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Second Edition
BECOMING INFLUENTIAL
A GUIDE FOR NURSES
Eleanor J. Sullivan, PhD, RN, FAAN
School of Nursing
University of Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco
Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid
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Publisher: Julie Levin Alexander
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Executive Acquisitions Editor: Pamela Fuller
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Production Project Manager: Debbie Ryan
Full-Service Project Management: Mohinder Singh/Aptara®, Inc.
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Cover Designer: Suzanne Behnke
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Text Font: ITC Garamond Std Book, 10/12
Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission,
in this textbook appear on the appropriate page within text.
Copyright © 2013, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the
United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should
be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval
system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
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aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial caps or all caps.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sullivan, Eleanor J.,
Becoming influential: a guide for nurses/Eleanor J. Sullivan.—2nd ed.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-270668-1
ISBN-10: 0-13-270668-7
I. Title.
1. Nursing. 2. Power (Psychology) 3. Career Mobility. 4. Communication.
5. Interpersonal Relations.
LC classification not assigned
610.7306'99—dc23
2011033274
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN 10: 0-13-270668-7
ISBN 13: 978-0-13-270668-1
In memory of
Joan Hrubetz, PhD, RN
An influential nurse
This page intentionally left blank
BRIEF CONTENTS
PART I UNDERSTANDING INFLUENCE 1
Chapter 1 What Is Influence and Why Do I Need It? 3
Chapter 2 Rules of the Game 11
Chapter 3 Understanding and Using Your Power 33
Chapter 4 The Power of Image 44
Chapter 5 Communicating Effectively 54
Chapter 6 Why Politics? 67
PART II USING INFLUENCE 79
Chapter 7 Setting Goals and Making Things Happen 81
Chapter 8 Making Connections and Building Coalitions 93
Chapter 9 Negotiating for What You Want 108
Chapter 10 Dealing with Difficult People and Situations 122
PART III PUTTING INFLUENCE TO WORK FOR YOU 137
Chapter 11 Enhancing Your Influence 139
Chapter 12 Telling Nursing’s Story 153
Chapter 13 Managing Your Career 165
Chapter 14 Balancing Your Life 184
PART IV THE FINAL STEPS 191
Chapter 15 Preparing Your Successors 193
Chapter 16 Leaving Your Legacy 199
Appendix 205
Index 206
v
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CONTENTS
Preface xvii
Part I Understanding Influence 1
Chapter 1 What Is Influence and Why Do I Need It? 3
Influence Defined 3
Barriers to Nursing’s Influence 4
External Barriers 4
Internal Barriers 5
The (Really) Good News 6
Why Be Influential? 7
Becoming Influential 7
Presenting Yourself 7
The Risks of Becoming Influential 8
What You Know Now 8
Tools for Influence 8
Learning Activities 9
References 9
Web Resources 9
Print Resources 10
Chapter 2 Rules of the Game 11
What Is the Game? 11
What Are the Rules? 13
The Basic Rules 13
The Game Board 20
Gender and the Rules 21
Gender Stereotypes 21
Men in Nursing 22
How Technology Changed the Workplace 22
How Organizations Function 23
Staff versus Line Positions 23
Responsibility without Authority 24
Status Symbols 24
Leadership, Management, and Influence 25
Assessing the Organizational Culture 25
vii
viii Contents
How Work Differs From Social Settings 26
Knowing When to Break, Bend, or Ignore the Rules 26
Why Nursing Doesn’t Fit the Rules 27
Nursing’s Rules 28
Being a Victim 28
Making the Rules Work for You 29
Caring for Ourselves 29
How Nurses Can Succeed 29
What You Know Now 30
Tools for Using the Rules 30
Learning Activities 30
References 31
Web Resources 32
CASE STUDY: Learning the Rules 32
Chapter 3 Understanding and Using Your Power 33
Power Defined 33
Types of Power 34
How to Use Your Power 35
Using Power Correctly 35
Increasing Your Power 36
Undermining Your Power 37
When You Don’t Use Your Power 39
Inappropriate Use of Power 39
How to Handle Power Plays 40
What You Know Now 40
Tools for Power 41
Learning Activities 41
References 41
Web Resources 42
Print Resource 42
CASE STUDY: Using Power 42
Chapter 4 The Power of Image 44
What Is Image? 44
Perception of Nurses 47
Public Perception of Nurses 47
Media Image of Nursing 48
Why Nursing’s Image Matters 49
Contents ix
Presenting a Positive Image 49
Image in Specific Settings 49
Image Detractors 50
What You Know Now 51
Tools for Image 51
Learning Activities 51
References 51
Web Resources 52
Print Resource 52
CASE STUDY: Improving Image 52
Chapter 5 Communicating Effectively 54
Communication Defined 54
Effective Communication 55
Social Media Communication 56
Gender Differences in Communication 57
Active Listening 58
Barriers to Effective Listening 58
Enhancing Your Communication Skills 59
Choosing the Medium 60
Crafting Your Message 61
Delivering Your Message 62
Timing 63
Asking Questions 63
Using Interruptions 63
What You Know Now 63
Tools for Effective Communication 64
Learning Activities 64
References 65
Web Resources 65
Print Resource 65
CASE STUDY: Sharing Information 65
Chapter 6 Why Politics? 67
What Is Politics, Really? 67
The Relationship between Politics and Policy 68
The Game of Politics 68
The Process of Political Action 69
Behind-the-Scenes Work 71
Dirty Tricks 72
x Contents
How Nurses Can Use Politics 72
Working with Public Officials 74
Communicating with Elected Officials 74
Meeting with Elected Officials 74
What You Know Now 75
Tools for Using Politics 75
Learning Activities 75
References 76
Web Resources 76
CASE STUDY: In-House Political Action 76
Part II Using Influence 79
Chapter 7 Setting Goals and Making Things Happen 81
A Vision For Your Future 81
Ways to Look at the Future 82
Envisioning Your Goals 82
Matching Your Goals with Reality 83
Decide on Your Time Frame 84
Making It Happen 85
Choosing the Organization 85
Opportunities in Professional Associations 86
Selling Yourself 87
Saying No 88
When the Going Gets Tough 89
Accepting the Risk 89
Planning for the Rest of Your Life 89
Leaving the Organization 90
What You Know Now 90
Tools for Setting and Meeting Goals 90
Learning Activities 91
References 91
Web Resources 91
CASE STUDY: Setting and Meeting Goals 92
Chapter 8 Making Connections and Building
Coalitions 93
How to Make Connections 93
Meeting People 94
Small Talk 94
Contents xi
Building a Network 97
Your Network 97
Expanding Your Network 99
Keeping Track of Your Network 99
Using Your Network 100
Competing and Supporting 100
When to Compete 100
When to Support 101
Staying Neutral 102
Building a Coalition 103
The Purpose of a Coalition 103
Forming a Coalition 104
To Go Formal or Informal 105
What You Know Now 105
Tools for Making Connections and Building Coalitions 106
Learning Activities 106
References 106
Web Resources 106
CASE STUDY: Making Connections 107
Chapter 9 Negotiating for What You Want 108
What Is Negotiation? 108
Process versus Content 109
Negotiating Doesn’t Equal Winning 109
Positional Bargaining versus Principled Negotiation 109
Group Characteristics and Their Effect on
Negotiation 110
Negotiating Strategies 110
The Negotiation 111
Preparing to Negotiate 111
Scheduling the Meeting 112
The Meeting 113
Negotiating from a Distance 117
What Can Go Wrong 118
What You Know Now 119
Tools for Negotiating 119
Learning Activities 119
References 120
Web Resources 120
CASE STUDY: Using Negotiating Skills 120
xii Contents
Chapter 10 Dealing with Difficult People and Situations 122
Dealing with Problems 122
Difficult People 123
Difficult Situations 123
Bullying 124
Strategies for Managing Difficult Situations 125
