at St. Barnabas' is very brilliant ; the organ is a 
 fine one, the boys singing alternate verses. The congrega- 
 tion there is divided, men on the right side and women on 
 the left. The women sing with the boys. In high services 
 and on Sundays cadences are introduced in the intoning of 
 the prayers. I don't think honestly that the English sing- 
 ing is any better or differs materially from ours; perhaps 
 some of the boys' voices may be sweeter. . 
 
 "I agree with you entirely about the Mary banner; let 
 the first banner, at least, be in honor of Our Lord, the 
 Lamb, for instance, or the Good Shepherd, or Our Lord 
 blessing little children, etc. . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 80
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "February 13, 1876. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . Father Prescott has imbued me with the idea 
 of extreme caution in regard to the enthusiasm which we 
 young-blooded fellows feel. Without experience we are apt 
 to sneer at his advice as conservatism. Surely, when we are 
 playing 1 for such high stakes we cannot be too careful. At 
 least the great guns of Oxford impress me so. 
 
 "I hope to get back about the 21st of June, as I have 
 engaged my passage on the Bothnia, which sails on the 10th. 
 Secessions to Rome seem to be the order of the day. Mr. 
 Hutton, a former curate of St. Barnabas', and a first class 
 honor man, who composed a defence of Anglican Orders 
 and was one of the Catholic party, has just been received by 
 John Henry Newman at the Oratory. He went to see Dr. 
 King, and the Doctor says he had absolutely no reason to 
 give for his perversion except that there is no room 'for 
 childlike faith in the English Church.' Certainly one would 
 require a vast amount of that article unadulterated to turn 
 Roman nowadays. Isn't it sickening to see the work of 
 years and noble lives almost neutralized by such absurd 
 monomania? But certainly everything preaches a lesson of 
 caution to us to give people a thorough grounding in good, 
 true, sound doctrine, before they are carried away by their 
 feelings. But how can one account for first class men be- 
 having in such a way? 
 
 "I went to a delightful dinner at Dr. King's on Thurs- 
 day to meet Burgon. the new Dean of Chichester. It was 
 quite a large affair. fourteen of us. I was the only man 
 under forty-five. T considered it quite a compliment. Half 
 the party were ladies. The Dean was the most amusing 
 
 81
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 company, full of anecdotes, some quite stale; a most lacka- 
 daisical looking person and with such a comical way of tell- 
 ing- things that one laughed whenever one looked at him. 
 Among the guests was Archdeacon Pott. He was very jolly 
 and told very amusing things about Wilberforce ; he looked 
 so amusing in knee-breeches and apron; he reminded me 
 strongly of Dr. Seymour. Imagine him in that dress! An- 
 other guest was a Rev. George Williams, very learned in 
 Eastern Church concerns, who has travelled a great deal, 
 and who gave us an interesting account of the steps the 
 Orientals are making towards unity. There is also a Broth- 
 erhood at Athens, lay, I believe, for the improving of the 
 education of the clergy. Professor Damalas, one of the 
 Bonn men, is one of the leaders. We need something of the 
 kind our Oratory under another name. We heard of Dr. 
 Eigenbrodt's dog-in-the-manger treatment of the St. Chrys- 
 ostom Society. How contemptible it does seem ! 
 
 "The weather is horrid; I never suffered so much from 
 cold in my life ; not that it is so cold, but such penetrating 
 damp. My hands have been perfect sights from chilblains 
 all swollen and red mottled and my feet are in a con- 
 stant state of numbness. I shall be glad when spring comes. 
 
 "We went to a breakfast at Exeter College yesterday. 
 Segur was our host ; he is one of the best men I have ever 
 met. We were a party of eight and had a very jolly time. 
 We were told amusing college stories, and were greatly en- 
 tertained. An Oxford breakfast is quite an imposing affair. 
 
 "Dr. King gave us a beautiful instruction on Pride. He 
 is certainly a most charming man. He makes great use of 
 Dante, rolling off the Italian very sweetly. I think he man- 
 aged to convict us all of pride, in some of its shapes. He 
 Describes most graphically, and is particularly good about 
 
 82
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 castle building, in which one is sure to be the lord of the 
 castle oneself. 'Full,' gives you no idea what the little chapel 
 is; men willing to stand, too, and such men, not the scrubs 
 one is apt to consider as the only Theologs, but fine-looking, 
 manly, high-bred fellows. I find myself questioning whether 
 it can be possible that they are really candidates, and yet 
 the fact of their coming to extra lectures and meditations 
 proves that they are not going into Holy Orders as a matter 
 of business. What a contrast Dr. King is to our Profes- 
 sors ! He gave us notice yesterday that to anyone who ex- 
 pected to be ordained at the Lent ordination, and had not 
 heard his 'Parochialia,' he would be happy to give them 
 privately. Wasn't that good in him? What a thing love is! 
 How many people would take such extra trouble for any set 
 of young men? I asked the dear soul to make a special 
 memento of us and our plan on Monday mornings at Cele- 
 bration ; he seemed very pleased with the idea. A good talk 
 with him on Monday sets me up for the rest of the week. 
 I don't know what I should do without the daily Celebra- 
 tion. . . . Our friend B. has decided to pass the sum- 
 mer in Hanover or elsewhere in Germany. I wouldn't 
 think of doing such a thing, for I consider it absolutely 
 dangerous for one's spiritual life to live in a country where 
 religion is a mere nonentity no services but once a week, 
 and those dreadful, and to live in an atmosphere of utter 
 worldliness and pleasure-seeking. Decidedly Germany has 
 no charm for me which could outweigh the evils. I am 
 sorry to say that I have forgotten all the German I knew. 
 T^ist summer seems like a blank. T might have learned so 
 very much more than I did, but I suppose there is no use 
 crying over spilt milk. . . . 
 
 "Ynrs affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 88
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD (Continued) 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "February 20, 1876. 
 "My DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . This morning Dr. Pusey preached before 
 the University. St. Mary's was crowded. The Under- 
 grads' gallery was packed, and many were standing in the 
 aisles. I went early and got a good seat. Shall I tell you 
 how? I was very bold. I was modestly waiting near a 
 locked pew ; a beauteous damsel was waiting likewise, amid 
 a throng of others. The pew-opener's heart warmed to so 
 much beauty, and the door was opened. I followed close to 
 the beauteous damsel and was locked in the pew with her 
 was not that a successful dodge? The dear Doctor ap- 
 peared in his red gown, which, although innocent of ritual- 
 istic tendencies, would have scared our respective mothers 
 not a little. The text was : 'As my Father has sent Me, even 
 so send I you.' The sermon opened with a description of 
 the 'Zeitgeist,' intellectual pride ; unwillingness to accept re- 
 vealed truth which reason could not understand. He then 
 proceeded to consider several schemes of philosophy, but 
 was seized with a violent attack of coughing, which threat- 
 ened to put an end to the sermon. However, the brave old 
 soul is not one to give in ; he struggled on and proved vic- 
 torious. It was very painful, though, at times. Next he 
 spoke of media in natural life, and then by analogy in our 
 spiritual life, touching on the two great Sacraments and 
 
 84
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 concluding with a splendid appeal to the Undergraduates 
 on the Sacrament of Confession. He was wonderfully in- 
 teresting. Just to look at him fascinated me. He filled me 
 with a feeling of sadness I know not why there is some- 
 thing so pathetic about him. I must get Dr. King to intro- 
 duce me to him, as I am very anxious for his blessing. 
 
 "The precentor of Christ Church Cathedral, a fellow, 
 offered to teach intoning to any of Dr. King's students, for 
 love, of course. The Doctor very kindly asked him to take 
 me. I supposed it would be a class, but to my surprise he 
 gives us each a separate half-hour a week. He is a Catho- 
 lic, a priest, and sings on great occasions at St. Barnabas'. 
 I remembered hearing him there ; he sings splendidly. He 
 is very kind indeed and says, when I have practised a little, 
 he will take me into the Cathedral to see how I can get on 
 in a large church. Of course the Cathedral will be empty. 
 He makes me take G. I think perhaps it is too high for me, 
 but he says not I have been practising breathing and since 
 I have been in Oxford my chest has expanded an inch. I 
 am very careful to articulate distinctly, and find that my 
 practice stands me in good stead for my intoning. 
 
 "Dr. King's Friday evening conferences are literally 
 thronged; the room is altogether too small, but the men 
 don't seem to mind standing. He was on 'Envy' last time, 
 and spoke about the great danger of it for fellow curates. 
 
 "I consulted Dr. King about the Canon. He quite con- 
 soled me and thought it would not be dishonest. I should 
 have no scruple about telling the examiners if they see fit to 
 ask me. I mean to have a walk and a talk with Dr. Liddon, 
 and perhaps what he says may have more influence with 
 you. 
 
 "I enjoy Dr. Liddon extremely this term. As for his 
 
 85
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Banipton lectures I am enraptured with them. I am getting 
 quite a clear view of the Incarnation and the Trinity. 1 
 don't get on very quickly, though, with Bamptons, for there 
 is so much matter in them for meditation that I read and 
 re-read. What a beautiful style and what a devotional spirit 
 pervades them! 
 
 "Dr. Bright is lecturing on the Gnostic heresies, which 
 fit in very nicely ; he makes them really very interesting. Do 
 you remember all that bosh we learned the first year ? Dr. 
 Bright really brings the heretics and their views before you, 
 and he is withal very fair to them, showing their points of 
 contact with the Catholic faith, and how they arose. You 
 can realize that the heresiarchs were men, and not fiends, 
 as they were usually represented. 
 
 "I wish you were here that we might plan together, but 
 one thing we can do, and that is, pray. It is a very serious 
 thing prayer one must be very particular and regular; 
 regularity and order are very excellent safeguards. Make 
 a rule and stick to it as closely as possible. I find it the 
 only way for me. You may think me a mere creature of 
 habit ! Amen, say I, provided the habit is good. Do you 
 try to meditate, or have you given up in despair? Surely 
 not. Don't trammel yourself with too many rules in med- 
 itation. 
 
 "How near Lent is; I rather dread it for some reasons. 
 Do you ever speak about our plan or do you keep a religious 
 secrecy? At all events we must have Associates. Do you 
 make our Brotherhood a definite subject of prayer? I do 
 every day, at Celebration, to say nothing of other times. 
 I am still reading 'L'Oratoire' at odd times. In it is the life 
 of the Pere de Condren, one of the Superior Generals of the 
 Order. It relates that Pere de Berulle had his eye upon him 
 
 86
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 long before de Condrcn thought of joining, and the Ora- 
 tory offered up prayers that (lod would put it into his heart 
 to join, which in due time came to pass. Now, why can't 
 we do the same for those whom we think would be lit help- 
 ers in our work? . . . 
 
 "I have just come in from a sermon of Father Benson 
 very excellent on the faults of omission, but he is certainly 
 too long; three-quarters of an hour in the evening is too 
 much, and then there is so much in his sermons; it would 
 be better to divide them up into three, fifteen minutes each. 
 I am positive they would have twice the effect. Let us make 
 it a rule in the Brotherhood that no sermon shall exceed 
 fifteen minutes. They sang one of my favorite hymns, 
 'Hark, Hark, My Soul.' What a power music is! Shall I 
 bring out a selection of church music for 'our choir?' If so, 
 what? How about 'our' Library? That is a very important 
 thing; we can't get on without books. 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY/' 
 
 "81 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 "QUINQUAGESIMA, February 27, 187G. 
 
 "MY DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . Our lectures are very interesting now, and I 
 enjoy Liddon very much more this term than I did the last. 
 The Oxford men all have a certain mannerism to which one 
 must get accustomed. I can see you smile incredulously at 
 the suggestion of any imperfection in Liddon. 1 do not 
 think his mannerisms altogether objectionable, for it is a 
 great comfort to feel that such men have their little failings. 
 
 87
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Licldon invariably says jest instead of just, and in lectur- 
 ing he stutters and repeats the same thing over and over 
 again, apparently waiting for a happy expression to follow 
 out the thought. Of course, his sermons being written, 
 there is no such defect. Dr. King, too, stutters in exactly 
 the same way. It is very pleasing withal. Apparently all 
 Englishmen have it more or less. But don't think that I am 
 depreciating them, far from it, only it is 'jest' as well for 
 you not to idealize too tremendously. 
 
 "I haven't had my promised walk with Liddon yet; the 
 weather has been disagreeable, the walking wretched. I 
 know by experience he is far above caring about either, and 
 so am waiting for a good day. 
 
 "Dr. King is giving us good lectures on the Apostolic 
 Succession, Archbishop Parker's consecration, etc. ; the Ro- 
 man Catholics' objections and how to refute them, espe- 
 cially from their own writers. It is certainly most scholarly 
 and impressive to quote by reading from the books quoted 
 in the original language. Had Woodman* been thoroughly 
 grounded, he couldn't have the impudence to say that he 
 could not look upon us as anything but laymen. That Nag's 
 Head story is the most palpably absurd thing ever in- 
 vented. It is astonishing how Roman Catholic scholars, up 
 to this day for the most part, implicitly accept it, and hand 
 it down in their writings. The fact of Lingard rejecting it 
 is almost authority enough, did not the various registers at 
 Lambeth and different Cathedrals and State records prove 
 the true consecration most convincingly. Considering that 
 
 * Rev. Garence Woodman, at that time a student of the General 
 Theological Seminary, N. Y., afterwards joined the Church and became 
 a Paulist 
 
 88
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 \\c all stand upon it, i think the clergy as a rule are culpably 
 ignorant.* 
 
 "The Archbishop of Canterbury has been, as usual, talk- 
 ing in the most absurd and ignorant way about reunion with 
 Dissenters. The other day at Convocation he talked a lot 
 of bosh about Apostolic Succession of the Lutherans and 
 the Swedish and Danish churches. It is a wonder he didn't 
 mention our Methodist Episcopate; they have bishops, too, 
 by name. In fact he did speak about the three bodies of 
 the American Church, whatever that may mean I don't 
 know I am sure. He cannot mean high, low and broad, for 
 he certainly has no desire for union with the high. It is 
 sad such an old Erastian should be a Primate. He is doing 
 his very best, although he cannot understand it, to under- 
 mine both Church and State, for they will certainly fall 
 together. Mr. Boddington, one of the Missioners who was 
 here, is to be tried in his, the Archbishop's court, for ritual- 
 ism. I think he is able to defend himself pretty well. I do 
 wish, though, they would try such a man as Liddon or 
 Canon Gregory, but that, apparently, is not the Archbishop's 
 line. They couldn't advertise Catholicism better, and you 
 know Dr. Seymour's expression about the blood of the 
 martyrs, etc. 
 
 "I am afraid this Lent will be too enjoyable for me, there 
 are to be such good preachers. The Bampton lecturer is 
 the Bishop of Derry, Dr. Alexander, the only Irish Bishop 
 who voted for the Athanasian creed, I believe. They say 
 
 * Whatever credence Catholic writers have given to the Nag's 
 Head story, the truth or falsity of the same in no way affects the 
 incontrovertible arguments adduced against the validity of Anglican 
 orders. 
 
 89
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 he is exceedingly eloquent. The lectures take place every 
 Sunday morning in Lent in the University Church. 
 
 "Dr. King preached this morning at the Cathedral on 
 fasting. The opening part was admirable, but alas, he is 
 far too charitable, for he qualifies so much that every man, 
 woman and child could make a loop-hole through which to 
 escape. I was disappointed, for I wanted someone who 
 shall be nameless to have a good sermon on the subject. 
 They sang a beautiful Te Deum by Mendelssohn. 
 
 "Did I tell you that I go every Thursday to have a lesson 
 in intoning from the Rev. Mr. Hilton, a fellow of Christ 
 Church? I get on pretty well. I have a tendency to slide 
 up my first note at the beginning of a sentence, still I hope 
 practice will cure the defect. . . . 
 
 "I have decided not to have anything to do with the work 
 over on Avenue C, or the Sisters there. What a change of 
 plans ! All seems to be working for my end, however, for 
 i f I had gotten very much interested there, how could I ever 
 leave it when our Society starts. But now, perhaps, I shall 
 have a little country parish, a few poor sheep to tend how 
 lovely that sounds and there are sure to be a few wolves 
 disguised among them. Well, I shall tend those few poor 
 sheep and have time to devote to prayer, meditation and 
 study. I suppose you are up in arms against me and are 
 saying: 'Oh, he has gone back on himself and doesn't want 
 to work; grown lazy and spoiled.' Quite wrong in each 
 particular, I assure you but all in good time. I am so 
 afraid sometimes, that you are only jesting about our plans 
 when I am dead in earnest. At all events, Dr. King says it 
 is not ridiculous, and I can't tell you what comfort that is 
 to me. "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 90
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "March 1C, 1870. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 "... I cannot believe it is so late in the year. All 
 the lectures are over for the Lent term, although Licldon is 
 to give us two or three extra ones this week, as he wants to 
 get through the Ephesians this year before the long vaca- 
 tion. Dr. King's upon the requirements for the priesthood 
 have been very interesting this last week. He took St. 
 Gregory on the Pastoral care, St. Ambrose on the priest- 
 hood, and St. Chrysostom on the same. He took them in 
 turn, giving a day to each. They are, as you know, very 
 tremendous on the subject, especially in the Eucharistic as- 
 pect. He concluded with an extract from St. Gregory 
 Nazianzen. I am sorry to say the men pay very little atten- 
 tion, but read all the time at least those in the room where 
 we were. I am sure the majority are mere Erastians,* go- 
 ing in to please their families, etc. I was in hopes it had 
 died out, but am convinced of my mistake. One excuse is, 
 I suppose, that coming to the lecture, as they do, in the 
 midst of their ordinary University course, they know noth- 
 ing at all about Ecclesiastical History or the Qiurch itself, 
 and so cannot be expected to care much about the opinion 
 of writers of whom they are ignorant. Good seminarians 
 are certainly desirable, if for nothing else, to make a break 
 between the life of the University and that of priests or 
 deacons; otherwise the transition is altogether too sudden. 
 
 "Dr. King's Friday Conferences came to a close last 
 
 * "With Froude, Erastianism that is, the union (so he viewed it) 
 of Church and State was the parent ... of liberalism." Ntw- 
 inan's Apologia, Part IV. 
 
 91
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 week. Literally the room was crowded, and men, as usual, 
 standing. They seem to be a different set of men from 
 those who attend the lectures. The Doctor was grand. We 
 are going to hear him to-night at St. Barnabas' ; I wish it 
 were not so far away, as I enjoy the service there so much. 
 
 "We went this morning to hear the first Bampton lecture. 
 The Bishop of Derry is a splendid man, and we were both 
 delighted with him. The subject is the 'Messianic Psalms.' 
 The lecture was on the 22nd. It was beautiful. He is 
 quite old, but his voice clear and sympathetic. We were, as 
 usual, fortunate in having such a lecturer for the year. Mr. 
 Mylne, Bishop designated to Bombay, preached last 
 Wednesday night upon 'Spiritual Progress.' He was quite 
 good, but rather slow. He did not hesitate, yet seemed to 
 weigh each word before uttering it, which rather spoiled 
 the effect. 
 
 "I think I have heard Father Benson too often, for he 
 palls upon one a little ; he is too severe and hard, and takes 
 too gloomy a view of the state of mankind in general. It 
 is the way with monks. They wind themselves up beyond 
 the level of ordinary mortals, and then look down with 
 scorn upon the efforts of the poor ones who must live in 
 the world, however much they may be trying not to be of 
 it. If we want to reach the hearts of the multitude, we 
 must be gentle and loving and sympathetic, and that monks 
 cannot be as a general rule, for their vocation is to live apart 
 from their fellows and even themselves. 
 
 "It is a relief to turn to the gentle Dr. King, whose in- 
 fluence is wonderful. I couldn't possibly be striving for a 
 more difficult thing than to be gentle, forbearing and sym- 
 pathetic; for you know that, in general, I have a certain 
 amount of reserve and an immense amount of pride and 
 disagreeableness. Still I am convinced it is the way. 
 
 92
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 "You speak about my coming to Hoboken. What does 
 Mr. P. say? Or is he willing to take curates ad lib.? It 
 would be a good beginning for the Society of the Holy 
 Cross. 
 
 "I went on Friday to take my intoning lesson in the 
 Cathedral. It is rather trying to one's voice, as Hilton puts 
 me under the lantern tower and himself at the worst point 
 for hearing. By way of variety, I sharped a little instead 
 of flatting. I have bought a pitch pipe. You would be quite 
 horrified at the number of my books. Tell me of any in 
 particular you think would be useful, and do tell me about 
 the Fathers we certainly must have. 
 
 "My sister tells me of my mother's reason for advising 
 me to stay abroad to keep me from the Sisters. She does 
 not dream of the Society of the Holy Cross. . . . 
 
 "Yours affectionately. 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 "MID-LENT SUNDAY, March 2fi, 1870. 
 
 "MY DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . Nothing very interesting is going on here; 
 time, as usual, is passing very quickly. The term is over, 
 and the city is very quiet. We have had two of the eight 
 Bampton lectures, which were very fine. Perhaps you may 
 hear some of them, as they will be resumed after Easter. 
 
 "I go, as usual, to the Mission House every morning at 
 six, but am getting bravely over my fancy for their phase 
 of the religious life. I want something a little broader. I 
 should hate to l>e a mere machine. . . . 
 
 "In the afternoon I had a treat Liddon at St. Paul's, 
 
 93
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 on the Personality of Satan. I had a splendid seat and en- 
 joyed myself immensely. Of course he was grand; calls 
 the evil one Sattan, and so do most people here. He was 
 very eloquent, and drew an immense crowd. The next day 
 I went to St. Alban's, as I had a letter of introduction to 
 Mr. Maconochie from Father Benson, but after I got nearly 
 there, I thought how wrong it was to take a priest's time in 
 Passiontide, and I said so to Mr. M. He was very polite 
 and asked me to go there any time at one, and lunch, as I 
 should be sure to find him at home. Of course he was very 
 busy, and so I took my leave. 
 
 "I went to Even-song at St. Andrew's, Well street, where 
 Barnby is organist, and where they are supposed to have 
 the best singing in Europe. The chanting was splendid ; so 
 precise and steady, but the anthem, a beautiful one *O 
 daughters of Jerusalem' was marred by the solo treble 
 boy having a horrible cold. 
 
 "You don't know how you have misjudged me if you 
 fancy that I am aristocratic with poor people. Burgess is 
 constantly telling me that I err on the opposite side, and am 
 too easy and familiar with them. And as to children, I have 
 grown to love them. My nature, perhaps, has changed un- 
 der Dr. King's influence. My only wish is to work among 
 the poor. Burgess says that I carry it to such an extreme 
 that one would think that the rich ought not to be preached 
 to at all. Do you imagine that I have become puffed up 
 since I have been here ? Oh, no ! Or did you fancy because 
 I spoke of not going to Avenue C that I was beginning to 
 repent of my determination to go among the poor and the 
 uncared for? . . . 
 
 "I have not been at all satisfied with this Lent. I have 
 not made progress, I grieve to say, but have had a long 
 
 94
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 spell of dryness. It was good for me, no doubt, as it helped 
 to save me from pride and presumption, which, alas, I had 
 fallen into, I fear. It is a temptation, but it is hard to be 
 spiritually dry. I hope now that the worst is over, and that 
 Easter will bring me peace. I feel utterly fagged out and 
 good for nothing. I went up to London, hoping the change 
 would set me up, but it has only made me more tired. 
 
 "Mr. Lang came for us to go rowing yesterday, as it is 
 much nicer for them to have me to steer them. I went, al- 
 though really I have not strength enough, and they always 
 expect me to do some rowing. In Lent one has not much 
 extra strength. Fasting doesn't make me cross, and I find 
 that I shall be able to manage High Celebrations very well ; 
 still one doesn't have much energy. The air here is not 
 bracing as at home. Spring is now here, and the birds sing 
 most delightfully. There are quantities of larks. Today 
 has been very warm; the hedges will soon be in bloom, and 
 the country will be lovely. I do enjoy the country so much. 
 
 "I should like to have some work to relieve the monotony 
 of study. Dr. King preached to-night, Wednesday, an ex- 
 cellent sermon : 'Rest after labor, and sympathy for others.' 
 I long for you to hear him. 
 
 "I looked at some of the Arundel Society pictures in 
 London. I liked one of Pcrugino's. Raphael's master, you 
 know; it is in three compartments: central one. Our Lord 
 on the Cross, with one figure at the foot; the side ones, 
 each, two figures gazing at Him. T have often admired it 
 at Dr. King's. There is another by Fra Angelico, but it has 
 too many Popey people in it. Would you buy the first, 
 and brass cross and candle-sticks for our private monastery 
 chapel? . . . "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY/' 
 95
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "EASTER DAY, 1876. 
 "MY DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . An Easter greeting to you. What a comfort 
 it is to reach Easter after the long, long fast. Well, upon 
 the whole, I think Holy Week was a very profitable one for 
 me. We revelled in having a great deal of Dr. King. He 
 gave beautiful Meditations on the Mondays, Tuesdays and 
 Wednesdays, upon the types of the Old Testament, select- 
 ing the Tree of Life, the Sacrifice of Abraham and the 
 Brazen Serpent, subjects that actually suit his devotional 
 mind. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday he preached in 
 the evening at the Cathedral of course, equally well. I was 
 to have gone with him on Friday to Abingdon, but there 
 was a misunderstanding about the hour, and I missed him. 
 However, I was quite reconciled to the disappointment by 
 the thought that there would have been too much pleasure 
 in being with and hearing Dr. King on Good Friday. I 
 went instead to the Cowley Fathers' Church. Father Ben- 
 son made the address on the Seven Last Words, and was 
 particularly good. There was a' large congregation. The 
 service was wonderfully melancholic. The whole choir was 
 hung in black, the altar perfectly black, not even relieved by 
 any white. The exercises began in the morning with a med- 
 itation at 7.30; then there was a children's service, followed 
 by Matins and the Seven Words. 
 
 "For three hours the bell at the Mission House tolled 
 every minute, and from two to three the church bell also. 
 The day itself was gloomy. I never heard anything like 
 the whistling of the wind the night before; there was a 
 heavy fall of snow, and it was bitterly cold, altogether cal- 
 culated to make one exceedingly mournful. By the evening 
 
 96
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 the snow had completely vanished, and it had become mild 
 and pleasant. 
 
 "We had also an appropriate service on Easter Eve. The 
 church was prettily decorated, and the music joyful and in- 
 spiriting. Father Benson, however, gave us a very wo fid 
 sermon, in which he told Us we must go through the world 
 like the corpses that we are. I could not agree with his 
 gloomy views of the Christian life. It is one thing to be 
 dead unto sin, and quite another to be forever storming and 
 raging against the world, which we must abandon, alas, to 
 the unconverted sinners, if all the true followers of Our 
 Lord leave them to themselves. Dr. King preached a splen- 
 did sermon at the Cathedral, but the service was miserably 
 cold and un-Easterlike. I got to the Cowley Fathers' in 
 time for the Celebration, and afterwards went to the Mis- 
 sion House to dinner, at Father Benson's invitation. 
 
 "In the evening I went to St. Barnabas', where they had 
 a grand Te Deum, such as I described to you at the end of 
 the Mission. There was an immense procession, in which 
 all the Sunday-school children took part, and, although it 
 extended all around the church, there was not the slightest 
 confusion. But I am writing all this one week after the 
 date, to-day being Low Sunday. I can scarcely realize that 
 it is only a week since then, but I really despair of ever 
 finishing this letter, as this is my third attempt. I must tell 
 you one very good reason why I was interrupted. I have 
 taken a little jaunt this week, and where do you suppose I 
 went to? Stoke-on-Tern, where the Society of the Holy 
 Ghost abides. I went very boldly, unannounced, as I thought 
 it better, and had no time to wait for a letter to be an- 
 swered ; moreover, if they would not show hospitality, I 
 should know what to think of them ; but I have no charge 
 
 97
 
 LIFF OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 of that kind to make against them. It was a four hours' 
 journey by rail. Just as I reached the last junction I spied 
 a little crowd of cassocked and cloaked creatures, and I 
 guessed correctly that they belonged to Stoke. When we 
 got to the station I marched boldly to the crowd and asked 
 if Father Bicknall were there. Luckily he was. I said that 
 Canon King had commended me to him, etc., and was very 
 warmly received by him. They had all been off on an ex- 
 cursion to celebrate the Easter festival. Stoke can scarcely 
 be defined by the name of a village, for it is hardly a ham- 
 let, yet there is a handsome stone church, large and lately 
 restored. The rectory is a huge house for such a tiny 
 parish, with beautiful grounds, a succession of terraced 
 lawns sloping down to a little stream, and the churchyard 
 adjoining. The house seemed just fitted for what it is now 
 used. There are six Fathers, two were away, one being 
 the Superior, Father Corbet, a fine man, they say. I was 
 charmed with Father Bicknall; he is so unaffected and 
 pleasant, and seems to be really fatherly. I liked another 
 one very much, Father Douglas, a genuine, whole-souled 
 creature. There are besides five or six lay brothers. They 
 are pretty advanced in ritual and have holy water for cross- 
 ing, etc. The great objection I find is that they have no 
 definite aim at present, except community life and individ- 
 ual perfection. To be sure they do give occasional retreats, 
 still home life seems to be their aim. Now, of course, one 
 must, and one ought to, aim at one's own perfection, still I 
 cannot help feeling and saying that it seems to me some- 
 what too narrow and selfish an aim. At least, I could not 
 be happy there. I was really oppressed, or rather depressed, 
 during my visit of two and a half days, although the ser- 
 vices were bright Easter ones. I don't mean to be con- 
 
 98
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 demning 1 them if they are called to such a life, but only that 
 it is not my ideal. 
 
 "The Church is wide enough for all kinds. I was most 
 
 kindly treated and liked them personally, still . In the 
 
 evening from nine to half-past, all the Fathers and lay 
 brethren met in the community room for a chat. There 
 was one fine-looking lay brother to whom my heart went 
 out. Father told me to stay as long as I wanted, but I 
 thought it better not to trespass too long upon their hos- 
 pitality. He gave me a letter to their curate, who was stay- 
 ing in Lichfield, where I was going to see the Cathedral. 
 Really I cannot say too much of the kindness with which I 
 was treated everywhere. 
 
 "The curate is a very agreeable little man. The Fathers 
 do not care to do parish work and so engage him for the 
 purpose. He has a wife, who is also very pleasant. I dined 
 at his mother's afterwards, and we went over the Cathedral 
 and library together. It is a very interesting place, built 
 partly in 715, and dedicated to St. Chad. \Ye saw that old 
 gentleman's gospels in Latin with Anglo-Saxon notes, much 
 coveted by the British Museum. It is so encouraging to 
 meet Catholics scattered broadcast over the country. It is 
 good for them, too, to hear about the United States. 
 
 "I was very glad to get back to Oxford to-day. We had 
 a Bampton lecture and a sermon by Canon Light foot. An- 
 other to-night by Mr. Mylne, Bishop-elect of Bomlxiy; very 
 excellent. It is splendid to have good churchmen at last for 
 Bishops, and such young men too. Not a bit F.rastian or 
 cowards. I had a most unsettling letter from my mother, 
 saying she had bearded the lion. Bishop Potter, in his den. 
 and that he had heartily agreed to my staying over here 
 until the Autumn to travel with my sister. . . . Lid- 
 
 99
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 don will be in residence in August. . . . My mother 
 hopes that I have become moderate. What think you? Dr. 
 King conveys a feeling of safety, in name at least, to her 
 
 mind, but the reality . . . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "May 19, 1876. 
 "MY DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 "... I ought to be willing to make a little sacri- 
 fice, to prepare myself for the awful responsibility of taking 
 charge of many souls. I should not mind being in the 
 country, the people are so much simpler than city people. 
 We walked out on Sunday afternoon to Littlemore for Even- 
 song. It was a most lovely afternoon, the sky cloudless, 
 and the church was much brighter than when I last saw it. 
 There was a good congregation, the service choral and well 
 sung. The Vicar was rather a depressing little man, and 
 to our regret he preached ; he had not much to say nor did 
 he say it well. Still one must be charitable, for Dr. King 
 told that once when Keble preached for him, an old fanner 
 remarked to him afterwards, that 'it was a pity that the old 
 gentleman should be allowed to preach.' Think of Keble 
 being thus criticised. 
 
 "The Doctor is giving us a very good course of lectures 
 on Preaching: of course, coming from such a good preacher 
 they fall with double effect. On Friday evenings he is 
 treating the Lord's Prayer to a crowded oratory, although 
 it is a gay term, given up in great measure to boating. The 
 men requested him to make the hour nine instead of eight, 
 
 100
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 to give them a chance to get there. So you see that they 
 really enjoy the 'talks.' The Doctor thought seriously of 
 not having them on account of the term, but was delighted 
 to continue them when they were wanted. ... I mean 
 to try and study very hard though it is discouraging I 
 have such a poor memory. I will make a good house Father 
 or parish visitor perhaps, which may not require very great 
 learning. 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "May 2G, 1876. 
 "Mv DF.AR FRANCIS: 
 
 ". . . Just think what a state I should be in if I were 
 going to sail to-morrow, and on some accounts I do wish 
 that I were. One reason being that I should see you. . . . 
 
 "How much Keble's life is abused. He seems to be used 
 by people as an example of combining the worldly and the 
 heavenly. Of course it isn't a bit true. Burgess is very 
 much afraid of leaving me here on account of the Fathers. 
 He seems to imagine that I shall fall an easy victim after 
 the fright I gave him last winter when he was away, but I 
 don't believe there is any danger; at any rate my sister will 
 soon be over to preserve me from the allurements. Frank- 
 ly, though, there is no reason for his fears. I like them 
 very well as individuals, and I like the religious life, but 
 never would join an English Order or care to 1>e under 
 Father Benson. I must say I prefer a limited monarchy to 
 an autocracy such as his. . . . 
 
 "We went on Sunday evening to St. Barnabas'. Mr. 
 
 101
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Holland preached. He is a senior student (fellow) of 
 Christ Church, and tutor, and is considered, perhaps, the 
 rising man; I believe Dr. Liddon thinks so. I liked him 
 very well, though it was not a remarkable sermon in any 
 way, but he may have suited himself to the St. Barnabas' 
 people and aimed particularly at simplicity. He is to preach 
 at the Cathedral on Sunday. 
 
 "This week there have been quite exciting boat races 
 every day. We went three times. The unattached, in whom 
 we took special interest on account of our friend Lang be- 
 ing one of the eight, did most wretchedly. Did I tell you 
 how they race here? I will repeat anyhow. The river is 
 so narrow that ten boats could not possibly go abreast, so 
 they row in a string, and the thing to do is to 'bump' the 
 one just in front and so work one's way up. They row in 
 two divisions, the best ten at 7 P. M., the second best at 
 5.30; the head of the second best ten rowing twice, in the 
 race at 5.30, and last in the race at 7 P. M. Brasenose came 
 off victorious. There is a narrow bank path along which 
 the college men run, keeping up with their boats and yelling 
 encouragement at the top of their lungs. It is very amus- 
 ing indeed to see them. There are a great many people 'up,' 
 as those who used to come for Commemoration, now that 
 it is closed to the public, come for the races instead. The 
 week unfortunately has been cloudy and showery. They have 
 been playing cricket matches in Christ. Church meadow in 
 front of our house every day this week. It seems to me very 
 stupid. The men are very swell and come out in a four- 
 horse wagon. The Oxford and London coach makes quite 
 an excitement when it passes. You know it is driven by 
 gentlemen. They always sound their horn when they pass, 
 and Burgess laughs because I rush to the window to see it.
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 "We are going on a rowing expedition to-morrow to 
 commemorate Burgess's last week-day in Oxford. The 
 party is to be the two Langs and ourselves. We start at 
 noon and expect to be gone the whole afternoon. We are 
 going to surprise them with a very recherche hamper to 
 sustain us by the way. Would that you were here to help 
 us discuss and enjoy it. We like the Langs very much. 
 
 "May 29, 1876. 
 
 "I had to break off and go to a Missionary meeting at 
 Corpus Christi College. Bishop Mylne, of Bombay, was to 
 address the people. It was quite interesting. You remem- 
 ber, he is from Keble College, where I dined with him. He 
 is very popular and has had fifteen men promise to go out 
 to India to work under him. None of them are yet in or- 
 ders. The Bishop's idea is to have a sort of Brotherhood 
 system; at least associated work, under his direction, and it 
 is owing to that he has got so many men. One does dread 
 the idea of working all alone so far away. They are to 
 agree not to marry for a term of years. . . . 
 
 "On Saturday we had a very jolly time indeed. The 
 day passed charmingly without a mishap of any kind. We 
 started at 12 and got back at 8 P. M. We took turns in 
 rowing and towing the nine miles to Abingdon, where there 
 is a singular old church with five aisles. It is in good Cath- 
 olic hands. There is also a ruined Abbey there. We pic- 
 nicked on a very pretty spot by the river side, and enjoyed 
 the good things that Mrs. Aldridge had provided for us. 
 We all had a very pleasant time. It was certainly very un- 
 like the common run of days with me. 
 
 "Yesterday Mr. Holland preached at the Cathedral a very 
 
 103
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 excellent sermon. Dr. King very kindly asked us to take a 
 farewell lunch with them. Then we heard the Dean of 
 Rochester, Scott (Liddell and Scott, you know). I forgot 
 to say Canon Liddon was to have lunched at Dr. King's, but 
 was not well. I have been going a good deal to the Cathe- 
 dral lately. ... I have been reading Keble's memoirs 
 and have been enjoying the Lyra Innocentium. How ex- 
 quisite those lines upon the death of the New Baptized and 
 Disuse of Infant Communion. The last is enough to con- 
 vince anyone but an intelligent layman of the beauty and 
 need of it. And now there is to be a month of quiet all to 
 myself, then wandering for two months, and after that 
 home. I am sure that I have done right in staying ; my sis- 
 ter was so disappointed when she thought I would not travel 
 with her. 
 
 "The weather is very pleasant .now, the country lovely, 
 the birds sing more delightfully, and the hawthorn hedges 
 and the wild flowers are charming. We heard some cuckoos 
 on Saturday and are hoping for the nightingales. 
 
 "Dr. King's lectures on Parochialia are really a help. 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "Whitsun Eve, June 3, 187G. 
 DEAR FRANCIS: 
 ". ... You can never make your letters more inter- 
 esting than by telling me about your boys and what you are 
 doing with and for them. That is the real way to get at the 
 older people through the younger; one can see how nat- 
 ural it is too. . . . As to the idea of dying young, one 
 
 104
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 ought not to indulge fancies. For your own dear self, to 
 depart and be with Girist, must be better, but for those who 
 are left, or would have to be left, it may be more expedient 
 for you to tarry. About one thing there can be no doubt ; 
 that until He calls we are not to go. We must do all in our 
 power to preserve our lives. You, of course, understand 
 that I do not mean one is to neglect any plain duty or coddle 
 himself, but use ordinary and necessary precautions. For 
 myself, I do not feel any terror now at the possibility of 
 dying, only that I have done and am doing so very, very 
 little, and that little so feebly and imperfectly for Him. One 
 would like to feel that one has fought the battle before 
 reaching the resting place. 
 
 "I am very much interested in Keble's Memoirs, although 
 I do think that Coleridge makes himself too prominent by 
 far. Keble used to take a good many trips for his wife's 
 health, didn't he? Or j>erhaps they seem more frequent by 
 reading about them in such close connection in a book. Dr. 
 King has been upon Confession in his last two lectures, in- 
 troduced by the reading of the Visitation Office. Last night 
 we had a choice little conference on 'Thy will be done.' We 
 are to have a treat to-morrow ; Dr. Liddon is to preach be- 
 fore the University. Was I harsh in telling you what he 
 said about the League of Saint Cross? or did I have the 
 tone of 'I told you so'? If so, forget and forgive. 
 
 "If you come to Keble you will have great temptation to 
 go into the delights of college life. I feel that even I, staid 
 and old as I am, could very easily be led away by them ; not 
 that they are in any way sinful, but only not exactly a help 
 to spirituality. I do not mean to speak of Keble especially, 
 but college life in general unattached. I don't like it at 
 all lectures and no congenial society nor do I think Cow- 
 
 105
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 ley and college at the same time a desirable mixture, but 
 more of that hereafter. As to being allowed to work in a 
 London parish, I am sure there would be no difficulty, for 
 they are always glad of helpers, especially if you didn't 
 need a stipend. I am rather lonely, but am sure it is good 
 training for me. Let me hear from you as often as you 
 can ; write scraps in pencil in any kind of way, they will al- 
 ways be most acceptable. 
 
 "You know well that I should love to be with you at the 
 Monastery next winter if you are there. Do pray for me 
 that I may not waste this summer; not that travelling is a 
 waste of time, but there are so many and great temptations 
 in travelling that one finds many excuses for neglecting 
 'exercises' and church duties. And now for the present 
 farewell. Let us continue and increase our prayers for the 
 T S r 
 
 I-/. O .V_y. . . ' . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY/' 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 "EVE OF TRINITY SUNDAY, June 10, 1876. 
 "MY DEAR FRANCIS : 
 
 "... Dr. Lidclon preached a beautiful sermon last 
 Sunday before the University. I am going to send you the 
 paper which has it, though very much of the charm is in 
 the man himself. His red Doctor's gown was very becom- 
 ing. I had a delightful walk with him on Friday; he was 
 very agreeable. I asked him a good deal about the Roman 
 question, as it has been brought before me lately by the per- 
 version of a friend of Lang's. The Doctor, of course^ was 
 very satisfactory. 'Did you ever read "Loss and Gain," by 
 
 106
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 John Henry Newman? If not I shouldn't advise you to 
 do so,' said the Doctor. But the way it came up was, he 
 took me to see St. Bartholomew's Chapel, which is men- 
 tioned in that work. It is such a disgrace to Oriel. The 
 religious house, of which this was the chapel, was sup- 
 pressed and given to Oriel. The chapel, a pretty stone one, 
 of very good style, is used by the tenant, a farmer, for rub- 
 bish. Think of the desecration ! The elevation for the altar 
 is still there; the chancel steps, the gravestones, the rood- 
 screen still stand, but the whole of the sacred place is filled 
 with old wagon wheels, doors, barrels, etc. Isn't it shock- 
 ing? The Doctor said it is the kind of place that would 
 suit our purpose, referring to the League of Saint Cross, 
 which he had not forgotten, although I had not mentioned 
 it again. He is so kind and considerate. He asked me if I 
 would not ever come to England again, and when I said I 
 thought not, he said he was sorry, and asked me particu- 
 larly to let him know about my ordination all this spon- 
 taneously. I had not been speaking of it at all, and he did 
 it in the midst of our walk, and not merely when he was 
 saying good-bye. He said he would be in Oxford ten days 
 longer, and if I would look him up he would be happy to 
 take another walk. Now I tell you all this not from any 
 feeling of conceit, but just to show you how kind he is. He 
 seems to l>e rather provoked at Dr. Nevins' Preface to the 
 Bonn Conference, as he alludes in it very disparagingly to 
 Dr. Pusey. I hope that Dr. Nevins will not be at Bonn 
 this year, but some one who really understands the im- 
 portance of the subject. 
 
 "Dr. King criticised one of my sermons most carefully. 
 He does take so much trouble; he analyzed it and paged it 
 and read it three times; marked the good points and the 
 
 107
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 weak ones. He thinks that Dr. Pusey is the best example 
 of style for me to study. I am quite pleased. What I most 
 lack is analysis and due proportion. 
 
 "On Tuesday is the Cuddesdon Festival, and Dr. King 
 has got me an invitation. I went to his last lecture on 
 Saturday; he has been dwelling upon the good points of 
 the sectarian bodies and urging us to develop those same 
 points in the Church the personal holiness they so desire, 
 the closer feeling of brotherhood of the Congregationalists, 
 and their longing for an immediate union with Our Lord 
 all of which the Church, of course, ought to and does 
 supply. No wonder right-minded and earnest people de- 
 tested the cold Erastianism of the last century; but surely 
 the time has come for the Church to try and bring back 
 her wandering children. If only Roman Catholics in power 
 were like the men we read about with such intense interest, 
 how might we hope for unity; but alas, the Vaticanists are 
 too hideous in some of their teaching. The notices or books 
 of devotion for the month of Mary lead one almost to despair 
 of their ever being brought back from their Saint- worship 
 to the worship of Him who is Himself the Brother, the 
 Friend of sinners, and not the angry Son of a merciful, for- 
 giving Mother. I read with great interest Mr. Oxenham's 
 Preface to Dr. Dollinger's lectures on the reunion of the 
 Churches. By the way, it was dedicated by Mr. Oxenham 
 to Liddon. I asked the Doctor alxnit it, and he said Roman 
 Catholics were very angry at it and had sat upon Mr. 
 Oxenham in consequence. The Doctor said he was afraid 
 that Mr. Oxenham had gone back a little in the last year 
 certainly the preface was wonderfully liberal. Let us 
 pray that there may be thousands of others like him, long- 
 ing for unity. Do you pray for it? I think that we ought 
 
 108
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 to teach people the necessity for intercessory prayer more 
 than we do. It is a thing about which there is most woful 
 ignorance, even with myself, until very lately, not wilfully 
 but because I knew no better. 
 
 "There have been two interesting lectures on India by 
 the Professor of Sanskrit. Really the way that an edu- 
 cated Brahman explains their idolatry is identically the 
 same as the Roman Catholics'. Apparently they, too, have 
 vagtie ideas about the Trinity, and the need of an incarna- 
 tion of God. It is most interesting. . . . 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD. 
 
 "June 17, 1876. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 "For the last time do I write you from Oxford. By 
 Saturday next, I hope my sister will Ix? safely here. I sup- 
 pose I am the most absurd person, but really I have not the 
 least desire to go travelling this summer, not the least. 
 Oughtn't I to be ashamed of myself not to appreciate the 
 opportunities that are given me? Well. I am ashamed, but 
 I cannot excite the smallest enthusiasm. Perhaps, though, 
 when my sister is with me, it will l>e different. At any rate 
 I have no intention of putting any damper upon her enjoy- 
 ment by seeming uninterested or bored. It is not that I am 
 lazy and don't want to move, for I should like to have some 
 active work. The dangers of travelling are fearful. I don't 
 mean the risk of one's life, physical life, but the spiritual. 
 It is so extremely easy to omit one's duties. I suppose a 
 good way to keep them is not to have too many, but to be 
 
 10U
 
 very particular about those rules you do make. Dr. King 
 made some very sensible remarks apropos of this last night 
 that it is much better to propose to read one book, and 
 do it, than to lug about in one's bag a small library. 
 
 "I dined at Exeter College on Sunday and went to Com- 
 pline in the rooms of my host. It is very helpful to see a 
 lot of University men not ashamed but glad to meet for 
 extra prayers. 
 
 "I went over to Cuddesdon on Tuesday for the festival. 
 It was silly for me to go on an anniversary day, for nat- 
 urally everyone had his friends to look after, and so I felt 
 rather in the way; not that anything was done to make me 
 feel so. There was a surpliced procession of about one hun- 
 dred and fifty men, headed by a cross bearer and followed 
 by a chaplain with the pastoral staff and the Lord Bishops 
 of Oxford and Maritzburg. They sang as they walked 
 from the college to the parish church. After the service of 
 Matins there was a luncheon in a tent on the lawn. . . . 
 They certainly have wonderfully good officers at Cuddes- 
 don; Dr. King, Dr. Liddon, who was vice-president for 
 five years, and now Canon Furse, who is a splendid 
 man. They only have three officers, president, vice-presi- 
 dent and chaplain. They generally have about twenty men, 
 and the term is only one year. Certainly the men they turn 
 out are excellent specimens. I have met a good many at 
 Dr. King's, who all say it was the happiest year of their 
 lives. They have good buildings and chapel and library. 
 It is in a very quiet little village, seven and a half miles 
 from Oxford. The atmosphere is thoroughly Catholic, and 
 the president, vice-president and chaplain are all of one 
 mind ; so naturally the influence is both strong and good. 
 After the festival they have a retreat for old students, of 
 
 110
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 whom there were a great many present. It really made me 
 envious. Would that the G. T. S. could become more like 
 it! How wonderful it would be ! Perhaps the little League 
 of Saint Cross may be able to help a few along. Let us 
 hope at any rate and pray. 
 
