On the occasion of Tolton's ordination and return to the United States, an unsigned article. . . entitled "Father Tolton—The Very First," appeared in the October issue of St. Joseph's Advocate. The article described Tolton's ordination on April 24, 1886, and the enthusiastic reception that he received from both whites and blacks when he arrived in Quincy, Illinois, to take up his assignment at St. Joseph's Church. The article claimed that Tolton's ordination belied the notion that blacks deserved degredation and that they lacked intellectual and moral capabilities. It praised Tolton as 'the genuine article, a typical Afro-American—not your Episcopalian ideal, octoroon if possible, quadroon at most, Caucasian in chiseling.' It also noted the salutary effect of a black priest on racial prejudice, observing that as Tolton passed through the streets of Quincy, 'white gentlemen raise their hats." The article proclaimed, "We have seen it, not once or twice, but almost every time—MANHOOD!