Evaluate the Situation 125
Decide to Intervene 125
Confrontation 126
Four Steps to Confronting Others 126
Problems in Confronting Others 128
When You Are Confronted 130
If the Confrontation Turns Dangerous 131
What You Know Now 132
Tools for Dealing with Difficult People and Situations 133
Learning Activities 133
References 133
Web Resources 134
CASE STUDY: Confronting a Bully 134
Part III Putting Influence to Work for You 137
Chapter 11 Enhancing Your Influence 139
Enhancing Your Influence 139
Increasing Your Skills 140
The Meaning Behind the Message 140
Beyond Understanding Others 143
The Finer Points of Courtesy 143
Taking Advantage of Meetings
and Travel 144
Handling Rudeness 145
Handling Disappointments 145
Saying “No” Can Be Positive 146
The Importance of Persistence, Timing,
and Trust 147
A Commitment to Your Colleagues 149
One Final Step 149
What You Know Now 150
Tools for Practicing Influence 150
Learning Activities 150
Contents xiii
References 150
Web Resources 151
Print Resources 151
CASE STUDY: Using Influence Skills 151
Chapter 12 Telling Nursing’s Story 153
What Is Nursing’s Story? 153
Telling Nursing’s Story 154
Why Nurses Don’t Tell Their Stories 154
How Nurses Can Tell Their Stories 155
Where to Tell Nursing’s Story 156
Telling Nursing’s Story to the Public 157
Speaking in Public 157
Writing for the Public 159
Speaking and Writing for Nursing and Health Care
Audiences 160
Telling Nursing’s Story to the Media 160
What You Know Now 162
Tools for Telling Nursing’s Story 162
Learning Activities 162
References 163
Web Resources 163
Additional Resource 163
CASE STUDY: Telling Nursing’s Story 163
Chapter 13 Managing Your Career 165
Why Manage Your Career 165
The Difference Between a Job and a
Career 166
Choosing Your First Job 166
Interview Savvy 167
The Organization 167
What to Wear 168
Preparing for the Interview 168
After the Interview 169
A Second Interview 169
Accepting the Position 170
Declining the Job 170
Building a Résumé 171
xiv Contents
Considering Your Next Job 172
Finding Your Next Job 174
Leaving Your Present Job 175
Advancing in Your Career 175
Your Learning Needs 175
Finding and Using Mentors 177
Keeping on Track 178
When the Plan Fails 178
Taking the Wrong Job 178
Changing Course 179
What You Know Now 180
Tools for Managing Your Career 181
Learning Activities 181
References 181
Web Resources 182
Print Resource 182
CASE STUDY: Career Planning 182
Chapter 14 Balancing Your Life 184
Achieve a Better Balance 184
Your Personal Life 185
Create Your Own Board of Directors 185
Your Physical Self 186
Your Emotional Self 187
Your Spiritual Self 187
Your Intellectual Self 187
Having Fun 187
What You Know Now 188
Tools for Balancing Your Life 188
Learning Activities 188
References 189
Web Resources 189
Print Resources 190
CASE STUDY: Bringing Balance to Life 190
Part IV The Final Steps 191
Chapter 15 Preparing Your Successors 193
Your Successors 193
Preparing Your Successors 194
Contents xv
Becoming a Mentor 195
What You Know Now 196
Tools for Preparing Your Successors 196
Learning Activities 196
References 197
Web Resource 197
CASE STUDY: Preparing a Successor 197
Chapter 16 Leaving Your Legacy 199
Leaving Your Legacy 199
What Is Your Legacy? 199
Consider Your Past Contributions 200
Planning for Your Future 200
Contributing Your Time 200
Contributing Your Talents 200
Recording Your Life 202
What You Know Now 202
Tools for Leaving Your Legacy 203
Learning Activities 203
References 203
Web Resource 203
CASE STUDY: A Nurse Leaves Her Legacy 204
Appendix 205
Index 206
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PREFACE
This book is predicated on three assumptions:
1. Nurses, individually and collectively, do not have a history of being
influential in health care and other arenas.
2. Although the external environment has contributed to nurses’ lack of
influence, recent changes in health care portend well for nurses’ oppor-
tunities to acquire more influence.
3. Nurses can develop the skills to take advantage of these opportunities
and become more influential.
This is a presumptuous book. It is presumptuous in assuming that nurses
don’t have the skills to influence, assuming that they want them, and assum-
ing that I know what these skills are and how to teach them—all brash
assumptions. Nonetheless, I am stepping out boldly to proclaim that nurses
and nursing could and should be more influential. Culled from years of
experience in nursing and from life, I’ve seen what’s worked, what I’ve done
right, what I’ve done wrong (the best way to learn), and what I’ve watched
others do both right and wrong, relative to the ability to influence. I believe
nurses can and should learn these skills to benefit the health and well-being
of those in our charge: our current and future patients.
Some of the content presented here is not found elsewhere, and you
will find some information here that even your mentors won’t tell you. It is
hard-hitting, and some of nursing’s “sacred cows” are criticized. Do not be
put off by this. Use these statements to generate debate in your classes and
with your colleagues. Free and open exchange of ideas is the hallmark of an
educated profession, and it is my belief that nurses are mature and capable
enough to debate our issues without rancor.
This book will not help you pass state boards, prepare you to pass a
certifying exam, or improve your clinical skills, per se. What it can do, if you
are willing to learn and practice the tools presented here, is help you do
your work better and easier, with confidence born of knowledge and the
high regard for yourself and your work that you deserve. You will be able to
care for your patients; teach your students; interact with superiors, subordi-
nates, and coworkers; and contribute to your profession more fully and in
concert with your own abilities.
CHANGES TO THE SECOND EDITION
The second edition of Becoming Influential: A Guide for Nurses has been
updated with current information on nursing, health care, and technology,
including social media. Also added to each chapter are web and print
resources and a sidebar especially for the novice nurse.
xvii
xviii Preface
The book is organized into three parts. Part I, Understanding Influ-
ence, covers the basics of power and influence, including how influence
works, how to understand and use your power and your image, how to
make your interactions more effective, and how you can use politics to be
more influential.
Part II, Using Influence, deals with specific strategies to help you
become influential, including how to achieve your goals, build a network,
work with others to accomplish mutual objectives, become a skilled negotia-
tor, and deal with difficult people and problems.
Part III, Putting Influence to Work, encompasses perfecting your newly
acquired skills, telling others about nursing, managing your career, and bal-
ancing your life.
Part IV, The Final Steps, explains how to prepare your successors and
leave your legacy.
An appendix lists ten little-known secrets of success.
Some content you already know and use often. Other content may be
new to you, or you may have wondered how some people seem to be more
effective in getting their ideas implemented. If so, this book’s for you.
I have often thought that the world of work is somehow not real life.
Real life consisted of friends and families, work and play, good times and
bad. That, I know now, is both true and false. Work consists of life and rela-
tionships, but it is not all of life. It is a part of our lives and one that plays a
large part in our daily existence and in the way we see ourselves now and
into the future. Work is important but not the only important aspect of our-
selves.
In work, as in life, we are always becoming. We are never finished
growing, developing, and changing. So it is in becoming influential. But
know one thing: you are becoming the best that you can be.
