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Show OUR MOUNTAIN PRIESTS, The mournful yet awe-inspiring music at those requiem Masses in memory of the late Hply Father, the powerful panegyrics preached by priest orators, ora-tors, prove that holy church leads in innsic consecrated conse-crated to her offices, and has advanced oratory to a sublimer pinnacle than that erected through impassioned, im-passioned, patriotic speech. Prior to the Spanish war for the liberation of Cuba, the halls of our congress resounded with oratory whose spell alone was sufficient to precipitate pre-cipitate war, without the Maine incident to pro-yoke pro-yoke its. actual declaration. Never before was its like heard anywhere. Never before was word imagery im-agery so yiyidly painted. If .it is not incorporated into' the text-books of our schools as grand examples exam-ples of elocution, we sadly neglect the history of progress. '. Yet is seems that the liberation of Cuba, grand a thethought, developed into speech at the time, sinks in comparison with the emotions awakened by the death of the grand old pontiff, Leo XIII. These . emotions found outlet in speech which adorns our language as no patriotic utterance could inspire. The panegyrics on Leo arc the best productions of modern tongue and pen. These is a priest in Denver who goes by the name of plain Father O'Ryan. The writer does iyt know him, but, since redding that short synopsis of his sermon preached at the requiem mass in Denver, there comes the wish to see him adorn a- wider sphere than the one spanned by these mountains. In expressing such a desire we do not detract aught of merit from the Church in Colorado. Colo-rado. Rather do we add to its glory, if the wish takes flight and Father O'Ryan, the western priest, awakens the echoes of cathedral churches in the east. Next to Father O'Ryan we may be pardoned for mentioning the southern priest now in our midst Father George Harding of New Orleans. That panegyric on Pope Leo reads grandly in print. To hear him deliver it was magnificence itself. All honor to our mountain priest3. |