Page 46 - March On! God will Provide by Brother Aubert

26 VAN DEN POEL AND RYKEN
do. The serious illness of the priest's father complicated
matters. With no success Ryken tried to persuade Van
den Poel to consult Canon Triest, who had in l8l0
founded the Brothers of Charity.
In March, 1835, Ryken left Bruges to solicit funds in
Holland. One of those on whom he called was George
Le Sage, who warned him against acting without an
authorization from the Government. Le Sage did not
publicize the project in his paper as requested but wrote
the Bishop of Bruges to inquire whether or not the
Van den Poel-Ryken foundation had episcopal approval.
In Ghent, where they happened to meet, Ryken
clashed with Father De Smet, no longer a Jesuit but
still very busy soliciting financial aid for the Missouri
mission. Feeling that both were engaged in a common
purpose, Ryken had asked De Smet for the names of
some of his benefactors. De Smet resented what he re-
garded as a tirade of abuse that followed on his refusal.
De Smet knew nothing about any Father Van den Poel,
and he questioned Ryken's right to pay his living ex-
penses out of the money collected.
When Ryken got back to Bruges in September, 1835,
nothing had changed. Father Van den Poel seemed
content to wait from day to day and in the meantime
to live out each day.
Again in March, 1836, Ryken left Bruges to solicit
funds and this time, perhaps influenced by the Le Sage
warning, limited lis appeals to his friends and relatives.
He had heard that two Brothers, who had been gather-
ing funds without a Government permit, had spent
three months in jail.
In September, 1836, he returned to Bruges with a
thousand francs. To his dismay he was told that Father
Van den Poet had left. Later he was to find out that
this priest had been recalled to Detroit by Bishop Rese