Good luck!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As always, no writer creates a book alone. Colleagues and friends have
shared ideas, information, and experiences over the years; many of those
suggestions have found their way into this book. A special thanks to pio-
neers in helping foster nurses’ influence, including nurses Melodie Chenev-
ert and Marie Manthey and non-nurse Jinx Melia. Readers today have the
advantage of knowledge culled from these experts.
Editor Pamela Fuller and her assistant, Cynthia Gates, along with the
staff at Pearson Health Science, have made creating this book easier and its
content better than the author could have imagined.
Reviewers’ careful reading also found critical and troublesome parts
and made thoughtful suggestions to improve the manuscript. To all the
nurses who’ve shared their wisdom with me, I thank you.
Eleanor J. Sullivan, PhD, RN, FAAN
Reviewers
Thank You
My heartfelt thanks go out to my colleagues from schools of nursing across
the country who have given their time generously to help me create this
exciting new edition of Becoming Influential. I have reaped the benefit of
your collective experience as nurses and teachers, and I have made many
improvements thanks to your efforts. Among those who gave us their
encouragement and comments are:
Michael Barbour, RN, MSN Mary Camann, PhD,
Professor PMHCNS-BC
Florida State University Associate Professor
Panama City, Florida Kennesaw State University
Sharon E. Beck, PhD, RN Kennesaw, Georgia
Independent Contractor/ Janet B. Craig, MSN, MBA,
Consultant DHA, RN, CENP
Laguna Woods, California Associate Professor,
Gail Bromley, PhD, RN Extramural Program Officer
Associate Dean, Academics Clemson University
Kent State University Clemson, South Carolina
Kent, Ohio
xix
xx Acknowledgments
Deborah L. Dalrymple, RN, Lucille Gambardella, PhD,
MSN, CRNI APN-BC, CNE, ANEF
Professor Chair/Professor and Director
Montgomery County of Graduate Programs
Community College Wesley College
Blue Bell, Pennsylvania Dover, Delaware
Susan B. del Bene, PhD, Alice Kempe, PhD, CS
RN, CNS Associate Professor
Associate Professor Ursuline College
Pace University Pepper Pike, Ohio
New York, New York Tammie McCoy, RN, PhD
Gloria Fowler, MN, RN Professor and Department
Clinical Assistant Professor, Chair
Director of Student Affairs Mississippi University for
University of South Carolina Women
Columbia, South Carolina Columbus, Mississippi
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eleanor J. Sullivan, PhD, RN, is the former dean of the
University of Kansas School of Nursing, past president of
Sigma Theta Tau International, and a previous editor of
the Journal of Professional Nursing. She has served on the
board of directors of the American Association of Colleges
of Nursing and on an advisory council at the National
Institutes of Health, among other professional positions.
Dr. Sullivan is known for her publications in nursing, including her award-
winning textbook Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing, soon to
be released in its eighth edition, as well as numerous articles in nursing and
health care publications.
In addition to her books for nurses, Dr. Sullivan also writes mystery
novels, the first three featuring nurses (Twice Dead, Deadly Diversion,
Assumed Dead). Her latest book, Cover Her Body, A Singular Village Mystery,
is the first in a new series of historical mysteries featuring a nineteenth-cen-
tury midwife. Other books in the series will soon follow.
Connect with her at http://www.EleanorSullivan.com and on LinkedIn
and Facebook.
xxi
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PA R T
I
■ ■ ■
Understanding
Influence
1
This page intentionally left blank
Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
Fac-Similes Of Irish National Manuscripts.
Few of our readers are probably aware that the English government,
for the last ten years, has been making fac-similes of the most
important national MSS., for publication and sale, by the process of
photo-zincography. The Domesday Book was the first work taken in
hand. This wonderful record, without a peer in the world, is a
general survey of the land of England, ordered by William the
Conqueror in the year of our Lord 1085. It is the undisputed
testimony of the relations existing at that period between the
landlords and their tenants; and it describes the state of society
which existed in England under the Anglo-Saxon kings up to the
conquest of the kingdom by the Duke of Normandy. So successfully
was the printing of the fac-similes of the Domesday Book
accomplished, [pg 103] and so acceptable to historical students of
every degree was its publication, that, in the spring of 1864, the
Lords of H. M. Treasury unanimously endorsed the proposal by the
late Master of the Rolls (Lord Romilly) that the same process of
photo-zincography should be applied to the reproduction and
perpetuation of some of the “National Records.” Three volumes of
English manuscripts and three volumes of Scottish manuscripts have
been followed by the preparation for three volumes of Irish national
MSS., which will rank (says Mr. William Basevi Sanders, the Assistant
Keeper of Her Majesty's Records, in his Annual Report, printed in the
year 1873, on the fac-similes photo-zincographed at the Ordnance
Survey Office, Southampton) among the first of the many valuable
publications which Sir Henry James (the military engineer officer in
charge) has been the means of laying before the public.
Let us look over Mr. Sanders's description of the Irish MSS. He has
gathered his information from the best sources, having consulted
and freely used O'Donovan's edition of the Annals of the Four
Masters, the accessible works of Dr. Petrie, Dr. Todd, Dr. Reeves, and
Prof. Westwood, and more particularly from the elaborate
investigations of Prof. O'Curry, published in his Lectures on the MS.
Materials of Ancient Irish History.
The first of these MSS., both in point of age and on account of the
remarkable history that attaches to it, is the volume known as
Domhnach Airgid, or Silver Shrine. This is a volume of the Gospels—
perhaps the oldest in the world—of the Vth century, and traditionally
believed to have been the private book of devotion of S. Patrick
himself, and to have been given by him to S. Mac Carthainn when he
placed him over the See of Clogher. The legend in which this curious
story is narrated appears in the Tripartite Life of S. Patrick, and
O'Curry in his lectures gives the following literal translation of it:
“S. Patrick, having gone into the territory of Ui Cremthainn, founded
many churches there. As he was on his way from the North, and
coming to the place now called Clochar, he was carried over a
stream by his strong man, Bishop Mac Carthainn, who, while bearing
the saint, groaned aloud, exclaiming ‘Uch! uch!’
“ ‘Upon my good word,’ said the saint, ‘it was not usual with you to
speak that word.’
“ ‘I am now old and infirm,’ said Bishop Mac Carthainn, ‘and all my
early companions on the mission you have set down in their
respective churches, while I am still on my travels.’
“ ‘Found you a church, then,’ said the saint, ‘that shall not be too
near for us for familiarity, nor too far from us for intercourse.’
“And the saint then left Bishop Mac Carthainn at Clochar, and
bestowed on him the Domhnach Airgid, which had been given to
him from heaven when he was on the sea coming from Erinn.”
The shrine which held this relic is composed of three distinct covers,
of different dates—of wood, of copper plated with silver, and the
most modern of silver plated with gold, richly ornamented with
figures of the Saviour, the Blessed Virgin, and saints, and with
representations of animals, and traceries, among which is a mounted
figure, sword in hand, and displaying with minute accuracy all the
dress and [pg 104] accoutrements of an Irish noble of the XIVth
century.
The MS. itself is in such a state from age and damp as to make
inspection of its contents impossible, the leaves being all stuck
together, and the whole of about the consistency and appearance of
a piece of brick. The portions of which facsimiles will be given
present a good example of the better parts of it. It was originally the
property of the monastery of Clones, and was procured in the county
Monaghan by Mr. George Smith, from whom it was purchased for
£300 (say $1,500) by Lord Rossmore, who presented it to the Royal
Irish Academy, where it remains at present.