 "I should like to know what is to become of yourself and 
 myself. One cannot forecast at all. If it so happens that 
 for a time we may not be able to live together, I see no 
 reason why a solemn league and covenant might not be made 
 by which we could agree to meet if possible at one of our 
 rectories for. mutual counsel and encouragement, and per- 
 haps for a retreat. Why, at least, shouldn't we have an as- 
 sociation of prayer called the League of St. Cross, and about 
 which there need be no secret? It is a great thing to get 
 people to help us with their prayers. I am the precipitate 
 one, am I not? 
 
 "Which would be a good motto? Galatians, VI. 14. 
 either whole, or first or latter half; or Galatians. II, 20; or 
 Philippians, IV, 13; or the old Oratorian one, "Omnia ves- 
 tra in caritate fiant?'* What do you say to a cross with a 
 motto for associates? Tell me which motto you prefer, or 
 suggest others. "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 * The passages taken from the Protestant version and referred to as 
 suitable for a motto for the projected League of Saint Cross, or So- 
 ciety of the Holy Cross, are : 
 
 "But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the 
 world." 
 
 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live: yet not I. hut 
 Christ livcth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by 
 the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." 
 
 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me." 
 
 Ill
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 In June Van Rensselaer's only unmarried sister came 
 over to England, and they travelled together all that sum- 
 mer. Fortunately we have three letters, which we subjoin, 
 giving an account of his last student days at Oxford, and 
 of the trip through England and Scotland. 
 
 "WlNDERMERE, 
 
 "June 25, 1876. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 I am really off on my summer tour, you see, 
 and so far, so well. I left Oxford on Friday for Liverpool, 
 and on Saturday, at noon, the Scythia arrived. It was very 
 pleasant to see so many home faces again one new one, 
 too, in my smallest niece,- a very beautiful child. Our fam- 
 ily party broke up, part going to London and the rest to the 
 Lake districts. You will be amused to hear that my sister 
 and I have, as our travelling companion, Dr. Tyng's new 
 associate rector, Dr. Williams. They all liked him very 
 much on the steamer, and he was proposing to himself the 
 same tour as my sister and I, so we thought it would be 
 pleasant to join company, as he is alone. He is about forty- 
 five, and is very companionable, an excellent churchman in 
 many respects, and very liberal. He is by birth a Virginian, 
 has had a parish at Georgetown, D. C, for ten years, and 
 regrets the lack of church discipline in the diocese. He has 
 really some excellent ideas upon the subjects which we have 
 discussed ; that is, he has always made a rule never to allow 
 any persons to be sponsors unless they were communicants. 
 Good and brave, isn't it? 
 
 "We are spending Sunday in just the very loveliest place 
 imaginable, a pretty little village on Lake Windermere; the 
 
 112
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 hotel on a hill overlooking the lake, beautiful trees, flower- 
 ing shrubs on all sides, the water blue. There is a quaint 
 old church here, prettily decorated, surpliced choir, etc. We 
 were so disappointed to find that there had been a Celebra- 
 tion at 9. We asked at the hotel, and they said there was 
 no service until 10.45. 
 
 "I went yesterday to an early Celebration at St. Mar- 
 garet's, Liverpool a beautiful chin ch. I never saw one I 
 liked better. I must go backward a I'ttle and tell you about 
 leaving Oxford. I went to the Commemoration on Wednes- 
 day, and it is a stupid enough affair, I asure you. There 
 was some fun, though, before it began. The undergrads 
 made funny remarks, and gave cheers for people, etc., Gir- 
 ton College (women, you know) among them. The Vice- 
 Chancellor made a Latin speech, encouraged by such re- 
 marks as 'Cut it short,' 'Wind her up,' etc. When he con- 
 ferred D. C. L.'s, he had to repeat the same form of words 
 about ten times, and after doing it once or twice he was told 
 not to do it again. The poor old gentleman didn't exactly 
 enjoy it, and whenever a popular man got the D. C. L. the 
 wretched undergraduates would cap the Vice-Chancellor's 
 speech with a chorus of 'For he's a jolly good fellow,' etc., 
 and it was very funny. By far the best looking man who 
 received the degree was Lieutenant Cameron, of African 
 fame. He really was intelligent looking. Some of the others 
 looked as though they had been brought up on Latin and 
 Greek roots, and the diet had not agreed with them. The 
 Bishop of Derry was an exception. 
 
 "I must tell you about Liddon. He told his class if they 
 wanted the conclusion of his analysis to go to his rooms on 
 Tuesday. So I went. I was going to say good-bye, but he 
 asked me if I wouldn't like to walk. Of course I did, so we 
 
 113
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 went out walking. He again alluded to the League of 
 Saint Cross of his own accord, and wanted to know if we 
 couldn't start by having a clergy house ; so you see he would 
 seem to approve of our beginning at once. I suggested an 
 association of prayer, which he thought would be excellent. 
 He promised to compose a prayer for us to use, if I should 
 write and tell him what we wanted. He takes great interest 
 in our spiritual welfare. Why shouldn't we have an asso- 
 ciation? Did I speak of it in my last letter? One of our 
 friends wrote that he had a strong longing for the Religious 
 life, but would not allow himself to think about it for sev- 
 eral years, which would amount to his being engaged in the 
 meanwhile, if not married. Now, we ought to see what we 
 can do to help each other along ; he might be very useful in 
 the L. S. C. Why shouldn't we have a form of prayer and 
 intercession and a few rules like those of the Brotherhood 
 of the Holy Trinity at Oxford and Cambridge? They are 
 not severe and are good for a beginning. Then, if we could 
 meet each other occasionally, at least once a year, for a re- 
 treat and a conference, in a little while we might try in good 
 earnest. I feel sure that there must be many other men like 
 ourselves, only waiting for something to turn up and help 
 them. 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "MELROSE, 
 
 "St. Peter's Day, June 29, 1876. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS: 
 
 "I did hope to have sent this off l>efore now, but one has 
 so very little time in travelling, and we are travelling with a 
 
 114
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 vengeance. To-morrow night we hope to be in England 
 again. I am sorry to say that the saying I'appetit vient 
 en rnangeant in my case, is untrue of travelling; for the 
 more I travel the less I care for it. I cannot get up any ex- 
 citement at all, and it is really most tiresome to me. My 
 sister and Dr. Williams enjoy it all immensely. On some 
 accounts I would just as lief not have him. My sister says 
 it is fortunate that he is with us, as I should be tempted to 
 hurry her past a great many interesting places, which is 
 rather mean, considering that I am here entirely on her 
 account. 
 
 "We saw the English lakes under the most favorable con- 
 ditions; shed some tears over Wordsworth, Southey, etc., 
 and came to Edinburgh. Holyrood, of course, is very in- 
 teresting, but I hate to be in Scotland on account of the pre- 
 vailing religion. Everything speaks to me of desecration, 
 ruined abbeys, or, sadder yet, cathedrals and churches trans- 
 formed into kirks and meeting-houses. No doubt the monks 
 
 were bad, but and to think of people daring to destroy 
 
 the houses of God, and to use the materials to build them- 
 selves houses how dare they do it ? No, I may be narrow- 
 minded, but it is a fact all the same, that I cannot see any- 
 thing nowadays except in connection with the Church and 
 the Church's Head. 
 
 "On Tuesday we went to Roslyn Chapel, a most exquisite 
 thing, built in the fifteenth century, apparently regardless 
 of expense, entirely of stone; every stone, almost, beauti- 
 fully carved. It is really a wonderful piece of work. In 
 those days nothing was too rich or too expensive for the 
 tflory of God. The present Earl of Roslyn, a Catholic (not 
 Roman Catholic) has restored it to the service and 'ad ma- 
 jorem Dei gloriam,' as he calls it keeps a chaplain and has 
 
 115
 
 LIFE OP HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 the chapel properly equipped, cross, candles, etc., and ser- 
 vices, although he does not himself live near. It is encour- 
 aging in such a dead level of Presbyterianism. 
 
 "This morning we went to an early Celebration of All 
 Saints' Cathedral, Edinburgh. It is Catholic too. They 
 used the Scotch Liturgy, which is more like the Roman 
 than ours. The Consecration and oblation come first, then 
 the prayer for the Church and the Lord's Prayer before 
 Communion. I rather like it. Yesterday we made a tour 
 of the Scotch lakes, Lomond and Katrine, and Stirling 
 Castle, and to-day we have been to the Abbey here and to 
 Dryburgh. The latter is most beautiful, although very ruin- 
 ous, and is situated in the midst of exclusive grounds. Sir 
 Walter Scott is buried in one of the ruined chapels ; but it is 
 altogether sad to my mind to see such ruins. To-morrow 
 morning we go to Abbotsford, and then on to Durham and 
 York, etc. 
 
 "Perhaps you will be glad to hear that I have taken our 
 passage for September 9th, in the Scythia, and I hope that 
 we shall get off then, though our departure may be post- 
 poned until a little later if necessary. I shall be so glad to 
 get back. Can't you wait for my return for your retreat at 
 Boston, and we shall go together? 
 
 "I did not tell you about Liddon's farewell. I asked him 
 for his blessing, and he not only gave me that, but went up- 
 stairs and tried to find a little book of Bishop Andrewes 
 on Devotion for the Sick, for which he had written a pref- 
 ace. He did not find it, and he brought me 'Some Elements' 
 instead. He asked me if I had it ; I said that I had. I didn't 
 know what the other book was and rather wanted it. So he 
 rummaged round and found a copy, in which he wrote: 
 'From his affectionate friend, H. P. Liddon,' and in Greek, 
 
 110
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 'Contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints/ He 
 asked me to write to him, as if he really cared to hear, and 
 said that I mustn't mind sometimes if he could not always 
 answer on account of business. Wasn't it good of him? 
 Well, you know, I did hanker for the 'Some Elements' 
 dreadfully, but didn't like to tell him so. The other little 
 book is nice, but mostly Bishop Andrewcs', which was proba- 
 bly the reason why he selected it, being like most truly great 
 men modest. I could not resist writing him a little note 
 the next day, asking him if I could not have 'Some Ele- 
 ments' he had meant to give me. The book came in reply 
 with the motto from St. Augustine *Ama et fac quod vis' 
 and of course my name, and from him. The angelic Dr. 
 King gave me a copy of St. Anselm's Meditations, with a 
 very touching inscription. My friend Lang gave me 'Prome- 
 theus Vinctus,' clone into English verse by himself at the 
 age of 17. It was quite a wrench for me to leave Oxford. 
 I have forgotten a most unlooked-for token from my fellow 
 boarder, Miss Seal, a beautifully worked chalice veil, cor- 
 poral, etc., done by herself, lace and all. I had my photo- 
 graph taken for my Oxford friends in ordinary dress; I will 
 send you one. Don't think about St. Clement's, I beg you. 
 If you take a holiday do write; have heard nothing more 
 about Keble College. 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY/' 
 
 After the visit to Scotland, the little party then crossed 
 over to Holland and Belgium. The Low Countries infected 
 Van Rensselaer with malaria, so that, when they got into 
 Switzerland via the Rhine he was taken down with a fever. 
 
 117
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 This interrupted his plans somewhat, for towards the close 
 of August he was again at Oxford, where he remained until 
 his departure for America a fortnight later. By this time 
 he had definitely abandoned his purpose of working among 
 the poor on the East Side, but he still clung to the dream of 
 founding a religious community that would fill a very notice- 
 able gap in the American branch of the Anglican Church. 
 He again refers to the subject in these two letters, which 
 were the last he wrote from England. 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 "St. Bartholomew's Day, August 24, 1876. 
 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS : 
 
 "I am once more comfortably installed in my old quarters 
 here, and it seems natural and pleasant. ... I don't 
 see the advantage for you of a year spent working in Lon- 
 don as a member of the League of Saint Cross. Of course 
 I understand your idea of learning to work among the poor, 
 but after all the Oratorian work and life is not one devoted 
 to parish work, but more one to be spent in trying to pro- 
 mote spirituality among the seminarians and clergy, one to 
 try and raise the tone of the clergy both intellectually and 
 spiritually. But how will a year of hard work among the 
 poor conduce to fitting you for it? It strikes me that what 
 we need is enough, not overmuch, work, time for medita- 
 tion and prayer, and as much retirement as possible. As 
 you say, we should not get too much interested in individ- 
 uals and places. That was one of my chief reasons for giv- 
 ing up Avenue C. I knew I should be much interested, and 
 that it would be almost impossible to tear myself away from 
 it after having once taken it up. We really ought to exert 
 
 118
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 ourselves to the utmost to be together, and near enough 
 New York to have an influence at the General Theological 
 Seminary. . . . 
 
 "I am sure it will all come out right, and I have the live- 
 liest hopes for the League of Saint Cross. Don't you think 
 you have overlooked the main object of 'L'Oratoire' in your 
 desire to be an efficient parish priest? . . . 
 
 "It is very pleasant to be settled again within sound of 
 the church bells. I go to a retreat at the Fathers' on Mon- 
 day to last until Friday evening. I hope I shall get back 
 some spirituality, for I feel so har y d and dry now. How 
 true it is that if one does not go forward in the spiritual 
 life one does not stand still, but goes backward. The retreat 
 is to be for priests, so I suppose I shall have to don my 
 clericals, cassock at least, so as not to be conspicuous. I 
 received a warm welcome from the Fathers and dined there 
 yesterday. They never try to convert me: only Father 
 Prescott does that 
 
 "What a work there is to be done, and doesn't it seem 
 well nigh presumptuous for us young men to try to do the 
 little we can. It would be so indeed if we did not firmly 
 believe the truth: 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have 
 chosen you.' How that alters everything. No longer pre- 
 sumptuous, no longer hopeless, but in quiet confidence and 
 with an holy boldness, being called, we obey the Master's 
 voice. People are sure to say: 'You ought to wait for 
 some older and more experienced person to lead the way' ; 
 but look at the founders of the Religious Orders; none of 
 them were old men when they started them. All began 
 their work young, even if the completion was long de- 
 ferred. . . . "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 119
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "31 IFFLEY ROAD, OXFORD, 
 
 "September 1, 187G. 
 "Mv DEAR FRANCIS : 
 
 " . . . I am now writing to you for the very last 
 time from Oxford, at least so far as I can tell. This night 
 week we shall be in Liverpool ready to sail on Saturday. I 
 am sure you are pining to go to New York. Do come on 
 to meet me, or if not that, as soon as possible. You may 
 have been expecting to hear of Mr. Lowder's decision, but 
 you know one can read no letters during retreat, and so I 
 did not get his answer until to-day. He says that he is 
 sorry that he 'has no room for you, but advises me to apply 
 to Father Benson, who can doubtless assist me to find a 
 place. I still cling to the idea of Hoboken. Do you have a 
 letter waiting for me at 'home telling me whether Mr. Weth- 
 erill is at the Holy Innocents' or not. If he is I shall go 
 over and see him before calling on the Bishop, as it would 
 be well to have my plans laid before seeing him. I don't 
 think there is a chance of my going back to England, cer- 
 tainly not at once; not for any lukewarmness for the in- 
 terest of the L. S. C, I assure you. 
 
 "I don't see how its interests will be advanced by such 
 a step. I am reading Mrs. Oliphant's Life of St. Francis of 
 Assisi, and am almost convinced that his example might be 
 followed with advantage in this century. What think you 
 of turning Franciscan? I am not jesting, I have really been 
 thinking of it; not the Roman Catholic Order, but one like 
 it ; yet I fear you will laugh at me and say it does not look 
 much like it to be buying lots of clothes and books, etc. It 
 is a little contradictory, to be sure. 
 
 "The retreat ended this morning; there were eighteen 
 priests and your brother Henry, disguised as a priest in 
 
 120
 
 LETTERS FROM OXFORD 
 
 cassock and clerical collar. It seemed quite natural for me. 
 Father Benson was the conductor and gave very good ad- 
 dresses, although a trifle transcendental. He has a deep in- 
 sight into spiritual things. I think, though, that in all my 
 life I never passed three longer days. It seemed as if the 
 day would never come to an end. There were four ad- 
 dresses a day think of it ! On Wednesday they had special 
 services for missions and a litany which seemed perfectly 
 endless. You think me very bad, but I can't help it. I am 
 afraid I have no vocation for the Evangelist Fathers' life. 
 God grant I may have for another phase of the Religious 
 life. After being silent all the week, it seemed as if I could 
 not sing enough when I got back here. My landlady says 
 she likes me to do it. 
 
 " . . . I gave a hint of our plan to Tompkins, who 
 takes the greatest possible interest in the League of Saint 
 Cross and longs to help us. He already does so with his 
 prayers. A lady member of the Confraternity of the Blessed 
 Sacrament is his right-hand helper. Poor fellow, he has a 
 hard struggle out there in the West. You should hear him 
 speak about Sectarianism. It would do your heart good. I 
 cannot but feel that, under God, I have had influence on 
 him, which only shows how much a little sympathy and 
 kindness can effect. Let us be encouraged, dear friend, to 
 try what we can do for others. 
 
 "What a delight it will be to see you again, but I also 
 dread it too. You may have imagined or hoped that you 
 would see a great change for the better in me. Alas ! I fear 
 that the improvement is but small, but I do not despair. 
 
 "Yours affectionately, 
 
 "HENRY, L. S. C" 
 
 121
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 ANGLICAN DEACON. 
 
 IN mid-September Van Rensselaer arrived in America, and 
 about a month later, on St. Luke's Day, October 18, 
 1876, Bishop Horatio Potter ordained him deacon. He 
 had made up his mind that he would always teach exactly 
 what he believed, and he had quite definite ideas on religious 
 matters. Being independent of salary, he determined to 
 cast his lot with his friend at the seminary, Francis P. 
 Mackall, also a deacon, who had decided to work in the new 
 parish of the Holy Innocents, Hoboken. The rector was 
 pleased to have their services for nothing, and gave them 
 free fling. Opposite the church they took an apartment, 
 which they fitted up in monastic style, with a chapel and 
 altar. Indoors they always wore cassock and biretta. 
 
 Thus was Van Rensselaer installed in his new field of 
 work as an ordained deacon of the Anglican Church in 
 America. New experiences crowded in upon him, and all 
 the while he was drawing nearer, albeit unconsciously, to 
 the truth, the evidences of which could not be long delayed., 
 The rector was supposed to be a very high churchman. At 
 all events he liked ritualism. To check his exalted views, 
 the trustees of the church had named an assistant of the 
 lowest type of churchman. The other assistants deemed 
 him unorthodox, and with the rector's connivance and co- 
 operation, they denounced him to the Bishop of New Jersey, 
 Dr. Odenheimer, on the charge of Nestorianism. The 
 bishop suspended him. This, however, the good assistant
 
 ANGLICAN DEACON. 
 
 declared he did not mind, as he was simply relieved of his 
 duties. He continued to draw his salary. 
 
 At times there were extravagant exhibitions of ritualism. 
 
 "I shall never forget the midnight mass that Christmas 
 in the Holy Innocents," he says. "We were to appear for 
 the first time in vestments. As these were tentative, they 
 were made of linen. The effect, especially of the dalmatics, 
 was startling, and when the choristers beheld us they burst 
 out laughing and whispered audibly 'night shirts.' But we 
 went out all the same in solemn procession through the 
 church, to the great admiration of the people. 
 
 "Those were wonderful functions of the" go-as-you-please 
 style, and necessarily so, for the Book of Common Prayer 
 makes no provision for such Popish ceremonies. 
 
 "Another sample of the absurdity of ritualism was given 
 at a funeral of one of our choristers. We decided to have 
 a requiem mass. Of course, there is no provision made in 
 the Book of Common Prayer for a mass of any kind, as the 
 Articles of Religion in that book denounce masses as an 
 abomination and a Popish invention. But such a denuncia- 
 tion only whets the desire of a Ritualist. So a mass of 
 requiem was to be sung. But how alxmt vestments? Our 
 church had not risen to the height of colored vestments, ex- 
 cept stoles. They had to be lx>rrowed. We selected violet 
 ones as being less lugubrious. Violet ones were, therefore, 
 procured for the occasion from a very high church in New 
 York. But our troubles did not end with getting vestments. 
 How were we to transform the communion service in the 
 Prayer Book into a requiem mass? Some parts would do, 
 but others were very inappropriate. What connection could 
 there be between the dead and the recital of the ten com- 
 mandments with the response: 'Lord, have mercy upon us 
 
 123
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 and incline our hearts to keep this law' ? So we eliminated 
 the ten commandments. But how about the 'Gloria in 
 Excelsis'? This seemed too joyous, so out it went from 
 our constructed mass. The ceremony, in fact, was a very 
 remarkable one and evoked much comment, as well it might, 
 for neither celebrant nor assistants knew what was to be 
 done, as there were no rubrics in our Prayer Book to direct 
 us." 
 
 Life in church matters became rather discouraging for 
 Van Rensselaer and Mackall. The assistant minister had 
 been evicted, it is true, but there was no responsive chord 
 in the congregation. It was dreary, indeed, to say morning 
 and evening prayer for one person, and to address this one 
 person, a woman, as "dearly beloved brethren." To make 
 matters worse they were only a couple of blocks away from 
 a Catholic church. It made them green with envy when 
 they saw the crowds that poured into it on Sunday, and 
 even on week-days. What a contrast was the Catholic 
 Church of Our Lady of Grace to their poor Holy Innocents ! 
 
 The rector was hardly the man to help them in their diffi- 
 culties, as may be judged from the following incident : 
 
 "We had a trial in Lent, when the rector slated himself 
 for a course of sermons. Perhaps the most read book in 
 those days in religious circles was Farrar's 'Life of Christ.' 
 There were many cheap editions, and every Protestant 
 household was likely to possess a copy. What was our 
 dismay when the opening sermon of the course was a chap- 
 ter, word for word, from this book, carefully copied and 
 read. Now Farrar is absolutely heretical in his teaching 
 about the temptations of Christ, stating, as he does, that 
 Christ could have sinned. What was to be done to ward off 
 the reading of such a doctrine ? It was bad enough to have 
 
 124
 
 ANGLICAN DEACON. 
 
 any of the book read, for we knew that members of the 
 congregation had it at home, and would probably recognize 
 the steal. So, as that Sunday he was to dine with us, we 
 put our copy of the book, opened at the chapter, in a most 
 prominent place. But as it did not seem to attract his at- 
 tention, we deliberately brought up the subject of Farrar's 
 heretical teaching on that point. The shaft went home. The 
 rector became excited and, saying that he had a few finish- 
 ing touches to put to that night's sermon, excused himself 
 and went home. So that night we had Farrar amended." 
 
 After a couple of months Van Rensselaer became con- 
 vinced that the Protestant Episcopal Church had no authori- 
 tative teaching, nor the authority to teach. People believed 
 as much or as little as they liked. The reading of Allies' 
 "See of Peter," which deals with authority and jurisdiction, 
 made a serious impression upon him. Newman's "Anglican 
 Difficulties" did not improve the Anglican position in his 
 eyes. But he was fair and read the other side as well. Hes- 
 sey's "Rise of the Papal Power" and Pusey's "Eirenicon" 
 were supposed to be antidotes to Allies' "Sec of Peter" and 
 Newman's "Apologia." The more he read the Anglican 
 side the more disposed was he to the Roman. 
 
 These views were all shared by his clerical friend, to 
 whom he had written frequently from Oxford, and who was 
 now associated with him, as fellow assistant, at the Holy 
 Innocents, Hoboken. Yet they would not make their submis- 
 sion to Rome while they had any misgivings as to the step, 
 or while there was a single loop-hole of escape. He writes: 
 
 "When our position became unlwarable, we turned to 
 our erstwhile confessor of seminary days and wrote to him 
 of our troubles. The answer was : Tome on to the Church 
 of the Advent in Boston* where he was the superior and 
 
 125
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 rector. This was the old 'Advent' in Bowdoin Street, not 
 the new one of the name in Mt. Vernon Street. So to Bos- 
 ton we betook ourselves, my friend and I. We met with a 
 warm welcome and the assurance that we had no real diffi- 
 culties, but that our dissatisfaction was the natural result 
 of our being unsucessful in Catholicizing our congrega- 
 tion. This did not satisfy our doubts; so we began to 
 question some of the other 'Fathers,' to the chagrin of the 
 superior, who made the proud claim that he was the first 
 monk ordained in England since the Reformation. Had 
 he qualified the assertion by prefixing Protestant to the 
 monk, it might have been true. Among the daily prayers 
 recited in community was one that struck us as being pecu- 
 liar. It was for the restoration of the abbey lands in Eng- 
 land. I asked the superior the meaning of the prayer, and 
 to whom should the lands, in his estimation, be returned. 
 This was an unexpected question, and he was nonplussed 
 for a while; then he said: 'Why, to us, of course; the 
 rightful successors.j This was a little too much ; so I asked 
 in what conceivable way the Cowley Fathers could be the 
 rightful successors of Carthusians, Cistercians, Augustin- 
 ians, Franciscans and Dominicans? The only reply was a 
 contemptuous 'Bosh !' But he saw clearly that we had diffi- 
 culties beyond his reach; so he said we had too strong an 
 attack of the Roman fever to be cured by him, and that we 
 had better go where we belonged. Yet, his advice would 
 be for us to go to some congenial parish, where we might 
 meet with the success we yearned for. We were really 
 docile. My friend was shipped to St. Clement's, Philadel- 
 phia, and I to the House of Prayer, Newark. The game 
 was to separate us. We made no opposition. 
 
 "I was perfectly frank with the rector in Newark and 
 
 126
 
 ANGLICAN DEACON. 
 
 told him exactly the state of my mind, adding that, under 
 the circumstances, I did not think I could take any active 
 part in the church work. He said that he understood the 
 case perfectly, as he had himself passed through the same 
 ordeal, and that he would leave me perfectly free; that he 
 had a large controversial library which was at my dis- 
 posal. So I settled clown supposedly to study. In reality 
 his intention was to keep me so busy that I should not have 
 time to think. Among other things, I was to have charge 
 of the men's Bible class. I had not been long in Newark 
 when my friend wrote me that his position in Philadelphia 
 was unbearable and suggested that he join me. I proposed 
 the matter to the rector, and he approved the plan, with a 
 full understanding of the state of our minds. So my friend 
 came on to Newark, and we again set up a monastery on a 
 small scale. The charge of the Sunday-school was given 
 to my friend, and he was kept busy preparing children for 
 communion and confirmation. 
 
 "There was a 'mission' given in our church by the Cow- 
 ley Fathers, and the well known Father Maturin was the 
 chief preacher. He labored manfully to prove the catho- 
 licity of the Protestant Fpiscopal Church, but the cause 
 was a hopeless one, and his failure to prove his point a help 
 to us. He was unsucessful in his efforts to bring people to 
 confession. A handful of women were the only penitents. 
 I remember well, on the Sunday afternoon of the mission, 
 the members of one of the regiments of Newark, of which 
 the rector was chaplain, were invited to attend. I hap- 
 pened to be standing just outside the church door in cas- 
 sock and birctta. An unmistakable son of F.rin sauntered 
 up and took off his hat to me. T at once asked him what 
 church he attended. He answered that he went to St. 
 
 127
 
 LIFE OF H'ENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 James'. I asked him what he was doing at the House of 
 Prayer. He said that he thought it no harm. I bade him 
 go home. He went. My action in this matter shows how 
 the wind was blowing Rome ward. The breeze was stif- 
 fening." 
 
 128
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 His CONVERSION. 
 
 THE weeks wore on, but no peace came to Henry's mind. 
 Catholicism did not seem any more attractive, but 
 Protestant Episcopalianism had no more staying power for 
 him. It was impossible to continue in such a frame of mind. 
 What was to improve it? Of Rome, personally he knew 
 nothing. He had never spoken to a priest on the subject, 
 had attended very few Catholic services, and had a mass of 
 prejudices against Rome. 
 
 In the story of his conversion Van Rensselaer gives a 
 vivid picture of the doubt and torture of a mind on the 
 threshold of the Catholic Church. 
 
 "No one," he says, "who has not passed through the ex- 
 perience can realize the agony of mind of one in the process 
 of conversion. The ground seems slipping from his feet, 
 and there is no coign of vantage for him. He knows his 
 own Church, but he is ignorant of the one he may enter. 
 Perhaps he may not be any better satisfied in the new than 
 in the old. Why venture in the uncertainty? Besides, by 
 leaving his own Church a person cuts loose from all the ties 
 that have bound him to relatives and friends, and is thrown 
 upon the possible friendship of strangers. Then what a deep 
 gulf of prejudices is opened up, and one that may be un- 
 bridgeable! How much to hold a doubter l>ack. and what to 
 draw him on to take the crucial step! Tf, after the step is 
 taken, he finds out his mistake, how will he ever have the 
 courage to acknowledge it and retrace his steps? Then, too, 
 
 121)
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 what an audacious thing it is for him to sit in judgment on 
 what, until then, he has held to be the church of his fathers. 
 Is he wiser than they ? What a reflection upon their judg- 
 ment! What was good enough for them should be good 
 enough for him. Then every scandal that can be raked up 
 is brought forward as damning proof against the Catholic 
 Church. As if, forsooth, the violators of the Church's laws 
 could be adduced as witnesses against the laws. Just as if 
 the black sheep of the flock was the one by which the whole 
 flock should be judged." 
 
 One thing was certain ; it was impossible for Van Rens- 
 selaer to continue to act as minister of a Church whose 
 claims to be the Church of Christ were more than doubtful. 
 He therefore resolved to lay aside his charge. His rector, 
 unable to convince him, begged him not to go to Rome from 
 his church. As he had not been, with the rector long enough 
 to make any impression upon the congregation, Van Rens- 
 selaer agreed to the request. 
 
 He next informed his mother of the probable necessity of 
 his becoming a Catholic. She had long been in the habit of 
 saying : "You had better go where you belong" ; but of 
 course when the time came to follow her advice, she felt it 
 keenly. She suggested his going back to Oxford to see his 
 former friends, the canons and professors. He was nothing 
 loath, especially if it would give her satisfaction, and he 
 explained to her he had no desire at all to go over to Rome ; 
 quite the contrary, he had no friends in that Church, and 
 nothing in it appealed to him except the truth which it 
 seemed to possess in its entirety. So to Oxford he went. 
 He always regretted that he did not visit Birmingham to 
 make a pilgrimage to the Oratory at Edgbaston, where 
 Newman was living; undoubtedly the life and writings of 
 
 130
 
 HIS CONVERSION. 
 
 the cardinal had much effect in leading him to the light. 
 The "Apologia" and "Anglican Difficulties" cleared the 
 way, which Pusey's "Eirenicon" failed to obstruct again. 
 
 Henry's first visit in Oxford was to Canon King. The 
 canon received him as of yore, most cordially, until he 
 learned his errand, then he grew sad. Arguments he had 
 none, except the special pleading: "Be loyal to your 
 Mother." "That," writes Van Rensselaer, "I always was; 
 but that was begging the question. My inquiry was about the 
 identity of my Mother, the Church. I had grave doubts 
 about the maternal claims of the Church of England and her 
 offspring, the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United 
 States. As the good canon said, my difficulties 'were his- 
 torical, and he did not attempt to answer them, but referred 
 me to Canon Bright, my former professor of ecclesiastical 
 history. I never called again* on my dear old friend. Canon 
 King, as I saw that my defection grieved him. Since then 
 he has become Anglican Bishop of Lincoln, and has had his 
 own troubles with the Court of Arches for ritualistic prac- 
 tices. Would that the great St. Hugh of Lincoln might ob- 
 tain for the nineteenth-century Protestant intruder into his 
 ancient see the gift of faith ! Imagine St. Hugh being tried 
 by a secular court for wearing a cope and mitre!" 
 
 He next turned his steps to Canon Bright. The canon 
 was one of the lecturers whose courses he attended during 
 his earlier stay at the great English university. Van Rens- 
 selaer describes him as a very nervous and eccentric man. 
 learned but not entertaining. "I never fancied him and 
 never counted him among my friends" ; but in the search 
 for truth, personal dislikes were repressed. And here fol- 
 lows an account of the visit to Canon Bright : 
 
 "Now it happened that just at that time a controversy 
 
 131
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 was being waged over a book called 'The Priest and Abso- 
 lution.' It was in reality an English translation of a Latin 
 manual of moral theology, and intended by the translators 
 for the use of 'Anglo-Catholic' priests ( ?). A low-church 
 peer, Earl Redesdale, had produced this book in the House 
 of Lords and treated his confreres to choice selections from 
 the chapters concerning the commandment which is the 
 Catholic sixth, but the Protestant seventh. 'Such are the 
 matters,' quoth the Earl, 'which the parsons, now dubbed 
 priests, discuss with your wives and daughters.' Of course 
 the insinuation was manifestly unfair. He might as well 
 have brought in a medical book and have read passages, 
 with the comment that such were the matters that doctors 
 discuss with their parents. Nevertheless the shot hit the 
 mark, and when the question of confession and absolution 
 was put to the vote of the bishops of England they promptly 
 disclaimed the doctrine and the practice. At this juncture 
 I called on Canon Bright and asked how he accounted for 
 the action of the bishops. He answered that if he wanted 
 to know anything about the sea, he would not apply for 
 information to a landsman. I admitted his wisdom in this, 
 but failed to see the application. He then explained that 
 the bishops knew nothing- about confession. 'That's strange,' 
 I said. 'If the so-called priests of the Church of England 
 have any power to forgive sins, it must come from the 
 bishops. How, then, can it be that the bishops do not recog- 
 nize any such power resident in them?' 'Oh,' said the 
 canon, 'the Church of England is in a topsy-turvy condi- 
 tion.' 'Do you admit that?' I asked. 'Of course I do,' he 
 replied. 'Then she cannot be the Church of God,' I an- 
 swered. 'For though the Church may contain disorderly 
 persons in her borders, she cannot herself be in a state of 
 
 132
 
 HIS CONVERSION. 
 
 disorder, especially in essential teachings, such as the for- 
 giveness of sins.' So, far from holding me back, the canon 
 only helped to drive me out of the fold, which was becom- 
 ing more and more evidently that of the hireling and not of 
 the Good Shepherd." 
 
 The visit to Oxford, then, had not strengthened the An- 
 glican position. Still Van Rensselaer was loath to leave the 
 Anglican Church without making one more effort to clear 
 up his difficulties, so he next turned to his old friend, Canon 
 Liddon, then in residence in Amen Corner, London, where 
 the Canons of St. Paul's Cathedral lived. 
 
 "The canon," he tells us, "was very friendly and listened 
 patiently. It was not a new story for him. As he admitted, 
 he had often travelled the same road himself. But, as he 
 asserted, he always managed to steady his wavering steps 
 by reading the works of the Fathers of the Church. What 
 would he advise rne to do? Read two books, one on either 
 side, treating the same texts of Scripture and quotations 
 from the Fathers, and then decide for myself which was the 
 correct interpreter. Was not this true Protestant theory 
 and practice of the right of private judgment? If he were 
 a Catholic priest, would he' give such advice? Fancy a 
 young man going to a priest and telling him that he was in 
 doubt about his faith. Would the priest tell him to read 
 Ingersoll and Laml>ert and then decide for himself? Would 
 he not be bound to give reasons for his faith, refute the 
 sophisms and bid the young man avoid reading poisonous 
 literature, and strengthen his faith by sound lxx>ks. prayer 
 and reception of the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eu- 
 charist? Such was not the method of Canon Liddon, but 
 he threw me back on my own private judgment. What two 
 books would he advise me to read? Hessey's 'Rise of the 
 
 133
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Papal Power,' on the Protestant, and Allies' 'See of Peter' 
 on the Catholic side. I had already read them both. How- 
 ever, perhaps I had not pondered them sufficiently, for I 
 had to admit that Allies seemed to be the genuine expounder 
 of the texts of Scripture and the Fathers. Canon Liddon 
 had, I afterward learned, and as he himself had hinted, 
 often been on the verge of submitting to the authority of 
 Rome, and had even consulted Catholic priests about it. 
 Did the possession of a Canonry of St. Paul's and a pro- 
 fessor's chair in Oxford weigh down the scale on the Angli- 
 can side? I did not call again ; what was the use? It would 
 be a case of the blind leading the blind." 
 
 It should be stated here that Henry had already looked up 
 and settled to his satisfaction certain matters of prime im- 
 portance. On a visit to the Bodleian Library, before meet- 
 ing Dr. King, he recalled the difficulty of Papal Infallibility 
 which Dr. Dollinger adduced as a reason for rejecting the 
 authority of the Vatican Council. He says : "I turned to the 
 chapter on 'Papal Supremacy' in the 'Church History,' pub- 
 lished by the said Dr. Dollinger in 1845, that is, twenty-five 
 years before the definition of Papal Infallibility in the 
 Council of the Vatican, in 1870. My reading of this chap- 
 ter convinced me of true Papal supremacy, which would, of 
 course, include infallibility. Another point was cleared up 
 regarding the early Church, by reading Hefele's 'History of 
 the Councils,' which, to be sure, contained the ecumenical 
 letters. I was startled to find that these councils of the 
 much-referred-to undivided Church of fhe first four cen- 
 turies, in their synodal letters, spoke of the occupant of the 
 See of Rome, precisely as the Church of after-centuries, up 
 to the present day addresses the Pope, successor of St. Peter, 
 Prince of the Apostles, Vicar of Christ on Earth. At the 
 
 134
 
 HIS CONVERSION. 
 
 Protestant seminary in New York, we had used as a text- 
 book an Index Canonuni of these very councils, but the com- 
 piler had very wisely, from his point of view, omitted the 
 ecumenical letters. The discovery of their existence was a 
 revelation and a shock. The stronghold of Protestantism 
 had crumbled at its foundation." 
 
 Van Rensselaer still had many difficulties in regard to the 
 Catholic Church. Many of her doctrines were not clear to 
 his mind, and manv of her devotions did not appeal to his 
 taste. But, if Christ had built his Church on Peter, the 
 rock against which the gates of hell should not prevail, had 
 given him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, had prom- 
 ised to be with him always to the end of the world, and had 
 bestowed the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, to guide His 
 Church into all truth, then he felt convinced that whatever 
 this Church taught must be true and should be accepted by 
 all. The identity of the true Church was no longer doubt- 
 ful. Submission to authority was the only course open to 
 him. It was an intellectual conviction, without any sensi- 
 ble attraction. 
 
 The following letter to one of the family, written two 
 weeks l>efore his formal reception into the Church, sums up 
 tersely the visit to Oxford and its result : 
 
 "PARIS, 
 
 "Septemlxrr 4. 1877. 
 
 "I have not written for some time because I have been, 
 and am. too unhappy to want to put my feelings on paper. 
 Dr. King was entirely unable to help me. and not being well 
 up on the Roman side, he could not command that respect 
 for his opinion which he otherwise would have. His argu- 
 ment is exactly Keble's : Born in the Anglican Communion, 
 
 135
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 stay there. Why not equally well say: Born in the Church 
 of Scotland, stay there? 
 
 "While I was in Oxford before Dr. King came, I ob- 
 tained access to a library there, and read Dollinger's His- 
 tory, which convinced me that his present position as a 
 schismatic is untenable from his own book, which, unlike 
 those written by Anglicans who 'verted, has never been re- 
 tracted, but still holds its position as true history. I also 
 read Cardinal Manning's 'True History of the Vatican 
 Council,' which gives one a very different idea from the one 
 usually entertained in regard to Infallibility. It was quite 
 strange that the day I went by appointment to see Dr. King 
 I was kept waiting in the dining-room and picked up Ma- 
 caulay's History and read the preface. His account of the 
 formation of the Church of England by Elizabeth was 
 startling and an ill preparation for my first talk with the 
 Doctor upon the position and claim of the Church of Eng- 
 land. 
 
 "Dr. Bright, to whom I spoke for only a moment, said 
 he thought the present state of the Church to be anomalous. 
 Is it possible that Almighty God has revealed doctrines 
 such as the Real Presence and Confession, and yet it can 
 be a matter of no importance whether a professing church- 
 man believe them or not? St. Paul speaks very plainly of 
 the necessity of the trumpet giving a distinct sound. 
 
 "But you must read and decide for yourself, which is 
 exactly the advice given me by Dr. Liddon. I had several 
 interviews with him, and he was very good and kind 
 and, of course, what such a man says cannot but command 
 respect. I had already read the books he recommended,- 
 but began to study Hefele's 'History of the Councils/ find- 
 ing him very strong on the Roman side. Both Dr. Liddon 
 
 136
 
 HIS CONVERSION. 
 
 and Dr. Bright say that he is very reliable. The attitude 
 of the Council of Chalcedon towards the Pope, Leo, is ex- 
 actly what one would expect from the standpoint of Rome, 
 and entirely goes against the Anglican position. 
 
 "Well, Dr. Liddon could not satisfy me at all, and, as 
 you already know by my letter to mother. I have decided 
 to become a Catholic in deed and not only in intention, 
 and so has Mackall, and so has E. It is useless to wait 
 unless I am to become cold and indifferent, for my mind 
 is thoroughly made up on good, strong, sensible, intellectual 
 grounds. 
 
 "Your devoted brother, 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 The collapse of the appeal to Canon Liddon, and subse- 
 quent readings on the subject, seem to have settled definitely 
 for Van Rensselaer the question he had so long and so per- 
 severingly sought to solve. There could no longer be any 
 doubt as to which was the true Church of Christ. It was 
 now high time to turn to the Church of Rome. Up to this 
 point his progress had been slow enough, nor had he tried 
 to free himself from Anglican influences. While he was 
 studying the question he had conscientiously abstained from 
 going inside a Catholic Church or speaking to a Catholic 
 priest. He had frequented the ultra-ritualistic churches and 
 in them he had seen the ceremonies of the Catholic Church 
 carried out exactly. Externally the imitation was perfect. 
 The altar with its appointments, the ministers in colored 
 silken vestments, the music and incense, all was there as in 
 the true Church, but it was "Hamlet" with the Prince left 
 out. The Real Presence of Christ was not there. The es- 
 
 137
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 sential lack became so oppressive to him that he resolved 
 never again to be present at such hollow mockeries, as they 
 now seemed to be. He declares : 
 
 "Protestant England had become so distasteful to me that 
 I longed to be in a Catholic country. Before leaving Lon- 
 don, we called, my friend and I, at the Brompton Oratory 
 and were warmly received. The priest whom we saw was 
 anxious to have us make our abjuration of errors and pro- 
 fession of faith then and there. He said that he would not 
 dare to cross the channel in our frame of mind. We an- 
 swered that having dared the dangers of the Atlantic we 
 thought we could risk the English Channel, as our intention 
 then was to make our submission in Rome itself." 
 
 In the meantime, his sister, who had preceded him in 
 England, was also fully convinced of the untenableness of 
 the Anglican position. She had come by strict orders of 
 her director, who had also been his, to join the All Saints' 
 Sisterhood in Margaret street, London. There she was 
 nurtured on purely Catholic literature lives of the saints 
 and spiritual books of Roman, not Anglican, authors. They 
 kept the feast of St. Francis Xavier, among others purely 
 Roman. The Reverend Mother was in the habit of going 
 to Paris to keep the feasts of the Immaculate Conception 
 and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. When his sister 
 stated her difficulties to her London confessor, he parried 
 them by saying that it was well to have two strings to one's 
 bow, and that if the Anglican were wrong the Greek might 
 be right. When she remarked that her brother, who was a 
 minister, and his friend, also a minister, were troubled in 
 the same way as herself, he only sneered at their youth. She 
 soon decided that she could not persevere in Anglicanism, 
 though she was unable to leave the Sisters just then, as 
 
 138
 
 HIS CONVERSION. 
 
 there was no one to fill her position. So she remained a 
 couple of weeks after her brother had left for Paris, and at 
 the expiration of her time of warning- to the Sisters, joined 
 him and his friend there. 
 
 In view of his subsequent career it is strange that his first 
 meeting with a member of the Society of Jesus was not 
 auspicious. The circumstances were as follows : 
 
 "We had determined to be received into the Church in 
 Rome itself. Thinking that we should enjoy our stay in 
 Paris and our journey through France and Italy more as 
 Catholics, we resolved to take the important step in Paris. 
 My sister and my friend were admirers of the Jesuits, which 
 admiration I did not share. They accordingly paid a visit 
 to the Jesuit house in the Rue de Sevres and made arrange- 
 ments for our reception. I noticed that they were not nearly 
 so enthusiastic after their visit, and they discreetly said little 
 about it. My friend had arranged that he and I should 
 make a preparatory retreat of three days under a Jesuit 
 Father's direction. The first day came for our instruction. 
 I had forebodings. Our instructor had neuralgia and a 
 much swollen face. He was not a representative of the wily 
 Jesuit at all. He began by informing us we knew nothing. 
 As he had not examined us, I felt he was not qualified to 
 give the verdict. He insisted on instructing us. According 
 to him we did not understand Infallibility. I insisted that 
 we did. We had studied the authorized exponent's book, 
 ind Dr. Fessler was the best authority on the matter. The 
 Rev. Jesuit pooh-poohed him and said he would enlighten 
 us. I replied that he was losing time. He was sure we had 
 difficulties. We were sure we had none. The visit was un- 
 satisfactory, and when we got out of the house I declared 
 that the others might do as they pleased, but that I would 
 
 139
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 not repeat the visit, and the retreat could be called off. I 
 wished to have my coming into the Church a pleasant mem- 
 ory, which under such auspices was impossible. My com- 
 panions seemed nothing loath to follow my example, al- 
 though we had committed ourselves with the Jesuit. I said 
 it was a simple thing to write to him that we had changed 
 our plan; foolishly, perhaps, I added that we preferred to 
 go to one who was accustomed to deal with Anglican con- 
 verts and could understand them. That same day his an- 
 swer came in shape of a pamphlet written by him on Angli- 
 canism." 
 
 The retreat was thus abruptly brought to an end. It was 
 an awkward way out of an awkward situation, which might 
 have been easily relieved by some display of tact on either 
 side. The next step was to find some one to take the would- 
 be converts in hand. They had brought letters to a dear old 
 English priest, Mgr. Rogerson, who had a confessional for 
 English-speaking people in the Church of St Roch, so they 
 presented their letters to him and were welcomed in a truly 
 fatherly way. They felt at home with him at once. He 
 told them that their experience had been that of many 
 others, who, like themselves, had ended by coming to him. 
 He examined them a little, saw that they knew what they 
 were doing, and then, on the 17th of September, 1877, re- 
 ceived their abjuration and profession of faith, and baptized 
 them conditionally in the Church of St. Roch. 
 
 The narrative of those early days spent as a Catholic be- 
 comes of increasing interest as it tells of the efforts made to 
 overcome life-long prejudices in accepting without ques- 
 tioning the devout practices so common in Catholic coun- 
 tries, but which usually repel the new convert. With his 
 usual candor he informs us : 
 
 140
 
 HIS CONVERSION. 
 
 "As Protestants we had many prejudices against certain 
 practices in the Catholic Church. Among other things, we 
 disliked very much to see old women selling candles in the 
 churches to be burned before the statues. Having become 
 Catholics, we determined not to do things by halves. If 
 the Church approves of these practices, they must be right, 
 whether they appealed to us or not. So. when we were pass- 
 ing out of the Chapel of the Calvary, where we had been 
 received, we stopped at the grotto representing the Holy 
 Sepulchre with the dead Christ and lighted candles, which 
 we purchased from our quondam aversion the old dame 
 who sold candles." 
 
 On the feast of St. Matthew they made their First Com- 
 munion in the Chapel of the Convent of the Sacred Heart 
 in the Rue de Varennes. The Mass was said by their good 
 old friend in need, Mgr. Rogerson, who did much during 
 their stay in Paris to make them feel at home in their new 
 religious surroundings. 
 
