"The quickening of perception and elevation of mind I have spoken of during my illness was manifested in an extraordinary intuitive perception of the wonderful beauty, propriety and reasonableness of the teaching and practice of the Catholic Church. It seemed almost like a revelation to me. It was deeply impressed on my mind that that wonderful system was not a cold, dry, incoherent and confused mass of uninteresting speculations and antiquated superstitious practices, but a beautiful, unique, harmonious system, instinct with life and love, and glowing with the divine forms of beauty and loveliness. In the language of the Psalmist: 'The King's Daughter' was indeed 'all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold with beautiful embroidery.' 'Thou art beautiful above the sons of men; grace is poured forth on thy lips; therefore hath God blessed thee forever.' Even the most insignificant part of her ceremonial seemed to be not only impressively significant but also instinct with the vitality of the truths represented. I saw and was deeply impressed with the beauty and significance of the use of holy water, the sign of the Cross, and all the varied ceremonial which to an unaccustomed eye is apt to appear puerile and superstitious. If I had ever had any doubt, I then had not the slightest misgiving in regard to the divinity of the Catholic

Church. I was only too impatient, if possible, to throw myself into her compassionate arms, to be embraced by her and nursed upon her divine bosom. I longed to return as a poor prodigal to my Father's house after years of wandering and vain pursuit of the worthless and unsatisfying husks of Time."

In fact, the invalid went in search of a priest while he was still so weak that he was obliged to sit down and rest on the way. When he appeared, pale and emaciated, before Father Borgess, begging to be received at once into the Church, that wise ecclesiastic counseled a little further delay. No doubt he wished the important step to be taken by the neophyte with all deliberation and tranquillity. Meantime, the news of his approaching submission to Rome was widely circulated. A violent commotion ensued and the storm of reprobation broke out again. Articles appeared in the newspapers declaring the conversion to be the result of mental derangement, asserting that the former minister had separated, or was about to separate, from his wife and children in order to become a Romish priest and intimating that he was attempting to inveigle his wife to the East in order to place her in a convent. Similar charges were made in public by a fellow minister, and letters were received

from old friends, full of impassioned remonstrances and abuse of the Church. An answer to the most odious of the newspaper attacks was made by the Rev. Mr. Randall, a Baptist minister, who protested in vigorous and manly fashion against such violations of Christian charity.

But this time the storm was met by the new convert with a serene courage that knew no wavering.

During the month of January, 1852, Mr. Richards wrote on the same day to his father and to Bishop McIlvaine, notifying them of his approaching reception and tendering to the Bishop his resignation as a Minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church. In his answer, Bishop McIlvaine expresses his deep pain and regret, and indulges in a sharp attack on the Catholic Church as "the very Mother of Abominations. . . . Never did the Church of Rome more openly avow her spiritual adultery in the bold declaration of her idolatrous worship of the creature, especially Mary. Never more than at present did she exhibit the features of Antichrist." However, he commends Mr. Richards for not remaining in the Episcopal Church with such views as he now holds.

In the midst of the excitement, Henry's brother William, then a lawyer and editor at Newark, Ohio, came to visit him. Acting as a

peacemaker, he endeavored to allay the angry prejudice aroused. He proposed that the convalescent should visit him at his quiet home in Newark as soon as he should be able to travel with safety. His expectation was that in the peace and quietness of his brother's house, Henry's excitement would pass away and that by calmly reasoning together they would end by harmonizing, as they had always done in the past, and would meet again on the good old via media. To the family and connections he said: "Henry is evidently a little disturbed in mind by his recent illness. I will take him to my house in Newark, where he can rest and we can talk quietly, and I am confident that in a couple of weeks he will be as good a Protestant as ever." The programme was carried out, but with precisely a contrary result to that predicted. At the end of the specified time, William was virtually a Catholic, though he did not make his formal submission for more than a year later, that event occurring in the summer of 1853. "Little did I anticipate," says William Richards in his little book, On the Road to Rome and How Two Brothers Got There, "the unanswerable arguments for the Catholic Church which he had already mastered and with which he unexpectedly but effectually posed me."

The visit was brought to an abrupt con