The next MS. is as curious—the Cathach, or Book of Battles—a copy
of the Psalms, supposed to have been written by S. Columba. It
consists of fifty-eight leaves of vellum, and appears to be perfect
from the xxxist to the cvith Psalm, all prior to which are gone, and is
enclosed in a handsome shrine. Why it was called the Book of
Battles is told by O'Curry, from the Life of S. Columba, by Magnus
O'Dohmnaill. S. Columba, when on a visit to S. Finnen of Drom Finn,
being very anxious to have a copy of S. Finnen's Book of the Psalms,
made one surreptitiously by borrowing the book, and copying it in
the church after every one else had left. S. Finnen had notice of this
underhand proceeding of his brother saint from one of his pupils,
and accordingly, as soon as the copy was finished, demanded
possession of it. S. Columba refusing to comply with this demand,
the matter was referred to Diarmaid Mac Ferghusa Cerrbheaill, King
of Erinn, who pronounced against him in a judgment which to this
day remains a proverb in Ireland—Le gach bóin a boinin (“To every
cow its calf”), and so, by analogy, “to every book its copy.” This
adverse judgment, closely followed by the accidental death of the
son of Diarmaid's chief steward while engaged in a game of hurling
with the son of the King of Connaught—at that time a hostage at
Tara—who was torn from S. Columba's arms, into which he had
thrown himself for sanctuary, and put to death, so enraged the saint
that he stirred up his relatives in Tirconnel and Tyrone to revenge
the insult, and a bloody battle was fought in Connaught, which
ended in the rout of the king's army: and this was how the book
obtained its name.
For thirteen hundred years the book was preserved as an heirloom
by the O'Donnells, having been handed down by S. Columba himself,
who belonged to that clan. It is now preserved in the Royal Irish
Academy. Four pages have been selected for copying, containing
severally the first twelve verses of Psalm lxxx., the last three of
lxxxix., and the first seven of xc., the whole of xciv., and the first
eleven of xcv. The condition in which these pages remain is
wonderful, and reflects great honor upon the family who have for so
many ages and through so many national troubles and disturbances
preserved this relic with sacred care.
The next is the Book of Durrow, or Gospels of S. Columba, a volume
containing 248 leaves of vellum, written in columns by the hand of
S. Columba himself, as asserted in the following inscription on the
fly-leaf: “Liber autem hic scriptus est a manu ipsius B. Columbkille
per spatium 12 dierum anno 500”; and again, “Rogo beatitudinem
tuam, [pg 105] sancte presbiter Patrici, ut quicunque, hunc libellum
manu tenuerit, meminerit Columbæ scriptoris, qui hoc scripsi
ipsemet evangelium per xii. dierum spatium gratiâ Domini nostri.”
This last inscription is quoted by Dr. Petrie as conclusive evidence of
the date of the volume, which is considered by Dr. Reeves to be
either as old as S. Columba's day, or nearly so (a somewhat curious
hypothesis if the volume were written by S. Columba).
Until its presentation to Trinity College by Dr. Jones, Bishop of
Meath, this book was kept at Durrow, in King's County, the
monastery and church of which were founded by S. Columba about
the year 550, where the tradition of its having belonged to their
patron saint was preserved and believed in by the monks. It was
originally enclosed in a silver-mounted cuhmdach, or shrine, made
for it by order of Flann, King of Ireland, who reigned from 879 to
916, which was lost, as Mr. Westwood conjectures, in 1007, when
the volume was stolen.
The portions selected for copying are pages 12b, 14a 118a, and
173a. The first contains the prayer of the writer above quoted, under
which is also written, “Ora pro me, frater mi; Dominus tecum sit”;
the second is the first page of S. Matthew's Gospel, the third the first
page of S. Luke's Gospel, and the fourth the concluding page of the
same Gospel, at the bottom of which is written, “+ Miserere Domine
Naemani + filii Neth +” names which O'Curry states had not been
identified at the time of his lectures, though the surname seems to
be very like that of the scribe after whom another of the MSS.
contained in this volume is called—Mac Nathi.
The next MS. in order is the famous Book of Kells, a copy of the
Gospels, also traditionally ascribed to S. Columba—a tradition
doubted by some, but which Dr. Todd saw no reason to mistrust, as
the book is undoubtedly a MS. of that age. About the same time as
that when the Book of Durrow was sacrilegiously deprived of its
shrine, the Book of Kells was also stolen out of the church from
which it takes its name. The circumstance is thus narrated in the
Four Masters: “The age of Christ 1006.... The great Gospel of Colum
Cille was stolen at night from the Western Erdomh [sacristy] of the
great church of Ceandrrus. This was the principal relic of the
Western World on account of its singular cover, and it was found
after twenty nights and two months, its gold having been stolen off
it, and a sod over it.”
It continued in the possession of the Church of Kells till the time of
Archbishop Usher, after whose death it was granted with the rest of
that prelate's library, in which it was then found, by King Charles II.,
to the university of Dublin, and has been preserved in the library of
Trinity College ever since.
Of the pages chosen for copying, 6b, 7a, and 27a are entries
concerning lands, believed to be the only existing specimens, of pre-
Anglo and Norman date, of deeds written in the Irish language. They
are written in a rude, rough hand, that looks unsightly in contrast
with the character of the contents of the volume proper. 34a is the
beginning of S. Matthew's Gospel, and is entirely filled with the initial
of “Liber generationis.” 123a, 124a, and 126b contain S. Matthew's
story of the crucifixion, 124a being all taken up by the words, “Tunc
[pg 106] crucifixerant Christum et duos latrones,” written in a very
singular fashion, and enclosed in a framework profusely decorated.
200b contains a portion of the genealogy in the third chapter of S.
John, and 19b displays a collection of fantastic symbols, with a very
handsome capital Z, and the first two syllables of Zacharias
embellished with spirited figures of a dog pursuing a wolf.
It is impossible to exaggerate the elaborate ornamentation of this
remarkable volume, or the quaintness of the grotesque subjects
introduced into it. The gigantic initial letter, which is given as an
example in this volume, is filled in with an almost incredible
interlacing of extravagant impossibilities: Serpentine figures with
human heads; intertwined sketches of men spotted like leopards in
attitude of earnest conversation; rats sitting on the backs of cats,
who are holding other rats by the tails, the rats being engaged in
eating a cake; human figures with impossible combinations of their
own and other creature's limbs; strange shapes of birds and fishes,
geometrical designs and intricate arabesque traceries, all woven
together in the wildest dreamlike way, and having an effect that
charms the eye, and fills the mind with amazement at the fancy that
designed and the hand that executed them.
The next is another copy of the Gospels, known as the Book of
Dimma Mac Nathi, made, it is said, at the express desire of S.
Cronan of Roscrea, who died in the beginning of the VIIth century.
The drawings in this book are very rude, and the writing of some
parts of it difficult to read, though the scribe Dimma is supposed to
have belonged to a family of saints, one of whom, at any rate, was
greatly distinguished as a penman. It was purchased from Sir
William Betham, its original place of deposit having been the Abbey
of Roscrea, and is now in the library of Trinity College, Dublin.
Four pages have been chosen for copying. The first contains portions
of chapters 27 and 28 of S. Matthew's Gospel, and has this note at
the foot: “Finit. Oroit do Dimma rodscrib pro Deo et benedictione”
(“A prayer for Dimma, who has written for God, and a benediction”).
Between the 49th and 50th verses of the 27th chapter there is this
other verse, the substance of which only appears in the Gospel of S.
John: “Alius vero, acceptâ lanceâ pupugit latus ejus et exivit aqua et
sanguis.” Here, however, the piercing is made to take place before
the death. The second is the illuminated page preceding S. John. In
it is depicted a bird, probably intended for that saint's symbol, an
eagle, carrying a book in its talons, surrounded by a border of
arabesque design. The last two pages contain the first thirty-eight
verses of the 1st chapter of S. John, the first written along the full
breadth of the page and with a handsome initial “In,” the second
written in columns.
