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Show j JAMES RYDER RANDALL. ! dames Ryder Randall, the author of "Maryland, f I.v Maryland." died last week at his home in Au- gusla, da. The Inlernlountain Catholic learns v'iTh specially deep regret of the demise of this tal- I ; ented, loyal son of the south, this true typo of a j Christian gentleman, this faithful, devoted son of J .' ' Holy Mother Church, since Mr. Randall was known It.o favorably and so gratefully to the staff of this paper. To some he was known through -correspondence brought on by his favorable comment ou fho character of the articles in these columns; with i several others lie was acquainted personally and , intimately. A man may live in the memory of posterity bv i a number of his works, but generally he is immortalized im-mortalized in the public mind by some one particularly particu-larly remarkable claim to its gratitude. Mr. Kan-dall's Kan-dall's name will probably be connected more prominently prom-inently with that thrilling production of his patriotic pa-triotic heart, '"Maryland. My Maryland," than wiih any other of Ids works. The author was at that I time professor of literature and classics at Poydrus I college. Louisiana. He had just read a graphic cc- I count of the bloody encounter that occurred be- j lwecn the soldiers of a Massachusetts regiment and i some citizens in the chief city of his native stat" Rail imorc. It. affected him so strongly, being a I wan of ardently loyal disposition, that he then and j there rose from his bod and wrote the thrilling lines that immortalized him. He sent them to the Nov Orleans True Delta for publication and scarcely I had the general public read thorn when Miss Hetty Cary brought them home to. .the heart of-the poo-I poo-I ' Ile in sungj adapting them to the classic melody of Laureger Iloratius. An intense enthusiasm was aroused. 'The poem and song had touched the popular pop-ular heart, had chimed with a psychological condition, condi-tion, and thenceforward both were rooted in public pub-lic favor. Mr. Randall was so intensely interested in southern south-ern men and southern topics, his experiences in life were so varied and his acquaintance with southern personages of note was so intimate that with the aid of a good memory he had gathered a fund of interesting reminiscences.' The writer often had the pleasure of hearing the old gentleman relate seme of these while in familiar conversation with his friends. .Many of them reached the public through the Catholic Columbian of Columbus, under the title of "Randall's Letter." He was a convert to the Catholic faith, and was fervent and regular in pious practices and religious devotions lie was affable in his manner and courteous with the courtesy cour-tesy of a well-bred southern man. He was' a graduate gradu-ate of Georgetown university, and he liked to refer to his college days; was fond of recalling old college col-lege associates and loved his Alma Mater. Mr. Randall was not known only to Catholic readers, but had. written extensively for secular papers. He was editorial writer for the Augusta Chronicle for twenty years, and later on for the Baltimore Bal-timore Frcss, and' contributed largely to other publications. pub-lications. He was sixty-nine when he died, and, like men of his stamp, courageous, devoted and full .with the spirit of their cause, he died practically while still in harness. ' With every convert of this character that enters en-ters the Catholic church comes a confirmation of her claims that she attracts to her heart what is good and noble in human nature, and as long as the convert remains so, holds him in her motherly embrace. |