 Ill
 
 D 
 O 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 A CATHOLIC. 
 
 the help of my God have I leaped over the wall.' 
 And what a wall it was ! A wall that has proved 
 an impassable barrier to millions ! This was the wall laid 
 by the leaders of the great revolt against the Church in the 
 sixteenth century, and raised higher and higher in succeed- 
 ing centuries by the accumulation of false accusations and 
 prejudices. By the powerful help of God alone can one have 
 strength to leap over this wall. And the leap supposes a 
 combined action of man's mind and will with the grace of 
 God. A leap it is, and, owing to the nature of faith, it 
 seems to be a leap in the dark. For there is always a latent 
 apprehension that perhaps the action may be a mistake." 
 
 Such are the words with which Van Rensselaer gratefully 
 acknowledges that only through God's grace could he have 
 threaded the labyrinth of error and have found his way to 
 the Church, the pillar and ground of truth. 
 
 Naturally enough, he thought he would visit Rome and 
 tender his submission to the Vicar of Christ. How different 
 his sentiments now from those which animated him on a 
 previous visit! Still it was with no little difficulty he ad- 
 justed himself to some of the popular observances of his 
 new faith. His narrative continues: "Being now quite 
 Catholicized, we set our faces Romeward to visit the centre 
 of unity and the Vicar of Christ on earth. The saintly Pius 
 IX sat in the chair of Peter. His long reign was nearing 
 its close, and he was then rather feeble. At our audience 
 
 142
 
 A CATHOLIC. 
 
 he had to be borne into the hall on a portable chair. He 
 was surrounded by a brilliant retinue of cardinals, mon- 
 signori, and other attendants in bright uniforms. He was 
 very benevolent and gracious. He gave us a special bless- 
 ing on hearing that we were converts and bade us to go 
 back to America to spread the Faith. We have tried to 
 carry out his injunction. 
 
 "I recall an incident in the Vatican. The first time we 
 visited the great basilica we knew the correct thing to do 
 was to kiss the foot of the bronze statue of St. Peter, which 
 unbelieving Protestants claim to be a converted image of 
 Jupiter Tonans. Our Protestant prejudices revived for a 
 moment, and we passed it by unkissed. After going around 
 for some time. I made a dart at the statue, conquered my 
 antipathy, and kissed the foot. Thenceforth we had no diffi- 
 culty in kissing, after the manner of the Italians, pictures, 
 statues, and all other objects of devotion. 
 
 "My friend and I thought of remaining in Rome to make 
 our studies for the priesthood, as we had no doubt of our 
 vocation to the altar. But we could not well leave my sister 
 alone so far from home, so we decided to return to Paris 
 after we had seen the sights of Rome. We journeyed 
 thither by easy stages. My sister went en pcnsicm to the 
 Convent of the Sacred Heart, while we took up our resi- 
 dence at the French Oratory in the Rue de Regard." 
 
 Hearing that Cardinal Manning was passing through 
 Paris, the travellers called on him. in hoi>cs that he would 
 administer to them the Sacrament of Confirmation. But 
 this necessitated permission from Cardinal fiuibert, then 
 Archbishop of Paris, and other formalities, so they had to 
 forego the privilege. Shortly after, they were confirmed by 
 the Coadjutor Archbishop. Mgr. Richard. 
 
 143
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "Cardinal Manning," he writes, "was very cordial and 
 gave us each a copy of one of his celebrated books on the 
 Mission of the Holy Ghost. He made a deep impression on 
 us by his austere appearance. The newspapers were then 
 making much of his championing the total abstinence move- 
 ment in England, not only by word, but by example. This 
 latter meant much, for the aged cardinal had, like most 
 Englishmen, been accustomed all his life to take his wine. 
 His doctor forbade him to abstain, and told him it would 
 shorten his life, but his indomitable will triumphed." 
 
 Van Rensselaer was not satisfied with the reception of the 
 Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. He had already 
 cast his lot in the service of the Church and he was anxious 
 to take the first steps towards entering the clerical life. An- 
 other cardinal came to Paris on his way to Rome. It was 
 our own first American Cardinal, the venerable Archbishop 
 McCloskey. Van Rensselaer took advantage of his pres- 
 ence there to receive the tonsure and then, with a view to 
 preparing for the priesthood, took up his theological studies 
 in Paris, with the Fathers of Oratory. Of this period of 
 his life he tells us: 
 
 "My friend and I undertook to study theology under one 
 of the Oratorian Fathers, but our work was, to say the least, 
 desultory. We were determined to acquire the Catholic 
 spirit, and to this end we attended all the religious func- 
 tions we could, and they were many. The services at Notre 
 Dame had especial attractions for us, and there we saw for 
 the first time the impressive ceremonies of Holy Week. 
 What struck us as strange was the easy-going behavior of 
 the people in the churches. They seemed perfectly at home 
 in what they rightly considered their Father's house. This 
 was quite noticeable at Vespers in Notre Dame. While the
 
 A CATHOLIC. 
 
 canons and choristers chanted the Psalms in the choir, the 
 faithful of both sexes would saunter leisurely in the aisles 
 outside the choir, joining in the Psalms, which they knew 
 by heart. French boys have singularly beautiful voices, 
 and, as at Notre Dame they have a 'maitrise,' or choir 
 school, in which the boys live and receive their education, 
 intellectual and musical, they are properly nurtured and 
 guarded from injuring their voices by shouting in the 
 streets. One of the great privileges of the year was our 
 attendance at the Lenten Conferences of the Dominican, 
 Monsabre. It was a grand sight to see the immense nave 
 of Notre Dame filled with men, old and young, who listened 
 in rapt attention to the eloquent words of the preacher. The 
 closing retreat in Holy Week, with the general Communion 
 for men. was very edifying and inspiring." 
 
 A more minute account of his stay with the French 
 Oratorians is given in the following letter: 
 
 "L'ORATOiRE, PARIS, 
 
 "December, 1877. 
 
 "Who would have believed a year ago that I should be 
 here and my fidus Achates with me, and yet it seems so 
 natural to be a Catholic that I don't feel at all like a stranger 
 but quite au fait and to the manner l>orn. I am perfectly 
 happy, except in being so far away from home; still there 
 is a great advantage in being out of the reach of contro- 
 versy and free to become accustomed to one's position in 
 peace and quiet, and in a country which is Catholic in so far 
 as it is religious at all. for Protestantism has no hold here. 
 
 "We do not go out for lectures. I believe one learns 
 more by studying than by hearing courses. One of the 
 Fathers, a Doctor in Theology, superintends our studies and 
 
 148
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 explains any difficulties we may meet with. We are treated 
 with the greatest kindness by everyone. You should see 
 us in the street in our clerical costume- great, low, broad- 
 brimmed hats, caught up on each side; long coats, dou- 
 illetes, black stockings and knee breeches, and me, minus 
 my beard, which I regret only on account of the trouble of 
 shaving. 
 
 "We went to a grand service at Notre Dame last Tuesday 
 night. It was the close of the Forty Hours' Adoration of 
 the Blessed Sacrament. The adoration goes on uninterrupt- 
 edly in the churches of Paris and the vicinity, opening in 
 one as it is closed in another. The year is always begun at 
 the Cathedral. On Tuesday evening there was a magnifi- 
 cent procession. The Host was carried by the Coadjutor, 
 Archbishop Richard, followed by the Cardinal Archbishop, 
 the canons, numbers of clergy and acolytes, many choristers 
 in red, and at least three thousand men, everyone in the 
 procession carrying a lighted candle. Imagine the effect in 
 Notre Dame at night, the high altar blazing with lights and 
 the huge procession with its flickering tapers. Only men 
 took part, with the exception of the St. Vincent de Paul 
 Sisters who work in the parish, and who were permitted to 
 join. To see all those men kneel down as their Lord passed 
 by was a sight I shall never forget. 
 
 "We are still devoted to St. Roch's, Where we feel very 
 much at home, and where the singing is delightful. We 
 generally go to the Jesuit Chapel in the Rue de Sevres for 
 Benediction on Sunday afternoon. 
 
 "I always think of Baby May when they have the 'pain 
 benit' at Mass. It is a relic of a most ancient custom, the 
 love- feast. In the churches of France, just before the con- 
 secration, a little procession goes up to the altar a beadle, 
 
 146
 
 A CATHOLIC. 
 
 followed by a dear little girl like May, dressed in white and 
 blue, with a lighted candle, then two boys in red, carrying 
 on their shoulders a tray with a large round loaf of sweet- 
 ened bread surrounded by candles. The bread is given by 
 some parishioner and they generally send a little girl of 
 the family to make the offering. After the bread has been 
 blessed, the procession goes out in the same order, and later 
 on in the service the boys hand round the bread in baskets. 
 The custom is retained in France only, but is, I think, very 
 beautiful." 
 
 His stay at the Oratory with the new manner of life it 
 involved, seems not to have repressed his youthful gaiety 
 or to have in any way affected his sense of humor. Thus 
 he writes to one of his sisters : 
 
 "L'ORATOIRE, PARIS. 
 
 "March 15, 1878. 
 "Mv DEAR BESSIE: 
 
 "You see I have yielded to your polite request and been 
 photographed. Phema and I prefer the sitting j>ose. but the 
 other is the favorite. How do you like the costume of an 
 abbe? I am sorry I could not show my black stockings and 
 shoe buckles, but when the 'lady' in attendance at Le Jeune's 
 asked me what style I wished, and showed me samples, I 
 suggested tentatively that perhaps full length would l>e 4 un 
 pen trop long.' She seemed entirely of my 'avis,' as there 
 may be too much of a good person as well as too much of a 
 good thing. I modestly tried to hide my hands, but the 
 'poser* insisted upon their being visible, as he assured me 
 they wouldn't look very badly; at any rate it would never 
 do to be taken unarmed but (tiough of myself. 
 
 147
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "I have been, and am, reading Montalembert's St. Eliza- 
 beth. It is absurd and needless to comment upon it, as its 
 reputation is world-wide. You must certainly read it and 
 retract the accusation against her, who is known and ever 
 was known in Catholic Germany as 'die liebe heilige Elisa- 
 beth.' She is a most exquisite character, as you will readily 
 acknowledge when you read her life. That little affair of 
 the roses comes out most beautifully. Her husband was a 
 most saintly young man; he died at twenty-seven. They 
 were the most devoted couple imaginable. I advise you to 
 find that little picture of la chere sainte, which I brought 
 you two years ago, and you rejected. The preface gives a 
 most interesting survey of the 13th Century, supposed by 
 some people to be the Dark Ages. You will get quite an- 
 other idea, I imagine. We went to Notre Dame on Sunday 
 for the Conference. Monsabre is splendid; the nave was 
 full of men, two or three thousand. We sat with the arch- 
 bishop and clergy and had excellent seats opposite the pul- 
 pit. The white frock and black coat of the frere precheur 
 add greatly to the effect of the orator. He is very eloquent. 
 The subject was the God-Man as proved by facts ; the whole 
 series is upon the Incarnation. It lasted an hour, but did 
 not seem too long. His gestures are magnificent. He is 
 middle-aged, rather fat, not handsome, perhaps a little too 
 witty, as he made an occasional hit. The Dominicans are 
 very strong in Paris and have a great many pulpits at their 
 disposal. I know Pere Chocarne and admire him very 
 much. He is not, they say, fort, as a preacher, but a very 
 spiritual man, with a beautiful expresion. But I have to go 
 out, so must close. 
 
 "Your affectionate brother, 
 
 "HENRY VAN RENSSELAER." 
 148
 
 A CATHOLIC. 
 
 An interesting disclosure of Van Rensselaer's letters 
 from Oxford is that of a longing on his part to lead the 
 life of a religious. So great had been this desire tliat, had 
 his belief in the Branch theory remained unshaken, he 
 would in all likelihood have established in New York some 
 religious brotherhood whose chief duty would be to labor 
 among the poor in the congested districts of the lower East 
 Side, It is not surprising, therefore, that after becoming a 
 Catholic the thought of a religious vocation was still upper- 
 most. Of his call to the priesthood he had never a doubt, 
 but the further question of joining a religious community 
 had to be decided. The experience with the Jesuit in Paris 
 was not likely to lead him to become a member of the 
 Society of Jesus. It was no easy matter for him to make 
 up his mind as to what other religious order he would 
 choose. The Oratorians in France, as well as in England, 
 the Dominicans, the White Fathers of the African Mission, 
 were all in their turn considered. These experiences should 
 be told in his own words. 
 
 "My friend and I received some very wholesome but un- 
 palatable advice from an American bishop whom we visited 
 during his stay in Paris. His keen and experienced eye 
 detected the weak points in our religious composition. He 
 told us, that in his judgment we needed to go through the 
 mill, be ground fine, and made over. As his advice was 
 unsought by us, it was decidedly unacceptable; we had quite 
 a different opinion of ourselves at the time. After years 
 made us see that his verdict was correct. In many respects 
 the old leaven of Protestantism was still working in us, 
 and time was required for the effect of the new leaven on 
 the mass. I had long felt drawn to the religious life, even 
 as a Protestant, but in what order was I to cast my lot? 
 
 149
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Of one thing I declared myself certain: a Jesuit I would 
 never be. Anything else was possible, but to be a Jesuit 
 never. There I drew the line of demarcation. After hear- 
 ing the celebrated Dominicans, Monsabre and Chocarne, I 
 had a fancy for the Friars Preachers, especially after read- 
 ing the fascinating life of Lacordaire by Chocarne. I even 
 went so far as to call on Pere Chocarne, who had a very 
 attractive personality, and I arranged for a retreat. He 
 candidly advised me to join the French Dominicans, as he 
 said their studies were superior to those made by the Amer- 
 ican Friars. My sister and my friend would not hear of 
 my joining the ranks of freres precheurs, and talked me out 
 of the idea by ridiculing the possibility of my being a 
 preacher. Next the missionary spirit took hold of me. I 
 had been serving the Mass of one of the White Fathers, as 
 the missionaries of the congregation founded by Cardinal 
 Lavigerie for African Missions were called, and had be- 
 come interested in the work. I had long talks with the 
 Father in charge of the bureau in Paris ; finally I confided 
 to him my desire to devote my life to missions in Africa. 
 He was a very prudent man and encouraged me in my in- 
 tention to become a missionary, but said, were he in my 
 place, that he would return to America and labor there, 
 where, as an American and a member of a well-known fam- 
 ily, I should have more influence in making converts, espe- 
 cially as I was a convert myself. Besides that, he advocated 
 my joining the Jesuits. My sister and friend had received 
 my announcement of my intention to go to Africa with de- 
 cided opposition, so, accepting the advice of the White 
 Father, at least partially, I abandoned the idea of Africa as 
 the land of my future work." 
 
 With the advice of Monsignor Rogerson, Van Rensselaer 
 
 ^
 
 A CATHOLIC. 
 
 next turned his thoughts to the Fathers of the Oratory, 
 founded by St. Philip Neri in the sixteenth century, and 
 having among its distinguished members in England such 
 men as Dr. Newman, Father Dalgairns and Father Faber. 
 But his stay at Brompton was a brief one. He writes : 
 
 "Our good friend Mgr. Rogerson had always intended 
 my friend and myself for Oratorians, but he did not care 
 for the French Congregation, preferring the English. He 
 accordingly wrote to Father Morris then Superior of the 
 London Oratory at Brompton, and got an invitation for us 
 to visit there with a view to settling our vocation. To Lon- 
 don we went. Before presenting ourselves at the house, we 
 inspected the church. It was the old one built by the saintly 
 Father Faber, which has since been replaced by the superb 
 Romanesque edifice. 
 
 "First impresions, in my case, seem to be prophetic for 
 me. As soon as we entered I said to my companion : 'This 
 is not the place of my abode.' We were most cordially re- 
 ceived by the Fathers and allowed to take part in their com- 
 munity exercises. They were a very charming body of men. 
 several being converts. Although they are a congregation 
 not bound by vows, their internal discipline is rather severe. 
 For instance, they seldom, if ever, preach outside of their 
 own church. At recreation, so called, each has his own as- 
 signed seat which he must occupy. Everything was done 
 in the Italian style, whether that style were worthy of imi- 
 tation or reformation. Moreover there was an exaggerated 
 devotion to St. Philip Neri, the great founder, which ex- 
 pressed itself in perpetual references to him in season and 
 out of season. They smiled because St. Philip smiled, and 
 laughed because St. Philip laughed, and so of other things." 
 
 151
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 THE JESUIT NOVICE. 
 
 AS the life of the Oratorians was not to his liking, Van 
 Rensselaer decided to return, for a time at least, to 
 America, and, learning that Cardinal McCloskey was about 
 to sail for New York, he embarked from Havre on the same 
 steamer. The voyage was not without its influence upon 
 his future. There were on board three Jesuits bound for 
 the Rocky Mountains. One of them, Father Canestrelli, 
 was a theologian of some note, and the successor of Cardi- 
 nal Franzelin in the divinity chair of the Gregorian Uni- 
 versity in Rome. They were now travelling second class to 
 an obscure mission among the Indians. They were bad 
 travellers and were very sea-sick. Van Rensselaer saw a 
 great deal of these men and administered to their wants as 
 far as he was able. Their humility, poverty and self-sacri- 
 fice did much to counteract the prejudice he entertained 
 after his disagreeable experience with the Jesuit in Paris, 
 and brought about in him the first conscious attraction to 
 the Society which formed such men. 
 
 Shortly after his arrival in New York, he made the ac- 
 quaintance of the Rev. John Prendergast, S.J., then sta- 
 tioned at the Church of St. Francis Xavier, New York 
 City. To mention Father Prendergast's name is to call to 
 the mind of those who knew him, one of the most remark- 
 able of the New York priests of his time. A man of sterling 
 character, he was fitted by his cast of mind and literary at- 
 tainments to make a deep impression on the new convert. 
 
 152
 
 THE JESUIT NOVICE. 
 
 The acquaintance soon ripened into a friendship, and then 
 into an intimacy which remained unbroken until death sep- 
 arated them a generation later. In scholarship Father Pren- 
 dergast did not lose by comparison with any of the Ox- 
 ford dons; in spiritual insight he easily surpassed them. 
 What was of supreme "importance, he could, like an elder 
 brother, counsel and direct one who, as yet, was little better 
 than a catechumen. He first suggested that Van Kensselaer 
 should make a retreat, after the method laid down by St 
 Ignatius of Loyola in the book of Spiritual Exercises. Nay, 
 more, Father Prendergast would himself act as his spiritual 
 guide. Accordingly, towards the end of June, 1878, they 
 withdrew to the Jesuit Novitiate at West Park on the Hud- 
 son, where Van Rensselaer went through the Spiritual Ex- 
 ercises under the guidance of his new director. At the end 
 of the retreat, he applied for admission to the Society of 
 Jesus, and was received by the Rev. Theophile Charaux, 
 S.J., the Superior of the New York and Canada Mission. 
 
 Father Oiaraux wisely determined to send the earnest 
 and devout applicant to Roehampton, England, for his no- 
 vitiate, where he could receive a spiritual formation among 
 candidates many of whom were converts like himself, and 
 under superiors who had exceptional experience in training 
 such men. After a few months passed with his family, he 
 sailed on October 2, visiting Paris, Lourdes and Paray-le- 
 Monial, before he entered the Jesuit Novitiate on Novem- 
 ber 1, 1878. We are indebted to the family of Father Van 
 Rensselaer for a series of letters sent from England during 
 the following two years. They are written in an easy, fa- 
 miliar style; simple and utterly devoid of self-conscious- 
 ness, as all such letters should be, and reveal, not only the 
 workings of his mind and heart, but the admirable prepara- 
 
 158
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 tion he was unconsciously making for his future apostolic 
 career. The first two letters were written during the voy- 
 age. 
 
 "ON BOARD THE PEREIRE, 
 
 "October 2, 1878. 
 
 "Just one word before we are out of sight of land. This 
 is an auspicious day for sailing, for it is dedicated to the 
 Holy Guardian Angels, and these words were on my little 
 French Almanac: 'C'est la voix de mon ange: Je suis ton 
 ami et je te conduirai moi-meme jusqu'au terme dans la voie 
 ou tu dois marcher.' 
 
 "It is always au revoir. 
 
 "HENRY." 
 
 "PEREIRE, 
 
 "October 11, 1878. 
 
 "We are not far from land. In a few hours we expect 
 to pass the Scilly Islands and then it is a run of eighteen 
 hours to Havre. It is quite calm and pleasant now, but we 
 have had an awful time of it. Perhaps you saw by the 
 papers that there had been a storm at sea; well, we had it 
 in all its terror. For three days we were in danger, turned 
 upside down every few minutes, huge waves breaking over 
 the bulwarks and leaking down into the cabins; sleep was 
 impossible. The smoking room was rendered useless ; a 
 wave broke the door and windows, and then the water 
 rushed down into the ladies' saloon. Fortunately it was at 
 night, when no one was there. It is all over now, Dieu 
 merci." 
 
 The following letter is the first he wrote from Roe- 
 hampton :
 
 THE JESUIT NOVICE.' 
 
 "MANRESA HOUSE, ROKHAMPTON, 
 
 "November 10, 1878. 
 
 "This place is beautiful; it was formerly the hunting 
 lodge of the Earl of Bessborough, and adjoins Richmond 
 Park. Our grounds are very extensive and we can take a 
 long walk in them ; but several times a week we go where 
 we choose. Wimbledon Common is quite near, and a fa- 
 vorite walk is to the famous Star and Garter Inn at Rich- 
 mond. The good walkers go as far as London, but it is a 
 pretty long stretch, particularly for Americans, and I prefer 
 steam legs to carry me. I was very kindly received, and 
 put under the charge of General Sherman's son, who has 
 been here since June. He made me feel at home at once, 
 and we have a good many walks together. I have a fine 
 view of Richmond Park from my window. It is like the 
 open country, with splendid trees. The novices are a very 
 jolly crowd, and we have many a laugh together; in most 
 things we are congenial, a happy family in all senses of the 
 word, and yet collected from many nations : English, Scotch, 
 Irish, American, Belgian, German, French, Italian, Dalma- 
 tian, Syrian, Maltese; yet there is no national feeling, and 
 the foreigners are usually the favorites. Americans are con- 
 sidered to have the power of adapting themselves to circum- 
 stances. perha|>s because they travel so much. It seems to 
 l>e a true reputation. We have an ancient novice who is half 
 a Canadian, having lived much in Canada; his family has a 
 large estate there, and he has crossed the Atlantic thirty 
 times. The life is rather hard for an elderly person, but it 
 is amusing to see what the things are to which different peo- 
 ple attach importance. His greatest trial was having only 
 one towel; he had always used six at a time." 
 
 155
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Dating from his reception into the Church, Van Rensse- 
 laer had taken a deep interest in the work of the missions. 
 The missionary spirit, so necessary for the apostolic man, 
 took hold of him in the very cradle of his religious life and 
 waxed stronger day by day as time went on. On January 
 22, 1879, he writes: 
 
 "I am reading 'Marshall's Christian Missions.' It is in- 
 tensely interesting. It is astonishing to find that there has 
 been for three centuries and still exists, a flourishing Church 
 in China, with thousands of martyrs and confessors. On 
 the 31st of this month, a Jesuit Mission is to be begun in 
 Central Africa, covering the discoveries of Livingston and 
 Stanley. It belongs to this Province by courtesy to the dis- 
 coverers, I suppose, for most of the Fathers who are to go 
 are French or Belgian, the universal missionaries. These 
 missions and their results are a most convincing proof of the 
 truth of Catholicism. In all ages the preaching of the Gos- 
 pel has been followed by precisely the same effects : perfect 
 self -(abnegation, marvellous supernatural courage, and 
 miracles of healing, etc. To my mind, the greatest miracle 
 is the supernatural strength given to young and old, women, 
 and even children, to endure unheard-of tortures without 
 denying their faith. The Chinese converts were begged by 
 Mandarins simply to step upon the cross they might be- 
 lieve what they chose if they would conform outwardly 
 but they scouted the suggestion and cheerfully suffered and 
 died for Our Lord. Truly such faith puts us to the blush." 
 
 The following extracts from letters which were written 
 at Roehampton give us a good insight into the work-a-day 
 life of the Jesuit novice. Several hours a day are given to 
 vocal and mental prayer, spiritual reading and self-examina- 
 
 156
 
 KEV. JOHN PRENDERGAST, S.J.
 
 THE JESUIT NOVICE. 
 
 tion. Of these duties Van Rensselaer says little, deeming 
 them of slight interest even to his family, but dwells on the 
 external occupations which afford more interesting matter 
 for letter-writing. 
 
 "February 1, 1879. 
 
 "I am very busy this month as I have the office of First 
 Refectorian, which is quite responsible. I have to direct all 
 the work in the Refectory and attend to the proper serving 
 of the meals. It requires management and common sense. 
 You will say : 'What is the use of your doing such things?' 
 Well, one reason is, that it rests our minds from studying; 
 another very important one is, that it trains us to take super- 
 vision and direction and submit to bearing hardships, for it 
 is not exactly a pleasure." 
 
 "July 13, 1879. 
 
 "I may not have another chance of writing for some 
 time, as we are very busy hay-making. We have had rain 
 every day for a month, but on Wednesday the weather 
 seemed to change, so our grass was partly cut, and we were 
 set to work to shake and turn it in order to get it dried as 
 soon as possible. All our studies stop during the hay-mak- 
 ing, and we are only allowed time for praying, eating and 
 sleeping, the three necessities of our life. We even work 
 after supi>er when there is danger of rain." 
 
 "August 1. 
 
 "We are still busy in the hay-field and are well sun- 
 burned. I am sure it will do us a great deal of good to be 
 so much in the oj>cn air and in such healthy exercise. The 
 frequent showers doubled, or rather quadrupled, our exer- 
 
 157
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 tions ; it was necessary to do so much shaking- to get the hay 
 dried. However, we have got three-fourths secured in a 
 stack, while the rest still demands our attention. We get 
 through a great deal of work in the morning, when we do 
 not talk, but in the afternoon our tongues do more than our 
 hands. The weather has been unfavorable for fruit, but 
 our strawberries have ripened, and very good ones they are. 
 English people do not eat fruit as we do in America half a 
 dozen strawberries satisfy them. We have to gather fruit 
 now for preserving strawberries and black currants so 
 you see, we have a variety of work. I think, however, that 
 I prefer the good old routine. It has fallen to my lot to ar- 
 range flowers for the Altar, so I am quite in my element. 
 We have beautiful roses of all kinds." 
 
 "September 17, 1879. 
 
 "It is some time since I have written, as I have been very 
 busy. First our week's Retreat ; then for ten days I have 
 been helping the cook, a very delightful occupation, as you 
 may imagine, for the quondam fastidious H. V. R. How- 
 ever, I am getting on very well, notwithstanding the smells 
 and the grease. It is hard work to stand over the steaming 
 tubs, washing dishes and scouring pots and pans. As we 
 have a large community, they reckon about seven hundred 
 plates a day, but they are nothing compared to the greasy 
 pots and pans. This work is supposed to be an antidote to 
 pride, although one can be proud of being a good scullery 
 man. This summer has been rather a contrast to previous 
 ones, when I was decidedly an idler. Now, it is impossible 
 to be idle, and I see that time is too precious to be wasted." 
 
 The Feast of All Saints, 1 $?'!), was the first anniversary 
 
 158
 
 THE JESUIT NOVICE. 
 
 of his entrance into the novitiate. No shadow of doubt of 
 his being where God wished him to be ever crossed his 
 mind. He was very happy, and wrote home assuring his 
 family of his contentment. 
 
 "All Saints Day, 1879. 
 
 "To-day is my birthday in the Society of Jesus, and in 
 one year more I hope to take my simple vows on this great 
 feast. I am perfectly happy and very thankful for my voca- 
 tion. I shall appreciate this year more than the last, for the 
 foundation is not the most interesting part of the spiritual 
 structure. I have passed through everything that we have 
 in the way of trials. Many will come again to my share, 
 but they will be like old friends." 
 
 There was not much chance for letter-writing for a month 
 or more, but the day after Christmas he wrote again : 
 
 "December 26, 1871). 
 
 "I have been very busy for the past month as Refectorian ; 
 the long retreat is going on, and those who are making it 
 do not help as usual. The lay-brother novice who was chief 
 Refectorian went into retreat to prepare for taking his vows 
 and for five days I have had his place. To-day, however, 
 my labors cease. In spite of all, I have had a very happy 
 feast. We had a delightful Midnight Mass, preceded by the 
 'Adeste,' arranged by Novello for solo, duet, trio and 
 chorus. I sang the bass solo. We had a High Mass in the 
 public chapel, and in the afternoon we all went to Farm 
 Street for Vespers. The fog was so thick that we almost 
 lost our way in Waterloo Place. The Holy Innocents is 
 our great day, and we hope to pay a visit to the Little Sis- 
 
 159
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 ters of the Poor. On St. Stanislaus' Day three of us novices 
 went to Nazareth House and were treated most cordially. 
 The Mother General took us everywhere herself. She sug- 
 gested that we ask for a holiday for her novices ; so we did, 
 only stipulating that they should say their beads for us. I 
 have a great devotion to the Holy Innocents. This was a 
 favorite devotion of St. Francis de Gales, who died invok- 
 ing them. There is something grand not only in dying for 
 Our Lord, like the martyrs, but in dying instead of Him. 
 like these little Innocents. A very Happy New Year. Each 
 ought to be happier than the last, because it brings us nearer 
 to Our Lord." 
 
 "Feast of the Epiphany, 1880. 
 
 "A great feast day, and many of the novices have gone 
 to London to the different churches, but I thought I should 
 like a quiet afternoon for writing. My little plan was in- 
 terrupted by being called upon to help wash the dinner 
 things, so I set it down as something to offer Our Lord on 
 Epiphany; not much, it is true, but having given myself, I 
 can only give what I can do in His service." 
 
 In the two letters that follow, his predilection for the mis- 
 sions again asserts itself: 
 
 "Feast of Purification, 1880. 
 
 "I am trying to pick up a little Spanish and find it easy, 
 knowing French well, and Latin, which is the mother 
 tongue. I received an incentive from a letter Father W. 
 wrote me from California. He had spent six weeks with a 
 tribe of Indians, one hundred and fifty miles from Los An- 
 geles. He taught them their prayers and did everything 
 
 100
 
 THE JESUIT NOVICE. 
 
 for them except burying them, as none of them would die 
 just then. They fitted up a mud hut as a chapel and draped 
 it tastefully with bright colored calicoes. It was really 
 pretty, but weird looking, when filled with dusky men in 
 skins, women in calicoes, and babies an naturel. He taught 
 and preached in Spanish, and it must have been consoling 
 to be able to do so much for those poor Indians. It always 
 fills me with enthusiasm to hear of real missionary work." 
 
 "February 27. 
 
 "Winter is coming to an end. bushes are budding, and the 
 ground has thawed. I am not sorry, as my outdoor work 
 is to break up earth for a new walk. Xot an easy task to 
 use a pickaxe on ground as hard as the nether mill-stone. I 
 am translating from the French the Diary of Father Depel- 
 chin, one of our missionaries in South Africa. They have 
 a great deal to contend with, especially the lack of water 
 in crossing the deserts, and also of food, as the country is 
 barren, and there are few animals. The poor missionaries 
 have to live on a little rice or millet with small quantities of 
 coffee to wash it down. Yet they write most contentedly 
 and are grateful for the privilege of carrying the Gospel to 
 the poor benighted savages. I enjoy translating it and feel 
 as if I were helping them in a small way. You will be 
 glad to hear that I get two hours a week practice on the 
 harmonium, so I shall not forget the little that I know. 
 Our voices, too, are well trained. We have a new choir- 
 master, a novice who was the organist of St. Bartholo- 
 mew's. Brighton. Three other novices, converts, came from 
 that church. One was a curate, another superintendent of 
 a Sunday-school, while the fourth, a lay brother, was a 
 chorister. The singing has improved wonderfully under 
 
 161
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 the regime of the choir-master. We practise for an hour 
 every morning. I can never have too much singing, as it 
 is a great pleasure." 
 
 After the publication of the first edition of this Life, the 
 following letter was received from a companion of Van 
 Rensselaer at Roehampton, which gives us a charming pic- 
 ture of him as he appeared to his fellow novices. The testi- 
 mony of this eye-witness is valuable, for it furnishes an ex- 
 trinsic proof, if any such proof were needed, of the absolute 
 sincerity of the novice as he appears in his own letters, and 
 the perfect correspondence between what he wrote at the 
 time to others and what he endeavored to put in practice in 
 his daily life. 
 
 "I remember very well the evening when coming in from 
 a walk I saw a hansom drive up to Manresa, and a tall, 
 good-looking young man alight from it and enter the house. 
 I thought it was some one coming to make a retreat. Later 
 in the day Brother Sherman told me it was an American 
 convert, an ex-Episcopalian clergyman, Van Rensselaer. 
 We were soon thrown together in various ways. There 
 were some forty novices; six or seven of them had, like 
 Brother Van, Sherman and myself, seen something of life 
 in the world, while most of the novices were fresh from col- 
 lege. Father Porter kindly told us older men that, without 
 neglecting the younger ones, he would not be displeased at 
 our being a good deal together on our walks, etc. 
 
 "I was 'scullery man' with Brother Van for a fortnight. 
 For some months our desks and our beds were side by side 
 in that room looking out on Richmond Park. The day he 
 went to see the convent of the Sisters of Nazareth with 
 
 162
 
 THEv JESUIT NOVICE. 
 
 'Sherman and another,' I was the other. He talks in one 
 letter of working with a pick breaking ground for a new 
 path, with the ground frozen hard as iron. That was a job 
 of some weeks which I directed, as I was supposed to be 
 knacky in such things. 
 
 "The book is full of reminders. I soon saw that Brother 
 Van was a model novice who would be a splendid Jesuit. 
 Living side by side with him in the same room I was greatly 
 edified by everything I saw. There was a Berchmans-like 
 fidelity in little things. He was never a moment late, never 
 unoccupied, always alert, with his quiet self-possessed air; 
 busy, but never in a flurry over things. Here is an incident 
 that shows his devotion to holy poverty in those early days. 
 He said to me one day, smiling, 'You waste a lot of good 
 paper. I have made a book for myself of sheets of paper 
 you threw into the waste-paper basket between our desks.' 
 The paper was half sheets torn off letters, and ends of paper 
 left at the foot of pages of rough memoranda I had thrown 
 away after copying. 
 
 "To every one he was kindness itself. I never heard him 
 make a remark about anyone that had the slightest air of 
 critieal censure in it, and he never spoke of himself. A 
 chance remark once led to his speaking to me of his hopes 
 of the Rocky Mountain Mission, but this was exceptional. 
 
 "I had some very kind letters from him after he went to 
 America. It was my fault that the correspondence was not 
 kept up, and I now realize it was my great loss. But I take 
 his Life as a long letter to me. ... It shows the real- 
 ization of all we expected from his life as a novice." 
 
 163
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 LETTERS TO His MOTHER. 
 
 IT would be strange indeed if Van Rensselaer, who all 
 through his life manifested so much devotion and affec- 
 tion for his friends, should be wanting in devotion and 
 affection for his mother. Later on, one of the reasons for 
 which he thanked God that he was assigned to the work of 
 the ministry in New York was the hope that frequent inter- 
 course with her would soften the prejudices she felt towards 
 the Catholic Church, and possibly lead her into the fold. 
 The gift of faith and all that goes with it would be held in 
 light esteem indeed were he to give but little thought to 
 sharing them with one whom he loved so tenderly. But it 
 was not to be. His mother never became a Catholic, and 
 with deep regret some years after he became a priest, he saw 
 her buried from a Protestant church with Protestant ser- 
 vices. Nor in the matter of her son's conversion did Mrs. 
 Van Rensselaer ever become quite reconciled. She declined 
 to attend his ordination to the priesthood on the ground 
 that she had once seen him ordained a deacon in the Epis- 
 copal Church. However, she always received him lovingly, 
 and aided him constantly when he sought her help for the 
 relief of the poor or the support of the charitable works in 
 which he was interested. 
 
 From Roehampton the son wrote to his mother often. 
 The letters display exquisite tact and delicacy in speaking 
 to her of his status as a novice and his desire to have her 
 learn something about the Catholic Church. The first letter 
 was written from England on his way to the novitiate. 
 
 164
 
 LETTERS TO HIS MOTHER 
 
 "LONDON, 
 
 "October 30, 1878. 
 "My DEAREST MOTHER: 
 
 "As you see, I have left Paris. I only got here to-day, a 
 few hours ago, having had a very disagreeable crossing by 
 Dieppe and Nevvhaven. I was next door to being sick, but 
 escaped. I enjoyed my visit to Paris very much and should 
 have been sorry to leave, had it not been to enter upon my 
 life-work. Last week I was gone four days from Paris, as 
 I wanted to see Paray-le-Monial and Lourdes. The scenery 
 about Lourdes is beautiful; it is, you know, in the 
 Pyrenees, built partly upon a mountain and partly in the 
 valley through which the river runs. The church is exquis- 
 ite and in very good taste, and full of magnificent banners 
 carried there by pilgrims and left as souvenirs of the pil- 
 grimage. I noticed our flag hanging up. There are not 
 many jx^ople there now, as it is too late in the season and 
 there is apt to be a great deal of rain ; besides, the holiday 
 tours are over, and people cannot leave home without some 
 sj)ecial reason. Of course there are always some invalids 
 there. 
 
 "I had quite a time getting to Ix>urdes, as I wanted to 
 stop at Paray-le-Monial. I left Paris on Tuesday at 8.30 
 in the evening, and had to change cars at X A. M. and wait 
 an hour. However, by the change I made the acquaintance 
 of a young Belgian. He was such a swell-looking fellow 
 that I hesitated at first about getting into the same carriage 
 with him. I did, though, and found in him a fellow pilgrim. 
 Although rather momlain looking, nevertheless he had re- 
 solved to fly the world and retire into a monastery, as he 
 had been very worldly, he told me. He is only twenty-eight, 
 handsome and rich, and his friends and family are desolees, 
 
 105
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 r 
 
 but he has to follow his vocation. I liked him very much, 
 and was pleased to find in real life what sounds very like a 
 novel. On parting he gave me a very pretty illuminated 
 parchment card with a motto, 'Pensons au Ciel et nous 
 aurons le courage d'etre fideles a Dieu quoiqu'il en coute.' 
 Very appropriate for us both. I, strange to say, had a card 
 with the likeness of St. Norbert, the founder of the Order 
 of the Premonstratensians, which was the order my friend 
 had chosen. His name was Van der Heyden. 
 
 "I could only spend a few hours at Paray-le-Monial, but 
 long enough to see the Chapel of the Visitation. I had hard 
 work to get thence to Lourdes, as it is all across country, 
 and there were no through trains, and I was from 2 p. M. 
 Wednesday until 7 P. M. Thursday en route and had to 
 change six times. I made friends, though, so I did not mind 
 it very much. I had nearly two days at Lourdes and got 
 back to Paris on Sunday morning at 5.30, as I wanted to be 
 once more at the Sunday services at my old friends, the 
 Paris churches. . . . 
 
 "Your devoted son, 
 
 "HARRY." 
 
 The letters which follow are addressed to his mother 
 from the Novitiate. They possess a charm all their own; 
 the piety is neither strained nor affected, and they show 
 that he was happy, light-hearted and as fond of his mother 
 as a loving and devoted son could be. 
 
 "MANRESA HOUSE, 
 "ROEHAMPTON, 
 
 "November 17, 1878. 
 "Mv DEAREST MOTHER : 
 
 "I have no news to write you from here, so I will tell you 
 a little about my life at present. So, to begin. Imagine a 
 
 166
 
 LETTERS TO HIS MOTHER 
 
 very large room with three windows and six little cells par- 
 titioned off with curtains for doors; the rest of the room is 
 open, has bureaus and desks for each of us, with a pleasant 
 fire burning in the grate. Each cell has an iron bed, with 
 comfortable mattress, a washstand and a chair. There are 
 very many such dormitories; each has about six cells. Do 
 not be alarmed at the word 'cell/ for it is in fact not at aJl 
 alarming, but I can't think of any other word to suit. It 
 is far more spacious than the prophet's chamber in the wall ; 
 he certainly hadn't gas. 
 
 "It is night, and we are all sleeping the sleep of the right- 
 eous ; at a quarter past five in the morning a step is heard 
 and a voice at each door calling out Deo gratuts (Thanks be 
 to God) ; everyone replies at once, Deo gratias, and jumps 
 out of bed ; the fire is lighted and likewise the gas, and the 
 work of washing and dressing begins. We have half an 
 hour allowed us for it, then all go down to the Chapel, and 
 the bell rings for the Angeliis, which is so called because it 
 is the memorial of the Incarnation of Our Lord, beginning 
 with the words 'Angcliis Domini' (the Angel of the Lord 
 declared unto Mary, etc.), and ending with what you will 
 find in the Prayer Book as the Collect for the Annunciation 
 of the B. V. M. Then all make a prayer called the 'morn- 
 ing oblation,' in which they offer up themselves, all their 
 thoughts, words and actions, pains and sufferings of the day 
 to Almighty God in union with those of Our Lord while on 
 earth. It is very comprehensive, takes in everything, thanks- 
 giving, intercession, confession of past faults, intentions for 
 the future. There is no regular form for it, and ten minutes 
 are allowed. Then we all return to our rooms and make a 
 meditation on some text of scripture, events in Our Lord's 
 life, or on some virtue or some vice, etc., which one can 
 
 167
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 choose at will. ' This lasts for an hour and is done kneeling 
 for a quarter, standing for a quarter, sitting for a quarter, 
 kneeling again for a quarter, during which resolutions for 
 the day are made. Then all go to the chapel for Mass ; sev- 
 eral times in the week we receive Holy Communion. At a 
 quarter to eight we have breakfast, as much coffee, bread 
 and butter as we can eat. At 8.25 we make our beds, doing 
 it thoroughly, stripping them every day this is de rigueur. 
 At 8.35 we read Rodriguez on Christian Perfection. Then 
 we have an exhortation upon some duty, after which we do 
 some work about the house, help in the refectory, or the 
 sacristy, or the chapel, or the kitchen, or the library, for 
 twenty minutes. This is followed in fine weather by some 
 manual labor, raking leaves, digging in the garden, rolling 
 the paths, drawing water for drinking, etc. 
 
 Of course the object of the work is to accustom us to help 
 ourselves and to be ready for anything. It is good to have 
 our hands going sometimes instead of our heads. The out- 
 door work lasts about half an hour. Then we study, and at 
 12.30 wash and get ready for dinner ; at 12.45 we go into 
 the chapel for what is called the particular cxamen, that is 
 we renew in our minds all we have thought, done, said, or 
 omitted since the morning, dwelling on the resolution made 
 in the morning's meditation to correct some fault or to prac- 
 tice some act of virtue. The Angelus bell rings at 1, and 
 when the prayer is said dinner begins. There is no talking 
 at meals, but instead there is reading, first a portion of Scrip- 
 ture, then some history or biography, ending with the list of 
 the martyrs and saints whose anniversaries occur on the 
 following day. After every meal all go into the chapel for 
 a few moments of silent prayer. Recreation for an hour 
 follows, with prayer for a quarter, reading of the Imitation 
 
 108
 
 LETTERS TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 of Christ for another quarter, then work indoors and out- 
 doors, with some free time afterwards. Three times a week 
 one of us has to catechise the others as if they were children, 
 in order to get facility in questioning and explaining. Twice 
 a week we practise singing; and time is given for spiritual 
 reading, lives of saints, etc. At six there is half an hour's 
 meditation in the chapel, followed by prayers. Supper is at 
 7.35, with recreation for an hour. At litanies are recited 
 in the chapel. After that we prepare points for the next 
 morning's meditation; at 9.30 make an examination of con- 
 science about all we have done, thought, said during the 
 day; at a quarter to ten prepare for bed, and at ten lights 
 out. 
 
 "So you see we lead quite an active and certainly a very 
 busy life ; at the same time it is a very spiritual one. During 
 the day we speak only at recreation hours; at other times 
 whenever it is necessary, and then the language used must 
 be Latin if possible. After all we have plenty of time for 
 talking. On Wednesdays and Sundays we have long walks 
 in fine weather, and on Sundays do not work. We are a 
 very jolly set and very happy. Recreation hours are very 
 lively ; there are no cares to weigh upon us and everything 
 to help us in our spiritual life. What more can we ask for? 
 Of course, this is only for a time. In time of peace prqxire 
 for war, and this is our time of peace. The war time will 
 come. We begin a month's retreat on the 24th, lasting un- 
 til Christinas. During this I shall not be able to write any 
 letters, but will make up for lost time when it is over, so do 
 not \)C worried by not hearing from me. but write all the 
 same. I have a commission for you. I want you to knit me 
 a pair of hand muffs, also a pair of mittens. They will be 
 useful for working and walking; black is the best color 
 
 1GD
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 (excuse the bull), because it won't get soiled. I hope every- 
 body thinks as often of me as I do of them. 
 
 "Ever your devoted son, 
 
 "HARRY." 
 
 "MANRESA HOUSE, 
 
 "ROEHAMPTON, 
 
 "Christmas Day, 1878. 
 "Mv DEAREST MOTHER: 
 
 "It is quite strange to begin writing letters again after 
 my long silence. My first letter is, of course, to you. You 
 know well how much and lovingly I have had you in my 
 mind to-day. We had Mass at midnight, beginning by sing- 
 ing 'Adeste Fideles' ; you may be sure that we sang it with 
 all our might ; one never tires of it, and it never seems hack- 
 neyed. Christmas would seem incomplete without it. At 
 Holy Communion I thought particularly of you and all my 
 family. When one thinks of the Holy Family, one's thoughts 
 naturally turn to our own, and no wonder Christmas is the 
 family festival. 
 
 "After the service we sang the Te Deum, which was very 
 inspiring and solemn. We sang it to the old Gregorian, or 
 rather Ambrosian music, and it added much to one's devo- 
 tion to feel that those words and the music to which they 
 were set had been in use fourteen hundred years in all coun- 
 tries, and in so many different nations, always the identical 
 words, the evergreen Latin, 'Te Deum Laudamus.' After 
 it was over we had some bouillon and bread, and then we 
 went to bed, having had our first taste of Christmas, and the 
 best part, too, I may say. We were up again for Mass at 
 seven. Unfortunately, it was not a very pleasant day out 
 doors, but rather foggy and snowy, and we were not tempted 
 
 170
 
 LETTERS TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 to go out except for a little walk. It is real typical Girist- 
 mas weather, with plenty of cold and snow, in keeping with 
 the season. 
 
 "I never saw anything more beautiful than it is here after 
 a snow storm, when the sun comes out. We make our- 
 selves useful, too, in shoveling or sweeping the snow from 
 the walks, and as we can take more than a half-mile walk 
 round part of the grounds, there is no lack of employment 
 for our spare moments. It is very healthy and good exer- 
 cise, and freshens up the mind and warms up the body. The 
 house is kept very comfortable with open fires; some of the 
 rooms have great old-fashioned fire places with andirons. 
 
 "The decorations have been very tasteful and pretty. 
 There was an abundance of material on the place enor- 
 mous hedges of laurel, great trees of holly, and no end of 
 ivy. The hall ceiling is supported by columns, and round 
 each is twined beautiful thick ivy vines, besides ropes of 
 laurel and holly from column to column. You have no idea 
 what a pretty effect of Bethlehem, and the cave, and the 
 stable was made by means of brown paper and salt and 
 greens, together with the figures of the Holy Family and 
 the shepherds. Brown paper judiciously arranged makes 
 splendid rocks, salt does for snow, greens for trees, etc. 
 Really it is astonishing how realistic and pretty it is, and 
 costs nothing but a little time and taste. It may sound child- 
 ish, but notwithstanding it certainly does help one t<> reali/e 
 the scene, and after all what is a picture, but canvas, paint, 
 time and taste, or talent. 
 
 "Christmas being a great festival, we talked at table dur- 
 ing dinner, which is very unusual. I am not quite sure that 
 it is an improvement upon the reading aloud, but the change 
 is pleasant occasionally. 
 