The next MS. is another copy of the Gospels, known as the Book of
Moling, and supposed to have been written about the year 690 by S.
Moling, Bishop of Ferns. It was presented to Trinity College, Dublin,
by a member of the family of Kavanagh, by whom it had been
preserved for many generations in its metal cumhdach, or covering.
Four pages have been selected. The first is a figure of one of the
Evangelists, with a book in his [pg 107] left hand, and a pen, which
he is dipping into an ink-horn, in his right. The second contains the
18th chapter of S. Matthew, from the 8th verse to the 27th; the
third, from the 27th verse to the 16th verse of the 19th chapter of S.
Matthew; and the fourth, the concluding verses of the last chapter of
S. John.
The Book of Armagh has also been selected. This volume, a
transcript of one still older, supposed to have been the holograph of
S. Patrick, was ascribed by Sir W. Betham to Bishop Aedh of Stetty,
whose death is recorded in the Four Masters in 698; and O'Curry
conceived it to be as old as 724, but Mr. Graves seems to have
proved that it was written by the scribe Ferdomnach in 807. It is a
small quarto volume, consisting of 221 leaves of vellum, and
containing an extract from the Tripartite Life of S. Patrick,
annotations on that saint's life by Tirechan and others, his
confession or epistle to the Irish, the Epistle of S. Jerome to Pope
Damasus, the ten Eusebian canons, an explanation of Hebrew
names used in the Gospels, with various prefaces and arguments,
the four Gospels and remaining books of the New Testament, the life
of S. Martin of Tours by Sulpicius, with two epistles by Sulpicius and
Severus, and concludes with a prayer. It belonged to the Church of
Armagh, being, as Prof. Westwood relates, held in such veneration
that the family of Mac Mayre held lands from the See of Armagh by
the tenure of its safe keeping; and in 1846 it was presented to
Trinity College, Dublin, by the Rev. Francis Brownlow, into whose
family it had passed in the XVIIth century.
Six pages have been selected, the first three of which contain the
extract from the Tripartite Life of S. Patrick. On the first column of
page 18b is the following account of a miracle performed by S.
Patrick: “Sechnall went afterwards to rebuke Patrick on account of a
chariot he had. Then Patrick sent the chariot to Sechnall without a
charioteer in it, but it was an angel that directed it. Sechnall sent it,
when it had stopped three nights there with him, to Manchan, and it
remained three nights with him. He sent it to Fiacc. Fiacc rejected it.
After that where they went to was round the church three times,
when the angel said, ‘It is to you they have been given from Patrick
when he came to know your disease.’ ” The miracle as here related
is, as O'Curry very truly observes, not quite intelligible, but the key
to it is to be found in the Tripartite Life, from which it had probably
been taken. The story there is that once, when Sechnall was at
Armagh, he remarked that two chariot horses which he saw there
would be a fitting gift to Bishop Fiacc. Patrick was not at home at
the time, but as soon as he returned and heard this he had the
horses harnessed to a chariot, and sent them off, without a coach-
man, to Fiacc at Stetty, where they arrived safely. The reason of S.
Patrick making him this present was to enable him to go to his cave
on the hill of Drom Coblai, where he used to repair on Shrove
Saturday with five loaves, and remain till Easter Saturday; and
because “chafers had gnawed his legs so that death was near him.”
Then come The Gospels of Maelbride Mac Durnan, Archbishop of
Armagh from 885 to 927, a small and beautifully-written copy of the
Gospels, made apparently by the [pg 108] same scribe,
Ferdomnach, who wrote the Book of Armagh, and at about the same
period. The initial page of each Gospel is very gracefully illuminated,
and to each is prefixed a page bearing the figure of its writer,
surrounded by a border of delicate tracery. The pages selected are
the first four, comprising the “Liber generationis” and the inscription
in capitals, the face of folio 5 being the beginning of S. Matthew's
narrative; the dorse of folio 65, which contains his account of the
scourging and mocking, and at the foot this note by the scribe: Mór
assársa for Coimdid nime agus talman (“Great this violence upon the
God of heaven and earth”); the dorse of folio 69, containing the
following letter, written in Saxon, is probably the earliest known
contemporary copy of a petition for restitution of temporalities to an
English bishop:
“Wulfstan, Archbishop, greets Cnut his Lord and Aelfgyfe the Queen
humbly, and I make known to you two, liege, that we have done as
the certificate came to us from you with regard to the Bishop
Aethelnoth, that we have now consecrated him. Now pray I for
God's love, and in the name of all God's saints, that ye will have
respect to God and to the holy order. That he may be admitted to
the possessions that others before him were: namely, Dunstan the
good and many another: that he may be likewise admitted to rights
and honors. In which case it shall be for both of you meritorious
before God, and eke honorable before the world.”
At the end of S. Matthew's Gospel there is, in addition to Archbishop
Wulfstan's (of York) letter, this memorandum in Latin: “Cnud, King of
the Angles, has given to Christ's Church an arm of S. Bartholomew
the Apostle, with the great pall and the golden crown of his head;
and the port of Sandwich and all issues of the water of the same
from either side of the river; so that a ship floating in the stream
when the water shall be high, at the distance of the cast of a very
small hatchet from the shore, the droits of the ship are to be
received by the servants of Christ's Church. And no man whatsoever
has custom in the same port except the monks of Christ's Church.
Theirs also is the ferry over the port, and the boats and toll of boats
and of all ships which come to Sandwich from Peperness as far as
Northmouth. If, however, anything be found on the high sea, being
brought to Sandwich, Christ's Church shall take half, and the
remaining part shall rest with the finders.”
The volume is preserved in the library of Lambeth Palace, but it is a
singular fact that it finds no place either in the catalogue of that
library published in 1812, or in the catalogue of the library of Corpus
Christi College, Cambridge, where Archbishop Parker's collection of
MSS. is preserved.
To Be Concluded Next Month.
[pg 109]
Congress Of The Catholic Germans At Mayence.
On the 16th and 17th days of June the Second Congress of the
Catholic Germans assembled at Mayence. This congress must be
distinguished from the regular annual congress of all the Catholic
societies of Germany. The constitution of the latter was formed
during the stormy times of 1848. It treats only upon religious
questions, and excludes on principle the discussion of politics during
its deliberations; whereas the Congress of Catholic Germans, which
held its first session two years ago, has for its object, according to
its statutes, the defence of the liberty and the rights of the Catholic
Church, and the maintenance of Christian principles in all the
spheres of public life by all moral and lawful means, especially by the
use of constitutionally-recognized and guaranteed civil rights; and it
therefore desires to be considered a political organization. It is
already in operation throughout Germany, in Prussia particularly. Its
sessions are held in Mayence—in that city which, owing to its
advantageous position in Middle Germany, opposite the confluence
of the river Mayence with the Rhine, was chosen by the Romans as a
boundary, and by S. Boniface as the central point for the
Christianization of the Teutons. It is true that “Golden Mayence,” the
special and true daughter of the Roman Church (Aurea Moguntia
sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ specialis vera filia), as the inscription
reads upon the old city seal, has, since the beginning of this century,
fallen greatly from its former splendor. In it once resided an
archbishop, who was the legate of the apostolic chair for Germany,
and metropolitan over twenty-four bishoprics, which extended from
Brandenburg to Chur in Switzerland, and from Metz to Prague and
Olmütz, and which comprised the largest part of the old German
empire; so that next to the Pope he was called the greatest prince of
the church (Post Papam secundus, says Marianus Scotus (+ 1086) in
his Chron. Aet. VI., ad a. 750), and in his temporal position as
elector and hereditary chancellor of the empire ranked next to the
emperor, and was called the Prince of princes (Moguntius post
imperatorem princeps est principum—Vita Arnoldi). Mayence is now
only a provincial city belonging to little Hessia, and the boundaries of
its bishopric are inconsiderable. Nevertheless, in the present combat
for the liberty of the church, it occupies, and has for years occupied,
an important place by reason of a succession of great men, Bishop
Von Ketteler at the head, and it cannot be doubted that the city will
in future be of great importance to the Catholic interests of
Germany.
