fulfilment of his mission, in the very carrying out of his
avocation, he met his own death. Must we not say, then, that
meeting his death, thus fulfilling his mission and performing his
duty, whatever there may have been against him, if there was sin
upon his soul of any kind whatever, he shall be remembered before
the throne of Almighty God? Yes, he did visit the widows and
orphans; and as the anecdotes and sayings about him pass away,
coming to us as straggling rivulets to swell the stream of his
worth, and to show that him who we mourn had a noble Christian
heart, and that is what we cannot say of many to-day. He had a good
heart, a Christian heart, a Catholic heart, and that heart was full
of love and charity toward his fellow-man. Was he ever a man
opposite or opposed to the good of his fellow-man? Was he not ever
anxious to improve the lot and well-being of his fellow-men? Look
at the associations to which he belonged. Every one of those
associations has its being and life in those things which are for
the betterment of man.

I have often heard him urge those who are poor and of little means
to join those associations, in order to make themselves thrifty and
better, and to build up for themselves a home here, and provide for
their children a means to live decently afterward. Was not this
patriotic? Was not this the best thing a human being can do on
earth, to strive with all his power to better his fellow-man, to
make his home more agreeable, and leave an inheritance to
posterity? Most assuredly it was; and most assuredly we must
conclude that his life was righteous, good and holy. And did he
preserve himself unspotted from the world? He lived a public life,
a life with the people and among the people. He was in every sense
of the word a public man, known of thousands, as the thousands here
to-day testify; and if there was anything wrong or sinful in his
life, long ere this it would have been brought forward in triumph.
But now no single finger of scorn or imputation can be pointed
toward him. After his life has been laid before you we know that he
had a good, Christian, Catholic heart, and that his heart went out
to his fellow-men, and that in all his dealings with his fellow-men
he was never in any sense greatly sinful--that he was not