rent
outlay. The Society, as far as its name went, thus became a Catholic
publishing firm, with Mr. Hecker mainly involved financially and Mr.
Kehoe in charge of the business. Mr. Hecker sunk a small fortune in
the Apostolate of the Press, much of it during the hard times between
1873 and 1876. The history of the whole affair is as curious as it is
instructive, and hence we have given a pretty full account of it. It
weighed heavy on Father Hecker's heart, though he astonished his
friends by the equanimity with which he accepted its failure. His
work, if it did not perish in a night like the prophet's gourd,
withered quickly into very singular form and narrow proportions. The
amazement of Protestant bigots at the appearance of the Catholic
tracts, speechless and clamorous by turns; the quaker guns of the
Second Plenary Council, and the bright dreams of a vigorous attack
upon the enemy all along the line and by all classes of clergy and
laity--how Father Hecker did in after years discuss these topics, and
how he did inspire all about him with his own enthusiastic hopes of a
future and more successful effort! When he went to Europe in 1873,
too feeble to hope for recovery, leaving the enterprise behind him in
the same condition as his own broken health, how unmurmuring was his
submission to the Divine and human wills which had brought all to
naught!

Not more than a few words need be said of his undertaking to buy a
New York daily paper. It happened that in 1871 a prominent journal, a
member of the Associated Press, could be bought for three hundred
thousand dollars. In an instant, as it seems, Father Hecker grasped
the opportunity. By personal appeals to the rich men of the city more
than half the sum required was subscribed, Archbishop McCloskey
heading the list with a large amount. But soon the doctors had to be
called in, and the enterprise went no further.

How Father Hecker appeared to men when advocating the Apostolate of
the Press, and how he spread the forceful majesty of Catholicity over
his personal surroundings, is shown by Mr. James Parton's words in
the article in the _Atlantic Monthly_ already quoted from: "The
special work of this [the Paulist] community is to bring the steam
printing-press to bear upon the spread of the Catholic religion in
the United States." The resistless missionary power latent in the
Church is thus spoken of by the same writer:

"What a powerful engine is this! Suppose the six abl