 171
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "Saturday will be a great day for us Holy Innocents' 
 Day. We always have a great entertainment on that day, 
 with a seance in the evening for our amusement. We are 
 spectators, the Juniors provide the performance. One of 
 the features of the day is having an Innocent Beadle. You 
 must know, that the Beadle is a very important person ; he 
 is a novice put in charge of the others, and has to make out 
 all the notices, give all the orders for the different exercises 
 of the day, ring the bells for beginning and ending every 
 duty, answer all questions, give out whatever is wanted, 
 pens, ink, soap, in fact do any and everything. You may 
 imagine that it is not a sinecure ; indeed, the man who is 
 selected for this office must be a very holy and superior 
 novice to exercise these duties with patience, and gentleness, 
 and recollection. Well, on Holy Innocents' day his duties 
 are suspended, and all of us draw for the Innocent Beadle 
 of the day; those who escape the doubtful honor amuse 
 themselves by tormenting the unfortunate Innocent, who. 
 however, can revenge himself by giving some unpleasant 
 job to his tormentors. I hope it may not fall to my lot, al- 
 though of course it is only fun and everything is done con 
 am ore. 
 
 "I must close with warmest Christmas greetings to every- 
 body. "Your devoted son, 
 
 "HARRY/' 
 
 "MANRESA HOUSE, 
 
 "ROEHAMPTON, 
 
 "Feast of the Purification, 1879. 
 "My DEAREST MOTHER: 
 
 "This is a good day on which to write a letter to you, the 
 Feast when the Blessed Virgin, publicly in the Temple, 
 
 172
 
 LETTERS TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 offered her Divine Son to His Eternal Father. Up to this 
 time all had taken place as it were in private, the birth in 
 the stable, the circumcision in the house, the worship of the 
 shepherds and the Magi, but to-day He was presented in the 
 Temple and declared to be The Light to lighten the Gen- 
 tiles and the Glory of His people Israel' and Simeon could 
 say, 'My eyes have seen the Salvation,' which was to be 
 wrought by this wonderful- child of promise. 
 
 "What a beautiful picture! The Holy Family, the 
 Blessed Virgin, holding her Divine Son in her arms, St. 
 Joseph carrying, probably, the modest offering of the doves, 
 and the Priest who was to receive, as minister of the Most 
 High God, God the Son Incarnate. Then Simeon and Anna, 
 prophesying and thanking God for the signal favor they 
 had received in l>eing allowed to live long enough to see the 
 desire of Israel. At first sight we wonder why the Blessed 
 Virgin did not offer the lamb, and then we think that she 
 did indeed offer the I*atnb of G<xl. that taketh away the sins 
 of the world the type would have been out of place in the 
 presence of the antitype. Then, too, she would set us an 
 example of humility and poverty. She. the princess of the 
 House of David, makes the offering of the poor, though 
 doubtless she had gold which had been presented by the 
 Magi. But she teaches us a deeper lesson of humility by 
 the very act of purification. She was not under the I -aw : 
 she, who had conceived by the power and the overshadowing 
 of the Holy Ghost, could not be held by the law made for 
 those who were mothers in the natural way. However, she 
 does not avail herself of her privileges, but consents to act in 
 obedience to the commandments of the I -aw. 
 
 "To any chance worshiper in the Temple this little party 
 may have appeared very ordinary, poor and unworthy of 
 
 173
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 attention, yet they were God the Son, His Mother, and His 
 foster-father and the protector of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 
 So it was all through Our Lord's earthly life. He did not 
 command the respect, and attention, and love of the people; 
 only a few chosen ones here and there could pierce the veil 
 and see beneath the human form the Divine Person. So on 
 Calvary, only the eye of Faith can recognize God. His 
 Mother and with her another protector, St. John, for St. 
 Joseph's work was ended, and he had gone to his rest in the 
 arms of Jesus and Mary. Did you ever wonder how you 
 would have acted had you been present in the Temple at the 
 time of the presentation? I am afraid most of us would 
 have turned away from such an humble party. We are so 
 accustomed to think of Our Lord as God, that we fail to 
 realize His humanity and His humility. We are shocked at 
 anything poor and common, at least our feeling is one of 
 compassion and condescension. Well, as Our Lord's life 
 on earth was marvellous, so is it now in the Sacrament of 
 the Most Holy Eucharist. As St. Thomas Aquinas says in 
 his hymn: 
 
 Sight and touch and taste. 
 
 May naught of Him discern. 
 But the soul that hearkens. 
 
 Can the mystery learn. 
 On the Cross Thy Godhead 
 
 Only was concealed. 
 Here, not e'en Thy manhood. 
 
 Is to sight revealed. 
 But in both believing 
 
 And confessing. Lord, 
 Ask I what the dying 
 Thief of Thee implored. 
 174
 
 LETTERS TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 I do not, like Thomas, 
 
 See Thy wounds appear, 
 But with him confess 
 
 My Lord and God is here. 
 
 "What a wonderful gift faith is, and how impossible to 
 l>elieve anything- without it; everything is so full of mys- 
 tery, yet it is not until we try to explain that we realize the 
 depths of mystery. We really believe simply because we 
 start with the principle that God is omnipotent, and that 
 nothing that does not contradict His attributes is beyond 
 His power. And so it is as easy for Him to manifest Him- 
 self under the veils of bread and wine as to manifest Him- 
 self in the body He took in the womb of the Blessed Virgin. 
 To say that it is impossible is to deny His omnipotence. 
 
 "I have written quite a dissertation, haven't I? but it is 
 hard to think of Our Lord under one form without l>eing 
 carried away to the other, the one under which we now with 
 eyes of faith see Him. It is a great privilege to know Our 
 Lord now by the light of faith, to receive in Holy Com- 
 munion Him whom we shall see face to face when faith 
 shall become sight. In the meantime don't let us deceive 
 ourselves by saying, I can't IxMieve because I can't see. If 
 we could see it would not be faith. 
 
 "We have had the last of the Feasts of the Incarnation 
 now, and I^ent will soon l>e coming with the new phase of 
 Our Lord's life. Surely we ought to pray like Him when 
 we have always His life set Ixrforc us as an example to 
 follow. But I must be closing now. I enjoy your letters 
 very much, my dearest mother. . . , 
 
 "Your devoted son. 
 
 "HARRY." 
 175
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "MANRESA HOUSE, 
 
 "ROEHAMPTON, 
 
 "March 12, 1879. 
 DEAREST MOTHER: 
 "It is quite a time since I wrote last, certainly not this 
 month ; but I have been kept so busy that I could not man- 
 age it. As I told you in my last, I have been Refectorian, 
 and my offices lasted a month. For two weeks I was third 
 assistant and then promoted to first, which is much more re- 
 sponsible. I had no leisure at all to speak of ; none for writ- 
 ing letters, for one always has certain odds and ends that 
 can't be put off. Upon the whole, now that once more I am 
 comparatively free, I rather enjoyed being in the refectory. 
 It is a complete change, as one does not follow the ordinary 
 exercises, but devotes all one's attention to the preparation 
 for meals. But do not think by this that we spend all our 
 time eating. There are only the ordinary three meals a day, 
 with the addition of coffee at 5 o'clock to brighten us up a 
 little for our meditation at 6. Meditations are never dis- 
 pensed with ; there is always the hour in the morning", the 
 half-hour in the evening, and the usual quarter-hour at mid- 
 day and at night for the examination of conscience to see 
 what falls we have had and what progress we have made, 
 and to make resolutions for the future. Every one has to 
 allow full time to these, and to Mass in the morning and 
 Litanies in the evening; so you see no matter what office 
 one has, the most important spiritual duties are always in- 
 sisted upon. Besides this, for half an hour before supper 
 the first Refectorian reads aloud for the lay brothers in the 
 kitchen from some life of a saint, or chapters of the Imita- 
 tion of Christ, while they are busy peeling apples, cutting 
 toast, etc. It was always a very pleasant half hour. I used 
 
 176
 
 LETTERS TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 to get very much flurried at first in my office, but the last 
 week I got quite accustomed to it. It is rather trying, as 
 you have so many bothering you at the same time. For in- 
 stance, in the morning about ten novices are sent down to 
 help you, and you have to assign each a task and see that 
 they do it properly. They only stay twenty minutes and do 
 only part of the work, and then you and your regular assist- 
 ants have to supply all deficiencies, which is sometimes more 
 troublesome than if you did the whole thing yourself. At 
 meals I had to stand at a large table just outside the refec- 
 tory door and give out all the dishes which came from the 
 kitchen on a kind of turnstyle, a one-storied dumb waiter; 
 see that the servers got the right dishes and then pile up all 
 the plates as they were brought out used, collecting the 
 knives, forks and spoons, and putting them into partitions 
 in a box to be washed and then sending the plates to the 
 scullery. When sixty sit down to a meal, a good deal lias to 
 pass through your hands. But this is not all, for as soon as 
 the first dinner is over, three minutes are allowed to prepare 
 the tables for a second dinner of thirty people. This has to 
 be done in an awful hurry-scurry, and then 1 sit down to this 
 second meal. Such are the principal points of what I have 
 l>een undergoing, and you can imagine that there is a good 
 deal of anxiety lest something l>e forgotten, and it is quite a 
 relief to be once more at the usual routine, in comparative 
 quiet, and with some spare moments. 
 
 "I had a task given me directly after my time in the re- 
 fectory, for my turn came to give a tone or short sermon 
 before the novices. The text was, 'That no man overreach 
 or circumvent his brother in business.' It is rather a diffi- 
 cult text, and I had only a short time to prepare, as the 
 warning is given on Sunday morning to preach on Monday, 
 
 " 177
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 with only the spare moments to prepare for the ordeal. It 
 has to be extempore and I got very much confused and 
 nervous, but I managed to scramble through with two awful 
 pauses. But enough of myself ; too much, I fear. 
 
 "Your devoted son, 
 
 "HARRY." 
 
 "MANRESA HOUSE, 
 
 "ROEHAMPTON, 
 
 "Feast of the Annunciation, 1879. 
 "Mv DEAREST MOTHER: 
 
 " . . . I am glad the cold weather is on the wane, as 
 it is trying in Lent. They take great .care of us, and do not 
 allow any extravagances in fasting. Every one has to con- 
 sult the doctor to see if he have strength ; if not, only a little 
 mortification of one's appetite, which couldn't hurt anyone, 
 is permitted. 
 
 "The season has gone, so far, very quickly, and Holy 
 Week will soon be here. I expect to enjoy it very much, as 
 we shall have interesting services in our chapel and plenty 
 of singing. I have been promoted to singing in the choir, 
 which adds much to my pleasure, and we have been busily 
 practising for some time for the Holy Week services. I 
 should like you to hear them, for they are very well done. 
 I am one of the basses, and it is interesting to sing a part 
 and quite a novelty for me, as I have been accustomed to 
 having it all my own way. 
 
 "What a beautiful feast to-day is, and yet, not coming on 
 a Sunday, it does not receive as much attention as it de- 
 serves ; for what is the festival of the Annunciation but the 
 beginning of the Incarnation of Our Lord? We are apt to 
 think of it as the time when the announcement was made to 
 
 178
 
 LETTERS TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 the Blessed Virgin, and to forget that when she gave her 
 consent and said, 'Be it done unto me according to Thy 
 word,' immediately the Holy Ghost overshadowed her, and 
 she conceived and became the Mother of God. I know that 
 I myself never used to connect Our Lord's conception with 
 the Annunciation ; in fact I never used to think very much 
 about it, and only contented myself with generalities and 
 did not realize as much of the mystery as is possible for us 
 and which we are bound to do. For what can be of greater 
 importance and interest to Christians than all that is con- 
 nected with the life of Our Lord on the earth, and His death 
 and risen life? All these are mentioned in the beautiful 
 collect of the feast, which is used by us three times a day 
 at the Angclus, as I remember telling you, as the memorial 
 of the Incarnation. 
 
 "I think I said in my last letter that I am no longer in the 
 refectory, but have no office at present, taking things easy. 
 The object, you know, of offices is not to get work out of 
 us. but to teach us to be able to do anything useful, and to 
 learn how to manage for oneself if in command, or how to 
 oliey if under another. 
 
 "Your devoted son. 
 
 "HARRY." 
 
 "MANRKSA HOUSE. 
 
 "ROEHAICPTON, 
 
 "Easter Monday. April i:t. 187l. 
 "Mv DEAREST MOTHER: 
 
 "I will begin by wishing you all the Kaster joys, and 
 what joys can compare with them? Not even Christmas 
 can equal Easter, for it is the concq>tion of what was begun 
 at Christmas, and is the pledge of our own resurrection. 
 
 179
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Lent has passed rather quickly, the last week especially, be- 
 cause we were very busy preparing for the musical part of 
 the services. Everything went off very successfully, the 
 music was well rendered and was well chosen. On Wednes- 
 day, Thursday and Friday we had the Tenebrae, which con- 
 sists of a beautiful selection of Psalms and Antiphons, to- 
 gether with lessons and the lamentations of Jeremiah, with 
 appropriate responses. Everything was sung without ac- 
 companiment, the responses and antiphons in harmony, as 
 well as the 'Benedictus' and the 'Miserere.' At the close of 
 the service the choir sang an anthem, 'Christ was made obe- 
 dient unto death,' which was very touching. On Maundy 
 Thursday we had a fine service in commemoration of the 
 Institution of the Holy Eucharist. On Good Friday we 
 went to our church in London for the Three Hours' service 
 between 12 and 3. The time passed so quickly that I could 
 scarcely believe that we had been really three hours in 
 church. One reason was that there was a great deal of 
 variety, and we were not kept long in any one position. 
 The choir would sing an anthem, and then an address on 
 one of the seven last words of Our Lord would follow, then 
 some prayers, with responses by the people. It was very im- 
 pressive and devotional. There were no drawbacks, every- 
 thing went smoothly and we were most punctual, going in 
 as the clock struck twelve and coming out exactly at three. 
 There was an overflowing congregation, who were most at- 
 tentive and stayed right through from beginning to end. 
 Yesterday we went again to our church, in Farm Street, for 
 Vespers, and had a beautiful service. One feels on Easter 
 day inclined to shout for joy. 
 
 "We are taking things easy this week: at least we are 
 supposed to do so, but there is a great deal of walking, 
 
 180
 
 LETTERS TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 which sometimes is more tiring than anything else. I have 
 come out from Lent in the best possible health, without a 
 cold or an ache. The weather is cold and disagreeable for 
 this season. . . . 
 
 "It is a consolation that after all we can be so near in 
 spirit and thought to those we love, as to imagine almost 
 exactly what is taking place even three thousand miles away, 
 for we can travel over sj>ace in the twinkling of an eye. 
 Hereafter when we shall have glorified bodies at the resur- 
 rection, even our bodies will overcome all the obstacles that 
 now keep us confined, just as Our Lord could pass through 
 the sealed stone of the sepulchre or the closed doors of the 
 upper chamber where the Apostles were assembled. In the 
 meanwhile it is a comfort to lx? able to be so near one an- 
 other in spirit. 
 
 "With best love and Easter greetings to all, 
 
 "I am your devoted son. 
 
 "H. V. R." 
 
 "MANRESA HOUSE, 
 
 "ROEHAMPTONT. 
 "I^onclon. S.W., May 7, 1879. 
 "Mv DEAREST MOTHER: 
 
 "... I hope you have l>een more fortunate in weather 
 than we have been, for May has not, so far, deserved its 
 name at all, but is much more like March, altho* we had 
 our full share of March winds too. The famous east wind 
 has lx?en blowing pretty steadily even this month. Every- 
 thing in consequence is dreadfully backward: the trees have 
 only begun to bud this last week, but unfortunately there 
 have been little flurries of hail and snow which will injure 
 the blossoms of the fruit trees which have just struggled 
 
 181
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 * 
 
 out. The cuckoo has been singing that springtime is near, 
 but this year he has been mistaken. We have a cuckoo 
 living close to the house; in fact, there are birds of all kinds 
 in the neighborhood and they furnish plenty of music. In 
 summer there are nightingales, they say, but they are such 
 late birds, and we such early ones, that I doubt if we ever 
 hear them. They don't begin to sing until ten, and about 
 that time we begin to snore. 
 
 "Our life here is so regular that one week is very like an- 
 other unless some feast day happens to break the monotony 
 monotony I mean in a good sense and not tedium. 
 
 "I took a long walk on Sunday afternoon to hear Ves- 
 pers at the Carmelite Church. It must have been nearly 
 twelve miles altogether, but it was a very pleasant day, 
 warm and sunny, and the road rather a pretty one, and I 
 had a chance to rest during the service. I feel at home in 
 that church particularly, because I know one of the Fathers, 
 and used to go there last year. They have a foreign con* 
 gregation, and a good many of the diplomats and others 
 attend." 
 
 "May 9th. 
 
 "I had to stop and have not had a chance to finish until 
 now, when I have a few minutes. I have been busy pre- 
 paring for a catechising which I had to give before the 
 novices and one of the Fathers. My subject was Confirma- 
 tion, and I primed myself thoroughly so that I got through 
 very well, only being criticized as being too learned and 
 giving too many authorities. It is rather hard to treat as 
 children grown men who know as much about the subject 
 as you do yourself. And yet that is what we are supposed 
 to do in order to get a facility in asking questions as simply 
 
 182
 
 as possible and to explain in short and easy words. Usuaiiy 
 a story of some kind is told to enliven the young ones. We 
 get another chance at story-telling every evening, for there 
 is always a pious story with a good moral at our recreation 
 and each one has his turn. I told one very apropos the 
 other evening. 
 
 "We are all busy this month in preparing sermons, as 
 each one has to preach before the community at supper 
 time. As many of the novices seem to be trusting mainiy 
 to books, I selected an instance in St. Vincent Ferrer's life. 
 He was a great Dominican preacher and missionary, and a 
 very holy man. One day he was told that a distinguished 
 nobleman was coming to hear him preach. The saint usually 
 relied principally upon prayer for his sermons, but on this 
 occasion, departing from his custom, he gave the time to 
 extra study. The consequence was that he did not preach 
 as well as usual, and the nobleman went home disappointed. 
 However, he went another time unannounced and was de- 
 lighted. This was told St. Vincent, who replied: 'No 
 wonder, for the first time he heard Vincent preach, but this 
 time it was Jesus Christ, Himself.' It is a pretty anecdote, 
 is it not ? But I must stop. With best love for everybody 
 and most for yourself, 
 
 "Ever your devoted son, 
 
 "HARRY." 
 
 "MANRESA HOUSE, 
 
 "ROEHAMPTON, 
 
 "August 17, 1879. 
 "Mv DEAREST MOTHER: 
 
 "Many happy returns of your birthday; not such happi- 
 ness as the world can give or appreciate, but true and solid, 
 
 183
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 which can come from God alone, and which consists in 
 growing in the deeper knowledge of Our Lord and of the 
 end for which we were created to serve, praise and rever- 
 ence Him. Few people, when really brought face to face 
 with this truth, will deny it, but" at the same time they do 
 practically deny or at least ignore it. Look at their lives, 
 how perfectly aimless they seem, unless one can call that the 
 aim of their life to which they devote most of their time, 
 energy, attention and money. And what a waste of time it 
 will seem to them when they are called upon to give an ac- 
 count of their lives. Vanity of vanities, indeed ! Yet, with 
 the best of intentions, how hard it is for us to keep really 
 before our eyes the object of our being! We so crave after 
 happiness that we practically do make it our aim, and so in 
 the real sense it is happiness, but only that which comes 
 from doing God's will as well as we can. What happiness, 
 what satisfaction, when we can say and feel after some- 
 thing we have done, that our intention was purely God's 
 glory ! Too often some vanity, self-seeking or other motive 
 has crept in to take away the merit of the action, or at least 
 tarnish its lustre. The greater glory of God is our motto, 
 this the object, the summing up of our lives. This will be 
 the standard by which we shall be judged, and is it not a 
 glorious one, too? The glory of God, who laid aside the 
 glory which he had with His Father before the creation of 
 the world. He abased Himself and we must exalt Him. 
 He led the way and we must follow Him; the way of the 
 cross is the only way that leads to true happiness. We may 
 have 'the cross laid upon us or we may take it upon our- 
 selves of our own accord. It is a great consolation for those 
 whose lot lies in home duties, to think of Our Lord's life at 
 Nazareth with His Mother and St. Joseph. What quiet 
 
 184
 
 and apparently uneventful lives they led for thirty years; 
 to human eyes St. Joseph seemed only the carpenter: the 
 Mother of God only his wife; and Our Lord Himself only 
 the carpenter's son. Truly it matters very little what the 
 world thinks of us, what opinion it passes upon us. We 
 are living not for it and its judgment, nor can it appreciate 
 pure motives. So it often happens that those who are con- 
 sidered unfortunate are very far from being so; for the 
 trials they have undergone have been so many means of 
 grace, means of bringing them nearer their Divine Model, 
 who was the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. 
 Really, one's own experience tells one that frequently in 
 penitential seasons of the Church we have more true peace 
 and comfort than at the greater festivals, which often bring 
 with them dissipation of heart, and wje do not feel as near 
 Our I^ord as when kneeling at the foot of the Cross. Then 
 we throw ourselves, as it were, upon Him for support, for 
 we feel our weakness and need His sympathy, and with 
 such dispositions we can never fail to touch His Sacred 
 Heart ever open to the sighs of His children. 
 
 "I wish that I could drop in upon you now and then to 
 have a little chat. letters are so unsatisfactory; one never 
 says what one wants to, but very often just the reverse. I 
 hope I have not done so this time. At any rate you will un- 
 derstand me aright. You are always much in my thoughts. 
 With l>est wishes. I am, my dearest mother. 
 "Your devoted son. 
 
 "HENRY VAN* RKXSSF.I.AER." 
 
 185
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "MANRESA HOUSE, 
 
 "ROEHAMPTON, 
 
 "November 16. 1879. 
 "Mv DEAREST MOTHER: 
 
 ".. . . Last Thursday was a great day with us the 
 feast of our Patron, St. Stanislaus Kostka. He is the patron 
 saint of all novices, because he died a novice, when he was 
 only eighteen years old. As the Church says of him in the 
 collect of his day, Almighty God had bestowed on him in 
 tender youth the grace of mature sanctity. He is the Patron 
 of Poland, and one of the most popular saints, especially 
 among the young. I daresay you recollect seeing some 
 frescoes representing scenes in his life in our Church in 
 Montreal. 
 
 "It was a day for long walks sunny, though cold. Bro. 
 Sherman and another and I thought we should spend our 
 morning profitably by paying a visit to Nazareth House, a 
 home for aged men and women and homeless children. It 
 is under the care of Sisters very like the Little Sisters of 
 the Poor. We were delighted with everything we saw, 
 were very kindly received, and the Mother General of the 
 Order showed us all over the establishment. Everything 
 was in the most exquisite order. Each bed had a many- 
 colored patch-work spread and looked comfortable and 
 cheery. The old people said that nothing could exceed the 
 kindness of the Sisters, and there were some Protestants 
 who told me the same. The Sisters, many of them of good 
 family, do all the work themselves, and live entirely on what 
 they get by alms. Their food consists of scraps which they 
 beg. One cannot imagine happier, more contented and 
 gayer people than these Sisters, who are brimful of charity 
 and zeal. There were children either idiotic or nearly so, 
 
 IbU
 
 D 
 
 n 
 
 n 
 
 yi 
 
 KI.IZ.XIIKTII RAY KIX<,. 
 MOTIIKR <>l RKX IIKNKV V XX RKXSSKI.AKR
 
 LETTERS TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 but I was glad to see them in such a home. We went away 
 very much edified, and thankful that there are so many de- 
 voted people who were glad to leave the world and what it 
 can give in the way of pleasures, and live a life of hard 
 work and service for the bodies of others that they may save 
 their souls. When we got back to Manresa House we had 
 a panegyric of our Saint by one of the novices; then came 
 Benediction and afterwards dinner with conversation. In 
 the evening there was a seance in which the choir figured 
 by singing several glees. Brother Sherman composed and 
 read a very pretty poem on the bell which announces our 
 duties. As he had the office of ringing it as beadle not long 
 ago, he could speak feelingly. There were some other 
 poems and readings, and altogether we enjoyed ourselves 
 very much. The choir have been kept very busy of late 
 getting ready the glees for the seance, and besides that we 
 sing Vespers in our own chapel every Sunday afternoon; 
 we have also to prepare new music for Christmas, which 
 will be upon us before we know it. 
 
 "Love to everybody, much for yourself, 
 
 "Your devoted son, 
 
 "H. V. R." 
 
 "MANRESA HOUSE, 
 
 "ROEHAMPTON, S. W., 
 
 "April 22, 1880. 
 "Mv DEAREST MOTHER: 
 
 "The weeks have l>een slipping by so quickly and un- 
 eventfully that I can hardly keep any track of my letters. 
 We are having most lovely weather now, for it is full 
 spring. The country is delightful. How thankful I am to 
 be able to enjoy it ! With all the helps that the beauties of
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 nature give, one ought to live more in God's presence in the 
 country than in the city. Everything is so peaceful and 
 fitted to raising one's thoughts from earth to heaven, yet I 
 doubt if country people are as religious as the city people; 
 perhaps the latter feel more need of God's help than the 
 others ; still we cannot help feeling how weak man is when 
 we see the changes of nature. What can he do? Nothing; 
 not even force a blade of grass to grow ; and so a lesson of 
 humility is preached by every blade of grass and every tinv 
 flower. But it is a lesson we do not heed, it is so contrary 
 to our wishes and inclinations. We make up our mind to 
 praise and admire humility as a virtue; when, however, it 
 is urged upon us, we rebel. Why is it that so many thou- 
 sands who call themselves Christians, and profess to be fol- 
 lowers of the Crucified, cannot bear the sight of a picture 
 which represents Our Lord crucified, much less a carved 
 crucifix? It is simply because it pictures to them too readily 
 and vividly what their Captain and Leader has done and 
 suffered, and what He expects of them. They are not pre- 
 pared for any such imitation of Christ as this. They do not 
 object to reading about it, but that is enough. You see how 
 a blade of grass has carried me off. Still, we can never 
 think enough about our own weakness and what should 
 arise out of the consideration of it what we should be, 
 humble and ready to accept what Almighty God proposes 
 to us. 
 
 "What a dreadful state of things in France ! One must 
 always hope for a turn of the scales, there are so many ups 
 and downs in that changeable country. I am glad there is 
 such a unity of action among all the religious orders and all 
 the bishops ; they realize the truth that it is religion that is 
 being attacked and not any one order in the Church. It is 
 
 188
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 certainly a strange Republic where there is no freedom. We 
 have had some very good music lately, though I say it who 
 shouldn't, being in the choir. We have been singing one of 
 Gounod's masses. We also had a seance in honor of the 
 Provincial, who has been making his visitation. We sang 
 The Storm.' To-day, the 23d, is St. George's Day, and is 
 a holiday, which gives me a chance of writing. I have also 
 a sermon on hand which I must preach on the 12th of May. 
 My ideas do not flow as I should like. I wish you would 
 get 'Christian Schools and Scholars.' It is a charming 
 book, giving an excellent and pleasant picture of the early 
 and middle age Christianity. It is not a controversial work 
 at all, merely historical. They are really dark ages because 
 most people know so little about them, but it is astonish- 
 ing to find how bright the true light shone in those rude 
 times. . , ." 
 
 "Ever your devoted son, 
 
 "HENRY VAN RENSSELAER." 
 
 Van Rensselaer's stay in England was drawing to a close 
 Under the strict discipline of the novitiate, he had become a 
 new man with new ideals, new aspirations, new impulses, 
 and new ways of thinking and acting. This mental and 
 spiritual development, or rather transformation, is shown in 
 a letter written while still a first year novice: 
 
 "The time is slipping away, a time of much grace. The 
 saying is, that the height of sanctity to which we aspire in 
 the noviceship will be the highest to which we shall ever 
 aspire in after life; so we must aim now at nothing short of 
 l>eing saints, however impossible that may now seem. After 
 all, what is a saint but one who so fully corresponds to the 
 
 180
 
 LETTERS' TO HIS MOTHER. 
 
 grace given him that he merits more and more? It is simply 
 acting up to our vocation and the abundant graces given to 
 us. 'Pensons au ciel et nous aurons le courage d'etre fideles 
 a Dieu quoiqu'il en coute.' This motto was on a signet that 
 a fellow-pilgrim to Paray-le-Monial gave me, and if we did 
 but keep the end in view, all would seem very plain." 
 
 The progress he made in the knowledge and practice of 
 spiritual things was such that he could now be entrusted 
 with the guidance of other souls, and in the last letter from 
 Roehampton, he writes enthusiastically of a work of this 
 nature committed to his charge. 
 
 "May, 1880. 
 
 "I have a delightful task at present, to unfold the reli- 
 gious life to two lay-brother postulants ; they are both con- 
 verts of two years' standing, but totally unlike; both very 
 good, and earnest, and teachable. It is most humiliating to 
 speak to them of high ideals and perfection, and then to 
 realize how far short one is oneself. But it is most inspirit- 
 inging to feel that one is really helping others. I have had 
 a great increase of love for the Spiritual Exercises of St. 
 Ignatius. I have been reading the life of Father de Ponle- 
 voy, the author of de Ravignan's life, and his intimate 
 friend. They were both men of the Exercises; everything 
 they did or said was influenced by them. This is my aim. 
 as it should be that of every Jesuit. Father Morris has been 
 a great help to me. He has been away for two weeks giving 
 a mission at Arundel. His place was taken by Father Pur- 
 brick, for many years Rector of Stonyhurst. He is a con- 
 vert, an Oxford man, the most perfect gentleman I ever 
 saw, most spiritual, most humble, most talented. There is 
 a paragon. His short rule was a delightful one." 
 
 190
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE. 
 
 VAN RENSSELAER returned to America in the sum- 
 mer of 1880, with two other Americans, his fellow 
 novices at Roehampton, Thomas Sherman, a son of Gen. 
 Willam Tecumseh Sherman, and Thomas Kernan, a son of 
 Senator Kernan of New York. After a brief stay at St. 
 Francis Xavier's, New York City, Van Rensselaer, as he 
 was still a novice, went on to the novitiate "of the Mary- 
 land-New York Province, at Frederick, Md. 
 
 A few days after his arrival at the novitiate he wrote to 
 his sister, Mrs. George Waddington: 
 
 "NOVITIATE, 
 
 "FREDERICK CITY. MD. 
 
 "August 1, 1880. 
 "Mv DEAR BESSIE: 
 
 " . . . I had a pleasant visit in New York, although 
 I found the family very much scattered. I am convinced 
 that it is unadvisable in religious questions to say anything 
 aggressive. Try to let people know what the true religion 
 is and then leave the rest to God. We. having the truth on 
 our side, can always speak with authority, and this is pecu- 
 liar to the Catholic Church. I found on the steamer that 
 when one inquired into what people believed in their hearts, 
 it amounted to Universalism that God is very good and 
 merciful and will not condemn. They call themselves Pres- 
 byterians, and Episcopalians, and free thinkers; there was 
 
 191
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 much they had in common, the rest they considered merely 
 external forms. As I look back now on our trip, I think we 
 wasted time ; for several days we kept quite aloof until peo- 
 ple began to question us, and even then we were rather on 
 the defensive. Father Pardow, who was our leader, told 
 me not to be shy in talking, but to improve my opportunities, 
 so then I set to work, and having had experience in religious 
 matters I discovered in myself a certain power. In the end 
 I talked quite openly, though in the beginning everyone 
 warned everyone else against us, and a third person invaria- 
 bly would come up to try to interfere. The captain regu- 
 larly walked off with two ladies who wished to talk with 
 me, and naturally I was at a disadvantage because I could 
 not walk up and down the deck with ladies. In the end, 
 however, I won over the captain ; he and I became excellent 
 friends, and he entered into a compact not to interfere. 
 People respect you much more if you talk to them up and 
 down without fear. 
 
 "I am delighted with the Jesuits I have met in America. 
 They have overwhelmed me with kindness. I spent a few 
 hours at Woodstock en route, and was charmed. I will tell 
 you more about it when I go there in September. Frederick 
 is a great contrast to Roehampton ; there is something very 
 gentle and sympathetic about the Fathers and novices here. 
 Not that they were not good and kind in England, but John 
 Bull has his peculiarities. It is pleasant to be in a religious 
 habit, rosary and all. The Roehampton novices lose much 
 by not wearing the habit. Here the novices are wonder- 
 fully edifying. 
 
 "I shall enjoy my month in this place immensely. The 
 scenery in the neighborhood is beautiful, but best of all there 
 is here a wonderful spirit of charity and gentleness; just 
 
 192
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 what I need and hope to get, for my late experience on the 
 ship tells me that what people yearn for is sympathy and 
 kindness. . . . 
 
 "Ever your devoted brother, 
 
 "HENRY VAN RENSSELAER, SJ." 
 
 In the beginning of September he reported for his studies 
 in philosophy at Woodstock, Md., where he was to spend 
 three faithful and happy years. On the approach of the 
 Feast of All Saints, he returned to Frederick to take his 
 first vows as a Jesuit scholastic. The interruption was a 
 brief one, for it was from Woodstock College that he wrote 
 the following letter: 
 
 "WOODSTOCK, 
 
 "November 2, 1880. 
 
 "I have had the great happiness of taking the vows. I 
 went down to Frederick on Saturday afternoon, sj>ent Sun- 
 day in recollection and silence, and then on Monday in the 
 domestic chapel, took my vows before the Community. Just 
 think, I had about thirty Masses said for me that day, be- 
 sides many receiving Holy Communion for my intention. 
 There is such a beautiful feeling of charity in the Society. 
 I like this quotation very much and it has made a great im- 
 pression on me: 'Petit sacrifice, petit bonheur; grand sac- 
 rifice, grand bonheur ; sacrifice complet, bonheur complet.' ' 
 
 Shortly after his reception into the Church his sister, who 
 had also heard Clod's voice calling her to a religious life, en- 
 tered the novitiate of the Sisters of Charity at Mount St. 
 Vincent-on-Hudson, New York. Most of the following 
 letters are addressed to her. On the Feast of the Immacu- 
 late Conception, 1880, he writes: 
 
 193
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "I do not know that I have ever spent a happier feast, 
 except perhaps All Saints, and this was a breathing of the 
 same air. We had our half-yearly renovation of vows. 
 What the Society wishes is homo in vita spirituali perfec- 
 tus, and for this, great talents are not necessary, thank God, 
 else I might despair of attaining it, for I shall never shine 
 as a learned man, nor do I regret it much. It has many 
 dangers which I shall be spared. Let us desire better gifts, 
 for desire paves the way." 
 
 The Christmas holidays brought with them welcome re- 
 laxation from the study of dialectics and abstruse meta- 
 physics. He writes : 
 
 "WOODSTOCK COLLEGE, 
 
 "December 27, 1880. 
 
 "What a delightful season this is! How one's heart over- 
 flows with love and gratitude to the God who cares so ten- 
 derly for His ungrateful creatures! This has been a very 
 happy season for me ; we are like a large, yet united family, 
 rejoicing with holy simplicity in our little pleasures. We 
 have had several entertainments, one most amusing, some 
 acting Scrooge and Marley in Dickens' 'Christmas Story.' 
 The parts were capitally taken, and we laughed ourselves 
 hoarse. Last night we had a Christmas tree with a present 
 drawn by lot for everybody, so that one got generally just 
 the wrong thing a non-smoker, for instance, would be sure 
 to receive a pipe, etc. Some amusing things were said very 
 apropos, and a clever local poem read. On Wednesday we 
 are to have Father Ryan, the poet-priest, for our guest ; he 
 has a poem for the occasion, and there will be others from 
 Ours, as we have several poets among us. The choir have 
 several fine glees ready, so altogether we expect a pleasant
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 evening. I have enjoyed singing in the Christmas choir and 
 in the glees. It is my greatest amusement. You see by this 
 that we are quite a lively set of people, in fact, the lightest- 
 hearted in the world, I believe." 
 
 A month later his letter takes on a more sombre hue. It 
 was probably written at the beginning of the Lenten season; 
 the exact day of the month is not given. 
 
 "WOODSTOCK, 
 
 "February. 1881. 
 
 "How hard it is for us to make full use of our oppor- 
 tunities! There is not a moment in the day or night when 
 we might not be meriting by a silent aspiration, a genuflec- 
 tion, even a smile, a pleasant word, a trifling act of fore- 
 thought. These are the brilliants, tiny indeed, but they 
 will add great lustre to our crowns. I rememl>er Father 
 Porter impressed upon us to make frequent acts of perfect 
 charity. It might seem presumptuous at first sight, but he 
 said it was not so, and we should tell Our Lord that we do 
 love Him, or at least desire to love Him, as well as any 
 creature can love Him, even the Seraphim and His Blessed 
 Mother herself. The desire comes from Him, so it must be 
 most pleasing to Him. who is Perfect Charity. \Ve must 
 decide to make the recreation hour the most profitable of 
 the day. and with this intention prepare for it by an act of 
 l>erfect charity, either in the chapel or on our way to the 
 recreation r<x>m. Our selfishness often hinders us from 
 helping our companions; I speak from experience. There 
 were certain novices in Kngland with whom I was not much 
 thrown, and I never sought them out when it was left free 
 to choose. B accident, a few weeks before I left, I sat next
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 one at recreation. He seemed downcast, and by some kindly 
 questions I found that although within a few months of his 
 vows, he had not grasped the idea of the religious life. He 
 had all kinds of doubts as to his vocation. I tried to show 
 him the serpent's trail, and pointed out the beauties of our 
 life. To my surprise, I found that he had always felt drawn 
 to me, although I had done nothing to deserve it. When I 
 left he was one of the most affected and the last to bid fare- 
 well, as he stole away from the others and was at the lodge 
 gate for a last good-bye. The other day I had a letter from 
 him saying how happy he now was in his vocation. He had 
 taken his vows, and his doubts had long since vanished. 
 The moral may apologize for my speaking of this, and I 
 was only the unworthy mouth-piece of the Holy Ghost." 
 
 In March he alludes feelingly to St. Joseph: 
 
 "Let us have great confidence; this should be the domi- 
 nant note of all our prayers; it will make them most pleas- 
 ing to God. We should ask like children who feel they have 
 a right to ask, and are sure of having their petition granted, 
 because they cannot conceive the possibility of their Father 
 being unable or unwilling to fulfil their desires. I think T 
 owe a great deal to St. Joseph. I am convinced that he 
 helped me to my vocation, as his month in Paris, our first 
 month as Catholics, was a fruitful season to me, although I 
 was then only groping in the dark and cold and could not 
 tell whither Providence was leading me. Those are happy 
 days to look back upon, but what a blessing to be settled in 
 our proper place." 
 
 The Winter of 1880-81 was unusually severe. Old- 
 timers could recall nothing like it. All the more enjoyable 
 
 19G
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 was it when the Spring came in all its freshness, and the 
 scholastics could take their long walks in the environs of 
 Woodstock. How those days were spent and enjoyed by 
 Van Rensselaer, we learn in the following letter: 
 
 "May 12, 1881. 
 
 "Yesterday, the feast of St. Francis Jerome, Mr. X. and 
 I made an excursion. We left at 7 A. M. and got back at 
 a little after 6 in the evening. It was one of the pleasantest 
 days of my life. Mr. X. is amiable, clever, intellectual and 
 spiritual. We made our meditation on the way, pausing 
 now and then, when it was concluded, to rest ourselves and 
 pick wild flowers. Our chief object was to discuss the 
 'Fundamentum' of the Spiritual Exercises, which we did 
 from time to time, as the spirit moved us. The terminus of 
 our walk was a mission church belonging to us, about ten 
 miles away. We took a cold dinner with us and refreshed 
 ourselves at midday in the shady woods by the bank of a 
 stream. When we reached the church we played on the 
 harmonium and sang hymns, etc., to our hearts' content, and 
 then retraced our steps to Woodstock. It was a perfect day." 
 
 The following letters and extracts from letters, written 
 at this time, show how, as a student, Van Rensselaer ever 
 kept before him the high ideals of the novitiate. 
 
 "WOODSTOCK, 
 "Mv DEAR SISTER: "May 22, 1881. 
 
 "P. C. 
 
 "I must congratulate you upon having completed the two 
 years successfully, and wish you perseverance not only until 
 the vows, but until you are called to the reward of those 
 
 197
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 who persevere until the end. Perhaps you may think the 
 two years have not produced as much change in you as you 
 expected and hoped, but we are poor judges in our own case 
 and I am sure that the progress has been real and great, 
 although it may not seem so to you. One may safely admit 
 in almost every case, that more might have been effected 
 had there been a readier, and more generous, and more thor- 
 ough correspondence with grace, and this must urge us on 
 to greater activity, for active we must be if we would ac- 
 complish anything! This activity is shown largely in re- 
 sisting, 'agendo contra,' as St. Ignatius puts it. How com- 
 paratively easy would the building process be if the founda- 
 tions were solidly and surely laid, but with many of us our 
 whole lives are liable to be spent in laying the foundation, 
 beginning now with one corner, now with another, and then 
 changing our whole plan. The consequence is, at last we 
 say we have spent time enough about the foundation and 
 must see to the superstructure and often build on sand and 
 not on the rock of solid virtues. So I confess it is with 
 me in great measure. We would wish to grow to perfection 
 without having practised the rudiments ; we think of finish- 
 ing touches before we have well drawn even the outline. 
 The knowledge of our own weaknesses and follies may be 
 turned into a source of strength if, knowing ourselves to be 
 weak, we rely upon a higher power and throw ourselves 
 upon His mercy and compassion. How can He be so for- 
 bearing with us ? How hard we find it to be so with others ! 
 I think if we could conquer ourselves in this one point, vic- 
 tory would crown our efforts in all others. We are so 
 exacting and rigid in regard to others, and how much we 
 need to be borne with ourselves ! They disgust us with some 
 little gaucherie or want of bienseance, and we offend them, 
 
 198
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 or at least should offend them had they not great charity, by 
 our pride and overbearingness. Weighed in the scales, 
 which would outweigh? There can be no question. 
 
 "Our lives must be apostolic and we must acquire the 
 apostolic virtues and first of all charity, as St. Paul says, 
 'charitas Christi urget nos,' that is, charity should be the 
 motive power of our lives, the cause of our words and ac- 
 tions. For why have we followed Him except for the love 
 of Him? We must strive, then, to make this evident in act, 
 for words without the acts make us laughable. Nor should 
 we be downcast because we have made such failures in our 
 attempts. We have failed, but that is past ; success lies in 
 the future, and strength in the present ; the failures will at 
 least teach us humility, and so we may draw good out of 
 evil ; constant effort will necessarily produce the effect which 
 is in our power, but it must be a constant, persevering, un- 
 daunted effort it shall be, that is our resolution. 
 
 "I sincerely trust that you may have the happiness of 
 taking your vows in July; it gives stability of feeling. Have 
 not the two years gone quickly? I can scarce believe that 
 it is nearly a year since I left England. I often hear frofn 
 Manresa; things are flourishing over there. I am strug- 
 gling now really hard for the examination, and sometimes I 
 am a little anxious about it lest I break down. However, 
 I shall try to be prudent and then trust to Providence. We 
 are reviewing all the philosophic matter of the year and, 
 as you may imagine, it is not a small quantity, and being 
 very abstruse is hard to rememl>er. I shall have to finish 
 this letter at once as time is up. Praying that the Aiurilium 
 Christ iaiwrnnt will obtain for you your heart's desire, as I 
 doubt not she will. I am your devoted brother. 
 
 "HENRY VAN RENSSELAER. S.J." 
 199
 
 "WOODSTOCK, 
 
 "Feast of Blessed Berchmans, 1882. 
 "Mv DEAR SISTER: 
 
 "P. C. 
 
 "I am certain not to have time to finish this letter to-day, 
 but I will at least begin to show you that you are not out of 
 mind on our Patron's feast. How far behind him we are 
 in perfection! The comparison, even, seems absurd, yet 
 why should it? He was of the very same nature as our- 
 selves, and had the same passions to struggle against and 
 flesh to mortify. Wherein, then, lies the difference? It 
 must be in the steadiness of his resolutions. We resolve, but 
 we so often fail in the execution through a want of con- 
 stancy. We get weary in well-doing and yield to our in- 
 clination to indulge ourselves if it be only a harsh judgment 
 or a cross word now and then. We cannot imagine our 
 Blessed John ever giving way to such an indulgence of tem- 
 per. By constant resistance of the inclination it will by de- 
 grees become so far weakened that at length it will die a 
 natural death. We must not despair, though this consum- 
 mation appears one of those things which, though indeed 
 possible, does not seem probable. Why should we not aim 
 at it with all our might, humbling ourselves under failure, 
 but none the less persevering? The perseverance will finally 
 be crowned. Do you not know from your own experience 
 how changed you have become in a very few years, even in 
 a year? Why, then, in another should we not make an- 
 other stride on the thorny road of perfection? It is worth 
 the attempt. 
 
 "You ask for some practical way of showing your devo- 
 tion to the Sacred Heart. Is not the essence of a true devo- 
 tion imitation of the object? If, then, we are really devout 
 
 200
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 to the Sacred Heart, the effect should be iu the words of 
 the ejaculation to make our hearts like His Heart. It is, 
 then, a most practical devotion ; it is the making our hearts 
 like His. Are they much alike at present? I fear we can 
 find only too many points of dissimilarity; His Heart all 
 love and charity and unselfishness; ours hard, cold and 
 selfish. So every thought and word and act which will help 
 increase the likeness will be an act of devotion; if we have 
 the actual intention of its being so, so much the better. At 
 least we must have the virtual intention made in the morn- 
 ing when we offer up all that passes during the day. Rep- 
 aration, of course, enters into the devotion, but it is the 
 reparation which relates to ourselves. It is absurd to make 
 reparation for others until we root out the bitterness in our 
 own hearts. It will help to sweeten our endeavors to re- 
 member that we are practising the most wholesome and 
 acceptable devotion to the Sacred Heart of our loving l^ord. 
 It will nerve us to know that by doing it we are proving our 
 devotion to the Sacred Heart. How much He endured for 
 love of us! Shall not we bravely and lovingly make a 
 worthy return? And docs not this tally well with the prac- 
 tice of making acts of ejaculations? If we have the words 
 expressing our desire to become like Our Lord always on 
 our lips, and mean what we say, must we not by the very 
 fact become like Him? Will not the desire of our hearts 
 at length become realized ? Do not expect too much at first ; 
 l>e content with a few, but let those few be earnest and nuke 
 up in intensity for their fewness. I do not mean to remain 
 content with few, but add on by degrees and take an account 
 of the reason you are unable to increase the number or even 
 to reach the ordinary quota. But take heart and keep up 
 your courage. 
 
 201
 
 LIFE OF FTENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "We have a good Master. What comfort there is in the 
 thought ! When, after repeated failure, we are in a desper- 
 ate state and tempted to give up in despair, then we should 
 recall His tender love, His fatherly care and His untiring 
 patience. They are really crucial moments for us. They 
 test our motives. Are they unmixed with self-love or not? 
 If self is there, then we feel hurt and sore and indisposed 
 to make any further effort. If the intention is pure we 
 may be sad, and justly too, because of our weakness and 
 cowardice, but at the same time the thought of the loving 
 help of God will make us ready and willing to take up our 
 arms for another tussle with the enemy. Tussles they are, 
 usually, and not a well-ordered campaign on the open field, 
 the enemy in full view and his strength known and meas- 
 ured. Our enemy is always lurking around corners, ready 
 to pounce upon us unawares and unprepared. Let us always 
 be ready for him no matter when or how he attacks us. He 
 is ever near us, within us. Our worst enemy is the irritable 
 temper, the proud spirit, the hasty, ill-natured tongue. Our 
 neighbors seem to be the cause of our irritation, but were 
 we mild and meek and amiable, would they be? At all 
 events not in the same degree as they now are with our 
 domestic enemies unsubdued. 
 
 "But you will be tired of my long-winded talk. I cannot 
 honestly send you this without confessing that I myself am 
 the most guilty of all. I had a little trial of patience, being 
 kept in my room for two weeks after I came back from St. 
 Inigoes with an abrasion of the skin, got by falling over a 
 bench in the dark. Now, thank God, it is perfectly healed. 
 
 "I am so glad you liked Father Devitt. I thought you 
 would, when I heard he was to give the retreat. Father 
 Prendergast will be a help to you ; perhaps you might have 
 him to take Father Jerge's place, as the latter goes to Fred- 
 
 202
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 erick for tertianship. You must remember me especially 
 during my retreat ; it begins on the 23tl. Father Welch of 
 Boston, a convert, gives it. I expect it to be very helpful. 
 "I am your devoted brother, 
 
 "HENRY VAN RENSSELAER, S.J." 
 
