The Catholic World, Vol. 02, October, 1865 to March, 1866: A Monthly Eclectic MagazineVarious
Religion
The Catholic World, Vol. 02, October, 1865 to March, 1866: A Monthly Eclectic Magazine
Various
Catholic Church -- Periodicals
We must next call attention to Joseph _de Hemptinne_. The owner of
immense factories, he employs thousands of laborers, and freely
devotes his fortune to the cause of the Church. _He_ also contributed
to the success of {7} the congress of Malines. His employés owe him a
debt of gratitude. Like a father, he cares for their corporal and
spiritual welfare, accompanies them when going to assist at mass, and
with them he says the beads and receives the sacrament. De Hemptinne
is entirely devoted to his country and his faith; his countenance is a
mirror that reflects a pure and guileless soul, deeply imbued with
religious feeling. It has seldom been my good fortune to meet as
amiable a man as Joseph de Hemptinne.
_Perin_ next demands our notice. He fills a professorship at Louvain,
and is well known to the public by his writings. In the congress be
was noted as an adroit business man. Possessing a refined mind, stored
with manifold attainments, he exerts a peculiar, I might almost say
magic, influence on those with whom he deals. His fine piercing eye
beams with knowledge, not mere book learning, but the knowledge of
men, whilst his noble forehead is stamped with the seal of uncommon
intellectual power. In his language as well as in his actions Perin is
extremely graceful; he might not inaptly be styled the _doctor
elegantissimus_. Count _Villermont_ of Brussels is well known in
Germany, and respected for his historical researches. At Malines he
displayed extraordinarily activity. True, he seems to be no favorite
of the graces--the warrior appears in all his actions. On seeing him,
I imagined I beheld the colonel of one of Tilly's Walloon regiments.
This circumstance must surprise us all the more, as the count is not
only a diligent student of history and a generous supporter of the
Catholic press in Belgium, but also a man who takes a lively interest
in every charitable undertaking and in the social amelioration of his
country. Would to God that Germany had many Counts Villermont!
Monsignor de _Ram_ the rector magnificus of the university of Louvain,
was the representative of Belgian science at Malines. Ever since its
establishment, he has been at the head of that institution, which he
has governed with a firm and steady hand. He is the pride of Belgium,
eminent, perhaps the most eminent, among all her sons. His authority
is most ample, and to it we must probably trace the majestic calmness
that distinguishes his whole being, for to me de Ram appears to be the
personification of dignity. At the proper moment, however, he knows
how to display the volubility and affable manners of the Roman
prelate.
Many illustrious Belgian names might still be mentioned, but we will
speak of them in a more appropriate place.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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