The centrum of the Catholic party in Mayence is the Casino zum
Frankfurter-hof (Casino of the court of Frankfort), whose spacious
and imposing hall has not its equal in the city. In former times this
hall was used when a blow was to be struck at the interest of the
[pg 110] Catholic Church; but things are changed, and the
Frankfurter-hof is now the stronghold in which the defenders of the
Catholic Church meet together. Not until the use of this hall was
acquired, owing to the determined efforts of Falk III., the people's
champion, so well known throughout all Germany, did the Catholic
party in Mayence begin to feel its own importance. For the past
twenty years its members have appeared regularly at every election
upon the battle-field, to be as regularly defeated; but they were
finally successful in securing Canon Dr. Moufang as their deputy at
the last election for the Reichstag.
In the above-named hall the Congress of Catholic Germans held its
late sessions. It was appropriately decorated for the occasion. In a
prominent place, surrounded by beautiful flowers, was seen the bust
of our Holy Father, Pius IX. Above, in golden letters, were written the
words, “For God and Fatherland,” and over this the sign of
redemption with the inscription, “In this sign thou shalt conquer.”
Upon the pillars of the hall were placed the coats-of-arms of the
different bishoprics of Germany. The crape hanging over those of the
Archbishops of Cologne and Posen and Gnesen, and that of the
Bishop of Treves, was emblematic of the grief which fills the heart of
every Catholic when he remembers the three venerable prelates
who, forcibly removed from their episcopal sees, now testify in
prison to the divinity of Christianity and the inalienable right of the
church to that liberty in matters of faith and religion left her by her
Founder. The evening before the opening of the Congress many
members of the society met from all parts of Germany to greet one
another. Even the United States was represented in the person of
the learned F. Hecker. A superficial glance was enough to convince
any one that the nobility in particular desired by their presence to
show their love and affection for our persecuted mother, the church.
For years the majority of the Catholic nobles of Westphalia and the
Rhine have been animated with a deep religious feeling. The best
names among the aristocracy are generally found at the head of the
numerous appeals in behalf of religion; and in their own homes (a
fact which is of great importance) these nobles do not strive to
emulate by outward splendor those “capitalists” whose lives are
spent in acquiring riches, but they rather seek to uphold the honor
of their names by the simplicity of their mode of life, in their daily
actions, by educating their children as Catholics should, and instilling
into them principles of honesty, morality, and every Christian virtue.
It makes a lasting impression upon whomsoever is admitted to
familiar intercourse with any of these noble families to see all the
members of the household devoutly assembled in the private chapel
of the mansion, for the adornment of whose altars no expense has
been spared, there to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; and in
the evening to behold the father of the family, by ringing a bell,
again summons them into the chapel for evening prayer and examen
of conscience, at which the chaplain, but oftener the head of the
house, be he old or young, performs the duty of reading the prayers.
Fathers and mothers should imitate the example of these noblemen,
and when priests, on account of their faith, are imprisoned or exiled,
they themselves should take the place of the priests in their [pg
111] own homes. Then will the zeal of priests grow stronger and
Catholic faith take deeper root. Would to God that we could see the
same state of things in many castles in Middle Germany, in Silesia,
Bavaria, and in Brisgau (Baden), as is now seen in Westphalia and
on the Rhine!
But let us return, after this digression, to our Congress in the
Frankfurter-hof. Its president, Baron von Loë, representative in the
Reichstag, who last year with manly courage defended the
organization against intrigues of all kinds, was received with
universal applause when he ascended the rostrum and opened
Congress with the salutation, “Praise be to Jesus Christ!” In a few
but convincing words he explained why, despite the serious aspect of
the times, they had met in “Golden Mayence,” where liberty of
speech is yet permitted. (A short time ago a meeting at Treves was
dissolved because Herr Majunke, a representative in the Reichstag,
had said in the course of his remarks that Bismarck was only mortal,
and while lying upon his sick-bed suffered as much as any beggar
who lies ill in his hut. Another meeting was broken up by the
Prussian police because the speaker had announced his intention of
discoursing upon one particular theme. Who knows what terrible
things the police understood by the word “theme”?) Then followed a
long succession of congratulations which the guests, coming from all
parts of Germany, had personally to offer. As space does not permit
us to give a lengthened sketch of all these speeches, we must
content ourselves with simply giving the title of the address and the
name of the speaker.
Dr. Evels of Bonn spoke concerning the latest cultivated plant, which
grows only in Germany, and there sporadically, notwithstanding the
most careful attention from high quarters—that is, Old Catholicism.
With this exception, no dangers threaten the Catholic Church in
Germany. Count Bassenheim was the bearer of greetings from the
Bishop of Basel, who asked the prayers of the members for the
persecuted friends of religion in Switzerland. Baron Stillfried of
Vienna assured the Congress that the Catholics of Austria were
united, and expected the salvation of Austria only from intimate
union with the church. Dr. Lingens of Aix-la-Chapelle invited all
present to attend the exposition of relics in the venerable electoral
city of the old German emperors, which exposition takes place this
year, and not again until 1881. Baron von Frankenstein of Bavaria
spoke on the state of affairs in his country, declaring his belief that
they would soon change for the better. Count Kageneck of Freiburg
in Baden looked confidently forward to a happy future, relying upon
the just rights of the Catholics and upon the powerful protection of
God. Count Bissingen of Würtemberg (Swabia) asserted that the
fable of the Catholics hating the empire finds no believers among the
honest people of Swabia. Herr Baudri of Cologne, the brother of the
coadjutor-bishop, an old, faithful warrior, proclaimed in words of
burning eloquence the earnestness with which the enemies of the
Catholic Church publicly declare that the destruction of the church is
the order of the day, and he denounced the corruption of public
opinion by the state, and the manner in which it subsidized the press
by means of [pg 112] the funds stolen from the church. He thanked
divine Providence for giving Germany such a united episcopate, and
the present affliction of the church only demonstrated the fact that
not only in Germany, but through the whole world, Catholics form
only one family. While our enemies, he continued, raise on high the
torch of discord, which has so frequently brought our fatherland to
the verge of ruin, our Congress should use every effort to build a
new great and united Germany upon the foundations of a
Christianity similar to that upon which old Germany became great
and powerful. Herr Stroebel of Charlottenburg made the next
speech, and he was followed by the Rev. F. Altheimer, Curate of
Amorbach in Odenwald, Hellwich of Deidesheim in Palatine, Herr
Wiese, merchant of Werden, Baron von Schorlemer of Overhagen,
Herr Busch, contractor of Neuss, and finally by the junior editor of
the Germania, Herr Cremer of Berlin.