 "WOODSTOCK, 
 
 "1882. 
 
 "I had a delightful letter from Father Prendergast. writ- 
 ten after he had finished the long retreat of the third year's 
 probation. It was as good to me as a retreat ; it filled me 
 with love for the Spiritual Exercises of our Holy Father. 
 St. Ignatius, or rather it stirred up the spirit of love and 
 devotion I already lx>re them. They are our own special 
 weapons for our greatest means of advancing the glory of 
 (jcxl. I tmst some day to l>e able to wield them powerfully. 
 
 "I am Ixx'omjng quite an enthusiastic philosopher. Just 
 now we are studying interesting matter, the soul: it en- 
 hances one's ideas of the dignity of man. I am studying as 
 hard as my cajxicity allows; more would be worse than use- 
 less. I try not to worry too much over the examinations, 
 and in spite of them am as happy as jx>ssible. All these 
 things are of secondary importance after all. and if we keep 
 before our minds the primary end. our perfection, they will 
 not hinder, but even advance it. Kvery day the ideal l>e fore 
 me seems to grow more tangible and real, and if we only 
 corresjjonded more generously to abundant grace, the day 
 might come when we should l>e worthy imitators of our 
 saintly Fathers. Courage and confidence! Let us throw 
 ourselves into that loving Heart where we shall find such 
 power and zeal and burning charity, and come forth changed 
 into new creatures. As of old. it will be said : Thou also 
 
 203
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 vvert with Jesus of Galilee, for thy speech betrayeth thee.' 
 
 "How much we may do or leave undone for Our Lord! 
 It is the tiniest of insects that forms the great coral reefs 
 and islands; so we, by adding act to act, tiny as they may 
 be, shall raise a tower upon which we shall mount to 
 Heaven. We cannot imagine Our Lord to have been any- 
 thing but affable, gentle and sympathetic even in trifling 
 things. We ought to try to be the same, and we shall please 
 him more and afford greater edification than by any amount 
 of penance and mortification." 
 
 Here are some of his thoughts during the month of 
 November : 
 
 "I have been very much impressed this month, when med- 
 itating on the Holy Souls in Purgatory, with the mercy of 
 God in giving this means of purification to those who have 
 not, in their lives, availed themselves of their opportunities. 
 We know that many die in a state only not bad enough for 
 hell. Their love of God has been tepid, yet His overwhelm- 
 ing mercy finds a means to give them the joys of heaven, 
 little as they would seem to deserve it. What would such a 
 soul tell us if it could come back to earth? How it would 
 exhort us to make use of every means of grace to the ut- 
 most, and to let no chance slip by unimproved to learn to 
 love Him, who is to be hereafter our joy and our crown! 
 We can help the Holy Souls and at the same time grow in 
 the love of God by repeating frequently an indulgenced as- 
 piration : 'Jesus, meek and humble of heart' ; 'Sweet Heart 
 of Mary, be my salvation.' W r e shall thus keep the thought 
 of Jesus and Mary ever before our minds until they become 
 the constant companions of our lives. Our lives should bear 
 the character of reparation, for we are brands snatched from 
 
 204
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 the burning. We might have been unbearable for pride, 
 yet Almighty God saw the desires of our hearts and opened 
 them to the light of Truth : more still, has chosen us to be 
 His own particular companions, and yet more, apostles, to 
 bring others to His feet. Let us keep this before our eyes, 
 that the salvation of many depends upon our sanctification ; 
 that if we become saints, the glory of God will be advanced 
 far beyond any conception that we can form. 
 
 "What peace and contentment it brings to have made the 
 sacrifice of all things! I feel a growing love for poverty 
 and never am happier than when I part with some of the 
 few treasures I still have. To-day, for example, I have 
 sent Francis my missal. I should like him to use it at his 
 first Mass. We used to study it together in old times. 
 
 "What a blessed thing it would be to have such faith as 
 to see God in everybody and in everything! How different, 
 then, would be our lives, superiors and equals all invested 
 with a halo of divinity because we see God in them as in a 
 tabernacle! Then would our dealings with all become easy, 
 for in them we should be obeying and serving Him whose 
 least command is law. whose least service an honor. This 
 was the practice of the saints; this transforms earth into a 
 Heaven where God goes in and out among us, and where 
 we can constantly be advancing His glory. How much 
 good we can find in everything if we only look for it. and 
 instead of dwelling upon people's defects, dwell upon their 
 good points and Income ourselves amiable and lovable in 
 proportion, and secure the Kastcr greeting of Christ : 'Peace 
 lie with you.' ' 
 
 As Christmas approached, his thoughts took on the char- 
 acter of the festival, and a few days l>cforc its advent he 
 wrote: 
 
 205
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "My Christmas greeting must be: 'That He may come 
 and find prepared for Him a mansion worthy of Him.' The 
 words of that prayer before Holy Communion have always 
 had a peculiar fascination for me ; in fact, I have an especial 
 devotion to the season of Advent ; there is something so 
 touching, so pathetic in the words used by the Church in 
 her antiphons and hymns; something of that longing after 
 Him Who is to come, that it makes one homesick for the 
 true home which awaits us when He shall come the second 
 time to take us to Himself to be with Him forever. We 
 might call our whole life an Advent-tide, for it should be 
 one of expectation and preparation. We must live for the 
 future, though in the present, and fulfil every little duty 
 with a faith which pierces the clouds and sees them in the 
 light of eternity." 
 
 The two following letters show that he was mindful of 
 his sister on her patronal feast, that of the Seven Dolors of 
 the Blessed Virgin. 
 
 "March 30, 1882. 
 "Mv DEAR SISTER DOLORES: 
 
 "P. C 
 
 "I might not have time to write you on your feast day, 
 so I will write now, that you may receive my letter perhaps 
 to-morrow. You are blessed in having two fetes a year; 
 most people are satisfied with one. 
 
 "I think we are rather inclined not to appreciate enough 
 what it is to have had such a mother and father as ours. 
 . . . We must work hard for mother now ; what a pity 
 that she should not have the comforts and consolations of 
 the Church. But Our Lord has his own times of grace; 
 perhaps her hour has not yet come ; we must, as of yore, try 
 to get His Mother to use her influence to hasten it 
 
 20G
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 "We had our sermon here, too, preached by death. Our 
 Father Minister, one morning last week did not go to the 
 sacristy at Mass time; they went to call him and found him 
 stretched on the floor quite dead. It was a great shock to 
 us; the first we knew of it was to hear the passing-bell ring 
 towards the end of our hour of meditation. We knew of no 
 one for whom to say the 'De Profundis,' as only one of the 
 scholastics was sick, and he not dangerously. The mourn- 
 ing was general when we were told that it was the Father 
 Minister; he was universally l>eloved and respected as a 
 saint, although he had been among us at Woodstock only 
 seven months. He was certainly well prepared by nearly 
 thirty years of religous life of self-sacrifice. For seventeen 
 years he was prefect of discipline in boarding colleges, and 
 you may imagine what a life that is. Strange to say we 
 found that the points of his meditation had been : 'The hap- 
 piness a good religious would feel at the hour of his death, 
 when he could look back upon a life of mortification and 
 sacrifice.' Was it not a good proximate preparation for 
 death? The cause was paralysis of the heart. He looked 
 so natural and lifelike for two days that many declared that 
 he was in a trance. Fortunately for our peace of mind, the 
 unmistakable signs appeared on the third day, and there was 
 no longer room for doubt. He is an immense loss to us. I 
 was very fond of him and saw a good deal of him. It 
 preaches a striking lesson to us to be ready. It seems often 
 to be the lot of religious to die suddenly ; certainly, with all 
 our religious exercises, we ought to be prepared. 
 
 "It was a relief to hear from you after such a long silence. 
 1 imagined, however, that there was no real reason for your 
 silence except want of time and energy, at least for writing. 
 It does require a certain effort to put oneself down to write. 
 
 207
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "Lent has passed very quickly and, as you may suppose, 
 I have not been allowed to fast. However, one can gain 
 much merit not only by the obedience under which one acts, 
 but also by giving up little things at meals, nothing essen- 
 tial, but little extras, nor that regularly, but varying, first 
 one and then another. In that way we can practise a good 
 deal of mortification on a small scale without injuring our 
 health or violating the intention of our Superiors in bidding 
 us eat. 
 
 "I can scarcely realize that a whole year has passed since 
 last Holy Week. When one is busy, time flies. If only our 
 advance in perfection could keep pace with it; however, we 
 must be content to go along slowly, provided it be surely, 
 not losing any ground that we have gained, but steadily 
 keeping in view the end for which we left the world, our 
 own perfection and the good of others. But the first must 
 always have the chief place in our endeavors, and we may 
 be sure that the second will not suffer in consequence. 
 
 "I find the use of ejaculatory prayers very helpful, such 
 as 'Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like 
 unto Thine,' and 'S*weet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.' 
 They are both indulgenced for three hundred days, so by 
 repeating them we can help the Holy Souls, and at the same 
 time form habits in our soul, acquire humility and gentle- 
 ness, and thus avoid pride and harshness, besides keeping 
 the thought of Jesus and Mary ever before our minds, until 
 they become the constant companions of our lives, and as- 
 sociated with all our thoughts and works and words. Be- 
 gin by making a determination to say a certain number, not 
 too many at first, before the midday, and again before the 
 night examen ; then week after week try to advance the 
 number, and you will be surnrised to find that your life 
 
 208
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 seems to be made up of ejaculations. This is by no means 
 beyond our reach, if we are faithful and zealous. Is not 
 this the life of recollection we want, and that which active 
 saints led? Nor will your work suffer in any way: on the 
 contrary, it will help to concentrate and spiritualize even-- 
 thing you do, for is it not because we do not keep in mind 
 the motive of our actions that they are done in a purely me- 
 chanical way? As to one's success in meditation, remember, 
 the criterion of a good meditation is not sensible consolation 
 and satisfaction, but the making of a resolution which will 
 tell upon our conduct during the day. We should accom- 
 plish much if we only could grasp the idea of prayer, what 
 it really is. the communion of two, the outpouring of our 
 desires and longings, the confession of our shortcomings 
 and forebodings into the ears of One whose delight is to be 
 with the children of men. frail and foolish as they are. Ixrt 
 us beseech Our I^ord more earnestly to teach us to pray 
 simply, heartily, and with unlxnmded confidence. 
 
 "As to devotion to our I^ady, do not worry yourself on 
 that score; it is a thing which must be spontaneous and 
 cannot be forced. I am sure that you are a devout client, 
 and although you may consider things said and done are 
 sometimes not in good taste, yet in no way do you derogate 
 from her honor. Tf we think of her always as the one whom 
 Our T.ord loved the most dearly of creatures, we shall by 
 degrees, as we become more Christ like, find that we shall 
 according to our measure love her as He did. I find my 
 devotion and confidence ever on the increase, and if you 
 take up the method of ejaculations which T spoke of. you 
 will find that the 'Sweet Heart of Mary' will prove a reality 
 to you. "Your devoted brother. 
 
 "HENRY VAN RENSSELAER. SJ." 
 209
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "WOODSTOCK, 
 
 "FEAST OF SEVEN DOLORS, 
 
 "1883. 
 "Mv DEAR SISTER DOLORES: 
 
 "P. C. 
 
 "I do not know which of the two feasts of the Dolors of 
 Our Lady is your favorite. This one, it seems to me, should 
 be. In consequence of its being so near the Passiontide of 
 her Divine Son, we can realize better what her sufferings 
 were in the chief of her dolors, as she stood at the foot of 
 the cross. That, too, must be our station, if we would be 
 true followers of the Crucified. Not like the faithless, or 
 rather weak in faith, Apostle, standing afar off, viewing 
 the cross and the suffering, but without faith and confidence 
 enough to draw near and claim a share; but like our Blessed 
 Lady and her generous companions, not ashamed to face 
 the shame nor too weak to bear the pain. That little band 
 is a cause of reproach to manhood and of glory to woman- 
 hood, for there were four to one the- weaker sex showing 
 itself stronger than the strong. Is it not hard with our 
 proud natures to try to practise what we admit readily 
 enough in theory? Crucified to the world we should be, 
 dead to self-love and self-pleasing. This is only our plain 
 duty, as it seems so clearly to us in meditation and prayer ; 
 we take our resolution to act upon it, we rise from our knees 
 feeling quite heroic, go to the chapel perhaps for Mass ; one 
 of our neighbors has some habit very disagreeable to us, 
 away goes our heroism, irritation sets in and has full sway; 
 we forget what is going on, we are inattentive to the action 
 of the sacrifice, we are unstrung and nervous. We excuse 
 ourselves, saying: 'How can one help being put out under 
 the circumstances? It is all because of my nerves. I was 
 
 no
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 not myself. It is a defect of my nature for which I cannot 
 be held accountable my misfortune not my fault.' So in- 
 genious self-love rattles on, providing out of its treasures 
 reason after reason, some of them specious enough to de- 
 ceive the very elect if not on their guard. And where is the 
 root of the evil? It lies within us; the external incident, 
 whatever be its nature, did but serve as a match to set fire 
 to a lot of combustible material that we imprudently keep 
 within us. What shall quench this fire? What will render 
 this dangerous fuel beyond danger of a spark? Only a con- 
 tinual supply of 'that water that springeth up unto ever- 
 lasting life.' That water flows from the riven side of Our 
 Lord, and near the sacred fount must we be continually ; 
 nor is there anything to hinder it. No great exertion is 
 required on our part, only a living in the presence of God, 
 only a constant union with Him; corporally, when it is 
 allowed us in Holy Communion ; spiritually, when not our 
 privilege. If we had that thirst after justice we should have, 
 we would of our own accord turn to the Fountain of Jus- 
 tice. 'As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks, so longeth 
 my soul after Thee, O God.' Such would be our desire, such 
 indeed it is, I am sure, my dearest sister, but we must not 
 rest in desires, but use the means of putting them into 
 action. 
 
 "Struggle on with your aspirations, they may not come 
 spontaneously now, come they will in time. Do not be dis- 
 couraged and do not be satisfied with what you do. We 
 must ever cry, 'More, O Lord, more grace' : and with the 
 grace let there be hereafter a greater faithfulness. St. 
 Peter of Alcantara says: 'Let us aim at the highest, and by 
 the grace of God, we shall be able to accomplish something 
 for His greater glory, who has l>een so bountiful in His 
 
 21 J
 
 best and perfect gifts to us.' Those gifts have been given 
 with a purpose ; we shall frustrate it, unless we make 'our- 
 selves fit instruments in the hands of the Heavenly Work- 
 man. Unfit we shall be, unless we extract all those roots 
 of bitterness that lie deep down in our hearts, poisoning all 
 the sweet water of our lives. That overweening love of 
 self which makes itself a very tyrant, the end and measure 
 of all that we do or is done to us. Drag it up by the roots 
 we must, for it is useless to lop off the upper growth. It 
 has sent out feelers and offshoots in all directions and twined 
 itself by them closely around our hearts, and strengthened 
 itself in all those years we have allowed it to live and flour- 
 ish. It can be rooted up it must be, and when ? Why let 
 it live a day longer? Let us begin at once, and a long pull 
 and a strong pull and a pull that will be repeated day after 
 day until it yields. We can do it and we will. I feel what 
 I say, otherwise I would never have the assurance to write 
 it. I am trying to practise what I preach or I could never 
 have the face to preach it. I know only too well by experi- 
 ence all that special pleading of which I have spoken. Na- 
 ture is responsible in a measure for our character, but we, 
 too, are responsible for the way in which we have yielded 
 to our weaknesses instead of fighting against them ; we have 
 enervated ourselves and then we blame our nerves as if 
 they were the sole cause of our troubles. No, it is our soft 
 self-indulgence. If we have violent tempers and strong pas- 
 sions it is because persons with such temperaments can "by 
 their very disposition do greater things and endure more 
 than those who are more softly and gently disposed. We 
 may use these passions as instruments of advancement, but 
 not until we have them fully under our control. We shall get 
 them under the curb only by constant watchfulness and 
 
 213
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 self-restraint, stopping an ebullition ere it has gone too far. 
 Doing this, we shall eventually get the mastery. Let us 
 make up our minds not to excuse ourselves, but courage-, 
 ously admit our past faithlessness and resolve to make up In- 
 generous wake fulness, ever on the alert to foresee a coming 
 storm and to be ready for it. This is a rather incoherent 
 sort of a letter, but you will take it for what it is worth. 
 . . . Thank the kind Sisters for the Agnus Dei, and 
 recommend me warmly to them. 
 
 "Ever your devoted brother, 
 
 "HENRY VAN RENSSELAER, S.J." 
 
 What his thoughts were during Holy Week may be seen 
 in a letter he wrote to his sister a week later. 
 
 "WOODSTOCK, 
 
 "MAUNDY-THURSDAY, 
 
 "March 22, 1883. 
 
 "For my greetings to reach you on Easter Day, I must 
 write now. To-day we commemorate that greatest of bless- 
 ings bestowed by Our Lord, the institution of the Blessed 
 Sacrament of His Holy Body and Blood, to be the soul's 
 food in this journey through the wilderness, when nothing 
 but the Heavenly Manna can be found to sustain and 
 strengthen it. It is a day of days indeed, telling of the 
 height of treason and of fidelity, of the depths of human 
 depravity and of Divine mercy and forgiveness; how Judas 
 l>etrayed and sold, how Qirist forgave and would have 
 saved. Did human nature ever look meaner than in the 
 person of the traitor or nobler than in the Betrayed? The 
 whole history of the Passion is full of antitheses, the Apos- 
 
 213
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 '. 
 
 ties dreaming of an earthly kingdom and its pomp and 
 show, undesirous of shame and ignominy, as yet far from 
 being spiritual-minded; their Master, the King of Kings, 
 whose kingdom was not of this world, who thirsted for 
 affronts and obloquy, and whose mind was set on things 
 above, not on the things of the earth. Can anything be 
 more pathetic than the contrast between the Master and the 
 Disciples ? He looked for some one to comfort Him, to 
 sympathize with Him. He looked in vain; they could 
 neither appreciate nor enter into His sentiments. Yet they 
 had been under His training and influence for three years. 
 What reason had He ever given them for such expectations 
 as they counted upon ? None ; He had fled at the time when 
 the people, full of enthusiasm on account of the miracle of 
 the feeding of the multitude, would have taken Him and 
 made Him king. He had a throne which He would one 
 day ascend amidst the shouts of the by-standers ; that throne 
 was the cross, the acclamations, jeers of derision and scorn. 
 It is easy for us to wonder at the stupidity and blindness 
 of the Jews, for the defects of others are always apparent 
 enough ; our own escape our attention, so much are we en- 
 grossed with others. I often ask myself on which side I 
 should have been had I been present on Calvary. It is hard 
 to be on the losing side, and did ever a side look more hope- 
 less than that of the Crucified ? Hear the testimony of the 
 very Disciples : 'We hoped/ they said, 'that it was He that 
 should have redeemed Israel.' They hoped until the death 
 on the cross put an end to hope. What strength of faith 
 was requisite to see in that Man of Sorrows the Messiah, 
 the Son of David of the royal race! What faith, to rise 
 superior to the opinion of the rulers of society! It de- 
 manded a higher faith than the chosen band had, at least 
 
 214
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 practically. They lacked, indeed, not the virtue of faith, 
 but the will to exert the act. 
 
 "Can we not well understand the case? Does not our 
 everyday life give some faint image of like conduct? 
 Scarcely a day passes but human respect nips some virtuous 
 action in the bud ; I speak feelingly, for it is my own history. 
 We call this truckling by euphonious names when we try to 
 apologize for it to ourselves. It sometimes wears the garb 
 of humility. We, in our lowliness, do not wish to attract 
 attention, we wish to be like the rest. At other times we 
 like to think the chance inopportune. No doubt St. Peter 
 thought the question of the maid-servant so. That wasted 
 opportunity brought on another and another, and the three 
 combined gave him cause for life-long penance and sorrow. 
 But, dearest sister, you need rather encouragement than 
 anything else, for I remember well, even in Protestant days, 
 how you braved the ridicule of the family and eyed your 
 plate for dear life. It was modesty, as you understood it 
 then, severe, repelling, but well meaning. What you could 
 do in those days in such matters with less spiritual help, you 
 can now do with more ease and edification. Perhaps you 
 tell me that prayer seemed easier then than now ; it may be 
 so, but that proves nothing at all. God's criterion is not the 
 ease with which we work, but rather the difficulties we sur- 
 mount, such as a half hour spent in kittling against tempta- 
 tions to impatience on account of the heat or ventilation, or 
 the seeming barrenness or want of interest of the points 
 given, or the manner in which they are given all small 
 things, surely, in themselves, but gigantic when they play 
 uj)on the imagination. We begin to wonder at the stupidity 
 and indiscrimination of those in power. We could give 
 them a valuable hint or two, self-love whispers, forgetting 
 
 215
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 that we have come into religion, not to have our own way 
 but to submit to crosses and contradictions for the love of 
 God. Sursum Cor da I 
 
 "Let this Easter-tide be a resurrection for us. We have 
 been bound down by earthly things long enough. We have 
 been looking too much through colored glasses, the color- 
 ing matter self-love. We will break them and see things in 
 the pure white light of truth. We must make some gen- 
 erous resolutions, and what is more, we should begin with- 
 out delay to put them into execution, expecting indeed not 
 great victories at first, but cheerfully bearing up under occa- 
 sional defeats. 
 
 "I am almost tempted to put all this into the fire, it sounds 
 so trite and commonplace. Our Provincial, Father Fulton, 
 is making his visitation. I had a very satisfactory talk with 
 him, although I have but little chance of going on to the- 
 ology without some teaching, there is such a demand for 
 professors in the colleges, and so many scholastics who have 
 finished their five years' term. Justice demands that they 
 should have first chance for theology. It will be a new 
 experience for me, and were it not for delaying ordination 
 I have really a wish for it. However, whatever the decision, 
 I am perfectly content. I shall expect the worst. . . . 
 "Your devoted brother, 
 
 "HENRY VAN RENSSELAER." 
 
 The Woodstock community of which Van Rensselaer 
 was a member until the summer of 1883, was not only very 
 large, but cosmopolitan as well; in it were Belgians and 
 Germans, Italians and Frenchmen, Spaniards and Cana- 
 dians, with sons of the Emerald Isle and Englishmen, 
 though of course the German and Irish-American element 
 
 216
 
 WOODSTOCK COLLEGE 
 
 predominated. With all these Van Rensselaer was a gen- 
 eral favorite. He was a model of strict observance, never 
 obtruding himself or his personal history or his opinions 
 on others, and, strange to say, a close friend of men of the 
 most antagonistic qualities. Affable towards all, he showed, 
 perhaps, a preference for associating with men of other 
 provinces or nationalities, and exercised without effort and 
 without pretense a remarkable influence among his com- 
 panions, many of whom were younger than himself, and on 
 that account lacking in experience. 
 
 For philosophical studies and the abstruse generally, he 
 had no special aptitude, though his common-sense way of 
 viewing knotty problems caused him to be sought after by 
 those less favored with natural gifts. He was always ready 
 to lend a helping hand. He was a rapid penman and could 
 take down, almost verbatim, the lectures of the professors. 
 In consequence his notes were in great demand by his class- 
 mates, but no matter how often he was appealed to or how 
 ill-timed the appeal, he was ever ready and obliging. 
 
 217
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 THE CLASS-ROOM. 
 
 THE three years devoted to the study of philosophy were 
 now drawing to a close, and in the summer of 1883 
 Van Rensselaer was to take the next step in the training of 
 a young Jesuit, and assume the responsibilities of a teacher 
 in the class-room. His first assignment was to St. John's 
 College, Fordham, where he remained from September, 
 1883, until the following June. His interest in young men 
 began to manifest itself at once. To him was assigned the 
 charge of the Students' Sodality of the Blessed Virgin, a 
 task than which no other more to his liking could have been 
 selected. 
 
 It has frequently been observed that men who have in- 
 fluence over students of maturer years are often unable to 
 manage the callow youths just entering upon their teens. 
 The boy was a riddle which Van Rensselaer, not only when 
 he was in charge as a professor, but all through the years 
 of his ministry, could never solve. Not that he was not a 
 favorite with the lads with whom he had to deal, but he 
 was too kind-hearted and too good-natured to exercise the 
 necessary control. 
 
 It was quite otherwise with the more advanced students 
 who formed the College Sodality. The place of meeting 
 was the Community Chapel, which he made attractive by 
 the addition of bright frescoes, a handsome new altar, and 
 elaborate chapel furniture. He would aid their devotion, 
 but he would also provide for their comfort. In the sanc- 
 
 218
 
 THE CLASS-ROOM 
 
 tuary was placed a quaint little bell of exquisite workman- 
 ship. He had found it somewhere in Germany and it bore 
 the following inscription : 
 
 "Die Kaiserglocke heiss' ich : 
 Des Kaisers Ehren preis' ich ; 
 Auf heilger Warte steh' ich, 
 Dem deutschen Reich erfleh' ich 
 Dass Fried' und Wehr 
 Ihm Gott bescheer." 
 
 Which may be rendered: 
 
 "The Kaiser's bell am 1 ; 
 And Kaiser praise on high ; 
 From belfry 'gainst the sky. 
 For German land I cry : 
 O God, her peace defend. 
 O God, her might extend." 
 
 Once a week during the school year there was a meeting, 
 and every fortnight an instruction, in the preparation of 
 which Van Rensselaer put forth his best efforts and gave 
 early proof of his deep interest in young men. It is not too 
 much to say that the zealous activity of these college days 
 was but the apprenticeship for his more extended, though 
 not more valuable, work in the ministry. Among his papers 
 is a blank-lxx>k of over a hundred pages containing a series 
 of "Sermonettes" delivered at these regular meetings of 
 the Sodality. They are neatly written and give evidence 
 of exceptional care in their preparation. The character 
 of these instructions may be learned from a glance at the 
 index : 
 
 219
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 1st. On the dignity of a Socialist 
 
 2nd. Aim of the Sodality. 
 
 3rd. Self Sanctification. 
 
 4th. Self Examination. 
 
 5th. Advantages of Frequent Communion. 
 
 fith. On Purity. (Feast of the Purity B. V. M.) 
 
 7th. On the Presence of God. 
 
 8th. Idea of a Saint. (All Saints.) 
 
 9th. Souls in Purgatory. 
 
 10th. Vocation, 
 
 llth. On Duty of Thanksgiving. (Thanksgiving Day 
 
 Tide.) 
 
 12th. Preparation for the Coming of Christ. (First 
 
 Sunday in Advent.) 
 
 13th. Spirit of Joy. 
 
 14th. The Constituents of a Happy New Year. (Jan. 6.) 
 
 15th. Duty and Inclination. 
 
 16th. The Use of a Sodality Badge. 
 
 17th. Purification of B. V. M. 
 
 18th. Character. 
 
 19th. Formation" of Character. 
 
 20th. Jesus Christ, Our Ideal. 
 
 21st. Devotion. 
 
 22nd. Christian Enthusiasm. F. Ozanam. 
 
 23rd. Humility. 
 
 His second and last year as a teacher was spent at Loyola 
 College, Baltimore. No doubt it was a sacrifice to be taken 
 away from Fordham and from the young men in whom, 
 with the fervor of his new work upon him, he had taken 
 so lively an interest. There may have been some feeling of 
 disappointment at that, or of discouragement that he should 
 
 220
 
 THE CLASS-ROOM 
 
 be sent from New York, where his family and friends were 
 within easy reach, and that he should be called upon to re- 
 sume the uncongenial work of teaching. If there was any 
 such feeling he gave no indication of it whatever, but strug- 
 gled heroically through the ordeal. 
 
 Van Rensselaer had the true idea of the duty of the 
 Jesuit professor towards the boys or young men under his 
 charge. The interest in them begun in the class-room is not 
 to end there, but to follow the young man after he leaves 
 college, and to become one of his most valuable assets dur- 
 ing his whole life. In Baltimore, as at Fordham, he won 
 the hearts of his pupils and became their life-long friend. 
 
 It was in Baltimore that his literary activities may be said 
 to have begun. As shown by his autobiographical sketch, 
 he had not only a facile pen, but a keen literary instinct. 
 His style is distinctive and even characteristic. His memoirs 
 exhibit a vigorous, graphic way of putting things, a hatred 
 for hypocrisy and cant, a bitterness, at times, toward those 
 who differed with him, and an expression of his feelings 
 which might be termed playfully sarcastic. His first ven- 
 ture in print was the composition of an historical drama, in 
 collaboration with a confrere of the professorial staff. The 
 full title ran, "King Alfred, an Historical Drama in Five 
 Acts." It was printed for the occasion, and appeared again 
 in a second edition in 1893. The choice of King Alfred was 
 a happy one, as it proved an excellent subject for the college 
 stage, enabling the young actors to venture upon something 
 more serious and profitable than the farce or "adapted" 
 comedy, which generally forms part of the public entertain- 
 ments in schools. It was produced in the fall of 1884, and 
 met with great success, notwithstanding the fact that in the 
 battle scene, duly represented on the college stage, all the
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 participants managed to be slain in the sanguinary en- 
 counter. The book received from the London Month a very 
 flattering notice, which we reproduce here: 
 
 "The historical drama of King Alfred, which has just 
 been produced by two American writers, is an excellent ver- 
 sion of the well-known story. It takes some liberties with 
 the actual sequence of events, but here the authors have the 
 precedent of other historical plays to justify them. They 
 have introduced the legendary incidents of the King's hid- 
 ing in the swineherd's hut, the burning of the cakes, the 
 visit in disguise to the Danish camp, and the rest. The play 
 is full of incident, the comic element has not been forgotten, 
 and there are songs for which music has been provided, to 
 give scope for the vocal powers of the performer. With the 
 exception of some humorous passages, the play is in blank 
 verse, and it contains not a few really beautiful lines." 
 
 As the Christmas season drew nigh, his pen was ready 
 with another drama which, as befitting the occasion, was 
 more religious and devotional. It was the legend of good 
 King Wenceslaus, and was acted by the students on Christ- 
 mas Eve, as an academic exercise before their departure for 
 the holidays. The theme was the charity of the King to the 
 poor ; the time, the eve of Christmas, and the moral obvious 
 even to the untutored. 
 
 As Van Rensselaer was still a scholastic, and free from 
 the work of the ministry, he employed his leisure in these 
 and similar literary pursuits, helping, at least indirectly, the 
 whole student body, and fostering a college spirit among 
 them. 
 
 He wrote still another drama. "Felician," portraying the 
 life of the earlv Christians, which reads like a dramatized
 
 THE CLASS-ROOM 
 
 chapter or two of Wiseman's "Fabiola." Then came a lec- 
 ture in February, still in MS., on Early Phases of Christian 
 Art, which formed one of a series delivered by members of 
 the College Faculty. Another interesting fragment from a 
 never finished drama of "Clerical Life," furnishes an addi- 
 tional proof that his pen was not idle. 
 
 About this time his interest in missionary work was re- 
 newed, and he wrote several valuable papers on the Indian 
 question, including a "Sketch of the Catholic Church in 
 Montana," "The Apostle of Alaska, Archbishop Seghers," 
 both of which appeared in the American Catholic Quarterly 
 Review, and a "Plea for the Indians," in the Catholic World 
 for March, 1886. To appreciate the motive of his writing 
 on these subjects it may be well to state that, while teaching 
 at Loyola, he had made up his mind to offer himself for the 
 Indian Missions. The reasons which induced him to take 
 this step were manifold. He was aware that he was not a 
 success in the class-room, and in the missionary field there 
 was plenty of other work in which he might prove more 
 successful. A thought which particularly appealed to him 
 was, that the Indians had a claim upon the descendants of 
 those who held their lands, and at that time his family was 
 still in possession of such lands. Then, too, Americans, he 
 fancied, could, in the far West, labor more effectively than 
 foreigners; they might understand better the character of 
 the settlers with whom the Indians come in contact, and 
 they could better represent to the Government officials, both 
 high and low, the grievances of the al>origines and defend 
 them by voice and pen against the encroachments or the in- 
 justices of the whites; and why, he added, should Ameri- 
 cans sit still and deplore the great lack of missionaries, and 
 yet not volunteer to make good the deficiency? In the
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Maryland-New York province there seemed to be no dearth 
 of laborers, but it was not an easy matter to find recruits for 
 the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 The spiritual aspect of this self-immolation commended 
 itself above aught else, for he was convinced that this 
 greater sacrifice on his part would be fruitful even for those 
 of his family who were still Protestants, and, after all, was 
 he not but following up the first inclination he had as a 
 Catholic, to be a missionary in Africa? These reasons, and 
 the dislike he had for a life of comparative ease, urged him 
 to make the sacrifice. Accordingly, he laid the matter be- 
 fore his superiors and with their approval wrote to the Gen- 
 eral at Rome asking to be transferred to the Mission of the 
 Rocky Mountains. It speaks well for his missionary zeal, 
 for his spirit of -detachment from places and persons, that 
 he was not only willing to offer, but actually offered himself 
 for this arduous missionary work, and had no feeling but 
 one of joy at the prospect. 
 
 It is interesting to know that his petition was granted, 
 and the transfer was made. His name was dropped from 
 the Province roll and duly entered among the members of 
 the Rocky Mountain Mission. On the Feast of the Immac- 
 ulate Conception, 1884, at the foot of Our Lady's Altar, he 
 made the following vow : 
 
 LOYOLA COLLEGE, BALTIMORE, MD. 
 Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 1884. 
 
 I. Henry Van Rensselaer, Scholastic of the So- 
 ciety of Jesus, do, on this day, the Patronal Feast 
 of the Church in the United States, solemnly offer 
 and devote myself forever to the Apostolate of the 
 224
 
 THE CLASS-ROOM 
 
 Indian Mission in the Rocky Mountains, so help me 
 God, Our Lady, Our Holy Father Ignatius and St. 
 Francis Xavier, Apostle of the Indies. 
 Amen. 
 
 HENRY VAN RENSSELAER, SJ. 
 L. D. S. 
 
 It is easy for us to look back and admire God's way of 
 dealing with this noble soul. Had this change been effected 
 the Far West would have gained another missionary, but 
 New York would have lost an apostle. The "divinity that 
 shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will," was pre- 
 paring his soul for the work of converting the sinner by 
 re-casting his character in the heroic mould of self-sacrifice. 
 He might never reach the object of his desires, but the am- 
 bition to be worthy of it and to fit himself for it, was the 
 secret alembic that transformed him into an apostle. The 
 great St. Francis Xavier yearned for the conversion of 
 China, and died before he touched the shores. Yet he is 
 the Apostle of China, in intent and purpose, and to his 
 brilliant coronal of triumphs he has added new lustre 
 through his longing to add to the Kingdom of Christ the 
 vast multitudes of the Celestial Empire. 
 
 Henry Van Rensselaer's hopes of laboring among the 
 Indians, for whose salvation he had solemnly pledged his 
 life, were never realized, but who will be bold enough to 
 say that the glory of his apostolic life among the sick and 
 the poor is not enhanced before God by the act of generosity 
 which prompted him to offer the best that was in him for 
 the salvation of the ill-treated and neglected red-man? 
 
 We have at our disposal only one letter coming from 
 Baltimore. It was written to Sister Dolores and is a beau- 
 
 225
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 tiful expression of the thoughts which refreshed his spirit. 
 In it we get a glimpse of a very tender devotion to the 
 Blessed Virgin. 
 
 "LOYOLA COLLEGE, 
 
 "Baltimore, 1885. 
 
 "A happy coincidence of Our Lady's feast with one of 
 the most glorious of the year, and appropriate, too, for how 
 was she the Help of Christians except by being the Spouse 
 of the Holy Ghost? The devotion to the Holy Ghost has 
 always been one of my favorites ; it does not necessarily re- 
 quire practices that would occupy much time, an occasional 
 'Gloria' during the day in thanksgiving for all his benefits. 
 We do not thank God enough ; the Psalmist says : 'His 
 praise shall be ever in my mouth.' Nothing so gracious as 
 thanksgiving. The Holy Ghost is the author and inspirer 
 of grace. On His motion do we depend for every merito- 
 rious thought, word and action. To Him we owe all the 
 Sacraments and all His seven-fold gifts. Are not these 
 motives for special devotion? We shall never know until 
 we see her face to face what Our Lady has been to us. Just 
 is one never realizes how much one's own mother is to one 
 until separation proves how quietly, unobtrusively, lovingly, 
 she has been rendering us continual services. In Mary's 
 case we shall never find out by separation, but in the light 
 of the Beatific Vision all will be made plain to us. ^ I attrib- 
 ute my vocation to her, remembering what an impression 
 the title, 'Queen of the Society of Jesus' made upon me 
 when I first heard it at West Park. 
 
 "It drew me to. desire to be her special subject in this, her 
 kingdom. I came across a saying in a book relating to the 
 Christian life: 'Si on est moins qu'un heros, on devient 
 
 226
 
 THE CLASS-ROOM 
 
 moins qu'un homme'; it seemed to me that we might put 
 it in this way: 'Si on est moins qu'un saint, on devient 
 moins qu'un religieux.' To avoid this we must set to work 
 in earnest to become saints. Let us run a race I challenge 
 you. This year of college life has been given me by Our 
 Lord for a time of reparation."
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 ORDAINED A PRIEST. 
 
 TN the fall of 1885, Van Rensselaer began his theological 
 ^ studies at Woodstock preparatory to ordination. The 
 fact that he had now the Rocky Mountains Missions to look 
 forward to filled him with enthusiasm, and his pen was ac- 
 tive in behalf of the Indians. Soon after his arrival he 
 wrote to his sister: 
 
 "WOODSTOCK COLLEGE, 
 
 "September 19, 1885. 
 
 "I am glad to be once more settled and at work. I have 
 got the one thing I needed to add to my means of perfecting 
 myself, and that is the missionary vocation. I am now as 
 light-hearted and merry as a boy. There are several as- 
 pirants to the mission here, and Alaska is to some the land 
 of promise, desired because of its privations the spirit of 
 St. Ignatius still breathing in his children. Do you see the 
 'fervorinos' on the Indians and Alaska in the Catholic Re- 
 view? Perhaps you recognize the hand?*' 
 
 The following letters, addressed likewise to Sister 
 Dolores, display not only an intense desire to advance stead- 
 ily in the pathway of sanctification, but an anxiety to have 
 her also profit by the experiences in the spiritual life which 
 he was daily undergoing. Apart from the help they furnish 
 towards a better understanding of the process by which his 
 character was moulded, they may be found useful for those
 
 ORDAINED A PRIEST 
 
 in the cloister or outside of it who would be guided by 
 supernatural principles in the ordinary affairs of life. 
 
 "WOODSTOCK, 
 
 "Feast of Immac. Cone., 1885. 
 "Mv DEAR SISTER DOLORES: 
 
 "P. C 
 
 "It seems to me a very long time since I wrote to you 
 last. Why I have been so remiss, I cannot say. The best 
 thing is to repair the omission. We have finished a triduum 
 l>efore the semi-annual renovation of our vows. It was a 
 treat, for we had Father Maguire to give it. There is some- 
 thing magnetic about him. All that he says is very simple, 
 but very impressive, owing to the way in which he says it. 
 The real force is, I think, his personal holiness. That makes 
 the apostle; that wins souls and stirs up the lukewarm into 
 a glow. That is something by which you too can l>e an 
 ajjostle, for it is common to all those devoted to God. What 
 other reason had we for becoming religious than to become 
 holy? It was that which (iod willed for us when in His 
 mysterious wisdom He chose and called us, to draw us 
 nearer to Himself, to be among His own immediate famil- 
 iar friends, close to His own Person, to shower upon us 
 constant proofs of His love and friendship. 'This is the 
 will of Clod, even our sanctification.' Is it our will too? Is 
 it an efficacious will which directs the use of means to gain 
 that end? Oh, how comparatively easy it is to acquire holi- 
 ness! We have only to use the means within our reach. 
 No heights of meditation and contemplation are required, 
 no macerations of the Ixuly absolutely needful, no extraor- 
 dinary works to be wrought. We have only to live in union 
 with Jesus Christ and His Blessed \fother, only to fulfil 
 
 229
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 each little insignificant duty as it presents itself for His 
 sake; in a word, only to correspond with the grace and in- 
 spiration He gives us, only to obey Him in our superiors. 
 Not a hard task, it may seem, but still it is; the very easi- 
 ness of it makes it hard, strange as that sounds. We could 
 force ourselves to do great and out-of-the-way things more 
 easily perhaps than small, commonplace things. We find 
 an hour's or a half-hour's meditation a hard and irksome 
 work perhaps, yet we may delude ourselves by imagining 
 ourselves capable of a life of contemplation. We offer our- 
 selves as victims for ignominy and insult, yet we turn pale 
 and are indignant if anyone seems to treat us with less than 
 ordinary respect. We would perform wonderful feats of 
 fasting ; we cannot even put up with the food set before us 
 without grumbling at least in our hearts. Yet God asks 
 really so'little of us. 'Age quod agis!' Whatever you do, 
 do it with all your heart. That makes the saint. That made 
 the sanctity of good Father Sadlier,* for I believe that he 
 was a saint, ever forgetful of himself, ever mindful of 
 others, self-sacrificing to a fault. Devout, but without os- 
 tentation, a piety that charmed and won affection. I had 
 the happiness of spending three weeks at the Boston Villa 
 with him, and there I discovered his virtues and rejoice to 
 have known him, for he was a true son of Ignatius, ripe for 
 Heaven, and so we lost him. 
 
 " . . . One thought seemed to run through the whole 
 of our retreat this year which may be useful to you. Con- 
 formity to the will of God is the touchstone which turns all 
 
 * Francis Xavier Sadlier, S.J., mentioned in this letter, was the son 
 of Mrs. James Sadlier, the well-known writer. He died at Holy Cross 
 College, Worcester, Mass., on the fourteenth of November, 1885, with 
 a great repute for holiness. 
 
 230
 
 ORDAINED A PRIEST 
 
 to gold. Nature rebels at something said or ordered, some- 
 thing unpleasant. It is the will of God. Why should I 
 rebel against it? It is unpleasant only because I put myself 
 in opposition to it. How much the imagination has to do 
 with our judgments ! It should not be so ; but still it is so. 
 God wants it of me. Is not this sufficient motive to make 
 sweet anything bitter? But, one will say, I don't like it. 
 Don't like what God wishes? Let him make an act of faith, 
 and, by the help of God, he will like it. The battle is over, 
 the struggle is at an end. It seemed to me that this one 
 thought would, if made a constant companion to be con- 
 sulted on all occasions, make us saints in a very short time. 
 It has done so in times past, why not then in ours? 
 
 "Try this receipt and tell me if you do not find it palata- 
 ble. I'm so glad to have the chance of assisting at a Bene- 
 diction in your beautiful chapel. In two years, D. V., I 
 hope to give it myself. Oh, how holy one should be to lie 
 entrusted with such an office! 
 
 "Pray then for me, and commend me to your good sis- 
 ters in religion. . . . 
 
 "Ever your affectionate brother, 
 
 "HENRY VAN RENSSELAER, S.J." 
 
 "Mv DEAR SISTER DOLORES: "January 31, 1886. 
 
 "P. C. 
 
 "I don't think that I have written to you this year, so I 
 had better l>egin before the first month has passed. I was 
 quite shocked at - 's death, coming as it did so suddenly. 
 I hope it found him well prepared. It must be a great trial 
 to his wife. 
 
 "I sent her a most consoling account of the death of the 
 celebrated Father Hermann's mother. You remember he 
 
 231
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 was the wonderful musician, pupil of Liszt, a friend of 
 Georges Sand, Mario, and others a Jew, miraculously con- 
 verted by the Blessed Sacrament. He afterwards became 
 a Carmelite, was distinguished for his sanctity, and died a 
 martyr of charity attending the soldiers in the Franco-Prus- 
 sian war. Well, the aim of his life was the conversion of 
 his family, and especially of his mother. In spite of all his 
 efforts she died a Jewess apparently, to his intense grief. 
 He spoke of it to the Cure d'Ars, who told him that six 
 years later, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, he 
 would have good news. The six years passed, and on the 
 day named Father Hermann received a letter through a 
 Jesuit Father from a lady, who, after edifying the world 
 by her piety and by the devotional books she wrote, died in 
 the odor of sanctity. To make a long story short she re- 
 ceived a revelation in which the whole scene of Father 
 Hermann's mother's death was shown to her. After the 
 last breath, or at least when it seemed that she had lost con- 
 sciousness and had ceased to breathe, Our Blessed Lady 
 threw herself before the throne of her Son and begged as 
 a special favor to her, the soul of the mother of her servant 
 Hermann, who had so faithfully served her and had com- 
 mitted to her keeping the soul of his mother a thousand 
 times. She implored Our Lord not to allow this precious 
 soul to be lost, and the petition was granted, for straight- 
 way a mighty grace was given to the dying Jewess ; in a 
 flash she saw the whole truth and cried out interiorly: 'O 
 Jesus! God of the Christians, the God whom my son adores, 
 I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, have pity on me,' and 
 she was saved. The lady was bidden by Our Lord to com- 
 municate this to Father Hermann for his consolation, and 
 as a proof of the power of Our Blessed Lady over the 
 
 232
 
 ORDAINED A PRIEST 
 
 Sacred Heart of her Divine Son. Did you ever hear any- 
 thing more consoling and strengthening than this? It has 
 given me a new impulse in the spiritual life, a strong deter- 
 mination to show myself, as St. Ignatius says, remarkable 
 in God's service. 
 
 ''The whole life of Father Hermann is very striking and 
 lias had a wonderful effect on me, showing me how ungrate- 
 ful I am, I, who like him, have received so many extraor- 
 dinary graces, and yet am so backward in perfection after 
 seven years of religious life. Let it animate us both to 
 greater efforts. Is it not shameful that we should be such 
 ordinary religious, yielding to so many pettinesses and 
 weaknesses, and scarcely ashamed of them, excusing them 
 as common to our nature? Common, indeed, they are, but 
 we. who are vessels of election, should triumph over them. 
 \Ye haven't confidence enough in God, we haven't the idea 
 ever before our minds that God expects more of those to 
 whom He has given more. We don't dare attempt great 
 things, and what are great things? prolonged prayer, and 
 fasting, etc. ? Not necessarily, but the greatest thing is self- 
 immolation, self-conquest, to which we can turn every ac- 
 tion of our lives, every word we speak. We shall never be 
 truly and solidly at |>eace and full of joy until we rest not 
 in self, but hi God alone; never happy until our thoughts 
 turn naturally to God without our bidding, until all we do is 
 done for Him: if done for Him, everything will become 
 sweet in the doing, everything will l>e well done, for we are 
 not servants, but sons of His love. Pray much for my ad- 
 vancement ; it is so easy to grow weary and work by fits 
 and starts, in which case we accomplish nothing. 
 "Ever your devoted brother, 
 
 "HENRY VAN RENSSELAER, SJ." 
 233
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "April 23, 1880. 
 "My DEAR SISTER DOLORES: 
 
 "P. C. 
 
 "I want these few lines of greeting to reach you by 
 Easter, and therefore I write to-day. I hope that you have 
 been able to take part in some of the Holy Week services. 
 Ours have been, so far, very devotional. I am always for- 
 tunate in being in the choir, so that I have an active part. 
 Besides this, I painted a beautiful Paschal candle. I tried 
 my hand last year with a certain amount of success, and I 
 felt encouraged to offer to paint one for the Chapel this 
 year. It is very elaborate. I put on some brilliant crimson 
 bands, relieved with tracery of black and gold, and in the 
 first division I placed the cross, where the blessed grains of 
 incense go, filled out in bright blue and gold. In the panel 
 above are two palms crossed, representing victory over 
 death and hell ; above comes a butterfly, emblem of the res- 
 urrection, then the monogram of the first two letters in the 
 Greek name of Christ X. P. (Chi, Rho) and above all the 
 crown. 
 
