congestions followed, relaxing the bowels and causing much bodily annoyance.  Meantime he was hardly ever out of his room and many days he spent entirely in bed.  His fits of depression of spirits were more frequent than usual and more saddening.  He no longer rested at all, what sleep he got being produced by drugs and serving but to pass the time unconsciously.  From the beginning of December he was apt to fall into a semi-comatose state, though generally in full use of his faculties.  Some days before he died he seemed to realize that the long struggle was nearly over, and he no longer talked to the doctor or others of the medicines or of his bodily ailments, nor did he seem to think of them; and his mind appeared to have suddenly grown peaceful.  The Scriptures as well as other books were read to him, as usual, up to the very evening before he died.  On the night of the 20th of December, two days after his sixty-ninth birthday, the last sacraments were administered, Father Hecker receiving them without visible emotion but in full consciousness.  During the following day he was quiet and apparently free from acute pain, the benumbed body refusing to suffer more; but the mind calm and attentive.  When the morning of the 22d came all could see that his time was near at hand.  In the middle of the forenoon the members of the community were gathered at the bedside, the prayers for the dying were read and the indulgence was given.  As this was over the doctor arrived, and Father Hecker, who had gradually lost advertence to all around him, was roused by him into full consciousness, and gave the community his blessing, feebly raising his hand to make the sign of the cross and uttering the words in a light whisper.  Then he sank away into unconsciousness and in an hour ceased to breathe.

And so Father Hecker died.  Our beloved teacher and father, so blameless and brave, so gentle and daring, so full of God and of humanity, entered into his eternal beatitude.

Dying on Saturday, and so near Christmas, the funeral was delayed till Wednesday, the feast of St. Stephen, the body being embalmed.  Christmas afternoon it was placed in the church and was visited and venerated by great throngs of people.  A vast concourse attended the Requiem Mass the next morning, which was sung by Archbishop Corrigan surrounded by many priests, an eloquent sermon being preached by Father T. J. Campbell, the Provincial of the Jesuits.  The body was placed in the vaults of the old cathedral.

The life we have been following is a harmonious whole from beginning to end.  The child tells of the youth, the youth promises a noble man, and the promise is more than fulfilled.  He was guileless; no dark ways of forbidden pleasure ever heard the sound of his footstep.  There was no barter of conscience for ambition’s prize.  He was fearless; from beginning to end there was no halt from want of courage.  Nor did he rush forward before the light came to show the road, though he often chafed and