While the hall reverberated to the hearty cheers of the members,
letters and telegrams were constantly arriving from the interior and
from foreign countries, thus making perfect the picture of Catholic
unity presented by this assembly. Despatches from Austria were
especially numerous, showing thereby that in that country also the
Catholics are keeping watch in the struggle that has begun. The old
imperial city of Vienna gladdened our hearts with two telegrams. In
the one the Prince von Fürstenberg salutes us in the name of the
Catholic societies of Vienna; in the other the president of the
Catholic people's associations of Lower Austria sends his best wishes
that “the heroic battle which Germany's bishops, priests, and laymen
wage with such sublime courage may find its end in a speedy victory
for the holy cause of the church,” and adds the assurance: “We
Catholics of Austria are firmly determined, confiding in God's
protection, to offer the same resistance if the same attacks are
made upon the church.” Six telegrams from “green Styria” reached
us, four of which were sent by the Catholics of Grätz, and two by the
Catholic societies of Marburg and Wildon. “They desire to oppress
you and us,” telegraphed Senator Karlon of Grätz, “but we will yet be
the victors; for Christ lives, Christ reigns, Christ commands, and
Christ will triumph.” To these were added a telegram from the
Catholic Society of Klagenfurth in Carinthia, and two others from
ever-faithful Tyrol, from the society in Botzen, which numbers more
than 3,000 members, and from the society of Innsbrück. The
president of the last society, Julius von Riccabona, sent us the
following characteristic Tyrolese wish: “As the snow melts on the
high mountain beneath the rays of the sun, so also may the
intrigues against our holy church disappear before the power of
truth.” Charles Count of Schoenbrunn and George Prince of
Lobkowitz expressed in telegrams their respect, sympathy, and good
wishes, while from far-distant Hungary the Catholic Political Society
of Presburg sent assurances of their love and affection. From
Munich, Bavaria, came telegrams, from the diocesan clergy of
Eichstaedt, from the Centrum member Lang of Kelheim, and from
the society of Catholic men in Wasserburg on the Inn. From
Noerdlingen the society of Catholic men in Riesa, numbering over
1,400 members, writes among [pg 113] other things: “We feel in our
hearts the afflictions which the Catholics of Prussia endure; we pray
for the bishops, priests, and laity who are imprisoned on account of
their religious convictions; we approve of the conduct and praise the
fidelity of our Catholic brethren; yes, we are edified by their unity in
faith and by their firmness, and we congratulate them on their
perseverance and courage, which, because it comes from God, will
conquer the world.... We shall never consent to give to Cæsar the
things that belong to God; if it should be demanded of us, we shall
obey God rather than man, and imitate the example of the Prussian
Catholics.” From the south came greetings from the society of men
in Constance and from the president of the Helvetian Pius Society,
Count M. Scherer-Bouard of Lucerne, and finally from Hunfeld,
Viersen, München-Gladbach, Bochum, Luedinghausen,
Kluesedoerpen, Prussia, two from the city of Hanover, one from the
northern missionaries of New Münster in Holstein, and the last from
remote Dantzic. Among other despatches, there is worthy of special
mention the telegram of Prince Salvati, in the name of the Congress
of the Catholic Societies of Italy, which met at Venice, and the
following from London: “The Catholic Union of Great Britain extends
to you a brother's hand to encourage you in the struggle with the
evil spirit, and at the same time it deplores the death of your
champion, Malinckrodt. (Signed) Duke of Norfolk, President of the
Catholic Union of Great Britain.”
The greatest interest was shown when the mammoth address from
the United States was exhibited. It contained upon a roll of paper
one thousand feet long 30,000 signatures of Catholic men whose
own or whose fathers' cradle had rested upon German soil. (A few
days after this address was again exposed in the great hall, and the
endless roll of paper was drawn from the table of the president up to
the glass cupola, and from there letting it fall down again upon the
president's table, it was taken up for the second time to the
chandelier, and from thence to the roof.) The fearless expressions
contained in this document, which, thanks to “our freedom of
speech,” could not be dwelt upon at length, and the grandeur of this
manifestation, showed the imprint of the youthful and vigorous mind
of men who glory in being citizens of the greatest republic in the
world—the United States. Not long ago we finished a great war in a
great manner. It was then the pride of Germans to be German. Since
then, however, the little banners of religious narrow-mindedness
have been everywhere unfurled, and the so-called liberal party has
sacrificed not only its principles, but the most important articles of
the Prussian constitution—the idea of a great Germany and peace
and liberty. With the exception of a huge military power, everything
has dwindled away. The men who won renown in 1870 and 1871 are
no longer heard of. The men of the Centrum are our real
consolation, for by their prudent and fearless defence of truth,
liberty, and justice they have obtained great merit and are entitled to
enduring praise.
To place their labors under the protection of God, the Catholic
Congress of Germany assembled early on the morning of June 16 in
the venerable Cathedral of Mayence, where they assisted at the [pg
114] Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and received holy communion from
the hands of the Rt. Rev. Bishop Herr von Ketteler.
The devotion of these men, gathered from all parts of Germany, was
greatly increased by the music, which was executed in a most
masterly manner by the cathedral choir, who gave selections from
the following composers: Vechi, Aichinger, Orlando Lasso, Palestrina,
Croce, Vittoria, and Piadana.
In the session which was held with closed doors the president first
spoke of the sadness which filled the hearts of all the Catholics of
Germany on account of the untimely death of Herman von
Malinckrodt, deputy to the Reichstag. The memory of this wonderful
man, like a mourning accord, seemed to permeate all the
transactions, whether in writing or in words, and made itself felt
even in the banquet-hall. We shall not, however, dwell any longer
upon this theme, as we intend to give a short sketch of the life of
this faithful champion of the church.
Of the business transacted in the private session we shall make brief
mention. That which, as a general rule, is last thought of in all great
Catholic undertakings, was in this instance the first to receive
attention—we mean the finances. In this regard, however, the
Congress is deserving of no reproach, as it attached too little instead
of too much importance to money—a prince seemingly so
insignificant, but yet one who rules the world. The Catholic
Congress, organized as it is throughout Germany, stands in need of
certain pecuniary means, which want will be felt in future even more
than now. For this reason every member is obliged to give six
Silbergroschen (about fifteen cents). It must, however, be
understood that the collection of this money is not made without
some difficulty, since the organization is only in its infancy, and the
number of members constantly increasing.
We learn from the report of Herr Racke, High Treasurer of
Darmstadt, owing to whose self-sacrificing labors the finances of our
Union are in a very prosperous condition, that the collections of last
year amounted to 17,883 thalers, 14,000 of which were put out on
interest, including 7,000 loaned to different Catholic newspapers.
Another question came up regarding the existence of the Union.
According to the law of Prussia in reference to societies, a political
society cannot act as a union or central society, nor form branches
depending upon the union; on the other hand, however, it is lawful
for one society to exist over all Germany, and it can have its affairs
conducted by authorized agents. Our union was from the very
beginning most anxious to correspond with this law. Notwithstanding
this, however, the Prussian authorities have pretended to discover
the existence of local branches, in consequence of which many of
them have been suppressed. The reason for this proceeding, which
called into question the existence of the Union itself, was Section 10
of the statutes, which has reference to meetings held in different
parts of the empire. To avoid further vexations, this paragraph was
stricken out, and at the same time it was expressly said that
Mayence was to be the headquarters of the Union, and that there
the annual general meetings were to take place.
Herr Racke, merchant of Mayence, and secretary of the Union, who
had taken upon his youthful and strong shoulders the principal
burden of the pecuniary affairs of [pg 115] the Union, then
introduced a series of propositions, for the examination of which
three committees were appointed, viz., one upon the social question
of the day, another upon science, and a third on the influence of the
press; and finally he submitted certain rules of proceeding.
The short address to the bishops assembled in Fulda, which was
received with enthusiasm, and which was now read, deserves a
place in this periodical. It is as follows:
“Right Rev. Bishops.