 "A thought that has made a deep impression on me these 
 last few days, especially yesterday (Maundy Thursday), is 
 the necessity of practical charity in our thoughts. I say 
 practical, because we have it in abundance theoretically; 
 what we need is the practice. . . ." 
 
 As the day of his ordination to the priesthood approached, 
 his-'happiness increased. No wonder; it would mark the 
 end of long years of preparation and the consummation of 
 the longings of a lifetime. He would shortly appear in a 
 new role as the representative of the Good Shepherd seek- 
 ing the lost sheep within and without the fold, and dispens- 
 
 234
 
 ing the Divine mercies to the sons of men. No one could 
 act the part well who had not studied the character he was 
 to portray and imbued himself with the spirit of the Divine 
 Master. 
 
 In April, 1886, he wrote : 
 
 "I have never felt better than during this Lent; so you 
 see theology agrees with me. I am not sorry, though, that 
 a year out of the course is nearly gone; a year nearer the 
 end. Next year at this time I hope to be practising the 
 ceremonies of the Mass. Pray that I may become more self- 
 sacrificing and unselfish. It is so necessary in a priest, above 
 all in a Jesuit, and most of all in a missionary. I take the 
 greatest comfort and delight in the thought of the missions. 
 What a debt we have to pay the Indians!" 
 
 In the month of May he dwells upon a thought from one 
 of his meditations. 
 
 "We had our triduum last week and the Renovation on 
 Sunday. A thought that came to me most forcibly was the 
 'Quid ad te? Tu me sequere.' Why do we lose our peace 
 of mind? Very often by worrying and meddling about 
 others. Quid ad le? What business is it of mine? I came 
 into religion to sanctify myself primarily. If others have 
 this or that defect, quid ad te? Attend to yourself, and you 
 will have more than enough to do in following Christ. How 
 can we keep step with Him if we are perpetually turning 
 aside to follow others? Sequere me that is our work, to 
 follow Christ, and that demands all our attention. We shall 
 accomplish most for others by closely following Him, for 
 did He not go about doing good? Living charity is the 
 most powerful preacher, and example does more than elo- 
 
 235
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAEfc 
 
 quent words. Our Blessed Lady will be as she has always 
 been, our Auxilium." 
 
 Six months later, on the Feast of the Immaculate Con- 
 ception, he speaks of a renewed and strengthened purpose 
 to become holy. 
 
 "Our triduum is over and has brought me great peace 
 of mind and a strong determination to make a new start. 
 Rather a shameful confession that, after eight years of 
 religious life. 
 
 "But were not these very renewals of our vows intended 
 for this very purpose? It is a great grace not to be dis- 
 couraged at one's failures. Disgusted with ourselves we 
 may be, but the grace of God is so strong, the intercession 
 of our Mother so powerful, the prayers of our saints so 
 fruitful, that \ve must say, 'I can do all in Him who 
 strengtheneth me.' Courage, then, and confidence, and we 
 shall see what Christmas will bring us." 
 
 When the day set for his ordination was announced his 
 joy knew no bounds, as is attested by the brief extracts 
 from his correspondence here given : 
 
 "WOODSTOCK, 
 
 "March 28, 1887. 
 
 "On Friday, the Feast of the Compassion of the most 
 Holy Virgin, I shall begin an eight days' retreat to prepare 
 for the crowning happiness of my life, my priesthood. I 
 have permission to be ordained in New York on the eve of 
 Trinity Sunday. It all seems too good to be true, and I al- 
 most dread at times that it is a dream only two months 
 more. I have the loftiest ideal of what I should be. but oh, 
 
 236
 
 ORDAINED A PRIEST 
 
 how far off from it I am! This Holy Week must be the 
 turning point in my life and the beginning of a risen life 
 of unselfish devotion." 
 
 "EASTER EVE, 
 
 "April 9, 1887. 
 
 "I never had two happier days than those on which I re- 
 ceived the two steps to the altar. Bishop Curtis pontificated, 
 and it added much to my joy to have him. I have just fin- 
 ished acting as deacon at this morning's ceremonies, in 
 which I sang the 'Exultet' and that beautiful 'Ite missa est, 
 alleluia.' " 
 
 The Eve of Trinity Sunday, 1887, saw Father Van Rens- 
 selaer raised to the dignity of the priesthood. The cere- 
 mony took place in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, with 
 Archbishop Corrigan officiating. The next day the newly 
 ordained priest said his Mass with much fervor in the 
 Church of St. Francis Xavier, and a day or two later re- 
 turned to Woodstock to complete his studies in theology 
 and prepare as he thought for the Indian Missions. 
 
 The life he was now entering upon was altogether new 
 the life of a priest. Hitherto his uppermost thought and 
 endeavor had been his own sanctification; henceforth he 
 was to blend with that the sanctification of his neighbor. 
 He felt, though he did not express it in words, that a new 
 spirit had come over him, that with special significance 
 might be applied to him the words of Scripture: The Spirit 
 of the Lord is upon me wherefore He hath anointed me; to 
 preach the Gospel to the poor He hath sent me, to heal the 
 contrite of heart* ; and with the graces of his ordination im- 
 parting this new life, he began that silent apostolate for
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 which he was to become so noted later. We are not left 
 altogether in the dark as to his first works of zeal, nor are 
 we surprised to find that he began on the most unpromising 
 material, the tramps. The following letter came from 
 Woodstock some time in the spring of 1888 : 
 
 "The hour of the Holy Sacrifice is the happiest one of 
 the day for me, and Holy Week will indeed be one of pen- 
 ance, when we shall have to forego the Offering for three 
 days. 
 
 "I have had great consolations lately with my tramps; 
 one, well educated and well connected, a Protestant, came 
 three weeks ago. I took an interest in his case and brought 
 him into the parlor, encouraged him and tried to restore his 
 self-respect. I gave him a Catholic book to read while I 
 was in class and explained some Catechism to him. When 
 he left me after a few hours, he had learned to make the 
 Sign of the Cross and the Hail Mary, and had formed a 
 firm resolution to become a Catholic. I recommended him 
 to invoke St. Joseph for a position. He did so, and has now 
 a place in the best dry-goods house in Baltimore with a 
 salary of eighteen dollars a week. Is not that a triumph of 
 the Sacred Heart? He said: 'I never knew what prayer 
 was before.' 
 
 "There are many other instances, too; one, a Jew of 
 twenty-five, who had passed himself off as a Catholic, so 
 that a companion, a real Catholic, always believed him to 
 be one. I exhorted both to confession and put before them 
 clearly the end for which they were created. They had 
 their supper and went off to a hay-rick, where my transient 
 boarders lodge. There the Jew confessed the truth to his 
 companion, but said he wanted to become a Catholic, and 
 
 238
 
 ORDAINED A PRIEST 
 
 the other resolved, after many years, to square his accounts. 
 The next morning they came to breakfast and begged to 
 remain another day. The Jew had learned the Our Father, 
 Hail Mary, Creed and Act of Contrition, and insisted on 
 being baptized. I put him off with an evasive answer and 
 made him study Catechism all that day. In the meantime I 
 consulted Father Rector, and he said: 'If he knows suffi- 
 cient Catechism and what he is doing, he might, under the 
 circumstances, be baptized.' So, after Mass the next day- 
 it was a holiday, the 22d of February I went through the 
 whole Christian doctrine with him and then baptized him. 
 Happily, one of the workmen left that day, and Father Min- 
 ister told me I might keep both men. They have been here 
 a month and give great edification in every way; another 
 triumph of the Sacred Heart. I think I have found my vo- 
 cation in the Society, the waifs and wanderers. 'The poor 
 have the gospel preached to them.' Not that I have given 
 up the Indians, far from it, but there are hosts of neglected 
 men in the Far West, waiting for some one to stretch out 
 a hand to them." 
 
 On Christmas day, he wrote : "As you see, I am at home 
 this year. We had Midnight Mass, at which I assisted, 
 then rested till five, when I began my three Masses. I had 
 everything beautiful about me, the decorated chapel, hand- 
 some vestments, and rich sacred vessels, but no congrega- 
 tion to assist. Next year I hope I shall be in the Mountains 
 with a crowd of faithful Indians, or cowboys, or whites, it 
 does not matter much, provided there are souls to be helped. 
 It is hard for me to hold niyself in. I have had such an 
 abundance of zeal, which will, I hope, have an outlet in 
 about three months. After all. what is the greatest work 
 
 288
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 in the sight of God? Our sanctification. This is the thing 
 to be kept in view. God wants me to be a saint; if I am 
 faithful He will work great things for His glory through 
 me. How? That is for Him to determine." 
 
 In the last year at Woodstock, Father Van Rensselaer 
 had occasion to send his congratulations and good wishes to 
 a kinswoman, a convert, who was nearing the end of her 
 novitiate and was about to consecrate herself by the usual 
 vows to the service of God in the religious state. It will be 
 seen from the letter that he could turn to good account for 
 others the fruit of his own meditations. 
 
 "WOODSTOCK COLLEGE, 
 
 "Howard County, Maryland, 
 
 "November 19, 1888. 
 "DEAR SISTER MARGARET MARY: 
 
 "This will reach you, I hope, on the day of your mystical 
 espousals, to give you my heartiest congratulations and 
 good wishes. If the day on which brides plight their troth 
 to earthly bridegrooms be one of joy and well-wishing, what 
 must the case be when the groom is no other than a God- 
 man, and the union not to last as long as life, but as long as 
 eternity a groom who has loved His bride from the foun- 
 dation of the world, with a love not fitful and fickle, but 
 constant and unchangeable as He is Himself ; a bridegroom 
 that can never misunderstand His spouse because He can 
 read the inmost thoughts of the heart; a bridegroom who 
 has at His command all the treasures of Heaven to lavish 
 on His bride, so that she can lack nothing nor fear for the 
 future, for her riches and her happiness are to go on in- 
 creasing until fullv perfected in Heaven. 
 
 240
 
 ORDAINED A PRIEST 
 
 "I was meditating this morning on Nathanael, and the 
 praise bestowed on him by Our Lord : 'Behold an Israelite 
 indeed, in whom is no guile;' not merely a son of Abraham, 
 the father of the faithful, according to the flesh, but accord- 
 ing to the spirit who kept not merely the letter but also 
 the spirit of the law. Above all, he was 'without guile/ 
 simple-hearted, nothing stood between him and God, and so 
 Our Lord said to him: 'Amen, amen, I say to you, you 
 shall see Heaven opened and the angels of God ascending 
 and descending upon the Son of Man.' What a reward for 
 guilelessness to see Heaven opened and the angels fulfilling 
 their dutiful ministry to the Son of Man. Who is also the 
 Son of God. Is not this the beatitude which says : 'Blessed 
 are the pure in heart, for they shall see God'? Are we to 
 understand it only of the future life, or may we not believe 
 that at least glimpses of God and His glory are vouchsafed 
 to the guileless and pure of heart even here on earth? And 
 if so, to whom rather than to those who consecrate their 
 virginity to Him, and in the simplicity of their hearts offer 
 and consecrate themselves wholly and unreservedly forever 
 to His holy service and pledge an answering faithfulness to 
 their life's end? 
 
 "Such, dear Sister Margaret, you will do on the beautiful 
 feast of Our Lady's Presentation. May she help you to 
 persevere in that offering of yourself, that, as the Collect 
 for the feast says, by her intercession you may merit to be 
 presented to God in the temple of His glory. Such will be 
 my petition for you in Holy Mass. 
 
 "May God bless and keep you and make His face to shine 
 upon you and give you peace now and forever. 
 "Ever your devoted friend, 
 
 "Pray for me." "TTRvv VAN RENSSELAER. S.J." 
 
 24X
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 IN THE MINISTRY. 
 
 IN the Spring of 1889, Father Van Rensselaer began his 
 zealous labors in New York City. For four years he 
 had looked forward to a life among the Indians of the 
 North- West, but at the last moment a new Provincial of the 
 Maryland-New York Province used his influence to keep 
 him in the East. This Superior felt that the good to be 
 accomplished among the Indians by the newly ordained 
 priest was largely problematical, while the province over 
 which he presided could ill afford to lose the services of so 
 valuable a man. Submissively, Father Van Rensselaer ac- 
 cepted the transfer to his former status in the Maryland- 
 New York Province, and was soon after detailed for duty 
 at St. Francis Xavier's, West Sixteenth street, New York. 
 It is no easy task to give even a succinct account of the 
 various works of zeal that filled up the seventeen years of 
 his ministry in the metropolis. A large share of the parish 
 work fell to his lot, yet he never seemed to grow weary, and 
 no matter how numerous his activities, he was always ready 
 to undertake more. Sick calls, Masses at inconvenient 
 hours, service in hospitals, visits to the poor, sermons and 
 lectures, retreats, triduums, sodalities of men and boys, class 
 for converts, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Deaf Mutes, 
 Ancient Order of Hibernians, Knights of Columbus, daily 
 visits to the Xavier Club and the Nazareth Day Nursery, 
 confessions, baptisms, marriages, pledges to the intemper- 
 ate, employment for the needy, visits to the prisons; all 
 
 242
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 these represent in a general way the round of occupations 
 that kept him busy from dawn till far into the night. The 
 bare enumeration of these works of mercy and love sounds 
 like a litany of his good deeds in the vineyard of his Father. 
 With all this he never murmured nor gave the impression 
 of being overworked. He went about each duty as if that 
 were his only concern in life. It is only when all his zealous 
 labors are catalogued and viewed in retrospect that the list 
 causes one to inquire in astonishment how he was able to 
 accomplish so much. Would you believe that he found 
 time, moreover, to write plays of an amusing character for 
 his young men, and that he took charge of the rehearsals 
 himself? 
 
 He had a predilection for singing High Mass on Sun- 
 days, and no church service, however long or fatiguing 
 and there were many in the course of the year at St. Francis 
 Xavier's caused him to utter a word of complaint. "The 
 Three Hours' Agony" on Good Friday he claimed for him- 
 self. Except upon one occasion, when he gave the dis- 
 courses upon the Seven Words from the Cross, he always 
 led the exercises, the fervent unction with which he recited 
 the prayers never failing to move the hearts of the people 
 and to contribute largely to the beauty and dignity of the 
 devotion. 
 
 He had little love for preaching, and the most enthusiastic 
 admirer would hardly have called him an orator. Still he 
 occasionally surpassed himself and discoursed with genuine 
 eloquence. His last sermon at High Mass was delivered at 
 St. Francis Xavier's, in October, 190fi, and those who heard 
 him on that occasion will recall the original way in which 
 he handled a trite subject. The gospel of the day was the 
 parable of the unmerciful servant. The preacher unfolded
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 the narrative after his own fashion, and then made an appli- 
 cation to existing conditions of human society. He called 
 the parable a drama in three acts. In the first act, there is 
 the debtor of ten thousand talents, or say, a million dollars. 
 The King is the magnate, the captain of industry, the multi- 
 millionaire. The servant who owes a million dollars is his 
 right-hand man, or agent, or charge d'affaires. But in 
 modern parlance he is "a plunger" and has been risking his 
 master's money and speculating in stocks, counting, of 
 course, on the sure thing. Then comes the unexpected slump 
 in the market, followed by the usual catastrophe, and the 
 dishonest speculator loses everything, even that which he 
 could never have claimed as his own. There is no way out 
 of his embarrassment except to throw himself on the mercy 
 of his employer. He admits his crookedness, pleads for ex- 
 tension of time, and gets his family and friends to intercede 
 for him. The magnate relents and freely forgives him. 
 The gratitude of the rehabilitated servant is profound. Act 
 two: Transformation. The suppliant becomes the throt- 
 tler. The humble petitioner is transformed into the re- 
 lentless creditor. Before the week is out he demands the 
 payment of an hundred pence, say one hundred dollars, 
 from his clerk. He himself has been forgiven a debt of a 
 million dollars, and he exacts the payment of one hundred 
 from his fellow servant. The poor fellow pleads for mercy. 
 In extenuation he urges that his wages are but ten dollars 
 a week, and he has appropriated only one hundred in the 
 course of the year. He admits his guilt, but offers in ex- 
 cuse that at home there is an invalid widowed mother. 
 There was an impending eviction of the family, now hap- 
 pily averted. On his shoulders falls the care of younger 
 brothers and sisters, who would starve if they depended 
 
 244
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 solely upon his meagre allowance. But his pleadings are in 
 vain. He is summarily ejected and given over to the officers 
 of the law. Act three : The tables are turned. The master 
 treats the heard-hearted wretch as he treated his clerk, and 
 exacts the full penalty. Here the preacher proceeded rap- 
 idly to an enlargement of his theme and spoke on Christian 
 forgiveness. Christ, he held up as the model who taught 
 the lesson of forgiveness by word and example from the 
 cradle to the grave. "By this shall all men know that you 
 are my disciples, if you have love one for another." This 
 is the victory over the pagan world. As was said in the 
 early days of Christianity, "See how the Christians love 
 one another." Christ taught the lesson of forgiveness from 
 the cross. Then he instanced St. Stephen praying for his 
 murderers, Blessed Fisher and Bl. Thomas More, St. Jane 
 Frances de Chantal, St. Monica condoning the faults of hus- 
 band and son, in contrast with the conduct of fathers and 
 mothers generally. He alluded to a case that had come 
 under his notice, of a father who had disinherited his son 
 for some boyish escapade. On his death-bed his heart was 
 still hardened. He would not forgive even his own flesh 
 and blood, and unforgiving he went before the awful judg- 
 ment seat. The measure of our forgiveness will be the 
 measure of God's mercy. "As we forgive those who tres- 
 I>ass against us." The trifling offence of our fellow man he 
 set over against the infinite offence of sin, infinite in its ef- 
 fects, for it entails the loss of heaven. God forgives, gives 
 preventing grace, that is, He is the first to make the ad- 
 vance. He goes to meet the sinner, grants pardon for the 
 asking, and forgets the offence; considers repentance a per- 
 sonal favor, a cause of congratulation. "There shall be joy 
 in heaven." He concluded with an appeal for self-examina- 
 tion and forgiveness if we hope to be forgiven. 
 
 245
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 This is only a brief outline of the sermon, but it will 
 serve to show how very original in conception, how prac- 
 tical and direct were his discourses to the people. Though 
 he always gave careful preparation to his sermons and ad- 
 dresses, he never wrote them out in full. One reason for 
 this was that he could never trust his memory to retain a 
 carefully conned and polished composition. His voice was 
 somewhat against him, but, with his earnestness and fervor 
 of delivery, his wealth of thought and illustration, he always 
 made a deep impression upon his hearers. 
 
 There is an enormous amount of written matter left 
 among his notes ; skeleton sermons for every Sunday in the 
 year sometimes half a dozen for the same Sunday- 
 sketches of discourses for festivals, for special occasions, for 
 the- different societies with which he was connected, all of 
 them attesting his unflagging zeal and the high idea he en- 
 tertained of the work of a priest in the pulpit and on the 
 platform. 
 
 The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius he made a pro- 
 found and life-long study. He had for his use a printed 
 copy of one of Father Roothan's editions, over two hun- 
 dred and fifty pages, octavo, which is literally covered with 
 annotations and suggestions, written so closely between the 
 lines and on the margins as to be almost undecipherable. 
 Besides this annotated copy of the Book of the Exercises, 
 there are drafts by the score of meditations and instructions 
 for triduums and retreats, adapted to various classes of men 
 and women, proof of the elaborate care he bestowed upon 
 this important branch of a Jesuit priest's work. Over and 
 above the ordinary retreats to religious communities and 
 the laity which fall to the lot of every Jesuit, Father Van 
 Rensselaer was called upon to give an occasional one to the 
 
 246
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 clergy. These retreats, by reason of the far-reaching good 
 resulting therefrom, are without doubt the most important 
 charge which can be entrusted to a priest. That he con- 
 ducted them successfully, is the testimony of those who 
 made them under his direction, and is borne out by the fol- 
 lowing tribute from a diocesan newspaper. It is headed "A 
 Knickerbocker Jesuit." 
 
 "The priests of the diocese are very grateful to the dis- 
 tinguished Jesuit Father, the Rev. Henry Van Rensselaer, 
 for the delightful way in which he conducted the spiritual 
 exercises of their retreat last week. 
 
 "It is true, of course, that, humanly speaking, the fruit 
 of a spiritual retreat must always depend on oneself. Yet, 
 the personality of him who conducts the exercises, and the 
 vigor and freshness with which he puts things, has not a 
 little to do with the success of a retreat. 
 
 "These Father Van Rensselaer possesses in a striking 
 degree. To begin with, he is a man of knightly presence, 
 without fear, without reproach, who speaks as God's am- 
 bassador. One easily perceives, too, that he is endowed 
 with a noble soul, who despises everything low or mean. He 
 is, moreover, a gentleman of distinguished family, reared 
 in luxury, with large patrimony, and on whose future the 
 radiant sky sweetly smiled. Brought up an alien to the 
 Church, his eyes, like Paul's, were mercifully opened to the 
 light of faith; and further favored by a divine call to a life 
 of perfection, he left all the glittering world had in store 
 for him to follow the Master. 
 
 "Trained in the military school of Loyola, this scion of 
 New York's Four Hundred is a soldier of the Cross. To 
 pierce the sinful hearts of men with the power and mystery 
 
 247
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 of the Cross is his one grand passion. He has, moreover, 
 the art of putting things with striking force. And as one 
 gazes on his handsome face, and listens to the music of his 
 voice enhanced by the unmistakable New York accent 
 the old truths have a new meaning and fascinate the heart 
 as never before. 
 
 "This is God's way of using human gifts and advantages 
 for His greater honor and glory and the salvation of souls." 
 
 In 1896, Father Van Rensselaer was invited to preach at 
 St, Mary's Cathedral, Ogdensburg, which may be regarded 
 as his native city, Woodford, the family estate, being only 
 half a mile to the west. The local press treated his coming 
 as an event of unusual interest. One daily paper devoted 
 two columns to a description of Woodford, with a picture 
 in half-tone of the old Van Rensselaer residence, "from 
 the porch of which, with its massive Corinthian columns, 
 one looked through vistas of the intercepting foliage, across 
 broad meadows to the majestic flow of the St. Lawrence." 
 In this account there is a brief reference to Henry Van 
 Rensselaer, Inspector General of the Army, and former 
 owner of Woodford, another to the visit of his eldest son 
 Stephen, also a soldier, who won his spurs at Gettysburg, 
 and then the article concludes: "Some decades of years 
 passed, and a new generation had almost forgotten the asso- 
 ciations with Woodford, when the youngest living son and 
 namesake of its former owner, came among his towns- 
 people. He, too, had enlisted, but for spiritual warfare un- 
 der the leadership of the great Captain, St. Ignatius Loyola, 
 in the Company of Jesus, and his mission is the peaceful one 
 of winning souls to Christ." 
 
 The sermon at Ogdensburg was largely an account of his 
 
 248
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 conversion to the Church and, indirectly, of the development 
 of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America from the 
 time of the American Revolution. The story of the devel- 
 opment of the American Episcopal Church served him later 
 as an introduction to his autobiography and is a fine speci- 
 men of his skill in graphic narration. No apology is needed 
 for reproducing it here. 
 
 "I was born of very religious parents ,of the strong 
 Protestant type. My father was of Dutch Reformed origin, 
 while my mother was a Protestant Episcopalian. Fifty 
 years ago the distinction between those sects was compara- 
 tively unimportant. They were all Protestants and were 
 proud of it. The good old dominies of those days would 
 scarcely recognize the transformed sects of to-day. The 
 name Catholic was a by-word. The term priest was not yet 
 usurped by ministers, with the exception of a few who were 
 eyed askance as dangerous characters, secret allies of the 
 Scarlet Woman and in her pay. The evolution of the Epis- 
 copal Church into a so-called branch of the Catholic Church 
 is interesting. 
 
 "Originally an off-shoot of the Established Protestant 
 Church of England, this American branch was cut off by 
 the Declaration of Independence and had to assume a new 
 coq>orate existence and title. The staunch Protestants ot 
 those days were proud of their Protestantism and asserted 
 it in their new name. But they had bishops, so-called, and 
 therefore they were Episcopalians. So their sect was 
 thenceforth to be known as the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church, a name which suited it admirably. They were on 
 friendly terms with other Protestant denominations, and 
 their Protestantism connoted the supposed errors of Rome. 
 
 249
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "The Oxford movement, strong in England, had only a 
 comparatively slight effect in the United States. But the 
 example of Newman and the galaxy of great men who fol- 
 lowed him to Rome could not fail to make an impression 
 on some of the earnest-minded ministers of the day. The 
 vivifying breath of the Holy Spirit was about to infuse life 
 into the dry bones of Protestantism. The true concept of a 
 living Church, with power to teach the truth, was dawning. 
 The vision of the eternal priesthood according to the order 
 of Melchisedech, with its visible representatives offering 
 sacrifice, rose up before them and fascinated them. The 
 five sacraments* that had been discarded so contemptuously 
 by the prime movers of the great revolt against the Church, 
 seemed in the new light no longer 'old women's fables or 
 corrupt following of the Apostles,' but channels of divine 
 grace instituted by Christ Himself. The glorious Commun- 
 ion of Saints appeared, as it is in very truth, the realiza- 
 tion of the close relations that exist between the members 
 of the Church militant on earth and of the Church triumph- 
 ant in heaven. It was no longer an empty expression in 
 the creed, repeated thousands of times without even an ink- 
 ling of its meaning. It was, indeed, the ever-presence of 
 the 'cloud of witnesses and the spirits of the just made per- 
 fect.' The great fact of the Incarnation stood out in its 
 magnificent proportions, and in consequence the essential 
 part played by the Virgin Mother forced itself on the ac- 
 ceptance of all honest minds. Even the unique privilege 
 of St. Peter as the Rock upon which Christ built His 
 Church, as the receiver from Him of the Keys of the King- 
 dom of Heaven, as the feeder of His sheep and lambs, His 
 own representative as the Good Shepherd of the flock, 
 seemed less impossible of belief. 
 
 250
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 "Such a growth in the acceptance of Catholic doctrines 
 was gradual and met with many obstacles. The prejudices 
 of over three centuries died hard, if they died at all. The 
 journey to the true Jerusalem, the City of God on earth, was 
 up-hill and laborious. It demanded courage and persever- 
 ance. In many cases it was bloodless martyrdom. 
 
 "Perhaps the most striking way to show this growth is to 
 follow the evolution of the eucharistic service, for this was 
 the axis on which the movement turned. In good old-fash- 
 ioned Episcopal churches there was a chancel and in the 
 chancel a communion table a veritable table with four 
 legs, and when in use, once a month, it was covered with a 
 regulation linen table-cloth. Being a table for the Lord's 
 Supper, as it was then commonly called, there was ordi- 
 narily nothing on it. Then an ornamental cover was placed 
 over it, and this became later a frontal. The empty space 
 between the legs was filled in, and it took on the semblance 
 of an altar. Next a shelf made its appearance at the back 
 of the table. On the shelf a cross of flowers was intro- 
 duced on a feast-day Christmas or Blaster. The flowers 
 withered and were removed, but the wooden cross remained. 
 Next, two candlesticks with candles, for light in the early 
 morning only, flanked the cross. As it was no longer a re- 
 ceptacle for flowers, two vases were substituted. By this 
 time the old-fashioned Communion table had blossomed into 
 a simple type of altar. The large flagon of wine, the capa- 
 cious cup, and the plate of bread were no more visible on 
 the table. A credence, or side, table was provided. The 
 elements, as they were called, were covered with a veil, and 
 the bread was in the form of wafers. The ministers, and 
 they were not ashamed of the name, of old stood at either 
 end of the table, so that the congregation could witness all 
 
 251
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 their actions. This was technically termed the northward 
 position, although north and south would have been more 
 correct. But the eastward position (the altar end of the 
 church theoretically was supposed to face east) became prev- 
 alent, and the minister stood with his back to the people, 
 giving' him a chance for various ritualistic practices which 
 he interpolated unknown to the congregation. But the dress 
 of the embryo-priest had to keep pace with the development 
 of the altar. First, he donned a cassock reaching to his 
 feet, with a moderately long surplice. The broad black 
 scarf, worn on all occasions, gave way on great feasts to a 
 white one. This done and accepted, the other colors were 
 soon adopted. But the surplice was not an eucharistic vest- 
 ment. A sort of combination chasuble and surplice served 
 as a go-between, until the regular chasuble was no longer 
 an object of suspicion. For a while the material was linen, 
 sometimes handsomely embroidered; silk soon replaced the 
 linen, and a set of silk vestments of all the liturgical colors 
 became a part of every ritualistic establishment. The evo- 
 lution was well nigh complete; the chancel had become the 
 sanctuary ; the table, the altar, and all its appurtenances were 
 there. The cross had received its figure and was a crucifix. 
 The step on which it had stood had grown tall and evolved 
 into a tabernacle. Candles blazed on the altar even in broad 
 daylight. Not one sanctuary lamp burned before the altar, 
 but seven, as being more scriptural. The Communion ser- 
 vice, or the Lord's Supper, by dint of omissions and addi- 
 tions, might pass for the Mass, and was with great ostenta- 
 tion announced as such. True, the language was English, 
 but it was so mumbled that it could be mistaken for Latin, 
 or some unknown tongue. Stations of the cross were 
 erected; statues of the saints graced the sanctuary or side 
 
 252
 
 DD 
 DD 
 
 DD; 
 DO 
 
 inn 
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 XKW YORK ( ITY
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 altars; confessionals were provided, and holy water stoups 
 enhanced the semblance to Catholicity. 
 
 "With all this external growth, doctrinal teaching had 
 been in the lead. The 'faithful' were forbidden to call them- 
 selves Protestants and were Catholics or Anglo-Catholics; 
 whereas Catholics must be contemptuously called Roman- 
 ists, for, according to the new Gospel, Romanists were only 
 a sect, originating in Italy, while the Anglican Church was 
 the Church, pure and undefiled, conformable to primitive 
 Christianity. 
 
 "Of course the ritualists proper were, and still are, a very 
 small minority in the Protestant Episcopal Church. But 
 they had a certain influence in leavening the Protestant 
 lump, and in raising portions of it in doctrines and practices. 
 But by far the more influential party is that known as the 
 Broad Church, which, in reality, is so rationalistic that it 
 rejects such fundamental truths as the Divinity of Christ, 
 and consequently the Trinity, and perforce the two com- 
 monly accepted sacraments as real means of grace, and 
 denies the inspiration of the Scriptures. The Low Church 
 party contains the old conservative Protestants, and might 
 be characterized as Evangelical or Rible Christians, re- 
 spectable, but unreasoning. Then come the High Guirch- 
 men, holding various attitudes of belief, the greater part 
 being High and Dry, and so considered very safe, with no 
 danger of reaching the height whence a fall Romeward 
 would be likely." 
 
 The Ogdensburg- Courier, in its resume of the discourse, 
 states that "the speaker made an elaborate argument in sup- 
 port of his present religious belief, and closed the lecture, 
 saying: 'I thank God I am what I am.' ' 
 
 253
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 In November, 1897, the venerable Father Clarence Wai- 
 worth celebrated the hundredth anniversary of the laying of 
 the corner-stone of the first St. Mary's Church, Albany, 
 N. Y., of which he had been pastor for over thirty years. 
 Father Van Rensselaer was an old-time friend, and the 
 family affiliations with the early history of Albany sug- 
 gested him as one of the speakers for the celebration. The 
 occasion was inspiring. Albany, the old Fort Orange, was 
 once the home of the patroons and for generations the centre 
 of their influence throughout the State. In the history of 
 the trading post, and its development into the capital of the 
 Empire State, the Van Rensselaer family had played a con- 
 spicuous part. On the other hand, the Jesuit Mission sites 
 were not far away, and if we include the land bordering on 
 the St. Lawrence as far as Ogdensburg, they were actually 
 situated in Van Rensselaer property. The first of the Mo- 
 hawk Castles, the historic Auriesville, where Jogues, and 
 Bressani, and their fellows toiled and suffered for the faith, 
 was only forty miles distant. There was a fitness, then, in 
 the selection of Father Van Rensselaer, a descendant of the 
 old patroons, and a brother in religion of those heroic mis- 
 sionaries, to tell the story of the Church's growth in a land 
 endeared to him by so many ties. There is no record pre- 
 served of the discourse delivered on that occasion, though 
 he doubtless made it the object of special preparation. In a 
 chronicle of the event it is referred to as an eloquent ser- 
 mon on the text, "This is none other than the house of God ; 
 this is the gate of Heaven." 
 
 In the "Life Sketches of Father Walworth," published 
 in 1907, there is a pen picture of the preacher as he ap- 
 peared in the pulpit of historic St. Mary's : 
 
 "Tall and dark amid the resplendent glory of the cere- 
 
 254
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 mony, stood the Jesuit in dear old St. Mary's oaken pulpit. 
 He stood there in the heydey of manly beauty, a lineal de- 
 scendant of the first Albany patroon, and all the while a 
 crucifix glimmered at his girdle. He was every inch a 
 black-gown, a devoted missionary, a devoted son of Loyola, 
 and so, too, was the one of whom he spoke, Isaac Jogues. 
 discoverer of Lake George, a friend of Megapolensis at 
 Fort Orange, and martyr of the Mohawk Mission. The 
 vigor and graces of a noble orator were his, and who could 
 say that Father Van Rensselaer was not the right man in 
 the right place for that occasion?"
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 THE TERTIANSHIP. 
 
 UPON the completion of his studies, every Jesuit is sent 
 back to the novitiate to spend a year in the humble 
 employments and spiritual duties which helped to lay the 
 foundation of his religious life. This year is usually called 
 the third year of probation, or, to distinguish it from the 
 novitiate, the tertianship. In Father Van Rensselaer's case, 
 however, it was only after some years of the ministry that 
 he was sent to Frederick, Md., to complete his spiritual 
 training. Shortly after his arrival he wrote the following 
 interesting letter to his mother: 
 
 "NOVITIATE, 
 
 "FREDERICK CITY, MD., 
 
 "September 20, 18UJJ. 
 "Mv DEAREST MOTHER: 
 
 "I suppose you are anxious to know how I am settled in 
 my new quarters. There could not be a greater contrast 
 than between New York and Frederick. The latter is the 
 dullest little town possible. No hustle, but withal noisy, as 
 everybody speaks out loud in the street, to the great an- 
 noyance of those inside the house. The inevitable small boy 
 makes it lively, too. Moreover, it is enlivened by church 
 bells. There is quite a rivalry. We, however, always have 
 the lead, as we begin at 5 A. M., but the others make up for 
 it later on. I do not think that I have sat as much in four 
 years as I have the last eighteen days since I have been here. 
 
 256
 
 THE TERTIANSHIP 
 
 In fact, the last thirteen years seem like a dream, for I have 
 gone back again to my novice days. This illusion is kept 
 up in a way by having many of my early friends in religion 
 here with me. so we feel very much at home. The Rector is 
 an old friend of mine, formerly a fellow-student at Wood- 
 stock. 
 
 "The neighborhood is beautiful. Frederick Valley is very 
 fertile, and the mountains that shut it in make a fine back- 
 ground on every side. The town is more like an old Euro- 
 pean one than its sister Americans. There is little or no 
 progress. The people are comfortable ; in fact Frederick is 
 said to be the richest town of its population in the country 
 9,000 inhabitants and eleven banks with $3.000,000 de- 
 posits. The people, descendants of the hireling Hessians, 
 are not very attractive, but of a hard, repulsive type. I like 
 the darkies, who abound and have good manners. A good 
 many battles were fought in the vicinity, and the graveyard 
 has a long row of headstones of soldiers. Our house was 
 used as a hospital. But enough of the place. 
 
 "We begin our thirty days' retreat next Thursday, and it 
 will be over on the 30th of October. Fortunately we have 
 a very interesting Father to give it, Father Villiger, who 
 has just returned from a visit to the Holy Land, so that his 
 descriptions of the sacred places will be graphic and au- 
 thentic. As a great deal of the time will be spent in medi- 
 tating upon the life of Our Lord, it will make the scenes 
 more real. Take good care of yourself. . . . 
 "Ever your devoted son, 
 
 "HENRY VAN RENSSELAER. S.J." 
 
 While in this place of retreat, where his time was so 
 largely devoted to the study and practice of the ascetic life, 
 
 257
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 his fervor may be said to have been at its height. It was 
 the last great opportunity he should have to recast his spirit- 
 ual aims and ambitions, to select with greater care than 
 heretofore the weapons most suited for the spiritual war- 
 fare ahead, and to see that his supply would be sufficient 
 for all the remaining years of his conflict with human pas- 
 sions and the enemy of mankind in the conquest of human 
 souls. 
 
 Once only during that year was he permitted to under- 
 take any departure from the daily routine. This was when 
 he was invited to organize a Catholic association for young 
 men, like the Xavier Qub of New York City. Suitable 
 quarters were obtained in St. John's Literary Institute, a 
 school famous in its day and the training place of Admiral 
 Schley, Robert Brady, Provincial of the Maryland-New 
 York Jesuits, and many others distinguished in Church and 
 State. The Rev. John McElroy, S.J., whose zealous labors 
 for the Church have made his name a household word along 
 the Atlantic sea-board from Washington to Boston, was 
 one of its early presidents. There were then respectable 
 traditions of the past, and the halo of great names and ac- 
 complishments to recommend St. John's Literary Institute 
 as a proper place for starting a society for Catholic young 
 men. All that was needed was the fiat of a man of enter- 
 prise and energy, or better still, a man of zeal and experi- 
 ence, to give shape and spirit to the material that lay ready 
 for the workman. Father Van Rensselaer was the man. 
 Within a few months the formal opening of the Catholic 
 Club of Frederick took place with a membership of two 
 hundred, many of the most 'prominent citizens of Frederick 
 being on its rolls. 
 
 The Master, or Instructor of Tertians, was the venerable 
 
 258
 
 THE TERTIANSHIP 
 
 Father Burchard Villiger, a man of eminent piety and 
 learning, who a few years later died as he had lived, in the 
 odor of sanctity, at the age of eighty-four. His edifying 
 life has since been given to the world by Father John Ryan, 
 one of his religious confreres. The chief spiritual exercise 
 of the third year is the retreat of thirty days. This retreat 
 is made by the Jesuit but twice during his lifetime, the first 
 shortly after his admission into the novitiate. Four or five 
 meditations, each an hour's length, are considered every 
 day, and the points, as they are called, or summary of the 
 subject matter for reflection, are given by the Instructor to 
 all the Fathers, who meet for that purpose in a private 
 chapel or oratory. 
 
 In the journal of his thirty days' retreat, Father Van 
 Rensselaer thanks God for putting him under such an in- 
 structor as Father Villiger, "a man of God, wholly spirit- 
 ual, whose every word is weighty because carried out in his 
 life. He has tremendous power, and thus before the exer- 
 cises he disposed us by showing himself really a Father: 
 considerate, kind and interested entirely in our welfare. 
 No wonder, then, that St. Ignatius speaks through him. An 
 intense spirit of faith pervades every instruction and all the 
 points. Under such a leader we can follow." And again 
 he writes: "Our instructor, like all the saints, is powerful 
 in extremes, that is, he can expatiate enthusiastically on the 
 love of God and His Son, but at the same time paint in 
 glowing terms the terrors of His justice. And so all was 
 made very vivid. What impresses one most in Father 
 Villiger is the fact that he practises what he gives not a 
 lesson learned by rote, but heart. He carries out what he 
 says and he knows by experience. He talks of Our Lord as 
 if he lived in intimate communion with Him, and so could 
 
 259
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 speak as an eye and ear witness. He has great devotion to 
 the Holy Angels. His description of the preparation and 
 the event of the Nativity were exquisite in simplicity, faith 
 and beauty. And so it is with the other mysteries of Our 
 Lord's infancy. The Shepherds were like old friends, teach- 
 ing us the lesson of fitness for and ready correspondence 
 with Divine grace and calls." 
 
 The notes or jottings of the journal give a wonderful in- 
 sight into the maturer character of Father Van Rensselaer 
 as it had developed since he became a Jesuit. The man of 
 action is rightly and fully understood only with a knowledge 
 of the secret springs which control his conduct. The notes 
 were not written for publication, as they are the commun- 
 ings of his own soul with its Maker. We shall give here 
 only the words with which the journal concludes : 'Thir- 
 tieth day, and so we have come to an end! Am I much 
 changed for the better? As the Directory* warns, it was 
 only the" seed-time the harvest not till the end my end 
 on earth. I hope I have advanced in the way. I realized 
 more the Contemplation on Love of God. May my life be 
 the fulfilment. I must strive to have the Supernatural con- 
 stantly in view in superiors, equals, people in general. 
 Xever forget my. watch-word. Quid ad te? Tu Me sequere. 
 Te Duce, Sequar! \Yhat is it to thee? Do thoti follow 
 ^fc. Lead Thou, O Lord, I will follow!" 
 
 The Directory is an authorized commentary on the Book of the 
 Spiritual Exercises of special assistance to those giving a retreat. 
 
 260
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 THE MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART. 
 
 AFTER his tertianship Father Van Rensselaer was sent 
 to Philadelphia as one of the Assistant Directors of 
 the Apostleship of Prayer. The assignment was the very 
 reverse of acceptable to him, for he had been always hoping 
 to be employed exclusively in the external work of the min- 
 istry. But, like a submissive religious, he swallowed his 
 disappointment, and set himself to what was to him a very 
 irksome task, that of revising manuals, reviewing little 
 books of devotion, devising decorations for banners or 
 badges, with occasional preaching in parishes where the 
 League of the Sacred Heart had to be organized or needed 
 reviving. His very fine literary taste, however, which he 
 had never ceased to exercise, was of great service in what- 
 ever writing was assigned to him, and not a few contribu- 
 tions appear over his signature in the volumes of the Mes- 
 senger of the Sacred Heart between the years 1894 and 
 1898. 
 
 "He entered upon his editorial duties with wonderful 
 alacrity," writes the Rev. Joseph Smith, in a sympathetic 
 and scholarly tribute which appeared in the Messenger of 
 the Sacred Heart for February, 11)01). "Everything that he 
 contributed to the Messenger was distinctly good, and al- 
 ways simple, natural ami tranquil. His writings in prose 
 and verse reveal an enthusiastic lover of the Sacred Heart 
 and an ardent champion of the League. Here as in every 
 other undertaking that engaged his beautiful mind and ten- 
 
 2fil
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 der, amiable heart, he served God unremittingly, not in part 
 nor with half measures, but generously, gladly and faith- 
 fully. The model priest and apostle who had hoped to labor 
 for Christ in far-away Alaska was equally earnest in labor 
 and earnest in faith and prayer when obedience placed him 
 in what was, for a time at least, an obscurer field." 
 
 Father Van Rensselaer's wonderful adaptability to what- 
 ever work was given him to do, no matter how uncongenial, 
 was never better displayed than in his various and varied 
 contributions to the Messenger of the Sacred Heart and its 
 companion publication The Pilgrim. 
 
 He had a happy knack of verse-making, a result of long 
 practice, and he frequently pressed it into service in explain- 
 ing the various devotions and practices of the League. It 
 will be sufficient to cite one, which has found its way into 
 the League Manual. It is entitled : 
 
 THE PROMOTER'S CROSS. 
 
 'Tis the King's own sacred sign 
 
 Setting us apart 
 For a mission all divine, 
 
 Of His Sacred Heart. 
 Let our Cross our ensign be, 
 Leading us to victory. 
 
 Not the metal value we, 
 
 Though 'twere precious gold ; 
 
 Its indulgenced dowry 
 Has a wealth untold. 
 
 Let our Cross our ensign be, 
 
 Leading us to victory. 
 262
 
 THE MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART 
 
 Whose the image 'graved on it? 
 
 Jesus' Heart aflame. 
 Whose the superscription writ? 
 
 Jesus' Holy name. 
 Let our Cross our ensign be, 
 Leading us to victory. 
 
 Let our Cross be full in view, 
 
 Proud that men should know 
 We are to our mission true 
 
 Wheresoe'er we go. 
 So our Cross our ensign be, 
 Leading us to victory. 
 
 There are others on the League motto: "Thy Kingdom 
 Come"; the "Quid Retribuam?" etc. 
 
 An excellent example of his prose style is to be seen in 
 the following instruction which he wrote on the Holy 
 Rosary. It is full of meat and eminently characteristic of 
 the man. 
 
 "A score of years ago I was visiting Rome and told that 
 one of the things to do was to go to the Church of the Gcsu 
 on Sunday afternoon to hear i7 dialogo, the dialogue. Of 
 course, I took advantage of the opportunity and went at the 
 appointed hour. The Gcsu is, as the name implies, the 
 Church of the Society of Jesus, and is attached to the 
 mother-house. It is one of the most beautiful edifices in 
 the Eternal City, and perhaps one of the richest in decora- 
 tions in the world. 
 
 "When I reached the church I found it filled to over- 
 flowing. At one side of the nave was a raised platform on 
 
 263
 
 i. IFF OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 a level with the shoulders of the standers, for in Roman 
 churches there are no pews, and very few chairs. On this 
 platform were two priests in the Jesuit habit, and long 
 cloaks. It was a genuine dialogue, and the subject, sug- 
 gested no doubt by the feast, the Solemnity of the Rosary, 
 was the popular devotion. The method of treatment, though 
 common in Rome, was to me quite novel. One of the priests 
 advanced all the difficulties that Protestants commonly ex- 
 perience in regard to the Rosary. He played his part well, 
 and put forward the objections as strongly as possible. The 
 other priest refuted each difficulty as it was presented. 
 
 "Have we not in this Roman custom the suggestion of 
 the modern 'Question Box' system? We think, however, 
 that the dialogue has the advantage. For, in the first place, 
 it is all viva voce. Then the objector can urge his difficulty 
 until it is thoroughly answered. Again, the difficulty is put 
 in the best manner possible. Lastly, only one difficulty, or 
 several intimately connected, comes under discussion at the 
 same meeting, instead of a heterogeneous collection of dis- 
 parate objections. 
 
 "Well, the discussion at which we were present was most 
 animated, and was by no means a dry talk. Oratory in a 
 high degree was displayed on both sides. Of course, 'truth 
 is mighty/ and on this occasion, as on all others, it pre- 
 vailed. The adversary admitted the cogency of the argu- 
 ments and after a brave struggle knelt at the feet of the 
 defender and publicly acknowledged his own defeat and the 
 force of the statement of the true doctrine. He then apol- 
 ogized for having played the part of the devil's advocate. 
 The whole affair was very instructive and helpful. Some 
 one might ask if it were not dangerous to put difficulties 
 about Catholic doctrines or devotions before the faithful 
 
 204
 
 THE MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART 
 
 who have no doubts. The answer is that of course there 
 would be danger if the defender were not thoroughly 
 versed both in the matter and in the manner of putting it, 
 so that the truth is shown in convincing light, and this is 
 always seen in the choice of the defender. 
 
 "In the dialogue the difficulties are fairly and squarely 
 stated, for truth has nothing to fear from the statement of 
 its opposing errors, rather they are the shadows that serve 
 to throw out in stronger relief the lightsome truth. To the 
 objection that a genuine Protestant could possibly state 
 more clearly his objections than a Catholic, we reply that 
 there is nothing new under the sun, and that any Protestant 
 objection has been stated hundreds of times, and as often 
 refuted, so that any well-in formed Catholic, especially a 
 priest, whose business it is to refute error, can readily mas- 
 ter the objections and state them fairly. Such dialogues, 
 well prepared and well given, would doubtless attract large 
 crowds of Catholics and non-Catholics. 
 
 "At the one in Rome of which we are writing, we listened 
 with interest to all the objections and refutations, and went 
 away strengthened in the faith and in devotion to the 
 Mother of (iod. Of course the pith of all Protestant objec- 
 tions to the Rosary is the misconception of the position of 
 the Virgin Mother in the divine economy of the Incarna- 
 tion. We might go even further and say that that great 
 mystery of the Incarnate God is not clearly grasped. Hence 
 a confused idea about Christ is common, and consequently 
 about His Mother. If the unity of the Person of Christ is 
 not understood, and the rights that it conveys to Mary lobe 
 called the Mother of God, because mother according to the 
 flesh of a Divine Person, then we need not wonder that 
 Protestants should hesitate or refuse to give Our Lady what 
 
 205
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 belongs to her precisely because the God-man called her 
 mother. Of course motherhood connotes only the human 
 nature, but in Christ this was possessed by a Divine Person. 
 The unique privilege of the Blessed Virgin, although rais- 
 ing her to a peerless position, still leaves her in the rank of 
 creatures, and no instructed Catholic ever did, or ever could, 
 give her divine honors, which belong to God alone. 
 
 "A common objection to the Rosary arises from the fact 
 that the Hail Mary is repeated ten times to one Our Father. 
 This, say the Protestants, proves that Catholics honor the 
 Virgin Mary ten times more than God. The difficulty falls 
 by its own weight. The Hail Mary is the announcement 
 of the Incarnation, and is based entirely on this mystery. It 
 begins with the salutation of Elizabeth, whose son, still in 
 her womb, felt the power of the Incarnation when sanctified 
 at the sound of Mary's voice, and so the Mother of Christ's 
 forerunner declares that the 'fruit of Mary's womb is 
 blessed,' and marvels that the 'Mother of her Lord' should 
 come to her. Then Mary is invoked precisely as Mother of 
 God, and so as one having power with her divine Son. The 
 honor given to the mother passes on to the son, and the son 
 and the mother are inseparable in the divine economy of 
 the Incarnation. If the Hail Mary is repeated ten times, so 
 does it ten times glorify both son and mother, even as we 
 are taught to do by the Archangel Gabriel and the mother 
 of St. John the Baptist, Saint Elizabeth, who were the first 
 to utter 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed 
 art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy 
 womb.' 
 
 "But, argue Protestants, why so many vain repetitions 
 at all? Did not Christ positively forbid them? Yes, He 
 condemned vain repetitions such as the heathen were wont 
 
 266
 
 THE MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART 
 
 to utter, but assuredly not the heartfelt repeating of inspired 
 words full of meaning. In fact, He Himself gave us an 
 example of using the same words over and over again when 
 He prayed so earnestly during His agony in the Garden of 
 Gethsemani. So He by no means forbade repetitions, but 
 only vain or empty ones, plitting not the matter but the 
 manner under condemnation. Could the meditation of the 
 principal mysteries of His own life be displeasing to Him? 
 Yet this is what is done in the Rosary. The beautiful fa- 
 miliar prayers help to fix the attention on this particular 
 phase of the life of Christ under consideration. The lips 
 move, the voice is raised, but so too is the mind, and the 
 heart is inflamed witli devotion. Mystery after mystery in 
 the life of the God-man and His Blessed Mother unfolds 
 itself as food for meditation and imitation from the joyful 
 Annunciation to the Coronation of the same Holy Mary in 
 heaven. Through all the stages of His earthly career does 
 the pious meditation follow the Divine Master in the joyful, 
 sorrowful and glorious mysteries. 
 
 "But why repeat the Our Father and Hail Mary so often ? 
 One of each well said would be sufficient. Are repetitions 
 of assurances of love tedious to the lover's ears? Do they 
 ever tire of hearing the same old story over and over again? 
 Docs it not become all the dearer by the repetition? What 
 parent ever wishes his child to cease relating his pretty 
 baby tale of love? So it is with Almighty God, who never 
 wearies of our prayers. In truth, was it not Our Lord 
 Himself who taught us His prayer and bade us when we 
 pray to use it? Did He limit its use to once at a time? If 
 not, and He certainly did not, we are free, nay, rather en- 
 joined by Him to use it frequently: 'When you pray, say 
 Our Father,' and so forth. Thus He gave us a method of 
 
 207
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 prayer, and hade us pray without ceasing. So Catholics 
 consider the Rosary as one of their choicest treasures, and 
 it is suited to the wants of all, for it is quite a mistake to 
 imagine that it is intended primarily or chiefly for those 
 who cannot read, and the educated do not appreciate it. All 
 the clerics from our Holy Father, the Pope, down to the 
 tonsured, all religious orders and congregations of men and 
 women are accustomed to recite the beads daily, and in well 
 regulated households it is still the custom to call the 
 members of the family together at night to say the Rosary 
 in common before retiring. 
 
 "Of late years the Rosary has grown in popularity, 
 thanks to the repeated encyclical letters of Leo XIII recom- 
 mending its use in general and enjoining it especially during 
 the month of October. A very helpful way to recite it in 
 private is to insert after the Holy Name the particular mys- 
 tery tinder consideration. For instance, while considering 
 the Nativity, to add after the name Jesus 'Who wast born 
 of thee a Virgin' ; or on the fourth sorrowful mystery, 'Who 
 didst bear the Cross for us.' In this way the meditation is 
 much helped. 
 
 "Experience has shown that the Rosary affords a very 
 efficient method of public prayer. The variety offered by- 
 one giving out the beads and the others answering is suffi- 
 cient to avoid monotony without being too much of a strain 
 on the mind. Of course a mere mechanical recitation should 
 be avoided and a reasonable attention given. It will be an 
 aid always to say the beads for some particular intention 
 which will rouse one's interest, and make one pray as if in 
 earnest, and resolved to gain one's petition." 
 
 When the Central Bureau of the Apostleship of Prayer 
 
 208
 
 THE MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART 
 
 was transferred to New York in September. 1894, Father 
 Van Rensselaer found himself face to face with the men's 
 clubs and associations with which his whole life was to be 
 subsequently identified. His occupations in the Apostleship, 
 however, prevented him from having anything to do with 
 their direction and organization; but at last, after repeated 
 solicitations with superiors, his connection with the Apostle- 
 ship and the Messenger of the Sacred Heart came to an end. 
 
 20U
 
 T 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 THE XAVIER CLUB. 
 
 HE Xavier Club was one of Father Van Rensselaer's 
 pet enterprises and the first organization of young 
 men founded by him after he had been fairly launched upon 
 his work in New York. The idea did not take shape at 
 once, but was rather a development, albeit a rapid one. The 
 Rev. Theodore Thiry, known to more than one generation 
 of New Yorkers as the staunch friend and spiritual guide 
 of an almost countless host of boys and men and the founder 
 and director of sodalities and societies which accomplished 
 untold benefit to thousands, had but recently been summoned 
 to his reward. His loss was indeed sorely felt; many thought 
 and said his place could never be filled. This was indeed 
 true, but the hand of the Lord was not shortened, and while 
 many were still mourning Father Thiry's death a new apos- 
 tle of young men was already in the field. 
 
 Father Van Rensselaer first thought of a parish club, and 
 as early as 1889 he drew up a list of members who had de-, 
 clared themselves willing to give him their cordial support. 
 The list is still to be seen in manuscript among his papers. 
 Discussion and deliberation followed. There were many 
 Catholic young men connected with various clubs and so- 
 cieties throughout the'city, a goodly number of whom had 
 been attracted to these organizations through their interest 
 or prowess in athletics. Why not gather them all into one 
 society, where athletics would be the dominating element? 
 So the Xavier Club was started on its long and brilliant 
 career. 
 
 270
 
 THE XAVIER CLUB 
 
 It had no religious obligations connected with its mem- 
 bership and for that Father Van Rensselaer was frequently 
 taken to task, but in this, as in other matters, the censors 
 did not sway him. He had an idea which he followed per- 
 sistently, that his personal influence would be powerful 
 enough to induce his gymnasts and runners and bowlers to 
 perform their religious duties, which perhaps they would 
 balk at if they had to acquit themselves of their obligations 
 in the presence of others and with a certain amount of 
 parade. After all, men are not all made alike, and what 
 will suit one will be distasteful to another. But there is no 
 doubt that their zealous director did not let them choose 
 their own gait or go as they pleased. He followed them un- 
 remittingly, to bring them back if they strayed, or to keep 
 them in the right path if they were faithful. He knew as 
 well as anyone else that much may be said on both sides of 
 the question of such clubs: that they are not Church asso- 
 ciations, that they are detrimental to family life, and the 
 like; but, on the other hand, that they exist by scores outside 
 the Church and in surroundings that are professedly antag- 
 onistic; wherefore he proposed to take conditions as he 
 found them and try to get what good might be obtained by 
 such aggregations. Men, especially young men. cannot be 
 prevented from entering them, and so he took them at their 
 weak point. 
 
 The formal opening of the club took place on December 
 10, 1889. Its quarters were at first in a spacious old-fash- 
 ioned mansion which various societies connected with St. 
 Francis Xavier's had occupied until Father Van Rensselaer 
 secured the cooperation of his superiors in carrying out his 
 pet project of establishing an association for young men. 
 A few years later two adjoining dwellings opposite the col- 
 
 271
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 lege were secured and thoroughly reconstructed for the new 
 uses to which they were to be put. The new club house was 
 the finest and most commodious owned by any parish club 
 in New York. In fact, there were many much more pre- 
 tentious clubs which were not so handsomely housed. The 
 membership was not confined to the parish of St. Francis 
 Xavier, however, but included young men from all parts of 
 the city. It was distinctly a young men's club, nine-tenths 
 of the members being between eighteen and thirty, and was 
 restricted to Catholics. The initiation fee was two dollars 
 and the dues three dollars a year. 
 
 In the basement, which had a twenty- foot ceiling, there 
 was a thoroughly equipped gymnasium, with a suspended 
 running track 260 feet in length, four bowling alleys and 
 six baths. On the next floor, the parlor, reading-room and 
 library were on one side, and on the other a music-room 
 seating from four hundred to five hundred people. These 
 rooms were beautifully fitted up. The floors were polished, 
 the ceilings frescoed and the walls hung with oil paintings, 
 water-colors and etchings, while rich rugs covered the floors, 
 and mirrors and crystal chandeliers added to the beauty of 
 the rooms. The reading-room was supplied with the lead- 
 ing newspapers, magazines and periodicals, besides a library 
 of about a thousand volumes of standard works. 
 
 On the next floor were a large waiting-room and a card 
 room of course, no gambling was allowed and on the 
 third floor the smoking room, fitted up with lounges, easy 
 chairs and other comfortable surroundings. On this floor 
 were also several class rooms, where free instruction was 
 given in stenography, typewriting, drawing, etc. The whole 
 top floor was used as a billiard room and was one of the 
 
 272
 
 THE XAVIER CLUB 
 
 finest private billiard rooms in the city. It had four billiard 
 and four pool tables. 
 
 One large room was given up to the meetings of the 
 Literary Society of St. Francis Xavier's parish. This 
 society had long enjoyed an enviable reputation for the high 
 character of its frequent dramatic performances and literary 
 exhibitions. It had been founded many years before by 
 Father Thiry, and Father Van Rensselaer now became its 
 Moderator. 
 
 The government of the Xavier Club was lodged in a gov- 
 erning committee, the power of appointment being vested in 
 the Moderator. We get a glimpse of the quiet and perva- 
 sive influence of the man at the helm in the following extract 
 of a letter from one of the members of the club : 
 
 "Father Van was eminently straight and sincere. He had 
 such a way of winning one's confidence that few of the 
 young men could come in close contact with him without 
 making a complete manifestation of conscience. I brought 
 one of my older brothers to the Xavier Club one night. 
 Father Van captured him at once and brought him into his 
 office. When the captive came out he remarked: 'A nice 
 trick to play on a fellow ; he got everything out of me.' 
 From that day onward the victim of the trick was his de- 
 voted ally. His characteristics are well known. He moved 
 among the young men without making his presence felt and 
 at the same time exercised a remarkable influence on them. 
 He was one of the crowd rather than the prefect. 
 
 "There was no refusing Father Van Rensselaer when he 
 put you to do what was for your good; indeed, he never 
 seemed to expect a refusal. A young man, a new member, 
 came into the Club one evening. 'John,' said the Director, 
 
 273
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 'I want you to be a Promoter of the League of the Sacred 
 Heart,' and taking hold of me by the shoulder he added : 
 'Here's the first of your band.' I say what I know, that 
 Promoter did his work afterwards. I got my League leaf- 
 lets regularly while I was in the city." 
 
 The enrolment for the Xavier Club steadily rose from a 
 few hundred in 1890 to twenty-two hundred in 1893. It 
 had its difficult times in the beginning with schism and even 
 incipient riot, but the tact of Father Van Rensselaer suc- 
 ceeded in aiding it to weather the storms. In the great 
 athletic meets of the country its name figures extensively, 
 and always at the top of the list. Possibly in these days, 
 when the Holy Father has athletic societies show their 
 prowess in his presence, such instrumentalities may receive 
 a new impetus. 
 
 The most remarkable appearance that "Father Van" ever 
 made in public was perhaps in the memorable Columbus 
 parade, when the first of the Catholic societies swung into 
 line at midday and the last man passed the grandstand at 
 one o'clock in the morning. It was night when Father Van 
 Kensselaer, on horseback, for he was a good horseman, at 
 the head of the Xavier Club, his Deaf Mute Societies, and 
 others which he had founded or was active in promoting, 
 came into sight. The transparencies, the torches, the roman 
 candles, the paraphernalia of the various associations made 
 it a notable section of the procession, while the shouts and 
 the cheers that greeted the leader gave ample proof of the 
 l>opularity he enjoyed. The men in line responded. There 
 was a detachment carrying a banner with the legend that 
 they were the Xavier Deaf Mutes. Behind them, not sep- 
 arated by a sufficient interval, were some more Xavier 
 
 274
 
 THE XAVIER CLUB 
 
 marchers. "Look at the poor deaf mutes and dumb boys," 
 exclaimed an old lady ; and just then the regulars burst out 
 with their club yell : "Hurrah! Hurrah! X-A-V-I-E-R ! " 
 
 -"Poor things," she continued, "it's the only consolation 
 the deaf mutes have, to hear themselves shout like that." 
 
 In the parade on that occasion the Xavier Club had more 
 young men in line than any other single organization, and 
 the fine showing made by them and their co-religionists 
 drew forth at the time the following spirited editorial from 
 the New York Sun: 
 
 "The Roman Catholic parade on Tuesday night was a 
 demonstration of great interest and significance. It is not 
 remarkable that many thousands of those devoted to that 
 faith were in the long line, and that Fifth avenue was 
 crowded with applauding spectators, for the Roman Church 
 comprises in its fold the great majority of the Christian 
 believers of New York. The impressiveness and the deep 
 significance of the parade came from the fact that nearly 
 all those who took part in it were young men. 
 
 "At this period it is assumed in many quarters that reli- 
 gious skepticism is prevalent, among the younger genera- 
 tion more especially, whether Catholic or Protestant. The 
 sons are said to be falling away from the faith of the fathers 
 and feminine devotion is described as chiefly active in keep- 
 ing alive the flame of religious belief. The descendants of 
 Roman Catholic immigrants are supposed to have shaken 
 off their ancient faith in a large measure, to have become 
 comparatively indifferent to it, and to have passed beyond 
 the power of priestly control. 
 
 "To some extent, doubtless, this is true. The Roman 
 
 875
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Catholic Church needs to make strenuous and persistent 
 efforts to keep its hold on the children of its spiritual house- 
 hold who come hither from Europe. But that the diversion 
 from its ranks was not important was demonstrated by this 
 remarkable parade of many thousands of young men. The 
 recent Christian Endeavor Convention showed that among 
 young Protestants also, the incursions of skepticism have 
 not been as serious as they seemed superficially. 
 
 "The circumstance that these Roman Catholic youth and 
 young men came out in numbers so vast, proudly proclaim- 
 ing their faith to the world, proved the ardor and intensity 
 of their loyalty to the Church. They glory in being Roman 
 Catholics and bearing banners and wearing insignia which 
 make known to the multitude that they are unquestioning 
 in their religious allegiance and aggressive in behalf of the 
 doctrines of the Church of Rome. 'Church and Country,' 
 was the motto borne aloft by one of the societies, and it is 
 the motto of them all and their inspiring watchword. First 
 and foremost they count their spiritual citizenship; but that 
 their patriotic allegiance is enthusiastic also, they showed 
 by bearing and wearing the national colors as loyal citizens 
 of the republic. 
 
 "When young men are thus eager to turn out in multi- 
 tudes to manifest their fidelity to the Roman Catholic 
 Church and their subjection to its spiritual sway, one of the 
 secrets of its increasing power in this country is revealed. 
 The parade of Tuesday evening showed how deep the faith 
 of its followers is, and how ardent is their devotion to it, 
 though it makes no compromise with the modern spirit of 
 unbelief, but adheres the more stoutly and inflexibly to the 
 .-indent dogmas rejected by the contemporary skepticism, 
 which denies all supernatural religion whatsoever, 
 
 276
 
 THE XAVIER CLUB 
 
 "The religious sentiment is still the dominant force in the 
 world, and never in all history was it more passionate than 
 to-day." 
 
 The members of the Xavier Club will not forget what 
 they owe to their founder and director. As a memorial of 
 their esteem they donated $2,000 to found a scholarship 
 under his name in St. Francis Xavier's College. 
 
 277
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 VARIOUS WORKS OF ZEAL. 
 
 THE motive that actuated Father Van Rensselaer in es- 
 tablishing the Xavier Club naturally led him to be an 
 ardent supporter of the movement endorsed by the St. Vin- 
 cent de Paul Society to form boys' and girls' clubs. Here 
 again the old objection was made: "Why not keep these 
 boys and girls at home?" The answer was, they were not 
 at home, they were on the street ; and besides, that wealthy 
 Protestant churches of the city were sweeping them in by 
 thousands, amusing them, instructing them, getting them 
 situations, and weaning them from the Church. Perhaps 
 by showing an interest in them they might be drawn away 
 from proselytizing influences and ultimately induced to 
 spend their evenings at home, though the tenement house 
 conditions of New York made that a difficult proposition 
 to deal with. The front stoops and entries have their draw- 
 backs as well as club rooms, and so he gave the movement 
 his hearty support. 
 
 Shortly after the founding of the Xavier Club, Father 
 Van Rensselaer also started a club for working girls, the 
 Notre Dame Club. This flourished for a while, and many 
 ladies were interested in it. At the time of his departure 
 for the tertianship, the interest in the club diminished and 
 it finally passed out of existence. 
 
 The Religious of the Sacred Heart conducted a club for 
 girls after the school was removed from the Convent on 
 Seventeenth Street. When the house was finally sold and 
 the nuns left the neighborhood, the club was left homeless. 
 
 278
 
 VARIOUS WORKS OF ZEAL 
 
 loiter Father Van Rensselaer was instrumental in securing 
 quarters for it in the house adjoining the Nazareth Nursery 
 and the charge of the girls was assumed by the Children of 
 Mary, who are affiliated with the Religious of the Sacred 
 Heart. It was then called the Caritas Club, and continues 
 its good work in the same home which was provided by 
 Father Van Rensselaer. 
 
 It is almost like a contradiction to find this unwearied 
 apostle of men interested in babies. Connected as he was 
 with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, he knew the needs of 
 the poor and saw the advantage of a Day Nursery where 
 poor mothers who had to go out to work could leave their 
 little ones to be cared for. He therefore induced some of 
 his wealthy acquaintances to pay the expenses of a few 
 trained nurses, and then he went around begging for house- 
 furnishings and food. One friend promised a daily supply 
 of milk, another of bread, another of sugar; and though 
 the Day Nursery was started in 1901, the supplies thus 
 generously furnished have continued uninterruptedly till this 
 day. A store of drugs was also contributed to be used by 
 the sick poor. The nursery finally passed into the hands 
 of the Sisters of Charity, and one of Father Van Rensse- 
 laer's last works was to secure a house next to the convent 
 to give a permanent abiding place for the benevolent work. 
 
 In one instance of which we have been told, and doubtless 
 it is but one of many, he went himself to take the children 
 of a sick woman to the Nursery, that they might have the 
 happiness of going to the country with other little ones for 
 a two weeks' holiday. He carried the little baby in his arms 
 and tenderly led the two others, who could scarcely walk 
 without his helping hand. At the end of the two weeks he 
 restored the children to their sick mother. 
 
 279
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 As was to be expected of a zealous man, he was most 
 resourceful in the cause of charity. In 189-4 his sister had 
 charge of Seton Hospital for consumptives, which at that 
 time had no allowance from the city and no means of sup- 
 porting free patients. He at once organized an association 
 to collect money for so deserving an object. He called it 
 appropriately the "Hospitallers of Christ." There was a 
 pretty badge and rich spiritual benefits for the members. 
 The motto was : "The Charity of Christ Presseth Us." He 
 did not stop there, but interested in the work some of his 
 faithful friends in the Fire Department, who every month 
 brought in the contributions which they had collected for 
 the Hospitallers, thus aiding in the support of many con- 
 sumptives among the poor. 
 
 Father Van Rensselaer was one of the first to take up the 
 work of the Catholic seamen. He had Promoters of the 
 League of the Sacred Heart on the different liners that came 
 into port, and they were so zealous in their work that it was 
 not an unusual thing, when a vessel was docked, to find 
 "Father Van's" spiritual auxiliary, the Promoter, leading 
 to St. Francis Xavier's Church as many as fifty oilers, stok- 
 ers and sailors to go to confession and receive Holy Com- 
 munion. This went on until the diocese took up the work 
 and appointed a permanent chaplain to look after the sea- 
 men. 
 
 We have before us the list of Promoters which he care- 
 fully kept, dating back to 1896, the year in which the Sea- 
 men's Reading Room was established. There is a letter 
 written on the S.S. Campania, November 30, 1896, and 
 signed by four seamen, three of whom are found on Father 
 Van Rensselaer's list. They are thanking Father McCor- 
 mick. their new Director, for the efforts made in their 
 
 280
 
 VARIOUS WORKS OF ZEAL 
 
 behalf, but they do not forget their old friend. It is worth 
 giving in full: 
 
 "S.S. CAMPANIA, 
 
 "November 30, 1896. 
 "REV. FATHER McCoRMicK: 
 
 "We, the undersigned, acting on behalf of the Greasers, 
 Firemen and Trimmers on the above steamer, fully realize 
 the endeavor made by the Committee of the Catholic Read- 
 ing Room to make our stay in New York as comfortable 
 as possible, both spiritually and socially, and ask you to 
 convey to them our sincere thanks, accompanied by the en- 
 closed amount, being the result of a collection, of nine 
 pounds, fourteen shillings, and to assure them of our love, 
 respect and gratitude. We also desire to thank Rev. Father 
 Van Rensselaer for the kindness he has always shown 
 towards us. Trusting, Rev. Father, that you will accept 
 this as a sincere token of the love and the reverence we feel 
 towards yourself and the Committee, we are, Rev. Father, 
 "Sincerely yours, 
 
 "JOSEPH HARRINGTON, 
 "JOHN DIXON, 
 "JAMES ASHE, 
 "JOHN ROCHE. 
 "Signed in behalf of the Greasers, Firemen and Trimmers." 
 
 The Fathers of St. Francis Xavier's in New York have 
 for many years carried on a mission among the Deaf Mutes. 
 Father Costin, as early as 1869, had learned the language 
 in the Deaf Mute Institute at Fordham; Father Freeman 
 succeeded him and went regularly to the city to teach the 
 silent brethren, whom he had contrived to gather together, 
 
 281
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 in the college hall ; and so it went on from year to year, 
 several of the Fathers being- able to converse in the sign 
 language. On any Sunday at the present time you may see 
 a group of sign-makers engaged in active conversation out- 
 side the College door after the congregation is dismissed. 
 Besides the union for strictly apostolic work, various liter- 
 ary, benevolent and dramatic associations had also been 
 organized among them. The dramatic element asserted itself 
 frequently, and every year theatrical representations of gor- 
 geously costumed five-act dramas were given before large 
 audiences which talked incessantly -across the hall to people 
 in the opposite seats without, however, causing any audible 
 disturbance. The acting was, of course, all pantomime, but 
 most artistically performed, affording continual pleasure to 
 the eye. Some one behind the scenes interpreted meantime 
 for the afflicted part of the audience who could hear, but 
 could not understand. 
 
 This dramatic association and most of the others had for 
 one reason or another been disrupted, and the deaf-mutes 
 were held together only by the bond of their religious neces- 
 sities. But the Good Samaritan came in the person of 
 Father Van Rensselaer. He did not know a word of the 
 sign language, but in some mysterious way he succeeded in 
 binding up the wounds of the various organizations, set 
 them on their feet again, gave them the wine and oil of his 
 advice, and all are now rejoicing in their former vigor. The 
 glory of this resurrection is accorded by the present Direc- 
 tor of Deaf-mutes to Father Van Rensselaer. Indeed, the 
 various societies themselves convened after his death and 
 framed a set of resolutions which they published in all the 
 local Catholic papers. 
 
 Such was the character of his work. He never waited to 
 
 282
 
 VARIOUS WORKS OF ZEAL 
 
 be approached. He was out hunting for souls and always 
 acting in obedience to the command: Compellc intrare. He 
 was called long distances to visit the sick beds of the timid 
 or obdurate, and it was a common thing for sinners who 
 were not sick to be sent to him, "for he was easy with men." 
 One poor fellow had been induced by his friends to go 
 down to see him, and so one night while "Father Van" was 
 seated in his confessional he saw the newcomer nervously 
 going about studying the names on the confessionals. He 
 was on the point of giving up, not finding the one for which 
 he was looking. His spiritual agitation had driven it out 
 of his mind. Father Van Rensselaer came out to help him : 
 "Are you looking for anybody in particular?" "I am," 
 said the other. "Well, what is his name?" "I don't know ; 
 I've forgotten it. Maybe it was Kelleher or Kinsella, or 
 something like that." As Kelleher and Kinsella were near 
 enough to Rensselaer, he had evidently found his man, or 
 his man had found him, and it took but a short time to put 
 the best robe on the poor shamefaced prodigal. 
 
 It was not, however, for the ordinary sinner that he felt 
 an attraction. He sought the most abandoned ones, visited 
 them in prisons, and stood with them on the scaffold, al- 
 though his almost feminine aversion for anything shocking 
 or ghastly prompted him to avoid that kind of work. He 
 was a constant visitor to the cell of Carlyle Harris at Sing 
 Sing, and succeeded in making him a Catholic before he 
 was executed. 
 
 Were a visitor at the College of St. Francis Xavier to 
 glance at one of the parlors on any Wednesday night, he 
 would see it crowded with men of all conditions. In the 
 midst of them sat Father Van Rensselaer. He was pre- 
 paring them for baptism. He kept up the work year in and 
 
 283
 
 LIFE OF T1ENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 year out ; new groups taking the place of the old ones. How 
 many men he thus brought to the Faith we have no means 
 of determining at the present moment, but the persistency 
 with which lie continued the exacting labor, even when 
 suffering from the ailment which finally carried him off, is 
 worthy of all praise. Of course his work lives after him, 
 and this class of instruction for converts is continued after 
 the methods which he adopted. 
 
 284
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 IN THE MINISTRY. 
 
 THE casual observer would not have imagined that 
 Father Van Rensselaer was the kind of a person that 
 men of all classes would take to. He was tall, handsome, 
 refined, well-built, well set up; a most presentable man in 
 many ways, indeed, but there was nothing of the hail-fellow- 
 well-met in him. He was not expansive, hearty, jovial, 
 witty, and he lacked many of the qualities that make for 
 companionship and sociability. Indeed, he was rather fem- 
 inine in his general ways and manner of approach, but he 
 was undeniably a favorite. His refusal to undertake the 
 direction of women, his evident desire to win men to the 
 practice of religion, and his unsparing labor in pursuit of 
 that end always assured him a welcome, and made success 
 a foregone conclusion. His boldness in accosting men of all 
 conditions of life, even total strangers wherever or when- 
 ever he met them, on the street, in the cars, on steamboats, 
 in stores, in social gatherings, was at times startling, and 
 one would fancy exposed him to insults and rebuke for 
 what might seem his meddlesome officiousness ; but he does 
 not seem to have met with any such rebuffs. Perhaps his 
 very boldness in inquiring so abruptly and so audaciously 
 about a man's spiritual condition or religious belief, took 
 from the individual he addressed the power of making what 
 would have been thought the natural reply. 
 
 A careful study of the man and his methods leads to the 
 conclusion that laying aside the supernatural influence of 
 
 285
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 grace which always aids the zealous priest in his quest of 
 souls, the key to Father Van Rensselaer's success with men 
 is to be found in his personal interest in every one he under- 
 took to help or to convert. It was very gratifying- for one 
 to be able to look upon this noble priest as a personal friend. 
 One could not help believing that such was the case when 
 he saw that the interest of his spiritual guide never flagged. 
 Meet him once and you knew him or rather he knew you 
 forever. Years of absence did not obliterate the casual ac- 
 quaintance from his memory. He could always begin the 
 conversation where it was broken off at the last meeting. 
 He was ready with an inquiry about health or family or 
 employment, always winding up with a reference to the care 
 of the man's soul. 
 
 The success of some leaders among men is often attrib- 
 uted to their wonderful power of recalling names or faces. 
 With such a memory was "Father Van" gifted to a re- 
 markable degree. He rarely missed a name, and it was 
 usually by the familiar Christian name Tom or John or 
 Mike that he addressed them. It was a familiarity that in- 
 creased confidence, but never lessened respect. 
 
 The method of appointing a day and hour to meet him 
 at the rectory was another effective way of capturing his 
 quarry. An entry in his diary like the following shows how 
 he worked : "Andy M. Fireman, Friday at 2, and two 
 policemen." He was well aware that true conversion means 
 a complete change of heart, and he employed all the re- 
 sourcefulness of his wide and varied experience to help him 
 to move the will of the most hardened. Some one said that 
 it was not safe for a sinner to be three minutes in his com- 
 pany. An instance or two may illustrate this. 
 
 On one occasion he was assisting at a mission in the 
 
 286
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 parish of a distinguished and zealous pastor who was con- 
 spicuous in the attention that both he and his curates gave 
 to their flock. One morning the barber came to the house 
 for the usual exercise of his skill. Father Van Rensselaer 
 took his turn in the chair, and before the operation was fin- 
 ished he found that the man with the razor and brush was 
 a lapsed Catholic who had been some years away from his 
 duty. Getting him to confession was, of course, easy, and 
 to the astonishment of the worthy pastor, who tells the story 
 himself, the man who had been so close to him for so long 
 a time, and whose spiritual condition he never even sus- 
 pected, was made suddenly, by an outsider, a devout mem- 
 ber of the parish. 
 
 Another example may be quoted as illustrative of this 
 rapidity of apostolic work. Standing at the grave of the 
 father of one of his devoted friends, he said something or 
 other to the husbands of two of the mourners, and discov- 
 ered what he had not known before, that they were not 
 Catholics. Possibly the earth falling on the coffin gave 
 point to his words, but at all events, there in the cemetery, 
 before the homeward procession left the gates, the conver- 
 sion of the two men began, and to the delight of every one 
 they were shortly afterwards baptized, and have ever since 
 proved excellent Catholics. What gives point to the inci- 
 dent is that there was a priest in the family, a close relative 
 of the two men who were so expeditiously transferred to the 
 Lord's household. 
 
 Suavity and gentleness usually characterized his inter- 
 course with ojhers, but there were times when something 
 akin to rudeness ap|>eared in his manner of dealing with 
 men which came like a shock to the chance observer. 
 
 A member of a theatrical company, a man long negligent 
 
 287
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 of his religious duties, paid him a visit one day, persuaded, 
 no doubt, by some one in the troupe, for the friends of 
 Father Van Rensselaer were everywhere. The priest took 
 his visitor into the fine church and then into the sacristy, 
 where he showed him the rich vestments and the sanctuary 
 treasures. It was a commendable device, adopted doubtless 
 in order to bring into the presence of his Maker one who 
 had not been inside a sacred edifice for many years. He 
 was shown even some of the precious vessels which the 
 priest took from the massive safe where they are kept for 
 greater security when not in use. The visitor was so 
 charmed with the beauty of a gold chalice studded with 
 precious stones that in a moment of abstraction he stretched 
 out his hand to touch it. As he did so he received from 
 Father Van Rensselaer a smart blow on the back of his 
 hand. 
 
 The blow was so severe that the narrator seemed to feel 
 the pain of it when telling the story long after. He turned 
 to "Father Van" with a look of expostulation, but was so 
 astounded that for the moment he said nothing. "Don't 
 you know that a layman is not allowed to handle a conse- 
 crated vessel of the altar?" Well, he had not known it, but 
 the blow drove the lesson home. He apologized for the 
 unintentional irreverence, and perhaps the shame and con- 
 fusion he felt brought with it the grace of sorrow and re- 
 pentance. Certainly before leaving he made his reconcilia- 
 tion with God through the Sacrament of Penance, became a 
 frequent communicant and has remained so ever since. 
 
 An actress once came to Father Van Rensselaer. Per- 
 haps it was a friendly visit; more likely it was with the 
 intention of beginning a sadly needed reformation. He 
 would not hear her confession, but advised her to go to some 
 
 288
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 one else. Before dismissing her, however, he said : "There 
 are many Catholic young women on the stage, and some of 
 them doubtless you meet from time to time, do you not? 
 Well, I wish you to gather as many as you can into the 
 Apostleship of Prayer. Tell them about the morning offer- 
 ing and see that they get their leaflet every month. Don't 
 be too aggressive, for you may overdo and thus spoil your 
 work." This person became a most exemplary Catholic and 
 to-day exercises a commendable apostolate among women. 
 
 Down in one of the Southern States bordering on the 
 Gulf of Mexico is the foreman of a gang of miners 
 (workers in iron) he is a model to his men and all look 
 up to him with respect. He attends Mass daily and is a 
 frequent communicant. Father Van Rensselaer met him 
 years ago on one of the tug-boats in the harbor of New 
 York and coaxed him to go to confession. It was for him 
 the beginning of a new life. 
 
 Many a time was Father Van Rensselaer sent for from 
 different parts of the city to visit men who had neglected 
 their religion, perhaps for years, and who on their death- 
 beds refused to see any other priest than "Father Van." He 
 always found the way to win their souls. 
 
 Two hundred miles from New York two pious women 
 lived with their old father, who had long neglected his 
 church. They heard of the New York priest and of his zeal 
 and success with men. Without any misgiving they under- 
 took the journey to the distant city and asked their father 
 to accompany them. The result was what they anticipated. 
 Not only was the sinner reconciled after the carelessness 
 and indifference of twenty years, but on returning to his 
 home he was constantly singing the praises of "Father 
 Van," as "one of the grandest men God ever made.''
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 What impression, one may ask, did Father Van Rens- 
 selaer make on the stranger, one, for example who came to 
 New York from a distance and casually saw him or heard 
 him preach? The following letter from one who lives many 
 miles from New York may help us to know : 
 
 "I, of course, often heard of Father Van Rensselaer, but 
 never saw him until a few years ago, when I was in New 
 York and went one Sunday to the high Mass at St. Francis 
 Xavier's, and heard a sermon preached after the dreadful 
 Slocum disaster. I was so deeply impressed by it, as well 
 as by the priest who preached it, that at the door I asked 
 who he was. I never heard more devotion or feeling in a 
 voice than in his who answered me, 'That's our Father 
 Van/ Two years ago, seeing a funeral at the church, I went 
 in for the Mass and afterward Father Van came down and 
 stood in the vestibule. I was impelled to go and speak to 
 him, and have never forgotten his cordiality nor his beau- 
 tiful smile as he answered my questions. I read in the paper 
 of his attack last spring and watched carefully for news of 
 him. His death was really a shock to me and my eyes are 
 full of tears as I am writing, as they have been many times 
 since I read of his death." 
 
 Father Van Rensselaer's mother often made her son the 
 agent of her charity. Making the round of parish visits, 
 he came upon an exquisitely clean little woman who lived in 
 a rear tenement. She was quilting industriously and Father 
 Van asked her how much she could make at the work. She 
 told him that by working steadily all day she earned a 
 dollar and a half a week, and that after paying her rent she 
 had but one dollar left for food for the month. From that 
 
 290
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 day the rent was paid by Mrs. Van Rensselaer, and when 
 the latter died ten years later the charity was continued in 
 her memory by one of her daughters. 
 
 Two poor old women sisters lived alone in one of the 
 crowded tenement houses of the parish. Apart from the 
 help given them by Mrs. Van Rensselaer they had no means 
 of support. One day a neighbor called to see them and 
 found Father Van in his shirtsleeves preparing tea for his 
 charges, who were both sick abed. It was a very emphatic 
 way of teaching a lesson to the other tenants of the house, 
 and once the story got out, the good old people received 
 every attention from the neighbors. Again, he was dis- 
 covered on his knees scrubbing the floor of a little kitchen 
 of one of his poor parishioners who lay sick in a room ad- 
 joining. Dirt and disease had no terrors for the good 
 priest, who ministered just as lovingly to the sick in unclean 
 surroundings as to those who were clean and cared for by 
 relatives. 
 
 A New York society woman, one day talking with Father 
 Van Rensselaer, made a flippant and somewhat irreverent 
 remark about the screen which divides the priest and peni- 
 tent in the confessional. Father Van Rensselaer adminis- 
 tered a severe reproof, and his reproof made such an im- 
 pression that, in memory of Father Van Rensselaer, she has 
 ordered a handsome confessional to be made after a special 
 design for the new Spanish church uptown. She is not yet 
 a Catholic. 
 
 One day Father Van Rensselaer was seen on Sixth Ave- 
 nue with two men who were very drunk. He took them to 
 a drug store. Some one asked him about it in joke; he 
 blushed and said that the two men were freight handlers in 
 the Lackawanna yards and it was their off day. Temptation 
 
 291
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 had overtaken them and they had spent all their money in 
 a saloon. He was taking them to a drug store to give them 
 each a dose of bromide to straighten them up so that they 
 might be fit to report for work and not lose their jobs. To 
 make sure of this, he sent a man down to the yards with 
 them. 
 
 In these and countless other instances of his charity 
 known to the recording angel only, one is forcibly reminded 
 of St. Paul, who appealed to the clergy of Ephesus as he 
 was bidding them a sad farewell, "for they should see his 
 face no more." To them he recounted in general the good 
 example he had ever given and he was able to add. "such 
 things as were needful for me and for them that are with 
 me, these hands have furnished, I have showed you all 
 things, that so laboring you ought to support the weak and 
 to remember the word of the Lord Jesus, who said : It is a 
 more blessed thing to give than to receive." 
 
 On his way home from a sick call between one and two 
 o'clock in the morning, he saw a light in an upper window 
 and started to investigate. He must have known the house 
 and the residents of the parish very well, for he had no 
 hesitation in climbing the long flights of stairs until he 
 reached the room. He found there a man, one of his 
 parishioners, dangerously ill and without attendance. His 
 visit seemed miraculous, it was so unexpected and timely. 
 The explanation was simple: the good priest was like the 
 Good Shepherd, ever watching over his flock. No wonder 
 that the loss of this devoted priest has been so deeply felt, 
 and that the poor of St. Francis Xavier's parish hold him in 
 tender and loving remembrance. 
 
 Here is a story of two of his tramps, one of them a 
 Protestant They were "pals" and had been so for many 
 
 292
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 years, and "Father Van" was their sole friend. He had a 
 hard time keeping them straight, in fact, he can hardly be 
 said ever to have succeeded. But no matter how often they 
 fell into bad ways and broke the pledge as soon as they 
 sobered up they were back to the priest, knowing they de- 
 served reproof, but certain of a word of encouragement 
 from the tramps' friend. More than once they came to him 
 at night, especially during a severe winter when they were 
 out of work ; he saw that they had comfortable lodging for 
 the night and enough money, provided it was not used for 
 drink, to keep them from starving. His last kind service 
 was to get them work in a lumber camp in Maine, and it 
 was from this engagement they had just returned to New 
 York, when one of them blurted out this story. For six 
 months they had not touched a drop of liquor, not owing to 
 any drastic enforcement of the prohibition State, but rather 
 through fidelity to the last pledge taken from "Father Van." 
 A month I>efore they reached New York their indulgent 
 patron had been laid to rest. On their arrival in the city, 
 not having learned of his death, they made at once for 
 St. Francis Xavier's with all the bright expectations of 
 a happy meeting. Judge of their surprise and grief when 
 they heard that he was no more. Their only consolation 
 was a visit to the little cemetery at Fordham and a prayer 
 and a sob over his grave. 
 
 To ask how Father Van Rensselaer, with the multiplicity 
 of his engagements, was able to visit many hospitals far 
 apart at the petition of patients, who were cither acquainted 
 with him personally or thought of him in time of suffering 
 or when death was impending, is to seek to understand how 
 a man of zeal can do more than the ordinary worker. Where 
 there's a will there's a way, is as true of the spiritual activ- 
 
 298
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 ities of a priest as of anything else. The New York Hos- 
 pital was only a stone's throw from St. Francis Xavier's, 
 and naturally it was there that his fruitful ministry in be- 
 half of the sick was more frequently exercised. Father 
 Van Rensselaer was not persona grata with the officials of 
 that institution, though he had two relatives on the board 
 of directors, and Dr. Delafield, physician to the hospital, 
 was his brother-in-law. One might suppose that this would 
 have given him an entree denied to others. Not so; the 
 discipline of the hospital was to be strictly maintained; 
 it helped to order and efficiency. No Catholic would be 
 denied the comforts of his religion, but on the other hand 
 no priest would be admitted except at the request of the 
 patient. Were the rule rigidly enforced many a soul 
 would be lost, for frequently the patient is not aware of 
 the serious nature of his illness, perhaps has only occa- 
 sional moments of consciousness, or his friends are apa- 
 thetic or fear to alarm him, with the consequence that the 
 priest is never summoned or comes when his services 
 are of doubtful or no avail. Even when there is no imme- 
 diate danger of death, how often are the kind words of the 
 minister of Christ the instrument that sets in motion all the 
 wonderful machinery of God's saving grace. Father Van 
 Rensselaer chafed under the restrictions set by the hospital 
 officials, especially that regulation which allowed him to 
 help only the patient who had sent for him. In this hos- 
 pital a young man we had better call him "a Bowery 
 l)oy" quite friendless and alone, was lying ill on one of 
 the cots provided for such cases. He was unwilling to 
 call for a priest, rather he never thought of doing so, for 
 though baptized in infancy he had drifted away with the 
 children of the slums, one of the strays who had escaped 
 
 294
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 Father Drumgoole's net. If he had received his first Holy 
 Communion it was the only religious influence which had 
 entered into his life. A good Catholic woman, who on the 
 score of friendship was admitted to see him, placed a cru- 
 cifix at the foot of his bed which the dying man might see, 
 hoping that the sight of the emblem of salvation might sug- 
 gest a pious thought or aspiration from the lips, or better 
 still, from the heart of the sufferer. Shortly after the Good 
 Samaritan in the person of "Father Van" passed that way. 
 That day he had been summoned to a patient, and having 
 attended to his charge, he was on his way out. The sight 
 of the crucifix attracted his attention, and in that instant he 
 forgot all about the rules. "What's your name?" he said. 
 "Chimmie Quinn." The priest took his chair and drew near 
 the bed. He laid his hand on that of the sick lad and said : 
 "Put it there, Chimmie; now you and I are going to be 
 friends," and they were friends forthwith. The rest was 
 easy. The priest soon won his confidence and after hearing 
 the story of the lad's life, seeing no immediate danger, he 
 departed, with a promise he would soon come again. 
 Later the friend who had left the crucifix came to inquire 
 alxnit the condition of the sufferer and heard from 
 the nurse that he had only a few hours to live. She hastened 
 to summon Father Van Rensselaer. The church was only 
 a few steps away. She found him hearing confessions, for 
 it was Saturday, and as usual his confessional was sur- 
 rounded by young men and old, policemen, letter-carriers, 
 firemen, many in their respective uniforms, waiting for 
 their favorite, much beloved "Father Van." The priest 
 hurried to the hospital, which he reached in time to give 
 the consolations of religion to the repentant sinner. A 
 little group soon gathered and knelt at Jim's bedside, and 
 
 295
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 when he breathed his last "Father Van" took his place 
 among them. "A great wave of peace seemed to hover 
 over the living as well as the dead" as they said the De Pro- 
 fundis and murmured a Requiescat in Pace for Jim's 
 soul. 
 
 One day when he was in the Confessional a man came to 
 him and said : "Father, I am a Protestant, but I am in great 
 trouble. I have heard of you, although I am a stranger in 
 the city, and I thought you would help me." He had a 
 good position on the Isthmus and was going back to his 
 family, who lived in a neighboring city. He had quite a 
 sum of money when he arrived in New York, but falling 
 into the hands of sharpers had lost it all. He had no 
 money to get home. Father Van Rensselaer said : "I 
 have nothing to give you here. Go to a clergyman of your 
 own church and see what he will do for you." He gave 
 the man a little change for a night's lodging, and he went 
 off. The following day he reappeared at the College and 
 said : "I went to the clergyman and he referred me to the 
 Charity Organization Society to have my case investigated, 
 but when I found I had to give my name and antecedents, 
 bringing disgrace upon a respectable family, I came away 
 and back to you." He brought letters which confirmed the 
 truth of his story, but one of them showed that he was a 
 Free Mason. "Why not apply to them," Father Van Rens- 
 selaer said, "they are bound to help a brother in distress." 
 "So they are," the man replied, "but the report would be 
 sent oh to my Lodge, and I should be disgraced in the eyes 
 of all my associates, and I assure you this is my first of- 
 fence." The priest could no longer resist, he took him to a 
 friend, a private detective, to whom he gave money to re- 
 lease his trunk and buy a railroad ticket. He saw him safely 
 
 29(5
 
 IN THE MINISTRY 
 
 on the train. The next week Father Van Rensselaer re- 
 ceived a most grateful letter saying that when the man 
 reached home and his wife and son, a young lad, greeted 
 him, he felt what a blessing it was to have saved them from 
 the pang of knowing his disgrace. However, he never re- 
 turned the money as he had promised.
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSION. 
 
 FATHER VAN RENSSELAER as we have seen, had 
 for many years ambitioned the hardships and priva- 
 tions of the missionary life, especially among the Indians of 
 the North-West. Perhaps he felt called upon to interest 
 others in a work from which he himself was debarred, and 
 to send as many substitutes to that field as possible. Be that 
 as it may, several young men whom he met in New York 
 and elsewhere with an aptitude for such work were encour- 
 aged by him to offer themselves for the Indian missions, and 
 the way for their acceptance by the superiors was made easy. 
 Most of them are now ordained and at present all are en- 
 gaged in the Rocky Mountain Mission, which to-day forms 
 a part of the Province of California. 
 
 One of these proteges writes of Father Van Rensselaer's 
 recruits in the far West : "How did we come to know him 
 and what information can we give of him and of ourselves? 
 Were we together to write an answer to these questions, we 
 could add no doubt some interesting details for a chapter, 
 and we should attempt it with a willing heart, for it would 
 be indeed a work of love. But since the mission to which 
 he offered himself and to which he directed us has been 
 united with California and grown into a Province, we are 
 very far apart. I fear we shall never be able to put into 
 words how much we esteemed him. We would rather live 
 it. Could we form a consensus of opinion on his best qual- 
 ities, one of our number might transmit it to you in the 
 
 298
 
 ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSION 
 
 language of the Cheyennes, another in that of the Crows, 
 but hundreds of miles separate those whom he sent over the 
 continent to do God's work. It is now twenty years and 
 longer for some of us, since he showed the way, pointing 
 westward, and I think I can safely say, speaking for myself 
 I cerainly can, that in those years there has never been a 
 moment's regret for having followed his direction. God's 
 outstretched arm is visible everywhere. On our great days, 
 such as the occasion of our religious vows, Father Van's 
 word came, glowing as we knew it, from his great heart ; 
 it was a brief word such as a busy man might write, but it 
 came to congratulate and encourage. I do not suppose he 
 ever knew how much that word was talked of and appre- 
 ciated in the land of the Coeur d'Alene Indians in Idaho, 
 where we spent the first years of religious life. We might 
 have voiced our appreciation in Kalispel we were studying 
 the language but we used English; for, needless to state, 
 we found it much easier. 
 