“In a momentous time like the present the Catholics of
Germany assembled at Mayence respectfully desire to show
their gratitude and admiration for the right reverend bishops of
the fatherland, who have defended the rights and liberties of
our Holy Catholic Church with such calm and fearless dignity;
but, alas! our words of sympathy cannot reach several of the
prelates, except through prison doors. In proportion as the
distress of the church increases, the more do we feel ourselves
bound in conscience to declare before Germany and the whole
world that no power upon earth shall separate us from our
dear bishops, appointed by Almighty God, and that no power
of man can force us to recognize other pastors than those who
are in communion with the Holy See, and who are recognized
as true pastors by the successor of Peter, the chief pastor of
the church.
“Our dearly-beloved bishops have become shining examples of
apostolic courage as our leaders in these days of combat; and
as true children of the church we will follow them, and leave
the consequences to Almighty God.
“The hand of God rests heavily upon us, and the end of our
sufferings is concealed from the eyes of man. But we also
know that this trial will be of benefit to us; we thank God that
he deigns to allow us to combat and to suffer for his holy
cause and for the liberty of his church.
“ ‘Through the cross to the light’ were the words spoken in the
last Reichstagby that heroic warrior for whom all Catholic
Germans pray, and who died in the defence of truth and right.
It shall be our device also: ‘Through the cross to the light!’
“With these sentiments we ask your episcopal blessing, and
with the most profound veneration we subscribe our selves
“The most obedient servants and sons of our revered German
bishops.”
At one o'clock a banquet was held in the same great hall, at which
300 members of the Union were present, among whom was the Rt.
Rev. Bishop Ketteler of Mayence. It was he who proposed the first
toast to the Holy Father, which was received with enthusiasm, as it
was the twenty-eighth anniversary of his appointment to the chair of
Peter. The speaker reviewed the long series of years of combat
between light and darkness, and in the increasing enthusiasm and
affection of the Catholic people for Pius IX., the representative of
unity, appointed by Almighty God, he saw an increase of the unity
which the church, like an impregnable fortress in the midst of
combats, exhibits, while the world threatens to split asunder. Baron
von Frankenstein proposed, as the second toast, the Grand Duke of
Hessia and all the German princes belonging to the Union, and made
a few remarks appropriate to the occasion.
The president, Baron von Loë, proposed the health of the leaders
given us by Almighty God, the Rt. Rev. Bishops of Germany, under
whose guidance we some years ago saved the thrones from the
whirl of revolution, and under whose direction we now hope to
conquer the revolution which is preached by the government.
Among the other toasts given, we will only mention that of the Rt.
Rev. Bishop of Mayence, who paid a high tribute of praise to the
men of the Centrum who had in Berlin defended with such courage
and skill the [pg 116] cause of truth, justice, and liberty. After the
banquet the different committees of the Union entered upon the
discussion of the proposed resolutions, while the presiding officers of
the Congress consulted upon the drawing up of these resolutions.
The same resolutions formed also the theme for the speakers in the
public evening sessions, to which such a great number of persons
were attracted that the hall of the Frankfurter-hof, large as it is, was
not sufficient to contain all.
The first speaker, Baron von Wendt of Westphalia, passed in review
the public events that had transpired in Europe for the last year, and
he demonstrated in a convincing manner that hostility to the church
had everywhere appeared simultaneously, and was therefore the
result of preconcerted action. The explanation of this fact the
speaker found in the activity of modern liberalism, which had
determined upon the complete denial of Christianity, and which
boldly avows that by adhering to the principles of what its advocates
are pleased to call humanity all those inestimable blessings would be
obtained which the Saviour has left us in his sublime teachings upon
the obligations and morality of a Christian life. Like the work of
redemption, so also would the church become superfluous, and the
state, to which liberalism gives the preference over everything else,
would then enter upon its inheritance, and, as in the days of the
pagan Cæsars, assert its ascendency even over the spirit.
Herr Cremer, the editor of a Berlin journal, next proceeded to point
out the imperfections to be found in the constitution of the German
Empire, which gave security only to material interests and military
power, while there was not an article which had reference to the
moral problem of state life and the fundamental rights of civil liberty.
In the course of his speech he with much humor and sarcasm drew
attention to the fatal avowal of Bismarck in regard to his own policy.
When the question was proposed in the Reichstag as to whether
Catholics had forfeited their rights to citizenship and were dangerous
to the state, the prince answered in the affirmative. This “yes,”
remarked the speaker, “was the most absolute condemnation of his
own policy which could have ever been pronounced by any one; for
no state was ever so powerful that it could dispense even for a time
with the co-operation of one-third of its inhabitants. This policy must
be changed, for nine millions of Catholics could not be forced to
emigrate or be declared outlaws like helots. This policy was in every
respect to be rejected as rotten and false, even if it did rest upon the
shoulders of this modern Atlas.” The vigor and readiness of
expression displayed by the youthful speaker caused him to be
warmly applauded.
The V. Rev. Dr. Monfang, deputy to the Reichstag, delivered an
admirable speech upon the present state of society. The great
change, he argued, took place in the beginning of our century, and
he attributed it to the following causes: First, the French Revolution,
which overturned the laws of commerce and labor without regulating
them anew; second, the wonderful use to which machinery can be
put, particularly by the application of steam-power, which, in union
with the development of capital, directed industry into entirely new
channels; [pg 117] third, the exemption from taxation brought about
by the increase and facility of the means of commerce, which keeps
a certain class of labor in constant demand, and in a measure takes
it from the business men and the farmers; and, fourth, most
especially to that pseudo-liberalism whose national economy
regulates the relations between employers and employed, between
rich and poor, not in accordance with true Christian principles, but
according to the dictates of egotism. The social question, the orator
declared, resolves itself into this: that a man, to be really happy,
needs but three things—that is, a competency, a respectable position
in society, and inward peace of soul. After applying this true remark
to the condition of the working-men, the speaker finally passed to
the solution of the social question, and said that as this problem
affects all the relations of human life, a general co-operation was
necessary for its explication. The laborer himself must co-operate as
well as the family, the parish, the state, the church. Without religion,
without prudent legislation for the protection of labor, without
Christian marriages among the laborers, without public spirit and
united effort, it is not possible to avert the evils which every day
threaten the laboring class more and more.
Herr Racke, the indefatigable secretary of the Union, spoke upon the
difficult subject of passive resistance to laws which are in direct
opposition to conscience. He adduced particularly from the best
authors upon state rights the evidence that the state has no right to
demand from its citizens absolute obedience to all its laws and
regulations. Laws which are in opposition to conscience, morality,
and religion, be they ever so formally enacted, are not laws in the
sight of God, but are in defiance of those of all law-givers, of the
only absolute Lord who is above all states, all rulers, and all men,
and from whose authority alone even the state laws derive their
power and obligation. The animated speech of Herr Racke was also
loudly applauded.
At the request of the president the Rt. Rev. Bishop of Mayence gave
the episcopal blessing, whereupon the public session was adjourned.
The second day also began with prayer, a High Mass of Requiem
being sung for all the members of the Union who had died during
the last year. Then in a private session followed the discussion and
approval of resolutions. The resolutions proposed by the officers of
the Congress, and received by all with acclamation, surpassed in
importance all others which had yet passed. We give them,
therefore, a prominent place; they are a sign that the Catholics of
Germany have not lost their courage as yet, and they deserve to be
published verbatim. They are as follows:
The Second Congress of the Catholic Germans declares:
I. Regarding the State of Christian Society.
1. The violent persecution which the Catholic Church in some
parts of Europe and South America now suffers, verifies the
expression of the Holy Father that anti-Christianity—that is,
modern civilization—is incompatible with Catholicity.