 "Our Indians, as you are aware, are dwindling in num- 
 l>ers and disappearing. The remnant is being crowded out 
 by the whites year after year; their lands, bought by the 
 Government for a nominal sum, are being apportioned off 
 to new-coming white settlers. The poor redman, who once 
 possessed all this country and counted as his own the game 
 of forest and plain, as well as the fish of our lakes and 
 rivers, is, to all appearances doomed. The Fathers of our 
 Society are doing everything possible in a spiritual way for 
 the disinherited survivors; the oldest missionaries both 
 Fathers and Brothers, who came in pioneer days to a life 
 of hardship and sacrifice, having reaped a rich harvest of 
 souls, are now almost all gone to possess the Kingdom 
 everlasting with their red-skin children. Our work for the 
 
 299
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 future will be more for the paleface than for his swarthy 
 brother. Indeed, 1 believe that, had our good 'Father Van' 
 been permitted to come to the Rockies, as he volunteered, he 
 would have been assigned to a post among the whites where 
 he could do most good. He was not permitted; he had a 
 larger and more fruitful field in New York, where he la- 
 bored and died. Heaven has gained more souls and we are 
 not complaining because Superiors saw fit to keep him. 
 
 "Odd as the appellation may seem at our age, we are 
 proud to class ourselves still among 'Father Van's boys.' 
 In the northern part of the State of Washington there is 
 one of our number in charge of a Central Mission, whence 
 our priests minister to Indians and whites at points some of 
 them one hundred and fifty miles distant. Another in the 
 centre of the State is engrossed in the education of' the 
 young men of a thriving city. While still another is at 
 work in his own quiet way where Puget Sound gives Alaska 
 and the Orient a waterway to Seattle, the most thriving 
 city of the growing North-West. One is at college work in 
 San Francisco, another in the cure of souls in a beautiful 
 town amid the vineyards of California: still another is Su- 
 perior of a Mission Station for Indians and whites in Mon- 
 tana; the writer is doing his little best in a college class- 
 room, and there are others elsewhere. But wherever they 
 l>e one and all at the mention of 'Father Van's' name will 
 forget for a while the troubles and cares of a busy life and 
 the coldness of an indifferent world and receive from the 
 remembrance of their great brother Jesuit fresh inspiration 
 and renewed courage to emulate his zeal for souls and his 
 indefatigable energy in working for the greater glory of 
 Cod." 
 
 Another of these missionaries writes in January, 1011: 
 
 300
 
 ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSION 
 
 "As I look back over my years and see the wonderful provi- 
 dence of God in my regard. I feel forced to acknowledge 
 that I owe a deep debt of gratitude to Father Van Rens- 
 selaer as being the instrument chosen by God's designs. He 
 had a magnanimity of character that never suspected the 
 dispositions and never questioned the intentions of men, but 
 sought out only their best qualities ; he had a personal mag- 
 netism that came not from mere good nature, but from a 
 certain natural grace of manner joined to lofty aspirations 
 and a supernatural tact for drawing men to piety and 
 making them submit, despite all difficulties, to the sweet 
 voke of Christ." 
 
 301
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 NEW YORK'S "FINEST" AND OTHERS. 
 
 EVERY St. Patrick's Day for several years the crowds 
 that lined Fifth Avenue in New York were treated 
 to a surprise, and the surprise came regularly. Mounted 
 on a spirited horse, which he managed superbly no matter 
 how it capered, sat smiling and serene a black-coated, 
 Roman-collared chaplain, who was clearly a popular favor- 
 ite. He was, as every one saw, not a Celt, and yet there he 
 was at the head of the Second Division of the Ancient 
 Order of Hibernians. It was "Father Van," and his ap- 
 pearance was a signal for applause and clapping of hands, 
 waving of hats and flags and handkerchiefs. What right 
 had he to be there ? Not much in the way of a racial claim, 
 it is true, though there were Protestants in his family, and 
 they were Irish, and that, besides his own personality, was 
 enough to give him a passport to his rather anomalous 
 position as chaplain of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, 
 and to be one of the notable figures in the St. Patrick's Day 
 parade. 
 
 Of course it was by some commented upon, criticized, 
 and condemned. Was it not mere posturing and pretense, 
 and a bid for notice and popularity? His friends often told 
 him that such things were being said of him, and those who 
 were not friendly let him know of it sometimes in unkindly 
 ways. But Father Van Rensselaer was singularly impervi- 
 ous to uncharitable remarks, or even to harsh disapproval or 
 denunciation, when the censors were self-appointed, if he 
 
 302
 
 NEW YORK'S "FINEST" AND OTHERS 
 
 knew he was right. He would smile at them gently, per- 
 haps his lip would threaten to curl a bit, but usually he 
 would not reply. 
 
 He knew that his Hibernians not only believed in him, 
 but were fond of him, so he kept right on his course. 
 
 We find an expression of this esteem in a notice taken 
 from a local Irish paper on the occasion of his funeral, and 
 which, therefore, cannot be suspected of flattery. It is per- 
 fervid at times as becomes the Celt, but it is all the better 
 for that. 
 
 "Father Van Rensselaer was a remarkable figure, which 
 once seen would not easily be forgotten. Standing over six 
 feet, handsome and broad-shouldered, he was distinguished 
 looking in any gathering. He was descended from one of 
 the oldest of the Knickerbocker families of the Empire 
 State, yet he had a strain of Irish blood of which he was 
 justly proud. He became converted to the Catholic faith 
 and joined the Society of Jesus many years ago, and dur- 
 ing all the time of his ministry he never wearied of doing 
 the Master's work assisting the needy, lifting up the 
 fallen, consoling the afflicted and admonishing the wrong- 
 doers. Those who were in sorrow or distress never 
 sought his help in vain, and many a man to-day prosperous 
 and happy owes his present condition to the kindly sympa- 
 thy and assistance received from this truly humble follower 
 of Him who hath commanded : 'Do unto others as you 
 would that they should do unto you.' 
 
 "For many years he was an active member of the An- 
 cient Order of Hibernians, and always took a deep interest 
 in the welfare of the Order. As chaplain of Division No. 
 2 of New York, he was unceasing in his efforts to increase 
 the membership, and it was his greatest delight to say that 
 
 303 '
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 it was the largest and most prosperous Division in New 
 York County. Although connected with many organiza- 
 tions, he loved the Hibernians best of all, and never missed 
 an opportunity of praising the Irish character. While he 
 had many a kind word or excuse for any little failing we 
 might possess, he was always happy to be with the boys, 
 and on last St. Patrick's Day, mounted on a handsome horse, 
 he rode up Fifth avenue at the head of Division 2, the 
 proudest man in that great parade, and the only chaplain 
 who braved the fatigue of that long ride, to show by his 
 example that we should not be ashamed nor afraid to turn 
 out on the 17th of March to do honor to the memory of 
 Ireland's Patron Saint. 
 
 "And never was such an ovation accorded to any man 
 as came from the hundreds of thousands who thronged that 
 mighty thoroughfare when the word was passed along the 
 line, 'Here comes Father Van.' Then, as his name was 
 shouted from lusty throats, the scene beggars description, 
 but will long live in the memory of those who were present 
 that day. The true-hearted sons and daughters of Erin 
 were proud of him, and he was with his own people, for 
 he was more Irish than the Irish themselves. 
 
 "Little did we, who marched with him on that occasion, 
 imagine that before the year had run its course he would 
 be called to receive the reward of the just for having 
 'fought the good fight' and having kept the faith ; he is now 
 numbered amongst God's chosen ones. With him has passed 
 away one of the grandest characters of the Catholic priest- 
 hood in this country. He was the embodiment of all that 
 was noblest and best, and a living illustration of the sub- 
 lime maxim of our grand and noble order. 'Friendship, 
 Unity and Christian Charity,' in its broadest significance." 
 
 304
 
 NEW YORK'S "FINEST" AND OTHERS 
 
 Few are aware of the veritable army of men required to 
 police a city like New York. Only on the occasion of the 
 annual parade, when five thousand of the "finest," about 
 half the police force of the city, march in serried ranks 
 through Broadway or Fifth Avenue, does the average New 
 Yorker realize the legions that day and night patrol the big 
 metropolis. Seventy-five per cent, of these representatives 
 of the law are Catholics. Of those on duty in the Borough 
 of Manhattan there are few who did not know the tall, 
 handsome priest personally, or by sight, or reputation. 
 
 Shortly after his assignment to St. Francis Xavier's, 
 Father Van Rensselaer saw that the city policemen were 
 sadly in need of a priest to look after their spiritual inter- 
 ests, for only after his death came the appointment of a 
 regular chaplain to the Police Department. 
 
 Father Van Rensselaer's methods of looking after the 
 city's guardians were clever adaptations of the code in use 
 among the men themselves. The policemen were regularly 
 "held up" on their beat by this spiritual roundsman. The 
 sight of the uniform seemed to fire his zeal and to estab- 
 lish his right to interrogate every bluecoat. What his ques- 
 tions were may be surmised. If he was a Catholic his 
 spiritual state was investigated, and his needs attended to 
 before they parted. If the man was not a Catholic, no 
 offense was taken, his respect for religion was increased, 
 perhaps, and there are instances in which a desire to know 
 more about the Catholic Church was the result. One of 
 the former Police Commissioners to-day is proud of being 
 a convert of Father Van Rensselaer. 
 
 At some of the station houses, particularly in the lower 
 city or in the neighborhood of St. Francis Xavier's at 
 that time a rather unsavory district he was a frequent 
 
 305
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 visitor. He went there as he went to engine houses, be- 
 cause it gave him an opportunity to meet many of the 
 men at once. Though all knew the purpose of his visits, 
 he was always welcome. The lieutenant at the desk, or the 
 captain if present, would be the first to greet him, for cap- 
 tain and lieutenant, besides the respect they had for the 
 priest personally, found the men more tractable and more 
 conscientious under "Father Van's" tutelage than they had 
 ever been before. Church and State, in this department, 
 worked very harmoniously and beneficially indeed. 
 
 After a few minutes of general conversation he would 
 take the men aside singly and broach the subject dearest to 
 his heart. There was a graciousness and off-handedness 
 about the maneuver that relieved the man of any embarrass- 
 ment. He would take his medicine, if not always with a 
 smile, at least like a man, and when he went out to his post 
 his heart was lighter and his sense of responsibility greater 
 because he had had that talk with "Father Van." 
 
 An outsider would hardly credit the genuine affection 
 that existed for the self-appointed chaplain. Long after 
 most citizens had retired for the night, this good priest 
 would meet the policemen on their rounds, usually with a 
 friendly pat on the shoulder, and they would patrol the beat 
 together. Some of the men would ask for an assignment 
 to the district where they felt sure that at some hour during 
 the night they would meet their devoted friend. It was 
 thus Father Van Rensselaer often spent the hours which he 
 might have given to a much needed rest after the fatigues 
 of the day. Whenever there was a lecture or play or enter- 
 tainment in the College Theatre, it was customary for the 
 captain of the precinct to detail for police duty some of the 
 reserves, two or three, or half a dozen, as the occasion re- 
 
 306
 
 NEW YORK'S "FINEST" AND OTHERS 
 
 quired. Regularly Father Van Rensselaer would telephone 
 to the captain to appoint men who needed to be "rounded 
 up." When the unsuspecting' officers arrived the priest was 
 at his post to receive them. After the gathering had dis- 
 persed the men were treated to some modest refreshments, 
 and when they returned to report they were usually better 
 men than they had been perhaps for many a day. 
 
 A few months after his death an aged woman was run 
 down by some vehicle and taken in a dying condition to St. 
 Vincent's Hospital. Her son, a policeman, was hastily sum- 
 moned to her side. As he entered some friends were kneel- 
 ing saying the Litanies. The policeman knelt with them, 
 and folding his hands in prayer said aloud: "Father Van 
 Rensselaer in heaven, pray for my poor mother," all the 
 others devoutly joining in the petition. Many a policeman 
 in Brooklyn or the Bronx who only knew Father Van Rens- 
 selaer by repute would when ill express the wish to see the 
 policeman's friend. No matter at what inconvenience to 
 himself, Father Van Rensselaer was ever prompt to answer 
 the call. If a patrolman fell into a scrape and how easy it 
 is for them to get into one the surest friend he had and 
 the first he thought of was "Father Van." He never failed 
 them. His letters of appeal for policemen were so frequent 
 that a distinguished Police Commissioner, who afterwards 
 rose to the highest office in the land, used to say to his col- 
 leagues : "If Father Blank of the Paulists sends a letter in 
 behalf of any of the men, show it every consideration, but 
 don't take any stock in Father Van Rensselaer's." Experi- 
 ence had taught him that whether the case was good, bad 
 or indifferent, the accused would always find in him a ready 
 champion. Before Father Van Rensselaer's death the ap- 
 pointment of a regular chaplain for the police was mooted. 
 
 307
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 It was well known that in a minor way and within a certain 
 area Father Van Rensselaer was already exercising the 
 functions. Had he lived a little longer he would have un- 
 questionably received the honor of a formal appointment 
 as Chaplain of the Police Department of New York. 
 
 In the pursuit of souls, though he was already connected 
 with other associations, Father Van Rensselaer accepted the 
 office of Chaplain to the Knights of Columbus. We have 
 no means of knowing much of his relations with them, 
 though we find in his papers sketches of some of the dis- 
 courses he delivered at their meetings in his capacity of 
 spiritual guide. There is, for instance, a very elaborate 
 study of the great Centre Party of Germany, that lifted 
 Catholicity in. the Empire out of the "slough of despond," 
 and made it a pillar of strength for law and order. There 
 is one on King David and another on the Crusaders, and 
 another which is an affectionate and minute study of the 
 great Catholic leader, Windthorst, and so on. Such models 
 held up to the Knights must have been potent influences in 
 helping them to realize their ideals. 
 
 In the Resolution of the New York Chapter of the 
 Knights of Columbus on the occasion of his death they 
 speak of him as "this noble man, this good, sincere friend, 
 this enthusiastic worker, this pious and loving priest whose 
 memory we revere." They express their "sincere sorrow 
 for the death of this worthy priest whose sole aim in life 
 was to carry on the work of Our Lord and Saviour. His 
 life was an exemplification of true Christian manhood, and 
 the highest type of membership in our honored Order." 
 
 308
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 WITH THE FIRE-LADDIES. 
 
 IN the popular mind Father Van Rensselaer is especially 
 associated with the firemen of New York. He was 
 never chaplain, though he would have been delighted to 
 receive that distinction, but he performed as a free lance 
 the work of many regular officials. He pursued the "smoke- 
 eaters" continually; in the street, in their homes, and in the 
 engine houses. The work was an extensive one, for there 
 are many Catholics in the Department; but the Protestants 
 appear to have always accorded him a ready welcome. It 
 was all done in such a light-hearted manner that the 
 straightening-out of consciences lost its terrors. The "boys" 
 all liked him and were not averse to playing many a prank 
 at his expense, knowing perfectly well he would not take it 
 amiss. Thus on one occasion, we are told, when Father 
 Van Rensselaer was climbing the stairs to catch the men in 
 their beds, the officer below touched the electric button and 
 the whole company slid down the pole to the ground floor, 
 so that when his reverence reached the top floor he found 
 himself solitary and alone. He enjoyed the joke as much 
 as the perpetrators did. He had to continue the hunt, of 
 course, and he descended, but not by the pole. 
 
 The object of his visit was so well known to the men 
 that the one in charge would immediately vacate the little 
 office where the books are kept and turn the room over to 
 the priest to be used as a confessional. One man who sadly 
 needed his spiritual ministrations for months eluded him. 
 
 309
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Having ascertained the hours when this man could be found 
 on duty, he went one day to the house and asked for him. 
 The man was upstairs and "Father Van" started up to find 
 him. When he saw the head appearing at the top of the 
 stairs, the fireman promptly slid down the brass pole, as the 
 only means of escape. Father Van Rensselaer, standing on 
 the narrow stairway, said, with a smile: "You slid down, 
 but you cannot slide up." The man, caught fairly, suc- 
 cumbed and became a devoted penitent of the fisher of men, 
 and often told the story with a laugh. 
 
 Every priest engaged in the ministry has his consolations 
 in the visible workings of divine grace as well as in the 
 striking examples that follow what may be termed the 
 neglect of Divine calls and warnings. Among the firemen 
 whom Father Van Rensselaer attended was one who had 
 been careless for many years. The zealous chaplain tried 
 repeatedly to reach him, but never could find him in. At 
 last he went one day to the engine-house, waited until he 
 captured his man and persuaded him to make his confession. 
 That night there was a big fire, the fire laddie went out 
 with his company, and was brought home dead. 
 
 Another fireman resisted all the advances and entreaties 
 of the priest and at length, to escape further importunity, 
 put him off with the promise that he would go to confession 
 when he became foreman of his company. The coveted 
 honor came after a year or two, but on the very day of his 
 appointment he met the fate which his priestly monitor had 
 so often pictured to him; he, too, was instantly killed in 
 answering a fire-call, but his promise to make his confession 
 had not been fulfilled. 
 
 A story told by the members of Company No. is the 
 following : One day Father Van Rensselaer met a fireman 
 
 310
 
 WITH THE FIRE-LADDIES 
 
 on his way to the fire-house and learned that the laddie had 
 not gone to church or confession for a long time. So he 
 proposed to hear his confession as he accompanied him to 
 his quarters. The fireman assented and told his story as 
 they walked on. A few minutes later the hook and ladder 
 truck with its double line of firemen swung down Sixth 
 Avenue in answer to an alarm. There was a collision with 
 a pillar of the elevated road ; all of the firemen escaped with 
 slight injuries except one man, who was killed outright. It 
 was the fireman whom Father Van Rensselaer had shriven 
 on his way to the fire-house. 
 
 Instances like these were of great service in bringing 
 home to the men the necessity of being always ready. The 
 fireman, he used to say to them, was ever on the alert to 
 answer the alarm bell in order to save the property and life 
 of his neighbor; why should he be less prepared to answer 
 the summons of his Maker and to save his own immortal 
 soul? 
 
 If he heard of a hard case, he followed it up until he 
 settled it. Once he pursued a sinner who, trying to escape 
 from him, climbed up on a heap of coal. Father Van Rens- 
 selaer went after him and "straightened him out," figura- 
 tively, then and there. Chief of Battalion X. evaded him 
 for months, but finally ran into him by accident near the 
 College door. Of course Father Van Rensselaer hailed him 
 at once and put him through the usual process. But the 
 chief afterwards said that he was the happiest man on 
 earth. He had dreaded the ordeal and was so relieved to 
 have it over. 
 
 One precious souvenir left among his papers is a little 
 note-book in which he kept a list of the fire engine and 
 hook and ladder companies of Manhattan visited by him 
 
 311
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 once a month. Tt was manifestly impossible for the men to 
 come to him, so he went to them. The book itself tells an 
 interesting story and the temptation to give at least the 
 numbers of the companies is irresistible. 
 
 FIRE ENGINE COMPANIES, MANHATTAN. 
 
 No. 1 West 29th Street. No. 23 West 58th Street. 
 
 2 West 43rd Street. 24 Morton Street. 
 
 3 West 17th Street. 25 Fifth Street. 
 
 5 East 14th Street. 26 West 37th Street. 
 
 8 East 51st Street. 34 West 33rd Street. 
 
 14 East 18th Street. 39 East 67th Street. 
 
 18 West 10th Street. 44 East 75th Street. 
 
 19 West 25th Street. 47 West 113th Street, 
 
 21 West 25th Street. Amsterdam Ave. 
 No. 54 West 47th Street. 
 
 HOOK AND LADDER COMPANIES, MANHATTAN. 
 
 No. 2 East 50th Street. No. 11 Fifth Street. 
 
 3 East 13th Street. 12 West 20th Street. 
 
 4 48th St. & 8th Ave. 16 East 167th Street. 
 
 5 Charles Street. 18 Attorney Street. 
 
 8 N. Moore Street. 20 Mercer Street. 
 
 No. 21 West 36th Street. 
 
 This list covers about one-third the number of fire com- 
 panies in the Borough of Manhattan and zig-zags from 
 east to west and north to south in a way that must have 
 often exercised the priest's ingenuity to reach the fire- 
 houses with as little loss of time as possible. Then follow- 
 ing the number of the company and its address are the full 
 
 312
 
 WITH THE FIRE-LADDIES 
 
 names of all the members, beginning always with the cap- 
 tain or foreman and lieutenant or assistant. Ninety-five 
 per cent, are apparently Catholic, for the letter P. after a 
 fireman's name is of rare occurrence. The R. I. P. after a 
 man's name is frequent. Would that we could give the full 
 story that lies hidden under the simple initials. Was the 
 man killed at a fire or did he die peacefully, attended by his 
 priestly mentor? Father Van Rensselaer knew, and the 
 little R. I. P. shows that his love for the men followed them 
 to the grave and beyond. Two men in one company are 
 marked "not confirmed," and then their home address is 
 bracketed. So he was not content with a mere visit to the 
 engine house. When they needed further instruction he 
 was careful to give it, and he saw that they received all the 
 sacramental helps which the Church had the power to be- 
 stow. If these companies on his list represent the firemen 
 he visited regularly, there were many others which were 
 visited off and on. Whenever his ministry summoned him 
 to a distant point he never passed an engine house or a 
 police station without paying his respects. Indeed, it is well 
 known that there were fire companies in Jersey City and 
 Newark that he looked after as regularly as he did those 
 in New York. 
 
 His foible for the Fire Department pursued him when 
 away from New York, and we find him in Boston making 
 his way around to the engine houses to see "the boys." He 
 evidently caught them, for we find affectionate letters from 
 them among his papers. They even went to the Fire Com- 
 missioner and asked for some testimonial to show what they 
 thought of him. The commissioner gave him a badge, 
 which, one of the firemen said, "The commissioner would 
 not have given to his own son." 
 
 313
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 We append an account of this incident taken from one of 
 the Boston papers : 
 
 "The Rev. Henry Van Rensselaer, S.J., of New York, 
 made a brief visit to Boston recently. During his stay, 
 Father Van Rensselaer, who is the Chaplain of the Fire 
 Department of New York, visited a large number of fire- 
 men and heard their confessions. Some of the men had not 
 been to confession previously for years, their neglect being 
 partially due to their long hours of service. 
 
 "Father Van Rensselaer won a warm place in the hearts 
 of the firemen of Boston because of his kind labors for their 
 spiritual good. Wishing to give him a testimonial of their 
 regard, they chose one of their number to wait on Fire 
 Commissioner Russell to get his permission to present the 
 reverend gentleman with a fireman's badge, as it was inti- 
 mated that such a gift would please him better than money 
 or anything else. Mr. Russell did a very courteous and 
 kindly act in answer to the request, not only readily giving 
 his consent that Father Van Rensselaer should be thus hon- 
 ored, but he would also have presented him a solid gold 
 badge, at his own expense, had not the rules of the Jesuits 
 forbidden its acceptance. The good priest was given a reg- 
 ulation fireman's badge, with his name and the date of its 
 presentation inscribed on its back. Father Van Rensselaer 
 is the only man outside the members of the Department to 
 be honored with the regulation badge." 
 
 The following is the letter of the Fire Commissioner, 
 which seems to be an answer to one of Father Van Rens- 
 selaer, acknowledging the receipt of the badge : 
 
 3U
 
 WITH THE FIRE-LADDIES 
 
 "FiRE COMMISSIONER. 
 "BRISTOL STREET, BOSTON. 
 "Mv DEAR SIR: 
 
 "I am very glad to get your thoughtful note. It is need- 
 less to say that my remembrance of my uncle, Father 
 Coolidge Shaw, draws me tenderly towards those of his 
 Order. Certainly Father Finnegan is a trump. 
 
 "That simple badge, not of silver, is a slight recognition 
 of the feeling you have inspired among the men who know 
 you. "Very truly yours, 
 
 (Signed) "H. S. RUSSELL. 
 "May 14, 1898." 
 
 Father Van Rensselaer's interest in the Boston firemen 
 lasted as long as he lived. One of the letters he received at 
 Auriesville a few weeks before his death was from one of 
 the men he had met there nearly ten years before. A few 
 letters from one of these men fortunately escaped the whole- 
 sale destruction of his correspondence and serve admirably 
 to complete the record of his doings in Boston. 
 
 "BOSTON, April 5th, 1898. 
 "Mv REVEREND FRIEND: 
 
 "Well, I have actually been born over again ; it is as you 
 say, so very easy when you once break the ice. I went to 
 Communion on Sunday, and Joe Webber said that when I 
 was walking towards the altar the organ began to play 
 'When Johnnie Comes Marching Home,' and if it didn't, it 
 ought to; every one seems to know about my going to 
 church on Sunday. It has spread through the Department, 
 and if you were here for a month you could bring them all 
 to their milk, for no one can do it like 'Father Van,' as the 
 boys call you here. 
 
 815
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 "I wish you would write to Me . I enclose an envel- 
 
 oi>e with his address. Just lay it to him strong and make 
 him go to confession. So now, my dear friend, I know you 
 must be busy, and I will close by asking our good God to 
 ever watch over and guard you and give you strength to 
 convert more like 
 
 "Your friend forever, 
 
 "BOSTON, May 5th, 1898. 
 "REVEREND SIR: 
 
 "I have just got back from my vacation and I thought I 
 would drop you a line. I suppose by this time you have 
 the Department badge which Father Finnegan sent you 
 from the boys in the Department and the commissioner. 
 And by the way, the commissioner wanted it made of gold, 
 but I told him that Father Finnegan instructed me to have 
 it made of metal just like our own badges. I did not think 
 that the commissioner would give the seal of Boston, for I 
 knew a great many influential and leading men in Boston 
 have tried to get one and were unable to do so. When he 
 consented to give us anything we wanted for you, you may 
 be sure that I felt good about it, and when the boys in the 
 Department got hold of it, regardless of their religious be- 
 lief, they were all glad. Father Finnegan said he was 
 going to see the commissioner and thank him, but I think a 
 line from you would just make him feel good. 
 "Respectfully yours, 
 
 'Engine No. 
 
 "All the fellows send their best respects to you." 
 
 316
 
 WITH THE FIRE-LADDIES 
 
 "BOSTON, May 27th, 1898. 
 "My DEAR FRIEND: 
 
 "Pardon me for not writing- l>efore, but you know, 
 Father, that laziness will overcome the lazy sometimes, and 
 I have no other excuse to offer. I can't lie to you, for you 
 would know it the moment you read it. Father, my scapu- 
 lars broke and fell off; I have them in a drawer in my desk 
 now. I have not had them on for two days, and I confess 
 to you that I feel queer, something- I never thought of be- 
 fore. I think you must have forgotten me in your prayers, 
 for temptation has come my way strongly. I tried to hold 
 out, but succumbed only once, and that was since the scapu- 
 lars have been off. 
 
 "Jim buried his mother this morning; he has been 
 
 away for three days. 
 
 "Everyone else seems to be enjoying life. 'Goggie Mac' 
 has not been to Communion yet, and I wish you would 
 write to him. 
 
 "Now, Father, don't forget me again. I feel to-night as 
 if I had lost everything- I gained from you, and when I 
 started to write to you I had the same old voice tell me: 
 'What does he care for you; why, he will only read that 
 and laugh and say, what is the matter with him.' But I 
 write anyhow. 
 
 "I drew a very good time for my vacation this year. I 
 have from July r>th to li)th. I have not as yet selected a 
 place to go. 
 
 "Where would you gr>? You name me a place and I will 
 po if it is within my means. You have done so much for 
 me, I will do whatever you say on my vacation. Do yon 
 know that T have never met a priest that had so much con- 
 trol over one as you have? It seems as if I were writing 
 
 317
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 to God when I write to you. Well, Father, don't forget my 
 scapulars, and above all, don't forget me again, and trust- 
 ing He will guard and guide you ever, I say, 
 "Au plasir de vous revoir, 
 
 (From the same.) 
 
 "BOSTON, July 4th, 1898. 
 "FATHER VAN MY DEAR FRIEND: 
 
 "Forgive me for not answering your letter and acknowl- 
 edging receipt of package. I am very thankful to you for 
 your kindness. The beads I have told every night since re- 
 ceiving. One pair of scapulars I gave to Jim Caine, the 
 rest I still have. 
 
 "About vacation, I wish you had mentioned Auriesville, 
 N. Y., to me in your first letter and I would have gone 
 there for two weeks; as it now, I have given my word to 
 go to Onset, Mass., on Cape Cod, with four other fellows, 
 and we have the cottage engaged and all arrangements 
 made. It will be my first vacation to stop two weeks steady 
 in one place. I have always gone to different cities raising 
 the devil generally. My companions' names are Waggett 
 of Engine 26, Little of Ladder 17, and an outsider named 
 Hurley. If I can break from them the last two or three 
 days I will go to N. Y. just to go to confession to you. I 
 am glad you went to Paterson. I am \vell acquainted with 
 lots of the boys there, and you could do quite a business 
 among them. 
 
 "We had a little squib of a fire off Chauncy Street Fri- 
 day night and some of the boys of this company got scalded 
 pretty badly by the hot water coming back on them. We 
 had both engines out to it. Saturday night we had another 
 one, and some of the boys on ill-fated engines 38 and 39 got 
 
 318
 
 WITH THE FIRE-LADDIES 
 
 hurt. Jim Mungoren is off duty on the sick list. I wouldn't 
 be surprised if he has consumption; he has gone up country 
 to recuperate. All the rest of the gang are in good condi- 
 tion. As for myself, everything goes easy since you became 
 my friend; it feels just as if I was rich and didn't have to 
 bother about anything. This, as you know, is our busy day 
 and the alarms are coming in thick and fast, but none have 
 as yet amounted to anything serious. 
 
 "It has been very warm here for the past three or four 
 days. What do you think of our boys at the front, ain't 
 they all right? At least sixty-five per cent, of them are 
 Catholics. That gives the lie to some of these prating hyp- 
 ocrites about our religion. I hope you will strike some- 
 where near Boston, if not in it, soon. The paper here had 
 quite an account of your badge the other day. I am glad 
 he gave you one; it is quite an honor from him, he would 
 not give his son one. 
 
 "Well, I have given you enough prate for this time, and 
 I assure you I will write as soon as I get back, if I do not 
 see you. 
 
 "I am wearing a smooth face now. I have shaved off my 
 mustache and it feels cooler. Wishing you all the luck in 
 the world and assuring you I never forget you, 
 "I will always remain, 
 
 One of the favorites of the New York Department was 
 Chief Gicquel, a man conspicuous for the many acts of hero- 
 ism performed in the discharge of his duty. Gicquel died 
 and was buried from St. Francis Xavier's. Father Van 
 Rensselaer sang the Mass and preached at the funeral. We 
 have a sketch of what he said on that occasion, and it ap- 
 
 310
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 pears that the chief had made a bargain with him. "If ever 
 you hear that I am sick or injured, come to me wherever 
 you are." The compact was kept, happily not amid the 
 ruins of a fire, but in the peaceful surroundings of the 
 chief's home. 
 
 The men as well as the officers were faithful to him, and 
 whenever he was ill, which was of frequent occurrence to- 
 wards the end of his life, it was a common and almost 
 expected thing to see the fire-laddies making their way to 
 his room for confession. At the funeral two of the men in 
 uniform were the last to leave his grave. 
 
 320
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 
 
 TWENTY years had passed since Father Van Rensselaer 
 was ordained a priest, the greater part of which 
 time had been spent in the ministry in New York City. He 
 could not help seeing that God had blessed the work of his 
 hands. Though only in his fifty-seventh year, he had no 
 thought, as far as one can surmise, that the end was ap- 
 proaching; even those who were associated with him in 
 parish work observed no indication of waning strength, 
 but judged him to be possessed of his old-time vigor. The 
 end came sooner than was expected. 
 
 Sunday, June 2, 1907, was the last day of active work in 
 the ministry. On that day appeared the first pronounced 
 symptoms of the malady which a few months later was to 
 carry him off. Fortunately, we have a complete record of 
 his works of charity and zeal for that day, the only one on 
 which we can follow him closely out of the many years 
 during which he labored so strenuously as a priest among 
 his people. Though the record covers only a little more 
 than four hours, it throws light on all the days and years of 
 his busy life. It was the Sunday within the octave of Corpus 
 Christi. The priest appointed to officiate at the high 
 Mass and carry the Blessed Sacrament in procession being 
 indisposed, Father Van Rensselaer, who loved ceremonies 
 and was ever ready to fill a gap or relieve his brother priests, 
 offered to take his place, though that morning he himself 
 was far from well. The ceremonies were long and fatiguing. 
 
 321
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 It was after one o'clock before lie broke his fast, and then he 
 retired to his room to prepare for a meeting that afternoon 
 of the Knights of Columbus. Meantime a call was received 
 to anoint a sick woman, and, as it was raining heavily, 
 Father Van Rensselaer volunteered to attend to it in place 
 of the priest who was on duty, saying that he had to go out 
 anyhow. It did not take him long to find out that the hus- 
 band of the sick woman had not been to his duty for years ; 
 so after preparing her for death he ministered to the spirit- 
 ual needs of the husband. After this there was a short visit 
 to Sister Dolores, who was ill, and then he started out for 
 the meeting of the Knights of Columbus. 
 
 He got as far as Union Square and was in the act of 
 boarding a car when he fell in a faint to the pavement. He 
 was hurried to the New York Hospital, where he presently 
 revived, but for the next ten days was given absolute rest 
 and allowed to see only the doctors and hospital attendants. 
 In falling he received a severe scalp wound which also 
 needed attention. Meanwhile the news of the mishap had 
 gone the rounds of the newspapers and was received every- 
 where with expressions of deep regret. During his stay in 
 the hospital no hour of the day was without its stream of 
 sympathetic visitors representing rich and poor, Protestants 
 and Catholics alike, who made anxious inquiries about the 
 patient and gave expression to their deep personal regret 
 that anything untoward should have happened to good 
 "Father Van." His ailment was diagnosed as vertigo. In 
 reality it was much more serious. For years he had suf- 
 fered periodic attacks of gout and rheumatism, which for 
 months at a time had kept him confined to his room or in 
 the hospital. After his seeming recovery, he made light of 
 the mishap and would have resumed his usual duties in the 
 
 322
 
 LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH 
 
 parish, but the physicians prescribed an extended rest, and 
 by their advice he repaired for a time to South Norwalk, 
 Conn., where there is a country house for the Jesuit Scho- 
 lastics of the Maryland-New York Province. In the early 
 part of July another change was made to the Shrine of Our 
 Lady of Martyrs, Auriesville, N. Y., where he remained 
 until the second week in September. 
 
 Though relieved during the latter period from regular 
 duties, his life was not altogether inactive. Even this iso- 
 lated spot in the country was to yield abundant opportuni- 
 ties for doing good. Within a few weeks his spiritual 
 influence spread out among the farm hands, the scattered 
 groups of workmen on the new canal along the Mohawk, 
 and the men of the neighboring villages. As a result, several 
 old-time sinners were reclaimed and in one instance an alli- 
 ance that for years had caused great scandal was broken up. 
 
 Among the day laborers on the canal he discovered a 
 young Frenchman, a graduate of a Jesuit college abroad, 
 who, in spite of his education and evident refinement, could 
 get no employ men t befitting his station in life, but was 
 compelled to earn a living by digging in the trenches side 
 by side with the most uncongenial associates. To him 
 Father Van Rensselaer's coming was a godsend. In the 
 evening they would sit on the porch of the little bungalow 
 that served the Fathers of the Shrine as a shelter during 
 the summer months, and the happy youth would forget, for 
 the time being, the toil and heat of the day in the sympathy 
 and companionship of his priestly friend. Father Van 
 Rensselaer made strenuous efforts to have him appointed to 
 some lighter grade of work, such as that of timekeeper or 
 accountant, and though unsuccessful, his interest was as 
 sincere as it was commendable. 
 
 888
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 During his life Father Van Rensselaer had carried on a 
 large correspondence with all classes of persons, exercising 
 thereby an apostolate which was the more to his liking as 
 it never came to the surface and was seen by God alone. 
 The number of these letters that are still extant must run 
 into the thousands; but notwithstanding a public appeal, 
 only a few brief notes from his pen were communicated to 
 aid in the preparation of his biography. The fact speaks 
 volumes for the value set upon them by their fortunate 
 possessors. On the other hand, the letters of which he was 
 the recipient, being largely confidential, were scrupulously 
 destroyed. Only a few, comparatively, which were received 
 at Auriesville, escaped the fate which befell all the others. 
 
 A summary of these few will enable us to judge of the 
 general character of his correspondence, and of the oppor- 
 tunities it afforded him, and which he accepted, of working 
 in many directions and of extending his power for good 
 beyond parochial or even city limits. Among these letters 
 is one from a penitent of his who had gone to California. 
 The man gives a good account of himself, for "he had made 
 the mission and is working steadily," but would like a letter 
 of reference. He concludes by thanking God that "his hand 
 is fine," alluding evidently to some accident which he had 
 met with while in New York, and owing to which he had 
 fallen in with "Father Van." 
 
 There is a letter from the Department of Parks, New 
 York, granting permission "for the members of the Xavier 
 Club to make a satisfactory use of their permit." In another 
 a mother writing from New Jersey seeks his advice about 
 sending her daughter to a convent school. A Californian 
 pleads in an eight-page letter for his active interest in the 
 spiritual welfare of a younger brother, a Protestant, living 
 
 324
 
 LAST ILLNESS ANT> DEATH 
 
 in New York, "who is going through a heavy strain on 
 mind and body." A French teacher, addressing him in 
 French, bewails her physical ailments, which she enumer- 
 ates, and entreats his help in obtaining pupils. 
 
 Another post brings a note from a man who is looking 
 for a position and has to "get a letter from a well-known 
 
 priest to Mr. , the head of the firm. One from your 
 
 reverence, if you would be so kind, would, I think, suit the 
 purpose. Anxiously awaiting an answer, etc." 
 
 This is followed by a request from abroad respecting the 
 "whereabouts of a poor friendless woman, who may have 
 fallen into the hands of unscrupulous men or women anxious 
 to possess themselves of her savings." 
 
 A pastor in a rural district writes in the interest of a 
 l>enniless and homeless woman who had "lost one of her 
 limbs." and has sought in vain for admission to a city hos- 
 pital. Would Father Van Rensselaer use his kindly influ- 
 ence for the poor unfortunate? 
 
 Then all the way from Tennessee comes an odd petition 
 from a poor fellow whose foot had been cut off in a railroad 
 accident, that Father Van Rensselaer would "see the St. 
 Vincent de Paul Society in regards to an artificial foot," 
 and then, supposing his petition is granted, would "Father 
 Van" work for his admission into some religious order 
 "like the Trappists" or any "Catholic Order," for, even with 
 a cork foot, he could "cam a living and prove a useful 
 meml>er of the community." 
 
 In a letter written in French from Boulogne, a mother 
 thanks him for the interest taken in her son. "My mind is 
 at rest since I've learned that Joseph is in your hands: he, 
 too, tells me how happy he is, and speaks of you, mon 1 V-rc. 
 in all his letters." 
 
 325
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Then one whose husband has ceased to support her en- 
 treats him for a letter to a certain wealthy citizen, that he 
 may be induced to lend her a thousand dollars to buy at 
 once a desirable house in a select neighborhood. 
 
 From Chicago, a woman writes for information about 
 two students at the College twenty years ago, and inquires 
 for their residence at that time. 
 
 A member of the Boston Fire Department is on his way 
 to New York and wishes to introduce to his old friend 
 "Father Van" another fire laddie from the Hub, a convert. 
 
 The acting Police Commissioner answers an application 
 of Father Van Rensselaer for the reinstatement of a patrol- 
 man recently dismissed. 
 
 A young man in Buffalo, who signs himself "Your affec- 
 tionate son" and is seemingly a convert of "Father Van," 
 congratulates him on his reported recovery, and asks the 
 address of his god-father. 
 
 There is another letter from a young Frenchman seeking 
 employment. The same day his influence is solicited to get 
 the writer a position in a printing establishment in New 
 York. A young man who thinks he has a call to the priest- 
 hood seeks an appointment to talk the matter over. He 
 hopes that Father Van Rensselaer will remember him as 
 the person he once called "Little Jimmie." 
 
 A lawyer expresses the hope that "we may soon see you 
 home again listening sympathetically to the troubles of all 
 New York," and endeavors to enlist his cooperation in a 
 real estate deal. "I think a letter from you," he says, 
 "would expedite matters." 
 
 And so the correspondence runs on and on, as if "Father 
 Van" were synonymous with a Bureau of Vital Statistics, 
 or an information or employment agency. But the initiated 
 
 326
 
 LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH 
 
 know that he was but a zealous priest who was "all things 
 to all men that he might win all to Christ." 
 
 Nearly two months passed at Auriesville, and on the 
 whole the patient seemed to have improved. There was 
 certainly no indication that the end was drawing near. He 
 went about as usual, was most attentive to his religious 
 duties, the Mass, the divine office, the daily meditation, the 
 examination of conscience, and the rest. He also heard 
 confessions, preached a short sermon every Sunday, and 
 gave Holy Communion to the throngs on the pilgrimages. 
 One day towards noon it was the 20th of August as he 
 was reading composedly on the porch, he was seized with a 
 violent spasm and would have fallen forthwith had not a 
 companion caught him as he collapsed. Though he soon 
 revived, his weakness thereafter assumed a more serious 
 aspect. He tried not to lose heart, but he could no longer 
 conceal from himself the gravity of the situation. A week 
 later he wrote the following to a friend : 
 
 "THE SlIRINE, AURIESVILLB, 
 
 "August 28, 1907. 
 
 "... I am sorry to say that I have had a set-back. 
 A week ago I had another attack. It was induced probably 
 by a long walk of seven miles, the result of a drive and a 
 breakdown of the wagon. It is discouraging, for I was be- 
 ginning to consider myself on the cured list. I have had a 
 very useless existence this summer, chiefly vegetating. 
 There is really nothing to be done here except enjoy the fine 
 scenery and air. I am anxious to get back to work. . . . 
 Give my love to all the family and ask their prayers. 
 "Sincerely, 
 
 "H. VAN REXSSELAER, SI 
 327
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 On the same day he wrote to the Father Provincial for 
 permission to return to New York and take up again his 
 duties in the parish, thinking", no doubt, that, while the re- 
 pose of a secluded spot in the country could not effect a 
 permanent cure, he might as well fight it out in the midst of 
 occupations which had become to him as his very life. The 
 Provincial wrote back encouragingly: 
 
 "NEW YORK, 
 
 "August 30, 1907. 
 "DEAR FATHER VAN RENSSELAER: 
 
 "P. C. 
 
 "I received yours of the 28th. I sympathize with you on 
 account of your temporary set-back; I cannot think of it as 
 anything but temporary. Be not discouraged. The doctor 
 will take good care of you, and I only ask you to follow 
 strictly his injunctions. The Lord knows best, in whose 
 cause we are spending our energy and our life. I expect to 
 be at Auriesville for September 8th ; shall then see you and 
 talk matters over. In the meantime take your leisure and 
 do not worry about work here. I am not forgetting you in 
 my prayers. 
 
 "Devotedly in Christ, 
 
 "JOSEPH F. HANSELMAN, S.J." 
 
 There was nothing for him to do but await the coming of 
 the Provincial. So sure had he been of his recall to New 
 York that he had packed his valise and was ready to start 
 by the first train. He tore open the envelope in nervous 
 haste, read the letter without changing countenance, and 
 looking up at his companion, smiled sweetly and said: 
 I -"nt her Provincial advises me to wait." He took the ad- 
 
 328 
 
 "T?
 
 LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH 
 
 vice with as much composure and apparent contentment as 
 if he had been expecting to remain. The habit of obedience, 
 strengthened by thirty years of unquestioning submission, 
 is not apt to be ruffled by a trifle. 
 
 He left Auriesville with his mind made up to prepare for 
 the inevitable. He felt that the hand of death was upon 
 him. On the last day at the Shrine, a friend who was under 
 the impression that Father Van Rensselaer had already left 
 for New York, entered his room abruptly and found him on 
 his knees in rapt prayer. He was not very hopeful, and said 
 that he believed he had only a short time to live. The sequel 
 proved that he was right. A day or two after his return to 
 \\-\\ York, Dr. Delafield, his brother-in-law, called on him, 
 and that distinguished physician saw at a glance the terrible 
 inroads -which the malady had made in a few short weeks. 
 He must go to the hospital at once. 
 
 It may be said that Father Van Rensselaer's last moments 
 were in keeping with the whole tenor of his life. During 
 the three weeks he spent in St. Vincent's Hospital he was 
 loath to be treated as a sick man. He would not lie down 
 except at night, nor part with his cassock, which he wore 
 constantly in preference to a garb which would be more 
 comfortable. With his accustomed fervor, although he 
 could hardly make his way to the chapel unassisted, he of- 
 fered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass almost to the very 
 end, and clung with childlike faith to his beads and his 
 crucifix. Love for his crucified Lord had been a character- 
 istic devotion of his life, and a love which through all the 
 years of the scholasticatc led him to make the Way of the 
 Cross daily, was necessarily bound up with a tender devo- 
 tion to the Mother of the Crucified. 
 
 When he made his First Communion in Paris, his - 
 
 320
 
 LIFE OF HENRY VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Euphemia, who became later Sister Dolores, was at his side 
 and received Communion with him. The same devoted 
 sister had the sad consolation of ministering to him through 
 his last illness and of remaining with him to the end. No 
 more touching scene could be witnessed than his reception 
 of the Holy Viaticum. He lay there in the stillness of the 
 early morning, quite alone, save for the nurse, Sister Do- 
 lores again, and the Jesuit who brought the Blessed Sacra- 
 ment. Father Van Rensselaer held the Communion card 
 unassisted, and when the Holy Viaticum had been adminis- 
 tered to him, Sister Dolores, kneeling by his side, received 
 Holy Communion too. She had been with him at his first 
 Holy Communion, and was now with him at his last. The 
 priest left them alone to make their thanksgiving together. 
 The day before he died he had a convulsion and a priest 
 hurried from St. Francis Xavier's. He found him gasping 
 for breath and almost black in the face, but reading his 
 Breviary. To a gentle remonstrance he replied : "Oh, I 
 must finish the Office for the day." Later, when asked how 
 he felt, he answered : "Full of faith." The same day, after 
 he had sunk into unconsciousness, a gentleman came and 
 begged to see him, saying : "I have known him for a quar- 
 ter of a century and have been his penitent for twenty years, 
 ever since he has been a priest. I must see him before he 
 dies." At first his request was refused, but he insisted, 
 saying: "Heaven is open to receive him, and you should 
 go down on your knees and thank God that he is dying a 
 Jesuit." Before leaving he said to Sister Dolores : "There 
 is nothing sad about a death like that." As the end drew 
 near, a fellow Jesuit, a familiar friend of his for nearly 
 thirty years, whispered : "And so, Father Van, you are 
 going to leave us; you are going to Heaven." Unable to 
 
 330
 
 LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH 
 
 speak he nodded and smiled. There was no sorrow in his 
 heart, since the bitterness of the chalice he was about to 
 drain was sweetened with the hope of a blessed immortality. 
 With St. Paul, he could truly say : "I have fought the good 
 fight ; I have finished my course ; I have kept the faith. As 
 to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice which 
 the Lord, the just judge, will render to me." 
 
 He expired peacefully on the 3rd of October, the eve of 
 the first Friday. His remains were removed to the church 
 of St. Francis Xavier, where, following the custom of the 
 Society, a low Mass of Requiem was said on Saturday 
 morning by the Provincial, the Rev. Father Hanselman. 
 There was no sermon or eulogy. The services were ren- 
 dered more than usually impressive by the presence of His 
 Grace, the Most Rev. John M. Farley, accompanied by his 
 three vicars general, besides several other monsignori of the 
 Archdiocese of New York and of the Diocese of Brooklyn, 
 a large number of clergy, secular and regular, Christian 
 Brothers and Sisters of Charity. Fully three thousand per- 
 sons were crowded into the sacred edifice. The Xavier Club 
 was represented by nearly its entire membership, and there 
 were large delegations from the New York Chapter of the 
 Knights of Columbus, from the Ancient Order of Hiber- 
 nians, and from among the firemen, policemen and letter- 
 carriers of the metropolis. The archbishop gave the abso- 
 lution after the Mass. The body was then conveyed to St. 
 John's. Fordham. and laid to rest hi the little cemetery 
 already hallowed by the dust of many of his religious 
 brethren.
 
 ^705 
 32. 
 
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